《One Wild Night》


 Chapter 1 - Checklist

    Lucinda Perry couldn''t help feeling a bit nervous as she walked into the club, dressed in a strapless mini ck dress and a gold-colored knee-high boot. Her long curly jet-ck hair was let down for the first time in a long while instead of the usual bun, and she was wearing a green-colored contact lens in ce of the usual sses which she always wore because of her short-sightedness.

    Even though she was giving off a slutty vibe with her outfit, she was nothing close to being a slut. Unless of course, you''d want to call her a slutty virgin.

    For the first time in her adult life, she wanted to do something outrageously reckless. Something daring. The kind of stuff that would leave her best friend''s mouth hanging open in disbelief when she tells her how she spent the night of her twenty-fifth birthday. Was she ready for it? NO! But was she going to do it? Hell yeah!

    She looked around the club as she tried to adjust her sight to the dim-lit room, and noticed everyone around her seemed to be having so much fun. It was her first time in a club, so of course, she was feeling kind of lost and out of ce as a fish in the drynd. She looked ahead of her and took in a deep breath when she caught sight of the bar somewhere to the right ahead of her, "You can do this Lucy!" She assured herself as she slowly made her way towards it.

    The music was too damn loud, but she tried not to worry too much about her eardrums being blown off. At least not that night. She had made a promise to herself on herst birthday that she was going to do something crazye her next birthday if she was able to achieve certain goals she had set for herself. And as though the universe was in support of it, she had gotten her long-deserved promotion two days earlier. So that night was kind of different because it not only marked her twenty-fifth birthday, but it also marked her first night in the city of Ludus. She had been transferred to the head office here in Ludus to take over from one of the senior staff in the fashion unit who had just recently retired.

    She worked for one of thergest conglomerates in the world, the I-Global group, and as such being transferred to the headquarters was a very big deal, and a dreame true for her.

    She was the sort of person you would describe as miss goody two shoes. She was a typical good girl and a very intelligent one at that. She was also a very devoted staff in thepany... the type to put in extra hours and give her best to every assignment ced under her authority. In simpler terms, she was a workaholic with zero social life. The type who would rather work all night and sleep off reading a crime novel or something, rather than go partying or hang out with friends.

    "Hey, gorgeous!" A rough-looking man called out as she maneuvered her way through the crowd, but she only shed him a polite smile as she continued in her quest for the bar. She quickened her steps when she felt a hand on her lower back like someone was trying to grope her, but she did not bother to look behind her to see who it was. She almost let out a sigh of relief the moment she got to the bar but frowned when she noticed there was no empty seat avable around her.

    "Hey pretty! It''s your first time here, isn''t it?" The stout middle-aged barman with a ginger-colored beard called to her with a weing smile, and she shed him an embarrassed smile.

    "Yeah. Sort of. I''m kind of new in the area." She exined with a nervous giggle and then chided herself for giving out too much information. She tended to talk too much whenever she was feeling nervous.

    "Aw! Your first drink is on me then. Come on here and I''ll get you a seat." He offered as he circled the bar and came out carrying what she suspected to be his bar stool.

    "I''m Sam. What is your name?" He asked after he found a spot for the stool at the end of the bar which was directly facing the dancefloor, where a young man was seated.

    "Thanks. I''m Lucinda. Lucinda Perry. But my friends call me Lucy, so I guess you can call me that too." She told him as she sat down.

    Sam looked at her with a smile on his face like he could tell that she was feeling very nervous and then he extended his hand for a handshake, "Well, it''s nice to meet you, Lucy. I need to get back to my position. What can I get you?"

    "A double martini would do. Thanks." Lucy said as she settles down on her seat and looked towards the dance floor.

    "Your drink," Sam said as he returned with the ss and ced it in front of her, while Lucy shed him a smile of gratitude.

    "So what brings you to the city of Ludus?" Sam asked, propping his elbow on the bar counter as he looked at her, his curiosity burning in his eyes.

    She took a sip from her ss and grimaced before answering him, "Work."

    "Work?" Sam asked curiously.

    "Yeah. I just got transferred to the head office here." She said with a nod making the young man seated beside her turn to spare her a nce. He said nothing as he returned his attention once again to what he had been busy with.

    "Interesting. I take it you''ve never been to a club before today?"

    Sheughed self-consciously at that, "Why would you assume so?"

    "Well, I''ve been on this job for over twenty years, and I can tell a newbie when I spot one. And you my dear new friend is one. I''ve watched you from the moment you walked right in through the door." He said with a wink making her shrug.

    "Well, it''s my birthday, and I''m in a new ce. No friends yet. So..." She shrugged again and let her words trail off.

    "Hey everyone! She''s new here and it''s her birthday! Let''s show her some love y''all!" Sam announced loudly causing the others around them to turn in their direction, they raised their sses in a silent toast while her cheeks burned a bright red in embarrassment as she bowed politely and murmured her thanks.

    "You''re wee. Feel free toe around whenever you needpany." Sam said with a wink before returning to his spot to attend to some others who had just walked in.

    Lucinda sighed to herself before taking out her little pocket-sized journal and a pen from her purse, ready to check some items on her to-do list.

    1. Dressed outrageously sexy, check.

    2. Finally tried out contact lens, check.

    3. Went to a club, check.

    4. Took a double martini, check.

    She paused when her eyes fell on the fifth item on her list and she swallowed nervously.

    5. Have a one-night stand.. Not checked yet.

 Chapter 2 - Generous Stranger

    How on earth was she ever going to aplish such a huge feat? She wondered as she looked around the club for any prospective candidate. Had Sam been a younger guy, maybe she would have considered him, but Sam looked way too old and that was not the kind of person she had in mind to lose her virginity to.

    She noticed several guys staring at her like they were waiting for a sort of signal from her before approaching her, but neither of them looked attractive enough to her taste, so she looked away from them.

    She did not doubt that she was going to be needing lots of alcohol to build up her courage level, she thought to herself as she gulped down the content of her ss and called out to Sam for another shot.

    "Hey, sweety! Heard you''re new around here. Need me to show you around?" An average-looking young man asked with a suggestive wink as he let his eyes travel down Lucy''s legs.

    Ew! She thought as she tried not to look at him repulsively, "No thanks." Lucy said with a forced smile.

    "Are you sure? There''s plenty of ces I could take you to if you know what I mean." He said as he leaned closer to her and ced a hand on her exposed thighs.

    "Thanks for your offer, but I''ll pass," Lucy muttered through gritted teeth.

    He was so close that she could perceive the alcohol on his breath mixed with something else she couldn''t tell. The idea of having someone like him on the same bed with her was so repugnant that she was beginning to feel like retching.

    "She said NO! Why don''t you get lost." The young man who had been sitting quietly beside her growled ferociously, making the guy with the bad breath scurry away.

    Of course, she had been aware that someone was sitting beside her, but she just hadn''t taken note of him until she heard his voice, so she turned her head slightly to look at him and froze when their eyes met.

    He was staring directly at her and she noticed a smile was dancing yfully on his lips as he looked at her. His eyes looked as though they wereughing at something funny. His voice had not sounded like he was having fun a moment ago, so what was he finding funny? she wondered as she cocked her head to the side and raised a brow as though asking him what he was finding so funny.

    Tom tried not to chuckle as he looked down at her journal which was lying open on the table between them, before looking into her face once again. He grinned when her eyes widened in mortification and chuckled when she quickly snapped her journal shut.

    Lucy blushed a deep shade of red as she quickly looked away from the handsome devil.

    Although their gaze had held for only a few seconds, she had gotten a clear picture of his facial features before turning away. The brown-looking handsome devil was blessed with an oval-shaped face with a prominent lower jaw and chin. And his face was decorated with the finest hazel eyes she had ever seen on a man, and a well-defined straight nose with full symmetrical lips.

    Lucy silently pray that he wouldn''t say anything or expose her to the others. Thest thing she wanted on her first day here was to bebeled as a pervert or a man-eater. That would be very bad for her reputation around here.

    "Since we just shared such a deep secret, don''t you think it''s safe to say we are friends now? And as such shouldn''t we at least say Hi to each other?" The handsome devil asked her, breaking the silence which she had just begun to be thankful for.

    She gritted her teeth, and then pasted a smile on her face before turning to look at him, "Hi!"

    "You can call me Tom. I heard you say your name is Lucy earlier. I can call you that, right?" He asked with a grin as though he knew something she didn''t.

    "Sure." Lucy said, and then cleared her throat, "About what you may have seen..."

    "May? Not may. I actually did see it." He assured her in a very confident tone leaving her speechless.

    Had it been a less embarrassing situation, she probably would have demanded an apology from him for invading her privacy by sneaking a peek from her journal, but she couldn''t do that for fear that he might decide to expose her to the world. So instead she forced a smile, "Uhm..."

    "There''s nothing to feel embarrassed about. Nothing at all. It''s normal. People do these things all the time. I can assure you it''s not a big deal. I could just pretend like I didn''t see anything." He said with a straight face but she could hear the amusement in his voice.

    "Yeah. Thanks. I''ll really appreciate that." Lucy said with a smile of gratitude, grateful that he was responsible enough to let her off the hook so easily. She decided she was just going to drink really quickly and disappear from the club before she embarrass herself any further.

    "Sam, can I get another ss, please? And get one for thedy too." Tom called out to Sam before looking at her, "Since it''s your birthday, permit me to buy you a drink."

    "Thanks, but that won''t be necessary. I''m almost done here." She quickly assured him.

    "You can''t say you''ve been to a club or had a double martini if you did not get drunk or get on the dance floor. Plus I don''t see any man leaving with you either. Aren''t you going to check that on your little list?" Tom asked, wiggling his brow yfully as he nced at her journal which she had tucked into her purse.

    Lucy felt her face heat up again, "You promised to pretend..."

    "I didn''t promise. I said I COULD just pretend." Tom reminded her with a wink, "So how about I help you tick that? I''m feeling very generous tonight.." He said with a grin, showing her he was really enjoying himself at her expense.

 Chapter 3 - Kiss Me

    Lucy was feelingpletely embarrassed now since this wasn''t the way she had envisioned the night when she made her n hours earlier.

    Things like these usually happened in stages in most of the movies she had seen, one minute ady was drinking and the next she was chatting with a guy, and next they were kissing and groping in the dark as they try to undress each other and find their way to the bed or end up on the couch or on the floor, who cares where?

    When she was making her list, she never imagined or nned for someone else to see it apart from her best friend, Sonia, to who she had nned on sending a picture of her checklist.

    ''Okay! Lucy, you can''t chicken out. You wanted to do something daring, here is your chance. You''ve got a sinfully gorgeous man offering to be your one-night stand. You''re going to grab this opportunity now.'' She said to herself, and then gulped down the remaining content of her ss before shing him a courageous smile.

    "How about we have that drink first?" She asked making him smile.

    "Sure. Let''s do that. And then we can dance, and then we will go over to my ce or yours."

    "Yours. Yours is absolutely fine." She told him quickly. Of course, she didn''t want a one-night stand knowing where she lives. Thest thing she wanted in her life at the moment was a one-night stand who might decide to show up on her doorstep the next day wanting another stand.

    She really was not interested in a rtionship of any kind with any man. All she wanted was this one-time experience, and then after that, she would return to her loveless workaholic life. That was exactly the way she loved it. She loved being a career-drivendy who was able to take care of her herself and her loved ones. Thest thing she wanted was that trouble and distraction which was usually associated with being in a rtionship. Those boring long calls, spending hours visiting and doing sweet nothings, incessant and unnecessary misunderstandings et veteran. Those were things she was avoiding.

    "My ce it is then," Tom said with a nod.

    "I see you''ve gotten yourself a friend," Sam observed as he handed them both their sses.

    "Yeah, she has. Get her more sses, she needs to get drunk." Tom said to Sam who gave him a questioning look before ncing at Lucy.

    "Yeah. I need to get drunk." She assured Sam with a small smile of gratitude, and then he gave her a nod before returning to his position.

    "So tell me about yourself," Tom said as he sipped from his ss slowly while looking at Lucy with interest.

    "I''m not sure if I''m supposed to be telling a one-night stand anything about myself," she murmured to herself, and then realized she had just spoken out loud when she heard him chuckle.

    "What are the chances of seeing your one-night stand again? It won''t hurt to tell me something about yourself. I''m a stranger to you after all and you may never see me again. You could tell me something you''ve always wanted to tell someone about yourself." Tom said with an encouraging smile.

    Lucy felt her face pull back into a responding smile. Maybe it was the effect of the alcohol which was slowly beginning to move in her bloodstream or something, but soon her tongue gradually loosened up and before she knew it, she heard herself start saying some things to him.

    Heughed at something she said, and soon she realized she was moving. Her thighs started feeling kind of heavy, while her head felt very light. She felt his hand on her waist and heard herselfughing really loudly as she swayed her waist to what she believed was the tune of the music. Soon she realized that they were on the dance floor.

    "Kiss me." She heard herself say to him. By now the alcohol hadpletely taken over her entire being.

    Tom smiled at the invitation, "I don''t think you''re ready for that yet." He said, and then she felt him dragging her away from the dancefloor.

    Her vision was kind of blurry so she couldn''t focus, and just followed in whatever direction he was leading her to. She soon heard him say goodnight to Sam and then a minuteter she felt the evening breeze on her bare shoulders, telling her they were outside now.

    "Did you drive?" Lucy heard him ask. She murmured some gibberish, which he took as a no, and next, she felt herself being carefully ced in the backseat of a car.

    This was definitely not the way she had envisioned her ''wild'' night, so she knew she had to do something else she might end up being knocked out in the back seat of a stranger''s car. What if he was a psychopath? What if he goes to bars and picks up random girls then chops off their legs as those guys do to their victims in the crime novels she always read? she asked herself drunkenly and then shook her head.

    "Sam knows him, so I''m sure I''m safe." She assured herself out loud making Tom who was still trying to make her stay put in the backseat smile.

    She sat up as quickly as she could manage and wrapped her hands around him before he could leave, "Kiss me." she ordered again with puckered lips, pushing her lips forward with her eyes closed as she waited for his lips to meet hers.

    Tom sighed as he watched her. Who would have thought he would meet someone this interesting while waiting at the club for Anita, his self-centered girlfriend? He did not doubt that he had been stood up once again, but that was fine. He had nned on finally breaking up with her tonight anyway, so it was probably for the best.

    Tom brushed his lip on hers, "Now stay still. I need to get us out of here before I do anything." He told her softly before shutting the door.

    She really did not want to fall asleep so she sat up and crawled into the front seat of the car before he could get around the car, "Turn on the stereo." she ordered him as he got into his seat.

    "I guess you don''t want to sleep off." He said in amusement as he turned it on. Luckily it was on her favorite station and Kenny Roger''s coward of the county was ying so she sang along in her not-so-pleasant voice.

    She dozed off after a while and came awake when she heard him shut his car door beforeing around to her seat to help her out, "We are home?" she asked, squinting her eyes to see if she could make out the environment in the darkness.

    "Yes. Now I can kiss you.." He said, and before she knew it, their lips were locked in a passionate kiss and his hands were all over her body.

 Chapter 4 - Don’t Stop

    Lucy closed her eyes as different crazy sensations passed through her body at the same time. One minute she could feel his hands on her boobs, and the next it was on her back, and then her ass.

    ''Am I supposed to touch him?'' she asked herself. ''Yes, I probably should. But where?'' she wondered and let her hands roam around his body. She touched his chest and then his back and cupped his ass too just as he had done hers.

    Tom lifted her in his arms and carried her inside his house while their lips remained locked in a kiss as they both desperately panted for breath.

    Lucy suddenly remembered reading something about the neck being an erogenous zone, so she broke the kiss to catch her breath before licking and biting his neck softly.

    He made a guttural sound and then squeezed her ass before turning on a light. Lucy quickly shut her eyes from the sudden assault of the light and then moaned softly when she felt his lips on her neck.

    Lucy could feel herself being lowered on the bed and the next thing she knew he was taking off her gown. She was not wearing a bra since her boobs were neither too big nor too small, but were rather round and firm.

    "Ahhh!" She moaned loudly when she felt his tongue on her nipples. It was the first time ever any man had gotten that close to her body.

    He yed with the left nipple using his finger while he used his tongue to make circr motions on her right nipple. He sucked and bit on it softly making her moan wildly at the unbelievable amount of pleasure she was getting from that.

    "Who knew my nipples could be that sensitive yet I''ve been allowing them to lie waste for so long?" She asked herself and then was startled when she heard him chuckle.

    "I didn''t just say that out loud, did I?" she asked herself quietly.

    "Yes, you did. You did say it out loud." He told her with a chuckle and paused what he was doing to look into her face.

    "Don''t stop. Go on." She said, urging him on impatiently. She pulled his head down on her breast and closed her eyes again, ready to feel the pleasure again.

    Tom lowered his lips to her nipples once again, and then let his hand slowly find its way down her abdomen towards her Honeypot. Her alcohol-ridden brain becamepletely nk when his fingers pushed aside her panties and then stopped over her clitoris.

    She closed her eyes and allowed herself to feel and enjoy it all. His tongue on her nipples kept licking and teasing, while his finger moved steadily over her clitoris drawing out moan after moans from her.

    Tom let his finger go further down her vagina, and then he froze. He stopped ying with her nipples and stopped teasing her clitoris. She opened her eyes to look at him, and noticed he was giving her a funny look, "Is this your first time?"

    "Sweet Jesus and all his seven angels! Can you just continue with it? Please!" She pleaded desperately. She was sure she never would have been bold enough to make such a request had she not been totally under the influence of the alcohol.

    Tom simply smiled at her, and then before she knew what he was up to, he moved away from her nipples and,

    ''OH, MY GAWD!'' She moaned loudly. She figured that saying ''God'' at this point will likely be sinful and might attract the wrath of God and earn her eternal damnation.

    She could feel his tongue on her clitoris. And then he did somethingpletely crazy and unexpected. He inserted a finger into her anus and kept taking it in and out as he kept sucking and licking her Honeypot.

    At this point, Lucy was no longer just moaning now, but was screaming madly at the pleasure, "Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" She yelled loudly.

    She wasn''t sure she had ever said ''Fuck'' so much in her life until this very minute. Soon she began to feel this funny tingly sensation between her legs, and before she could stop herself, she was giggling and trying to push his head and hand away from her.

    "Stop! Stop! It''s tingling me." She said to him while trying to stopughing.

    He stopped and then looked into her face, "I don''t think I''m going to forget you in a hurry." He whispered, and then dropped a kiss on her lips and forehead before standing up.

    "Where are you going to? We are not done, are we? I''m supposed to touch you too, right?" She asked with a yawn.

    Tom looked at her with a small smile, "I''ll be back shortly.." He said before walking out of the room, leaving her lying on the bed naked.

 Chapter 5 - Morning After

    The first sight that greeted Lucy''s eyes was the ray of sunlighting in from the open window. She raised a hand to her head which was banging as she tried to sit up on the bed. She looked around her as she tried to remember where she was how she had gotten there.

    From the high ceilinged roof of the bedroom to the full-length ss window which overlooked what looked like a beautiful love garden, to the exotic-looking furniture, down to the interior decor and paintings. Everything in the room screamed of money and ss. This definitely couldn''t be someone''s house, so what was this? A presidential suite in a 10 Star hotel? She couldn''t remember going to a hotel so how had she ended up here?

    "My one-night stand!" She said out loud when Tom''s handsome face shed before her eyes. She quickly looked down at her body and noticed she was wearing a man''s shirt but she wasn''t wearing any undies. ''I did it!'' She said to herself with a smile when some parts of the previous night shed in her mind. She remembered moaning and screaming fuck. She raised a hand to her nipples and smiled when she remembered the tingly sensation.

    It also urred to her that she was no longer wearing her contact lens. She couldn''t remember taking it off, so when had that happened? She wondered as she looked around the room. The more she looked around the room the more she was tempted to think it was a hotel room since there were no personal belongings anywhere apart from her clothes which were neatly folded on the couch.

    Had her one-night stand brought her here and run off leaving her behind to pay for this expensive hotel suite? How was she going to afford it? What if he had robbed her while she slept and taken away her money and cards? Lucy wondered and quickly stood up from the bed and hurried towards the couch where her purse was lying.

    She opened the purse and let out a sigh of relief when she realized that all the contents of her purse were intact. That had to mean he was a decent person, so if this was a hotel, she was certain he would probably have paid the bills.

    She looked around the room in search of anywhere she could have dropped her contact lens, and paused when she noticed the ss of water sitting on the center table with her contact lens floating in it. As she moved closer to the table to pick it up, she noticed the ss was sitting on a note so she quickly picked up the note, "You looked so beautiful in your sleep and I didn''t want to disturb you... I had to take care of something urgent. Someone will be waiting to drop you off. See you around... or maybe not."

    Her heart skipped a beat, and a gasp escaped from her lips when it finally dawned on her that it was morning. She shook her head in horror when she looked towards the window again and it dawned on her that it was actually morning... like not just any morning, but MONDAY morning. Her eyes fell on the wall clock hanging opposite the bed and she moved closer to see what time it was, "No! No! No! God No!" She repeated shaking her head vigorously when she saw it was past 10 AM already.

    She was supposed to resume at the office by 9 AM for a meeting with her boss, yet it was past 10 AM already. ''How could I have been so reckless?'' She asked herself as she quickly took off Tom''s shirt and slipped on her gown. She looked around the room for her panties, and when she couldn''t find them, she went ahead to fix her contact lens. She looked around one more time for her pant before picking up her boot along with her purse as she dashed for the door.

    Had the situation been different, she probably would have stopped to take a look around this exotic mansion before leaving, but all she could think about at this point was getting to her apartment as fast as she could and changing into something presentable before going to the office.

    "Good morning Miss!" She almost jumped out of her skin when she heard a masculine voice greet her the moment she opened the door.

    She could guess what she looked like, especially as she had even failed to check her appearance in the mirror or wash up. She probably looked like a cheap hooker dressed in all of this in broad daylight.

    "Good morning sir?" Lucy said with an awkward smile as she looked at the middle-aged man wondering who he was and why he was standing by the door like he had been waiting for her.

    "I see you''re ready to leave." The man said with a polite smile.

    "Yes, I am," Lucy said with a stiff smile.

    "Tom requested that I drop you off after you''ve had breakfast."

    "That won''t be necessary. I''mte for work already and I have to run. Thanks." She said as she ran past him, and stopped when she realized she didn''t know where she was going to. She turned around to see him looking at her.

    "That''s the way." He said pointing in the opposite direction.

    "Ah! Thanks." She said as she turned around and quickly ran past him.

    She wished she could appreciate the beauty of the mansion right now, but her job was on the line. She needed toe up with a really good story to make up for why she had arrivedte at the office on her resumption day.

    Immediately she got outside she sighed when she realized she had made another error. The mansion was reallyrge and walking to the gate from the house was going to be a marathon.. It was going to be a really long day.

 Chapter 6 - Club?

    Thomas Hank, thirty years old CEO of I-Global group, and the most eligible bachelor in the city of Ludus, sat behind his office desk looking through some documents which were on his desk.

    Although his name was well known, his face was unknown to the public since he was known to avoid the media like a gue. Even most of his employees in thepany had no idea of his true identity apart from the senior directors and shareholders. He had a habit of following his private elevator and staircase to his office on the few asions he decided to show up at the office, and he didn''t need to worry about thepany''s welfare, since Harry, his friend, and right-hand man always acted in his stead. So while he was the brain behind thepany, Harry was the face.

    As handsome as he was, so also was his intelligence on a genius level. Of course, that was the only way he had been able to build such arge conglomerate with major subsidiaries that dealt for himself such as; I-Global towers and real estate, I-Global hotel, and resort, I-Global motors, I-Global pharmaceuticals, I-G clothing line as well as the newlyunched subsidiary I-Global airline.

    He looked down at his phone when it started ringing and sighed when he noticed it was a call from Anita, "Oh baby! I''m so sorry aboutst night." Anita gushed immediately after he epted her call. Tom said nothing and just sat back in his seat listening to her and waiting for her to give him one of her excuses as usual.

    "I was so exhausted when I returned from workst night, and then I found out Snow was suffering from food poisoning and I had to call the vet..."

    "I thought Snow died two weeks ago?" Tom cut in before she could finish, making her pause to think about that.

    "Did he? I told you that?" She asked with a confused frown which made Tom question what he ever saw in her to have put up with her for the past year.

    "Anita, let''s both do ourselves some good. It''s over between us." Tom said in a t tone making her blink in surprise, and then she startedughing.

    "You''re kidding, right? Of course, there''s no way you mean that. Right?" She asked doubtfully when he didn''t join in herughter.

    "I''m not. You''re obviously not interested in me, and I can''t even begin to imagine why you agreed to be in a rtionship with me in the first ce. I''m done with this, so feel free to live your best life now." Tom said before returning his attention to the documents he had been busy with before her call came in.

    "But..."

    "Anita... Why don''t you save the drama for someone else? We both know you don''t care about me, so please be mature about this. I have to return to work, I really hate being disturbed when I''m working." Tom said dismissively. He knew the only reason she had been taking him for granted was that like most people, she didn''t know who he really was.

    Anita opened her mouth to say something, but snapped it shut when she heard the coldness in his tone, "Oh well! Good riddance then!" She said as she hung up the call.

    The door opened and Tom raised his head as Harry Jonas his right-hand man walked in, "I was just informed you canceled the meeting that was ted for this morning with the directors?" He asked as he walked in and took the seat opposite Tom.

    "Yeah, I did."

    "Why? You''re not the type to just change ns on such short notice. Are you feeling sick?"

    "No, I''m not. I''m going to be needing a break for some time, so I will need you to step in and take care of things here at the office. Especially in meeting with the directors." Tom said, making Harry raise a brow.

    "Haven''t I been doing that this whole time? Half the staff in thepany already thinks I''m the CEO. I wonder why you bother to be so rich if you''re not going to even unt it." Harry said making Tom chuckle.

    "The new director who was supposed to resume today at the fashion unit, has she arrived at her office yet?" Tom asked making Harry give him a questioning look.

    "Why are you so interested in her? I can''t believe you woke me from sleepst night just to confirm the name of the director. Did something happen? Or perhaps you know her from somewhere?" Harry asked curiously.

    Tom thought about it for a moment and decided there was no harm in confiding in Harry, "Yeah. I met her at the clubst night." Tom said making Harry''s eyes widen in disbelief.

    "Club? Miss Lucinda Perry? I don''t think so. From all I was told about her, she is a workaholic with zero social life." Harry said making Tom smile.

    "I don''t doubt that. Yesterday was her birthday so I guess that was why she ventured out. She did seem like a fish walking on drynd. And I find her intriguing." Tom said with an amused expression.

    "You find her intriguing already? And what about Anita?"

    "I broke up with her just before you walked in," Tom said disinterestedly.

    "You did? Why? Because of Miss Perry?"

    "I was going to do thatst night, but then she stood me up once again."

    "You didn''t happen to talk to Miss Perry, did you?" Harry asked, making Tom grin as he rememberedst night. He hadn''t wanted to deflower her, so he had taken his time to take a long walk outside, and by the time he had returned, she had dozed off as he had known she would. He had helped her take off her contact lens, even though it hadn''t been very easy getting her to cooperate with him, and then he had dressed her up.

    "I even danced with her," Tom said, leaving out every other detail he knew might embarrass Lucy.

    "You danced with her?" Harry asked in surprise.

    "Yep! But she has no idea who I am, and I intend to keep it that way. So you have to help me keep an eye on her."

    "Does this mean you canceled the meeting because you knew she was going to bete? Wait! Don''t tell me you spent the night with her!" Harry asked in rm.

    "Don''t be ridiculous! She had a lot to drinkst night, and I figured since it''s her first time going that wild, she might find it difficult getting out of bed. So can you not give her a hard time over it? Scold her for beingte, but don''t be too hard on her." Tom said, making Harry look at him with narrowed eyes.. He nodded his head even though he didn''t believe what Tom had just said.

 Chapter 7 - Liar

    Lucy knew she wasn''t justte, she was very veryte. She was resuming at the office by past 11 AM, for a meeting she was scheduled to have by 9 AM. She could only pray that a miracle would happen and save her from this embarrassment. No one at her former office would believe it if they heard she was resuming work two hourste. She always prided herself at being at least thirty minutes early to every meeting. She was that principled.

    She had never felt more self-conscious in her life as she walked into thepany building, dressed in pristine navy blue suit pants, her hair tied neatly in a ponytail and twisted to form a bun on the center of her head, and her thick round sses sitting on top of her nose.

    "Good morning, how may I help you?" One of the female receptionists at the front desk of the building asked, with a polite smile.

    "Hi! I''m Lucinda Perry. I''m supposed to be resuming at the fashion unit today. I need directions." She said with a polite smile as she showed them her identity card.

    "Oh! You''re wee. Please take the elevator to the third floor and then take a turn to the left-wing. That''s where the fashion unit is located." The receptionist said with a polite smile, and Lucy smiled back in gratitude before walking away.

    Immediately Lucy walked away the receptionist dialed Harry''s number, "Hello sir! Thedy you talked about, she just came in."

    "Thanks," Harry said as he hung up. It was time to see thisdy that had left quite an impression on his friend, Harry decided as he walked out of his office and headed for the third floor.

    Inside the elevator, Lucy desperately prayed that she wouldn''t see a sack letter on her desk when she gets to her office. She had not been able to think of anything else since she walked out of Tom''s bedroom that morning. How would she exin to her parents that she had had a wild night out to celebrate her birthday and her promotion, and had ended up getting fired because she had overslept?

    Immediately the elevator dinged and the door opened, her heart started beating really fast when she realized that she was yet toe up with any story that would at least make them pardon her. Her brain started working really fast as she stepped out of the elevator and turned left as directed by the receptionist.

    "Miss Perry?" Harry called out making every story she had juste up with fly out of her brain as she turned to look at him. Did someone know her already? Oh great!

    Lucinda shed him a polite but confused smile as she wondered who he was, "Good morning Mister...?"

    "Harry Jonas."

    Her eyes widened in surprise and she raised a hand to her lips to mute the gasp that had just escaped from it, "Mr. Harry Jonas?" Of everybody to see her right now, why did it have to be him? Everyone at her former office knew him as the boss since he was the one who always visited there for inspections. He was known to be ruthless and mean when he wanted to, and he had a reputation of always firing at least one person whenever he visited.

    Harry didn''t need anyone to tell him what was going on in her head, so he shed her a smile to calm her down, "I see you''re justing in at... What is it by your time?" He asked, looking at her wristwatch.

    "I''m sorry I''mte. My fiance got involved in an identst night, and I had to be with him at the hospital all through the night while he fought for his life. I only just arrived in the city a few minutes ago. I would have called, but I didn''t have the office line, and I didn''t know who to call." Lucinda lied, making Harry raise a brow.

    "Your fiance? And you were there all through the night?"

    "Yes. It was really horrible." She said and broke into a false sob, raising her hand to cover her face.

    Harry looked at her and decided it was either Tom had met the wrong person at the club, or thedy before him was a world-ss liar and actress.

    "I guess I understand. But we won''t tolerate any form ofxity after today. The meeting was canceled, so I''ll show you to your office now and introduce you to your team." Harry said as he led her towards her office.

    The meeting had been canceled? Just like that? Why had she been so worried all morning over nothing? If she had known the meeting was going to be canceled she probably wouldn''t have been in such a hurry, Lucy thought and sighed when she remembered she had left her thong behind at Tom''s house in her hurry.

    Enough aboutst night! It was time to forget the past and focus on the present and future now.. Lucy decided as she hurriedly followed Harry.

 Chapter 8 - Completely Crazy

    "She really said that?" Tom asked, howling withughter as Harry recounted the lie Lucinda had told him.

    "She is really not what I expected. I had to let her off the hook just because of you though, or maybe it was because she looked pretty nervous when I introduced myself to her." Harry said with an easy shrug.

    "Thanks. Hope she settled in well?" Tom asked curiously after hisughter settled down.

    "She did."

    "Good. So after you left earlier, I was thinking." Tom said with a look on his face that had Harry shaking his head.

    "Not good. I''m sure whatever you want to say isn''t good." Harry said making Tom chuckle.

    "Well, I need a job and a house," Tom said making Harry frown.

    "You have a mansion, and you don''t just have a job, but you own the most sessfulpany in the country." Harry reminded him.

    "Sure. Find out where Lucy lives, and see if you can get me an apartment very close to her..."

    "What?" Harry asked in disbelief.

    "Let''s just say I''m bored. I want to get to know her and be friends with her without her knowing about this aspect of my life."

    "What if she is in a rtionship?" Harry asked skeptically.

    "That should be part of me getting to know her. And about the job... I want to be her personal driver. So that means you have to give her an official car. Tell her ites with her promotion package." Tom said making Harry''s mouth drop in disbelief.

    "There is absolutely no way I''m letting you do this! You''repletely out of your mind!" Harry eximed.

    "Maybe. Just humor this crazy friend of yours and do as you''re told." Tom said with a grin.

    "What do you hope to aplish by being her driver?" Harry asked in confusion.

    "That''s also a part of me getting to know her. So make it happen before the end of the day." Tom said with a smile, pleased with himself foring up with such a brilliant n.

    "I really think this is crazy. Completely crazy.!"

    "I think so too. And that''s more reason I want to do somethingpletely crazy." Tom said with a smile as he thought of Lucy. She not only intrigued him but also aroused his curiosity. He was willing to do as much crazy things as he could just to get to know her.

    "I''ll just get to it then." Harry said as he headed for the door, and then stopped when he remembered something, "That reminds me, your mother called earlier, she asked that you return her call immediately you get the message." Harry said making Tom groan.

    "We could just pretend like I haven''t received the message yet, right?" Tom asked Harry who shook his head.

    "No, we can''t. Every single time I''ve tried to lie to her in the past, she caught me. So I''m just going to tell her the truth if she calls again and asks why you haven''t returned her call." Harry warned making Tom shake his head.

    "Coward. Just leave, I''ll call her now. Did she give you any hint as to why she wants me to call her?" Tom remembered to ask.

    "She only asked about your girlfriend and if things are going smoothly..."

    "And what did you say?" Tom interrupted before Harry could finish.

    "I told her everything was fine."

    "Good. I''ll return her call right away." Tom said and waited until Harry had left before picking up his phone.

    "I learned you had a hooker overst night. Is that how I brought you up? Don''t tell me your wealth is beginning to get into your head." Sixty years old Evelyn Hank asked the moment she epted his call.

    "First of all, she''s not a hooker, and secondly it''s none of your business who I bring into my home or what I do in my home," Tom said in an easy voice.

    "So am I to assume thedy you passed the night with is your girlfriend?" Evelyn asked ignoring what he had just said.

    "You''re free to assume whatever you please. How are you?" Tom asked, changing the subject.

    "I''m alright. I read in the papers that you finally bought Oceans airline... Well done son. I''m proud of you." Evelyn said making Tom smile.

    "Thanks. How is dad?"

    "You shoulde to see us if you''re so concerned about your father." His mother said with a snort.

    "I''ve just been really busytely. I''ll visit you soon. I promise."

    "If you say so. What about your siblings? Whenst did you hear from them? Or you''ve been too busy to reach out?" She asked making Tom wince guiltily.

    "I''ll give them a call the moment I hang up," Tom said apologetically.

    "You should do that. Heaven knows I miss the lot of you around the house. Everywhere seems so silent without any of you around. It would be good to have grandchildren ying around here." Evelyn said making Tom chuckle since he had been waiting for her to say it as usual.

    "I''m sure you''ll get plenty of them soon. So you should try to enjoy the silence for the time being. And if you get too bored, you both can travel down here. My house is big enough for you all."

    "Yeah, maybe we should do that soon. I''ll just talk to your siblings." Evelyn said thoughtfully.

    "I have to go now. I love you, mom.." Tom said before hanging up.

 Chapter 9 - Hopefully Not

    Now that she was rxed in her office, after doing the majority of the paperwork she needed to do, Lucy''s thoughts drifted back to the event of the previous night and the mansion she had woken up in that morning. She sat up as she thought about Tom. Who was he? She wished she could remember how he had made love to her, but the only thing she could remember was the forey and how he had made her scream and moan loudly. Her face colored in embarrassment when she remembered the man who she had met outside the bedroom door. Had he possibly heard her scream? She really hoped not.

    She suddenly remembered she hadn''t checked her phone since she woke up because of the rush to get to the office on time, and she quickly dipped her hand in her handbag and took out her phone. She bit her lower lip when she saw over fifty missed call notifications and about five text message notifications. She had no doubt who the calls and texts were from. Her parents, her twin brother, Lucas, and her best friend Sonia.

    Two of the text messages were from her mother asking her to call her immediately she saw the call, one was from her father threatening to file a missing person report if she failed to contact them before the end of the day. another was from Lucas asking her to call him immediately she saw his text. And thest was from Sonia asking her why she wasn''t taking her call, and if she had been kidnapped by a serial killer.

    She called her parents first and assured them she was okay and had been too busy unpacking to check her phone, before returning her Lucas'' call.

    "You got us all worried, where were you?" Lucas asked, sounding very relieved to hear from her.

    "I went partyingst night and I got drunk... You won''t believe I woke up reallyte and arrived at the office over two hourste." Lucy said making her brother''s brow furrow.

    "That was a very risky thing to do knowing you do not have the head for alcohol. What about your boss? Did he query you?" Lucas asked in concern.

    "Just a little bit. But I took care of it. How did you celebrate your birthday?" She asked curiously.

    "Well, I celebrated it at the hospital. There was an emergency case and being the doctor in charge, I had to be here for most of the day." Lucas exined.

    "Don''t worry, I had enough fun for two," Lucy said making Lucas chuckle.

    "I''m sure you did. I really wish I could have helped you move. What do you think about the city? Are the people over there friendly? What about your apartment? Any nice neighbors?"

    "It''s still too early to tell. When I have the answer to your questions I''ll let you know. For now, I need to hang up so I can return Sonia''s call." Lucy said before hanging up.

    She decided to surprise Sonia with her checklist before giving her a call, so she opened her gallery and transferred the photos she had taken the previous evening after dressing up, to Sonia, before picking up her journal and sending a picture of her checklist to Sonia.

    She giggled when her phone started ringing almost immediately, "NO WAY! You definitely didn''t do that!" Sonia said in disbelief Immediately Lucy received her call.

    "Yes, I did," Lucy said with a giggle.

    "Oh my God! Do you mean you really got defloweredst night? Oh my God! How was it? What did it feel like? Who is the guy? What does he look like? Let''s switch to video call, I want to see your face." Sonia said as she quickly switched the call to FaceTime, while Lucy grinned from ear to ear.

    "Why did no one tell me my nipples could be so sensitive?" Lucy asked in an excited whisper making Sonia giggle.

    "Details! Give me all the lewd details!" Sonia said and listened as Lucy described all the events of the previous night.

    "Oh my God! I feel so embarrassed on your behalf! You mean he actually caught a glimpse of the checklist?" Sonia asked as she howled withughter.

    "I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me! I''ve never felt more embarrassed in my entire life!" Lucy said before continuing with her story.

    "Wow! I wish I was there! I can''t believe you lost your virginity on your first night in a new city to a stranger! Gurl!!! I''m fucking proud of you. Maybe I shoulde there and find myself someone, to warm my bed at night!" Sonia said thoughtfully.

    "You''re just a whore!" Lucy responded with a giggle, which Sonia joined in

    "Wow! I really hope you meet this handsome stranger again." Sonia said after they settled down.

    "It was just a one-night stand. I have no intention of meeting him again or having anything to do with him for that matter. I''m still not interested in men." Lucy said making Sonia roll her eyes.

    "You don''t want to experience that pleasure again?" Sonia asked.

    "Well, I could get a vibrator," Lucy said with a shrug.

    "A vibrator won''t suck your nipples or your clit!" Sonia pointed out.

    "I''m sure I''d get something that can do the job in a good sex toy shop! All I need to do is find one around here. Enough about me! How''s your storying?" Lucy asked, changing the subject.

    "I''m having a sort of writer''s block at the moment. I''ve been trying to write the next chapter but I can''t. And my editor keeps calling! He is literally driving me crazy!" Sonia said through clenched teeth.

    "Calm down. I''m sure you''d figure something out. Maybe you should take a break from writing. Go out and have fun. You never can tell, you could get your ideas outdoor." Lucy suggested making Sonia roll her eyes.

    "Says the one person who never leaves her bedroom." Sonia countered.

    "Well, that''s me. I''m an introvert whereas you''re an extrovert."

    "No, I''m an ambivert. But whatever. I''ll just take your suggestion and step out of the house. I need a break after all. And who knows? I just might find my own Tom." Sonia said making Lucyugh.

    "I wish you good luck with that. Got to go now. Let''s talkter." Lucy said before hanging up. Was there any chance of her bumping into Tom again? Hopefully not! She thought as she returned her attention to the documents in front of her.

 Chapter 10 - Neighbor

    Immediately Lucy returned home from work that evening, she copsed on the couch. Luckily for her finding an apartment in the city had been much easier than she had thought possible. Immediately she was informed of her promotion on Friday, the first thing she had done was check for avable apartments on the, and she had been able to get an affordable one on such short notice. Her parents had suggested she live in a hotel since thepany had offered to give her allowances to take care of her living expenses until she was fully settled, but she had seen it as a wasteful venture, especially since she didn''t like the idea of lodging in a hotel.

    She took off her shoes and sat up to have a good look around her apartment. She was yet to fully unpack, so her things were scattered all over the ce. And she winced when she saw the clothes she had worn the previous night on the floor. She had taken it off and dumped the gown on the floor along with her shoes as she quickly changed into her work clothes that morning.

    She forced herself to stand up, and then took off her office clothes and changed into a short and crop top, before bending down to pick up the clothes. Soon she got busy with arranging her things and putting everything in ce. She was sweating profusely, and her clothes were all messed up by the time she paused to take a break and drink water. She nced at the clock and was surprised to see it was past 7 PM already, and she had been busy for over an hour.

    She raised her head when she heard the sound of her doorbell. Why was anyone ringing her doorbell? She wondered as she dropped the bottle of water she had been holding and headed for the door to see who it was. She spied through the window and her heart almost dropped when she saw Tom standing there with something which looked like a tray in his hand.

    Tom? How did he find out where she was living? Did he have someone follow her? She had deliberately turned down the man''s offer to drop her off at home and had only pleaded with him to drop her off somewhere she could easily get a cab to her house, so how on earth had he found out where she was living? This was supposed to be a one-night stand for crying out loud! Lucy thought, at the edge of panic as she tried to make up her mind on what to do.

    "Hello?" Tom greeted making her jump back in surprise when she realized he was now standing in front of the window looking directly at her.

    "Oh! Hi! Who... Who are... Who are you?" She stuttered, pretending not to recognize him. She knew she was looking quite different in her sses and with her hair tied in a bun, so she was counting on that to help keep her identity.

    "Hi! My name is Tom. I''m your next-door neighbor, came to wee you to the neighborhood." Tom said with a grin as he held up the tray so she could see the contents. Lucy''s stomach rumbled in protest when she saw the apple peach cobbler he was carrying, reminding her she was yet to eat anything all day.

    Next door neighbor? Oh, God! The mansion where they had passed the night wasn''t his? How was he her neighbor? "Oh! Okay!" She said, feeling thankful that he hadn''t recognized her.

    "The door?" Tom reminded her.

    "Oh! Yeah! I''ll get it!" She said with a nervousugh as she quickly moved over to the door to unlock it, and nervously tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear the moment his face came into view.

    She reached out to take the tray from him, but Tom moved it out of her reach as he walked into her apartment, "You''re just unpacking? Do you need help?" He asked when he noticed the way she was sweating and saw some of her furniture and photo frames on the floor.

    "No, I got it. Thanks." She said, standing away from him with both hands in her pocket.

    Tom noticed she was yet to shut the door, and he could tell it was a polite way of telling him he wasn''t wee to stay, "Ohe on! I just have to help you unpack. I can''t let a pretty youngdy like you move all this heavy stuff around yourself." Tom insisted we he dropped the tray on the table and faced her, "So what can I do? Hold on! why do you look so familiar?" He asked peering into her face.

    Lucy swallowed nervously and quickly turned away from him, "Do I? I''m not sure I''ve met you before." She said with a nervous smile which made Tom chuckle.

    "I guess you''re one of those people," Tom said with a smile.

    "One of what people?" She asked in confusion.

    "The sort to forget everything that happens after taking alcohol. Don''t worry. It''s fine. I remember enough for us both. Wow! Who would have thought you''d end up bing my next-door neighbor? Could this be coincidence or Fate?" He asked sounding genuinely surprised.

    Lucy cleared her throat, "I don''t know what you''re talking about."

    "You''re Lucinda Perry, aren''t you? We met at the clubst night." He said as he picked up herpany''s identity card from the table before she could stop him, making Lucinda''s face color with embarrassment.

    "Wow! You look really different with your hair up, and with these sses on. I almost could not recognize you." Tom said as he looked at her with a grin.

    "What do you want?" Lucy asked with a weary sigh. He wasn''t going to ckmail her, was he? Her heartbeat doubled at the thought as she looked at him with a frightened expression on her face.. What if he had taken nude photos of her and was going to demand money or leak them on the? She wondered as she started breathing really fast.

 Chapter 11 - Good Friendly Neighbor

    One look at the frightened expression on her face and Tom could guess what she was thinking, "Calm down. I wasn''t stalking you, and I''m most definitely not here to ckmail you. I just happen to be your next door neighbor." Tom assured her, raising both hands as though to show that he meant no harm.

    Lucy looked at him uncertainly, and when she saw the harmless smile on his face she took a moment topose herself and her thoughts, "And you swear this meeting is purely coincidental?" She asked suspiciously. Sonia was going to have a goodugh if she heard about this unfortunate ''coincidence''

    "Come on! what else could it be?" Tom asked, making her rx slightly even though she was still feeling ufortable.

    "Look, I don''t mean to dete your ego or be rude...st night was great, and the sex was mind-blowing, but it was just a one time thing. Like I don''t intend to... You know, get involved with you or have a repeat of it." She said as she rocked back on her heel.

    The sides of Tom''s lips twitched in amusement when he realized that she actually thought they had sex and he had deflowered her. He decided to y along since there was no need to tell her the truth, "Ouch!" Tom said, sounding like his ego had been bruised.

    "I must have been very lousy on bed. I thought if the sex was great the woman was supposed toe back for more." Tom said making her wince.

    "Let''s just be good friends and good neighbors, okay? Let''s forget about whatever happened." Lucy said as she moved away from him to put some distance between them.

    "Okay. If that''s what you want. So as a good friendly neighbor, what can I help you with?" Tom asked as he looked around the house.

    "Let''s just move the furniture and then set up the bed." She said, sounding clearly relieved that he was willing to forget the past.

    They both worked in silence for sometime, Tom helped her carry the heavy stuff into her bedroom while she busied herself with arranging the kitchen. After working for about thirty minutes, Tom decided to break the silence so he joined her in the kitchen, "By the way, how was work today? I know we agreed not to talk about yesterday, but I gathered you woke up reallyte... I hope it didn''t cause any problems for you at work?" He asked, reminding her that she was curious about something.

    "It''s fine. I was just wondering... That building, what was it? An hotel? Or a private residence?" She asked without turning to look at him.

    "Oh! It''s a friend''s family house."

    "I see."

    "Yeah, I figured since it was a one night stand there was no need for either of us knowing where the other lives... But I guess that wasn''t necessary after all." Tom said with grin making Lucy chuckle.

    She was d they could joke about something like this like it hadn''t happened. Who knows? Maybe he could be her first friend in the city after all, she thought, "I guess so." She said as she turned to look at him. She almost swallowed her tongue when she noticed he had unbottoned his shirt and his bare torso which was glistening with swear looked very attractive. Bad idea! She decided as she turned around and returned her attention to the cupboards she was cleaning while Tom also returned to the living room.

    When she was done in the kitchen she walked over to the living room to check on him, and smiled appreciatively when she noticed that everything was almost set. She couldn''t help feeling very grateful for his help since she knew had she be doing it alone, she wouldn''t have gone halfway by now. She couldn''t wait for him to leave so she could have a warm bath, and rx her body and mind, but for now she needed to be an hospitable host to her sinfully gorgeous nextdoor neighbor.

    "So what do you do?" Lucy asked from the doorway, since that seemed like a rtively safe topic to discuss with her neighbor.

    "I fix things. Sort of like an handy man. But I had a job interview today, though. So if it goes well I''d be apany driver." He said shing her a smile.

    "Oh!" A driver? She wondered with a frown. She hadn''t pegged him to be such an ordinary man. Why a driver of all things? And an handyman?

    Tom almost smiled when he heard the hint of disappointment in her tone, "Yeah. Although my job as a handyman takes care of most of my bills, but I need this new job to keep body and soul together." He exined as he straightened from what he had been doing and looked at her. He smiled when he noticed the dirt stain on her cheek and the side of her nose. How she managed to still look attractive even in those thick sses was beyond him.

    He reached out his hand to take the photo frames from her when he noticed she wanted to hang them on the wall. Tom''s eyes fell on one of the pictures herself and Lucas had snapped, their hands on each other''s shoulders and a grin on their faces as they posed for the camera, "Boyfriend?" He asked curiously.

    "I wish." She said with a giggle, "That''s my twin brother Lucas. He would have helped me move, but my relocation was impromptu so he couldn''t get a leave from work on such short notice. He''s a medical doctor." She exined as she surveyed the walls, looking for the best spot to hang the pictures.

    "How lucky. I''ve always wished I had a twin. I feel like there''s a special connection between twins that''scking in other rtionships. Don''t you feel specially connected with your brother?" Tom asked as he hung the picture on the side of the wall she was pointing at.

    "I wouldn''t know. Maybe because he is my only sibling, so I don''t know. What about you? Do you have any siblings?" She asked making Tom swear loudly.

    "Oh shit! I promised my mom I was going to give my siblings a call. Yes I do, I have a brother and a sister. Since we are done here with the bulk of the work I''ll leave you to it and return to my apartment. I need to check on my siblings." Tom said as he hurried towards the door.

    "Oh! You''re not going to have a taste of the apple pie?" She called out as he hurried towards the door.

    "It''s for you, so enjoy it. I''ve got some at home. You can bring the tray to the apartment next door when you''re done." He said as he shut the door behind him.

    Immediately he was out he grinned to himself, proud of himself for acting so neighborly, and very d he hade up with a good excuse to leave in such a friendly manner.. She wanted a good friendly neighbor? She was going to get just that.

 Chapter 12 - Scandal

    "Yeah, look this way! Great! Just perfect! No, wait, don''t move! Yes, I got it! Perfect! You''re perfect Bryan! That smile is a killer!" The photographer called out excitedly as he took different photos of Bryan as he kept switching postures.

    "We can wrap it up for today and call it a day!" The director called, but before he could finish speaking Bryan stood up, picked up his fur coat and threw it at his assistant, Mia, as he started heading for the door.

    "Bryan you have to be here very early tom..." He stopped when he realized Bryan had walked out already, "That damned brat! He''s lucky he''s so talented." The director swore as he red at the door.

    "You must be very exhausted." Bryan''s manager observed as he looked at him. He had been busy all day working onmercial shoots for two differentpanies at two separate locations.

    "I just want to get out of here as soon as possible." He confessed. At age twenty-seven, Bryan Hanks was a multitalented actor and model. He had made up his mind to work in the entertainment industry from a very early age, and although his parents hadn''t exactly understood his passion, they had done their best to encourage his dreams and aspirations.

    "We will be traveling back after the shoot tomorrow and you''ll have enough time to rest, so just try to keep your feet up for the rest of the evening. I still need to go over the rest of the details with the director so I''ll see you in the morning." His manager said, before turning around to leave.

    "Sure. Goodnight Jeff." Bryan called after him as he continued outside with Mia. Immediately they got into the car he took off his tie and took the bottle of water which his assistant was handing him from the front seat. After taking a very long sip, he sighed, "So who called?" He asked Mia.

    "Your mom, Sophia and your brother called too." Mia said as she looked through the journal where she had written down the details of each call.

    "My brother? Tom?" He asked in confusion as he held out his hand for his phone. Tom rarely called since they both were very busy people, so it surprised him that Tom had called.

    "Yes. He called just thirty minutes ago. I told him you were in the middle of something and would return his call when you were done." Mia exined as she handed the phone to him.

    "I wonder why he''s calling." Bryan murmured to himself, "And my mom? What did she want?"

    "She wanted to know if the scandal about you and Sophia is true, and also to find out when you would be avable for a little family trip."

    "Family trip? So what did you tell her?" Bryan asked before turning to look at the driver, "Is there someone you''re waiting for?"

    "Sorry." He said apologetically as he quickly turned on the car''s ignition and drove in the direction of the hotel Bryan was lodged.

    "I told her I''ll check with your manager and get back to her."

    "Good." Bryan said with a satisfied smile as he closed his eyes and rested his head.

    It had been quite a while since hest visited his parents or even saw his siblings, due to his busy schedule which was as a result of his career, and he knew he needed to see them before the end of the year, especially his parents. He was just going to return his mother''s callter... Maybe when he was ready to listen to her scold him about his reckless lifestyle. But first he would have to return Tom''s call.

    He was about dialing Tom''s number when he remembered that Mia had mentioned something about Sophia, so he dialed her line instead. Sophia was his young friend who also happened to be in the entertainment industry and their friendship had started after they both starred in a romantic movie as the main leads.

    "What''s up?" He asked the moment she epted his call.

    "Have you seen the news circting all over the ce? What are you doing about the scandal?" Sophia asked in an agitated tone.

    "Don''t worry about it, soon they will stop talking and everything will return to normal." Bryan said dismissively.

    "I can''t do that! You can afford to let them say such dirty things about you because you''re a casanova and you''re used to such scandals, but I''m not like that. And my boyfriend is already very angry about this. He thinks I lied to him about having a shoot down here just so I could meet with you." She said in a shaky voice which told him she had probably been crying.

    Bryan sighed as he massaged his temple. This was the issue with getting involved with teenagers. She was neen and was an adult quite alright, but he had only taken her out to grab a bite when he found out she was shooting a movie somewhere around the studio where he had been doing hismercial shoot earlier that day. Not like he had even slept with her or anything. He hadn''t expected anyone to make a big deal out of it and even take photos.

    If this had happened between himself and a more experienced and mature actress he knew the actress wouldn''t have been as upset as Sophia was, but he could understand her. Even while they had been shooting their movie together, she had told him how jealous and insecure her boyfriend had been over her taking on such a role with a casanova like Bryan.

    "Don''t worry, I''ll take care of it." He promised, and hung up before she could say anything else.

    From his experience, Bryan knew the best way to put an end to one scandal was to cause another scandal, and he was going to do just that. As long as he diverted the attention away from the poor girl to himself, then everything would be okay.

    "Do you still have that ring? The one the manager of Gem Jewelers gifted me earlier today?" Bryan asked Mia who looked at him in confusion.

    "Yes. Why?"

    "Give it to me." He said and extended his hand until she ced the box in his hand. The n he had juste up with was a very reckless one, but he had always been known to be reckless so it wasn''t much of a big deal.

    So Immediately the driver stopped the car in front of his hotel, he got out of the car and walked into the hotel lobby. He looked around like he was trying to find someone until his eyes stopped on a very pretty youngdy with long curly blonde hair, who was seated as though she was waiting for someone. She was dressed in a red ysuit which showed just how long and slender her legs were, and she was wearing ck high-heeled sandals. He looked at her fingers and the moment he noticed she wasn''t wearing a wedding band he headed in her direction.

    He stopped in front of her, making her look up at him with a frown, and then her eyes widened in surprise when she recognized him. This was Bryan Hanks the famous actor and model! What was he doing in front of her? Sonia who had been waiting for her editor asked herself.

    Before she could finish processing what she was thinking, Bryan went on one knee, "Will you marry me?" He asked as he opened the ring box.

 Chapter 13 - Yes?

    Sonia''s heart stopped beating for a second, and then different thoughts started flying right through her head at that same time. Bryan Hanks? Her celebrity crush was kneeling right in front of her and asking her to be his wife? Was he mistaking her for someone? Was it possible this was a skit or maybe this was like one of those celebrity pranks and there were cameras around, waiting to capture her make a fool of herself? Or perhaps she was dreaming? Sonia wondered as she looked around them, but all she saw was curious onlookers.

    "Please! Be my wife and make me the happiest man on Earth!" He said in a very loud voice which caught the attention of everyone.

    Her editor who she had been waiting on for over an hour because he was trying to sign a deal with a movie producer who was interested in one of her stories, showed up at that moment, "Sonia, you know Bryan Hanks?" Her editor asked in genuine surprise as he watched the scene before him. It seemed like an hour had passed since Bryan went on his knees, but it had only been a minute.

    Bryan knew nody would be crazy enough to ept such a crazy proposal, and even if any was, paying her off and calling off the whole thing would be easy since all he wanted was the scandal that coulde from this. The headlines were either going to be about his rejected Marriage proposal, or about his supposed engagement, and that would be enough to let Sophia off the hook.

    "Yes!" Sonia said as she bobbed her head excitedly and extended her finger for him to wear her the ring.

    "Yes?" Bryan asked in confusion when he heard her response.

    "Yes! I will be your wife and make you the happiest man in the world!" Sonia said with a giggle, and wiggled her fingers until Bryan slid the ring down her finger. Surprisingly the ring was her exact size and it sat on her finger like it was made just for her. The sound of apuse erupted all around them as Sonia stood up with a big smile on her face and embraced Bryan, before kissing him right on the lips.

    Bryan was slightly taken aback by her boldness, but quickly recovered since this was his game and he had to y along. He was the one who had approached her first after all. So when she tried to break the kiss, he held her chin and slowly nibbled on her lower lip before parting her lips with his tongue and sucked on it in a teasing manner, eliciting a moan from Sonia.

    Sonia felt light-headed. This was too good to be true. It just had to be a dream, right? How else could she exin that one moment she was seated at the lobby of a hotel waiting for her editor, and the next she was engaged to her celebrity crush and was kissing him right here in the open?

    "Ahem!" The editor coughed, to remind them they were in the open when the kiss started dragging on for too long and Sonia was beginning to wrap her legs around Bryan.

    Both Bryan and Sonia let go of each other without taking their eyes off each other. Bryan couldn''t help noticing that Sonia was definitely no blushing virgin. He had thought she would feel embarrassed when he let her go, but to his surprise she had a silly grin on her face.

    "Mr Conner meet my fiance, Bryan Hanks. I''m sure you know him. Babe this is my editor, Mr James Conner." Sonia said, as though she was doing the most natural thing in the world, and then leaned into Bryan and rested her head on his chest.

    Bryan had to give it to her, she was a very good actress. She was a natural. He knew if he watched the scene from afar he would believe what was going on right here to be true.

    "Mr Hanks, it''s my pleasure to meet you. I''m a die-hard fan, and I never imagined Sonia... I mean Miss Smith, was seeing someone as distinguished as you." Mr Conner said with a broad smile as he extended his hand for a handshake.

    Bryan shook hands with him, and pasted a smile on his face before looking around to make sure people had taken enough photos of them, "If you don''t mind, I have to leave for my suite now. Baby you can meet me inside after your meeting." Bryan said with a smile before detaching his arm from Sonia''s.

    "I''m sure Mr Conner here would understand that we just got engaged so I can''t discuss work right now. Let''s just return to the suite together, right Mr Conner?" Sonia asked as she intertwined their arms once again.

    "Yeah. You''re right. Congrattions to you both once again. Let''s talk tomorrow Miss Smith." Mr Conner said with a slight bow before walking away.

    "Let''s go in baby." Sonia said, urging Bryan to move.. She had been bored shitless, and had been looking for something really exciting to cure her writer''s block and here it was.

 Chapter 14 - Your Heart

    Bryan still had a smile pasted on his face as he led her in the direction of his suite. He was just going to apologise to her for surprising her that way, then thank her for not embarrassing him by turning him down since he was certain she had a boyfriend. Then he would tell her it was just a prank and she could leave, or maybe offer her some money before asking her to leave, Bryan decided as they got into the elevator. Thankfully they were alone inside, so the moment they got inside, he withdrew his hands from her and put some distance between them.

    "I''m sorry foring at you that way..."

    "It''s fine. I''ve always been a sucker for such surprises, especiallying from someone as handsome as you. You literally swept off my feet and then you blew me away." Sonia said with a sweet smile as she kept looking into his beautiful green eyes.

    Swept her off her feet? Blew her away? That hadn''t been his intention so she had better start returning from wherever she had been blown to and stand on her feet again, Bryan thought with a scowl..

    "I only wish that I had given more thought to my outfit and make up before leaving the house. I look too ordinary to be seen on the tabloids as your fiancee." She continued with a giggle as she admired the ring on her finger.

    Bryan was beginning to wonder why she was still smiling that way now when they were done acting, "Thanks for ying along even though I''m sure you have a man in your life..."

    "No. I didn''t until you came along." Sonia said with a wink.

    ''Until I came along?'' Bryan couldn''t help the sudden sinking feeling he was beginning to have. Why was he feeling like this girl was a psycho and was going to cause problems for him? Why did she keep smiling at him like that? "Well, the thing is, I was just bored and needed to do something exciting to make people talk, so I randomly selected you..."

    "Wow! Just a moment ago I was bored too and needed something exciting! We must be meant for each other, right?" Sonia asked pretending not to know where he was driving at.

    Bryan cleared his throat as the elevator bell dinged and the door opened. He pressed the button again to take them to a different floor since he wasn''t sure he wanted this psycho to know his suite, "You must know that I didn''t mean that, right?" Bryan asked with a stiff smile.

    "Didn''t mean what exactly?" Sonia asked with an innocent smile even though she could tell he was trying to dismiss her.

    Bryan cleared his throat again, "What I mean is, this engagement isn''t real. I''m not interested in you, as I''m sure you''re not interested in me either..."

    "Says who? I''m interested in you." Sonia said, making his heart skip a beat.

    "Miss...?"

    "The name of your fiancee is Sonia Smith." Sonia said with a pleasant smile.

    "Okay, Miss Smith. I''m trying to say, I have no intention of getting married to you or anyone else. I didn''t mean whatever I said down there."

    "Well, maybe you didn''t, but I did." Sonia said with an easy shrug.

    Bryan paused to take in a deep breath. He was beginning to lose his temper with this crazy wench, "How much do you want? Let''s end this here and return to being strangers." Bryan suggested making Sonia smile.

    "I''ve always read about you in the gossip columns and I never really believed everything I read... Especially the parts about you being reckless and not very smart. But right now I see they were right. Tell me something, what are you going to tell the world tomorrow when you''re asked about your engagement? Will you tell them you just wanted a scandal with a random stranger because you were bored? Let''s assume you do that, what makes you think I''ll go along with it?" She asked, the smile was no longer on her face now.

    "What are you trying to say?" Bryan asked suspiciously.

    "I''m saying, whether you like it or not, you''re now my fiance. You may not have meant it, but I mean it. I''m not some random youngdy you can do something like this with, and I most definitely do not need your money." Sonia said, shing him a smile again.

    "..." Bryan felt his mouth go dry. He had thought he had picked the easiestdy in the lobby, but it was beginning to feel like he had used the cover of this book to judge it wrongly.

    The elevator bell dinged again, and this time Sonia turned to look at him with a slightly raised brow, "Are we going to stay in the elevator all night? We should go to OUR suite." She said as she slid her left arm under his right arm and intertwined it again, before resting her head on his chest, and cing her right hand on his abdomen possessively, making it clear to him that she had no intention of returning his ring.

    Bryan didn''t know why, but he suddenly had the feeling that thisdy wasn''t going to be an easy one to shake off. All he had wanted was a scandal and not a damned fiancee, so what was this?

    "What do you want? Just name it, and I''ll give it to you so you can leave." Bryan offered as he pressed the button in the elevator again.

    "Your heart."

 Chapter 15 - Uncommitted Commitment

    After Tom left Lucy''s apartment, she went on to finish with the arrangement and eat some of the apple peach cobbler Tom had brought her, and just as she got ready to get into the bathroom her phone started ringing. She paused to pick it up when she noticed it was a call from Sonia.

    "I was going to call you after having my bath." She said Immediately she received the call.

    "Really? That was fast. You''ve seen the news already?" Sonia asked excitedly as she kept her arms intertwined with Bryan''s who couldn''t move away since people were watching.

    "What news?" Lucy asked in confusion.

    "I see you haven''t. Well, why were you going to call me then?" Sonia asked curiously since she knew once she told Lucy about the engagement, Lucy might not say what she wanted to say anymore.

    "What''s on the news?" Lucy asked, equally serious.

    "What''s on the news isn''t running. I''ll tell you about it once you tell me why you were going to call, so hurry." Sonia said making Lucy sigh.

    "Well, I don''t know how to say this, or what to make of it, but remember my one night stand?"

    "Tom?"

    "Yeah. He happens to be my next door neighbor." Lucy said making Sonia shriek excitedly, while Bryan looked at her like she had lost her mind.

    "This can''t be mere coincidence! It''s fate! Oh My God! It''s just like a perfect romance story. I should probably write something like this for my next story." Sonia said dreamily.

    "I told him I want what happenedst night to remain in the past, and so far he has acted gentlemanly. He even helped me around the house. Do you think it''s going to be okay being next door neighbors with someone I''ve slept with? Should I move?" Lucy asked making Sonia roll her eyes..

    "Well, lucky you now you don''t have to go to those sex stores anymore. You could just get him to be your neighbor with benefit, and he can just smash your Honeypot whenever you feel like it." Sonia said with a giggle making Bryan wonder what sort of lunatic she was. Neighbor with benefits!? Was there even a rtionship like that?

    "But that is a kind ofmitment too. What if I get tired of him and no longer want to have sex with him? It would make things awkward." Lucy said thoughtfully.

    "You''re thinking too far ahead Lu. Just enjoy yourself and live in the moment. You''re not marrying him or dating him. Spell it out and let him know he''s free to have other girlfriends as you are also free to have other boyfriends. It''s going to be a kind of umittedmitment." Sonia said reasonably.

    "Does that even make sense? Umittedmitment?" Lucy asked with a giggle.

    "Well, it does if you think about it. Don''t let this opportunity pass you bye. Imagine watching a movie or reading a book and getting horny as fuck. You could just sneak into his apartment and have him pleasure you." Sonia said with a grin.

    "But hold on, what about the mansion you woke up in? If he''s your neighbor, does that mean he isn''t the owner of the mansion?" Sonia asked curiously.

    "Yeah. He''s just a handyman and soon to bepany driver." Lucy said making Sonia giggle.

    "Well, I''m sure he''s gonna be handy to you too. He''s gonna be your personal handyman if you know what I mean." Sonia said suggestively making Lucy giggle while Bryan sighed wearily as he led her to his suite finally . Somehow he felt sorry in advance for the guy being discussed.

    "Is that all you ever think about!? Anyway, enough about me. Why did you call? You didn''t go out anymore?"

    "Yeah, about that, so in other news, your best friend just got engaged!" Sonia announced.

    "Engaged? You? By whom? You''ve had more than ten boyfriends in the space of two months, so howe you''re getting engaged?" Lucy asked making Sonia d the phone wasn''t on loudspeaker.

    "Well, that''s why I was asking if you''ve seen the news. Bryan Hanks engaged me." Lucy said as Bryan detached his arm from her and opened the door to the suite.

    "That''s so not true!" Lucy said in disbelief.

    "Why not check the inte?" Sonia suggested making Lucy disconnect the call immediately.

    Bryan walked into his bedroom while Sonia looked around the suite while waiting for Lucy to return her call. Lucy called back three minutester after confirming the news, "I can''t believe this! How? What happened?"

    Sonia giggled as she told Lucy exactly what had happened between herself and Bryan.

    "You should let the poor guy off the hook." Lucy said with a giggle since she knew how crazy her friend could be.

    "Sure. Not just yet." Sonia assured her.

    "So I''m going to be your imaginary maid of honor I suppose?" Lucy asked.

    "Who else but you? Of course you''re going to be my maid of honor." Sonia said, and then winked at Bryan who quickly looked away from her, "My fiance needs my attention now, let''s talkter. Love you Lu." Sonia said before hanging up.

    After Sonia dropped the call, she walked over to where Bryan was seated and joined him, "So when do I get to meet your family?"

    "Miss Smith..."

    "Call me Sonia. There is no need for the formalities between us Bryan darling." Sonia said as she patted his back.

    "Can you please stop?" He asked in a frustrated tone.

    "No I can''t." Sonia said, and then turned to pick up her phone when it started ringing again.

    This time around it was a call from an unknown reporter. How the reporter got her number was beyond her, "Yes! Of course we have been seeing each other secretly for sometime now! I was just sitting there waiting for Mr Conner, my editor, and he walks up to me and asks me to marry him. Yes! It was like the most romantic thing ever! My Bryan is so romantic" Sonia said with a giggle, while Bryan watched her speechlessly as he massaged his temple.. He had surely outdone himself this time.

 Chapter 16 - Oh My God!

    "Have you seen the most searched topic on the?" Harry asked the moment Tom epted his call.

    "No. I''m still busy getting acquainted with my new house. Why? What''s trending?" Tom asked as he watered the nt in the flower pot. Harry had paid quite an outrageous amount of money to get the upants of the apartment to leave and let him have it on such a short notice.

    "Well, your kid brother beat you to it. He just got engaged."

    "What? Bryan? Engaged?" Tom asked in obvious disbelief.

    "Yeah, everyone is just as shocked as you are since he had been involved in a scandal just earlier this afternoon." Harry said as he paced around his living room.

    "That exins why he didn''t take his call earlier... Hold on, he''s calling me now. Let''s talkter." Tom said as he hung up Harry''s call and received Bryan''s call.

    "You sure do know how to spring surprises. Congrattions kiddo! You''ve made mum proud." Tom said making Bryan want to cry. He didn''t know whether or not to tell his brother the truth since Sonia was still holding on firmly to his hand. He was trying to use the call to while away time so she would leave, but she was bent on following him around the suite.

    "Thanks. I was in the middle of a shoot when you called earlier." Bryan said, wanting to change the subject.

    "What about your fiancee? How long have you known her? Where did you meet her?" Tom asked curiously.

    "Why don''t I tell you about that when we all go on that family vacation?" Bryan asked, hoping before then he would have been able to convince Sonia to leave him alone.

    "Family vacation? What family vacation?"

    "Mom hasn''t told you yet? My assistant mentioned something about mom making ns for a family vacation." Bryan exined.

    "Oh! Okay then. I was only calling to check on you. It''s good to know you''re doing fine. I''ll leave you to enjoy your engagement night. Let''s talk some other time." Tom said before hanging up.

    Who would have thought the reckless and irresponsible Bryan would ever get married before him? Tom wondered in amusement as he checked the time. When he saw it was past 9 PM already, he decided to give his younger sister a call. She had requested that they only call herte in the evening since she was almost always busy during the day. At twenty-four she was a very sessfulwyer, and was a senior partner at one of the biggestw firms in the country.

    Jade Hanks who was busy going through the files of a client for a case she had to present in court the next day, looked up irritably when her phone started ringing. She didn''t need anyone to tell her the call was from a member of her family, since she had saved their numbers with a specific ringtone. She reached for her phone distractedly, and then smiled when she noticed the call was from Tom.

    "To what do I owe this unexpected pleasure?" She asked as she stood up to stretch her body.

    "Hey sunshine! I''ve missed you too." Tom said with a smile of his own. He hadn''t realized how much he had missed her until he heard her voice.

    "I''ve missed you more. Mom asked you to call me, didn''t she?" Jade asked in amusement.

    "Yeah, but I would have called you eventually. You know we are all always so busy and stuff... Have you read of Bryan''s engagement on the?" Tom asked, wanting to change the subject.

    "Bryan? Our Bryan? Engaged?" Jade asked incredulously making Tom chuckle.

    "Yeah. He engaged ady this evening. ording to Harry it''s all over the inte."

    "Why do I find it so hard to believe this? It might just be a publicity stunt, I won''t put that past Bryan." Jade said with a scoff.

    "You never can tell, people change. How is work? I hope you''re staying out of trouble?" Tom asked hopefully.

    "I''m trying, but the case I''m working on at the moment is kind ofplicated. I''ve been receiving several death threata via calls and messages." Jade confessed.

    "What? Have you reported to the police?" Tom asked in rm.

    "Yeah. They''re looking into it, or so they im. But I''m keeping my fingers crossed. The firm has some men guarding me though."

    "You''re sure you don''t need to leave there for the time being? Your life might really be in danger." Tom said in concern.

    "Well, this is one of those things I signed up for when I decided to be a big shotwyer. I''ll be okay eventually, and if I''m not, I can always find my way back home." Jade promised.

    "Just take care of yourself, okay? Let me know if and when you need my help." Tom said before hanging up.

    His mother had been right. He needed to check up on his siblings more often, Tom thought before heading to the door when he heard the sound of the doorbell.

    He smiled to himself when he looked through the window and saw his pretty neighbor standing by the door with his tray in her hand. She was looking fresh out of the bathroom and dressed in an oversized shirt and shorts, with her eyess in ce. She looked like a dork.

    He walked over to the door and opened it, "Hello neighbor!" He greeted with his most disarming smile.

    "I figured I bring back your tray. Thanks for the cobbler. It was really nice." Lucy said as she handed the tray to him.

    "I suppose you''re done settling in? Why note in for a ss of wine? Or coffee?" Tom asked when she looked like she was going to leave in a moment.

    Lucy looked at him uncertainly as she wondered how she was going to let him understand she wasn''t going to be the sort of neighbor to sit around watching television with him. She would rather be in thefort of room by herself reading a book or surfing the and... "What are you doing?" She asked when he suddenly pulled her into the house and shut the door behind them.

    "You''re thinking too much. Getting to know each other for an hour or less won''t hurt. Just rx. So is it going to be wine or coffee?" Tom asked again.

    "Coffee."

    "Wine it is then. You need to unwind. You seem really tense." Tom said as he walked over to the mini bar and took out the cheap wine while Lucy watched him, wondering why he was being so bossy.

    "Here. To being neighbors." Tom cheered as he handed her the ss of wine.

    "I can''t get drunk so I''ll just take a few sips and then be on my way, I need to rest since I have to be at work very early tomorrow." Lucy rambled on.

    "Just drink." Tom said as he kept watching her, "So how is your best friend Sonia? Have you been able to show her your dare-to-do list?" Tom asked, startling her.

    "Sonia? How do you know about Sonia?" Lucy asked in rm making him chuckle.

    "You must really have no memory of our conversations because you were drunk. You told me about her. How you both are the exact opposite of each other. How she has had so many boyfriends while you are yet to find the motivation to get one." Tom said, making Lucy suddenly remember the moment she had been drunkenlyughing and telling him things at the club.

    "Oh my God!" She eximed when she remembered telling him how she felt her nipples were too big, "Oh my God!" She eximed again, making him chuckle some more since he could tell she had just remembered some pretty embarrassing stuff she must have said.

 Chapter 17 - Soon To Be Daughter Inlaw

    All attempt by Bryan to get Sonia to leave the room, was met with equal resistance. It was very clear to Bryan that Sonia had no intention whatsoever of leaving him alone and she had every intention of spending the nigh with him.

    "Why are you doing this?" Bryan asked when she walked out of the bathroom dressed now in his polo shirt, and one of his boxer pants which he hadn''t give to her.

    "Because I can, and because I want to." She said with a sweet smile. "Shouldn''t we get the room service to serve us something? I''m really famished right now, and I need to eat before going to bed." Sonia said with a yawn as she sat on the couch and ced one leg over the other on the center table as though she owned the ce.

    "You can call them and ask them to serve you whatever you want to eat. I''m going to bed." Bryan said before heading for the bedroom. He needed to rest his head ande up with a n on how to escape from this lunatic who had just invaded his world.

    He briefly considered drugging her and running off in the morning before she wakes up from sleep. But quickly shook his head to discard the thought. He knew without doubt that Sonia could do a lot of damage to his image if he so much as did something like that to her, especially since the public was aware that he had approached her and not the other way around. Thus he had to end whatever was between them in an amicable way.

    As soon as hey on his bed his phone started ringing and he sighed when he realized the call was from his mother. He didn''t need anyone to tell him his parents had probably seen the news since they never failed to check the gossip columns for news about him... Or perhaps Tom had informed her already.

    "Congrattions my dearest son! I''m so proud of you." His mother gushed happily the moment he epted her call making him wince.

    "So who is she? When am I meeting her? When are you getting married?" She went on and on.

    "Her name is Sonia Smith." He told his mother quietly as he massaged his temple. How on earth was he going to get out of this stupid web he had spun on his own?

    ''"A! I love her already. Can I speak with her? She is there with you, right?" His mother asked eagerly.

    "No, she is fast asle..."

    "Baby, the food is here, would you like to join me?" Sonia called from the doorway of the bedroom.

    "Hand her the phone, I want to speak with my daughter inw to be." His mother said excitedly making Bryan sigh as he tried not to re at Sonia for being so loud.

    "Here. My mother wants to speak with you." He said as he held out the phone for Sonia who hurriedly went to his side to take the phone from him.

    "Hello ma''am!" Sonia greeted politely.

    "Hello my dear! Congrattions on your engagement! I''m so excited, and I can''t wait to meet you in person." Bryan''s mother said, and Sonia could picture the broad smile on thedy''s face.

    "I can''t wait to meet you either. I''ve heard so many beautiful things about you from Bryan and I''ve been dying to speak with the beautiful woman that raised such a perfect son." Sonia said making her giggle happily.

    "You''re so well mannered. I hope we meet soon my dear. Please hand the phone back to him." She said, and waited until she heard Bryan''s, "Mom?"

    "Yeah, she''s a really nice girl. I called earlier to find out when you would be avable for a little family get together. We could all stay at your brother''s house for a week." She suggested.

    "Sure. I''ll get back to you on that tomorrow. How is dad?" Bryan asked while Sonia catwalked around the room as she waited for him to finish with his phone call.

    "He is smoking outside. He misses you all even though he won''t say anything. So just make yourself avable, okay? I''d love you all to surprise him with your presence on his birthday. He would really love that." She said, reminding Bryan that his father''s birthday was in two weeks.

    "Oh! Sure. I''ll just have to make it work then. Have you spoken with Tom and Jade yet? Did they agree to it?" He asked curiously.

    "Yes they did. So work it out, and make sure to bring my soon to be daughter inw along with you, okay?"

    "Yes mom. Have a good night''s rest. I love you."

    "I love you more dearie." She said before hanging up.

    "Your mom is so sweet." Sonia said with a small smile as she stopped walking around the room, and turned to face him, "You''re sure you don''t want to eat?"

    "Yeah. Thanks." Bryan said disinterestedly as he remained on the bed looking up the ceiling while Sonia returned to the living room.

    He quickly pretended to have dozed off when he heard her returning to the bedroom, but she ignored him as she carried the food and sat on the middle of the bed, "I know you''re awake, so sit up, and I''ll tell you what I want us to do." Sonia said, but Bryan ignored her.

    Sonia threw one of the chips at him, and then threw three more when he failed to respond, "I guess you don''t want me to leave any..." Before she could finish what he was saying he quickly sat up and looked at her.

    "I knew that would get me your attention." She said with a bright smile.

    "You know, I''ve always wondered what it would be like to spend a night with a celebrity, so now that I got the chance I don''t want to waste it." Sonia said between mouthful making him look at her with a mixture of both irritation and curiosity.

    "So what do you want to do?"

 Chapter 18 - Him Again?

    "There is nothing to feel embarrassed about." Tom said, trying hard not to chuckle at how red her face had be.

    "I think I should probably leave now." Lucy said as she stood up to leave, but Tom shook his head.

    "Why? Because you feel embarrassed over something you said when you were drunk? Things I don''t even hold against you? Come on, we are both adults and we are better than that." Tom chided.

    ''You might be, but I''m not.'' Lucy said in her head, "No that''s not it. I just need to rest since I''m very much exhausted from the unpacking and I have to resume early tomorrow at the office. Thanks for the wine. Goodnight." She said with a quick smile and then gulped down the remaining content of her ss and headed for the door.

    "Goodnight Lu." Tom called after her making her turn to look at him with a questioning expression.

    "Lu?"

    "Yeah. I''d like to call you that if you don''t mind." Tom said with a harmless smile as he followed her to the door.

    Lucy shrugged, "If you say so." She said as she walked out of the house and quickly dashed for her door before Tom could say anything.

    She had actually gone to the house next door to confirm his story and be sure he hadn''t just moved in to stalk her, but she had been surprised to see how homely his apartment was. It looked like he had lived there for quite some years, so it could only mean that his being her next door neighbor was purely coincidental.

    She shut the door behind her and raised a hand to her chest as though to stop her heart which was beating very fast. Why had she indulged in so much alcohol and allowed herself say all those things to him? She didn''t want to even begin to imagine all she must have said to embarrass herself. He must see her like a nut case now. Just why did he have to be her neighbor? How was she supposed to face him when he knew just how she looked naked? Why couldn''t she even remember seeing him naked or something? At least it would have helped to know the size of his ''member''.

    Lucy dropped on her couch and took of her sses to rub her eyes. She giggled when her mind drifted to Sonia who was busy forcing herself on the poor celebrity. Well, it was good to know so much exciting thing was going on in both their lives. She only wished her one night stand wasn''t living on the door next to hers.

    She made a mental note to get a vibrator over the weekend. The only reason she hadn''t gotten one all this time was because she hadn''t wanted to use a vibrator to deflower herself, but now that she had sessfully been deflowered by that hunk of a man, she could allow herself enjoy the pleasure a vibrator could give. With that thought in mind, she dozed off right there on her couch. Thanks to the ss of alcohol she had just had at Tom''s house, the sleep came very easily.

    ***********

    The next morning Lucy pushed thoughts of her handsome next door neighbor out of her mind as she hurriedly left the house for her office. As was her practice in her former ce of work, she was well ahead of everyone else, so immediately she got to the office she put on the coffee maker, and poured herself a cup of coffee when it was ready before returning to her desk to start her work for the day. She wanted to have gone far before the others would arrive, that was one of her keys to finishing in time and not having to take any work home.

    She was so engrossed in her work and hardly paid any attention to her colleagues who came in, until almost mid afternoon when her stomach rumbled, announcing to her that she was yet to eat anything. Just as she stood up to take a break from work, the office door opened, and Harry walked in, "Good afternoon Miss Perry, you''re on your way out?" He asked politely.

    "I was just going to step out for lunch. I kind of missed lunch break." She exined without meeting his gaze. Somehow she felt like if she met his gaze, he would know she had lied the previous day, and she didn''t want to be caught.

    "Oh! I guess you must have been pretty busy. Well,e with me." He said as he walked ahead of her, leading her out of the office.

    Lucy couldn''t help but wonder where he was taking her to. Had he discovered her lie? Was he taking her to his office to hand her the letter of dismissal? She wondered fearfully.

    "So the secretary missed out something on your letter of appointment. You were supposed to get an official car following your promotion." Harry said, making Lucy pause.

    "Huh? Sir?" She added the sir, when it ured to her that she wasn''t supposed to be asking he boss questions like ''Huh?

    "Yeah. So I''m taking you outside to show you to your official car as well as your'' personal driver." He added, making her wonder if he was always this way with everyone or if the special treatment was reserved for just her.

    "Personal driver? I''m sorry but I don''t think I can afford..."

    "Don''t worry, thepany is taking care of his bill. We just figured you get a personal driver to take you around since you''re new to the city." Harry assured her as they both walked outside and stopped where a beautiful ck salon car was parked, with a young man seated inside.

    "Congrattions. This is your official car." Harry announced with a smile before knocking on the windscreen to get Tom''s attention.

    Lucy''s eyes widened in surprise the moment her gaze met with Tom''s through the windscreen, Him again?

 Chapter 19 - Coincident?

    It seemed to Tom like Lucy''s eyes were going to pop out of their socket seeing how she was looking at him in disbelief. He tried to look equally surprised as he stepped out of the car to join her and Harry.

    Lucy swallowed convulsively as she turned to look at Harry, hoping they were at the wrong vehicle, "Who... Who is he?" She asked, cocking her head in Tom''s direction.

    "Oh, that is the personal driver I mentioned. Come over and say hello to your boss." Harry said to Tom who remained by the door acting like he didn''t know whether or not to act like he knew her.

    "Good day ma''am." Tom said with a polite bow without meeting her eyes, while Harry watched them both in amusement.

    Lucy looked at him,pletely lost for words. How could this be a coincident too? Wasn''t it too much? First the club, next her next door neighbor, and now her driver? None of it made any iota of sense. She opened her mouth to let Harry know that she didn''t need a driver, but paused when she remembered Tom telling her the previous evening that he was hoping to get the job to keep body and soul together. She definitely couldn''t turn him down simply because of her personal business with him. Besides, she had asked him to forget it ever happened, so it would seem petty of her to deprive him of his job simply because she couldn''t get over the fact that he had deflowered her. Moreover none of this was his fault, right? He had only offered to help her check her list.

    "Miss Perry? Is there a problem?" Harry asked when she still didn''t say anything.

    Lucy swallowed, "Not at all. Everything is perfectly okay." She said with a stiff smile.

    "Okay then, I will leave you two to get acquainted. I have work to do." Harry said with a discreet nod at Tom before walking away.

    "I..."

    "You have to be kidding me. Are you really going to say this is coincident too?" She asked immediately Harry was out of earshot.

    "I could just quit if it makes you feel so ufortable. The moment I saw you, I realized even I wouldn''t believe this was mere coincident too." Tom said with a shake of his head, "If you say you don''t need my service, I''ll absolutely understand." Tom said, and started to walk past her, but she shook her head.

    "This is going to be really awkward... But we have to keep things professional, okay? You''re my driver and you can''t cross the line simply because..."

    "Simply because we had a one night stand, I understand." Tom finished the sentence before she could.

    "I was going to say simply because you''re my next door neighbor." Lucy said, giving him a pointed look, "And I''ll appreciate it if you don''t bring that up again if you really want to work for me." She warned before turning to leave.

    "Sorry ma''am." Tom called out, "When can I pick you up?" Tom asked as she walked away, making her pause to look at him.

    "When I''m done I''ll let you know."

    "When will you be done?" Tom asked insistently, "Since I can''t just hang around here waiting all day, I have to go and fix other things, so I just need to know when I can leave there and starting back to pick you up. Or we could both exchange our contact numbers, that way you can reach me an hour before you''re ready to leave." Tom suggested.

    Exchanging numbers? Of all guys in the whole of Ludus, how had she ended up having a one night stand with someone she would not be able to get rid of? Now not only did she have to face him at home, but she also had to deal with seeing his face even at work? Everyday?

    "Ma''am?" Tom asked politely.

    "Shouldn''t you hang around the office with the other drivers? What if I need to go somewhere urgently?" Lucy asked with a slightly raised brow, and then paused when an idea struck her.

    "You know what? Just hand me the key, I will drive myself around while you do your handy man job. You don''t need to drive me anywhere." Lucy said, hoping he would agree and just get lost.

    "And my job?"

    "You can collect your paycheck every month end. No one needs to know I''m driving myself around. It''s a win-win for us both." She said with a shrug.

    "No. I''ll rather drive you around and take the paycheck. Don''t worry, I''ll just find the other drivers and join them to do whatever they do while waiting for their boss." Tom said with a smile making her frown.

    "And your handyman job?"

    "I''ll do it whenever I find the time. This job is more important than that. So you can go in, I''ll be here waiting for you till whenever you are ready to leave." He promised her as he returned to the car.

    What was going to happen now? Lucy wondered as she walked away ufortably, while trying not to look back, since something told her he was probably checking out her backside. She wasn''t having a good feeling about any of this. And it wasn''t helping that Sonia''s suggestion to keep him as her sex partner was still very fresh in her head.

    Tom on the other hand had a grin on his face as he watched her walk away. He tapped his pocket where the thong she had forgotten in his bedroom the previous day was safely tucked. He had gone back to his mansion to pick up a couple of his personal effects, and his house servant Maya had gifted him the underwear which Lucy had left behind in her haste. He chuckled as different ideas ran through his mind on how best to present the underwear to her.

    All he had to do now, was find the best way to while away his time while waiting for her to close from work.

 Chapter 20 - Pretty Ordinary

    "Focus Bryan!" The photographer called in irritation for what was probably the fiftieth time already that day. It was so unlike Bryan to be distracted during photoshoots, but he seemed so absentminded since he arrived at the studio that morning.

    "Just give me a moment." Bryan told him before walking out of the stage. He signalled Mia over, "Have you heard from her yet?"

    "Not yet." Mia said with a shake of her head, leaving a frown on Bryan''s face.

    "Okay." Bryan said with a nod before returning to the stage where his pictures were being taken. He didn''t like that he was feeling so apprehensive over Sonia''s sudden disappearance. He knew he ought to be d that she had disappeared from his life the way he had wanted her to, but she had left without a proper goodbye and without demanding anything meaningful from him either, although she had taken the engagement ring with her, and he knew the ring would fetch her quite a sum.

    His mind kept returning to their conversation the previous night, "So what do you want to do?" He had asked her.

    "Well, I want us to talk."

    "Talk?" He had repeated like he couldn''t believe her.

    "Yes. I want to have a heart to heart conversation with you, and then maybe I can get ideas from you for my next story. I want you to be my muse for tonight." Sonia had said with an excited smile making Bryan look at her suspiciously.

    "Just that?"

    "Just that... unless you want us to have sex." Sonia said as she stood up from the bed and picked up the now empty dishes. Bryan''s eyes followed her movement as she dropped the dishes in the living room, and washed her hands in the sink before heading to the bar to pick up a bottle of alcoholic wine and two sses.

    "Care for?" She had asked as she dropped on the bed next to him, while Bryan watched her with something akin to interest.

    "I have an early day tomorrow, can''t get drunk." Bryan had said with a shake of his head.

    "I guess I''ll drink for two then." Sonia had said as she poured the wine into both sses and held each up in both hands, then clinked the sses in a silent toast, before sipping from one of the sses.

    "What sort of a person are you?" Bryan had asked after watching her silently for sometime.

    "The sort you don''te across everyday. So are you ready?" She asked as she dropped the wine sses by the headboard of the bed, and picked up her phone.

    "What are you doing?" Bryan asked, looking at her phone.

    "I want to record our conversation of course. How else am I going to get ideas for my story if I can''t remember anything you say by morning?" Sonia asked with a smile, as though he had just asked a silly question, "Don''t worry, nobody else is going to hear this. And even though I write about this in a book, only you would be able to tell that you''re the one I''m talking about, since I''m not going to be mentioning your name in the audio." Sonia assured him.

    "Can I take your word for it?" Bryan asked uncertainly.

    "Of course. So first question, what''s your favorite color?" Sonia asked, deciding to start with something simple so he could rx.

    "White and Gray. Although I think if you were a fan you would have known that by now." Bryan said passively.

    "Your favorite food?" Sonia asked, ignoring his statement.

    "Pizza."

    "That''s a snack."

    "It''s food for me." Bryan said with a shrug.

    "Birthday?"

    "April 1st."

    "Wow! You were born on the world''s fools day." Sonia said with her tongue in cheek, but Bryan said nothing, and his face remained straight. All he wanted was to answer her questions until the alcohol could knock her out.

    "Real eye color?"

    "What do you mean real? You don''t think this is real?" He asked with a slightly raised brow as he pointed to his blue eyes.

    "Just asking. Could easily be contacts. So is it real?"

    "Yes." Bryan said stiffly.

    "Cool. Do you believe in true love?"

    "Yes. But not everyone is lucky enough to experience it." Bryan said with a shrug.

    "I suppose that is why you are single?" Sonia asked as she picked up one of the wine sses and sipped from it, while waiting for Bryan to answer her question.

    "That is a personal question." Bryan pointed out with a frown.

    "Which requires an equally personal answer." Sonia said with a dismissive shrug, making it clear she expected him to answer every one of her questions.

    "You need help answering the question?" Sonia asked when Bryan remained silent after sometime, "Or perhaps you got cheated on in the past? Got rejected by someone you love? You havemitment issues? Or you prefer guys? Maybe you caught your best friend or your brother making out with your girlfriend? Or it was..."

    "Please stop!" Bryan muttered irritably.

    "Okay. Go ahead and tell me what I need to know. Why are you single?" Sonia said with a sweet smile.

    Bryan sighed, "I''m single because I want something real... Or rather someone real. Ladies these days are too pretentious, and I don''t want to get involved with anyone shallow, so I''m taking my time until I meet someone suitable." Bryan exined.

    "While being a yboy? That''s pretty shallow to me. In fact that is as shallow as it gets." Sonia said with a snort.

    "And you would know because you''re pretty pretentious yourself. Clinging on to me because of the fame. Had I been a random poor guy who proposed to you, would you have epted my proposal that easily? Or even kissed me so openly?" Bryan fired back with a snort of his own.

    "Of course I wouldn''t have epted you had you been a random guy. I only yed along because of your money and fame, and I''m not even going to pretend about that. And I kissed you because I''ve always wondered what kissing you would feel like." Sonia added with a yawn. She was bing pretty bored already by hispany, and one look at the clock, she knew it was time to leave.

    She had only wanted to fun, but he wasn''t as fun as she had imagined he would be. As a matter of fact, she was feeling pretty exhausted and sleepy already. The only good thing about meeting him was that she had just gotten an idea for her story.

    "And what did it feel like?" Bryan asked Sonia who was yawning again.

    "Pretty ordinary. There was absolutely nothing special about it." Sonia said as she stood up, downed the content of both sses and walked over to the living room.

    Bryan had thought she was just going to get some more wine for herself or ease herself, and had dozed off while waiting for her to return so he could ask her what she meant by pretty ordinary.. By the time he woke up in the middle of the night, he was alone in the suite and there was no trace of her.

 Chapter 21 - Stalker

    Lucy couldn''t help thinking about her new driver as she worked. What was she going to do about all of this? It really didn''t make sense to her that of all people in the city that could have been employed, it just happened to be him. Why? She wondered as she stood up from her seat and started pacing her office.

    She needed to talk to Sonia about it before she would explode, so she paused long enough to pick up her phone and dial Sonia''s number before she started pacing again.

    "Baby..." Sonia greeted with a yawn as she stretched out on her bed.

    "Don''t tell me you just woke up. Wait! Did you sleep with Bryan Hanks?" Lucy asked excitedly.

    "Who says ''sleep with'' these days? Come on love, you should summon up courage to use the appropriate words. Keep up with the trends. You should trying saying words like fuck, smash, shag, score, screw, bone, nail, pound, bang etc. There is just so much I need to teach you." Sonia said with another yawn.

    "WOW! Is that all you ever think about?" Lucy asked in amusement. She hadn''t realized there was this much words to describe something as simple as sex.

    "Well, that''s how I came into the world after all." Sonia said with a giggle as she sat up on her bed. She hadn''t realized she had slept for so long.

    "Whatever. So did you shag or bone him?" Lucy asked, deciding she preferred the sound of shag to fuck. Fuck sounded too raw and unrefined... She closed her eyes when a picture of herself yelling ''fuck'' as Tom ate her honeypot crossed her mind, ''Shit!'' she muttered when she felt the fingers of lust gnaw at her lower abdomen.

    "No I didn''t. As a matter of fact I jilted my darling fiance." Sonia said with a giggle. She couldn''t help wondering what he must be thinking. She could bet herst cash that he was relieved that she had left him in peace. He was in for real surprise if he thought she was that easy to shake off.

    "Jilted? How? Why?" Lucy asked in confusion, momentarily distracted from her own dilemma.

    "Well, I think he''s going to make a good muse for my next bestseller. Besides, I figured I need to put him in check, and tame him. So I''m just going to write about us. What do you think?" Sonia asked with a grin as she picked up a pen and started scribbling down some ideas as it came to her.

    "Write about the both of you? Do you think he''s going to like that?" Lucy asked curiously.

    "Did he think I was going to like a random stranger walking up to me and proposing to me out of the blues and bringing unwanted spotlight on me? Well, I''m sure he was too selfish to think about that because he is handsome, wealthy and famous, and believes he can get away with whatever. So I''m not going to worry about what he likes either. Enough about my fiance, I''m sure that wasn''t why you called, or was it?" Sonia asked curiously as she closed her journal and looked around her room which looked like the home of a lunatic.

    "No. Well, I''m in a mess." Lucy cried as her mind went back to her predicament.

    "What is the problem?" Sonia asked as she ced the phone on loud speaker and headed for the bathroom. She dropped the phone by her bathtub and lowered herself to the toilet seat to ease herself.

    "Well, I got an official car and a driver..."

    "Yay! Good news! Congrattion to us!" Sonia said excitedly.

    "And the driver happens to be Tom, my one night stand who is also my next door neighbor." Lucy concluded.

    "Double Yaay!" Sonia eximed with a giggle.

    "Double Yaay?"

    "Yeah. Like Yay! Yay! I''m super excited on your behalf! The days of your boring lifestyle is about to end." Sonia said as she cleaned up and flushed the toilet.

    "Come on Sony! I''m being serious. How am I going to face him?"

    "Well, you don''t have to face him. You can have it from behind." Soniaughed at her own joke, "But seriously Lu, you''re damn lucky girl! Now you can have sex everywhere you go. In the house, on your way to work, and even in your god-damned office. I really want to be you right now. Can you send me a picture of his looks? I really want to know how hot he is." Sonia said dreamily.

    "You''re not being helpful." Lucyined.

    "Okay,e on. What do you want me to say or do? Go on, I''m listening." Sonia said as she picked up her toothbrush, applied the apple mint foavored paste on it and started to brush her mouth.

    "What if he is stalking me? I don''t think any of this is coincident. How can I just keep running into him everywhere I go?" Lucyined.

    Sonia paused her brush halfway and spat out the foam in her mouth, "Well, technically, from what you said yesterday, I would say he should be the one thinking you''re stalking him, and not the other way around. Now let me exin. First of all, Ludus is his City, and you moved over there. Secondly, you met him at the club... I mean, he was there before you got there, and your seat was ced right next to his, right?"

    "Right."

    "And then you moved into the apartment next to his. You went to his apartmentst night, right? Did it seem like he just moved in?" Sonia asked logically.

    "No." Lucy said, beginning to feel stupid for being suspicious of an innocent man.

    "Now if he has the power to get any position in yourpany, why would he want to be your driver when he can easily be your boss, or work in your office with you? Why would he want to work beneath you as your driver?" Sonia concluded.

    "I guess I''m overreacting."

    "Yes you are. So just take in a deep breath, and rx. I think you feel this way because you''re attracted to him and you''re trying to run from it. Maybe another dose of his penisilin would make you alright." Sonia said with a giggle making Lucy roll her eyes.

    "You''re just too corrupt."

    "Whatever. You better put your driver into good use Lu. If I were you, I''d have him driving me off the edge of my bed with his rod.." Sonia said with a grin, andughed out loud when she heard the disconnect tone.

 Chapter 22 - Fate

    At twenty-six, Sonia was five feet six inches tall, and had the body of a senior highschool baseball team cheerleader. Her honey colored skin was wlessly smooth, and her long curly blonde hair framed her beautiful heart shaped face. Her eyes which wererge on her small face were a beautiful green, and gave her an innocent look which belied her mischievous nature.

    Sonia had a small smile on her face as she admired her reflection on the mirror after her phone call with Lucy, "Not bad for a celebrity''s fiancee, huh?" She murmured as she checked out herself. She had actually been feeling quite low on moraletely until the incident with Bryanst night, and now she felt vitalized.

    Soon the sound of Ed Sheeran''s "Shape of you" could be heard drifting through her open window as she set about cleaning her room while dancing and singing on the top of her lungs.

    She paused when her eyes fell on the engagement ring which was on the table, and she picked it up and looked it over before sliding it down her finger, "Perfect size, huh? Coincidence or Fate?" She asked herself with a crooked smile, and raised a hand to her lips when she remembered that they had actually kissed... The kiss had even been good enough to elicit a moan from her... But she would be damned if she was going to tell him how electrifying and sactisfying the kiss had been. She wasn''t going to be the one to feed his oversized ego.

    "I''d settle for fate. I''m going to get him to fall in love with me, and then we are going to get married and have two kids. A boy who looks just like him, and a mini version of me." Sonia told herself with a dreamy smile.

    As a writer, she had wanted to make their meeting more memorable by leaving without a trace. She knew better than most, that you often remembered peopIe who leave without saying goodbye, more than those who do. And that was what she wanted. For him to think about her, wonder about her and then worry about her.

    She searched around the room for her other phone which she had turned off because of all the calls she had kept receiving regarding the engagement. When she picked it up and turned it on she saw different text message notifications, but only opened the one from her Editor.

    "Been trying to reach you, but I guess you''re busy with your fiance. The movie producer is even more interested in your story now that he has seen you''re in a rtionship with Mr Hanks. Let''s talk about it over lunch or whenever you''re ready." Sonia rolled her eyes as she read it out.

    "How typical." She muttered before scrolling to the sound recorder icon and tapping on the recording she had made of their conversation the previous night. Shey down on the floor of her apartment as she listened to their voices through her phone while the music kept ying in the background. After a while she sat up and jotted down her thoughts before dialing the line of her editor.

    "I suppose you just turned on your phone and saw my text. So when are we..."

    "Throw out the first chapter of the new story. I want to start working on something different." Sonia said, cutting him off before he could finish.

    "What? Why? But the story is good. I only asked you to do some additional work on the second and third chapters." Heined.

    "Of course I know it''s good. But I want to work on an entirely different story line. My new story is going to be about a stubborn and determined youngdy who wins the heart of a yboy celebrity after fate throws them together." Sonia said thoughtfully. She wasn''t going to write it in a way that would tell her editor or the world the true story between her and Bryan of course. She was just going to change the manner in which they meet, but leave other things the same.

    "Is it going to be about you and Mr Hanks?" He asked in excitement.

    "Not exactly. I will work on the first three chapters and send it to you via email. Read it and tell me what you think."

    "Okay... But we are still meeting, right? Remember you''re supposed to meet with the movie producer." He reminded her making her roll her eyes.

    "Just conclude with him. I''ll be okay with whatever you both agree on. I need to focus on my writing so I''m turning off my phone." Sonia said, and hung up before he could say anything else.

    She was just going to get right to work and distract herself for the time being.. She would give her darling fiance a week to miss her before reaching out to him again, Sonia decided with a smile.

 Chapter 23 - Unfair

    Tom checked his wristwatch impatiently, trying to figure out why almost every other person had closed for the day, apart from Lucy. It was almost two hours past closing hours already, yet there was no trace of her anywhere. Was she doing that deliberately to annoy him, or was she just trying to avoid him? Or perhaps she had taken a cab and snuck off without his knowledge? He dialed Harry''s line when he couldn''t bear it anymore.

    "Sup? Have you dropped off your boss?" Harry asked in a teasing tone.

    "That''s the exact reason I called. Did you assign something to her that is keeping her in her office for this long? I''ve been waiting here for almost two hours and she is still not out yet." Tomined, making Harry chuckle.

    "She is probably still busy in the office. I learnt she is a workaholic. Maybe you should check on her and remind her she has a driver who is waiting... Or better still you could remain there like a good driver would until she is ready to leave." Harry suggested.

    "Well, I''m not a good driver. I''m going up there." Tom said, and hung up immediately.

    Workaholic? Why was she working so hard? She was the head of her unit, so why was she doing all this when her subordinates had all gone home? He wondered as he locked the car and headed for the building. He shed the security personnel by the door his driver''s identity card before heading for the elevator. It wasn''t until the elevator bell dinged that he paused to ask himself what he was going to say to her.

    He scratched the back of his head as he slowly made his way to her office. He was just going to tell her he was lonely and bored outside. And ask if she could take the work home or finish it the next day. He walked into her department office and stopped in front of her see through door before tapping on it gently.

    "Hm?" She asked distractedly as she continued with the documents in front of her.

    He knocked again insistently since he hadn''t heard her, and waited until she had raised her head from the document and made eye contact with him through the ss, before opening the door. He saw the surprise on her face and then watched as her gaze shifted to the wall clock hanging on the other side of the wall before she returned her attention to him once again.

    Lucy felt ufortable with the way he towered above her while she was seated. Despite the fact that he was standing by the door far away from her seat, his stance made her feel small especially since she was wearing just a camisole which was tucked into her pant, so she reached behind her for her zers which she had hung behind her chair, and put it on before standing up.

    "I''m sorry to disturb you, but it''s past closing hours already and..."

    Lucy cleared her throat, "I got carried away with work, and I forgot about you. You should have left." She said without looking at him as she looked down at herptop and saved the file she had been working on before picking up the sh drive.

    "You didn''t ask me to leave. Besides, it''s my job to bring you to work and take you home safely. I also have to take you around on..."

    "I guess I failed to mention it to you earlier. But I almost always leave the officete. So if you''re going to have to alwayse up to interrupt my work this way, then it will be best we don''t work together." Lucy said, cutting him off.

    "Why?" Tom asked with a slightly raised brow.

    "Why what?" She asked, looking at him with genuine confusion.

    "Why are you implying I quit? Is this about me not being able to wait for you while you put in extra time at work? Or is it simply because you''re ufortable around me?" Tom asked feeling slightly offended that she wasn''t even apologizing for keeping him waiting.

    Lucy took in a deep breath to control her temper, "Mr...?"

    Tom''s jaw hardened, "Tom is good enough."

    "Alright. Mr Tom, if I remember correctly, I told you, I was going to inform you when I''m done with work and ready to leave. And as you can see, I''m not done yet. Secondly I offered you the option of going about your usual business and letting me drive myself around, while you pick up your paycheck at the end of every month, but you turned it down. Finally, I asked you not to make any reference to our... Our Fling."

    "I didn''t do that." Tom pointed out.

    "You did a moment ago."

    "I didn''t. I only asked if you were asking me to quit because you were ufortable around me." Tom pointed out making Lucy take in a deep breath. She mentally counted from one to ten before looking at him again.

    "Fine. Let''s just go." She said as she picked up her hand bag and walked out of the office leaving him to follow behind.

    Tom followed her, and immediately they got to the elevator she moved to the far end of the elevator.

    "Let me ask you a question. Would you be acting this way had we not known each other before now?" Tom asked without turning to look at her since she was standing at the far end behind him, while he was standing directly in front of the door.

    Lucy paused to consider the question for a moment, "And how am I acting?"

    "Asking me to quit on my first day on the job? Do you consider that as being fair?" Tom asked as the elevator door opened and they both stepped out.

    Lucy said nothing as they both walked out of the building. Maybe she wasn''t being fair, but she couldn''t pretend to befortable around him. He had seen her naked for crying out loud!

    "What would you have done had you been in my shoes? How would you react if the situation was reversed?" Lucy asked after a while as they both stopped by the car at the parking lot.

    "I would have done what every other person would do. I would go with the flow.." Tom said as he unlocked the car and got into his seat, leaving her to decide whether she wanted to sit at the back or ride in front with him.

 Chapter 24 - Challenge

    Lucy said nothing as she got into the backseat of the car. She needed to set the boundaries between them if they were going to work together. He was her driver at work, and her neighbor at home. She had asked him to forget whatever had happened between them, and she needed to forget it too. Truly had he not been her one night stand, she would have found it amusing that her handsome next door neighbor was her driver, and they would have gotten along quite well as friends, but now she just couldn''t help being extra cautious around him.

    Tom on the other hand said nothing as he drove the car. He knew she was being cautious because of what she believed had happened between them, and he couldn''t exactly me her. He just didn''t like that she didn''t seem to think she owed him an apology for keeping him waiting without giving him prior notice. And he also didn''t like that she kept trying to ask him to quit every little opportunity she got.

    "I''m sorry." Lucy said after fidgeting in her seat for sometime. Even if he resigned from her job, there was no way she could ask him to move out of the apartment next to hers. She was going to have to face him everyday, and if that was going to be the case, it was better they run into each other as friends rather than enemies.

    Tom met her gaze through the rearview mirror, wondering why she was apologizing all of a sudden when she had been acting like a bossdy just a moment ago in her office.

    She wasn''t the type of person to dy the inevitable, so it was best she did this and got it out of the way, "I know you must think I''m a mean bitch." Lucy said with a self deprecating smile, and waited for him to assure her he didn''t think so.

    But when he said nothing after a sometime, she decided to continue, "I actually do closete most of the time. I get carried away with work, and since I don''t have friends around to hang out with or better put, since I just don''t like hanging out I try to spend the time working so that I will be exhausted by the time I get home, and then sleep off." Lucy exined.

    "I''m not saying this as an excuse. I''m just trying to say I didn''t keep you waiting intentionally."

    "How boring." Tom murmured.

    "What? I beg your pardon?" Lucy asked, sounding partially confused and offended at the same time.

    "I mean your life. It must be very boring."

    "It isn''t. That is just how I love it." Lucy said defensively.

    "Or maybe that is because that is the only way you know to live." Tom suggested in a challenging tone.

    "I can have fun when I want to." Lucy snapped at him.

    "Really? Like your little checklist?" Tom asked dryly.

    A rosy blush flushed her cheeks at that, "Do you always have to keep referring to the past?"

    "There is no future without the past. We have to make reference to it at some point." Tom said in a matter of fact tone, without taking his eyes off the road.

    Lucy took in a deep breath, "Anyway, that wasn''t the point I was trying to make. I was trying to say maybe I''ve not been fair. It was a two way thing after all, and you were kind enough to offer yourself, so I shouldn''t..."

    "Really? One minute you don''t want me to talk about our fling and then the next you bring it up? You can bring it up at will whenever you like but I can''t?" Tom asked incredulously making Lucy grit her teeth.

    Why was she beginning to feel like he was in charge of the conversation? Sitting at the back seat now was making her feel like she was a child being scolded by her father, "I was only trying to make a point." Lucy defended weakly.

    "Which is?" Tom asked cocking a brow at her through the rearview mirror.

    "Let''s just start all over." Lucy suggested.

    Tom resisted the urge to chuckle, "Do you realize that would mean it''s the fourth time we''ve met for the first time?"

    "Huh?" Lucy asked in confusion.

    "The first was at the club. The second was at your apartment while you were pretending not to know who I was because you somehow happened to believe I won''t recognize you because of your sses, and the third was you pretending not to know me when your boss was introducing me to you earlier. All within a space of forty-eight hours." Tom said sounding amused.

    Lucy didn''t miss the humor in his tone, so she smiled, "I know you must think I''m weird." And a little scatterbrained, she added to herself.

    "Weird doesn''t even cut it." Tom said honestly making her giggle.

    Whatdy doesn''t like a fine looking man with a good sense of humor? "The fourth time could be the charm."

    "That was supposed to be the third time. But are you sure you want us to start afresh for the fourth time?"

    "Yes. That''s the only way this can work. Let''s start all over. But as friends this time." Lucy offered.

    "If I''m your friend I''m going to want to hang out with you every chance I get. I''m going to break every wall you set up and be in your space until you want to spend all your spare time with me. Are you sure you still want us to be friends?" Tom asked as he parked the car in front of the apartment block and turned to look at her.

    "I don''t think you or anyone else can make me do that. Even my best friend who is very outgoing couldn''t aplish that." Lucy said with a confident air as she opened the door and got out of the car with her hand bag in one hand.

    "Is that a challenge I hear in your tone?" Tom asked as he got out of the car and locked it.

    "Make of it what you will.." Lucy called out with a shrug as she turned around and started heading for her apartment.

 Chapter 25 - Bad Boy

    Contrary to popr opinion, Tom didn''t be the CEO of such a powerful first-ss multinationalpany like I-Global by chance nor by luck. Several times he had read articles where people tried to guess his business secrets and strategies and he smiled each time they failed.

    All his life he had been guided by four basic character traits. He liked to believe his sess was a product of all four in equal percents. Twenty-five percent impatience, twenty-five percent decisiveness, twenty-five percent nning, and twenty-five percent had to do with his appearance.

    These were the secrets to his sess. He didn''t believe in wasting time thinking about things when he should be working hard at it to get it done and over with, so his impatience always spurred him to look for every possible ways to get things done quickly.

    Right from when he was a kid, he had always been known as someone who always knew what he wanted. Once he saw what he wanted, he threw everything he had into getting it, unless he didn''t really want it.

    Once he saw what he wanted, he never pursued it without thinking it through. He always spent his time making ns and writing out every possible way he could achieve his goals. And finally because he was good looking he always found his way around. Everyone loved a good looking person of course.

    Lying down on the recliner in his new apartment, Tom tapped a pen on his forehead as he tried toe up with ways to get Lucy. He was very certain she expected him to make his first move on her tonight, but he wasn''t going to do that. He needed toe up with a good n on how to get under her skin without her even knowing it. He wanted her to feel so rxed around him that she would let her guard down without knowing what was happening.

    She was a virgin so there was no need trying to seduce her... Not that he wouldn''t do thatter though, but right now he wanted to be a close friend and confidant first... But he didn''t intend to remain in the friend zone for too long either.

    He sat up and picked up his phone, this was one of those times he needed his sister''s wit, so he dialed Jade''s number. A momentter he heard his sister''s voice, "To what do I owe this unexpected pleasure twice within twenty-four hours?" She asked checking the time on her wristwatch. He had called quitete the previous evening but it was kind of early now.

    "I just wanted to know how you were doing." Tom lied.

    "Although that is awfully sweet of you, but I''m very sure that isn''t the reason you called." She said in amusement.

    "Why would you..."

    "Really, Tom? Go on, I''m listening." She said cutting him off as she stood up from her desk and rubbed her eyes.

    Tom sighed wearily. He couldn''t help feeling embarrassed that she had seen through him as usual, "Fine. There is this girl..."

    "A girl?" Jade asked with a giggle since that was thest thing she had expected him to talk about. Tom was all about his business and money, and though he had had different girlfriends over the years, but she doubted he had ever given them much thought.

    "Why is it funny?" Tom asked in confusion.

    "Nothing. Nothing at all. Just go on. I''m sure she must be very interesting if you''re thinking about her." Jade said thoughtfully.

    "Well, she works for me..."

    "When did you start mixing business with pleasure?" She interrupted again.

    "I suppose there is always a first time. Now can you listen without cutting me off?" He pleaded.

    "Sure. Sorry. I think I''m still inwyer mode." She apologized with a giggle

    "I really like her and I want her, but she is so damn stubborn and self-sufficient. How do I get her?" Tom asked curiously.

    "She knows who you are and doesn''t want you?" Jade asked in disbelief.

    "No she doesn''t but..."

    "Sorry to cut you off bro, but if I''m going to be of any help to you, then you have to give me details. How did you meet her? Why do you want her? What is she like?" Jade asked as she picked up a jotter and a pen. Call it habit, but she liked organizing her thoughts.

    "I met her the club..." Tom started.

    "...So that is it." He finished.

    "Holy shit! You mean you actually bought the apartment she is living in just because you wanted to be her next door neighbor?" She asked incredulously.

    "Well, let''s just see it as a real estate investment. I could always sell the house if things don''t go as nned, right?" He asked logically, and Jade had to admit there was sense in what he said.

    "But then the money you paid to the upants of the house..."

    "We both know it''s nothing to me. Let''s just think of it as the price I''m paying to pursue what I want." Tom said making her sigh.

    "So is it that you love her?"

    "I honestly don''t know what I feel for her yet. I don''t know her well enough to be in love with her, but what I do know is that I''m interested in her and I want her."

    "Wow!" Jade eximedd with a giggle as she tried to process everything Tom had just told her.

    "So what do you think?" Tom asked curiously.

    "Well, from all you''ve said, she is a good girl... And good girls like bad boys, even though they won''t easily admit that. So maybe instead of taking the gentleman approach which I''m sure she must be used to already, you should be more fun. Be the bad boy next door." Jade suggested.

    "A bad boy?" Tom asked out loud as he thought about it. A bad boy would probably have fucked her silly that night, but he had acted the gentleman... Perhaps that was whydies kept trying to use him? Because he seemed too kind and gentlemanly?

    "Yes. You should probably ask Byran for tips. I''m sure he is the baddest boy in the whole of the country." Jade said with a giggle, and then remembered she was yet to give him a call. She made a mental note to do that immediately she was done with the phone call.

    "Maybe I will do that. Now back to you, how was your day and how is the case going?" He asked, sounding concerned now.

    "I''m holding up. Things are bing pretty intense and my only witness has gone into hiding." She said with a sigh.

    "The case is that bad?"

    "Really bad. But if I''m able to do this, I think I will quit from this firm and start my own." She confided.

    "Just let me know if you need anything. You know you can always count on me." He said, and she smiled.

    "Sure. I need to get back to work now. Love you." With that she hung up and sighed.. It seemed like both her brothers were getting all the romance and she was just here working like a maniac, Jade thought to herself.

 Chapter 26 - Bad Boy Vs Good Friend

    Lucy yawned as shey on her sofa reading Sonia''sst published novel and jotting down areas she felt Sonia needed to work on. She took off her sses and walked over to her refrigerator to find something to chew on, but remembered she had nothing yet. She was yet to stock her house, and she doubted she would be able to do that until weekend.

    She suddenly realized she had had nothing to eat all day when her stomach rumbled. She had been about leaving for lunch earlier when her boss had shown up in her office to show her her official car and driver. After that she had been too surprise to remember her hunger, and hadter buried herself with work until he came to tell her it was gettingte.

    She knew without doubt that if she didn''t get something to eat now, she would be at a risk of severe ulcer pains, and that she wouldn''t be able to bear. She had to get something to eat, and also get some medicine in case the ulcer pain came as she knew it would when she finally eats.

    She didn''t really know anywhere around the neighborhood yet, since she was yet to move around. She had spent the first night at that mansion with Tom, and then yesterday she had eaten the apple cobbler Tom had brought as a good weing neighbor, unfortunately he seemed like the only good neighbor in the neighborhood since nobody else had been over to say hello. Or maybe they hade while she was away at work, she would never know.

    She stood up and walked over to her closet to get somethingfortable she could wear. She picked up a gray colored sweatpant and an equally gray colored hoodie since the weather was sort of cold outside, and then she walked over to her dressing table and packed her hair in a ponytail before putting on her sses. She looked at her appearance in the mirror and noticed her face waspletely in, although her face was almost always in apart from the powder and lipgloss she often used, but it was extra in now since she had showered and was ready to go to bed.

    ''Who cares?'' she asked herself as she headed for the door, and on second thought returned to apply a touch of lipgloss on her lips. ''Of course I''m not doing this to impress anyone, I just don''t want to look too in.'' she assured herself as she strolled out of her house with her wallet and locked the door behind her, before walking over to the apartment next door.

    She stopped by the door and couldn''t help wondering why she had decided toe there. She had tried not to think of their little exchange in the car earlier but standing here now, she wondered why he hadn''te over after iming he was going to bring her out of her shell.

    ''What are you doing standing here like this? Why not just go and buy what you want?'' a voice in her head asked, interrupting he thought.

    ''First of all I''m not familiar with the neighborhood and so I need someone who is, to apany me.'' She mentally responded.

    ''So what if it was a different person that lived next door and not him?'' the voice asked again to her frustration.

    ''It''s just not safe for ady to go out all by herself when it''s dark in an environment she isn''t familiar with. My safety is paramount to me.'' Lucy mentally responded again.

    ''Excuses! That''s why you applied the lipgloss.'' the voice used.

    ''Fine! I will go alone.'' Lucy responded in irritation but just then the door opened the and she came face to face with Tom who looked surprised to see her standing in front of his door.

    Lucy felt her cheeks burn in embarrassment at being caught like this, and she cleared her throat when he only raised a brow, "I need to go out."

    "Okay?" He asked, wondering what that had to do with him.

    "I haven''t eaten all day, so I need to get food and also medicine for ulcer." She exined nervously.

    Although he was d she was here, but he was already trying to be everything a gentleman wasn''t, "Okay?" Tom asked again, wondering what it had to do with him

    "Okay what?" She asked in confusion.

    "What is stopping you from going where you need to go? Is the car noting on?" He asked as he walked out and shut the door behind him. Looking at him now, his outfit showed he was on his way out. He was wearing a three-quarter short and a polo shirt, and a baseball cap covered his short mop of ck hair.

    "I was sort of hoping you could take me there?" She said, making it sound like an exnation and a question at the same time. Of course there was no way he could turn her down, right?

    "First of all, it''s past work hours. I''m not your driver until 7 AM." He said sounding flippant, and Lucy couldn''t help wondering if he had multiple personalities. Why was he sounding so cold all of a sudden? Or was he still mad about earlier? She thought they were past that now?

    She swallowed, "I wasn''t asking you as my driver. I''m asking as a neighbor." She offered with a small smile.

    "I see. Unfortunately, as you can see I have ns."

    Her smile wavered, "Oh! Sorry for being a bother."

    Tom couldn''t help feeling guilty, "Why not just order for something with your phone? That''s what everyone does these days." He suggested.

    "Sure. I will do that. Thanks." She said without looking at him as she turned to leave. She was just going to walk around the neighborhood and get acquainted with it now so she wouldn''t need him or anyone else to apany her next time.

    Tom stood there with a frown on his face as he watched her leave. She had offered for them to be friends earlier and he had epted, so his attitude was uncalled for. Friends could ask their friends to apany them somewhere. He could be a bad boy and a friend to her at the same time, right? That shouldn''t be very difficult, he decided.

    "Wait up." He called out, and she turned to look at him as he hurried up to her.

    "I think I could spare a few minutes. Let''s get you what you want and then I will be on my way.." Tom said with an easy smile making her decide he had multiple personalities.

 Chapter 27 - Quick Tempered

    Neither Tom nor Lucy said a word as Tom drove the car out of the garage and down the street. He had no idea where he was driving to since he wasn''t very familiar with the environment, so he just kept his eyes on the road so he wouldn''t miss either a pharmacy shop or a grocery store.

    "So why haven''t you eaten all day?" Tom asked, trying to break the silence in the car.

    "I got carried away with work at the office. Only just realized now that I was yet to even have anything apart from coffee," Lucy exined, grateful that he was talking now. She couldn''t deny that the silence had made her very ufortable and nervous.

    "Have you always had such a poor eating habit or is it because you''re new here and at the job?" He asked with disapproval.

    She didn''t know why she was stung by the disapproval or was it criticism she heard in his voice? She was tempted to respond rudely, but had to control her quick temper, "Certainly you must have forgotten to eat at some point too while working, haven''t you?" She asked, turning to look at him.

    Sure he had. But then he was a businessman building an empire and that was normal. He had people working for him whose duty was to make sure he didn''t forget to eat, so he always had his meal whenever he was supposed to eat. But she on the other hand was just an employee, and in as much as he appreciated the effort she was putting into the job, he felt she was overworking herself.

    "I work for myself so I can afford to do that. But you''re doing too much harm to your body while working for someone else." Tom pointed out.

    "Yeah right. You wouldn''t beining had you been the owner of thepany." Lucy countered.

    "And what makes you think your boss wouldn''tin about this if he finds out one of his staff was living like you with such an unhealthy eating habit?" He asked, turning to spare her a nce.

    "Even my boss at my former branch who isn''t the owner of thepany, loved how I put everything into my job. So I''m sure the owner of thepany would be even more impressed. But I don''t expect you to understand that, since you don''t own your ownpany, and you''re a blue-cor worker for that matter. So maybe we should have this conversation again after you''ve established your own sessfulpany." Lucy said with a stiff smile. She knew that was low even for her, but that was what he deserved for being so critical of her eating habit.

    "Ouch! That hurts!" Tom eximed with an amused glint in his eyes that she couldn''t see. It seemed like she was very sensitive to criticism, and she had a quick temper. Very nice.

    "You don''t see to be very familiar with the area," Lucy observed, changing the subject since she had said her piece.

    "That''s because I hardlye out here to get things. I have whatever I need delivered to me or I travel out for outside jobs," He exined easily.

    "Including food?" She asked, since she could guess he wasn''t the type to cook.

    He gave a nod as he answered, "Including food"

    "Right there!" She eximed, pointing at a pharmacy ahead of them.

    Tom found a spot to park the car, "You can go get what you need, and then I will drop you off at home once you''re done." He suggested, and she got out of the car quickly. She knew he still had to go to wherever he had been headed before she sought his help, so she needed to hurry.

    Tom took out his phone and dialed Harry''s line, "I''m sorry I''m runningte. Something came up," he exined immediately Harry received the call.

    "I thought as much. I suppose your beautiful workaholic neighbor came up?" Harry asked in a teasing tone. They always met once a week outside work environment to just drink and have fun.

    "Just give me thirty minutes and I will join you. Remind me when Ie that I want to discuss something important concerning the well-being of the staff at thepany." Tom said, and hung up immediately he saw Lucy hurrying out of the pharmacy with a paper bag in hand.

    "I hope I didn''t keep you waiting for too long?" Lucy asked as she got into the car.

    "You didn''t show this much concern about keeping me waiting at work... Or sorry, I forgot I was your driver then, and now I''m just your neighbor." Tom said, wanting to see her response.

    "Well, the Bible did say love your neighbor as yourself. Nothing was written there concerning drivers." Lucy retorted, making him chuckle. She also had a good sense of humor. The day wasn''t wasted after all. He had learnt a couple things about her sooner than he expected.

    "We should find a grocery shop..."

    "No. I''d hate to take up any more of your time, so I got snacks. Maybe tomorrow I will do that whole delivery stuff you spoke about, or maybe I could just go grocery shopping during lunch break." She assured him, and he just looked at her for a while before giving a brief nod.

    Immediately he parked the car in front of the house he handed her the car key, but she quickly declined, "You should go out in it so you meet up with your date. There is no point in leaving it parked here while you wait for a cab. Thanks for your help. Goodnight. Enjoy your date." She added with a wave as she headed for her apartment leaving him staring at her.

    Date? Was she thinking he was going out to meet with ady? If he remembered correctly he had only said he has ''ns''. When did ns be synonymous with date? He was tempted to call her back and correct the impression, but decided against it.. Good girls liked bad boys.

 Chapter 28 - Human Lie Detector

    Bryan had never felt so irritated or ill-tempered as he felt right now as he sat by his penthouse balcony, with a ss of whiskey in his hand while he just looked ahead of him. They had returned from Heden after his shoot earlier that day, so he was back to his home in Sogal, another part of the country. He couldn''t understand why Sonia had disappeared without a trace, without even giving him a chance to end things officially.

    He couldn''t believe the number of congrattory calls he had received already from most of his colleagues in the industry. A crazy fan had gone ahead to upload the engagement photo on thement session of his fan page, and by the time they arrived at the airport, they had met some of his fans who were upset, protesting at the airport, while some others stood there bearing congrattory gifts.

    How was he supposed to get out of this mess without her? He couldn''t even step out of his house at the moment because journalists were gathered at the front of his house waiting to see him and ask questions about his engagement and supposed scandal with Sophia.

    He rubbed his hand over his face and gritted his teeth in annoyance when his phone started ringing again. If he so much asid his eyes on Sonia, he was going to strangle the life out of her for putting him in such a difficult position.

    He picked up his phone, ready to snap at the next person to congratte him, and groaned when he realized it was Jade his baby sister. It was difficult lying to her because she was like a human lie detector. How she managed to always spot a lie be it in person or over the phone was still a mystery to him. He contemted ignoring the call, but decided to just talk to her and get it over with, so he epted it.

    "Hey!"

    "Hey? Why don''t you don''t sound like a man who just got engaged to the love of his life as the gossip articles say?" She asked as he knew she would.

    "I''m just exhausted. It''s been a long week, and an even longer day."

    "So shouldn''t my soon to be sister-inw be massaging you or something?" Jade asked in amusement.

    "She isn''t here. I already traveled back to Sogal. She lives and works in Heden, and couldn''t leave her job..."

    "Cut the crap Bryan. We both know that''s bullshit. Tell me what''s honestly up with you and why you did something like that," Jade said, cutting him off.

    "Something like what? What is so wrong in wanting to settle down?" Bryan asked with a scowl.

    "That''s something someone like Tom does and I won''t be surprised. Not someone like you. Last time we spoke you weren''t even ready to have a serious girlfriend, so howe you flew from being the mingling single not wanting amitted rtionship, to being the lover boy who suddenly wants forever?" Jade asked in a tone he suspected she used a lot in the courtroom.

    "Well, things change. PeopIe change." Bryan insisted.

    "To the best of my knowledge peopIe like you don''t change so easily. Anyway, I can see you''re bent on carrying on with the lie. I will let you be and get back to work." Jade said in a resigned tone.

    "You''re always so busy with work. Don''t you ever do anything else?" Bryan asked with a worried frown.

    "Maybe I will do other things after I start my ownw firm. I''m counting on you and Tom as my first major clients."

    "No boyfriend yet?" Bryan asked curiously.

    "Nope."

    "Still mourning Todd?" He asked even though he knew she probably was going to deny it.

    "I don''t have time to think about anything outside work." She said with a sharp edge in her voice which told him it was still very much a sore subject.

    "Take things easy on yourself. I love you."

    "I love you too. Goodnight." Jade said before disconnecting the call.

    Done with the call now Bryan thought about what Jade had said about people like him being unable to change easily, and he remembered Sonia saying he was shallow. Am I really shallow? He wondered.

    ***********

    Sitting down across from Harry at the lounge bar, Tom nursed a ss of wine as he listened to his friend talk about the stock market and cryptocurrency.

    "By the way what was it you said you wanted to tell me about the staff?" Harry asked, changing the subject.

    "First of all I want all the offices closed and the building shut down once it is closing hours. And no one is permitted to take any paperwork home." Tom said, making Harry raise a brow.

    "Why?"

    "I don''t want them overworking themselves when I''m not."

    Harry looked like he was going to argue, but he gave a nod, "I will do that tomorrow."

    "Thanks. Also, I''m thinking about providing lunch for the staff in all the branches." Tom exined.

    "We are already doing that. Isn''t that why there is a canteen where they can easily get their free lunch?" Harry pointed out.

    "I forgot about that. Okay then, just have someone go around the offices tomorrow and find out the number of those who might be interested in having their lunch delivered directly to them." Tom exined.

    "Why do I feel like this about your neighbor? Or maybe I should call her your boss?" Harry asked, narrowing his eyes at him suspiciously.

    "Can you just do as I asked?"

    "No. Everyone is going to figure out something is off since most of the staff are already aware that they can easily order their preferred meal up to their office. The only person who doesn''t know this is obviously you and your boss."

    "Really?" Tom asked curiously. He had never really been interested in how his staff spent their lunch hour, so he had no idea they usually had their food delivered to them.

    "Yes. So you can make the suggestion to her, or if you want to soften her up even faster, you can be her lunch delivery man." Harry suggested with a grin.

    "You think that would soften her up? I''m trying to be a bad boy, and I don''t want to ruin it."

    "Bad boy?" Harry asked with a slightly raised brow wondering what hade over his friend.

    "Yeah. Jade says good girls like bad boys, so I''m taking the bad boy approach." Tom exined.

    "You mean your younger sister Jade? You told her about this madness and she actually supported you and is even giving you tips on how to go about it?" Harry asked with a shake of his head.

    "Yeah. I don''t see why not."

    "Well, you could be a bad boy lunch delivery man then. How about I get you hair dye, earrings and nose rings to suit the title?" Harry asked sarcastically, and then one look at Tom''s thoughtful expression he shook his head, "No! Don''t even think about it. I was just kidding!"

    But it was toote, Tom was smiling already with a determined look in his eyes, "I don''t think that would look bad on me."

    "For crying out loud you''re thirty years old not eighteen!" Harry reminded him in rm when he saw Tom considering his offer.

    "Well, since I spent my teenage years being a genius and trying to make money, I can as well spend this time living like a teenager. Thanks for the suggestion, I think I''m going to try that out." Tom said with a grin, tapping his friend''s back lightly.

    He was going to get a bad boy makeover.

 Chapter 29 - Job Description

    Lucy was surprised to see Tom already standing by the car the next morning. He had his left hand in his pocket, while leaning on the car with the right side of his body, and his right elbow was resting on top of the car. Seeing the way he was standing by the car, one would assume that he was the owner of the car, Lucy thought dryly.

    She noticed he was smiling and followed his gaze to see what was giving him so much pleasure, and sighed when she noticed two young girls who looked like they were in theirte teens, smiling flirtatiously and using a sprinkler to wet their tops, making their crop tops transparent enough to reveal their well defined boobs. How typical!

    Tom winked at the girls, and turned around when he heard someone sigh, "Good morning ma''am!" He greeted with a polite bow and straightened himself as she approached the car.

    That was when Lucy noticed what he was wearing. He was wearing a white floral print short sleeve button down shirt tucked into a gray colored pant with a ck belt and shoe to go with it. But it wasn''t just his choice of clothes that got her attention, rather it was the fact that he had left about three or so of the top buttons of his shirt undone, revealing a bit of his chest which was just as hairy as his exposed arms.

    Did she notice his hairy chest that night? Did she touch it? She was a sucker for hairy men... And though she had never really had anything to do with any one, she loved reading about them and seeing them on movies.

    Tom noticed her eyes were fixed on his chest and suppressed the urge to smile. "Ahem!" He cleared his throat as he moved closer to her, and extended his had to take her handbag.

    Lucy shed him an awkward smile, pretending like she had been lost in thought as she tried to recall if he had said anything. As he got closer to her she perceived the scent of his cologne. It was really masculine and distracting. Not very strong, but strong enough to make her want to bury her nose on his chest and sniff his body like a dog.

    "Good morning ma''am! May I have your bag?" Tom repeated when he noticed she still seemed lost.

    ''Get a hold on yourself Lucy!'' She chided herself as she mentally shook her head to get rid of those unreasonable thoughts, "Sorry, did you say something? I zoned out thinking about an article I''m working on," she said with a forced smile.

    Tom looked at her with an amused smile but simply nodded, "It''s fine ma''am. I asked if I may have your bag,"

    "Lucy is fine, and you don''t have to worry about my bag. I got it, thank you," She said as she walked over to the car and got into the backseat and attached her seatbelt.

    She had nned on riding in the front with him today, but seeing as he was dressed, and his chest was distracting her, she didn''t want to sit in front with him and have to keep staring at him as she knew she would.

    "I hope you had a good night rest?" Tom asked as he got into the car, looking at her through the rearview mirror.

    "Yes I did. How did your date go? I hope she wasn''t too mad at you for showing upte?" Lucy asked as she wind down the window before taking out her phone from her handbag, and then she busied herself by checking her mails and messages.

    "She was really cool," Tom assured her as he drove off, and waited for more questions about his date, but when he heard nothing, he looked through the rearview mirror and noticed that Lucy was already busy with her phone.

    "Nice," Lucy muttered after sometime, but Tom wasn''t sure if she was saying that in response to what he had said or to what she had seen on her phone, so he decided to mind his business since it was obvious they were in work mode right now, and there was no need acting too friendly with his boss.

    The rest of the drive to the office was silent until he drove into thepany''s parking lot, and then he cleared his throat to get her attention before she could get down, "I was thinking... What would you like to have for lunch? I could have it delivered to your office during lunchtime. That way you don''t have to skip lunch because you''re too busy," Tom suggested.

    "That isn''t part of your job description," she pointed out.

    "I never said it was. I just don''t want to have to be work extra time, past work hours again likest night. And don''t worry, I learnt thepany offers free lunch to the staff, so I''m not spending money I don''t have. I''m only going to bring it to you since I''m your driver and have nothing doing at that time," Tom said in a cool tone which made her feel like he was angry over helping her the previous evening.

    "If this is aboutst night, I can assure you that you don''t have to worry. I won''t disturb you ever again," she promised.

    "Miss Perry..."

    "I said Lucy is fine!"

    "Yes you did, sorry. So what did you say I am getting you for lunch? Or would you rather I get you anything I think is nice?" Tom asked as though every other thing she had said since he asked the question was irrelevant and out of point.

    "I just said, don''t worry about it," Lucy said with a hint of irritation in her voice as she got out of the car and started heading for the building.

    "I will get a bit of everything then," Tom called after her, and chuckled when she turned around to re at him before she disappeared.

    "So cute and stubborn," Tom murmured to himself with a grin.

 Chapter 30 - The Driver

    Lucy tapped her pen on her desk impatiently as she tried to figure out what was bothering her and why she was unable to focus on the work in front of her. Thankfully, she didn''t have to try too hard. The answer jumped at her, Tom. Of course it had to be Tom, and her reaction to his scent and exposed chest.

    Now that she knew the problem she had to figure out why she had reacted that way to him, as well as why she was feeling so unsettled by her reaction to him. This was of course the curse of an overthinker.

    Even though Lucy knew she had a thing for hairy guys, she was hardly one to get carried away when looking at one in real life. She had been to the beach on a few asions and had seen hairy guys, but never had she ogled at them that way, or been caught staring, so why was this different? Because he had been standing very close to her? Maybe. And maybe she had felt like sniffing his body too because she liked peopIe who smelt good generally, so it definitely wasn''t really about Tom, or was it? She wondered with a sigh. Maybe it was, since even though she liked peopIe smelling nice, she had never really thought of sniffing anyone like a dog before now.

    Perhaps she had reacted that way with Tom and not with others because she didn''t know them, the way she knew Tom. Like she knew him in the biblical sense of the word. She hadn''t slept with the others, but she had slept with Tom, and that made all the difference. That had to exin why she kept wondering what it must have felt like running her hands over his hairy chest, or how he must have smelt like as theyy together on the bed.

    Why couldn''t she remember other details of their night apart from him eating her honeypot? You can''t be thinking of the right now. You shouldn''t be thinking of it, she reminded herself desperately.

    "Why? Why did he have to be my neighbor and my driver?" Lucy groaned out loud in frustration as she rested her head on her desk.

    She sat up when she remembered how he had threatened to bring lunch, and narrowed her eyes. Maybe she could ask Mr Harry to give her a different driver? She could ask them not to fire him, but instead just give her someone else, or even offer to drive herself around. That would be a win-win for them both, since she was sure he wouldn''t be veryfortable with the idea of being her driver anyway.

    Havinge to that decision she stood up and straightened her zers as she walked out of her office. She stopped by the desk of her secretary, "Amy, right?"

    "Yes," The youngdy said with a pleased smile, d that Lucy had remembered her name.

    "How can I get to Mr Harry''s office?"

    Amy looked at her, wondering if she should tell her staff was not usually allowed to go to the president''s floor, but then again, directors usually went there, and Lucy was a director.

    "Do you want to submit something? I could take it to the receptionist and have someone deliver it to him at once," she offered as she quickly stood up, but Lucy shook her head.

    "I need to speak to him about something, and I don''t want to talk over the phone," she added, knowing that Amy might suggest she give him a call.

    "It''s on the left wing of the seventh floor, the second tost office," Amy said with a polite smile, and Lucy thanked her before heading for the elevator.

    Now that she had this n to get rid of him as her driver, she would need toe up with a n to get rid of him as her neighbor too, she thought as she got into the elevator.

    For the time being she would endure living next to him and avoid running into him as much as she could, until she could find someone else who would possibly be willing to swap houses with her... that was possible, right?

    She thought as the elevator stopped and she stepped out of it. Followong the description Amy had given her, she stopped in front of Harry''s office. There was a tag on the door, "Vice Chairman, Harry Jonas"

    Before she could lift her hand to knock on the door, a door opened. It was the door to thest office which she suspected belonged to the president.

    Harry stepped out of the office.

    Immediately he saw her standing in front of his door, he raised a finger asking her to hold on, and then returned inside the office, "She is standing in front of my office," Harry told Tom.

    "By she I suppose you mean Lucy?" Tom asked, looking at him with a slightly raised brow.

    "Yes."

    "So why are you still standing in my office when you should be attending to her? Leave. I''m busy." Tom said before returning his head attention to hisptop.

    "Would you like to listen in on the conversation?" Harry offered.

    "I wouldn''t mind the noise. And don''t forget to tell her about the new rule concerning closing hours," Tom reminded him.

    Harry gave a nod before returning to join her, "Good morning Miss Perry. Sorry about that, I just remembered something I needed to tell the CEO." Harry exined as he approached her, making Lucy wonder why he was exining to her.

    "It''s not a problem sir. Good morning sir," Lucy greeted politely.

    "Come with me," Harry said as he walked into his office, and Lucy followed him. Lucy greeted Harry''s secretary as she walked past her desk.

    "Have a seat, and tell me what brings you all the way here," Harry said, looking at her curiously as he sat down behind his desk, and picked up his phone. He dialed Tom''s number, and as usual Tom received the call, and ced his phone on mute, so there would be no sound from his end.

    Lucy wished he would give her a moment to look around his office and admire the decor, but quickly reminded herself that she was here for more important business and would have other times to admire his office.

    She cleared her throat, "It''s about the driver."

    "Yeah? What about him?"

    "I''m very thankful to you for being considerate enough to offer me apany car and driver, but I''m afraid I do not need the driver," Lucy said, taking the straightforward approach.

    "You don''t? And why is that? You don''t like your driver? Did he do or say something wrong?" Harry asked as he watched her with interest.

    "No he didn''t. I''m just notfortable with being driven around. I think I can manage well on my own, so if you don''t mind..."

    "Are you saying we should fire him?"

    "No! Of course not. I''m sure he needs the job, and I wouldn''t be so mean as to deny him his means of livelihood because of my personal reservations," Lucy quickly exined.

    "So if we can''t fire him, what do you expect us to do with him?"

    "Assign him to someone else? Or fix him in a different position?" She asked with a frown.

    "Everyone else who needs a driver has one, and this is the only position he is qualified for."

    "Then maybe someone might be willing to swap with me?" Lucy asked without thinking.

    "I thought the problem wasn''t with him? Why are you asking for a swap?"

    "Oh! It''s just... I.... I''d be morefortable with someone older," Lucy exined with an embarrassed smile.

 Chapter 31 - The CEO’s Personal Assistant

    "Someone older?" Tom repeated as he listened to her. What did she mean by someone older? Was she that ufortable around him? Without wasting more time, he quickly picked up his office phone and dialed Harry''s office line.

    Harry nced at his office phone when it started ringing, and he didn''t need anyone to tell him it was Tom calling, "Give me a moment, it''s the CEO," he exined before picking up the phone.

    "Hello sir!"

    "Hand her the phone, I want to speak with her," Tom said without wasting any time.

    "Miss Perry says she doesn''t need the driver assigned to her," Harry exined for Lucy''s benefit, since it would seem weird that he was just handing her the phone to speak with the CEO concerning an issue he was supposedly not aware of.

    "Just hand her the phone," Tom instructed.

    "Are you sure you want to do that?" Harry asked, making Lucy wonder what they were discussing. Perhaps the CEO was considering her request?

    "The CEO wants to speak with you," Harry said as he extended the phone to her.

    "Me?" She asked perpelexed, as she pushed her sses up her nose.

    "Is there someone else in here with us?" Harry asked with a slightly raised brow, and lowered his gaze to the phone he was still holding out to her, indirectly telling her she was leaving his hand hanging.

    She had heard rumors that the CEO wasn''t the type to be seen or even talk to anyone, so why did he want to speak with her? Perhaps she had crossed a line by making such a request? Lucy wondered as she took the phone from him, "No sir. Sorry sir,"

    Tom picked up his handkerchief and ced it over the mouthpiece of the phone, "Miss Perry?"

    "Y..yes sir. Go...od good morning sir!" She stuttered, standing up quickly from her seat, while Harry tried not to let his amusement show on his face.

    "I hear you do not want your driver. What problem do you have with the driver I chose for you?" Tom asked in his formal intimidating tone.

    Hearing how cold he sounded, Lucy concluded that he was angry, and thest thing Lucy wanted was to tell her boss that she didn''t want her driver, and then have him fire her. She knew her n could easily backfire, and then she would only have herself to me. So now she had to think carefully before giving him an answer.

    "Are you there?" Tom asked when she didn''t say anything after sometime.

    "Yes sir," she quickly answered, trying hard not to stutter.

    "So? Your driver, why do you want to fire him?" Tom asked again..

    "No sir! I''m not asking to have the driver fired. I''m just..."

    "If you say you don''t need someone, what does it mean?" Tom asked, cutting her off before she could exin herself, "Or better put, if I say I no longer need your services, what do I mean?" Tom asked, making beads of sweat coat her forehead now.

    "I... Sir... I..." Lucy stuttered, and turned to Harry who was looking at her with aid back expression.

    "Go on. I''m listening," Tom urged her on. She seemed like a ''boss pleaser'', and maybe he could use that to his own advantage.

    "I''m sorry sir. I didn''t mean to question your choice of a driver for me. The driver is okay. I will work with him," Lucy pleaded anxiously. She really loved her job, and didn''t want to lose it simply because of one night of madness. She made a mental note to remain a good girl, and never to do crazy stuff ever again,

    "And why do you keep referring to him as ''the driver'' instead of ''my driver''?" Tom asked curiously.

    "I''m sorry sir. It won''t happen ever again. I''m sorry Iined about him. I will keep working with him," Lucy promised.

    "Hand the phone to him," Tom said dismissively, and Lucy quickly did as she was told, since talking with the boss made her feel very nervous.

    "What should I do sir?" Harry asked immediately he took the phone from her.

    "Tell her if the driver goes, she goes too, so she needs to be extra careful and make sure he doesn''t leave. And if she decides to keep the driver, inform her she is going to be working as my personal assistant henceforth..."

    "What?" Harry half yelled, before he could stop himself, startling Lucy who looked at him anxiously, as she waited to know her fate.

    "Don''t worry, just trust me and do as I say," Tom said before hanging up.

    Harry nced at Lucy who was looking at him with a worried frown, and he could literally see the question in her eyes. He wished he had an idea as to what Tom was up to. Tom had never had a personal assistant since the firstdy who had upied that position had tried to seduce him, and when she failed she had used him of harassing her and had almost seeded in creating a scandal for him and thepany. After that incident, Harry had been acting as his personal assistant even though he was known as the vice chairman of thepany. So why Tom was suddenly asking Lucy to be his personal assistant when he was busy trying to keep his identity from her, was a mystery to him.

    Harry cleared his throat, "If your driver leaves, you leave too. Regardless of the reason. So you have to be kind to him," Harry announced making Lucy''s eyes widen in dismay.

    This didn''t make any sense! Why would a director like herself be fired because of a mere driver? Lucy asked herself in disbelief. She swallowed, and then nodded her head, "Okay sir."

    "He also wants you to be his personal assistant..."

    "What?" Lucy asked, shooting out of her seat without thinking.

    "You are going to resume as the CEO''s personal assistant," Harry repeated.

 Chapter 32 - Tips From A Pro

    Tom chuckled quietly, and mentally patted his back foring up with such a brilliant idea. Why hadn''t he thought of it earlier? Having her work as his personal assistant would enable him control her activities in his favour. That way ''Tom'' would have the chance to take her out whenever he wanted to. He was sure both his siblings would be very proud of him if he told them about this new development.

    "Time to get my bad boy makeover!" Tom said, rubbing his hands together in excitement.

    He had spent most part of the night browsing out colors he wanted to try out on his hair, and he had settled on copper brown. He wanted to look like a hot yet responsible bad boy. That way not only would she find him attractive, but she would have a hard time deciding whether he was a bad boy or not. ''Keep her guessing'' was his new motto.

    He had made a mental note to expose his body around her more often now, since it was obvious that she was the type to be attracted by things like that. His conversation with Bryan the previous evening had paid off after all.

    [The Previous Evening]

    After his conversation with Jade, he had checked the inte for tips on how to be a bad boy, and after sometime he had given up on everything he was seeing online, and decided to give Bryan a call as Jade had suggested, and ask him for tips on how to be a bad boy.

    "You''ve called twice within twenty-four hours, are you ill?" Bryan had asked the moment he had received the call.

    "No, I''m not. However, I need your advise. Since you''re about to hang your bad boy boots, can you pass it on to me?" He had asked, making Bryan raise a brow.

    "Bad boy boots?"

    "Yep! Since you''re getting married, maybe I can carry on the bad boy legacy for the Hank family," Tom said making Bryan frown. He didn''t want to remember the whole engagement thing.

    "Why would you want to do that now?"

    "There is a girl I''m interested in, and she seems like a really good girl. Jade says good girls like bad boys, so I want to win her by being the bad boy. I want tips." Tom had said in his usual straight fashion manner making Bryan sit up.

    "You talked to Jade about her already, and you''re just telling me?" Bryan asked enviously.

    "I figured since she is a girl, she would better understand what girls want," Tom exined, making Bryan rx. He had always felt like himself and Tom weren''t very close because they had different personalities, but he was d that Tom was asking him this now.

    His always focused gentleman brother wanting to be a bad boy wasn''t something one got to see everyday. This was definitely a worthy wee distraction from the evil Sonia, "Well, it is pretty easy. Don''t be a gentleman. Gentlemen are boring and they pretend too much," Bryan stated like a pro.

    "Don''tdies like being treated specially?"

    "They like to think they do, but they actually don''t. Why do you think they always fall for the guys who don''t treat them so specially. That is simply because they like the idea of taming a bad boy. Good guys are like a nd dish, but bad guys are like a spicy dish." Bryan continued excitedly, almost like he had been waiting all his life to give his elder brother the lecture.

    "But being a rich good guy should ount for something, right? Women love money," Tom pointed out.

    "True. But they could stick with you for your money while giving their heart and body to broke bad boys. Women fall t for rich bad boys!"

    "You want to know what women want? Women want a man that would make their heart race and their blood pump in their ears. They want someone that isfortable with showing off his good looks and attractive body. A confident guy who would wink at them across the room as he checks them out, rather than the one that would hold out a chair for her and offer a polite smile. But, I think someone like you could be pull off being both though," Bryan added as an afterthought.

    "I see." Hearing this now, Tom was beginning to think that his problem withdies wasn''t merely because he didn''t give them enough time, or because he had pretended to not be rich. He had merely been a boring good guy, but all that was about to change.

    "If you want to be a bad boy, you have to be real. By real I mean, brutally honest. If she isn''t looking good, say so. If she smells bad, say it. If her dress sense is drab, let her know. Don''t try to sugarcoat words. Also when..."

    Tom who was been busy jotting down all Bryan was saying, paused. "Can we take the lessons a day at a time? I''d like to practice and give you feedback daily. That way I can know if I''m on the right track," Tom had suggested.

    "That would be cool!" Bryan had said with a grin. He was so looking forward to bonding with his brother and seeing him transform into a bad boy.

    "Alright, thank you..."

    "Hold on! I have to give you an assignment first. You''re seeing her tomorrow, right?"

    "Sure. We live next door and I''m her driver."

    "Waow! What is going on? You have to fill me in on everything if I''m going to help!" Bryan said excitedly.

    Tom didn''t like having people in his business, but he was also trying to use this medium to bond with his siblings, so he told Bryan everything he had told Jade, and also left out Lucy''s checklist as well as the intimate part of their meeting.

    "So she works for you?"

    "Yes."

    "But now you work for her?" Bryan asked with a chuckle.

    "Yeah."

    "Good then. Your assignment tomorrow, wear a button down shirt and leave the top buttons open so she gets a view of your chest. See if her eyes stay glued to your chest," Bryan instructed.

    "And what happens if it does?"

    "Then you have to make sure you keep wearing stuff like that to build the sexual tension until she can''t hold it in anymore. She''s either going to ask you to start covering up properly, or she is going to rip off your shirt one day,"

    "Bryan, I don''t want just sex."

    "Sex is always a good start. Get into her bed, and if you do a good job you can sneak into her heart.. It''s that easy," Bryan said confidently.

 Chapter 33 - Boss Versus Driver

    "Are you okay?" Harry asked, looking at Tom as though he was doubting his sanity.

    "Never felt better," Tom said with a grin as he stood up from his seat and walked over to the window to admire the beautiful view of the sea beyond.

    "Why do I find that so difficult to believe? You have been acting so out of character that I''m beginning to wonder if I need to call you a doctor," Harry said, making Tom''s smile widen even more as he turned to look at his friend.

    "I have, haven''t I?"

    "Come on Tom! This isn''t you. What are you doing? Why are you doing all this? First it was wanting to be a driver and own a small town apartment. Next it was talking about changing your looks, which I''m d you didn''t..."

    "Haven''t, not didn''t. I am getting it done today. I just need to take care of something first," Tom corrected.

    "And now you want to make her your personal assistant? You want her to see your face and find out who you are?" Harry continued, choosing to ignore what Tom had just said.

    "If your worry is about her seeing my face, then you really don''t have to bother yourself. I have it all figured out. She isn''t going to see this face. And the few times she might get to see me, I will make sure I am beyond recognizable," Tom assured Harry.

    Harry ran his right fingers through his hair in frustration, "Beyond recognizable? What does that even mean? What hase over you for crying out loud? Where is Thomas Hank?"

    Tom chuckled, and then tried to keep a straight face when Harry red at him, "I''m right here," Tom said, tapping his chest, "Look, this whole idea is not as crazy as you think. Just see this as me trying the have fun and rx. I''m trying to take that leave you have been badgering me to take for eons,"

    "The only thing I see you taking leave of, is your senses. Don''t you think you''re doing too much for ady you don''t even know much about?" Harry asked with a concerned frown.

    "Isn''t that the point of everything? How am I expected to know much about her if I don''t get close to her? And how can I get close to her when she keeps trying to get me fired as her driver? I''m just doing this to secure my spot by her side," Tom said as he returned to his desk and sat down by the edge, making Harry narrow his eyes at him.

    "What is so wrong with meeting her as Thomas Hank?"

    "Do you really need me to answer that question? You ask like you don''t know how women pretend around a wealthy man. We have been through this whole discussion already, just stop boring me with your questions. Please stop! You''re beginning to sound like my mother!" Tom said with a shake of his head.

    "Why her? What is so special about her?" Harry asked in resignation.

    "I already told you. She intrigues me,"

    Harry paused for sometime, and then his eyes lit up when something else urred to him, "You lied to me about how you met her, right? Something happened between the both of you other than what you told me, didn''t it?" Harry asked suspiciously.

    "I didn''t lie. I chose to withhold some information, but I definitely didn''t lie," Tom corrected.

    "Why? What are you hiding?" Harry asked, curiously. He knew whatever Tom was keeping from him was probably the reason he was hell-bent on getting close to Lucy, and that was also the reason Lucy wasn''tfortable with him being her driver.

    "It is personal, so I can''t tell you anything." Tom said with a grin.

    "Come on! I thought I was your best friend?" Harry asked, making a cute face.

    "No you''re not. And you shouldn''t do that with your face, you look awful," Tom scowled at him, making Harry sigh.

    "Okay. I get it. You don''t want to tell me whatever happened between yourself and Miss Perry at the club. But can you at least tell me your n? What is her job description now? What am I supposed to do? How do you hope on avoiding her so she doesn''t see you? How do you shuffle between being the CEO and being her driver at the same time?" Harry asked, looking at him expectantly as he waited for the answers to his questions.

    "Like I said, she will be my personal assistant. I willmunicate with her via my office line as give her instructions daily. She doesn''t have to do much paper work, but we will give her something just to make her think she is really working. I want her to be at my beck and call. All you have to do, is be around to keep her on her toes." Tom said with a wink.

    "And you? What do you want to do about your appearance?"

    "My brother is an actor, remember? I can easily get bears and wigs to diguise myself. That shouldn''t be too difficult. I will drop her off at the office as Tom her driver, and meet her in the office as Mr Hank, her boss." Tom said with an excited twinkle in his eyes.

    "You''re insane!" Harry said with a shake of his head.

    "Yeah, you''ve been saying that all week." Tom said as his eyes fell on the wall clock, "It''s time to serve mydy her lunch. Got to go. Let''s talkter," Tom said as he stood up and headed for his private elevator, and Harry followed him.

    "Tom?" Harry called for thest time before he could get into the elevator, hoping Tom would let him talk some sense into him.

    "You know me. And I believe you''ve always trusted my judgement, right?" Tom asked, and Harry sighed, "Just trust me as you have always done, okay?" Tom said before getting into the elevator.. He smiled once the door closed, and couldn''t help feeling sorry for Harry who he knew was really trying hard to be a good friend.

 Chapter 34 - Devil

    "Oh my God! Did I just worsen everything?" Lucy cried as she copsed on her seat and took off her sses before resting her head on the table. She was really trying hard not to sob.

    What the heck had happened in there? She had gone to see Mr Harry, not the CEO, so why had the CEO chosen to get involved in her business? Why had she allowed her big mouth put her in trouble? "Oh God! Please just rewind the time back to yesterday, I won''tin ever again, I promise." she prayed silently.

    She stood up from her seat and put on her sses once again before she started pacing around the office. Mr Harry had asked her to clear her desk today and resume as the CEO''s personal assistant the next day. Why? Why were they taking things too far? She hadn''t meant to challenge their authority. Why did they even have to say she had to be extra nice to Tom? Lucy raised a hand to her temple which was beginning to throb, and cussed Tom for bringing so much trouble to her.

    Yes. This was all because of Tom. He was the cause of her current predicament. If only he had been minding his business and had not caught a glimpse of her to do list or even offered to be her one night stand that night, she wouldn''t have been in this mess.

    "What am I going to do?" Lucy groaned pitifully.

    "Ma''am?"

    She looked up when she heard her secretary''s voice, "Yeah?"

    "A message is going around that the CEO has asked that henceforth every staff must leave thepany premises at closing hour, and no one is to carry any work home," She said, trying hard not to sound too excited about it.

    "What? Why?" Lucy asked with a frown.

    "I have no idea,"

    "You can leave. Thank you," Lucy said, and the secretary gave a curt nod before leaving.

    "Why are they doing this to me?" Lucy asked, at the verge of tears now. She lived for her job. She loved taking work home, since it took up most of her time and kept her busy. What else could she do if there was no work?

    "Maybe I can invite Sonia over," She thought before picking up her phone and dialing Sonia''s line.

    Sonia who was seated in the middle of her apartment which was littered with balls of discarded sheets of papers, picked up her phone distractedly when she saw it was Lucy calling, "Hey girlfriend!"

    "You shoulde down here at once. I think I''m about to die," Lucy cried, making Sonia snap her head up from herptop.

    "Huh? What is wrong?"

    "Sonia my life is about to end," Lucy cried pitifully.

    "What is wrong? Did your one night stand neighbor ckmail you or release your nude photos to the press?" Sonia asked, making Lucy close her eyes.

    "He seems to be the bane of my life right now."

    "Did he do something? Go on, tell me what is wrong," Sonia said with a yawn, and then stood up from the floor and headed for her refrigerator in search of something to eat.

    Lucy quickly summarized the detail of all that had happened, making Sonia screech in excitement. Lucy pulled the phone away from her ear, "Why do you sound excited?" Lucy asked in confusion.

    "You are going to be working directly with the CEO of one of the biggestpany in the country. And the best part is that I heard he is still single. Come on! This is an opportunity of a lifetime!" Sonia said as she munched on the bounty chocte she had been able to find in the refrigerator.

    "I don''t want to work so close to him. I''m okay working here in my office," Lucy protested.

    "Well, unfortunately you don''t have a choice. And you had better be kind to the hot one night stand-cum-neighbor-cum-driver. He is bringing you so much good luck," Sonia said as she returned to where she had left her pen and notebook, and then scribbled down something on her journal.

    "What good luck?" Lucy asked with a snort, "Sonia pleasee over. I think I might die if I don''t take any work home," Lucy pleaded.

    "Can''t. Sorry. I''m working a new book, and you know how I like to be alone when doing that. Good thing you have your handsome neighbor to keep youpany, so better take advantage of it." Sonia suggested.

    "Why are you so confused? One minute you want me to get with my boss, and the next you want Tom." Lucy asked in confusion making Sonia giggle.

    "You can get with the driver off work hours, and get with your boss during work hours. I would totally do that if I was you," Sonia said with a giggle.

    Before Lucy could respond to that, she sighted Tom approaching her office through the see through sses, "Oh shit! The devil is here! I will call you back." Lucy said before hanging up.

    She took in a deep breath, and pushed her sses up the bridge of her nose. Her first thought was to snap at him for bringing her lunch despite her objection that morning. But once she remembered what Mr Harry had told her, she decided against it. Instead she pulled both sides of her lips up in a stiff smile.

    "I brought your lunch as promised. I got you a bit of everything," Tom said as he carried the lunch pack over to her desk, while he looked around the office.

    Lucy didn''t bother to look at his clothes. She kept her gaze on his face, "Thank you," she said, still maintaining a stiff smile, making Tom want to chuckle.

    "You''re wee ma''am. See youter." Tom said, and then winked at her before turning around to leave.

    Lucy looked at his back in disbelief as he closed the door behind him, "Did he just wink at me? Did that damned devil of a man really just wink at me? Oh sweet Jesus!" Lucy cried as she lowered herself on to her chair and buried her face in her hands.

    There was nothing she could do to him since she had been asked to be nice to him.. She couldn''t afford to lose her job because he had winked at her, "Lucy, you have to be nice," Lucy murmured to herself as she massaged her temple, and tried to calm herself.

 Chapter 35 - I Meant It

    "You want to do what?" Tom''s hairstylist asked in surprise the moment Tom told him what he wanted.

    "You heard me. I want a more daring haircut. Something that gives off a bad boy vibe. And I also want you to dye my hair to a copper brown color," Tom repeated, making the man look at him as though he had gone crazy. Tom was probably the most gentleman he had ever worked for, and he had been barbing Tom''s hair for more than ten years. Never in those ten years had Tom ever asked for something so outrageous.

    If Tom had been older he would have thought Tom was probably going through a midlife crisis, but he knew that wasn''t the case, so what was wrong? "Why?"

    "Because I want to look different. Hurry up, I need to get back to work," Tom said as he dropped on his usual seat while the hairstylist and the few others who knew him kept staring at him in surprise.

    "You heard the man, be fast about it!" The owner of the Salon who was attending to someone else instructed the barber.

    The fact that they all seemed so surprised only reinforced his decision to do something daring. He nced at his phone when it started ringing and was surprised to see the call was from Bryan, "Hey!"

    "I''m just calling to be sure you remember your assignment," Bryan said as he roamed around his apartment aimlessly. He was bored but couldn''t leave his house because of the journalists who were still gathered outside. Now he had to look for other ways to keep himself busy. He was tired of watching the television already.

    "Sure. I did it," Tom said with a grin.

    "You did?" Bryan asked in surprise. He had thought Tom would find a way to shy away from doing it, so he was genuinely surprised that Tom was really going ahead with it.

    "So? How did it go? What was her reaction?" Bryan asked excitedly.

    "She was hooked. She kept trying not to stare, but I noticed it was a struggle," Tom said with a chuckle making Bryanugh.

    "Wow! It seems you''re a natural bad boy," Bryanmented.

    "I guess so. Anyway, I..." As though remembering that he was in public, he looked around and noticed the other men around seemed to be paying attention to his conversation so he stood up, "Hold on," he said to Bryan as he headed outside, "I''ll be right back," he called out to his hairstylist who was busy arranging everything he needed to dye the hair.

    "You were busy?" Bryan asked, feeling sorry for interrupting his work.

    "Not really. I''m just here to change my haircut," Tom exined as he walked away from the shop to a more private area.

    "You want to change your haircut?"

    "Yes. As I was saying before, there has been a new development. She is going to be working in my office now as my personal assistant," Tom said making Bryan stop mid-stride.

    "What? You want to reveal your identity to her already?"

    "No. I figured that it would seem suspicious trying to control her time when she works in a different unit and floor. So I changed it. Call it an abuse of power but I want her where I can control her," Tom said, and Bryan''s lips curved in a proud smile. Was this really the brother he knew? He wished Tom had always been this way.

    "I suppose you''re going to want to disguise yourself?" Bryan asked in amusement.

    "Exactly! So I was hoping you could help me get whatever you think I might need. You know, things like fake beards and mustache, good wigs and whatever else you think I would need," Tom suggested.

    "You are sure you can pull that off?" Bryan asked doubtfully.

    "Sure," Tom assured him.

    "Okay, I will have my assistant help you get all you need and send them over to you," Bryan assured him.

    "Alright then, I should go in now,"

    "Don''t forget to send me a picture. I''m curious about this new haircut," Bryan said before hanging up.

    He couldn''t believe that Tom was having so much fun while he was here stuck in his house because of that crazydy, Bryan thought with a sigh as he walked over to his bar to pour himself a ss of wine.

    He picked up his phone when it started ringing again and was going to ignore the call when he noticed it wasn''t a familiar number, but epted the call at thest minute, "Hello, this is Bryan Hank," he said, ready to bark at whatever journalist who was calling.

    "And this is your fiancee," Sonia said with a smile, making Bryan sit up.

    She had nned on waiting for a week before reaching out to him, but when she heard he had returned to his City, she decided to reach out. Plus she needed something for her next chapter, and to do that she needed to talk to him.

    Bryan was speechless for a moment and then cleared his throat, "Hi!" He managed to say forck of anything better to say to her. What he wanted was to yell at her and tell her how evil she was for running off without a word, but he didn''t want to say anything to annoy her else she goes off again.

    "How have you been, babez?" Sonia asked in a friendly tone.

    "Where are you? Why did you leave like that?" Bryan asked, ignoring her question.

    "You wanted me gone, didn''t you?" She reminded him.

    "Yes, but not that way. We were supposed to first end things between us officially," He exined to her politely.

    "I already told you I don''t want to end things with you. When I said yes to you, I meant it," Sonia said with a smirk.

    "But we both know I didn''t mean it when I proposed to you," Bryan said in frustration.

    "That''s too bad because I meant it when I epted your proposal. So what do you want me to do? Should I go on social media and announce to the world that you just wanted to make a fool out of me? Are you willing to admit that you''re that much of a jerk?" Sonia asked curiously.

    "Why are you even doing this when you don''t even love me?" Bryan asked in frustration.

    "Because I''m pretty shallow and pretentious like you said the other night. Maybe I want to ride on your coattail," Sonia said, reminding him of their conversation before he dozed off.

    "Sonia, can you please stop?" Bryan asked, trying hard not to snap at her.

    "Okay. I saw a payphone on my way out and decided to call to know how you''re doing. Let''s talk some other time. Be good fiance."

    "Hold on,"

    It wasn''t until he heard the disconnect tone that he realized he hadn''t even bothered to ask her how she had gotten his number. What was he going to do about this crazydy?

 Chapter 36 - Dangerous

    Unlike the others who were happily exiting thepany premises the moment it was closing hour, Lucy felt like a kid who had been separated from her favorite toy. She didn''t like that she was leaving the building without any document to work on at home. How was she supposed to pass her spare time? Maybe she needed to find a bookstore and get herself some books to read, and maybe she could also stop by a grocery store and stock her refrigerator, Lucy thought as she stepped out of the building and looked around the parking lot for her official car and driver.

    Almost immediately, she saw the car drive in her direction at full speed, and then it screeched to a stop right in front of her. She frowned as she wondered what was wrong with Tom since almost everyone else was looking in their direction now.

    Her eyes rounded in surprise and her mouth almost dropped open when Tom stepped out of the car looking like he had just stepped out of the front cover of a ygirl magazine. Who was this mouth-watering, butterfly-giving, toes-curling handsome hunk in front of her? Where was her driver? Although her driver had been very attractive in a manly way, the person before her looked attractive in a very boyish and dangerous way. His previously ck hair which used to be slicked back was now a curly copper brown short mid-skin fade. He had a silver nose ring on the right part of his nose, and two diamond earrings on both his ears. Although her driver had made her feel ufortable, he had been ''safe'' unlike the person in front of her now, she thought, as she listened to the collective appreciative gasp which came from some of the otherdies around.

    "Who is this hottie?" One of thedies asked.

    "Is he her boyfriend?" Someone else asked.

    "Isn''t this the guy at the cafeteria earlier today?" Anotherdy asked.

    "Is he? He looks so different and handsome!" The seconddy said.

    Tom winked at thedies who were hurdled in a corner staring at him, before turning to look at Lucy, "Are you ready to leave ma''am?" He drawled with a crooked smile.

    "Did he just ma''am her? Don''t tell me he is her driver?" The firstdy asked.

    "It seems so. He doesn''t look like a driver," The seconddy said in a loud whisper.

    Jade had been right, although women did not like to admit it, they were naturally attracted to bad boys as an ant was drawn to sugar. From the moment the hairstylist had finished dying and styling his hair, and he had gotten his nose and ear piercings, he had noticed that almost everydy he walked past turned to look at him. It hadn''t helped that his stylist had suggested he roll up his sleeve and undo a few more buttons if he wanted to really y the bad boy. Seeing the appreciative glint in Lucy''s eyes now, he knew he was on the right track, Tom mused.

    "Ma''am?" He drawled, leaning closer to Lucy so she would focus.

    Lucy snapped out of her daze as her eyes focused on his face, and she regretted it immediately she met his beautiful hazel eyes looking at her with a glint of amusement in them. She felt her mouth go dry and blinked at him in confusion.

    "We should leave," she suggested as she quickly reached for the doorknob at the same time as him. She withdrew her hand immediately their fingers touched, and it was all Tom could do not to chuckle as he held open the door for her to get in.

    Lucy hurried inside the backseat of the car and sat down. She took off her sses and fanned her face with her hands as she tried topose herself before he would join her in the car. Was she really attracted to him? Perhaps it was because he was the first person she had slept with? Maybe it was time to get that dildo as nned.

    "You finished early today," Tom observed as he got into his seat.

    Lucy cleared her throat, "Yeah," she said without bothering to offer any exnation.

    She reached into her handbag and took out her ss case, and then used the microfiber cloth to clean the lens of her ss before wearing it again, "If you don''t mind, I would like us to stop at a bookstore or a grocery store. I''d like to shop for sometime before going home, so you can just drop me off and leave," she said without looking at the rearview mirror which she knew he was using to watch her.

    "Perfect then! I need to shop for groceries too, so maybe we can shop together," Tom said with a grin as he turned on the car ignition, and reversed.

    Lucy noticed that he waved at thedies who were still standing there as he drove away. Did he always give everydy his attention? He had also been looking at the twins earlier this morning, and thinking back now she remembered he had also been the one to offer to be her one-night stand. Perhaps he was a phnderer? Had he used a condom when they had sex? Did she need to go and run tests for sexually transmitted infections or diseases? She wondered with a frown. How could she bring herself to ask him if he had used protection? What if he had cum inside her? Lucy thought in rm as she suddenly sat up on her seat. Why hadn''t she thought of that before? She hadn''t even bothered to get herself any pill.

    "Is there a problem?" Tom asked when he noticed her sudden movement through the rearview mirror and saw how pale she looked.

    "I''m okay," She said with a shake of her head as she quickly fished her phone out of her bag and clicked on her period tracker app to see if she was safe.. She sighed in relief when she realized that her ovtion day had passed over five days ago, "Of course, I wouldn''t have been that careless," she murmured to herself as she dropped the phone on the empty seat beside her and rxed her back against the seat before closing her eyes.

 Chapter 37 - Tyler

    Lucy was startled by the sudden vibration and sound of her ringtone. She picked it up and smiled when she realized it was her dad, "Hey handsome!" She greeted with a wide smile, making Tom look at her through the rearview mirror. Handsome? He mused.

    "How is my princess doing?" Her father asked with a grin.

    "It''s barely two days and I miss you already," Lucyined with a pout.

    "We miss you too, but we are d you''re on your own now. Maybe you''d finally meet a decent young man out there and stop being such a workaholic!" Her father said, making her roll her eyes.

    "Here I was thinking you were proud of me for not bringing you any trouble," She said dryly.

    "Of course we are proud of you, but we also want you to get a man. By the way, I saw a picture of your bestie and Bryan Hanks. I had no idea she was going out with a celebrity," Her mother responded before her father could say anything.

    "It''s a recent development," Lucy said, not wanting to give her parents the details since it was Sonia''s private business.

    "I see. So what about you? Have you met anyone?" Her mother asked curiously.

    "She barely got there two days ago, how is she supposed to meet anyone in such a short time?" Her father asked, and Lucy smiled as she pictured the frown on his face.

    "Have you met your neighbors? Do you have good neighbors? What about your colleagues at the office? I hope they are nice?" Her father asked in concern, making Lucy nce at the rearview mirror to see Tom looking at her with interest.

    "It is still too early to tell. But don''t worry, I''m okay," she assured them.

    "Alright pumpkin. We love you. Call us if you need anything, okay?" her father said.

    "Sure I will. love you too."

    "And make sure you get a boyfriend, I want..." Lucy giggled when she heard the disconnect tone. She was sure they were going to bicker now since her father had deliberately hung up before her mother couldplete what she wanted to say.

    "Boyfriend?" Tom asked curiously.

    "What?" Lucy asked in confusion, and then reyed her entire conversation with her parents in her head, and realized it had sounded like she had been talking with her boyfriend. She was almost tempted to answer in the affirmative, but she knew she was a bad liar and wouldn''t be able to keep up so she shook her head instead, "I''m not interested in guys. That was my father," she said, making him raise a brow.

    Although Tom was relieved that the person she had just spoken with was her father, he was sidetracked by the first statement, "You prefer girls?" He asked with a slightly raised brow making her lips curve in amusement.

    "No. I prefer my ownpany," she pointed out.

    The first question that entered his mind was to ask her if she meant she preferred to masturbate, but because she was a virgin and he knew she was a good girl, that didn''t seem appropriate to him, "Does that mean you are sexually attracted to men but you just don''t want a rtionship?" Tom asked casually.

    "Why are you asking?" Lucy asked cautiously.

    "Because we are friends, and I''m trying to know you," He reminded her, making her look away guiltily. If he found out she had almost cost him his job, he wouldn''t refer to her as a friend, Lucy thought.

    "Yeah, I''m just not interested in a rtionship," she said with a sigh.

    "Why not?"

    "Do I need to have a reason? I''m content with being alone. I just want to be a careerdy," she said with a shrug.

    "That''s okay then. We are here," Tom said, making her look through the window as he drove into the parking lot of a grocery shop and parked the car.

    "It''s past work hours now, so you don''t have to wait for me. You can leave," Lucy told him.

    "That means I''ve switched from being your driver to your friend. So you have to treat me as a friend now," Tom said with a wink, making her wonder if he truly had personality problems. How could he easily switch from one personality to another? Had he forgotten that they were friendsst night before he talked to her so rudely?

    "Come on Lu, let''s go," Tom said with a grin as he held out his arm for her to take it, making her decide that he truly had personality problems. What did he really want from her? Or perhaps she was thinking too much about it?

    Without waiting for her to make up her mind, Tom grabbed her arm and ced it in the crook of his arm before leading her towards the grocery shop, "So aside from your father and twin brother, are there any other very important male figures in your life?" Tom asked in a casual tone as he led her inside the grocery shop.

    Although Lucy still wasn''tfortable with the whole thing yet, she decided to y along with him, "Sure. I have a really close childhood friend called Tyler," she said as she observed the way otherdies were looking in their direction. She wasn''t one to like unnecessary attention, and Tom was really drawing a lot of attention to her.

    "Can I ask you a question?" Lucy asked as they both stopped at the ce they were to pick up the shopping basket or trolley they wanted.

    "Shoot," Tom gave her go-ahead as he picked a trolley, and then she picked one too.

    "Why did you decide to change your style?" She asked, looking him over this time since she had been avoiding staring at him since they got out of the car.

    Tom thought about it for a moment, "You want to know the truth?"

    "Were you supposed to lie?"

    "There is this girl I''m really into. My sister thinks she might be into this sort of thing, so I''m trying to get her attention," Tom said with a grin as he started pushing the trolley. What better way to confuse her than this?

    Lucy was very tempted to ask him who the girl was and if she was the girl. But she knew that would be a very presumptuous thing to do, and she didn''t want to embarrass herself by thinking too highly of herself, so she simply nodded, "I see."

    "So as a friend, tell me something.... Which do you prefer? My former looks, or this one?"

 Chapter 38 - Deal

    Lucy pursed her lips as she considered his question. He really seemed easygoing, and it was obvious he was trying to make her rx and be friendly towards him. She didn''t want to seem stand-offish or appear as though she was looking down on him, so for that reason, she decided to y along.

    "Well, I can''t exactly tell which I prefer, since both seem to pass a different message. I think it basically depends on who you are on the inside," she said, tapping the left side of her chest to demonstrate that she meant his heart.

    Tom could guess she was trying to avoid giving a direct answer, "Who do you think I am on the inside?" He asked her curiously.

    Lucy shrugged, "I''m not sure about that yet. Once I''m sure I will let you know," she promised as she rolled her basket trolley to the chocte section ahead of them and started picking some Bounty choctes and dropping them into her basket.

    Tom followed suit, but he picked only a couple of Bounty choctes and more of Twix, Snickers, Dairy milk, and Mars choctes, "Okay. Tell me something though, what kind of guy is your ideal guy? A bad boy or a gentleman?" He asked making her brow pull together in a frown as she adjusted her sses on the bridge of her nose.

    "No offense, but I don''t happen to be the girl you are trying to impress, am I?"

    Tom raised a brow arrogantly, "Why would you think that? No offense, but you''re not my type. I mean you''re pretty and seem smart alright, but..." He let his words trail off as he looked at her from head to toe and then shook his head.

    Lucy tried not to wince at the sound of that. Of course, she could understand him. Maybe the Lucy he had met at the club that first night was his type, but not this one. He probably wouldn''t have spared her a second nce or even offered to be her one night stand had she gone there in her real state. What had she been thinking? She could hear the sound her deted ego was making like a punctured balloon, "Fair enough, since you''re not my type either," she said with a stiff smile as she pushed her trolley away from him, in the direction of fruits and vegetables.

    Tom hurried after her, ignoring thedies who were looking at him like he was a walking meal, "I didn''t ask whether or not I was your type. I only asked what your type is. Bad boy or gentleman?" He asked, much to her irritation.

    "Neither. I don''t have a type. I already told you I''m not interested in men," Lucy said through gritted teeth.

    Tom tried not to smile as he stood beside her and picked fresh vegetables, "Aha! So you don''t have a type? Now I wonder why you were so keen on pointing out that I wasn''t your type when you don''t even have a type," Tom said making her turn to look at him irritably.

    "I prefer to shop quietly. You''re distracting me," she said and started to move away from him.

    Tom sighed, "You know what? I''m no longer going to try to be friendly with you since you keep making it clear that you don''t want me around you. First thing tomorrow morning I''m going to submit my resignation letter at the office and give you the space you so much desire," Tom promised in a t tone which made her heart skip multiple beats as she turned around to look at him. She stiffened when she remembered what Harry had said about being nice to her driver.

    She noticed he was really moving his trolley away from her. Where was he going to? Was he mad at her? Was he going to quit being her driver because she wanted to shop quietly? If this had happened yesterday she would have been over the moon, but him quitting his job now would mean she was going to lose hers, and she couldn''t let that happen.

    "Wait! I''m sorry," she called out as he knew she would, but Tom didn''t respond but instead, he kept moving his trolley away from her.

    "What?" Tom asked when Lucy hurried after him and stepped in front of him blocking his path with her trolley.

    "I''m sorry. I was not trying to be rude," she said with an awkward apologetic smile.

    "It''s okay. I''m not mad. I just think it''s best if I don''t work for you anymore. We can just remain good neighbors," Tom assured her with a stiff smile and started to reverse his trolley when she grabbed on to it.

    "No! Please, I need you!" She yelled and then winced when the other people around nced in their direction curiously.

    She lowered her voice, "I don''t mean I need you in that way. I mean I want you to keep working for me. You need the job, remember? I''m not sure I would be able to sleep well at night knowing I cost a man his job," she said earnestly making him almost believe her.

    He would have believed herpletely had he not known she was actually trying to save her own job. This woman was a really good liar after all. Maybe she ought to be in the marketing unit instead of the fashion unit.

    "You don''t have to worry or feel guilty. I already made up my mind that driving isn''t really what I want to do. I''d just return to my handyman job instead," he assured her but she didn''t budge.

    "If you quit this way I would really be sad. I promise to be nice, polite, and even friendly henceforth. So please don''t go. Please?" She said as she let go of his trolley and grabbed his arm instead, giving him puppy eyes through her sses.

    "I don''t think..."

    "You know what I think? That girl you like is going to fall t for you whoever she is!" Lucy said, knowing he would be distracted by that.

    "You think so?" Tom asked with a grin since she was referring to herself even though she didn''t know it yet.

    "Of course! And as your friend, neighbor, and boss, it is my duty to help you win her heart! You have nothing to worry about. I may not be very experienced when ites to rtionships, but I can definitely give you tips on how to win ady''s heart," she said with a grin which he returned, "So will you keep working for me? I promise to be good to you henceforth!"

    "No more being rude and unfriendly?"

    "No more!" She crossed both hands in front of her chest.

    "You woulde out with me whenever I''m bored?" He asked, wanting to drive a hard bargain since he had the chance to do so.

    "N..." Lucy paused to ponder on it when she remembered that she would be having a lot of spare time on her hand now that her boss had brought that crazy policy about not taking work home, "Can''t we just chill indoor?"

    "We could do that sometimes and go out at other times," Tom said, and she nodded.

    "You promise to help me get the girl?" He asked, and she bobbed her head.

    "The day you go back on your word I''m going to quit my job, agreed?" He asked, and she nodded in agreement.

    "Deal," she said as she let go of his arm and extended her hand for a handshake.

    "Deal," Tom said as he shook her hand. This was going to be really easy and interesting. And maybe she didn''t know it yet, but he just won the challenge about getting her to leave the house, he thought as he shed her a smile.

    As long as he was interested in someone else and not her, this was going to be as easy as a stroll in a park.. Being friendly and hanging out with a friend once in a while wasn''t a big deal, right? Lucy mused as she returned his smile.

 Chapter 39 - Her Name?

    Lucy stared at Tom with a slightly raised brow when she opened her door and saw him standing there, dressed in a pair of blue jeans trousers and a ck polo t-shirt that showed off his muscled arms, "You''re going somewhere?"

    "Not just me. We are going out. I want us to hang out," Tom said with a harmless smile as he let his eyes roam over her body. She was barefooted, and unlike mostdies he knew, her toenails were not painted. She was wearing an oversized long-sleeved top on ck leggings trousers. And as usual, her hair was tied in a bun and her sses were sitting on the bridge of her nose.

    Seeing the way he was looking at her now, Lucy was d she was properly dressed. She made a mental note to always put on decent clothes so he wouldn''t have to catch her unaware.

    "But we only just got in two hours ago. Why do you want to go out again?" Lucy asked wearily as she adjusted her sses. She didn''t want to leave thefort of her bed or drop the book she just started reading.

    "Because I''m bored, and I want to hang out with you. Come on, go in and get dressed so we can leave. Remember you promised to hang out with me and give me tips on how to win mydy''s heart?" Tom asked, cocking his head to the side.

    "Can''t we just do that tomorrow?" She asked, and when she saw his frown she shook her head quickly, "How about you juste in instead, and we talk? We don''t have to go out. You could tell me everything I need to know about her and then I can give you every tip you need to win her. Let''s just stay indoors, okay? I even have snacks and beer," Lucy offered.

    "No. Besides, you need to go out. You are new around here and don''t know many ces around so I think it''s best I take you out so you can see some cool ces. That is what a nice friend and neighbor should do. So go inside and get dressed. Don''t keep me waiting," Tom said using his fingers to indicate for her to go ahead.

    Lucy felt like stomping her feet and yelling in frustration, but she knew she couldn''t afford to do that in front of him since she had given him her word earlier, and they had an agreement. Instead, she gave him a stiff smile before holding out her door for him to get inside, "Make yourselffortable. I will join you soon," she said after shutting the door and then headed for her bedroom.

    Tom lowered himself on one of the sofas as he looked around the house with interest. He noticed how neat and organized everything was. Even the books on her bookshelf were well arranged in such a way that none was sticking out. The ck wooden center table was shining, and the china flower vase on it was sparkling. She seemed like a very meticulous person and judging by all he had seen thus far, he could tell her personality trait was mncholy.

    "I''m ready," Lucy announced without enthusiasm as she stepped out of her bedroom, dressed in a red turtleneck shirt and a pair of blue jeans trouser, with ck loafers.

    "I''m not sure. You should let down your hair. You look more beautiful when you wear it down," Tom said as he looked her over.

    "I prefer it this way," Lucy said with a stiff smile.

    Tom sighed as he stood up from where he was seated on the couch and walked towards her. Lucy raised a curious brow as she watched him, and her heartbeat doubled when he stopped in front of her.

    Tom looked at her for a while as though he was contemting something, "Is there a reason you love wearing sses instead of contact lenses?" He asked as he held on to both edges of her sses and slowly took them off so he could look into her face.

    "I suppose I''m used to them. I feel morefortable wearing sses," Lucy said with a self-conscious smile as she extended her hand for him to hand over her sses.

    Tom let his eyes linger on her face for a while, "I see," Tom said with a nod as he handed the sses to her. He had wanted to tamper with her hair and let it loose but had changed his mind at thest minute.

    Rushing things wouldn''t work with someone like her, and using force would not work either. He needed to take things slow and easy while also finding the right strategy to get her to do the things he wanted, and he knew just how to go about it now.

    "Let''s leave then," Tom said as he headed for the door, leaving her to follow him.

    Lucy let out the breath she hadn''t realized she was holding, as she put on her sses. He had been standing too close forfort, and for a moment she had thought he was going to do something...

    She shook her head to get rid of the silly thought and quickly picked up her phone, purse, and house keys from the table. She locked the door before quickening her pace to catch up with him. She needed to get started on helping him win hisdy. The earlier she helped him get thisdy in question, the better for her. At least he would pay her less attention once he got a girlfriend. That would make things between them less awkward, and she would finally be able to breathe freely around him.

    "So what is her name?" Lucy asked when she caught up with him close to the car.

    "Her name? Whose name?" He asked in false confusion as he tried toe up with a fancy name.

    "Thedy you like of course. Or don''t you know her name?" Lucy asked, looking at him suspiciously.

    He cleared his throat awkwardly, "Well, I don''t know her name yet..." Tom gave her a sheepish smile like he had just been caught. Maybe it was better this way. She would believe him more if she thought he was clueless about thedy he had feelings for.

    Lucy gave him a look of disbelief, "You don''t? How can you be doing all this to impress ady whose name you don''t even know? Do you even know if she is married or single?" She asked incredulously. "Wait, how did you even meet her if you don''t know her name? Does she even know you exist?" Lucy asked as she stood by the front passenger door and ced her elbows on the roof of the car so she could look at him.

    Tom took in a deep breath, "Let''s just stop talking about it," Tom suggested as he opened the car and got in. He needed time to think ande up with something reasonable.

    Lucy got into the car and looked at him, "You don''t want to talk about it? How can I help you if you don''t tell me all the basic things I need to know? Go on, tell me how you met her," Lucy urged him, making the corners of his lips twitch in amusement.

    She seemed more rxed and talkative with him now that she believed he was interested in someone else. He knew he would have toe up with a really good and believable story.. Tom reasoned as he turned on the car''s ignition and drove off.

 Chapter 40 - More Lies

    "I''m still waiting," Lucy reminded him after some time.

    Tom turned to spare her a nce before clearing his throat, "Okay. About two weeks ago someone referred me to her for a plumbing job. That was how I met her for the first time. I helped her fix her kitchen sink which was clogged. I don''t think she is married," Tom said confidently.

    "Oh! But shouldn''t you know her name if you visited her home and worked for her?" Lucy asked thoughtfully.

    "I suppose I was too smitten by her beauty to remember to ask for her name... Or maybe she mentioned it, but I wasn''t listening. I know where she works though," Tom added, making Lucy''s ears perk up.

    "You do?" She asked with interest, and then cocked her head to one side as she narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously, "Don''t tell me you have been stalking her."

    "Not exactly. Although, she was the reason I applied for a job at thepany. She works there, but I don''t know what department she works in so..." Tom let the rest of his words trail off and shrugged.

    "Really?" Lucy asked, clearly surprised.

    So he had taken a job at thepany because of a woman after all, but not because of her. It made sense. Why would he want to work as her driver if he was interested in her? And there was no way he could have applied for the job of a driver overnight in such a firm. Sonia was right. She had been too full of herself to the point of paranoia. His being her neighbor and driver was all coincidence, and he was just being good to her, while she on the other hand was being a stuck-up bitch. She not only needed to be more open-minded, but she also needed to rx around him and ept his friendship.

    "I feel so embarrassed telling you this right now. You can''t tell anyone else about it though. This has to remain between the both of us," Tom said, turning to sh her what looked like an embarrassed smile.

    "It''s not like I have anyone to tell anyway," she muttered as she nced outside the window.

    If he liked his mysterydy enough to seek employment in her ce of work, howe he had had sex with a random stranger? Why couldn''t she seem to figure him out, anyway? Was he a good guy or a bad guy? Lucy wondered as she turned to look at him. She remembered the way he had been flirting with those girls earlier that morning, and then with thedies at work that evening. He was definitely a bad boy! Maybe he just wanted a fling with thedy?

    "You don''t have any more questions for me? Why are you so quiet?" Tom asked when she said nothing after some time and turned to spare her a nce.

    There was no way she could tell him what she was thinking anyway. Neither of them was to mention what had happened between them, so she couldn''t even ask him why he had slept with her when he had someone else he was interested in.

    "What does she look like? What do you like about her? Have you run into her at thepany since you started working there?" Lucy asked, not wanting to think about the things in her head. It was none of her business what he chose to do or who he chose to sleep with.

    "She looks very pretty. I don''t know what I like about her yet, but that is what I intend to find out after I get the chance to be close to her. I''ve seen her twice at thepany."

    "Really? And you still don''t know her name or her department? Tell me what she looks like and maybe I can help you find out," Lucy offered.

    "No! I don''t want you to know her," Tom said apologetically.

    "What? Why?"

    "That would be too awkward. Just help me get her, and maybe after that, I will introduce her to you," Tom suggested instead as he drove into the parking lot of a cafe bar.

    Tom reasoned that as long as he doesn''t show her anydy, in particr, he could always tell Lucy thedy got married, quit her job, and moved to a different city or country, and that would be the end of his interest in this mysterydy.

    "But if you say you have seen her at thepany twice, didn''t she see you? Wouldn''t it be natural to engage her in a conversation?" Lucy asked thoughtfully.

    "Well, I''m not sure she recognized me when I walked past her," Tom said with a shrug as he turned off the car''s ignition.

    "Come on, how would anyone not recognize someone that looks like you?" Lucy asked incredulously.

    "Someone that looks like me?" Tom asked with a boyish grin which caught her off guard.

    Lucy blinked at him rapidly, "I mean, you look... That is... What I mean is that your face is distinct," Lucy rushed to exin, looking all flustered, and quickly got out of the car before Tom could say anything. Tom stifled the urge to chuckle as he got out of the car. He decided that there was no need to tease her further since she already looked so flustered.

    "Do you think maybe she ignored me because she thinks I''m beneath her? I mean, we are not friends, and someone who works in apany like that has no reason to say hello to a mere plumber, right?" Tom asked as they both headed for the cafe bar.

    "Maybe if you had greeted her first, she would have responded, and then you could have gotten the chance to ask her out for a drink or something,"

    "Tell me something, would you have talked to your plumber if you ran into him at your ce of work?" Tom asked as he held the door open for her to get into the bar ahead of him.

    "I don''t see why not," Lucy said with a shrug as she looked around the bar.

    "Assuming you were interested in men, do you think you could date your plumber?" Tom asked, making her turn to look at him.

    "No," she said, before turning away from him.

 Chapter 41 - Handy Tom

    The ce looked somewhat old-fashioned but modern at the same time. Someone was on the stage singing and ying the guitar, while others conversed with their partners at their various tables while drinking whatever they had in their sses.

    "I have a favorite spot where I like to sit and enjoy the view," Tom said as he led the way to a table at the distal end of the hall. Lucy noticed that from where they sat they could see almost every part of the bar.

    "Cool, right?" Tom asked when he noticed she was still looking around the ce.

    "Undecided," Lucy said as she returned her attention to him.

    "Could that be Handy Tom?" A chubby blonde waitress who looked like she was in her mid-twenties, questioned as she strutted towards them.

    "If he looks like Tom, then he definitely is Tom," Tom said with a wink making her raise a hand to her lips which were painted red.

    "You know, I was in doubt when you walked in. But when I saw you heading to this spot with this beautifuldy beside you, I decided it has to be you! OMG Tom! You look like you just walked out of my fantasy," She said with a dreamy smile,

    "Do I look good enough to snatch you from your husband now?" Tom asked yfully wiggling his brow.

    "You sure do. As long as you don''t mind changing diapers," The Waitress said, rubbing her abdomen. That was when Lucy noticed the wedding band on her finger and her barely noticeable baby bump.

    "Just get me a good divorcewyer and I will elope with you... But wait, hope yourdy won''t mind?" She asked, looking at Lucy with mock rm.

    "I''m sure she won''t," Tom said with a wink, "Tricia meet my neighbor, Lucy. Lucy, meet Tricia the love of my life and my favorite waitress in all of Ludus," Tom introduced, grateful that no one here knew his true identity.

    "Neighbors? I see," Tricia said as she looked from Tom to Lucy, "It''s nice to meet you," Tricia said with a friendly smile and Lucy returned her smile.

    "You seem like a regr here," Lucy told Tom after Tricia had taken their orders and left.

    "I''m pretty outgoing. That''s how I get my clients," Tom said, which was also partially true in a way.

    He frequented pubs, clubs, and bars where people often gathered, and he tried to engage in different conversations to gain information about what people thought about hispany and services and also get ideas. Everywhere he went he simply introduced himself as Handy Tom, and that was all they knew about him.

    "Nice. So about yourdy..."

    "Let''s talk about herter. I''m curious about something, have you ever been in a rtionship?" Tom asked, cutting her off.

    "If you''re asking because you''re worried I won''t be able to advise you because of that, you have nothing to worry about. I have a wealth of experience from my twin brother and my best friends," Lucy assured him.

    Tom looked at her, slightly amused. It seemed like she was in a haste to help him win her heart, "No. I''m asking because I would like to understand why you chose to be single. Did something happen?" No matter how hard he thought about it, it just didn''t make sense that ady with no prior rtionship experience would just choose to be single for no reason.

    "I don''t want to talk about it," Lucy said and was grateful when the waitress chose that moment to bring their order to the table.

    Tom watched her and could tell he had been right. There was a story there. Something must have made her decide she was better of without men, and he intended to find out what that was, "So what would you like to talk about that doesn''t involve my love interest?" Tom asked after the waitress left.

    "I thought she was the reason you dragged me out because you wanted us to talk about her?" Lucy asked with a slightly raised brow before picking up her ss of cocktail and sipping from it.

    "No. I dragged you out because I was bored and wanted to spend some time with someone outdoors," Tom corrected as he raised his ss of cocktail to his lips and took a sip.

    "So don''t you think the earlier we strategize on how to get her, the better for you? At least once you get a girlfriend you''ll be too busy to be bored," Lucy said, raising both brows with a stiff smile on her face as she used her right hand to push her sses up her nose, while her left hand held the ss.

    That exined why she was so eager to talk to him about it, Tom mused. "Shouldn''t you take off your sses? Or do you need them to see me?" Tom asked, realizing he had no idea as to how bad her sight defect was.

    "As I said before, I feel morefortable wearing them. So neighbor, why don''t you tell me about yourself? You already know I have a twin brother, and you even know my best friend''s name, yet the only thing I know about you is your name, where you live, what you do, and the fact that you are interested in a woman whose name you don''t know," Lucy said, before taking a long sip from her ss, and winced a bit at the bitter-sweet taste.

    Tom could tell she was trying to shift the conversations from herself to him, "Let''s see. I have two younger siblings, a guy, and a girl. I have two really close friends, Jonas and Tyler. What else?"

    Lucy looked at him, and even though a voice in her head kept telling her it was a bad idea to voice the question on her mind, she went ahead to ask anyway, "Do you always hook up with random women at the club?"

    The corners of his lips twitched in amusement, but he tried not to smile as he looked at her, "You''re sure you want us to talk about that?"

    "Well, we are friendly neighbors, aren''t we? What harm coulde from it?" She asked with a shrug as she kept her empty ss, and picked up another one, and took a long sip.

    "Let''s do it this way, if I answer your question, then you have to answer one of mine too," Tom suggested.

    "As long as your question has nothing to do with why I''m not in a rtionship, then I''m game."

    "Alright then. No. I don''t always hook up with random women."

    "So what..."

    "I answered your question, so it is my turn," Tom said with a grin.

    "But I''m not satisfied..."

    "No buts, boss. It is my turn."

    Lucy looked at him as though she wanted to argue, but picked up her ss again and downed the content before shing him a smile, "Okay. Fine. Go on and ask your question. I''m all ears," Lucy said as she nursed her now empty ss of cocktail.

    Tom signaled to Tricia to serve them again. If he was to judge by the first night at the club, then he knew without a doubt that at the pace she was going, she was likely going to getting drunk soon. That was good enough for him since he knew she was the type to loosen up and talk a lot when drunk.

    "What is your favorite color?" Tom asked, catching her off guard since she had been expecting something very personal. He almost smiled when he noticed the flicker of surprise on her face. Who did she think she was dealing with?

    "I love colors generally and my color preference at any point is subject to the object. So I''m afraid I can''t give you a definite answer," Lucy exined and waited for him to ask her to exin further.

    He understood what she meant, but looking at her face he also knew she wanted him to probe further, so he decided not to, "I see," Tom said with a nod, and she pursed her lips as she tried to figure him out.

    "Okay, I can continue with my question..."

    "Why don''t we set some ground rules between us?" Tom asked, interrupting her.

 Chapter 42 - I’m Sorry.

    Lucy tilted her head back and blinked at Tom, "Ground rules? What ground rules?" She asked as though she was struggling to understand and keep up with what he was saying.

    One end of Tom''s lips twitched, "Yeah. You only get to ask a question once. And you can''t continue from where you stopped or generate another question from my response," Tom said and Lucy rolled her eyes.

    "How boring," She muttered as Tricia returned to their table with their drink.

    "Thanks," Both Tom and Lucy told her before she left.

    It amused Tom that someone like her would refer to anyone else as boring, "So are you in or not?"

    Lucy picked up another ss against her better sense of judgment and started drinking from it out of habit. It seemed to Tom like once she started drinking, she couldn''t bring herself to stop until she was done. When she was done, she dropped the ss on the table and grinned at him as if something was amusing her, "Of course, I''m in."

    She couldn''t help noticing that her voice was beginning to sound foreign to her. She was gradually beginning to feel light-headed, and she could tell that she was on her way to bing drunk. For someone aware of her low alcohol tolerance, it amazed her that she kept drinking alcohol even when she didn''t need it anymore.

    Tom had expected her to insist on adding her own ground rules too, but it appeared like being tipsy was affecting her ability to think straight, or maybe it was making her bold and daring, "I suggest you carefully think about your questions..."

    She waved both hands to stop him, "Worry about yourself instead. So I''m asking the next question, right?" Lucy asked, narrowing her eyes at him.

    "Yes, you are," Tom said as he raised his ss to his lips and sipped from it. He was still on his second ss while she was going to her fourth. He watched her with interest as a rosy blush flushed her cheeks, and he couldn''t help wondering what she wanted to ask him that embarrassed her that much.

    "Did you...." She closed her eyes as she tried to summon up courage, "Did you use a co.. cond... condom? I mean that night?" She blurted out, without looking at him directly.

    Tom tried hard to maintain a straight face, and the only indication of his amusement was the gleam in his eyes as his body shook withughter, "No, I didn''t," he said as he watched her over the rim of his winess.

    Lucy gasped as she nced at him, "What? You didn''t? How can you have unprotected sex with a stranger?" Lucy asked in panic.

    Tom smiled, "It''s my turn," he said in a calm voice, ignoring her question.

    "But..."

    "Have you ever been in love?"

    Lucy stiffened for a brief moment, "I said don''t ask me anything about my past," Lucy said testily.

    For someone who was close to tipsy, she was still very alert, Tom noted, "That wasn''t what you said. You said I shouldn''t ask why you''re not in a rtionship, and my question has nothing to do with that," Tom said with a wide smile.

    Different emotions flickered in her eyes and Lucy opened her mouth to argue, but then decided not to bother with it, "I don''t know. Maybe. I guess so," She said with a sad sigh as though she didn''t want to dwell on it.

    "That is a lot of answers for a simple question of yes or no," Tom observed.

    "Yeah. Sorry," she said wearily, making Tom frown. He didn''t like the sadness he could sense in her words, neither did he like the thought that he might have reminded her of a sad memory.

    "You don''t have to be. I''m sorry if I reminded you of an unpleasant memory," Tom said apologetically.

    Lucy heaved a long sigh, "It''s okay. Let''s just call it a night and go home. I should sleep," Lucy said, ncing at her wristwatch.

    Tom couldn''t help wondering what was wrong. He wished he could ask her about it, but he knew it was probably the reason she had said he shouldn''t ask her why she wasn''t in a rtionship, so he gave her a nod, "Okay," he said as he took out some money notes from his wallet and dropped them on the table before standing up.

    He offered his hand to help her stand up, and she ced her small hand in his and allowed him to pull her up. Tom looked down at their intertwined hands, before drawing her closer to his side, and then leading her out of the bar.

    "I love the cool evening breeze," Lucymented once they were out and she inhaled fresh air which was unlike that in the stuffy interior of the bar where the smell of sweat mingled with that of food, alcohol and different perfumes.

    "You want to sit out here before we leave?" He asked her thoughtfully as they walked over to where the car was parked, and she nodded. Without asking, Tom ced both hands on her waist and lifted her off the ground and on top of the car trunk.

    Lucy who had been rmed when he touched her without warning, rxed when she realized what he was doing. Once she was seated, he jumped on the space beside her. She rested her back on the rear windshield of the car looking at the night sky above them which was decorated by a full moon and so many stars, while they sat under it infortable silence. Although she was slightly tipsy, she was calm.

    "Tom?" She called after some time.

    "Yeah?" Tom who had been trying to guess what she was thinking, or whether she had dozed off, turned to look at her.

    "I''m sorry."

    "What for?"

    Lucy shifted her gaze from the sky to his face, "I think I almost cost you your job today," she confessed, making his brow pull together in surprise. He hadn''t expected her to confide in him about that.

    "What happened?"

    "I asked Mr. Harry to give me a different driver. I didn''t want you," she exined, looking at him guiltily.

    "You dislike me that much?" Tom asked with a slight frown, and she shook her head.

    "It''s not that. I think you''re pretty cool, and that is why I''m telling you this. I will try to be a better friend henceforth," Lucy promised, and Tom was the one to feel guilty now, but he didn''t let it affect him too much.

    "So what happened? Did he change your mind?" Tom asked with an expressionless face.

    Lucy shook her head, "The CEO got involved and insisted that if you leave, I will lose my job. So I guess I''m stuck with you," Lucy said with derogatoryughter directed at herself.

    "Is that why you agreed to all I said at the grocery shop? Because you didn''t want me to quit?" Tom asked with narrowed eyes, and she giggled.

    "Honestly? Yes. I hope you won''t take advantage of that and start making absurd demands."

    Tom smiled, "I can''t promise you that I won''t take advantage of it, but I can assure you that I won''t ask you to do something that you can''t do."

    "Fair enough. I owe you that much. So, friends for real now?" She asked, extending her hand for a handshake.

    Tom took her hands, "Friends.." At least for now, he added to himself.

 Chapter 43 - Let It Go.

    "By the way, I was going to ask you why you picked out just Bounty choctes earlier," Tom said, sparing her a nce as he drove them home.

    "Because it is the only chocte I enjoy, probably because of the coconut in it," Lucy exined, and picked up her phone when she received a text notification from Harry.

    "I see."

    ''Reminder That You''re To Resume At The CEO''s Office Tomorrow Morning'' Lucy sighed as she read the text.

    "What is wrong?" Tom asked on hearing her sigh.

    "I should probably let you know that I''m resuming at the CEO''S office tomorrow."

    "You mean you will be working directly for the CEO now? That is so cool! Congrats!" Tom said with a big smile as he drove into the parking lot of their apartment building.

    "I''m not sure it is cool. I don''t even know what he looks like. I just think someone like him that loves to stay hidden must be a difficult man to please. I just know he is going to make my life difficult somehow," Lucyined as they both got out of the car.

    "I''m sure he isn''t bad looking. Although I overheard another driver say the CEO likes tomunicate via texts and emails, so it''s best probably best you check your messages and emails frequently. Don''t worry. I''m sure you''ll do great," Tom assured her as they stopped in front of her apartment and she took out her keys to open the door, "See you tomorrow, boss," Tom said with a wave once she stepped inside her house, and then he walked away.

    "Goodnight," she called after him before shutting the door. She took off her shoes and walked barefooted to her refrigerator. She picked up two bounty choctes, unwrapped one and bit from it before walking over to sit on her couch.

    Once she was seated, she took off her sses and kept them on the table before taking another bite from the chocte. Her thoughts drifted to Tom as she slowly chewed, and she wondered if she had been too hasty in offering her friendship. She had done that only because she wanted things to be less awkward between them now that she knew she had no choice but to work with him and keep him from quitting in order to save her job. And also because she was now certain that he had no interest in her but rather in someone else.

    Although he seemed like a nice guy, she couldn''t help being bothered by the fact that he hadn''t been embarrassed or apologetic when she asked him why he hadn''t used a condom. Should she be worried about a sexually transmitted infection or disease? Maybe she would just have to go for a medical test so that she could put her mind at ease. She sighed as she took another bite from her chocte.

    She remembered that she had promised to call Sonia back, so she picked up her phone and dialed Sonia''s line. She was d that she had a friend like Sonia who was willing to take her call no matter the hour of the day she called, or the number of times she called.

    Sonia who was busy scribbling down something on her jotter, looked around disoriented when she heard a vibration, and it took her a moment to remember she had ced her phone on vibration to avoid distraction. She yawned as she reached for her phone, and smiled when she saw it was Lucy.

    "Hey baby!"

    "I hope I''m not interrupting something?" Lucy asked in a concerned tone.

    "You know I can always put whatever I''m doing on hold to chat with you. So talk to me baby, what''s up?" Sonia asked, waiting for an exciting update.

    "Well, first of all, my driver had a makeover," Lucy said, standing up from the couch to walk into her bedroom in fear that Tom might walk past her door and overhear her side of the conversation.

    "A makeover?" Sonia repeated, knowing that for Lucy to be talking about it, then it probably affected her in a way.

    "You heard right. Like he went from looking like a gentleman to looking like a bad yboy," Lucy went on to describe his new look as she got into her bedroom and sat on her bed.

    "OMG! I can''t see him, but that sounds so hot!" Sonia squealed in excitement.

    "I''m sure all thedies who set eyes on him would agree with you. They all kept staring at him," Lucy said in amusement.

    "You inclusive, right?" Sonia asked in a teasing tone.

    "Of course not! He is my driver," Lucy lied.

    "And your ex one night stand, and your neighbor too!," Sonia countered.

    "Those doesn''t count. Besides, he is thankfully not interested in me. Apparently he took the job at thepany, and had a makeover because of ady he is interested in at thepany. So there goes your perfect romance story," Lucy said with a roll of her eyes.

    "He told you that?" Sonia asked doubtfully as she stood up to stretch her body which was feeling cramped due to the long hours she had spent sitting.

    "Of course he did! He even asked me to help him get her," Lucy added making Sonia hiss angrily.

    "What? He is such a jerk! How can he ask you to do that after what you both had?" She couldn''t believe she had been hoping the jerk would be the one to finally make Lucy change her mind about rtionships.

    "We had nothing! It was a one-time thing, remember?" Lucy said in his defense.

    "I can''t believe you''re even defending him right now. So what did you tell him? Did you agree to do it?" Sonia asked, hoping the response would be negative.

    "Of course I did. We even went grocery shopping together, and we just returned from a bar. Remember I have to make sure he keeps working for me else I lose my job? So I''m keeping him as a friend. He''s a cool guy," Lucy exined.

    On hearing that she had gone grocery shopping with him, and even to a bar, Sonia felt optimistic, "I still don''t like him!"

    "Don''t worry about me. He''s cool. Besides, It''s a win-win. By bing friends with him and helping him get thedy, I get to keep my job, and that way I also don''t have to worry about him making advances at me," Lucy said.

    "As long as you don''t get hurt, I suppose I''m fine. Now that aside, I''ve been meaning to talk to you about this. Don''t you think it''s high time you get a boyfriend?" Sonia asked, her tone bing serious.

    "Nah. I don''t need the distraction," Lucy said dismissively.

    "Stop with the excuse already. I understand why you''re hell-bent on staying single, but don''t you think you have punished yourself enough. You should let it go," Sonia said softly.

    Lucy was quiet for some seconds, and then heaved a long sigh, "I''m not ready for any emotionalmitment. What about your fiance?" Lucy asked, changing the subject.

    "Don''t do that Lu. I''m not letting you change the subject. You don''t have to be ready for an emotionalmitment. I understand that love might happen instantaneously for some, while it takes time for others to fall in love. I''m just asking that you open yourself to being in a rtionship be it friends with benefits or a real rtionship," Sonia pleaded.

    "Tsk. It''s not like you''re in a rtionship yourself."

    "At least I have a lot of ex boyfriends, and even a fake fiance. I think you should start meeting guys until you see one you like," Sonia suggested.

    "You don''t have to give me an answer at once. Rather than refuse immediately, you can just think about it," Sonia quickly added when Lucy remained quiet.

    "I should go to bed. I love you.. Goodnight," with that Lucy hung up.

 Chapter 44 - Weird Boss

    Tom stepped out of the shower with a towel tied around his waist and another in his hand which he used to dry his hair as he walked over to the bed to pick up his phone which had been ringing all the while he was in the shower. The missed calls were from Harry and Bryan. He dialed Bryan''s number and connected the phone to his airpod before leaving the phone on the bed and walking over to the drawer to pick a boxer and shirt.

    "Sorry I missed your call. I was in the shower when you called," Tom exined once the call connected.

    "That''s okay. I just got tired of waiting to hear from you. By the way, my assistant is sending your costume tomorrow morning. Where do you want it?" Bryan asked, wanting to get that out of the way before getting into the lecture for the night.

    "It should be sent to the office. Harry will receive it on my behalf," Tom said as he put on his boxers and shirt, and walked out of the bedroom to the kitchen where he picked up a ss and filled it with water from the water dispenser before going to the living room to sit on the couch.

    "Okay. So tell me, how did your outing go? By the way, you''re yet to send the make-over pictures," Bryan reminded him.

    "Don''t worry. I will just do that after the call. How is your fiancee?"

    Bryan''s heart skipped at the mention of that, "She is fine. So? Tell me exactly how she reacted to the make-over," Bryan said, wanting to change the subject.

    Tom smiled at the memory, "She tried not to let it show, but I caught her staring. And I think I may have slipped. She asked me why I had a makeover, and I told her there is ady at the office who I''m interested in, and I think she might be into the whole bad boy package," Tom exined making Bryan''s brow pull together.

    "You''re supposed to be making her feel you''re a bad boy, not making her think you''re a simp who is trying to be what he is not to get ady!"

    "Yeah, yeah. I know. But after telling her that, I also noticed she rxed around me. It''s as if knowing now that I''m interested in someone else, she is more willing to be friends with me," Tom exined.

    "That is how you get yourself friend-zoned!" Bryan pointed out.

    "I have no intention of being friend-zoned. I managed to convince her I wasn''t interested in her, and she agreed to help me get thedy I''m interested in. So don''t worry, I''m sure she will give me good enough tips on how to get her," Tom exined, and Bryan chuckled.

    "Believe me, she is going to be mad when she eventually finds out that you have been making a fool out of her," Bryan said confidently.

    "Well, she hasn''t left me much choice, has she?"

    "That reminds me, were you able to pitch the whole text and email thing to her?" Bryan asked thoughtfully.

    They had both spoken earlier before Tom''s outing with Lucy. Bryan had called to find out Tom''s preferred color of contact lens, and then Bryan had mentioned that Lucy would easily recognize his voice if she heard him speak.

    [Earlier]

    "That''s right!" Tom had said, realizing that he hadn''t really thought of the voice recognition, and had only focused his attention on his physical appearance.

    "So you should y the role of the boss who doesn''t talk to his employees. You don''t have to speak to her when you''re at the office," Bryan had suggested.

    "You don''t think it would seem weird?" Tom had asked thoughtfully.

    "You are the boss whose face the majority of his employees don''t know. What could be weirder than that?" Bryan had asked dryly making Tomugh, "I''m sure she would assume you just have a bad personality.

    "I suppose you''re right. I could justmunicate with her via emails and texts." Tom had suggested.

    "Exactly. That makes more sense. And maybe you could try to seduce her too, and see who gets her first, the boss or the driver. What do you think?" Bryan had suggested.

    "That would be doing too much, don''t you think?" Tom had asked, even though the idea seemed appealing to him.

    [Present]

    "Yeah, I told her to check her texts and emails often," Tom told him.

    "So your assignment for tomorrow, you have to make her see you with another girl. Preferably someone hot. Invite ady over, or better still, approach anotherdy in front of her," Bryan suggested, making Tom frown.

    "I don''t think that is a good idea. I told her I''m interested in someone already, remember?"

    "Yes, you did. But remember you''re ying the bad boy role? If she confronts you, you could just give her a flippant answer about a man having his needs, and how you can''t deprive yourself of your basic needs when you don''t even know if thedy in question is going to reciprocate your feelings, you catch my drift?" Bryan asked.

    "Tell me again, how did your fiancee win your heart to make you quit your yboy ways?" Tom asked incredulously.

    Bryanughed out loud, "I''m good, right? I know."

    "You''re sure this won''t make her keep her distance?"

    "Trust me, it''s going to make her even more curious about a lot of things. You said she has be more friendly towards you, right? Why should she worry about a yboy friend?" Bryan asked, and Tom nodded in agreement.

    "I guess you''re right. I''ll do that."

    "Good. So make sure you report tomorrow. And let me know when you get the costumes," Bryan added before hanging up.

    Bryan looked around the house with a bored expression on his face. He needed to get out soon, else he would die. But the question now was where could he go to? He definitely couldn''t be seen in public with anotherdy after only just proposing to one. He would have invited some girls over, but with the way his penthouse was being watched by many eyes, he knew there was no way it wouldn''t make the news.

    He dialed Mia''s line, "Have you..."

    "No. We are still trying to find her," Mia interrupted, knowing why he was calling.

    "How can it be so difficult to find just ONE DAMN PERSON?" Bryan yelled at her in frustration.

    Mia pressed her lips together, fighting the urge to tell him to go find Sonia himself if he thought it was such an easy task. She didn''t ask him to propose to a stranger, after all, so why was he taking his frustration out on her?

    "We are doing all we can while trying to be discreet. We can''t let people know you proposed to a stranger," Mia pointed out, making Bryan raise a hand to his massage his temple. If only he could remember the name of her editor... Or maybe he could.

    "Mia? Can you get me some of her books? Go over to any bookstore around you and find me some of her books," Bryan said excitedly.

    "Can''t you just download soft copies online if it is urgent?" Mia suggested politely, since she was getting ready for a date, and didn''t want to bete.

    "No. I prefer hard copies. I''ll be waiting," he said and hung up immediately. Maybe he could read her books to kill his boredom while understanding her crazy personality from the way she writes.. And who knows? Maybe he could get her editor''s information from the book. Why hadn''t he thought of that all along?

 Chapter 45 - Pretty Psycho

    Mia was burning with anger by the time her cab pulled to a stop in front of Bryan''s penthouse. She had had to cancel her date because of the books he had asked her to get. She had gone from one bookstore to the other searching for it, and by the time she finally found it, the time was far spent already.

    She didn''t need to knock since she knew his passcode already in case of any emergency, so she unlocked the door herself and walked into his apartment. She pasted a stiff smile on her face as she approached where he was seated by the dining tapping away on hisptop, "Here are the books you requested for," she said, dropping them beside him on the couch.

    "You can leave," Bryan said without sparing her a nce as he continued with what he was doing.

    Mia remained where she was, waiting for him to at least raise his head and acknowledge her presence, but when he didn''t after a while she shook her head and headed for the door, promising herself that she was going to quit her job after receiving her next paycheck.

    "Mia?" Bryan called before she got to the door, and she turned to look at him with a stony expression.

    Bryan raised a brow when he noticed the makeup on her face, "I don''t assume you''re going out on a date, are you?" Bryan asked, eyeing her outfit.

    "I was, but had to cancel because of your important books that couldn''t wait," She said grudgingly.

    "A boyfriend or a blind date?" Bryan asked since he had no idea whether or not she was in a rtionship. He was not the type to get himself involved in the business of his staff.

    Mia''s brows pulled together in confusion, "Blind date," she said, waiting to hear why he was asking, and what he wanted to say.

    "Well, you should be thankful I made you cancel. Your blind date would have gone in the opposite direction after taking one look at you in that hideous outfit," Bryan said looking her over with disapproval.

    "What is wrong with what I''m wearing?" Mia asked in confusion.

    "Your colors are mismatched and the skirt is in ugly with too many ruffles. Seeing your skirt, I''m d you only wear suit pants to work," Bryan said as his eyes fell on the books which she had dropped.

    Mia looked down at her clothes uncertainly. She didn''t know what to say to him, so she pressed her lips together. She liked to believe that she was a fashionista, and maybe he was saying that simply because he didn''t understand female fashion.

    "When next you have a date let me know beforehand, and maybe we can get you something better to wear to make up for making you cancel your date ns. And that way I don''t interfere with your ns next time," Bryan said, and Mia felt her anger dissipate.

    That was something she was getting to learn about Bryan. He could be insensitive and sensitive at the same time. It was only because of times like this when he acted like a decent person that she has been able to keep working for him for the past eighteen months.

    "Thank you," Mia murmured as she turned to leave, knowing that was as good as an apology that she could hope for.

    "Don''t forget to send the package to my brother''s office tomorrow. The name on the package should be Harry Jonas," Bryan said.

    "I haven''t forgotten," Mia assured him.

    "Alright. Thank you," Bryan said dismissively as he picked up one of Sonia''s novels.

    There was a picture of her at the back. She was dressed in a white strapless gown, and her long blonde hair was packed in a ponytail while she smiled directly at the camera, her green eyes gleaming with mischief, "Pretty psycho," he muttered as he gazed at her picture.

    A small frown creased his forehead when his eyes fell on the short note which was written about the author, but contained next to nothing about her as a person but more about her as an author and her other books, "You love to stay hidden, huh?" Bryan asked no one in particr as he flipped open the book to see if he could get any information on the publisher and editor.

    Good enough he got information on the publishingpany, and scribbled it down on his notepad. He was going to contact them tomorrow since it waste in the evening already. For now, he would just immerse himself in the book and see what surprises his psycho fiancee had between the pages.

    The particr novel he was reading was a fantasy novel, the title of the story was ''The Witch And Her Hunter''. It was about a king who abolished the use of sorcery and magic within the kingdom because of evil witches and set up amittee of hunters which consisted of the most powerful men in the kingdom. He ordered the execution of the leader of a coven when she was caught using sorcery to save her daughter''s life. The leader of the coven had mismatched eyes of blue and green, and just before she was executed she told the King she would love to see how he would execute his own child. Some weeks after her death, the King found out his barren wife was pregnant, and monthster she gave birth to a beautiful girl with mismatched eyes of blue and green. Knowing what this meant and that his barren queen would never ept for their only child to be executed, they proceeded to keep her hidden from the public, and the pce staff was made to keep the colors of the Princess''s eyes a secret. One day the little princess snuck out of the pce in search of ymates, and all the other kids ran from her when they saw her eyes. Tearfully she returned to the pce, and her mother realizing that her identity has been exposed ran away with her from the pce before she could be gotten by the witch hunters. She took her to a cave where she had been told other witches were hiding and handed her to them. The witches knowing the little girl was the reincarnation of their coven leader used her energy to open a portal through which they escaped from the kingdom where they were being hunted, into the future.

    Soon Bryan found himself engrossed in the story. He decided he would love to have it adapted as a movie because the storyline was very interesting.

    "Wow! She''s good!" Bryan murmured as he continued reading.. He wondered if she was into screenwriting, and made a mental note to rmend her books to some movie producers he knew.

 Chapter 46 - No Glasses.

    Lucy woke up with a start once she remembered she was resuming at her boss'' office that morning, and she quickly nced at her bedside clock to make sure she hadn''t missed the sound of her rm. Thankfully she was up early, and it wasn''t even six yet. She sat up and picked up her phone which was on top of the bedside drawer. Tom had said the boss lovedmunicating via texts and emails, so maybe it was best she made it a habit checking her mails now.

    Her heart skipped a beat when she saw a text message notification from Harry, and she closed her eyes and took in a deep breath to calm her heart, before clicking on it.

    "Please kindly note that Mr. Hanks doesn''t likedies wearing their hair up, and he isn''t a fan of sses either, so dress appropriately...."

    Lucy paused at that point, and reread it to be sure her eyes weren''t deceiving her, "What? This is absolutely ridiculous! Who does he think he is to dictate how I wear my hair or what I use for my eye defect?" She asked no one in particr as she stood up from the bed angrily.

    She remembered she was yet to read the remaining part of the text so she checked it, "Also, he doesn''t like being stared at or spoken to directly. Even if you''re in the office with him, you have tomunicate via texts and emails."

    "Seriously? I''m supposed to work with someone like this?" Lucy asked as she threw her phone on the bed angrily. She closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath, before trying to count from one to ten. The more she counted, the angrier she became, so she gave up.

    "This is preposterous! Simply because he is my benevolent boss, who pays me well and also gave me an official car and driver, doesn''t give him the right to tell me how to wear my hair or whether or not to use sses! This is preposterous!" Lucy hissed angrily as she marched into her bathroom to ease herself.

    She came out a momentter, still seething in anger as she sat in front of her dressing table. What sort of a weird being was he? How could he make such demands? And what was that about not being able to talk to him or look at him? Was he that ugly? He must be. That was the only thing that could exin it. But his voice hadn''t sounded so bad over the phone.

    "Whatever!" Lucy muttered and then closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, and let it out while counting from one to ten again. She was not going to let her weird boss ruin a day that was yet to start.

    When she was done she opened her eyes and stared at her reflection in the mirror, "Okay, I will just assume it''s apany dress code. It isn''t a big deal."

    Havinge to that decision she stood up and returned to the bathroom to wash her hair and prepare herself for what she knew was going to be a tasking day.

    Two hourster she stepped out of her apartment dressed in navy blue suit pants, a pink camisole, and white zers, with a pink stiletto heel and handbag to match. Her green contact lens was in ce, and her long curly jet ck hair which she had spent quite some time washing and curling cascaded over her shoulders.

    "You definitely do look like you''re ready for your new office," Tom who was just heading towards the carmented from behind her, and grinned when she turned to look at him, "Good morning ma''am, you look good."

    "I might look it, but I certainly don''t feel it," Lucy muttered, "Good morning," she said dourly as she looked him over. Like yesterday he had left the top buttons of his shirt undone and he had rolled up his sleeves to reveal his arms. The scent of his cologne drifted into her nose and she tried to ignore it as she kept her gaze locked on his face.

    "Seems like you''re in a foul mood? Besides, I thought you said you preferred using sses? Why did you change your mind?" Tom asked innocently as he unlocked the car.

    "I wish I did. That..." She took in a deep breath to stop herself, "I was informed the CEO doesn''t like sses, so I had to make adjustments," Lucy muttered as she got into the car.

    "If it''s any constion, you look even more beautiful without the sses," Tom assured her as he got into the car.

    "Hey!"

    They both looked out of the car when they heard the breathless feminine voice. They saw one of the girls from the previous morning approaching the car with a smile as she took off her earphone and ced it around her neck, She looked like she had just returned from jogging as her vest and tight was stered to her sweaty body, and a sports phone strap holder was attached to her upper arm.

    "Hi!" Tom said with a surprised smile as he stepped out of the car to talk to her, while Lucy tried to ignore them.

    "Good morning. Hi! I''m Jas. As in Jasmine," She said extending a hand to Tom.

    "Good morning. I''m Tom. As in, Tom," Tom said, and she giggled girlishly while Lucy rolled her eyes.

    "I was wondering if she was your girlfriend?" Jas asked, jerking her head in Lucy''s direction.

    "Not at all. She is my neighbor and I just happened to be her official driver," Tom exined, making sure his voice was loud enough for Lucy to hear him.

    "Oh! That is cool then. I suppose you have a girlfriend?" Jas asked again.

    "None that I know of. Why? Wanna fill the space?" Tom asked with a cocky smile and Jas giggled.

    Lucy stepped out of the car, "I''m sorry to interrupt your conversation, but I really don''t want to bete for work," she said to Tom testily before turning to look at the youngdy with a stiff smile, "Don''t you have to prepare for school?" Lucy asked, assuming she was a high schooler or college student because of her tiny stature.

    "No, I don''t. I graduated two years ago," Jas said, making Tom chuckle, "I shouldn''t keep you from your impatient bossdy, can I have your number? Maybe we can talk?" She asked, taking her phone from the strap and handing it to him to dial in his number.

    "By the way, I love your new look. You look very hot," she said, fanning her face dramatically as he typed in the number on her phone.

    "You''re far too kind with your words," Tom said with a grin as he returned her phone, happy that Bryan''s assignment had been aplished without much effort.

    "Alright handsome, you''ll hear from me before the end of the day," she said with a wink and waved at Lucy before jogging away.

 Chapter 47 - A What?

    Lucy who was sitting in the front seat of the car with him, tried to refrain herself from speaking, but after a few minutes she gave up the struggle, "What sort of a person are you?"

    "Me?" Tom asked, pretending like he had no idea what she wanted to talk about.

    "I''m sure we are just two in the car," Lucy aid irritably.

    "It''s possible you were speaking to yourself out loud. I noticed you tend to voice your thoughts a lot," Tom said, turning to look at her with a straight face, even though he was feeling very amused.

    Lucy drew in a deep breath to stop herself from giving a sharp retort. Maybe it was because she had started her day in a bad mood, or maybe it was because the more she saw him flirt with otherdies the more scared she became of the possibility of having contracted an infectious disease from him, but whatever it was, she was feeling very annoyed.

    "Okay, okay. Don''t get mad. You look like you''re about to blow up. Calm down and tell me what I did wrong," Tom said, sounding reasonable.

    "Are you certain you want thedy at the office or not?"

    "Of course I want her, why?" Tom asked her, without turning to look at her.

    "Do you? Cause it sure doesn''t look like it. The other night you went out on a date with anotherdy, and just now you were flirting with the sweaty girl," Lucy used, looking at him squarely.

    Tom shook his head before asking, "Is there anyw against a single male flirting with an equally single and obviously interested female?"

    "What do you think are your chances of getting her if she realizes you hook up with random strangers, and flirt with everydy that gives you the slightest attention?" Lucy asked with a slightly raised brow.

    "First of all Lu, I told you before, you were an exception. Does doing something once make it your lifestyle?" Tom asked incredulously.

    "Well, I suppose that is why first impressions are important. How do I know that was the first time you were offering a stranger a wild night on your bed?" Lucy asked, making Tom snort.

    "That hardly counts as a wild night," Tom muttered under his breath.

    "I beg your pardon?" Lucy asked, ring at him.

    Even though Tom was aware what he wanted to say didn''t make much sense, he went ahead, "How do I know it was your first time too? Who knows if you go to clubs looking for innocent young men to take you home?" Tom asked, ignoring her question.

    "What? What do you mean by that? I''m sure you must have noticed I was a vi..." Lucy faltered there, feeling her face heat up in embarrassment

    Thankfully the traffic light gave a red signal so he stopped and turned to her, "A what?" Tom asked innocently, blinking at her.

    Lucy looked away and squared her shoulders, unwilling to backdown, "That isn''t the point of this discussion!"

    "What is?" Tom asked as he returned his attention to the road.

    Lucy drew in a deep breath, "I''m saying you shouldn''t flirt around while you''re interested in anotherdy."

    "I hope you realize I don''t owe her any loyalty until she gives me her heart? I''m interested in her, but I also have my desires and needs to cater for. So until she notices my existence and reciprocates my feelings, I''m afraid I can''t stay away from otherdies," Tom said, meeting her gaze briefly until she looked away.

    "I''m not going to help you get a woman when you can''t even control your so-called urges," Lucy muttered under her breath.

    "I guess you''re forgetting our deal? I could stop this car by the roadside and quit my job," Tom threatened, and turned too sh her a grin when he heard her gasp.

    Lucy wished she could rx, but she couldn''t. So she decided to voice out her major concern, "How am I sure I''ve not been infected with an STI?"

    "You should probably get tested," Tom suggested with a smirk.

    "Did you get tested after we... You know, I meanter after we did it," Lucy asked, and she could tell that her cheeks was very red by now. Luckily his eyes was on the road so he didn''t turn to look at her.

    "Wow! You seem awfully interested in talking about ittely, why? Are you interested in another round of passionate love making or you''re just asking because you''re curious?"

    Lucy didn''t miss the note of amusement in his voice, "Of course not! Why would I want something like that?" Lucy asked, sounding mortified by the very idea that he had even thought she would want a repeat of the experience.

    "Do you really want me to tell you why you would want something like that? Or am I to assume that was a rhetorical question?" Tom asked with a small smile.

    Lucy pressed her lips together and looked outside the window. She gritted her teeth when she heard him chuckle, but didn''t bother to look at him. It was too bad that she could only get mad, but couldn''t do anything else about her anger.

    After that they bothpsed into silence until Tom drove into thepany''s parking lot, "Have a nice day at work. I hope the CEO treats you nicely," Tom called out to her as she got down.

    "Thank you," Lucy said stiffly as she shut the door, but hesitated a bit by the door, "Hang around today, I''d like to go to the nearest hospital or medicalboratory to get tested when I get the chance," Lucy said before turning to walk away.

    "That reminds me, Miss Perry?" Tom called, and she turned to look at him curiously, wondering why he was calling her that all of a sudden.

    Tom reached into the pigeon hole and got out an envelope, "I believe that is yours," he said, extending the envelope to her. His eyes gleamed with amusement as though he was waiting to see her reaction after she sees the content of the envelope.

    Lucy looked at him with a curious frown, "What is that?"

    "I believe you''d appreciate it best if you see for yourself, rather than hear it from me," Tom said, giving her a nod so she would take the envelope. Lucy reluctantly reached for it through the window, while Tom watched her with a crooked smile as she cautiously opened the envelope.

    Lucy felt her face flush a bright red with embarrassment when she saw the redce panties she had worn that first night.

    "I thought you''d like to get it back," Tom said, and stifled the urge to roar withughter when she turned around and walked away in quick steps.

 Chapter 48 - Lunch Together?

    Harry raised his eyes from the document in front of him and looked at Lucy who just walked into his office.

    "He won''t being in today," He said, in response to her unspoken question. While watching her closely. He had to admit that she looked more pretty wearing her hair down and without her sses.

    "Oh! So what am I to do?" Lucy asked, feeling very relieved that she didn''t have to face a boss she knew was likely going to be difficult. It wasn''t like she wasn''t curious to know what he looked like, but she just wasn''t ready yet.

    "I already told you, your office changed no doubt, but your responsibilities are the same. You can have your secretary bring you all the work you need to take care of, and if the boss has an assignment for you, I will deliver it to you," Harry assured her.

    "Alright. Thank you, sir," Lucy said, turning to leave.

    "Miss Perry?" Harry called before she got to the door.

    "Yes?" Lucy asked, looking at him curiously.

    "You can''t go into his office unless you''re sent for, or sent there," Harry said, making Lucy frown. The more they gave her these weird rules, the wearier she became of this CEO. If she didn''t know better, she would think the CEO was someone she knew who was avoiding her, but that was ridiculous. What was he so bent on hiding from? She wondered.

    "Noted, sir."

    "By the way, you look really good today."

    "Thank you," Lucy said with an awkward smile before leaving. She didn''t want to look good. She didn''t even care for any of thepliments she was receiving. All she wanted was to wear her sses and have her hair out of her face. She didn''t want any sort of attention from anyone. She knew she looked good, so hearing them say it wasn''t a big deal to her.

    As she returned to her office, she was like a mini office outside the CEO''s office, she checked her drawers to make sure everything was in ce and then closed her eyes when her eyes fell on the envelope Tom had handed her.

    She didn''t know whether to be thankful that he had returned it to her or to feel embarrassed. She had left it there when she couldn''t find it that morning, believing that she was never going to run into him again. Who would have thought any of this would happen? She took out the pant and smelt it, and gritted her teeth when she perceived the faint scent of soap. He had washed it. Did he hand wash it? She wondered, her face coloring at the thought.

    She would have to dispose of it since there was no way she could wear it again. She threw it into the trashcan and stood up to pick it up immediately. Thest thing she needed was for the cleaner, whoever they were to find her panties in the trashcan. That would make them assume all manner of things about her. She took the panties out of the envelope and dipped it inside an inner zip in her handbag before discarding the envelope.

    "Time for today''s business!" Lucy said out loud, as she picked up her phone and dialed her secretary''s number. She instructed her to bring every document she needed to attend, to her. And when she was done with the call, her eyes drifted to the CEO''s door. She wondered what she would find behind the door if she went into his office now.

    She quickly shook her head to discard any silly thoughts and focused on arranging her desk instead. By the time she was done with that, her secretary knocked on the door, and she gave her the go-ahead to enter.

    Although this office was that of a personal assistant, it was undoubtedly bigger and better looking than her previous office. Her secretary looked around with a smile on her face happy that she had gotten the privilege to glimpse a part of the CEO''s office, "Here are the documents," the secretary said, with her eyes everywhere else but on Lucy. She couldn''t help wondering what Lucy must have done to have received this sort of promotion. Being the CEO''s assistant was a very big deal.

    "Thanks. You can leave," Lucy said as she opened the documents in front of her and started reviewing them.

    She remained in that position for some hours until she heard a knock on her door, "You cane in," She said without raising her head. She raised her head the moment the scent of his perfume invaded her nostrils, and naturally, her face colored.

    "Sorry to bother you, Miss Perry, it''s lunchtime," Tom said, raising the food pack he was carrying so she could see.

    "You didn''t have to worry," She said without meeting his gaze.

    Tom said nothing as he looked around the office before looking at her desk, "Nice office. You seem to have settled in," Tom observed.

    Lucy was grateful he wasn''t bringing up the issues of the panties, "I haven''t been here for up to a week, so moving to a different office wasn''t really difficult," Lucy exined.

    "So have you seen him? What is he like?" Tom asked curiously, ncing at the main office door.

    "Thankfully he''s noting to the office today. You won''t believe all the outrageous instructions I''ve been given," Lucy said with a shake of her head. Tom seemed like the only ''friend'' she had right now, so she was willing to gossip with him, as long as that removed every awkwardness between them.

    "Really? Like?" Tom asked, cocking his head to one side so he could look at her.

    "If you''re not in a hurry, you can sit down," Lucy offered as she covered the documents in front of her and reached for the food pack which he was still holding.

    "Sure. Thanks," Tom said as he handed her the food pack, before taking the seat opposite her. Apart from bringing her lunch as he had promised he would be doing, he had wanted to see if she was still feeling embarrassed about the envelope issue, and also to see if she would treat him differently. He was impressed to see that she was acting as nothing had happened.

    Lucy opened the food, thankful that he had remembered to bring her lunch. She was yet to have breakfast as usual, and even though she knew coffee wasn''t good for her, she had taken coffee again. It was one of her guilty pleasures even though she had been warned it exacerbates her ulcer. This was probably how she had gotten an ulcer: always forgetting to eat and consuming coffee.

    "Thanks for the food," Lucy said with a small smile and reached for a hairband inside her handbag, which she used to wrap her hair in a ponytail.

    "You really don''t like leaving your hair down? Why?" Tom asked curiously as he watched her.

    "I''m morefortable this way," Lucy said as she opened the box of chicken and chips, "Have you eaten?" Lucy asked, surprising them both.

    Tom smiled, "Yes."

    "How about you bring your lunch so we eat together next time?" Lucy offered.

    "Lunch together? Really?" Tom asked with a happy smile which made her heart flutter. She had to admit that he was very good-looking.

    Lucy cleared her throat, "Yes. Since you''re new here I''m sure you don''t have many friends either apart from thedy you''re crushing on, so we can eat together," Lucy said even though a part of her kept telling her that she was making a mistake.

    What harm could possiblye from eating with her one-night stand-cum-neighbor-cum-friend-cum-driver?

 Chapter 49 - I Don’t?

    Tom had an amused smile on his face as he watched her eat, "Do you like your new office?"

    "Sure. I honestly don''t care about the office though, since I spend most of my time looking at documents and not at the office," Lucy said, looking around the office with disinterest.

    "Is there a reason you love working so hard? Like maybe you want a big promotion?" Tom asked curiously.

    "What promotion could be bigger than this? I should take Mr. Harry''s job? or the CEO''s office?" Lucy asked with an amused smile.

    "Perhaps you want the position of CEO''s wife?" Tom asked, making Lucy choke on the chip she had just swallowed, "Sorry," Tom said, seeing how his question had startled her.

    Lucy quickly reached for the bottle of water he had brought with him and gulped down some. She blinked back the tears which had gathered in her eyes before looking at him, "How is that a position?" Lucy asked in a choked voice, and cleared her throat before repeating the question.

    "You will move up thedder in thepany if you marry the CEO. Has that thought never crossed your mind?" Tom asked, keeping his tone light and easy.

    "Sorry to say, but that''s a shallow way of thinking. I''m not interested in marriage, and if I was, I wouldn''t marry a man just to move up the corporatedder," Lucy said with a shake of her head.

    "Don''t tell me you want me to marry him so that I can get you a position in thepany," Lucy asked with eyes narrowed suspiciously, but with a yful smile on her lips.

    "Wow! You must have the superpower of reading minds!" Tom eximed dramatically making her giggle.

    "Anyway, I''m sure you''d like to get back to work soon, so I should get out of your hair," Tom said, but before he could stand up the door opened and Harry walked in, carrying a box.

    He was taken aback when he saw Tom''s new look since he had not seen him since the previous day after he went for his makeover, "Hello sir!" Tom stood up and greeted with a polite smile.

    "This is your driver?" Harry asked, ignoring Tom and turning to look at Lucy.

    Lucy couldn''t help wondering why he was asking, when he had been the one who had introduced Tom to her, "Yes sir. He brought me lunch," Lucy exined, hoping he wasn''t going to scold her for letting him into her office.

    "Now I see why you were ufortable with him working for you," Harry said, looking at Tom from head to toe with disapproval, and Tom subtly red at him, "Maybe I should speak to the CEO again about changing him, on your behalf?" He asked making Lucy wince.

    Why did he have to bring it up? What if she hadn''t told Tom about it the previous evening? Would Harry have exposed her this way? Lucy reasoned with displeasure, "Not at all sir. We have resolved our differences and we are okay. I''d love him to remain my driver," Lucy said, making Tom look at her with a big smile, and he bowed at her politely.

    "If you say so. I will just leave this in Mr. Hank''s office," Harry said handing the box to Tom for him to follow him.

    Tom dutifully carried the box which he knew contained his disguise outfits as he followed Harry into the office. Once they he walked through the door and shut it behind them, Tom dropped the box on the table and punched Harry''s arm.

    "Ouch!"

    "So you''re my boss now, huh?" Tom asked, ring at Harry who was nowughing merrily at the little drama he had yed.

    "I was trying to make it more believable. She wouldn''t suspect a thing," Harry said before looking at him with disapproval once again, "I can''t believe you actually did this. You look like a thug."

    "A handsome thug. You have no idea the number ofdies I''ve turned down since I had this makeover," Tom said, grateful his office was soundproof, and Lucy couldn''t hear them.

    "They just want to sleep with you, not take you home to meet their families," Harry pointed out.

    "At least they want to sleep with me, when was thest time anyone wanted to sleep with you?" Tom asked dryly as he opened the box.

    "So what? I should get a makeover so that I can havedies queuing up for my bed?" Harry asked with a straight face, and Tom shot him a re.

    "You wouldn''t dare. You''re the face of thepany, so you have to always look responsible."

    "Yeah. Yeah."

    "This feels like my hair," Tom observed as he lifted the wig and beards.

    "That is why it is called human hair. I''m sure even you knows that much," Harry said dryly as he lifted the pack of contact lens in the box.

    "Whatever, I need to step out now before she starts getting curious. Make sure to lock the office with your key while leaving. I''lle in through my private elevatorter," Tom said as he carried the box into the mini room in his office, and ced it inside a tiny closet where he usually kept extra clothes for days he overworked and slept at the office.

    They both walked out together and Harry gave Tom a stern look once they were back to Lucy''s office, "Make sure you don''t cause her any trouble. If she so much asins about you one more time, I''ll do all I can to fire you," he threatened before walking away.

    Tom bowed to him before looking in Lucy''s direction. He noticed that she had finished eating and had cleared her desk, "I will be waiting outside," Tom said with a small smile.

    "I''m sorry about what Mr Harry said," Lucy apologized guiltily. If only she had not reported him to begin with, Harry wouldn''t have been so hard on him.

    "It''s okay. I should be thanking you for letting me keep my job. By the way, about getting a medical test, I''m not sure you need it," Tom said, feeling he owed her that much since it seemed like she was genuinely worried about it.

    "I don''t?" Lucy asked hopefully.

    "You don''t," Tom said with a nod.

    "Why not? Did you get tested?" Lucy asked before he could turn to leave.

    Tom scratched the back of his head, wondering if he should tell her the truth or not, "Why don''t we talk about it when you''re done with work? We could spend the evening at your ce or mine talking and seeing a movie," Tom suggested, and Lucy looked at him for a while before nodding her head. At least that was much better than leaving the house.

    "Later then," she said with a smile, and returned her attention to what she was doing as he walked away.

    Tom sighed once he shut the door behind him. He didn''t make any move to walk away, but rather stood there staring at the door like he could see through it. He wished he had been able to confide in either Harry or Bryan about what had happened between them that night. Unfortunately he couldn''t. It was Lucy''s private business, and he wasn''t sure he wanted them to know what had transpired between them. That meant he had to handle this himself.. Perhaps telling her nothing had happened between them would change some of her opinions about him.

 Chapter 50 - Never Say Never

    Bryan''s eyes felt really heavy when he opened them and saw that it was mid-day already. He had binge-read Sonia''s novel until past 6 AM, and now he wanted nothing more than to sleep all day. He reluctantly stood up from the bed, remembering that he was going to call the publishers of Sonia''s novels.

    After cleaning up, he picked up his phone and dialed the publisher''s number which was written on the novel, he didn''t have to wait for too long, as the call connected on the sixth ring.

    "Hello! Mason Publishing Agency, what may we do for you?" A lovely feminine voice asked.

    "My name is Jeff Banks and I''m a die-hard fan of Miss Sonia Smith. I noticed yourpany always publishes her books. Is there a way I could get her editor''s number from you? I''d love to send them a gift," Bryan lied, using the names of thest character he had yed.

    "Uhm, hold on for a moment," Thedy said, and ced the call on hold to call her boss.

    Bryan waited for what seemed like a long time before the call connected again, "I''m only permitted to give you Mr. Conner''s email address. You can contact him through his email," Thedy said, and waited for Bryan to ept or decline the offer.

    "Sure, that would do. Thank you."

    "," she readout, and Bryan quickly looked for a pen. He asked her to spell it out just so he was sure he was getting the right thing, and when she was done, Bryan had a grin on his face.

    "Thank you so very much for your assistance. I will be sure to refer my writer friends to yourpany," Bryan said before hanging up.

    He quickly logged on to his email ount and typed in a message, "Hello Mr. Conner! This is Bryan Hanks, and I would love to speak with you over the phone. Please do not tell Sonia about this. Kindly contact me as soon as you receive the text," He added his phone number to the text before sending it.

    Having aplished his task for the day, he felt light-hearted, knowing that he would soon find out Sonia''s location. He ced a call to order food and then proceeded to pick up Sonia''s novel to continue from where he stopped. He often found himself roaring withughter or feeling very sad as he read. He was very impressed with her writing style and was d his fake fiancee was quite a talented writer. He knew without a doubt that many people would purchase her books simply to check her out because she was his fiancee, and he was both d and relieved to know that they would all be impressed as he was.

    He nced at his phone when it started ringing and winced when he noticed it was a call from his closest friend, Matt, who was also an actor, "Hey!" He asked with false cheerfulness.

    "Why do I get the feeling that you''re not excited to hear from me?" Matt asked with a chuckle.

    "Because I''m not. If you''re calling to make fun of me regarding the engagement, don''t," Bryan warned.

    "There is nothing to talk about. I have no doubt that you''re not really engaged to her, although I wonder why you did what you did," Matt said.

    "Why are you so sure?" Bryan asked, and Matt chuckled.

    "Because I''ve known you for more than ten years, and you can never keep such a rtionship a secret from me, even if it means calling me just to gloat about how you''ve found the love of your life," Matt said making Bryan grin since that was the truth.

    He exined the situation to Matt, and Matt''s body shook with the force of hisughter, "I like her. She is totally my type," Matt said with a grin.

    "She is?"

    "Yeah. I could get her off your hands if you want me to," Matt offered.

    "You''re sure about that?" Bryan asked hopefully.

    "Definitely. Let''s just hope you don''t fall in love with her after I''ve taken her off your hands," Matt said with a grin, imagining what it would be like for himself and Bryan to be involved in a love triangle.

    "Never. I don''t do crazydies," Bryan said confidently.

    "Never say never. Just let me know once you find her, and I will do what I can."

    "Alright, I will let you know once I do," Bryan said, d that he had been able to confide in his closest friend.

    All he wanted was a way to break off this false engagement. It would be best for him if Matt got involved with her. That way he could y the victim and say she had cheated with his friend or had dumped him for his friend. Then no one would me him for going back to his yboy lifestyle. Bryan had a grin on his face as he poured himself a ss of wine to celebrate his beautiful n.

    Meanwhile, Soniay on her bed, unaware of Bryan''s n, as she tried toe up with her own ns. All she was thinking about was Bryan and how to make her story about them more fun. Merely calling him wasn''t going to do what she wanted, and it definitely wasn''t going to bring them closer since he would keep asking her for the same thing. She needed a new strategy to get his attention.

    She thought about his family. His mother had seemed nice. She wished she knew more about his siblings than what was written on the inte about them... She quickly sat up when something suddenly urred to her, and her mouth rounded in surprise. How had she not connected the dots the whole time? She recalled reading something about Bryan Hank''s brother being the CEO of iGlobal and his sister being awyer. That meant his brother was now Lucy''s direct boss! How had she missed such an important point? A smile slowly spread across her face. Her story was going to be even more interesting now.

    She quickly jotted down her thoughts and made a mental note to give Lucy a call once she was done formting the n she had in her head. The smile remained on her face as she wrote down everything. She knew she was crazy no doubt, and that her n was outrageous, but she also knew if she wanted a beautiful result for both her rtionship with Bryan as well as her novel, then she needed to follow her instincts and do this.

    Once she was done writing she packed her hair and stood up to arrange her room and bags.. She was going on a trip to pay her fiance a not-so-surprising visit.

 Chapter 51 - Surprise Visit

    An hour before the close of work Lucy raised her head from theptop in front of her when her phone rang out. She picked it up and her lips curved in a smile when she saw the call was from Sonia. She had been holding back from calling Sonia since she felt she was disturbing her a lottely, especially as she knew Sonia was busy writing a new story and didn''t need to be distracted, even though Sonia would neverin.

    "Hey!" Lucy greeted fondly as she stretched her legs under the desk.

    "Guess what?" Sonia asked excitedly, making Lucy sit up immediately.

    "Uhm... You''re on your way to visit me?" Lucy asked hopefully.

    "Well, at least you''re right about one thing. I''m on my way to the airport right now, but not to see you. I''m going to pay Bryan a surprise visit," Sonia screeched excitedly andported herself when she met the cab driver''s eyes in the rearview mirror.

    "Bryan? As in Bryan the actor? Your supposed fake fiance?" Lucy asked, and Sonia rolled her eyes.

    "Is there any other Bryan you know?" Sonia asked dryly.

    "He invited you over?"

    Sonia sighed, "What part of the ''surprise'' in the surprise visit did you miss?"

    "Why? I mean why are you going to see him if he didn''t invite you over? Your rtionship is fake after all. I don''t think he is going to like that," Lucy said with furrowed brows.

    "Don''t worry about me, I got it all perfectly figured out. By the way, how is it going with your CEO? You resumed at his office today, right?" Sonia asked, swiftly changing the subject.

    "I''m worried about you. You''re too impulsive and I fear you might get yourself in trouble one of these days," Lucy said with a sigh. Sonia had been her best friend for like since forever, and since Sonia''s parents died in a car crash three years ago, she was like the only family Sonia had left. Somewhere deep down she had wished something would happen between Sonia and her twin brother, but neither of them was interested in the other, and Lucas was very much in love with his high school sweetheart who he had engaged some weeks ago. So there was no hope of her best friend getting together with her twin brother.

    "Believe me, you have nothing to worry about. I''m okay, and I''m handling myself properly. Now answer my question, have you met your boss yet? What is he like? How handsome is he?" Sonia asked again.

    "I haven''t met him, and I highly doubt he is handsome," Lucy lowered her voice in case anyone was eavesdropping on her conversation, "As a matter of fact I suspect be must be very hideous."

    "Hideous? Why would you think that?" Sonia asked curiously.

    "I was instructed not to look at him, or speak directly to him since he prefers exchanging messages via texts and emails. Who does that? Anyway, thinking about it now I realize it''s not very strange since most people don''t even know what he looks like," Lucy concluded.

    "Well, that is your theory. I have a better one. I think he must be so handsome that he is hiding his face from the world because he doesn''t wantdies to drop dead at the sight of him," Sonia said with a wide smile, and Lucy rolled her eyes.

    "Time will tell."

    "Anyway, guess what I found out?" Sonia asked excitedly once again.

    "You found out that you are in love with Bryan?" Lucy asked dryly, making Sonia giggle.

    "No. I''m not in love with him yet, but I certainly want to know him and fall in love with him."

    "Is that what you found out?" Lucy asked with a yawn.

    "No. Your boss happens to be Bryan''s older brother!" Sonia said excitedly.

    Lucy''s eyes widened in surprise as she sat up on her seat. "What?" She hadn''t been expecting that.

    "You''re surprised, right? I was too. So you see? There is absolutely no way your boss can look hideous!" Sonia said confidently.

    "What if he was involved in an ident and got disfigured? Or perhaps he was born with some sort of disability which he is hiding from the world?" Lucy asked, not wanting to change her theory about him being ugly.

    "You''ve been reading too many novels. I don''t think that is the case. But imagine us being sister-inws if we get married to both brothers. That would make a good story, right?" Sonia asked with a bright smile.

    "It isn''t realistic. Stuff like that only happens in movies and novels, not in reality. Besides I have no interest whatsoever in my weird boss, and I''m sure he isn''t interested in me either," Lucy said confidently.

    "Don''t be so sure. I wonder what he might think when he finds out his assistant is the best friend of his future sister-inw," Sonia thought out loud.

    "I''d rather he doesn''t know anything personal about me, so please keep your mouth shut. Don''t go telling your fake fiance anything either," Lucy warned.

    "Whatever, I need to go now, I will let you know once I safely arrive at my fiance''s home," that Sonia hung up.

    She returned her phone into her handbag and looked outside through the cab window. She was grateful for the sunsses she was wearing which shielded her eyes from the sharp re of thete afternoon sunlight. Although she was looking outside, she wasn''t seeing anything as her mind was very far away. She tried to imagine all that could happen between her and Bryan during this visit. Was she doing the right thing? All she knew at the moment was that she liked Bryan, she wanted fun and also wanted inspiration for her story. Though getting married and having kids with him, were all secondary goals, but they were part of her n. She wanted to start a family, and she wanted it to be with him.

    Soon the cab came to a stop in front of the airport and she alighted after paying the cab driver. Her lips twitched with satisfaction when she noticed the attention she was receiving from men and women alike. With her long curly blonde hair cascading over her shoulders, she was dressed in a sexy yellow, mini, bodycon sequin dress, which was long-sleeved and had a v-neckline. Her beige-colored high-heeled sandals, made clinking sounds as she moved. Carrying her handbag in one hand, and holding the handle of her medium-sized bus, on the other hand, she slowly made her way inside the airport while enjoying the attention she was receiving. Being the fiancee of a celebrity like Bryan, she knew she needed to dress appropriately in an eye-catching manner. She was a vision to behold.

    She stopped midway and took out her phone from her handbag when she remembered she was yet to take pictures. She snapped several beautiful and cute selfies before asking a male passerby to take pictures of her, making sure her engagement ring was visible in all the photos. After that, she logged on to her Instagram and Twitter page and uploaded some of the photos, and tagged Bryan to them with the caption "Finally going to spend some time off work, with the love of my life."

    She knew he had been unable to trace her via social media because she wasn''t using her real name on social media. Once she was done she dropped the phone inside her bag and continued to the point where she was to check-in for her flight.

    She had a grin on her face as she imagined how shocked he would be when he sees her post. She would have preferred to show up at his house unannounced, but she wanted a lot of publicity.. That would keep him on his toes and as such make him more aodating.

 Chapter 52 - Idle Gossip

    Lucy shut down herptop when she finished working few minutes to closing hour and picked up the documents she needed to return to her secretary. She knew she could easily call her secretary over to pick them up, but she needed to be sure the staff in her unit were all doing their job and not cking off simply because she was not around to monitor them.

    She stopped outside the office door when she heard the conversations going on inside.

    "Do you think perhaps the boss likes her? I mean she just got here and is already working at the CEO''s office. Isn''t that a bit strange?" A feminine voice asked.

    "Or perhaps she is being punished for something? Who knows?" Another asked.

    "Whatever it is, I really hope she is okay. The CEO is such a weirdo and I can''t even imagine what he looks like to be hiding his identity this way. I''ve been here for three years, and never once have I spied himing in or leaving," She heard her secretary say.

    "You never can tell, maybe he is very handsome," another excited female voice guessed.

    "Three years? I''ve been here for five years. I heard he has his own private elevator in his office. Only the board of directors and some of their secretaries have seen him, I heard he isn''t bad looking," the firstdy said.

    "Hmm. Do you know if Miss Perry has seen him yet?" Someone asked her secretary.

    "I suppose so? I don''t know. You know I can''t ask her that. We are not that close yet," her secretary said.

    Lucy decided she had heard enough, and pushed open the office door, startling everyone of them who had gathered around her secretary''s desk. They all looked startled to see her and then each of them scurried off to their desks leaving only her secretary, who was wondering whether or not she had heard their conversation, to face her.

    "Here," Lucy said and dropped the documents on her desk before turning to look at the others who were now pretending to be focused on their work. They all knew she was a workaholic, and they guessed she probably expected the same zeal from them, "I haven''t seen him yet. But I''d rather you all spend the work hours doing the job you''re being paid to do rather than engaging in such idle gossips," Lucy said calmly before walking away.

    They all heaved a sigh of relief once the door closed behind them, and they remained quiet for some time until they were sure she was out of earshot. "Was that really Miss Perry?" One of the guys asked in disbelief.

    "She looks like apletely different person," Another guymented.

    "I would look different too if I was to work as the CEO''s personal assistant," one of thedies said with a naughty smile.

    "I know, right?" Another said with a knowing smile.

    "This new look suits her more. She looks more beautiful and less rigid," one of the guys said, and the other guy nodded in agreement.

    Meanwhile, outside the office, Tom had an impressed smile on his face when he saw Lucy approaching the car. He liked that she hade out earlier than the others, "It''s not closing hour yet," Tom reminded her once she got into the car.

    She gave him a nod, "Yeah. Mr. Harry said I should leave once I was done with my assignments for the day. The CEO apparently doesn''t love people hanging around the office doing nothing," Lucy said dryly as she buckled her seatbelt before turning to Tom.

    "Not bad. Do you have something to eat at home or should I order something for us?" Tom asked as he turned on the car''s ignition and drove out of the parking lot.

    Lucy paused for a moment. Dinner with him? They were going to hang out in either of their apartments seeing a movie anyway, so there was no reason not to have dinner while at it, she reasoned.

    "Let''s order pizza. That''s what I''m craving right now," Lucy said, and then remembered the medical test, "You''re certain I don''t need to get that test? There is still time for me to get it done."

    "You don''t need it," Tom said without sparing her a nce.

    Although she was still curious to know why he said she didn''t need the test, she was just going to wait and ask himter. For now, she allowed herself to rx, since she was relieved by Tom''s assurance.

    "So, how was work today?" Tom asked, wanting to keep their conversations light and easy.

    "Not bad. Thanks for lunch by the way. Thanks to you I don''t skip meals much anymore. My parents are going to love to know I have a neighbor like you," Lucy said with a small smile.

    "Really? I suppose they worry about your eating habits too?" Tom asked, curious to know more about her parents.

    "Yeah. Especially after I was hospitalized due to severe ulcer pains," Lucy said with a sad smile, not wanting to think about that time.

    "The ulcer is that serious? Yet you don''t eat? Why?"

    "I don''t know. Maybe I just love to keep my mind busy at every point in time so other important things seem to escape my mind. I only remember I haven''t eaten when I start feeling the pangs of hunger," she said with a dismissive shrug.

    Tom narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. Keeping her mind busy all the time had to mean she was trying not to think about something. What could that be? What was troubling her so much? He wondered.

    "I guess I have to make sure I remind you to eat all the time. I don''t want to have to rush you to the hospital," Tom said, and she smiled.

    "So what about you? Did you see yourdy crush today?" Lucy asked curiously.

    "Sure. During lunchtime," Tom said with a crooked smile.

    "Really? Did you approach her? Did she notice you?" Lucy asked, and he could hear the excitement in her voice.

    "I didn''t approach her, and I''m not sure she noticed me yet. What do you think I should do to make her notice me? Should I just approach her directly?" Tom asked, turning to spare her a nce.

    Lucy pursed her lips with a thoughtful expression on her face as she considered his question, "Maybe you should start by just saying hello to her when you see her. You could do that for say, two or three days, and then on the fourth day don''t do anything. Allow her to approach you and say hello to you. That works," Lucy said with a nod.

    "You mean I should ignore her?" Tom asked thoughtfully.

    "You don''t have to ignore her. Just allow her to initiate the greeting and conversation," Lucy exined.

    Tom scratched the back of his head, "What if she doesn''t bother to say hi, and just walks past me?"

    "She wouldn''t. Initiating the hellos for those first three days is you trying to get her to be familiar with you. When she sees you on the fourth day she would naturally want to say hello whether consciously or unconsciously," Lucy exined.

    "And when she says hello, what do I do?" Tom asked with a slightly raised brow.

    "You could ignore her and pretend like you didn''t see her unless she walks up to you. And it would be best if you are around anotherdy at that time, so you could just be casual with your greeting. I''m sure you won''t have any problem being with anotherdy," Lucy added dryly.

    "Thanks.. I think this tip might just be very helpful," Tom said with a smirk as he thought of ways he could use the tip against her.

 Chapter 53 - No More HideAndSeek.

    After eating, Bryan returned to bed and dozed off while waiting for Sonia''s editor to contact him. He slept soundly for some hours until the insistent sound of his ringing phone roused him from his midday slumber. He ced his pillow over his head to block off the sound, but each time the call ended, the phone started ringing again, until he had no other choice but to reach for it to see the identity of the person who was bent on disturbing his sleep.

    "Are you calling to tell me you have found her?" Bryan asked sleepily, hoping she had disturbed his sleep for something important. As that was the only thing that was important to him at the moment.

    "No. But..."

    Without saying another word, Bryan hung up and ced his phone on airne mode before returning to sleep. He didn''t want to think or talk about anything else until he was clear-headed.

    Mia hissed when she realized he had hung up on her, and she tried calling him again. After dialing his line a few more times without sess, Mia hissed angrily as she red at the phone in her hand as though she was looking at Bryan''s face. What was wrong with him? How could he be so rude? How could he hang up and switch off his phone without even finding out what she wanted to say? What was she going to do now?

    Bryan''s manager had called her to let her know he had been trying to reach Bryan all to no avail, and he had asked her to try and get across to him, and to inform him that he had to go to the airport to pick Sonia up.

    Most of his fans had reacted to Sonia''s tweet and Instagram post, and they were all expecting him to be at the airport to wee his fiancee. They knew without a doubt that a swarm of paparazzi would likely be gathered there to get pictures of the newly engaged couple as the news was still making the front pages of gossip columns. They all knew that if he didn''t show up at the airport when everyone knew he wasn''t busy with work, it would pass the wrong message to the public, and then people would start making assumptions and jumping to conclusions.

    Mia nced at her phone to check the time, and she knew she had no choice but to go over to his house to inform him of what was going on since she doubted he was aware that social media was abuzz with news of his fiancee''s visit. She was just going to drive down there and take him to the airport herself.

    Without wasting another moment Mia picked up her white zer and wore it over the pink camisole she was wearing before putting on ck sneakers which matched her ck trousers. After that, she picked up her purse and house key from the table before hurrying out of her house.

    A few minutester she arrived at Bryan''s house and hurried inside. She looked around the living room, and when she didn''t find him, she made her way to his bedroom, hoping he didn''t have any femalepany with him as he usually did.

    "Bryan?" Mia called out as she approached his room so that he would dress up if he was naked or ask her to stop if he was with someone. Bryan didn''t like being referred to as Mr. Hank, hence every one that worked with him simply called him Bryan.

    "Bryan?" She called again when she didn''t hear anything and slowly pushed the bedroom door before stepping inside. She scowled when she saw him sleepingfortably on the bed with his legs sprawled on both sides like he had no care in the world, "BRYAN!" She yelled angrily this time, to get his attention.

    Bryan almost jumped out of his skin, and he sat bolt upright on his bed the moment he heard his name being yelled. He looked around the room in confusion before his eyes finally rested on Mia, "Are you the one that yelled my name?" He asked with a frown.

    "As you can see, I''m the only one here." Mia hissed irritably. At this point, she was ready to lose her job. She wasn''t going to hesitate to give him a piece of her mind if he so much as disrespected her or annoyed her more than he had done already. She was fed up with him and his attitude.

    "Why are you here? Didn''t we just talk over the phone a minute ago?" He asked, wondering if that had been a dream.

    Seeing the confusion on his face Mia sighed, "You have to dress up and go to the airport right now," Mia said impatiently as she approached his closet to pick out something appropriate for him. She made sure to pick a yellow t-shirt so it would look like he and Sonia deliberately chosen to wear matching colors.

    "What? Why? Is there a job I need to do?" Bryan asked in confusion as he stood up from the bed with a lost look in his eyes.

    "Maybe if you hadn''t hung up while I was trying to talk to you, you would have known that your fiancee is on her way here to visit you," Mia said, expressing her disapproval in her tone.

    "Fiancee? Sonia?" Bryan asked, shaking his head which was still foggy with sleep. Was this a dream?

    "You proposed to someone else while we weren''t looking?" She asked sarcastically as she threw the yellow t-shirt and ripped jean trousers on the bed, "You should get dressed. She will probably be arriving any moment from now, and we have to be at the airport in time. We can''t keep her waiting," Mia said as she headed for the door.

    Although Bryan still did not understand what was going on, he could tell by the annoyance and urgency in Mia''s tone that Sonia was truly on her way to see him, so he quickly dressed up and joined Mia who was already outside the door holding his car key.

    "How did you find out she is on her way here? Did she call?" Bryan asked as he got into the backseat of the car, while Mia took the driver''s seat.

    "She tagged you to a post on Twitter and Instagram.. I suppose she is tired of ying hide-and-seek," Mia said with a shrug as she turned on the car''s ignition and drove off.

 Chapter 54 - May The Best Actor Win.

    Bryan unlocked his phone and noticed he had several missed calls from his manager and Mia, but ignored those as he opened his Instagram app and went to his page to check out his tags. He saw the pictures Sonia had tagged him to and then groaned when he realized why Mia had picked out a yellow t-shirt. He was trying to end things with Sonia not wear matching outfits.

    Why was Soniaing to see him all of a sudden after staying under the radar for some days? What was she trying to do? Was this some sort of fun game for her? Bryan wondered as he looked at her picture. He wished he knew what she was thinking in that head of hers, but unfortunately, he had no idea, so now he had to settle for whatever she was doing and y the game with her. He was just going to give Matt a call after this, and have him step in to take Sonia off his hands.

    Bryan nced at Mia when he noticed she had been unusually quiet for some time, and then remembered she had sounded annoyed back in his bedroom, "Are you still mad?"

    ''Good of you to notice,'' Mia thought in her head before taking in a deep breath. She was a very hot-tempered person, but thus far she had tried her best to be calm while working for Bryan, but he seemed to be pushing her to her limit these days, "It doesn''t matter," she said tight-lipped.

    "I didn''t ruin another date, did I?" Bryan asked in a concerned tone, hoping that wasn''t the case.

    "You didn''t."

    Bryan let out a sigh of relief, "I''m d. I''m sorry I hung up and had to make youe all this way. I was very boredst night and ended up binge-reading all night, so I was really exhausted and needed to sleep," Bryan said, and Mia spared him a nce before giving him a curt nod.

    She hadn''t been expecting an apology from him after all, but then again, his manager had said Bryan seemed to like her more than he had liked his past assistants. She had a feeling he liked her because she was not like his past assistants who were always willing to please him and take his crap. She never failed to express her disapproval or annoyance, even though she did so mostly indirectly.

    "What do you think about her? Sonia, I mean," Bryan asked, and Mia could guess from his tone that he was feeling kind of nervous.

    Mia was actually more than impressed by what Sonia was doing. Especially because since the engagement news got out, Bryan hadn''t been with any girl, at least none that she knew about, and this was a very good thing.

    "I think she is really cool. I like her," Mia said with a small smile, surprising Bryan.

    "You do? Why?" Bryan asked with a puzzled frown. Why could anyone who knew the true situation of things, and how Sonia was trying to frustrate him, like her?

    Mia nodded, "I used to love reading her novels until I started work and couldn''t find time to read anymore. I like to see that she is as bold and daring as the female leads in her stories," Mia said, with a small smile. She was going to give Sonia as much support as she could, as long as it would help them keep Bryan in check and out of scandals for some time.

    "Oh! I see."

    Somehow Bryan agreed with Mia. Sonia was unquestionably a talented writer, and maybe if he hadn''t met her under such weird circumstances, he would have been a real fan too. Perhaps he would have also appreciated her bold and daring attributes if only it wasn''t being used against him.

    "You don''t like her?" Mia asked after a brief hesitation.

    "I don''t."

    "Why?" Mia asked curiously. Sonia was a very beautiful, and intelligentdy, abination she was aware that Bryan liked in his women. So what was different about Sonia?

    "She is not my type. She looks and smells like trouble. I just want to wrap up this whole nightmare and return to my exciting life," Bryan muttered.

    There it was. He didn''t like the fact that the title of his rtionship with Sonia was stopping him from mingling with other women. He obviously did not want to be in amitted rtionship, hence he didn''t like Sonia. Too bad for him that she was going to be giving Sonia herplete support. It was high time someone tamed this bad boy, Mia mused as she kept driving.

    Some minutester the car rolled to a stop in front of the airport and before Bryan could alight from the car he sighted the swarm of paparazzi gathered around someone with their cameras in hand like they were taking pictures.

    "I guess my darling fiancee has arrived," Bryan muttered dryly as he observed what was going on.

    "You should join her," Mia suggested, trying to hide her excitement. This was like watching a movie, and she wanted to see just what Sonia had up her sleeves for this bad boy.

    As long as she wanted to y a game, he was going to y the doting fiance, that way it will be easier to act as the brokenhearted fiance who had been betrayed by thedy he loved. He was an actor after all, and a very good romance actor for that matter. Without saying another word, he got out of the car and dipped his right hand in his pocket as he made his way towards the small crowd.

    Once Bryan got close to them his lips curved in a smile as he yelled, "Baby!"

    Once Sonia heard his voice, her face lit up with a smile that started from her eyes, and her lips curved upwards, revealing her perfect set of white teeth. She could tell that Bryan was into his acting mode.

    ''May the best actor win,'' she thought in her head as she quickly let go of her handbag and luggage box, letting them fall to the ground as dramatically as possible, she rushed through the crowd of journalists and flung herself into Bryan''s ready arms.. Their lips locked in a passionate kiss, which of course was for the benefit of the curious eyes observing them, and also for the cameras which were now shing in their direction.

 Chapter 55 - Twofinger Test

    Lucy was still contemting on whether to go over to Tom''s apartment or wait for him toe over to hers when he knocked on her door. She looked down at the oversized ck t-shirt she was wearing over her leggings and decided she looked decent enough before opening the door.

    Tom took in her appearance in one nce and his lips twitched in amusement when he noticed she had tied her hair on a ponytail once again and was back to wearing her sses, "I hope I can get used to both versions of you someday," he said as he walked in carrying a box of pizza on one hand and a bottle of wine on the other hand.

    "I''m sure you will," Lucy said with a small smile as she shut the door behind him and walked straight to her kitchen. She returned with two wine sses and two china tes which she set on the center table before sitting on the couch which was adjacent to the one on which Tom was seated.

    Tom opened the pizza box and ced a slice of pizza on each te before handing one of the tes to her, "So what movie are we going to see?" Tom asked as he took a bite from the piece of pizza on his te.

    "I''m not sure I have any movie that would be of interest to you. So maybe we should leave the movie thing up to you," Lucy suggested. Maybe she was odd, but she preferred reading books to seeing movies. She never could stay awake until the end of any movie, and she always wondered why people had to pay to watch movies in a cinema.

    "Why? What sort of movies do you have?" Tom asked curiously, wanting to learn something new about her.

    "I''m not sure I have. But I prefer science fiction, thrillers, and superhero movies," Lucy said, and Tom raised a brow.

    "I see you''re not much into the romance genre?"

    "I don''t fancy movies that have happily ever afters. It''s not realistic. Life doesn''t work that way," Lucy said with a shrug, and then she remembered there was something more important to be discussed, so she dropped her te and pushed her sses up the bridge of her nose before looking at Tom.

    "You said you were going to tell me why I don''t need to get a medical test done," Lucy reminded him with a serious facial expression.

    Tom who had been about to take another bite from his pizza, paused midway and returned the pizza to his te as he met her gaze. He held her gaze for a while, and just when she was about to repeat her question he said, "I didn''t have sex with you."

    Lucy''s first instinct was tough at his joke. It had to be a joke. If he was trying to reassure her that she was safe, by lying that he hadn''t had sex with her, then he must think very low of her.

    Tom didn''tugh or smile as he watched her. He could tell that she didn''t believe him. He had thought long and hard about it, whether or not he should tell her the truth, and hade to the conclusion that there was no need to lie about something as simple as that, else it would furtherplicate things. He had imagined a case scenario between them whereby he would be about to make love to her and she would find out she was still a virgin and he had been lying to her about that. That could be disastrous and raise a lot of trust issues, and he didn''t want to add that to the many lies he had told her already.

    "You''re not joking, are you?" Lucy asked doubtfully when he remained quiet and just kept staring at her intensely.

    "I''m not joking."

    "Hold on, if you didn''t have sex with me then what happened? I know I was drunk and all, but I know what I felt," Lucy''s face colored in embarrassment as she said thest part.

    How was he supposed to exin this? Tom asked himself as he cleared his throat, "I only said I didn''t have sex with you, I didn''t say I didn''t touch you," he pointed out.

    Lucy''s brows pulled together as she considered his answer thoughtfully, "What does that mean? What is the difference?" She asked in confusion.

    "I mean I used my hands and tongue to make love to you. But I couldn''t do it," Tom said bluntly, making her face color.

    Lucy fought off the embarrassment she was feeling as this was an important subject and she couldn''t let herself be distracted by her embarrassment. What did he mean by what he was saying? What couldn''t he do? "I''m not sure I follow what you''re saying."

    This had to be the most awkward conversation he had ever had, Tom thought with a quiet sigh, "Halfway through the..." He paused to find the right word since he knew she was easily embarrassed by words, "Halfway through the process, I found out that it was your first time, so I couldn''t go on," Tom said, and Lucy''s eyes widened in surprise.

    "You mean you didn''t do it? I mean... Like you didn''t..." She stuttered, not knowing how to put it mildly. She was the type to blush furiously when she uttered certain types of words.

    "Yes. I didn''t prate. I used my mouth and fingers to pleasure you, so if anyone should be thinking about getting tested, it should be me and not you," Tom concluded with a small smile when he noticed how red her face looked.

    Although Lucy was very embarrassed by the whole discussion, she wanted to know why he had stopped. He had her permission to do to her as he pleased, so why didn''t he? He didn''t like virgins? Or perhaps he didn''t want her blood to stain the sheet because it wasn''t his house? "Why?" She voiced out.

    Tom paused again. He hasn''t expected her to ask why, but then again, this was Lucy. She never behaved as he expected. "I think your first sex should be memorable. And I''m kind of d I didn''t do it, else I would have been very disappointed, and my ego would have been bruised knowing that you didn''t even remember the events that took ce."

    That said, Tom returned to eating his pizza while Lucy remained there not knowing what to say or do. She felt too embarrassed to even look in his direction, so she looked everywhere else but at him.

    "How do I know you''re telling the truth?" Lucy asked after a while, still hoping he was lying because she really has no idea how she was going to be able to face him if he was telling her the truth.

    "Simple. The two fingers test. But I''m not sure you''d want me doing that to you, or maybe you would?" He asked with a grin before adding, "Just kidding. Maybe you could get someone else to help you do the two-finger test. Preferably ady. Or you can do it yourself. I''d like to watch you while you do it though.... You know, just to make sure you''re getting it right," Tom said with a straight face, but Lucy could see the humor in his eyes. It was quite obvious that he was having fun!

 Chapter 56 - Doting Fiance

    Sonia broke the kiss first, and took a step back to gaze into Bryan''s intelligent blue eyes with a mocking smile, "You missed me, didn''t you?" She asked, raising her right hand to pat his cheek in a fond gesture.

    Looking at the way they both stared at each other with their hands wrapped around each other''s waist, an onlooker would think they were two people deeply in love with each other, and who had missed each other.

    Bryan hadn''t realized just how green her eyes were, until that moment as he gazed into her pair ofpelling green eyes. She was a witch. A green-eyed witch with a beautiful smile.

    "More than I thought possible," Bryan assured her with a crooked smile as he wrapped his right arm around her waist in a firm grip and pulled her closer to him as though he was embracing her, "I''m sure you have had enough fun for the day, we should leave now," he whispered for her ears only while using his left hand to tuck a stray strand of hair away from her face.

    Without pulling away from his tight grip Sonia raised her hand to pat his chest and threw her head back,ughing happily as though he was saying something naughty, "You''re so naughty, my love. Why don''t you take me out to one of your favorite fun ces? After that, we can do all the naughty things you wantter," Sonia said in a somewhat loud voice so that everyone around them could hear her, and that way Bryan would be unable to turn down her request. She knew that once they walked through Bryan''s doors he was likely going to switch back to his arrogant and annoying self, and she wasn''t ready for any of that attitude yet.

    Sonia shed Mia a smile of gratitude when she saw that Mia had picked up the luggage box and handbag which she had dropped earlier and was taking them to the car.

    ''Well yed,'' Bryan mused as he watched her. It was obvious she wasn''t only a talented writer, but also a very good actress. "Anything for you my love," Bryan said, waving at the cameras with a smile on his face as he led Sonia to the car. He held out the door for her to get inside before joining her.

    "Hello! You''re Mia, right? I''m Sonia!" Sonia said, cing her head between the two front seats so that she could have a proper look at Mia who was now seated in the driver''s seat.

    "I know who you are. But howe you know my name?" Mia asked with a surprised smile as she shook the hand which Sonia had extended to her.

    Sonia giggled at that, "I should at least know the name of the beautifuldy who works for my fiance and puts up with his nonsense most of the time, shouldn''t I?" Sonia asked making Miaugh out loud.

    "Of course, you should," Mia said, and quickly stifled herughter when she spied Bryan ring at her from the corner of her eyes. She had just indirectly admitted that she was putting up with his nonsense. She quickly cleared her throat and asked, "So where are we going to? Home?"

    Mia wasing with them? Sonia wondered, "We? You don''t live with him, do you?"

    "Of course not!" Mia denied quickly.

    "Good. That means you don''t have to drive us anywhere. I''m pretty sure you have more important things to do with your spare time instead of driving him around like his driver. It''s not like he is shooting any movies at the moment, so you can leave," Sonia said, and Mia looked at Bryan uncertainly, waiting for his permission.

    Although Bryan didn''t like that Sonia was giving his staff orders without first consulting him, as though she was his wife, but he also didn''t want to get into such a minor argument with her yet, so he gave Mia a nod. It was best to allow her to win the small arguments, while he did his best to win the major ones instead.

    "You are free to leave," Bryan said with a smile that didn''t quite reach his eyes, before getting out of the car to take the key from her.

    "Thank you. I hope to see more of you," Mia told Sonia with a wink before getting out of the car, and that earned her a re from Bryan. Hope to see more of who? He was going to have to talk to everyone who worked for him. None of them were permitted to like Sonia or serve her. She hade here without invitation, and as such, she was on her own.

    "You surely will," Sonia assured Mia with a confident smile before she walked away.

    Hearing the confidence in Sonia''s tone Bryan snorted as he got into the driver''s seat. He turned to look at Sonia who was stillfortably seated at the back seat, "I thought I was ying the role of your fiance, or am I getting the script mixed up?" He asked with a slightly raised brow.

    Sonia giggled as she said, "How I love a man with an excellent sense of humor."

    She got out of the back seat with her handbag and joined him at the front before taking off her sandals, after that she buckled her seatbelt and nced at him, "So?"

    "So what?" Bryan asked, wondering what the question was as he turned on the ignition and drove off, leaving the paparazzi behind.

    "We are alone now, you are free to say whatever you want to say to me. Don''t you have any questions for me?" Sonia asked as she opened her handbag and took out her journal and a pen.

    Bryan watched as she held the pen over the note like she was waiting for him to say something so she would write it down. He decided that he wasn''t going to give her that satisfaction, "I don''t."

    He had so many questions he wanted to ask, but he wasn''t going to do it when she wanted him to. He wasn''t going to let her call the shots.

    "You don''t? I''m very surprised you''re not asking me anything or growling. What is the catch?" Sonia asked, tapping the pen on the journal as she watched him with curious eyes.

    "There is no catch. I have only decided to be a doting fiance to you," Bryan said, shing her an easy smile, "I''m d you''re here by the way. Now I can worry less about you.. Thanks foring," Bryan said with a toothy smile.

 Chapter 57 - Fate

    Lucy''s cheeks flushed a deep shade of red, and she was certain she was likely going to die of embarrassment before the end of the evening. How in heaven''s name hadn''t she guessed that she was still ''intact''? Was she really that naive?

    Thankfully Tom''s phone chose to ring at that moment, sparing them both the awkward silence that would have followed Tom''s sexually implicit suggestion. Tom dropped his te on the table and excused himself since he didn''t know who the caller was and if it was business-rted.

    Once he stepped outside he epted the call, "Hey Tom! It''s Jas!" An excited feminine voice greeted from the other end of the line before he could say anything.

    Even if she hasn''t mentioned her name, he would have guessed it was her from the way she talked. He had thought she sounded excited that morning because she had been exercising so she was breathless, but it seemed that was the way she always sounded. Chirpy.

    "Oh! Hello!" Tom greeted, not knowing what else he was expected to say to her now. Though he had flirted with her earlier on, for Lucy''s benefit, he had no interest in her other than being temporary neighbors.

    "I''m sorry I didn''t call earlier as promised, I was caught up with something at work," she said apologetically.

    "It''s fine. I''m in the middle of something at the moment, could we talk tomorrow?" Tom asked, wanting to return inside to Lucy.

    "Sure. I just wanted you to call as promised so you could have my phone number too, that''s all. Goodnight," Jas said before hanging up.

    Once he returned inside, he noticed that Lucy was still seated exactly the same way he left her, the only difference was that she was now slowly chewing her pizza with a distant look in her eyes, "That was Jas, the neighbor we were talking with this morning," Tom informed Lucy who reluctantly nced up at him.

    Lucy was tempted to tell him he had been the one talking with her not ''them'' but wasn''t what was important at the moment so she gave him an awkward smile and just said, "Oh! Okay."

    She continued taking bite after bite from her pizza since that was the only thing she could do at this point. At least that would keep her busy. At the moment she really didn''t know whether to be grateful that nothing had happened between them or to be embarrassed that she had been naive enough to think that something had happened or to be angry that he had led her to believe something had happened this whole time. Or perhaps he hadn''t led her to believe anything. She had been the one making all the assumptions the whole time. She had been the one judging him unfairly when she was the drunk who had forgotten everything that had transpired between them. The dominating emotion at the moment was shame and guilt.

    She rushed to remind herself that even though there had been no pration, he had made love to her with his tongue and fingers, so there was nothing to feel grateful for. It was the same thing... Well, almost the same thing, because now she was even more curious to know what pration would feel like if his tongue and fingers had felt good. She really wished he had done it, and saved her all this stress and headache. She winced at her shameless thought. That wasn''t what she was supposed to be thinking about at the moment.

    "Why do you look that way? What are you thinking about? Are you sad that I didn''t do it?" Tom asked curiously, making her choke on the pizza she had just swallowed.

    Tom quickly poured some wine into one of the sses and handed it to her. Once she sipped from it and calmed down a bit, she raised her head to look at Tom who was still staring at her but had a mischievous smile on his face.

    "What?" She asked, wondering why he was smiling that way. Could he read her mind? She would kill herself if he so much as found out what she had been thinking.

    "I''m still waiting for you to answer my question," he said, making it clear he expected an answer, "Do you wish I had done it?" He asked again, and this time Lucy''s heart skipped a beat, and she swallowed nervously.

    "I can''t answer that," Lucy said without meeting his gaze, and Tom nodded.

    He hadn''t expected her to answer anyway, this was Lucy after all. If she had answered it would have been out of character, "I guess that means you are conflicted," Tom said, trying hard not to smile.

    "Do you believe in fate?" He asked when she didn''t say anything.

    Her brows pulled together, "What?"

    Tom smiled at her, "Fate. I think maybe I''m fated to be your first lover," he paused to allow the words to sink in.

    Meanwhile, in another part of the country, Sonia narrowed her eyes at Bryan suspiciously. She could tell that he was up to something but she didn''t know what it was. She was certain it wasn''t something good, so she decided to stay on her toes and not let him get her unaware.

    "Where are we going to?" Sonia asked curiously since he had been driving for a long time now since he picked her up from the airport.

    "Why? Are you scared I''m going to take you somewhere far away, murder you and dump your body there?" Bryan asked making herugh.

    "You have a very active imagination. Maybe you should start writing your own stories," Sonia said with a smile, "I''m not scared. Just curious."

    "S & G. It''s one of my favorite clubs in the city," Bryan lied. Although he had heard a lot of things concerning the club which had a branch in almost every major city of the country, he had never been to any. Now he wanted to take her there to scare her off him before he would get the chance to invite Matt over.

    "You mean Sodom and Gomorrah? That is your favorite club?" Sonia asked, eyes zing with curiosity. S & G was known to be a den of sin as the biblical Sodom and Gomorrah were. All manner of evil took ce down there as it wasn''t just a strippers club, but also had an underground casino.

    "Yeah. Good thing your dress is befitting for a club," Bryan said with a smirk, looking her over with an unreadable expression in his eyes before returning his gaze to the road.

    Sonia smiled to herself as she took out her phone. She was d to know that they at least had something inmon. Sodom and Gomorrah just happened to be her favorite club too. What she most loved about the ce was the hot strippers. From the smirk on his face, she could guess he thought she wasn''t going to like the ce, so she decided not to tell him it was her favorite club. He was in for a lot of surprises.

    "What about your family? Do they know about our rtionship?" Bryan asked after driving in silence for some time.

    "My only family is my best friend, and she knows about you," Sonia said dismissively as she checked her message notifications on her Instagram and Twitter posts.

    "Aww, they''re asking for our couple photos," Sonia said as she took pictures of them both as he drove, and uploaded it on her Instagram page.

    Bryan was very tempted to ask her if she would ever get tired of doing what she was doing, but he knew what her answer would be, so he focused on something more important, "What about your family? I mean your biological family aside from your best friend,"

    "All dead."

    She said without emotion, making him turn to look at her with concern. He decided that her coldness had to be either because she hadn''t been very close to her family or because she was living in denial, "You weren''t very close to them?" Bryan asked, and Sonia looked up from her phone.

    She cocked her head to one angle as she looked at him quizzically, "You seem awfully curious about me right now, ain''t you?"

    "I figured I need to know the basic things about you since you''re ying the role of my fiancee," Bryan said defensively, making sure she wasn''t thinking he was interested in her or anything.

    "You seem to be forgetting something," Sonia said with an amused smile as she yed with the engagement ring on her finger.

    "Which is?"

    "This isn''t a movie, and I''m not an actress. I''m not ying the role of your fiancee. I AM your fiancee. You proposed remember?" She asked, shing the ring in front of him with a smile on her face, "And I epted."

    Bryan sighed. It seemed like she had mental problems. What if she had killed her family? She seemed like the type, Bryan thought. He would have to try and find out if she had any psychiatric condition. It would be an excuse to break off their engagement.. He was trying to gather as many valid excuses as he could.

 Chapter 58 - UTurn

    Lucy''s heart fluttered at his words. What was going on? Why was she suddenly feeling this way? This was Tom, her driver. Why were butterflies fluttering in her belly at his words? She shouldn''t be reacting this way.

    She cleared her throat, "Tom..."

    "How else would you exin the fact that we ended up bing next-door neighbors, and I''m your driver? It has to be fate, right?" Tom asked, cutting her off before she could say anything. All he wanted right now was to build the sexual tension between them and make her sexually aware of him. He wanted to make it clear to her that he wasn''t going to be just her friend, and he wanted to make her desire him. He had no intention of being friend-zoned.

    "It''s just coincidence," Lucy said, not wanting to rte the whole thing to fate or allow him to start having ideas.

    Tom shook his head, "Unfortunately I''m not much of a believer in coincidence. So let''s put it this way, since I was supposed to be the lucky man to expose you to the sinful pleasures of this world, how about we keep it that way?" Tom asked, and Lucy almost swallowed her tongue in surprise.

    Lucy blinked at him, "Wh.... what way?" She asked in a small voice as though she was scared to even hear his answer.

    "When you''re ready to have sex again, I have to be the one. At least I should bepensated for having to sleep with a hard-on after satisfying your body," Tom said with azy shrug.

    What was happening between them right now? Was she dreaming? This had to be a dream. How had they made such a U-turn from being casual friends eating pizza to two adults talking about sex? "You are pulling my legs, right?" Lucy asked with a nervous smile, not knowing why she was reacting so slowly to everything he was saying.

    "I''m not," Tom and with a straight face.

    "But we agreed to be friends..." She reminded him.

    "Doesn''t change anything. We could always add benefits to the friendship. Plus don''t forget it''s my right. I was the one supposed to do it, anyway. So let''s just assume I postponed the date," he reminded her.

    "No, you didn''t postpone the date. You chose not to do it even when you knew you might not see me again after that day," Lucy countered.

    "Hence I said ''assume''. Fine then, let''s just say I chose to leave it to fate because I believe in fate and viol��! Here we are today!" Tom said with a satisfied smile that only deepened the crease on her brow.

    "You are forgetting that you''re my driver now. You weren''t then," she reminded him.

    "And I''m sure you won''t be the first boss to be having sex with her driver," Tom countered, making her heart flutter again. What was going on?

    "You have someone you like," She reminded him.

    "Have you noticed something from all your responses so far?" Tom asked with a crooked smile.

    "What?"

    "You seem to be telling me all the reasons why we shouldn''t. You haven''t said you don''t want us to do it. Is that to say you want us to?" Tom asked with undisguised amusement in his smile.

    "No!" Lucy answered too quickly making him cock his head to one side as he narrowed his eyes at her.

    "No?" He asked.

    "Yes. No. I mean No. I don''t want to have anything sexual with you," Lucy replied. Her heart was beating so fast that she was sure he could hear it.

    The right side of Tom''s lips curved in a crooked smile as he looked at her. He was oddly enjoying himself. He hadn''t nned to do any of this when he asked that they eat together. But seeing how flustered she looked right now, he was very impressed with himself. Who could have guessed that he had this in him?

    "Are you sure about that? I can still remember how you begged me to kiss you thest time. So maybe you should think again before you answer, don''t you think?" Tom asked without taking his eyes off her.

    The more he spoke the more light-headed Lucy became, and the more her heart raced. She wanted him to leave. She needed some space to be alone so she could organize her thoughts andpose herself. This person right now wasn''t her.

    "I suppose you have forgotten all that happened between us... Perhaps I should rekindle your memory..."

    "No!" Lucy half yelled as she quickly got up from her seat.

    "No? You don''t want to know how my tongue traced the curve from jaw down to your neck and from there descended to your cleavage? Or how you moaned when I sucked on your hard nipples? Should I tell you the number of times you screamed ''fuck'' as my hands yed with your nipples and my tongue sucked your..."

    Lucy felt her knees grow very weak and she knew she had to stop him now, "Stop! Please stop. Please," Lucy pleaded as she lowered herself on her seat.

    Tom stood up from his seat and walked over to where she was seated. He lowered himself in front of her so that they would both be at the same eye level, and then slowly took off her sses. After dropping the sses on the space beside her, he ced a finger under her chin and raised her head so that she would meet his gaze, "I''m not asking you to date me. I know you''re not into rtionships. I''m single at the moment, and so are you. So if the timees that you need a man to warm your bed, that man should be me. Is that okay?" He asked without breaking eye contact.

    Lucy swallowed nervously and nodded as though she was being hypnotized by his disturbingly intense hazel eyes.

    "Good girl. I should allow you to get some rest. You look so flustered," Tom said as his eyes fell on her lips which were stained with pizza crumbs. He reached out with his thumb and brushed her lower lip in a sensual manner.

    Lucy''s breath caught in her throat when she felt his hand on her lip. She couldn''t understand how the dynamics of their rtionship could have changed within a couple of minutes, all because he had confessed to not having sex with her.

    Tom''s eyes lingered on her lips for a moment before he returned his gaze to her eyes and he noticed her eyes were swirling with confusion, "Goodnight Lu," Tom said and straightened up before he became too tempted to kiss her.

    Lucy couldn''t find her voice, so she didn''t bother to say anything. She simply nodded her head as she watched him pick up another piece of pizza, "I will return your te and winess tomorrow.. Don''t forget to think about what we just discussed," Tom added before heading for the door.

 Chapter 59 - Mistake

    Once they walked through the doors of the club, Sonia started moving her body to the rhythm of the music. She turned to look at Bryan and noticed the confusion on his face as he looked around the club, "Are you looking for someone?" She asked curiously.

    "No, let''s get somewhere to sit," he said as he moved forward but Sonia ced a hand on his arm to stop him.

    "Let''s go that way instead, I''d love to have a good view of the strippers. I hope you have a lot of cash on you? Or your debit card?" She asked as she dragged him towards the VVIP area of the club where only the best of the best strippers performed.

    "Have you been here before? You seem to know your way around," Bryan observed, wondering how she knew where she was going.

    "I''ve been to the branch at Heden, not this one. I think all their clubs are structured in the same way, so you feel at home regardless of the branch you visit. I''ve never been to the VVIP wing before, that is why we are going there now," Sonia shrieked excitedly.

    What? She had been to Sodom and Gomorrah? Why hadn''t she mentioned it in the car? How was this supposed to scare her if she was already familiar with the club? From all indications, it seemed like he had only brought her here to enjoy herself instead of scaring her off him.

    "You haven''t been here before, have you?" Sonia asked as she led the way.

    "I have," Bryan lied.

    Sonia turned to look at him, and she could guess he wasn''t telling the truth, but she chose not toment on it, "Good then."

    A uniformed man approached them to find out where they were going, and Sonia informed him they needed a VVIP room. He nced at Bryan. When he recognized Bryan he gave them a polite nod and led them to a private room.

    Sonia rxed on the soft seat and crossed her legs, "Get us your most expensive drinks, and bring us the best strippers you''ve got," Sonia ordered before the man excused them.

    Seeing the smile of contentment on her face, Bryan could tell he had made a mistake by bringing her here. His initial n had been to get many strippers around them and y with thedies in front of Sonia, so she would see him for the irresponsible guy he was, and leave him alone. But seeing her request for strippers herself, he knew this was a mistake, and he was in for a very long night. Now he wished he hadn''t left his phone in the car.

    "Your card, please?" Sonia said, extending her hand so he could hand her his credit card. She didn''t want to start drinking or doing anything without being sure that he had his card or money with him.

    Bryan reluctantly took out his wallet from the pocket of his trousers and extracted the debit card from it before handing it to Sonia, "Thank you, baby," she purred happily and leaned over to kiss him.

    "No one is watching us here. You don''t have to kiss me," Bryan pointed out.

    She tut-tutted in disapproval, "You hurt my feelings, darling. I''m not an actor like you, so I don''t live my life to entertain other people," she said with a sigh.

    Her eyes lit up when the door opened and two half-nakeddies walked in. The blonde one was carrying a bottle of wine and two wine sses, and the brte was carrying a small ice bucket.

    The blonde was very pretty. About 5''6" and around 112 lbs. Her blonde hair was long and straight. She was wearing a tiny red bikini and heels. The bikini top which barely covered her nipples left her pink ares exposed. Her breasts were round and full, and she had a round firm ass.

    The brte on the other hand was wearing just a thong and heels. Her long dark brown hair flowing over her shoulders. Her tits were full and firm, and Sonia was willing to bet herst dime that they weren''t natural.

    "You sent for us?" The blonde asked in a sultry voice as she dropped the bottle of wine and sses in front of them.

    Sonia grinned at them in satisfaction as her eyes trailed over their bodies, "Yes, we did. What are your names?" She asked, looking from one to the other.

    "I''m Candy," The blonde said.

    "I''m Brandy," The brte said.

    "Nice. I''m Sonia, and this is my fiance Bryan. I''m sure you know him. He is an actor," Sonia said, and they smiled when they looked at Bryan who had a disinterested look on his face.

    "Sure, we know him. He looks even more handsome in person," Brandy said excitedly as her gaze traveled over Bryan.

    Bryan ignored them as he picked up a ss and poured himself some wine. If he had been alone at the club, maybe he would have enjoyed thepany of the strippers. But being here with Sonia, he just wanted to drink and go home.

    "Your tits, are they natural?" Sonia asked Brandy curiously, making Bryan''s ears perk up.

    Brandy smiled as she looked down at her tits as though she had never seen them before, "No, they''re not. You want to touch them?" She asked, returning her gaze to Sonia who bobbed her head.

    Brandy moved closer to Sonia, and Bryan who had been ignoring them looked to see what Sonia was going to do. He watched in amazement as Sonia cupped Brandy''s tits and squeezed them gently, "They''re beautiful," Sonia said with a happy smile before turning to wink at Bryan who was staring at her.

    "My fiance is in a bad mood, please make him feel better," Sonia said as she leaned back in her seat to watch thedies work their magic on Bryan.

    *********

    Tom had a grin on his face as he walked into his apartment. He had no idea what had gotten into him, but whatever it was, he hoped it remained long enough for him to win Lucy''s heart. Bryan had said if he seeded in getting into her bed, and if he did a good job, then getting into her heart would be easy.

    He believed now that telling her the truth had been a good idea. He had noticed how the truth had ended up making her feel guilty and had also contributed to making her feel very vulnerable, which was exactly why she had been unable to reject him as she would have. Tom smirked when he remembered how flustered she had looked. Perhaps this was the way he was going to pull her one step forward and two steps backward stunt on her.

    Tom walked into the bedroom and stood in front of the dressing table where a mirror was positioned, before picking up a pack of contact lens that he had brought with him to the house. He needed to practice how to fix it before the next day. He opened his YouTube app and started searching for videos that would show him easy ways to fix the lens. After trying for about ten minutes, he finally got it right. He took a step back from the mirror and smiled when he saw how different he looked with blue eyes.. He knew without a doubt that there was no way Lucy was going to be able to recognize him once he had the wig and beards in ce.

 Chapter 60 - Seeking Advice

    Lucy didn''t bother to stand up. Her heart was still racing and her knees were still weak. Just what on earth had just happened? Did something possess Tom? Why was he confusing her? Sometimes he was a good guy, and at other times he acted like a bad boy. Just what was he?

    Lucy rubbed her eyes and tried to rx her body which was still very tense by breathing in and out through her mouth. She knew needed to talk to someone about what had just happened between her and her driver else she feared her brain was going to explode. She picked up her phone, wanting to give Sonia a call, but quickly changed her mind. Knowing Sonia she knew exactly what to expect from her.

    Sonia was going to be very excited about this new turn of events, and start building castles in the air. Sonia would then start trying to look for ways to make her imaginary ship sail.

    Who else could she talk to aside from Sonia? Probably Lucas. Her twin brother was her male best friend, and maybe a male would better understand how Tom''s mind was functioning at the moment.

    She picked up her sses from the couch where Tom had dropped them, and ced them on the table, before carrying the bottle of wine and the pizza box which still contained about six pieces of pizza to the refrigerator. Thanks to Tom her appetite hadpletely vanished. After storing them in the refrigerator she walked into her bedroom and sat down on her bed before dialing Lucas'' line.

    Lucas was seated in his living room watching a soap opera with his fiancee when his phone started ringing, "I really hope it''s not the hospital," Lucas said when Rachel stood up to get his phone which was charging close to the television.

    "No. It''s your twin," Rachel informed him as she handed the phone to him.

    "Hey! How are you?" Lucas asked immediately after he received her call.

    "I''m fine. Are you very busy at the moment? I could call backter," Lucy said apologetically. Being a medical doctor, she knew he was almost always busy, hence she tried not to call him often unless it was very important.

    "No, I''m not. I''m not on call tonight. Rachel is here with me, do you want to say hi?" He asked, referring to his fiancee.

    As if he expected her to decline when he had just mentioned that she was there listening to their conversation, Lucy mused with an eye roll before saying, "Sure."

    During their High school days, Rachel had tried toe between her and Lucas, and even though she had forgiven Rachel for her brother''s sake, she couldn''t forget what Rachel had done, so their rtionship was still strained.

    Lucas handed the phone to his fiancee, "Hey Lucy! It''s so nice to hear from you," Rachel greeted in a very friendly tone.

    Lucy tried to sound friendly for the sake of Lucas who she knew was trying hard to smoothen the rtionship between his twin sister and the love of his life, "Same here. How has work been?" Lucy asked Rachel who was a pharmacist.

    "Not bad at all. I hope you settled in alright? Maybe one of these days we will drive down to see how you''re doing."

    "Maybe," Lucy said, hoping Rachel would hand the phone to Lucas now that they were done with the small talk. She wasn''t really the type that enjoyed chitchats, but Rachel seemed to enjoy doing that a lot even though they both weren''t very close.

    "So what is Ludus like?" Rachel asked, wanting to continue the conversation.

    Lucy winced, "I''m sure you will find out when you eventually visit me. Do you mind handing the phone to my brother? I need to speak with him about something important," Lucy exined as politely as she could.

    "Oh! Sure then," Rachel said, and quickly returned the phone to Lucas, not before telling him that Lucy said she wanted to tell him something important.

    "Is everything okay?" Lucas asked in concern as he excused himself from Rachel.

    "Well, I need your opinion on something. It''s about a female friend..."

    "Sonia?" Lucas asked since Sonia was the only female friend in Lucy''s life.

    "No. You don''t know her. She is the friend of my colleague here," Lucy lied, making Lucas frown.

    "Okay... What about your friend? Is she ill?"

    "No. It''s not health-rted. The thing is, she met this guy at a club, and then they were supposed to have a one-night stand. Now the guy happens to be her neighbor and driver at work, but ording to the guy he didn''t have sex with her because she was drunk and it was her first time..."

    Lucas narrowed his eyes, "Neighbor and driver? How is that possible? Are you sure he is not stalking her?"

    "We don''t think so. Although she thought so at first. But the thing is, he was living in the building before she moved in, so there is no way he was stalking her. So there is no way he is stalking her. And there is also no way he could have gotten a job in herpany just to be her driver within two days that she started working there, right?" Lucy asked thoughtfully.

    "Wow! I think I know this your colleague''s friend. Her name doesn''t happen to be Lucinda Perry, does it?" Lucas asked in amusement.

    "It''s not me. It''s a friend''s friend!" Lucy said defensively making Lucas chuckle.

    "Oh? No longer a colleague''s friend? Okay. I believe you. Go on."

    Lucy chose to ignore the sarcasm she could clearly hear in his tone, "Well, now he says he has to be her first lover since he was the one who was supposed to do it the first time," Lucy couldn''t help feeling foolish as she spoke.

    "Okay. And what does this your friend''s friend who sounds exactly like you, think?" Lucas asked, making Lucy grit her teeth.

    "I said I''m not the one," she snapped at him.

    "I didn''t say you are the one either, did I? I only said she sounds a lot like you. So go on, what does she think?" Lucas asked again curiously.

    "Well, he is her driver, remember? Things will be awkward between them. Besides he is interested in a rtionship with someone else. And he has the attention of so manydies. They are also neighbors, so it''s going to be weird," Lucy said.

    "Is that what she thinks? Are those the reasons she doesn''t want to be with him? Or perhaps she is just scared of getting emotionally attached to him, so she is hiding behind those excuses?" Lucas asked, making Lucy frown.

    "No! She doesn''t even like him that much," Lucy quickly corrected.

    "So what could be the problem? I wonder why she chose to have a one-night stand with him in the first ce. She didn''t happen to tell you why, did she?"

    Knowing that if she told him the truth about the birthday night he would figure out it was her, she decided not to, "No she didn''t."

    "I think the guy likes her," Lucas said after some time.

    "He doesn''t. I already told you that he likes someone else," Lucy reminded him.

    "You sound like you know the guy in question personally."

    "No, I don''t. I''m just telling you what she said. So what do you think?" Lucy asked impatiently.

    Lucas thought about it for a moment, and he had a feeling in his gut that the whole thing wasn''t a mere coincidence, but he didn''t know how else to exin it. Perhaps it was fate? He liked that the man whoever he was hadn''t touched his sister while she was drunk. It showed he was a disciplined person, and if anyone was going to be with his sister, he''d rather it be someone like that.

    "Well, I agree with him. If someone has to do it, then it can as well be him.. He earned the right after all."

 Chapter 61 - Brotherly Advice

    Earned the right? That was simr to what Tom had said too. "And what if she doesn''t want to?" Lucy asked anxiously.

    "Well, it''s her choice. I''m certain her driver would not force himself on her. I''m just saying if she is going to pick someone, then it can as well be the person she picked the first time," Lucas said reasonably.

    "What if..."

    "Lucy, let''s stop ying around now. I know you well enough to know you wouldn''t call me to ask about a colleague''s friend that means nothing to you. You called because this is bothering you, and it''s only bothering you this much because you''re probably attracted to him. Am I wrong?" Lucas asked.

    "I''m not attracted to him."

    "You can''t convince me otherwise. I''ve been with you all our lives, so I know you better than anyone else. And honestly, I''m d that there is someone you feel this way about even..."

    "I don''t feel any way about him," Lucy cut in.

    "... Even though I''m sure you''re going to stubbornly hold on to your decision of not getting involved with any guy," Lucas continued as though she hadn''t interrupted him.

    "Tell me something, why can''t you just let yourself have a little fun?" He asked in a concerned tone.

    Lucy sighed in resignation. There was no point arguing with him or trying to convince him otherwise. Lucas was very stubborn and once he believed something, he held on to it like a dog to a bone, "He likes someone else."

    "He told you that, didn''t he?"

    "Yes."

    "Is he dating this person? Have you met her?" Lucas asked thoughtfully.

    "Not yet."

    "Do you know if he has made his feelings known to her?" He asked again.

    "No he hasn''t," Lucy said, wondering why Lucas was asking so many questions.

    "Does it bother you that he likes someone else?" Lucas asked thoughtfully.

    "Of course not! He even asked me to help him get thedy! I''m not interested in him, honest to God."

    He asked her to help him get thedy, and then he was also asking her to have an affair with him? Something didn''t add up about the story. He had a feeling that the person the guy liked was Lucy and not any otherdy. It was probably best he keeps the knowledge to himself since he knew Lucy well enough to know that the moment she suspects the guy likes her, she would run in the opposite direction.

    "You told him you''re not interested in guys?" Lucas asked thoughtfully.

    "Of course I did. I don''t want him getting wrong ideas."

    "And he offered to be your first lover, am I right?" Lucas asked, making Lucy cringe in embarrassment. There used to be a time when she and Lucas talked about everything possible. He had even confided in her the first time he had sex with Rachel while they were in high school. Now she felt awkward talking to him about this.

    "Yes. Can you stop asking me so many awkward questions and just tell me what you think I should do?" Lucy asked impatiently.

    From everything she had said, Lucas had gotten all the information he needed to confirm his suspicions. It was probably fate that had brought her and this guy together, and he was in love with Lucy. But because she didn''t want a rtionship he had offered to be her lover while also making her let down her guard by leading her to believe that he was interested in someone else. He liked the guy already.

    "I know this is likely going to be a bad idea, but I''m going to give it anyway. Since you''re not looking for a serious rtionship, but you obviously want a lover, wouldn''t it be better to get involved with someone you know, and are attracted to? Someone who isn''t interested in your heart but just your body?" Lucas asked even though he doubted the man Lucy was talking about wanted only her body.

    Lucy pursed her lips as she gave it a thought, "Maybe."

    "Good. So you should probably stop thinking about it too much and tell your colleague''s friend to give it a try," he added jocrly.

    "Why do I feel like you''re saying this only because you want me to get involved with someone at all cost?" Lucy asked suspiciously.

    "I''m saying this only because I love you, and I want you to be happy. Besides, I will feel better knowing you have someone out there who is looking out for you. So think about it, please."

    "Alright. I will think about it. You can''t tell either mom or dad about this," Lucy warned.

    "You know I won''t. Your secret is safe with me," Lucas promised.

    "You can''t tell Rachel either," Lucy added, making Lucas pause.

    "I know you still don''t like her much, but can you please try harder?" Lucas asked in a low tone so that Rachel wouldn''t know they were talking about her.

    "I don''t have to like her. You are the one who is in a rtionship with her, not me," Lucy pointed out.

    "We are one, remember? You are my twin sister and I really want you both to get along," Lucas pleaded.

    "You should have thought of that before getting involved with her after she tried to cause confusion between us," Lucy said grudgingly.

    "She was only a teenager then. She has changed a lot since high school, I promise."

    "I''m not promising anything, but I will try," Lucy said with a yawn.

    "That reminds me, Rachel and I have picked a date for our wedding," Lucas announced.

    "Oh! Already?" Lucy asked in surprise. She had thought they were probably just going to remain engaged for some time while living together.

    "Yes. We will be getting married in a month. And I''m hoping you won''te alone," Lucas said, making Lucy roll her eyes.

    "Since when did you start sounding like mom?" Lucy asked dryly making Lucas chuckle.

    "So what is his name?" Lucas asked curiously.

    Lucy feigned a yawn, "I need to sleep now, and I''m sure you have to return to your darling fiancee. Goodnight. I love you," Lucy said and hung up without waiting for Lucas to respond.

    What had she been expecting? She should have known Lucas would say this. Both her mother and Sonia, and maybe her father too, would also have said the same thing, because they all wanted her to get involved with a man. She sighed as shey down on her bed and shut her eyes as though shutting out all the thoughts in her head.. She would just think about it tomorrow, even though she wasn''t looking forward to facing Tom.

 Chapter 62 - Whose Brother?

    "Good morning, Miss Perry. Did you have a good night''s rest?" Tom greeted politely when Lucy joined him by the car the following morning.

    She wasn''t wearing her sses as instructed and her long ck hair fell around her shoulders in cascades. She was dressed in a peach-colored suit, with white camisole inside, and a white handbag on her right wrist to match the white stiletto heels on her feet.

    Lucy blinked at him for a moment as if she wasn''t sure he was talking to her. Hadst night been a dream? Or perhaps he had been on hard drugs? Lucy wondered as she stared at him. Taking a closer look at him, she noticed the amusement in his eyes. It definitely wasn''t a dream. He was trying to mess with her mind.

    Now that she was certain it was her he was speaking to, she tried to wear a straight face, "Good morning. I slept well. Thank you," Lucy said curtly, without bothering to enquire about his night. After the attitude he had put up the previous evening, she wasn''t sure she could trust him to answer her questions without a hint of sexual undertones in his words. He seemed like an entirely different person to her now.

    Once Lucy woke up that morning, she had made up her mind to hold off Tom''s advances for as long as she could. That would give her ample time to help him get his mysterydy. That way he wouldn''t want to have sex with her and risk jeopardizing his rtionship. If possible she was going to find the woman he liked and even be close friends with her. That way he wouldn''t risking too close to her.

    Lucy got into the backseat of the car this time, as though trying to remind Tom that she was his boss and expected him to treat her as such. Tom got the message loud and clear. He was beginning to enjoy the chase. Maybe this was why it was said that men loved to chase women who were difficult to get. Her attitude was only going to make the victory sweeter when eventually she sumbs to his temptation. Tom had a smirk on his face but said nothing as he turned on the car''s ignition and drove off.

    Tom kept stealing nces at her through the rearview mirror until she met his gaze once, "Are you nervous?" Tom asked, making her raise a brow.

    "Am I supposed to be?"

    One edge of Tom''s lips curved in a smile when he noted that she had regained control of her emotions. He liked that, and it made him want to ruffle her feathers, "I don''t know. I overheard Mr. Harry say something about the CEOing to work today."

    He said making Lucy''s heart skip a beat as she sat up involuntarily, "The CEO?" She asked nervously, and Tom gave her a nod.

    "Why didn''t you mention it yesterday?"

    "I thought you were aware. I only just realized that you had no idea, sorry."

    "It''s fine," Lucy said thoughtfully. Perhaps she could ask Sonia to find out what she could about her boss from his brother? And also get a picture if possible? She deserved to know the face of the freak she was working for.

    Speaking of Sonia, Lucy realized that she was yet to hear from Sonia since she said she was on her way to visit Bryan, so she immediately unlocked her phone to dial Sonia''s line, but smiled when Sonia''s call came in at that same moment, "Were you spying on me? Or do you read minds now? I was just about to dial your line," Lucy said, making Sonia smile.

    "That''s why I''m your soulmate baby. Good morning," Sonia said with a yawn as she walked out of the house dressed in a red bikini, and carrying one of Bryan''s towels. She had woken up earlier than Bryan, thanks to her poor sleeping habit which seemed to be her curse as a writer.

    "You''re still in bed?" Lucy asked curiously, wondering why she called if she was still sleepy.

    "No. I''m up and on my way to the swimming pool. I''m sorry I couldn''t call to let you know about my trip. I arrived safely and then we went out and returned reallyte and wasted."

    Lucy purse her lips, "Wasted? I suppose things are going well between you two?" Lucy asked dryly.

    "Well, you could say so. Don''t worry about me, I''m just going to seduce him while trying to get inspiration for the story I''m working on at the moment. The n is simple though, it''s either he gives me his heart or he gives me a baby," Sonia said with a mischievous smile. While at the club with him the previous evening she had made up her mind on this. Her ability to change her mind on what she wanted at every minute was one of her biggest ws.

    Lucy''s brows creased in worry, "Are you sure that is what you want? You shouldn''t do something you might end up wishing you didn''t do," Lucy said in a concerned tone like the good girl she was.

    Hearing the concern in her tone Tom nced at her through the rearview mirror as he tried to guess who she was speaking with. Her brother? Or her best friend?

    "Don''t worry about me. I''m a big girl, and you know it. So what about you? How is your driver?" Sonia asked making Lucy''s eyes flicker to the rearview mirror where she met Tom''s eyes. She quickly looked away.

    "I''m in the car. On my way to work," Lucy said, hoping Sonia would get the message.

    "Oh! Okay then."

    "I was going to ask, could you help me find out what you can about my boss?" Lucy asked, not noticing the curious expression that appeared on Tom''s face when he heard her. His ears had pricked at her words.

    "Oh! So now you want me to be a loudmouth and tell Bryan about you working for his brother, right?" Sonia asked dryly, reminding her that just the previous day she had asked her not to say a word to Bryan about her.

    "I''m not asking you to tell him I work for his brother. Just extract information from him. It would be better if you can get me pictures too," Lucy suggested as Tom drove into the parking lot of thepany.

    Whose brother? Who was she talking about? Tom mused as he listened in on her conversation.

 Chapter 63 - What The Heck?

    Whose brother? Him? Who was she talking to? And who were they talking about? Tom mused as he listened in on her conversation.

    Sonia paused her lips thoughtfully, "Well, I will see what I can do for you. Call me when you''re alone and can talk about your super hot driver," Sonia said before they both hung up.

    "Who were you talking to? You know someone who knows the boss?" Tom asked as he parked the car. He didn''t bother to hide the fact that he had eavesdropped on her conversation. Of course, he had heard her. If she didn''t want him to hear her conversation she wouldn''t have made the call in his presence. He wasn''t sitting on top of his ears, and he definitely hadn''t left his ears at home. She had made the call in front of him, so it was only fair that she satisfy his curiosity.

    Lucy met his gaze in the rearview mirror, and she looked at him as if she was contemting whether or not to share such a ssified information with him. At least this was a normal conversation between friends whenpared to what he had done the previous evening. She was going to keep treating him as a friend regardless of what he says or does. That way he would get used to being a friend and stick to the friend zone, Lucy reasoned.

    After a moment''s hesitation, she finally said, "You can keep a secret, right? You can''t tell anyone else about this. Can I trust you?"

    "I''m sure you know you can," Tom said, and Lucy leaned a bit forward in her seat as if she was scared someone else might hear what she wanted to say.

    "Remember my best friend, Sonia? She is engaged to Bryan Hank, the CEO''s younger brother," Lucy said in a whisper, making the hair on Tom''s neck stand on end. Maybe if she looked close enough, she would notice the goosebumps that had appeared on his exposed arm at her words.

    WHAT THE HECK? How had this happened? Of all thedies in the world, his younger brother was engaged to Lucy''s best friend? Did Bryan possibly know Lucy? There was no way this was a coincidence like the rest ''coincidences'' since he hadn''t nned for this to happen. He would have been busted even before he started? Tom reasoned in his head, as he tried to maintain a neutral expression. Luckily the surprise on his face was real even though it was for a different reason from what Lucy was thinking.

    "You''re surprised, right?" Lucy asked with a small smile.

    "Wow! I''m very surprised. It''s a very small world, isn''t it?"

    Lucy decided to leave out the part that it was a fake engagement, and nodded her head, "Yes, it is. So maybe she can help me to get his pictures. I think I will feel more at ease when I know what he looks like, and maybe find out a thing or two about his personality," Lucy said as she unbuckled her seatbelt.

    "Yeah. I understand. Good luck with that. I hope you show me his picture when you finally get it," Tom said with a polite smile as she opened the car door, getting set to get down.

    "Maybe if you''re nice I will show you. Remember, you can''t tell anyone else about this. Thest thing I want is for everyone in thepany to find out about this. They would assume I got promoted because my best friend got engaged to the CEO''s brother, and I don''t want that," Lucy said with a frown, and Tom nodded in understanding.

    "You don''t have to worry, my lips are sealed," Tom promised and used his fingers to make a zipping gesture on his lips. She gave him a nod as she got out of the car.

    "See you at lunchtime!" He called out to her as she walked away, reminding her that she had asked him to have lunch with her the previous day.

    Lucy regretted doing that now, as she walked towards the building. She had made an impulsive decision the previous day, and now she couldn''t back out of it. Although she intended to keep being nice to him, she wasn''t sure she would be veryfortable with him in a closed space after all he had said. That he had acted properly during the drive to the office wasn''t a guarantee that he would act properly during lunchtime. It had taken all the courage stored up in her reservoir to face Tom that morning. She didn''t think she had any courage left to face her boss and then to face Tom too.

    Her lips curved in a smile when an idea suddenly urred to her. Perhaps she could cancel lunch with Tom by telling him that the CEO said he doesn''t want her having lunch with anyone around his office premises? She was certain the CEO was going to be a wet nket after all. She would wait for Tom to bring her food as usual, and then she would tell him that he couldn''t eat with her in her office. That should work, Lucy thought happily. Proud of herself foring up with such a brilliant idea, she hummed a happy tune as she got into the elevator.

    Once she disappeared from his sight Tom dialed Bryan''s line. He listened to it ring for a while before it disconnected. He dialed Bryan''s number again, and the same thing happened. He kept dialing Bryan''s line as he waited for him to take his call. Why was Bryan not taking his call? Tom wondered anxiously as he dialed Mia''s line.

    "Good morning, Mr. Hank," Mia greeted politely.

    "Is there a reason my brother isn''t taking his call?" Tom asked, ignoring her greeting.

    Mia would have been offended but she could hear the worry in his voice so she answered, "He is with his fiancee, so maybe he is busy?" She asked, guessing that Bryan had not told his family that it was a fake engagement.

    "His fiancee? She is with him?" Tom asked at the verge of panic.

    "Yes. She arrived yesterday," Mia exined, making Tom panic even more. What if he was unable to reach Bryan before his fiancee talked to him? How could Sonia have been on the phone a while ago, yet Bryan wasn''t close to his phone? He wondered irritably.

    "Thank you. Please if you''re able to reach him, do let him know I need to speak with him as soon as possible," Tom said before hanging up.

    He got out of the car and headed for his private elevator.. He was just going to spend his time working on his disguise while waiting for Bryan to give him a call.

 Chapter 64 - Small World

    Bryan woke up the next morning with one hell of a headache, and he knew he was paying the price for drinking too much the previous evening. He sat up when he remembered why he had consumed so much alcohol. It was that green-eyed witch, he thought as he raised both hands to his head that was aching so badly as though it was going to fall off if he hung it at the wrong angle.

    He nced to his side, expecting to see her lying on the bed next to him, but she wasn''t there. Where could she have gone to? Had she left again, like she had done thest time? He wondered as he managed to get out of the bed. He walked into the living room, but there was no trace of her there. He checked the other two spare bedrooms but still did not see her. He had a worried frown on his face now as he returned to his bedroom. He decided to take pain medication for his head before going to search for her. Perhaps she had passed out somewhere. Thest thing he wanted was for his fake fiancee to be found lying dead in his house.

    After taking the pain medication he wore a robe over the boxer shorts and yellow t-shirt which he was still wearing. He had no idea how his trousers hade off, but he was d he hadn''t woken up naked. Thest thing he wanted was for the green-eyed witch to tell him that they had sex and she was pregnant with his child.

    He heard the patio door open as he stepped out of the bedroom into the living room, and the green-eyed witch catwalked into the living room dressed in a wet red-colored bikini that clung to her body like a second skin, and a towel wrapped around her waist. Her long blonde hair was dripping wet, and she had a smile on her face as she looked at him.

    "Good morning darling," she greeted with a cheerful smile as she walked up to him and kissed him on the lips before walking towards the bedroom.

    Bryan didn''t know what to say to her so he just followed her and watched as she let the towel fall on the floor before stepping into the walk-in bathroom with ss doors. A part of him was relieved that she hadn''t left while he was sleeping as she had done thest time. Another part of him was worried, as he tried to figure out how long she intended to carry on with this madness.

    "Darling, please do you mind getting my stuff from the car?" She asked from the bathroom as she turned on the shower.

    Without saying a word Bryan picked up his phone and the car keys and walked out of the bedroom. Once he was inside the elevator he scrolled through his phone to check the calls he had missed before dialing Matt''s line, since he had missed Matt''s call twice the previous evening, and once that morning.

    "Hey! Where have you been?" Matt asked in a concerned tone.

    "Passed out on my bed, thanks to the green-eyed witch," Bryan said, and Matt chuckled.

    "Green-eyed witch? Should I assume you are referring to your beautiful fiancee? Don''t tell me you passed out after too many rounds of banging her," Matt asked in a teasing tone.

    "I would rather cut off my dick than fuck that witch."

    "I''d love to watch you eat your words," Matt said with a chuckle.

    "Not going to happen, trust me. So when are youing over?" Bryan asked impatiently as he put on his crocs slippers and left the house, headed for the parking lot.

    "Coming over?" Matt repeated the question.

    "Yeah? You promised to help me get rid of her, didn''t you? If I remember correctly you''re not very busy at the moment, soe over so you can meet her. I don''t know how long she ns to be here, but I don''t want to be alone with her," Bryan pleaded.

    "Are you sure about that?" Matt asked thoughtfully.

    "Trust me when I say I want nothing more than to put an end to this rtionship and get her as far away from me as possible. So please leave whatever you are doing ande save a brother. Take this as a save my soul call," Bryan pleaded as he automatically unlocked the car and raised Sonia''s luggage out of the trunk.

    "If you insist. I''ll be there before sunset." Matt promised before hanging up.

    Bryan decided to stay back and give Tom a call before returning inside. He had failed to check in on Tom to find out if he had aplished his assignment the previous day. And he was yet to give him his assignment for the new day, Bryan thought as he sat down at the edge of the open car trunk before dialing Tom''s line.

    "Great that you finally decided to give me a call. I was just about to send out a search party for you," Tom muttered irritably once he received the call.

    "You seem to be in a foul mood, did something happen?" Bryan asked curiously since Tom was hardly the sort to lose his temper.

    Tom took in a deep breath to calm himself, "You''re not going to believe this. Even I find it difficult to believe, but it''s true. Your fiancee just happens to be my girl''s best friend," Tom said, sounding very anxious.

    "What? You''ve got to be kidding me!" Bryan muttered in disbelief. How was that possible? It didn''t even make sense.

    "I wish I was. You know what this means, right? You have to get rid of my pictures or anything you have of me that could expose my identity," Tom said urgently.

    "Hold on a minute, how is this possible? It doesn''t even make any sense. Of all the girls in the world, that..." Bryan took in a deep breath to calm himself so as not to give himself away, "You mean Sonia is your girl''s best friend?"

    "Yeah. I''m just as surprised as you are," Tom said with a sigh, "I hope you haven''t told her anything about me yet?" Tom asked hopefully.

    "No, I haven''t. But how did you find out?" Bryan asked curiously.

    "I overheard them both talking over the phone, and Lucy asked her to find out what she could from you," Tom exined.

    Bryan''s eyes narrowed thoughtfully as he recalled snippets of Sonia''s conversation with Lucy that first day he had met her. Sonia had mentioned the name, Tom. And he grinned when he remembered that she had said something about a neighbor with benefits, and he also remembered hearing her ask her friend to have sex with the handyman. So that handyman he had been feeling sorry for was his own brother? What a lovely twist.

    "Hm. Small world, isn''t it? Don''t worry, I will do my best to keep your identity from her," Bryan promised.

    "So I suppose you know Lucy?" Tom asked, making Bryan raise a brow.

    "I''m hearing the name for the first time today," Bryan said without thinking.

    "Howe you don''t know the name of your fiancee''s best friend? I found out about Sonia the first night I spoke to Lucy. What do you spend time talking about if you don''t even know the people who are close to her?" Tom asked with disapproval, and Bryan realized his error.

    Being the smart actor he was, he quickly came up with an answer, "Maybe I spend my time doing other fun things, rather than talking and that''s why we are engaged now," Bryan said jocrly making Tom chuckle.

    He knew he was going to have to tell Tom the truth about his false engagement to Sonia soon, else Sonia''s bestie was going to beat him to it, and then Tom would likely get mad. But he couldn''t tell Tom about it at the moment. The timing was wrong, and he needed to get back to Sonia with her luggage so she could find something to change into.

    "Well, just make sure you get to know her unless of course, you''d like to get divorced as other celebrities do," Tom said, and he added, "Also, I''ll like you to find out more about Lucy from her if you don''t mind."

    "Hmm. I will see what I can do. What about Lucy? How did it go with the assignment yesterday?" Bryan asked, and listened attentively as Tom told him all that happened the previous day, only leaving out their discussion in her apartment since he hadn''t told her about their night together. He could only hope that she hadn''t told Sonia about it, which he highly doubted. He prayed that Sonia wouldn''t mention anything regarding that to Bryan.

    "Brilliant! So I suppose you''re going to be dressing up today as the boss?" Bryan asked thoughtfully.

    "That was what I was doing before you called," Tom said, looking at his reflection in the mirror. He had attached the fake beards and mustache already, and the wig was also positioned on his head.

    "Good. Your assignment today... Have someone else deliver her lunch. Don''t show up for it. If she calls don''t respond either. Make sure whoever delivers her lunch tells her you are having lunch with someone else."

    Tom smiled, knowing that was the one step forward and two steps backward strategy which Lucy had talked about, "I will do just that," He said with a nod.. He had been trying to figure out the best way to apply her lesson, but now that Bryan had given him the idea, it was simple.

 Chapter 65 - Leg Man

    As soon as Bryan was done returning all his missed phone calls, he picked up Sonia''s luggage and returned to the house. Once he walked through the door he was weed by the aroma of scrambled eggs with bacon and an underlying aroma of coffee. The aroma was so pleasant and homely that it made him nostalgic.

    He left the luggage by the living room and followed the aroma to the kitchen. He stopped by the doorway when he saw Sonia dressed in one of his t-shirts. She had her back to the door as she prepared breakfast, while she rapped alongside Cardi B''s song which was ying from her phone.

    He couldn''t tell what she was wearing underneath the t-shirt, but her legs were endlessly long, smooth, and very attractive. His eyes lingered on her legs for a moment before he slowly lifted his gaze. Because she had her back to him his eyes fell on her long curly hair which was resting on her back. He could tell she had used his hairdryer since her hair which had been wet earlier, was dry now.

    As if he was being controlled by a remote, his eyes returned to her legs, and he imagined running his hands over it to see if they would feel as smooth as they looked. He looked up when he heard her clear her throat, and realized much to his embarrassment that she had turned around while he was staring at her legs and he hadn''t even noticed.

    Sonia''s eyes gleamed with amusement as he met her gaze, "I take it you are a leg man?"

    Bryan wore an aloof expression on his face, "Your luggage is in the living room," he said in an indifferent tone. He had no intention of letting her believe he was sexually attracted to her. He wasn''t. It had just been a while since hest had a woman with him, and he was certain he wouldn''t give her legs a second nce once he satisfied himself.

    So he wanted to pretend like she hadn''t just caught him checking her out? Cool. "For a moment there, I thought you got into your car and ran away," Sonia said in an easy voice.

    "I can''t say the thought didn''t exactly cross my mind. But I couldn''t just run away dressed like this. Won''t be good for my reputation," Bryan responded shing her a smile that didn''t quite reach his eyes.

    Sonia threw back her head andughed gaily, making him think that she seemed tough a lot. He made a mental note to search Google for mental disorders that made peopleugh a lot. That could be a lead. Maybe she was a psychopath like joker.

    "You see that? That right there is the reason I''m so drawn to you. You are so hriously funny, my love," Sonia said before returning her attention to what she was doing.

    Bryan had a smirk on his face as he walked over to the coffee maker and poured himself a cup of coffee. She was drawn to him because he was funny, huh? He couldn''t wait to see what she would think about Matt. The guy was the realedian and charmer between them.

    Bryan sat on one of the seats in the kitchen and sipped his coffee very slowly as he watched her move around his kitchen as if she owned the ce. Seeing how she ignored his presence, he assumed she probably thought he had left, but she proved him wrong when she turned to look at him, "I suppose your cook and cleaners will be resuming today, right?" She asked curiously.

    "Why? Don''t tell me you are already tired of strutting around my home like you own the ce?" Bryan drawled as he nursed the cup of coffee on his hands.

    "Trust me, I''m not. At least, not yet. I will be using one of your spare rooms as my workroom for the duration of my stay here. So I just need to know which of the bedrooms is avable," Sonia said, looking at him expectantly.

    "You can have the room at the end of the hall. How long do you intend to stay for?" He asked the question that had been on his mind since he saw her luggage. Although he didn''t like her very much, it felt good to have someone with him in the house that he could talk to.

    "I don''t know yet. I guess we will both have to wait and see," she said with a sweet smile, and Bryan nodded.

    "That best friend you talked about yesterday, what is her name?" Bryan asked, trying to subtly extract information from her.

    "Lucy? Why do you ask?" Sonia asked curiously. Perhaps his brother had found out about his employee being besties with his future sister-inw? She wouldn''t put it past these wealthy people to dig around other people''s lives.

    "Nothing really serious. I''m just wondering if she is anything like you. I wonder how she puts up with a... A person like you," Bryan said, making Sonia giggle.

    "Lucy ispletely different from me, don''t worry. She is the sane and sweet one between us. Maybe that is why we are best of friends," Sonia said with a wide smile as she thought of Lucy.

    Thank goodness! He couldn''t imagine his cool brother having to be in a rtionship with someone as crazy as Sonia. Tom would never survive it, "That''s good. I hope I get to meet her someday," Bryan said, making Sonia narrow her eyes suspiciously.

    "Why?"

    "Are you really asking me that? Isn''t she the best friend of the love of my life? What sort of a fiance would I be if I don''t meet someone who is that important to you?" Bryan asked, making Sonia giggle.

    "Love of your life? One minute you are talking to me like I''m a nutcase and the next minute you''re calling me the love of your life. You need to stick to a script, darling," Sonia said with an amused smile.

    Bryan dropped his cup on the counter closest to him, and took a few steps in her direction, covering the space between them as he stopped in front of her. He said nothing as he looked down at her and into her mischievous green eyes, "I told you I was going to be the doting fiance, didn''t I? Being the doting fiance doesn''t mean I no longer think you are a nutcase." He whispered to her as he reached out a hand and tucked her hair behind her ear, without taking his eyes away from hers.

    Sonia held his gaze but said nothing as she waited to see what he was going to do next. Bryan leaned forward and brought his face closer to hers, making her blink involuntarily. She swallowed when he brushed his soft lips on hers, making her heart flutter.

    "By the way, my best friend ising over today. I want him to meet you," Bryan whispered over her lips before taking a step back.

    What was he up to? She wondered as her eyes narrowed into slits, "Matt?"

    "I see you know him already," Bryan said in an impressed tone. Just how much research had she done for her to know the names of almost everyone associated with him? Bryan mused.

    "Even your devoted fans know him. How can you expect your fiancee not to know him?" Sonia asked making a clucking sound with her tongue as she turned away from him to serve the breakfast into a dish.

    Bryan raised a brow when she sat down to eat, and he realized she had served everything for herself and had left nothing for him. He opened his mouth to say something about it but snapped it shut as his ego wouldn''t let him admit that he wanted a taste of the food.

    Sonia ate in silence for a while, expecting him to at least say something or ask if she wasn''t going to offer him breakfast. When he didn''t, she raised her head to look at him and met his ring eyes. If eyes could kill, she was sure she would be lying lifeless on the floor by now, Sonia thought in amusement.

    She shed him a smile when she remembered Lucy''s request. Perhaps she could stylishly ask him about his siblings and find out the little she could about his brother. "By the way, you have two siblings, right?" She asked, making Bryan snort.

    Did she really think she had any right to ask him questions right now after choosing to starve him in his own house? Bryan thought in disbelief, and without responding to her question he stood up and walked over to the sink where he emptied the rest of his coffee and rinsed the cup before walking out of the kitchen.

    He decided to just use the time to go around his house and see if he had any picture of Tom around somewhere. He picked up Sonia''s luggage from the spot he had left it earlier and carried it to the bedroom at the end of the hall.. He had no intention of sharing his closet with her.

 Chapter 66 - First Glimpse

    After his conversation with Bryan, Tom decided to leave his costume forter, since he didn''t want to go through the stress of wearing it now and taking it offter to go get lunch for Lucy, and then wearing it again.

    He had thought of asking Harry to send someone to deliver lunch to Lucy on his behalf, but he had decided against that since it would not only stir suspicion among the staff but would also defeat the purpose of the whole thing. It wouldn''t make sense if Harry was to ask one of the staff to deliver lunch to Lucy and have them tell her that it was from her driver who was too busy with anotherdy to bring her lunch up to her.

    Tom let out a sigh as he nced at therge wall clock which was hanging on the wall directly opposite his seat. He still had about two hours before lunchtime. Perhaps he could just change now and then take off the costume during lunch break? The costume was more for Lucy''s benefit than his, and there would be no need for her toe to his office twice in a day.

    Once he made up his mind he stood up from his seat and walked into his mini bedroom where he had kept the costumes. Thankfully he had practiced enough within thest hour, so dressing u wasn''t very difficult. When he was done putting on his costume, he dialed Harry''s line and asked him to meet him in his office.

    Less than five minutester Harry walked into the office and stopped by Lucy''s desk, "The CEO is in his office now, I''m going in to have a word with him," Harry said politely before unlocking Tom''s office door and walking inside. He shut the door behind him and stared at Tom for some seconds with his head cocked to the side as though he was trying to find faults.

    "What do you think?" Tom asked impatiently.

    "I don''t think she will recognize you. You look boring," Harry said with a grin, and Tom red at him, "I think you should wear the sses too. It willplete the look," Harry added thoughtfully, making Tom pick up the sses which was on his desk.

    "Now you''re good to go," Harry said with a nod of approval after Tom had put on the sses, "This is exactly what a weird boss like you should look like," he said with an amused chuckle as he took out his phone to snap a picture.

    "You seem to be having too much fun, don''t you think?" Tom observed with a slightly raised brow.

    "Yeah. It''s not every day you see a full-grown man doing something this crazy," Harry said as he took some snapshots and then returned his phone to his pocket.

    "Whatever."

    Harry chuckled, "If that''s all, I should return to my office. I have to attend a meeting on behalf of the CEO who is on leave of his senses," Harry said as he headed for the door, "I suppose you''re ready to meet your assistant?" He asked once he got to the door.

    "Send her in," Tom said, choosing to ignore Harry''s taunt.

    Meanwhile, at the other end of the door, Lucy kept staring at theptop screen in front of her with a distant look in her eyes. Never had she been more distracted in her life than she was at the moment. Ever since she got into her office that morning, her mind had wandered from Tom to her boss and then back again, taking turns each time.

    Even though she had made up her mind to friend zone Tom, it seemed like her brain had a mind of its own, and kept reying everything he had said to her the previous evening. The memories made butterflies flutter in her belly each time the thought crossed her mind. Especially the memory of him squatting in front of her, and grazing her lower lip with his thumb.

    On the other hand, her thoughts concerning her boss werepletely different. She had initially been asking herself a lot of questions and trying to figure him out. What did he look like? What kind of personality did he have? Was he going to try to make things difficult for her? When would he get to the office?

    And then after Harry informed her that the CEO was in the office, her heartbeat had doubled, and now her palms were sweaty as she stared at the screen with unseeing eyes. Between her driver and her boss, she was sure she was going to get a heart attack if she continued this way.

    She snapped out of her thoughts when she heard the doorknob turn and she saw Harry step out of the office. She quickly stood up when he approached her desk, "It''s time for you to catch your first glimpse of the CEO. He wants to see you now," He said, making her stomach churn.

    Harry looked at her for a brief moment, and he almost smiled when he noticed how tense she seemed. If only she knew how much trouble his mad friend was putting himself through just for her sake, she wouldn''t be so nervous, Harry mused. He looked forward to seeing how this whole madness would end though.

    "You should breathe," he suggested, making Lucy realize that she had been holding her breath. She gave him a nod as she took in a deep breath and let it out slowly.

    "Don''t worry. He doesn''t bite... Unless he is very upset," Harry added with a straight face before walking away, leaving Lucy to wonder whether if that was meant to be a joke, or he was serious.

    She nced at the door as if a wild animal was positioned behind it, waiting to attack her, "Calm down. Just calm down," She whispered to herself a couple of times before heading for the door. She paused to adjust her suit jacket and quickly patted her hair to make sure it was well arranged before knocking on the door very lightly. Even though he had requested for her, she still believed that was the polite thing to do, since she had no idea what he was doing.

    Hearing the knock, Tom''s brow creased in a frown as he nced at the door. He had expected her to just walk in since he had sent for her. Did she really expect him to respond and invite her in? Even after he had told her that he didn''t like talking but preferred tomunicate through texts and emails? He was just going to ignore her. Perhaps if he failed to respond, she would realize he had no intention of speaking.

    Lucy stood there waiting for him to invite her in, but when she didn''t hear anything after some time, she shut her eyes as she reluctantly reached for the doorknob and turned it.

 Chapter 67 - Anita

    Once Lucy walked out of Tom''s office she heaved a deep sigh of relief as she copsed into her seat. She just realized one thing. Calling the CEO a weirdo didn''t cut it at all. That was a very big understatement. As a matter of fact, she now believed that calling him a weirdo seemed like a very bigpliment for someone like him. He was worse than a weirdo.

    Why had he called her into his office if he had no intention of saying a word to her? She had just stood there like a statue, staring down at her feet while trying hard not to raise her head to look at him just in case he was watching her. She had stood there by the door with her head bowed, for what seemed like forever until he tapped on his desk to get her attention.

    She had managed to raise her head a little to look at him, hoping he would at least say something to her, but the weirdo had only waved her off, but not without turning away so she wouldn''t see his face. Luckily she had caught a glimpse of the side of his face in time before he turned away from herpletely. At least she now had an idea of what he looked like. The color of his hair, and many beards.

    The most annoying thing she had discovered was the fact that he wore sses. To think that he had stopped her from using her sses whereas he was also wearing sses. She had no idea whether the sses were medicated or not. She didn''t care. He had no right to wear sses after asking her to not wear her medicated sses.

    Right now all she could do was wish everydy who was interested in him good luck. She intended to give Sonia a callter and tell her to get rid of any idea she had in her head about them marrying both brothers. Not that she had any intention of getting married to anyone, but even if she had slightly entertained the thought because of Sonia and her family, she would rather die than have anything to do with a person like her boss.

    Inside the CEO''s Office, Tom chuckled as he walked over to the door and locked it with his key before taking off his wig and sses. She seemed really terrified of him. He had watched her all the while she stood there with her head bowed, and he could swear he had seen her hands tremble for a moment. How was he supposed to seduce her if she was this scared of him?

    Tom winced when he felt his head throb painfully and raised a hand to his temple before looking at the wig with a frown. He couldn''t help but wonder how somedies coped with wearing wigs when his head ached this way only after wearing it for only a couple of minutes. He walked into his closet and took off everything, including the suit he had worn over his shirt. Once he was sure everything was in ce and he looked like Tom the bad boy again, he returned to attend to some documents on his desk.

    By the time he was done with the first document in front of him, it was lunchtime. He dropped his pen at once and pushed his seat away from the desk before standing up. A part of him really wanted to share lunch with her, but he knew he needed to do as Bryan had suggested if he wanted more from her than just a friendly lunch.

    Bearing that in mind, he took his private elevator and exited the building before walking around his private car park to the entrance of the building which everyone else used. Once he entered inside the building, he observed that most of the staff were already heading to the cafeteria, so he joined them.

    "Wow! Isn''t he hot?" One of thedies whispered to her friend when they sighted Tom walking towards the cafeteria from a different direction.

    "I think I''m going to say hi to him during lunch today," another whispered to her friend excitedly.

    A beautiful blondedy who was walking not too far away from thedies, nced in Tom''s direction when she heard them whispering about him, and she raised a perfectly arched brow when she saw the familiar face, "Tom?" She called out loud in a questioning tone since she wasn''t sure he was the one.

    Tom paused and turned in her direction when he heard the familiar voice, and raised a brow when he saw Anita smiling and waving at him. What was she doing here? He wondered as he remained where he was, and waited for her to walk up to him.

    "It is really you? I almost didn''t believe it!" Anita said excitedly as she joined him, and smiled when she noticed the envious nces she was receiving from the otherdies.

    "Why are you here?" Tom asked impatiently.

    "Come on! That is no way to talk to me. Why don''t we talk over lunch? You look very different by the way," she said with a pleasant smile that suggested it was a good kind of different.

    Without waiting for him to say anything she slid her right arm under his left arm, and dragged him along with her towards the cafeteria.

    Tom who was wondering what she was doing in hispany premises allowed her to lead the way until they got to a table and she sat down, "Excuse me for a moment," he said in a polite tone before walking away from her to where the food was being served.

    He wasn''t going to let Lucy starve simply because he was talking to someone as insignificant as Anita. Once he got Lucy''s lunch, he looked around the cafeteria until his eyes fell on thedy he recognized to be Lucy''s secretary, and he approached her table with the lunch pack.

    "Hi! Could you please help me deliver this to Miss Perry in her office? Let her know I couldn''t deliver it myself because I''m having lunch with someone," Tom said, as he jerked his head towards Anita. Although he tried to make it sound like a humble request, it still came out like an order, and Lucy''s secretary gave him a quick nod as she took the lunch pack from him and stood up to do as he had asked.

    "Thank you," Tom said before walking away. Once he returned to the table where Anita was seated he pulled out the seat opposite her and sat down.

    "So what are you doing here?" Tom asked again, wondering why she hadn''t bothered to go get her meal while he was away.

    Anita had thought he went to get their meal when he excused himself, but seeing him return empty-handed she tried not to let her disappointment show.

    "Well, as you might have heard, I-Global recently took over Oceans airline, thepany where I work, so some of us were invited here for a meeting with Mr. Harry," Anita exined. Although she had been hoping to meet the CEO.

    How could he have missed such a significant detail? Although he had already started bidding for Oceans airline before he met Anita, he couldn''t remember her mentioning she worked there... That was probably because she had deliberately kept it away from him for reasons best known to her.

    "I see," Tom said disinterestedly.

 Chapter 68 - Besties

    Lucy checked her wristwatch impatiently for the third time as she waited for Tom to show up with her lunch. She thought about giving him a call to find out what was keeping him but remembered that she didn''t even have his phone number. How could she call him her friend when she didn''t have his number? She made a mental note to exchange numbers with him when he brings her lunch.

    It wasn''t like she couldn''t go down to get her own lunch, but somehow her mind was bing programmed to expect him to deliver it. When hees she would just tell him how she had caught a glimpse of the boss and tell him what she thought the CEO looks like. And then she would ask him to leave before the bosses out. She still had no intention of allowing him to eat with her. Who knew if his madnesses only when they were eating together?

    Her thoughts were interrupted when a knock sounded on the door, and she looked up when the door was pushed open, expecting to see Tom, but her brows creased when her secretary walked in, instead of Tom.

    "Yes?" She asked as she looked at her secretary in confusion, wondering why she was in her office with a lunch pack.

    "Your driver asked me to bring this to you. He is having lunch with someone, so he couldn''t bring it up himself," she exined, making Lucy''s brow furrow.

    "He asked you to bring this to me?"

    "Yes ma''am," the secretary said with a nod.

    "Who is he having lunch with? Male or female?" Lucy asked thoughtfully, thinking that he was probably having lunch with thedy he liked, and this might be her chance to find out who thedy was, and what she looked like.

    "Female."

    "A staff?" Lucy asked making the secretary wonder if something was going on between Lucy and her driver, or perhaps Lucy was just upset that her driver had chosen not to deliver her lunch because be was busy with someone else.

    "I don''t know. I don''t know all the staff in thepany," she answered politely.

    "Thank you. You can leave now," Lucy said dismissively and tried to stay calm long enough for the secretary to have left the hallway before picking up the lunch pack and rushing out of her office in the direction of the elevator. She needed to be fast before they would both leave the cafeteria.

    Once she got out of the elevator she looked around, wondering where the cafeteria was, and then she noticed some of the staffing from a particr direction, she decided the cafeteria had to be in that direction, so she walked in that direction, trying not to attract any attention to herself.

    She didn''t need to spend a lot of time looking around before she spotted Tom at one end of the hall seated with a beautiful blondedy. He was seated with his back to the entrance, while thedy was directly facing Lucy. Seeing thedy''s bare legs which were crossed under the table, Lucy could tell she was wearing a pretty short skirt. Was this his taste in women? She wondered as she watched them converse from the distance.

    "I suppose you wereing here to have lunch? You should go and get something for yourself," Tom suggested, wanting to take his leave.

    Anita raised a brow very slightly. The Tom she knew would have offered to help her get her lunch like the gentleman he was. It seemed like his physical appearance wasn''t the only thing that had changed about him, "What about you? Don''t you want to get something for yourself?" Anita asked with a curious smile.

    "No. I only came here to get lunch for my boss. And now that I''ve done that I need to attend to something else," Tom said, waiting for her to take the clue.

    His boss? So he worked here? "Let''s talk for a bit before you leave, okay? It''s not like we are enemies, even though you dumped me," she said with a small smile. Tom leaned back in his seat and looked at her without saying a word as he waited to hear what she wanted to talk about.

    Taking his silence as a go-ahead, she asked, "So what about you? What are you doing here?"

    "I''m one of thepany''s drivers," Tom said in a t tone, making her wrinkle her nose in disapproval. She had been expecting something better.

    ''How Typical,'' Tom thought in his head. He had noticed how her attitude towards him had changed from the moment he told her he was a handyman. She had taken their rtionship for granted because she thought he was a mere handyman, and now she was going to be under his payroll? How funny. He wondered how she was going to react when she finally gets to know his true identity.

    "I don''t suppose you are the CEO''s driver, are you?" She asked hopefully, leaning forward to hear his response.

    "No. But I drive his personal assistant," Tom said, and Anita pursed her lips as though she was thinking about it.

    After a while, she shrugged, "Not bad. I guess you must have seen the CEO then?" Anita asked hopefully, making Tom narrow his eyes.

    "No. Why?"

    "Nothing. Just curious," she said, shing him a smile. It wouldn''t be a very wise idea to tell her supposed ex that she wanted to meet the CEO and seduce him. At least not yet.

    She looked at Tom with pursed lips as she tried to decide whether to stick to him until she found out all she could about the CEO from him, or offer to pay him a huge sum of money for him to help her meet the CEO.

    "Is the CEO''s personal assistant a male or female?" She asked in a casual tone.

    "Ady. A very beautiful youngdy," Tom added as he watched her. Anita seemed like a pretty ambitious person, so he could guess that she was probably nursing ideas of meeting the CEO and getting involved with him. Well, if that was what she was thinking, he hoped she wouldn''t waste too much time on her pipe dream.

    Anita smiled at him. She had no problem with his personal assistant being beautiful or young. She was just as beautiful and young too, and as such couldn''t be intimidated by that. If the CEO''s personal assistant was anything like her, by now their marriage would have made the first page of the tabloids, but it seemed like the CEO''s personal assistant wasn''t interested in him, or she probably just wasn''t his type.

    Anita decided she was just going to be best friends with the CEO''s personal assistant, since all she wanted was an opportunity to meet the CEO. Hopefully, thedy would be her ticket to meeting Thomas Hanks.

    "How is Snow?" Tom asked forck of anything else to say.

    Anita smiled at the mention of her pet, "He is very fine."

    "That''s good to know. It''s nice seeing you again," Tom said as he started to pull back his seat from the table.

    "Don''t tell me you are leaving already?" Anita asked with a frown.

    "I am. Have a nice day," Tom said as politely as he could muster before standing up and walking away from the table without giving Anita the chance to say anything else.

    Once Lucy saw Tom getting out of his seat, she quickly hurried away so he wouldn''t see her, and hid in a corner until he left.

    Judging by the way thedy had been smiling while talking to Tom, Lucy couldn''t tell if this was thedy he liked, or perhaps she was one of thosedies who wanted him, and he was using to mislead thedy he liked, as she had advised.

    Whoever thedy was, she was going to be friends with her and every otherdy she sees around Tom. That way he would think twice before trying to initiate anything amorous between them.

    Once she was certain he had left for real, Lucy returned to the cafeteria. She was d when she saw Anita heading for her seat with a tray of food.. She took a moment to think about the best way to approach Anita, and then decided to just do the natural thing since she was carrying her lunch pack. She took in a deep breath before approaching Anita''s table, "Hi!"

 Chapter 69 - That’s So Cool

    Once Tom returned to his office he dialed Harry''s line and asked him to meet him in his office at once.

    The first thing Harry noticed when he walked into the office was Lucy''s absence, and the next was the frown on Tom''s face, "Did you send your assistant out?"

    The crease on Tom''s brow deepened, "Lucy? No. Why?" Tom asked curiously.

    "I''m just surprised that she isn''t on her seat. You know she hardly leaves her office, so I was just wondering where she went to. Anyway, why did you send for me?" Harry asked, changing the subject.

    "Call her and find out where she went to," Tom instructed. Or did her secretary fail to deliver the lunch as he instructed, and she went to get her meal? Tom wondered.

    "Okay," Harry said and dialed Lucy''s line.

    Lucy who was just about to introduce herself to Anita, paused when her phone started ringing and she noticed the call was from Harry, "Excuse me," she said to Anita as she turned away from her.

    "Hello, sir,"

    Harry ced the call on loudspeaker, "Miss Perry, the CEO would like to know why you''re not on your seat," He said, making Lucy''s heart skip a beat.

    Was it just her, or did everyone else feel this way each time the CEO''s name was mentioned? Lucy wondered. Maybe it was because of how harsh he had been the first time they had spoken.

    "I only stepped out to have lunch at the cafeteria," Lucy exined, trying hard not to stutter as she spoke.

    "Hold on," Harry said before cing the call on mute and looking at Tom, "She said she is having lunch at the cafeteria," Harry exined.

    "I''m not deaf. Didn''t her secretary deliver the lunch I sent to her?" Tom asked Harry with a frown, and Harry rolled his eyes before unmuting the call.

    "I thought I saw your secretary taking a lunch pack to your office?" Harry asked, and Lucy winced.

    "Yes, she did. I wasn''t sure the CEO would appreciate me eating in the office so I decided to eat at the cafeteria," Lucy lied, and Harry nodded.

    "Okay then, you should hurry up and get back to your office. In case of next time, you can eat in your office, I''m sure the CEO prefers that to you being so far away from him," Harry said before hanging up.

    "Now that we''ve cleared that up, why did you call me?" Harry asked curiously.

    "I ran into Anita at the cafeteria a moment ago," Tom said, making Harry frown.

    "Anita? What was she doing here? Don''t tell me she found out about you?" Harry asked with round eyes. Harry had only heard of Anita but he had never met her since Tom felt it would be suspicious for a handyman like him to present someone like Harry as his friend.

    "She didn''t find out about me, but ording to her she came here to have a meeting with Mr. Harry," Tom said, and it finally clicked in Harry''s head.

    "Don''t tell me Miss Miller from Oceans airline is your Anita?" Harry asked in surprise.

    "First of all, she isn''t MY Anita. To answer your question, yes. Her name is Anita Miller. What is her role in Ocean Airlines? Is she someone we can relieve of her duties?" Tom asked, making Harry raise a brow.

    "You''re not someone to mix business with pleasure, apart from your recent craziness, though. So why are you thinking of doing that?" Harry asked.

    "I''m not mixing business with pleasure. I''m only trying to avoid the kind of trouble I think someone like her might bring with her. So answer my question," Tom repeated.

    "Unfortunately, you can''t avoid this trouble. If you remember correctly, Mr. Wyatt gave you some conditions before agreeing to sell Ocean Airlines to you, and one of them includes the names of some staff you have to retain. She is on the top of the list, and that is why I decided to meet with them to know them personally," Harry exined.

    "I suppose you''ve found out what her rtionship is with Mr. Wyatt?" Tom asked, knowing that Harry would have done all of that before inviting her over.

    Harry gave him a nod of agreement, "Sure. She is his niece, so you can see that you can''t fire her... At least not yet, and not without a very good reason," Harry added.

    "I see. And what do you think about her? I mean professionally."

    "I think she is very intelligent and ambitious, although she kept asking about the CEO," Harry said with a grin.

    "Yeah, she asked me too," Tom said with a sigh, making Harry chuckle.

    "Now I know why you''re worried. Anyway, I will keep my eyes on her, don''t worry too much, and just focus on goofing around, since that seems to be your specialty this period," Harry said with a chuckle as he headed for the door.

    "You''re lucky you''re my best friend, else you''d be out of the job by now," Tom muttered under his breath, making Harry turn to look at him.

    "No. I think you are the lucky one. Who else would be able to have your back as I do? Huh?" Harry asked with a cocky smile.

    "Just get out of my sight before I fire you," Tom threatened.

    "Please do. That way I can finally tell Miss Perry all that my mouth has been itching to tell her before I retire. I will also sing to Anita all that she needs to know about the CEO. That would surely keep you busy," Harry said with a wink before walking away.

    Meanwhile, at the cafeteria, bothdies were staring at each other, and Anita had a big smile on her face as she wondered what luck had dragged her newest bestie to her table. She had been surprised when Lucy had asked if she could join her table because she didn''t like to eat alone. But she had been even more surprised when Lucy introduced herself.

    "So you''re saying you are the CEO''s personal assistant?" She asked Lucy, just to be certain it wasn''t a misunderstanding.

    "Yeah. I resumed the office just a few days ago," Lucy exined, wondering why thedy seemed more excited about her position than she was.

    "That''s so cool. So I guess Tom is your driver?" Anita asked as she sized up Lucy with her eyes even though a smile was pasted on her lips. She had to admit that Lucy was as beautiful as Tom had hinted, but she could also tell that Lucy was naive.

    "Yes, he is. He''s a very nice guy, isn''t he?" Lucy asked with a wide smile.

    "Sure he is," Anita agreed with a nod. A very nice guy, but not just for her. She could do better than a driver.

    "How do you know Tom? Is he your friend?" Lucy asked curiously.

    There was no way she was going to tell Lucy that Tom was her ex, "I won''t exactly call him a friend. He is just someone I know," Anita said with a smile.

    Someone she knows? Did that mean she was the one? Lucy thought excitedly, "I see. So what about you? I mean your department in thepany," Lucy asked, shifting the topic from Tom.

    "I-Global airline... Formerly called Ocean airline," Anita exined.

    "Oh!"

    Maybe this exined why Tom didn''t know her name or her department? Because she wasn''t stationed here? Why was she at the cafeteria then? "I didn''t realize the staff there now had their office here," Lucy said with a small smile.

    "No, we don''t. We just had a meeting with Mr. Harry, and I decided to grab lunch before leaving," Anita exined, and Lucy smiled in understanding.

    "By the way, do you know I always thought that anydy that works directly with the CEO must be the luckiest woman in the world? How do you feel about working for him? Don''t you just love him?" Anita asked with an innocent smile, wanting to know what Lucy really thought about the CEO.

    "Lucky? I don''t know about that. Heaven knows I''d dly let someone else take the job, if the CEO permits it," Lucy said, making Anita raise a brow.

    "Why? Is he not your type?"

    "I''m just not interested in him that way," Lucy said with a shake of her head, and Anita rxed before giving Lucy her first genuine smile.. Now that she was sure Lucy wasn''t apetition, she could work on bing friends with her.

 Chapter 70 - Bryan Or Matt?

    Bryan was standing outside the guest bedroom which Sonia was using with his hand raised mid-air as though he was trying to knock. Ever since Sonia disappeared inside the bedroom after she had her breakfast she was yet toe out, and it was almost 5 PM already. Was that how she worked? Or was she sleeping? He wondered.

    Not that he liked her anyway, but even her unwee presence was presence too, and better than the absence and loneliness in the house. He had tried keeping himself busy with one of her books as he had done before, but it seemed like since his brain was aware that the author of the book was around, his brain didn''t want to pay attention to anything in the book.

    Thankfully the sound of his front door being opened informed him that Matt was around. He quickly hurried away from there. Sonia could stay there for as long as she liked, that was her business. As long as he now hadpany, all was well with his world again.

    "Where is she?" Matt whispered immediately Bryan stepped into the living room to wee him.

    "She is in one of the guest bedrooms, let''s go to the poolside," Bryan whispered back as he followed Matt into the other spare bedroom and they dropped his luggage there.

    After leaving his luggage in the bedroom they headed for the poolside, where they both sat down on the recliner chairs there, with straw hats over their head to shield them from the rays of the evening sun, and a ss of wine in their hands.

    "Soe on, give me all the details of everything that happened between you both since she arrived," Matt suggested as he sipped from his wine.

    "Nothing much. She asked me to take her to my favorite fun ce, and I took her to S & G..."

    "You did? But that isn''t your favorite fun ce. As a matter of fact, you avoid that ce because you don''t want the reputation that goes with it, so why did you... Oh! Unless you wanted to scare her?" Matt asked in amusement when it finally urred to him, "Did it work?"

    "Unfortunately, it happens to be her favorite fun ce," Bryan said with a wry smile which made Matt hoot withughter, and some of the wine in his ss spilled on the gray-colored shirt he was wearing.

    "You have got to be kidding me!" Matt said as he dropped his ss on the table between them and keptughing.

    "I kid you not. That witch is just not anything a normal person should be. Anyway, I found out the club wasn''t really as evil as people made it sound... Their strippers are extra sexy and give a very good show," Bryan said with a grin.

    "You mean she allowed you to do all of that?" Matt asked, his mouth agape.

    "Allowed? She actually invited the strippers herself. I told you she isn''t normal, didn''t I?" Bryan asked, and Matt whistled in confusion.

    "Isn''t she just every man''s dream woman? I really want to meet her now," he said with an impressed smile on his face.

    "Every man''s dream woman? I don''t know about every man, but I do know she is nothing like mine," Bryan said confidently as he nursed his ss of wine.

    "Come on, quit pretending. I''m very sure a part of you is intrigued by her. You are only annoyed that her presence in your life is making things difficult for you," Matt pointed out with a grin.

    Bryan decided to change the subject and ignore what Matt said, "I need you to do me a favor, will you?" Bryan said making Matt cock a brow.

    "I know this might sound crazy, but don''t say no outrightly until you think about it..."

    "NO!" Matt said with a shake of his head.

    "Huh?" Bryan asked in confusion, wondering why he was saying no when he was yet to hear what he wanted to say.

    "You heard me. I''ve given you the answer already. The fact that you think it might sound crazy, means it is actually crazy and that is a big red g. I''m not thinking about it," Matt said stubbornly as he picked up his ss of wine and sipped from it again.

    "You should at least hear what it is first," Bryan hissed at him.

    "Since I know it''s going to sound crazy, and I won''t do it, there''s no point in listening to anything about it. I''m hungry now, what do you have in the kitchen?" Matt asked as he stood up ready to return inside the house.

    "How can you call yourself my best friend if you can''t even hear me out or do me this favor?" Bryan asked in annoyance.

    "You''re the one who announced to the world that we were best friends. I didn''t so that emotional ckmail won''t fly," Matt said as he kept walking while Bryan followed him.

    "There is no food, you''ll have to order for something," Bryan said grudgingly making Matt stop in his track to look at Bryan.

    "Are you starving your guest?"

    "It''s not like I invited her, but she''s the one starving me. You won''t believe she prepared breakfast for just herself this morning," Bryan said incredulously.

    "I would do the same if I was in her shoes," Matt said with a tsk, before walking away with both hands dipped in his pocket.

    Once they opened the screen door and walked inside the house, Sonia walked out of the kitchen with an apron draped around her neck, and a radiant smile on her face, "Hello Matt!" She greeted as she stepped forward to embrace him, making Bryan narrow his eyes. What was she up to?

    "WOW! You look so stunning in person that I''m about to go blind," Matt said, raising his hands to cover his eyes.

    Sonia giggled at that, "Save the ttery for someone else. I''m sorry I wasn''t out to wee you when you got here. I had no idea you were here already. I was very busy until I remembered he mentioned something about youing over, so I came out to fix something dinner," Sonia exined, making Matt turn to re at Bryan, before taking Sonia''s hands in his and raising it to his lips.

    "My loyalty is to you, my queen," Matt said, and Sonia giggled some more, while Bryan scowled at the traitor he called his friend.

    "You know, I wasing inside to find something to eat, but since you''re trying to fix something already, just tell me what I can do. That way we can get to know each other while we cook," Matt suggested, and Sonia nodded eagerly as she intertwined her arm with his and they both walked to the kitchen like they''ve been best friends forever.

    "So tell me something, did he invite you over to help him kick me out?" Sonia asked, for Matt''s ears only.

    Matt looked down at her, surprised that she had put the dots together so quickly, "Why would you think that?" He asked, trying to sound like he was shocked because of the absurdity of her question.

    "Come on, Matt, don''t insult me," Sonia said, looking at him with a wide smile.

    It was obvious to him that Sonia was more intelligent than they were giving her credit for, so he chuckled instead, "What if he did?"

    "Take a good look at me, Matt, do I look like the type to be kicked out? You shouldn''t waste your time plotting any nonsense with him. I''m the writer amongst us three, and you both are the actors, don''t you think you should leave all the plotting to me?" Sonia asked with a confident smile.

    Now Matt felt really sorry for his best friend. It was obvious Bryan had bitten more than he could chew, and unfortunately, he had no one to me for his folly, "Why are you doing this?" Matt asked Sonia curiously as she moved away from him to set everything she needed to fix dinner.

    "I don''t think I can trust you with such information yet. But what I can assure you is that I do not have any evil intentions towards your friend. So let''s all live together peacefully, for the time being, okay?" Sonia asked with an outstretched hand.

    "Fair enough," Matt said as he shook her hand, "Now that we''ve gotten that out of the way, I''m really hungry, what I can do?" He asked, and soon they both got busy with preparing dinner and getting to know each other.

    Bryan who was seated in the living room gritted his teeth each time he heard either of themugh out loud. He had been happy that Matt was going to be here to keep himpany, but he seemed to be enjoying his time with Sonia a little too much. He cocked his head when something urred to him, was it possible that this was part of Matt''s n to get Sonia off him? Maybe he could also utilize the situation and get pictures of them, that way he would have evidence to show that Sonia was flirting with his friend.

    He picked up his phone and just as he was about to stand up and head to the kitchen, his phone beeped with an Instagram notification message, and he opened it to see that Sonia had once again tagged him to some photos.

    A sigh escaped from his lips when he saw the pictures of Sonia and Matt who was also now wearing a simr apron with Sonia, standing beside each other with Sonia''s hand on Matt''s waist, and goofy smiles on their faces.

    The caption was actually what made him sigh, "Both best friends are so adorable that I''m having a hard time sticking to just Bryan, I think I might be falling for Matt. Who is your favorite? Bryan or Matt?"

    He checked thements and threw his phone on the couch when he saw so many "As" with hearts.

    She was definitely a witch.. There was no convincing him otherwise.

 Chapter 71 - Acting Up

    "So, how was work today?" Tom asked Lucy as he drove them hometer that evening.

    "It was okay," Lucy said with a shrug as she looked outside the car''s window.

    "Did you eventually meet the CEO today?" Tom asked, turning to spare her a nce, but her face was turned away from him, so he couldn''t see it.

    She had been so eager to talk to him about what she thought of the CEO earlier, but right now she didn''t see any reason to do that, "Yes, I did."

    "And what do you think about him now that you have met him?" Tom asked curiously.

    "I don''t think anything," Lucy said dourly.

    "Nothing at all?" Tom asked, sounding slightly surprised.

    "Yeah."

    "Are you okay?" Tom asked in a concerned tone, wondering why it seemed like he was forcing herself to talk to him. Did he do something wrong? Was she angry with him? Could it possibly be because he had failed to show up for lunch as they agreed?

    "Shouldn''t I be okay?" Lucy asked, turning to look at him with a slightly raised brow.

    Even she was wondering what was wrong with her. She had been in a good mood when she left her office some minutes ago, but her mood seemed to have suddenly plummeted once she got into the car with Tom.

    "Are you sure? Did someone piss you off? Did the CEO or Mr. Harry say something that made you unhappy?" Tom asked again.

    "I said I''m FINE!" Lucy snapped at him irritably. And then took in a deep breath when she realized she had just overreacted, "I''m fine," Lucy repeated more calmly, and Tom gave her a nod even though he didn''t exactly believe her.

    They both remained quiet during the rest of the drive home and once he drove into the driveway and parked the car Lucy turned to look at him, "I heard you had lunch with ady... Was it thedy?"

    Anita? How was he supposed to answer that question? He reasoned it would be best to say Anita was the one since it was highly unlikely that Lucy had seen Anita. Using Anita as his love interest would better serve his purpose than using a random stranger, since neither he nor Anita was interested in each other, and Anita didn''t work directly in thepany.

    "Yes," Tom said, and Lucy gave him a nod before getting out of the car.

    Lucy disappeared into her apartment before Tom get out of the car. Once she got inside she walked straight to her bedroom, took a hairband, and twisted her hair into a ponytail before walking into the bathroom to wash her hands so she could take off her contact lens.

    Why was she so upset? Lucy asked herself as she took off her clothes. Once she had stripped down to her undies, shey on her bed with the pillow under her head and decided to take a walk through everything that had happened in the office to find out what was upsetting her. By the time she was done, she had a big frown of disapproval on her face.

    ''How can I be upset because he failed to show up for lunch, but chose to have lunch with his love interest instead?'' She asked herself in disbelief. This wasn''t logical. It didn''t even make any sense. She had no right to be upset about something like that, especially not when she had wanted to call off the lunch in the first ce. It was just her stupid ego that was bruised.

    Anita was not only very beautiful but she had also sounded intelligent, so she could understand why someone like Tom would have a thing for her. Since Anita was the person Tom wanted, she was going to try her best to help him get her.

    She sat upright when she heard her doorbell. Wondering what he wanted this time, she quickly pulled out a short Mickey mouse dress and wore it over her head before taking her sses from the dressing table. She checked her reflection in the mirror before walking out of the room.

    "Yes?" She asked when she opened the door and saw Tom standing there holding the winess and te he had taken with him the previous evening. He was still dressed as he had been dressed earlier. What? Did he want to continue from where he stopped the previous evening?

    "Here, I came to return these," Tom said handing them to her while looking at her and trying to guess what was wrong with her.

    "Thank you," Lucy said as she reached out to take the ss and te from him, but Tom pulled his hands back.

    "Why does it look like you don''t want me inside your house? Am I not wee?" Tom asked, looking at her curiously, wondering why she was blocking the entrance. Although he had no intention of going into her house since he was on his way to his real home, he didn''t like that she was acting this way, and he needed to clear it up before leaving.

    She gave him a stiff smile, "What do you mean by that? Of course, you''re always wee, I''m just very busy right now. So I can''t dopany right now," Lucy exined without meeting his gaze.

    Thest thing she wanted was to let him inside her house after the stunt he had pulled the previous evening. He definitely didn''t think he could flirt with her in the evening, have lunch with his love interest during the day, and then return to flirt again at night, or did he?

    "Are you mad at me over something?" Tom asked, making her blink at him before she looked away.

    "Mad? Why should I be mad at you? I''m just very busy at the moment," Lucy lied.

    "With what?" Tom asked, raising a brow.

    "Work. The CEO gave me an assignment I need to finish before tomorrow, so I''m going to spend the evening doing it," Lucy lied, confirming Tom''s suspicion that she was probably angry with him since he knew Harry hadn''t given her any assignment.

    What other CEO was she referring to? If indeed she was upset, what was she so angry about to make her lie just to avoid having him in her apartment? Was it because he had lunch with someone else and not her? It couldn''t be that either, since he knew she didn''t care about him. Or maybe she wasn''t angry with him? Perhaps she was just in need of space? If that was the case why couldn''t she just say that?

    "Alright then. I was on my way out but decided to return these first. I will be back in the morning," Tom said as he let her have the te and ss.

    Hearing that he won''t be spending the night in his apartment, Lucy felt something ufortable in her chest, and the pit of her belly, "Where are you going to?" She asked reluctantly after taking the ss and te from him. Even though he made her ufortable, he was the only ''friend'' she had in the city for the time being, and she felt safe knowing he was next door.

    "Work. I have to spend the night doing some plumbing and fixing some other stuff," Tom said before turning around to leave.

    "Wait," Lucy called out, making Tom stop. A minute ago she had seemed like she couldn''t wait for him to leave, and now that he was leaving she was acting like she didn''t want him to leave. What was going on?

    Tom turned around to give her a questioning look, but she walked inside the house and came out a momentter with her phone, "Can... Can I have your number?" She asked, making the corner of his lips tug.

    "Are you asking for my number now, after refusing to give me yours the other day?" He asked with a flirty smile, cocking his head to one side as he looked at her.

    "We weren''t friends then. Friends should have each other''s number, that way you can easily reach me when you''re unavable."

    "Are you sure it''s not because you''re already missing me?" Tom asked with a teasing smile.

    "Why would I miss you? I just thought maybe if you had my number today you would have called to tell me you can''t have lunch with me, instead of sending someone," Lucy said, making Tom''s brow arch.

    "So that was the reason you were upset?" Tom asked, narrowing his eyes at her as he returned to stand in front of her.

    "I was not upset," Lucy denied.

    "Yes, you were. I know for a fact that you were upset. I was just going to leave quietly earlier, but now I want you to tell me what bee got into your bo," Tom said as he leaned forward so their eyes would be on the same level.

    "Forget about the phone number if you''re going to act this way. You can leave," Lucy said, turning around to get inside the house but Tom ced his arm around her waist and pulled her back. She gasped in surprise at the sudden pull and ced her left hand on his chest to keep her bnce, while she held on to her phone with her right hand.

    "What do you think you are doing?" She asked breathlessly as color rose on her face, "Let me go," she said, trying to wriggle free, but he didn''t budge.

    "I will release you once you tell me why you''re acting up and..." His words trailed off and his lips curved in a smile when something else urred to him. Was it possible that she was stopping him from entering her house because of what he told her the previous evening?

    Tom raised his left hand to her face and ced a finger under her chin so she would meet his gaze, "Why were you upset?"

    Lucy gulped nervously at the closeness. With every breath she drew, she inhaled his scent, and it made her want to lean closer into him, "I wasn''t upset," she said as she turned her face away from him.

    "Okay. Why don''t you want me inside your house?" Tom asked instead.

    "I never said I didn''t want you inside my house," Lucy pointed out defensively as she tried to free herself from him.

    "Is that right? Let''s go inside then," Tom said with a suggestive smile as he let go of her waist.

    "I thought you were going somewhere?" Lucy asked, nervously.

    "I should spend some time with you before I leave," Tom said, jerking his head towards the door for her to get in.

    Reasoning that the sooner she let him into the house, the sooner he would leave, Lucy walked inside and held out the door for him to go in.

    Tom took a step forward, and stopped in front of her, "Thanks. I just wanted to be sure we were on the same page. I will leave now," Tom said with a wink.

    Before she could guess what he snatched her phone from her and input his number. He dialed his line with it, and once his phone rang out he hung up and returned her phone to her, "That''s it, save my number."

    While Lucy was trying to save his number, he leaned forward and brushed his lips on her cheek before stepping back, "Don''t forget to think about all I told you yesterday, Lu.. Have a lovely evening," he said with a wave before he walking away, leaving a red-faced Lucy staring after him in surprise.

 Chapter 72 - I Will Do It

    Immediately Tom left, Lucy shut the door and walked over to the couch where she copsed. Shey there with her eyes closed as she thought of Tom. What was she going to do about him? Perhaps she should do as Lucas had suggested? Maybe if she were to have sex with him and let him be her first lover he would stop hounding her this way? Lucy sighed and sat up after a while.

    She was startled when she heard the doorbell ring again and stood up almost immediately. Was he back? Did he leave something? Or did he want to continue with her from where he stopped? She asked herself as she slowly walked over to the door to see who was standing there. She opened the door, and much to her surprise it was Jasmine.

    "Hi!" Jasmine greeted with a cheerful smile, while Lucy stared at her nkly wondering why she was standing in front of her door.

    "His apartment is the next one, and he is not home," Lucy said, assuming Jasmine was there to see Tom.

    "I''m aware. But I''m not here for Tom. You''re the one I came to see," Jasmine said with a polite smile, making Lucy raise a brow in surprise as she stepped away from the door for Jasmine to get inside.

    "Thanks," Jasmine said with a soft smile as she stepped inside the house. She took off her sneakers by the door and looked around the house before walking further inside to sit on the couch.

    "Do you care for anything?" Lucy asked politely.

    "A ss of water will do. Thanks," Jasmine said with a polite smile, and Lucy nodded as she walked over to the kitchen to get her a ss of water. She stepped out a momentter with the ss and handed it to Jasmine.

    "Thank you," Jasmine said with a polite smile as she sipped from the ss, "I know you must be wondering why I came to see you," Jasmine started after Lucy had sat down.

    "Yes, I am."

    "I saw you and your driver earlier... I mean before he left," Jasmine said, making Lucy''s heart skip a beat.

    She had seen them? How much did she see? Thest thing she wanted was a rumor going around that she was having an affair with her driver, "It''s not what you think. That wasn''t anything. He just likes to y around that way at times," Lucy said, and Jasmine smiled.

    "What I saw wasn''t a man ying around. It looks like something is going on between you two, or maybe something happened... Don''t worry, I''m not here to judge or gossip. I just... I... We need your help," Jasmine said with a nervous smile on her face now.

    "My help? What for? Who is the WE?" Lucy wondered with a crease on her brow, as she adjusted her sses on her nose.

    "I and my wife, Alicia," Jasmine exined, making realization dawn on Lucy.

    Jasmine was a lesbian? The other girl with her a few days ago was her wife? If that was the case, why were they flirting with Tom? Did they want a threesome? Why was she here to talk to her? What help did lesbians need from her?

    "We want to start a family. Alicia has refused to have kids since we got married three years ago. She was looking for a suitable father material... And the first day we saw Tom, she decided that she wanted him to be the father of our child..." Jasmine said, making Lucy gasp in surprise.

    "You want him to donate his sperm?" She asked in disbelief, making Jasmine wince.

    "I know it sounds absurd, considering the fact that we just met, and we are not even close to him. We haven''t told him yet. We want to establish a friendship with him before raising the subject. So when we saw the both of you earlier, Alicia decided that we get your consent first, since you are in a kind of rtionship with him..."

    "I''m not," Lucy denied. She didn''t want them to get the wrong idea. Tom was just her neighbor and her driver, nothing more, and nothing less.

    Jasmine nodded her head, "That means you don''t care about how we go about it? Even if Alicia seduces him? He doesn''t have to know," Jasmine said, making Lucy frown.

    "Didn''t you just say you wanted to get close to him before telling him what you want? Why are you now saying he doesn''t have to know?" Lucy asked with a frown.

    "We might have no reason to tell him since you''re not in a rtionship with him. We just wanted to make sure he was single," Jasmine exined, "Can you not tell him we had this conversation?"

    "I can''t promise you anything. But I think you should ask him and if he is willing he will give it to you. And if he isn''t, you can find someone else," Lucy said matter of factly.

    Jasmine gave Lucy a nod as she dropped the ss on the table and stood up, "Thanks for your time."

    Lucy saw her off to the door, and after she left Lucy picked up her phone to give Sonia a call. She needed to at least find out if Sonia had been able to find out anything about her boss, and also tell her what she had found out about her boss, and also about the recent development in her rtionship with Tom.

    Meanwhile, in Bryan''s apartment, he had a scowl on his face during dinner as he listened to Matt and Sonia converse like they have been best friends forever. If he heard one more ''Did you know that Sonia...'' from Matt, he was going to kill the traitor and kill himself.

    "You don''t seem to be in a very good mood, what''s the problem?" Sonia asked with a concerned smile as she ate.

    "He is fine. Just grumpy. Bryan hates it when he doesn''t have his way," Matt told Sonia with a grin, and she smiled.

    "Oh! I see," Sonia said with a smile. She nced at her phone when it vibrated with a text message notification and picked it up when she saw that it was from Lucy, "Hey! Can you talk right now?"

    "Excuse me for a moment, I need to make a call," Sonia said as she stood up from the dining and walked away with her phone.

    "What is WRONG with you?" Bryan snapped at Matt the moment Sonia disappeared.

    "What do you mean?" Matt asked with a grin.

    "I called you here to get rid of her, not be her best friend!" Bryan said through gritted teeth, his eyes shing angrily as he red at Matt.

    "Rx. All this is part of my n to make her fall for me. She already guessed the reason I came over, so I''m trying to y a different role," Matt exined.

    "You are?" Bryan asked surprised, "But wait, how did she know why you are here?" Bryan asked curiously.

    "She is way smarter than you give her credit for. Just quit scowling at her all day long, and start acting more like Bryan Hank! You''re an actor, y the fucking role!" Matt muttered under his breath.

    Meanwhile, inside the bedroom, Soniay on the bed as she dialed Lucy''s line, "Hey baby! Why didn''t you just call?" Sonia asked immediately Lucy received the call.

    "I thought you would be writing, or busy with Bryan, and I didn''t want to interrupt," Lucy exined.

    "I keep telling you, I''m ALWAYS avable to you. Even if I''m having sex, I would slide that dick out of me to take your call, don''t you get it?" Sonia asked, making Lucy giggle.

    "I love you too. How are you?" Lucy asked changing the subject.

    "I''m alright. I was just in the middle of dinner with Bryan and his best friend. What about you? How are you?" Sonia asked curiously.

    "I''m okay. I wanted to find out if you''ve learned anything about my boss," Lucy said making Sonia sigh.

    "Not yet. But Matt says he is very handsome and nice," Sonia assured Lucy.

    "Well, I don''t think so. He was at the office today, and he was very weird," Lucy said, before going on to give Sonia the details.

    "You only feel this way because he is your boss. Anyway, how is Tom?" Sonia asked curiously.

    "That is the second reason I called. He''s acting weird," Lucyined.

    "Howe everyone is acting weird around you? What did he do?" Sonia asked, and listened as Lucy narrated everything to her.

    "Wait! Do you mean he didn''t do it that night? But you thought he did?" Sonia asked in disbelief, making Lucy wince in embarrassment.

    "Yes," Lucy said, as she went on to exin the situation.

    Sonia burst into a fit ofughter before Lucy could finish, "I really don''t know what to think of that guy. I like him, and at the same time I don''t like him because he likes someone else and wants you to help him get her," Sonia said with a sigh.

    "What should I do? Do you think maybe I should let him do it? So that we can get over it?" Lucy asked, making Sonia smile.

    "You know very well what I''m going to say. So go for it," Sonia said happily, "It''s best you do it with him now that he isn''t dating anyone yet," Sonia added.

    "You are right.. I will do it," Lucy said with determination.

 Chapter 73 - Very Uncomfortable

    "Seriously? You mean your brother is interested in Sonia''s best friend?" Matt asked in a whisper as they continued eating while Sonia was in the room talking to Lucy.

    "Yeah. So I need you to help me find out all you can about her best friend," Bryan said, and Matt grinned.

    "Are you sure you can get rid of Sonia? From the way I see it, if your brother ends up getting married to her best friend, you might have to see her every time you show up at your brother''s ce," Matt said with a cheerful smile as though he was already looking forward to it.

    "That doesn''t change anything. Stick to the n and get her out of here within a week. You can still do that, right?" Bryan asked with a slightly raised brow.

    "A week? What''s the hurry?"

    "I just don''t want her around me," Bryan said with a shrug.

    "I wasn''t going to say anything, but maybe I should. Why do you seem so worked up over her?" Matt asked, watching Bryan closely.

    "I don''t know. She just makes me very..." He paused as though he was searching for the right word, "She makes me very ufortable," Bryan said, choosing to make do with ufortable.

    "Ufortable? How?" Matt asked with a slightly raised brow.

    "I wish I knew."

    "Are you sure it''s not because you find her interesting, and you''re scared you might fall for her charms? Maybe you''re just scared you might end up falling for her," Matt said thoughtfully.

    The Bryan he knew would have no reservations about ying along with Sonia until they both get tired and went their separate ways, so why was he putting in so much effort into trying to have her leave?

    "Shut up if you have nothing better to say. Quit saying shit," Bryan growled at him.

    "Are you sure it''s shit? Because if you''re being honest with yourself right now you''d agree with me that you are not acting as you ordinarily would act if she was someone else," Matt pointed out.

    "And how do you think I would have acted if it was someone else? Go on, tell me," Bryan said, looking at him with a slightly raised brow.

    "We both know if you really didn''t want her around you, you would have called off the whole engagement thing by now. You''re not someone that cares so much about what the public thinks. You''ve been in and out of a lot of sexual and rtionship scandals. And if you really proposed to her just to clear up the scandal concerning Sophia, you would have cleared this up already," Matt exined.

    He raised a finger when Bryan opened his mouth to speak, "Hold on, I''m not done yet. What is the worse she can do if you call off the engagement? Tell the world that you both didn''t know each other before? What is the best you can do? Refuse to give anyment and tell the public that you''d like your private business to stay private. It would take a week or two, and you would be done with all of that. Another celebrity would do something scandalous and attention will shift from you. Now think about it, am I right or wrong when I say you''re acting out of character?" Matt asked, making Bryan frown.

    "..." Before he could respond, they heard Sonia''s voice.

    "So what did you both talk about in my absence?" Sonia asked with a teasing smile as she returned to join them at the table.

    "I was just telling Bryan here, how lucky he is to have a beautiful and intelligent woman like you," Matt said with a grin, making Sonia raise both hands to her cheeks as though she was blushing.

    "Aww, I''m blushing. That''s so sweet of you. I''m d I have you on my side," Sonia said, while Bryan just kept looking at them both with a nk expression as he processed what Matt had said. Was it really as easy as Matt had made it sound? Was he really just stalling when he can easily just tell her it''s over?

    "So tell me something, do you have a friend or sister that you can hook me up with?" Matt asked with a yful smile and winked at Bryan who quickly took the cue.

    "Yes, she does. Or is your best friend in a rtionship?" Bryan asked, looking at her and trying not to sound too curious about her best friend.

    "I would have loved to hook you up with her. But unfortunately, Lucy isn''t interested in guys, so I don''t think it will work," Sonia said with an apologetic smile which made Bryan narrow his eyes. She wasn''t interested in guys? Did that mean she was into girls? Bryan wondered.

    "She is into girls?" Matt asked, voicing the question on Bryan''s mind, which made Soniaugh out loud.

    "No, she isn''t. Maybe if she was into girls I would be married to her by now," Sonia said with an amused smile.

    "What about you? Are you into girls?" Bryan asked suspiciously since he had noticed the way she had checked the strippers out at the club the previous evening.

    "I don''t think I will be engaged to you if I was into girls. But you could say I''m bisexual though. I''ve been with one or two girls before," Sonia said with a wink making Bryan scoff even though he was actually feeling intrigued to know more about Sonia.

    "You''re joking, right?" Matt asked in disbelief.

    "I''m not. Anyway, I was just trying to say Lucy is not into the whole rtionship stuff," Sonia said with a shrug.

    "Why not? Did someone break her heart? If she did, then you should hook us up. Bryan tell her my nickname," Matt said to Bryan who chuckled.

    "He''s the heart mender," Bryan said with a small smile. Of course, there was no way he was going to allow Matt to go anywhere close to Lucy, and Matt knew it. He just needed Matt to keep asking Sonia questions about Lucy. That way Sonia wouldn''t suspect anything.

    "You heard that, right? I mend broken hearts," Matt told Sonia.

    "Well, I don''t think you can mend this heart. It is moreplicated than that. And she prefers to be alone," Sonia said before turning to look at Bryan. "So what about your siblings?" Sonia asked, trying to change the subject from her friend.

    "They''re okay. My brother is busy running hispany, while my sister is busy being awyer," Bryan answered, wanting to give her the answer he knew she wanted.

    "That''s so nice. So what is your brother like? Is he anything like you?" Sonia asked again, grateful that he was being more responsive now than he had been earlier that morning.

    "Nah! He ispletely different from Bryan. He is the gentle version, and he is more handsome too," Matt said, making Bryan raise a brow.

    "He isn''t more handsome than I am," Bryan hissed at him.

    "You have always been jealous of your brother''s looks, admit it," Matt said with a chuckle making Bryan throw a piece of steak at him.

    "Shut up," Bryan hissed at Matt, making Sonia giggle. That meant Tom was very handsome just as Matt had told her before.

    "I bet he has a better personality too," Sonia said, wanting to get more information.

    "He is boring. He prefers to keep to himself. And I don''t think he is very good withdies either, or has he changed?" Matt asked Bryan who shook his head.

    "No, he hasn''t. You know he lives like a hermit. He still doesn''t like people looking at him oring too close to him," Bryan said, while Sonia nodded her head as she digested the information.

    "Why? Did something happen to make him that way?" Sonia asked thoughtfully.

    "I don''t think so. He has always been that way since we were all young. I can''t even remember him ying games with us more than twice when we were young. He was always in his bedroom busy with his book or hisputer. It''s no wonder he is so sessful today," Matt said, and Bryan nodded his head in agreement.

    "So you mean he is not married or involved with anydy at the moment?" Sonia asked, trying not to sound too into the subject even though both Matt and Bryan could tell she was very much interested.

    "He isn''t. He would settle down when he meets the right person. By the way, what about your best friend, where does she live? Do you think maybe we can hook her up with my brother? I think they might be good for each other," Bryan suggested, making Sonia choke on the water she had just started drinking.

    "What?" She asked, looking at him in surprise, while Bryan and Matt stifled the urge tough.

    "I was just kidding," Bryan said with a smirk as he pushed away his chair from the table and stood up, "I will do the dishes since you both fixed dinner," Bryan said as he started stacking up the dishes.

    "I will assist you," Matt offered as he stood up to join Bryan.

    "What do you think you are doing?" Bryan asked forty-five minutester when he walked into his bedroom after he was done doing the dishes with Matt, and saw Sonia seated in front of his closet drawers, folding his briefs into a different drawer, while her luggage boxy open on the floor next to her.

 Chapter 74 - Deal

    Bryany on one end of his bed facing the ceiling, while Soniay on the other end facing the wall as she sleptfortably. Bryan turned in her direction when he heard the soft snoresing from her direction. She was really asleep? How could she barge into his life and his bedroom this way? Earlier on she had rearranged his closet and drawers so she could make space for her stuff.

    After trying to sleep to no avail, he got out of bed and picked up a hoodie sweater which he wore over his t-shirt and joggers before walking out of the bedroom. Although the house was dark, save for the beam of lighting in through the patio door from the back, he didn''t bother to turn on any light as he made his way to the bar to pour himself a ss of wine before opening the patio door and heading to the poolside.

    He needed to think about what Matt had said earlier. Maybe he wasn''t dealing with the situation as he should. He tried to imagine someone else in this same situation. What would he have advised the person to do? He knew Sonia was crazy, and as such he couldn''t handle things like Matt had said. He didn''t know just what Sonia would do if he outrightly announced that he was done with her. Although he wasn''t one to care about his reputation very much, he also wasn''t one to make rash decisions by underestimating Sonia''s craziness.

    "I was looking for you," Sonia spoke from behind him, startling him since he had been deep in thought and hadn''t realized that someone was out there with him.

    "Why? I thought you were fast asleep?" Bryan asked without turning to look at her.

    "I woke up to ease myself, and when I didn''t find you beside me, I decided to look for you," Sonia said as she took the empty seat beside him. She shivered a little because the night air was cold, and she wasn''t wearing a robe over the skimpy nightgown she was wearing.

    "You can return inside. I''ll be out here for a while," Bryan told her as he raised the winess to his lips and took a sip before dropping it on the table next to him.

    Sonia said nothing as shey back on the chair beside him, "Why are you out here alone? Is something bothering you?" Sonia asked after some time.

    "I left my problem inside, but it followed me out," Bryan said dryly, making Sonia scowl at him.

    "Tell me something, am I not your type?" Sonia asked, sitting up so she could have a better look at him, "I know you womanize a lot, so I''m wondering why you don''t seem to have any interest in me," Sonia said thoughtfully.

    Bryan sighed wearily, "If you were me, would you get involved with you?" Bryan asked, and Sonia giggle unexpectedly.

    "I would. And I would count myself very lucky to be involved with someone like me," Sonia said with a grin, making Bryan''s lips twitch in amusement. It was clear she thought very highly of herself.

    "Earlier when you said you have been with girls before, did you mean it?" Bryan asked curiously.

    "Yes. Once when I was in high school, and another time in college," Sonia said with a wide smile.

    "And you haven''t tried it since college?" Bryan asked, and Sonia shook her head, "Why? Bad experience?" Bryan asked as he sipped from his ss.

    "Let''s just say I realized that in as much as I like boobs, I don''t want to suck someone else''s pussy. So I''d say I''m more into guys than I am into girls," Sonia said, making Bryan stifle the urge to chuckle.

    He couldn''t imagine giving any guy a blowjob. The thought of it alone made him want to puke. Although he didn''t want to like her, he couldn''t deny that he liked how she easily expresses herself.

    "Why did you propose to me that night?" She asked after a while, making Bryan nce at her.

    Why was she asking that all of a sudden? Bryan mused, before choosing to answer her question honestly, "There was a scandal concerning me and a younger actress. It was affecting her and I wanted to cover it up with something else so she would stop bothering me with her tears," Bryan answered truthfully.

    Sonia nodded her head since she had figured that out already from the beginning. She had only asked to see if he would be honest about it, and she was grateful he answered truthfully, "I see."

    "Why did you ept? If you had simply said no like any normal person would have done, it would have also served the purpose of covering up the scandal," Bryan said, making the corners of her lips curve upward.

    "Unfortunately I''m not normal. And double unfortunately, I like you. I''ve had a crush on you for a long time, and I figured this was my chance to get close to you," Sonia answered, taking him back.

    "You have a crush on me?" Bryan asked in surprise.

    "Why do you sound so surprised?" Sonia asked in amusement as she shivered again, "You are Bryan Hank, and I''m sure half thedies in the country must have dreamt of you at one point or the other," Sonia added as she rubbed her arms which were now covered in goose pimples.

    "You should go inside, you''re cold," Bryan suggested when he noticed the way she was rubbing her arms.

    "How about we strike a deal?" Sonia asked ignoring what he had just said.

    "A deal? What sort of deal?" Bryan asked as he took off his sweater and handed it to her. He couldn''t afford for her to get sick because she was being stubborn.

    Sonia raised a brow as she took the sweater which was still warm from him. She hadn''t been expecting such a thoughtful gesture from him so she smiled as she said "Thank you," and then slipped it over her head, while Bryan sipped his wine as he waited for her to finish and answer him.

    "The more you try to get rid of me, the more I will stick to you. So why not let me have my way for a year, and then after that if you still want me to leave I will disappear from your life?" Sonia asked, surprising Bryan who almost choked on his wine.

    "A year?" He asked in a choked voice.

    "Yes. A year. Within that year I will let you do anything you want. We can tell everyone we are in an open rtionship," Sonia suggested.

    He knew it! He knew she was crazy. Only a crazy person woulde up with an idea like this. Only Sonia would. "Why would I want to do something like that?" Bryan asked incredulously.

    "Because I can assure you that you and your best friend are wasting your time with whatever n you try toe up with to get rid of me. Even if you decide to announce to the world that the engagement was a hoax, I won''t let you be. So you have to do it my way. That is the only way you can be free of me," Sonia said with a shrug.

    Bryan sighed. What kind of a problem did he get himself into? Who was thisdy? What did she want from him? "A year is too much," Bryan said after a while.

    "Okay. Let''s make it six months then. I would have gotten everything I want from you by then," Sonia said, making Bryan narrow his eyes suspiciously.

    "Everything you want from me? What do you want from me? Just tell me and I will give it to you so you can leave," Bryan pleaded.

    "It''s not that easy. Most importantly, I''m working on my next bestseller, and it is about our situation," Sonia said in a confidential whisper.

    "I don''t think any of this is a good idea for a story," Bryan said with a shake of his head.

    "I''m the writer here. Allow me to decide that. I''m sure this particr story will be adapted as a movie, and when that timees, I will make sure you get the lead role," Sonia promised.

    Bryan thought about it for a moment, "Six months and you will disappear?" Bryan asked doubtfully.

    "Yes. Just allow me be your fiancee for six months," Sonia repeated with a nod, "Don''t forget that it would make more sense for us to break up after some months, rather than a week after our engagement. Also I will break up with you myself," Sonia added.

    "What do you stand to gain from being my fiancee for six months?" Bryan asked, wondering if she wanted to get money from him.

    As if she could read his mind, she said, "You don''t have to give me any money within this period. Just treat me as you would a fiancee. Only difference is it will be an open rtionship, so you don''t have to be faithful to me," Sonia added.

    "Six months?" Bryan asked again.

    "Just six months. We could put it down in words," Sonia suggested. She had spent most part of the afternoon writing and plotting, and she hade to the conclusion that it would probably work best for the both of them this way.

    "And you would live under my roof within this time?" Bryan asked, and Sonia nodded.

    "If I finish the story before then, I might not have to stay for that long. But yes, I will live with you for this period. So? Deal?" She asked, extending a hand to him for a handshake.

    Bryan thought about it for a moment, although he would have preferred to have her out of his life within a week, or at most a month, but he knew she was right. He wouldn''t be able to shake her off if she wasn''t willing to leave on her volition. Six months? He wouldn''t always be here within those six months anyway. He would travel to shoot movies, and do other stuff that his career required, and before he knows it six months would be over. With that thought in mind he took her little hand in his own, "Deal."

 Chapter 75 - The Sex Thing

    Lucy tossed and turned on her bed all night as she thought about how to go about things with Tom. Was she making the right decision? Would Tom really let her be once she finally did it with him? How was she going to tell him about her decision? When she eventually fell asleep that night she dreamt of Tom all through the night.

    She woke up veryte the next morning and hurriedly ran into the bathroom to brush her mouth. In her haste, she turned the basin tap handle too quickly and it broke, causing the angry water to ssh all over her body and the bathroom.

    "Shit!" She hissed irritably as she looked around the bathroom, trying to find something that would help her stop the water. She didn''t have time for this at all. She couldn''t afford to bete and let her boss get there before her. She thought of calling Tom over but decided to try and manage the situation as she would have done assuming she didn''t have a neighbor like Tom. She tried tying a scarf around the broken tap, but that didn''t stop the water from flowing, it only stopped the sshes. She looked around her helplessly until it finally urred to her that she could stop the flow of water from the controller under the basin sink.

    Once she did that, she made a mental note to ask Tom to fix itter as she quickly showered and prepared for work. She walked over to her closet and randomly picker out a light blue shirt which she tucked into a navy blue bodycon pencil skirt. She chose a pair of red block heels which matched her handbag.

    As she walked out of her house and headed for the car where she knew he would be waiting, she decided she was going to be blunt with him, like he usually was with her.

    "Good morning, did you sleep well?" Tom asked with a cheerful smile once he saw her approaching. He had just been thinking about going to check on her since she was over twenty minuteste, and that was unlike her.

    "Good morning to you too. I did. What about you? Were you able to finish the job?" Lucy asked, and Tom gave her a nod.

    "Yes, I did."

    "Good," Lucy said with a small smile as she got into the front seat of the car, making Tom wonder what she was up to. She seemed friendly instead of cautious.

    "You woke upte?" Tom asked as he drove off.

    "Kinda. Was busy with work," Lucy said and Tom nodded in understanding.

    "Could you help me fix the tap in my bathroomter in the evening? It broke while I was getting ready for work," Lucy said making Tom''s heart skip a beat.

    Fix a tap? He had never handled a screwdriver all his life, so how was he supposed to know how to fix her bathroom tap? "Uhm, how about you hand me your key? That way I can get it done while you''re at work?" Tom suggested, thinking he would pay someone to fix it.

    Lucy''s brows creased. She wasn''t sure she wasfortable with the idea of Tom being in her house in her absence. It wasn''t like she was thinking he would steal anything, but she just wasn''t okay with it, "Why not after work hours?" She asked.

    "Because I will be busy. I have to do something to doter in the evening," Tom lied. He had been hoping he would spend the evening with her, maybe take her somewhere fun, but now that was not going to work.

    "Oh!" Lucy said with a thoughtful frown. It was either she have him do it at his convenience or have a total stranger do it at her convenience. She would rather have him in her home than someone else, "Okay. I will give you the key," Lucy said with a sigh, and Tom almost sighed in relief too.

    Now that they had gotten that out of the way, they drove in silence for a while as Lucy kept trying toe up with the best opening line for the other conversation she wanted to have with him. The one that had kept her up for most of the night. How was she supposed to start? Could she just say, "Let''s have sex"? Her face colored as she tried to imagine his reaction, and she shook her head. That sounded too direct like she was begging him to do it.

    How about, "Let''s do it"? Would that be appropriate? At least that would sound like she was giving in to his request, rather than offering herself to him on a tter.

    "What are you thinking about so seriously?" Tom asked when he noticed the frown on her face.

    Lucy''s face colored in embarrassment as she was jolted out of her thoughts by Tom''s question. She felt as though Tom could see through her to know what she was thinking, so she quickly turned her face away before clearing her throat, "Nothing," she said without looking at him.

    Nothing? Nah. Seeing the blush on her face, there was no way he could believe that it was nothing.

    The right side of Tom''s lips curved upward in a smirk, "Why do I get the feeling that you were thinking about me, and whatever you were thinking isn''t something that should be in the head of a good girl like you?" Tom asked in an amused tone.

    "I was just thinking about work," Lucy said defensively as she tucked her hair behind her ear but kept looking outside. Why couldn''t she just take this as the opening she needed and say what wanted to say? Why did she have to be so embarrassed over something almost every adult did? Lucy asked herself in frustration.

    "You must have dirty thoughts about your job for you to be blushing this way while thinking about it. Or is it your boss? Don''t tell me you''re thinking about him!" Tom said in mock disbelief, making her hiss at him.

    "You never got to tell me what you discussed with yourdy friend yesterday during lunch. Is there any progress?" Lucy asked, changing the subject to one that interested her more. She wasn''t ready yet to tell him what was on her mind. She knew if she didn''t do that this morning, she wouldn''t be able to focus on work, so maybe she would tell him her decision once they get to thepany.

    "Oh! That. Nothing really. She was just telling me about her job and then she asked about mine. I don''t think she was very impressed to hear that I''m just a mere driver," Tom said with a smile that looked wistful as he remembered the disapproval he had seen on Anita''s face when he told her that he was a driver.

    "Why? Did she say anything that gave you that impression?" Lucy asked with a concerned frown as she turned to look at him now. She knew nothing could hurt a man more than to be looked down on by someone he cared about.

    "You know howdies are. She didn''t say anything, but that was the vibe I got from her," Tom said with a shrug.

    "I''m sure you''re mistaken. Don''t worry, I will get her for you. I promise," Lucy said with a confident smile making him want to chuckle.

    "Don''t try too hard. I''m not in a hurry anyway," Tom said with a small smile, "So what did you dost night after I left? Were you bored? Did you think of me?" Tom asked, once again making her the subject of discussion.

    Lucy blinked at him before shaking her head, "No! I was very busy so I didn''t think about you at all," she lied.

    "That''s sad, ''cause I thought about you for most of the night as I worked, wondering if you were thinking or dreaming about me," Tom said with a small smile.

    He was thinking of her? Why? She really hoped he didn''t like her more than he should, "You should be thinking of thedy, not me," Lucy blurted out before she could stop herself.

    "I know, right? I wonder why I was thinking of you too," Tom said with a sigh as he drove into the parking lot of thepany.

    "Don''t. Please don''t think about me, let''s focus on thedy, okay?" Lucy said in a pleading tone as she reached for the door.

    "Why not?" Tom asked, stopping her before she could leave.

    Lucy paused with her hand on the door. She said nothing for a while and just as Tom was about giving him on getting a response, she said, "Because I don''t want you to. No goodes out of it."

    Having said that, Lucy got out of the car before Tom could ask any more questions, and started walking towards thepany building. She stopped when she remembered that she still hadn''t told him her decision, and she was also supposed to hand him the keys to her apartment. She turned around and returned to the car where Tom was still seated and watching her.

    "Here is the key," She said as she got to the car, while Tom unlocked the door so he could take the key from her. He looked at her curiously when she remained standing there like she still had something to say.

    Lucy took in a deep breath, "You know what?"

    "What?"

    "Let''s just do it and get it done with. I mean the sex thing," Lucy said looking directly into his eyes.

 Chapter 76 - Lovely Undies

    Tom chuckled to himself as he thought about his conversation with Lucy earlier. The plumber who was working on Lucy''s broken basin tap handle turned to look at Tom who was leaning by the bathroom door, and watching him as he worked.

    It was the fifth time he had heard Tomugh since he started working, and he couldn''t help but be curious as to what Tom was finding so amusing that made him keepughing to himself.

    Oblivious to the plumber''s eyes on him, Tom kept reying her words in his head, "The sex thing" he chuckled again. Who talks about sex that way? It was even the confidence with which she had said it that amused him most.

    "Let''s just do it and get it done with. I mean the sex thing," Lucy said looking directly into his eyes.

    He had looked at her, trying not to look as surprised as he actually was, "I beg your pardon?" He had asked, wanting to give her time to rethink and rephrase what she had just said.

    "Did you really not hear me, or are you just trying to make me repeat myself?" She had asked with a scowl.

    "I heard you, but I''m not sure I understand what you mean. You mean you want me to have sex with you?" Tom asked with a slightly raised brow. That was when the blush he had been waiting for crept on her face, and she flushed a bright shade of red.

    Lucy''s mouth went dry. How did he always manage to leave her speechless? She hade to him wanting to be blunt, but one word from him, and she was left tongue-tied, "I... I mean... I..."

    He was sure that if he hadn''t already liked her before then, at that moment he liked her even more, seeing how flustered she looked. How could one person be so beautiful, innocent, and naive? Tom wondered and bent his head to one side as he looked at her with a nk expression while waiting for her to answer his question.

    He had asked her to have sex with him, not the other way round, so why was he trying to embarrass her? Lucy squared her shoulder and raised her chin stubbornly. She wasn''t going to let him bully her, "I don''t want you to have sex with you. You said you... you said you wanted to be... You asked me to..." Lucy paused when she couldn''t find the right words to express herself, "You know what? Let''s just forget it," Lucy said and quickly turned around to leave.

    "How can I forget something like that?" Tom called out as he quickly got out of the car and hurried to catch up with her while she kept walking very fast, "When do you want us to do it? I mean the sex thing?" He asked, but she kept walking without saying anything.

    He didn''t relent either as he got into the elevator with her. Thankfully not many people were around at that time since Lucy always got to the office earlier than most, even when she waste like she was today.

    Once the elevator door closed, giving them the privacy they needed, Tom pulled her to himself and descended on her lips before she could stop him.

    Lucy''s breath caught in her throat, and her heart fluttered as she felt his arms around her waist, while he kissed her very softly. He pulled away before she could respond in any way, "Let''s talk about the sex thingter. I just wanted to make it clear that I heard you, and I understood what you said," Tom said as he stepped away from her.

    Lucy didn''t say anything. She couldn''t. What was she supposed to say? She just stared ahead of her at nothing in particr, and once the door opened, she got out of the elevator and hurried away from him.

    "I''m done," The plumber announced, bringing Tom''s attention back to the present.

    "What are the items you got?" Tom asked, going over to stand by the basin so he could see what had been done. He listened as the plumber gave him a breakdown of all he had bought and what he did, "Okay. Thank you," Tom said with a polite smile as he took out his wallet and handed him more dor notes than he had charged.

    "Thank you, sir," The man said happily as he gathered his items and left the house.

    Tom''s eyes moved around her bathroom and he grinned when he noticed her choice of undies that were hanging behind her towel on the towel rail. He was certain she had failed to hide them away because she had thought she would be home when hees over to fix her broken tap. Too bad he hadn''t seen it earlier, else he would have kept it away so that the plumber wouldn''t see it. Although he doubted the plumber had looked in that direction. Well, he was the plumber as far as she was concerned, and he was going to make it clear to her that he had seen her undies.

    For someone as naive and uptight as she was, he was surprised that she had a pretty sexy taste in undies. Or maybe he shouldn''t be so surprised, seeing as she had been wearing a thong the first time he met her. She intrigued him. The more he got to know her, the more he wanted to know her.

    "Lucinda Perry," Tom called her name out loud as though she was standing in the bathroom with him. He took out his phone and texted her.

    Meanwhile, in Lucy''s office, Lucy buried her face in her palm as she tried to get Tom and his kiss out of her head. Each time she tried to focus on the job in front of her she saw him pull her in for a kiss, and it made her heart flutter.

    Wasn''t he a bit too bold for a driver? What made him believe he could her and touch her whenever and however he liked? And why did she have to be so tongue-tied around him? Why did her body have to respond to his slightest touch and kisses? Perhaps it was because he was the first person to interact with her body so intimately? That had to be it.

    She picked up her phone when it beeped with a message notification, and quickly opened it, thinking the text was from the CEO. She gasped in surprise, and her face flushed a bright red when she read the text which contained just two words, "Lovely Undies."

    She quickly threw her phone in her handbag and nced at the door guiltily when she heard a knock. She was going to think about Tom and a suitable response for himter, for now, she needed to focus on work, Lucy told herself as she took in a deep breath to calm herself.

    "Come in," Lucy called out when she felt she was calm enough.

    Anita walked in with a bright smile on her face, "Good morning," Anita greeted cheerfully. She was dressed in a short gray colored pencil skirt and a yellow shirt.

    "Good morning," Lucy responded with an equally bright smile, even though she was wondering what Anita was doing in her office. So far she knew the CEO didn''t have any appointments and neither did he have any ns of meeting anyone other than Mr. Harry, so why was Anita here during work hours?

    "You''re not too busy, are you? I was around thepany so I decided to stop by and say hello to you," Anita said, even though her eyes were looking everywhere else but at Lucy.

    "Oh! That is nice of you," Lucy said with an awkward smile. When she had approached Anita to be friends with her, she hadn''t meant the sort of friends that dropped in unannounced like this during work hours.

    "Is the CEO in?" Anita asked cocking her head in the direction of the CEO''s office as she dropped her handbag on the desk, andfortably lowered herself on the lone seat opposite Lucy.

    The CEO? Was that why she was here? Lucy wondered as she looked at Anita, "I''m not sure he is in. I''m yet to see him today," Lucy said with a polite smile as she tried to figure out what was going on in Anita''s head.

    "Oh! I guess you don''t see him often," Anita said with a slightly disappointed smile. She nned to visit Lucy''s office as often as she could until she runs into the CEO coincidentally.

    "So, what will you be doing this weekend?" Anita asked, thinking that she needed to get closer to Lucy tofortably ask her questions about the CEO.

    Anita''s question reminded Lucy that it was Friday already, and she was going to have the whole weekend to herself to think and worry about Tom... Which was something she wasn''t looking forward to, "I''m not sure yet."

    "How about we hang out tomorrow? That way we can get to know ourselves better?" Anita asked with a sweet smile.

    Lucy considered her for a moment, thinking that it wouldn''t be a bad idea to hang out with Anita. That way not only would she be busy over the weekend and get Tom out of her head, but she would also be able to help Tom observe Anita and find out more about her and how he can win her heart, "I don''t think it''s a bad idea," Lucy said with a friendly smile and tried not to nce at her phone when it beeped again.

    "Lovely! So where are we meeting? My ce or yours?" Anita asked eagerly.

    Would it be a good idea to invite Anita over to her house? She wasn''t sure she wanted Anita to know that Tom was her neighbor yet, and she didn''t want Tom to know about her n either. She decided that for the best interest of them all, it would be best to meet at Anita''s house.

    "I''m new here, so I think it would be nice to leave my house for a change. Let''s hang out at your ce," Lucy suggested with a bright smile, and Anita pped her hands excitedly.

    "Perfect! I will text you the location and time," Anita said with a wide smile as she stood up and picked up her handbag, "See you tomorrow," Anita said with a wave as she walked out of the office.

    Once Anita left, Lucy took in a deep breath as she reached for her phone to see what Tom had sent again. She raised a hand to her lips to stifle a surprised gasp as she read his text, "What color of undies are you wearing right now?"

 Chapter 77 - Love Potion?

    "What are you doing?" Matt asked from the doorway of the kitchen when he saw Bryan busy flipping fried eggs on a pan.

    How could he be asking him what he was doing when it was obvious that he was cooking? "I''m ying PS, grab the other pad," Bryan said dryly without turning around to look at Matt.

    Matt chuckled at the dry humor as he walked into the kitchen and tried to pick a diced sausage from the te, but Bryan pped his hands before he could get it, "That''s for my fiancee," Bryan said, making Matt''s jaw drop open, but Bryan didn''t bother to look at him as he walked over to the coffee maker to get a cup of coffee for Sonia.

    "Fiancee? Who?" Matt asked as he walked over to the door to see if Sonia was standing anywhere around the kitchen watching them, before returning to meet Bryan again, "What fiancee?"

    "I believe you met her yesterday. Her name is Sonia Smith, and she is sleeping on my bed," Bryan said distractedly as he tried to focus on the task at hand.

    "Sonia? The same Sonia you kept calling a green-eyed witchst night? What is going on between you two? Don''t worry, she can''t hear us, so you can tell me the truth," Matt asked Bryan in a very low tone as he followed him around the kitchen while Bryan arranged the breakfast on a tray.

    "Tell you what?" Bryan asked innocently as he picked up the tray and started heading for the bedroom with Matt on his tail.

    After his deal with Sonia earlier, Sonia had gone as far as suggesting that they both put it down on paper so that each of them could have a copy of it for future purposes. They had both also agreed not to tell Matt, Lucy, or anyone else about their deal, as it all had to be as real as possible since that was what Sonia wanted.

    "Come on! Don''t do that. I''m your best friend, and I deserve to know what is going on. I know something is up. So tell me, did something happen between you both? Don''t tell me you screwed her already, you dog!" Matt eximed suspiciously.

    "I don''t know what you''re talking about. Get out of my way, I need to return to my fiancee," Bryan said as he walked past Matt into the bedroom where Sonia was already awake and was busy on herptop.

    "Breakfast is ready, baby," Bryan announced as he walked up to the bed and dropped the tray by the bedside, while Sonia gave him an approving smile.

    "You seem pretty enthusiastic about this whole thing," Sonia observed as she pulled the tray to herself while Bryan stood beside the bed, watching her as he waited for her to take her first bite.

    "I always like to keep to my end of any bargain. You asked me to treat you as I would my fiancee, and that is exactly what I''m doing," Bryan said making Sonia smile as she took a forkful of egg into her mouth.

    She closed her eyes as she chewed, "Hm, this tastes really nice," Sonia said in a tone that suggested that she was really enjoying the meal.

    Bryan raised his chin proudly, "I''m Bryan Hank, there is nothing I cannot do," Bryan said confidently.

    "That''s nice. I look forward to seeing everything you can do," Sonia said with a yful smile.

    "Sure you will, but make sure you don''t fall in love with me," Bryan warned as he turned around to leave the room.

    "Who says you won''t be the one to fall in love with me? It is usually the person that asks the other not to fall in love, that falls headfirst in love," Sonia said in a challenging tone making Bryan scoff as he turned around to look at her.

    "We will see about that. By the way, you should hurry up with your breakfast and freshen up so we can go out. We can''t spend the entire day indoors like we did yesterday," Bryan said making Sonia raise a brow.

    "I''m not going anywhere with you today. I have to get busy with my writing. Let''s go out some other time," Sonia suggested.

    "I''m sorry baby, unfortunately, you will have to keep your work aside and give me your undivided attention. That is what my fiancee would do," Bryan said, making Sonia roll her eyes.

    "Your fiancee shouldn''t focus on her job and career because she is engaged to you? I will let you know when I have time to spare," Sonia said as sipped from her coffee before returning her attention to herptop.

    Bryan watched as she typed on herptop before telling her, "You have an hour to get ready, darling. Don''t keep me waiting."

    ''You want a fiance, you will get one,'' Bryan thought to himself as he turned around and walked out of the bedroom with a smirk on his face.

    The sides of Sonia''s lips curved in a satisfied smile as she watched him leave. ''That is more like'' she thought to herself as she picked up her jotter to write down what had just happened.

    Once Bryan opened the bedroom door, he saw Matt standing very close to the door like he had been eavesdropping on their conversation, "What were you both talking about?" Matt asked in a whisper.

    "Were you eavesdropping on my conversation with my fiancee?" Bryan asked, ring at Matt.

    "Cut the crap and tell me what is going on, please. I feel I might die of curiosity if I don''t know what is happening," Matt pleaded as he followed Bryan into the kitchen to clean up the ce.

    "What happened over the night? Come on, talk to me! Please!" Matt pleaded impatiently.

    "Nothing. You can leave now, I don''t think you need to do anything anymore," Bryan said, making Matt narrow his eyes.

    "She must truly be a witch! She must have bewitched you while you were sleeping," Matt spected after giving it some thought.

    Bryan chuckled, "Stop saying nonsense. Let''s just say I thought about all you said yesterday, and I decided to handle things the Bryan Hank way."

    "Are you sure that is it? Hope you didn''t poison her meal?" Matt asked, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

    "Since when did poisoning people be the Bryan Hank way?" Bryan hissed at Matt before walking to the sink to wash the dishes he had used to prepare Sonia''s breakfast.

    "It''s not fair. I came all the way here to help you, but you are hiding the situation of things from me," Matt said grudgingly as he helped Bryan rinse and dry the dishes.

    "Thank you for your help. I think I can handle things on my own now. And it is all thanks to the pep talk you gave me yesterday," Bryan said, turning to give Matt a toothy smile.

    "You''re sure that is all this is? You''re not having any strange or funny feeling in your head? Like you love her all of a sudden?" Matt asked in a low voice, wanting to be sure Sonia hadn''t used a love potion on his friend.

    "What sort of a question is that?" Bryan asked in amusement.

    "I need to be sure she didn''t use any spell or love potion on you, so just answer my questions, okay? If you happen to see I and Sonia drowning in your pool, who would you jump in to save first?" Matt asked, cocking his head to one side as he waited for Bryan to answer.

    Bryan sighed, trying not to roll his eyes at Matt''s dramatic question, "You can''t drown. You are a good swimmer."

    "Anything can happen. Say I get a cardiac arrest while swimming and I start drowning, and Sonia is drowning too?" Matt asked with a seriousness that made Bryan roll his eyes now.

    "Matt, I''m not under the influence of anything. I''m just trying to take charge of the situation, and right now you''re not helping! Just trust me, and allow me to handle things my own way, okay?" Bryan said holding Matt''s gaze. Matt looked at him suspiciously for a while before nodding his head.

    "Okay. If you say so. But I''m not leaving yet. I just got here after all," Matt said, and Bryan nodded.

    "That is fine as long as you treat her as you would treat my fiancee," Bryan said, giving Matt a pointed look.

    "So I shouldn''t try to seduce her?" Matt asked with a slightly raised brow.

    Bryan sighed, "What part of ''treat her as you would treat my fiancee'' did you miss?"

    "Okay. Okay. Fine! You asked for it," Matt said in a warning tone before walking out of the kitchen. Once he was outside the kitchen door, he turned around to peer inside the kitchen so he could spy on Bryan, but Bryan was still looking at the door with a slightly raised brow so Matt shed him a smile before walking away.

    Once he was sure Matt had left, Bryan dried his hands and sat on one of the seats in the kitchen. Waking up that morning, he had made up his mind to consider Sonia as an actress and treat her like there was a camera watching them all the time. He had yed the role of a doting fiance in several movies before, so doing that now was going to be easy-peasy.

    His one-week break was going to end by Sunday, and from Monday he would be fully back to work; shooting movies and doingmercial shoots. He would be so busy that he would hardly have any time to spare, so he was just going to spend the weekend with her and give her a swell time.

    He took out his phone to look for fun ces where he could take her to. Maybe they could see a movie, go to an amusement park, and then have dinner in a fancy restaurant before returning home. That seemed like a good n, Bryan thought with an impressed smile.

 Chapter 78 - Hate?

    Tom had a grin on his face as he tried to picture the blush which he knew would be on Lucy''s face after reading his text. Although he knew he was being naughty, he couldn''t pass the opportunity to tease her a little. After all, she had been the one who had brought up the whole talk about sex that morning.

    He got out of the car and headed for the building, deciding to stop by her office to return her key to her, and also see what she was doing, if she was paying attention to her work or whether she was distracted by his texts. His steps faltered when he saw Anitaing out of the building. What was she doing here again? Did she have another meeting with Harry? Tom wondered as he looked at her with a nk expression while she smiled as she approached him.

    "Good morning, Tom! We meet again," She said with a cheerful smile.

    Of course, her smile was cheerful since she had nothing against him. She liked Tom as a person since he was a very nice guy, and was good-looking too. If only he wasn''t such a... A nobody, maybe she would have tried to take him seriously. Her mother and sisters wouldugh at her endlessly if they ever heard that she had gotten involved with a blue-cor worker.

    She remembered the first time they had met about three months ago. She had rammed into his expensive-looking car from behind and when she got out to apologize, she had met the gorgeous man behind the wheel who looked at her with a calm smile and asked her not to worry. At that moment, she had thought she had finally met the man of her dreams and had asked for his number so she could give him a callter to know if his car was okay.

    She had tried to keep in touch after that day, and soon they had started exchanging texts. She had tried not to ask him what he did for a living because she hadn''t wanted to sound like a gold digger. He looked decent and drove an expensive car, so that was enough to tell her that he was doing well for himself. That had been the reason she hadn''t mentioned anything about her job either, since she had wanted to take things slowly between then.

    Unfortunately, it was only after they went on their first date and she confessed to him that she liked him, and would like to go into a rtionship with him if he was single, that he had opened up to her that he was a handyman and the car he had been with on the day they met belonged to one of his wealthy clients. She had been very disappointed but had tried to hide it by remaining polite. After that day she had slowly withdrawn and had made up excuses to stand him up on every date until he had finally gotten fed up to the point of ending their rtionship, much to her relief.

    "Good morning. What brings you here today? Another meeting?" Tom asked with a polite smile when Anita stopped in front of him.

    "Not at all. I came to say hello to a friend," Anita said with a mischievous smile. There was no need to make things awkward between them by telling Tom that she was friends with his boss. She would leave that surprise forter when she finally gets the CEO to be her man.

    A friend? She had a friend here? Tom wondered, but decided it was not his business, "I suppose you don''t have much work to do at your office," Tom said, and Anita shrugged.

    "You know how it is... Or maybe not," Anita said with an apologetic smile since she believed Tom wasn''t very familiar with the structural organization ofpanies, "Things aren''t settled yet. New management, new rules," she exined.

    "I see. Okay then," Tom said with a nod as he waited for her to leave, but she remained there staring at him.

    "I hope you don''t hate me?" Anita asked with a curious smile. She knew that if Tom said anything bad about her to Lucy or the CEO he could ruin her chances even before she got any. She needed to make sure they were cool and he wouldn''t say anything about her to anyone.

    "Hate? That''s a big word. Why would I hate you?" Tom asked with a slightly raised brow.

    "You know... What happened between us," Anita said with an awkward smile.

    "I would rather we don''t talk about the past. Can you not mention to anyone here that we were ever involved with each other? Let''s just forget the past, and act like strangers, okay?" Tom asked, making the smile on Anita''s face falter.

    Although she was d that he was suggesting that they pretend not to know each other since that also served her purpose, but her pride was hurt that a mere driver and handyman like him was asking someone like her to pretend not to know him, "Why?"

    "I don''t think I need to give you any reason. Just don''t tell anyone that we were involved with each other. Have a nice day," Tom said with a polite bow before walking away from her. Knowing the kind of person she was, he knew she wasn''t going to go about telling anyone that they used to be in a rtionship.

    When he first met her and started exchanging texts with her, he had thought for a moment that she might be just thedy he needed in his life. But he had snapped out of that dream almost immediately the moment he lied to her that he wasn''t as wealthy as he suspected she had assumed, and her attitude changed towards him.

    Of course, he didn''t have any problem with ady wanting to marry a wealthy man. He only had a problem with the attitude she had given him simply because he wasn''t as wealthy as she expected. If truly she liked him as she had imed she did, then she would have treated him so differently.

    He was only going to reveal his identity to the public once he was settled with the rightdy. That would stop people like Anita froming around him and trying to act like they cared about him. He wished he could say he looked forward to seeing her reaction when she finds out the truth, but he really didn''t care about her or her reaction.

    Anita straightened her back and raised her chin proudly as she watched Tom walk away. If he wanted her to pretend like nothing had happened between them, then that was okay by her. She wasn''t going to feel bad about any of it. It wasn''t her fault that he was poor after all, Anita thought as she walked away.

    Once Tom got out of the elevator, he pushed thoughts of Anita out of his mind as he dipped his hand into his pocket and slid the key ring down on one of his fingers. He smiled in anticipation of his encounter with Lucy as hezily walked over to her office. He had spent some time mulling over what he wanted to say and do to her, and he was already dying to see her colored face.

    Lucy who had pushed her phone far away from her and was just beginning to be focused on the documents in front of her, looked up when the office door was opened, and her heart skipped a beat when she saw Tom standing there with a smile on his face that touched his eyes.

    Seeing the smile on his face, his texts reyed in her head and she felt her cheeks flush a bright red. It wasn''t lunchtime yet so why was he here? What did he want?

    As if he could read her mind, he raised the finger holding the key and said, "I came to return your key."

    Oh! "You have fixed the tap already?" Lucy asked, trying to focus on the current discussion and not think about the disturbing texts he had sent her.

    "Yes ma''am," Tom said but made no move to approach her table to drop the keys or sit down. He just leaned back on the doorzily, watching her like a predator.

    "So how much do I owe you?" Lucy asked as she picked up her bag, wanting to take out money for him.

    "Come on, I think we have passed the stage where you should pay me for my services, don''t you think so?" Tom asked, smiling at her again in a way that made her ufortable.

    Lucy wanted to tell him they haven''t passed any stage, but she decided to settle for a polite response instead, "I think it''s only polite that I pay you for your services. I insist," Lucy said, looking at him as though she was waiting for him to tell her how much his service cost.

    "What if what I want from you is not money?" Tom asked, making butterflies flutter in her belly. If he didn''t want money what else could he want from her apart from the other thing?

    She was too scared to ask the question out loud, since she knew him well enough to know he was likely going to ask for something silly, "Money is the only means of payment for such services," Lucy pointed out.

    "Then don''t pay me," Tom said with a shrug as he moved away from the wall and took his first step towards her, making her want to hide under her desk. How had their rtionship changed so quickly in such a short duration?

 Chapter 79 - Dirty Talk

    Tom kept his eyes on her as he took one step after another as he approached her. Lucy could hear her heart beating very fast with every step he took. What was he trying to do? This was her office. He wasn''t going to try to kiss her here like the way he had kissed her in the elevator, was he? No! She couldn''t let him do that!

    "Stop! Stop!" She said, standing up and raising both hands, "My boss. The CEO is inside his office and he could step out any moment from now," she said, ncing towards the CEO''s office, desperately trying to stop Tom froming any closer to her.

    Tom took another step towards her and smiled at the desperation he heard in her voice, "He is not. I saw him leave earlier, with Mr. Harry," Tom said as he took another step closer to her desk.

    He liked to know that he affected her this way. He never would have thought in his wildest imaginations that he would be anything short of the gentleman he was, doing things like this to get ady''s attention. But here he was, getting bolder and bing more daring by the day. And the amusing thing about it was the fact that he was enjoying every moment of it. Maybe he had always had this in him just like Bryan but had been hiding it all under his good mannerisms. Now he was ready to throw all of that to the winds, as long as it got him what he wanted. He wasn''t a womanizer enough to try this on differentdies. Only onedy interested him at the moment, and that was Lucy.

    "Why didn''t you respond to either of my texts, Lu?" Tom asked when he finally stopped in front of her.

    Lucy''s face heated up at the mention of his text, and she looked away from him in embarrassment, "Those texts were inappropriate," she said in a slightly cracked voice, before clearing her throat.

    "Inappropriate? For someone who knows every curve and edge of your body? Do I need to tell you what you look like without your clothes on?" Tom asked, cocking his head to the side as he looked at her with mischief gleaming in his eyes.

    "Tom..." She pleaded.

    "Since you''re ready for the sex thing, how about we do it here? Right now?" Tom asked with a boyish smile, making her heart skip a beat as she quickly shook her head.

    "No! Not here. Not now. This is my office." She reminded him. But Tom ignored her as he went around the desk to meet her, while Lucy tried her best not to lose herposure and run out of her seat.

    Once he stood behind her seat, he leaned forward so that his head was resting in the crook of her shoulder, and he ced one hand on the side of her neck, under her hair, and moved her hair to one side so that the part of her neck closest to him would be bare, while the other hand went around her waist. Lucy sucked in a breath when his finger brushed her skin in the process.

    "We don''t have to do the main thing right now," Tom suggested with a wink, "How about I use just my fingers to prepare you right now, forter?" He offered, even though he had no intention of doing something like that, or did he? He really didn''t know. He couldn''t trust himself anymore to know what he was capable of or not. He felt like he had be an entirely different person since he met Lucy.

    Lucy almost swallowed her tongue when she heard his question, and she felt the spot between her legs throb in response to his question. Her head was screaming no, but her body seemed to be screaming yes.

    It was the scent of his cologne. It was overwhelming her senses and confusing her. And the closeness wasn''t helpful either, as his breath was fanning her neck. It made her want to close her eyes and angle her head to the side to give him ess to kiss her neck, "Please..." Lucy cried weakly as she gripped the edge of her seat to maintain control of her senses.

    "Okay, just tell me something I want to know and I will leave you alone," Tom said with a small smile, seeing how his closeness was affecting her.

    "What?" She asked in a voice that was cracked with emotion.

    "What color of undies are you putting on right now? I know it''s probablyce, but what color is it?" Tom whispered, making sure his lips brushed her bare neck.

    Lucy bit her lower lip to keep herself from making any sound. All she needed was to tell him what color it was, right? That wasn''t a big deal, "Lc," she breathed.

    Tom kissed her neck, "Good girl. Why don''t we keep ying around the subject this way until we are ready to get down to the act? Cool right?" He asked as he straightened up and moved away from her desk, much to her relief, putting distance between them.

    "See you at lunchtime," Tom said with a wink before heading for the door.

    Bryan had said to build the sexual tension until she was forced to rip off his shirt herself. He wanted that too. He wanted to see her crazy with longing for him. Not a drunk Lucy, but a very clear-headed Miss Perry.

    Although he wasn''t exactly following all of Bryan''s guidelines and instructions, he still got some major clues from Bryan which he found very helpful.

    Once Lucy was certain that Tom had left, she let herself give in to her weak knees and she copsed into her seat and raised a hand to her chest where her heart was beating so fast like it was about to explode from her chest. Tom was getting bolder by the day, and she had no idea what was behind this change.

    ***********

    "Why aren''t you dressed yet?" Bryan asked when he walked into the bedroom and found Sonia in the same position that he had left her earlier. The only difference now was that she had finished eating the meal he had served her earlier and had pushed the tray to the side.

    "Dressed? But I''m dressed," Sonia said with a smile that seemed to be hanging on the bnce between sweet and confused, as she looked down at her nightgown.

    Without saying another word to her, Bryan stalked over to where she was and before she could guess what he was up to, he picked up her jotter and theptop from beside her, "Now you have five minutes to get dressed," Bryan said as he walked out of the room carrying the items.

    "What do you think you''re doing?" Sonia asked, standing up from the bed in a hurry to follow him.

    "Treating you as I would treat my stubborn fiancee. Now get dressed and stop wasting our time," Bryan ordered before stopping to look at her when she tried to reach for theptop.

    "Is giving your fiance a few hours of your time too much to ask for? Why are you still here if you won''t even act like a fiancee?"

    Sonia''s brow creased a little as she looked at theptop he was holding and then back at him. She had asked him to treat her like he would treat his fiancee, and so far he was doing exactly what she requested. Going out with him was going to give her more things to write about than staying indoors, so maybe she shouldn''t be so difficult.

    "I''ll be ready in thirty minutes," She said in a resigned tone before turning to walk away.

    "Good girl," Bryan said as he tapped her ass, making her turn to look at him with a slightly raised brow, "I would tap my fiancee''s ass that way," he said with a grin.

    Without saying a word Sonia rolled her eyes as she walked away, and the grin on his face turned into a smirk. Maybe this wasn''t such a bad idea after all. At least he was no longer as bored as he was before her arrival, Bryan thought as he took theptop and jotter into his study to hide it away from her. If she was going to work, she was going to have to do so when he wasn''t around.

    Exactly thirty minutester Sonia joined him in the living room. Bryan''s eyes roamed over the ripped jeans trouser and olive-colored crop top she was wearing with a jeans jacket, "You don''t have a pretty gown? Like the one you wore yesterday?" Bryan asked, looking at her clothes with disapproval.

    "I don''t. Why?" Sonia asked as she looked around the house.

    "I think I prefer to see you in gowns. You look sexier that way. Let''s stop by a clothes shop on our way and get you some nice gowns before leaving," Bryan suggested.

    "I have a lot of gowns at home. I chose not to bring them with me because I wasn''t expecting you to take me out. Besides, I told you I didn''t want you to spend your money on me," Sonia reminded him.

    "Why won''t you expect your fiance to take you out? Besides, I won''t give you my money, but I can choose to spend my money anyhow I deem fit on my fiancee," Bryan said as held out his hand for her to take it.

    Sonia smiled at him as she took his hand. Wasn''t he doing a bit too much? She wondered as they both walked out, "Where is Matt? Why don''t I see him anywhere around?" Sonia asked curiously.

    "He stepped out to visit some friends," Bryan told her as he led her to the car and opened the front passenger door for her to get in. Once she was seated, she waited for him to shut the door and leave, but Bryan smiled at her as he reached over her for the seatbelt and buckled it, "I look forward to spending the day with you, baby," he said with a sweet smile as he leaned closer to drop a feather-light kiss on her lips.

    Sonia narrowed her eyes after he pulled away and shut the door. What was he up to? Why was he being so sweet? Yes, she had asked him to treat her as a fiancee, but this was still kind of too much, wasn''t it? Or was he trying to go and dump her somewhere no one would find her? She wondered as she turned around in her seat to look at Bryan who had gotten into the driver''s seat next to her.

    Bryan shed her a smile when he met her curious gaze and then he turned on the car''s ignition and drove off. He was going to give her the exact opposite of whatever it was she was expecting him to do. He was going to kill her with sweetness.

 Chapter 80 - Jamie

    "The car is too quiet, why don''t you tell me more about yourself?" Bryan asked after a while as he drove.

    Sonia who had been lost in her thoughts turned to look at him, "What do you want to know?"

    "Everything your fiance should know about you. Your family, all your favorite things, the things you do not like, the important people in your life, your dreams and ambition, your happiest, saddest, and most embarrassing moment. Everything that makes you Sonia Smith," Bryan said, making Sonia narrow her eyes at him.

    Was he really interested in her life or was he just doing this to find something he could use against her? She asked herself, but decided to y along irrespective of the reason behind his question, "I suppose you will do the same after I''m done?" She asked, and Bryan nced at her.

    "Of course. Besides, if I remember correctly I already told you some things about myself thest time," he said, reminding her of the night of their fake engagement.

    "So where should I start from?" Sonia asked since he had asked a lot of questions and she wanted to know which he was most curious about.

    "Your family. What happened to them?" Bryan asked, and Sonia sighed.

    It wasn''t really a subject she liked to talk about, "My half-brother, Jamie,mitted suicide and my mother and her husband med my best friend for it..."

    Bryan''s brows pulled together in a frown, "Your best friend? Why?"

    Sonia recalled Lucy asking her not to say anything about her to Bryan so she shook her head, "It''s all veryplicated. Anyway, when they couldn''t bear the loss of Jamie, they decided to move to another country and start over, but I insisted on staying back, especially as I just graduated from high school and I was already applying for colleges nearby and Lucy also needed me. They used me of conspiring with Lucy to kill Jamie and they left bitterly and cut offmunication with me," Sonia said with a scoff. She still couldn''t believe that her mother had done that to her.

    "I received a call three yearster and was told they both died in a car crash. So, I have just Lucy now," Sonia said with an indifferent shrug, but Bryan didn''t miss the sadness in her voice.

    "Don''t you wish you moved with them?" Bryan asked, turning to spare her a nce.

    "I don''t. They were being unreasonable by using Lucy of causing his death. Jamie had always been a jerk and a spoilt brat who always thought he deserved to get whatever he wanted. Also, we never really got along, and somehow a part of me didn''t really feel bad when he died. I felt indifferent, and I think my parents noticed that," Sonia sighed again when she realized she had given too much information.

    Bryan said nothing as he listened to her. So her family was dead? And herte parents med her half-brother''s death on Lucy? "I''m sorry about that," Bryan said in a low tone.

    "There is nothing to be sorry about," Sonia assured him. The only person she really felt sorry for was Lucy who had been dragged into Jamie''s insanity because of her. If not for their friendship there was no way Lucy would have encountered a crazy person like Jamie. And because of Jamie, Lucy didn''t want to get emotionally involved with anyone.

    Bryan said nothing, choosing to give her some time to gather her thoughts. They could continue with their conversationter. He pulled the car to a stop in front of a cinema, and Sonia turned to look at him in surprise.

    "What are we doing here?"

    "What do couples do at a cinema? Let''s see any movie of your choice," Bryan suggested.

    Sonia''s eyes lit up and her lips curved in a pleasantly surprised smile, "Really?"

    Bryan returned her smile, and gave her a nod, "Of course," he said as he got out of the car to help her with her door.

    "I thought we were going to stop over to get change my clothes since you didn''t like this one?" Sonia asked as she took the hand he offered and let him lead the way inside.

    "I figured we can always do thatter. Let''s start by seeing a movie. So what sort of movie do you like?" Bryan asked, ignoring the cameras he could see clicking in their direction.

    "Why don''t we see if any of your movies are showing at the Cinema? Have you ever done that before? Like, watch your movies during a date?" Sonia asked curiously as they walked over to the spot where the tickets were being sold.

    "I onlye to the cinema during movie premieres with other actors. I don''t go on dates to cinemas when I can easily see any movie of my choice at home," Bryan pointed out as he joined the short queue of people waiting to get the ticket.

    "Good then. I like to think that I''m sharing a new experience with you," Sonia said with a bright smile as she signaled to a youngdy on the line, "Please do you mind snapping me and my fiance some pictures?" She asked with a friendly smile, and thedy returned smiled back since she recognized them.

    "Sure," she said eagerly as she took the phone which Sonia extended.

    Bryan ced his hands around Sonia''s waist and brought her closer to him. He stood behind her with his hands around her waist and his head in the crook of her neck. Thedy snapped them in that position, as they both smiled happily at the camera. After that, he changed his position and ced his chin on Sonia''s head since he was taller than her, and this time Sonia raised both hands to touch his cheek. They changed styles four more times, before thanking thedy and taking the phone from her.

    "Do you mind if I take a selfie with you both?" She asked hopefully, and Sonia looked at Bryan, who was also looking at her. Bryan shrugged, and thedy hurriedly stood beside Sonia so that Sonia was standing in the middle, while she snapped the selfie. Thedy thanked them before leaving.

    "I want some personal photos of you," Sonia told Bryan with a smile as she checked out the photos thedy had taken of them.

    "I''m sure there are photos of me all over the inte, and even on my social media page," Bryan said, and Sonia shook her head.

    "Those are for the general public. I want personal photos of my fiance. Photos that other eyes haven''t seen," Sonia said with a smile as she wrapped an arm around Bryan''s waist while they moved forward in the queue since it was their turn to get their tickets now.

    "Okay. You can snap as many photos of me as you want as long as I am your fiance. Just don''t snap anything scandalous," Bryan warned in a low tone.

    "I won''t," Sonia assured him with a soft smile before reaching for the paper on which the movies that were showing for the day were listed, "Let''s watch this one," Sonia said, pointing at one of the movies which Bryan had yed the lead role.

    "Okay," Bryan said as he made the payments. Let''s hang around and y games while we wait for the movie to start showing," Bryan suggested as he took the tickets and ced them in his pocket before taking Sonia''s hand.

    "Okay, let''s do that," Sonia said with a nod as she let him lead her away from there to the amusement arcade center where they could y electronic games.

    "I''m curious about something, what gave you the inspiration for your fantasy story, The Witch And Her Hunter?" Bryan asked, making Sonia look at him with an impressed smile.

    "I see you read my book."

    "You''re my fiancee, I should read your books as your number one fan," Bryan reminded her, and she smiled at him.

    She wished she could read minds, so she could know exactly what he was thinking, and why he was being so sweet. Or was it just because of the deal she had offered him? If she had known offering him such a deal would change him this much, she would have offered it the very first time they met.

    "Did you enjoy the story?" Sonia asked curiously.

    "More than I intended to actually. Once I started I couldn''t stop until I finished it," Bryan said honestly, making Sonia''s smile widen even more.

    "I''m happy to hear that. Well, I don''t think anything inspired me. I''m a writer, so I juste up with stories in my head. I wanted to do a fantasy story for a change, hence I came up with that," Sonia said with a shrug.

    Bryan paused to pay for the games and take the cards they were to use before leading her to one a game booth where they could y a shooting game, "Why are you not into screenwriting? I think you''re a very talented writer."

    "Thank you. I was going to meet with a movie producer concerning the adaptation of one of my books, on the night you proposed to me," Sonia said with a small smile, pleased by hispliment, "And don''t forget I told you I was going to make our story into a script, and have you y the lead role. I''m working on it. I''m going to learn all I can on that and be a screenwriter too," Sonia assured him, and Bryan gave her a nod.

    "That''s good. Now let''s see how good you are at ying other games," Bryan said as he sat down on the seat of one of the game machines, and Sonia sat on the one beside him.

 Chapter 81 - Ultimate Plan

    Once it was lunchtime Tom took Lucy''s lunch pack to her office and opened the door, "I brought your lunch," he told her politely as he dropped it on the table, while Lucy avoided meeting his gaze.

    "Thank you," Lucy murmured. She couldn''t bring herself to look at his face or into his eyes at the moment. He knew the color of the undies she was wearing at the moment! He unsettled her!

    "You are wee. Enjoy your meal," Tom said, looking at her and observing how she kept looking at theptop in front of her instead of looking at him, "I will be heading out now," Tom said, and Lucy gave him a nod as he left the office.

    Once he had left she let out the breath she had been holding. Maybe it was best she asked her secretary to get her lunch going forward instead of having Tom bring it. She wasn''t sure seeing him three times a day, in the morning whening to work, during lunchtime, and in the evening that after the close of work, like a medication prescription was good for her heart and mental wellbeing.

    She raised a hand to her chest and tried to calm her heart. When she moved to Ludus, she hadn''t nned on getting caught up in such a drama. How could everything change because of just one night? How long would she be able to keep up with this?

    Lucy tried to push the thoughts out of her mind as she ate. She focused on her lunch and when she was done, she tried to return herplete attention to the work on her desk. She wasn''t the type to be distracted from work or have divided attention when working because of personal issues, but since Tom came into her life, concentrating on her job was bing more difficult by the day, and she feared that if she didn''t do something about it soon, she would make a mistake that might cost her her job.

    Lucy''s eyes flew to the door and her heart missed a beat when her office door opened again. She tensed thinking it was Tom but rxed a bit when she realized it was Harry. Thinking he was there to meet the boss in his office since she knew whether the CEO was in only when Harry was going into the office, Lucy returned her attention to herptop.

    She tensed and raised her head when she noticed he had stopped in front of her desk. What did he want? She asked herself as she looked at him in confusion.

    "When are you getting married, Miss Perry?" Harry asked, looking at her with a very strange expression in his eyes.

    "I beg your pardon?" Lucy asked in confusion, wondering where the question wasing from.

    "You are engaged, are you not?" Harry asked, his eyes falling on her ringless finger.

    Engaged? What made him think that? Why was he asking her such a personal question all of a sudden? Lucy wondered.

    Seeing the confusion on her face, Harry decided to follow a different approach, "I suppose you''re traveling for the weekend? Would you need Monday off? Or perhaps you''d being inte?" Harry asked, watching her closely.

    Lucy''s brow was creased in a deep frown as she tried to figure out what he was driving at, "No, I''m not," Lucy said politely, and it was all Harry could do to keep himself from lying. She was a good actress but not a very good liar after all.

    "Sorry. My bad. I assumed you would be eager to travel over the weekend to spend some time with your fiance who was fighting for his life justst weekend," Harry said, making Lucy''s mouth drop open in surprise, and then she quickly snapped her mouth shut.

    How could she have forgotten such an important detail? "We broke up," she blurted out before she could think things through, and Harry''s right eyebrow shot up.

    "You broke up with your wounded fiance?" He asked in disbelief, and Lucy shook her head.

    "He broke up with me rather," Lucy said with a sad sigh, "He wasn''t happy that I left him on his hospital bed to resume work. He said I loved my job more than I loved him, so he called off our engagement," Lucy said, making a sniffling sound which left Harry in awe of her.

    Wow! Seeing how she was, he could almost understand why Tom was acting crazy now. He hoped she would remember this lie in theing week. She seemed to have the ability toe up with lies on the spot, without needing to think it through, or had she thought this one through before today? Harry wondered, "I''m sorry about that," Harry said, and she nodded.

    "Thank you."

    "Alright then, I just came in to see if you would be traveling so I can rte the information to the CEO. Have a lovely weekend then," Harry said with a wave as he walked out of the office.

    Lucy raised a hand to her chest. This office was going to be the death of her. Why was it always from on problem to the other? Why did she have to keep looking over her shoulder? She feared if she had to keep looking over her shoulders like this, she might trip in the process and make a mess of things.

    If only Tom hadn''t been nosy enough to read her journal, he wouldn''t have even talked to her in the first ce. And if only she had known he was her neighbor beforehand, she wouldn''t have taken Tom up on his offer at the club to be her one-night stand. If she had rejected his offer, she wouldn''t have been in all this mess. She was the primary cause of all her problems, and Tom was the secondary cause.

    Thinking about everything now she did a mental reverse on how her life here would have been like had she not even gone to the club in the first ce. cing both hands under her chin, with her elbow resting on the desk, she traveled down her imaginationne.

    She would have moved into her apartment, spent her time arranging her stuff, and resting. She would have woken up early and refreshed and resumed at the office earlier before the normal time on her first day at work. She would have met Mr. Harry who would have been very impressed by her punctuality and her devotion to her job, and she wouldn''t have had to lie about a fiance who had been involved in an ident.

    She would have been pleasantly surprisedter that evening to see her next-door neighbor, Tom at her door with a tray of apple cobbler, weing her to the neighborhood. She would have dly epted his offer to help her move and arrange her stuff. Then they would have had a normal conversation like neighbors, and maybe eat the apple cobbler together while he told her all about the city and neighborhood.

    The next day at work she would haveughed at the coincidence of having Tom, her next-door neighbor as her driver. It wouldn''t have been a big deal because he hadn''t seen her naked or done unholy things to her body! And then she wouldn''t have had to go andin to Mr. Harry that she wanted her driver to be changed. That way she wouldn''t be working in the CEO''s office as his personal assistant when she had her own office.

    Now everyone was a problem to her, Tom, the CEO, and now Mr. Harry who she suspected was suspecting her of lying to him. All of this was Tom''s fault!

    "Okay, enough of the me game, Lu, snap out of it. Now that you know the cause of your problems, what is the solution?" Lucy asked herself out loud as she took out her journal.

    Of course, she couldn''t go back in time to change anything or undo what had been done with Tom, but going forward she could try to resolve things to the best of her ability.

    It was clear that she wouldn''t be able to get rid of Tom, since he was not just her driver but also her neighbor. Although quitting her job and leaving here would have solved all her problems, but it wasn''t reasonable. She loved her job, and the sry was very attractive.

    She needed to find an easy way to solve her problems. Maybe if she could find out why the CEO was the way he was, she would know the best way to approach him and be friendly towards him? She winced at the thought. The CEO was a weirdo.

    Although the CEO was a weirdo, she knew that if she was able to befriend the CEO and serve him to the best of her ability, she would eventually be able to have him transfer Tom to another department, without losing her job. She would ask him to promote Tom to a different department, not fire him.

    As long as Tom wasn''t her driver, then everything would be okay. She could always avoid him at home by leaving the house very early and returningte, that way they won''t have to see each other very much, at least until he got Anita.

    Lucy nodded her head. This was a good n. She needed Sonia''s help now. Although she had asked Sonia to help her find out what she could about the CEO, she had also asked Sonia not to tell Bryan that she worked for his brother. Who knew how close the brothers were? Maybe if she asked Sonia to tell Bryan about her connection with his brother, Bryan would put in a good word about her to his brother, and then the CEO would treat her more nicely?

    She wasn''t really one who believed in using connections like this, and she didn''t want to be misunderstood by others, but she also needed to solve her problems, and this seemed like the only way.

    Lucy groaned and raised a hand to her head which was beginning to ache. She had too many in her head at the moment, and her thoughts were all over the ce.

    She looked down at the journal which was open in front of her, and the first thing on the list which she had written the previous night was to have sex with Tom and get that out of the way. She was going to make it happen soon.

    The next one on the list was to befriend Anita. That n was also already in motion since she would be spending the weekend with Anita.

    Now she added the third item on the list, "Get close to the CEO."

    This wouldplete everything. Having sex with Tom would get him off her back concerning the sex talk. Befriending Anita would help her matchmake the two, that way once Tom was in a rtionship he would stop showing up around her too much. Finally getting close to the CEO would help her get him to transfer Tom to a different unit without making her lose her job.

    Seeing how organized the ns were, Lucy nodded her head. She was going to start working on these ultimate ns now. By this time next month, she would be rid of Tom, and finally return to being herself, Lucy thought with a satisfied smile.

 Chapter 82 - Taming The Playboy Actor

    Bryanughed out loud as he watched Sonia yell in frustration each time the shooting game ended and she lost. He had to admit that although he didn''t want a rtionship with her, she was fun to be around and entertaining to watch. She wasn''t pretending to be a properdy or anything like otherdies did around him. She was just herself, and that made her fun to be around.

    He had learned several things about her within the hour since they started ying, and one of them was that she was a sore loser. She really hated to lose and reacted badly each time she lost a game. Another thing he had also learned was that she loved cussing a lot. She knew a lot of colorful cuss words, and that was probably because she was a writer, so her vocabry was vast.

    "This machine is fucking stupid! I swear they tampered with it to make yers lose so they can spend more money trying to win!" Sonia told Bryan whoughed as he raised his hand checked his wristwatch.

    "You don''t have good sportsmanship. You''re a really bad loser," Bryan told her with a shake of his head and she red at him.

    "I''m serious. It''s more like you win one game and lose three games in a row. It''s a pattern. Haven''t you noticed it?" Sonia asked, her annoyance obvious in her tone.

    "The only thing I''ve noticed is that you hate to admit that you lost," Bryan said with a yful smile.

    "Yes, I hate to lose. But at least I won more rounds than you did," Sonia pointed out with a smirk.

    "At least, I lost graciously. I didn''t yell or cuss or use the machine," Bryan said with an easy smile, "The movie is about to begin. We should start heading in now," Bryan suggested before she couldin further, and Sonia grudgingly stood up with a scowl on her face.

    Bryan ced both hands on her shoulders and turned her so she was facing him, "You yed well, you don''t have to feel too bad about losing a couple of games," Bryan said in an encouraging tone, and he kissed her forehead lightly, making Sonia look around to see if he was doing this because someone was watching them or taking pictures of them.

    When she didn''t find anyone looking at them, she looked at him, "No one is watching," she assured him, and Bryan''s lips curved upwards.

    "I didn''t think anyone was watching. I don''t need anyone to be present before I treat my beautiful fiancee right, do I?" Bryan asked, patting the side of her face in a loving gesture.

    Seeing how he had been acting all morning, she could almost believe that their rtionship was real. She knew anyone else watching would think so too, "Wow! Your acting skills are top-notch. Now I know why you have so many awards," Sonia whispered with a wide smile, as she gave him a thumbs up.

    Bryan slid his arm around her waist and drew her closer to himself as he could whisper for her ear only, "I don''t like it when you do that. Are we going to stick to the deal or do you intend to call it off?" Bryan asked in a slightly irritated tone.

    "You don''t like it when I do what? What do you mean?" Sonia asked in confusion, wondering why he sounded upset.

    "You asked me to treat you as I would my fiancee, and I have been doing just that. So why do you keep looking around to see if anyone is watching, every time I say or do something nice? My fiancee wouldn''t do that. You should work on being a real fiancee too for the next six months instead of looking out for cameras or making jokes about my acting skills. Or are you just doing this for the fame you would get by being seen with me? Is that what you want? If that is it, we don''t have to go through all of this stress when I can easily make you famous without having you live under my roof and pretend to be my fiancee," Bryan said, gritting his teeth in annoyance.

    Sonia looked into his face with serious eyes, "Why are you getting so worked up over nothing? You want me to act as a real fiancee?" She asked thoughtfully.

    "It would be pointless for me to treat you as I would treat my fiancee if you don''t act like you''re really my fiancee, don''t you think?" Bryan asked, reaching out to touch the hair on the side of her face so that anyone watching them at that moment would think they were two lovers having an intimate conversation.

    Sonia raised her beautifully manicured hand to touch his ear as she looked into his eyes, "I don''t think so. It''s my deal after all, and I call the shots," she reminded him with a smile.

    "You had no intention of treating me as your fiance? Then what is all this about?" Bryan asked in confusion. No matter how much he tried, he couldn''t seem to figure her out. What did she really want? Why did she want him to treat her as his fiancee if she had no intention of treating him as her fiance? What sort of a deal was this?

    "I won''t treat you as I would treat my fiance, as doing that would mean I have to be very possessive of you, and we both might not really like that. However, I''ve heard what you said. I will stop acting so surprised about your romantic gestures, and I won''t refer to your sweet gestures as acting skills anymore." Sonia promised and brushed the front of his shirt before pulling away, "We should go in now, I don''t want to miss any scene," Sonia said as she intertwined their hands and they returned to the Cinema area.

    Bryan had a slight frown on his face as he followed her. He still couldn''t understand the purpose of the whole thing. None of it made any sense to him. All she wanted was for him to treat her right, while she let him do anything he wanted? Did that also mean she could do anything she wanted? epting her deal as it was would mean letting her call all the shots and act whatever way she liked while leaving under his roof. Why hadn''t he thought of that before epting her deal?

    If he was going to treat her as his fiancee as he was already doing, then there was no way he could cheat freely, or let her do anything she wanted either, since he had no intention of being in an open rtionship with whoever he decides to get married to in the future. Bryan stopped in his track and held her hand to stop her too.

    Sonia turned to look at him with questioning eyes, "What is wrong?"

    "I want you to also act like I am your fiance for the next six months," Bryan said, making one perfectly carved eyebrow arch quizzically.

    "Did you hear anything I said earlier?" Sonia enquired, and Bryan gave her a nod.

    "Thinking about our deal in the light of day, I don''t think it makes much sense. I won''t really be benefitting anything from you within the next six months apart from you leaving on your own volition once the time is over. So it would only be fair if you also reciprocate the actions within this period," Bryan suggested.

    Sonia doubted he knew the implication of what he was asking. He was ying right into the trap she had set for him, but he just didn''t know it yet, "It''s my deal not yours. You don''t have to benefit anything. Plus, we already signed the agreement," she reminded him with a small shrug.

    "Then let''s sign another one," Bryan suggested.

    epting too soon, would seem suspicious, Sonia reasoned, "Is the agreement a joke to you? You should have thought of all this before epting my dealst night. How valid is the agreement, if we can just cancel and sign another one any time you want us to?" Sonia asked with a slightly raised brow and walked away before Bryan could say anything else.

    This was going really well, Sonia thought as she Bryan followed her. Once they got to the spot where they were to pick up their popcorn and drinks, Bryan picked up therge-sized popcorn, while Sonia grabbed the drinks before he could, and they walked into the cinema hall. The lights in the hall had been turned off already since people were already seated and the movie was just about to start.

    "Let''s sit at the end of the hall," Sonia suggested in a whisper as she took out her phone and turned on the shlight so they could find their way in the dark.

    There weren''t many people in the hall, probably because it was still working hours, so it was just the both of them sitting in the back row with an empty row in front of them which separated them from the next couple.

    Once the movie started, Sonia kept reaching into the popcorn box which was on Bryan''sp, to throw some into her mouth absentmindedly, while her full attention was on the screen. She only turned to look at Bryan once when she felt his gaze on her. She shed him a smile when she caught him staring at her, and returned her attention to the screen without asking him why he was looking at her.

    Bryan on the other hand watched Sonia with a puzzled expression all the while. She had said she had a crush himst night, but none of her actions supported her words. She wasn''t making any attempt to seduce him, and she treated him like he wasn''t anything special. She had even said there was nothing special about his kiss. She had also prepared breakfast the previous day for herself without giving him any. He had even seized herptop just to make her go out with him.

    Thus far, she hadn''t made any attempt to make him like her, so how could she say she had a crush on him? Even in their agreement, she had stated that he treat her as his fiancee but was free to do anything he liked. Now he had asked her to treat him like her fiance and she had refused. Why? What kind of a weird crush was it? What did she really stand to gain apart from fame?

    Now he realized that he was no longer very worried about her leaving since she had promised to leave after six months. What worried him most now was trying to figure out what was in her head, and what she really wanted from him within the six months. Something told him he was falling into a trap, but he couldn''t understand what kind of trap it was yet.

    "I think we should talk about our agreement again," Bryan whispered to Sonia.

    Sonia turned to look at him, raising a hand to her lips, "Ssshh, I don''t want to miss any dialogue," Sonia whispered with a small smile before returning her attention to the screen.

    "I could fill you in on whatever dialogue you miss," Bryan offered, wanting to talk about it now.

    "We can always talk after now. So allow me enjoy the movie," Sonia said without sparing him a nce.

    She knew he was used todies throwing themselves at him and giving him all their attention. She was going to be doing the exact opposite.

    She had decided on the name of her story earlier on, it would be "Taming The yboy Actor."

 Chapter 83 - Weekend

    Lucy''s eyes kept moving to the wall clock in her office as the time approached the closing hour. She was going to face Tom again. The thought of that made her almost panic, but she quickly raised her chin, and straightened her spine, reminding herself that she already had a good n to take care of things.

    There was nothing to be anxious or nervous about. The worst he could do was flirt with her and talk dirty, and she was just going to act unaffected by it. That was how bullies behaved. Once they see that you are affected by their words, they keep on bullying you. But when you act like you don''t care, they move on to someone else. She would try not to let his words get to her anymore, and then once they finally get down to sex, he would get over her and move his attention to someone else.

    With that thought in mind, once it was time to leave, she stood up confidently and headed for the parking lot. Tom was standing beside the car talking to ady, as she approached them.

    Lucy almost rolled her eyes when she heard thedy say, "How about Monday night?"

    "I''m sorry, but I have ns too on Monday night and every other night as well. Thanks for asking, anyway," Tom said with a polite smile, and looked over her shoulder when he saw Lucy, "I have to go now, my boss is here," Tom said with a polite bow, relieved that Lucy hade to save him from the persistentdy who wanted to go out with him.

    "Oh! Okay," thedy said with an embarrassed smile and waved at Tom as she walked away without looking at Lucy.

    "You seem to have many admirers," Lucy observed as she got into the car and buckled her seatbelt.

    "Does that bother you?" Tom asked as he did the same, before turning on the car''s ignition.

    "Not in the slightest bit," she assured him with a polite smile.

    "Good."

    Tom noticed that she was acting all bold once again, and he couldn''t help but admire her resilience. He could bet she hade up with a n to get rid of him. Or maybe she thought having sex with him was going to take care of everything and get him off her case. He looked forward to seeing what she had up her sleeves.

    "So what is your n for the weekend?" Tom asked, hoping he could get her to go out with him and spend some time together.

    "I will be going out with a friend tomorrow," Lucy said, making him turn to spare her a nce.

    "A friend? What friend? I thought you didn''t know anyone here apart from me?" Tom asked, sounding very surprised and somewhat disappointed.

    "I didn''t, but I do now. I should have other friends apart from you, shouldn''t I?" Lucy asked, giving him a friendly smile before he returned his attention to the road.

    He wasn''t sure he liked the sound of that, "Who is this friend? Male or female?" Tom asked, trying not to sound too concerned.

    Lucy was almost tempted to say "male'' just so she could see his reaction, but she wasn''t interested in any drama so she simply said, "A beautiful youngdy."

    Tom let himself rx. He had no problem with her having friends and hanging out with otherdies of course. He only wished they were hanging out together so he could get to know her better, "That''s nice. What about Sunday?" He asked, hoping she had no ns of meeting anyone else on Sunday.

    "I think I will just be indoor reading and resting," she said, wondering why he was asking. Or was he trying to find out when she would be avable so they could do the deed? She wondered, and then cleared her throat, "If you''re not too busy tomorrow evening you coulde over," Lucy suggested without looking at him, and the corners of Tom''s lips twitched.

    Was that a sexual invitation? "Why not tonight?" Tom asked curiously.

    "You said you had something to do, didn''t you?" She reminded him.

    "Oh! Yeah," Tom said with a nod, even though he had nothing to do. He couldn''t just say he canceled his ns now since he didn''t want anything that would make her suspicious of him.

    "Why don''t youe over to my apartment instead, tomorrow? We could have dinner together," Tom suggested.

    Was he trying to make it a romantic evening? Lucy mused, wondering why he was inviting her over to his house for dinner. She didn''t want any romantic gesture. All she wanted was to get it done with and move on.

    "What do you say?" Tom asked when she said nothing and seemed like she was lost in her thoughts.

    Maybe it was best they do it at his ce after all. Thest thing she wanted was for her apartment to be desecrated. She didn''t want to have to be reminded about the sex every time she walked into her home. She didn''t want to create such memories with anyone in her apartment. So she gave him a nod, "Okay. I will be at yours by 7 PM," she said with a nod.

    "Okay then. It''s a date," Tom said with a grin, looking forward to Saturday evening already. Seeing how well he was doing on his own, he had failed to give Bryan a call that day, and seeing as Bryan had also not called yet, he could tell Bryan was also busy either with work or with Sonia. Maybe it was best he handled this himself, and only call Bryan when necessary.

    He quickly reminded himself that he still needed Bryan''s help to find out all he could concerning Lucy from Sonia. So he made a mental note to give Bryan a call once he got home, so he would find out if Bryan had been able to get any information from Sonia. He needed some background information to work with over the weekend.

    Lucy on the other was also thinking of giving Sonia a call once she gets home to find out what she had been able to learn about the CEO. She needed to make active ns over the weekend, and put those ns concerning the CEO in motion by Monday.

    Meanwhile, seated across from Bryan as a cafe, Sonia yed with her straw as she drank from her milkshake while she waited for him to say what she knew he wanted to say. Men! So predictable! Sonia thought with a mental shake of her head.

    "What do you want from me?" Bryan who was yet to touch the iced tea in front of him asked Sonia curiously.

    "I already stated everything I wantedst night. Why are you asking me that again?" Sonia asked with a slightly raised brow as her mischievous green eyes met his intelligent blue eyes.

    "It doesn''t make sense," Bryan pointed out.

    "It doesn''t have to make sense to you for it to be what I want, does it? Your proposal to a random stranger doesn''t make sense either, does it?" Sonia asked Bryan who sighed in frustration.

    "This whole thing is actually simple. You proposed to me, and I said yes. Now you want me out of your life, and I''m saying all you have to do is treat me as you would if I was really your fiancee for six months and after that, I will break up with you and leave voluntarily. How difficult can that be?" Sonia asked, making Bryan frown.

    When she put it that way, it actually sounded very reasonable and simple. He had proposed to her, and now she wanted to experience what it felt like to be his fiancee before returning his ring, easy-peasy. Unless that he knew it wasn''t as simple as she was making it sound. It couldn''t be that easy. Sonia had other ns for him and he knew it.

    "And what will you be doing within that time?" He asked, making Sonia giggle.

    "Why are you so worried about me? I already told you I won''t bother you if that is what you are worried about. Just do what you need to do, and I will get out of your hair," she assured him, reaching over the table to pat his hand which was resting beside his ss, but instead of rxing him, that gesture only seemed to unsettle him the more.

    What was the problem? What was it about her that made him so restless and edgy? Bryan wondered as he watched Sonia who was looking at him with a sweet smile as she sipped from her milkshake. She looked like she was having the time of her life. He didn''t trust her one bit. Everything about her told him she was mischievous. From her eyes which were always gleaming like a thief''s shlight to her smile andughter, and down to her personality. Everything.

    "What if I don''t want to do that? What if I decide to break the deal?" Bryan asked, and Sonia raised her head to meet his gaze.

    "You won''t," she said with a confident smirk.

    "..." Bryan opened his mouth to say something, but before he could respond both their phones started ringing. Once Sonia saw that the call was from Lucy, she excused herself and walked to thedies'' room, leaving Bryan to take his call there.

    "Hey!" Bryan greeted Tom once he epted the call, grateful that their table was at the end of the cafe, and he had all the privacy he needed to talk.

    "Can you talk? Or are you busy at the moment?" Tom asked as he sat on the trunk of the car. Lucy had gone to her apartment the moment he parked the car and handed her the car keys. So he had decided to give Bryan a call before heading inside.

    Seeing how Sonia had disappeared to take the call, he could guess the call was from Lucy, and as such she might not being out immediately, "Sure. I can talk. What''s up?" Bryan asked curiously.

    "I just wanted to know if you have been able to find out anything about Lucy from your fiancee."

    Bryan raised a finger to tap his forehead thoughtful, "Hm... I think I got something. But what do I get in exchange for the information?" Bryan asked, making Tom raise a brow.

    "What do you want?" Tom asked curiously since he knew it couldn''t be money.

    "Well, for starters you can return the favor by helping me find out what you can about Sonia from Lucy since she doesn''t know that we are connected," Bryan said, making Tom pause.

    "I should help you find out more about your fiancee? Thedy you proposed to? What more do you want to know about her that you can''t ask her directly?" Tom asked in confusion.

    Maybe it was time to tell him the truth about his rtionship with Sonia "Okay, the truth is that..." He stopped when he remembered his agreement with Sonia. He wasn''t supposed to tell anyone else. He had told Matt, and she had told Lucy. He shouldn''t tell anyone else about it as Sonia had assured him that Lucy wasn''t going to tell anyone the truth about their engagement. That meant their secret was safe.

    "Yes?" Tom asked when he paused.

    "The truth is that my fiancee isn''t very chatty, and she doesn''t really like to talk much about herself. So I will like to find out what I can about her from her best friend," Bryan said with a sigh. Although he already knew what a terrible and crazy person she was, he still wanted to know the extent of her craziness and be sure she really had no mental issues.

    "Then you should ask her to introduce you to Lucy. That way you can ask Lucy all you need to know," Tom suggested making Bryan roll his eyes.

    "Don''t tell me you don''t know how best friends lie to cover up for each other? Lucy won''t tell me the truth since I''m engaged to her best friend. You, on the other hand, can just get the truth from her. So?" Bryan asked, and Tom sighed.

    "Okay. I will see what I can do. But you have to first tell me what you got from Sonia," He asked, and Bryan narrowed his eyes thoughtfully as he tried to remember what Sonia had said earlier.

    "I think this is very important in understanding her. Although Sonia didn''t give me the exact details, from what she said, her half-brother kind of had feelings for Lucy andmitted suicide because of her..."

    "What the fuck?" Tom asked in surprise. He hadn''t been expecting something like that.

    "Yeah. I don''t think Sonia likes to talk about the subject much, since it involves her family, but I will find out what I can and let you know. That aside though, Sonia says Lucy is pretty cool and calm. And Sonia also kept trying to get information about you," Bryan informed him, but before Tom could respond, he spotted Sonia returning to the table so he quickly said, "Got to go. Let''s talkter," and he hung up immediately.

 Chapter 84 - Candace\/Candy

    "Hey, babe!" Sonia responded the moment she received the call, making Lucy smile.

    "I hope I didn''t interrupt anything? Were you writing?" She asked as usual, and Sonia rolled her eyes.

    "Far from that. I''m out on a date with my darling fiance. So tell me, what''s up?" Sonia asked curiously.

    "You''re out on a date with Bryan?" Lucy asked, wanting to ask Sonia exactly what was happening between her and Bryan and if it was a real date or she had bullied the poor guy into taking her out. But she figured it wasn''t the time to ask such questions. She would have to keep her questions forter, "You shouldn''t be on the phone when you''re out on a date unless it''s an emergency. Let''s just talkter," Lucy suggested, wanting to hang up.

    "Don''t worry about that. I''m in thedies'' room so it''s not a problem. Go on and tell me why you called," Sonia rushed to assure her as she walked further into thedies'' room, and went into one of the toilet stalls, and sat on a toilet seat.

    "Let''s just talkter. Call me when you get home and you''re free," Lucy said, not feelingfortable with the idea of Sonia talking to her while Bryan was out there waiting.

    "He won''t mind waiting, trust me. Besides, he is on a call too," Sonia assured Lucy who sighed wearily, "Go on, talk to momma. Why is my baby calling?" Sonia asked yfully.

    "Well, a lot of things. First of all, I finally told Tom that we could have sex," Lucy said in a small voice as though she didn''t want even the ant in the apartment to hear her secret.

    Sonia''s mouth dropped open, and then a happy smile split her face, "A! My innocent baby is bing all grown up," Sonia said emotionally, "Tell me, how did you say it? What did he say? How did he react?" Sonia asked excitedly.

    "Slow down with the questions," Lucy said with an embarrassed smile.

    "Slow down? How can I? Hold on, let''s switch to video call. I want to see your face," Sonia said, and without waiting for Lucy to say anything she switched the call to video call and waited for Lucy to approve it on her end.

    "I can''t believe you''re doing this while you''re out on a date," Lucy said, looking at Sonia in disbelief.

    "You don''t have to believe it. Tell me what I want to hear. How did you say it? What did he say?" Sonia asked, waiting eagerly to hear something exciting since Lucy was one of the side characters in her novel.

    Sonia listened attentively as Lucy narrated everything that had happened from the moment she told Tom about them doing the sex thing, to their episode on the elevator, to his dirty texts, while Sonia awwed andughed when necessary. She smiled so much that her cheeks hurt from it, and it wasn''t until Sonia stoppedughing, but heard someone stillughing outside the door, that she remembered the call was on loudspeaker so anyone in thedies'' room could listen in on their conversation.

    "Uhm... Lu? Why don''t I call youter?" Sonia asked, and Lucy rolled her eyes.

    "Didn''t I say that before now? Can''t believe you let me go on and on only to stop me now. Just let me know when you are home," Lucy said irritably and hung up without waiting for Sonia to say anything else.

    Sonia flushed the toilet and once she stepped out of the toilet stall she saw a beautifuldy who looked like she was in her early sixties standing in front of the mirror, and adding a touch of red lipstick to her lips, "Your friend is cute. I like her," thedy said conversationally, and Sonia smiled.

    It was funny that she wasn''t even pretending not to have eavesdropped on Sonia''s phone call. It was Sonia''s fault after all. She had been the one receiving such a phone call in a public ce and indirectly inviting everyone that cared to listen, "Thanks," Sonia told thedy politely as she washed her hands.

    "A word of advice for your friend though. I have a feeling that before this is all over she might fall in love with the young man, so if I were her I wouldn''t try hooking him up with anyone until I havepletely ruled out the chances of anything happening between us," thedy said with a wink before walking out of thedies'' room.

    Sonia partially agreed with thedy since she felt the same way. But on the other hand, knowing how stubborn and determined Lucy was, she wasn''t so sure about the chances of Lucy allowing herself to develop any feelings for Tom. She had gone through college without even letting any guy close to her, so she couldn''t really predict anything when ites to Lucy.

    Sonia walked out of thedies'' room, and made eye contact with Bryan who quickly spoke into the phone and hung up Tom''s call before she got close to the table, "I hope I didn''t keep you waiting for too long?" Sonia asked politely as she returned to her seat.

    "Not at all. I was busy talking to my brother over the phone," Bryan said, making Sonia''s ears perk up.

    What questions could she possibly ask Bryan about his brother that would give Lucy the kind of information she wanted? "Your brother? You speak with him often?" Sonia asked curiously.

    "Yeah. He was just telling me about his new personal assistant," Bryan said, watching Sonia closely as he waited to see what she would say. This was going to be a good way to get her to talk about her friend.

    Oh! Wow! Lucy''s boss was curious about her? "He was? Is the personal assistant male or female?" Sonia asked, pretending not to know who it was, and Bryan gave her thumbs up mentally.

    Thedy was very smart. He had to give her that, "Female," Bryan said, not wanting to give her too much information so she would remain curious and ask questions. He nced at his wristwatch, the time was past 6 PM already, "Would you like to hang out at an amusement park? Maybe you and Mia could go shopping tomorrow," Bryan suggested.

    Although he still wanted to talk about their deal, he knew it was pointless. Sonia was a wicked witch, and she was still going to do whatever she liked. He was going to stick to his original n. Treat her nicely and focus on his job. Soon the six months would be over.

    "Let''s go home. I''m exhausted already. Maybe we can go to the amusement park tomorrow?" Sonia asked with a radiant smile, and Bryan nodded as he dropped some money notes on the table and stood up.

    Once they got home, they met Matt in the living room, seeing a movie with a beautifuldy, "Hi! You guys are back?" Matt asked with a grin.

    "Hm," Bryan hummed as he nced at the youngdy beside Matt with a slightly raised brow and turned to exchange a look with Sonia.

    "Meet my friend Candace. Candace, my best friend, Bryan. I''m sure you know him," Matt introduced with a wide smile, and Candace gave Bryan and Sonia an awkward smile, while Bryan looked at her in silence.

    Although she had a short crop of ck hair now, Bryan and Sonia recognized her. She was the stripper they had met at the club, Candy, "Hello! It''s nice to meet you," Sonia said with a bright smile as she embraced Candy.

    "Oh! Your friend. How did you meet her?" Bryan asked as he looked from Candy to Matt. It wasn''t like he had a problem with whoever Matt decided to hang with. He only hoped Matt really KNEW who he was hanging out with.

    "Remember that dating app I told you about? I met her there. We decided to meet up today for the first time, and we clicked instantly. I didn''t want the day to end yet, so I brought her with me. I hope you don''t mind?" Matt asked while Candy moved from one foot to the other ufortably.

    She hadn''t even known who Matt was before they met, and that was because he had used a false photo and name on the dating app. She had been very surprised to see that her blind date was an actor. He had also not mentioned anything about Bryan being his best friend. He had only said they were going to his best friend''s ce. Had she known she would have saved herself this embarrassment by calling it an early night and leaving him the fuck alone.

    "Of course, I don''t mind. You''re wee to my home, please make yourselffortable," Bryan said with an easy smile before excusing himself, while shed Candy a smile before following Bryan.

    "You recognize her from the club, don''t you?" Bryan asked Sonia once they walked into his bedroom.

    "Yes. I thought she was a pretty blonde, but I think this hair suits her even better. She''s really pretty," Sonia said as she walks over to Bryan''s dressing table and took off her earrings.

    "I don''t think she told Matt that she is a stripper," Bryan said thoughtfully.

    "I don''t think it is your business," Sonia said, making Bryan raise a brow.

    "Really?"

    "They are two adults. You weren''t there when they met, so you shouldn''t interfere in their rtionship. If things go well between them, she might tell him about it. If they decide to part ways after tonight, there would be no need to. Either way, stay out of it," Sonia warned.

    "What if Matt was your best friend? If you found out your best friend is dating someone who is hiding something from her, you won''t tell her the truth?" Bryan asked Sonia curiously since that was likely going to be what would y out between her and Lucy.

    "I will let him tell her the truth himself," Sonia said, and Bryan gave her a nod.

    "I hope when that dayes, you maintain this stance. As for me, I''m not like you, and I''m going to tell Matt the truth," Bryan said and headed for the door.

    "You shouldn''t do that," Sonia said, rushing to the door to stop him. Maybe she was being selfish, but the storyteller in her wanted to watch things y out between Matt and Candace.

 Chapter 85 - The Key!

    In the living room, Matt noticed the sudden change in Candace and raised a brow, "Are you okay? Why do you suddenly seem ufortable?" He asked, touching her shoulder slightly.

    "I think I should probably leave now that your friends are here," Candace said, wanting to stand up, but Matt pulled her down.

    "Why? What is the problem? We were having a good time a moment again, and now you just want to leave?" He asked in confusion.

    Candace looked away from him in embarrassment, "Your best friend and his fiancee, they know me," Candace confessed without meeting his gaze.

    "Know you? Like from the club where you work?" He asked, looking at her with interest, and she nodded her head.

    "They were at the club two nights ago, and I attended to them," she said, still looking very embarrassed.

    So Bryan and Sonia knew who she was? That exined the few seconds of awkward silence when they just came in. He was curious to hear what Bryan would have to say once he got the chance, but for now, he was more concerned about thedy in front of him.

    "So what?" He asked, making her raise her head to look at him in surprise.

    "You are not embarrassed?" She asked in confusion, and the corners of his lips curved in a knowing smile.

    "Why should I be? From what I can see here, you are the only one who is embarrassed, and I wonder why."

    He had particrly picked interest in Candace because she had stated on her profile that she was a stripper. He had been curious to meet thedy who had been bold enough to tell others that she stripped for a living, and that was why her sudden embarrassment seemed strange to him.

    "It is one thing for you to know what I do, but it is another thing for your friends to know. I assume you brought me here because you like me. I don''t want to be an embarrassment..."

    "Look, I told you this before, but I''m going to tell you again. I''m someone that likes to think that every legal job is honorable. You were proud of your job enough to add it to your profile on the dating app, so why are we having this discussion?" Matt asked, and Candace rxed a bit.

    "Besides, they patronized you, so they can''t judge you. Rx, Bryan is not like that," Matt assured her.

    "I just don''t want you to be an embarrassment to you or anyone else. You know people can be hypocritical," She said with a little frown, and Matt gave her a reassuring smile.

    "It''s not a big deal. I only feel jealous that Bryan got to see your body before I did," Matt said with a pout, which made the dimples on Candace''s face wink.

    "Can you do me a favor though?" Matt asked, his eyes glinting with mischief.

    "What favor?"

    "Let''s act like I don''t know anything, okay?" Matt asked, making her brows pull together in confusion.

    "Why?"

    "Let''s just say I want to mess around with Bryan and see what he''s going to do. So let''s act like you didn''t tell me anything," Matt said, and Candace gave him a nod.

    Meanwhile, in the bedroom, Sonia stood by the door ring at Bryan, "Leave them alone."

    "I was just going to meet them,e on! You don''t expect me to go out there while they are together and tell Matt that his girlfriend is a stripper, do you?" Bryan asked incredulously.

    Sonia looked at him doubtfully, "So where were you going to then?" She asked narrowing her eyes at him suspiciously.

    "I just want to get a ss of water, I''m thirsty," Bryan said, waiting for her to get out of his way.

    "I will get you the ss of water myself. Don''t step out of the room. I still don''t trust you," Sonia said with a shake of her head, making Bryan want to scoff

    See who was talking about trust. Who said he trusted her either? Bryan returned to the bed and sat down, "You can go and get the water. I''m waiting."

    "Good boy," Sonia said with a smile as she removed the single key from the door''s keyhole before stepping out of the bedroom, making sure to lock Bryan inside as she left.

    Bryan looked at the door in disbelief and shook his head. What a crazy woman! She really locked him in his bedroom? In his own house? He couldn''t believe he was in this situation. He just couldn''t believe that of all the sane people in that hotel''s lobby that night, he had the misfortune of choosing the onedy that behaved as she had recently escaped from an asylum. God help him.

    Once Sonia fetched his ss of water, she returned to the bedroom and locked the door using the key, "Here is your ss of water," She announced as she approached the bed and handed it to him with a bright smile on her face.

    Bryan watched in disbelief as she dipped the key into her jacket like she was safekeeping it where he wouldn''t touch, "Can I ask you a question?" Bryan asked after taking a sip from the water while she bent down to take off her sneakers.

    Sonia straightened up before answering him, "Sure," Sonia said as she walked to the front of the bedroom mirror and pulled her hair back into a messy bun.

    "No offense. But are you mentally stable?"

    She nced at him over her shoulder and tried not tough out loud at his funny question. Most times she asked herself if she was mentally stable too.

    "I don''t think I am. Why? Want to take me to a psychiatrist?" she asked with a mocking smile as she turned in his direction and took off her jean jacket, leaving only her crop top. She paused long enough to drop the jacket on the table next to her, and then slowly took off her trousers while waiting for him to answer her question.

    Bryan watched as she took off her clothes and he felt something stir within him. He had seen her in a semi-naked state the previous day when she had been dressed in just the red bikini, but that hadn''t prepared him for this.

    Seeing her now, dressed in just her olive green crop top and a ckce pant, he felt his mouth go dry. He could tell she wasn''t wearing a bra under the crop top, because of the outline of her boobs. She had the face of a mischievous angel but the body of a temptress.

    Her body looked so smooth and taut that he had to ball his hands in a fist to keep himself from wanting to touch her. His eyes moved from the swell of her boobs down to her taut abdomen and he noticed for the first time that she had a piercing on her belly button.

    So sexy. He wondered why she had bothered to wear the jacket all day instead of unting her sexy abdomen to the world.

    His eyes continued their journey from her tiny waist, down to her slim hip, and then down to her long legs which seemed to have no end. He didn''t like this woman, and seeing how his body reacted to her, he knew she was going to be a problem.

    Sonia cleared her throat to get his attention, "You are doing that staring thing again," she said in an amused tone, and when Bryan met her mocking gaze he could swear that she had stripped in front of him intentionally to get a reaction.

    "You can''t put on a show and expect me not to watch," he said in azy tone, deciding he wasn''t going to feel embarrassed about being caught staring. She could easily have undressed in the bathroom but had chosen to do that in front of him. He wasn''t gentlemanly enough to look away from a body like hers. No sir!

    "Fair enough," Sonia said with a satisfied smile. She was going to keep revealing her body to him little by little and make him lust over her. Lust was a good enough start for her.

    She walked over to the drawers in the closet and took out her night wears which consisted of a matching set of a sexy silk bralette crop top and silk boxer shorts withce trims, "I''ll use the bathroom first," she informed him before walking into the bathroom with her phone, and the night wears.

    Once inside the bathroom, she hung the night wears by the towel railing before turning on the shower to let it run so that Bryan wouldn''t hear anything. After that she dialed Lucy''s line, "Hey love! I''m home now," she said apologetically as she sat down to ease herself, after dropping the

    Lucy who had been busy reading a novel stretched out on the bed, "Yeah? So how was your date?" She asked, wanting to talk about Sonia for a change since their conversations always seemed to be all about her.

    "Not bad at all. Went really well for a first date," Sonia said with a happy smile.

    "You bullied him into taking you out on the date, didn''t you?" Lucy asked suspiciously.

    Sonia giggled, "He actually bullied me into going out on a date with him. He seized myptop and writing materials," Sonia said with a smug smile.

    "He did? Howe? What happened? Don''t tell me he is into you now?" Lucy asked in surprise. Although she wouldn''t doubt it since Sonia always had her way with guys.

    "Well, he is gradually working his way there. I''m keeping my fingers crossed. Enough about me. Tell me about you," Sonia said, reminding Lucy about their conversation.

    "Well, I''vee up with a n to solve all my problems. I''m starting by hanging out with Anita tomorrow," Lucy said and exined who Anita was.

    "Hm. You are sure you want to do that?" Sonia asked uncertainly, remembering what the olddy had said earlier.

    "Yes. He likes her after all, so I''m just doing us all a favor. I need your help though. Have you been able to find out anything about my boss?" Lucy asked hopefully.

    "Just that he is very good-looking, and he is an introvert who prefers to be alone," Sonia said, and lowered her voice again, "While we were at the restaurant he called Bryan and was talking to him about you,"

    Lucy''s heart skipped a beat, and she sat up, "About me? Really? What did he say?" She asked curiously.

    "I am yet to get the details from Bryan. I didn''t want it to look too suspicious that I am showing so much interest in his brother," Sonia exined.

    "But can you help me find out more? You can tell Bryan about my rtionship with his brother, I don''t mind. I would like to get close to him," Lucy said, making Sonia raise a brow.

    "You don''t mind? Why the sudden change of heart? I thought I was the mentally unstable one between us both, why are youpeting with me?" Sonia asked in an amused tone.

    "I figured if I be close to him, I might be able to convince him t transfer Tom to a different unit without having to lose my job," Lucy exined, and Sonia rolled her eyes at the logic.

    "Hm. Are you sure you want me to do that?" Sonia asked curiously. She really didn''t mind doing it though, since that meant Lucy would be interacting with two guys, Tom and Thomas Hank... She almost giggled when it urred to her that both guys were actually bearing the same name. Tom. Or was Tom''s name Thompson? Sonia wondered.

    "Yes. He is making me very ufortable and I just don''t want to have to see him everywhere all the time," Lucy exined.

    "Alright then. I will see what I can do and get back to you tomorrow." Sonia promised as she raised her other hand to scratch the back of her head where she felt a itch. She heard a clinking sound but thought nothing of it as she stood up and flushed the toilet.

    "What''s that sound I''m hearing in the background?" Lucy asked, referring to the sound of the running water.

    "It''s the shower. He is in the bedroom so I''m in the bathroom," Sonia exined making Lucy sigh.

    "Let''s talk tomorrow then. I love you, goodnight."

    "I love you more pumpkin, goodnight." Sonia said as she hung up and dropped her phone by the basi sink.

    She started taking off her crop top and paused midway when she remembered the key. The Key! Her heart skipped a beat and her eyes flew to the toilet when she remembered the clinking sound she had heard a moment ago. She shook her head in denial when it clicked in her head that the sound she had heard was that of the key falling into the toilet when she raised her arm. No!

 Chapter 86 - Just Stop!

    Oh, God! What could she do now? Bryan had to have a spare key right? Yes! He definitely did have a spare key. There was nothing to worry about. It was an ident after all. It wasn''t like she had deliberately decided to flush the key down the toilet. Bearing these thoughts in mind, Sonia proceeded to shower, and once she was done she changed into her sexy nightwear before joining Bryan in the bedroom.

    Bryan raised his gaze from his phone and looked at her when she walked in. There was no denying that this crazy green-eyed witch was sexy as fuck. Keeping his hands to himself for the next couple of months would be a major issue.

    His brows shot up when he noticed that she didn''t have the usual mischievous glint in her eyes as she stopped at the edge of the bed. She almost looked like something was wrong. What could be wrong? He wondered as he looked at her, "Is there a problem?" He asked a secondter when she remained standing by the edge of the bed like a kid who had done something wrong and was awaiting punishment.

    Sonia shed him a smile that was somewhere between nervous and apologetic, and that set off his internal rm system, making him sit up on the bed, "What did you do?" He asked, knowing she had done something wrong.

    "It''s not like it was deliberate..." Before she could finish he stood up and headed for the bathroom to see if she had destroyed something.

    Sonia ran after him, "Actually, I wanted to ask you something," she said from behind him as his eyes roamed around the bathroom.

    When Bryan didn''t find anything out of ce, he turned to look at her, "Go on."

    "The bedroom door... You have a spare key right?" Sonia asked with an awkward smile.

    Spare key? Why was she asking? Did she... No. She couldn''t lose it. There was no way, "I don''t. Why? You want to seize it too?"

    Sonia bit her lower lip nervously, "It kind of fell into the toilet," she said in a barely audible voice, and Bryan had to strain his ears to hear her.

    Kind of fell into the toilet? Kind of? What did that even mean? "Huh? What did you say?" Bryan asked, hoping he was mistaken and hadn''t heard what she said correctly.

    Sonia took a step back and swallowed hard as she tried to summon the courage to repeat what she had just said, "I said the key..."

    "Yes? What about it?" Bryan cut in quickly.

    "Well... The thing is, it fell into the toilet while I was easing myself and I flushed it without knowing," Sonia said, counting her words very slowly so she wouldn''t stutter. She had never seen him angry before now, so she didn''t know how he was going to react.

    Bryan took one look at how humble she looked, and decided that it was best she remained that way for a while. He doubted that the key had been flushed since it was a metal. If at all it had fallen into the toilet, it would still be inside. And even if it has been flushed he had a spare key in his drawer and two others in his study. Not that he had any intention of telling her that.

    Bryan sighed deeply as he returned to the bed without saying a word to her, making Sonia hurry after him, "You have a spare key, right?"

    "I don''t," Bryan said tly and turned to his side so she wouldn''t see the smirk on his face.

    "You don''t? What are we going to do then?" Sonia asked with a worried frown.

    "What do you mean WE? You locked the door. You lost the key, not WE. So I suggest you figure out a way to get us out of here," Bryan said without turning to look at her, but he had a silly grin on his face.

    "You are sure you don''t have a spare key?" She asked once more time as she started trying toe up with ideas on what to do.

    "I don''t," Bryan snapped at her, hoping that would scare her and make her even more humble.

    "You are the only person I know who doesn''t have a spare key. How can a person be so careless," Sonia muttered under her breath as she walked away from him, making Bryan turn to look at her in disbelief. She still had the nerves to talk back after what she had done? To think she was actually calling him careless when she was the person who had just flushed the key in the toilet. Crazy witch. Bryan mused with a snort as he stood up.

    He picked up his phone and walked past Sonia who was sitting by the dressing table looking around the room like she was searching for something. Once inside the bathroom, he shut the door and turned on the shower before bending down beside the toilet. He didn''t see any sign or shadow inside to show that the key had sunk there, so he decided to check the floor. Reason being that he wasn''t sure she had seen the key fall into the toilet. If she had, she wouldn''t have flushed. So that meant it was possible she had misced it in the bathroom but assumed it had fallen into the toilet.

    He didn''t have to look around much before he saw the single key on the floor beside the toilet. He chuckled to himself as he picked it up. And she had called him careless? He asked himself with a snort as he dropped the key by the basin sink, and undressed so he could shower.

    Midway through his shower he heard a loud bang and turned off the shower so he could figure out where the sound wasing from.

    "Fuck!" He cussed when he heard the sound a second time, and it urred to him that Sonia was hitting something, probably the door. He quickly turned off the shower and just as he tried to reach for his robe which was hanging by the towel rail, he slipped, and his ankle twisted as he fell to the ground. He groaned in pain when the ankle of his right leg connected with the edge of the wall.

    Bryan hissed painfully as he tried to stand up. Grateful that he hadn''t hit his head on the floor. He knew very well, how easy it was for people to slip and crack their heads while bathing. He winced when he tried to stand erect, and his right foot hurt as he tried to stand on it. He ignored the pain as he reached for his robe, and limped out of the bathroom.

    "What do you think you are doing?" He growled angrily, the corners of his eyes red when he saw Sonia raise something above her head to hit the door one more time.

    "Trying to open the door," She said in a tone that suggested that his question was ridiculous. But once she turned to look at him and saw how red his eyes were, and how his face was twisted in pain as he took a step forward, she assumed he was mad at her for losing the key, "Don''t worry, I will try to be quick," she said raising it again.

    Bryan''s eyes shed angrily, "STOP!" Bryan snapped, startling her. His leg was hurting him and it was all her fault! If only she wasn''t so stubborn and annoying, "Just stop!" He hissed angrily and threw the key at her, his face red, and veins standing out on his temple.

    He had nned on holding on to the key and making her worry at least until morning. Who knew the crazy green-eyed witch was going to look for something to break down his door?

    "The key? Where did you find it?" She asked happily as she quickly picked it up without taking note of the painful expression on his face. She pursed her lips as she looked at the door which she had dented.

    Bryan drew in a shaky breath before limping towards the bed. When she heard him groan, she hurried to his side to look at him, "Did you hurt yourself?" She asked with a concerned frown when she noticed how he favored one leg as he fell on the bed. The frown deeper when she noticed the veins on his temple and how red his eyes were.

    "Just leave me alone! Please!" He snapped at her, pushing off the hand she hade to ce on his leg.

    Sonia withdrew her hand but didn''t leave. Instead, she kept staring at him and waiting for him to tell her what was wrong. When he didn''t say anything but pulled his right knee towards himself to touch his ankle, she realized it was his ankle, so she brushed his hand away so she could take a look.

    "Can you just leave me alone?" Bryan asked between gritted teeth and sucked in a breath when she touched a painful spot.

    "No. I won''t. If you are hurt I should help you," Sonia said as she kept looking at his ankle which seemed like he had dislocated it, "I think you sprained your ankle. What happened? Did you slip in the bathroom?" She asked with a concerned frown, "Hold on, I will get an ice pack so we can stop it from swelling," Sonia said as she quickly stood up and unlocked the door.

    Bryan hissed angrily as he waited for her to get back while wondering where Matt had gone to, and why he hadn''te over to find out why Sonia had been trying to break down his door.. What sort of crazydy was she? Bryan wondered, feeling sorry for himself and the bad luck that had made him propose to someone like her.

 Chapter 87 - Dinner Invitation

    Tomy on the couch as he thought about what Bryan had told him earlier. Sonia''s brother hadmitted suicide because of Lucy? What sort of rtionship did they have for him to have done that? Was that why she wasn''t interested in guys? Was she still mourning him? He couldn''t help feeling very concerned and curious. He really wanted to know more about her.

    He picked up his phone when it started ringing, and sighed when he saw Harry''s name disyed on the screen, "Don''t you have something better to do with your time?" Tom asked dryly once he received the call.

    Harry scoffed at that, "You hurt my feelings," he said in a mocking tone as he paced around his living room aimlessly, "What are you doing right now? Let''s hand out," Harry suggested, since he was very bored and in need ofpany.

    "I know you don''t know much aboutdies, but that is a line you reserve fordies, not me. You need to go out more and..."

    "I learnt something new about Miss Perry today," Harry said, interrupting Tom whose ears perked up immediately at the mention of Lucy.

    "What is that?" Tom asked eagerly, unable to hide his curiosity.

    Gotcha! Harry thought with a smirk, "If youe over to my ce within the next thirty minutes, I will tell you," Harry offered, making a scowl appear on Tom''s face.

    "Why can''t you just say it over the phone?"

    "Because I''m bored and I''d rather tell it to you over a game of Ser or Mortal Kombat. It''s been long we did that," Harry suggested with a grin.

    "I''m not in the mood for games."

    "Then let''s have a nightcap and maybe you can sleepover. How about that?" Harry asked making Tom narrow his eyes suspiciously.

    "Why do I feel like you have nothing important to say to me and I''m just going to waste my time by visiting you?"

    "You will never know if you don''te, will you?" Harry asked, hoping Tom would bite the bait ande keep himpany, "Plus we need to talk about some other important work stuff as well," Harry added, knowing that was the extra motivation Tom would need to be on his way.

    "Work? What work stuff?"

    "Don''t you think you are asking me too many questions? Do I even need to give you reasons toe over to my house when I want to see you? You know what? If you''re going toe, then be on your way. If not, then goodnight!" Harry snapped at him impatiently and hung up before Tom could say anything else.

    Tom nced at his phone in surprise wondering why Harry was acting up all of a sudden. He contemted Harry''s invitation for only a minute before ordering for a taxi ride. He walked into the bedroom and picked up a t-shirt and three-quarter shorts from his luggage which he was yet to unpack. Once he changed into the clothes he walked out of the house.

    He stopped in front of Lucy''s door and briefly contemted checking on her before leaving. He raised his hand to the door, and dropped it at thest minute, deciding it was best to let her be for the evening. Absence makes the heart grow fonder. Maybe she would think about him more if he didn''t bother her for some time. He wouldn''t text, call, nor show up in front of her until it was time for their dinner date. With that thought in mind, he walked away.

    "Hey!"

    Tom turned around when he heard Jasmine''s voice, and saw her smiling and waving at him as she walked up to him with Alicia beside her, "Hey!" He greeted back awkwardly.

    "Looks like you''re going out," Alicia observed as she looked at him with gleaming eyes.

    "Yeah. Need to meet up with a friend," Tom said, not knowing what else to say to thedies. It seemed like he never really had much to say todies unless it was Lucy. He had realized that he seemed to always have something to say only to her.

    "Cool. Alicia and I were nning to bring some pies over to your house to wee you to the neighborhood officially. I''m so d the other couple moved out. They were never really friendly and always looked down on us," Jasmine said, wrinkling her nose distastefully as she thought about the previous upants of Tom''s apartment who were homophobic.

    Tom''s heart skipped a beat when he realized that they could blow his cover if Lucy so much as found out that she had even moved into the neighborhood before him. How was he going to exin to her that it was mere coincidence that he had moved into not just the same neighborhood, but the same building with her the next day after their one-night stand? Or how he had also gotten a job as her driver two dayster? Lucy seemed to be a very deep thinker, and he wasn''t sure she would buy whatever story he would give her.

    "There won''t be any need for that. And I will appreciate it if you don''t let Lucy... I mean my boss. Don''t let her know I recently moved into the neighborhood," Tom said with a pleading smile, and bothdies exchanged a look.

    "Why not?" Alicia asked curiously, and Jasmine giggled in embarrassment as she jabbed Alicia''s side with her elbow to stop her from asking him such a personal question.

    "Sure. We won''t say a word to her," Jasmine said much to Tom''s relief, as he wasn''t sure what excuse he would have given.

    "Thank you."

    "You''re wee. So how about we invite you over for dinner?" Jasmine asked hopefully.

    Tom scratched the back of his ear, "Sorry. I''m not sure I will being back tonight," Tom said with an apologetic smile.

    "No. Definitely not tonight. We are asking about tomorrow. Will you be avable?" Alicia asked hopefully.

    "I already have dinner arrangements for tomorrow," Tom said with a wince.

    "Oh-oh!" Alicia eximed sadly and her face fell in disappointment, thinking Tom didn''t want to have dinner with them.

    "What about Sunday night?" Jasmine asked, looking at him with hopeful eyes as she didn''t want Alicia who was looking forward to the dinner to be disappointed.

    "Sunday? Can I think about it?" Tom asked thoughtfully.

    "Sure you can. But it really isn''t a big deal. Just dinner between us neighbors," Alicia assured him with a small smile. It really was going to be a simple dinner since all they wanted was to get to know him better so they could see if he was good enough to father their child. He has the physical qualities they needed. But now they wanted to know about his intellectual qualities as well as his background.

    "Alright. I hope you don''t mind if I bring my boss with me?" Tom asked hopefully since he didn''t want to be alone with thesedies that looked like they wanted to devour him. He realized that he didn''t even know what the rtionship was between bothdies, but he assumed they were either sisters or friends, and he wasn''t curious enough to ask them anything. The only person he wanted to know anything about was Lucy, and maybe during the dinner, he could observe how well she interacted with others.

    Alicia and Jasmine exchanged a look again, and Alicia shrugged her shoulders, giving Jasmine the go-ahead she needed, "If that would make you morefortable, I don''t see why not. You can bring her along," Jasmine said with a cheerful smile, and Tom nodded.

    "We could also invite her over that way it would make better sense for you both toe together. How about that?" Alicia asked, and Tom shed her a smile.

    "I will appreciate that. Thank you."

    "You''re wee. I suppose that''s your cab over there?" Jasmine asked, pointing to the cab that just drove into the street.

    "Yeah. I have to run now so I don''t keep my friend waiting," Tom said with a wave as he hurried away in quick steps.

    "Something is going on between them, don''t you think?" Alicia asked thoughtfully as they both watched Tom get into the cab.

    "Yeah. I wonder what it is though," Jasmine said, pursing her lips thoughtfully.

    "I guess we can find out on Sunday. It''s not toote to invite her for dinner, is it?" Alicia asked, staring in the direction of Lucy''s apartment.

    "Let''s see if she will answer her doorbell," Jasmine suggested as she slid her arm across Alicia''s waist and they walked over to Lucy''s house.

    Lucy who had been about to doze off while reading was jolted awake by the sound of her doorbell. She nced towards the living room anxiously, wondering why Tom was there. Did he perhaps change his mind about what he had to do, and wanted them to have sex tonight? She wondered with a yawn as she looked down at the oversized top she was wearing.

    She was just going to see what he wanted and tell him toe back tomorrow night as nned. She was feeling too sleepy and was in no way ready for sex or anypany tonight. With that thought in mind, she stood up and headed for the door. Her brows shot up in surprise when she opened the door and saw Jasmine and Alicia standing there with a smile on their faces, "Hi!"

    "Hi!" She responded without stepping back to let them in. It waste and thest thing she wanted was anyone''spany.

    "Hi! I''m Alicia. We are your neighbors," Alicia said conversationally.

    "I know," Lucy replied curtly.

    "We were hoping if you will be kind enough to have dinner with us on Sunday night?" Alicia asked, looking at her hopefully.

    Lucy looked from one to the other before saying, "Okay.." Surprising bothdies.

 Chapter 88 - Goodbye!

    Bryan had a re in his eyes as he watched Sonia hold an ice pack against his ankle which was slightly elevated above his body using pillows. He was feeling very angry and he wanted nothing more than to yell at her, but he couldn''t even find the strength to do so. He felt like it would be a waste of time doing that since he was dealing with a stubborn witch.

    His doctor had arrived a while ago and after taking a look at his ankle had told him he needed to stay off his feet for at least a week so that his ankle could heal properly. That meant he was stuck in his house with this stubborn, crazy witch.

    "Why are you so quiet?" Sonia asked curiously when she noticed how he kept ring at her but didn''t say anything. Why was he still angry with her when they had seen the key?

    "Can you please, not talk to me? I don''t even want to hear your voice," Bryan growled at her. Thankfully the doctor had given him medicine for the pain, so all he was feeling was a dull ache now. Still, he was mad at her and the sound of her voice grated on his nerves.

    "And why is that? You were angry over the key I lost, and now we have seen it. Everything is fine," she said, making him want to bare his teeth at her.

    How could she say everything was fine? Was she blind or deaf? Hadn''t she heard what the doctor said? Didn''t she understand what that meant? He wasn''t even in the mood to start exining any of that to her, so hey back on the bed and shut his eyes, while she kept rubbing his ankle with the ice pack. The doctor had said they should do that for twenty minutes every two hours. His only constion was that Sonia wasn''t going to be getting a good night''s sleep since she would have to wake up every two hours to apply the ice pack.

    "By the way, where did you keep myptop and jotter?" Sonia asked as she stood up from the bed, getting ready to walk away with the ice pack and keep it for the next round.

    Bryan slowly opened his eyes to look at her. She wasn''t thinking he was going to let her work when he wasn''t going to be able to work for the next couple of days, was she? As long as he had to stay off his feet for the next couple of weeks, she would also have to stay away from herptop. No writing or touching herptop. As long as he was incapacitated because of her, she was also automatically incapacitated.

    "Huh?" Sonia asked as she waited for Bryan to respond to her question.

    "Why do you ask?" Bryan asked, switching from angry to polite now.

    "Because I need to get back to my work," Sonia said in a matter-of-fact tone, and Bryan snorted derisively.

    "Sorry babes, you won''t be getting back to your writing anytime soon until I am fully recovered," Bryan said, making Sonia''s brow arch.

    "Meaning?"

    "Meaning as long as your darling fiance is unable to move, you can''t do anything either. You have to take care of me, especially because you put me in this condition!" Bryan said with a smile that didn''t reach his eyes.

    How could he me her for his own carelessness? Sonia wondered as her mouth dropped open in disbelief, before she quickly recovered, "Put you in you in this condition? Me? You have got to be fucking kidding me! Do I look like the bathroom tile? Or did you hit your head when you fell? When did I ever put you in that condition?" Sonia snapped at him, her green eyes zing angrily.

    She was mad at him? Like seriously? Bryan mused in disbelief. Choosing not to engage in any argument with her, he adjusted the pillows under him and shut his eyes. It wasn''t like she had any idea where he had hidden herptop anyway. Even if she went into his study to search for it, he knew she wasn''t going to find it, so he wasn''t bothered.

    He opened his eyes when he heard her storm out of the room and shut the door angrily, and then he let out a soft sigh. How would he be able to cope with being under the same roof with her even for a week? It was even more annoying now, knowing that he would have to rely on her to move around the house.

    Now where the fuck was Matt when you needed him? Bryan wondered as he picked up his phone to dial Matt''s line again. He had tried to reach him several times over the phone before the doctor arrived, but Matt had either not been close to his phone, or wasn''t willing to answer his call. Or was he in his bedroom with Candy? Bryan reasoned with a thoughtful frown.

    He quickly shut his eyes when he heard Sonia returning to the bedroom. She stopped beside the bed and looked down at him, while he pretended to be fast asleep.

    Sonia red at him, briefly considering whether or not to drag him off the bed so he would tell her where he had kept herptop. She had gone in search of herptop but had been unable to find it.

    She doubted that he was really sleeping. She leaned forward to look into his face, but when he didn''t move, she sighed as she straightened herself and stepped back. Knowing there was nothing else she could do about the situation at that moment, she walked over to the other side of the bed, andy down, while facing him.

    She set her rm to wake her up in two hours and moved closer to him so that there was only a small space between them. Maybe he was just upset about his leg. Hopefully, he will be in a better mood by morning, and return herptop to her, Sonia thought as she drifted off to sleep.

    Bryan remained there with his eyes closed and waited for some time until he heard the soft snoresing from her before he opened his eyes. He was surprised to see that she was lying down so close to him.

    Looking into her beautiful angelic face, with her mischievous eyes closed, and her mouth shut, she looked very innocent and normal. His eyes remained on her face, taking in the shape of herrge eyes and her longshes. His gaze moved to her small pointed nose, and then her lips. His eyes lingered on her pink bow-shaped lips for some time, before moving to her chest which kept rising and falling as she slept. He could make out the outline of her nipple through the light material. Once he felt a stir in his groin, he quickly returned his gaze to her face before looking away from her. Thest thing he wanted was to be sexually attracted to someone like her.

    What was he going to do with her for a week? He had never had ady with him for such a long duration. What were they going to talk about? What were they going to do? Now that he had to stay off his feet, it meant that there was no way he could leave the house. He did not doubt that the next couple of days were going to be very frustrating for him. He intended to frustrate her just as much anyway. There will be no writing for her, and she definitely won''t be going anywhere without him either. They were going to be stuck with each other. She wanted a fiance? She had gotten one. Hopefully, if he yed his cards right, she would want to call off everything and leave even before the end of the first week.

    Meanwhile, in another room down the hall, Matt was lying down naked on the bed beside Candace, "Wow! You are something!" He said breathlessly as they both tried to catch their breath.

    "You aren''t so bad yourself," Candace said with a yful smile as she sat up on the bed.

    "Not so bad, huh? How about I show you how good I can be?" Matt asked with a naughty smile as he reached out to grab her, but she quickly moved away.

    "You should probably check your phone while I dress up. Maybe it''s urgent," She suggested as she started picking up her clothes which were strewn across the floor.

    "If it was important either Bryan or Sonia would havee looking for me already. Why are you in a hurry to leave?" Matt asked as he sat up on the bed, watching her walk over to the bathroom with her clothes to clean up.

    "I have to pick up my son from the babysitter''s ce. I''mte already," She said without turning to look at him.

    Matt who hadpletely forgotten that she had mentioned being a single mother during one of their chats quickly got out of the bed and walked over to the bathroom door, "I thought you were joking when you mentioned being a single mother," he said as from the doorway, not wanting to go inside since he knew that even though they had just had sex, she still needed her privacy.

    "Now why would I joke about something like that?" Candace asked dryly as she dressed up.

    "I don''t know. I just didn''t think you were serious," Matt said with a slight frown.

    "Well, now you know. It doesn''t matter whether or not you''re cool with it anyway, since I''m sure we won''t be seeing each other after tonight," Candace said as she walked out of the bathroom,pletely dressed.

    "And why is that?" Matt asked in confusion.

    "Because I don''t think I like the idea of getting mixed up with celebrities. If I had known from the onset that you were an actor I never would have agreed to go on a date with you. Having something to do with you would mean my business bes public business. I don''t want my son finding out what his mother does for a living from other people," Candace said matter of factly as she walked over to the bedside drawer and picked up her handbag.

    Matt grabbed her arm before she could pick up her handbag, "So why did you leave the restaurant with me? Why did you have sex with me?" Matt asked in confusion.

    Candace shrugged, "I just thought that it would be a waste of all that spark between us if we don''t get down to it. It shouldn''t be a big deal to you anyway, I''m sure someone like you wasn''t thinking of dating someone like me anyway," She said with a wry smile as she ced her other hand over his hand which was holding her arm, and gently detached it.

    "I need to hurry.. Goodbye," Candace said as she picked up her handbag and quickly walked away, leaving Matt who was staring after her in disbelief.

 Chapter 89 - So Many Lies.

    Harry who was sipping from a ss of wine while watching a movie and waiting for sleep toe, looked at the door when he heard the sound of his doorbell. He let out a sigh as he wondered why Tom preferred to use the doorbell even when he knew the door''s passcode. He decided to ignore him, hoping he would get the drift and open the door himself, but Tom kept ringing the doorbell.

    When Harry got tired of the disturbing sound, he dropped the winess on the table and stood up. Once he got to the door he confirmed that his visitor was Tom through the security monitor, before unlocking the door. He returned to the living room without waiting for Tom.

    "What took you so long to open the door?" Tom asked with a scowl.

    "What stopped you from opening the damn door yourself when you already know the passcode?" Harry fired back, returning his scowl.

    "Looks like someone is in a foul mood," Tommented before ncing at the television screen, "You must have been very bored to be seeing a movie. No wonder you were begging me to visit," Tom observed. Harry wasn''t really a fan of movies, as he preferred ying games when he wasn''t busy with work, and only watched movies when he wanted to fall asleep.

    "I don''t remember begging you. Why are you here, anyway?" Harry asked grudgingly without looking at him, even though they both knew that deep down he was d that Tom had shown up.

    "What other reason could I have foring here other than to keep your bored asspany?" Tom asked dryly as he sat on the couch next to Harry, and picked up one of the pads on the table.

    Taking that as his cue, Harry stood up and walked over to set up the y station, "Mortal Kombat or Ser?" He asked as he picked up the game discs.

    "Mortal Kombat. I''m in the mood to beat up your ass," Tom said good-naturedly, making Harry snort as he inserted the disc before picking up the other pad, and returning to his seat.

    Neither of them said a word to each other as they selected their yers. Tom picked Scorpion, while Harry picked Sub-Zero. They yed in silence for a while, and when Harry noticed that Tom was about to win him at the second game, he said, "So I spoke with Miss Perry earlier on at the office."

    On hearing Lucy''s name, Tom turned to look at Harry with a slightly raised brow, "About?"

    Harry kept his gaze on the screen and made sure to hit Tom''s yer hard while he was distracted, "About the fiance she talked about thest time, remember?" Harry asked turning to look at Tom with a grin after he won that round.

    "You deliberately said that to distract me, didn''t you?" Tom asked with a chuckle, "It''s funny that you had to rely on such cheap tricks to win the game. Loser," Tom said, shaking his head as he dropped his pad.

    "Whatever. Anyway, I think you should talk to your brother about getting her a role in the movie industry. She is a very good actress, believe me," Harry said, making Tom chuckle as he reached out to pick up Harry''s winess.

    "What did she say this time?" Tom asked as he took a sip from the ss while waiting curiously to hear the lie Lucy had spawned. Tom listened attentively as Harry gave him the details of his conversation with Lucy, and by the time Harry finished, Tom''s body was shaking withughter.

    "She is impressive, don''t you think?" Tom asked Harry who shook his head.

    "She is just as crazy as you are," Harry countered.

    "Well, I''m beginning to think that crazy isn''t so bad," Tom said making Harry sigh as he looked him over.

    "Talking about crazy, when are you going to restore your hair to its original shape, and take off those godforsaken earrings?" Harry asked with a scowl.

    "What do you mean original shape? There is nothing wrong with the way I look now. Don''t you want to change your appearance too?" Tom asked with a grin, tapping Harry''s shoulder yfully.

    "I''m being serious here."

    "And I''m being serious too. Do you know something I''vee to realize in the past couple of days? I don''t think I am the gentleman I thought I was all these years. I have some naughty to me," Tom said with a grin and chuckled when Harry raised both hands to cover his ears.

    "Don''t worry, I will be giving you lessons soon," Tom said, making Harry raise his eyes upward in disbelief.

    "How far have you gone with her to make you so confident in your abilities?" Harry asked as he dropped his pad on the couch between them.

    "I''m slowly making progress. I''m having a dinner date with her tomorrow. In my apartment," Tom said with a wink.

    Harry snorted, "You can''t even cook to save your life."

    "Well, she doesn''t know that. At least not yet. Besides, I didn''t tell her I was going to do the cooking."

    "Don''t you think the lies are bing too much and tooplex? You are supposed to keep things simple. It''s bad enough that you''re hiding your identity already, but all these lies?" Harry asked with disapproval.

    "Don''t worry, I don''t intend to lie about something as simple as that. I will be there with the chef when he prepares the meal, and I will let her know I was there but didn''t do the cooking. Besides, I haven''t told her a lie that wasn''t vital to my n. Everything will be cleared up once I reveal my identity to her," Tom said, and Harry shrugged.

    "By the way, what do you intend to do about the meeting we have next week with the retained executive staff of Oceans airline? Remember the n is for you to attend the meeting and let Mr. Wyatt officially introduce you to them as the new CEO?" Harry asked, reminding him of the initial ns they had before they found out about Anita.

    "I can''t reveal my identity to them now that we know Anita is there, can I?" Tom asked with a slightly raised brow.

    "Why not? I don''t see any reason why you need to change your ns or hide your identity from her. She has lost her chance already, you don''t have to hide from her," Harry said with a serious frown.

    "I know all of that. But I don''t think it would be a good idea to let her know who I am yet. I will rather reveal my identity to everyone at once after revealing it to Lucy. I don''t want her to find out about me before I get the chance to work things out with her," Tom said thoughtfully.

    "So what are you going to do? We both know you have to be at that meeting since Mr. Wyatt would be there. Unless of course, you''d rather go there in your disguise," Harry said with a trace of sarcasm in his voice. He groaned when Tom''s eyes lit up at the idea.

    "I can do that, can''t I?" Tom asked, both corners of his lips curving upwards in a smile.

    Harry sighed wearily, "Why do I feel like I always end up giving you bad advice without even meaning to?"

    "The idea is perfect. We will attend the meeting and I will let you do all the talking as usual. I will only speak once or twice when necessary," Tom said, and Harry shrugged.

    "Whatever you say, boss. Let''s get back to the game.. I''m ready to kick your ass," Harry said, returning his attention to the game now that they had gotten every other subject out of the way.

 Chapter 90 - Friends Hangout (1)

    Lucy decided to sleep in on Saturday morning, since she wasn''t going to the office and as such didn''t see any reason to rush out. Once she finally woke up around 10 AM, she picked up her phone and the first thing she saw was a text message from Anita which contained her home address details.

    Now that it was the day to go out, she wasn''t really feeling much like stepping out of the house. All she wanted to do was curl up on her bed and read a novel, or surf the. Anything that didn''t involve dressing up and leaving her house. This was the reason she didn''t like having friends since friendships always involved visits, and that was something she wasn''t cut out for.

    She encouraged herself by reminding herself that it was just a temporary friendship, and it was for the greater good. Once she managed to connect Anita and Tom, she would step back and let them both do their thing.

    Lucy decided to clean up her house and fix breakfast for herself before leaving for Anita''s ce. Looking around the apartment, there wasn''t really much to clean since she always kept everything in ce. Still, she picked up a napkin and started to clean her already clean furniture.

    As she got busy with cleaning her thoughts drifted to her conversation with Sonia the previous evening, and from there to Tom. She briefly wondered what he was up to, and why she hadn''t heard from him all morning. Or perhaps he wasn''t reaching out to her because she had said she would be busy? Lucy mused, and then quickly discarded the thought once she realized what she was doing. He wasn''t her business. He was just her neighbor, and driver, and as such there was no reason for him to reach out to her during the weekends.

    Soon she got very busy with tidying up the ce and tried not to think of anything concerning Tom. After ensuring that everywhere was clean and there was no speck of dust on any furniture, she settled down to eat a bowl of cereal.

    Now that she was idle, thoughts of Tom came back to her, and with it came the reminder that they were having dinner that evening. Her heart skipped a beat when she remembered her dinner date with Tom. The thought of the evening ahead made her feel increasingly anxious with each passing second. When she couldn''t bear it anymore, she pushed away from the table, disposed of the cereals, and washed the bowl before leaving the kitchen.

    Once inside her bedroom, she walked to the closet to pick out the clothes she was going to wear out. She opened the drawer containing her undies, and her face flushed a deep shade of red when she remembered the texts Tom had sent to her the previous day.

    "Look at you getting all flustered, and he isn''t even here," She chided herself as she raised both hands to her cheeks.

    Had he looked through her drawer? Maybe not. He acted a lot like a bad boy, but something told her he wasn''t the type to do something as creepy as looking through her drawers.

    Walking over to the bathroom, she stopped when she noticed her pant hanger on the towel railing. Those must have been the undies he saw, Lucy thought to herself as she took out the dry undies from the hanger and folded them before returning them to the bedroom.

    As she arranged the undies in her drawer, she tried to face a subject she had been avoiding all morning. The issue of sex with Tomter that evening. Even though she had been the one who had suggested it, she was feeling very nervous thinking about it now that the time for it was drawing near.

    She swallowed as she looked at the undies. Since they were going to be having sex that evening, she was going to have to sort through her clothes for not just a sexy dress to wear to their dinner date, but sexy undies as well.

    She picked out a new pair of matchingce oxblood-colored pant and strapless push-up bra which she was yet to wear since she purchased them. She decided that she was going to wear that for the asion. It wasn''t every time that a girl lost her virginity twice was it?

    After that, she looked through her closet trying to find a sexy gown she could wear and smiled when she sighted a mini dress her mother had gotten her during thest year''s Christmas, but she had never gotten the chance to wear it. It was a strapless blue sequin dress with a deep V-neck. She was sure her mother would be proud of her if she found out she was wearing it to a dinner date.

    Now that she had gotten everything she needed ready for their dinner date, she focused on getting ready to visit Anita, since it was almost noon already.

    Forty-five minutester her car rolled to a stop in front of the address Anita had sent her, thanks to Google map, and she got out of it. She looked around the fancy neighborhood with interest before walking to the door and ringing the doorbell.

    "Coming!" She heard Anita''s voice before the door was pulled open the next second. Within those few seconds, bothdies sized each other up. Anita noticed that, unlike mostdies she knew, Lucy was dressedfortably rather than to impress. Lucy wore simple ck jean trousers with a brown cashmere, and ck pair of sneakers. Her face was bare save for the lipgloss she had applied as an afterthought, and her hair was packed in a ponytail as usual, with her sses in ce. Not apetition at all, Anita thought with satisfaction.

    In contrast to Lucy''s clothes, Anita was dressed in a stylish blue-colored knee-length gown, her face was well made up, and her long hair fell around her shoulders in cascades. Lucy could see why Tom would be attracted to someone like her. Anita was picture perfect!

    "I thought you changed your mind," Anita said with a weing smile as she held the door for Lucy to get in.

    "I was tempted to. But here I am," Lucy said spreading out her arms with an awkward smile on her face as she walked into the house.

    Anita giggled, assuming that Lucy was joking, "You''re wee. Please make yourself at home," Anita said as she walked over to the kitchen to get them something to munch on, while Lucy looked around the apartment. She had to admit that Anita''s taste showed not just in her appearance and clothes but also the decor of her apartment. Now she worried if Tom would be able to afford to be with someone like Anita. She quickly reminded herself that Tom had been to Anita''s apartment before, and if he thought he had a chance with her, then she had no say in the manner. All she was here to do, after all, was matchmake and increase his chances of helping him get thedy he desired.. He didn''t have to know that she was helping him smoothen his path in the background.

 Chapter 91 - Want To Have A Look?

    By the time it was morning, Sonia had dark circles under her eyes as she hadn''t gotten enough sleep the previous time. She had barely slept for forty-five minutes when the first rm went off, and then after massaging Bryan''s ankle for twenty minutes while he slept like a baby, she had run into Matt having a nightcap by the bar when she went to return the ice pack to the freezer.

    She had talked with him for a little while, asking if Candace was asleep already and why he was drinking alone. He told her Candace had gone home and asked why Bryan had been calling earlier. After Sonia told him about Bryan''s ident, they had both decided to call it a night. After that she had tried to fall asleep to no avail, so she had busied herself by typing down what the next chapter of her story would be like on her phone. Just when she finally managed to fall asleep, the rm had gone off thirty minutester, and she had repeated the same process. The fourth time when she decided to ignore the rm and just sleep, the devil in the form of the man lying beside her had woken her up, pointing to his ankle without saying a word.

    Now it was morning, and Sonia was in a foul mood, while Bryan seemed to be in a very pleasant mood, "What''s so funny?" Sonia asked with a scowl when she noticed Bryan grinning from ear to ear and humming a happy tune as she massaged his ankle with the ice pack.

    He had woken up each time the rm went off but had pretended to be asleep while watching her under hisshes as she rubbed his ankle with the ice. At some point, he had felt sorry for her when he noticed how she was dozing off while doing it, but he had quickly reminded himself that she was the cause of everything, and as such she deserved it.

    "I just realized how beautiful you are. Especially with those dark circles under your eyes. You look like the human version of a Giant Panda," Bryan said with an even wider grin, which only seemed to annoy her the more as she could tell he was enjoying himself.

    "Ouch!" Bryan yelped with pain and surprise, drawing back his leg away from Sonia who had angrily pressed his ankle hard.

    "What? Does it hurt?" Sonia asked with a smirk as she stood up, ready to leave with the ice pack.

    Bryan let out a chuckle before he could stop himself, enjoying her annoyance more than he wanted to, "You are gradually beginning to reveal your true colors," Bryan said as he watched her walk to the door.

    "Trust me, you don''t want to see how colorful I can be," Sonia warned with a re before she walked out of the bedroom, while Bryan continued to hum his happy tune.

    Even though he was still feeling frustrated by the current situation of things, seeing Sonia in this state made it worth it. If she was already feeling this annoyed in barely twenty-four hours, he was sure she would willingly walk out of his life within the next three days.

    "I need to use the bathroom," Bryan said, immediately Sonia returned to the bedroom.

    "Go ahead. The bathroom is all yours," Sonia said with a flourish as she walked over to the bed, determined to catch a few hours of sleep now that Bryan was awake.

    "I wasn''t asking you for permission. I''m asking you to take me to the bathroom," Bryan said pointing to his ankle, reminding her that he couldn''t walk.

    Sonia looked at him incredulously, "I beg your pardon?"

    "You don''t expect me to walk over to the bathroom on this foot, do you?" Bryan asked, going for the helpless look.

    "You only twisted one ankle. Surely you can hop to the bathroom on one foot, can''t you?"

    Bryan shook his head, "I can''t."

    Sonia rolled her eyes before letting out a sigh, "I will help you get Matt. He should be able to assist you," Sonia said, getting up from the bed.

    "You are my fiancee, not Matt. Can you not take care of me? What if Matt wasn''t in the house with us?" Bryan asked, giving her the eyes of an abandoned puppy.

    "I can tell you are trying to get on my already frayed nerves," Sonia said through gritted teeth as she stood in the center of the room, contemting whether to get Matt or take Bryan to the bathroom herself.

    After thinking about it only for a moment, she walked over to Bryan''s side of the bed and leaned down so he could ce his arm around her shoulders and lean on her for support. Bryan held on to her shoulder but tried not to ce all his weight on her as she led him to the bathroom, while he hopped on one leg.

    Once they walked into the bathroom and stood in front of the toilet, Sonia reached out a hand to the front of his sleeping robe to help him take out his penis, but Bryan quickly pped her hand away, "What are you trying to do?" he asked in a stern voice.

    "Isn''t it obvious? I want to help you take out your dick while you take a piss," Sonia said, shing him an innocent smile while fluttering hershes at him. If he thought he was the only one who knew how to make fun of an annoying situation, then she was about to show him that she was worse than him.

    "Thanks, but no thanks. I can continue from here. So if you don''t mind, please excuse me," Bryan said, jerking his head towards the door as he waited for her to leave so that he could ease himself.

    "Excuse you? Why? Didn''t you just say you needed the help of your fiancee? Well, I''m doing that now as I would for my fiance, soe on, you don''t have to be shy," Sonia said with a sweet smile as she reached for his robe once again.

    "Sonia!" Bryan growled at her, making her giggle all of a sudden.

    "I''m not sure I have ever heard you directly call me by my name before now. It sounds so sexying from you," Sonia said in amusement as she looked at him.

    "Why are you hiding it anyway? Is it that tiny?" Sonia asked, shifting her gaze from his face to the spot between his legs.

    Even though his robe covered him fully, he couldn''t help but feel very ufortable at the unwanted attention his ''special member'' was getting from her. He had meant to tease her, not have her switch on him like this.

    "Do you want to have a look?" Bryan asked turning his waist in her direction, hoping she would feel embarrassed and leave.

    Do I? Sonia nodded eagerly as she looked at him expectantly like a kid who had just been offered candy, "Yes, please."

    Of course, she was a stubborn witch. What had he been expecting? That she would say no? Not this witch.

    Bryan drew in a deep breath to calm himself, "Can you please excuse me and let me ease myself in private?" Bryan asked as calmly as he could, but Sonia could see the re in his eyes as he looked at her.

    "Are you sure you can stand on one leg long enough to ease yourself? I don''t want you falling and twisting your second ankle," Sonia asked with a pleasant smile and giggled when Bryan shoved her away from him.

    "Leave!" He yelled at her impatiently.

    Sonia giggled, "Ah-ah! Now you are showing your true colors!" Sonia said as she yfully spanked his ass before heading for the door, "Call me if you need your fiancee to help you clean up," she added with a wink and giggled when he shut his eyes, before walking away and shutting the door behind her.

    Once he was sure she had left he quickly locked the door from within, and let out a sigh. What sort of trouble had he gotten himself involved in? One minute he thought he was on top of things, and then next she was pushing him off the edge again. She had even spanked his ass? This maddy!

    He quickly handled his business, and once he was done, he flushed the toilet and put down the toilet seat before sitting on it. He reached for his toothbrush and paste, and quickly brushed his teeth, before managing to drag himself to the shower to bathe. After he was done, he dried his hair before wearing the robe and knocking on the door for Sonia toe in.

    "For a moment there I thought you probably slipped again and hit your head this time," Sonia said with a smile when he unlocked the door from inside and she walked in.

    Bryan leaned on her shoulder as they both returned inside the bedroom, "Maybe I should go out and get you a crutch so you can move around easily on your own?" Sonia asked once he got on the bed.

    "And what would you be doing while I''m using crutches?" Bryan asked with a stiff smile.

    "Is this supposed to be some sort of punishment?" Sonia asked in disbelief, "Like are you making me do all this just to punish me?"

    Bryan yawned, "I''m hungry. Can you get me breakfast?" He asked, ignoring her question.

    "I will after you tell me where you kept myptop and writing materials. I need to work," Sonia said, and Bryan pursed his lips like he was contemting what she had just said, before picking up his phone.

    He dialed Mia''s line, and she picked up almost immediately, "Are you busy?" He asked once the call connected.

    Mia who had been doing her yoga exercise sat up, "Just doing my exercises," she said, panting softly.

    "Good. I''m hungry. Get me something to eat," Bryan ordered, and hung up immediately before turning to smile at Sonia, "As long as I can''t work in this state, neither can you."

    Sonia opened her mouth to say something, but before she could Matt knocked on the bedroom door, and they both turned to the door, "Come in," Bryan said, relieved that Matt was here now.

    Matt walked in, and looked from Bryan to Sonia before looking back at Bryan, "Is everything okay?"

    "Sure. I was just having a pleasant conversation with the love of my life," Bryan said with a grin, and Sonia red at him before walking out of the room, giving both friends privacy.

    "Are you sure? She looks very pissed," Matt said, looking at the door.

    "Don''t worry about her. She is okay. What''s up? Where were you when I was callingst night?" Bryan asked with a scowl when he remembered he had been unable to reach Matt.

    "I had a female guest. Where do you think I was?" Matt asked, and Bryan nodded in understanding.

    "How is your leg?" Matt asked, looking at Bryan''s ankle which was wrapped with an ace bandage and elevated on the bed.

    "I''m getting by. Where are you going to?" Bryan asked when he noticed that Matt was dressed like he was heading out.

    "I figured since you don''t need me around to get rid of her anymore I can leave. And I got a call from my manager, need to meet with a producer this morning," Matt exined.

    "Cool," Bryan said with a nod. That would leave him alone with Sonia, and as such, she would have no choice but be absolutely responsible for him.. Not bad at all, Bryan thought with a grin.

 Chapter 92 - Friends Hangout (2)

    Lucy watched Anita as she returned to the living room with a tray containing two tters of chocte cookies. She dropped a tter on the parlor stool beside Lucy, and the other on another stool, before returning inside with the tray to get a teapot, teacups a bowl of sugar and cream.

    Seeing how Anita had chosen to serve tea and cookies instead of soda or something simple, she became curious about Anita''s background and upbringing. Everything about thedy from her poise and conduct, to even how she talked andughed seemed elegant and ssy. It was almost as if she was preparing to be married into a royal family or a high-ss family. Tea would be thest thing she would ever think of serving a guest at her apartment. Not when there was wine, beer, or canned soda drinks.

    "Please help yourself," Anita said, after pouring some quantity of tea into Lucy''s teacup and setting it on a saucer.

    "Thank you," Lucy said with a polite smile, feeling stressed out by the mere thought of mixing the tea when she could have easily opened a can drink and sipped from it. She couldn''tin anyway. She was a guest and had to make do with whatever her host had chosen to offer.

    "I noticed the photo of you with a dog. You have a pet?" Lucy asked, watching as Anita added sugar and cream to her tea, and doing the same.

    "Oh! Yeah. His name is Snow. I had to lock him away since I didn''t want him to constitute a nuisance," Anita said dismissively.

    "I hope he doesn''t hate me for that," Lucy said with a light smile.

    "Not at all. He''s busy with a bone and other treats," Anita assured her as she stirred her tea by cing the teaspoon at a 12 o''clock position in the cup and softly folding the liquid back and forth a couple of times to the 6 o''clock position. Once she was done Lucy watched as she popped the teaspoon on the saucer, at the right side of the cup.

    Lucy sighed inwardly. Why did Anita have to be so proper? Being friends with her was going to be so stressful as she didn''t have the patience for all these unnecessary proper procedures.

    Anita''s lips curved in a smile as though she could read Lucy''s mind merely by looking at her face. She lifted her teacup to her lips, only taking her eyes off Lucy to look into the cup as she sipped from it, "So, you are new here?" She asked curiously as she returned the teacup to the saucer on the parlor stool next to her.

    "Yes. I recently got promoted to the headquarters. Tomorrow makes it one week since I came here," Lucy said, returning her smile as she sipped from her cup too, imitating Anita''s gesture. Thankfully she knew a little about tea etiquette, else she would have embarrassed herself by now. She made a mental note not to visit Anita at her home next time. She would dly do the matchmaking at a different location.

    "I guess congrattions are in order then if it isn''t toote."

    "Thank you," Lucy said as she picked a cookie from the tter and was almost throwing it into her mouth when she noticed Anita taking a small bite. Lucy hesitated only for a moment and then she threw it into her mouth. She was here for a visit, not a job interview. Anita could be proper all she liked, but she would rather not be dragged into it. What was the point of all this unnecessary etiquette?

    "I suppose you like it here?" Anita asked, wanting to circle small topics before moving to the major subject she was curious about.

    "I''m not sure yet. Still keeping my fingers crossed. What about you? How long have you been here?" Lucy asked before Anita could ask another question.

    "I''ve been here all my life. I was born and raised right under this roof," Anita said, still smiling.

    Oh! That exined why the neighborhood had seemed so fancy. At some point, she had begun to wonder how much Anita earned to be able to afford such an apartment in such a neighborhood.

    "That means you must be very familiar with the city. I''m d I now have a friend like you to show me around," Lucy said, and Anita giggled, raising one hand to cover her mouth as sheughed politely.

    As Anita giggled, she decided that it was time to slowly ease into the subject, so once she stoppedughing she looked at Lucy with a slightly serious gaze, "That reminds me. I have been curious about something, and I hope you don''t mind if I ask a question," Anita asked, and Lucy gave her a one-sided shrug which meant that she didn''t mind.

    Lucy couldn''t help the feeling that she was here for an interview. Anita had been asking from one question to the other since she sat down, so Lucy saw no reason why she was seeking permission to ask a question now unless the question she wanted to ask was something that shouldn''t concern her, Lucy mused, but pasted a smile on her face to mask what she was thinking, "And what could that be?" Lucy asked, meeting Anita''s curious gaze.

    "I recently learned that the CEO hasn''t had a personal assistant for more than six years, and Mr. Harry has been the one functioning as his assistant. How then did you manage to get the job so easily when you have barely worked here for a week?" Anita asked as she picked up a chocte cookie from the tter on the stool beside her couch.

    She had been thinking about it and hade to one conclusion, maybe Lucy had caught the interest of the CEO. How else could he have decided he needed a personal assistant just within a week of her arrival?

    Lucy pursed her lips as she considered Sonia''s question. There was no way she could tell Sonia the truth. It would paint her in a very bad light if she told Sonia that she has gone to ask them to change her driver and that had annoyed the CEO, so he had asked her to resume his office. Somethings were supposed to be left private, and she wasn''t sure her friendship with Anita had gotten to the stage where she could confide in her about such subjects yet.

    "It''s funny because I''ve been asking myself the same question until I came to just one conclusion," Lucy said thoughtfully, and Anita leaned forward, curious to know if Lucy was thinking the same thing as her.

    "Which is?"

    "Grace. It has to be God''s grace and favor, right?" Lucy asked, making Anita lean back in her seat while trying to hide her disappointment

    Seeing the disappointment on her face, Lucy smiled, "Anyway, what I really think is that he probably heard about how much effort I put into any assignment, and decided he wants a workaholic like me working for him. I live for my job," Lucy confided.

    "Ah! I see," Anita said with a nod. Maybe that exined it. He probably was used todies trying to seduce him, so he had chosen Lucy because she was a workaholic and wouldn''t want to risk losing her job by seducing him. And thankfully, Lucy wasn''t interested in him either.

    "Yeah. I''m curious about something too," Lucy said, making Anita look at her curiously.

    "What could that be?"

    "Are you in a romantic rtionship with anyone?" Lucy asked with a slight blush, embarrassed to be asking someone such a personal question. She needed to know for Tom''s sake, so he wouldn''t waste his time.

    Hearing her question, Anita smiled as she shook her head, "I''m not. I''m still waiting for the perfect man," Anita said, hoping Lucy was asking because she was thinking of introducing her to the CEO, "What about you?" Anita returned the question.

    "I already told you. I''m not interested in men. My job is more important to me," Lucy said, and Anita gave her a nod.

    All Anita prayed for at that moment was that Lucy would never be interested in men. And if for any reason she started having an interest in men, it should never be the CEO. Someone like Lucy deserved a good and simple man like Tom. And judging by her discussion with Tom the first day, it had sounded like Tom had a crush on his boss. Maybe it would be best if she yed the role of a matchmaker between them both. She could use a single stone to kill two birds. By bringing them together, she would be more rxed to know that Lucy was in a rtionship and would never get in her way. Also if the CEO was having his eyes on Lucy he would withdraw once he realized she was in a rtionship, and as such there would be no chance for Lucy. And then there was the issue of clearing things with Tom. He won''t hold any grudge against her if she helped him get the girl he wanted. If things worked well, then maybe Tom and Lucy would help her get the CEO, Anita thought with a smile, before asking, "What about your driver? How is he?"

    Lucy''s lips curved in a smile, as she was happy that Anita was asking about Tom, giving her the opening she needed to tell him how nice Tom is, "He is very fine."

    Seeing the smile on Lucy''s face, Anita assumed it was because Lucy was fond of Tom and happy to talk about him, "He is a very handsome and nice guy, you know?" Anita asked, and Lucy nodded.

    "Yeah. And charming too.. It''s such a shame that he is single," Lucy said with a shake of her head.

 Chapter 93 - Golden Stars Entertainment Agency

    "What?" The CEO of Golden Stars Entertainment agency asked Bryan''s manager, Jeff, with a re in his eyes, daring either him or Mia to repeat what they had just told him.

    Mia exchanged a look with Jeff, and he shook his head, indicating for her not to say anything. Mia who had gone over to Bryan''s penthouse to deliver breakfast as requested by Bryan had been startled to see his ankle wrapped in an Ace bandage. Sonia had told her that Bryan slipped in the bathroom and hurt his ankle and that the doctor had asked him to rest his leg. Mia had the called Jeff on her way out to find out if he was aware of Bryan''s ident since Bryan not only had a couple ofmercial ads shoots to film the following week, but he also had some movie scenes to shoot, beginning from Monday, and wouldn''t be able to do them with the ace bandage around his ankle.

    Jeff had been surprised by the news and had asked Mia to meet him at the agency immediately. Once she got there and exined the situation of things to him, he had taken her up to the CEO''s office so they could tell him about it, as Bryan was one of the most sessful stars in their agency.

    "I''m sorry sir," Jeff said with a polite bow. He knew he was partly to me for only just hearing about this now from Mia. If he was a good manager, Bryan would have called him from the moment he slipped in the bathroom, even before getting off the floor. He had been too busy with the personal details of his life to pay much attention to Bryan.

    "Sorry?" The CEO barked at him angrily as he stood up from his seat and paced back and forth, before turning to look at him again, "Does sorry cut it? Do you have any idea what this is going to cost us if he doesn''t meet up with his appointments? You are his manager for crying out loud and you are meant to babysit an important star like Bryan!!! Do I have to teach you your job?" He yelled, pointing at Jeff angrily, while Mia took some steps backward, not wanting to be in the line of fire.

    "I thought he needed a break from..."

    "A break? When have we ever given the stars a break? Can you see what happens when you give them a break? It always ends in a god-damned disaster! It''s either a fucking scandal or an ident! You should have known better!" He yelled again, before wiping his face with one hand and taking in a deep breath to calm himself.

    Jeff looked at his feet without saying a word. Even though he had admitted to himself a moment ago that it was his fault, he couldn''t understand why the CEO was ming him so much. He had only apologized because he felt guilty that he was only just getting to know that Bryan had hurt his ankle through Mia, not because Bryan had hurt his ankle. Why should he feel guilty because Bryan hurt his ankle? Why was the CEO ming him for it? Was he the bathroom floor that had made Bryan slip? Or was he supposed to carry Bryan into the bathroom to bathe him? Jeff mused but kept a humble and remorseful expression on his face, as well as his bodynguage.

    The CEO looked at Mia, and she took another step backward, "You are sure he is wounded? What if he is just pretending just so he doesn''t work and spend more time with thatdy?" He asked suspiciously, and Mia almost snorted before remembering that it was the CEO.

    She shook her head instead, "Thest thing Bryan wants is to be around thatdy. If he had his way, I''m sure he would have moved out of the house, leaving her there all by herself," Mia said, and the CEO''s eyes narrowed.

    "Are you sure he got hurt in the bathroom and it was not that girl?" He asked, reasoning that it was possible Sonia had hurt him just so she could keep him in the house with her.

    Mia shook her head once again, "She wouldn''t do something like that," Mia said confidently.

    The CEO bent his head to one side as he looked at her with a slightly raised brow, "And you are so sure, because?"

    "Because she just isn''t that kind of person. If she wants him to stay put, she would make him do so without resorting to physical violence. She is smart," Mia said with a small smile.

    Jeff who had been looking down, finally raised his head a little when he noticed the tone of the conversation had changed. The CEO who had sounded so angry a while ago sounded less angry and more curious now.

    "You seem to like and respect her," He observed, and Mia gave him a nod.

    The CEO sighed, and returned to his seat before ring at Jeff who quickly looked down, "Give his doctor a call, let''s find out how serious it is," he ordered, and Jeff quickly took out his phone from his pocket and dialed the doctor''s line.

    "Sit down!" He ordered, "Both of you," he added when they looked at him, not knowing which of them he was referring to.

    They both sat down on the two seats opposite him, while they all waited for the call to connect. Once the call connected Jeff ced the phone on speaker and ced it on the table.

    "Hey, Jeff!" The doctor greeted in a friendly tone since he was quite familiar with Bryan''s manager.

    "What is the situation of Bryan''s ankle?" The CEO asked without bothering to introduce himself since he was sure the doctor knew his voice. The doctor was paid by the agency to take care of the health of the stars, so of course, he had to know the voice of his employer.

    "Hello, sir! Good afternoon sir!" He greeted politely, every trace of the friendliness out of his tone.

    "I''m waiting," The CEO said impatiently.

    "He twisted his ankle and has to stay off his feet for a minimum of ten days, in order to let it heal properly," the doctor said, making the CEO sigh.

    "And nothing can be done about that to speed up the healing process? For a golden star like Bryan, every second counts. We already gave him a week to rest, we can''t stretch it," the CEO said, exining to the doctor as patiently as he could muster.

    "It can''t be helped. Unless his shoots don''t involve him moving around," the doctor exined, making the CEO sigh wearily. Without saying another word he pressed the disconnect icon and sat back in his seat with his eyes closed as he tried toe up with something that could be done.

    "The both of you should call the producers andpanies Bryan has business with for next week. Find out if rescheduling is possible since Bryan is injured and can''t work at the moment," the CEO said without opening his eyes while he kept thinking of what to do.

    Mia and Jeff stood up immediately and walked out of the office. "I don''t think they are going to buy it. Everyone knows his fiancee is around. They are likely going to think he is skipping work toze around with his fiancee," Mia told Jeff as they walked into the office allocated to Bryan.

    "We won''t know if we don''t try," Jeff told her, pointing to one of the telephones in the office for her to pick it up and ce the call.

    Thirty minutester Mia had an ''I told you so'' look on her face as she and Jeff dropped the telephone receivers. The producer had been pissed off that his movie was about to be dyed again all because of Bryan.. The three directors of the variouspanies in charge of themercial ads Bryan was supposed to shoot for theirpany were equally pissed, and two among them had hinted that Bryan was bing irresponsible since his engagement.

 Chapter 94 - I Intend To Frustrate You...

    "The CEO won''t like this," Mia told Jeff who sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair.

    "Like I don''t know that already?" He asked with a scowl. The major problem at the moment was that none of them were willing to believe that Bryan had truly injured his ankle. They all thought he was avoiding his duties because his fiancee was visiting.

    At that same moment, Mia''s phone beeped with an Instagram notification message and she clicked on it. It was Sonia''s post. She had made a video of Bryan who was fast asleep, and in the video, Bryan woke up once he heard Sonia''s light giggle, and red at her before covering his face.

    Mia sat up when the caption caught her attention, "Who wants a reality show?"

    She quickly scrolled through thement section and when she saw all the positive responses, she raised her head to look at Jeff who was deep in thought, "I think I have an idea that might be of help to everyone," She said with a big smile, loving the idea the more she thought of it.

    "You do? Let''s hear it," Jeff said, looking at her with interest.

    "A live reality show!" Mia said, her eyes gleaming with excitement, while Jeff looked at her in confusion.

    "What?"

    Mia stood up and started pacing around the little office as she tried to put her idea into words, "Think about it for a second. Everyone would go crazy if we did a live reality show involving Bryan and his fiancee," she said, using her hands to make quotes as she said the word fiancee, "He has a reallyrge fan base. And believe me, not just his fans, but many others as well would want to watch the show and find out how a yboy like Bryan fell in love. We could make it a week-long show. We will allow the producer of the movie to handle the show, and thepanies Bryan was to runmercial ads for, would still get to run theirmercials during the showtime. We could even make Bryan talk about their products and endorse them during the reality show. It''s going to be nothing like anyone has seen before," Mia said, stopping to look at Jeff.

    "Who knows what might happen between those two before the end of the show?" She asked, wriggling her brows suggestively. She felt like this might help bring them both together.

    "Bryan would never agree to something as crazy as this, and you know it. You know how much he likes his privacy. And then even if he would agree to do this, I don''t think the CEO..." He was cut short when the office door opened, and the CEO walked in, looking at him with disapproval.

    "You don''t think the CEO what? And shouldn''t it be your job to convince Bryan to do it? Aren''t you supposed to run the idea by me before waving it off? Do you have any idea how much money we would lose if thosepanies decide to cancel their contract with him, and sue him for breaching the terms of their agreement?" The CEO who had been about to enter the office before overhearing Mia''s idea, asked Jeff as he stopped in front of Mia who had frozen in one spot upon seeing him.

    He had beening to find out the details of the phone calls before hearing Mia''s suggestion. After listening to what she had to say earlier, he had to agree that the idea of a reality show made sense. It would not only fetch everyone involved good money while waiting for Bryan to healpletely, but it would also give his fans and the media something exciting to talk about. It would be a first-of-its-kind sort of show, and a win-win for everyone involved.

    "Sir..."

    The CEO ignored Jeff, and turned to Mia, "What do you think about this fake fiancee of his?" He asked curiously.

    Mia cleared her throat, her heart beating very fast in her chest, "She is very determined and stubborn. Probably the onlydy that might be able to tame Bryan and put him in his ce... That is if we are willing to put an end to his scandals," Mia said, and the CEO nodded like that was all he needed to hear.

    "Do you have any idea what the show should entail?" He asked, and Mia pursed her lips thoughtfully.

    "Could be about the everyday life of Bryan and his fiancee. And then they can share their romance story with the world," Mia said, forming a quote with her fingers when she said ''romance story''

    "Not bad. I wille up with something to make it more colorful! Let''s do it," he said with a nod before turning to Bryan''s manager, "You should go and inform Bryan and his fake fiancee that they would be starring in a reality show. Get a wheelchair to his ce while you are at it. We don''t want him hopping around with crutches. He could hurt himself more. I will take care of the producer and the others," he instructed before patting Mia''s shoulder.

    "This is a brilliant idea. Maybe I should make you Bryan''s manager and Jeff the personal assistant," the CEO muttered as he walked out of the office.

    Meanwhile, in Bryan''s house, oblivious of what was going on at the office he red at Sonia who was reading all thements under her post, "A. I guess they all love the video of their favorite star sleeping," Sonia said with a grin, "Do you know that the number of my Instagram followers has tripled since I arrived here?" She asked, looking at Bryan who was still ring at her.

    "I will appreciate it if you don''t do that next time."

    "Well, I need to work. I''m bored. I can be very crazy and do crazy shit when I''m bored. So just return myptop, and I will stop bothering you," she said with a small smile as she scooted closer to him on the bed.

    "I already told you I''m not doing that," Bryan said stubbornly.

    "Who knows what I might film next? Maybe a video of Bryan Hank having his bath, or taking a leak in the toilet," she said with a threatening smile, and leaned her head on his chest, while Bryan tried to push her off him.

    "You wouldn''t dare," Bryan challenged.

    "Come on, sweety. I''m sure by now you must have guessed how crazy I can be... I don''t think you need me to prove it," Sonia said, wrapping her arms around him stubbornly and inhaling his scent, "You smell really nice," she told him, rubbing her nose against the sensitive part of his neck.

    Bryan swallowed nervously at the closeness and the intimate gesture, "I don''t think you should do that," he said in a husky voice as he reached for the duvet and threw it over his groin area which was gradually bing ufortable.

    "Do what?" Sonia asked, kissing his neck softly. She knew she was taking advantage of the fact that he couldn''t walk away from the bed, toe on to him. But it couldn''t be helped. Who knew if things were happening this way because the universe was on her side?

    Bryan really wanted to stop her. He really hated that his rebellious body was responding to her touch, and he hated that his wayward hand was already sneaking around her waist as she kissed her way from his neck to the edge of his lips. After teasing his lips for a moment, while he waited impatiently for the kiss that would set them in motion, Sonia moved away from him, "Sorry. I shouldn''t have done that," she said looking at him unapologetically in a way that made it clear that she wasn''t sorry.

    He knew that trick! It was one of the oldest tricks in his yboy manual! The stubborn and crazy green-eyed witch was deliberately teasing and seducing him. Fuck! How had he fallen for it?

    Sonia grinned as she watched the lust in his eyes turn into a re, "I intend to frustrate you, Bryan Hank," she promised before moving away from him on the bed.

    Bryan said nothing, and they both turned to the door when they heard it ring, "I guess we have a guest. I will go and see who it is," she said with a wink before getting off the bed.

    Bryan muttered a cuss as he watched her leave.. He really needed to put some space between him and Sonia, else he was going to end up doing something very crazy.

 Chapter 95 - Nosy Butler

    Anita smiled to herself when she noticed that Lucy had taken out her phone and seemed to be ying a game or something. She had also taken note of how Lucy had eaten the cookie and drank the tea without care. Even the way she was seated on the couch was wrong. How was any notable personality going to take interest in ady like her when she couldn''t even behave like a properdy? Especially in the presence of someone else? She had nothing to be scared of when it came to Lucy. Lucy was not up to par with her on any level.

    Lucy yed Candy Crush on her phone for a while, since neither of them seemed to have anything more to say to each other. After some time she checked the time and let out a sigh. It was just a few minutes past 3 PM. She couldn''t believe she had chitchatted with Anita for close to three hours already. She would have left already if not for her date with Tom. She didn''t want to go home and start feeling anxious or nervous, so she needed the distraction she was getting from their conversation, even though she wasn''t finding any of it interesting.

    "So any idea on what will be done with yourpany? Are some of you going to move to the main office at I-Global, or remain at the Ocean airline office?" Lucy asked, dropping her phone in her handbag before meeting Anita''s gaze.

    Anita pursed her lips thoughtfully, "I''m hoping..." She was interrupted by the sound of her phone''s vibration so she smiled at Lucy before picking up her phone to see who was calling. When she saw that it was her Uncle, she looked at Lucy, "Please excuse me for a moment," she said politely as she stood up and walked away with her phone.

    "Hello, Uncle!" She greeted as she walked into her bedroom.

    "How are you?" Mr. Wyatt asked in a raspy voice.

    "I''m fine, thank you. How are you feeling today?" She asked politely about his health since it was not yet public knowledge that he was ill.

    "I''m okay. I called to let you know that Thomas Hank will be attending the meeting next week. I hope you are ready?" He asked.

    Anita''s heart skipped a beat, "He finally agreed to attend the meeting? I mean, I know he said he will be attending, but I thought he might change his mind since he doesn''t like to be seen," Anita said, trying not to sound as excited as she felt.

    "Just don''t mess it up. This is your only opportunity to be seen as you wanted," he said, and Anita''s curved in a wide smile.

    "Thank you, Uncle. I will handle things from there," Anita said confidently.

    "Make sure you do. See you next week," With that, he hung up.

    Anita''s face beamed with a smile as her hand dropped to her side. She had pleaded with her uncle to ensure she was among the staff retained by I-Global and had also begged him to help her see Thomas Hank by inviting him to thepany. She had convinced him that since he didn''t have a child and was selling off the airline which was gradually going under to get enough money to take care of his health, he should help her meet Thomas Hank, that way if she eventually married him, his airline would still be within the family.

    Now she not only had a close rtionship with his personal assistant, but she was also going to meet him too. Whether he liked it or not, she was going to be his wife. It was only a matter of time.

    Anita adjusted her dress and then returned to the living room to join Lucy, "I hope everything is fine?" Lucy asked politely, and Anita gave her a nod as she returned to her seat and crossed her legs under her.

    "Perfect."

    "I need to go out and shop for a dress, do you minding with me? Or is there somewhere else you have to be?" Anita asked politely.

    "I wille with you, that way I can know some new ces. But I will have to drive behind you so that I can go home after we are done," Lucy said, and Anita smiled at her with gratitude before standing up to pick up her handbag.

    "You are such a sweetheart," Anita said as she led the way out of the house.

    Once Lucy got into her car, she let out a sigh. It seemed like she really sucked at the matchmaking business. She wasn''t sure she has aplished much today, but it was a start. Maybe she would set them both up on a date without their knowledge, Lucy decided as she drove behind Anita.

    Her mind briefly wandered to Tom, and she wondered about what he was doing. Probably seizing the opportunity of the weekend to do his handyman job. Why had he offered to take care of dinner when they both knew he would be busy? She thought as she drove behind Anita.

    Maybe she could ask him not to worry about making the food. She could just prepare something simple and take it to his ce. The purpose of the dinner was for them to have sex, not eat food anyway. The major food they were supposed to eat tonight was each other.

    Knowing if she gave too much thought to it she won''t do anything, she picked up her phone without thinking about it and dialed Tom''s line. It rang for some time but disconnected when Tom didn''t answer the phone.

    She dialed it one more time, and when the same thing happened she dropped the phone on the seat next to her. Why wasn''t he taking his call? Was he okay? Perhaps he was too busy and the phone was far from him, she thought with a concerned frown on her face.

    Meanwhile, Tom stood in the kitchen watching every move of the chef as they prepared his and Lucy''s dinner. He had left his phone in his bedroom so that he could pay attention to what the chef was doing.

    "You haven''t told me who she is. I suppose it''s the samedy you brought home some time ago?" His Butler who had met Lucy thest time asked as he walked into the kitchen to join them, but remained by the door since the chef didn''t like to have more than one person with her in the kitchen while working.

    "So you can tattle to my mother?" Tom asked without turning to look at the middle-aged Butler.

    "You know how your mother can be. It is very difficult to lie to her," he said with an apologetic smile, even though Tom had his back to him.

    "Yeah, right. That is exactly why I can''t confide in you or do anything in front of you. That way, you don''t have to lie to her since you don''t know anything," Tom muttered making the chef chuckle while the butler red at her back.

    "One thing is clear though, I can see you like her. I guess we have to start getting ready for two weddings," The butler said, still fishing for information, but Tom remained mum on the subject.

    "When are you going to return home? You look like you are not feeding well. Plus I''m tired of feeding the ungrateful helps when I''m only here to serve you," the chefined, turning to eye the butler who was also ring at her since they all knew by ''ungrateful helps'' she meant the butler. Both the butler and the chef were always bickering and quarreling since the butler felt he was more important than the chef because he had been employed by Tom''s mother, and was more like family, while the chef felt she was more important because she had been hired strictly on merits by Tom, not because she was close to the family.

    Tom who was used to their bickers, paid no heed to them, "You can always deliver some food to Harry''s ce since I''m living there with him. And the ungrateful helps work for me too, so cooking for them is the same as cooking for me. What''s more important than taking care of everyone and receiving your paycheck at the end of every week?" Tom asked, making her sigh.

    "Everything is ready," the chef announced as she took out the fried chicken from the air fryer.

    "Thank you. I will quickly freshen up and go to the study to do some work. You can help me pack everything and make sure it remains hot," he instructed the chef as he wiped his hand with a napkin before taking off his apron and chef hat. He handed them to the chef before heading for the door.

    As he walked out of the kitchen the butler ran after him, "I was meaning to ask you, what''s with your new hairstyle and the earrings?"

    "It''s for a project I''m working on at the office. The client likes people who dress this way, so I''m trying to impress him," Tom lied through his teeth, knowing that anything he told the butler would be from his mouth directly to his mother''s ears, and thest thing he wanted was to have any argument with his mother when she called, as he knew she would before the end of the day.

    "Ah! The client must be very important," the butler said thoughtfully as he climbed the stairs with Tom.

    "Very important," Tom said with a nod as he kept walking. Knowing the butler was going to keep asking questions if he didn''t stop him, he walked into his bedroom and shut the door in the face of the nosy butler.

 Chapter 96 - Sort Of

    Once Tom picked up his cell phone, he noticed he had about three missed call notifications. He smiled when he noticed two out of the three missed calls were from Lucy. Why was she calling him? It wasn''t like she was in trouble or anything, right? He had nned on not reaching out to her until it was time for their dinner, but seeing how she had called him, he decided to return her call.

    When he saw that thest call he had missed was Jade''s call, he dialed her line immediately, since she wasn''t the type to call, especially not during the day.

    "Hey! Are you okay?" He asked immediately the call connected.

    Jade smiled, "I''m fine. I just wanted to find out how things are going with you and your neighbor girlfriend since I stopped hearing from you," she said, and Tom sighed.

    "I''m sorry about that. I figured you would be very busy, and I didn''t want to be a bother," Tom said apologetically as he sat by the edge of the bed.

    "Well, you bothered me by not keeping me updated. What''s going on? Any progress?" Jade asked, brushing off his excuse.

    "Well... for starters, I''m having dinner with her tonight," Tom announced, making Jade squeal in excitement.

    "So fast?" Jade asked, unable to believe how fast things were going.

    "Well, a lot has happened in this sort while...." Tom said and started filling her in on everything she had missed.

    "Hold on. Do you mean to tell me that she is best friends with Bryan''s fiancee? Are you serious?" She sounded very surprised.

    "Yeah. We were equally surprised."

    "If you ask me, I will say maybe this is actually fate. You both were destined to meet one way or the other," Jade said thoughtfully.

    "Maybe."

    "Go on with the story," Jade urged him.

    "Did I already tell you she works in my office as my personal assistant now?" Tom asked, and Jade burst into a peal ofughter.

    "Are you kidding me?"

    "I''m not. She wanted to get me fired, so I had to make my move, first" Tom exined, while Jade giggled at the absurdity of the whole thing.

    "Let''s just hope that she will be as forgiving as she is decent, cause I won''t forgive you if you make a fool of me this way. When do you intend to tell her the truth, anyway?"

    "Once I''m convinced beyond reasonable doubt that she is not like the others. You know when ites to someone to marry, I can''t afford to make a mistake," Tom said, taking in a deep breath, as he contemted on whether or not to tell Jade about Anita. He decided to leave that for some other time.

    "I don''t think anyone can afford to make I mistake... But I understand what you mean," Jade said with a nod.

    "Enough about me. Sup with you? How is that case going? Have you been able to locate the missing witness?" Tom asked, recalling that Jade had mentioned something about her only witness going into hiding.

    Jade sighed deeply, "Not yet..."

    "Do you want me to help you? I could ask Harry to contact some persons to look into it," Tom offered.

    "You think he can do that?" Jade asked doubtfully.

    "If there is any person who can do that, it is Harry. Why do you think he is my right-hand man?" Tom asked, and Jade sighed yet again.

    "Alright. I will appreciate it if he can. But I will be grateful if he can also keep it a secret. I don''t want anyone to spook my witness," She pleaded.

    "I understand. I will tell him that," Tom said before remembering to ask something that has been bothering him, "Are you seeing anyone yet?" He asked hopefully.

    "Judging by how busy I am, when do you think I have the time to meet anyone?" She asked dryly.

    "Is it because you don''t have the time that you are not going out with anyone, or you don''t even have the time because you don''t want to go out with anyone?" Tom asked knowingly.

    "Did mum ask you and Bryan to hound me? Why are you both so interested in my love life? I guess it is true what they say that once people find love, they start hounding others around them to do the same," Jade said, sounding amused.

    "Don''t try to change the subject. It''s been four years already since..."

    "Can we not talk about that?" Jade asked, cutting him off very quickly.

    "It''s unfair of you to ask me not to talk about it when we know that if the situation was reversed you would try to have my back this way," Tom said sadly.

    "I found out that the girl that died in that ident with him wasn''t his cousin as his parents imed. She was someone he was nning to get married to," Jade confided, with zed eyes.

    "What? He was nning to get married to someone else?" Tom asked incredulously.

    "Apparently she was pregnant with his child. He didn''t want to tell me about it, and his parents tried to keep it from me too," Jade said with a burst of humorlessughter, "So even though I feel sad that he is dead, I''m also mad that he not only was cheating but was nning on getting married without informing me. How do you express your anger at a dead person? Honestly, Tom? I''m not interested in getting into a rtionship with anyone. I will rather lick my wounds alone," Jade said in an emotionless voice that tore at Tom''s heart.

    Tom was tempted to ask her when and how she found out about it, but he figured that satisfying his curiosity wasn''t the most important thing at the moment. His baby sister was hurting and he needed tofort her, "If you don''t have anything doing at the moment why don''t you take a break ande down here so we spend some time together, while we find your witness? I could send a jet to pick you up, and take you back if something urgentes up, what do you say?" Tom asked hopefully.

    Jade smiled, "Thanks for the offer, but I can''t leave while the case is still on, and my witness is missing. But don''t worry, once this case is over, I wille immediately. I promise."

    "Alright then. I will let you know after I talk to Harry."

    "Thanks, Tommy. I love you," she said, making the sides of Tom''s lips pull up in a smile when he remembered how she used to refer to him as Tommy when she was still a toddler.

    "I love you too, Jady," he said and Jade giggled since that was the name Tom used to call her when she was a kid and always called him Tommy.

    After hanging up the call, Tom dialed Lucy''s line, but she didn''t take the call. He tried again, and when she still didn''t take the call, he decided to get busy with other things and just see her during dinner.

    Meanwhile, at the clothes shop, Lucy moved around with Anita from one dress line to the other, while Anita kept finding faults with all the dresses she was handed. After a while Lucy got tired, "Where are you wearing the dress to? Is it a party?" She asked, trying not to let her impatience show in her voice.

    She didn''t understand why Anita had to be so picky for something as simple as a dress. She didn''t see any reason to be shopping for a single dress for over thirty minutes when she spent less than that time shopping for more than ten clothes.

    "Not exactly a party, but it is a very important meeting that I need to attend. I need a gown that looks corporate, and sexy at the same time," Anita said with a smile while her eyes kept moving around.

    Lucy sighed, wondering what kind of a meeting it was, and why she would need to look sexy to attend a meeting. Was she involved with someone already? No. She had said she was waiting for the right man. Was there someone she liked, then? Someone she was nning to get involved with? "I guess the person you like will be attending that meeting?" Lucy asked, trying not to sound too curious, or sound like she was prying into Anita''s life.

    "Sort of," she said, choosing not to give Lucy too much information until after her first meeting with Thomas Hank.

    Sort of? That meant she didn''t like Tom? No. Lucy thought with a slight frown. Even though she wanted to keep her distance from Tom, she also wasn''t sure she wanted to see him heartbroken. Besides, if Anita didn''t want him, that would mean she would be stuck with Tom, and that wasn''t a part of her n in any way. She had to make sure Anita likes Tom too. She was sure that Anita would like Tom if she spent more time with him, and got to know him. Tom was a cool guy after all, especially when he wasn''t being too bold anding on to her very strongly.

    She needed toe up with a way to throw them both together without being too obvious about it. Perhaps she could suggest they all go see a movie together? And then halfway through the movie, she would excuse herself? That could work. She just wouldn''t tell either of them that the other person would be tagging along.. Surely, Tom wouldn''t mind seeing a movie with her since they were friends, especially when he wasn''t talking crazy stuff about her undies and sex.

 Chapter 97 - Not Doing It

    "Hello!" Sonia greeted, shing Jeff a wide smile once she opened the door and saw him standing there with Mia.

    Jeff returned her smile as he and Mia walked past her into the house. Once she shut the door behind them, Jeff turned to her, "Hi! I''m..."

    "Jeff Rawlings. I know who you are. Bryan''s manager, right?" Sonia asked, making him sh her an impressed smile.

    "Hello, Mia! It''s good to see you again," Soniamented, since Mia had left just a couple of hours ago.

    Mia simply smiled at her and gave her a curt nod, while she waited for Jeff to state the reason for their visit. "I learned that Bryan hurt himself, so I''m here to see him," Jeff exined.

    "I didn''t hurt myself, she hurt me!" Bryan countered from the doorway of the passageway, standing on one foot. He hade out since he didn''t trust Sonia to not do something mischievous.

    Jeff looked from Sonia to Bryan, and then exchanged a look with Mia before returning his attention once again to Sonia who was looking at Bryan with an innocent expression.

    "What are you talking about, babez?" She asked, blinking at him, but Bryan ignored her and kept looking at Jeff.

    "So what? You want her out of your house?" Mia asked, wanting to know what Bryan was thinking before they gave him the news.

    "Why would I want my fiancee out of my house?" Bryan asked with a scoff, making Jeff and Mia exchange a confused look.

    "Give me a hand, darling," Bryan said to Sonia who quickly hurried to his side and offered her shoulder for support as she helped him walk into the living room, and moved away after he sat down on the couch.

    Bryan patted the space beside him, indicating that she sit down. Knowing that he was back to ying the role of a doting fiance, Sonia sat down dutifully and rested her head on his shoulder, making Jeff and Mia exchange a look once again, since neither of them could understand what was going on.

    Did this mean that Bryan and Sonia were getting along now, and were in a rtionship? If no, why were they still acting like a couple in front of them when they all knew he and Mia were aware that it was a fake engagement, Jeff mused as he signalled to Mia to get the wheelchair from where they had left it outside.

    Matt looked around the living room before going to sit on the couch opposite Bryan, "How is your leg? And where is Matt? I thought he was staying with you?" Jeff asked once Mia walked out to go do as he had instructed her.

    "Well, my leg hurts, but I''m d my fiancee is here to take care of me. Matt left this morning to take care of his business," Bryan said as he leaned back on the couch patting Sonia''s hair lovingly.

    "I see. By the way, we got you a gift. Something to help you move around easily," Jeff announced as the door opened and Mia rolled in the wheelchair.

    Bryan eyed the wheelchair distastefully, but tried to hide his displeasure, "Thanks for the gift. I promise to put it to good use. Baby, do you mind getting me a ss of water?" He asked, looking at Sonia with a sweet smile which Sonia returned as she sat up.

    "Don''t worry, I will go get it," Mia offered, heading the direction of the kitchen before Bryan stopped her.

    "Don''t worry about it. I''m sure you have more important things to do instead of serving me a ss of water," Bryan said with a wide smile, reminding both Mia and Bryan of what Sonia had said that day at the airport, "I don''t get to see my fiancee often, so I want her to do it herself," Bryan said, stopping Mia from leaving.

    "Don''t worry, Mia. I will get it myself," Sonia assured Mia before walking away to get the water.

    Once she was out of earshot Jeff hurried over to the spot beside Bryan, and then jerked his head towards the kitchen, signalling for Mia to go and stall Sonia so he could speak to Bryan alone. Mia got his message and quickly excused herself.

    "First things first, did you mean what you said earlier? Did she really hurt your leg?" Jeff asked in a low voice, with his brows furrowed in a concerned frown.

    Knowing Jeff, Bryan could tell that if he so much as said that Sonia had hurt his leg, Jeff wouldn''t hesitate to bundle her out of the house within the next second and damn every consequence. And if the CEO who was his personal agent got wind of it, he wouldn''t mind getting Sonia arrested and press charges against her for hurting their golden star.

    In as much as Sonia annoyed the hell out of him, he couldn''t do that to her. Especially not when they had a standing agreement, and when he nned on frustrating her. Bryan shook his head, "I actually slipped in the bathroom, while she was in the bedroom. I just wanted to make her feel guilty for not joining me in the shower as I wanted her to. Don''t tell her I told you that though," Bryan said with an embarrassed smile.

    They were supposed to share the shower together? Since when? "What is going on?" Jeff asked Bryan in a whisper.

    "What do you mean?" Bryan asked, looking at Jeff with a nk expression.

    "We both know that whatever is going on between you both isn''t real. So I need to know what is going on and why you both are acting this way in front of us," Jeff said, looking at Bryan with searching eyes as if he could detect any lie Bryan would tell.

    Bryan gave him a reassuring smile, "Nothing is going on. We just decided to give it a shot. She isn''t as bad as I thought she was," Bryan said with a shrug, and Jeff nodded, shing Bryan a relieved smile.

    "That is really good to know. That means what I''m about to say now won''t upset you too much," Jeff said cautiously, making Bryan narrow his eyes, since he knew without a doubt that whatever Jeff was going to say next was going to be very annoying.

    "What is it?"

    "Well, you know you have so many jobs lined up for next week... But unfortunately, because of your twisted ankle you can''t do everything..."

    "So?" Bryan asked impatiently, knowing that at the end of this long speech was something very offensive, and he wanted to get right to it.

    "So we called the movie producer, as well as the directors of thosepanies..."

    "And?" Bryan asked in frustration, knowing that Jeff was stalling because he was probably notfortable with the message he had been sent to deliver.

    Jeff took in a deep breath, "In order to satisfy everyone, the CEO wants you and your fiancee to star in a reality show..."

    "What?" Bryan asked, not sure he caught what Jeff had just said.

    "Yeah. By now you should know how these things work. If he doesn''t do this..."

    Bryan was no longer listening. He quickly stood up wanting to walk over to his room. The moment he took his first step, pain shot through his leg, reminding him that his ankle was hurt. He swore loudly as he copsed on the couch.

    On hearing his voice both Mia and Sonia who had been talking in the kitchen rushed out to see why he had shouted.

    Bryan gritted his teeth as he grabbed Jeff''s phone which was on the couch between them and quickly dialed the CEO''s line before Jeff could stop him.

    "I was just going to call you. Have you seen him? How is his leg? Have you been able to tell him about the reality show yet?" The CEO asked once he received the call.

    "I AM NOT DOING IT. There is absolutely no way I''m doing something as ridiculous as that! Not in a million years!" Bryan snapped at him angrily.

    "I have already talked to the producer and directors. As a matter of fact, they just left my office a couple of minutes ago. Think of this as a movie you are shooting with just one actress, from thefort of your home," the CEO said in a tone that told Bryan his decision was final.

    "You can''t juste up with something like this and expect me to go along with it!" Bryan hissed angrily, while Sonia looked from Bryan to Mia in confusion, wondering what was going on.

    "The CEO wants the both of you to star in a reality show," Mia whispered to Sonia, whose eyes rounded in surprise at the news.

    "Think about it. It''s going to be a one of its kind show. No celebrity or agency has ever done this before. We will be the first, setting the pace for others to follow. This way you not only get most of your jobs done, but we can also make money while you just sit in your home," the CEO said, trying to make Bryan see reason.

    If it was another star under the agency he wouldn''t have bothered exining himself this much. But Bryan was his favorite star. He had been the very first actor he nurtured right from when he was a nobody. He had simply been an agent until after Bryan had be famous. That had been when he decided to own an entertainment agency, and it had been Bryan who he had given the honor of choosing the name for the agency. Even after he had be very sessful and the agency had grown with so many top celebrities, he still personally handled all of Bryan''s bookings.

    "How on earth did youe up with such a ridiculous idea?" Bryan hissed in annoyance, and when he noticed the way Jeff nced at Mia and Sonia, Sonia''s Instagram caption suddenly shed before his eyes.

    Of course it was Sonia! It had to be her! This woman was programmed to frustrate him. If he had any doubt before now that this witch was going to be the end of him, this just reaffirmed everything he had been thinking since he met her. She was out to ruin him.

    "Bryan, you are going to do this whether you like it or not. For your sake, I hope you will like It, since the producer will being over to your ce with the camera crew tomorrow to set up everything and run the script by you," The CEO said before hanging up.

    "By chance, the CEO didn''t see my Instagram post, did he?" Sonia whispered to Mia when she noticed how Bryan was ring at her.

    Not wanting the me to be put on her, even though she intended to take every credit for the show if it turned out a sess as she believed it would, Mia shed her an apologetic smile, "He did."

    "As if he doesn''t hate me enough already," Sonia muttered under her breath as she walked over to where Bryan was seated with his ss of water.

    "I didn''t mean for this to happen," she apologized without meeting his gaze, but Bryan only snorted without saying a word.

    "He didn''t have any other choice.. They were all upset about having their schedules affected because of you," Jeff said, trying to make Bryan see reasons, but Bryan said nothing as he threw Jeff''s phone on hisp.

 Chapter 98 - Irresistible

    Lucy stood in front of the mirror in her bedroom checking her appearance once more to ensure that she was not overly dressed for the dinner date. She had decided to pair her sexy sequin dress with a pair of ck low-heeled sandals and had also chosen to leave her sses behind and let her hair down as she knew Tom liked it. This night was for him after all. Once she was sure she looked good to go, she stepped out of her apartment with a bottle of wine in hand.

    It was the first time since her arrival that they hadn''t talked all day. After he had missed her call earlier, and she had missed his too, she had tried returning his call, but he had missed it again, and had failed to call back, so she had decided to let it be until they meet for dinner. She had to admit that it had somehow felt strange not hearing from him all day.

    Although she still didn''t like him bothering her all the time, she realized that he was gradually growing on her, and she was bing morefortable with his presence and having him around... As a friend. Just a friend, Lucy added mentally.

    Standing in front of his door now, she took in a deep breath before raising her hand to press on the doorbell Although she was still feeling very anxious if the knots in her belly were anything to judge by, but she figured it was best she did it now and got it out of the way so that she could focus on more important things.

    Tom opened the door less than a minuteter, dressed in a brown turtleneck polo and faded jean trousers. His hair wasbed back, and he looked even more handsome now than the first time she had met him.

    Once he saw her, his face lit up with a boyish grin she had no business getting used to, and she noticed the crinkles at both corners of his eyes.

    "Hi!" Lucy said awkwardly as she took note of his dressing. He was dressed in simple house wear, while she was dressed like she was attending a party.

    "Hi! I see you dressed up. Now I wish I did," Tom said, looking down at himself before shing her an apologetic smile, even though his eyes seemed to be mocking her.

    "I wish you did too," Lucy said with an awkward smile.

    She felt embarrassed and stupid for dressing up this much when it was just dinner with the guy next door. It wasn''t like they were in a romantic rtionship or this was a real date. What had she been thinking? Why did she have to put so much effort into dressing up? To think she had even applied mild make-up, Lucy thought, her face heating up in embarrassment.

    Now he was going to think she was horny and was dressed this way because she couldn''t wait to have him. She briefly contemted turning around and returning to her apartment to take off the clothes she was wearing.

    As if he could read her mind Tom opened the door wider, "Come in. It doesn''t matter what I''m wearing. It''s just so good to see this part of you again. I''m d you dressed up, and let left your sses," Tom said as holding out his arm to her. From the gleam she could see in his eyes, she could tell he wasughing at her.

    Although she didn''t think any of this was necessary, Lucy reluctantly took his arm and let him lead her inside the house, "Why does the house look so diff..." the rest of her words trailed off her breath caught in surprise when she realized that the house looked different only because he had actually made it different. He had turned off all the lights in the living room, and the only source of light in the house came from the round dining table, where two lit candles which were enclosed in a ss candle holder were standing. Different dishes were arranged on the table, and there were two wine sses.

    A candlelit dinner? Did he set this up himself? For some odd reason, she felt touched that he had gone through the stress of trying to make the night special instead of jumping on her the moment she walked through the door like she had thought he would, judging by how he had been behaving since the past couple of days, "You didn''t have to," she murmured without looking at him. Now she could manage to forgive him for not dressing up. He had also made a big deal out of it, and she doubted it would have made sense had she showed up wearing a jogger and tank top.

    "Do you like it?" Tom asked, looking at her expectantly. He had read somewhere that mostdies considered candlelit dinners to be very romantic.

    Lucy turned to look at him, and her heart fluttered in her chest when she met his gaze. Who was this guy? One minute he was acting like a hopeless romantic, the next he was giving her the vibes of a yboy. She really needed to be careful around this guy.

    She swallowed hard as she looked away from him, "It looks lovely," she said, looking at the candles. When her eyes fell on the two wine sses on the table again, she realized two things, first was that she was still holding on to the wine with her other hand, and the second was that her other arm was still in the crook of Tom''s arm.

    She withdrew her arm, before offering the wine to Tom, "Here, I didn''t want toe empty-handed," she said without meeting his gaze.

    "Thanks," Tom said as he took the wine from her before leading her to the table where he pulled out a seat.

    "This isn''t the dining set I saw thest time I was here, is it?" Lucy asked as she sat down. She knew she would have taken note of it had this been the furniture in the house when she visited the first time, and she noticed there were just two seats at the table.

    "I''m surprised you noticed. The other one wouldn''t have been appropriate for a dinner date, would it?" Tom asked, thinking of the rectangr family-sized dining set with six chairs, which he had inherited from the previous upants of the house.

    "How did you get such a nice set of furniture on such short notice?" Lucy asked once again as she admired the table and chair which seemed like they had been made with quality materials.

    "Remember that my friend? The one whose house I took you to the first night we met?" He asked, and went on when she gave him a nod, "He gave them to me," Tom said as he opened the wine she had brought with her and poured it into the two sses since it was still chilled.

    "I see. Must be nice to have such a wealthy friend," she said with a small smile, "I guess this was why you couldn''t take my calls today. You must have been very busy," Lucy said as she looked at everything on the table. Maybe it wasn''t such a bad thing that he hadn''t been able to take his call earlier. If this was his idea of a dinner date, then she would have fallen short. She had thought of preparing just baked beans, beef, and vegetable stew. Seeing the different manner of food on the table, she was d she had he had failed to pick his call.

    "Yes, I was very busy. I had a lot to do, I''m sorry I wasn''t close to my phone," Tom said as he sat back in his seat, nursing his ss of wine while he admired the glow of the candle on the part of her face which wasn''t cast in shadows.

    "It''s fine," Lucy assured him as she silently wondered when they were going to end the small talk and start the activity for the night. Or was he waiting for her to make the next move? She wondered as she sipped from her ss without looking at him.

    "Did you want something?" Tom remembered to as, since he still didn''t know why she had called.

    "I just wanted to find out if you needed help setting up," Lucy said, and Tom nodded.

    "You didn''t have to worry, I had someone over to help me," Tom said, and Lucy''s lips rounded as she gave him a nod. Of course, there was no way he could have done this himself.

    "So how is your friend? And how was your outing with her?" Tom asked as he watched her. Although he had been drawn to her not because of her beauty, but because of her naivety and innocence, the more he watched her the more he realized how beautiful she truly was.

    "She is okay... A little too proper for me, but she''s fine," Lucy said with a small smile as she sipped from her ss.

    "Proper?" Tom asked, wondering what she meant.

    "She is just a perfectionist, but not in a bad way," Lucy said, not wanting to make it sound like a bad thing since she thought of Anita as Tom''s future girlfriend, but didn''t know she was his ex-girlfriend.

    "Ah! I see. Let''s eat before the food turns cold," Tom suggested as he picked up his cutlery and started eating, while Lucy did the same.

    "Hm, this tastes really nice. You didn''t prepare this, did you?" Lucy asked after taking the second bite.

    "Seeing the satisfaction on your face, I wish I did," Tom said with a shadow of a smile on his lips.

    Flirt! He was flirting with her right now, Lucy thought, choosing to focus on her food, she said nothing to him.

    "Did you hear from Jasmine and her sister? They mentioned something about a dinner tomorrow evening," Tom said, and Lucy raised her head to look at him while chewing.

    Was she to tell him that Alicia wasn''t Jasmine''s sister, but her wife? Lucy wondered. She should give the couple the chance to tell Tom themselves rather than butt in. It wasn''t like any of it was her business anyway, even if Tom decided to be the father of their child.

    "Lu?" Tom called. Although she didn''t like just anyone calling her Lu, it didn''t sound offensiveing from Tom.

    "Yes, I heard from them. I didn''t know you were going to be there too," Lucy said as she chewed on her food, remembering how she had shut her door in their faces after epting their dinner invitation. That had been rude, but she was sure they would understand, seeing as they had woken her from sleep.

    "You areing, right? Let''s go together, okay? I feel ufortable having dinner alone with them, but your presence there will make things less awkward," Tom said, making Lucy look at him curiously.

    "Why do you feel ufortable?" Lucy asked as she continued to eat, while looking at him.

    "I think both sisters have a crush on me. I don''t want toe between them, or have them fight over me," Tom exined with a serious expression on his face which madeughter bubble inside Lucy, but she tried to maintain a straight face.

    If only he knew what they wanted, "I see. I guess they must find you irresistible as mostdies do," Lucy said in amusement as she took a sip from her wine.

    "Unfortunately the onlydy I want doesn''t seem to find me irresistible," Tom said in a low tone as he gazed into her eyes.

    Her heart fluttered in her chest. She doesn''t? Who wouldn''t find him irresistible? Lucy thought to herself.

    "Do you?" Tom asked, and she looked at him in surprise, wondering if she had spoken out loud or he could now read her thoughts.

    "Do I what?" Lucy asked, hoping he was asking about something else.

    "Do you find me irresistible?" Tom asked, making her heart skip a beat.

    Why was he asking her that all of a sudden? Thedy he liked was Anita, and she was the one he should be asking, "Why do you ask?" Lucy asked nervously, not liking where the conversation was going.

    "That is because I think I could use you as a yardstick to judge her.. So tell me honestly, what do you think about me? Do you find me irresistible?" Tom asked, looking at her curiously.

 Chapter 99 - Be My Girlfriend.

    Tom raised a brow as he waited to hear her response, while he stared at her directly. Her gaze shifted from her winess to his face, and once their eyes locked, her heart hitched.

    This person before her didn''t look like Tom, her driver or neighbor. He just looked like... Like a man. This reminded her once again that the person asking her this question wasn''t her driver or her neighbor, but the man she had a one-night stand with.

    Lucy cleared her throat and raised her ss of wine to wet her lips and throat which suddenly seemed very dry. Why did she have to be so flustered by such a simple question? All he wanted to know was if she thought he was irresistible, right?

    "I don''t think there is a single woman who wouldn''t find you irresistible," Lucy said with an awkward smile as she shifted her gaze away from him and returned her attention to the food in front of her.

    They had not even gone halfway with their meal and it was getting cold already because they were too busy talking. It would be so sad for such fine food to be wasted.

    "You are going round my question without giving me an answer, Lu."

    Her heart skipped a beat when he called her name like that. Why did her name sound so differenting from his lips? Wasn''t it the same name that Sonia and her family called her often? Why did it make her heart flutter every time he called her that way? Maybe it was the wine. She was drinking too much again. Every time she had too much to drink she always made a mistake. She didn''t want to make another mistake tonight.

    "What more do you want to hear?" Lucy asked warily as she pushed the ss of wine away from her front. Thest thing she wanted was a repeat of their first night where she would be too drunk to remember anything.

    "I believe a simple yes or no to my question will do."

    "And if I say yes?" She asked, looking at him with a slightly furrowed brow. She really did not want him to misunderstand her and start to think that she was developing feelings for him or wanted anything to do with him, apart from being neighbors and maybe colleagues at work.

    "I already told you. It would give me the confidence I need to pursue thedy I''m interested in," Tom said, and Lucy nodded.

    If saying yes would help him gain confidence, then yes it is. She would only need to arrange her words in a way that wouldn''t give room for any misunderstanding.

    "Although I''m not interested in guys and the whole rtionship package, I think you are pretty cool, and I would find you irresistible if guys were my thing," Lucy exined making Tom roll his eyes.

    "So?" Tom asked, making her frown.

    "So what?" Lucy asked with an annoyed frown.

    "I said it''s a yes or no question. No need for all that exnation," Tom told her dryly.

    Lucy swallowed, "As long as you understand the exnation, the answer is yes," Lucy said, and Tom shed her a smile which did more harm than good to her nerves.

    So she found him irresistible? That was very good to know, Tom thought, and his smile widened into a grin, "That wasn''t so hard now, was it? Now I have all the strength and motivation I need to pursue her relentlessly," Tom said with newfound confidence.

    "Yes! You shouldn''t give up!" Lucy said with an enthusiastic smile that made Tom chuckle since she was giving him the go-ahead to keep bugging her life.

    Lucy on the other hand assumed he wasughing because he was happy, "Now that I have answered your question, can I eat before the food getspletely cold?" Lucy pleaded with a small smile, and Tom nodded vigorously, using his hand to gesture to the food in front of her, to go ahead.

    Seeing how happy he looked, she could only hope that Tom wouldn''t get hurt by Anita. One thing she had learned from spending time with Anita was that Anita wasn''t the type who might be contented with a simple person like Tom. There was something about Anita. Something she couldn''t exactly ce her finger on, but it made her want to be careful around her.

    "A penny for your thoughts," Tom said, as he had been watching her for a couple of minutes and noticed that she seemed like she was lost in her thoughts.

    "My thoughts are worth more than a penny. You''ll have to pay more if you want to hear them," Lucy said as she continued eating.

    Tom smiled. He liked how no matter how ufortable he made her feel, she always seemed to bounce back, and their conversations always remained easy. "I guess I can''t afford to hear it. But can I ask you a question?" Tom asked, and Lucy shrugged indifferently.

    "Assuming you were into men, would you marry for love or money?"

    "Are those the only two reasons people get married?" Lucy asked with a scoff, as she continued eating.

    "What other reasons do people get married?" Tom asked as he watched her eat with interest.

    "There is friendship, trust, protection, and a lot more. I don''t think I can be in a rtionship or get married to someone I don''t trust, or who doesn''t trust me. So whether I marry for love or money, I''d rather he is my friend. And not only my friend, but also someone I can trust, and rely on to protect me... That is IF I was into guys," she finished.

    Friendship, trust, and protection. "Of the three things you mentioned which of them is most important to you?" Tom asked after a while.

    "Trust. If I can''t trust a person to always be honest with me, then I don''t want anything to do with them. We can''t be friends, and I don''t think he can protect me either," Lucy said, making Tom''s heart skip a beat.

    "I see," Tom murmured.

    What was he going to do if he ended up winning her heart and then she leaves him because of all the lies he has told her? Would she understand him?

    Lucy looked at him, "By the way, earlier, I was just wondering... What would you do if she turns you down? I mean thedy you like," Lucy asked, trying not to sound too concerned since it wasn''t really her business.

    Tom sighed, feeling his heart grow heavy at the thought of that, "I don''t want to dwell on that possibility," Tom said, making Lucy sigh.

    He must really love her a lot. She had to try her best to make things work out for him. Not just because she wanted him out of her life, but even more so because somehow she didn''t want to see him get hurt or heartbroken.

    Even though she had thought the worst of him, and assumed him to be a yboy initially, she had also noticed that no woman hase over to his ce, and he didn''t seem to have many friends either, else why would he try to spend every spare time he had with her? The fact that he had not slept with her when she was drunk was also another point. He was naughty with words no doubt, but he also seemed like a decent guy regardless of his yboy looks, and she genuinely wanted him to be happy.

    "I have a feeling that I might have asked this question before, but I can''t recall your response. How manydies have you dated in the past?" Lucy asked, wanting to change the subject, and at the same time find out how much experience he had when it came to handling women.

    Tom looked at her for some seconds without saying a word, as he tried toe up with the best way to answer her question since he didn''t want to add to the many lies he had already told her, "Three."

    Just three? "How long did those rtionshipsst, and why did they end?" Lucy asked, wanting to know who had done the dumping.

    "You seem very curious about me tonight," Tom said with a small smile.

    "Not exactly. I''m just trying to know how much experience you have when ites to rtionships so that I can know how to help you," Lucy assured him, and he gave her a nod.

    "I see. The longest was six months and the shortest three months. The rtionships ended because I wasn''t what they wanted. Maybe I wasn''t giving them enough attention, or I wasn''t giving them enough money. I guess being in a rtionship requires more than simply being irresistible," he said with a wry smile.

    She didn''t think it was just about attention or money, "Hm... What did you do? Where did you go wrong?" Lucy asked thoughtfully.

    "I don''t know," Tom said with a shake of his head.

    "You didn''t cheat?" Lucy asked suspiciously.

    "I would never do that," Tom said, and Lucy eyed him skeptically.

    "I''m serious."

    "If you say so. But I still think we need to know why those rtionships didn''tst. The only way you can get it right this time is by understanding what happened in the past so that you can avoid making the same mistakes. It will be pointless for you to go through all this stress to win her heart, only to lose her like the others, don''t you agree?" Lucy asked, and Tom pursed his lips thoughtfully.

    "You really want to know?" He asked, looking at her as an idea started to form in his head.

    "Don''t you want to know?" Lucy asked with a scoff.

    "Why don''t we find out then?" Tom asked, and she narrowed her eyes at him.

    "Don''t tell me you want me to go and start meeting your exes and asking them about you," Lucy said incredulously, as that was the only way she could imagine that they would find out what went wrong in his past rtionships.

    "No. I think I have an even better idea," Tom said with a mischievous smile.

    "What idea?" Lucy asked, not liking the glint she was seeing in his eyes.

    "Be my girlfriend."

 Chapter 100 - Not A Lie

    Wait!" Tom raised his hand to stop her before she could open her mouth to voice her objection.

    "Just hear me out first. I understand you are not interested in guys or rtionships... I''m not asking you to be my girlfriend for real. Just let me practice how to be a good boyfriend with you, and then you can point out my ws while we are at it, and make me an ideal boyfriend," Tom said, looking at her hopefully.

    Lucy let out an awkwardugh, "I don''t think that is a good idea. I don''t even have any rtionship experience, so how am I supposed to make you the perfect boyfriend?" She asked in amusement.

    "Exactly! You could also learn a thing or two about guys and rtionships in the process. Haven''t you ever wondered what being in a rtionship would be like? You could just do this for fun. It''s a win-win for us both," Tom suggested with a smile, but Lucy wasn''t smiling.

    "You should get someone else to date you for this experiment. It doesn''t have to be me."

    "You expect me to break a stranger''s heart? There is no way I can tell someone else I want to practice something like this with them. You are a perfect choice since I''m sure I can''t break your heart," Tom said confidently.

    He wasn''t trying to lie to her this time. No. This wasn''t a lie. All he wanted was a fair chance to love her and show her that she was capable of love and being in a rtionship. He would tell her the truth by the end of their fake rtionship since there was no way he could tell her the truth when he was yet to win her heart.

    Fake girlfriend? Lucy wasn''t sure she liked the idea. In fact, not that she wasn''t sure. She knew she didn''t like the idea.

    "Again, don''t forget that if we get this right, I will be in a stable rtionship for the first time in my life, and it will be all thanks to you," Tom added when he saw the hesitation on her face.

    Seeing how excited and happy he was about it, she sighed. What harm coulde from doing it? It wasn''t like it was going to be a real rtionship anyway. Besides Sonia and her family had been badgering her for so long about being in a rtionship of any kind... So maybe this wouldn''t be such a bad idea. She could tell them all that she was dating, and once it was over she would tell them she found out rtionships really weren''t her thing, and maybe they would finally give her a break.

    "I will only do that on one condition," Lucy said.

    "I will do anything," Tom assured her with a bright smile, happy to see that she was giving it a thought.

    "Thepany is off-limits. No one at thepany can know that we are in a rtionship. This means that at work you are simply my driver. No naughty talks or silly games in my office or around thepany premises. My job is very important to me, and if we are going to do this, I will like you to understand that," Lucy said, looking at him squarely in his eyes.

    If she were someone else, he probably would have been concerned that she was saying that simply because she was ashamed of him... But Lucy didn''t strike him as that type, "Just thepany is off-limits, right?" Tom asked.

    Lucy cleared her throat, "Yes."

    "Fair enough," he said with a nod since that meant he could do whatever else he wanted with her outside thepany.

    "Anything else you want to add now?" He asked with a slightly raised brow when he noticed how her brow had furrowed thoughtfully.

    "How long will this experimentst?" Lucy asked curiously.

    "Until you think I''m good enough to go into a real rtionship without ruining it," Tom said, making Lucy cock her head to the side.

    "Does that mean the duration depends on me? Once I say it''s over, we can end everything?" She asked curiously and then sighed in relief when Tom gave her a nod.

    Although he knew she hadn''t agreed because of all the reasons he had given her, he was d she decided to go along with it, "Yes. At least that way I will know why they all left," Tom said as he picked up his ss and drank from it. He really prayed his n would work, and she would fall in love with him before the end of all this. The moment she says the magic words to him, he would confess it all to her and hope she understands.

    Lucy didn''t know how to respond to that, so she picked up her wine ss and sipped from it. It seemed like he had been hurt a lot by all thedies he had been with in the past, and from all indications, he might get hurt again. Or maybe not. Maybe she was being too hasty in judging Anita. Hadn''t Anita said a lot of nice things about him earlier? That meant she had noticed some of his charming qualities, right? And even if Anita ended up being a very demanding girlfriend, Lucy preferred to believe that Tom''s love for her would be strong enough for him to be patient with her and change her.

    Lucy began to wonder how she would be able to sessfully matchmake him with Anita if she was acting as his fake girlfriend. They would definitely have to keep their rtionship a secret from Anita. Maybe this would give her a better chance at matchmaking them? Even if they were not going to start dating immediately, throwing them together often would help in making Anita more aware of Tom. That way by the time he was ready to ask her out officially, she would be more than willing to say yes to him.

    "I''m curious about something. Why did you agree to do this? Are you eager to help me get her because you want to honor your promise so I don''t quit working for you, or is there another reason?" Tom asked, curiously.

    Don''t I just wish it was that simple? Lucy thought warily. She would rather he continued to believe that she was doing him a favor by being his fake girlfriend, rather than tell him that she was trying to use him to get Sonia and her family off her back so that they would stop worrying about her so much.

    She paused when something else urred to her. How would this new arrangement affect their previous arrangement? They were supposed to have sex after dinner, right? Were they still going to do it? Why was she beginning to feel like she had justplicated things the more?

    "Are we still going to have sex tonight?" Lucy suddenly blurted out before she could stop herself, making Tom who had just taken a sip from his wine ss choke on it.

 Chapter 101 - I’ve Had Enough

    Sonia looked at Bryan guiltily while he moved around the house in his wheelchair. She still found it funny that they had decided to get him an electronic wheelchair for a minor sprain instead of crutches. Weren''t they being a little too much?

    "I really did not mean to cause you any trouble," Sonia said with a sigh. He had been pissed off ever since he was told about the reality show, and she could understand why. If her manager sh editor decided to host a reality show in her personal space, she would be just as pissed.

    She had been apologizing to him for over three hours already, yet he was either ignoring her or making snide remarks. Perhaps it was time to change her approach to a more effective one.

    "You didn''t mean to cause me any trouble? Isn''t that what you have been doing from the moment you came into my life?" Bryan asked with a scoff.

    Here we go!

    "Like I came into your life on my own," Sonia responded with a scoff of her own, making Bryan re at her.

    "Are you here to apologize or fight?" He hissed at her irritably. What sort of a person was this? She couldn''t even stick to something as simple as an apology. It was as though she was always waiting for the perfect opportunity to fight with him so that she could say something.

    "I''ve had enough. It''s time for me to leave..."

    "You won''t dare!" Bryan snapped at her making her giggle.

    "Why not? It''s not like you can stop me. You can''t even walk," Sonia said, and gave a short derisiveugh, which made Bryan re at her.

    "Don''t think I will let you walk in and out of my life as you please," Bryan growled.

    "You have always wanted me out of your life, haven''t you? Why are you trying to stop me now? Besides if I should leave now and tell them we''ve broken up over an unresolvable misunderstanding, I''m sure the reality show will be canceled. And then all your problems will disappear along with me," Sonia said using her hands to make a waving gesture in the air.

    Bryan looked at her, as he tried to figure out what was going on in her head. Was she serious? Or was she plotting something again? He just couldn''t seem to understand or trust thisdy. The best ce to have her was under his roof where he could keep an eye on her. Only God knew under what rock she would hide after leaving his house.

    "No. You can''t leave," Bryan said, making Sonia raise a brow.

    Sonia tried to hide a smile as she raised a brow, "And why not?"

    "We have an agreement, remember? Besides, Didn''t you say you were going to write about us? What do you n to do about our story if you leave now?" Bryan asked not realizing that he had stopped being angry and was now more focused on trying to get her to stay.

    Sonia sighed dramatically, "Well, as you said, it won''t make an interesting story anyway, so I don''t think there is any need to go on such an unfruitful adventure with you. I will go and pack up my stuff, get me myptop now that you can move freely," Sonia said and walked away very quickly before theughter that was bubbling inside her would erupt.

    Bryan turned his wheelchair in the direction Sonia had gone, and watched her as she walked away. Did she really mean it? Why did she want to leave all of a sudden? Was it because of his angry reaction concerning the reality show? Bryan wondered with a frown. It was now very obvious that she really didn''t care about him as she had said, else how could she decide to leave just like that? His ego was bruised, since nody had ever treated him this way.

    After all that talk earlier about wanting to frustrate him... Not that he actually wanted to be frustrated by her... But she was all talk and no action, Bryan thought with a scowl as he headed for the bedroom.

    Meanwhile, once Sonia walked into the bedroom, her body shook as she burst intoughter. That had been easier than she had thought it would be. She paused by the closet door, cing her right forefinger on the tip of her nose as she thought of what had just transpired between her and Bryan. Was he that naive? How could he not know that she was just turning the table on him? Perhaps it was because he had never been in a real rtionship, if he had, he would have learned the fine art of turning tables by now.

    Once she heard the sound of his wheels she quickly took out her luggage box and started making a show of opening the drawers and taking her clothes from the hangar.

    "It''ste already. You can''t leave," Bryan said from the doorway as he watched her throw her clothes inside the box.

    "Isn''t that why there are hotels? Don''t worry, I will be fine," Sonia assured him without turning to look at him, lest he sees the amusement on her face.

    "Don''t you think the reality show might help make our story more interesting?" Bryan asked, making Sonia pause.

    Our story? He had said that the first time and she had thought it was a mistake, yet he was saying it again, "It is MY story, not our story," Sonia corrected.

    "As long as it''s about the both of us, it''s our story. So answer my question," Bryan said, still staring at her from the doorway.

    "Why? You are suddenly interested in the same reality show you were giving me a hard time over all day?" Sonia asked with a snort as she turned around to re at him.

    She must really be pissed, Bryan thought with a sigh when he saw the re in her eyes. He had been angry no doubt, and they both knew he had every right to be mad. Maybe he had taken it too far and shouldn''t have taken it out on her since she wasn''t the one who had asked the CEO toe up with such a stupid n... Okay, maybe the n wasn''t so stupid since it would also help him stay upied, even though he hated the idea of doing it in his personal sanctuary.

    "I''m willing to let go of the fact that your Instagram post gave him that godforsaken idea... We had an agreement, so let''s honor it," Bryan said reasonably.

    "So you have decided to do the reality show?" Sonia asked, leaning on the doorway of the closet with one hand on her waist as she looked at him.

    "It will give you the exposure you need as a writer, and as Jeff said, it will help take care of my trouble with the producer and directors," Bryan said matter of factly, making Sonia narrow her eyes at him.

    "And when did you be so reasonable toe to this conclusion?" Sonia asked, doubting that he hade to this conclusion just within thest couple of minutes since her false outburst.

    Seeing that she had stopped throwing her clothes into the box, Bryan moved further into the bedroom, "I was thinking about it before you picked a fight with me. I''m beginning to think picking a fight with me is your hobby, or should I say your area of expertise?" Bryan asked eyeing her with mild annoyance.

    "You started the fight, didn''t you? Sonia asked defensively as she returned to packing her box.

    "I thought we agreed that you''re not leaving anymore, and we are going to just do the reality show?" Bryan asked with a frown.

    "I don''t have to do the show from your bedroom, do I? I will move to any of the other bedrooms. I''m d you now have a means of lotion. At least I can have a good night''s sleep now," Sonia said as she shut the box before turning to look at him.

    "Once I settle in, I will be in the kitchen to fix dinner. Make sure to join me there so that we can get our love story straight for the show," Sonia ordered before rolling the luggage box out of the room, leaving Bryan staring after her speechlessly.

    Did she just order him in his own house?

 Chapter 102 - Killing Many Birds With One Stone

    After Tom had taken a sip from the ss of water offered to him by Lucy, and he was calm, he cocked his head to the right and looked at her. Lucy''s face flushed a deep red and she bit her lower lip in embarrassment without meeting his gaze.

    Although when she had asked that they have dinner together, he had suspected she was indirectly issuing a sexual invitation, but he hadn''t expected such a bold and direct question from her. What was he going to do with thisdy?

    After a couple of seconds, Tom cleared his throat, "Why can''t I seem to remember telling you anything about having sex with you after dinner?" Tom asked in amusement.

    He hadn''t invited her to his house to have sex with her? He had no ns of having sex with her tonight? Did that mean the candlelit dinner was merely for the sake of eating together and not because he was trying to slowly seduce her and ease her into the evening? Why then had she gone through the stress of picking her new undies and wearing this sexy dress? Now he would know what she had been thinking and why she had dressed up like this. If only she had taken a moment to think before opening her mouth to voice her thoughts.

    An awkward silence ensued between them, and the only sound in the room was that of the ticking clock, "I... will do the dishes," Lucy offered in a slightly cracked voice, breaking the silence between them as she pushed her chair away from the table and stood up.

    .

    "You don''t have to do that. I will take care of it myself," Tom offered, standing up to pack the dishes himself.

    As Lucy reached out to pick up the te she had used, Tom reached for the te at the same time and touched her hand in the process. The sudden contact startled Lucy and she quickly snatched her hand from the te as though she had been burned, making Tom look at her with interest.

    "I will just go now. Thanks for dinner," she said and before he could say anything, she quickly picked up her handbag from the table and headed for the door. Before she could reach the door, Tom followed in quick steps and grabbed her arm, gently pulling her back to stand in front of him, making her heart beat wildly against her chest.

    "You can''t leave. We haven''t had dessert yet," Tom said as, cing both hands on her shoulder to keep her in ce.

    "I''m full," she said without meeting his gaze, and Tom chuckled.

    "I noticed that you seemed to enjoy the meal. I''m going to pack some for you when we are done. For now, just sit in the living room and pick out any movie of your choice while I clear the table and do the dishes, okay?" He asked as he reached out with his thumb to brush it against her chin.

    Lucy shivered involuntarily when felt his touch on her skin, and sucked in a breath as butterflies began to flutter in her belly. She swallowed hard before taking a step away from him, letting his other hand fall from her shoulder.

    "Rx, Lu. I''m not sure any of my ex-girlfriends were this jumpy around me," Tom murmured, "You are not forgetting that you are now my girlfriend, are you?" He asked, making her lift her head to look at him.

    "Fake girlfriend," Lucy reminded him.

    "Not a fake girlfriend. It''s a rtionship... Just a temporary rtionship in which the both of us can learn from each other. That means we have to do everything a real couple would do. I will do with you everything I did with my ex-girlfriends. That is the only way you can be able to spot my ws," Tom said, making Lucy''s brows pull together thoughtfully.

    By everything did he mean sex too? She wondered but chose not to ask him since she didn''t want to embarrass herself again any more than she had done already, as he might be forced to think that having sex with him was the only thing on her mind.

    "Remember what I said before? Once you stop beingfortable with the rtionship, you can call it off. Or are you going to dump me before we even start?" He asked with a teasing smile when he saw the frown on her face.

    Lucy sighed, "After this is over, and you start dating her, you won''t bring up our history anymore, right? Everything will be behind us?" Lucy asked hopefully.

    "There will be no need to," Tom assured her with a smile. Of course, there would be no need to bring it up when she would be the person he was dating.

    Lucy closed her eyes for a moment and tried to think as Sonia would think in this situation. Everyone knew Sonia was the crazy and wild one between them. Sonia would likely have asked her to be more daring. To just go with the flow and have fun, since it wasn''t a real rtionship.

    She could also just decide to look at it as a part-time training or course with many perks. She needed both the experience and the invisible certificate she would get from this to finally get Sonia and her family off her back. This would also give her the chance to bring Anita and Tom closer to each other. And finally, Tom would also let her be once he got the woman he wanted. She was using one stone to kill many birds.

    Once she reminded herself of all these, she opened her eyes, "Okay. I will pick out a movie," she said with a determined nod before walking away from him.

    Tom had a grin on his face as he walked into the kitchen to do the dishes. Even though it wasn''t exactly the kind of rtionship he wanted from her, this was a good start. It would give him the opportunity to be closer to her, and get to know her better.

    Less than thirty minutester Tom joined her in the living room, "Picked any yet?" He asked as he sat down on the couch beside her.

    "I''m surprised that people still use DVD yers, but I''m even more surprised that all the movies you have in here are old," Lucy said with a yawn as she handed him the one she had chosen.

    "Are you sure you want to see a movie with me? I could doze off in the middle of the movie," Lucy said as she tried to cross her legs. Now that Tom was seated very close to her, and she knew they weren''t going to be having sex, she no longer feltfortable in her dress.

    "You want to change into something morefortable?" Tom asked when he noticed how she kept crossing and uncrossing her legs.

    "What about we call it a night and see the movie some other time? Where are you going to?" She asked when Tom stood up and walked away while she was still speaking.

    "Be right back," he said as he walked into his bedroom, and came out with a t-shirt, and a jogger, "You can just change into this," Tom said, handing them to her.

    Lucy looked at him incredulously, "I live next door... I could just go home and change into something else," Lucy pointed out.

    "Don''t you think it''s probably best if we forget the proximity of our houses? I don''t think people go home in the middle of a date to change their outfits. So why don''t you change into your boyfriend''s clothes as every normal girlfriend would do? I''m sure you will feel morefortable in them," Tom said with a smile, and Lucy rolled her eyes before taking the clothes from him.

    He led her to the guestroom where she could change out of her clothes and returned to the living room to see the movie she had picked. His lips curved in a smile when he saw the title of the movie, "What Women Want" she had obviously picked the movie with him in mind. Good thing was that he has never seen the movie, so he was just going to enjoy it.

    Meanwhile, just as Lucy started taking off her clothes in the bedroom, her cell phone started ringing. She opened her handbag and took out the phone. Once she saw that the call was from Anita, she was overwhelmed with a sudden sense of guilt, but she quickly shook it off, reminding herself that nothing was going on between Anita and Tom yet, so she wasn''t doing anything wrong.

    "Hey!" She greeted immediately she epted the call.

    "I''m sorry I didn''t call earlier to find out if you had gotten home," Anita said apologetically.

    "It''s okay. I''m fine," Lucy rushed to assure her.

    "Thanks foring over. I enjoyed yourpany," Anita said with a small smile.

    "Same here," Lucy said even though she didn''t exactly believe what Anita had just said.

    "By the way, I was wondering if you had any serious ns for tomorrow?" Anita asked curiously, wanting to set her ns in motion as quickly as possible.

    Lucy winced, not knowing how to respond to the question as she wasn''t very keen to visit Anita''s house again, "Uhm, I..."

    Sensing a refusal, Anita quickly cleared her throat, "I was hoping we could all hang out and maybe see a movie. I mean me, you, and your driver. You don''t mind, right?" Anita asked thest part in a way that was meant to make Lucy feel like if she turned down the offer, then she was looking down on her driver.

    She wanted to hang out with Tom, but was trying to do so indirectly by wanting a group hangout? Lucy thought with a knowing smile. It seemed like Anita had a thing for Tom already, but wanted to see him and know him better. How could she turn down such an offer? "Sure. Let''s all hang out tomorrow," Lucy said with a happy smile.

    Anita had an equally happy smile on her face as she let out an excited squeal, "Perfect then. By the way, the bill is on me!" Anita said excitedly, making Lucy smile as she hung up the call.

    She must really like Tom a lot to be so excited about this, Lucy thought with a happy smile as she quickly changed her clothes and returned to join Tom in the living room.

    Now that Anita was making the matchmaking easier for her, she needed to work on making Tom the perfect boyfriend.

 Chapter 103 - Dance Performance

    "Hey, Candy! Someone is asking for you," One of the Sodom and Gomorrah club bouncers called out to Candy who was in the dressing room taking a breather after her fourth performance for the evening.

    "Brandy can go in my stead, I don''t think I have the strength right now. I need to catch my breath," Candy said with a shake of her head, tapping Brandy who was busy fixing her make-up beside her to stand up.

    "No, she can''te! He specifically asked for you. You know the rules Candy, you can''t turn down a VVIP patron," the bouncer reminded her.

    "A VVIP patron? Do you know who he is?" Candy asked thoughtfully.

    "I''m paid to get you when you''re needed, not to answer your questions," the bouncer responded irritably.

    Hearing the annoyance in his voice, Candy bent down to adjust the red stocking and the ck garter belt she was wearing under her super mini skirt. She pushed up her boobs which were barely covered by the tiny top she was wearing, before straightening to check her appearance in the mirror. Satisfied with her outfit, she adjusted the afro wig on her head, and added a coat of red lipstick on her lips before walking out of the room with the bouncer, "What does he want me to get him?"

    .

    "One of the waiters already served him. Your presence is all he requires. He is in VVIP room 5," the bouncer informed her before returning to his duty post.

    Who was the VVIP patron asking to see her? And why? It wasn''t like she didn''t need the extra money, but she felt anxious. Without knocking she opened the door of the hall, and walked into the room which was dimly lit by colored bulbs, "You sent for...." The rest of her words trailed off when she saw Matt seated there.

    "I guessst night was not enough for you, was it? You want some more?" She asked with a sigh, even though Matt could hear the slight annoyance in her voice.

    Matt said nothing as he took in her appearance and her outfit. She lookedpletely different from thedy he had met the previous night, "Sit. Let''s talk," Matt said, his tone not giving away his thoughts, as he was not in the mood to banter with her.

    They had started on a good foot, and everything had been fine right until the moment they had sex, and that was what was confusing him. Had the sex been so bad that she didn''t want to see him anymore?

    "I don''t talk here. I strip dance. I''m here to entertain people. So it''s either you are here for my services, or not." Her tone became brisk and business-like.

    "Okay, you don''t have to say anything. You can entertain me while I talk to you, can''t you?" Matt asked, making her look at him wearily.

    Although she liked him, she didn''t want to get involved with him. Getting involved with him will only result in one thing, and that was ridicule. She would get very embarrassed and hurt, and her son would also suffer from her humiliation. More than what she wanted, her son''s needs came first, and he definitely didn''t need her to do something that would give people room to say unkind things to him or bully him.

    "And what if I don''t want to hear whatever it is you have to say?" Candy asked with a slightly raised brow, as she didn''t want to get involved with him any more than she already had.

    "I can''t understand why you are being so mean," Matt said in confusion.

    "I''m being mean? What were you expecting when you decided toe to my workce this way? That I would feel excited? ttered? We both had good sex, and that was it. I don''t understand why you are here to see me. Is it only okay when a guy wants nothing more from ady after sex? Because I''m ady I can''t ask you to leave me alone?" Candy asked in annoyance, making Matt sigh.

    "Alright. I won''t say a word. You can just entertain me," Matt said, deciding to wait until she closed from work so he could talk to her outside the club.

    Candy eyed him skeptically for a moment. This was going to be a lot more awkward than she had thought. She wasn''t sure she could handle things professionally with him. This was the reason it was a bad idea to mix business with pleasure. How would she have known that he was going toe here?

    "What? You''re no longer going to do your performance?" Matt asked when she didn''t move. It wasn''t like he had expected her to dance anyway, but seeing how she had been talking so business-like since she walked in, he had thought she would.

    Candy took in a deep breath. This was her job and major means of livelihood. If Matt wanted a performance, then he would get one. And maybe if she did it right, he would understand the kind of job she did, and why he needed to stay away from her. All she needed to do now was to pretend that this wasn''t the man she had spent the previous evening with. He was a stranger to her.

    Having made up her mind on that, Candy walked over to where the music yer was, at the other end of the room, away from Matt. She picked a cool and slow song that wouldn''t need her to exert herself, before going to stand Candy under the spotlight in the center of the room where a pole was standing.

    Closing her eyes and taking in a deep breath, Candy started to sway her body to the rhythm of the music, surprising Matt who hadn''t really expected her to do it. He opened his mouth to stop her, but nothing came out when she opened her eyes to look at him, and he saw the distant look in her eyes.

    He understood those unseeing eyes well enough. He could tell she had emotionally distanced herself from whatever was happening in the room. She was quite a stubborndy.

    With her eyes on him, she slowly began to strip off her clothes. She started by taking off the tiny top and letting it fall to the ground, allowing Matt''s eyes to feast on the tits his mouth had devoured the previous evening. Matt''s hands twitched to touch them once again. He remembered how they had felt under his hand and how her nipples had hardened from his touch.

    Without breaking away from his gaze, she gave him a seductive smile and winked at him as she unzipped the skirt and let it fall to the ground, revealing the ck garter belt and red stockings, before raising one leg like a ballet dancer and wrapping it around the pole.

    Candy kept gyrating and writhing on the pole until the first music ended and the music yer switched to more sensual music. Matt didn''t say a word. He couldn''t breathe as he watched her approach where he was seated slowly. She would pause after taking only a few steps and strike simted sexual postures. By the time she got to where he was seated, the music yer had moved to the next song, so she straddled him.

    An emotion flickered in Candy''s eyes when she felt the bulge between his legs under her, but she blinked it off as she started to give him ap dance, "You can touch," she said to him, looking into his eyes, and before the words left her mouth Matt grabbed her boobs with one hand, and gently squeezed her nipple which hardened immediately, while he moved his other fingers to caress the back of her neck.

    She soon realized her mistake when a soft moan escaped from her lips. She could try to deceive herself that he was a stranger, but her body knew otherwise. With other patrons, it was strictly business and they could touch her without eliciting a response, but with Matt, it wasn''t so.

    She met Matt''s knowing gaze, and it was clear to them both that there was undeniable sexual chemistry between them. Matt leaned forward to kiss her and used his hand which was still caressing the back of her head to propel her forward. Just as their lips were about to meet, the music ended at that moment, and Candy quickly snapped out of it, and scurried out of hisp, grateful that the music had stopped before she made any mistake.

    She swallowed hard as she moved away from him, "Your time is up."

    "Then I will pay for some extra time," Matt offered, wanting to stand up to hold her, but unable to because of his erection which was yet to subside. How could it, when the cause of it was still standing in front of him in all her naked glory?

    "I''m done for the night. Goodnight," Candy said as she headed for the door, and as an afterthought, she paused by the door and turned to him, "Don''te back here," she added before walking out.

    Like hell, I won''t! Matt muttered to himself as he stood up and tried to adjust his pants. Now that he knew for a certain that she was just as sexually attracted to him as he was to her, he wasn''t going to leave her alone.

 Chapter 104 - You Won’t Remain The Same

    Author''s Announcement.

    New Book Alert!!!!

    If you''ve read "In Love With A Klepto" then I''m pleased to announce that I''m co-writing a new book with ThatAmazingGirl, titled, "The Cursed Prince''s Strange Bride."

    It''s our first fantasy story, and it promises to bring out all the emotions in you, as our story did. Add to your library and support us.

    Much Love.

    .

    **********************

    Rolling his wheelchair to the kitchen, Bryan stopped by the door when he noticed that Sonia was standing there with her back to him, dressed in just one of his shirts and a female boxer pants. She has made sure to tie the shirt at her waist in a way that her well-shaped ass was very visible with all the curves of her body. He drew in a deep breath and made a mental note to focus his eyes on only her face, and stay in the part of the kitchen that won''t give him a proper view of her body.

    "You finally decided to join me," Sonia said, turning around to look at him with a weing smile.

    Looking at the smile on her face now, one wouldn''t guess that just a moment ago she had been packing up to leave his house and life. Why had he even stopped her again? She had offered to end everything, so why had he stopped her? That was the question he had been asking himself since she left him in his bedroom.

    "What can I help with?" Bryan asked as he rolled his wheelchair in the opposite direction from her. Thest thing he wanted was to be on the same eye level as her ass.

    "You can help me chop the vegetables for the sd," Sonia said, pointing to the area she had kept them, while she continued to stir something in the pot.

    Bryan did as he was told, and they both worked in silence for a while until Bryan broke the silence by asking her a question, "Were you really going to leave?"

    Sonia paused what she was doing and turned to look at him with pursed lips, as though considering whether or not to answer his question. After a few moments when Bryan was beginning to think she wasn''t going to say anything she shook her head, "No, I wasn''t."

    His brow shot up, "You weren''t?"

    "Yeah."

    "So why were you packing up?" Bryan asked, making her lips curve in a smile.

    "Because I wanted you to beg me to stay. Knowing me, did you really think I am going to leave you just like that?" Sonia asked with an amused smile, which made Bryan look at her with interest.

    He wondered how Lucy had managed to remain sane and decent when she had someone as maniptive as Sonia in her life, "I guess I don''t think much when ites to you," Bryan murmured, making Sonia grin.

    "I guess I like you that way," Sonia said as she met Bryan''s gaze. They stared into each other''s eyes for a moment, and Bryan was reminded about the heated moment with her on the bed that afternoon.

    This was the first time he was finding himself attracted to someone he didn''t even like. Sonia was too annoying and stubborn for his liking. She was a mischievous creature that reminded him of a goat, or was it a monkey?

    "Have youe up with a name for our story?" Bryan asked as he looked away from her and returned his attention to the vegetables.

    "You seem awfully interested in the story," Sonia observed.

    "I am always interested in anything that has to do with me," Bryan pointed out, not wanting to tell her that it was because he was a fan of her work, and he was curious to see what she would write this time. Reading a story about them would give him an insight into what she truly thought about him, and somehow he wanted to know.

    "Well, the name is a secret. Why don''t I surprise you with that?" Sonia asked with a wink, which made his heart skip a beat. When did winking be so sexy? Bryan wondered.

    "That reminds me, when are you going to return myptop? I need to work so that I can send some chapters to my editor," Sonia exined.

    At the mention of her editor, Bryan remembered that he had sent an email to her editor before Sonia''s arrival, and he was yet to check for the man''s response. He made a mental note to do that once he had the time, "Can I read what you have written so far?" Bryan asked, surprising Sonia.

    "No. Why?" She asked curiously.

    Bryan shrugged, "Since it''s about me too, shouldn''t I see if you''re making me out to be a terrible person or a great person?" Bryan asked, and she smiled.

    "Don''t worry too much, I''m making you out to be exactly what you are... Although I doubt that you know what you are yet," Sonia said, making his brows furrow.

    "And what do you mean by that?"

    "I mean you won''t remain the same by the time we are done," Sonia promised, leaving Bryan to wonder if that was going to be a good thing or not.

    "So are you going to let me see what you''ve written?" Bryan asked again, wanting a definite answer.

    "Maybe. But first, you have to return my writing materials. You have to show the viewers of the show that you love and support your fiancee''s career after all," Sonia said with a yful smile that tugged at Bryan''s heart.

    "Maybe," Bryan said and looked away from her once again. Why was she always smiling so cheerfully? Maybe not always, Bryan thought in amusement when he remembered how foul-tempered she had been at the game arcade the previous day. He had enjoyed hanging out with her the previous day and somehow had really wanted to ride the carousel with her, and y other games, just for the fun of watching her cuss and vent her frustration every time things failed to go her way.

    Somehow he was d that he had been able to at least take her out on a date before he hurt his leg, "I''m sorry I wasn''t able to take you to the amusement park as promised," Bryan said with a tinge of regret in his voice.

    Once again, Sonia looked at him in surprise. She hadn''t expected an apology since he was obviously injured, "You can always take me to the amusement park after your ankle has healed," Sonia reminded him with a small smile.

    "Sure."

    "I had fun yesterday thanks to you. I can''t remember thest time I had that much fun," Sonia said with an amused smile.

    "Really?" Bryan asked as he finished chopping the vegetables and rolled his wheelchair to the kitchen sink to wash his hands and dry them with a napkin.

    "Yeah. I''m almost always busy with my writing, so I can be indoors for days without stepping out unless I need to get something," Sonia exined.

    "Now I''m d I seized yourptop. You need the break," Bryan said, making Sonia giggle.

    "Not for long though, else I won''t be able to pay my bills. Believe me, you don''t want me to show you my gold-digging abilities," Sonia said yfully, making Bryan chuckle involuntarily.

    Hearing himugh, Sonia looked at him with a small smile. She couldn''t believe she was actually enjoying a normal conversation with him, and neither of them was ring at each other.

    "By the way, you will need some clothes for the reality show. Mia will go shopping with you as nned, just make sure you don''t let her pick your outfits. She has a very bad fashion sense, yet considers herself a fashionista," Bryan said in a tone tinged with amusement and fondness for Mia.

    "You seem to like her a lot?" Sonia asked curiously.

    He cleared his throat, as though embarrassed that Sonia had found out a secret, "She is very vocal and cool. Not everyone that works for a celebrity is that way."

    "I guess so," Sonia said with a small smile, d to see this part of him, "I was wondering, howe you don''t have a picture of your family in the house?" She asked curiously when she suddenly remembered Lucy''s request.

    "I don''t know. It just never urred to me to get one," Bryan said with a shrug.

    "You won''t believe what I discovered," Sonia said when she remembered what Lucy had told her the previous night.

    "What?" Bryan asked curiously.

    "My best friend happens to be your brother''s personal assistant, can you believe it?" Sonia asked in such a disbelieving tone that if Bryan hadn''t known better, he would have actually believed that she only just found out about it.

    "Are you serious?" He asked, sounding equally surprised. He was surprised because he hadn''t expected her to tell him that, but then again he realized now that he should have been more surprised that she hadn''t mentioned something as simple as that to him from the start.

    "You can''t believe my surprise when she told me that she was moved to his office as his personal assistant," Sonia continued while Bryan kept staring at her speechlessly like he was dumbfounded by the information.

    Perhaps Lucy only just told her about being Tom''s personal assistant now? That couldn''t be possible. Why then had Sonia been fishing for information concerning his brother this whole time? Why had Sonia waited this long to tell him? Was there a new n? Did Lucy found out her driver was the boss? Bryan wondered, not knowing what to think about the whole thing.

    "My brother isn''t going to believe this! I should tell him about it. You don''t mind if I tell him, right?" Bryan asked curiously.

    "Will that affect her job?" Sonia asked with a concerned frown, which made Bryan wonder if that was the reason she had kept it from him. Perhaps Lucy was scared she might lose her job? None of this whole thing made any sense.

    "Of course, not. I will just let him know his personal assistant is my fiancee''s best friend, that''s all," Bryan assured her, and then paused when something urred to him, "You are very sure she won''t tell him it''s a fake engagement?" Bryan asked Sonia, and she gave him a nod.

    "They''re not even friends, so she has no reason to tell him anything about me," Sonia said confidently.

 Chapter 105 - Sleepover

    Once Lucy returned to the living room, she sat on the couch opposite Tom, and he raised a questioning brow.

    "What?" She asked when she noticed the way he was staring at her.

    "I guess I''m going to have to teach you a lot of things when ites to rtionships. You can''t sit that far away from your man," Tom said, patting the spot next to him for her to join him.

    "If I wanted to learn about rtionships you don''t think I will go to someone whose rtionships actually work?" Lucy muttered under her breath, loud enough for Tom to know she said something, but low enough for him not to hear what she had said.

    "Did you say something?" Tom asked, and Lucy shook her head.

    "I just think we don''t need to get too close to each other since we both know it''s not real," Lucy said with a shrug.

    "I said it''s real but temporary," Tom corrected.

    .

    "Does that mean you are going to... I mean, like are we going to do things people in real rtionships do?" Lucy asked ufortably, and Tom grinned when he saw the blush that stained her cheeks.

    "What do you mean by ''things''?" Tom asked, blinking at her innocently.

    Why did she always have to be so shy and embarrassed about normal things like these? This was one of those times she wished she was as outspoken as Sonia was. Maybe she needed to let Sonia coach her, Lucy thought in frustration.

    "Kissing and stuff?" She asked without meeting his gaze.

    "I don''t know what you mean by stuff, but the answer is YES. Why? Do you have an issue with kissing me?" Tom asked, and Lucy swallowed.

    Was she supposed to answer this question?

    "I don''t know if you remember, but the first night we met, you asked me to kiss you first, so I don''t think you have an issue with kissing me," Tom said, making Lucy close her eyes in embarrassment. Now she wished the ground would open up and swallow her.

    "No need to feel too embarrassed. Nowe here," Tom said, patting the seat once again.

    "You need to know that I don''t like PDA (Public disys of affection)," Lucy said, and Tom raised both brows.

    "I don''t think so," Tom said with a shake of his head.

    "You don''t need to think so. I''m just telling you I don''t like clingy people, and I don''t like PDA," Lucy said.

    "How can you say you don''t like something you haven''t even experienced before? Shouldn''t youe to such a conclusion only after you have been in a rtionship and experienced it?" Tom asked, making Lucy''s brow pull together in a frown.

    "I''ve seen other people in rtionships do it, and I don''t like it. I don''t have to experience something to know how I feel about it," Lucy countered stubbornly.

    Tom smiled at that, "We will see about that. Enough of the argument already,e sit beside me. I''m clingy and I love PDA, who knows? Maybe that''s why they all left," Tom lied since he had never been clingy with any of thedies in his past. He hadn''t even taken his time to know them enough to tell them the truth before started acting up.

    Lucy sighed as she stood up, and walked over to where he was. Once she sat down beside him, Lucy''s heart skipped a beat when he pulled her close to himself so that her head was on his chest. She tried to move away, but Tom wrapped both arms around her as he ced his nose in her hair to inhale it.

    "Your hair smells really nice," he whispered, making her stay still.

    In that position, the powerful scent of his cologne flooded her nostrils, and she took in a deep breath. She had always wanted to sniff his body, and now she realized she was doing just that.

    He was her temporary boyfriend, right? So she at least had the right to do this. If he could be clingy and hold her this way when he had someone else he liked, then she could also be selfish and do whatever she wanted.

    Her mouth wentpletely dry when he moved his nose from her hair down to her ear and then her neck, "I love your body spray too," Tom said, fighting the urge to kiss her neck.

    Lucy swallowed as she felt the tip of his nose on her neck, and one of his hands moved to touch her hair. Was he going to have sex with her now? She wondered.

    Tom slowly cupped the back of her head, and weaved his hand into her hair, massaging her scalp gently in a way that made a sigh escape from her lips. He ced the other hand under her chin and raised her face so that she was looking at him.

    Lucy''s heart skipped a beat as she met his gaze, and she involuntarily swallowed. Her little pink tongue darted out of her mouth to wet her dry lips, and Tom''s eyes followed the movement.

    They both looked into each other''s eyes for a moment while Lucy''s heart fluttered. Tom bent his head down a bit and paused as he waited for Lucy to make the next move.

    As if she was beingpelled by his eyes, she raised her head slightly too in a way that their faces were now very close to each other, and his breath fanned her face.

    Tom swallows as he looked into her beautiful face, while his hand behind her hair resumed massaging her scalp. Her eyes fluttered as she tried to keep it open.

    Just a kiss, Tom promised himself. He wasn''t going to take it further than a kiss. He just wanted to taste her lips right now. He needed to.

    Using the hand behind her hair, he pushed her head forward, and before she knew it he covered her lips with his own. Her lips tasted of wine, so he suckled on it. He sucked her lower lip, eliciting an involuntary moan from her, and after sucking on the lower lip for a while he moved to the upper one, wanting to suck out the wine on it until he could taste just her.

    He dipped his tongue slightly inside her mouth, kissing her deeply as he nibbled on her lips with his teeth. Lucy moaned loudly this time as her hand moved to the front of his shirt and grabbed it for support. Her toes curled, and her stomach fluttered as she tried to think of what was happening.

    Were they finally going to have sex? What could she do now? She wondered as her hand moved over his body, and she returned the kiss, trying to match his passion. She knew she wasn''t exactly a good kisser, since she was inexperienced, but she tried to mimic everything he was doing.

    Tom lifted her off the couch without breaking the kiss and ced her over his leg so that she was straddling him as they kissed. In this new position, Lucy raised a hand to his head and weaved her finger into his short crop of hair as he was doing to hers and gently massaged it too.

    A groan escaped from Tom''s lips, making him realize that if he was going to stop, then he needed to stop now that he still could. Could he? He wondered as he opened his eyes to look at Lucy whose eyes were closed as she kissed him. He slowly withdrew his hand from her hair and ran it down her back before breaking the kiss.

    Lucy''s eyes fluttered open, and slowly the mist of desire faded from her eyes, reced by confusion.

    What had just happened between them? Howe her body had reacted that way? Why did he stop so abruptly?

    She wasn''t having sex with him because she desired him, was she? She was having sex with him only because he had said she owed him that, and both Sonia and Lucas had said the same thing, right? So why then was she wishing he hadn''t stopped?

    And what was that thing poking her... Her eyes slightly widened in surprise when she realized she was still seated on his legs, and what she was feeling between her legs was his erection. She quickly got off hisp as her face flushed a bright red.

    Tom on the other hand who had been watching all the emotions that flickered on her face, almost chuckled when she slid off hisp, and put some distance between them without leaving the couch. She did desire him after all, he thought in satisfaction.

    "Do you think I''m a bad kisser? Perhaps that''s why they left?" He asked with a teasing smile.

    She cleared her throat, "Are we still going to watch the movie, or you want to talk?" she asked without looking at him since she could guess that he was probablyughing at her.

    "I guess I''m a terrible kisser after all," Tom said with a mock sigh as he turned on the television and DVD yer.

    Bad kisser my ass! Lucy thought as she tried topose herself, and focused her attention on the television. She didn''t bother to look in Tom''s direction as they watched the movie. Not even when he offered her the chocte mousse dessert, did she look at him. She epted the ss from him and thanked him before digging into it.

    Tom grinned to himself as he ate. He knew that all he needed to do, was keep tempting and teasing her this way, and soon she would stop feeling this embarrassed around him.

    Halfway into the movie, Tom who had been engrossed in the movie turned to see Lucy who had dozed off as promised. She had folded her body into a small ball on the couch so that she wouldn''t touch him, and her head was resting in the crook of the armchair.

    He chuckled when he noticed that she was holding on to the dessert spoon in one hand, and there were chocte residues on the edge of her lips.

    "How adorable," he murmured to himself as he moved closer to her. He considered waking her up to take her home but decided against it when he saw how peaceful and lovely she looked in her sleep. Besides, she was his girlfriend now, so she could sleep over, Tom thought with a grin as he bent down and ced one arm under her legs, and the other behind her neck before lifting her off the couch.

    Lucy stirred in her sleep at the sudden motion and her eyes fluttered open as he carried her to his bedroom. She looked at Tom sleepily before snuggling closer to him, much to his surprise.

 Chapter 106 - Progress

    Lucy stirred in her sleep in the middle of the night when she felt a little pressure in her dder. The first thing she noticed was that this wasn''t her bedroom. It didn''t smell like her room, and the mattress was soft unlike hers.

    Her eyes snapped open in surprise and she held her breath when she realized that she wasn''t the only person on the bed. Someone else was sleeping beside her on the bed? Who was it? She wondered in confusion as her brain was yet to boothpletely.

    Her back was pressed against something solid in a spoon position. She knew it was a person because of the heat emanating from the person''s body, and because of his breath which was fanning her neck.

    What was going on? She wondered as she tried to remember how and where she had slept off. Her nostrils twitched when she recognized the familiar scent in the bedroom and her lips rounded in surprise when she realized who was on the same bed with her. Tom! She thought with wide eyes.

    Her heart skipped a beat when she remembered that she had fallen asleep while watching a movie with him... With him as her boyfriend!

    Holy shit!

    But why was she sleeping with Tom on the same bed? What happened? They didn''t do anything else after that kiss, did they? Nah, they didn''t. If they had done anything she would have remembered, since she had deliberately not taken too much alcohol for this reason, and she was also still fully dressed in Tom''s clothes.

    From the sound of his even breathing, she could tell that he was fast asleep, so she tried to quietly crawl out of the bed so she could leave and return to her apartment before he wakes up, but she stiffened when she felt his arme around her waist and he snuggled closer to her.

    Tom who had been sleepingfortably beside her, noticed the moment she stiffened and opened his eyes when he realized that she was awake because of her uneven breathing.

    "From the way you slept off I wasn''t expecting you to wake up until morning," Tom said in a husky whisper which made her toes curl as he snuggled closer to her and adjusted to make sure her head was restingfortably on his left arm, while his right arm circled her waist, before cing his head in the crook of her neck.

    She had thought he was sleeping. Why was he awake? And for a fake... No. For a temporary rtionship they were doing quite a lot, Lucy mused.

    "I need..." She paused to clear her throat which sounded cracked, "I need to go home," she managed to speak past the lump which had clogged her throat.

    "You don''t have to leave. Just sleep, okay?" Tom said as he took one of her hands in his hand which was over her waist, and tried to fall asleep again.

    Lucy who was holding her breath swallowed nervously. She had never been in this kind of awkward position with anyone, and she really didn''t know what to do. Her heart was thumping wildly against her chest, and she suspected that Tom could probably hear it if he paid close attention to her.

    "Rx, Lu," Tom murmured sleepily since he could still feel the tension in her body.

    She wished he could stop talking. The more he talked the more the butterflies in her belly fluttered especially since his lips were so close to her ear. Even the beard stubble she had not noticed on his chin earlier, prickled her skin in a way that sent heat waves down her body.

    Why wasn''t she pushing him away from her? What was stopping her from standing up from the bed and demanding that she wanted to return to her apartment? Why did it seem like a part of her was enjoying the closeness?

    Lucy swallowed, "I...I am notfortable," Lucy whispered.

    Tom let go of her hand and lifted his arm which was around her waist as he sat up on the bed. He reached out to switch on the bedsidemp before looking at her. Lucy sat up on the bed too but didn''t meet his gaze.

    "You really want to go home?" He asked, looking at her face as he ran his fingers through his hair. When Lucy simply gave him a nod, he got out of the bed.

    "Let''s go," he said, and Lucy looked up into his face, trying to see if he was upset or not, but he had a nk expression on his face.

    She was the one who had slept off while seeing a movie, and now she had woken the poor guy from his sleep, saying she wanted to go home in the middle of the night. He must be upset, Lucy thought apologetically.

    She didn''t want him to think she was leaving his house because she was scared of him, or felt he was going to do something to her. That wasn''t it. Although he was handsome and extremely attractive, she wasn''t the type to want guys this way. She had only wanted to have sex the first time out of curiosity not desire. So this whole attraction or whatever it was she was feeling when she was with him, was foreign to her, and it confused her.

    "It''s not like I don''t trust you or anything... I''m just not used to sleeping out or sleeping with someone else on the same bed like this, apart from my best friend," Lucy tried to exin as she stood up.

    Tom was tempted to point out to her that she would never get used to it unless she tried spending the night with others, but he chose not to since he didn''t want to sound like he was trying hard to convince her to do something against her will. As long as she wasn''t leaving because she was scared of him, he was okay.

    "It''s okay," Tom said, as he turned around and led the way out of the room.

    Lucy''s brow creased in a frown this time as she followed him. Just okay? Why wasn''t he saying anything else? "You are not mad, right?" Lucy asked tentatively once they got to the living room.

    "I have no reason to be mad. By now you should know that yourfort is the priority here," Tom assured her as he turned to look at her after he stopped by the door.

    She couldn''t help but feel guilty. She had agreed to be in a temporary rtionship with him, so why was she still having so many reservations? Couldn''t she just put them all away, at least for the short duration of their rtionship? Why had she agreed to the arrangement in the first ce if she was going to be like this? Lucy quickly ced her hand over Tom''s hand when he reached out to open the door.

    "What is wrong?" Tom asked out of concern as he looked from the hand which she had ced over his hand, to her face.

    "Maybe I can just spend the night?" She asked tentatively, not understanding herself or anything she was doing. He must think she was childish.

    "You don''t have to. I know I should have woken you up, but I didn''t want to disturb your sleep because you were sleeping very soundly, and even when I was carrying you to the bedroom you seemed disorientated. Don''t worry, I''m not upset," he said with a reassuring smile since he guessed that she was doing this so as not to offend him.

    He had carried her inside? Lucy swallowed as she looked into his face. There was no way she could say she has been in a rtionship without checking the list of everything couples usually did together, could she? Maybe she needed to make a list as usual, and check it with Tom''s help.

    "As my boyfriend what do you think I should do? Should I leave or stay?" She asked, making the side of Tom''s lips twitch in amusement, even though her question surprised him.

    "I think you should do whatever you feelfortable with," Tom said as he held her gaze.

    Lucy took in a deep breath and nodded her head as she said, "I will stay."

    Tom gave her a nod, "Okay. You can use the guest bedroom where you changed your clothes earlier..."

    Lucy stopped him by shaking her head, "This is one of those things people in rtionships do, isn''t it?" She asked, making Tom stare at her in confusion.

    "I don''t think I understand..."

    "You said you were going to help me learn about guys and rtionships. Not that I want a rtionship, but I think I might appreciate the lessons and experience so that I don''t feel like I missed out on anythingter. So... I''m just saying if sleeping together on the same bed is part of being in a rtionship, then I will share your bed with you," Lucy said with a forced confident smile even though she knew she was going to have a hard time sleeping now.

    "Lu..."

    "I know I don''t have to. I want to. I like to put my best into anything I''m doing, and since I''m doing this temporary rtionship thing with you, I think I should as well give it my best shot," Lucy said with a shrug even though she felt like she was beginning to talk too much.

    "Come here," Tom said as he took her arm and dragged her close to himself, "Rx. It''s a rtionship, not a punishment or a death roll sentence," Tom murmured as he patted her back in aforting gesture. He could tell she was feeling very nervous.

    "I...I just don''t know how to be your girlfriend. What if I can''t help you after everything?" Lucy asked with a weary sigh as she stood stiffly in his embrace.

    "I can teach you how to be my girlfriend if you will let me."

    Lucy pulled away from him to look into his face "So what should I do?" She asked, gazing up at him with trusting eyes.

    She admitted to herself that she trusted him even though it seemed too early to do that. He had shown her in different ways that her needs came before his own, and that was what earned him her trust.

    "Start by closing your eyes, and taking in a deep breath," Tom suggested as he ced both hands on her cheeks and held her face so that they were gazing into each other''s eyes.

    Lucy closed her eyes and took in a deep breath as instructed before letting it out slowly.

    "Good girl," Tom said with a proud smile. He was d that they were both making progress really quickly.

 Chapter 107 - Three Is A Crowd

    As Lucy''s eyes fluttered open this time, the first thing she noticed was that she was alone on Tom''s bed. Did he leave again as he had done the first time they spent the night together? She mused without moving an inch from where she was.

    How she had managed to fall asleep after they both returned to the room, she didn''t know. But all she remembered was that she had first gone to the bathroom to ease herself, and as she stared into the bathroom mirror while washing her hands, she realized that he had taken off her contact lens once again.

    "How do you always manage to take off my lenses?" She had asked as she returned to the room and got on the bed, covering herself with the duvet since Tom was already lying down on his side of the bed, and he was lying on top of the duvet.

    Tom shrugged, not knowing how to answer the question, "I want you to sleepfortably, so I try," he had murmured.

    Were men generally this way? Or was this caring attitude just a Tom thing? "Thank you," Lucy said, giving him a tiny smile.

    Without saying a word, Tom drew her close to himself so that they were both lying on the center of the bed as he cuddled her. This time they were not in a spoon position. She slept facing him with her head on his chest as she listened to the sound of his heartbeat..

    "Let''s talk in the morning, okay?" Tom had whispered into her hair as he rubbed her back, and she had been unable to vocally respond because her throat was clogged, but she had nodded her head, and tried to stay calm by breathing in and out until she drifted off to sleep.

    Lucy closed her eyes, not wanting to get out of the bed which still smelled very much like Tom. Not that she didn''t exactly want to get out of the bed, but she just didn''t know how to face him. When it came to Tom, she was confused. Their rtionship was just tooplicated, and now she didn''t know how she was going to look him in the face once it was Monday and he had to return to being her driver.

    ''Don''t think too far ahead, Lu. One day at a time,'' she whispered to herself as she drew in a deep breath before sitting up on the bed. She was feeling hot already because of the oversized jogger she was wearing, so she stood up from the bed and took it off, leaving just Tom''s oversized T-shirt which she was wearing.

    She walked into the bathroom barefooted to make sure she looked okay. Standing in front of the mirror, shebed her fingers through her long curly jet-ck hair which looked sleep tousled, before washing her face with water and using his mouthwash to rinse her mouth. Once she was sure she looked alright, she stepped out of the bedroom and went in search of him.

    She stopped by the kitchen door when she heard movement in there, and her stomach fluttered when she saw him standing by the microwave with his back to her. He was wearing just an apron over his faded jeans trouser, so his back was bare save for the sling of the apron tied around his neck and waist.

    Tom turned around to sh her a smile when he sensed her presence, "Good morning pretty," he said as his eyes moved from her face to her sleep-tousled hair, and then lingered there before returning to her face.

    "Good morning," she said, not knowing what to do next. This had to be the most awkward weekend of her adult life. She was just clueless.

    Tom noticed she had taken off the joggers and was dressed in just his t-shirt now. He had to admit that she looked really sexy. He tried not to make her ufortable by staring at her, "Let''s have breakfast, and talk a bit before you go home," Tom suggested, and Lucy gave him a nod.

    "What can I do?" Lucy asked as she took a tentative step forward and joined him inside, while trying not to stare at him as he took off the apron.

    He paused when he noticed that she was looking in the opposite direction and her face had flushed a bright red, "Sorry," he said, shing her an apologetic smile as he walked past her to pick up a shirt in the living room.

    Once he had dressed up, he returned to join her, "Let''s set the table," Tom said as turned off the oven before walking to one of the kitchen drawers to take out a teacup.

    Lucy watched with longing as he filled the teacup with coffee and dropped a teaspoonful of sugar into the teacup. He stirred the coffee and took a sip from it before meeting Lucy''s gaze.

    Lucy walked over to the drawer to take a teacup but he stopped her with a shake of his head, "You can''t take coffee," he said as he took the cup from her and returned it to the drawer, making her look at him in confusion.

    "I read somewhere that coffee and alcohol aggravate ulcers, so I don''t think you should keep taking them," Tom said, making her frown.

    "I''ve been doing fine taking it," Lucy pointed out stubbornly.

    "If you were doing so fine you wouldn''t have needed me to take you to a pharmacy to pick out medicine. Don''t worry, I got something you can drink. I read somewhere that cranberry juice is very good," Tom said as he picked up a ss and walked over to his refrigerator to pour her a ss of the juice.

    "You seem to be reading a lot about ulcer... You know a lot of people with ulcers?" Lucy asked curiously as she took the ss of juice from him. She was just going to drink the cranberry juice here and go home to make herself a cup of coffeeter. Ulcer or not, she wasn''t going to deprive herself of something she loved.

    "Yes. My next-door neighbor, my boss, and now my girlfriend," Tom said with a wink making her lips twitch in amusement.

    "So you read up all of that just because of me?" She asked as she looked at him with a serious expression in her eyes as she sipped from the ss.

    "I had to. I don''t like to feel useless in any situation," Tom said as he dropped his cup of coffee by the counter and moved the dishes to the table.

    He had taken his time to read up on ulcer because of her? What kind of a man was he? Lucy mused, feeling oddly touched by all of his thoughtful gestures.

    They both set the table without saying a word to each other, and once they sat down to eat, Lucy remembered Anita''s suggestion the previous evening, and she cleared her throat, "Will you be busyter in the day?" She asked, making Tom look at her with interest, while she ate.

    "I don''t think so. Why?" Tom asked curiously as he picked up his fork and started to eat too.

    "I was thinking we could go see a movie together? My friend and I are going, and I want you toe with us," Lucy added, not wanting to tell Tom who the friend was, or that her friend had suggested the outing.

    "Your friend?" Tom asked with a slightly raised brow, and Lucy gave him a nod as she stuck a piece of steak into her mouth.

    "Yeah, the one I visited yesterday," Lucy exined.

    Although he was of the school of thought that said ''Three is a crowd'' and would have preferred to spend the day alone with her, he also wanted to meet this new friend of hers and get to know what sort of person she was, "Are you going to tell her about our rtionship?" Tom asked, and Lucy shook her head immediately.

    "No. We can''t tell her about it."

    He wanted to ask why, but chose not to. "Okay. Anything else you want to talk about?" Tom asked curiously.

    Lucy cleared her throat, "Yes. You said you were going to teach me...." She let the rest of the sentence trail off since she expected him to know what she was talking about.

    Tom said nothing as he quietly ate from the te in front of him. From the moment he woke up that morning he had been upied with thoughts of how to help Lucy enjoy their rtionship. He wanted her to desire not just being in a rtionship, but being in a rtionship with him.

    "Can you tell me about the person you were in love with before now?" Tom asked, wanting to confirm if Sonia''s half-brother was the person she had been in love with.

    Lucy blinked at him in surprise. What did that have to do with anything? Why was he asking her that?

    "I just figured I should know about your past rtionship. Maybe that would help me not to overstep any boundaries," Tom said when it seemed like she wasn''t going to say anything.

    "There was no rtionship. So maybe you should just forget about my past and focus on teaching me what I need to know," Lucy suggested with a frown.

    "Did he die?" Tom ventured to ask ignoring everything she had just said since he knew that to get answers from her, he needed to be stubborn else they would get nowhere.

    Lucy scowled at him, but when Tom remained unfazed by her displeasure she sighed, "No, he didn''t. Look, I don''t even know if I was in love with him, okay? He liked me, and I liked him too. He asked me to be his girlfriend, but before I could do anything about it everything changed. So I don''t even know if what I felt for him was love," she concluded with a shrug, not wanting to get into the details.

    So the person she had been in love with wasn''t Sonia''ste half-brother? Tom mused.

    "I was thinking... Maybe we should make a list? Like a checklist of things couples do in a rtionship and then we can tick all of them together?" Lucy suggested, wanting to change the subject since it seemed like Tom was bent on talking about her past.

    "What happens after we have ticked everything on the list?" Tom asked curiously.

    "Then we can be sure we have both learned all we need to know about being in a rtionship, and you can go on to confess your feelings to her," Lucy suggested with a bright smile.

 Chapter 108 - You Did What?

    Bryan woke up that morning with a worried frown on his face as he sat up on the bed. He couldn''t understand why butterflies were fluttering in his stomach, or why he was feeling very anxious about the day ahead.

    He was feeling confused about a lot of things, and he knew he needed to straighten out some of them before the arrival of the producer and his team. He needed to first figure out exactly what was bothering him.

    He scowled when his thoughts drifted to his misunderstanding with Sonia the previous evening, and he realized Sonia was the reason behind his anxiety.

    What bothered him the most about her was the inconsistency in her character. One minute she was acting like a normal person and the next she was acting like a crazy witch.. He just couldn''t seem to figure her out, and as such he didn''t know whether or not he could trust her.

    ~The Previous Evening~

    "So? I thought we were supposed to talk about the reality show?" Bryan asked as they both sat to have dinner at the table which Sonia had set by the porch.

    "Yeah. Mia said we will be meeting with the producers and the camera crew tomorrow, so we thought it might be best if we both got our stories straightened out before then, or what do you think?" Sonia asked as she took a forkful of sd into a mouth.

    "You discussed that with Mia? When? Don''t tell me you already nned on doing the show even after I rejected it?" Bryan asked with a slightly raised brow.

    "Seriously? Are we going to fight over this too?" Sonia asked with an eye roll before taking a sip of water from her ss.

    Bryan took in a deep breath as he tried to view things from a logical perspective. If they were going to pretend to be in a rtionship, then they were going to have to do a good job of it ande up with a believable story of how they met and how they managed to keep their rtionship away from the public until his proposal.

    "You are the story writer, so I believe you cane up with a suitable script," Bryan said as he continued to eat.

    "I don''t think it''s about being a story writer this time. We have toe up with a believable love story together. You have to be fully involved as this isn''t one of your movies where you only have to read a script."

    "So, where would you say you met me?" Sonia asked Bryan who narrowed his eyes thoughtfully as he tried to think of ces he could easily have run into a person like her.

    "A hotel?" Bryan asked tentatively since that was the ce where he had had the misfortune of meeting her.

    "That is too basic," Sonia said with a shake of her head.

    "Yet that was where I met you... Maybe we should mix the truth with just a little lie? I don''t want everything to be a lie," Bryan said, and Sonia pursed her lips thoughtfully.

    "Hm... That could work. But which hotel? You know the way journalists are. They could go to the hotels to check for security footage just so that they have a story to tell. We can''t be too careful," Sonia pointed out, and Bryan gave her a nod since he knew she was right.

    "What if we say we met on a dating app? And the night you proposed to me happened to be the first time we met, and now we are getting to know each other while living under the same roof?" Sonia suggested.

    "You don''t think they''re going to try to find the name of the dating app?" Bryan asked with a scoff.

    "We don''t have to mention any. Let''s send them on a wild goose chase," Sonia said with a wink.

    "Let''s just sleep over it, ande up with something by morning," Bryan suggested, and after that, they focused on their food before calling it a night.

    Sitting on his bed now, he wondered what Sonia had to lose if everything went south. Was he probably being too trusting of her? What if she had ulterior motives?

    He reached for hisptop which was on top of his bedside drawer when he remembered that it had been a while since hest checked his emails, and he needed to check if Sonia''s editor had responded to his email yet.

    Once he opened it, a frown creased his brows when he noticed that his email to Sonia''s editor had been saved to his drafts. Howe it wasn''t sent? But he remembered tapping on the enter button, he mused with a scowl and deleted the text since he no longer had any reason to speak with Sonia''s editor.

    He nced at his cell phone when it started ringing and picked it up when he saw that it was a call from Tom, "Good morning!" He greeted with a grin when he remembered that he had news for Tom.

    "You sound excited, I guess that''s what happens when you are engaged to a woman you love," Tom said with a teasing smile as he walked into his bedroom. He had just seen Lucy to the door, before deciding to give Bryan a call to inform him of thetest development in his rtionship with Lucy.

    Engaged to a woman I love? Very funny, Bryan mused, "I guess so. It''s a good thing you called since I have news for you," Bryan said, making Tom''s ears perk up.

    "I have news for you too. But let''s hear yours first," Tom said excitedly.

    "Last night, my darling fiancee told me about her best friend being my brother''s personal assistant."

    "She did? Why?" Tom asked, sounding very surprised since he hadn''t expected that. If he remembered what he heard in the car correctly, Lucy had told Sonia that she didn''t want Bryan to know that she worked for his brother. So why did Sonia suddenly choose to tell Bryan the truth?

    "I''ve been wondering the same thing. Perhaps Lucy asked her to tell me about it?" Bryan asked thoughtfully.

    "I''m not sure Lucy did that. Unless she asked her to tell you about it but not let me know," Tom said with a thoughtful frown.

    "I don''t think so. I asked Sonia if I could tell you about it, and Sonia said agreed on the condition that it doesn''t affect Lucy''s job," Bryan said, making the crease on Tom''s brow deepen.

    There had to be a reason for this.

    "What do you think about this?" Tom asked Bryan.

    "I don''t know what to think. What would you do if you weren''t interested in Lucy and you found out your personal assistant was my fiancee''s best friend?" Bryan asked curiously.

    "If I wasn''t interested in her, she wouldn''t be my personal assistant, to begin with," Tom pointed out.

    "That''s true. Still, what would you have done?" Bryan asked again.

    "I don''t know. Maybe invite her to my office for a little chitchat?" Tom asked in confusion.

    "Knowing Lucy the way you do, what do you think could be her reason for wanting you to know about her rtionship with my fiancee?" Bryan asked, making Tom narrow his eyes thoughtfully.

    They''ve been getting along pretty welltely, so there was no way she could be nning to find favor with the CEO just to stop him from being her driver, right?

    "I guess I should find out. I will have Harry set up a lunch date with her," Tom said, making Bryan grin in anticipation.

    "I was hoping you would say that. Should I inform my fiancee about the date so that Lucy can be prepared?" Bryan asked curiously.

    "No. I''d love it to be an impromptu arrangement. That way she wouldn''t have enough time to think about anything," Tom said, and Bryan nodded in agreement.

    "Okay then. Now that we have gotten that out of the way, what news do you have for me?" Bryan asked curiously.

    "I asked Lucy to be my temporary girlfriendst night, and she agreed," Tom said, making Bryan''s mouth drop open in surprise.

    "You did what?" Sonia who was in the next room down the hall, asked in a slightly raised voice as she sat up on her bed.

    Lucy moved the cellphone away from her ear, "I said I agreed to be his temporary girlfriend. Weren''t you the same person that asked me to get involved with a guy?" Lucy asked as she paced around her bedroom.

    After breakfast with Tom, she had left with the excuse that she needed to clean up her apartment, and they had both agreed to leave for the cinema by noon. Now that she was alone, and was rethinking everything that had happened the previous evening, she wanted to hear Sonia''s opinion.

    "Yes, I know I did, but I just didn''t expect that it would be with Tom. You know, considering the fact that you are trying to help him get thedy he likes," Sonia said thoughtfully.

    "Yes. I''m still trying to help him get Anita, but he suggested we do this so that we can find out why his past rtionships didn''t work..." Lucy said and went on to give her the details of their conversation, "So I figured I give it a try just to get the experience," Lucy concluded.

    A sigh escaped from Sonia''s lips before she pursed her lips, how does that even make sense? "So you are dating Tom now? What about your boss? I thought you wanted to get rid of Tom using your boss? I already told Bryan about you and I don''t know if he has talked to your boss already," Sonia said, reminding Lucy of her ultimate ns.

    "Oh no! Ipletely forgot about that. What am I going to do about that now?" Lucy asked in confusion. Howe she hadn''t thought of that before agreeing to Tom''s suggestion?

    "Well, let''s wait to hear what your boss has to say. I suppose we will know the next step after that," Sonia said before a smile curved her lips, "Your life is so exciting now," Sonia said in amusement.

    "I wish it wasn''t so exciting," Lucy hissed, making Sonia giggle.

 Chapter 109 - Or?

    "Are you sure you''ll be okay by yourself?" Sonia asked Bryan with a concerned frown as she turned to look at him after checking the mirror one more time to be sure she looked okay.

    "I didn''t know you cared about me this much," Bryan said dryly as he watched her from the doorway.

    He couldn''t believe that despite the fact that she had moved to the other room, she had stille to his room to use his shower and also dress up. Sometimes he couldn''t just understand what was going on in her head... Did he just say some times? Nah, he never could understand what she was thinking.

    "Come on, baby. I''m sure you don''t mean that," Sonia said with a small smile as she walked up to where he was seated on his wheelchair and patted a speck of invisible dirt from the front of his shirt.

    "How do I look?" She asked as she twirled around in front of him.

    This time she was dressed in white ripped high waist shorts, with one of his red t-shirts and a pair of white high-heeled sandals. If it was someone else he would probably have said the outfit was too simple and ordinary, but there was nothing ordinary or simple about Sonia, especially not when her endlessly long legs were on disy like that.

    Regardless of what she was wearing, Bryan was certain that she would always draw the attention of any man in a room merely by being there, the same way she had gotten his attention at the hotel lobby that night... If only he had known how crazy she was, he would have resisted the evil pull that drew him to her, Bryan thought with a sigh.

    "You look good," he managed to answer when he noticed how she kept looking at him as if she was waiting for his response.

    "Do me a favor by working on your vocabry. There are over a thousand and one ttering words you can use inplimenting your fiancee than merely saying good," Sonia said with a pout of displeasure, making Bryan''s gaze move to her lips.

    "How about I say, on a scale of one to ten, you''re an eleven?" Bryan asked, making Sonia''s lips curve on a humorous smile.

    "Aha! I knew you could do better. That''s more like it," Sonia said with a satisfied nod before raising her hand to check the time on her wristwatch, "Mia should be here any moment from now," she said ncing in the direction of the living room as though she was expecting Mia to walk through the door since Mia had called a moment ago to say she was less than five minutes away from Bryan''s penthouse, and from Sonia''s calction it was over six minutes already since she dropped Mia''s call.

    "Use this for your shopping," Bryan said as he extended his ck card to her.

    "Aren''t you a little too trusting of me? I could easily disappear with the card, you know?" Sonia asked, eyeing the card without taking it from him.

    "Then disappear with it if that is all you want from me," Bryan said, still holding the card out to her.

    You will like that, won''t you? Sonia thought as she looked at him, "Don''t worry, I have enough money to get myself a couple of decent clothes," Sonia assured him with a small smile.

    "It''s not just for you. I also want you to get Mia some nice clothes," Bryan said, making Sonia raise a brow.

    He was getting her clothes as well? It wasn''t possible that he was in a rtionship with his personal assistant and they were trying to keep it a secret by allowing her to make a fool of herself publicly, right? "Do you have a crush on your personal assistant?" Sonia asked, eyeing him with interest.

    "What? Of course not! Why would you even think of something like that?" Bryan asked, ring at her indignantly.

    "I just noticed you care about her a lot, so I guess I''m just curious," Sonia said with a shrug trying to make light of it.

    "I already told you why I like her. And I''m only getting her clothes because I ruined her date thest time, thanks to you. So I just want to make it up to her and make sure she has something nice to wear to her next date, that''s all," Bryan said, and scowled when he realized that he was exining himself to Sonia.

    "Wow! You seem to have the knack to me me every time something goes wrong. What have I got to do with Mia''s date, huh?" Sonia huffed irritably, but before he could respond they heard the sound of the doorbell followed by Mia''s voice over the inte announcing her entry.

    "Well, your girlfriend is here," Sonia hissed at him before walking past him to the living room.

    "Don''t call her that," Bryan called out with a scowl as he reversed his wheelchair to follow her.

    "You are ready," Mia said with an easy smile once she walked into the house and saw Sonia. The smile on her face wavered as she looked from Sonia''s face which held a weing smile to Bryan''s scowling face in confusion, "Did I interrupt something?" She asked with a confused smile.

    "No, you didn''t. Bryan was just telling me about how he ruined your date because of me. I guess I should apologize for that. Right, honey?" Sonia asked Bryan with a sweet smile, while he red at her.

    Mia looked from Sonia to Bryan in confusion. If that was what the conversation was about, howe Sonia was the one smiling and Bryan was the one scowling? She cleared her throat, "We should leave now if we want to be back in time for the meeting with the production team," Mia suggested awkwardly as she did not want to be in the middle of whatever argument was going on between Bryan and Sonia.

    "Yes, we shou..."

    "She will meet you in the car," Bryan told Mia, cutting off Sonia''s response while making it clear that he wanted to speak with Sonia alone.

    Sensing the tension between them from the way they were both ring at each other now, Mia quickly excused herself, leaving them alone.

    "What was that for?" Bryan growled at Sonia.

    "What did I do? You''re pissed I told your girlfriend what you said?" She asked with an impudent smirk.

    "Can you just behave yourself for once? Don''t tell me you are jealous simply because I asked you to get Mia some clothes?" Bryan asked incredulously.

    Jealous of Mia? That was hrious. She wasn''t the type to be jealous of anyone, and from her little interaction with Mia in the car on the day of her arrival, she liked Mia already. Although she had briefly wondered if they both had something going on between them, that had nothing to do with jealousy.

    "And what if I say I am?" Sonia asked with a slightly raised brow, startling Bryan who had been expecting a blunt denial.

    "Are you?" Bryan asked with a slight frown.

    "Should I be?" Sonia asked again, ying around with Bryan''s question.

    Bryan sighed, "Let''s not argue over this. Just take the card and get whatever you both need with it. You don''t have to spend your money on this when I''m the one who asked you to get some new clothes," Bryan said, extending the card to her.

    "Please," he added when she just kept staring at him.

    "You are sure this is not some sort of litmus test for golddiggers? You won''t call me a golddigger after I use your card, right?" Sonia asked suspiciously, making Bryan''s lips twitch with an amused smile.

    "It will take more than this to earn you that title, so you have nothing to worry about. Just get whatever you need, and try not to take all day," Bryan said, making Sonia raise a brow.

    "Why? Missing me already?" She asked with a teasing smile.

    "What if I say I am?"

    The smile on her face widened, "Then I will tell you the feeling is mutual since I''m already missing you too. In as much as I love to chat with you, I don''t want to keep your girlfriend waiting for too long," Sonia said as she moved closer to him to take the card from him.

    "Quit calling her that," Bryan warned, holding her hand as she reached out to take the card from him.

    "Or?" Sonia asked with a smirk, looking down at him without bothering to release her hand from his grip.

    Sonia''s heart skipped a beat when Bryan suddenly tugged on her hand, pulling her forward to himself, and she quickly grabbed his shoulder with her other hand for support as she fell on hisp.

    Her breath hitched when she came face to face with him, "Do you mind repeating your question now?" Bryan asked with a mocking glint in his eyes when he noticed her reaction to his move.

    For a moment there he had almost forgotten that Sonia was ady, and like everydy, she wasn''t immune to such unexpected moves, especially moves from a bad boy like himself.

    Sonia''s heart fluttered as she looked into his mocking eyes. What was he thinking? That she was a blushing virgin and would be flustered by this? Two could definitely y the flirting game.

    "Or?" She repeated in a slightly daring and flirtatious tone, but Bryan was no longer listening to her, his gaze was fixed on her lips, and without saying another word he leaned forward and covered her lips with his.

 Chapter 110 - Big Sister

    "Or?" She repeated in a slightly daring and flirtatious tone, but Bryan was no longer listening to her, his gaze was fixed on her lips, and without saying another word he leaned forward and covered her lips with his.

    Sonia was slightly surprised, not just because he had kissed her since this wasn''t the first time they were kissing, but she was surprised because he initiated it this time, and it wasn''t even for the benefit of anyone.

    She tried to pull away just to tease him, but Bryan held her head in ce with his hand behind her head so that she couldn''t move away from him. After resisting for only a brief moment she returned his kiss, slowly at first, and then it became heated.

    If this was a movie, then there probably would have been sparks and fireworks flying all around them at that moment, and if it was one of her novels, she would have described how electrifying the kiss was, and how it made her knees weak and caused her toes to curl.

    Bryan''s left hand dug into her hair and he run his fingers through them, while his right hand caressed her body before going to her boobs. Bryan who had been kissing her so passionately opened his eyes when he heard a soft moan escape from her lips, and he watched her as she kissed him back, sucking and biting his lips.

    This witch.... This crazy witch was slowly beginning to get under his skin. How she had managed to do that within such a short time with all her craziness was something he couldn''t fathom.

    Sonia''s eyes slowly fluttered open when she noticed his hands had stopped moving, and she met his gaze. Her mischievous green eyes gazed into his intelligent blue eyes, but neither of them said a word as their lips were still joined together. Although Bryan was no longer running his fingers and his hand over her hair and body, his fingers were still in her hair, and his hand was still resting on her chest.

    Sonia deepened the kiss one more time as she stared into his eyes, before breaking the kiss and cupping his face in both hands, "Not so bad," Sonia said with a sultry smile.

    Bryan just stared at her without saying a word before unconsciously reaching out to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear. This was a mere physical attraction. She was not only beautiful but also very sexy, and like every normal man with blood in his veins, he was sexually attracted to her. It was a normal attraction, nothing he couldn''t handle, Bryan assured himself as he let his hands drop to his side.

    "Don''t ever call her my girlfriend again," Bryan warned in a husky voice.

    "Your voice has gone all husky," Sonia noted with amusement, "If this is the punishment I get for calling her your girlfriend, then I think I will just stick to calling her that," Sonia said with a grin, not making any move to get off his thighs.

    "Why are you so stubborn? Were you a goat in your previous life?" Bryan asked with a scowl, and Sonia''s eyes twinkled with mirth as she giggled.

    "I don''t know. Maybe I was. I should hurry," Sonia said with a small smile as she got off his thighs and adjusted her clothes. "Thanks to you, now I have to go back and rearrange my hair," Sheined with a cute pout, even though from her tone it was clear to the both of them that she wasn''t the least bit upset about it.

    She moved as though she was heading for his bedroom, but stopped and turned to him, "Your kissing skill is improving by the day. Let''s keep practicing until you are perfect," she said with a wink before heading for the door whilebing her fingers through her hair and swaying her hips seductively as she walked away.

    Improving by the day? Bryan thought with a snort. He was looking forward to the day when he would finally shut that smart mouth of hers up. What could he do to leave her speechless? It seemed like she was the very wild type. Maybe what he needed to do was to tame her. Wild females like her needed a man that would break them in like a stubborn horse. What were her past rtionships like? Bryan wondered as he watched her leave the house.

    "Sorry for keeping you waiting," Sonia told Mia as she got into the car.

    "It''s fine. I hope everything is alright?" Mia asked in concern.

    She had been expecting Sonia toe out from the house in a fit of anger and looking very pissed considering the duration time it took her toe out, but seeing how ecstatic Sonia looked, she contemted whether she should check on Bryan to see if he was okay.

    "Sure. Cars make me sick so let''s do without the AC please," Sonia said as she wind down the ss and ced her head over the window.

    "Alright."

    "Looks like things are going well between you two," Mia observed after a while when she noticed how Sonia kept grinning while looking out of the window as she drove the car.

    Sonia didn''t hear Mia''s question as her mind was still clouded by thoughts of her little development with Bryan.

    He had made the move himself this time, regardless of his reason. She very well knew that he didn''t like her and that he didn''t like that he was attracted to her either, but it was good to see that she wasn''t the one pushing herself on him.

    She had been pleasantly surprised when he asked her not to leavest night, but this? This was even more satisfying. She felt like toasting herself on her little victory.

    "Do you know if Bryan has ever been in a romantic rtionship before? Maybe a secret rtionship?" She asked, turning from the window to look at Mia.

    "I don''t think so," Mia said with a shake of her head, "You really like him, don''t you?" She asked, turning to spare Sonia a nce.

    "Who wouldn''t? He is annoying and all, but he''s pretty handsome... And I have a weakness for handsome men," Sonia said with a grin, making Mia giggle.

    "You are right on the annoying part."

    "Tell me honestly, Mia. Do you think I stand a chance with him?" Sonia asked with a serious expression on her face.

    "I don''t think you would be in his life for this long if you didn''t," Mia said with a small smile.

    After watching the way Bryan bickered with Sonia at every chance he got the previous day, especially after Jeff left her to meet with the CEO, she had to admit that there was a possibility that Bryan was already developing feelings for Sonia.

    Sonia returned Mia''s smile, "Maybe you are right. You know, I threatened him I was going to clear up everything and leavest night after you left. I packed my clothes and everything," Sonia said with a grin, and Mia turned to look at her with interest.

    "You did? What did he do?" Mia asked, unable to hide her surprise and curiosity as she struggled to keep her eyes on the road since she really wanted to see Sonia''s face as she listened to her.

    Sonia giggled, "He asked me not to leave, and that was when he agreed to do the reality show," Sonia said, and Mia giggled.

    "I knew it! He is beginning to like you," Mia said with a wide smile.

    "You think so?" Sonia asked skeptically. She wasn''t sure about him liking her, but one thing she was sure of was the fact that he was attracted to her.

    "Yes. On our way to pick you from the airport, he said you looked and smelt like trouble and all he wanted was to ''wrap up this whole nightmare'' in his own words, and return to his exciting life. Seeing as he asked you not to leave when that is what he has wanted from the first night, you must be growing on him," Mia said with a grin, and Sonia smiled at the thought.

    "I hope so. Tell me, what do you think about him as a person?" Sonia asked, believing Mia to be an excellent judge of character.

    "Me? I don''t think I know him well enough," Mia said with a shake of her head.

    "Come on, you have been working with it for how long, two years?"

    "Eighteen months," Mia corrected.

    "Then you should be able to tell me what I need to know about him. What kind of girls have you seen him with apart from other celebrities? Is there anydy that hangs around him a lot who might be trouble?" Sonia asked curiously.

    "Hmmm... Underneath his annoying and casanova self is a thoughtful, considerate, and well-meaning person. And I don''t think anydy can be trouble to you, especially not when Bryan likes you. But don''t worry, I will keep my eyes and ears open for you," Mia assured her.

    "Now I feel like you are my big sister. Thank you," Sonia said with a wide smile as she reached out to pat Mia''s shoulder fondly, and Mia returned her smile.

    "That reminds me, he gave us his card. He wants you to get some new clothes too," Sonia said as she shed the ck card in front of Mia so that she could see it.

    Mia''s eyes twinkled as she looked at the card, "Are you thinking what I''m thinking?" Mia asked wriggling her brows mischievously.

    "We should run away with the card?" Sonia asked, making Mia m her foot on the brake pad as she hooted uncontrobly withughter.

    The car behind them honked angrily at them before driving past them, while Mia waved in apology as she tried to control herself, "Why would I think that?" She asked as she tried to stopughing, while Sonia simply shed her an awkward smile.

    "I don''t know. What are you thinking?" Sonia asked curiously.

    "Let''s get a pampering makeover since we have his card. I''m sure the makeover will do you good since you are going to be appearing on the screen soon... Plus it''ll be nice to see Bryan''s eyes pop when he sees the new you, don''t you want to see it?" Mia asked making Sonia''s lips curve with a smile. Why hadn''t she thought of a makeover?

    "But what about the meeting with the production team?" Sonia asked with a slight frown.

    "I''m sure Bryan can handle that and ry whatever they discuss to you. Besides, we should give him time to miss your presence in the house, don''t you think so?" Mia asked with a wink.

    "If I didn''t already love you before now, I absolutely adore you now," Sonia said as she pped her hands excitedly.

 Chapter 111 - That’s My Friend

    Once it was time to leave for the Cinema, Lucy met Tom by the car. Neither of them said anything as they gazed at each other. To a casual observer, it would seem like they were two lovers staring at each other, but that wasn''t the case.

    As Lucy looked at Tom she wondered how her boss'' knowledge of her rtionship with Sonia was going to affect the dynamics of her job at the office, and what she was going to do about her rtionship with Tom if her boss eventually gave her the go-ahead to get a new driver.

    The major reason she had gotten herself involved in all this mess of trying to please him by helping him get thedy he liked and being his temporary girlfriend was that her boss had said she couldn''t fire him and that if he left she would have to lose her job too. Now that she had decided to help him be the perfect boyfriend, she wondered what would happen after now if he was unable to get Anita and if the CEO still fails to grant her permission to change her driver.

    Tom who was also staring at her and wondered why she could have asked Sonia to tell Bryan that she worked with his brother. Was she interested in the CEO after all? Had he misjudged her in haste because he wanted her to be the one? He hoped not, cause he was already more interested in her than he had been in all the pastdiesbined.

    "You look nice," Tom said, breaking the silence between them as he looked her over with a smile.

    She was dressed in a short denim skirt with a ck bodycon turtleneck tucked into it, and a pair of ck sneakers to match.. Her hair was packed in a ponytail as usual and her sses were back in ce on the bridge of her nose. The only sign that she was wearing make-up on her face was the lipgloss on her lips. Seeing how she was dressed, she could easily pass for a college student.

    "Thank you," she said with a small smile as she also took note of his outfit. Tom was dressed in khakibat shorts with a white t-shirt and ck sneakers which matched the baseball hat on his head.

    "You are driving?" Tom asked in surprise when she auto unlocked the car and got into the driver''s seat, while he remained standing where he was by the bo of the car.

    "Yes. We are not going to work, so I figured you don''t have to drive us today. Get in," she said jerking her head in the direction of the front passenger door as she shut her door.

    Tom smiled a little before walking over to where she was, "I should check the car to make sure it''s fine before we leave," Tom said, motioning for her to unlock the bo.

    Once he checked the bo to make sure everything was okay, he went around the car and got into his seat, "Do you know where we are going to?" Tom asked as he put on his seatbelt. Since Lucy was new to the city he knew she didn''t know her way around.

    "She said we should meet at Eastside Cinemas. Although I told her I don''t know the ce, she thinks you might know it since you are not new to Ludus. So do you know it?" Lucy asked as she turned on the car''s ignition, but made no move to set the car in motion.

    Eastside Cinemas? Of all ces to go to, why did it have to be there? Tom mused with a slight scowl. That had been one of the ces he had asked Anita to meet him for their date and she had stood him up after he waited for over two hours for her to show up, "Sure. I know it," Tom said with a nod.

    Anita didn''t matter to him in any way. As long as he was going out with Lucy, it was fine. He at least had a girlfriend who he was sure wouldn''t stand him up. How could she even stand him up when she was the one driving them to the ce? Tom reasoned with a grin.

    "Good. So make sure you point me in the right direction," Lucy said as she reversed the car.

    "Left," Tom called to her so she would know the direction they were going. Lucy said nothing as she took the left route.

    "I was wondering something," Tom said as he watched her while she drove.

    "What?" Lucy asked without sparing him a nce.

    "Even though you warned me you were probably going to fall asleep halfway into the movie, I''m surprised that you slept off so soundly in my apartment," Tom said, making color flood her cheek in embarrassment.

    "I guess it''s because I ate too much, the clothes were warm, and I don''t do movies much..." She stopped when Tom chuckled.

    "I guess that exins why you snuggled closer to me when I carried you?" Tom asked with a teasing tone and chuckled again when she turned to look at him in disbelief.

    "I''m not saying I mind that you did. I just wanted to be sure you are not thatfortable with everyone," Tom said with a serious expression in his eyes.

    "I don''t visit others or spend the night at their ce," Lucy said defensively.

    "It''s a relief to know that," Tom said with a nod.

    "So, I took the liberty to make us a list of things we can do as a couple, as I told you I would do earlier," Lucy said after she drove in silence for a while.

    "You have?" Tom asked, sounding not so surprised.

    "Yeah. Hold on," she said as she kept her eyes on the road, and reached into her bag which was on the space beside them for a sheet of paper, "Here, I made you a copy," she said as she handed it to him.

    Tom took the paper from her and he raised a brow when he saw that the first two paragraphs had been ticked already, "Sleepover at boyfriend''s house, and watch a movie with boyfriend at the Cinema, why are they ticked already?" He asked, ncing at her curiously.

    "I slept over at your housest night, remember? And we are on our way to see a movie," she pointed out.

    "That sleepover doesn''t count since you did it before you thought of creating the checklist, and you can''t even call that a sleepover. You only dozed off at your boyfriend''s ce. Besides, don''t you know that mostdies visit their boyfriends and stay with them for days? Even weeks?" Tom asked, making Lucy''s brows pull together in a frown.

    "Not all girlfriends do that. Left or right?" She asked when they got to another intersection.

    "Right. Not all girlfriends do that but I want my girlfriend to do it. I''m teaching you how to be my girlfriend, remember?"

    "That doesn''t make sense. I am your next-door neighbor and seeing me every day..."

    "Would you like me to move out of the house? I could move to a different ce," Tom suggested making Lucyugh out loud at the joke.

    She turned to look at him when she didn''t hear himugh, and stoppedughing when she noticed that he was looking at her with a serious expression, "You...you are joking, right?" She asked with a wavering smile.

    "Why? You don''t want me to leave?" Tom asked with a slightly raised brow.

    Tom leaving? That wouldn''t be such a bad idea. Actually, it would be a great idea. That way she would have to worry less about him being her neighbor after their rtionshipes to an end. And if her boss gave the go-ahead for her to rece Tom with a different driver, then she could finally rx and not ever have to worry about his presence in her life anymore. But how would he get the money to move? Where would he move to?

    "You don''t have money to..."

    "My friend''s ce is avable. I could move there, and you can visit me and sleepover as much as you want," Tom suggested.

    "Your friend would let you do that?" She asked, thinking that it would be really awesome if he could move once they returned from the Cinema. But then again that would also makeing to her house to pick her up in the morning difficult.

    Seeing the thoughtful expression on her face Tom could tell that she liked the idea, but he couldn''t understand why. Was she still that ufortable around him?

    "Sure. But you''ll have to visit me a lot. Take the next turn," Tom called out to her abruptly when he noticed that she was about to miss the turn, and Lucy quickly did as she was told, almost causing the vehicle behind them to m into their car.

    The driver red his horn angrily and swore at them before driving away, "Sorry. Should I drive instead?" Tom asked when he noticed that her face had gone pale.

    She quickly shook her head, "No. It''s fine. I''m okay," she said more to herself than to him as she drew in a shaky breath and kept driving.

    Although Tom didn''t believe her, he chose to let her be. Neither of them said another word to each other until they got to the cinema and Lucy parked the car.

    "Maybe we could discuss the checklist some other time," Tom suggested, wanting to push it off as far as possible since she had said they would break up once they had done everything on the list.

    Lucy gave him a nod as she picked up her handbag and reached out to open her door.

    Once they got out of the car, Lucy''s cellphone started ringing and she took it out to see that the call was from Anita, "Hey! We just got here, are you inside already?" Lucy asked as she met Tom''s gaze.

    "I''m just driving in... Oh! I can see you both," Anita said excitedly as she quickly hung up, making Lucy turn in the direction of Anita''s car which she recognized from the previous day. Tom followed her gaze and squinted against the re of the sun reflecting on her windscreen so he could see who was inside the car.

    "That''s my friend," Lucy announced, watching Tom with interest to see his reaction as Anita drove over to the avable parking space next to their car.

    Lucy grinned when she saw Tom''s eyes widen in surprise as Anita got out of the car, and she mentally patted herself for giving him such a beautiful surprise. He would be happy to spend the day in thepany of his soon-to-be girlfriend.

    Anita? She was Lucy''s friend? How? Since when? Why????? He wondered as he looked from Anita who was smiling at them as she approached where they were standing, to Lucy who was also smiling cheerfully at him like she had just done something great. Oh, no!

 Chapter 112 - Cupid\/Matchmaker

    Tom looked at Anita with a nk expression on his face as she approached them. Unlike Lucy who was casually dressed, she was dressed in a blue strapless romper and ck suede high-heeled sandals, and her hair was let down as the only covering on her bare shoulder. No matter how ssy she looked, she would remain a cheap golddigger in his eyes, Tom thought as he looked away from her to Lucy who was still grinning cheekily.

    What did she do so good that she was happy about? Tom thought with a scoff.

    "Hi! It''s nice to..."

    .

    Tom grabbed Lucy''s hand and dragged her to the side before Anita couldplete her greeting, leaving her standing there to watch them both in amusement since she had been expecting that sort of reaction from Tom. Although she was surprised that Lucy didn''t tell him about her.

    "What are you doing?" Lucy asked with a frown as she tried to free her hand from his grip.

    "How is she your friend?" Tom asked, ring in Anita''s direction before returning his gaze to Lucy. Of all persons in that building to be friends with? Why did it have to be Anita? Why?

    Lucy smiled at him, thinking he was feeling shy because he was surprised to meet his crush this way, "How do people be friends? Don''t worry, I think she likes you too, so no need to be shy," Lucy said in a conspiratorial whisper, which made him look at her with a puzzled frown.

    "Likes me too? How?" Tom asked, ncing at Anita who was standing there with an awkward smile on her face as she fanned herself because of the heat, while they both continued to whisper.

    Lucy smiled again, "I never would have figured you to be so shy around someone you like. It''s cute. At least you now know why I said we can''t tell my friend about our temporary rtionship. Don''t worry, I just reasoned that it would be wise I be friends with her, that way I can learn more about her and tell you all you need to know to get her. I got you," Lucy said as she shed Anita an apologetic smile.

    Help him to get her? Wait a minute, she was really trying to matchmake them? The moment he had seen the smile on her face earlier, he had suspected this but had discarded the idea to be ridiculously silly, but he was actually right? What on earth would make her think that Anita was the person he was in love with? How had she managed to jump to such a farfetched conclusion like a toad?

    "Let''s join her," Lucy suggested as she tried to walk away, but Tom pulled her back.

    "I don''t want to hang out with her. I don''t like her," Tom said inly, making Lucy raise a brow.

    "Since when? Come on, stop acting like a shy little boy. You are not confessing your feelings to her yet, so there is no need to be... What are you frowning at me for?" Lucy asked when she noticed how Tom was frowning at her while gritting his teeth like he was seriously annoyed about something.

    Shouldn''t he be thanking her? Why was he upset?

    "I am not shy. And I really don''t like her!" Tom said through gritted teeth.

    Lucy snorted, "Yet you had lunch with her and stood me up? And when I asked you if she was the one you said yes, so what are you lying for? Tell that to someone else," she said with an eye roll.

    Tom triid to remember the day Lucy was referring to and all that happened to make her think Anita was his mysteriousdy. His eyes narrowed when he remembered the time she asked him if thedy he had lunch with was thedy he liked. He had said yes since he believed Lucy didn''t know what Anita looked like and thought it was best to just tell her it was Anita... His eyes widened in surprise when he remembered that she had eaten lunch at the cafeteria that day instead of her office. Was it possible that she had seen him with Anita? For God''s sake what was all thisplications for? Just when everything was going well, and now this? And why was Anita ying along? Why was she here when she wasn''t even interested in him and didn''t want anyone else to know about their history?

    "You see? You can''t defend yourself. Let''s go in before the movie starts without us," Lucy said as she stubbornly walked past him and went to join Anita.

    "Is everything okay?" Anita asked in mock concern as she nced in Tom''s direction. She really hoped Tom hadn''t revealed the truth about their rtionship to Lucy.

    "Yes. Sorry we kept you waiting. He is usually very shy around prettydies," Lucy lied with a sweet smile, "Let''s go in. He will join us soon," Lucy said before ncing in Tom''s direction, "Meet us inside afterposing yourself," she said with a wink before walking away with Anita who nced at Tom with a knowing smile that twitched the corners of her lips.

    Tom ran his fingers through his hair as he watched them walk away. How was he going to tell Lucy that Anita wasn''t the one he was interested in? If he said she wasn''t the one, Lucy might want him to show her thedy he was interested in. Oh, God! Why did things have to be soplicated just when he was trying to stop telling her so many lies? What could he do now? Tom asked himself with a sigh as he walked into the building.

    He saw people trooping towards the area where the tickets were being sold to the direction that led to the various viewing halls. He looked around as he tried to find Lucy.

    "Hello! Are you Mr. Tom?" A uniformed guard asked as he approached him.

    "I am," Tom said as he nced at the guard curiously.

    "Your friends have gone in already since the movie is about to start showing. They said I should hand you this ticket, and ask you to join them in the third viewing hall," he said as he handed Tom the movie ticket.

    "Thank you," Tom said as he took the ticket from him, and headed in the direction of the halls. After he handed his ticket to the guard by the door and was checked, he walked into the hall.

    Standing by the entrance, he looked around as he tried to adjust his eyesight to the dark hall, and then Lucy raised her hand and shed her phone''s shlight so that he could see where they were seated.

    The first thing Tom noticed as he approached where they were seated was that Lucy was seated at the end of the row with only a space between her and Anita. The only other empty seat on the row was next to Anita, and after that seat, three guys who looked like college students were seated there.

    What the seating arrangement simply meant was that if he was going to sit close to Lucy, then it had to be between her and Anita, unless he wanted to sit on the next row, Tom reasoned with an inward groan.

    How did any of this make sense? Why didn''t Lucy just sit in the middle between him and Anita since she was going to obviously be the moderator of this awkward hangout? Tom reasoned in frustration as Lucy adjusted her legs to give him room to get to his seat, and once he passed her, he sank into the seat.

    "I didn''t know what you would want so we got you a can of Coke, I hope you don''t mind?" Lucy asked, ncing at him with a smile as she handed the drink to him.

    "It''s fine, Thanks."

    "I didn''t want to have popcorn, so we got arge box. You can share with Anita," Lucy said with a small smile, reasoning that they would be able to brush hands as couples do in movies while taking popcorn from the same bowl.

    Tom gritted his teeth in annoyance, "I don''t have the appetite to eat anything either, so I guess she can have it all to herself," Tom murmured as he directed his attention to the screen.

    He couldn''t tell Lucy that Anita was his ex. He wasn''t sure why, but he just didn''t want to remember that he had ever had anything to do with Anita. Plus he had asked Anita to forget their history and not bring it up, so it wouldn''t be nice to bring it up either.

    "Hi!" Anita greeted, shing him a small smile.

    "Hi!" Tom responded without looking away from the screen.

    "We seem to be running into each a lot these days, don''t we?" She asked with a small smile.

    "I wonder why it is so," Tom said, hoping she would stop talking and just focus her attention on the screen since he was making it as politely clear as possible that he didn''t want to talk to her.

    "I think..."

    "I think we should focus on the movie since that is why we are here," Tom said a little too sharply, making Lucy who had been eavesdropping on their conversation elbow his side.

    "Don''t be mean! You are going to ruin your chances with her by ying hard to get," Lucy hissed in at him in frustration.

    Hard to get? She thought he was ying hard to get? Tom almost chuckled at the hrity of the ridiculous situation he had found himself in.

    He took in a deep breath before turning to face Anita, "What are you doing?" He asked in a whisper, but the annoyance was clear in his tone.

    "Focusing on the movie since that is why we are here," Anita said without ncing at him as she carefully picked a popcorn and ced it in her mouth.

    Tom sighed, "I suppose I should tell her about us, what do you think?" He asked, trying to see her reaction, and as expected her head turned to look at her.

    "I thought we had an agreement," Anita reminded him under her breath, but he could hear the warning in her tone.

    "If you remember we have an agreement what are you doing here with her?" He asked under his breath so that Lucy wouldn''t hear them.

    "You like her, don''t you?" Anita asked with a slightly raised brow, and a knowing smile danced on the edge of her lip.

    "That doesn''t answer my question!"

    "Let''s just say I''m here to y cupid. I figured she is more suitable for you than I am or can ever be, and to make up for the past I want to help pair you both together," Anita said with a pleasant smile that made Tom narrow his eyes.

    What was this? Both of them were ying cupid with him? He felt likeughing at himself and crying for himself at the same time. What did he do to deserve this?

    "I don''t remember asking for your help," Tom said, trying to control his emotions.

    "You don''t have to ask. I feel like I owe it to you considering how things went between us. So don''t worry about me. Although I think she likes you, she has only good things to say about you," Anita whispered conspiratorially.

    Of course, Lucy would have only good things to say about him to Anita because she was also trying to matchmake him with Anita. Lord have mercy, what was he going to do about this?

    "If I like her, I can very well talk to her by myself, I don''t need your help, so stay clear off me," Tom warned.

    Lucy smiled to herself as she listened to their whisperings even though she couldn''t hear anything they were saying. She was just d that they weremunicating and focused on each other. She was a good matchmaker. Perhaps she should consider a career in matchmaking?

    ''Nice one, Lu. Nice one,'' she patted herself mentally.

 Chapter 113 - Conference Call

    After staring at the screen for a while without following the movie being shown on the screen, Tom turned to Lucy, "I will be outside," Tom whispered to Lucy as he tried to stand up.

    "What? Why? The movie barely just started. Is something wrong?" Lucy asked in concern as she nced at Anita to see if something was wrong, but Anita''s gaze was fixed on the screen.

    "Everything is okay. I don''t think I enjoy the movie, and I need to make a phone call outside. I will join you when I''m done," Tom said as he stood up, and waited for Lucy to adjust her legs before walking out of the row.

    "Wait," Lucy called out before he could walk away, making some of the viewers near them turn to look at them as they frowned at the noise, "Sorry," Lucy whispered to them before turning to Tom.

    "You should go with the car key," she said, extending it to him.

    "Thanks," Tom said as he took the car key from her before walking away.

    .

    Once he left, Lucy turned to Anita, "Did something happen between you both?" She asked in concern. She couldn''t believe that after she had just finishedmending herself on a job well done in bringing them together Tom had decided to leave.

    "Not at all. I think he would have preferred to be here alone with you," Anita said, shing her a small smile.

    Lucy giggled at the statement, "Nah. He would have preferred to be here alone with you, trust me. He likes you," Lucy whispered conspiratorially since she believed Anita liked Tom as well.

    Anita''s perfectly carved brows shot up, "You are mistaken. You are the one he likes," Anita said, and Lucy shook her head with an amused smile.

    "Don''t worry, I''m sure you will find out soon enough that he likes you," Lucy said with a confident smile before returning her attention to the screen once again.

    After Tom left the movie hall, he walked over to the parking lot, unlocked the car, and dialed Jade''s line as he sat on the driver''s seat. It was Sunday and as such, he knew she wouldn''t be at the office, and if anything she would be in her study at home looking over a case file or just resting.

    "Sup!" Jade greeted distractedly once she received the call, but her eyes were still on the open page of the hardback crime novel she was reading.

    "Do you have a minute?" Tom asked with a note of urgency in his tone, which prompted Jade to sit up on her bed and drop the novel next to her.

    "Sure. What''s up?"

    "I need your opinion on something," Tom said with a frown.

    "Okay... What''s up?" Jade asked, waiting to hear what the problem was.

    Tom looked at the screen of his phone when he heard the notification of an awaiting call,

    "Hold on, Bryan is calling. Let''s have a conference call, that way you both can tell me what you think," Tom said as he received Bryan''s call and made it a conference call where all three of them could speak to each other at once.

    "Hey, Bryan! I was just talking to Jady before you called, so it''s a conference call," Tom informed Bryan.

    "Hey, sissy! How''re you doing?" Bryan asked curiously.

    "If you wanted to know you should have called," Jade hissed at him.

    "I would have called if I wasn''t on this damn wheelchair," Bryan said, trying to turn the table.

    "What wheelchair?"

    "A wheelchair? Why?" Tom and Jade asked simultaneously. Their concern was evident in their voice.

    "You see? Maybe if you had bothered to call to check up on me you would have known that I twisted my ankle," Bryan said with a smug smile, knowing he had seeded in turning the table.

    "When did that happen? Howe you didn''t mention it when we discussed this morning?" Tom asked in concern.

    "Sorry, it slipped my mind. I slipped in the bathroom on Friday night. Sonia is fine, she went shopping with Mia, hence I''m calling now," Bryan exined.

    "Good to know you are okay, Yan. Tom, how was your dinner datest night? And what was the issue you needed my opinion on?" Jade asked, bringing Tom''s attention back to the issue they were discussing.

    "You need her opinion on something? Why didn''t you call me first?" Bryan asked grudgingly.

    "Tsk! I can''t believe after all these years you are still alwayspeting for attention with me. What a shame," Jade said, clucking her tongue.

    "You wish," Bryan muttered.

    "Listen up. I''m outside this Cinema hall. Lucy is inside with Anita, who happens to be my ex-girlfriend, and for one reason or the other they are both trying to matchmake me with each other," Tom said, catching both their attentions at once.

    "Wait, what? Your ex-girlfriend is friends with Lucy? How? And why are you outside the hall? Are you stalking them?" Bryan asked while Jade listened patiently as she waited for Tom''s response to Bryan''s questions.

    Tom took in a deep breath before going ahead to exin how Lucy had suggested they see a movie with her friend, and how he had found out the friend was Anita. He also went on to give them the details of his rtionship with Anita and how he now owned thepany where she worked. He also told them how Lucy hade to the conclusion that Anita was thedy he liked.

    "Wow!" Bryan and Jade eximed in unison after he was done.

    "So you mean Lucy is trying to help you win Anita, and for some twisted reason the gold-digging Anita is trying to hook you up with Lucy?" Jade summarized, and Bryan burst into a fit ofughter.

    "Damn! I don''t wish to be in your shoes right now," Bryan said with an amused smile.

    "What do you guys think I should do?" Tom asked wearily.

    "Why not just tell Lucy that Anita used to be your girlfriend? It''s not a big deal, especially as Anita doesn''t even know your true identity," Jade suggested.

    "The thing is, Anita and I already agreed not to tell anyone about our past," Tom added.

    "I don''t think Lucy is just anyone at this point. She deserves to know your actual rtionship with Anita, that way she won''t feel like aplete fool at the end of the day," Jade reasoned.

    "And what if he tells her about it, and she insists on seeing thedy he likes?" Bryan countered.

    "Of course she has every right to ask to see thedy, but don''t forget that Tommy also has every right to not tell her who thedy he likes is. And if she insists, you can just tell her that she is the one you like. That is surely going to shut her up," Jade said matter of factly.

    "Or you could just say you will tell her about it after your temporary rtionship ends," Bryan suggested instead.

    "Temporary rtionship? Are you dating her already, Tommy?" Jade asked, making Tom raise a hand tob his fingers through his hair. He was mixing up his conversation with Bryan and Jade. He could no longer keep track of who he was telling what to.

    "You weren''t aware?" Bryan asked happily since he knew something Jade didn''t know about.

    "Yeah, I was able to convince her to be my girlfriend," Tom said and went on to exin how he had been able to do that.

    "Hm. You are sure you want to keep up with this deceit for long? She is going to be pissed when she finds out everything," Jade said thoughtfully.

    "Women and sentiments," Bryan murmured with a dramatic sigh, "So what if Tom here finds out she isn''t all he thinks she is and changes his mind about wanting a rtionship with her? Her being upset or not won''t matter then. The important thing right now is for him to be sure that she is what he wants, after that he can apologize and find ways to make it up to her," Bryan said, making Jade sigh.

    "For his sake, I hope it will be that easy. Tommy, I really think you should just tell her that Anita is your ex-girlfriend, I''m sure it isn''t that big a deal," Jade said, and Tom sighed.

    "Alright. I will. Thanks," Tom said with a sigh.

    "By the way, I and Sonia will be featuring in a reality show. I thought you should know," Bryan announced.

    "A reality show? Since when did you start doing that?" Jade asked in surprise.

    "Since I twisted my ankle and can''t meet up with the deadline of some pending jobs."

    "That''s great. I will be sure to follow the show. Can''t wait to see my sister-inw," Jade said in a mocking tone, as she still didn''t believe that Bryan was genuinely engaged to Sonia.

    "By the way, when was thest time either of you heard from mom or dad?" Tom asked when he remembered that it was almost a week since hest spoke with his mother.

    "Monday," Bryan and Jade responded in unison.

    Tom sighed. He alsost heard from his mother on Monday, "Maybe we should consider paying them a surprise visit soon?" Tom suggested.

    "Once I wrap up this case, I will make time for a visit. Have you been able to speak with Harry?" Jade asked hopefully.

    "Yeah. He''s on it. He said he will get back to me within 48 hours, so let''s wait until then."

    "What are you guys waiting for? What is Harry getting?" Bryan asked, sounding lost.

    "Harry is helping me find a witness for my case," Jade exined.

    "Thanks, Tommy. If that''s all, I got to go now, love you both," Jade said before hanging up.

    Bearing Jade''s advice in mind, Tom returned inside the hall to join them since he didn''t want to leave Lucy alone in Anita''spany.

    Lucy who was already beginning to doze off, sat up when she saw Tom standing beside her, and she let him pass to his seat.

    "Where is she?" Tom asked as he sat down.

    "She left to take a call," Lucy said with a yawn, "What took you so long?"

    Tom turned to her, "Listen, I think there is a misunderstanding between us. Anita really isn''t the person I''m interested in. I don''t even like her," Tom said with a scowl, wanting to get that out of the way before Anita returns.

    Lucy frowned, "You don''t? But you said..."

    "I know what I said. But I''m serious. She really isn''t the one. Anita is... She is my ex-girlfriend," Tom said, making Lucy blink at him in surprise.

    "Your ex?"

 Chapter 114 - Spontaneity

    Tom watched as the surprised expression on Lucy''s face shifted into disbelief and then amusement as she raised a hand to her mouth to muffle herughter, "You almost got me for a moment," she said, hitting his shoulder yfully with her other hand.

    Tom grabbed her hand on his shoulder as he gazed into her eyes, "I''m serious, Lu. I don''t want to have to lie to you about this too."

    Lucy''s brows pulled together in a confused frown, "Too? You''ve lied to be about something else?"

    Tom sighed as he let go of her hands, "Yes. And I''m not going to tell you the truth yet either. I''m just trying not to tell you too many lies, that way when I finally tell you the truth you won''t be too mad at me hopefully," Tom said still looking into her eyes.

    Lucy looked back at him without saying a word as she tried to remember most of the things he had told her and which one of them could be a lie. When she was unable toe up with anything after a while, she decided to think about thatter, and just focus on the issue on ground.

    "So you mean Anita is one of the ex-girlfriends you told me about? How? What happened between you both?" Lucy said as she looked at him curiously.

    .

    If Anita was truly his ex as he has said, then he sure did have a high taste in women. What had she been thinking, assuming that someone like him that liked someone like Anita would ever be interested in her. She and Anita were far apart in many ways, and she wasn''t even thinking so because she suffered from an inferiorityplex. No. It was nothing like that. Anita exudes grace and elegance in every way... While she on the other hand, she was just there. She was pretty and had a good dress sense, and she loved to believe she was intelligent too, but Anita was all of those things and more.

    "Remember the first time we met? At the club?" Tom asked, and Lucy gave him a nod to say she was following, "I was waiting for Anita to show up, but she stood me up as usual," Tom said, making Lucy''s eyes widen in rm.

    "How could you be waiting for her to show up and then take a random stranger home? What if she had arrived at the time we were leaving the club and seen us together? Maybe that''s why she broke up with you and became friends with me," Lucy blurted out.

    "If you are not here to watch the damn movie can you both get the fuck out of the hall? People are trying to concentrate here! We didn''t buy the tickets just to hear your stupid discussion!" The guy behind Lucy growled at them angrily.

    "Sorry," Lucy apologized guiltily.

    "We should leave," Tom said as he stood up and waited for Lucy to do the same.

    "But Anita..."

    "She can find her way home. Let''s continue outside," Tom said, and Lucy reluctantly stood up and followed him outside.

    Neither of them said anything until they both got into the car. Tom asked took the driver''s seat this time, and Lucy sat in the front passenger seat before turning to look at him, "What if she saw us leaving the club together that night?" She asked with a concerned frown, continuing the conversation from where they stopped in the movie hall.

    "She didn''t."

    "How can you be so sure?"

    "Just listen, okay?" Tom said and then went ahead to exin how he had met Anita and how her attitude towards him had changed once she realized he was a handyman, and how he had finally broken up with her.

    Lucy couldn''t say she was very surprised by his revtion that her attitude towards him changed when she found out he wasn''t as wealthy as she probably assumed he was, since that was the impression she already had of Anita after spending such a short time with her. She couldn''t imagine a person like Anita settling with someone she would consider to be ''beneath her.

    "If that is the case, why did she ask that we hang out together? Maybe she has realized her mistake and wants to make up with you?" Lucy asked thoughtfully.

    "No. She is trying to matchmake us, in the same way, you were trying to do," Tom announced, making Lucy''s eyes widen in surprise, and then she burst into a fit ofughter.

    "You mean we were both ying cupid?" She asked as her body shook withughter, while Tom watched her, unamused.

    Lucy stoppedughing when she noticed the annoyance on Tom''s face, "I''m sorry. I really thought she was the one you liked and that she liked you too. I was only trying to help," Lucy said apologetically even though there were still traces of amusement in her eyes.

    "You see? This is more reason why you should just show me thedy you are interested in. How can I help you if I don''t even know her?" Lucy asked defensively.

    "I already told you how to help me. Just stop being so curious about who I like, and focus on being my girlfriend instead," Tom said, making her sigh.

    "It must have been really awkward being there with her, right?" Lucy asked with pursed lips, as she tried to imagine how he must have felt, while she kept gloating like she was doing him a huge favor. There was no way she could open that matchmaking agency now.

    "It was."

    "Well, at least now I have no reason to go to her ce anymore and be forced to sip tea as though I''m having lunch with the Queen of Ennd," Lucy said with a sigh of relief which made Tom chuckle.

    He remembered she had mentioned something about her friend being a perfectionist and a little too proper for her. So she had been talking about Anita then? "You don''t like her?" Tom asked curiously, wanting to know what Lucy honestly thought of her.

    "Well, I don''t hate her either. I''m just indifferent. I just think she''s a little too much," Lucy said, making him chuckle once again

    "What do you mean by too much?"

    Lucy pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes thoughtfully as she tried to figure out the best way to exin it, "Although she tries not to show it, I think she feels like she is better than everyone else. I''m not sure I know how to exin it, but everything about her is just too organized for my liking. I won''t like to have an enemy like her," Lucy said with a sigh.

    "Why?"

    "Are you really asking me that? People like her can be really dangerous. If she takes so much time in making sure she appears perfect even when she is eating cookies and sipping her tea, then imagine how much time she can spend in plotting against you," Lucy said with a mock shudder, making Tom double over withughter.

    "If you thought this way, why then were you still trying to y matchmaker?" Tom asked after he stoppedughing.

    "Because I thought you liked her," Lucy said with a shrug.

    "Even if I liked her, shouldn''t you have tried to discourage me from pursuing someone like her? Isn''t that what friends do? Or am I not your friend?" He asked with a slight frown.

    "Mind you, I never said she is a bad person. I''m only telling you what I think about her. I could be wrong about my assumption. I can''t discourage you from pursuing someone you like based on my assumptions. And I won''t be telling you this either if you hadn''t told me she was your ex," Lucy said with a shrug.

    "Okay. Tell me honestly, from the little time you spent around her, and from the little you know about me already, did you really think she was good for me? Would she have been perfect for me?" Tom asked, wanting to know how much Lucy knew him.

    Lucy sighed, "I think she probably would haveplicated your simple life. She lives an expensive lifestyle and you won''t be able to afford it," Lucy said before looking out of the window instead, "Her car is no longer here," Lucy said with a slight frown when she observed that a different car was parked in the space where Anita had parked her car.

    "I guess she decided to leave after I asked her to butt out. Since she is gone, let''s go somewhere else," Tom said, feeling relieved now that he had listened to Jade and had told Lucy the truth about his rtionship with Anita.

    He was d that Lucy had been able to see through Anita on her own, now he didn''t have to worry too much about her hanging around with Anita anymore.

    "Where do you suggest we go to?" Lucy asked as she took out her journal, wanting to see if there was something on her list that they could do.

    "Somewhere that isn''t on your list. Girlfriends are spontaneous, Lu. It''s boring when you have to make a list for everything. Sometimes you should just go with the flow. Let''s just drive around so that I can show you around the city," Tom suggested.

    "Can we go to your friend''s house before going home? I will like to have a good look around. I wasn''t able to do that thest time cause I was in a hurry to get to the office," Lucy said, surprising Tom.

    "Why do you want to see the ce?" Tom asked in confusion. He would need to call the butler to inform everyone that they wereing so that they wouldn''t blow his cover.

    "I don''t know. It just looked really lovely. At first, I thought it was a hotel. Can we just go there? Your friend won''t mind, right?" Lucy asked hopefully.

    Tom''s lips pulled curved at the side in a smile when something urred to him, "Do you realize that today makes it a week since we met?"

    "It is?" Lucy asked in surprise. It was just a week? Why did it already feel like she had known him for over a year? Howe it was only a week yet she was sofortable with him? This has to be the longest week of her life.

    "Yes. Would you like us to spend the night over there? We can go to the office from there tomorrow," Tom suggested.

    "Didn''t you say it''s your friend''s family''s house? Will they be okay..." Her words trailed off when she remembered that if they had been okay with him bringing ady over to spend the night thest time, then they would be okay with her sleeping there too.

    "Don''t worry, no one is there apart from the Household staff," Tom assured her.

    "Oh! But I didn''t n to spend the night..."

    "Spontaneity, Lu. You said you want to see the ce. We could just go back home, pick up whatever you need or get them on the way, and then we can drive around the city before heading there in the evening," Tom said, suddenly feeling the urge to see her in his house. He wanted to see how much she liked the ce, and how she would rte with his staff.

    Lucy sighed, "Are you sure it''ll be okay? Isn''t it a bit impromptu? We could just do that next weekend. Besides, are you forgetting dinner with the neighbors?" Lucy reminded him.

    "Oh! I almost forgot about that. Alright then, next weekend it is. After work on Friday, you''re going to pack up all you need, and then we can spend the weekend there, cool?" Tom asked as he turned on the car''s ignition.

    "Cool..." Lucy''s words trailed off when her phone started ringing and she took it out from her handbag to see that Anita was calling, "Hey!"

    "I''m sorry I had to leave. Something urgent came up," Anita lied.

    "Oh! It''s fine. I hope everything is fine?" Lucy asked.

    "Yeah, my dog is feeling sick so I have to take care of it. Let''s hang out some other time. Just the both of us, okay?"

    "Alright. Take care... Of your dog," Lucy said before hanging up.

    "Her dog is ill, huh?" Tom asked in amusement since he could guess the call was from Anita.

    Lucy grinned, "Yeah. I guess you were right,* she said, remembering all he had said a while ago about her alwaysing up with excuses using her dog. That was a pretty silly thing to do for someone who looked as smart as Anita.

    "Do me a favor, don''t let her know you are aware she is my ex, okay?"

    "Why?" Lucy asked in confusion.

    "We agreed not to tell anyone. And I also want to see what she is up to, and why she is trying to matchmake us. Just y along, alright?" Tom said, and Lucy nodded.

    "Cool."

 Chapter 115 - Miss Me?

    After his phone call with his siblings, Bryan moved around the house aimlessly in search of anything he could do to while away his time until Sonia returns from her shopping with Mia. He paused when he suddenly realized what he was doing.

    Why was he waiting for her and trying to while away his time? Surely his life wasn''t so boring without her that he didn''t have better things to do in her absence. He didn''t need Sonia or anyone else in his life, Bryan thought with a scowl as he moved over to the living room and turned on his y Station console. He set up the game and started ying as he tried to get thoughts of her out of his head.

    As he yed the game against theputer his mind shed back to his time at the game arcade with Sonia thest time, and how she had cussed every time she lost a game. He grinned to himself as he repeated some of the cuss words she had used, every time theputer won against him.

    .

    He sighed when after ying several games yet Sonia remained on his mind, and then he dropped the game pad on the table. What was he going to do about this sudden attraction to Sonia? Now that he had kissed her, he knew it wasn''t going to take long before things progressed from just a kiss. Only God knew how far he would go the next time.

    His eyes drifted to his phone on the table when he heard his message notification tone, and he reached for it. He raised a brow when he noticed that the message was from an unsaved number, and his traitorous heart skipped a beat when he clicked on the message and realized it was from Sonia, because of her picture which was attached to it.

    His lips curved in a smile before he could stop himself when he saw the picture she had sent. Typical Sonia. It was a selfie of herself with a goofy expression on her face. Her eyes were staring at her nose like she had crossed eyes, and her tongue stuck out of her lips like she was making fun of him. The apanying text read, "Miss me?"

    He really wished he could say he didn''t miss having her around the house. Somehow she had been there for only a couple of days, but his home already had a different feel without her in it. Even though they argued and fought most of the time, she was still the most exciting and beautifully exhratingdy he hade across.

    "Wait, what? You''ve got to slow down, Bryan!" Bryan cautioned himself in rm when he realized what he was thinking.

    This was a major danger signal. How could he be already thinking that the green-eyed witch he was trying to get rid of was the most excitingdy he hade across? Yeah, maybe she was, in all honesty, but he didn''t even like her! Or did he? Bryan thought with a slight frown. No, he didn''t like her. Even though she was fun to be around, she was also stubborn and annoying, and those weren''t attributes he wanted in ady.

    He would be damned if he ever admitted to her that he missed her anyway, Bryan thought as he responded to her text, "No. The house is more peaceful without you."

    After sending the text it urred to him that he didn''t even have her phone number the whole time she had been under his roof. How had he forgotten to do that? He asked himself as he tried to save the number she had used in texting him. What other name could be more appropriate for someone like her other than her original title? Green-eyed witch.

    He had a satisfied smile on his face after saving her number and raised his head when he heard the sound of the doorbell. He sighed in relief knowing that it was probably his manager at the door with the production team, so he directed his wheelchair to the door and opened it to see his manager standing there with the CEO.

    "Hey!" Bryan greeted them as they both walked into the house, "Where are the others?" He asked as he looked behind them before looking from his manager to the CEO.

    "I figured I get some things straightened out with you before they get here," the CEO said as he looked around the house, before looking at Bryan, "Where is she?" He asked, referring to Sonia.

    "She went out to get some clothes," Bryan said as he turned his back to them and returned to the living room, leaving them to follow him.

    "Good. So we can talkfortably," the CEO said, without making any move to sit down. He stood in front of Bryan with a serious expression in his eyes.

    "You do realize that this show is a perfect opportunity for you to break up with her, right? I understand that you messed up by proposing to a stranger, but you can fix it now. All you need to do is subtly make her act up during the show, and push her until she does something to you that your fans will consider uneptable, and then you can break up with her. That would reduce the bacsh you are likely to receive," the CEO suggested, while Jeff took his seat on one of the sofas in the living room.

    "Why do I have to make her act up and then break up with her on the show?" Bryan asked with an annoyed expression, not liking what the CEO was suggesting.

    "You no longer want to end things with her?" The CEO asked with a slightly confused frown.

    "I know I want to end things with her, but that doesn''t mean I want it to be at her detriment..." His words trailed off when he recalled that he had been nning to do exactly that when he invited Matt over initially. He had wanted to set her up with Matt and make it seem like she was trying to ruin their friendship by seducing Matt, so why was the idea sounding so annoying to him now?

    Perhaps it was because he was a man of integrity and he was only trying to uphold his standing agreement with Sonia. She had promised to end things between them herself, so he was going to let her do it. It was better for them both that way.

    "If you don''t do it when you have the chance, how else do you intend to end things between you both? Perhaps you have changed your mind and you want to continue with the rtionship?" The CEO asked suspiciously.

    "Of course, not! Just let her be. We will end it when we end it," Bryan said, not willing to give out the details of his agreement with Sonia.

    "You do know that she is using you, right? I did some background work and confirmed that the sales of her books have more than tripled since she met you," the CEO said, making Bryan raise a brow.

    "Have you read any of her books?" Bryan asked, making Jeff who was watching the exchange between them, look at him curiously.

    "Am I supposed to?" The CEO asked with an incredulous snort.

    "I''m just asking, cause maybe if you did you would understand why the sales tripled. People must have bought one of her books because they were curious about her, I did too. But trust me when I say I don''t think they kept buying her books just because of me. She is a talented writer," Bryan said, making Jeff''s lips twitch with an amused smile. He wondered if Bryan realised that he was defending Sonia.

    "Still the sales of her books would never have tripled had she not met you. I think you should break up with her before she causes you any trouble. What if she starts ckmailing you or something?" The CEO asked.

    "Listen, I understand your concern, but nobody is using anybody. I approached her first after all, so don''t worry about it. Plus Sonia isn''t the type to ckmail anyone," Bryan said confidently, making the CEO sigh wearily as he walked over to one of the sofas and lowered himself on it in defeat. Bryan was stubborn, so he was going to allow him to do as he pleased, but if he so much as noticed any suspicious move from Sonia, he was going to have to step in and take care of things.

    Jeff who had been quietly following the conversation grinned to himself. It seemed like Mia had been right after all. Sonia was gradually getting under Bryan''s skin, and he doubted that Bryan was aware of it. It was amusing to watch Bryan talking about ady this way.

    "When is the production teaming over for us to discuss the details of the show?" Bryan asked, wanting to change the subject. He looked at Jeff with a slightly raised brow when he noticed that Jeff was staring at him with an amused expression on his face as if he knew a secret Bryan wasn''t aware of.

    "They are already on their way. When will Sonia be back? Have you both sorted out your love story?" The manager asked curiously.

    "Yes, we have. I don''t know when she''sing back," Bryan said and nced at his phone when it beeped with a message notification from the green-eyed witch once again.

    "Then perhaps I should make you miss me?" The text read, and the next thing he knew several photos came in at the same time, causing his eyes to widen in surprise when he noticed the different sexy gowns she was wearing in each of the photos. In each of the photos, she struck different provocative poses like she was a model, showcasing her ass and boobs in most of the photos.

    The apanying text read, "I''m having a difficult time picking my dress, and since you said I can''t ask Mia, you are all I''ve got. Which do you prefer?" She asked, and then flooded his inbox with more provacative photos making Bryan groan inwardly when he felt his member twitch between his legs.

    Whether she was with him or not, she was trouble to his body and mind.

    He quickly typed a response, "None. I don''t like any of them."

    He wasn''t going to be able to think straight or control himself around her if she walked around his house dressed in such provocative clothes. He was bound to make a fool of himself, and then there would be cameras around to capture his madness. So no! He didn''t want any of those clothes.

    "What did he say?" Mia asked when Sonia giggled.

    "As expected, he doesn''t like any of them," Sonia said with a grin.

    "So you are not taking them?" The sales clerk asked with a worried frown, since she had been excited that Sonia had picked so much clothes.

    Bryan was so done for.

    "Pack them all. I want all of it," Sonia said with a wink at Mia, who giggled excitedly, while the sales clerk happily did as she was told.

    "Now that we are done with shopping, let''s go get the makeover!" Mia announced.

 Chapter 116 - Jamal

    Matt adjusted the cor of his shirt and looked into the rearview mirror to be sure he looked okay before stepping out of his car. He knew that Candace was probably going to be upset when she sees him, but there was little else he could do. He wanted to see her, and he wanted to talk to her.

    The following evening after the private performance she had given him, he had waited at the back area of the club where he knew she would leave through, until he saw her walking out, lookingpletely different from thedy who had just given him the bestp dance of his life. The wig was gone now, and she was dressed in a faded jeans trouser and white turtleneck top.

    He discreetly tailed her to find out where she lives. He had watched as she picked up her little blonde boy who looked like he was seven years old from the nanny''s ce, and had then followed them down a couple of blocks to their apartment while watching them talk andugh.

    Seeing the neighborhood she lived in, he could tell that she was earning well from her stripping job to afford it. He watched as they walked over to a white-painted building with a picket fence surrounding the little garden in front of the house. The ce looked so homely and one would never guess that the upant of the house was a sensational stripper.

    He had kept asking himself all through the previous evening why he liked her or wanted so desperately to be with her.. He hade to the conclusion that it could be infatuation, or maybe because of his bruised ego at her rejection, or maybe it was because she was very interesting and aroused his senses. Whatever it was, he wanted to get to know her and find out himself without being judged simply because he was a celebrity.

    Standing in front of the white oak door, Matt took in a deep breath before raising a hand to rap the knocker on the door. What was the worse that could happen? He was either going to be weed or thrown out and even if he was thrown out, he intended to keep visiting her until she gives in to him.

    "Mom? There is someone at the door. I think aunt Andy is here," Matt heard a little boy''s voice from behind the door followed by the patter of his little feet running towards the door before it was pulled open.

    He watched as the happy smile on his face transformed to disappointment, "Oh!" He eximed when he realized it wasn''t his aunt Andy as he had expected, "Who are you?" He asked cautiously, looking at Matt warily before ncing behind him.

    Matt looked at the cute little boy and noticed that the only resemnce between the kid and Candace was the brown eyes and bow-shaped lips. Apart from those the kid looked nothing like his mother.

    Matt shed him a friendly smile when he noticed the distrust in the kid''s eyes, "Hi! I''m Matt, your mom''s friend. What is your name?" Matt asked as he squatted in front of the kid so that they were both at the same eye level, before extending a hand to him for a handshake.

    "Jamal..."

    Candace who was dressed in a bathing robe,ing towards the door with a towel in one hand and a hairdryer in another hand, stopped halfway when she caught a glimpse of the man talking to her son, "Jam!" She called out sternly.

    "Mom," Jamal said, turning to look at his mother before taking some steps away from the door.

    "What did I tell you about answering the door and speaking to strangers?" She asked in a scolding tone, while Matt looked at her as he straightened up.

    She looked pretty as usual with her rough wet hair looking like it needed his fingers tob through them. She looked fresh out of the shower and he wanted to bury his neck in the crook of her neck and drown himself in her scent.

    "I''m sorry mom. You were in the shower and I opened the door because I thought it was aunty Andy and I didn''t want to keep her waiting for too long. Besides, he says he''s your friend, so he isn''t really a stranger, is he?" Jamal asked, looking back at Matt, and then to his mom again.

    What was he doing here? She thought she had made it clear that she didn''t want anything to do with him, so why did he keep showing up around her? "Go to your room," Candace ordered in a sharp voice.

    "But mom..."

    "NOW!" Candace snapped at him, making Jamal run off immediately in what Matt suspected to be the direction of his bedroom.

    "How did you know where I live? And what are you doing here?" Candace asked as she hung the towel around her neck and adjusted her bathrobe self-consciously as she tried not to remember the previous evening.

    "What do you think?" Matt asked without bothering to step inside the house. He couldn''t do that without her invitation. Although he wanted to talk to her, he also wanted her to invite him first.

    "Did you follow mest night? Are you stalking me? Why are you doing all of this? I really don''t understand why you are being so stubborn," Candace said irritably.

    "Me neither. But I would like to find out why if you give me the chance, don''t you want us to?" Matt asked, making confusion flicker in her eyes as she wondered what he was talking about.

    "Don''t I want us to what?"

    "Don''t you want us to find out why I''m being so adamant about seeing you and talking to you?" Matt exined as he dipped his right hand into the pocket of his trousers while staring at her curiously.

    Candace swallowed, "Look, I''m not ready for any of this, so maybe you should leave," Candace said impatiently as she walked towards the door, wanting to shut it in his face.

    "How can you judge me simply because of my career?" Matt asked before she could shut the door in his face, making her scoff.

    "Are you really asking me that? We both know the reverse is the case here. No one is judging you, so stay away from me and my son. Don''t ruin the life I have worked so hard to build here," she warned as she reached out to shut the door again.

    "I know who you are!" Jamal eximed excitedly as he ran out of his room before his mom could shut the door, making both Candace and Matt nce at the kid curiously.

    "You are the bad man in the movie mom watchedst night. I thought you died?" Jamal asked, making Matt''s lips twitch in amusement as he knew the movie the kid was referring to

    He then nced at Candace who was no longer meeting his gaze. So she had watched a movie of him before going to bed?

    "I thought I asked you to stay in your room?" Candace asked her son through gritted teeth, making the smile on his young face fall.

    "Sorry. I got excited when I remembered him," Jamal said sadly before waving at Matt and turning to return to his bedroom.

    "Do you like ying games?" Matt called out to the little boy before he could disappear. He read that the quickest way to the heart of a single mother was being nice to their kids. So maybe if Jamal liked him, he would stand a better chance with Candace.

    Jamal turned around, ncing at his mother who was ring at Matt, before looking at Matt, "I suppose I do," he said with a small shrug.

    "Why are you still standing there talking to him?" Candace asked her son impatiently.

    "Thought you said not to be rude to adults? He asked a question so I had to respond, right?" Jamal asked his mother innocently, making Matt''s lips twitch with a smile. The kid was smart. He liked him.

    "Anybody care to tell me who this fine man is? And why is he still standing out here?" A feminine voice asked from behind Matt.

    "Aunt Andy!" Jamal squealed as he ran past his mother to embrace Brandy who automatically squatted down to lift him.

    Looking at the ease with which she squatted down and picked him up, Matt could tell that this was something she did often. Aunt? Was she Candace''s sister? Matt wondered as he stared at Brandy was dressed in a ck leather jumpsuit, zipped open at the front to reveal her cleavage and boobs. She was pretty stunning.

    "How is my Jamjam doing today? Missed me?" Brandy asked with a grin as she patted his blonde hair which looked like hers, before pecking his cheek while bncing him on her waist.

    Brandy straightened herself to look at Matt. Thanks to the high-heeled boots she was wearing, she was almost as tall as he was, "Oh! It''s you," she said with an amused smile as she turned to look at Candace, making Matt wonder just what Candace must have told her friend about him.

    "It''s me? I''m Ma..."

    "You''re Matt. I''m Candace''s sister. My name is Andrea but you can call me Andy," she said, extending her hand to him for a handshake.

    "Blood sister?" He asked curiously as he shook her hand.

    "Take Jamal inside while I see him off," Candace instructed, cutting off their conversation.

    "He is leaving already?" Brandy asked, looking at Matt in disappointment, "Are you in a hurry to go somewhere? Why don''t youe in?" She asked Matt hopefully.

    "Andy!" Candace called in a warning tone.

    "Since you are done talking to him, don''t you think I should talk to him as well? I should at least know who is visiting my sister, right Jamjam? Don''t you want to know mummy''s friend?" Brandy asked Jamal who looked at all the adults curiously, as he wondered what was going on between them before nodding his head.

    "The man of the house has spoken. Let''s go in," Brandy suggested as she grabbed Matt''s hand with her other hand and led him inside, leaving Candace who was ring at them all to shut the door.

 Chapter 117 - Stick Around

    "So, what can I offer you?" Brandy asked as she set Jamal on the couch and turned to look at Matt who was looking around the living room curiously.

    "I don''t mind a ss of water," Matt said with a smile of gratitude, grateful that he had been invited in, even though it wasn''t by Candace.

    "Ordering up shortly," Brandy announced as she walked away leaving Matt alone with Jamal.

    "So, how did you be my mom''s friend?" Jamal asked, narrowing his eyes suspiciously once they were alone.

    Matt looked at the little boy, slightly taken aback by the unexpected and bold question, "We havee a long way," Matt said, unable to shake off the feeling that he was about to be interrogated by this kid.

    "How long have you both been friends?" Jamal asked, crossing his hands over his chest, with a facial expression that told Matt that he was unwilling to buy any false story.

    "Some months?" Matt asked uncertainly making the kid''s brow arch.

    Jamal snorted, "That isn''t a long way," he said before asking him the next question, "Why doesn''t she want to be friends with you anymore? Did you hurt her?"

    .

    Thankfully before Matt could say a word Brandy returned with his ss of water and sat down on the couch beside Jamal who was watching Matt with his hawk-like gaze.

    "Did you?" Jamal asked again when it seemed like Matt was avoiding his question.

    Matt had thought the kid would stop questioning him once his aunt returned to join them, but it seemed not. He nced at Brandy who had an amused smile on her face as she tilted her head to one angle as though she was also waiting for his response.

    Matt sighed inwardly, "I didn''t."

    "So why doesn''t she want to talk to you?" Jamal pushed on, making it clear that his mother was dear to him and he wasn''t going to allow just anyone to mess with her.

    "I''m afraid I can''t answer that question. Only your mom can do that," Matt said with a sigh.

    "But..."

    "To your room, Jamal. Now!" Candace called out sternly from the bedroom passage, making the kid get off the couch. He narrowed his eyes at Matt in warning before walking away.

    Once he left Brandy giggled, "Jamal is fiercely protective of us. He considers himself the man of the house," she exined with an amused smile.

    "I understand," Matt said, returning her smile as he raised the ss of water to his lips to take a sip. He was curious about a lot of things, but he couldn''t ask any questions now.

    "You must like Candace a lot," Brandy said, looking at him curiously.

    The only reason she had invited him in was that she knew for a fact that even though Candace was pushing him away, Candace had been crazy about him when she didn''t know his true identity. She had always been eager to chat with him and hadughed out crazily every time they were chatting online or speaking over the phone.

    She had been excited on Candace''s behalf that she had finally met someone she really liked after such a long time, and as such, she had felt sad when Candace returned after their first date looking so heartbroken as she broke the news to her that she couldn''t be with him because he was a celebrity.

    "What is there not to like? Have you met your sister? She is a really brilliant and interestingdy," Matt said, making Brandy giggle. Candace did prefer to be referred to as intelligent instead of beautiful.

    "I know, right?" Brandy said with a proud smile. Between them, Candace was the brain.

    "Andy, can I have a word with you in the bedroom before I leave?" Candace asked from the passageway.

    "Excuse me," Brandy said with a small smile as she stood up and walked away.

    "You know I don''t like this. I really don''t want any of it and you know why!" Candace hissed at Brandy the moment she walked through the door and shut the door.

    "Why? Because you don''t want Jamal to know about our night job? Jamal is a smart kid..."

    "There is that, but it''s more than that! I can''t believe I need to spell it out to you," Candace said, cutting her off.

    "Are you going to lie to me that you don''t like him? I watched how you transformed into a very happy person when you first met him on the site. Do you have any idea how flustered you looked after meeting him at the clubst night? You know I will always have your back, and I''m only out to do what makes you happy," Brandy said in a soft voice as she took Candace hands in her own and rubbed them gently.

    "If my happiness means anything to you, then you will send him away. I won''t be happy if my rtionship with him exposes us all to danger. You know what it took us to be able to live like this," Candace said with a sigh making Brandy pause with a frown on her face.

    "Are you talking about J..." She stopped, remembering that they agreed not to mention the name of the person.

    Candace gave her a nod as tears gathered in her eyes, "Yes,"

    "I don''t think he will be able to find us. He''s still locked up in..."

    "Andy, please. Just listen to me and ask him to leave," Candace pleaded desperately.

    Brandy looked like she was going to argue, but seeing how Candace was trying to not to breakdown in tears, she heaved a deep sigh, "Just for the record, I think you are making a mistake by letting him go without even trying, but I will do as you have said," Brandy said before turning around to leave the room.

    Matt who was seated in the living room could guess that the conversation was about him leaving, so he stood up immediately Brandy returned to the living room, "Thanks for your hospitality. I should be leaving now," he said with a small smile not wanting to put Brandy in the difficult position of asking him to leave.

    "I''m sorry to see you leave when we haven''t even talked yet. Thank you for stopping by," Brandy said with a serious expression on her face since she was feeling really sad for both Candace and Matt. She didn''t know much about Matt, but she knew only a great guy could have made Candace as happy as she had been before they met.

    She walked him to the door and just as he walked through the door she ced a hand on his shoulder, making him turn to look at her with questioning eyes.

    "Maybe if you hang around a little you could drop her off since she is going for her Sunday tutorials," Brandy offered in a whisper so that Candace wouldn''t hear her.

    "Tutorial?" Matt asked curiously, before recalling that Candace had once mentioned that she was studying forw school.

    "Yes. So stick around, okay?" Brandy said with an encouraging smile and patted his shoulder, giving Matt the impression that she was asking him not to give up so easily on her sister.

    "I will try," Matt said as he returned to his car

    He waited in his car for about thirty minutes until he saw the door open again and all three of them stepped out. Candace was now dressed in a simple purple-colored knee-length gown and low t shoes. He watched as Jamal embraced her and Brandy waved at her before returning inside.

    He thought about doing as Brandy had suggested by offering Candace a ride to her tutorial, but he didn''t want to be turned down again. There was only so much that a man''s ego could take, and he had taken enough for thest three days. Perhaps he was being selfish by asking her to give their friendship a chance when even he knew that by associating with him, she would be thrown into the spotlight which she was desperately trying to avoid. Maybe it was best he gave her some time to rethink her decisions. Now that he hade to that conclusion he couldn''t help but wonder why he had been out here waiting for her for the past thirty minutes only to change his mind now..

    Candace looked in the direction of the car parked away from her apartment and narrowed her eyes when she noticed that Matt was the person inside. She drew in a deep breath, ready to match over to where he was to ask him to leave her alone, but before she could take the first step he turned on the car''s ignition and drove away.

    Matt watched her from his rearview mirror as she watched him drive off, and he let out a sigh. He wasn''t giving up on her, he just needed to give her time to sort out her feelings while he did the same.

 Chapter 118 - Do You Like Him?

    Bryan had a scowl on his face when he checked the time again on his wristwatch for what seemed to be the one-thousandth time. He was mad that Sonia was yet to return after almost seven hours, and he was even madder that he was mad that she was yet to return. What was taking her so long? How difficult could it be to shop for simple clothes? And howe after he rejected the clothes she had shown him earlier she was yet to show him any other clothes?

    The production team hade to the house to look around it so they would decide on where to set up the camera, and they said the next day going to be the first interview shoot.

    Bryan who was seated on his wheelchair directly opposite the door red at the door when he heard it opening.

    The re in his eyes was reced by surprise and his jaw almost dropped when he saw the person that walked in through the door. Although they were twodies, his eyes were glued to the stubborn sexy green-eyed witch that was like a torn in his flesh. He had asked her NOT to get those clothes, so what was that on her body?

    She was wearing a red bodycon dress that was impossibly short. It was a halter dress with a deep V-neckline that revealed her cleavages. Seeing how he could see almost the entire length of her thighs, he could tell that the gown stopped slightly below her butt cheek.

    His eyes returned to those beautiful long legs again, and he noticed that she was wearing a pair of ck knee-high boots.. How had he missed the boots the first time when he had looked her over? His eyes moved from her thighs to the rest of her body and he noticed that her skin looked more tanned than when she had left, and her face... Something about it looked different. He blinked when he realized what it was. Not only was she fully made up, but her long curly blonde hair was now a mass of braided hair, which made her face appear slimmer and even finer.

    Had she been walking around wearing this? Other people had seen her? Bryan wondered in displeasure.

    Mia who had followed Sonia inside the house because she wanted to see Bryan''s reaction, grinned in satisfaction because the mission for the day was aplished already, "I should go now. See you tomorrow," Mia whispered to Sonia as she quickly walked out.

    "I suppose you are done assessing me?" Sonia asked in amusement since it seemed like he hadn''t even noticed Mia''s presence or her departure.

    Bryan snapped his mouth shut when he realized that he was almost drooling, and blinked as he looked at her lips which were moving. He knew she had said something, but he was lost in his admiration of her body that he hadn''t heard what she said. He shook his head before quickly recing the fascination on his face with a scowl.

    "I thought I asked you not to get those clothes," he growled at her, making her giggle.

    "And since when have I ever listened to you?" She asked dryly as she spun around so that he could see the backside of her gown.

    "So why then did you ask me if I liked them?" Bryan asked with a scowl.

    "Just to confirm that they were the perfect choice," Sonia said with a wink as she moved closer to him.

    "Maybe you should stop tempting me and start listening to me," Bryan said in a warning tone, but Sonia only grinned as she stopped directly in front of him.

    "And if I don''t, what will you do? Kiss me like you kissed me earlier?" Sonia asked with a daring smile as she sat on his thighs, making Bryan''s heat skip a beat.

    Sonia giggled when she saw the surprise on his face, "Don''t think for a moment that you can predict me. I''m nothing like the otherdies you have been with, trust me," Sonia said as she rested her head on his chest and embraced him.

    Bryan''s heart fluttered in his chest, and he blinked several times. Why did it feel like their roles have been reversed? He was the yboy here. He was supposed to be the one making her feel flustered not the other way round. Was he losing his abilities?

    "I missed you. I kept thinking of you while we were shopping," Sonia said with a sigh as she snuggled closer to him, making Bryan hold his breath.

    "You..." He looked up when he suddenly remembered that Mia hade in with her earlier, "Where is Mia?" Bryan asked in confusion.

    "She left while you were busy eating me up with your eyes. I love a man whose eyes are so fixed on me that they don''t see anyone else," Sonia said with a sweet smile as she pulled her head away from his chest to look into his face.

    Why did her words and action seem so natural? The situation was worse than he had thought if he had actually forgotten all about Mia''s presence just because he was looking at Sonia. He needed some time alone.

    "You..." He stopped and cleared his throat, "You should go and change into something else. Let''s talk after you have freshened up," Bryan said, wanting her to leave so that he could be alone.

    "Why? Are you ufortable because you want me?" Sonia asked, with a knowing smile.

    He chose to ignore her question as he nced at his wristwatch. "It''s gettingte already. Freshen up while I get your writing materials," Bryan said, and Sonia shed him a smile as she pulled away from him and stood up.

    "Try not to struggle too much with your emotions," she said with a wink and bent down to drop a smacking kiss on his lips before walking away.

    ***********

    "So, have you heard from your best friend? You haven''t seen what the boss looks like yet, have you?" Tom asked as they drove around the city while he pointed out majorndmarks to her.

    Lucy who was looking out the window so she would take note of every important area, turned to spare him a nce before returning her attention to the window again, "Not yet. But I think I might soon," she said with pursed lips. The CEO was likely going to want to see her when he hears about her rtionship with his prospective sister-inw, right?

    "Really? Your friend is going to meet him soon?" Tom asked, pretending not to understand what she was saying.

    "No. I''m nning to meet him. I asked her to mention to her fiance that her best friend is his brother''s personal assistant," Lucy confided in him, even though she nned to use the rtionship with the CEO to stop him from being her driver.

    Tom''s left brow shot up curiously since he hadn''t been expecting her to give him such information, "You did?" Tom asked, his surprise was evident in both his tone as he turned to spare her a nce.

    "Yeah. Why do you sound so surprised?" Lucy asked as she turned to look at him.

    "I thought you didn''t like the CEO and you didn''t want to get close to him, especially as you didn''t want people to assume you got promoted because of your best friend''s rtionship with the CEO''s brother. I''m just surprised you now want to meet him. May I ask why?" Tom asked, seeing this as the perfect opportunity to clear his doubts about her.

    Why? Lucy stifled the urge tough. How could she tell him that she hade up with the n because she didn''t want him working for her anymore, yet she had furtherplicated things by being his temporary girlfriend?

    "No. I don''t want to have to lie to you, so please don''t ask me why," Lucy said with a shake of her head.

    Tom''s heart skipped a beat at her response. Was she really trying to get into a rtionship with the CEO? "Do you like him? Perhaps you want to date him?" Tom asked again, making Lucyugh out loud.

    "Are you seriously asking me that because you don''t know I don''t want any rtionship with men, or because you feel you might have changed my mind about being in a rtionship in thest couple of hours?" Lucy asked dryly, making Tom rx a bit.

    Why hadn''t he thought of that? Of course, Lucy wasn''t interested in men, so it wasn''t an issue of her being a golddigger like the others. This meant that if she wasn''t trying to meet him because she was interested in him, then that left only one exnation. She wanted to be friends with the CEO so that she could get rid of her driver. That made more sense since he couldn''t assume she was doing this just to be promoted.

    "I''m going to quit being your driver after our rtionship ends, so if you are trying to get close to the CEO just to get rid of me, you don''t have to bother yourself," Tom blurted out making Lucy look at him in surprise.

    How did he know what she was thinking? "What? You can''t quit! I told you I''m going to lose my job if you quit," Lucy said with a frown.

    Wasn''t this the irony of life? Wasn''t this what selfishness meant? She didn''t want him to be her driver, yet she couldn''t let him quit on his own. Whoever the CEO was, he was a very mean person and she ought to deal with him, Lucy thought with an inward sigh.

    "Don''t worry, you won''t lose your job. I will let Mr. Harry know that I''m relocating, and I''m not leaving because you were mean," Tom assured her while taking note that she did not deny what he said. She really wanted to meet him just so she could get rid of him, how funny.

    "But why do you want to quit?" Lucy asked with a concerned frown.

    "Once I get thedy I want, there would be no need for me to remain your driver since she is the reason I took on this job just to be close to her. And if I don''t get her, there would also be no need for me to remain your driver," Tom said, making Lucy feel something funny in her chest.

    He had said she shouldn''t focus on finding who thedy was, but rather she should focus on helping him be the perfect boyfriend by being his temporary girlfriend. She was going to do just that for him.

    "Don''t worry, I''m going to make sure you get her!" Lucy promised with a determined expression on her face.

    "So are you still going to see the CEO if he asks to meet you?" Tom asked, wanting to see if she was going to change her mind now.

    "I guess I have to. But you don''t have to worry about losing your job. You can remain my driver until you get her," Lucy said, giving him a reassuring smile.

 Chapter 119 - Naive And Gullible

    Now that Lucy was rxed on her couch, in the privacy of her home, she took a moment to reflect on all that had happened at the Cinema earlier that day.

    How had she not realized that Tom''s change of attitude after Anita''s arrival was that of annoyance and irritation and not embarrassment? Was she really that naive and clueless? And howe Anita didn''t give her any hint that she had been in a rtionship with Tom? Especially considering the fact that they were both ''friends''? Why was she hiding it? Perhaps she was ashamed to tell anyone that she had once been in a rtionship with a mere handyman?

    If Anita was truly Tom''s ex-girlfriend as he had said, and she wasn''t interested in Tom as she had thought, why then was Anita so receptive of her friendship? Perhaps Anita wanted him back? No, Lucy thought with a shake of her head. That couldn''t be the reason since if Anita was interested in Tom, she would have spent more time talking about him.

    Her eyes narrowed as she tried to think about all her conversations with Anita thus far to see what Anita could possibly want from her since Anita didn''t seem to her like the type to just form friendships with just anyone without a n.

    Her eyes widened slightly in surprise when realization struck her. Anita had asked more questions about the CEO and her position as the CEO''s assistant during all their conversations. Why hadn''t she thought of it? It made more sense that someone like Anita would be interested in the CEO.

    Her brows furrowed in a frown again as she wondered why Anita had then suggested that all three of them hang out together if her target was the CEO. And why was Anita trying to matchmake her with Tom even after she had told her she wasn''t interested in men? Was there something she was missing? Lucy asked herself with a weary sigh as she sunk further into her couch.

    .

    She sat up almost immediately once again when she remembered what Tom had said about lying to her. What could he possibly have lied to her about? Or perhaps the lie was that their meeting wasn''t a coincidence? He had nned it all? How was it possible for him to get a job at thepany overnight and be her driver overnight when he was a mere handyman? Lucy mused, and she sighed when she couldn''t seem toe up with anything meaningful.

    Perhaps she was being too rxed and trusting around everyone and wasn''t paying enough attention to what was going on around her. She would have to do better going forward.

    Picking up her phone, she dialed Sonia''s line since she needed to tell Sonia about hertest discovery, and maybe Sonia would be able to see whatever it was that she was missing.

    Sonia who was had just finished freshening up and was on her way to the kitchen to fix dinner, nced at her phone when it started ringing, and she grinned when she saw that the call was from Lucy.

    "The original love of my life," Sonia said in a teasing tone, making Lucy smile.

    Sonia always had a way of making smile. She was definitely her favorite person in the world, no offense to her family. She loved them, but she loved Sonia just as much.

    "Why does it sound like things are going really well between you and Bryan?" Lucy asked with an amused smile.

    "That is because... things are actually going very well," Sonia said and stopped by the dining table when she noticed that Bryan had left herptop and journal on the table.

    Her lips curved in a smile as she sat down and turned on theptop. She could guess that he must have been very flustered by her appearance and action to have voluntarily returned her writing materials to her so soon.

    "So how did your day go?" Sonia asked as she sat on one of the dining chairs since she could guess that it was going to be a long conversation since Lucy only called when she had something important to say or ask.

    "Would you believe me if I told you that Anita is Tom''s ex-girlfriend?" Lucy asked, making Sonia blink in surprise since she hadn''t been expecting that.

    "What? Anita?" Sonia asked in disbelief "I thought you mentioned that she was the one he liked?" Sonia asked in confusion.

    "I thought so too, but apparently I was wrong," Lucy said and went on to exin all that had transpired between them at the Cinema earlier.

    Sonia sighed when Lucy finished giving her the details, "I honestly don''t know if it''s because you have never been in a rtionship with a guy before now, but you are the most naive and gullibledy I know. I can''t even imagine how you can be this naive when you are the best friend of such an experienced person like me. I should..." Sonia let the rest of her words trail off when she caught a glimpse of Bryan from the corners of her eyes. She couldn''t scold Lucy when someone else was listening.

    Hearing Sonia call her naive and gullible, she winced. It was one thing to say that to yourself, but an entirely different thing to hear someone else call you that, "But it isn''t my fault. How was I supposed to know that he lied about Anita being thedy he liked?" Lucy asked with a sigh.

    Sonia turned to look at Bryan and blew him a kiss when she caught him staring at her with a nk expression. She smiled when he looked away from her, "Well, I think you need to toughen up and keep your wits about you, especially whenever you are around that Anita girl. Something tells me that she is trouble, and she might be keeping you close only because she sees you as some sort of threat

    Try not to let down your guard at any time, and be watchful of what you say whenever she is around you," Sonia said, not bothering to excuse herself from Bryan since this conversation had nothing to do with his brother.

    "Yeah, I already n on doing that. Besides, I think she might be interested in the CEO," Lucy said and went on to give Sonia the reason she felt that way.

    "That exins everything then. I believe she must have be friends with you because you are currently the closest female to the CEO in your office, and as such you are her first major opponent. I guess she is trying to size you up and make sure you are not going to stand in her way."

    Bryan listened attentively to the discussion as he moved closer to the dining. Were they talking about Tom''s ex-girlfriend? Did that mean that Tom''s ex-girlfriend was interested in him? Bryan thought in amusement. This whole thing was just very funny and entertaining to watch.

    "Hmm. I really hope you are wrong, cause thatdy doesn''t seem like a very normal person. I will have to keep making it clear to her that I''m not interested in the CEO and as such I''m in no way a threat to her rtionship," Lucy said with a concerned frown.

    "You don''t owe her any exnation. But just to be safe you shouldn''t let her know about your rtionship with your boss''s soon-to-be sister-inw," Sonia said, turning to give Bryan a wink.

    Bryan''s heart skipped a beat and he hurriedly turned away from her again. He shook his head at himself. Why was he acting like ady? He had thought the little pep talk he had given himself a while ago in his bedroom had returned him to his default setting, so why was he acting like a sissy again? Of all thedies on earth, why was he feeling this way because of this crazy one?

    Bryan cleared his throat since he didn''t want to continue with this line of thought, "I suppose that''s Lucy? Can I say hi to her when you are done?" Bryan asked, making Sonia turn to look at him curiously.

    "You want to?" She asked in surprise, and Bryan gave her a nod.

    "Yeah. You have met Matt, but I am yet to see your best friend or speak with her. I should do better," Bryan pointed out.

    Lucy strained her ear to hear what Bryan was saying, "I guess Bryan is there now. Let''s talkter..."

    "Hold on, Lu. My fiance wants to say hello to you. I hope you don''t mind?" Sonia asked, and handed the phone to Bryan before Lucy could protest since she knew Lucy was likely going to decline.

    "No-no-no. I''m not ready to speak with him yet. What am I going to say?" Lucy asked nervously, making Bryan''s lips twitch with a smile as he listened to the voice of thedy his elder brother was interested in.

    "I wonder the same thing," Bryan responded in amusement making Lucy blink in surprise. How could Sonia have handed the phone to him without her consent?

    "Hi!" Lucy greeted with an awkward smile.

    "I''m Bryan. It''s nice to finally speak with you. I''ve heard so much about you," Bryan said, referring to all he had heard about her from both Sonia and Tom.

    "I''ve heard a lot about you too," Lucy lied since Sonia hardly ever talked about Bryan, so the only thing she knew about him was that he was her boss''s brother, and Sonia''s fake fiancee.

    Bryan was almost tempted to ask what she had heard, and how much she had heard about him from Sonia, but he stifled the urge to do so, "I''m sure I''ve heard more about you than you have heard about me. By the way, Sonia told me that you are my brother''s personal assistant?"

    She hadn''t expected him to bring that up so soon, "Yeah," Lucy said since she had no idea of what else he wanted to hear.

    She wasn''t the type to talk much, Bryan observed, "That''s cool. We already discussed you, so I''m sure he would be meeting with you very soon," He said, wanting to see if he could find out what she wanted from his brother.

    Lucy''s heart skipped a beat. "Soon?"

    "Yeah. Very soon. Is there a problem?" Bryan asked innocently, wondering why she sounded nervous.

    "Not a all. I look forward to meeting with him," Lucy said before deciding to change the subject, "So how are you coping with Sonia? I hope she isn''t frustrating you?" Lucy asked making Bryan nce at Sonia.

    She batted hershes at him and gave him a sultry smile which made him turn away from her almost immediately. What was her problem? Why did she always have to do weird stuff like that? Bryan thought.

    "She is a handful, but I think I''m adjusting. I''d like to know more about her from you if you don''t mind," Bryan said without looking in Sonia''s direction.

    Lucy giggled at that because she knew he was right about Sonia being a handful, "Sure. You can ask me whatever you want to know about her, and when you get fed up and are tempted to throw her out of your house, call me and I wille to get her," Lucy promised.

    "I will hold you to that," Bryan said with a crooked smile.

    "Sure," Lucy said confidently.

    "I will hand the phone to her now. I hope to hear from you more often going forward" Bryan said politely before returning the phone to Sonia.

 Chapter 120 - Family Black Sheep

    "Did I hear you say someone is interested in my brother?" Bryan asked Sonia after she hung up the call with Lucy and dropped the phone on the table.

    "It''s mere spection. But then again, a lot ofdies are interested in your brother so it shouldn''t be a big deal, should it?" Sonia asked as she stood up from the dining to head into the kitchen.

    "Is thedy bothering your friend?" Bryan asked curiously as he followed behind her in his wheelchair which he was quickly beginning to get used to.

    "Not exactly," Sonia said, not wanting to discuss Lucy''s private business with Bryan. As far as she was concerned, Lucy''s rtionship with Tom and Anita was none of his business.

    "So, how did the meeting with the production team go?" She asked, changing the subject to a morefortable subject.

    Bryan could tell that she was trying to avoid his question by changing the subject so he decided not to push it. At least not yet.

    .

    "Although, the producer wasn''t pleased about your absence, Jeff was quick to remind him that I was the one working with them, and not you, and as such, there was no need for them to meet with you," Bryan exined, and Sonia nodded her head.

    "True. Anything else that I need to know about the meeting?" She asked as she opened the refrigerator and looked into it, trying to find something to fix for dinner.

    "We have to wear matching outfits for our interview tomorrow... Jeff and Mia will get the clothes on their way here in the morning," he said, answering the question he knew she was likely to ask next, which was how they were going to get matching clothes.

    "Cool," Sonia said as she continued rummaging through the refrigerator. After searching for some time, she sighed, " I know I asked before, but you didn''t answer my question then. Aren''t you supposed to have a cook or something?" Sonia asked wearily.

    "I have a male home keeper, rmended by my mom. He makes sure the home is okay in my absence, and he takes care of my feeding andundry," Bryan said, mako Sonia nod.

    "So why don''t I see him anywhere around?"

    "That is because I asked him not to resume yet," Bryan exined.

    "You did? Why would you do that?" Sonia asked with a confused frown etched on her brow. Was he deliberately trying to wear her out with taking care of his home so that she would leave quickly?

    "He reports everything to my mom. If he resumes and has to live here with us, he will eventually find out that we are not truly engaged as we im, and the news would get to my mom. That would break her heart and I don''t want it. Besides, I don''t know who else he might reveal the truth to," Bryan pointed out.

    "Hm. I see. But I think if your mom rmended him, then he should be someone you can trust. She won''t rmend someone with questionable traits to you," Sonia said thoughtfully.

    "Although I understand where you areing from, I don''t fully agree with you. I adore my mom, but I also know that she is human and can easily misjudge people''s character, so I can''t fully trust a person because theye highly rmended by her," Bryan said, thinking of how his mother had said Sonia was a nice girl. Talk about being a terrible judge of character.

    "Hm," Sonia murmured with a nod as she took out the remnant of the sd they ate the previous evening and a pack of sausage since she couldn''t find anything else of interest, "I guess this will have to do until we get groceries," Sonia said as she dropped the items on the kitchen counter and turned to look at him.

    "May I ask why you don''t want to tell your family the truth? I don''t think it is a big deal for you to tell them that you proposed to a random stranger," Sonia said, looking at him curiously. She had been wondering why he was keeping the truth away from his family.

    Bryan considered her question for a moment, "Let''s just say I am kind of tired of being the family ck sheep. It is almost like they are always expecting me to do something crazy. So when both To... My brother and mom called to congratte me after hearing of the engagement, and I heard the pride in their voice, I did not want to disappoint them by telling them the truth," Bryan said with a sigh.

    Sonia pursed her lips as she looked at him quizzically. Contrary to what most people thought about him, she wasing to learn that he cared a lot about what people thought of him, especially his family. That left her to wonder why he got involved in all sorts of scandals in the first ce.

    "You don''t think you will disappoint them even more when they find out that you have been lying to them this whole time?" Sonia asked as she got busy with dicing the sausage.

    That question was one he has been avoiding himself. He knew his mom would be disappointed if she finds out he had deceived her along with the world. He didn''t want to think of it yet.

    "What can I do?" Bryan asked as he moved closer, wanting to help her out with dinner while also changing the subject.

    "I don''t know. You will have to figure it out yourself..."

    "I mean, what can I help you to do?" Bryan corrected.

    "Oh! You don''t have to do anything other than answer my questions and keep mepany," Sonia said, shing him a quick smile before returning her attention to the sausage she was dicing.

    "Alright. Do you think she might like my brother?" Bryan asked, making Sonia blink at him rapidly.

    Who was he talking about? His mother? Was he asking if she thought his mother might like his brother? Sonia wondered with a frown.

    "Who?" She asked, turning to look at him in confusion, wondering where the question wasing from.

    "I mean your best friend, Lucy. Do you think she might like my brother?" Bryan asked since he really wanted to find out what Sonia and Lucy were up to, especially now that he had spoken with Lucy. He felt closer to her now. She was no longer like a distant stranger to him.

    Why was he suddenly asking about Lucy and his brother? "Nah, she doesn''t. Why do you ask? You want to matchmake them?" Sonia asked with a teasing smile as she moved to the air fryer and poured the sausage into it.

    Was that really what they wanted? For him to matchmake her to Tom? Bryan wondered, "Would she like it if I did?" Bryan asked, dodging her question, so he could get his own answer.

    Sonia turned her attention to him, "I told you already that she isn''t interested in guys. Besides, she is in a rtionship with someone else at the moment," Sonia said before she could stop herself.

    "She isn''t interested in guys, yet she is in a rtionship?" Bryan asked dryly, not wanting to let go of this opportunity.

    "It''s just a temporary arrangement she has with the guy. She really isn''t interested in guys," Sonia said defensively.

    "Hold on, is it the same guy you were advising her to make her haaandy man?" Bryan asked in a suggestive tone, referring to her phone conversation with Lucy the first night they had met.

    Sonia''s eyes widened slightly in surprise at the realization that he still remembered everything she had said to Lucy over the phone that night, "Why are you so interested in my friend?" Sonia asked, trying to change the subject, while also trying to remember all that she and Lucy had discussed that night.

    "Is it such a bad thing to want to know more about your best friend? Besides, I feel like I could give her better advice than you do, considering the kind of advice I heard you give her that night," Bryan said with a shrug.

    Sonia narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. Perhaps he was right. Maybe he could help them see things from a guy''s perspective? She would need Lucy''s permission to do that since she couldn''t confide in Bryan about Lucy''s personal business without her say so.

    "Don''t forget that I let you stop me when you insisted I don''t tell Matt about his girlfriend being a stripper," Bryan reminded her.

    "That is a different issue," Sonia said with a roll of her eyes.

    "Is it now?"

    "I don''t remember asking you to tell me about Matt''s private business," Sonia pointed out.

    Why did she have to be so stubborn and smart? Bryan wondered with an inward sigh, "Fine then, you can keep it all to yourself. I''m not curious about anything concerning you anymore. Just make sure you don''t ask me about my family or friends either," Bryan said as he turned to leave, expecting Sonia to call him back and apologize.

    "Hold on," Sonia called out before he could cross the kitchen door, making his lips curve in a smirk, but he turned to look at her with a questioning expression on his face.

    "Drop this on the dining," Sonia said, handing him the bowl of sd, and earning herself a re from him.

 Chapter 121 - Simple Dinner

    Lucy stood in front of her closet wondering what she could wear to the dinner. The only reason she wasn''t changing her mind at thest minute was because Tom was going for the dinner too, else she would havee up with an excuse to skip it. She really despised dressing up and leaving her house, especially because of the time it took to make up her mind on what to wear.

    She didn''t know which she hated more between being overdressed and underdressed to an asion. Being overdressed would make you stand out too much and cause others to assume you are showing off while being underdressed would make you feel small and unable to move around freely because you don''t want to be noticed.

    After spending several minutes looking at the closet which was made up of corporate wear, a few sexy gowns, a couple of dinner gowns, and her causal wears such as jeans and joggers, she walked out of her bedroom dressed in bum shorts and spaghetti tops. Without thinking much about it, she walked out of her apartment and found herself standing in front of Tom''s door.

    She knocked on the door and moved from one foot to the other as she waited patiently for Tom to open the door. Since he was closer to them, she was sure he would know the right outfit that she could wear.

    Soon the door opened, "Are you okay?" He asked, looking at her with concern as his eyes scanned her clothes while he tried to figure out why she was in front of his apartment when she should be getting ready for the dinner.

    She shed him an apologetic smile, "I''m okay. Sorry to bother you, but..."

    "You are not bothering me. You are my girlfriend," Tom quickly corrected her.

    "Oh!" Lucy eximed when she realized that she had once again forgotten about their rtionship. It seemed like she could never get used to this rtionship thing, even though she noticed that she had be more rxed around him now, "Okay, I''m having a hard time making up my mind on what to wear... What are you wearing to the dinner?" She asked, looking him over to see if he had changed out of his clothes already.

    "Oh!" She eximed when she realized for the first time that his shirt was unbuttoned and a towel was tied around his waist like he had been about to step into the shower before she knocked on his door.

    Tom followed her gaze to his chest, but before he could say anything, she spoke.

    "You shaved," she murmured in a distant voice as though she was lost in thoughts as she kept looking at his once hairy chest, now cleanly shaven. Although she liked hairy men but seeing his hairless chest still affected her as much as his hairy chest had done. Her fingers itched to touch him and feel those muscles, but instead, she rubbed her hands together.

    "You want to touch me?" Tom asked when he noticed how she kept rubbing her hands together.

    "Yes," Lucy''s face immediately heated up in embarrassment once she realized what she had just admitted, "What? No!" She denied, hiding her hands behind her, as she shook her head vigorously without meeting his gaze.

    Tom grinned at her, "You don''t have to deny it or be embarrassed about it. I''m your boyfriend, after all, so you are free to touch me whenever and however you want to, the same way I am free to touch you," Tom said as he reached out a hand to grab her arm.

    "You are not..." Lucy''s words trailed off, and her heart skipped a beat when he suddenly pulled her into his house. What was he doing?

    "I am not what?" Tom asked curiously as he held on to her arm while looking at her face with interest and waiting for her to finish what she had to say.

    Lucy shook her head as if to clear it from whatever thoughts were entering it, "You are not free to touch me."

    "I''m not? Are you sure about that?" Tom asked as he pulled her closer to himself with force such that she had to ce her hand on his chest for support, "You just touched me, didn''t you?" Tom asked with a wicked glint in his eyes as both their eyes fell on her hand which was now resting on his chest.

    "It wasn''t on purpose," Lucy said as she snatched her hand away from him quickly, and took a step backward.

    "Are you sure it wasn''t on purpose?" Tom asked with a smirk.

    Lucy cleared her throat and lifted her chin defensively, "I only came to ask you what you are wearing to the dinner as I didn''t want to look out of ce," Lucy said, wanting to clear whatever doubt he was having that she had deliberatelye to him because she wanted to touch him.

    "Have you showered yet?" He asked as he looked her over.

    "Not yet. I was going to pick out my clothes before stepping into the shower," Lucy said without meeting his gaze or looking directly at him. She seemed to be looking over his shoulder as though he was Medusa, Tom thought with satisfaction.

    "Want to share the shower with me then?" He asked, wiggling his brows suggestively, and then chuckled when her eyes flickered to his face and she blushed a deep shade of red, "Rx. I''m just pulling your legs," he said in amusement before turning serious.

    "You could wear something simple since it is just dinner with the neighbors," he said making her focus on him now, since she believed he had stopped teasing her, until he said, "You don''t have to wear something sexy like you didst night unless it''s just dinner between us both," He added with a wink.

    Was he ever serious? "What exactly are you wearing?" Lucy asked with a sigh.

    "Ah! You want us to wear matching outfits? That''s definitely a perfect way to announce to the neighbors that we are an item now, and maybe they would stop ogling me. Why didn''t I think about that?" Tom asked humorously and Lucyughed despite the awkwardness she had been feeling only a minute ago.

    "Don''t be silly."

    "Lucy, stop trying to be a perfectionist else you might end up being exactly like Anita, no offense," Tom said, making her brows crease.

    "What do you mean by that? Why would youpare me to your ex-girlfriend?" She asked with displeasure.

    "That wasn''t aparison. You implied that she paid too much attention to details, in an extreme manner. Maybe you haven''t noticed, but you do that too. It''s just a dinner, put on a pair of jeans trousers or a simple gown. You don''t have to overthink it. And I''m sure regardless of what you wear, you will look better than anyone else in there," Tom assured her with a wink as he rubbed her arms affectionately.

    "You sure are a good boyfriend," Lucy murmured as she turned to leave his house.

    An hourter Tom and Lucy exchanged a look as they sat on the couch in Jasmine''s living room. Tom gave her an apologetic smile since it seemed she was actually underdressed in her casual jeans outfit, whereas both Jasmine and Alicia were dressed in lovely evening gowns.

    "I thought it was supposed to be a simple dinner?" Tom asked as he looked from Alicia to Jasmine.

    "It is a simple dinner. Why do you ask?" Alicia asked with a curious smile as she looked at Tom with her shiny eyes.

    "You are both dressed up, whereas we are..." Tom let the rest of his words trail off as he shrugged.

    "Oh! It isn''t a big deal, trust me. We both always look for every opportunity to dress up whether or not it''s a family dinner," Jasmine assured them, but Lucy remained quiet as she listened to the conversations going on around her.

    "It just feels good to have new neighbors around and..."

    New neighbors? Someone else was joining them for dinner, or was Tom the other neighbor? Lucy wondered, and then frowned when something urred to her and she looked around the living room. Initially, when Jasmine had walked up to Tom the first time to introduce herself, she had assumed it was because Jasmine was new to the area, but seeing how homely the ce looked, and the paint didn''t look fresh either, it didn''t seem like they had moved in recently. If that was the case howe they didn''t know Tom? Was this one of the lies Tom had talked about?

    "I guess you''ve been living here for a long time?" Lucy asked, looking at Alicia since she looked more innocent and charming than Jasmine.

    "Depends on how you define long. We have been here for about two years now," Alicia said, looking at Jasmine with a soft smile since the question reminded them of how they had moved in together despite her family''s objection.

    "That''s nice. What about you, Tom? How long have you been in this neighborhood? I just realized I never asked," Lucy said, turning her attention to Tom, who tried not to look rmed by her question as he wondered what was going on in her head and why she was suddenly asking him that.

    Jasmine and Alicia exchanged a look before turning to look at Tom since they remembered that he had asked them not to mention to Lucy that he was new to the neighborhood.

 Chapter 122 - Too Many Coincidences

    Although Tom had seen thising since he receive the dinner invitation, and that was the reason he had asked both Jasmine and Alicia to not tell Lucy that he was new to the neighborhood, but he hadn''t imagined Lucy would as the question so soon. He tried to think of the conversation from the start to figure out what could have prompted her to ask such a question, but he couldn''te up with anything.

    Seeing how he remained silent, Alicia stepped in to save her potential sperm donor, "We should head to the dining since I served dinner already, and we don''t want it to get cold," Alicia suggested with an awkward smile, wanting to give Tom enough time toe up with an appropriate response.

    "Yes. We should," Jasmine said, motioning for Tom and Lucy to follow them to the dining.

    Although Lucy was gullible and naive, she wasn''t stupid enough to not realize what was going on. Tom was yet to answer her question, and bothdies were trying to distract her, leaving her to wonder what was going on. If they thought she was going to let the question slide, then they had another thoughting.

    Once Tom pulled out a seat for her, and they were all seated around the dining table, Alicia busied herself with dishing out the meal.

    Lucy turned to Tom, "I suppose I have given you enough time toe up with a response, haven''t I?" She asked with a sweet smile, surprising all three of them who had thought they were done with the subject.

    Thankfully Tom had been able toe up with a response, so he didn''t hesitate to respond this time.

    "I''ve been here for about a year if I''m not mistaken. Why do you ask?" Tom asked innocently when Lucy kept staring at him like she was suspecting him of something.

    "How long have you all known each other?" Lucy asked, looking from Tom to Alicia to Jasmine, and then to Tom curiously.

    Tom suddenly realized what was going on in her head. If he had been living in the neighborhood for as long as he imed, and both Jasmine and Alicia has also been in the neighborhood for two years, then it wouldn''t make sense that Jasmine had chosen to introduce herself to him just the other day in front of her. How was he going to fix this?

    At that same moment, Jasmine and Alicia realized their error. Jasmine had mentioned to Lucy just some days ago that they had only just met Tom, hence they were trying to get to know him before asking him to be their sperm donor. How were they going to fix this?

    Lucy waited patiently to hear what they would say. She half expected them to try to lie to her by iming to have known each other for a long time. That way she could remind them of the conversation Tom and Jasmine had in front of her, and also remind Jasmine of the discussion they had both had in her apartment concerning Tom.

    Tom cleared his throat so that neither Jasmine nor Alicia would blurt out any wrong response while he was talking at the same time, "Actually, I''m barely ever around because of the nature of my job, so I''ve never really met them until recently, and that is only because I got a new job and my boss happens to live in the same building too," Tom exined, making Alicia and Jasmine stifle the urge to sigh in relief. His exnation made lots of sense.

    "That''s true! Remember how surprised we were the other night when he told us that he has been living here for some time?" Jasmine asked Alicia who quickly nodded.

    "Yeah! You are right," Alicia said with a burst of awkwardughter, which made Lucy''s brow arch slightly.

    Were they all telling her the truth or was this a lie? Sonia had said she was too naive and gullible, and right now she wasn''t sure she believed what they were telling her. Something about their initial silence told her that they weren''t exactly being straight with her.

    Deciding to act like she bought their exnation, Lucy shed them a smile, "Ah! I see. I''m like that too...I mean, I could stay indoors without people knowing about my existence," she said with a peal of smallughter, meant to diffuse the tension her question had caused, and as expected the othersughed with her.

    "I guess we are all like that sometimes," Alicia said, feeling relieved that all was well again, "Let''s eat please, I didn''t cook just so we can talk over the food," she said as she picked up her cutlery and started eating.

    Going forward she was just going to pay more attention to everything going on around her. She was going to question everything she saw and heard, Lucy thought as she ate.

    "Hm, this is delicious," Tom said giving Alicia a polite smile, and she preened with pleasure at hispliment.

    "I''ve been very curious about something. If you don''t mind me asking, howe he is your driver?" Jasmine asked, directing her question to Lucy instead of Tom since she had just witnessed firsthand how Tom could make a lie sound like it was the truth.

    "Coincidence. It just happened," Lucy said with an indifferent shrug.

    "You mean he just happened to be your next-door neighbor and driver?" Alicia asked curiously as she exchanged a look with Jasmine.

    Before Tom and Lucy arrived earlier, they had both been discussing what the rtionship was between Tom and Lucy, since it seemed to them like there was something more going on between the two. Hearing Lucy say it was a coincidence now, they confirmed one of their suspicions, and that was the fact that Tom liked Lucy and had moved into the next t because he wanted to live closer to her. The only reasonable exnation was that he was her driver, but was in love with her, hence he had moved to where she lived so that he could monitor her. Although Jasmine liked Tom, she wasn''t veryfortable with the idea that Tom was stalking ady who wasn''t interested in him... Or maybe she was? Whether she was interested in him or not, there was a thin line between love and obsession, and Tom was dancing near that line. Was that the kind of person whose sperm they needed?

    "It''s funny, isn''t it? I moved here and he was the first person that came to greet me, and then the next day I''m at work and my boss introduces my official driver who just happens to be him too," Lucy said with a small smile while she tried to read the expression on Alicia and Jasmine''s face.

    "Oh! You found out he was your neighbor before he became your driver?" Jasmine asked with a confused frown. What was going on? None of it made sense. She would easily have believed it was a coincidence had Tom not asked them not to let Lucy know that he had only just recently moved in. What was Tom hiding?

    "It''splicated," Tom said with a small smile directed at Jasmine who was beginning to ask too many questions for his liking.

    "Oh! Okay. It''s just that you both don''t seem like you just met..."

    "We actually met at the club the first night I arrived here," Lucy said, not seeing the need to hide it from them since she believed they were likely going to find out eventually. All she needed to do was to leave out the details of all that had happened between her and Tom.

    "The first night?" Alicia asked, wondering why there seemed to be so many coincidences. There was no way this was natural.

    Tom turned to look at Lucy curiously as he wondered just how much she intended to tell them about their first meeting.

    "Yes. I sat next to him at the club, and then the next day I was surprised to see that he was my neighbor, and the next thing I know was him being my driver. Unbelievable, right?" Lucy asked with a smile when she saw the disbelief disyed on both Alicia''s and Jasmine''s faces. She remembered how she had also thought that he was stalking her because of how he kept turning up everywhere she was.

    "And you got a job the next day at herpany?" Alicia asked Tom, feeling like none of it was adding up.

    "You didn''t think the coincidence was just a bit too much?" Jasmine asked Lucy, making Tom sigh.

    They were beginning to make him feel like he was being sneaky, and he didn''t like that. What was so wrong with him wanting to know thedy he wanted tomit himself to? Was it so wrong? Or was he going about it in a bad way? How else could he get to know her true nature without her knowledge of who he was?

    "I thought you said you didn''t prepare the meal just so we can talk over it? Or perhaps we are here to be interrogated?" He asked Alicia with a polite smile when it seemed like nobody was eating, instead everyone was talking.

    "Why are you so touchy all of a sudden? I guess they were just trying to know their neighbors better," Lucy scolded Tom before turning to sh Alicia an apologetic smile as she sipped from her ss.

    From the questions they were asking it was quite clear to Lucy that the lesbian couple didn''t believe everything was coincidence, maybe they knew something she didn''t know? She couldn''t help wondering what they knew, and why it had seemed to her a moment ago that bothdies were helping Tom hide something.

    "He is hiding something," Jasmine said as they watched Tom and Lucy leave after dinner.

    "Yeah. I think so too. But what do you think he is hiding?" Alicia asked her partner.

    "I have no idea.. Let''s just wait and see before asking for his sperm, okay?" Jasmine said, and Alicia nodded.

 Chapter 123 - Skinny Dip

    Bryany on his bed unable to sleep, while also trying to find other things to keep his mind busy so that his thoughts wouldn''t drift to the green-eyed witch in the other room down the hall. Dinner had been very quiet since he had been sulking while expecting her to feel guilty and apologize to him, but she had entirely ignored him and focused on herptop instead as she ate. Once they were done with dinner she had taken the dishes to the kitchen, washed and dried them before leaving for her bedroom after calling out a casual goodnight to him from the doorway.

    He could tell that she was probably busy with work on herptop now that he has returned it to her. He couldn''t help but wonder why he was always troubled by thoughts of her whether she was present with him or not.

    He sat up on the bed and reached out to open the bedside drawer where some of Sonia''s novels that Mia had bought him but he was yet to read were kept. Just as he picked up one of the novels, his phone started ringing, so he dropped the novel on the space beside him on the bed and picked up his phone to see that the caller was Matt, "Hey, man! Sup?"

    "Sorry I haven''t called to check on you all day, I was busy with stuff. How are you feeling now? How are you able to move around?" Matt asked as he stared into the ss of wine he was holding. He had been too busy thinking about Candace that he hadpletely forgotten about Bryan''s injury until a moment ago.

    Bryan sighed as he raised his left hand to wipe his face, "Jeff got me a wheelchair so I''ve been making use of that to move around the house. Why do you sound so tired? Did something happen?" Bryan asked since he had noticed the weariness in Matt''s tone.

    "I''m okay, just tired."

    "I guess you must have been very busy. So how did it go with the girl from the other night? Still seeing her?" Bryan asked, referring to Candace, as he wanted to know if Candace had told Matt about what she did to earn a living.

    Matt who had almost forgotten about Bryan''s knowledge of Candy''s job, sighed, "Not exactly." He found it amusing that he was the one who had asked Candy to y along with him and make a fool of Bryan by pretending to not have told him about her job, yet she was the one pushing him away like this.

    "Not exactly? What happened?" Bryan asked, wondering if perhaps Candy had told Matt about her job, and he was no longer interested in her.

    "She said she doesn''t like my best friend''s face," Matt joked, making Bryan chuckle.

    "You wish. Go on and tell me what''s up," Bryan urged him.

    "She doesn''t like that I''m a celebrity, so she doesn''t want to be with me," Matt said in a resigned tone.

    "What?" Bryan asked in surprise. Here he was thinking Matt no longer liked her because of her job, yet he was saying she rejected him? Because of his career?

    When Matt heard the surprise in Bryan''s voice he sighed as he said, "Yeah, you heard me right."

    "What does she do for a living?" Bryan asked, wanting to know if Candy had told Matt the truth, or if she possibly didn''t want a rtionship with him because she was ashamed of her own job and wanted to push him away before he finds out.

    "Are you asking if I know that she is a stripper? Yes, I know that already."

    Bryan was somehow relieved that he wasn''t the one to tell Matt about it since thest thing he wanted was to have any fight with his fiancee over... What was that? Why was he referring to her as his fiancee? Bryan thought in rm.

    "Are you listening to me?" Matt asked when Bryan didn''t respond to anything he had said.

    Bryan''s brows creased in a frown as he tried to understand what was happening, "Yeah, sure. I can hear you. You don''t happen to have fallen for her, have you?"

    "I don''t know. She didn''t even give me a chance to make up my mind on how I feel about her before telling me it was nice while itsted," Matt said before taking a long sip from his ss of wine.

    "Did she give you any particr reason?" Bryan asked, pressing for answers, and then he listened as Matt told him everything that had transpired between himself and Candace.

    Bryan couldn''t help being amused by the thought that he, Tom, and Matt were all having women issues of varying degrees at the same time. Why were women such crazy creatures?

    "Don''t let it bother you too much," Bryan said, not knowing how else tofort or advise his friend. If thedy said she didn''t want him, even though it was clear that she was attracted to him, then there was little or nothing else that could be done about it.

    "Sure. So how is your fiancee? How are things going with her?" Matt asked, wanting to stop talking or thinking about Candace.

    "I''m sure she is doing beautifully well as she is frustrating me as usual. That''s what she does best after all," Bryan muttered under his breath making Matt chuckle.

    "Why doesn''t that sound like aint? She is beginning to get to you, isn''t she?" Matt asked in amusement.

    "I honestly wish I could deny that, but she is so damn fine and attractive. She even did a makeover and bought only sex gowns," Bryanined with a groan which made Mattugh out loud, despite his own problems.

    "I guess you will be cutting off your dick soon," Matt said, reminding him of what he had said about preferring to cut off his dick than having sex with Sonia.

    "I need help bro. Consider this an SOS cry," Bryan said making Mattugh even more.

    "I told you that you were going to fall for her. Sonia is sexy, she is beautiful, she is intelligent, she is smart, she is fun to be around. What more do you need in ady?" Matt asked curiously.

    "You forgot to add that she is crazy! That girl is crazy I swear," Bryan added.

    "Perhaps she is only crazy about you?" Matt pointed out.

    "I don''t think so. One minute she''s acting like she wants me, the next minute she''s treating me like I mean nothing to her," Bryan said.

    "All I see is ady using your technique on you. You both are a perfect fit, so maybe you should be more open-minded about her," Matt advised since it was easier to advise someone else than one''s self.

    After that Bryan told Matt about the reality show before they finally called it a night.

    In the room down the hall from where he was, Sonia sat on her bed with a thoughtful expression on her face as she tried to put the events of the past couple of days down on her jotter and herptop which was resting on the pillow on top of her thighs.

    She ced her pen behind her ear as she stared at herptop''s screen. While it seemed like she and Bryan were making progress in the story, she couldn''t say the same for Lucy, as Lucy was her second female lead. She couldn''t shake off the feeling that something very vital was missing in Lucy''s story, even though she couldn''t ce her fingers on what it was that was missing.

    All she knew was that she needed to bring Lucy''s character alive. What could she do? Write about Lucy''s past? Add something exciting? Or bring in a new character that would help awaken Lucy? Her eyes lit up when she was struck by an idea. Why hadn''t she thought of it this whole time?

    She could say Lucy''s driver was the same person as her boss who was Bryan''s older brother! Why hadn''t she thought of that plot? It made perfect sense even if it wasn''t the case in reality. She would just make Lucy''s story more of fiction, while hers and Bryan''s could be of their everyday life. That would be perfect! Sonia thought as she quickly jotted down the new idea before shutting down herptop and lifting it from herp to ce it on the space beside her on the bed.

    She had done enough thinking for one day and was feeling both physically and mentally exhausted already. All she needed now was a skinny dip in the pool, to enjoy the cool evening breeze on her skin, she thought as she yawned and stretched out on the bed.

    After that, she got off the bed and took off her clothes before putting on a short sexy bathrobe she had gotten here during the shopping earlier. Once she was done she walked out of the bedroom and stopped outside Bryan''s bedroom to be sure he was asleep.. When she didn''t hear any sound from him, and she noticed that the light in the bedroom had been turned off, she smiled goofily, happy that she could swim and have fun in private.

 Chapter 124 - Invading Privacy

    After Bryan''s phone conversation with Matt, he tried to read the novel he had picked up earlier, but he was unable to read it because his mind was clouded with thoughts of Sonia and he kept staring at her picture which was behind the novel. He rolled over on the bed but all he could perceive on his sheets was her scent, so he decided to go out to the poolside as usual to have a nightcap and enjoy the cool evening breeze.

    While sitting there, enjoying the cool evening breeze he remembered thest time he had been there, and how Sonia hade out to join him and offer him a deal. It seemed like everything and everywhere in his house was beginning to remind him a lot of Sonia, and he didn''t like it one bit. He especially did not like the fact that he was beginning to like having her around because of their unnecessary conversations and arguments. He didn''t want her invading his space or being around him. Not here in his house and definitely not inside his head either.

    He picked up his wine ss and moved his wheelchair from the spot where he usually sat and turned off the light before going to the other end of the pool where he wouldn''t be easily noticed. He didn''t want Sonia to find him if for any reason she decided toe looking for him at the pool.

    Once he was at the other end of the pool, he looked longingly at the water which beckoned to him to take a dip. It had been a while since hest took a dip in the pool, so he was very tempted by the calmness of the water. He nced at his ankle which was still bound by a ankle brace and then decided he was just going to sit in the water for a few minutes to clear his head without doing any vigorous swimming exercise that would hurt his ankle.

    Bearing that thought in mind, he took off his shirt, leaving just the boxer short he was wearing, and he directed the wheelchair to the edge of the pool before gently getting out of it.

    Holding the handle of the pool, he pushed back his wheelchair so that it wouldn''t be too close to the pool, before slowly climbing into the water using the pool stairs. He moved away from the shallow part and buried himself under the water.

    Bryan shut his eyes as he tried to clear his head from thoughts of Sonia, but Matt''s words about Sonia being perfectly suitable for him kepting back to him. He shook his head to discard the thoughts.

    That girl was crazy, and he couldn''t do crazy. He wanted a girl who was as sane, gentle, and calm as his mother and sister. Even Tom had managed to get himself Lucy, so why did he have to be attracted to someone as wild as Sonia?

    Just as he raised his head to the surface of the water to draw in air, he saw the patio door open, and because of the light which was reflecting from inside the house, he could see Sonia without her knowing of his presence inside the water.

    He held his breath as he watched her stand there with her back to the door. He couldn''t see her face since she was backing the light, but her long braided hair had been twisted into a knot on top of her head, and the skimpy bathrobe which was the same as the color of her eyes revealed those damn long legs of hers that always caught his eyes. A white towel was hanging on her neck, and she was holding her phone in one hand and a ss of wine in the other hand.

    He watched as Sonia surveyed the surrounding in one quick nce as if she was looking for something before she gently shut the patio door with the hand holding her phone as if she was trying to not make any noise that would rouse him from sleep. With the patio door closed, the ce was dark once again, so he had to squint his eyes to adjust them to the darkness as he watched her, and waited to see what she was up to.

    Once Sonia was sure that the door was locked, she set both her phone and the ss of wine on the table, before quickly throwing the towel on one of the seats beside the pool, where Bryan had sat thest time they had been there.

    Bryan watched her curiously. Did she want to swim? Why was she doing it with such cautiousness in the dark as though she was about to do something she shouldn''t be doing? Should he make his presence known to her now or just until he sees what she wants to do? Or maybe he could scare her when she enters the water? Bryan thought with a mischievous glitter in his eyes as he remained at the other end of the pool with his body submerged in water, and only the upper part of his head above the water as he watched her.

    His mouth dropped open when her hand moved to the belt of her robe and he snapped his mouth shut when water rushed inside. Surely she had a swimsuit on, right? Bryan thought in rm. Was this the time to make his presence known to her? Or was he supposed to just stay still and let her do her thing? Why did he feel like he was invading her privacy when she was the one invading his privacy in his own home.

    He should say something. He should do something. He should stop her from taking off her robe, Bryan thought, but his mouth refused to cooperate with him, as his eyes remained glued to her body waiting for the robe to drop so he could see what she was wearing beneath it.

    ''Traitor!'' He cussed himself when he felt his body reacting to the sight of Sonia trying to undress. His body was his problem. Why was his body always reacting this way to her even when she was yet to take off the robe?

    Sonia who was ignorant of the solo audience she was entertaining, stood there with her hands on her belt as she got ready to take off the robe. Halfway through untying her belt, she paused when she remembered that her ss of wine was too far away from the pool, and she was yet to turn on the music.

    She stopped, and without taking off the robe she dragged the chair which was holding her towel closer to the pool, and ced the winess on the floor, close to the pool before picking up her phone.

 Chapter 125 - Drowning

    Sonia turned towards the door, wondering if the sound of the music would be loud enough to get to Bryan''s room, but she shook her head. Bryan was fast asleep, and the doors were closed, so he definitely wouldn''t hear the music, she concluded as she scrolled through the albums on her phone until she stopped at Cardi B''s album.

    She was definitely in the mood for some Cardio B music, Sonia thought as she tapped on Cardi B''s ''I Like It'', and soon the sound of music flooded the ce.

    Bryan watched in amusement as she started rapping alongside the music and swaying her body to the rhythm of the song.

    "I like texts from my exes when they want a second chance (What?)

    I like proving niggas wrong, I do what they say I can''t (She can''t)

    They call me Sonia Bardi, banging body, spicy mami, hot tamale

    Hotter than a Somali, fur coat, Ferrari," Sonia sang on, and Bryan chuckled to himself when he noticed that Sonia had reced Cardi Bardi, with Sonia Bardi. This girl was not just crazy. She was a very crazy nutcase.

    Still unaware of her audience, Sonia undid her belt and let the robe fall to her feet while she continued singing and swaying her hips. Bryan who had been watching her with a smile on his face, felt all the blood in his body move to the point between his groin as he watched her beautiful body.

    Now that she was stark naked, there was no going back. If he came out now, she was going to say he was a pervert for not making his presence known to her until she had stripped. At the same time, Bryan reminded himself that thedy in front of him was Sonia. There was nothing normal about her, and she was likely just going to wink at him if she finds out that he had been enjoying the private show she had been putting up.

    Sonia dove into the water and screeched excitedly when the cold evening water hit her naked body. Soon she disappeared under the water, and Bryan held his breath, since he didn''t know the direction she was swimming to, and she was likely going to discover that there was another creature in the pool with her if she came anywhere near his edge of the pool.

    Maybe this was the time to also scare her, that way she would think he had remained quiet because he wanted to pull a prank on her, and not because he was enjoying her show.

    With that thought in mind, Bryan dipped his head into the water, and although his eyes stung, he tried to keep his eyes open so he would see her position in the water.

    He raised his head when he heard her gasp as she came to the surface of the water. And he watched as she cleaned the water from her eyes and continued to rap alongside the next song that had started ying on her ylist.

    With half his head still submerged in water, he gradually headed in her direction, trying not to use his injured foot, and also trying to avoid getting discovered by Sonia who had moved to the edge of the pool to take a sip from her wine ss.

    Once he was close to her, he realized that he didn''t even have a n on how to scare her. He let his body rx under the water and shut his eyes as though he was unconscious before letting his leg brush hers.

    Sonia''s heart skipped a beat and she held her breath when she felt the touch on her leg. What was that? Was there someone in the water? She wondered in rm. Choosing to ignore it, she tried to move away, but when she felt the brush once more that felt like a human touch, she decided to see what it was.

    She reached for her phone which was water-resistant and pointed the light into the water to see what it was, and her heartbeat doubled when she saw Bryan in the water with his eyes closed.

    "Bryan?" She yelled, her voice a mixture of shock and fear as she quickly went under the water to where he was.

    "Oh my God! Bryan? Bryan?" She called in a rm as she dropped her phone and wrapped her arms around his waist.

    Bryan cussed himself internally when his member hardened at the feel of her boobs on his chest as she pulled him towards the stairs of the pool.

    "Bryan, please be fine," He heard her plead in a terrified voice that sounded like she was crying as she gently made him sit on the second stair of the pool. It would be awkward now to open his eyes and say it was a prank, so what could he do? He hadn''t expected her to cry or be terrified. Why was she always acting in the opposite?

    Sonia looked at him, not knowing what to do or how to lift him out of the pool. Perhaps she should dial the emergency number? Or call his manager? What could she do? One thing she knew for sure was that she couldn''t do anything in her current state of panic so she breathed in and out a couple of times to calm herself so that coulde up with something.

    Once she was reasonably calm she checked for his pulse, and when she saw that it was okay, a wave of relief washed over her.

    "I''m going to try to help you the best way I can," Sonia promised calmly as she pulled his head backward and pinched his nose before lowering her mouth to his.

    Bryan decided to just let her do her thing before pretending to wake up. That wouldn''t be so difficult to do, since he was a good actor and had yed a simr role in a movie before.

    Once she lowered her lips to his, and her nipples grazed his chest, he felt his rod twitch, and Sonia who felt something poke her thighs, pulled away as she looked at him. Was it possible for a drowning man to have an erection? Sonia wondered as she looked down at his rod which looked very hard through his wet boxer shorts.

    She leaned in again but instead of repeating the process, this time she made sure to let her entire boobs press into his chest while she let her other hand remain close to his thighs.

    When she felt his rod twitch again, she narrowed her eyes at him, and as she lowered her lips to his, she bit him hard, making Bryan''s eyes shoot open as he cried out in pain.

    "Ouch!" He yelled as he red at Sonia who was equally ring at him as she used the back of her hand to wipe the tears from her face.

    "Why would you do something like that?" Sonia asked angrily, but without responding to her question, Bryan pulled her to himself and crushed his lips to hers. He would think of the consequence of his actionter.. All he wanted at that moment was the taste of her lips, and the feel of her body rubbing against his.

 Chapter 126 - Overreaction

    Sonia roughly pushed Bryan away from her and her eyes shed at him angrily, "What do you think you are doing?" She asked with a re in her eyes.

    "Kissing you," Bryan said in a matter-of-fact tone as though it was something she was supposed to know already.

    "And who said you are allowed to do that after the stunt you just pulled?" Sonia snapped at him.

    "When did it be an offense to y a prank on my fiancee? Or kiss her?" Bryan asked with a slightly raised brow.

    "How can you call that a prank? What if something had happened to you in the process of ying your stupid prank?" Sonia asked, her eyes shimmering with tears as she stepped on the pool stairs trying to get out of the pool.

    Bryan''s brows creased with a frown, and he grabbed her arm when he noticed how upset she was, "You are overreacting. Nothing could have happened to me. I am an excellent swimmer," he said, trying to reassure her, but Sonia was having none of that as she pped his hands off her.

    "Even the best of swimmers have been known to lose their lives in water!" She yelled at him angrily as she swiped at another tear that had escaped from her eyes.

    Seeing how emotional she was, Bryan reasoned that she was probably reacting from a past experience and not just because of him, so he grabbed both her arms this time, "What is wrong? This isn''t about me, is it?" He asked in a concerned voice as he wasn''tfortable with seeing the usually mischievous and insane Sonia acting so irrationally.

    "I want to return to my room," Sonia said, staring at his hands so that he would let go of her.

    Bryan considered her for a moment before letting go of her hand. Once he did, he swam to the other side of the pool, causing Sonia who had been about to get out of the pool turn in his direction so she could see what he was doing.

    If she hadn''t been upset before, she was even more upset now as she watched him get out of the pool and favoring of his foot as he got to where he had left his wheelchair. She had totally forgotten that one of his feet was hurt

    How could he have done something so risky with a bad foot?

    She got out of the pool and marched over to where he was, and looked down at him angrily, "You got into the pool with your hurt leg? Do you realize that you could have easily hurt your leg the more and probably drowned?" She asked in a growl, making Bryan sigh as he looked her over.

    "In as much as I love to argue with you, it is difficult to argue with thepletely naked version of you. So unless you intend to end the night doing something with me that doesn''t involve talking much, I suggest you go and get covered," Bryan said as his eyes moved over her body, reminding her that she was stillpletely naked.

    Sonia looked down at herself and huffed angrily before walking away from him while giving Bryan a perfect view of her ass.

    As Bryan watched her leave, he felt something funny stir in the part of his chest where his heart was located, and he knew that he was in for more trouble with Sonia than he had bargained for.

    Sonia on the other hand picked up her bathrobe from where she had dropped it, and once she wore it and tied the belt a the waist, she wrapped the towel around her wet hair before returning to join Bryan who was putting on his shirt.

    "You..."

    Bryan raised both hands in surrender as he interrupted her, "I''m sorry for ying such a prank. It won''t happen again," he said as a meek child being scolded by his mother. He wasn''t in the mood to argue, and if there was one thing he had learned from his parent''s marriage, it was the fact that a simple apology from his father to his mother was always quick to quell a brewing fight.

    "Are you trying to shut me up right now?" Sonia asked with narrowed eyes since she wasn''t done with her argument yet.

    Bryan growled to himself. What had he been thinking, assuming that Sonia would be as calm as his mother? "Of course, not. I can''t shut you up. How can I? I''m just saying I understand what you are saying, and I''m sorry for making you worried," Bryan exined as calmly as he could.

    Now that he had apologized, Sonia didn''t know what to do with her sadness or her anger anymore. Without saying a word she turned around and walked away, only stopping to pick up her phone and ss of wine before disappearing inside the house.

    Bryan had a concerned frown on his face as he watched her leave. He could tell that she was still very upset, and he probably should have let her vent out her anger instead of shutting her up with an apology. He picked up his ss of wine and headed for the house.

    Once he was inside, he left his ss of wine at the dining table and moved straight to her bedroom. He stopped by the bedroom door when he heard her sniffle like she was crying.

    Why was she still crying when it was obvious that he was fine? A crazy person like her wasn''t supposed to have such a soft aspect to her. What was he supposed to do tofort her now? He didn''t like that he was feeling so guilty for upsetting her, and he disliked it even more that he was feeling very worried because she was upset.

    Bryan tried to convince himself that he would feel the same way even if thedy in question wasn''t Sonia. It was a normal human reaction to be disturbed by the tears of another person.

    After convincing himself, he unlocked the bedroom door without knocking and moved his wheelchair inside. He wasn''t sure if Sonia knew of his presence in the bedroom since she didn''t raise her head from the pillow to look at him but kept sobbing.

    He stopped beside her on the bed and looked at her as she wept softly. He sighed before raising his hand to pat her back, "You can yell at me now if you want to," he offered softly as he rubbed her back gently with one hand, and patted her hair with the other hand.

    After crying for a while, Sonia raised her head from the pillow to look at him with her tear-stained face, "I''m sorry I overreacted," she apologized, and Bryan gave her a nod as he reached out with his thumb and tenderly brushed the tears off her cheeks.

    "Who drowned?" He asked with concern in his eyes when he noticed that she was calm now.

 Chapter 127 - Leave It To Me

    While sitting there andforting her it had urred to Bryan that she had likely been so upset over the prank because she had lost someone that way in the past, and the prank had brought back the painful memory.

    Sonia drew in a deep breath, and then cleared her throat, "My biological father. He worked as a lifeguard at a beach," Sonia exined with a distant look in her eyes.

    She had been just ten years old when her father died, and although she loved swimming because it reminded her a lot of her father who had taught her to swim, seeing Bryan in the water earlier had made her feel like she was about to lose someone special to her once again to water.

    "I''m sorry I brought back such a painful memory," Bryan said apologetically.

    "For someone who had saved a countless number of lives, there was no one to save him when he drowned. The autopsy revealed that he suffered a cardiac arrest while swimming," Sonia murmured in a distant voice that told him that she wasn''t listening to him.

    Sonia shuddered when the image of her father floating in the pool shed in her mind''s eye, and she curled herself into a ball on the bed.

    Seeing her that way made Bryan worried. It made him want to protect her.

    "You should sleep now," Bryan said, not liking how vulnerable and fragile she looked at that moment. He preferred her crazy self. He would rather face the crazy and mischievous Sonia than thisdy on the bed, Bryan thought to himself as he lifted himself from the wheelchair and got on the bed beside her. He cuddled her close to himself so that she was facing him with her head on his chest, and with one hand around her waist patting her back, he used the other hand which was over her head to pat her hair softly until they he heard her snoring softly.

    When he tried to pull away from her, she made a whimpering sound in her sleep, and snuggled closer to him, leaving Bryan no choice but to remain there with her.

    He looked into her face as she slept while sniffling asionally, and his heart fluttered in his chest. He hated to admit to himself that what he wanted from her wasn''t just sex as he wished it was. He couldn''t believe that he had fallen for her charms so easily under such a short duration of time.

    The fact that he had been able to set aside his longing for her body earlier, just so he could calm her, was a clear indication that he cared about her. And seeing how he was lying on the bed beside her, and simplyforting her when what he truly wanted was to strip her off the robe that was covering her beautiful naked body and make love to her, was proof that he already cared about her more than he should.

    What was he going to do about this new development? He couldn''t let her know that he was falling for her. It was best he yed safe and just observed her until he was sure she felt the same way and wasn''t just toying with him. He would just continue picking fights with her and pretending to be displeased with her.

    Still in that position, he kept patting her back and hair while his mind drifted to her nude dance performance at the poolside earlier. His lips twitched with an amused smile as he thought about Sonia and all the crazy things she had done since he met her. With a smile on his face, Bryan dozed off.

    ************

    Anita stirred in her sleep when the sound of her ringtone woke her up. She blindly reached for her phone which was on the bed beside her without taking off her sleeping mask.

    "Anita Miller on the..."

    "I just heard from your uncle that the meeting with Thomas Hank is tomorrow, are you prepared?" Her mother cut her off in her usual impatient manner.

    Anita sat bolt upright on the bed once she heard her mother''s voice and took off the sleeping mask immediately, "Yes, mother,"

    "By yes, I suppose you mean you already know all that there is to know about him already?" Her mother asked just to be sure, and Anita bit her lower lip anxiously.

    She didn''t like disappointing her mother, and somehow she knew that her perfectionist of a mother was going to be disappointed by her response, "I wasn''t able to gather much since he stays well hidden..."

    "If that is so, how dare you say you are prepared for tomorrow?"

    "I..."

    "Why can''t you be more like your sisters? Do you have to keep disappointing me by behaving like your ipetent father?" Her mother asked harshly.

    "I''m sorry..."

    "Did you at least get apetent private investigator? Or have you learned nothing from me in all this time?" Her mother asked without giving her room to speak.

    "I will do so immediately," Anita promised, even though the first private investigator she had gotten had been unable to find anything.

    Her mother was a powerful woman who wanted to have close ties and connections with only the richest and most famous people in the society, and all three of her sisters had married into influential families making their mother proud by bringing her desire to reality.

    She had found the perfect opportunity to follow in the footsteps of her sisters when her uncle announced during a family meeting that he was contemting selling off his airline to i-Global. He had told them how wealthy the CEO was, and upon further inquiry, he had informed them that the CEO was young and single. That had been the moment her mother decided that she wanted the CEO as her son inw.

    "Leave it to me. I can''t trust you to not mess up this opportunity, so I will have my investigator gather all he can on him." With that, the line went dead.

    The phone remained in Anita''s hand long after her mother hung up the call. She knew she couldn''t afford to mess this up no matter what it takes, as she very well knew that her mother wouldn''t hesitate to cut her off if things didn''t go as she nned.. Her mother was always quick to remind them that she never associates herself with failures, and cutting off their father when he lost his wealth to a bad business deal had always been her reference point.

 Chapter 128 - Can I Trust You?

    Tomy on his bed, unable to sleep as he thought about what he was doing with Lucy and questioned his actions. Was he supposed to feel sorry that he was lying to her? He wasn''t doing any of this to hurt her. Maybe if she had been more open to the idea of being in a rtionship he would have been able to handle things more differently... Perhaps.

    His mind drifted to the conversation they had both had after they left Jasmine''s home. Lucy had insisted they sit on the trunk of the car to receive the cool evening breeze before heading for their various apartments.

    Sitting on the trunk of the car with their back rested on the back windscreen of the car and looking at the stars that decorated the night sky, Lucy had turned to look at him, "Can I trust you?" She had asked looking at him with hopeful eyes. She was beginning to trust him already, so she needed to know if she could go on trusting him, or if she needed to keep away from him.

    "I believe you already know the answer to your question," Tom had said without turning to look at her. He couldn''t bear to look into her face right now as he feared that with all the conflicting emotions he was having he might just open up to her and confess everything at once, and he wasn''t ready to do any of that yet. Not until he was sure beyond reasonable doubt that she loved him. He wanted her to love him.

    "Do I? Why did you tell me that you have been lying to me?" Lucy had asked further, wanting to see if she could make him tell her everything she needed to know about him.

    "I didn''t say I have been lying to you. Although I have not been entirely honest with you, I haven''t entirely lied to you either. I won''t hurt you if that is what you want to know," Tom had assured her, but Lucy wasn''t satisfied.

    "How bad are the secrets you are keeping from me? And why can''t you just be entirely honest with me?" Lucy had asked thoughtfully.

    "I guess it depends on the perspective you view it. To me, the secrets are not bad, but you might not exactly appreciate them. And I can''t be entirely honest with you until I''m sure about how you feel about me," Tom had said, but Lucy had interpreted it to mean that he wanted her to earn his trust before he could divulge his secrets to her.

    "I guess you are entitled to hold back on telling me certain things about yourself until we have fully established trust between us," Lucy had concluded logically, and Tom nodded his head.

    Now that he was alone in his bedroom, he couldn''t help but wonder if she would be that understanding of his reasons when he finally tells her everything. What would happen and how would she react when she eventually finds out about his true identity? He knew that she was likely going to be very upset considering the fact that he had deceived her, and she was big on trust. Tom dozed off with a worried frown on his brow as he thought of what he could do to reduce Lucy''s anger when she eventually finds out the truth.

    "Good morning, Miss Perry," Tom greeted politely the next morning as Lucy walked up to the car to join him as usual.

    This morning she was dressed in a fitted sky blue shirt which was tucked into a gray-colored high waist knee-length skirt that had two pleats in the front of it. On her feet was a biro blue stiletto which matched the handbag she was carrying.

    "What''s that?" Lucy asked with a slight frown. Although she had thought it would be awkward to have Tom driving her to work as her driver considering all that had transpired between them over the weekend, she realized that it was even more awkward having her temporary boyfriend referring to her so formally.

    "What is what?" Tom asked innocently as he patiently waited for her to get into the car.

    "We are not at the office yet. So save the formality for when other people are around us," Lucy muttered as she got into the front seat of the car.

    "Whatever you say, boss," Tom murmured as he got into the driver''s seat and turned on the car.

    "Did you sleep well?" Tom asked as he drove the car.

    "I did. What about you?" Lucy asked, turning to look at him.

    "Same."

    Neither of them said a word to each other after that as they were both upied by thoughts of their own. While Lucy was wondering if the CEO was going to want to talk to her about her rtionship with his soon-to-be sister-inw, Tom was thinking about the meeting he had to attend at Ocean Airlinester that morning.

    "Uhm, I might not be avable untilter in the evening. I have a job I need to attend to, I hope you don''t mind?" Tom asked once he parked the car.

    "Will it take all day?" Lucy asked, wondering if he was going to be back in time to bring her lunch.

    "I will be back in time to take you home, you don''t have to worry about that," Tom assured her as he extended the car key to her.

    "You should go with the car so that your movement will be faster and less stressful" Lucy offered with a small smile.

    "I can''t do that. I don''t want to get in trouble with Mr. Harry. For some reason I feel like he has something against me and won''t hesitate to fire me for the slightest excuse," Tom said, but Lucy shook her head.

    "Don''t worry about him. I will just tell him I sent you on an errand. You really should go in the car. See youter in the day," Lucy said as she reached out to open the door.

    "By the way, I just realized that I don''t know your surname," Lucy said turning to look at him with her hand still on the door.

    "Handy. Tom Handy," Tom said making Lucy''s lips twitch in amusement.

    "I thought it was just a nickname because of your job?" she asked.

    "I suppose my surname gave me my life''s purpose," he said with a grin, and Lucy giggled.

    "Well, it''s good to meet you, Tom Handy," Lucy said in an amused tone as she got out of the car and waved at him before walking away.

    Tom sighed as he looked at the car key in his hand. He had no need for her car since he would be leaving for the meeting in his own car. He got out of the car, and after locking it he headed for his office.. He was just going to have Harry take the car somewhere else so that she would think he had left with the car as nned.

 Chapter 129 - Ridiculous Conversation

    Sonia opened her eyes in the morning and the first sight that greeted her was Bryan''s face directly opposite hers, with his hands still on her waist.

    Without making a sound she just looked at him as he slept peacefully with his lips slightly apart. Her mind drifted to all that had happened the previous night and she winced in embarrassment at the thought that he had watched her dancing and making a fool of herself. Her heart fluttered when she remembered how he had kissed her in the pool like his life depended on it. She had been too upset to think all that had happened, but now that she was calm, her lips twitched in amusement at the knowledge of how his body reacted to hers.

    Wanting to see if his body would react the same way this time, she moved an inch away from him and undid the belt of the bathrobe which she was still wearing, and without taking off the gown she leaned forward so that her bare breast was rubbing against one of his hands.

    She watched as Bryan stirred in his sleep, but didn''t wake up. So she leaned forward as if to kiss him, but just as her lip connected with his, her phone started ringing and Bryan''s eyes fluttered open.

    Sonia cursed under her breath and tried to pull away, but Bryan''s hand which was still on her waist automatically held her in ce as he looked into her eyes and bit her lower lip.

    "Ouch! What was that for?" Sonia red at him as she raised a finger to touch her lip.

    "Who said you are allowed to do that?" Bryan asked, repeating what she had told him the previous night.

    "Do what?" Sonia asked innocently.

    "Kiss me?" Bryan asked with a slightly raised brow even though he was very d that Sonia was back to her usual self.

    "And who said I was going to kiss you?" Sonia retorted.

    "I guess you wanted to give me a Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) then?" Bryan asked sarcastically making Sonia roll her eyes.

    "Whatever."

    "And why are you always naked around me now?" Bryan asked when he felt her warm mound pressing into his arm.

    "Do you have a problem with me being naked around you?" Sonia asked, wondering what sort of ridiculous conversation they were both having at the moment.

    "This is ridiculous," Bryan thought out loud echoing her thought as he withdrew his hand from her back, "Let''s start afresh, okay? Good morning baby, did you sleep well?" He asked with a bright smile, not wanting to go on with the ridiculous argument they were having.

    Sonia narrowed her eyes at him, but before she could say anything her phone started ringing again so she turned to pick it up from the other side of the bed while Bryan got out of the bed and got into his wheelchair, and left the bedroom.

    She nced at the phone with a scowl when she picked it up and saw that it was a call from her Editor-cum-manager. The man always seemed to know just the right worst moment to call her, Sonia thought with a weary sigh as she received the call.

    "I''m surprised you haven''t called me in days," Sonia said without bothering with pleasantries.

    "Well, like everyone else I''m aware that you traveled to be with your fiance, so I didn''t want to intrude on your personal time," he said politely.

    "How nice of you," Sonia muttered under her breath with an eye roll. If he really didn''t want to intrude on her personal time, then he wouldn''t have been calling so early in the morning when she could have easily been sleeping in with her fiance or having sex with him.

    "Thanks. So, how is the new storying up?" He asked, jumping straight to the reason he had called her.

    "I''m still on it..."

    "Thest time we talked, you promised you were going to send me the first couple of chapters," he reminded her with disapproval.

    "Well, I''m still working on it. I need this story to be a bestselling masterpiece... So if you want something good, you will have to give me time," Sonia said tly.

    "Well, your other books are already selling out so quickly that the publishers are having a hard time making new copies on a daily basis... Not that they areining though. So I think you should hurry up with this new one as well," he suggested.

    He wanted to make the best use of Sonia''s rtionship with Bryan since he didn''t know what was going to be the oue of their engagement. He was very well aware that like other celebrities, Bryan could easily wake up one morning and decide to call off his engagement with Sonia at any time, especially as he was known to be a very irresponsible yboy. He wanted Sonia to get as much as she could from the rtionship for both their sakes before Bryan calls things off.

    "Yes, sir!" Sonia said in a salute style like she was speaking to a military personnel.

    "Also..." The editor started, and then cleared his throat as if he was trying to find a way to get the words toe out, "Could you ask your fiance to appear with you at your next book signing event?" He asked hopefully.

    "Another book signing event?" Sonia asked in confusion since no book signing event was scheduled for the remainder of the year as it was something she usually did once a year, and she had already done it for the year.

    "I know we already did one this year. I was just thinking that maybe we should hold another one in Sogal since we have only been hosting the event in Heden," the editor suggested, making Sonia narrow her eyes.

    "Are you trying to use my fiance?" Sonia asked suspiciously.

    "Why would I do something like that? I just think it would be a good idea for the both of you to be seen together by your fans," her editor rushed to exin.

    "That would mean more books to sign as a lot of people would want to be there just to see Bryan," Sonia thought with displeasure.

    "The idea is for the both of you to do the signing as a couple. What is most important is that everyone there buys a copy of your book. I''m sure your fiance would love to support your career," he suggested, and Sonia sighed.

    "Although I don''t like the idea, I will see what I can do about it. How is the dealing with the movie producer?" Sonia asked curiously.

    "I''m handling it. I will let you know when you need toe down to sign the contract," he assured her.

    "I will leave everything in your capable hands then. Thank you," Sonia said before hanging up and throwing the phone on the bed.

    She rolled off the bed and walked straight to the bathroom to freshen up. Once she was done she changed into a red short and a pink crop top that showed off her belly button ring before walking out of the bedroom.

    "So, where were we?" Sonia asked as she walked into Bryan''s bedroom, letting him know that she was ready to continue their argument from where she stopped.

 Chapter 130 - Private Investigator

    As Tom walked into his private parking lot at the underground part of thepany which led to his private elevator, he didn''t see the middle-aged man who was hiding in the background watching him with a camera in his hand.

    The middle-aged man who had spent over twenty years of his life as a private investigator clicked his camera as he watched Tom get into the elevator.

    He had arrived at thepany very early that morning after he received a call from Melinda Miller, the previous night, giving him the job of finding out all he could about the CEO of I-Global. The first thing he did when he arrived at thepany that morning was talk to the cleaners, since they were the ones who had ess into the offices that no one else could get into.

    It was from one of the cleaners that he had learned that the CEO''s office had a private elevator through which he came in and left unnoticed. Watching the young man as he got into the elevator now, there was nothing about him that looked like he was a CEO. Although he was handsome, but he didn''t look like what one would expect of such a well respected CEO that liked to stay hidden. The person before him was wearing an earring and his hair had been dyed... These weren''t the sort of things that a person who didn''t want to be known would do, the private investigator reasoned as he looked through the photos he had just captured.

    He was sure whoever had gone into the office was very close to the CEO, and likely had a meeting with the CEO. He decided that he was just going to wait there until the CEO came, or the person returned. Perhaps if he could tail this person, as well as the vice president of thepany who he had heard, was the CEO''s right-hand man, he would be able to find the CEO, and once he knew what the CEO looked like, tailing him and finding out all he could about him would be easy peasy.

    Meanwhile, by the time Tom stepped inside his office, Harry was already there waiting for him, "Good morning boss," Harry greeted without standing up from his seat or looking up from the game he was ying on his phone.

    "What time are we leaving for the meeting?" Tom asked as he headed directly inside his mini bedroom and straight to the close to change out of the clothes he was wearing into something more formal for the meeting.

    "The meeting was scheduled for 10 AM, so we should be leaving by 9," Harry informed him as he raised his head to look at Tom and followed his movement with his eyes, "So, how did your weekend go? And how is it going with the charmingdy?" Harry asked curiously before returning his attention to the game he had been ying.

    "You won''t believe that Anita was trying to matchmake me with Lucy. We all went out to see a movie," Tom called out from the closet, making Harry chuckle.

    "You''ve got to be kidding me," Harry said as he dropped his phone on the desk, and stood up, "What happened?" He asked as he stood by the door of the bedroom.

    Tom quickly recapped all that happened at the Cinema between the three of them, and by the time he was done Harry was howling withughter, "Well, you asked for all of this when you decided to do something crazy," Harry said unapologetically.

    "Did I tell you that Lucy happens to be the best friend of my brother''s fiancee?" Tom asked as he adjusted the wig on his head, and Harry''s mouth dropped open in disbelief.

    "That can''t be right!"

    "But it is," Tom assured him as he checked the mirror to be sure the wig was in ce before picking up the mustache and beards.

    "How long have you known about this? How did you find out? Is she aware?" Harry asked curiously and waited patiently for Tom to finish fixing his mustache and beard so that he could answer him. Harry listened attentively as Tom exined it all to him.

    "Wow! At this point I''m no longer sure that all of this is mere coincidence," Harry said thoughtfully.

    "I know, right? I think Lucy is the one for me. And that reminds me, she is dating me now... Although temporarily," Tom confided with a grin.

    "So soon? Maybe I should start taking dating lessons from you? What should I do first, go get a makeover? Piercings?" Harry asked with a slight frown, and Tom chuckled.

    "Start by helping me hide my girlfriend''s car," Tom said as he threw the key at Harry who quickly caught it.

    "Why am I hiding it?" Harry asked curiously as he looked at the key.

    "I told her I was going for a job and she wanted me to take the car. Just keep it somewhere she won''t find it until we are back from the meeting," Tom instructed him, and Harry gave him a nod.

    "She must like you already to be offering you her car, when less than a week ago she had been trying to get you fired," Harry said in amazement as he turned to leave the office.

    "I hope so. Have you been able to find anything on Jade''s witness?" Tom asked before Harry could get to the door.

    Harry turned around to look at him, "I was wondering if I could get Jade''s contact number? I need to ask her a couple of questions," Harry exined.

    "Sure. I will just ask her to give you a call," Tom said as he stepped out of the mini bedroom. He cleared his throat and spread his arms as he looked at Harry "So, how do I look?" He asked in a broad voice that was different from his.

    "Exactly like the weird CEO everyone thinks you are. Maybe you should spend some time working on that voice," Harry said before walking away.

    Once he walked out of Tom''s office, he stopped by Lucy''s desk when he saw her arranging some files on her desk, "Good morning Miss Perry," he greeted with a straight face.

    "Good morning sir," Lucy stood up as she greeted him.

    "How was your weekend? I hope you did some sightseeing?" He asked, looking at her with interest as he thought of the best way to mess with her that morning. What better way to bond with his best friend''s love interest, than this?

    "It was fine. I was indoor for most of the time," Lucy said with a polite smile. It seemed to her like Mr. Harry was fond of asking her questions that automatically made her want to tell him lies.

    "That is nice. About your driver, I have found a recement for him. Ask him to meet me..."

    "What recement?" Lucy asked, interrupting him.

    "You asked me to get you another driver thest time, didn''t you? I''ve gotten someone else to take over from him, so ask him to meet me in my office," Harry said, making Lucy''s brow pull together in a frown.

    "I thought the CEO said..."

    "I know what the CEO said, but you don''t have to worry about it, I will handle it. Ask your driver to meet me, okay?" Harry said, wanting to see if she would want to let go of her boyfriend now.

    Lucy frowned. Although this was what she had wanted a while ago, but things were different between them now, and she didn''t want it anymore. She was okay with him being her driver, and he also needed to keep working for her as that was the only way he could have the liberty he needed to handle his personal business.

    "Thank you for your help sir, but I don''t need a new driver anymore," Lucy called out politely before Harry could leave the office.

    "Why? You are scared that you might lose your job?" Harry asked curiously, and Lucy shook her head.

    "No sir. It''s just that I''m beginning to get along with him now," Lucy said politely.

    "Are you sure?" Harry asked with a slightly raised brow, and she gave him a nod.

    "Let me know if you change your mind," Harry said before walking away to do what Tom had directed him to do.

 Chapter 131 - Mystery Man

    Tom raised his head from the documents he was working on when he heard his office door being opened, "Inform Miss Perry that we would be leaving together for the meeting soon," Tom said informed Harry who had just walked into his office.

    Harry arched a brow, "What''s with the broad voice?" Harry asked when Tom spoke to him in a voice that was different from his usual voice.

    "I''m trying to get used to speaking this way," Tom said, making Harry roll his eyes.

    "I wonder when this whole madness wille to an end," Harry said as he dropped some files along with Lucy''s car key on the desk in front of Tom before taking the seat opposite him.

    "And what did you just say I should tell her? You want her toe with us?" Harry asked i

    "Isn''t she my personal assistant? She should attend meetings with me so that the others wouldn''t think that she is merely upying a space in my office. Besides, I want her to be there since Anita would be there too," Tom said, and Harry looked at him in confusion.

    "I don''t understand. Why should she attend the meeting simply because Anita will be in attendance when Anita doesn''t even know your true identity yet?"

    "It''s only a matter of time before she finds out, and when that happens, I want her to be clear on the fact that Lucy is the onlydy I always want to have around me. So can you just stop questioning me and ask her to get ready to leave with us?"

    "Are you sure she won''t recognize you if she spends too much time in yourpany? And, is that the best you can do in disguising your voice?" Harry asked, looking Tom over once again.

    "You have known me far longer than she has, if you didn''t know anything about this disguise, would you have recognized me in this costume? With this voice" Tom asked, and Harry shook his head.

    "I don''t know. Maybe not."

    "Good. So ask her to get ready to leave with us. I suppose you have taken care of her car?" Tom asked as he picked up the car key which Harry had dropped on the desk.

    "Alright. We will pick her up at the front of thepany building while we take the elevator," Tom said after Harry gave him a curt nod, "Ask her toe in," Tom said as he dropped the car key in one of his drawers.

    "Have you been able to reach Jade yet?" Harry asked as he stood up to leave the office.

    "She didn''t respond to my call. I guess she is busy at the moment. I will let you know once she gets back to me," Tom said, and Harry gave him a nod.

    "I will get the car ready," Harry said before walking out of the office.

    Once again Lucy looked up when she heard the door open, and sighed inwardly when Harry approached her desk. What did he want this time? She wondered as she stood up.

    "Mr. Hank has asked me to inform you that you will be leaving with us for a meeting in the next forty-five minutes, and you should get ready," Harry informed her.

    "Meeting? What meeting?" Lucy asked with a slight frown. She had thought her position here was just so that he could monitor her, not necessarily because he needed an actual personal assistant, so why was he expecting her to attend a meeting with him?

    "We are heading to Ocean airlines for the official handover meeting. As his personal assistant, you are expected to be present during all his meetings," Harry exined, and Lucy gave him a curt nod even though a frown still creased her brows.

    "He also wants to see you in his office now," Harry added, making Lucy''s heart skip a beat as her gaze moved from Harry to the office door, and then back to Harry again.

    "Now?" She asked, trying not to sound rmed.

    "Right now," Harry said with a nod and walked away before she could ask him another question.

    Lucy took in a deep breath to calm her nerves, as she was beginning to feel very nervous, "Calm down, Lu. It''s not a big deal," She assured herself as she adjusted her skirt before stepping away from her seat.

    Walking over to the door she knocked on it once before turning the knob, "Good morning sir," she greeted politely without looking directly at him. Instead, her head was bowed and she was looking at her feet since she had heard he didn''t like being stared at.

    Tom cleared his throat, "Good morning. Please have your seat," Tom said in his rehearsed voice, and Lucy raised her head to look at him.

    Looking at him now, she noticed that he didn''t look as weird as she had thought he looked the first time she set her eyes on him. Apart from the mustache and beards, he seemed like a normal person, with his sses on.

    "Do you intend to stand there all day?" Tom asked coolly, reminding her that he had asked her to sit down.

    "Sorry sir," she apologized as she quickly went to take the seat opposite him. She folded both hands on herp and bowed her head as she waited to hear what he had to say.

    Tom watched her as she took her seat, and he could tell that she was nervous. He couldn''t help but wonder why she always seemed nervous around him, "Do I make you nervous?" He asked, and Lucy quickly shook her head.

    "Not at all sir," she lied and hupped almost immediately. Just great!

    "Good. You have nothing to be nervous about. I wanted to see you because I heard from my brother that you are his fiancee''s best friend, is that right?" Tom asked without beating around the bush.

    "Yes sir," Lucy responded without looking at him. Her heart was beating really fast for reasons she couldn''t exin.

    "What a coincidence," he said, and Lucy winced at that. Coincidence was a word she hade to associate with just Tom since everything between them seemed like a coincidence.

    "Well, my younger brother wants me to take care of you, so I guess I have to know you better."

    ''Know me better? What for? No. Please don''t know me better,'' Lucy pleaded in her head. What had she been thinkinging up with that n about getting close to the CEO? Now that she had sorted out things with Tom and didn''t need the CEO''s help to get rid of him anymore, she no longer needed to be close to him.

    "We don''t have much time left before we leave for the meeting, so let''s have lunch together after the meeting, is that okay?" he asked, and Lucy gave him a nod even though what she really wanted was to say no to him.

    "You can return to your office to clear up your desk. Meet us in front of thepany in twenty minutes," Tom said, and Lucy stood up immediately and gave him a polite bow before walking out of the office.

    Watching her leave, Tom couldn''t help but wonder what was going on in her head. Why had she tried getting close to him in the first ce if she was this timid?

    Twenty minutester the private investigator who was still staying hidden at one end of the parking lot between two cars, sat up when he heard the ding of the elevator and he watched as Tom came within view.

    His brows furrowed in confusion when he saw Tome out alone. This was Thomas Hank? Of course, it had to be. This person looked more like a responsible CEO than the first guy who had taken the elevator that morning. If this was Thomas Hank, when did he get in? Did he usually sleep in his office? And why was he alone? Where was the other guy who had gone in earlier? He wondered as he clicked on his camera, and captured several photos of Tom.

    He lowered his camera when he saw Harry walking towards Tom from the opposite direction. It was confirmed that this was Thomas Hank, he thought as he took another photo of them both.

    "Did I keep you waiting for long?" Harry asked as he automatically unlocked one of the saloon cars parked close to the private investigator.

    Immediately the private investigator heard the car beep, he crawled on his knees to hide behind the next car as he kept his ears open to hear their conversation.

    "I just got here. Let''s leave now so we don''t keep her waiting," Tom said in his broad voice as they both approached the car. Once he opened the back door of the car to get inside, he paused when his phone vibrated in his pocket.

    He took it out to see if it was Jade returning his call but looked slightly surprised when he saw that it was a call from Lucy and he stepped away from the car. Why was she calling him when she was supposed to be outside waiting for them to pick her up? He wondered as he received the call.

    He cleared his throat, "Sup, love?" He asked in his normal voice, and Harry who had gotten into the driver''s seat of the car looked at him with a slightly raised brow.

    The private investigator narrowed his eyes when he heard the automatic switch in Tom''s voice. Why was he using a different voice? And who was he talking to? Was he in a rtionship?

    Lucy felt butterflies flutter in her stomach when she heard his voice. Love? Why did that sound so good in her ear? She cleared her throat, "Are you at your workce now?" Lucy asked, trying to sound unaffected.

    "Yes, I''m busy with work at the moment. How are things going over there in the office?" He asked as he got into the car. Harry didn''t bother to start the car since he knew Tom was speaking with Lucy. There was no need to be in a hurry to pick her up when she was busy on the phone.

    "Everything is alright. Uhm... I don''t know if it''s necessary but I''m just calling to let you know that I''m leaving with Mr. Hank for a business meeting, and we might go out to have lunch after that. You don''t have to rush back to pick me up, I will find my way home. So you can take your time to do whatever you need to do, we can see when you get back," Lucy said in a rush, and Tom''s lips curved in a smile. She might not know it, but she was gradually beginning to act like a girlfriend.

    "Sure. Let''s talk when I get back then," Tom said before hanging up with a grin on his face.

    "That was your girlfriend I suppose?" Harry asked in amusement as Tom returned to the car.

    "Yeah, she''s calling to let me know about her movement. We should leave now so we don''t keep them waiting," Tom said as he got into the car, and Harry drove off immediately.

    Once the car had left the driving lot the private investigator stepped out from where he had been hiding. One thing was sure from all he had heard, Mr. Thomas Hank had ady in his life. However, there were only two questions guing his mind as he walked away from there.

    Who was the other man who had used the private elevator earlier? And why hadn''t hee out with Mr. Hank?

 Chapter 132 - Badmouthing Employee

    Once the car came to a stop in front of Lucy who was standing in front of thepany, she opened the front passenger seat and got in. She didn''t risk ncing at the backseat of the car where the CEO was seated, rather she gave Harry a polite bow before buckling her seatbelt.

    Between the CEO and Mr. Harry, Lucy couldn''t decide on who made her feel more nervous. While Mr. Harry was always looking at her with an expression on his face that seemed like he could see through her or he knew something that she didn''t know, the CEO just seemed very intimidating. Maybe it was because no one really knew anything about him as he hardly interacted with others, hence she didn''t know how to interact with him.

    Lucy wondered whether she was being unnecessarily anxious and wary of them or perhaps any other staff would also feel just as anxious as she was around them when seated with both men.

    Harry turned to spare Lucy a nce and his lips twitched in amusement when he noticed how she sat still like a statue, looking straight ahead of her. He feared that she would faint soon if she continued to hold her breath for much longer so he decided to engage her in a discussion.

    "I hope you are enjoying your stay in the City?" He asked, turning to look at her.

    Was this man ever going to leave her alone? Why was he always trying to start a conversation with her? Lucy wondered as she gave him her fake smile, "Yes. There are lots of nice ces around," she managed to say before looking out of the window.

    "So, about your driver..." Harry started, making Lucy shift in her seat ufortably as she turned to look at him in once again, while Tom cleared his throat in a silent warning, making Harry grin at him through the rearview mirror, "I guess you get along with him now," Harry said, and Lucy couldn''t help but wonder why he was so interested in her rtionship with her driver. Why was he bringing it up again after she had already told him so earlier?

    "Yes, sir."

    "By the way, as I was driving in earlier I noticed that your car wasn''t parked in the parking lot l. Did something happen to the car? Perhaps it has developed a fault?" Harry asked, ignoring Tom who he could see was ring at him through the rearview mirror.

    "The car is in perfect condition. I sent him on am errand after he dropped me off this morning," Lucy rushed to exin.

    "Oh! I see. It''s a good thing you are putting him to good use. He seems like a rascal to me, doesn''t he?" Harry asked with a grin.

    "I''m not sure about that," Lucy said with an awkward smile since she didn''t know how else she could respond to his question. She remembered Tomining about him this morning. Did he have something against Tom? Or perhaps he was trying to make her say something that would make her look bad in the presence of the CEO?

    "Of course you''re not," Harry said with a small chuckle, as though he was enjoying himself. He risked a nce at the rearview mirror and chuckled some more when he noticed that Tom was still ring at him.

    "Do you make it a habit badmouthing the employees?" Tom asked with disapproval.

    "We weren''t badmouthing anyone, were we?" Harry asked Lucy.

    What did he mean by ''Were we''? Who was the we? Why was he involving her in this when he had been the one badmouthing her boyfriend? Without saying a word Lucy gave him a stiff smile and shook her head. All she wanted was for them to get to their destination very quickly so that she would finally be able to breathe.

    Lucy decided that she needed to keep herself busy until they got to their destination, so that Mr. Harry wouldn''t talk to her anymore. She took out her phone from her handbag to send Sonia a text since she couldn''t talk over the phone at the moment.

    "Sup? Are you very busy?" She typed, and her eyes widened in surprise immediately she clicked on send and then realized that she had mistakenly sent the text to Tom instead of Sonia.

    Oh God! Now he was going to think that she was a clingy girlfriend and was reaching out to him for the second time because she was missing him badly, Lucy thought, cringing with embarrassment. She started to type another text to let him know that the first text had been a mistake.

    Tom who had just been sitting in the car thinking about the meeting they were about to attend, looked at his phone when it vibrated and then nced at Lucy when he saw that the text was from her. Why was she texting him? He wondered as he ced his phone on silent so that she wouldn''t hear the vibration of his phone each time he received her text.

    "Not busy enough to ignore you. Want to talk?" He asked since he knew that Lucy wouldn''t be able to receive a call from him in their presence.

    Lucy who had just finishedposing the text to tell him that her text to him was a mistake and he should ignore it, decided that it wasn''t necessary and erased it when his text message came in. She quickly typed a response, "No, I can''t talk right now. I''m in the car with Mr. Harry and the CEO," Lucy exined.

    Harry nce at Lucy and when he noticed that she was busy on her phone, he looked at Tom through the rearview mirror and noticed that he also seemed busy. Were they bothmunicating with each other right now, while he was busy doing the job of a driver? Harry thought with a scowl as he returned his gaze to the road.

    "Why can''t you talk because you are with them? Are you scared of either of them?" Tom texted back curiously.

    "Mr. Harry is very weird. I don''t feelfortable talking when I''m around him," Lucy texted back, and Tom burst out inughter before he could stop himself, making Lucy turn to spare him a nce as she hadn''t expected someone like the CEO tough that way.

    Harry also looked at Tom through the rearview mirror and rolled his eyes at him, not knowing that he was the reason for Tom''sughter.

    Tom didn''t notice that either of them had turned to look at him as he was still busy chuckling to himself in amusement as the thought that Harry who had called him weird was the one being referred to as weird.

    Harry sighed, "I guess everyone else is busy having fun with their phones while poor old Harry has to be the driver," Harry said pitifully so that Lucy would feel guilty and drop her phone, that way Tom would also have no one to text him.

    "I also think he is weird." Tom texted back.

    "Let''s talkter, he is sulking already," Lucy texted back before returning her phone to her handbag making Tom chuckle. It was obvious that Lucy wasn''t very fond of Harry.

    "Well, we are here now," Harry announced, and both Tom and Lucy looked up to see that Harry had just driven through the gates of Ocean Airlines, and most of the staff were standing in front of the building as though they were waiting for them.

 Chapter 133 - MISS Anita Miller

    The first person Lucy took note of amongst the staff who stood outside, was Anita who was dressed in the dress that they had picked out at the dress shop that weekend. Anita had made so much fuss over picking the perfect dress, and for what? This? This was the reason she had kept rejecting so many dresses insisting they weren''t fit for the asion? This was the asion? Meeting the CEO? Wow!

    Harry parked the car in front of the building, and almost immediately one of the security personnel standing outside, opened the door for Tom to get out of the car, while Lucy and Harry also got out of the car. Harry handed the car key to the valet who stepped forward to take it from him, before joining Tom and Lucy where the staff of Ocean Airlines were standing.

    Seeing the beads of sweat that coated Anita''s brows on closer observation, it was obvious to Lucy that Anita had been standing out there for a while. Wow! The length women could go to get a man. If she had any doubt that Anita was out to get the CEO, then this had just cleared it all. She would have to do well to not get in Anita''s way. The more she knew Anita, the more she wanted to stay away from her. If only Tom had been honest from the start, she wouldn''t have approached a person like Anita to be friends with her.

    With a smile pasted on Anita''s face she took a step forward, "Good morning Mr. Hank, Mr. Harry. I am MISS Anita Miller," Anita greeted, ignoring Lucy while emphasizing on her marital status with a wide smile on her face as she extended her hand to Tom for a handshake. . She had been kind of worried about his physical appearance considering the fact that he had remained away from public view for so long. Seeing him now, she was more than happy that he was good looking, regardless of his beards and mustache.

    Even though this was supposed to be the first time ''Thomas Hank'' was meeting Anita, he couldn''t seem to hide his dislike of her as he stared at her hand "Where is Mr. Wyatt?" Tom asked, without bothering to take her hand, and Anita dropped her hand to her side, but maintained the smile on her face even though she was feeling quite embarrassed. She wasn''t going to let his standoffish attitude deter her from trying to win his heart.

    The other staff murmured amongst themselves when they noticed how the new CEO had ignored Anita.

    "He is waiting for you in the meeting room. I will lead you..." Before she could finish her sentence Tom walked past her to anotherdy behind her, "Please show me the way to the meeting room."

    Thedy nced at Anita nervously, and when the young man standing behind her poked her back, as though reminding her that Tom was the new boss, and Anita didn''t call the shots anymore. Thedy quickly stepped forward, and led them in the direction of the office.

    Anita grabbed Lucy''s hand before she could walk past her like the others, "What is with your boss?" Anita asked with a slight frown. They had never met before, so why was he being rude to her?

    Lucy who had noticed how Anita ignored her earlier, tried not to sound irritated as she looks at Anita, "What do you mean?" Lucy asked innocently, even though she had also noticed the CEO''s attitude towards Anita.

    At first she had assumed that the CEO had a thing against females but that impression had been quickly corrected when he asked the otherdy to lead him to the meeting room. Now it seemed to Lucy that it was just Anita who the CEO did not like. She found it funny that Anita had gone through so much stress to pick a dress that would impress him, only for him not to even ept a handshake from her. That served her right for treating a nice guy like Tom the way she had done.

    "Don''t tell me you didn''t notice how he ignored me? Does he have a thing against me?" Anita asked, but before Lucy could respond to the question, Tom who had walked far ahead stopped in his track and turned around when he suddenly noticed that Lucy wasn''t walking beside him. He raised a brow when he saw Anita holding Lucy''s hand and walked back to join them, making the other staff who had been following him to also stop.

    "What rtionship do you have with my assistant to be holding her arm in that manner?" Tom coldly asked as he approached them, startling Lucy who hadn''t been expecting that.

    "We are friends," Anita said with a smile as she moved her hand from Lucy''s arm to ce it around her shoulder.

    "Then save your friendship forter. Miss Perry, shouldn''t you be walking by my side?" Tom asked, jerking his head to the side for Lucy to move.

    Lucy quickly shook off Anita''s hand from her shoulder as she quickly went to stand beside Tom.

    "What did you say was your name again?" Tom asked, pretending not to remember her name, while Harry who was standing few feets away from them tried not to roll his eyes at Tom.

    "Miss Anita Miller," Anita quickly answered.

    "I''m thirsty, go and get us something cold to drink," Tom ordered her, making Anita blink at him in disbelief, while the other staff who could overhear what they were saying tried to hold back theirughter. It was nice to see Anita being treated that way, considering how she liked to treat others like they were beneath her.

    "I will have someone..."

    "Get it yourself. And get something for all three of us. Don''t keep me waiting," Tom said before walking away, and Lucy hurried to keep up with him.

    Anita remained in that spot staring after them as they all disappeared one after the other. This wasn''t part of her ns. She hadn''t envisioned this when she was making her ns. She looked down at the dress she was wearing. She definitely hadn''t spent so much money to buy this dress just so that she would be his messenger. And why had he seemed so protective of his assistant?

    Anita closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath. She was just going to get him the drinks he had requested for. As the saying goes, ''Nothing Good Comes Easy''.. If she was going to get a man like Thomas Hank, she would have to be prepared to do whatever it takes.

 Chapter 134 - That Spot Is Taken

    "Where is Anita?" Mr. Wyatt asked his assistant with a frown when he saw the other directors and staff walking into the meeting hall with Tom, but his niece was nowhere in view.

    The major reason he had asked for this official handover even though they had alreadypleted their business transaction, was because he wanted his niece to meet Thomas Hank in person. So if she was absent from the meeting room, then the whole thing would be pointless without her. Besides, he had asked her to lead the others in weing him, so why was everyone else here apart from her?

    "I will find out, and let you know at once," His assistant said to him before walking away quickly to get the answer.

    Mr. Wyatt who was seated on the chair positioned at the head of the table, stood up when Tom approached him, "We have been waiting for you," he said with a polite smile as he stretched out his hand to shake Tom.

    "I hope we didn''t keep you waiting for too long?" Tom asked politely as he shook the man''s hand.

    "You didn''t."

    "I''m d. So, can we start now? We have other appointments to attend to after we leave here," Tom said as he took out the seat next to Mr. Wyatt and lowered himself on it.

    Although he was the owner of the airline now and had every right to sit at the head of the table, he also understood that this was the old man''sst day in thepany, and as such, it wouldn''t hurt to let him remain at the head of the table. Besides, they were doing the official handover, so it would be weird for the person who was handing over to him to sit anywhere other than the head of the table.

    The other directors and staff in the meeting hall took Tom''s gesture as a go-ahead for them to sit down too, so they all sat down after Mr. Wyatt was seated.

    Harry went around the table to sit down directly opposite Tom so that they could maintain eye contact through the meeting period, while Lucy stood behind Tom not knowing where to sit since this wasn''t thepany where she worked, and she didn''t know what was expected from her here.

    As if reading her mind, Tom turned to her, "You should sit down next to me," he instructed as he reached out with his hand, and pulled out thest unupied seat on the table.

    "That spot is taken," Mr. Wyatt hurried to point out since the n was for Anita to sit beside Tom, and that was the reason no one else had dared to take that seat.

    "Yes, it is. By my assistant," Tom said bluntly, as he jerked his head to Lucy who was still standing to sit down.

    Lucy reluctantly sat down, wondering why the CEO was being this way with her. Was it because his brother had asked him to look out for her? Didn''t he realize that he was making her ufortable and putting her in a difficult position by paying extra attention to her and making it seem like he favored her? Knowing the way people gossiped, she was certain that if care was not taken, rumors were soon going to start flying around that she was having an affair with him, and she didn''t want something like that to happen.

    Mr. Wyatt''s lips were set in a thin line as he looked at Lucy with disapproval while wondering who she was, and why Tom was going against him so openly just because of her. Before he couldment on it his assistant returned to his side and bent down to whisper into his ear, "Mr. Hank sent her to get them drinks."

    "Drinks?" Mr. Wyatt asked, trying not to sound upset. Why would Tom choose to humiliate his niece in that manner? Of everyone he had met at the entrance why did he choose to send her on that sort of an errand?

    "Yes, sir." His personal assistant said, and Mr. Wyatt waved him away dismissively as he turned to look at Tom with a forced smile.

    "You didn''t introduce the youngdy with you. I know Mr. Harry, but I don''t know her," Mr. Wyatt said, and Tom nodded.

    "My apologies. This is my personal assistant Miss Lucinda Perry," Tom said, and looked at the man, as though daring him to speak further.

    As far as Tom was concerned his business with the man was done and dusted, and the man had no right to question him. The only reason he was here doing this with him was that he wanted to honor the man''s request. He understood that it wouldn''t be easy for one to easily let go of one''s Company as a result of financial reasons, so he was trying to make it all as easy as possible for the old man.

    "I see, but shouldn''t she be seated at..."

    Seeing that the old man was bent on being difficult, Tom looked away from him and looked around the table. "Since everyone is here, we should start the meeting," Tom suggested even though he knew that Anita was yet to return from the errand he had sent her.

    "We can''t start yet since one of the directors is not here yet. I was informed you sent her to get you something to quench your thirst, so we can''t proceed without her," Mr. Wyatt said with a stiff smile since he was offended that Tim had cut him off so rudely.

    The door opened before Tom could say anything and Anita who was sweating profusely walked into the meeting room as graciously as she could while carrying three cold cans of coca-c on a tray. She clenched her teeth together when she saw Lucy was seated on her spot beside the CEO. She pasted a smile on her face as she walked directly to where Tom was seated and ced the tray in front of him, before standing by his side.

    "You sure took your sweet time to get here. Are you always so slow or today is just special?" Tom asked as he took one of the cans and passed it to Lucy, before throwing one to Harry, surprising the others on the table who didn''t expect such a carefree action from the CEO.

    Most of the people on the table, including Lucy couldn''t help wondering what Anita must have done wrong to deserve such treatment from the CEO. Why was he picking on her?

    Anita spared a nce at her Uncle whose lips were set in a thin line. It was obvious to her that he was very angry with Tom''s ill-treatment of her, and she knew that her mother would have a fit if she heard that her daughter had been subjected to the duty of a messenger, and treated this way in the presence of others.

    "I''m not a fan of Coca-C, do you mind getting me something else? Water, perhaps?" Tom asked Anita who was still standing there, and Harry''s lips twitched in amusement at Tom''s pettiness. Harry looked around the hall to see what the others thought about Tom''s callousness, but from the glint in their eyes, it seemed like they were all enjoying themselves, and the only people who seemed remotely upset by Tom''s behavior was Lucy who was looking at her leg, and Mr. Wyatt whose countenance had changed, and his face was ruddy.

    "My assistant will get you whatever you need. We should proceed with the meeting now that she is here as you already mentioned that you have somewhere to be after now," Mr. Wyatt said, making Tom raise a brow.

    "Is there a particr reason you don''t want her to get me what I want? Isn''t she under my payroll now?" Tom asked, reminding Mr. Wyatt that this was no longer hispany even though he was seated at the head of the table, and as such he should know his ce.

    Seeing how her Uncle was about to be humiliated because of her, Anita quickly spoke up, "I will get the water," she said with a smile as she picked up the tray to leave with thest can of drink, but Tom was quick to snatch the drink.

    "Don''t worry about it. I guess I will just have to manage this since I have to be somewhere after now, and I can''t wait all day for you to get what I need," Tom said dismissively making Anita grit her teeth in annoyance. If he had known he could manage the drink, why then had he asked her to get him water? Was he trying to humiliate her? Why? She couldn''t recall meeting him anywhere or doing anything wrong to him, so what was this about?

    Anita gave him a polite nod before she signaled to her secretary who was seated with the other assistants at one end of the hall to take the tray from her.

    She returned to where Lucy was seated and tapped her arm gently, "You are on my seat," Anita said with a stiff smile, as she expected Lucy to go sit with the other secretaries and assistants instead of being on the same table with her.

    Lucy picked up her handbag, ready to stand up, but Tom ced his hand on her arm to stop her, "You sit where I ask you to. She doesn''t have a seat on this table unless I say so. This is no longer a family-runpany, are we clear on that?" Tom asked, looking at Lucy even though the message was meant for Anita and her uncle.

    Having said that he turned to Anita, "Seeing as there is no empty seat on the table, you can sit with the assistants as no one will be leaving their seats for you."

    Both Anita and Mr. Wyatt were surprised to know that he was aware of the rtionship between them.

    This made Mr. Wyatt even more upset. If he knew Anita was his niece, why was he going out of his way to embarrass her?

    Lucy on the other hand fidgeted in her seat and she cursed herself for asking Sonia to tell Bryan about their friendship.. If only she hadn''t done that, the CEO wouldn''t have been doing all of this to her, or would he? Here she was trying to avoid stepping on Anita''s wrong foot at all cost, yet it seemed like the CEO was bent on feeding her to the shark.

 Chapter 135 - Fun To Watch

    "So tell me, how did it gost night? It worked, didn''t it? You know, when his mouth dropped open the minute you walked through the door, I knew he was toast," Mia said with a wide smile once the make-up team finished with Sonia''s make-up and left the room so that Sonia could change from her clothes into the matching clothes they had gotten for her and Bryan.

    Bryan was also in his bedroom changing into his clothes with Jeff''s help, while the production crew set up the cameras around the house.

    Sonia who was putting on her suit pant turned to look at Mia and pursed her lips as she considered Mia''s question. The corners of her lips curved in a smile when she remembered how flustered Bryan had been, "It worked, but I''m not sure that he likes that he is attracted to me. He seems to be fighting it," Sonia said thoughtful sigh, and then pursed her lips again when she recalled the incident that took ce at the swimming pool the previous evening. What would have happened between themst night had she not stopped him right there because she was upset? Would he have made love to her? Butterflies fluttered in her belly at the thought of that, and her toes curled.

    "I would have been worried if he wasn''t fighting it. Seeing that he is fighting it, I can confidently say that you are doing a good job," Mia said with a satisfied smile, giving Sonia a thumb up.

    "Well, let''s not celebrate too soon. We can say that I have done a good job only after I get him where I want him,"

    "And where do you want him, if I may ask?" Mia asked, just to be certain that she was on the same page as Sonia.

    "My bed?" Sonia asked with a grin.

    "Just on your bed? I thought you like him?" Mia asked with a slight frown. Thest thing she wanted was for Bryan to end up falling in love with her, as she knew he would, only for Sonia to leave after having sex with him.

    "Of course, I do. Sex is always a good start, don''t you agree?" Sonia asked with a grin, and then she moved closer to where Mia was standing when she noticed that Mia didn''t look satisfied by her response, "Don''t worry, I''m not going to break his heart or do anything rash that might affect his career. I promise," she said, and Mia drew in a deep breath before giving her a nod.

    "I trust you," Mia said as she took a step back so she could take a good look at Sonia''s outfit, "I think you were made for the camera. Let''s join them,"

    Sonia turned to look at her reflection in the mirror and she had to agree with Mia that she was set for the camera. Both the makeup on her face, and the clothes she was putting on looked perfect on her, and it gave her a celebrity feel. Although she would have preferred that they both wear simple homely clothes since they were shooting the interview in his house, she also understood that Bryan was a celebrity and as such he was always expected to look his best, and so was she as his fiancee.

    "Let''s go," she said to Mia as she led the way out of the bedroom. She stopped by the doorway when she saw that Bryan was getting out of his wheelchair to sit on the white-colored couch that they were using for the interview.

    Bryan who was now seated on the couch, turned in Sonia''s direction when he noticed that Jeff and the other guys near him were staring at her.

    Like him, she was wearing navy blue colored pantsuits. The only difference in their outfit was that while he was wearing a white turtleneck top under his suit jacket, she wasn''t wearing anything under hers. The neckline of her suit jacket had a deep V neckline which almost stopped midriff, revealing her cleavage, and she was wearing white stiletto heels to match the white in Bryan''s outfit.

    Seeing their audience, Bryan shed her a proud smile as he stretched out his hand to her, and Sonia didn''t hesitate to take his hand, "You look ravishing as always," Bryan said with a wide smile that reflected in his eyes as he pulled her to the space next to him on the couch, while Jeff quickly moved the wheelchair away from there when he noticed the cameras clicking.

    Sonia looked into his smiling eyes, wondering why his smile seemed so genuine. He must be a really good actor to be able to fake such a smile, Sonia mused as she smiled back at him, and leaned in to kiss him, "You don''t look so bad yourself," she said as she patted his chest.

    Bryan tried not to react to the kiss, even though as always his body responded to the brief contact. His eyes fell on her ears, and he signaled Mia over to his side. Once Mia got to where they were seated, Bryan signaled her to lean forward as he wanted to tell her something for her ears alone.

    Sonia watched curiously as Bryan whispered something into Mia''s ear, and she whispered something back to him, and when they were done Mia gave him a nod, and looked at Sonia with an amused expression before walking away.

    "What were you talking to her about?" Sonia asked curiously, still leaning into him with her head on his chest.

    "Something I didn''t want anyone else to hear," Bryan said as he raised his hand to pat her hair as though it was the most natural thing in the world.

    Sonia pulled away from him to look into his face with a cute pout, "You shouldn''t be hiding anything from your fiancee," she reminded him.

    "Says the same fiancee that refused to confide in me about her best friend," Bryan said with a small smile as he watched her. He still couldn''t believe that he was falling for her under such a short duration. She must have bewitched him as Matt had suspected thest time for him to have fallen so easily.

    A shadow of a frown touched his brows when he recalled how terrible he had felt while watching her cry the previous evening. "I''m sorry aboutst night," Bryan told her softly, making Sonia blink at him in surprise as she hadn''t been expecting an apology, especially not at that moment.

    "Huh?"

    "I wouldn''t have yed such a prank on you had I known you had such a painful memory. I''m sorry," Bryan murmured again for her ears alone.

    She felt oddly touched by his apology, so she looked away, "It''s fine. I was only worried about you," Sonia said, feeling slightly embarrassed now that she remembered that he had seen her in that state. She was sure her face had been red, especially her nose.

    The sides of Bryan''s lips twitched in amusement when he noticed that she looked embarrassed by his apology. She seemed like one of those people who didn''t know how to respond to an apology. Or was she perhaps embarrassed because he had seen her crying? Knowing Sonia, that was probably it.

    "Do you know what I discoveredst night?" Bryan asked, making her turn to look at him once again with a pair of curious green eyes.

    "You look very hot when you are pissed. Also, I didn''t think a person could look so beautiful when crying, untilst night," Bryan said, looking into her eyes with such an intensity that made Sonia''s heart flutter. Not that she believed him anyway, since she knew she was definitely not beautiful when she cried.

    She blinked at him in confusion when his right hand moved to her face and he moved his thumb over her cheek in a caress as he said, "However, no matter how pretty you look when you cry, I don''t want to see your tears."

    What was he doing? Why was he being so sweet? What was she doing? Why was her heart fluttering this way? Her main aim here was to make him fall in love with her, only after that could she fall in love with him. So why was her heart feeling funny? She asked herself as she turned to look around when she heard the clicking sound of cameras that reminded her that they were not alone in the living room. She couldn''t believe that for a moment there she hadpletely forgotten about everything and everyone else because she was engrossed in their conversation.

    Atst, now she knew why he was being so sweet. He was made for the camera after all and his actor mode had been activated, Sonia thought as she tried to calm her fluttering heart and y along with him.

    "That''s so sweet of you," Sonia said with a sweet smile as she allowed her face to rest on his palm. They both looked up when Mia stopped in front of them.

    Bryan reached out his left hand and took the box she offered him, before turning to look at Sonia, "Although you already look perfect, and I hate to tamper with perfection, I think this piece of jewelry would be perfect on you," Bryan said as he opened the box which held a diamond earring stud.

    When he looked at her ears earlier, he had noticed that although the pair of earrings she was wearing looked new like she had just gotten them, they didn''t look very expensive. Knowing the kind of fans he had, he knew they were going to take note of that, and makements that might embarrass Sonia. Hence, he had called Mia to find out if that was the only piece of jewelry they had purchased during their shopping. Mia had in turn informed him that Sonia had insisted that she didn''t want to use his money to buy anything that she couldn''t afford for herself.

    On hearing that, he had asked Mia to look through his closet where he usually kept the gifts he received from both fans andpanies whose products he endorsed, to see if she would find something better.

    Sonia opened her mouth to refuse, but Bryan ced a finger on her lips to shut her up before leaning forward to whisper into her ear, "Don''t you think it is weird to reject a gift from your fiance? Be a good girl, and let me fix it, okay?" Bryan asked in a husky voice, and Sonia swallowed past the lump in her throat as she gave him a short nod, while Mia watched the both of them with an amused expression.

    They could both deceive themselves all they liked that they were acting for the camera, but from where Mia stood, it was clear as daylight that Sonia was also beginning to fall for Bryan, whether she knew it or not. This was going to be fun to watch.. She couldn''t wait to see who would open up first.

 Chapter 136 - Impressive!

    Anita was seething with anger as she went to sit amongst the secretaries and assistants who were there to take the minute of whatever was going to be discussed there on behalf of their boss.

    Anita''s secretary was the only person there who bothered to make room for her to sit down since she was directly under Anita''s payroll. In the past, every one of them feared Anita because their bosses were under Mr. Wyatt''s payroll, and as such if Anita so much as found any of them wanting in any regard, and wanted them out of thepany, all she needed to do was report them to her uncle, and her uncle would ask the director in charge of that secretary to fire them. But now that the new CEO had announced to their hearing that it was no longer a family-runpany, and it seemed like the CEO wasn''t very fond of Anita, they all didn''t see any reason to condone her excesses anymore.

    Once Anita was seated, she pasted a false smile on her face as she watched the others who were seated on the table, especially Lucy who was seated in her spot. Even though she still didn''t think Lucy was qualified enough to be viewed as a threat, since Lucy was nothingpared to her, she also knew that she needed to get rid of Lucy. This was the second time the CEO had embarrassed her because of Lucy, and that wasn''t eptable.

    Why was he so protective of her? How many bosses were that protective of their employees? Perhaps something was going on between the CEO and Lucy that Lucy wasn''t telling her? Was Lucy pretending to be naive when she probably had ulterior motives and wanted the CEO for herself? Seeing how good-looking and wealthy the CEO was, how was it possible that anydy around him would im not to be interested in him? She was just going to have to keep her eyes on Lucy by pretending to be her friend. She had to keep her very close to herself to be sure that Lucy wasn''t trying to take her man from her.

    "So? What are we waiting for?" Tom asked Mr. Wyatt when everywhere remained silent after Anita was seated.

    "The director you just sent away from the table is the person that''s making the speech," Mr. Wyatt stated irritably.

    "Ah! I see. Well, since she can''t speak from where she is seated, can nobody else tell me all I need to know?" Tom asked, cocking his head to the side as he looked around the table at the other directors.

    Most of them bowed their head or looked away from Tom since they had been instructed to let Anita handle everything that involved speaking with the CEO. They had been threatened by both Mr. Wyatt and Anita that the new CEO was very mean and wouldn''t hesitate to fire anyone who made a mistake.

    "I don''t know how you have managed to run yourpany until now, but in this ce we are disciplined, and we do things in an organized and..."

    Harry snorted, interrupting Mr. Wyatt''s sentence, "We have run things so well in ourpany that we are buying otherpanies that seem not to be doing so well," Harry said irritably since it was bing obvious that Mr. Wyatt wasn''t deserving of the respect they were showing him.

    Mr. Wyatt tried his best not to look embarrassed as he met Anita''s gaze across the room. She shed him an apologetic smile even though she was feeling pretty angry herself.

    Tom grinned at Harry. Of course, they were best friends for a reason. He had been about to say exactly the same thing that Harry had just said. The old man was just as annoying as Anita was, and it was bing quite clear that Anita''s problem was a gic issue and not just personal.

    "Am I to assume that Miss Miller is the only person here who can speak on behalf of thepany? We should probably fire every one of them and retain just Miss Miller, shouldn''t we?" Tom asked Harry, making the others around the table sit up quickly.

    Thedy who had led Tom to the meeting hall earlier raised her hand when her colleagues urged her to speak on their behalf, and Tom gave her the go-ahead to speak.

    "We were only informed of youring yesterday, and we were told not to bother preparing for anything as Miss Miller would handle the presentation," she exined as she didn''t want to lose her job over something that wasn''t her fault.

    "Is that so?" Tom asked, turning to look at Mr. Wyatt, and then Anita who was still seated amongst the secretaries. When neither of them answered his question he nodded his head and looked at Harry who also gave him a nod to proceed with whatever he wanted to do.

    Tom stood up from his seat and went to stand beside Mr. Wyatt, "If that is all, you can excuse us so that I can have my first meeting with my staff," Tom said to Mr. Wyatt whose face became beet red with a mixture of anger and embarrassment.

    "I beg your pardon?" Mr. Wyatt asked, his eyes shooting daggers at Tom.

    "Our business with you ended the day we paid you for the airline in full. All the documents have been signed and as such your presence is no longer needed here. We only came here to honor you, and now that we are done with that, you can excuse us," Harry spoke on behalf of Tom.

    Lucy who had been sitting quietly this whole time thought that this had to be the worst meeting she had ever been present at in her entire life. As far as she was concerned the CEO was ruthless, and Mr. Harry wasn''t any different from him. Now she was kind of d that she was on his good side, and wasn''t at the receiving end of his cold and ruthless treatment. She intended to remain on his good side, as it was more profitable to be on his side.

    Mr. Wyatt looked around the table with a flushed face, and no one could tell if his face was that red because he was angry, or because he was feeling very embarrassed.

    "You are keeping me waiting," Tom told him coldly, and Mr. Wyatt reluctantly stood up before storming out of the office. Anita stood up as if to go after her uncle, but she paused when she remembered that she had a mission here, and her uncle''s humiliation would be for nothing if she didn''t stay back.

    Tom sat on the head of the table where Mr. Wyatt had just vacated before looking at Anita, "Are you leaving with him or joining us?" He asked her before looking at Lucy and jerking his head to the seat he had just vacated for her to upy it. Lucy quickly moved to the next seat.

    "I''m staying," Anita said politely.

    "Good. Now you can upy your ce on the table," Tom said, giving her the go-ahead to upy the seat that Lucy had just vacated.

    Although Anita was very pissed off by this, she managed to give him a polite smile as she walked over to sit down where Lucy had vacated.

    "So, let''s hear what you prepared," Tom said to Anita.

    Anita tried her best to tell him everything about thepany in detail and state statistical facts where necessary. She told him about thepany''s areas of strength and weakness, as well as the ideas she had to move the airline to the next level.

    By the time she was done, Tom had to agree to the saying that no one was bad all around. Although she was a golddigger and had a shitty attitude, she was good at what she did in thepany.

    Setting aside his personal grievance against her, he gave her a nod of approval as he pped his hands, "Impressive! That was a brilliant presentation," he said, surprising everyone else in the hall, apart from Harry who knew that Tom wasn''t going to let his personal grievance against Anita blind him from seeing her potential in thepany.

    Anita was slightly taken aback by thepliment. Her lips pulled up in a wide smile as the hall erupted in apuse. Of course, he had been won over by her intelligence. She knew that sessful men like him were often drawn to intelligent women like her. All she had needed was an opportunity to show him how intelligent she was, and thankfully he had given her the opportunity despite his initial coldness. She was happy to see that he was impressed.

    After they were done with the meeting, Anita and the other directors took both Tom and Harry around thepany premises to show them the various departments and the staff that functioned in them.

    Once they all got to the front of thepany where the valet was already waiting for them beside the car, Tom turned to look at Lucy, "It''s not toote for us to have lunch, is it?" He asked as he nced at his wristwatch.

    Anita''s brows creased with a frown when she heard this since she was standing very close to both of them.. He was having lunch with Lucy? Why? She was going to have to do something about Lucy before things get out of hand and the CEO ends up falling for a snake like Lucy.

 Chapter 137 - Chemistry

    "So, how would you describe Bryan Hank in one word?" The female interviewer who was in her early thirties, and had been put in charge of their interview asked Sonia who was seated across from her on a couch with Bryan. Sonia''s left leg was crossed over the right while brushing Bryan''s leg intimately.

    "Bryan..." Sonia let her words trail off as she looked at Bryan with a small smile on her lips as if she was thinking of the right word to describe him. She didn''t need to lie or make up anything.

    "Well, he is impulsive... Take for instance the marriage proposal. That waspletely unexpected," Sonia said as she reached out to touch Bryan''s face lovingly.

    Bryan met her gaze with a little smile of his own. He could tell that she was trying to answer as honestly as she could while keeping the truth from them.

    "Interesting. I actually thought you would use words like romantic, sweet, charming, or something rted to describe him. I wasn''t expecting you to say impulsive," thedy said with an amused smile.

    Sonia grinned at her, "Well, if I told you what you expected to hear, then I wouldn''t be Sonia Smith, would I?" Sonia asked as she turned to look at Bryan who chuckled lightly.

    "If I were you I wouldn''t expect anything or try to predict her answers. She is quite an enigma," Bryan advised the interviewer with a grin as he took Sonia''s hand and raised her knuckle to his lips, sending tingling sensations down Sonia''s spine.

    "I will keep that in mind," the interviewer said with a small smile.

    "So can you tell us what it feels like to be engaged to someone like Bryan Hank?"

    Sonia smiled as she shifted her gaze from Bryan to the interviewer, "Uhm... Being engaged to him feels like I''m on an exciting adventure. I''m always looking forward to seeing what happens next between us," Sonia said with a thoughtful smile before looking at Bryan who was also staring at her with a smile.

    The interviewer watched them both with a smile on her face. She loved the chemistry between Bryan and Sonia as they were fun to watch, especially how they kept staring at each other and touching each other at the slightest opportunity "Everyone is curious to know how you managed to win his heart. Although we know that every yboy eventually meets their match who tames them, we want to know how you were able to aplish such a feat."

    "I think that question should be directed at him, not me. I''m also curious to know how I managed to win that stubborn heart of his," Sonia said with a teasing smile as she turned to look at Bryan.

    "Can you answer the question since your fiancee is also curious to know about it?" The interviewer asked as she turned to Bryan.

    "What was the question?"

    "How did she capture your heart? What did she do to make you decide that you were done with otherdies, and wanted to stick to just her?" The interviewer asked, and Bryan shifted his gaze from the interviewer to Sonia.

    "Well, what can I say? Otherdies pale inparison with her. She is more beautiful, more intelligent, and way sexier than every otherdy I have metbined... No offense to them. When I''m with Sonia, I can''t think of anything or anyone else, because she captures all of my attention. And when I''m away from her, all I can think about is being with her. She intrigues me in every way possible," Bryan said as he looked into Sonia''s eyes.

    Hearing the wordsing from some distant part of him, Bryan knew beyond reasonable doubt that he was done for. His words might seem like mere words to Sonia, but he knew deep down that that was exactly the way he had started to feel about her.

    It was strange that he hadn''t thought about being with any otherdy since Sonia came into his life. It was even more strange that the thought hadn''t crossed his mind, not just because he no longer had the liberty to do so because he was engaged in the eyes of the public, but because he had not desired or lusted after anyone else.

    Sonia on the other hand felt her heart flutter at his words as she gazed into his intelligent blue eyes. She tried to remind herself that Bryan was merely acting and he didn''t exactly mean what he was saying. A part of her wanted those words to be true. She wanted to mean that much to someone. She wanted to mean everything to Bryan Hank.

    "Are you sure nothing is going on between those two?" Jeff asked Mia in a whisper as they both watched from one end of the room.

    Mia who had an amused smile on her face turned to look at Jeff with an innocent expression on her face, "What are you talking about?"

    "Well, they don''t look like they are acting to me. Even though I know that Bryan is an excellent actor and he can pull off anything when given a script, I don''t think the Bryan in front of the camera right now is merely acting," Jeff said thoughtfully. He knew that look on Bryan''s face. That was the way a man looked at a woman he was in love with. It wasn''t something a person could fake so easily no matter talented they were in acting.

    "So what are you thinking? That Bryan is in love with his fake fiancee?" Mia asked under her breath so that no one else would overhear them, since they were the only ones who were aware of the fake engagement.

    "He is either in love with her or very well on his way there. I don''t know much about Sonia, I can only hope that the feeling is mutual," Jeff said as he kept looking at the couple.

    "I hope so too," Mia said, giving away nothing.

    The interviewer who still had a lot of questions to ask, felt her lips curve in a smile as she watched them. Why did they seem like they were at the early stages of falling in love? She hated to interrupt their moment of intimacy, but she needed to continue with the questions.

    "How long have you both been together?" She asked, making them both reluctantly look away from each other and then back to her.

    Bryan opened his mouth to speak, but Sonia ced a hand on his leg to stop him, "Not for long, yet way too long," Sonia said, making the interviewer look at her in confusion, while Bryan''s lips twitched in amusement.

    "That is quite an ambiguous statement," the interviewer said with a confused smile.

    Seeing the confusion on thedy''s face, Sonia smiled, "Well, what I mean is, some days it feels like we have known each other for days, and then other days it feels like we have been together for months, and then sometimes it feels like years since we have been together. Isn''t that how you feel?" Sonia said with a wide smile as she turned to Bryan.

    "Yeah. Some days it even feels like hours since I''ve known you. And that''s because there are times I feel like I know so much about you, and at other times I feel like I don''t know enough yet," Bryan said, and Sonia nodded enthusiastically.

    "That''s how I feel too," Sonia said with a big smile as she turned to the interviewer, "Do you understand that feeling? Like, have you felt that way about a person before?" Sonia asked the interviewer who looked slightly flustered by her question as she was used to asking the questions and not being questioned.

    "I''m not sure I have, but I can tell it''s a beautiful feeling seeing how happy you look together," the interviewer said, wanting to turn the table to them once again.

    By the time they were done with the interview, everyone else in the room was convinced beyond reasonable doubt that both Sonia and Bryan were head over heels in love with each other, even though the two persons involved had no idea that their growing feelings for each other were mutual.

    "Now that we are done with the interview can we change into something simple? This celebrity lifestyle is not for me," Sonia murmured to Bryan as she took off the earrings while the others were busy looking at the interview video.

    "What celebrity lifestyle?" Bryan asked curiously.

    "I mean, I can''t just sit around wearing expensive stuff like this when I''m not going anywhere," Sonia exined distractedly while Bryan watched her as she took off the earrings.

    "Here," she said, handing the earrings to him.

    "What for?" Bryan asked as he continued to watch her.

    "You gave them to me for the interview show, and now that we are done with the interview you can have them back," Sonia exined as she waited for him to take the earrings from her.

    "That was a gift from me to my fiancee, I can''t take it back," Bryan said with a shake of his head.

    "I thought that was for the benefit of the camera," Sonia asked in confusion as she looked at the pair of diamond earrings which she knew must have cost a fortune.

    Bryan was almost tempted to tell her that nothing he had said or done was for the benefit of the camera, but he reminded himself that he needed to keep that information to himself until he knew what she wanted from him, "It wasn''t. Feel free to go change into something morefortable while I have a word with the producer," Bryan said, jerking his head in the direction of the bedrooms so that she would leave.

    Sonia looked at him like she wanted to argue but after a while, she gave him a nod, "Thanks," she murmured before walking away from there, while Bryan followed her with his eyes.

    "Is there something you want to tell me?" Jeff asked as he sat down on the spot which Sonia had just vacated.

    "Something like what?" Bryan asked as he met Jeff''s gaze.

    "I''ve known you long enough to know that you don''t look atdies that way. You are falling for her, aren''t you?"

    "What are you talking about?" Bryan asked, pretending not to understand what Jeff was saying.

    "Don''t even think about lying to me. Does she know how you feel about her?" Jeff asked, making Bryan raise a brow.

    "I still don''t know what you are talking about.. Please get me the wheelchair, and inform the producer that we would be changing out of this outfit into a morefortable and homely wear," Bryan said as he shrugged out of the suit jacket.

 Chapter 138 - Sniffing Around

    Once it was time for the lunch break, the private investigator ced his camera in the pigeonholepartment of his car and picked up a brown delivery envelope from the backseat of his car before stepping out of the car. He walked into thepany and made his way towards the cafeteria where most of the staff were heading to. He looked around the ce casually as though he was trying to find someone.

    "Hello, youngdy!" He greeted politely, stopping a youngdy who was walking in the same direction with him.

    "Hello, sir!" She responded, looking at him curiously.

    The private investigator smiled at her, "My name is Ralph. I''m a cab driver. I dropped off a young man here sometime this morning and he seems to have forgotten this parcel in my vehicle. I would love to give it back to him, but I don''t know anything about him apart from the fact that this was where I dropped him," the man said with a polite smile.

    "I don''t suppose you know his name?" Thedy asked, looking from the envelope to his face, and the private investigator shook his head with a slightly distressed frown on his face.

    "Unfortunately I don''t know his name. But he is this tall," the private investigator said, raising his right hand slightly above his head to indicate how tall Tom was, "He had an earring on, and his hair was colored..."

    "Copper brown?" Thedy filled in for him as Tom was the first person that came to mind with that description.

    "Uhm, I''m not sure," The private investigator said with a slight frown. Although that was exactly the color of the person''s hair he was enquiring about, he wanted to be able to leave without having thedy inform Tom that someone had been asking questions about him, "Does this person you are talking about work here?"

    "Although I don''t know him on a personal level, he is one of thepany''s drivers," thedy exined.

    "Oh! I see," the private investigator said with a nod. It made sense that he was one of thepany''s drivers seeing how he was irresponsibly dressed. But why was a merepany driver using the CEO''s private elevator? "I''m not certain yet if we are talking about the same person. What is his name? Can you help me find out if he is around?"

    "Give me a moment please," thedy excused herself as she went to one of the tables close by where some otherdies were having lunch.

    "Do any of youdies know if that handsome driver is around? Someone is asking for him."

    "You mean Miss Perry''s driver?" Lucy''s secretary who was at the next table asked, as she looked up to see who was asking for the driver.

    "Yes. His name is Tom, right?" Thedy asked to be sure that her information was correct, as she moved over to the next table to meet Lucy''s secretary who seemed to know more about the driver.

    "Yes. Although I''m not sure that he is anywhere around thepany''s premises. I didn''t see Miss Perry''s car in the parking lot when I came in this morning, and Miss Perry isn''t in either," Lucy''s secretary informed thedy who gave her a nod.

    "Alright. Thank you," she said with a small smile before returning to meet the private investigator.

    "His name is Tom, and he is not in the office at the moment. You could leave the package with me and I will make sure it gets to him," she offered with a polite smile, hoping she would use the opportunity to hit on Tom.

    "I will just hang around for a while and wait for him toe so that I can hand it over to him," the Private investigator said with an apologetic smile, "Thank you for your help," he said with a bow before leaving.

    Although he still had some unanswered questions concerning this driver, Tom, who had used the CEO''s private elevator, he knew he couldn''t ask thisdy too much about him or else that would blow his cover.

    He was just going to keep an eye on this Tom guy and the CEO. He had a hunch that there was an interesting rtionship between them both. Although it was unrted to his job, it wouldn''t be a bad idea to sell his findings to a good tabloid.

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    "You should stay back to make sure everything is in ce over here, while I leave for lunch with Miss Perry," Tom told Harry, who nodded in agreement while Anita and the directors who stood close to them wondered what rtionship the CEO had with his assistant for him to be having lunch with her.

    "I will drive," Lucy offered, reaching out to take the car key from the valet. She needed the other staff to believe that she had nothing special to do with the CEO, and their lunch was nothing other than official business.

    "You don''t have to," Tom said, ignoring the others who he knew were listening to them as he took the car key from the valet. He walked over to the front passenger door and held the door open for Lucy to get in. Lucy looked down as she got into the car while trying not to meet anyone''s gaze especially Anita''s gaze.

    The corners of Anita''s eyes twitched jealously as she watched the scene before her, and her blood boiled with anger. She couldn''t believe that her man was holding out the car door for another woman.

    Once Tom shut the door after she was seated, he turned to look at Harry and the others, "I will be off now," he said with a wave before walking around the car to get into the driver''s seat.

    Once he got into the car he buckled his seatbelt before turning on the car''s ignition and driving off. Neither of them said a word for some time until Tom nced in Lucy''s direction and he once again noticed how tense she was, and how she was looking straight ahead of her like she was holding her breath, while she wriggled her hands on herp.

    "Why do you always seem so ufortable around me?" Tom asked, even though he knew he had asked her that before.

    "I''m not ufortable sir." Although she felt uneasy around him, there was something oddly familiar about him even though she couldn''t seem to ce a finger on what it was. She felt like she knew this person, yet she knew she didn''t know him.

    Tom sighed. It was obvious that it was going to be very difficult to get her to rx around him, "How long have you been friends with Sonia?" Tom asked, wanting to ask her simple questions that might help her rx and loosen up no matter how little.

    "We have been friends for as long as I can remember," Lucy said as she turned to spare him a nce.

    "I guess you both grew up in the same neighborhood?"

    "Yeah. Our homes were just a couple of blocks apart," Lucy exined, not wanting to give him more information than was necessary.

    "That means your family is well acquainted with hers?" Tom asked, and turned to look at her in time to see the shadow of a frown that touched her brows before she turned away from him.

    "Kind of," Lucy said, not wanting to talk about her history with Sonia''s family. Talking about it meant she had to think about it and remember it, and remembering it meant she had to face those nightmares again. She didn''t want to.

    Seeing how tight-lipped she was, and knowing that she didn''t want to talk about it, Tom decided to leave the subject forter, "So you are friends with Miss Miller?" He asked, reminding her of her brief conversation with Anita earlier.

    Lucy considered the question briefly. Were they really friends? She wasn''t sure that what she had with Anita was friendship as it was clear to her that Anita wanted to use her to get close to the CEO, while she had also approached Anita because she thought Anita was the one Tom had wanted. They had no mutual respect, and that was the foundation of every friendship.

    "Not exactly. We are acquaintances," Lucy rified, making Tom''s lips twitch in amusement. It was good to know that Lucy was smart enough to not call someone like Anita her friend.

    "I see. So what do you think about the meeting earlier? How did I do?" He asked curiously, wanting to know what she thought about this aspect of him. Although she knew him as Tom the friendly and down-to-earth person, he was also just as harsh and ruthless when it involved his business.

    Lucy winced, not wanting to answer such a question as she didn''t want to lie to him or tell him the truth, "It was okay."

    "You can be honest with me. I want to know so that I can do better," Tom said when he noticed her hesitation.

    "It was fine."

    Tom sighed to himself once again. It seemed like no matter what he said or did, she was bent on remaining tight-lipped. Now he wondered if he would have gotten anywhere near where they were in their rtionship had he told her from the start that he was the CEO. He decided not to pressure her for a response anymore. He would hear her opinion concerning the meetingter in the evening as Tom Handy.

    Neither of them said a word to each other until Tom pulled the car into the parking lot of a five-star restaurant, "Give me a minute," he told Lucy as he got out of the car, and before she could figure out why, he went around the car and opened the door.

    What was he doing? Why was he doing this? She wondered, feeling very ufortable by his action as she stepped out of the car.

    Tom shut the door and they both walked into the restaurant side by side, even though Lucy kept trying to move a step behind him, Tom kept matching her pace. A waiter met them by the door and led them to their seat which had been reserved earlier.

    Tom pulled out a seat for her, and once she was seated, he took the seat opposite her and picked up the menu, leaving her to do the same.

    "Are you okay?" He asked some minutester when he noticed that Lucy was still looking at the menu, or better still, she seemed to be hiding behind the menu.

    "Yes sir," she said with a nod but didn''t put down the menu.

    "You seem to be having a difficult time making up your mind on what you want. Would you like me to help you?" Tom asked politely, and Lucy gave him a nod as she dropped the menu on the table and met his gaze.

    Tom didn''t bother to look at the menu before signaling to the waiter closest to them. Once he ced their orders, and the waiter left, he returned his gaze to Lucy, "So, I heard from Harry that your fiance was involved in an ident and you both called off the engagement," Tom said, making Lucy swear under her breath.. It seemed like that one little lie was never going to stop haunting her.

 Chapter 139 - Talented Actress

    Tom watched Lucy in amusement as she told him about her fiance''s ''ident'' which had resulted in her resuming at the officete.

    "....We were so d that he only fractured his scap and femur," Lucy concluded, and Tom nodded his head in agreement. Not in agreement with what she was saying, but in agreement with what Harry had said.

    Harry had been right when he said Lucy was a natural born actress. If he didn''t know better, he would most definitely have fallen for all the lies she had just told him. He needed to inform Bryan that Lucy had the potential of bing an award-winning actress.

    "And he chose to call off your engagement simply because you were not there at the hospital to look after him?" Tom asked, wanting her to continue with the entertaining story.

    Lucy gave him a nod, "Unbelievable, right? He said I was a workaholic and that wasn''t the kind of person he wanted to share his life with. After dating him for three years I still can''t believe he did that to me," Lucy looked away from him as if she was too sad to meet his gaze, but she was actually feeling shocked hearing the words that wereing from her own mouth. How did thate out of her mouth? Where did she get such inspiration to tell such a magnitude of lie? Three years rtionship? How?

    ''Lucy, when did you be such a liar?'' she asked herself inwardly.

    "Aww. That must have really hurt you. How did you get over the heartbreak so soon?" Tom asked, leaning forward in his seat to look at her while he sipped from a ss of wine a waiter had served them some minutes ago.

    Talking to him this way, Lucy realized that her boss wasn''t really as frightening as he had seemed a moment ago. The more she looked at him and talked to him, the less weird he became in her eyes. She was bing more and morefortable talking to him. He sounded like a regr guy having a conversation.

    "Work. I buried myself in my work."

    "Yeah. Work. That always works," Tom said with a nod and leaned back in his seat when two waiters approached the table with their orders.

    Neither of them said a word until the waiters were done, "Thank you," they both told the waiters in unison.

    The waiters gave them a polite bow as they left, while Tom and Lucy stared at each other. Lucy was impressed to know that someone as wealthy as Tom still had the good manner to thank the waiters for serving them.

    "I noticed that I''ve been the one asking all the questions, is there nothing you would like to know about me?" Tom asked as he picked up his cutlery, waiting to know how curious she was about him.

    Seeing how much effort he was putting into trying to get her to talk freely, Lucy decided to loosen up some more, "I actually have a question. Why do you like to stay hidden?" She asked the first question that came to her mind.

    "Stay hidden?" Tom asked, cocking his head to the right to look at her as he diced the steak on his te into smaller sizes.

    "Yeah. Most people don''t know what you look like, not even your staff. I''m just curious to know why you try so hard to not be known," Lucy said with a shrug before picking up her cutlery set.

    "Not everyone loves to be seen or known. Some of us prefer to live like a wallflower," Tom said, and Lucy looked at him curiously.

    "Don''t you think yours is extreme? I mean someone like you should be known, right?" Lucy asked, making Tom''s right brow arch.

    "Someone like me?"

    "Yeah. I mean someone as sessful as you are shouldn''t bepletely faceless," Lucy exined and looked at Tom in confusion as he switched their tes, giving her the diced steaks, while he took hers, "Thanks," she murmured.

    "Why do I need to be known? I shouldn''t be my introverted self simply because I am sessful? Only an unsessful person is allowed to remain unknown?" Tom asked with a curious smile.

    "That''s not what I mean. I''m just trying to say, apart from the fact that it raises spections which may lead to harmful gossip and rumors, there are people out there who could easily impersonate you, and anyone would easily believe them because you are faceless," Lucy pointed out, "Also, don''t you feel somehow when most people think Mr. Harry is the CEO?" She added.

    "Maybe the first thing you should know about me is that I don''t care what people think about me. If I did, I won''t be where I am right now. I don''t have any issue with people thinking Harry is the CEO. He puts in almost as much work as I do into thepany, so it''s okay for others to think he is the CEO. I have no problem with that," Tom said making Lucy sigh in resignation.

    "Okay."

    Hearing her resigned tone, he smiled, "I guess I will just have to work on my personality then," Tom murmured as he chewed on a piece of steak, "You will help me, won''t you?"

    "Help you with what?" Lucy asked in confusion. Why was everyone asking for her help now?

    "You should help me work on my personality," Tom said, making Lucy look at him with a slight frown. How was she supposed to do that? Lucy decided it was best not to say anything, so she picked up her ss of wine instead, and took a sip from it.

    "You haven''t touched your meal," Tom told her, jerking his head towards her te as he ate from his.

    Lucy picked up her cutlery set to eat again, but dropped it when Tom spoke, "You are not in a rtionship at the moment, are you?"

    Why was he asking that all of a sudden? What was she supposed to say? If she said she wasn''t in a rtionship, he might start getting ideas, and she didn''t want that to happen. Lucy''s thoughts drifted to Tom and she was quickly reminded of their rtionship. Although it was temporary, it was still a rtionship.

    Tom watched the different expressions that flickered across her face as she considered his question. He wondered what her response would be. Was she going to deny being in a rtionship?

    "I am in a rtionship," Lucy said, and Tom raised a brow.

    "Already? I thought you just broke up with your fiance sometimest week? Were you cheating on him?" He asked making Lucy''s face redden in embarrassment.

    It was beginning to seem like whatever she said to either Harry or the CEO was always going to be used against her. Every lie she had told them seemed to alwayse back to haunt her. She needed to be careful with whatever she told them.

    Thinking fast toe up with a suitable response, she said, "I wasn''t. I just figured that there is no need to cry over spilled milk. He broke up with me, not the other way around, so why do I have to suffer any heartache over him?"

    The corners of Tom''s lips twitched at that, "Ah! I see. So who is the lucky young man? Someone you met here in Ludus?" He enquired, making her shift ufortably in her seat.

    Why did he want to know? Was he perhaps suspecting that she was dating her driver? Was there anypany policy against it? "No. He is my childhood friend," she said making Tom''s brow furrow slightly.

    Childhood friend? What was she talking about this time? Now he was beginning to wonder who told more lies between them.

    "I see. Please eat," Tom urged her and decided to remain quiet since he noticed that she wasn''t the type to eat and talk at the same time.

    They ate in silence and after they were done, Tom paid the bills and they left. Once they got to the car he turned to her, "I think I like conversing with you. Let''s do this again sometime soon, okay?"

    "Yes sir," Lucy said with a nod. He didn''t seem as weird anymore as she had thought. She couldn''t wait to see Tom and tell him all about the meeting earlier, and also about her lunch date with the CEO.

    "Where do you live?" Tom asked innocently making her frown. She didn''t want him to know where she lived. What if he visited her uninvited? Why would he visit her uninvited? It wasn''t like they were friends or anything, he had better things to do with his time, Lucy reminded herself.

    "You don''t have to drop me off at my home. You could just drop me off at the office if you are returning there, I need to pick up some personal effects from the office."

    "The office it is then."

 Chapter 140 - Eavesdropping

    Sonia stood in front of the mirror staring back at her reflection with a frown on her brow as she thought about how her body had reacted to his words and touch during the interview. Was she falling for Bryan already? That wasn''t good at all. What if she ended up loving him deeply and he didn''t return her feelings? She would only end up getting hurt. Although she nned on making him fall in love with her, she hadn''t nned on falling in love with him so soon. Not that love was something anyone had control over, but still, how could she have fallen for him under such a short period? Her heart wasn''t that weak. She needed to find a way to keep her heart safe.

    Sonia sighed to herself as she took off the suit she was still wearing. She put on a ck strapless bodycon choker dress which stopped mid-thighs with a tiny slit and wore a pink fur flip flop before returning to join them in the living room.

    It was time for them to start shooting the reality show, with the production and camera crew in the background while she and Bryan would act as they would if they were alone in the house.

    Standing by the door, she looked around the living room and when she didn''t see any sign of Bryan, she walked over to his bedroom to check on him, since that was what was expected of her as his fiancee.

    She gave a single knock on the bedroom door before walking into the bedroom. Once she walked in, Bryan who was seated on his wheelchair buttoning his shirt, cocked his head to the side as he looked at the object of his affection.

    "Don''t tell me you are missing me already?" He asked in a teasing tone, trying to appear unaffected by her outfit.

    "Yes, I am. Why do you ask?" Sonia asked in an equally teasing tone as she walked over to where he was seated and started undoing all the buttons he had just done.

    "What are you doing?" Bryan asked with a frown as he held her hand to stop her, but she pped his hand away and continued.

    "I''ve been here for about three days now, and in all that time I haven''t seen you wearing a button-down shirt," she pointed out as she walked over to his closet and picked out a in white cotton tee-shirt, "Here, I''m sure this is morefortable for you," she said as she handed it to him.

    "What a thoughtful fiancee I have," Bryan said with a mocking smile.

    "What would you do without her in your life?" Sonia asked in an equally mocking tone as she helped him take off the shirt, so he could wear the one she had just given him.

    Sonia sat on the edge of the bed as she watched him dress up, "Your leg doesn''t hurt anymore, does it?" She asked curiously as she looked down at his legs.

    "It doesn''t. Why? You want it to hurt so that I don''t go anywhere and just stay indoors with you?"

    "Exactly! I enjoy yourpany so much that I want you all to myself," Sonia said with a roll of her eyes.

    "Sonia Bardi," Bryan said with a teasing grin, making her narrow her eyes at him, and then her eyes widened slightly when she realized what he meant, and her face flushed a bright red making Bryanugh out loud, "I never thought I would ever see the day where you would look so embarrassed," Bryan said in amusement as heughed.

    How could she not feel embarrassed to know that he had watched and heard her sing and dance to Cardi B''s song while naked? What had she been thinking? "Pervert!" Sonia muttered under her breath.

    "How can you call a man a pervert for silently enjoying a private show from his fiancee?" Bryan asked with a naughty smile as he held out his hand to her.

    Sonia looked at his hand in confusion before tentatively cing her hand on his. Her heart skipped a beat, and she gasped in surprise when Bryan suddenly pulled her towards him such that she had to sit on his thighs if she didn''t want to fall, "What are yo..." Her words trailed off when his other hand came around her neck and he pulled her face closer to his so that their lips were just a kiss away.

    "I just remembered that you owe me a kiss," Bryan said in a husky voice as he looked into her eyes, his breath fanning her face.

    Sonia''s heart skipped a beat, "A kiss? What kiss?" She asked, unable to think clearly because of the proximity.

    "Do you think I forgot that you were going to wake me up with a kiss? I want it now."

    Having said that, Bryan crushed his lips against her warm and soft lips. Her pliant lips parted in a soft moan, allowing his tongue to slip in. Bryan didn''t bother to kiss her slowly or softly. He kissed her passionately. The more he kissed her, the more he was consumed by the need to touch her. He wanted to taste every inch of her body. He wanted to have her writhing under him and moaning his name feverish ecstasy. Bryan tried not to let his hands stray, as he kissed her.

    Although he wasn''t touching her, her whole body was on fire for him. She wasn''t having the innocent butterflies in the belly or toes curling feeling, all she wanted was to feel his hands on every part of her. Sonia impatiently untangled her hand from his hair and moved his hands from her shoulder to her boobs.

    Bryan''s eyes popped open when he felt the movement, and he gazed directly into Sonia''s eyes which were staring back at him. He could see his own lust and desire reflected in her green eyes. He squeezed her left boob softly, and a soft moan escaped from her lips as she deepened the kiss.

    Their breaths mingled as their bodies pressed together heatedly. Sonia''s arms went around his neck, and her fingers carded through his hair as she returned his kiss with a matching passion.

    Soon they were both panting breathlessly, but neither of them could stop or felt the need to break the kiss. At that moment Bryan prayed for self-control. He knew that they needed to stop as they weren''t alone in the house, and there were others in the living room waiting for them toe out for the show...

    "Bryan are you..." Jeff''s words trailed off as he pushed open the door, and he blinked in surprise when he saw Sonia seated on Bryan''s thighs with their lips locked in a kiss, and Bryan''s hands on her boobs.

    Bryan pulled away when he heard Jeff''s voice, and silently cursed himself for not breaking the kiss earlier when he should have.

    Sonia batted hershes at Bryan to clear the haze of lust before turning to look at Jeff with a grin, "Oops, you caught us in the act," Sonia said without apology before returning her attention to Bryan. She smiled when she noticed that her lipstick had smeared both sides of his lips, so she used her thumb to brush off the lipstick stain on his lips before getting off his thighs.

    "I guess Jeff needs to speak with you now, so let''s continue from where we stopped some other time, okay?" Sonia said with a wink as she walked past Jeff, and left the room.

    "She is crazy," Bryan murmured to Jeff in a form of exnation, but Jeff didn''t miss the amusement, or was it awe in his tone?

    "And you are crazy about her," Jeff said with a shake of his head as he approached Bryan who tried to adjust his trouser which had suddenly be too tight at the groin region.

    "It''s nothing serious. I was only practicing for the camera," Bryan saidmely, making Jeff chuckle.

    "It must have been some mind-blowing practice seeing as you can''t seem to hide your boner. Admit it, Bryan, you are have fallen for her," Jeff said with a shake of his head.

    "It''s natural to have a boner when you kiss someone as hot as she is. What did you want?" Bryan asked, changing the subject.

    "Nothing. I saw hering into your room, and when she didn''te out after a while, I decided toe in here and remind you both that we are waiting for you, so you shouldn''t do anything naughty," Jeff said with a wink.

    Bryan sighed, and without saying a word to Jeff he headed for the door with his wheelchair.

    "You don''t have to feel embarrassed about how you feel for..." Jeff let his words trail off when Bryan stopped by the slightly open door and turned to re at him.

    "I don''t love her. I don''t even feel anything for her!" Bryan growled at him. Of course, he wasn''t feeling embarrassed because he was in love with Sonia. He knew how he felt about her. He just didn''t want anyone else to know about it, at least not until he confirmed that the feeling was mutual. That way his ego wouldn''t be hurt.

    Sonia who had been standing just outside the door eavesdropping on their conversation felt her heart twist painfully in her chest. Although she knew he was attracted to her sexually and wasn''t really in love with her, it hurt to hear him say out loud that he didn''t feel anything for her. She was just going to find a way to keep her feelings to herself and not bother him with it, she thought as she hurried away from there since she could tell from the closeness of his voice that he was by the door.

    "Sure. You don''t love her. You are not even attracted to her.. You only love kissing and touching her," Jeffughed out loud when Bryan mmed the door behind him.

 Chapter 141 - Familiar

    Lucy let out a sigh of relief once she took out her contact lens and tied her hair in a ponytail. She was so d that she was back home and could finally get her hair off her neck, and also get the lenses out. Her eyes could finally breathe.

    Once she was done she walked into the bathroom to shower while thinking of Tom. She realized that he had been on her mind for most of the day even when she was talking with her boss. She wondered how he had spent his day and if he had eaten all day o had been too busy with his work. She was certain that he would be very tired after spending the day doing physicalbor. Perhaps she should prepare something for him to eat? That was the duty of a girlfriend, wasn''t it? Besides, he deserved that much since he had been the one making sure that she had something to eat since she got to Ludus.

    Once she stepped out of the bathroom, she toweled her body dry before she picked up her phone from her dressing table and went to sit on her bed, as she used the Google search engine.

    "How to help your partner deal with stress," she typed, and soon many articles popped up on her screen. Sitting on the edge of her bed, she went through the articles one after the other. She noticed that most of the articles had several things inmon, and they were; listening to your partner talk about their day, preparing a nice meal for your partner, offering them a foot or body massage, and sex.

    She decided to do the easy ones that were within her control. She couldn''t initiate sex between them. Or could she? Her cheeks flushed a bright red at the thought of doing something as brazen as that, but she felt her toes curl as a tingling feeling spread over her lower abdomen. She wished she had half the guts that Sonia had. Maybe if she did, she could have attempted something that daring. Even the one time in her life that she had decided to do something daring she had ended up too drunk to not know that she had remained untouched... Or was it undicked? Seeing as he had touched her but had only failed to prate. Perhaps unprated would be better? Or unpenalized? She giggled at the silly thoughts in her head. This was the side effect of having a crazy and corrupt friend like Sonia.

    "Focus, Lu," She cautioned herself, but her mind returned to the thought of having sex with Tom. She almost jumped out of her skin in surprise when she heard the sound of her doorbell, and her eyes darted to the door guiltily. Looking at her reflection in the mirror, she looked like she had been caught red-handed thinking something she wasn''t supposed to be thinking.

    Her heart skipped a beat when it urred to her that it was likely Tom who was at the door, and she quickly stood up from the bed and moved to her closet where she contemted dressing up. When the doorbell rang again, she decided to get the door covered in just her towel. Where the boldness wasing from she didn''t know, but somehow she just wanted him to see her in just her towel as she had seen him in his the other night.

    "Hold on," she called out as she quickly put on her sses and hurried to the door. She took in a deep breath before pulling the door open.

    Tom who was standing there and had been about to dial her line, did a double-take when he saw her standing in front of him wrapped in just her towel. He noticed the blush that stained her cheek as his eyes moved over her body, and he couldn''t help wondering what she was thinking about.

    "Wow!" Tom eximed with an appreciative grin. He made no move to step into the house or retreat as he stood there staring at her. Even though he had spent the whole day with her at work, and in the restaurant, he realized that he had missed her. He missed this version of her with her hair packed up and her sses on. He missed this unguarded part of her.

    "Hi!" Lucy said with a shy smile.

    "I missed you," Tom murmured as he took a step forward, and to his surprise, Lucy looked away from him shyly.

    "I kind of missed you too," she said, surprising him even more.

    "You want toe in?" She asked, stepping away from the door so that he could get in.

    "You missed me?" Tom asked in disbelief as he walked through the door. He definitely had not been expecting her to admit that she missed him even if she did.

    "Yeah. Give me a moment to dress up and I''ll join you," Lucy said as she turned to leave, expecting Tom to stop her as he usually did, but he just remained where he was staring at her as she left.

    Although he was very tempted to stop her as he suspected she wanted him to, he was still too stunned by the fact that she had just admitted that she missed him. To think she had missed him even when she was with ''another'' man was something significant for him. They were certainly making progress.

    Once Lucy got to her bedroom she sighed in disappointment. It seemed like he really wasn''t interested in touching her yet. Not that she wanted sex or anything, but she had thought answering the door covered with just her towel was going to be provocative.

    ''I guess I don''t know much about men and their desires,'' she muttered with a sigh as she picked out a pair of jeans bum short and a gray-colored tee-shirt from her closet. Once she was dressed she looked at her reflection in the mirror and adjusted the sses on the bridge of her nose as she contemted how she was going to offer him a massage. That wasn''t supposed to be a big deal, was it?

    As she walked out of the bedroom she paused hesitated by the door and returned to add a touch of lipgloss to her lips, and then adjusted her tee-shirt before walking out of the bedroom, "I hope I didn''t keep you waiting?" She asked as she joined him in the living room, and Tom raised his head from his phone to look at her.

    He smiled when he noticed the lipgloss on her lips, and held out his hand to her, "No, you didn''t. Although I don''t mind waiting for you," he said, making Lucy smile shyly as she took his hand and Tom brought her to sit on the couch next to him.

    "How was your day?" They both asked in unison and then smiled at each other.

    "You go first," they said in unison again, and this time theyughed.

    "Have you had something to eat?" Lucy asked instead.

    "Yes, I ate something earlier, what about you?" Tom asked, even though he knew they had had lunch together earlier.

    "Oh!" Lucy said with a sigh. Now that preparing him a meal was out of it, all that was left was listening to him, and offering to give him a foot rub or a massage. Sex was certainly not part of it.

    "I had lunch with the CEO earlier," Lucy exined.

    "Oh! That reminds me, how did it go with the CEO today?" Tom asked, turning to look at Lucy curiously since he really wanted to know what she thought about him.

    "Not bad. He''s not as bad as I thought he was. I think I enjoyed conversing with him," Lucy said with a shrug, and then her eyes lit up when she suddenly remembered Anita.

    "Guess what?" She asked excitedly, making Tom wonder what was making her so excited.

    "The CEO said he likes you?" Tom asked, making her roll her eyes.

    "Why would he like me? Anyway, I think I finally figured out why Anita has beening so close to me. She is interested in the CEO," Lucy said in a conspiratorial whisper, making Tom raise a brow.

    "She told you that?" Tom asked in surprise even though he had suspected that.

    "Not exactly. But I realized that she has been asking me a lot of questions concerning my job and the CEO. And the dress she wore to the meeting today was exactly the same dress she made me go shopping with her for. She said it was for a special asion. I guess the CEO is the special asion," Lucy said with a small giggle when she remembered how the CEO had made her go get them drinks in her special dress.

    "I guess she must have swept the CEO off his feet then?" Tom asked disinterestedly.

    "You wish. You won''t believe how he treated her today," Lucy said with a wicked glint in her eyes as she told Tom all that had happened at Ocean Airlines.

    "Wow! The CEO must be a very mean person," Tom said with a slight frown.

    "I thought so at first, but after speaking with the CEO, I don''t think so anymore. I think he saw through her and treated her that way to put her in her ce. Don''t feel sorry for her, she deserved it," Lucy assured Tom when she noticed the frown on his face. He was too soft and kindhearted for his own good, Lucy thought.

    "Seeing how you speak so highly of the CEO, I guess he must have made quite an impression on you," Tom observed, feeling slightly relieved that she didn''t think he was mean.

    "Yes, he did," Lucy said, nodding her head in agreement.

    "Enough about them, tell me more about how much you missed me," Tom said as he moved closer to her.

    "Hmm. Now I know why," Lucy said thoughtfully as she looked at Tom with narrowed eyes.

    "Why what?" Tom asked in confusion as he looked at her.

    "Why I kept thinking there was something familiar about the CEO.. He kept reminding me of you," Lucy said, making Tom''s heart skip a beat.

 Chapter 142 - Mood Swings

    "Alright! Cut! That''s it for today," the producer called out to the camera crew, as he pped his hands, "Perfect! You are both perfect!" He said with a satisfied smile.

    Once the lights went off, Sonia who was still feeling upset over what she had overheard him say to Jeff, sprang up to her feet and put some distance between her and Bryan, "Where are you going to?" Bryan asked curiously.

    "I need to use the bathroom," Sonia lied with a stiff smile, but he noticed that she didn''t meet his gaze as she walked away. This was the damned thing she hated about getting involved with anyone. How was she supposed to stop the ache she was feeling in her chest. It wasn''t like she didn''t know that he didn''t like her before now, so why was her goddamn heart overreacting?

    Sonia walked into the bathroom in her bedroom and shut the door behind her before turning on the tap. She stood, facing the mirror while staring at nothing in particr. She had tried to act as though nothing had happened, but she had been too hurt by what he had said to pretend. Even her smile was stiff. What had she gotten herself involved in? How could she have fallen in love with him before seeding in sweeping him off his feet?

    She remained in the bathroom until she heard a knock on the door. She took in a deep breath as she flushed the toilet and sprinkled some water on her face, and then she opened the door.

    "Are you okay?" Mia asked with a concerned frown as she looked at Sonia.

    Sonia gave her a forced smile, "Of course, I am."

    "I don''t think so. What is wrong? Did Bryan say or do something?" Mia asked as she took Sonia''s hand and led her to the bed to sit down.

    "He didn''t. I guess I''m just tired. You know I''m not used to being in front of the cameras," Sonia said with a shrug while Mia narrowed her eyes at her.

    She had noticed that the chemistry between Bryan and Mia during the reality shoot was differentpared to how strong it was during the interview. It almost seemed like Sonia had been avoiding looking in Bryan''s direction this time as though she couldn''t bear to see his face.

    "I''m not sure I believe you, but I''m not going to push, okay? Just let me know whenever you need to talk and I will be here to listen to you, okay?" Mia said, and Sonia smiled at her in gratitude.

    "I''m leaving with Jeff now so that he can drop me off at my ce. We will see tomorrow," Mia said as she stood up.

    "Thank you so much, Mia," Sonia said as she stood up and embraced the youngdy who was taking on the role of a big sister.

    "Sure. Just try to get as much rest as you need, tomorrow is going to be even more hectic than today as you will both be shooting an ad," Mia informed her as they broke the hug and walked out of the bedroom.

    By the time they got to the living room, Bryan was outside with Jeff while they watched the production team drive off, "I''m ready to leave," Mia told Jeff who turned back to look at her.

    "Get in the car then. See you tomorrow Sonia," Jeff said with a knowing smile as he headed for the car, leaving Sonia who tried not to look too embarrassed.

    Jeff was the only one who knew how she had made a fool of herself earlier by throwing herself at Bryan who felt nothing for her. He was probably going to tell Mia about what he had seen as well as what Bryan had told him. Sonia waved at them and walked back into the house without waiting for Bryan to return inside with her.

    Once she walked into the house she went directly to the bar and poured herself a finger of scotch which she emptied down her throat. She winced as she closed her eyes which glistened with tears due to the stinging effect of the scotch on her throat. Or was it because of the pain in her chest?

    She was pouring herself another finger when Bryan returned inside the house to meet her. He watched her curiously as she poured herself another finger of scotch, and he couldn''t help wondering what was making her crave alcohol all of a sudden.

    "Would you like to see a movie with me?" He asked curiously, wanting to spend some more time in herpany now that they had the house to themselves.

    Why would he want to see a movie with someone he didn''t care about? "No, thanks," she said as she took a sip from the ss without turning to look at him. Although she knew he had done nothing wrong, she couldn''t help being mad at him for saying something like that to Harry.

    "What about we go to the poolside and y some games? Maybe chess or scrabble?" Bryan ventured again.

    "Thanks, but I need to catch up with my story, so feel free to enjoy yourself," Sonia said as she emptied the content of the ss once again and dropped it on the bar surface with a loud noise.

    "Are you okay?" Bryan asked when he could no longer ignore the change in Sonia''s attitude toward him. He had noticed the slight change in her attitude towards him ever since they resumed shooting. Initially, he had thought it was because she felt embarrassed that Jeff had walked in on them while they were kissing, but soon he realized that she was actually being distant when she stopped touching him so much and gazing into his eyes as she had done earlier during the interview. And now he noticed that she was avoiding his gaze again.

    "Sure."

    "Why do I find that so hard to believe?" Bryan asked as he watched her closely while trying to figure out what he could have done wrong. This was the thing he hated about women and rtionships. If he had done something wrong why couldn''t she juste outright and say it rather than give him such a silly attitude?

    "I don''t know. I will be in my bedroom," Sonia said as she walked away, leaving Bryan who had a frown on his face as he watched her leave.

    She was upset. He didn''t know how he knew it, or why he was so sure about it, but somehow he could tell that she was very upset. He had unknowingly done something to offend her but he didn''t know what it was. What had he done wrong? And why in God''s name were they having rtionship issues right now in a fake rtionship? Or perhaps she was having mood swings? Was she on her period or ovtion?

    "I can''t do this," Bryan muttered with a sigh as he directed his wheelchair to her bedroom.

    He tried unlocking the door but realized that it was locked from the inside so he knocked on it, "Sonia? Open the door, I want to have a word with you," he called out.

    Sonia who was staring at herptop with a nk expression on her face raised her head when she heard the knock as well as his voice, "I''m busy. Let''s talkter," Sonia said as she started tapping noisily on herptop.

    Bryan sighed, "Can you at least tell me what I did to get you upset?" Bryan asked with a frown.

    "I never said I was upset. I just told you that I''m busy, let''s talkter," Sonia insisted.

    "Come on babe, I know you better than that, talk to me," Bryan pleaded, and then his eyes widened slightly when he realized that he had just referred to her as babe.

    Babe? Was he trying to toy with her emotions? Sonia wondered and decided to just ignore him instead, despite the fact that she kept feeling a tug in her heart to open the door.

    "Sonia? Okay, whatever it is, I''m sorry. Can we at least talk?" Bryan pleaded and cringed when it ured to him that he was beginning to sound like a simp. He could only pray that this would remain a secret and none of his friends would ever find out that he had just broken the bad boy''s code by apologizing for an offense he had no idea about.

    Sonia reluctantly gave in to the tug in her heart and walked over to the door, "What do you want?" She asked as she unlocked the door and looked at him.

    Bryan sighed as he looked at her. What did he really want? "I want to talk to you."

    "Fine. Go on and talk. I''m listening," Sonia urged him as she crossed both hands over her chest and looked at him.

    "Can we talk by the poolside? Or in the living room?" Bryan asked, feeling ufortable by the way she was looking down at him while towering above him who was still seated on the wheelchair.

    "Bryan, if you have something to say to me, then go on and do so. I need to return to my work," she said impatiently.

    "Are you having a mood swing? Perhaps you are on your period or ovtion?"

 Chapter 143 - I Want You

    Tom looked at Lucy, not knowing what to say for a moment. What did she mean by the CEO had reminded her of him? He had tried to ensure that he didn''t act like himself in any way. He had ensured to follow the five rules of disguise which relied on the basic human senses.

    Do not look or dress like yourself; His outfit as Thomas Hank waspletely different from how she knew Tom Handy. His eyes, hair, beards, sses, and clothes had all been different.

    Do not smell like yourself; He had used a different cologne and deodorant just so that he smelled entirely different from what she was used to.

    Do not sound like yourself; He had tried to make sure his voice soundedpletely different too, even though his throat was feeling funny now because he had spent more time talking than he had nned to.

    Do not taste or feel like yourself; Thankfully both of these had been avoided as they both did not get involved in any activity that involved kissing or touching each other.

    So what was she talking about? Tom wondered, his heart beating very fast at the thought of being discovered when he was just beginning to find his way into her heart.

    "Why do you look so startled?" Lucy asked with a curious smile as she looked into his face.

    "I don''t know. I guess I''m just feeling kind of ttered and confused at the same time. What exactly about the CEO reminded you of me?" Tom asked with a shaky smile, as he looked at her with interest. He needed to know if it was something he could work on so that he could correct it the next time he meets her.

    "Well, you both have the same physique and simrplexion. I swear if you were to be disguised as the CEO, you could easily pass for the CEO," Lucy said with a nod and pushed her sses up the bridge of her nose as she looked at his face like she was searching for other simrities.

    "That is interesting," Tom said with a small smile, "Maybe I should consider disguising myself as the CEO one of these days. What do you think?" Tom asked with a grin, and Lucy chuckled.

    "You wouldn''t dare. Believe me when I say the CEO can be ruthless when he wants to be, and you don''t want to get on his bad side," Lucy warned.

    "Whatever. Enough about your charming CEO, I want to hear about something fun," Tom said as he took one of her hand in his and patted it.

    "Something more fun, like?"

    "Like how much you missed me?" Tom asked yfully, wanting to change the subject to one that was of interest to him.

    "Hmm... I don''t know. I suppose you were just on my mind all through the day," Lucy said thoughtfully, adjusting her sses once again.

    "And what were you thinking about me?" Tom asked, leaning forward in his seat such that his face was only a few inches away from hers while he still held her tiny hands in his.

    "I was just wondering about you. What you were doing, if you have eaten, how the work was going,  ," Lucy said with a shrug that told him she didn''t think it was a big deal.

    "And do you often think about your twin, or Sonia all day that way?" Tom asked, wanting to know if she often thought of her loved ones generally like that, or if this was special.

    Lucy considered the question for a moment, and her heart skipped a beat when she realized what he was driving at. It wasn''t normal for her to think about him that way, "I guess I''m taking this temporary girlfriend thing a little too seriously," she said with a burst of awkwardughter while Tom stared at her in amusement.

    "I think you are doing just fine. So tell me. Do you?" Tom asked as he reached out to pat the side of her face.

    Lucy blinked at him, and it was all she could do not to lean into his touch. She cleared her throat and leaned back in her seat, "I don''t. So tell me about your day. Was it very stressful? Do you need a foot rub or a massage?" She asked, wanting to change the subject once again as she didn''t feel veryfortable with the idea that she was beginning to care more than she was supposed to.

    "Did something happen?" He asked, wanting to know the reason for the sudden change. Not that he wasining, but why was she being so open and caring all of a sudden? Perhaps she was beginning to fall in love with him for real? He really hoped that was the case. The sooner she fell in love with him, the earlier he could put a stop to all the lies and live happily with her as he wanted to.

    "Something like what?" Lucy asked with a slight frown as she self-consciously reached out to adjust her sses.

    "You are acting so differently, so I''m just curious to know what prompted the change," Tom exined, making Lucy look at him thoughtfully for a moment.

    "Is it good different or bad different?" Although he had said that she was doing just fine and had insinuated that she do not change a thing, she still needed to know if she was overstepping her boundaries this time so that she could get back on track.

    Tom''s eyes lit up at her question and he smiled at her, "Excellent different! You are actually behaving like my girlfriend," Tom said, making her rx a bit.

    "And you like it?" She asked cautiously.

    "I love it," Tom said with a nod, and she gave him a bright smile, feeling relieved that she wasn''t doing too much.

    "I''m d to know that I''m learning fast. So tell me, what is it going to be? Foot or body massage?" Lucy asked again.

    Tom looked at her for a moment, "You don''t have to worry about giving me a massage, I''m fine. All I need is a good night''s rest, and I will be good," Tom assured her.

    "You are sure your body doesn''t ache anywhere?" Lucy asked with a concerned frown, and this time Tom pulled her closer to himself. Butterflies fluttered in Lucy''s belly as she allowed him to pull her to himself.

    "I love how you are so concerned about me, but you should know that even if my body aches, I feel better merely by talking to you and being close to you like this. You are medicine to me," Tom said in a husky voice as he gazed into her eyes, while she looked back at him, her heart pounding in her chest.

    Medicine? What were they doing? What were these words he was saying to her? Lucy mused as she watched him, unable to break away from his gaze.

    Tom reached out carefully and took off her sses, and without breaking eye contact with her, he dropped it on the table near them, "Have I told you that your eyes remind me of beautiful jewels?" Tom whispered as he brought his head forward, making Lucy''s heartbeat skyrocket.

    Still holding her gaze, he slowly moved his hands up her arm and used his thumb to caress her skin. Lucy swallowed, as she tried not to let her eyes dart to his lips. Right now she wanted to be kissed by him. She had no idea why, but she just wanted to lock lips with his, and have his hand all over her.

    Tom watched as her tongue darted out of her mouth to wet her lips which suddenly felt dry, despite the lipgloss on them, and his eyes stayed on her lips, "I''m trying not to go further than this, but you make it hard when you do that," Tom confessed as he looked into her eyes.

    "What if I want you to go further than this?" Lucy asked in an unfamiliar voice, surprising them both with her unexpected question.

    Tom looked at her face with searching eyes as though trying to know what she was thinking, "Do you want us to take things further?"

    Lucy gave him a tentative nod as her heart kept beating wildly in her chest. She was certain he could hear her heartbeat if he listened closely enough.

    "What do you want me to do?" Tom asked as he leaned forward and ced his head in the crook of her neck as though he wanted to whisper something into her ears, "Tell me what you want."

    Hearing him whisper that way into her ears in his husky voice, and his breath fanning her neck, Lucy felt warmth spread all over her body to her toes which curled at the silent promise she could hear in his voice.

    "Don''t hold back anything, Lu. It''s just the both of us in here," Tom assured her.

    Lucy''s heart beat fast in her chest as she tried to make up her mind on what she wanted. Did she want him? Yes, she did. She didn''t want to lie to herself anymore or deny what she wanted. She was undeniably attracted to him, and the sooner she acted on the attraction, the better for them both.

    Their rtionship was temporary anyway, so it was best she made the most of this opportunity to do all she wanted before he moved on to thedy he... No. She wasn''t going to think of him being with any otherdy right now. At the moment he was hers, and hers alone, and that was all that mattered.

    Throwing all caution to the wind, Lucy summoned courage and cleared her throat, "How about I show you instead?" she asked as she held his shoulder and pushed him back slightly so that she could look into his face.

    Show him? Tom mused, but before her words could register in his brain Lucy grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him down on her before crushing her lips to his.

    Although she wasn''t an experienced kisser, Lucy tried to take the lead this time as she kissed his lips and nibbled on the edges. She pushed him back on the seat once again and straddled him this time as she continued to kiss him.

    Tom felt his heart tumble wildly in his chest as he let his shy girlfriend take control of the situation. Tom kissed her back passionately while also trying to match her pace so as not to scare her. His fingers moved to her hair and he took off the hairband which held her hair in a ponytail, causing her curly long hair to fall in cascades over her shoulder as he buried his fingers in her silky soft hair. This was one thing his fingers had always itched to do.

    Combing the fingers of his right hand through her hair, Tom let his left hand find its way under her shirt and he caressed her abdomen with his warm hands as he slowly made his way to her boobs.

    Lucy moaned softly when his fingers connected with one of her nipples and she deepened the kiss while letting her hands move freely over his body.

    "Are you sure you want this?" Tom asked against her lips as he teased her nipples, making her struggle to open her eyes so she could meet his gaze.

    Looking into his eyes with her desire zed eyes, Lucy let out a shaky breath as she broke the kiss, "I want you."

 Chapter 144 - Just Getting Started

    Hearing her say she wanted him, sent his desire for her on overdrive. Although he was a gentleman to the core, but there was only so much that a man could take, especially when it involved the object of his desires.

    "I don''t just want you, I need you," he breathed as he took her lips once again in a heated kiss, this time taking control of the situation as he was the more experienced one. He knew that she must have wanted him so much to have really stepped in as she did earlier.

    The meeting of their lips and tongues sent torrents of electric waves through her entire body, and she shivered as she moaned softly when his thumb and forefinger teased her nipple as his hand massaged her boobs.

    Sweet God! She wanted his lips and tongue there.

    The first time she had felt his hands on her, he had been a mere stranger to her, and she had been too drunk so everything was not really clear to her. But knowing him right now, and wanting him as she did, with her senses intact, it felt like her entire body was extra sensitive to his touch, and everywhere he touched made her hot and heady with desire.

    Tom moved his lips away from hers as he kissed her cheeks, her brows, and then grazed her chin with his teeth, making her suck in a breath as the feel of his teeth and lips against that sensitive zone sent heat waves down to her core.

    "You''re so beautiful, Lu," Tom breathed in a whisper as he pulled away from her to look into her face with his beautiful hazel eyes.

    Looking into his face at that moment, Lucy decided that Tom was the most beautiful man she had ever crossed paths with. His eyes drew her to him. They beckoned on her to travel down a sinful path with him, and she could honestly say there was nowhere she didn''t want to go with him at that moment.

    Still looking into her eyes, Tom slowly raised her shirt until her boobs were staring directly into his face, and Lucy swallowed when she saw the need in his eyes as he stared at her body.

    "This is the final chance to back out, Princess. You can stop me now if you don''t want me to go on," Tom said in a husky voice as he continued caressing her back with one hand, while the other hand held her shirt in ce.

    Lucy grabbed the front of his shirt to pull him back to her, but Tom didn''t budge, "Your word, baby. I want you to give me your word," Tom insisted.

    "What do you want me to say?" Lucy asked impatiently.

    "Give me your word that you won''t regret thise morning, and you won''t withdraw from me after now. If you''re going to want to avoid me after doing this, I''d rather not go on with it," Tom said, making Lucy look at him as she tried to think despite the fact that her brain was shrouded in a thick nket of sexual fog.

    Lucy could tell that even her word wasn''t going to be enough for Tom, so instead, she pulled away from him and stood up, while Tom simply followed her movement with his eyes.

    Looking down at him, she could see the bulge in his trousers as he sat there like he didn''t have a care in the world. She felt hot merely by looking at it, and she wondered if he was truly going to stop now if she asked him to.

    Although she was shy, Lucy decided that it was time to stop being a blushing virgin. Sex relieved stress too, and heavens knew she needed to relieve them both of their stress.

    She reached for the hem of her shirt to take it off, but Tom shot out of his seat immediately and ced his hand on hers to stop her.

    Lucy looked into his eyes in confusion, wondering if her dyed response had probably made him lose interest and now he had changed his mind about doing it with her.

    "All I want is your word, Lu. I''d rather undress you myself," Tom said huskily as he looked into her eyes, still holding her hand. His voice mesmerized her.

    She could only hope that she wouldn''t have any reason to regret the words she was about to say. Lucy swallowed. "I won''t regret this as long as you don''t give me any reason to," Lucy said, making it clear that her reaction to everything was solely dependent on him.

    "I promise to try my best not to give you any reason to regret it," Tom said as he pulled her forward, and ced his other hand on her lower back.

    Lucy gave him a nod, "Let''s go to the bedroom then," she suggested, as she had no intention of doing it for the first time on either the floor or her couch.

    "Lead the way," Tom said as he let go of her hand, and Lucy headed for the bedroom, while he followed her.

    She had no idea why he was taking his time with all of this, but whatever the reason was, tension was building inside her. The whole anticipation of what was about to happen between them was killing her.

    Once she opened the bedroom door and stepped through it, Tom''s hands went around her to grab her boobs, making her gasp softly at the sudden move and the dizzying effect it had on her.

    Standing behind her, Tom slowly lifted the bottom of her dress, in a way that allowed his hands to brush her skin as her shirt rose gradually. He lifted it above her head, and Lucy shivered.

    Standing with her back to him, d in just her bum short now, Lucy didn''t know what was next toe. Tom trailed his fingertip along her corbone before letting it move down to the swell of her breasts, as he lowered his head to the crook of her neck and kissed her.

    Lucy shivered again, and her eyelids closed as she let herself feel everything all at once. With her eyes closed, she moaned as she felt his lips on the crook of her neck, one hand on her breasts, and the other hand moving to the waistband of her bum short.

    Tom fumbled with the button only for a second and once he undid it, without taking off the bum short he slid his hands inside. She wasn''t wearing any underwear, so he touched her cleanly shaven pubic area.

    Lucy''s knees felt weak at the various assaults on her senses. Before her mind could process what he wanted to do, his other hand tweaked her nipples making her gasp, and the hand between her legs slid to her clit, and she sucked in a shaky breath, "Ohhh!"

    "You love that, don''t you?" He whispered into her ear as he found her wetness with his fingers, and spread it over her clit, rubbing and teasing as he continued to y with her nipples.

    Tom kissed her ear and nibbled on it as he kept working on her with his fingers while she moaned ecstatically, as her head fell back, giving him ess to nibble at the curve of her throat.

    Lucy was certain that if she stood any longer, her knees were going to give out on her, as they were beginning to turn to jelly, "Can I... Ohhh!"

    "Were you saying something, baby?" Tom asked as he moved his lips to the crook of her neck once again, while he increased the pace of his fingers between her legs as he rubbed on her clit faster.

    "I was sayin... Oh, Tom! Can we... sit on the bed?" She asked desperately as she felt her entire body begin to quiver.

    "Not just yet honey," Tom said as he moved to stand in front of her, pushing her back against the closed door, he lowered his head to her nipples and sucked on it with his feverishly hot lips. He sucked slowly at first, and then really quickly. And then he started teasing her nipples. He nibbled and bit them softly, and then he licked around the edges of her nipples before sucking quickly again.

    Lucy gave out a throaty moan as she grabbed his shoulder for support, her legs shaking uncontrobly now, "Oh, God!" Lucy prayed as she moved her hands to the back of his head, wanting to push him away, but ended up pulling him closer instead as he moved his attention to her second nipple.

    Still sucking her boobs, Tom moved his other hand to the waistband of her bum short and tugged on it to slide it off of her waist while his other finger remained working on her clit.

    "Pleeaaase," Lucy pleaded as she rocked her hips to the rhythm of his fingers between her legs. Her breath was beginning toe in small gasps.

    "Not just yet, love. Step out," Tom ordered softly, and Lucy moved her legs, stepping out of the bum short. Now she waspletely naked.

    Without another word, Tom slowly kissed his way down from her nipples, to her abdomen as he went on his knees. He kissed her navel and then moved to her pubic region until he stopped at her feminine core and breathed in the scent of her arousal.

    Lucy closed her eyes when she felt his hot breath fanning the area between her thighs. Her eyes snapped open when she felt his moist tongue on her clit.

    Tom circled her clit with his tongue, and then herpped up all the juice around it with one flick of his tongue before sucking on her clit.

    Lucy''s knees gave way and she slithered to the floor weakly, making Tom meet her gaze with a smirk. What was that stuff Bryan had said the other day?

    "Sex is always a good start. Get into her bed, and if you do a good job you can sneak into her heart."

    Well, they were just getting started.

 Chapter 145 - Sexercise

    "Tom..." Lucy moaned his name in a needy plea as he kissed her inner thighs and moved his way up to her slit once again.

    "Want something, baby?" Tom asked with his mouth buried in her slit as hepped her juice with his tongue while rubbing her clit with one finger.

    Lucy''s body vibrated with pleasure when he used his other hand to y with her rock-hard nipples, "I can''t... I... I think... Ahhh!"

    She moaned when Tom flicked his tongue over the entire length of her slit andpped the juice once more. Her entire body started shaking with a st of release and she tried to push him away as she felt the tingling sensation spread all over her.

    "Stop! Oh, please stop," she gasped with her eyes closed as she writhed and moaned in pleasure, but Tom continued top up the juice as it flowed out from her making her cry out in pleasure as her body shook.

    She continued to moan softly, as Tom pulled away from her and lifted her off the floor, carrying her to her bed.

    Once he gently ced her on the bed, he started sucking her nipples which were still very sensitive because of her orgasm, and this time she moaned loudly, burying her fingers in his hair and raising his lips to meet hers in a feverish kiss.

    Judging by how much she kissed him, Tom could tell how she needed him, so he deepened the kiss and moved his fingers to her honeypot once again as they kissed, making Lucy moan against his lips.

    "Tom..."

    "Mmmm?" He hummed dipping his tongue into her mouth, as he sucked on hers.

    Lucy broke the kiss as she looked into his eyes with wild eyes, "Please do it," she pleaded against his lips when she could no longer bear the growing ache between her thighs. She felt like she wanted something more than his fingers inside her. She needed to feel him inside her.

    "Do what?" Tom asked, seductively grazing his teeth over her lower lips which were now red and swollen because of the intensity of the kiss.

    "I want you inside me," Lucy said in a needy voice, and to her relief, Tom pulled away from her without breaking eye contact.

    Lucy felt a lump grow in her throat as she looked into his beautiful eyes, and then her eyes moved to his body, "You are still dressed," she whispered as she reached out to undo the buttons of his shirt.

    "You want to help me undress?" He asked, and Lucy gave him a nod as she sat up on the bed.

    Tom watched as she took off his shirt, and then his white sleeveless singlet followed suit. Lucy admired his torso, especially his neatly shaven chest, and ran her fingers over it curiously. She raised her eyes to his, and her breath caught in her throat when she noticed the passion in his eyes as he kept watching her with hungry eyes.

    Lucy''s hands shyly skittered to the waistband of his trousers, and she fumbled with the buckle of his belt. Her heart raced when her fingers mistakenly brushed his erect rod.

    "Let me help with that," Tom said as he reached for his buckle and undid it in one move.

    He watched her as she looked at the bulge in his trousers, "Changing your mind now?" Tom asked, and she raised her eyes to meet his.

    This time it was Tom who swallowed when he saw the longing in her eyes, "I already said I want you," Lucy reminded him as she reached for his zipper and slowly unzipped his trousers, "Can you take this off?" She asked, and Tom stood up to take off his trousers and boxers.

    Standingpletely naked in front of her now, Tom smiled as he watched the blush that crept up her cheeks. He returned to the bed and sat down beside her, while her eyes remained fixed on his erect rod.

    "Can I touch it?" She asked curiously as she met his gaze.

    "Sure," Tom said with a nod, and Lucy''s right hand tentatively moved forward while Tomy back on the bed, giving her room to get ustomed to his rod.

    "Is it always this big?" She asked, looking into his face.

    "Only when I''m aroused this way," Tom said as he admired the beautiful glow of the light on her skin.

    Tom sucked in a breath when Lucy''s warm hand wrapped around his rod, while Lucy felt something, she was soon realizing to be lust, stir inside her when she touched the hard rod which was yet warm and smooth. She moved her hand up and down the length, making Tom groan softly as his rod twitched in her hand.

    Her eyes moved to his face to see if he was enjoying it or not, and when she saw that his eyes were closed, she moved her hand up and down again, with her eyes still on his face, and this time Tom opened his eyes to meet hers, "I''m not a very patient person, Lu. Don''t test the level of my self-control," Tom warned in a husky voice that made butterflies flutter in her abdomen.

    "Maybe it''s time you learn to be patient," Lucy said with a small smile.

    Thinking about all the things she had learned from Sonia over the years that she could do to him, She leaned forward and kissed his inner thighs as he had done hers earlier. She kissed his inner thighs, and when she got to his groin, his rod twitched in anticipation making her grin as she bypassed it, to his abdomen and started kissing her way upward to his nipples.

    Tom gritted his teeth in frustration, knowing that she had deliberately teased him. He tried to hold on to his self-control but groaned loudly when her lips covered his sensitive nipple. She licked around it before sucking on it as he had done hers, while her other hand rubbed the entire length of his rod.

    Grabbing the back of her head, he brought her lips to his, and kissed her as he pushed her on her back, "I''m sorry pretty, but I don''t think I can hold back anymore," Tom said as he took both her hands and pinned them over her head.

    "I never asked you to," Lucy said, even though her heart was pounding in her chest now.

    "Good."

    Still holding her hands above her head, Tom''s lips kissed their way down her neck to the mound of her boobs once again, and he kissed her nipples as he positioned himself on top of her, and between her legs.

    "It''s going to hurt," he warned her.

    "I know. Just do it," Lucy assured him with her eyes closed. Although she was feeling very nervous, she wanted to believe that once they were done with this, she would finally be able to get him off her mind, and he would also stop bothering her.

    Tom edged his rod to rest between her thighs, and using his hand he moved the rod over the entire length of her slit, spreading her wetness while also further arousing her.

    "Look at me," Tom urged her in a whisper, making her eyes flutter open as she met his gaze, "Don''t close your eyes," he told her softly as he lowered his lips to hers while still looking into her eyes and arousing her with his rod.

    Lucy''s heart lodged in her throat as they kissed while staring at each other. For some reason, this felt more intimate than kissing with her eyes closed. Lucy moaned out his name as she felt his warm, hard rod move over her clit, giving her a tingling sensation that spread over her body.

    With their eyes and lips locked on each other''s, as though he wanted to make sure he wasn''t hurting her any more than was necessary, Tom gently thrust through the natural proof of her innocence.

    Lucy shut her eyes tightly and bit his lower lip as she let out a whimper of pain.

    Tom remained still on top of her, leaning his right elbow on the other side of the bed so that his entire weight wouldn''t be on her, while he stared at her.

    He had finally done it. He was her first, and he hoped to remain her only too. He wanted this breathtakingly beautiful woman all for himself. He wanted her, heart, body, and soul. He wanted so badly to be joined to her in every way possible.

    Lucy opened her eyes to look into his, revealing the tears that had gathered in her eyes, "Sorry," he murmured as he kissed her eyebrows and her eyes as though wanting to kiss away the tears.

    "It''s not your fault. Sorry, I bit you," Lucy whispered, letting her eyes move to his lips where a little spot of blood had formed.

    "At least we both bled tonight, and I shared in your pain," Tom said with a grin as he licked away the spot of blood on his lip, and Lucy''s lips curved in a smile.

    She moved her waist to the side, indirectly asking him to go on with the sexercise.

    Taking her cue, Tom began to move his hip very slowly. Thrusting in and out as gently as he could muster.

    Lucy gasped as she tried to get ustomed to the ufortable feeling. Although the barrier had been broken, it still felt like she was too tight. Her fingers reflexively moved to his back and dug in as she bit back the urge to cry.

    Tom fought for control as he was very tempted to quicken his pace, but he knew that he would only hurt her if he did. This was her first time, and he needed to make it as pleasurable as possible. He needed to make the experience worthwhile for her.

    Lucy bit her lower lips in an attempt to hold back the burning pain she was feeling in her slit, and a tear dropped from her eyes.

    "Perhaps I should stop," Tom said with a concerned frown as he kissed away her tear, but Lucy quickly shook her head.

    "Don''t stop. I''m sure the pleasure wille. I''m sorry," she said in a slightly cracked voice.

    She couldn''t help feeling slightly embarrassed. She had read so many novels in the past that always led her to believe that after the first wave of pain came the pleasure, so what was happening? She wondered.

    "Why are you sorry?" Tom asked with a frown when he noticed the slight blush on her face.

    Lucy cleared her throat and looked away, "I''m sure you''ve had better..."

    Tom covered her lips with his before she couldplete her sentence, "I don''t want better when I could have you," he assured her and before she could respond he thrust deeper and quickened his pace inside her, making her gasp at the sudden spurt of pleasure that shot through her.

    Lucy closed her eyes in pleasure as she tried to move her hips in sync to his. Soon the pain she had felt earlier gradually began to fade, not entirely gone but overshadowed by the pleasure she was feeling inside.

    She rode her legs up and wrapped them around his back as she had read in her novels, making him groan in pleasure.

    Tom positioned himself in a way that every time he thrust him and out, his rod glided down her clit, thus arousing her even more as he pleasured her.

    Soon the room was filled with sounds of Lucy''s moan as she writhed in pleasure, while Tom yed with her nipples.

    "I want to look into your eyes, love," Tom said I''m a husky voice, making her eyes flutter open.

    Seeing that the tears in her eyes had been reced by a ze of pleasure, he could tell that she was very near the edge, so he lowered his lips to hers as he let himself go off the edge with her.

    Their cries of pleasure were muffled in a passionate kiss as they let themselves give in to the wave of pleasure that hit them.

    Tom turned over on the bed, rolling her over so that she was still lying on top of him as he tried to catch his breath.

    Lucy rolled off him andy on her side of the bed, her eyes closed as she tried to make sense of all she was feeling.

    Tom was the first to recover from the pleasure, so hey on his side as he looked down at Lucy whose eyes were still closed while her long hair was syed on the pillow. Lucy opened her eyes when she felt his gaze on her.

    "You''re so beautiful. You could be standing in the center of a sky filled with stars and still be all I see," Tom whispered as he brushed his lips against her corbone.

    Lucy felt warmth spread all over her, and she couldn''t tell if it was an aftereffect of the sex, or if it was because of his words.. Fuck it! Even though she knew she wasn''t supposed to be feeling this way, this feeling wasn''t something she wanted to experience just once in her life.

 Chapter 146 - A Date?

    Women! He could never really understand them, Bryan sighed as he returned to his room. What did he say wrong now? He had just been trying to make peace with her and to find out and resolve whatever had gotten her upset, so why was she mad at him. She hadn''t even responded to his question before mming the door in his face. How rude! He thought with a scowl.

    Maybe it was best he just remained single and saved himself from the stress of getting involved with women. He was sure that single men often outlived men who were married or were involved in serious romantic rtionships with women.

    He nced at his phone on the bed when it started ringing, and he moved to where it was by the bed to pick it up. He smiled when he noticed that it was his mother, "Hey, mom!" He greeted excitedly.

    "Don''t sound like you''re so happy to speak with me when I''m the one calling you," his mother responded dryly.

    "Come on, mom. You know I''ve just been really busy, but that doesn''t mean I''m not happy to hear from you whenever you call," Bryan said apologetically.

    "Same old story. I''m not calling to talk to you. Where is Sonia? Hand the phone over to her," His mother said, making Bryan frown.

    "You haven''t heard from me in almost a week, and it''s Sonia you called to speak with?"

    "If you cared so much about not hearing from me, then you should have called. Now don''t waste my time and hand the phone to my soon-to-be daughter-inw," his mother ordered.

    "Well, I can''t give her the phone. She isn''t talking to me and has locked herself up in one of the bedrooms," Bryan exined with a sigh.

    "What did you do?" His mother asked with a concerned frown.

    "What do you mean what did I do? Don''t you think it is possible she is the one at fault?" Bryan asked with a frown of his own.

    "If she was, you would be the one not talking to her, not the other way round. So what did you do?" His mother repeated, making Bryan''s brows furrow as he tried to think about what he could possibly have done wrong.

    "I didn''t do anything wrong. She was acting up earlier and I tried to find out why she was in a bad mood, so I assumed she was probably having a mood swing because..."

    "You didn''t happen to ask her if she was on her period or something, did you?" His mother cut in before he could finish.

    "Well, I did. She mmed the door in my face rudely, can you believe that?" Bryan asked angrily, making his mother sigh.

    "She must be a very calm person. You are lucky all she did was m the door in your face," his mother said with a shake of her head.

    "But it was just a harmless question," Bryan insisted.

    "You don''t ask ady such questions. Ask your father what I did to him thest time he asked me such a question. You should just apologize to her," his mother advised him.

    "Apologize for what, mom? I didn''t even do or say anything to her! One minute we were kissing and the next she''s angry!" Bryan closed his eyes when he realized he had just given his mother too much information.

    "You were kissing and then she became angry? Did nothing happen in between? You didn''t say anything?" His mother asked, acting like they were having the most natural discussion in the world between mother and son.

    "Well, Jeff interrupted us, and then..." Bryan let his words trail off, and his brows creased with a frown when he remembered his conversation with Jeff. Sonia couldn''t have overheard their conversation, could she? And even if she had overheard their conversation, why would she be upset over what he had said? It wasn''t like they were in a rtionship, or that she had feelings for him or anything.

    "You just realized what you did wrong, didn''t you?" His mother asked when Bryan abruptly stopped talking.

    "I still don''t know what I did wrong. Maybe she is just having a mood swing and wants to take it out on me for no reason," Bryan said, even though the seed of doubt was growing in his mind now.

    "Well, I''m sure you will figure it out on your own. Now it''s either you go give her the phone or you text me her number so that I can call her myself," his mother insisted.

    "What do you want to talk to her about?" Bryan asked with a scowl.

    "I don''t think you should concern yourself with my discussion with my soon-to-be daughter-inw. Now hurry, I don''t have all night," his mother urged him on.

    Bryan contemted texting his mother Sonia''s number but decided against it since he still needed an excuse to see her and talk to her. He was going to be upset for the rest of the evening if he didn''t resolve whatever was going on between them now.

    Bryan sighed, "Hold on," he told his mother as he moved his wheelchair out of the room and returned once again to Sonia''s bedroom.

    Sonia fumed in anger as shey on the bed, ring at the door. Of all stupidly idiotic and annoying things to say, he had actually asked her that? If she was on her period or ovting? The nerve of the baboon! Sonia thought angrily as she sat up on her bed once again.

    "Babe?" Bryan called out for the benefit of his mother as he knocked on her bedroom door, "My mom is on the phone, she wants to speak with you."

    "..." Sonia who had opened her mouth to yell at him, snapped her mouth shut when she heard what he said. His mom? Was he trying to trick her?

    "I told you she''s upset, she isn''t going to open the do...." Bryan stopped speaking when the door was pulled open, and an angry Sonia stood there ring down at him.

    "I''m not here to talk to you. My mom asked me to bring you the phone," Bryan said with a scowl of his own as he handed her the phone.

    Sonia snatched the phone from him, and returned inside the bedroom without closing the door, leaving Bryan to decide whether he wanted to leave or wait for her to finish with the phone call so that he could take his phone.

    "Good evening ma''am," Sonia greeted politely.

    "Just call me Evelyn, my darling. How have you been? I hope Bryan taking good care of you, and he isn''t too annoying?"

    Sonia sighed, "Well, I guess he is trying," Sonia said as she nced at Bryan who was still by the doorway watching her curiously as he tried to figure her out, "How are you? And Mr. Hank?" Sonia asked curiously as she turned away from Bryan.

    "We are both very fine, although we are going to the hospital for our monthly check-up tomorrow. What about you? Are you okay? Bryan is very worried that you are upset with him. Did he do something to upset you? You can talk to me," Bryan''s mother said, making Sonia sigh.

    What could she tell thedy? That she was upset because Bryan didn''t feel anything for her? "No, he didn''t. I was just busy with work and he assumed I was upset. I''m fine," Sonia assured thedy.

    Although she could tell it was more than that, she decided not to push Sonia, "So, I was wondering, what ns have you both put in ce concerning your wedding? Have you picked a date yet?" She asked, switching to the reason for her call, and Sonia''s gaze darted to Bryan immediately.

    "A date?" She asked, making Bryan raise a questioning brow as he moved into the room.

    "Yes. I don''t suppose you both n to just be engaged and live together without getting married, do you?" She asked again, making Sonia nce at Bryan.

    "What is she saying?" He mouthed to her.

    "Uhm... Well, we have both been too busy to talk about it. Maybe we can all n for the wedding when we visit you," Sonia said still looking at Bryan.

    Bryan''s heart skipped a beat when he realized what Sonia was talking about. Wedding? What wedding? His mother was asking about their wedding? Bryan thought in rm.

    "Bryan wants to speak with you," Sonia informed her when Bryan stretched out his hand for her to give the phone back to him.

    "Okay, my darling. Make sure to take my number from him, and give me a call, alright?"

    "I will do that. Have a lovely evening," Sonia said before handing the phone to Bryan.

    "Mom, I will call you some other time. I love you," Bryan said and hung up before his mother could say anything else.

    Once he was done, he looked at Sonia who returned to where shey on the bed and picked up herptop like she was busy.

    "Were you eavesdropping on my conversation with Jeff?" Bryan asked, making Sonia snap her head up from theptop to look at him guiltily.

    "Is that why you are being cold?" Bryan asked, looking at her with interest when she looked away guiltily like a little girl who had just been caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

    She didn''t have feelings for him, did she?

    "I don''t know what you are talking about," Sonia said in a small voice without meeting his gaze.

    Bryan sighed as he moved closer to the bed and took her hands, "What exactly do you want from me?"

 Chapter 147 - Mutual Feeling

    What did she want from him? Love? Companionship? Friendship? She definitely couldn''t tell him she wanted any of those. Why was he asking anyway? It wasn''t like he was going to offer it to her just because she says she wants that. He might even make fun of her if she told him she was beginning to develop feelings for him, she thought with a sigh when she remembered the discussion they had some days back about who was going to fall in love with the other first.

    "I don''t want anything from you. I''m just busy with work," Sonia said, trying to pull her hand away from his grip, but Bryan kept a firm grip on her hand as he got on the bed.

    "What are you doing?" Sonia asked, wondering why he was acting like he cared about her when he already told Jeff that he didn''t feel anything for her.

    Bryan tried to put himself in her shoes by thinking about how he would have felt or reacted had he been the one who had overheard her saying what he had said to Jeff. He decided that the only reason he would feel upset was if he was interested in her. So why did she seem so upset? Was she really interested in him? He hoped so.

    "Why don''t I sit next to you and watch you while you work? I promise not to disturb you," He said as he moved closer to her.

    "Suit yourself," Sonia muttered as she moved away from him, even though her heart was beating really fast because of his proximity.

    Sonia tried to focus on the words she had previously typed which were disyed on herptop''s screen, but she couldn''t make sense of the words or concentrate on anything, as she was distracted by Bryan''s thumb which was lightly rubbing over her arm as he scooted closer to her.

    When she couldn''t bear it anymore Sonia cleared her throat, "Do you mind excusing me? I can''t concentrate on my work while you are here like this," Sonia told him quietly.

    "You asked me to suit myself. Besides, I can''t concentrate out there while you are in here like this either. So, what do you suggest we do? Do you want us to talk about it now?" He asked, looking at her face with searching eyes, as though trying to discern her thoughts.

    Sonia felt a painful lump in her throat when she recalled the words he had said to Jeff, and tears welled up in her eyes, causing her to look away from him, "Talk about what?" She asked, pretending not to know what he was talking about as the thought of what he had said still made her heart ache.

    "Talk about the reason you are so upset," Bryan answered patiently.

    "I already told you I''m not upset," Sonia insisted.

    "Can you stop acting like you don''t know what I''m talking about? I''m trying my best here, so you should at least help me too. I really didn''t mean what I said to Jeff. I only said that to get him out of my face," Bryan confessed with a sigh even though he knew she still wouldn''t believe him. He just didn''t want her to keep feeling hurt or upset because of what he had said.

    Sonia turned to look at him. She wanted to ask him what he meant by that. Did that mean he had feelings for her? But she was too scared to bring herself to ask him that question. She didn''t want him to say something that might hurt her even more, and she didn''t want him to have the impression that he could hurt her either, so she shook her head, "I really don''t know what you are talking about. I didn''t hear anything," Sonia stubbornly insisted.

    It was apparent to Bryan that she was lying to him, but he couldn''t understand why, "I have no idea why you are being so stubborn or denying this, but if you''re feeling upset because of what you heard, you really shouldn''t be," Bryan said as he raised her hand to his lips, and kissed her palm, making Sonia blink at him as heat spread from her hand to the other parts of her body, and her heart fluttered in her chest.

    "What are you doing?" She asked in a small voice.

    "Trying to make you feel better? I don''t like you like this. I like you better when you are happy and acting like a witch," Bryan said with a small smile even though he couldn''t understand why he was saying things like this, or trying so hard to cheer her up when he had decided that he didn''t want her to know about his feelings.

    "Acting like a witch?" Sonia asked with a scowl even though she somehow found his words amusing andforting.

    "Are women generally fault finders, or is it just a Sonia Bardi thing? Howe you skipped the part where I said I like you better when you are happy?" Bryan asked, making Sonia roll her eyes.

    "Are you here to pick a fight or to apologize?"

    "Ah! So finally you agree that I did something to make you upset?" Bryan asked with a grin, and Sonia picked up the pillow to hit him, but Bryan quickly caught hold of it.

    "What did I do?"

    "How could you ask me such a stupid question?" Sonia asked with a slightly raised brow.

    "Well, you kept insisting that you weren''t upset, yet you kept giving me that silly attitude like you were having a mood swing. What was I to think? I was only trying to understand what was up with you," Bryan pointed out as he ced one hand over her shoulder and pulled her close to himself.

    "I never gave you any silly attitude," Sonia said defensively.

    "Yes, you did. Your smile was fake, and you weren''t even looking at me like you did during the interview earlier. And please stop denying it, it''s not cool," Bryan said with a scowl.

    "Whatever!" Sonia muttered as she turned her face away from him.

    "Ever heard the saying that eavesdroppers never hear good of themselves?" Bryan asked as he lifted herptop off herp, and dropped it on top of his wheelchair, before cing a finger under her chin.

    Sonia swallowed as she reluctantly turned to look into his face, but she couldn''t raise her eyes to meet his gaze. She feared that her eyes might reveal her emotions to him.

    "I''m sorry you heard that."

    "You didn''t say anything that wasn''t true. It''s not like we are in a real rtionship anyway, so I had no reason to be upset," Sonia pointed out with a sigh.

    "Yet you were upset, weren''t you?" Bryan asked hopefully as he looked into her face.

    "Maybe a little?" Sonia asked, making the corners of Bryan''s lips twitch.

    "Now you sound cute," Bryan murmured in amusement as he brushed his lips against her forehead.

    They both adjusted in a way that they were seated on the bed with their backs resting against the headboard and Sonia''s head rested on his shoulder, while Bryan''s left hand was around her shoulders, and their right hands were intertwined.

    Neither of them said another word to each other for some seconds as they both remained in that position. After a while, Bryan sighed, "I don''t know what to say to you, but I can honestly assure you that within thest couple of days I''ve stopped seeing you as a nuisance. I enjoy yourpany and love having you around me," Bryan said, making Sonia lift her head to look at him as butterflies fluttered in her belly.

    "You are not just saying that to make me feel better, are you?" She asked hesitantly.

    "Why would I try so hard to make you feel better if I didn''t care about your feelings?" Bryan asked dryly, and Sonia gave him a nod.

    Although that wasn''t a deration of love from him, she was happy to know that he cared about her feelings, and he liked having her around. That was way better than him not feeling anything for her. It gave her hope.

    "The feeling is mutual," she rushed to assure Bryan, who grinned at her.

    "Of course, it is. Why else would you be so upset over what I said if the feeling isn''t mutual?" Bryan asked as he looked into her eyes.

    Even though he wasn''t exactly sure what she was feeling for him yet or what she wanted from him, he was relieved to know that she cared enough to be hurt because of what he had said. That gave him hope.

    Because I''m falling in love with you, Sonia thought, "Perhaps because my ego was bruised?" She said with a teasing smile.

    "Then I''m doing this because my ego is bruised too," Bryan said, making Sonia giggle.

    "Can you do me a favor?" Bryan asked now that she seemed less upset.

    "What?" Sonia asked curiously as she looked at their intertwined fingers.

    "I don''t have telepathic abilities. I can''t tell why you are upset if you don''t tell me. So I think it will be best for our arrangement if you can always tell me whenever I do something wrong instead of acting up. I really don''t like having misunderstandings like this," Bryan pleaded.

    Sonia sighed to herself. Without a doubt, she knew that in days toe he was probably going to ignorantly say a lot of things that would upset her, and she wouldn''t be able to tell him about them. Maybe if she wasn''t already developing feelings for him, she would have been less sensitive to some of these things, but she liked him, so even some of his ''harmless'' words might easily get to her.

    "I can''t promise, but I will try. You should also try not to say things that you don''t mean," Sonia said with a yawn.

    "I will try. It has been a long day, you should rest," Bryan suggested as he sat upon the bed, even though he didn''t really want to leave her.

    "Yeah," Sonia said as she also sat up on the bed, wishing he wouldn''t leave.

    "Uhm, I should return to my bedroom then," Bryan said with a nod as he started to get off the bed.

    He reached into the wheelchair and picked up herptop which he returned to the bed, before getting on the wheelchair, "See you in the morning. Goodnight," he told Sonia who was still staring at him.

    She gave him a nod but said nothing for fear that if she opened her mouth she might end up asking him not to leave. She watched as he made his way to the door.

    "Sonia?"

    "Bryan?" They called in unison as Bryan turned around in his chair to look at her.

    "Yes?" Each asked, looking at the other hopefully.

    "Ladies first," Bryan urged her.

    "You go first," Sonia urged him.

    "Uhm, if you''re not feeling too tired, would you like to see a movie with me? And maybe we can n on what to do for tomorrow''s show?" Bryan asked, and a happy smile split Sonia''s face as she rolled off the bed.

    "I was going to suggest that too!" Sonia lied, and Bryan smiled at her as she followed him out of the bedroom.

 Chapter 148 - Nightmare

    Tom''s eyes snapped open when he heard Lucy making whimpering sounds in her sleep. He quickly reached out to turn on the bedsidemp when he felt her shudder in her sleep. He was surprised to see the beads of sweat that coated her forehead despite the coolness of the bedroom.

    "Lu?" He called out softly as he tapped her, trying to wake her up, but Lucy shook her head and raised her hands to her face in a protective gesture that made Tom''s brows pull together in a concerned frown. What was she dreaming about?

    "You''re having a nightmare, Lu. Wake up," Tom said as he ced a hand on her shoulder and shook her.

    "Don''t touch me," Lucy cried out fearfully as she opened her eyes and roughly pushed Tom''s hands off her, before scampering off the bed while looking around the room frantically as though she needed to find an escape route out of there.

    "Lu? It''s Tom. You are having a nightmare," Tom said reasonably as he slowly got off the bed with both hands raised while watching her with a concerned frown. He could tell that she was notpletely awake yet, and he didn''t want to spook her more than was necessary.

    Lucy looked around the bedroom in confusion, and then slowly her gaze shifted to Tom and focused on him before she let out a long breath.

    Oh, God! It was that damned nightmare again! It had seemed so real like the day it happened.

    She had only just begun to believe that she had ovee the feeling, and was past dreaming of it, but it seemed like she had only taken a break from it, Lucy thought as she weakly reached out to the chair by her dressing table and copsed on it.

    "Are you okay?" Tom asked as he slowly approached her.

    Lucy raised her head to look at him and her eyes widened in surprise when she realized that he was naked, and she looked down at her body. Only then did she realize that she was also naked and her long hair was the only thing that was covering her breasts from his view.

    Seeing how surprised she looked, Tom picked up his boxers from the foot of the bed, and once he put it on, he picked up the tee-shirt she had been wearing earlier and her jean bum short before approaching her.

    Lucy looked down at her hands which were still trembling and sped them together on herp. She didn''t want him to see her this way. She already felt embarrassed enough that he had watched her act like a crazy person a moment ago.

    Lucy drew in a deep breath to steady herself when he stopped in front of her "Could you excuse me?" She asked in a cool voice, without meeting his gaze since she could tell he was probably very curious about what had just happened and would want to know what she had dreamt about.

    Was she already regretting it? Or was she just feeling embarrassed? "By excuse you, do you mean you want me to leave?" Tom asked in a soft tone as he squatted in front of her so that she wouldn''t have to crane her neck, and he reached out to tenderly tuck her hair away from her face.

    "Uhm... I need to shower," Lucy said, turning her face away from him.

    "That doesn''t answer my question, Lu. Do you want me to leave? Or you just want me to wait in the living room while you shower?" Tom asked, making her sigh.

    Hearing his tone, she could tell that he was probably thinking that she regretted their night together. But that wasn''t it. All she needed was to sit under the shower for the cold water to pour down her body and calm her nerves.

    If she had been alone, and if Sonia wasn''t with Bryan, she would have called Sonia to talk to her, but she couldn''t do so now since Tom was here, and she didn''t know if Bryan and Sonia were sharing a room, and she didn''t want to disturb their sleep.

    "Are you okay?" Tom asked when she didn''t say anything after a while, and he took one of her hands in his own. He was very tempted to ask her what her nightmare had been about, but he knew that he needed to set aside his curiosity at the moment and make sure she was okay.

    "I''m okay. You can wait in the living room while I refreshen up," Lucy said as she met his gaze.

    Tom looked at her face with searching eyes before giving her a nod, "Alright. Do you want me to get you anything?" He asked, and she gave him a nod.

    "I need a drink."

    Tom looked at her in concern and gave her a nod before standing up. He walked over to the edge of the bed and dropped her tee-shirt and bum shorts before picking up his shirt and walking out of the bedroom.

    Once Tom was out of the bedroom, Lucy stood up and headed straight for the bathroom. Once she walked in, she turned the shower on full st and shut her eyes as she let the water flow down her body.

    How much longer was she going to be haunted by the past? It was over eight years already, so why was she still living this way? Why was she still letting Jamie haunt her? Lucy asked herself as she broke into a sob.

    She didn''t know how long she stood under the shower crying, but she raised a hand to her lips to muffle her sob when she heard Tom knock on the door, "Lu? Are you alright in there? I''ve been waiting for you for over forty minutes already," Tom said in concern.

    "I''m okay. I''m sorry I kept you waiting, I''ll be out in a moment," Lucy said in a falsely cheerful tone that made Tom frown. Why was she acting like she was okay?

    He had gotten tired of waiting in the living room and had returned to the bedroom to see if she was okay, only to hear her sobbing in the shower. Now he wished he hadn''t listened to her and had stayed back in the bedroom.

    "I''ming in now," he announced, and without waiting for her to give her consent or object, he pushed open the door and stepped into the bathroom.

    Lucy''s hair was stered on both sides of her face as she looked at him with miserable eyes as she tried to blink back the tears that were still gathered in her eyes.

    Taking one look at her eyes which looked red and puffy, and the tip of her nose which looked red, Tom walked into the shower and turned it off before embracing her.

    "You don''t have to pretend like you are fine around me," Tom said, and as though she had been waiting for the go-ahead to cry, Lucy broke into a heart-wrenching sob, and held on to his shirt as she cried, while he patted the back of her head.

    Tom stood still, letting her cry as much as she wanted, while he murmured encouraging words to her, "You''re beginning to catch a cold," Tom observed when she shivered in his arms, and he quickly grabbed the towel from the rail and wrapped it around her.

    "I''m fine," she told him weakly, but Tom didn''t listen to her as he swept her off her feet and carried her out of the bathroom. Taking her to the bedroom, he gently put her down on the edge of the bed and started to dry her body with the towel.

    "Tom, I''m okay," Lucy tried to assure him, feeling embarrassed that he was not only seeing her in her emotionally vulnerable state but also her naked state.

    "People that are okay do not cry in the shower," Tom said as he walked away from her and went back to her dressing table to pick up her hairdryer.

    "You don''t need to do this. I can do that myself," Lucy said, reaching out to take the dryer from him, but Tom moved it away from her reach.

    "I want to do it. Do you remember what I am to you? I am your boyfriend, and it is my pleasure to care for you whether or not you can do anything for yourself, so stay still," he ordered, making Lucy drop her hands to the side as she allowed him to take care of her.

    Once he was sure that her hair was dry, he walked over to her closet and looked through it before pulling out a sweatshirt and a sweatpant.

    "You''re not going to dress me up too, are you?" Lucy asked dryly, as she was beginning to feel better after all the fussing Tom was doing.

    "I am. Get used to this," Tom said as he walked over to where she was and slipped the sweatshirt over her head, "Your hands," he ordered, and Lucy sighed as she slipped her hands in. Once he was done wearing her the sweatshirt she stood up and slipped her legs into the sweatpants as well.

    "Good. So do you still want that drink?" Tom asked with a slightly raised brow, and she gave him a nod.

    "What''s the time anyway?" She asked as she turned around to nce at the bedside rm clock, but she couldn''t see the time disyed on it because she wasn''t wearing her sses.

    "It''s past four," Tom informed her as he ced her flip-flop in front of her, and she stepped into it.

    "Already? You are supposed to be resting," Lucy said, looking up at him apologetically.

    "I''m notining. Now let''s get you that drink," Tom said, jerking his head towards the door for her to walk ahead of him. Lucy found it amusing that it was her apartment, yet he was ordering her around as though he owned the ce.

    "Sit," Tom ordered her as they both walked into the living room, while he walked over to her refrigerator to take out the wine and a ss.

    "You are not drinking?" She asked when he handed her the ss and sat down beside her.

    "We both can''t get drunk," Tom said, reminding her that it was a workday and she needed to be at the office in a few hours.

    "That''s true. I shouldn''t drink," Lucy said with a sigh as she dropped the winess on the table while looking at it wistfully.

    Tom was tempted to ask her to drink the wine if it would make her feel better, but he knew he couldn''t do that. She had to be at the office, and if she was drunk, she wouldn''t be able to do that. What excuse could hee up with as the CEO to give her the day off?

    "Are you feeling better now?" Tom asked instead as he gathered her close to himself so that her head was resting on his shoulder.

    "I guess. You''re not going to ask me what I dreamt about?" Lucy asked, sitting up to look into his face.

    "I want to ask, but since I''m not sure you would want to talk about it, I don''t want to ask," Tom confessed, making her smile sadly.

    It was ironic that she had been avoiding talking or thinking about the past for quite some time because she feared that her thoughts often triggered the nightmares, yet the nightmares hade to haunt her even without her thinking about the past.

    "I killed someone when I was seventeen," Lucy blurted out without letting herself think about it.

 Chapter 149 - Creepy

    Tom tried not to let his surprise show on his face on hearing her sudden confession. She killed someone? Bryan had said Sonia''s half-brother hadmitted suicide because of Lucy, he hadn''t mentioned anything about Lucy murdering anyone, so what was she talking about? On second thought he realized that it was possible for Sonia to withhold such information from Bryan. There was no way she could have possibly told Bryan that her best friend had murdered her half-brother. It wouldn''t make sense. Or perhaps it was just her guilt speaking? That was most likely as he couldn''t imagine a person like Lucy hurting a fly.

    Lucy looked at Tom''s face, but she couldn''t tell what he was thinking as his expression was nk, so she sighed, "You don''t believe me, do you?" She asked, looking at Tom.

    "I can''t exactly tell whether I believe you or not when I don''t know the details," Tom exined, and Lucy''s lips twitched in a crooked smile as she gave him a small nod, and then picked up the ss of wine.

    She took a long sip from the ss, and Tom did not attempt to stop her. He was d that he was her boss and could find a way to get her to take the day off.

    Lucy sighed as she returned the ss to the table and looked at Tom. She took in a deep breath and let the air out through her lips, "His name was Jamie... And he was Sonia''s half-brother," Lucy said, and tears gathered in her eyes once again as though she was struggling with the memory.

    "Older or younger?" Tom asked curiously, trying to ease her into the subject gradually, while also wanting to find out if it was a case of mere childish infatuation that wasn''t handled properly or something more serious than that.

    "Older. He was a college student, while I and Sonia were both in grade twelve," Lucy exined making Tom''s brow crease in a frown.

    "Older?" That meant it was more serious than he had thought.

    "Yeah. Sonia''s mother had Jamie for her high school sweetheart during their first year in college. I don''t know the exact details of all that happened, but sheter got married to Sonia''s dad, and when he died some yearster, she got back with Jamie''s dad," Lucy exined, and Tom gave her a nod.

    "Sonia must have been very close to him then," Tom guessed, since he assumed Sonia had grown up under the same roof as Jamie, and he needed to understand how Sonia could have remained friends without someone who had caused her brother''s death.

    "On the contrary, they didn''t get along so well. Somehow Jamie seemed to believe that he was denied of his mother''s love and affection in the early years of his life because she got married to Sonia''s father, so as a result he always tried to make things difficult for Sonia," Lucy exined without looking at Tom.

    She still remembered how she and Sonia used to tiptoe around the house when they were younger, and how they both preferred to stay back at her house instead of Sonia''s house because they didn''t want to run into either Jamie or his father who always red at them like their mere presence around the house was a nuisance.

    "Do you still want to talk about what happened?" Tom asked when she remained silent for a while just staring ahead of her like she was lost in her thoughts. Although he didn''t want to pressure her to share her story with him, he was itching to hear what she had to say.

    Lucy who had a distant look in her eyes as she tried to gather her thoughts, turned to look at Tom. No matter how much she thought about all that happened that day, she couldn''te up with a different way that she could have handled things. Bracing herself, she gave him a nod, "I don''t even know what to say or where to start from," Lucy said with a weary sigh, "I don''t know when or how it started, but somehow Jamie had some sort of twisted feelings for me," Lucy said as she looked away from him once again.

    "Twisted feelings?" Tom asked, and Lucy gave him a nod.

    "Very twisted. Although he never talked to me when I was around the house, little did I know that he was always watching me. He was always taking photos of me without my knowledge... Can you believe that he even had a camera set up in Sonia''s bedroom?" Lucy rubbed her arms as a shudder passed through her at the thought of it.

    A stalker? This wasn''t good, "Didn''t you say he was a college student?" Tom cut in.

    "He was. He imed that he didn''t want to be separated from his parents, so he chose a school close to the house where he could go to school from home," Lucy exined.

    "He was always locked up in his bedroom, ying games or working with his system when he wasn''t attending sses in school. Little did we know that he was actually busy monitoring me and listening to my conversations with Sonia. In the past, I used to wonder why most of the guys who asked me out on a date both in school and around the neighborhood kept their distance from me after confessing their feelings to me. I had no idea that after eavesdropping on my conversations with Sonia during our sleepovers, he would find the guys and harass them. Asking them to stay away from his girlfriend," Lucy said, and then paused as she reached out to take the winess again, but Tom picked it and handed it to her.

    "That must have been very creepy," Tom said as he watched her drink from the winess.

    "Creepy is an understatement," Lucy said as she tried to return the ss but once again Tom took it from her and dropped it on the table. Having nothing to do with her hands now, Lucy rubbed her palms together as she let out a sigh.

    "The most spine-chilling thing about it all was the fact that he never acted like he cared about me. Not even for one moment did he ever give me the impression that he cared about me. The couple of times I encountered him in the house, he would look at me nkly and just walk past me. He barely even responded to my greetings," Lucy said with a slight frown as she thought about it.

    "And none of those guys ever told you that they were being threatened by him?" Tom asked, and she shook her head.

    "None of them stood still long enough to talk to me after he threatened them."

    "So how did you find out he was behind it?" Tom asked, looking at her curiously.

    Lucy sighed and reached out to tuck her hair behind both ears, "Well, there was this guy I liked, and I told Sonia about him as usual. So whenever I would visit, we would spend the night talking about him and giggling. And then one Friday afternoon, just before the close of school, I received a note from him, asking me to be his prom date. I was crazy with excitement that day, but I didn''t give him a response immediately as I was trying to be careful, considering my past with the other guys who had previously asked me out but suddenly started avoiding me afterward," she paused to catch her breath.

    Tom said nothing as he watched her while waiting for her to go ahead with the story.

    "After deliberating over it during the weekend, I walked up to him on Monday after sses to give him my response, but he seemed to be avoiding me too. At that point, I couldn''t take it anymore, so I demanded that he tell me what was going on. That was when he told me that my boyfriend had warned him off me. He apologized for asking me to be his prom date when I was in a rtionship," Lucy said, sounding like she was still surprised by his apology.

    "You can''t imagine how surprised I was to hear that. I told him I didn''t have a boyfriend, but he wouldn''t believe me no matter what I said. And then he unbuttoned his shirt and showed me the bruise on the side of his stomach where Jamie had hit him. I couldn''t believe him. None of that made any sense to me, so I went around asking all the other guys I could find why they lost interest in me, and each of them told me how my boyfriend had harassed them. Not only was I shocked, but I was also beyond pissed. I couldn''t understand why Jamie who never bothered to talk to me would go around scaring all the guys off me," Lucy poured out her story, hardly pausing for breath.

    "What about your twin brother? I noticed that you haven''t mentioned him in all this," Tom cut, wanting to interrupt her so she would catch her breath.

    "His girlfriend was always hovering around him, and she was always in the house with him, as she didn''t want me to be closer to my brother than she was. So I was closer to Sonia at the time all of this was happening," Lucy exined, and Tom gave her a nod.

    "Go on," he urged her.

 Chapter 150 - Creepy Psycho

    Lucy had a distant look in her eyes as she continued her story. She sat with her legs drawn up on the couch in a way that the soles of her feet were bnced on the couch while both knees were drawn up to almost her chin level as she wrapped both arms around her legs in a protective gesture.

    "At first I wanted to confront him immediately I heard from the guys, but Sonia stopped me. She thought there was more to it all, and that something wasn''t right about the whole story. So she tried to calm me, and insisted that we give it some more thought before taking any action."

    "Sonia must be a very smartdy," Tom observed, and Lucy''s lips curved in a smile as she thought of her best friend.

    "She actually is very wise," Lucy said with a nod.

    "So what happened?" Tom asked, urging her to go on with the story.

    "So we started trying to figure out how he could have known about all the guys who had shown any interest in me. It took us a couple of days, and during that time we stayed at my house so that I wouldn''t be tempted to confront him if I run into him at their home," Lucy exined.

    Tom said nothing as he waited for her to go on with her story. Even though the more she spoke, the more he realized that this wasn''t going to look good for him at the end of the day. He knew without a doubt that she was going to freak out when she eventually finds out the truth about how he ended up bing her next-door neighbor and driver.

    Although he hated to admit it, he could imagine that she was going to think that he was no different from Jamie. Like Jamie, he was pretending like he didn''t have feelings for her when he knew he had approached her a second time because he was interested in her. And like Jamie who had been observing her from the room next door, he had moved into her neighborhood and had even be her driver just to be closer to her.

    Shit! How was he going to fix this mess? He feared that he was going to end up scaring her and pushing her away with the lies, instead of getting her to love him and be with him, and it was all because of that dumb psycho.

    "Are you okay?" Lucy asked with a concerned frown when she noticed the scowl on Tom''s face, and how his fists were clenched.

    "Yeah. Nevermind me. Go on with the story," Tom said with a forced smile.

    Lucy looked at him as though she didn''t believe him, but let out a sigh before continuing with her story, "So after a couple of days we put two and two together, and concluded that he had likely been eavesdropping on our conversations. Thinking about how that was possible, we figured that since he was tech-savvy he probably had something set up in Sonia''s bedroom, so we decided to check his bedroom to find out what he was doing." Lucy paused and drew in a deep breath, and Tom picked up the winess and poured some more wine into it before handing it to her, but Lucy shook her head.

    "If I keep drinking, I''m going to get drunk before dawn, and we both know I have to be at the office," Lucy said as she stretched out her legs, before reaching out to pick up her sses from the spot on the table where Tom had dropped it earlier before they started their romance earlier.

    "Well, you could call in sick," Tom suggested.

    "I have never called in sick," Lucy said with a yawn as she checked the time on her wall clock. She couldn''t believe that it was almost six already.

    "Then I will call in sick on your behalf. Don''t worry. I could just tell Mr. Harry that I came over to pick you up but you were too sick to leave your bed," Tom assured her, making Lucy narrow her eyes at him.

    "Why do I feel like you don''t want to go to work today?" She asked suspiciously, making Tom grin as he raised both hands in mock surrender.

    "You caught me. I just want to remain here with you like this," Tom said with a grin, making Lucy sigh.

    "I prefer to go to work. It helps me keep my mind upied," Lucy said, and Tom felt a tug in his heart.

    So this was the reason she was always working?

    "Okay, go on with the story. Maybe talking about it will help you clear your head," Tom said, taking a sip from the winess instead, and Lucy gave him a nod.

    "One day, we waited until we were sure he must have left for school and both their parents must have left for work too, and then we skipped school and went to Sonia''s house. We went into his bedroom and at first nce, it looked like the bedroom of a normal college student, until Sonia managed to get ess into hisputer and then we saw a file containing different pictures and videos of both me and Sonia, but mostly pictures of me," Lucy closed her eyes and shuddered at the awful memory.

    "How could he leave such sensitive files where anyone could easily find them?" Tom asked in confusion.

    "I guess he wasn''t expecting anyone to snoop around his bedroom or his system. Or perhaps he just wasn''t scared and didn''t care as his parents always let him have his way, so he could get away with anything," Lucy said with a shrug.

    "There were several nude pictures of me dressing up in Sonia''s bedroom after having my shower, there were some of me sleeping on the bed with Sonia, but with the focus on me. There were even pictures of me going about my normal daily activities outside the house. He had been watching me for God knows how long, and I didn''t even know it." Lucy looked at Tom when she felt his hand behind her back, and only then did she realize that her entire body was trembling.

    "I can''t imagine how you must have felt," Tom said sympathetically.

    "We were both stunned. Neither of us could believe what we were seeing. I could barely move from where I was standing. Somehow, Sonia managed to turn off the system and return everything to how it was before dragging me out of the house. I felt so vited," Lucy said, hugging herself with both hands.

    "Sonia kept apologizing to me over and over again on our way to my house, and although I was not exactly mad at her, I just couldn''t bring myself to look her in the face either. I was in shock for days, and Sonia remained by my side. Neither of us knew what to do about it. I couldn''t even bring myself to confront him as I had initially nned because I felt creeped out by all I had seen in hisputer. I couldn''t stand to look him in the face as I didn''t even know the extent of his madness, and I honestly didn''t want to find out. I was scared to my bones," Lucy confessed, and somehow Tom could understand what she meant.

    At seventeen, something like that would definitely scare her, as it would scare any adult, "So what did you do?"

 Chapter 151 - In Shock

    Lucy drew in a shaky breath, "I tried not to leave my house except it was absolutely necessary, like going to school. I avoided Sonia''s house or anywhere else I might easily run into him..."

    "You didn''t tell your parents about it?" Tom asked with a frown.

    "I wanted to, but what was I supposed to tell them? I just couldn''t bring myself to tell them about it," Lucy said with a shake of her head.

    "And they didn''t notice the changes in you? Like you not wanting to go out and stuff?" Tom asked since he knew changes like that would never go unnoticed by his parents.

    "Sonia was almost always in my bedroom with me, so it wasn''t a big deal since I''ve been spending most of my time at her home," Lucy exined with a shrug, and Tom nodded in understanding.

    "You are doing that deliberately, aren''t you?" Lucy asked curiously as she looked into Tom''s face.

    "Doing what?" Tom asked innocently.

    "Interrupting me at intervals," Lucy pointed out, and Tom''s lips twitched in a smile.

    "Yeah. I don''t want you reliving those awful memories. Go inside your head, get the information needed, ande back. Don''t get lost in there," Tom exined, "It is working, isn''t it?" He asked hopefully, and Lucy gave him a nod.

    "Yeah, it is."

    "So tell me what led to his death," Tom urged her when he nced at the clock and realized that they didn''t have much time left to talk. He wasn''t sure she would willingly want to talk to him about it after now, so he wanted to know everything so he could better understand her.

    "Hmm... It was our prom night, and I didn''t want to go to prom. There was no way I could tell my family that I wasn''t attending prom, so I pretended to fuss over my dress when the car came to pick us. I assured them that my date wasing over to pick me up, so Lucas left with his girlfriend, Rachel. Sonia knew I wanted to stay back at home, and she wanted to stay with me, but I urged her to go as I didn''t want to ruin prom for the both of us, especially her boyfriend who had been looking forward to it. That day coincidentally happened to be the anniversary of my parent''s wedding, so they were going out on a dinner date with ns of spending the night away from home," Lucy said with a distant look in her eyes once again.

    "Don''t tell me you were left in the house all by yourself?" Tom asked with a concerned frown as he was beginning to get a horror movie vibe from her story.

    "I was. I dressed up and let my parents take pictures of me. They wanted to wait for my prom date to pick me up so they could get pictures of us, but I urged them to leave as they had booked a reservation and they were runningte already. So no one knew I was going to be home alone," Lucy exined.

    "Sonia didn''t know your parents were going to be out that night?"

    "I didn''t tell her. I knew she was going to want to stay home with me if I told her, so I kept it from her. It wouldn''t be the first time I was staying in my house alone, so what was the big deal?" Lucy asked with a rueful smile.

    "I saw my parents off and while I stood there waiting for them to drive off, I noticed someone dressed in a hooded sweatshirt, standing in the shadows just across the house. I tried not to make a big deal out of it as the person wasn''t even looking at our house. I returned inside the house once my parents drove off, locked up the doors and windows, and turned off the lights before going back to my bedroom to take off the dress. Just as I was about to unzip my dress, I heard the sound of the doorbell, and I ran out thinking that my parents had probably forgotten something. I quickly turned on the lights and opened the door..."

    Lucy abruptly stopped speaking when the memory of that night flooded her senses and left her breathless and immobilized.

    "Lucy breathe," Tom said, sitting up and pushing her forward so that her back was no longer resting on the couch when he noticed that her eyes were dted and she was looking right ahead of her with her mouth hung slightly open as though she was trying to speak but no word wasing out.

    Lucy could see him standing there again, dressed with the hoodie over his head and with a creepy smile pasted on his face.

    "Hello, Lucinda!" He greeted, waving his right hand, while his left hand remained behind him.

    Seeing the creep standing there, Lucy panicked and quickly tried to shut the door, but he was faster. It was almost as if he had been anticipating her move. He quickly grabbed her arm with his right hand and before she knew what was going on, her back was pressed against his body and he brought his other hand which was holding a hankie that smelled of chloroform, and ced it under her nose. Her eyes involuntarily rolled back in her head and she lost consciousness.

    "Lu? Come on, look at me Lu. You need to snap out of it, Lu," Tom called out in a worried voice, cupping her face in his hands as he knelt in front of her, urging her toe back to her senses, but before he could do anything else, she gasped out loudly and her eyes rolled back in her head as she fell forward.

    To anyone else, she might just have fainted, but Tom didn''t need anyone to tell him that she was in shock. She was still very traumatized by the experience. So he quickly snatched up both his phone and the car key from the table and carried her out of the house immediately.

    He had no idea about what he was going to do about all of this, but one thing he knew was that Lucy needed help.. She needed urgent psychological evaluation and help, and his being in her life under this guise wasn''t going to help either of them.

 Chapter 152 - Pervert

    "Judging by all you have said, she is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. She is still in psychologic shock," The doctor informed Tom, who was seated opposite him, staring at him without giving away his emotions.

    Although Tom hadn''t given him the details of the nature of Lucy''s trauma, he had told the doctor that Lucy had been sharing a traumatic experience with him when she suddenly froze and fainted, "So what can be done?" Tom asked, his concern evident in his tone.

    "Well, for starters she needs to see a psychotherapist. Is she your girlfriend?" The doctor asked curiously since it was the first time he was seeing Tom with ady, and Tom sighed.

    "She doesn''t even know who I am, so do me a favor and keep my identity to yourself. She is a staff here, and as far as we are concerned, I''m just her driver... At least for the time being. When can she leave here?" Tom asked, ncing at his wristwatch. It was past seven already, and knowing Lucy, she would want to go to work.

    Although the doctor was very curious about how a person like the CEO ended up bing one of his staff''s driver, he knew he couldn''t ask. They weren''t close enough for him to ask him such questions.

    "I think we should let her rest for a while. Maybe when she is up I could talk to her if you don''t mind," the doctor suggested, and Tom gave him a nod.

    "See what you can do. And if she needs professional help, then get her the best you can find. Tell her thepany will take care of the bill so she doesn''t have to worry about that," Tom instructed the doctor who was under his payroll, as he stood up to leave the office.

    Once he stepped out of the doctor''s office his phone started ringing, and he dipped his hand into his pocket to get it out. Seeing that it was Jade, he received the call at once, "Where have you been?"

    "I know, I know. I''m so sorry I didn''t take your call yesterday. I was so busy with work that I lost track of time and I couldn''t even remember where I left my cellphone, untilte at night, and then I didn''t want to disturb your sleep," Jade exined apologetically as she yawned.

    "It''s okay. I hope you''re fine?" Tom asked even though he could hear the tiredness in her voice.

    "Sure I am. What about you? How is it going with Lucy?" Jade asked with a yawn as she looked around her office and ran her fingers through her short mop of pixie-cut hair.

    "Everything is okay over here," Tom lied since he was far from being okay himself. All he needed was a quiet ce where he could sit down to think about all Lucy had said, and how he could resolve the mess he had gotten himself into.

    "Great! Any good news from Harry yet?" She asked hopefully.

    "That was the reason I was calling. Could you give Harry a call? He wants to ask you a couple of questions that could help him in finding your witness," Tom said, making Jade sit up.

    "Why not just give my contact number to him?" Jade asked with another yawn as she rubbed her eyelids which were still feeling kind of heavy. The whole of her body ached.

    "That''s the third time you are yawning, are you sure you''re getting enough rest?" Tom asked with a concerned frown.

    "I''m fine. I''m just feeling very exhausted," Jade confessed as she stood up from her seat.

    She couldn''t believe that she had worked all through the day and night, and had dozed off on her desk. She must have been really exhausted to have been knocked out that way. She needed to leave now so that she could go home and freshen up before the others starteding to work unless she wanted to be seen this way.

    "You really need to take a break from work. If anything happens to you, I can assure you that your boss is going to get someone else to take over from where you stopped that very minute," Tom said with a concerned frown.

    "Spoken like the cold CEO that you are. I like to think he will rece me the next minute, not that same minute," Jade teased, "Don''t worry, I''m going to get plenty of rest. Just ask Harry to give me a call," Jade added and stifled the urge to yawn again as she picked up her handbag and looked inside it to be sure that her car key was in there, before turning off the light in her office and walking out.

    "No, you should call him yourself. It is difficult enough to reach you as it is. I will text you his number the moment I hang up, so give him a call immediately, and save him the stress of trying unsessfully to reach you," Tom said, making Jade sigh.

    "Alright. I will be waiting. Love you, Tommy," Jade said, blowing him a kiss before hanging up.

    Once she hung up she quickly rushed out of thepany, making sure not to be seen by anyone. Once she was seated in her car, she checked her appearance through her rearview mirror and groaned when she noticed the dark circles under her eyes. It wasn''t like the circles haven''t been there for a while, but they stood out more on her pale face now, and she didn''t like it. She really needed to create time to rest, else she was going to break down.

    Perhaps she should take the day off, and go to a beauty spa? Maybe get a good massage and a makeover. Makeovers always gavedies the needed lift.

    Just as she turned on her car''s ignition, her phone beeped with a message notification. She picked up the phone and clicked on it when she saw that the text was from Tom. He had sent her Harry''s number as promised.

    Harry Jonas... She tried to remember what she could of him. She had seen him just once, and that was the same year after she just started her practice... Four years ago.

    It had been during the Christmas holiday season, and Tom had invited Harry to meet his family, while herte boyfriend, Todd had been around to spend the holidays with her and her family as well.

    She remembered getting into a fight with Todd because he had seen her seated at the Porch with Harry,te at night having a nightcap. Todd had used her of flirting with Harry... Thinking of it now, Jade scoffed as she drove off.

    It was funny how Todd had been the cheat in their rtionship, yet he had been the most insecure between them both. He had used her of cheating and flirting with other guys when he had been the one doing all of that. How could she have been so blind to all of that? Jade let out a sigh and shook her head to get rid of thoughts of Todd as she dialed Harry''s line. She turned on her car''s Bluetooth speaker so that she wouldn''t have to hold the phone to her ear.

    She listened to it ring for a while until it disconnected since Harry didn''t take his call. Now, who was difficult to reach? Jade asked herself with an eye roll as she dialed his number again. It rang for a while again, and then disconnected, "At least, I called," Jade said out loud as she focused on the road ahead of her.

    She really hoped that Harry would be able to help her find her witness, as he was her only hope. She knew that there was no way Candace was going to agree toe out of her hiding and get involved in Jero''s case again, not after it almost cost her her son''s life.

    Although Candace would have been the perfect bait to bring Jero out of hiding, Candace would freak out if she heard that Jero had escaped from the correctional facility where he had been locked up for the past two years.

    ***********

    The first sight that greeted Bryan when he opened his eyes was Sonia''s face. They were both lying on his bed facing each other with a little space between them. He watched her face as she slept and a smile yed around his lips when Sonia smiled in her sleep.

    Instead of watching a movie as they had initially nned to do the previous night, they had settled for Kevin Hart''s ''Irresponsible'' and had shared a goodugh at his humorous jokes. At some point, Sonia had offered to get them a night snack and had left the room only to return with two cups of hot chocte drink and a bowl of chips. They had fought over thest chip in the bowl until Sonia had suggested that they y a game, where the winner gets to eat thest chip.

    Thinking about the whole silliness ofst night under the sanity of dawn, Bryan grinned as he took a closer look at Sonia''s face.

    She looked so innocent and beautiful, that he could spend all day watching her and not even be bored. He grinned when Sonia giggled in her sleep. The sound of herughter was like music to his ears, and he couldn''t help wondering what she was dreaming about. He was certain that whatever it was she was dreaming about was just as exciting as she was.

    Yes. Sonia was very exciting. No matter what he did with her, it was always fun. Whether they were arguing, exchanging bants, ying games, watching a movie, making out, or even just sitting next to each other without saying a word, it was all exciting for him.

    Oh, Bryan! Look how hard you have fallen! Bryan thought with a shake of his head, and a wide grin on his face.

    Once he noticed that Sonia was beginning to stir in her sleep, he quickly closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep.

    Sonia opened her eyes, and the first sight that greeted her was Bryan''s face. Her heart fluttered in her chest as she looked into his beautiful face, and a smile tugged on her lips when she remembered how she had fallen asleep while listening to him tell her some dry jokes.

    Her fingers itched to touch him. His hair, his face, his lips... but she tried to stifle the urge. This wasn''t Sonia Smith. If she had not developed feelings for Bryan, touching him however she wanted wouldn''t have been such a big deal to her... But now she was being so careful, and she didn''t like it. She preferred her carefree self, Sonia thought with a sigh as she tentatively let her hand cover the distance between them.

    She brought her hand to rest on his face and then grazed her thumb softly over his five o''clock shadow. She moved her thumb from his chin to his lips and let it brush his soft lower lip.

    Bryan''s heart skipped a beat, and then his heartbeat quickened as Sonia''s hand moved over his face. Slowly he opened his eyes.

    Seeing Bryan''s eyes flutter as though he was about to wake up, Sonia quickly snapped her eyes shut, pretending to be asleep, but Bryan''s soft chuckle as he reached out to pull her nose made her blink at him.

    "You pervert!" Bryan said with a yful grin.

    "What? You were awake?" Sonia asked, struggling not to look embarrassed as she pped his hand off her nose and sat up on the bed.

    "Were you hoping I wouldn''t be, so you can steal a kiss?" Bryan asked, seating up as well.

    "Steal a kiss? Why would I want to steal a kiss?" Sonia asked with a scoff as she tried to get off the bed, but Bryan pulled her back.

    "I don''t know, you tell me."

 Chapter 153 - Esquire

    Harry stepped out of the shower and picked a towel from the towel rail as he walked out of the bathroom. He dried his short mop of ck hair using the towel, not minding the trail of water he left in his wake as he went to his bedside to pick up his phone which he had heard ringing immediately he stepped into the shower.

    Seeing he had missed two calls from the same unknown number, he narrowed his eyes as he tried to figure out who it possibly was. Jade Hank. She was the only one whose call he was expecting, so he dialed her number immediately.

    Harry briefly wondered if she was still the same person she was when he had met her four years ago. She had been really cute and funny then, with her long brown hair and intelligent blue eyes. He remembered the irritation he had seen on her boyfriend''s face when he had seen them both discussing at the porch that night, and how he hadter overheard them fighting because of him.

    She had promised to show him around her neighborhood the next day, but after the argument with her boyfriend, she had begun to avoid him. She wouldn''t join the family for dinner, but would rather have hers alone in her bedroom with her boyfriend. And once she walked into the living room and saw him sitting there she would return to her bedroom. He had pretended not to notice, but nothing she did had gone past him unnoticed, so he had used work as an excuse to cut short his holiday with the family. He didn''t want her being ufortable in her home because of him.

    Harry shook his head to get rid of those thoughts as he focused on drying his body while waiting for her to take the call.

    Jade who had just walked into her bedroom and slumped on her bed, sat up when she heard the vibration of her phone in her handbag quickly took it out. She received the call when she saw that it was from Harry, "You are a difficult man to reach, Mr. Harry Jonas," Jade greeted.

    Harry''s lips twitched in amusement when he heard her voice, "Coming from someone I''ve been waiting to hear from since thest twenty-four hours, I''m ttered," Harry retorted with humor in his voice, and Jade smiled.

    "Well, betterte than never, right?" She asked as she kicked off her shoes.

    "Sure. Good morning Jade Hank, Esquire," Harry greeted with a smile in his voice, making Jade giggle at his humor as she ced her phone on the bed and put it on speaker so that she could take off her clothes.

    "I see you haven''t forgotten," Jade said, remembering their conversation that night four years ago, and how he had asked about her title as awyer, and she had told him she would prefer to be referred to as ''Esquire'' rather than ''Miss''.

    "How have you been?" Harry asked as he stood in front of his dressing table, checking out his nude reflection in the mirror as he talked to her. If she knew that he was dressed in his birthday suit while talking to her, she was definitely going to freak out and probably call him a freak too.

    "Busy. I hear you''ve been making my brother a lot of money, thank you," Jade said, quickly switching the subject as she didn''t want to talk about herself.

    There was nothing to talk about anyway. She had spent thest four years since their first meeting being busy. After her misunderstanding with Todd over her harmless conversation with Harry, she had avoided being in the same room with Harry just so that Todd wouldn''t misunderstand her. And then Harry had left two dayster to take care of Tom''s business. Todd had lost his life some weeks after that Christmas holiday, leaving her angry and devastated. So yeah, she had kept herself very busy since then.

    Busy? Quite an unusual response, Harry mused, "Making your brother money, makes me money too, so there''s nothing to thank me for," Harry pointed out, before clearing his throat.

    Enough of the chitchats now, "So, I wanted to talk to you about the case involving your witness. You do realize that I need to understand what is going on, so I can find your witness, right? I mean knowing what the case is about would help me to know the possible ces to look, I don''t know if you get what I''m saying?" Harry asked as he walked to his nightstand to pick up his Bluetooth earbuds so that he could keep talking to her while he getting dressed.

    "Hmm..." Jade hummed thoughtfully as she stood in front of her dressing mirror looking at her naked body. She looked thin. Too thin. Her mother was going to freak out if she saw her in this state.

    "What I''m saying is that I need to know some of the possible suspects. That way I can easily check them to see if they know anything about your suspect''s disappearance," Harry exined as he connected his Bluetooth earbuds before proceeding to wear his undies.

    "I get what you are saying, Mr. Jonas..."

    "Harry is fine, Esquire," Harry cut in.

    "Yeah I''m sure Harry is fine," Jade said yfully, making Harry chuckle. He was d to know that despite the years she hadn''t lost her yfulness. That was the first thing he had noticed about her the first time they met. The way she loved to y with words.

    "So, you were saying?" Harry reminded her.

    "I was saying... Oh, my God!" She eximed when she suddenly heard a loud bang that sounded like a gunshot outside her apartment.

    "What was that sound?" Harry who had also heard the bang, asked as he paused buttoning his shirt to listen.

    "Uhm... I don''t know," Jade said, her mouth had suddenly gone dry and her heart was beating very quickly as she picked up her phone from the bed, "I need to check it out. I will have to call you back..."

    "No! Don''t hang up," Harry rushed to say, "Just remain on the line while you check," Harry said in concern as he could hear both the concern and fear in her voice.

    She was his best friend''s younger sister, and there was no way he could allow her to hang up the call after hearing something like that. He owed it to Tom to make sure that his sister was alright.

    "Uhm... okay."

    A part of Jade was grateful that he was willing to remain on the call with her while she checked out what was going on. She took in a deep breath before she quickly picked up her bathrobe from where it was hanging and shrugged into it as she headed for the door.

    Her heart was beating fast against her chest as she approached the door, and Harry felt just as nervous as he waited for her to tell him what was going on. He didn''t know what was worse between the silence and the suspense. Perhaps he should try to say something to calm her or maybe he should just keep quiet while they waited for them to see what it was?

    He opened his mouth to say something, but shut it when he heard her open a door, and then shrieked in shock.

    "Oh, my God!" Jade eximed as she took a step backward inside her house. Blood drained from her face, and she gripped the phone even more tightly as she looked down at what looked like blood sshed all over her doorstep. Lying face up in front of her door was a dummy''s head that looked exactly like her, with what looked like a bullet hole on its forehead, and a white paper on the ground beside the dummy.

    The words on the paper were also painted in red, "GIVE UP THE CASE, BITCH. IT WON''T BE A DUMMY''S HEAD NEXT TIME"

    She looked down the street, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. She noticed that the few houses around, had their curtains drawn up as though every one of them was scared to find out what was happening outside.

    "What is wrong?" Harry asked, making her gasp in shock as she threw the phone down. She had forgotten that she was on the phone with Harry, even though she had been holding the phone to her ear the whole time.

    "Jade? Jade?" Harry asked in rm, wondering why she had suddenly gasped. Was there someone in her house? "Damn it!" He cussed when he remembered that Tom had said she was receiving death threats.

    He quickly hung up and dialed her line once again, while he hurried to wear his clothes.

    Jade closed her eyes as she tried to calm herself. Her brain wouldn''t function properly if she was too scared. Some of her colleagues had experienced worse things, and even though this was the first time something like this was happening to her, she needed to remember that it was normal. This was normal for awyer. Some cases were dangerous and she had to live with it.

    Taking in a deep breath, Jade picked up her phone, "We will have to continue this conversation some other time," she said with forced boldness once she epted Harry''s call.

    "Can you at least tell me what that was about? What is going on?" Harry asked, feeling relieved to hear from her.

    "A displeased defendant left me a present.. I need to call the police," Jade said making Harry frown, "You can''t tell my brother about it," Jade warned before hanging up.

 Chapter 154 - For Sale?

    Once Jade hung up the call, Harry quickly dialed Tom''s number. He wasted no time in considering her request to not tell her brother about what was happening with her. He had heard the fear in her voice, and he owed it to his best friend to not keep something that concerned his sibling''s wellbeing from him.

    "Hey! I was just about to call you," Tom said immediately he received Harry''s call.

    He was in a cab going to his office as that was the only ce he knew he would have the space he needed to think. Going to his home would be pointless as the nosy butler would be all over him like a dog trying to sniff out what the problem was, and that was thest thing he wanted at the moment.

    "Where are you? We need to talk," Harry said with a note of urgency in his voice as he picked up his phone and car key, and walked out of his bedroom, leaving his apartment.

    "I''m on my way to the office... You can meet me there," Tom said, and then added, "But first, could you arrange for someone to pick Lucy from thepany''s hospital? The car is there, I just need someone to take her home," Tom asked, making Harry frown.

    "Hospital? Why is she there? And why are you not there to pick her up yourself?" Harry asked as he got into the car and turned on the car''s ignition.

    "It''splicated. Just help me get someone to be there before she wakes up, and you can give her the day off," Tom added as the cab pulled to a stop in front of thepany.

    "Alright, I will do just that. I''ll meet you at the office in ten minutes," Harry said before hanging up.

    Tom got out of the cab, and after paying the driver, he headed in the direction of his private garage and elevator.

    "Tom?" The beautifuldy who the private investigator had spoken with the previous day, waved at him.

    Tom stopped and turned around when he heard his name. He looked around him just to be sure that he was the one she was waving at, as he didn''t recognize her as someone he was acquainted with.

    "Hi?" Tom asked with a polite smile as he dipped one hand in his pocket and walked towards her when he noticed that she was barely able to walk in the heels she was wearing. He couldn''t help but wonder why women liked to wear things they weren''tfortable in.

    She smiled at him as he approached her, "I''m sure you don''t know me. I''m Cora," she said extending her hand to him for a handshake.

    Although Tom wasn''t in the mood for any conversation he shook her hand, "You already know my name."

    "Yeah. Uhm, did you get to meet the cab driver yesterday?" She asked with a curious smile as she held on to his hand.

    "What cab driver?" Tom asked with a slightly raised brow as he pulled his hand away from the handshake.

    "The cab man that brought you to work. He said you left your package in his car, so he was looking for you," she exined with a smile pasted on her lips.

    "Yesterday? What time?" Tom asked with a slight frown, and she gave him a nod.

    "During the lunch break."

    "Did he mention my name? What did he say to make you believe that I was the one he was looking for?" Tom asked curiously, not liking the feeling he was having about this.

    She narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips as though she was trying to remember something, and then she shook her head, "He didn''t exactly know your name. He only described your features," she exined.

    "And the package he imed I left in his cab, did he give it to you or to anyone else?" Tom asked thoughtfully, and she shook her head.

    "I was informed you weren''t in, so rted the information to him, and offered to help you keep the package, but he insisted he wanted to hand it to you himself and left almost immediately," she said, and Tom gave her a nod as he turned his head to look at Harry who had just arrived and seemed to be in a hurry.

    "Thanks for the information, I need to have a word with Mr. Harry if that is all," Tom said as he quickly left her and walked in quick strides to catch up with Harry before she could say anything else.

    "You just got here?" Harry who had been expecting to meet Tom in his office, asked as he turned around to make sure no one was watching them.

    "Don''t look around like that," Tom chided, walking slightly behind Harry so that no one would suspect them of being close, "Did you get someone to pick her up?" Tom asked, and Harry nodded as they both continued to walk.

    No one paid them any attention, as it looked like they were having a normal conversation between one of thepany''s drivers and the CEO''s right-hand man.

    "Yeah. I sent her secretary to pick her up from the hospital. What happened to her? Hold on, before that, I need to talk to you about your sister," Harry said once they both walked into the elevator.

    Thankfully they were alone in the elevator going to their floor, so Tom turned to look at him, "Jade? What about her? She called you already, right?"

    "Yes, she called. Something strange happened while we were on the phone. I heard the sound of a gunshot..."

    "A gunshot? Is she okay?" Tom asked, looking rmed as he reached into his pocket to take out his phone.

    "She wasn''t hurt, but she said she received a present from a displeased defendant. I don''t think it was something pleasant as I could hear the fear in her voice even though she told me not to let you know," Harry exined, and Tom paused.

    "She asked you not to let me know?" He asked, looking at Harry who gave him a nod.

    Tom sighed, "She is too stubborn and self-sufficient for her own good," Tom said as the elevator bell dinged, and they both stepped out of it and headed for his office.

    "So what are you going to do about it?" Harry asked looking around to make sure they were both alone in the hallway before opening the door that led to the CEO''s office.

    "Me? I don''t think I have to do anything. What is on the schedule for the remaining days of this week?" Tom asked as they both walked past Lucy''s desk and walked into his office.

    Once they walked into the office, they both sat down, facing each other, while Harry looked at Tom curiously, "Just a couple of meetings here and there, why? Do you want to travel?"

    "No. I''m hoping you will. I will take care of thepany in your absence. I need you to help me make sure that Jade is alright," Tom said, making Harry turn to look at him like he has just lost his mind.

    "You want me to go and take care of your sister? Me?" Harry asked, pointing to himself incredulously.

    "Who else can I ask? Apart from Bryan, you are the only other person I can trust to look after my sister. Don''t forget that she asked you not to tell me about it," Tom pointed out reasonably.

    "And how am I going to exin the fact that I left her brother''spany to babysit her without her knowing that you are aware? You sister is smart, you know?" Harry asked with a slightly raised brow.

    "You could tell her that you''re on leave," Tom said matter of factly, "Besides, since you''re helping her find her witness, you should be near her," Tom pointed out with a shrug as though he had everything figured out.

    "You are not even scared that I might hit on your sister? I am a full blooded single man, remember?" Harry said, wanting to knock some sense into Tom.

    "Even better, as she is single too," Tom said with a grin, as though he liked the idea of Harry hitting on his sister.

    "Did something happen to your brain that I don''t know of?" Harry asked, looking at Tom with a concerned frown.

    "Quit looking for excuses and just go. You need the break anyway. I''m very worried about her, and I really need you to be there to help me make sure she is okay," Tom pleaded making Harry sigh, "You know I would do the same for you," Tom added.

    "You don''t know that," Harry said dryly.

    "Sure I don''t. But you do," Tom said with a grin.

    "How do you intend to run thepany in my absence while also ying around as Lucy''s driver and boyfriend?" Harry asked, wanting to change the subject.

    "Uhm... About that, I think I''m going to take a break for some time..."

    "A break? What do you mean?" Harry cut in with a confused frown.

    "Just let her know I quit my job. Get her someone else to drive her around, or get her a new driver if she needs one," Tom said, standing up from his seat to go stand beside his office window.

    "Why the sudden change? Did something happen between you both? And why is she in the hospital?" Harry asked curiously.

    "She isn''t feeling too well. Nothing happpened. I just need some time to sort out some things in my head," Tom said with a sigh before turning to look at Harry, "How soon can you leave?"

    "You are sure you want me to go?" Harry asked, looking at Tom who was massaging his temple like his head was aching.

    "Very sure."

    "Then I will leave immediately."

    "Thank you. Before you leave, I need you to help me do a couple of things. Could you help me reach the agent who got us the apartment next to Lucy''s? Ask them to put it up for sale," Tom said, mako Harry''s brows pull together in a frown.

    "For sale? Are you moving in with her, or do you want to move out?"

    Tom chuckled at Harry''s question, "I''m moving out. I think it is best I stay away from her for some time."

    "Then you can just give her break without selling the ce," Harry pointed out.

    "I no longer need the house. Just get rid of it. Also, I think someone is sniffing around thepany for information about me, could you help me look into it before you leave? I learned the man was here around lunch break, and he talked to thedy I was speaking with earlier. I think her name was Cora," Tom said, making Harry roll his eyes.

    "What would you do without me?"

    "Nothing.. And that is why I trust you to take care of my sister too."

 Chapter 155 - Perfect Picture

    Was it a dream or did she really have sex with Tom? That was the first question on Lucy''s mind when she opened her eyes. Lucy''s heart skipped a beat when she opened her eyes and saw the unfamiliar environment. Her brows pulled together in a frown when she perceived the familiar smell of antiseptic, and she quickly sat up to look around her.

    A hospital? What was she doing in a hospital? Why did Tom bring her here? Perhaps he thought she was crazy after hearing all she had told him? Oh, shit! She had actually opened up to him about Jamie, she thought in rm, as the events of thest couple of hours returned to her, and she remembered how she had frozen while talking to Tom.

    Why did she really tell Tom about Jamie? That was mighty bold of her to revisit her past that way, Lucy thought with a sigh. So where was Tom? And what time was it? She still needed to get to work.

    She felt a weight in her pocket and reached into it to find her house key in her pocket. Where was Tom? She wondered.

    Lucy looked up when the door opened, expecting to see Tom, but to her disappointment, her secretary walked in, "Good morning, Amy. What are you doing here?" She asked with polite curiosity.

    "Good morning, Miss Perry. Mr. Harry asked me to see if you are okay and to take you home. He also said I should inform you that you don''t need to be at the office today," Amy said as she walked inside the room, dressed in her office wears.

    "What''s the time?" Lucy asked Amy curiously, and Amy checked her wristwatch.

    "It''s just five minutes past ten," Amy said, and Lucy gave her a nod. That meant she had been sleeping for almost four hours.

    "You don''t happen to know where Tom is, do you?" Lucy asked, and Amy shook her head.

    The doctor opened the door at that moment, "I see you are awake," He said with a polite smile as he walked in, "How do you feel?" He asked when he stopped by her bed and took her hand to check her pulse.

    "I''m okay. I guess I was just very exhausted," Lucy said with a smile, wondering if Tom might have told the doctor anything, "Where is the person that brought me here?"

    "You mean your driver? He said something came up, so he had to quickly leave. If you don''t mind, I would like to have a word with her in private," the doctor said to Amy, who gave him a nod as she excused herself to go wait outside.

    Lucy looked at the doctor curiously, wondering what it was he wanted to talk to her about, "I''m in perfect health condition. My twin brother is a medical doctor and did all the necessary checks before I moved down here," Lucy rushed to assure him before he could say anything, and the doctor gave her a reassuring smile.

    "I''m sure he did. However, Tom told me you froze while talking to him about a past traumatic experience... Although he didn''t give me the details," the doctor added when he noticed how Lucy visibly stiffened.

    "It is nothing," Lucy said with a stiff smile as she looked away from the doctor, not wanting to maintain eye contact with him.

    "You are still suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, and you need to see a psychotherapist. I could arrange for you to meet a very good psychotherapist," he offered.

    Lucy shook her head, "I''m okay. I just need to rest that''s all," she assured him with a forced smile.

    The doctor looked at her curiously before giving her a nod, "If you say so. But if you happen to change your mind, you can stop by. Thepany will take care of the charges, so you have nothing to worry about," he assured her, and Lucy gave him a small smile, relieved that he had dropped the subject.

    "So can I leave now?" She asked, and stood up when the doctor gave her a nod. Thankfully she was still dressed in her sweatpant and sweatshirt, but she was barefooted.

    "I will ask someone to bring you something for your feet," the doctor said when he noticed how she nced at her feet and looked around the room as though she was looking for her footwear.

    "That will be very much appreciated. Thank you," Lucy said with a small smile as she watched him leave.

    Amy returned some minutester with a pair of white crocs, "I hope this fits," she said, looking at Lucy''s feet.

    "It''s better than nothing. Thanks," Lucy said with a faint smile as she took the footwear from Amy and slipped it on before walking out of the room.

    Once they got outside the hospital, Amy led her to the parking lot where Tom had parked the car, and Lucy was surprised to see her car there. She had thought Tom left with the car. Without saying a word she got in and gave Amy directions to her home.

    As Amy drove, Lucy couldn''t help wondering what hade up that had made Tom leave. Perhaps he had a job to attend to? But he hadn''t mentioned that when they were talking earlier. She sighed as she let her head rest on the headrest of the car, and shut her eyes.

    "We are here," Amy announced as she parked the car in front of Lucy''s apartment.

    As Lucy hit out of the car, her eyes flew to Tom''s apartment which was next to hers. Was he in? Or had he truly gone out for a job? Somehow she felt bad that he hadn''t waited by her bedside to take her home.

    "Is everything okay?" Amy asked when she noticed how Lucy was looking at the apartment next to hers with a slight frown on her face.

    "Yeah. Thanks for bringing me home, you can leave," Lucy said with a small smile as she held out her hand for Amy to hand her the car key.

    "Not so soon. You haven''t had breakfast yet, have you? I should fix you something to eat while you freshen up," Amy suggested as she led the way to Lucy''s apartment while Lucy followed her. Once they got to the door, Lucy took out the key from her pocket and unlocked the door before walking into the house with Amy.

    "You can freshen up while I fix you something to eat," Amy said as she dropped the car key on the table, and picked up the bottle of wine and winess which was still half-filled before heading for the kitchen.

    Lucy looked around her apartment before heading for her bedroom. Her heart skipped a beat when her eyes fell on her rumpled bedspread, bringing shes of the events of thest evening.

    Lucy lowered herself on the seat opposite her dressing table and stared at her reflection in the mirror as though she was in a daze. Her face flushed a bright red and her breath quickened when she remembered all that had happened the previous night. Her eyes drifted to the reflection of the bed in the mirror, and she raised a hand to her cheeks and shut her eyes as she tried to steady her breath. This was supposed to be the least of her worry at the moment, but she couldn''t help it.

    She opened her eyes once again, and this time her eyes fell on her phone which was on the nightstand. She stood up and walked over to the nightstand to pick it up, hoping to at least see a text from Tom exining the reason for his absence. When she picked it up, she saw several missed calls from Sonia, her parents, and Lucas, but none from Tom.

    It seemed like everyone always tried to reach her whenever she was spending the night with Tom, Lucy thought as she checked the time of the call. Her parents and Lucas had called her the previous evening, and then called again this morning, and so had Sonia.

    Lucy sighed as she sat down on her bed and dialed her mother''s line. She knew her mother had probably asked everyone else to call her when she couldn''t reach her. So her mother was the best person to call first.

    "Why haven''t you been taking your call?" Her mother asked in a worried tone once she received Lucy''s call.

    "I''m sorry, the phone was on silent and I overslept," Lucy lied.

    "Overslept? You never oversleep. Are you okay? Is something wrong? Are you ill?" Her mother asked, sounding very worried now.

    "I''m okay. I guess I just needed the rest. How are you?" Lucy asked, changing the subject.

    "Are you sure you are okay? Do you need me and your father toe..."

    "No! I''m okay. You don''t have to worry about me."

    "If you say so. Your brother''s wedding ising up soon, you''re noting alone, are you?" Her mother asked, and Lucy rolled her eyes.

    "Mom..."

    "Why can''t shee alone?" She heard her father''s voice in the background before she could speak, and she smiled.

    "Good morning, dad."

    "Hey, Princess! What have you been up to?" Her father asked, taking the phone from his wife.

    "Nothing much. Just working and... dating," Lucy said with a small smile andughed out loud when she heard both her parents squeal happily.

    "I thought you were okay with her being single, why are you so happy now?" She heard her mother ask her father.

    "Is that what is important right now?" Her father responded.

    "So, tell us about your boyfriend. Who is he?" Her mother asked curiously.

    Lucy pursed her lips thoughtfully. Although this wasn''t how she had nned to break the news to them, she just wanted to get it out of the way. Tom was her temporary boyfriend after all, and she was sure he wouldn''t mind stepping in to help her get her family off her back.

    "Yes. Who is he? How did you both meet? What does he do?" Her father asked, making Lucy''s brows pull together.

    She couldn''t possibly tell them how she had met Tom, or that he was her driver. Although she knew that her parents weren''t going to look down on him simply because he was a driver, still she felt that she needed toe up with something better. It was her first time being in a rtionship, and she needed to make sure she gave them a perfect picture so that when she tells them of the breakup, they won''t need to pressure her anymore about getting into a rtionship.

    So without thinking it through Lucy blurted out, "His name is Thomas Hank."

 Chapter 156 - The Hanks

    After her phone call with her parents, Lucy closed her eyes and facepalmed herself. Thomas Hank? Really? Of every other name to mention why did she choose to lie that she was dating her boss? Now they expected her to attend the wedding with her wealthy boyfriend. Perhaps she could im that it was over between them a few days before the wedding? Her mind shed to Tom who seemed to have a couple of simrities with her boss. Maybe he could pretend to be her boss? Lucy quickly shook her head to discard the thought. Was she going crazy? How could she even think of such an outrageous thing?

    She looked up, slightly startled when she heard a knock on her door, "Miss Perry? Are you okay in there?" She heard Amy ask.

    She had almost forgotten that she wasn''t alone in the apartment, "Yeah. I''ll be out soon," Lucy called out, and then nced at her phone when it started ringing. It was Lucas.

    "Hey!"

    "Hey? What''s going on Lu? I just received a call from mom saying you''re dating your boss? Thest time we spoke you were talking about your driver, so howe you''re suddenly in a rtionship with your boss?" Lucas asked, making Lucy sigh as shey on her bed and closed her eyes.

    How had she forgotten that she had told Lucas about Tom? Of course, Lucas had every right to be rmed by this. How had she gone from not dating anyone to being in a rtionship with two people, her driver, and her boss, even though she had nothing to do with her boss in reality.

    "I''m dating my driver, not my boss. I just didn''t want to tell them about him being my driver," Lucy confessed making Lucas sigh.

    "What do you mean you just didn''t want to tell them about it? That lie waspletely uncalled for. You know mom and dad. They have no problem with either of us dating someone who isn''t doing so well financially," Lucas pointed out.

    How could she exin to him that the rtionship wasn''t a long-term rtionship and she intended to end it before her family starts getting any funny marriage ideas? "Just keep it to yourself. I will tell them the truth when the time is right," Lucy said dismissively.

    "I really think you should just call them back and tell them the truth now. You''re going to embarrass that young man and make him feel less of himself when he finds out that you were too embarrassed about his job to tell your parents about it," Lucas chided.

    "Cut it out, okay? I said I''m going to fix it!" Lucy snapped at her brother impatiently.

    Lucas sighed, "You better fix it. How is your health? Have you been sleeping well? Or do you still require sleeping pills?" He asked with concern in his voice.

    "I''m okay. How is Rachael?" Lucy asked, not wanting to talk about herself as she wasn''t ready to think about the nightmare she had.

    "She is okay. She has been busy with the wedding preparations and... Hold on," Lucas said to her when he heard a knock on his office door and raised his head, "Yes?" He asked when the door opened, and his senior colleague''s secretary poked her head in.

    "If you''re not too busy can you see some of Dr. Drew''s patients? He is out of town, and the couple insists on having their monthly checkup done today," she exined, and Lucas nced at the clock in his office, "Alright, send them in."

    "I''m sorry, Lu. Work calls. Let''s talkter, okay? I love you," Lucas said before hanging up.

    He pasted a smile on his face as the door opened once again, and stood up when a couple who looked like they were in their early sixties walked in with the secretary carrying their medical file which she ced on the table in front of Lucas.

    Lucas picked up the file and nced at their names. Mr. Desmond Hank, and his wife Evelyn.

    "Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. Hank, I''m Dr. Perry," He greeted with a weing smile.

    "Aww, he looks so young and handsome," Evelyn whispered to her husband loudly as she smiled at Lucas who in turn grinned at her.

    "But nowhere as handsome as I was when I was his age," Desmond said with a scoff.

    "I''m sure," Lucas said with a grin as he gestured to both couples to sit down.

    "Are you single?" Evelyn asked, ncing at his bare fingers.

    "Only until next month''s end, so if you''re going to hit on me you still have the next couple of weeks to do so," Lucas responded, and Evenly giggled, while Desmond merely shook his head.

    "That''s such a shame. You would have been a good fit for our daughter, Jade. She''s awyer. Very beautiful too," Evelyn said with a proud smile as she fished out her phone from her handbag to show him the picture disyed as her wallpaper.

    "I''m sure Jade can find a man for herself without your help," Desmond muttered under his breath.

    "Seeing how beautiful you look, I''m sure your daughter would be breathtaking," Lucas said with a small smile as he took the phone from her to check the picture she was showing him.

    "All three of them are your kids?" Lucas asked when he saw the picture of two grown-up men and ady standing between them.

    "Yes. We took that picture two years ago when they were home for the Christmas holidays. The guy standing by her right is the oldest. I''m sure you must have heard of him. His name is Thomas, and he''s the CEO of I-Global. The guy by her left is our second child, and his name is Bryan, you should recognize him, he''s an actor. And that is ourwyer girl, Jade," she said with a proud smile.

    "Is there anyone you have met to who you haven''t shown this picture?" Desmond asked his wife in amusement as she was always showing off her sessful children at every slight opportunity she got.

    Lucas stared at the picture in disbelief. Was it coincident that Sonia''s fiance just so happened to be the younger brother of Lucy''s boss? The same boss she had just lied to her parents that she was dating? And now here he was having a conversation with the parents of both men?

    Meanwhile, after her call with Lucas, Lucy tried to reach Sonia, but when Sonia failed to respond, she decided to give Tom a call instead and find out where he was.

    She held the phone to her ear as she waited for him to take his call. After ringing for some time, the call disconnected when Tom failed to pick up. She tried two more times before finally giving up, "Maybe he is busy," she murmured with a sigh as she reluctantly dragged herself from the bed so she could have her bath.

    Once she took off her clothes, she walked over to the bathroom and stood by the door as she remembered how Tom had walked in there only a few hours ago to carry her out. Why did it suddenly seem like it had been such a long time since shest saw him?

    She couldn''t take the day off in this state. She needed to do some serious work to get her mind off the nightmare, and Tom... At least until he calls her.

    As Lucy turned on the shower and let the warm water hit her body, she closed her eyes, and shes ofst night came back to her. How Tom had looked at her, how he had touched her. Her heart fluttered in her chest, and her pussy pulsed when she remembered how he had worked on them with both his lips and fingers.

    She opened her eyes when she started to feel herself getting aroused by her thoughts, "I''m going to be in serious trouble if I keep having these thoughts," Lucy murmured to herself as she tried to focus on scrubbing her body.

    Once she was done bathing, she dressed up in a cream-colored pantsuit, with a pair of pink stiletto and handbag to match, before going out to join Amy who was just setting the table.

    "Are you going somewhere?" Amy asked as she looked Lucy over, wondering where she was going to dressed like that.

    "Yes. I''m going to work. I don''t need the day off," Lucy said, making it clear that her decision was not up for discussion.

    Amy mped her lips shut and gave her a nod, "I made pancakes. You can have it with tea."

    "Thank you," Lucy said as she sat down to eat while Amy cleaned up the kitchen.

    Once she was done eating they both left for thepany. As Amy parked the car and Lucy got out of it, Tom who was standing by his office window looking outside, shook his head when he caught a glimpse of her before she could walk into the building.

    Stubborn woman! What had he been expecting? That she would gratefully take the day off? He shook his head as he walked into his office closet to put on his costume. He had been hoping he wouldn''t need to as he had no intention of leaving his office today, but now that she was here he would have to use the costume.

    Once he was done dressing up, he opened the door, and stepped out of his office, startling Lucy who had not been expecting him to be at the office talk more ofing out of it.

    "Good morning, Miss. Perry," he greeted, standing by the door while watching at her with a very strange expression in his eyes.

    "Good morning, sir," Lucy greeted as she stood up with her head bowed. She couldn''t meet his eyes as she feared that if she looked at him, he might somehow find out that she had just lied to her parents about her rtionship with him.

    "I was told you were ill. Why are you here when you should be taking the day off?" He asked, cocking his head to the right as he watched her closely. He had thought they were past this stage where she feared to look him in the eyes, but it seemed like they weren''t past it yet.

    "I feel okay now, so there was no reason to stay back at home," she said without meeting his gaze.

    "Still, you should have taken the day off. Mr. Harry won''t be around for some time, so it''s going to be just you and I working together... Closely," Tom added, and Lucy''s brows pulled together in a slight frown.

    Why did he have to add ''closely'' to it?

    "Are you sure you don''t need to take the day off? The next couple of days might be pretty intense," Tom said, and Lucy raised her head to look at him.

    "I''m okay. I need to keep busy," she said, and Tom gave her a nod.

    "Well, I''m certain you can be busy without having to work. Let''s go out," he offered, slipping one hand in his pocket.

    "Out?" Lucy asked in confusion.

    "Yes. We need to know each other better to work productively together. Do you have a problem with that?" Tom asked, and Lucy shook her head.

    "Good.. So let''s go."

 Chapter 157 - Big Brother

    "Are you expecting a call from someone?" Tom asked Lucy without sparing her a nce while keeping his gaze on the road as he drove the car.

    Lucy shook her head, "No. Why?" Lucy denied too quickly as she slipped her phone inside her handbag and turned to look at him.

    She couldn''t really understand why she was waiting to hear from Tom, but she was. He had disappeared all of a sudden and she hated to admit that this somehow bothered her. Maybe if Sonia had taken her call or returned her call, she would have had someone else to rant to, but apart from Sonia and Lucas, the only other person she could talk to was Tom. The very person that was making her worried.

    "Then are you worried about something? You have been taking your cellphone in and out of your handbag ever since we left thepany," he pointed out, and Lucy looked away feeling slightly embarrassed that he had noticed that. To some people, her actions could be seen as rude, and maybe he was one of such persons.

    "I''m sorry. It''s just that I tried reaching Sonia earlier but she wasn''t taking her call, so I guess I''m kind of worried about her," Lucy exined, as that was the only logical exnation, which was also partially true, that she could give him. There was no way she could tell him that she was worried because of her driver who had disappeared after leaving her in the hospital after their intimate night together.

    "I see," Tom said, feeling slightly disappointed as he had thought that perhaps she was waiting to hear from him, "I suppose they are both busy with the reality show. If you''re very worried about her, perhaps I could give my brother a call. That way you could speak with her and find out how she is faring," Tom offered.

    "What reality show?" Lucy asked in confusion, making Tom realize that Sonia had probably not told her about it.

    "I suppose she forgot to mention that she was going to be featuring in a reality show with my brother. You can check it out on any of the social media apps. Yesterday''s interview has been trending all morning," Tom suggested, and Lucy gave him a nod as she took out her phone to do as he had suggested.

    Tom turned to spare her a nce after some minutes and a smile touched his lips when he noticed the smile on her face as she watched the video on her phone with her earpiece tucked in her ear.

    When she called earlier he had been too upset and confused to receive her call, as he didn''t know what to say to her at that point. And then he had been even more upset when Harry returned to inform him that the so-called cab driver who had been asking questions about him the previous day was a well-known private investigator among the elite ss.

    Someone somewhere was curious about him, and it didn''te as a surprise to him as he had suspected that a car was following him the previous evening, but he had ignored it when the car drove past him as he parked the car in front of Lucy''s house. Now that he knew for a fact that he was being watched, he knew he had to be more careful. Tom Handy had to disappear for some time.

    Although Harry had sent someone to find out who the investigator was working for and what they wanted from him, he knew that there was a need to hurry up with all he was doing and tell Lucy the truth before someone else beats him to it.

    He still didn''t know exactly what to do about the whole thing yet, but one thing that was certain was that he couldn''t be her next-door neighbor or driver anymore, and neither could he stay away from her. All he could do now, was stay beside her this way as Thomas Hank.

    Lucy who was watching the interview between Bryan and Sonia, had a wide smile on her face as she watched the easy and natural flow of the interaction between them. Somehow it felt really nice just being able to see Sonia this way with someone. She had to admit that they looked really good together. Her best friend was gradually bing an A-list celebrity, Lucy thought with a grin.

    Taking a closer look at them, she was no longer sure if Sonia was still just ying games with Bryan or if they really had something serious going on between them now. She hoped they did. It would be good to see Sonia in a stable rtionship instead of her usual lifestyle of changing boyfriends every time she gets bored.

    ''Look who is talking. Wanting to see other people be in a happy rtionship while running away from every form of emotional attachment with the opposite sex.'' she thought with a mocking smile.

    "You must love your friend a lot," Tom observed after a while.

    "Did you say something?" Lucy asked, removing the earpiece from her ears to look at him.

    "I said you seem to love your best friend a lot."

    Lucy smiled softly, "I do. You have been driving for a while now, where are we heading to?" Lucy asked when she looked through the window and noticed that they were on the highway, somewhere far away from the city.

    "Somewhere you can rx. How is your boyfriend? The childhood friend?" Tom asked, turning to look at Lucy was now looking out the window.

    "He is okay," Lucy said with a soft sigh.

    "Does he stay here in Ludus? Or is it a long-distance rtionship?" Tom asked as he returned his attention to the road ahead of him.

    Lucy pursed her lips as she considered the most suitable way to answer his question. If she said he lives in Ludus, he might want to meet him, or find out more about him, or even ask why she had been alone at the hospital without her boyfriend. On the other hand, if she told him he wasn''t here in Ludus, then he might want to get closer to her more than was necessary.

    "It''s a long-distance rtionship, but he ns to move down here pretty soon," Lucy said with a small smile, and he gave her a nod.

    "I hope he doesn''t mind you hanging out with me this way?"

    Lucy opened her mouth to respond, but her breath hitched when Tom suddenly took the left turn, and she caught a glimpse of the scenery ahead of them.

    She had thought he was taking her to a restaurant or perhaps a cinema, or maybe a game arcade, but this waspletely unexpected. Ahead of them was andscape of proud rocky mountains, and somewhere between therge rocks was a sparkling waterfall. Now she wished she could wind down the window and stick her head out the window to inhale the air.

    As if he could sense her desire to wind down the window, he automatically wind down all the windows in the car, and Lucy stuck her head out the window and inhaled the fresh mountain air as she admired the view ahead of her, "This is so beautiful," she whispered in awe.

    "I''ve been here a couple of times, but it still leaves mepletely breathless each time I take the turn," Tom confessed as he looked at the mountains thaty ahead of them.

    Reluctantly breaking her gaze away from the mountains she turned to Tom, "How did you find such a ce?"

    "The first time I came here was ten years ago. It was my second year in college, during a school camp trip. The moment I saw this ce, I felt an instant connection to it. I wanted to own it. I always thought it would be a good spot for vacations, honeymoons, weekend getaways, and all of that. It took me quite some years before I was able to purchase it," Tom revealed with a small smile as he parked the car somewhere away from the mountains, and turned to look at her.

    "You can''t bring anyone else here. It''s currently off limit from the public as I''m working on building an exclusive hotel and resort here."

    "Oh!" She eximed quietly as she looked away from him with a slight frown, wondering why he had brought her here if he wanted to keep the location a secret from the world. She knew from novels and the few movies she had seen that men only took women to such special spots if they were interested in them. He wasn''t interested in her, right? Although she had lied to her parents that he was her boyfriend, she had no desire in getting involved with him. Not when she had Tom.

    She quickly shook her head to get rid of that thought. Thinking this way was going to get her in trouble. She didn''t have Tom. He was a temporary boyfriend. She needed to keep reminding herself of that.

    "So? What do you think?" He asked, watching her intently with his head slightly cocked to the right side as he tried to figure out what she was thinking.

    "About what? This ce?" Lucy asked, turning to meet his gaze with a slightly confused frown.

    Tom gave her a nod, "Yes. I also want to know what you think about building a Resort here."

    "You don''t intend to demolish the mountains, do you?" Lucy asked looking around them.

    It was only after asking the question that she realized that she was talking to him casually, as she would to a friend, instead of her boss. This made her wonder why she was no longer feeling so anxious around him. It seemed like the more time she spent in hispany, the more rxed she became around him. This wasn''t good.

    Tom smiled, "How can I when it is the center of attraction here?" He asked as he unbuckled his seatbelt and reached out to open his door, "Hold on," he said to her as he got out of the car and went to her side of the car to open the door.

    Why was he doing this again? He didn''t have to. He wasn''t interested in her in any way, was he? Lucy mused as she picked up her handbag.

    "You should leave the bag behind. And your heels too," Tom suggested as he bent down to take off his shoe, leaving only his stockings on.

    "But..."

    Before she could protest, he reached into the back seat of the car and dropped his shoes before picking up a pair of new stockings, "It''s going to be morefortable for you to wear this, trust me," he said, as he urged her to put on the stockings.

    Lucy knew that he was right as it was going to get tiring for her to walk around in her heels, but she doubted that was the case for him as his shoes looked prettyfortable, "Why did you take off your shoes?" She asked as she collected the stockings from him.

    "So that you don''t feel silly walking around in the stockings all by yourself," Tom said with a silly grin, which made Lucy suddenly giggle, surprising them both.

    Who would have thought the cold and aloof CEO she had seen in action just yesterday could have such a good sense of humor? "Thanks for being so considerate," she said to him as she took off her shoes and put on the stockings.

    "You''re wee," Tom said with a small smile, happy to see herughing this way.

    As Lucy stepped out of the car, she decided to straighten some things between them before proceeding.. She cleared her throat and pasted an innocent smile on her face as she said, "I''m so thankful that I have a big brother like you to rely on."

 Chapter 158 - Lose That Thought

    Big brother? Did she just say she was d to have a big brother like him? Tom asked himself, not knowing whether to be amused by the idea, happy that she wasn''t interested in her wealthy boss, or feel offended that was brotherzoning him already. If only she knew that this big brother had been responsible for all her moansst night, Tom thought in amusement as he looked at her.

    "Make no mistake, Lucinda. I have just one baby sister, and her name is Jade Hank," Tom said, every trace of humor gone from his eyes as he took a step closer to her, startling her.

    Why did he look so serious? She had not meant to annoy him. All she had wanted to do was straighten out things between them so he that wouldn''t begin to develop any romantic feelings for her or think about pursuing any romantic rtionship with her, Lucy thought.

    She gave a burst of awkwardughter, "I know, right? Well, I don''t mean you''re my biological brother. I just mean..."

    "I know what you mean, Lucinda. And I''m telling you right here and now that I don''t intend to be a big brother to you, so lose that thought," Tom said, taking off his sses so that he was now looking directly into her eyes.

    Lucy swallowed nervously as the smile on her lips wavered, and her heart started to beat really fast. What was he talking about? Perhaps she had said the wrong thing? She should have gone about it a different way instead of calling him her brother? Lucy thought as she looked into his blue eyes. There was something very familiar about his face now that he was no longer wearing his sses, but this wasn''t the ce or time to think about that.

    "What do you want to be then? My boss?" Lucy asked hopefully even though she knew this wasn''t a very smart question. What had possessed her tell him something like that when they just arrived here? She should have shut her damn mouth and waited until after he took her back to thepany before saying that.

    What if he had anger issues? What if he got angry and left her here to find her way back on her own? What if he was the type to be violent when he was angry? What if he got angry now and killed her? And then goes on to bury her body between the rocks or something? No one would know about her whereabouts, Lucy worried as she bit her lower lip anxiously and shifted her gaze away from him to somewhere above his shoulder.

    Tom watched as different emotions skittered across her face and he wondered what she was thinking that made her look so pale, "What do you want me to be to you?" Tom asked, watching her calmly, sensing that he was making her anxious, and that was thest thing he wanted, especially after this morning''s episode.

    Lucy''s gaze returned to his. What did she want him to be to her? A friend? A friendly boss? An acquaintance? It had to be a friend since there was every possibility that Sonia was going to develop something tangible with Bryan, and as Sonia''s best friend and nonbiological sister, she had to be able to rte with Bryan and his family as her inws, and that included her boss.

    "Just a friend?" Lucy asked, looking at him hopefully, and Tom''s lips pulled up in a smile as he shook his head.

    "I want to be much more than just a friend to you," Tom said, making her heart skip a beat.

    "W..what?" She stuttered, blinking at him. What was he talking about?

    "You heard me. I''m interested in you, Lucinda Perry. I''ve been from the very moment I set my eyes on you, long before I found out about your rtionship with my brother''s fiancee," Tom said, taking a step closer to her and cing his hands on both sides of her, on the roof of the car in a way that she was trapped between him and the car.

    Lucy shook her head in disbelief as her heart started beating very quickly, "I have a boyfriend!" She reminded him, avoiding his gaze. How had she slept with one guyst night, and was receiving love confessions from another the next morning?

    "So you said, and I''m not in a hurry to change your mind. I just want to let you know that if I could wait for years to own this ce, then I can as well wait for as long as you need me to, just to make you mine," Tom said with an easy smile.

    "Is that what you brought me here to tell me?" Lucy asked with a slight frown as she managed to look into his eyes.

    Tom shook his head, "No. I only brought it up because you tried to brotherzone me, and I''m letting you know right now that I''m never going to be a brother to you, and neither am I going to remain just your friend. So get that thought out of your head."

    There was a moment of awkward silence between them before he put down both hands which were on the car and took a step away from her, "I will show you around," Tom said, turning away from her and walking in the direction of the mountains.

    Lucy swallowed nervously as she followed him, while putting some distance between them. Both his words and actions were supposed to scare her, but for reasons she didn''t understand, they didn''t scare her one bit. It only bothered her that he was interested in her. Somehow she felt safe with him, even though she didn''t exactly wee his advances.

    As they walked around the vast expanse ofnd that surrounded the mountains which was covered in white sand on some areas, and green grass on other areas nearer to the mountains, Tom pointed out somendmarks to her while exining what structures were going to be built on those areas. Lucy paid close attention to all he was saying and offered her opinions and suggestions whenever he asked for them.

    After walking around for some time Tom turned to her abruptly, and asked, "What makes you think you love your boyfriend? What do you like about him?"

    Lucy blinked at him in confusion, startled by the sudden question as she had thought they were done with that line of conversation already. Why was he asking her that?

    "Hmm... Do I have to like him for any particr reason?" She asked, and when Tom gave her a nod, she narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. What did she like about Tom?

    "Well, for starters, he is caring."

    "So am I," Tom countered, making her raise a brow.

    "He is thoughtful and considerate," Lucy added.

    "And so am I too," Tom informed her once again with a small smile. He really hoped he was the person she was talking about, and she was not just making up all of these qualities.

    She opened her mouth to say some other things, but hesitated, knowing that he was just going to say he was all of those too, so instead, she said, "He isn''t proud, or arrogant, and he doesn''t talk down people," Lucy said daring him with her eyes to say he wasn''t proud or arrogant too.

    "Why do I feel like you are indirectly saying I''m proud and arrogant?" Tom asked with a slightly amused smile.

    "Are you?" Lucy asked, not understanding where this sudden boldness wasing from. Why was she talking to him this way?

    "Perhaps I am. Is he as wealthy and sessful as I am?" Tom asked cocking his head to the side.

    "Does he have to be?" Lucy asked with a slightly raised brow.

    "Shouldn''t he be? Women want wealthy and sessful men, don''t they?" Tom asked, looking at her as he waited to hear what she had to say about that.

    For some reason, Lucy felt slightly annoyed that he could think that way about women. Or maybe what was annoying her was the fact that he was indirectly talking down Tom. So because Tom wasn''t as wealthy or sessful as he was, she wasn''t supposed to date him? It was because of men like him, that otherdies looked down on average wage earners like Tom. A person like him really deserved someone like Anita, "Do they?"

    He could hear the slight annoyance in her tone, and he couldn''t help wondering why, "What kind of a man do you want, Lucinda?" Tom asked, looking at her curiously now. Whatever she said now was going to determine whether or not she was going to see Tom Handy again.

    While they were busy talking, the private investigator was seated on the floor of his studio apartment with several photos of Tom littered on the floor.

    He had a wide smile on his face as he thought about how pleased Mrs. Miller would be to know that he had gotten her the information she needed on such short notice. It felt really satisfying to know that despite the fact that he was aging, he was still the best there was when it came to digging out important information on short notice.

    After his brief conversation the previous afternoon with thedy during lunch hour, he had decided to follow his hunch and return to the CEO''s private parking lot.

    Although he had been very tempted to tail the CEO and his right-hand man when they were leaving for their meeting earlier, his instincts told him to stay back, as the answers he needed might be with the young man whose name he had been told was Tom.

    He had been keeping watch over the parking lot when the CEO returned to the office after work hours, and he had watched as he went into the private elevator. Less than thirty minutester he had also closely watched as Tom the driver came out from the elevator. He had then tailed Tom.

    At first, he had been trying to make sense of the situation, asking himself if perhaps Tom was the CEO in disguise, especially when he tried to make the connection between the names, Thomas and Tom.

    When Tom parked the car in front of an average-looking building that didn''t look anything like where the CEO of I-Global would choose to make his home residence, he had started questioning himself again to know if he had been too hasty in drawing his conclusions.

    Still following his instinct, he had remained in his car somewhere down the road from where Tom had parked the car and had kept watch for most of the night. Thankfully, he had woken up in time to see Tom rushing out of the house very early the next morning carrying an unconsciousdy in his arms.

    Once again he had followed Tom to the hospital and had eavesdropped on his conversation with the doctor, confirming what he already suspected that both Thomas Hank and Tom, the driver were the same person.

 Chapter 159 - Fantastic Pair

    "Cut!" The producer shouted, pping his hands in satisfaction, "You both make a fantastic pair!" He said with an approving smile as he looked from Bryan to Sonia.

    "This doesn''t even look like amercial. I felt like I was watching a movie," A member of the camera crew observed with a wide smile, and the others nodded in agreement, while Bryan''s gaze remained locked on Sonia as he moved from the couch onto the wheelchair.

    "We need to take a break before we continue," Bryan announced moving his wheelchair away from the living room, and Sonia nodded in agreement as she followed Bryan.

    "How do you do all of this?" Sonia asked under her breath as she walked into his bedroom. They had been busy all morning first with the reality show which covered them fixing breakfast together, and then they had moved on to film a coffee drinkmercial ad.

    "Do all of what?" Bryan asked, turning in the wheelchair to look at her as she went to stand in front of his dressing table to check her appearance and outfit in the mirror.

    "Live this way," Sonia said as she turned to look at him, pointing in the direction of the living room where the production and camera crew were waiting, "I suppose every day of your life is like this show, isn''t it? There are always cameras out there waiting for you to make a mistake so that it can be captured," Sonia said with a small frown as she went to sit on his bed.

    "You mean like the way our engagement was captured?" He asked with a chuckle as he turned his wheelchair to face her, "Well, I guess that''s the price you pay for sess. You should start getting used to it, as that might be your lifestyle soon. I heard your fanbase has increased since our engagement."

    "And that''s all thanks to having you in my life. But that can never be my lifestyle. I''m never giving up my privacy and freedom all in the name of sess. I won''t," Sonia said with a shake of her head, making Bryan feel slightly concerned as this was the second time she was hinting that she couldn''t live the way he did.

    "Does it make you feel that ufortable?" Bryan asked, wondering how Sonia was going to cope with being in a real rtionship with him if she didn''t like being in the spotlight. Her life was always going to be public business as long as she was in his life.

    He loved what he did, and in as much as he didn''t like the idea of everybody having an opinion on how he lived his life, he loved his life the way it was.

    "It isn''t just ufortable, it is frustrating. You can''t imagine all the times I''ve wanted to do something nasty to you today, and call you names, but I had to hold back because of those damn cameras," Soniained with a pout, and Bryan chuckled, while Sonia watched himugh with a small smile on her face, wishing she could kiss him at that moment.

    "Seriously?" Bryan asked with an amused smile, and Sonia gave him a nod, "When was that? And what did I do?" He asked with an innocent smile.

    "Are you really asking me that because you don''t know what you did?" Sonia asked with a roll of her eyes.

    "I really don''t know what you''re talking about. What did I do?" Bryan asked with a grin, even though he knew exactly what she was referring to.

    Every time he wanted to mention her name all through their shoots, he had deliberately called her Sonia Bardi, and then he had gone ahead to grab her boobs or squeeze her ass at every slight opportunity he got. She was certain that by the time the show would be over, everyone everywhere would be referring to her as Sonia Bardi.

    Sonia shook her head, "You did nothing then. Just bear it in mind that I''m going to return the favor," Sonia threatened.

    "You are free to grab my butt and chest wherever and whenever you want to," Bryan said with a wink which made Sonia giggle.

    "I don''t think I need your permission to do that," Sonia said, and then raised a brow when Bryan stretched out his right hand to her with a soft smile on his face, "What?"

    "Come," Bryan said, looking directly into her eyes. How could the mere sound of herughter sound so beautiful to him? How was he going to be able to keep his feelings hidden from her when he always had the urge to touch her whenever she smiled at him this way?

    Sonia''s heart skipped a beat when she saw the look in his eyes. If she didn''t know better she would have thought that he had genuine feelings for her. Sonia cleared her throat as she stood up, "We should probably return to join the others..."

    "I don''t care about them," Bryan said as he dropped his hands to his side and moved his wheelchair closer to where she was standing before taking both her hands.

    Sonia''s eyes went to the door, as she didn''t want a repeat of what had happened the previous day with Jeff barging in on them, "What if someone walks in?"

    "When did you start worrying about things like that?" Bryan asked while holding her gaze.

    "Since I overheard your conversation with your manager I suppose?" Sonia said, making Bryan shake his head.

    "You mean since you eavesdropped on our conversation? You don''t have to worry about that. No one will barge in on us again, and you won''t hear something like that from me either," he promised as he pulled her down so that she was sitting on his thigh.

    "What are you doing?" Sonia asked in a weak voice without resisting his pull.

    "Rx. I just want to hold you," Bryan said, as though it was the most natural thing in the world.

    Sonia didn''t know what to make of it, but she didn''t mind either, so she rxed against him and let him wrap both hands around her waist while she rested her head in the crook of his neck, inhaling his scent.

    Somehow after their little misunderstanding the previous day, and their exchange earlier that morning, there seemed to have been a shift in the dynamics of their rtionship. Although he hadn''t made any grand promation about being in love with her, he had made her feel that her feelings for him were wee.

    One of Bryan''s hands moved from her waist to her back and he patted her softly as he thought about his feelings for her and how to go about handling them since he was yet topletely understand what he was feeling. Was he perhaps feeling this way about her because she was the only avable woman around? Was it a case of the avable bing desirable because the desirable is unavable? Bryan wondered.

    After all that transpired between them the previous day, and how they had been able to resolve itst night, followed by what had happened earlier this morning when he caught her wanting to kiss him, he was beginning to suspect that the feeling was mutual between them, and that made him feel even more drawn to her now.

    He was very tempted to tell her how he was feeling, and find out from her if it was mutual, but first, he needed to get out of the wheelchair and go out to see other girls. He needed to be absolutely sure of what he felt before telling her about it.

    "You know we don''t seem like a fake couple right now, right?" Sonia asked with a sigh after some time.

    "Does it bother you?" Bryan asked, making her sit up to look into his face.

    "No, it doesn''t," she said with a shake of her head.

    "Then let''s not worry our head about any of that, okay?" He asked, and she gave him a nod.

    "Have I told you that I don''t like your new hairdo?" Bryan asked, making her raise a brow.

    "That wasn''t the impression I got when you were drooling over me with dropped jaws the other day," Sonia said dryly.

    "I don''t remember drooling. I want to bury my fingers in your hair, but I can''t do that with this hairdo," Bryan said with a sigh.

    "Too bad I''m going to keep rocking this hairdo until further notice, so get used to it," Sonia said with a grin.

    He hadn''t expected anything better from her anyway. She was still the stubborn Sonia he knew after all, "Suit yourself. By the way, weren''t you trying to reach your best friend earlier?" He asked, reminding her that she had been worried over not hearing from Lucy earlier.

    "Yeah, thanks for the reminder! I should go check my phone," Sonia said as she started to get off his thighs.

    "I didn''t say you could leave yet," Bryan said with a grin as he kissed the crook of her neck.

    Sonia giggled as she tried to push his head away, "Stop doing that! It tickles."

    "Why should I stop?" Bryan asked with a slightly raised brow.

    "Because I need to go check on her again, and we have people waiting for us, so quit fooling around," Sonia said,ughing uncontrobly and trying to get off Bryan''s thighs when he moved from her neck to her ears and began to tickle her sides.

    "I will let you go on one condition," Bryan said, enjoying the sound of Sonia''sughter.

    "What is it?" Sonia asked curiously.

    "First promise me you will do it," Bryan said.

    "You first have to tell me what it is," Sonia insisted.

    "Well, it''s something you can easily do, trust me."

    "You''re not going to ask me to disappear from your life, are you?" Sonia asked, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.

    "Move back into this bedroom."

 Chapter 160 - Happy

    Sonia''s face lit up with a bright smile at his words, "Is my hearing poor? Or did you just forget to include a please in your request?" Sonia asked, making Bryan grin as he stopped tickling her.

    "I guess your hearing is poor, cause I actually said, could you please move back into this bedroom? How could you not have heard that?" Bryan asked incredulously making Sonia giggle merrily.

    "Yeah. I thought I heard that," Sonia said with a satisfied smile. The previous night when he had been about to leave her bedroom and she had called out his name to stop him, she had wanted to ask him if he would love for her to move back into his bedroom. She was d that she didn''t have to be the one to bring it up anymore.

    "So? Will you?" Bryan asked, looking at her with hopeful eyes.

    Sonia sighed. Call her confused, but in as much as she wanted to move into his bedroom with him and do a lot of things with him, she knew her feelings were involved, and she still needed to be very careful lest she gets hurt, "What are we doing, Bryan?" She asked, still sitting on his thighs and looking into his face.

    He should have known Sonia was the type to ask such direct questions. Knowing how sensitive she was, he wanted to be as honest with her as he could.

    Bryan let out a long breath, "I don''t know if it''s too early to say this, but I think I might be falling for you. However, I don''t want to give this thing between us a name yet, until I''m very sure about my exact feelings for you," Bryan confessed looking into her eyes as he raised a hand to pat her cheek in a loving gesture.

    Sonia''s heart fluttered at his words. He was falling for her? How? Why? When did he start feeling this way? Not that she didn''t know that she was someone who was very lovable and all, but she was just surprised at how quickly he had admitted his feelings. She wanted to ask him a lot of questions, but the happiness that was bubbling inside of her at his words rendered her speechless.

    Bryan smiled at her when he saw the happiness on her face, and rxed a bit, knowing that the feeling was mutual.

    They both turned to the door when they heard a knock, "You two lovebirds need to wrap up whatever you''re doing in there, you have people waiting," Mia''s teasing words came from the other end of the door.

    "Let''s continue with this conversationter in the day," Bryan suggested and Sonia gave him a nod as she slid off his thighs.

    "I was hoping for at least a kiss," Bryan muttered in disappointment, and Sonia grinned at him.

    "You can always get thatter. Let''s join them," Sonia said as she walked ahead of him, humming a happy tune.

    "You should try to reach your best friend again. I will stall," Bryan suggested, and Sonia turned around to blow him a kiss before walking out through the door.

    Once she walked into the living room, she made eye contact with Mia who was standing at one end of the living room, and Mia gave her a wink. She shed Mia a happy smile as she approached her.

    "You look really happy today," Mia observed.

    "I''m happy. Bryan just confessed to me that he thinks he is falling for me," Sonia whispered under her breath for Mia''s ears only.

    "Bryan actually admitted that out loud?" Mia asked in a surprised whisper, and Sonia smiled again bobbing her head.

    "Yep! You have to keep this to yourself though," Sonia warned, and Mia used her fingers to make a zipping gesture on her lips to show her lips were sealed.

    Of course, she had counted on Bryan falling head over heels in love with Sonia, but she hadn''t expected that they would both make such fast-paced progress in their rtionship.

    "By the way, Lucy called twice," Mia informed Sonia as she handed her the phone which she had been holding on to during the shoots earlier.

    "Thank you," Sonia said as she took the phone from Mia and dialed Lucy''s line before walking away.

    Meanwhile, Lucy and Tom stood there staring at each other under a tree shade. Although she liked and respected her boss, Lucy wasn''t impressed by his words and attitude.

    "I already have the kind of man I want, so you don''t have to worry about my choice in men," Lucy said in a harsh tone that told Tom that she didn''t want to talk about this anymore.

    "I''m sorry. I didn''t mean to offend you," Tom said when he realized that she was annoyed.

    Lucy didn''t bother to deny that she was angry, "Thank you for showing me this ce, SIR. Perhaps we should head back to thepany now. Unless of course there are other things you need to know about me, aside from my love life, in order for us to work together productively, SIR," Lucy added thest part of her sentence in a brittle voice, making it clear that he was still her boss, and if he wanted her to continue to respect him, then he shouldn''t cross the line.

    She hoped she wasn''t crossing the line, but she also didn''t care if she was crossing the line. He had crossed the line first by talking to her so proudly about dating her, and by trying to underrate her boyfriend simply because he wasn''t as wealthy as him.

    Tom could tell by her words and tone that she was trying to put him in his ce. He looked at her, wondering how she suddenly became so bold, going from not breathing in his presence to speaking harshly. She must have felt pretty insulted by his gesture. This was the time when he really wanted to know what was in her head. The only way he could for that was by talking to her as Tom. Unfortunately, he couldn''t present himself to her now, especially not when someone was out there trying to find out about him. He needed to first know who it was, and what it was the person wanted from him before showing that face again.

    "I guess we can leave now," he said to her, and without receiving a response from her, they both returned to the car.

    Once inside the car, Lucy picked up her phone and noticed she had a missed call notification from Lucas. Just as she was about to dial his line, Sonia''s duo video call came in. She quickly connected her earpiece to her phone.

    "Hey, baby!" Sonia greeted, making Lucy''s lips curve in a smile. Somehow she always felt happy merely by hearing Sonia''s voice and seeing her face.

    "I guess you no longer care about me because you are a celebrity now," Lucy teased, trying to keep her voice down so that Tom who was driving the car wouldn''t overhear her conversation.

    "I know you don''t mean that. I''m sorry I''ve been too busy to talk to you. I''m featuring in a reality show with Bryan so it''s taking most of my time. I barely even have time to work on my story anymore," Soniained with a pout.

    "Yeah, I watched the interview. You look really happy," Lucy observed with a small smile.

    "So I''ve been told. I guess I''m happy," Sonia said with a happy smile as she looked across the room at Bryan who had juste in. Their eyes met, and Bryan winked at her making her grin as she returned her attention to Lucy.

    "Are you busy at the moment? Or do you have time to chat right now?" Lucy asked curiously when she noticed that Sonia seemed distracted. She wanted to know if it was a good time to tell Sonia about all that had happened between her and Tom.

    "Can it wait? Is it something very urgent?" Sonia asked, looking around as she tried toe up with an excuse to leave so she could give Lucy attention.

    Sensing that Sonia was busy, Lucy shook her head as she didn''t want to bother her, "It can wait. Let''s talk when you are less busy, okay?" Lucy asked, and Sonia couldn''t help feeling sad that she couldn''t give Lucy her attention at that moment.

    "I''m very sorry, Lu. I promise to make it up to you, okay?" Sonia said apologetically.

    "Sure. It''s fine. Don''t be sorry," Lucy said with a small smile.

    "What about your boyfriend? And your boss?" Sonia asked curiously.

    "Uhm, let''s talk about thatter," Lucy said, and Sonia nodded, realizing that Lucy wasn''t alone.

    "I will give you a call the moment we are done, okay?" Sonia asked curiously.

    "Sure. Let''s talkter then, I love you," Lucy said before hanging up.

    ***********

    Once the private investigator was done with organizing all the information he had gathered, he picked up his phone and dialed Mrs. Miller''s line, as he wanted to deliver his findings to her.

    "I have some interesting findings that I need to share with you," he informed her the moment the call connected, without bothering with pleasantries as the rtionship between them was strictly business.

    "Interesting. Have it delivered to my residence," she said, before hanging up the call.

    Once the private investigator dropped his phone, he heard a knock on his door and stood up to go see who was at the door.

 Chapter 161 - What Happened To You?

    Jadey on her bed, curled up in a ball with her nket over her head as she tried to stop the shudders that were going through her body. She had called in sick at work as she was still too shaken to step out of her house.

    Since the police left a while ago, she had be scared and jumpy over every little sound she heard, despite the fact that they had assured her that the blood she had seen was pig blood.

    She had received a call from an unknown line just some minutes after the police left, and the caller had asked her in a robotic voice if she liked the gift she had received.

    Going to get a massage and makeover was thest thing on her mind now. Funny how the state of her physical appearance didn''t matter to her anymore now that she felt like her life was in danger. A person needed to be alive to look beautiful.

    She knew that she needed to brace up herself and be stronger as threats of even worse nature awaited her if she was set to continue in this career path. There were always going to be displeased defendants, and the nature of the threats would vary depending on the nature of the cases she chose to handle.

    She didn''t feel safe in her home anymore. Where else could she go to? The home of either of her female colleagues? Nah. She shook her head to discard the thought. She didn''t want them to know just how scared she was. They thought she was the bravest amongst them, so she didn''t want them to see her in this state and make fun of her even after she eventually gets over this. Perhaps she could go lodge in a hotel? Nah. She shook her head once again. That was also out of the question. She didn''t want to give them the satisfaction of knowing that their threat had invoked fear in her. It was never good to show fear to the enemy.

    Jade''s heart almost jumped out of her chest when she heard the sound of her doorbell. She threw the nket off her, and her eyes frantically moved around the bedroom in her bid to find a defense weapon. When the doorbell rang again, Jade quickly rolled off her bed and picked up a baseball bat that was hanging on one end of the bedroom wall.

    With the baseball bat raised slightly above her head, Jade took very slow and deliberate steps towards the door. She was still dressed in her bathrobe as she had been unable to summon up the needed courage to go into the bathroom to have her shower. What if someonees in when her eyes are closed? What if that someone does something to her and makes it appear like a home ident?

    The doorbell rang once again as she stopped by her door. She discreetly peeped through the peephole on her door, and her eyes rounded asrge as saucers when she saw Harry standing there with a worried frown on his face, while one hand was raised to ring the doorbell again. Harry Jonas? What was he doing here? She wondered as she quickly ran to the bedroom to rece the baseball bat, and ran a hand through her rough-looking mop of hair in a bid to organize it before returning to open the door.

    "Esquire?" Harry asked, looking at her like he couldn''t recognize the person standing in front of him.

    "What are you doing here?" Jade asked with an awkward smile as she motioned for him to get inside the house. She looked outside her door and noticed the ck sedan car parked behind hers before shutting the door and turning to face Harry.

    Thedy standing in front of him sure did sound like Jade Hank, but she didn''t look anything like the beautiful and lively Jade he has met four years ago. Her hair was different, herplexion was dull. She was looking too pale and thin, and very scared too. If he didn''t know better he would think she was some sort of crackhead, and not the intelligentwyer she was.

    "What happened to you?" Harry blurted out before he could stop himself. He knew this wasn''t the right time to ask, and this definitely wasn''t a good conversation starter, but somehow he felt like he needed to know why she had changed so much in the space of just four years. Was it because of her fiance''s death?

    Jade''s gaze moved away from him for only a brief moment as one hand moved tob her hair, while the other hand held thepels of her bathrobe together self-consciously. She couldn''t help feeling slightly embarrassed that he was seeing her in such a state. All of a sudden the makeover didn''t sound not-so-important anymore.

    Jade gave him a forced smile, "Nothing happened. What are you doing here? We were on the phone just a while ago..." Her words drifted off when her eyes fell on the wall clock and she realized that it had been about four hours already since thest time they spoke. That meant he had probablye over because of what he heard.

    "Don''t tell me you came here because of that," Jade asked Harry who was just standing there staring at her like she was a stranger.

    "I did," Harry said without pretense.

    "You didn''t have to. I''mpletely fine," Jade said with an assuring smile, and Harry scoffed.

    "You look theplete opposite of fine. You look like aplete mess right now," Harry said and winced once the words left his mouth. He was honest to a fault and was used to being brutally blunt. Tom was right. This was probably one of the reasons he didn''t have a girlfriend.

    "You didn''t just scoff at me or call me a mess when you turned up in my house uninvited, did you?" Jade asked, ring at him.

    "Yeah, I didn''t. Forget whatever you heard," Harry said with a sigh as he walked over to her lone couch which was covered with different books and materials, and made room for himself to sit, while Jade watched him, wondering what he was doing.

    Did he just ask her to forget what she heard? Like he was some sort of vampire and was trying topel her or something? Jade asked herself in disbelief, "I don''t remember asking you to sit. As you can see, I''m fine. You can leave now," Jade said in a tight voice, gesturing to the door for him to leave.

    She knew she was being rude, considering the fact that he hade all the way here to make sure she was okay, but she hated that he was here seeing her in this state. The damned man had even said she looked like aplete mess, so now she was feeling even more self-conscious. She possibly couldn''t beg him to leave, as that would embarrass her even more than her present physical state.

    Harry sat with both legs apart and both hands spread on the armrest of the couch as he stared at her as though he was a king looking at his subject, "How many bedrooms do you have?" He asked as though he hadn''t heard her rude remark as he looked around the tiny living room.

    "I beg your pardon?" Jade asked with a frown.

    "I asked, how many bedrooms does this apartment consist of?" Harry asked again.

    "Just one. Why?" Jade asked, letting her curiosity get the best of her.

    "Too bad. I will take the couch then. You can move your books to your bedroom," Harry instructed her, making Jade look at him dumbstruck.

    What happened to him? The Harry she remembered was a really polite gentleman, not this ill-mannered man she was talking to. How could he barge into her home and try to order her around? He wanted to sleep on her couch? What for?

    "Look, I appreciate your concern. I really do. But I''m sorry, you are not wee here," Jade told him once she finally found her tongue.

    Harry sighed as he sat up with his elbows resting on his knees and both hands folded under his chin as though he was getting ready to talk sense into a stubborn child, "See it this way, I''m here in the stead of both your brothers to ensure that you are okay and everything is going on well with this case. I''m not going anywhere, so let''s not argue over this," Harry said in a tone that brooked no argument.

    Was he perhaps going about it differently? What would either Tom or Bryan had done if they were here? Perhaps offer her a hug and tell her everything would be fine? Harry wondered.

    "I don''t remember asking for your help," Jade pointed out.

    "You don''t have to. Now unless you want me to inform your entire family about what is going on with you, I suggest you don''t give me a hard time over this," Harry threatened, knowing that if he so much as informed her mother about it, both her parents would move in with her.

    Although Jade wanted to argue some more, she knew deep down that she was less scared now that she had someone in the house with her. Not just anyone, but Harry who was very reliable judging by how much Tom esteemed him.

    Jade''s resistance was mostly due to the fact that she was feeling too embarrassed that he was seeing her in the state, and also because of the way he was ordering her around. However, her pride wouldn''t let her just ept the offer without putting up a fight, "How do you expect that we both can stay under this roof together? In case you haven''t noticed, I''m a woman, and you are a man who is unrted to me," Jade said matter of factly.

    "Well, just assume I''m one of your brothers then. A recently adopted brother, if that will make you feel better. Also, you have nothing to worry about me touching you," Harry assured her, looking her over like he was unimpressed by what he was seeing.

    "Whenst did you have a proper sleep anyway? Have you even had your bath today?" He asked looking at the ck circles under her eyes which reminded him of a panda. An amused smile twitched his lips at that thought, and one look at the scowl on her face, the smile widened into a grin.

    At least they were getting somewhere. A scowl on her face was way better than the fear he had seen in her eyes earlier.

    "I beg your pardon?" Jade asked with a slightly raised brow as she red at him.

    "You should go and get out of that ugly robe. Freshen up while at it, and let''s talk about our living arrangements when you look normal," Harry instructed her as he stood up and adjusted his suit, "I will be outside making a couple of phone calls," Harry said as he walked to the door.

    cing his hand on the doorknob he turned around to look at Jade who was still ring at him, and he narrowed his eyes suspiciously, "Sorry, I have trust issues," he said as he removed the key from the lock and held it up, "I will hold on to this, just in case you choose not to let me back in," Harry said before stepping out of the house.

 Chapter 162 - Tired

    The moment Lucy stepped into her bedroom, she copsed on her bed and shut her eyes. She was exhausted. Perhaps it was because of the time she had spent in thepany of her boss, or maybe she was just mentally exhausted after revisiting her past and sharing part of her experience with Tom.

    She needed to confront the past that she had tried so hard to keep locked up for years. She needed to face everything that had happened. That way she wouldn''t have to faint or go into shock merely by thinking about it. Perhaps she should consider the doctor''s suggestion and ask him to get her a psychotherapist? It wouldn''t hurt to give it a try.

    Once Lucy made up her mind to give the doctor a call the next day, she sat up on the bed and picked up her phone once again to check if there was a text or call from Tom, and then she recalled that she had missed a call from Lucas earlier. She dialed his line and connected her earpiece to her phone before plugging it to her ears and resting her back on the headrest of the bed with both eyes closed.

    "Hey, Lu!" Lucas greeted in his usual distracted tone once he received her call.

    "I missed your call earlier. What''s up?" Lucy asked unable to hide the tiredness in her voice.

    "Are you okay?" Lucas asked with a concerned frown and dropped his pen to give her his undivided attention when he heard her voice.

    "Yeah. I guess I''m just exhausted. Had a really busy day at work today," Lucy exined with a yawn.

    "Then you should rest," Lucas suggested.

    "Sure, I will. Why did you call earlier?" Lucy asked, reminding him once again that he had called her earlier.

    Lucas narrowed his eyes as he tried to recall why he had called, "Oh, yes! You will never guess who walked into my office today," Lucas said excitedly, making Lucy open her eyes.

    "Who did?" Lucy asked curiously when she heard the excitement in his voice.

    "Your boss''s parents! I was so surprised by the coincidence of it all," he said, making Lucy''s brows furrow in surprise.

    "Really? Why were they at your office?" Lucy asked, and listened as Lucas exined it all to her, only leaving out the fact that he had given them an invite to his wedding. He wanted it to be a surprise to both her and Sonia.

    "Wow! It''s a small world, I guess," Lucy said when he was done telling her about it.

    "Yeah, it is. I should leave you to rest right now," Lucas said, and Lucy smiled.

    "How is Rachel doing?"

    "She''s okay. Just busy with wedding preparations. I will tell her you sent your love. Let''s talk some other time, okay? I love you," Lucas said.

    "Sure. I love you too," Lucy responded before hanging up the call.

    Once she hung up and dropped the phone on her bed. She stood up to take off her clothes, but the phone started ringing once again. She quickly picked it up. Her heart skipped a beat when she noticed that it was a call from Tom, and she quickly received it.

    "Hey, baby!" Tom greeted, feeling really guilty about what he was doing.

    "Where have you been? Where are you?" Lucy asked, sounding both relieved and upset at the same time.

    "Something urgent came up and I had to go out of town. I''m sorry I wasn''t there when you woke up. How are you feeling now?" Tom asked, feeling even more worried about her now that he could hear the tiredness in her voice.

    Lucy''s heart squeezed in her chest, and she closed her eyes against the tears that had gathered in her eyes, "I don''t know. I''m just tired," she confessed in a shaky voice which broke Tom''s heart.

    Tom remained silent for a while as he tried toe up with a reasonable and helpful response, "Do you want to tell me about it?" Tom asked.

    "I... I only want to see you," Lucy said as she raised a hand to her face to wipe the tears which had slipped from her eyes.

    Hearing her request, Tom''s heart fluttered in his chest. How was he going to be able to stay away from her when she say words like this? He couldn''t. "How about you rest for today, and then I can send someone to pick you up tomorrow so that we could meet somewhere?" Tom suggested.

    "You won''t be back home tomorrow?" Lucy asked with a worried frown.

    Tom raised his hand to scratch the back of his head, "Uhm... I quit working as your driver today. And I''m moving out of the apartment too," Tom said, and her heart skipped a beat.

    "Wait, what? Why? You said you were only going to quit after getting thedy you want. Have you talked to her already?" Lucy asked, hoping he hadn''t done so yet, as she still needed him.

    Tom cleared his throat. Maybe it was time to start clearing up the lies one after the other. She was going to get angry with each lie he confessed to, but it was better than her being confronted by them all at the same time, "I lied."

    "You lied? About what?" Lucy asked with a confused frown, her heart beating really fast in her chest. Although he had told her he hadn''t beenpletely honest with her on some things, she felt nervous hearing this.

    "There is nody. I only said that so you would rx and stop putting up your defenses so much around me," Tom confessed.

    "I''m not sure I understand what you are saying," Lucy said, feeling even more confused now.

    "I''m not interested in anydy," apart from you, he silently added to himself.

    "Then why did you get the driving job at thepany? You said you wanted the job just to get close to her. Why did you quit without talking to me first? And now you want to move out all of a sudden? Are you doing all of this because of what I told you? Are you scared of me and trying to avoid me?" Lucy asked thest question in a very small voice, wiping the tears that were rolling down her cheeks.

    She didn''t know what else to think about it, as that was the only reasonable conclusion she coulde to. Things had been going smoothly between them, and all of a sudden he wanted to move out of her life after she told him about her past. What else could be the reason?

    "Scared of you? That is far from it, Lu. I promise, I''m not avoiding you. It''s just that I have feelings for you, and I''m afraid that my feelings for you might scare you away from me, especially after all what you''ve been through," Tom exined, and paused to let his words sink in.

    "And you couldn''t talk to me about it before deciding to move away?" Lucy asked, and then paused when the meaning of what he had just dawned on her. Tom had feelings for her?

 Chapter 163 - Preceding Reputation

    The private investigator opened his eyes and moaned when he felt a piercing pain on the right side of his head. He shut his eyes to block the pain as he tried to remember what had happened. Thest thing he remembered was talking to Mrs. Miller on the phone, and then going to check who was knocking on his door.

    His eyes snapped open, and he gasped in surprise when someone poured water on his face, "You weren''t brought here to sleep," A cold deep male voice growled at him.

    "Who are you? What do you want from me? Who sent you to me?" The private investigator asked, looking around the warehouse which was filled with various cartons nervously before returning his gaze to the huge man who was standing next to him with an empty bottle of water in one hand.

    "You don''t need to know who sent me. Your service is required. We have a job for you," the man with the deep voice said.

    "A job? And you couldn''t talk things through? You had to harass me this way?" The private investigator asked, feeling annoyed as he looked down at his leg which was tied to a chair, as well as his hands which were also tied to his upper torso and the chair.

    "This is a warning to let you know that you can disappear from the face of the earth if you so much as cross us or do a bad job," he warned.

    "What do you want?"

    "Your reputation precedes you. We have learned that you are the best there is around here when ites to digging up information and finding people who do not want to be found. We need you to find someone."

    "We?" The private investigator asked, wondering why he kept saying ''We'' when he was the only one in the room.

    "That''s to let you know that there are many of us out there. You don''t need to bother about who the others are. This file contains the details and pictures of the person we need you to find," he said dropping a sh drive in the front pocket of the investigator''s shirt before taking out a dagger from his boot to cut off the ropes which were holding the private investigator.

    "We expect you to find her in three days."

    The private investigator who had just been cut loose, and who was stretching out his hands and legs which were feeling cramped, paused to look at him, "Three days?"

    "As I said, your reputation precedes you. We know you work fast, so do a good job."

    The private investigator straightened his back and squared his shoulders before giving his captor a nod, "How do I get the information to you when I''m done?" He asked, sensing that the man before him was very dangerous and it would be a risk to ask him to make any sort of payment for the job.

    "I wille for it myself. And if I don''t, someone else will. You are free to leave now. Someone will be waiting outside to take you back," the man said, jerking his head to the door for the private investigator to leave.

    Two hourster the private investigator walked into his apartment and almost died of shock when he saw a man in a ck suit seated on the single couch in his tiny studio apartment. What was it this time?

    He took a step back, and bumped into the door which had just been pushed open by another man in a ck suit, "Who are you?" He asked nervously. It seemed like it was time for him to finally quit this line of business.

    "Go in!" The one standing behind him ordered as he pushed him further into the apartment and shut the door behind him.

    "Have you given the Millers any information concerning Mr. Hank?" The man sitting on the couch asked as he raised the documents and pictures of Tom which the private investigator had carefully arranged before his abduction.

    "How did you..." The remaining words were lost in a loud cry when the man standing behind him pped his back.

    "We ask the questions, and you give the answers. There will be consequences if you do otherwise," the man on the couch told him with cold eyes.

    "I haven''t," the private investigator answered with a shake of his head when he noticed that his phone was also on the table. They had probably gone through his call log.

    "Good. We will keep all of these since it doesn''t concern you or your client. Just to be fair, we will double whatever has been paid, and in return, you will give Mrs. Miller a call this moment and decline the job," the man on the couch said, making the private investigator''s eyes widen in surprise.

    "Are we clear?" the man asked in a very calm voice, and the private investigator gave him a quick nod even though this went against the ethics of his job. He was smart enough to know that he would be in a very difficult situation if he went against their instructions.

    "And don''t try to y smart," the man warned before using the private investigator''s phone to dial Mrs. Miller''s number.

    Once the call connected, he ced it on speaker and gave the private investigator a nod to speak.

    "Why are you calling when you are yet to deliver the information you mentioned to me? Your money has been sent, and I''m yet to see what I paid for," Mrs. Miller hissed in displeasure.

    "I''m sorry about that, but I can''t go on with the job.Your money will be refunded," the private investigator said apologetically.

    "What do you mean by that nonsense? I have paid in full and I expect the information here at once, else I''m going to ruin your career!" She yelled at him angrily.

    "You heard him. He won''t be doing your job anymore. I have a message for you from Mr. Hank; If you want your family to remain relevant, stop digging your nose in ces they don''t belong," The man in suit warned, and hung up without waiting to hear her response.

    He gathered all the materials on the table and handed them to his partner who was still standing behind the investigator, "We will keep yourptop, camera, and phone, if you don''t mind," he said before picking the listed items.

    The private investigator opened his mouth to protest but mped it shut when the man raised a questioning brow, "You will receive a package within the next hour," he said before heading for the door.

    He hesitated by the door and turned around to look at the investigator, "What did the gang who took you earlier want?" He asked, returning his attention to the investigator.

    The investigator looked slightly startled by the question. He was tempted to ask how they knew he had been abducted, but decided against it once he recalled the warning the mean one had given him, "They want me to help them find someone," he confessed, already feeling tired of the whole thing. Once he got this job done, he was going to quit forever.

    "Who?" The man asked once again.

    "I''m sorry, but I can''t tell you that," the investigator said with a shake of his head. As far as he was concerned, his business with them was over.

    The man looked at him for a moment as if he wanted to say something, and then gave him a nod before walking out of the studio apartment with his partner.

 Chapter 164 - Trust Issues

    Listening to the silence at the other end of the line, Tom could tell that she had finally processed what he had said, "Lu? Are you still there?" He called softly, as he waited to hear her thoughts on his confession.

    Lucy cleared her throat and licked her lips which were suddenly feeling very dry now, "Yeah. I''m still here," she said, gulping softly while her heart continued to race wildly. What was she going to say to him?

    This whole thing was very confusing for her. She loved seeing him, talking to him, and having him around, and now she knew she also enjoyed having sex with him too. But did she want amitted rtionship with him? Was she capable of something like that? She had always said she didn''t want apanion, but now that Sonia was busy with Bryan most of the time, and Lucas was also too busy with the hospital and his fiancee, who else did she have to turn to apart from Tom? Was this rtionship thing something that she could do? And if what he said was true, and he really wasn''t interested in anydy, then why had he convinced her into being in a temporary rtionship with him? Had he done that because he really wanted to be in a rtionship with her?

    Seeing that she still wasn''t saying anything, Tom decided to find out what she was thinking, "What is in..."

    Lucy cleared her throat, "I want to see you before I say anything else," she said before Tom couldplete his question.

    "You want to see me?" Tom asked in confusion. That wasn''t the response he had been expecting. He had expected more questions, perhaps anger, or any other thing, but certainly not a request to see him.

    "Yes. I want to look you in the face while I talk to you," Lucy repeated, sounding a bit more confident now than she had been a moment ago.

    "Can we FaceTime?" Tom asked hopefully since he was yet to hear from Harry about the situation with the private investigator, and he didn''t want to make any move until he was certain that it had been sorted out.

    "No. I want to see you here," Lucy repeated. "Call me when you get here," Lucy said and hung up before Tom could say anything else.

    Once she hung up the call, she blinked in surprise when she caught a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror and noticed that she was smiling broadly. Why was she grinning? She asked herself, raising both hands to her cheeks.

    All of a sudden she no longer felt exhausted anymore. It felt like all her tiredness had disappeared, and was now reced with newly found energy. How was it possible that a single phone call could change both her physical state and mood entirely?

    With her newfound strength, Lucy got off the bed and pulled off the bedspread which had some bloodstains on it. She had taken note of the bloodstain when she returned from the hospital in the morning, and also a couple of minutes after she returned from the office, but she had been feeling too tired to do anything about it.

    Now she took the bedspread to herundry basket, and once she dropped it, she walked over to the bathroom to wash her hands before returning to take off her contacts which she was yet to remove from her eyes. Sitting in front of her dressing mirror, shebed her hair and tied it in a ponytail. Her heart fluttered in her chest as she recalled Tom''s words to her. He really had feelings for her, and not anyone else?

    Although she knew that she should be feeling angry that he had lied to her about being interested in ady at thepany, and for deceiving her into bing his temporary girlfriend, she just felt relieved in a way, knowing that there was no one else in his life, and she wanted to see him.

    Once she was done with her hair, she picked up a clean bedsheet andy it over her bed, tucking it neatly around the edges. After that, she showered and put on a mini jeans skirt and a sports bralette before returning to lie on her bed.

    She checked the time and sighed when she noticed that it was just past 2 pm. After their outing earlier, the CEO had dropped her off in front of thepany and had insisted that she spend the rest of the day at home since there was nothing to be done at the office until the following day. Hence, she had to leave the office earlier than usual.

    Having no one else to call and with nowhere else to go, she picked up a novel from one of her bedside drawers and settled on her bed to read it. Just when she started bing engrossed in the book, she heard the sound of her doorbell. Thinking it was Tom, she sprang up from her bed and raced to her door barefooted.

    Once she pulled the door open, she frowned in disappointment when she realized that it wasn''t Tom.

    "I guess you were expecting someone else. Sorry to disappoint you," Alicia said, shing her an apologetic smile.

    "It is fine. You want something?" Lucy asked with a polite smile.

    "I noticed your car was parked outside, so I stopped by to see if you were in, and to also make sure you''re fine. I noticed someone else drove you home earlier and you didn''t look like you were feeling fine," Alicia said holding up a mini tray of cookies.

    Lucy smiled at the kind gesture, "Thanks. That''s very nice of you," Lucy said, stepping aside for Alicia to enter the house.

    "It''s what neighbors do," Alicia said with a smile as she walked in with her tray of cookies and set it on the table before sitting down.

    "What would you like to have? Tea to go with the cookies? Or perhaps a can of drink?" Lucy asked, and Alicia smiled up at her.

    "A can of soda is just perfect," Alicia said, and Lucy gave her a nod before going to get it from her refrigerator.

    "By the way, did something happen?" Alicia asked the moment Lucy returned with two cans of soft drink and handed her one.

    "Something like what?" Lucy asked as she settled down on the same couch, but turned in the seat so that she was facing Alicia, before opening her can of drink and taking a long sip.

    "I noticed that someone came to look around Tom''s house earlier. Is he moving out? Does it have anything to do with what we talked about during dinner on Sunday?" Alicia asked with curiosity in her eyes as she opened her can of drink.

    "Someone came to check the house today?" Already? Lucy wondered with a frown. When Alicia bobbed her head, Lucy sighed.

    He had said he wasn''t moving away because he was scared of her or avoiding her. Perhaps he was doing this because she had implied at the initial time that he was stalking her? And so had decided to move out after hearing about how she had been stalked as a teenager? But she didn''t think he was a stalker anymore, so there was no reason for him to leave. She was just going to have to talk to him about it.

    "He didn''t happen to mention anything to you about moving, did he?" Alicia asked, breaking into her thoughts.

    Not wanting to think about Tom at the moment, or what would be of their rtionship if he stopped being her next-door neighbor and driver, she tried to focus on Alicia.

    "He did. I just didn''t expect it to be this soon. Do you both still n on asking him to be your sperm donor?" Lucy asked curiously, hoping they had changed their mind. For some reason, it didn''t sit well with her anymore to have any otherdy around Tom, talk more of having another woman carry his child.

    Alicia cleared her throat, as that was another reason she had actuallye to see Lucy, "Well, Jas wants us to hold on for a while until we are sure about Tom''s personality. But seeing how he is moving out soon, I don''t think we have the luxury of time to wait," Alicia said, making Lucy look at her with patient curiosity as she waited to hear what Alicia wanted to say.

    "What do you think about him?" Alicia asked, watching Lucy closely.

    "What do I think about Tom?" Lucy repeated, imagining herself telling Alicia that she thought it would be a very terrible idea to have Tom father their child, "Well, Tom is a very nice guy," Lucy said with a shrug.

    Alicia pursed her lips as she contemted whether or not she should tell Lucy the truth about the real upants of the building where Tom was living and when Tom moved in there. Jas would probably be very upset if she told got herself involved in this.

    "You don''t think that perhaps Tom is stalking you?" Alicia asked after a little pause, making Lucy raise a brow.

    "What do you mean, stalking me?"

    "Showing up at the club, and then at your house, as well as thepany where you work? Don''t you think there is something fishy about it?" Alicia pointed out.

    Lucy didn''t like the direction the conversation was going. She had enough trust issues already that she was still trying to clear, and she didn''t need Alicia or anyone else fueling her doubts, "He applied for the job before I arrived unless you are saying he applied for the job on the day I resumed and got it that same day, which we both know doesn''t make any sense. And ording to you and Jas, he has been living here long before I got here. I even met him at the club, not the other way around. So who would you say is stalking the other between us both?" Lucy asked matter of factly.

    Alicia shrugged, "Well, I''m all for women looking out for women. I just think perhaps you should be more careful around him. Things might not always be as they seem."

    "Is there something you''re trying to say to me?" Lucy asked, remembering that she had thought they were keeping something from her that night during dinner.

    "I''m just saying that maybe there is more to Tom than we all know. Jas thinks so too. He seems to be hiding something, and that is why Jasmine wants us to hold off talking to him about the sperm donation. So you should be careful too, and not trust him too much."

    "Is there a particr reason you feel this way?" Lucy asked, remembering Tom''s outburst during dinner that night.

    "You can''t tell Tom or Jas that you heard this from me, okay? The other night, Tom asked us not to tell you that he is new to the neighborhood.. An older couple used to live in that apartment, and we only saw Tom for the first time after you moved in."

 Chapter 165 - Ungrateful Bastard

    Standing by the window of his office, Tom waited for Lucy toe in so that he could finally reveal the truth to her about who he truly was. He didn''t want to keep lying to her or feeling guilty about it anymore.

    "What are you doing here?" Lucy asked in rm when she walked into the CEO''s office and saw Tom standing by the window.

    "Who let you in here? Come with me, you should leave now before hees in and sees you here. He can be really mean," Lucy said reaching out to grab his hand, but Tom made no move to reach for her hand, and just kept staring at her with a slightly amused expression.

    "I came to fulfill your fantasy," Tom said in a teasing tone while looking into her eyes with an unreadable expression.

    "Fantasy? What fantasy?" She asked with a frown as she nced at the private elevator entrance in the office before hurrying to the door to shut it so that neither her boss nor Harry would walk in on them.

    "You have forgotten already? You said you would love to have sex with me on the CEO''s desk, I want to make it happen," Tom said as he took a step towards her.

    "ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?" She half yelled as she took his hands and tried to drag him to the door, "I could lose my job if my boss finds you in here," She snapped at him.

    "Nevermind about that. Tell me the thought of this doesn''t turn you on? I''m here, you''re here, and the table is right here. I could have you on your back in a second and you''d be crying out my name..." Before Tom could finish, the office door was pushed open.

    "Sup, Tom? Can I talk to you for a sec?" Harry asked as he walked in, his eyes on the documents in his hand. He stopped when he raised his head and realized Lucy was in the office. He almost kicked himself when he saw the frown on Lucy''s face.

    "Shit!" Harry muttered and gave Tom an apologetic nce when he realized he had just screwed up.

    "I thought you had closed for the day?" he asked her with an awkward smile.

    "Sup Tom? You know him? I mean... other than him being my driver?" She asked both men, looking from one to the other.

    "Handy Tom and Thomas Hank are the same person, aren''t they?" Lucy asked again in a dangerously low voice, and when neither of them made any move to deny it, she turned around and walked out of the office.

    "Lucy!" Tom called out and sat up on his bed his eyes wide open and his heart beating really fast.

    Thank goodness it was a dream. It was just a bad dream. He sighed and used a hand to wipe his face, feeling very relieved that it was only a dream.

    What sort of a stupid dream was that anyway? He asked himself, cringing at all the silly things he had said in the dream. One minute he had been waiting for her to tell her, the truth, and the next minute he was stalling, and teasing her unnecessarily, Tom thought with a shake of his head.

    After his phone call with Lucy earlier, he had dialed Harry''s line, and when he couldn''t reach Harry, he had tried to get some rest and dozed off while thinking about the entire situation with Lucy and how to get out of it. He could guess that was what had prompted the dream.

    He picked up his phone now to check the time and sighed when he noticed that he had only been asleep for less than twenty minutes.

    What was he going to do about all of this? She wanted to see him, and he also wanted to go to her. He missed being in herpany as Tom. He missed teasing her. He wanted to listen to her tell him about how she had spent her day. But he knew that he needed to start being honest with her before his dream bes reality.

    He nced at his phone when it started ringing and quickly received the call when he realized that it was Harry. The bastard who had blown his cover in the dream.

    "You bastard!" Tom cussed, making Harry pull the phone away from his ear to check his phone''s screen just to be sure he was talking to Tom.

    "Now I''m beginning to get really worried about you. The doctor needs to check your brain, you ungrateful jerk," Harry hissed at him, and Tom chuckled.

    "I''ve been trying to reach you all day. What have you been up to?" Tom asked as he stretched out his legs.

    "I was busy making some phone calls and trying to take care of your loose ends," Harry exined while keeping an eye on Jade''s door. He was seated in one of thepany''s cars which he had asked the branch manager over there to deliver to him upon his arrival at the airport.

    "You arrived safely, I suppose?" Tom asked as he stood up from the bed in his mini office room and walked into the office.

    "Did I? I think the jet crashed, and you''re currently speaking with my ghost. Please find my body and take it home to my dad. Tell him I love him," Harry said dryly, making Tom chuckle.

    Yeah, he had asked a stupid question, Tom admitted to himself. "You''re such an idiot," Tom cussed Harry as he sat on his office chair.

    "I''m sure we both know who the idiot is between the both of us. And you had better watch your tongue and be extra nice to me, else your sister is going to pay for whatever you say," Harry threatened.

    "You''ve seen her? How is she?" Tom asked curiously.

    How was she? Harry asked himself, thinking about the stubborndy he had met earlier, "Whenst did you see her?" Harry asked without answering Tom''s question.

    "Hmm, sometimest year I suppose? Why do you ask?"

    "Well, she looks awful. I don''t think she has been eating or resting enough. And I think what happened earlier, spooked her bad," Harry said with a slight frown as he shared his findings with Tom. Even though she was pretending not to be scared, he could tell that she was very frightened. He had asked a couple of her neighbors about what had happened, and although most of them had been tight-lipped, the elderly man leaving across the street from her had told him what had happened.

    Tom sighed, "I know you''re going to make sure she''s fine. Thank you. I feel better now than I know that you''re there with her," Tom said with gratitude.

    "I don''t think she likes that I''m here though. Working at the office is going to be much easier than taking care of that stubborn sister of yours," Harryined making Tom''s lips twitch in an amused smile. He hadn''t expected any different from Harry, as he was a workaholic, and Tom knew that official assignments were easier than anything else as far as Harry was concerned.

    "I''m sure she is happy to have you with her, but she''s just too proud to admit it. Please be patient with her, okay?"

    "Not making any promises, but I will try. About the issue with the private investigator, it has been taken care of. Also, I''ve asked them to put the house up for sale, you still want that, right?"

    "Yeah. Sure. How did you resolve the issue with the private investigator?" Tom asked, feeling guilty that he was overworking Harry. Harry was just toopetent and efficient for his own good, hence it was difficult not to leave everything to him.

    "I had the guys pay him off, and I also had them deliver a message from you to Anita''s family..."

    "Anita''s family?" Tom asked in surprise as he hadn''t been expecting that.

    "Yeah. Sorry. I thought I mentioned it to you already. I suppose her family is pissed, considering the way you treated Mr. Wyatt and Anita the other day. But not to worry, I''m sure they won''t try anything stupid anymore," Harry said, and then raised a brow when he noticed the movement of the window blind in Jade''s apartment. It was obvious that she was trying to see if he was still outside as he had been out for almost two hours now.

    "Let''s talkter. Got to go now. Your sister is missing me already. She just gave me the signal," Harry said with a chuckle and hung up before Tom could respond.

    Harry reached into the backseat of the car to pick his suitcase before getting out of the car. He took in a deep breath as he headed for the door. He really wasn''t looking forward to having another argument with the stubborn woman.

    Harry raised his hand to ring the doorbell, but put it down, reminding himself that he was going to be living here for the next couple of days, and as a result, he didn''t need her to open the door.

    Once he turned the doorknob and stepped into the house, he did a double-take when he noticed that the house had been cleaned, and all the books which had been in the living room had been cleared, but more than that, it was Jade who was seated on the lone couch, looking the exact opposite of what he had seen earlier that got his attention.

 Chapter 166 - I Missed You

    Mrs. Miller remained still as she gazed at her phone which was on the dining table. Never had she felt as insulted or humiliated as she was feeling at the moment. She had been humiliated in the presence of her brother and daughter, both of who she had invited over to show them how efficient she was at getting results.

    They had all been gathered together having lunch while awaiting the package from the private investigator before thest call came in.

    "There is no need to be furious. I told you before now that he is a very arrogant young man. Let''s just forget about him," Mr. Wyatt told his sister with a shake of his head.

    "I''m sorry, mother. It''s all my fault. Don''t worry, I will take care of it," Anita assured her mother and uncle.

    "And how do you intend to do that?" Mrs. Miller asked, turning to look at her daughter. As twisted as it may sound, after what had just happened, she became even more determined to have Thomas Hank as her son-inw. She needed someone as wealthy, smart, and capable as he was in her family.

    Anita leaned forward in her seat, "I have a n. I am friends with his personal assistant and..."

    "The samedy he is fond of?" Her uncle cut in, making Mrs. Miller raise a brow.

    "There is ady he is fond of?" She asked curiously.

    "Yes. That''s thedy I told you about. The one who was with him at the meeting and sat on Anita''s seat. He seemed quite fond of her," Mr. Wyatt exined to his sister who pursed her lips which were coated in pink lipstick as she listened to him.

    "Is something going on between them?" Mrs. Miller asked, turning to look at Anita who shook her head.

    "You''re sure about that?" She asked again, and Anita gave her a nod. Even if anything was going on between them, she wasn''t going to let a person like Lucy get in her way.

    "Good. You say you are close to her?" She asked, turning to look at Anita.

    Anita gave her mother a quick nod, "Yes, mother."

    "Then maybe you can get her to set up an appointment with him. Apologize to him on behalf of the family, and let him know that your mother was only trying to look out for you, and make sure your new boss is a good person," Mrs. Miller suggested, and her brother shook his head.

    "If you ask me, I say we forget about him. If I had known he was this arrogant I never would have sold the airline to him," Mr. Wyatt spat out angrily still feeling very upset over the way Tom had treated him.

    "Oh, shut it! You sold the airline to him because he was willing to pay much more than every other person did, so quit whining," she hissed at her brother condescendingly as she gave Anita herplete attention.

    "The private investigator did a lousy job and got caught, I believe I can trust you to get close to him enough to seduce him, right?"

    "Yes, mother. I can do that," Anita said confidently.

    "You should return to your office then. I''m sure you have work to get back to," her mother said dismissively, and Anita quickly stood up and picked up her bag.

    "Thank you mother," she said politely and gave her uncle a nod before walking away.

    Immediately she stepped out of the house she let out a sigh of relief as she walked over to where her car was parked and got inside. It was time to set everything in motion and get her man. She was just going to give Lucy a call once she got back to her office.

    Meanwhile, Lucyy on her bed staring at her novel with unseeing eyes. No matter how much she tried to focus on the novel long after Alicia left, she just couldn''t bring herself to get past a single paragraph. Alicia''s words kept reying in her head over and over again.

    Why did Tom lie about moving into the neighborhood a year ago when he had moved in recently? Did that mean he had moved in after their meeting at the club? How was that possible on such short notice? How did he even find out where she lived if that was the case? Was it possible that he was moving out now because he felt guilty after hearing her story? None of it made sense, Lucy thought in frustration as she dropped the novel on her bed and stood up to pace around her bedroom.

    The only reason she wasn''t freaking out as she probably would have done, was because he had informed her some days back that he had lied to her about certain things. Still, she couldn''t help the questions that were running through her mind now. Who was this man? And what was he keeping from her? She asked herself as she moved back and forth in her bedroom barefooted. She was feeling very tempted to pick up her phone and demand to see him, or better still go over to where ever he was to meet him, but she didn''t want to do that. Something told her that he was probably going to lie to her, and she wanted to figure things out on her own before confronting him.

    She nced at her bedside clock, and when she saw that it was just 4 PM, she sighed to herself, wondering how much longer she had to wait before she would hear from Sonia. She needed to talk to someone. She felt like her head was going to explode if she didn''t at least speak to someone.

    She picked up a polo shirt from her closet which she wore over her sports bralette, and then put on her sses and slippers, before walking out of her apartment with her phone in hand. She needed to take a walk and clear her head.

    Immediately she stepped out of her apartment, her eyes moved to Tom''s apartment, and she walked over to stand in front of the building, and simply stood there staring at it as though all the answers she needed were disyed there.

    She probably would have doubted Alicia''s words if she didn''t already find it strange that he had admitted to having feelings for her today, and also confessed that thedy he had told her about was nonexistent. After hearing from both him and Alicia today, she had to wonder what other lies he was keeping from her.

    She couldn''t help the feeling that she was missing something very important. It felt like there was something in her brain that she needed to connect the dots and find her answers, but she couldn''t seem to ess that part of her brain.

    She nced at her phone when it suddenly started ringing and raised a brow when she realized that the call was from Anita. Anita... At least this was someone who knew Tom before she did. Perhaps Anita would have some of the answers she needed? Lucy wondered as she kept staring at her phone which was ringing.

    She pursed her lips when she recalled that Tom had asked her not to inform Anita that she was aware of the nature of their past rtionship. If truly Anita was trying to matchmake her with Tom, then Anita would probably be willing to tell her whatever she needed to know about Tom, right? Lucy received the call at thest moment.

    "Hello, Lu. I''ve missed you," Anita said with a pleasant voice, and Lucy rolled her eyes.

    "Hello!" Lucy said in an equally pleasant voice, ignoring the obvious lie Anita had just told.

    "I guess you''re done for the day? Do you have time this evening? I''d love us to hang out together," Anita said hopefully.

    "Uhmm... I''m not sure. I have ns," Lucy said, thinking that Tom might decide to drop byter, and she wanted to be at home when he did. Even though she had so many doubts concerning him at the moment, she still wanted to see him. That wasn''t strange, was it?

    "What about tomorrow then?" Anita asked, tapping her pen against her desk impatiently.

    Although Lucy wanted to ask her about Tom, she wasn''t very sure hanging out with Anita was a good idea, "I will have to..." The rest of her words trailed off when a cab came to a stop some feet away from where she was standing, and Tom stepped out of it.

    "I have to go now. I will give you a call tomorrow to let you know if I can meet you," Lucy said as she quickly hung up the call.

    Seeing her standing there, in front of his apartment as though she had been waiting for him to get back, Tom''s heart skipped a beat as he approached her. How was he going to tell her the truth? Now that he wanted to open up to her, he didn''t know how to go about it, "Hey, babe!" He greeted with a smile that let her know that he really had not been avoiding her, and neither was he scared of her.

    Seeing the smile on his face, Lucy''s heart fluttered in her chest, and her lips curved of their own volition. What could this handsome man possibly be lying to her about? She wondered as she watched him approach her, his earrings glittering in the sunlight.

    Tom stopped in front of her, "I missed you so much, Lu," he said as he spread his arms for her to embrace him.

    Lucy was very tempted to ask him about his lies, as she wanted to clear off all her doubts. But at the same time, she didn''t want to bring it up. Maybe not at that moment. Nothing else seemed to matter to her now, more than the man who was standing in front of her. She felt so relieved merely by seeing him. Although it had been only some hours since shest saw him, it felt like it had been such a long time.

    "I missed you too," Lucy said with a bright smile as she walked into his open arms and embraced him tightly, surprising them both.

    Deep down, she knew that going forward she was going to watch him more closely, and would definitely find out the truth eventually. She only prayed that he would tell her whatever it was before she finds it out on her own.. And more than that she prayed it wouldn''t be an unforgivable lie.

 Chapter 167 - Hungry

    Jade felt a sense of pride and satisfaction in herself when she saw the surprise which briefly flickered on Harry''s face before it was reced by something else. Primeval male appreciation.

    Although she had felt very insulted by all he had said earlier, she had also admitted to herself that she looked a mess, and needed to clean up. Hence, she had taken her time to wash her hair and thoroughly look through her closet for something nice to wear before having her bath. After dressing up she had taken her time to apply make-up on her face, covering up all the blemish, and giving her face the color she hadcked earlier. Seeing his reaction now, she felt like gloating.

    How dare he look at her like she was undesirable and ask her not to worry about him touching her? How dare he try to hurt her feminine pride? Well, seeing the way he was staring now, she felt triumphant.

    "Are you going to just stand there and stare?" Jade asked with a smirk when Harry remained by the door staring at her.

    Realizing that he had just been caught staring, and seeing the smirk on her face, Harry raised a brow, "I guess make-up can cover up just about anything," he said in an easy voice as he walked in and dropped his suitcase beside the couch.

    Jade who had been expecting at least apliment, and not such a subtle insult narrowed her eyes, "The wonders of makeup," she said with a sharine smile as she crossed one leg over the other and watched him. If he was trying to get on her nerves, she wasn''t going to give him the satisfaction of seeing her mad.

    "Isn''t that the dress you wore that night?" Harry asked thoughtfully as he eyed her short zip-up floral outfit which looked very familiar to him.

    On hearing that, the side of Jade''s lip pulled up. So he still remembered what she had worn the first night they met? Impressive.

    "It''s called a romper, Harry. And yes, you are right. You must have a really good memory," she said, standing up and swirling around so that he would have a proper look at her.

    "So what do you think, big brother?" She added thest part with a trace of sarcasm in her voice as she looked at him. Who had he been kidding asking her to take him as an adopted big brother? Her brothers would never stare at her the way he had done some minutes ago.

    "I think it looked better on you four years ago. Change into something else let''s go get something to eat," Harry said with a bored expression on his face as he dropped on the couch and took out his phone.

    "Do you have a problem?" Jade asked with one hand positioned on her waist, and a re in her eyes. She knew she had told herself a moment ago that she wasn''t going to give him the satisfaction of seeing her riled up, but she couldn''t stop herself. Here she was trying to act nice and be amodating considering how far he hade just to make sure she was okay, yet he was set on being rude.

    "Yeah. I''m hungry," he said without ncing up to look at her as he could guess from the tone of her voice that her hazel eyes which were very much like her brother''s own was probably zing with anger.

    Why was he being this way? Although he was usually brutally honest, he knew he was being mean, and he didn''t understand why he was being mean to her. Maybe it was because he didn''t know how else to treat her. Being nice wasn''t exactly his thing, and he felt things were going to be awkward between them if he tried acting nice. He wasn''t her brother, he wasn''t her friend, he wasn''t her colleague or anything. He was just here to make sure she was fine like a bodyguard or a babysitter, so how was he supposed to treat her? He shouldn''t have agreed to Tom''s request. This was going to be really awkward.

    "I mean, do you have a problem with me?" Jade asked, wondering why he had bothered toe to stay with her if he was going to give her such attitude.

    "None that I can remember. Why do you ask?" Harry asked, still pretending to be busy with his phone since he didn''t want to look at her.

    "If you''re not going to be polite to me then you had better use the door! You''re not going to stay under my roof and talk to me like I''m some damned employee under your payroll," Jade hissed at him, and Harry''s lips curved in a smile as he raised his head to look at her.

    "I suppose you''vee to terms with the fact that I''m staying under your roof, then?" Harry asked with a slightly raised brow.

    "I haven''t said that," Jade said defensively.

    "You don''t have to. Get dressed, Esquire. Let''s argue about it over lunch. I''m usually very mean when I''m hungry," Harry said as he returned his attention to his phone.

    "I don''t know why you bothereding over here if you''re going to be busy with your damned phone," Jade muttered under her breath loud enough for him to hear before walking away.

    Harry raised his head to watch her as she walked away, and he couldn''t help wondering the same thing. Why had he agreed to Tom''s request despite knowing that it wasn''t going to be easy watching over a full-grown woman like Jade? He wasn''t sure if he was doing the right thing by living here with her.

    He could have just lodged in one of thepany''s hotels. But then again he couldn''t leave her here all by herself... Or maybe he didn''t have to leave her here, Harry thought and sat up on the couch when an idea hit him. He could move her to the hotel and get her a nice suite over there, then hire a bodyguard to watch over her. That way he could easily travel back and return to his job. Why hadn''t he thought of that?

    He raised his head when Jade returned to the living room, this time dressed in a brown-colored short-sleeved bodycon turtle neck top which was tucked into faded jeans shorts, with her handbag white sling bag in one hand, and a pair of white sneakers in another hand.

    Without sparing him a nce she sat down on the couch beside him to wear her white sneakers, "Are we taking my car, or yours?" She asked in a t and emotionless voice.

    "Mine," Harry said as he watched her get off the couch and straighten up.

    "Alright. Let''s go," she said, turning her back to him and leading the way to the door.

    "Esquire?" Harry called hesitantly before she could open the door, and she turned to look at him, expecting an apology or something close to it.

    "You should probably zip up your shorts before stepping out," he said, jerking his head to the front side of her jean shorts.

 Chapter 168 - Crazy Woman

    "I need a massage," Soniained to Bryan as they both returned inside the house after seeing off the production team.

    "I could give you that," Bryan offered, ncing up at her with a naughty grin, which made Sonia chuckle.

    "Why do I get the feeling that you''re thinking about something else?" Sonia asked as she dropped on the couch, while Bryan got off the wheelchair to sit beside her.

    "I don''t know. Maybe it''s because you''re thinking about something naughty" Bryan said with a teasing smile, happy to finally have some time to be alone with her.

    It seemed like the more he enjoyed spending time with her, the less he enjoyed having others around them. He just wanted to be alone with her all the time, Bryan thought as he pulled her close to himself such that her head was resting on his chest. Sonia smiled to herself as she sat with her body pressed against his.

    "Why are you smiling?" Bryan asked suspiciously as he looked into her face curiously.

    "I''m just thinking that I never expected you to be so clingy," Sonia confessed with a wide smile as raised her face to meet his gaze.

    "Oh! So you think I am clingy?" Bryan asked with a slight frown, looking into her pair of enchanting green eyes.

    Sonia looked into his eyes, trying to see whether or not he felt offended by what she had said, "Well, what I mean is..."

    He could tell that she had thought he was offended when he noticed the cautiousness that had crept into her eyes, "Wait until my ankle is all better, and you would know what clingy means," Bryan promised with a grin

    "I''m looking forward to that," Sonia said with a smallugh as she raised a hand to his head and ran her fingers through his hair.

    "I bet you are," Bryan said with a sigh of contentment as he closed his eyes and he let himself enjoy the feel of Sonia''s fingers massaging his scalp. Sonia watched his face with a tender smile as his eyes fluttered close, and his long eyshes fanned his face.

    She briefly wondered how she was going to bring up the subject they had been discussing earlier, "Uhm... Bryan?"

    "Yeah?" Bryan asked without opening his eyes even though he was curious to hear what she had to say. He could hear the note of uncertainty in her voice, and he wondered why.

    "Concerning our discussion in the bedroom earlier today..." She started, trying to remind him that he had said they could continueter.

    "Which of them?" Bryan asked, struggling not to smile since he knew what she was talking about.

    Sonia pursed her lips as she looked down at him, and then pressed her lips together, choosing not to say anything. How could he forget such an important conversation?

    Bryan opened one eye to look at her and chuckled when he noticed the annoyance on her face, "Just tell me you want to hear me say I''m falling for you again," Bryan said with a teasing smile, and Sonia hit his arm yfully.

    "If you remembered, why then did you act like you didn''t?" Sonia asked with mild annoyance.

    "So that''s what you want to hear? Why couldn''t you just be direct with your question? Women!" Bryan muttered with a shake of his head as he sat up to give her his full attention.

    "If you knew that was it, why did you not just say it? Men!" Sonia muttered, mimicking his action, "Anyway... You talked about wanting to be sure of exactly how you feel..."

    "Before we get to that, first tell me something; How do you feel about me? About us?" Bryan asked, interrupting Sonia. He didn''t want them to make it all about him, and he also didn''t want to do anything based on assumptions.

    "I like you, Bryan. I also think I''m falling for you," Sonia said, looking directly into his brilliant blue eyes.

    "Falling? You mean to tell me that you still haven''t fallen despite all I''ve been doing to sweep you off your feet?" Bryan asked with mock surprise, and Sonia poked his side with a finger making himugh.

    "I don''t remember you doing anything special," Sonia said with a shake of her head, as she wondered what could have possibly made her fall for him.

    "I can remember you doing everything. You annoyed me so much that I constantly thought about you, so I guess I went from thinking about how to kill you to how to keep you around me," Bryan said, and Sonia''s heart fluttered as she blinked at him.

    "I thought you said you weren''t sure of your feelings yet?"

    "Yeah. Sort of," Bryan said with a nod.

    Sonia pursed her lips thoughtfully as she looked at him, "Okay. Let''s do as you said before. We can just keep getting along without attaching any title to our rtionship. I also need to be sure about my feelings for you, so when we are both convinced about our feelings, we can name what we have, okay?" Sonia suggested, and Bryan narrowed his eyes at her. He knew that what he had to was be with other girls to be sure of his feelings. What did she have to do?

    "So what are you going to do? I mean what is going to convince you of your feelings for me?" Bryan asked curiously.

    "Well, I''m going to go out with other ridiculously handsome guys to see if I will still find them interesting, or if I''m going to keep wanting to leave them just to get back to you," Sonia said, making Bryan sigh. He should have known that she was a crazy chick.

    "And what happens if you find them interesting?" Bryan asked with a scowl, not liking the idea.

    Sonia grinned at that, "I guess I will just have to take things further to see if I''m as sexually attracted to them as I am to you," Sonia said yfully.

    "You''re going to let them touch you?" Bryan asked, not bothering to hide his annoyance anymore, and this time Sonia giggled.

    "Yes, I am. Don''t worry, you are free to do the same. When your ankle feels better, we can both go out to the club together and pick the people we want to be with, how about that?" Sonia suggested, making Bryan shake his head. She was crazier than he had thought if she really thought he was going to let another mane an inch near her.

    "You were going to call your best friend, weren''t you?" He asked, reminding Sonia that she had mentioned it earlier.

    "Oh, shit!" Sonia eximed with wide eyes as she quickly got off the couch, and Bryan grinned at her, d that he had managed to distract her from the nonsense she was spewing.

    "I guess I make you forget everything else," Bryan called after her with a smirk as she ran off in search of her phone.

    He had a smile on his face as he watched her run from one end of the living room to the other trying to find her phone. He was falling helplessly for the exact opposite of the kind of woman he wanted.. A crazy woman, he thought with a shake of his head.

 Chapter 169 - Annoying

    Harry nced at Jade who was looking out of the window as he drove the car. It seemed like she was upset with him, as she was yet to say a word to him since he asked her to zip up her shorts. What did he do wrong? He had only pointed out that she had failed to zip up.

    "How are you?" Harry asked after a long while when he could no longer stand the silent treatment.

    Pretending not to have heard him, Jade searched through her handbag for her earpod and blocked both ears with them before returning her attention to the window once again.

    Okay! She was making it clear without using words that she was pissed at him. He must have really provoked her, Harry thought with a sigh. It looked like the only thing he seemed to be good at around women was annoying them. Maybe it was best if he just shut up and not speak unless it was absolutely necessary.

    Once he returned his attention to the road, Jade sat up on her seat and turned to look at him, "Do you perhaps suffer from DID?"

    "DID?" Harry asked in confusion, turning to spare her a nce as he wondered why she suddenly decided to talk to him.

    "Yes. Dissociative identity disorder. I''ve been trying to figure out how you could sound so pleasant like a normal person over the phone just hours ago, yet have been acting like an A-list jerk since you walked through my door," Jade said, looking at him with undisguised confusion.

    Okay, maybe he deserved that, Harry thought with a sigh. "I''m sorry," He murmured.

    Jade looked at him, slightly taken aback by the apology which surprisingly sounded sincere, "I don''t care much for your apology, I just want to know if something happened between the time we spoke on the phone and the time it took you to get here," Jade said tly.

    Harry paused to think about the best way to answer her question, and then he sighed, "Nothing happened. I was just very surprised to see you in that state. I wasn''t happy about it. And maybe I was cursed with the misfortune of being blunt, seeing as it is a hassle not to say things exactly the way I see them, no matter how unpleasant," Harry exined, and Jade nodded, as though she was getting what he was saying.

    "So it''s not like you are angry with me for making youe down here? You just have a problem with sugar-coating your words as most men do," she said thoughtfully, and Harry turned to look at her once again.

    This was one thing he admired about her the first time they talked back then. She was very practical and always leaned more towards logic than her emotions, "Something like that. Besides, this whole thing is awkward so I don''t really know how to act around you," Harry confessed, making Jade raise a brow.

    Although she was tempted to ask him to act like the big brother he had imed he was, but that wasn''t the most important argument at the moment, "By this whole thing, I assume you mean living with me?"

    Without looking at her he gave her a nod, "Yeah."

    "I don''t remember asking you toe here. You came here of your own volition, and you can decide to leave now that you have seen that I''m okay," Jade pointed out, sounding harsher than she had intended to.

    "Well, you may not have asked me to, but your brother did," Harry confessed once again, making Jade narrow her eyes at him this time.

    "Don''t tell me you told him," Jade said, and then her hazel eyes red angrily when Harry didn''t deny it, "Didn''t I specifically ask you not to tell him about it?" She hissed at him in annoyance.

    Here we go again, Harry thought to himself. For a moment he had thought the conversation was going really well and they were going to start getting along, he should have known that like most women, Jade was bent on fighting with him.

    "Listen, you may have asked me not to tell him, but I never agreed to do that. I''m not going to lie to you or apologize for going against your wish just to make you happy. I hate lies and I don''t want to get caught up in them. I''m not going to lie to your elder brother who happens to be my best friend about your wellbeing simply because you asked me not to. I was on the phone with you, and something happened. Your brother deserved to know! I''m not going to apologize for it, so it''s best you suck it up," Harry said as he turned to look at her briefly.

    "Yeah, right. You should probably be awarded the best friend of the year award! So what are you here as? My babysitter? My bodyguard?" Jade asked in a mocking tone.

    "Isn''t it obvious, considering how you''re acting like a child right now?" Harry fired back, and Jade curled her slender fingers into a fist.

    "You are very annoying, do you know that?" Jade asked, and Harry snorted.

    "In case you haven''t gotten the memo yet, I''m not here to please you or make you happy. Keeping you safe and making sure your case goes smoothly is my priority, not your happiness. So I''ll suggest you get over your hormones and get your head straight," Harry said in a stiff voice.

    "I never asked for your damn help you jerk, so get lost!" Jade yelled at him angrily.

    "Well, your elder brother did, Princess," Harry informed her calmly, soundingpletely unaffected by her outburst.

    Jade huffed angrily on seeing how unaffected he was, and how he had a ready response for everything she said. Choosing not to bother with him anymore, she rested her head on the headrest and shut her eyes, not wanting to talk to him anymore.

    Harry on the other hand shook his head as he kept driving with his eyes on the road.. What did he say this time? He had not even called her ugly or said anything terrible about her appearance, so why was she mad? Was it a crime to be honest? He had only been trying to straighten out things with her, yet she had managed to make it seem like he was a jerk. Women!

 Chapter 170 - Too Soon

    Tom gazed into Lucy''s eyes through her sses as they both stood there in the open street staring at each other, without a care in the world. Nothing mattered more at that moment to either of them than the person who was standing in front of them.

    Tom could see the questions swimming in her cloudy gray eyes. He knew that she needed him to give her answers that would clear whatever doubts she was having about him. How was he going to do that? Where was he going to start from? "What were you doing out here?" He asked curiously as he moved his gaze away from her to look at the apartment he had just asked them to put up for sale.

    Lucy shrugged her shoulders, "I was bored. Needed to think, so I was taking a walk and found myself here," she said with a small smile, "Why are you moving, Tom?" She asked, looking at him with serious eyes. She had a lot of questions, but she decided to take it one at a time.

    ''No more lies. Don''t lie to her'' Tom said to himself in his head, as he tried to figure out the best way to say what needed to be said. He cleared his throat, "We should probably go in and talk," Tom suggested as he patted the back of her head like she was a little girl.

    Lucy gave him a nod and turned to leave in the direction of her home, but Tom held her hand before she could walk ahead of him, "Let''s walk together," he said, as he stepped in line with her.

    Without saying a word they both walked over to her apartment together hand in hand while Alicia watched them from behind her curtains, wondering what Lucy was doing just after everything she had told her a moment ago. Alicia pursed her lips in disappointment and she shook her head, Lucy was too trusting for her own good.

    Once they got to Lucy''s apartment, Tom took the keys from her and unlocked the door. Once they walked inside Lucy''s apartment, Tom sat down on the couch and pulled Lucy down to sit beside him, and they both turned in their seat to face each other, "Can you tell me about your day while I try to gather my thoughts?" Tom asked hopefully.

    Lucy looked at him for a brief moment, wondering if he was nning on telling her what he was hiding from her now. She partially hoped so. Lucy gave him a nod and then pushed her sses up the bridge of her nose as she started to tell him about her day.

    Tom watched Lucy as she spoke, telling him all about her day after she woke up at the hospital, and she also told him about the time she had spent with the CEO, only leaving out the details of her conversation with the CEO, as well as Alicia''s visit.

    He hade, nning to tell her the truth about everything, but seeing how happy and excited she had been to see him, he became nervous. What if she pushed him away angrily after hearing the truth? What if she refused to understand things from his perspective? Although he knew that she was beginning to fall in love with him, he knew she wasn''t all the way there yet, and he didn''t want to take chances. But wouldn''t keeping the truth away from her much longer cause even more troubleter?

    "You''re not going to say anything?" Lucy asked, feeling awkward when she finished speaking, but Tom just kept staring at her without making any contribution or asking her any question.

    "Let''s just say I enjoy watching and listening to you speak," Tom said with a crooked smile which Lucy returned, "I hope the CEO didn''t bother you much?" Tom asked, wanting to know how she felt about all that had happened between them earlier.

    Lucy wrinkled her nose in distaste, "He is so full of himself. I think a person like him deserves a person like Anita," Lucy said with a shake of her head, making Tom raise a brow.

    He realized that he must have really pissed her off for her to be wishing him a person like Anita. "Why? Did he do or say something harsh to you?"

    "Not exactly. I guess I''m just disappointed in him. I realized that he happens to be one of those people who believe that money is everything. It''s pitiful," Lucy said, shaking her head in disappointment.

    So he was right. Tom was d to know that he was right about her, and she wasn''t like Anita and the others who thought money and power were everything. He wanted this woman for himself, and the only way to do that was to first be honest with her.

    "Enough about him. So you tell me, what came up earlier this morning that you had to leave me that way?" Lucy asked, looking at him with curious eyes as she adjusted her sses once again.

    Tom swallowed hard, his heart beating really fast as he looked at her. Never had he felt so nervous in his life. Not even a meeting with possible investors or his board members made him feel this way. ''No more lies'' he reminded himself.

    "Uhm... I was confused, worried, and scared," Tom confessed.

    Lucy could understand him being confused and worried about her because of the way she had fainted, but she couldn''t understand why he would leave her because of any of that. Besides, hadn''t he said he wasn''t scared of her? Lucy frowned, "You left because of that? But you said you were not scared earlier," she reminded him, sounding a bit hurt.

    "Yeah. I''m kind of scared, but you''re not exactly the reason I''m scared..."

    "If not me then what are you scared of? And is that the reason you want to move out and quit your job?" Lucy asked in confusion as what he was saying wasn''t making any sense to her.

    Tom swallowed hard as he gave her a nod, "I told you how I lied to you about certain things..." He reminded her without meeting her gaze, and Lucy''s heart skipped a beat.

    Was he going to open up to her about what he was hiding now? What if they were things she couldn''t forgive him for? What if the truth he was about to tell her was something that would make her no longer want to look him in the eyes? What could be so bad that he would do that she couldn''t forgive? It wasn''t like he had killed someone and was hiding here, right? Why was she feeling more nervous than the person who had lied to her? Lucy wondered as she looked into his face, her heart beating fast.

    She knew that she had prayed for him to tell her the truth before she finds out on her own, but now that she was faced with it, she realized that she wasn''t really ready to hear it. It was too soon. She still needed some time.

    "Tom, I don''t..."

    "I''m not who you think I am," Tom confessed, cutting her off.

    "..." Lucy opened her mouth to speak again, but her phone started ringing at that moment. Grateful for the distraction, she picked it up wanting to receive the call which was from Sonia.

    "Lu, can the call wait? I really need to get it out now," Tom pleaded, thinking that if he didn''t tell her now, he might not be able to bring himself to do soter.

    Lucy looked at her phone, and then nced at Tom as she contemted whether to take Sonia''s call or hear what he had to say.

 Chapter 171 - Oh, No!

    Seeing the worry lines that creased his brows, Lucy could tell that this was very important to him, and as a friend, she owed it to him to at least hear what he had to say, "The call can wait," Lucy decided with a concerned frown as she rejected Sonia''s call, and ced her phone on silent before dropping it on the table.

    "Thanks," Tom said with a nod, feeling slightly relieved that she was going to let him confess it all to her now, while also feeling anxious about the revtion he was about to make. His heart was beating really fast, and he couldn''t me it. Even his heart knew that its wellbeing going forward was dependent on the oue of this conversation.

    Lucy gave him a nod, "Go on, say what you have to say."

    Tom took in a deep breath in an attempt to steady himself and calm his nerves, but it didn''t seem to be working, "I..." Tom started but paused to clear his throat when his voice came out cracked.

    "Before I say anything, I would first like you to try to keep an open mind, and also understand that whatever I did wasn''t because I wanted to make a fool of you, or because I wanted to have fun at your expense," Tom exined, since he knew that once he started telling her the truth she might not be willing to hear all of his exnations or excuses as the case may beter.

    Conflicting emotions churned inside of her, and from the way her heart was beating, and her stomach was churning due to the nagging anxiety she was feeling, something told her deep down that she was not going to like what she was about to hear. She swallowed hard as she gave him another nod prompting him to go on.

    "Also, I can''t exactly say that I''m sorry I did what I did. It was something I needed to do as if I didn''t do it, I''m not sure I would have made such progress with you in such a short period. And I probably won''t be telling you the truth right now if you didn''t open up to me about your past," Tom added.

    "You''re scaring me, Tom. Please just go on with whatever it is you have to say," Lucy pleaded with a frown as she took off her sses and rubbed her eyes before recing them.

    "First of all, my name is not Tom Handy... I mean, it''s Tom, but Handy isn''t myst name," Tom confessed, and Lucy blinked at him in surprise.

    What? Even his name was a lie? Oh, my God! What have I gotten myself into? Lucy thought in rm.

    Seeing the surprise and rm on her face, Tom paused, "And I''m not a handyman either," he added.

    Oh, great! His job was fake too. Then was he even her driver? Who was this man that she didn''t know anything about? How had thepany given a man with an unverified identity a job? "But you fixed my broken tap?" Lucy said, pointing to her bathroom when she remembered that he had fixed it when it broke.

    Tom shook his head with an apologetic look on his face, "I brought someone over to fix it," he said apologetically, and Lucy shook her head in disbelief as she looked away from him, trying to gather her thoughts.

    "Hold on a minute, I need to get something straight. Did youe up with this new identity because of me or it''s...."

    Tom shook his head, "No. It was not because of you. At the club where we met, I''m known as Tom Handy, a handyman. Anita knows me as Tom Handy too, and if you remember clearly even the waitress at the bar I took you to thest time also knows me by that name. It''s just a sort of pseudo-identity for me," Tom rushed to exin, and Lucy gave him a nod as she let herself partially rx.

    Okay. At least she wasn''t the only one who had been fooled. But why? "Are you an undercover agent? Or you''re a criminal hiding from thew?" Lucy asked as those were the only reasonable excuses she could understand that must have led him toe up with a false identity.

    Tom looked at her with an unreadable expression in his eyes. He had actually expected her to first ask him what his real name and upation was, as that would answer all her questions, rather than trying to understand why he was using a false identity.

    "Neither. I came up with that identity some years ago when I realized that people are more honest and real with me when they believe that I''m a nobody. It''s easier to know how people perceive me, and I also get to live more freely this way," Tom said, making Lucy raise a brow.

    "You think Tom Handy is a nobody?" Lucy asked, looking directly into his eyes. She had felt offended when the CEO implied it earlier, and hearing it from Tom himself she felt kind of disappointed.

    "Trust me, Lu, it''s not about what I think. From my experience with people over time I''vee to understand that if you are not wealthy, and you don''t have a white-cor job, most people tend to see you as a nobody. And people usually don''t take you seriously when you''re a nobody," Tom exined and watched as Lucy tried to process all that he was saying.

    "Hold on. That means if you had toe up with such an identity, then you''re not exactly a nobody, are you?" She asked, wondering who he truly was. She knew she could easily ask him, but she was trying to process everything he was saying slowly.

    Tom gave her a nod, and when he opened his mouth to say something else she raised a hand to stop him as the dots in her head started to connect.

    Lucy''s eyes widened in surprise when something clicked in her head, "You moved in here because of me, didn''t you?" She asked, looking at him with wide eyes.

    Tom held her gaze for a moment before slowly giving her a nod. The blood drained from her face and a chill ran down her spine as she quickly put some distance between them and stood up.

    Oh, my God! Oh, my God! It''s happening again, it''s all happening again, Lucy thought in her head, as she hugged herself in a protective gesture, while he just stared at her without saying a word or making any effort to stop her.

    What was he expected to say? It''s not what you think? I mean no harm? I''m not a stalker like that crazy psycho? What exactly was he supposed to say? He just wanted to believe that whatever friendship they had between them was strong enough for her to understand that he meant no harm.

    Lucy looked away from him as she tried to think past the fear she was feeling. Even though she was feeling scared to her bones, the smart part of her brain reminded her that, he had told her he was scared, confused, and worried after hearing her story, and that he had decided to move away from her and had put the house up for sale after hearing her story.

    She was also reminded that he had told her before now that he wasn''t being honest with her, so maybe it wasn''t exactly the same situation. The other part of her brain, however, couldn''t get past the fear.

    "I could leave if you want me to," Tom suggested when she said nothing after a while, thinking that maybe this was too much information already, considering her health and mental wellbeing.

    Lucy turned to look at him, and even though he was not exactly who or what she thought he was, he was still Tom to her. Although his name wasn''t the same, and his upation wasn''t the same, he looked just the same.

    He was opening up to her by himself and that was supposed to count for something, Lucy thought, and then paused when something else hit her again.

    "Wait, the driving job at thepany, you got that too because of me? I''m thedy you were talking about, am I not?" She asked, recalling that she had asked him that question some time ago and he had denied it, saying she wasn''t his type. Why did he lie about that?

    Tom gave her a nod, and before he could say anything, something else clicked in her head, "Oh, my God! That house... It wasn''t your friend''s house. It''s yours, isn''t it? " She asked looking at him like he was a ghost.

    If she hadn''t gone to the club on her own that first night, she would have also asked him now if he hade there because of her, "Who are you exactly?" She asked, still not able to make the most important connection.

    Just how wealthy was he to get the apartment next to hers under such short notice and get the upants to move out? How connected was he to have gotten the job of a driver in thatpany... Oh, no! The resemnce! Lucy thought with wide eyes as she made the final connection, and she shook her head in denial as she met his gaze.

    One look at the shock on her face, and he knew that she had finally made the connection, "Yes.. I''m Thomas Hank."

 Chapter 172 - Get Out!

    Lucy''s brain went nk for a full minute, as she stared at him nkly. Tom waited for her to say something or react, but instead, she walked over to her refrigerator to get herself a bottle of water. She emptied it into a ss and gulped down every drop as though she was trying to calm the storm that was building inside of her.

    How had she missed the resemnce between them? Yes, she had thought the body build was simr, but how could she not have guessed that both the CEO and Tom were the same person? Probably because she hadn''t been paying much attention to the CEO? Still, how did it make sense that he would drop her off at work, and then go into his office and act so cold? She should have guessed, seeing the way he had treated Anita that day at Ocean Airlines without good reason.

    Lucy reced the ss on the table, before returning to the living room to face Tom once again, "You mean you are Thomas Hank? As in the CEO of I-Global?" She asked very calmly.

    Tom looked at her helplessly, "Lucy..."

    "It''s a yes or no question," Lucy snapped at him, the first visible sign that she was pissed.

    "Yes," Tom said with a weary sigh.

    "You mean you''re the same person I went out with the other day, and also earlier today? The same person who..." Lucy closed her eyes, trying to calm herself as the anger inside her threatened to bubble to the surface at the thought that he had been messing with her this whole time.

    "I did that because I..."

    Lucy opened her gray eyes which were the color of a storm cloud now, "Get out!" Lucy said in a very quiet voice even though the blood in her veins was pumping really hard.

    She wanted to ask him so many questions, yet at the same time, she was too angry to even say anything to him. She wanted to yell and cuss at him. She wanted to throw something at him and hit him. She wanted to ask him who he thought he was to have toyed with her in that manner, but at the same time she wanted to be left alone. She just wanted to shut her door and crawl on her bed with her duvet over her head. She wanted to sleep and wake up to find that all of this had been a dream.

    "Lucy I wasn''t trying to mess with you..."

    Tom sighed as he stood up and took a step forward, but she shook her head to stop him, "You weren''t trying to mess with me? Did you just say you weren''t trying to mess with me? You knew from the very first night we met that I was your employee, am I right?" She asked in a calm voice that belied the anger she was feeling.

    "Not immediately. I only called Harry after you slept off to confirm your identity," Tom confessed.

    "Harry? Oh, yeah! Mr. Harry. Of course, he was in on all of this. Oh, great! I must have looked like a joke to both of you. You both must have made bets, right? Care to tell me who else knows about this at thepany?" Lucy asked in a slightly raised voice as she took a step from where she was to where Tom was standing with clenched fists.

    "Just Harry, I promise," Tom said apologetically, wondering if she was going to hit him. It was probably going to be best if she hit him. He was willing to take her anger, but he wasn''t sure he could deal with her silence. Explosive anger for him was better. At least that way he could know what she was thinking.

    "The meeting was canceled that day because you knew I was lying drunk on your bed, wasn''t it? How you both must have shared a goodugh at my expense over the silly lie I managed toe up with," Lucy continued as she took another step towards him while remembering all the time Mr. Harry had asked about her fiance and had even offered to fire her driver.

    She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath when she remembered sharing a ride with both the CEO and Harry and how she had been exchanging texts with Tom without knowing he was in the car with her the whole time. ''The damned man had been toying with me? How did I miss that?'' She asked herself angrily as she shed back to all the first times she had met him.

    First, it was at the club as a stranger, the second first time he was standing by her apartment door as her neighbor, and then the third first time he was standing in front of thepany as her driver... She should have known. Her instincts had told her from the onset that it wasn''t all a coincidence, but she had allowed Sonia to convince her otherwise. She has allowed him to convince her with his lies about being interested in a strange woman.

    Maybe she wouldn''t have been so angry had he not pulled that stunt he did earlier telling her how he wanted her, and asking her about her boyfriend. Or maybe she would have been equally mad, who knew?

    Trusting people didn''te so easily to her, yet she had so easily given her trust to him. If she hadn''t allowed Sonia to convince her that it was all coincidence, maybe her guards would have been up, and she would have easily spotted the simrities between Tom and the supposed CEO to know that they were the same person. Okay, this wasn''t a time for maybes.

    "I trusted you, but not even once did you trust me. Leave, Tom... Or should I call you Mr. Hank? Please leave, I want nothing to do with you anymore," she said, walking to her door and opening it for him to leave.

    "Lucy just give me a..."

    "I have nothing to give to you. And even if I did, I''m not giving you anything! You know what? You really do deserve someone like Anita. I want you to leave now," Lucy said as she turned her gaze away from him. She was feeling pained and betrayed.

    Tom felt slightly hurt as he looked at Lucy who had her hands on the doorknob and was looking outside as she waited for him to exit her apartment. Although he could understand how she felt he also expected her to understand him better.

    He walked towards her and once he got to the door he stopped, "All I wanted was to know you without my social status getting in the way. And all those times I appeared before you as Thomas Hank, were times when I missed you so much and could only spend time with you as the CEO and not your driver. Ask yourself if you would have ever given me a chance to know you had I told you from the first time we met that I was Thomas Hank," Tom said, and then walked away without waiting to hear if she had anything else to say.

    Once he left, Lucy shut the door and copsed on the ground. She felt cold and hot at the same time. Watching him walk away left a sort of void in her heart. Although she was mad at him, she felt like she had just lost a friend. She had gone from a cloud nine to zero. Now she felt empty.

    Hisst words to her kept resounding in her head, but Lucy shut her ears to block them off. No matter what his reasons were, his deceit was inexcusable. She had trusted him, and he had deceived her. That wasn''t something she could easily forgive.

    She cringed in embarrassment when she remembered all the times she had told him about the CEO in confidence not knowing he was the one. Her blood boiled in anger when she recalled how he had asked her what she thought about the CEO, and how he had asked her to show him the CEO''s picture when she eventually sees his face.

    She sat up when it suddenly dawned on her that if Tom was the CEO, that meant Bryan Hank was his brother! Was Bryan in on his brother''s deception? Was Sonia aware? Did she possibly know that the same driver she had been telling her about this whole time was none other than her fiance''s older brother? She stood up and walked over to the table to pick up her phone. She needed to speak with Sonia.

    Once Tom got outside, he let out a sigh and turned to look at Lucy''s apartment. How could he make her feel better? He didn''t exactly regret his actions, as he knew would do exactly the same thing all over again as long as it helped him get closer to her. He only wished she would understand that he hadn''t done any of it merely for the sake of having fun. He had done this just so that he could know her and she would know him too. Was he supposed to give her space now to sort out her feelings, or was he to keep showing up around her until she had no other choice than to forgive him?

    He probably should have talked things through with his siblings before telling Lucy the truth. They would havee up with a better approach rather than the one he had just taken.. Perhaps this was the right time to speak with them, Tom reasoned as he took out his phone to dial his brother''s line.

 Chapter 173 - Tom Is My Boss

    As Sonia was unable to reach Lucy earlier, she had decided to use the bathroom and then wipe off what little make-up that was on her face before she returned to where Bryan was still seated on the couch. The only difference between the time she left him and now was that his head was resting against the headrest and his eyes were closed as if he had dozed off.

    She leaned forward and pressed her lips against his, making his lips curve in a smile as his hands automatically went around her waist to hold her in ce, "Am I to assume you have a thing for my lips, or you just love stealing kisses?" He whispered against her lips, as he opened his pair of amused blue eyes to gaze into her green eyes.

    Sonia grinned as she tried to pull away from him, "I wasn''t stealing a kiss. I was only paying off my debt," Sonia said reminding him of the kiss she had promised to give him earlier after Mia interrupted their moment together in his bedroom.

    "That is really a lousy way to pay a debt. Never mind, I will just collect it myself," Bryan said as he ced a hand on the back of her head to hold her in ce as he deepened the kiss, making her blood pound.

    He pulled Sonia to himself so that she straddled his thighs, and his hands ran down her back, grabbing her ass and squeezing it softly. Sonia''s heart thudded against his chest, in sync with his heartbeat, and she let out a soft moan as she kissed him back, burying the fingers of her left hand in his hair while her right hand moved between them to caress his broad muscled chest.

    Bryan kissed around the edges of her lips and then opened his eyes as he kissed his way down to her chin, and then slowly found his way to her neck, dropping light kisses as he moved, while his hands snaked around her waist until they found their way under her gown.

    Sonia closed her eyes and threw her head back as she gave him more ess to her neck while moaning softly. Her heartbeat increased following the movement of his hands, and her breath came in shallow gasps as his breath fanned her neck. She gave a throaty moan when he let his teeth graze her jaw, and her hand moved to stroke his back.

    Just when she reached to take off his polo shirt, Bryan grabbed her hand, and she opened her eyes to give him a questioning look.

    "I intend to frustrate you, Sonia Smith," Bryan said with a wicked glint in his eyes, reminding her of what she had done to him thest time she seduced him on his bed.

    Although Sonia was burning with a need for him, she threw back her head tough, "Nice one, Bryan. Very nice," she said with a nod of approval as she got off his thighs.

    "I know, right?" Bryan said with a grin, even though the bulge in his trousers was visible to them both. He wanted to do so much with her, but not just yet. Perhaps if it was anotherdy, he would have gone all-in and had sex with her, but seeing just how enthusiastic Sonia was about having sex with him, he wasn''t in a hurry.

    Sonia smiled at him as she just sat back and looked into his eyes, "Why do you look so fine? Or is it just my eyes?" Sonia asked, making Bryan chuckle.

    "Perhaps it''s just your eyes. Your feelings are making you blind," Bryan said before remembering to ask, "I thought you wanted to talk to Lucy? Have you done that yet?" He asked curiously.

    "Yeah, she busied my call, so I''m waiting for her to call back... Oh! She''s calling now," Sonia announced when her phone started ringing and she picked it up.

    "Hey, baby!" She greeted as she sat up and turned away from Bryan.

    "Are you alone? Is Bryan there with you?" Lucy asked in an urgent tone which caused Sonia''s brows to pull together as she turned to look at Bryan while wondering what was going on with Lucy. She didn''t sound like she was fine.

    "Uhm, sort of. Why?"

    "Could you go somewhere else? Somewhere we could talk in private?" Lucy asked, and Sonia stood up at once, but not without mouthing to Bryan to excuse her.

    Bryan gave her a sad pout like he was sad to watch her leave, and pped her ass yfully, making Sonia re at him yfully too as she hurried away. Before shepletely disappeared out of his sight, his phone started ringing and he quickly picked it up when he realized that it was a call from Tom. It was only just then that he realized that he hadn''t talked to Tom in a while.

    "What''s going on, Lu? Are you okay?" Sonia asked as she walked into the guestroom she had been using and shut the door before going into the bathroom.

    "I don''t think I''m okay. I''m not fine. One moment everything was fine and going so perfectly, and the next minute it just feels like... Like I''m about to lose my mind," Lucy cried as she broke into a sob, unable to hold back the tears anymore.

    Sonia''s brows creased with a frown as she tried to make sense of what Lucy had just said, "Calm down, Lu. Please don''t cry. What''s wrong? Did Tom do something?" Sonia asked, reasoning that whatever was wrong with Lucy had to be connected with Tom as he was the only person who was close to her over there.

    Lucy sobbed for a while and then she took off her sses to wipe the tears off her eyes with the back of her hand, and dropped the sses on the table. It wasn''t like she needed the sses to speak to Sonia.

    "Did you know that Tom is the same person as Thomas Hank?" Lucy asked with a sniffle, and Sonia''s heart skipped a beat.

    "What are you talking about?" Sonia asked in confusion. Although she had written in the manuscript of her novel that Lucy''s driver was also her boss, she hadn''t expected it to be true. Lucy''s driver was actually Bryan''s brother?

    "You heard me. Tom is my boss. He deceived me! He lied to me after I trusted him. To think that I was almost falling for him and now this..."

    "Slow down, Lu. Just calm down and slowly tell me all that transpired between you both," Sonia said as she cut off Lucy''s bitter diatribe.. Had Lucy not been crying, she would have been over the moon with joy that Lucy had said she was falling for Tom.

 Chapter 174 - Valid Point

    Tears dropped from Sonia''s eyes as she patiently listened while Lucy told her everything that happened between her and Tom. Lucy''s voice was pained as she narrated how she had finally decided to act like Tom''s girlfriend, and how they had ended up having sex. She also told her how she had been woken up by Tom while having a nightmare, and Sonia was shocked to hear that Lucy had fainted while talking to Tom about the traumatic experience, but more than that she was surprised that Lucy had actually decided to talk about it after so many years of keeping it to herself.

    To date, Lucy was yet to tell any of them exactly what had transpired between her and Jason when he abducted her. They had all assumed that perhaps she must have lost the memory of the event, and her sleeplessness and nightmares were just the adverse results of Jason stalking her, not what happened in that room where he had kept her. All they knew about it was that by the time the police got to where Jason had been hiding her, he was lying lifeless on the ground in the pool of his blood, while Lucy was lying naked and unconscious too.

    Throughout the court proceedings that followed his death, Lucy had remained mute and had just kept staring into space with unseeing eyes. It had been Sonia who testified to the court how Jason had been stalking Lucy and harassing every guy that came around her. Her parents had cut her off angrily since it was Sonia''s testimony and that of the guys who had been harassed by Jason, that cleared Lucy. Her parents had wanted Lucy to be punished for the death of their son since they had cleared every evidence from Jason''s bedroom the moment Sonia told it to them that Lucy was missing and Jason was the suspect.

    Sleeping had be so difficult for Lucy that the few times she managed to doze off, she would wake up screaming and crying. She had been admitted to the hospital for treatment, as the doctors said she was still in shock. Once she was discharged from the hospital weekster, she had started taking sleeping pills and alcohol to sleep, and that had continued for years. None of them had been able to broach the subject with her, seeing how she didn''t voluntarily raise the subject herself.

    Seeing now how she had easily opened up to Tom, Sonia could tell that she wasn''t just falling for Tom, but rather she had fallen in love with him. It broke her heart to see that now that Lucy had finally managed toe out of her shell after such a long time, she was hurting this way.

    By the time Lucy finished speaking, they had stopped crying, and Sonia could also see things from Tom''s perspective, but she was smart enough to know that it wasn''t the right time to point out to her that it was very possible that Tom hadn''t meant to toy with her as she was assuming.

    So instead, Sonia did as every best friend would do, "How dare he do that to you? What right did he have to mess with you that way? I should take the next avable flight down there and kick his two-faced ass," Sonia said dramatically, and then paused, "Come to think of it, maybe if you had slept with your boss as well, you would have noticed the simrities in action or maybe the shape and size of..."

    "Sonia this is not the time," Lucy chided her, even though her lips were curved in a smile at Sonia''s joke.

    "I know. I''m so sorry, Lu. I honestly can''t say I understand how you feel, but I know you''re smart and you''re going to figure out a way to deal with it... Just don''t push him away. Tom is not Jamie. He opened up to you himself. He even put the house up for sale already and quit his job..."

    "His fake job," Lucy pointed out.

    "It doesn''t matter, Lu. If he didn''t care about you or let''s say if he was toying with you as you think was, he wouldn''t care about your feelings, and you know it! He would have easily continued with it until you find out yourself, but he stopped because he didn''t want to hurt or scare you. So please whatever you do, don''t be too harsh on him. It''s the first time you''re like this with a guy, so don''t allow his own insecurities ruin things," Sonia pleaded.

    Lucy''s eyes glistened with tears once again, "But he lied to me. He tested me..."

    "Tell me if you were in his shoes you wouldn''t resort to the same measure to find love. Tell me if you were him and had encountereddies like Anita, you wouldn''t be suspicious of every otherdy thates your way? He liked you enough to leave his mansion and live next to your little apartment. He liked you enough to leave his office and work beside you as your driver. Have you even considered the amount of stress he must have passed through just to keep up with you?" Sonia asked reasonably.

    "I didn''t ask him to do any of that!" Lucy snapped at Sonia, angry that she was defending Tom.

    "You would never have gotten to know him or fall for him had he not done what he did!" Sonia snapped right back.

    "Are you on my side or his? Don''t tell me you''re supporting him now because you have a thing with his brother," Lucy said in a slightly annoyed tone.

    "I''m on the side of whatever makes you happy, Lu. I admit that what Tom did was wrong, but it''s not an unforgivable offense. I would be just as pissed as you are if I were in your shoes, and believe me I would have hit him with whatever was closest to me at the time. However, I also know that I wouldn''t throw out the baby with the bathwater. Get some rest, Lu, and think over this once again when your head is clear. And you can be rest assured that I will support whatever decision you make at the end," Sonia promised, making Lucy sigh.

    She hated that Sonia could speak so wisely a times. And she hated it more because she was still very pissed, yet she knew that Sonia had made very many valid points, "And what about Bryan? You''re sure he wasn''t aware of this?" Lucy asked, and Sonia narrowed her eyes thoughtfully when she remembered all the times that Bryan had kept pressuring her to tell him about Lucy. Of course, the rat was aware. Little wonder she had been unable to find anything about Tom around the house.

    "Let me deal with Bryan myself, just focus on getting over your hurt and forgiving Tom. Now I''m curious to see Anita''s face when she finds out she left Tom because he is broke, yet will be going through so much stress to seduce him. Hurry up and forgive him before she shows up again," Sonia urged Lucy, and when she heard the disconnect tone, she could tell that Lucy was still very upset.

    With a sigh Sonia got off the toilet seat, and readied herself to go confront Bryan.

 Chapter 175 - On One Condition

    Harry watched Jade as she ate her food in silence while he sipped from his ss of wine. He wasn''t exactly hungry but hade out for lunch because he wanted her to eat as she looked too thin for his liking. He wasn''t sure she has had a decent meal in a long while.

    "For someone who imed to be hungry, you haven''t touched your food," Jade pointed out calmly without looking at him, although she could tell that he staring at her.

    "I''ve been too hard on you, right?" Harry asked, and Jade''s lips quirked as she raised her head to meet his gaze.

    "You''ve been an arsehole," Jade admitted with a nod, but she no longer sounded very upset.

    "I know. It''s probably going to be stupid of me to apologize once again," Harry said with a crooked smile, and Jade gave him a nod.

    She cleared her throat, "You really don''t have to stay with me though. I''m a big girl, I can take care of myself," Jade assured him, looking directly into his brown eyes.

    ''Yeah, I can see how well you managed to take care of yourself,'' Harry thought to himself but bit back the urge to say it. Thest thing he wanted was to offend her in public and have her snapping his head off at the five-star restaurant where they were having lunch, "I don''t doubt that you can take care of yourself," Harry said, but Jade narrowed her eyes at him.

    "That wasn''t what you wanted to say, was it?" She asked, watching him keenly, and Harry chuckled before he could stop himself.

    "I''d rather not say that. I''ve argued with you more times in just a few hours than I have done with anyone else my entire life," Harry confessed, and she raised a brow.

    "Not even your sisters?" Jade asked in disbelief, recalling how many arguments and fights she had growing up with her brothers, especially Bryan who always seemed to get her on her nerves.

    "I''m an only child," Harry informed her, and her lips rounded in a silent o.

    "And your girlfriend?" She asked curiously.

    "If I had a girlfriend, I wouldn''t be here looking after you now, would I?" Harry asked with a slightly raised brow, and Jade shook her head.

    "But you have had girlfriends in the past, haven''t you?" Jade asked, and Harry''s right brow quirked as he narrowed his eyes at her.

    "Are you asking me about my love life, Esquire?" He asked suspiciously, and Jade giggled.

    "You wish. I''m only asking because of what you said. So I''m just wondering what kind of angel you must have dated to have never gotten into arguments with her," Jade said with an indifferent shrug as she returned her attention to the shrimp dish in front of her.

    "Well, after experiencing the power of my tongue first hand, what do you think?" Harry asked with a wry smile, and Jade looked at him for a second before shaking her head.

    "You''re kidding, right?" She asked in disbelief, and Harry chuckled when she added, "Don''t tell me you''ve never been in a rtionship before?"

    "Well, I did meet someone once for a blind date, and she walked out and never returned after I told her the makeup looked funny on her," Harry said with a wince, and Jade burst into a peal ofughter before she could stop herself.

    "You''re impossible," Jade said with a shake of her head feeling sorry for thedy whoever she was that Harry had done that to.

    "Yeah. I know. What about you?" Harry asked, watching her curiously.

    "What about me what?" Jade asked in confusion, even though he could still see the mirth in her eyes.

    "No man in your life? I heard about your fiance''s death, I''m sorry," he added as an afterthought, even though there was nothing in his tone that showed he was sorry.

    Harry watched as the mirth died in her eyes, and she pressed her lips together briefly before shing him a stiff smile, "Now you''re curious about my love life?" She asked with forced humor, and Harry could tell she was trying to change the subject.

    "Yes, I am. So tell me, do you have a boyfriend?" Harry asked, even though Tom had already told him that she was single. He figured that she might not be dating, but it was possible she had a man in her life, maybe a friend with benefits kind of arrangement, or a lover she was keeping hidden from her family.

    "Why? You want to know if there is someone you can hand me over to, who would watch over me in your stead?" Jade asked with a teasing smile as she stylishly avoided his question.

    "I want to know if there''s someone I might get into a dirty fight with over living with you," Harry said instead, and Jade sighed when she realized that he was not going to drop the subject unless she answered his question.

    "No. There''s no one."

    "Good then. So you won''t have a problem with moving from your home to the hotel, right? We could work from thefort of the hotel suite while having our own bedroom," Harry suggested.

    "That would send a message of fear to them. They would think I ran away from my home because I am scared," Jade said with a frown, not liking that idea.

    "Why should you care about what the criminals think? All that should matter to you is that you are safe while gathering all the evidence you need against them until the day you have to be in court, right? It''s best if they believe you ran away. That way they would let their guards down, thinking you''re out of the picture," Harry suggested, and Jade pursed her lips as she thought about it.

    "Maybe you have a point," Jade said with a nod.

    "So now that we have gotten that out of the way, how about you tell me all I need to know about the case? That way my men can know what to look out for," Harry said, and Jade gave him a nod.

    "It involves the lords of a drug cartel. The cartel is known as the Legion..."

    "Hold on, the Legion?" Harry interrupted, recalling that the men he had asked to go after the private investigator had informed him a while ago that the private investigator had been picked up by members of a gang known as the Legion.

    "Yes. Do you know about them?" Jade asked curiously when she noticed the frown on his brow.

    "Yeah... They picked up a private investigator today..."

    "What private investigator? How do you know about it?" Jade asked, and she listened with keen interest as Harry gave her the details.

    By the time he was done her eyes were narrowed thoughtfully as she looked at him, "Would it be possible for your men to find out who they asked him to find?" Jade asked hopefully, and Harry smirked.

    "Sure. On one condition though," Harry said, and Jade''s brows furrowed.

    "What?" She asked in confusion.

    "Admit that you need my help, and you want me here," Harry said with a grin.

 Chapter 176 - Fire For Fire

    "You could have at least let me know about your ns before confessing to her!" Bryan hissed at his brother under his breath after Tom exined the current situation of things to him.

    He could tell that the phone call between Sonia and Lucy had to do with this, and he knew that if he didn''t handle things properly he was going to be fighting with Sonia over it.

    It wasn''t like he was there when Tom decided to be Lucy''s neighbor or driver. He had only been brought into the picture after Tom had done all of that, so he wasn''t going to allow Sonia to give him hell over this issue.

    "You''re right, I should have done that. I''m sorry. I was worried about her, so I really wasn''t thinking straight," Tom confessed apologetically.

    "Well, the deed has been done. What do you want to do about it now?" Bryan asked curiously as he tapped his fingers on the couch thoughtfully while trying toe up with the best way to handle Sonia when shees flying through the door like an angry dragon.

    "I wish I knew what to do. She seemed really upset," Tom said sadly.

    "Rightly so. Anyone would be mad in her shoes. But seeing how she didn''t hit you, I''ll take that as a good sign. I''m certain she would be logical enough to see that you meant her no harm," Bryan said, sounding optimistic.

    "I really hope so. What do you suggest? Should I stay away from her and give her time to think things through, or do you think I should keep showing up on her doorstep until she chooses to hear me out and forgive me?"

    "For starters, I''ll suggest you hold off on the sale of the house until you''re able to sort things out with her. So don''t move out of that apartment yet. Allow her to make that decision herself. It''s good enough that now she knows you are there because of her, so there''s no need to sell it off unless she wants you to," Bryan suggested, and it was Tom who sighed this time.

    When it came to women, he was clueless. He had spent the earlier part of his life trying to be rich while guys his age focused on chasing girls.

    "Don''t let it bother you too much, she wille around. I will see what I can get from Sonia on it. She is on the phone with her at the moment," Bryan said, reminding Tom that his fiancee was Lucy''s best friend.

    "Oh, yeah! That''s right. Please I would love to speak with Sonia after you talk to her," Tom pleaded, and Bryan turned when he heard Sonia m a door.

    "Sure. I''ll give you a callter," Bryan said and quickly hung up. He opened his Instagram page and pretended to be busy scrolling through pictures as Sonia walked into the living room.

    His gaze remained on the phone''s screen even and he heard her footsteps stop in front of him. When she said nothing after a while, he raised his head to meet her gaze and saw her ring at him with her arms akimbo.

    "At least my real name is Bryan Hank," he said, offering her a sheepish smile.

    "So you knew about it? You were aware the whole time," Sonia said in an usatory tone, and Bryan''s brows shot up.

    "Yes, I knew. And so?" He fired back, returning her re. He knew that with Sonia a simple apology wouldn''t cut it, and he wasn''t even ready to apologize for a crime he didn''tmit, so it was best to fight her back fire for fire.

    "And so? You pretended not to know that..."

    "Did I? You mean the same way you pretended not to know that my brother was your best friend''s boss and kept asking me questions about him so that you could feed Lucy with information about him?" Bryan asked usingly.

    "That was different! At least she didn''t go to him pretending to be someone she wasn''t!" Sonia said defensively as she folded both hands in front of her.

    "Seriously? Do you really want us to fight over something like this? My name is not Tom, and thest time I checked your name is definitely not Lucy either, so I don''t see any reason why we are having this ridiculous argument right now! I''m not going to fight with you over their lover''s spat!" Bryan said in a warning tone.

    "You call this a lover''s spat? How can you call something like this a lover''s spat? Your brother deceived my best friend! He broke her trust, and trust doesn''te easily to her!" Sonia snapped at him.

    "Then shouldn''t he be the one at the receiving end of your anger? Why am I the one you''re ring and yelling at? Do I look like my brother? Were you there when they met? Was I there? Listen to me, if you''re not going to be helpful in this situation, then stay out of it!" Bryan snapped at her before moving from the couch onto his wheelchair.

    Sonia took in a deep breath to calm herself. She knew that he was right, but she hadn''t exactly expected him to react this way. She hade out expecting to breathe out fire and for him to apologize, "So you''re not going to apologize?" Sonia asked, standing in front of his wheelchair and blocking his path.

    Seeing how she was begging for an apology, he could tell that he had won this fight. He had sessfully dodged this fight. And although he felt triumphant and wanted to smile, he didn''t let it show on his face, and decided to keep up the act instead, "What am I apologizing for? You stubbornly barged into my home as my fiancee, did you expect me toe to you and give you such a family secret?" Bryan asked, meeting her gaze squarely.

    "How long have you known about your brother''s rtionship with Lucy under false pretense?" Sonia asked without answering his question.

    "Before you got there," Bryan said with an indifferent shrug.

    "And when did you find out that thedy in question was my best friend?" Sonia asked once again.

    "The morning after you got here," Bryan confessed, and then reached out a hand to grab Sonia''s arm, "Let''s not fight over this, okay? Tom really means your friend no harm. He just wanted to be sure about her feelings for him, that''s all. So rather than fight over it, let''s put our heads together and figure out a way to help them be together," Bryan pleaded as he pulled her to sit on his thighs.

    Sonia felt butterflies flutter in her stomach when she weakly sat on his thighs, and Bryan brushed his lips against her neck, and kissed her earlobe, "I''m still mad at you," Sonia said in a weak voice as she surrendered to him, while admitting to herself that she had lost this round to Bryan.

    "And I''m still not going to apologize because we both know that I didn''t do anything wrong.. I protected my brother''s interest the same way you were protecting your best friend''s interest, so why don''t we kiss and make up?" Bryan whispered in a husky voice as his lips found hers.

 Chapter 177 - The Case

    On hearing Harry''s condition, Jade raised a brow, "Why should I do that?" She asked tly.

    Harry picked up his phone and without her knowledge, and clicked on his voice recorder, "That is the only way I can be sure that you won''t be yelling at meter, saying you didn''t ask for my help," Harry pointed out.

    Like the logicaldy she was, Jade considered his request for a moment. She did need all the information he had already as well as all the information he could help her get with his connection. And yes, she also needed him around, not because she couldn''t protect herself if push came to shove, but because she would feel less scared if she had someone with her, especially someone as capable as him. She had to admit that since he showed up on her doorstep she had forgotten about her fears and neither had she had the chance to think about what happened earlier that morning.

    Jade swallowed hard, "I need your help. And I want you here with me," she admitted, looking him squarely in the eyes.

    "Woah! I didn''t expect you to agree to that so easily," Harry eximed, looking at her in surprise as he stopped the voice recorder.

    Jade''s lips twitched in amusement at his reaction, "Why not?"

    "You seem like the very proud and stubborn type. I didn''t think you''d be able to swallow your pride to ask for my help," Harry exined with a shrug, and Jade giggled.

    "Well, I may be proud and stubborn, but I''m not stupid. I''m smart enough to know when I need help, and although it hurts my pride to admit it, I do need your help," Jade said as she raised her winess to her lips and took a sip from it.

    Harry grinned at her, "I''m d to offer my help then," he said as he yed the recorded speech of what she had just said.

    Jade raised a brow when she heard her voiceing from his phone, "You recorded that?"

    "Yep. I''m dealing with awyer, so I need to have my evidence. Whenever you start acting up, all I need to do is remind you that you asked for my help," Harry said with a wink.

    Despite her amusement, Jade shook her head as she pushed the meal away from her while nursing her ss of wine, "So, can you ask your men to find out what the private investigator is up to?" She asked, returning his attention to the subject.

    "Sure. Excuse me for a moment. I need to make the call," Harry said as he pushed away from the table, wanting to stand up.

    "That won''t be necessary. Why don''t we leave instead? I''m done eating, and it''s not like you have any ns to touch yours anyway," Jade pointed out as she gulped down the wine and also pushed away from the table as she signaled to a waiter, "Please pack this up," Jade said, referring to Harry''s untouched meal.

    Harry watched her in amusement, surprised that someone like her would care about something like that, "You want us to leave with that?" Harry asked incredulously after the waiter left to do as he was told.

    "Didn''t we pay for it? You didn''t touch it, so unless they''re going to refund the money, we should leave with the food. I have nothing in my refrigerator, so this could serve as your dinner," Jade exined reasonably, making Harry chuckle.

    "I''m surprised."

    "Why? You seem to be forgetting that my brothers are the wealthy ones. I''m not at their level yet," Jade pointed out as she stood up and took the food from the waiter.

    "Sure," Harry said as he stood up, and took out his wallet. He dropped some dor notes on the table before walking away with Jade.

    They walked out together and once they got to the car, Harry walked over to Jade''s side of the car and held the door open, making her raise a brow, "You''re actually a gentleman in deeds but not in words, aren''t you?" She asked in amusement seeing how he had helped her with the car door despite her mood when they were leaving the house earlier, and also how he had pulled out a seat for her at the restaurant.

    Harry grinned at her, "Going forward I will be more mindful of my words around you," he promised her as she got into the car, and once he shut the door he went around the car and got into his seat.

    Once he was seated, Jade watched him curiously as he took out his phone and dialed a number before raising it to his ear, "Hey, Boyd! You mentioned earlier that members of the Legion gang picked up the private investigator, didn''t you?" Harry asked, and nodded when the man said something.

    "Good. Have one of the men on his tail. Find out who he is searching for, and report back to me as soon as you find anything," Harry instructed before hanging up the call.

    "Done," he said as he turned to look at Jade.

    "Thank you," Jade said with clearly impressed smile, "So who will be looking after thepany in your absence?" Jade asked curiously.

    "Your brother. Unless you want him here with you while I return to look after thepany," Harry suggested yfully.

    "You''d probably still be the one doing everything from that end. He says you''re very reliable," Jade said with a small smile.

    No longer feeling veryfortable with the small talk, Harry cleared his throat as he turned on the car''s ignition and drove off "Uhm... Can you go on with the story. Tell me all I need to know about the case," Harry urged her, reminding her that she had been about to tell him about the case she was working on before he interrupted her.

    Jade pursed her lips thoughtfully, "Okay... I started working on this case about three years ago when a group of teenage boys Od''d on a hard substance..." Jade started, and then stopped when Harry turned to look at her in confusion.

    "I mean overdosed. Their bodies were found alongside the illegal substance they had sniffed. Investigations started, and we found out that the kids were testers..."

    "Kids? Why would anyone give hard substance to kids?" Harry asked, looking rather perplexed.

    "I know, right? A member of the legion group had cooked up the drug and had given it to one of the street kids to try it out. Unfortunately for them he tried it out with a couple of friends at a party, and one of the kids present there happened to be from quite an influential family... And so the case was followed up seriously..."

    "Oh, yeah! I think I know the case you''re talking about. It was all over the news back then, but it wasn''t announced on the news that any of the kids was from an influential family, and I also didn''t know that you were in charge of that case," Harry said, remembering how that news had made waves for several months.

    "You don''t expect any respectable family to put out such a dirty detail to the public, do you? They tried to hide it as best as they could while also trying to ensure that the case wasn''t swept under the rug. And yes, I wasn''t in charge of the case at first... As a matter of fact, ourw firm wasn''t in charge of the case. Thew firm which was working on it withdrew from it without giving the family any tangible reason, hence our firm was brought in to take over. I volunteered to take up the case when everyone else seemed to be too scared to fight against the cartel. That was the first major case I handled, and I guess my superiors let me do it because they probably believed a rookie like me didn''t stand a chance against the gang."

    "I''m sure you proved them wrong," Harry said with a proud smile.

    "You bet I did! I proved them wrong and was promoted above my colleagues after I won the case," Jade said with a grin.

    "If I may ask, why did you ept the case when everyone else was too scared to take it up?" Harry asked curiously, and Jade looked away for only a moment.

    "I guess I wasn''t scared to die at the time. Or maybe I needed the distraction, and I didn''t mind death," she said with a shrug, and Harry realized that it was around the time after her fiance died.

    "So if you won the case already, why are you on it again?" Harry asked, returning her attention to the subject as he didn''t want her to think about the past.

    "The first case was about getting justice for the family of the dead kids, and the only person who was sentenced was Jero. He took the fall for the gang as he was the one who gave the kid the hard drug even though it was on the orders of the kingpin." Jade exined.

    "I see."

    "Yeah. The case I''m working on at the moment involves the kingpin of the cartel. Three members of the gang defaulted in making their payments, and two among them were killed in cold blood. The third escaped but not without getting evidence against the gang. He reached out to me some days ago but has now gone missing. As if that''s not enough I went to the correctional facility where Jero was being held a few days ago, and I found out that he''s no longer there," Jade exined, and Harry''s brows creased with a frown.

    "Perhaps the cartel got him out?" Harry asked thoughtfully.

    "They didn''t. I suspect they tried to get rid of him, but he escaped," Jade with a sigh.

    "Isn''t all of this too dangerous for you? I understand that you wanted to die three years ago, but what about now? Why are you risking your life?" Harry asked, turning to spare her a nce.

    "I handled it the first time, so it''s only fitting that I take care of it again. This has nothing to do with me wanting to die," Jade exined, and Harry gave her a nod.

    "What would be your n B if we find out that your only witness is dead?" Harry asked her thoughtfully with his gaze fixed on the road.

    Jade looked at him with a worried frown, "Why are you asking me that? Do you know something? Is he dead?"

    Harry turned to spare her a nce, "I''m just asking. You need to always prepare your mind for the worst-case scenario," he reminded her.

    "Sure. I hope he''s still alive... But if he isn''t, then I would have to try out my other options," Jade said thoughtfully.

    "And what are the other options? Maybe we could start checking those out while still searching for him," Harry suggested.

    "I need to find Jero''s baby mama. She testified against him at hisst trial, and I know that if he escaped from prison, he is likely going to be looking for her. To find Jero, I need to find her first, and maybe I can convince Jero to testify against the gang," Jade said thoughtfully.

    "What is the name of this baby mama you want to find?" Harry asked curiously.

    "Her name is Candace.. Candace Roberts."

 Chapter 178 - Suitable Punishment

    "So?" Brandy asked when she opened the door to the dressing room and saw Candy who was humming a tune as she sat in front of the mirror dressing up for the evening.

    Brandy was fond of starting conversations with such weird questions, so Candy wasn''t surprised by it. Instead, she asked the only question she knew that Brandy expected from her, "So what?" Candy asked as she touched up the red lipstick on her lips and then adjusted the orange afro wig on her head.

    Brandy walked further into the room and sat down beside Candy. She had just finished her first performance for the evening and wanted to have a word with Candy who was alone in the dressing room, "Have you heard from him since Sunday?" Brandy asked as she eyed Candy with interest.

    "Heard from who?" Candy asked even though she knew who her sister was referring to. The only guy they had seen on Sunday was Matt who hade to her house uninvited.

    Brandy smiled since she knew that Candy was trying to frustrate her with her pretense not to know who she was talking about so that she would get frustrated and give up questioning her, "It''s not going to work, Candace. Have you heard from Matt since he left the house?"

    "Am I supposed to hear from him after I clearly asked him to stay away from me? I told him that I''m not interested in him and I don''t want any sort of rtionship with him, remember?" Candy asked with a stubborn lift of her brow as she fished inside her makeup bag for her falseshes and started to fix them on.

    "So are you going to tell me that you don''t miss him? You don''t miss the chats and phone calls you used to exchange with him?" Brandy asked, and Candy turned to look at her in irritation, "Don''t even deny it, I''ve caught you staring at your phone several times like you''re expecting a call or text from him,"

    "You still don''t get it, do you? This has nothing to do with me missing him. I may like him as you believe, but I have to put Jamal''s safety before my emotions. If any of you-know-who''s men find out where we are..."

    "It has been two years already since he went to jail. I''m sure his boys must have forgotten about us, and have stopped searching for you by now. How much longer do you intend to hide? You''ve put your life on hold long enough because of something we both know you needed to do for us to be free!" Brandy pointed out, and Candy shook her head.

    "We both know him. He takes betrayal to heart, and he never lets go of a grudge. He is never going to forgive me for testifying against him, and he is going to want to have his revenge and take Jamal away from me," Candy said with worried eyes, as she thought about the crazy man she had been involved with in the past.

    It had taken all of her courage to approach thewyer in charge of the case with evidence of most of the shady deals that could keep him in prison for the rest of his life. She hadn''t wanted to kill him... Or maybe she had wanted to do so but she had been too scared to do it. Hence she had taken the only other option she knew how to get rid of him, and that was by sending him away to jail.

    "Did he honestly expect any of us to be loyal to him? After everything he did to you? After the way he treated us? After the verbal and emotional abuse we passed through in his hands? That bastard should have seen iting from the start!" Brandy spat out angrily, as her blood boiled in anger when she remembered how Jero had constantly insulted and abused them. How he would sometimes force her to go out with his boss and other men while he kept the money. How he emptied hers and Candace''s savings without their knowledge and used it for God knows what.

    "Get a grip on yourself, Andy. That''s not the point. I''m just saying I can''t get involved with Matt, so quit asking me about him," Candy pleaded, lowering her voice when the door opened and a stripper walked in.

    "And I''m saying, who else to protect you rather than someone as wealthy as he is? Someone who has got the fame? Besides, I think Jamal is old enough to know what his mother and aunty do for a living. We are not whores. We are exotic dancers, and it is a legal profession! We need to exin what we do to him now that we can, that way he won''t be confused or embarrassed when he hears about it elsewhere," Brandy insisted stubbornly, and Candy sighed.

    "Fine. I''m going to think about it," Candy said and Brandy shook her head.

    "There is nothing to think about..."

    "What do you expect me to do? Call Matt and tell him that I''ve changed my mind?" Candy snapped at Brandy who wasn''t willing to drop the subject.

    "Well, for starters you don''t have to call him. You could just walk over to VVIP room 5, and grant him an audience. He is waiting for you," Brandy said with a wink and grinned when Candace''s eyes widened slightly.

    "He is here?" She asked, ncing at the door in rm.

    "Yep. So don''t keep him waiting for too long. You can keep your rtionship a secret all you want, but just don''t push him away. You deserve to be happy," Brandy said, taking Candy''s hand in her own and squeezing it softly.

    Candy felt butterflies flutter in her stomach as she stood up, "Why didn''t you just say he was here from the start?" She asked Brandy with a scowl.

    "Because I was trying to get you mentally ready to meet him. I''m more like a forerunner," Brandy said with a wink as she picked up Candy''s makeup bag and got busy with powdering up her face.

    "See youter," Candy said as she nced at her appearance in the mirror once again before walking out of the room nervously while her heart kept beating very fast.

    Once she got to the door of the room where Matt was waiting for her, she adjusted the strap of the ckce teddy she was wearing, and then took in a deep breath before pushing the door open.

    As it was thest time, the room was dark save for the spotlight which was on both the right and left sides of the room. She shut the door behind her and remained standing there while thinking about whether or not to follow Brandy''s advice. If she was going to get involved with Matt as she wanted to, then she had to let him know who she was and what he was getting himself involved in.

    "Hi!" Matt greeted from where he was seated nursing a ss of wine. He had thought he was going to be able to stay away from her for a long period, but he had been in a foul mood for the past couple of days since hest saw her, and somehow he had found himself here once again waiting for her. He just wanted to see her.

    "I was told you asked for me," Candy asked cautiously as she didn''t want to be ahead of herself.

    "Yes, I did."

    "Why? Are you here for my dance performance or do you want us to talk?" Candy asked in a less guarded tone this time.

    "It depends on what you want. I''m fine with whichever you choose as long as I can see you," Matt said, and Candy gave him a nod as she walked over to where the music was and turned on the yer.

    Matt sat up, expecting her to dance, but instead, she walked directly to where he was and straddled his thighs, "Let''s talk."

    *********

    Lucyy on her bed thinking about Tom and everything both he and Sonia had said. She suddenly burst into a peal of uncontrobleughter when she recalled that just earlier that morning she had lied to her parents that she was dating her boss. Sheughed so hard that tears started falling from her eyes.

    Who would have thought that she was actually saying the truth? Her subconscious had probably picked up on the resemnce between them while she was being too slow to make the connection. She should have known that something was up when she started feeling sofortable in her boss''s presence.

    Now she didn''t know how she was supposed to feel. On one hand, she was thankful that he had opened up to her about the truth, while on the other hand, she felt sad that he had broken her trust. The most annoying and painful thing about her anger was the fact that she missed his presence despite her anger.

    Another thing she found annoying was that although she was angry, she understood him and why he had done what he did. It was annoying too because she knew that if he hadn''t done it that way, they truly wouldn''t have been as close as they were at the moment, yet she couldn''t stop feeling mad that he had fooled her.

    Lucy sighed. Did it make sense that she was mad that he had broken her trust yet she also understood why he had done it and knew that she would probably have done the same in his shoes?

    Slowly her brain reyed every moment she had spent with Tom from the moment she met him and she tried to remember all they had talked about. She cringed when she remembered how she had asked that they change her driver, and how Tom had spoken to her over the phone and how she had stuttered like a fool.

    She raised both hands to her face in embarrassment when she remembered all the time she had sat in the backseat of the car like the boss, and how she had confessed to Tom that she had asked the management to change her driver.

    As annoying as the whole situation was, she had to admit to herself that it was also funny. Tom must have had a goodugh at her expense whether or not it was meant to be fun for him, Lucy thought with a sigh as shey on her bed.

    Maybe it was best she focused on the brightest side of the situation... It was better for her that he was a rich person pretending to be poor rather than a poor person pretending to be rich, right? That would definitely have been worse.

    She wasn''t sure she was willing to let him off the hook so easily after he made her feel like an idiot. She was still mad at him, even though she also wanted to be seeing him while mad at him... That is if it even made any sense.

    She was just going to have toe up with a suitable punishment for him... But that would be after she wakes up from sleep. She was too tired right now to think about anything else.. All she wanted for now was to sleep.

 Chapter 179 - Go To Hell

    While Lucy slept peacefully through the night, Tom was unable to sleep as he kept wondering what he could do to make Lucy see reasons with him. He really wanted to be with her, and he hated to think that he possibly might have ruined his chances of being with the one person he thought might be right for him simply because he had been trying to be careful not to end up with the wrong person.

    These thoughts bothered Tom so much that he tossed and turned in his bed for most of the night and only managed to doze off when it was almost dawn. He was jolted from his short sleep by the sound of his phone''s ringtone and he sat up and quickly reached for his phone hoping it was a call from Lucy.

    He sighed when he realized that the call was Harry and not Lucy, "What do you want?" Tom asked irritably immediately after he received the call.

    "I had the best night of my life making love to your sister all through the night. It was soooo hot!" Harry announced, and Tom yawned in boredom.

    "Good for you both. I''m sure you both needed to let out some steam. Now what do you want?" Tom asked dryly as hey down once again, wanting to go back to sleep.

    "You''re not bothered that I banged your sister? I mean we had sex. Like SEX," Harry spelt it out.

    "I don''t care about what you both do. Jade is an adult and she is capable of making her own decisions. If she decides she wants to have sex with a boring workaholic like you, then that''s her business," Tom said, making Harry scowl.

    "For your information, I''m not boring. Besides, I was just kidding. I didn''t have sex with her," Harry quickly corrected, and Tom shut his eyes wearily.

    "You are boring. Ask her. And for your information I also know that you didn''t have sex with her. You''re too much of a gentleman to have sex with her. And even if you did, I''m sure you wouldn''t tell me about it. So quit fooling around and..."

    Harry''s brows creased with a frown, "What do you mean by I''m too much of a gentleman to have sex with her?" Harry cut in before he could finish.

    "I''m not in a very good mood right now, and even if I was I would rather talk about something that doesn''t involve sex and my sister in the same sentence," Tom said irritably.

    "Why? Did something happen?" Harry asked in a serious tone as he sat up on the bed.

    Tom briefly considered telling Harry about his issue with Lucy but decided to leave that forter in the day, "I''m not in the mood to talk about it right now. What''s up with you? How''s Jade?"

    "I''m fine. She''s fine. We are fine. Her apartment is too tiny so we had to move to the reserved suite at the hotel. We would be staying here for the time being, at least until her case is over. Don''t worry, we won''t be sharing a bed."

    Tom rolled his eyes, "That''s fine."

    "Anyway, I called to remind you of the important meetings you have to attend today, and to also let you know that I was supposed to be at Ocean Airlines today, but since I''m not avable you''d have to go there yourself," Harry exined.

    "Ocean Airlines? We were there just some days ago. What are you going there for again?" Tomined with a scowl as he was not in the mood to run into Anita or anyone that remotely looked like her.

    "Yes, we were there for the official handover thest time, but this time it is different. I already sent the details of all the meetings you''re to attend today to your email. You can check it out after the call. Enough about work, how is Lucy? I hope she is feeling better now?" Harry asked, changing the subject.

    "She''s okay. That reminds me, ask the realtor to hold off the sale of the house for the meantime," Tom pleaded.

    "I told you so yesterday, yet you insisted I ask them to put it up for sale!" Harry hissed at Tom.

    "Yeah. I know. I''m sorry. Something came up, so just ask them to hold on, okay? I will exin everything to youter," Tom promised.

    "That''s fine. I hope you''re getting dressed for work already? Your first meeting is by 9 AM," Harry reminded him, making Tom turn to nce at the bedside clock.

    He groaned when he saw that the time was past 7 AM already, and he needed to start preparing to leave for work if he was going to be there on time for his first meeting. Now he regretted asking Harry to leave. He could have easily slept in assuming Harry was around.

    "Get yourzy bones off the bed! You''ll learn to appreciate me more after now," Harry said with a chuckle when he heard Tom''s groan.

    "Go to hell," Tom said, not feeling the least bit enthusiastic about leaving his bed.

    "You too. Have a lovely day at work, boss," Harry added with a hint ofughter in his voice and Tom hung up in annoyance.

    Once he hung up the call, Tom remained on the bed with his eyes shut as he tried to n his movement for the day. Was Lucy going to be at work? Probably not. He knew the waydies often reacted to stuff like this. She was likely going to want to take a couple of days off to sort out her thoughts and feelings. He hoped she wasn''t going to quit her job because of their personal rtionship.

    He contemted whether or not he should call or text her, and then shook his head. Maybe it would be best if he let her be. Giving her time toe to terms with everything would probably be better for them both.

    Tom groaned when his cellphone started ringing again and without checking who was calling he received the call, "Can you just leave me alone?" He asked irritably, thinking it was Harry.

    "Perhaps I should," Lucy said, and Tom sat up immediately he heard her voice.

    "No, no. Not you. You shouldn''t! I wasn''t talking to you. I thought it was Harry," Tom quickly corrected, feeling surprised and also relieved to be hearing from Lucy so soon.

    "I''m runningte, are you picking me up, or have you tendered your resignation letter already?" Lucy asked, ignoring his exnation.

    Tom''s heart skipped a beat as he got off the bed, "What?" He asked in surprise.

    "You''re still my driver, are you not?" Lucy asked, and without waiting for his response she added, "I''m waiting for you to pick me up," having said that Lucy hung up the call, and adjusted the sses on the bridge of her nose.

 Chapter 180 - Punishment

    For the first time in the twelve years since Tom started driving, he drove recklessly and managed to arrive at Lucy''s apartment exactly thirty minutes after her phone call to him. How he had managed to brush, bathe, and dress up in that short time frame, was probably going to be one of the top wonders of the world.

    Not sure of what to expect, Tom took in a deep breath as he raised his hand to knock on her door, but before his knuckles could connect with the door, the doorknob turned, and then the door was pulled open from the inside. The first thing he noticed about Lucy was that she had tied her hair in a ponytail and her sses were back on.

    They both stared at each other without saying a word as they both thought about the previous evening and how they had been so happy to see each other and had even embraced in the open. Who would have thought that things would be awkward between them less than twenty-four hourster?

    "Sorry I''mte," Tom said, breaking the silence.

    Without saying a word to him, Lucy stepped out of her house and locked the door before walking past him and heading for the car. Tom watched her in confusion and followed her without knowing what to do. She didn''t want to talk to him? Why then had she called him? What was her n? He had thought that she wasn''t going to want to show her face at the office or set eyes on him, so what was she nning to do? He wondered as he followed her to the car.

    Lucy ignored Tom who was directly behind her as she got into the backseat of the car. She sat down directly behind the driver''s seat and buckled her seatbelt while waiting for him to get into the car. Although she could sense his confusion, she wasn''t bothered by it. After having a restful night''s sleep, she had woken up early that morning and had spent the early hours of dawn plotting and nning his punishment. This was all she coulde up with.

    Tom took in a deep breath as he got into the driver''s seat, and then turned in his seat to look at her, "Lu..."

    "We are going to bete," Lucy said, cutting off whatever he wanted to say.

    She was right, they were going to bete, Tom thought when he checked the time on the car''s dashboard and saw that it was almost 8 AM. He still needed to get to the office and go through the email which Harry had sent him, before attending the series of meetings that were already lined up for him.

    Regardless of the constraint of time, he wanted to talk to her, but seeing that she wasn''t willing to talk to him yet, he gave her a nod and turned on the car''s ignition before driving off.

    Lucy reached for her cellphone in her handbag when she heard it beep with a message notification. She eyed the text warily when she clicked on it and saw that it was a text message from Anita reminding her to let her know when she would be free for them to hang outter in the day.

    For a moment there, she had almost forgotten about Anita, and now that she was reminded, she became worried. Getting involved with Tom now that she knew that he was the CEO who Anita wanted, was going to be trouble for her. Anita wasn''t the type of person that she wanted to go against.

    She had always thought that what she wanted was to be single and not get involved with men. She couldn''t believe that just when she had finally met someone she was interested in and had realized that she liked him enough to want to get involved with him, it was going to be a veryplicated rtionship.

    Lucy nced at Tom''s reflection in the rearview mirror and she sighed inwardly. Why couldn''t he just be a driver? Why did he have to be a wealthy CEO? She didn''t know what she was going to do about any of this, especially about Anita. This was going to be a very stressful rtionship for her.

    Once Tom drove the car into thepany''s parking lot and turned off the ignition after parking the car he turned to look at Lucy, "Can we at least talk about it?" He pleaded even though he knew he was going to bete for his meeting.

    "What do you want us to talk about?" Lucy asked innocently without looking directly into his face. She feared that if she did, her resolve to stay mad at him might weaken, and she didn''t want to give in so easily.

    "Maybe you could tell me how you feel? What you are thinking?" Tom asked hopefully.

    "Which is your true personality? The cold Thomas Hank? Or the easygoing Tom Handy?" Lucy asked curiously.

    "Both. I am both depending on who and what I''m dealing with. I didn''t get to where I am by being easygoing," Tom exined, and Lucy gave him a nod.

    She took in a deep breath, "I can''t say I''m not mad at you. I''m very mad at you, but I''m even more disappointed and hurt that you lied to me and broke my trust..." Lucy started, and Tom nodded in understanding.

    "Although trusting you might note easy to me again. However, you''re the only friend I have here, and I don''t think I want to lose our friendship over this."

    "I want you to trust me, Lu. I know I might have lied to you in the past, but you shouldn''t also forget that I told you the truth myself, didn''t I?"

    "And that singr act of honesty is the only reason I''m still willing to be friends with you, trust me," Lucy said, and Tom''s brows pulled together in a frown.

    What did she mean by friends? "I don''t want to be just friends with you, Lu. I didn''t do all of this just to end up bing friends with you," Tom said with a mildly annoyed expression, and Lucy had to hold back her smile.

    "Well, I guess we will have to see how it goes from here," Lucy said with a shrug, and Tom looked at her with a confused frown.

    "What do you mean?"

    "Seeing all the stress you must have gone through just to deceive me, I guess this must be very important to you. So the only condition in which I can forgive you is that you have to remain my driver and neighbor," Lucy said and waited for it to sink in.

    "You want me to keep being your driver?" Tom asked in confusion.

    "Yes. I''m in a temporary rtionship with Tom, my driver. Not the CEO. I want it to remain that way. You can maintain your two personalities. You haven''t told Mr. Harry about this, have you?" Lucy asked curiously.

    "Not yet..."

    "Good. You can''t tell him I know the truth now. I have to pay him back for toying with me," Lucy said, and Tom shrugged. Harry deserved that.

    "So? Am I to assume that you have forgiven me?" Tom asked hopefully.

    "We will see about that. See you in the office," Lucy said with a wave as she opened the door and quickly got out of the car before Tom could ask her any other question.

    Lucy had a small smile on her face as she headed for her office. With Tom still pretending to be her driver, she could date himfortably while also buying herself enough time to find out exactly what it was Anita wanted from her this time. She would use this opportunity to also find out the best way to make sure Anita doesn''t be a problem for her.. If she was going to date someone like Tom, then she needed to be a step ahead of people like Anita.

 Chapter 181 - Good Girl

    Jade raised her head from herptop when she heard the knock on her bedroom door, "Yeah? You cane in," she said, and returned her attention to herptop since she could tell that it was Harry knocking on her door.

    Harry who was still dressed in his blue nnel pajamas opened the door and walked into the bedroom. He did a double-take when he saw Jade seated in the center of her bed with documents sprawled all over the bed, and herptop in front of her.

    "Did you even sleep a winkst night?" Harry asked with a frown. He knew that he was a workaholic, but this? This was just too much, and he didn''t like it one bit.

    "I tried," Jade said with a yawn as she raised her head to meet his gaze.

    When he saw her for the first time yesterday he had thought that she looked like a hybrid panda, but today she looked more like a zombie, "You slept for how many hours?" Harry asked as he made his way to her bed with a displeased frown.

    "I don''t know. Maybe an hour or less. Why do you ask?" Jade asked as she set aside some of the documents so that she could get off the bed. Once she stood up, she groaned loudly as she stretched out her body, and it made cracking sounds.

    Harry noticed the way her ck silk satin nightdress which stopped on her mid-thigh, rode up her smooth thighs as she stretched, and he looked away from her, "You need a break. You have to take a break from all of this. You are overworking yourself and at this rate, you''re not going to be conscious or sane enough to make an appearance in court," Harry said in a stern tone as he shut herptop and started packing the documents which were scattered on the bed.

    "I need to be prepared to appear in court in the first ce," Jade protested as she tried to take the documents from him, but Harry stepped away from her.

    "I don''t know about the judge, but I won''t trust the words of awyer that looks as sleep-deprived as you. When was thest time you did something that wasn''t rted to a case? When was thest time you hung out with your friends and spent an evening just watching a television show?" Harry asked as he continued picking up the documents while Jade followed him around the room.

    "I only have colleagues, no friends. And I do watch CSI Miami and Law & Order," Jade said defensively.

    "Yeah, maybe if you spend your time doing things other than work, you''d have friends. And I''m sure while watching those television shows you were busy thinking about your case," Harry countered.

    "I never imagined you would be such a nag. Look, I was nning to go to a beauty salon yesterday before your call came in," Jade said defensively, and Harry turned to look at her.

    "So what changed? You were too scared to step out of your apartment after the little present you received on your doorstep?" Harry taunted softly, knowing that if he could annoy her with that, she would want to prove him wrong.

    Jade raised her chin defensively, "I became busy with looking for more evidence to nail those fuckers, and then you showed up and I haven''t found the time to do that since then," Jade hissed at him even though she knew he was right. She had been too scared to step out of her apartment after the warning she had received. She would rather swallow her tongue than admit to him that she had been so scared until he arrived.

    Harry took in a deep breath as he dropped the documents on the bed and faced her, cing both hands on her shoulder and staring directly into her eyes, "How about you let old uncle Harry take care of you for today? Let''s spend the day doing things that don''t concern your case, while we wait to hear from my men, okay?" Harry asked wiggling his brows yfully, and Jade''s lips twitched in amusement as she looked at him.

    She had to admit that he had a beautiful pair of honey-brown eyes, "You''re not my uncle, and you''re definitely not old," Jade pointed out as she broke her gaze from hispelling eyes.

    "It doesn''t matter. I''m here to make sure you''re okay, and your physical wellbeing is part of it. Right now you don''t look so good," Harry said, and Jade stared at him for a moment, and then she gave him a nod.

    "Fine."

    "That wasn''t so hard now, was it?" Harry asked with a grin as he let go of her shoulders, "So freshen up, while I go in to do the same. Let''s meet in..." Harry turned around to nce at the wall clock which was hanging over the bed, "Let''s meet in the living room by 8:30. That means we have forty-five minutes to get ready for breakfast," Harry said as he picked up theptop and documents from the bed, and turned to leave.

    "Where are you going to with those?" Jade asked as she stepped in front of him, pointing to theptop and documents he was carrying.

    "To keep them away from you. You don''t leave drugs with an addict," Harry said with a small smile, "Don''t worry, I will keep them safe. You will get them back by this time tomorrow," Harry assured her when he saw the worry in her eyes.

    Jade heaved a deep breath, "Okay."

    "Good girl," Harry said with a small smile as he headed for the door while Jade watched him leave.

    Although he could be annoyingly blunt, he wasn''t so bad. At least he was very good-looking, and he was also very wealthy too. She also knew that he could be charming when he wanted to be, so why was he single? Jade wondered, and then giggled when she recalled what he had said about his mouth being his problem. Surely that was a big problem, Jade thought with a shake of her head as she took off her nightdress and walked into the bathroom in the room.

    It would probably be best to spend her day getting to know old uncle Harry since she was obviously stuck with him for the next couple of days. Who knows? Maybe before the end of their time together she could hook him up with someone.. That was if he didn''t ruin it by saying something stupid, Jade thought with another giggle.

 Chapter 182 - Cute

    Sonia''s eyes fluttered open slowly, and she blinked in surprise when the first thing she saw was Bryan''s blue eyes gazing directly into her face with an amused smile.

    "Good morning, beautiful. Seeing how soundly you slept with all that snoring sounds you made, I''m sure you slept well," Bryan greeted with a cheerful smile as he leaned forward and brushed her lips with his.

    "I don''t snore. How long have you been staring at me?" Sonia asked with a scowl, trying not to look too embarrassed at the thought that he had been watching her while she slept.

    "Long enough to know that you dreamt of me. You kept calling my name in your sleep," Bryan said with a grin.

    Sonia hit his arm in embarrassment as she sat up, "I didn''t dream of you, and I know I didn''t call out your name either. When did I sleep off anyway?" She asked, turning to look around for herptop and jotter. She remembered that she had been working on her storyst night.

    The previous evening Sonia had remained sullen while trying to get Bryan to apologize to her, but Bryan had remained bullheaded about it and had tried to convince her that she was making a big deal out of nothing. Being Sonia, she hade around, and then they both decided not to talk about Lucy and Tom until the next day when their heads were clear. So after having dinner, Bryan had busied himself with checking his social media page and readingments concerning their reality show, while Sonia had busied herself with her story.

    "You dozed off while working. You need to thank me for exercising a high level of self-control by not going through that story while you slept. I was very tempted to sneak a peek," Bryan said, and Sonia looked at him suspiciously.

    "How can I be sure you didn''t?"

    "Because I don''t tell lies. I either say the truth or choose to stay quiet and withhold the truth," Bryan said, and Sonia considered his words carefully, trying to think about anytime he could have lied to her.

    Sonia''s face lit up when she remembered something, "You lied to everyone that we are in a rtionship and we are engaged," Sonia pointed out triumphantly.

    "Did I propose to you or not?" Bryan countered.

    "But you lied that we are in a rtionship?" Sonia pointed out.

    "I didn''t. You did. You were the one who was busy granting so many interviews and telling so many lies that you made my head spin," Bryan countered even though he knew he had lied to his family.

    Sonia narrowed her eyes, "But you lied during our interview," Sonia said usingly, and Bryan rolled his eyes.

    "All this argument simply because I asked you to thank me for not reading your story?" He asked in disbelief, "You should probably have studiedw," Bryan said with a shake of his head.

    "So you really didn''t read the story?" Sonia asked, disregarding all he had just said.

    "You asked me not to. So I didn''t read the story. But I did see your scribblings on the journal though," Bryan said with a grin, and Sonia''s eyes widened in dismay, making him chuckle, "You didn''t say I couldn''t read your journal..." Bryan protested with a chuckle when Sonia pounced on him.

    "It is basic manners to not read a person''s journal," Sonia hissed at him, and suddenly giggled when he tickled her waist, "Stop that! I''m mad at you!" She said, unable to stop herughter when he continued to tickle her. She squirmed away from his hands, and put some distance between them so she could re at him without distraction.

    "Fine. I''m sorry. The journal was open, and when my eyes fell on my name I couldn''t resist the urge to check it out to see what you had written about me," Bryan said with an apologetic smile, but she didn''t miss the mirth which was dancing in his eyes.

    "Don''t evenugh or think about talking about it," Sonia warned when she noticed the subtle twitching of Bryan''s lips.

    "But why?" Bryan asked as his body shook withughter.

    Sonia picked up the pillow closest to her and threw it at him in embarrassment as she tried to roll off the bed, but Bryan caught her before she could leave.

    "You know you''re cute when you act this way?" Bryan asked as he held her in ce while she kept trying to get off him.

    She knew very well what he had seen. While plotting her story she had been distracted for a moment that she had written his name and had drawn hearts all of it. She had gone as far as making a caricature drawing of the both of them with some embarrassing naughty dialogues in the boxes.

    "Shut up," Sonia warned, but it only seemed to make himugh the more.

    "There''s nothing to be embarrassed about," Bryan said with a chuckle when she jabbed his sides with her elbow. He had been waiting for her to wake up so that he could tease her over it, and he was really having fun right now seeing how embarrassed she looked. The wait had been worth it.

    "Fine. I will just pretend I didn''t see anything," Bryan promised with a grin as he kissed her cheeks and her forehead. They both remained silent for a while until Sonia broke the silence.

    "So what do you suggest we do about your brother and Lucy?" Sonia whose head was now resting on Bryan''s chest asked as theyy on the bed, while Bryan patted her back and drew circles on it with his finger.

    "You could try convincing your friend to forgive my brother. He really means her no harm," Bryan said as he moved his hand to cup her ass. He squeezed gently, making Sonia sigh softly as she snuggled closer to him.

    "Naughty girl," Bryan teased as he spanked her ass softly, and Sonia giggled

    "And what about Anita? What if she finds out who he is andes back wanting him? How can we be sure that your brother wouldn''t leave Lucy and go to her?" Sonia asked curiously.

    "You mean his gold-digging ex? Tom doesn''t care about her. He wouldn''t go through all this stress to get Lucy, just to leave her for a golddigger like Anita, trust me. I know my brother, and he cares about your best friend," Bryan assured her.

    "If you say so. I will call her and try to talk to her. We should probably start getting ready, they will all be here soon," Sonia said as she tried to get off the bed, but Bryan held her in ce.

    "Tom wants to speak with you. He needs both your help and your advice," Bryan exined.

    "Let''s talk to them both after we freshen up. We will both talk to Lucy together, and then we can talk to your brother," Sonia suggested as she got off the bed and headed for the bathroom.

    "Sounds like a good n," Bryan said with a nod as he rolled off the bed and stood on both feet, "Babe? I was waiting to show you this," Bryan said with a grin.

    "What?" Sonia asked as she turned to look at him, and then her eyes rounded in surprise when she realized what he was showing her, "It doesn''t hurt to stand on it anymore?" Sonia asked, looking at his ankle.

    "Nope," Bryan said as he slowly walked towards her still favoring his ankle, "Let''s shower together," he suggested with a wink.

 Chapter 183 - Set Up

    Candy who had just finished preparing a breakfast of sausage french toast quickly washed her hands and picked up a napkin to dry them as she hurried to the door when she heard the sound of her doorbell. She didn''t need to ask to know who it was as the only person she was expecting was Matt.

    Once she opened the door, a smile split her facial features when she saw Matt standing there dressed in a gray-colored long-sleeved turtle neck top and ck jean trouser and holding up a bouquet in front of him, "I didn''t know which you would prefer," Matt said with an apologetic smile.

    "So you decided to get a mix of them," Candy observed as she received the bouquet from him which consisted of tulips, sunflowers, daisies, and roses, "Thank you. It''s beautiful," she assured him as she held open the door for him to walk in.

    Although she had wanted them to talk the previous evening, the music had proven to be too loud and the environment unsuitable for such a serious conversation to hold, hence she had invited him over to her house for breakfast instead.

    "Where is Jamal, and Andy?" Matt asked, looking around the apartment as he stepped inside.

    "He went to school already, and Andy is out visiting a friend. I''m still busy fixing breakfast so you''d have to give me for a moment to wrap up," Candy said as she headed for the kitchen with the flower in hand.

    "Little wonder the whole ce smells delicious," Matt said with a small smile, "Perhaps I should join you in the kitchen if you don''t mind. I''d love to see what smells this nice," Matt said as he followed her into the kitchen.

    "Can you cook?" Candy asked as she reached for a flower vase in one of the cupboards, and after cing the flowers in the vase, she dropped it on the center of the round table in the kitchen.

    "Sure. Do you need me to help you with something?" Matt asked as he looked around her very homely kitchen which reminded him so much of his grandmother''s kitchen, especially with the cookie jar sitting on the center of the table, and the tray of Sausage french toast beside it.

    "Nah. I''m fine. Just sit still while I clean up and set the table. What would you like to have? Coffee? Tea?"

    "Coffee," Matt said as he pulled out one of the four chairs which were around the table and sat on it, "This looks nice," Matt said as he reached into the tray to pick up a toast. He stopped halfway when he noticed the stern look on Candy''s face as she watched him, "Sorry," he said with an apologetic smile as he dropped his hands.

    "You behave like my grandmother," Matt muttered with a yful scowl, and Candy smiled.

    "You behave like Jamal," Candy said with an amused smile as she took out a cup and rinsed it, "You want it ck or with cream?" She asked as she poured him a cup of coffee

    "ck. You know, after thest time you threw me out of your home I never expected I would be seated here in your kitchen watching you fix me a cup of coffee with a smile on your face," Matt said with a shake of his head as he watched her.

    Candy turned to look at him, holding the cup of coffee with both hands, "Well, I didn''t exactly throw you out. Besides, if you never expected that, howe you showed up at the club again despite everything I said to you?" She asked with a slightly raised brow as she approached him with his cup of coffee.

    "Perhaps I was trying my luck to see if you would have a change of mind. I''m d you did. Thanks," Matt said as he took the coffee from her.

    "I''m sorry I was harsh," Candy apologized as she poured herself a cup of tea and came to sit on the chair opposite him at the table, "You can have as much toast as you want now," Candy said as she picked up a roll and bit into it.

    "Thanks. I don''t know if my ego was more hurt by all you said and did, or if it was my heart that got hurt. You were really mean getting off that bed and asking me not to bother you again," Matt said with a shake of his head as he picked up a roll of toast and bit into it.

    Candy sighed as she looked at him, "I did what I had to do. You could be in danger simply by associating with me. Fuck, we might all be in danger already," Candy said with sad eyes.

    "So you didn''t think that being in a rtionship with anyone might put you in danger before signing up on that dating site? Or is the danger specific to dating just me?" Matt asked as he eyed her over the rim of his cup as he raised it to his lips and took a sip.

    "That''s not the point of all this. Sure, anyone could be in danger by associating with me, but this would be worse because you are a public figure. I and my family will be at risk of being found out because of your high profile. Jamal''s father is a very dangerous man, and I just really want you to have a fair idea of what you''re getting up against if you really decide to pursue a rtionship with me. It would be unfair of me to allow you blindly get involved with me," Candy exined, and then raised a finger to stop him before he could say anything.

    "Listen, Matt. If I date you, our business bes public business. If Jero or any of his men sees a picture of me with you, they can easily find out where I am by following you. These people won''t hesitate to kill you just so that they can get to me, trust me. I''ve been hiding from them for the past two years with good reason," Candy exined desperately wanting him to understand the implication of being with her. Thest thing she wanted was to get involved with him now only for him to regret it months down the line.

    "And you don''t think that maybe it is high time you stopped running from them and deal with it once and for all?" Matt asked with a concerned frown.

    "You think I''m running just because I have long legs and love to exercise them? I don''t have what it takes to fight them, so I have to run. I chose to studyw because of them, hoping that some day I might be able to do more than just run for the sake of Jamal. I need him to have a normal life like every kid his age and not always have to be on the move," Candy exined with a sigh.

    "Then you need me in your life, Candy. Allow me to protect you and Jamal," Matt offered as he stood up from where he was seated and took a step towards her.

    "As what? You don''t even know what you want from me yet, do you? We had good sex and maybe that''s what you are still after. You shouldn''t risk your life trying to protect us when you don''t even know whether or not you love me," Candy pointed out when Matt stopped in front of her and dragged another chair closer to her before turning her seat so that she was directly facing him.

    "Don''t do that, Candace. Don''t trivialize what we share. We both know that what we have is much deeper than mere sex. I liked you even before I had that awesome sex with you, and you know it! Yes, I would love to have you under the sheets with me again, but don''t try to make it sound like sex is all there is between us," Matt said, sounding mildly offended as he looked into her eyes.

    "Fine. Let''s assume it''s more than sex. Dating me would still be dangerous. Why date an exotic dancer like me who is a single mother and also has danger lurking all around her, when you can date someone more sexy and ssy with an uplicated past?" Candy asked as she looked away from him.

    "Why don''t you let me worry about the whys?" Matt asked as he ced a finger under her chin so that she would look at him.

    "You still can''t protect me from them, Matt. As a matter of fact you''re going to be needing all the protection you can get if Jero finds out about you. I''ve watched Jero chop off a man''s fingers merely because he touched me," Candy said with fear in her eyes and Matt dropped his hand from her chin and raised his fingers to look at them.

    "I love my fingers. It would be such a shame to have them chopped off," he said, making Candy smile, "If I may ask, how did you get involved with someone as dangerous as Jamal''s father anyway?" Matt asked curiously, and Candy sighed as she raised her cup of tea to her lips and took a sip from it while Matt patiently waited for her response to his question.

    "After Andy and I left the orphanage home where we were raised, we took up waitressing jobs at a bar. Jero was one of the regr patrons at the bar where we worked and he acted like a perfect gentleman. He took me out on a couple of dates, and he lied to me about the nature of his job. When he found out I was pregnant for him, he said I and Andy could move in with him since he had a spare bedroom and that would save us the extra money we spent paying for rent," Candy exined, and paused to take a bite from her toast.

    "Can''t the toast wait?" Matt asked with a frown, wondering how she could eat when they were having such an important conversation.

    "It can''t. I like my toast hot and crispy," Candy said as she chewed.

    "Anyway, I was in love with him and was really eager to start a family of my own, being an orphan, so I agreed. I was able to convince Andy and we both moved in with him. Next he asked that we quit working at the bar. He insisted that he could take care of all our needs, and he didn''t like the idea that pretty girls like us would be out there and different men would be ogling at us. Andy protested, but once again I managed to convince her to quit. We both quit our jobs, and soon ran out of our savings and had to rely on Jero for all our needs. Next thing we know he''sining about how we are bothzy and can''t do anything. He soon starts forcing Andy to meet with some of his bosses and sleeping with them for money. When she fails to do it, he hits her and sometimes locks her up without food. When I protest he locks me up too. But he never raised his hands on me... He loved me too much to hit me," Candy said in an emotionless voice.

    "As time went on, he became more and more possessive of me especially after I had Jamal. The more possessive he became, the more annoying, controlling, and abusive he became too."

    "Why didn''t you both just leave?" Matt asked in confusion.

    "We didn''t have enough money. Every time we managed to save up some, he would always find out where the money was, and he would steal it thus leaving us incapacitated. He also threatened us that we could never get away from him. Once when Andy tried to run away she was caught by some of his men a few hourster," Candy said with a shrug.

    "So how have you been able to hide away from him for so long?" Matt asked, and Candy turned to look at him with nk eyes.

    "We sent him to jail. I and Andy mixed the stash of drugs he kept at home with some poisonous chemicals. So when he gave it to those kids and they died, I supplied thewyer with all the evidence she needed to send him to jail and I testified against him in exchange for my freedom. He knows I set him up," Candy confessed, and Matt blinked at her in surprise.

    "You mean you killed those kids?" He asked in confusion.

    "No, I didn''t kill them. They killed themselves. They would have died sooner orter at the rate they were going. I never asked them to be drug addicts or to get drugs from Jero. They were merely victims of our quest for freedom from that monster. I''m not good, Matt. And neither am I innocent. There is nothing I wouldn''t do to keep my sister and son safe. Nothing.. I''m telling you all of this so that you can make up your mind whether or not you want to be with someone like me."

 Chapter 184 - Frustrated

    "You are not listening to me, are you?" The managing director of I-Global healthcare and pharmaceuticals asked with a wave of his right hand when Tom just kept staring at him with a puzzled frown on his face.

    The middle-aged man with a receding hairline had been surprised when he walked into the CEO''s office and saw Tom lookingpletely different from what he knew him to be. Seeing how distracted the usually sharp-witted CEO was, he could tell that his mind was very far away from whatever was going on in the office.

    Tom blinked at the director when he waved a hand in front of him, "I''m sorry. What did you say?" Tom asked with a shake of his head, feeling slightly embarrassed that he had been caught in his distracted state.

    "If I''m not crossing the line, we could always leave the meeting for some other time. It''s not something urgent, and I don''t think you are in any state for a work-rted conversation," The director suggested.

    "You are right. I''m sorry," Tom said, still feeling very apologetic.

    This was so unlike him. Before meeting Lucy he had been all about his business and making money. Not even Anita or the otherdies he had dated had captured his attention to the point of distraction in this manner. Lucy was really messing with his mind, Tom thought in frustration.

    The director smiled knowingly, "I know that look. Woman problem?" He asked curiously since the CEO wasn''t known to be in a rtionship with anyone. Not that they knew much about the CEO anyway. The CEO always kept to himself and in the four years since he had been working in thepany he had only seen him a couple of times, as most of his meetings were usually with Harry, and the only time they saw the CEO was during board meetings. He had been surprised when he went to Harry''s office for the meeting, and Harry''s secretary informed him that he would be meeting with the CEO and not Harry.

    Tom looked at the director for a moment, "You are married with two girls, right?" Tom asked, and the man looked at him, a little taken aback that Tom knew that much about him.

    "How did you know?"

    "Shouldn''t I know that much about my directors?" Tom asked, and the man smiled at him. Pleased that although Tom wasn''t a very present CEO, he at least cared enough about the directors of hispany to know such details about their life.

    "If you don''t mind me asking, how long have you been married?" Tom asked curiously.

    "My wife and I dated for three years, and we have been married for fifteen years

    So we''ve been together for eighteen years," the director responded with a proud smile.

    "That''s nice. How do you resolve conflict with your wife?" Tom asked, and the director chuckled as he thought of his wife.

    "I think it depends on the nature of the conflict. When I''m wrong, which ording to general women psychology men are always in the wrong, I apologize to her and buy her expensive gifts that she likes. I take her out on dates and just try to make her butter her up," he said with a shrug.

    "But the most important thing is that you must talk about it. Unlike men, women love to talk about things and trash out issues. She might yell and cry and even hit you, but allow her vent. I think the first step in getting her to stop being mad at you is letting her exhaust all the anger inside her. When you know how she feels, you understand better how to fix whatever is wrong," the director added before standing up.

    Tom thought about it for a moment and gave him a nod, "I think that is very helpful. Thank you very much, and I''m sorry once again for not paying attention to all you said," Tom said with an apologetic smile.

    "Don''t worry about it. Ipletely understand," the director assured him, "We can just reschedule. I hope things work out well with her," he said with a polite smile as he turned to leave.

    "Thanks for your time," Tom said as he watched him leave.

    Once he was left alone in his office, Tom heaved a deep breath. This was bad. He had it really bad for Lucy. If she had decided not to talk to him he would have understood that. If she had also decided to take some time off work and not evene to the office he would have also understood that as well. But asking him to keep pretending to be her driver? That was something that he still couldn''t understand no matter how much time he spent thinking about it.

    The only question he had been asking himself all morning was what Lucy had up her sleeves.

    Now that she was probably over most of her anger why couldn''t she look at the bright side of things? Wasn''t she supposed to be happy that her boyfriend wasn''t actually a driver but a wealthy CEO? Why was she more particr about him remaining her driver? Did she have something against wealthy guys? How was his keeping up the pretense of being her driver going to help her in any way? What was she going to achieve from it? Or was this a sort of punishment? Probably her own way of getting back at him for deceiving her? Tom wondered as his eyes moved to therge wall clock in his office.

    He still had about thirty minutes before his second meeting of the day and he was yet to go through the email which Harry had sent. How was he supposed to concentrate on his job if Lucy was on his mind this way, Tom wondered with a worried frown on his face as he stared with unseeing eyes at the email which was disyed on hisptop''s screen while still wondering what Lucy was up to.

    He couldn''t reschedule all his meetings as he had just done now. He needed a clear mind to be able to attend the other meetings. And more than that he needed to resolve this issue with Lucy which was messing with his focus. Maybe it would be best if tried reasoning with her once more before his next appointment, he thought as he dialed Lucy''s office line.

    Lucy who was seated outside the office with a pen in hand as she tried to plot her next move concerning Tom''s punishment as well as dealing with Anita, raised her head when her inte buzzed. Lucy stood up at once and walked over to Tom''s office door. She knocked on the office door softly and opened the door when he gave the go-ahead toe in.

    Lucy stepped into the office and stood by the door without shutting it, and to Tom''s utter frustration she bowed her head as she had always done each time she walked into his office in the past as if she was scared to look at him.

    Oh, for christ''s sake! "Lu..."

    "You sent for me sir," Lucy cut him off, reminding him that he was her boss at the moment and not her driver, so he should address her appropriately.

    Tom stood up and stepped away from his desk as he approached her, "Can''t we just cut this out? Let''s talk things over, please," Tom said in a pleading tone.

    "Did you want something, SIR?" Lucy asked once again without meeting his gaze, indirectly asking him to stick to business.

    Tom sighed. This was going to be very frustrating, "I have a meeting with the CEO of Happy Homes Interiors and the managing director of I-Global hotels and resorts. They should be here thirty minutes or less. Let them in when they get here," Tom said, and Lucy gave him a bow.

    Although she was tempted to ask him why he was the one telling her about his schedule when she was his assistant, Lucy decided to take that up with Harry instead. She was certain he was the one who was responsible for the CEO''s to-do list, so she was just going to ask him to send it to her. He wanted her to be his personal assistant, she was going to do a good job of it.

    "Is that all, sir?" Lucy asked politely as she raised her head to look at him.

    "Can''t we talk this over? We should be able to reach a sort ofpromise. I''m notfortable with the mustache or the hair. How about I just open up to the entire public and let everyone know what I look like?" Tom asked when he stopped in front of her.

    "If that is all I would like to return to what I was doing, sir," Lucy said with a polite bow and turned to walk out of the office but Tom grabbed her arm before she could leave.

    "I''ve said I''m sorry..."

    "I have told you I''m in a rtionship sir, and my boyfriend is not going to like that you''re touching me this way," Lucy said with a straight face as though she wasn''t listening to anything he was saying, making Tom wonder whether she was suffering from a case of multiple personality disorder.

    Wasn''t he her boyfriend! Why was she acting like they were two different people? "I''ve told you that I''m sorry. You even said you understood my reasons for doing what I did, so why are you bent on frustrating me? What else should I do to make it up to you?" Tom asked desperately as she tried to shake off his hand.

    "I don''t know what you are talking about. And I''ve told you already that I''m not interested in you. Now if that''s all I would like to return to my desk as I have...,"

    "Ahem!"

    The rest of Lucy''s words trailed off when they heard the sound of someone clearing her throat outside the door, and she quickly spun around to see who it was.

    Lucy''s heart skipped a beat when she saw Anita standing by her desk, and she quickly snatched her arm from Tom''s grip, "I have to get back to my desk sir," Lucy said with a bow as she quickly stepped out of the office and shut the door.

    How was she going to face Anita now? She wasn''t ready for this yet, Lucy thought as she tried to mentally recall her conversation with Tom in her head to see if she had said anything wrong.

    "Hi!" She said, shing Anita an awkward smile as she wondered just how much of their conversation Anita must have heard.

 Chapter 185 - Great!

    "Good morning, Lucy. I''m so sorry I came in unannounced and barged in on you like this. You didn''t respond to my text, so I decided to stop by and see how you''re doing," Anita said with her usual smile while she watched Lucy''s face closely.

    "You could have saved yourself the stress ofing all the way here by just calling," Lucy pointed out with a smile of her own as she sat down on her seat while watching Anita closely and trying to discern what she was up to now.

    "Well, I''m here already so I guess it doesn''t matter," Anita said with a shortugh as she took the seat opposite Lucy, "So what was that about?" She asked with an innocent smile on her face as she jerked her head in the direction of Tom''s office.

    "What was what about?" Lucy asked looking at her with an innocent expression. Lucy was d now that she had been ying dumb with Tom a while ago, else Anita would have heard everything and found out who Tom was before she had enough time to equip herself to fight her.

    The smile remained on Anita''s face as she watched Lucy y dumb. She needed to find out what the CEO had been apologizing to Lucy for as soon as possible. She had guessed that something was going on between the CEO and Lucy considering all the attention the CEO had bestowed on Lucy in front of them at Ocean Airlines the other day, but today she had heard enough to know that something was definitely going on between Lucy and the CEO. The only challenge was that she didn''t know exactly what was going on between them. Although one thing she knew for sure was that Lucy wasn''t interested in the CEO, and she intended to keep it that way, at least until she was able to convince the CEO that he was giving his attention to the wrong person.

    "Were you just having an argument with the boss?" Anita asked, even though she knew that such a direct question was beneath her. It was uncouth of her to show interest in a conversation that wasn''t her business. Especially one that she had eavesdropped on.

    "No, we weren''t having an argument. You probably misunderstood us," Lucy said, and picked up her phone when it vibrated with a text message notification, "Give me a moment," Lucy told Anita politely as she clicked on the text from Tom.

    The text read, ''What is she doing here?''

    "It''s a text from my boyfriend," she informed Anita with a small smile before returning her attention to the phone, ''What do you think? She wants to hang out of course, and probably find out more about the CEO,'' Lucy texted back with a rolling eyes emoticon before dropping her phone.

    "You have a boyfriend now? I thought you said you weren''t interested in men because your job was important to you?" Anita asked, not feeling toofortable about the changes she was sensing in Lucy. She no longer seemed as naive and gullible as had been thest time they were together at her house.

    "Well, you know what they say; Change is the only thing that is constant in life," Lucy said with a slight shrug and then her eyes moved to the wall clock, "You''re not going to work today?" Lucy asked in time as Tom''s office door opened and Tom stepped out to join them.

    Anita quickly stood up the moment Tom stopped by Lucy''s desk, and she turned around to face him, "Good morning sir. I''m sorry I didn''t get the chance to greet you earlier," she said with a pleasant smile.

    "Miss... Miller, right?" Tom asked, ignoring her greeting.

    "Yes, sir," Anita said with a nod as she kept her smile in ce.

    "What''s it by your time?" Tom asked, ncing at the wristwatch she was wearing.

    Anita''s smile wavered slightly as she nced at her wristwatch, while Lucy subtly rolled her eyes at Anita''s stupidity since it seemed like she didn''t understand what Tom was trying to say. Or perhaps she was just being stupid because it was the CEO?

    "It''s 9:32," Anita said, looking at Tom curiously.

    "Great! It works. For a moment there I thought your watch was broken. Shouldn''t you be at your office? Why are you hanging around mine?" Tom asked, watching her with a stern expression on his face.

    "Uhm, I came around to have a word with Mr. Harry and decided to stop by and say hello to her," Anita said with a shaky smile and she nervously licked her lips.

    "Mr. Harry? And have you seen him now?" Tom asked, and Anita gave him a nod.

    "Yes, sir. I was just about to leave now," Anita lied, and Lucy''s lips twitched in amusement at the unnecessary lie. She almost felt embarrassed on Anita''s behalf.

    "Then you should leave now. And it would be best if you don''t randomly show up here during work hours next time unless you are invited. This environment isn''t a ce for such visits, and you are not being paid toze around. Don''t forget that Ocean Airlines isn''t a family-ownedpany anymore," Tom said, jerking his head to the door for her to leave.

    Anita''s cheeks burned bright red and Lucy couldn''t tell if it was because she was embarrassed or angry, "Yes, sir. See you around, Lucy," Anita said with a shaky smile as she turned to leave.

    "Uhm, I will give you a callter," Lucy called out after her as she left and shut the door behind her.

    "Do you treat her that way because she is your ex, or is that just the way you are?" Lucy asked with a slight frown, and Tom raised a brow.

    So she was willing to talk to him now? He thought with a scoff and walked into his office without responding to her question.

    The corners of Lucy''s lips curved in an amused smile when he shut the door. She could tell that he was very annoyed by how she had treated him earlier. Served him right. She intended to keep their personal business outside the office.

    Lucy picked up her phone, ready to give Harry a call, but before she could do that her phone started ringing with a call from Sonia, "Hey, love!" She greeted cheerfully, and Sonia pulled her phone away from her ears to confirm that she was talking to Lucy.

    "Hey, baby! How are you feeling today?" Sonia asked as she turned to nce at Bryan who was still sulking over her refusal to share the shower with him earlier.

    "Great! How''re you?" Lucy asked making Sonia''s brows pull together in a frown.

    "Great?" Sonia asked in confusion, standing up to excuse herself from Bryan so she could find out what was happening with Lucy but he quickly pulled her down, "You agreed that we were going to speak with her together?" Bryan mouthed to Sonia grudgingly and she rolled her eyes.

    "Yeah, great! How are you?" Lucy asked with a smile as she could picture the confusion on Sonia''s face.

    "I''m fine I guess. What''s happening, Lu? Are you sure you''re okay? You can talk to me, you know?" Sonia asked with a worried frown.

    "Sure. I''m fine so you have nothing to worry about. As a matter of fact, I''m at the office and everything is perfect," Lucy said, surprising Sonia even more.

    "You are at the office? Does that mean you have forgiven Tom?" She asked, making Bryan move closer to her so that he could hear what they were saying.

    "Not exactly. But almost."

    "Almost? What is happening Lu?" Sonia asked curiously, wanting to know what was going on in Lucy''s head.

    "Were you able to talk to Bryan? What did he say?" Lucy asked, changing the subject as she wanted to know just how many people knew about her and Tom.

    "Uhm... well, he knew about it," Sonia said and then paused when she and Bryan heard the sound of the doorbell.

    "I will get the door," Bryan mouthed to her as he got off the bed and on to his wheelchair.

    "I thought as much," Lucy said thoughtfully. If Harry was aware, and Bryan knew about it too, then it was possible that his sister was aware too, right? Who else knew?

    "Will you like to talk to Bryan? He swears that Tom didn''t mean to make a fool of you. Tom really likes you," Sonia assured Lucy once Bryan had left the room.

    "It''s his brother we are talking about. Were you really expecting that he would tell you otherwise?" Lucy asked with a scoff even though she knew deep down that Tom genuinely cared about her.

    "Trust me, Lu. I''m on your side," Sonia said, hoping that Lucy wasn''t thinking that she was taking Bryan''s side.

    "Sure. Your loyalty isn''t one I can doubt," Lucy assured her, and then nced at the office door when it opened and a man who looked like he was in his mid-forties walked in with ady in her early thirties, "Duty calls. I will call you back," Lucy told Sonia as she quickly hung up, "Good morning," Lucy greeted with a polite smile.

    "Good morning, we are here to meet with the CEO," the man exined, and Lucy gave him a nod.

    "He''s expecting you," she said gesturing with a hand for them to go into the office.

    Once they shut the door behind them she picked up her phone and dialed Harry''s line this time.

 Chapter 186 - Intelligent Beauty

    "So what''s the n?" Jade asked Harry once they were done with breakfast and were heading for his car.

    "Let''s get you to a spa where you can get a good beauty treatment, and then we can go to the salon to take care of your hair and nails," Harry said, ncing at her untidy fingernails.

    Jade followed his gaze to her nails and then curled her fingers into her palm to cover them from his view, "Yeah, let''s do that," she said with an embarrassed smile as she let him unlock the car doors and hold out the door for her to get in.

    "And then once you look presentable we could just drive around the city, go see a movie, visit wherever you''d love to go to, and then have dinner before returning to the hotel," Harry concluded and once she was seated, he shut the door and went around the car to get into his own seat.

    Before Harry could turn on the car''s ignition, his phone started ringing, and he picked it up to see that it was Lucy who was calling, "Give me a moment," Harry told Jade with an apologetic smile before receiving the call.

    "Good morning, Miss Perry," Harry greeted in a cheerful tone, and Jade looked at him curiously as she wondered who Harry was talking to.

    "Good morning, Mr. Harry," Lucy greeted back with a smirk.

    "I was informed by your driver that you weren''t feeling too well yesterday. How are you feeling now?" Harry asked curiously, wanting to know if her state of health had anything to do with the reason Tom was in a foul mood.

    "I''m fine. Thank you, sir. I was calling to find out if you could send me a copy of Mr. Hank''s schedule. Seeing as you are absent, I would like to do a good job as his assistant," Lucy exined.

    "Oh! I''m not sure about that. I would have to ask the CEO before doing that as you know that he doesn''t..."

    "You don''t have to worry about that sir. I already told him, and he is okay with me asking you. I just think it''s awkward that the CEO should be the one telling me about his schedule when I am the assistant, don''t you think?" Lucy asked.

    "Oh, yeah! You do have a point. I''m not close to my system at the moment but I will send you an email by the end of the day if that''s okay with you," Harry suggested, feeling slightly confused by the sudden boldness he could hear in Lucy''s tone.

    "Sure. That works. Thank you, sir. Another reason I called... you asked me to let you know when my driver is misbehaving and I need you to get me someone else, right?" Lucy asked, and Harry''s brows pulled together since he had only been pulling her legs when he said that and he didn''t expect her to really bring it up.

    "Yeah," Harry said in a less enthusiastic tone.

    "Well, I was hoping you could change him now," Lucy said, making Harry frown.

    What exactly was going on between Tom and Lucy? Harry wondered, "But the other day you said you were okay with him and didn''t want someone else," Harry reminded her.

    "I''ve changed my mind now, or can''t I?" Lucy asked.

    "Sure, you can. But if I may ask, what did he do wrong?" Harry asked curiously.

    "My fiance doesn''t like him..."

    Fiance again? What fiance this time? Wasn''t thisdy ever tired of lying? "Your fiance? But I thought you both broke up?" Harry asked in confusion, wondering just what was going on.

    "Yeah, but we got back together. He decided that he couldn''t live without me, so he''s back, and he wants my drive gone," Lucy said, struggling not to giggle at the confusion she could hear in his voice. He had toyed with her so it was only appropriate that she toys with him too. He could consider it as her way of bonding with him as her boyfriend''s best friend.

    Harry raised a hand to his head and massaged his temple which was beginning to ache because he was trying too hard to understand what was happening. He really needed to talk to Tom and find out what was going on, "I will talk to the CEO and see what I can do," Harry assured her.

    "Alright then. Thank you, sir."

    Once Lucy hung up the call, Harry sighed as he turned to look at Jade who had a curious expression on her face, "That wasn''t my brother''s girlfriend, was it?" Jade asked curiously.

    "It was. You wanted to say hello to her?" Harry asked, and Jade chuckled as she shook her head.

    "You want us to blow my brother''s cover? How is she doing? And what did she say that''s making your headache?" Jade asked with a small smile when she noticed that he was still rubbing his temple.

    "I don''t think she is alright, and I''m not sure your brother is okay either, seeing how she is asking for a new driver. I wonder what he must have done this time," Harry said thoughtfully as he tried to connect the dots.

    Just yesterday Tom had asked him to get her a new driver and sell off the apartment next to hers, and then today he had changed his mind about selling the apartment. And now Lucy was asking him to change her driver. Was it just a lovers'' fight? Harry wondered.

    "She''s asking for a new driver? What has Tom done this time?" Jade asked with an equally worried expression.

    "I guess we will find out sooner orter. We should leave now," Harry suggested as he dropped the phone on the space between both their seats and then started the car.

    "So, what kind of a person is she? Do you think she suits Tom?" Jade asked as Harry drove out of the parking lot.

    "She''s a workaholic... Or at least that was the way she was until your brother entered the picture. She''s calm, a bit naive..." Harry let his words trail off when he remembered what Tom had said about him earlier that morning, and then he cleared his throat.

    "Can I ask you a question? I need your honest opinion," Harry said as he turned to spare Jade a nce.

    "Hm. I will try. Shoot!"

    "Do you think I''m boring?" Harry asked, and Jade giggled.

    "Boring? Why are you asking me that? Did someone tell you that? Perhaps ady?" Jade asked curiously.

    "Well, you''ve been in mypany now for almost twenty-four hours. That''s more than I can say for most people, apart from your brother, so tell me what you think," Harry urged her on.

    Jade pursed her lips thoughtfully as she considered his question, "I think it''s too early to form an opinion..."

    "Oh,e on! You''re awyer and so you should be a good judge of character. From all you saw yesterday, what do you honestly think about me?" Harry asked, cutting her off.

    "Well, I don''t think you''re boring. But I could be wrong. You know different strokes for different folks," Jade said with a shrug, and Harry smirked.

    "So you don''t think I''m boring, right?" Harry asked, just to be sure that they were on the same page.

    "If I''m to judge by the first time we met four years ago, you''re not the least bit boring. Why do you ask?" Jade asked curiously.

    "Your brother thinks you''d consider me too boring to..." Harry let the rest of his words trail off and silently cussed his big mouth when he realized what he had been about to say.

    "Too boring to what?" Jade asked when she noticed how his face flushed in embarrassment. Something told her he had been about to say something very interesting.

    Thankfully Harry''s phone chose that moment to ring, saving him from responding to her question, "I''m sorry. It''s my dad," Harry said as he picked up his phone, reached into his pocket for his Bluetooth earbud so that he could connect it to his phone, but he couldn''t find it, so he quickly connected the phone to his car''s Bluetooth speaker and then received the call.

    "Hey, son! What are you up to? Still being a workaholic as usual?" His dad asked immediately the call connected.

    "Hey, dad! I''m fine. How are you doing too?" Harry asked dryly.

    "Aging daily while waiting for my only child to bring someone home. It doesn''t have to be ady, you know? If the reason you''re yet to bring anyone home is because you''re into guys and notdies, then you shouldn''t worry. I''m okay with any partner of your choice as long as it isn''t an animal," his father said, making Jade burst into a peal ofughter.

    "DAD!" Harry hissed in belief, suddenly regretting his decision to use his phone''s Bluetooth speaker while Jade was in the car.

    "Wait, that sounds like feminineughter. Why didn''t you tell me you were with your girlfriend?" His father asked while Jade keptughing.

    "She isn''t my girlfriend. If this is the reason you called I should go now. I''m driving," Harry said irritably.

    "She isn''t your girlfriend? Who is she? Is she single?" His father asked, making Harry sh Jade an embarrassed and apologetic look.

    "Dad, I''m using my car''s speaker, and she can hear you. Can you just change the subject?" Harry pleaded.

    "Oh, she can hear me? Great then. Hello, there youngdy!" His father greeted, and Jade nced at Harry uncertainly.

    "Hello, sir!" Jade greeted politely.

    "What''s your name?" Harry''s father asked curiously.

    "Jade. Jade Hank."

    "Hank? You''re rted to Tom?" He asked curiously.

    "Yes. I''m his younger sister," Jade confirmed.

    "Oh, right! The intelligent beauty Harry told me about," he said, making Harry''s eyes grow round in surprise.

    "What are you talking about dad? You know what? Let''s talkter. I don''t think you''re sober right now," Harry said and quickly hung up before his father could say anything else.

    "Don''t pay attention to anything he said. I''m sure he was just pulling your legs," Harry said awkwardly as he prayed that Jade would let it go.

    "So are you trying to say I''m not an intelligent beauty?" Jade asked, cocking her head to the side as she looked at him with a slightly raised brow.

    "Uhm... Sure you are. I''m just saying..."

    "So you did tell your dad that I''m an intelligent beauty?" Jade asked in amusement, making Harry turn to blink at her in confusion. What was she doing?

    "I didn''t tell..."

    "But you think I am. That means you must have told him that at some point.. Thanks," Jade said with a happy smile which let him know she wasn''t going to believe anything else.

 Chapter 187 - Lovebirds

    Matt had different thoughts running through his head as he drove his car away from Candy''s.

    He wasn''t sure if he had done the wrong or right thing by walking away from Candy, but this wasn''t a movie where he could y the role of being her hero. He didn''t want to be with someone with such a horrid past. Even his upbringing wouldn''t let him.

    He liked her no doubt, and if her past had nothing to do with being involved with a drug cartel or murder, then he probably would have considered sticking by her regardless of anything else, but now he couldn''t. He wasn''t sure that he could live with the thought that she had taken such extreme measures which had caused those teenage boys to lose their lives. And the fact that she wasn''t feeling remorseful about it, was something he couldn''t wrap his head around, especially seeing that she was a mother herself.

    He was going to do his best to help her out of the mess she had gotten herself into, but he was going to do it all from a distance, and not get emotionally involved with her. She had too much emotional baggage and was associated with dangerous people, and he couldn''t involve himself with any of that. Not just because of himself, but because of his family too. He knew that getting involved in something like this wouldn''t affect just him, but would also be detrimental to his parents and siblings too, and he didn''t want to bring trouble to them for any reason whatsoever.

    He remembered the sad smile he had seen on Candy''s face when he shook his head and told her that he needed a bit of time to process all she had just told him, "You can''t stomach it, can you?" She had asked as if she had been expecting him to run out the door the moment she finished her story.

    "I like you, Candace. I really do. But maybe you are right. Maybe I need to really sit back and critically think about all you have said to be sure if I want to be with you," Matt had said as he pushed away from the table ready to leave. Even as he said that they both knew that he wasn''t returning.

    "Be honest with me, Matt. You don''t want to be with someone like me, do you?" Candy had asked without standing up.

    Matt who had been trying not to hurt her feelings sighed, "I do care about you, Candace, but I''m not sure I can get involved with you. Not after everything you just told me," Matt said apologetically, and Candy gave him a nod.

    "I understand. I''m d I told you everything then. You can leave now," Candy said with a small smile, ignoring the tears that had gathered in her eyes.

    She wasn''t going to cry. Especially not in front of him. This was exactly what she had wanted. She had wanted him to leave her alone and not put her and her son at risk of being caught. Although she felt hurt that he was leaving so easily, but this was exactly what she wanted, "Goodbye," Candy said as she picked up her cup of tea and took a sip while waiting for Matt to leave.

    Matt had walked over to where she was seated and pecked her cheeks, "Goodbye, Candace," he had said before walking away.

    It wasn''t until Candy heard the click of the door as he shut it behind him that the first tear slid down her cheeks. She raised a hand to her cheek and brushed off the tear, "Don''t cry, Candy. You did good," she had assured herself as she stood up to clear the table.

    ****************

    "Are you expecting someone?" Sonia asked Bryan curiously when they all heard the sound of the doorbell while they were still shooting the reality show.

    "Not exactly," Bryan said as he signaled to Mia to go find out who was at the door.

    Once Mia opened the door, "Hello, Matt!" Mia greeted with a pleasant smile when she saw Matt standing there.

    "Hey, Mia! It''s been a while!" He greeted politely and then raised a brow when Mia used her hand to motion to him to lower his voice. He turned around, curious to find out why, and then pped his forehead with his palm when he saw the production crew and remembered that Bryan was still shooting the reality show.

    "I totally forgot about the show," Matt whispered apologetically, as he approached the camera crew.

    He hadn''t known he was headed here until he drove into the garage. Now he just wanted to hang out with Bryan and Sonia and distract himself as he didn''t want to dwell on all that had just transpired between himself and Candace. Thest thing he wanted was to be around other people who would expect him to make small talk or pretend to be cheerful when all he really wanted was to drink as much alcohol as he could until he was knocked out. He didn''t have the energy for small talk right now.

    "Don''t worry, I''m sure it''s okay," Mia whispered to him as she walked behind him to go join the production team.

    "Hey, Matt! Since you''re here you can as well make an appearance on the show, right? I''m sure your fans would love to see you," The producer whispered to Matt who quickly shook his head.

    "No, thanks. You''re not paying me for it, are you?" Matt asked dryly.

    "Hey, sugar!" Sonia waved to Matt from where she was seated on the couch with Bryan, "Come over and say hello," Sonia said with a cheerful smile, leaving the camerawoman with no other choice but to focus on Matt who was now standing alone as the others had quickly moved away from him.

    Seeing how excited Sonia was to see him, he didn''t have the heart to turn her down so he walked over to where she was seated with Bryan and dropped on the space between them, "Hey, girlfriend!" He greeted as he pecked both sides of her cheek, earning him a giggle from Sonia, and a re from Bryan who didn''t like the interference.

    "I''ve sorely missed you. What have you been up to?" Sonia asked as she snuggled closer to him with her head on his chest, ignoring the camera that was filming them. It was a reality show anyway, so it wasn''t supposed to be scripted.

    "Nothing much. Just giving you two lovebirds the space you need to mess around the house," Matt said as he patted Sonia''s hair fondly, while Bryan roughly grabbed Matt''s arm and pulled him away from Sonia.

    "What are you doing, babe?" Sonia asked in amusement since just a moment ago Bryan had refused to talk to her.

    "I''m the only one who should be touching you that way," Bryan said irritably, and Matt turned to give Bryan a knowing wink.

    "How the mighty has fallen! You have fallen hard for her, haven''t you? Tsk tsk!" Matt said with a shake of his head as though he was disappointed in Bryan, and both Mia and Jeff chuckled as they watched the scene in front of them. Love was something a person could choose to hide and deny as they wanted, but jealousy and possessiveness weren''t as easy to hide.

    "Quit teasing my man," Sonia chided Matt with a yful smile as she stood up from Matt''s side and went to sit on Bryan''s thighs, "I guess you are no longer mad at me?" Sonia asked as she looked into Bryan''s face with a wide smile, and he scowled at her.

    He had been sulking all morning and giving her monosybic responses until Matt showed up, "I''m still not happy with you," Bryan said stubbornly. He had felt both hurt and disappointed when he asked that they shower together and Sonia had turned him down.

    "You are kidding, right?" Sonia had asked with an amused smile when she heard his unexpected request.

    "Why would I be kidding? I want to share the shower with you," Bryan had said as he started to take off his shirt.

    "We can''t possibly do that. At least not yet," Sonia said with a shake of her head.

    "And why is that? My ankle? I won''t stand on it," Bryan had rushed to assure her, and Sonia shook her head.

    "That''s not it. I just don''t think we are there yet. Sharing the shower is an intimate affair. We can''t do that now."

    "I don''t see why not. Besides, I''ve seen you stark naked before, so it''s not a big deal," Bryan had said, wriggling his brows yfully, and Sonia hit his arm.

    "What do you mean it''s not a big deal? Are you trying to imply that I don''t look attractive?" Sonia had asked in mild annoyance.

    "Of course not! I''m just saying that I''ve seen you naked before, so sharing the shower with you shouldn''t be a big deal," Bryan had said as his shirt fell to a heap beside his leg.

    "I''m sure you have seen a lot of naked females at some point in your life, and I''m also very positive that you didn''t share a bath with them all. I''m not doing this with you. At least not yet," Sonia had stubbornly insisted.

    "All those nakeddies I saw were not you. And why can''t we do it yet? You have feelings for me, as I do for you, so what''s with the chaste modesty now?" Bryan had asked in confusion.

    "Bryan Hank, I''m not sharing the bathroom with you. You said you need to be sure how you feel about me, didn''t you? I also need to do that..."

    "But that didn''t matterst night when we were making out on the couch, did it?" Bryan had cut it.

    "Yes, it didn''t matter to me then, but I know it mattered enough to you that you had to stop, so now it matters to me too. So you can either wait until I finish using the shower, or you can use the shower in the next bedroom, but you are not getting in here with me, period!" Sonia had said with a stern expression on her face before walking into the bathroom and shutting the door from the inside.

    "Were you lovebirds having a fight?" Matt asked when he noticed the scowl on Bryan''s face and the smile on Sonia''s face.

    "Your best friend is such a big baby. He had been acting up all morning," Sonia confided in Matt before cing a peck on both sides of Bryan''s cheeks, "Cheer up, baby," Sonia said as she kissed Bryan''s lips.

    "Aww, what a big baby!" Matt said with a chuckle as he watched them both while wondering if he had made the right decision by walking away from Candy.

 Chapter 188 - CEO Versus Driver

    "What? Why are you still grinning?" Harry asked Jade, suspecting that she was probably still thinking about his father''s phonecall.

    "Nothing," Jade said with a giggle as they both got out of the car and started walking in the direction of the building that housed the spa.

    Although Harry didn''t exactly believe her, but he decided to let sleeping dogs lie, as he wasn''t ready to have an awkward conversation with her.

    "How old is your dad by the way?" Jade asked curiously, making Harry look at her with a slightly raised brow.

    "He is in his early fifties, why?" Harry asked as he held out the door for her.

    "Thanks. He''s not too old. He has a very attractive voice, and he sounds fun," Jade said with a wink.

    Harry stopped to look at her in disbelief, "You''re not crushing on my dad right now, are you?" Harry asked making Jadeugh out loud.

    "Why not? You want to report me to your mom?" Jade asked in a teasing tone, as she led him in the direction of the spa which was on the fifth floor of the building.

    Harry was silent for a moment, "She iste. My mother I mean. She died while giving birth to me and he never remarried," Harry said as they both stepped into the elevator, and Jade turned to look at him.

    "I''m sorry about that. I had no idea," she said apologetically as she pressed the button for the fifth floor.

    "It''s fine," Harry assured her with a small smile.

    "Your father must have really loved her to have not remarried," Jade said sadly.

    "She was his first and only true love ording to him," Harry said with a shrug.

    "Aww, I guess that exins it then," Jade said with a small smile.

    "Exins what?"

    "Why you''re not so good withdies. Assuming your mother was around or you had sisters, they probably would have been giving you good advice..."

    "You mean like the advise you gave to Tom to get piercings?" Harry cut in dryly, and Jade giggled.

    "I didn''t exactly ask him to do that, but I don''t think piercings would look bad on you though," Jade said as she looked at him and tried to picture him with his hair dyed and a nose and ear piercing.

    "Wipe that smile off your face, I''m not doing anything so juvenile!" Harry warned when he noticed the way Jade kept staring at him with a grin, and he quickly got off the elevator while Jade hurried after him.

    "Come on, don''t be such a spoilsport! It will look good on you, I promise," Jade pleaded with a giggle as she caught up with him.

    "I''m not doing anything of the like, so get that thought off your head!" Harry said as he kept walking ahead of her with quick strides.

    "So uptight. Tsk," Jade said with a shake of her head, "But seriously though, you mean your dad never got involved with anyone else after your mother''s death?" Jade asked, sounding serious once again.

    "None that I know of. It has always been just the both of us," Harry said as he kept looking ahead of them.

    "Well, I guess that exins why you are this way. That''s the spa," Jade said, pointing to one of the beauty spas which was at the left wing of the floor.

    "What exins what?" Harry asked in confusion as he wondered what she was talking about.

    "What I mean is, because your dad is a one woman kind of man, you didn''t really associate much withdies and you didn''t have the opportunity to watch him flirt around either, else with your looks, you would have been quite popr among thedies," Jade exined as they walked into the spa.

    "I see," Harry murmured and then reached into his pocket for his cellphone when it started ringing, "Excuse me for a moment," Harry told Jade as he stepped out of the spa to find a quiet spot where he could receive the call.

    "Good morning. What do you have for me?" Harry asked curiously once he received the call.

    "The private investigator is searching for ady. Her name is Candace Roberts," the man at the other end of the line informed Harry without beating around the bush.

    "Candace Roberts?" Harry asked, narrowing his eyes thoughtfully when he remembered that that was the exact same person Jade had said she needed to find in order to find Jero as her back up n.

    "Yes, sir. Candace," he confirmed.

    "Okay, thanks for the information. Keep following him around, and the moment he finds thedy, I want you to get her first before he does. I want to meet with her," Harry said without giving away more information than was necessary.

    Once he was done with the phonecall, he returned inside to join Jade, "Hello,dies!" Harry greeted the fourdies who were seated at the reception with Jade, and then paused when he noticed the way thedies there stared at him with interest as though Jade had told them something about him in his absence.

    "Hello, handsome!" One of thedy''s greeted with a flirtatious smile, and Harry gave Jade a suspicious look while she merely grinned at him.

    "As I told you, I and my old uncle Harry are here to rx, so please take good care of him," Jade told the youngest of the fourdies with a wink.

    "You didn''t tell me he was this hot!" Thedy whispered to Jade before returning her attention to Harry.

    "I''m not here to rx. I only brought her here," Harry exined with a shake of his head when the beautifuldy approached him.

    "Come on, uncle Harry! Don''t be shy. Your father would be very upset if he gets to know that you''re refusing to cooperate with me," Jade chided softly.

    Harry red at Jade as he had no idea what she was up to, "I''m not shy..."

    "Hello! My name is Aurora, but you can call me, Aura. You''re wee to my spa." thedy said with a cheerful smile as she extended her hand to Harry.

    "Hi! My name is Harry," Harry said politely as he shook her hand, and let go of it almost immediately.

    "Hm. Aura and Harry... There''s a nice ring to it," Jade said with a girlie giggle making Harry give her a weird look.

    ********

    Lucy who was busy tapping away on herptop suddenly paused when something ured to her and she nced at Tom''s office door with narrowed eyes. Since Tom was the CEO, that meant it was Tom who had put the policy about everyone leaving thepany environment once it was closing hour. And it was also Tom who had banned the act of taking back office work to the house.

    Why hadn''t she thought of that? Thatw had been put in ce just the next day after she kept him waiting at the office because she was busy with work. She had to admit that he was pretty sneaky.

    Once Lucy nced at the wall clock and realized that it was almost time for lunch, she picked up her phone, ''Hey! I hope I''m getting lunch soon?'' she texted Tom.

    Tom who was in the middle of a meeting, picked up his phone when it vibrated with a text message notification, "Give me a moment," he said as he clicked on the text.

    He blinked in surprise when he read the text, and then nced at the door in the direction of her office as he tried to figure out if she was okay. How could she be asking him for lunch when she knew that he was in the middle of a meeting?

    He nced at his phone when it vibrated once again, and this time he sighed when he read the text, ''I''m missing you. Let''s see a movie when we get home''

    What was she ying at this time? He wondered as he decided to respond to her text, ''I''m sorry, the CEO sent me on an errand. I will have him send someone to deliver your lunch'' Tom texted back, and then dropped his phone.

    Lucy giggled to herself as she read his text, "Errand indeed," Lucy murmured.

    She nced at her office telephone when it started ringing, and picked it up, knowing that it was Tom, "Hello, sir!" Lucy greeted politely.

    "Your driver just informed me that he was supposed to deliver lunch to your office. I sent him on an errand, so I''m sorry you''ll have to pick it up yourself, for today. I hope you don''t mind?" Tom asked curtly, and Lucy grinned to herself.

    "I don''t."

    "Good. You should get ready. We are leaving for Oceans Airlines the moment this meetinges to an end," Tom instructed her, and then hung up before she could say a word.. Since she wanted to be silly, he was going to be ridiculously silly with her too.

 Chapter 189 - Petty Debate

    Once Tom''s meeting ended and the others left his office, Lucy walked over to his office door and knocked on it. She waited until he gave her the go-ahead and then walked in.

    "Is there a problem?" Tom asked curtly without bothering to nce at her. His gaze remained fixed on hisptop.

    "When are we leaving for Oceans airlines, sir?" Lucy asked while looking around his office curiously since that was something she had failed to do each time she had entered his office the previous times.

    She noticed the door which led to his mini bedroom, and also another door which she guessed led to his private elevator. It all exined how always managed to y the boss and her driver at the same time.

    Tom reached into his drawer and took out one of his cars key. He set it on the table and jerked his head towards it, "Take the elevator to my private parking lot and get the car started. I will join you soon," Tom instructed her.

    Lucy walked over to his desk and picked up the car key, "Yes, sir," she said before walking out of the office.

    Once she left the office, Tom raised his head from theptop and nced at the door. From her behavior, it seemed to him that what she really wanted was for him to act like a different person at the office, and then as her driver outside the office, and as her boyfriend at home. It was going to be difficult, but he was going to try. He would do exactly that until she got frustrated, Tom thought with a smirk as he shut down his system and then stood up.

    A few minutester Tom got out of his private elevator with a newspaper in hand as he joined Lucy who was waiting for him beside the car. He had not gotten himself apany driver because Harry often drove the car most times they were out together, and the few times he went out alone he preferred to drive himself or have any of his household staff drive him.

    Without saying a word he got into the backseat of the car, leaving her to drive the car.

    It was even better for him this way. She would be his assistant and driver during work hours, and he would be her driver off work hours. It all suited him as either way he got to spend time in herpany.

    Lucy adjusted her sses on the bridge of her nose as she got into the car. At least this was way better than having her boss hold out the car door for her. She didn''t want anyone, especially Anita to be suspicious of her rtionship with him.

    She nced at him through the rearview mirror and noticed that his gaze was fixed on the newspaper he was holding. So now he has gone from trying to get her to talk to him, topletely ignoring her? Very nice, Lucy thought in amusement.

    "Is there any particr reason why the car is still on one spot?" Tom asked coolly without ncing up.

    "Uhm, sorry sir," Lucy apologized and quickly turned on the car''s ignition.

    Was she weird for finding this whole role-y thingy very sexy? She kind of really liked how he was being a mean boss to her right now. She was looking forward to seeing the switch from mean boss to caring driver in the evening, and then to boyfriendter at night. Now she was beginning to feel like a weirdo. Who knows? If something like this was a turn on for her, then maybe she was going to be into the whole BDSM shit too, Lucy thought with a small giggle, and then Tom nced up from the newspaper to meet her gaze in the rearview mirror.

    "Is something funny, Miss Perry?" Tom asked, trying not to sound as curious as he truly was.

    "Nothing, sir. I''m sorry," Lucy said apologetically as she quickly returned her gaze to the road. Hot!

    Tom shook his head as he continued to watch her. This had to be the most silly and ridiculous punishment ever. As simple as it all looked, it was difficult, pretending to be just her boss. He paused when something suddenly urred to him, and his lips twitched in amusement.

    "You were trying to get in touch with your best friend thest time, have you heard from her yet?" He asked, setting aside his newspaper. Although she didn''t want him to talk to her as Tom her driver, he had established a kind of brother-inw sh boss rtionship with her by virtue of Sonia''s rtionship with Bryan, and as such he could talk to her freely that way.

    Lucy nced at him briefly, "I have sir. Thank you," Lucy said, wondering what he was trying to do.

    "Remember what I told you at the resort development center?" Tom asked, and Lucy met his gaze in the rearview mirror.

    "What was that, sir?"

    "About waiting for as long as you want me to, to make you mine," Tom said in a very confident tone, causing countless butterflies to flutter in Lucy''s belly at his words.

    She quickly cleared her throat and looked straight ahead without responding. She had to admit that Tom''s acting skills were beyond good. Listening to him, no one would guess that he was her driver or the same person that had made her cum countlessly few nights ago.

    At the thought of the sex together, she felt the hot fingers of lust clench around her pelvic region. She had been so focused on his confession and everything that she was yet to really think about what had happened between them that night. She wanted to experience all of that again with him.

    "You don''t have a response for me, do you?" Tom asked in a mildly taunting tone.

    "I don''t expect that you need one, sir," Lucy said in a mocking tone as she continued to drive.

    A few minutester they arrived at Oceans Airlines, and like before a couple of the staff were all lined up waiting for him there. Once the car stopped and Tom got out of the car, Anita looked at him with a slightly surprised expression on her face as they had all been expecting Harry, and not Tom.

    She turned to look at Lucy who stepped out of the driver''s seat, and she couldn''t help wondering what was happening between them. Just few days ago the CEO had held open the car door for Lucy and had driven the car himself, and now Lucy was driving him? Perhaps was this about the misunderstanding she had caught them having that morning? Was the CEO angry with her now and had decided that he had had enough?

    "We weren''t expecting you. We were supposed to have a meeting with Mr. Harry," one of the men present there informed Tom as they shook hands.

    "That I''m aware of. Mr. Harry had to travel for a business meeting yesterday, and he will be away for some time, so until his return I will be meeting with you," Tom said as he gave Anita a pointed look.

    Anita''s face was flushed in embarrassment upon the realization that her lie earlier on had been a stupid one, and she nced at Lucy who quickly turned away as if she didn''t know what was going on.

    "Let''s go in," Tom suggested as he led the way and they all followed him to the meeting room.

    Once they were all seated, Lucy took the spot next to him, and Anita sat on the seat opposite Lucy, where Harry had upied during thest meeting.

    Anita looked from Lucy to the CEO and she couldn''t help noticing that there seemed to be some sort of friction between them as the CEO wasn''t giving her as much attention as he had given her thest time. Perhaps Lucy was right, and she had heard wrongly? Or maybe it was just the CEO who had lost interest in Lucy? Whatever it was she didn''t care to know. All she wanted right now was to find her way into the CEO''s heart.

    Anita tried her best to remain quiet all through the meeting while the others took turns to answer all of the CEO''s questions Seeing how he had shunned her during thest meeting, she didn''t want a repeat of that episode. If he preferred docile women, then she was going to try to be a docile woman, at least until she finally got him where she wanted him.

    "Do you have any contribution to make, Miss Miller?" Tom asked when he was done hearing from the others, and Anita nced at him surprise, while Lucy tried to stifle the sudden jealousy that rose unside her upon hearing Tom refer to Anita.

    Anita cleared her throat as she tried to appear modest, "I think all they have said is correct, but may I also suggest that to better improve our services, we could take out time to hear from the passengers who use our airline, and find out if there is any service they would like us to add to our services?" Anita asked, and Tom considered it for a moment, before turning to look at Lucy.

    "What do you think?" He asked with a slightly raised brow.

    Lucy wished Anita''s suggestion was stupid so that she could counter it, but she couldn''t, "I think Ani... Miss Miller has a point. Maybe questionnaires or a survey form could be given to passengers during each flight or online to those who book their flights on thepany''s website," Lucy added.

    "I don''t think the passengers would like to go through the stress of doing that as most of them just want to rx during their flights instead of answering such questions," Anita said, countering Lucy''s point as she didn''t like that Lucy was stealing her spot once again.

    Tom looked from Lucy to Anita, "So how do you suggest we go about getting feedback from them?" Tom asked Anita curiously, making Lucy shift in her seat ufortably as she didn''t like that it was beginning to seem like a debate between her and Tom''s ex-girlfriend.

    "Maybe we can get some top celebrities to get on the flight with them. The celebrities will hand out the questionnaires to them and make it seem like it is from them and not thepany. I think they will be more willing to give their feedback this way. Say, male celebrities hand out the survey forms to the females, and female celebrities do the same to male passengers," Anita suggested.

    "Isn''t that what I just said?" Without thinking Lucy blurted out in a tight voice, and Tom had to stifle the urge tough when he heard the annoyance in her voice.

    "You didn''t mention celebrities. I did," Anita pointed out with a polite smile while the others on the table kept moving their gaze from Lucy to Anita in amusement as they tried to understand why it seemed like bothdies were having a petty argument.

    "But I did say we could hand the passengers the survey forms during their flights and you countered it, yet managed to suggest the same thing. The only thing you added to my suggestion was the person who should hand out the forms," Lucy said pettily and Tom couldn''t stop the amused twitch of his lips.. She was the one who wanted him to treat her like a regr staff, so why was she getting annoyed already? Be careful what you wish for.

 Chapter 190 - Very Crazy

    Tom cleared his throat to get the attention of bothdies, "Miss Miller, although you have a good idea, I don''t think it is cost-effective. We are trying to find out how to improve thepany''s services as lots of people have stopped using this airline, and we don''t know why. Getting celebrities on board would cost us a lot of money that thepany doesn''t have," Tom said, and Lucy tried not to snort.

    "We might not need to pay them. I have some friends. I could call in a favor," Anita suggested, not wanting to lose to Lucy.

    Show off! Lucy thought to herself, "And you think that the CEO whose brother is an actor doesn''t have the ability to do that?" Lucy asked in amusement and Anita''s face flushed in embarrassment.

    "I suppose you''re right. My apologies," Anita said with a polite bow at Lucy, surprising everyone.

    Lucy narrowed her eyes as she wondered what Anita was up to. She was very certain that Anita had something up her sleeves.

    Anita turned to Tom, "With all due respect sir, and no offense to Miss Perry, but she may be a very efficient assistant to you, but I don''t think she should be a part of this meeting. Perhaps you need an assistant from Oceans Airlines who understands the intricacies of the business and how thepany works," Anita suggested in a calm and polite voice.

    "Hm. Perhaps you have a point," Tom said as he nced at Lucy with a thoughtful expression on his face. He knew she wasn''t going to like it, but perhaps this was going to make her choose faster that she wanted him as the CEO and not just as her driver.

    "Miss Perry, go wait for me in the car. I will join you when we are done with the meeting," Tom ordered, surprising Lucy who had expected him to take her side.

    "With all due respect sir, I was sitting here quietly until you sought my opinion," Lucy reminded him in a tight voice, feeling like he was being unfair to her and taking Anita''s side.

    "I''m aware. Thanks for your opinion. You can excuse us now," Tom said politely, making everyone at the table wonder if something was wrong with the CEO.

    Just the previous day he had taken his assistant''s side and hadpletely ignored Anita, and today he was taking Anita''s side and was ignoring his assistant.

    Anita subtly smirked at Lucy, feeling happy that she had won this round against her. Maybe she didn''t need Lucy''s friendship after all. All she needed was to stun the CEO with her brilliance, especially now that he was taking her side, and it was obvious that he no longer really fancied Lucy.

    Lucy tried her best not to re at Tom as she stood up and picked up her handbag. Without making direct eye contact with anyone on the table she walked out of the office.

    Once she shut the office door behind her, Tom turned to Anita, "I will let this slide just once because it''s the first time. I won''t tolerate any disrespect to my assistant. Like you said, she is very capable and efficient and she is going to remain my assistant. She will attend every meeting with me as long as thispany remains mine, so it''ll be in your best interest to ord her the same respect as you ord me," Tom warned, making the executives who were seated on the table and their secretaries look at each other. Why had he sent his assistant out if he was going to scold Anita? They all wondered.

    "She is my friend, and I didn''t mean to disrespect her. I''m sorry." Anita''s hands balled into a fist under the table as she uttered the words. It seemed like the CEO still fancied Lucy. To think he was embarrassing her this way once again.

    "You are apologizing to the wrong person," Tom said before clearing his throat, "So any other idea apart from what Miss Miller suggested?" Tom asked, moving on with the meeting.

    Once the meeting ended and Tom was about to leave, Anita sat up, "Can I have a word with you? Alone?" Anita asked politely in a quiet voice meant for Tom alone, making his brows arch in curiosity.

    He nced at the others around the table who were waiting for him to stand up so they could also leave, "You can leave," Tom told them, and they all got up and started walking out.

    "Is there a problem?" Tom asked after thest person left the office, leaving them alone. He knew he was keeping Lucy waiting, but that was what she deserved for trying to frustrate him. He needed her to realize that although he deserved to be punished, the punishment she had chosen was like a double-edged sword, and was going to affect them both equally.

    "Uhm, I heard from my mother concerning what she did with the private investigator..." Anita started, and Tom tilted his head to the side to look at her when he remembered what Harry had said. He had almost forgotten about the private investigator because of his issue with Lucy.

    "...I''m sorry, and I want you to know that I didn''t have a part in it," Anita concluded.

    "If she had found out something interesting about me, how do I know you wouldn''t have used the information to your advantage? You are only denouncing her now because it didn''t pull through, aren''t you?" Tom asked coolly.

    "No, sir! I never would have..."

    "I''m not interested in your response. If that''s the reason you wanted to see me, then you shouldn''t worry about it. I have no business with you. My business is with your mother and I will handle it ordingly," Tom said as he pushed away from the table and stood up.

    "Let''s not have such an awkward conversation next time," Tom advised before walking out of the office.

    He had a grin on his face as he walked over to where the car was parked, and he couldn''t help the chuckle that bubbled through him when he saw Lucy''s face.

    Lucy had a scowl on her face as she listened to Tom''s not-so-silent chuckles as she turned on the car''s ignition, ready to drive them back to the office. She couldn''t understand how Tom could find the whole exchange funny. Anita was a very petty person, and if for nothing this exchange had strengthened her resolve to win Anita on every level. Since Anita wanted the CEO she was going to have him wrapped around her little fingers and show the bitch who owned the man.

    "Miss Perry, why do you seem so upset?" Tom asked in amusement when he noticed the way she was ring at him through the rearview mirror.

    Lucy cleared her throat, "I''m not upset."

    "Then do you mind exining to me why you''re ring at me?" Tom asked again.

    "I''m not ring. That''s the way my eyes are," Lucy muttered as she drove out of the parking lot, and Tom chuckled quietly. He couldn''t believe that he had fallen for such a crazy woman. How she managed to look so calm yet do and say crazy things was beyond him.

    Tom took out his phone from his pocket when it started to ring and received the call when he saw that it was from Harry, "Why do you keep calling me?" Tom asked dryly making Lucy look at him through the rearview mirror as she wondered who he was talking to. She briefly wondered if this was how Tom felt each time he was the one driving the car and she was making a phone call from the backseat.

    "Why do you think? Because I miss you, of course. You should know that you are the closest to a girlfriend I have," Harry said in an equally dry tone as he looked around the beauty parlor where Jade was now having her manicure.

    "Here I was thinking that you were calling to inform me that my sister is pregnant for you," Tom said with an eye roll.

    "You''re just foolish," Harry said with a chuckle and cleared his throat when he remembered that he had actually called for a different reason. "What''s happening with Lucy? She called me earlier on," Harry said, and Tom nced at Lucy through the rearview mirror.

    "She did? Why?" Tom asked even though he could roughly guess why.

    "She wanted to get your schedule. And she also asked that I change her driver. What did you do?" Harry asked.

    Tom sighed inwardly. Was this girl possessed? Why was she making thingsplicated for him? She was the same person who had asked that he shouldn''t tell Harry that she was aware of everything, and she had asked him not to quit his job, yet she was also the one calling Harry to fire him. What did she want?

    "Miss Perry wants you to change her driver?" Tom asked out loud so that Lucy would hear him, and both their gaze met in the rearview mirror.

    "Yes, she did," Harry confirmed.

    "Didn''t you tell her what I said thest time? If her driver goes, she goes too," he reminded Harry.

    "Well, yes. But the thing is I promised to fire you the moment she asks me to. I didn''t expect that she was going to do so considering that you''re both in a rtionship now," Harryined, and then Tom finally understood what Lucy was doing. This was part of Harry''s punishment.

    "Well, I didn''t ask you to make such a promise. Deal with it," Tom said and hung up the call.

    Immediately he hung up the call he dialed another number, and Lucy nced at her phone when it started ringing. She raised a brow when she noticed that the call was from Tom. Why was he calling her when they were in the same car?

    She met his gaze in the rearview mirror and he raised a brow, as though asking her why she wasn''t taking her call. Lucy narrowed her eyes as she reluctantly reached for her phone and received the call.

    "Hey! Can you call me back? I''m with the mean CEO right now," Lucy whispered into her phone, convincing Tom beyond reasonable doubt that she was not just crazy, but very crazy.

 Chapter 191 - Two-faced Jerk

    After his phone call with Harry, Tom had decided to give Lucy a call since that was the reasonable thing to do next as he was keeping up the front. What he hadn''t expected was that she was going to y along in this manner, "It can''t wait. I need to speak with you now," Tom responded, still gazing at her through the rearview mirror as she tried to keep her attention focused on the road.

    "Well, I''m driving and I can''t talk while driving. Besides, my boss is here," Lucy pointed out in a whisper, as she spared him another nce through the rearview mirror.

    Tom looked outside the window and cleared his throat, "Miss Perry please park the car by the roadside I need to receive an important phone call," Tom ordered, making Lucy sigh. Now this was crazy. What was he trying to prove? That he had authority over her and could get whatever he wanted when he wanted it? What did he want to say that he couldn''t keep until the next one hour? She wondered as she looked for the next avable parking space by the road and drove over there.

    "Excuse me," Lucy said as she unlocked the car and got out to give him privacy to receive his phone call, "What''s so urgent that couldn''t wait?" Lucy asked once she was away from him and stood behind the car with her back resting on the trunk of the car.

    "Do you want me to stop being your driver? I just received a call from Mr. Harry asking me to quit my job," Tom said, even though he knew that wasn''t what she wanted. He was gradually beginning to figure out what she was doing but he didn''t want her to know it. Two could y the game.

    "Well, you can call him back to say you''re not quitting. I already made it clear that you''re going to remain my driver," Lucy reminded him.

    "So why then did you tell him you no longer wanted me to work for you?" Tom asked, pretending to be ignorant. Since she wanted to be crazy, he had to show her that he could do crazy too.

    "You can always ask me this when we meet. If that''s all you wanted to talk about I..."

    "Hold on! That''s not all," Tom quickly cut in before she could hang up the call.

    "What else?" Lucy asked impatiently.

    "Did you mean it when you said you were missing me earlier and wanted us to see a movieter? Or were you just messing with me?" Tom asked curiously, making Lucy nce towards the car.

    She had to admit that the whole thing was impressed by the way he was ying along with her. Here they were, two grown-up adults behaving like kids and talking over the phone when they were right there together, "Uhm... I meant it. So let''s talkter. I don''t want to keep my boss waiting," Lucy said as she quickly hung up the call, but not without hearing the sound of his.

    So she really did miss him? That meant she had forgiven him and was just ying, right? Well, as long as she had forgiven him and was willing to keep dating him, then he was okay with all the crazy stunts she was pulling. If she was into roleys, then he was just going to try to make it fun for himself.

    "I suppose that was your boyfriend on the phone with you just now?" Tom asked in amusement when Lucy returned to the car.

    "Yes sir," Lucy said as she turned on the car''s ignition and drove away from there.

    "Do well to let him know that he should start looking for another girlfriend as you would soon be mine," Tom said, and Lucy''s lips twitched in amusement, but she said nothing.

    Neither of them said another word to each other during the rest of the drive to the office. Tom focused on his newspaper, while Lucy focused on the road while sparing him asional nces.

    Once they got to thepany Lucy parked the car and handed the key to Tom. She watched him as he turned to leave, and then bit her lower lip before calling out to him reluctantly, "Excuse me, sir!" She called making Tom who had turned around and was about to leave stopped to nce at her with questioning eyes.

    "Can I have a word with you?" She asked, making Tom look at her with a slightly raised brow as he watched her adjust the sses on the bridge of her nose in an ufortable gesture. What did she want to say to him that she couldn''t have said in all the time they were together in the car?

    "Sure," Tom said with a nod.

    "Earlier you said you wanted to make me yours?" Lucy asked curiously, making Tom wonder what she was up to this time.

    "Yes? Why do you ask?"

    "Well, you embarrassed me in front of everyone earlier," Lucy said grudgingly, and Tom''s lips twitched in amusement.

    "Did I?" Tom asked, looking at her with a nk expression.

    "You did. I''m just saying this, in case you didn''t know... You can''t be asking ady to go out with you, yet you treat her that way in front of strangers," Lucy added, and it was all Tom could do not to chuckle.

    "I thought you were ufortable thest time because I was showing you preferential treatment?" Tom asked thoughtfully.

    Lucy looked away from him guiltily, "I didn''t exactly say that."

    "You didn''t have to," Tom said making her brows crease in a frown.

    "Well..."

    "I won''t be showing you any preferential treatment anymore if that''s what you''re asking for. If you want me to treat you differently then quit being so difficult and agree to be my girlfriend," Tom said, and then walked away without waiting for her to say anything else, while Lucy red at his back.

    Forty-five minutester Lucy walked out of thepany building and smiled when she saw Tom standing by the parking lot beside her car waiting for her. Just as she approached him, the smile on her lips faltered when she saw a female staff waving at him as she walked towards him. Lucy raised a brow but said nothing as she approached them.

    "Hey! So were you able to see the cab driver?" Thedy who had spoken with the private investigator thest time, asked as she stopped in front of Tom.

    "Yes, thanks for your help," Tom said with a small smile while he watched Lucy from the corners of his eyes as she headed for the car.

    "I''m d I could help. Can I buy you a drink one of these days? Maybe after work?" Thedy asked, and Tom shook his head.

    "I don''t drink."

    "Then what about food? Or better still, my birthday party ising up soon, and I would like for you to be there," she said with a toothy smile.

    "Ahem!" Lucy cleared her throat when she got to the car and then she shed thedy a stiff smile, "Hello!" She greeted with a small wave.

    "Hello!" Thedy greeted back and then nced at Tom, "Can I have your number so that we can talkter?" She asked, and Tom nced at Lucy before giving her a nod.

    "Sure," he said as he took her phone from her and input his number, while Lucy got into the back seat of the car and sat down.

    "I should go now, she hates being kept waiting," Tom told thedy before getting into the driver''s seat.

    "You seem to have a lot of fans," Lucy muttered from the backseat as Tom turned on the car''s ignition.

    "Can''t me me, ma''am! me it on my good looks," Tom said, switching back to his usual voice and carefree character.

    "Maybe you didn''t need to go through all that stress to get ady. All you needed was to change your personality and wardrobe," Lucy muttered under her breath making Tom chuckle when he heard her murmur something about distributing his number to everydy who asked like he was a customer care representative.

    "I suppose you''re right. How was work today?" Tom asked as he drove out of the parking lot, feeling very d that he was out of the costume now. The contact lens and wig were pretty ufortable for him.

    "Work was okay. Although the CEO was being an arsehole, I survived," Lucy said, meeting his gaze in the mirror in a bid to let him know he was the arsehole.

    "Really? What did he do?" Tom asked with a very curious expression and she shook her head before going on to tell him all that had happened even though he was aware of it.

    Tom chuckled by the time she finished, "Don''t you think you were being too petty? Or perhaps did you do that because you know Anita is my ex-girlfriend?" Tom asked, and Lucy raised a brow.

    "What has her being your ex-girlfriend got to do with anything?" Lucy asked as she took off her sses to rub her eyes.

    "Isn''t that part of the reason you don''t like her?" Tom asked, and Lucy rolled her eyes.

    "It has nothing to do with you! I''m just pissed the CEO took her side though. One minute he is acting like he cares about me and the next he''s taking the side of someone he ims he doesn''t like. What a two-faced jerk," Lucyined.

    "Who said he took her side? You never can tell what happened after you left, you know? I think you know the CEO well enough to know he wouldn''t do anything without good reason," Tom said, giving her a pointed look through the rearview mirror.

    Before she could respond to that her phone started ringing and she rolled her eyes when she saw that it was a call from Anita. What did the bitch want this time? Lucy wondered, "Your ex-girlfriend is calling me," she informed Tom.

    "Well, let''s hear what she has to say," Tom said, urging her to receive the call.

 Chapter 192 - Keeping Enemies Closer

    Anita wasn''t really pleased about making the call to Lucy, especially considering how Lucy had acted like a little bitch during the meeting, but she had long decided to set aside her pride in her bid to get the CEO. He clearly wanted a docile woman he could control, and she was going to be one for him. All that she was doing, was stooping to conquer.

    "Hey, dearie! Can you talk right now?" Anita asked in a cheerful voice the moment the call connected.

    "You mean like you talked to me during the meeting just now?" Lucy asked dryly as she ced the call on speaker for Tom to hear what Anita was going to say.

    Since Anita was trying to pretend that they were cool, she was also going to act like the ignorant and naive one among them. Acting like she was setting all her cards on the table was the best way to deal with an over confident person like Anita.

    Anita let out a soft giggle even though she was feeling anything but funny at that moment, "''Come on, you shouldn''t take that to heart. It''s the way meetings like that work. Besides, it seems like the CEO doesn''t really like us being friends, so I did what I did for him to know that our friendship wasn''t going to get in the way of business. I''m very sorry if you felt betrayed by my actions. I really do care about you, and you should know that," Anita lied, and Lucy rolled her eyes.

    "I suppose I understand. For a moment there I thought you were trying to get me to lose my job, and I couldn''t understand why," Lucy lied, making Anita smile.

    She felt grateful that Lucy had bought her lie and was back to seeing her as a trusted friend once again, "I can''t possibly do something like that to you, darling. We are friends and I will always have your back," Anita promised.

    "I feel so relieved hearing this right now. I''m sorry about what happened in my office earlier today. The CEO is just a bully and he doesn''t like people receiving visitors during work hours," Lucy lied, while Tom raised a brow as he listened to bothdies.

    "Oh! Are you sure that''s just it? One would think there''s something special going on between you and the CEO. He always seems to favor you," Anita said offhandedly like it wasn''t a big deal, making Lucy meet Tom''s gaze in the rearview mirror.

    "Uhm... About that, I was actually wondering the same thing too, and I only just realized why a while ago. I will tell you about it when we meet," Lucy said, making Tom look at her with questioning eyes as he wondered what she was going to tell Anita.

    "Really? Do you have something nned out for tonight? Or could youe over to my house and then we can have a sleepover, just the both of us girls bonding," Anita suggested, and Lucy shuddered at the thought of acting all prim and proper for an entire night.

    No, thanks. She would rather be cuddled up with Tom on her bed doing and saying naughty things all through the night, "Uhm, sorry. I would have loved to, but I''m spending the night with my boyfriend," Lucy said meeting Tom''s gaze, and he winked at her, making her smile.

    On hearing that Lucy was spending the evening with her boyfriend, Anita''s disposition brightened. For a moment she had thought that Lucy had behaved that way during the meeting because she was trying to impress the CEO, but now she felt relieved, "For someone who didn''t want a man in her life, you seem to be really spending a lot of time with this new boyfriend. I hope I get to meet him someday," Anita said in a teasing tone.

    You''ve met him already, bitch! Lucy thought in her head, but covered it up with herughter.

    "We can meet at a restaurant or bar," Lucy suggested changing the subject as she didn''t want to tell more lies than were necessary, and neither did she want to go to Anita''s house, or have Anitae over to hers. She didn''t want Anita to find out about her rtionship with Tom yet.

    "Really? That''s great then. Text me a location and I will meet you," Anita said excitedly. d that she was finally going to have time to get some information from Lucy.

    "Okay then. See youter," Lucy called out in a cheerful voice before hanging up, "Phew! That was pretty exhausting," Lucyined, massaging her neck as she rested her head on the headrest of her seat and shut her eyes.

    "You handled it well. Although I''d rather you cut her off than hang out with her. If I remember correctly you said that you felt she was dangerous," Tom reminded her as he shifted his nce from the road to the rearview mirror.

    "Ever heard of the saying, ''keep your friends close, and your enemies closer''?" Lucy asked without opening her eyes.

    "Keeping your enemies closer is the fastest way to get backstabbed," Tom pointed out to her.

    "Not in this case. I''m keeping my enemy in front of me, so she can''t stab me in the back. Especially not when she thinks she is so smart and way ahead of me," Lucy exined.

    "Still, I need you to be careful. Always keep me in the know of your movements with her. I''m not trying to control your life or monitor your movements, but you don''t exactly know your way around the city, so I should know where you''re going and with whom. That''s the only way I can ensure that you''re safe," Tom said in a slightly worried tone making Lucy smile.

    "You''re such a caring driver. You deserve a tip," Lucy murmured as she opened her eyes and picked up her handbag. She fished inside for a money note and handed it to him.

    Tom chuckled as he received it from her, "Thanks ma''am, I promise to do my best," Tom said as they bothughed at the ridiculousness of what they were both doing.

    "So you''re going out with her? Are we still seeing a movie tonight?" Tom asked curiously.

    "Sure. I do hope you remember that you promised to take me to see your friend''s mansion this weekend?" Lucy reminded him as he parked the car in front of her apartment.

    "I do remember. You can go there whenever you want. All you need to do is say the word," Tom assured her by giving her a small smile through the rearview mirror as he turned off the car''s ignition.

    Once they both got out of the car, they stood there staring at each other for a while, and before Lucy could leave Tom grabbed her hand, "I''m very sorry I lied to you and broke your trust, Lu. It was never my intention to hurt you or make you feel unsafe even though we both know it was worth it just to get to know you," Tom said, knowing that even though they had been acting like nothing happened the whole time, he was yet to really make her understand that he was sorry. He knew that she had probably forgiven him because of her feelings for him and because she understood him, not necessarily because he had shown her how sorry he was to have messed with her head that way.

    Lucy looked at him without saying a word for a moment. Shit! She liked this man. She liked him really much, and it meant so much to her that he had chosen to apologize even when she had chosen to assume their argument the other day had never happened. Without saying another word Lucy stepped forward and embraced him, burying her face in his chest as she inhaled his scent.

    Tom swallowed past the lump of emotion in his throat at her sudden gesture. He could feel his heart soaring with love for her, and he ced a hand behind her head, and the other on her back as he gently patted it. He was relieved to know that his heart had chosen such a sensible and sweetdy.

    "So are you going to stop the roley thing now?" Tom asked hopefully after they remained in that position for a while, and Lucy giggled against his chest as she stepped away from him.

    "No. I may understand you and have forgiven you, but you''re still getting punished. Besides, it''s fun, so don''t ruin it," Lucy warned as she gazed into his eyes.

    "I don''t think you remembered the fun part of it earlier during the meeting," Tom pointed out, and Lucy hit his shoulder.

    "You took your ex-girlfriend''s side over mine," she said usingly.

    "I didn''t. You know I won''t do that. I was only trying to prove a point to you. You don''t need to stoop to her level to impress me. The mere fact that you exist and you''re a part of my life is all I need to be impressed," Tom said, looking into her eyes with a soft smile that made Lucy''s heart flutter.

    "I''m not falling for any of that," Lucy said even though her eyes told him otherwise as she snatched the car key from him, and headed for her apartment while he shook his head in amusement as he watched her.

    "Don''t forget to tell me where you''re meeting her," Tom called out after Lucy.

    "Don''t forget we are having dinner together and seeing a movie. Dinner is on you," Lucy called back making Tom chuckle to himself as he turned around and headed for his apartment.

    He paused when he noticed Alicia sitting outside her apartment looking at him. She smiled and waved at him when their eyes met, and Tom waved back even as he wondered why she was always looking at him.

    As Alicia watched him walk away she couldn''t help wondering what was going on between Lucy and Tom.. Their conversation a while ago had seemed pretty intense. Perhaps Lucy knew the truth about Tom now?

 Chapter 193 - A Friend Of Mine

    "So what''s up with you?" Sonia asked Matt once the production crew had left and it was remaining just the three of them in the house.

    "Huh?" Matt asked in confusion.

    "What? Do you think I missed the fact that you were worried when you walked in here? I figured you needed the distraction hence I asked you to join us. What''s wrong? You need to talk to Bryan alone, or is it something you can share?" Sonia asked as she handed him a ss of whiskey.

    Matt looked at Sonia for a moment without saying anything and then his lips pulled up in a smile, "I will marry you if Bryan fails to do so," he promised, and Sonia giggled.

    "I don''t think Candy would like to hear that. What''s up with you both by the way?" Sonia asked, making Bryan wonder if Matt was his best friend or hers, as he didn''t understand how they were beginning to chat like old friends.

    "I decided to let her go. She doesn''t want to be involved with me," Matt lied with a sigh as he turned to Bryan, "I was hoping I could get Jade''s contact number from you," He said hopefully since he knew that Jade was a very good criminalwyer and could advise him on how best he could help Jade from the distance without getting involved in the mess that she had gotten involved in.

    "Why? Did you murder someone?" Bryan asked, looking at him with eyes that were suspiciously narrowed.

    "The only person I''ve gotten close to murdering is you," Matt said with a chuckle, and Bryan red at him when he remembered the one time he had fought with Matt and had ended up with a bloodied nose.

    "Why do I feel like there''s a story there?" Sonia asked with a curious smile.

    "There''s no story," Bryan said dismissively.

    "Sure, there''s a story there," Matt countered with a grin and Bryan dared him with his eyes to share the story with Sonia.

    Sonia giggled as she could guess that the story didn''t seem to favor Bryan, "I''m certain I''ll hear this story someday," Sonia said confidently.

    "Seriously though, it''s important that I speak to Jade. I need her legal opinion on an issue," Matt repeated to Bryan.

    "You''re not going to hit on her, are you?" Bryan asked with narrowed eyes.

    "Ew! Why would I want to date someone that shares the same bloodline as you when I know how abnormal you are? I don''t want my bloodline to be mixed with yours in any way. No, thanks!" Matt said with a shake of his head.

    "Better," Bryan said as he picked up his phone and scrolled through his contact list. He stopped when he got to Jade''s contact and handed the phone to Matt, "That''s it," he said to Matt before turning to look at Sonia.

    "So how did it go with Lucy? We are supposed to speak with Tom, remember?" He asked her, while Matt''s attention was focused on his phone.

    "I think we don''t need to worry. She went to work today. You know what that means," Sonia pointed out.

    "Here. Excuse me for a moment, I need to give her a call," Matt said as he returned Bryan''s phone to him before standing up to excuse himself. The earlier he made the call and set in motion all he needed to do to help Candy, the sooner he could stop feeling guilty concerning leaving her that way after her confession.

    Both Sonia and Bryan watched as Matt walked out of the living room, "What do you think is wrong with him?" Sonia asked Bryan with a concerned frown.

    "It probably has something to do with Candy. Let him be, I''m sure he will talk about it when he wants to," Bryan said dismissively as Sonia snuggled up to him.

    Inside the guestroom which Matt often used whenever he was around, he sat on the bed as he dialed Jade''s line.

    "Hello! This is Jade Hank," Jade responded immediately she received the call from the unknown number, hoping it was a call from the witness she was searching for.

    "Hey, Jade! This is Matt. Bryan''s best friend," Matt exined making Jade swallow past the lump of disappointment in her throat as she shook her head at Harry who was driving the car while ncing at her at intervals, to let him know that it wasn''t who they had been expecting.

    "Oh, Matt! It seems like I''m reuniting with my brothers'' best friends this season. First, it was Harry, and now it is you. To what do I owe this unexpected pleasure?" Jade asked in a friendly tone.

    "Are you busy at the moment? Or can you talk? I need to speak with you about something really important, and I need your legal advice," Matt exined.

    "But you have awyer, don''t you?" Jade asked thoughtfully since she knew that most celebrities often had their personal legal representative, or usually used the legal representatives of whichever entertainmentpany they worked with.

    "It''s not exactly a personal issue. What I mean is that it involves someone else. A friend of mine, not me," Matt quickly exined.

    "I see. Alright then, go on and tell me about it," Jade said, urging him on.

    "Well, I don''t know if you remember the case which was all over the news two years ago? The one in which some young teenage boys overdosed on a hard substance?" Matt asked making Jade sit up immediately.

    "Yes? What about it?" She asked, trying not to let her excitement show in her voice.

    "The thing is, a friend of mine was involved in that case. Her boyfriend was sentenced..."

    "You are not talking about Candace Roberts, are you?" Jade asked, hoping with all her heart that Candace was the person Matt was talking about.

    Harry who was driving, turned to look at Jade with interest when he heard the excitement in her voice. He could almost hear her blood pumping with adrenaline judging by how restless she had suddenly be in her seat.

    "How did you know that? You know Candace?" Matt asked both in surprise and concern since even though he was curious to know how Jade knew Candy, he also didn''t want to get Candy in trouble with thew.

    "I was in charge of that case two years ago. What''s happening now? Are Candace and her son alright? I''ve been trying to find her for some time now," Jade asked, hoping that Matt knew where they were, as that would make things easier for her.

    "They''re living okay if that''s what you want to know. So since you know about the case then I guess it''s easier for me to ask you what I need to know. Is she safe? Are they safe?" He asked, not wanting to ask her if she knew that Candace had tampered with the drugs which the kids had overdosed on. He knew that could ce Candace in a difficult position with thew, and he didn''t want that.

    "No, they''re not safe. And I''m very sorry but I''m going to need to ask you for a very urgent and important favor," Jade pleaded making Matt''s brows crease.

    "What could that be?" Matt asked cautiously.

    "Get her and her son out of there, and keep them hidden until I tell you it''s safe," Jade pleaded.

 Chapter 194 - Like Family

    Somehow after the events of the past couple of days, Lucy was beginning to feel quite different about herself. She was beginning to feel more confident, and she wasn''t as scared to step out of her house and face life as she had been a while ago.

    She couldn''t tell what it was that had caused the change. Perhaps it was the sex with Tom, or it was because she had finally been able to open up to Tom concerning some parts of her past, or maybe it was because of Tom''s feelings towards her which shergely reciprocated.

    She wasn''t exactly sure which it was. But whichever it was, that feeling had her humming a tune to herself as she drove over to the roadside bar where she had arranged to meet with Anita. She ordinarily would have felt anxious about meeting with Anita this timest week, but now she felt like there was nothing she couldn''t handle.

    Her n for the evening was pretty simple. She was going to spend a maximum of one hour chitchatting with Anita and evading unnecessary questions, and after that she would return home to have dinner with Tom, Lucy thought with a happy smile as she drove into the parking lot of the bar.

    Once she stepped out of her car she looked around the parking lot and rolled her eyes when her gaze fell on Anita''s car which was already parked there. If it had been someone else who hade quite early for such a casual meeting she would have been impressed by their knack for being punctual as she always loved to keep to time herself, but seeing as it was Anita it only seemed to grate on her nerves. No matter what Anita does, it would always seem to her that Anita was only doing it to prove a point, Lucy thought as she walked into the bar.

    She stopped by the entrance of the bar and looked around until her eyes settled on Anita who was seated on a barstool at the right end of the bar with a ss of wine in hand as she watched the local singer on the stage with a snooty expression on her face.

    "You are early," Lucymented as she approached her.

    On hearing Lucy''s voice Anita''s lips pulled up in a small smile, "Yeah. Habit I guess. I like to be punctual to ces I''m not very familiar with," Anita exined as she looked around the ce with distaste.

    And even though she sounded quite genuine, Lucy wasn''t willing to buy anything she was selling that evening, "I see. It''s my first time here too," Lucy said with a small smile as she nced around the bar which didn''t look anything like its name. How could you name a ce ''Paradise'' yet it looked so run-down?

    "I see. Maybe you should let me be in charge of where we meet going forward, as I know my way around the city," Anita said, and Lucy smiled at her sweetly as she picked up her phone.

    Although Lucy didn''t also like the look of the ce, she liked to know that Anita despised it more than her. Whatever Anita despised, she was going to like, "Whatever you say," Lucy said before ncing at a waiter who was standing beside her.

    "Please can I have your least alcoholic drink? I can''t hold my liquor and I will have to drive myself home," Lucy exined with an embarrassed smile which the waiter returned as he walked away to go find her something to drink.

    "What about your driver? He works only during office hours?" Anita asked curiously.

    "Tom? You seem very interested in my driver. Don''t tell me you have a crush on him," Lucy asked with a teasing smile as she ced her phone on the table in front of them.

    Anita''s eyes widened in rm at the thought that Lucy would think that someone like her would be interested in someone as lowly as Tom, "Of course not! Why would I have a crush on your driver?" Anita asked, wrinkling her nose in distaste.

    "Why wouldn''t you? Isn''t he human?" Lucy countered in his defense.

    "Sure, he is. But he''s just not my type," Anita corrected with a stiff smile.

    "You mean he isn''t your spec? Not good-looking enough for you?" Lucy guessed yfully as the waiter set a ss of mocktail in front of her.

    Although Anita wasn''t exactlyfortable with the line of conversation, she knew she needed to y along with Lucy as that was the only way she could also get Lucy to be free with her, "Well, he looks decent quite alright, and he is undoubtedly good-looking. But let''s face reality, what can someone like him do for me? We are not on the same level. I mean I know that otherdies may not mind getting involved with him, but I''m too ambitious to do that. I don''t think someone like him can give me what I want," Anita said with a shrug.

    "In other words, you''re only interested in a man who has something to offer," Lucy concluded thoughtfully as she sipped from her ss of mocktail.

    "Yeah."

    "Someone like the CEO perhaps?" Lucy asked with a teasing smile, giving Anita the opening she needed.

    Anita gave her a shy smile, "Well... Kind of. The CEO is good-looking, wealthy, ambitious, and powerful," Anita said with another shrug, d that they were having such an easy conversation.

    "Well, I don''t think he''s good-looking though. Not with those rough beards. He might look better without them. And I think he''s pretty mean too," Lucy said, making Anita raise a brow.

    "Mean? Even when everyone knows that he is always taking your side? Speaking of which, you said you were going to tell me something about your rtionship with the CEO," Anita reminded Lucy.

    "Oh! About that, yeah. Well, you won''t believe what I found out," Lucy said in a conspiratorial whisper.

    "Don''t tell me he likes you," Anita said with wide eyes, making Lucy throw her head back tough.

    "Why would you think that?" Lucy asked in amusement.

    "Well, he acts that way so everyone thinks that," Anita exined.

    "That''s not true. Take for instance the way he embarrassed me today at the meeting. He wouldn''t do something like that if he liked me, would he?" Lucy asked, making Anita realize that she wasn''t aware that the CEO had scolded her after Lucy left the meeting hall.

    "Maybe. So if that''s not it, what did you discover then?" Anita asked curiously.

    "You remember the CEO''s brother recently got engaged? That''s if you saw the news," Lucy said, and Anita gave her a nod.

    "Of course, I saw the news."

    "Well, his fiancee happens to be my best friend. Sonia Smith. So I guess the CEO is looking out for me because I''m like family to him. More like a sister-inw," Lucy exined with a small smile, and Anita''s lips rounded in surprise.

    Now Anita wasn''t sure which she hated most. The thought that the CEO liked Lucy, or the knowledge that she was like family to him. If she was like family to him already that meant that his parents and siblings already knew her.. And she didn''t like it one bit.

 Chapter 195 - The Hank Siblings

    "Are you still mad at me?" Sonia asked Bryan after Matt left them saying he needed to check on someone.

    "Would I be talking to you if I was mad?" Bryan asked as he poured some cereals into a bowl and added milk to it.

    "Maybe not. I can''t shake off the feeling that you''re just talking to me but you''re still upset with me," Sonia told Bryan who was now raising a spoonful of cereals into his mouth.

    His hand stopped midway, "I''m sure it''s just your conscience pricking you for treating me so unfairly," Bryan said dryly as he started eating.

    "All this drama simply because I refused to share the shower with you?" Sonia asked with a shake of her head.

    "Really? Why are you still bringing that up?" Bryan asked, trying not to sound irritated over the way Sonia was going on and on about it.

    "I''m still bringing it up because of the way you''re acting," Sonia pointed out and Bryan shook his head.

    "Seriously, Sonia? I''m not going to continue having this discussion with you. Goodnight," he said as he ced his bowl of cereals on his thigh and held it with one hand, before using the other hand to turn his wheelchair around and move it away from the dining.

    "Okay, wait! Don''t leave," Sonia called back, not wanting them to escte things more than was necessary. She didn''t want them to quarrel over something as minor as this, "I''m sorry, okay? I''m sorry. I will drop the topic," Sonia promised as she followed him, and stood in front of his wheelchair blocking his path.

    Bryan said nothing as he munched on the cereals he was eating while looking at her with a nk expression.

    "Come on, I said I''m sorry," Sonia pleaded, going to sit on his thighs and taking the bowl of cereal from him.

    "I''ve heard you."

    "Why don''t we give your brother a call right now," Sonia suggested, as she wanted them to talk about something that didn''t rte to the both of them.

    "Okay," Bryan said as he reached into the pocket of thebat short he was wearing and took out his phone so that they could give Tom a call.

    Meanwhile, Tom sat outside his apartment as he waited for Lucy to return. He stood up when he sighted the shlight of a caring from the distance, and sighed when it moved closer and he realized it wasn''t Lucy''s car. The same thing happened about three more times before Lucy finally arrived.

    "What took you so long? I was worried about you," Tomined as he stood by the driver''s door while she parked the car, and then he opened the door and held it out for her to get out of the car.

    "You missed me, huh?" Lucy asked with a wide smile as she embraced him. She had to admit that it felt good to have someone waiting for her this way. She couldn''t count the number of times Tom had called her, urging her to be on her way. She couldn''t tell if it was just because he was missing her or maybe it was because she was hanging out with Anita and it made him ufortable. Whichever it was, it just felt good having him whine on the phone.

    "Of course, I did. You said you were going to spend just an hour with her, but you spent over two hours with her," Tomined as he hugged her back.

    "Sorry. I lost track of time until your call came in, and then I couldn''t leave immediately as there was a music performance I was enjoying," Lucy exined apologetically as she pulled away from him.

    "It''s fine as long as you are home now," Tom murmured as he looked into her face with a small smile that tugged at her heart.

    "I should freshen up. I will meet you at your ce in twenty minutes," Lucy said as she nced at her wristwatch.

    "How am I sure you won''t lose track of time again?" Tom asked dryly, and she giggled.

    "If I do you can juste over to remind me. I''m famished though, so don''t worry I won''t lose track of time. I''ve been chewing on antacids for thest couple of minutes because of a minor ulcer pain I''m feeling, so I really need to eat. I skipped breakfast and lunch," Lucy reminded him, making Tom suddenly feel guilty.

    "I''m sorry, I will make an arrangement for breakfast and lunch to be delivered to the office whenever I''m unable to get it myself," he said apologetically.

    "You had better," Lucy threatened with a happy smile, and before any of them could say anything else Tom''s cellphone began to ring with a call from Bryan.

    "It''s Bryan," he informed Lucy.

    "Don''t let him know we made up already," Lucy rushed to say before Tom could receive the call.

    "Why? What should I say then?" He asked with a slight frown.

    "Well, you could just say I''m still being mean to you. I resumed work at the office but I''m not talking to you yet," Lucy said with a shrug as she took off her sses to rub her eyes.

    "And what about Sonia? Are you going to tell her the same thing?" Tom asked, looking at her curiously.

    "Let me worry about that. Just don''t let your brother know we made up yet," Lucy said as she walked away while giving him the privacy he needed to receive the call.

    "Hey!" Tom greeted Bryan in a weary tone once he received the call.

    "Are you okay?" Bryan asked in concern.

    "I don''t know. Maybe," Tom said, not knowing what he was supposed to say.

    "You sound like you''re tired or depressed. Is it Lucy? Is she giving you a hard time?" Bryan asked as he exchanged a nce with Sonia who was seated on the couch next to him with his bowl of cereal between them. Instead of one spoon, there were two spoons in the bowl as they ate together.

    "Maybe I''m feeling both tired and depressed. Lucy really did a good job of frustrating me all through the day," Tom said, at least that wasn''t a lie. Lucy had really frustrated him initially until he found a way to y along.

    "She did? What did she do?" Bryan asked, echoing the question on Sonia''s mind.

    "Shepletely ignored me today. She acted like I don''t exist," Tom exined.

    "But she was at the office, right? That must mean she isn''t very mad," Bryan thought rationally.

    "I don''t think so. It feels more like she decided to forget all about me and what we shared. You know indifference is the opposite of love, not hatred, right? She treated me like I was nothing other than her boss," Tom lied, and Sonia''s brows furrowed together in a frown.

    "Wow! I don''t know what to say about that. Nody has ever treated me that way," Bryan murmured.

    "Really, Bryan? That''s really so helpful," Tom muttered.

    "I''m sorry. Anyway, Sonia is here. Maybe it would help if you speak with her. I''m sure she can talk to Lucy on your behalf," Bryan suggested as he passed the phone to Sonia.

    "Hello, Mr. Hank!" Sonia greeted politely.

    "Tom is fine. Just Tom," he pleaded.

    "Alright," Sonia said, and remained silent as she waited for him to say something else.

    "How have you been? I hope you''re both taking good care of each other?" Tom asked, not wanting to lie to Lucy''s friend too.

    "Sure, we have. I''m sorry about your situation with Lucy. I know it must not be easy on you, but I''m also sure you understand why she is acting that way," Sonia said, and Tom sighed.

    "Yeah. I just wish she would also understand I didn''t mean to hurt her or deceive her," Tom said sadly.

    "She will eventually realize that. Just be patient with her. I will try my best to talk to her too," Sonia promised.

    "I will really appreciate that. Thanks," Tom said and then Sonia returned the phone to Bryan.

    "Everything will be alright bro. Don''t worry, I''m sure if she''s truly yours she will find her way back to you," Bryan said hopefully.

    "Oh, no! Please don''t ever say something like that to me. Thest time you gave me that advice, we were kids. I let that bird go and it never came back," Tom said with a groan and Bryanughed out loud at the memory.

    Tom cleared his throat when something else urred to him, "By the way, please do not tell Jade about what''s going on between me and Lucy. I mean don''t let her know Lucy knows the truth now," Tom pleaded, reasoning that if Jade hears about it, she was likely going to also tell Harry about it, and Lucy didn''t want Harry to know about it yet.

    "Why not?" Bryan asked curiously.

    "Well, she has a lot of drama going on in her life at the moment and I really don''t want to add mine to it," Tom said before going on to exin the threat Jade had received at her apartment and how he had sent Harry to watch over her.

    "You mean she is living with Harry, right now?" Bryan asked with a scowl, not liking the idea that his little sister was living with a man who wasn''t her boyfriend.

    "Yes. Do you have a problem with it? Would you rather travel down there to protect her?" Tom asked when he heard the displeasure in Bryan''s tone.

    "Well, maybe not. But you do know that anything could happen between them, right?" Bryan asked thoughtfully.

    "Do you have a problem with something happening between them? They are both responsible adults who are single. You should pray something happens between them, at least that way Jade would stop living such a solitary life thinking about that jerk," Tom said, and Bryan sighed.

    "I will just give her a call now. Goodnight," Bryan said as he hung up.

    "Who is Harry?" Sonia asked curiously.

    "He is Tom''s best friend and right-hand man," Bryan answered as he scrolled through his phone for Jade''s number.

    "Tom doesn''t seem to have a problem with his best friend getting involved with your sister," Sonia observed.

    "That''s possibly because Harry is a good guy, exactly like Tom," Bryan exined.

    "Perfect."

    Sonia''s lips curved in a smile as she got another idea for her story. At this rate, her novel was going to be a trilogy. The title was going to be something about the Hank siblings. They all seemed to be having a lot of interesting stuff going on with them at the same time.. All she was going to do was work towards a happy ending for her and Lucy, and then she would n the perfect Christmas story for Harry and Jade.

 Chapter 196 - I’m Ready

    Tom rushed to the door the moment he heard the sound of his doorbell, and he swung the open without bothering to find out who it was since the only person he was expecting was Lucy.

    "It''s exactly ten minutes," Lucy said with a small smile as she raised her phone up for him to see her timer which just went off.

    Instead of looking at her phone''s screen, Tom blinked at her in surprise. She was no longer wearing her sses as she had some minutes ago, and she was wearing her hair down, "Your sses and hair..."

    Lucy grinned at him, "Yeah. Well... I figured that since you like it better this way, I could make an exception just when I''m with you," Lucy said with a shrug, and then raised a brow, "Am I going to keep standing here?" She asked, reminding him that he was still standing in the doorway and blocking her path.

    "Oh, sorry!" Tom said as he stepped aside for her to walk in, and then he shut the door behind her while she looked around the house

    "Hm. I see you set the table up again," Lucy observed with a small smile when she noticed the candlelit table.

    Tom cleared his throat, "Yeah. You seemed to really like it thest time," he exined while he just continued to watch her. Something about her always just seemed to leave him in awe of her.

    She constantly surprised him by her actions and gestures which always left him feeling like he didn''t know her well enough. There was just something about her that was more than ordinary.

    "Yeah, I do like it. Unfortunately, I''m not exactly dressed for a candlelit dinner," Lucy said with a grin as she looked down at her outfit.

    "I never knew there was a specific dress code for candlelit dinners. So what are you dressed for?" Tom asked as he admired her lovely legs in the shorts she was wearing. Unlike the sexy dress she had worn thest time, she was wearing ck shorts that stopped mid-thigh, with a blue-colored halter top.

    "I''m dressed to have dinner with you in front of the television," Lucy exined with a grin.

    "We could ce the table in front of the television then," Tom suggested in a practical tone making Lucyugh out loud.

    "It''s no wonder you need me to teach you about rtionships. Now that I think about it, thest time we sat there you tricked me into bing your girlfriend," Lucy added thest part with a teasing smile as she took slow steps towards the table.

    "An action which I don''t exactly regret. And by the way, I was just joking about moving the table to the living room. We could just put off the candles and eat in the living room," Tom suggested instead.

    Lucy''s lips twitched with a smile as she turned to look at him, "Nah. Let''s eat here," Lucy said, but just continued to stare at him without making any effort to sit down, "So... I''m still just your temporary girlfriend, right?" Lucy asked as she stared at Tom who was now approaching her.

    "Is that what you want to be? My temporary girlfriend?" Tom asked without breaking eye contact as he stopped in front of her and then circled his arm around her waist to draw her closer to himself.

    Lucy''s tongue involuntarily peeked out of her mouth to wet her lips as she looked up at him, "You tell me," she said in a slightly cracked voice as her eyes moved to his lips and then back to his eyes.

    They both stared deeply into each other''s eyes for a moment, and then Tom lowered his head a little, and Lucy raised hers to meet him halfway. Her eyes fluttered shut as she puckered her lips in anticipation of a kiss. Tom''s lips curved in a smile as he looked at her face, "Is it just my mind, or do you always think about doing things to me every time you are in this apartment?" Tom asked in amusement, and Lucy''s eyes snapped open as she hit his arm in embarrassment making Tom chuckle deeply.

    "You ruined the moment," Lucy cussed as she moved away from him making Tom chuckle even more.

    "Really? There was a moment? I didn''t even know it," Tom said with a chuckle as he pulled her back to himself while his eyes continued to gleam with amusement, "You''re everything beautiful, Lu," Tom told her with a soft smile as he brushed his lips against hers, and then he chuckled when she refused to kiss him back and just kept staring at him.

    "I mean it, Lu. You manage to make everything beautiful," Tom persisted with the kiss, licking and nibbling on her lips until her resolve weakened and she kissed him back.

    Tom broke the kiss before things could get more intense, and then he pulled away to look into her face. They both just stared into each other''s eyes without saying a word. Tom reached out and tucked her hair behind her ear while letting his fingers graze on the spot behind her ear, and Lucy''s eyes fluttered at the contact.

    Tom cleared his throat, "We should probably eat now," he said as he kissed her forehead once again, and then with a hand on her back, he led her to the table were pulled out a seat for her.

    "Thank you," Lucy said as she sat down and dropped her phone on the table, "I suppose thest meal we ate here was prepared by the chef at your house?" Lucy asked as she looked down at the dishes which were covered in front of her.

    "I promise you I was in the kitchen the whole time the meal was prepared. I received directions from the chef while we prepared the meal together," Tom assured her as he poured her a ss of cranberry juice which was on the table.

    "It''s such a relief to know that," Lucy said as she watched him pour the juice. She couldn''t believe he was still bent on making her take cranberry juice.

    "Since youined of ulcer pains a while ago I figured we skip the wine tonight. Let''s have cranberry juice instead," Tom told her as he poured himself a ss.

    "You don''t have an ulcer, do you?" Lucy asked, wondering why he was also taking the juice.

    "I don''t, but you don''t seem to like it really much so it''s only fair that I drink it with you since I''m making you take it," Tom said with a small smile.

    Perhaps this was one of the reasons she hade to really like him and respect him. He was a very thoughtful and caring person, Lucy thought as she returned his smile, "Thanks."

    "This was what I could get on such short notice. She said she was trying out a new recipe. It''s Chinese-stylemb fried rice. I hope you like it," Tom said as he removed the covering over the dishes.

    "Chinese stylemb fried rice," Lucy repeated with a curious smile as she looked down at the food and then picked up her cutlery, "At least I''m d I''m not expected to use chopsticks to eat this," she said with a grin, and Tom chuckled as he picked up his cutlery too and dug into it.

    "Hmm, not bad at all. Although it''s my first time tasting this so I wouldn''t exactly know what it''s supposed to taste like," Lucy said with a smallugh, and Tom shook his head at her.

    "You seem really different now," Tom observed as he watched her while she ate.

    Lucy waited until she swallowed the food in her mouth before responding, "Do I?" She asked even though she knew what he was talking about.

    "Yeah. In a good way though," he assured her before he returned his attention to his food so that he could let her eat without interruption as he could tell that she was really hungry.

    They ate in silence for a while and then Lucy cleared her throat as she raised her head to meet his gaze, "So how did the phone call with your brother go?"

    "It was fine. I also spoke with Sonia," Tom informed her.

    "You did?" Lucy asked with a small smile.

    "Yeah. Although she defended you, she promised to put in a good word for me with you," Tom informed her.

    "Perhaps I should let her do that? I''d like to see how she goes about convincing me to forgive you," Lucy said with a wide smile.

    "About the question, you asked earlier..." Tom said, and Lucy''s brow arched questioningly.

    "I know you have always insisted that you don''t want a man in your life. And that was the only reason I had to ask you to be my temporary girlfriend when what I really wanted was to be in amitted rtionship with you. So I want to know; do you still need time to make up your mind about being in a real rtionship with me or do you think you are ready for it now?" Tom asked as he set down his cutlery.

    "Are you sure you want to do this?" Lucy asked after some time as she also kept aside her cutlery.

    "Trust me, Lu. I wouldn''t be seated across from you right now if I didn''t want this. I want you more than I''ve ever wanted anything in my life," Tom assured her as he reached across the table to touch her hand.

    "We can''t let anyone at thepany know that we are in a rtionship..."

    "That''s not the answer to my question, Lu. Do you still need time to make up your mind about this, or are you ready to be in amitted rtionship with me? I want you to understand that there is no pressure, Lu. Being able to sit down with you this way is even more than I hoped for a couple of hours ago. I''m only asking you this just to be sure how you feel about us," Tom said, cutting her off.

    Lucy looked into his eyes, and then at their hands which were joined. If she was going to do this rtionship thing, then she would rather she tried it with someone as sweet, and caring, and thoughtful as Tom. She took in a deep breath before giving him a nod, "I think you''ve given me more than enough time. I''m ready," Lucy said with a small smile.

    "Are you sure about this, Lu? You don''t have to feel pressured. I''m not going anywhere even if you tell me you need a year," Tom promised, and this only made Lucy''s heart flutter.

    "I know that. And I don''t feel pressured in any way.. I''m ready."

 Chapter 197 - Super Rich

    Hearing Lucy say that she was ready to be in amitted rtionship with him caused a smile to light up Tom''s eyes as he looked at her, "I will spend the rest of my life making sure you don''t regret this decision," Tom promised as he raised her hand to his lips and kissed her palm, while Lucy watched him with eyes that beamed brightly with unshed tears.

    "I don''t doubt it," Lucy said in a slightly cracked voice and then cleared her throat, "Now let go of my hands, I need to finish my food," Lucy said making Tom chuckle as he released her hand. He could tell that she was feeling embarrassed by the emotions she was feeling.

    "Let''s be clear on one thing though. You don''t n on repeating today''s episode at the office with me anymore, right? As funny as it was to you, it was pretty frustrating for me," Tom said as they both picked up their cutleries and resumed eating.

    Lucy giggled at that but waited until she had swallowed the morsel of food in her mouth before responding, "You do realize that Anita would have found out about you today had I not acted the way I did, right? You should be thanking me," Lucy pointed out thoughtfully.

    "And what makes you think I care about her or anyone else finding out about my identity?" Tom asked with a nk expression.

    "What? You don''t mind? What about all the stress you have gone through just to keep your identity a secret from everyone? You''re going to blow it all away just like that?" Lucy asked with disbelief as she tucked her hair behind her ear.

    "Now that I have you, I really don''t care about anyone else. So please cut out the drama, okay?" Tom pleaded, and Lucy''s brows pulled together with a slight frown.

    "How else can I punish you if I cut it out so soon?" She asked making Tom shake his head.

    "You don''t have to punish me to prove any point. I already apologized, and I learned my lesson. Punishing me won''t make me feel any more sorry than I already am. One thing I can assure you is that I won''t lie to you about anything going forward," Tom promised.

    "You had better not, else I really won''t forgive you," Lucy warned, "Anyway, we still can''t let others know about our rtionship. At least not yet," Lucy suggested.

    "And why is that?" Tom asked, watching her thoughtfully as he took a sip from his ss of juice.

    "Even though I want to be in a rtionship with you, I don''t want the pressure thates from being in a rtionship yet. Everyone is going to have an opinion on our rtionship if we make it public now, especially if you reveal your identity anytime soon. So I''d rather we work on our rtionship first. Let''s take our time to build what we have before involving the likes of Anita," Lucy said, trying not to let her concern show in her voice.

    "You do realize that Anita or any otherdy doesn''t stand a chance where you are, right?" Tom asked just to be sure.

    "Hm," Lucy grunted nomittally.

    "You don''t sound very confident," Tom observed with a sigh, "Don''t worry, you will be with time," he promised.

    "Still, we can''t let them know yet. Please," Lucy insisted.

    "Okay, let''s reach apromise. Why don''t you treat me normally when we are alone, and then when anyone else is around we can pretend like nothing is going on between us," Tom suggested instead.

    "Hm. Sounds like a fair deal," Lucy said after a while.

    "Now that we''ve settled that, how was your meeting with Anita? What did she want?" Tom asked curiously as they both set down their cutleries.

    "Gossip as usual. At least now I know for a fact that she is interested in you."

    "Why? Did she say something?" Tom asked curiously, and Lucy''s gaze moved away from him guiltily as though she was contemting whether or not to tell him something.

    "Not directly. Just that the CEO is her ideal man," Lucy said, choosing not to say everything else Anita had said.

    "And what did you tell her was the reason I was close to you?" Tom asked, remembering what she had said in the car earlier.

    "Oh, that! I told her my best friend is your brother''s fiancee," Lucy said with a shrug.

    "I don''t think she''s going to like that in any way," Tom said with a grin.

    "At least it''s better than telling her you favor me because I''m in a rtionship with you, right?"

    "Are you scared of her? You know you don''t have to be, right? I can handle her," Tom assured Lucy.

    "I was scared of her, but not anymore. I can handle her myself. But first, I need to do the dishes," Lucy said as she stood up to clear the table.

    "Let''s do it together," Tom suggested as he stood up and joined her in clearing the tables.

    They both moved to the kitchen and while Lucy washed the dishes, Tom rinsed and dried them.

    Once they finished and dried their hands, Tom turned to Lucy, "Are you in a hurry to return to your apartment, or do you have time for dessert and a movie?"

    "Uhm... I''m sleeping over, so I guess I have all the time," Lucy said with a shy smile.

    "For someone who wasn''t interested in being in a rtionship, you''re doing quite well for a first-timer," Tom said with an encouraging smile as he took her hand and led her to the living room.

    "Considering how quickly you dozed off thest time, let''s talk for a while before we see the movie," Tom suggested once she was seated, and then he excused himself to go get the dessert.

    He soon returned with a tray of apple pie which he set on his thigh as he sat down beside her on the couch.

    "This was what you brought to my apartment the first time you came pretending to be my neighbor," Lucy said with a smile when she remembered looking through her window to see her one night stand standing in front of her door.

    "And you pretended not to recognize me," Tom reminded her with a chuckle.

    "How could I not? Did you really expect me to open the door and be like ''Hey! Weren''t you the guy I met at the clubst night? Wow! What are you doing here?'' Was that what you were expecting?" Lucy asked with a roll of her eyes as she picked up a slice of apple pie and bit into it.

    Tom guffawed at that, "Not exactly. But pretending not to know me was a little extra," Tom said as he picked up a piece of the pie and also bit into it before turning on the television.

    They ate in silence for a while until Tom broke the silence, "So did you really mean it when you said you wanted me to remain your driver? Even when we are dating now?"

    "Yeah. Why? Do you have a problem with it?" Lucy asked, cocking her head to the side to look at him.

    "No. As long as it allows me to spend more time with you, I''m cool with it," Tom assured her.

    "Me too," Lucy said as she snuggled closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder while her eyes remained on the television screen.

    "Can you see the television clearly without your sses?" Tom asked curiously as he ate with his left hand while his right hand rested lightly on her back.

    "Yeah," Lucy said with a nod as continued to nibble on the apple pie.

    "Uhm... Lu?" Tom called cautiously, making Lucy sit up and look at him as she could guess he wanted to talk about something serious.

    "Yeah?"

    "I don''t know if this is a good time to suggest this, but I''d love you to start receiving therapy. I spoke with the doctor..." Tom let the rest of his words trail off as he looked into her smoky gray eyes.

    "Hm. I was going to give him a call. It escaped my mind," Lucy assured him.

    "Really? Are you saying you''re willing to receive psychotherapy now?" Tom asked, wanting to be sure they were talking about the same thing.

    Lucy bobbed her head, "Yeah."

    "Great! I will make sure you get the best," Tom said as he leaned forward and kissed her forehead.

    Lucy smiled, "You are not curious to hear the rest of the story?" She asked, gazing into his hazel eyes searchingly.

    "I am. But I''m not in a hurry to hear it. Let''s make sure you''re fine before traveling down that path again," Tom suggested as he gathered her close to himself.

    They returned their attention to the television once again as they focused on the reality show they were watching. Lucy was quiet for a long while and just when Tom was about to conclude that she had dozed off, she spoke.

    "Tom?"

    "Hm-hm?" He asked curiously, wanting to know what was in her head.

    "So you are rich? Like very very wealthy, right?" Lucy asked, making his lips twitch in amusement.

    "Sort of, I suppose. Why do you ask?"

    "Apart from that building, do you have other residential properties?" Lucy asked thoughtfully.

    "Yeah."

    "And those cars at your private parking lot and the ones at that mansion all belong to you?" Lucy asked again.

    "Every one of them."

    She pulled away from him so that she was looking at his face now, "Do you own a private jet?" She asked thoughtfully, her smoky gray eyes twinkling with something he couldn''t tell.

    "About three. Yes."

    Lucy''s eyes widened in excitement, "Three? Wow! I''ve never been in one," she said in awe.

    Tom''s lips curved in a smile, "Really? You want to go on a date in one this weekend?"

    Lucy bobbed her head eagerly while he was still asking, "Yes! I would love to."

    "It''s settled then. We would spend the weekend at my house, and then go on a date in one of the Jets," Tom concluded with a grin and then returned his attention to the television.

    "What about a yacht?" Lucy asked now, making Tom chuckle.

    "Why does it feel like you made up with me because of my wealth?" He asked with a teasing smile.

    "Of course, I did. I would never have forgiven you if you were a broke guy pretending to be wealthy," Lucy said with a serious expression that made him howl withughter, "So? Do you own a yacht or not?" Lucy prodded, poking his side.

    "I''m not really a fan of that. But if you want one, we could get one," Tom offered.

    "You can do that? Really?" She asked doubtfully.

    "Really."

    "Wow! My boyfriend is super rich!" Lucy eximed to herself as she stood up and spread both hands happily.

    "That means you can take me shopping, right? And buy me lots of expensive stuff?" She asked, blinking at him excitedly as she sat down next to him.

    Tom shook his head as he watched her in amusement. This wasn''t what he had expected from her, but then again she was yet to do anything he had expected thus far.

    "I can do all of that and more if that''s what you want."

 Chapter 198 - Maybe

    "I had a really nice time today," Jade said with a contented sigh as she patted her bulging abdomen, and rested her head against the headrest of her seat with her eyes closed.

    Harry who was driving them back to the hotel after their dinner turned to spare her a nce, "I''m d you did. You also look much better now," Harry said when he observed the color which was on her face now, unlike earlier when she had looked really pale.

    "I feel better too. Thank you," Jade said with a smile as she opened her eyes to look at him.

    "You''re wee," Harry said without looking at her.

    Jade watched him in silence for a while as he drove, and then a mischievous gleam crept into her eyes, "So... Aura is cute, right?" Jade asked in a conversational tone.

    "Aura?" Harry asked, trying to remember who that was.

    "Come on! Don''t tell me you''ve forgotten her already! The owner of the spa!" Jade hissed at him.

    "Oh, Aurora! Yeah, she''s cute," Harry said indifferently.

    "So you''re going to give her a call, right? I think she likes you," Jade said, wiggling her brows yfully.

    "Maybe," Harry said in the same indifferent tone.

    "Maybe? Maybe what? Is it maybe you''re going to give her a call or maybe she likes you?" Jade asked in confusion.

    "Maybe both."

    "Well, I know she likes you. She is beautiful, intelligent, and even rich. What else could you possibly want in ady?" Jade asked matter of factly.

    "So what did you both conclude on? Are you going to advise them to go into hiding or are you going to use them as a trap to get Jero?" Harry asked, changing the subject as he wasn''t feeling veryfortable about discussing his private business with his best friend''s kid sister.

    "You said no work talk until tomorrow. I''m supposed to be resting today. So? What else do you want in a woman?" Jade asked, taking him back to the subject he was trying to escape from.

    Harry sighed as he turned to spare her a nce, "In as much as I appreciate your help, Jade, I think you should let me do my thing. I''m here to help you with your case, not to find a girlfriend. So let''s not get sidetracked," Harry said, making Jade huff in annoyance.

    "You''re unbelievable," Jade muttered under her breath and then reached into her handbag when her phone started ringing. She smiled when she noticed it was a call from Bryan, and she received the call immediately.

    "How are you doing? What''s going on there?" Bryan asked in concern the moment the call connected.

    "Tom must have spoken to you," Jade said dryly.

    "Why didn''t you tell me that you were having a difficult time with this case?" Bryan asked in a slightly disappointed tone.

    "Because I can''t run to my big brothers every time somethinges up at work. It''s one of those things thates with my profession so I have to face it," Jade said dismissively.

    "How is the reality showing? I haven''t had the time to see it. And how is Sonia?" Jade asked changing the subject.

    "Don''t change the subject. Tom told me Harry is with you. What is your living arrangement like? He isn''t hitting on you, is he?" Bryan asked, making Jade grin as she turned to look at Harry whose gaze was fixed on the road ahead of them.

    "Why do you ask? You don''t want him to?" Jade asked yfully.

    "I don''t exactly have a problem with it, but..."

    "It''s fine as long as you don''t have a problem with it," Jade cut in before he could finish.

    "Why? Don''t tell me you like him already?" Bryan asked with a slight frown.

    "What''s there not to like? He''s super-rich, he is very handsome, he is witty, has connections, from good family background, he is honest to a fault..." She broke off with a giggle when Harry turned to look at her with a questioning gaze as if he just realized she was talking about him.

    "I see you are having a good time," Bryan said with a sigh of resignation. Hearing Jadeugh in such a carefree manner was something he hadn''t heard in a long time. Maybe Tom was right. Maybe this arrangement was going to work out well in the end.

    "I am. So don''t worry your head about any nonsense. I doubt he even sees me as a girl," Jade said with a shake of her head as she looked at Harry.

    "But you do see him as a guy?" Bryan asked thoughtfully.

    "Do you really want me to answer that question? He is right here in the car with me, so think carefully and be sure you want me to answer that question in front of him," Jade said, making Harry nce at her once again as he wondered what the conversation was about.

    "Nevermind. Sonia is here. You want to say hello to her?" Bryan asked, changing the subject as he knew that Sonia was dying to speak with his sister.

    "Sure! But before that, I spoke with your best friend, Matt, earlier today," Jade informed him.

    "Yeah, I''m aware. He asked for your number. Is he in trouble?" Bryan asked in concern.

    "Not at all. Do you know anyone called Candy? Or how he happens to know her?" Jade asked curiously.

    "Candy? Yeah. She is someone he is interested in. Why? Is she in trouble with thew?" Bryan asked, trying to understand what was happening.

    "Why do you keep asking if everyone is in trouble? I just wanted to know about their rtionship. I know her from way back," Jade assured Bryan, not wanting to let him in on what was going on.

    "Way back? C''mon, Jade. The only people you know who aren''t your friends or colleagues, are criminals."

    "She isn''t a criminal. She was only a key witness in a case I handled two years ago. Now hand Sonia the phone," Jade said, letting Bryan know that they were done with that subject.

    "Hey, Jade! I''ve been longing to talk to you," Sonia greeted excitedly.

    ***********

    "I still can''t believe he left just like that," Brandy said with a thoughtful frown after Candy finished telling her how Matt had left.

    "What were you expecting? That he would stay after hearing that I was involved with a drug cartel? He is wiser than that," Candy said dismissively.

    "You are sure you didn''t say something to make him leave?" Brandy asked suspiciously.

    "It doesn''t matter. He is out of our lives now, so let''s focus on what we have before us," Candy said, reminding Brandy that they had agreed to tell Jamal the truth about their upation that night.

    It was their night off work, so they were both spending the evening with Jamal who was busy with his assignment inside his bedroom.

    Brandy looked at Candy as though she had more to say, but decided not to say anything, "Okay. So do you want me to do the talking? Maybe we can start by saying I''m a stripper, and if he takes it well we can tell him you are too. If he doesn''t, we can just stick to just me being the stripper," Brandy suggested.

    "No. Let''s just..." The rest of Candy''s words trailed off when they heard the sound of the doorbell.

    "Are you expecting someone?" Brandy asked as she stood up to see who was at the door.

    "None that I know of," Candy said with a shake of her head.

    Brandy looked through the peephole, and then smiled when she saw Matt standing there. Of course, she knew that Matt wasn''t the type to bail so easily.

    "Hey!" She greeted with a wide smile as she pulled the door open.

    "Hello, Andy!" Matt greeted, returning her smile as he looked behind her to see Candy standing there and looking at him in confusion, "I stopped by the club and was told you had the night off. Sorry to barge in on you," Matt said apologetically.

    "You are always wee here. You don''t have to apologize," Brandy said dismissively as she stepped aside for him to get in.

    Once Matt walked in he looked around the house, "Jamal isn''t home?" He asked curiously.

    Candy cleared her throat, "He is in his bedroom busy with his assignment. What do you want?" Candy asked without offering him a seat. She thought she had managed to get rid of him earlier, so what was he doing again?

    "Uhm... Let''s talk," Matt said, scratching the back of his head awkwardly.

    "I will just excuse you both..."

    "No. You have to be present too. This concerns you as well," Matt cut in before Brandy could leave, making her exchange a look with Candy.

    "What''s it about?" Candy asked with a slightly raised brow, hoping he wasn''t going to start asking questions again.

    "We should probably sit down," Matt suggested as he walked into the living room and sat down, leaving bothdies to follow suit.

    "After our conversation earlier, I was very worried about you so I spoke to awyer friend..."

    "You did what?" Candy asked with rounded eyes.

    Matt cleared his throat, "I didn''t exactly give her the details you gave me. I just wanted to help."

    "I don''t remember asking you for your damn help or asking you to discuss me with anybody!" Candy snapped at him angrily.

    "Calm down. We should at least hear him out," Brandy told Candy with a slight frown, wondering why she was overreacting.

    "Yeah. I know you didn''t ask for my help. I''m sorry," Matt said apologetically.

    "You shouldn''t be sorry for trying to help," Brandy said encouragingly.

    "Thanks, Andy."

    "You can go on," Brandy urged him.

    "Coincidentally the friend I spoke with happens to be thewyer that handled your case two years ago. Jade Hank," Matt said, making both Brandy''s and Candy''s lips round in surprise.

    "Did you tell her where we are? Tell me you didn''t!" Candy asked desperately as her eyes flew to the door like a trapped animal.

    "That is why I''m here. She informed me that she has been trying to find you. Jero escaped from the correctional facility where he was being kept..."

    "What?" Candy eximed in panic as she abruptly stood up from her seat, "How is that even possible?"

    Brandy who had been calm this whole time suddenly looked very worried now, "And?" She asked, wanting to know what thewyer wanted.

    "And the Legions have hired a private investigator to find you. It''s only a matter of time before they know where you are," Matt said, making Candy''s heart skip a beat.

    "Oh, my God! Oh, God!" Candy cried as she copsed on her seat and ran both hands through her hair.

    Matt''s brow furrowed in concern as he watched both sisters, "I could help you hide if that''s what you want. Or we could set up people around your house, the club, and Jamal''s school. The moment Jero or any member of the legion shows up, they will be apprehended," Matt suggested quietly.

    "And then what?" Brandy asked with a worried frown as she looked from Candy to Matt, and he simply shrugged.

    "It''s your choice.. Either way, I''m here to help, unless you don''t want me to."

 Chapter 199 - Perfect Place

    Candy paced around her bedroom while Brandy tried to reason with her, "You could leave with Jamal. I will stay back as the bait so that the cops can catch them all," Brandy offered, making Candy stop in her track to look at her.

    "I''m not letting you do something as dangerous as that," she said with a shake of her head, and the tone in her voice brooked no argument as she resumed pacing again.

    "Well, we have to make a decision. They are going to find out where we are sooner orter, and we can either choose to run away with Matt''s help or stay back to fight them once and for all. I don''t know about you, but I''m tired of running," Brandy said as she came to stand in front of Candy.

    "I''m tired, Candy. I''m only just beginning to get used to this life here. I can''t just leave it and runoff. This here is our home, and I don''t want to leave it," Brandy pleaded.

    "Can you leave with Jamal for some time? I will take care of things and then you can bothe back. Please?" Candy asked hopefully.

    "No. If you''re going to stay, I''m staying too. I''ve told you where I stand on this issue. You should hurry up and make up your mind, Matt won''t wait forever," Brandy urged her, reminding her that Matt was still in the living room waiting for them to make up their mind.

    Candy closed her eyes and took in a deep breath as she tried to make up her mind on what to do. After contemting for only a moment she opened her eyes, "Let''s join him in the living room," Candy suggested and she walked out of the bedroom without waiting for Brandy.

    Matt who was looking outside the house through the window turned around when he heard their approaching footsteps, "Have you made up your mind?" Matt asked, looking at them curiously.

    Candy cleared her throat. It was awkward asking or receiving help from him considering they had cut ties earlier that day, "Yes. I don''t want Jamal here with me when any of them show up. Can you keep him safe instead? Brandy and I will stay back," Candy said, looking at him hopefully.

    "Sis!" Brandy called in a surprised voice.

    "Are you sure that is what you want?" Matt asked, not sure he liked the idea of separating the kid from his mother.

    "Yes. I don''t know how far Jero would go this time. And I want to make sure that Jamal is safe regardless of whatever happens to us," Candy said, and Matt exchanged a look with Brandy who gave him a nod, indicating that she supported her sister''s decision.

    "Nothing is going to happen to you," he promised before turning to Candy, "Would you like to speak with Jade?" He asked, and Candy swallowed hard before giving him a nod. She had thought thest time she would have any reason to talk to Jade was two years ago.

    Matt took out his phone and dialed Jade''s line since she had asked him to let her know whatever Candace decides on.

    Jade who was now watching the television with Harry, nced at her phone when it started ringing and quickly reached for it when she saw that it was Matt, "Hey, Matt!" She said, snapping her fingers at Harry, and jerking her head towards the television for him to reduce the volume.

    "Hi, Jade! I''m here with her. You can speak with her now," Matt said before extending the phone to Candace who hesitantly moved closer to him and took the phone from him.

    She cleared her throat, "Hi!"

    "I''m genuinely sorry you are hearing from me again like this. I know this must not be easy on you, I''m sorry," Jade apologized.

    "It''s not your fault. There is nothing to be sorry for," Jade said with a sigh, "What happened? How did he escape? Why are the members of the Legion searching for me?" Candy asked in a weary tone. She listened patiently as Jade narrated all that had happened and how her witness had suddenly gone missing too.

    "That''s very sad to hear. Bill was such a good guy. He had always been different from the others. He couldn''t really stand the sight of blood. He only joined the gang to make ends meet for his family," Candy said sadly when she realized that she knew the witness who was missing.

    "Family? He didn''t mention anything about having a family. Not that he mentioned much of anything apart from his name. He only called to say he had evidence against the gang and asked that we meet. And ever since then I''ve been unable to reach him," Jade exined.

    "If the only thing you know about him is his name and what little he told you, then how have you been searching for him?" Candace asked with a scoff.

    Jade cleared her throat as she turned to look at Harry who was looking at her with rapt attention, "I may not have much information on him, but I have my source who is working on finding him," Jade said defensively.

    "And you trust your source?" Candy asked cautiously.

    "Yes, I do," Jade said with confidence.

    "Well, since they are out to find me, I can as well make it easier for everyone. Keep Jamal safe until all of this is over. In return, I will help you with the information you need to find your witness... That is if he is still alive. If he is dead, then I guess we will all have to wait for Jero to find me," Candy said thoughtfully.

    "Do you trust Matt to take care of your son?" Jade asked since there was no way she could keep the little boy with her. She wasn''t safe herself, and as such, she was in no position to keep the little boy safe.

    "I do. But I''d rather Jamal stays with someone that has never been seen with me before. That way Jero won''t be able to find him," Candace exined.

    "Hm." Jade thought about it for a moment, and then she smiled, "Okay. I think I know the perfect ce."

    ***********

    Tom looked down at Lucy who was sleeping soundly on his arms in his bed, and his lips curved in a smile as he watched her. He had an immense feeling of contentment and satisfaction upon seeing her this way in his arms and knowing that she was now his.

    It was almost six in the morning and he had been unable to sleep for most of the night. One would have thought that he would sleep soundly considering that he had been unable to get a night of proper sleep the previous night because he was worried that Lucy wasn''t going to forgive him, but he had been too overwhelmed by the fact that she had forgiven him and his search for love was over.

    He had expected her to make things more difficult for him since he understood that most people often had the mentality that if they gave forgiveness too easily they would be taken for granted. Honestly, he would have been more than willing to put up with anything she dished out to him in her anger, but seeing how easily she had understood and forgiven him, his respect for her increased even more.

    Tom leaned forward and ced a light kiss on her forehead as he silently promised her and himself that he was going to do everything within his means to keep her safe, spoil her, and shower her with lots of love.

    Tom moved gently so that he wouldn''t wake her up as he got out of the bed. He moved around as quietly as he could and walked into the bathroom to brush his teeth. Once he was done he went to the kitchen to fix himself a cup of coffee, before going to sit in the living room to check for news updates on his phone''s News app.

    After going through most of the news for the day, Tom stood up with his now empty cup of coffee and returned to the kitchen where he rinsed it out before going to the bedroom to check on Lucy.

    Lucy who had just woken up from sleep and was about to get off the bed quickly ducked and pretended to be asleep when she heard Tom''s approaching footsteps.

    "I take it you are not going to work today?" Tom asked as he approached her bedside since he suspected that she was awake.

    "How did you know that I was awake?" Lucy asked as she sat up to look at him with a small smile.

    "I didn''t. You just told me," Tom said with a grin as he stopped beside her, "Good morning, Princess. I hope you slept well?" Tom asked as he leaned forward to kiss her cheeks.

    "I tried," Lucy said with a yawn, "Good morning. I should go and get ready for work. You should too," Lucy said with her eyes on his bedside clock as she got off the bed.

    "You don''t have to hurry, you know?" Tom said, reminding her that he was the boss and she could get to the office whenever she wanted.

    "You have to hurry. You are driving me to the office, remember?" Lucy asked as she started to walk past him, but Tom quickly grabbed her arm.

    "Why are you so devoted to your job anyway? Do I have to fire you?" Tom asked with a scowl.

    "You can try," Lucy dared with a giggle as she embraced him.

    "I''m so d it''s almost weekend. I can''t wait to have you all to myself," Tom said as he ran his hands down her back.

    "You already have me all to yourself. Let''s have lunch together in your office when no one is looking," Lucy suggested as she kissed his lips, "Now I''m going to get ready for work. You should do the same," she said as she moved away from him.

    "Let''s not go to work today," Tomined as he watched her leave.

    Lucy paused by the door and turned to look at him, making him look back at her with hopeful eyes, "Going forward I hope you won''t be distributing your number to anyone who cares to have it," Lucy said with a hiss of annoyance before walking away, making Tom chuckle.

    An hourter Lucy who was sitting in the backseat of her car raised a brow when she noticed that Tom was driving in a different direction from the office, "Where are you going to?" She asked Tom curiously, meeting his gaze in the rearview mirror.

    "Oh, sorry! The CEO didn''t tell you? He called earlier, and asked me to take you somewhere else," Tom said with a grin.

 Chapter 200 - Jealous

    Lucy looked at Tom with disapproval, "If you continue this way we are going to get caught before we even get anywhere. Reverse the car and let''s go to the office right now. You can''t change everything on your schedule just to satisfy your whim!" Lucy chided.

    "Wanting to hang out with you isn''t just a whim," Tom said as a scowl reced the grin which had been on his face a moment ago, "I just want to hang out with you, is that too much to ask for?"

    "It is. I''m not going anywhere else with you when it is still work hours. We have to distinguish between business and pleasure. Mr. Harry sent me your schedule for the day, and you have several meetings that you need to attend this morning. So reverse the car right now," Lucy said in a tone that brooked no argument.

    "Do you really mean that?" Tom asked, not pleased with the fact that she wasn''t as eager to spend some time with him as he was to spend his time with her.

    Lucy took in a deep breath as she met his gaze in the rearview mirror, "We already made ns for the weekend, right? I''m sure you didn''t build such a sessfulpany by canceling meetings and going on dates during work hours. Let''s focus on work during work hours, and date off work hours, please?" Lucy said with a catory smile.

    "How did I forget that you''re a workaholic?" Tom muttered under his breath in displeasure as he reversed the car.

    "You are not mad at me, are you?" Lucy asked a momentter when the silence in the car became deafening.

    "I''m sure it won''t make a difference to you even if I''m mad, so don''t worry about it," Tom said as he kept his gaze on the road.

    "How can you say that?" Lucy asked, feeling hurt by what he had just said, but Tom said nothing as he drove into thepany''s parking lot.

    "Are we still having lunch together?" Lucy asked as she reached for her door.

    "I don''t know. I might be too busy with work," Tom muttered under his breath as they both got out of the car.

    Before Lucy could respond they both heard a familiar feminine voice, "Hey, Tom! Good morning!" Thedy to who Tom had given his number the previous day called with a wide smile as she waved at him.

    "Have a pleasant day," Lucy muttered with displeasure as she walked past him, leaving him to deal with thedy.

    "Hi! Good morning!" Tom greeted thedy who was now approaching him while his gaze remained fixed on Lucy''s retreating figure.

    Wasn''t it too early in their rtionship for them to be having a fight? All he had wanted was to spend a couple of hours with her having breakfast at his home. Was that too much to ask for? Why was she acting like she cared about hispany more than he did?

    "Do you have a minute?" She asked with a smile.

    "Do you want something?" Tom asked, trying not to let his annoyance sound in his tone as he looked at her with a polite smile even though he didn''t really like that she was dying him.

    "Yeah. The number you gave me yesterday was missing a digit," thedy said with an awkward smile as she waved her phone at him.

    Tom looked at her for a moment without saying a word, and then he sighed, "Do you like me?" He asked with a slightly raised brow.

    On hearing his question a blush crept up her cheeks, "Yes. I do," she said looking into his eyes directly, surprising Tom who had been expecting a sharp denial.

    "Wow! Thank you. Although I feel very ttered right now, I''m in a rtionship," Tom exined mildly so he wouldn''t hurt her feelings.

    "Oh, I''m so sorry! I didn''t think of that," she said with a smile that managed to look both apologetic and disappointed at the same time.

    "Why didn''t you think of that? Because I''m a mere driver and you think no one would want me?" Tom asked with a slight frown.

    "No! Not that. I just meant that it just didn''t ur to me to first find out if you were in a rtionship before making a fool of myself," she quickly corrected.

    "So you wouldn''t have been bothered about being in a rtionship with a mere driver who works in the samepany as you?" Tom asked curiously.

    "I don''t know why you keep referring to yourself as a mere driver, but at least you just said he works in the samepany with me, right? I don''t think the job description should matter, should it?"

    "I suppose not," Tom said with a nod.

    "Why did you ask though? Does it bother your girlfriend that you''re a driver?" She asked thoughtfully, but before Tom could respond his phone started ringing.

    He reached into his pocket to take out the phone and looked towards the entrance of thepany when he saw that it was a call from Lucy. When he didn''t see any sign of her at the entrance, he looked up to his office window and noticed that she was standing by his window.

    "Excuse me for a moment," he told thedy in front of him before stepping away from her to receive the call, "Hey, what''s up?" He asked Lucy curiously.

    "You must be seriously enjoying your conversation with her," Lucy observed irritably, making Tom chuckle.

    "As a matter of fact, I am. Why? Are you jealous?"

    "Have fun then," Lucy hissed at him before hanging up.

    Tom looked up and shook his head when he noticed that she had left the window. It seemed like they were bound to fight no matter what he said or did, Tom thought to himself with a deep sigh as he returned to face thedy.

    "It''s been nice chatting with you. I need to run now," Tom said with a polite smile.

    "Uhm, I know you said you are in a rtionship, but can we be friends? I just really like your personality and would love to talk to you from time to time if you don''t mind," she said with a small smile.

    Tom paused for a moment when he remembered Lucy''s warning about giving his number out randomly. If she didn''t like him giving out his number or talking to otherdies, she would definitely not like the idea of him being friends with her.

    "Uhm... I''m sorry, I know you mentioned your name the other day, but I have forgotten it..."

    "It''s fine. People hardly remember my name as it''s not a verymon name. My name is Cora. Cora Anderson," she said with a friendly smile.

    "I will try not to forget it this time, Miss Anderson..."

    "Please call me Cora," she cut in before he could finish.

    "Sure. About being friends, I can''t really say. My girlfriend is pretty possessive of me and she doesn''t like otherdies hanging around me," Tom said with an apologetic smile since he also liked her personality.

    Cora let out a disappointed sigh, "I suppose I understand. I would be jealous too if you were mine," she said with a good-natured smile.

    "Thanks for your understanding. I guess I will see you around," Tom said with a polite wave as he automatically locked the car and headed in the direction of thepany.

    Meanwhile, seated in her office, Anita tapped her pen against her desk distractedly as she thought about her conversation with Lucy the previous evening, as she tried toe up with a n. It seemed to her that Lucy was way ahead of her already, and she needed to step up her game.

    Lucy could im that the CEO was just seeing her as a part of his family, but she wasn''t naive or gullible enough to believe that was all there was between them, and even if that was the case, she knew how easy it would be for Lucy''s best friend to want to start ying matchmaker between her best friend and her brother-inw. She needed to do something before that happens.

    Picking up her phone she scrolled through her contact list for a number she hasn''t called in a while and dialed it.. She waited patiently for the person at the other end of the line to take the call, and once it connected, she took in a deep breath, "I have a job for you."

 Chapter 201 - Nuru Massage

    "Good morning babe," Bryan greeted Sonia when he slowly walked into the living room and saw her seated by the dining, dressed in just ace peach bralette top and a ck silk boxer pant as she tapped away at the keyboard of herptop.

    "Good morning, lover. Did you sleep well?" Sonia asked with a yawn as she shifted her gaze from herptop to look at Bryan who was dressed in just his boxers.

    "I didn''t. You were not there when I woke up," Bryanined, making Sonia giggle.

    "You liar! You im you didn''t sleep well, yet you slept so soundly that you didn''t notice when I left the bed," she said usingly when Bryan stopped beside her and leaned forward to peck both sides of her cheeks.

    "I''m serious. I may have slept soundly but I didn''t sleep well," Bryan said with a straight face, making her roll her eyes.

    "What are you so busy with that made you leave me anyway?" Bryan asked as he pulled one of the dining chairs closer to her and sat on it.

    "My story. I got an ideast night, so I woke up call my editor," Sonia said, and then paused when she remembered something.

    "What is wrong?" Bryan asked, noticing her sudden difort as though she wanted to say something she didn''t like.

    "Uhm, I hope you don''t take this the wrong way, but do you mind attending my book signing event with me? My editor thinks that a lot of people would turn up if they find out that you''reing and that would help us sell even more books. I''m not trying to use you or..."

    "Even if you are trying to use me, I don''t think I mind," Bryan cut in with a small smile before she could finish, "And I honestly think we''ve gone beyond this stage in our rtionship where we apologize for such things, or where you think that you have to exin so much. Don''t think I don''t know how much you hate this reality show. I know you really hate having your life put out there for the entire public, yet you have been doing it for my sake. The least I can do is attend your book signing event with you," Bryan said, making Sonia let out a sigh of relief.

    "Thanks, babe. That means so much to me," Sonia said with a sweet smile as she leaned forward and brushed his lips with hers.

    "Anything for you my love. So what is this idea you got?" Bryan asked as Sonia pulled back from him.

    "I want to write a trilogy. It''s on the Hank siblings, but I won''t be using your family name, so don''t worry," she rushed to assure him.

    "You are writing about my family?" Bryan asked with a slight frown.

    "Just you and your siblings. The first book would be based on your brother and Lucy. The second would be about us, and then thest would be your sister Jade," Sonia said, leaving out Harry''s name, as she wasn''tpletely certain about how Bryan would react to her hooking up his sister with his brother''s best friend yet.

    "Jade isn''t in a rtionship," Bryan pointed out.

    "I''m certain she will be in one eventually. I will focus on the first two stories for the time being. This brings me to another idea I got," Sonia said, making Bryan raise a brow.

    "It seems like you are full of ideas today. Let''s hear it," Bryan said, looking at her expectantly.

    "Uhm, I''ve always wanted to do this. But seeing how my fanbase has increased, thanks to you, I was thinking that maybe I could create a writing app where I can write and also support other writers," Sonia said with an uncertain smile.

    "An app? Why? You no longer want to publish the hard copies of your books? You should know that there are people who do not like reading soft copies of books. I don''t," Bryan pointed out thoughtfully.

    "I know that. I still intend to publish the hard copies, but I think doing this will make me moremitted to my writing. So when a story ispleted on the app, I will publish and release the hardcopy to those who want it. That way I can earn more as well," Sonia exined as she eagerly awaited his approval.

    "Hmm, okay. Although I don''t know much about this stuff, I think it might be good. Do you need my help?" Bryan asked after thinking about it for a moment.

    "Your help?" Sonia asked in confusion.

    "Yes. Is there something you would like me to do to support you and make the whole thing easier and faster for you?" Bryan repeated, and Sonia''s lips pulled up in a wide smile.

    "After I''ve set it up you could help me invite your celebrity friends and colleagues to theunching. And it would be great if you can talk about it on your social media pages too," Sonia said hopefully.

    "Done. What else?" Bryan asked again, and Sonia shook her head.

    "Nothing. Everything else is in ce," she assured him with a yawn.

    "I could help you get someone to create the app and pay..."

    "No. Don''t worry about that. I''ve got it covered. I really appreciate your support though," Sonia said with a smile as she checked the time on herptop and shut it down, "The production crew will be here soon. We should get ready," Sonia said without enthusiasm when she noticed that it was past nine already.

    "Tomorrow is thest day of the shoot. Hang in there, okay?" Bryan said apologetically.

    "I can''t wait. We are done with shooting themercials, right? Why don''t we sit out by the poolside today? Or are you up for a date?" Sonia asked hopefully as she stretched in her seat.

    "You mean during the shoot or after?" Bryan asked as he got off his seat and went to stand behind Sonia.

    "I don''t want to go on a date with you for the cameras," Soniained, and then closed her eyes and moaned softly when she felt Bryan''s hands on her bare shoulders as he gently knead her stiff muscles.

    "We can stay by the poolside. I promise to take you out on lots of dates after this," Bryan said as he arranged her braids on her back so that they wouldn''t get in his way as he massaged her.

    "You should. We need to get ready before they arrive," Sonia murmured with her eyes closed, "That feels so good."

    "You should rx and enjoy it," Bryan countered as he looked down at her while he continued to rub her stiff shoulders.

    "But..."

    "No buts. Between the reality show and your writing, you barely have time to rx. Perhaps we should go to a massage parlor on our first date?" Bryan said thoughtfully.

    "I could get a Nuru massage," Sonia suggested.

    Bryan''s hands paused on her shoulder, "Forget I said anything about a massage parlor. I will massage you myself," Bryan said stiffly, making her giggle.

    "Why? I think it will be fun," Sonia said, turning to look at him.

    "You don''t mind a nakeddy massaging me with her body?" Bryan asked incredulously.

    "I''m not sure I mind. Why? Does it bother you that a naked guy might massage me?" Sonia asked looking at him with a small smile.

    "Yes, it bothers me. And I find it annoying that you don''t mind that someone else might touch me," Bryan said without bothering to hide his hurt and annoyance.

    "Come on, Bryan! Don''t be like that. We haven''t even defined our rtionship yet, remember? Okay, would you rather a guy massages you and a girl..."

    "Ew! There is no freaking way I''m letting a naked guye anywhere near my body!" Bryan cut in with a look of utter disgust which made Sonia giggle.

    "Okay. I see it''s not going to work. We could just get the oil and do it ourselves. How about that?" Sonia asked, and then smile when she saw the way Bryan''s eyes lit up at the thought of it.

    "You would give me a Nuru massage?" Bryan asked, and then smiled when Sonia bobbed her head, "I will order the oil right away," Bryan said excitedly as he quickly headed for the bedroom.

    "Hey! Go easy with your legs!" Sonia called after him with a giggle as she picked up her phone and followed him.

 Chapter 202 - Overthinking

    Lucy looked up when her office door opened and Tom walked in. Once she saw that it was Tom, she returned her attention to the documents in front of her and pretended to be busy with them.

    "You''re done with your interesting conversation already?" Lucy asked without looking at him when he took the seat opposite her and sat down.

    "Why are you bent on having a fight with me?" Tom asked with a sigh.

    "When did I fight? I only asked a question. Or I can''t ask you questions anymore?" Lucy asked grudgingly.

    "Come on, Lu! I don''t want us to fight or argue. You said you don''t want to date during work hours and that''s fine," Tom said as he reached across the desk for her hand.

    Lucy''s gaze moved to his hand and then back to his face, "So why did you say you might be too busy to have lunch with me?" Lucy asked, making Tom close his eyes.

    "Isn''t lunchtime a part of work hours?" Tom asked in his most patient tone, "Fine. Let''s have lunch if that''s what you want," Tom said with a sigh.

    "What about you? What do you want?" Lucy asked, taking note of his choice of words.

    "Don''t worry about it. It doesn''t matter. I should get ready for my first meeting," Tom said as he let go of her hand and stood up.

    Lucy felt her heart squeeze in her chest since she could tell that Tom wasn''t happy. This wasn''t how she had nned for them to start the day, and she definitely didn''t want him to go through the day in such a mood, "I''m sorry," Lucy called out before he could step into his office.

    "It''s fine. Don''t let it bother you," Tom said without turning back as he walked into his office and shut the door.

    He was definitely upset! Lucy thought as she got out of her seat and headed for his office. She took in a deep breath before stepping into his office. She made sure to shut the door behind her this time.

    "Tom?" She called as she looked around his office before heading for the mini bedroom which housed his office closet.

    Tom who had just taking finished unbuttoning his shirt turned to look at her when she walked in, "I said it''s fine. I''m okay, don''t worry."

    "No, you''re not okay. I''m sorry I''m overdoing this whole thing. Maybe I should have just gone along with the flow earlier and allowed you to take me to wherever you wanted us to go," Lucy said apologetically as she approached him, "I really don''t want to fight with you or be on bad terms with you either, so please stop being mad at me," Lucy pleaded as she stopped in front of him.

    Tom drew in a deep breath as he looked at her, "I''m really not mad at you," he assured her.

    "Then what''s wrong?" Lucy asked, cing both hands on both sides of his shoulders so that they were staring at each other.

    Tom shrugged, "It''s just that I''m not usually this way. So maybe I''m just feeling upset with myself that I feel upset," Tom exined with a shrug even though he wasn''t sure he was making any sense.

    "And we both know that I know I''m the one who made you feel upset in the first ce. I really want to spend time with you too, but..."

    "But you''re used to having everything nned out and living on a schedule, and since going out with me isn''t part of your schedule for the morning, you can''t easily break out, am I wrong?" Tom asked, and Lucy opened her mouth to deny it but snapped it shut when she realized that he was right.

    "I''m sorry," she murmured, making Tom''s gaze soften.

    "You don''t have to be sorry. It''s a part of who you are, and I understand that you''re not really used to being in a rtionship, but I''m hoping you will be able to work on it," Tom said as he took off her sses so that he could gaze into her eyes.

    "I will try, I promise," Lucy said as she rested her head on his chest, while Tom embraced her.

    "Please do."

    Lucy drew in a deep breath before breaking the hug and stepping away, "So, thedy earlier, what does she want? And why is she alwaysing around you?" Lucy asked with displeasure.

    "She wants to be friends," Tom said, not seeing the need to tell Lucy that Cora liked him.

    "Friends? What did you tell her?" Lucy asked with a slight frown.

    "That I have a jealous girlfriend who would bite off her head if she so much as hears of it, so I would rather pass," Tom said with a yful smile, and Lucy looked away from him.

    If the prettydy liked Tom already now that he was a driver, how much more would she want him when she realizes that he was actually the CEO? She was going to bepeting with a lot ofdies for his attention when he eventually reveals his identity. What if somewhere along the line Tom decides he wants someone else, and not her? Why would he even want someone like her with her past, when he would have lots ofdies throwing themselves at him? Lucy wondered.

    "I''m not sure I like whatever you''re thinking right now," Tom said as he observed the emotions that flickered on her face.

    "You should get ready for your meeting," Lucy said with a forced smile as she helped him take off his unbuttoned shirt.

    "Lucy, look at me," Tom called softly and held her hand to stop her.

    Lucy reluctantly gazed up at him but refused to look into his eyes, as she feared that he might be able to tell what she was thinking if he looked into her eyes.

    "I don''t want anyone else. Not Anita, not thedy I just spoke with or anyone else who mighte. The onlydy I want to be with is you. So can you please stop worrying your head about them?" Tom asked.

    "I never said I was worried about anyone," Lucy said defensively.

    "You didn''t have to say it. I know you. And just so you know, I didn''t give her my number phone yesterday like you thought. The onlydy I gave my number to was Jasmine, and that was only because she lives in the same neighborhood. I don''t give my number out to any random person," Tom said as he ced a finger under her chin so that she would meet his gaze.

    "Okay," Lucy said in a small voice.

    "And if you don''t like otherdiesing around me, you can just tell them I''m your man and they should fuck off," Tom pointed out.

    Lucy''s brows furrowed as she thought about it, "If you weren''t the driver in question, and you heard that your assistant was going out with her driver would you be okay with it?"

    "I don''t see why not. I would even give them a fat cheque for their wedding," Tom said with a wide smile.

    "Seriously?"

    "Yeah."

    "Fine. But Anita might get suspicious..." She let the rest of her words trail off when Tom raised a brow at the mention of Anita, "I know you said I shouldn''t worry about her, but I just can''t help it. Maybe it''s better for everyone to think that I''m dating my driver anyway," Lucy said with a sigh of resignation.

    "You''re overthinking, Lu. This isn''t as difficult as you''re making it seem. Just rx," Tom said as he pecked her forehead.

    "Yeah. I need to rx. You should get ready for your meeting now. Let''s talkter," Lucy said as she turned around, ready to leave the office.

    Tom grabbed her arm and pulled her to himself for a quick kiss before looking into her eyes, "Don''t forget to give the doctor a call today, okay?" Tom reminded her, and she gave him a nod before leaving the office.

 Chapter 203 - Running

    "What? You want to say something?" Candy asked when she noticed how Matt who was seated on the couch kept following her with his gaze as though he was waiting for her to pause so that he could say something.

    "Are you sure this is what you want?" Matt asked after struggling within himself for most of the night till that morning. He had passed the night on the couch and had barely been able to sleep.

    "I''m not sure I follow what you''re saying," Candy said in confusion as she looked at him, waiting for him to exin himself.

    They were alone in the house since Jamal had left for school that school and Brandy had left the house as usual in their bid to act like everything was normal so that no one would notice that anything was out of ce. They had agreed that Matt would send someone to pick Jamal up before the close of school without revealing their identity, and Jamal was simply to tell his teachers that the person was his rtive once the person mentioned Matt''s name.

    "Your n with Jade about Jamal..."

    "Seriously? It''s now my n with Jade? Weren''t you the one that walked in herest night with the grand idea? What else would you have me do? Do you think making this decision is easy for me? It''s not, but I don''t have a fucking choice!" Candy snapped at him and then drew in a deep breath to calm herself when she realized that she was yelling, "I''m sorry. I shouldn''t be yelling at you when you''re only trying to help," she quickly apologized.

    Matt looked at her with a slight frown, "I understand. Still, I don''t think you should be separated from your son. I know you don''t want to run anymore..."

    "So what do you expect me to do, Matt? Tell me, what should I do? Stay here with Jamal until Jero finds us? And then what? You think it''s going to end in a happily ever after family reunion?" Candy cut in sarcastically, her worry evident in her tone as she resumed pacing around the house.

    "That''s not what I''m saying. No matter how much I think about it, I think it''s best you get out of the country," Matt suggested as he got off the couch and approached her.

    "Get out of the country?" Candy asked with a peal of humorlessughter, "And you think they won''t find me? Okay, let''s say they don''t find me, what happens to Jero? What about Jade''s case?" Candy asked, looking at Matt while waiting for him toe up with a reasonable answer.

    "I''m sure the police will find him sooner orter. And I know that with or without your help, Jade is going to take care of the case, so why not just leave?" Matt asked as he went to stand in front of her.

    "I''m tired of running! I don''t want to run anymore, Matt. I''m tired," Candy whispered thest part of her sentence with tears in her eyes as she gazed up at him.

    "You won''t be running this time, trust me. Have you been out of the country before?" He asked, and Jade shook her head.

    "Good. Then take this as a family trip. You''re just going to stay outside the country until the case is over, and then you can return to your home," Matt assured her softly as he ced both hands on her arm in aforting gesture.

    "I already promised to help Jade," Candy reminded him.

    "Then you can do so from the distance. You won''t be of any help to Jade if you''re constantly worried about the wellbeing of your son or looking over your shoulder," Matt said as he led her to the closest seat to them and made her sit on it before squatting in front of her.

    "Listen to me. Your safety is my priority, not Jade''s case. I know that just yesterday I asked you to stop running, but that was before I realized the enormity of what was ahead of you. Allow me to send you out of the country to somewhere they wouldn''t easily find you, while Jade tries to wrap up the case," Matt said as he patted her hand.

    "Why are you doing this for me?" Candy asked in a small voice.

    When he walked out of her apartment the previous day she had thought that was thest time she was going to be setting her eyes on him but seeing how he was here and trying so hard to help her, she couldn''t help feeling bad.

    "Because I meant it when I said I like you. And although I don''t want to get involved with you after..." He shrugged as he couldn''t bring himself to tell her that she had killed the teenage boys, "... I just want to help you as a friend."

    Candy bit her lower lips to stop herself from shedding any tear, "You''ll be in danger," Candy reminded him.

    "I know I''m in danger already, but my father didn''t raise me to be a coward, and neither did my mother raise me to turn away when ady needs my help," Matt said with a shrug.

    "Andy doesn''t want to leave."

    "I know. I spoke with her already."

    "So you want me to leave with just Jamal? I can''t leave Andy behind," Candy protested.

    "But you can leave your son behind?" Matt snapped at her irritably.

    "He will be safe wherever he is, as long as it''s not here," Candy said defensively.

    "The safest ce for any child is in his mother''s arms. If you really care about your son and you want to protect him, I don''t think you should send him off as you n to do. Fine, if you don''t want to leave the country, at least we can make it seem like you did, while you go over to Jade''s brother''s house with your son as nned. You will definitely be safe there," Matt suggested instead.

    "Don''t worry, Andy will be safe," Matt assured her.

 Chapter 204 - Beauty Salon Gossip

    "What? How could you convince her to change her mind?" Jade eximed in disappointment as she paced around the living room of the suite which she shared with Harry, while he followed her with his gaze.

    "It''s the same. The only difference is that she won''t be there with her son. Besides, her sister already offered to stay behind as the bait you need. While Candace will help you with every information you need from thefort of your brother''s home," Matt suggested over the phone.

    "It seems like you have it all figured out," Jade said with a sigh.

    "I did think it through. So? Have you spoken to him about it yet? Has he agreed to let them stay with him?" Matt asked curiously.

    "You don''t have to worry about it. I have it all covered," Jade assured him, "Just make sure they arrive there safely without being followed."

    "Sure. I will let you know how it goes," Matt said before hanging up.

    "You really should inform Tom that you''re taking them to his home," Harry spoke up behind Jade the moment she dropped her phone, startling her.

    "Jeez! I almost forgot you were here. How do you do that?" Jade asked as she turned to look at him.

    "Do what?" Harry asked, looking at her with a nk expression.

    "I meant, how do you manage to stay so silent. Never mind," Jade said as she returned to her seat and picked up herptop.

    "When are you going to inform your brother that you''re taking strangers to his house?" Harry asked again when it was beginning to seem like she had no intention of answering his question.

    "You are his assistant, so tell me. When should we tell him?" Jade asked without looking up at him.

    "We? This has nothing to do with me. It is between you and your brother. And you should have told himst night from the moment you came up with that ridiculous idea!" Harry said with disapproval.

    "I thought we were in this together?" Jade asked, looking up from herptop to meet his disapproving gaze.

    "Are we? Cause thest time I checked, I don''t remember you asking for my opinion until after you were done sharing your ns with them, or did you?" Harry asked as he got off the couch and dipped his right hand into his pocket.

    "What''s the big deal anyway? His home is big enough to house twenty people without them crossing paths for at least a week. I''m sure he wouldn''t mind sharing his guest room with a helpless youngdy and her son," Jade called out dismissively as Harry headed for his bedroom.

    Once he got to the door he paused, "Your brother doesn''t like such surprises, so make sure you call him and inform him of your ns!" Harry repeated irritably before shutting the door behind him, leaving Jade to wonder why he seemed to be in such a foul mood.

    *********

    "You will never guess what my cousin told mest night," A beautifuldy blondedy who seemed to be in her early forties told her friend who was seated beside her, and as expected four other ears in the VIP room of the ultramodern beauty salon perked up.

    The firstdy''s eyes shone excitedly, and from the gleam in her eyes, one could tell that she couldn''t wait to share her juicy gossip as almost everyone at the salon always had one gossip or the other to share.

    "Hey, go easy!" She scolded the girl who was giving her a pedicure.

    "I''m sorry, ma''am."

    "What did she tell you?" Her friend who was equally receiving a pedicure asked in excitement, eager to hear whatever gossip was about to be shared.

    "This can''t leave this room, okay? Or else we will all be in trouble," the firstdy said, looking around at all the other fourdies in the room. Three of them were looking at her eagerly, while thest one seemed to be too upied with her phone as they styled her hair.

    "I won''t tell," her friend promised, and all other three nodded their consents.

    Thedy eyed the beauty therapists in the room, but then chose to ignore them since she knew they were trained to keep their mouths shut, "So ording to my cousin, her husband who works at I-Global hospital told her that the CEO of I-Global is currently working as a driver for one of his female staff, and she doesn''t even know that he is the CEO," thedy said, and all the others gasped in surprise.

    "That doesn''t make sense. How can that be true?" Her friend asked in disbelief.

    "It is true. He told her that he saw it with his own eyes, and he even heard it straight from the CEO''s lips," thedy said confidently.

    "Did you say she doesn''t even know he is the CEO? How can she not know him if she upies such a high position in thepany that she even has a driver?" Another asked.

    "Have you forgotten that he loves to stay away from public view? More than half of the staff in thepany doesn''t even know what he looks like," the firstdy reminded them.

    "Why would he do such a thing? Although I find it weird that he chose to keep his identity hidden this whole time, but still, stooping so low to be a driver?" One of the otherdies asked with a shake of her head.

    "Perhaps he likes the female staff in question?" Her friend asked.

    "And he couldn''t just ask her to go out on a date with him?" The otherdy countered.

    "Did your cousin''s husband happen to mention the name of this female staff?" Anotherdy asked curiously, echoing the question someone else was curious about.

    "I''m not sure he did. I don''t think her name is of any importance to us," the firstdy said.

    Thedy who had been busy with her phone listened to all the conversation going on around her with a smirk, "Are you done?" She asked the youngdy who had been styling her hair.

    "Yes, ma''am."

    "Good," she said as she stood up and dropped some money bills on her seat, "Have that," she said and walked away without saying a word to the otherdies. Her mother had taught her better than to be involved in such public gossip. She was too ssy for that.

    Once she stepped out of the building and got into her car, she signaled to her driver to get out of the car before dialing her sister''s number.

    "Hello, little sis.. I''ve got a present for you," she announced with a smile once the call connected.

 Chapter 205 - Office Date

    Once it was lunchtime, Tom quickly dismissed the directors in his office before dialing Lucy''s line, "Care to have lunch with me, Princess?" He asked once the call connected, making Lucy smile.

    "I will join you in a minute," Lucy said as she hung up the call and quickly cleared her desk. When she was done she clicked on her phone''s camera to check her face, and once she added a coat of pink lipstick to her lips and took off her sses, she stood up and headed for his office.

    "What took you so long?" Tom asked when she opened the office door and walked in.

    "Traffic," Lucy said with a silly smile, and Tom chuckled.

    "Very funny. I''m d you left the sses. Come in here," Tom gestured to her as he walked into his mini bedroom and started taking off his wig and false beards.

    "It must not be easy putting those on and off," she observed when she followed him inside and saw him taking off his costume.

    "Huh huh. Things we do for love," Tom said with a shrug, and Lucy looked away from him.

    She raised a brow curiously when she noticed for the first time that he had set a table in there, "When did this get in here? Don''t tell me you have like an underground kitchen here with a chef hiding somewhere around?" Lucy asked dramatically as she looked around the room.

    Tom chuckled, "My butler delivered it here. He''s the one who cleans my office and takes care of my clothes here, so he has ess to the private elevator," Tom exined as he took off his suit jacket and rolled up his sleeves.

    "Oh, I see! You must trust him a lot," Lucy observed as she watched Tom.

    "I do. He came to me highly rmended by my mother, and has been with me ever since I got a ce of my own after college," Tom said with a nod.

    "Your mother? Is your butler the same man who I met at your ce the morning after we met?" Lucy asked with a wince as she prayed that she was wrong.

    "The middle-aged man? Yes."

    "He doesn''t happen to report back to your mother, does he?" Lucy asked, shifting ufortably.

    Tom who noticed her sudden difort hid a smile. He was d that she was already thinking far ahead, enough to be worried about what his mother thinks about her, "Whatever he sees or hears, you can be rest assured that my mother has seen and heard it too," Tom said making Lucy blink at him.

    "You''re kidding, right? He must have thought I was some sort of whore or something," Lucyined with a frown.

    "He did think so," Tom said in amusement when he remembered his mother''s phone call to him the morning after their first night together, "But you don''t have to worry, I already corrected that impression," Tom assured her as gestured to her to sit on the bed, before sitting down next to her.

    "You did? How?" Lucy asked, but before Tom could respond his phone started ringing, and he smiled when he saw that it was his mother.

    "Speak of the angel, my mother is calling," Tom informed Lucy as he received the call.

    "Hey, mom!" Tom greeted.

    "Something good must have happened today? You don''t usually sound this excited to speak with me when I call," Evelyn said suspiciously, making Tom chuckle.

    "I am always excited to hear from you, and you know it. Anyway, I was just talking to my girlfriend about you," Tom said, and then abruptly disconnected the call when he realized that he hadn''t asked Lucy if it was okay to talk to his mother about her.

    "I''m sorry. Hope you don''t mind speaking with my mom? I know I should have asked you first, but it just kind of slipped, and she is going to want to talk to you," Tom said apologetically.

    "It''s fine. But are you sure that she doesn''t think I''m a loosedy?" Lucy asked ufortably.

    "She doesn''t. I already cleared that up with her," Tom assured her, "And I need her to know that I have a girlfriend for real so that she can stop bothering me," Tom added.

    "Okay. If I speak with her, then you will have to speak with my parents too when next they call, deal?" Lucy asked, and Tom grinned.

    "Of course, I would love to speak with them," Tom assured her as he dialed his mother''s line.

    "Sorry mom, I had to clear up something," Tom said apologetically once the call connected.

    "Did you say your girlfriend was there with you? Or were you just talking to her over the phone?" Evelyn asked, ignoring his apology.

    "She is right here. You want to speak..."

    "Hand her the phone," Evelyn ordered excitedly without letting him finish his sentence.

    "Here," Tom said as he passed Lucy the phone.

    "Hello, ma''am!" Lucy greeted cautiously, her heart beating really fast as she didn''t know what to expect.

    "Hello, my dear! How are you?" Evelyn asked in a sweet voice.

    "I''m fine, ma''am. And you?" Lucy asked cautiously.

    "Lose the ma''am, and call me Evelyn. What is your beautiful name?" Evelyn asked curiously.

    "Lucinda. Lucinda Perry."

    "Why does the name sound so familiar. Hold on a second," Evelyn said to Lucy before calling out to her husband whose memory was better than hers, "Hey, Honey! Didn''t we meet someone called Lucinda Perry recently?" Evelyn called out as she got off the couch to check on her husband who was mowing thewn.

    "No. Not, Lucinda, it was Lucas Perry. The young doctor you kept fawning over," her husband called back.

    "Oh! Yeah. Sorry, my darling. I had to confirm with my husband. It was..."

    "Lucas Perry. Yeah. That''s my twin brother. He mentioned meeting you," Lucinda said, making Tom turn to look at her in confusion as he wondered what they were discussing.

    "What? You mean that handsome doctor is your twin brother?" Evelyn asked, making Lucy smile despite her initial nervousness. The woman seemed to be very easygoing.

    "Yes, he is."

    "But he didn''t mention anything about his sister being in a rtionship with my son all the while I kept trying to hook him up with my daughter," Evelyn said thoughtfully.

    "You did?" Lucy asked with a smile.

    "Yeah. Although my husband was against it, but what does he know?" Evelyn asked dismissively.

    "Lucas probably didn''t mention it because he isn''t aware of the nature of my rtionship with Tom," Lucy exined.

    "Oh, I see! It''s good to finally speak with you. I hope I get to meet you really soon. You''ll be attending Bryan''s wedding, right?" Evelyn asked curiously, making Lucy raise a brow.

    "They already fixed a date?" Lucy asked, turning to look at Tom.

    Evelyn giggled, "Not yet. I''m working on fixing a date for them really soon before Bryan changes his mind," Evelyn confided with a smallugh which Lucy returned.

    Tom snatched the phone from Lucy before she could say another word, "Mom, now that you have heard from her can we talkter? We were about to have lunch before you called and the food isn''t going to remain hot forever."

    "Sure. She sounds like a nice girl. And her twin brother is decent too. I like her. I hope you''ve been hearing from your siblings?"

    "Yes. Almost every day now," Tom assured her.

    "Let''s talkter then. I can hear the impatience in your voice," Evelyn said and hung up before Tom could defend himself.

    "Your brother met my mother? When? How?" Tom asked once he dropped the phone.

    "Yeah. The same day you told me the truth about your identity. He was the doctor on seat when your parents arrived for their routine check-up," Lucy exined.

    "Wow! Such coincidence! Good thing I told you the truth when I did," Tom said, not wanting to imagine how easily everything would have blown up in his face had he held back.

    "Good thing you did. Now can we eat? Lunchtime is almost up," Lucy said as she nced at his bedside clock.

    "Should I just extend the lunchtime?" Tom asked with a straight face and Lucyughed out loud.

    "You are an abuser of power," she said with a shake of her head as she picked up her cutlery.

 Chapter 206 - Dumb Bitch!

    Anita''s head was cocked to the side and her eyes were narrowed into slits as different thoughts ran through her mind as she thought about what her elder sister had just called to inform her, "No. It can''t possibly be what I''m thinking," Anita told herself with a shake of her head.

    It definitely couldn''t be what she was thinking. It shouldn''t be. It could be anyone else but those two, Anita thought as she stood up from her seat and started pacing around her office.

    The more she thought about it, the more something inside her, perhaps it was her intuition that told her that the CEO and the female I-Global employee her sister had talked about were none other than Tom and Lucy. But how was that possible? How could she have missed something like that? Was it possible that Tom was the CEO and she hadn''t realized it this whole time? She tried to think back to every time she had met Tom and the CEO to see if there were any simrities in their character.

    She clenched her fists when she remembered how the CEO had been mean to her for no particr reason the first time they met. She took off her pair of stiletto and threw them against the wall on one side of her office when she recalled how he was always taking Lucy''s side in front of everyone.

    The only female staff she knew who was close to the CEO was Lucy, and Lucy was also the youngest female staff who to the best of her knowledge had apany driver.

    "Tom was the CEO this whole fucking time? Tom? Wait a minute, Tom Handy, Thomas Hank! Fuck! Anita, you dumb bitch!" Anita cursed out loud as her eyes shed angrily and she overturned her table and threw down everything.

    She felt like pping herself and pulling her hair when she remembered how she had tried to hook them up, "Shit! Shit! How could I have been so stupid? I messed up!" Anita hissed bitterly and turned to the door when her secretary knocked.

    "Are you okay, ma''am?"

    "Get lost! And cancel all my damn appointments while at it," Anita snapped at her.

    No way! There was no way she was letting those two get away with this! As far as she was concerned, she had met Tom first, and if he hadn''t tricked her into believing that he was poor, she would have been engaged to him or even married him long before Lucy showed up in his life.

    She couldn''t believe that she had always assumed that Lucy was the least possible threat and had even thought they could be friends. Now that she knew for a fact that Lucy was set on snatching her man from right under her nose with her false naivety, she wasn''t going to just sit back anymore.

    This was no longer just a case of trying to make her mother and sisters proud! This had now be even more personal for her. She was going to first confirm that her suspicions were right, and once she was certain of it, she was going to find a way to get her man back from that snake! Anita decided with a determined look in her eyes as she walked over to the spot where her stiletto heelsy and picked them up. Once she had worn them, she picked up her car keys and handbag and walked out of the office.

    **********

    Harry sat on his bed, going over some documents on hisptop which he wanted to send over to Tom. He nced at the door when he heard Jade speaking with someone over the phone, and resisted the urge to eavesdrop on her conversation. It wasn''t his business. If she decided to make decisions without informing first when he was here solely to help her, then there was nothing he could do about that.

    He raised a brow when she knocked on his door a momentter, "Yeah?" He asked coolly without raising his head from hisptop.

    "I''ming in," Jade announced as she opened the door and walked into the bedroom before he could stop her, "Hm! I think it''s the first time I''m entering your room. It looks more organized than mine," Jade observed as she looked around.

    "Did you want something?" Harry asked, not bothering to look at her or respond to what she had just said since he knew his response wasn''t going to be nice. And if he said something mean she was just going to get upset, and then they were going to get into an argument where he would have to apologize and he didn''t want that.

    "I guess you''re busy?" Jade asked as she looked at him.

    Harry looked up and noticed for the first time that she was holding two sses of wine, "I didn''t figure you for the type to ask obvious questions. Do you want something, Esquire?" Harry asked, and Jade shed him a smile.

    "You haven''t called me that in a while," she said as she moved closer to the bed.

    "You can sit on the couch," Harry said, not wanting her on his bed since he wasn''t sure it was appropriate.

    "Are you okay?" Jade asked as she passed him a ss of wine before going to sit on the lone couch in the room.

    "Thanks," Harry said as he epted the wine from her, "And yes, I am fine. What are we celebrating?" He asked, looking into the wine ss.

    "Nothing. Just taking a break off work to unwind."

    Harry narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously, "You''re not the type to take a break off work unless you''re forced to," he pointed out.

    Jade gave him a sheepish smile and raised both hands in surrender, "Okay. Fine. You caught me."

    "What do you want?" Harry asked, knowing without a doubt that she had done something he wasn''t going to like.

    "Well, Aurora... The spady called me and asked why you were yet to give her a call.. I didn''t know what to say to her so I told her we are lodged here and invited her to have dinner with us," Jade said with an apologetic smile.

 Chapter 207 - Gift

    "Can I ask you a question?" Tom asked after a while as they ate in silence.

    "As long as it has nothing to do with the color of my undie," Lucy said dryly as she took a forkful of spaghetti into her mouth, making Tom chuckle.

    "I overdid that, didn''t I?" Tom asked, feeling somewhat embarrassed now that he remembered all he said that day.

    "Yes, you definitely did. Now that we are on the subject, let me get something straight. Are you usually like that? I mean that... Raw?" Lucy asked after she swallowed the food in he mouth.

    Tom shook his head, "No, I''m not. I was just trying to get into your head. Jade said good girls like bad guys and..."

    "Hold on, that was really the reason why you did this whole makeover stuff with your appearance?" Lucy asked incredulously.

    "But it worked. Didn''t it?" Tom pointed out defensively.

    "I''m not sure I liked you because of your hair or earrings. And it''s definitely not because of your ungentlemanly ways either," Lucy said with a shake of her head.

    "But those were the things that made you pay attention to me, weren''t they?" Tom asked reasonably, and Lucy shook her head once again.

    "Not at all. Although they were pretty distracting, they made me ufortable. I only started paying attention to you when I started looking for ways to get rid of you," Lucy exined.

    "So you want me to get rid of the color and the earrings?"

    "I want you to be yourself. I want to get to know the real you, not this person you are not," Lucy said, and Tom gave her a nod.

    "Alright then. Let''s stop by the salon on our way home. I should at least show them I got thedy that made me change my hairstyle," Tom said with a grin, and Lucy smiled.

    "I''m not sure your fan girls are going to like that though," Lucy said with a teasing smile.

    "They don''t have to like it. I didn''t do it because of them," Tom said dismissively.

    "So? What was the question you wanted to ask?" Lucy asked, reminding him that he had been about to ask her a question earlier.

    Tom looked at her with a puzzled expression for a second until he remembered his question, "Oh! I just wanted to ask if you would have been this rxed around me if I wasn''t your driver?"

    Lucy paused for a moment to think about it. She never would have been this rxed in her boss''s presence or be talking to him the way she talked with him had she not seen him as an average guy from the start, "Probably not," Lucy said with a shake of her head.

    "Yeah, I thought so too. I''m d I''m your driver. I prefer the way youmunicate with me as your driver more than the way you talk to me as the CEO. In the past when I talked to you as the CEO, I always looked forward to the evening when I get to know your real thoughts," Tom informed her.

    "What''s the difference?" Lucy asked curiously.

    "You used to be very cautious of your words. More like you filter your words when talking to me as the CEO. But when it''s just me, you talk to me as a friend without painting your words,"

    "You don''t like being addressed respectfully?" Lucy asked as she resumed eating.

    "I love to be respected as everyone else does. However, not just anyone can talk to me the way you do. I always want you to be real with me."

    "Well, you can count on that," Lucy said with a grin.

    "Good. Now on to my next question. Seeing as I met you on your birthday, what would you want me to get you? I want to get you a birthday gift," Tom said, looking at her expectantly.

    "A gift? I think you are my birthday gift already," Lucy said, thinking that being able to be in a rtionship after so many years and to be open this way with him was a miracle already.

    "The feeling is mutual. This gift wants to get his gift a gift. So think about something you want, and let me know, okay? It''s a nk cheque," Tom said as he set down his cutlery.

    "Alright. I will think about something that fits your pocket. Thank you," Lucy said, making tok chuckle, as it seemed to him that Lucy was constantly going to be referring to his wealth.

    "Is it your intention to milk me dry?" Tom asked yfully.

    "Funny that you were running away from golddiggers only to end up with the chief of them all," Lucy said with an equally yful smile.

    "Well, I don''t mind this golddigger. I have a soft spot for her. I might just have to work a little bit harder to meet her needs," Tom said confidently making Lucy nce at her wristwatch.

    "Speaking about work, I should return to my seat now, work calls. It''s over twenty minutes past lunch break, and you should be expecting the next set of directors in a couple of minutes," Lucy said as she set down her cutlery and started clearing up the table.

    "Have you given the doctor a call?" Tom asked as he watched her, and Lucy paused.

    "I don''t know, I was thinking that maybe we get someone else? I could ask Lucas to help me find someone..."

    "Why? You don''t trust the doctor here? He won''t be the one attending to you. He is just going to help us get professional help," Tom exined.

    "I know that. But there is every possibility that he might be friends with the person he rmends, isn''t there?" Lucy asked, "I know you are just trying to help, but he knows you are the CEO, right? And now that he has seen you with me, he must know that something is going on between us. That means he is going to likely pay extra attention to me. My past could hurt you if it gets into the hands of the wrong person, and I don''t want that. So I will let Lucas get me someone around here who doesn''t know I have anything to do with you. I promise to share the details with you once I''ve spoken to Lucas, is that okay?" Lucy asked, and Tom sighed.

    "It''s fine. What is important to me is that you start therapy, that''s all," Tom assured her, and Lucy smiled.

    "I will. I should get going now. We''ve talked enough for one day," Lucy said as she leaned forward to peck him so that she could leave.

    "But we haven''t kissed enough for one day," Tom protested as he held her around her waist and kissed her.

 Chapter 208 - Confirmation

    Lucy had a smile on her face as she returned to her office. She raised a hand to touch her lips which still felt tender from Tom''s kiss. This man definitely knew all the ways to make her heart race, and how to make her smile, Lucy thought as she picked up her phone to give her brother a call.

    She had promised Tom she was going to do that the moment she leaves his office, and she didn''t want to postpone it anymore.

    Once she dialed his number, she tapped her hands on her desk as she patiently waited for him to pick the call, praying that he wasn''t too busy at the moment.

    "Hey, Lulu?" Lucas called into the receiver the moment he received her call.

    "You sound pretty excited," Lucy observed since he only called her Lulu when he was in a very good mood.

    "Well... Rachel just left my office," Lucas said excitedly, and Lucy didn''t need to ask for details to know that they probably had a quickie in his office.

    "Oh, I see!" Lucy said with a small smile.

    "Yeah. So what''s up? Have you told mom and dad the truth yet?" Lucas asked, reminding Lucy about the lie that she had told her parents that she was dating her boss.

    "Nope," she said with a silly smile on her face.

    "And why is that? What are you waiting for?" Lucas asked curiously.

    "That isn''t why I called you. If you were so curious about that, then maybe you should have called me," Lucy pointed out dryly.

    Lucas was silent for a moment like he wanted to argue with her, but then he decided to hear what she had to say first, before bringing that up, "Okay, why did you call?" He asked.

    "Can you get me a professional therapist? Someone really good. It would be best if his office is close to me," Lucy said, making Lucas blink in surprise.

    "You want a therapist?"

    Lucy smiled when she heard the surprise and joy in his tone "Yeah. I just want to get it done with," Lucy exined.

    "Wow! That''s just wonderful! You made the right decision, Lu! I''m going to get you the best! And you don''t have to worry about the cost, I will pay for it myself," Lucas promised.

    "Sorry, someone else is covering the bill. You can''t pay for it. Besides, you need all that money for your wedding preparation, so don''t worry about me," Lucy said dismissively.

    "Who is paying for it? Not your driver boyfriend, I hope?" Lucas asked in disapproval.

    Lucy stuck her tongue in her cheek, "Well, he insisted on paying."

    "How could you let him do that? Do you have any idea how expensive therapy is? This would cost him a lot and put a financial strain on both him and your rtionship. Ask him to forget about it, that your brother is going to take care of it. I''ve been saving some money for it anyway," Lucas said, making Lucy smile softly.

    She loved to know that her twin brother still cared this deeply for her, despite Rachel''s presence in his life. She felt a lump in her throat, and cleared it, "Don''t worry about me. He can afford to pay for it, regardless of the cost," she assured him.

    "He can? How? Is he from a wealthy family?" Lucas asked in confusion.

    "Nope."

    "Stop ying around, Lucy. This is serious," Lucasined when he noticed that she was deliberately being slow about it.

    "Okay, I found out that my driver is actually Thomas Hank, the CEO," Lucy said, making Lucas gasp in surprise.

    "What? I totally didn''t see thating," Lucas said in disbelief.

    "Yeah, me too," Lucy said with a nod.

    "Did you know this before you told mom and dad that you were dating your boss, or after?" Lucas asked curiously.

    "After."

    "Wow! I suppose a part of your subconscious must have picked on it, but you didn''t know it. How did your boss be your driver? Why? How did you find out the truth? Did he tell you? Was he stalking you?" Lucas asked the question as they came to him.

    "Well, after I met him at the club on the night of our birthday, he purchased the building next to mine, and decided to be my driver so he could get to know me," Lucy said, making Lucas shake his head in amazement.

    "Weren''t you freaked out by it?" Lucas asked, wondering how his sister must have taken the revtion.

    "I was. But he''s actually a really nice person so..." Lucy paused when she heard some voices outside her office door.

    "Let''s talkter. Work calls. Don''t forget to get me the therapist. Love you," Lucy said, and quickly hung up the call.

    *********

    "Good day, sir!" Anita greeted the director of the human resources department at I-Global with a polite smile as she walked into his office.

    "Miss Miller?" The man in histe thirties asked as Anita approached his desk, "Please sit down," he said when she gave him a polite nod.

    "Thank you. I''m sorry for showing up at your office this way," she said apologetically.

    "It''s alright. How can I help you?" He asked, looking at her curiously.

    "Well, as you must know, Ocean Airlines was recently taken over by I-Global, and I''m one of the top directors there, and the head of the human resources department too," she exined.

    "I see."

    "Seeing how organized thispany is, I was hoping that I could learn a thing or two from you on staff management, and maybe get some information from you on how things are run here so that I could do some upgrade or downgrade if necessary over there too," she exined, and the director gave her a nod to go on.

    "We need to cut some costs due to the financial difficulty the airline is experiencing at the moment, so I was hoping I could find out how things are done here so that I canpare and contrast. Perhaps you could tell me about the benefits most of the employees here enjoy. For example, does thepany give the employeespany cars and drivers?" Anita asked curiously as she took out a jotter and her pen.

    "Company cars? Yes, that''s one of the perks of being a director here. Not just any employee is given a car. But we are not given drivers. Why would thepany pay someone to drive you? It is expected that you should be able to drive yourself around, and if you can''t, then you should be able to afford to get yourself a driver," the director exined.

    Anita pursed her lips as she listened to him while pretending to jot down all that he was saying. On the day he had met Tom on their way to thepany''s cafeteria, Tom had said he was one of thepany''s drivers, not that he was Lucy''s personal driver. That meant that he had lied to her.

    "If you don''t mind me asking, how many young female directors do you have in thispany? I mean in this building, not all the branches," Anita asked curiously after asking some other questions.

    "Hmm... young? I think they are just two. Before now there was just Director Cora Anderson, but recently, Director Lucinda Perry was promoted," the man said thoughtfully, even though he wasn''t exactly sure why Anita was asking.

    "And they both havepany cars too? I''m sorry I''m asking so many questions. I''m just trying to see if I can cut down some of these benefits with age as a factor even though it might affect me too," Anita said with an apologetic smile.

    "The CEO is young, as are majority of the employees in thepany, so age can not be a factor when making such important considerations. Bothdies have theirpany cars."

    "Oh! I see. I suppose they can both drive really well then," Anita said jokingly.

    "I don''t know about Miss Perry, but Miss Anderson drives just fine on her own," he assured her with a grin.

    "You have no idea how helpful this has been. Thank you very much for your time," Anita said with a wide smile that didn''t quite reach her eyes as she shook his hands firmly.

    Once she walked out of his office the smile disappeared from her face. She had just confirmed her suspicions.. Tom was actually the CEO.

 Chapter 209 - You’ve Got A Friend In Me

    "Why did we go to the airport but didn''t get into any ne? I''ve never been in a ne before," Jamal told his mother in disappointment.

    "Don''t worry baby, we still have plenty of times to get into nes, not just this time," Candy assured her son as she brushed her lips against his forehead while meeting Matt''s gaze in the rearview mirror as he drove the car, while she was seated in the backseat of the car with Jamal.

    They had changed their n after she let Matt convince her into leaving with Jamal, hence she had picked him up from the school instead, telling them she was traveling abroad for something urgent and needed to take her son with her. They had taken a cab to the airport where Matt had already arranged for their names to be listed on the flight list, and once they got into the convinience room at the airport she had switched to a wig and changed her clothes, then did the same for Jamal. She dumped the used clothes and duffel bag beside the trashcan, before walking out with Jamal to where Matt was waiting in a car.

    "Is that right, Matt?" Jamal asked curiously, "He said I could call him that," he added for his mother''s benefit when she raised a brow.

    "Sure, pal. Plus, I will be your tour guide when we travel in my Jet," Matt offered.

    "You own a private Jet?" Jamal asked with round eyes.

    "Yes, mate." Matt winked at him.

    "Wow! That''s so cool! You must be super rich!" He eximed in awe, "But there are no tour guides in nes. Just air hostesses," Jamal added with a thoughtful frown after a while.

    "What he means is that he will show you around his Jet," Candy exined.

    "I know what he means. So where are you taking us to? You''ve been driving all day. And why isn''t aunty Andying with us?" Jamal asked once again.

    "Jamal, can you please sit quietly and stop asking so many questions right now?" Candy chided testily, and Jamal snapped his mouth shut.

    Matt nced at Candy through the rearview mirror and then winked at Jamal when their eyes met and mouthed, "Women" to him with a roll of his eyes, making Jamal smile.

    "We will be there in no time, mate. I assure you, you''re going to love what you''re going to see," Matt said, and Jamal gave him a small nod.

    "I think the car is too quiet. We should listen to some good music," Matt suggested as he checked his ylist for a decent song he could y around a kid. He stopped when he came across one of his favorite tracks titled by Randy Newman titled, ''You''ve got a friend in me'' and he yed it.

    You''ve got a friend in me

    You''ve got a friend in me

    When the road looks rough ahead

    And you''re miles and miles

    From your nice warm bed

    You just remember what your old pal said

    Boy, you''ve got a friend in me

    Yeah, you''ve got a friend in me

    You''ve got a friend in me

    You''ve got a friend in me

    You got troubles, I''ve got ''em too

    There isn''t anything I wouldn''t do for you

    We stick together and see it through

    ''Cause you''ve got a friend in me

    You''ve got a friend in me....

    Matt met Candy''s gaze in the rearview mirror as he sang along, and he held her gaze until she looked away from him.

    As Candy listened to the lyrics of the song and watched from the corners of her eyes as Matt sang along, she briefly wondered if she had done the right thing by telling him all those stuff she didn''t do just to chase him away. Trying to keep him away from them by lying to him was pointless, cause now he was still with them, the only difference was that he was no longer talking about being in a rtionship with her.

    "You should hold him. I think the music lulled him to sleep," Matt said, breaking into Candy''s thoughts, and she looked at Jamal to see that he was beginning to doze off.

    "Thanks," she murmured as she drew him closer to herself so that his head was resting on her thighs.

    "Don''t worry too much, everything is going to be alright," Matt assured her.

    "Thanks for being here, and for doing all this for us," Candy whispered to him when she noticed that they had gotten to the airstrip.

    "Don''t mention. I can''t travel with you as I have business I need to take care of, but someone has been arranged to pick you up at the airport. He will take you to the ce you''ll be staying. I will stop by for a visit when I''m able to," Matt said as he drove into the private airstrip and parked the car.

    "Sure. Thank you," Candy said with a nod as she unlocked the car.

    Matt got out of the car and went to take Jamal who was now fast asleep from her, "I wish I could see his excitement when he wakes up to see that he''s in a jet," Matt said with a grin as they headed for the jet which was already waiting for them.

    "I''m sure he will be disappointed to see that his tour guide isn''t traveling with him," Candy said, making Matt smile.

    "Just let him know I will give him a tour of the jet when I bring him back to his home after all this is over. So he shouldn''t let anyone else take my position," Matt said as they walked together.

    Once they got inside the jet, Candy looked around curiously while Matt gently ced Jamal on the bed, and stood up, "I need to leave now. You can catch some sleep. You should be there in less than three hours," Matt said as he dipped his hands in his pocket while watching her.

    "Thank you," Candy said as she met his gaze, and they both stared at each other without saying a word for a while.

    "Uhm... Can I hug you?" Candy asked hopefully.

    "Make it quick. I don''t want my body to be chopped off," Matt joked, and Candy smiled as she embraced them.

    Matt resisted the urge to hold her or kiss her like he was tempted to, and once she broke the hug he took a step back and cleared his throat, "I need to go now. Goodbye. And.... Stay safe," he added with a wave and then walked away.

 Chapter 210 - Everything Is Set

    "So? How are things going with her off-camera?" Jeff asked from behind Bryan as the production team started gathering their things together after the shoot of the day.

    Bryan broke his gaze from Sonia who was speaking with Mia, and turned to look at Jeff innocently, "How is what going with who? Mia?"

    "Come on, Bryan! Don''t think I didn''t see the stuff you ordered!" Jeff hissed in frustration, making Bryan chuckle.

    "Why do you like sticking your nose in issues that do not concern you?" Bryan asked dryly.

    "I''m your manager and every, I repeat, EVERY aspect of your life concerns me, so don''t keep things from me," Jeff reminded him.

    "How sweet. Speaking about areas of my life that concern you, I think my leg is healing really fast," Bryan said as stood up for Jeff to see.

    "Wow! This is great! The CEO would like this," Jeff eximed happily as he watched Bryan slowly walk across the room.

    "This is good!" The producer called from the side when he set his eyes on Bryan, and then he turned to look at the guy by his side, "Are we done packing up?"

    "Yes, sir. We are ready to leave," the guy assured him.

    "And did you do what I asked you to do?" The producer asked quietly as he turned to look at Bryan and then at Sonia.

    "Everything is set, sir."

    "Good. Let''s go," he said with a satisfied nod as he picked up his phone.

    "I should give the doctor a call. He has toe and take a look at your leg," Jeff said as he picked up his phone.

    "Don''t worry about that. I already gave him a call, and he promised to stop byter in the evening," Bryan assured him.

    "Oh, that''s good. Make sure you stay off your legs until he says you are fit to go, okay?"

    "Yeah, yeah!" Bryan said with a roll of his eyes.

    "So back to what we were saying before you tactically tried to change the subject, you ordered some bottles of Nuru massage gel, huh? You know I had to look it up on the to know what it was? And the kind of videos I saw? oh, boy!" Jeff eximed, making Bryan chuckle.

    "You need to learn to mind your business, Jeff."

    "You still don''t get it, do you? You are my business. I am paid to mind you," Jeff said with a grin, "Do take it easy with her, okay? I don''t think the CEO will be too pleased to know that your fake rtionship is turning into something serious," Jeff advised, and then walked away before Bryan could ask him any question.

    "Let me know how it goes with the doctor, and call me if anythinges up," Jeff called out to Bryan as he picked up his backpack and signaled to Mia to leave with him.

    Bryan returned to his wheelchair and escorted them out with Sonia following from behind. They both waved as they watched the others leave, and the moment thest vehicle disappeared from view, Sonia jumped in excitement, "One day to go!" She screamed happily and Bryanughed as he watched her dancing around in circles.

    "So how about that Nuru massage you promised to give me? The massage gel was delivered while we were filming," Bryan said, wiggling his brow yfully.

    "Already? I thought we were going to do that when your leg ispletely healed," Sonia asked as they both returned to the house.

    "I''ll be just fine, don''t worry about my legs," Bryan assured her with a wink.

    "Your phone is ringing," Sonia observed when they walked into the house and she heard his phone''s ringing tone. She hurried in the direction of the phone and picked it up, "It''s your mom," she said as she handed the phone to him in time before the call disconnected.

    "Hello, sweet mama!" Bryan greeted immediately he received the call.

    "I just spoke with your brother''s girlfriend!" Evelyn announced excitedly.

    "Lucy? You spoke with Lucy?" Bryan asked in surprise, turning to exchange a look with Sonia who looked equally surprised to hear them talking about Lucy.

    "Yes. You know her already?" Evelyn asked, feeling d that her sonsmunicated so well that they knew each other''s partners.

    "Yes. She''s Sonia''s best friend," Bryan exined before Sonia could stop him.

    "Really! Aww! My soon-to-be daughters-inw are best friends, that''s so sweet!" Evelyn eximed.

    "Wait! Did Tom ask you to help him speak to her or did she call you?" Bryan asked in confusion, wondering if Tom and Lucy had resolved their misunderstanding.

    "Speak to her about what? They were having lunch when I called earlier, so I asked to speak with her," Evelyn exined, "You won''t believe that I also know her twin brother, Lucas. I and your father met him some days ago at the hospital," Evelyn added.

    "Oh! Wow!" Bryan said forck of anything else to say. Was this also a coincidence? With the way everything was going he wouldn''t be surprised if Jade meets Lucas by ident and then they both fall in love, Bryan thought in amusement.

    "How is everything going on with you and dad?" Bryan asked curiously.

    "If you really wanted to know, then you should have called me," Evelyn said usingly making Bryan roll his eyes as he hung up the call and dialed her number.

    "Hello, mom! How are you doing?" Bryan asked dramatically making his motherugh out loud.

    "You''re still very mischievous," Evelyn said amidst herughter, "I''m okay. And your father is fine."

    "Good. So have you heard from Jadetely?" Bryan asked, wanting to know if Tom had mentioned what was happening with Jade to their mother.

    "Not yet. I''m going to give her a call after I''m done speaking with you. Since both my boys are doing well, I need to talk to her about getting a man. She can''t mourn Todd forever," Evelyn said with a sigh.

    "By the way, I''ve been following your show. Sonia is very lovely, and you both look really good together. Is she there with you?" Evelyn asked curiously, making Bryan marvel at how she always managed to jump from one subject to another with ease.

    "No, she isn''t here. She stepped out. I will let her know you asked after her," Bryan lied since he knew that his mother was likely going to want to talk about their wedding if she spoke with Sonia.

    "Ask her to give me a call. I need to call your sister now, take care of yourself and your leg. Love, love!" And with that, the call was disconnected.

    "Why did you lie to her that I''m not here?" Sonia asked as she came to sit beside Bryan.

    "Are you ready to give her the date for the wedding?" Bryan asked, and Sonia giggled.

    "Good thing you lied. So Tom and Lucy are no longer fighting?"

    "I think so. Maybe we should give them a call, and find out. You call Lucy, and I will call Tom. Don''t let them know we heard from my mom," Bryan suggested.. Knowing how Tom had asked him to keep what was going on between him and Lucy away from Jade, he suspected that Tom was trying to do the same with him.

 Chapter 211 - Unreasonable Lady

    Once it was close of work, Lucy walked out of thepany''s building, and she smiled when she saw Tom standing beside the car waiting for her as usual. He was back to wearing his casual clothes and she couldn''t tell if she liked him more in suits, or in these clothes he wore.

    Tom who was sitting on the hood of the car tried to hold back his smile when he saw her approaching with a smile on her face, but failed, "Hello, ma''am! How was work today?" Tom asked as he got off the hood.

    "Work was beautiful! I couldn''t wait to finish," Lucy said with a grin as she got into the front seat of the car with him, "I see you took off the earrings already," Lucy observed.

    "Yes. We will just stop by the salon to restore my hair before heading home. You''re no longer taking the backseat?" Tom asked, looking at the entrance of thepany where some of the staff stood, some of whom were looking their way.

    "We agreed to make it known that I am dating my driver, remember? Since I can''t go to each office announcing to everyone that I''m dating you, this is the least I can do," Lucy said as she tried to buckle her seatbelt.

    "Oh, is it?" Tom asked, and leaned over her as though he wanted to kiss her.

    "What are you doing?" Lucy asked in surprise, holding her breath as she looked at him, and then her gaze shifted to look ahead of them at the peopleing out of thepany. Although she was getting used to kissing him, she wasn''t used to the whole public disy of affection thing.

    "Making it known that I''m dating my boss," Tom said as he helped her fix the seatbelt. And then just when she rxed, he brushed his lips against hers before pulling back, "I''m pretty sure the rumor will start moving from office to office without you making the rounds," Tom assured with a small smile as he nced at those still standing around thepany to make sure that at least one person had seen them.

    "Are you sure this is a good idea?" Lucy asked under her breath. Although she was upying a major office at thepany, she was still the new girl here, and she didn''t want to make more enemies than was necessary.

    "It''s okay, princess. Let me handle it," Tom said as he turned on the car''s ignition and drove off.

    Once they left, Anita who had been watching them from a safe distance with balled fists, got into her car and gripped her steering wheel so tightly that her knuckles were white. So Lucy''s boyfriend was Tom? That meant the previous day at the office when she had said she received a text from her boyfriend, it was actually a text from Tom? And Lucy had been messing with her the previous evening when she asked her those questions about Tom? If Lucy had ever considered her a friend, when was she ever going to tell her that her boyfriend was Tom? Anita asked herself as she turned on her car''s ignition and followed them.

    She was going to give Lucy the benefit of doubt onest time to see if she was worthy of her mercy, Anita thought as she picked up her phone to give Lucy a call.

    **************

    Harry raised his head when Jade walked into his bedroom once again, and this time she didn''t even bother to knock, making him raise a brow, "You don''t know how to knock anymore?"

    "Sorry, I was distracted. Why are you still on your bed? We are meeting her in less than an hour. Or do you want her toe in here instead?" Jade asked as she approached the bed where Harry was seated with hisptop.

    "I already told you I''m not going. You can have lunch with her alone. I don''t care about," Harry said dismissively as he returned his attention to hisptop.

    "How hard can it be just to have dinner with ady?" Jade asked as she tried to convince him, "All you need to do is sit down with her and eat. And maybe engage in a little conversation about yourselves," Jade pointed out.

    "Didn''t I ask you to let me handle things myself? Why can''t you just focus on your case and let me be? Why do you keep doing things without asking for my opinion?" Harry asked, trying not to snap at her.

    "Okay. Fine," Jade said, raising both hands in surrender, "Just this dinner. After now I promise not to get involved in your business anymore. You can tell her off if you want to," Jade assured him.

    Harry took in a deep breath, "We are all having dinner together, right? You are going to be there?" He asked, reasoning that everything would be fine as long as Jade was on the table with them.

    "Sure. I will be there to act as a chaperone so that you both can be on your best behavior. At the restaurant downstairs," Jade said with a sweet smile, and Harry gave her a suspicious look.

    "Don''t look at me that way. It''s a public restaurant. So if you were scared that she was going to try to seduce you, you can be rest assured that none of that would be happening... Although it would have been nice if she did. Now let''s get you something nice to wear instead of those boring suits you love to wear," Jade said as she headed for his closet.

    "What are you...? Where are you going to?" Harry asked in rm as he quickly got off his bed and intercepted her, "Do you realize that I''m a man? You are not only in my bedroom alone with me right now, you are also trying to go through my closet?" Harry asked in disapproval making Jade raise a brow.

    "So? Didn''t you ask me to see you as my adopted brother? I would do this with both Tom and Bryan too, so move," Jade ordered as she tried to get past him.

    Harry closed his eyes as he prayed for patience to deal with this dumb woman, "I said assume I''m your adopted brother. I''m obviously not. You were to assume so, not act in this manner. You can''t be in my room dressed in... In that."

    "What is wrong with what I''m wearing?" Jade asked as she looked down at the short red satin nightdress she was wearing.

    "Have you even had your bath today? It''s almost 5 PM," Harry said with a shake of his head as he tried not to look at her body. From the moment she had walked into his room the first time he could tell that she hadn''t been wearing a bra, and he didn''t even want to imagine what else she wasn''t wearing underneath her gown, and that was why he had insisted she sit on the couch. How could ady of her age be acting like a teenager?

    "Don''t even start. Don''t try to pick another hygiene fight with me, you hear me? I just want to help you pick out an outfit," Jade offered.

    "Would you be okay with me going through your closet?" Harry asked, and she shrugged indifferently.

    Harry sighed. This was one unreasonable youngdy and she never listened, he thought within himself, "Well, you can''t go through my closet. I won''t wear a suit if that makes you feel better. Now please leave my room. If you want to talk to me just knock on the door and I will meet you outside. And try not to wear such clothes unless you are alone inside your bedroom. Thank you," Harry said as he jerked his head towards the door for her to leave.

    Jade angled her head as she looked at him, "Do I make you ufortable?" She asked with a slightly raised brow as she folded both arms in front of her.

    "Yes, you do. Now if you don''t mind, please leave," he said in a polite tone as he pointed to the door for her to use it.

    "Why are you ufortable? Are you attracted to me?" Jade asked stubbornly as she continued to watch him.

    "I''m sure you don''t expect a response to that. Now if you want me to get ready for the dinner, you should leave," Harry said, and Jade made a face at him before turning around to walk out of the room.

    "See you in a bit," she called out to him as she left.

    Harry shook his head as he watched her walk away. He had never met ady he found as annoying and stubborn as she was. Once she shut the door behind her, he walked over to the door and used his key to lock it. Thest thing he wanted was for her to barge in on him while he was getting dressed or something.

    He nced at his closet and walked over to see if there was something casual he could wear, although the only casual clothes he had were the ones he has packed to sit at home with her.

    His eyes fell on his briefs and he shook his head. What had she been thinking wanting to go through his closet? Maybe he also needed to teach her a thing or two about the opposite sex so that she wouldn''t act this recklessly around just any man.. He was a gentleman, but he doubted that the next man she meets might be able to exercise his level of self-control.

 Chapter 212 - Casanovess

    "So, is she the one?" The barber asked Tom in a whisper as he washed the dye off Tom''s hair.

    "If she wasn''t, I wouldn''t bring her here with me and introduce her as my girlfriend to you, now would I?" Tom asked dryly.

    "I guess not. She''s real pretty, and worth the stress. You''ve got good eyes on your head," the barber said with a grin, and Tom chuckled.

    Lucy who was seated some feet away from them, nced at her phone when it started ringing, and she stood up when she saw that it was a call from Sonia, "I''ll be in the car. I need to take Sonia''s call," Lucy called out to Tom before walking away to receive the call.

    "How is my baby doing?" Sonia asked in her usual cheerful tone, which made Lucy smile as always.

    "She''s fine. How is my celebrity best girl doing? I guess you''re done with the show for today," Lucy asked, and this time Sonia smiled.

    "Yeah. So we were talking yesterday before you left to attend to work. I thought you were going to return the call, but I guess now that your driver boyfriend has turned out to be the wealthy CEO, you no longer have time for your poor little best friend," Soniained, hoping that Lucy would take the hint and open to her about the state of things between her and Tom.

    She had excused herself from Bryan, iming she needed to use the bathroom, just so that she could hear from Lucy privately before speaking with her in the presence of Bryan. She really didn''t want Lucy to lie to her or keep secrets from her.

    "You know that is not true! I was just very busy handling things," Lucy said apologetically as she got into the car and sat down on the driver''s seat.

    "Things you can''t tell me about? I''m beginning to feel like you have reced me with someone else. You barely call me anymore to tell me what''s going on with you. You used to tell me everything, but now I barely know anything about you," Soniained.

    "I''m sorry, but that is because you''re no longer alone. You have Bryan now, and I don''t want to be a bother. Besides, I don''t know how far your rtionship with him might have gone..."

    "Are you implying that you think I''ll choose Bryan over you? I love Bryan and all but you will Al.."

    "Wait, did you just say you love Bryan?" Lucy asked in surprise.

    "What?" Sonia asked in confusion.

    "You just said you love Bryan!" Lucy screeched excitedly, with a wide smile on her face.

    Sonia paused for only a moment, and looked at her reflection in the mirror, grateful that Bryan wasn''t anywhere around to hear this or see the flush on her face, "I did? I guess I did. So as I was saying..."

    "You just admitted that you are in love with Bryan and you''re going to sweep it under the rug like it isn''t a big deal? In case you don''t know, this is the first time you''re using the love word for a guy," Lucy pointed out.

    "Fine. Can we just talk about me after we are done talking about you? Lu, is there something I need to know? How are things going with Tom? Are you still fighting with him?" Sonia asked, returning Lucy''s attention to the subject.

    Lucy sighed, "This has to stay between us, okay? I don''t care if you''re now sharing your secrets with Bryan, but this has to remain just between us," Lucy warned, and Sonia smiled, feeling thankful that Lucy wasn''t going to lie to her. She had no idea how she would have felt had Lucy lied to her.

    "Sure. You didn''t notice that I''m in the bathroom? Whatever we discuss stays between us, trust me." Sonia promised as she tried to ignore the feeling of guilt that rose within her at the thought of keeping this from Bryan. She tried to assure herself that he had also kept his brother''s secret and had called it ''protecting his brother''s interest'' so she was just going to do the same.

    "I trust you," Lucy assured her.

    "Good. Now go on and tell me how you really feel about all this, and about the situation of things with Tom."

    Lucy took in a deep breath, "To be honest with you, I don''t know how I feel, and I''m not even sure I know what I''m doing either. I don''t even know if I''ve forgiven Tom for all those lies or not..."

    "At least you know how he feels about you?"

    "Yes, I know how he feels about me. And that is probably the only thing that makes all of this bearable. After speaking with Anitast night, I think I better understand the reason why he did what he did. So it''s like my head understands, but my feelings are still very hurt no matter how much I try to rationalize the whole thing," Lucy paused to catch her breath.

    "You met with Anita? Why?" Sonia asked with a slight frown.

    "We had some sort of misunderstanding at work yesterday during a meeting, and she wanted to apologize..."

    "At work? What happened? Was Tom there? You know what? Just give me a breakdown of everything that has happened following Tom''s confession," Sonia urged her.

    ".... So I just know that although I still harbor some resentment towards him, Tom is someone I always want to have around me. He is like the male version of you to me," Lucy exined.

    "I thought Lucas was your male best friend?" Sonia asked easily.

    "He was until he decided to marry Rachel. We both know that if she gets her way once they get married Lucas and I would drift further apart," Lucy said wistfully.

    "I wonder what he sees in that controlling and maniptive girl," Sonia hissed as she got off the toilet seat and flushed the toilet.

    "Let''s forget about her. So like I was saying, I''m braving it out like nothing happened while trying to ept this new version of Tom. I''m just going to focus on the positive aspects," Lucy concluded.

    Sonia sighed after listening to everything, "I''m so d that you are trying to work things out with Tom, even though I''m also worried that things might get really messy when Anita finds out that Tom is the CEO," Sonia said thoughtfully.

    "Yeah, I know. Although Tom says I shouldn''t worry about it, I''m trying to mentally prepare myself for it because I don''t think Anita is going to be as easy to handle as he thinks. Trust me I''m not being paranoid, she has this really evil and dangerous aura radiating from her," Lucy said with a shake of her head.

    "You''re not being paranoid. You have every reason to be worried and careful. You can trust Tom to handle her but don''t just leave it to him. I will try and think of something we can do just in case she tries anything. In the meantime, you should focus on your beautiful rtionship with Tom."

    "Yeah. Their mother sounds like a really nice person, doesn''t she?" Lucy asked with a small smile.

    "Yeah, she does. Who would have thought we both would be in a rtionship with two brothers?" Sonia asked with a slight giggle.

    "Speaking of rtionships, so back to you and Bryan. Things are going really well, huh? I suppose the sex must have been really mind-blowing seeing how easily you''ve fallen for him," Lucy said in a teasing tone.

    "We actually haven''t done it yet," Sonia confessed in a low tone.

    "Am I supposed to believe that? You mean you haven''t even had sex with him yet?" Lucy asked in disbelief.

    "Yeah. I know I''m all for the sex and fun, but with Bryan, I''m not exactly in a hurry. I think I''m just going to take things slowly," Sonia said, and Lucy burst into a peal ofughter.

    "Take things slowly? The casanovess Sonia Smith wants to take this slowly? I never thought the day woulde when I will hear you say something like that," Lucy said amidst herughter and Sonia joined in herughter.

    "There''s no word like casanovess," Sonia countered with a giggle.

    "Well, for you I had toe up with something. I can''t exactly call you a Casanova after all. But seriously, So? You''re taking things slowly with Bryan? Wow!"

    "What can I say? People change. Look at you in a rtionship. I''m so proud of you, Lu. And I''m super happy that you have finally decided to let go of the past and be happy! We should go out and celebrate this when I visit you!" Sonia said with a smile and Lucy could hear the joy in her tone.

    "Sure. Let''s do that. Bills on my super-rich boyfriend," Lucy added, making Sonia burst into a peal ofughter.

    "Please take it easy on Tom''s wallet so he doesn''t end up bing a broke driver for real," Sonia advised.

    "Yeah, yeah. Don''t forget that you can''t tell Bryan I''ve made up with Tom, okay?" Lucy warned.

    "Sure. But why are you keeping it from him? How is that going to help you achieve anything?" Sonia asked in confusion.

    "Seeing how Bryan encouraged his brother''s lies, isn''t this the least I can do to make him feel guilty?" Lucy asked, and Sonia rolled her eyes since she knew that guilt was thest thing Bryan was feeling. Bryan was so not his brother''s keeper.

    "Right. He should suffer for joining his brother to deceive my best friend!" Sonia said with enthusiasm.

    "Yeah! So back to you again, have you told Bryan how you feel about him yet? The feeling is mutual, right?" Lucy asked hopefully.

    "Our rtionship is still a work in progress. We both know we like each other, but we don''t know how much yet. Uhm... I need to join Bryan now before hees to search for me. I''m going to call you back when I''m with him and pretend like we haven''t spoken yet. The phone will be on speaker, so you can just pretend that you''re still mad at Tom, okay?" Sonia said, making Lucy giggle.

    "Sure. Let''s do that!"

    "It feels so good chatting with you this way, Lu. Don''t grow distant from me, okay? We shouldn''t let the brotherse between us. Got to go now, Bryan just came into the bedroom," Sonia whispered to Lucy and quickly disconnected the call when she heard the sound of Bryan''s wheelchair.

    Lucy was about to get out of the car after the phone call when her phone started ringing again.. She sighed when she saw that it was a call from Anita.

 Chapter 213 - Emotional Blackmail

    After watching Tom and Lucy walk hand in hand into the barbing salon, Anita had driven off as she had better things to do with her time than stay outside there waiting for them to finish with whatever they had gone there for.

    Initially, she had wanted to call Lucy but had decided to wait until she got home, so she would have enough time to clear her head.

    Now seated in her car which was parked outside her apartment, she tried toe up with the perfect way to execute her n. Once she was sure of the first line of action to take, she dialed Lucy''s line.

    "Hey, girl! Can we meet?" Anita asked immediately Lucy received her call, and she ced the call on recorder.

    "Uhm, not exactly. I''m hanging out with my boyfriend, why?" Lucy asked, wondering why Anita wanted to meet with her again when they had met just the previous evening.

    Even though Lucy knew that she could easily choose to ignore Anita''s call or cut her off to save herself from a lot of stress and drama, she preferred to y Anita''s game. She knew that Anita just wanted to use her, and she wanted to see just how far Anita was willing to go to do that. Besides, it was better to keep her close this way. That was the only way she could know what Anita was up to.

    Boyfriend? That confirmed that she had not just been seeing things earlier. Tom... No, her CEO was really Lucy''s boyfriend.

    "You are always hanging out with this boyfriend of yours. You make single people like me feel lonely," Anita said in an easy tone that belied the anger she felt. The only visible sign of her anger was the white knuckles of her right hand which was holding on tightly to the steering wheel.

    "Well, I have some years'' worth of catching up to do in the rtionship department, so don''t me me," Lucy said, imitating Anita''s easy tone.

    If only Lucy had chosen to remain single and not get involved with Tom, she wouldn''t have resorted to doing any of the things she was nning, Anita thought with a sigh.

    "I suppose we can''t meet. I was really hoping we could hang out. I wanted to talk to you about something that has been bothering me all day. I would have stopped at your office earlier in the day, but after the CEO''s warning yesterday, I didn''t want to risk it," Anita said in a distressed tone.

    Lucy''s brows pulled together in a slight frown when she heard Anita''s distress. Although Anita was her enemy and she was wary of her, she couldn''t stop herself from being concerned. That was what made her human, wasn''t it?

    "Is something wrong? Is it very urgent?"

    "I guess it has to wait. I don''t want to cut short your time with your man. I was just worried and needed someone to talk to, and I figured you''re the best person to talk to since you might be able to help me," Anita said sadly.

    She needed her help? Lucy pursed her lips as she tried to figure out what Anita was up to this time, "Uhm, is it something you can talk about over the phone? Or can it wait till I''m able to see you" Lucy asked, trying not to sound too cautious.

    "Maybe. The thing is, after our conversationst night, I''ve been thinking a lot about all we said..." Anita started.

    "All we said about what?" Lucy asked with a confused frown.

    "You know, I mean what we spoke about concerning Tom and the CEO," Anita started, and Lucy''s heart skipped a beat when she heard Tom''s name on Anita''s lips.

    Before now Anita barely mentioned Tom''s name, as she always just referred to him as her driver, and tried not to give any hint that she was ever involved with Tom, so hearing her talk about him now made Lucy more than a little ufortable.

    "Are you there?" Anita asked when Lucy didn''t say anything.

    "Yeah. Sure. Go on. What about him and the CEO?" Lucy asked, trying to sound normal.

    Anita sighed, "I lied to you. I''m sorry I haven''t been entirely honest with you considering the fact that we are friends," Anita confessed, making Lucy feel even more ufortable.

    What was going on? Why was Anita suddenly sounding this way? "You lied to me? About what?"

    Anita cleared her throat. She knew she had to y this card very well, "I don''t know if your driver told you this yet, but we used to be in love with each other. We were in a rtionship," Anita confessed, making Lucy''s heart skip a beat. Why was she telling her this now? What did Anita want?

    "Oh! Really?" Lucy asked, sounding genuinely surprised since she hadn''t expected Anita to bring it up.

    Hearing the surprise in Lucy''s voice, Anita concluded that Tom had probably not told Lucy about their past ording to their agreement so she quickly continued, "You can''t tell him I told you this. I just feel very sad and guilty that I''m keeping something like this away from you. I''ve not been myself since he broke up with me," Anita said with a sigh. She needed to tell Lucy her own version of the story and get Lucy''s pity before Tom does that.

    "I don''t understand," Lucy said in confusion since just the previous day Anita had told her that she couldn''t be with someone like Tom who had nothing to offer to her. Where was thising from now?

    "To be honest with you, I''m still very much in love with Tom. Things were going so well between us until I told my mom about him. She was against our rtionship because Tom was a blue-cor worker, and every time I was to go out on a date with him she would do everything within her means to stop me. She even threatened to ruin Tom''s life if I didn''t stop seeing him. I couldn''t tell Tom about it because I didn''t want him to feel bad. Eventually, he got tired of all the flimsy excuses I kept making each time I stood him up," Anita concluded on a small sob which left Lucy feelingpletely confused.

    "But I thought you were trying to matchmake us?" Lucy asked in confusion.

    "I wasn''t. I just wanted to spend some time in hispany because I really liked him, and the only way I could do that was through you. He would never agree to meet with me alone or hear me out," Anita said with a sniffle.

    "But just yesterday you said he couldn''t offer you anything and that you preferred the CEO," Lucy reminded her with a frown as she watched Tom who was now looking different heading for the car.

    "I didn''t really mean that. It''s just my mom... She is very controlling and I was really trying to stay away from him so she doesn''t harm him, but I just don''t think I can do that anymore. It hurts to live without him. I can''t do that anymore" Anita said and broke down in tears again.

    Tom who had gotten to where Lucy was, opened his mouth to say something, but Lucy raised a finger to her lips to shut him up. Thest thing she wanted was for Anita to hear Tom''s voice in the background.

    "Uhm... This is a lot to take in at once, can I call you back when I get home? I''m still with my boyfriend so I can''t talk right now," Lucy said weakly, making Tom raise a brow as he watched her.

    "Sure. I''m sorry I forgot you were with him. Let''s talkter. Thanks for letting me get that off my chest. I feel a lot better now," Anita said with a sniffle as she quickly hung up the call.

    "Is everything okay? Was that Sonia?" Tom asked as he watched Lucy''s face intently.

    "No."

    "Who then was it?" Tom asked patiently as he looked down at Lucy. Although he had known her for only a short time, he could read her face well enough to tell when she wasn''t okay, and he could see that something was wrong.

    "It was Anita," Lucy said with a shrug, making Tom''s frown of concern transform into a scowl.

    "What did she want this time? Another hangout?" He asked in disapproval.

    "No. She wants you. She says she is still in love with you," Lucy said tly.

    "In love? Me?" Tom asked with a scoff as he pointed to himself.

    "Yes, you. Tom Handy, not Thomas Hank," Lucy said as she watched Tom''s face carefully.

    Tom chuckled, "She must have found out something."

    "How? She didn''t sound like she knows anything. She just sounded like she wanted me to know about her rtionship with my driver, and what led to your break up," Lucy exined.

    "And what did she say led to our break up?" Tom asked disinterestedly.

    "She said she loves you but her mother wasn''t in support of the rtionship, and she threatened to..."

    Tom yawned dramatically, "I can''t believe you bought that silly story. Trust me, I know Anita. She is trying to ckmail you emotionally. She probably found out about my identity or my rtionship with you, or even both.

    "You didn''t even let me tell you everything she said," Lucy said with a slight frown.

    "Because I don''t care about any lie she must have told you. And trust me, when I say she doesn''t and has never loved me. Her mother had little or nothing to do with our breakup. So do me a favor and don''t let her get into your head, please." Tom pleaded as he leaned forward and kissed her forehead.

    "But what if..."

    "There are no what ifs, Lu. I told you already, you are all I want. And even if she is saying the truth, nothing is going to change. Let her know that you are dating me now and you can''t be of any help to her, period."

    "If you can''t do that, I will do so myself. So please make sure that the next time you speak with her, you ask her to back off," Tom said with finality in his tone.

    Without saying a word Lucy sighed as she got out of the car and handed him the car keys.

    "Lu?" Tom called softly before she could walk away and he ced both hands on her shoulder, "I know this is a lot for you right now, and so much seems to be happening at the same time, so let''s not add Anita to the list, okay? Let''s just go home, have fun together, and after work tomorrow we take the weekend off as nned, okay?"

    Lucy gave him a nod, and Tom kissed her lightly on her lips as he led her to the other side of the car. Once she was seated and her seatbelt was in ce he shut the car door and went around to get into the driver''s seat while trying to figure out how Anita had discovered the truth.

    Was it the private investigator? Tom wondered. He needed to keep an eye on Anita.. Seeing how much she upset Lucy, he needed to begin to take her more seriously.

 Chapter 214 - Roleplay

    Tom spared Lucy a concerned nce as he drove, and he couldn''t help wondering what was going on inside her head. She had been silent since he began to drive, and with each second that passed, he felt more and more ufortable.

    As annoying as he found everything to be, he knew that he was also to me for what was happening between Lucy and Anita right now. If only he hadn''t lied to her that he liked someone else in thepany, Lucy wouldn''t have assumed that Anita was thedy he had talked about, and she would never have gotten into this awkward rtionship with Anita just to help y cupid.

    Now Anita was being a pest and he needed toe up with the right way to squish her before she caused too many problems for him. How shameless could a person be? How unreasonable? What was the reason she was telling Lucy all of this? He was certain it was just to make Lucy feel guilty and to cause misunderstanding between them. What he couldn''t understand was what she stood to gain from it, since they both knew that he was NEVER going to get involved with her again, whether or not things worked out between him and Lucy.

    "Should I just fire her?" Tom asked after a while, even though he hated to mix business with pleasure.

    "On what ground?" Lucy asked, turning to look at him. Even though Anita made her feel very ufortable, she knew that it wouldn''t make sense to let him fire her just because of her insecurities.

    "What if I say because I don''t like seeing her?" Tom asked, and Lucy smiled.

    "We both know you are more reasonable than that. I hate that I let her get to me this way. I''m sorry," Lucy murmured.

    "You don''t have to be sorry. Just tell me what I can do to help you feel better? I don''t like the way you''re feeling right now. Should I give you my ck card? I read somewhere that women love to shop when they''re upset," Tom said, making Lucy giggle.

    "Don''t make me a materialistic person," Lucy chided with a smile, "I already feel better merely by being with you like this. So don''t worry. I''ll be okay, I just need to clear my head," Lucy assured him.

    "Alright. I should help you clear your head then," Tom said with a wink as he turned the car in a different direction from the house.

    "Where are we going to?" Lucy asked in surprise at the sudden turn.

    "Somewhere I think you''ll like. You''ll see," Tom promised her with a mischievous smile.

    Lucy gazed at him as he drove the car, and different thoughts ran through her mind while she watched him. After some time she cleared her throat, "Can I ask you a question?" She asked curiously.

    "Sure. Anything."

    Lucy took in a deep breath, "Why are you interested in me? I mean, I''m sure that there are many otherdies who would want you even if you were jobless and couldn''t afford anything. So why me?"

    Sparing a nce at her, Tom could tell from how tense she looked that his response mattered to her a lot, and as such, he needed to make sure that he didn''t just say the right thing, but he told her exactly how he felt about her.

    He reached for her hand with his right hand, and raised her palm to his lips, kissing it softly, "How about I answer your question at the end of the day?" Tom asked, and Lucy gave him a nod as she tried to focus on what he said and not the fluttery feeling in her belly.

    "And just so you know, I''m not trying to stall or anything. I just want to make sure you''re thinking straight before I say anything," Tom added as he let go of her hand. Thest thing he wanted was for her to think that he didn''t know why he wanted her.

    "Sure. I believe you," Lucy assured him with a small smile.

    A few minutester Tom drove into the parking lot of a club Lucy recognized, and she sat up to look at the ce in surprise before bursting into a peal ofughter, "You''ve got to be kidding me!" She eximed as she looked from the building before them to Tom, and then back again.

    Tom smiled as he watched her. He had guessed that bringing her back to the club where they had met was going to cheer her up a little, and he was d to see that she looked excited.

    "Since you''re so good at roleys, how about we reenact the night we met? And then I will tell you why I''m so crazy about you, aside from the fact that you''re crazy," Tom asked with a grin.

    Lucy giggled again as she shook her head at him. It seemed like years since she wasst there, even though she knew that it was barely a month ago. So much had happened in less than a month. So much had changed.

    "Are we going to end the night at your friend''s mansion then?" She asked with a teasing smile.

    "That''s if you''re drunk enough to be knocked out in the backseat of the car. So what do you say?" Tom asked, wriggling his brows yfully.

    "This should be fun," Lucy said with a grin as she let down the car visor mirror, "I''m not with my lens, and I''m still dressed in work clothes," sheined as she let down her hair once again, and then fished inside her handbag for a lipstick.

    "You still would have caught my attention with your hair up and sses in ce. The only reason I prefer seeing you without your sses and with your hair down is that that''s the first version of you I saw," Tom assured her as he watched her fuss over her appearance.

    Lucy flicked him a smile, "You know you''ll have to go in first, right? I''ll be right behind you," Lucy said as they both got out of the car and Tom gave her the car key.

    Once he disappeared into the club, she adjusted her skirt and took off the zers she was wearing. She threw the zer on the backseat of the car, leaving just her gray-colored sleeveless turtleneck shirt which was tucked into a charcoal-colored knee-length bodycon skirt.

    Satisfied with her appearance, Lucybed her fingers through her hair one more time and adjusted the sses on the bridge of her nose before shutting the car and catwalking into the club.

    She stopped by the entrance as she had done the first time, and let her eyes move around the hall. This time she wasn''t standing there as the naive and shydy she was thest time, looking for a one-night stand. This time her eyes moved around until they settled on Tom who was already sipping from a ss of wine and was watching her intently.

    "Hey, pretty!" One of the men called, but Lucy ignored him as she made her way towards the bar.

    "Hello, Sam!" Lucy greeted the barman with a wide smile, and he looked at her for a moment as though he was trying to recall where he had seen her, and then his eyes lit up when he finally recognized her.

    "Lucy, right? You look different. It''s the sses, I think," he observed with a weing smile which Lucy returned.

    "I think so too," Lucy said with a grin, pleasantly surprised that he not only remembered her face but her name too.

    "How have you been? You settled in okay?" He asked as he went around the bar with a barstool which he moved to where Tom was seated as he had done thest time.

    "Yeah. Got some really nice neighbors," Lucy said as she sat down while ignoring Tom who now appeared to be busy with his phone.

    "That''s great. You want a double martini?" Sam asked curiously, and Lucy turned to look at what Tom was drinking.

    "I''d like to have what he is having," Lucy said, and Sam looked from Tom to Lucy and then gave her a nod before walking away.

    "It''s called a mojito," Tom spoke from beside her.

    "Excuse me?" Lucy asked as she pushed a stray hair behind her ear.

    "I figured since you wanted to drink what I''m having, you should know what it is called," Tom responded, "Hi, I''m Thompson Hanky," Tom said with a yful light in his eyes, and Lucy giggled at the joke.

    "It''s very nice to meet you, Mr. Hanky Panky. You can call me Cinda Paris. So what do you do for a living?" Lucy asked, looking at him expectantly.

    Tom looked around him as though he was nervous, and then signaled to her toe closer so that he could whisper the answer into her ears, "I''m a banker," Tom waited for a second before adding, "I mean I''m a donor at the sperm bank."

    Lucy howled withughter as Sam returned with her drink, and he looked at them both curiously, remembering that Tom had been the one who had taken her home thest time, "You both seem to be getting along quite well," he observed with a small smile as he set down her drink.

    They both exchanged a look but said nothing to him, as they watched him leave, "So what about you? What do you do?" Tom asked curiously.

    Lucy leaned forward in her seat, "I''m a stripper," she said in a sultry whisper, and Tom chuckled as he watched her. He could tell she was having fun. Not only were her cheeks filled with color, but her eyes were also filled with warmth and light.

    One of the many things he loved most about her, was how easy it was to please her and get her to snap out of a bad mood. He intended to keep it that way. All he wanted was for her to always be happy, and he would be damned if he let Anita or anyone else disturb her peace.

    While they were both at the club having fun, Anita who was seated in her living room watching the evening news, picked up her phone when it started ringing, "Yes?"

    "I think you might like what I found," the person at the other end of the line informed her.

    The right side of Anita''s lips arched in a crooked smile, "Send it to my email. You can proceed with the others," Anita said before hanging up.

    For Lucy''s sake, she hoped that she would back out easily now that she was still ying nice and acting like a friend.. Things were going to get messy for everyone involved if Lucy failed to back out.

 Chapter 215 - Always Choose You

    Lucy giggled tipsily as she danced with Tom on the dancefloor, while he just watched her with a smile on his lips, and his hands on her waist. He loved seeing her this carefree and without worries.

    "So, Mr. Hanky, do you have a girlfriend?" Lucy asked, trying not to yell because of the loud music.

    "Nope. I''m as single as a Pringle," Tom informed her.

    "I don''t have a boyfriend too. So why don''t we single pringles mingle?" Lucy asked, batting hershes at him seductively, while Tom chuckled at the rhyme she just made.

    "Uhm... I don''t mingle much. Rtionships aren''t really my thing. I just want someone to take home with me tonight. It''s my first time..." Tom said in a loud whisper, and Lucyughed out loud, pping his shoulders yfully.

    "Get out of here!"

    "Only if you''reing with me," Tom said with a flirty smile as he wrapped his arm around her waist and drew her closer to himself, nuzzling her neck.

    Lucy moaned softly since her body was already feeling quite sensitive because of the alcohol. Hearing her moan, Tom decided that it was time to take her home, so he guided her out of the dancefloor to the ce where they had been seated to pick her handbag which Sam had been helping them keep an eye on, "We are leaving," Tom informed Sam who nced at Lucy who had a silly smile on her face and then gave Tom a nod.

    Once they got outside, Lucy turned in Tom''s arm and kissed his lips passionately, "Thank you," she said in a slightly cracked voice as she broke the kiss and pulled away from him.

    "What for?" Tom asked with curiosity as he embraced her so that her head was resting on his chest, while his back was resting on the car.

    "For bringing me here and cheering me up," Lucy said with a sigh of contentment as she inhaled his scent.

    cing one hand on her back, Tom raised his other hand to pat her hair gently, "I hope that if things ever get too tough along the line, you will always give me the chance to cheer you up," Tom said as he leaned down and kissed her head.

    "I know you probably didn''t bargain to end up in a rtionship with someone as naive, and insecure, and weak, and as helpless as me," Lucy said, with her head drooped.

    Tom paused to think about where this was possiblying from, and then he ced a finger under her chin and raised her head so that she was looking into his face, "I don''t know where this ising from, Lu, but I know that you didn''t bargain to end up getting involved with someone that makes you feel this way aboit yourself either. I bargained to be in a rtionship with someone who is beautiful, intelligent, kind-hearted, real, disciplined, and you are all of that and more. There may bedies out there who you might feel are more beautiful than you are, or more intelligent or more polished, or more ssy or whatever you think... I want you to know that it''s all just in your head, as they don''t stand a chance where you are. Both in my eyes and my heart, it''s going to always be you. I''ll always choose you over everything and everyone else. And even when you doubt my actions most times like during the meeting thest time, I just need you to always remember that my sole intention will always be to have your back," Tom promised.

    "Always?" Lucy asked uncertainly as she looked at him with tears zed eyes.

    "Always, Lu," Tom promised.

    "I will always choose you too," Lucy promised, and then she thought about Sonia and silently prayed that the time will nevere when she would have to choose between Sonia and Tom. They both were very important to her.

    She moved closer to Tom and adjusted until she was standingfortably in his arms which seemed like they were made for her.

    "Lu?" Tom called after a while when he heard a soft snoreing from her. He shook his head when he realized that she had dozed off while standing there in his arms.

    Still holding her, he moved away from the car and gently helped her get into the front seat of the car, and then he took off her sses.

    "Tom?" Lucy called sleepily as Tom buckled the seatbelt.

    "Yea?"

    "You haven''t answered my question," Lucy reminded him, making Tom chuckle as he pulled away from her.

    "I thought you had fallen asleep," Tom said as he looked into her gray eyes.

    "I still want to hear it," she insisted as she struggled to keep her eyes open.

    "I should get into the car. We can talk as I drive," Tom suggested as he shut her door and went around to get into his seat.

    Once he was seated, he turned on the car''s ignition and drove off before he started speaking, "I''m not just interested in you, Lu. I''m head over heels in love with you. I''m in love with every single thing that makes you this beautifuldy that you are, and no other person can be more you than you already are. You are innocent, sweet, kind-hearted, petty, quick-tempered, easygoing, sincere half of the time, and you are very crazy even though it''s not so obvious. You may not understand this, but from the first night youy on my bed, I knew that I wasn''t going to be able to let you go so easily," Tom confessed, and then shook his head when Lucy''s head fell to the side, letting him know that she had dozed off once again.

    "Wow! Thanks, Lu," Tom murmured with a chuckle when she started snoring softly, and then he reached out to adjust her head.

    He remembered that Jade had been calling him while he was at the club and he was yet to return her call, so he decided to return her call.

 Chapter 216 - Loosen Up

    "Excuse me for a moment. I need to make a phone call in my room," Jade cut in while Aurora was saying something to Harry who was listening with rapt attention.

    They were still having dinner, but because Jade had left most of the conversations to Harry and Aurora, she was done eating and ready to leave.

    Harry nced at Jade, and although he could guess what she was doing, he chose not toment on it, while Aurora shed her a smile, "Sure. Take your time," Aurora said as she returned her attention to Harry.

    Aurora looked at him with a steady gaze which made him slightly ufortable, "I like you, Harry. And I would like to see you again, without Jade though," Aurora said after Jade had left.

    "You''re quite forthright in your approach," Harry observed, and Aurora chuckled.

    "I''m sorry if it makes you ufortable. I don''t know how to hide my feelings. I just prefer to express my feelings freely as long as I''m not hurting anyone," she exined, and Harry''s lips curved in a smile since he was also that way, only that he often ended up hurting people''s feelings with his bluntness.

    "I understand," Harry said with a nod.

    "Can you fish?" Aurora asked, eyeing him curiously.

    "Yes. Why?" Harry asked, looking at her with interest, as he had not expected such a question from her.

    "Do you already have ns for the weekend? We could go camping, and maybe catch some fish if you''re not too busy," Aurora suggested, and Harry chuckled despite himself.

    He hadn''t expected ady who looked as polished as she was to suggest camping or fishing, "It would have been nice to do that with you, mostly because I''m curious. But I''m sorry, I can''t leave Jade. I''m only here because of her," Harry exined without going into the details.

    Aurora paused her lips, "Because of her? Do you like her?" She asked thoughtfully, and without envy or malice.

    "I''m here based on her brother''s request. I''m just standing in for him to ensure that she is alright. So it wouldn''t be possible to abandon my mission and go on dates," Harry exined.

    "Oh, I see! Does that mean you would have taken me up on my offer if you weren''t busy with your mission?" Aurora asked hopefully, and Harry found himself smiling once again.

    "It''s possible," Harry said with a nod.

    "Great then! In that case, let me not be a bother. I will let you concentrate on what you came here for. But you have to go out with me at least once before you leave, is that fair enough?" Aurora asked with a small smile as she extended her hand to him.

    He had to admit that she was not just beautiful, but also very smart and easy-going. And what was more? She was just as forthright as he was, so he was sure they weren''t going to have the friction he often had with otherdies over his bluntness. What more could he possibly want in ady?

    "Fair enough," Harry agreed as he shook her soft hand.

    "Alright, I will leave you now to get back to your charge. Can I have your cell phone, please?" Aurora asked as she pushed away from her seat, and Harry gave her a questioning look as he unlocked his phone and passed it to her.

    Aurora typed her number on his phone and dialed it, before saving it, and then she proceeded to his phone''s clock to set a reminder with the title, ''Give Aura A Call''.

    "Now you can''t say you forgot to give me a call," she said with a smile as she returned his phone to him and stood up.

    Harry nced at the phone and smiled when he saw what she had done. Althoughdies had shown interest in him in the past, this was the first time ady was actively pursuing him this way, and he had to admit that it was oddly ttering.

    "I will give you a call," he promised as he stood up, and escorted her out. He couldn''t wait to get back into his room and give Tom a call. He intended to brag to him about how Aurora was showing so much interest in him without him having to get piercings or color his hair like a teenager having an early life crisis.

    After watching her drive off in her car, Harry returned inside and went straight to the suite which he shared with Jade. Once he walked inside, he went to her bedroom and rapped gently on the door.

    "Give me a moment," Jade called out as she threw on her decent enough sleeping robe over her skimpy see-through nightwear and tied it firmly around the waist before going to the door.

    "For someone who imed she wanted to make some phone calls, you look like you''re ready for bed," Harry observed as he looked her over, feeling thankful that she was well covered.

    Jade shed him a smile, "You saw her off already?" She asked, ignoring hisment.

    "Yes."

    "And?"

    "And what?" Harry asked, staring at her nkly.

    "You like her, don''t you?" Jade asked with a knowing smile, since she had expected him to scold her for running off the way she had done, but it seemed like he had no intention of doing that.

    "She''s alright. I think I might go on a date with her after we must have solved your case. So have you heard from them? Did they arrive safely?"

    "Yes, they did," Jade assured him.

    "And is Tom aware?" Harry asked, watching her closely

    "I tried calling him earlier but he wasn''t taking his phone call. I''m sure he will call back, and then I can inform him," Jade said with an easy smile.

    "You''ll inform him after the guests have arrived and settled in at his home and he doesn''t have any choice than to let them stay there," Harry pointed out tly.

    "Exactly! Not that I expect Tom to refuse. But if he says no, we do have another ce they can go to," Jade said with a grin, and Harry narrowed his eyes as he looked at her.

    "No!" He refused tly, and Jade giggled.

    "Wow! You can now read my mind?" Jade asked, folding her hands on her chest as she looked at him.

    "You better pray that your brother agrees to let them stay in his ce," Harry said as he turned to leave.

    "Did I tell you that you look really hot in that turtle neck?" Jade asked as he walked away, making Harry turn to look at her.

    "Are you flirting with me?" He asked with a slightly raised brow, and Jade rolled her eyes.

    "Loosen up, Uncle Harry. I would tell the same to Tom and Bryan, and I''m sure neither of them would think I''m flirting with them."

    Harry looked at her for a moment, and without saying a word he turned around and walked away.

    Jade had an amused smile on her face as she watched him leave, and only returned to her bedroom when she heard the sound of her ringtone.. She could tell it was a member of her family who was calling and she hoped it was Tom.

 Chapter 217 - No More Games (Sexual Content!!!)

    "I''m ready for the Nuru massage," Bryan announced as he stepped out of the bathroom with a towel tied around his waist.

    "I can''t believe you really want to do this tonight," Sonia said with a small giggle as she watched him.

    Earlier after her phone call with Lucy, she hade out, expecting Bryan to give Tom a call, but he had insisted that they have dinner and y games first. So they had both ended up ying mortal Kombat, and after ying several games, they ended in a tie, and he suggested they call it a night.

    "Why not? It''s going to be fun," Bryan said with an excited gleam in his eyes as he slowly made his way to the bed.

    "And what about the phone call to your brother and Lucy which you said we were going to make after the games?" Sonia reminded him.

    "I''m sure they can wait to hear from us in the morning, but I can''t wait. I think what my ankle needs to healpletely is this massage," Bryan said with a mischievous grin, and Soniaughed softly, but there was something else in her eyes.

    "The massage has nothing to do with your ankles," she reminded him.

    "It doesn''t matter. Hurry up and get dressed. Or should I say, get undressed?" Bryan asked eagerly.

    Sonia looked at him as though she wanted to say something, but cleared her throat instead, "Okay, give me a moment to shower, and then I will join you," She said instead, giving him a look he couldn''t interpret as she walked into the bathroom.

    Once she shut the door behind her, Bryan went to his nightstand and took out both a bottle of the massage gel, and a couple of rxingvender and jasmine scented candles, and then he lit the candles before turning off the lights in the bedroom.

    After that, he ced the massage gel beside him as hey on the bed, and scrolled through his music ylist as he waited for Sonia.

    Once Sonia opened the bathroom door and stepped out, she looked around the room with a small smile on her face as she deeply inhaled the scents, "I see you''ve set the atmosphere,"

    "Just one more thing left," Bryan said as he picked up his home theatre''s remote control, and yed Ed Sheeran''s ''Kiss Me''. Soon the crooner''s voice filled the bedroom, and Bryan winked at Sonia, "Do you like it?"

    "I absolutely love it! Did I tell you I''m a huge fan of Ed Sheeran''s?" Sonia asked as she slowly made her way to the bed still wrapped in her short towel.

    "You can tell me all about it in bed," Bryan said as he rolled over on his back, and took off the towel, exposing his bare ass.

    Sonia smiled as she stopped at the foot of the bed and slowly let her towel drop to the floor. There was no point in being embarrassed since he had seen her very naked in the past.

    Bryan felt his member swell as he gazed at her body lustfully. Her pink nipples were hard as though they were eagerly waiting for his lips to take them, and the muscles of her abdomen were taut, calling him to run his hands over her smooth honey-colored skin. His eyes moved from her body to her face, and they both stared deeply into each other''s eyes, each not saying a word even though their hearts were beating rapidly.

    In the past, having flings with people they had no real feelings for had never been a problem for either of them, but this time they both knew that their emotions were fully involved, and they needed to be careful. Although they had both imed it was going to be just a massage, they knew better. They both knew that they were about to cross a line in their rtionship.

    Throwing all caution to the wind, Sonia swallowed as she lowered herself on the bed without breaking eye contact with him, and Bryan reached out to hand her the stic bottle of the massage gel

    Still holding his gaze, Sonia opened the bottle, and poured the gel on her chest, while Bryan watched as it dripped down her body. She used one hand to spread it all over her chest and abdomen, and Bryan almost swallowed his tongue when Sonia gave him a sultry smile as she threw her head back, and moved her hand to her boobs as she gently squeezed and massaged the gel on them, giving special attention to her already hard nipples. Sonia knew that she shouldn''t be teasing him that way but she couldn''t help herself.

    She straddled him with her bare ass, and Bryan closed his eyes when he felt her already warm and wet pussy on his ass. He had asked for this. He knew all of this was going to happen before asking for a Nuru massage, so he had to remain calm, Bryan reminded himself.

    Sonia poured half the gel on the bottle all over Bryan''s back and on his ass, and then poured more on herself before covering the bottle and keeping it on the bed beside them. She rubbed the gel all over her body, and then lowered herself so that she was kneeling over his thighs with both legs spread apart and her boobs were rubbing on his back.

    Bryan inhaled sharply and groaned each time he felt her boobs press into his back, and her nipples graze his skin as she slowly slid up his back to the shoulder level and down his back to his ass, while her hands moved all over his body.

    Sonia tried not to be affected by his groan, even though she became increasingly horny with each movement of her sensitive nipples against his skin, "How do you feel?" Sonia asked in a breathless voice as she brought her boobs up to his shoulder level and rubbed one against his face.

    "I''m trying to control myself but you''re not making it easy," Bryan responded in a husky voice when he felt Sonia''s tongue on his ear.

    "You asked for it," Sonia murmured against his ear as she kissed it and nibbled on it.

    "I should massage you too," Bryan suggested as he tried to roll over on the bed.

    "It''s not yet your turn, Champ," Sonia said as she got off him, and turned him around so that he was lying on his back. She raised her hands to rub Bryan''s bare chest. Her skillful fingers found his sensitive nipples and she yed with them, making Bryan groan. Sonia''s breath hitched when her eyes moved down and she saw Bryan''s very hard cock.

    "Quite an impressive hunk you''ve got down there, huh?" Sonia said with a teasing smile, even though there was no amusement in her gaze as she straddled him.

    Looking into her green eyes, Bryan could see his desire mirrored in her eyes as she picked up the bottle once again and poured the gel on his body. He watched as she repeated the process of sliding on and off his body. The only difference this time was that instead of his ass, her boobs trapped his cock each time they came down, and when she moved up, the tip of his cock brushed the mound between her legs.

    When she slid up once again, and he couldn''t take it anymore, he caught her face between both hands and brought her lips down to his. Sonia moaned into his mouth, as her hot and hungry lips weed him.

    "What are we doing?" Bryan asked against her lips as he kissed her with feverish desire.

    "Kissing?" Sonia asked as she ran one hand down his body, while the other was buried in his short crop of hair. It had been quite some time since shest had sex, and she wasn''t sure she could hold on to the words she had told Lucy a moment ago about taking things slowly.

    Bryan chuckled as he broke the kiss, "My turn," he said as he rolled her over, pushing her on her back as he took the bottle with him.

    "Careful, your ankle," Sonia reminded him with concern in her gaze.

    "I''m okay," Bryan assured her as straddled her thighs without sitting on her, but the tip of his cock grazed her thighs, making Sonia''s toes curl.

    "It''s my back that you should massage," she reminded him in a breathless voice.

    "Every masseur his ways," Bryan said as he poured the rest of the gel on her body, from her boobs down to her pelvic region, letting some drop between her thighs. He smiled at her when she inhaled sharply as some of the gel slid down the sensitive spot between her legs.

    Sonia had a fluttering feeling in her belly as she watched him, and she felt her face flush, not with embarrassment, but with need. The desire she saw in his eyes made her desire him even more.

    Bryan reached up to her twin mounds and rubbed the gel over her nipples, making Sonia moan in surprise as her eyes slowly drifted shut.

    "Keep your eyes open, my love," Bryan called in a husky voice and Sonia met his gaze once again as he began to massage her boobs. He moved both hands up her chest to her boobs, and down her abdomen to her pelvic region.

    "Bryan..." She moaned softly.

    "Do you know why I chose this song?" Bryan asked, still gazing into her eyes while his hands moved to the spot between her legs and her spread the gel over it, without parting her folds, building the pressure she was feeling in the pit of her stomach.

    With each up and down movement, he made with his hands, Sonia felt the tip of his cock move on her skin, and she felt herself dripping even more with the evidence of her desire. Sonia''s breath came in short gasps, "No."

    "It exins how I feel about you. And I think I first fell for your eyes," He whispered against her neck as he kissed her softly.

    "Fuck it, Bryan!" Sonia swore, making him chuckle as he pulled away.

    "Roll over," Bryan ordered in a husky tone. He knew that he was only punishing himself and her, but anything worth having was worth waiting for. Sonia just wasn''t anyone to him, so he couldn''t just take her as he would take anyone.

    Sonia rolled over on her back, and once again Bryan straddled her, and he poured the rest of the gel on her back and her ass.

    Sonia closed her eyes as she felt his hands move on her back. She moaned softly when he worked on the knots in her shoulders, and softly made his way down to her waist and then he squeezed her ass gently.

    She sucked in a breath when she felt his lips trailing kissed down her back, and then moaned loudly when she felt his fingers part her pussy lips.

    "Bryan, it''s either you''re ready to go all the way, or you''re not," Sonia warned as she raised herself to look back at him, making Bryan pause with the kisses even though his fingers buried between her legs kept rubbing her clit.

    "What do you want?" Bryan asked in a husky voice.

    "I told you from the first time we met. I want you. Body, heart, and soul," Sonia said, trying to keep a straight head despite what his fingers were doing to her.

    "I want you too," Bryan whispered as he kissed her ass.

    "As?" Sonia asked patiently.

    "My girlfriend?" Bryan asked.

    "What about your n to confirm your feelings after you get all better?" Sonia asked.

    "It was a stupid n. The only confirmation I need is how I feel every time I look into your eyes," Bryan said and then he paused when he remembered that she had also said she wanted a confirmation, "What about you?" He asked uncertainly.

    "I already confirmed mine," Sonia said as she tried to move away from his fingers, but he held her in ce.

    "So?" Bryan asked.

    "Are you interested in an exclusive rtionship?"

    "Very interested," Bryan said with a nod.

    "So no more games?" Sonia asked as she looked into his eyes.

    "No more games," Bryan repeated as he held her gaze, and Sonia smiled as she held out a hand to him.

    Bryan removed his hands from between her thighs and moved away from her so that she was now lying on her back while he hovered above her. He took the hand she offered and kissed it.

    "Then make love to me, Bryan," Sonia whispered as she wrapped both legs around his waist, and brought his lips down on hers.

 Chapter 218 - Hook Up

    "Hey! You called earlier," Tom said immediately the call connected, while he tried to drive the car slowly so that he wouldn''t disturb Lucy''s sleep. He could tell that she was exhausted, even though her tiredness had nothing to do with her duties at the office.

    "You have now be a difficult man to reach. I wonder if it''s because your right-hand man isn''t with you," Jade said as she went to sit in front of the dresser in her bedroom.

    "Simply because you called once and I didn''t take your call I''ve be a difficult man to reach? When did you be such a drama queen?" Tom asked with an amused chuckle, ignoring the other part of her statement.

    "Since you sent your cute best friend over here to babysit me," Jade responded as she untied the belt of her night robe with her other hand which wasn''t holding the phone to her ear.

    "I don''t know what you''re talking about," Tom denied, trying to y ignorant.

    "Cut the crap, Tom. By now you should know that your friend isn''t very good at telling lies. Besides, the moment he showed up at my doorstep I already figured out that you had to have sent him over for him to have left thepany under such short notice," Jade pointed out as she shrugged out of the night robe leaving only the skimpy nightdress.

    "Alright. Fine. I asked him to help, so please try not to make things too difficult for him," Tom pleaded.

    "As if I could. He does a fine job of making things difficult for both himself and me already. I''m curious about something though, howe you never tried to hook him up with anyone?" Jade asked curiously, making Tom raise a brow as he tried to figure out how to interpret Jade''s question. Was that to say she was interested in Harry or not?

    "You expect me to hook him up with someone while I was busy trying to get myself hooked up?" Tom asked dryly.

    "Well, I guess you have a point," Jade said with a smile.

    "Plus, if I was going to hook him up with anyone, it would likely be you," Tom pointed out, making Jade giggle.

    "That''s not something a big brother should be saying. You should jealously protect me by warning your friends off me and making sure I don''t get involved with any of them, not thinking of hooking me up with one."

    "You asked a question, and I answered. Besides, it''s not in my ce to hook him up with anyone. I''m sure when he meets someone he likes he will do the right thing," Tom said confidently.

    "I don''t think so. Plus it''s toote anyway, I already hooked him up with a lovelydy," Jade informed Tom, and his brows pulled together in a frown.

    Thest thing he had been expecting was that Jade would try to hook Harry up with someone else. Somehow he had been hoping that both Harry and Jade would hit things off as they worked closely together since he had always suspected that Harry liked Jade.

    Also, he knew that they were alike in a lot of ways yet very different too. Without a doubt, he knew they would bothpliment each other perfectly. He believed they would be good for each other.

    "You hooked him up with someone? How did he react to that?" Tom asked, masking his disappointment with curiosity.

    "He was pissed even though he did a good job of controlling his emotions. But at least he showed up for dinner, and he even engaged her in a conversation before I excused them," Jade said with pride in her tone as she raised her left hand to admire her perfectly manicured nails.

    "That''s nice of you, but I hope you don''t do that again. Don''t put him in an awkward situation. So how are things going between the both of you? I hope you''re working well together?" Tom asked, changing the subject to what concerned him.

    "Well, I can''t tell. You know how tight-lipped your friend can be. Plus he seems to assume that I''m flirting with him every time I give him basicpliments. And he keeps asking me to dress properly around him like he has never seen a nakeddy before. He should be a eunuch or a monk!" Jade said dryly.

    Tom chuckled, "You can''t me him. His dad is old-fashioned and he was raised that way. It''s not such a bad thing. Besides, mostdies might consider someone like him a romantic gentleman," Tom said in his best friend''s defense even though he would have liked to know what Jade said to make Harry think that she was flirting with him.

    "I don''t think it''s his dad''s fault. His father sounded okay. Your friend just has a problem. Or perhaps he is gay?" Jade asked thoughtfully, and Tomughed out loud.

    "Don''t even think about asking him such a question. Just let him be, okay? And please, for thest time don''t try to hook him up with anyone anymore," Tom pleaded.

    "Fine, I won''t. Anyway, that wasn''t the reason I called," Jade said dismissively.

    "Okay... So why did you call?" Tom asked curiously,

    "Uhm... You know about my case?" She asked cautiously.

    "Yeah?" Tom said, turning to look at Lucy to be sure his phone call wasn''t disturbing her since he was making use of the car''s Bluetooth speaker.

    "A youngdy and her little boy are in danger, and I need a ce where I can hide them. Somewhere no one would look..." Jade started.

    "Isn''t that why you have something called witness protection? I''m sure the cops involved in the case can help you out, can they not?" Tom asked with a slight frown, wondering what any of it had to do with him.

    "Well, not exactly. She is not a witness. Look, I just need somewhere she can hide with her kid until I''m done with the case..." She cleared her throat, "I was hoping that they coulde to live in your house for the time being. You could even employ her to be a cleaner and she would live with the other household staff in their quarter," Jade hurried to suggest before Tom would refuse.

    He had enough on his te already without adding something like this to it. He was already too worried about Lucy and how to get rid of Anita. And now this? "Jade..."

    "Please, Tommy. I''m very close to cracking this case now, and I won''t be able to forgive myself if anything happens to either her or her son. Your house is big enough to house them, and you won''t even cross paths with them. I promise you they will be invisible, and you won''t know they''re there. I''m begging, Tommy," Jade said with a pout even though Tom couldn''t see her face.

    Tom sighed, "Fine. When are they supposed toe over?"

    Jade cleared her throat, "Well, the thing is, they are already at your house," Jade said with a wince.

    "What? You can''t be serious!" Tom snapped at her angrily and Lucy roused in her sleep, opening her eyes to look at him.

    "I know. I''m sorry. It was urgent, and you''re my big brother, remember? You''re always asking me how you can help, so I figured you wouldn''t mind. I''m sorry. I''m sorry. If you want them to leave they can just leave in the morning. But you already agreed to have theme right? Just think of it that they arrived before schedule," Jade said apologetically even though she knew that she had messed up. She should have just listened to Harry.

    "You know I don''t like this, Jade! You can''t just bring people into my home without asking me first!" Tom continued angrily,

    "Is everything okay?" Lucy asked sleepily.

    "I''m sorry. I will make it up to you after now, I promise," Jade said, but Tom already hung up the call as he turned to look at Lucy who was now yawning.

    "Are you okay?" Lucy asked with a concerned frown.

    "I''m not exactly sure. I wanted us to spend the night at my ce, but Jade just informed me that she sent some people over there. And she is only just telling me about it after they''ve arrived there," Tom said, trying to keep the irritation out of his voice.

    "What people?" Lucy asked in confusion and then listened as Tom exined the situation to her.

    "Howe none of the staff at your house called to inform you?" Lucy asked, thinking that it was weird that he was only just hearing about it now.

    "Because she probably talked them into keeping quiet until she informs me herself. She knows how I don''t like people in my space. I could have gotten them somewhere nice to live, just not under my roof," Tomined as he drove through the gates of his mansion which opened automatically as they approached.

    "Is that safe? I mean the gates opening that way to anybody?" Lucy asked with a concerned frown.

    "It only opened this way because it''s me. There is an automatic sensor that detects my presence from afar," Tom exined.

    "And if it was someone else?" Lucy asked curiously.

    "They would need to get in with their security cards. Not just anyone cane to my home, and that''s why I''m mad at Jade for making such a decision without first seeking my consent! I''m even more surprised that Harry let her do something like this without informing me," Tom hissed irritably.

    Lucy reached out and ced a hand on his thigh, "You should calm down. She probably did what she did because you''re the person she trusts to keep them safe," Lucy said, trying to cheer him up.

    "She should have first sought my consent! How hard can that be?" Tom asked her in annoyance.

    "As I said, she trusts you, and maybe she believed you would be willing to help her. Besides, you already agreed, so what difference does it make that they are here now?" Lucy asked with another yawn, "I''m hungry," sheined when her stomach rumbled.

    "We will get something to eat now. Sorry I kept you put for long," Tom said apologetically, and Lucy shook her head.

    "It''s fine. I had fun. Did I tell you that you are good-looking?" Lucy asked as the car rolled to a stop in front of the mansion.

    "No, you didn''t. Am I?" Tom asked, turning to look at her as he turned off the car''s ignition.

    "Yeah. You look drop-dead gorgeous," she assured him as she reached out to open the door.

    "I''m d you think so," Tom said with a soft smile, "I thought you were tipsy earlier?" He asked as he opened his door, and they both got out of the car.

    "Slightly tipsy, not drunk. Woaw! This still feels like a dream. Somehow I still can''t believe you really own this ce. Are you sure you''re not really just a driver?" Lucy asked, raising both hands to cup her chin as she looked around them in awe.

    Tom chuckled, "You would prefer a driver as your boyfriend?"

    Lucy sighed as she turned to look at him, "I would still like you regardless of whether you are a driver or a wealthy CEO. But please, be a wealthy CEO. It''s more fun," Lucy said with a grin as she embraced him.

    "I guess so," Tom said as he patted her back.

    "So when can I get a tour of my boyfriend''s mansion? You know, I thought it was a hotel when I first woke up that day and I was wondering how I was going to pay for the room," Lucy said as they both approached the front door.

    "Let''s do that on Saturday before we go on our Jet date. For now we need to eat and get some rest. We still have to be at the office tomorrow," Tom reminded her as he held out a hand to her, and Lucy grabbed it as she allowed him to lead her inside.

    "But I don''t feel sleepy anymore," Lucy said with a pout.

    "Well, let''s find something to keep you busy then," Tom said with a grin as he opened the door and led her into his home.

 Chapter 219 - Not So Invisible

    "Jam, don''t run! Wait up!" Candy called to Jamal the next morning as she tried to catch up with him as he raced up the stairs in his quest to look around their new environment.

    "Oh!" Lucy eximed when the kid ran straight into her, almost causing her to fall, if not for Tom who wasing behind her, and he grabbed her waist with one arm.

    "Thanks," Lucy said to Tom as she crouched down on one knee to look at the cute little boy who seemed startled to have run into her, "Hello!" She greeted with a friendly smile.

    "I''m sorry I wasn''t looking at where I was going to," Jamal apologized, bowing his head in apology.

    "It''s fine. Better me than the big man standing behind me, don''t you think?" Lucy asked with an easy smile, and Jamal sneaked a peek behind Lucy to see Tom who was staring at him with an expressionless face, and then he gave Lucy a nod which made her giggle, "You see?"

    "I''m sorry! I''m so sorry!" Candy said apologetically as she finally caught up with her son while panting for breath, "Jamal!" Candy called in a scolding tone as she red at her son who quickly moved to stand beside her with his head bowed.

    Candy looked from Lucy to Tom who she hadn''t been expecting to be in the house, at least that was what the butler and chef had told her when she arrived the previous evening. Judging by the way he was staring at them, she could tell that he didn''t like that they were in his house.

    Lucy said nothing as she straightened up, and joined Tom who just stared at the mother and son without saying a word. When Tom had ryed Jade''s request to her about ady and her little boy being in need of safety, she hadn''t expected thedy to be this young and attractive.

    As if Lucy suddenly remembered how harsh Tom could be with others, especially considering how upset he had been the previous night about having strangers in his personal space, she stepped forward before he could say anything and offered Candy disarming smile, "It''s fine. No harm was done. Besides, the cute little guy already apologized. I''m Lucy," she said as she stretched out a hand for a handshake.

    Candy returned her gaze to Lucy, and then took her hand in a polite handshake, "I''m Candace. I''m very sorry for the inconvenience our presence might cause," Candy said apologetically, with her eyes returning to Tom since she could tell that he was the owner of the house, and Lucy was likely his girlfriend.

    "I''m sure it''s not a bother. Right, Tom?" Lucy asked with a smile, and then stepped back to jab his side with her elbow, asking him to say something.

    Tom cleared his throat, "Yeah, it''s fine. We will be leaving now," Tom said, and then looked at Jamal, "Feel free to run around the house," he told the kid before walking past them, leaving Lucy to hurry after him.

    "You are a terrible host. You sounded so unweing," Lucy pointed out quietly as they both walked down the stairs.

    "Jade said I wasn''t going to notice that they were in the house. She said they were going to be invisible. What part of what happened was invisible to you?" Tom asked with a slightly raised brow.

    "Well, maybe not so invisible. But he is only a little boy. I''m sure you know first hand how boys can be around that age."

    "And that''s the reason I gave him the go-ahead to run around the house. I have no problem with the kid. I would be aplete douchebag to have an issue with a kid, wouldn''t I?"

    "So you have a problem with the mother?" Lucy asked, but before he could respond, the butler interrupted them.

    "Good morning, Tom! It''s good to see that you''re back to looking... Decent," the butler greeted with a wide smile as he approached them, and Tom could only imagine how eager he was to tattle to his mother.

    "Good morning, Miss! It''s good to see you again," he told Lucy with the same smile, and her face flushed with embarrassment when she remembered thest time she had met him. He was the one who Tom had said reported everything to his mother. She made a mental note to always be careful around him.

    "Good morning, sir," Lucy greeted with a polite bow.

    "Good morning, Adolf. How may I help you?" Tom asked the nosy butler impatiently since they needed to stop by a clothes shop on their way to the office for Lucy to change out of the previous day''s clothes.

    "The chef asked me to inform you that breakfast has been served, so you should have a bite before leaving. She was up really early to fix breakfast when she realized that you spent the night here... Especially withpany," Adolf said in a confidential whisper.

    "And how did she know that I was home?" Tom asked curiously since the entire house had been silent when they got home, and he had assumed that everyone had gone to bed.

    "You should know that nothing goes on under this roof without my knowledge," The butler said with a smug smile before ncing at Lucy with something akin to amusement, and then he winked at Tom, making Tom chuckle as Lucy''s face flushed with embarrassment. Of course, it was her. She had made so much noise the previous night that it would have been a miracle if no one had heard her.

    Seeing how embarrassed she looked, Tom cleared his throat, "You know everything that goes on under my roof, yet you didn''t deem it fit to inform me that guests arrived here unannounced yesterday?" Tom asked with a stern expression, changing the subject so that Lucy wouldn''t be ufortable.

    Adolf shifted from foot to foot, "I''m sorry, Tom. I wanted to call but..."

    "But you chose to listen to my sister against your better judgment?" Tom cut in.

    "She said you were already aware, and there was no need to talk to you about it," Adolf said defensively.

    "Is my mother aware that the guests are here?"

    "Yes, sir. No. I mean no," Adolf quickly corrected when he realized his blunder.

    "I see you thought it was okay for my mother who doesn''t live here to know about the guests, while you kept it from the house owner. Henceforth, you will receive your paycheck from my mother since she is the one you report to," Tom threatened before guiding Lucy towards the kitchen, leaving the butler who remained there staring at them speechlessly.

    "Wasn''t that a little too harsh?" Lucy asked in a whisper as she turned to look at the man.

    "Do you want my mother to hear about all you didst night?" Tom asked, and Lucy shook her head very quickly.

    "Good. That would scare him, at least for a couple of days. So he wouldn''t report it to her," Tom assured her as he led her into his state-of-the-art kitchen.

    "Oh, Tom! Good morning," The matronly chef greeted,ing forward to embrace him, "I''ve missed you so much."

    "You''re so dramatic. You sound like you haven''t seen me in weeks. Yet I was here just two days ago," Tom reminded her with a fond smile as he hugged her back.

    "No, I meant I missed this real you. Not that handsome rascal with those piercings," Samantha exined, making both Tom and Lucyugh.

    "Meet my girlfriend, Lucy. Lu, meet Samantha, the face behind those delicious meals you''ve enjoyed," Tom introduced, and Lucy smiled at her politely.

    "Good morning, ma''am. I hope I get to learn a few recipes..." Before she could finish speaking the chef embraced her.

    This was the very first time Tom was introducing ady to him, and she could tell that Tom really loved her, "It''s so good to finally meet you officially. You''re wee," she said as she stepped away from Lucy, who was smiling in embarrassment.

    "The pleasure is mine. Thank you," Lucy said politely.

    "We are in a hurry right now, so we can''t have breakfast. Have Adolf deliver it to the office. Also, we will be here for the weekend, so you don''t have to worry about missing me," Tom assured her, and she smiled happily at him.

    "I will have dinner ready for you both then, so you don''t have to eat leftovers," she promised them.

    "That will be nice. Have a lovely day, Samantha, and please make sure the guests arefortable," Tom added before leading Lucy out of the kitchen.

    Once they were both seated in the car and Tom was back to being her driver, Lucy turned to him, "Do you really think that they heard usst night?" She asked with a concerned frown making Tom chuckle as he started the car.

    "Not us. You. They heard you. When you decided to be naughty at the dining table, what did you expect?" Tom asked, making Lucy''s face color with embarrassment.

    "It was that damned alcohol," she groaned in embarrassment as she raised both hands to cover her face, making Tomugh out loud.

 Chapter 220 - Long Morning

    Sonia sighed in contentment the next morning when she felt Bryan trailing kisses from her back to her shoulder and then her cheek.

    "Good morning, girlfriend," Bryan greeted with a grin as he looked into her face.

    "Good morning, lover," Sonia returned with a smile as her eyes fluttered open and she snuggled closer to him with her naked body so that her boobs were pressed against the side of his equally bare chest.

    "You slept offst night," Bryan said in a teasing tone.

    "Yes, I did. You wore me out," Sonia said with a smile as she rubbed her nose against his bare chest, inhaling the scent which was peculiar to him.

    "I didn''t hear youiningst night," Bryan said and sighed softly when he felt the tip of her tongue on his nipple, "You shouldn''t start something you can''t finish," Bryan warned.

    "Who said I can''t finish it?" Sonia asked as she used her tongue to draw circles around his nipple, making Bryan suck in a breath.

    "Babe..."

    "Huh huh?"

    "You should stop now while you still can," Bryan warned when he felt her hands moving down his chest to his abdomen and then his groin.

    "But I don''t want to," Sonia said in a husky whisper as she touched his cock which twitched in excitement at her touch.

    Bryan groaned, "We have to get ready. Today is thest day of the shoot," he reminded her as she rolled over so that she was lying on his body while his back was on the bed.

    "Yeah, we will," Sonia said as she slowly lowered herself until she was at the same eye level with his crotch, "Good morning baby," she greeted as she looked at his cock, and then kissed the tip, making Bryan suck in a breath.

    "Sonia..." He called out.

    "Sshh," Sonia hushed him as she gently grabbed his cock and started moving her hand up and down the entire length of it while licking the tip and edges at intervals.

    Bryan closed his eyes as he battled for control while also enjoying what she was doing, "Turn over," Bryan ordered.

    "Huh?"

    "Sit on my face," Bryan exined, and Sonia turned over immediately so that she was lying on all fours upside down on his body without resting her weight on him, while her ass was on his face.

    Bryan parted her pussy lips, and sucked on her clitoris, making Sonia who was now sucking on his cock to shudder and squirm. Bryan matched the pace of his lips on her clit to her pace, so that the faster she sucked on his cock, the faster he tongue fucked her, making her moan on his cock.

    Soon the room was filled with sounds of both their moanings and pantings, and when Sonia couldn''t take the pressure building up between her thighs anymore she sat up and turned over so that she was straddling him. She leaned in and kissed him deeply, tasting herself on his lips as she let his cock slide into her.

    They both moaned and groaned in unison, and Sonia began to ride him slowly while staring at him.

    "Fuck!" Bryan groaned when she rose up almost letting his cock slide out of her, and then rolled her waist before sitting on it again, swallowing his entire length.

    "You like?" Sonia asked with a yful grin.

    "Soon you''re gonna have me singing my bitch bad," Bryan muttered and Sonia giggled as she continued riding on his cock yfully.

    Seeing how rxed she was, Bryan lifted his waist and thrust into her from under, making her gasp in surprise as pleasure shot through her body.

    Bryan smirked when he noticed the way her green eyes clouded with desire, and he dragged her head down for a deep kiss which left them both breathless.

    Just as he broke the kiss, he rolled off under her, "Kneel," he told her in a husky voice, gathering her hair to one side of her neck as he knelt behind her and adorned her neck with kisses.

    Once she was on her knees with her back to him, he led his cock into her slits and thrust in, making Sonia raise both arms. She leaned back, resting her back on his chest and wrapping both arms around his neck as she surrendered to him.

    Bryan continued to kiss her neck and nibble on her ear, while his hands were busy on her body. His left hand was on her right boob ying with her nipple, while his right hand was busy teasing her swollen clitoris as he thrust in and out.

    Sonia cried out in pleasure as all her sensitive spots were being triggered at the same time. Her cry only encouraged Bryan to go faster, and once he noticed that her knees were shaking and she was about to cum, he released himself so that they both rolled over the edge of pleasure at the same time and copsed face down on the bed, with him lying on her back.

    He quickly rolled over because of his weight, but gathered her close to himself, and kissed her hair, making her sigh contentedly, "I wish we didn''t have to get out of this bed," she murmured sleepily as she rested her head on his chest and ced a hand on his taut abdomen.

    "Unfortunately we do. Let''s shower and get ready for the final shoot. We are going out with the production crew to celebrate the sess of the show after we are done," Bryan said as he patted her back gently.

    "Can''t we sleep for at least thirty minutes?" Sonia pleaded.

    "Nope. Tomorrow we can sleep in all day if that''s what you want," Bryan said as he kissed her forehead and then pulled away from her.

    "But I''m feeling toozy to stand up," Soniained as Bryan got off the bed.

    "You want to use my wheelchair?" He asked extending a hand to her, and Sonia giggled as she sat up on the bed and took his hand.

    "Whatever. Let''s just go," she said as she let him pull her up, and they both walked into the bathroom to shower together.

    Once they got into the bathroom and Sonia covered her hair with the shower cap, Bryan turned on the hot and cold faucets of the shower so that the water was warm, and then moved Sonia to stand under the shower.

    "What are you doing?" She asked as she watched him pour a quantity of her shower gel onto his palm.

    "Bathing you," Bryan said as he moved to where she was and turned off the shower before rubbing the shower gel over her wet body.

    "Are you sure you want to do this?" Sonia asked when she started feeling goosebumps all over her body at his touch.

    "I don''t see why not," Bryan said as he massaged the soap on her boobs like he had done the massage gel the previous night, allowing his fingers to linger on her nipple.

    "It''s going to be a long morning," Sonia said with a throaty moan as she let him have his way with her.

 Chapter 221 - Uneasy

    "What do you think?" Lucy asked, turning around for Tom to inspect the strapless red jumpsuit she was wearing, with a white zer over it and a pair of half-covered high heeled white sandals which were decorated all over with diamond stones.

    They had stopped by a clothes shop for her to change out of the clothes she had worn the previous day before they head to the office.

    "Would I sound like a know-it-all if I said that I knew you were going to pick the jumpsuit the moment I set my eyes on it?"

    "You wouldn''t. Did you?" Lucy asked with a curious smile.

    "I did. You know how you see an outfit and you can picture it on someone? It is just an outfit I can imagine you on. It''s beautiful and ssy just like you," Tom said, giving her a thumbs up.

    Lucy smiled, "I will have it then," Lucy said, giving the sales attendant a nod.

    "Are you sure that''s all you want? You could get some more stuff so that we don''t need to go back to your ce to pick up anything after the close of work," Tom suggested as he watched her from where he was seated.

    "Don''t worry. I intend to shop for new clothes, but not when I''m in a hurry to get to the office. I have the whole of the weekend to shop. If you don''t want us to go to my ce, we could just buy whatever I need for the weekend on our way back from work. I will try to make a list of everything I want to buy," Lucy said with a happy smile as she looked at Tom, making him chuckle.

    "One minute you''re giving me the impression that you''re not materialistic, and the next moment you are just something else," Tom said in amusement, and Lucy plopped on the couch next to him.

    "Is that aint I hear in your voice?" She asked with a slightly raised brow.

    "I wouldn''t dare. You can get whatever you need," Tom assured her with a chuckle and she pecked his cheek, ignoring the sales attendant who was watching them both with fascination.

    They both didn''t care about the presence of the sales attendant since they knew that she had no idea who Tom was. To her, they were just like every other couple who walks into the shop to get clothes.

    Once they took care of the bills, they walked out of the shop together. Tom walked over to Lucy''s side of the car and opened the car door for her before dropping the bag he was carrying, which contained the clothes Lucy had taken off.

    "Thank you," Lucy told him when he joined her in the car.

    "Don''t mention," Tom said as he turned on the car''s ignition and drove them to thepany.

    "So... see you after work," Lucy told Tom as she got ready to alight from the car a few minutester when he drove into the driving lot of thepany.

    "Aren''t you forgetting something?" Tom asked, watching her curiously, and her hand faltered on the door.

    "What?"

    "They know we are dating now. Shouldn''t you kiss me goodbye before leaving?" Tom asked, and then Lucy looked ahead of them to see some of the staff who had arrived early standing by the entrance of thepany and looking in their direction as if to confirm the rumors that they had heard.

    Lucy''s stomach sank nervously. She had forgotten all about yesterday and all about Anita. She suddenly felt nervous all over again now that they were back to reality and she realized that she needed to face others.

    Although she knew that what she did, or who she did what with, wasn''t supposed to be anyone''s business, she couldn''t help feeling ufortable.

    "What are you thinking about?" Tom asked as he watched her brows furrow, and she shrugged dismissively.

    There was no point telling him what she was thinking about. She was just going to end up making him feel worried about her, "Nothing," she said with a small smile as she leaned forward and brushed her lips against his, "I don''t want to see you talking to any female for longer than a minute," Lucy warned as she got off the car, and Tom smiled as he watched her leave.

    Once she disappeared from view, the smile disappeared from his face. He could tell that she was still very worried. He had only managed to distract her the previous evening, but the things that were bothering her were still present and he needed to take care of them.

    He picked up his phone and decided to first give Anita a call. He needed to see if he could learn what she was up to before making any move. He dialed her line and waited patiently for the call to connect while trying to calm himself so he wouldn''t lose his cool.

    Anita who had just driven into the parking lot of Ocean Airlines picked up her phone and raised a brow when she noticed that it was Tom who was calling. Not just any random Tom, but the CEO himself, Thomas Hank.

    Without giving it a second thought she received the call, "I never thought you would dial my line again," she greeted in a cheerful tone once the call connected.

    "I never thought I would have any reason to either. Why did you talk to Lucy?" Tom asked without wasting time.

    "You mean your boss?" Anita asked, trying to y ignorant.

    "I mean my girlfriend, Lucy. And yes, my boss if that''s what you know her to be. Why did you talk to her about our past rtionship when we both agreed to pretend that it never happened?" Tom asked, wanting to humor her.

    "I thought I could pretend that it never happened, but I can''t. I miss you so much, Tom. I miss yourpany and how you..."

    "Cut the crap! I don''t know what games you''re ying, but I can assure you that it''s not going to end in your favor, so you better get your head straight! You better don''t bother Lucy anymore with your incessant calls and shameless lies," Tom warned, and then he hung up before she could respond.

    Once he hung up the call, he dialed another number and it connected almost immediately, "I want you to keep an eye on Anita Miller. I want to know everything she is up to. By everything, I mean every single detail. I want to know who she meets and talks with. I want to even know what she is thinking about, I don''t care how you do it, but get on it immediately," Tom ordered and hung up once he was done giving the instruction.

    Having dealt with that he got out of the car and dipped his phone into the pocket of his trousers as he headed for his private elevator. As he walked his thoughts drifted to the strangers he had run into in his home.

    He was going to give Harry a call once he was settled in his office, and scold him for not convincing Jade to inform him first before bringing strangers into his home. On the other hand, he knew that he couldn''t really me Harry though. Knowing Harry, he was sure that he must have instructed Jade to give him a call, but Jade being her stubborn self must have ignored Harry''s advice.

    His thoughts were broken into when his phone started vibrating in his pocket, and his steps momentarily as he reached into his pocket to take out the phone before he continued walking.

    Speak about the devil, he thought when he saw that it was a call from Harry, and he received the call immediately, "I was just going to call you. Why didn''t you inform me that Jade...."

    "Tom..." Harry cut in with a grave voice, shutting him up, and causing the hair on Tom''s neck to prickle with unease.

    "What is wrong?" Tom asked, stopping in his tracks.. Knowing Harry, he could tell that something was very wrong, and whatever Harry was going to say wasn''t something he would like.

 Chapter 222 - Murderer

    As Lucy headed for the elevator, she noticed the way everyone she passed by was staring at her and murmuring under their breaths. It made her feel quite ufortable so she tried not to meet anyone''s gaze as she kept walking.

    Why were they staring at her that way? Was it because she was dating her driver, or was there something else she didn''t know about? Although she knew that dating her supposed driver was going to stir some gossip in the office, she wasn''t sure that it was bad enough to make them murmur about her in this manner, especially considering the fact that most of thedies had shown interest in Tom at one point or the other.

    Lucy stopped by the elevator and opened it. Just as she stepped into it, she noticed that the twodies who were walking behind her and were about to take the elevator with her, quickly moved away so that she would ride the elevator alone.

    "Good morning," Lucy managed with a polite smile, but neither of them responded to her greeting as they hurried away while murmuring something under their breath.

    Their action only seemed to intensify Lucy''s suspicions that something was wrong. It couldn''t just be about her rtionship with Tom. What was it? She wondered as she rode the elevator up to the third floor which housed the fashion unit, instead of the seventh floor where the CEO''s office was.

    She knew that whatever it was, she could find out from Amy, since Amy was not only her secretary, but was also the person she most interacted with in thepany apart from Tom.

    By the time the elevator door opened on the third floor to let her out, she had worked herself into a nervous mess. Her stomach was already in knots, her palms were sweaty, and she was having palpitations.

    She couldn''t remember thest time she had this feeling, but it was one she had hoped to never feel again. She grimaced against the slight headache she was already beginning to feel, "Calm down, Lu. It could be nothing serious," she assured herself under her breath as she approached her office.

    Once she stopped by the door, she reached for the doorknob but paused when she suddenly heard her name being mentioned.

    "I don''t think Miss Perry is capable of something like that." It was Amy''s voice.

    "Well, you can''t always judge a book by its cover. Who knows? Maybe that''s why she is such a workaholic! She''s using it to hide her psychopathic tendencies," Another feminine voice said.

    "Thinking about it alone sends chills down my spine. I hope it isn''t true. I don''t think I will ever look at her the same way if it is true," one of the guys in the office said.

    Psychopathic tendencies? Lucy''s brows pulled together in a concerned frown as she tried to figure out what they were talking about. Just as she turned the doorknob she heard it.

    "It''s not just about looking at her. I don''t want to work in the same office as a murderer!" The other female voice said, making Lucy stiffen.

    Her heart skipped a beat when she heard that, and her stomach churned as she tried to process what she had just heard. Murderer? She asked herself as her vision blurred. Was this about Jamie''s death? How did they know of it? The only person she had spoken about it to recently was Tom. Tom wouldn''t do something like this to her by exposing such a painful secret, so who else could have done it? Perhaps someone from the neighborhood where she grew up knows someone working here and told the person about her past?

    Was it all happening again? Would she have to deal with this one more time? Even though the court had pronounced her not guilty eight years ago, people had kept staring at her like a murderer so much so that her parents had to move them from the former neighborhood even though they had imed it was because they didn''t want the house to keep reminding her of the night of her abduction since she seemed to jump every time she heard the sound of the doorbell.

    She dropped her hand from the doorknob and reached for the wall instead to steady herself when she started feeling lightheaded.

    As she tried to steady her breath she didn''t know when the tears started dropping from her eyes. One after the other the tears fell until her entire body started shaking from the force of her sob. When she heard footstepsing from the opposite direction, she raised her hands to her mouth to muffle her sobs as she quickly dashed for thedies'' room on that floor, since she didn''t want anyone to see her that way.

    She knew that she shouldn''t be hiding. If anyone was supposed to be ashamed, it should be the lot of them for judging her when they didn''t even know the true details of what had happened eight years ago, but she knew that humans hardly cared for the truth. They only cared about the first part of the story they hear. Any other version of the story would be seen as ame attempt by her to cover up the truth.

    Once she got to thedies'' room, she heard voicesing from inside, and it sounded like they were also talking about her, so she took a detour. The only ce she could be in right now without running into anyone was the storage room on that floor, so she quickly ran into it and shut the door before giving in to the tears.

    Meanwhile, Tom''s heart was pounding really fast in his ears as he took the private elevator to his office. He needed to get Lucy out of thepany before she finds out what was happening. After seeing how merely telling the story had made her go into shock, he wasn''t sure she would be able to stand it if she found out that the news was all over the.

    Immediately the elevator door opened and he stepped into his office, he didn''t bother with wearing his disguise costumes, he just walked straight to her office, and his heart sank when he realized that she wasn''t in her seat, and it seemed like she had not gotten to the office yet.

    Judging by the time she left him at the parking lot and all the calls he had made in between, she should have been settled in her seat by now. So where was she? Had she probably heard of it already? But from who? He wondered and dismissed the thought since he knew that no one would be bold enough to confront her about such a thing. He was going to worry about who had started such a hateful rumor only after making such that Lucy was okay.

    Once he opened the door and stepped out of the office, he looked down the hallway to see if she was still on her way and maybe had only just stopped to exchange pleasantries with someone, but the hallway was empty.

    Perhaps she had decided to stop by her other office to pick up some documents? Without thinking twice about it he headed for the elevator and rode to the third floor. If he didn''t see her there, he was just going to ask the head of the security unit to check the security cameras until he found her.

    Once he stepped out of the elevator, he walked in quick strides to her office, but before he could open the door he heard them speaking.

    "If I was the CEO I would fire her immediately. How can such a person be the CEO''s personal assistant?" a female voice was saying.

    "To think that he had stayed this whole time without a personal assistant, and of all people, the assistant he chose turns out to be a murderer! It seems the CEO has a poor taste in people."

    "Andrew! You shouldn''t say something like that about the CEO!" Amy snapped at him.

    "But it''s true! Isn''t it? I feel for her poor driver. He''s lucky she hasn''t killed him yet," another female said.

    "All these are rumors! We don''t know for a fact yet. You shouldn''t say such hateful things about her when you don''t even know the truth," Amy half yelled at them, and they began tough.

    "Amy you should just say that you feel bad that you''re the secretary of a murderer. Stop sounding so defensive of her. Besides we all know that there is always an element of truth in every rumor," the other female voice said.

    Tom''s hands balled into a fist as he listened to them. What if Lucy had been the one standing here? These were the words she would have heard about herself? Tom wondered as he opened the door.

    All conversations ceased the moment the door opened and they all turned to look at Tom, "Good morning! You read the news, right?" Thedy who had been speaking I''ll of Lucy asked with a smile as though she couldn''t wait to share it with him.

    "Hi, Tom! What brings you here today? Does Miss Perry want something delivered?" Amy asked to distract Tom from what

    "I''m looking for Miss Perry, did any of you happen to see her?" Tom asked, deciding to ignore all he had heard and focus on finding Lucy. He could always deal with these peopleter for running their mouth this way.

    "How can you who drives her to the office be asking us such a stupid question? Or did your girlfriend ask you toe and find out if we are badmouthing her so that she can kill us too?" One of the guys asked with a scowl, making the other guy anddyugh, while Amy gave him an apologetic look.

    "Just ignore them. I''lle with you to find her," Amy said as she got off her desk, ready to walk out with Tom.

    "Don''t worry. I''m sure you have work to attend to," Tom said, feeling d that Lucy at least had someone who was on her side.. He looked at the other three faces in the office making sure to check the names on their identity cards which were hanging on their necks before walking away to find Lucy.

 Chapter 223 - Determination

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    Different thoughts ran through Tom''s mind as he hurried down the hallway to the storage room on the third floor once he confirmed that it was Lucy''sst location. Judging by the security footage he had watched he could tell that she had overheard the conversation of her team members hence had gone there to hide.

    What could he say to her to make her feel better? She probably would think that he was responsible for the news which was going around since he was thest person she had told about it, he was most likely to be suspected.

    Howe a case which had stayed hidden in all these years suddenly came to light just after she told him about it?

    Once he got to the storage door he pushed it open without knocking, but not so fast that he missed the sudden cessation of her sob.

    She had been in here crying all by herself? It hurt him to know that she had to hide away in a ce like this because of people who couldn''t mind the business they were being paid to focus on. Tom looked around the room which smelt of dust and old books and then walked in the direction which he believed she was most likely to hide.

    Once he stopped by the edge of the shelf where he believed she was hiding, he noticed the sudden movement of a white material which he recognized to be the zers they had gotten that morning.

    He let out a sigh as he lowered himself on the floor next to her and gathered her into his arms, "You should have called me," He murmured in a quiet tone as he took out his handkerchief from his pocket and wiped her tears.

    A sob racked through Lucy''s body as she clung to him, hiding her face in his chest as she wept, wanting to drawfort from his scent. It seemed like no matter what she did her past was continually going to haunt her even though it was due to no fault of hers. Just when she thought that she was finally going to be able to move on from it, this had to happen? It just had to happen when she was beginning to think that she could be happy? Didn''t she deserve happiness?

    Tom whispered assurances to her as he patted the back of her head with one hand, and her back with the other hand, "Don''t worry, I''ll find whoever started this, and I''ll make them pay for it."

    Lucy said nothing as she cried her heart out. Once the tears stopped flowing, she pulled away from him, "Thanks," she murmured as she picked up her sses from where she had left them. Once she put it on, she started gathering her things.

    "I didn''t tell anyone anything, I promise," Tom said as he watched her.

    Lucy swallowed, "I''m not stupid. I know that it wasn''t you," she said in a calm voice. Although she didn''t know where all this had started from, she was going to find whoever had done this, and pay them back in like manner.

    "What happened wasn''t your fault. I don''t think you should be ashamed..."

    "My tears and hiding in here have nothing to do with being ashamed. I actually feel more angry than ashamed," Lucy assured him as she got off the floor and wiped the dust off her clothes with her own handkerchief.

    Eight years ago she had been a powerless seventeen years old girl who had allowed people to trample all over her, this time was different. She wasn''t going to allow people to trample on her this way and go scot-free.

    "Good then," Tom said as he stood up and dusted his clothes too, "Let''s go to the office and take care of this. We can leave through the private elevator if you don''t want to..."

    "I''m not leaving through your private elevator. I''m going to walk out of this building at the close of work as I''ve been doing since I started working here. Whoever did this wants me to be ashamed and cower, but I''m not going to give the person that satisfaction," Lucy said, her face set with determination as she turned around to leave the room.

    Tom grabbed her before she could leave and turned her to look at him, "Don''t do that. Don''t try to push me away," Tom said, sensing from her action that she had emotionally distanced herself from him.

    Lucy drew in a deep breath as she met his gaze, "I''m not pushing you away. I''m just trying to put myself together," she assured him with a small smile, and then brushed her lips over his cheek in a light kiss before walking away.

    Although he didn''t understand why she had cried that much if she had this much determination in her, Tom said nothing as he walked out with her.

    Lucy stopped by thedies'' room and turned to him, "I need to fix my face," she informed Tom, and he gave her a nod to go ahead while he stood outside, waiting for her.

    Once Lucy walked into thedies'' room, the two females who had been gossiping inside as they washed their hands quickly turned off the faucet and hurried away.

    Lucy didn''t spare either of them a nce as she kept her handbag on a dry surface and then took off her sses. She turned on the faucet and washed her face. Once she was done, she dipped her hand into her handbag and took out her lipstick and powder which she carefully applied to her face.

    She took in a deep breath as she picked up her sses after she was done and reced her sses on her face before looking at her reflection in the mirror. While inside the storage room earlier, both Lucas and her parents had called, but she had ignored their calls. She could tell that they had most likely seen the news too. She was going to have to return their calls once she was settled, and then search for the piece of news and read it. Although she doubted that it would require much searching seeing how everyone had seen it.

    With a sigh, she returned everything into her handbag and went out to join Tom. Neither of them said a word as they took the elevator to his office, and once they were inside the office she turned to him, "You have a meeting with..."

    "Cancel it and join me in my office," Tom said as he headed for his office but Lucy stopped him.

    "I can''t let you do that. Don''t worry, go ahead with the meeting. I will handle this myself," Lucy said with a shake of her head.

    Tom sighed as he watched her, "You should know that I won''t be able to concentrate on the meeting or anything else until this is sorted out. Okay, tell me how you intend to take care of things," he added when she opened her mouth to argue.

    "I''m going to find whoever started this and sue the person for libel. And whoever dares to call me a murderer to my hearing will be sued for nder. They would have to prove why they think that I''m guilty after I was dered not guilty by the court ofw," Lucy said with a shrug.

    "If it makes you feel better, I will take care of work after we are done talking. Push the meeting backward and let''s talk about this now," Tom said and walked into his office without waiting for her to argue.

    He needed to give Harry a call and find out why the news was yet to be taken off the inte as he instructed, and he also needed to hear Jade''s legal advice on the issue before taking any step.

    He dialed Harry''s line first and paced around his office until the call connected.

    "I was just about to call you," Harry said immediately after he received the call.

    "Why haven''t you done what I asked you to do?" Tom asked Harry calmly since he knew that Harry probably had a good reason.

    "Your sister..."

    "I asked him not to," Jade said from the background, and then reached out a hand for Harry to hand her the phone.

 Chapter 224 - Legal Advice

    After making the appropriate calls to the offices of those who were supposed to meet with Tom that morning, to inform them that the meeting had been pushed backward, Lucy decided to return both her parents'' and Lucas'' call first before joining Tom. She needed to assure them that she was alright.

    She dialed his line, and almost immediately the call connected as if he had been waiting beside his phone for her call, "I suppose you''ve seen the news circting on the inte?" He asked in a worried tone, and then nced at his phone when it beeped to inform him of another call. It was Rachel. He knew that she was very upset seeing how he had run off, leaving her behind at the shop where they had gone to pick out their wedding ring after seeing the news of his sister online.

    "No, I haven''t seen it yet. But I''ve heard people talking," Lucy informed him calmly.

    Hearing how calm she sounded, his brows pulled together, "Are you okay?" He asked since even though he wanted her to be okay, he wasn''t expecting her to be okay. No one would be okay about having stuff like that about them circting the inte.

    "Sure. I''m okay," Lucy assured him.

    "Okay? How can you say you are okay when we are not okay? You don''t have to pretend to be fine, Lu!" Lucas said in frustration, making Lucy''s eyes sting with tears, "You can cry if you want to. Just don''t pretend to be okay," Lucas pleaded.

    "Really, I''m okay. Don''t let it bother you..."

    "For godsake, Lu! I''m your twin brother and not a stranger! You can''t ask me not to be bothered by this," Lucas snapped at her as he tried to focus on the road ahead of him, and then as if remembering that she was probably also feeling very terrible about it and there was no need to get angry with her, he took in a deep breath.

    "I''ming down to see you," Lucas said in a tone that brooked no argument.

    "Please don''t!" Lucy pleaded. Thest thing she wanted was for her family toe over. She loved them, but she needed space to figure this out and deal with it herself.

    "If I was the one in your situation would you let me handle this alone? It''s bad enough that I''ve had to leave with the guilt of not noticing what you were passing through eight years ago until that bastard abducted you, and now you say I should stand by and watch you go through this alone too? Not a chance in hell," Lucas said as he stepped on the pedal.

    Lucy took in a deep breath, "You''re getting married. Rachel isn''t going to want you to..."

    "Screw whatever it is you think she doesn''t want! We are one, Lu. I need to be there for you. Just so you know, I''m on my way home. Mom and dad areing over to stay with you, and I''ming with them. We will all figure out what is going on and deal with it together as a family."

    "No! Don''t let them do that. And you shouldn''t either, you have your job to..."

    "I already asked for some time off," Lucas cut in dismissively.

    "There is no need for all of this..."

    "No need for what? Maybe you need to go on Twitter and see how people who know nothing about us are bashing our family! Dad was used of using his influence to make the case go in your favor! Not just you, but our family was used of murdering Jamie and his parents! Do you think this is just about you? You have no right to ask us not to get involved!" Lucas yelled at her, and then hung up so that he wouldn''t say something he was going to regret.

    Lucy dropped her hands to her side once he hung up the call, and she took in a deep breath as she turned on her phone''s data connection. She logged into her Twitter ount, and she noticed that her name was on the list of trending hashtags.

    Her breath hitched when she clicked on the first post and saw the words in a bold caption, ''HOW LUCINDA PERRY, PERSONAL ASSISTANT TO THE CEO OF I-GLOBAL, MURDERED AN ENTIRE FAMILY IN COLD BLOOD!''

    **************

    "I''m handing her the phone. She will exin to you, and then when you''re both done we need to talk," Harry said as he gave the phone to Jade.

    "If the post is taken off the inte now after so many people have seen it, things would be even moreplicated for Lucy and her family. Netizens would use them of trying to cover their atrocity," Jade pointed out.

    "So what are you suggesting? We have to leave it and let more people see it?" Tom asked in frustration.

    "Unfortunately, yes. Taking it down doesn''t mean it will stay down. You have no idea how many people must have seen the news and even copied and shared it with others. Taking down the major source doesn''t mean it will curb the spread of the news," Jade exined.

    "So what do you suggest we do?" Tom asked impatiently.

    "Before I say anything, I just have to know, are you sure she is innocent of this? Have you asked her about it?" Jade asked cautiously.

    "Do you think I would try to do this if I didn''t know most of the details before now?" Tom asked impatiently.

    "I guess not," Jade murmured.

    "The family she was used of murdering is Sonia''s family. Do you think Sonia would be her best friend if it were true?" Tom asked, making Jade''s lips round in surprise.

    "You mean the guy she was used of murdering is Sonia''s brother?" Jade asked in surprise, and Harry raised a brow.

    "Half-brother. Sonia testified in court too. Listen, the Lucy I know doesn''t deserve any of this, so if you know any way we can clear this up, let me know."

    Jade took in a deep breath as she bit her nail and then scowled as she dropped her hands to her side when she noticed the disapproval on Harry''s face as he watched her biting her nail.

    She would have suggested that Sonia should make a public statement in defense of Lucy to clear the air but seeing her rtionship with Bryan now, she wasn''t sure Sonia would be allowed to do so.

    "Let''s start by finding the source. Although that is going to be difficult considering that it started on Twitter," Jade said thoughtfully.

    "I already asked someone to locate the source," Harry informed them from the side.

    "Good. Once we find the person who started this mess, we will make them clear it up by pressing charges," Jade assured them.

    "Good. Let''s start from there. Please hand Harry the phone," Tom told Jade as his office door opened and Lucy walked in.

    "Hey!" Harry said as he excused himself from where Jade was.

    "What did you want to talk about?" Tom asked curiously.

    "First, how is Lucy taking everything?" Harry asked in concern.

    "She''s holding up," Tom said as he sat on the edge of his desk and motioned Lucy to sit next to him. Once she moved closer to him he ced his hand around her shoulder.

    "I''ve received series of phone calls from some major shareholders, they want us to fire her immediately. They don''t want something like this associated with thepany," Harry informed Tom with a sigh.

    Tom stood up from where he was seated and dropped his hand from Lucy''s shoulder as he moved away from her, "And what did you tell them?"

    "I told them we can''t fire her based on such rumors, especially as she has been a devoted staff. We will investigate on the issue and only fire her if the allegations are true," Harry exined.

    "That''s good enough. Thank you. And you don''t have to worry, the allegations are not true," Tom assured Harry.

    "I know. I may not exactly understand what is going on, but I trust your choice and decisions even if you''re an arse most of the time," Harry added in a teasing tone to lighten the mood.

    "Don''t worry. We will fix this so you can finally tell her the truth and get rid of those awful piercings," Harry said making Tom smile.

    "I already got rid of the piercings.. Thanks for your help," Tom said, and then hung up the call before Harry could ask him any more questions.

 Chapter 225 - Team Spirit

    After Tom''s phone call with Harry, he turned to look at Lucy who was watching him with a guarded expression, and he shed her a reassuring smile to calm her.

    "Don''t worry, we are already trying to find the person who started this mess. Everything will be okay," he said as he returned to her side.

    Lucy folded both hands in front of her as she watched him approach her, "Do you think Anita might have a hand in this? Or am I being paranoid?" Lucy asked as she looked up at him when he stopped in front of her.

    She did not want it to appear like she was being overly suspicious of Anita simply because she was his ex-girlfriend.

    "I won''t put it past her. Although I spoke to her earlier on," Tom said, making Lucy''s brows furrow.

    "You did? When? About what?" She asked with a frown.

    Tom gave her the details of their conversation and Lucy sighed, "I see."

    Tom watched her for a moment and then reached out to take off her sses so that he could look into her eyes, "You read it, didn''t you?" He asked knowingly.

    "I had to. Have you read it?" She asked in return, and Tom shook his head as he took her hands.

    "I haven''t had the time to. I was too concerned about finding you, after Harry called to inform me about it. And now I''m too busy trying to clear things up," Tom said with a shrug, "What''s the point of reading it anyway? It''s not like it''s true."

    "I''m sorry."

    "What for?" Tom asked, gazing into her eyes earnestly.

    Lucy shrugged, "This whole thing is going to rub off on your and thepany," she said, shifting her gaze away from him.

    "None of this is your fault, so you have nothing to be sorry about. It''s not just insensitive, but also stupid of people to try to make you feel like a murderer without even checking the facts," Tom said as he kissed the back of her hand.

    "We will fix this, alright?" Tom said, but before she could respond his phone started ringing, "Excuse me for a moment," he told her when he picked up his phone and saw that it was his mother calling. He could tell that she had seen the news.

    "Sure," Lucy said with a nod, and then he moved away from her as he received the call.

    "What is this I''m seeing all over the inte? Lucy is your assistant? And she is a murderer?" Evelyn asked in disbelief.

    "I expect better than this from you, mom," Tom muttered under his breath, not wanting Lucy to hear the details of their conversation.

    "And I also expect better from you than getting involved with your employee. End things with her at once! Things are going to get messy with your shareholders if news gets out that you''re dating her," Evelyn instructed.

    He couldn''t exactly me his mother since she had always been the type of person who would choose her sentiments and moral beliefs over logic. In the same manner she had jumped to conclusion that Lucy was a prostitute simply because of how she was told Lucy had been dressed the first night.

    Seeing the way Tom was murmuring under his breath, Lucy could tell that the phone call was probably about her and he didn''t want her to hear what was being discussed, so she stood up and whispered to him that she was returning to her office and they could talkter.

    Once she left and shut the door behind her, Tom drew in a deep breath, "Who I choose to date or not date has nothing to do with thepany..."

    "It has EVERYTHING to do with thepany. Most people marry for connections to strengthen theirpanies, and secure their fortune. If you''re not going to marry for that, then you should at least get married to someone who wouldn''t bring such negative publicity to you."

    "Have you stopped to ask yourself whether or not she is guilty of all these usations?" Tom asked, knowing that his mother was being sentimental about the issue.

    "Have you seen the old news articles on it? Did you see the videos the parents of the boy she murdered made before they died? I''m sure there is an element of truth in all that was published!" Evelyn fired back.

    "Mom, I love you, but you''re being too sentimental right now, and I can''t stand it. Let''s talk when you''re ready to be logical," Tom said and hung up the call before his mother could say another word.

    For the first time in a very long time, he felt like screaming out in frustration, and he could only imagine how Lucy was feeling if he felt this way when he wasn''t even the one being gossiped about.

    Without wasting any more time, Tom walked into his mini bedroom and put on his disguise costumes. Once he made sure that everything was in ce he walked out to Lucy''s office, "How many minutes do I have before the meeting?"

    Lucy nced at the wall clock, "Roughly twenty-five minutes."

    "Push all the other meetings forward as well. I want to get it all done so we can leave," Tom said and then turned to return to his office.

    He paused by the doorway when he remembered something, "Text me your secretary''s office line. I want to speak with her," Tom instructed before returning to his office.

    Just as he sat down on his office chair, his phone beeped with a text notification and he picked it up to see Lucy''s text. It was the number he had requested for.

    He dialed it on his office line and almost immediately Amy received the call when she recognized the number which was calling.

    "Hello, sir!" Amy greeted as she quickly stood up, as though he could see her.

    "You are Director Perry''s secretary, am I right?" Tom asked, making Amy''s heart skip a beat.

    "Yes, sir."

    "Good. I want to see everyone in Miss Perry''s team in my office. You have less than five minutes to get here," he instructed, and then hung up the call.

    Although Amy had defended Lucy the little way she could, he couldn''t punish the others and leave her out else it would make them suspicious.

    Less than four minutester Lucy''s office door opened and all her team members walked in, startling her. These were some of the people who had made her their topic of discussion that morning, Lucy thought as she looked at them. She could point out who had said what.

    "Good morning, Director Perry," few of them who had bad-mouthed her earlier greeted, and Lucy just stared at them without saying a word.

    "Good morning, ma''am. The CEO asked to see us," Amy informed Lucy politely, making her break her gaze away from the others to look at Amy

    "Give me a minute," Lucy said as she stood up and walked over to Tom''s office. She rapped on the door gently before walking in.

    "Why are they here?" She asked after shutting the door behind her.

    "If by they, you mean your teammates, then let them in. You''ll find out soon," Tom instructed as he raised his head to look at her, "Trust me," Tom added, and Lucy sighed before walking away to usher them in.

    While some of them were excited to see the CEO who they had never set eyes on before, some others felt very anxious about it, as they suspected that whatever had made the CEO invite them to his office wasn''t something good.

    "I have a meeting soon, so I''ll be quick. I''ve heard the rumors going around thepany concerning Miss Perry, who happens to be your team leader. I do not exactly know the details, but I''ll have to fire her if indeed what was written about her is true," Tom said, making Lucy nce at him in surprise, while some of her teammates looked pleased with the news.

    Wasn''t he supposed to be on her side? Why was he saying something like that?

    "However, seeing as you''re all a team, she won''t be the only one that will be fired. So I''m assigning all of you in her team the task of proving her innocence. If you''re unable to do so before Monday, you can all submit your resignation letters. Work overtime if need be, but I need results by Monday so you can present it to the shareholders and board of directors," Tom said, making every one of them look at him in disbelief.

    This did not make any sense. What did they have to do with Lucy''s crime? They were not there when she murdered the family, so why did they have to share in her punishment? "But sir, how can we prove that she is innocent when she is..."

    "What? Guilty?" Tom asked before the young man could finish, and he snapped his mouth shut.

    Seeing the displeasure on their faces, Lucy decided to speak, "Sir..."

    Tom cut her off before she could say anything, "I can see that most of you here have already concluded that she is guilty even without hearing her side of the story. If that is the case I do not want to hear what you have to say either. Feel free to submit your resignation letters before the close of work today. I don''t want a group of staff thatcks team spirit. If anyone is caught making snide remarks or gossiping about this until there is proof that she did as she has been used, that person will suffer the consequences," Tom said, and then jerked his head to the door in a way that told them that the meeting was over and they should leave.

    As the others trooped out, Lucy remained in her position with her head bowed. She waited until thest person had left the office and shut the door before looking at Tom, "What was that about?"

    "That''s the least punishment I can give them for running their mouths over something they know nothing about. Don''t worry, I''m sure they will all want to keep their jobs. Hence, they will look past what is on social media and try to find out the truth," Tom assured her.

    "Now they will be suspicious of my rtionship with you," Lucyined.

    "They won''t. I told them I was going to fire you, so there''s nothing to be suspicious about. Stop worrying and get back to work," Tom urged her since he knew that getting busy would distract her.

    Now all he needed to do was try and focus on work while he waited to hear back from Harry.. He hoped for Anita''s sake that she wasn''t involved in this mess.

 Chapter 226 - Two Can Play

    Anita paced around her office biting her nails nervously as she thought about Tom''s phone call to her and then paused when she realized that she was biting her nail. Her mother was going to kill her if she caught her exhibiting such dirty udylike behavior.

    She dropped her hands to her side as she sat down on one of the seats in her office. Had she yed this card too soon? Although she had no fear since she knew that there was no way it was ever going to be traced to her. She had dotted every i and crossed all the ts. She was confident.

    One major reason she had publicized this piece of news now instead of after talking to Lucy, was so that she wouldn''t be suspected. Seeing how Tom had even called to warn her, she had thought he did that because he had seen the news already. So now they couldn''t me her of doing it because she was mad at them.

    Knowing that Lucy was already dating Tom, she knew that Lucy was likely not going to want to let go of him, especially if Lucy gets to find out that Tom is actually the CEO. So by doing this and every other thing she nned to do, she was going to cause friction in their rtionship and end up making Lucy end things with Tom on her own.

    She still intended to call Lucy and act like a concerned friend. Nobody would suspect her of being behind the rumors if they saw that she was making efforts to be a good friend to Lucy. None of them needed to know just yet that she knew Tom''s real identity.

    Picking up her phone she dialed Lucy''s line. She wanted to know Lucy''s reaction to the publicized news, and also clear any doubt Lucy already had that she was behind it.

    Lucy who had just finished trying to convince her parents not to travel down unsessfully, sighed when she saw Anita''s call. What did Anita want this time? Maybe she was calling to find out her reaction to what was happening? Although she wasn''t exactly sure yet if Anita was the one behind this, her gut feeling told her that Anita had a hand in it.

    She received the call, and ced it on recorder just in case Anita might say something that would prove that she was behind it, "Hello, good morning!" Lucy greeted as she took off her sses and ced them on the desk in front of her.

    "Hey, Lucy! I hope I''m not calling at a bad time?" Anita asked, pretending not to know about the news which was all over social media.

    Lucy''s brows pulled together at Anita''s question. How could she be asking her such a question as though she didn''t know what was going on? Lucy wondered.

    "I''m fine. Just in the middle of work," Lucy said, surprising Anita.

    Middle of work? She was still at thepany working? She had expected her to run away from work or be somewhere crying because of people''s reaction to the news, or was it possible that the people at thepany weren''t giving her negative reactions?

    "I''m sorry to bother you. I could call backter if you can''t talk now," Anita offered instead.

    "It''s no bother. What''s up?" Lucy asked, trying to sound normal since it was obvious that Anita was acting like she didn''t know what was going on. There was no way she was going to believe that someone like Anita was yet to see the news flying around social media.

    "Uhm, Tom called me this morning. I don''t know if he mentioned it to you" Anita said and paused as she waited to hear Lucy''s response.

    Lucy didn''t know why, but she didn''t like hearing Tom''s name from Anita. It always made her stomach churn, and it made her heart heavy. She preferred when Anita used to just refer to him as ''Your driver''.

    "Lucy?" Anita called questioningly when Lucy didn''t say anything.

    "He did?" Lucy asked, pretending not to know.

    So he didn''t tell her. Anita assumed that Lucy''s silence was because she had been surprised, "Yes. And he had a lot to say. I just wanted to let you know that I''m very sorry. I had no idea that he is the boyfriend you were always talking about. I wouldn''t have told you any of that yesterday had I known," Anita apologized.

    She didn''t know? Was that true? Lucy wondered. "I wanted to tell you yesterday, but I didn''t know how to go about it after you told me how you feel about him, I''m sorry," Lucy said, wanting Anita to also keep believing that she was naive enough to believe everything she was saying.

    Anita sighed, "It''s okay. I guess it''s my loss. I should never have let my mother''s words get to me in the first ce. I guess she should be happy now that her n has worked and I won''t be with him anymore," Anita said in a wry tone.

    Lucy who was feeling very wary of Anita and knew she had to be careful, said nothing as she listened to Anita. She really couldn''t figure Anita out.

    "We can still be friends regardless of this, right? I really like you and I don''t want to lose your friendship over this," Anita said making Lucy narrow her eyes suspiciously.

    She was just going to keep believing the worst of Anita until Anita proved to be otherwise. It would too dangerous to just believe that Anita''s intentions are pure.

    "Are you sure it won''t be awkward? I mean, it won''t be easy for you to be friends with me knowing I''m dating your ex," Lucy said as she picked her sses from the desk and wore them.

    She honestly didn''t want to be friends with Anita anymore, but neither did she want to cut her off in an offensive way. Especially since Anita had not exactly given her any real cause to believe that she meant her harm, she was only following her intuition.

    Anita sighed dramatically, "Doesn''t mean you should be my enemy, does it? Or wouldn''t that be a double loss for me?" Anita asked making Lucy''s brows furrow.

    Was she perhaps judging Anita too harshly? Lucy wondered. Thankfully she didn''t have to respond as Tom''s office door opened and she quickly stood up, "Let''s talkter. I have to get back to work," Lucy said with urgency and hung up the call immediately.

    Tom stepped out of his office with the directors he had been meeting with, and once they left he looked at Lucy, "How are you holding up?" He asked with concern.

    "Anita just called," she informed him, making his face twist in a scowl.

    "And what did she say she wants this time?"

    Without responding Lucy searched for the recorded phone conversation on her phone and yed it before handing the phone to Tom.

    His eyes narrowed suspiciously as he listened to the phone call, "She is probably doing this so that we don''t be suspicious of her," Tom said when he finished listening and returned her phone to her.

    "Or maybe I''m just being paranoid and she''s actually being genuinely nice?" Lucy asked.

    "That''s exactly what she wants. She wants you to question your suspicion. Don''t fall for her trick."

    Lucy looked at him curiously, "Why are you bent on believing the worst of her? What if..."

    "Do you know what she said when I told her I was done and wanted us to break up?" Tom cut in before she could finish her statement since he could guess what she was about to ask.

    "No. What did she say?"

    "She said, good riddance," Tom said without humor, "Does that sound like something you would tell a man you love but can''t be with because of your mother? If she had been honest with you about everything, then maybe I would have believed all she is telling you. But she''s a liar and I know we can''t trust her. Don''t let your guards down," Tom advised.

    Lucy sighed. If only she hadn''t gotten involved with Anita in the first ce, she wouldn''t have to be doing any of this with Anita.

    "Have you heard from them yet?" Lucy asked, referring to the people Harry had contacted to help them search for the rumormonger.

    "No, I haven''t. As soon as I do I''ll let you know," Tom assured her.

    "I don''t think I would be able to spend the weekend with you as nned. My parents and Lucas areing over," Lucy exined.

    "Because of this issue?" Tom asked, and she gave him a nod.

    If Tom wasn''t already furious about the situation of things, he became even more annoyed now as he had already nned out how he was going to spend the weekend with Lucy.

    "I guess you don''t want them to," Tom said as he watched her, and she shrugged.

    "I love them, but right now I just want to be alone and I don''t think they would understand that. We just have to fix this quickly," she said with a resigned sigh.

    "Sure. We will. Would you want me to meet them now?" Tom asked, not bothering to sit as he stood in front of her desk just in case someone walked in and saw him there. He knew that she wouldn''t want this to be added to the list of things being gossiped about.

    "I don''t know. Let''s just take it as ites," Lucy suggested, and Tom gave her a nod.

    "Hang in there, okay? We will fix this," Tom promised.

    Lucy gave him a weak smile and watched as he returned to his office. Her eyes fell on her phone and she suddenly felt the urge to talk to Sonia. She knew that she couldn''t talk now because of the reality show, so she texted Sonia instead.

    ''Hey, busy celebrity! Call me as soon as you can. Love you.'' Lucy texted.

    She had been thinking about this all morning and she hade to the conclusion that suing the rumormonger or reacting angrily or pathetically to the news was going to give that person some satisfaction. She didn''t want that. She wanted to disappoint the person instead.

    She needed Sonia''s permission before she could do what she had in mind. While Tom focused on finding who had done this, she wanted to deal with it appropriately by squashing the news so that it would nevere up to haunt her again.

    Maybe if she hadn''t been in shock eight years ago and had defended herself in court to the hearing of everyone, no one would have had any reason to make up such stories. So it was time to deal with it once and for all.

    Whoever had posted this on the inte has only seeded in helping her face one of her fears. Thanks to the person, after now she wasn''t going to be needing therapy anymore.. She was just going to open up and share her story with the world.

 Chapter 227 - I’m Coming Over

    While Sonia and Bryan were busy with their final shoot outdoor, her phone kept buzzing.

    They had all unanimously agreed to have the final shoot outdoors since Bryan''s ankle had healed considerably and he could get on and off his wheelchair and walk short distances.

    The shoot was supposed to be done in several ces. One scene at the beach, another at a Jewelry shop which he was endorsing, another at a game lounge and cinema, and thest at a restaurant where they would be wrapping it up.

    So they were at the game lounge ying some of the games they had yed thest time, the only difference was that this time Bryan was teaching her how to y the snooker game, and maybe it was because of the camera crew, everyone recognized them and some gathered to look at them.

    "Let''s take a short break," Mia whispered to Jeff and the producer, feeling the need to hand Sonia her phone. Seeing how several people had called her already, she felt like something was up, and Sonia needed to take her phone.

    "Why?" The producer asked with his eyes fixed on Bryan and Sonia.

    "They probably need a break. Let''s have a five minutes break. I really need to stretch my legs too," Jeff said when he saw the concern on Mia''s face. He could tell that she was worried about something.

    "Alright," the producer murmured in displeasure, not liking the interruption.

    "Cut! Let''s take a break," he called out to the crew, and immediately they stopped filming.

    Sonia and Bryan turned off their mic, and Bryan lowered himself to his wheelchair which Jeff rolled over, and Mia walked over to join them and handed Sonia her phone.

    "Your cell phone has been ringing all morning," Mia informed Sonia, whose brows furrowed immediately as she checked her call log.

    She hardly received a call unless it was from clingy exes, her editor, or Lucy. Seeing missed calls from Lucy''s mom and Lucas made her even more worried. And once she saw Lucy''s text message she immediately dialed Lucy''s line, "I''ll be right back," she murmured to Bryan as she walked away to find a quiet spot to talk.

    Bryan watched her with concern as she left, "Do you have any idea about what is happening?" He asked Mia.

    "I don''t know. But I don''t think it has anything to do with the both of you. I checked the inte to see if there was a scandal, but I didn''t see anything. By the way, your brother''s personal assistant is trending all over social media," Mia informed him in passing.

    "My brother''s personal assistant? Why is she trending?" Bryan asked with a frown as he nced at where Sonia was standing with her phone pressed to her ear. Although she was standing with her back to him, from the way she stood stiffly he could tell that she was upset by whatever she was hearing. He knew that they were supposed to give both Tom and Lucy a call the previous day but they had been too engrossed with themselves to do so.

    Mia took out her phone and once she opened the page, she handed it to him, "Murder?" Bryan asked with a frown. This wasn''t good at all. Although he didn''t know the exact details, he was certain that Sonia did. Was this about her family which she had mentioned to him?

    Needing to find out what was going on, he dialed Tom''s line immediately. Lucy was his brother''s girlfriend after all, and he needed to know what was going on and make sure they were both alright.

    "What? Who did something as hateful as that?" Sonia asked angrily the moment Lucy finished exining the details to her.

    "I don''t know. I''m suspecting Anita, but then again she called earlier pretending not to know what was going on," Lucy said with a sigh.

    "That bitch! I''m going to scratch out her eyes if I set my eyes on her," Sonia promised, and then took in a deep breath when she realized that she should be consoling Lucy instead of getting angry.

    "How are you feeling, Lu?" She asked in concern.

    "How else can I feel?" Lucy asked with a dryugh, "Anyway, I called for something different. I want to make a video that I would upload on social media, and I might mention you in it. I hope you don''t mind?" Lucy asked, making Sonia frown.

    "Why would I mind?" She asked in confusion.

    "You know you''re a celebrity now, and you''re dating one. I don''t want anything that would..."

    "Fuck all of that, Lu! Youe first! I always tell you that but I don''t know if you just do not listen, or you don''t get it. You are all the family I have, and I''m always with you," Sonia assured her.

    Lucy felt her throat clog with emotion. Although she had never openly admitted it to either Sonia or herself, she still harbored some sort of guilt that if not for her Sonia would still have her family.

    Maybe if she had handled things differently she wouldn''t be the only person closest to a family that Sonia had. If she had known that the police would show up that day she would have just continued to let Jamie do all he was doing, and let the police handle it. Then he wouldn''t have died. His parents and most people wouldn''t have used her of murder, and Sonia wouldn''t have been cut off from them before their death.

    "What kind of video do you want to make, and why?" Sonia asked, cutting into Lucy''s thoughts.

    Lucy took in a deep breath and let it out, "I should at least let everyone hear my side of the story. They should only judge me after knowing the truth," Lucy murmured.

    "Will you be okay doing that?" Sonia asked with a worried frown. This was something she had never talked about, and then even when she talked about it with Tom, she had gone into shock halfway into her story. How was she going to make such a video then?

    "I don''t know. I will have to be okay. Whoever did this doesn''t want me to be okay, so I have to be okay," Lucy exined.

    "I will join you in the video then. I have to make sure that you''re fine," Sonia offered.

    Although Lucy would rather have Sonia with her than her family, she knew that Sonia was busy, "You shouldn''t. You are with Bryan, and then there''s the shoot. Besides, what if people don''t believe my side of the story? Associating with me might affect your..."

    "Shut the fuck up! I''ming over," Sonia hissed at her and hung up.

    "Okay! Time up, let''s resume!" The producer announced, but Sonia ignored him as she walked up to where Bryan was seated with a worried look on his face.

    "I''m leaving.. I need to be with Lucy," she informed him.

 Chapter 228 - Break Up

    After confirming from Tom that it was Sonia''s family that was involved in this, he couldn''t bring himself to stop her. She had said her half-brother hadmitted suicide and her parents med Lucy for it, so why was Lucy being used of her half-brother''s murder?

    Looking into her eyes, Bryan could tell that her mind was made up, "I wille with you." He offered instead.

    He could tell that she was going over to offer her best friend the neededfort and support. Even though she liked to act like she was very tough, she also needed to beforted herself.

    Sonia shook her head, "You shouldn''t. First of all your ankle is yet to healpletely. Secondly, you''re a celebrity, and public opinion matters to you. My getting involved in this is bad enough for you..."

    "What''s going on? Everyone is waiting for the both of you so we can start," Jeff said as he walked over to where they were discussing.

    "Can''t we just wrap it up now? Sonia needs to leave. She has an emergency that needs to be taken care of, and I''m leaving with her," Bryan said, ignoring what Sonia had been saying earlier.

    Harry turned to Sonia, "Is it very urgent?"

    "Yes. You''re Bryan''s manager, you shouldn''t let hime with me. It might end up bing a career suicide for him if he gets involved in this," Sonia informed Jeff who turned to Bryan with questioning eyes.

    "What kind of a fiance would I be if I let you go through this alone?" Bryan asked in annoyance, not liking how she was bringing up the whole celebrity thing again.

    "What kind of a fiancee would I be if I let you get involved in this knowing the damage it would do to you? I love you Bryan, and I won''t let you get hurt," Sonia said as she slid off the engagement ring on her finger, while the onlookers gasped in surprise.

    "What are you doing?" Bryan asked, feeling his heart shatter as he watched her take off his ring. Although he had given her the ring without meaning to, somewhere along the line of their rtionship he hade to see her truly as his fiancee.

    "Can you give us a moment alone?" Sonia asked Harry and Mia who hade to join them and were watching in confusion.

    Sonia lowered herself so that she was squatting in front of him, "Let''s break up. After I have cleared up all of this we can get back together if you still want us to," Sonia exined.

    "We only just started datingst night! How can you be saying this?" Bryan asked through gritted teeth so that no one else would hear him.

    "Jamie abducted Lucy, and he died. I stood as a witness in court to clear Lucy''s name when my mother and her husband used her of murdering Jamie. Now Lucy is being used of murdering them all and I need to clear her name since they were my family. We both know that I can''t do that if I''m your fiancee," Sonia exined as patiently as she could.

    "I will keep in touch. I love you," Sonia said as she brushed her lips against his cheek. Once she pulled away, she ced the ring on his thigh, and without allowing him to say anything else Sonia straightened up and walked over to where the producer was standing, "It has been nice doing this shoot with you all. I''m sorry I have to leave now. I need to deal with something," Sonia said and walked away without waiting for him to try to stop her.

    Mia hurried after Sonia as she walked away, "Did you just break up with him?" She asked as she tried to catch up with Sonia.

    "Yes."

    "Why would you do that? You promised not to hurt him, but you just did," Mia said in confusion since she knew that Sonia genuinely cared for Bryan.

    "I''m sorry I can''t give you the exact details right now, but Lucy needs me and I can''t be there for her as Bryan Hank''s fiancee. We can get back together when all this is over," Sonia assured Mia.

    She suspected that whoever had dug up this story to ruin Lucy, was likely going to do the same to her if she defended Lucy. And she knew that her supposed false rtionship with Bryan could likely be used against her, so she needed to end their false engagement.

    "I should drive you home and to the airport then," Mia offered.

    "What about Bryan?"

    "Don''t worry about him. He won''t mind," Mia assured her as they both walked out.

    After picking up her stuff from Bryan''s ce, Sonia''s heart felt heavy as Mia drove her to the airport. Justst night and this morning they had been making love, and now she had to leave his side.

    She blinked back the tears that stung her eyes and looked out of the window so that Mia wouldn''t see her face. She felt like she was leaving a part of herself behind. She felt empty.

    However, her loyalty to Lucy would alwayse before anything else in her life. Including her own happiness. She couldn''t afford to be happy when Lucy wasn''t happy. She still felt partly responsible for all that had happened to Lucy.

    If only she had reported Jamie to their parents immediately they found out what he was up to, none of this would have happened. He was her half-brother, and he had almost ruined Lucy''s life. Lucy was just trying to recover, and she couldn''t allow something like this to pull her down once again, even if doing this was likely going to negatively affect her own career.

    "Are you okay?" Mia asked after a while. She could tell that what Sonia had done wasn''t easy on her either.

    "Yeah. Thanks for everything, Mia."

    "C''mon, don''t sound like it''s thest time we are going to see each other. I''m sure you''ll resolve this and you''ll be back. You and Bryan are a perfect fit," Mia said confidently, making Sonia''s lips curve in a small smile as she thought of him.

    When she hade, she had only hoped to have him fall for her, she hadn''t expected that she was going to fall this hard for him too.

    She was already missing him sorely, and maybe if she didn''t know how much he loved his career or how much it meant to him, she would have dly allowed him toe with her without caring about the consequence.

 Chapter 229 - As The CEO?

    "Do you think perhaps the CEO heard what we said earlier?" One of the men in Lucy''s unit who had been badmouthing Lucy earlier that morning asked his colleagues as they all sat together trying to put their heads together to find a way to do as Tom had ordered.

    "Or maybe her driver reported us?" The other male suggested.

    "It really does not make sense that he will ask us to do this! It''s as if he is supporting her!" One of thediesined.

    "Is this important right now? Is this why you all wanted us to meet?" Amy asked coldly as she looked at them with disapproval.

    "You''re right. Let''s focus on what''s important. Shouldn''t we just ask her to tell us how to prove her innocence? She is the reason we are all in this mess after all," one of the men suggested.

    "I think Amy should be the one to ask her," One of thedies suggested.

    "Yes, I agree. You''re her secretary after all. Ask her if she did it or not," One of the guys added, and the others gave their consents with a nod.

    "Isn''t it funny how you are suddenly interested in asking for her side of the story when some hours ago you were so busy running your mouths as though you knew the facts already? Self-centered jerks," Amy muttered with a scoff.

    "What are you being so cheeky about? It''s not like we are the only ones who will lose our job. You''re also going to lose your job if you don''t do it, so quit acting so self-righteous," another female teammate hissed at her.

    "Amy, do you want to lose your job? I have my parents and my wife to take care of. I can''t afford to quit or be fired. So instead of exchanging words with us, you should..."

    "Exactly why I don''t want to be a part of this nonsense! I''d rather lose my job than work with the lot of you. I feel embarrassed that I''m associated with the selfish likes of you! Your words and actions today made me ask myself if any of you would have had my back had I been the one who was faced with this. Do whatever you want to do by yourself!" Amy snapped at them as she stood up, picked up her handbag, and walked out of the office.

    "Why is she being so touchy about this?" They asked amongst themselves as they watched her leave.

    Once Amy walked out of the office she took in a deep breath to calm herself before taking the elevator leading to Lucy''s office. It was just a few minutes to closing hour already, and regardless of all that was happening she was still Lucy''s secretary and needed to find out if there was any task Lucy needed her to do.

    Once she got to Lucy''s office, she noticed that Lucy was still busy with work, so she stood by the desk and waited until Lucy raised her head to look at her, "Do you want something?" Lucy asked with a polite smile when she noticed Amy''s presence.

    "I''m sorry to interrupt your work. I wanted to see if you need me to do anything else before I call it a day," Amy said, making Lucy nce at the wall clock. She sighed when she saw that it was almost time to leave. Both her family and Sonia were on their way already, and she still had no idea how she was going to manage to have all of them in her little apartment at the same time.

    "Thanks, but there''s no task for you," Lucy said with a shake of her head.

    "I also want to talk to you."

    "Okay. You can sit down if you have something to say," Lucy said, jerking her head to the seat opposite her for Amy to take it.

    "Thank you," Amy said politely as she sat down, and then looked at Lucy, "I know it''s probably not in my ce to say this, and although I don''t know the details of whatever happened, I''m sorry you have to go through all of this. No one deserves this," Amy said sadly.

    "Thank you," Lucy said as she watched her. She was d that she at least knew that Amy was being sincere with her. She didn''t know what else Amy had probably said after she left, but from what little she had heard, she was thankful.

    "I also wanted to know if you have any n in ce on how to salvage the situation. I will like to offer my assistance," Amy said hopefully.

    Lucy''s brows curved, "You are not curious to know whether or not I did it?" Lucy asked curiously, wondering why Amy wasn''t asking her if she was guilty or not.

    Amy took in a deep breath, "Whether or not you did it isn''t the point right now. Although I don''t think you did it, and even if you did, I believe you must have had a good reason for it. So tell me what I can do to help."

    "You are so kind, Amy."

    Amy''s eyes welled up with tears as she looked at her, "When I was in high school my elder sister was used of seducing her boss and destroying his home which led to his wife''s death. The news was all over the ce and no one gave her the benefit of doubt apart from our family. When she couldn''t take it anymore she took her own life because of the constant embarrassment she was faced with every time she stepped out of the house. It wasn''t until her death that the truth was finally revealed," Amy exined, and raised a hand to wipe the tears on her cheeks, "If only there was one person at her ce of work, or maybe a neighbor who had believed in her, she probably wouldn''t have taken her life," Amy said with a sniffle.

    "I''m sorry," Lucy said with a sniffle of her own as she offered Amy a roll of tissue paper to wipe her eyes and nose, while she did the same.

    "Don''t be. Just tell me what I can do," Amy pleaded.

    "Offering to help me is already more than I hoped for. Thank you for giving me the benefit of doubt and standing by me," Lucy said with a genuine smile that touched her eyes, "And inform those in the office that they don''t need to worry themselves. I will take care of it myself, and none of you will have to lose your job on my ount," Lucy promised.

    Amy shook her head, "I think you should let us do as the CEO instructed even though you might not have a need for it. This will go a long way in teaching everyone a lesson to find out both sides of a story before contributing in a hateful conversation," Amy suggested, and Lucy smiled.

    "Don''t hesitate to let me know if you need my help. You can call me at any time of the day and I wille running," Amy promised as she stood up to leave.

    "Thank you very much," Lucy said once again as she stood up.

    "Alright then. I should let you get back to what you were doing," Amy said with a polite bow before leaving the office.

    Once Amy left, Lucy shut down herptop and stood up. It was time to leave, and she suspected that Tom was probably getting ready to go wait for her by the car park as usual. All she needed to do now was summon the courage to leave her office and face others.

    Even though she wasn''t guilty, it was hard for her to walk amid people who believed her to be a murderer. Now she wished she hadn''t tried to be so strong earlier and had just taken Tom up on his offer to leave the office using his private elevator.

    "What? Did you change your mind?" Tom asked from the doorway of her office, startling Lucy who was about to walk into his office.

    "Why are you here?" She asked when she noticed that he had not taken off his costume yet, and had alsoe from outside, and not his office.

    "I figured you wouldn''t befortable walking out alone, so I came in so that we can walk out together," Tom offered as he approached her.

    "You haven''t taken off your costume yet," Lucy reminded him.

    "Being your driver, I''m powerless. I''m walking out with you as the CEO today," Tom informed her.

    "As the CEO? You can''t do..."

    "Then what? You expect that I should just stand by and watch you suffer? What is the point of having all this if I can''t protect you? It''s bad enough that I can''t take down the post. I should at least make sure that no employee under my payroll makes you ufortable."

    Lucy closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. She opened her eyes when she felt Tom''s lips pressed on her forehead, "We will be alright," he assured her with a small smile as he took her hand and led her out.

    He could feel how tense she was as they both walked out of the elevator, and even her hand which he was holding was sweaty as many curious eyes followed them, "Rx, Lu. You are safe with me," he whispered to her as he led her out.

    "Tell me something," Tom said, wanting to distract her.

    "What?"

    "Anything," Tom said with a shrug.

    "Sonia is on her way," Lucy said the first thing that came to mind.

    "So I heard. If your apartment isn''t enough for you all, you can use my apartment," Tom offered, not wanting to ask her if Sonia had mentioned to her that she had broken up with Bryan just so she coulde and be with her. He doubted that Lucy would want to hear of that.

    "I can''t believe she is shameless enough to show her face around here after murdering an entire family," Ady muttered to her colleague as they walked past them, and Tom stopped, making Lucy stop too.

    "Make an example of her..." Tom whispered to Lucy, "Or I will," Tom added in a threatening tone as the muscle in his jaw twitched with barely concealed anger.

    Lucy turned to look at thedy, and she raised a challenging brow at Lucy, "Yes? What are you looking at? Or you want to kill me too?" She asked with a scoff.

    Lucy''s teammates who had just gotten out of the elevator watched in surprise as thedy spoke carelessly before the man who she didn''t realize was the CEO.

    Lucy said nothing as she took a few steps closer to thedy, and then she took note of the name and department unit disyed on her identity card, "I murdered an entire family? I suppose you can prove that in court. You will receive a letter from mywyer tomor..."

    "Within the next hour the letter will be delivered to your apartment alongside the letter of termination of your employment," Tom cut in, and then ced his arm protectively around Lucy''s shoulder as he led her out, leaving the others who were stunned to silence.

    Although he knew that the shareholders were not going to like what he had just done, since he had been asked to fire her, yet he had just fired another staff on her ount, he didn''t care. He wasn''t going to just stand by anymore and watch just anyone speak ill of her.

    Once they got outside, one of Tom''s cars was parked in front of thepany already with a driver waiting for them, so he held out the door for her to get in, before getting inside.

    "I don''t think it was a good move exposing yourself that way," Lucy said with a concerned frown.

    "Don''t worry about me, let''s just focus on clearing this up quickly."

 Chapter 230 - Nosy Fellow

    <h4>Chapter 230 �C Nosy Fellow</h4>

    As the private investigator organized the documents and pictures in front of him, he made up his mind that he was going to retire from his line of business after submitting the information to the dangerous men who had abducted him three days ago.

    He had done his findings on the men and had found out that they were members of the legion gang, and he didn''t want to be involved with them in any way. They had given him only three days, and thankfully he had gotten all the information they needed. He was only now waiting for them toe over and pick up the information he had gathered. Once they did that, he was going to move out of this apartment and travel out of the country to somewhere far away to start over.

    His instincts told him that if he continued like this he was going to either end up in big trouble or end up dead, and he didn''t want any of that. He had made enough money by digging into people''s lives, and now it was time to stop and enjoy all the wealth he had amassed.

    He quickly tucked everything into a brown envelope and turned to the door when he heard the lock being picked from outside. Couldn''t they at least knock or use the doorbell? Why did people keep breaking into his apartment? He wondered irritably and stood up just as the door opened.

    A tall and handsome-looking man, with cold gray eyes, stepped in. He was dressed in ck jeans trousers and a blue long-sleeved shirt. His low-cut hair was covered with a ck face cap, and on his feet, he was wearing a pair of ck tennis shoes.

    "Oops! You''re home. Sorry, I broke in," he murmured with a grin that revealed his crook teeth when he noticed the presence of the private investigator.

    For reasons unknown to the private investigator, the smile sent a cold shiver down his spine and he involuntarily shifted on his feet. He looked the man before him over, wondering why he looked kind of familiar. Was he a member of the gang? Or was he someone he had seen elsewhere?

    "I''m here to pick up the information you gathered on Candace Roberts. I believe that is what you are holding," he said, jerking his head towards the envelope which the private investigator was holding.

    "Are you one of them? Did they send you to pick it up?" The private investigator asked doubtfully.

    "Would I be here if I wasn''t?" The intruder asked back as he held out his right hand for the envelope to be handed to him.

    "What proof do you have?" He asked tentatively, and the man in front of him smiled again. But like the first time, the smile didn''t touch his eyes. He soon realized that it was a warning smile.

    "Don''t make me repeat myself," he warned as he took off his face cap.

    The private investigator''s eyes widened slightly when he saw the jagged scar that ran through the right side of his face from his hairline to his eyebrow and remembered where he had seen him. His picture had been in the file which they had given him for the job. He was Candace''s boyfriend. Jero.

    From what little findings he had made, Jero was in jail because Candace had testified against him, and members of the gang had let him take the fall, so Jero being in his house right now, and asking for this document wasn''t going to end well for him either way. If he handed the information to Jero and the members of the gang came, they were likely going to kill him, and if he didn''t give it to Jero, the man was also going to kill him too.

    "I see you recognize me. Now hand it over quickly," he ordered quietly as he took a step closer.

    "How did you know about this? And why do you want it?" The private investigator asked with a frown, wondering just how Jero knew that he was with information concerning Candace. Had he been following him around? If so he wouldn''t need the documents as he would already know where to find Candace. Then was it one of the gang members who had snitched to him? If so what did he want with the information? Was he trying to find Candace himself and protect her or did he want to harm her? What did they all want from thedy?

    "I don''t like answering questions or repeating myself," Jero muttered in annoyance as he reached for a gun with a silencer which was tucked in the waistband of his trousers, and without saying another word he fired it directly at the private investigator.

    The private investigator''s eyes widened in shock as the bullet sank into his forehead and he dropped to the ground.

    "Damn nosy fellow," Jero muttered as he snatched the envelope from the dead man''s hand before his blood could stain it. He looked inside the envelope to confirm the contents, and once he saw a picture of Candace with his little boy, his lips pulled up in a smile as he returned the picture into the envelope and walked out of the apartment.

    **********

    Jade walked into the living room she shared with Harry and raised a brow when she saw that he was still busy on the phone. With the way he had been receiving call after call all morning, one would think he was the CEO of thepany and not Tom.

    She watched as he paced around the living room, and judging by how tense his facial features looked, and how he kept taking in deep breaths before speaking, she could tell that he was trying really hard to control his temper and not snap at the person he was speaking with. That told her the person was important, likely one of thepany''s shareholders calling again.

    It was difficult not to feel sorry for him. Here he was trying to help her solve her problem, and now he also had to deal with helping Tom and Lucy clear up what was going on with them.

    She walked over to the minibar, poured some wine into two sses, and then walked over to where he was standing and handed him a ss, "Take it easy," Jade muttered to him and patted his shoulder gently.

    "Thanks," Harry mouthed to her distractedly as he continued with his phone call.

    She hurried back to her bedroom with her ss of wine when she heard her phone ringing, and she quickly picked up the phone and received the call when she saw that it was her mother, "The world''s sweetest mom!" She greeted fondly to cover up her guilt over not calling to check on her this whole time.

    "What are you so excited about? Have you seen what''s going on with your brothers?" Evelyn asked Jade impatiently.

    "My brothers? What is going on with them?" Jade asked, wondering if something had happened that she wasn''t aware of.

    "Bryan just got dumped by his fiancee on the set of their reality show! It''s all over the news. And Tom''s girlfriend�� They say she is a murderer!" Evelyn said with a hysterical sob.

    "Bryan got dumped by Sonia? How? Why?" Jade asked, ignoring her mother''s reference to Lucy.

    "I don''t know! People took pictures, and everyone is talking about it. To think that both girls are best of friends! They are out to ruin my boys'' life! Tell your brother to break up with that girl immediately!" Evelyn cried.

    "Mom! I''m very disappointed in you! You of all people should know better than to say things like that! If you know the kind of kids you raised, then you should trust their choices. I''m hanging up now," Jade said with a disapproving tone as she hung up the call.

    She wondered how Bryan was doing. At first, she had doubted their engagement, but after watching a few clips of their reality show and speaking with Sonia, she knew for a fact that they genuinely loved each other.

    She dialed Bryan''s line immediately, but the call failed to connect. When she tried several times and it didn''t work, she called Mia instead.

    "Hey, Mia! I''m trying to reach Bryan. Is he alright?" Jade asked immediately Mia received the call.

    "I don''t think so. Sonia ended things with him earlier. I wonder why she had to go that far knowing she would hurt herself too," Mia said with a sad sigh.

    "What happened? Where is he?" Jade asked in a worried tone.

    Mia quickly exined all that had happened, "��So I went to drop Sonia off at the airport and by the time I got back, I didn''t meet him. I went to his apartment and he wasn''t there either," Mia exined.

    "Alright. Thank you," Jade said as she hung up.

    Just a few days ago she had been thinking that her brothers were getting all the fun and romance in the world that she wascking, and all of a sudden they were both facing so much hardship at the same time. How was she going to help them? Jade wondered as she walked out of her bedroom.

    She returned to the living room in time to see Harry hang up the call. She watched from the doorway as he gulped down the entire content of the ss and gently dropped the ss on the table before heading for his room. Jade watched him curiously as he walked away, and then she followed him so she could see what he was going to do.

    Once he got inside his room, he dropped the phone on the nightstand andy on his bed face down, picked up his pillow, and ced it over his head before screaming into the mattress.

    Jade who had followed him, and was watching quietly, could only imagine just how frustrated he was feeling to resort to such measure to let it out. It was just one stupid move from an equally stupid person that was causing so much trouble for everyone.

    "Did something happen again?" Jade asked curiously.

    Harry sat up and tried topose himself before turning to look at her. Before he could respond to her question he received a text message notification, but his phone started ringing before he could check the text message.

    He picked up the phone once he saw that it was one of his men calling, "Yes?" He asked once he received the call.

    "We found the person who made the first post on Twitter."

    "Good. Send me the details of the person."

    "One more thing," the man added before Harry could hang up.

    "What?"

    "The private investigator was found dead in his apartment an hour, and Jero was captured going in and leaving his apartment before then. I asked one of the men to tail him. And I sent you the pictures already."

    "Alright. Thank you," Harry said before hanging up the call.

    "What?" Jade asked curiously.

    "Is this person Jero?" Harry asked, showing the picture to Jade.

    "Yes. Why? Where is that ce?" Jade asked curiously as she looked closely at the pictures.

    "That is the private investigator''s apartment. He was found dead in his apartment," Harry informed her with a sigh.. Too much stuff was happening at the same time and it was all beginning to get to him.

 Chapter 231 - Lean On Me

    <h4>Chapter 231 �C Lean On Me</h4>

    "Are you sure you don''t want me to be here with you when your family arrives?" Tom asked Lucy when she kept trying to convince him to leave before the arrival of her parents and Lucas.

    "Yes. I''m very sure," Lucy assured him with a smile.

    Lucas had called to say their mother would be the only one staying with her in her apartment since it would be too small to amodate them all. So her father and Lucas had decided to find a hotel closest to her apartment where they could lodge beforeing down to meet her.

    Tom had tried to convince her that they could use his apartment which was next to hers, instead of lodging in a hotel, but Lucy had politely turned down the offer.

    "C''mon, Tom! They are my family, and I don''t need protection from them. It''s not like they''re going to eat me or something," Lucy said in a lighter tone when Tom just kept staring at her as if he was searching for something on her face.

    Tom let out a long breath, "I know. I''m just worried about you that''s all. You promise to call me if anythinges up?"

    "Nothing is going toe up. I need to go grocery shopping. My parents would nag me to death if they see how empty my refrigerator is," Lucy said thoughtfully when she opened her refrigerator and there was nothing much in it apart from snacks.

    "If you give me a list of what you need, I could get them for you and have it delivered to your doorstep," Tom offered, wanting to at least do something for her.

    "There is no way you can leave the house right now until things have been resolved," Tom reminded her when she looked at him as though she was going to turn down his offer. They both knew that if the people who worked in the samepany with her had reacted that way to what they had read on the inte, then strangers would likely react in a worse manner if they saw her.

    "I guess you''re right," Lucy said with a sigh.

    "Good. So I will have someone deliver it to you. Be alright, okay?" Tom said as he moved close to her and embraced her.

    "I will. And thanks for today. I appreciate you standing up for me the way you did today, but let''s try not to meet until all of this is resolved," Lucy told him with a small smile that didn''t hide the sadness in her eyes as she broke the hug and pulled away from him.

    Even if he wasn''t saying it, she knew that he was under a lot of pressure because of her, and his action at the lobby of thepany earlier on was only going toplicate things even more for him.

    "Lucy��"

    "I''m not asking us to break up or anything. We are in this rtionship together, and I''m not selfish enough to want you to stand by me when I know it''s going to end up causing problems for you too. Just until everything is resolved, let''s not meet. Let''s just focus on clearing this," Lucy pleaded.

    "If Anita is behind this as we suspect, don''t you think you are doing exactly what she wants you to do?" Tom asked with a slight frown as he watched her.

    "Then what else can I do?" Lucy asked wearily.

    "Lean on me, and don''t push me away. Or are you doing this because Sonia broke up with Bryan?" Tom asked, making Lucy''s brows pull together in a frown.

    "Sonia broke up with Bryan?" Lucy asked in confusion.

    "Yes. I didn''t want to mention it. She broke up with him after she heard about all this. If you''re worried about my reputation, don''t worry. I can handle whateveres," Tom promised as he took both her hands in his.

    "I''m sure it''s just a misunderstanding. I''ll hear from Sonia when she gets here. Let''s continue this conversation over the phone when you get home," Lucy said, as she gently prodded him towards the door.

    Tom stuck out his lower lip, giving her a sad face when they got to the door and Lucy smiled at him, "You don''t have to feel bad. Besides, do you want my family to meet you for the first time with your disguise costume on?" Lucy asked with a touch of humor, and Tom narrowed his eyes.

    "Are you ashamed of my beards?" He asked rubbing his fake beards in a way that made herugh softly.

    "If only they were real. You can always meet themter. I just need to first talk to them and calm them," Lucy assured him.

    "Fine. I''ll call you when I get home. Don''t forget to text me your grocery list," Tom said as he kissed her lightly on the lips before opening the door and walking away.

    He took in a deep breath once he stepped outside, and let it out slowly. He could tell that she was forcing all the smiles andughter just so that he wouldn''t worry about her.

    Once he got into his car, the substitute driver turned to look at him, "Where am I taking you to?"

    "Take me back to thepany," Tom said distractedly as he took out his phone to give Harry a call.

    ***********

    Lucy hurried to the door when she heard the sound of the doorbell, and once she opened the door she was surprised to see Alicia standing there with Jasmine instead of Sonia who she was expecting.

    Sonia had called her less than five minutes earlier to ask for directions since she seemed to have missed her way.

    "Hi!" bothdies greeted in unison.

    "Hi!" Lucy greeted as she looked from one to the other, wondering what they were doing at her door since she was sure they had likely seen the news on the inte.

    "Can wee in?" Jasmine asked politely, and Lucy looked behind them, wondering why Sonia was yet to arrive, before stepping aside for them to get in.

    "We saw the stuff about you all over social media. We would havee earlier but we noticed that you were with someone," Alicia announced as they walked in, and Jasmine sent Alicia a sharp look before clearing her throat.

    "Uhm, we noticed that the only friend you seem to have is Tom, and since we didn''t see him around we thought toe to check on you and spend some time with you," Jasmine exined.

    "Oh, thank you!" Lucy said, at a loss for what to say as she hadn''t been expecting this.

    "You didn''t do it, right?" Alicia asked before Jasmine could stop her, "You didn''t kill that boy, right?" Alicia asked, looking at Lucy as though she was hoping everything she had read was false.

    Lucy looked at Alicia, but couldn''t find it in her to offer them any exnation. Although she thought they deserved an exnation seeing how they hade to her instead of just believing what they had read like everyone else.

    "You don''t have to answer that if you don''t want to," Jasmine assured her quietly.

    Lucy sighed, "I''m sorry I can''t exin to you right now. I appreciate youring over, but I''m kind of expecting my family right now and��" Lucy let the rest of her words trail off hoping they would pick the hint.

    "Oh, Sure! I''m d you have peopleing over to stay with you. We just wanted to be sure you''re alright," Jasmine said as she took Alicia''s hand and headed for the door.

    "Thanks foring. And once again I''m sorry," Lucy said apologetically as the couple stepped outside.

    "It''s not a problem. We understand," Jasmine assured her with a wave as they both walked away.

    "I have a YouTube channel with lots of followers, just in case you want to share your side of the story," Alicia offered as Jasmine dragged her away.

    Just then a cab pulled to a stop in front of the house, and Sonia stepped out of the cab with her luggage box and handbag, causing Jasmine and Alicia to stop and stare at her curiously.

    "Hey, Lu!" Sonia called out to Lucy before she could shut the door.

    "Isn''t that Sonia Smith? The writer who just dumped Bryan Hank? What is she doing here?" Alicia whispered to Jasmine as they both looked from Sonia to Lucy.

    Seeing Sonia standing out there, Lucy ran out of her apartment barefooted and ran straight into Sonia''s outstretched arm. Both friends held on to each other tightly, not caring that they were standing out there in the open.

    "I''m sorry I arrivedte," Sonia said as she pulled away from the hug to look at Lucy.

    "It''s notte. Let''s go in," Lucy suggested when she noticed that people were staring at them. She picked up Sonia''s luggage and led her to her apartment.

    "What about Lucas and your parents? Are they inside?" Sonia asked curiously as she followed Lucy.

    "They''re not here yet. They didn''t leave on time, and they''reing by road because of my mom who hates to fly," Lucy exined as she led Sonia inside her apartment.

    Once Lucy shut the door behind them, Sonia dropped her handbag on the floor and pulled Lucy into a hug, and just held her there.

    They stood there without saying a word. No words were needed. They both understood what the other was going through, so they held on to each other tightly, both offering and takingfort from each other.. Before they knew it they were both sobbing.

 Chapter 232 - Family Reunion

    Once the best friends stopped crying and settled down on the couch, Lucy remembered what Tom had told her, and turned to look at Sonia, "Tom said you broke up with Bryan. Why did you do that?" Lucy asked in a concerned tone since she knew for a fact that Sonia was in love with him.

    "I just don''t want him to get mixed up in this. He''s an actor and his public image is important to his career," Sonia exined with a sigh.

    "Is that what he told you? What did he say when you asked for the breakup?" Lucy asked, and Sonia looked away guiltily.

    "I actually didn''t ask. I just ended things with him myself."

    "I guess it''s true what they say," Lucy said in amazement.

    "What they say about what?" Sonia asked, returning her gaze to Lucy.

    "Even the smartest people are not so smart when they''re in love," Lucy said with a shake of her head, "You should have first talked things through with him instead of just breaking up with him like that."

    "It doesn''t matter now, does it? The deed has been done. So what''s the n for the video? What social media tform do you have in mind?" Sonia asked, wanting to change the subject.

    She didn''t want to think about Bryan right now. She didn''t want to start worrying about why he was yet to call or text her. Although she had ended things with him unexpectedly, she still expected him to understand her and give her a call.

    "You''re the social media freak, so I was hoping you would have an idea. Although one of my neighbors mentioned something about having a YouTube channel with many followers," Lucy said, and Sonia pursed her lips thoughtfully.

    "YouTube... That''s not a bad idea. We could shoot it there and then I would share the link to the video on my Instagram bio since I have lots of followers there," Sonia said, and then looked at Lucy with serious eyes.

    "Are you sure you want to put yourself through this? I could just make a video of myself defending you. It''s easier that way," Sonia suggested even as Lucy shook her head.

    "No, it''s not. Let''s not argue about it," Lucy said dismissively, and Sonia narrowed her eyes at her suspiciously.

    "Why do you sound unaffected by this?"

    "I''m not unaffected. I''m just trying not to let it weigh me down. Would you rather you came here and saw me hiding under my duvet?" Lucy asked, and Sonia shook her head.

    "Nah, I''m d you seem okay. By the way, why don''t I see Tom around? Come and show me his apartment," Sonia said, tugging Lucy''s arm as she got off the couch.

    "He left some minutes before you arrived. I didn''t want him to be here when they arrive," Lucy exined as she pulled Sonia down.

    "Why?" Sonia asked in confusion.

    "This is not the time for that," Lucy said, giving Sonia a pointed look, and she sighed.

    "You''re right."

    They both turned to the door when they heard the doorbell, "I guess they''re here," Sonia said as they both got off the couch, and Lucy hurried to the door to open it.

    "Mom," she greeted as she embraced her mom.

    "Oh, my poor baby!" Her mother cooed softly as she embraced her, "You''ve lost so much weight," her mother observed as she broke the hug and looked Lucy over, "You''re not eating enough."

    "If you''re done weighing her, can I hug my princess?" Lucy''s father asked impatiently, and her mother moved away to embrace Sonia so that Lucy could embrace her father.

    "Sonia my darling, how have you been?" She asked as she embraced Sonia.

    "I''ve been great. I don''t think there is any need to ask you how you''ve been. You look lovely as always Mrs. Perry," Sonia said admiringly, and Lucy''s mother smiled.

    "Thanks foring to see her. I''m sure this must not be easy for you either."

    "Daddy!" Lucy cried out as her father''s strong arms came around her, and he lifted her off the ground making herugh like she always did whenever he did that.

    "I''m too old for this now," Lucyined as he set her down and gazed fondly into her gray eyes which were identical to his.

    "You can never be too old in my eyes. You''ll always be my little princess," her father said as he pecked her forehead and then moved away from her to look at Sonia, "Who knew I would run into a celebrity here? I hope to get an autograph before I leave," He asked with a teasing smile as he embraced Sonia and pecked her cheek.

    It was no secret in Lucy''s family that Lucy''s father was Sonia''s first crush. He was not just handsome, but also looked very athletic. And he seemed to look even more attractive as he got older, "You''re going gray," Sonia observed when she noticed the gray hairs that decorated his beards.

    "And more handsome, yeah?" He asked with a wink and chuckled when she blushed.

    "Let the poor girl be, Drew! Quit teasing her," Lucy''s mother chided her husband with a giggle.

    "Hey, Lulu!" Lucas greeted as he walked in carrying their mother''s duffel bag. He set it down and embraced her, "I''m sorry I yelled at you earlier. I was upset," he said apologetically.

    "It''s okay. I''ve missed you," Lucy said, looking at him with a fond smile.

    "Where is that boyfriend you spoke about? Or was it a lie?" Her mother asked, looking around the house.

    "Did wee here because of her boyfriend?" Her father asked incredulously.

    "Did wee here not to meet her boyfriend? Why can''t we kill two birds with one stone?" Her mother asked before turning to look at her, "Why isn''t he here? Don''t tell me he broke up with you because of the news?" Her mother asked, making Lucy sigh as she met Sonia''s gaze.

    "He didn''t. It''s not like this is a happy family reunion or something..."

    Her mother cut her off with a wave of her hands, "Of course, it is. We haven''t seen you in a while so we needed to be here to make sure you are okay. Listen, baby, we are one happy family and we won''t let anybody take our joy from us. Especially not now that you have a boyfriend. Don''t worry, sweety, we are definitely going to resolve this. There is nothing to worry about," her mother said with a confident smile.

    "Let''s all settle down and then we can talk about this," Lucy''s father suggested as Lucy showed her mother and Sonia to the bedroom.

    *********

    Once Tom took off the disguise and changed into the outfit he had worn earlier that morning, he picked up the keys to Lucy''s car and left the office.

    On his way to the parking lot, his phone started ringing and he received the call when he saw that it was from Harry, "Hey!"

    "I''ve gotten the details of the person who made the first post," he announced without beating around the bush, and Tom''s steps faltered.

    "Text it to me."

    "I will. I''ve been on the phone with most of the shareholders all day and they''re not pleased that we are yet to fire Lucy. I have also received several calls this evening, and I was told that you escorted Lucy out of thepany as the CEO and fired an employee in the presence of other staff for speaking ill of her. Is that true?" Harry asked quietly.

    "Yes, I did. And Harry please don''t start telling me about what I''m supposed to do or not do as the CEO. She is mine, and I owe it to her to protect her," Tom said before Harry could say anything else.

    "We are the only ones who knows that. If you were married to her and you were doing all of this no one would dare to challenge you. But right now everyone thinks she is just an employee, so your actions are questionable," Harry tried to exin.

    "Then I should just open up to everyone and let them know that she is my girlfriend," Tom suggested.

    "This is not the time, Tom! It''s not the right time for this. I understand that this must not be easy for you, but you''re also not making things easy for me either. I''ve been trying all day to convince the shareholders to be calm, and I''m also here trying to help Jade with her case. I''m feeling overwhelmed by all of it," Harryined.

    "I''m sorry, Harry. I will deal with this. I will deal with the shareholders as well. Just send me the details," Tom said as he headed for the car, and got in.

    "Please, Tom, do not do anything reckless. I understand that Lucy means a lot to you, but thepany is also important to us. You know best how this works," Harry pleaded.

    "Don''t worry, Harry. Just focus on Jade''s case, and leave this to me," Tom said, and then nced at his phone when he got the notification for another call.

    "Let''s talkter, I need to take Bryan''s call," Tom informed him and hung up.

    "What''s up?" He asked once he received Bryan''s call.

    "If you''re not too busy can you pick me up?"

 Chapter 233 - Shit!

    "Sup? What is going on? What are you doing here?" Tom asked the moment he stopped the car beside Bryan, and he got into the front seat of the car.

    "Are you asking that because you don''t know that Sonia broke up with me and came here to be with Lucy?" Bryan asked, barely able to conceal his annoyance and frustration.

    "I''ve been trying to make sense of all that she said but it still doesn''t make any sense to me. Does it make sense that she wants us to stay away from each other until everything is resolved? I tell her that I love her, and she is talking about how she cares about my fucking career," Bryan said angrily and Tom listened to him without saying a word.

    "I''m here to help them resolve things quickly so that I can go back home with my fiancee," Bryan stated matter of factly as he buckled his seatbelt.

    "Does your agency know that you are here?" Tom asked curiously, and Bryan shook his head.

    "No, they don''t. They would probably try to stop me if they knew I wasing here after Sonia walked out like that. Not that I care about what they think anyway," Bryan said dismissively.

    If the situation wasn''t serious, Tom would have probably teased him or made jokes about how much he had changed since thest time they met, but he understood Bryan. He knew how he had felt just a moment ago when Lucy asked him to stay away from her. That was something he knew that he wouldn''t be able to do, so he could understand his brother''s action.

    "I understand. Have you spoken to mom yet? She has been trying to reach you," Tom said, and Bryan shook his head.

    "I''m not in the mood to talk to her or anyone else. I only turned on my phone to talk to you," Bryan said as hebed his fingers through his hair in frustration.

    This was the thing he hated most about falling in love with someone, having your whole life revolve around them. It was not even up to six hours since she left, yet he had no interest in anything. Nothing seemed to make sense to him since she left. How the fuck did she expect him to live without her until everything was resolved?

    After she left him at the game lounge earlier, he had left while Jeff was busy trying to cate the producer who was angry over Sonia''s sudden decision to leave at the final stage of the production. Bryan had taken a cab home, and once he walked into his home and saw how empty the whole ce was without Sonia and her stuff in his bedroom, he had known that there was no way he could stay away from her as she had asked him to. No fucking way.

    He had immediately ordered a ride that took him to a private airstrip where he hired a private jet that flew him down to Ludus so that his agency would not be able to trace his whereabouts. He knew that the CEO of his agency wouldn''t be pleased if he found out that he had left to meet Sonia.

    Seeing how lost Bryan looked, Tom patted his shoulder, "You should take it easy on yourself. Everything will be okay," Tom assured him.

    "Yeah. Sure."

    "You want to stay in a hotel or you''reing home with me?" Tom asked as he turned on the car''s ignition and reversed the car.

    "The apartment beside Lucy''s is still yours, right?" Bryan asked hopefully.

    "Yeah."

    "Then let''s go there," Bryan suggested, and Tom spared him a nce only for a moment before giving him a nod.

    "What has Lucy got to do with Sonia''s brother?" Bryan asked after a while, wanting to get a clear picture of all that was happening.

    Tom took in a deep breath. Although he wasn''t sure if it was in his ce to tell Bryan about Lucy''s past, but seeing all that was happening at the moment and how it was also affecting Bryan''s rtionship, he felt that Bryan deserved to know since he wasn''t a stranger. Having thought it through, Tom went on to tell Bryan all that he knew about Sonia''s and Lucy''s friendship.

    "Damn psychopath!" Bryan muttered under his breath when Tom had finished. He didn''t want to imagine how Lucy must have felt seeing the post, "You''ve made up with Lucy, right?" Bryan asked since Tom was yet to admit to him that Lucy had forgiven him and they were now on good terms.

    Tom didn''t see any reason to lie to Bryan anymore so he gave him a nod, "Yeah."

    "Good. Is there anyone you suspect might have done this?" Bryan asked thoughtfully.

    "My first guess would be Anita," Tom said, and Bryan raised a brow.

    "Anita? Your ex? Why would she do something like this? Does she know about your identity already?" Bryan asked thoughtfully, and Tom gave him a one-sided shrug.

    "I think so. But I don''t have any proof."

    "So why is she your first suspect then?" Bryan asked in confusion.

    "Let''s just call it a hunch."

    "I see. I''m still surprised that you didn''t have them take down the post. Why?" Bryan asked since he knew that if he were in Tom''s shoes that was the first thing he would have done even before Lucy finds out about it.

    "I wanted to, but Jade said that it wouldplicate things for Lucy, and suggested that we take it down only after finding the person responsible for the post," Tom exined.

    "I see. So what ns have been put in ce to find the person?" Bryan asked impatiently.

    "Harry already texted me the details," Tom informed him, and Bryan picked up Tom''s phone which he knew he always kept in the armrest console of his car while driving.

    Once he saw the name and address which was disyed on the phone''s screen he turned to Tom "Why don''t we pay this motherfucker a visit?"

    "I think we should let Lucy''s family handle it, and just throw our weight behind them," Tom said instead. Seeing how Lucy''s parents had traveled down to be with her, he figured it was best he gave them the chance to make the final decision on what should be done.

    "It doesn''t stop us from visiting this bastard. I don''t know about you, but I really want to mess this bastard up," Bryan said with a scowl.

    *********************

    Since Lucy had just two sofas in her living room, and it couldn''t amodate all of them, after having dinner they all gathered together in Lucy''s bedroom to talk about the issue that had brought them together. Sonia sat on the chair in front of the dressing table, while Lucy and her family stayed on the bed.

    "So what is going on, princess? Do you have any idea who is behind this? Maybe you stepped on the wrong toe?" Lucy''s dad asked her since it was obvious that whoever had done it was specifically targeting Lucy.

    Lucy''s thoughts briefly drifted to Anita, but she shook her head, "I don''t know..."

    "Surely there must be someone you are suspicious of or is there not?" Her mother cut in, and once again Lucy shook her head.

    There was no way she could tell her parents about Anita since she knew them well enough to know that the moment she mentions Anita''s name and exins her connection with her, they were going to ask her to end things with Tom immediately as they wouldn''t want her to get hurt because of a man.

    "Are you certain, Lu? You should talk to us," Lucas urged her.

    "Tom has people trying to find the person who started this. Once they are able to find them, we can press charges against them," Lucy said, and her father nodded.

    "I will like to meet him," Tom''s father said, and Lucas nodded in agreement.

    "Yes, you should invite him over," Lucas added as he nced at his phone which was ringing yet again with another call from Rachel, "Excuse me for a moment," Lucas said as he stood up to leave the room.

    "I''m so relieved to see that you are handling this very well," Lucy''s mother said as she reached out to pat her hair, and Lucy snuggled closer to her. Although she had not wanted them toe over, now that they were here she felt much better.

    "Yeah. She is a big girl now," her father said with a proud smile before turning to look at Sonia who had remained quiet the whole time.

    "Are you okay, pumpkin? You''ve been so quiet?" He asked curiously when he noticed how she kept staring at her phone like she was waiting for a call.

    Sonia shed him a smile, "I''m fine. I just need to get a ss of water." she said as she picked up her phone and stood up to leave the bedroom.

    Her phone started ringing almost immediately and she picked up the call when she saw that it was from Mia, "Hey!" She greeted as she walked out of the bedroom.

    "Have you heard from Bryan?" Mia asked in a worried tone.

    "No. Why?" Sonia asked in rm.

    "No one has seen him nor heard from him since you left. The CEO is very upset," Miained.

    "He is not at home?" Sonia asked fearfully.

    "No. We''ve checked everywhere.... Shit!" The rest of Mia''s words trailed off and she swore when a news article popped up on the screen of her iPad.

 Chapter 234 - FRAUD CELEBRITY COUPLE

    After Lucy''s dad and Lucas had left for the hotel, and her mother had settled in for the night, Lucy went to the living room to join Sonia, "What''s happening? You''ve been on the phone all evening," Lucy asked as she dropped on the couch beside Sonia who was scrolling through her phone with a ss of wine in front of her.

    Sonia looked at Lucy, and then let out a sigh as she handed her phone to her. Disyed on the screen was a news article with the caption, "FRAUD CELEBRITY COUPLE!!!" and attached to it was a photo of Sonia and Bryan together captured from one of their shoots.

    "As if I knew that this was going to happen," Sonia said as she picked up the ss of wine in front of her and sipped from it.

    "Have you heard from Bryan? What did he say?" Lucy asked with a concerned frown as she started reading through the article. It seemed like whoever had written the article had evidence to prove that both Bryan and Sonia had lied about their rtionship.

    "No. I''ve tried reaching him but his phone is switched off. His assistant said no one has been able to reach him since I left," Sonia said, and Lucy embraced her.

    "I''m sorry. All of this is my fault," Lucy said apologetically, and Sonia scoffed as she pulled away from the hug.

    "What nonsense are you uttering? It''s not like they''re making things up anyway. It''s true. We deceived everyone," Sonia said with a shrug, as she started to distractedly tap her feet.

    "Should I try to reach Tom and ask him if he has heard from Bryan?" Lucy asked since she knew that Sonia was only pretending to be okay. Seeing how she was tapping her feet, she could tell that Sonia was worried and trying to distract herself.

    Sonia shook her head, "I already ended things with him. What''s the point? Let''s just focus on why I''m here. Why didn''t you tell your parents about your n?" Sonia asked, wanting to change the subject and Lucy shook her head.

    "We both know that they will likely say no, don''t we? You know how protective they are, so what''s the point?" Lucy asked, and Sonia nodded her head as she took her phone from Lucy.

    "I guess so. So when do you want us to make the video then?" Sonia asked wanting to do something as she wasn''t sure she could stay still for much longer.

    "Let''s find time to do it tomorrow after I hear from Tom," Lucy said, and then took Sonia''s phone from her when it kept buzzing with Instagram and twitter notifications.

    Her phone was buzzing with so many messages from fans of both herself and Bryan, some of whom were expressing their disappointment at the pair for deceiving them, others whom were demanding to know the news was true or not, and some others whom believed that regardless of what was going on there was chemistry between Bryan and Sonia, and hoped that the BrySon ship would sail.

    "Let''s do something fun. You want to y a game or see a movie?" Lucy asked, wanting to distract Sonia.

    "Look at you trying to cheer me up, when I came here to cheer you up," Sonia said with a wry smile.

    "We are one, Sony. I got you," Lucy promised as she pulled Sonia closer to her so that Sonia was leaning on her with her head resting on Lucy''s shoulder.

    "I got you too, Lu. And I love you," Sonia said with a sigh as she wrapped her arm around Lucy''s waist.

    They both sat there infortable silence, and while Lucy thought about the video she nned to make, and whether or not to tell Tom about it, Sonia thought about Bryan and the nice time they had shared the previous night and early that morning. Who knew that so much could change within twenty-four hours?

    "Did I tell you that I and Bryan finally did ITst night?" Sonia asked with a smile in her voice and Lucy raised a brow.

    "I thought you said you were waiting?"

    "Yeah, I was. But I just couldn''t wait anymore. If I had known all of this would happen today I wouldn''t have wasted all that time waiting," Sonia said with a sigh.

    "I''m sorry," Lucy murmured as she patted Sonia''s hair gently. They both sat up when Lucy''s phone started ringing, and he picked it up expecting that it was probably Tom who was calling. She sighed when she saw that it was a call from Anita, and threw the phone on the couch.

    "Who is calling?" Sonia asked curiously when she noticed Lucy''s reluctance to receive the call.

    Sonia raised a brow when she picked up the phone and saw that it was Anita who was calling, and then she received the call, "Yeah?" She asked without minding her manners.

    Lucy looked at Sonia questioningly, but Sonia said nothing as she stood up and put some distance between her and Lucy.

    "Lucy?" Anita asked with a confused frown, not sure if it was Lucy who had taken the call or someone else on the line.

    "What do you want?" Sonia asked irritably. She needed to transfer some of her frustration and irritation to someone else, and Anita was the only avable person at the moment.

    Anita cleared her throat as she sat up on her bed. Lucy was always soft-spoken and polite, so hearing her sound this impatient and aggressive was quite unsettling, "Uhm, I guess I''m calling at a bad time..."

    "No. It''s not a bad time. What do you want?" Sonia asked rudely.

    Although Anita wasn''tfortable with the tone, she didn''t let it deter her, "I just went online and saw some news about you on social media..."

    "And?" Sonia cut in rudely.

    "Uhm... I was worried and I thought I should check on you to know how you''re doing," Anita said, trying to sound concerned.

    "That''s very sweet of you. Now let''s drop the pretense, okay? What exactly do you want from her?" Sonia asked rudely.

    "I beg your pardon?" Anita asked as she got off her bed. So this wasn''t Lucy? "Who am I speaking with?"

    "This is Sonia, Lucy''s very crazy best friend. I''m sure you''ve heard of me."

    "She has never mentioned you," Anita said in a cool voice. Judging by all she had heard about Lucy''s best friend, she was obviously not as naive or gullible as Lucy was.

    "Too bad you haven''t, maybe if you had, you wouldn''t be trying to mess with my bestie. Now listen, I don''t know what you want, or what games you are trying to y with her, and I honestly do not care to know either. My best friend is NOT interested in being friends with you. You rejected Tom when he came to you, and now she is dating him. Tom no longer wants you, it is Lucy who he wants, and there is nothing you or anyone else can do about it. Lose her number," Sonia said, and hung up before Anita could respond.

    "Was that necessary? What if she was really just trying to be friendly?" Lucy asked with a concerned frown.

    "Always trust your instincts, Lu. You were wary of her even before you realized that she was Tom''s ex-girlfriend, and you also said Tom is suspicious of her too. What other proof do you need? Plus, I don''t care whether or not she is just being friendly, I''m all the friend you need," Sonia said as she dropped on the couch beside Lucy.

    "Let''s get drunk and gossip the brothers until we sleep off," Sonia suggested with a wink as she poured more wine into the ss, and handed Lucy the ss while she drank directly from the bottle.

    *************

    Disguised in their costumes, Tom and Bryan walked into a dark room where a young college student was seated, and tied to a chair with a ck bag thrown over his head.

    "Please don''t hurt me, please," the young man cried when he heard the footsteps.

    Tom signalled to one of the men who had captured the college student to take the ck bag off his head so that they could see his face.

    Both brothers exchanged a look when they saw how young he was. They hadn''t expected whoever had posted such malicious content on the inte to be this young, but then again they should have expected it. It was the social media age after all, and people could hide behind their phone and post all manner of things.

    Once the bag was taken off his face, the young man looked at the two men who were standing before him with strange looking beards, and were dressed in matching ck suits and ck shades.

    "Please don''t hurt me," he pleaded.

    "How can you hurt people''s reputation and their emotions, and expect not to get hurt?" Tom asked incredulously.

    "I didn''t do anything. I haven''t done anything wrong," he pleaded tearfully.

    "Who paid you to do it? I will suggest that you think carefully before you respond to my question. Your rash action has put me in a tight spot and I am beyond pissed. I''m not a violet person, but I wouldn''t hesitate to hit you if you waste my time any more than you have already done," Bryan threatened, and judging by the way his hands were balled in a fist, the young man could tell that the man before him was barely managing to control his temper.

    "I''m sorry. I only did as I was told. I saw the news articles and I thought it was true," the young man pleaded as tears ran down his face.

    "I asked who?" Bryan barked at him angrily.

    "Some random guy walked up to me and my friends at the club and asked if we were up for a job. We only did as he asked us to, and we were paid after making the posts," he exined amidst his tears.

    "You were paid in cash?" Tom asked, and the young man nodded.

    "And there is no way you can reach this man?" Bryan asked, and the young man nodded.

    "Why should we believe you?" Bryan asked, looking like he wanted nothing more than to beat the young man to a pulp, "Give me one reason why we should believe you and let you out of here alive?" Bryan asked as he looked around the room dramatically.

    Seeing how Bryan was looking around as if he was looking for something with which to harm him, the young man started sobbing, "I swear to you, I''m not lying to you. My friends..... One of them recorded everything the man said with his apple wristwatch," he quickly confessed when Bryan picked up a piece of metal.

 Chapter 235 - Suit Yourself

    Tom roused from sleep when he heard the sound of his doorbell. He turned to look at Bryan who was sleeping beside him. They were both still dressed in the suit they had worn the previous night. They had been too tired to take off the clothes when they got home. They had only managed to take off their coat, wigs and fake mustache.

    It was past four in the morning before both brothers had finally made it to Tom''s apartment. Although they had both been very exhausted, they were satisfied with the progress they had made.

    He nced at his bedside clock. It was just seven in the morning. They had barely gotten three hours of sleep.

    Who could be at the door? Lucy? She was with her family, so he wasn''t so sure she was the one. If not her, then who? He wondered as he quickly got off the bed so that the person wouldn''t ring the doorbell again. He tried to move quietly so that he wouldn''t disturb Bryan''s sleep, but Bryan stirred in his sleep.

    "Are you expecting someone?" Bryan asked in a sleepy voice but didn''t open his eyes.

    "Not exactly," Tom said as he walked out of the bedroom. Although he wasn''t expecting anyone, he knew that it could be Lucy who had likelye to check on him after seeing her car parked outside her apartment. Once he got to the living room and opened the door, he was very surprised to see Sonia standing by his door.

    "Hi! Good morning," she greeted with a bright smile, while Tom just stared at her in surprise.

    Although he knew that Sonia had traveled down to see Lucy, he hadn''t expected to meet her this way, not with her standing outside his door by seven in the morning.

    Sonia had barely been able to sleep all through the night, despite the amount of alcohol she had consumed. She had been too worried about Bryan to sleep. She had kept waking up at intervals to dial his line, and each time it failed to connect, her heart became even heavier.

    She had finally dozed off in the early hours of the morning and had woken up barely an hourter. Since Lucy and her mother were still asleep when she woke up, she had decided to take an early morning stroll. She had been surprised to see Lucy''s car parked outside since it hadn''t been there when she arrived the previous evening. That led her to believe that Tom was probably around in his apartment. And here she was.

    "Good morning," Tom greeted, his surprise evident in his tone.

    "I''m Sonia..."

    "Of course, I know who you are," Tom cut in to save her the stress of introducing herself.

    "Can Ie in?" Sonia asked uncertainly since she didn''t know if Tom was going to be receptive to her because she had just publicly called off her engagement with his brother the previous day.

    Tom nced inside the house, wondering if Bryan would like to meet Sonia yet. On second thoughts he opened the door for her to get in, knowing that if his brother was anything like him, he would want to meet Sonia at any point of the day.

    "Thank you," Sonia said as she walked into the house.

    Bryan who was now awake and had been on his way to the living room to find out who was visiting his brother so early in the morning, paused when he heard the familiar voice, and his heart skipped a beat.

    Had it been less than twenty-four hours since hest heard that voice? It felt like ages since he hadst seenid his eyes on her. He missed her and wanted nothing more than to kiss her and let her know how much he loved her and couldn''t bear to be away from her.

    "Uhm, I know it''s our first time meeting, and you probably already heard that I called off things with your brother. I''m very sorry for barging in on you this way," Sonia babbled, and Tom shook his head to stop her.

    "You don''t have to exin yourself or be sorry. Is Lucy okay?" He asked the first question that came to his mind. He recalled that he had promised to give Lucy a call when he got home the previous evening, but then he had been carried away by Harry''s call, and then Bryan''s call and arrival, and following that Bryan had insisted they find those behind the social media scandal. They had gotten home toote, and he hadn''t wanted to disturb Lucy''s sleep so he had failed to call her.

    "Physically? She''s okay. Her mom is with her. But I''m not so sure if she''s okay emotionally, considering all that is going on. That''s one of the reasons I''m here. Before we get into that, have you heard from your brother?" Sonia asked with a concerned frown.

    "Bryan?" Tom asked in a loud voice to alert Bryan that he was the subject of discussion.

    "Yes, unless you have another brother that I don''t know about," She said with a trace of sarcasm in her voice, making Bryan''s lips curve in a smile as he listened to her. He could almost imagine her rolling her eyes.

    Although he was very tempted to go out there to her and show her just how much he had missed her, he refrained himself from doing so. He needed to hear what she had to say.

    Tom''s lips twitched in amusement, "No, I haven''t heard from him. Why?" Tom asked, and Sonia looked at him for a moment without saying a word.

    Knowing how Tom had deceived her best friend in the past, she couldn''t exactly be med for not believing his words, "Can I take your word for it?" Sonia asked doubtfully.

    "It''s up to you. Hold on, let me get my phone and see if I can reach him," Tom said as he walked past Sonia and headed for his bedroom. Seeing how she seemed to have trust issues with him, he didn''t want to start on the wrong foot with her since she was not just his baby''s best friend, but his sister-inw.

    He almost bumped into Bryan who was standing by the door and eavesdropping on their conversation, "What are you trying to do?" Bryan asked as he followed Tom on tiptoes.

    They both walked into the bathroom so they could speak without being heard, "I thought you were still asleep. Why are you eavesdropping? You don''t want to talk to her? She is very worried about you," Tom said, and Bryan snorted.

    "Serves her right. She decided to call things off after all," Bryan said, and Tom shook his head.

    "Just yesterday you looked like you were going to die if you didn''t see her, and now you''re going to let your pride get in the way?" Tom asked.

    "She should get a taste of her own medicine," Bryan said stubbornly.

    "You''re so immature. Suit yourself," Tom said as he picked up his phone and returned to the living room to join Sonia.

    "I intend to," Bryan said with a smirk as he followed Tom, and then stood behind the door once again so he could hear what Sonia had to say.

    "His line is not connecting," Tom said when he dialed Bryan''s line and raised it to his ear.

    "Yeah. Everyone has been trying to reach him. I hope he''s okay," Sonia said with a slight frown.

    "Don''t worry, I''m sure he''s okay wherever he is. Bryan is known to sulk when he doesn''t get his way," Tom said with a wink, and jerked his head in the direction where Bryan was hiding, making Sonia narrow her eyes.

    "One time when he was fourteen, he bedwet and then tried to hide the clothes so that no one would find out what he had done. He even turned the mattress over..."

    Bryan''s face contorted in a scowl, and he gritted his teeth in annoyance as he listened to Tom share the embarrassing details of his childhood with thedy he loved, while Sonia who had sounded very worried a moment ago started giggling.

    "... And then his school crush who happened to be Jade''s friend came visiting. Mom wasn''t aware of the girl''s presence, so when she went around the rooms to pick our dirtyundry and got a whiff of the stale urine under Bryan''s mattress she started yelling about how Bryan always..."

    "Shut up, or I''m going to kill you!" Bryan growled at Tom angrily as he came out of his hiding, ready to swing a punch at Tom, but he was quick to duck.

    Sonia who had already gotten the hint from Tom that Bryan was in the house, looked at Bryan with disapproval as he continued to chase Tom around the living room, but it was obvious that he was still favoring one of his legs.

    "Bryan!" Sonia snapped at him, and he turned to look at her with a scowl.

    "What do you want?" He asked grudgingly, even though now that he was standing face to face with her, he could no longer remember why he was mad at her.

    "Why are you here?" Sonia asked even though what she wanted was to run into his arms and embrace him.

    "What do you care?" Bryan asked with a scowl.

    "Alright.. Daddy will excuse you kids to sort things out while I give Lucy a call," Tom said as he walked away, but neither of them paid any attention to him.

 Chapter 236 - The Apartment Next Door

    Lucy roused from sleep by the sound of Sonia''s ringing tone. She couldn''t believe that she had slept off on the couch. Her whole body ached due to the cramped position she had slept in.

    Lucy stood up and stretched out her body before it ured to her that Sonia wasn''t in the living room. Where was Sonia? She wondered as she called out to Sonia, but didn''t get a response. Her eyes fell on Sonia''s phone which had resumed ringing again after the first disconnected call. She picked it up when she saw that it was Sonia''s editor who was calling, and silenced the phone as she walked around her little apartment in search of Sonia.

    By the time she returned to the living room once again, it was obvious to her that Sonia wasn''t in the apartment. She nced at the door and sighed when she noticed that her slide slippers wasn''t there.

    She dropped Sonia''s phone and picked up hers to see if there was any missed call or text message from Tom. She scowled when she didn''t see any, and angrily dropped the phone when she heard the sound of the doorbell.

    "Good morning, dad!" She greeted when she opened the door and saw her father standing there.

    "Good morning, Princess. Whose car is parked out there? It wasn''t there when we leftst night," her father said as he walked into the house.

    "A car?" Lucy asked as she walked outside to see the car, even though she was aware that it was hers.

    When did Tom return the car? Or did he send the substitute driver from yesterday to bring the car to her? She wondered as she nced at his apartment. She wasn''t sure he was at home.

    "What are you staring at?" Lucas who had been on the phone with Rachel, asked as he got out of his car and looked in the direction of Tom''s apartment, "Is that the apartment of that your friend''s friend driver? Or was it colleague''s friend''s driver?" Lucas asked with a grin, and Lucy scowled as she turned to look at him.

    "I don''t know what you''re talking about," she said as she picked up the car key from the top of one of the tyres and returned inside the house.

    Thest thing she wanted was for a nosy neighbor to capture a photo of her standing outside, still dressed in her pyjamas, and staring at the apartment next door. She could imagine what manner of caption they would give to such a photo.

    Probably something like, ''Killer of college student, targeting her next victim?'' Lucy thought with a giggle as she walked into her apartment.

    "What is making youugh?" Her father asked as he watched her with concern.

    "Nothing serious. Just a silly thought," Lucy said as she ced the car key on the table.

    Even though she did not exactly find her situation funny, knowing that people were going to be on the look out for her, so they could continue to supply the public with all manner of rumor about her, she couldn''t help but try to find the humor in her situation. What else could she do butugh?

    "I need coffee in my system," her fatherined as he walked over to her bedroom to meet his wife, while Lucy went over to the kitchen to prepare coffee for everyone.

    "Now that I think about it, you didn''t give me an update on the rtionship between your colleague''s friend and her driver," Lucas said with a teasing smile as he joined her in the kitchen with a box of cookies, "Oh, yeah, you did! He turned out to be her boss, right? And they''re dating now, aren''t they?" Lucas asked, and then chuckled when she red at him.

    "What is your point?" Lucy asked dryly.

    "Well, it''s not bad to listen to a brotherly advise once in a while. I honestly can''t wait to see my future brother-inw," Lucas said making Lucy roll her eyes.

    "Don''t get ahead of yourself. I never said anything about getting married to him," Lucy pointed out.

    "Yeah, yeah. Where is Sonia by the way?" Lucas asked curiously when he realized that he was yet to see any trace of her.

    "She wasn''t here when I woke up, and she didn''t take her phone with her either. I think she stepped out for a stroll," Lucy said as she turned to look at Lucas who was now seated on one of the twin chairs in her kitchen.

    "Is she okay? I noticed that she wasn''t her usual chatty selfst night," Lucas said with concern as he opened the box of cookie, and Lucy sighed as she poured him a cup of coffee and ced it in front of him, before going to pour a ss of cranberry for herself.

    "How can she be chatty when she just broke up with the man she is in love with?" Lucy asked as she took the seat opposite him.

    Seeing how they were both seated here now, she was d that she had followed her instincts and purchased this simple cane dining set with just twin chairs. She had been reluctant to purchase it at first, as she made ns to move over to ludus, since she lived alone and had no need for it when she could easily eat in her bedroom or living room.

    "Yeah. I guess you''re right," he said with a sigh as he looked into his cup of coffee and stirred it quietly.

    "Is everything okay?" She asked as she watched him carefully from where she was seated. Maybe it was because they were twins, but somehow she always managed to know when something was wrong with him, regardless of how well he tried to act like he was fine.

    "Sure."

    "Liar! Out with it, what is the problem?" Lucy asked, watching him as he continued to look into his coffee.

    Seeing how reluctant he was to talk about what was bothering him, Lucy narrowed her eyes suspiciously, "This has something to do with Rachel, doesn''t it?" She asked since she knew that Lucas was only reluctant to tell her stuff when it had to do with Rachel because he knew that she didn''t like her.

    "She didn''t do anything wrong," he said defensively without meeting her gaze.

    "Of course, she didn''t," Lucy said with a smirk, "Your response have said it all. What''s up this time? I thought everything was rosy, and you both are busy with your wedding ns and..." The rest of her words trailed off when she realized what the problem could be.

    "Is she fighting with you because you''re here with me?" Lucy asked knowingly. Knowing how clingy Rachel was, she wouldn''t put it past her.

    "She is just upset that I left the way I did," Lucas exined.

    "Then go back to her. I asked you not toe anyway," Lucy said irritably as she drank from her juice.

    No matter how much she tried, she couldn''t really bring herself to like Rachel. And Rachel was not making it easy for her either. How could any sensibledy be mad that her mad had left to spend time with his family considering the situation of things? If she wanted his attention so much why didn''t she just travel down with him? Not that Lucy wanted her to stay under her roof anyway.

    "You see why I didn''t want to talk to you about it? You always react this way when Rachel is involved," Lucas said with disapproval as he stood up and walked away with his cup of coffee in hand.

    Lucy opened her mouth to say something, but snapped it shut when her phone started ringing. She picked it up and received the call when she saw that it was a call from Tom.

    "You were supposed to give me a call when you got somest night," Lucy said testily.

    "Good morning to you too, Princess. Did you sleep well?" Tom asked cheerfully, choosing to ignore her statement since he could tell that she was in the mood to transfer aggression.

    "Why didn''t you call?" Lucy asked again, ignoring his greeting.

    "Why didn''t you call to check on me when you didn''t see my call?" Tom asked in return.

    "I was busy."

    "Good. So why do you think I failed to call you?" Tom asked patiently as though he was talking to a kid.

    ''"Whatever."

    "Did you get the grocery items?" Tom asked curiously.

    "Yes, I did. Thank you," Lucy murmured grudgingly.

    "You are wee. And you don''t have to be upset that I didn''t call. We only got home in the early hours of the morning, and I didn''t want to disturb your sleep. We were very busy trying to find the people behind the article on the," Tom exined making her brows furrow in confusion.

    "We? Who else was with you?"

    "Oh, yeah. Bryan got herest night. Your best friend is here too," Tom informed her.

    "Sonia is there? Where?" She asked as she stood up.

    "The apartment next door," before Tom could finish speaking, Lucy hung up the call and hurried out of the house to join them.

 Chapter 237 - Family

    Neither Bryan nor Sonia said a word to each other as they both remained where they stood, staring at each other. Although they were both d to see each other, they both looked at the other wearily.

    "You should be careful with your foot. That you''re able to walk doesn''t mean it ispletely healed yet," Sonia said with concern, and Bryan raised a brow.

    "You don''t have to worry about me. You lost that right when you broke up with me," Bryan reminded her as he went to sit on the couch.

    Sonia swallowed, "Still, you shouldn''t be careless."

    "Thanks for your advice. I''ll keep that in mind," Bryan said dryly, and they bothpsed into another round of silence. He could tell that Sonia had something to say, and he wanted to hear what it was.

    He didn''t know why he was bent on staying mad at her when deep down he knew that he had already forgiven her. Maybe he just wanted her to sweat over it.

    "I''m sorry. I shouldn''t have done that. I didn''t mean to hurt you. I was only doing what I thought was best for you and your career," Sonia said apologetically as she took the seat closest to him, and Bryan scoffed.

    "As what? My mother or my manager?"

    "As someone who loves and cares for you," Sonia said quietly.

    "How thoughtful of you. Thanks for looking out for me then," Bryan said sarcastically.

    "Cut it out, Bryan! I''ve said I''m sorry!" Sonia snapped at him irritably.

    Bryanughed incredulously, "No, you cut it out! I can''t believe you''re getting man right now when you''re the one who walked out on me less than twenty-four hours ago, and then youe in here sounding like you''re so concerned and worried about my wellbeing. If you cared about me as much as you just disyed, you wouldn''t have made such a decision without asking me what I wanted! So if we were married and an issue like this came up, you would divorce me just to protect my career as you im?" Bryan asked angrily, and Sonia sighed.

    "And I just apologized, didn''t I? I wasn''t thinking straight," Sonia said with a frown that told Bryan that she didn''t like the line she had just used.

    "What makes you think you''re thinking straight now?" Bryan asked, wanting to provoke her further.

    "Have you seen the scandal about us?" Sonia asked, without bothering to answer his question.

    "Oh! There is a scandal? I guess that exins why you are here," Bryan said with disinterest.

    Whatever the scandal was about, he didn''t give a damn. It wouldn''t be the first time he was involved in a scandal. He had thought she missed him sorely and hade here because she couldn''t stay a day more without hearing from him, but he had been wrong.

    "Why are you being difficult? You''ve offended me a couple of times in the past and I easily let go, so why are holding on to this one mis..."

    "Easily let go? As if," Bryan muttered with a scoff.

    "What do you mean by that?" Sonia asked with a slight frown as she tried to recall all three times he had offended her.

    "You know what? Never mind," Sonia muttered as she stood up to leave.

    Bryan watched her with narrowed eyes as she headed for the door.

    **********

    Thankfully no one was in the living room to stop Lucy as she picked up Sonia''s cellphone from the table and ran outside. She had no idea why she was running over there, but she just wanted to be there.

    Although the distance wasn''t much, she was panting by the time she got to Tom''s door and rang the doorbell.

    "I wonder who is at the door this time," Bryan murmured as he nced at the door, but made no attempt to get it since Sonia was already heading to the door.

    Tom walked out of the bedroom to get the door since he knew it was Lucy, "You can''t leave yet. Your friend is here," Tom said as he walked past Sonia and opened the door.

    "I understand that you missed me much, but you didn''t have to run all the way here. I''m surprised you remembered to wear any footwear," Tom said with a teasing smile when he saw that she was still dressed in her pyjamas and her hair looked a bit rough. She wasn''t even wearing her sses.

    Lucy hit his arm as she walked past him into the house, and stopped when she saw Sonia. She then nced at Bryan who was still seated. From the look on Sonia''s face, she could tell that Sonia was yet to resolve things with Bryan.

    "Finally I get to meet my sister-inw," Bryan said with a wide smile as he stood up to greet Lucy, "Good morning, Lucy. I''ve heard a whole lot about you, but none of the things I heard did justice to your beauty," Bryan said making Tom raise a brow.

    "Save the ttery for your fiancee," Tom warned.

    What was it with the whole inw talk today? Lucy mused as she walked up to Bryan, "Good morning, Bryan. I''ve heard a lot about you too," Lucy said with a warm smile as she extended her hand for a handshake, but Bryan took her hand and pulled her in for a hug instead.

    "We are practically family, and we don''t do handshakes here," Bryan said as he embraced her, "Everything will be fine, okay? Your man and I are doing all we can to resolve things," He assured her quietly as he patted her hair, while both Sonia and Tom stared at them.

    Lucy''s throat constricted, and she swallowed hard, "Thank you," Lucy whispered as she pulled away from him.

    "Don''t mention," Bryan said with a small smile.

    "I suppose I''m the terrible brother-inw," Tom muttered under his breath, and Soniaughed softly, making Bryan turn to look at her. Who said she couldugh?

    "Remember what I told you about him sulking?" Tom asked Sonia when she abruptly stoppedughing once she met Bryan''s gaze.

    "Shut up," Bryan warned Tom, making Lucy look from both brothers to Sonia curiously as she wondered what was going on.

    "Trust me when I say he''s just pretending to be mad. He missed you so much that he was crying out your name in his sleepst night. I guess even grown men y hard to get when they''re in love," Tom said with a tsk, and ducked when Bryan flung a book at him, making both Lucy and Sonia giggle.

    "Get out," Bryan ordered Tom who looked at him with a slightly raised brow.

    "It''s my house," Tom reminded him.

    "It won''t be much longer if I kill you," Bryan threatened

    "Kill me? Maybe I should just tell thedies how you fought with Matt and he..." The rest of Tom''s words trailed off in a chuckle as he quickly moved away from Bryan''s reach.

    "Come with me, babe. Let''s talk in the bedroom while they sort out their issue," Tom said with a grin as he took Lucy''s hand and led her to the room.

    Once they were left alone once again, Sonia who was still smiling, turned to look at Bryan, "So, what do you want me to do? Should I leave?" She asked, making Bryan scowl at her.

    "Did I leave on all the few asions you were mad at me?" He asked grudgingly.

    Sonia looked at him for a moment, and without saying a word she walked up to him and embraced him, "I''m sorry. It won''t happen again," she promised as she rested her head on his chest.

    Bryan felt his heart flutter, "You really hurt my feelings," Bryan confessed, as he hugged her back.

    "You sound like a girl," Sonia teased, and Bryan pulled away from the hug and rounded his lips in a pout.

    "I don''t look like one?" He asked, and she giggled.

    "I''m really sorry I hurt your feelings. I hurt mine too. I missed you so much my heart ached," Sonia confessed as she gazed into his clear blue eyes.

    "It serves you right," Bryan said as he lowered his lips to hers and kissed her slowly.

    Meanwhile, inside the bedroom, Tom looked at Lucy with interest, "So can you tell me why you were upset over the phone?"

    "Who said I was upset?" She asked without meeting his gaze, and Tom smiled as he watched her. Who knew she could be so childish and cute?

    "Come here," he ordered in a quiet voice since she was standing by the dressing table while he was seated on the bed.

    Lucy looked at him and slowly walked over to join him on the bed. Once he was within arm''s reach, he grabbed her arm and pulled her down so that she fell on him.

    "Sometimes you act like my girlfriend, and at other times you act like a stranger, why is that?" Tom asked in a husky voice as he raised his hand to her hair and removed the band which was holding the hair in a ponytail, causing it to fall in cascades around her shoulder.

    "When did I act like a stranger?" She asked in a quiet voice as she met his gaze. Her heart skipped a beat when his eyes moved to her lips, and her tongue involuntarily snuck out of her mouth to wet her lips.

    Tom lowered his head slowly and just as their lips touched, they heard the sound of the doorbell.

    "Who is it this time?" Tom asked with a groan.

 Chapter 238 - Blogger

    Once Tom opened the door, he was surprised to see Alicia standing there, "Good morning!" She greeted with a friendly smile, as she looked at him from head to toe, wondering why he was dressed that way so early on a Saturday morning.

    "Good morning. How may I help you?" He asked without returning her smile or bothering to invite her in. Although Lucy was still in his bedroom, and both Sonia and Bryan had gone into the next bedroom when they heard the sound of the doorbell, he didn''t want Alicia inside his house.

    Something about the way Alicia always followed him with her eyes like she was keeping tabs on him, made him wary of her, and he was yet to forgive her and Jasmine for what they did during dinner.

    "I was hoping I could speak with you for a moment," she said, and Tom raised a brow.

    "Speak with me?" He asked, and when she gave him a nod, he reluctantly held the door open for her to go in.

    Once she stepped inside, Alicia looked around the apartment curiously. She was tempted to ask about Lucy and Sonia since she had seen Sonia walk into the house earlier, and had also seen Lucy run out of her apartment like she was being chased a while ago, but she refrained from doing so. She could tell that he was wary of her, and she didn''t want to give him any more reason to feel that way. She was only trying to help after all.

    "You can sit down. Excuse me for a moment," Tom said, and she reasoned that he was probably going to tell bothdies to stay quiet since he had a visitor. What were they all up to?

    "Sure," she said with a nod and watched as Tom walked away.

    Tom stopped by the other bedroom first to see Bryan and Sonia, "I have a guest. So you should remain here," he informed them before walking over to his bedroom to meet Lucy.

    "Alicia is in the living room," he informed Lucy.

    "Alicia? What is she doing here?" Lucy asked with a slight frown. Perhaps Alicia wanted to ask for his sperm now? She wondered.

    "I don''t know. Do you want to see her? Or you would rather remain in here?" Tom asked, and Lucy pursed her lips as she thought of it.

    "Why don''t we find out what she has to say before I make my presence known?" Lucy asked, and Tom gave her a nod before walking away.

    Once he returned to the living room he sat down on the couch opposite Alicia, "Do you care for coffee?" Tom offered politely.

    "Nah. I''m fine," she said with a shake of her head, and then cleared her throat, "I wanted to talk to you about Lucy. You''re both in a rtionship, am I right?" Alicia asked, and Tom sat back in his seat to look at her.

    "Why do you ask?" Tom asked, his voice tone suddenly very cool. He hoped for her sake that she wasn''t here to speak ill of Lucy.

    "Because I want to know what your rtionship with her is before I say what I have to say," Alicia said without letting his tone get to her.

    Tom stared at her for a moment, and although he was tempted to tell her it wasn''t her business, he was curious to know what she had to say, "Yes."

    "I suppose she is aware that you''re the CEO of I-Global?" Alicia asked, and Tom looked at her in surprise making Alicia smile.

    "You don''t have to be surprised. I''m a very observant person by nature, so when something catches my interest I tend to give it my time," Alicia said, and Tom''s brows pulled together.

    "I''m not sure I follow what you''re trying to say."

    "Since you have admitted that you''re in a rtionship with her, I will just open up to you. You caught my interest the very first time I saw you. I liked you, and I told Jasmine that I thought you would make a good father for our kid. Jas and I wanted you to be our sperm donor," she said, and almostughed out loud when Tom''s mouth hung open in surprise.

    "Sperm donor?" He asked in horror, not knowing whether to feel ttered or insulted. He suddenly felt the urge to ce his hands over his crotch protectively. But refrained from doing something so silly.

    "I guess she didn''t tell you about it," Alicia said in amusement.

    "Jasmine?" Tom asked, wondering who she was referring to. This whole time he had thought bothdies were just sisters or friends. Howe he hadn''t noticed it?

    "No. Lucy."

    "Lucy? You told Lucy?" Tom asked in disbelief. Lucy knew all along that they wanted his sperm yet she didn''t say anything? Tom suddenly felt vited. Imagining how all three women must have sat down to discuss his sperm, his hands involuntarily moved to his crotch.

    "Are you going to repeat everything I say?" Alicia asked in amusement.

    "Hold on. How did you know that I''m the CEO of I-Global? And how long have you known that?" Tom asked curiously. He had tried his best to cover his tracks, so how could she have known?

    Now he was even more thankful that he had told everything to Lucy, else she would have found out right now since he was certain she was eavesdropping on their conversation at the moment.

    "I started trying to connect the dots after you asked us not to tell Lucy that you just moved into the neighborhood. And then I became more suspicious of you when we had dinner together and Lucy mentioned how she met you at a club and you ended up bing her next-door neighbor and driver." Alicia said with a small smile as she remembered all the times she had stood by her window and sat outside watching Lucy''s apartment because she feared that Tom was an obsessed stalker and might harm her.

    "I don''t believe much in coincidences. I felt she was very naive to have easily believed in the many coincidences. So I took a special interest in watching the both of you, just to make sure she was okay," Alicia said with a shrug.

    "You don''t have a job?" Tom asked. Although he appreciated her for looking out for Lucy, he couldn''t help feeling irritated with the fact that she had been watching him the whole time.

    Alicia gave him an easy smile, "I''m a blogger. She didn''t tell you that I offered to let her share her side of the story on my YouTube channel?" She asked, and Tom raised a brow.

    "Why do you seem so concerned about her?" Tom asked suspiciously.

    "I don''t know. Do I need to have a specific reason? She just seems like a nice person, and she is also my neighbor, so I want to help her," Alicia said with a shrug.

    "You''re not doing this because you want my... My..." Tom stopped, unable to bring himself to say the word.

    Alicia giggled, "No. I''m not doing this because we want you to father our child. As I said, it''s for Lucy," she assured him.

    Tom looked at her for a moment and then let out a sigh, "Alright. I will talk to her about it and..."

    "I will do it. I want to do it," Lucy said as she stepped out to join them, and then shed Alicia an apologetic smile, "Sorry. I hope you don''t mind that I was eavesdropping on your conversation, do you?"

    "I knew you were in there," Alicia said with a wide smile.

    "You seem to know everything," Tom said with a scowl, and Alicia giggled.

    "You would be surprised by how much I know about the lives of a lot of high-profile persons," Alicia said with a smile.

    "High profile persons?" Tom asked curiously, and Alicia nodded.

    "If you know a lot about high profile persons, howe you didn''t know about Tom?" Lucy cut in.

    "I tried digging into I-Global in the past, but there was no dirt there. There was no reason for me to pry into his life when he wanted to stay away from public view," Alicia exined.

    "For instance, I know that I-Global recently purchased Ocean Airlines. Although Mr. Wyatt imed to sell off the airline because he needed money to take care of his medical expenses, he is actually neck-deep in debts due to his gambling addiction," Alicia said, making Tom narrow his eyes.

    "I see," Lucy said, looking at Alicia with newfound admiration, "Your job must be dangerous," Lucy said thoughtfully.

    "That''s why I live here. You wouldn''t have known what I do had I not told you, right?" Alicia asked, and Lucy gave her a nod.

    "How do you get your information?" Tom asked curiously.

    "I have my sources. Very reliable resources," Alicia assured him.

    "I think apart from using your YouTube channel you might be able to help us," Tom said thoughtfully as an idea struck him.

    "I would like to assist you both in any way I can," Alicia said eagerly.

 Chapter 239 - Bullshit!

    Inside the bedroom, Soniay on the bed with her head resting on Bryan''s chest, while he patted her hair gently.

    "This feels like a dream," Sonia murmured, holding him close as if she was scared that he was going to disappear.

    "Aww, you''re in love," Bryan said in a teasing tone, and Sonia giggled as she hit his arm yfully.

    "It''s not funny!" Sonia chided him, and then she sat up to look into his face when she remembered that they weren''t here on a vacation.

    Seeing the sudden seriousness in her eyes, Bryan sat up with a sigh, "Okay. What were you saying about a scandal?"

    "It''s about our rtionship being fake. The article says we deceived everyone into believing that we are a couple, and thepanies that sponsored the reality show are calling you out. Your endorsement deals may be canceled and you will have to pay for breaching the contract," Sonia exined with a frown.

    "At least we both know our rtionship isn''t fake," Bryan said lightly.

    "That isn''t the point right now. We did deceive everyone," Sonia pointed out.

    "And the crux of the matter is whether or not our rtionship is fake. It is not," Bryan countered, and reached out to smoothen the creases on her brow with his hand.

    "Rx, babe. I will take care of it," he assured her with a small smile, but Sonia was having none of it.

    "How will you take care of it? This is all my fault. If I had not ended things, and left the way I did, this wouldn''t have happened," Soniained.

    "Says who? Don''t worry about it, and just trust me, alright? I will take care of it," Bryan promised, and they both turned to the door when they heard a knock.

    "Mind if Ie in? Bryan, Tom needs you in the living room," Lucy said without opening the door.

    "Reality calls," Sonia murmured to Bryan, "You cane in baby," she called back to Lucy as she jerked her head towards the door for Bryan to leave.

    "Baby? I thought I was your only baby?" Bryan asked with a scowl.

    "Apparently, you thought wrong," Sonia said with a giggle as she pushed him off the bed.

    "I thought wrong, huh?" Bryan asked in a threatening tone and snapped his finger at her before walking away.

    Lucy walked in with Sonia''s cellphone as Bryan walked out, "I forgot to give it to you earlier. Your editor has been calling," she said as she handed the phone to Sonia, and sat down on the bed next to her.

    "You both have reconciled, right?" Lucy asked hopefully, and Sonia gave her a wide smile.

    "Yes, we have. He came over to help resolve things quickly so that I can go back home with him," Sonia said with a happy smile.

    "Home, huh? I guess you''ll be getting married to him after all," Lucy said with a smile as she watched her friend. Although things weren''t going so well for her at the moment, she was happy to see that Sonia was happy.

    Sonia sighed, "Let''s just clear up all this mess before talking about anything else," Sonia said, suddenly feeling guilty that she was happy while Lucy''s issue was still unresolved.

    "About that, you won''t believe that one of my neighbors..." Lucy was interrupted by the sound of Sonia''s ringtone.

    "I need to take this," Sonia said when she saw that it was a call from Mia.

    "Sure. I should probably give Lucas a call so that they wouldn''t be worried about my sudden disappearance," Lucy said as she excused Sonia.

    "Hey!" Sonia greeted once she received Mia''s call.

    "Is this Miss Smith?" An unfamiliar masculine voice asked, and Sonia''s brows creased in confusion as she pulled the phone back to confirm that it was Mia who had called her. Why was someone else with the phone?

    "Yes. Who am I speaking with?" She asked cautiously.

    "This is Paul Williams. The CEO of golden stars entertainment agency," he introduced himself making Sonia''s heart skip a beat.

    "Oh, hello!"

    "I suppose you have seen the news all over the inte concerning your false engagement to Bryan?" He asked in a cool voice.

    "Yes, I have."

    "Mia ims that you''re in love with Bryan. Is that right?" He asked, and Sonia swallowed nervously, as her heartbeat increased.

    "Yes. I am."

    "I see. If you love him as you im, and you don''t want to ruin his career like you''re already doing, I will suggest that you take the fall for all of this. Give out a statement informing everyone that you emotionally ckmailed him into proposing to you. You are a writer so I''m sure you cane up with something interesting and convincing. Tell them you approached Bryan and asked him to help you because you wanted fame, and out of the kindness of his heart he obliged," the CEO said in amanding tone.

    "But he..."

    "There are no buts. All threepanies with which he signed endorsement deals for the reality show have called to cancel their endorsements, and several otherpanies are still calling to cancel theirs. They all want to bepensated because they feel they have been deceived. This isn''t good for Bryan''s career, and if you care about him as you have said, then you will do the right thing for him by taking the me," Mr. Williams paused, "If you had rejected his proposal or stayed away from him after that, he wouldn''t have hurt his ankle, and none of this would have happened in the first ce," he added in an usatory tone that told Sonia that he med her for all of Bryan''s present predicament.

    Sonia took in a deep breath. If she didn''t love Bryan, she would have responded appropriately to the senseless usation, but she loved him and cared about his career. She had no idea what Bryan had up his sleeves, but she doubted that he could make this all go away easily.

    "I hope you will do the right thing for him," the CEO said and hung up before Sonia could respond.

    Once she heard the disconnect tone, her hand fell to her side, and she sighed. He was right. If anyone was to take the fall for this, then it had to be her. She was nothingpared to Bryan who was an A-list celebrity. And she knew that it was very easy for public love to be transformed to hate.

    What could she do? Bryan had asked her to let him handle it, and she didn''t want to have another fight with him over making a decision on her own. Should she tell him what was going on? Perhaps she should, and maybe they could put their heads together to find a solution.

    Just as she headed for the door to join the others, her phone started ringing again, and she paused when she saw that the call was from her editor this time. She had been surprised when she didn''t receive a call from him the previous day.

    Sonia took in a deep breath before receiving the call. She knew that whatever he was going to say to her wasn''t going to be pleasant, "Hi!"

    "Is it true?" Her editor asked in a tight voice without bothering to exchange pleasantries with her.

    "Is what true?" Sonia asked cautiously, and she could imagine him closing his eyes when she heard him breathe in and out.

    "Is it true that you approached Bryan Hank to engage you so that you would get the public''s attention and generate more sales for your books?" He asked angrily, making Sonia''s heart skip a beat.

    "Where did you hear that?" Sonia asked in surprise. She had only just discussed it with Mr. Williams, howe her editor was asking about it?

    "That doesn''t answer my question!" He snapped at her in annoyance.

    "Did you deceive me and everyone else about being engaged to Bryan Hank just so you can be famous? You were riding on his coattail?" He asked in annoyance since he could still remember how he suggested to her that they invite Bryan to their book signing event, and she had turned him down saying she didn''t want to use him, yet she had been using him the whole time.

    Before she could think of what to say, the bedroom door opened almost immediately and Bryan walked in, "What is taking so long, babe?" Bryan asked, and then one look at her face he could tell that something was wrong. He further confirmed it when he noticed the slight tremble of her hands.

    "What is wrong? Who are you speaking with?" He asked as he approached her.

    Sonia swallowed past the lump in her throat as she looked back at him. Of course, she could take any me for him. She cared about him that much. But she wasn''t going to do that if it was going to cost her their rtionship.

    Seeing how she was staring at him, Bryan plucked the phone from her hand and checked to see who she was speaking with. He raised a brow when he saw that it was her editor, and he raised the phone to his ear, "Is there a problem?" He asked curiously.

    "Mr. Hank?" Sonia''s editor asked in confusion.

    "Yes, this is Bryan. Is there a problem? What did you say to upset her?" Bryan asked with displeasure.

    "I thought you both ended things... Didn''t she call off the engagement?" The editor asked in confusion since he had watched the clip.

    "That still doesn''t answer my question," Bryan pointed out, sounding slightly irritated now.

    The editor had a frown on his face as he didn''t understand what was going on, "Maybe you should check the inte. Your agency just released a press statement regarding your rtionship with Sonia. Let her know I will call her back some other time," the editor said, and hung up the call Immediately.

    Once the call dropped, Bryan nced at Sonia who was now seated on the bed, staring at him with a nk expression on her face, before going to search for the statement that his agency had released.

    He scanned through the article which talked about how Sonia had approached Bryan and had pleaded with him to help her be famous by being in a rtionship with her. And it went on to say how Bryan had fallen in love with Sonia in the process, yet she dumped him after she became famous, going from having just about four thousand followers on Instagram, to having over four million followers because of her rtionship with Bryan.

    "This is bullshit," Bryan hissed angrily as he threw the phone on the bed, "I''m going to call them right now to take this shit down," Bryan said as he turned to leave so he could go get his phone.

    "Don''t! This will turn the public''s opinion in your favor. It is better..."

    "Please, shut up!" Bryan cut in angrily as he turned to look at her.

    "What do you mean by that? Do I look like a coward who would let his woman take the fall for something he did? I walked up to you and proposed to you, and you epted me. It is no damn person''s business how long I''ve known you before proposing to you. I''m in love with you and I don''t give a fuck what anyone else thinks or has to say about it.. And you had better get any funny ideas you''re having out of your head!" Bryan snapped at her before walking away.

 Chapter 240 - Why Not?

    "What is going on? Are you both fighting again?" Lucy who had been on the phone with Lucas, asked Sonia as she returned to the room to see Bryan storming out.

    "No. It''s not me he is mad at," Sonia assured Lucy with a slight frown as they both walked out of the bedroom following Bryan.

    "I don''t think you should give them a call," Alicia said the moment Bryan walked into the living room, making it clear to him that his voice had been loud and they had all heard what he said.

    "I don''t remember asking you what you think," Bryan hissed at her, his eyes shing angrily as he picked up his phone from the table and switched it on. Once the phone came on, he received several text message notifications from both his parents, Jade, Matt, Mia, Jeff, the CEO, and some of his colleagues and friends.

    Alicia ignored hisment and went on as though he had not just dismissed her opinion, "I think if you really want to deal with this issue, it will be best if you both make a live video together. People would believe you only when they hear from you directly," Alicia suggested as both Lucy and Sonia joined them.

    "You must be a very nosy person," Bryan observed with annoyance as he scrolled through the contents of texts, most of which were expressing concerns over his scandal with Sonia, while his mom, Jade, and Matt asked him to give them a call the moment he sees their text.

    "Ites with the upation," Alicia responded with a smile.

    "I think she has a point. We both know that Paul won''t listen to you. He only wants what''s best for your career. He''s not interested in your personal life," Tom pointed out.

    "Still, I need to give him a piece of my mind!" Bryan said as he dialed the CEO''s line, and walked away from them once the call connected.

    "Good Lord, Bryan! I''ve been trying to reach you. Where are you?"

    "What the fuck did you do that for?" Bryan snapped at the CEO.

    "Do what for? Calling Sonia or releasing a press statement to salvage the situation?" The CEO asked.

    "You even called her?" Bryan yelled angrily.

    "Calm down, Bryan. If you''ve seen the news all over the inte, then by now you should know that it''s a mess and I needed to act fast, especially since I couldn''t reach you," The CEO exined.

    "Act fast? Bying up with such preposterous lies, and putting all the me on Sonia? Do you want to ruin her career? Do you know how much damage your thoughtless action would cause her?" Bryan yelled at him, unable to control his rage.

    "What else could I have done? All thepanies are on our neck asking for refunds andpensations. How many of them do you think we canpensate?" The CEO asked, beginning to get angry at Bryan for being unreasonable.

    "That should be for me to worry about! It wasn''t in your ce to drag Sonia into any of this! I am the one who proposed to her for crying out loud!"

    "And she dumped you in front of everyone! She couldn''t even wait for the show to end before she did that! She used you, and after getting the fame she wanted she walked away without caring about the effect her action would have on you. How can you defen..."

    "Shut your fucking ignorant mouth! You know nothing about her or my rtionship with her, so do not utter such useless words! Take down that press statement this moment or this will be thest time I talk to you as an actor under golden star agency!" Bryan threatened, and hung up the call before the CEO could say anything else.

    Even after making the call he still felt very upset, and he threw his phone on the bed andbed his fingers through his hair.

    "I''m sorry," Sonia murmured from the doorway, making him turn to look at her. He hadn''t realized that she was at the door.

    "What for?" He asked with a slight frown.

    "I don''t know. I just feel bad that you''re in this mood," she said, and Bryan forced a smile as he walked over to where she was standing.

    "You do understand that I''m not mad at you, right?" He asked as he stopped in front of her, and she gave him a nod.

    "Yeah."

    "Good. Then you don''t have to be sorry. I''m used to being involved in scandals, but you''re not. I''m the one who dragged you into my mess," Bryan said apologetically.

    "I''m the crazy one who epted your proposal and refused to return the ring," Sonia pointed out, wanting to share the me with him.

    "As long as you know that you''re crazy, we are fine," Bryan said with a teasing smile, and Sonia giggled despite the seriousness of their situation.

    "What do you think about what the nosydy said? Are youfortable with it?" Bryan asked, wanting to know her opinion on it before giving it a thought.

    "I don''t think it is a bad idea. But I also have to be in Lucy''s live video," Sonia exined.

    "Are you okay?" Bryan asked, looking at her with a concerned expression, and Sonia smiled despite how worried she actually was.

    "Is it because you''re an actor that you''re this romantic? Or you have always had romance in you?"

    "Who knows?" Bryan asked with a faint smile before returning her attention to his question, "You didn''t answer my question. Are you fine? I noticed you do more worrying for others than you actually worry about yourself. And even though it''s nice, I''m not sure I like that," Bryan said with a serious expression on his face.

    Sonia sighed, "How can I be okay? Lucy is going through this because of me..."

    "You must think so highly of yourself to think that everything happens because of you," Bryan cut in dryly, "I hope you don''t only take the credit when bad things happen?" Bryan continued, not liking how she always managed to take the me for everything bad that happens.

    "What do you mean?" Sonia asked with a scowl.

    "You always find a way to take the me. I don''t understand why you will think that what happened between your half-brother and your best friend is your fault. Did Lucy ever say so or do anything to make you feel that way?" Bryan asked, and Sonia shook her head.

    "It''s just that she would never have been involved with a psycho like him had she not been friends with me," Sonia pointed out.

    "That is you making assumptions. Some things in life are bound to happen. You should stop regretting things you have no power over," Bryan said as he brushed his lips on her forehead.

    "And please stop keeping things to yourself, alright? Always tell me what you''re thinking, and if things get too difficult, don''t just lean on me, leap on me," Bryan said as he embraced her, and then patted her hair softly.

    Sonia smiled as he held her, "Where have you been all my life?" She asked in a quiet voice.

    "On your television screen, entertaining you," Bryan joked, and Sonia giggled softly.

    "I love you, Bryan. I really do," she whispered as she looked up at him and met his gaze.

    "I love you even more my crazy green-eyed witch," Bryan said with a grin, and Sonia raised her brow.

    "Witch?"

    "Yes. That''s what you are. You bewitched me and captured not just my heart but my soul," Bryan said, and then cringed as the words left his lips.

    "That line was too cheesy for you, huh?" Sonia asked with a knowing giggle, and Bryan chuckled.

    "We should join the others in the living room," Bryan suggested as he led her out of the bedroom.

    "Alright, I will take my leave now. I will get you the information you need," Alicia promised Tom as she stood up.

    She turned to look at Bryan and Sonia who just walked in and smiled, "It was nice meeting you both in person. And it''s good to know that you''re really in love with each other," she said before heading for the door.

    "Alicia," Lucy called as she escorted her out.

    "Yeah?" Alicia asked turning to look at Lucy.

    "Thanks for looking out for me," Lucy said, and Alicia smiled as she patted her shoulder, and then she opened the door and walked away.

    Alone now, the four of them sat down. Sonia was seated on one couch with Bryan, and Lucy sat on the adjacent couch with Tom.

    "So what is the n?" Bryan asked, looking at Tom curiously.

    "You haven''t told us what you found outst night," Lucy reminded both brothers.

    "Oh, yeah," Tom said and went on to exin how Harry had sent him the details of the first person who started the viral post, and how he and Bryan had tracked the culprit who turned out to be a college student. He went on to tell them how they had then gone to the club to check the security footage so they could find the man who had given the college students the job. And then they had checked the footage of the exterior of the club to see how the man hade and left. They had taken down the te number of the car he had used, and how by means of their special connections they had been able to track him and find out his identity and where he lived.

    "Wow! That must have been a lot," Sonia murmured.

    "Yet someone was upset with me for not calling," Tom said as he nced at Lucy.

    "Not that I don''t appreciate what you did, but calling or leaving a text wouldn''t have taken more than five minutes of your time. Just saying," Lucy insisted, and Sonia nodded in agreement.

    "She has a point. You could have called," Sonia said, taking her best friend''s side, and both brothers exchanged a look and shook their heads.

    "So were you able to meet him?" Lucy asked curiously.

    "Yes. However, he insisted that he received the job from ady he doesn''t know personally. He ims that she called him with a burner phone, and sent the details and money he needed to get the job done without meeting him.

    "Ady?" Both Sonia and Lucy asked in unison.

    "Yes. And I''m sure you''re thinking what I thought too. Which is why I''m going to meet with Anita''s uncle to make sure that her family has nothing to do with this," Tom said, thinking that he would use the information he had just gotten from Alicia to ckmail Mr. Wyatt. He never really liked the man anyway, so doing something as dirty as what he was about to do didn''t affect him in any way.

    "Why do you think her family is involved?" Lucy asked curiously since although she suspected Anita, she didn''t think Anita''s family had anything to do with it.

    "Her mother once hired a private investigator to tail me. So I won''t put this past them," Tom exined.

    "They did? When? Howe you never mentioned it?" Lucy asked with a frown.

    "I didn''t? My apologies. It must have slipped my mind," Tom said apologetically as he patted her hand.

    "It''s fine. While you meet with Mr. Wyatt, I will talk to my family about my n to address the issue on a live video."

    "Yeah, I''m with you on that," Sonia said supportively.

    "I suppose I''m noting with you to this meeting?" Bryan asked, and Tom gave him a nod.

    "Yeah. There''s no need for you toe with me," Tom said with a nod.

    "Alright. I also have a couple of things that I need to handle on my end," Bryan said before turning to Sonia.

    "I was thinking, what if all three of us do the live video together? I think my presence might help. Knowing Lucy has my backing will go a long way in making people more willing to hear her out." Bryan said, making Tom raise a brow.

    "You really want to get the brother-inw of the year award, don''t you?" Tom asked dryly, and Bryan grinned at him.

    Tom turned to Lucy, "Don''t do the video without me. Let''s just get it all out in the open and be done with the secrets. Knowing you don''t just have my brother''s backing, but that you''re actually my girlfriend will help to resolve things faster," Tom said confidently.

    "You want to reveal your identity?" Lucy asked in surprise.

    "I don''t see why not.. No time is better than now, to do so," Tom said with a wink.

 Chapter 241 - Working Overtime

    Although it was a Saturday morning, Amy walked into her office with a displeased look on her face as she joined four of her colleagues who were already gathered there and were waiting for her.

    "Why did you all have to keep ringing my line?" Amy asked in annoyance as she eyed them. The rest of them were still dressed in the clothes they had worn the previous day unlike her who was dressed in tennis shorts, an oversized polo t-shirt, and a pair of sneakers.

    Seeing the empty styrofoam cups of coffee on their desks, it was clear that they had slept in the office and had worked over the night. It served them right?

    "We are sorry, okay? We are all a team and we need your help to do this, please," One of the men pleaded.

    "I don''t see why you''re doing any of this when you already concluded that she was guilty. I was on my way somewhere when you called," Amy said impatiently.

    "Tell her what you learnt," the other men, told one of thedies who stood with both arms folded across her chest.

    "She might not be guilty as we thought..."

    "Point of correction, as YOU thought. I never thought she was guilty, and even if she did kill him, I''m positive she had good reasons for doing so," Amy cut in, and the others sighed.

    "You''re right. We spent most of the night going through articles on the case eight years ago, and I called an acquaintance of mine who was in that school at the same time as Miss Perry," thedy who was giving Amy the breakdown of all they had done said, looking shamefaced.

    "And?" Amy asked with a slightly raised brow.

    "He said he vividly remembers the incident with Miss Perry because his best friend was assaulted by the college student in question. ording to him, the guy used to confront and assault any guy that showed interest in Miss Perry, iming he was her boyfriend," thedy added.

    "But he wasn''t her boyfriend?" Amy asked, shuddering involuntarily at the thought of a guy doing that to men who were interested in her.

    "No. I don''t think he was. ording to Miss Perry''s best friend''s testimony..."

    "Why don''t you tell her who Miss Perry''s best friend is?" The seconddy in the unit asked, unable to conceal her excitement since she was the one who had made the connection between Miss Perry''s best friend, and the CEO''s younger brother.

    Amy tried to hide her curiosity as she turned to look at thedy. Although she had been worried the previous day when the CEO ordered them to prove Lucy''s innocence or lose their jobs, she had been reassured by Lucy''s words the previous day and had decided to let her teammates do the job alone while she focused on her weekend sports as usual. Seeing how much they had uncovered, and how excited they were to share what they knew, she somehow wished she had joined them.

    "Miss Perry''s best friend is Sonia Smith!" The seconddy who couldn''t wait for her colleague to say it blurted it out herself.

    "Sonia Smith?" Amy asked, trying to recall where she has seen or heard that name recently.

    "Come on, Amy! Don''t tell us you don''t who Sonia Smith is!" One of the men eximed in disappointment when they saw how her brows furrowed as she tried to figure out who Sonia Smith was, and why they were excited about her being Miss Perry''s best friend.

    "Who is she?" Amy asked dourly.

    "She is Bryan Hank''s fiancee who just broke up their engagement yesterday. And just in case you don''t know who Bryan Hank is, he is the CEO''s younger brother," the firstdy exined, and Amy''s eyes widened slightly as realization dawned on her.

    "That exins why the CEO made her his personal assistant, and it also exins why he is taking her side. He probably already knows about what happened since she is like his sister-inw, right?" One of the men asked.

    "And more important than that, Miss Perry''s best friend, Sonia is the half-sister of the college student who the media ims she murdered. Would you remain friends with your best friend if she murdered your half-brother and your parents?" The seconddy asked.

    "Now back to what I was saying, ording to the articles we saw on the news, Miss Perry couldn''t say a word during the court proceedings because ording to the doctors she was still in shock, and so her best friend spoke in her defense, and some of their male ssmates also testified. Sonia''s half-brother stalked her, and then he abducted her on her prom night..."

    Amy shuddered and raised both hands to stop her, "Is this a movie or you''re actually being serious?" She asked in horror.

    One of the men raised the printed article for Amy to see, "It was in the news. Maybe if we had done proper research before jumping to conclusions, we wouldn''t have said all that we said about her yesterday without knowing the truth," he said sadly.

    "So can you all let me speak without interrupting me anymore?" The firstdy asked irritably.

    "Sorry. You can go on," the others said.

    "So as I was saying, he abducted her, and her parents reported her missing when they didn''t see her after twenty-four hours."

    "It took them twenty-four hours to realize she was missing? Does that make sense?" Amy asked in disbelief. At that age, her mother would realize she was missing within an hour because the woman never ran out of errands to send her.

    "That was exined," the firstdy said as she went on to tell Amy how Lucy had pretended that she was going to be attending prom, but had told Sonia she would be home with her parents. And how her parents had left her at home by herself thinking she was waiting for her prom date. The drink had been spiked at the party, so her twin brother who was with his girlfriend had been too hungover to notice her absence, and Sonia had stayed at her home all day, leading their parents to believe that Miss Perry had spent the night at Sonia''s, until Sonia came visiting that evening, and they all realized that she was missing. It took them a week to find her.

    A tear dropped from Amy''s eyes as she listened to them, "It took twenty-four hours for her absence to be noticed, and a week to find her. That must have been so scary for a kid at that age," Amy said emotionally.

    "I would kill the bastard if she was my sister," one of the men said, and the others nodded.

    "Yet his parents had the guts to use Miss Perry of murdering their son when ording to Sonia they destroyed every evidence in their son''s bedroom that would prove that he was stalking Miss Perry," the firstdy said, and Amy felt her blood boil in anger.

    "Who was the bastard who put up this news on the inte, and what did the person stand to gain by making the poordy relive such a horrible experience?" Amy asked no one in particr.

    "Who knows? That''s why we called you. What should we do with all that we have found? Are we to wait until Monday to talk to speak with the CEO? We would like to apologize to Miss Perry. We already went to all the social media ounts where people are bashing her to defend her. We also sent the message to our friends to do the same, and we reached out to other departmental heads to spread the news in the departmental group chats," the firstdy said, as Amy wiped an angry tear from her eyes.

    "I won''t say I''m still not disappointed in all of you. But I''m d you''re making an effort to clear her name. Let''s all publish the evidence we have on our social media page. I''m sure that will make things easier for Miss Perry," Amy suggested as she went to take her seat.

    "Do you think people will believe this? Especially if it''s based on Sonia''s testimony?" The seconddy asked as the others went to take their seat.

    "What do you mean?" Amy asked with a frown, and thedy rolled her eyes at Amy''s ignorance.

    "Sonia has been trending for all the wrong reasons since she broke off her engagement with Bryan yesterday. The media ims they are not in a real rtionship and they deceived everyone, but Bryan''s agency released an article over an hour ago saying Sonia emotionally ckmailed Bryan into getting involved with her just to ride on his coattail. I don''t think anyone is going to believe that Miss Perry is innocent based on Sonia''s testimony," the seconddy exined, "Not that I believed anything I read," she quickly added when Amy pursed her lips thoughtfully.

    "Thinking about it now, what if Sonia broke up the engagement with Bryan when she saw the news about her best friend? That may be the reason she did that, right? Maybe she didn''t want to drag Bryan into it?" The firstdy asked curiously.

    "That is possible, but that doesn''t exin the issue about her using Bryan to get fame," one of the men pointed out.

    "I don''t think Sonia was using Bryan though. Those people have real chemistry," the firstdy said, and the seconddy nodded.

    "Thedy who interviewed them at the beginning of the show is my cousin''s friend, and she said she doesn''t think they''re faking things either," the seconddy said.

    "Why does it sound like the same person that started Miss Perry''s issue, is behind this too? Do you all think it is a coincidence that both best friends are having issues at exactly the same time?" Amy asked thoughtfully, and the others paused to consider it.

    "Who could be behind it? And why?" One of the men asked.

    "Let''s leave that to them to figure out. Your cousin''s friend works for a newspaper?" Amy asked the seconddy curiously.

    "No. Opal''s magazine," thedy corrected.

    "If I''m not mistaken, that is the most read magazine in the country. Do you think she would be willing to help us cover this? Maybe if I could visit Miss Perry, and convince her so that she and her best friend would clear the air by granting thedy an interview?" Amy asked hopefully.

    "I don''t see why not. Lots of media houses would be wanting this opportunity. I doubt that either Miss Perry or Sonia would be willing to do it though," the seconddy said.

    "Leave that to me. I will try to convince her," Amy said confidently as she stood up to leave for Lucy''s house.

    "I wille with you. I need to apologize to her," one of the men said, looking very embarrassed.

    "It will be best if you all focus on spreading the proof of her innocence on social media while I try to convince her. You can all apologize to her after we have restored her dignity," Amy said before walking away.

    She knew that what she was going to ask Lucy to do was quite difficult, but that was the only way.. Telling the truth was the only way to expose a lie.

 Chapter 242 - Confirmation

    Now that Bryan was left alone in the house after Tom had left to meet with Mr. Wyatt, and both Sonia and Lucy had gone to her apartment to speak with her family, Bryan decided to return his mother''s and Jade''s call.

    He dialed his mother''s line first, and almost immediately the call connected as though she had been waiting for it, "Bryan Hank! Where have you been?" She asked in a scolding tone.

    "Is that what is most important to you right now, or you should be d that I''m okay and didn''t run off somewhere to take my life as I had nned?" Bryan asked dramatically.

    "What? You nned to take your life? Because of that girl?" His mother asked in disbelief and Bryan rolled his eyes.

    "That girl? Can you tell me why you are referring to your soon-to-be daughter-inw as that girl?" He asked dryly, knowing that his mother was probably against Sonia now after all that had transpired in thest twenty-four hours. Of course, he had heard from Tom about what their mother had to say about his rtionship with Lucy, and he was disappointed that she had been quick to join the bandwagon.

    "After all the troubles she and her best friend has caused you and your brother how can you still refer to her as my daughter-inw?" His mother asked with disapproval, wondering why her children were all being unreasonable.

    "I don''t rememberining to you, and I''m sure Tom didn''t either, so let us be. I just called to let you know that I''m alright and you don''t need to worry about me," Bryan said as he made to hang up, but she quickly stopped him.

    "Wait! Where are you?" His mother asked curiously.

    "Why are you so interested in my location? Are youing to see me?"

    "What if I want to see you?" She asked.

    "I won''t be able to see you right now, I''m busy and I know that you won''t be of help to me," Bryan said bluntly.

    "What do you mean by that?" She asked in a slightly offended tone.

    "Mom, in as much as I love you, and I understand that you want what is best for your children, you should also understand that both Sonia and Lucy are also other people''s children and you shouldn''t be quick to believe the worst about people that are not part of your family," Bryan said in a chiding tone.

    "But it''s all over the inte and..."

    "Mom! Do you really believe everything you see on the inte?" Bryan cut in impatiently, trying not to raise his voice at her.

    She let out a sigh, "Is that why you don''t want me to see you? Your brother has also been avoiding my call," she said in a hurt tone.

    "I''m sure he has good reasons for avoiding your call. I would avoid your calls too if you speak ill of either Sonia or Lucy. So if you won''t help us, don''t interfere and don''t tell us what to do or not do unless you would like me to get married to Sonia without inviting you," Bryan threatened.

    "All this for a girl that broke up with you after using you to..."

    "Mom!" Bryan called in a warning tone, and she sighed.

    "Fine. Have you heard from your brother?" She asked, changing the subject.

    "He is fine if that''s what you want to know."

    "Ask him to give me a call. Please." She added, and Bryan sighed.

    "I''ve heard you. Just don''t give him a hard time, he has enough on his te already," Bryan advised.

    "Okay, I won''t. So what about you? What is going on between you and Sonia? Are you saying everything on the inte is a lie? Is it some sort of prank?" She asked curiously.

    "Sonia and I are cool. She only wanted to end things because she needed to help Lucy out with her issue, and she didn''t want my career to be affected in any way because of her involvement with Lucy," Bryan exined.

    "Are you sure?" His mother asked doubtfully.

    "I''m telling you the truth, Mom. Lucy is being bashed unfairly. And just so you know the family they im she murdered is Sonia''s family. Do you think Sonia would remain her best friend if everything they said is true?" He asked, and his mother''s brows furrowed.

    "Sonia''s family?" She asked in surprise.

    "Yes. Someone is picking on Lucy, and we all need to stand beside her now. You don''t expect Tom to end things with her simply to save hispany, do you? That is not the way you raised us. Don''t worry about thepany or my career. Just trust us to handle it, okay?" Bryan said, and his mother sighed once again, as she started to feel guilty for all she said about Lucy and Sonia without knowing the facts.

    "Okay. Let him know that I''m sorry for all I said yesterday and ask him to give me a call," she said after a moment''s hesitation, and Bryan smiled.

    "I knew you would understand. I need to return Jade''s call now. I love you mom, and I will pass your message to Tom. Try not to worry too much, your boys are men now," Bryan said before hanging up the call.

    Evelyn sighed as she dropped the phone on the table in front of her, and turned to look at her husband who was staring at her, "What do you think?"

    "Bryan really does sound all mature and grown-up now," he said with a small smile, "All three of our children are not stupid. If they all say the girl is innocent of the usations, then you should believe them. Don''t worry too much. We have done a good job of raising them, now let''s watch them do their thing, okay?" He said, and Evelyn let out a sigh as she leaned back in her seat.

    ***********

    Tom sipped from his ss of wine as he watched Mr. Wyatt who was seated opposite him. He knew that his call must havee as a surprise to the man since they had no business together, and thest time they had met, their interaction had not been exactly pleasant.

    "Are we going to sit here drinking wine all day?" Mr. Wyatt asked in an irritated tone.

    "Why? Are you in a hurry to go somewhere?" Tom asked, and the elderly man red at him.

    "I see you don''t have anything to say," he said as he pushed his seat away from the table.

    "Let me guess, you''re in a hurry to meet your doctor''s appointment? Or are you going to Club Edge?" Tom asked, and the man''s heart skipped a beat as he looked at him in surprise and adjusted his seat.

    How did he know he frequented Club Edge? Mr. Wyatt wondered as he shifted in his seat ufortably, "I don''t know what you''re talking about," Mr. Wyatt murmured, but didn''t meet Tom''s piercing gaze.

    Tom dropped the ss of wine on the table, "Perhaps you need me to simplify things using pictures," Tom said as he slid a brown envelope from his end of the table to Mr. Wyatt''s, "These should tell you what I''m talking about," Tom said as he gestured to him with his head to check the content of the envelope.

    Mr. Wyatt''s forehead was suddenly coated with beads of sweat, and his hands shook as he reached for the envelope. He opened it slowly, and his face paled when he saw different pictures of himself seated on a gambling table at Club Edge, and in one of the pictures he was handing over his car key to someone on the gambling table. Inside the envelope was a slip of histest medical fitness result which showed that his only health condition was his high blood pressure.

    "Why are you doing this? What do you want?" He asked without taking his eyes off the pictures.

    "What do you know about the news circting the inte regarding my personal assistant?" Tom asked, and Mr. Wyatt raised his head to meet Tom''s gaze.

    "Why are you asking me that?" He asked in confusion.

    "Because if you don''t tell me what I want to know, I will go straight to your sister and your niece and confront them myself. The only problem with that is that I don''t know if I''m going to be able to keep everything I know away from your sister. Your sister doesn''t know that you lied about your health, does she? Or maybe I should just hand this information over to someone reliable to post them on the inte?" Tom asked, and Mr. Wyatt took out his handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the sweat on his forehead.

    Seeing the hesitation on his face, Tom went on, "I wonder what she would do to you when she finds out that you sold the airline which you both inherited from your parents just to take care of your gambling mess," Tom said with a shake of his head.

    "I have nothing to do with your assistant''s problem," Mr. Wyatt said defensively.

    "But you know who is behind it, don''t you? I just need you to tell me if either your sister or your niece is involved. That is the only thing I''m interested in," Tom said with a shrug. All he needed at this point was confirmation of Anita''s involvement in this, and from a reliable source too.

    Mr. Wyatt swallowed nervously as he thought about his sister. She was going to kill him if she found out that he was still very much into gambling and had sold the airline because he was in debt and not because he was ill. He couldn''t let her find out about it else she would take whatever little he had left from him, and kick him out.

    Tom sighed, "I guess you really don''t know. I should ask them myself then," he said as he stood up, and Mr. Wyatt quickly stopped him.

    "I think Anita is behind it," he blurted out with his eyes closed, praying that both his sister and niece would forgive him for betraying them. Although he would rather betray them and not have someone like Tom in the family.

    Satisfied by his response, Tom returned to his seat and looked at him curiously, "How so?"

    Mr. Wyatt swallowed as he recalled how his oldest niece had called his sister in front of him to inform her that the CEO whom Anita was interested in was also interested in his personal assistant and pretending to be her driver. His sister had immediately called Anita to hear from her, and Anita had assured her that she had everything under control, and she had something up her sleeves, and once she revealed a secret she knew, Lucy would be forced to disappear from Tom''s life.

    "She found out that you were pretending to be your assistant''s driver, and wanted to get rid of her so that she could have you," Mr. Wyatt exined.

    "So she knows my real identity," Tom murmured more to himself than to Mr. Wyatt. He wasn''t surprised since he had been suspecting it all along.. Now that he knew for a fact that it was Anita behind it, he was just going to focus on clearing Lucy''s name first, before teaching Anita a lesson.

 Chapter 243 - Jeff? Mia?

    "Are you sure you will be fine? I mean you only just agreed to see a therapist after all these years, and all of a sudden you want to talk in front of the camera to people that don''t care about you?" Lucy''s mother asked in concern after Lucy finished sharing her n with them.

    "I''m not seventeen anymore, mom. I already told you I can handle this. I will be okay," Lucy assured her with a smile.

    This was something she knew that she needed to do to eventually be free from the past, else it was going to keeping back up in the future, and she couldn''t deal with that. If she could talk to a therapist about it, then she could as well talk to the camera. If anything happened to her while filming it, at least the viewers would see firsthand the effect of their careless words.

    "Don''t worry, I will do it with her, so she will be fine," Sonia assured Lucy''s mother, and she turned to Sonia.

    "What about you? Will you be alright? They''re still your family after all," Lucy''s mother asked with a concerned frown.

    "Sure. I''m okay," Sonia said with a small smile, feeling somewhat grateful that they were also thinking of her wellbeing.

    "How are you doing today? You weren''t really yourself yesterday, and we didn''t want to bother you because we were aware of your breakup with the actor," Lucy''s father said, and Sonia''s smile widened.

    "You don''t have to worry. We have reconciled, so I''m okay," Sonia assured him, and his face fell.

    "Ouch! Here I was thinking he was out of the picture and you could focus on me again," he said with a teasing grin, making themugh.

    "Well, I''m d you worked things out and you''re both back together now. I was really worried about you. You know, being Lucy''s best friend you would always have reasons to run into him if she ends up marrying his brother..."

    "I never said I was getting married to him," Lucy said with a roll of her eyes, feeling embarrassed that everyone kept speaking about her rtionship with Tom with regards to marriage when they had barely dated for a week.

    "Well, you will. I won''t let you throw away a man who loves you the way Tom does. Can you believe that both brothers were out all night trying to find who posted the stuff on the inte? And even now he is out there trying to get evidence," Sonia told Lucas.

    "That''s pretty impressive. Both brothers must really love you both a lot to want to be involved in all this regardless of how it must be affecting them personally," Lucas who had remained quiet the whole time said thoughtfully.

    He couldn''t help thinking about how Rachel who was his fiancee was busy asking him not to get involved in his family''s mess, while these men whose reputations meant a great deal to them were busy sticking out their neck for his sister and Sonia. It kind of said a lot about the kind of person Rachel was, and about his rtionship with her.

    Lucy looked at Lucas, and their eyes met. She didn''t need him to speak further to know what he was thinking, "I guess different people love differently," Lucy said, trying to ease his mind, and the doorbell rang at the same time.

    "I will see who is at the door," Lucy told them as she picked up her sses from her dressing table, and put them on before walking out of the bedroom to the living room. It was past noon already, and she was still dressed in her pyjamas, and she honestly didn''t mind.

    "Isn''t it beautiful how they both got involved with two brothers? I still have a hard time believing it was all coincidence," Lucy''s mother said to her husband.

    "Have I told you that I met their parents at the hospital?" Lucas asked, surprising their parents and Sonia who weren''t aware of it.

    "You mean she was trying to hook you up with Jade?" Sonia asked with a peal of amusedughter as they listened to Lucas narrate all about his session with the Hank couple.

    "It''s a good thing you invited them to your wedding! I can''t wait to meet the wonderful couple who raised such wonderful men for my girls," Lucy''s mother said happily as she imagined both Lucy and Sonia walking down the aisle on the same day while she stands as the mother of both brides. She did not doubt that their wedding would be grand.

    Once Lucy opened the door she was surprised to see Amy standing there, "Hello!" Amy greeted with an apologetic smile as Lucy looked at her, taking in her tennis outfit.

    "I''m sorry to barge in on you unannounced. I feared you wouldn''t take my call, so I didn''t bother to call," Amy said as she took in Lucy''s pyjamas and disheveled hair which was not tied back as usual, "Are you fine?" Amy asked with concern.

    "Yeah. Sure. Is everything okay?" Lucy asked as she held the door open for Amy to walk in. Once Amy did, she shut the door behind her.

    "Yes. Everything is fine. I was at the office earlier, you know, regarding the teamwork the CEO gave us," Amy reminded her.

    Lucy sighed when she remembered what Tom had done the previous day, "Oh, that! I told you that you guys didn''t have to worry about it," Lucy said as she pushed her sses up the bridge of her nose.

    "Please sit down and make yourselffortable. Do you want coffee?" Lucy asked, and Amy shook her head as she sat down.

    "No. Thanks. Let''s just talk," Amy said, implying that she wanted Lucy to also sit down and talk to her.

    "I already told you, it''s not necessary. You all don''t have to worry. I''m handling things already," Lucy said as she sat on the other couch.

    Once Lucy had sat down, Amy leaned forward in her seat, "Well, it was necessary. At least right now every one of them is making an effort to quell the rumors and prove your innocence. If the CEO hadn''t done what he did, I doubt they would have done their research to see if you were guilty or not."

    "They''re trying to quell it? How?" Lucy asked curiously.

    "For starters, I asked them to publish some of the news clips from eight years ago, especially the testimony of your best friend whose family was involved, and those of some of your male ssmates who were harassed by the psycho. That is part of the reason I''m here," Amy said and stood up in surprise when Lucy''s parents, Lucas and Sonia walked into the living room.

    "I''m sorry, I didn''t realize that you hadpany. I cane backter," Amy apologized as she stood up, but Lucy''s mother waved off her apology.

    "That is nonsense. Sit down and tell us what you were just saying," Lucy''s mother as she sat beside Lucy, while Lucas and Sonia went over to the kitchen to bring out the twin cane chairs.

    "This is Amy, she is my secretary. Amy, these are my parents, my twin brother, and Sonia my best friend," Lucy briefly introduced them before giving Amy the go-ahead to say what she had to say.

    They all listened quietly to Amy as she shared her n with them, and by the time she was done, Lucy and Sonia exchanged a nce, "It''s a good idea, thanks. But we already agreed to use my neighbor''s YouTube channel. She''s a blogger," Lucy exined.

    "A YouTube channel? I don''t think the video will receive as much attention as Opal''s Magazine would," Amy pointed out.

    "It will don''t worry," Lucy said confidently, not willing to divulge Bryan''s and Tom''s n to feature in the video to Amy. Although she was grateful to Amy, she couldn''t be as trusting as she had been anymore. And she believed that a video would be more effective than a magazine.

    "I think you should..."

    "Or maybe my wife and I could feature on the magazine instead? We were unfairly used of using our so-called wealth to turn the case in our daughter''s favor after all," Lucy''s father interjected.

    "I think the public''s opinion is beginning to sway already," Lucas said, raising his phone to show them the arguments which were going on on Twitter regarding the issue. While some people believed the new evidence that had surfaced on the inte regarding Lucy''s innocence, there were others who still strongly believed that Lucy was guilty and was once again trying to bury the case by bringing up false evidence and they were pointing to the fact that Sonia the ''coattail climber'' could not be trusted if she was involved in it.

    "That reminds me, don''t you think the same person might be behind both scandals? I mean it can''t just be a coincidence that you are both under attack at the same time, can it? It''s just too timely. If Miss Smith''s scandal hadn''t surfaced at this time, she would have easily been a reliable witness to prove your innocence. But now whatever she says will be discredited unless she is also able to prove that she is innocent of the allegations leveled against her," Amy pointed out, and Sonia''s eyes narrowed suspiciously.

    She has been so upset about her breakup with Bryan and then worried over Bryan''s disappearance that she hadn''t thought of it until now. Amy''s theory made sense. It didn''t make sense that anyone would just jump to the conclusion that her rtionship with Bryan was fake simply because she broke off their engagement. Celebrities did that all the time. The only way someone could havee up with that was if they were sure beyond reasonable doubt that the rtionship was fake.

    Apart from Bryan, Lucy, Jeff, Mia, and Bryan''s CEO she doubted that there was anyone else who knew about their false engagement. And she highly doubted that it was Lucy or Bryan who had given out such information to the press. It couldn''t be the CEO either. Bryan was a major star in his agency and he wouldn''t do anything to jeopardize Bryan''s chances, at least he had proved how far he was willing to go and protect Bryan''s career. Jeff was Bryan''s manager and he had nothing to gain by doing something like this, so who could it be? Mia? Mia was like a sister to her and even though Bryan could be very annoying, she knew for a fact that both Bryan and Mia had mutual respect for each other, so who else could it be?

    At that same time, Lucy''s brain was working in overdrive. She could remember vividly that she had mentioned to Anita that the CEO was nice to her because of her rtionship with the CEO''s soon-to-be sister-inw. It only made sense that if Anita was behind her problem, she would also have tried to find a way to remove Sonia from the picture.. But then, Anita had no idea that Sonia was going to break up with Bryan that day, so howe all the ns had fallen into ce? Unless of course, she had nned to reveal that the engagement was fake and ruin their rtionship, but unfortunately for her, Sonia had been fast enough to end the rtionship herself, thus changing Anita''s ns. The question which was now begging for an answer was how did Anita find out about the fake engagement?

 Chapter 244 - Tell The Truth

    Even though Tom had asked him to just focus on Jade''s case and leave thepany and Lucy''s issue to him, Harry couldn''t help being restless. He was bothered by all that was going on, especially since he was already involved in all of it.

    Somehow even though he wasn''t very close to Lucy, he hade to be fond of teasing her, so his worry wasn''t just because of his duty to Tom. Lucy was someone Tom was in love with, and Tom was his best friend.

    He stared nkly at theptop screen in front of him, before picking up his phone. He went on social media to take a look at all that was happening, and he was slightly relieved to see that Lucy now had people who were defending and supporting her.

    His relief was soon reced with curiosity, and then anger as he read through the old news clips that were attached to the posts, and he suddenly understood Tom''s reaction when he saw what Lucy had endured at such a young age, and was being forced to face again now because of someone stupid who had posted started this news without checking the facts.

    He felt disappointed in himself for trying to stop Tom from getting ''too'' involved because of the little pressure he had faced. The pressure he had faced was nothingpared to what Lucy was facing. Lucy needed all the love and support she could get, and he was sure that most of the shareholders had daughters too and would be able to understand Lucy and rte with her family once they saw all of this.

    He downloaded all the attached photos and connected his phone to his system so that he could copy the photos before logging into his Gmail ount on his system. He copied all the shareholders he could, as he started topose a text.

    He raised his head when his bedroom door was suddenly pushed open a whileter and Jade raised her hands in defense when he red at her.

    "Don''t give me that look. I''m properly covered, and I knocked but you didn''t respond so I had toe in," she said defensively as she approached him, dressed in a flowing dress.

    "What do you want?" He asked impatiently.

    "Are you busy?"

    "As you can see," Harry said, still looking at her as he waited for her to say what she wanted to say and leave so that he could return to what he was doing.

    "With what?" Jade asked as she made to sit on his bed, but one look at the way he looked at her, she straightened up and sighed, "I thought we were past this now and was beginning to work well together. Besides, what are you busy doing? It''s weekend, and Tom already asked you to focus on my case. Is that what you are working on?" Jade asked as she tried to take a peek at what he was doing.

    Seeing how curious she was, and knowing that she wasn''t going to leave until he answered her question, Harry handed his phone to her so that she would see the development on Lucy''s case, "I''m sure you''ve been too busy with your case to follow up on this."

    "Wow!" Jade murmured as she went to sit by his dressing table while she digested all she was reading, "That must have been tough for a girl at that age," she said with a deep frown when she finished, and returned his phone to him.

    "I thought so too," He said as he turned hisptop to her so that she would see what he was trying to do, "I''m trying topose an email. I want to send an email to the shareholders with these photos attached. They should at least see the other side of the story before making their judgments," Harry said, and Jade gave him a nod.

    "Yeah. I thought as much. I didn''t think you would abandon thepany just because Tom asked you to. It''s not like you," Jade said with a small smile.

    "Good. So now that you know what I''m doing can you quietly state what you want and leave?" He asked in a pleading tone.

    "I thought you changed your mind about me leaving. How can I help?" She asked, changing the subject from why she hade into the room.

    She had actuallye in wanting to know if he had heard from his men regarding Jero''s current location or if Jero had tried to contact Brandy yet, but that could wait since nobody''s life was in danger at the moment. Family came first.

    "How about you help by excusing me so that I can focus on this?" Harry asked hopefully.

    "But I really want to help," Jade insisted with a pout.

    "I don''t need your help. If you need to help your brothers, then give either of them a call and find out what is going on and how we can help them from here," Harry suggested instead.

    "You''re so mean and cold," Jade muttered as she walked out of the bedroom, and without sparing her a nce, Harry returned his attention to the text he wasposing.

    Once Jade got to her bedroom she slumped on her bed, andy face up as she considered how she could help her brothers. Not necessarily her brothers but their girlfriends, since the scandals was revolving around bothdies. Wasn''t that weird? Was it a coincidence that the two best friends who were dating her brothers were in a mess at the same time? Were they in a mess because they were best friends? Or was it because they were dating her brothers? Or was it because they were two best friends who were dating her brothers?

    She sat up when her phone started ringing and she quickly received the call when she saw that it was Bryan, "Bryan?" She asked immediately it connected.

    "It''s Bryan unless of course, you were expecting someone else to be with my phone. I wonder why," Bryan said dryly, and Jade felt relieved to know that he was sounding like his usual sarcastic self.

    "I was really worried about you. How are you? And why did you turn off your phone?" Jade asked with concern.

    "Are you really asking me that because you don''t know why?"

    Jade sighed, "How are you now? And where are you?"

    "I''m standing by a bridge. I felt I should say goodbye to you before I jump," Bryan said, and Jade''s brows pulled together as she tried to figure out whether he was joking or pulling her legs.

    Bryan chuckled when Jade didn''t say anything, "Rx. I was just pulling your legs. Why would your voice be thest I want to hear before jumping to my death? I''m at Tom''s house," Bryan said, and Jade let out the breath she hadn''t realized she was holding.

    "Oh, that''s such a relief! And you better stop making useless jokes. How is Tom? And what are you both doing? I saw the news about your engagement with Sonia. Don''t you think you have something to tell me?"

    "Tom''s okay. Just busy. We are busy. What do you want me to tell you?" Bryan asked, ying dumb.

    "We both know that I suspected from the start that your engagement was fake even when you kept insisting that it was real. I have no doubt that feelings must have been developed between you two since then, but I want to hear the truth now."

    "Does it matter?"

    "It does. And I want to hear the truth right now."

    Bryan sighed. He was going to have to tell his family the truth eventually anyway, "Fine."

    Jade listened in disbelief as Bryan went on to tell her how he had approached Sonia at the lobby of the hotel and popped the question to her the first time he set eyes on her.

    "Wait! What? Just like that? A random stranger? Are you crazy? What were you thinking? That you were shooting one of your romance movies? Or what?" Jade asked incredulously.

    "I thought someone as pretty as she might be in a rtionship and she would reject me," Bryan pointed out.

    "Why would you think that? You are wealthy, good-looking, famous and any right-thinking gold-digging girl in a rtionship wouldn''t mind breaking up with her man just to be with you. I''m not saying Sonia is a golddigger, I''m just pointing out a fact that you obviously didn''t consider. You could have been ckmailed!"

    "But I wasn''t. All of that doesn''t matter now. I''m in love with her, and she loves me too."

    Jade let out a sigh. He was right. "I guess she broke up with you because of her involvement with Lucy?"

    "Yes. But we have made up now. The only problem now is all the false usations being hurled at her by my agency. This whole thing is my fault and Sonia only yed along," Bryan said with a sigh.

    "Have you figured out who could have exposed your false engagement to the press yet?" Jade asked curiously.

    "I''ve been thinking about it. It couldn''t have been mere spection, right?" Bryan asked thoughtfully.

    "No. What are the chances? Without documented evidence, such a piece of news would never have been brought to the press. So whoever exposed this probably has evidence."

    Bryan said nothing as he thought about it. Evidence? What evidence could anyone possibly have? Maybe something he could have said at some point? Lucy was the only person Sonia had told about their fake engagement, and seeing how Tom didn''t even know that his engagement to Sonia had been fake, it means Lucy didn''t even tell him. That meant the leak was from his side. The only person who had been there that night was Mia, so she knew for a fact that it was fake. Jeff and the CEO only knew about it after asking Mia and confirming with him.

    He had worked with all three of them long enough to know that neither of them was going to just release such information that would harm his career like this, not unless something else was involved and someone had something to gain from this. Or was it the production crew? What evidence could they have?

    "So? Have you figured it out yet?" Jade asked when he said nothing after some time.

    "I''m not exactly sure. But what evidence could they possibly have? If it was illegally obtained I can sue them, right?" Bryan asked thoughtfully.

    "Sure, you can. But that''s not the most important thing right now. Have youe up with a n to fix it yet?"

    "Yeah. We figured that we all do a live video together to show them we are still together and debunk the rumors,"

    "The video is a good idea, but rather than just featuring in the video to debunk the rumors, you and Sonia should also tell the truth about your rtionship."

    "I don''t think it is anybody''s business," Bryan said dismissively.

    "We both know that you know your life is everybody''s business. That''s what being a celebrity means. Just tell the truth."

    "You are saying we should expose ourselves? What if it backfires and things be even worse?" Bryan asked thoughtfully, weighing the pros and cons.

    "It will only be worse if you don''t tell the truth. I''m sure someone is waiting for you to deny the allegations so that they can strike with the evidence. The moment you tell the truth, whatever evidence anyone has against you is useless whether it was legally or illegally obtained. Go with the truth, It''s better that way for you both."

    "Besides, you seem not to realize that you DID NOTmit a crime by proposing to a random stranger, even though it was a stupid move. Your only crime was in making the public believe that you have each other for sometime before the proposal. And you''re also forgetting something important. Everyone likes a beautiful romance story with a bit of crazy in it. What could be more romantic than proposing to a random stranger and then ending up falling in love with her? It has never been heard of, and you''re the very first celebrity to have done something that crazy."

    "If you''re able to tell the truth and clear Sonia''s name, then Sonia can in turn clear Lucy''s name. And then we can all focus on finding the people behind this mess."

    "Did I ever tell you that I love you?" Bryan asked after giving it a thought.

    "You can show me just how much you love me by buying me a..." She giggled when she heard the disconnect tone.. That damned brother of hers was always doing that.

 Chapter 245 - Good Riddance To Bad Rubbish

    "Who do you think leaked the information to the press?" Lucy asked Sonia after Amy had left, and they were both alone in Lucy''s bedroom while her parents and Lucas were watching a movie in the living room.

    "It has to be one of Bryan''s people unless someone overheard something from one of them and leaked the information," Sonia said thoughtfully.

    "I think Amy might have been right. What if Anita is actually behind all of this? Thest time we were out together I told her that you were engaged to Bryan, and that was why Tom was being nice to me. What if she is trying to remove me from Tom''s life by removing you from Bryan''s life?" Lucy asked thoughtfully.

    "It''s stupid. But I wouldn''t put something as stupid as that past someone like her. Anybody who is shallow enough to want to date only a wealthy man is capable of doing stupid things like this."

    Both friendspsed into silence, each upied by their thoughts until Sonia broke it, "But are you sure you did not say anything that might have made her think that our engagement wasn''t real?" Sonia asked, and Lucy raised a brow.

    "Really? I didn''t even tell Tom about it, and you think I would tell someone like Anita something as sensitive as that? Someone I don''t even trust?" Lucy asked, and Sonia rolled her eyes.

    "I didn''t say you told her. I only asked if you could have said what you said in a way that would make her question my rtionship with Bryan," Sonia exined.

    "I didn''t. You know what, I still have the recording of my conversation with Anita. You can just listen to it and tell me if you think I said something to make her misunderstand," Lucy said as she picked her phone from the nightstand and scrolled through it for the recording. Once she saw it she handed the phone to Sonia, "You can listen to it while I shower," Lucy said as she stood up and went to lock the bedroom door before taking off her clothes and walking into the bathroom.

    A few minutester Lucy came out of the bathroom, "So? Have you listened to it?" She asked as she toweled her body dry.

    "Yes, I have. And I wasn''t doubting you, Lu. I trust you," Sonia assured her as she tapped her fingers restlessly while she watched Lucy who was rubbing her body lotion on her body.

    "What are you thinking about?" Lucy asked, when she noticed the way Sonia was staring at her, but not exactly looking at her. She could tell that something was on Sonia''s mind.

    "I''m trying to figure out how Anita might be rted to any one of Bryan''s people. That''s the only way it would make sense, right? I mean, it''s possible that after she heard about our rtionship from you, she called someone and started looking for dirt on us, you know?" Sonia said, and Lucy nodded.

    "So she possibly started with me, and then when she found out about the case, she saw that you were connected to it too, and started digging further into your life," Lucy reasoned.

    "And when you''re digging into a person''s life it is possible you want to meet with people who know them. Apart from you and my editor the only other people who I''ve been with often were my ex-boyfriends. So someone could have questioned any of the guys I''ve been with in the past," Sonia said thoughtfully.

    "Who was thest guy you slept with?" Lucy asked as she tried to remember. She reached for her phone and started checking their WhatsApp history to see their chats.

    "Uhm, I think it was Derek. Yes, definitely Derek the crypto guy," Sonia said with a nod.

    "Yes. It was Derek. And when did you break up with him?" Lucy asked.

    "The day before your birthday, remember? He was texting and calling too much. And I was having writer''s block. I got irritated. You know how I can get," Sonia said.

    "Oh, yeah! And you epted Bryan''s proposal two dayster," Lucy pointed out.

    "Hmm. So it''s possible they found out about him. So unless I was cheating on Bryan, there was no way I just broke up with one guy and got engaged to another two dayster."

    "And then they possibly approached one of Bryan''s people to confirm your engagement?" Lucy said, and Sonia sighed.

    "I will give Derek a callter to see if he talked to someone. If we confirm that he talked to someone, and we are able to link the person to your case, then we know for a fact that Anita is the one fucking with us. God save that bitch if she is behind this mess."

    "Something tells me she''s behind it," Lucy said as she tied her hair in a ponytail after dressing up. She wore a simple buttondown knee-length denim dress.

    "Me too, but we need evidence. I should get so that we can leave for Tom''s apartment. Hopefully, they will have news for us," Sonia said as she stood up and undressed before walking into the bathroom.

    Once Lucy walked out of the bedroom, she headed for the kitchen to find something to eat but stopped by the doorway when she overheard Lucas speaking in a hushed tone over the phone. From his posture, she could tell that he was very tense, so she just stood there and eavesdropped on his conversation.

    "Really? You''re asking me to choose between you and my twin sister? Have you gone insane?" Lucas asked, trying to keep his voice low so that his parents wouldn''t hear him.

    "I am the one you''re getting married to, not your sister. I need to know that I will alwayse first in your life. I need to be sure that you won''t leave me and our kids to go running to your sister every time somethinges up in her life," Rachel said reasonably.

    "Are you being serious right now?" Lucas asked in disbelief. It was one thing to have done this when they were young and in high school, but now they were both adults and she was doing this again?

    "I am dead serious. You need to choose, Lucas. Is it going to be our rtionship, or is it going to be Lucy?" Rachel asked adamantly.

    "It is going to be my family, Rachel. I can''t believe it took me so long to finally realize that you don''t love me or my family. You just want to own me. Why are you so jealous of Lucy? Even at a time like this when she is having a hard time, you can''t see past your jealousy and selfishness! Why?"

    "How can you say that I don''t love you? We have been together for ten years now! Am I asking too much by saying you need to focus less on Lucy and more on us? We are getting married and you''re there when you should be here with me!" Rachel made sniffling sounds.

    "And if the situation was reversed and your family was in this mess..."

    "My family can never be involved in such a mess. That''s why I''m saying you need to be careful. We are getting married and I can''t let you get mixed up in Lucy''s mess. I''m saying you this because I love you and..."

    "Love? You don''t know what love is, Rachel. A woman who truly loves me will never ask me to choose between my family and our rtionship. She will stand by my family even when I turn my back on them. Do you know why? Because she loves me and sees my family as her own. If you love me, you will love the person who shared the same womb with me and has been part of my life long before you came into the picture."

    "How can you even say that? She doesn''t even like me!" Rachel cried defensively.

    "How can she love you when you have never given her reasons to? Listen, Lucy has her ce in my life, and you have yours. There has never been apetition between you both." Lucas fired back and then took in a deep breath to calm himself.

    "I can''t believe that you are even taking her side right now! You say this isn''t apetition yet you left your fiancee to be with your sister," Rachel protested.

    "You know what? Nevermind. It''s all my fault. I should have realized this sooner. I thought if I continued to reassure you of how much I love you, you would change. But this is just who you are. Move your things out of my apartment and drop my spare key before I get back. And tell your folks that the wedding is off," Lucas said in a deadly calm voice, and then hung up before she could say anything.

    He turned around when Lucy started pping happily, "Wow! Bravo! s, your eyes have be open. We should toast to this," Lucy said as she walked over to the counter to pour some wine into two sses.

    "What is going on?" Her father asked as they joined them in the kitchen when they heard Lucy''s voice.

    "Lucas is no longer getting married to Rachel. I should probably not say this now, since I know that you actually love her, but I can''t help it. Good riddance to bad rubbish," Lucy said as she raised one of the sses in a silent toast and sipped from it.

    "Not now, Lu. I''m not in the mood," Lucas said as he red at his twin sister.

    "Lucy behave yourself! Your brother is hurt," her mother chided as she went to stand beside Lucas.

    "What happened?" Her mother asked.

    "I think Rachel wanted him to choose between her and me. Can you believe it?" Lucy supplied, and once again Lucas red at her.

    "Well, you could have tried to talk things through..."

    "Mom, stop pretending like you''re not happy about this. We both know you never liked Rachel and were only tolerating her because of Lucas," Lucy cut in, and Lucas turned to look at his mother.

    "Mom? Is that true?"

    "Lucy," her father called in a warning tone before she could say anything else.

    "Fine. I''m leaving. But before I go, just so you know, Lucas, you did the right thing. A broken engagement is better than a broken marriage, and trust me, your marriage would have been a total disaster. I''m not saying this because you chose me over her, no. I''m saying this because Rachel is a bitch. Everyone knows that apart from you.. She never deserved you," Lucy said, and walked out of the kitchen, leaving her parents to deal with Lucas.

 Chapter 246 - Being Sensitive

    After confirming Anita''s involvement from Mr. Wyatt, he decided that he wanted proper evidence, "How do I know that you''re telling me the truth? How am I sure you''re not just telling me what you think I want to hear?" He asked.

    "How do you think I know that you were pretending to be your assistant''s driver?" Mr. Wyatt asked with a frown since he had not expected Tom to turn the table. He was now making it sound like he was the one falsely using his niece when it was he who hade pointing fingers.

    "I don''t know. You tell me."

    Mr. Wyatt sighed. Now he was beginning to feel like a snitch. He hated himself for what he was doing, but he didn''t have a choice. It was either this or face his sister''s wrath. At least he could still run away with what little money he has left before his sister finds out about his gambling problem and takes everything from him. She was a control freak. Always had been.

    "ording to Anita''s elder sister, she was at a beauty salon when one of thedies there happened to be sharing the secret about how the CEO was acting as his assistant''s driver. She ryed the information to the family. Anita went to thepany and confirmed it," Mr. Wyatt exined.

    Tom said nothing as he tried to reason it out. How did thedy at the salon hear of it? And how did Anita confirm it? His eyes narrowed when he remembered thepany''s doctor. The doctor was the only staff who worked in thepany and knew about him being Lucy''s driver.

    He doubted that Anita would have confirmed it just from the doctor. She was a smart person. He tried to figure out where he would go first if he wanted information on two employees. A director and her driver. The HR department.

    "I still need a confirmation," Tom stated, surprising Mr. Wyatt.

    "I don''t understand. You said all you wanted was for me to tell you if my sister was involved. I told you already. What else do you want me to say or do?"

    "Give Anita a call, and get an oral confession from her," Tom said, jerking his head towards Mr. Wyatt''s phone.

    "ARE YOU INSANE?" Mr. Wyatt asked with wide eyes.

    Tom sighed as he picked up his phone. He dialed Alicia''s line and put it on speaker once the call connected, "I don''t think Mr. Wyatt is willing to cooperate with me. You can release the article on his gambling habits."

    "Alright. I will do just that," Alicia said so that Mr. Wyatt would know that Tom was really on the phone, and not bluffing.

    "What? Why are you doing this?" Mr. Wyatt asked as he started sweating profusely now.

    "Hang on, Alicia," Tom said as he looked at Mr. Wyatt, "Are you going to do it or not? I don''t have all day. Unlike you, I don''t gamble and I have business to attend to," Tom said impatiently.

    Mr. Wyatt swallowed as he dialed Anita''s line, and then ced the phone on the table between them.

    "I will call you back," Tom informed Alicia before hanging up.

    Meanwhile, Anitay on her bed with a bowl of popcorn and a can of coca-c as she entertained herself by reading through thement session on the tweets about Lucy. She giggled when she saw thements of those discrediting Sonia''s testimony.

    Sonia, that bitch! Although she had wanted to be the one to destroy Sonia''s rtionship with Bryan, it was a good thing that Sonia had done so herself. Her n was still in ce. The only new addition to it now was that she was going ruin the friendship between both girls. She couldn''t believe that the bitch had spoken to her in such a rude manner. What little kindness she had left in her for Lucy, was all gone now, thanks to her big-mouthed best friend. She was going to make sure that she ruined both of them.

    She sat up when her phone started ringing, and she saw that it was a call from her uncle, and she received it immediately.

    Tom ced the phone on recorder just as the call connected, "Hello, uncle!" Anita greeted.

    "How are you?" Mr. Wyatt asked, trying to sound like his normal self.

    "I''m fine, thank you. How is your health today?" She asked in concern.

    "I''m okay. I just saw the stuff on the inte. Was that the secret you talked about thest time?" Mr. Wyatt asked, sounding curious, and Anita giggled.

    "C''mon uncle, you shouldn''t be asking me something like this," Anita said, trying to evade the question.

    Tom pointed to the documents in front of Mr. Wyatt and mouthed, "Get her to talk, or I will expose these."

    "You are just like your mother. I''m sure she will be so proud of you. This should send that rat into hiding. You still intend to get Thomas Hank, right?" Mr. Wyatt continued.

    "Of course, I do. It''s something I have to do for not just myself, but for the family too. I just need to get his assistant out of the way first," Anita said, and Mr. Wyatt chuckled.

    "So now you admit that you are behind it. I hope you didn''t leave any traces? You know you are my favorite niece, and your mother would be very upset if this is traced back to you," Mr. Wyatt said as though he was worried about her.

    "I don''t know why I can never lie to you uncle," Anita said with a small smile, "Don''t worry about me. The people I gave the job to do not know who I am. It can never be traced to me or our family," Anita said confidently.

    "What will you do if this doesn''t work as nned? What if she is able to clear her name easily? You must have a n B, right?" Mr. Wyatt asked, and Anita sighed.

    "She won''t be able to clear her name that easily. I made sure of it. And if peradventure she is able to do that, I also have my n B. I''m my mother''s daughter after all. Don''t let me bore you with the details of my n, I''m sure you have enough on your te already. Thanks for your concern, uncle," Anita said, and Mr. Wyatt raised a brow at Tom.

    "Alright, dear. Take care of yourself. I need to rest now," he said and hung up the call after receiving the go-ahead from Tom.

    "You''re so good at this," Tom said with a mocking smile, "Send it to me," Tom ordered, and Mr. Wyatt immediately transferred the recorded phone conversation to him.

    "Thank you for your help. I won''t forget it," Tom said as he stood up, and then straightened his shirt before walking away.

    As he drove back to his apartment, his blood boiled with anger as he reyed the phone conversation between Mr. Wyatt and Anita. Who did she think she was to do something like this? What did she mean by she made sure of it that Lucy wouldn''t be able to clear her name so easily? And what was her n B?

    He thought about the different ways that he could deal with Anita. What punishment would ever be good enough for someone as despicable as her?

    ************

    "Don''t you think you were brutally honest just now? Lucas doesn''t need that right now," Sonia said as she walked out of the apartment with Lucy.

    "Really? Was I? Do you have any idea how things would have been for me if I didn''t have you to rely on this whole time? Lucas is my only sibling. My twin brother. He was my only friend until Rachel came into the picture. I would never have chosen ANY guy over Lucas. Never. We had a bond and he let here between us. After ten years he''s only just realizing what I''ve been trying to say from the start? And you expect me to pat him on the back? No, I won''t do that. He would have saved himself this heartbreak had he done the right thing from the moment she started all her nonsense."

    Sonia paused to look at her, "I get that you''re upset too, but Lucas is hurt. So what if it took him ten years or even thirty years to realize that she''s not suitable for him? He is heartbroken right now and he needs you. He came all this way to be here for you. You can do better than this," Sonia said, and Lucy sighed.

    "Yeah. I guess you''re right," Lucy said as she looked from Tom''s apartment to hers, and contemted whether or not she should go back and say something to Lucas.

    "But I have to admit that I''m happy he broke up with her ass. That bitch! I wish I could see her tears right now," Sonia said with a smallugh, and Lucy turned to give her a questioning look.

    "Didn''t you just scold me for rejoicing over it?"

    "No. I meant we are free to rejoice and even celebrate behind him, but we can''t do any of that in front of him. There is a difference. It is called being sensitive," Sonia said, and Lucy rolled her eyes.

    "Whatever. I''m sure my parents will console him. I will just apologize to him when they''re done," Lucy said as they both covered the rest of the distance to Tom''s apartment.

    Before they could ring the doorbell, Tom drove in, in one of his cars and both Lucy and Sonia turned to look at him. They waited until he had gotten out of the car before going to him, "So? How did it go? Anita is responsible for this, right?" Lucy asked curiously.

    "Yes."

 Chapter 247 - We Are Ready.

    "I swear to God I''m going to kill that bitch when I set my eyes on her! I know we suspected her, but knowing for real that she is behind this, and hearing her say it so proudly, I feel so angry I could murder her right now!" Sonia shrieked angrily after they all listened to the recorded phone conversation between Anita and her uncle.

    Lucy who was still staring at Tom''s phone which was on the table turned to Sonia, "Calm down, Sony. We should..."

    "Calm down? Are you kidding me? How can you be so calm, Lu? How?" Sonia asked incredulously as she stood up unable to stay still, "We just confirmed that the bitch is behind this, and you are keeping your calm? We should go over to her apartment and show her what a murderer can do. We should tear her apart limb by fucking limb," Sonia suggested, and both brothers exchanged a look, with Tom signaling to Bryan with his eyes to calm Sonia, while Bryan just grinned at him, enjoying Sonia''s disy of anger.

    "Yeah, I''m angry too. Very angry actually. And I would love nothing more than to pull out all the hair on her head so that she would look like the ugly vulture she is, but anger isn''t going to help the situation right now. Did you hear her? She even has a n B. And we don''t know what it is yet," Lucy pointed out.

    "We don''t need to know what it is. All we need to do is confront her with the truth we know now. I''m sure if I beat her to the point ofa, her n B won''t be an issue since she would be too busy fighting for her life to pay any attention to us," Sonia hissed in annoyance, and Bryan chuckled but quickly kept a straight face when Sonia shot him a look.

    "Don''t worry babe, you will have all the time you need to tear out limbs, and even her eyes and teeth if you want to. I could even hold her still for you while you do that. For now let''s focus on clearing the mess she already created," Bryan told Sonia who was still seething, and he walked over to where she was, and pulled her back to their seat, "Rx."

    "What do you think we should do?" Lucy asked both Tom and Bryan curiously.

    "Let''s proceed with the video as nned. Whatever her n B is, I already paid the man who is working for her to inform me of whatever move she tries to make next. I still have one of my men tailing her movement, so let''s not worry too much about her, and just keep pretending to be ignorant."

    Sonia took in a deep breath as she tried to calm herself while Bryan patted her back, "Lucy told us about the move you made at the office with her teammates. It is helping," Sonia told Tom, who raised a brow.

    "What move?" Bryan asked, and Sonia filled him in on it before Lucy quickly told the brothers about Amy''s visit and updated them on what was happening on the inte regarding the news.

    "I think all we need to do now is to release our statement to back it up," Lucy concluded, and Tom nodded.

    "That is good. Amy has greatly impressed me in all of this," Tom noted, and Lucy nodded in agreement.

    "Me too."

    "She also suggested that this might not all be coincidence, and it makes sense," Sonia said, turning to Bryan as she exined how Anita might be involved in their scandal.

    "Yes, it makes sense. I''m still trying to figure out which of my people could have informed the press about us," Bryan said with a sigh before turning to Tom.

    "By the way, I spoke with mom and Jade earlier," Bryan informed Tom and chuckled when Tom tried to signal him with his eyes not to talk about his conversation with their mom in front of thedies since he believed that it was going to be something bad.

    "Let''s speak in private. Please excuse us for a moment," Tom said, wanting to leave but Bryan didn''t move.

    "No need to speak in private. We are one biiiiig family now, aren''t we?" Bryan drawled and gave bothdies a grin. "Don''t worry, mom is fine, and she sympathizes with both her daughters-inw. All she wants is for you to return her calls. She is very worried about you," Bryan said, and Tom scowled at him, while Sonia and Lucy looked at both brothers, wondering what was going on.

    "I''ll call give her a callter. What about Jade? What did she say?"

    "She gave some sweet sisterly and legal advice. She wants Sonia and I toe clean to the public," Bryan said and went on to exin all that Jade had said.

    Sonia pursed her lips thoughtfully, "She has a point. Let''s do that. If they still don''t believe it then maybe I can share the draft of my unpublished book as evidence," Sonia suggested.

    "Good. Let''s proceed. Enough with the ns, it''s almost 4 pm already. Let''s do the video, and then maybe we can have dinner with Lucy''s family if she doesn''t mind," Tom suggested hopefully.

    "You''re really eager to meet your inws, aren''t you?" Bryan teased Tom.

    "They''re my family too, so they are also your inws." Sonia pointed out, and this time Tom chuckled as Bryan smiled sheepishly at Sonia.

    "Then I guess we should meet our inws after doing this. What do you say to that sister-inw?" Bryan asked as they all turned to Lucy who had a slight frown on her face.

    "I don''t have arge dining table or enough chairs to amodate everyone."

    "Should we order a dining set? Or better still, how about I invite your family over to my house instead? You could even pass the night. I have enough bedrooms, that way your father and Lucas don''t have to stay at the hotel," Tom suggested, and Lucy looked at Sonia who was grinning.

    "I would like to see his ce. Besides, won''t it be good to fuck with Anita? I don''t mind sending her pictures of us having dinner at Tom''s home. She should know that the foolish stunt she pulled made both familiese together faster instead of separating us as she wanted," Sonia said with a touch of humor and they allughed.

    "My family wants to meet you too, so I guess they won''t mind," Lucy said, and Tom smiled at her.

    "Tom you can inform your nosy neighbor that we are ready," Bryan said, and Tom picked up his phone from the table to dial Alicia''s line.

    Harry''s call came in before he could dial Alicia''s number and he excused himself from the others and went into his bedroom before receiving the call, "Hey! What''s up?"

    "We are fine over here. What''s going on over there?" Harry asked curiously.

    "Harry, I already told you that you don''t need to worry about..."

    "I''m already worried. What''s happening? And how can I be of help?" Harry asked, and Tom sighed.

    "We already have things handled at this end. If you have nothing else to do over there, sleep or go on a date with thedy you were out with two nights ago," he said, not wanting to involve Harry any more than was necessary. He hadn''t realized just how much he had been overworking Harry until he snapped for those few seconds the previous day.

    "Jade told you about the stunt she pulled?" Harry asked with disapproval.

    He remembered how he had been dying to tell Tom how he had gotten ady''s attention without altering his appearance, but then this issue hade up before he could do so, and he had even forgotten all about Aurora until Tom mentioned her. He remembered the reminder she had set on his phone going off the previous day while he was busy receiving different phone calls from the shareholders, and he had canceled the reminder.

    "Why? Were you hoping that I wouldn''t know that you''re dating?" Tom asked in amusement.

    "Nice try at changing the subject. Now fill me in on what you have done and what you''re doing. By the way, I already sent a mail to the shareholders letting them know that we are not going to let Lucy go and that I also stand by your decision to fire the staff who spoke without knowing the facts," Harry said, making Tom''s brows shoot up.

    "Why? What changed your mind?"

    "It wasn''t like I wasn''t in support of you. I just didn''t want you making rash decisions that I wouldn''t be able to exin, but then after I saw the articles online that showed what really happened to Lucy, I got really mad. It''s my duty to protect your woman too. So I want to help. Now tell me, have you found the real culprits behind it?" Harry asked curiously.

    "It''s Anita."

    "What? Anita?" Harry asked in disbelief. He couldn''t wrap his head around why Anita would do something as hateful as this.

    "Yes. Apparently, she wants to get Lucy out of the way so that she can have me," Tom said with disgust. He could tell that Anita probably thought he wasn''t aware of Lucy''s past.

    "And she had to do something as inhumane as this? We should teach her a lesson!"

    "Let''s talk about herter. What did the shareholders say? Did they respond to your email?" Tom asked, changing the subject, since the more he talked about Anita the more he wanted to do something harmful to her. He had more important things to handle at the moment, so he would have to take care of Anitater.

    "Yes. Most of them are waiting for more evidence to surface. Until then they agreed to keep their calm and let us do what we think is best as long as it doesn''t affect thepany."

    "Good. I should probably let you know that I''ve finally decided to reveal my identity today," Tom said, and Harry sat up.

    "You mean you want everyone to know what you look like now?" Harry asked curiously.

    "Yes. I also n on revealing the nature of my rtionship with Lucy today. You do not have any objections, do you?" Tom asked since Harry''s opinion also mattered to him. In all the years he had chosen to stay away from public view, Harry had stood by him, and acted in his stead whenever his presence was needed.

    "Well, at least now I don''t have to worry about being the face of thepany anymore," Harry said good-naturedly.

    "You do. You should start thinking about bing my Co-CEO..."

    "Tom..."

    "I know I put in a lot of money and work into thispany. I also know that I''m the brain behind it, but you''ve put in even more work. It''s only right that we make it official."

    "Let''s not think about this now. We can talk about it after we''ve taken care of this issue," Harry suggested instead.

    "I already thought about it. I''ve been thinking about it for a long time now, so you can think about it."

    Harry sighed, "So back to what we were saying. How can I help?"

    "Since you''re so bent on helping can you find out all you can on Anita? Preferably her financial record in Ocean Airlines, and her bank record too. If she is bent on doing this, then she must have enough money to pay the people doing her dirty job. The guy I put on her tail informed me that she visited the bank twice yesterday. The guy who handled Lucy''s scandal also said that Anita paid him in cash. I''d like to know how much cash left her ount or if she made any transfers and to who."

    "Alright. Go on and do what you have to do. I will get back to you on this tomorrow," Harry said and Tom hung up the call.

    Tom dialed Alicia''s line immediately, "You cane over.. We are ready."

 Chapter 248 - BrySon Interview (1)

    "Are you both ready?" Alicia asked Sonia and Bryan who she was about to interview first. They had all agreed that they begin with Bryan''s and Sonia''s interview to draw attention to the channel so that lots of people would get to see Lucy''s interview.

    Following that, all of them had posted on their social media handles that whoever was interested in hearing their side of the story and knowing the truth should click on the YouTube link and subscribe to Alicia''s channel so they would be notified once the interview started.

    That way once they were able to clear Sonia''s name and get enough attention, they could proceed with Lucy''s and Sonia''s interview where Sonia would defend Lucy, after which Tom would join them to reveal his identity and the nature of his rtionship with Lucy.

    Tom''s living room had been set up in such a way that it looked like a studio, but none of them bothered to dress up formally for the interview, apart from Tom who was still dressed in the clothes he wore for his meeting with Mr. Wyatt.

    "Wow! Although she had a good number of followers before now, it has tripled in thest hour since you made the post on your social media ounts," Jasmine who had now joined them and was handling the phone said in awe as she received more and more notifications of new subscribers.

    "I think she deserves even more since she has been looking out for our Lucy," Sonia said with a small smile as Bryan helped her fix her microphone.

    "We are set now. Let''s begin," Bryan said with a nod, after making sure that Sonia was ready.

    Alicia cleared her throat before giving Jasmine the go-ahead to start recording, "Hello, viewers! Wee once again to my YouTube channel," Alicia greeted with a wave as she smiled at the camera, "For those who just recently subscribed to my channel, I''m Alicia Hagin, and you''re so wee to today''s episode, which I call ''The Moment Of Truth!'' I''m sure most of you are bursting with excitement to hear what your number one celebrity couple, Bryan and Sonia has to say. Well, me too. I''m a BrySon shipper after all," Alicia said with a smallugh before looking away from the camera to Bryan and Sonia who were seated opposite her.

    "You both can say hello to your fans."

    Bryan turned to look at Sonia, "You want to go first?" He asked with an easy smile, and she shook her head.

    "You should go first," she said with a small smile, but Bryan could tell that she was nervous, so he reached for her hand and raised it to his lips before looking at the camera while still holding onto Sonia''s hand.

    He cleared his throat, "Hello! I''m Bryan Hank in case you don''t know me. I''m not too arrogant to assume that everyone in the country knows me," Bryan said with a teasing smile, "I''m sure most of you are wondering why we chose a YouTube channel instead of holding a press conference as I used to do in the past. This time things are different, and I will love to interact directly with you, our supportive fans. Do well to drop your questions in thement section. We will do our best to answer your questions sincerely to the best of our ability."

    Sonia took in a deep breath, her heart beating fast now that it was her turn to speak. She turned to Bryan when he squeezed her palm softly, "I''m here. You have nothing to worry about," he assured her with a smile, and she gave him a nod before turning to the camera.

    "Hello! I''m Sonia Smith! Thanks to everyone who has believed in us and is willing to hear our story with an open mind," Sonia said with a forced smile before rxing in her seat.

    "Before I delve into the most frequently asked questions by your fans which I and my team have been able to gather from the inte, I want to get something straight. Just yesterday we all saw a clip which circted the inte of your fiancee, Sonia Smith returning the engagement ring you gave to her. We all assumed you were breaking up. Howe you''re both together right now? And I noticed you kissing her hand a moment ago, was it just a friendly kiss? Or is it safe to assume that the ship is still sailing?" Alicia asked with a hopeful smile.

    "Shouldn''t you be asking Sonia that question since she was the one who was caught in the camera returning the ring?" Bryan asked with an amused grin as he turned to Sonia who red at him usingly.

    "I guess you''re right. Sonia, do you mind telling us what that was about? I''m sure everyone is curious."

    "You bastard!" She muttered under her breath, and Bryan chuckled, not caring that they were in front of the camera.

    "There''s not much to tell. Whoever captured the moment when I returned the ring to Bryan should have also captured the part where I was on the phone before then. When I heard the news going viral about my best friend, I needed to get to her as fast as I could, and I didn''t want to drag Bryan into it since he knew nothing about it. I admit that I shouldn''t have returned the ring at that moment, but I did that because I was concerned about how my involvement in my best friend''s case was going to affect Bryan and his career," Sonia exined.

    "So you mean you did not break up with him because you were tired of the rtionship? It was just because you were looking out for him?" Alicia asked for rity, and Sonia nodded.

    "You can ask him what I told him while giving back the ring," Sonia said, returning the attention to Bryan.

    "Well, not that we expect you to believe us, but she said we could get back together after Lucy''s case might have been resolved. She needed to be with her best friend, and although I wanted to go with her, she refused. She didn''t want me to get involved," Bryan exined.

    "So howe you''re together now? And the case hasn''t even been resolved yet?" Alicia asked curiously, and Bryan chuckled.

    "She couldn''t stay away from me. She came to find me," Bryan said, and Sonia hit his arm yfully.

    "Who came to find whom?" She asked with a scoff, while Alicia smiled as she enjoyed the rapport between both of them.

    "You can pretend all you want, I wasn''t the one banging on Lucy''s door," Bryan told Sonia with a grin while she scowled at him.

    Bryan returned his attention to the camera, "What kind of a fiance would I be if I let her end things that way just to protect my career? She left to be with Lucy who is not just her best friend but her sister too, so I came here to be with them both and offer whatever support I can. I love Sonia and I''m not letting her go," Bryan assured the viewers, before turning to look at Sonia who was looking at him with a smile.

    "I love you too," she murmured, and Bryan kissed the corner of her lips.

    Jasmine, Lucy, and Tom who was watching the interview and also following thements smiled as they read most of thements.

    ''A, they''re so cute. I don''t think they''re faking their rtionship'' one usermented.

    ''Wow! Ship BrySon forever! I love this couple?'' another usermented.

    ''A, Bryan is so romantic. No wonder he''s such a great actor'' a female fanmented with many love emojis.

    ''If this is true, then what about the statement Bryan''s agency released earlier today? Was that a lie?'' Someone asked.

    ''And what about the story about their engagement being fake and Sonia being with Bryan for fame? I don''t understand.''

    ''They''re probably just doing this for the publicity. I don''t trust these celebrities. They''re just like politicians. Full of lies!''

    ''Bryan is sooooo cool! Sonia is very lucky!''

    ''My favs 4eva!''

    ''Sonia is such a wonderful friend. Best friend goals!!!"

    ''If they are telling the truth why is she still not wearing the ring?"

    The more they scrolled through thement section, they were relieved to see that there were more positivements than negativements.

    "You heard them, guys! The BrySon ship is still very much sailing!" Alicia announced excitedly, "And congrattions to you both foring back together. Your love for each other is so obvious, I don''t know how anyone can doubt that," Alicia said as she looked at them.

    "So, let''s get down to the main issue. Following your supposed break-up yesterday, there has been an uproar all over social media, and there have been different rumors circting the inte about the nature of your rtionship with Sonia. While some of these articles say you were never really engaged to begin what, others say that Sonia emotionally ckmailed you into being in a rtionship with her to advance her career. As a matter of fact, even your agency used Sonia of using you to advance her career. Are you aware of that?"

    Bryan exchanged a look with Sonia, and she gave him a nod to go ahead, "Yes, I''m aware of it."

    "Then is it true? Is your rtionship with Sonia real?" Alicia asked, looking at the couple curiously since she also was curious about the answer. Although she didn''t doubt that they were in a rtionship, she had the feeling that there was a story behind it.

    Bryan took in a deep breath.. "Our rtionship is real, but our engagement was a lie."

 Chapter 249 - BrySon Interview (2)

    For a moment Alicia forgot that it was a live interview and her jaws dropped in surprise before she quickly regained herposure and blinked at Bryan with a confused frown, "Your rtionship is real but your engagement was fake?" She asked, looking from Bryan to Sonia whose faces were nk as they looked at her.

    "Yes. You heard him right," Sonia responded this time.

    "Does that mean that the spection about you ckmailing him to propose to you is true?" Alicia asked, trying to get the facts right.

    Bryan shook his head, "No. None of that is true. Before I go on, I will like to make something clear. I don''t think my rtionship is anyone''s business. Most of you who seem to have a lot to say about my rtionship, I know next to nothing about you or your rtionship, so you should know that your opinion on my rtionship doesn''t really matter to me as an individual. However, the only reason I''m doing this is because as a public figure, I''m answerable to the public, and as such, I have to be honest with you. Golden stars entertainment agency released that article, criticizing Sonia only because they were concerned about how the rumors of our false engagement would affect my career." Bryan rified.

    "You''re saying your agency lied against Sonia?"

    "Sorry. I no longer work under that agency," Bryan cut in, surprising both Alicia and Sonia.

    "What?" Alicia asked.

    "I already asked mywyer to terminate my contract with them. I can''t entrust myself to an agency that only cares about my career and not about my emotional wellbeing. Paul lied against Sonia even when he knows the truth, and I can''t ept that. Paul, I''m sure you''re watching this. You can see that I made good my threat. We are done," Bryan said, looking directly into the camera as though he was looking at Paul.

    "Wow!" Alicia eximed since she hadn''t exactly expected Bryan to take things that far.

    Sonia turned to Bryan with a frown since he hadn''t discussed that with her first, but he gave her a reassuring smile, "Trust me, okay?" He mouthed to her, and she gave him a nod.

    "I''m still confused about something. Or perhaps I should say we, as I''m sure I''m speaking on behalf of most of our viewers. How can your engagement be false when you say that your rtionship is real? Can you tell us more about it? How did the both of you meet? Did Sonia approach you first?" Alicia asked, and Bryan turned to Sonia.

    "Maybe she will exin better," he said, giving Sonia the go-ahead to tell them about their engagement.

    Sonia gave a nod as she looked at the camera, and then at Alicia, "Well, as funny and as unbelievable as this might sound, we actually met each other for the first time the moment he knelt in front of me to propose to me," Sonia confessed.

    "What?" Tom blurted out without thinking, and turned to look at Lucy in confusion, "I thought they are supposed to be telling the truth?"

    "Which is what they''re doing," Lucy said, without looking at him.

    "You mean that is the truth? They met for the first time when he proposed to her?" Tom asked incredulously.

    "Why do you sound so surprised? Didn''t you know about it?" Lucy asked blinking at him innocently.

    "Know about what? I thought they were being used falsely and were just going to open up about how they met and all of that," Tom said with a frown. So he was the only one who was in the dark over this? He only just realized now that he had failed to ask Bryan what he meant by ing clean''. He was going to kill Bryan for deceiving him this whole time.

    "Oh! Sorry. I assumed you already figured it out. Let''s focus on thements." Lucy said, and then returned her attention to thement section to see the reaction of the fans.

    ''What????? OMG, I can''t believe it!''

    ''Is this true??''

    ''How is that even possible?''

    ''This is crazzzzzy!''

    ''Byran proposed to a total stranger? Unbelievable!''

    ''This has got to be a movie script! Who knows? Maybe the reality show is still on and they''re ying us.''

    Alicia on the other hand was staring at both Bryan and Sonia in confusion, "You are joking, right?" They both shook their head.

    "No. We are not. I was under a lot of pressure from my fellow actor, Sophia Riley, regarding our rtionship scandal. I wasn''t in a sexual rtionship with her, but thanks to some ipetent journalist who published news about us being in a rtionship without checking the facts, Sophia was having issues with her man and she needed me to clear the air. I needed something else to divert the attention and make her man believe her. So I decided to propose to a random stranger. If you work in the entertainment industry you''d know that the only way to cover up a scandal is by using a bigger scandal," Bryan exined.

    "So you actually proposed to her just to cover up your scandal? And not because you were both head over heels in love? Not because she approached you and ckmailed you as we were made to believe?" Alicia asked for the benefit of the viewers.

    "How could she have ckmailed me when we have never met before that day?" Bryan asked.

    Alicia turned to Sonia, "But the engagement video... It didn''t seem like it was the first time you both met. I mean, did you see the way you held him and kissed him," Alicia pointed out, and both Bryan and Soniaughed.

    "I''ve always had a crush on Bryan. I mean, I am I huuuuuge fan. I love seeing his movies and I''ve always imagined what kissing him would taste like. So you can''t imagine the magnitude of surprise I felt while I was sitting there waiting for my editor to show up, and then Bryan Hank popped out of nowhere and knelt right there in front of me asking me to be his wife! I mean, this is Bryan Hank we are talking about. Fucking A-list actor Bryan Hank. At first, I thought it was either a prank or maybe I was just dreaming. But then I thought, fuck it! Even if it''s a prank or a dream, I better seize this opportunity," Sonia said with a giggle, and both Bryan and Aliciaughed too.

    "I was taken aback too. I was actually expecting her to reject me. So you can''t imagine how shocked I was when she not only epted my proposal but held on to me and kissed me. I thought she was crazy," Bryan revealed with a chuckle as he looked at Sonia fondly.

    "You still think I''m crazy," Sonia murmured in amusement.

    "Definitely. But I''m also crazy. Crazy about you."

    "A. You both are so sweet. This sounds like something that would happen in a romance movie or a novel," Alicia said, and Sonia giggled some more.

    "She''s making it into a novel. You don''t want to tell them about it?" Bryan asked Sonia.

    "Yeah. I''ve been working on the story since the first time we met."

    "Oh, wow! Save me the first copy! I will really love to read that book!" Alicia said with enthusiasm.

    "The first copy is mine. You can have the second copy," Bryan offered with a grin.

    "Gee! What a supportive fiance you are. Or should I just say, boyfriend? Since your fake engagement is technically off?" Alicia asked, and both coupleughed.

    "Boyfriend is fine." They said in unison.

    "So why didn''t you call off the false engagement afterward? You were scared of public criticism? Or you both fell in love at first sight?" Alicia asked curiously, and Sonia shed her a guilty smile as Bryan pointed at her.

    "Sonia. She refused to end things, and she disappeared with the ring without leaving a trace," Bryan said, making Alicia burst into a peal ofughter.

    "You''re kidding me, right?" Alicia asked, looking at Sonia in amusement.

    "What did you expect me to do? Would you have returned the ring and agreed to end things with him just like that? I guess that''s why I was used of emotionally ckmailing him," Sonia said with a grin.

    "Now I get why Bryan said you''re crazy. No offense," Alicia said with a giggle.

    "None taken. But look at it this way, if I hadn''t held on to the ring, we won''t be together by now. Besides, do you know how many lies I told so many people who called me that day just to make them believe that we were truly engaged? How would I have looked at them afterward? How can you expect me to give back the ring without putting up a fight? You''ve got to be kidding me," Sonia said with a scoff.

    "I''m d you didn''t give it back," Bryan said with a grin as he kissed her knuckles.

    "You just realized it now? After all the stress you put me through?" She asked with a dramatic roll of her eyes.

    "That should be my line," Bryan corrected.

    Alicia kept grinning as she watched them both, "I would love to ask how your rtionship blossomed from being fake couples to sweet lovers, but I wouldn''t want to spoil Sonia''s book," Alicia said, and Sonia gave her a thumbs up.

    Alicia turned to the camera, "You heard them, guys. If this isn''t a real romance story, I don''t know what is. You have to agree with me that they make a great couple. You can keep dropping your questions and yourments, and we will attend to them after the short break. We will be right back!" Alicia said with a wink, and Jasmine turned off the camera immediately.

    *************

    Anita who was lying face up in the beauty parlor with two round slices of cucumber covering her eyes, groaned when she heard the sound of her ringtone.

    "I can''t even get an hour''s rest," she sighed as she removed the cucumbers and opened her eyes, before reaching for her handbag and taking out her phone.

    She raised a brow when she saw the number disyed on the screen, before receiving the call, "Hi!" She greeted, wondering why the person was calling her.

    "Are you watching the interview right now?" A male voice asked.

    "What interview?" She asked curiously.

    "What? You don''t know that Bryan and Sonia are currently shooting a live interview?"

    "They are?"

    "Bryan and Sonia are currently doing a live interview, you know what this means, right?" He asked, and Anita stood up immediately.

    "Who is interviewing them?" Anita asked as she took off the towel which was used to wrap her hair, and then she also took off the bathrobe which she was wearing.

    "Is that even important right now? They just revealed that their engagement is fake! And their rtionship is still very much intact!" He informed Anita.

    "Really?" Anita asked with a slight frown. She hadn''t expected them to do that. She had thought they would try to cover it up or something, especially considering the fact that they had ended their rtionship. Who would have thought that the idiots would make up so soon?

    "What about my brother? You are still going to keep to your end of the bargain even though we didn''t get to use the evidence I provided anymore, right?" He asked hopefully.

    Anita rolled her eyes, "The deal was on the ground that we use the evidence. Since we no longer have use for it, there is no deal."

    "What? You can''t do this to me after you made me leak the news to the press! Do you have any idea what would happen to me if they find out that I was behind this?" He asked furiously.

    "They were going to find out after you release the evidence anyway. But since you are so worried about it, I guess you have to make sure that no one finds out that you were behind it." With that Anita hung up the call and started to dress up.

    She didn''t have the luxury of time to rest.. She had toe up with something else.

 Chapter 250 - LuSon Interview (1)

    "So? How did we do?" Sonia asked as she stood up and went to join Lucy and Tom.

    "Great! Thements are mostly good," Lucy supplied as she shifted to the side to make room for Sonia who wanted to see thements.

    "What? Why are you staring at me that way?" Bryan asked when he noticed the scowl on Tom''s face.

    "You deceived me about your engagement!" Tom pointed out, not bothering to hide his displeasure at finding out about his brother''s rtionship at the same time as everyone else.

    "Did I? If I remember correctly I said I would tell you all about it when we go for our family vacation. How is that the same as telling a lie?" Bryan asked incredulously.

    "You could have easily said it''s not a real rtionship!"

    "What difference would that information have made? Besides, how is this any different from you keeping away the details of your first meeting with Lucy from me?" Bryan fired back.

    "What details?" Lucy who had been going through thements with Sonia, asked as she looked from Bryan to Tom.

    "I''m wondering the same thing. What details?" Tom asked with a frown.

    "Like her passing the night with you. You left that part out when you told me about her the first time. I''m sure you didn''t tell Jade of it either," Bryan said usingly.

    "Was I supposed to give you such information? Besides, where did you hear of it?" Tom asked, looking at Lucy, who in turn turned to look at Sonia.

    Noticing the sudden silence, Sonia raised her head to look at them, and frowned when she noticed that both Tom and Lucy were staring at her, "What?" She asked in confusion.

    "You told Bryan about my first night with Tom?" Lucy asked with a frown.

    "Why would I tell him that?" Sonia asked with a frown, as she looked at Bryan, "Did you tell them I told you that?" She asked him curiously.

    "Wow! These people are even more interesting than you said," Jasmine whispered to Alicia as they watched the couples who seemed to have forgotten that they weren''t alone in the house.

    "The night of our engagement? Weren''t you on the phone with Lucy advising her to make her neighbor who also happens to be called Tom, her personal handyman?" Bryan asked in amusement, and Sonia''s jaw dropped in surprise, while Lucy''s face flushed with embarrassment.

    "You remember that?" Sonia asked in surprise, trying to recall all she must have said that night.

    "Do I look like someone with a bad memory? I can recount every line of your side of the conversation. Do you want me to say it all?" Bryan asked with a smug smile, and both Lucy and Sonia shook their heads vigorously, making Bryan chuckle.

    "I want to hear it," Tom said, but Sonia quickly went to where Bryan was standing and ced her hand over his shoulder.

    "There is really nothing to hear, Tom. I was under the influence of something," Sonia said with an embarrassed smile, and both Lucy and Bryan chuckled.

    "That doesn''t exin how you found out that Lucy passed the night with me at my house," Tom pointed out.

    "Wait, I thought she said they met at the club? Did she mention passing the night with him?" Alicia asked Jasmine with a slight frown as she tried to remember what Lucy had told them that night during dinner.

    "She didn''t say anything about passing the night with him," Jasmine said confidently.

    "Sonia asked about your mansion. So I connected the dots when I found out you were the Tom that they were gossiping about."

    "Let''s look at the bright side, at least now we all know that you don''t kiss and tell. Right, Lucy?" Sonia asked, looking at Tom with a catory smile.

    "Right!" Lucy said, shing Tom a smile.

    Alicia cleared her throat to get their attention, "Sorry to interrupt your family discussion. But I''m curious, you mean you both met both brothers separately? Like you best friends dating two brothers is purely coincidental?" Alicia asked, and they all smiled.

    "I prefer to call it fate, not coincidence," Sonia said with a wide smile.

    "I think it''s time to resume the show. You''ve spent almost ten minutes now," Jasmine reminded them.

    "Yeah. Let''s do that so that we can move on to the next aspect of the show," Alicia said as she returned to the set, while Sonia quickly picked up a bottle of water from the dining table and drank from it, before passing the bottle to Bryan who also drank from it before they returned to the set.

    Once the show resumed, Alicia read out the most relevantments and questions from their fans, while both Bryan and Sonia did their best to answer most of the questions.

    "So the final question here for the couple before we move to the next segment of this interview, ''Between the both of you, who fell first for the other?''" Alicia read the question with a giggle, as she looked at both Bryan and Sonia who wereughing.

    "I think I did," both Bryan and Sonia said in unison, and then they turned to each other and startedughing.

    "Let''s see. When did you find out that you were falling for me?" Sonia asked Bryan curiously.

    "I don''t know. Maybe it was the night you were dancing nak..."

    "Shut up!" Sonia yelled in embarrassment before he couldplete his statement, and Bryanughed out loud.

    "I think Bryan fell first," Sonia conceded.

    "That was quite an interesting and eye-opening conversation," Alicia said with a smile that didn''t quite reach her eyes anymore since she knew that the next segment wasn''t a pleasant one.

    "Moving on, because Bryan and Sonia are here for Lucy''s sake, I will be inviting Lucy to join them on the set right now. Miss Lucinda Perry, you can join us," Alicia called to Lucy.

    Hearing her name, Lucy''s heart skipped a beat as she turned to look at Alicia.

    "It''s okay. You can do it," Tom assured her quietly as he ced a hand on her back and patted her.

    "Don''t think about it, just do it," he said encouragingly.

    Taking in a deep breath, Lucy slowly walked over to the set, and Bryan scooted to the side for Lucy to sit down between himself and Sonia. As though it was nned, both Sonia and Bryan took each of Lucy''s hands to calm her.

    "You''re wee to the show, Lucy," Alicia said with a small smile, and Lucy nodded.

    "I''m sure within thest twenty-four hours, most of you must have heard about her and even judged her without knowing what she looks like. Thisdy here is Lucinda Perry, thedy being used of such a heinous crime as murder," Alicia said with a disapproving expression.

    "Can you both tell us a little about your friendship? How long you have both been best friends?" Alicia asked, hoping that the question would calm Lucy a bit and prepare her for the difficult conversation ahead.

    Taking the cue from Alicia, Sonia turned to Lucy, "It''s been fifteen years, right?" She asked with a smile, and Lucy nodded.

    "Do you remember how we became friends?" Sonia asked with a grin.

    "Of course," Lucy said with a giggle as she recalled their first meeting.

    "After my mother got remarried, we moved down to Heden where I met Lu for the first time. I was in a really foul mood at the time. First I was still mourning my dad, secondly, my mother got remarried to her high school sweetheart before I got enough time to ept my dad''s death. Not leaving out the fact that I automatically got an older brother who seemed to really hate my existence, and I was also being forced to repeat grade 5. It was pretty much the worst year of my life. So I was determined to be rebellious and to cause a lot of trouble. Lucy on the other hand was the model student," Sonia said with a grin and turned to look at Lucy for her to continue.

    "When she was brought into the ssroom on her first day, she was assigned the desk behind mine. While the teacher would be teaching, Sonia would kick my seat, and make all sorts of animal sounds for God knows why. I would often turn to re at her, but she wasn''t fazed by that. It was as if she was daring me to report her to the ss teacher. When I couldn''t take it anymore I reported her to my twin brother a weekter and he offered to swap seats with me since his seat was directly behind hers. So once I took the seat behind hers, I started kicking her seat and making simr animal sounds. Mine was a little bit louder than hers, so when the teacher asked who was making those sounds, Lucas pointed at Sonia," Lucy said with a grin, and Sonia giggled.

    "I tried to convince the teacher that it was Lucy and not me, but no one would listen to me because Lucy was the model student and I on the other hand was the troublesome new student. Much to my embarrassment, I was made to stand in front of the ss and make those animal sounds while mimicking each of the animals. Luckily for me, Lucy is a softie who didn''t want me to be punished alone for her crime, so she came out and joined me in the demonstration," Sonia said with a grin.

    "And afterward she promised not to kick my seat or do anything silly," Lucy added.

    "But our friendship still didn''t start from there. Some of the kids she didn''t get along with locked her in a toilet stall after school, and she couldn''t get out. Lucas and I were about to leave when we noticed that her bag was still in the ssroom, so we searched around the ssroom premises for her until we found her," Lucy said with a wide smile.

    "And the three of us became inseparable. Thanks to them I began to love school and be on my best behavior, and their home became my second home," Sonia said with a wide smile as they both remembered the time before Rachel came into the picture.

    "Wow! That''s quite a history," Alicia said as she watched Lucy smile. She could tell that the story had rxed her a bit, so it was time to slowly ease into the subject.

    "Sonia, earlier you mentioned something about having a half-brother who hated your existence, Is he the same person as the college student who was supposedly murdered by your best friend?"

 Chapter 251 - LuSon Interview (2)

    "What? Their engagement wasn''t real? You knew about this, didn''t you?" Harry asked as he and Jade watched the show together on therge tscreen television in the living room.

    Jade simply shrugged without breaking her gaze away from the screen, "Didn''t you think that engagement was too ordinary for someone of Bryan''s status?"

    "What was ordinary about that engagement? Why would you consider it ordinary? Is there some particr way someone of his status is supposed to engage a woman he loves?" Harry asked with a confused frown, and Jade turned to look at him this time.

    "Don''t tell me when you meet the woman of your dreams you''re just going to pop the question to her with a ring?" She asked with a small frown.

    "Is anything wrong with that?"

    "You mean there would be no head swooning grand gestures?" Jade asked again.

    "Is that important? What matters is that we are both in love and are willing to share the rest of our lives with each other," Harry said, and Jade rolled her eyes.

    "You''re very unromantic, and I wish thedy that ends up winning your heart good luck. If and when I eventually decide to settle down, my man would know better than to just pop the question. I need a dramatic proposal," Jade said with a smile as she returned her attention to the screen, while Harry just stared at her.

    Jade''s phone started ringing almost immediately, and she rolled her eyes when she picked up the phone and saw that it was her mother who was calling, "Another victim of Bryan''s lie," Jade muttered as she received the call.

    "Tell me that you didn''t know that your brother lied about the engagement?" Her mother snapped at her angrily.

    "I don''t understand why you are yelling at me when I also feel hurt, betrayed, and heartbroken. We all fell for Bryan''s act," Jade said dramatically, and Harry raised a brow as he looked at her, while she winked at him.

    "You mean you didn''t know that the engagement was fake?" Their mother asked doubtfully.

    "How was I supposed to know? I doubt that Tom knew of it either. But what does it matter? He ended up falling for her after all, and that is the most important thing, isn''t it?" Jade asked, and Evelyn frowned.

    "You know what they say about rtionships that start on the foundation of lies," Evelyn pointed out.

    "That is if they lied to each other. But in this case, they didn''t. They both lied to the world. Besides, only a person like Sonia could have tamed that randy son of yours. So you should be grateful to her," Jade said, and Evelyn sighed this time.

    "I really hope that there are no more lies. I don''t understand why both your brothers ended up in suchplicated rtionships."

    "Well, at least you got what you wanted. They''re both dating, and from the looks of things they will be getting married and giving you grandchildren in the not-so-distant future," Jade said with a smile.

    "And what about you? Why are you not in a rtionship yet?" Evelyn asked, and Jade rolled her eyes.

    "How does this have to do with the fact that Bryan deceived us? Isn''t that why you called?" Jade asked, trying to change the subject.

    "Don''t try to be smart with me! Why are you still single?" Evelyn repeated testily.

    She knew that telling her mother that she wasn''t interested in getting involved with anyone would be pointless. "I''m busy with work. And you are distracting me right now. I need to return my attention to the interview. Your other soon-to-be daughter-inw just joined Bryan and his ex fake fiancee turned girlfriend on the set," Jade said, and Harry''s lips twitched in amusement at the description.

    "Jade... Make sure you clear up whatever case you have. The moment your brothers are settled, I want to see all of you. And this conversation you are avoiding, we are going to have it then," Evelyn said before hanging up.

    Jade sighed as she dropped her phone, "What is it with parents and wanting their kids to be in a rtionship anyway?" Jade asked Harry whose eyes were fixed on the screen.

    "What is it with you trying to hook me up?" Harry asked dryly, and Jade grinned at him.

    "Perhaps it''s my motherly or sisterly instinct towards you at work?" Jade asked with a little giggle, and Harry turned to look at her with an unreadable expression before returning his attention to the screen where Alicia was questioning Sonia.

    "Sonia, earlier you mentioned something about having a half-brother who hated your existence, Is he the same person as the college student who was supposedly murdered by your best friend?"

    Sonia paused for a moment and turned to Lucy who she noticed had be tense, "Yes. His name was Jamie," Sonia said as she took Lucy''s hand once again, as though to reassure her that she wasn''t alone.

    Lucy looked down when she felt the slight tremble of Sonia''s hand and then looked into Sonia''s face. Only then did she realize that Sonia was as tense as she was. Of course, this had to be difficult for Sonia too, yet she was here doing this for her. She had to pull herself together if for nothing else, but for Sonia''s sake.

    Straightening her back, Lucy squeezed Sonia''s hand reassuringly.

    "If you don''t mind me asking, can you tell us a little about your rtionship with Jamie?" Alicia asked curiously, and Sonia''s eyes became distant as she thought of him.

    "Jamie was my mom''s first child before she got married to my dad, but I only found out about him after my dad''s death. He hated the mere sight of me and never got along with me. Both he and his father did their best to make me feel ufortable and unwee in the house so I spent most of my time at Lucy''s home. So it''s safe to say that there was really no love lost between us," Sonia said with a shrug, knowing that some people would likely want to use all that she had just said against her. It would be easy for them to say she was taking Lucy''s side because Lucy was more like family to her, unlike Jamie who she didn''t get along with.

    "I suppose that is understandable," Alicia said with a nod as she turned to Lucy, "What about you, Lucy? What was your rtionship with Jamie?" Alicia asked, and Lucy took in a deep breath.

    "There was..." She paused to clear her throat, "There really wasn''t any rtionship between us. All the time I visited Sonia''s house, he would treat me like I didn''t exist. He barely responded to my greetings or anything, so whenever I was in the house we would stay up in Sonia''s bedroom. All he was to me was Sonia''s half-brother. There was no special rtionship between us," Lucy said with a shrug.

    "That is surprising. You mean you were friends with Sonia for about fifteen and you never got along with her half-brother? Like not even a crush? Am I to assume that he wasn''t cute?" Alicia asked, and Lucy winced.

    "He wasn''t bad looking, but there was no form ofmunication between us to make me want to have a crush on him," Lucy said with a shake of her head.

    "Unlike I who had a crush on Lucy''s dad," Sonia supplied with a grin, and Lucy giggled.

    "Seriously? You had a crush on Lucy''s dad?" Bryan asked, leaning forward in his seat so that he could take a good look at Sonia.

    "She still does. At least judging by the blush on her face when she sawst night," Lucy said with a grin, and Sonia giggled, while Bryan''s brows furrowed.

    "You''re not going back there today. Bring your luggage over here once we are done here," Bryan instructed, and Sonia giggled.

    "Do you realize that we are in front of the camera?" Sonia asked in amusement, and Bryan scowled.

    "I''m serious," he told her before returning his attention to Alicia. He cleared his throat, "Sorry. I got distracted," he murmured.

    "It''s fine. So, what was your childhood like? I mean, Sonia already mentioned that you were a model student. What were you like outside school? Did you love parties? Seeing how beautiful you look, I''m sure so many boys would have been vying for your attention. Did you have lots of boyfriends?" Alicia asked with a curious smile, slowly leading up to the question of what had happened between Lucy and Jamie. She had read the articles released online in favor of Lucy, and she had seen the testimony which some of Lucy''s admirers had given in court about being harassed by Jamie.

    "Growing up, I was invited to a lot of birthday parties, so I attended my fair share. I loved parties like the average teenage girl but if it wasn''t a birthday party or a school party, I wasn''t allowed to go. My parents were always careful about such unauthorized parties that teenagers loved to hold in the absence of their parents," Lucy exined, and Alicia looked at her with disbelief.

    "And you never sneaked out?"

    "Nah. I was too scared to do that. I always had this deep-rooted fear that if I went out without their permission, something might go wrong at the party, and then I might end up in juvenile prison," Lucy said with a wry smile, thinking that even the trouble she had tried to avoid had found its way to her.

    "Well, I never thought about that. I attended my fair share of those juvenile parties and even hosted some. And believe me, it was always mad fun!" Alicia confided with a wide smile.

    "Me too. My mother would think I was passing the night at Lucy''s, but I would sneak out for a party," Sonia said with a mischievous smile.

    "I guess I should have done that while I could," Lucy said with a wry smile.

    "What about boyfriends? Your parents didn''t let you go out with guys too?" Alicia asked in a teasing tone, and Lucy took in a deep breath.

    She knew without a doubt that they were about to get into the serious part of their conversation. Once they started this, there was no turning back.

    Her eyes moved to Tom who was standing behind the camera with Jasmine, and he gave her a nod and a thumbs-up, encouraging her to speak.

    Swallowing past the lump in her throat, Lucy returned her attention to Alicia, "My parents didn''t have a problem with me having a boyfriend. It was Jamie who didn''t let any guye close to me." Lucy revealed.

 Chapter 252 - LuSon Interview (3)

    Without taking off her sleeping mask, Brandy groaned in her sleep as she reached for her phone when it started ringing and picked it up from the top of the bedstand. She had barely had enough sleep since the moment she returned from the club.

    "Hello!" she greeted in a hoarse voice once she received the call, half expecting it to be Candace since she was yet to hear from her since the previous day.

    "Hey, Brandy! Are you still in bed? Wake up. Work calls," The familiar male voice which belonged to her boss greeted, and Brandy groaned as she sat up.

    "C''mon! I worked all through the night. I deserve to get my beauty sleep!" Brandyined irritably as she sat up on the bed.

    "Well, it''s not my fault that you''re so damned good at your job. A client wants you. He is hosting a bachelor''s eve party for his best friend, and he specifically requested for you and Candy. He''s paying a lot of dough," her boss said excitedly. They all knew how much he loved to make money off thedies who worked for him at the club.

    "Well, let whoever the client is know that I can''t make it. Besides, Candy is not around," Brandy reminded him as she took off her sleeping mask.

    "Yeah, I told him that. He is willing topromise. Maybe you and another one of the girls. He''s willing to pay double the price for your services. You know you''re one of the bests here," her boss reminded her.

    "Have you checked out the client? Is he legit? A regr client?" Brandy asked thoughtfully.

    "Of course. By now you should know that I wouldn''t ask you to take on a job without being sure of the client," her boss pointed out.

    "Sure. I still need to rest though. When is this party holding? And where?" Brandy asked as she got off the bed.

    "Well, he said it''s tonight. He will send a car for you girls by 8 PM."

    "No. I''d rather he gives us an address and we find our way there than he sends a car to pick us up. That is too risky and you know it," Brandy protested as she went to stand in front of the mirror to check out her appearance.

    "He is paying a lot of money, Brandy. And you know that the rich customers are ALWAYS right. I think the client is very wealthy and he has trust issues. So he doesn''t want you knowing the venue," her boss said reasonably.

    Although Brandy was not convinced, she knew better than to argue with him, "Fine. I will be there. But know that I''m taking seventy percent of this money. It''s either that or I''m not in," Brandy bargained.

    "Seventy percent? Come on! How do you go from receiving forty percent to seventy?" Heined.

    "Okay, I need to rest. Get someone else," Brandy said dismissively.

    "Okay, I will give you forty-five percent," he rushed to stop her before she could hang up.

    "I''m not kidding, Joey. It''s either seventy or nothing."

    "Fifty percent?" He asked, wondering why she was being so unnecessarily greedy.

    "Get someone else to do the job."

    "Come on, Brandy."

    "It''s the same thing, isn''t it? You said he doubled the pay because he wanted me. I get to keep the extra money. Why is that a problem?" Brandy asked reasonably.

    "Fine, what about you keep sixty percent and I take forty?" He pleaded greedily.

    "Fine. You can keep thirty-five percent. That''s how high I can go. If you have a problem with it, get someone else."

    "Fine. I will send you the money. Make sure you are here before the time," he ordered before hanging up the call.

    Brandy smiled to herself, pleased with her bargaining skills as she pulled out thest drawer on the dressing table and took out a notebook and a pen. She jotted down the amount of money she was expecting for this job and summed it up with the rest of her savings. She needed to save up enough money for her studio sessions. She wasn''t nning on continuing in this line of job forever, especially not now that Candace was working hard to be awyer. She also needed to do something worthwhile with her life so she wouldn''t be a source of embarrassment to either her sister or her nephew.

    Once she closed the notebook, she returned it into the drawer and her eyes fell on the jewelry box that Matt had gifted her. He had returned to see her the next day after sending off Candace and Jamal, and he had brought her the gift. She was meant to wear the earrings and ne whenever she was going out, as it would not only enable them to track her at all times but would also record whatever was happening around her.

    Thus far she had been very reluctant to wear it to the club since she didn''t want to vite the club''sws, but seeing as she was going to work for someone she didn''t know at an undisclosed location, she thought it wise to use the jewelry tonight, so she took out the jewelry box before closing the drawer.

    **************

    "My parents didn''t have a problem with me having a boyfriend. It was Jamie who didn''t let any guye close to me."

    "Jamie? Do you mean Sonia''s half-brother? The one who always treated you like you didn''t exist? How so?" Alicia asked, unable to hide her curiosity.

    "That is the crazy thing," Lucy said with a sigh, as she started recounting all she had told Tom regarding how she and Sonia had discovered Jamie''s obsession with her.

    "Hold on! You mean he threatened and beat up any guy who showed any interest in you even though hepletely ignored you whenever he saw you?" Alicia asked in disbelief.

    "Crazy, isn''t it? How each of these guys had stayed away from me thinking he was my boyfriend. I would never have known had I not confronted thest guy," Lucy said with a shake of her head.

    "But why? Why would he do that? And how did he find out about all these guys? It''s not like he was your ssmate or something," Alicia asked in confusion.

    Sonia decided to respond this time, "I still can''t understand why he never said anything and had to do all of that. So we can''t tell why, other than the only logical reason that he was crazy and was obsessed without her. We tried to figure out how he could have known about all these guys that approached Lucy, and we discovered that he set up a camera in my room," Sonia said with a shake of her head, as though she still couldn''t believe that Jamie had done that.

    "What? A camera in your bedroom?" Alicia asked in horror, while Bryan listened with utter disbelief.

    Both Sonia and Lucy nodded. Sonia turned to look at Lucy, "I''m sorry," she murmured, not sure she could ever forget the look of shock and horror on Lucy''s face that day when they saw the pictures and videos which Jamie hadpiled.

    "You mean he had pictures of you? He set up a camera in your bedroom?" Alicia asked, still trying to get past the surprise. Although it had creeped her out earlier when she read about it in the articles on Twitter, hearing it directly from bothdies was even more horrible.

    "Yes. We searched his bedroom and saw several nude pictures and videos he had of Lucy in his system. Not all the pictures were taken from my bedroom. Some of them were taken without Lucy''s knowledge while she was going about her normal daily activities. I always wondered why he refused to move out of the house after he started college. But I guess he didn''t want to leave because of Lucy," Sonia exined.

    Alicia shuddered involuntarily, "So what did you girls do? Who did you report to?"

    Lucy''s eyes zed over, and she had a distant look in her eyes as she gazed at Alicia who could tell that she wasn''t looking at her, "Nobody. I was scared and ashamed, and couldn''t bring myself to speak with anybody. Instead, I started hiding from him," Lucy said in a distant voice that sounded like it wasing from somewhere far away inside her. It was like she was trying to separate herself from what was being discussed, and this made Tom''s brows pull together.

    "I would stay locked up in my bedroom unless I had to go to school. I stayed away from Sonia''s house and every other ce that I might run into him."

    Alicia''s heart broke as she watched Lucy, and she could tell that talking about this wasn''t easy for Lucy. She wanted to call for a break, but Lucy continued. She told them all that she had told Tom concerning how Jamie had abducted her on the night of her prom.

    Bryan handed Sonia a hankie when tears kept dropping from Sonia''s eyes, and Alicia reached for her hankie to also wipe her tears as they listened to Lucy''s narration.

    The information Lucy was sharing now was not in the papers since she had not told anyone about it other than Tom. All they knew was that she had been abducted but they didn''t know the exact details of how it had happened.

    "I killed Jamie," Lucy said after a while as she tried to refocus her gaze on Alicia, "I didn''t mean to kill him, but I was d he died," She confessed as her hands began to tremble.

 Chapter 253 - LuSon Interview (4)

    "Are you saying that because you think he deserved to die for doing that to you?" Alicia asked Lucy knowingly since she did not doubt that she too would murder the motherfucker in cold-blood if he came an inch near her with his madness.

    "I don''t know how I would have lived sanely knowing that he was alive after all of that," Lucy said in all honesty.

    "What did he do to you, Lucy?" Alicia asked as she tried to put herself together, while Sonia took Lucy''s trembling hands, wanting her to focus on her so that she would remember that she wasn''t alone.

    Tears fell from Lucy''s eyes as she turned to meet Sonia''s teary gaze while her mind traveled back to the events that took ce eight years ago.

    Although she was still feeling drowsy, seventeen years old Lucy opened her eyes slowly and then shut them because of the sudden onught of light in the room. The first thing she realized as she came to consciousness was that there was something inside her mouth, and her lips were sealed. And then she shivered involuntarily because of how cold the room was. She stiffened when it urred to her that not only was the room cold, but she was also lying there naked without her clothes. She tried to move her arms but soon realized that she couldn''t move either her arms or her legs. They were tied. She realized that she was lying on a bed.

    Where was this ce? What was happening to her? Lucy wondered, and then her heart skipped a beat, and she panicked when she remembered what had happened. Jamie! He hade to her house. She remained on the bed with her eyes closed as she tried to calm herself while also listening for any sound to know if someone was in the room with her. Where was this ce? She wondered without moving any part of her body so that she wouldn''t alert anyone in the room that she had regained consciousness.

    What could she do? Fight? She could neither fight nor scream for help. Not when he had sealed her lips and tied her arms. She was at a disadvantage already because she didn''t even know where this ce was.

    She slowly opened her eyes again this time as she tried to take in her environment. The ce looked like an apartment that was under reconstruction. The paint was peeling from the walls, but the ceiling still looked new.

    "I see you are awake," Jamie greeted from behind her, his head hovering over her, and immediately Lucy twisted her neck so that she could look at him with her eyes which were wild with fear.

    She made a sound in her throat as though she was trying to say something but Jamie only smiled at her as he moved closer to the bed, "Don''t worry. You don''t have to say anything," he said as he reached out tob his fingers through her hair.

    "Did you know that your hair is what first caught my eyes the first time I saw you?" Jamie asked with a creepy smile that made her skin crawl as she tried to move away from his touch.

    "Your hair is too long. It hides your beauty," Jamie said with disapproval as he brushed her hair away from her face, and his fingers grazed her face in the process making her cringe.

    "We should get rid of some of it. Only then will you look perfect," Jamie said as he walked away from her and then returned a momentter with a pair of scissors.

    "Don''t worry. I''m not going to hurt you. I wouldn''t have brought you here in this manner but it seemed like you were avoiding me so I had toe to get you when I couldn''t bear it anymore," Jamie said with a sigh as he grabbed some of her hair and cut them off using the scissors. Lucy closed her eyes as tears rolled down her cheeks when she felt her hair fall to the ground.

    "Your body is responding to my touch," he said with excitement in his tone when he saw her hardened nipples, and Lucy''s eyes widened as she quickly shook her head, trying to let him know that it was because she was freezing.

    She tried to roll away when he reached for her boobs, but her movement was limited because she was tied so he grabbed her boobs effortlessly and smiled as he teased her nipples, while she made pleading sounds as she squirmed.

    "You are enjoying it, aren''t you?" He asked, misinterpreting her plea to stop as a go-ahead.

    Lucy shut her eyes tightly as she tried to endure the vition of her body, and the humiliation she was being faced with. Her whole body shook with shudders each time she felt his hands on her.

    "You mean he did all of that to you?" Alicia asked in a shaky voice, cutting off Lucy''s narrative.

    "He did so every day. Sometimes he would just stand there and jerk off while leering at me. He said that was what he did with the pictures he had of me. He said watching the real thing was even better," Lucy said, and they could all hear the tremor in her voice as she spoke with tears running down her cheeks. She had to be one hell of an actress to be able to sound so convincing.

    By now Sonia was crying profusely as she listened to Lucy who was sharing her tale as emotionlessly as she could manage even though her body was trembling in reaction to the memories. She wished she could stop Lucy from going on with the story, but she also knew that Lucy had to get it all out, and if this was the method Lucy chose to use, then she could only offer her support.

    Tom who was standing behind the camera was seething with barely controlled anger. He hated that Lucy was being made to share such a personal and humiliating experience to the entire world because of a silly stunt that Anita had pulled. He wanted to walk away and stop listening, but he couldn''t because he knew that his presence there meant a lot to Lucy.

    In Lucy''s apartment, Lucy''s father held her mother as she sobbed helplessly, "My baby went through all of that and I had no idea. How did she manage to bottle all of that up this whole time? How did she ever keep it to herself?"

    "This whole time I pressured her about getting into a rtionship without knowing all these details. I failed my daughter. We failed her as a family. We just assumed that she lost her memory of it while she kept it all inside. We should have insisted that she get help! We shouldn''t have let her be," Lucy''s mother continued beating herself even as her husband held her.

    "She will be okay now, don''t beat yourself over it," he tried to assure her even though he was very upset himself. He wished the bastard wasn''t dead already so that he would deal with him for hurting his daughter.

    Although Lucas wasn''t happy with Lucy over what had transpired between them earlier, he couldn''t keep still as he watched his twin sister on the screen sharing her painful story. He knew that he had his faults in all of this. If only he hadn''t been so focused on Rachel. If only he had paid more attention to his sister, maybe she would have confided in him from the start. If only he had insisted she go with them that night, instead of leaving with Rachel because she didn''t want to wait for Lucy... If only. He had many regrets, but this wasn''t the time for regrets. He had failed as her twin brother in the past, he wasn''t going to fail now. Seeing how zed her eyes were, he feared that something might happen to her if she continued that way and he doubted that there was a doctor in that apartment with them.

    He stood up and walked out of the apartment without saying a word to his parents. He needed to be there for her. He wanted her to be able to look across the room and see him standing there for her.

    At the hotel where Harry and Jade were still busy watching the interview, Jade sobbed quietly as she listened to Lucy, and Harry stood up and walked away. He returned a momentter with a box of tissues and handed it to her before picking up his phone and walking away. He didn''t know how tofort her, and he didn''t want to keep watching the interview. His anger seemed to be increasing with each passing second and he could only imagine how angry Tom was feeling about this.

    Once he walked into his bedroom he dialed a number, "Have you been able to find anything about the transactions she made yesterday?" He asked once the other person received his call. Although he had said he was going to get back to Tom regarding it the next day, he wasn''t sure he could wait that long for it.

    "Yes, sir. I checked her bank records. She was at the bank for two separate transactions. She made a withdrawal the first time, and then she did a transfer the second time," the bank manager said. Tom and Harry were two of their biggest clients, so it was an honor to help Harry in whatever way he could.

    "Did you check the ount she transferred the money to?" Harry asked hopefully.

    "Yes, I did. It was to someone called Simon Bell. I will send you the details of the transaction."

    "Simon Bell?" Harry asked thoughtfully.

    "Yes, sir."

    "Alright, then. Thank you for your help. I will rmend your bank to some of my friends," Harry promised before hanging up.

    Now all he needed to do was to confirm who Anita had made that transfer to. She might have made the transfer because she couldn''t give the person cash, and that was likely because the person lived in a different city.

    First, he would need to confirm from either of the Hank siblings if someone named Simon Bell worked for Bryan. That would enable him to narrow down his search. Walking out of the bedroom he returned to the living room where Jade was still staring at the television screen.

    He cleared his throat to get Jade''s attention, "Sorry to interrupt you. I need to confirm something from you. Do you know if anyone named Simon Bell works for your brother Bryan? Or maybe he is a friend?" Harry asked curiously even if he doubted that the person was Bryan''s friend.

    Jade turned to him with a slight frown, "Simon? Yes. Why?"

 Chapter 254 - LuSon Interview (5)

    "We should take a break," Alicia said when she was no longer sure that she could listen to Lucy without breaking down in tears herself. Anyone watching the show would be able to tell how affected she was by Lucy''s confession. Her eyes showed that she was seriously trying to hold back her tears.

    "Let''s just go on," Lucy pleaded, wanting to just get on with it. It had taken all of her willpower to do this, and she didn''t want to stop now simply because everyone in the room was feeling emotional.

    "He only unsealed my lips whenever he wanted me to eat or drink water. But I felt too disgusted with him and myself to eat anything. Sometimes he would try to force me to eat, and the few times I would try to eat because of hunger I would end up throwing up everything. Because I was not eating and was barely drinking enough water, I became weaker by the day," Lucy continued.

    "He made sure I didn''t do a thing. He said he wanted to treat me like the angel I was. So he would clean my body with a towel and water so that there was no need for me to bathe, and whenever I needed to ease myself, he would lift me to the toilet himself and clean me up afterward. Sometimes he would let his hands linger on my vagina, after which he would have a hard-on and then jerk off in front of me," Lucy said with a shudder.

    "So what happened? How did Jamie die? The news articles said that by the time the police arrived a weekter they found him dead," Alicia cut in, not wanting to hear any more sordid details of all Jamie had done.

    "He soon got fed up with jerking off, and he wanted to rape me," Lucy said tly.

    They all turned to the door when the doorbell rang and Tom walked away to see who was at the door, "Let''s just go on," Lucy said, and Sonia gave Alicia a nod to continue, while Bryan who had been trying hard not to show any emotion, stood up.

    "Please excuse me," he said as he walked away from the set, leaving Sonia alone with Lucy. He wasn''t sure he wanted to remain there and listen while Lucy talked about how she had been raped by the monster.

    "I guess this isn''t an interview anymore, but a reality show," Alicia tried to joke, but even herughter rang false. There was nothing funny about the situation. Not for her, and certainly not for the viewers who were beyond horrified by what they were hearing.

    "Hi! You''re Tom, right?" Lucas asked once Tom opened the door, and both men stared at each other.

    "Yeah. Lucas?" Tom asked with an outstretched hand.

    "Yeah. I want to see Lucy," Lucas said as he shook Tom''s hand. This wasn''t the way he had envisioned meeting his sister''s boyfriend for the first time, but they could always correct thister when everything has been settled.

    "Come in," Tom said as he stepped back and opened the door wider for him to get in.

    "Thank you for doing all of this for my sister," Lucas said as he walked past him into the apartment.

    "You''re Lucy''s twin, aren''t you?" Bryan asked curiously, intercepting Lucas when he noticed the resemnce between the young man and Lucy.

    "Yes. I would have said it''s nice to meet you, but not under these circumstances," Lucas said politely as he stretched out his hand for a handshake, and Bryan nodded as he shook hands with him.

    "I understand," Bryan said as he stepped aside for Lucas to go in, while he walked over to where Tom had shut the door and was returning inside.

    "It must be tough listening to all of that," Bryan said thoughtfully. He couldn''t imagine how he would have reacted if it was Sonia who was being made to recount such an experience.

    "You have no idea," Tom murmured as he ran his fingers through his hair.

    "I wonder how her twin brother must be feeling right now. I know for a fact that I would beat the life out of any bastard that brings that psychopathic nonsense anywhere near Jade," Bryan swore angrily and reached into his pocket for his phone when it started ringing.

    "Excuse me," he told Tom as he walked away from there into one of the bedrooms when he noticed that the call was the producer in charge of the reality show.

    "Is there something you want?" Bryan asked coldly assuming that he was probably calling because of his announcement about the cancetion of his contract with Golden Stars Entertainment Agency, or because he was one of the persons behind the scandal.

    "I''m not your enemy. You don''t need to be rude," the producer scolded when he noticed Bryan''s unfriendly tone. Although he had never really liked Bryan because of his arrogance, he had always respected Bryan''s professional attitude towards his career, and during the course of the reality show, he had gotten to like Bryan more because of his rtionship with Sonia.

    Bryan paused, "My apologies. If you''re following the interview then you will know that I''m not in a very good mood right now," Bryan exined as he paced around the bedroom.

    "I''m busy at the moment so I''m not following the interview. I was calling regarding the scandal between you and Sonia," the producer exined, and Bryan paused.

    "Yeah? What about it?"

    "I don''t know how you''re going to take this, and I apologize for doing this without your knowledge..." The producer started, making Bryan''s brows pull together in a frown.

    "What are you talking about?" Bryan cut in impatiently.

    "While I and my camera crew were looking for spots to ce the cameras so that we could get a good coverage of your apartment, we noticed that someone had already nted a camera in your apartment," the producer said, making Bryan''s heart skip a beat.

    "What? Why didn''t you mention it to me?" Bryan asked in a slightly pissed tone.

    "Listen calmly or I will hang up," the producer threatened.

    "Fine. Go on," Bryan said coolly.

    "Initially I thought you did it. But then again it didn''t make sense to me. I didn''t think there was any reason for you to do that when you could make use of normal security cameras. I also confirmed from Jeff if you were the type to have hidden cameras in your home, but he said you didn''t like having cameras in your private space. However, I didn''t tell him about what I found," the producer exined.

    "So what are you driving at?" Bryan asked impatiently, feeling ufortable with the thought that someone had nted a camera in his home. Who could have done that? Jeff? Mia? Those were the major people that had unrestrained ess to his home.

    "I had one of my men look around the room for other cameras or listening devices and he found one hidden under the table in the living room. So I had him set up a hidden camera so that I could see who was behind it," The producer said, exining the reason for his apology.

    "So? Were you able to find the person?" Bryan asked curiously.

    "Yes. Luckily the person sneaked into your apartment some minutes ago to take out the camera and listening device, and my camera captured him. I will send the footage to you, maybe you might recognize him," the producer offered.

    Bryan narrowed his eyes, "You''re not doing this for free, are you?"

    "You''re right. I''m not. You owe me. If and when I need your help in the future, I will let you know," the producer said as he hung up, and Immediately he transferred the footage to Bryan''s phone.

    Immediately Bryan received the notification, he clicked on the video, and his brows furrowed when he recognized the young man who walked into his apartment. Simon?

    *************

    "Yes? You know him? Who is he to your brother?" Harry asked in surprise since he hadn''t really expected the person to be someone close enough to Bryan for Jade to know him.

    "Simon is Bryan''s housekeeper. Does he have anything to do with this?" Jade asked, torn between talking to Harry and listening to Lucy''s interview.

    "Bryan''s housekeeper?" It made a lot of sense. It wasn''t news that some household staff of celebrities often sold private information on their employers to the press.

    "Anita sent him some money. Unless they''re rted, we both know that money wasn''t for free. And even if they''re rted it is the same thing," Harry pointed out.

    Jade gave him a nod, "I thought as much. Both cases are rted. It isn''t a coincidence. Unfortunately, my mother is going to deal with Simon if this happens to be true. She personally rmended him to Bryan the same way she rmended Tom''s butler. They both report to her," Jade said with a slight frown.

    "I should give Tom a call."

 Chapter 255 - LuSon Interview (6)

    "Jamie attempted to rape you?" Alicia asked, continuing with the interview, and Lucy drew in a deep breath as she nodded her head.

    "By that time he had taken off the tape from my lips because the tape he used had caused me to have wounds around my lips, and he figured that I was too weak to scream so it was safe."

    "On that day he stripped off his clothespletely and then came to where I was lying near the bed. He rubbed his manhood over my body. And then as though he was pushing his luck he tried to stuff it into my mouth," Lucy said with a shudder.

    "I have no idea what he was thinking doing that. Perhaps he thought I was too weak to bite him, or maybe he was delusional enough to think that I wanted him too."

    "So what did you do? You didn''t bite it off?" Alicia asked with a slight frown.

    "I knew that I couldn''t fight him. I was too weak to win a fight against him, especially not when I was still tied up," Lucy said and squeezed her eyes shut.

    Seventeen years old Lucy turned her head to the side, away from Jamie''s erect manhood, "If you care about me as you im you do, you won''t want to have me this way, like I''m a prisoner," Lucy said in a weak voice.

    "You''re not my prisoner, you''re my angel. I love you," Jamie assured her as he ran his hands over her chest.

    "How can you say you love me yet you treat me this way? Even prisoners are not tied up in this manner. I can barely feel my hands or legs," Lucyined as she tried not to shudder in disgust when she felt his hands on her.

    No matter how many times he touched her, she could never get used to the disgust and fear she felt each time she felt his hands on her skin. It was as scary and as disgusting to her as the imagination of having spiders or worms crawl over her.

    "I don''t even remember thest time I had a real bath," Lucy said to him, trying to distract herself from what he was doing.

    Jamie looked down at her uncertainly as though trying to determine whether she was trying to n a trick on him, "I can''t let you do that. You will try to run away from me. I can''t do that," Jamie said as he moved away from her.

    Seeing that her n was working a little, seventeen years old Lucy decided to continue, "So how long will you keep me tied up in here? Until I die? How can I believe you love me when you treat me this way?"

    "I can''t untie you," Jamie insisted stubbornly.

    "What about just for a few minutes so that I can shower. You can have me after that," Lucy bargained, and Jamie''s brows pulled together as he considered her request.

    "You can stand by the door and keep watch until I finish bathing if you want," Lucy offered when she noticed that his resolve was beginning to weaken, "I''ve never asked you for anything before. You can''t turn down my first request if you love me," Lucy pointed out.

    "You won''t try to run away?" Jamie asked after giving it some thought.

    "Can I escape even if I tried?" Lucy asked, since she had already made up her mind to kill herself. She would rather take her own life than let him vite her body any more than he had already done. It was most likely that she would be dead before either her parents or the police finds her. What were the chances that she would be able to live a normal life after now?

    Jamie looked at her for a moment before reaching for her hands and legs to untie her, "If you try to run this will be thest time I untie you," he threatened, and Lucy nodded meekly.

    Once he untied her, Lucy stretched out her hands and legs which truly felt numb, and although she still felt embarrassed because she was naked before him, she didn''t mind. All she wanted was to take her own life and save herself from this torture.

    "You wanted to take your life?" Sonia cut in, looking horrified as what happened finally dawned on her.

    Tears dropped from Lucy''s eyes as she turned to Sonia and nodded her head, "While he was making sure the lock was in ce, I stole the pair of scissors which he had used in cutting my hair, and went to into the bathroom, ready to end it all. I guess he didn''t remember to get rid of the scissors since he obviously never nned to untie me. He came into the bathroom before I could stab myself, and while trying to stop me from harming myself I pushed him with all the strength I could muster. He slipped and hit his head in the bathroom while trying to stop me from taking my life."

    She remembered that moment when it dawned on her that she had killed him. Even though he had abused and hurt her, she had been horrified to see blood oozing from the back of his head. She had fainted at the sight of the blood and had woken up to find herself in the hospital.

    "I know that I should be sorry that he died, but I''m not sorry. I would never have been able to live with myself knowing that he was alive. I found the courage to live only because he died. This might be selfish of me, but I''m sorry that I am not sorry," Lucy concluded with a sob, and Sonia broke into a sob of her own as she embraced Lucy and held on to her tightly.

    "I''m sorry you went through all of that. I''m so sorry, Lu. I''m sorry," Sonia pleaded as she cried, while Alicia wiped her own tears.

    "We will be taking a break right now. We will attend to all your questions andments after now," Alicia said with a sniffle, and Jasmine turned off the camera.

    Alicia covered her face in her hands as she wept, and Jasmine walked over to where she was and patted her back softly, "You did a good job," Jasmine said with a sniffle as she consoled her wife.

    "Lulu," Lucas called, his vision blurred with tears as he looked at his twin sister, and Lucy pulled away from Sonia''s embrace when she heard her brother''s voice.

    "I''ll leave you both to talk," Sonia offered as she stood up and walked away from there to go and find Bryan who wasn''t in the living room.

    "I''m sorry I wasn''t there for you. I''m sorry you had to go through all of this alone," Lucas said guiltily. Even after Lucy had returned from the hospital after she was rescued, he had still not given her enough of his attention as he should have done as her twin brother.

    "It''s alright. I''m fine," Lucy said with a shaky smile as she tried to wipe her tears with the back of her hand, but Lucas reached out and wiped her tears with his thumb.

    "I will make it up to you, I promise. You will never have to feel alone again," Lucas promised as he embraced her.

    Tom watched both siblings from a distance but didn''t approach them. He knew that they needed the moment together. He could always have his moment with Lucyter.

    He nced down at his phone when it started to ring and received the call when he saw that it was from Harry, "Is everything alright?" He asked as he walked into his bedroom.

    "Anita transferred some money to someone called Simon Bell, and Jade says he is your brother''s housekeeper," Harry informed him.

    "Simon? That is unexpected, but it makes sense," Tom said with a slight frown.

    "What should I do?" Harry asked, and Tom sighed.

    "I will talk to Bryan. Let''s just clear up this mess first, and then we will figure out what to do."

    "Alright. Is Lucy okay?" Harry asked, his concern evident in his tone.

    "Maybe not at the moment, but she will be fine," Tom said confidently.

    "You should get back to her. I will let you know if I find anything else," Harry said before hanging up.

    In the room next to Tom''s bedroom, Sonia stood by the open door as she watched Bryan who was looking at something on his phone, "Is everything okay?" She asked in concern as she shut the door behind her and walked in to meet him.

    Bryan raised his head, "I''m not sure Anita is involved. I think my housekeeper sold the information to the press," Bryan said, and Sonia''s brows pulled together as she approached him.

    "What do you mean? But your housekeeper hasn''t been around since I arrived. You said you didn''t want him in the apartment so that your mother wouldn''t find out about our fake engagement. So how did he find out?" Sonia asked, and then took the phone from Bryan when he handed it to her.

    The crease on her brows deepened as she watched the video, "He nted a camera in your house?" She asked in disbelief.

    "This exins why the tabloids always had something to write about me. He was selling me out to them," Bryan said, feeling very disappointed since he had considered Simon as a part of the family.

    "Bryan?" Tom called from the doorway since he had gone to the living room to find him, only to realize that he was still in the bedroom.

    "I''m in here," Bryan called to him.

    Tom opened the door, and paused when he saw Sonia inside, "Are you okay?" He asked when he noticed that Bryan seemed upset, and he reasoned it had to do with the phone call he had received.

    "Simon nted a camera in my apartment," Bryan said as he handed the phone to Tom.

    Bryan looked at Tom as he watched the video, "Why don''t you seem surprised?" He asked curiously.

    "Harry called. Anita transferred some money to Simon yesterday," Tom exined.

    "So she is really behind this as we suspected," Bryan said with a shake of his head, "Mom is going to be upset when she finds out that Simon did this."

    "Let''s finish up with the interview and then we can talk about that," Tom suggested as he walked out of the bedroom.

    Once he returned to the living room this time, he went to where Lucy was seated with Lucas and squatted in front of her, "You did very well.. I''m proud of you," he said with a soft smile as he kissed her hands.

 Chapter 256 - LuSon Interview (7)

    "I kind of feel relieved that it wasn''t Jeff or Mia. I feel sorry and embarrassed that I suspected them in the first ce," Sonia said once she was alone in the bedroom with Bryan.

    "I suspected them too. Everything pointed to them," Bryan said as hey his back on the bed while his legs remained on the ground.

    "So what is your n?" Sonia asked Bryan with concern.

    "About Simon?" Bryan asked in confusion.

    "No. Your career. You have a n, right?" Sonia asked as she looked at him with a slight crease on her brows.

    "I will just be a frence actor until I find a befitting entertainment agency. Don''t worry, I''ll be okay. I''m Bryan Hank after all," Bryan said confidently.

    "I''m sorry."

    "Sorry? About what?" Bryan asked in confusion as he sat up and turned to look at her, "If you''re going to start apologizing because you think it''s your fault or Lucy''s fault that any of this happened then you should probably not say anything. You''re smarter than that."

    Sonia sighed.

    "Instead of apologizing, I''d rather you spend the time plotting out different ways we can make Anita pay. I don''t think pulling her hair is good enough," Bryan said, and Sonia giggled.

    "Yeah. I should do that."

    "It''s past 7 PM already. Let''s join them in the living room," Bryan suggested as he stood up and held out his hand to Sonia. Once she stood up, he kissed her forehead, "I''m d we told the truth." He said.

    "Your mom..."

    "Oh, shit! I forgot about her. She''s going to be pissed," Bryanined, knowing that she was going to give him hell.

    "Not as pissed as she would be when she finds out the help she gave you is a traitor," Sonia pointed out.

    "Yeah! You''re right," Bryan said with a grin since Simon''s betrayer was like a silver lining in the cloud.

    "We should join the others," Sonia reminded him.

    "Remember what I said, right? You''re passing the night with me," Bryan said, and then quickly walked out of the bedroom before Sonia could argue.

    In the living room, Lucy smiled as she gazed at Tom, "You know I never would have done this without you, right?" She asked, looking at him with serious eyes.

    "I think you would have," Tom said confidently.

    "You have met Lucas?" She asked, turning to Lucas so that she would do the introductions.

    "Yeah. You can tell him about our dinner n," Tom suggested.

    "Dinner n?" Lucas asked curiously, and Lucy nodded.

    "He is inviting us to his home to have dinner with him," Lucy exined.

    "Mom would love that," Lucas said with a grin, and Lucy giggled, while Tom watched both siblings with a smile.

    "That reminds me, I should inform Samantha of the ns. Excuse me," Tom said as he walked away.

    "He is a really cool guy," Lucas said as they both watched Tom.

    Lucy sighed, "Yes, he is. Do you like him?" she asked as she turned to look at Lucas,

    "If I say I don''t like him what are you going to do? Will you end your rtionship with him?" Lucas asked with a snort.

    Lucy grinned, "No. I''ll just ask him to give you lots of money. I''m sure he can buy your affection," Lucy teased, and Lucas chuckled.

    "Lucas," Lucy called in a serious tone, "I''m sorry about what I said earlier. It was insensitive of me."

    Lucas let out a sigh, "Yes, it was insensitive of you. I would have preferred you consoled me instead of saying that, but it''s fine. You had every reason to feel that way. I never should have let Rachele between our friendship. I realized today that somewhere along the line I stopped being your friend, and only rted with you as just my sister. Not even as my twin sister. I''m sorry," Lucas said apologetically.

    "If you love her you can make things work with her. I just..."

    "You don''t have to do that, Lu. I loved her. Maybe I loved her more than she deserved to be loved. I will get over the hurt and move on."

    "Hi! You''re Lucy''s twin brother?" Alicia asked with a wide friendly smile as she approached them. Thanks to Jasmine she had been able to put herself together and was back to her cheerful self.

    "Yes, I am Lucas. Thanks for helping her," Lucas said with a smile of his own as he tried to stand up to shake Alicia, but Lucy tugged the edge of his shirt when she saw his dimples.

    "She''s married to thedy behind the camera so don''t waste your dimples on her," Lucy teased under her breath, and Lucas pped her hand away as he stood up.

    "I can see you''re fine now. I should go and inform mom that we are having dinner with the inws," Lucas said with a smirk before returning his attention to Alicia.

    "It''s nice meeting you, Alicia. I need to leave now."

    "Same here. See you around," Alicia said with a wave as Lucas walked away.

    "Lucy, I don''t know what to say to you. Thank you so much for proving me right. I''m d to know that I wasn''t wrong about you," Alicia said as she took the seat Lucas had just vacated and embraced her.

    Lucy smiled as she embraced Alicia, "Thank you so much for your support, it means a lot to me," Lucy said in gratitude. She was still very surprised that Alicia and Jasmine had bothe through for her in this manner.

    "You are so strong, Lu. It takes a lot of courage to live through that and still turn out this way," Alicia said with a smile as she pulled away from Lucy.

    "Congrats, Lu. You said your truth, and now theizens are on your side," Jasmine who was now reading thements, announced and Alicia hurried over to check some of thements, while Sonia returned to Lucy''s side.

    There were over four thousandments and most of them were in Lucy''s favor.

    ''I''m neen, and I have been struggling with self-harm since I was raped a year ago. I can''t believe you found the strength to live after that. Thanks for sharing this story, it gave me hope''

    ''I''m sorry for all the mean things I said about you and your family without knowing the truth. Please forgive me''

    ''That is a horrible thing to experience. It''s a nightmare. I''m d you got through this. I take back everything I''ve said against you''

    ''I should find the son of a bitch that brought such false usations to the inte!!!''

    ''I couldn''t keep a dry eye as I watched this interview. I could feel your pain. I pray you healpletely''

    ''This is the most emotional piece I''ve seen on the inte. I hope that bastard keeps burning in hell''

    ''Please can you continue with the interview? I will like to know about what happened after she was found''

    ''I''m d your experience didn''t ruin your friendship with Sonia. I''m officially rooting for you all!''

    ''You''re so brave. I never would have survived something like that''

    ''I''m a full-grown man, yet I cried watching this. I can''t imagine how your family must have felt''

    ''How do we know you''re not putting up a show? It''s not like he is here to tell the side of his story'' Alicia scrolled to the responses under thisment.

    ''Someone finally spoke my mind!''

    ''Shut the fuck up if you have nothing reasonable to say''

    ''You''re a bastard for trivializing her tears and pain''

    ''Why don''t you go to hell and find out his side of the story, you arsehole?''

    ''She would have to be one hell of an actor to be faking this.''

    ''I think this guy is a rapist and a stalker just like Jamie. Psychopath alert!!!''

    "It''s gettingte. We should continue with the interview so that we can finish up quickly. Let''s leave thements forter," Jasmine suggested.

    "Yeah, let''s do that," Alicia said as she looked around for Tom, "Where is Tom?"

    "I''m here. What''s up?" Tom asked as he returned from his bedroom.

    "Are you still willing to reveal your identity and your rtionship status? If you''re doing it for Lucy''s sake then you don''t have to anymore. Her name has been cleared already." Alicia pointed out.

    "We are sticking to the n."

    "Okay then," Alicia said with a nod as she returned to her seat while Tom returned to Jasmine''s side.

    "You know something? I still can''t believe I''ve been living opposite a billionaire this whole time," Jasmine said, making Tom grin.

    "What does it feel like?" Tom asked in amusement.

    "It''s actually embarrassing," Jasmine said with a sigh, remembering the first time they were flirting with him, and the time she had collected his phone number.

    "How so?"

    "Alicia told me that she told you about our initial n," Jasmine said in embarrassment, and Tom couldn''t tell if the subject was more embarrassing for him or her.

    "Let''s forget about it, please."

    "Yeah. We probably should," Jasmine said with a nod, and then turned on the camera once she received the signal from Alicia who was seated now, ready to resume the show.

    "Hello, viewers! Wee back!"

    *****

    Author''s NOTE!!!

    Thank you for being with me in February and for supporting this book every way you could. Thanks for thements, power stones, golden tickets, and gifts.. I don''t take your support for granted.

 Chapter 257 - Better Late Than Never

    "Now that we have heard about all that happened between Lucy and Jamie, and how it led to Jamie''s death, Sonia do you mind telling us how the police were able to find them? Did you reveal everything to your parents? Or Lucy''s parents?" Alicia asked curiously, wanting to know how Sonia had chosen Lucy over or family.

    "I went to Lucy''s home the day after prom to check on her, and that was when I found out that she wasn''t at home, and her family assumed she was with me. We all panicked when we realized that she was missing. Lu''s parents went to some of their neighbors'' apartments to ask if they knew anything about her disappearance and only one neighbor who happened to be a doctor said that he had seen a young guy dressed in a hooded sweatshirt walking up to the door as he was driving to the hospital around 8 PM. I didn''t know what to think so I ran back home, and the first ce I checked was Jamie''s bedroom. Lucy wasn''t there, and neither was Jamie. I knew that now that Lucy''s parents were aware that she was missing their next step would be to contact the police. Somehow I suspected that Jamie had something to do with Lucy''s disappearance, so I went to my mother," Sonia said as she remembered what transpired that day.

    Eighteen years old Sonia ran down the stairs in search of her mother, "Mom? Mom!" She called as she headed for the kitchen when she didn''t find her mother in the bedroom.

    "I''m in here. And can you please stop yelling?" her mother called to her in a scolding tone as she stirred the sauce she was preparing.

    Once Sonia walked through the kitchen door she looked at her mother, "Where is Jamie? Whenst did you see him?"

    "Jamie? Last night. Why are you asking?" Her mother asked, turning to look at her curiously since she knew that both her children never got along.

    "Last night? Around what time exactly? Do you know where he went to? Or where he is right now?" Sonia asked her heart beating really fast as she prayed that Jamie had nothing to do with Lucy''s disappearance. There was no way Lucy could have run away from home. Absolutely no way.

    "Why are you asking so many questions? He said he would be at his best friend''s ce for some time. Is something wrong?" Her mother asked, beginning to feel anxious.

    "What was he wearing?" Sonia asked once again without answering her mother''s question.

    "What is going on for christ''s sake? You''re scaring me. Did something happen to Jamie?" She asked, looking frightened. She had been apart from her son for over ten years, and now that he was part of her life once again, she couldn''t bear to lose him.

    Sonia shook her head, "No. But I think he must have done something that would cause a lot of trouble. Just tell me, mom. What was he wearing?" Sonia asked in a pleading tone which sounded desperate.

    "The hooded sweatshirt I got the both of youst winter. Now tell me, what is wrong?" She asked again, but Sonia was already deathly pale.

    "The hooded sweatshirt?" Sonia repeated with wide eyes.

    "What is going on?"

    "Is something wrong?" Sonia''s stepfather asked from the doorway since he had been standing by the doorway long enough to hear Sonia''s question.

    "Lucy is missing. I think Jamie abducted her," Sonia said in a fearful voice.

    "What nonsense are you saying? Why would he do something like that? He doesn''t even talk to the girl," her stepfather said defensively.

    "Lucy is missing?" Sonia''s mother asked with a concerned frown before the other part of Sonia''s words sank in, "Why would you think Jamie has anything to do with Lucy''s disappearance?" Her mother asked with displeasure.

    "Have you seen hisptop?" Sonia asked looking from her mother to her stepfather, and her mother turned to look at her stepfather.

    Without saying a word, her stepfather walked out of the kitchen, and her mother followed suit as they all went to Jamie''s bedroom. Once they got there, Sonia opened the folder and showed them all the pictures and videos of Lucy in theptop.

    Her stepfather turned to her with a re in his eyes, "This doesn''t prove anything. You better not cause any problems for him with this nonsense," he warned as he picked up theptop and walked out of the bedroom.

    "Mom! You saw that, right? Lucy''s neighbor said he saw someone dressed in a..."

    "You heard your father. Jamie isn''t involved in this. You better don''t mention this to anyone," her mother warned.

    "MOM! How can you say that? Lucy is my best friend, and we both know that Jamie might be responsible for this!" Sonia yelled as angry tears dropped from her eyes.

    "What proof do you have?" Her mother snapped at her, "Even if he did it, are you going to choose an outsider over your own brother?" Her mother asked in an equally angry tone.

    "MOM!"

    "I don''t want to talk about this anymore. I will call him, and prove to you that Jamie isn''t responsible for your best friend''s disappearance," Her mother threatened as she walked over to the living room where she picked up her phone from the table before dialing Jamie''s line.

    She ced the phone on speaker the moment it connected so that Sonia would hear their conversation, "Jamie darling, where are you?" Her mother asked curiously while looking at Sonia.

    "I told you I''ll be at Abel''s crib for some time."

    "Is he there with you? I will love to say hello to him," her mother said.

    "Sorry, mom. He is in the bathroom right now. Maybe next time," Jamie said apologetically, and at that moment the doorbell rang, and Sonia''s mom walked over to the door to get it. She paled when she saw Abel standing by the door.

    "Hey! Is Jamie in? I need him to help me fix something," Abel asked with a hopeful smile.

    "He didn''t spend the night at your ce?" Sonia asked before her mother could stop her, and Abel blinked in confusion, as though he was wondering if he had busted his friend.

    "You can cover for him all you want. I''m going to let them know that Jamie has her," Sonia threatened as she headed for the door while her mother tried to stop her.

    "Has who? Did something happen? Is something wrong?" Abel asked in confusion, but neither mother nor daughter said a word to him.

    "The moment you go through that door you cease to exist to me!" Her mother threatened, but Sonia didn''t think twice about it as she ran out of the house. All she could think of at that moment was that her best friend was in danger because of her.

    She had gone straight to Lucy''s home where Lucy''s mother was distraught crying her eyes out, "I think I know who took her," she had informed them in a trembling voice.

    "You do? Who is he?" Lucy''s father had asked, grabbing her shoulders so that she would look into his eyes.

    "I think it''s Jamie, my half-brother." She went on to exin everything to them, and this made Lucy''s mother cry even more, while her father returned to the police station with Sonia to report the new findings. The police had then gone to Sonia''s home to interrogate her parents concerning Jamie''s whereabouts and to see theptop which Sonia had told them about.

    Jamie''s father presented a cleanptop to them which was devoid of all the pictures and videos of Lucy, and even when Sonia led them to her bedroom, there was nothing in there to prove that Jamie had set up cameras in her bedroom, thus they had to rely on Sonia''s testimony and that of their other ssmates who had been harassed by Jamie.

    "Although it took them a while, the police checked all the security footage around the apartment, and they were able to find the cab driver who gave them a lift that night. ording to him, Jamie had said his girlfriend was drunk after a party and they needed to go home. Thanks to the prom gown Lucy was wearing he easily believed Jamie," Sonia said as she returned her attention to the present.

    "So how did you feel about Jamie''s death?"

    Sonia cleared her throat, "I only felt sorry for my mother who was hurt by his death. Other than that I didn''t feel anything else. He was never really my brother, so I will be a hypocrite to say that I was devastated by his death. I wasn''t. Especially not when my parents kept trying to put the me on Lucy. It was just so annoying," Sonia said with a shrug.

    "Yeah. I would have been pretty annoyed too. Fuck it! I''m very annoyed," Alicia said with a shake of her head, "So did they really cut you off? Are both your parents dead?" Alicia asked, and Sonia nodded.

    "After they lost the case, they cut me off and left the country. Three yearster I received a call that they both died in a car crash," Sonia said with a sigh.

    "You must have been hurt."

    "Maybe. I don''t know. I was still too angry to care. I didn''t even attend their funeral. It took Lucy a long time toe out of her shell, and I wasn''t going to leave her to attend their funeral."

    "What about you, Lucy? How did you cope afterward?" Alicia asked, and Lucy in turn exined how she had struggled with nightmares and had been unable to sleep without pills or alcohol, and how it had made it difficult for her to be involved with the opposite sex.

    "So are you trying to tell us that you still don''t have a boyfriend yet?" Alicia cut in.

    Lucy smiled, "Well, I only just recently started dating a super amazing guy. Betterte than never, right?" Lucy asked with a smile and both Alicia and Sonia giggled as they nodded in agreement.

    "I''m sure you''re all dying to know who this super amazing man behind her smile is! I''m dying to reveal his identity to you too," Alicia said as she rubbed her hands together excitedly.

 Chapter 258 - Miss Perry’s Driver Is The CEO?

    On his way back to Lucy''s apartment, his phone started ringing, and Lucas stopped to take it out of his pocket to see who was calling.

    His heart squeezed painfully in his chest when he saw that the call was from Rachel, so he ignored the call as he had been doing since the moment he called off things with her earlier that day.

    Although it hurt very much, he meant it with every fiber of his being when he said that he was done with the rtionship. He was well aware that his feelings for her ran deep and it wasn''t going to end abruptly just because he wished it to. It was going to be a slow and painful process, but he was going to forget her no matter how long it would take or what it would cost him.

    He stood by the car and tried to calm himself since he was already beginning to feel upset merely by thinking about her. Soon his phone vibrated with a text message notification, and he didn''t need to be told that it was from Rachel.

    ''You are not really going to call off the engagement, are you? We both know that my father won''t take it likely with you if you do. Don''t forget that you work at a decent hospital thanks to my family, and the apartment is a benefit that came with the job, so I''m not moving out.''

    Reading the text, Lucas'' heart squeezed in his chest even more painfully this time. How hadn''t he realized this whole time that this was the kind of person he was in love with? It made him sick to know that he had cared so deeply for someone who cared only for herself. Someone whose only desire was to own him. Of all things how could she try to ckmail him to get back with her by threatening him with his job? His love for her had not only been blind, but it had also been very foolish.

    If anything, this only showed all the more reason why he shouldpletely put an end to their rtionship. Once he was done here, and he returned to Heden, the first thing he was going to do was quit his job and move out of the apartment. He didn''t want to be connected to her in any way anymore. No matter how painful it was, Lucy was right. Good riddance to Rachel. He was better off without her. It only hurt him now that it had taken him so long for him to realize this and he had wasted too much time with her.

    Taking in a deep breath, he cklisted Rachel''s line before returning his phone into his pocket and heading for Lucy''s apartment.

    "I can''t believe that she wants to show her boyfriend to the world when we are yet to see him," Lucy''s mother who had stopped crying now,ined to her husband with a frown as they continued to watch the show.

    "But we are about to see him too," her husband pointed out as the door opened and Lucas walked inside.

    "At the same time as everyone else?" She asked with disapproval and her husband rolled his eyes.

    "A moment ago you were weeping..."

    "Don''t even start, Drew! I''m just saying it''s not fair that we get to see our daughter''s man this way. We should at least meet him in person," she said with a scowl.

    "He wants us toe to his home for dinner," Lucas announced as he joined them in the living room.

    "Really? Did you speak with him? When? Hold on, Lucy is having the interview somewhere around the house, right? I want to see him before everyone else does," Lucy''s mother said as she quickly stood up.

    "But..."

    "Are you going to take me there or do I have to find my way there by myself?" She asked as she headed for the door.

    "We can just see him during dinner, honey," her husband called, trying to discourage her from leaving.

    "Are youing with me or not?" She asked as she opened the door, and Lucas followed her. With a sigh, Lucy''s father got off the couch and followed his wife and son out of the house.

    Lucas led them to Tom''s apartment, and after taking a deep breath, he tapped the knocker on the door this time instead of using the bell, since it wouldn''t be loud enough to disrupt the interview as the sound of the bell would.

    Inside the house, Tom who was getting ready to be introduced by Alicia turned to the door when he heard the knock, "Should I get it?" Bryan asked, and Tom shook his head.

    "I don''t want the entire women in the neighborhood gathering in front of my apartment when they realize that you''re in here," Tom said as he walked to the door and then pushed it open.

    He blinked in surprise when Lucas shed him an apologetic smile before stepping to the side for Tom to face his parents. Tom''s heart skipped a beat when he came face to face with Lucy''s parents. Now he could see that Lucy''s stature and long curly hair came from her mother, but the jet ck color of her hair and her beautiful gray eyes were from her father. Even though he had been dying to meet the people who gave life to thedy he was in love with, he suddenly began to feel anxious.

    He cleared his throat, "You''re welc..."

    "Hi! I''m J Perry, Lucy''s mom! I''ve waited forever for this day to meet Lucy''s boyfriend," Lucy''s mother said with a happy smile as she pulled him in for a hug, startling Tom who hadn''t been expecting that from her.

    Tom smiled as he hugged her back, and then they both pulled away from each other but Lucy''s mother kept holding his hands, "Thanks for being with her through all of this. You have no idea how much it means to us," she said as her eyes gleamed with tears of joy as she let go of his hands.

    "It''s my pleasure. Your daughter... She is an angel," Tom said with a small smile, relieved that her mother was easy to get along with. The only problem now was the man who was staring at him with an unreadable expression.

    Lucy''s father watched Tom for a moment, and Tom tried to hold his gaze without looking away. Both men stared at each other for some time, and then Lucy''s father grinned at him, "I''m Andrew Perry, Lucy''s first love, and Sonia''s first crush," he said as he held out his hand for a handshake.

    "I''m Thomas Hank, Lucy''s one true love," Tom said with a grin of his own as he shook the man''s hand, and both Lucas and Lucy''s mother chuckled as Lucy''s father scowled at him.

    "Pleasee in," Tom offered, but Lucy''s mother shook her head.

    "I only wanted to see your face before you appear on the show. Lucas says we are having dinner with you tonight, I''m looking forward to getting to know you," Lucy''s mother said, and Tom smiled. It was so easy to love Lucy''s family.

    "You don''t mind moving to my home, right? I will amodate you for the rest of your stay here. I can assure you that it''ll be morefortable than your stay at the hotel," Tom offered looking from Lucy''s father to Lucas.

    "All of us?" Lucy''s mother asked curiously.

    "Yes. I have enough room for everyone," Tom said, and Lucy''s mother sighed dreamily.

    "Lucy picked the right man," she said with a nod of approval, and her husband chuckled.

    "We will think about it. We have to get back to the apartment to follow the show," Lucy''s father said and ced his hand over his wife''s shoulders to lead her home.

    "Sorry. You can get back inside," Lucas whispered to Tom, thinking that he must have been flustered to meet their parents this way.

    "It''s fine," Tom said with a wave as he returned inside in time to hear Alicia''s next question.

    "So did you tell your boyfriend about your experience, or did he just find out about it? What was his reaction to it,"

    "He is aware of it. He was actually the first person I told about what happened even though I couldn''t exactly finish the story because halfway into it I fainted and he had to take me to the hospital," Lucy exined with a small smile, "As for his reaction you will have to ask him that yourself," Lucy said with a giggle.

    On hearing that, Anita who was watching the show in her living room stood up. Tom was already aware of it? He knew of her past? She had thought that it would be too shameful for Lucy to tell him about it, especially since her source had told her that Lucy had never mentioned what happened to anyone in her family. What was this? She had done all of this for nothing? And what was this Aliciady talking about revealing Lucy''s boyfriend? Tom was ready to reveal his identity to the world? It seemed like instead of tearing them all apart, she had only seeded in bringing them together.

    She bit her nails as she paced around her living room, and then paused when she realized what she was doing. She dropped her hands to her side and turned to her television screen once again when she heard

    "This makes me even more supercharged to introduce your boyfriend to the world. Ladies and gentlemen, without wasting any more time, I''d love to wee the wonderful man Lucy is dating. He is no other than Thomas Hank, the CEO of I-Global, and the only brother of Bryan Hank who is also in a rtionship with Lucy''s BFF. Isn''t this so cool?" Alicia squealed excitedly, as Tom walked into the set to join Sonia and Lucy who were bothughing and pping happily.

    "WHAT? Isn''t that Miss Perry''s driver, Tom?" One of the men in Lucy''s team asked as they watched in horror.

    "Miss Perry''s driver is the CEO?" One of thedies asked in surprise, while the man who had been rude to Tom and had called Lucy a murderer in front of him slid off his seat.

    "WOW! This is super cool." Amy had a wide smile on her face as she watched the screen. It exined a lot. Especially why Lucy was working in the CEO''s office, and the CEO''s reaction to the rumors in the office.

    Anita picked up her wine bottle and threw it against her television screen in a fit of anger as she screamed in anger scattered the apartment. Her eyes were red and the veins on her forehead stood out. She wasn''t going to lose to someone like Lucy.. NEVER.

 Chapter 259 - The End

    As Brandy prepared to leave for the club a few minutes past 7 PM, she couldn''t help the feeling that there something was off about this arrangement even though nothing had happened to make her feel that way.

    Something about the client didn''t sit right with her. Why did the client specifically request for her and Candy? Why did he double the pay just to see them? Yes, they were both good at the job, but there were also other strippers at the club who were far better than them, and even though she knew that most of the VVIP clients usually asked for both of them, this job was away from the club, at an undisclosed location, so it set off the rm bells in her head.

    She had grown to trust her instincts. Whenever she sensed danger, she always tried to pay attention to it. Since she needed the extra money and couldn''t turn down the offer, she did the most logical thing that came to her. She briefly contemted calling Candy but decided against it as she dialed Matt''s line. There was no need to worry Candy unnecessarily.

    "Hey! What''s up? Is everything okay?" Matt greeted immediately he received her call, and she could hear the tension in his tone as though he was expecting her to be in danger.

    "I''m fine. I''m getting ready to leave for a job, and I''m wearing the ne and the earrings," she said, knowing that he would get the hint.

    "The job is not at the club I suppose?" Matt asked just to be sure.

    "Yes. It''s at an undisclosed location. The client is sending a car to pick me up from the club by 8 PM," Brandy exined as she paced around the living room with her purse in hand.

    "Okay. I''ll let Jade know, and I''ll be there just in case of anything," Matt promised.

    "I don''t mean to bother you. And you should know that it might not be anything. I just thought I..."

    "I understand. I''ll be there just to make sure that everything is okay. The undisclosed location thingy already set me off," Matt said, trying to reassure her.

    "Thank you, Matt. Thank you," Brandy said before hanging up. Now that she knew that she was covered, she added a finishing touch to her make-up before walking out of the apartment and gged down a cab to take her to the club.

    The cab stopped her in front of the club at exactly two minutes to 8 PM, and as she got off the cab and paid her fare, her boss ran up to her, "For Christ''s sake! What took you so long?" The manager asked irritably.

    "I said I will be here by 8, and it''s not 8 PM yet. Why are you upset?" Brandy asked with a roll of her eyes as she looked around, and then rxed when she noticed Matt''s car parked some distance away from there.

    "I thought you changed your mind..."

    "Well, I''m here now, so what is the big deal?" She asked, shutting him up as she walked past him to join her partner who was already standing in front of the club.

    While Brandy was dressed in a ck leather trench coat which covered the ck see-through teddy with attached garters, the other girl was wearing a skimpy bodycon dress with a halter neck.

    "Hi!!" Brandy greeted the girl who turned to look at her with a smile.

    "I''m so d that I''m doing this with you," the girl said, her eyes gleaming with excitement as a limousine rolled to a stop in front of them.

    "Brandy and Cookie?" The chauffeur asked without getting out of the car. He didn''t see any reason to hold out the door for the strippers.

    "Yes! They''re ready to leave," the manager said as he joined them, and then turned to look at Brandy, "Remember that the rich..."

    "...rich customers are always right," Brandy finished with a roll of her eyes as she let the girl get into the car first before she did.

    "With all due respect your Joey, this is not the first time I''m doing something like this, so let me do my thing," Brandy said as she got into the car and shut the door.

    "You know it''s my first time doing something like this?" Cookie asked as she looked around the car.

    "I would never have guessed," Brandy said with a note of sarcasm, but her lips twitched with an amused smile as she found Cookie''s enthusiasm to be cute.

    Cookie giggled, "I''ve always admired you and your sister. And now I get to work with you in her ce? Wow! You have no idea how happy I was when Joey chose me!"

    "Well, you shouldn''t be too excited. How long have you been a stripper?" Brandy asked curiously, wanting to pass time with the conversation.

    "A year and about three months. What about you?" She asked curiously.

    "Two years."

    "Oh! That''s not long. So when did you get your boobs done? Before you started or while you were on the job?" She asked, making Brandy raise a brow.

    "I didn''t realize my boobs are so popr."

    Cookie shrugged, "Well, you know? People talk. I heard from one of the other girls," the girl said, and just continued talking while Brandy zoned out as she looked out of the window.

    Soon the car stopped at a dockyard, and Cookie screeched excitedly when she caught sight of boats, "It''s a boat party!"

    All the rms in Brandy''s brain went off and she tensed the moment she realized that they were not going to be onnd. This meant that if anything was going to happen to her, no one would be able to save her until long after the deed had been done.

    "We are here," the chauffeur announced as he got out of the car, expecting them to do the same.

    Cookie quickly opened the door and jumped out of the car, leaving Brandy with no choice but to do the same, "This is going to be fu..." The rest of her words died when the chauffeur brought out a gun and pointed it at her.

    "You''re cute, but you talk too much and you''re not needed on the boat," the chauffeur said as he pulled the trigger.

    Brandy''s eyes widened in shock and a gasp escaped from her lips as Cookie crumpled on the floor. She took a step back, wanting to run away, but the chauffeur scoffed, "You think you can escape from here? Don''t be silly. Two of you should take her to the boss, and the rest of you should clean up this mess," he ordered and Brandy turned around to see who he was talking to.

    She was even more startled to see six men, two of which she recognized standing behind her. This wasn''t Jero''s handwork. It was the Legion.

    ***********

    Alicia had a wide smile on her face as she looked at Tom who was now seated between Sonia and Lucy, "WOW! Who would have thought that I''d be the lucky one to reveal your identity to the world?"

    "Who would have thought that I would reveal my identity to the world in this manner?" Tom asked in return as he took Lucy''s hand.

    "You brothers are so romantic. I think Bryan should be here too, what do you think?" She asked them, and Tom shook his head.

    "He had his moment. He cane in after I leave. I''m not ready topete with his celebrity aura," Tom said with a smile and red at Bryan when he joined them in the set.

    "I heard my name," Bryan said as he sat down beside Sonia, grateful that the seat wasrge enough to amodate all four of them.

    Thedies giggled when Tom red at him, "Your name was mentioned but you were not invited," Tom insisted.

    "My time wasn''t up before I left. Right, Alicia?" Bryan asked, and Alicia looked from Bryan to Tom who was daring her with his eyes to support Bryan.

    "Tom is right. Our time is up. The focus should be on Tom and Lucy now, let''s excuse them," Sonia offered when she noticed that Alicia was having a hard time.

    "But I''m addicted to the camera," Bryanined as he looked at the camera with a grin, while Tom shook his head Sonia dragged him away.

    "Well, I did say it was a reality show after all," Alicia said with an embarrassed giggle since there was nothing professional about the interview.

    "So you are Mr. Thomas Hank," Alicia said as she looked at Tom.

    "That''s what my birth certificate says," Tom said with a shrug.

    "Although I''m very curious about your rtionship with Lucy who happens to be your personal assistant, I want to know about you. Why did you choose to stay hidden this whole time? I mean, you are very wealthy and extremely good-looking, so what made you decide to keep your identity away from the public?"

    "I just wanted to live like every normal person. Go to normal ces and have normal conversations. A normal life without having people judge everything I do, or people respecting me just because they know how much I have in my ount," Tom said with a shrug.

    "And you no longer want a normal life now? Why did you choose to reveal your identity?" Alicia asked curiously, and Tom smiled as he turned to look at Lucy.

    "I need to protect the woman after my heart. I want to love and care for Lucy openly even if that means giving up my privacy," Tom said confidently.

    "A, you''re so sweet! Now I''m curious about your rtionship! I''m dying to know how you both started dating. Did Bryan and Sonia match make you both? Or was it an office romance thingy?" Alicia asked even though she already knew the answers.

    "Perhaps you should answer the question since I don''t know how much you would want to share," Tom suggested as he looked at Lucy who was giggling in embarrassment when she recalled how they met.

    "No. We actually met at the club the first night I arrived in Ludus, and I had no idea that he was my boss," Lucy said and her face flushed in embarrassment making Tom chuckle.

    "Lucy, you''re blushing! Something interesting happened at the club didn''t it?" Alicia asked in amusement as Lucy hid her face behind Tom who wasughing.

    "We would rather keep that secret," Tom said in her defense.

    "C''mon! Okay, I will try and fill in the gap. So after meeting at the club you walked into the office the next week and realized that the guy at the club is your boss?" Alicia asked, dying to know their story, but they both shook their heads.

    "I didn''t know until a few days ago that my boyfriend was my boss," Lucy confessed, and Alicia pretended to look surprised.

    "That must have been a really exciting discovery," Alicia reasoned.

    "Not for me."

    "Not at first you mean?" Tom asked, and Lucy giggled.

    "Yeah, not at first. I was upset initially. And then after giving it some thought I was like, fuck it! Better for me I''m dating a rich CEO than a driver," Lucy said dramatically making Aliciaugh out loud, while Tom just grinned as he watched her.

    "So he pretended to be a driver? Let''s talk about that," Alicia said, and Tom raised his wristwatch to check the time, reminding Alicia that they were supposed to finish before 8 PM.

    "I''m sorry there won''t be enough time to get into that right now. We are having dinner with Lucy''s family tonight and I don''t want to keep them waiting," Tom said, making Alicia nod.

    "Aww! Alright. We havee to the end of the show. Is there anything you''d like to say to the viewers before you leave?" Alicia asked, and Tom nodded.

    "Messing with my woman, is synonymous to messing with me. I''m going to find the people behind this rumor and deal with them as I should," Tom promised.

    "What about you, Lucy?" Alicia asked, and Lucy nodded.

    "Thanks to everyone that gave me the benefit of doubt. And thank you for having us Alicia," Lucy said with a soft smile.

    "Alright. Thanks for joining us. And please do not forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel. See you next time!" Alicia said, and Jasmine turned off the camera.

    "The end!" Alicia announced happily as she rushed to Jasmine''s side to check her YouTube page.

    "You really had to tell the world that you''re having dinner with my family?" Lucy asked incredulously.

    "Yes! Anita should know about it," Tom said with a wink, and Sonia embraced him.

    "I love you already, Tom. You''re totally my type!" She said, making Bryan roll his eyes while Lucy giggled.

    "Petty people," Bryan muttered under his breath, and Lucy nodded in agreement.

    "We should leave now if we don''t want to bete. And just so you know, I already invited your family to stay at my house," Tom informed Lucy.

    "My family? When?" Lucy asked in confusion.

    "Yes. Your parents were here earlier. I met them already," Tom said, and turned away from her to look at Alicia.

    "Alicia, you''re both invited too."

 Chapter 260 - Speechless

    "Wow! I really wish I was there with them right now," Jade said with a relieved smile as she scrolled through thements and saw that all was well with her brothers'' worlds again.

    "We can go there if you want," Harry offered as he watched her.

    "Nah. I don''t want to leave until I''m done with this case. Once I''m done, I''ll officially resign to start my own practice..."

    "Or you could just join the legal department at I-Global. The pay is good, and it''s less stressful and dangerous," Harry offered.

    "Are you offering me a job?" Jade asked with a grin, and Harry nodded.

    "Yes. Thepany needs intelligentwyers like you," Harry said, making Jade''s smile widen.

    "I like it when youpliment me."

    Harry scoffed, "Will you at least think about it? At least that way I don''t have to be deployed to be your babysitter when next you have a life-threatening court case," Harry said making her scowl at him.

    "Who knows? I might have a boyfriend by that time so I won''t need you here to babysit."

    "For your sake, I really hope so. I don''t think my girlfriend is going to like that I babysit a full-growndy either," Harry retorted.

    "That''s if you are able to get yourself a girlfriend by then," Jade said with a tsk as she stood up to leave for her bedroom.

    "Is that a dare?" Harry asked with a slightly raised brow, but before Jade could respond her phone started to ring.

    "It''s Matt," she informed him as she received the call and ced it on speaker.

    "Did you..."

    "Brandy is in trouble. The so-called bachelor''s party is a trap. The other stripper who went with her was shot," Matt said with a note of urgency in his tone making Jade''s heart skip a beat.

    "Is it Jero or the Legion?" Jade asked curiously.

    "How am I supposed to know? Is that important right now? Her life is in fucking danger! I''m calling the cops," Matt informed her.

    He had been unable to follow the limousine into the port because it would have been too suspicious and he would have been in danger too. So instead he had driven to a different location closest to the port where he stayed back in the car to observe what was happening around Brandy.

    "You do realize that some of the cops are under the payroll of the cartel, right? She will be dead long before the cops arrive there. If you want to save her, then just listen to me. You said you gave her a recording device, didn''t you? First, find out who they are and what they want from her. If possible I want to see and hear whatever is going on there," Jade said, making Matt''s blood boil with anger.

    "Your case is more important to you than her life?" Matt asked angrily.

    "Are you deaf or just stupid?" Jade asked impatiently, beginning to feel very angry herself, "Andy knew what was at stake before she decided to put her life on the line for us to crack this case. She knew the risks before offering to stay back instead of leaving with Candace. Now set aside your fucking sentiments and help me do this, or Candace and her boy''s life will be in danger after Andy is killed!" Jade snapped at him irritably.

    Matt took in a deep breath, "So we are just going to leave her there to die while we observe what is happening around her?" He asked, thinking about his promise to Candy to make sure Brandy was safe.

    Jade took in a deep breath to stop herself from exploding with rage, and Harry who had heard enough to know what was going on stepped in and took the phone from Jade.

    "Hey, it''s Harry. I understand that you''re worried, but you really need to rx. Andy won''t die. Jade cares about her a lot too. Once we know who is holding her and what they want, we will know how best to approach them. So just share whatever you see and hear with us. We will take the next avable flight and join you wherever you are," Harry said in a calm tone and Matt sighed.

    "Okay, I''ll see what I can find while I wait for you," Matt said and hung up the call.

    "You need to calm down," Harry said as he returned her phone to her, and Jade red at him.

    "What did you just say to him that I didn''t say already?" She asked, feeling angry that Harry had only spoken once and Matt listened, whereas he hadn''t listened to anything she said.

    "Or what did you say that I didn''t say? I didn''t lose my temper, and I didn''t call him deaf or stupid. Go and get dressed while I give the pilot a call. We will meet him at Sogal," Harry said as he picked up his phone and walked away.

    ***********

    As Lucy opened the door of her apartment, her parents rushed over to the door to meet her, and her mother embraced her, "I''m proud of you, baby," her mother said as she hugged her tightly and patted her back.

    "Thank you, mom," Lucy said with a smile as she held on to her mother. She had tried not to break down because she knew that her family and Tom were watching her and she didn''t want them to be upset.

    "And I''m sorry I wasn''t such a good mother. Maybe if I was, you wouldn''t have gone through any of this," she said making Lucy pull away from the hug to look at her.

    "You''re the best mother I could ever ask for. What happened to me had nothing to do with you being a good parent. It''s not your fault," Lucy assured her mother as she reached out to wipe a tear from her mother''s cheeks.

    "I''m so proud of you Princess. You handled yourself really well," Her father said, and Lucy smiled at him as he stepped forward and embraced her while her mother stepped out of the way to look at Sonia who had just stepped in.

    "Sonia you did well too. Thanks for being here for her," Lucy''s mother said as she embraced Sonia.

    "So we need to get ready for dinner. Tom is sending a car over to pick us," Lucy informed them, and her parents exchanged a look.

    "He offered to amodate us for the remaining duration of our stay here. Is it okay by you?" Lucy''s father asked.

    Lucy sighed. Grateful that her parents had not jumped on the offer but had waited to seek her opinion first, "It''ll be more convenient for you. I don''t mind," Lucy said with a shrug and her mother smiled happily.

    "I like him, and both your father and Lucas approve of him," her mother informed her, and Lucy rolled her eyes.

    "Isn''t it too soon to give your approval?"

    "If you waited this long to have a boyfriend, then we are sure you made the right choice," Her mother said with a wide smile.

    "Where is Lucas?" Lucy asked when she didn''t see any sign of her twin brother around.

    "I asked him to go get their stuff from the hotel," her mother said, making Lucy raise a brow.

    "So you already made up your mind to move to his house before asking if I was okay with it?" Lucy asked, looking at her father.

    "You know your mother. I insisted that we ask you first but..."

    "But I thought it would be okay by you, and I was right. Besides, there is no harm in asking Lucas to bring their stuff over before asking you. It saves us time. Now instead of arguing over this, youdies should go in there and put on something lovely, while you get your stuff ready to leave," Lucy''s mother said excitedly, changing the subject. She couldn''t wait to get back to Heden so that she could brag to everyone that cared to listen about her son-inw''s house.

    She and her husband had received a couple of congrattory calls from some of their neighbors who had watched the interview already, and somehow it turned out that this whole thing had been a blessing in disguise.

    Once Sonia and Lucy walked into her bedroom they both turned to look at each other with a big smile on their faces, "I really can''t believe that the nightmare is over," Lucy said feeling very happy that she had finally been able to face her fears and put it behind her.

    "That bitch wanted to ruin us, but she ended up giving us a tform to face our fears and announce our rtionships to the world," Sonia said with a smirk, "I''m sure she is boiling with anger right now. I wish we could see her face."

    "I should probably send her a thank you note," Lucy said thoughtfully, and Sonia giggled.

    "I''d rather we return the favor. It''s better that way," Sonia said as she opened her luggage box to find a suitable dress to wear to dinner. She smiled as she looked at the dresses in the box, remembering Bryan''s reaction the day she had gone shopping for the dresses. So much had happened in such a short time.

    Lucy watched as Sonia picked up a very skimpy red bodycon dress which exposed more parts of her body than it covered, "If I were you, I wouldn''t wear that. Tom''s butler reports everything to their mother."

    "I''m supposed to care about what she thinks about my dressing?" Sonia asked incredulously, "You worry too much, Lu. Besides, I was picking out this dress for you, not myself," Sonia said with a giggle as she threw the dress at Lucy.

    "You can wear that. It''s the most decent indecent dress in my luggage, and I can bet myst dime that it is the most indecent dress in your wardrobe," Sonia said with a grin.

    "No, I''m not wearing that. Especially not when my parents are here," Lucy said with a shake of her head as she returned the dress to Sonia''s box.

    "We both know that your parents don''t have a problem with such clothes. Besides, you should know that now that Tom has revealed his identity to the world, there will be thousands of women who want to have your man, so you have to be on top of your game at all times. You don''t have to worry though, I gat you. Let''s make both brothers speechless," Sonia said with a wink as she picked up the dress and handed it to Lucy who took it from her reluctantly.

    Two hourster, it was not the brothers, but their mother who was staring speechlessly at her prospective daughters-inw as she weed them at the door.

 Chapter 261 - Job Offer

    "That went better than I expected," Bryan said as Tom drove them to his apartment.

    "Yeah. Alicia did a really good job. And you all handled your parts really well," Tom said in agreement as he kept his focus on the road.

    "So what''s your n?" Tom asked curiously.

    "I suppose you''re asking in reference to me ending my contract with Paul?" Bryan asked and Tom gave him a nod.

    Bryan sighed, "I will just be a frence actor until I find a suitable agency that I would love to work with. One that would care about my wellbeing and not just about the money I''m bringing," Bryan said with a shrug.

    "What if I sign you?" Tom asked, and Bryan turned to look at him.

    "Sign me as what? You are not into entertainment..."

    "But you are. You''re a major star and I care about your well-being. You could be the first star in my entertainment agency," Tom said, and Bryan''s brows pulled together.

    "What are you talking about, Tom? You''re going to establish an entertainment agency just so that you can sign me?"

    "It''s not necessarily just for your sake. I''ve been thinking about expanding and creating other subsidiaries for some time now. I already asked Harry to be my Co-CEO since there''s going to be so much work for us to do and I want him to have as much authority as I have. He earned it."

    When Bryan didn''t say anything, Tom sighed, "Because of this interview I-Global''s shares are going to go up, and more people are going to want you to endorse their brands too. Although the scandal was terrible for us, we were all able to take advantage of it. If you agree I could have my legal team take care of the cancetion of your contract with Paul and we could work out something," Tom offered.

    "You''re such a businessman," Bryan said with a shake of his head and Tom smiled.

    "If by a businessman you mean I''m someone that takes advantage of a bad situation to make it favorable for my business, then yes I am. You have no idea how much publicity this interview has given Sonia and Lucy too. It worked out for everyone," Tom said with a shrug.

    "Is that why you let her do it? She shared really personal and sensitive details of her life. That''s the woman you just said you love. I don''t think..."

    "You''re mistaken, Bryan. I supported her to do it because FIRST, it was what she wanted. And I also figured that doing it would help her heal faster and also boost her self-confidence. With this, she has gotten a lot of attention and fame. People will know her now. Not just because she is Thomas Hank''s woman, but as someone who survived a terrible experience. She is now a symbol of hope to many people out there. I could easily have asked that Alicia introduce me as my boyfriend before she gets to share her experience, but I wanted that to be thest thing they know about her. They already loved her before knowing about her involvement with me. Now she won''t be with me and feel less than who she is. The business benefits of the interviewest. Lucy''s wellbeing, as well as that of the rest of you, came first!" Tom exined, feeling slightly offended that Bryan would think that he had used the interview solely for business purposes.

    "I''m sorry. I didn''t mean to doubt your intentions. I was just worried..."

    "It''s fine," Tom said dismissively.

    "So about Anita..."

    "Let''s not talk about her now. I don''t want to ruin my mood," Tom said, feeling his blood boil at the mere mention of her name.

    "Sure. I can only imagine how you feel. You must really love Lucy a lot," Bryan said, and Tom scoffed.

    "You have no idea. Even I have no idea," Tom said, and Bryan chuckled.

    "Good. Cause I was gonna say, you better not hurt her else you''ll have me to contend with," Bryan warned, making Tom raise a brow.

    "And when did you be her protector?"

    "When I realized how much Sonia loves her, and even more so after hearing her story. She deserves all the happiness she can get," Bryan said, and Tom turned to nce at him.

    "Who would have thought that you were such a softie?" He asked with a teasing smile, feeling d that his brother was looking out for thedy he was in love with. Although he had noticed that Lucy seemed to naturally make people feel protective towards her. Maybe it was because of how innocent and naive she looked.

    "You do know that it''s a two-way thing right? You''ll have me to contend with if you hurt Sonia in any way. You''re more likely to hurt Sonia than I am to hurt Lucy," Tom pointed out.

    "Don''t be so sure. You do realize that everything is going to change for you now that you''ve made your identity known to the world, right?" Bryan asked, trying not to sound too worried about it.

    "By everything you mean that I''m going to be getting lots of attention, especially from the press and women?" Tom asked, knowing what Bryan was driving at.

    "Yes. It''s not that I don''t trust you, I''m just saying this because I know how easy it is to get lost in all the fame and..."

    "Bryan, you don''t have to worry about me. I chose to keep my identity hidden from the public because I know how these things work. Lucy is the reason I chose to do this now... But I was going to have to do it eventually anyway. I''ll be fine," Tom said confidently, and Bryan nodded. They bothpsed into silence until Tom turned to spare him a nce.

    "So have you given my offer a thought?" Tom asked, making Bryan chuckle.

    "You''re a businessman indeed," Bryan said as the gates opened and Tom drove into hispound.

    "Wow! It''s been a while since Ist came here. I almost forgot how wealthy you are," Bryan said as he looked at the magnificent building ahead of them with different cars arranged there.

    "Well, this is a good reminder. At least now you''ll know that I''ll be a good boss to you," Tom said as he parked the car, and Bryan rolled his eyes.

    "Cut it out already. I will sleep on it and get back to you on my decision by morning," Bryan promised as he got out of the car without waiting for Tom.

    The door opened before he got to it, and he was surprised to see their mother standing there, "Mom?"

    "Oh, my baby!" Evelyn eximed excitedly as she embraced him, while Tom who wasing from behind looked in confusion.

    "Mom? What are you doing here?" He asked, wondering when she got here and how he did not know about it.

    "Is that important right now? I missed you so I came to see you," she said as she let go of Bryan to embrace Tom.

    Tom embraced her before pulling away, "What about dad?"

    "We came together. He is inside ying with the kid," Evelyn said, reminding Tom that Candace was still in his house with her little boy. He hadpletely forgotten about that.

    Bryan looked from his mother to Tom in confusion, "Kid? What kid, Tom? Don''t tell me you..."

    "Shut up!" Tom said knowing that Bryan was going to say something stupid.

    "What about Lucy and Sonia? I thought you were bringing them along for dinner?" She asked, looking towards the car.

    "They''re not ready yet. Adolf will be going to bring them over," Tom said as he walked into the house, and then stopped to look at his mother, "Lucy''s family ising over, and they will all be staying for some time, please do not say or do anything..."

    "I already apologized for what I said yesterday," she said defensively.

    "No, you didn''t," Tom corrected.

    "Fine, I''m sorry. Besides, after watching that interview I''d be a monster to judge her or say anything mean when I have a daughter of my own. I''m sorry for allowing my judgment to be swayed by public opinion. I should have trusted you and your judgment," she said apologetically, and Tom sighed.

    "Yes, you should have trusted us. Now if you are going to scold me for deceiving you about my engagement, do so now or forever remain silent. You can''t bring it up in front of Sonia," Bryan said with a sheepish smile and Evelyn hit his arm.

    "You''re one to talk about trust! You deceived me!" She said, remembering how excited she had been about his engagement and how she had been talking to them about picking a date for their wedding.

    Bryan briefly considered telling her about what the housekeeper she had brought him had done, but he decided against it. He didn''t want her to be upset, "I''m sorry I lied to you. No excuses," he said as he kissed her cheeks, and Tom shook his head as he walked away from there to find his father.

    As he walked into the house, his phone started ringing, and he immediately received the call when he saw that it was from Harry, "Hey!"

    "Sorry to rain on your parade, but I need you to tighten security around the house. And make sure Jade''s witness doesn''t leave the house. We are taking the jet to Sogal," Harry said just in case Brandy told the Legion the truth about her sister''s whereabouts. He did not want to give Tom more information than was necessary. He didn''t want him to be worried.

    "Is everything alright?" Tom asked in concern.

    "We are hoping so. If things go well, then Jade might be wrapping up the case soon. Just make sure your house is secure is always," Harry repeated hurriedly since the jet was already on the roof of the hotel waiting to pick them up.

    "You both should be e careful," Tom said before the call was disconnected.

    As he returned the phone into his pocket he looked around the living room. He needed to first check in on Candace and her son, and then he would go to the security room to make sure all the cameras and locks were in ce.

    "They''re in the den," Evelyn said as she and Bryan joined Tom, and she led them to where her husband was ying mortal Kombat with Jamal.

    "Hey, Dad!" Bryan and Tom greeted as they walked into the room, and their father only spared them a nce before returning his attention to the game only to see that Jamal had won the game in the little while he was distracted.

    "You little cheat," he said usingly, and Jamalughed happily.

    He turned to his sons, "I saw the interview. Both girls are pretty. I''m proud of you," he said making Bryan chuckle as he sat down beside Jamal who was now staring at him curiously.

    "Are you proud of them because the girls are pretty or because of how they handled the situation?" Evelyn asked her husband.

    "Both reasons."

    "How have you been, dad?" Bryan asked as he took the pad from Jamal, while Tom remained where he was.

    "Fine," their father said tly as he returned his attention to the screen and reset the game. Both brothers knew that the fastest way to make him cheerful was to bring Jade to him.

    "You''re the actor," Jamal said when he finally figured out who Bryan was.

    "Yes, I am. And you''re the kid," Bryan said, wriggling his brows yfully while he concentrated on the game which had just started.

    "Hey, kid! Where is your mom?" Tom asked Jamal just as Candace walked into the room.

    "I''m here. Sorry. I was just about to take him," she said apologetically, and Bryan paused the game to look at her.

    Bryan''s brows shot up in surprise when he recognized her, "It''s you again?" he asked as he looked her over, and then nced at Jamal curiously.

    "You know her?" Tom and Evelyn asked simultaneously.

    "Yes. What about you? What''s she doing here?" Bryan asked curiously.

    "Jade brought her here," Tom exined, and Bryan smiled in amazement.

    "Jade? I guess Matt is involved in this?" he asked Candace recalling how Matt had asked for Jade''s contact number the other time.

    "Yes," Candace said with a nod, feeling slightly nervous that he might tell his family about her being a stripper.

    "Wow! I''ve never been a believer in fate, but everything that has happenedtely has taught me otherwise. Don''t worry, whatever it is, you''re safe here," Bryan assured her with a grin, and ruffled Jamal''s hair fondly as the kid rose to meet his mom. Bryan had a feeling that the kid was going to be his best friend''s stepson.

    "This would have been perfect if Jade was here..." Evelyn said with a wistful sigh, "You can both catch up with your father while I make sure everything is set for our guests," Evelyn said as she left the room.

    "I''ll be back," Tom said as he nced at his wristwatch.. It was time for Adolf to go pick up the guests, and he needed to stop by the security room.

 Chapter 262 - An Ally

    "Hey! Don''t rough handle thedy," Cassidy scolded his men as they walked into his room with Brandy and pushed her to the floor.

    Brandy met the gaze of the man who was seated on a chair with a cigar in one hand. The man who was in histe thirties was dressed in a pristine white suit and he looked clean and handsome as she had always remembered him. Unlike the other lords, no one would easily guess his line of business judging by the way he dressed and carried himself.

    "What do you want?" Brandy asked, feeling relieved and more confident now that she knew who she was facing. She was d to know that of all the cruel lords of the cartel, it was Cassidy who had gotten her and not the others. Although he could be heartless, she knew that he had a thing for her. He was the first man Jero had sold her to after all. The one who had deflowered her.

    "That is no way to greet your first love, is it?" He asked with a fond smile as he stood up from where he was seated and went to squat in front of her.

    "Forcing yourself on someone doesn''t exactly make you their first love, does it? What do you want?" She asked dryly and he smiled.

    Seeing how they were on a yacht, she could only pray that Matt would be able to do something before they sailed. She did not doubt that the other lords were gathered wherever he was taking her to and that he had probablye to get information from her to save her from whatever the other lords nned to do to get what they wanted from her.

    Cassidy clicked his tongue in disapproval, "Don''t tell me you don''t know what I want. Where is your sister and Jero''s little boy?" He asked calmly.

    "They left the country. Vacationing."

    "They did? Any of you got her phone?" Cassidy asked, his eyes moving to the men who were standing by the door, and one of them who was with Brandy''s handbag fished out the phone from her handbag and stepped forward as he handed it to Cassidy, but he didn''t take the phone.

    "Perfect. Now go through her text messages and her contact list for her sister''s number, I''m sure her sister wille back from wherever she traveled to the moment she realizes that her sister is going to die because of her," Cassidy said with a wide smile which was directed at Brandy.

    The man who was holding the phone looked at her, "Unlock it," he ordered Brandy who kept a straight face like she wasn''t the one he was referring to.

    Cassidy took the phone from the guy and held it out to Brandy, "Please unlock it. We don''t want to hurt you. Personally I don''t want to hurt you. I''d rather give you pleasure. But you have to cooperate with me," he said in a soft tone as he reached out to touch her hair, "You have gotten even prettier," he said with a note of lust in his tone.

    "Why do you want my sister? You should at least tell me that before I unlock the phone. She did nothing wrong. We left after Jero was arrested, and we have stayed out of your way the whole time. Why are you still after us?" Brandy asked with a straight face trying to stall while hoping that Matt was doing all he could to get her help and get her out of there really quickly.

    Cassidy looked at her for a moment and then he clicked his tongue, "We want Jero. To get him, we need your sister and the little boy. Now open it," he ordered.

    "But Jero is still in jail. If you want him, go and get him there," Brandy said, pretending not to know that Jero had escaped.

    Cassidy narrowed his sharp blue eyes and looked into her eyes as if he was trying to determine if she was really not aware that Jero had escaped from prison or was just trying to fool him.

    "Don''t make me force you, Andy. As you must know by now, I like it rough. Unlock the phone," he threatened as the yacht lurched slightly, letting Brandy know that they had sailed, and her time had started counting.

    Brandy swallowed as she extended her forefinger to the phone and unlocked it with her fingerprint.

    "Good girl," Cassidy said as he handed the phone to one of his men. "Find whatever you can get from it, and give her sister a call. I''m sure her sister will be more than willing to save her life."

    Brandy kept staring at him since it was obvious that he thought she was foolish. She couldn''t understand how the idiot would think that she would be stupid enough to save her sister''s contact number with her name and then bring her phone along with her to such a ce, unless of course because he truly believed that she didn''t know anything.

    "While we wait for the call, why don''t we catch up? I paid double for your services after all," Cassidy said with a grin as he stood up and went to sit on his bed.

    "You know I still don''t like you, right?" Brandy asked with a scowl, and he chuckled good-naturedly.

    "That is even more reason why I want you. I was surprised and disappointed to hear that you chose this line of business though. You used to be so shy about being naked," Cassidy said eyeing her with curiosity.

    "When you are forced to undress long enough, you get the hang of it. At least I''m doing it out of my free will now," Brandy said with a smirk, and Cassidy''s eyes hardened.

    "You could have easily agreed to be my woman and saved yourself this stress. I would have protected you and your sister from things like this," Cassidy said, and Brandy rolled her eyes.

    "Yeah, thanks. I''m not interested in being your whore."

    "Even if it means having a good life and saving your sister''s life?" Cassidy asked, and watched in fascination as something flickered in Brandy''s eyes.

    "Boss, the phone is clean, and her sister''s line is not going through," The man announced as he handed the phone to Cassidy who took it from him and waved him off.

    "Excuse us. I want to be alone with her," Cassidy said dismissively, and all the men left leaving him alone with her.

    "Get off the floor. You can have the chair," Cassidy said, not liking the picture of her on the floor.

    "Why are you doing this?" Brandy asked as she stood up and went to sit on the chair.

    "Doing what?" He asked innocently.

    "Why are you here?"

    "Because I missed you. Do you want to know how I found you?" Cassidy asked, wriggling his brows.

    "A private investigator?" She attempted.

    "Not my style."

    "You are not here because of the cartel?" Brandy asked in confusion since she thought that it was the private investigator who had told them where she worked.

    "Now you''re curious. I love that," Cassidy drawled.

    "What game are you ying, Cas?" Brandy asked, making his lips curve.

    "I''ve missed hearing you call me that, especially when you''re writhing under me in passion. Wanting me and not wanting me at the same time. My heart just fluttered in my chest at the memory," Cassidy said as he raised his hand to pat the left side of his chest.

    "I didn''t know you had a heart," Brandy said, ignoring the rest things he had said.

    "You''re right, though. I''m just here to get you. Although the men don''t know that yet," Cassidy said, making Brandy narrow her eyes.

    "Then why was my partner killed?" Brandy asked, and he shrugged.

    "Unfortunately she was only needed to convince you toe here. The moment you arrived here her usefulness expired."

    "That was a human being!" Brandy hissed at him.

    "Sorry. I will try to be more considerate towards others in the future. So tell me what I need to know."

    "If you want Jero..."

    "I don''t want Jero. The cartel wants Jero, I want you," Cassidy said, his blue eyes watching her closely.

    Brandy sighed, "A few minutes ago you said..."

    "A few minutes ago I said WE want Jero not that I wanted him. And the men were in the room at the time so I had to say what they wanted to hear," Cassidy pointed out.

    "So if you don''t want Jero, why do you want to know where my sister is?" Brandy asked even more confused now.

    "I can''t tell you that... At least not yet," Cassidy added with a smile when gunshots sounded outside the door.

    Believing that it was the people that hade to rescue her, Brandy decided to ask a question that was bugging her before she would leave Cassidy, "So how did you find me if it wasn''t a private investigator?" Brandy asked, unable to contain her curiosity.

    "Bill. I found out that you were searching for Bill. So I guess you must have been in touch with thewyer girl who must have told you that Bill disappeared after contacting her. Do you see how much I know? But that''s not how I got to know about your whereabouts," Cassidy asked with a grin that revealed his perfect dentition.

    "Did you kill Bill?" Brandy asked with a concerned frown. She had only tried to find Bill because she didn''t want Candy to take the risk of getting caught.

    "What do you think I am? A bloodthirsty monster? I didn''t kill him. I only sent him to a safe location, but I have my eyes on his business."

    "So how did you know?" Brandy asked again, and the adjoining door opened and Jero walked in.

    "I told him where to find you."

    "Jero!" Brandy gasped in horror.

    "Have no fear, my love. He won''t hurt you. I''m your knight in shining armor after all," Cassidy assured her.

    "You''rete," Cassidy scolded Jero.

    "I''m sorry," Jero apologized with a slight bow, making Brandy look from one man to the other. Although she had always known that Jero did Cassidy''s bidding, she didn''t understand what was happening.

    "What is going on? Where are you taking me?" Brandy asked in confusion.

    "If I tell you that, it wouldn''t be fun, would it?" Cassidy asked with a smirk as he lit the cigar he had been holding the whole time, and took a puff.

    "Where is Candace and my son? Don''t tell me she traveled abroad. I know she didn''t," Jero said looking at her with worried eyes. An expression she didn''t expect to see in him.

    Away from the port, in Matt''s car, Jade''s brows were pulled together, and her eyes were narrowed thoughtfully as she listened to the conversation going on between Brandy, Jero, and Cassidy.

    "I think Andy has personal business with the man in the yacht. Do you know who he is?" Matt asked turning to look at Jade.

    "I think he is in love with her. Probably an ex. At least we know that he isn''t going to hurt her or let Jero hurt her. What I don''t understand is how or why Jero is in there," Jade said thoughtfully and pursed her lips.

    "If the man is truly keeping your witness safe even after knowing that he wants to snitch, and he is also with Jero without the knowledge of the cartel, that means he is likely the enemy of your enemies," Harry supplied sleepily from the backseat.

    "Hm. An ally. Let''s find out who the lover boy is," Jade said as she dialed Candace''s line.

    "Hey! Can you talk?" Jade asked the moment the call connected.

    "Yes. Give me a moment," Candace said as she excused herself from the noisy kitchen and went to find a quiet spot.

    "What''s happening?" Candace asked curiously.

    "Everything is okay. Do you know anyone called Cas? Probably your sister''s ex?" Jade asked curiously and Candace''s brows pulled together.

    "The name is Cassidy. Andy never dated him. He is a second-line lord. He took over the family business from histe father who was one of the five founding lords of the cartel," Candace exined.

    "Alright. Thanks," Jade said and hung up before Candace could ask any question.

    "So what are we going to do? Call the cops?" Matt asked curiously.

    "Not yet. Let''s listen to them and confirm that he''s an ally," Jade said and turned to look at Harry who was now fast asleep.. What a babysitter, she thought with a shake of her head.

 Chapter 263 - Keep Things Down

    "She is calling again. Are you sure you don''t want me to take the call?" Lucy called out to Lucas from the bedroom when her phone started ringing again with a call from Rachel as they got ready to leave the house.

    "Ignore her," Lucas called back dismissively, and their mother''s brow pulled together in concern as she looked at Lucas who was busy packing the bags.

    "She has called me several times, she has called your father, and now she''s calling Lucy who she despises. She might be trying to reach you for something urgent," their mother said, but Lucas shook his head.

    "I don''t want to know. I don''t care. I''m not interested. Let''s leave. We are keeping the driver waiting," Lucas said as he walked through the door with his duffel bag, leaving the others to follow whenever they are ready.

    "Do you think he is alright? I mean I know that it''s a good thing that he finally ended things with her, but this is Rachel we are talking about. Someone he loved for ten whole years. No breaks or hups in the rtionship. I don''t think he can just turn off his feelings within twenty-four hours like that," their motherined.

    "Yeah, I think you have a point. I will talk to him and find out if something else happened," her husband offered as he went out to meet Adolf and Lucas who were busy transferring the bags to the stretch SUV that Tom had sent to pick them up.

    "Are you sure this dress is okay? I think it''s too showy" Lucy asked as she looked at her reflection in the mirror after dressing up. She had decided to wear her hair down because Tom loved it that way, and Sonia suggested she lose her sses for the night and use contacts instead. Sonia had helped her curl her hair, and she had nude make-up on her face.

    "That''s the point, darling. Less is more. The less you have covered up, the more he wants..."

    "Oh, shut up! Less is more means the less you reveal, the more they want to see," Lucy said, eyeing Sonia who was grinning sheepishly.

    "An idiom is allowed to have more than one interpretation. I prefer my interpretation," Sonia said with a wink.

    "Yeah, right. I just hope I''m not making a mistake by listening to you," Lucy said, taking in a deep breath as she adjusted the mini gown once again.

    "What''s the worse that can happen? Celebratory sex with Tom while your parents are sleeping in the room down the hall," Sonia said with a giggle and Lucy shook her head in amusement.

    "I see you''re back to being you. Let''s leave then," Lucy said as she picked her purse and walked out of the room leaving Sonia.

    "Are you sure Lucas got all my stuff?" Sonia called to Lucy since she had been in the bathroom when Lucas came to get their bags.

    "I think so. You can confirm," Lucy called back as she stopped in the living room for her mother to inspect her outfit.

    "Sonia is a good influence," her mother said with a wide approving smile as she looked Lucy over, and Lucy shook her head.

    "Other parents would disagree with you. This is too indecent," Lucyined as she adjusted the bust part of her dress.

    "I''m sure your sense of decency makes up for the indecency of your outfit. You''ll be fine," she said with a proud smile.

    "Sonia should be your biological daughter," Lucy said, and her mother giggled.

    "Maybe if she was, she would be walking around without clothes on," her mother joked and Sonia giggled as she joined them.

    "I heard you, Mrs. Perry."

    "It wasn''t said in secret. You were meant to hear it, my darling. Wow, you look... Indecent! I didn''t think it was possible to look more indecent than Lucy was," Lucy''s mother eximed in amusement when she saw Sonia''s even more revealing clothes.

    "Yeah. I was going for that look," Sonia said with a satisfied smile as she hooked her arm with Lucy''s, "We are ready to leave."

    On getting outside they joined Alicia and Jasmine who were dressed in decent evening dresses as they waited to get into the car.

    "Wow! You both look really sexy," Alicia said looking at them with admiration.

    "Thanks," Sonia said with a wide smile, while Lucy tried to adjust the dress making the othersugh.

    "You look pretty, princess. But I can tell that Sonia put you up to this. You don''t have to wear it if you don''t want to," Lucy''s father said when he saw her.

    "It''s fine," Lucy assured him with a smile as they all got into the car, while Adolf reasoned whether or not he should tell thedies that Evelyn was around. He decided that it wasn''t his business.

    Inside the car Lucas kept to himself while the others went from discussing how lovely the car was, to how wealthy Tom was, and then Alicia started reading through the positivements on her YouTube channel, feeling excited about how many followers she had made in just one day.

    Lucy''s parents exchanged a look when they noticed how silent and withdrawn Lucas was, but Lucy''s dad shook his head, subtly asking his wife to let Lucas be when she looked like she wanted to say something to him.

    Immediately they arrived at Tom''s house forty minutester, Jasmine, Alicia, and Lucy''s parents got out of the car and headed for the door, curious to see the interior of Tom''s mansion, while Lucas and Adolf stayed back to carry the bags as Lucy fussed over her dress one final time, and Sonia rolled her eyes as she kept assuring Lucy that Tom would love it.

    "I don''t know why, but I have a bad feeling about this," Lucy said with a small frown.

    "You''re too much of a good girl, Lu. You need to loosen up," Sonia said as she dragged Lucy along with her.

    Once they got to the open door, they stopped when they saw a middle-ageddy standing there. Seeing the weing smile on her face transform to surprise, the best friends didn''t need to be told who she was. They could see the resemnce. Lucy was more taken aback than Sonia, so she went to stand behind Sonia.

    "Mrs. Hank?" Sonia asked with a wide smile as she quickly embraced the woman who was looking at her in surprise, "I had no idea you were here! What a delightful surprise," Sonia said as she pulled away to admire the woman while giving Lucy enough time to regain herposure.

    "I see where the guys got their good looks from."

    "Sonia..." Evelyn said after she recovered from her initial shock as she nced at Lucy who was hiding behind Sonia, "...and Lucy," she added, and Lucy stepped to the side as she tried to adjust her dress.

    She bowed her head guiltily, "Hello, Mrs. Hank. I''m sorry. I didn''t know..."

    Sonia ced her hand on Lucy''s shoulder and pulled her closer, "Lucy here is very shy and decent to a fault. She is only dressed this way because I ckmailed her into wearing it. So don''t judge her by her outfit, please. I''m the indecent one," Sonia said with a wide smile, and Evelyn nodded her head as her eyes remained on Lucy who lookedpletely ufortable.

    "Pleasee in. I''m happy to finally meet you two," Evelyn said with a small smile directed at them both.

    "Thank you. Why don''t I see Bryan around?" Sonia asked as she looked behind Evelyn.

    "He is in the den ying games with his father. Follow the game sounds," Evelyn said as her gaze returned to Sonia.

    "I will let him know that we are here," Sonia said as she hurried away, ignoring Lucy who was trying to hold on to her.

    Now that she was standing alone with Evelyn, Lucy looked into the woman''s face and was surprised to see a smile on her face, "I like you," Evelyn said, surprising Lucy.

    "Why?" Lucy asked before she could stop herself.

    "I don''t think I need to have a reason. I just do. If you''d like to change from that dress before dinner I can show you to a room," Evelyn offered, and Lucy smiled shyly as she shook her head.

    "I feel a little self-conscious, but I''ll just wear it as long as it doesn''t make you very ufortable," Lucy said, and Evelyn smiled again.

    "I really like you," Evelyn said as she reached out and patted Lucy''s arm. She nced at the door when it opened and Lucas walked in with Adolf, "We meet again, Dr. Lucas," Evelyn greeted with an even wider smile, and Lucas smiled in surprise as he bowed to her.

    "I didn''t know that I would be meeting you again this way. How is Mr. Hank feeling now?"

    "Neither did I. My husband is fine, he is in the den ying games. Adolf will show you to the rooms where the bags should be kept while I catch up with your sister before dinner," Evelyn said as she ced an arm over Lucy''s shoulder and led her away.

    "My parents..."

    "They are busy looking around the house," Evelyn assured her.

    Lucy''s only prayer at the moment was for Tom toe to her aid since Sonia had obviously deserted her, "Tom..."

    "Tom is busy showing your parents around. I told him that I wanted to speak with you before dinner," Evelyn said, feeling slightly amused and concerned by Lucy''s difort.

    "Are you generally this nervous around strangers or are you this way because I''m Tom''s mother?" Evelyn asked curiously.

    "I think it''s because you''re Tom''s mother," Lucy answered honestly, and Evelynughed softly.

    "You don''t need to be nervous. I watched the interview, and I wanted to talk to you in private before we join the others. I didn''t want to keep it until tomorrow. I owe you an apology," Evelyn said, looking at Lucy who returned her gaze with a confused frown.

    "An apology?"

    "Yes. When the rumors started yesterday, I wanted Tom to end the rtionship and fire you," Evelyn confessed, surprising Lucy.

    Although Lucy had suspected it the moment Tom started whispering around her while talking to his mother over the phone, she hadn''t expected the woman to admit it to her.

    "Don''t look so surprised. I''m quite a simple and very old-fashioned soul. Although I hate to admit it, I can be very narrow-minded unless it has to do with my kids. I judged you wrongly. You''ve slept here twice, right?" Evelyn asked, and Lucy''s cheeks flushed a deep red at the seemingly harmless yet embarrassing question.

    She cleared her throat, "Yes, ma''am," Lucy responded before realizing why she asked the question.

    Because Evelyn knew that Lucy had been here twice, and she had probably heard of Lucy''s behavior on both asions she had assumed that Lucy was indecent and so it became easier for her to believe what was said about Lucy.

    "I''m really sorry for being so quick to judge you. I think I really learnt my lesson this time," Evelyn said, and Lucy smiled.

    "Thank you," Lucy said feeling genuinely grateful, and Evelyn held out her arms for Lucy to embrace her.

    "I think we are both going to get along really well," Evelyn said with a happy smile as she pulled away from the hug to look into Lucy''s face.

    "Sonia isn''t bad either. She might look and sound..."

    "You don''t have to defend her. I like Sonia too however she is," Evelyn assured Lucy, "Now let''s go join the others."

    As Lucy turned to return in the direction they hade from, Evelyn stopped her, "You''re sharing a room with him, right?" Evelyn asked, and color rose in Lucy''s cheeks.

    "It''s not a problem. My room isn''t very far from his. I was only going to ask you to keep things down tonight.. Pass the message to Sonia too," Evelyn said with a small smile before walking away, leaving an embarassed Lucy to follow her.

 Chapter 264 - Hot Girlfriend

    Sonia let out a sigh of relief once she had put some distance between her and Evelyn. She turned to look behind her and felt slightly guilty that she had abandoned Lucy with thedy, but quickly shook off the guilt. She had at least cleared Lucy''s image by telling the woman that Lucy was decent and she had been the one to convince Lucy to wear that dress. Who would clear hers when she was dressed even more indecently than Lucy? Not that she wanted to be cleared anyway. She was sure Lucy would get along with the woman just fine unlike she who had joined Bryan in deceiving her.

    Shaking off her concern she looked around the living in awe, "Wow!" She eximed in admiration. No wonder they were in the den ying games. No one would dare to undignify such a living room by ying games here, Sonia thought with a smile.

    The ce looked like something out of a novel. It looked more like a castle. A perfect castle for Princess Lucy. The whole ce was a mixture of gold and white colors, and it gave her a royal vibe.

    She looked up at the golden staircase that extended from one end of the room to the top, with two white king-sized chairs at one side of the foot. She could hear Lucy''s mom talking with Alicia and Jasmine at the other end of the room which she assumed to be another living room. The whole ce looked spacious and impressive.

    She moved further down the living room towards another ss door when she heard Bryan''sughter, and her lips curved involuntarily as she followed the sound.

    Bryan who was busy trying to win the Kombat with his father turned to the door distractedly when it opened and did a double-take when he saw Sonia. His eyes roamed over her body as he dropped the pad in surrender and stood up, making his father shake his head in disappointment.

    "After fighting so hard to win, you give it all up for a woman?" His father asked, making him chuckle.

    "I gave it all up for MY HOT woman, dad. I guess you''re old now, so you won''t understand," Bryan said as he walked over to meet Sonia with an appreciative glint in his eyes.

    "Dad, meet my hot girlfriend, Sonia. Babe, meet the senior Mr. Hank," Bryan said, and his father dropped his pad as he stood up and looked at Sonia.

    "It is nice meeting you, Mr. Hank," Sonia greeted with a polite smile.

    "The pleasure is mine, Bryan''s hot girlfriend," he said as he looked her over in amusement, "Has my wife seen you yet?" He asked curiously.

    "Yes, she has. I met her at the door," Sonia said with a small smile.

    "What did she have to say about your dress?" He asked again, but from the expression on his face, Sonia could tell that he wasn''t asking because he was against her outfit. He just wanted to know his wife''s reaction.

    "Why? What is wrong with her dress?" Bryan asked, looking at Sonia''s dress curiously.

    "She seemed okay with it," Sonia said with a shrug, and he gave her a nod.

    "Good then. What about your friend?" He asked, looking behind her for Lucy.

    "I left her with your wife," Sonia said, while Bryan snaked his hand around her waist.

    "Enough with the interrogation already, let''s go somewhere private," Bryan said with a naughty smile before waving at his father, "See you at dinner, dad," Bryan called to him as he led Sonia out of the den.

    "Where are we going to?" Sonia asked as Bryan led her towards the stairs.

    "Somewhere I can appreciate your dress best," Bryan said with a wink as he led her to his bedroom.

    Meanwhile, in another part of the mansion, Tom showed his tourists the ballroom, "Although I''ve never held a party here, I''m nning to host one soon. Perhaps a Christmas ball with a retro theme," Tom said.

    "That would be awesome! I hope we will be invited?" Alicia asked hopefully.

    "You''re my neighbor, how can you not get an invite?" Tom asked as he nced behind him, wondering what his mother was talking to Lucy about, and when she was going to join them.

    "Did you buy the house? Or you deliberately built and decorated it to look vintage?" Jasmine asked curiously, cutting into his thoughts.

    "The building is over a hundred years old so there is no way I could have built it myself," Tom said with a chuckle, "I bought it. Although I''ve done a lot of renovations, I didn''t want it to lose its originality," Tom exined as he led them out of the room and the others nodded in understanding as they followed him.

    Lucy''s father who had just been following the others silently while observing Tom, sneaked away from the others when he caught sight of Lucas heading upstairs with their bags, and he quickly followed him, "Hey, Luc!" He called as he caught up with him and took one of the bags from him.

    "I thought you were busy looking around with thedies," Lucas said as he let his father take the bag but continued walking.

    "I''m not interested in the house. That''s women stuff. I was too busy monitoring him. Are these all the bags?" His father asked, and Lucas nodded.

    "Adolf already took the other bags to the bedrooms," Lucas said, and he stopped walking when Adolf came out from a bedroom ahead of them after dropping off Lucy''s luggage in Tom''s bedroom.

    "That is your bedroom. And the one opposite it is for your parents," Adolf said pointing to the doors before walking away.

    "Thanks, Adolf," both Perry men greeted and Adolf gave them a polite nod as he walked away.

    Once Adolf disappeared from view Lucas walked into his parents'' bedroom with their bags, and his father followed him.

    His father watched him as he set the bags on the bed, and he cleared his throat to get his attention, "Are you okay?"

    "Sure. The house looks really grande," Lucas said as he looked around the bedroom which looked like a hotel room.

    "Why are you refusing to take Rachel''s call? Did something happen?" Mr. Perry asked, not letting him change the subject.

    "What do you mean? You are aware that I ended things with her. There is no reason to take her call," Lucas said with a shrug, not wanting to tell his father about Rachel''s threat.

    "Are you sure that is all?"

    "Yes. That''s all. I should check out my bedroom," Lucas said as he picked up his duffel bag which his father had also dropped on the bed. As Lucas walked out of the room his father called out to try and give Rachel a call to find out what she wants, but he said nothing.

    Once he walked into the bedroom Adolf had shown him, he locked the door behind him and dropped his bag on the floor before lying face down on the bed. His chest felt tight like something was lodged in there. He had been trying to focus on every other thing going on around him and not to dwell on Rachel, but she was making it difficult for him to ignore her.

    Taking his phone out of his pocket, he sat up on the bed and ran his fingers through his short crop of ck hair as he contemted whether or not to give Rachel a call to hear what she had to say.

    He took in a deep breath as he dialed her line, and almost immediately the call connected.

    "Baby! Why are you doing this to me?" Rachel cried the moment she received his call. From her tone, he could tell that she had been crying.

    His heart squeezed painfully in his chest on hearing her voice. "What do you want?" Lucas asked coolly.

    "I''m sorry, babe. Maybe I overreacted..."

    "Maybe?" Lucas asked incredulously.

    "I''m sorry. I shouldn''t have been upset with you for going to be with your sister. Now that the issue has been resolved can youe back so that we can make up?" Rachel asked hopefully and Lucas pinched the bridge of his nose.

    Lucas knew that it would be so easy for him to want to believe her words and makeup with her just so that he would stop being hurt by this break-up, but this wasn''t just about Lucy. It was about Rachel being a spoilt brat, and how he had been enabling her the whole time. If he forgave her and continued with the rtionship, he was going to be subjecting himself to Rachel''s irrational possessiveness and emotional ckmails, and he couldn''t live that way.

    "No."

    "Please, baby. I''m so sorry. Forgive me, please. I love you. I can''t live without you. I don''t want to," Rachel cried, but Lucas was past being deceived by that.

    He knew that the only reason she was being this way was just so that she would get her way again. Her threats failed to work, and so this was the way Rachel knew how to get her way. This was what she called love.

    "I thought you knew me, Rachel."

    "I do, baby. I know you."

    "I don''t think so. If you did, you would know that I wouldn''t have ended things with you if I didn''t mean it. I''m noting back to you, Rachel. It''s over. You can keep the house since you seem to want it. I''ll pick up my stuff when I get back. And please... Do not call either my parents or Lucy anymore. I already told them not to take your calls..."

    "How can you do this to me after all I''ve done for you? I love you! You''re hurting me!" Rachel cried, and her mother took the phone from her.

    "Lucas?" Her mother spoke into the phone, and Lucas took in a deep breath.

    "You possibly can''t end things with Rachel over something as insignificant as this. You of all people know how much she loves you, and how much this family has supported you because of your rtionship with her," Rachel''s mother said in a tone that sounded more like a threat than a plea. He didn''t want to be married into a family like this either. They were the reason Rachel was the way she was.

    "I appreciate your support thus far. However, marrying Rachel isn''t going to be a means of expressing my gratitude to you. I won''t subject myself to a lifetime of emotional torture just because I''m grateful to your family. I''m hanging up now," Lucas said as he disconnected the call, and Rachel''s mother turned to her.

    "Your father is going to be very cross with you when he finds out about the Perrys'' rtionship with the CEO of I-Global. Do you know how such a connection would have been good for your father? How could you not have known that your fiance''s twin sister is in a rtionship with someone as influential as Thomas Hank?" She scolded, and Rachel broke into a sob.

    "How was I supposed to know? Can''t we just threaten him with something? I could say I''m pregnant for him? He woulde back to me if I say that, right?" Rachel asked hopefully.

    "You think you can deceive a medical doctor with something like that? Seriously? Are you my daughter?" Her mother asked in a toneced with disapproval.

    "What about his job?" Rachel asked again wiping her tears with the back of her hands.

    "His twin sister is in a rtionship with the CEO of I-Global. You think he wouldn''t get a job easily if he asked for help?" Her mother countered, and Rachel broke into a sob.

    "I can''t lose him, mom. I love Lucas. I don''t want to lose him. Please help me," she cried bitterly, and her mother went to sit beside her to console her.

    "Then you shouldn''t have acted that way towards him."

    "I was only looking out for our rtionship! I didn''t want his sister''s scandal to affect us," Rachel said defensively.

    "I don''t think he intends to get back with you. So let''s just go ahead and cancel all the wedding ns. Don''t worry, we will find you someone else," Rachel''s mother suggested as she consoled her daughter who was weeping.

    Rachel shook her head, "I can''t let him go, mom. I don''t want anyone else. I''m going to talk to Lucy.. I''m sure he will listen to her if she pleads on my behalf."

 Chapter 265 - I AM DEAD

    "So you''re saying that you don''t want to hurt either of us?" Brandy asked uncertainly as she eyed Jero.

    "Why would I want to hurt your sister? I love Candace. I love her with every part of me, and you know that," Jero said, making Brandy roll her eyes.

    "I don''t know anything. I don''t trust you. Especially not after everything you did to us. I''m not telling you anything. You''ve caused her enough pain," Brandy said defiantly, while Cassidy watched her from the rim of his wine ss as he took a sip from wine.

    "And I''m trying to make up for it..."

    "No matter what you do she is never going to have anything to do with you. The mere sight of you repulses me!" Brandy spat out, more angry than scared now.

    "I''m sorry for all I did to you. I just want to see her and Jamal. I owe them both an apology. I want to let her know that I am not mad that she testified against me."

    "We don''t need your apology, and trust me, she doesn''t care whether you''re mad at her or not. She did what she had to do to be rid of a monster like you!"

    "You can trust him. He only wants to apologize to you and your sister," Cassidy cut in making Brandy scoff.

    "I don''t even trust you, so why should I listen to you and trust him?" She asked with a roll of her eyes.

    "Because I''m the one who let him go to jail. I did that to punish him for hurting you. I''m also the one who helped him escape from jail just to keep you safe. I''m still punishing him even now," Cassidy promised, making Brandy frown in confusion.

    "Hurt me? What are you talking about?" Brandy asked, and Cassidy jerked his head, giving Jero the go-ahead to answer Brandy''s question.

    Jero swallowed, "He found out that I forcefully gave you to other men."

    "And so? What has that got to do with anything when he was also one of the men who forcefully had me? It''s only okay when you''re the one doing it?" Brandy asked Cassidy, boiling with anger at the memory.

    "Make no mistake, Andy. I''m your first, and you''re mine even though you may not admit it to yourself yet. I don''t like other people touching my stuff. I had to punish him for being greedy. I paid him a lot of money just so that he wouldn''t give you to anyone else in my absence."

    Brandy wanted to hiss at him and tell him that she wasn''t his. But her curiosity got the best of her so she ignored that and focused on something else, "You paid him not to give me out to other men?"

    "Yes. He paid me," Jero responded.

    "You can imagine how furious I was when I found out that despite my instructions he went on to pass you around to the other lords like you were a slut," Cassidy said in anger as he stood up and smashed the ss of wine in his hand against the wall.

    "I am sorry," Jero said with a bow, taking a step back when Cassidy stepped forward like he wanted to hit him. Brandy who wasfortably seated was surprised to see that Jero was actually scared of Cassidy. Who would have that the monster was capable of an emotion like fear?

    "You gambled away all of the money I paid you and used her to generate more money to fund your dirty habit, and you say you are sorry?" Cassidy asked in a low tone.

    Brandy cleared her throat, "First of all I''m not some sort of toy that you pay for..." The rest of her sentence trailed off when Cassidy turned to her and she noticed how his jaws were clenched in anger.

    Cassidy took in a deep breath to calm himself "I will keep this simple. Just so you know, I''m aware that three persons are currently listening to this conversation" Cassidy said, making both Matt''s and Jade''s hearts skip beats as they looked out of the car to see if someone was watching them.

    "Three people? What are you talking about?" Brandy asked in surprise, and Cassidy smiled.

    "Matt, thewyer girl, and her boyfriend. You should know that I''m not sloppy. I''m not like the other foolish lords," Cassidy said with distaste as he approached Brandy.

    Brandy tried not to flinch as he came close to her even though her heart was beating really fast as he stopped in front of her, "It would be an error to underestimate me, Andy," Cassidy said as he reached for the pendant of her ne, making her heart skip a beat.

    "Do you know who owns Sodom & Gomorrah? The club where you and your sister have been working?" Cassidy asked with a slightly raised brow, and Brandy swallowed as she looked up into his intelligent blue eyes.

    Since she worked at just one of the branches which were scattered all over the country, she never really concerned herself with the owner. All she knew was that the S&G club in each city was managed by different people.

    Cassidy smiled once again, "Imagine my surprise when I learnt that you were a stripper at my club?"

    "Your...club? You own the club?" Brandy asked in shock, and he chuckled softly.

    "It''s a secret though. Many people do not know that. Especially the cartel. I like to keep my business private. I don''t want it tainted," Cassidy exined.

    "Anyway, that''s beside the point. I was at your apartmentst night. I looked around and found this jewelry in a box in your drawer amongst other things. Also, while you were performingst night your phone was bugged, so I listened in on your phone call with someone called Matt," Cassidy exined, and Brandy''s eyes widened in surprise, while Jade and Matt exchanged a surprised look.

    "I don''t understand," she said in a small voice.

    "Yeah, you won''t. Although I don''t like talking too much, I will try to exin it all to you while Jero cleans up the mess," Cassidy said, indirectly ordering Jero to take care of the shattered wine ss on the floor. Jero immediately went out to get the items he needed to clean the floor while Cassidy poured himself another ss of wine.

    "After my father''s death five years ago, I was forced to take his ce on the table. Hence I became the youngest amongst the lords of the cartel. Because I didn''t want to be involved in the production or distribution of the drugs, my major duty was to look out for anything that might bring trouble to the cartel, and clean it up. By this, I mean that my duty was to tie up every loose end. This is why until Jero''s case came up, the police had no evidence which they could use against the cartel."

    "You have something against drugs, yet you see nothing wrong in killing people?" Brandy asked with a burst of humorlessughter, and Cassidy''s lips twitched slightly.

    "This maye as a surprise to you, but I''ve never pulled a trigger my whole life. I''ve never had reason to."

    "Because you have people that do your dirty work! Murder is murder! What difference does it make whether you''re the one pulling the trigger or you ask someone else to do it on your behalf?" Brandy asked with disapproval.

    "The difference is that my hands remain clean, whereas the person that pulled the trigger has blood on his hands. Do you know why? Pulling the trigger was their own decision regardless of my order," Cassidy said with an indifferent shrug as he raised his winess to his lips and sipped from it.

    "You can believe whatever makes you sleep better at night. So are you trying to say that Jero went to jail because you intentionally failed to clean up his mess?" Brandy asked, returning to the discussion.

    "As you must know, I was away at the time. And I had only just found out about you giving your favor to other men the previous day. I was still very mad at Jero and the other lords that touched you. So I asked my men to leave clues that would reveal to the police that the kids were testers. And they left enough proof that would lead them to Jero."

    "You exposed the cartel because of something like that? What about the other lords? Didn''t they..."

    "The bunch of old fucks. They have no idea that I was behind it. They assumed it happened because I wasn''t around to take care of it, so they kept trying to buy off every prosecutor that took up the case. They kept doing that until the stubbornwyer girl took up the case. I convinced the lords to let Jero take the fall as that was the only way we could save ourselves and the cartel," Cassidy said with a smile that told Brandy that he was pretty impressed with himself.

    "Your sister made it easier for them to nail him by testifying against him. Can''t me her though, can you?" Cassidy asked Jero who had returned inside to clean the floor even though he didn''t think there was any need for it.

    "You didn''t earn yourdy''s loyalty, so it''s what a piece of trash like you deserves after all," Cassidy said, but Jero said nothing as he continued to clean.

    "So why then did you let him out?" Brandy asked curiously as she red at Jero''s back. She wished she could hit him or do something horrible to him for all he had done to her and her sister.

    "Bill got into some sort of trouble with the kingpin, and they found out that he contacted thewyer girl, wanting to expose the cartel. That was the first case I was handed once I returned to the country. I was supposed to kill him and make sure he doesn''t meet with thewyer, so I hid him instead."

    "Why? Why didn''t you kill him?" Brandy asked curiously.

    "Because I returned to the country for only two reasons. First, to get you. And secondly to put an end to everything. By everything I mean the cartel included. He wille in handy in my ns," Cassidy exined.

    Brandy ignored both reasons since she didn''t want to dwell on the first, "And Jero? What do you need him for now if you were angry enough to get him arrested?"

    "The cartel tried to get rid of him in prison because they believe that he might testify against them if thewyer girl offers to reduce his sentence."

    "So you couldn''t save his life without helping him escape? Why did you even bother saving his life? You should have let them kill him. Everyone would have been better off that way."

    "Let me put it this way; the lords wouldn''t hesitate to kill both you and your sister even after killing Jero. You wouldn''t have known that the cartel was out to get you had I not saved both Bill and Jero..."

    "You are not making any sense!" Brandy said with a shake of her head.

    "Jero''s first job the moment he got out was to intercept the private investigator before he revealed your whereabouts to the cartel. Only Jero could have helped me find you without the cartel''s knowledge of my involvement. And now he will be the one to expose the cartel. He knows that is the only way his son and your sister will be safe."

    "Find me? What for? And what happens to you when the cartel is exposed?" Brandy asked, wondering what was going on in his head.

    "Are you worried that I might go to jail?" Cassidy asked with a grin, and Brandy rolled her eyes.

    "You can rot there for all I care. Why should I be worried about you?" She asked incredulously.

    "I will give you a reason to worry soon," Cassidy promised as he picked up Brandy''s phone from where he had left it and dialed Matt''s line.

    Matt turned to look at Jade when his phone started ringing, and he showed her the phone''s screen. Jade took the phone from him, "I suppose I''m the one you want to speak with?" Jade asked immediately after she received the call and ced it on speaker.

    "You have some really good men working for you. Unfortunately, I''m way ahead of them, hence they couldn''t tail Jero or find Bill. I made sure of it," Cassidy said smugly.

    "You must be proud of yourself," Jade said dryly, trying to conceal the fact that she found the criminal impressive.

    "Yes, I am. This yacht is going to explode in a couple of minutes. The moment it does, I AM DEAD. You can tell Candace not to worry about Andy. She will contact her when I believe it is safe enough to do so."

    "You mean you want to take Andy hostage and fake your death..."

    "I''m not taking her hostage. She is my woman. I already gave Bill all the evidence you will need to bring down the cartel. He will bring it to where you are once the yacht explodes, and then you can get an arrest warrant. Jero will lead you to the ce where you can arrest all the lords at once," Cassidy said.

    "You must have thought this through," Jade said, surprised at how organized his n was.

    "You wanted to bring down the cartel, I''m helping you achieve it. In return, help Jero see his son and Candace onest time before he returns to jail. I hope you don''t try to find me after now," Cassidy said before disconnecting the call.

    "It''s time to leave," Cassidy said as he reached out a hand to Brandy.

 Chapter 266 - The Bet

    After showing his visitors around the house, Tom led them up the stairs where he showed them their bedrooms and encouraged them to rx a bit beforeing down for dinner.

    As he returned downstairs to find Lucy and his mother, his steps faltered at the top of the stairs when he caught sight of Lucy standing by the foot of the stairs as though she was waiting for someone there, while also holding her phone to her ear like she was trying to make a phone call. She had her back to him but he didn''t need to see her face to know that she was the one. He smiled when he noticed that she had worn her hair down for him.

    Tom''s heart skipped a beat when he finally noticed what she was wearing. His eyes moved from her feet which were covered in gold-colored high-heeled sandals, up to her calf, thigh, and her bare back which was mostly covered thanks to her long hair. The dress seemed to be covering just her ass, leaving her back exposed. He didn''t even want to imagine what the front of the dress must look like. How was he supposed to concentrate on anything tonight when she was dressed this way? His gaze shifted to his phone when it started vibrating with a phone call, and he ignored it when he saw that the call was from Lucy.

    He noiselessly descended the stairs and stopped a foot behind her. Lucy spun around when she suddenly perceived the scent of his cologne before he could touch her.

    "You''re not with your phone? I was just trying to reach you," she said with a wide smile, happy to see him even though they had been together less than three hours ago.

    Tom didn''t say a word to her as he let his eyes move over the front part of her dress. It had a deep V neckline that stopped at the top of her belly button, exposing parts of her midriff and boobs. It seemed like the only thing keeping the dress on her body was the halter neck.

    Lucy''s face grew hot as she watched him assess her unhurriedly. Although she would have preferred he say something, she patiently waited to hear what he had to when his gaze finally returned to her face, "You really shouldn''t have worn this dress, babe," he said with a shake of his head, and Lucy tried to blink back her disappointment.

    "But since you wore this, I hope you''ll be ready to face my parents and yours tomorrow morning?" He asked with a suggestive smile as he reached out to touch her hair, and Lucy blushed when she recalled what his mother had said.

    She cleared her throat, "I wouldn''t have worn this had I known that she was around. Why didn''t you tell me?" Lucy asked with a scowl, and Tom chuckled.

    "First of all, I didn''t think that you woulde here with your parents dressed to SEDUCE me. So there was no need to tell you that. Secondly, I see no reason why my mother should determine your wardrobe. As long as you''refortable in what you''re wearing, I''m good," Tom said as he pulled her closer to himself and ced his arm around her shoulder, while still standing on the staircase and looking down at her.

    "Your mom is pretty cool though," Lucy informed Tom.

    "Your parents are cool too. Although, I think I might have a problem with your dad," Tom said, making her raise a brow.

    "What sort of problem?"

    "I noticed how he has been ring at me all evening. Maybe it''s because I told him that I was your one true love," Tom said, and Lucyughed softly.

    "I think Bryan is going to have an issue with him too. Sonia has a huge crush on my dad," Lucy said, and Tom chuckled.

    "So he told me. He really bragged about it. I''m d I don''t have to worry about you having a crush on him," Tom said with a grin and Lucy hit him yfully.

    "You should know that he is my first love, and has been my only love for the past twenty-five years of my life," Lucy pointed out.

    "Too bad for him. I already snatched you from him. He can be your first love, but I intend to be your forever love," Tom said with a wink as he kissed her forehead, "By the way... Thanks for wearing your hair down and ditching the sses for my sake tonight. You look delicious," Tom said with a yful smile as he used his tongue top at the tip of her nose like a dog, making Lucy giggle as she looked up at him with her arms around his waist.

    "Who would have imagined that the almighty Thomas Hank could be so yful?" Lucy asked with a smile as she grabbed the cor of his shirt and tugged it so he would lean forward for a kiss.

    "Ahem!" Tom''s dad cleared his throat behind Lucy as their lips touched, making her spin around in surprise, but Tom held on to her arms so that she wouldn''t fall, while he red at his father for the interruption.

    "You are Lucy," Tom''s father said, looking at her flushed face curiously as she unconsciously tried to adjust her dress. This one seemed more naive and innocent than the other one. They were a goodbination.

    "Yes, I am..." Lucy said, feeling embarrassed at being caught being naughty. She could tell that he was Tom''s father, but she didn''t know what else to say to him. It seemed like she was tongue-tied around his parents.

    "Lu, this old man here, who just stopped you from kissing me is my dad," Tom said, cing a possessive hand on her lower back as he stepped down from thest staircase so that he would be at the same ground level with her.

    Lucy felt like strangling Tom for making the introduction that way, but judging by the grin on his father''s face, it seemed like the man didn''t mind.

    "It''s nice meeting you, sir," Lucy said with a polite bow.

    "The pleasure is mine," he said and Tom watched his father in surprise as he held out his arms for Lucy to embrace him. His father hardly easily epted people and that was why he and his siblings hardly had friends, yet here he was making it obvious that he liked Lucy. He was d.

    Lucy nced at Tom in confusion before going to embrace the man, "Feel at home. This is going to be your home after all," he murmured to her before breaking the hug.

    "Thank you, sir," Lucy said, wondering if this was the same reception Sonia had gotten from the man. Tom''s parents seemed like very cool people. She knew she wasn''t supposed to be surprised since the apples couldn''t have fallen too far from the tree. Tom and Bryan had wonderful personalities, so it made sense that their parents were just as wonderful.

    "When are we going to have dinner? Or is it a midnight meal? Your mother keeps saying I need to avoidte-night meals yet she is the same person starving me," Tom''s fatherined just as his wife appeared in the living room.

    "The three of you can proceed to the dining while I get the others," she said as she walked past them, ignoring what her husband had just said.

    "I will leave you both alone. Lucy, you can continue from where you stopped," he said with a wave at Lucy and puckered his lips to remind her of where she stopped before walking away.

    Lucy closed her eyes in embarrassment, "Your parents..."

    "Speaking about my parents, what did my mother say to you?" Tom asked curiously, and Lucy shook her head.

    "She started by apologizing to me for believing the news about me, and for asking you to fire me and break up with me."

    "She told you that?" Tom asked, surprised.

    Lucy nodded, "And she ended it by asking me to keep things down tonight since her room isn''t too far from yours. I think your butler reported me to her," Lucy said with a blush, and Tom chuckled.

    "Why didn''t I think of making my bedroom soundproof? Oh! I know why. Never mind," Tom said dismissively and Lucy raised a brow.

    "Why didn''t you?" She asked, and Tom grinned.

    "I never imagined that I would meet a screamer like you. And even if I had soundproofed the bedroom, what about the living room? You also couldn''t keep your voice down when you were the same person who insisted that we do it on the dining table," Tom said andughed out loud when she raised both hands to cover her face.

    "Now I''m wondering how I''m going to eat on that table tonight without thinking about you sprawled on it with chocte spread all over your boobs. This dress you are wearing is certainly not going to help matters either," Tomined as he looked into her face which was flushed. Her lips were still glistening from their kiss. He wanted to kiss her and make love to her. But he knew that wasn''t going to happen until after dinner. Only a quickie was possible, and what he craved wasn''t a quickie.

    Lucy cleared her throat, "I was drunk the other night. It was the alcohol''s fault," Lucy said defensively.

    "Really?" Tom asked in amusement, and she nodded.

    "Alright. I will make sure that you don''t taste a drop of alcohol tonight. I don''t want you ming the alcohol for your inability to control yourself when I touch you," Tom said with a promise in his eyes as his hand moved under her hair and he used his thumb to caress her nape before pulling her in for a kiss.

    He kissed her slowly, tasting every inch of her lips before slowly teasing his way between her lips and into her mouth with his tongue. Lucy sighed as she leaned into him and returned the kiss.

    Tom broke the kiss when he heard footsteps ahead of them, and he looked into her eyes with longing, "How about we make a bet," Tom suggested.

    "About what?" Lucy asked curiously as she tried to blink back the desire in her eyes.

    "If you''re able to keep your voice down tonight, you can ask me for whatever you want," Tom said, making Lucy giggle.

    "You''re serious?"

    "Yes."

    "And let''s assume that I''m unable to. What happens?" She asked curiously.

    "You''ll do whatever I want for a week," Tom said, and Lucy narrowed her eyes at him as she licked her teeth.

    "Seriously? I can ask for anything?"

    "Anything."

    "Okay.. I''m game," Lucy said with a nod, believing that the presence of both her family and his under this roof will keep her from embarrassing herself and them.

 Chapter 267 - Celebratory Sex

    Inside Bryan''s bedroom, he pulled Sonia to himself as he fell on the bed so that she was lying on top of him. Sonia raised a brow when he ran his hands down her exposed back, "I thought you didn''t like such outfits? You specifically asked me not to get this dress," she reminded him yfully.

    "Yet you went ahead to buy it. You should be punished for being such a stubborn and naughty girl, don''t you think?" Bryan asked as his hands moved down her back and to her ass where he grabbed both ass cheeks.

    Sonia giggled as she angled her head to look at him, "You know we don''t have time to fool around, right?"

    "Says who? We have all the time in the world," Bryan said as he slowly ran his hands down her thighs and then between her legs, making her shiver slightly before he pulled her skimpy dress up her thighs so that her ass was exposed.

    "You are really very naughty," He said when he realized that Sonia wasn''t putting on any undies.

    "Am I?" Sonia asked with a coy smile as she looked into his face, "I guess I should be punished then," she said with a sultry smile and Bryan shook his head.

    "Tell me what was running through your mind as you dressed up," Bryan asked as he sat up, and helped Sonia to adjust on the bed.

    "This..." Sonia said as she ced a hand over his boner and rubbed it softly making Bryan suck in a breath, "Yesterday morning started so beautifully in your bathroom, yet it looks like ages ago. We have been so tense since this whole madness started yesterday. We deserve some sort of celebratory sex, don''t you think?" Sonia asked, and Bryan nodded in agreement.

    "Definitely. But we are yet to deal with the perpetrator," he reminded her.

    "Yeah. We will go another round when we deal with her. For now, let''s celebrate," Sonia said with a wink as she reached for the front of his trousers and unbuckled the bet before unzipping it.

    "I thought you said that we didn''t have time to fool around?" Bryan asked, his already erect rod getting even more engorged with anticipation.

    "That is why I''m not fooling around. I''m getting right on it," Sonia said, making Bryan grin sheepishly as he stood up to let her take off his trousers.

    Sonia pushed him on the bed and took off her dress before getting on top of him. Just as she straddled him, the door was pushed open.

    "Bry... Oh, my God!" His mother eximed as she quickly stepped back and shut the door behind her.

    "For God''s sake mom, you are supposed to knock. What am I? Fifteen?" Bryan asked irritably as he looked at Sonia who for the first time since he had met her, lookedpletely embarrassed as she rolled off him and got off the bed.

    "I''m sorry. I wanted to let you know that dinner is ready. Come down when you''re ready," she called back to them as she hurried away.

    "I can''t believe that you didn''t lock the door," Sonia said as she picked up her dress from the couch where she had dropped it, while Bryan got off the bed to meet her.

    "I''m sorry. I was distracted," Bryan apologized as he tried to pull her back, but she was already heading for the bathroom with her dress.

    "It''s fine. We should get dressed and go down for dinner," Sonia said as she walked into the bathroom which was en suite.

    Even though she was wild and fond of doing crazy stuff, she wasn''t sure that having her boyfriend''s mom walk in on her while she was seated on his cock was a good start for any good mother sh daughter-inw rtionship. She felt very embarrassed, and she knew that the woman must have felt pretty embarrassed too.

    "You''re not mad at me, are you?" Bryan asked as he walked into the bathroom to see Sonia standing in front of the mirror.

    "Of course not," she assured him with a sigh, "I''m just concerned that your mom isn''t going to have a good impression of me," Sonia said, trying not to let it bother her.

    He went to stand behind her and gave her a back hug, "Why? Because she caught us almost having a quickie?" Bryan asked as he held her gaze through the mirror.

    "Don''t you feel embarrassed by it?" Sonia asked, and Bryan shook his head.

    "I guess you feel that way because you''re thedy. Listen, you''re not here to pretend to be someone you are not. You are Sonia Smith, the sexy, crazy, and stubborn witch I fell in love with. Don''t try to be anything short of who you are just so that my family can ept you. You are unique and real, and I know for a fact that they will love you just the way you are, I promise," Bryan said as he kissed the spot behind her ear.

    "You trust me, don''t you?" Bryan asked, and Sonia nodded.

    How could she not? He had not only proved his love to her bying down here and getting involved in Lucy''s case, but earlier today he had also put her well-being even before the career he loved so much. So how could she not love and trust him? "I love and trust you."

    "Good. So don''t let anything bother you. Try to enjoy yourself. See this as a family vacation," Bryan said, and Sonia smiled as she gave him a nod.

    "So now that we have gotten that out of the way, how about we continue from where we stopped? It has refused to go down," Bryan said with a yful pout, drawing Sonia''s attention to his hard cock which was rubbing against her waist.

    "Come on, Bryan..." She protested softly as he raised her gown above her waist once again.

    "Don''t worry, I made sure to lock the door this time," he promised as he moved a hand up her thighs until he found her feminine folds with his fingers, and he inserted his middle finger to see if she was ready, "You''re wet," he said in a husky voice as he rubbed her clitoris in circles, making Sonia moan as she arched her back, and raised a hand behind her to touch his neck.

    Not needing any other invitation, Bryan pushed her forward gently so that her abdomen was touching the edge of the wash hand basin while she gripped the edges of the wash hand basin as he prated her from behind, "Oh, shit!" Sonia eximed in a loud moan as she closed her eyes, while Bryan''s gaze remained fixed on her reflection in the mirror as he thrust in and out of her.

    The more he watched her and listened to her moans, the more aroused he became. When he couldn''t bear it any longer, he pulled out of her. Before she could protest, he turned her around to face him and grabbed her ass as he lifted her off the floor and prated her.

    "Oh, my god!" Sonia moaned loudly as she wrapped both legs around his waist with her arms around his neck. She kissed his face as he pulled in and out of her.

    He wanted more. He needed their naked bodies to rub against each other. He felt like a thirsty man drinking wine without getting filled, "I want you, Sonia!" Bryan whispered to her.

    "You have me. All of me," Sonia promised as she covered his lips with kisses.

    "Not enough... I can''t seem to get enough of you," Bryan confessed breathlessly.

    "Then take as much as you want. I''m all yours."

    Bryan turned around so that Sonia''s back was resting on the wall this time as he fucked her. Since her back was to the wall, she could now see their reflection in the mirror. Sheughed softly.

    "What''s funny?" Bryan asked curiously as he kept thrusting.

    "It just feels... like I''m watching pornography," Sonia said as she tried to catch her breath, making Bryan chuckle.

    "So is this what celebratory sex looks like?" Bryan asked with a groan when Sonia nibbled in his jaw, and he thrust in deeper.

    "I''m... not... entirely sure. I think... My moans are supposed to sound like cheers," Sonia said breathlessly, and Bryan chuckled.

    "Cheeeers," Sonia moaned loudly, and Bryanughed out loud. This waspletely ridiculous. He wished he had a recorder or something so she could hear herself.

    While Sonia and Bryan were in his bedroom fooling around, the others gathered at the dining. Thankfully Tom''s dining table was a huge round table and not the usual long rectangr table, so the seating arrangement was quite easy. Once Tom and Lucy got to the dining table, they sat down together opposite Tom''s father who was already seated there. Soon the others starteding down from their bedrooms.

    Tom''s mother sat down beside her husband, and once Lucas came down, she gestured to him to sit on the seat next to hers.

    "Hello, Mr. Hank. How are feeling today?" Lucas asked with concern.

    "Are you here as a doctor or as a family?" Tom''s father asked with a scowl before adding, "I''m feeling okay. At least I can do whatever I want to do this weekend knowing that there is a doctor nearby." And everyone on the tableughed good-naturedly.

    Soon Lucy''s parents joined them, and they both upied the two seats which were between Lucas and Lucy, leaving Lucy sitting down between her father and Tom.

    "Dad, mom, meet Lucy''s family..."

    "We know who they are already," his mother cut in dismissively, "There''s no need for such formalities around family, right?" She asked Lucy''s mother who smiled back at her as she gave her nod.

    "You are very correct."

    "You can call me, Evelyn, and my husband is Desmond," Tom''s mother said.

    "You can call me J, and my husband is Andrew," Lucy''s mother returned.

    "See? That is how it is done," Tom''s mother said with a satisfied smile while the men said nothing as they watched their wives.

    "By the way, where are the others?" Lucy''s mother asked curiously when she noticed that Alicia, Jasmine, Bryan, and Sonia were yet to join them.

    "We are here," Alicia called out as she and Jasmine joined them.

    "What about Bryan and Sonia?" Lucas asked curiously.

    Tom''s mother tried not to look embarrassed as she answered, "They will join uster. They are... Busy," Evelyn said without meeting anyone''s gaze, making Lucy turn to the side to hide her smile. Knowing her best friend, she could tell that Sonia was up to no good.

    "Let''s eat then. I''m sure that whatever is keeping them busy is going to take quite some time," Tom''s father said in a knowing tone as he picked up his cutlery and the others did the same.

    "What about your fiancee? I thought she was going to be here with you. I guess she is busy preparing for your wedding," Tom''s mother said, and all eyes fell on Lucas making Lucy wince.

    Sensing the awkwardness that hung in the air, Tom cleared his throat, "We should eat.. It has been a long day for everyone and I would love to retire to bed soon."

 Chapter 268 - Dad Versus Tom

    268 Dad Versus Tom

    Halfway through dinner, Bryan and Sonia joined the others, with his hand around her waist as he led her to the table. Although every one of them had been busy talking as they ate, everywhere became silent as they watched the couple take their seat on the table.

    "Whatever had kept you two busy until now must have been life-threatening," Lucy''s father said in a mocking tone, making Sonia blush lightly as she looked down, while the othersughed.

    "Drew stop doing that to her!" Lucy''s mother scolded her husband who she knew had said that deliberately to make Sonia blush.

    "What did I do? It was just a harmless observation, was it not?" He asked, and Tom''s father roared withughter. He had thought that Sonia was too wild to feel embarrassed.

    "Wow! I can''t believe that it''s true! Sonia, you still have a crush on Lucy''s dad?" Alicia asked in amusement, and Bryan turned to re at Lucy''s father.

    "She doesn''t."

    "But, yes she does, isn''t that right, Sony?" Lucy''s father asked with a grin at Sonia who refused to raise her head, and the othersughed as Bryan ced his hands possessively over her shoulder and mildly red at Lucy''s father who was grinning like he was enjoying himself.

    "Stop that dad. You are embarrassing her," Lucy chided, while her father just chuckled.

    "Tell me something, princess. Who is your one true love?" Lucy''s father asked as he met Tom''s gaze, his eyes gleaming with challenge.

    "Huh?" Lucy asked, not knowing where the question wasing from.

    "Between Tom and I, who would you say you love the most?" He asked, and Lucy''s brows furrowed as her gaze moved from her father to Tom, and then back to her father.

    "Don''t do that to her, dad. You are putting her on the spot," Lucas said, even though he was curious to hear what she was going to say as was every other person on the table who was staring at Lucy curiously.

    Lucy cleared her throat, "I love you dad, and I love Tom too. You both have your ce in my hea..."

    "That doesn''t answer the question," Tom''s father cut in, making his wife turn to him with scolding eyes. She could tell that both men were going to get along just fine. They seemed to share a lot of things inmon.

    "If they were both dying and you could save just one of them who would it be?" Jasmine asked while Alicia busied herself by takingpictures of everyone on the table and filming them.

    "You can''t certainly expect her to answer that question. If they''re dying I will save my husband, and then she can save Tom," Lucy''s mother answered but her husband wasn''t having that.

    "What if you are not there, and it''s just me, Lucy, and Tom? Who will it be, Lu?" He insisted while the others kept watching in amusement.

    Seeing how ufortable Lucy was beginning to feel because of the questions, Tom reached for her hand, "Don''t worry, babe. I know how you feel about me. You can tell him what he wants to hear. I''m okay with it," Tom assured her in a low tone, knowing that she wouldn''t want to embarrass her call. She scowled when she saw Rachel''s name disyed on her screen, and although she wanted to 17:39

    ignore the call, she needed it as an excuse to avoid answering her father''s question, "Please excuse father by saying otherwise.

    Lucy remained silent as she thought of a way to answer the question without hurting either her father or Tom. Thankfully she didn''t have to answer when her phone started vibrating with a phone call. She scowled when she saw Rachel''s name disyed on her screen, and although she wanted to ignore the call, she needed it as an excuse to avoid answering her father''s question, "Please excuse me, I need to take this call," she said as she pushed back her seat and stood up.

    "You didn''t have to do that. It was very immature," Lucy''s mother scolded her husband since they all knew that Lucy had chosen to excuse herself just so that she could avoid his question.

    Lucas who had caught a glimpse of her face when she looked at her screen could tell that the call was probably from Rachel so he nced at Sonia, who seemed to read his mind, and nodded her head. She also thought that the call was from Rachel since Rachel was the only person who Lucy''s dislike for was that obvious. Lucas pushed away from the table and also excused himself to go after Lucy.

    "I''m surprised that you are calling me out of the blue. Why? Because Lucas broke up with you?" Lucy asked without beating around the bush once she walked into the Den and closed the door.

    "I''m so sorry, Lucy. Please I love Lucas. I love him so much and I can''t live without him," Rachel pleaded tearfully.

    "As you must know, I''ve never interfered in your rtionship. Not once in thest ten years have I interfered since you made it clear to me that you wanted him for yourself and you didn''t want to share my twin brother with me. You did everything you could to tear us apart, so why do you suddenly want me to interfere now?" Lucy asked, boiling with anger as she remembered snippets of Lucas'' conversation with Rachel earlier that day.

    "Please, I''m sorry..." Rachel cried.

    "You are sorry? Unfortunately, I don''t think so. You only im to be sorry because you didn''t expect that he would choose his family over you. He loved youpletely, and you hurt him! And I''m NEVER going to forgive you for that. I could tolerate you trying to tear us apart as long as Lucas was happy, but what I won''t tolerate is you making his life miserable!" Lucy said angrily and turned around when she heard the door open behind her.

    "I asked you to ignore her call," Lucas reminded her with a nk expression as he held out his hand for the phone.

    "How could I when she kept calling? You don''t intend to make up with her, do you?" Lucy asked as she reluctantly handed him the phone.

    "Rachel, I already told you everything I have to say to you. Don''t make things any more difficult for either of us than it already is. Please stop calling Lucy and my parents. Nothing is going to change my mind," Lucas said as politely as he could muster and then hung up with a sigh without listening to anything she was saying.

    Looking into his eyes she could tell that he was very sad. He might have been the one to end things, but he was heartbroken.

    "We don''t have to return to the dining yet if you don''t want to," Lucy offered with concern in her eyes.

    "Why? Because you don''t want to answer dad''s question?" Lucas asked lightly, trying to sound cheerful.

    "There is that. But it''s also because I want to stay back and keep youpany. I think you might need it," Lucy said with a sigh as she took his hand and led him to one of the chairs in the Den before sitting down.

    With a sigh Lucas sat down beside her and shut his eyes as he leaned back in his seat, resting his head on the headrest. His head was beginning to pound now. Although he enjoyed thepany of everyone and how their conversations distracted him from his thoughts, what he really wanted was to be alone.

    He opened his eyes and turned to look at Lucy, "You could have easily chosen Tom over dad. You know that dad wouldn''t have really felt hurt he was only testing you and Tom," Lucas said after they had both been silent for a while.

    "It might have been a game to him, but as I said, I love them both and they each have their special ces in my heart. I don''t see any reason why I have to choose any of them over the other," Lucy said with a shrug as she snuggled closer to Lucas and ced her head on his shoulder.

    "I see," Lucas said with a sigh as he adjusted so that Lucy would befortable.

    "So... did you cry?" Lucy asked, and Lucas snorted.

    "I don''t think I''ve found the time to do that yet. I will let you know if I do that tonight," he said dryly and Lucy smiled sadly.

    "I know you''re deeply hurt, Luc. I wish there was something I could do," Lucy murmured.

    "Don''t worry about me. I''m sure I''ll get over it eventually. I''m just d that we have been able to clear this issue and you''re okay now. I was really worried about you when I saw it. It''s good to know that you have such a capable man in your life now," Lucas said, and then chuckled when something urred to him, "Just when you finally got a boyfriend, I ended my rtionship."

    "You want me to break up with Tom? I could be single until you get someone else," Lucy suggested making Lucasugh, and then sheughed too.

    "I''m not sure I want to get involved in a rtionship anytime soon. Besides, I think I''ll need to quit my job and move out of my apartment when I get back," Lucas said, making Lucy pull away to look at him.

    "Why? What happened to your job and apartment?" Lucy asked curiously.

    "Rachel''s family got me the job, and you know that the house came with the position. I''m quitting the job before they get me fired and throw me out," Lucas said with a shrug not wanting to tell her that Rachel had actually threatened him with that.

    "Oh, this is even worse than I thought," Lucy said with a genuinely concerned frown now as she looked at her brother, "I''m so sorry. This whole thing happened because..."

    "No. Don''t bother ming yourself. It happened because I was blindly in love with someone as selfish as Rachel. Just don''t tell either mom or dad about my job. I''ll tell them after I''ve sorted things out," Lucas said, making her sigh as she leaned back on her seat.

    "You could just move down here and get a new job here," Lucy suggested.

    "I don''t know yet. I will figure out what I want to doter. For now, I just want to quit my job, and probably travel to somewhere far away to clear my head," Lucas said with a sigh, and this time he rested his head on Lucy''s shoulders, and she adjusted to amodate him as she patted his hair. It had been such a long time since either of themforted themselves this way.

    "Is everything okay?" Tom asked as he walked into the Den.

    "Is dinner over, or you came here because you were missing Lulu?" Lucas asked as he sat up.

    "The others are still having dinner, but I''m retiring for the night so I wanted to see if everything was okay before going upstairs," Tom exined.

    "I guess I can retire for the night then, I''ll just say goodnight to the others," Lucas said as he stood up, "See you both in the morning," Lucas said before walking away.

    "Is he okay?" Tom asked after Lucas had left, and Lucy shook her head sadly.

    "He is not fine. He broke off his engagement with his fiancee earlier today who he has dated for over ten years. And now he has to quit his job since he got it through her family''s connection," Lucy said as she stood up, ready to retire with him for the night.

    "You can spend some time with your parents and Sonia before going to bed. I''ll join you in bedter. I need to first do something," Tom said as he kissed her forehead before walking away to find Lucas.

    Once Lucy returned to the table, she turned to her father, "So I''ve decided to watch you and Tom y games tomorrow. Whoever wins will be my one true love," Lucy said, making everyone on the table cheer her for her smart answer.

    Away from there Tom who was looking for Lucas called out to him as he caught up with him on his way to his bedroom, "Lucas!"

    Lucas turned to look at him curiously wondering why Tom had followed him.

    Tom shed him a smile, "If you''re not feeling too sleepy yet, would you mind sharing a nightcap with me?" Tom asked hopefully.

    "Lucy didn''t put you up to this, did she?" Lucas asked suspiciously.

    "She doesn''t know I''m here. We just met today and we haven''t really gotten to know each other. I''d like to get to know Lucy''s twin, and then maybe you can give me the password to your father''s heart," Tom said lightly.

    Lucas considered it only for a moment before gesturing to Tom to lead the way.

 Chapter 269 - Good Luck

    269 Good Luck

    "How close are you to Lucy?" Tom asked as a conversation starter once he and Lucas were seated in his bar room.

    "How close?" Lucas asked in confusion.

    "Yeah. Although you both are not identical twins, I''ve been curious about the kind of connection that exists between you both since the moment she mentioned to me that she had a twin brother," Tom said as he took a sip from his ss, and Lucas smiled sadly thinking that he was no longer as connected with his sister as they had once been.

    "Hmm... I really do not know how to answer that question," Lucas said with a sigh.

    "Funny, because Lucy said almost the same thing the first time I asked her that," Tom said with a smile as he remembered the first time he had visited Lucy''s apartment under the guise of being her neighbor.

    "What did she say?" Lucas asked curiously, wanting to know what Lucy genuinely thought about their siblingship.

    "I asked her if she felt specially connected to you as her twin brother, but she said she wouldn''t know because you are her only sibling. I guess you feel the same way about her," Tom said as he studied Lucas.

    "What way?" Lucas asked again, giving Tom the impression that what Lucy thought about their rtionship was important to him.

    "You both love each other, but you both don''t think that the bond you share is just because you are twins. It''s nice. I hope Lucy and I have twins of our own. A boy and a girl, or two girls," Tom said with a dreamy smile, and Lucas raised a brow.

    "You''re already thinking of knocking her up?"

    "I''m already thinking of her in my future," Tom countered with a grin, and Lucas found himself smiling at him.

    "You don''t want twin boys?"

    "Nah. I want a little girl that looks and acts just like Lucy. Not as introverted as she is though," Tom added with a grin.

    Seeing how he was smiling, Lucas could tell that Tom waspletely smitten, "You must really love her," Lucas said with a sigh.

    "Of course, I love her. Who wouldn''t love her?" Tom asked making Lucas chuckle as he resisted the urge to say Rachel.

    "You do know that you owe me big time, right? I put in a lot of good words for you when she asked for my opinion," Lucas confided, and Tom leaned forward in his seat.

    "Really? You both talked about me? When was that? And what did you say?" Tom asked curiously and listened with a grin as Lucas rted all that Lucy had said when pretending that her colleague''s friend was having issues with a one-night stand who coincidentally turned out to be her neighbor and driver.

    Both Tom and Lucas wereughing by the time Lucas finished telling him about his advice to Lucy, "I can''t imagine giving my kid sister such a piece of advice though. You must have badly wanted her to get involved with someone to have given her such advice," Tom said thoughtfully, and Lucas nodded.

    "Yes. I was nning to get married to Rachel who doesn''t get along with Lucy, and then Sonia was engaged to your brother. I thought she would be too lonely since she really isn''t the type to socialize. So I wanted her to meet someone. I decided that someone had to be you the moment she said that you didn''t take advantage of her the first night you spent together because she was drunk," Lucas confessed.

    "Was? You''re no longer nning to get married?" Tom asked, acting like he hadn''t heard from Lucy about Lucas'' breakup.

    Lucas sighed, "Don''t pretend like you don''t know that I called off the engagement. I''m sure that is the only reason you picked that part out of everything I just said. That''s a cheap trick," Lucas said with a shake of his head before sipping from his wine.

    Tom gave him an apologetic smile, "Fine. Lucy mentioned the break-up to me. Are you alright?" Tom asked, his concern evident in his hazel eyes.

    "I''m not. But let''s not talk about that right now. Tell me why you decided to stalk Lucy," Lucas said wanting to talk about anything else that didn''t involve Rachel.

    Tom went on to exin how he had been unlucky withdies, and how he had wanted to get to know Lucy without her knowing his true identity. By the time he was done, Lucas sighed.

    "That was a big risk you took though."

    "Yeah. I''m not sure I realized just how bad it was until she told me about Jamie. That was when I realized that I had screwed up."

    "Thankfully it is because of you that she has finally been able to face all that happened to her. I guess it all worked out well," Lucas said with a small smile.

    Tom looked at Lucas for a moment, and then cleared his throat, "I have a vacancy position for a doctor in thepany if you''re interested..."

    "Did the position suddenly be vacant just because you heard that I''m quitting my job?" Lucas asked, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

    "Not at all. I was going to fire the doctor on Monday," Tom assured him.

    "Why? Did he do something wrong?"

    "He doesn''t know how to keep sensitive information to himself, and I can''t have such a person working with me," Tom said without telling Lucas what the doctor had done wrong.

    He had tried his best to figure out where the leak hade from concerning him pretending to be and Lucas looked at him for a moment without saying a word.

    Lucy''s driver, and then he remembered that the only person apart from Harry and his siblings who knew about it for a fact was the doctor. He was d now that he hadn''t given the doctor the details of Lucy''s psychological trauma, else he would have also thought that was where the leak came from, and he wouldn''t have forgiven himself.

    "You do realize that people are going to assume that you fired him just so that you could employ your girlfriend''s twin brother," Lucas pointed out with a shake of his head.

    "I get your point. For your sake, I''m going to give him six months'' notice and ask him to quit by himself. You can take the time to clear your head before resuming. How about that?" Tom suggested, and Lucas looked at him for a moment without saying a word.

    "Did you discuss this with Lucy?"

    "Not yet. I wanted to talk to you first," Tom exined.

    "It should remain between us for the time being. I don''t have to give you an answer yet, right?" Lucas asked, and Tom nodded.

    "I will think about it and get back to you on it when I''m thinking straight," Lucas promised.

    "That''s fine. So can you tell me about Lucy''s childhood," Tom said eagerly, making Lucas raise a brow.

    "I thought you wanted us to share a nightcap to know more about me?"

    "Lucy''s childhood is the same as yours. You can talk about yourself too while telling me about her. I want to hear everything about Lucy. What was she like before prom night?" Tom asked, and Lucas shook his head. He didn''t know whether to feel bad for his heartbroken self or be happy about the way Tom was making his love for Lucy so obvious.

    Inside the house, Bryan was ring at his mother as she returned to join them at the table with a photo album, "Mom, no one asked to see!" He said with a scowl as she opened the album.

    "I want to see," Sonia said excitedly as she left her seat and went to sit on the chair beside Tom''s mother which Lucas had vacated a while ago.

    "A," Sonia gushed when she saw three separate pictures of three cute babies.

    "This is Tom, Bryan, and Jade," Evelyn pointed to each baby, and Lucy stood up to join them so that she could see the picture of Tom.

    Tom''s father stood up when Lucy stood behind his wife and Sonia, "Want to y games before calling it a night?" He asked Lucy''s father who gave him a thumbs-up as he stood up.

    "Let''s give thedies room to dodies'' stuff," Lucy''s father said as he turned to his wife, "Come get me when you''re ready to go to bed," he said as he kissed his wife''s forehead before leaving with Bryan''s father.

    Once the men left, Lucy sat down on the seat which Tom''s father had just vacated, and Lucy''s mom and Jasmine moved closer to the group to see the pictures, while Alicia continued to take photos.

    Seeing how thedies wereughing together and awwing as they watched the photos, while both his mother and Lucy''s mother exchanged stories of their kids'' childhood, Bryan stood up and walked away without saying a word to Sonia since she seemed engrossed with the photos and stories of both women.

    ***************

    "We shouldn''t let him take her with him! He vited her!" Matt said as he turned on the car''s ignition and reversed in the direction of the port.

    "Did you listen to anything he said?" Harry who was still lying there with his eyes closed, asked Matt.

    "I thought you were having your beauty sleep?" Jade asked, turning to look at him.

    "It''s difficult to do that in a car."

    "Can you both have this conversation some other time? I promised Candace that Andy will be safe. I can''t..."

    Jade quickly cut in, "Andy won''t be hurt."

    "How can you be so sure? How can a person like you believe the words of a criminal? Someone who murdered someone else in cold blood?" Matt asked incredulously as he stepped on the gas pedal, wanting to get to the port before the yacht blows up.

    "If he wanted to hurt her, he wouldn''t have bothered talking to us about his ns. Besides, did you hear her protest?" Jade asked, and Matt frowned.

    "She doesn''t need to protest for us to rescue her. Are we supposed to not do anything and just let him do as he pleases? Are you doing this because he has promised to give you everything you need to close the case?" Matt asked indignantly.

    "Why don''t you give Candace a call? And you both can do whatever she says," Harry suggested with a yawn and Jade picked up her phone and dialed Candace''s line.

    Candace who had just seeded in putting Jamal to sleep was startled by her sudden ringtone, and she quickly reached for her phone and received the call before moving away from the bedroom, "Sup? It''s almost midnight," she pointed out.

    "Uhm, Jero is with Cassidy, and they have Andy," Jade said after putting the phone on speaker, making Candace''s heart skip a beat.

    "What do you mean Jero is with Cassidy and they haveher?" She asked almost panicking.

    "Calm down," Jade said and went on to exin everything that transpired between Cassidy and Jero to Candace.

    Candace took in a deep breath after listening to everything, "Cassidy said Andy will contact me when it''s safe?" Candace asked in a worried tone when Jade finished.

    "Yes. What do you suggest we do? Should I ask the cops to go after Cassidy?"

    Although it was a difficult decision to make, Candace sighed after a while, "Although Cassidy is dangerous, he loves Andy in his own twisted way, and he is a man of his words. If he says Andy will be fine, then I believe that she will be okay. Don''t go after them. I will wait to hear from her."

    "And what about Jero? Are you willing to see him before he returns to jail?" Jade asked since that was Cassidy''s request.

    Matt suddenly mmed his foot on the brake when something clicked in his head, and the car screeched to a halt making them jerk forward.

    "Oh, my God!" Jade eximed in surprise.

    "What did you do that for?" Harry who had almost fallen off the seat, hissed irritably as he sat up.

    "Is everything okay over there?" Candace asked just as Matt took the phone from Jade.

    "Did you lie about killing those boys?" Matt asked in a very quiet tone, and both Jade and Harry stared at him in confusion.

    Of course, she had known that he was going to find out sooner orter that she lied to him. She had done it just to push him away.

    "I guess you really were not interested in me if you could lie about something like that just to push me away. I''m sorry I kept interfering in your business," Matt said with a shake of his head as he hung up the call.

    "I believe my job here is done. You can handle the rest on your own," Matt said as he got out of the car, "You can use the car. I''ll find my way home," Matt said as he walked away without waiting for either Jade or Harry to say anything to him.

    Jade and Harry looked away from Matt''s retreating figure when they heard the sound of an explosion, but Matt didn''t bother looking in the direction of the yacht which had just exploded. He wished them all good luck.

 Chapter 270 Fathers

    <h4>Chapter 270 Fathers</h4>

    "You must be a very proud father," Andrew Perry said as he yed ser against Desmond Hank.

    "Why? Because all three of them are sessful?" Desmond asked curiously.

    "Yes. Lucas mentioned how proud your wife was the first time he met you both at his office," Andrew asked, and Desmond chuckled at the memory.

    "Evelyn is always that way. I love my kids and I''m proud of how much each of them has been able to achieve on their own," Desmond said, but Andrew heard the silent but in his tone, so he turned to face him.

    "But what?"

    Desmond chuckled, "I never said that there was a but."

    "You didn''t need to utter it. I heard it," Andrew said with a knowing smile.

    Desmond sighed, "It''s just that the more sessful they became, the more difficult it has been for me to see them too. I worked hard to care for my family and help each of my kids to achieve their goals, but while doing that I always tried not to let my job get in the way of spending time with them. Now they''re all just so grown up and they barely call or visit. It hurts. I think watching your kids grow away from you hurts," Desmond confessed as he dropped the pad with a resigned sigh.

    Andrew sighed as he also set aside his game pad, "You should let them know that you''re not happy with them," Andrew suggested, and Desmond scoffed.

    "Like it''s going to make any difference. On Monday is my birthday. And I can bet on it that none of them would even remember it unless my wife tells them about it," Desmond said, making Andrew feel bad on his behalf.

    He couldn''tpare either Lucas or Lucy to Tom and his siblings, but he knew that despite Lucas'' busy schedule, he tried to visit them at least once in two weeks. And Although Lucy had been quite upied with trying to settle in since she moved to Ludus,munication hasn''t been a problem for them.

    "I miss my daughter, Jade. It''s been a while since shest visited. I miss her a lot," Desmond confessed when Andrew didn''t say anything, "In a way, both Sonia and Lucy seem to remind me of her. I can see her in them both," he said with a smile which Andrew returned.

    "I think they will learn to appreciate you more when they''re all settled. I think humans generally grow to appreciate our parents more when we be parents," Andrew said thoughtfully.

    "When they are settled and are too busy trying to bnce their careers with their immediate families?" He asked with a shake of his head.

    "I''m not asking for too much, am I? I just want them to initiate phone calls without us begging for it. Visiting once in six months isn''t too much either, is it? It bothers my wife a lot, and I try tofort her so I can''t tell her how upset I feel about it either. Sometimes I imagine that when we grow old they''re just going to dump us in a nursing home and forget about our existence. It worries me a lot."

    Listening to him talk, Andrew could tell that it was really bothering him and he probably had no one else apart from his wife to talk to, "I suppose you don''t have a lot of friends?"

    Desmond scoffed, "It''s hard to maintain genuine friendships when everyone ising close to you because they want something from you. I can barely have a decent conversation with some acquaintances without them trying to matchmake my kids with theirs, or asking me to introduce them to either Tom or Bryan. It gets tiring so I''m better off without friends."

    "Hmm! I can''t imagine what that feels like," Andrew said as he leaned back into the seat.

    "What about you?" Desmond asked curiously.

    "Well, Lucy is a workaholic, and sometimes we do most of the reaching out, but she only just moved away from home so it''s fine. Lucas is always busy as is expected of a medical doctor, but he tries to visit us at least once in two weeks. So it''s also okay."

    "You''re so lucky. Sometimes I secretly wish that my kids weren''t so sessful. I know it doesn''t make sense," Desmond said with a shake of his head.

    "You should take it easy. I will still suggest that you should talk to them about it now that you are here and you can see them," Andrew suggested.

    "I will try to do that," Desmond said as he picked up his pad, "Let''s y some more. You should practice against tomorrow if you intend to win against Tom," he said with a chuckle and Andrew chuckled.

    "Shouldn''t you be siding with your son?"

    "I''m all for fathers being the one true love of their daughters. Every other manes second, I''m sure Tom will understand when he has his own little girl. So I''ll be cheering for you," Desmond said, and both menughed out loud.

    Away from there, Bryan who was heading for his bedroom stopped when he saw Candace at the other end of the hall standing just outside one of the guest''s bedrooms, "Is everything okay?" He asked, and Candace swirled around in surprise.

    She shed him a smile as he approached her, "Yes, everything is okay. I just came out to receive a phone call since I didn''t want to disturb my son''s sleep," she exined, while Bryan watched her curiously.

    "Can you spare me some minutes of your time?" Bryan asked, and she nced at the bedroom door with a frown.

    "I don''t want to go too far from here in case he wakes up," she exined even though she actually needed the distraction so she wouldn''t get worked up over what Jade had said about Jero wanting to see her or worry about Matt''s anger as well as her sister''s wellbeing. There were just a lot of things on her mind right now.

    "He is a big boy. I''m sure he will find his way around if he needs you. Besides we are not going far from here, if he calls out loud enough, you will hear him," Bryan said when he noticed her hesitation.

    "Okay, give me a moment," she said as she returned inside the bedroom to make sure that Jamal was well tucked in before leaving the bedroom.

    Once she returned to join Bryan, he led her down the hallway, "Don''t worry, I won''t take too much of your time," he assured her as he led her down the hall to another door that opened to a balcony. One thing Bryan loved most about the building was that almost all the bedrooms had their own balconies.

    There were two seats and a table positioned there as it was in all the balconies around the house, and Bryan took one of the seats while Candace took the seat opposite him.

    "Thanks for not telling your..." The rest of her words trailed off when Bryan raised a brow.

    "How long have you been here? And how has your stay been?" Bryan asked, ignoring what she had been about to say.

    She sighed, "We got here on Thursday. We have been okay. Jamal likes the ce, and the staff adores him," Candace said with a small smile as she thought about her son.

    "He''s a smart kid, so it''s easy to love him," Bryan said as he watched her.

    "I know that you might think that it''s none of my business, but can I ask you what''s going on between you and Matt? He''s my best friend and thest time I saw him he wasn''t his usual cheerful self," Bryan said, and Candace sighed.

    "Nothing is going on between us," Candace said with a shrug.

    "Nothing? You do know that he really likes you though, right?" Bryan asked, and Candace shrugged.

    "I''ve got a lot going on with me right now and I don''t want him getting involved in my mess. He just doesn''t seem to get it."

    "So it''s not like you don''t like him either? You are only trying to push him away because somehow you feel that you are protecting him?" Bryan concluded, wondering what it was with these women and pushing away the men they imed to love.

    "You do realize that the mere fact that you are here right now for whatever reason, means that he is already involved in your mess whatever it is, right? So what''s the point?" Bryan asked when Candace said nothing, and then he took out his phone from his pocket when it started vibrating. He raised a brow when he realized that the call was from Jade.

    "Is everything okay? Why are you calling sote in the night?" Bryan asked in concern immediately after he received the call.

    "I can''t talk right now. I''m in a haste. I just wanted to ask you to give Matt a call," Jade suggested as she got into the jet with Harry, after receiving the sh drive from Bill as promised by Cassidy.

    Immediately the yacht exploded earlier, a car had driven up to them and Bill had handed them the sh drive before continuing to the port to pick Jero.

    "Matt? Why? Did something happen?" Bryan asked in concern, and Candace immediately nced at him when she heard Matt''s name.

    "He is upset over something. I don''t know what it is. You can find out yourself. I''m hanging up now."

    "Did something happen between you and Matt to upset him?" Bryan asked Candace since it somehow made sense to him that she would have a hand in it. He was certain that she was the reason Matt and Jade weremunicating, and he had seen her standing by the passageway after a phone call.

    Candace sighed, "It''s probably because he found out that I lied to him about something."

    Bryan watched her for a while without saying a word, "I''m going to ask you a personal question that I''m hoping you''ll answer honestly, do you want Matt or not? I need to know what to say to him when I call him."

    Candace only considered his question for a moment, "I don''t know. I really do like him, and we could even be friends. But I don''t think I''m ready for a rtionship yet," Candace said, and Bryan gave her a nod before pushing his seat back to stand up.

    "Thanks for being honest with me, I''ll speak with Matt. And thanks for your time, I won''t take any more of it," Bryan said as he stood up, and Candace stood up too.

    "Have a good night''s rest," Bryan said and waited until she had left before sitting down and picking up his phone to dial Matt''s line. He sighed when his eyes fell on the time disyed on his screen and he saw that it was past midnight. Judging by Jade''s call, it seemed like it wasn''t just the people in Tom''s house that were keeping ate night.

 Chapter 271 Gross!

    <h4>Chapter 271 Gross!</h4>

    Jasmine yawned, and then Alicia did the same, "We should call it a night. I''m exhausted," Jasmine said as she stood up, and offered Alicia a hand to help her stand up.

    "Thanks for your hospitality, Mrs. Hank. We enjoyed the dinner," Alicia said with a polite smile.

    "Oh, dear! You''re wee. We should all call it a night. It has been a long day after all," Evelyn said as she stood up, and everyone else stood up since the housekeepers had already cleared the table and they had just remained there talking.

    They all said their goodnights and the youngerdies headed for the stairs while both mothers headed for the Den where their husbands were still busy ying games, to get them.

    "How could you leave me alone with her?" Lucy asked Sonia usingly as they both took the stairs while Alicia and Jasmine walked ahead of them to their bedroom.

    They both knew that there was no need for Sonia to pretend like she didn''t know what Lucy was talking about, so instead, she shed her a teasing smile, "What did you and your mother-inw talk about?"

    "She''s not my mother-inw..."

    "Maybe not yet. But she will be someday. So what did she say?"

    "Well, she apologized to me because apparently she asked Tom to break up with me and fire me when the rumors started but now she has had a change of heart. And she asked if I wanted to change my dress."

    "And what did you tell her?" Sonia cut in, thinking that she wasn''t going to get along too well with Bryan''s mother if she was that judgemental and shallow.

    "What did I tell her about what? The apology or the change of dress?" Lucy asked in confusion.

    "Well, seeing as you''re still wearing the dress, it''s obvious that you chose not to change it. So what was your response to her apology?"

    "What could I say? She apologized and I epted it thankfully. I''m sure it wasn''t easy for her to admit something like that when she could have easily pretended like nothing happened. Especially considering that it was our first meeting. It tells a lot about her, don''t you think?" Lucy asked, knowing that as usual Sonia was already feeling protective of her and was about to start disliking the poor woman.

    Sonia sighed, "When you put it that way I guess I shouldn''t be mad at her," Sonia said as she ced her right arm around Lucy''s waist and pulled her close to herself as they kept walking, and Lucy ced her arm around Sonia''s shoulder.

    "And she also said..."

    "What? There is more?" Sonia asked, and Lucy bobbed her head as her lips twitched in amusement since she could guess what Sonia''s reaction was going to be to the message.

    "Yep. Actually a message to us both," Lucy said and hearing theughter in her voice, Sonia looked into her face.

    "What kind of message?"

    "She said to tell you to keep things down tonight as her bedroom isn''t too far away from ours," Lucy said with a small giggle, and Sonia''s arm dropped from Lucy''s waist as her eyebrows arched.

    "Well, I had nned to keep my voice down as a sign of respect to the elders in the house, but since she has made it clear that she knows we will be fucking tonight, why should I bother being discreet about it?" Sonia asked, and Lucy shook her head in amusement.

    "Don''t do anything silly, Sonia. You''re only going to end up embarrassing yourself. How are you going to face them in the morning after being so loud at night?" Lucy asked in amusement.

    "The same way I faced them tonight..."

    "No, you didn''t even face anyone. You couldn''t look up. Stop pretending to be tough," Lucy countered.

    "That was only because your dad was there. You know how tongue-tied I get around your dad. Remove your dad from the picture and I will face everyone else squarely," Sonia said making Lucy giggle.

    "My dad will also be here tonight to hear you, and we both know that he will tease you mercilesslye morning," Lucy pointed out.

    "Well, who knows? Maybe if he hears me moaning he might finally realize just how talented I am, and he might eventually desire to bang..."

    "Ew! Shut it, will you? Don''t talk dirty about my dad. It''s gross," Lucy said, wrinkling her nose distastefully while Sonia giggled.

    "It''s gross for you, not me. C''mon, your dad is quite hot for a man of his age. Do you have any idea how many times I masturbated with your father in mind while we were growing up?" Sonia continued while Lucy red at her, even though she was not exactly surprised. As weird as it sounded, Sonia had never hidden how she felt from her.

    "I can''t believe that you still have a crush on him after all these years," Lucy said with a shake of her head as they got to the top of the stairs.

    "Maybe it''s because I have not been given the opportunity to fulfill my fantasy yet. If your family will be kind enough to lend him to me for a night..." The rest of her words trailed off on a giggle when Lucy spanked her ass to shut her up.

    "Keep this up and I''m going to tell Bryan what you are..."

    "What are you telling me?" Bryan who wasing from the opposite direction asked when he saw bothdies.

    "Oh, baby! I thought you would be asleep by now. I''m d you''re still up," Sonia said excitedly as she hurried over to where Bryan was standing and kissed him while Lucy rolled her eyes.

    "Lucy? What were you going to tell me?" Bryan asked suspiciously since he could tell that''s Sonia was trying to distract him.

    "It''s nothing. Don''t mind Lucy," Sonia said with a grin, while Lucy giggled.

    "I don''t think it''s nothing," Bryan said with a shake of his head.

    "Well, I was just telling her how much I love you and how hot you are," Sonia lied, and Bryan raised a brow.

    "I don''t think that is it. Lucy was that it?" Bryan asked, and Lucyughed.

    "That''s it. We were just messing around. I have to go in now. Goodnight, Bryan. And thanks a lot for today," Lucy said with a small smile.

    "C''mon, you don''t have to thank me," Bryan said with a smile as he tried to focus on Lucy while Sonia kept kissing the corners of his lips and distracting him.

    "Sonia, remember the message," Lucy said, giving Sonia a pointed look.

    "I don''t know what you''re talking about. I didn''t hear anything. Goodnight, baby," Sonia said with a wave as she led Bryan to their bedroom.

    Lucy shook her head as she waved back at them and left for Tom''s bedroom. She let out a sigh when she got into the bedroom and noticed that Tom wasn''t inside yet since the bed didn''t look like it had been slept on.

    "Tom?" She called out as she walked inside ad checked the bathroom, and then the balcony, but the room was empty as she had suspected.

    She remembered him saying that he needed to do something before going to bed. She couldn''t help wondering what it was as she opened her purse and took out her phone to give him a call. She pressed her lips together when she saw an unread text message notification from Tom, and she realized that he had texted her when she was busy at the dining with the others.

    She sat down on the bed before clicking on it and her lips slowly curved in a silly smile as she read the text, ''Hey, sexy! Remember, NO alcohol. And do not take off the dress. I''ll slowly undress you myself.''

    Lucy had a naughty smile on her face as she dropped the phone on the bed andy down face up while imagining all the dirty things that Tom could possibly do to her.

    Thinking about them, she suddenly began to feel hot despite the working air-condition in the room so she took off her heels before walking barefooted across the room to the balcony where she could wait for him while allowing the cool evening breeze to cool her.

    Meanwhile, at the other side of the house in the bar room, Tom and Lucas keptughing as they exchanged funny childhood memories.

    "It''s getting reallyte, we should call it a night," Tom suggested with a yawn when he checked his wristwatch and realized that he had been talking with Lucas for almost two hours already. He really hoped that Lucy wasn''t asleep already.

    "Yeah, we should. I''m d that I was right about you," Lucas said with a grin as he pushed back his seat, ready to stand up.

    "I''m d you think so," Tom said, returning his smile as they both rose, ready to go to bed.

    "Don''t forget to give my offer a thought. The pay is decent, and you could have the apartment beside Lucy''s to make your relocation easier," Tom offered, and Lucas smiled.

    "I can see why you''re among the top sessful businessmen in the country," Lucas said, and Tom chuckled since Bryan had said something simr a while ago.

    "I will think about it and get back to you," Lucas promised, and then raised a brow when Tom handed him his cellphone.

    "We should exchange phone numbers," Tom exined, and Lucas nodded as he gave Tom his phone while he input his number into Tom''s phone.

    Once they were done, both men said their goodnights as Tom walked in hurried steps to the bedroom. He couldn''t wait to finally have her all to himself and win their bet.

 Chapter 272 Let’s Shower

    <h4>Chapter 272 Let''s Shower</h4>

    Once Tom opened the door to his bedroom, his eyes first moved to the bed to confirm that she wasn''t sleeping yet, and he was relieved to see that she wasn''t on the bed. That had to mean that she was still awake and was within the bedroom since her sandal was on the floor beside the bed.

    "Baby?" He called softly as he shut the door behind him, and Lucy who was seated at the balcony smiled to herself when her heart fluttered at the sound of his voice.

    "I''m out here," she called out to him, and he walked over to the balcony to meet her.

    "Did I keep you waiting for long? I''m sorry I got carried away," Tom said apologetically as he squatted down in front of her and took both her hands which he raised to his lips.

    Butterflies fluttered in her belly at his gesture, "What were you so busy with that got you carried away?" Lucy asked as she tried not to be distracted by his thumb which was running against the back of her hand sensually.

    "Drinking and gossiping with your twin," Tom said as he reached out a hand to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

    "Drinking? I thought you said no alcohols tonight?" Lucy reminded him.

    "That rule only applies to a certain someone that mes the alcohol for her inability to control herself when she is in pleasure," Tom said making her raise a brow.

    "So what were you both gossiping about?" Lucy asked curiously, ignoring what he had just said.

    "You shouldn''t concern yourself with that," Tom said as he straightened up, and took both her hands, pulling her up against her will.

    "I don''t want to stand up. I''m tired," Lucyined, and Tom swept her off he feet and carried her bride style into the bedroom.

    "You don''t have to walk," Tom said as he walked over to the bed with her in his arms while she snuggled closer to him.

    "So what did you and Lucas talk about?" Lucy asked curiously as she held on to his neck without letting go when he dropped her on the bed.

    "Like I said, that''s between me and him. So tell me, what do you think about my family?" Tom asked as he let her drag him down.

    "Your parents are funny, and cool. And Bryan is really wonderful. What do you think about mine?" Lucy asked in return.

    "Lucas is really cool, your mom is sweet, and your dad is annoying," Tom said, and Lucy giggled.

    "That reminds me, there is going to be a series ofpetition between you and my father tomorrow. The winner will be my one true love," Lucy said, and Tom pulled away to look down at her.

    "I''m supposed topete with your father?"

    Lucy bobbed her head, "You have a problem with it?" She asked with a slightly raised brow as she pulled herself up on both elbows resting on the bed, and she drew one leg to herself seductively, distracting Tom who followed the movement with his eyes.

    Tom''s gaze moved from her leg back to her face where a naughty smile was disyed, and he raised a brow at her, "You did that deliberately to distract me, didn''t you?"

    "You are going to be the winner of thepetition, don''t worry," Lucy said, ignoring his question as she rolled on top of him, surprising him.

    Tom chuckled, "What are you doing?"

    "What does it look like I''m doing? Undressing you of course," She said as she started unbuttoning his shirt, making his smile widen as his heart flooded with love for this amazing woman.

    "So you''re going to help me win your dad?" Tom asked as he watched her unbutton his shirt.

    "You''re already the winner, he just doesn''t know it yet," Lucy said with a wink, and Tom chuckled.

    "If you knew that, why didn''t you just say so at the table?" Tom asked as he raised his hands to both sides of her face and cupped her cheeks.

    "Because I didn''t want to hurt his feeling of course," Lucy said matter of factly as she helped him shrug out of the shirt, leaving just his white undershirt.

    "You didn''t want to hurt his feeling, but you don''t mind hurting his feelings tomorrow?" Tom asked, trying to understand the logic behind her action.

    "At least he would lose in a fun way, so it won''t be like I tantly chose you over him," Lucy said with a grin, and Tom chuckled as he ced both hands on her waist.

    "You''re so smart," he said as he sat up while she remained straddled over his thighs.

    "You have no idea how happy I am to see you this way," Tom said with a wide smile.

    "What way?" Lucy asked with a yful smile.

    "Smiling and joking this way after crying your eyes out yesterday," Tom said, and Lucy''s face colored slightly.

    "Yeah. Thanks for standing by me," she said as she leaned forward and kissed his lips. As she tried to pull back, Tom''s hand went behind her and he buried his fingers in her hair as he held her in ce and kissed her unhurriedly.

    Once she tasted the wine on his lips, she sucked his tongue as it made contact with hers, and moved her arms around his neck.

    Tom pulled away before the kiss got more intense, "Let''s shower," he said as he rubbed her lips with thumb sensually.

    "I''m tired. I don''t want to be on my feet," Lucyined as she rolled off Tom, and let him stand up and get off the bed.

    "Alright. A warm bath should refresh you," Tom said as he walked over to the bathroom and turned on the hot water faucet to fill the jacuzzi with warm water.

    "That reminds me, I was going to ask you a question," Lucy called to him after her head cleared, and Tom walked over to the bathroom door to listen to her.

    "Go on," he said as he took off his undershirt, revealing the taut muscles of his torso.

    Lucy''s brain became nk and her mouth went dry as she looked at his body as though she had never see him before. Perhaps not like this, since both times he had been naked with her, she had been too driven by lust to take a good look at him. Howe she had never really been affected by stuff like this until she met Tom? She always felt like touching him and eating him up. There was always this strong desire to have him.

    Her eyes zed over with undisguised desire as she watched him drop the undershirt on the floor and his hands moved to the front of his trouser to unzip it.

    Tom who had been waiting to hear her question, nced at her when she remained silent and his lips curved in a smile when he noticed how she was staring at the waistline of his trouser. Thisdy.

    He dropped his hands to his sides, and Lucy''s gaze moved to his face, and she blushed when she realized that he had caught her ogling at him.

    "I wonder what manner of thought is going through that dirty mind of yours? You want me to strip for you?" He asked with a teasing smile, and Lucy scowled at him.

    "Can''t I admire my boyfriend?"

    "Of course, you can. Feel free to," Tom said as he walked over to where she was seated on the bed to lift her off the bed. He carried her into the bathroom, and made her sit on the toilet seat as he touched the water in the jacuzzi to make sure it was the right temperature.

    "You wanted to ask a question," he reminded her.

    "Oh, yeah. Let''s assume I lose the bet..."

    "You''re going to lose the bet," Tom assured her with a confident smile which Lucy ignored.

    "Let''s say I lose for instance, what kind of stuff would you want me to do for a week?"

    "Why are you asking me that? Are you scared that I might ask you to do something you can''t do?" Tom asked, watching her face curiously.

    "Aren''t you curious about what I might ask you for?" Lucy asked with a slightly raised brow.

    "I''m not. What could you possibly ask me for that I can''t give to you?" Tom asked, and Lucy raised a brow as she cocked her head to the side.

    "I can think of a couple of things."

    "Like?"

    "Your position for one. I could ask you to make me the CEO of I-Global," Lucy said, and giggled when Tom''s eyes widened in disbelief.

    "That''s not within my ability."

    "I could ask you for fifty percent of your shares. I''m sure that is within your ability," she continued.

    "Wow!" Tom eximed.

    "I could ask you for this house," Lucy said, making Tom shake his head.

    "Seeing as so much is at stake here, I guess I have to do my best to make sure that you don''t win then," Tom said as he turned off the tap and straightened up.

 Chapter 273 Always Yours

    <h4>Chapter 273 Always Yours</h4>

    Lucy watched Tom curiously as he straightened up, wondering what he nned to do to her. Her imagination made her toes curl, and her face flushed beautifully, making Tom who was equally looking at her chuckle as he shook his head as he went to pick up a bubble bath, and poured it into the jacuzzi.

    "You could have done that while filling the tub," Lucy pointed out.

    "You could have pointed that out while I was filling the tub," Tom countered as he rapidly ran his fingers through the water to increase the suds. Once he was satisfied, he straightened up once again.

    "It''s time to get you out of that dress," Tom said as he walked over to the toilet seat where she was still seated with a mischievous smile on his face.

    "Hands up," he said, and just as she raised her hands, he bent down, and as he raised the dress up to the level of her head, covering her face, he lowered his lips to her boobs and flicked his tongue over her nipple.

    Lucy gasped involuntarily, startled by the sudden move, and then she giggled as she tried to drop her hands but Tom held her in ce, "You''re interrupting me."

    "You said you wanted to take off my dress not harass me."

    "Of course, I''m taking off your dress. I was just saying hello to my babies," Tom assured her with a wink as he pulled off her dress, leaving her in just ckce pants.

    "So if they''re your babies, what am I?" Lucy asked, cocking her head to one side.

    "Are you jealous of your own boobs?" Tom asked in amusement.

    "What am I?" Lucy insisted stubbornly.

    "Fine. You are my princess."

    Lucy shook her head, "No. My father calls me princess. I want another name."

    "Why can''t you be my princess just because your father calls you that? I used to call you princess even before your family got here," Tom pointed out.

    "I don''t want a name that anyone else calls me," Lucy exined.

    "What about Babe?"

    "Toomon. I''m sure half the world poption calls their partners that. Even Bryan and Sonia call themselves that," Lucy said, and Tom sighed. Thisdy was a handful.

    "Alright. Why don''t I sleep on it ande up with a unique endearment that suits you?" Tom asked, and Lucy nodded.

    "That works."

    Tom looked at her amused, "You must befortable around me now for you to be holding a conversation with me while you''re in this state. I like that," Tom said in a teasing tone as he reached out to touch a nipple, and he chuckled when she raised her hands to cover her boobs dramatically.

    "Don''t you think it''s a little toote for that now, considering that I know every inch of your body?" Tom asked as he extended his hand to her and pulled her up, before reaching for her waist to take off her panties.

    He slowly slid it down her thighs while holding her gaze, making sure his fingers brushed her skin, and once the panties got to her knees, he let her raise her legs to drop it, while he slid his hands between her thighs, making her suck in a breath.

    "Let''s get you in," Tom said, wanting to lift her and ce her inside the jacuzzi, but Lucy stepped to the side.

    "I should first undress you," Lucy reminded him and Tom shrugged, giving her the go-ahead to do as she pleased.

    Tom watched as mischief crept into Lucy''s eyes when she smiled at him and stepped forward. Curious to see what she intended to do, Tom folded both hands in front of him as he watched her.

    Once Lucy stopped in front of him, she passed both hands around him and grabbed his butt, surprising Tom whoughed out, "What are you doing?"

    "I''ve been wanting to grab your butt for some time now," Lucy said as she squeezed softly, andughed even more as he shook his head at her.

    "You have all the time in the world to grab my butt, but you do realize that it is gettingte, and if you n on getting any sleep before dawn, it is best we finish quickly and go to bed?" Tom asked, and Lucy sighed.

    "There are people everywhere. This is the only time I get to be with you like this until God knows when," sheined sadly.

    "Yeah. I understand, and I also feel terrible about this. We were supposed to spend the weekend alone, now we have a full house," Tom said as he raised a hand to her face and caressed her cheek.

    "I know it''s not your fault, but it''s just frustrating," Lucy said with a sigh as she embraced him and rested her head on his chest, while Tom caressed her back.

    "Do you know that you''re still naked and I''m still dressed?" Tom asked after a couple of seconds when he could no longer ignore the feel of her nipples pressed against his bare skin. Lucy giggled and pulled away from him.

    "Why do I feel like you''re stalling because you don''t want to get into the water? It''s getting cool now," Tom said after he bent forward and dipped his hand into the water.

    "I''m stalling because once we are done bathing, we are likely going to to go bed and not have time to talk like this," Lucy said with a pout.

    "I promise to make out time to be with you during the day. Just the both of us," Tom assured her, and she gave him a nod.

    "Alright. Let''s bathe then," she said as she reached for his belt, and once she unbuckled it, unzipped his trousers, and slid it down his waist until crumpled on his feet. Tom stepped out of the trouser and Lucy picked it up and hung it on the railing where he had left her dress.

    Tom watched a blush stain her cheek when she faced him again, to take off his boxers, "I will take it off myself," Tom offered and reached for the waistband of his boxers, but Lucy shook her head as she quickly took hold of it, and pulled it down without really looking at his cock even though she wanted to.

    Tom said nothing as he stepped out from his boxers and allowed her to pick it up, while his erect cock stood between them.

    How could he not be embarrassed? How manydies had he been with to be so free with her? She remembered that he had said he dated threedies before her, but the rtionships were not serious. Did he sleep with all three of them? Did he sleep with Anita? Had he perhaps been with otherdies aside from those three he dated? Why was she thinking about this now? And why did it feel like the thought of it was making her jealous?

    "What are you thinking about?" Tom who had been observing her asked, and she quickly shook her head.

    "It''s nothing. Let''s get in," she said with a forced smile as she stepped into the round jacuzzi, and Tom followed suit while still watching her.

    Tom lowered himself into the water which stopped slightly above his knee and sat down, while Lucy did the same, resting her back against him. Sitting down, the water stopped at Lucy''s shoulder de, while it stopped at Tom''s chest.

    "What is wrong?" He asked knowing that something had affected her mood just now.

    "It''s nothing. I just thought of something unpleasant, that''s all," she assured him as she snuggled closer to him while Tom''s hands went to her shoulders to massage her.

    "And you don''t want to tell me what you thought of?" He asked curiously as he packed her hair to one side, and started to massage her shoulders.

    "There''s nothing to tell," Lucy said with a soft moan as she packed her hair to the front of her cor bone, and bent her head to the side to give him more ess to her shoulder.

    "Then should I assume that I said something wrong? Or is it something I did that brought the unpleasant thought?" He asked again, and Lucy sighed.

    "This will probably sound stupid to you..." Lucy started, already feeling stupid to be voicing out her thoughts.

    "I doubt there is something you could say or do that will sound or look stupid to me. I will always try to make sense of your words and actions even when it doesn''t make sense to you," Tom said, kissing the back of her ear softly.

    Lucy moaned softly, "Should I go on and tell you what I thought about, or do you want us to do something else?" She asked, and Tom smiled.

    "Okay, go on and tell me," Tom said as his hands moved from her shoulders beneath her underarms which were under the water, and he cupped her breasts, "Don''t worry, I know your nipples are sensitive, I won''t touch them until you''re done speaking," Tom rushed to assure her, and Lucy cleared her throat.

    "I just kind of wondered why you don''t feel embarrassed or ufortable standing naked before me. And then I wondered about the number ofdies you''ve been with, and if you ever got intimate with Anita. You don''t have to answer. It isn''t a question. I was just telling you what I thought about, and that is only because you insisted on knowing," Lucy rambled.

    Tom listened patiently as she spoke, and he didn''t try to stop her until she stopped talking.

    Lucy felt ufortable with the silence so she tried to turn to look at him to see if he was angry with her for bringing up such a topic at such a moment. She gasped when Tom suddenly tweaked her nipples, "Tom!" Tomughed softly, as he helped her turn around to face him.

    "I can''t believe it''s past two in the morning and we are here like this having a conversation in the bathtub," Tom said once she had faced him while Lucy eyed him.

    "You''re not going to say anything?" She asked, and Tom shrugged.

    "You already said it isn''t a question, so I don''t need to answer," Tom reminded her, wanting her to demand an answer.

    Lucy bit her lower lip as she thought about it, "What if I want you to give me an answer?" Lucy asked tentatively.

    "I am your man, Lu. It''s your right to demand an answer when there is something you want to be clear on," Tom said calmly.

    "Okay. Please give me a response. Did I sound stupid?" Lucy said, and Tom smiled at her as he leaned forward to kiss her forehead.

    "It''s normal to feel the way you do. Nothing you said sounded stupid," Tom assured her.

    "And just so you know, if I wasn''t your first, you would have known that men are hardly as conscious of their body asdies are. Most men arefortable in their skin," Tom said with a small smile as though he was lecturing a kid.

    "Secondly, it''s also normal that you would feel a bit cheated by the fact that I''ve had other sexual partners in the past, whereas I''m your first. Although I told you that I''ve dated just threedies, I''ve been with a couple ofdies before those three. I only mentioned those three because they were the ones I approached for a rtionship, not just to satisfy my sexual urge. Some of the others weredies I met during my business trips abroad," Tom exined before adding, "And no, I never got intimate with Anita before we went our separate ways," he concluded.

    "I don''t think I feel cheated. I don''t know, I just feel a little jealous," Lucy confessed.

    "You don''t have to feel jealous of anyone. You have something none of them ever had, and that is my heart. I''ll always be yours," Tom promised as he drew closer to her, and pulled her closer to himself.

    "I love you, Lu. I hope you will always remember that," Tom said as his lips slowly descended on hers.

 Chapter 274 Pleasure

    <h4>Chapter 274 Pleasure</h4>

    Tom lifted her out of the water, as he slowly stepped out of the bathtub, "Careful, Tom," she called in concern, scared that he might slip.

    "Don''t worry," Tom silenced her with a kiss as he led her to the bed. They had done more talking in the water than bathing, and now it was cold.

    Once he ced her on the bed, he returned to take two towels. He used one to clean her hair, and the other to wipe her body.

    "Aren''t you going to dry your body?" Lucy asked after he had dried hers.

    "I''m fine," Tom said as he walked into his closet to pick a blindfold.

    "What is that?" Lucy asked as she tried to get up, and Tom smiled as he stopped in front of her.

    "It''s a blindfold for you," Tom said, making her raise a brow.

    "I know what it is. What do we need it for?" She asked, even if she knew the function of a blindfold. She just didn''t understand the purpose it was supposed to serve.

    "You will find out soon enough," Tom said as he went around her, and tied the blindfold over her eyes, "We should make you hot before you catch a cold. You are not forgetting our bet, are you?" He asked after tying the blindfold behind her head, and then he pushed her back on the bed gently.

    "You didn''t say there would be stuff like this," she pointed out, and he chuckled.

    "Why? Do you want to chicken out of the bet now? Are you already losing your confidence in your self-control?" He asked in a taunting tone.

    "Of course not. I''m just saying you should have mentioned all the items that would be used beforehand," Lucy said, feeling slightly ufortable since he could see her yet she couldn''t see him.

    "Alright, I promise to give you a list of each item as I get them out," Tom promised as he moved away from her.

    "What? There are more?" Lucy asked, wanting to take off the blindfold.

    "Don''t take off the blindfold. Just trust me, okay? It''s meant to give you pleasure after all," he called out to her as he came out with a box containing items he had ordered and had been nning to use on her during their private weekend together.

    "That is what bothers me," Lucy muttered under her breath as she struggled within herself to stay still, and Tom chuckled as he dropped the box beside her and opened it.

    "You should know that I would never initiate a bet I wasn''t ready for," Tom pointed out.

    "Yeah, remind me to always question your motive next time," Lucy hissed, even though she was dying of pleasurable anticipation.

    She felt the hot fingers of lust clench around her lower abdomen when he suddenly straddled her without putting his weight on her, but she felt his cock graze her abdomen as he leaned over her.

    "What are you doing?" She asked curiously just as he took her hands and raised them above her head before attaching something to her wrist, "Are you cuffing my hands?" She asked in disbelief when he didn''t answer her.

    "I am not a fan of BDSM," Lucy said in rm.

    "How do you know you''re not a fan of something when you haven''t even given it a try? Besides, I''m not going to be using any whips, don''t worry. I''m not a fan either. These are meant to just restrain you from getting in my way," Tom assured her as he cuffed her hands, and then she felt him move to her legs and he did the same.

    "My legs too?" She asked in disbelief.

    "I want to feast on the spot between your thighs without your interference," Tom whispered into her ears, making her feel hot all over. She could swear that if someone had asked her some weeks ago if she would do something like this, the answer would have been a bold ''never'' in capital letters. Yet here she was lying on the bed with eyes blindfolded, both hands cuffed above her head, and both legs spread apart, at his mercy.

    Perhaps she should just give up now? She knew that she didn''t stand a chance. How was she supposed to control herself when she was already dripping wet at the mere thought of what wasing.

    Tom stood over the bed and watched her fidget ufortably, while he circled around, wanting to build her anticipation. He never would have thought that he would resort to things like this, but this was onedy he loved to pleasure. It was as though he was trying to make up for all the time she had not been pleasured.

    "Are you going to do something or not?" Lucy asked in frustration.

    "Patience, my love. I''m going to do plenty," Tom assured in a husky tone, making butterflies flutter in her belly.

    "You realize I love you, right?" He asked as he returned to the edge of the bed to pick up the final item.

    "What has that got to do with this?" Lucy asked impatiently.

    "You will find out soon," Tom said as he picked up a silicone mouth ball breathable gag and went to join her on the bed, "Although I love to hear you moan and cry out in pleasure, I know you respect your parents and mine so much that you won''t walk through this doore morning if your voice wakes them up. So call me a fool for love, but I''m willing to lose the bet tonight just so that you don''t have to be denied of pleasure tonight, nor be embarrassede morning for enjoying yourself," Tom said as he kissed her forehead.

    Lucy almost sighed in relief, but she still found it weird that he had thought this through enough to get the gag beforehand. A frown creased her brow, and she cleared her throat, "Have you..."

    "No. No otherdy has been in my house nor on my bed. I''ve never tried this with anyone before now either, and I bought this specifically for you," Tom said, answering the questions he knew she was likely going to ask.

    "Sorry. I shouldn''t have thought of any of that," Lucy murmured as her face colored in embarrassment. There was no need to ask him how he knew what she was going to ask. It seemed like she was an open book to him, and he could read her every expression.

    "It''s fine. So do you want the gag or are you confident enough that you don''t need it?" Tom asked curiously.

    "So what is the point of tying me up if I''m going to be gaged?" Lucy asked thoughtfully.

    "Pleasure. Giving you pleasure is the point," Tom exined patiently.

    "Okay, I will use it," Lucy said, and Tom grinned.

    "That means you conceded defeat. You just admitted that you need it, I won," Tom said with a chuckle that turned into full-blownughter when Lucy scowled.

    "You tricked me," she said usingly as she tried to free herself.

    "I didn''t trick you. I allowed you to concede without letting you embarrass yourself because you''re too stubborn. I will tell you what I want from you in the morning," Tom said and stuffed the silicone ball into her mouth before she could say anything else.

    Lucy tried to swear at him, but her voice was muffled, and he didn''t pay attention to it as he lowered his lips to her nipple.

    Although Lucy was cussing at him, the moment his tongue came in contact with her nipple, she moaned into the silicone ball.

    While Tom''s tongue continued to explore her nipple, his finger moved to the spot between her legs which was spread apart for both his pleasure and hers.

    He rubbed on it, and his cock twitched in excitement on seeing how wet she was. He nced at her, and pulled away, "If I can''t hear your voice, I should at least see your eyes," Tom said in a husky voice as he reached out and removed the blindfold.

    "I really wish you didn''t have to use the gag," Tom said, not liking the fact that he could only hear her muffled cries and not her throaty moan.

    Lucy made a sound in her throat, and he reached out and took away the gag to hear what she was saying, "Kiss me," Lucy said, and Tom grinned at her.

    "Happy to oblige," Tom said as he leaned forward and took her lips in a slow kiss, sliding his tongue between her lips, even as his fingers returned to her slit. He dipped his middle finger inside her, while he allowed his thumb to roam free over her clit.

    "Ohhh, yes! Keep going," she moaned into his mouth even as he deepened the kiss, and kept thrusting his middle finger faster inside her while his thumb continued to y around her clit in small circles.

    Seeing that if he continued that way she was going to get to her climax soon, Tom withdrew his hand, making her open her eyes in protest as he pulled away from her and lowered himself to her thighs.

    Lucy''s heart skipped a beat, and heat pulsed through her blood which rushed to the center between her legs when she realized what he wanted to do next.

    He didn''t need to ask her to spread her legs. Her legs were spread already, and even though she couldn''t see what that center looked like at the moment, she knew without a doubt that the sheet under her was sopping wet.

    Tom met her gaze, as he positioned himself by her feet and started to kiss her toe one after the other, giving special attention to each toe. Her lovely toenails were coated with white polish.

    What if her feet were smelly, and the under was hard with many calluses? Whenst did she get a pedicure? Lucy asked herself, trying to be sure that Tom wasn''t punishing himself while trying to pleasure her, "You don''t have to," Lucy said in protest, wondering why he was doing something like that. She wasn''t sure it was hygienic or ideal.

    "Rx, love. Forget yourself and just enjoy this moment," Tom assured her as he continued massaging her foot softly while sucking on her toe. He had read somewhere that the toe was very sensitive and the receiver would find it to be super pleasurable.

    Lucy closed her eyes as she tried to rx and let herself feel what she knew that he wanted her to feel. Soon her mind went nk and she forgot about all the rational thoughts of foot hygiene as she moaned in pleasure, "Oh, my God!"

    Tom continued to suck on her left toes until he tasted them all before kissing his way up her left leg slowly. Once he got to the spot where both legs joined, he sucked on her clit softly making her draw in a sharp breath, before moving to the right leg and kissing it all the way to her toes. He sucked on each toe sending heat waves all over her body before positioning himself on the space between her legs, "You can use the pillow to smother your moans when you think you can''t control yourself anymore," Tom suggested as he lowered his head to her slit.

    Lucy''s eyes rolled back in her head and her nails dug into the bedsheet as his tongue drove inside her, setting off a loud moan that sounded like music to his ears. Lucy wanted to reach for him, she wanted to hold something, touch anything, but she couldn''t. All she could do was feel the pleasure and cry out as he plundered her with his tongue.

    He moved his tongue to her clit and as he sucked on it, he thrust a finger inside her, and curled it up against the stomach wall of the vagina, hitting the spot that finally made her turn her face into her pillow to give out a long and high-pitched cry as her body convulsed with orgasmic pleasure. She shuddered against him, her legs trembling as she kept crying into the pillow, and when he finally finishedpping away at the juice that flowed out from her core, he looked up at her and smiled when he noticed that she was yet to pull herself together.

    Without waiting for her to recoverpletely, he knelt between her thighs and raised her legs so that her thighs were resting on his knees as thrust into her holding both her legs further apart. This sent her on another wave of pleasure as he thrust in and out slowly and then quickly, observing from her cries which she enjoyed the most. And when he realized she seemed to enjoy his deep and fast strokes better, he maintained that pace until her entire body started trembling once again, and she cried into the pillow, before shooting his seeds into her. As he did that he let her legs drop to the side as he fell over her and reced the pillow with his lips, devouring her lips in a passionate kiss.

    She was d that he had suggested she use the pillow to muffle her cries else she was certain that everyone in the house would have woken up by now, Lucy thought sleepily as she felt him uncuffing her hands and legs.

    Tom nced at the bedside clock, "It''s past four. We should clean up and sleep," Tom said but noticed that she was already dozing off.

    Of course, she would be exhausted considering that she had a really long day, and he had also worn her out, he thought as he brushed some strands of hair from her face and watched her sleep.

    He smiled since this reminded him of their first night together. He didn''t mind taking off her contacts or cleaning her up like thest time. At least this time he was doing it not for her as a one-night stand, but as his baby.

    "I love you with all of me, Lu," Tom whispered as he kissed her forehead and gathered her close after cleaning up and taking off her contacts.

    "I love you too," Lucy responded sleepily as she snuggled closer to him, and he held her in his arms as he also slept off.

 Chapter 275 No Panties

    <h4>Chapter 275 No Panties</h4>

    As Lucy gradually drifted awake in the morning, the first thing she noticed was Tom''s morning erection which was pressing against her ass, making her realize that she was snuggled in Tom''s arms in spoon position. She smiled to herself contentedly as she pressed her back into him, loving the feel of their warm naked bodies pressed together. She tried not to move too much so that she wouldn''t disturb his sleep as he was still breathing evenly.

    Her thoughts drifted to what they had done in the early hours of the morning, and butterflies fluttered in her belly. She couldn''t believe that she who was very wary of cuffs and any stuff that had to do with bondage had actually let Tom have his way with her. Did she really trust him that much? Or had she been able to let him do this because she had opened up about the past, and now she no longer felt...

    She broke out of her train of thoughts when Tom''s hand moved to her boobs and he yed with a nipple, "Good morning, sexy," Tom said in a husky voice as he used his other hand to lift the hair on her neck and kissed her softly.

    Lucy tried not to focus on his finger on her nipple as she turned in his arm to look at him, "Did I wake you up?" Lucy asked, hoping she didn''t.

    "No. I''ve been awake for some time now. Didn''t want to leave until you wake you up," Tom said as he brushed some strands of hair away from her face and kissed her forehead.

    "I was trying not to wake you up. Sorry I slept off."

    "You were exhausted, so it''s understandable. You still look like you need to rest some more though," Tom said as he caressed her cheek.

    "When did you fall asleep?" Lucy asked curiously.

    "After cleaning you up and taking off your contacts. Howe you always sleep off knowing that you are still wearing them?" Tom asked, just in case she hadn''t realized yet that he had taken off her contacts once again, and Lucy smiled at him.

    "I knew you were going to help me take them off," Lucy said confidently and added, "You did that when I was a random stranger after all, so I was certain you''d take it off. Besides, you''re the reason I put them on, so you should at least take them off," Lucy added, making Tom chuckle.

    "You don''t have to use them anymore if you don''t want to. I love you just as much whether you''re wearing your sses or contacts," Tom said, and she smiled.

    "What''s the time? I think it''s the first time we are up in bed talking like this in the morning," Lucy said, and Tom nodded as he propped himself up on his left elbow.

    "Should be past eight by now. And yes, that was why I was waiting for you to wake up before leaving," Tom said as he reached out with his thumb to touch her chin while thinking about all the times they had spent the night together. He had left before she woke up the first time, the second time at his house they were in their fake temporary rtionship and he had left her in bed to fix breakfast. The third time, she had woken up due to her nightmare and they had spent the remaining hours of the morning talking about her traumatic experience until she went into shock, the fourth time they had woken upte and had been in a haste to get her some change of clothes and get to the office early. So this was the first time they were having a normal morning conversation in bed like lovers.

    "Do you always think things through before doing them?" Lucy asked, amazed by how he seemed to always have a reason in mind for doing stuff.

    "Yes, I have to. I don''t like making mistakes I have to apologize for which I could easily have avoided. And I''m especially particr about my rtionship with you since I promised not to make you regret being in a rtionship with me," Tom said as he raised her hand to his lips, and she smiled.

    "Thank you."

    "So, tell me. What did you think about the cuffsst night?" Tom asked, changing the subject.

    "What did I think?" Lucy asked, at a loss since she didn''t understand what the question was. She had told him that she wasn''t a fan.

    "I already purchased the items before listening to your story yesterday about how you were tied up..." Tom started while watching her keenly.

    "Initially I bought the mouth ball so that you wouldn''t have to feel embarrassed every time we make love... But on second thoughts now, I love hearing you moan. I''m just going to make this bedroom soundproof," Tom said, and Lucy raised a brow.

    "You are saying this on the assumption that we are going to only be using your bedroom," she said, meeting his gaze, and Tom blinked in surprise beforeughing out.

    "I wish I could get into your head and see just how wild your imaginations really are," Tom said as he leaned forward and kissed her forehead while she grinned at him.

    "If you keep this up, you''re going to make all the staff lose their jobs," Tom said, and then paused when something urred to him. He was going to have to get someone to check around his home for cameras and bugs. Although he doubted that any of his staff would do something like that, but for Lucy''s sake he had to be extra careful.

    "Is something wrong?" Lucy asked curiously.

    "Nah. Just remembered something I needed to take care of," Tom said, not wanting to scare her by telling her what it was.

    "So as I was saying, I got the items before yesterday. And I was going to discard every one of them after listening to all you said," Tom said, and Lucy propped herself on her elbow to face him.

    "So why didn''t you?"

    "I thought since he did it and caused you pain and humiliation, I could do it to bring you pleasure. I wanted to rece your painful memories with pleasurable ones. I just wanted to be sure that you didn''t feel humiliated," Tom said making Lucy''s heart flutter.

    She remained quiet for a moment as she tried to swallow past the emotional lump in her throat, "If I wasn''t already in love with you, I would fall in love with you right now," Lucy said softly.

    "I fall in love with you every moment, so feel free to fall. I''ll catch you," Tom promised with an easy smile.

    "So? Did you like the experience?" He asked once again not wanting to digress.

    Lucy pursed her lips as she thought about it, "At first I wasn''tfortable with it, especially when the blindfold was in ce and you weren''t doing anything. But it surprisingly was a turn-on," Lucy confessed.

    "I''m satisfied then," Tom said as he leaned forward and kissed her lips.

    "Eww. We are yet to brush..." The rest of her words were cut off in a moan when Tom deepened the kiss and squeezed her ass softly.

    Tom broke the kiss and pulled away, "I''m going to break through the defenses and walls surrounding your heart until you want me at least half as much as I want you," Tom said, making Lucy swallow.

    Why did that sound hot? "Who says I don''t want you as much as you want me?" Lucy asked, and Tom shook his head.

    "Not yet. I don''t think even you know how much I want you."

    "And you came to that conclusion simply because I was unwilling to kiss you in the morning when we haven''t brushed our teeth?" She asked dryly.

    "Don''t worry about how I arrived at that conclusion. You should worry about how I''m going to break through your defenses."

    "Why do you say break through instead of break down?" Lucy asked curiously, knowing that he probably had a reason for his choice of words.

    "Because I don''t need the walls down. I just need to get through it to you. The wall can remain up against others. Just not me," Tom said with a grin, and Lucy shook her head as she giggled. This man.

    They both turned to the door when a knock sounded, "Yeah?" Tom asked as he got off the bed, and Lucy averted her gaze from his morning erection.

    "Your mother wants me to let you know that everyone has gathered at the dining for breakfast," Adolf informed Tom on Evelyn''s instruction.

    "Everyone? Including Bryan and Sonia?" Tom asked curiously.

    Adolf cleared his throat, "They''re not.."

    "I suppose they''re not part of everyone?" Tom asked as he held out his hands to pull Lucy out of bed.

    "Uhm, I... No. They..."

    Lucy giggled as Adolf struggled to find the right words to express himself, "Don''t be mean. We will be down shortly," Lucy called out to Adolf''s relief.

    "Thank you, ma''am," Adolf said as he hurried away.

    "Let''s dress up and join them. It''ll be best we get there before Bryan and Sonia does," Tom said as he led her to the bathroom.

    "So about the bet..."

    "Oh, yeah. About the bet which you lost," Tom said with a mischievous grin as he pressed some toothpaste on Lucy''s toothbrush and handed it to her before doing the same for himself as she started brushing her teeth.

    "I don''t want you putting on any panties..."

    "Huh?" Lucy asked in surprise as she spat out the foam of toothpaste in her mouth before turning to look at him.

    "No panties on you today. I want to be able to touch you when I want to," Tom said as he went to stand behind her and kissed her nape before he started brushing his teeth while Lucy stared at him speechlessly.

    Seeing how she was looking at him, Tom spat out the foam in his mouth, "I''ve never felt this way about anyone before. Perhaps pretending to be a bad boy to get you is beginning to have its effect on me or maybe I wasn''t really a gentleman and you bring out the naughtiness in me. Somehow you make me want to do naughty things to you, and I can''t even exin it," Tom said with a sigh, while Lucy just watched him without saying a word.

    It was either she was a weird freak that found pleasure in such immoral stuff, or Tom was messing with her mind and body, else how could she exin how her body was reacting to his words? This whole thing was just crazy, Lucy thought as she met his gaze in the mirror while they both brushed their teeth.

    "You don''t have to do it if the thought of it makes you feel ufortable," Tom said after a while.

    "You won the bet. I will do it," Lucy said, curious to see how this was going to y out.

 Chapter 276 Breakfast (1)

    <h4>Chapter 276 Breakfast (1)</h4>

    Inside Bryan''s bedroom, both he and Soniaughed out loud as theyy naked on the bed after another round of sex, "You probably traumatized the poor man," Bryan said amidst hisughter.

    Adolf hade to get them while they were sexcercising and Sonia had made no attempt to keep her voice down or be discreet about what they were up to since Bryan kept thrusting into her while he was talking to Adolf.

    "That should give him something to talk about," Sonia said as she snuggled closer to Bryan resting her head on his chest and her arm around his waist.

    "We should join them for breakfast," Sonia suggested with a yawn.

    "We can always eatter. It''s not like they can''t eat without us," Bryan said as he patted her back and drew circles on her ass with his forefinger.

    "Yeah, I agree with you," Sonia said with another yawn. They both needed to sleep. They had been at it for most of the night, and they needed to rest. Besides, she wasn''t sure she was ready to receive a scolding from Bryan''s mother over how she had conducted herself over the night. She was sure that even if the woman hadn''t heard her voice at night, she must have heard from Adolf by now.

    "We should sleep for an hour or two," Bryan said as he adjusted on the bed so that she snuggled even closer to him with her leg over his.

    Just as they started drifting off to sleep, Bryan''s phone started ringing, jolting them both awake, "Sorry," he murmured to Sonia as he pulled away from her and reached for his phone on the nightstand, "It''s Jeff. You can sleep while I take the call," Bryan said as he got off the bed. He received the call as he put on his boxers, and headed for the balcony of the bedroom to talk to Jeff.

    "Sup?" Bryan asked, holding the phone to his ear with his left hand while he rubbed his eyes with his right hand.

    "Can you talk right now?" Jeff asked hopefully.

    "As long as you are not going to try to convince me to remain with golden star agency. If that is the reason you''re calling, I''d rather not talk about it," Bryan said as he sat down, and Jeff sighed.

    "Do you have a n?" Jeff asked, and Bryan raised a brow.

    "Do I need to share my ns with you? Did Paul ask you to get infor..."

    "Will it make any difference if I tell you that I wasn''t in support of the press release the agency made?" Jeff asked, and Bryan sighed.

    "I asked them not to. Mia did too. We both tried to convince him otherwise, especially since we know how things have progressed between you and Sonia. But you know how Paul can be when he is set on doing something. He threatened to fire us if either of us called to inform you about the press release. I''m sorry we couldn''t stop him," Jeff said apologetically. He would have called the previous evening after watching the interview, but he had wanted to give Bryan enough time to cool off before talking to him.

    "So why are you talking to me now? Aren''t you scared of losing your job?" Bryan asked calmly.

    "You will still need a manager..."

    "You work for the agency. Paul employed you," Bryan reminded him.

    "I already handed him my resignation letter yesterday after you announced that you were ending your contract with the agency. I would still like to work for you," Jeff said, and Bryan smiled when Sonia came up behind him and hugged him from the side as she leaned on the edge of his seat.

    "I don''t have any ns yet," Bryan said even as his mind drifted to the conversation he had with Tom the previous evening. He knew that he was going to have to talk with Sonia about it first since she was an important part of his life now.

    "Then we could put our heads together ande up with something. I know that sometimes you''re not very easy to work with, but I''d like to keep working with you," Jeff offered.

    "What about Mia?" Bryan asked without responding to what Jeff had just said.

    "She handed him her resignation letter even before I did," Jeff said, and Bryan felt a wave of guilt at ever being suspicious of those two.

    "Thanks for your loyalty. I will think about what to do and get back to you," Bryan said and disconnected the call.

    "What did he want?" Sonia asked curiously.

    "Why aren''t you sleeping?" Bryan asked as he stood up, and turned to look at her.

    "Because I want to sleep beside you. So are you going to tell me about the call?" Sonia asked once again.

    "They both quit their jobs. He wants to keep working with me," Bryan exined.

    "By they, I suppose you mean Jeff and Mia?" Sonia asked just to be sure.

    "Yeah."

    "Aww. That''s so sweet. He must respect you a lot to still want to work for you. What about Mia?"

    "I''m yet to hear from her. I don''t think I''m going to be able to sleep anymore now. I will just join them for breakfast. You can sleep in," Bryan suggested since he suspected that sleep was far from him now that his sleep had been interrupted. He was going to need medicine for the headache he knew was going toe soon.

    "Let''s clean up and go down together instead," Sonia said as they both returned inside the bedroom.

    "Tom wants me to work for him," Bryan informed Sonia as he took off his boxers, and she turned to look at him.

    "In hispany? You''re going to abandon your career to work in thepany?" She asked in confusion.

    "He wants to start up an entertainment agency. He wants me to be the first star he signs," Bryan exined, and Sonia looked at him thoughtfully.

    "And what did you tell him?"

    "I told him I would think about it and get back to him. I don''t think it''s a bad idea. Tom is a really good businessman and I''m sure he would help me maximize my potential to the best of his ability while also looking out for me," Bryan said with a shrug as he leaned against the bathroom door and watched as she let her silk robe drop to her feet.

    "If you know that already why didn''t you just agree to it when he asked you?" Sonia asked, and Bryan raised a brow.

    "I wanted to first tell you about it and hear your opinion," Bryan said making her smile as she moved closer to where he stood.

    "You asked me to trust you, and I do. I''m okay with whatever you decide," she said as she leaned in and kissed him, "And thanks for first telling me about this," she added before pulling him inside the bathroom.

    Meanwhile, inside Tom''s bedroom some feet away from there, Tom and Lucy were getting ready to join the others downstairs. Tom eyed Lucy as she tied her hair in a ponytail and took out her sses, "You agreed to the bet because you knew you weren''t going to be wearing a dress, didn''t you?" He asked, eyeing the matching mint green pzzo pant and crop top she was wearing.

    "I''m learning from the best," Lucy said with a grin as she applied lip gloss on her lips, and stood back to check her reflection in the mirror.

    "Well, unfortunately, you didn''t learn well. I said no panties, and what you are wearing right now is a pant," Tom pointed out with a scowl.

    "No, it''s different. Panties are undies, and I''m not wearing any,"

    "I didn''t say no undies, babe. No pants," Tom insisted.

    "Unfortunately, I don''t have any dress, so you''ll have to make do with this unless you''d rather I go down in my birthday suit," Lucy said dryly, and Tom narrowed his eyes.

    "We will correct that soon enough. Let''s go downstairs," Tom said as he led the way out of the room.

    As they approached the dining table they heard their parents talking andughing like they had been friends for a long time, "Good morning," Tom and Lucy greeted in unison as he pulled out a seat for her beside Lucas, and she sat down, while he sat down between her and his mother.

    "Good morning, you two. You look very different this morning," Tom''s mother observed with a smile of approval, and they could all tell she was referring to Lucy''s clothes.

    Lucy gave her a small smile as she turned to look at her parents. Her mother had a beaming smile on her face as she looked at her daughter who seemed rxed and happy this morning. What more could she ask for? Her daughter was not just beautiful and intelligent, but she was doing well for herself and was finally in a healthy rtionship.

    "I thought you weren''t going to join us for breakfast," Tom''s father said as he ate.

    "I didn''t want to. Some of us still need to rest," Tom said as he served some pancake into two tes and passed one to Lucy before taking the other.

    "What about Jasmine and Alicia?" Lucy asked Lucas who was seated beside her eating quietly.

    "They left a while ago, they said they had to go somewhere," Lucas said without turning to look at her.

    "Did you cry?" Lucy whispered to him, and Lucas chuckled softly as he turned to look at her, his eyes looked bloodshot and he looked tired.

    "I didn''t. My heart feels like it''s going to explode out of my chest, but I haven''t been able to cry, and I didn''t even sleep well," Lucas said quietly, and Lucy patted his arm.

    "I''m sorry you''re going through this, Luc."

    "It''s okay. I will be leavingter in the day. I need to take care of things quickly," Lucas said before returning his attention to his food which he was mostly pushover around his te without really eating much. He just wanted to be alone.

    "Are you leaving too?" Lucy asked her parents curiously.

    "No. We will be here for some time and go back together with Evelyn and Desmond in some days," Lucy''s mother responded, and Tom''s mother smiled in agreement.

    "Our parents are getting along so well," Tom whispered to Lucy.

    "Yeah. What about Sonia and Bryan? They''re noting down?" Lucy asked, and both her father and Tom''s father chuckled knowingly.

    "Adolf said they were kind of busy when he went to get them," Tom''s mother said rushed to exin before either men would say it. Heaven knew that she was tired of being around both men. They seemed to joke about everything.

 Chapter 277 Breakfast (2)

    <h4>Chapter 277 Breakfast (2)</h4>

    "So, are you ready for our contest?" Lucy''s father asked Tom with a raised brow as they ate.

    "Give it a rest, Drew," his wife chided.

    "It seems you are eager to get your ass whooped," Tom said tauntingly, and his father chuckled, while Lucy''s father scoffed.

    "We will see about that," Lucy''s father promised, while Lucy hid her amused smile.

    "See who finally decided to grace us with their presence after keeping us awake for most of the night," Tom''s father announced as Bryan and Sonia walked in. Sonia was dressed in one of Bryan''s polo shirts and ripped jean shorts.

    "Desmond!" His wife scolded, but both fathersughed in amusement.

    Lucy looked at Sonia and almost giggled when Sonia winked at her. She was not surprised to hear that she had done the exact opposite of what Bryan''s mother had said. She wouldn''t have ryed the message to Sonia, had she not been concerned that Tom''s mother might find out that she had failed to pass her message to Sonia.

    "You should have just focused on your wife if you couldn''t fall asleep," Bryan said dryly as he took out a seat for Sonia, and once he noticed that she was going to sit beside Lucy''s dad, he sat down there instead, leaving her to sit between him and the next empty seat.

    "Tom, I think it''s high time you soundproof every room in this building. And you guys should learn to use the phone to get our attention instead of barging into the bedrooms or standing outside the door," Bryan said, turning to give his mother a pointed look, reminding her of the previous evening''s incident.

    "I hope you had a good night''s rest, Sony?" Lucy''s father asked, and a blush stained Sonia''s cheeks making Lucy roll her eyes.

    "She did," Bryan assured him with a re, and Lucy''s father chuckled good-naturedly.

    "Why are you responding on her behalf?"

    "What is it that you like about him, anyway? I''m younger, and even more physically fit, and attractive than he is, so why does he make you blush? Is it his gray hair? Should I dye my hair gray?" Bryan asked Sonia, and everyone around the tableughed.

    "You wish. You couldn''t be more attractive than me even if you tried," Lucy''s father said with a smirk as he pushed away from the table.

    "You want topete with me too? Tom, make sure you whoop his ass. For two," Bryan said with a smirk of his own.

    "Have you decided on what games they''re going to y?" Sonia asked Lucy curiously, eager to enjoy the show.

    "I have a couple of ideas, but we can work on them after breakfast," Lucy told Sonia.

    "Why don''t we make this fun by betting for or against either of them?" Tom''s father asked hopefully.

    "Hundred bucks says Tom wins," Bryan said eagerly.

    Both mothers exchanged a look and Lucy''s mother shrugged, "Another hundred says Tom wins," his mother said with a wide smile.

    Lucy''s father turned to look at his wife and Lucas, waiting for them to ce a bet in his favor.

    Lucas shook his head, "I''d rather be left out of this. Besides, I doubt that I would still be here by the time you''re ready to y."

    Lucy''s mother pursed her lips as she looked at her husband, she knew without a doubt that he was going to lose. She didn''t trust that Lucy would let her father win against the man she was in love with. She knew that she wouldn''t do that. Thankfully she had a hundred bucks to spare, so she decided to bet in his favor since she had to stand by her man whether he was winning or losing, "Hundred buck says my husband wins," she said, making her husband lean over to kiss the corner of her lips.

    "Seeing as Lucy has to stay neutral, two people are left. Dad, babe, you both have to pick a side," Bryan said, confident that they both would take Tom''s side.

    "Hundred buck says, Mr. Perry, wins. Sorry, Tom," Sonia said with an apologetic smile making Lucy''s father chuckle, while Bryan red at her in disbelief.

    "Really, babe?" Bryan asked, and she giggled.

    "Yes, really. It''s not like I chose him over you. You are not Tom, are you?" She asked with a wide smile, reminding him of the time she had confronted him about Tom pretending to be Lucy''s driver, and he had said he wasn''t Tom.

    "Whatever," Bryan said with a scowl, and turned to his father, "What about you, dad?"

    "My money is on Drew. Sorry son, fathers have to support fathers," Tom''s father said, making Lucy''s fatherugh out loud as he stood up and reached across the table to fist bump with Tom''s father while everyone stared at them in disbelief.

    "Dad!" Tom and Bryan called out in unison.

    "When you be fathers, you''d understand," he said, while his wife simply shook her head.

    "Thanks for breakfast," Lucy''s father said as he stepped away from his seat, "Lu, and Sony, I would like to see you both after breakfast. Stop by the bedroom," he said before turning to Lucas, "If you''re done pushing your food around your te,e with me," he said and Lucas stood up at once and followed him.

    Lucy''s mother also stood up and left with her husband and son since they had tofort him and also discuss his return trip.

    "Your parents are cool," Tom''s father told Lucy, and she smiled.

    "You are cool too," Lucy said, and Tom''s father cocked his head to the side in the same manner that Tom often did.

    "You think so?"

    She gave him a nod, "Yes, I do."

    "So what are the games going to be about? Tom, I really hope you beat Lucy''s dad," Bryan said still feeling pissed that Sonia had taken the man''s side, and Tom chuckled.

    "Why? Because you''re jealous?" Sonia asked in a teasing tone.

    Bryan scoffed, "Jealous? I''m the one that spent the night with you and the one who will keep spending the night with you, not him. Why do you think I made you scream so loudst night?" Bryan asked, and his mother red at him, while Lucy and Sonia blushed in embarrassment as both Tom and his fatherughed.

    "You wanted him to hear her voice and know who is in charge?" Bryan''s father asked with a grin.

    "Stop enabling him! When did you all be so crude?" His mother asked with disapproval.

    "Dad, how did you ever cope with mom being so rigid and old-fashioned?" Bryan asked dryly.

    "It''s part of her charms. She still blushes whenever I say certain words," he said in amusement.

    "She does?" Tom and Bryan asked in unison, while Lucy and Sonia looked at Evelyn with curiosity, trying to guess the kind of words that would make her blush.

    "Yeah, she''s still so cute," he said with a grin, and Evelyn rolled her eyes as she stood up to leave the table, no longerfortable with being the topic of discussion.

    Tom on the other hand grinned as he turned to look at Lucy. He believed that she would always be cute to him.

    Once Evelyn left, Sonia and Lucy exchanged a nce and excused themselves too to give the guys a moment alone with their father.

    "You both didn''t do anythingst night?" Sonia asked in a whisper as they both went up the stairs.

    "We did. Why?"

    "You did? Howe they all assumed it was my voice they heardst night and not yours?" Sonia asked since she had been counting on everyone assuming that the sound wasing from Tom''s bedroom.

    Lucy giggled, "Probably because you kept crying out Bryan''s name, or they know your voice and what you''re capable of. And also because I kept my voice down. Unlike you, I don''t like to be the topic of discussion during breakfast."

    Sonia scowled, "I enjoyed myself, that''s all that matters. What do you think your dad wants to talk to us about?" Sonia asked curiously.

    "I''m wondering the same thing too. What if he wants to scold us for spending the night with the guys?" Lucy guessed.

    "I highly doubt that. Your parents are not that way. Besides, they have been wanting you to get involved with a man for so long, I doubt that they would darein about you spending the night with your boyfriend when they''re also under his roof. The only difference is we are all under his roof, while you were under him on top of his bed," Sonia said with a naughty smile, and Lucy giggled.

    "Stop talking nonsense."

    "By the way, has Tom told you that Anita is behind me and Bryan''s scandal as we suspected?" Sonia asked, and Lucy stopped walking as she turned to Sonia.

    "He found a connection?" She asked curiously.

    "Yeah. It was Bryan''s housekeeper who she paid to give her information on us," Sonia exined, and Lucy sighed.

    "I don''t even know what to say. I''m sorry you got dragged into my mess," Lucy said, and Sonia red at her.

    "Please don''t even start," she warned as she tugged Lucy''s arm for them to continue walking.

    "You didn''t call Derek as you nned to, did you?" Lucy asked, and Sonia shook her head.

    "I didn''t. I wanted to do that, but Bryan didn''t want me to. He said we already had the evidence we needed," Sonia exined and Lucy gave her a nod as they stopped in front of her parent''s bedroom.

    Lucy knocked on the door, "You cane in," her mother called to her, and they opened the door and walked in.

    "You wanted to see us?" Lucy asked as she walked over to where her father was, and sat down, while Sonia sat down beside Lucy''s mother.

    "Where is Lucas?"

    "He is in his bedroom getting his stuff ready. He is hurting so much," her mother said sadly.

    "What can we do to help?" Sonia asked, feeling bad for Lucas.

    "I don''t think we can help. He says he wants to be alone," Lucy''s father exined, although he sounded worried.

    "He will be fine eventually," Lucy said after a while.

    "Anyway, we called you both to talk to you about Tom and Bryan," Lucy''s mother said, and both youngdies sat up on hearing the names of their men.

    "Why? Is something wrong?" Lucy asked with a slight frown.

    "Not at all. Everything is fine," her mother rushed to assure her as she turned to her husband.

    "Their dad''s birthday is on Monday, and for some reason, he believes that they won''t remember it," Lucy''s father exined, and both Lucy and Sonia exchanged a look.

    "And you want us to remind them?" Sonia surmised.

    "Yes. But without directly reminding them. Don''t make it too obvious. Their father feels neglected. So if there is something you both can do to change that before we leave, you should do so. I think you both have a good shot at doing that seeing how much both men seem to love you," Lucy''s father said, and both Lucy and Sonia smiled at him.

    "We could n a surprise party for him," Lucy suggested.

    "If you''re going to do that, try to get their sister to be present. He misses her," Lucy''s father suggested.

    "You seem to have bonded really well with him," Lucy observed.

    "Yes, we all have. We have made ns of meeting often after we travel back," Lucy''s mother announced happily, while Sonia paid close attention to Lucy who seemed indifferent about it.

    "Alright. Thanks for talking to us about this, we will work out something," Sonia assured Lucy''s parents.

    "Is that all you wanted to talk about?" Lucy asked, and her parents gave her a nod.

    "Alright, we will leave you then," Lucy said as she stood up to leave.

    "About the contest with Tom, aren''t you going to give me clues?" Her father asked hopefully.

    "Nah, I''m not," Lucy said with a grin as she left the room with Sonia.

    "Is there a reason you don''t want your parents getting too close to Tom''s parents?" Sonia asked curiously as they both walked down the hallway aimlessly.

    "I never said I didn''t want them to get close. They can do whatever they want as long as they don''t start nning weddings," Lucy said, and Sonia raised a brow.

    "Is there any particr reason other than the reason you refused to be in a rtionship all these years, that you seem to be against the idea of getting married?" Sonia asked curiously.

    "..." Before Lucy could respond, Candy''s bedroom door down the hall opened, and she stepped out with Jamal.

    Sonia''s eyes widened in surprise when she recognized her, "Candy?" She called, and Candy turned to look at her, wondering who knew her.

    "You know her?" Lucy asked curiously, but Sonia was already dragging her along with her.

    "Yes."

    "Hi! I didn''t know you were here. You remember me, right?" Sonia asked with a wide smile, and Candace smiled back.

    "Of course. Good morning," Candace greeted.

    "Good morning. This is my best friend, Lucy. What are you doing here? Is this your kid?" She asked as she squatted down to say hello to Jamal who was staring at her curiously.

    "Hello, big boy! What is your name?" Sonia asked with a yful smile, while Lucy simply watched them.

    Jamal looked up at his mother, and when she gave him a nod he looked at Sonia, "Jamal. My name is Jamal."

    "Aw. What a cute name for a cute kid like you. Why don''t we find somewhere to sit and then you can tell me what you''re doing here? What about the otherdy? Brandy?" Sonia asked curiously.

    "How do you know my mom and aunt Andy?" Jamal asked curiously, and Sonia looked up at Candace who shook her head. Thest thing she wanted was for Sonia to tell her son that she had met them at a strippers club.

    Lucy observed all that was going on with curiosity. She knew from Tom that Candace was hiding here as a witness, but how did Sonia know her if she didn''t know why she was here? Was this another meeting that had happened coincidentally?

 Chapter 278 Homecoming

    <h4>Chapter 278 Homing</h4>

    Once Jade woke up from sleep, she sat up on the bed and looked around the bedroom in confusion, trying to figure out where she was since this was neither her apartment nor the hotel suite she had been sharing with Harry for thest couple of days.

    Immediately Harry''s name came to mind, her lips rounded in a silent ''Oh'' when she remembered that she was at Harry''s apartment. Last night they had flown back to Ludus so that she could meet with her brothers and their girlfriends, and also talk to Candace about seeing Jero before they take down the cartel.

    Jero had pointed out the possibility that he might be killed the moment he shows his face anywhere around the cartel lords, and so he had requested that he see Candace and their son before doing that, since he doubted that even though he survived and was sent to jail, Candace might not want to bring their son to see him in such a hostile environment.

    They would have gone directly to Tom''s house, but because they arrived veryte, and didn''t want to wake up everyone, they had decided to just crash at Harry''s ce and head over to Tom''s ce in the morning.

    From the rays of sunlighting in through a crack on the window blind, Jade could tell that it was almost noon already. They had arrived here sometime around four in the morning, and Harry had shown her to the guest bedroom immediately and had asked her to get some rest, before leaving for his bedroom. She had been too tired herself to try to instigate any form of conversation so she had done exactly that. Showered, and went to bed.

    Jade got off the bed and walked over to the closet where Harry had dropped her duffel bag while showing her to her room. She took out a decent robe and wore it over her skimpy nightdress before walking out of the bedroom. She was curious to see what his apartment looked like since she had been too tired to look around the ce when they arrived.

    As she stepped out of the bedroom, she looked down the hallway and counted the doors. There were about four doors on one side of the wall including hers, that had to mean four bedrooms, while the other side of the wall was decorated with different paintings and artworks. And then there were two doors at both ends of the passageway. She suspected that one of them led to the convenience bedroom for visitors, while the other led to the living room.

    The source of light on the passageway came from about six single cylinder-shaped chandeliermps that decorated the roof from one end to the other, giving it a kind of golden hue. And on the floor was a red rug.

    She was surprised that she hadn''t taken note of all of thisst night. She must have been more exhausted than she had thought to have missed it. The ce looked so ssy like it was a hotel. Now she could only imagine how he would have felt, leaving this sort of ce toe and visit her dump.

    Just as she stepped into the living room, she heard the clicking soundsing from hisptop before she saw him seated at the dining busy with hisptop, dressed in blue nnel pyjamas.

    "Did you sleep well?" He asked without raising his head as she approached him.

    "Yes, I did. Good morning," she greeted

    "It''s afternoon already. I didn''t want to disturb your sleep," Harry said as he raised his head to look at her. Thankfully she didn''t look as horrible now as she looked that first day he had seen her at her apartment. She looked well-rested now without dark circles around her eyes, and there was color on her face that had nothing to do with make-up. She looked lovely, especially with her short crop of hair looking sleep tousled.

    "Are you sure you didn''t want to disturb my sleep, or you didn''t want to wake me up because you were scared that I would disturb your work?" Jade asked with a teasing smile.

    "Both."

    "What are you working on?" Jade asked curiously as she leaned over his shoulder to see what he was doing, making Harry suddenly hold his breath.

    "I''m going through the evidence you received to see if it is useful and well organized," Harry said as calmly as he could muster.

    Making Jade''s brow shoot up as she pulled out the seat next to him and sat down, while he turned theptop to face her.

    "Are you doing this because you are a workaholic and can''t stay without work, or are you just curious?"

    Harry shook his head as he picked up the empty cup of coffee beside him to refill it, also so that he could catch his breath, "I only did it because you seemed really tired and needed to rest," Harry said as he walked away, and Jade turned to look at him.

    She wanted to say something smart to that, but there was nothing to say, so she returned her attention to theptop, as she wondered how long he must have been up.

    "Do you want coffee?" Harry called out from the kitchen.

    "Yes, please," she called back.

    Once he returned, he set the cup of coffee next to her, and she looked into it surprised, "You added..."

    "A teaspoonful of sugar, and cream the way you take it," he said, surprising Jade who hadn''t expected him to have taken note of something like that.

    "Why are you staring at me like that?" Harry asked when he noticed the surprise on her face, and Jade shook her head.

    "Nothing. Thanks," she murmured as she took a sip from it.

    "So? What do you think?" Harry asked as he shut his eyes and rubbed his eyes with his fingers.

    "You made my job easier, thanks," she said with gratitude, "How much does Tom pay you?" Jade asked curiously.

    "Why do you want to know that?" Harry asked, equally curious, and she shed him a smile.

    "I want to know if I can afford you. I think you''ll make a good assistant," she said, and Harry shook his head.

    "No, thanks. Even if you could afford me, which I highly doubt, I''m not interested in working for you," Harry said, stifling a yawn as he picked up his cup of coffee and took a sip.

    "Do you think I made the right call by letting him go with Andy?" Jade asked without taking her eyes from theptop''s screen.

    "Do you think there is something else you could have done? Besides, I think he would have done what he did with or without your consent. I tried to find some information on him," Harry said as he turned theptop and clicked on a document he had saved to show her.

    "He only came back to the country and joined the cartel three months after his pregnant fiancee was murdered, and exactly a week after the death of his father. What does that tell you?" Harry asked, and Jade narrowed her eyes thoughtfully.

    "He joined with an agenda?" Jade asked uncertainly.

    "He was living quietly and was doing quite well for himself. He had his own techpany," Harry said as he clicked on a folder and opened some pictures.

    "Wow! He is just as good looking as his voice sounds," Jade murmured, and Harry silently agreed, since he had thought so too the moment he saw the man''s picture. No homo.

    "He was most likely forced into abandoning his dreams and taking up his father''s dreams. So he likely came to destroy his father''s life''s work as his had been destroyed. He was going to bring down the cartel with or without you," Harry said, and Jade sighed.

    "That makes sense. But what about Andy?"

    "I think she will be okay. There is no use telling you that I will try to find them since it is obvious that my men won''t be able to find him. We will just have to trust him," Harry said with a yawn, unable to stifle it this time.

    "I guess you are right. You are exhausted. Did you even sleep?" She asked, clearly concerned.

    "I didn''t. But I will after I drop you off at Tom''s house," Harry assured her.

    "You haven''t told him that we areing over, have you?" She asked as she sipped from her cup of coffee.

    "No. Do you want to? I thought we would surprise them with your presence," Harry said, and Jade raised her cup in a toast to him before setting it down.

    "Good thinking. When are we leaving?" Jade asked as she looked away from him to look around the dining room and the living room.

    "As soon as you''re ready," Harry said, watching her from the rim of his cup as he sipped from his coffee.

    "Your apartment is really lovely," Jade said with admiration.

    "More than I can say for yours," Harry said dryly, and she giggled. If she wasn''t used to his bluntness by now, she would have felt offended.

    "Lucky you, you don''t have to go back there," she said instead as she stood up, "I will go get ready then. Hopefully, there will be something to eat over there since I doubt that you have any food in your really lovely apartment," Jade said as she gulped down the remaining coffee in her cup.

    "By the way, have you given a thought to my offer?" Harry asked as he watched her drop the cup on the table and use the back of her hand to wipe her lips.

    Jade narrowed her eyes as she tried to remember the offer, and then she grinned when she recalled their unfinished conversation, "Apart from being an intelligentwyer, is there any other reason why you want me to work with you there?" She asked, smiling at him as she batted hershes.

    Harry shook his head as he saved the document and removed the sh drive from hisptop before shutting it down, "Let me know when you make up your mind," he said as he handed her the sh drive and once she took it from him, he picked up both cups and headed for the kitchen.

    Jade rolled her eyes, "Gosh! You are so boring," she called out to him as she headed for the bedroom, while Harry snorted.

    "I don''t live for your entertainment," he muttered under his breath.

    Forty-five minutester, Jade stepped out of her bedroom carrying her small duffel bag in one hand and her handbag in the other hand. She was dressed in a short buttondown denim dungaree skirt and a in white long-sleeved top.

    "I''m ready," she said as she joined Harry in the living room.

    "Since we are stating the obvious, I have eyes," Harry said dryly as he pointed to his eyes, and Jade giggled.

    "That was a good joke."

    "I guess boring people can tell good jokes then?" He asked with a scoff as he picked up his car key and walked over to where she was to take the duffel bag from her.

    "Boring people can crack funny jokes sometimes. It doesn''t make them less boring," Jade said with a grin as she looked him over. Surprisingly he was dressed in a denim short and white shirt with matching sneakers.

    "Hmm. You look cool," she observed with admiration since she was used to seeing him wear mostly corporate clothes apart from his usual pyjamas, and the only time she had seen him wear something casual was the turtle neck.

    "Why? Boring people can''t look cool?" He asked as he led the way out of the house and sheughed as she followed him.

    "Seeing as you keep bringing it up, you must be pained that I called you boring," Jade said in amusement as they both walked into the elevator.

    "I can''t wait to drop you off, and be free from your smart mouth," Harry muttered under his breath, but loud enough for her to hear him.

    "You''re going to miss me when I''m gone," she promised him.

 Chapter 279 I Want Him

    <h4>Chapter 279 I Want Him</h4>

    Anita stood before her family with her head bowed shamefully as her mother hurled demeaning words at her.

    "You had just one assignment! One little assignment! But what did you do? You ruined it! I can''t believe you gave them a tform to announce their rtionship to the world! Did you see thements? You gave them fans and supporters! You are just as ipetent as your useless father!" Mrs. Miller yelled at her.

    "To think that you received help from us all. Your uncle helped you to keep your job at the airline just so that you could get close to the man. Your sister gave you useful information about his rtionship. And I even paid a private investigator to look into him. And what did you do? You made a mess of all our efforts. Your level of idiocy sickens me!"

    "Mother..."

    "Don''t! No one should try to side with her on this! Did you all watch the show? Have you even seen the photos and clips from the dinner?" She asked as she walked over to pick up her phone from the couch and shed the screen at her other three daughters, while Anita remained where she stood.

    "Our family should have been the one there, not that girl''s family!"

    "Mom, I''m not trying to take her side. I''m just saying yelling won''t do any good right now. Instead, we should think of another way forward," Anita''s eldest sister, the one who had given them the information from the beauty salon suggested.

    "I agree with Bernice that yelling won''t do any good. And by the way, Anita, I know that you were desperate, but how could you do something like that to a fellow woman? You went too far by exposing such a painful experience," her immediate elder sister who was pregnant chided as she patted her protruding abdomen.

    "Too far? I don''t think she did. Not all of us had it easy like you having someone wealthy fall in love with us at first sight. Some of us had to work for it. Besides, that is not the point right now, is it?" The second oldest countered.

    "I''m sorry. I''m sorry I failed you all," Anita said apologetically, not knowing how to react to all their disappointments. She was even more disappointed in herself, and she was feeling very so sorry for herself that her eyes stung with tears. She had cried all night as she followed the dinner posts on Alicia''s page, and when she couldn''t take it anymore she had smashed her phone against the wall.

    The pregnant sister sighed as she stood up and went to embrace Anita, "Don''t beat yourself too much over this. And if you ask me, I think you should forget him. Now that he has announced his rtionship..."

    "Forget him? How can you say that? He only just announced his rtionship, not marriage. And even if he was married, she can still get him if she sets her mind to it. Besides, are you forgetting that the man you got married to was engaged to someone else when you met him?" their oldest sister said.

    The pregnant one took in a deep breath, "Yeah, I know my husband was engaged, but that was arranged by his parents not because he was in love with her. That Lucy girl deserves to be happy after all she has passed..."

    "Lisa, if you won''t say something reasonable, you can either keep your mouth shut or you get out of this house this minute!" Their mother snapped, turning to re at her pregnant daughter who quickly pressed her lips together and raised her hands in surrender.

    "Fine. I''ll keep my lips sealed," she said as she returned to her seat.

    "So tell us, what do you think went wrong with your ns?" The second oldest asked.

    "I don''t know. I don''t think he will want to have anything to do with me," Anita finally confessed.

    "And what makes you think so?" Her oldest sister asked as they all watched her.

    "Don''t tell me he knows that you are behind the scandal?" Their mother asked, her lips curled in disapproval.

    Anita swallowed as she looked up at her sisters with tears in her eyes, "He came to me first as a broke guy, but we ended things before I knew his true identity. I think I lost my chance with him," Anita exined, and they all looked at her in surprise.

    "Oh, dear! You mean he came to you as a broke guy and you rejected him because he was poor not knowing that he was Thomas Hank?" The pregnant sister asked trying to put things in perspective.

    "Yes," Anita said with a nod as she exined their rtionship to her family, only leaving out how she had tried to matchmake both Tom and Lucy since she didn''t want to look more stupid than she already was.

    "That just means he was originally your man to begin with. What other proof do you need to be sure that you are supposed to be the one standing next to him, and not her? You have to take back what is rightfully yours," their mother stated matter of factly.

    "Did you hear a word of what she just said? She rejected the man! You don''t expect him to ept her now and dump the woman who loved him even when she thought he was broke, do you?" The pregnant one asked incredulously, looking at her sisters to be sure they agreed with her.

    "This is moreplicated than we thought. Why didn''t you mention this before now?" The eldest sister asked with a slight frown.

    "Lisa is right. It will be difficult now. Especially with that girl in the picture. He isn''t going to look at you twice," the second eldest said with a sigh.

    "Then we take her out of the picture. As long as she isn''t there, he might reconsider Anita," their mother said matter of factly.

    "Good Lord!" The pregnant one screamed in disbelief, "What do you mean by that?" She asked their mother before turning to Anita.

    "Anita, please do not listen to her. Just give this up, okay? Don''t worry, your own man wille, and you won''t even have to resort to such means to get him," she assured Anita, and then turned to her sisters, "Aren''t you both going to say something?" She asked when they just remained quiet.

    "It is Anita''s decision to make, not ours," the oldest said, and they all turned to Anita.

    "If you tell me you want him back, I will get her out of the picture for you. Just say the word, darling," their mother said as she approached Anita.

    "Tell me now, are you willing to lose to someone like that? Someone that ssless? Someone beneath you? You are not a loser nor a quitter, my darling. I raised you better than that, didn''t I?" She asked, going to stand in front of Anita and using both hands to cup her cheeks while looking directly into her eyes

    "None of this makes sense. I can''t believe what I''m hearing. I won''t be a party to this. I''m out of here," the pregnant one said as she picked up her handbag and left since she knew that there was no way Anita was going to go against their mother. Not when she was being asked such a question in such a manner.

    Neither of them stopped her nor called her back as she left. She had always been the odd one in the family, and they had all been surprised when she actually brought home a distinguished suitor.

    "Ignore your weak sister. If Thomas was interested in you once, then he can be interested in you again as long as there are no distractions. All we have to do is get rid of her, and then show him how suitable you are for him," their mother said, and Anita gave her a nod.

    "I want him."

    "And you will have him," her mother promised solemnly as she turned to look at her other two daughters, "You will both help your sister all the step along the way," she said before going to sit down, and Anita did the same.

    "By the way, did any of you hear from your uncle? I haven''t been able to reach him since yesterday afternoon," their mother asked, and the others shook their head.

    "He called me yesterday, and he sounded okay," Anita said, remembering the call she had received from her uncle.

    "I hope he is okay," her mother said as she rxed on the couch and started brainstorming on how to go about their goal.

    Knowing that she had the support of her mother and her older sisters now more than before, Anita''s confidence was restored, and she felt at ease once again. As long as Tom and Lucy didn''t know that she was behind the scandal, everything was going to be fine. All she needed to do now was rx and let her mother help her get rid of Lucy.

 Chapter 280 Stripteasing Vs Lapdancing

    <h4>Chapter 280 Stripteasing Vs Lapdancing</h4>

    "Jamal doesn''t know what you do, does he?" Sonia asked Candace after Jamal had left them to be with the men whosepany he seemed to enjoy more.

    "I doubt I''ll be going back to that job now, so there won''t be any reason to tell him," Candace said as they all sat down on the balcony, while Lucy looked at them in confusion, wondering what the nature of her job was.

    Seeing the confusion on her face, Candace smiled at her, "I was a stripper. That''s how we met," she said, knowing that even if she didn''t say it now, Sonia was going to tell Lucyter, so there was no point in not saying it herself.

    "Oh!" Lucy eximed softly. For a moment, she had thought that Candace was an escort or a hooker.

    "We met at the club, and she and her sister performed for us privately."

    "By us, you mean Bryan or one among your long list of exes?" Lucy asked, and Sonia giggled.

    "Bryan, of course," she said before turning to look at Candace, "What if I pay you to teach me some cool moves?" She asked with a wink, and Candaceughed, surprised that neither of bothdies was judging but instead were talking to her like it wasn''t a big deal. Not that she thought it was a big deal, she was just used todies, especially hard-workingdies like these ones looking down atdies like her that took what was seemingly the ''easy'' way out to make money.

    "I could teach you both for free," Candace offered, and Lucy looked at her and then shook her head.

    "Me? I don''t think I could dance to save my life."

    "You won''t be dancing to save your life, baby. You''d be dancing to spice up your life. I mean your sex life," Sonia said with a wink, and all three of them giggled.

    "The moves are quite easy. Besides, stripteasing is not all about dancing. It''s about undressing seductively," Candace assured Lucy, who looked skeptical about it.

    "Believe me, if you get it right, Tom would be as hard as a..."

    "Oh, please shut it," Lucy pleaded and raised both hands to block her ears, not wanting to hear whatever crazy line Sonia was about to utter.

    Sonia rolled her eyes, "You should be grateful that you have someone like me in your life."

    "She is just trying to say that it could be very stimting. Not just for him, but for you too," Candace exined with a small smile.

    "Stimting? Do you feel stimted every time you perform?" Lucy asked curiously.

    "Stripteasing orp-dancing for someone you are intimate with is entirely different from doing it for strangers," Candace exined, remembering how hot she had felt while performing for Matt. That had beenpletely different.

    "So both are different?" Lucy asked curiously, and Candace gave her a nod.

    "I take it you''ve never been to a strip club?" Candace asked, and Soniaughed.

    "NEVER. Hopefully, now that she has a man, she will be willing to go out and explore the pleasures of the world," Sonia said while Lucy rolled her eyes.

    Candace smiled at Lucy, "Lapdancing is as the name implies. It involves dancing on your partner''sp. Not just any kind of dance steps, but erotic moves in order to arouse and excite your partner. Stripteasing, on the other hand, has to do with seductively taking off your clothesyer byyer and piece by painful piece. Unlike Lapdancing, when you striptease, it is mainly visual, and physical contact with your partner isn''t required. For both acts, you have to go into them feeling your sexiest," Candace exined while both Sonia and Lucy listened with rapt attention, each imagining how to do so to their man.

    After what Tom had done the previous night, Lucy was more than eager to do something to frustrate him sexually.

    "The good thing about stripteasing is that you don''t need to be a great dancer to striptease. You just need to sway your hips hear and there as you take off your clothes as slowly and sexily as you can."

    "Wow!" Lucy eximed, feeling her cheeks warm up merely by the thought of it.

    Candace smiled, "You get the picture?"

    "What are youdies doing here? I''ve been looking all over for you," Bryan said as he joined them.

    "Didn''t Jamal tell you we were with his Candace?" Sonia asked as she turned to look at him.

    "He didn''t tell me where you were. And maybe if either of you hade out with your phones, it would have been easier to reach you," Bryanined.

    "You don''t seem surprised to see her. You knew she was here? Why didn''t you mention it to me?" Sonia asked, and Bryan shrugged.

    "I don''t think we have done much talking since you got herest night, have we?" He asked Sonia in a tone that told Lucy and Candace what he meant, and Sonia giggled.

    "We haven''t."

    "So, at what point could I have mentioned her? Before dinner, while you were on top..."

    "Oh, God! You both are a perfect match. I can''t deal. Sonia, let''s talk about the games when you''re done," Lucy cut in as she quickly stood up while the others looked at her in amusement, "And Candace, thanks for the lecture. I will read the rest online," Lucy told Candace before rushing away.

    "She is so cute. The exact opposite of you," Bryan said in amusement.

    "So I''m not cute?" Sonia asked with a slightly raised brow, and Bryan scowled at her.

    "You are not. If you are in need of apliment, go ask Lucy''s dad," Bryan said, and Sonia giggled.

    "Alright then. I should go and meet him," she said, walking past Bryan, and he grabbed her arm.

    "Sometimes I can''t believe you," he said as he red at her, "You are beautiful, you are sexy, you are cute, and all of that. What else do you want him to tell you that you haven''t heard from me?" Bryan asked, and Candace giggled as she also stood up.

    "I should go find Jamal," she said as she walked away from there, leaving the lovers alone.

    "Say you love me," Sonia said with a grin.

    "What? You want him to tell you that he loves you?" Bryan asked with wide eyes, and she giggled.

    "I''m asking you to say you love me," she repeated.

    "I love you," Bryan said as he leaned forward and kissed her forehead.

    "Although it''s cute, you should stop being jealous of him. He''s just like a father to me," Sonia assured him.

    "I don''t want him to be like a father to you. I will be a father to you, a lover and a friend, and everything else you need. Just keep your eyes on me, and stop blushing when he teases you," Bryan said, making Soniaugh.

    "You are so jealous and possessive."

    "Shouldn''t I be?" Bryan asked with a small frown.

    "An actor like you who kisses and smooches differentdies on the screen, you shouldn''t be this possessive," Sonia pointed out.

    "Why? Does it bother you? I could take you with me to every set, and you can pull out the hair of any actress that kisses me too much," Bryan offered.

    "Yeah, I''m sure most of your fans will appreciate me doing that." Soniaughed as she kissed him.

    "How long do you n to be here?" Sonia asked curiously as they both headed inside the house to their bedroom.

    "Just until I figure out what I want to do next. Since I don''t have anything to do at the moment, thanks to thepanies that canceled the endorsement deals, I will be here for a couple of days. Maybe a week. Why do you ask? You want to leave soon?" Bryan asked curiously.

    "Nope. Just wanted to know," Sonia said, thinking of a way to bring up his dad''s birthday without sounding like she had been asked to do so.

    "You said your birthday was April first, right?" Sonia asked thoughtfully as Bryan opened the bedroom door.

    "You remember," Bryan said with a grin as he remembered answering her questions the first night they met.

    "Of course. Did you expect me to forget that? Are there any other April born in your family?" She asked as they both sat on the bed, and Bryan shook his head as he narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.

    "No. That reminds me, this month is my dad''s birthday," Bryan said, as Sonia had expected he would.

    "Really? What date?" She asked curiously.

    "Eleventh..."

    "Today is tenth! That means his birthday is tomorrow, right?" Sonia asked with false surprise.

    "Shit! I can''t believe that I almost missed it again. I should talk to Tom about it and see if he remembers," Bryan said as he quickly stood up, and they both walked out of the bedroom to search for Tom.

 Chapter 281 Jade Is Here

    <h4>Chapter 281 Jade Is Here</h4>

    Tom held Lucy''s hand in his as he strolled out of the house with her, wanting to show her the side of the building which housed a garden and a pool, "So what did your dad talk to you about? He wasn''t trying to cheat, was he?"

    Lucyughed, "Of course not."

    "Good. Cause I don''t intend to lose to him."

    Seeing that as the opening she needed, Lucy looked into his face, "I''m still surprised that your dad chose my dad over you," Lucy said with a giggle.

    "You are nowhere half as surprised as I am. That old man is a traitor," Tom hissed, making herugh even more.

    "Do you believe in zodiac signs?" Lucy asked, and Tom shrugged.

    "I don''t really care about such things, but if our signs say we are destined to be together forever, then I will be a believer," Tom said, and Lucy''s lips curved in a wide smile as she looked into his face.

    "You can be so sweet sometimes," Lucy said, and Tom chuckled as he stopped walking and turned to look at her.

    "Some times? You mean just some times? Here I thought that I am always sweet. I guess I have to work on that," Tom said with a wide smile, and sheughed as she held his right hand with both her hands.

    "Why did you ask, though?" Tom asked as he reached out with his left hand to touch her hair.

    "Oh! I was just thinking; maybe their zodiac signs are a good match. That is why they have taken such a liking to each other. What is your dad''s zodiac sign?" Lucy asked, wanting to stylishly lead up to the subject of his father''s birthday.

    "I''m sorry to disappoint you, I don''t even know mine," Tom said, and Lucy was almost tempted to tell him that she wasn''t disappointed since she didn''t know hers either. Not everyone concerned themselves with such things, and she was only bringing it up now to remind him of his father''s birthday.

    "Well, maybe if you tell me his birthday, we can find out," Lucy suggested.

    "Hmm. His birthday is on the eleventh of... Hold on, what is today''s date?" Tom suddenly asked, and Lucy raised a brow.

    "Tenth. Why?" She asked with an innocent expression.

    "My dad''s birthday is tomorrow. I almost forgot about it," he said with a slight frown. This just showed how much he hade to rely on Harry. If Harry were here, he would have reminded him.

    "Oh, really? That is nice! I guess it''s a good thing your parents are here. You have to make it special for him," Lucy suggested, d that her n had worked.

    Before Tom could say anything, his phone started ringing, and he took it out to see that it was a call from Bryan, "Where are you?"

    "I''m showing Lucy around thepound. We are currently heading towards the poolside," Tom said, and Bryan hung up as he hurried out of the house with Sonia.

    Meanwhile, inside Harry''s car, as they approached Tom''s house, his phone''s reminder set off, breaking the silence between them, and he quickly picked up his phone to see what it was, "Oh, it''s your dad''s birthday tomorrow," he informed Jade as he dropped the phone, and she raised a brow.

    "Why do you have a reminder for my dad''s birthday?" She asked curiously.

    "I''m your brother''s assistant, remember? He doesn''t always remember dates because of how busy he is most times, so I have to set reminders to help him remember and then assign someone to get the gifts delivered. That reminds me, now that he has a girlfriend, I should probably check Lucy''s file for her birthday and set a reminder too," Harry said, and Jade rolled her eyes.

    "He won''t need a reminder to remember his girlfriend''s birthday. All he needs to do is forget it once, and that will be thest time he ever forgets it," Jade said with a smallugh at her own joke as she nced outside the window.

    She had also almost forgotten her dad''s birthday, but thankfully she also had a reminder set on her phone for midnight, which would have helped her remember.

    She sighed. It had been a while since shest visited her parents. She hoped that she would wrap up the case really quickly and go see them. She missed her parents, but most especially her father.

    She turned to look at Harry when something suddenly clicked in her brain, "Did you just say you set the reminders and assign someone to pick out the gifts?" She asked, and Harry sighed, knowing that he had just slipped.

    "Wow! This scenery is beautiful. No matter how much I..."

    "If you have to set up a reminder for my dad''s birthday, that means you have one for me too. Don''t tell me you have been the one sending the birthday card and gifts every year, and not Tom?" She asked, not bothering to fall for the distraction.

    Harry sighed, "All I do is remind him a day to your birthday, and he chooses the gifts himself and tells me what he wants to be written on the birthday card, and then I get someone to purchase and send them. It''s not a big deal," Harry assured her.

    "So you know everything written on the cards?" She asked, and he tried not to grin as he shrugged. Tom had a habit of writing an embarrassing memory of his siblings on their birthday cards every year.

    This whole thing was both annoying and embarrassing. It seemed like he knew so much about her, yet she knew next to nothing about him. Ugh!

    Harry, on the other hand, silentlymended himself on the wisdom he had applied in answering her questions. In the future, he was going to have to be more careful when talking to her since she was so smart and easily connected dots.

    Harry quickly reminded himself that there would be no need for that as he might not be talking to her much anymore since his job was over, and now she had all she needed to close her case without his help. Unless, of course, she decided to ept his offer and join the I-Global legal team. Even then, theirmunication would be purely formal.

    He made a mental note to inform Tom of the offer he had made to Jade. Although he knew that Tom wouldn''t object to it, not just because Jade was his younger sister, but also because Tom trusted his judgment as much as he trusted his.

    "Can you not tell Tom that I told you about the birthday reminders?" Harry asked hopefully when they got to the gate, and it opened automatically.

    "You said you don''t keep secrets from your bestie, remember?" Jade asked with a smirk.

    By the poolside, Tom''s phone beeped when the gates opened, and he took it out to see who was entering the premises since he had upgraded his security setting after his phone call with Jade the previous evening. His lips curved in a grin when he saw that it was Harry and Jade.

    At that same moment, Bryan and Sonia joined him and Lucy, who were already seated by the poolside, "Tom, are you aware that tomorrow..."

    "Jade is here," Tom cut Bryan off as he stood up, ready to go wee his best friend and his sister.

 Chapter 282 Official Informal Introductions

    <h4>Chapter 282 Official Informal Introductions</h4>

    Sonia and Lucy followed behind both brothers as they hurried over to where Harry was parking the car to wee them.

    "You sneaky bastard! Why didn''t you inform me that you were bothing over?" Tom asked Harry excitedly as Bryan opened the door on Jade''s side of the car.

    She was already grinning from ear to ear as she got out of the car and embraced Bryan, "It feels like I haven''t seen you in ages," she said, andughed out loud when Bryan lifted her off the ground and twirled her around in circles, "Stop it, Bryan! We are not kids anymore!" She yelled at him even though she continued tough, showing that she was actually enjoying it.

    "You''re still my kid sister," Bryan reminded her without stopping.

    "We wanted to surprise you," Harry told Tom with a grin as he got out of the car, and embraced Tom as they both pped each other''s back.

    "It worked then. I''m very surprised. Thanks for making sure that she is okay," Tom said, as he turned to look at his siblings.

    "Jady!" Tom called to Jade as Bryan set her down, and she turned to face Tom only to be swept off her feet once again as he twirled her around.

    "Tommy! What is wrong with the both of you? What am I, six?" She asked,ughing happily, while Lucy and Sonia watched the scene before them with a wide smile on their faces. While Lucy was smiling because she thought the bond between the siblings was a sweet sight to behold, Sonia was smiling because she noticed that Jade and Harry were wearing matching outfits, and she wondered if it was by choice or chance.

    "Sup, Bryan?" Harry asked as he extended his hand for a handshake, and Bryan narrowed his eyes at him as he shook his hand.

    "I''m cool. Why are you wearing matching outfits with Jade? Is it some sort of couple goal? Nothing happened between you two, right?" He asked suspiciously.

    "As if I would tell you about something that isn''t your business," Harry said with a snort as he walked past Bryan, but he turned to look at Jade and noticed for the first time that they were actually both putting on denim and white outfits.

    Howe he didn''t notice that earlier? He wondered before turning to Lucy with a grin. Seeing the look on Harry''s face after Bryan''s question, Sonia could tell that they were dressing in matching outfits by chance as he seemed not to have noticed that they were wearing matching outfits. How cute!

    "Hello, Miss Perry!" Harry greeted with a grin.

    It was only now that Lucy was standing face to face with Harry that all the lies she had told him from the moment they met at the headquarters came back to her, and she found herself fighting back her embarrassment despite the fact that she was aware that he had also been toying with her the whole time.

    "Hello, Mr. Jonas!"

    "I hope that your fiance is feeling alright now?" Harry asked with a teasing smile, making both Sonia and Tom chuckle as he set Jade down, while Jade and Bryan looked questioningly at Lucy who was blushing.

    "What fiance are you talking about?" Bryan and Jade asked curiously, sensing that they were missing a joke.

    "Don''t do that to my girlfriend, Harry!" Tom scolded as he went to stand beside Lucy and ced an arm around her shoulder possessively.

    "Don''t do what? I only asked a question. The first time Lucy resumed here at the headquarters she waste because she had spent the night drinking with Tom, but didn''t know that I was aware of it. So when I asked why she waste, she imed that her fiance was involved in an ident," Harry exined to Bryan and Jade whoughed out loud.

    "I was so startled by her lie and the sincerity with which she told it that I almost believed her. Hence I''m enquiring about the welfare of her fiance," Harry said, looking at Lucy as he waited for an answer.

    This time she raised her chin as she summoned the courage to meet his gaze. He knew she had lied, yet he was still asking, so she had to give him a befitting answer, "Unfortunately, he didn''t make it," Lucy said, shing him a stiff smile, and everyoneughed.

    "Aha! You have a good sense of humor. That is very good. Tom would definitely be needing some of that as hecks it," Harry said in amusement.

    "I think you might be needing it more than my brother. Who knew you had it in you to tease anyone?" Jade asked, and giggled when Tom offered her his fist for a fist bump, while Harry red at her.

    "Although you both know each other formally, I should make the official informal introductions now," Tom said with a grin, "Harry, meet thedy that makes my heart beat, Lucy. My priceless jewel, meet my right-hand man and best friend, Harry," Tom introduced, and Harry grinned as he stepped forward and extended a hand to Lucy for a handshake. The moment she ced her hand in his, he drew her in for an embrace.

    "Sorry, Tom''s girlfriend is mine too. We share everything. Work, money, family, annoying sister..."

    "Sister falls under family too," Jade pointed out with a roll of her eyes, while Sonia watched them both with interest.

    "Yeah, look who needs the sense of humor now," Harry said dryly, "As I was saying, Lucy, I and Tom share everything..."

    "Not this one, pal. We ain''t sharing my girlfriend. Get yourself a girlfriend, this one is solely mine," Tom refuted as he pped Harry''s arm away from Lucy and pulled her back to himself.

    "You are really hurting my feelings right now, Tom," Harry said, touching his chest dramatically and they allughed.

    "Didn''t Jade get you a girlfriend anyway?" Tom asked, and Harry scowled.

    "You got him a girlfriend?" Bryan asked Jade with disbelief.

    "That''s only if he doesn''t chase her away with his boring and old-fashioned style," Jade said with a roll of her eyes.

    "So which of you is going to officially introduce the beautifuldies to me? Or do I have to do it myself?" Jade said impatiently as she looked at both Lucy and Sonia.

    "Oh, yeah. You''ve spoken with Sonia over the phone already. Baby, Lucy, meet Jade, the Hank princess, and the apple of our father''s eyes..."

    "I thought I used to be the apple of every member of the Hank''s family eyes?" Jade cut in.

    "I don''t know about Tom, but you''re no longer that for me, princess," Bryan said, and Jade pouted her lips as she blinked at Tom.

    "What about you, Tommy? Have I been reced?"

    "Sorry, Jady, I''m sure you''re still the apple of mom''s and dad''s eyes, and you will also be the apple of the eyes of the man you decide to give your heart to, but not mine," Tom said, making Jade roll her eyes.

    "That was an awfully long exnation for such a simple question," she tut-tutted, and they allughed.

    "If you''re done interrupting me, Jade, meet the apple of my eyes, Sonia, and this is Tom''s beautiful girlfriend, Lucy," Bryan said, and Jade grinned as she embraced Sonia, and then Lucy.

    "I followed the interview yesterday. It was so touching. You both were beautiful..."

    "She almost bawled her eyes out," Harry cut in.

    "I didn''t bawl," Jade hissed at him.

    "You did. You bawled so much I had no choice but to go get you a box of tissues," Harry said making both Lucy and Sonia smile.

    "I never imagined you could be such a talkative," Jade said with a scoff as she turned to Lucy, "As I was saying before the rude interruption, I want to let you know that I admire your strength, your courage, and of course, your friendship," Jade said, looking from Lucy to Sonia and then back again.

    "Aww, thanks. I''m d to finally meet you. You are so beautiful, and your hair is so chic," Sonia said with a wide smile, and Jade giggled.

    "Sonia has said it all, I don''t know what else to say. You''re wee," Lucy said with a small smile, wishing she was half the extrovert Sonia was.

    "By the way, you did great. I''m d it all turned out okay," Harry told Lucy as he reached out and patted her shoulder lightly.

    "Thank you, Mr. Jonas," Lucy said with a polite smile.

    "Just call me Harry. Don''t you think it''s awkward referring to your man''s best friend so formally?" Harry asked before turning his attention to Sonia, "Although I know you, but since neither of them saw it fit to introduce us officially, I figured I do the honors myself. I''m Harry, the only reason Tom can afford to have a social life," he said, and Sonia grinned as she shook his hand.

    "I''m Sonia, and it''s good to finally meet the very weird Mr. Harry that Lucy talked about..." The rest of her words trailed off when Lucy stepped on her foot.

    Harry turned to Lucy with slightly narrowed eyes, "I never said you were weird. She is mistaken," Lucy said with an awkward smile.

    Tom chuckled, "Why are you scared of Harry? Did you forget that you told me he was weird? Remember that day in the car while he was driving us to Ocean Airlines? You even said he was sulking," Tom reminded her, and Lucy pressed her lips together, while the othersughed at Harry who had a scowl on his face.

    "He is very weird. Ipletely agree with Lucy on that. So now that the introductions are over, can we go in? I''m so famished. Why were you all outside by the way? And where is Candace?" Jade asked curiously as she turned to head inside.

    "I see you are still fond of asking so many questions at the same time. Good luck with getting your answers," Bryan said with a shake of his head.

    "By the way, you both are aware that dad''s birthday is tomorrow, right?" Tom asked not wanting to disclose to them that he had just found out about it.

    "Oh! You remembered?" Bryan asked, surprised.

    "Thanks to Harry''s reminder, I found out only a moment ago," Jade said, giving Tom a pointed look which he ignored.

    "Maybe all three of us should facetime with him tomorrow," Jade suggested, and her brothers exchanged a look.

    "Why facetime with him when he is here with us?" Tom asked, and both Jade and Harry exchanged a look.

    "Mom and dad are here? When did they get here? And why did nobody mention it to me?" Jade asked, wanting to run for the house.

    "I have an idea," Sonia quickly spoke before Jade could run off.

    "How about we surprise him with your presence tomorrow? You could go back home with Harry right now, ande over tomorrow evening. You can bring a birthday cake and gifts along with you. I''m sure he would appreciate that," Sonia suggested.

    "Today, tomorrow, what difference would it make?" Jade asked, looking at her brothers, while Harry inwardly groaned at the prospect of having her under his roof for another night.

    "Well, I''m sure he would be more excited if he sees you tomorrow after thinking we all forgot his birthday than if he sees you now. It would be a very pleasant surprise for him I think," Bryan said thoughtfully.

    Tom shrugged, "It''s your call. We need to pick out birthday gifts too. How long will you be here for?" Tom asked Jade curiously.

    "Maybe a day or two. I will make up my mind after I talk with Candace," she exined.

    "Okay then. Let''s do that. You can go back with Harry and we will all try toe up with a good n for his birthdayter this night. I and Lucy will leave for work early in the morning as usual, and Bryan and Sonia can leave the house and go hang out at the other apartment. Let''s make them feel like wepletely forgot about it, and then in the evening we can all go home together," Tom suggested, and the others nodded in agreement.

    "Sounds good to me. I''m game," Jade said as she turned to Harry, "You are stuck with my smart mouth for another twenty-four hours," she promised with a wink as she went to where he was and linked their arms together, and Sonia hid a smile. This was going to be fun!

    "Unfortunately so," Harry muttered with a shake of his head as he tried to unlink their arms. "If that''s your decision, we should get going before either of your parents see her. We will stop by a restaurant on our way so that you can get something to eat," He said theter part to Jade as he separated their arms.

    "See you tomorrow," Tom called to Harry, as they watched them get into the car.

    "Inform Candace that I will be seeing her tomorrow," Jade called to her brothers as she got into the car, and they all waved at her as the car left.

    "Let''s go talk about the games," Lucy whispered to Sonia.

    "We will see you twoter," Sonia told the brothers as she pecked Bryan, and Lucy did the same to Tom before walking away.

    "I''m surprised that you remembered dad''s birthday despite all this madness. If not for Sonia, I wouldn''t have remembered," Bryan said as they both headed for the house, and Tom narrowed his eyes.

    Howe Sonia had so conveniently reminded Bryan at the same time Lucy reminded him? "Sonia reminded you of it? How did she know dad''s birthday? What did she say?" Tom asked curiously, and Bryan ryed their conversation to him. By the time Bryan finished, Tom wasughing.

    "It''s funny that Lucy was the one who also made me remember dad''s birthday," Tom confessed to Bryan and went on to tell Bryan how Lucy had gone about it too.

    Bryanughed out loud, "Do you think either mom or dad told them to remind us?"

    "I don''t think dad would do that, and I doubt that mom would need to ask them to remind us of it when she can do so herself," Tom said thoughtfully.

    "Then do you think maybe that is what Lucy''s dad discussed with them after breakfast?" Bryan asked, and Tom gave him a nod.

    "I think so."

    "I hope not. How can I stop Sonia from crushing on him if I begin to like him?" Bryan asked, and Tom chuckled.

    "Give it up, bro. You don''t hate the man. You just hate the fact that he has a hold on your girlfriend," Tom said with a chuckle, pping Bryan''s back as they entered the house.

 Chapter 283 Talking About Marriage

    <h4>Chapter 283 Talking About Marriage</h4>

    "Lucy is a really lovely girl," Evelyn said once Tom joined her in theundry room where she was busy folding some of theundries.

    "Why are you doing this when I have people I pay to do it?" Tom asked with a slight frown as he took the bedspread she was folding, and dropped it in theundry basket.

    "I didn''tin, did I? Besides, you have more guests than usual in the house, hence I''m doing this. When you get married your wife will..."

    "Yeah. How did I forget that you always find a way to navigate every discussion back to the subject of marriage? I have a woman now in my life, so give it a rest," Tom said as he took her arm and led her out of theundry room.

    "Yes, I''m well aware that you have a woman. And I love her and her family. So when are you going to get married?" She asked, and sighed.

    "That isn''t why I came to find you. I just wanted to spend some time with you since it''s been a while we just sat down together," Tom said as he pulled her close, and Evelyn looked at him suspiciously.

    "How am I sure you''re not just trying to change the subject?"

    "I''m sure you know me better than that. So tell me, how have you been?" Tom asked, and then he listened to her as she told him all about the different charity groups she volunteered with, and she gave him all the juicy gossips of some of their neighbors, and even some of the people he went to school with who had moved back into the neighborhood.

    "Really? Nell is back home? I thought he was a big-time footballer?" Tom asked, genuinely surprised.

    "That was until his femur was damaged during a game. Didn''t you read of it?" His mother asked with a scoff.

    "Anyway, everyone in the neighborhood talks about my sessful children, and they''re always reading every article that concerns you and your siblings. I always feel like a Queen whenever I step out of the house," she concluded, and Tom chuckled.

    "You should feel so. You are our Queen," Tom said, making her smile widen.

    "So, what about you? What has been going on? How is work going? And why haven''t I seen nor heard about Harry since I arrived? Did something happen between you both?" She asked curiously.

    "We are cool. He has been busy. I sent him out on an assignment, but he will be here to say hello to you tomorrow," Tom assured her as he led her upstairs, away from the Den where the men were making noise.

    "Oh, that''s good then. It''s been a while since Ist saw him. And you should stop making the poor guy lie to me. He isn''t great at telling lies," Evelyn scolded.

    "Don''t you think it''s your fault? You should stop putting him in positions where he has to lie," Tom pointed out, and Evelyn rolled her eyes.

    "By the way mom, what do you think about I-Global entertainment agency?" He asked, and she paused to look at him.

    "By I-Global entertainment agency I take it that you mean you want to create a subsidiary that deals mostly with entertainment?" She asked, and he nodded.

    "Yes. I thought about it, and I asked Bryan to work with me. Does it make sense to you?" He asked since his mother was very intelligent and knowledgeable on stuff like that. Years ago before she stopped working, she used to be the personal assistant to the CEO of a really bigpany, so he trusted her judgment when it came to stuff like this.

    "You just acquired Ocean Airlines, how far have youe with reviving the airline? Are you sure it is not too soon to take on another huge responsibility? I don''t think an entertainment agency would be easy to run," she said, voicing out her concern.

    "Yes, I understand that it won''t be easy to run. But now that I''ve revealed my identity to the world, Harry won''t have to represent me as much anymore. So I offered to make him my Co-CEO, that way neither of us gets overwhelmed. Also, after that interview, the moment I make an official announcement about this and sign Bryan, our stock price will soar," Tom exined as he opened the door to the balcony and held out a chair for her, and Evelyn nodded her head as she sat down.

    "I see that you''ve thought it through," Evelyn said calmly, "So what did Bryan say?"

    "He said he will think about it. I just wanted to hear your opinion before discussing it with him or telling dad about it," Tom exined.

    "I think it''s a good idea. At least you will look out for him," Evelyn said as she smiled at him.

    "While you''re making all these great ns, I hope you will factor marriage into it? You are not getting any younger and neither are we. We want grandkids," She said and Tom sighed.

    It wasn''t like he didn''t want to get married, but something told him that Lucy wouldn''t be willing to do so now, and he didn''t want to raise the subject and make things ufortable for her. She had barely just agreed to be in a rtionship now after so many years of wanting to be single, so marriage was likely going to be thest thing on her mind.

    "When I''m ready I will settle down. If you want grandkids so much, I could just get one adopted for you," Tom offered, and his mother red at him.

    "What are you both doing here?" Bryan asked as he opened the door and joined them on the balcony.

    "Talking about marriage. When are you getting married to Sonia?" She asked, and Bryan took a step back as he looked at Tom.

    "Your twin brother-inw is leaving, I just came to get you in case you wanted to say goodbye to him," Bryan said and hurried away without answering their mother''s question, making Tom chuckle knowingly as he stood up and hurried after Bryan.

    "I hope I get to see you again soon," Lucy was saying as she embraced Lucas who was ready to leave.

    "Sure. Take care of yourself, alright?" Lucas said as he kissed her forehead before breaking the hug to look at Tom who just joined them, "I trust that you will take care of her."

    "You have nothing to worry about," Tom assured him, and they both shook hands.

    "Darling, make sure you''re fine. If you need to talk, give me a call, okay? No matter what time it is," J said as she embraced her son, and held on to him as she patted his back.

    "I''ll be okay. Just enjoy your stay here," Lucas assured his mother, before facing his father.

    "Be good. We got you," Andrew said as he pped his son''s back.

    "You will be okay. No wise person ever died of heartbreak. Always remember that" Tom''s mother said as she joined them, and she embraced him. J had told her all about Lucas'' rtionship with Rachel and what had led to their breakup.

    "You all should give the young man a break! He is only traveling, not going tomit suicide. Why do you all sound like you won''t be seeing him again? You should leave now before you miss your flight, son," Desmond said impatiently as he pped Lucas'' back making him chuckle as he opened the car door, but not without stopping to embrace Sonia first.

    "You take care of her, Bryan," Lucas said as he shook hands with Bryan before looking at the others, "Y''all should have fun. And let me know who wins the game," he told Lucy with a wink as he got into the car for Adolf to drive him to the airport.

    They had all agreed that he should not drive his car since they didn''t think that he was in a good frame of mind to drive himself.

    Tom had promised to get the car delivered to him since both their parents would be traveling back together and wouldn''t be needing the car.

    They all stood out there waving at the car as Adolf drove off, and they remained there until the car disappeared from view.

    J sighed as her husband''s arm came around her waist, "I really hope that he will be fine."

    "Don''t worry. He will be fine," her husband assured her.

    "Alright, everyone! It is time for the games!" Sonia announced excitedly.

    "Okay, let''s see what Lucy has prepared to entertain us," Desmond said with a grin as they all headed for the house.

    "The games are all outdoor games," Lucy announced.

    "What? Outdoor games? I thought it would be using the y station or something," Andrewined.

    "Why? Are you scared that Tom would beat your pants down?" Bryan taunted.

    Andrew smirked, "Take a look at my physique, son. I doubt that your body would be anywhere near this when you get to my age. I''m not scared of outdoor activities."

    "Why do you keep being at loggerhead with both brothers, anyway?" J asked her husband quietly.

    "It''s not my fault that the boys feel threatened by your hot hunk of a husband," he told his wife with a wink, and she rolled her eyes, "So what is it going to be? Are we swimming?"

    "You will see when it''s time. Right now, you all should go to the poolside and wait while we get all the items we need," Lucy instructed them before signaling to Sonia toe with her.

 Chapter 284 The Contest

    <h4>Chapter 284 The Contest</h4>

    "What?" Both Tom and Lucy''s dad eximed in unison when Lucy and Sonia joined the others who were already seated at the poolside thirty minutester with Samantha and Jamal. While Lucy was carrying two sack bags, Samantha and Sonia each carried a bowl that contained whipped cream, and Jamal held two deted balloons.

    "What are the bags for?" Tom''s dad asked with a chuckle as he rxed on his seat, ready to enjoy the show.

    "The first game you both will be ying against each other is the sack race," Sonia announced with a grin, and both Andrew and Tom looked at Lucy incredulously while the othersughed out in amusement.

    "Can I y?" Jamal asked eagerly.

    "No, darling. There is not enough sack for all three of you and they both have topete against each other," Evelyn said as she lifted Jamal on herp.

    "Come on, Lu, how do you expect the chief executive officer of I-Global to participate in such a silly game?" Bryan asked amidst hisughter, causing the others tough even more.

    "I''m too old for such a game," Lucy''s fatherined in disbelief.

    "Oh, now he admits that he is old," Bryan said with a chuckle.

    "I''m not old," Jamal pointed out.

    "Yeah. You are just too young to y," Lucy''s mother told the child with a grin as she patted his hair.

    "We need a hand. Come with me," Sonia said to Bryan as she took the balloons from Jamal and handed them to Bryan who followed her and Samantha to the other end of the poolside where a table had been set.

    "Can I go with them?" Jamal asked hopefully as he attempted to get off Evelyn''s thighs. He did not want to be away from the balloons, as that was where he believed the fun was.

    "Sure. Go on," Evelyn said as she set the kid down and he hurried after Bryan.

    "It is actually a very simple and short contest. You will both wear the sack bags, and then run to the other side where Sonia, Bryan, and Samantha will be waiting. When you get to the other side, we will proceed to the next phase," Lucy announced.

    "There is a next phase?" Tom asked incredulously.

    "Yes. There are four phases. The first is the sack race. You take off the sack once you get to the other side, and the second phase starts immediately. The second involves finding the bubble gum in the whipped cream bowl, and while you''re finding the bubble gum a balloon will be attached to both your ankles, which brings us to the third phase; stomping the balloon. The first person to stomp on his opponent''s balloon and burst it races back to the pool and dives in while the other follows. The first to get back to the end of the pool and meet me here is the winner," Lucy exined with a wide smile as she adjusted her ss on the bridge of her nose.

    Tom looked at her incredulously, "You are kidding me, right?" There was no way his Lucy was capable ofing up with such a wicked game. It had to be Sonia. This had Sonia written all over it, Tom thought as he turned to look at Sonia who was now standing at the other end away from them and was setting the bowls on the table, while Bryan pumped two balloons, "This was her idea, wasn''t it?" He asked Lucy.

    "Does it matter whose idea it is? You both should hurry up and get into the sacks. We don''t have all day," Tom''s father urged them both.

    "This is ridiculous!" Lucy''s father muttered, and Tom nodded in agreement.

    "At least you both agree on something now. It''s an improvement," Evelyn pointed out with a grin.

    "If you think about it, the game is not as ridiculous as youpeting with your daughter''s man for her love. Since you both agreed topete against each other for Lucy''s love, you should do so quietly unless you are ready to pay double the money we bet on you," J warned her husband, while Tom stood there staring at Lucy who was smiling at him like she had done something praiseworthy.

    He exchanged a look with Lucy''s father who shrugged, "So what are the rules?"

    "Just put on the sack and run once the whistle is blown. When you get to the bowl, you can only try to find the bubble gum with your mouth, not your hands. That means you dip your head in the bowl and try to find the bubble gum with your teeth or tongue, just not your hands," Lucy exined.

    "So how do you know who finds it? What if he ims to find it without actually finding it?" Her father asked, eyeing Tom dubiously.

    "Yeah, about that. The first person to find it, chews on it and blows a bubble before stomping on his opponent''s balloon, and then he can jump into the water," Lucy concluded.

    "So what if despite doing that he stillesst in the swimming contest?" Tom asked, and Lucy shrugged.

    "That''s why it''s a game. The first can be thest. You need luck to win," Lucy said with a shrug.

    "Are we to swim with our clothes on?" Tom asked, looking down at the trouser and vintage shirt he was wearing.

    "That is your call to make," Lucy said with a shrug.

    "Okay, let''s do this," Lucy''s dad suggested, and without waiting for Tom to consent, he picked up one of the sack bags.

    Seeing Andrew''s enthusiasm, Tom picked up a sack bag and Lucy gestured to both men to move away from each other. One to the left walkway beside the pool, and the other to the right walkway, that way the pool was between them so that they would race without colliding.

    "At the first whistle, you step into your sack. And at the second, you start racing," Lucy said as she raised the whistle to her lips, while every other person watched them with excited anticipation. Even though they all knew that it wasn''t a big deal, they were filled with suspense as they watched the show.

    Lucy whistled, and immediately both men quickly stepped into their sack bags, and before they could finish adjusting them, she whistled again, making her father who was yet to finish adjusting his bag turn to re at her while Tom immediately started hopping while holding on to the edge of the bag.

    Seeing how everyone wasughing, Lucy''s dad turned around to see what was funny and he swore under his breath when he realized that Tom was already ahead of him. He quickly grabbed the edge of his sack and started to hop. Because he was too quick, he tripped and cursed as he stood up again and resumed hopping.

    Tom''s father hooted withughter as he took out his phone to record the scene before him, while the womenughed each time either of the men almost tripped.

    "Come on, Tom, you can do it!" Bryan cheered every time Tom stopped to catch his breath, and each time he looked to the side and saw that Lucy''s father was almost catching up with him, he resumed hopping again.

    "Come on, Mr. Perry! Don''t stop!" Sonia cheered, and Bryan turned to scowl at her.

    "Seriously?" He asked, and she giggled.

    "He is not just Lucy''s father, he is also like a father to me, so I see no reason why I shouldn''t cheer him. And if you know anything about me, then by now you should know that the more you keep up with this attitude the more I''m going to rub it in your face. I admire and respect the man, but you are the one I''m in love with you, and I respect you too. He makes me blush, but you give me butterflies in my belly. What I feel for him is the kind of innocent love a child has for an elder who isn''t their parents. It''s nothingpared to what I feel for you," Sonia assured him and leaned forward to kiss his cheek, but Bryan was quick to turn so she ended up kissing his lip instead. Samantha was too busy cheering Tom on to hear or see what was going on, but Jamal on the other hand wasn''t. He closed his eyes when Bryan deepened the kiss.

    "Yes!" Samantha pped happily when Tom made it to the table before Lucy''s father, and Bryan and Sonia pulled away from each other as Jamal handed them the inted balloons.

    Immediately they got to the table, both men stepped out of the sack bags and chose a bowl each in which they stuck their faces trying to find the bubble gum. While they were busy trying to find the gum, Sonia went to attach a balloon to Tom''s ankle by tying the string of wool that was attached to the balloon around Tom''s ankle too, while Bryan did the same to Lucy''s father.

    Thankfully the bowls weren''t filled to the brim with whipped cream so each time the men raised their face to catch their breath it was just their forehead, nose, and lips that were covered in cream, making Jamalugh out loud as they looked like clowns.

    Bryan took out his phone and made a recording of this aspect of the game since his father wasn''t close enough to do so, while Sonia captured several pictures of them with their faces stained with whipped cream.

    Soon Lucy''s father found the bubble gum and immediately he lifted his head and chewed on it very quickly so that he could make a bubble and stomp on Tom''s balloon before he lifts his face from the bowl, but while he was still chewing, Tom found his and also started chewing really quickly making the observersugh out loud at how funny they looked while chewing fast.

    Lucy''s father soon seeded in blowing the bubble, and immediately he tried to stomp on Tom''s balloon, but Tom was quick to evade him while also trying to blow his bubble.

    They both ran around the ce as Lucy''s father kept trying to stomp on the balloon, but Tom kept avoiding him. Once Tom seeded in blowing his bubble, he ran after Lucy''s father trying to stomp his balloon, and it soon became a game of defense and attack.

    By this time no one was cheering either of them anymore as everyone was too engrossed in the entertainment to care about the bet anymore.

    When Lucy''s father attempted to stomp on Tom''s balloon again, he almost slipped, but Tom was quick to catch him, and once Tom held on to him to steady him, he quickly stomped on Tom''s balloon and dove into the pool to the surprise and amusement of everyone.

    Seeing how he had been tricked, Tom dove into the pool too and moved as fast as he could to catch up with Lucy''s father who was doing a butterfly stroke.

    Halfway down the pool, Andrew''s strokes weakened when he felt a sharp pain in his shoulder, but in Tom''s haste to beat him, he didn''t notice as he tried to race past him.

    Sonia who was walking beside the pool as they swam, and was following every of their movement with her sharp gaze frowned, "I don''t think he is okay," sheined to Bryan.

    "Who? Tom?" Bryan asked as he squinted against the evening sun to see who Sonia was talking about.

    "No, not Tom. Look at Mr. Perry. He is favoring his right arm," she pointed out with a worried frown, and Bryan observed closely, and once he noticed that she was right, he quickly dove into the water, causing Tom who had already swam ahead of Lucy''s father to turn around.

    Once Tom saw Bryaning behind him, and he noticed that Mr. Perry was still far behind, he sensed that something was wrong, so he turned back, causing Lucy and the others who had been waiting for him to get to them to stand up.

    "What is going on?" Lucy asked in confusion as she watched both brothers swim towards her father who she also just noticed was favoring an arm.

    "I think your father hurt his shoulder again," her mother said with a sigh.

    "Did you hurt your arm?" Tom asked as he got to where Lucy''s dad was.

    "Shit! I was going to beat you, but my shoulder seems to have a mind of its own," he swore good-naturedly, and Tom took his good arm and ced it over his shoulder, while Bryan came from the other side and took the arm he was favoring gently and also ced it on his shoulder.

    "We could just leave you here to drown, you know? Now you have to give up whatever right you have over Lucy and Sonia in exchange for saving your life. You are too weak to protect them," Bryan said, and Lucy''s father chuckled as they slowly made their way to where the others had gathered with concerned expressions which rxed when they saw how he wasughing.

    "Not on your life. I can take you on anytime in physicalbat..."

    "Then why not take me on right now?" Bryan challenged, and both Tom and Lucy''s fatherughed this time.

    "Don''t be a coward. Why will you want to fight with an injured man?"

    "You mean an old man? Your shoulder hurts only because you''re too old to be doing butterfly strokes," Bryan taunted, and all three of themughed.

    "How about I fight him in your ce since I''m going to be a part of your family," Tom offered with a grin, making Bryan lean forward to look at Tom incredulously.

    "WOW! I never knew I came from a family of traitors until today. Today has revealed a lot. You are just like your father," Bryan said usingly, and Lucy''s father chuckled as he pped Tom''s back approvingly.

    "Wee to the family, son."

 Chapter 285 Feminine Wiles

    <h4>Chapter 285 Feminine Wiles</h4>

    "Seeing as they both got out at the same time, who is the winner?" Tom''s father asked, once his sons climbed out of the pool with Lucy''s father.

    "Who else, but Tom? He would have won had he not gone back to help Andrew," Tom''s mother pointed out.

    "And my husband would have won had he not hurt his shoulder," Lucy''s mother defended her husband as she went to her husband.

    "Unfortunately that wasn''t anyone''s fault, so no one can be med for that. Tom on the other hand gave up his chance to help him," Tom''s mother said matter of factly, but Lucy''s mom wasn''t listening to her.

    "Are you okay, darling? How bad is it?" She asked with concern as touched the arm her husband was favoring.

    "I''m okay, babe. Nothing a good massage won''t fix," he assured her with a wink that relieved her, before facing the guys.

    "Thanks, boys," he said as he pped Tom''s back, and then Bryan''s back.

    "I need to get out of these clothes. I''ll be right back," Tom announced as he started to head for the house, but he stopped when he noticed that the deted balloon was trailing behind him, and he crouched down to untie the string from his ankle.

    "Can I have your balloon, please?" Jamal asked Lucy''s dad whose inted balloon was still trailing behind him.

    "Sure," he said as Lucy crouched down to untie the string and handed the balloon to Jamal.

    "We should all go inside, you need to change out of your clothes too," Sonia said as she linked her arm with Bryan''s arm and led him towards the house, while the others followed, and Lucy ran to meet up with Tom.

    The eldersughed as they talked about the ridiculous contest, and once they all got inside the house they agreed to all gather in the den thirty minutester.

    "That was a good game you yed out there," Lucy said with a wide smile as she and Tom walked into his bedroom.

    "Yeah. You made us run around like kids. Well done," Tom said in a t tone as he took off his clothes and walked over to the bathroom.

    The smile on her face faltered, "Is something wrong? Are you mad at me?" Lucy asked with a slight frown as she followed him.

    "I''m not mad. But I''m also not impressed either. It''s fine. We yed your game and humored you. I''m sure everyone had fun. That''s all that matters after all, isn''t it?" Tom asked without looking at her as he dropped the wet clothes into theundry basket beside the door and shut the door behind him so that she wouldn''t follow, leaving Lucy standing outside with a concerned frown on her face.

    "Is there something you want me to get you while you bathe?" She called out tentatively, but Tom didn''t respond.

    She chose to believe that he didn''t respond because he did not hear her voice over the sound of the running shower. Realizing that he would need clothes to change into once he gets out of the shower, she walked into his walk-in closet and looked around the ce.

    Everything looked so manly and organized, and she noticed that the colors of the clothes were mostly either white, ck, gray, or different shades of blue. She looked around until she found the section where his casual clothes were neatly arranged, and she picked out ck sweatpants and a biro blue tank top for him.

    Once she picked those out, she opened his drawer and also picked out underwear for him before going toy them on the bed.

    Tom opened the bathroom door just as she finishedying out the clothes, and his gaze went to where she was standing by the bed, looking at him uncertainly.

    He stood there with a towel tied around his waist as he just stared at her. He tried to ignore the guilt rising within him for making her worry unnecessarily. She deserved this much for making him y such a ridiculous game. He had earned the right to be petty after being subjected to such a childish game.

    "I''m sorry I made you..."

    "There is nothing to apologize for. You did nothing wrong," Tom cut in before she could finish.

    "But you just said..."

    "I told you that I''m not mad. I''ll get over whatever displeasure I''m feeling. Thanks for picking out my clothes," Tom said as he picked the clothes from the bed and walked into his closet, leaving Lucy standing in the middle of the room with a worried frown.

    She hadn''t expected that he would be upset over the game when he had yed so well. Why was he angry? He had beenughing with her dad and Bryan a while ago, so what changed between now had then? She wondered as she stood there, trying to figure out what to do while she waited for him toe out and talk to her.

    "What can I do to make you feel better quicker?" She asked as she took off her sses and hung them over the front of her shirt.

    The corners of Tom''s lips twitched, but since he had his back to her she couldn''t see his face. Answer and put her out of her misery, or not answer yet? Tom asked himself as he pulled on the briefs and sweatpants she had picked for him, and he sprayed some antiperspirant under his armpit.

    Lucy''s heart felt painfully tight when he still didn''t answer her question. It made her feel like she couldn''t breathe, so she took in a deep breath as she slowly approached the closet where he was now pulling on his shirt.

    "Tom, this is making me feel really ufortable and I don''t want to work on eggshells around you. I don''t want us to fight either, so please..."

    Tom frowned when he heard a slight tremor in her voice, and he turned to look at her and noticed that she had taken off her sses and her eyes were gleaming with unshed tears.

    "Shit!" He swore as he quickly went to her and pulled her close, "I''m sorry. I didn''t realize I was overdoing it. I''m not really mad. I was only trying to get back at you for making me y such a silly game," Tom said apologetically as the first tear dropped from her eyes.

    "You''re just saying that because you don''t want me to cry," Lucy said with a sniffle.

    "I''m just telling you the truth now because I don''t want to see you cry. I really didn''t mean any of it. I was just putting up a show," Tom pleaded as he brushed off the teardrop with his thumb.

    "You are telling me the truth right now, right? Does that mean the game wasn''t ridiculous?" Lucy asked looking into his eyes, and Tom would haveughed had she not looked so serious.

    "Of course, I''m telling you the truth. But the game waspletely ridiculous, and to be honest, I didn''t like the idea at first, but it turned out to be fun. I didn''t really y such games growing up, so doing it now wasn''t so bad," Tom assured her as he kissed her forehead.

    Seeing that he was being honest, Lucy sighed, "I guess it really works after all," she said in her normal voice as she pulled away from Tom, making him raise a brow.

    "What works?" Tom asked in confusion.

    "Feminine wiles. The tears to be precise," Lucy said with a grin as she blinked at him.

    "What? You faked that?" Tom asked in disbelief, and she giggled as she wore her sses.

    "It was either that, or I was going to start crying for real. I figured I do the fake tears first and see your reaction before the real onees along," she said, and Tom chuckled.

    "Damn! And I fell for it just like I fell for you," Tom said as he pulled her close for a kiss.

    "Nice line. I suppose I''m not as innocent as you think after all," Lucy said with a giggle as she kissed him back, and then she pulled back to look at him with a serious expression on her face.

    "Don''t do that next time. The tears might have been fake, but I felt really terrible here," Lucy said pointing to the left part of her chest.

    "Here?" Tom asked, cupping her left boob, and sheughed.

    "No! That''s not what I was pointing at, don''t be silly!" Lucy said, trying to p his hand off as he kept groping her boob.

    "But you pointed to this. I should make it feel better since I made it hurt, let''s see," Tom said as he reached under her crop top, and Lucy giggled some more as she tried to move away from his reach, but his other arm went around her waist, keeping her close to him.

    "I was talking about my heart, not my boob!" She said amidst herughter.

    "And if I remember correctly your heart is somewhere under this boob, isn''t it?" Tom asked with a naughty grin as he kissed her.

    "Tommm..." Lucy moaned into his mouth when he yed with her nipple, and he chuckled since he knew just how sensitive her nipples were.

    "I''m d you are no longer allowing them to lie waste," Tom said with a chuckle as he broke the kiss and pulled away from her.

    "Allowing what lie waste?" She asked in confusion wondering what he was talking about.

    "You don''t remember what you said that first night, do you?" Tom asked, and when she just stared at him nkly, he grinned.

    "Who knew my nipples could be that sensitive yet I''ve been allowing them to lie waste for so long? Does that ring any bell?"

    "Oh, God! Don''t tell me I said that to a total stranger," Lucy pleaded, and Tomughed.

    "Don''t worry. I won''t tell. It''s going to remain just between us both," he assured her with a wink as he led her out of the closet and into the bedroom.

    "Tom?"

    "Yeah?" Tom asked, turning to look at her.

    "I know that misunderstandings are a natural part of every human rtionship, but if and whenever I offend you as I know I will likely do in the future, can you not stay mad at me for too long?" Lucy asked, looking directly into his hazel eyes.

    "How long can I be mad for?" Tom asked, and Lucy pursed her lips.

    "Five minutes tops."

    Tom sighed. This was a tricky question since he knew that there were different levels of offenses, "I will try. Can you do me the same favor?"

    "I will try."

    "But you do know that offenses vary, right?" Tom pointed out in case she hadn''t thought of that.

    "This promise is based on trust. Let''s hope that neither of usmits an unforgivable offense."

 Chapter 286 Little Friend

    <h4>Chapter 286 Little Friend</h4>

    "Are you okay?" Bryan asked Sonia after they entered his bedroom.

    "Sure. Why?" She asked looking at him curiously.

    "Nothing. I just figured that you might have been upset after seeing Lucy''s dad that way. I wanted to be sure you''re okay," he said with concern, and Sonia smiled when she realized what he was talking about.

    Having lost her biological father because he drowned to death, he was concerned that seeing Lucy''s father that way must have also upset her and brought back painful memories.

    "Aww! I''m fine. Although I was worried, but thankfully you listened to me and jumped in there to help. So I''m okay. Thank you," she said as she raised herself on her toes and kissed his lip.

    "The least I can do is save the life of the second man you love after me. Ie first, right?" Bryan asked with a grin, and Sonia giggled.

    "Why? Do you want topete with him too?" She asked with a teasing smile.

    "We both know that I''m nothing like Tom. He wouldn''t stand a chance with me, and because you care about him, I wouldn''t want his feelings to get hurt when I win. So I have to decline for your sake," Bryan said with a wink and she giggled as he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her to himself.

    "Don''t! You''re going to make me wet," she screamed, trying to get away from him but he held on to her.

    "Wet? What''s wrong with being wet?" Bryan asked, wriggling his brows suggestively and she giggled.

    "Get your mind out of the gutters, Bryan Hank!" She chided but stopped resisting when she grabbed his ass.

    "Now that we are both wet. We should get out of these clothes together," he said with a wink, and she shook her head in amusement.

    "Can''t. Every other dress I have in my luggage box is going to make your mom ufortable..."

    "Who cares about that?" Bryan asked incredulously.

    "I do. You should too. I know that she is nice and willing to ept me the way I am, but I''m not going to overdo it either. I also have to respect her since I''m a visitor here," Sonia pointed out, and he sighed.

    "You''re such a good girl, Sonia Bardi," he said with a taunting smile, and she giggled.

    "Don''t worry I''m sure you''ll find more than enough clothes to change into in the closet," he assured her as he kissed the tip of her nose.

    "I''m still not doing anything with you!"

    "Who talked about doing anything? I don''t want to do anything with you either... But if you change your mind, then I just might change mine too," Bryan said with a grin, and sheughed again.

    This man made herugh so effortlessly. Sonia felt her heart swell with love for him as she gazed into his eyes "I love you so much, Bryan," she said unable to keep her thoughts to herself.

    "And I''m sure you know that I love you too... Even more."

    "I''m not sure about you loving me more than I love you, but let''s get you out of these wet clothes and warm you up before we debate the subject," Sonia suggested as she reached for the hem of his t-shirt and raised it.

    Bryanughed when she raised the shirt over his head and kissed his nipple, "What did I do to deserve someone as naughty as you?"

    "I keep wondering the same thing," Sonia said as she ran her hands over his cool body as he took off the shirt.

    "We have less than twenty-five minutes," Bryan reminded her as he nced at the wall clock hanging on one end of the wall.

    "Then you should hurry up," Sonia said as she walked away from him to the closet.

    "I should hurry up? I thought this was a we thing? Didn''t you talk about warming me up a moment ago? I thought you changed your mind," Bryan said with a slight frown, and Soniaughed softly.

    "What did I do to deserve someone with such a dirty mind as you? I only meant that you need to shower and change into something dry. I''m going to change into something else, and then find something else for you to wear, so go in and have a warm shower before you catch a cold," Sonia suggested as she checked out the clothes.

    "Fine," Bryan muttered as he walked into the bathroom, making Sonia grin.

    "I was going to ask you earlier, are all of these clothes yours or Tom''s?" Sonia called out to him curiously, wondering why there were so many clothes in the closet. She was certain that he hadn''t traveled down here with all of these clothes.

    "Mine. For reasons best known to Tom, he ensures that the closets in each of our bedrooms are filled with clothes of different sizes in case of whenever we visit him," Bryan called back as he turned on the hot faucet of the shower. He didn''t shut the door so that he could still talk with her as he showered.

    "That''s some billionaire shit man! I should definitely check out Jade''s closet. I''m sure I''m going to find some really nice designer outfit that would fit," Sonia said happily as she picked out a boxer, and then denim baggy shorts and a red t-shirt for him.

    Bryan shook his head in amusement when he heard the excitement in her tone. He couldn''t understand why she continued to behave that way when she could afford stuff for herself. And even if she couldn''t afford some things, they both knew that he could, so why was she excited by this?

    "I''ve set the clothes on the bed. I''m stepping out to find Jade''s bedroom, and then I will join the others downstairs, soe over when you''re done," she called out to him before leaving the room.

    Bryan didn''t need anyone to tell him that she was leaving earlier than him because she didn''t want to be teased again.

    ************

    "Why are you quiet? You don''t feel okay with me going back with you, do you?" Jade asked as she watched Harry.

    "It''s not a problem. I''ve handled being around you for the past couple of days so I''m sure I can manage for another night. It''s not a big deal," Harry said, and Jade snorted.

    "I''m very sure this is the most fun you''ve had in your boring life. Manage? You wish."

    If this was a few days ago, she would most likely have been offended by what he had said, but she was fast getting used to his way of speaking his mind, and she also had adopted his style whenmunicating with him. It had to be blunt for blunt.

    Harry said nothing to that as he continued to drive, but he thought about what she had just said. He couldn''t say being with her for thest couple of days had been fun, since half the time she had been invading his privacy when all he wanted was to be alone, but then again he had been sent there so that she wouldn''t be alone so he had tried his best to amodate her.

    Since he was an only child and the closest to a sibling he had was Tom who had also been his roommate in college, it was his first time spending this much time with someone else. So yes, it had felt different having her around, but did that qualify as fun?

    "Do you have any n for tonight?" Jade asked when he still didn''t say anything after some time.

    "Yes."

    "You do? What kind of n?" She asked, surprised, and equally curious to know what he was going to be doing.

    "The same kind of n that every normal human has at the end of every exhausting day. I intend to sleep."

    "Oh, that!" Jade said in amusement, wondering why she had been expecting anything else from him.

    "So what? You''re just going to go to bed when we get home?" She asked incredulously.

    "Do you have a problem with me doing that? Or perhaps do you need me to sing you a luby before going to bed?" Harry asked dryly, and Jade giggled.

    "You have a weird sense of humor, uncle Harry," Jade said pping his arm yfully, and Harry red at her, which only made herugh even more.

    "So, I was thinking. How about we hang out tonight? Bills on me. Think of it as a thank you from me, for inconveniencing yourself to help me."

    "I didn''t do it for you, so you don''t have to thank me," Harry said, and Jade sucked in a deep breath.

    "Is there some kind of kick you get out of being difficult?" Jade asked irritably.

    "Why? I''m difficult because I''m saying you don''t have to thank me?" Harry asked in confusion.

    "Fine. I''m not thanking you. Let''s hang out tonight. It won''t take all night. You can alwayse back to sleep," Jade offered.

    "And I already told you, I''m exhausted. I need to get proper rest. I''m going to the office tomorrow," Harry reminded her.

    "You know what? Suit yourself! I''m going to go out and have fun tonight whether or not youe with me!" She snapped at him.

    "By all means, please have fun," Harry encouraged, and Jade sucked her teeth as she turned her back to him and looked out of the window.

    Why was she upset this time? Didn''t he have the right to choose what he wanted to do with his evening anymore? Harry mused as he parked the car in n front of a five-star restaurant.

    Their outfits were too casual for such a big restaurant, but he didn''t mind. He wasn''t here to impress anyone after all. Once he got out of the car, he walked over to the other side and opened her door, "Are you going toe down, or do you intend to stay back here and sulk?" He asked, but Jade ignored him as she got out of the car with all the dignity she could muster.

    Harry handed the car key to the valet stepped back for Jade to walk inside when they got to the door.

    Why she always let him get to her was beyond her, Jade thought with annoyance as she walked past him.

    "Harry!" The owner of the hotel who looked about the same age as Harry greeted, when he sighted Harry walking in behind Jade, and he hurried towards him.

    "Hello, Philip! It''s been a while," Harry greeted with a polite smile as he shook hands with the young man.

    "It''s good to see you. You look... Different," he observed with a smile, and then nced at Jade who was waiting some feet away from them for Harry to finish with his conversation.

    "I guess it''s because I''m not dressed in a suit as usual," Harry said, ignoring the curiosity he could see on the young man''s face.

    "I don''t suppose you made a reservation?" The man asked.

    "No, I didn''t. My little friend here..." Harry said loud enough for Jade to hear him, "...is hungry, so we decided to stop by," Harry said, and Jade scowled at him, making Harry stifle the urge to chuckle.

    "That is not a problem then. I''ll just escort you to a private table if you don''t mind. And maybe you can introduce me to your little friend."

 Chapter 287 Whatever?

    <h4>Chapter 287 Whatever?</h4>

    Little friend? Did he really just refer to her as his little friend? Jade asked herself irritably as she followed both men. It was quite obvious that he enjoyed annoying her. He seemed to know the best ways to annoy her.

    She had only wanted to hang out with him because she genuinely felt grateful that he hade around. Spending thest couple of days with him was the most fun she had allowed herself to enjoy since her cheating ex-boyfriend died.

    She had withdrawn from everyone, and even though she tried to sound like she was fine while talking with her family over the phone, she had been very far from okay. She barely ate well nor took care of herself. She had buried herself in her job and overworked herself until he hade along and forced her toe out of her shell andmunicate with him every day.

    The offer of hanging out with him was out of the table now. She was going to go out without him. It had been four years already since shest went clubbing, and she wanted to do just that. Thest time she went clubbing was with Todd, two months before his ident. To think that she hadn''t even realized that he was cheating on her.

    "Esquire?" Harry called when he noticed that she had a distant look in her eyes and wasn''t paying attention to what was going on around her.

    "Huh?" She asked, blinking rapidly as she tried to focus her gaze on him.

    Harry looked slightly concerned, "Are you okay?"

    "Sure."

    "Then sit," he said, making her realize that he was still holding out her seat.

    She had almost forgotten how much of a gentleman he was. Or perhaps he was just old-fashioned? He was only a gentleman when his mouth was closed.

    "Thanks," Jade said as she lowered herself to the seat, and Harry took the seat opposite her.

    Philip cleared his throat as he took the seat adjacent to theirs, "So?" He asked, looking at Harry with a hopeful smile, reminding him that he wanted to be introduced to the pretty little friend. He figured that since Harry had introduced her that way, perhaps she was nothing other than that to him.

    "Philip, this is Jade Hank. Jade, meet Philip Foreman. He is the owner of this restaurant."

    "Jade Hank? You are not rted to Thomas Hank, are you?" Philip asked with a friendly smile, which for some reason, put Jade off.

    Although he was good-looking and she had caught him staring at her with interest a moment ago, she didn''t like the look she noticed on his face when he heard her name. Even if he had actually been interested in her, it seemed like his interest doubled upon hearing her name. From the way he asked the question, she could tell that he already knew the answer.

    Harry didn''t miss the change in Jade''s countenance when the guy asked about her rtionship with Tom, and he had a feeling that she wasn''t going to answer the question, so he decided to answer the question instead and observe her reaction.

    "Yes. She is Tom''s only sister. The spoilt Princess of the Hank family," Harry said with a note of humor in his voice, and he picked up the menu to ce his order when two waiters, a male, and female, joined them.

    "Wow! I never knew that Tom''s sister was this beautiful. It''s nice to meet you," Philip said with a pleasant smile as he held out his hand for a handshake.

    "Thanks, Mr. Foreman," Jade said with a polite smile as she shook hands with him and then withdrew her hand when it seemed like he would hold on to it longer than was necessary.

    "Call me Philip, please."

    ''So you can call me Jade? I don''t think so!'' Jade thought as she looked away from him and picked up another menu, "I suppose youe here often? What''s the best dish here?" She asked Harry, who was pretending not to follow their conversation, and he lowered the menu to meet her gaze.

    "You want me to order something for you?" He asked, and she gave him a nod.

    "Okay. We will have two servings of your signature dish," he said to the waiters, and the female waiter taking the order for food gave them a polite bow before excusing herself.

    "Bring them our best bottle of wine. It''s on the house," Philip said, dismissing the male waiter.

    "It''s been a while since Ist saw Tom. However, I read something about him showing his face to the world. How is he doing?" Philip asked, and Harry nced up from the menu, wondering if Philip was asking him or Jade.

    Seeing as Jade remained silent, Harry looked at Philip, "He''s doing good. He has just been really busytely."

    "Ah, I see!" Philip said, wondering why Jade wasn''t talking to him.

    "Do we have to eat here? Can''t we just take it home?" Jade asked, not liking the extrapany on the table.

    She had a feeling that he was indirectly trying to let her know that he was close friends with his brother and Harry. And even if that weren''t what he was doing, she would keep feeling like everything the guy did was targeted to impress her, and she didn''t want to keep listening to him talk.

    Home? Was something going on between Harry and Jade? Were they like a couple and were having some sort of misunderstanding hence she was in a bad mood? He wanted to ask, but he couldn''t do it in front of Jade withouting off as rude or nosy.

    "Is something wrong? Is the restaurant not to your liking?" Philip asked, concerned.

    "Don''t worry about her. She is just being her usual sweet self," Harry assured Philip before looking at Jade with a slightly concerned expression.

    "Why the sudden rush to go home?" He asked, wondering why she seemed to be so ufortable with Philip''spany.

    For someone who had been trying to get him to be in a rtionship and had insisted that she would get a boyfriend before he got a girlfriend, she seemed like she wasn''t interested in getting to know Philip. He was good-looking, wealthy, and polite, so what was her problem?

    "I would prefer to spend the evening ALONE with you," Jade said, making Harry''s brows draw together in confusion, while Philip quickly concluded that they were both in a rtionship.

    "My apologies then. I''ll just excuse you both. I''m sorry for the misunderstanding," he said with an apologetic smile as he stood up to leave, and Jade shed him an equally cool smile.

    "Thanks for your understanding," she said as she watched him leave.

    "What was that about? You do realize that you just gave him the impression that there is something between us, right?" Harry asked, looking appalled.

    "Something other than the fact that I''m your little friend?" Jade asked innocently just as the waiter came with a bottle of wine and two sses.

    Neither of them said a word as the waiter poured some wine into the sses, and immediately he left, Harry picked up from where they stopped, "He already figured that I used that phrase because you''re Tom''s kid sister. It wasn''t a big deal. The guy was interested in you, and you just blew him off," Harry pointed out.

    "Why? Are you now interested in my love life? Or did Tom ask you to get me a boyfriend too?" Jade asked as she picked up her winess and took a sip. She closed her eyes to savor the taste, "This is really good wine," she said as she dropped the ss.

    Harry just stared at her and shook his head. He didn''t know what was going on in her head. A part of him wished he did, but another part of him didn''t want to know, so he said nothing as he picked up his wine ss and sipped from it.

    "So, what is your n ?" Harry asked after a while when the silence between them became too much.

    "What n?"

    "You''ll be seeing Candace tomorrow. Are you going to take her to Jero or bring Jero to her?" Harry asked, and she rolled her eyes.

    "Are you incapable of having a conversation outside work-rted subjects?" She asked, and Harry sighed.

    What did this woman want from him? "What else do you want to talk about?" Harry asked, and she shook her head. It was obvious that the man didn''t know anything outside work.

    "Tell me about yourself," Jade suggested.

    "You already know me. You know my name, you know my dad is my only family, you know about my job, you know my best friend, you know my rtionship status, you know how blunt I can be," Harry listed.

    "Yeah. I know all of that. So tell me something I don''t know. I''m sure there is more to you than all of these aspects of your life that you mentioned," Jade said, leaning forward in her seat and resting both elbows on the table as she looked at Harry, who had a confused expression on his face.

    "Why don''t you just ask questions about whatever you are curious to know?" Harry suggested since he couldn''t think of a thing to tell her.

    "Whatever?" She asked with a silly smile.

    Seeing the smile on her face, Harry knew that it was a bad idea, but he was also curious to know what she was curious about, so he gave her a nod, "Yeah. But keep in mind that for every question I answer, I will ask a question too," he warned.

    "This is going to be fun," Jade said with a wide smile as she sipped from her wine.

    Unknown to Jade, who was busy sipping from her winess, her prospective sisters-inw were busy shopping through her closet in her brother''s mansion.

    "We really shouldn''t be doing this," Lucy said, feeling guilty.

    When Sonia had called and asked her to join her in the passageway because something urgent had juste up, she had asked Tom to meet her in the Den when he was ready and rushed out to meet Sonia. She was surprised to see that this was the urgent stuff.

    "C''mon, Lu. Don''t be a spoilsport. We aren''t stealing from her. Besides, I''m sure that she won''t even notice that anything is missing from here," Sonia pointed out.

    "The clothes were bought for her, not for us," Lucy pointed out.

    "And I''m sure if we ask Tom, he''s going to say it is fine," Sonia said as she picked out a simple long dress, "I think this will look good on you. Change into it," Sonia suggested.

    Lucy looked at her dubiously since the dress was decent, "You''re actually advising me to wear something decent?" She asked unbelievably, and Soniaughed.

    "It''s your thing. It looks like something you would buy. Besides, I doubt that you''d take my advice again if I suggest you wear something sexy," Sonia said with a grin.

    "Go on, change into this," she encouraged, but Lucy shook her head.

    "No, thanks."

    "Why? Because you think it''s stealing? I could just call Tom and ask if..."

    "No!" Lucy quickly cut her off. She knew that it had probably escaped Tom''s mind that there were female clothes in Jade''s closet; hence he hadn''t insisted on her changing her outfit that morning.

    Sonia narrowed her eyes, "What is going on?"

    Lucy cleared her throat, "We had a betst night, and I kinda lost. So I''m supposed to not wear any underwear," Lucy exined, and Sonia''s eyes lit up in understanding before she burst intoughter.

    "And you don''t want to wear the dress because you''d have to do so without undies, and Tom would know?"

    Lucy smiled, "Yeah. He''s really kind of naughty, and I don''t trust him not to touch me..."

    Sonia''s face split into a happy smile, and she embraced Lucy, "I''m happy your rtionship is going so well, Lu. Although you both look so gentle, I never would have imagined you did such naughty things," Sonia said as she felt Lucy''s ass to see if she was wearing undies.

    "Sonia!" Lucy eximed with a giggle when she realized what Sonia was doing and tried to push her away.

    "You''re really not wearing undies. How did I miss that?" Sonia asked in disbelief, "If I may ask, what was the bet about?" Sonia asked curiously, dragging Lucy towards the bed to sit down.

    Lucy considered for only a moment whether or not she should tell Sonia about it, but she also realized that she was dying to talk about it, so she leaned forward and then told Sonia all about it, as what led to the bet.

    Sonia doubled over withughter, "OMG! You''re such a slut, Lu! Do you want to switch brothers?" Sonia asked, and Lucy hit her arm as they both burst into peals ofughter.

    "Don''t joke about stuff like that," Lucy chided.

    "But, on a serious note, I never would have imagined that you were capable of all of this," Sonia said with a wide smile, happy that she could finally talk about sex in this manner with Lucy.

    "I know. I would never have thought so either. But then, Tom happened," Lucy said with a happy smile as her eyes fell on the wall clock.

    "We should join the others downstairs. It''s over thirty minutes already," Lucy said, wanting to stand up, but Sonia pulled her back.

    "You still have to change into the dress. We will sit away from the guys so he won''t touch you. I''m sure it would drive him crazy knowing that you''re wearing a dress without undies," Sonia suggested with a silly smile.

    "Sonia..."

    "Just take this advice, Lu. Trust me."

 Chapter 288 Traitors

    <h4>Chapter 288 Traitors</h4>

    "Trust? No way! I don''t trust you. Not after you left me alone with Evelynst night," Lucy said with a shake of her head.

    "But this is different. What''s the worst that can happen if you wear this very decent dress? Or you''re scared because the idea of wearing a dress without undies turns you on?" Sonia asked, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.

    "I''m not!" Lucy said defensively.

    "You are. Else I see no reason you don''t want to wear the dress. Fine, I''ll wear something simr too," Sonia offered.

    "Why are you so bent on making me wear this dress?" Lucy asked, suspecting that Sonia was up to something.

    "I have my reasons, okay? Just trust me. No harm wille from wearing this," Sonia assured her once again, and against Lucy''s better judgment, she allowed herself to be convinced. She took off her crop top and pzzo pants and changed into the one-shoulder floral print dress that hugged the upper part of her body and then flowed down from her waist, with a long slit that ran from her right thigh to her ankle.

    Sonia also took off her clothes and changed into another long dress. The difference was that hers was a simple mix print sleeveless v-neck dress that flowed down her ankle.

    "This is the most covered you''ve ever been when it''s not winter," Lucy said as she observed Sonia''s dress.

    "Thanks," Sonia said with a wink, epting it as apliment, "Now we both look decent. I''m sure Mother Hank would love this," Sonia said as they left the room.

    "What is taking them so long? I would have thought they were up to something had the boys not been here," Lucy''s father said, and Tom''s father chuckled.

    "I still think they are up to something. Maybe something differs," Tom''s father said suggestively, and his wife red at him mildly as she covered Jamal''s ears while Lucy''s parentsughed.

    "Doing that is pointless. Even if he hears what I said, I don''t think he understands the meaning," her husband pointed out.

    "You had better start watching your tongue. I don''t want you talking like this around our grandkids," Evelyn warned, and Tom exchanged a look with Bryan, who was seated beside him, and they both shook their head.

    "Sorry we kept you waiting," Lucy said as she walked into the Den with Sonia, and Tom, who had been ying a game with Bryan, dropped his pad when he heard her voice.

    His eyes lit up the moment he saw Lucy walking in with Sonia, and then he did a double-take when he noticed that she was wearing the dress.

    "C''mon, Tom! I was just about to score!" Bryan snapped at him.

    "You don''t need to score to win. I give up. You win," Tom announced distractedly.

    She was wearing the dress. Did that mean that she wasn''t wearing anything under the dress? He wondered as he waited for her toe to him since he had reserved the space beside him for her.

    "Just like that? That''s not fun," Bryan said irritably, and their father chuckled.

    "Yet you did the same to mest night. What did the Bible say about reaping what you sow? Your harvest came quite early," their father said, and the othersughed, apart from Tom whose brows were creased in displeasure when Lucy smiled at him but sat down on an empty couch away from him, and Sonia went to sit beside her.

    Tom nced at Bryan who also looked confused. There was enough space on their couch to amodate bothdies, so why did they choose to take the seat away from them?

    "Babe? What are you wearing?" Bryan asked with a frown making Tom realize that Bryan was more concerned about Sonia''s dress than where she was seated, "Mom, see what you caused! Now she''s wearing stuff that she doesn''t even like," he said usingly as he stood up and walked over to where Sonia was seated. He grabbed her hand before she could say a word, "Come with me," he said, pulling her up while the others watched the show.

    "Where to? I''m fine," Sonia said with a giggle as she tried to pull her hand away from his grip, refusing to let him drag her away, "I''mfortable. Stop embarrassing me," she said with an amused smile.

    "Are you sure?" Bryan asked, not understanding why she would choose to wear a dress like that. That waspletely not her style.

    "Yes. And I''m not wearing it because of your mom either. Or didn''t you notice Lucy''s dress?" she asked, and Bryan''s gaze shifted to Lucy.

    "If at this point you still think that Sonia would wear a dress like that just to impress your mom, then you still have a long way to go," Lucy''s father said with a chuckle.

    "Your dress looks lovely," Evelyn said, her gaze shifting from Sonia to Lucy, and it made Lucy shift ufortably in her seat since she felt like the woman could see through them and know that they had stolen her daughter''s clothes.

    "We borro..."

    "Thank you," Sonia quickly cut in with a smile, "And I''m sorry Bryan used you falsely," she added to cover up what she had just done.

    "Get back to your seat. I''m okay," she whispered to Bryan as she sat down once again beside Lucy.

    "So why are you dressed this way?" Bryan asked again.

    Sonia smiled, "I just reasoned that since I made her wear something I pickedst night, I should wear something she likes today," Sonia lied through her teeth, and everyone else bought her exnation apart from Tom.

    He knew for a fact that it was Sonia who had convinced Lucy to wear the dress, the same way he could swear that she was the one who had suggested that Lucy sit away from him. Too bad for them that he wasn''t going to let that happen.

    Tom stood up, and Lucy turned to Sonia for help when she noticed Tom wasing over to where they were seated, but Sonia only winked at her, "Loosen up, Lu. Try to enjoy yourself every time you get the chance. You only live once."

    Before either Bryan or Lucy could finish processing what Sonia was saying to her, Sonia looked at Tom who had stopped in front of them, "I suppose you want to sit beside her," Sonia said with a wide smile as she stood up.

    "Sonia! Where are you going to?" Lucy called, feeling betrayed that Sonia was leaving after convincing her to wear the dress without undies, and Tom chuckled as he sat down on the spot that Sonia had vacated.

    "To sit with Bryan. I can''t possibly refuse to let him sit down on his own couch, can I? I don''t want to be thrown out," Sonia said with mock fear as she linked her arm with Bryan''s.

    "I''ll let everyone know that we stole the dress if you don''t sit down," Lucy threatened.

    "No, we didn''t," Sonia said with a wink before walking away with Bryan, leaving Lucy who was ring at her back.

    "You must trust your friend a lot, don''t you? How do you think she found out about the closet? Or chose this particr dress?" Tom asked, looking at Lucy who was sitting away from him.

    Lucy turned to look at him with round eyes, "Did you n this?" She asked in disbelief, and Tom chuckled.

    "Did I not promise you that we will correct your not having a dress to change into soon enough? You didn''t think I would let you get away without fulfilling your end of the bargain, did you?" Tom reminded her.

    She knew he had said that, but she didn''t think he meant it would be that same day, "But this morning..."

    "It wasn''t in the closet. Jade would never wear something like this. I ordered both dresses and had Adolf pick them up after dropping off Lucas at the airport," Tom said with a grin.

    "I''ve been with Sonia all day. When did you talk to her? And what did you tell her?" She asked, wanting to know just how much Sonia knew.

    "After Jade left and you went to talk with Lucas, I had a little conversation with her. I told her that I wanted to get you a lovely dress, and I wanted her to convince you to wear it before dinner," Tom exined, and Lucy turned to re at her traitorous best friend, but unfortunately, Sonia waspletely engrossed in whatever she was discussing with Bryan as she had a silly smile on her face.

    "She didn''t ask you why?" Lucy asked, and Tom shrugged.

    "Was she supposed to? It was a reasonable request. I wanted you to wear a dress, not run around naked. I''m sure she didn''t read any meaning to it. Why? Did you tell her about our bet?" Tom asked, narrowing his eyes, and Lucy''s face flushed a bright red.

    Tom shook his head. "Yet, youdies im that guys are the ones who kiss and tell," Tom said with a shake of his head, "I suppose I''m free to talk to Harry about it too?" He asked, and Lucy shook her head.

    "I''m sorry," she said, pressing her lips together.

    "I don''t feel offended. I was just making a point which you got already," Tom assured her with a wink.

    "The dress looks really lovely on you. And I hope that the only reason you were avoiding me is that you remembered not to wear anything under it," Tom whispered with a naughty gleam in his eyes. Butterflies fluttered in Lucy''s belly when he reached out to trail a finger from her bare shoulder down to the slit on her gown, touching her thigh.

    This man! Lucy thought with a shaky breath, "Tom, please don''t start," she pleaded in a weak voice and looked around them self-consciously.

    She flushed a deep shade of red when she realized that the others were not talking but were all staring at them with amused expressions. Thankfully their seat was far apart from theirs, so she didn''t have to worry about them hearing what they had been discussing since they had been speaking in hushed tones.

    "If you are done flirting with her, can you let her call the results? You can continue that interesting discussion in the safety and privacy of your bedroom," Tom''s father who had been watching them along with everyone else, called out to Tom, and Lucy rested her head on Tom''s chest, hiding her face from the others who were nowughing.

    "Do you know that you always look sexy and cute when you''re embarrassed," Tom whispered with a soft smile, ignoring the others, "It really makes me want to..."

    "Shut up, Tom. Please don''t say any more words," Lucy pleaded as she pulled away from him and stood up.

    "And don''t do anything naughty. I need to focus," she warned in a tone that was supposed to be stern but came out as a plea, making Tom grin.

    She cleared her throat, "Uhm, although they both did really well, I''m sure you will all agree with me that there is neither a winner nor a loser here."

    "Oh,e on! That isn''t fun," Desmond protested with a defeated sigh as he copsed back on his seat, and thediesughed.

    "You canpete with Jade''s boyfriend when she gets one. I''m sure you will hear the result then," Tom told his father.

    Lucy cleared her throat, "Well, the whole essence of the game wasn''t for either of them to win or lose. Rather it was to see how far they were willing to go just to prove to each other that they are deserving of their ce in my heart."

    "Dad, you''re my father and the man I first loved. I will always love you. You have your special ce in my heart, so there''s no need for you to fight with Tom. He doesn''t want your ce. He knows that he has his own ce in my heart. Am I right, Tom?" Lucy asked as she turned to Tom.

    "Yeah. Very correct," Tom said with a nod.

    "And seeing how he could have won but decided to turn back just to help you, I think you should cut him some ck and..." Lucy said.

    "He already did. He weed my traitor brother to the family," Bryan cut in dryly.

    "Traitor brother?" Their father asked curiously, and Lucy''s fatherughed as he told them what had happened.

    "That was a smart move, Tom. I hope the guy your sister brings home is as smart as you," Desmond said, and Bryan scowled at them both.

    "Traitors."

    "Definitely not as traitorous as the person sitting next to you," Lucy retorted, pointing at Sonia, and they all burst into a peal ofughter.

 Chapter 289 Tanya Reynolds

    <h4>Chapter 289 Tanya Reynolds</h4>

    Sitting back in her seat as the waiters served their meal, Jade considered Harry as she tried to arrange all the questions she had in her head.

    Once the waiters left, she leaned forward in her seat, "What was growing up like?" She asked, surprising both herself and Harry, who hadn''t been expecting that question.

    She had wanted to ask many other questions, but only now did she realize that she wanted to get to know him better and understand him before doing that.

    "Growing up?" Harry asked, confused.

    "Yeah. Your childhood. Being raised by just your dad. What was it like?" Jade exined as she picked up her wine ss and sipped from it.

    Harry cleared his throat and then leaned forward in his seat as he thought about the question, "Hmm, It was fine, I suppose? Although, at some point in my life, I was very sad and really wanted a mother like other kids. My dad tried his best to exin that he couldn''t give me one, but he would try to make up for my mother''s absence by loving and caring for me twice as much as he knew my mother would have done. So on my birthdays and during every Christmas holiday, he would get me two gifts, one from him and the other from my mom," Harry said with a distant look in his eyes, and Jade felt tears gather in her eyes when she heard the sadness in his voice.

    "Most times, he would make sure the gift from my mom was something I desperately wanted and had asked him for several times in the past, but he refused to get it. And then when I unwrap the gift, he goes, ''Wow! Your mom is the best! I can''t believe I said I wasn''t going to get you that, yet she went on to buy it'' you won''t believe that he does that till date even when he knows I''m not a kid anymore," Harry said with a sad smile as he met Jade''s gaze, and a tear slid down her cheek as sheughed.

    "You''re making me fall in love with your dad," she said as she used the back of her hand to wipe her tears.

    "Unfortunately, it''s going to be an unrequited love, and you''re going to get your heart broken," Harry said with a small smile.

    "You never can tell. I just might be thedy he has been waiting for this whole time. Who knows? I might be the next Mrs. Jonas, your stepmom," Jade said with a wink, but Harry didn''t smile back as he looked at her with a nk expression.

    Seeing the look on his face, Jade assumed that he didn''t like the joke, "C''mon, it was a joke. You don''t have to look so serious. I''m sorry," Jade said apologetically.

    "We should eat before the meal gets cold," Harry said as he picked up his cutlery, leaving Jade no other option than to do the same.

    "Is that all?" Harry asked after they ate in silence for some time, wanting to know if that was all she wanted to know about him.

    "All? No. I just figured that you needed time to calm down before I continue," Jade said, and Harry gave her a nod.

    "You can go on," he urged as they continued eating.

    "So what kind of kid were you? What ss did you fall into? Extrovert or introvert? The bully or the bullied? Were you among the cool big shots in your ss? What sports did you y in school?" She asked, and Harry blinked in surprise at all the questions she had just asked at a go. Just how curious was she?

    "What kind? I was calm and always kept to myself. I was almost bullied once, but I fought back, and that was thest time it happened..."

    "You fought back?" Jade asked, not sure if she believed it.

    "Why? You think I can''t fight?" Harry asked when he saw the doubtful expression on her face.

    Jade grinned at him as she shrugged, "You just look too calm. But on second thought, I guess you have to know how to use your fist with that tongue of yours. If you''ve always been so brutally honest, you must have gotten into trouble more often than not," Jade said with a grin, and Harry chuckled.

    "Yeah."

    "So? Did you have your own cool kids clique? Did you y any school sports?" Jade asked, reminding him of the unanswered questions.

    "No. I preferred to move alone. I yed basketball..."

    "No way!" Jade eximed in disbelief, and Harry raised a brow.

    "Why not?"

    "You don''t just seem like that type," she said, looking him over.

    "And what type do I seem like?" Harry asked with a slightly raised brow.

    "Well, not the basketball type," Jade said, unable to find the words to exin it.

    "Basketball game isn''t for boring people like me, you mean?" Harry asked, and Jade grinned sheepishly.

    "A few days ago, you said you didn''t think I was boring. Can you tell me what changed your mind so easily?" Harry asked, and she shrugged.

    "You. I said that before spending enough time with you. You''re always working and talking about work."

    "So that qualifies me as boring? And you conveniently forget that I dragged you out of your house and even the hotel to stop you from burying yourself in your work?" Harry asked with a shake of his head.

    Jade shook her head in protest, "That is different. I can have fun when I want to..."

    "And you think I can''t?" Harry asked incredulously.

    "Yeah, I think you can''t. You can prove it by going out with me tonight," Jade offered.

    "No! It''s not going to work. I''m boring, and I want to sleep so that I can resume my boring job tomorrow," Harry said, and Jade copsed against her seat in frustration, making him chuckle.

    Why did she even bother to ask again when she had already taken the offer off the table? Jade wondered as she nursed her winess in her hand. By now, they had both stopped eating.

    "Have you ever been with a woman?" Jade asked out of the blues, making Harry almost choke on the wine he was sipping.

    "What?" He asked, looking at her in surprise. Something had told him that she was going to ask something rted to his private life, but he hadn''t expected such a direct question.

    "You said I could ask whatever," she reminded him with a grin.

    "I''m with you right now, am I not?" Harry asked, choosing to take the easy way, but Jade shook her head.

    "You know what I mean, uncle Harry," Jade said, leaning forward with a grin, eager to hear his answer.

    "That isn''t a question you should be asking your brother''s best friend," Harry reminded her.

    "Then forget for a moment that you''re Tom''s best friend and assume that I''m just a randomdy," Jade offered.

    "I can''t do that," Harry said with a slight frown, and Jade rolled her eyes.

    "C''mon, you agreed to answer my questions," she reminded him with a pout, and Harry sighed as he looked away as though he was embarrassed.

    "No."

    "NO?" Jade eximed in utter disbelief, and Harry frowned.

    "If you thought I''ve been with someone, why did you ask?"

    "You mean like you''ve NEVER had sex with ady?" Jade asked, dropping her voice to a whisper in case he had misunderstood her question, and Harry just stared at her without saying a word.

    "Was your dad right?" Jade asked thoughtfully, and Harry''s brows furrowed.

    "My dad? Right about what?" He asked, not seeing what his dad had to do with their conversation.

    "Maybe you''re not straight? Tell me, how do you feel around guys? Or is it animals?" Jade asked with an amused glint in her eyes, and Harry red at her, making her burst into a peal ofughter. And she quickly raised her hand to cover her mouth when people around them turned to look in their direction.

    "How old are you?" She asked when she finallyported herself.

    "Twenty-eight."

    "You''re twenty-eight? I thought you were the same age as Tom," Jade said, surprised.

    "Is that a separate question, or is it rted to thest question?" Harry asked as he nced at his wristwatch.

    "Why?"

    Harry returned his attention to her, "Why what?"

    "Why haven''t you been with anyone? What''s stopping you?" She asked, looking at him curiously now.

    "Is there an age limit to having sex? I can always do it, right? So what''s the hurry?" Harry asked, and Jade shook her head.

    "Are you not physically attracted todies?"

    This was a very awkward conversation to be having with her. He didn''t even know why he was answering her questions when he could easily deflect or just say no, "Of course, I am."

    "So?"

    "I don''t have to have sex with just any person because I''m physically attracted to them, do I? There has to be some sort of connection. An emotional connection. My body is important to me, and I can''t share it with just anyone. Now can we stop talking about this?"

    Jade looked at Harry for a moment. Somehow in the middle of their conversation, her opinion of him had greatly changed and she had a newfound admiration and respect for him, "Sure," she said with a nod.

    "So, can I ask you a personal question too?" Harry asked, and Jade smiled.

    "I would have thought you''d ask your question without asking my permission."

    "Well, unlike you, I can''t impose my questions on you," Harry said, and Jade gave him a nod.

    "Go on."

    "Have you been with anyone since you lost your ex?" He asked, and the smile in Jade''s eyes died.

    "No."

    "If you don''t mind me asking. Why? Are you still mourning him, or you just haven''t found someone else you care about?" Harry asked, and Jade let out a sigh.

    "Neither. I''ve just not been interested in getting involved with anyone," she said with a small smile, "Do you know thatdy on your three o''clock? She has been staring at you since she walked in with her friends," Jade said, and Harry tried not to look that way.

    "What does she look like?" He asked.

    "Like a younger version of Jennifer Lopez? She looks like the richest amongst her friends too," Jade tried, and Harry groaned. He only knew one person who fit that description.

    "Let''s leave."

    "Why? Who is she?" Jade asked, not budging.

    "You know TANYA corporation? It was named after her. She''s the daughter of the Chairman," Harry said, and Jade giggled.

    "She likes you?"

    "I wouldn''t say that. Remember the blind date I told you about?" Harry asked, and Jade giggled.

    "The one you told that her make-up looked funny on her?"

    "In retrospect, I shouldn''t have said that," Harry said with a wince.

    "I think she''s heading this way," Jade whispered.

    "We should have just left," Harry muttered under his breath.

    "Harry Jonas?" Tanya asked as she stopped by their table, and Harry turned to look at her with a false confused smile as he stood up.

    "Hi? I''m sorry you look familiar, but I don''t think I recognize you," Harry said, pretending not to recognize her.

    "You don''t remember me? Tanya Reynolds, we met some time ago..." She let her words trail because of Jade.

    "Oh, Tanya!" Harry eximed, and Jade tried to hold back herughter. Who would have thought that Harry was capable of that? So much for not telling lies.

    "I''m very sorry about thest time. I shouldn''t have..."

    "It''s fine. So this is your girlfriend?" She asked, eyeing Jade who was still dressed in her simple button-down dungaree skirt.

    Before Harry could say no, Tanya giggled, "I can''t believe that you lost your chance with me, only to end up with such a lowlife," Tanya said with disdain. Jade, who had been finding the situation amusing a moment ago, suddenly felt pissed.

    Seeing how she had brought unnecessary attention to them and knowing how fast Jade could switch moods, Harry looked at Jade, "No need to respond to that, baby. I''ll take care of it," he pleaded with his eyes for her to remain calm before looking at Tanya.

    "Point of correction, I didn''t lose my chance with you. I didn''t even remember that you existed until you walked up to me. So I guess you lost me is why you came to find me," Harry said with a smile on his face as he dropped some dor notes on the table and stepped away from his seat, leaving both Jade and Tanya staring at him in surprise.

    "Baby, let''s go home," he said to Jade, extending an arm to her, and Jade quickly stood up and took his arm.

    "One more thing. Looking back now, I realize that your attitude is just as bad as your make-up sense, so I take back my apology. And lest I forget, the only lowlife here is you. Unlike you, she isn''t just a pretty face. She is very hardworking and doesn''t depend on her family''s wealth. Say hello to your father when you get home," Harry said before walking away with a stunned Jade.

    "I take back all I said! You are so not boring!" Jade eximed after they left the restaurant.

    "Seeing as you keep changing your words every few days, I don''t trust you," Harry said with a smirk as he led her to the car.

 Chapter 290 You’re No Longer My Best Friend

    <h4>Chapter 290 You''re No Longer My Best Friend</h4>

    Lucy squirmed in her seat when she felt Tom''s hand gliding up her thighs. The movement of his hand evoked thoughts and feelings in her that she wasn''t supposed to think or feel when their parents were seated across from them in the same room.

    She turned to look at him in the darkly lit room, "Tom," she called in a whisper.

    "Yes, baby?" Tom whispered back, pretending not to know why she had called him.

    "Our parents are here," Lucy reminded him nervously.

    "The room is dark, so they can''t see us. Besides, they''re all too busy watching the moments captured during the contest," Tom assured her, and as though to prove that he was right, their parents burst into a peal ofughter as they watched the scene when Tom and Lucy''s father kept trying to find the bubble gum hidden in the whipped cream.

    Lucy shifted ufortably, her heart beating really fast with a mix of both excitement and anxiety. Making out in front of one''s parents was a very daring thing, and she never did daring stuff unless it was work-rted. Her gaze shifted to the corner where Sonia and Bryan were seated, and she tried to adjust her sight to make out what they were doing, but she couldn''t.

    If she could, she would have seen that Sonia''s right hand was ced over Bryan''s cock, and she was giving him a handjob. At the same time, both their eyes were fixed on the screen, pretending to be enjoying the video like everyone else, when all they both wanted to do was excuse themselves and go upstairs to blow off some steam.

    "Rx," Tom said to her as he leaned closer to her and kissed the crook of her neck, making Lucy inhale deeply, and her eyes closed of their own volition.

    Tom''s fingers slowly caressed through the slit in her dress, up her thigh as though they were seeking a treasure between her thighs. The higher his fingers went, the morebored Lucy''s breath became.

    What sort of powers did Tom have over her body that she felt hot every time he touched her in a sensual way? Was it always this way for everyone? Or was her body so sensitive because she was only just getting to understand and discover the pleasures of intimacy?

    She felt his tongue glide on the spot behind her ear and bit down the urge to moan as her hand involuntarily moved to grab the front of his chest.

    Taking that as a go-ahead, Tom let his hand glide further up until he stopped at the spot between her thighs, and then his middle finger separated her folds and circled her clit in multiple sessions.

    "Oh, God! Thom..."

    Thankfully the others around them chose that moment tough at something funny, and because they were all talking, no one heard her.

    "Do you want me to stop or continue?" Tom asked in a husky whisper as he thrust one finger in and out of her citadel of pleasure

    "Stop, no. Don''t stop," Lucy pleaded, at a loss.

    Tom smiled, "Think of this as a sort of training," Tom whispered into her ear in a husky voice, "You won''t always have the opportunity to moan out loud every time we make out. Not when I''m touching you this way in a family gathering or doing something sexual to you during an official meeting. You will have to learn how to enjoy yourself in silence sometimes... Like now," he lectured as he slid another finger into her and allowed his thumb to rest on her clit.

    Lucy''s whole body trembled as he rubbed her clit, and then thrust his fingers into her repeatedly. Rub and thrust. Rub and thrust.

    Lucy leaned into him and bit on his shirt to keep herself from moaning or making any embarrassing sound as he continued.

    The room erupted inughter again as the elders watched the scene where both Tom and Andrew kept running around trying to stomp on the other''s balloon, and Tom lowered his head as he took Lucy''s lips in a deep passionate kiss. He thrust his tongue deep into her mouth as though he was fucking her mouth with his tongue, and she moaned into his mouth.

    "Bryan and Sonia, behave yourselves, or go up to your room and continue," Evelyn warned sternly when she heard the sound and assumed it was from Sonia.

    Sonia, pretending to watch the game while still giving Bryan a handjob, exchanged a look with Bryan. Although they were ''misbehaving'', they both knew that they were not the ones responsible for the misbehavior that they were being reprimanded for.

    "That wasn''t..." Sonia lifted her hand from his cock, and ced it over Bryan''s hand to stop him from ratting out Lucy and Tom. She could stand being teased about something like this, but Lucy wasn''t that way.

    "I guess this is the shoring of being the bad person in a group. When something bad happens, everyone naturally assumes that you''re responsible for it," Sonia whispered to Bryan, and he chuckled when she winked at him.

    Seeing that she was trying to cover for her friend and his brother, he sighed, "Alright. We are taking it up to our room. See you at dinner," Bryan announced to his mother as he adjusted his throbbing cock in his trousers and stood up.

    He shot a pointed look in Tom''s direction as he offered Sonia his hand to help her rise, "Let''s go upstairs, babe."

    On hearing Evelyn''s voice earlier, Lucy had quickly pulled away from Tom, not wanting to be discovered, but Tom only chuckled when he caught Bryan''s re as he found it all to be funny. Who would have thought that in a room with family all around them, he would be the one doing something so juvenile, and not Bryan?

    Lucy didn''t feel a bit guilty that Evelyn was using Sonia of something she had done. No, she didn''t. Not one bit. It was Sonia''s fault after all that she was in this position, so it was only right that she took responsibility for it.

    Lucy cleared her throat, "I need to use the bathroom," she said as she stood up, feeling very ufortable with the wetness between her thighs, which she knew had touched on her dress.

    The adults didn''t pay either of them attention as all three of them left the room. At the same time, Tom had a grin on his face as he rxed on the couch. He wasn''t done with her yet, but it was okay to let her assume that he was done for a little while. He wanted to keep it up that way until she became the one initiating intimacy between them.

    Outside the Den, Lucy walked past Sonia and Bryan as she hurried to go upstairs to the bedroom.

    "Lu," Sonia called as she hurried to catch up with Lucy, leaving Bryan to follow from behind.

    "Shut up. Don''t say a word to me, you traitor," Lucy hissed at her, and Sonia giggled.

    "C''mon, I didn''t mean any harm. Besides, you didn''t sound like Tom was hurting you earlier. Or was he? Where did he hurt so I can make it all better?" Sonia asked with an innocent expression.

    "I asked you not to say anything!" Lucy hissed, feeling very embarrassed, and Sonia grinned as she ced an arm around Lucy''s shoulder.

    "There''s no need to feel embarrassed about enjoying yourself. Besides, how can I not say anything when I just took a bullet for you in there?"

    "A bullet you wouldn''t have had to take in the first ce if you hadn''t deceived me!" Lucy said as she tried to shake Sonia''s arm off her shoulder.

    "Deceived you? All I did was convince you to wear a dress, and I wore one too..."

    "Really, Sonia? Do you think Tom hasn''t told me how the dress ended up in that closet? After giving me your word that we would sit away from the guys, you had the nerves to say, ''I can''t possibly refuse to let him sit down on his own couch, can I?''" Lucy asked, mimicking Sonia''s tone.

    "C''mon, Lu. That''s not how I sounded," Sonia corrected with an annoyed frown, "I can''t possibly refuse to let him sit down on his own couch, can I? I don''t want to be thrown out," Sonia said with a grin as she repeated her earlier performance, and Lucy burst into a peal ofughter before she could stop herself, and then she red at Sonia.

    "Fine. I did say we would sit away from the guys, which we did. Didn''t we? What I didn''t say was how long we were going to sit away from them. And we didn''t talk about what we would do if either of them came to sit with us either, did we? So technically, I didn''t lie to you. I kept my word by sitting with you until Tom showed up..."

    "You''re just like Tom..."

    "Which is why I think you love the both of us," Sonia interrupted with a grin.

    "I''m never going to trust you again. NEVER! You took Tom''s side. You are no longer my best friend," Lucy said as she brushed past Sonia and headed for Tom''s bedroom.

    Bryan, who had been listening to their entire conversation, chuckled when Sonia turned to look at him with a pout, "She can be so dramatic."

    "You deserve that much. You''re a traitor after all, just like Tom," Bryan said with a shake of his head since she had exined everything about the dress to him earlier.

    Sonia looked at him with puppy eyes and a pout, and Bryan opened his arms to her, "But don''t worry. Traitor or not, I can be your best friend," Bryan assured her as she walked into his arms.

    "You''re Matt''s best friend, and Lu is my baby girl forever. Don''t worry. I will win her trust again soon enough," she said with a confident smile as she pulled away from him, and they continued down the hallway.

    "If you say so. However, I''m surprised to see this side of Tom. I''m beginning to feel like he is the bad one, and I''m the good one," Bryan said with an amused smile, thinking that Tom had obviously not needed to take any lectures from him on being a bad boy.

    Sonia giggled as he opened the bedroom door, and they both walked inside, "I think Lucy is just as bad. She is just being this way because she is new to it. Those two are a wild pair," Sonia said with a small smile as she sat on the edge of the bed.

    "By the way, what do you think about Harry and Jade?" She asked as she stood up to pick up her journal and pen when she remembered that it had been a while since shest wrote down her novel ideas.

    "Harry and Jade?" Bryan asked, wondering why she was thinking of them now.

    "Yeah. I think there is chemistry between them," She said with a grin as she scribbled down the details she had noticed about them earlier. She couldn''t wait to watch them interact the next day.

    "It should remain just chemistry. I don''t want them to have any biology between them," Bryan said dryly, and Sonia giggled.

    "Why not? Don''t they look cute together?"

    "I don''t know. Maybe ites with being a protective older brother. And I don''t know Harry well enough, apart from the fact that he''s a good friend to Tom and he''s good at helping Tom handle his business. Although Tom has hinted that he hopes something happens between them, so I guess he''s a good guy. I''m just very protective of Jade," Bryan said as he took off his shirt.

    Sonia sighed, wishing she had an older brother too. Immediately she made the wish, she remembered Jamie, and she shuddered at the thought as she quickly took back the wish. Not all older brothers were good.

    "Now, can we stop talking about the chemistry and biology between others and focus on our own biology?" He asked as he pointed at his bulging erection.

    "Happy to misbehave with you," she said with a wink as she stood up and took off her dress to reveal her naked body.

    Away from their bedroom, Lucy took off her dress as she walked into the shower. She needed to clean up and also calm herself after the havoc Tom had wrought on her senses.

    As she stood under the shower with her eyes closed and her back to the door, she thought about all Tom had just done and imagined how far they would have gone if she hadn''t stopped him. She felt hot all over again.

    Her eyes shot open, and she gasped in surprise when she felt Tom''s handse around her and his naked body press against hers. She was surprised that she had not heard hime in.

    "Would you like us to continue from where we stopped?" Tom whispered as he kissed her neck, weakening her knees.

    "Tom, you''re going to make me a sex maniac," Lucyined with a moan.

    "It''s not my fault that you''re so irresistible. I want to make love to your body and soul. I want to pleasure you until your body recognizes my every touch," Tom said as he nibbled on her earlobe, and his right hand found its way to her pussy, while the other hand grabbed her boob.

    Lucy spread her legs so that his fingers would have better ess to their destination, and her whole body shuddered as he drove her to pleasure with his fingers.

    She buried her fingers in his wet hair as she kissed him deeply while making throaty sounds as she orgasmed.

    While she was still recovering from that orgasm, Tom broke the kiss and went down on his knees to feast on her pussy, driving her on to another climax.

    Unable to hold back herself, Lucy cried out loudly as her entire body shook with the force of her orgasm until her knees were too weak to hold her, and she weakly lowered herself to the floor with Tom''s help.

    Tom, who was now seated on the floor, embraced her so that her chin was resting on the crook of his neck as she tried to catch her breath while the cold water of the shower fell on them both.

    She pulled away from him after she found her voice, "What are you doing to me, Tom?" She asked, gazing adoringly into his eyes.

    "I should be asking you the same question," Tom said as he watched her with equal adoration and reached out to touch her wet face. It still surprised him greatly that, for the first time in his life, he wanted to just give pleasure to someone without necessarily taking it back.

    "Please don''t do that during dinner. I''m wearing undies to dinner," Lucy pleaded.

    "Don''t worry. I have other ns for dinner. It wasn''t just the dress that I had Adolf pick up," Tom said with a wicked glint in his eyes, and Lucy groaned inwardly.

    ********

    A big shout-out to Viska001, thanks for all the super gifts. You gave me my first ever super gift on Webnovel and I can never forget that. You''re more than loved.

    And many thanks to Mara_Heller for her daily gifts. I''m thankful to you for being my top fan. How you''ve retained that spot still amazes me. Thank you.

 Chapter 291 My Jewel

    <h4>Chapter 291 My Jewel</h4>

    Lucy sighed contentedly as shey naked on the bed beside an equally naked Tom, with her head snuggled on his chest.

    Tom''s eyes were closed, and he rubbed her back as they enjoyed thefortable silence, "Jewel?" Tom asked.

    "Huh?" Lucy asked, wondering what he was asking.

    "Do you like the name? I want to call you that. My jewel," Tom said, and Lucy grinned as she raised her head to look at him.

    "That sounds sweet. Why did you choose that?" She asked curiously, and her eyes widened slightly as Tom drew her close so that she was lying on his body.

    "Are you sure you''ll befortable this way?" Lucy asked, looking down at him with concern as she was now lying on top of him, and she feared that she was pressing on his abdomen and chest.

    "I''m fine," Tom assured her as he held her gaze.

    "I love the name Jewel. You''re more precious to me than gold and diamond," Tom said, and Lucy''s lips curved in a wide smile that made her eyes twinkle.

    "I love your smile. I love it when you smile," Tom said, and she turned her face away in embarrassment as she giggled, making him chuckle, "Now you''re being cute."

    "So, are you okay with the name?" Tom asked again, and she returned her gaze to him.

    "Yes. I love it. You''ll call me that only when we are alone, right?" Lucy asked, and Tom''s brow shot up.

    "No."

    "You will call me that in front of the others?" She asked curiously.

    .

    "Isn''t that the point?" He asked in amusement, wondering why she was asking such a question.

    "Oh," Lucy said with a slight blush, and he chuckled.

    "You''ll get used to it eventually, don''t worry," Tom assured her as he kissed her lightly, knowing that she still wasn''t entirely used to the whole rtionship stuff.

    "So, what would you like me to call you?" Lucy asked, and Tom shrugged.

    "You shoulde up with a name you''refortable with. Something you wouldn''t mind to call me when we are in thepany of others," Tom said, and Lucy grinned.

    "What about Hanky?" Lucy asked, sticking her tongue in her cheek, and Tom''s body shook with the force of hisughter as he rolled her over.

    "Then should I just call you panky instead? And then we can do some hanky-panky stuff," Tom asked with a naughty smile, and Lucy giggled as she rolled off the bed, taking the bedsheet along with her as she moved away from him to the other side of the bed.

    "I was just kidding," she said amidst herughter.

    "I''m not kidding, panky," Tom said with a wink, and Lucy giggled at how ridiculous he looked making such a joke while he was stark naked.

    "Stop being naughty," she chided as she adjusted the bedsheet on her body to cover herself as she headed for the closet to put on some clothes.

    "I was thinking... Would you like to go shopping within the week?" Tom asked as he put on his boxers and followed her into the closet.

    "Shopping?" She asked without turning to look at him as the hem of the bedsheet trailed behind her sweeping the floor.

    "Yeah. You forgot you wanted to go shopping this weekend?" He reminded her, and Lucy sighed as she turned to look at him.

    "I actually forgot about it," she said, and Tom smiled.

    "You would be weird to remember something like that considering all that has happened between then and now. It feels like a week has passed already," Tom said as he went to where she was standing and embraced her in aforting manner.

    "It would be weird, yet you remembered," she murmured as she pulled away from him before he had the chance to snatch the bedsheet away from her body, as she suspected he wanted to do.

    Tom grinned at her, knowing that he had been caught, "I only remembered because it concerns you." Tom stopped there, choosing not to add that it was also because he wanted to see more of her stuff in his closet. He reasoned that it would make her feel rushed, and he didn''t want her to feel that way; hence he was taking things slowly.

    "That''s sweet of you. I will go shopping after we''ve sorted things out. Let''s deal with Anita first," Lucy suggested, and Tom gave her a nod.

    "Sonia mentioned that Anita is responsible for their scandal too," Lucy said, watching Tom closely. She had been waiting for him to mention it all day, but it seemed like he didn''t want to talk about it.

    "Yes, she is."

    "You didn''t mention it to me," Lucy pointed out.

    "Because I didn''t want to waste the little time we share away from the family talking about her like we are doing now," Tom exined, still not wanting to think of Anita. The mere mention of her name annoyed him and ruined her mood.

    "What are we going to do about her?" Lucy asked, wondering if he was going to fire Anita.

    Despite the positive feedback she had gotten from theizens following her confession, she still felt nervous about going to work the next day. And somehow, she couldn''t shake off the feeling that this wasn''t all that Anita had up her sleeve. She needed some sort of reassurance from Tom so that she wouldn''t have to worry so much about Anita.

    "Can we please not talk about her yet? At least just for today? Tomorrow we can talk about how to deal with her. I just want to enjoy this weekend with you and our family without either of us thinking about her. Please," Tom pleaded.

    "Okay."

    Tom watched as she turned around and started rummaging through her bag for something to wear, and he could tell that she didn''t like his response.

    "Jewel Panky?"

    Despite her annoyance, Lucy''s lips twitched in amusement, but she didn''t turn to look at him. She sighed when he hugged her from behind, and she turned in his arm to face him.

    "Are you that worried about her?" Tom asked as he ced a hand under her chin, and lifted her head so that he could look into her eyes.

    "We can talk about it tomorrow," Lucy said, and Tom shook his head.

    "I''m sorry I dismissed your concerns that way. It wasn''t my intention. I just didn''t want to ruin our mood by talking about her."

    "It''s fine. I understand."

    "It''s not fine. Since it bothers you so much, let''s discuss with Bryan and Sonia about what to do. She didn''t just mess with us. She messed with them too," Tom said, and Lucy smiled at him.

    "Thank you."

    "I got you always," he promised as he kissed the tip of her nose and then stepped away from her so that they would both dress up.

    ****************

    Inside the car, Jade kept stealing nces at Harry as he drove, and when he couldn''t take it anymore, he sighed, "Is there something you want to say to me?" Harry asked, turning to spare her a nce.

    Jade shook her head, "Pull the car over. I want to get down."

    "Here? Why?" Harry asked with a slight frown.

    "I told you I was going out, didn''t I? Don''t worry, I''ll find my way back to the house when I''m done," she assured him, and Harry sighed as he pulled the car over by the side of the road for her to get down.

    "Are you sure you will be fine on your own?" Harry asked with concern as she opened the door.

    Jade hesitated as she turned to look at him, "Are you going toe with me if I say I won''t be fine on my own?"

    "No. I''ll rather stop you from leaving," Harry said, and Jade rolled her eyes.

    "I''ll be fine on my own. See you when I see you. Goodnight," she called to him as she got out of the car and shut the door.

    Harry didn''t drive off immediately. Instead, he watched her through his rearview mirror as she walked away from the car and gged down a cab.

    He waited until she got into the cab, and just as the cab drove past his car, she blew him a kiss, and Harry chuckled as he drove off.

    Inside the cab, Jade turned in her seat to look at Harry''s car, and she watched as he took the next bend while her cab drove straight ahead.

    Harry. He had surprised her a lot in one day, and even more surprising for her was the realization that she was beginning to find him intriguing. Initially, she had just wanted to know him mainly because he was Tom''s best friend, but now she was curious about him on a different level.

    Once she was done taking care of Jero and the cartel, she would revisit her newfound interest in Harry.

 Chapter 292 Sleeplessness

    <h4>Chapter 292 Sleeplessness</h4>

    No matter how much Harry tried to get the much needed sleep he craved, he couldn''t seem to find it. He turned and tossed on his bed for over an hour until he finally gave up and got off the bed in frustration as he tried to figure out what was bothering him.

    He picked up his cellphone from his nightstand as he walked out of the bedroom to the living room. Once he got there, his eyes fell on Jade''s duffel bag which he had dropped on the couch earlier when he brought it from the car.

    It was Jade. She was the reason he couldn''t sleep. He was worried about her. How was he supposed to get any sleep when he didn''t even know where she had gone to or what she was doing? What if something happens to her? How would he exin to Tom that he didn''t even know the whereabouts of his sister, who he had entrusted to him? Maybe he shouldn''t have let her go out all by herself. Or he should have just convinced her to return to the house with him and go have fun after she joins her family the next day.

    If he had known he wasn''t going to be able to get any sleep, he would have just gone with her to wherever she had gone to, especially as she kept making it so obvious that she wanted him to go with her.

    He picked up the duffel bag and carried it over to the guest bedroom she had used the previous night. Immediately he walked through the door, he was greeted by the floral fragrance he had begun to associate with her, and he held his breath involuntarily.

    Realizing what he was doing, he released his breath and carefully ced the duffel bag on the bed before walking out of the bedroom as fast as he could.

    Immediately he returned to the living room, he headed straight for his minibar and poured himself a ss of wine. Just as he took the first sip of wine, his cell phone rang out, and he almost jumped out of his skin in shock.

    He quickly grabbed the phone thinking it was Jade, and he sighed when he saw that the call was from his father. He was surprised that his father had not called him back since thest time they spoke, and he embarrassed him in the presence of Jade.

    "Hey, dad!"

    "Hey, you! You no longer care about your old man, do you?" His father asked, and Harry frowned as he dropped his wine ss.

    Somehow hearing his father ask that made his heart ache. They were both everything to each other so he didn''t understand where that wasing from, "You know I do. I always will. Why would you even say that?"

    "Yet you haven''t called in days? Why? Are you that pissed because I embarrassed you in front of your girlfriend?"

    "Dad, I told you already. Jade isn''t my girlfriend..."

    "Why not? Is she in a rtionship?"

    "No, she is not. I am..."

    "Then ask her out," his father cut in again, making Harry sigh.

    "Dad, can you at least let me finish what I''m saying?" Harry asked in exasperation.

    "Not unless whatever you wanted to say was going to end on a positive note. That''s the only thing I''m interested in hearing," his father said, and Harry shook his head.

    "Anyway, I was not pissed. I didn''t call because I have been really busy thesest couple of days. I''ve barely had a good night''s sleep. I''m sorry. I will do better."

    "Sure, I know you love me half as much as I love you. And I also know you were busy, hence I didn''t call you either. I was only pulling your legs. By the way, I saw the news about Tom. He even has a girlfriend now, yet you don''t."

    Harry groaned inwardly, "I miss you, dad. I should visit you soon. Or maybe you can pay me a visit," Harry suggested, wanting to change the subject.

    "Perhaps I should. And then we can go clubbing. Who knows? Maybe I can find you a girlfriend this time," he suggested, and Harry chuckled.

    "I''m never going clubbing with you. Not after what you did thest time," Harry said, recalling how his father had walked up to a couple of thedies at the club and tried to get them to talk to him. That had to be the most embarrassing night of his life.

    "Alright. I give up. You don''t have to get married if you don''t want to. You can stay married to your job if that''s what you want. Why don''t we adopt a kid then? Maybe a little girl? Or you don''t like kids too?"

    "Dad, I love kids, and I''m definitely going to get a girlfriend and get married eventually. I just want something special like what you shared with mom. You of all people should understand that. So can you please give me some time?" Harry asked, and his father sighed.

    "It''s not like I have a choice, do I?"

    "You don''t," Harry said and nced at his phone''s screen when it beeped with an iing call notification from Aurora.

    "I have to go now, dad. I will give you a call tomorrow, okay?"

    "Alright. Take care of yourself. And my regards to Tom''s sister," his father said, and Harry heard the disconnect tone before he could protest.

    Harry hesitantly received Aurora''s call, "Hey!" He greeted and waited for her to scold him orin that he had failed to call despite the fact that she had set reminders on his phone.

    "Hello, Harry! How have you been?" Aurora asked in her usual easygoing tone, which made Harry''s conscience prick him

    "I''m alright. You?"

    "I''m fine. I was just thinking about you and wanted to hear from you. You''re haven''t returned to Ludus yet, have you? You still owe me a date," she reminded Harry, and he shut his eyes.

    He hadpletely forgotten about that. He cleared his throat, "I''m very sorry I didn''t reach out to you earlier. Something came up, so I had to leave sooner than nned," Harry exined apologetically.

    "Oh, no! I hope everything is alright?" She asked in a concerned tone.

    "Yes. Everything is okay. I''m resuming work tomorrow, and as such, I won''t be able to return to Varis anytime soon. I''m sorry," Harry apologized once again.

    "That''s fine. I cane to you if you can''te to me. Is that okay with you?" Aurora asked, and Harry didn''t have the heart to turn her down, considering the fact that he had disappointed her so many times already, yet she had remained calm and understanding.

    "You can visit, but I''ll have to arrange for you to lodge in a hotel..."

    Auroraughed softly, "There won''t be any need for that. I can handle the details of my amodation myself. All I need is for you to make yourself avable for the date," she said, and Harry let out a sigh of relief. He had been worried that she would want to stay at his apartment during her visit.

    "Alright. Let me know when you are ready, and I''ll keep the day open," Harry promised.

    "That''s good to know. What about Jade? How is she?"

    Harry groaned inwardly once he remembered once again that he had no idea how she was doing. He was going to have to call her and find out where she had gone to. It was obvious he wouldn''t be having any sleep until she left his house, so it was as well he continued to keep his eyes on her.

    "She is fine. I need to go now. It was nice hearing from you," Harry said before hanging up.

    He dialed Jade''s line immediately he hung up, and it rang for some time, but there was no response. Why wasn''t she receiving her call? He wondered as he hurried to the room and took off his pajamas.

    Now he wished he had asked her where she was going to before letting her leave, or at least he should have insisted on dropping her off. Why didn''t he think of that before now?

    He quickly dressed in a red polo t-shirt and jean trousers before putting on the white sneakers he had worn earlier. Although he didn''t know where he was going, he wanted to at least be out of the house while he continued to try to reach her. That way, he could get to her faster once the call connected.

    He connected his earbud to his phone and ced it in his ear before walking out of the house. Once he got into his car, he threw his wallet on the front passenger seat, and just as he took out his phone from his pocket to dial her number, Jade returned his call.

    "Where are..." His words trailed off when she squealed with excitement.

    "Hey, uncle Harry! Missing me already?" She asked drunkenly, making Harry sigh as he moved the phone away from his ear.

    "Where are you?" He asked calmly.

    "Having fun somewhere you didn''t want toe to," Jade said and then screamed when a different song started ying in the background.

    "Tell me where that is. I''ming to get you now," Harry said, not liking that she was drunk and alone wherever she was.

    "You''reing over?" Jade asked excitedly.

    "Yes. I''ming to take you home."

    "No, I''m not going home yet. I want to have fun," Jade protested.

    "What''s the name of the ce?" Harry asked impatiently.

    "Club Edge. Come quickly, let''s have fun," Jade said happily as she dropped the call and returned to the dancefloor.

 Chapter 293 Sounds Like A Plan

    <h4>Chapter 293 Sounds Like A n</h4>

    "What was so important that you had to call us out here?" Bryan asked with a scowl as he and Sonia joined Lucy and Tom in the bar room. They had just finished making love and were almost drifting off to sleep when Tom''s call came in, asking them to join him at the bar.

    Sonia walked over to where Lucy was seated with her back to the door,ughing at something Tom had said, and she hugged her from behind, "My bestest girl," she said as she kissed Lucy''s cheek.

    "Get off me," Lucy said grudgingly as she tried to shrug her hands off.

    "What? You can forgive Tom who got you the dress and was making you moan that way in the presence of everybody, but not me who was scolded in your ce?" Sonia asked incredulously as she let go of Lucy and then pulled Lucy''s hair.

    She stuck out her tongue when Lucy turned to re at her, and both brothersughed in amusement as Bryan pulled Sonia away from Lucy who looked like she was going to pull Sonia''s hair out the next moment, "Stop being a troublemaker," Bryan chided as he made her sit on the couch opposite Lucy.

    Tom turned in his seat to look at Lucy, "My jewel, you should let it go. Sonia did nothing wrong. It was my fault after all," Tom said, and a blush stained Lucy''s cheeks as she looked at Tom, and Sonia exchanged an amused look with Bryan.

    "Can you do that for me?" Tom asked as he lifted her left hand to his lips and kissed her palm, causing warmth to spread from Lucy''s palm to the rest of her body, and her toes curled in response as she gave him a nod.

    "Seriously, Lu? You only just met Tom some weeks ago, yet you''re doing this to me? Now I''m the one who is pissed. I''ve been your boyfriend for all these years, and now the moment you got a real boyfriend, you dumped me," Soniained, and this time it was Lucy who stuck out her tongue, and the brothersughed.

    "There is no need to be pissed. Lucy had every right to be mad at you but not at Tom. So don''t take it personally, okay?" Bryan said, kissing Sonia''s neck, and she pushed him away.

    "You are taking Lucy''s side too," Soniained with a pout, and Lucy rolled her eyes when Bryan ced both hands on Sonia''s cheeks and kissed her face until she started to giggle.

    Tom cleared his throat, "If we are done now, can we go on with the reason I called you here? It will be time for dinner soon, and I''m sure we all have stuff to do before then."

    "Yeah. So tell us. What is the agenda for this meeting?"

    "I want us to talk about how to deal with Anita," Tom said, and Sonia sat up as she pulled away from Bryan.

    "Yes, we should definitely talk about that," Sonia said with a scowl once she remembered that someone like Anita was still in existence.

    "The question here is; what should we do?" Lucy asked with a sigh.

    "Maybe you should start by firing the bitch," Sonia suggested spitefully.

    "No. I don''t think firing her cuts what she did. And if I fire her, she will know that we are on to her. I don''t want her to know that either," Tom said as his gaze moved from Bryan to Sonia and them back again.

    "What about we repay her in like manner? Let''s use all the evidence we have to expose her publicly," Sonia suggested thoughtfully.

    "Or Lucy can get close to her and get more personal information..."

    "No. Lucy is not going anywhere near her," Tom interrupted before Bryan could continue.

    "I don''t know how far she is willing to go to get what she wants, and I honestly do not care. But I''m not going to let Lucy act as bait to get her. I''m not taking any risk with Lucy''s physical or emotional wellbeing," Tom said, and Bryan gave him a nod.

    "So what do you suggest we do? I take it you have something in mind already?" Bryan asked curiously.

    "Yes. I already asked Alicia to look into every member of her family and dig up all their dirty dealings. I think she is being so audacious because she has them behind her. So we are going to do the same thing she tried to do to Lucy by discrediting Sonia. We will remove everyone she has around her from the picture before dealing with her. It is only until she watches her family lose everything they have because of her that she would realize that she messed with the wrong person," Tom said, and Sonia rubbed her hands together gleefully.

    "That sounds like a n."

    "Cool. What about Simon? What should we do about him? We should let mom know, right?" Bryan asked with a concerned frown.

    "Don''t tell her until we find out why he did it. We should at least know the kind of offer that she made to make him turn his back on you," Tom said with a sigh.

    "He has always been a snitch. He only just got a better offer this time. There''s nothing else to it," Bryan said bitterly, and Sonia ced her hand over his to calm him.

    "Still, you should confront him. Maybe she ckmailed him," Sonia insisted while Tom yawned in boredom since he really didn''t like the topic being discussed.

    "Or maybe you could tell your mom about it, and she can ask him why he did it. It would be best if you trusted her enough to let her handle it since she brought him to you in the first ce," Lucy suggested.

    "I think I agree with Lucy," Sonia said with a nod.

    "We should talk to her about it together," Bryan told Tom, and he gave him a nod.

    "Hey! Sorry to interrupt your conversation, but your mom wanted me to let you know that dinner is being served," Candace announced from the doorway, and they all turned to look at her.

    "Sure. Jade said to tell you that she ising over tomorrow. You can''t let our parents know about it, though. It''s supposed to be a surprise visit," Bryan told her, and she gave him a nod of acknowledgment before walking away.

    "We should freshen up before we join them," Tom suggested to Lucy as he stood up.

    "Freshen up? But what I''m wearing is fine," she said as she looked down at the sweatpants she was wearing with Tom''s polo t-shirt, which looked really big on her.

    Tom grinned, "You''re missing just one little thing. Let''s go. I''ll show you," Tom said as he offered her his hand and then pulled her up, "See you soon," Tom told Sonia and Bryan with a wave as he led Lucy out of the bar room.

    Just as they left, Sonia''s phone started ringing, and Bryan took it out of his pocket and handed it to her without looking at it.

    "It''s Mia," Sonia informed Bryan as she received the call.

    "Hey, Mia!"

    "I hope I''m not calling at a bad time?" Mia asked politely.

    "No, you''re not. How are you?" Sonia asked, genuinely happy to hear from Mia.

    "I''m fine. I would have called before now, but I didn''t know how you would react after all that has happened, so I decided to keep my distance," Mia exined apologetically.

    "Come on, Mia. You''re like a sister to me. There''s no reason to be awkward around me. I know that none of what happened was your fault," Sonia assured her.

    "I''m relieved to hear that. And I''m happy to know that you resolved your difference with Bryan. From the moment he proposed to you, I kinda knew that you would be the one to tame him," Mia said, and Sonia giggled as she adjusted so that she was sitting on Bryan''s thighs.

    "I''m not sure he is fully tamed yet. Time will tell," Sonia said as she touched Bryan''s lips, and he cocked a brow.

    "I''m confident that you can do that. Thanks for keeping your promise and not hurting him," Mia said, and Sonia smiled.

    "And thank you for helping me and believing in me."

    "It''s nothing... By the way, Uhm... I quit my job. I stopped working with the agency that Bryan worked for," Mia said, and Sonia pretended to be surprised.

    "Oh! You did? Why?"

    "I can''t work there anymore, not after seeing how they were willing to tarnish your image just to protect Bryan''s career. Besides, since Bryan canceled his contract with them, there''s no reason for me to be there," Mia said with a shake of her head.

    Sonia sighed, "I understand. Did you get a new job yet?"

    "No. Not yet. It''s still weekend, after all. I''m still just checking out different job vacancies on the inte."

    "Why haven''t you given Bryan a call yet?" Sonia asked curiously, "Maybe you should give him a call and find out if he would still need your service before you start applying for other jobs," Sonia suggested as she looked at Bryan who was ying with her hair.

    "You think he might?" Mia asked hopefully.

    "Sure. Bryan likes and respects you a lot, even if he doesn''t show it. I''m sure he will want to keep working with you. I would like that too," Sonia said, making Mia smile in relief.

    "Alright, I will give him a call right away..."

    "You don''t have to. He''s here with me. I''ll just pass him the phone," Sonia said and held out the phone to Bryan.

    "Will you like to move to Ludus?" Bryan asked once he took the phone from Sonia.

    "Huh?" Mia asked in confusion.

    "I may have to spend more time over here in Ludus because I will be signing with an agency over here. If you don''t mind moving, you can retain your job as my assistant," Bryan offered.

    "With a sry raise?" Mia bargained.

    "What?"

    "Not everyone is blessed to have a loyal assistant like me. And from experience, not everyone can stand you either. So if I''m relocating to Ludus for your sake, I should at least get a better sry than I was receiving before. And there have to be nice offers too," Mia said reasonably.

    "Alright. I will add that to my terms when I sign the contract," Bryan said with a sigh.

    "If I may ask, what agency are you signing with?" Mia asked curiously.

    "Let that be a surprise. The moment everything is set, I will let you know," Bryan said before hanging up the call.

    "I guess you''ve made up your mind to take Tom''s offer?" Sonia asked, and Bryan shrugged.

    "I don''t see why not."

 Chapter 294 Pervert Uncle

    <h4>Chapter 294 Pervert Uncle</h4>

    Once Harry walked through the door of the club, it didn''t take him more than a minute to spot her. To his amazement, she was standing right there on the stage with another girl in a twerking contest while the crowd cheered them on.

    What did she think she was doing up there? Harry mused as he walked further into the club, which was gradually getting filled with people even though it was just past eight in the evening.

    Judging by how excited she had been over the phone and what she was doing right now, he could tell that she was more than a little tipsy. Else, what was she doing up there? How many sses of alcoholic drink did she drink to be acting this way already? He wondered as he slowly made his way towards the bar to find out exactly what she had been up to from the barman.

    Up on the stage, oblivious to Harry''s presence Jade had her booty to the crowd in a squat position as she danced and twerked to the rhythm of the music the DJ was ying, and the crowd went wild with excitement when she did a split.

    Seeing how most of the crowd were throwing dor notes at her, Harry could tell that she was a pretty good dancer. An even better dancer than the otherdy. And that was very surprising since he would never have guessed that she was that kind of person.

    He knew that if half the people in the hall were to know that not only was she Thomas Hank''s kid sister but also a very sessfulwyer, they would all be very shocked as nothing about her gave away who she was.

    "Hello!" The barman greeted when Harry stopped in front of him.

    "Hello!" Harry said distractedly as his gaze returned to the stage.

    "She''s a fine one, isn''t she?" The barman asked as he followed Harry''s gaze.

    "Yes, she is. Huh?" Harry asked, turning to look at the young barman when he realized that he was answering a question he didn''t understand.

    The barman chuckled, "What will you like to have?" He asked, and Harry shook his head.

    "Can''t drink. I''m driving. I came to pick up someone," Harry exined, and the barman gave him a nod.

    "I suppose that someone is the prettydy with the pixie style haircut," the barman said, and Harry gave him a nod, "Is she your girlfriend?"

    "No."

    "You don''t look at her like she is not your girlfriend," the barman noted as he followed Harry''s gaze.

    "I don''t look at her like she is anything. What exactly did she drink? And how many sses did she have?" Harry asked, making that barman chuckle.

    "The question should be, what exactly did she not drink? She wanted to try a shot of everything on this list," the barman said, waving a paper at Harry.

    "And you let her do that?" Harry asked, turning to re at the barman.

    "I don''t see why not. She is not underage, is she?" The barman asked, and Harry shook his head as he returned his gaze to the stage, his brows creased with concern.

    "Good news is she hasn''t tried everything yet, so maybe you can stop her before she does," the barman said, just as the music stopped.

    Jade, who had just finished dancing, turned her head in time to meet Harry''s gaze, and his concerned expression turned into a re when she shed him a smile and raised both hands above her head to wave at him.

    "Uncle Harry!" Jade screeched from the stage, and he closed his eyes in utter mortification and lifted a hand to cover his face when so many eyes turned in his direction.

    "Uncle? You are her uncle?" The barman asked, eyeing Harry as though he was a pervert who had incestuous thoughts.

    "We are not rted. It''s just a nickname," Harry found himself exining under his breath.

    Jade quickly bent down and picked up all the money that had been thrown at her before getting off the stage, "You are here!" she eximed with a wide smile as she approached him, her blue eyes gleaming brilliantly.

    She didn''t seem as drunk as he had thought she was, so why was she so hyper? "You''ve had enough fun for the evening. Let''s go," Harry said, but Jade wasn''t listening to him as she took her handbag from the barman who had been holding on to it for her.

    "Thanks," she called to him as she linked her arms with Harry''s and pulled him with her to find an empty seat since hers had been taken, "So what made youe to find me? Were you missing me so badly that you couldn''t sleep?" She asked in a teasing tone.

    "No. I was worried about your safety. I''m still responsible for you. Now, you''ve had enough fun for tonight. Let''s go home. I need to rest," Harry repeated when she finally let go of his arm and sat down on an unupied ck leather couch.

    "Barely. It''s not even nine yet," she said as she nced at her wristwatch before adding, "I let you go home to rest, yet you came here to find me. So please do not ruin my fun." she said as she dropped all the dor notes on the couch.

    "Why did you even pick that? You don''t need the money," Harry said with a slight frown.

    "Says who? Speak for yourself, please," Jade said as she arranged the dor notes and counted them, "You should sit down."

    "What do you need it for?" Harry asked curiously as he reluctantly sat down beside her so that they were both facing the dancefloor.

    Jade grinned at him as she yed with the little bundle of money, "This could pay for our drinks. I told you, bills on me, remember?" she asked with a wink as she ced the money in her handbag, and then signaled a waiter over.

    Harry sighed as he looked at her. "I just told you that we should leave," he said weakly, even though between the both of them, he knew that he had lost to her.

    "You came all this way, yet you''ve not even had a drink. Let''s drink, and then we can dance a little before we leave. That''s fair enough, isn''t it?" Jade asked with a wide smile, and Harry sighed once again as he turned away from her.

    Why was she smiling so much? And why wasn''t he even saying no? He knew that he should say no, "I can''t drink. I am driving," he reminded her instead.

    "That''s fine. You don''t have to get drunk if you don''t want to. But if you want to get drunk, we could get a substitute driver to take us home. However, knowing you, I know that you are too responsible to do that. So just sip your drink and dance with me, okay?" Jade said before looking at the waiter who had joined them.

    "Get me more cocktail shots. Tell the barman that I want something different from what I''ve tasted. And then get my uncle something nice but mild. He''s driving," Jade said before dismissing the waiter.

    Once the waiter had left, Harry raised a brow, "Your uncle?" He didn''t mind her calling him his uncle until he had gotten that look from the waiter, and now he was no longerfortable with the title.

    Jade turned in her seat so that she was facing Harry as she grinned at him, "Your little friend?"

    Harry chuckled, "How else would you have preferred I introduce you?"

    "You''re handsome, but you look even more so whenever you smile orugh," Jade said as she gazed at him, and Harry cleared his throat.

    "Thank you."

    They bothpsed into silence, but Harry from the corners of his eyes, Harry could see Jade staring at him with a knowing smile which made him ufortable.

    "I didn''t know that you could dance," Harry said, notfortable with the silence anymore or how she kept staring at him.

    Jade smiled, "If I didn''t be awyer, I would probably have been a video vixen," Jade said, and Harry''s brows shot up in disbelief as he turned to look at her again.

    "You? A video vixen?" He asked, unable to wrap his head around it, and sheughed softly.

    "Yes. I love dancing. Always have. When I was in high school, I used to be a member of a dance group. We called ourselves the Saucy six," Jade said with a grin.

    Harry smiled, "Let me guess, you were the leader of the group?" He asked, and she shook her head.

    "Nope. I wasn''t. Just one among the rest. Dancing was something I used to really enjoy a lot," she said with a wide smile, which Harry involuntarily returned.

    "So why then did you choose to studyw?" Harry asked curiously.

    Jade shrugged, "I love justice. I doubt I can get justice for people merely by dancing. Why did you choose to work with Tom when you could easily have started your ownpany?" Jade asked in return, just as the waiter returned with a tray carrying about six shots of different cocktails and a tall ss of mocktail for Harry.

    Harry shrugged, "We had simr ambitions. We both wanted to be very wealthy and influential. Tom seemed to know exactly what he was doing. He had very good ideas, and while he was good at making ns, I was better at executing those ns."

    "So you don''t mind working under him?" Jade asked curiously.

    "I''ve never felt like I was working under him. I am working with him," Harry corrected.

    "Interesting. You are interesting, Harry," Jade said as she picked up one of the sses of shot, making him raise a brow.

    "Harry?"

    "Isn''t that your name?" Jade asked as she raised the ss to her lips and gulped it down. She winced when it burned her throat and caused her eyes to tear up, "Wow! That''s hot!" She eximed while Harry simply watched her.

    "You''re not drinking all of that, are you?" Harry asked with a concerned frown as he watched her take another shot.

    "Of course, I am," Jade said with a giggle as she gulped it down.

    "You''re going to get drunk."

    "That''s the point. I want to get drunk," Jade said as she picked another shot and gulped it down once again.

    "At the rate you''re going, you won''t be able to walk out of this ce," Harry pointed out.

    "And I can bet that''s why you''re here. You''ll carry me out if I can''t walk. I trust you," she said with a confident smile as she raised her empty shot ss in a silent toast to him.

    Harry wanted to ask her not to trust him, but he said nothing as he watched her.

    "I''ve not had this much fun in four years. Shit! I''ve not been to a club in four years," she said with a small bark ofughter.

    "Because you are mourning your boyfriend? You haven''t recovered from it yet?" Harry asked as he observed her while nursing his ss of drink.

    Jade sighed, "You can dance, right?" She asked, ignoring his question as she reached out to pick the fourth ss.

    Harry shook his head as he dropped his ss and grabbed her hand to stop her before she could pick up the ss, "Don''t do that."

    Jade''s heart skipped a beat when hisrge warm hand covered her delicate hand, "Don''t do what?" Jade asked as she blinked up at him.

    "Don''t deflect. I answered your questions before, and I''m entitled to some answers," Harry said as he looked into her face.

    Jade swallowed as she let out a sigh, "Okay. Yes. I was mourning him at first, but then I stopped when I found out that he was nning to get married to someone else," Jade said with a dryugh, and Harry raised a brow.

    "He was?"

    Jade smiled when she heard the surprise and confusion in his voice, "I''ve answered your question, but you''re still holding on to my hand," she pointed out, and Harry who hadn''t realized that he was still holding her hand, quickly let go of it making her giggle.

    "You''re beginning to make me think that you like me. Do you?" Jade asked with a teasing smile as she moved closer to him.

    Harry said nothing as he picked up his ss of mocktail and drank from it.

 Chapter 295 Inside You

    <h4>Chapter 295 Inside You</h4>

    "What are you thinking about? Is something bothering you?" Tom asked when he noticed that Lucy had a slight frown on her face as they both walked into the bedroom.

    Lucy''s brows creased as she turned to look at him, "Kind of."

    "Is it still about Anita? Or is this something else?" He asked curiously.

    "No. Not her," Lucy quickly assured him.

    "So what is it then? Do you want to tell me about it?" He asked as he took her hand in his own and guided her to the couch in the bedroom, where they both sat down.

    Lucy cleared her throat, "Uhm, do not take this the wrong way..." She started, and Tom gave her a nod to go ahead.

    "I love you, and I love being intimate with you, but can we not do anything sexual for some time?" Lucy asked, and Tom watched her closely before giving her a nod.

    "What do you mean by anything sexual?"

    "You know... Like, no sex," Lucy swallowed as she said it, her heart beating fast.

    "Okay. How much time do you need?" Tom asked curiously.

    "Maybe a couple of days?"

    "That''s fine."

    "That''s fine? Just like that?" She asked with a slight frown. She had expected him to ask a lot of questions.

    "Yeah. Do you want me to say something else?" He asked, and her frown deepened.

    "Don''t you want to know why I don''t want anything sexual?" She asked, and Tom shrugged.

    "Love, I''m sure you will tell me why if and when you want to. I don''t want you to feel pressured..."

    Lucy shook her head, cutting him off, "I don''t feel pressured. Last night, you said it was my right to demand an answer when I need to be clear on something. It''s your right to do that too," she reminded him, and Tom smiled.

    "Yes, I''m aware of that. But then again, I wasn''t worried about your request. Our rtionship shouldn''t be all about sex. I find you irresistible, and so it''s possible I''m overdoing it. I understand if you find it overwhelming and need..."

    "No. It''s not overwhelming. I actually enjoy all of it. Maybe a lot more than I want to," Lucy cut in and let out a little sigh.

    "So, what''s the problem?" Tom asked, curious now.

    "Look, I know that this might not make much sense to you, but I just need to be able to feel normal around you, especially when you touch me. We are going to be working together at thepany, and I don''t want to be worried about feeling hot and flustered every time you touch me in public," Lucy exined, and Tom grinned as he watched her babble on.

    He wanted to tell her that she wasn''t supposed to feel normal around him, but he couldn''t do that. As much as he didn''t like it, she was someone that lived for her job, and he knew that she wouldn''t like to hear that he was going to be a distraction to her around the office even though he was her boss.

    "Will it help if I tell you that you don''t need to touch me to make me feel hot and flustered too?" He asked as he raised her palm to his lips, and Lucy smiled weakly when she felt the liquid heat wash over her body. This was the exact thing she was talking about.

    "At least that isn''t intentional on my part. That is your problem to solve, the same way I''m trying to solve mine," Lucy said with a shrug.

    "My problem to solve? Maybe I should avoid you while at the office. That should solve the problem," Tom suggested.

    "If that will help, we should do it," Lucy said with a nod, and Tom groaned in frustration.

    "No, Love. I''m just trying to say that none of that will help. I can promise not to touch you or have sex with you unless you beg me to. But I can also assure you that I don''t need to touch you to make you feel hot and flustered either. So if that''s the reason you want to stay off sex, you will have to find your way around it."

    "And what makes you think I will beg you to touch me?" Lucy asked suspiciously, and Tom shrugged. He doubted that she knew that physical contact was one of her lovenguages.

    "Listen, I will do my best to keep my distance and keep my hands to myself until you want them on you," he promised as he walked away from her, putting some distance between them.

    "That doesn''t mean you won''t do what I want for the week as nned," Tom reminded her with a smirk, "Now let''s get ready to join the others."

    Lucy cleared her throat, "There is something else I want to talk about," she said, and Tom raised a brow.

    "Okay, I''m listening," he said as he sat down on the edge of the bed opposite her and looked at her.

    "I''d like to move back to my office tomorrow," she said, and Tom frowned.

    "Why?"

    "Because it is my office. I was transferred here as a director, not your personal assistant. And if you will agree with me, your decision to make a director your personal assistant wasn''t exactly a logical one. I''m sure by now everyone thinks you used that as an excuse to have an office romance with your girlfriend, and it doesn''t tell well of you," Lucy pointed out as she stood up and walked over to where he was.

    "Don''te close. I can''t keep my hands away if you do," Tom warned, and Lucy frowned as she stopped in her track.

    "I said we should avoid sexual stuff, not stop physical contact altogether," Lucyined.

    "Yeah. And you also said that every time I touch you, you feel warm and fuzzy..."

    "I said, flustered, not fuzzy," Lucy corrected.

    "Same difference."

    "But I can touch you, can''t I?" Lucy asked, and Tom chuckled.

    "No, you can''t. If you touch me, I''d want to touch you too, and when I touch you, you feel warm, fuzzy, and flustered, and you don''t want that. So it would be best if you kept your hands to yourself," Tom said, making her scowl.

    "You easily agreed to what I said because you don''t think I can keep my hands from you, didn''t you?" Lucy asked suspiciously, and Tom smirked.

    "It''s not about what I think. It''s about what you want," Tom said as he continued to watch her, wondering how he was going to be able to keep his hands off her much longer when he was already itching to hold her.

    "Whatever. So about returning to my office..."

    "I asked Harry to be my Co-CEO," Tom said, and Lucy smiled.

    "That is great. He has been doing a great job, and the title suits him more. You know, when I first started working at I-Global, I thought he was the CEO," Lucy said, and Tom gave her a nod.

    "Yeah. When he agrees to fill the position, I will require a real assistant," Tom pointed out.

    "Oh!"

    "Yes," Tom said as he watched her.

    "But I''m a director. I can''t."

    "I wasn''t asking you to be my assistant. I''m just saying that it''s fine if you want to return to your team since someone else will be upying that office soon. Although I don''t like most of the people on your team, you can return to your office tomorrow. I''m sure they know better than to say or do anything that would cost them their job," Tom said with a disapproving scowl when he recalled the conversation he had overheard the other day.

    "So you''re going to get an assistant? Is it going to be a male or female?" Lucy asked, not sure she liked the idea of a female assistant who would be going everywhere with Tom.

    Tom chuckled when he saw the slight crease on her brow, "I take it you want a male assistant for me. A male it is then."

    Oh! He wanted a female assistant? "Don''t mind me and just do what you want. You can get a female if that''s what you want." Lucy said, and Tom chuckled as he shook his head.

    "I don''t want a female assistant, Lu. Both for your sake and mine," he assured her, and Lucy looked away, embarrassed that he had seen through her.

    "Would you like to sit in during the interview process just to make sure that the male candidates are straight and there are no females amongst them disguising to be male?" Tom asked in a teasing tone, and Lucy giggled.

    "Should I just do that then? I could even pat them down before the interview just to be sure," Lucy joked, and Tom chuckled as he watched her.

    "I''m going to miss having you next to me in my office," Tom said, and Lucy smiled.

    "I still can''t believe you pulled that stunt, and I fell for it. What was I thinking? A CEO choosing to punish a director because she doesn''t like her driver?" Lucy asked, facepalming herself, and Tomughed, making her re at him.

    "I''m sorry. You were just desperate to keep your job. Else, you probably would have caught on."

    "Thinking about it now, you did do a lot of ridiculous stuff. Having thepany shut down at closing hours because I worked overtime and kept you waiting, restricting employees from leaving thepany''s premises with extra work just so that I wouldn''t take work home and be bored, making me wear my hair down and take off my sses, and then that hideous costume. I can''t believe that Harry actually let you do all of that around the office just to woo ady," Lucy said with a shake of her head.

    "To woo you, you mean? Nothing stops you from saying, ''I can''t believe Harry let you do all of that just to woo me.'' I did all of that to get close to you, to know you, and to win your heart. I''m sorry for all the silly things I did and said back then," Tom said apologetically, and Lucy smiled.

    "Yeah, even though you were trying so hard to be a bad boy, I saw through you. You''re one lucky man, you know?" Lucy asked as she moved closer to him.

    "Yeah. I''m very lucky to still have you in my life despite my screw-up. If you take a step closer, I''ll take it that you agree to take back what you said earlier, and I''m not going to keep my hands to myself anymore," Tom warned when she stopped just an arm''s length away from him.

    "Okay, how about you only keep your hands to yourself when we are in public? When we are alone, we don''t have to keep our hands to ourselves. I want to hug you now, please?" Lucy asked, making a cute face, and Tom shook his head.

    "I don''t think I can ever say no to you," Tom said, making Lucy grin as she went to where he was seated and ced both arms around his neck.

    "You shouldn''t ever say no," she said as she embraced him, and Tom rested his head on her chest as his hands automatically moved to her waist and ran up her back, making her sigh.

    "Jewel?" Tom called softly as he broke the hug and pulled away to look into her face.

    "Hm?"

    "I still feel really guilty about how I deceived you. I''m very sorry I did that to you," Tom said apologetically, and Lucy smiled.

    "Then you should make it up to me by never lying to me again," she said as she lowered her lips to his.

    Although she still felt very embarrassed by how she had fallen for it all, she tried to see things from his perspective. She knew that even though he was sorry, he didn''t regret it. And somehow, even though she did not like what he had done, she also did not regret it because she knew that there was no way she would have ever let him get that close to her if he had walked up to her directly.

    Tom held himself back as she kissed him softly, and he groaned when she deepened the kiss by pushing her tongue into his mouth. Tom pushed her away from him gently, "We have to join the others for dinner. We won''t be able to do that if I let you keep that up," Tom said in a husky voice as he stood up.

    Laughter gleamed in Lucy''s eyes when she saw the bulge in his sweatpants, and she stuck her tongue in her cheek as she put some distance between them. Good thing that his arousal was more visible than hers. That was what he got for making her ufortable earlier.

    "By the way, what was it you wanted me to wear?"

    "Yeah, about that. Come over here," Tom said as he walked into the closet, and Lucy followed him into the closet.

    She watched as he brought out a box from the top of his shoe shelf, and when he opened it, her eyes rounded in surprise when she saw different sex toys inside.

    "Here, these are some of the receipts. Should put your mind at ease," Tom said, wanting her to confirm the day of purchase.

    "I don''t think I need to see that to know you were telling me the truth. What did you get all these for?" Lucy asked as she looked at the box''s content, most of which she had never seen nor had any idea what they were used for.

    "To pleasure you, of course," Tom said as he picked out an egg-shaped vibrator from the box, "This is it. I want you to insert this inside," Tom said, making Lucy''s eyes round in surprise.

    "Inside? Insert this inside where?" She asked as she looked from the egg-shaped vibrator to Tom.

    "Inside you."

 Chapter 296 On One Condition

    <h4>Chapter 296 On One Condition</h4>

    "Tell me, do you?" Jade asked, leaning closer to Harry, who drew back as he set down his ss before meeting her gaze.

    "Do I what?"

    "Do you like me?" Jade asked after a moment as though she was trying to recall what the question was.

    "Am I supposed to not like you?" Harry asked in return, and she giggled.

    "That''s not what I''m asking, and you know it. Don''t shy away from the question," Jade said as she ced a hand on his chest, and Harry''s eyes fell on her perfectly manicured nails.

    "The only thing I know is that you are drunk, and it''s time to go home before you embarrass either of us," Harry said as he tried to get away from her, but Jade pushed herself forward and settled on his body, with her head resting on his chest.

    "Hold on, I need to finish up my drink first," she said as she patted his chest, and once again, Harry found himself holding his breath. This time he wasn''t just holding his breath. He sat as still as possible, as though he was scared to move or do anything.

    Harry mentally counted to ten, scared that if she didn''t move anytime soon, he might copse fromck of oxygen to his brain, and just when he counted up to eight, she sat up with a sigh, much to his relief.

    "You are already tipsy. Drinking that might knock you out, and I..."

    Oblivious to what she was doing to Harry, Jade reached for the remaining three shot sses and gulped down their content before turning to look into Harry''s honey brown eyes.

    "It won''t, don''t worry. And even if it did, I already gave you the permission to carry me home. I won''t sue for harassmente morning," she assured him, but Harry noticed her speech was starting to slur.

    "Did you know that the first time I met you, I thought you had the most beautiful pair of brown eyes I''d ever seen?" Jade asked, making Harry''s lips twitch in amusement.

    "You did say you liked my eyes," he said, recalling how he had thought that she was just being nice that night.

    "I did? But I guess you didn''t believe me, did you?" Jade asked with a giggle.

    "Yeah, I didn''t."

    "Too bad you didn''t. That was actually one of the reasons I stayed up thatte talking to you. I just wanted to keep staring into your eyes under the night sky," Jade said with a wide smile as she struggled to keep her eyes on his.

    "And here I was thinking that it was because you actually enjoyed our conversation," Harry said dryly, making her giggle.

    "I did enjoy our conversation that night. I doubt that there has ever been a time when I didn''t enjoy a conversation with you," Jade confessed as she leaned on Harry once again.

    Harry feared that if they remained there and she continued resting on his body this way at intervals, he might suffer brain damage due tock of oxygen to his brain, so he cleared his throat.

    "We should leave now," Harry said when she remained silent for some time and he assumed that she had dozed off, but Jade grabbed the front of his shirt as she shook her head and raised her face to look up at him such that her forehead was on the same level as his chin.

    "Why are you in so much of a rush to get back to your apartment? It''s not like the ce is on fire, or it''s running," sheined with a pout, and Harry turned his face away from her.

    How in heaven''s name was he supposed to talk to her when she was this close, and he was holding his breath? This woman was going to be the death of him.

    Harry sat up and held her away from himself at arm''s length, "You wanted to get drunk. Now you are drunk. What more do you want to do?" Harry asked with a weary sigh as he thought about how he would have to carry her from there to the car if she got knocked out. He would rather escort her out now that she was still conscious than carrying her.

    "Let''s talk. I want to talk with you. I enjoy talking with you. And then we can dance," Jade suggested as she looked into his eyes, with blue eyes that made it difficult for him to say no.

    "If you want us to talk, then you have to keep your distance. Don''te too close," Harry bargained.

    "Why? You''re scared that I might take your virginity?" She asked with a teasing smile, and Harry red at her, making her giggle drunkenly.

    "I was just pulling your legs. Don''t worry, though. I''ll keep my distance, virgin uncle Harry," Jade said tauntingly as she moved away from him.

    "Remind me never to tell you anything personal about me next time," Harry hissed with a scowl.

    "C''mon, don''t be like that. I won''t call you that anymore. I''m sorry."

    Looking at her, Harry had to admit that her alcohol tolerance level must be pretty high for her to be still able to converse this way despite all the shots she had consumed.

    "What do you want to talk about?" Harry asked as he watched her, curious to know what she wanted to talk about. What he was even more curious about was why he was willing to have a conversation with a drunkdy when he should drag her home and let her sleep it off.

    Unable to keep her gaze focused on him, Jade shut her eyes, "I''m sorry I didn''t get to show you around the neighborhood as I promised you I would," Jade said, surprising Harry, who hadn''t expected her to remember that she had made the promise in the first ce, or even bring it up at that moment.

    "It''s fine. I guess you were too busy to remember," Harry said dismissively, not wanting her to know that he knew the reason she had failed to keep her promise to him.

    "No, that wasn''t the reason. I would have shown you around if not for that cheating bastard. To think he was jealous of you, yet he was the cheat," Jade hissed in annoyance as she opened her eyes to gaze at him.

    "I''m sorry about that," Harry said politely, noting that she seemed to still have a lot of resentment for herte boyfriend.

    "You don''t have to be sorry. You didn''t do anything wrong other than being too interesting and cute for your own good," Jade said with a grin, and Harry chuckled.

    "You think I''m interesting?" Harry asked, even though he knew that he should probably stop her from saying anything since she was speaking under the influence of alcohol and was most likely going to regret whatever she said by morning.

    "Yep. Very interesting," she said as she closed her eyes once again.

    "Yet you also think I''m annoying," Harry pointed out, unable to stop himself.

    "Yeah, you can be annoying sometimes. But being annoying doesn''t make you any less interesting than you are. Now that I think about it, it is funny that no one annoys me as much as you," she said with a yawn as she opened her eyes to look into his face.

    "Have I told you that you''re very handsome?" She asked as she stretched her arm and raised a finger to his face to touch the tip of his nose, and Harry''s eyes followed her fingers, making her giggle when his eyes crossed as he looked at the tip of his nose.

    "Usually, I think of Captain America whenever I look at you," she added with a small smile.

    "Chris Evans?" Harry asked in disbelief, and Jade bobbed her head.

    "Yep. You look a lot like him, but I prefer your eyes to his. I think you''re cuter than he is, too," Jade said, and Harry just stared at her.

    Did she really think so, or was she just saying it because she was drunk? How could shepare him to someone as good-looking as Chris Evans and even say he was cuter? Or did cute mean something else to her?

    "Is cute the same as good-looking?" Harry asked as he reached for her finger, which was still sitting on his nose, but before he could get a hold of it, she moved her hand to his hair and buried it in his short mop of ck hair.

    "No. I don''t think they mean the same thing. Good-looking means you are pleasant to my eyes, and cute means looking at you makes my heart flutter. Your hair is softer than I imagined. I''ve always imagined what it would feel like tob my fingers through your hair this way," Jade said as she massaged Harry''s temple, making his eyelids feel heavy.

    "You should stop doing that," Harry said in a slightly husky voice as he grabbed her hand and gently lifted it from his hair.

    Her lips pouted sulkily as she looked at him, "Why?"

    Harry cleared his throat, "Because it makes me ufortable when you touch me that way," he said with a slight frown, not wanting to think about why she was imagining her hand buried in his hair.

    "If you want to dance, you should go do so now. We are leaving in twenty minutes," Harry said as he nced at his wristwatch. He didn''t want to hear her say anything else. He had heard more than enough for one night.

    "Let''s dance together," Jade suggested as she tried to stand up, but she staggered, and Harry''s hand automatically reached for her waist to steady her.

    "I guess I''m tipsier than I thought," she slurred with a giggle.

    "You''re very drunk, not tipsy. Let''s go home now. No more dancing," Harry said as he got off his seat while still holding her.

    "Fine. I''ll go without dancing on one condition," Jade said with a gleam in her eyes making Harry''s brows arch.

    "Earlier, I bargained with you, so you get to do that with me too," she reminded him.

    Harry looked at her with a slight frown, wondering just how drunk she was to be able to remember things and still sound this way, "And what makes you think I can''t throw you over my shoulder right now and just take you home?"

    "Because you''re too much of a gentleman to do something like that," Jade said with a grin as she looked into his eyes, and her right hand went to rest on his chest.

    "Okay, as long as you''re not going to ask for something as ridiculous as another shot, let''s hear it. What is your condition?" Harry asked with a sigh of resignation, curious to know what it was she wanted this time.

    "I want to kiss you. Just once. And then we can leave."

 Chapter 297 Peacemaker

    <h4>Chapter 297 Peacemaker</h4>

    "No," Lucy said with a shake of her head.

    "No, what?" Tom asked, watching her closely.

    "No, I''m not inserting that thing inside me. I can''t go down to have dinner with the others while having that inside me. I just can''t," Lucy said with a shake of her head, looking repulsed by the mere thought of it.

    "Okay," Tom said with a nod as he returned the egg-shaped vibrator into the box.

    "Okay?" Lucy asked, wondering if he was saying so because he was angry or saying it because he understood her.

    "Yes. It''s okay. You don''t want to do it, and it''s okay. You don''t possibly expect me to force you to do something that you don''t want to do," Tom said as he carried the box and ced it on top of the shoe shelf where he had taken it from.

    "I said I can''t. I didn''t say I don''t want to. Ask me to do something else that doesn''t involve inserting any inanimate object inside me."

    "Let''s go down for dinner," Tom said as he walked out of the closet.

    "Are you mad at me?" Lucy asked with a slight frown as she followed him out of the closet, and this time Tom turned around to look at her.

    "Why would you think that? I''m not mad at you. You have every right to decide what you want and do not want inside..."

    "But you''re not happy about my decision," she pointed out.

    "I''m not upset about your decision either. I don''t have to be happy about everything, love. The world does not revolve around me and my emotions."

    "Tom, I can see that you are upset, and I don''t want you to be upset," Lucy said with a slight frown, feeling guilty.

    "I told you, Lu. I''m not mad at you. I doubt I can ever be mad at you. It''s myself that I''m upset with right now, not you. I like to believe that I know you a lot, yet it seems like I don''t think straight when it involves you, and that is what upsets me. I should have known that something like this wouldn''t sit well with you, but I didn''t think it through, and I ended up asking you to do it, and it made you ufortable. The same way I should have thought about itst night before restraining you..."

    "You are overthinking this," Lucy cut in with a frown.

    "No. I''m not thinking at all, and that''s the problem. I keep making mistakes because I''m allowing my feelings and desire for you to cloud every rational thought I should be having. I need to do better. What if restraining youst night had triggered another episode..."

    "But it didn''t."

    "But I didn''t know that it wouldn''t," Tom countered.

    "What is wrong with you? You did what you did because you wanted to rece my awful memories with pleasurable ones. Why are you beating yourself over that right now?" Lucy asked incredulously.

    "Because it was a risk I shouldn''t have taken with you. I''m someone that always thinks things through. I am deliberate about every step I take. And I don''t think I''ve been doing much of thattely, and I''m sorry," Tom said with a shake of his head as he headed for the door.

    "Let''s join the others for dinner," he called to her, letting her know he didn''t want to talk about it anymore.

    Lucy looked at him, her heart feeling heavy, "I''m sorry you..."

    "I don''t want you to be sorry, love. You didn''t do anything wrong. I''m acting out of character, and I just need to get my act together. Don''t worry your head about me. I love you and always will. I just need to sort out myself," Tom assured her as he held out his hand to her and led her out to join the others.

    Conversations around the table ceased as they approached. Everyone was curious why they joined themte since even Bryan and Sonia, who were fond of making ate appearance, hade down before them.

    "Sorry we arete," Tom murmured as he held out Lucy''s seat for her before sitting down next to her.

    Maybe it was because they both seemed lost in their thoughts, but there was no smartment from either of their fathers as they watched them pick up their cutleries to eat.

    The rest of them on the table looked at each other, and as if by unanimous agreement, conversations resumed once again.

    "Do you think they fought?" Bryan whispered to Sonia as they both watched Tom and Lucy, who were being weird.

    "Lucy isn''t the type. She is a peacemaker who hates confrontations. Why do you think she forgave Tom so easily after that deception?" Sonia whispered back while she also wondered what was going on.

    "Okay, I can''t ignore you two anymore. You both don''t seem so lovey-dovey tonight. Did you fight?" Tom''s father asked after some time as he looked from Tom to Lucy, both of whom were quiet despite all the conversations and jokes going on around the dining.

    "No, we didn''t," Tom said as he ate quietly.

    "So what is wrong? Did something happen again? You both have barely eaten or said anything since you got here," Tom''s mother asked in concern.

    "Nothing is wrong. Everything is fine," Tom said in a cool tone.

    "It doesn''t look like everything is fine," his mother observed, and Tom dropped his cutlery noisily as he let out a sigh.

    "Maybe I need to rest. I''ve had a very busy weekend, and I''m going to work tomorrow. Goodnight," Tom said to everyone as he pushed away from the table and walked away, leaving them staring at his back.

    "Is everything alright, darling?" Lucy''s mother asked with concern, and Lucy forced a smile as she bobbed her head and stood up.

    "I should check on him. Goodnight," she said as she hurried after Tom.

    Lucy didn''t say a word to him until they walked through the bedroom door and shut the door behind them, "If I thought restraining me with cuffs was going to trigger me, I would have stopped you from doing that. I didn''t stop you because it was YOU. Although I wasn''tfortable with it, I trusted you. I trust you, Tom. I''m just not sure I''mpletelyfortable with the idea of having anything else inside me yet that''s why I said I couldn''t do it," Lucy exined as she grabbed Tom''s arm, her gray eyes pleading with him to understand her.

    Tom sighed as he turned to her and cupped her cheeks in his hand, "You trust me, and that is why I need to be even more careful. You are my baby, and I don''t want to make any mistake that might hurt you. You are still new to all of these, and I know that one little mistake on my part can make you run back into your shell, and I need to avoid that. So if you trust me, believe me when I say my mood right now is about me, not you," Tom pleaded as he kissed her forehead.

    Lucy sighed, "Is there something I can do to improve your mood?" Lucy asked hopefully.

    "Yeah. You should cheer up and stop worrying about my mood," Tom suggested as he kissed both sides of her cheeks before letting her go.

    "And you shouldn''t have left without eating," Tom chided.

    "How did you expect me to eat when you were being like that? You didn''t eat much either," Lucy pointed out with a pout, and this time Tom''s lips twitched.

    "My mood affects you that much?"

    "Of course it does," sheined with a frown.

    "I''m sorry."

    "You should be ''cause I''m hungry yet couldn''t eat because of you," Lucy said with a scowl.

    "You should return to the dining..."

    "No. I don''t want to unless you''reing with me," Lucy said, making him sigh.

    "Can I get you something to eat when the others go to bed? I''m not in the mood to talk to anyone else," Tom said, and just as Lucy opened her mouth to protest, her phone started ringing.

    "Give me a moment. It''s Lucas," she informed Tom as she walked away from him and over to the bed to sit down.

    "I will get busy with work to clear my head. Let me know when you''re done," Tom said as he picked up hisptop from the nightstand and went to sit on the balcony.

    "Hey! You arrived safely?"

    "Yep. I just got home. I tried reaching mom and dad, but they''re not taking their call," Lucas informed her.

    "That''s probably because they left their phones in the bedroom and are having dinner," Lucy exined. Their parents didn''t like the idea of receiving phone calls while eating.

    "Oh, sure. Let everyone know I arrived safely. And I''m fine," Lucas said, and Lucy raised a brow.

    "Are you really okay? Are you meeting Rachel?"

    "No. She doesn''t have to know I''m back. I''m not going anywhere near my apartment until I''m sure she''s not there. I''m at home. I''m sure she won''t think toe here," Lucas exined.

    "You are avoiding her. Why not just face her once and for all?" Lucy asked thoughtfully.

    "I don''t want to. She''s just going to cry and beg or throw a tantrum. I''m not interested," Lucas said dismissively, "How did the games go? Who won?" Lucas asked, changing the subject.

    Lucy told him about it, and Lucasughed at the hrity of it all, "I can''t believe they agreed to do that. I wish I were there to witness it."

    "Don''t worry. I will forward the clips to you tomorrow," Lucy promised.

    "That will be nice. You should be having dinner right now. Let me not hold you back. My regards to everyone. Talk to youter," Lucas said before hanging up.

    Once she dropped her phone, Lucy looked in the direction of the balcony with a sigh. She could see Tom tapping away at hisptop even though she had no idea what he was working on.

    She needed to do something to cheer him up. She remained where she was as she racked her brain for every possible non-sexual way to cheer him up. When she came up with nothing reasonable after a while, she picked up her phone and connected the Bluetooth device to the bedroom''s home theater before scrolling through her music yer until she settled for Keri Hilson''s ''Knock You Down''.

    Tom, who was busy tapping away on hisptop, turned to look inside the bedroom when he heard the sound of the music, and he chuckled when he saw her jumping on the bed in the name of dancing while holding her phone to her lips like a mic and lip-syncing as she pointed at him.

    What was this woman doing? He wondered as he set aside hisptop and stood up. Lucy gestured to him with her finger toe inside as she jumped down from the bed and continued to dance around in a silly manner while singing at the top of her lungs.

    Tom just grinned as he watched her. Whatever it was that she had hoped to achieve by doing something as silly as this, she had definitely achieved it because he loved her even more at that moment than he had the moment before, and he would have sworn that was impossible.

 Chapter 298 First Kiss

    <h4>Chapter 298 First Kiss</h4>

    "What?" Harry asked in surprise, wondering where the request hade from.

    Jade giggled, "You heard me. I want to kiss you," Jade said, puckering her lips, while Harry drew back from her.

    "Jade, you are drunk. I can''t let you do that," Harry said reasonably as he let go of her and picked up her handbag from the chair. He took out all the dor notes she had picked up from the stage and dropped them on the tray containing the now empty shot sses. Immediately the waiter who had served them rushed down to clear the table and take the money.

    "I want to kiss you, Harry. Harry, I want to kiss you. I want to kiss you, Harry," Jade protested loud enough for anyone who wasn''t paying attention to the music to hear her as she grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him to herself.

    "Fine. It''s okay. I will let you do so when we get out of here," Harry pleaded, not liking the attention she was drawing to their direction, especially the barman who was still staring at him like he was a pervert Uncle thanks to Jade.

    "Promise?" Jade asked, shing him a wide smile, and Harry gave her a nod.

    "Yeah. So let''s go," he said as he ced one arm around her waist to escort her outside while he held her bag with his other hand.

    He tried to use his body to clear the way and shield her so that she wouldn''t bump into anyone as they walked outside, while Jade held on to him with both hands around him as he led her outside.

    Once they stepped outside the club and got to the car, Jade turned to him before he could open the car door for her to get in, "Not so fast. Can I kiss you now?"

    Harry looked down at her suspiciously. For someone drunk, she seemed to be pretty clear on what she wanted, "Are you sure you''re drunk?"

    Jade giggled drunkenly as she rested her back on the car door while looking up at him, "Why? You won''t let me kiss you if I''m not drunk?" She asked, biting her lower lips in a pretty disturbing manner that made Harry look away.

    The only evidence of her drunkenness was her slurred speech and the fact that she was swaying lightly on her feet. "Let''s just go home and then you can..."

    "No," Jade said with a shake of her head, "I''m kissing you here and now or we are going back in there," she said stubbornly and Harry sighed as he kissed her cheek.

    "I''m drunk, not stupid. I said a kiss not a peck," Jade said with a roll of her eyes.

    "I said I want to kiss you, I didn''t ask you to kiss me. Would you even know how to if you wanted to?" She asked dryly, and Harry let out a sigh.

    "Fine. Just a kiss, right? Do it and let''s go," he said impatiently as he stood still to let her have her way with him.

    Jade grinned as she looked up at him, and then slid both arms around his neck causing her breasts to press against his ribs in a manner that was veryfortable, yet made him feel very ufortable. He wasn''t sure he had ever been aware of anydy as much as he was aware of her at that moment.

    Harry held his breath as he waited patiently for the kiss, but instead of kissing him Jade just continued to stare at him with a wide smile on her face as though she was waiting for something.

    "What now?" Harry asked impatiently.

    "You''re eager to be kissed by me, are you not?" She asked in a teasing tone, and just as Harry opened his mouth to refute her statement, she raised herself on her toes and covered his lips with hers.

    Jade didn''t give him any moment to recover from his surprise as she kissed him. She ran her tongue over his lower lip and nibbled on it lightly before plunging for his tongue.

    Harry felt like his heart was going to jump out of his chest as he had been expecting just a casual light kiss on the lips, but instead, her tongue was in his mouth and he could taste the different vors of cocktails she had drunk on her lips and tongue.

    He was heady with the scent and taste of her, and he was feeling a whole lot of different emotions at the same time, as he tried to make up his mind on whether to indulge himself and kiss her back or not.

    He knew that he would never allow himself to do something like this if they were both in their right states of mind whether or not he knew that Tom wouldn''t have a problem with him getting involved with his little sister.

    Kiss her back, or not kiss her? He asked himself when he knew deep down that the most logical thing to do would be to break the kiss if he didn''t want it as it had gone on long enough.

    He also knew that it wouldn''t be like he was taking advantage of her by kissing her back since she had asked for the kiss in the first ce. Although he had to also remind himself that she had asked for the kiss under the influence of alcohol, and it was also possible that she wasn''t kissing him because she liked him, but because he was the avable guy at that moment hence he had be desirable to her.

    He snapped back to the present when he felt her fingers in his hair once again, while the other hand in front of his shirt pulled him closer to herself since she got tired of stretching. Shutting down every other thought, he let himself kiss her back, and he was surprised when she made a low sound of approval in her throat.

    "Finally," Jade murmured against his lips before iming his tongue once again and sucking on it, "You taste so good," she whispered.

    "It''s the wine," Harry whispered back, feeling like he needed to give a response, and Jade giggled as she let her hands run down his chest.

    Sensing that things were going to escte pretty quickly if he didn''t stop her, Harry grabbed her wrist as he broke the kiss, and she looked at him with eyes that looked like troubled clouds as they both tried to catch their breath.

    "You wanted a kiss, you got one. Now get into the car let''s go home," he said as he opened the door, and Jade bit her lower lip as she watched him, struggling to hide her smile.

    "Okay. Let''s go home. A deal is a deal," she said as she got into the car, and Harry leaned inside to help her fix the seatbelt while holding his breath.

    Once he shut the door, he let out the breath he had been holding and inhaled fresh air into his lungs to get rid of Jade''s scent.

    By the time he went around the car and got into the seat, he noticed that Jade had drifted off to sleep and he let out a sigh of relief as he drove her home while she snored softly in her sleep.

    Thankfully the car was quiet enough so he could hear his thoughts without having her distract him as she always did.

    He knew that he shouldn''t have done that. He shouldn''t have let himself indulge in that kiss. Things like these onlyplicated friendships and rtionships and he didn''t want that no matter how much he liked her, or how attractive he thought she was.

    He enjoyed his banters with her, and he liked the dynamics of their rtionship just the way it was. He couldn''t say they were friends or define their rtionship outside their rtions to Tom, yet they understood each other enough to enjoy each other''spany, and that was just how he liked rting with her. This kiss was going to ruin things.

    She was still fast asleep by the time he drove into the parking lot of his apartment, and because he didn''t want to risk waking her up since he didn''t know what other crazy desire a drunk Jade might have, he went around the car and lifted her into his arms as he carried to his apartment.

    He wished there was someone he could talk to about what had happened, but there was no one he could tell. There was no way he could discuss this with Tom. Not when thedy in question was his sister. This was a good reason why it was a bad idea to get involved with one''s best friend''s sister. He could talk with his dad, but he didn''t want to because then the old man would be excited and start bing creative with his imagination and he didn''t want to get the man''s hopes up either. Who else was there to talk to?

    Once Harry managed to open the door to his apartment he carried her straight to her bedroom and dropped her gently on the bed while she continued to sleep soundly.

    Just as he turned to leave, his eyes fell on her feet, so he returned to the bedside to help her take off her sneakers, and this time his gaze fell on her lips which were pulled in a smile as she slept.

    He briefly wondered what she was dreaming of as he took off her shoes and socks, and then ced them at the edge of the bed, before heading for the door.

    He turned, startled, when she suddenly giggled in her sleep, "Uncle Harry," she murmured softly, making him look at her with a slightly raised brow.

    She was dreaming of him? He mused with a shake of his head as he turned off the light and gently shut the door behind him.

    He walked around the house aimlessly as he tried to clear his head. He walked over to his bar and poured himself a ss of wine, but the moment he took a sip from it, he was reminded of the assorted taste of Jade''s tongue, so he dropped the ss and walked away from the bar.

    Thinking about the kiss made him feel hot all over so took off his clothes as he walked into his bedroom and dropped them in theundry basket before walking into the bathroom. Yeah, a cold shower should cool him down a bit, he reasoned.

    After bathing, he put on a pair of gray-colored pajamas andy on the bed staring at the ceiling as he prayed for sleep toe. He groaned in frustration when he noticed that the ceiling was beginning to take the shape of Jade''s smiling face, and he quickly turned his face into his pillow and closed his eyes.

    He knew it. Kissing her had been a bad idea. He should never have returned that kiss. All he could hope for now was that she wouldn''t remember the kisse morning. The only problem left was that even if she didn''t remember it, he would remember the kiss every single time he looked at her. He would remember the taste of her lips everything they curved in a smile. He knew without a doubt that he wouldn''t be able to forget it. It was his first kiss after all, so how was he supposed to forget that he had gotten it from a drunk Jade Hank?

    Now he was certain that he was not going to be able to get his much-desired rest. The little demon had made it impossible for him to sleep earlier, and now she was sleepingfortably while he was here being tormented by a kiss she had initiated. He wished he could go to her bedroom and drag her off the damned bed.

 Chapter 299 Hypocrites

    <h4>Chapter 299 Hypocrites</h4>

    "Good morning, love of my life," Tom greeted as he kissed all over Lucy''s face until her eyes slowly opened and a smile split her face.

    "Please don''t tell me it''s morning already," She said sleepily as she tried to turn around so that she could drift off to sleep once again, but Tom spanked her ass.

    "Yep, it''s past six. That''s the reason you should have listened to me and retired early when I asked you to," Tom said, making her groan as she tried to keep her eyes open long enough to focus her gaze on him.

    "But I still need to sleep," Lucy groaned, making Tom pull away from her.

    He sat on the bed and watched her without saying a word, and just when she started to drift off once again he spoke, "You want to call in sick? I''m sure everyone would understand if you don''t show up at work today," he suggested, and as expected every trace of sleepiness left her eyes and she sat upright.

    "There is no way I can call in sick. Especially not today, and you know it, you trickster," she added with a scowl when she noticed his grin and hit his arm.

    Of course, he knew that she wouldn''t call in sick. Although she loved to spend time with him, she was still someone devoted to her job, and thest thing an overthinker like her would want is for people to start thinking that she was cking off her duty because of her rtionship with the CEO.

    "Since you''re not going to skip work, there is no reason for us to bete either. Let''s get ready for work," he said as he rolled off the bed, and then took her hand when she held it out to him to help her up.

    "This has to have been the longest weekend of my life," Lucy said as she got off the bed, and Tom reached to help her take off his t-shirt.

    "Don''t I just know that?" He asked since he felt the exact same way. It seemed like ages ago since they both walked out of his house on Friday morning to get her clothes for work. He was certain that while it seemed like the longest weekend of their life, for some others it was probably the shortest weekend ever.

    "How do you feel about going to work today? Do you feel nervous now that everyone knows who you are?" Lucy asked curiously and raised her arms when Tom raised the hem of the oversized polo t-shirt she was wearing to reveal her naked body.

    She was still quite surprised that Tom had been able to abide by the no-sex rule all through the night despite his obvious arousal which she had felt as he cuddled her to sleep.

    After dancing, he had called Samantha to have one of the helps deliver their dinner to the bedroom, and then he fed her and allowed her to feed him in return. After eating he had led her to the bathroom and to her amusement he had insisted on bathing her.

    After bathing her, he had taken her back into the bedroom where he toweled her dry and helped her get into his oversized shirt before tucking her in and asking her to go to bed.

    Of course, she had been unable to sleep, not while he was away from her and on the balcony. She had whimpered and made enough sounds to get his attention until he dropped hisptop and came to join her in bed. And then they had talked about everything and nothing, ranging from pleasant childhood memories to their parents, to the weird people they''ve met in their lives, to work until Lucy had drifted off to sleep.

    "I don''t feel anyhow. That they now know what I look like doesn''t mean they''re going to be seeing me often. What about you? Are you ready to face everyone? Friday was pretty tough," Tom said with a concerned expression and Lucy shrugged.

    "I have you with me, so I''m sure I''ll be fine," she assured him, and Tom gave her a nod before throwing the t-shirt on the bed.

    He looked down at Lucy who was now standing before him naked, while he was still wearing his boxers, "Take it off," he told her quietly, referring to his boxers.

    "Going forward I will be the one to undress you, and you''ll do the same to me until you''refortable enough to look at my body without averting your gaze every time I''m naked," he said, and Lucy eyed him skeptically.

    She wasn''t sure she could ever get used to seeing him naked. "You think that will work?"

    "I know it will," he assured her with a grin as she reached for the waistband of his boxers and pulled it down his thighs.

    She looked down at his morning erection which was pointing at her in all its glory and she swallowed as she tried to stifle the urge to touch it.

    She cleared her throat as she nced at him, "You''re aroused."

    "Don''t worry about it. Whatever goes up must surelye down. Isaac Newton said so," he assured her with a wink, and Lucy giggled.

    "I''m sure he wasn''t thinking of that when he said so."

    "Don''t be so sure, Jewel," Tom said as he took her hand and led her into the bathroom.

    Once inside the bathroom, he took their respective toothbrushes and applied toothpaste on them before handing Lucy hers. They both stood in front of the mirror staring at their reflections as they brushed their teeth. Neither of them said a word to each other until they were done.

    "I''m sorry about my moodst night," Tom apologized after returning their toothbrushes to the holder.

    Lucy smiled, "It''s fine. I understand that it wasn''t within your control, else you would easily have snapped out of it when you saw how it affected me," Lucy said, and Tom gave her a nod.

    "I''m d you know that. Now let''s hurry up and leave before the gang gathers," Tom suggested, referring to their parents, and Lucy giggled.

    Forty minutester they both sneaked out of the house as quietly as they could, and this time they didn''t have to leave for the office in Lucy''s car.

    "You don''t have to walk in with me. You can go in through your private elevator as usual," Lucy told Tom thirty minutester when they arrived at thepany and she noticed that he was about to park the car in front of thepany instead of just letting her get down and taking the car to his private parking lot.

    "I will rather go in with you and be sure everything is okay. I can return to the usual routine tomorrow," he said as he got out of the car, and Lucy did the same.

    Although they were both early as usual, they both noticed that many other staff had also arrived early, seeing as the parking lot was half-filled with cars already.

    Tom handed the car key to the valet and instructed him to take the car to his private parking lot before walking into the building with Lucy.

    The moment they stepped through the door, they stopped in their track and Lucy''s breath caught when she saw that most of the staff were standing in two parallel lines as though they were waiting for them, and at the end of the line was arge banner that read, "WE ARE SORRY DIRECTOR PERRY"

    Lucy nced at Tom to see if he had any idea that they were going to do something like this, but although he had his poker face on, she knew him well enough to know that he was just as surprised as she was.

    This was awkward. What did they expect her to do or say? She didn''t even trust their motive since it was most likely that they were doing this because she was dating Tom, and they were scared that some of them would lose their job.

    She watched as the members of her team came forward, all looking shamefaced apart from Amy who had a happy smile on her face.

    "Good morning sir," Amy greeted Tom before turning to Lucy, "Good morning ma''am. I''m d everything was resolved," Amy said as she stepped forward to take Lucy''s handbag, and Lucy smiled at her as she let her have her bag.

    She was relieved to know that she had at least one person she could count on here, "Thank you, Amy."

    "You''re wee. I''ll just take the bag to your office now," Amy said with a polite bow as she walked away with Lucy''s handbag, leaving them to face the rest of her team.

    "We are sorry, director Perry. We shouldn''t have said what we said," one of the male members of Lucy''s team apologized while avoiding Tom''s gaze since he was the person who had insulted Tom when he came looking for Lucy at the office.

    "And what exactly did you say?" Tom asked coldly before Lucy could respond, and she grabbed his hand to stop him.

    The man quickly fell to his knees, "I''m sorry, sir. I shouldn''t have said that about her, and I shouldn''t have insulted you either. Please forgive me," he pleaded, and Tom merely stared at him with disinterest before turning to look at Lucy with a softened gaze.

    "Do you want to forgive them or should I just fire them all?" Tom asked, and Lucy had to hold herself back from giggling.

    "We are sorry, director Perry," Harry read from behind them, and both Tom and Lucy turned to look at him, ignoring the man who was still on his knees.

    "Good morning, Lulu. I can call you that now, right?" Harry asked with a grin, and Lucy smiled back.

    "Sure. Good morning, Haha, I can call you that now, right?" Lucy asked with a grin, and Tom chuckled when Harry mildly red at her.

    "Haha. Very funny. I told you she has a good sense of humor, didn''t I?" Harry told Tom dryly.

    "Haha? Why didn''t I think of calling you that? Haha," Tom said with a grin, and Harry scowled at him before returning his attention to the employees who were still waiting for either Tom or Lucy to say something.

    "Do you have anything to say to them?" Harry asked Lucy, guessing that she was ufortable and didn''t know how to handle the situation was why they were all still standing by the doorway.

    Lucy shook her head. Harry gave her a nod, and turned to Tom, "What do you want to do about them?"

    "Can I leave that to you?" Tom asked, and Harry rolled his eyes.

    "As if I can say no? You always leave everything to me apart from your girlfriend," Harry pointed out as he pped Tom''s back yfully, "You both can go in and continue with your office romance. I will dismiss the hypocrites," he assured them.

    Tom started to leave, but stopped to look at Harry once again, "Are you okay?"

    "Sure. Why wouldn''t I be okay?" Harry asked, and Tom shrugged.

    "How is Jade?"

    On hearing Jade''s name, Harry''s heart skipped a beat, and he shifted his gaze away from Tom before clearing his throat, "She was still sleeping when I left the house," he said, praying that Tom wouldn''t ask any more Jade rted questions.

    Tom looked at him suspiciously, and although he wanted to ask why Harry was looking guilty, he said nothing as he walked away with Lucy.

    "Now that you have appeased your conscience, can you clear up this ce and return to your office? I''m sure director Perry and the CEO were impressed by the gesture," Harry said, and immediately the man who was kneeling stood up and joined the others to take down the banner.

    Without waiting for them to finish Harry walked away, wanting to get busy with work and distract himself from thinking about anything that had to do with Tom''s kid sister.

 Chapter 300 Morning-after Reaction

    <h4>Chapter 300 Morning-after Reaction</h4>

    "Are you sure you don''t need me to help you carry your stuff to your office?" Tom offered, and Lucy rolled her eyes as she arranged her stuff in a box.

    "Why will I need the CEO to help me carry my stuff when I can have my secretary help out? I''m sure you have a lot of things to attend to. Don''t mind me and go about your business. Let''s meet after work..."

    "After work? Nah. We are having lunch together," Tom objected, and Lucyughed softly.

    "Oh, yeah. I forgot that I broke up with my broke driver boyfriend who usually delivers my lunch," Lucy said, and Tom grinned.

    "And in exchange you got me," Tom said, spreading his arms.

    "Yeah. I couldn''t have asked for a better recement. Now excuse me," Lucy said as she returned her attention to the box.

    "But I''m missing you already," Tom said, sticking out his lower lip and making a cute face.

    "I''m only going to another floor within the same building. We will meet during the lunch break, and..."

    "How about I include a breakfast break and a brunch break before lunch?" Tom interjected, and Lucy giggled.

    "Can you be any more obvious?"

    "I could be actually. I could choose to shorten the working hours of the fashion unit to maybe two hours a day. That way you have more than enough time to spare."

    "That''s why I''m thankful you have someone like Harry to stop you..."

    "Did I just hear my name?" Harry asked as hepletely opened the partially open door and walked into the office, "Where are you going to Lulu? Did you both break up already because you recently discovered how boring Tom is?"

    "Very funny," Tom said with a toothy smile, and Lucy giggled.

    "I''m returning to my office now that I know you both fooled me intoing here. Or are you going to threaten to fire me if I don''t stay here?" Lucy asked Harry with a slightly raised brow.

    "I''m actually on your side. From the beginning I told him that his entire n was stupid, believe me," Harry said with an earnest expression as he picked up the box.

    "What are you doing with that?" Tom asked with a scowl.

    "Helping Lulu take her stuff back to her office, while you get back into your office and do all the stuff that CEOs do. Your ytime is over," Harry said, and Lucy shed him a smile as she picked up her handbag which Amy had helped her drop here earlier.

    "Haha!" Tom eximed, and Lucy giggled.

    "Very funny," Harry muttered as he walked out of the office, and Lucy kissed Tom''s cheek before walking away with Harry.

    "Thank you," Lucy told Harry as they walked into the elevator and she pressed the button for the third floor where her unit was located.

    "What for?" Harry asked, turning to spare her a nce.

    "For stepping in earlier at the lobby. I didn''t know what to do with them," Lucy confessed.

    "Did they all give you a hard timest week?" Harry asked curiously since he had not really considered that the employees would be harsh on her over a piece of unconfirmed news. He had thought that thedy whom Tom had fired was an exception.

    Lucy bobbed her head before letting out a sigh, "Yeah. It was terrible having to walk around with everyone whispering. So thank you for handling it,"

    "It''s nothing, Lulu. Don''t hesitate to let me know if you need me to handle anything else you can''t deal with," Harry offered as the elevator bell dinged and they both got out.

    "Thanks," Lucy said with a small smile as they walked down to her office.

    "I mean it. I''m hoping we will get along since we both will be sharing Tom," Harry said, just in case she thought he was making an idle offer, and she giggled as she nced at him, wondering how he could be such a sweet person to those he considered his friends yet so cold to employees that everyone was scared when his name was mentioned.

    "So you knew that I was lying about my fiance that first day, huh?" A blush stained her cheeks as she asked, and Harry chuckled as he turned to look at her.

    "I wouldn''t have known had Tom not told me beforehand that you would bete. You are a pretty good liar, you know? I should take lessons from you," Harry said, and Lucy giggled.

    "Did you possibly expect me to tell my mean boss who has the reputation of firing employees that I was drunk the previous night and woke upte?" She asked, and Harry shook his head.

    "I''m curious about something though. Did youe up with the lie at that moment, or you rehearsed it beforehand?"

    Lucyughed softly, "It was a spur of the moment tale. I had other stuff I had nned to say, but the moment you mentioned my name it all evaporated from my brain," Lucy confessed, and Harryughed as they both stopped outside her office door.

    "Thank you for forgiving Tom, and being with him. I was very worried that everything would blow up in our faces once you found out the truth," Harry said, and Lucy gave him a nod.

    "You must like him a lot to be so loyal to him," Lucy observed.

    "Sure. I''m not just saying this because he''s my best friend. He''s a great guy. Just don''t tell him I said so," Harry pleaded, and Lucy grinned.

    "Thank you for helping me bring the box," Lucy said as she extended her hands to take the box from him.

    "Can I ask you a question?" Harry asked hopefully, still holding on to the box.

    "Sure."

    "Do you usually remember everything you say or do when you were drunk?"

    Lucy cocked her head to the side as she considered the question, and then she shook her head, "I still don''t remember most of the things that happened between Tom and me that first night we met. I think there are people like me who do not remember stuff," Lucy said remembering how she had even thought they had sex when they didn''t.

    Harry gave her a nod, "Alright. Thank you. Don''t forget to let me know if anyone gives you a hard time," Harry said as he returned the box to her, and Lucy smiled at him.

    "Thanks, Haha," she said, and Harry chuckled as he watched her go into her office.

    Once he turned around the smile disappeared from his face and he sighed as he returned to his office. A part of him hoped that Jade wouldn''t remember the kiss, especially since he didn''t know if she had done it under the influence of alcohol or because she wanted to. He didn''t want things to be awkward between them. He had left the house without waking her up because he was avoiding her and didn''t want to face her. He hoped that she would leave before he returned from work, and he wouldn''t have to face her until she travels back.

    While Harry agonized over their kiss, Jade opened her eyes that morning, and she smiled to herself as she sat up on the bed. Unlike most people, she wasn''t one to suffer from severe hangovers apart from the feeling of lightheadedness and dehydration she had once in a while.

    She slowly got off the bed, and the first thing she noticed was her shoes which he had taken off. Although she had been asleep when he took off the shoes, she had known the moment he held her ankles to take off the shoes.

    She had a wide smile on her face as she walked out of the room, curious to see how he would react to seeing her this morning.

    The smile soon disappeared from her face when she walked into the living room and she didn''t see any sign of him. She walked over to the kitchen and although she could perceive the light aroma of coffee, there was no sign of him either.

    Thinking that he was probably in his bedroom, she turned to leave but her eyes fell on a packet of ibuprofen, and a sticky note on the dining table so she paused to pick it up.

    ''Good morning. I''ve left for the office and I might be too busy to see you before you leave. Take the medicine for your handover and you can help yourself with anything in the kitchen or refrigerator. Take care of yourself. Bye''

    Jade scoffed as she read the note. So this was his morning after reaction to the kiss? He was going to start avoiding her? She couldn''t believe that he thought she would leave without seeing him with or without the kiss.

    The kiss had mostly been for her to test the chemistry between them and to see if he would respond to it, and she had gotten the confirmation she needed. Seeing how he was backing away from her, she had to admit that pretending to be that drunk had been a very good idea. At least now she could pretend like she didn''t remember anything and things would go back to the way it was until she is done with her case and is ready for him. With that thought in mind, Jade smiled to herself as she returned to her bedroom to prepare for the day ahead. She needed to stop by I-Global and have a good look at the ce she might be working soon.

 Chapter 301 Discussing Business

    <h4>Chapter 301 Discussing Business</h4>

    "Look who we have here, Haha!" Tom joked once Harry walked into his office, and Harry chuckled.

    "I''m d you''re no longer putting on that hideous costume and double d that you''ve thrown out those stupid piercings," Harry said as he took the seat opposite Tom for them to talk since it was the first time they were going to be alone since he returned with Jade.

    "You should be triple d that I also got what I wanted," Tom pointed out, and Harry gave him a nod.

    "Yeah. Although I didn''t approve of your ways, I''m d you got her," Harry said with a nod before looking around the office, "So, how have things been around here?"

    "Not bad. How did things go over there?" Tom asked curiously, and then he listened as Harry brought him up to speed with Jade''s case and all that had happened.

    "... I should also let you know that I offered her a job with the legal team here," Harry said, and Tom narrowed his eyes.

    "Why? Did something happen between you both for you to want to keep her here?"

    "No. Nothing happened, and I can assure you that nothing is going to happen. She''s just very intelligent, and I think we will need someone like her working in our legal team. And at least this will be less dangerous for her than starting her own practice as she ns to. I don''t want to babysit her anymore," Harry babbled on defensively, and Tom just watched him in amusement, wondering what happened between him and Jade to spook him.

    He could tell that Harry wasn''t lying to him since Harry wasn''t really the type to tell lies. But Harry also wasn''t the type to talk so much unless he was feeling guilty about something, and the fact that he was avoiding eye contact right now said a lot.

    "Okay. So what did she say? Did she ept your offer?" Tom asked, choosing to let Harry be for the time being until he was willing to open up on his own to him.

    "Not yet."

    "You think she will?"

    "I don''t know," Harry said with a shrug, not wanting to think about her.

    "I hope she will. I also offered Bryan a job here," Tom said, and Harry''s brows shot up.

    "Bryan is an actor. What job could you possibly offer him? Director of yboy costumes or ACTING CEO?" Harry asked,ying emphasis on the acting, and Tom chuckled.

    "I missed you," Tom said, and Harry gave him a stiff smile.

    "You missed your BORING best friend?"

    "Yes, I did."

    "Good for you. So what position did you offer him?" Harry asked curiously.

    "Before I tell you that, have you considered my proposition? I want us to make the announcement during the meeting with the shareholderster today."

    "Tom, are you certain that you have thought it through?" Harry asked thoughtfully.

    "We both know that I wouldn''t have made the offer if I hadn''t already thought of it. Thepany is gradually bing too big for me to handle alone, and there is no one else I trust to do this with me. I want you to have as much authority as I have to take care of thepany. Besides, you''ve been ying the role this whole time. We can as well just make it official," Tom pointed out, and Harry scoffed.

    "How do I know you''re not doing this just so you would have enough time for your office romance?" Harry asked, and Tom chuckled.

    "Even if that was the case, I''m sure you wouldn''t mind," Tom said, and Harry sighed.

    "Have you talked to anyone else about it? Your mother?" He asked since he knew Evelyn was one of Tom''s sounding board.

    "Yes. She thinks it''s a good idea. Lucy thinks so too. And I think so. Who else do you want me to run it by? Your dad? Jade? I''m sure all the shareholders would like that too," Tom said, and Harry gave him a nod.

    "Okay. Let''s do it then. Just pray I don''t do my job so well that I choose to demote you if you start cking in your duties," Harry threatened, and Tom grinned as he stood up.

    "Let''s celebrate," Tom said as he stood up and walked over to his mini bedroom to pick up a bottle of wine and two sses.

    "You haven''t told me about the job you offered Bryan yet. And what''s your n for an assistant if I be your Co-CEO?" Harry asked, turning around in his seat to look at Tom.

    "I will have the director of human resources put out a vacancy advertisement for the position before the end of the day. And as for Bryan''s offer... I know I should have run it by you first. I was thinking that maybe we could start an entertainment agency. Let''s sign Bryan as our first star..."

    Tom was interrupted when the door was suddenly opened, and Bryan popped his head in, wanting to see if Tom was busy, "Sorry to barge in on you unannounced. You don''t have a secretary, so there was nobody to ask if you were in or busy. Good morning to you two," Bryan greeted as he walked into the office and then took one of the sses of wine from Tom before he could hand it to Harry.

    "Good morning to you too," Harry murmured, thinking that Bryan and Jade were very much alike.

    "What are we celebrating so early in the morning?" Bryan asked as he sipped from the winess he had taken from Tom.

    "We were just talking about you. Do I need to ask why you are here so early?" Tom asked with a slightly raised brow as he handed Harry the second ss of wine he was holding.

    "I came for us to discuss your offer. We sneaked out of the house as nned so that the old man would think that we forgot his birthday. So while we were chilling at your hideout apartment, I figured that instead of whiling away the time idly, I could as well spend the day doing productive stuff," Bryan said with a shrug as he sat down on the seat next to Harry and stretched both legs in front of his before crossing them in a rxed gesture.

    Harry nced at Tom, who was now pouring himself another ss of wine, "I don''t think this is a good idea. Neither of us knows anything about running an entertainment agency," Harry pointed out.

    "Isn''t that why people without knowledge in a particr field hire people with that knowledge to work for them?" Bryan asked with a slightly raised brow.

    "Does that mean you''re epting my offer?" Tom asked hopefully before turning to Harry, "Just trust me as you''ve always done. Can you do that?" Tom asked as he returned to his seat with a ss of wine, and Harry shrugged.

    "I have my conditions," Bryan said as he set down the ss and sat up, looking very serious now, "This is my career we are talking about, so we have to leave sentiments out of this," Bryan said, and Tom gave him a nod as he sat down.

    "Sure. Go ahead," Tom urged him.

    "As Harry rightfully pointed out, you both know nothing about running an entertainment agency, so my first condition is that you hire someone I trust to run the agency. Someone I know who is capable of handling the agency and managing my career," Bryan said, and Harry raised a brow.

    "And I suppose you have someone in mind already?"

    "Yes. Jeff, my manager. He is more thanpetent, and he is very loyal too," Bryan said as he picked up his wine ss and sipped from it.

    "Jeff? Isn''t he working for Paul?" Tom asked curiously.

    "He turned in his resignation letter after my announcement. He still wants to be my manager," Bryan exined.

    "And you''re sure Paul didn''t send him?" Harry asked doubtfully.

    "As I said, I trust him," Bryan said in a tone that brooked no argument, and Harry gave him a nod.

    "Harry? What do you say to that?" Tom asked curiously.

    "If Bryan trusts the guy with his career, then we can as well trust him to run the agency," Harry said, and Tom grinned.

    "So that solves the problem of who to run the agency. It''s a win for us all. What other condition do you have?" Tom asked Bryan.

    "My personal assistant, Mia, ising with me too. You''ll have to provide an apartment for her and also pay her double of what she was earning previously," Bryan said, and both Tom and Harry exchanged a look.

    "Why is sheing with you?" Tom asked in confusion, and Bryan grinned at him.

    "Because your brother is a very lovable being with a sunny personality, and everyone wants to keep working for him."

    "Can we do that?" Tom asked Harry, and he shrugged.

    "You''re the one who chose to scout a star like him when you know nothing about running an entertainment agency, so I guess you have to do whatever he says," Harry said, and Bryan grinned.

    "That''s not all..."

    "Don''t push your luck, Bryan. As you said, there are no sentiments in business. We will have our legal team draw up a contract, and then you can reach an agreement with them. Also, invite your manager over. I need to assess him," Harry said as he picked up his ss.

    Just as he raised the ss to his lips to take a sip, he remembered the taste of Jade''s lips and dropped the winess without drinking. He cleared his throat and looked away from both brothers, wondering what they would think if they knew that he was thinking about their sister''s lips while discussing business with them.

    As though reading his mind, Bryan eyed him curiously, "How is Jade?"

    "She was fine when I left her in bed a while ago," Harry said dryly as he stood up abruptly, making Bryan scowl while Tom chuckled.

    "There is something else I need to discuss with you," Tom said, but Harry waved it off.

    "Let''s talk about itter. I have work to attend to in my office," Harry said as he walked away, leaving the brothers alone.

    "Where is Sonia?" Tom asked once Harry left.

    "She''s with Lucy. Is Harry sleeping with Jade?" Bryan asked thoughtfully as he tried to understand what Harry had said about leaving Jade in bed.

    "It''s none of your business nor mine. If Jade wants you in her business, she will let you know," Tom said in a warning tone which implied that he didn''t want Bryan hounding Jade or Harry about it.

    Meanwhile, as Harry walked into his office, he was stopped by his secretary, who was standing by the office door looking confused, "What is wrong?" He asked her irritably.

    "There is ady in your office. She refused to say who she was. She just insisted on waiting for you inside your office when I told her you were busy with the CEO," his secretary exined, making his brows pull together.

    Ady? Was it Tanya? That was the only person he could think of, "It''s alright. I will handle it," Harry said calmly as he walked past her and opened the office door.

    Jade, who was sitting on Harry''s swivel chair with her back to the door, turned to the seat to face him once she heard the office door open, and she grinned at him when she saw the rm which registered on his face.

 Chapter 302 Liars

    <h4>Chapter 302 Liars</h4>

    "What are you doing here?" Harry asked very slowly so as not to stutter.

    "Good morning to you too, uncle Harry. I slept very well. I hope you did too," Jade greeted in her usual cheerful tone as she remained seated on his seat, watching him with concealed amusement.

    She observed that he did not make any move to shut the office door behind him or walk further into his office. He just stood by the door staring at her like he was scared to move closer to her or was set bolt if she so much as made any advances at him.

    Harry looked at her, trying to read her expression to determine what she was thinking, but he couldn''t get anything. She looked normal. For some unknown reason, he felt some sort of resentment towards her for being more normal than he was. Was it possible that she really didn''t remember what had happened? He wondered hopefully.

    "Is everything okay?" Jade asked as she watched him, and Harry raised a brow.

    "Is everything not supposed to be okay? I was waiting for you to answer my question. What are you doing in my office?" Harry repeated, changing the subject quickly in his attempt to sound like everything was fine.

    "I stopped by to see thepany I might be working at soon. Your job offer is still open, isn''t it? Or have you changed your mind?" She asked, still watching him.

    Now he was feeling conflicted. He didn''t know whether or not to just withdraw the job offer. Maybe if he hadn''t already told Tom about it, he would have withdrawn it, but now there was little or nothing he could do to stop her from getting the job if she wanted to take him up on the offer.

    Harry cleared his throat, "The offer is still open if you want it. But you didn''t have toe to my office. It isn''t my office that you''ll be working in after all," Harry pointed out, and she shed him a smile.

    "Oh, yeah! About that... I was hoping you would show me around."

    "Oh! I''m sorry I''m busy. You can just ask Tom to show you around. I''m sure he will be very willing to do so," Harry suggested.

    "Why Tom?" Jade asked with narrowed eyes.

    "Why me?" Harry retorted.

    "Because you''re the one who offered me the job. And it''s the least you can do for me after turning down my offer to hang out with mest night," Jade said, making Harry, who had opened his mouth to object, shut it as he looked at her questioningly.

    What was she talking about? Did she really not remember himing to the club to meet her? Harry mused as he tried to figure out the best way to ask her about it.

    Jade, on the other hand, raised a hand to her head, "My head hurts. I must have really had too much to drinkst night. I have no idea how I got home. I guess I must be pretty smart to have found my way back to your ce, huh?" Jade asked, answering his unspoken question, and she almost giggled when she watched his shoulders drop in relief.

    She wasn''t really a fan of telling lies, but she didn''t know how else she could make him rx around her long enough for them to have a proper conversation. And she knew that the moment he realized that she remembered the kiss, he was going to go all defensive. If she had known that he was going to start acting this way after the kiss, she most likely would not have kissed him... Or maybe she would still have kissed him regardless.

    "You don''t remember how you got home?" Harry asked hopefully.

    "That is your fault. If you had tagged along with me as I wanted you to, none of these would have happened," Jade said usingly, and Harry looked away guiltily.

    He couldn''t believe that he had taken advantage of her and kissed her when she was drunk and incapable of making a logical decision. Of course, she was not in her senses when she asked for the kiss, and he should have known better than to do that.

    "Oh, c''mon! I was just pulling your leg. It''s not your fault that I had too much to drink," Jade hurried to assure him when she noticed his guilt-ridden expression. What was she going to do with this guy?

    Perhaps he should tell her about the kiss? That was the responsible and decent thing to do. She had a right to know that he had kissed her when she was drunk. Or did she not? He swallowed. What if she refused to believe that she had asked him for the kiss? What if she denied kissing him and just assumed that he was a pervert who had taken advantage of her? How was he going to deal with that?

    Although he had been hoping that she wouldn''t remember anything about it, now that he was faced with it, and it was clear that she didn''t remember the details of the previous night, he seemed to be in a different dilemma altogether.

    He couldn''t believe that the person who had stolen his first kiss had no memories of the kiss that was haunting him. Maybe what he needed was to talk to someone about it. That way, he will know whether or not to tell her about the kiss.

    "Is something bothering you?" She asked, wishing she could read his mind and find out what he was thinking.

    "No. I''m... I''m busy right now, so I can''t show you around thepany," Harry said, hoping that she would leave, but Jade remained in his seat.

    "I''m not busy," she said leisurely as she swiveled the chair around.

    "Jade, I don''t have the time to..."

    "I can wait until you''re less busy. I will just wait here if you don''t mind," Jade offered with a bright smile.

    "Why wait when you can just go to Tom..."

    "Because it''s not fun if my brother shows me around. I can call him to ask him if you can show me around, but I''m pretty sure that he wouldn''t mind me waiting for you. Besides, he ced me in your care. So until I return to his houseter in the day, you''re to babysit me," she reminded him with a grin as she stood up and went around the desk while Harry just watched her wearily.

    "I''m curious about something, though. You don''t happen to know how I got homest night, do you?" Jade asked as she sat on the edge of the desk, drawing his eyes to the slit on her knee-length blue dress, which revealed some part of her right thigh.

    "Uhm I..." Harry paused to clear his throat, "I picked you up from the club," he confessed, and Jade raised a brow.

    "Oh, you did? When? How did you know where I was? I hope I didn''t do anything to embarrass either of us?" Jade asked, looking genuinely confused and concerned, and Harry waved off her concerns as he took another step into the office now.

    Thinking that it was probably best he at least told her part of the truth since her phone''s call log would back his story, he shrugged, "I called. You missed my call, and then you called back. I asked where you were, and you told me where to find you. I got there, picked you, and brought you back home," Harry surmised, and Jade''s lips curved in a smile. At least they were both guilty of telling lies now.

    "How drunk was I?" She asked, giving him another chance to tell her about the kiss.

    "Drunk enough to not remember anything now, I suppose?" Harry said with a shrug, and she gave him a nod.

    "Did I walk or did you carry me?"

    "You walked to the car, but you were knocked out by the time we got to the house so I carried you inside. I hope you don''t mind?" Harry asked, and she shrugged.

    "Seeing how cool you are about it, I guess I didn''t do anything awful then. Thanks for picking me up," Jade said, and Harry gave her a stiff nod, feeling like a dirty liar for leaving out the important details of all that transpired between them. Or, maybe the details were only important to him, but not her.

    "Go on with your work then, and don''t mind me. I''ll just sit here quietly and let you do your thing. I promise not to distract you," Jade assured him with a smile.

    He wished he could tell her that her mere presence there was already a huge distraction seeing as his eyes seemed to be moving of their own volition and kept shuffling between her lips and her exposed thigh. And what was worse? He was trying not to breathe too much because of her scent. How was he supposed to do any work like this? He had escaped from Tom''s office and hade to his office to have a reprieve from thoughts of her, only to be tormented even more.

    "I''ll hate to waste your time. Why don''t I just show you around thepany right now so you can leave, and then I can focus on my work?" Harry offered instead, and Jade shed him a smile.

    "That will be very much appreciated, uncle Harry," she said as she stepped away from the desk and approached him. If he thought that she was going to let him dismiss her so easily, then he had another thoughting.

    Once she stopped in front of him, she smiled once again, "Thank you so much foring to get mest night and for being a gentleman," she said as she leaned forward and embraced him.

    Harry''s heart almost exploded from his chest, and he stood stiffly in her embrace, holding his breath as she lifted herself on tiptoes, and with her arms ced around his shoulders, she kissed his cheek.

    ''Oh, God! What did this woman want from me?'' Harry mused as he held his breath waiting for her to pull away from him as her breath on his cheek was making him feel hot all over.

    Jade''s heart fluttered when she pulled away from him and saw how flushed his face was. This grown-up man was just too cute and innocent for both their good.

    "Let''s run along then, so you can get back to your work quickly," Jade said, shing him a smile as she linked arms with him.

    Harry didn''t trust himself to speak, so he swallowed hard as he let her pull him out of his office, reminding himself once again that he shouldn''t have kissed her.

 Chapter 303 Career-oriented

    <h4>Chapter 303 Career-oriented</h4>

    "They''re all still looking in here because of you. Shut the blinds. You are distracting them," Lucy chided Sonia, who was too busy looking around the office to pay any attention to the members of Lucy''s team who were following her with their eyes.

    Lucy shook her head as she got off her seat and went to shut the blinds herself so that her team members would return their attention to work. They had been distracted enough for one morning.

    She had been the one to spring the first surprise on them when she walked into the office carrying her stuff. She could tell from their faces that it had been a very awkward moment for them apart from Amy, who had seemed quite excited about the move and had helped her take the box to her office.

    "There is no need for the atmosphere to be so tense. You''re human, after all, and you reacted the normal human way. I don''t owe it against any of you, and I can sure you that the CEO isn''t going to fire you over this," Lucy had assured them.

    "I''m very sorry, Director Perry. I feel very ashamed of myself," one of thedies had said, and Lucy waved it off.

    "It''s okay. I''m d it was all sorted out. Besides, Amy told me you all did your best to help uncover the truth. So thank you," Lucy had said with a small smile.

    "Can I get you coffee?" The man who had knelt before her and Tom earlier asked, wanting to do something to ease his conscience.

    "No, thanks. But maybe we can all have a team dinner one of these days. I''d like us to work well together without any form of tension or awkwardness, so please, let''s put what happened behind us," she had pleaded politely and then walked away when they nodded their consent.

    She had barely settled in when Sonia sauntered into her office dressed in a sexy mint-colored mini bodycon dress as usual with diator sandals, looking every bit like the celebrity she now was, thereby distracting her teammates who seemed excited about seeing the celebrity in their office.

    Sonia turned to Lucy when she remembered something, "Those silly people are the ones who gave you a hard time, aren''t they?" She asked, heading for the door, and Lucy quickly intercepted her.

    Knowing Sonia, she would create a scene and just cause unnecessary trouble, "Let it go. I already addressed the issue," Lucy said as she joined their arms and pulled Sonia away from the door towards the desk.

    "Still, I should give them an earful so that they will think twice before making you cry next time," Sonia said with displeasure, making Lucy smile.

    "I''m sure they will think twice about that now that they know about my rtionship with Tom. So you don''t need to do anything about it, thank you," Lucy assured her.

    "That''s your boyfriend. They should know you also have a crazy best friend who wouldn''t hesitate to pounce on them if they so much as make you frown," Sonia said, and Lucy giggled.

    "That''s so sweet of you, but no, thanks. I''m fine. They were only being human," Lucy said, and Sonia rolled her eyes.

    "And your secretary who acted differently from them was being what? An angel?" Sonia asked sarcastically.

    "Yeah. I actually think she is an Angel. Both Amy, Alicia, Jasmine, you, Tom, and his family. I think you''re all angels. So let it rest, please," Lucy said as she leaned forward and embraced Sonia.

    "Whatever," Sonia muttered with a scowl as Lucy straightened up and returned to her seat. Once Lucy was seated, she dropped onto one of the seats opposite her and looked around the office again, "Anyway, your office looks really cool. It''s nothing like I imagined. Now I wish I had an office too. What do you think?" Sonia asked, and Lucy''s brows arched.

    "What do I think about what? You needing an office space?"

    "Yeah. That," Sonia said with a nod.

    "You don''t need an office," Lucy pointed out.

    "Says who?"

    "Says me. You can write from anywhere. And we both know that one of the things you love most about your job is that you can do it from any part of the country or world as long as there is an inte connection there. Having an office will just limit you to one ce, and you are not that type," Lucy said, and Sonia sighed as she went to sit opposite Lucy.

    "True. You''re right. But you know, working from home makes people think you''re sort of jobless? But if I could just dress up and go to an office to write, I''d be seen as a serious-minded careerdy or something," Sonia pointed out, and Lucy giggled.

    "The world is changing now, and a lot of people work remotely these days. People no longer care about stuff like that. Besides, we both know that you don''t really care about stuff like that was why you chose to stick to writing despite the job offers you got after graduation. And underneath all this craziness of yours is a very homely person, so my answer remains the same. You don''t need an office space to prove anything to anyone," Lucy said, and Sonia sighed.

    "Did Tom tell you that he offered to sign Bryan?" Sonia asked as she crossed both legs in front of her.

    "Yes. He mentioned itst night. What about it?" Lucy asked curiously, trying to figure out what this had to do with the previous question.

    Sonia said nothing for some time, and then she sighed, "What do you think about me moving in with Bryan?"

    "Moving in?" Lucy repeated, not knowing what to think about it, especially as Sonia was jumping from one subject to another while she was trying to figure out how the subjects were all rted

    "Yeah. You can be honest as always with me," Sonia said as she waited for a response.

    "I suppose I don''t need to ask if you''re sure about your feelings for him and his for you?" Lucy asked, and Sonia nodded.

    "I know that you have always been free-spirited, but have you given this enough thought? Is it something you want to do? Or are you just considering it for his sake?" Lucy asked thoughtfully.

    "I''m going to be honest with you, Lu. I can''t think of staying apart from Bryan. I thought I was going to die of heartache the night I spent at your apartment after breaking up with him. I''m crazy about him, Lu," Sonia confessed, and Lucy smiled broadly at her friend''s confession.

    "Does that mean that if he proposes to you for real, you''ll say yes?" Lucy asked, and Sonia bobbed her head.

    "Of course. But that won''t be happening anytime soon. Neither of us wants the pressure that marriage brings into a rtionship just yet. We just want to be together and explore ourselves and the world," Sonia said dreamily.

    "That''s fine too. It''s up to you. If you want to move in with him, you should do so," Lucy encouraged.

    "What about you?" Sonia asked, eyeing Lucy curiously.

    "I don''t suppose you''re asking if I want to move in with you both, are you?" Lucy asked with a grin, and Sonia giggled.

    "As if Tom would let you out of his sight. He didn''t even want to sit apart from you. That guy is really crazy about you," Sonia said, and Lucy smiled.

    "Yeah, he is. I just can''t understand why," Lucy said with a small smile.

    "What do you mean by that? Have you met you? You''re beautiful, smart, kind, sweet, charming, innocent, thoughtful, funny, crazy in a cute innocent way, and more. Girl, if I was a guy, I''ll marry you," Sonia said, and Lucyughed.

    "You''re only saying that because you''re my best friend," Lucy said, and Sonia grinned.

    "So I guess I''m back to being your best friend, huh? I thought you disbestfriended me," She said, and Lucy rolled her eyes.

    "Don''t remind me of your betrayal. Else I might change my mind. And that word doesn''t even exist. Stop making up silly words."

    "Every word in the dictionary was made up by somebody. You''re just looking down on the words I form because you know me. But that isn''t the point. You''re amazing, and you deserve every bit of love you get from Tom and even more. I hope you won''t ever forget that," Sonia said, and Lucy smiled at her.

    "What will I do without you?"

    "I can think of something. You''ll get into less trouble without me," Sonia said with a wink, and Lucy giggled.

    "Yes. Ipletely agree with that."

    "Before we digress again, that wasn''t my question," Sonia said, returning their attention to her initial question.

    "What was your question?" Lucy asked, at a loss.

    "I said, ''what about you?'' although I asked you about it yesterday, we didn''t get a chance to talk about it before meeting Candy. Why does it seem like you''re against the idea of getting married?" Sonia asked curiously.

    Although Sonia was one to act impulsively and carelessly most of the time, she was also a very observant and thoughtful person. Things hardly went past her without her knowledge, especially not when it had to do with Lucy.

    "I wonder how you always manage to remember stuff," Lucy said in amusement, and Sonia shrugged.

    "Some of us were born smart," she said with a grin.

    "And by implication, you mean the rest of us were born stupid, I suppose?" Lucy asked with a stiff smile, and Sonia giggled.

    "Quit digressing. Is there something else that I don''t know about?" Sonia asked, looking all serious now, and Lucy sighed.

    "I don''t know if this will make any sense to you, but I''ve lived most of my adult life with the conviction that I don''t need any man in my life apart from my dad and Lucas. You know better than anyone else that I was not interested in men, or rtionships or marriage until somehow I fell in love with Tom. Yes, the stuff that happened in the past contributed greatly to my conviction, but even though I''m in love with Tom now, I''m still not sure I want to go all that way with him. Does it make sense?" Lucy asked once she finished, and Sonia just looked at her.

    "You love him, but you don''t want to bemitted to him?" Sonia asked, wanting to be sure she understood Lucy.

    "I''mmitted to him. I just don''t want to get married," Lucy said without meeting Sonia''s gaze.

    "You love him and will bemitted to him, but you don''t want to marry him?"

    "Yeah. It''s just like with you and Bryan..."

    "No, Lu. If I''m getting you right, it''s not the same thing. I love Bryan. He loves me. We both would love to get married to each other, but we don''t want to do so just yet. We will do it at a future date. Maybe some years from now, or even in a couple of months. Who knows? But what you''re saying, on the other hand, is that you don''t want to get married, am I wrong?" Sonia asked, and Lucy sighed.

    "You''re not."

    "Is Tom aware? Does he know that you don''t want to marry him?" Sonia asked, and Lucy shook her head.

    "No. We haven''t talked about that."

    "I don''t know. I don''t know what to say or how to feel about this," Sonia said with a slight frown. If she was being honest with herself, nothing Lucy was saying made any sense to her, "I thought your rtionship with Tom would have changed that by now."

    "No, it hasn''t. I love him, but I''m not interested in getting married nor in having kids. It shouldn''t be a big deal, should it? Can''t we just be two people in love with each other without getting married? Oprah isn''t married to her man, and they''ve been together for decades. Marriage is only in papers. It''s not that big a deal..."

    "Exactly! So do it! If it isn''t a big deal, do it! It''s just in papers, right? Then sign the fucking papers!" Sonia half-yelled, unable to hold back her annoyance anymore. She was scared that Lucy was going to ruin her rtionship with Tom over this.

    Lucy''s brows pulled together in disapproval, "Sonia," Lucy called in a warning tone, "Barely three weeks ago, I didn''t even want a boyfriend, and you were okay with me not getting married. All you wanted was for me to be in a rtionship of any kind with any man. Now I''m in love and I''m in a rtionship, so what''s the problem? Asking me to be open about the whole marriage idea, isn''t that too much?" Lucy asked with a slight frown.

    Sonia took in a deep breath, trying to calm herself. She tried to assure herself that if it was possible for her to switch from not wanting a rtionship to being in a serious one because of Tom, then she could as well change her mind about marriage because of Tom. It might take some time, but it was possible. She would hold on to that.

    "I''m sorry. I didn''t mean to impose my conviction on you," Sonia said apologetically.

    "It''s fine. We both know that, unlike you, I''ve always been more career-oriented than family-oriented. I want to do something for myself. This is one of the reasons I didn''t want to get involved in any rtionship. I''m not willing to change that about myself," Lucy said, and Sonia gave her a nod. She wasn''t going to argue with her or try to convince her otherwise. All she prayed for was that Tom would be wise and patient enough to handle this when the time came.

 Chapter 304 Matchmaking Gone Wrong

    304 Matchmaking Gone Wrong

    Harry decided to first take Jade to Tom''s office with the hope that either Tom or Bryan would get their sister off him.

    "Aww, look who we have here, the handsome Hank brothers," Jade said as she happily walked into Tom''s office to join him and Bryan.

    "What are you doing here?" Bryan asked as he looked at Jade, whose arm was still linked with Harry''s, and then at Harry, who had left only a moment ago iming he had work to attend to.

    "I came to look around thepany where I might be working soon," Jade said with a smile as she stubbornly held on to Harry''s arm while he kept trying to free his arm from hers, "What are you both celebrating? And who owns this extra ss?" She asked as she picked up the ss of wine that Harry had abandoned earlier and took a sip from it.

    Tom watched them both in amusement as Harry begged him with his eyes to save him from her, but he pretended not to notice.

    "You will be working here soon?" Bryan asked Jade before turning to look at Tom, "You offered her a job too? Did dad and mom put you up to this?" Bryan asked, and Jade raised a brow.

    "Too? You offered Bryan a job?" Jade asked Tom curiously before she turned to Harry, "Was that why you offered me that job? Tom asked you to?" Jade asked, and both Tom and Harry sighed.

    "It was purely coincidental. I only just found out this morning that Harry offered you a job, and I also just told him I offered Bryan a job. So can you both stop making useless assumptions?" Tom asked in a slightly impatient tone.

    "You can''t me us for assuming so. You would think so too if you were in our shoes," Jade said with a smile, "By the way, what position did you offer Bryan?" She asked curiously.

    "You can either stay back here and talk to them about it while I return to my office, or you can leave that discussion forter and talk with them when I''m not in a hurry to get back to work," Harry said quietly since neither of her brothers was willing to rescue him from her.

    "Right. I wish I could hang around and talk to you both, but I dragged uncle Harry from his precious office to show me around thepany. So let''s talk after I''m done. You''re still around, right?" She asked Bryan, and he gave her a nod.

    "Good then. See you both soon," she said with a small wave as she turned around and dragged Harry out with her.

    "Why does your friend look scared of her?" Bryan asked the moment they shut the door behind them, and Tom chuckled.

    "Because he is obviously scared of her," Tom said with a grin that left Bryan curious.

    "Why is he scared of her?" He asked with interest.

    "He is not used to havingdies cling to him that way. He''s very old-fashioned."

    "Old-fashioned in what sense?" Bryan inquired, and Tom looked at him for a moment.

    "He is not the sex before marriage kind of guy," Tom exined, and Bryan''s eyes widened in surprise.

    "Harry?" He asked in disbelief, and Tom gave him a nod.

    "Wow!" Bryan eximed as he looked at the door as though he could see Harry. Now he could understand why Tom had felt confident enough to send Harry to Jade and why Tom believed that Harry was good for Jade.

    While the brothers were busy discussing him, Harry tried to keep as much distance as he could between himself and their sister as he showed her around the different parts of the building. Thest thing he wanted was for the staff to see him walking around the office premises so intimately with a woman. It was only a matter of time before they would find out who the woman was, and then rumors would start, which would only be worse when she eventually resumed work here if she does.

    By the time he led her out of the part of the building that housed the legal team, Jade was already feeling tired and hungry, so she turned to him, "I''m tired, and I''m hungry. Can we have breakfast together before you return to your office?" She asked hopefully, patting her abdomen to show him that she was hungry.

    "You know where the cafeteria is��."

    "No. I don''t want to eat alone. I want to have breakfast with you for onest time before I leave," Jade said, blinking rapidly at him until he sighed.

    "Fine. Let''s go," he said as he walked ahead of her, and once again, she ran up to him.

    Thinking that she had given him enough space and now he seemed rxed, she tried to reach for his arm, but before she could do so, he gave her a warning look to stop her.

    "Fine," Jade said as she raised her hands in surrender and then dropped them beside her as she walked next to him silently.

    "You know, I just remembered something funny aboutst night. You were really cool��." Jade started once they got to the cafeteria, and Harry''s heart skipped a beat.

    She remembered something? What did she remember? He wondered and swallowed nervously as he waited for her to go on.

    Jade grinned as she looked into his face, "I still can''t believe how you handled that brat," Jade said, making Harry want to faint with relief.

    So that was what she was referring to? Thank goodness! Harry cleared his throat, "She was rude. I had to put her in her ce," Harry said, and Jade smiled.

    "You actually didn''t put her in her ce. You threw her out of the ce," Jade said with a giggle, and Harry smirked as they walked up to the counter to get their meal.

    Thedy behind the counter was surprised to see Harry, and she smiled at him nervously, "What can I get you, sir? You can sit down while I serve you," she offered, wanting him to leave the counter before he would find something to query her over.

    "Do you serve every staff thates in here to eat?" Harry asked calmly, and she shook her head.

    "It''s because it is your first time��."

    "Then you don''t have to serve me either," Harry cut in before she could finish, and then he turned to Jade, "What do you want to eat?" Harry asked Jade, who was busy watching the woman who was beginning to sweat.

    "Serve us your best dishes," Jade told thedy with a polite smile before turning to Harry, "Why don''t we let her serve us?" She asked, and before Harry could refuse, she took his arm and dragged him away from the counter to the relief of thedy.

    "If you like being served so much, you could have just sat down here and waited for me to serve you. You shouldn''t stress thedy," Harry scolded, and Jade snorted.

    "You were the one who was stressing her. You were making her ufortable. Can''t believe you are so ignorant," Jade tutted.

    "Me? I made her ufortable? How? I was only trying to be considerate," Harry said with a slight frown.

    "I''m sure you were. She would rather serve you, so sit down," Jade said, and without waiting for him to pull out a seat for her, she sat down.

    Harry nced at the counter before sitting down, "Aurora gave me a callst night," he said conversationally, and Jade raised a brow.

    "She did? What did she want?" She asked, surprised. She hadpletely forgotten about Aurora.

    "I promised to go out with her before returning to Ludus, so she called to remind me," Harry exined, and Jade nodded.

    "Too bad for her that you returned already," Jade said with a small smile.

    "Yeah. But she agreed to pay me a visit. So we are still going to go out as nned," he said with a shrug, and Jade gave him a nod.

    "She really likes you, I suppose," Jade said, and Harry''s lips twitched.

    Maybe it was best if he talked about anotherdy with her and even went out with otherdies. That should straighten him out, "Yeah, I think so."

    "So? You like her?" Jade asked, and Harry shrugged.

    "I wouldn''t know if I don''t go out with her. Isn''t that what you said? But she''s a lovable person, so I don''t think getting along with her would be difficult. At least she is more reasonable than Tanya," Harry said, and Jade tried not to let his words upset her. It was her fault, after all.

    "Well, if you''re nning to go out with her because I forced you to, you don''t need to do that anymore��."

    "No. I''m not going on a date with her because you forced me to. She is beautiful, intelligent, upfront, and fun to talk with," Harry assured her, even though he knew that he enjoyed talking to Jade more than anyone else. The only problem he had with her was he couldn''t breathe when she was too close to him, and he didn''t want to get into that sort of rtionship with her regardless of whatever he was feeling.

    Besides, even if he was willing to risk it, he didn''t think that she saw him that way, and he also wasn''t sure she was ready for a rtionship yet. And even if she was, he doubted that she would be willing to be in a rtionship with him. There was no way she would have set him up on a blind date if she was the least bit interested in him.

    "Oh!" Jade said with a stiff smile just as thedy came to serve them. He also thought she was beautiful and intelligent too. She wasn''t sure he enjoyed talking to her as much as he did with Aurora since he always seemed in a hurry to get her to leave whenever she came around him.

    How did she end up in such a sticky situation? Thanks to her stubbornness, she had seeded in matchmaking a guy she now wanted for herself to someone she considered her friend. What was she going to do about it?

 Chapter 305 It Was Her Fault

    305 It Was Her Fault

    Anita was busy looking over some documents on herptop when she heard a knock on her door. She raised her head just as the door opened, and her pregnant elder sister walked in. "Lisa! What a pleasant surprise," Anita said with a surprised smile as she stood up and went to embrace her elder sister, who smiled.

    "I hope this isn''t a bad time?" She asked hopefully, and Anita shook her head.

    "Not at all. Pleasee sit, don''t stress my niece," Anita said as she pulled her sister to thefortable couch in her office and helped her sit down.

    "How is work?" Lisa asked as she looked around the office curiously.

    "Beautiful. Is there something my niece is craving? Perhaps snacks?" Anita asked, making Lisa smile. From the moment she told the family that she was pregnant, Anita had not ceased to refer to the baby as her niece. "I''m fine. I''m just here to talk to you," she said as she looked at Anita with a straight face.

    "Is there a problem?" Anita asked curiously as she sat down on the couch opposite her sister. "Please don''t tell me you''re going along with mother''s madness. Please tell me you''re not," she pleaded, and Anita sighed.

    "You''re married. I''m not," she reminded her sister.

    "I''m married to a man I''m in love with. Someone who practically worships the ground I tread on. That is the kind of man you deserve to get married to, not someone that will barely tolerate you like Bernice''s husband, or someone that hits on everything in a dress like Tiffany''s husband," Lisa said, and Anita shrugged.

    "Still, you''re all married, and mother is proud of you all," Anita said, and Lisa shook her head.

    "Please, do not do that to yourself, Annie. Because you were scared of what our mother would say, you rejected the man when you thought he had nothing, and now you want to join her and plot against a woman who epted him? What is her offense? What is her crime?" Lisa asked with a frown, and Anita frowned.

    "Lisa, why are you so interested in this? It''s not like you know her personally or you''re close to her family, so why are you advocating for her?" Anita asked, and Lisa frowned.

    "I don''t need to know her to know that what you''re doing is wrong! If I don''t stop you from going along with mother''s madness, I will feel like an aplice if you people do anything to hurt her, and I don''t want anything on my conscience. Please, for God''s sake, Annie, give up on this man. You don''t even love him. You deserve to fall in love," Lisa pleaded. "You''re asking me to concede defeat? You expect me to lose to her?" Anita asked incredulously.

    "That is the point, darling! You''re not losing anything! It was never a contest, to begin with! Stop allowing your mother to brainwash you into thinking that life is a contest, and you have topete with everyone you meet or that you have to always be first. You don''t have to. How will you ever get to enjoy life if you keep seeing it as apetition at every stage?" Lisa asked reasonably.

    "Do you love him?" Lisa asked when Anita did not say anything after some time.

    Anita shrugged, "Now that I know who he is, loving him is easy. He''s handsome, wealthy, ambitious, and everything I want. I want him," Anita exined, and Lisa shook her head. "Give it up, Anita. You''re setting yourself up for a lifetime of misery and torment if you eventually seed in forcing yourself on him, which I doubt is possible. I don''t think someone like Thomas Hank will evere back to you after you rejected him when you thought he had nothing. You failed his test already. Think about it, do you really think he will give you another chance? Do you deserve another chance? And what do you think he will do to you when he eventually finds out that you were behind Lucy''s scandal? Or do you really think that it will be a secret forever?" "Mother can take care of all these things you''re talking about," Anita said confidently, and Lisa rolled her eyes. "By doing what? Killing the girl and ckmailing Tom into marrying you? You must be delusional to think that mother is some sort of goddess and can get whatever she wants," Lisa said with a snort as she stood up.

    "I came here to reason with you onest time without our mother in the picture to influence your decision. Trust me, that woman is going to ruin your life if you keep allowing her to control it."

    "That woman is our mother," Anita reminded her. "She won''t be my mother for much longer if she so much as hurts the hair on that girl''s head. And none of you will be my sisters either. The moment you go ahead with whatever evil n you have to tear them apart, I''m cutting you off," Lisa promised as she picked up her handbag and walked out of the office. Anita had a thoughtful expression on her face as she stood up and went to stand by her office window as she thought about everything Lisa had just said. Was Tom really going to fall back in love with her if they got Lucy out of the way? Although she hated the fact that Tom was with Lucy, Lucy didn''t really do anything wrong to her. As a matter of fact, Lucy had tried to matchmake them, but she had made it clear to Lucy that she wasn''t interested in someone like Tom.

    It was Tom who had deceived her, and judging by what her sister had heard at the salon and what she had said during the interview, he had deceived Lucy too. A part of her had felt guilty when she watched the interview and saw Lucy''s emotional reaction to all that had happened to her, but the other part of her that wanted Tom had overshadowed the guilt.

    Maybe Lucy didn''t exactly deserve what she had done to her, but it couldn''t be helped. Lucy might be a nice girl, but she was in a rtionship with the wrong man. Anita''s thoughts returned to what Lisa had just said. She couldn''t help wondering what her mother''s n for Lucy was. She returned to her desk and picked up her phone, and then sat by the edge of the desk as she dialed her mother''s line and waited patiently for it to ring. "Hello, darling!" Her mother greeted cheerfully.

    "Good morning, mother," Anita greeted cautiously since she knew how easy it was for her mother to switch moods. "Good morning, my lovely daughter. To what do I owe this pleasure?" She asked curiously. She has never been one to beat around the bush.

    Anita cleared her throat, "I want to know what your n for Lucy is," Anita said tentatively.

    "And why is that?" Her mother asked every trace of warmth out of her voice now. "I just want..."

    "I will be very much disappointed in you if you tell me you want to chicken out now," her mother warned, and Anita swallowed nervously.

    "I''m not chickening out. I just wanted to..."

    "If you''re not chickening out, then don''t worry about my n. I told you I would handle it and make Thomas yours. You trust me, don''t you?" "I do."

    "Good. Then get busy with your work. I''m sure you have a lot on your desk to attend to. Sweep him off his feet with your charm and intelligence while I get the girl out of your way."

    With that, the line went dead, and Anita sighed. She couldn''t afford to feel guilty or back out now. That would make her mother very cross with her. **********

    Lucas had barely managed to sleep when he woke up to the sound of the doorbell ringing persistently, and he frowned, wondering who could be at the door since some of the neighbors who had seen himst night knew that he had returned without his parents and that this wasn''t his apartment. He sat up on the bed, hoping that whoever was at the door would leave soon. He was tired and needed to sleep since he had been unable to sleep for most of the night, as he had been too busy thinking about his life, thinking about his broken engagement with Rachel, thinking about his family, as well as Tom''s job offer, and how to have a fresh start.

    The tears he had been looking forward to shedding once he was alone and had time to think had failed toe. All he had now were circles under his eyes and bloodshot eyes.

    "Baby, I know you''re in there. Please open the door," Rachel yelled from outside, causing his heart to skip a beat. Rachel? How did she know he was back? Lucas wondered but made no move to stand up to go to the door. He didn''t want to see her. Rachel rang the doorbell again, and then everywhere became silent. Lucas waited quietly and listened for every sign that she had left, and when there was no sound, he got off the bed and walked to the living room barefooted, dressed in his pajamas, trousers, and a t-shirt. Once he got to the living room, he heard the sound of ss shattering, and he quickly walked over to the kitchen in time to see Rachel climbing in through the kitchen window.

    "Have you gonepletely out of your mind?" He yelled at her angrily.

    "Baby," Rachel cried once she saw him and hurried over to where he stood to embrace him, but Lucas stepped away before she could do so.

    "Get out of this ce, this instant, else I will call the police," Lucas threatened. "No, you won''t. You won''t do that to me."

    "Rachel, do not test my patience. You have no idea what I can or cannot do right now," Lucas said, and tears gathered in her eyes. "I know that I was wrong, but I''m sorry. Why can''t you just forgive me?" Rachel asked as a tear dropped from her eyes, but Lucas just watched, hard-faced.

    "I''ve forgiven you. But I want nothing to do with you and your family. Get out, and stay out," he said in a cold tone.

    "After all we shared? You''re going to throw the ten years we spent together away just like that?" Rachel asked, sounding very hurt.

    "You know what I regret most right now? Staying with you for that long. Now leave, and don''te back," Lucas said, and Rachel wiped the tears from her eyes. "Maybe you need time to��."

    "Leave!" Lucas yelled at her, and she moved back in fear, raising her hand to her lips to stifle her sob. It was the first time he had ever raised his voice.

    Without saying another word, she walked past him, wanting to leave quickly, but Lucas turned to her, "No. You''re not going out through the door. Leave the same way you entered. And make sure you send someone here to fix the window you broke," Lucas said, and Rachel turned to look at him in disbelief.

    "Babe��" she called in disbelief. Seeing the adamant expression on his face, she walked past him and ungraciously exited the house through the window.

    Tears were falling from her eyes as she returned to her car, and once she was seated in her car, she rested her head on the steering wheel and broke into a sob. Her whole body shuddered at the intensity of it. It was all her fault. She had no one to me for this but herself. If only she had not been so possessive of Lucas and jealous of his rtionship with his twin sister. If only she hadn''t been so desperate for Lucy to get a boyfriend so that she would leave Lucas alone, she wouldn''t have easily believed Jamie when he came to her for help, nor would she have given him all that information about Lucy''s whereabouts. If Jamie hadn''t abducted Lucy, this wouldn''t have happened. And if she hadn''t been too scared of losing Lucas to confess to them about how she had helped Jamie, everything would probably have been different. So yes, it was all her fault. She had been so scared of losing Lucas that she had made mistake after mistake that had ultimately cost her the one rtionship she cherished most. After crying for some time, she sat up when something else urred to her. She had recently talked to one of her cousins about Lucy''s abduction. Was it a coincidence that the story was all over the news just the next day after their conversation? The more she thought about it, the more it made sense to her, especially now that she knew that Lucy''s boyfriend was her cousin''s boss. Knowing how her family worked, she wouldn''t put it past her cousin. Without wasting more time thinking about it, she picked up her phone and dialed her cousin''s line, "Anita, please tell me you weren''t behind Lucy''s scandal," she pleaded once the call connected.

 Chapter 306 It Was Her Fault

    <h4>Chapter 306 It Was Her Fault</h4>

    Anita was busy looking over some documents on herptop when she heard a knock on her door. She raised her head just as the door opened, and her pregnant elder sister walked in.

    "Lisa! What a pleasant surprise," Anita said with a surprised smile as she stood up and went to embrace her elder sister, who smiled.

    "I hope this isn''t a bad time?" She asked hopefully, and Anita shook her head.

    "Not at all. Pleasee sit, don''t stress my niece," Anita said as she pulled her sister to thefortable couch in her office and helped her sit down.

    "How is work?" Lisa asked as she looked around the office curiously.

    "Beautiful. Is there something my niece is craving? Perhaps snacks?" Anita asked, making Lisa smile. From the moment she told the family that she was pregnant, Anita had not ceased to refer to the baby as her niece.

    "I''m fine. I''m just here to talk to you," she said as she looked at Anita with a straight face.

    "Is there a problem?" Anita asked curiously as she sat down on the couch opposite her sister.

    "Please don''t tell me you''re going along with mother''s madness. Please tell me you''re not," she pleaded, and Anita sighed.

    "You''re married. I''m not," she reminded her sister.

    "I''m married to a man I''m in love with. Someone who practically worships the ground I tread on. That is the kind of man you deserve to get married to, not someone that will barely tolerate you like Bernice''s husband, or someone that hits on everything in a dress like Tiffany''s husband," Lisa said, and Anita shrugged.

    "Still, you''re all married, and mother is proud of you all," Anita said, and Lisa shook her head.

    "Please, do not do that to yourself, Annie. Because you were scared of what our mother would say, you rejected the man when you thought he had nothing, and now you want to join her and plot against a woman who epted him? What is her offense? What is her crime?" Lisa asked with a frown, and Anita frowned.

    "Lisa, why are you so interested in this? It''s not like you know her personally or you''re close to her family, so why are you advocating for her?" Anita asked, and Lisa frowned.

    "I don''t need to know her to know that what you''re doing is wrong! If I don''t stop you from going along with mother''s madness, I will feel like an aplice if you people do anything to hurt her, and I don''t want anything on my conscience. Please, for God''s sake, Annie, give up on this man. You don''t even love him. You deserve to fall in love," Lisa pleaded.

    "You''re asking me to concede defeat? You expect me to lose to her?" Anita asked incredulously.

    "That is the point, darling! You''re not losing anything! It was never a contest, to begin with! Stop allowing your mother to brainwash you into thinking that life is a contest, and you have topete with everyone you meet or that you have to always be first. You don''t have to. How will you ever get to enjoy life if you keep seeing it as apetition at every stage?" Lisa asked reasonably.

    "Do you love him?" Lisa asked when Anita did not say anything after some time.

    Anita shrugged, "Now that I know who he is, loving him is easy. He''s handsome, wealthy, ambitious, and everything I want. I want him," Anita exined, and Lisa shook her head.

    "Give it up, Anita. You''re setting yourself up for a lifetime of misery and torment if you eventually seed in forcing yourself on him, which I doubt is possible. I don''t think someone like Thomas Hank will evere back to you after you rejected him when you thought he had nothing. You failed his test already. Think about it, do you really think he will give you another chance? Do you deserve another chance? And what do you think he will do to you when he eventually finds out that you were behind Lucy''s scandal? Or do you really think that it will be a secret forever?"

    "Mother can take care of all these things you''re talking about," Anita said confidently, and Lisa rolled her eyes.

    "By doing what? Killing the girl and ckmailing Tom into marrying you? You must be delusional to think that mother is some sort of goddess and can get whatever she wants," Lisa said with a snort as she stood up.

    "I came here to reason with you onest time without our mother in the picture to influence your decision. Trust me, that woman is going to ruin your life if you keep allowing her to control it."

    "That woman is our mother," Anita reminded her.

    "She won''t be my mother for much longer if she so much as hurts the hair on that girl''s head. And none of you will be my sisters either. The moment you go ahead with whatever evil n you have to tear them apart, I''m cutting you off," Lisa promised as she picked up her handbag and walked out of the office.

    Anita had a thoughtful expression on her face as she stood up and went to stand by her office window as she thought about everything Lisa had just said.

    Was Tom really going to fall back in love with her if they got Lucy out of the way? Although she hated the fact that Tom was with Lucy, Lucy didn''t really do anything wrong to her. As a matter of fact, Lucy had tried to matchmake them, but she had made it clear to Lucy that she wasn''t interested in someone like Tom.

    It was Tom who had deceived her, and judging by what her sister had heard at the salon and what she had said during the interview, he had deceived Lucy too.

    A part of her had felt guilty when she watched the interview and saw Lucy''s emotional reaction to all that had happened to her, but the other part of her that wanted Tom had overshadowed the guilt.

    Maybe Lucy didn''t exactly deserve what she had done to her, but it couldn''t be helped. Lucy might be a nice girl, but she was in a rtionship with the wrong man.

    Anita''s thoughts returned to what Lisa had just said. She couldn''t help wondering what her mother''s n for Lucy was.

    She returned to her desk and picked up her phone, and then sat by the edge of the desk as she dialed her mother''s line and waited patiently for it to ring.

    "Hello, darling!" Her mother greeted cheerfully.

    "Good morning, mother," Anita greeted cautiously since she knew how easy it was for her mother to switch moods.

    "Good morning, my lovely daughter. To what do I owe this pleasure?" She asked curiously. She has never been one to beat around the bush.

    Anita cleared her throat, "I want to know what your n for Lucy is," Anita said tentatively.

    "And why is that?" Her mother asked every trace of warmth out of her voice now.

    "I just want..."

    "I will be very much disappointed in you if you tell me you want to chicken out now," her mother warned, and Anita swallowed nervously.

    "I''m not chickening out. I just wanted to..."

    "If you''re not chickening out, then don''t worry about my n. I told you I would handle it and make Thomas yours. You trust me, don''t you?"

    "I do."

    "Good. Then get busy with your work. I''m sure you have a lot on your desk to attend to. Sweep him off his feet with your charm and intelligence while I get the girl out of your way."

    With that, the line went dead, and Anita sighed. She couldn''t afford to feel guilty or back out now. That would make her mother very cross with her.

    **********

    Lucas had barely managed to sleep when he woke up to the sound of the doorbell ringing persistently, and he frowned, wondering who could be at the door since some of the neighbors who had seen himst night knew that he had returned without his parents and that this wasn''t his apartment.

    He sat up on the bed, hoping that whoever was at the door would leave soon. He was tired and needed to sleep since he had been unable to sleep for most of the night, as he had been too busy thinking about his life, thinking about his broken engagement with Rachel, thinking about his family, as well as Tom''s job offer, and how to have a fresh start.

    The tears he had been looking forward to shedding once he was alone and had time to think had failed toe. All he had now were circles under his eyes and bloodshot eyes.

    "Baby, I know you''re in there. Please open the door," Rachel yelled from outside, causing his heart to skip a beat.

    Rachel? How did she know he was back? Lucas wondered but made no move to stand up to go to the door. He didn''t want to see her.

    Rachel rang the doorbell again, and then everywhere became silent. Lucas waited quietly and listened for every sign that she had left, and when there was no sound, he got off the bed and walked to the living room barefooted, dressed in his pajamas, trousers, and a t-shirt.

    Once he got to the living room, he heard the sound of ss shattering, and he quickly walked over to the kitchen in time to see Rachel climbing in through the kitchen window.

    "Have you gonepletely out of your mind?" He yelled at her angrily.

    "Baby," Rachel cried once she saw him and hurried over to where he stood to embrace him, but Lucas stepped away before she could do so.

    "Get out of this ce, this instant, else I will call the police," Lucas threatened.

    "No, you won''t. You won''t do that to me."

    "Rachel, do not test my patience. You have no idea what I can or cannot do right now," Lucas said, and tears gathered in her eyes.

    "I know that I was wrong, but I''m sorry. Why can''t you just forgive me?" Rachel asked as a tear dropped from her eyes, but Lucas just watched, hard-faced.

    "I''ve forgiven you. But I want nothing to do with you and your family. Get out, and stay out," he said in a cold tone.

    "After all we shared? You''re going to throw the ten years we spent together away just like that?" Rachel asked, sounding very hurt.

    "You know what I regret most right now? Staying with you for that long. Now leave, and don''te back," Lucas said, and Rachel wiped the tears from her eyes.

    "Maybe you need time to��."

    "Leave!" Lucas yelled at her, and she moved back in fear, raising her hand to her lips to stifle her sob. It was the first time he had ever raised his voice.

    Without saying another word, she walked past him, wanting to leave quickly, but Lucas turned to her, "No. You''re not going out through the door. Leave the same way you entered. And make sure you send someone here to fix the window you broke," Lucas said, and Rachel turned to look at him in disbelief.

    "Babe��" she called in disbelief. Seeing the adamant expression on his face, she walked past him and ungraciously exited the house through the window.

    Tears were falling from her eyes as she returned to her car, and once she was seated in her car, she rested her head on the steering wheel and broke into a sob. Her whole body shuddered at the intensity of it.

    It was all her fault. She had no one to me for this but herself. If only she had not been so possessive of Lucas and jealous of his rtionship with his twin sister. If only she hadn''t been so desperate for Lucy to get a boyfriend so that she would leave Lucas alone, she wouldn''t have easily believed Jamie when he came to her for help, nor would she have given him all that information about Lucy''s whereabouts. If Jamie hadn''t abducted Lucy, this wouldn''t have happened. And if she hadn''t been too scared of losing Lucas to confess to them about how she had helped Jamie, everything would probably have been different. So yes, it was all her fault. She had been so scared of losing Lucas that she had made mistake after mistake that had ultimately cost her the one rtionship she cherished most.

    After crying for some time, she sat up when something else urred to her. She had recently talked to one of her cousins about Lucy''s abduction. Was it a coincidence that the story was all over the news just the next day after their conversation? The more she thought about it, the more it made sense to her, especially now that she knew that Lucy''s boyfriend was her cousin''s boss. Knowing how her family worked, she wouldn''t put it past her cousin.

    Without wasting more time thinking about it, she picked up her phone and dialed her cousin''s line, "Anita, please tell me you weren''t behind Lucy''s scandal," she pleaded once the call connected.

 Chapter 307 Missing Each Other

    <h4>Chapter 307 Missing Each Other</h4>

    Harry watched as Jade ate quietly, and he wondered why she had suddenly be quiet. It was very unlike her to not have one thing or another to talk about unless she was upset about something.

    "Did I say something to upset you?" He asked in concern after failing toe up with anything he could have said to upset her.

    "No, you didn''t," Jade assured him as she sipped from her can of juice.

    "Are you sure? I''m sorry if I did," Harry said, and this time she smiled at him as she licked her bottom lip, a gesture which drew Harry''s eyes to her lips, and his heart skipped a beat when he remembered how she had licked his lips like that before sucking on his tongue. Butterflies fluttered in his belly, and he blinked to clear his head so that he could focus on what she was saying.

    "Trust me, you did nothing wrong. By now you should know that I won''t hesitate to call you a jerk if you''re being one," Jade said, and Harry gave her a nod before moving his gaze away from her lips to look at his wristwatch.

    He needed the distraction since he didn''t want to keep staring at her lips. He couldn''t think clearly when his eyes kept following every movement of her lips that way, evoking memories that made him ufortable.

    "I know I have taken up enough of your time today, thanks for letting me do that. I should let you get back to work now," Jade said when she noticed how he was staring at his wristwatch and assumed that he wanted her to leave.

    Somehow now that she was willing to let him get back to work, he was feeling hesitant to let her go. Especially since she had been so quiet earlier, and he didn''t know what was going on inside her head.

    "So, where are you heading to now?" Harry asked as she pushed away from the table.

    "Tom''s office. I will spend some time with my brothers and then stop by Lucy''s office to say hello to her before leaving," Jade said with a small smile, "Since I might not be at your apartment by the time you get back, I guess this is goodbye for us until we see each other again�� Unless of course, you decide to stop by the house to wish my dad a happy birthday," she added, hoping he would do that so that she could see him again.

    "Let''s see how that goes," Harry said, not wanting to make any promises as he pushed away from the table, and they both stood up to leave.

    "You will be fine on your own, right?" Harry asked with concern as they walked out of the cafeteria.

    "I should be. I was fine before you came," she said, even though she doubted that things would ever be the same again. He had seeded in altering her routine under such a short duration of time.

    Although she would have liked to ask him to go back with her for her to finish the case and then return with him, she didn''t want to be selfish. She didn''t want to keep him away from his job just to babysit her, and she also knew that if he returned with her, he would likely see Aurora again and go on a date with her. She''d rather they go on their date without her help or knowledge.

    Harry gave her a nod, "Okay. You can return to our suite at the hotel if you''re notfortable with staying at your apartment alone."

    "I will just return to my apartment. The suite won''t be the same without you," Jade said, and Harry gave her a nod.

    He knew that he was nodding so much like a lizard when he should be speaking. But what else could he say? "Don''t hesitate to call me if you need my help," Harry said, and Jade nodded, unable to say anything because of the lump that had formed in her throat.

    Her heart suddenly felt heavy because this felt like goodbye. From the way Harry was sounding, it was as though even if she came to work in thepany, he was not going to be so close to her anymore.

    Neither of them said a word as they stepped into the elevator. Since they were going to the same floor, Harry pressed the button for the seventh floor. Once they got to the seventh floor, they both stepped out of the elevator and faced each other.

    "I''m going to miss you," Jade confessed softly as she stepped forward and embraced him.

    He knew that he was actually going to miss her more, even though thankfully, he would be able to focus on his work and breathe more easily without her around, "I will miss you too," he said quietly, surprising Jade, who hadn''t expected him to admit that.

    She had a wide smile on her face as she broke the hug, stepped back, and looked into his face, "Do you mean that, or are you saying it just because I said so first?"

    "I actually wish I was," Harry said with a slight frown, and she giggled as she embraced him again and then kissed his cheek before stepping back once again.

    "I''m going to call you every day. Make sure you receive my calls when you''re not busy, and call back if you miss my calls," she told him, and he gave her a nod.

    "I will."

    "I don''t need to set a reminder like Aurora did, do I?" She asked with a teasing smile, and Harry chuckled.

    "You don''t."

    "Good. Now return to work. I hope to see you at Tom''s tonight," she said with a hopeful smile and waved at him before walking away, while Harry remained where he stood and just watched her until she disappeared into Tom''s office.

    Once Jade walked into Tom''s office, her brothers stopped their conversation and looked at her curiously, "How did your tourism go?" Tom asked as she took the seat next to Bryan and crossed her legs.

    "It went well. Why are you both staring at me with so much curiosity? Is there something you want to know?" She asked with a slightly raised brow.

    "Is there something you''d like to tell us?" Bryan asked hopefully.

    "Like what?"

    "Like why you were clinging to Harry? Do you like him?" Bryan asked before Tom could stop him, and Jade grinned.

    "Is it that obvious?" Jade asked, and Tom chuckled when Bryan nced at him.

    "You were clinging to him while he was begging to be rescued. So yeah, it''s obvious," Tom said, and then his expression turned serious, "So you now like him after trying to matchmake him? How did that go?" Tom asked, and Jade sighed.

    "Oh, please don''t even remind me of that. He just told me he''s nning on going out with her on a date," Jade said sadly, and Tom shrugged.

    "I don''t think that matters. I actually think he likes you," Tom said, and Jade sat up, interested.

    "You think so? Why? Did he tell you something?" Jade asked, hopefully, while Bryan watched his siblings discuss. Although he thought it was weird for them to be trying to matchmake their younger sister when they were supposed to be possessive and protective of her. Still, after hearing about Harry from Tom and seeing now that Jade was interested in the guy, he was rxed and very curious to see how things would y out. He couldn''t wait to tell Sonia about this since she seemed interested in the two.

    "He didn''t say anything, but I think so because right from our college days, he has always shown a lot of interest when I talk about you. And I suspect you were part of the reason he came home with me that Christmas," Tom said, and Jade shook her head in disbelief.

    "That can''t be possible."

    "Trust me, Harry is my best friend, and I know him," Tom said confidently.

    "But he doesn''t act as if he likes me," Jade said thoughtfully, wondering if it was possible that Harry was interested in her, and had been for such a long time. She could believe that he liked her, but what she could believe was that he had liked her for such a long time.

    "I also think he likes you," Bryan said, and Jade smiled, she was going to have to find a way to confirm it.

    If he stops over at Tom''s house after work, then she would open up to him about the kiss, but if he fails to show up, then she would just have to keep it to herself until the next time they meet. That would be his punishment.

    "Let''s say that is true, are you both going to help your baby sister?"

    "You are hardly a baby anymore," Bryan said, and Jade stuck out her tongue.

    "That doesn''t matter. I don''t know how to deal with him. And seeing how I have helped you both and given you helpful advice in the past, I expect that you will help me too," She said hopefully.

    "I don''t want him going out on a date with Aurora again. She is quite beautiful and smart, and he seems to admire her a lot," she said with a slight frown.

    "Maybe it''s best if you let him go out with her. How else will he know what he wants if he doesn''t do that? You''re not the type to have so little confidence in yourself," Tom said, and Jade sighed.

    "I guess you''re right. I will just wait and see how it goes. But I can count on your support, right?" Jade asked, and Bryan shrugged, while Tom gave her a nod.

    "That''s fine. By the way, do any of you know of a Tanya Rey something?" Jade asked curiously.

    "Reynolds? I know Tanya Reynolds. Why?" Tom asked, and Jade scowled as she ryed what happened to them, and Tom chuckled while Bryan bristled with anger.

    "Who does she think she is to embarrass you in that manner?" Bryan asked in annoyance.

    "Harry handled it well. No need to get angry," Tom said, and Jade nodded.

    "You could have at least told her who you were and the family youe from before leaving," Bryan said irritably.

    "There wasn''t any need for that. I was very pissed and embarrassed at first, but Harry handled it better than I would have done," Jade said, and Bryan sighed.

    "If you say so."

    "Enough of the unpleasant talk now. Why don''t you both tell me why Tom offered you a job in apany that has nothing to do with entertainment, and then we can discuss dad''s birthday afterward," Jade suggested, and just like that, the discussion changed.

    Halfway through their conversation, Tom''s phone vibrated with a message notification, and he picked it up to check what it was. He raised a brow when he saw that it was a voice recording from the person he had put on Anita''s tail, and he yed it.

    Bryan and Jade, who were still talking about a suitable gift for their father, stopped talking when Tom yed the recording and they all looked at each other when they realized that it was a recorded conversation between twodies.

 Chapter 308 Foundation For Abused Girls

    <h4>Chapter 308 Foundation For Abused Girls</h4>

    "How did you get the recording?" Jade asked after they finished listening to the voice recordings. Neither of them needed to ask who the lead female in the recording was.

    "How is that even important right now? Did you hear anything that was said?" Bryan asked with a slight frown, not liking any of the stuff he had heard.

    "Yes, I did. And that is the more reason I''m interested in knowing how these recorded conversations got to his hand," Jade pointed out, and they both looked at Tom, who was just tapping on the desk with his fingers, a deadly calm expression on his face.

    "I put someone on Anita''s tail. He sent the recording," Tom exined to Jade while thinking about thest part of the conversation which he had just listened to. The first part consisted of Anita''s discussion with her sister. Another was Anita''s side of the phone conversation with her mother, and thest part of it had also been Anita''s side of a phone conversation with a person called Rachel. The samedy Lucas had almost gotten married to.

    "What are we going to do? Are you going to tell Lucy about Lucas'' ex fiance''s involvement in her abduction and her rtionship with Anita?" Bryan asked with a concerned frown.

    "I can''t lie to her or hide it from her," Tom said, thinking about how this would affect Lucas. Having a sister, he knew that he wouldn''t forgive himself if he were in Lucas'' shoes. The guy had a lot on his mind already. He didn''t deserve this.

    "Yes, you shouldn''t. God knows you have told her enough lies already," Jade said, and both Tom and Bryan red at her, making her raise her fingers to her lips in a zip gesture.

    "We should take care of Anita and her family quickly before any harmes to Lucy. I don''t like where all of this is going," Bryan said, and Tom nodded.

    "I''m on it already," Tom assured him before ncing at the wall clock. He had barely thirty minutes left before the first meeting of the day.

    "You both can conclude on dad''s birthday gift and organize the party for him, right? I need to get ready for a meeting with the shareholders now, and after that, I have a meeting with the board of directors," Tom exined as he took out his ck card from his wallet.

    "Sure. We can take care of it. Do what you need to do," Bryan said with a nod as he stood up.

    "You can use this for the expenses," Tom said, but before he could drop the card on the table, Jade snatched it from him with a wide smile on her face.

    "I will personally handle it, don''t worry. Let''s leave you to do your work stuff now. See youter," Jade said as she also stood up.

    "You didn''t need to give us your card. I can handle the expenses," Bryan assured Tom, but Jade rolled her eyes.

    "You can just give me your ck card too. I promise to take care of everything," Jade offered, and Bryan scoffed.

    "No, thanks."

    "I can buy whatever I want, right? Personal stuff for myself?" Jade asked, blinking at Tom in a cute way, and he smiled.

    "Buy whatever you want to," Tom said, and Jade went around the table to peck his cheek.

    Bryan shook his head, "If I were you I wouldn''t say whatever. Whatever for her includes a car, a private jet, a yatch, a house..."

    "Stop talking and let the man work in peace," Jade interrupted as she dragged Bryan out of the office with her.

    After they shut the door behind them, Tom picked up his phone and reyed the conversation between Anita and Rachel again.

    "What are you talking about?" Anita asked Rachel in a slightly irritated tone.

    "On Thursday morning, I told you about everything that happened between Lucy and Jamie, and then on Friday morning, the news is all over the inte. Do you expect me to believe that it was mere coincidence?" Rachel asked in annoyance.

    "You are free to believe whatever you please, Rachel. She has cleared her name now, so there is no need to be talking about the past anymore," Anita said dismissively.

    "How could you? How could you do something as despicable as that with a story I told you in confidence?" Rachel asked angrily.

    "Don''t you dare raise your voice at me, Rachel! You never even liked her, so why are you overreacting?" Anita asked, and a tear dropped from Rachel''s eyes.

    "How can you say that? That I don''t want her being too close to Lucas doesn''t mean that I hate her! Why would you do something that evil to her? What did she even do to you to deserve that?"

    "Oh, please shut your mouth, Rachel! I''m tired of you and your stupid self-righteous attitude. Is what I did any worse than what you did? You are the reason she got into the hand of that psychopath in the first ce, or don''t you know that? If you hadn''t done what you did, I wouldn''t have been able to do this either, so you better don''t give me any moral lectures on what is evil or not!" Anita hissed.

    "I can''t believe you''re saying this. Do you have any idea what you have done to me? You ruined a rtionship I''ve been nurturing for the past ten years! Because of this scandal, Lucas has called off our engagement. He doesn''t even want to speak with me or look at me, and it is all your fault!" Rachel cried as she broke into a sob.

    "Yeah. Trust the princess to whine and not take any mes," Anita said, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "You should thank me that he called off the engagement. What do you think he would do to you if he ever finds out that because of your possessiveness, you handed his twin sister to her stalker on a tter? Or what do you think would have happened had we all met at your wedding, and you introduced me to them as your cousin? Do you think everyone in that family is stupid, and no one would be smart enough to connect the dots? You must be very stupid if you actually did believe that you would marry him and live happily ever after. You better wake up from your slumber and stop ming me for your screwups..."

    "My screwups? Did you just say screwups?" Rachel asked incredulously.

    "You heard me right! If you had done a good job of getting rid of her then, I wouldn''t be trying so hard to get rid of her now. So suck it up, and quit whining. I have a job to get back to, so I will hang up now," Anita said as she disconnected the call.

    Once Tom was done listening to it, he dialed Alicia''s line.

    "Good morning, Tom. I was just going to call you," she greeted once she received the call.

    "Good morning, Alicia. Can you send me everything you have gathered on Anita and her family?" Tom asked briskly.

    "Sure. I will do that immediately we hang up. I received a message from the CEO of a foundation for abused girls. They want me to connect them to Lucy. Can you text me Lucy''s line so that I can inform her about it?" Alicia asked, and Tom raised a brow.

    "Why do they want to talk to her?"

    "They said something about wanting her to work with them on their next project," Alicia exined.

    "And you checked it out? Is it real?" Tom asked since he really didn''t feel so good about it. Maybe he was just being paranoid after listening to Anita''s conversation with her sister and mother, but he didn''t want Lucy doing anything that would so much as take her out of his sight. Now he wished he hadn''t been so quick to let her return to her office. He would have preferred she remain in his office until he got rid of Anita and her family.

    "Yes," Alicia said as she waited for Tom to respond.

    "I''d rather you don''t tell her about it. Whatever their reason is. She has a job, and she can''t leave her job to work with them. Also, she doesn''t need anything to take her down that memoryne again," Tom said, and Alicia frowned.

    "Shouldn''t that be her decision to make?"

    "Yes, it should be. But it''s not safe right now, and even though you have checked them out, I still have my reservations and can''t trust them. Keeping her safe is more important to me," Tom exined.

    "I understand what you''re trying to say, but I still think Lucy should know about it and decide whether or not to ept their offer. You will be making a huge mistake by keeping something like this from her," Alicia insisted.

    "So, are you saying that you''re going to tell her about it?" Tom asked, and Alicia sighed.

    "I will if you don''t. So I will advise that you do so yourself so that I don''t have to go behind you," Alicia''s said before adding, "Please text me your email address so that I can send you the file I have on Anita and her family." With that, Alicia hung up, leaving Tom to decide on whether or not he was going to tell Lucy about it.

    He knew that Alicia was right. He wasn''t supposed to keep something like this from Lucy. He had promised not to keep anything from her or lie to her. He made up his mind to tell her about it when they meet for lunch.

    Having made up his mind, he texted Alicia his email address, and less than five minutester, he received an email from her. He quickly clicked on it and downloaded the attached document she sent. Disyed on hisputer screen were the basic details of every member of the Miller family.

    Rebekah Miller. Fifty-nine years old, and mother of four daughters. Wife ofte business mogul Richard Miller, who had taken his life after losing all his wealth after a wrong investment. Jobless, yet a prominent member of a lot of charity organizations. Sister of Richard Wyatt, former owner of Ocean Airlines.

    Tom''s brows pulled together as he tried to process the information. If Mr. Wyatt was her only sibling, how was Rachel rted to Anita? Perhaps they were paternal cousins? He mused as he moved to the next person on the list.

    The eldest of Anita''s sisters, Bernice Miller. Thirty-four years old and wife of Adam Washington Jnr, the only son of the country''s chief justice. Mother of twin six years old boys. The Washington family owned their ownw firm, which was made up of corruptwyers whose clientele list consisted of mostly wealthy individuals andpanies who were oppressing the poor and bypassing thew.

    Anita''s second sister, Tiffany Miller. Thirty-two years old. Married without kids to Jackson Bateman, the sole heir to one of the biggest constructionpanies in the world. He was stinkingly rich and had been sued on different asions for sexual harassment. Thepany has also been issued multiplewsuits for using substandard materials to build. As expected, Bateman Corp was one of the biggest clients of the Washingtonw firm, and they had won everywsuit filed against them.

    The third sister, Lisa Miller. Thirty years old, and married to Ronnie Steel, a diamond magnate whose father was an influential businessman, and made the top fifty on Forbes list of the most influential people in the world. Lisa was the CEO of a jewelry shop.

    Like their mother, Bernice and Tiffany were homemakers and societal women who did nothing other than spend their husbands'' money. Lisa was the only one who seemed to be the most reasonable of the sisters judging by the conversation he had just listened to and the fact that she had her own business. For that, he would exempt her from whatever he wanted to do.

    Anita was the youngest of the four sisters, and seeing how her sisters had all married into wealthy families, he could only imagine the pressure on her to bring home a prized husband. He could almost understand why she had rejected him when she thought he was a mere driver. Understanding her, however, was different from forgiving her. If Lisa could turn out differently, then so could she.

    Having made up his mind, he picked up his phone and dialed a number, "Good morning, Barry, it''s Thomas Hank," he said once the call connected.

    "Hey! It''s been a while, man. How''re you doing bro?" Barry asked, excited to hear from Tom after a long time.

    "I''m alright. You''re good too, right?"

    "Sure, I am. I saw you on TV the other night," Barry said, but Tom wasn''t in the mood for the small talk.

    "Yeah. You''re still into hacking, right?" Tom asked hopefully.

    "Always and forever, bro. Always and forever," Barry said, making Tom smile.

    "Good. I have a job for you."

 Chapter 309 She Can Heal Foundation

    <h4>Chapter 309 She Can Heal Foundation</h4>

    "How do you guys n to take care of Anita and her family?" Jade asked curiously as she and Bryan walked down the hallway after leaving Tom''s office.

    Her eyes darted in the direction of Harry''s office, but the door was closed. Somehow she wished that she would run into him in the elevator or down the hallway. She would like to see him again before leaving.

    "Are you asking as awyer or as our sister?" Bryan asked, and Jade rolled her eyes.

    "Am I only allowed to choose between the two? Why can''t I be both?" She asked, and Bryan shrugged.

    "Because I think Tom might have to break a couple ofws if he is going to get rid of them. If you''re not going to be okay with it as awyer, then there is no reason for you to get involved," Bryan pointed out, and Jade sighed as they got into the elevator.

    "I guess I will have to defend him in court if it gets to that. How did Tom ever get involved with ady from such a messed up family, anyway?"

    "Shit happens."

    "I''m d things didn''t work out between them," Jade said, and Bryan nodded in agreement.

    "Yeah. Me and you both. Theirs is a dysfunctional family. I wonder how we would have gotten along with them," Bryan said with a shake of his head.

    "I''m sure we wouldn''t have known this side of them. We would have gotten along just fine," Jade said, and Bryan shook his head.

    "I don''t think so. You need to see how dad gets along with Lucy''s dad. You''d think they were best friends or brothers," Bryan said, and Jade smiled.

    "Really? Lucy''s dad must be interesting, seeing as even Sonia has a crush on him," Jade said, and Bryan scowled at her.

    "How did you know about that?" Bryan asked as the elevator door opened, and they walked out.

    Jade giggled, "I''m sure everyone who saw the interview knows about it," she said, reminding him that Lucy and Sonia had mentioned it during the interview.

    "Oh, well!" Bryan sighed.

    "You like him," Jade said with a grin.

    "Although he can be very annoying, he is very cool too," Bryan admitted, and Jade giggled as he told her about thepetition between Tom and Lucy''s dad.

    "He''s so much fun. I can''t wait to meet him. I''m sure we will get along," Jade said with a wide smile

    "So, are you really going to ept Tom''s offer and work here?" Jade asked Bryan curiously as they slowly made their way towards Lucy''s office.

    "Yeah."

    "Cool. I think I''ll take Harry''s offer too. That way, I can be closer to you both and keep you out of trouble," Jade said with a grin as she linked arms with him, and Bryan turned to look at her with a slightly raised brow.

    "You mean so you can be closer to Harry, don''t you? We both know very well that if you didn''t want to be close to Harry, you wouldn''t be considering it," Bryan said dryly, and she grinned.

    "I guess I should just say I will be closer to you both and Harry then," she said with a wink.

    Bryan didn''t have enough time to respond before his phone rang, "I need to take this call. Go in, and let Sonia know we are leaving soon," Bryan said as he received the call from Jeff, while Jade went on to Lucy''s office since Harry had shown it to her earlier during their tour.

    Inside Lucy''s office, she and Sonia had moved on from their disagreement about her decision not to get married to other subjects.

    "You''re distracting me," Lucy said with a giggle when Sonia showed her aedy skit on Instagram.

    "So you''re asking me to leave?" She asked, and Lucy bobbed her head.

    "Yes, leave. Go find Bryan or find something else to do while you wait for him," Lucy said as she tried to focus on the work in front of her.

    "What do you think about Harry and Jade?" Sonia asked out of the blues, and Lucy blinked in confusion. What did her question have to do with leaving the office?

    "What am I supposed to think about them? Harry is Tom''s best friend, and Jade is Tom''s sister," Lucy said, and Sonia shook her head.

    "That''s not what I mean. Didn''t you notice their matching outfits yesterday?" Sonia asked, and Lucy rolled her eyes.

    "That was most likely coincidence. Harry doesn''t seem like the type to do matching outfits," Lucy said, and Sonia looked at her with interest.

    "Really? How well do you know him?" Sonia asked, and Lucy smiled.

    "Well, I wouldn''t say I know him so well. I used to think that he was cold and weird, but recently I''m beginning to see that being cold is just a front he puts up at work. He is actually very sweet and nice," Lucy said as she remembered her conversation with Harry that morning.

    "Really? What makes you think so?" Sonia asked curiously and listened carefully as Lucy told her about their conversation earlier on, only leaving out the question he had asked her.

    "Aww, he''s so sweet," Sonia said with a wide smile.

    "I told you so. Why are you curious about them anyway? Don''t tell me you''re thinking of making them into characters in your next story," Lucy said, and Sonia grinned.

    "Guilty as charged. Although I don''t know them well enough, I think there might be chemistry between them. So can you be my eyes and ears?" Sonia asked hopefully.

    "You''re asking me to spy on Harry?" Lucy asked in disbelief.

    "Well, not exactly. He is Tom''s best friend, and Tom will be the first to know if something is up between his sister and his best friend, seeing as he is trying to hook them up..."

    "Tom is trying to hook them up?" Lucy asked in surprise, and Sonia rolled her eyes.

    "I can''t believe that you are in the middle of all the excitement, yet you know nothing that is going on around you," Sonia said with disapproval.

    "That is because I prefer to mind my business, and that is more than I can say for you," Lucy said and then sighed when she realized that she had been drawn into another conversation with Sonia once again when all she wanted was to focus on the sketches in front of her.

    "Minding other people''s business is good for my business. I''m a writer, remember?" Sonia asked with a wide smile, and they both nced at the door when someone knocked on it before it was opened.

    "Am I interrupting your besties'' hangout?" Jade asked from the doorway, and Sonia''s eyes lit up as she waved her over, while Lucy nced at the work she needed to do but couldn''t do.

    "Not at all. You are wee to join us!" Sonia greeted her with a weing smile, and Lucy shot her a warning look before turning to greet Jade with a bright smile as Jade came in to join them.

    "Hello, Jade!"

    "I dropped in to look around thepany, so I decided to say hello to you before I leave," Jade exined before looking at Sonia, "Bryan says to get ready to leave soon," Jade told Sonia as she sat down on the seat next to hers and looked at Lucy who she could tell was not as social as Sonia.

    "Bryan told me about thepetition. I like your dad already," she said, making Lucy and Sonia giggle.

    "He does too much sometimes," Lucy said, and Jadeughed softly.

    "They all do. I can imagine my dad doing something like that," Jade said before looking at Sonia, "I can''t wait to see him. Something tells me that you won''t be the only one crushing on him for long," she said with a teasing smile, and Soniaughed.

    "Lucy and I were just talking about you..."

    "Sonia!" Lucy eximed in embarrassment, while Jade just watched them both with amused curiosity.

    "Okay, I was doing most of the talking while Lucy was just minding her business," Sonia corrected. Lucy lifted her eyes to the ceiling, praying for patience so she wouldn''t kill Sonia.

    "You want to tell me what you were talking about?" Jade asked curiously.

    "Sure. If you don''t mind me asking, how have you been enjoying Harry''spany?" Sonia asked, and Lucy shook her head.

    "You don''t have to answer her question. She just doesn''t know how to mind her business," Lucy said apologetically, making Jade smile.

    "I noticed you both were wearing matching outfits yesterday," Sonia continued, and Jade''s smile widened.

    "That was purely coincident. It wasn''t nned," she exined, and Lucy shot Sonia an ''I told you so'' look.

    "So there is nothing at all? No chemistry?" Sonia asked with a slight frown, and Jade studied bothdies for a minute.

    Even if she didn''t tell them, she was sure that either Bryan or Tom was going to tell one of them, and once one of them heard it, the other would hear it too, so there was no reason to hide it from them. They were going to be her sisters-inw after all.

    Jade leaned forward, "I''m actually interested in him," she confessed.

    "I knew it!" Sonia eximed as she turned to give Lucy an ''I told you so'' look before looking at Jade with a wide smile.

    "Do you think he feels the same way? Have you told him how you feel?" Sonia asked excitedly, but before Jade could answer, Bryan walked into the office.

    "I''m sorry to interrupt youdies, but we have to be on our way. We have a party to n," Bryan announced before looking at Lucy, "How are you doing, Lu?" Bryan asked with a friendly smile which Lucy returned.

    "I''m fine. Please can you get Sonia out of here? I need to focus on work," Lucy pleaded, and Sonia scowled.

    "Come with me babe. You know I''m the only person who can match your energy," Bryan said with a wink as he held out his hand to Sonia.

    "You''re going to miss me when I''m gone," she threatened Lucy as she stood up to meet Bryan.

    "Yeah, I''m definitely going to miss you, but please leave. No offense Jade, I just really need to focus on this before the board meeting. I need to get approval from the board, for the next design of clothes to be released this Winter. We can hang out at the party," Lucy said, and Jade smiled as she stood up.

    "You don''t have to apologize or exin yourself. I understand. I can be exactly like you when I''m busy with work," Jade assured her, "See you in the evening," Jade said with a wave as she walked out of the office.

    "You''reing with us, right?" Sonia called after her hopefully, eager to continue the conversation with her.

    "No, you''reing with me," Jade called back, making them giggle.

    "I missed you," Sonia told Bryan as she kissed him, and Lucy rolled her eyes.

    "Please take that out of here," Lucy muttered, and Bryan chuckled as he dragged Sonia out of the office while she stuck out her tongue at Lucy.

    Just as they exited Lucy''s office, they walked past twodies who looked like they were in their early forties as they walked into Lucy''s office.

    They stopped by Amy''s desk, "Good morning. What may I do for you?" Amy asked politely as she looked from one to the other.

    "We are here to see Lucinda Perry. This is her office, right?" One of thedies asked with a polite smile.

    "Yes. I am Director Perry''s secretary," Amy said with a polite smile.

    "Oh, great! Let her know that we are from the She Can Heal Foundation. Our CEO watched her interview and would love to discuss business with her," the otherdy said, and Amy gave them a nod as she went in to inform Lucy that she had guests.

 Chapter 310 Lovers Spat

    Chapter 310 Lover''s Spat����Lucy raised her head in frustration when her office door opened once again, ready to snap at whoever was there to interrupt her work.

    "Sorry, twodies are here to meet with you. They say they''re from She Can Heal Foundation," Amy rushed to exin when she saw the annoyance on Lucy''s face.

    "What do they want?" Lucy asked as she nced at her wristwatch impatiently. She still needed to meet with her team before the board meeting, and she didn''t have enough time to waste chatting with anyone

    "I think it has to do with the interview you did," Amy exined, and Lucy sighed.

    "I can tell them that you''re unavable," Amy offered, and Lucy forced a smile.

    "That won''t be necessary. Just let them in. The sooner I''m done with them, the faster I can return to work," Lucy said, and Amy gave her a nod before leaving.

    Less than a minuteter, the office door opened again, and the twodies walked into the office, "Good morning," they greeted in unison, and Lucy stood up.

    "Good morning, you''re wee. Please sit down," Lucy said, pointing to the seats opposite her.

    "Thank you," they said in unison as they sat down.

    "We are sorry to barge in on you this way. We tried to reach you through thedy that conducted your interview, but when we didn''t get a response from her, we decided to meet with you directly. I hope you don''t mind?" One of them asked.

    "I don''t know who you are," Lucy reminded them.

    "Oh, sorry! How silly of us," sheughed, and the other joined in theughter while Lucy just continued to stare at them, waiting for them to stopughing and tell her what they wanted from her.

    "I''m Prisci Peters, CEO of She Can Heal Foundation, and she is Maya Adams, my best friend, and assistant. Ever since I watched your interview two days ago, I''ve been dying to meet with you in person," Prisci said with a wide smile, and Lucy smiled back stiffly.

    "I guess I don''t need to introduce myself. I wish I could offer you some refreshments, but I''m still settling in," Lucy said apologetically, and they waved it off with a smile.

    "That won''t be necessary. I''m sure you''re very busy, so I will go straight to the point so as not to waste your time and ours," Prisci said as she leaned forward in her seat.

    "After watching you talk about your traumatic experience and seeing how you rose from it to where you are now, we believe that you are a beacon of hope to other young girls struggling to heal from such trauma. We would like to make you the face of SCHF for this year, and we would like you to work with us. We are not asking you to quit your job. Weekends would be fine," Prisci rushed to add when it seemed like Lucy was about to protest.

    "These are some of the benefits attached to our offer," Maya said as she dug into her handbag for an envelope and extended it to Lucy.

    "Think about how many lives you could actually touch by doing this. I''m sure if you had met a survivor like yourself who was willing to guide you while you were struggling to rise from your trauma, things would have been a lot more easier for you. We want you to be that for our girls," Maya added as Lucy opened the envelope to check what they were offering, and her mouth almost dropped open in surprise at their mouthwatering offer.

    They were offering her a car, a house, a monthly sry of fifteen grand, and an all-expense-paid trip monthly. Their offer was just too good to be true, "Why am I being offered so much?" Lucy asked with a slight frown.

    "That is to tell you how much we believe in what you can do for our girls and us. We would really like you to work with us," Prisci said with a hopeful smile.

    "I''m not sure I canbine my job with this," Lucy said with a shake of her head. Although she was very tempted by the offer, she loved her job.

    "That is why we are not asking that you work with us during the weekdays. Your weekends are all we are asking for. We will arrange for every meeting and trip to not interfere with your job, that I can promise you," Prisci said, but that didn''t reassure Lucy.

    If she were not dating Tom already, she probably wouldn''t have given an offer like this a second thought before jumping at it. It would have made her dance for joy. But things were different now.

    Tom was in the picture now, and she couldn''t just think of epting an offer like this without first talking to him. This was part of the things she hated about being in a rtionship, but it was also something she would expect of Tom.

    She would want him to factor her into his ns and decisions. And she knew for a fact that if the reverse were the case, she wouldn''t want Tom epting a job that would take him away from her for the weekend.

    "Can I think about it and get back to you?" She asked with a polite smile, not wanting to make a hasty decision.

    "Sure, you can. We really hope that we get a positive response. I personally look forward to working with you," Prisci said as they both rose to leave, and Lucy smiled at them as she stood up too.

    "I hope to hear from you soon," Prisci said as she took out herplimentary card from her handbag and ced it in front of Lucy, "Thank you for your time."

    "You''re wee," Lucy said with a polite nod as she watched them leave.

    The moment they shut the door behind them, she sat down and picked up the paper again. Apart from the benefits attached to the job, the thought of actually being able to help other young girls who were struggling to heal from trauma was also on her mind.

    If she could really be a beacon of hope to other girls, then maybe what happened to her wouldn''t just have happened for nothing. It would give her life a new sense of purpose.

    **********

    "Lucy is cool," Jade said from the backseat as Bryan drove them to Tom''s apartment, where all three of them could sit and n for the birthday.

    "I know, right?" Sonia said with a grin as she turned in the front seat to look at Jade, "Do you have a best friend?" Sonia asked curiously.

    Jade shook her head, "Nah. I guess I''m the only one without a best friend. You and Lucy have each other, Tom has Harry, and Bryan has Matt. Speaking of Matt, how is he?" Jade asked Bryan curiously, and he shrugged.

    "Heartbroken."

    "That''s sad. I guess he really likes her," Jade said sadly.

    "I''m sure they will work things out. She likes him too but seems to be holding back. Do you mind telling me what''s up with her?" Bryan asked while Sonia listened to the discussion with keen interest.

    "You should ask your bestie," Jade said, and Bryan raised a brow as he looked at her through the rearview mirror.

    "How am I supposed to be able to help Matt if I don''t understand what is going on? You can tell Harry and Tom, but you can''t tell me?" Bryan asked, and Jade rolled her eyes.

    "Candace''s baby daddy was a part of a dangerous drug cartel before his arrest. They tried to kill him, and he escaped from jail. Now the cartel is trying to use Jade to get to him; hence she is hiding at Tom''s house," Jade summarized.

    "She is likely avoiding him because she doesn''t want to get him involved in her mess," Sonia said thoughtfully, and Bryan nodded.

    "Yeah. That''s one annoying thing you females have inmon," Bryan muttered, and Sonia red at him.

    "Didn''t I apologize already?" Sonia hissed in annoyance.

    "Doesn''t make it any less annoying," Bryan said with a scoff.

    "Last I checked, I''m not Candy, and you''re not Matt, so why are you making their issue about us?" Sonia asked, wanting to y the same card Bryan had yed when she confronted him about Tom''s deception.

    "I never made it about us. You did," Bryan reminded her.

    "How? When?" Sonia asked angrily before turning to look at Jade, who was grinning as she listened to their argument.

    "Jade, you were here. Who made this about us?" Sonia asked, and Bryan met Jade''s gaze in the mirror, daring her to take a side.

    Jade raised a hand defensively, "I didn''t hear anything. I don''t know anything. You both should leave me out of this," Jade said, giving Sonia an apologetic smile.

    "Bryan, you started it!" Sonia yelled angrily, and Bryan chuckled.

    "You are the one quarreling right now," Bryan reminded her, and she huffed angrily as she turned away from him to look out of the window.

    Bryan grinned as he turned to spare her a nce, and then he reached out his hand to touch her chin, "My beautiful ex fake fiancee be girlfriend," Bryan teased, and although Sonia''s lips twitched with a smile, she refused to turn around as she waited for him to apologize.

    "So tell me. What did I say to upset you?" Bryan asked, and Sonia turned to re at him.

    "How could you say that is one..." Sonia stopped halfway as she struggled between her annoyance and amusement when Bryan started to mimic her as she spoke.

    "I''m not ying with you, Bryan," Sonia said as she turned away so he wouldn''t see her struggling with a smile.

    "This is the second time you''ve called me Bryan now, yet I remember you saying I''m not permitted to call you Sonia in the middle of an argument. Should I be angry?" Bryan asked.

    Jade, who was listening to them in amusement, looked at Bryan, "What are you supposed to call her in the middle of an argument?" Jade asked curiously. She had almost forgotten what being in a rtionship felt like, and seeing them having a lover''s spat right now, she missed being in a rtionship.

    "Babe. She said her name is babe always," Bryan said with a chuckle, and Jade giggled.

    "Okay, fine. I was wrong. I shouldn''t have said what I said. I''m sorry," Bryan said apologetically, and Sonia turned to eye him.

    "Yes, you shouldn''t have said that."

    "And you called me Bryan," Bryan reminded her.

    "Fine. I''m sorry too," Sonia said, and Bryan shrugged.

    "Give me a peck if you''re no longer upset," Bryan said, and Jade rolled her eyes as she watched Sonia lean over to give him a peck, but Bryan turned quickly and stole kiss, making her giggle.

    "I can drive the car if you both need to use the backseat," Jade said dryly, making themugh.

    Although Sonia wanted to ask her more about her rtionship with Harry, she didn''t want to do so in front of Bryan since she wasn''t sure if Bryan knew about it, or if Jade wanted him to know. So instead, Sonia asked Jade questions about her job, while Bryan bragged to Jade about how great a writer Sonia was.

 Chapter 311 Board Meeting

    Chapter 311 Board Meeting����"Any contrary ideas? What about contributions or constructive criticism?" Lucy asked for the fifth time as she looked at each of her teammates with disapproval. It seemed like they had all turned to yes-men, and nobody wanted to disagree with her because of her rtionship with Tom.

    "What is the meaning of all this? How can none of you have an opinion of your own?" Lucy asked, trying not to snap at them in frustration.

    "I have less than twenty minutes before presenting these new designs to the board, yet none of you is making any meaningful contributions," Lucy hissed as she gathered the sketches and walked into her office angrily, leaving them.

    The other team members turned to Amy, "What does she expect us to say when she already did a perfect job?" One of thedies asked with a slight frown.

    "I will talk to her," Amy said as she stood up and followed Lucy into her office, "Director..."

    "Lucy." Lucy corrected impatiently.

    Amy looked at Lucy, "We agreed with your ideas and have nothing to add to or remove from it because it is perfect."

    Lucy looked at Amy, "In the past..."

    "During thest meeting, we all brought our designs and ideas, and some of us even disagreed with one of your ideas and gave better ideas when we had better ideas to give. But this idea is actually really good, and we believe that the board would love it."

    "Am I to believe that you are all okay with my idea, and you''re not just epting it because of what happened or my rtionship with the CEO?" Lucy asked, and Amy frowned.

    "Is that what you think?"

    "Isn''t that what it is?"

    "I don''t know about the others, so I can''t answer for them. But I won''t lie to you or kiss your ass because of your rtionship with the CEO. We were all employed to do a good job, and I won''t jeopardize that just to curry favor with you. Your design is perfect, and the presentation is great too. That is what the board is going to want to see," Amy assured her.

    Lucy closed her eyes and took in a deep breath to calm herself. Maybe Amy was right, and she was the one who was overreacting and judging them harshly.

    This was going to be the very first board meeting she would be attending ever since she resumed work at the headquarters since Tom had graciously canceled the first one because she waste. And as a result of that, she was nervous since it would be the first time she would be introduced to the board. She was scared that if she didn''t do a proper job, they would all assume that she had gotten her promotion thanks to her rtionship with the CEO, and she didn''t want that. She didn''t want them to undermine all the effort she had put into climbing this careerdder, and she also didn''t want to embarrass or disappoint Tom either.

    "If you start doubting yourself, everyone else will begin to doubt you too," Amy said softly as though she could read her mind before walking out of the office.

    Lucy opened her eyes and watched as Amy walked away before walking following her, "I''m sorry for my outburst earlier. We are a team, and I trust your judgment. If you believe that my design is the best, then we will go with it. Amy, please make more copies of it," Lucy instructed as she handed the sketch to Amy before returning to her office to prepare herself mentally for the meeting.

    Thirty minutester, Lucy was certain that she would have a panic attack as she sat in the boardroom with the other directors while they waited for Tom and Harry to join them.

    "Hi!" Cora whispered to Lucy, who hadn''t raised her head since she sat down.

    Lucy turned to her and immediately recognized her as thedy who had been flirting with Tom. So she was a director too? "Hi!"

    "So you''re dating the CEO, huh?" Cora asked, making Lucy blink in confusion. If Cora was a director, did it mean that she knew who Tom was even while he was pretending to be a driver? Was that why she had approached him?

    Lucy contemted between snubbing her and putting her in her ce, but she didn''t want to have any more enemies because of her rtionship with Tom. Anita had caused her enough trouble already.

    "So it seems," Lucy said with a stiff smile, hoping that Tom woulde quickly so that the meeting would start.

    "Good morning, everyone. I''m sorry for keeping you waiting. The meeting with the shareholders took a longer time than we expected," Tom announced to Lucy''s relief as he walked into the boardroom with Harry beside him.

    All the directors stood up as Tom walked over to his seat at the head of the table, and Harry went to the seat at his right hand.

    "Before we sit, I''d first like to make a very important announcement. You all know Harry. I''m sure every one of you here has interacted with him much more than you''ve done with me. From now on, he is now my Co-CEO. That means he has as much authority as I have," Tom announced, and the directors pped and congratted Harry.

    "I''m tired of having you sit beside me. Kindly move to the other end of the table," Tom muttered to Harry, who scowled at him before walking away from there.

    Once they were all seated, Tom looked around the table, and his gaze fell on Lucy. One look at her and he could tell that she was very nervous. He narrowed his eyes when he noticed that she was avoiding his gaze. It was almost as if she was trying to put a distance between them. He wasn''t going to let her do that.

    "Since I''m sure everyone in this room knows about my rtionship with Director Perry, I''m sure you''d understand why I need her to sit next to me," Tom said, and the other men around the tableughed while Lucy looked up at him in surprise.

    "Come over here, Jewel," Tom said, and Lucy looked down in embarrassment as she stood up.  She had not expected him to use the endearment during a board meeting. What happened to calling her director Perry?

    Once she sat down beside him, Tom looked around the table once again, "Although I don''t think I owe any of you an exnation, I would like to rify something once and for all, as I have already done during the shareholders meeting. I never knew Director Perry personally until she was promoted and transferred down here, and I met her outside thepany before realizing she works here. The head of the branch where she formerly worked rmended her for the promotion because of her devotion and dedication to her job. She got this promotionpletely on merit, and so I hope you wouldn''t try to undermine her efforts because of my rtionship with her. Knowing her, I have no doubts that she would prove to every one of you that she earned her spot on this table. Director Perry, you''re wee."

    Everyone around the table pped, and Lucy raised her head, surprised that Tom had known to handle what she was worried about. This reminded her once again of why she had fallen for him.

    From there on, the meeting went on smoothly. By the time the floor was open for Lucy to deliver her presentation, she had regained her confidence, and she did such a good job that everyone else wasmending her even before Tom couldment on it.

    After the meeting ended, some directors left, while others gathered around Harry to congratte him. Tom nced at Lucy when she started to stand up, "You''re not leaving without me, are you? We are going to my office. It''s time for lunch," he reminded her.

    "Hello," a feminine voice greeted from behind Lucy before she could respond, and Tom looked at Cora.

    "Hi!"

    "I didn''t realize that you were the CEO," Cora said with a friendly smile, while Lucy tried her best not to turn around to look at thedy who she was beginning to dislike.

    "Cora, right?" Tom asked, and she smiled happily that he remembered her name while Lucy tried to maintain a nk expression.

    "Yes. I''m surprised that you remember," Cora said with a bright smile, and Tom shrugged.

    Knowing how jealous Lucy was, Tom didn''t need anyone to tell him that she wasn''tfortable with Cora''s presence, "I told you I was going to try not to forget your name. Is there something you want?" Tom asked, and her smile faltered when she heard the dismissal in his tone.

    "I just wanted to say hello to you. I thought since your girlfriend is here, she wouldn''t mind..."

    "Thanks for saying hello. I''m sure you both know each other, so there won''t be any need for introductions. If you''ll excuse us, we have to leave for lunch now," Tom cut her off as he nced at his wristwatch before standing up.

    "Are you ready to leave, Jewel?" Tom asked, ignoring Cora, who was still standing there, and Lucy bobbed her head.

    "Yes."

    "Good," Tom said as he picked up Lucy''s handbag before pulling her up. Seeing this, Cora decided to excuse them, so she walked away.

    "By the way, you did great. I loved your presentation," Tom said with a proud smile, and Lucy returned the smile as she took her handbag from him.

    "Why didn''t you say anything just now?" Tom asked as he led her out of the boardroom.

    "When?"

    "When she was talking to me. I know you were jealous," Tom said, and Lucy scoffed.

    "What was I supposed to say when she wasn''t talking to me? If you were in my shoes, what would you say?" Lucy asked, and Tom shrugged.

    "I would mark my territory. Introduce myself as your man in a way that will have any other man backing off," Tom said, and Lucyughed softly.

    "How would you introduce yourself to make them back off?" Lucy asked curiously as they both stepped into the elevator.

    "Like this. Hi, I''m Tom, her man," Tom said and then pulled her forward and kissed her deeply before pulling away. "Or this. Hey, babe? Who''s your friend?" Tom said as he squeezed her ass, making her giggle.

    "You will do that in the presence of others?" She asked in amusement, grateful that they were in the elevator.

    "Yeah. Don''t try me. That''s how I mark my territory. So if you don''t want me to do that to you in public, don''t let anyone flirt with you," Tom said with a wink.

    "So you knew she was trying to flirt with you?" Lucy asked, and Tom nodded.

    "She already said she liked me before now. So it wasn''t unexpected," Tom pointed out as the elevator door opened and they walked down the hallway to his office.

    "So tell me, why were you acting that way before the meeting started?" Tom asked, turning to spare her a nce.

    "What way?"

    "Like you were avoiding my gaze, or you didn''t want anyone in the room to know about our rtionship," Tom exined, and Lucy sighed.

    "I was nervous. I didn''t want to screw up," Lucy exined.

    "Because then they would all think you got here because I am interested in you and not because you deserve it?" Tom asked, and Lucy nodded.

    "How did you know?" Lucy asked, and Tom smiled.

    "How can I not know how you think by now?" He asked with a grin.

    "Thanks for addressing the issue."

    "Don''t worry. I gat you always," Tom said as he turned to her and kissed her forehead.

    "You shouldn''t have called me that in their presence, though," she said, hitting him yfully.

    "You shouldn''t have pretended not to know your boyfriend in public," Tom fired back, and she giggled.

    "So that was my punishment?"

    "You got that right."

 Chapter 312 Mr. Right

    Chapter 312 Mr. Right����Once they walked into Tom''s office and shut the door behind them, Lucy faced Tom when she remembered the offer from the foundation. "Uhm, I need to tell you something."

    "I have something to tell you too."

    "Let''s talk before we eat," Lucy suggested, and Tom gave her a nod as he led her to one of thefortable sofas in his office.

    Lucy dug into her handbag and took out the letter the women had given her, "Twodies came to see me earlier on. They''re from the She Can Heal Founda..." She stopped talking when she noticed the slight frown on Tom''s face.

    "What is wrong?"

    Tom shook his head, "It''s nothing. What did they want?" He asked, feeling even more suspicious of them now.

    "They want me to be the face of the foundation and also work for them on weekends, so it doesn''t interfere with my job. The benefits are listed here," Lucy said, trying not to sound too excited as she handed the letter to Tom.

    Tom tried to gather his thoughts as he read through the benefits. Once he was done, he turned to her, "I have a confession to make."

    "What confession?" Lucy asked with a curious smile.

    "I already knew about them. I spoke with Alicia earlier this morning, and she told me about it, but I asked her not to tell you about it. I''m sorry," Tom said apologetically.

    "Why? Why didn''t you want me to know about it?" Lucy asked with a slight frown.

    "I know it was not my ce to make that decision for you. I was just worried out of my mind and didn''t want you out of my sight since we are yet to take care of Anita," Tom exined, and Lucy just stared at him without saying a word.

    "Are you only telling me this now because I already met them? Or would you have told me about it even if they had note to see me?" Lucy asked, hoping that thetter was the case.

    "I was going to tell you about it and exin why I think you shouldn''t work with them," Tom said to her relief.

    "Okay, let''s assume Anita wasn''t a problem. How do you feel about this offer?" Lucy asked after some time.

    "You were forced to share that dreadful experience only because of the scandal, not because you were ready for it. They can''t juste to you like this. I don''t like the fact that they contacted you so soon and couldn''t even wait for Alicia to talk to you first. Their action reeks of desperation, and it is never a good sign," Tom finished, and Lucy looked at him with a slightly raised brow. He hadn''t said the one thing she had expected him to say first.

    "Howe you didn''tin about them asking me to work during weekends when I''m supposed to be with you?" She asked, and Tom shrugged.

    "I can''t be selfish right now. I''m trying to think of what you want, not what I want," Tom said, and she smiled, pleased that he was thinking about her while she was also trying to think about him.

    "The benefits look too good to be true, though," Lucy said, and Tom gave her a nod.

    "If something looks too good to be true, then it''s probably not true," Tom said, and Lucy giggled.

    "Here I was thinking you were true," Lucy teased, and Tom chuckled.

    "I''m not too good to be true. If I were, I wouldn''t have deceived you from the start," Tom reminded her.

    "Good people sometimes do bad things. That doesn''t make them bad," Lucy said as she touched his face, "I still think you are too good to be true."

    "I guess I''m the only exception to the rule," Tom said, and Lucy hit his arm.

    "You''re supposed to say that I''m too good to be true too," Lucy pointed out, and Tom chuckled.

    "I don''t think you''re too good to be true. I know you are true," Tom said as he kissed the tip of her nose, and she giggled.

    "Tell me honestly, do you want to ept their offer?" Tom asked, looking deeply into her eyes.

    "The offer is quite tempting."

    "I could give you all that is offered there and more if you want. The car, the house, the all-expense-paid trips, you name it," Tom said, and Lucy smiled.

    "But it won''t be the same as something I worked for. Besides, if I ept their offer, I can actually affect the lives of other young girls too," Lucy exined.

    "You don''t have to work for them to affect the lives of young girls. We can establish a foundation in your name if you want," Tom offered, and she smiled as she leaned into him.

    "It won''t be the same. I don''t want my sess to be tied to you," Lucy said, and Tom sighed.

    "You don''t think that everything you do now might be tied to me whether or not you want it to?" He asked as he held her shoulders and gently pushed her away from him so that she faced him.

    "Lu, I understand how you feel, and I know how much your career means to you, but I also need you to understand that we will have little or no control over how people perceive you and our rtionship. People are going to have a lot of things to say about us both behind us and in front of us. It is something you will have to learn to ept," Tom said, looking into her eyes.

    "And you should know that being your man; I wouldn''t also just stand aside and watch you struggle to get stuff done. I will always try to make things easier for you, and I won''t be pleased if you turn down my help just because you don''t want people to think that you''re sessful because of our rtionship. Whether or not you let me help you, people will think whatever they choose to think," Tom pointed out.

    Lucy gazed into his eyes, and she knew that he was right. Whether or not she liked it, every time she did something for herself now, people would always think that it was thanks to her rtionship with Tom. She would have to work twice as hard to show people that whatever she got was earned, and it wasn''t because she had Tom beside or behind her.

    "So what are you suggesting? That I ride on your coat tail?" She asked, and Tom shook his head.

    "I''m just saying that you shouldn''t hesitate to ept my help when you need it or make rash decisions simply because you''re worried about public opinion," Tom exined, and she sighed as she leaned against him once again.

    "You really don''t want me to ept their offer, do you?"

    "Yeah, I don''t want you to. But if you choose to, I will support you," Tom promised as he ced his arms around her.

    "Thank you. That means a lot to me," Lucy said as she rested her head on his chest.

    "So? Are you going to take it?" Tom asked, hoping that she would say no.

    "I don''t know. Can I at least think about it?" Lucy asked, and Tom shrugged.

    "You can."

    "Thank you. So what were you going to tell me about? Can we discuss it while we eat?" Lucy asked curiously.

    "Maybe it can wait until after work hours," Tom said, not sure anymore if it was the right time to tell her about Rachel''s role in her abduction, about Rachel and Anita''s rtionship, or even the fact that Anita''s family were thinking of harming her.

    Lucy looked at his face closely, and she could tell that whatever it was he wanted to say was something serious, and it was bothering him, "Is it about me or our rtionship?"

    "Yeah. But it can wait. Let''s eat and..."

    "No. Tell me about it now," she cut in.

    "You need to return to your office. Lunch break will be over soon," he reminded her.

    "Then you should start talking. When we leave work, we will be too busy with the rest of the family at your dad''s party to talk. I don''t want to wait," Lucy insisted.

    Tom contemted whether to y the recording or just tell her, "Rachel is Anita''s cousin." Tom blurted out.

    "Rachel? Which Rachel?" Lucy asked in confusion, wondering if there was a Rachel they both knew inmon.

    "Rachel. Your brother''s ex-fiancee," Tom said, and confusion swam in Lucy''s gray eyes.

    "Rachel? Anita?" She asked in disbelief, trying to find the connection.

    Seeing how surprised and confused she was, Tom picked up his phone and reyed the recorded conversation.

    "That is not Rachel''s voice," Lucy said, and Tom nodded.

    "Yeah, that is Anita''s elder sister, Lisa. Just listen," Tom said, and she remained quiet as she listened to all the conversations with mixed emotions until Anita mentioned Rachel''s name, and her jaw dropped in surprise.

    "Wait, what? What is she talking about?" Lucy asked, turning to Tom with wide eyes when Anita made reference to her abduction.

    "Rachel? She... she helped Jamie?" Lucy asked, her eyes brimming with tears as her chest rose and fell with emotion.

    "Jewel..."

    "This whole time Rachel remained beside my brother and even wanted to marry him despite ying a role in what happened to me? Has she no conscience?" Lucy asked angrily as the tears dropped from her eyes.

    She shook her head as she swiped at her tears angrily, "No. I''m not going to take this lightly with her. I can ignore Anita for whatever she is doing, but Rachel? I will not ignore her. At least she is no longer my brother''s fiancee, and I don''t have to hold back anymore," Lucy said as she tried to stand up, but Tom grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

    She struggled to get up, but he embraced her and held her tightly until she stopped struggling and broke into a sob, "This is why I thought it was a bad idea to tell you about it right now," Tom murmured as he patted her back while she cried.

    "Why? Why me? What did I do to deserve such wickedness?" Lucy asked as she cried.

    "I was never a threat to her or their rtionship. Lucas is my twin brother. Why would she do that to me? Why are Anita and her family doing this to me?" Lucy sobbed.

    Tom held her and just kept patting her back while whispering to her that she did nothing wrong until she was able to pull herself together.

    Once she was calm, she pulled away from him and looked at him with her tear-stained face, "Lucas can''t ever find out about this. He is going to me himself if he knows that she was involved in it," she said, and Tom gave her a nod as he took out his handkerchief and dabbed at her tears.

    "Are we done with the tears now?" He asked hopefully, and she gave him a wobbly smile as he kissed her forehead.

    "Thank goodness. For a moment there, I almost joined you but had to hold back my tears because I wouldn''t look as pretty as you," he joked, and sheughed softly as she hit his shoulder.

    "So let''s assume for a moment that I didn''t hold you back just now. Where were you going to? And what were you going to do? I doubt Rachel was standing outside my office door," Tom asked curiously.

    Lucy scowled, "I don''t know. Maybe I would have called her and given her a piece of my mind."

    "Yeah, I thought you were going to do that. You can''t let Rachel know that you are aware. That will make them know that we are on to them, and we can''t have that. And secondly, to correct what you said a moment ago, you are not ignoring Anita and her family. We will deal with every one of them," Tom assured her.

    "One more thing I want you to know. Anita''s mother is involved in charity. She is a prominent member of a lot of nonprofit organizations."

    "You think she has something to do with this offer from SCHF?" Lucy asked, thinking that it didn''t make sense.

    "It is not impossible."

    "How is an offer like this supposed to hurt me? I''m sure there are less expensive ways to get rid of me if she wants to."

    "It might not make sense to you, but you never can tell what goes on in the head of people like her," Tom said, and Lucy raised a hand to massage her temple.

    "It makes sense that they are all rted. My head is beginning to ache," she said with a sigh, and Tom lifted her hand to his lips.

    "Enough of the serious conversations. Let''s just eat. We can revisit this at a more convenient time," Tom suggested as he stood up.

    "Yes. Let''s do that," she said as she let him lead her into his mini bedroom, where Adolf had set their meal.

    "By the way, are you trying to matchmake Harry and Jade?" Lucy asked, wanting to change the subject to something more pleasant and light.

    Tom chuckled, "Where did you hear that?"

    "Sonia thinks so. Are you?" She asked as they sat to eat.

    "I''m not exactly matchmaking them. I think they will make a good pair, but I''m leaving it entirely up to them to decide. Although I think they are interested in each other," Tom said, and Lucy narrowed her eyes as she recalled her conversation with Harry.

    Perhaps something happened between them while either of them was drunk? Lucy mused. She also recalled her brief interaction with Jade earlier. "I think you are right. They will make a great pair."

    "Of course, I''m right. That''s why I''m your Mr. Right," Tom said with a wink, and Lucyughed softly as she looked at him.

    As she watched him eat, she remembered her conversation with Sonia earlier. Was he going to be okay with just being in a rtionship with her? Without marriage or kids? Was she supposed to raise the subject herself or wait for him to talk about marriage before doing so? If she was to raise the subject, how and when could she do so?

 Chapter 313 One Big Happy Family

    Chapter 313 One Big Happy Family����"I told you. I told you they were not going to remember. Not one of them remembered," Desmond told his wife glumly as they sat down for breakfast after Adolf informed them that both brothers and their women had left the house very early that morning and so wouldn''t join them for breakfast.

    "Maybe they have a lot on their mind with all that has happenedtely. You should have let me remind them," Evelyn said, looking just as sad as her husband.

    "What is the point of reminding them? Having a lot on their mind is not an excuse to forget their father''s birthday. What about Jade? They all don''t care. Let''s go back home after breakfast," Desmond said, feeling dejected, and Andrew, who had been quiet, shook his head.

    "I don''t think that is a good idea. Besides, who knows if they n to surprise you?" He asked, hoping that the girls had done what he told them and found a subtle way to remind the boys of their fathers'' birthday.

    "I''m not ready for that disappointment. I don''t know what I might say to them if I stay here until they all get back only to find out that they had truly forgotten and no surprise was nned," Desmond said, and Evelyn reached for his hand.

    "Honey, let''s not make any hasty decisions. We can wait until they get home, and if truly they forgot about it, we will express our displeasure before leaving," Evelyn pleaded, while J just watched them, not knowing what to say to make them feel better.

    "How do I know that you''re not going to call them and tell them about it, so theye up with a surpriseter?" Desmond asked suspiciously.

    "You know me. I won''t do that since you don''t want me to," Evelyn promised, and Desmond gave her a nod before turning to Andrew.

    "You''re not going to speak with them either, are you?"

    "Your boys don''t like me, so I have no reason to talk to them," Andrew said, shing him a grin, and Desmond chuckled.

    "Okay. We will wait until they all get back home," Desmond said, much to their relief.

    "Since it''s your birthday, why don''t we all go out and have fun?" J suggested, and Evelyn nodded in agreement.

    "Yeah, let''s do something fun for a change," Evelyn suggested.

    "Where do youdies suggest we go? And what fun thing do you want to do?" Desmond asked, and Evelyn turned to J, who was much younger than her and who she believed woulde up with good ideas.

    "Anywhere fun. Let''s do what young people do these days. Amusement parks, cinema, Karaoke, name it," J said, and they all nodded in excitement.

    "Let''s do all of it. I will ask Aldof to drive us around," Evelyn said as Andrew stood up.

    "Where are you going to?" J asked her husband curiously.

    "To get wine. We should get the party started," he said with a grin, and Desmondughed as he watched him walk again.

    "I''m so d that you''re both here. Your husband is a good man," Desmond told J, and she smiled.

    "Thank you."

    "Now, let''s just hope that Tom and Lucy would do the right thing quickly, and then we can officially be one big happy family," Evelyn said, and Jughed softly.

    "But they barely started dating," J pointed out. As much as she wanted her daughter to get married, she knew that it wasn''t going to be so easy to get her to do so, regardless of how much she loved Tom. It had taken her quite some time to get into a rtionship, and J suspected that it would also take her some time to get around the whole marriage idea. She didn''t want Lucy to feel pressured by Evelyn, and at the same time, she didn''t want Evelyn to feel disappointed or annoyed if things didn''t go her way.

    "And it''s obvious that they love each other. What else do they need?" Evelyn asked, and J exchanged a look with Desmond.

    "I can list a couple of things," J said as she took a bite from her croissant loaf.

    "Go on."

    "Compatibility. Friendship. Trust. Loyalty. Understanding," J listed, and Evelyn shook her head.

    "I think they''re good to go. They rte pretty well together, so I think all those have been settled between them," Evelyn said, and Desmond yawned.

    "How long have they been dating?" Desmond asked, and both J and Evelyn exchanged a look as though they weren''t sure.

    "I think it''s three weeks now," Evelyn said, recalling that it was three weeks ago when Adolf called to inform her about thedy Tom had brought home.

    "Are you sure you listened to everything Lucy said during that interview?" Desmond asked, and Evelyn frowned, wondering what the interview had to do with the discussion.

    "Yes. Why?" Evelyn asked just as Andrew returned with a bottle of wine from the bar and a staff walked in with him, carrying the sses.

    "Sorry I took so long. I had to taste them in order to find the best," he said with a grin as he returned to his seat.

    "She just started dating. Allow her to enjoy dating before you bring up the issue of marriage," Desmond said, and J would have given him a hug had the table not been standing between them.

    "Who are you talking about?" Andrew asked curiously as he poured wine into each of their sses.

    "Your daughter. My wife wants Tom and Lucy to get married already so that we can officially be one big happy family," Desmond exined, and Andrew exchanged a look with his wife.

    "Your husband is right. Let''s just let them do their thing until they are ready to take the next step. We are already one big happy family, official or not," Andrew said with a grin as he raised his ss in a silent toast.

    *************

    "So about you and Harry..." Sonia said once Bryan moved away from them to the wine section of the departmental store where they were picking out drinks and snacks for the party, leaving her alone with Jade.

    "You seem really interested in us," Jade observed, and Sonia grinned.

    "Yes, I am. Who doesn''t love sweet love stories?" Sonia asked as she walked beside Jade.

    "There are people who do not like love stories," Jade said, and Sonia giggled.

    "Well, those people are not me. And I''m sure they''re not you either. So, tell me. I might be able to help you."

    Jade stopped walking and looked at Sonia, "Is there something you stand to gain from helping me?" Jade asked suspiciously.

    "Yeah. Inspiration. I''m actually writing a story about the Hank Siblings," Sonia said in a light whisper, and Jade looked at her with amusement.

    "A love story about my brothers and me?"

    "Yes. I started thinking of the possibility of something happening between you and Harry the first time I heard you were with him," Sonia confessed, and this time Jade giggled.

    "Are my brothers aware?"

    "No. Only Lucy is aware that I''m writing about you three. Bryan only knows I''m writing about the both of us. So you''ll be the only one to know between you and Harry too. Only the female partner has to know the truth," Sonia said with a wink, making Jade smile.

    "Okay. I will tell you about it. I think it might make for an interesting story, only that I''m not sure if it''s going to have a happy ending yet," Jade said wistfully.

    "Why not?" Sonia asked curiously.

    "Are you both shopping or gossiping?" Bryan asked, ring at them when he saw that they were standing idly and discussing instead of picking out more drinks.

    "Why can''t we do both?" Jade asked dryly, and Bryan shook his head.

    "This is dad''s favorite wine, right?" Bryan asked, holding up the wine in his hand for Jade to see.

    "Yeah," Jade said to him before turning to Sonia, "We will have to continue our conversationter," Jade said as Bryan came to join them.

    "What else do we have to get? We have been at this for hours," Bryanined as he dropped the wine into the cart that contained all they had picked thus far.

    "I think we have gotten enough. Now let''s go and get my dress," Jade said with a happy smile.

    "It''s not your birthday. Why are we getting you a dress?" Bryan asked dryly.

    "Because I''m part of dad''s surprise package, and a package should be beautifully wrapped," Jade said with a wide grin as she spread both arms making Bryan roll his eyes while Sonia giggled.

    "You invited Harry, didn''t you?" Bryan asked suspiciously.

    "He knows?" Sonia asked, surprised that Bryan knew about his sister''s interest in Harry.

    "Do I need to invite Harry specially? Wasn''t he there when we were making the ns yesterday?" Jade asked with an innocent smile.

    "You don''t have toe shopping with us. You can pay for these items with your card and take them with you. Sonia and I will continue from here, and we will meet youter. Bye," Jade said as she took Sonia''s arm and dragged her away before either she or Bryan could protest.

    Sonia turned to look at Bryan, who she hadn''t had the chance to kiss goodbye, "Do you want to hear the exclusive details about my rtionship with Harry or not?" Jade asked, and Sonia blew Bryan a kiss as she turned around.

    "You know I want to."

    "Good. Let''s go then."

 Chapter 314 Romantic First Meeting (1)

    Chapter 314 Romantic First Meeting (1)����Once Lucy returned to her office after having lunch with Tom, she shut the door behind her and walked over to her seat. She had tried to hold in her emotions for Tom''s sake, but now that she was alone and could process all that Tom had told her, as well as Anita''s recorded conversation, she couldn''t stop herself from crying. She rested her forehead on her desk as she sobbed.

    She stopped crying when a knock sounded on her door, and she cleared her throat, "Yes?"

    "Can Ie in?" Amy asked politely.

    "Do you need something?" Lucy asked, reaching for her handkerchief to dry her tears.

    "Yes, I want to see you," Amy said, and Lucy picked a piece of tissue from her table and blew her nose before giving her the go-ahead to enter.

    Once Amy entered, she looked at Lucy closely while holding her phone to her, "You were crying?" She asked with a slight frown.

    "No."

    "Yes, you were. Is something wrong?" She asked with concern as she moved closer to the desk.

    "No. Everything is fine," Lucy said and forced a smile, "What did you want to see me for?" She asked, wanting to move the subject away from her.

    "The CEO asked me to check on you and report to him," Amy said, making Lucy frown.

    "Tom? When?"

    "Just now," Amy said, pointing to the phone in her hand, and Lucy sighed. How did she keep forgetting that Tom always read her like a book?

    "I''m fine. I wasn''t crying," Lucy said as she reached out a hand for Amy to hand her the phone.

    "I''m fine. You don''t have to be worried," Lucy assured him.

    "You were crying again, weren''t you?" Tom asked in concern.

    "It''s not like I can tell my eyes not to cry when I feel like crying, can I?" Lucy asked, trying to make light of the situation.

    Tom sighed, "I don''t like this."

    "You do realize that this is Amy''s phone, right?" Lucy asked since Amy was still standing there looking at her, "You could have just called me instead of disrupting her work," Lucy scolded.

    "It''s part of her job. I''ve just added it to her job description," Tom said, and Lucy giggled.

    "I''m hanging up now. Don''t worry about me," Lucy said as she hung up the call and returned the phone to Amy.

    "I''m sorry," Lucy told Amy.

    "It''s fine. I don''t mind. Is everything okay?" Amy asked, and Lucy gave her a nod.

    "You haven''t told us the oue of the board meeting. Did they like the new design and your presentation?" Amy asked curiously.

    Lucy almost sighed when she realized that she had almost forgotten all about the board meeting, "Yes. They all loved it and have given us the go-ahead," Lucy said, and Amy gave her an ''I told you so'' smile.

    "That''s great news. I will ry the message to others. Call me if you need me," Amy said as she walked away.

    Lucy watched as Amy shut the door behind her, and somehow she felt like the dynamics of her rtionship with Amy had changed over the weekend. Or maybe it was just Amy''s personality. She acted more like a friend than as a secretary.

    Now that she was alone and was no longer crying, she tried to think about everything from a logical angle. Although she had never really been fond of Rachel, she felt deeply hurt and pained by this new revtion. If she felt this way, she could only imagine how Lucas was going to feel.

    Perhaps she should tell him about it and get it over with? She didn''t like the idea of keeping away something that concerned him away from him, especially when she knew that if she were in his shoes, she would prefer that she is told about it. At the same time, he was still struggling with the break-up, and she didn''t want to add guilt to his sadness. Maybe she could tell him about it at a muchter time?

    Or perhaps she should talk to her parents about it, and then they can all decide whether or not they want Lucas to know about it yet. At least that way, it would be a family decision and not just hers alone.

    Just as she picked up her phone to make the call, she remembered that she was yet to tell her parents about who was behind the scandal. If she told them about Rachel''s involvement, they would want to know how she found out, and then she would need to tell them about Anita, and then they would want to know who Anita is and why Tom had a bug in Anita''s office, and she didn''t want to tell them about that.

    Although she knew that her parents were smart enough not to me Tom for Anita''s mess, she just didn''t want to create a situation where her parents might begin to worry about her safety and start asking her to stay away from him so that she would be safe.

    Yes, her parents were smart. But they were also very protective parents and would choose her safety over any rtionship regardless of how much they liked Tom and his family.

    She thought about giving Sonia a call, but once she remembered that Sonia was out with Jade and Bryan, she decided to just talk to Soniater in the day.

    Meanwhile, Jade led Sonia into a restaurant in a different part of the mall where they had been shopping.

    "I thought we were going to pick a dress?" Sonia asked as Jade sat down and picked up a menu.

    "I''m hungry. Let''s eat and talk before doing that," Jade said as Sonia took the seat opposite her.

    "So about Harry," Sonia reminded her.

    "Yes. About Harry..." Jade said with a wide smile as she signaled to a waiter to attend to them. Once they finished cing their order, she smiled at Sonia.

    "There are no exclusive details. I kissed himst night pretending to be drunk... Okay, that''s not exactly what happened. I actually..." the rest of Jade''s words trailed off when Sonia shook her head.

    "No. Not like that. I don''t want a summary. I want everything. Please give me all the details. From the first moment you set your eyes on him to the moment you realized that you were attracted to him," Sonia said as she dug into her mini handbag and took out her phone to record the conversation.

    "I hope you don''t mind if I record this? I would have preferred to jot this down, but I''m not with my journal," Sonia said apologetically.

    "As long as you''re the only one that listens to it. With the exception of Lucy, of course. Although I don''t see her sitting down idly just to listen to this," Jade said with a grin, and Sonia giggled.

    "I know, right? She is such a busy bee, whereas I''m a busy body," Sonia said with a wide grin, and Jade couldn''t have agreed more with the description.

    "Which category do you fall into? Busy bee or busybody?" Sonia asked thoughtfully.

    "Busybeebody. I''m a bit of both, so I can rte well with you two," Jade said with a wink, and Sonia giggled.

    "That''s perfect! I am going to turn on the recorder now. So tell me how and when you first met Harry," Sonia said as she reached to tap on the record icon on her screen, but Jade stopped her.

    "The waiter ising with our order. I will start after he serves us," Jade said, jerking her head towards the waiter who was approaching them with their order.

    They both waited until he had served their meal before Jade gave her the go-ahead to start recording.

    "I met Harry for the first time four years ago," Jade said, and a small smile curved her lips, "Thinking about it now, I think I would probably have considered our first meeting pretty romantic if I didn''t have a boyfriend then, and if he wasn''t present there," she said, arousing Sonia''s curiosity.

    "Your boyfriend was there? What happened?"

    Jade had a bittersweet smile as she remembered that day. Bitter because she would have preferred not to think of Todd, but unfortunately, there was no way she could think of her first meeting with Harry without thinking of Todd.

    "C''mon, Todd. Let''s take a stroll around the neighborhood. We can''t just stay up here all day," Jade pleaded with Todd as she tried to pull him out of bed, but he refused to budge.

    "But I already told you that my head is aching, and I don''t want to go out. Besides, it''s too cold to go out, and you are still recovering from the flu," Todd reminded her as he tried to pull her back on the bed.

    "Although I feel better already, but since you insist that it''s cold outside, why don''t we just chill in the living room with my parents? We will be here for only a couple of days, so we should at least spend the time with them instead of staying locked up in my bedroom," Jade pleaded.

    "Alright. You can go down. I will join you guys shortly," Todd said as he kissed her hand.

    "Are you sure you''re going toe down?" Jade asked doubtfully.

    "Sure, babe. I''ll just give my folks a call, and then I''ll join you," Todd assured her, and then she leaned forward to kiss him.

    She didn''t bother checking her appearance in the mirror since she was just going down to chill with her parents. She was decently dressed in a red sweater which her mother had gifted her thest Christmas, and a pair of faded boyfriend jeans which was folded at the bottom.

    Just as she walked down the stairs, the door opened, and Tom walked in, surprising everyone, "Surprise!" Tom eximed from the doorway, and both their parents, who had been cuddled together watching a soap opera, eximed in surprise as their mother hurried over to embrace him.

    "TOMMY!" Jade screamed excitedly as she ran down the stairs to join them, and in her hurry, she missed a stair and fell forward. But before Tom could notice that she was about to fall, a pair of strong masculine hands caught her.

 Chapter 315 Romantic First Meeting (2)

    Chapter 315 Romantic First Meeting (2)����"Wait. What? You''re not just making this up for my story, are you?" Sonia asked in disbelief, and Jadeughed softly.

    "No, I''m not."

    "You do know that a lot of romance stories started this way, right?" Sonia asked excitedly, and Jade grinned.

    "Well, I didn''t think of it that way at the time."

    "You didn''t? Fine. Go on. What happened next?" Sonia asked, wanting to hear about it.

    Jade couldn''t believe that it was only now, after four years, that she was actually recalling the fine details of how she had first met Harry. She had been trying so hard to forget everything about Todd that she had also forgotten that first moment. She had a small smile on her face as she tried to remember it all now.

    Jade''s heart had already skipped so many beats at the thought that she was going to fall and likely twist or sprain an ankle in the process. Her first thought was to protect her face with her hands so that even if she hit the floor, she wouldn''t hurt her face. One of her biggest fears was losing a tooth by ident.

    She gasped in surprise when a pair of strong masculine hands grabbed her waist, and she gazed into the most beautiful pair of brown eyes she had ever seen.

    "Your eyes... I love your eyes," Jade whispered as she looked down at him, even though she didn''t actually know who the stranger that had just saved her was.

    Harry, on the other hand, who was standing at the foot of the stairs, was looking up at her since she was standing two stairs ahead of him while leaning towards him. Her long curly brown hair fell forward, and her blue eyes were full of life and mischief as she smiled down at him.

    Despite being Tom''s roommate and friend for over five years, he had never been opportune to meet Jade since he had never had reason to visit Tom''s home. Although he had always heard about her from Tom right from their college days, especially on the few asions, they spoke over the phone. Nothing Tom had said, and no pictures he had seen, prepared him for the beauty in front of him. And although he had heard what she said, he was too tongue-tied to give her any response.

    "Jade, you are a grown woman now. Why do you keep running down the stairs like a kid? You could have hurt yourself," Desmond chided as all three of them watched them, and at once, Jade snapped back to her senses as she steadied herself, and Harry let go of her waist.

    "But I didn''t get hurt," Jade said with a wide smile.

    "What is going on?" Todd asked from behind Jade when he noticed Harry standing at the foot of the stairs, staring at her.

    "I almost fell down the stairs, and this fine gentleman here, saved me," Jade said as she turned to look at him before returning her curious gaze to Harry.

    "You are Harry, right?" She asked, seeing as he came in with Tom, and she knew that the only guy who was this close to Tom was Harry, his best friend.

    "Yes. And you are Jade," Harry said with a polite smile, and Jade extended her hand for a handshake.

    "Right. It''s nice to meet you. I''ve heard a lot about you from Tom," Jade said with a wide smile as Harry shook her hand.

    "I hope you heard only good things. It''s nice to meet you too," Harry said with a warm smile of his own, and Jade decided that he didn''t just have pretty eyes; he was also very attractive and good-looking.

    As though reading her thoughts, Todd slid a possessive arm around her waist at that moment, subtly letting Harry know that she was taken and he should back off while also bringing Jade back to her senses.

    Harry''s gaze followed the gesture, and he nced at the young man who was now standing beside her. Both men sized up each other when their gaze met, and Harry looked away with disinterest as he returned his attention to Jade.

    "This is my boyfriend, Todd. Todd, this is Harry, Tom''s right-hand man. Tommy!" Jade grinned as she threw herself at her brother.

    "How is our brilliantwyer doing?" Tom asked as he embraced her.

    "I will be better if you sent me more money," she said with a grin as she looked around the living room, "Why don''t I see any luggage around? Don''t tell me you''re not staying for Christmas?" She asked as she broke the hug.

    "Can I at least say hello to your boyfriend before you interrogate me?" Tom asked dryly as he turned to Todd.

    "Hi! It''s good to meet you in person finally," Tom said as he extended his hand to Todd.

    "The pleasure is mine. I hope I can learn a couple of things from you before you leave," Todd said with a polite smile, and Todd nodded.

    "Cut!" Sonia said, interrupting Jade''s story.

    "What?"

    "Okay, I don''t mean to be rude, but I''m not exactly interested in your ex or your parents and Tom right now. Can we just focus on the part of the story that involves just you and Harry?" Sonia pleaded, feeling like the story was going to take all day if Jade continued at that rate.

    "Just me and Harry?" Jade asked, and Sonia nodded.

    "Yes. Your interactions," Sonia exined.

    "After that, we didn''t really interact until muchter. Todd was with me for most of the time, and of course, I was in love with him, so I was more focused on Todd than on Harry."

    "Yet you thought Harry was attractive and good-looking?" Sonia asked.

    "I was in love with Todd, not blind. You don''t expect me not to recognize a good-looking man simply because I have a man, do you? Have you seen Harry? He is gorgeous and sexy. Especially when he smiles," Jade said with a grin, and Sonia giggled.

    "No, I haven''t seen him. I''m too busy looking at your brother to admire anyone else. But now that you''ve mentioned it, I will try to take a closer look at him when next I see him," Sonia promised, and this time Jade giggled.

    "So, did you ever catch Harry staring at you? Or did you maybe lock gaze with him at some point? Anything to make you feel like he was attracted to you too?" Sonia asked, and Jade shook her head.

    "Maybe if I had caught him staring, it would probably have been easier to believe Tom when he said he thinks Harry has always liked me," Jade said, and Sonia leaned forward excitedly.

    "Tom thinks so?"

    "Yeah. But Harry has never shown any interest in me," Jade said with a shrug.

    "Maybe he has, but you just didn''t notice. Okay, let''s get back to your first meeting. Just now, you said you didn''t interact with him until muchter. What did you both talk about?" Sonia asked, and Jade''s lips curved in a smile as she remembered that night.

    Jade walked out of her bedroom angrily after having a misunderstanding with Todd. She was upset that he hade home with her, yet he had been on his phone for most of the time and had refused to step out of the house with her or even leave the bedroom long enough to spend enough time with her family.

    She heard Tom''s voice as she walked past his bedroom, and she could tell that he was having a serious conversation with someone. She didn''t hang around long enough to find out if it was a phone conversation or whether he was talking with Harry.

    As she walked down the staircase, she heard the sound ofughtering from the living room, her parents were watching a television show, but she wanted to be alone, so she walked over to the kitchen. She prepared herself a warm cup of chocte and carried it outside with her to the back porch.

    The light was turned off, and she didn''t bother to turn it on since she wanted to be alone. As she approached the swing, she noticed that someone was already seated there.

    "Harry?" She called, knowing that he was the only one who was unounted for. Tom was inside the house, and so were Todd and her parents.

    "If the cup you''re holding is for me, yes," Harry said as he watched her, and Jade smiled as she went to sit beside him.

    "I thought you were inside with Tom. I heard him talking with someone..."

    "He was here with me until he decided to go inside," Harry exined.

    "I didn''t know you were out here. Else I would havee with a cup of chocte for you. You know what? You can have mine. Take it as payment for saving me," Jade said, extending the cup to him.

    "Payment? Don''t I deserve something better? Definitely you worth more than a cup of warm chocte, aren''t you?" Harry asked as he eyed the cup of chocte she was offering.

 Chapter 316 Romantic First Meeting (3)

    Chapter 316 Romantic First Meeting (3)����Jade giggled at Harry''s words, "Fortunately, my worth is in no way attached to this cup of chocte. You didn''t ask for any payment. I offered this out of my free will, so you can''t demand more," she said, and Harry nodded as he took the cup of chocte from her.

    "If you say so. Perhaps we can share the cup then? I''d hate to deprive you of your chocte," He offered, and Jade pursed her lips for a second before standing up.

    "You can have that. I will just make myself another cup," Jade said as she stood up, and then she looked at Harry in surprise when he stood up too, "You''re going inside already?"

    "Since I took your chocte, and I''m making you make another for yourself, it''s only fair that I keep youpany while you prepare another cup for yourself," Harry said, and Jade grinned at him.

    "You''re such a perfect gentleman," she said as she led the way back to the kitchen.

    "I try my best," Harry said, and she smiled.

    "I''m sure you do."

    Harry stood by the doorway of the kitchen, leaning against the kitchen door as he watched her move around, trying to fix hers.

    Although she was just four years younger than he was, he couldn''t help looking at her like she was a kid. Maybe that was because she had been just fifteen years old and in high school when he had first heard of her and saw her picture. And although he had been looking forward to meeting Tom''s family, especially his kid sister whom he always spoke fondly about, somehow he had been expecting to see that little girl, not this beautiful grown-up youngdy.

    "Didn''t you say you are here to keep mepany? Don''t just stand there, then. Go on and say something," Jade said, breaking into his thoughts.

    "Tom said you owned a dog. Why haven''t I seen the dog around," Harry asked forck of a better topic to discuss.

    She turned to him in surprise, "When did he tell you that?"

    "I can''t remember. Why?"

    "Her name was Barbie. She died a year ago," Jade said sadly.

    "I''m sorry. I wouldn''t have mentioned it if I had known," Harry said apologetically.

    "I know. I''m just surprised you remembered something like that since I''m very sure Tom must have mentioned it a long time ago," Jade said, and he shrugged.

    "I was cursed with a very good memory," Harry said with a small smile.

    "I''d like to have such a curse. It would definitely help me ace all my courses," Jade said with a grin.

    "Trust me. You''re better off without it. Especially when you have to clearly remember things you would rather forget, it''s like having to relive unpleasant memories most times," Harry said, and Jade shook her head.

    "It can''t be that bad," Jade argued as she picked up her cup of chocte and walked towards him, "My job here is done. We can return to the porch," she announced.

    "That didn''t take as much time as I expected," Harry observed as he held out the door for her to pass before following her. Harry turned on the light on their way out.

    "It doesn''t require more than ten minutes, at least not for me," Jade said with a shrug.

    Once they werefortably seated on the swing, Jade turned to face him, "Why did you turn on the porch light? I thought you preferred to stay in the dark?" She asked curiously.

    "Maybe if I were alone, it would have been cool. Someone might misunderstand if they see us both alone in the dark," Harry exined, and Jade smiled at his thoughtfulness.

    "By someone, do you mean Tom, my boyfriend, or my parents?"

    "Someone could be any one of them and every one of them," Harry said, and she smiled.

    "You''re very cool," Jade said as she took a sip from her mug.

    "Thank you."

    "Why haven''t you taken a sip yet? Are you scared I drugged it?" Jade asked with a teasing smile, and Harry chuckled.

    "I just prefer it a bit cool," Harry said, and she nodded.

    They bothpsed into silence until Jade decided to speak, "So, how do you like our neighborhood?" She asked curiously.

    "I like your home. It''s very... Homely. And your neighborhood looks cool too, but I haven''t really taken a stroll around it to decide whether or not I like the ce. Do you have nosy neighbors?" Harry asked, and she giggled.

    "I think every neighborhood has those. Every neighborhood has a nosy neighbor. The aloof neighbor, the grumpy neighbor..."

    "And the neighbor who thinks too highly of themselves," Harry added, and they bothughed in agreement.

    "I agree with you. Maybe if you are not too busy tomorrow, we could take a stroll together, and I could take you around the neighborhood and show you each of them. Then you can decide whether or not you like the ce." Jade said with a bright smile.

    "I will like that as long as you don''t bail on me," Harry said as he smiled at her.

    "I promise not to bail. Tomorrow we will take a stroll after breakfast," she assured him.

    "Alright. I will look forward to it since I doubt Tom has the time for that," Harry said as he took a sip from the mug, "Hm. Did you add whiskey to the chocte?" Harry asked when he caught a whiff of whiskey before tasting it.

    "Sshh," Jade said, raising a finger to her lips, "Don''t say it out loud. That''s my secret recipe for a cold night," she said, and Harry watched her in amusement.

    "There is nothing secretive about it. I''ve done this before, but with rum, not whiskey," Harry said, and Jade turned to spare him a nce.

    "Really? I guess genius minds like ours work the same," she said with a wink, and Harry chuckled.

    "I see. So tell me aboutw school. Is it true that you have to be a genius to studyw?" Harry asked, and Jade''s lips twitched in amusement.

    "Why aren''t you studyingw? Didn''t I just call you a genius?" She asked with a teasing smile as she turned to look at him, and Harry smiled back.

    "I suppose everyone inw school mixes their Chocte drink with whiskey too," Harry said dryly, and Jadeughed softly.

    "Well, to answer your question, I''m sure you need to be a genius to study medicine, and engineering, and business, and every other course that is important to humankind. We are all geniuses in our own capacity," Jade said, and Harry smiled.

    "That''s a good response. I think you''re going to make a very intelligentwyer. If I''m ever in need of awyer in the future, I will ask for you," Harry said, and Jade giggled.

    "I guess I have my first potential client already. Has anyone ever told you that your eyes are beautiful?" She asked as she looked into his eyes, and Harry turned away from her in mild embarrassment since she was staring so intently at him.

    "Your eyes are lovely too," Harry said, and Jade waved it off with a giggle.

    "I wasn''t fishing for apliment," Jade said as she raised her mug to her lips.

    "I didn''t think you were," Harry assured her as he looked straight ahead. If he didn''t know better, he would probably have thought that she was flirting with him, but Tom had already told him how she was the type to always say the best things about people, so he wasn''t surprised.

    Neither of them said a word for some time as each of them nursed their mug. The silence between them was not ufortable or awkward in any way.

    "What about your boyfriend? Why are you here without him? Is he sleeping already?" Harry asked after some time, wondering why her boyfriend wasn''t already out to find her, considering how he had been acting all day.

    "No, he is busy with work. Why?" She lied easily.

    "Nothing. I was just curious. He didn''t seem like the type to let you out of his sight," Harry said, and Jade giggled.

    "Todd can be pretty clingy and possessive sometimes, but it''s one of the things I like about him," Jade said without turning to look at him.

    "You both must be crazy about each other," Harry said thoughtfully.

    "Yes, we are. He''s my first love," she said as she turned to look at him with a wide smile, and Harry nodded without saying a word.

    "Wait, what?" Sonia asked, interrupting Jade once again.

    "What?" Jade asked in confusion.

    "Remind me, please, how old were you then?" Sonia asked, and Jade raised a brow.

    "Twenty. Why?"

    "Gosh! You were so naive! I agree with Tom. I think he liked you. All his questions and everything he said was just his way of getting to know you," Sonia said, and Jade''s brows pulled together as she thought about it.

    "Do you really think so? But he didn''t say anything personal..."

    "What else was he supposed to say after you made it clear that you were hopelessly in love with your clingy and possessive boyfriend?" Sonia asked reasonably, "I think the clue was in everything he said, but you missed it."

 Chapter 317 Romantic First Meeting (4)

    Chapter 317 Romantic First Meeting (4)����Taking a deeper look at her conversations with Harry now, Jade had to admit that Sonia had a point. Someone like Harry would never have possibly juste on to her directly that he liked her, especially not when he had met her boyfriend, and they were all under the same roof. Harry was simply too much of a gentleman to cross certain boundaries.

    "Even if I hadn''t missed all the clues, I doubt that anything could have happened between us. I was really in love with Todd, so even if I saw the clues, I would have either ignored them or just told Harry off," Jade said, and Sonia sighed.

    "You can''t be so sure about that. You were attracted to him too," Sonia reminded her.

    "By now, you should know that being in a rtionship doesn''t stop you from being attracted to others. You only have to be mindful of the things you do with that attraction," Jade pointed out.

    "Why not say that to me when I''m standing in the dock, and you are my prosecutor after your brother ends up in the ident and emergency ward if I catch him being attracted to any other girl?" Sonia said, and Jade giggled.

    "C''mon, don''t be dramatic. Sometimes you can''t help these things. No matter how much you love your partner, there are more good-looking people than your partner..."

    "I''m afraid I don''t agree with you on that. Yes, there will always be more good-looking people than my partner, but I personally think that when you''re in love with a person, every other person bes unattractive to you. Yes, they can be good-looking and all that sexy shit, but you just don''t give a fuck about them enough to sit up all night admiring the color of their eyes," Sonia said, and Jade raised a brow.

    "So are you trying to say that you don''t think I loved my ex? Or that you think I would have cheated on him with Harry if I had the chance?" Jade asked in a slightly defensive tone.

    "Well, I don''t know. That''s a question for you to answer now that your ex is no longer in the picture. But I should also point out that you said your ex was very clingy and possessive, yet you were the same person who offered to take Harry on a stroll around the neighborhood. He didn''t ask. You offered. And I think you offered because a part of you wanted to spend more time with him the next day. Or what were you thinking? That your clingy ex was going to like to see you with the same guy that caught you romance novel style and broke your fall? Or maybe you made Harry the offer just so that you could make your boyfriend jealous," Sonia said, and Jade''s brows pulled together as she shook her head.

    "No. Harry was Tom''s best friend, and I saw him like an elder brother or something. Don''t forget that it was his first visit to my house. Todd didn''t want to step out of the house, but I wanted to. Harry was goodpany, so I offered to show him around the neighborhood. It wasn''t a big deal, and it had nothing to do with me not loving my ex or anything. And honestly, I wasn''t even thinking of Todd when I made the offer or while we talked. I only remembered him when Harry asked about him," Jade said defensively, and Sonia cleared her throat.

    "Did you just hear what you said?" Sonia asked with an I told you so smile, "You weren''t thinking of your boyfriend, who was just probably about a hundred feet away from there. Don''t you think you would have kissed Harry if he had made a move considering that you didn''t even remember your boyfriend''s existence? Don''t be in haste to defend yourself. Just think first before you answer," Sonia said with a knowing smile.

    Jade had a frown on her face as she thought about it. She hated that Todd was a cheat, a maniptor, and a liar. She didn''t want to be on the same level as him. She would never have cheated on him in any way with Harry. She was at least sure of it. Not just because she wasn''t a cheat but also because the Harry she hade to know would never have made that move, and maybe that was one of the reasons she was attracted to him.

    Jade shook her head, "I wouldn''t have kissed Harry. We weren''t even friends then. We were just two people in a backyard having a conversation," Jade said, and Sonia nodded thoughtfully.

    "Am I to pretend that five minutes ago you didn''t say he was like an elder brother or something, and now you''re saying you were just two people in the backyard having a conversation?"

    "An elder brother, two people in the yard, what difference does it make?"

    "You were flirting with him, telling him how pretty his eyes were," Sonia said, and Jade rolled her eyes.

    "That wasn''t a big deal. I do that all the time. I see something I like in a person, I walk up to them and say it. In Harry''s case, I sit next to him and tell him. His eyes really are beautiful. They still get me every time. I guess I''m an eye person," Jade said with a wide smile, and Soniaughed softly.

    "Or maybe you are just Harry''s eyes person. Let''s assume you thought he was just like an elder brother to you. Bryan has beautiful blue eyes too. Have you told him that before?" Sonia said, and Jade giggled.

    "Have you noticed that Bryan and I have exactly the same eye color? Why would Ipliment him for my eye color?" She asked in amusement.

    "Okay then. I give up on the argument. I will just try to convince myself that it is a coincidence that you are now having feelings for a man you offered to take a stroll with four years ago who you didn''t feel anything for other than honest admiration for his beautiful eyes," Sonia said with a straight face, and Jade giggled.

    "You are pretty consistent, do you know that? Have you ever considered getting a degree inw or counseling? You''d make a great rtionship therapist," Jade said, and Soniaughed.

    "I''d rather stick to what I love. Making love stories. So continue with your story. We''ve spent enough time arguing, and the food you ordered is cold already," Sonia said as she picked up her ss of non-alcoholic cocktail and drank from it.

    Jade signaled to the waiter and asked him to help them pack the food before returning her attention to Sonia.

    "So after you dered your love for your ex to him, what did he say?" Sonia asked, reminding her of where she stopped in her story.

    Harry said nothing as he drank from his mug until Jade broke the silence, "So what are you and Tom up to these days? Why is he always busy and hardly has money to spare," Jade asked curiously, and Harry smiled.

    "We are really busy trying to grow thepany, and you can see that even while I''m here enjoying the cool evening breeze, he is inside trying to convince some potential investors. All the money we have is either invested in cryptocurrency or real estate. So how can he have enough to spare when he is still trying to gather money?"

    "I see. I will try to be more understanding."

    "Yeah, you should be. So what about your boyfriend? Is he a college student too?"

    "Todd? No. He graduated two years ago. He works in his father''s forexpany," Jade said, and Harry nodded.

    "Are you going to be a prosecutor or a defense attorney?"

    "A prosecutor. I want to help people get justice and lock up bad guys," Jade said without thinking twice.

    "You do realize that there might be cases when you mistakenly lock up innocent guys because the so-called evidence points to them, right?" Harry asked, and Jade looked thoughtful for a moment.

    "Like the New York central park rape crime," Jade murmured.

    "What is that?" Harry asked curiously.

    "On April 1989, a female jogger was assaulted and raped in New York''s Central Park, and five teenage boys were subsequently charged with the crime. It took over twelve years for them to be exonerated," Jade said and went on to exin all she knew about the case.

    By the time she finished, Harry''s brows were drawn together in a frown, "I don''t even want to imagine how those boys and their families would have felt if I feel this pained. Your profession is quite scary. How do people live with things like these on their conscience? How do you go to bed at night knowing that you ruined someone''s life?" Harry asked, and Jade sighed.

    "That is why I will have to do a thorough job. I won''t be like every other prosecutor. I will give my best to every case I''m assigned, and ensure that justice is served, so help me God," Jade said with so much passion and sincerity that Harry had a proud smile on his face as he watched her.

    "I told you before. You will make a brilliantwyer. So what do I call you after you get your degree? Barrister? Prosecutor? Or just Miss Hank?"

    "Nah. I didn''t study so hard for anyone to refer to me as ''Miss'' I prefer to be referred to as Jade Hank, Esquire. But since you are like family, you can just leave out the title and call me Jade," she said with a sweet smile, and Harry chuckled.

    "Thanks for the privilege, Esquire. I feel honored," Harry said dryly, and she giggled.

    "Don''t mention," she said, making Harry chuckle.

    "I think it might be past your bedtime. You should go in now," Harry suggested when Jade yawned.

    "No, I''m fine," Jade said with a shake of her head. Although she was tired and wanted to go to bed, she was enjoying their conversation and staring at him too much to want to leave. Besides, she wasn''t ready to talk to Todd yet.

    As though summoned by her thoughts, the kitchen door opened, and Todd walked out to the porch.

 Chapter 318 Romantic First Meeting (5)

    Chapter 318 Romantic First Meeting (5)����Harry wasn''t surprised to see Todd, since he had been expecting him to show up since thest two hours, he was just surprised that it had taken him that long toe out in search of his girlfriend.

    "I told you so twice. First, it''s past your bedtime. And two, he can''t let you out of his sight for too long," Harry whispered, and Jade stifled a giggle.

    "Jade?" Todd called from the porch as he stood under the light, looking in their direction.

    "Over here," she called out to him with a wave even though he was looking at them already.

    "What are you doing out here?" He asked as he took a step forward.

    "Just chatting with Harry. Did you want something?" Jade asked innocently.

    "You shoulde in now. It''s gettingte," he said in a cool tone as he watched Harry with a re in his eyes.

    Once again, Harry looked away from him with disinterest as he nced at his wristwatch, "It''s almost midnight already. You are goodpany Jade," Harry said, surprising Jade who hadn''t realized just how long they had spent there talking and enjoying the silence.

    "Give me a minute," Jade called to Todd as she stood up, and then she looked at Harry with a smile, "The time really flew by without my notice. I guess I have to say goodnight now. See you tomorrow. Don''t forget our stroll," she said with a wave as she picked up both their empty mugs and headed for the porch.

    "What were you doing there alone with him?" Todd asked as they both walked into the kitchen, and she took the mugs to the sink.

    "Chatting."

    "Chatting? About what?" Todd asked as he followed her.

    "Just general stuff. Tom''s business,w, stuff. Nothing specific," Jade said, wondering what exactly they had been discussing, but she couldn''ty a finger on anything serious.

    "I''m supposed to believe that?" Todd asked, and Jade tried not to roll her eyes as she rinsed the mugs and dried her hands.

    "Yes, you''re supposed to believe it, unless there is something else you want to add to it," Jade said as she turned to face her angry boyfriend, "Let''s not do this, okay? It''s been a long day, and I''m tired."

    "You''re tired? I don''t think so. Not when you were out there with him and had no ns ofing inside until I came to get you," Todd pointed out.

    "I am not going to fight with you. Especially not in my parents'' kitchen," Jade said as she walked away and headed for the bedroom while Todd followed her.

    "Do you like him?" Todd asked the moment they walked into the bedroom and shut the door.

    "Like who?"

    "Don''t y dumb, Jade. We both know that you have been..."

    "Is that it? Are you trying to pick a fight with me over this and turn the tables so that I have to apologize now, simply because I was mad at you earlier?" Jade asked incredulously since it was the same pattern with him every time. He would do something wrong, she wouldin about it and get angry, and then he would bring up something else and turn the table on her so that she would be the one to apologize.

    "You are the one who left the bedroom in the middle of a discussion to spend time outside with your elder brother''s best friend! What am I supposed to think?" Todd asked, and Jade shook her head.

    "We were just talking, for crying out loud! Why do you have a problem with that?" Jade asked in disbelief.

    "You are my girlfriend, and you expect me not to have a problem with you talking with another guy in the middle of the night while I was in your bedroom waiting for you?"

    "Harry is Tom''s best friend. He is like family! It isn''t a big deal!"

    "That is my problem! He is like family, but he isn''t family! He doesn''t even look at you like family! First, he catches you when you fall, and then..."

    "Seriously? Do you know how ridiculous you sound right now? You have a problem with him saving me from falling down the stairs? You would have preferred that I fall? Are you kidding me right now?" Jade snapped at him irritably.

    "That guy likes you. I don''t want to see you alone with him anymore," Todd said with finality.

    "You are the one making a big deal out of this. Harry is just..."

    "I don''t want to hear it, Jade. You are the love of my life, and I''m notfortable seeing you with that guy. So just stay away from him, okay?"

    "Todd, you are being unreasonable. Harry is a gentleman and he..."

    "And I have said I don''t want to see you anywhere near him. He may look like a gentleman, but he is a yer. He looks at you like he wants to undress you. I''m a man, and I know these things. You are just being naive and gullible. That guy is a yer, and I won''t be surprised if he caused you to fall on purpose so that he would catch you," Todd said, and Jade looked at him in disbelief.

    At this point, she decided that there was no need to argue any further with him, seeing how bent he was on being unreasonable, "Fine. I will stay away from him after I show him around the neighborhood tomorrow..."

    "No! You won''t do that. You can show me around the neighborhood if that''s what you want. You want us to spend time with your family? Let''s do that too. Just stay the fuck away from him," Todd said, and Jade took in a deep breath.

    "I already promised him."

    "Jade, I''m not having this argument anymore. If you love me and you respect our rtionship, you will stay away from him. If I see you with him, I will assume that you choose him over us."

    "What? I can''t believe that you dated such a douchebag," Sonia said in disbelief.

    "Yeah. Thinking about it now, even I am cringing. He was right about one thing though. I was really naive and gullible to have been with him. To think he called Harry names, and he was the cheat," Jade said, and Sonia shook her head.

    "Well, I''m not surprised. I sensed he was a cheat from the moment you said he was always on his phone and refused to leave the house with you or spend time with your family," Sonia said with a shrug.

    "So I take it that you avoided Harry and didn''t go on the stroll with him as nned?"

    "I avoided him like the gue. If I walked into the living room and saw him there, I would leave immediately. I continued like that until he left two dayster. Thinking about it now, he didn''t make any effort to talk to me after that night either. He didn''t even ask why I was avoiding him or why I failed to go on a stroll with him as nned," Jade said thoughtfully.

    "He didn''t ask because he probably knew already. You did say your boyfriend was clingy and possessive after all. I think he stayed away because he understood and didn''t want to make things difficult for you."

    "Knowing him, I think you''re right. Oh, Harry! The more I think about him, the more I fall for him," Jade said with a groan, and Sonia giggled.

    "Isn''t it funny that even your douchebag ex-boyfriend realized that Harry was interested in you, but you didn''t?" Sonia asked, and Jade shook her head pitifully.

    "No, it''s not funny. It''s pathetic. It took me four miserable years to get here. And because of my stupid stubborness I''ve managed to matchmake him with someone else. It''s either I''m still very naive and stupid or Harry has probably moved on is no longer interested in me," Jade said sadly.

    "Let''s not be in haste to make conclusions. Now tell me all about about your second meeting with him, and this kiss you mentioned earlier. I''m sure I should be able to help you fix this," Sonia said confidently as the waiter returned with their packed food.

    As Jade paid for the meal, Sonia''s phone vibrated with a phonecall from Bryan and she picked it up from the table to receive it, "Hey, babe!"

    "It''s been over two hours already. Are you not done shopping yet?" Bryan asked irritably.

    "It''s been two hours already?" Sonia asked in surprise, and Jade also checked her wristwatch to confirm it.

    "So you''re having so much fun without me and not checking the time?" Bryan asked irritably and Sonia smiled.

    "No, I''m not having any fun, I promise," she said with a fake yawn, "I will be with you soon. Don''t miss me too much."

    "I''m still at the parking lot waiting for you. Meet me in the car when you''re done," Bryan said and hung up before she could respond.

    Sonia looked at her phone in surprise, and then her lips curved in a smile, "Bryan is still waiting in the car," she told Jade.

    Jade smiled, "He must really love you. You can go to him. Let''s continue our conversationter."

    "What about your dress? Are we not getting it anymore?" Sonia asked as she saved the recorded voice note.

    "I can shop for it alone. Don''t keep my brother waiting much longer else he''s going to take it out on me," Jade said, and Sonia smiled as they both stood up to leave.

 Chapter 319 Our Sister

    Chapter 319 Our Sister����Harry raised his head from the documents in front of him when Tom opened his office door and walked in, "Wow! What a rare sight to behold. Thomas Hank walking majestically into my office," Harry said since Tom hardly ever had any reason to visit his office.

    "You''re CEO now, so I can''t order you around anymore," Tom said with a grin as he took the seat opposite Harry.

    "Oh! I forgot about that already," Harry said with a chuckle, and Tomughed too.

    "So... how are you?"

    "Your concern for my wellbeing today is very... concerning. Is there something you want to talk to me about? Or perhaps I''m dying, and I don''t know it yet?" Harry asked curiously.

    "Since when did it be a crime to check on my best friend and find out how he is doing?" Tom asked dryly, and Harry snorted.

    "Do you realize that this is the fifth time you''re asking me how I''m doing? Just say whatever it is you want to say," Harry said, and Tom smiled at him, making him wonder if perhaps Jade had told him something. He doubted that was the case since Tom had been this way since he first saw him at the lobby that morning, and he was certain that Jade had woken up early enough to call him to report anything.

    "You know that I love you, right?"

    "For god''s sake, Tom! Just tell me whatever it is, and stop beating around the bush. You are making me anxious," Harry said in frustration, and Tom chuckled.

    "Thanks for watching over Jade. I''m sure she was a handful," Tom said, watching him closely.

    "Oh! So it''s about your baby sister?"

    "She''s hardly a baby anymore, and I''m sure you would have noticed that by now, yeah?" Tom asked, a smile ying at the edge of his lips as he watched Harry.

    Harry silently agreed with him that Jade was in no way a baby. Not with those lips, and definitely not that body she kept unting at every chance she got. Not that he was going to say any of that to Tom though.

    "We''ve been over this topic before, but I guess you''re just trying to know if I''m still mentally stable after spending some days babysitting your grown-up sister. If that''s the case, you don''t have to worry. I''m okay. Besides, she wasn''t that bad," Harry assured Tom, who was watching him closely.

    "I''m d. Is there anything else you would like to talk to me about?" Tom asked, and Harry looked at him with a confused frown.

    "Like what?"

    "Like the night you spent making love to my sister?" Tom asked with a straight face, and Harry blinked a couple of times in confusion before his brows pulled together.

    "What night are you talking about? I never touched her!" Harry denied it fiercely, and Tom chuckled.

    "I had the best night of my life making love to your sister all through the night. It was sooo hot! Does that statement ring a bell?" Tom asked, and Harry red at him as he threw a balled paper at him, making Tomugh.

    "I already told you that was a joke," Harry hissed at him, and Tomughed even more.

    "But you did think about doing it, didn''t you?" Tom asked, and Harry looked at him in mortification.

    "You surely don''t expect me to talk to you about fantasizing about your younger sister, do you? Are you crazy?" Harry asked, and Tom shook his head.

    "You could have easily said no if that were the case. So you did fantasize about her," Tom pointed out with a grin.

    "What kind of an older brother are you?" Harry asked in disbelief.

    "Right now, I''m being your best friend, not just Jade''s older brother," Tom said, and Harry stared at him speechlessly.

    "Listen, okay? I''m not interested in Jade if that''s what you are asking to know. She is pretty, intelligent, and all of that, but she is your sister, and since you are like a brother to me, that makes her my sister too," Harry said, ignoring the voice in his head which was calling him a liar.

    "Jade is like a sister to you?" Tom asked, trying not to sound amused.

    "Yes. Even if she wasn''t, but she is, I''m not going to pursue anything with her. If I do and anything goes wrong between us, it''s going to affect both my personal and business rtionship with you, and I don''t want that to happen. So let''s maintain the boundary. She is your sister, and as such, my sister too," Harry said, trying his best to convince both himself and Tom.

    "Yes. You are right. My sister is your sister too," Tom said with a nod as though he was convinced.

    He knew that Harry was good for Jade, Jade was beginning to believe that he was good for her too, but it seemed like Harry was the one who needed a little push to make a move.

    If it were a different guy in the picture, Tom would probably have suggested that Jade try to seduce him or even make a move and tell him that she was interested in him. But Harry was old-fashioned. No matter how much he admired women who were gutsy and bold, he would prefer he court his woman the old-fashioned way. He was the chocte and flowers type.

    Tom decided to change the subject, "By the way, our sister told me that you both ran into Tanya Reynolds," Tom said, and Harry sighed.

    Our sister? Harry decided to ignore that part of the sentence and just focus on the other part, "Yeah. That spoilt brat," Harry muttered under his breath, and Tom smiled.

    "I heard you handled it pretty well."

    "I had to. Your sister looked like she was ready to pull out her hair and tear her apart. I couldn''t let her do that even though it would have been fun to watch," Harry said in amusement, and Tomughed softly.

    "Our sister, you mean? Maybe you should have let her do it. I wonder if Tanya would have had the guts to press charges when she finds out who Jade is," Tom said, and Harry shook his head.

    "You shouldn''t encourage her to indulge in fights like that simply because you have the means to help her. Jade is awyer, and it wouldn''t tell well on her image if she goes around pulling out people''s hair simply because her big brothers can save the day," Harry said, and Tom''s lips twitched with a knowing smile.

    "I hear you," Tom said with a nod, and then his eyes became serious when he remembered the other reason he hade to see Harry.

    "I spoke with Barry earlier," Tom said, and Harry raised a brow.

    "You called, or he called?"

    "I called."

    Harry looked at him, "I take it you didn''t call just to check on him or did you?"

    Tom didn''t say a word as he yed the voice recording he had been sent earlier, and Harry listened to it quietly, "Who is Rachel?" He asked after it ended.

    "Thedy Lucy''s twin was engaged to," Tom said, and Harry shook his head.

    "This whole thing is crazy," Harry said, and Tom nodded before going on to tell him about the information Alicia had sent concerning the Miller family, as well as the foundation that was offering Lucy a job.

    "If it''s what I think, then they''re trying to remove her from your side. Maybe you should let Lucy take the job," Harry suggested.

    "Are you crazy? What are you talking about?" Tom asked, looking at Harry as if he had lost his mind.

    "Before I say what I want to say, what is Barry''s role in this? Why did you reach out to him?" Harry asked curiously.

    "The easiest way to find something tangible against them is to find out something they did that no one else knows about. Something that can bring them down. I can''t put investigators on their tails since even that won''t tell me enough. We both know that Barry is the best when ites to stuff like this. If Barry hacks their phones and systems and he finds something that I can use to bring them down, then it makes the work easy," Tom exined, and Harry nodded.

    "You have a point. So I stick to my suggestion, while Barry works on this, allow Lucy to ept the job," Harry suggested.

    "No. There is no way I''m taking that risk. Why should I expose her to such when I don''t even know what their n is?"

    "If she doesn''t ept this offer, they wille up with an alternative n. And most likely, it will be a more dangerous n. At least we know that this is their n. Why don''t we pretend to be stupid and go along with it to see what they actually want to do while Barry does his job? You could even offer to be a sponsor too. Invite thosedies and talk to them without Mrs. Miller''s knowledge," Harry advised, and Tom became thoughtful.

    "We don''t know how she is connected to the owners of the foundation or what she offered them. Thest thing I want is to reach out to them, and they inform her about it," Tom said, and Harry paused to think about it.

    "Just tell them you want to be a sponsor to support Lucy since they offered her a job. And trust me, if they are greedy enough, they will ept your offer without telling Mrs. Miller about it, even if they have any dirty dealings with her. You can also have someone keep an eye on Lucy to make sure she is safe. Let''s use this to buy enough time until Barry gets us some useful information. It''s safer for Lucy this way," Harry suggested, and Tom nodded.

    "I think I agree with you. I will talk to Lucy and hear what she has to say before I proceed," Tom said with a smile, grateful that he had a best friend like Harry.

    "If you don''t want to get involved, I could talk to them myself," Harry offered.

    "Nah. I can handle that myself. You have no idea how relieved I feel now," Tom said as he stood up, ready to leave.

    "I''ve always been the wise one," Harry said with a grin, and Tom shook his head.

    "Unfortunately, youck wisdom when it involves your personal life," Tom muttered as he headed for the door.

    "I heard that," Harry called after him, and Tom turned to look at him as he opened the door.

    "You were meant to hear it. I hope you''reing tonight?"

    Going there meant he would have to face Jade again. They had said their goodbyes already, and he didn''t want to go through that again and have to start struggling with thoughts of her.

    "I haven''t made up my mind yet. If I can''t make it tonight, I will drop by the house before your parents leave to say hello to them," Harry said, and Tom shrugged before walking away.

    It was obvious to him that Jade was going to need all the help she could get to bring Harry to his senses. He was more than willing to help.

 Chapter 320 Smart Girl

    Chapter 320 Smart Girl����Once it was closing hours, Lucy exited her office, d that she had been able to aplish all her tasks for the day, and grateful that she could leave for the day.

    As she stepped into the elevator she couldn''t help thinking how much she had changed within thest couple of weeks. She never would have thought that she was the type to be excited about the end of a work day, or about not taking any work home, but here she was, looking forward to spending the evening with Tom, Sonia and the rest of both her family and Tom''s family.

    Thinking about family, her thoughts drifted to her conversation with Sonia that morning, and she let out a sigh as she walked out of the elevator. This didn''t change anything. Loving them and wanting to spend time with them didn''t mean she wanted to get married. She was just going to have to find a way tomunicate this to Tom soon, so that he wouldn''t get his hopes up.

    As she stepped out of thepany building, her heart fluttered when she saw Tom standing beside his car without his coat, while he waited for her to join him. She lips curved in a smile when he winked at her, and she walked over to the car.

    "Did I keep you waiting?" She asked as he walked towards her to meet her halfway.

    "You didn''t. I was early, ma''am," he said as he stopped in front of her.

    "Ma''am?"

    "You haven''t asked me to stop being your driver yet, have you? I think I have my roles mixed up," Tom said, and Lucy giggled.

    "Why were you early? Are we going somewhere?" She asked curiously.

    "No. I was worried about you. I wanted toe down to your office to check on you and spend some time with you, but knowing whom I''m dating, I wasn''t sure you would befortable with that, so I had to wait," Tom said as he embraced her.

    "Tom..." She protested, knowing that people were probably watching them.

    "Everyone knows that we are in a rtionship already, and even if they didn''t know already, I''d like them to know now," Tom murmured as he held her in ce.

    "But this is work environment," Lucy said weakly.

    "I knew you''d say that, and that is the only reason I''m doing this outside thepany building after work hours. I''m not your boss right now, I''m just being your boyfriend. So embrace me or I''m going to have to grab your arse," Tom warned, and Lucy''s lips curved as let herself rx.

    It was difficult to argue with the man when he was being this way, especially when she really wanted to bury her face in his chest and let his scent calm her.

    From the corner of her eyes Lucy saw Cora standing by her car and watching them, so she grabbed Tom''s ass, surprising him, "How does that feel?" Lucy asked in amusement when Tom broke the hug to look into her face.

    "You want to know?" Tom asked, wanting to return the favor, but she moved away with a giggle.

    "No, thanks. I was just putting what you taught me into practice," she whispered to him, and Tom looked to the side and saw Cora who was getting into her car.

    "Smart girl," Tom said with a grin as they both returned to the car.

    Once they were both seated inside, Tom turned to her, "So how do you feel now?"

    "Much better," she said with a warm smile as she took off her sses and looked into his eyes.

    "I''m d. We will be stopping by our apartments to join the others before heading to my house, I hope you don''t mind?" Tom asked as he turned on the car''s ignition.

    As much as she was enjoying hispany and that of the others, she also missed her apartment and her personal space, "I don''t."

    "Alright. This morning you mentioned something about wanting to stop by a department storeter in the day, should we stop there before going home?" Tom asked, and Lucy nodded when she remembered what she needed to get.

    "Yes. Let''s stop by a department store. I need to get my shower gel," Lucy said, and Tom gave her a nod as he drove out of the parking lot.

    They were both silent for a while until Tom turned to spare her a nce, "What are you thinking about?"

    Lucy smiled, "Your dad''s reaction when he sees Jade. I think he''s going to be very happy," Lucy said, and Tom grinned.

    "Your dad asked you and Sonia to remind us about our dad''s birthday, didn''t he?" Tom asked, and Lucy shrugged.

    "Don''t tell anyone I told you that."

    "Thanks. I''m d he did," Tom said, and Lucy turned to look at him.

    "Do you always forget his birthday?"

    "Not always. Although, Harry reminds me most of the time. I''m not exactly good with dates. Harry helps me keep track of things like that. But don''t worry, I won''t need him to remind me of your birthday. I can''t forget it anyway, it''s the first time I met you," Tom said, and Lucy shook her head.

    "You should set reminders on your phone. It is one thing to not be good with dates, but it is irresponsible topletely assign that duty to Harry. So how do you remember Harry''s birthday? He reminds you too? Or you have someone else to do that?" Lucy asked, and Tom shook his head.

    "It''s not intentional. Before I met you I used to be so busy that I hardly remember my birthday until either Harry, my parents or siblings reach out to me," Tom said defensively, "Harry''s birthday is two days after mine, so I try not to forget it," Tom added, and Lucy nodded.

    "So I''m making you not work as hard as you used to?" Lucy asked, and Tom shrugged.

    "Not exactly. Harry has always asked me to slow down or take a break, so I''m taking his advise now that I have you. Talking about work, have you made up your mind about the job offer?" Tom asked as he turned to spare her a nce.

    "I thought about what you said, I decided not to ept it," Lucy said, and although Tom was d that she had listened to him, he now had to think of a way to get her to ept it.

    "Are you sure? You don''t have to reject it if you want it," Tom assured her.

    "I''m okay, don''t worry about me," Lucy assured him, and Tom sighed inwardly.

    Why was he feeling hesitant to tell her about his discussion with Harry? It wasn''t like she was going to scold him or beat him for anything, yet he just couldn''t bring himself to say it.

    "So I was thinking about something," Lucy said, and Tom spared her a curious nce.

    "What?"

    "I have to tell my family about Rachel," Lucy said, and Tom nodded.

    "Sure. You should do so if you want to," he encouraged.

    "If I do so I might have to tell them about Anita" Lucy exined, and watched him closely to see if he understood what she was trying to say.

    "You can do that too," Tom said, and Lucy raised a brow.

    "You are not worried that my parents might overreact if they find out about Anita and your past rtionship with her?"

    "Overreact in what way?"

    Lucy bit her lower lip, "What if they start trying to make us break up?"

    "I''m d that you are this concerned about our rtionship, but I don''t think your parents will do that. Besides, I already have ns in ce to make sure Anita and her family doesn''t cause any more problems for us. Don''t overthink it and just tell them everything if you want to," Tom encouraged, and Lucy sighed.

    "I will tell them tonight after the party," Lucy said as Tom drove into the parking lot of a mall.

    "Do you remember where this is?" Tom asked as he turned off the car''s ignition, and got out of the car, and Lucy smiled as she opened her door and got out too.

    It was the mall where they hade grocery shopping thest time, "Of course, I do."

    "You said I wasn''t your type then," Lucy reminded him as they both walked towards the entrance.

    "You also said I wasn''t your type," Tom reminded her.

    "No, I said I didn''t have a type. Now you are soooo my type," Lucy said with a grin, and Tomughed softly.

    "That seems like such a long time ago," Tom said, and Lucy nodded in agreement as she recalled their conversation that day.

    "You really told me a lot of lies. I can''t believe you made me beg you not to quit your job, after also threatening to fire me if my driver quits. You were a jerk, you know?" Lucy asked, turning to re at him.

    "Yes, I know. I was trying to be a bad boy, I''m sorry," Tom said, and Lucy shook her head.

    "And where did you get that idea from?" Lucy asked, and Tom squirmed not wanting to mention that his siblings had said being a bad boy would help him get her.

    "Can you forget about all the nasty things I did, please?" Tom pleaded as they walked into the department store.

    "Yeah, let''s do that. I will only think of you as the gentleman Tom that took care of me on our first night and didn''t take advantage of me despite taking me home for a fling, and the one that bought cranberry juice because of my ulcer, and also made sure I had always had lunch. Those were your actual selling points," Lucy said, and Tom smiled.

    "Thanks. Let''s go get your shower gel then," Tom offered, but Lucy quickly shook her head.

    "No. Don''t worry, I can get it alone. Just go and do other stuff," she suggested with an embarassed smile, and Tom looked at her closely.

    "Why?"

    "Because I want to get it alone. You can window shop or do whatever you want. I will be right back," Lucy said as she quickly walked away from him.

 Chapter 321 Jewel Box

    Chapter 321 Jewel Box����Once Lucy was sure that Tom wasn''t following her, she picked up a shopping basket and walked around the store in search of the section where feminine hygiene products were disyed. Once she located it, she took out her phone and dialed Sonia''s line.

    "After chasing me out of your office, I guess you are not too busy for me now, huh?" Sonia asked dryly once she received the phone call, and Lucyughed softly.

    "Yes, I''m not too busy for you right now. Quick one, my period ising soon, and I need to get something for it. Do you think I should go for tampons or a menstrual cup?" Lucy asked as she inspected the items in front of her.

    "Oh! How did I almost forget that my baby is no longer innocent? Her girl hole is no longer sealed," Sonia said with a giggle, and Lucy hissed in embarrassment.

    "Bryan had better not be anywhere around you, or I''m going to kill you," Lucy threatened.

    Soniaughed, "Don''t worry, he isn''t here. Personally, I prefer tampons. But since we are not sure yet if you will befortable with the idea of having anything else other than a joystick inside you..."

    "Please, no dirty talks. Can you just go straight to the point?" Lucy pleaded in embarrassment as she looked around her, trying to ensure that no one else could hear what Sonia was saying.

    Soniaughed softly, enjoying her friend''s embarrassment, "You can start with tampons. If you''re okay with it, then you can use a cup," Sonia suggested and then cleared her throat when Bryan, who had been using the convenience room, returned.

    "Is there anything else?" Sonia asked, wanting to know if she should excuse herself or remain where she was.

    "No, that''s all. You are at the apartment next to mine, right?"

    "Yeah. That''s a weird way to describe your boyfriend''s apartment."

    "Whatever. We will be heading there soon. See you," Lucy said as she hung up the call.

    "You are Lucinda Perry, right?" A feminine voice suddenly asked from behind her, causing her to jump back in shock.

    "Oh, I''m sorry! I didn''t mean to startle you," the youngdy said with a burst of awkwardughter, "It''s just that I saw you earlier when you walked in, and I thought you looked familiar, but before I could walk up to you, you got busy with your phone call so I couldn''t approach you. I had to circle around while waiting for you to finish. I hope you don''t mind?" she asked apologetically.

    Lucy forced a smile, "I don''t. And yes, I''m Lucinda Perry. Have we met before?" She asked as she looked at the youngdy who seemed like a teenager, not sure she knew her from anywhere.

    "Oh, not at all! I''m Sidney. My twin sister and I watched your interview over the weekend, and it was really touching. She bawled her eyes out," the girl said, and Lucy smiled awkwardly, not knowing what to response to give.

    Was she supposed to say, ''Oh, yes, it touched me too''? Or ''Thanks. I''m d you both were touched''? Or Just ask if she belonged to the category of people who had judged her before hearing her side of the story? Lucy wondered as she just stood there staring at the young girl and waiting for her to either leave or say what else she wanted.

    "If it''s not too much to ask, can I get an ulsie?" She asked, and thenughed when Lucy blinked at her in confusion, "Sorry. I mean like a selfie. I''d like to take a photo with you. My twin sister will go crazy with envy if I show her the picture," she exined excitedly, and Lucy looked around cautiously.

    "Sure," Lucy said with a forced smile and stood still as the girl took out her phone from her purse. The girl stood beside her and captured several photos of them before stepping away from her.

    "Thank you very much. We are rooting for you and your rtionship with the wealthy CEO. You look way more beautiful and ssy in person, by the way," the young girl said with a wave as she walked away with a wide smile while looking at the photo she had captured.

    Lucy''s brows were pulled together as she watched the young girl round the corner and disappear. This was weird. Although she knew that a lot of people had seen the interview, did that make her a celebrity? Was she going to now be faced with having people walk up to her this way? This wasn''t the kind of lifestyle she liked or wanted. She preferred to live low-key, not like Sonia, who loved to get lots of attention.

    She was snapped out of her thoughts when her phone started ringing, and she quickly received the call from Tom, "You are taking longer than expected. Do you need help?" Tom offered, already tired of the attention he was receiving from people around.

    "I''m sorry. I''ll be out soon," Lucy said apologetically as she quickly grabbed two boxes of tampons and dropped them into her shopping basket, and then she hurried to the section where shower gels were disyed.

    She picked up two bottles of shower gels and added them to her basket, and as she headed for the counter, she stopped when she walked past the section where some male items were disyed, and her eyes caught on a pair of memory foam slippers.

    She contemted whether or not it would fit him before picking it up and dropping it into her basket. She looked around to be sure she had gotten all she wanted before going to join the little queue by the counter.

    As she stood there waiting for her turn, she noticed several eyes were on her, but as ufortable as it made her feel, she tried not to let it bother her too much and just looked ahead of her.

    Once it was her turn, the cashier gave her a polite smile as she ced the basket on the countertop.

    "What is the cost of the items?" Lucy asked as she extended her debit card to the cashier when she finished scanning the items.

    "Your husband left his card. He said you should bring it with you when you''re done," she said with a polite smile as she returned Tom''s debit card to her along with the bag containing her purchase.

    Husband? Lucy opened her mouth to tell her that Tom wasn''t her husband but snapped it shut and just smiled at her instead before walking away with her purchase. There was no need to make a big deal out of it. She could understand that Tom''s action could have prompted thedy to make such an assumption. Besides, she didn''t know what Tom could have said, and she didn''t want to embarrass him.

    As she walked out of the store, she looked around for Tom, and when she didn''t find him, she dialed his line to find out if he was waiting in the car.

    "Where are you?" She asked immediately after he received the call.

    "Inside the jewelry shop beside the department store. Are you done? Where are you?"

    "I''m done. I will just meet you there," Lucy said as she returned to the jewelry shop she had just walked past. Her heart skipped a beat when she looked through the ss door of the jewelry shop in time to see Tom dipping a tiny jewel box into his pocket, and she quickly moved away from there.

    "I''ming out now," Tom said as he hung up and walked out of the jewelry store.

    "I hope I didn''t keep you waiting?" Tom asked when he saw her standing between the jewelry store and the department store.

    Lucy shook her head, "No, you didn''t."

    "Let me carry that," Tom offered as he reached for the shopping bag, but Lucy shook her head.

    "Don''t worry. I got it," Lucy said, holding on to the bag tightly, and Tom raised a brow in amusement.

    "I know you well enough to guess what you went to get. Rx, I''m not going to look into the bag. Just let me carry it to the car," Tom offered, and Lucy reluctantly let go of the bag, and he took it from her.

    "You didn''t have to leave your card," Lucy said as she returned his card to him.

    "I know I didn''t have to. I wanted to. You can hold on to the card," Tom said as he walked ahead of her, and Lucy watched him for a moment before following.

    Noticing that she was walking behind him, without turning to look at her, he extended his right hand to her, and Lucy grabbed his hand as she walked beside him.

    As they walked hand in hand, they both noticed that a lot of people were staring at them, and Tom noticed one or two persons taking snapshots of them, but neither of them said anything until they got to the car.

    The only thing on Lucy''s mind was what she had seen earlier. What did he go into the jewelry shop to purchase? What was in that box? She really hoped that it wasn''t what she was thinking. She would really hate to disappoint him.

    "Jewel? Are you okay?" Tom asked, turning to spare her a nce as he drove when the silence between them had dragged on for a while.

    Lucy cleared her throat, "Yeah. I''m fine."

    "Are you sure?" Tom asked, unconvinced.

    "Yes," Lucy said with a forced smile.

    "I know when your smile isn''t real. Did I do something wrong? Is this about what we discussed earlier?" Tom asked, concerned that maybe she had recalled some other lies he had told her or stupid stuff he had done in the past and was upset.

    "No. It''s not that. I''m fine," Lucy said, and Tom sighed.

    Sensing that he was worried about her, Lucy turned to look at him after a minute, "A young girl approached me while I was shopping earlier. She wanted to take photos with me," Lucy said, and Tom looked at her.

    He didn''t need to ask if she had epted since he knew her well enough to know that she wouldn''t say no to such a harmless request. "Is that what is bothering you?"

    "That is part of it. Different people were staring at me, and did you notice the looks we received?" Lucy asked with a slight frown, thinking that it was probably better to focus on this than on the other stuff that was bothering her.

    "Yeah, I noticed. Don''t worry too much about it. Hopefully, things will settle back to normal soon, and everyone will forget about our existence," Tom said, even though he highly doubted that things would go back to normal.

    He had received his fair share of attention earlier as somedies who had recognized him had tried to flirt with him until he had no other choice than to go into the jewelry shop.

    He hated the attention just as much as she did since he also preferred a low-key life. And he knew that he wouldn''t have been in a hurry to reveal his identity had it not been for the nonsense stunt that Anita had pulled. Now he had to deal with a lot of unnecessary attention.

    "You are Thomas Hank. I don''t think anyone will forget about your existence," Lucy said, and Tom sighed.

    "Since you know that, can you try to adjust to the attention for my sake?" Tom asked, and this time Lucy sighed.

    "I will try."

    "Good. So what is the other thing?" Tom asked, and Lucy looked at him in confusion.

    "What other thing?"

    "You said this was part of what was bothering you. What''s the other thing? Or is it more than one?" Tom asked, and Lucy bit her lower lip as she tried to think of how to address the subject.

    For both their sake, it would be best if she told her thoughts on marriage before he thought of proposing to her. She would love to save them both the embarrassment and misunderstanding.

    "I don''t want to get married to you."

 Chapter 322 All-or-nothing

    Chapter 322 All-or-nothing����The car was filled with deafening silence following Lucy''s deration. Tom''s expression didn''t give away whatever he was thinking as he continued to drive, and he didn''t bother to spare her a nce.

    While Lucy was thinking that it hade out wrongly and she should apologize and exin herself properly so that Tom wouldn''t misunderstand her, Tom, on the other hand, was wondering what could have possibly prompted her to make such a statement. He understood that what she meant was that she didn''t want to get married, and it wasn''t about him. Still, he couldn''t understand why she brought it up this way.

    "I am sorry that came out wrongly."

    "I never said I wanted you to marry me," they both said at the same time and turned to look at each other.

    For some reason, Lucy couldn''t help feeling hurt by his response. Although she didn''t want to get married to him, why would he say something like that to her? He wasn''t thinking of making her his wife? Even though if he proposed to her, the answer would be no, she still expected him to at least desire marrying her. Was she being unreasonable?

    Neither of them said a word to each other until Tom parked the car in front of her apartment and turned off the car''s ignition.

    Lucy unbuckled her seatbelt, ready to get out of the car, but Tom stopped her, "You are going to leave just like that?" Somehow Tom felt like the table had been turned following his response. It seemed like she was the one who was upset with him now when he should be upset by what she said. The only difference was that she had apologized.

    "Is there anything more you want to say? I said I don''t want to get married to you, and you said you don''t want to get married to me either. That pretty much settles it. I don''t see what else we need to talk about," Lucy said coolly, ignoring the ache in her heart as the words left her lips, and Tom shook his head.

    "Are you being serious right now? You make such an announcement, and then you want to leave without talking about it?" Tom asked, trying not to sound as annoyed as he was beginning to feel since he didn''t like how she was going about it all.

    First of all, he had not brought up any issue about marriage because he understood that she probably wasn''t thinking in that direction yet. Still, for reasons best known to her, she had chosen to explicitly spell it out to him that she didn''t want to get married to him, and now she was upset because of what he said? What had she been expecting him to say?

    Lucy said nothing but didn''t make any more attempts to get out of the car. She remained in her seat with both hands folded in front of her as she looked outside her window while she waited for him to say whatever it was he wanted to say.

    "Did my mom or anyone say anything to you about marriage?" Tom asked the first question on his mind, since it was his mother who had been going on and on about settling down.

    "No."

    "No? Then did I say or do something to pressure you?" Tom asked, trying to understand her.

    "No."

    "So, where did thate from?" Tom asked in confusion as he stared at her.

    Lucy turned to look at him, "I don''t see any reason why we are still talking about this when you have already said you don''t want to get married..."

    "Can you stop saying that? I never said I didn''t want to get married to you," Tom interrupted.

    Lucy turned to him, "You said..."

    "I know what I said. What I meant was, I never asked you to marry me in the first ce, yet you said you didn''t want to marry me. Where did thate from? Did I propose to you without my knowledge? Was there something I did that made you feel that you needed to spell it out to me in such a way? Or is this because I left my card with the cashier?" Tom asked, looking at her with serious eyes.

    Lucy sighed, "I admit that I shouldn''t have said it in that manner. It wasn''t my intention to be rude. I''m sorry."

    "Do you want to break up?" Tom asked since it seemed to him like Lucy was edging away from his questions.

    Lucy''s heart skipped a beat, "Break up? Why? You want to break up with me because I don''t want to marry you?" She asked, her heart racing as different thoughts ran through her mind.

    "No. I don''t want to break up with you. I''m asking if you want to break up with me because I don''t understand you right now or what is going on in your head. I am trying to understand you right now, but I don''t understand you. So tell me, did you say that because you want to break up with me? Is that what this is about? Is everything getting to you so much that you want a break from me? From our rtionship? Do you need space?" Tom asked without taking his eyes away from her.

    Tears gathered in her eyes as she shook her head. She wasn''t sure if she was going about this the right way, but one thing she knew was that she didn''t want to ruin her rtionship with him. He made her happy, and she loved him dearly.

    "No. That is not it, I swear. I really love you, Tom. I don''t want to break up with you. I was worried that you might be thinking about marriage, and I didn''t want you to get the wrong idea, so I thought I should let you know before you do anything," Lucy said as a tear dropped from her eyes.

    "The cashier called you my husband, and then I kind of freaked out when I saw you in the jewelry shop with a jewel box earlier," Lucy confessed, and Tom''s brows arched.

    Listening to her, Tom could understand how an overthinker like her could have processed it all in her head and then blurt out something like that, "First of all, I never told the cashier or anyone else for that matter that I was your husband. I only described your appearance to her and asked her to use my card for the payment and give the card to you," Tom said before reaching into his pocket.

    He took out the jewel box and opened it to reveal a pair of gold cufflinks, "I was receiving too much unwanted attention as I hung around waiting for you since I thought you were going to be quick. When I couldn''t hang around anymore, I took your advice to window shop. I saw these cufflinks in the jewelry shop, and I bought it," Tom exined.

    Lucy shut her eyes as a flood of embarrassment washed over her. Now she felt silly for assuming that he had bought an engagement ring. Besides, taking a closer look at the box now, it didn''t look as fancy as a ring box, "I''m sorry," Lucy whispered.

    "There is nothing to be sorry about. I''m crazy about you, Lu. I''mpletely head over heels in love with you. I''m an all-or-nothing person; hence I am unable to stop myself from holding back in expressing my love to you, but that does not mean I''m unreasonable. I haven''t forgotten how you used to feel about men and being in a rtionship. I wouldn''t be so stupid as to propose to you or talk about marriage so soon when we just barely started dating," Tom said, and Lucy opened her eyes slowly to meet his gaze.

    "I''m sorry, I should have known better. I misunderstood and just thought you wanted us to get married..."

    "Don''t be sorry. The only thing you misunderstood is the timing. I had no intention of raising the subject of marriage any time soon. That does not mean I don''t n to make you my wife. I''m not going to tell you that I don''t want to marry you just to make you happy. I will be lying to both myself and you if I say something like that. And I promised not to lie to you anymore, so I won''t," Tom said, looking into her smoky gray eyes.

    "But I really don''t want to get married," Lucy said, and Tom nodded.

    "You''ve made that clear, but I also really want to get married to you. So, since neither of us is thinking of breaking up, we will need to figure out a way around what we both want. For the time being, let''s focus on the reason we are here and continue with this conversationter in the day when we are more rxed. Is that okay?" Tom asked, and Lucy gave him a nod, relieved that he was taking it well.

    "Yeah," Lucy said, and they both got out of the car.

    "I''m sure you''ll need some time alone in your apartment. I will head to mine. Let me know when you are ready to leave," Tom said as he locked the car.

    "Sure. Thanks. Please ask Sonia toe over," Lucy said before turning to leave.

    Tom watched as she walked away, and then he called out to her, "Jewel?"

    Lucy turned to look at him questioningly as he approached her with slow and deliberate steps, "I am not letting you go, Lu. I don''t know how we are going to make this work, but we will have to find a way," Tom said as he kissed her forehead, and butterflies fluttered in her belly as she watched him walk away.

 Chapter 323 Snooping

    Chapter 323 Snooping����"What? You are joking, right? It has got to be a sick joke!" Sonia said in disbelief after Lucy told her about Rachel''s involvement with her abduction and Rachel''s rtionship with Anita.

    "I wish it was," Lucy said with a shake of her head as she looked around her closet, contemting what to take with her to Tom''s house. She had no idea how much longer her parents were going to be around, and there was no way she could return to her apartment and leave them at Tom''s house. She also couldn''t ask them to leave either.

    "You mean Rachel was involved with Jamie? And now Anita? And she had the guts to want to marry, Luc? How callous can she be? I swear by my tits, I''m going to tear her apart when I see her," Sonia promised, and Lucy''s lips twitched with amusement as she paused to look at Sonia.

    "Your tits?"

    "You know how much I revere my tits," Sonia said with an easy smile, d that Lucy could still find the humor in what she said despite the seriousness of the conversation.

    "Wow! This just goes to show that stupidity and entitlement are hereditary. Have you told Lucas about this?" Sonia asked with a concerned frown, and Lucy shook her head as she leaned against the closet door while looking at Sonia.

    "No. I wanted to talk to my parents first."

    "No. I don''t think that is a good idea. You should talk to Lucas and then he will decide whether or not he wants your parents to know about it. Your parents are the ones you should keep this from, not Lucas. This is a woman he was engaged to for chrissake, Lu! I don''t think he would want to be thest to about this after everyone else has heard about it. Talk to him first before you tell your parents," Sonia said, and Lucy pursed her lips as she considered it.

    "I was going to tell my parents first because I''m still contemting whether or not to tell him about it. He''s already so broken by the breakup. He is going to feel very hurt and then guilty..."

    "You do realize that nothing stays hidden forever, right? How do you think Lucas would feel if he finds out that you kept something like that away from him? There is no doubt that he is going to feel really pained when you tell him about it, but he will get over it eventually as you will too. But if you keep it away from him, you will hurt him twice as much when he eventually finds out. He will feel hurt by Rachel''s betrayal, and yours too," Sonia said, and Lucy nodded.

    "I think you have a point. Sometimes you can be so wise..."

    "I am always wise, bitch! You are the one who is too slow to keep up with my wisdom," Sonia said with a grin, and Lucyughed softly as returned her attention to her closet, and picked out a couple of office wears.

    "Why do you bother to do this when you can easily shop for new clothes? I''m sure Tom wouldn''t mind releasing his money card," Sonia said as she watched Lucy fuss over the clothes from thefort of the bed.

    "First, because I love my clothes. Secondly, I mind even if Tom doesn''t mind. This is about me, not Tom," Lucy said as she walked over to the bed with a couple of work clothes.

    "Yeah. You are miss independent after all," Sonia said as she watched her best friend.

    "Yes, I am. I told Tom about not wanting to get married," Lucy announced as she carefullyid out the clothes on the bed.

    Sonia tilted her head to the side as she watched Lucy, "Did we not just discuss it this morning in your office?"

    "Yes. Why?" Lucy asked, wondering why Sonia was asking her that instead of asking her how the conversation with went.

    "I''m wondering when you had the opportunity to raise such an important subject between then and now. Please don''t tell me you told him that on your way here? Or did you tell him at work?" Sonia asked, and Lucy nodded.

    "We talked about it in the car," Lucy said as she went to her dressing table and opened a drawer to take out her jewelry box.

    "What? C''mon, Lu! I know you are new to the whole rtionship stuff, but that isn''t the kind of conversation you should be having when you are both..."

    Lucy turned to face Sonia, irritation shing in her gray eyes, "What is wrong with you?" She asked, cutting Sonia off.

    "What?" Sonia asked, confused.

    "Can you stop giving me rtionship lectures and just listen when I''m talking to you? I already raised the subject and talked to him about it, so your lectures right now aren''t necessary. Maybe if you hadn''t gone on and on about marriage this morning, I wouldn''t have misunderstood his actions or raised the subject like I did when I did. So please stop!" Lucy said, and Sonia pressed her lips together and raised both hands.

    "Okay. Go on. I''m listening."

    Lucy said nothing for a moment as she sat on her dressing stool, and looked into the jewelry box that contained her stylish, but inexpensive jewelry. "I told him I don''t want to get married, but he says he wants to get married," she said as she took out three pairs of earrings.

    "Am I allowed to speak now? Or should I just keep quiet and listen?" Sonia asked, and Lucy tried not to roll her eyes.

    "I said don''t give me rtionship lectures, I never said be mute."

    "Great. My mouth was already itching to speak. I don''t want the summary version of your conversation. I want the details. What happened?"

    Lucy turned to look at her, "You are not going to include this in your story, are you?" She asked suspiciously.

    "I will change a couple of things, I promise," Sonia said, reasoning how she would change the way Lucy''s character in her novel would present the subject to Tom''s character. She would rather a discussion like that happens in the bedroom, probably after an hour of intense lovemaking.

    Lucy drew in a deep breath before going on to tell Sonia about all that transpired between her and Tom, "...he says we will find a way around it. Do you think there is any way we can reach apromise without both of us getting what we want?" She asked, and Sonia rolled her eyes.

    "You said you don''t want rtionship advice from me," Sonia reminded her.

    "I''m not asking for a lecture. I just need your opinion. Both my heart and stomach are jumping at the thought of having this conversation again with himter, and I need to be objective when the timees," Lucy said, unable to hide her worry.

    "You should rx."

    "I can''t. I love Tom. I don''t want us to break up, and I don''t want to be selfish either. But I really don''t think I can do this marriage thing..." Lucy said, and Sonia raised a brow.

    "Can''t or won''t?"

    Lucy shrugged, "Both have always meant the same to me."

    "Then perhaps it is time for you to learn to distinguish between them. Can''t is a matter ofcking ability, and won''t is a matter ofcking willingness," Sonia said as she rose and walked over to where Lucy was seated by the dressing table.

    "I understand that this whole thing is not easy for you, Lu, and I''m sorry that I pushed too hard this morning. You didn''t need that. You don''t need the pressure from me or anyone else for that matter. I''m both happy and grateful that you have a man as thoughtful and considerate as Tom in your life who loves you so much. I''m confident that you will both figure this out and work something out, I trust you, and I trust Tom," Sonia said with a confident smile as she brushed a hand over Lucy''s hair.

    ********

    Once Jade arrived at Harry''s apartment, instead of going straight to the guestroom where she had spent thest two nights to pick up her bag, Jade decided to look around Harry''s apartment before leaving. By apartment, she meant his bedroom.

    It still surprised her that he had never been with a woman before. She couldn''t wrap her head around the fact that a full-grown, wealthy, and good-looking man like him had never been with a woman. She had been with just Todd since he was her first love, and she had given in to having sex with him after much persuasion on the night of her twentieth birthday.

    She paused when something else urred to her. Did that also mean that he had never kissed a woman before? Was that possible? Kissing wasn''t the same as sex, was it? Or was the kiss they had shared the previous night, his first kiss? Her heart fluttered at the thought of giving him his first kiss, and she raised her finger to touch her lips as they curved in a smile.

    Although she knew that she was snooping and invading his privacy, she was too curious about him to care. Her conversation with Sonia earlier had ignited a kind of longing within her for him, and since she couldn''t see him physically, she wanted to feel close to him in other ways. She wanted to know him better and understand him more.

    As she pushed open the door that stood between her and his bedroom, her lips curved of their own volition when she stepped inside and saw the state of his bedroom. As expected everything was in its ce. Harry was a meticulous man, she thought as she walked further into his bedroom.

    His bed wasid out so straight that it called to her. She stifled the urge toy on the bed and inhale his scent, as that would be creepy even for her, and she knew that even if she decided to give in to the urge, it would be next to impossible for her to straighten the bedspread the same way she had met it. Then Harry would definitely know that she entered his bedroom.

    She walked around the bedroom like an inspector, hoping to find something that she didn''t already know about him. Hopefully, something that would tell her that he was interested in her.

    She walked over to his bedside table when she noticed two photo frames sitting on it, facing the bed. She leaned forward as she picked up both frames, and her heart felt heavy when she saw that one of the frames was a picture of a beautiful youngdy. She studied thedy''s face, and something about her seemed so familiar, but Jade couldn''t ce her fingers on it.

    Thedy had honey-brown eyes like Harry''s, and her hair was a mass of curly gold hair. Her eyes were gleaming withughter, and her lips were curved with an infectious kind of smile with dimples nking both sides of her cheek. She looked so beautiful and of life.

    Jade didn''t need anyone to tell her that was Harry''s mother. The resemnce between them was striking, and maybe that was why the woman seemed so familiar. She couldn''t imagine how much Harry must miss the mother he never met to have her photo by his bedside.

    Her gaze moved to the other frame in her hand. It was the photo of a very attractive-looking middle-aged man with Amber eyes. He was holding a fishing rod and scowling at the camera, even though his eyes were gleaming withughter, and the corners of his lips looked like he was struggling not to smile.

    "I thought I heard someonee in," a deep masculine voice spoke from behind her, causing Jade to spin around in surprise.

    Her mouth dropped open in surprise when she gazed into the same pair of Amber eyes she had just looked into in the photo.

    Great! What a nice way to meet the senior Mr. Jonas for the first time.

 Chapter 324 Aaron Jonas

    Chapter 324 Aaron Jonas����Jade appraised the senior Mr. Jonas, as he did her too. He was dressed in a blue-striped shirt and ck chinos trousers, and he was barefooted. He looked big, robust, andfortable. He seemed like the kind of man you would feel safe in hispany even without knowing his name. The man didn''t look like he spent a lot of time in the gym, although his skin was tanned like he spent a lot of time outdoors.

    He looked very handsome too, and although Harry had inherited some of his mother''s facial features like her eyes and dimpled smile, there was no doubt that he had gotten some of his good looks from his father too. Like the straight nose, the full lips, his bushy brows, and his hair too.

    Although Harry''s rich ck hair was inherited from his father, the senior Jonas'' quiff-styled hair was beginning to sprout some gray hair at the temple. His well-groomed beards were already gray, and it all added to his sexy zaddy look. Perhaps she could trade the son for the father? She thought, amused.

    ''What a way to think about the father of the man you''re interested in,'' Jade chided herself.

    "I promise, I wasn''t stealing from him," Jade said, forck of anything better to say.

    "I promise, I wouldn''t mind if you were. I''m sure Harry wouldn''t mind losing a possession or two either. Seeing how you could get into his apartment so easily, I''m sure it''s not your first time here," Aaron Jonas said as he eyed the lovelydy who was standing beside his son''s bed with both photo frames in her hands.

    He knew his boy well enough to know he wouldn''t let just anyone into his home. Hence he was curious to know who this beauty was and why she was in his son''s bedroom. Seeing how she was holding the frames, he could easily have assumed that she was there to clean, but there was nothing about her that suggested she was a cleaner. Not her clothes, and definitely not the confident aura she exuded.

    From his tone, she sensed that he was jumping to conclusions about her rtionship with Harry, so she decided to clear the air quickly, "It''s not what you think..."

    His eyes twinkled with humor, "It''s definitely not what I think. If it were, you would be holding a cleaning rag and probably wearing an apron," he said, and Jade feltughter bubble within her.

    "Besides, I doubt that you would go for those frames first if you were here to steal," he said, directing his gaze to the frames she was still holding.

    Jade''s lips curved with an awkward smile as she nced at the photos in her hand. Okay, so how was she going to exin snooping through his son''s bedroom when she wasn''t in a rtionship with him and she wasn''t a cleaner? "I was looking for something..."

    "I hope you find it," Aaron said with a straight face as he stepped forward, offering her a hand, "I''m Aaron Jonas. Harry''s father. I''m sure the frame would have told you that already," he said, and Jade dropped the frames gently before taking his hand.

    "I''m Jade Hank, Harry''s friend. It''s a pleasure to meet you in person, Mr. Jonas," Jade said and watched as the man''s eyes lit up.

    Hank. That exined it. "Oh! The intelligent beauty. The pleasure is all mine. And please call me Aaron," he said as he shook her hand. His face beamed with pleasure, telling her he meant every word he said.

    The intelligent beauty. So Harry had said something to his father. She was curious to know exactly what he said and when. "I didn''t know you were in. I was just going to..."

    Aaron waved off her exnation, "You don''t have to exin anything to me. Whatever happened in here, stays here," he said, making a zipping gesture on his lips, and if Jade wasn''t already in love with the man, she fell in love with him.

    "Thank you," Jade said, feeling more relieved and grateful than embarrassed since she had no idea how she was going to exin herself. She was d that he was the one who caught her snooping and not Harry.

    "If you have found what you were searching for, do you mind sharing a ss of wine with me?" He asked, and Jade smiled once again.

    "I would love that," Jade said as she walked out of Harry''s bedroom with his father.

    He led her to Harry''s bar and poured white wine into two sses before handing a ss to her, "So you''re Tom''s sister, thewyer?" He asked as he sat down on the barstool next to her but turned in his seat so that he was facing her.

    "The one and only," Jade said with a grin, and Aaron chuckled.

    "Harry told me about you the first time you met," Aaron said, a smile ying on the corner of his lips, and without taking his eyes away from her, he sipped from his ss of wine.

    Hearing that, Jade''s curiosity was aroused, "I''m tempted to ask you what he told you," Jade confessed as she sipped from her winess, and his smile broadened as he dropped his ss of wine on the counter.

    "The same way I''m tempted to ask you what you are doing in his apartment and searching for in his bedroom."

    "But you said I didn''t have to exin anything to you," Jade reminded him as she sipped from her winess.

    Aaron nodded, "Of course, you don''t have to. The same way I don''t have to tell you what he told me either," he said with a sly smile, and Jade giggled as she watched him with interest.

    "Are you suggesting that we trade secrets?" Jade asked, looking at the man whose eyes were glittering with mischief.

    "I wouldn''t dare say that to awyer, would I?" He asked with an innocent expression as he picked up his ss and raised it to his lips.

    Sheughed softly this time, "I actually stopped by to pick up my bag. I''m on my way home. I was curious to see what his bedroom looked like. Hence I was there," Jade said, and he narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.

    "Oh! I''m d. For a moment there, I thought you found out about the money he embezzled to buy me a house, and you were in his bedroom to get evidence against him," he said, and Jade looked at him with a confused frown, thinking he was serious, and then she giggled when she realized that he was pulling her legs.

    This man! "You got me there for a moment," Jade said, and he grinned.

    "Howe your bag is here, yet you don''t know what his bedroom looks like?" He asked, and Jade smiled in understanding as she raised her ss to her lips once again.

    She set down the ss, "I spent thest two nights here. He let me stay in his guestroom, so I don''t know what his bedroom looks like."

    Aaron knew she was telling the truth since he had moved around the bedrooms to see if there was anything new once he arrived, and he had noticed the bag and feminine cosmetics in one of the guestrooms, "And you slept in the guestroom?"

    From his tone, Jade could tell he was hoping she had slept in Harry''s bedroom, "With the lock in ce."

    Aaron looked at her for a moment, and she didn''t miss the disappointment in his eyes, "Am I assume that you chose to stay here because something is stirring between the two of you, or did your brother suddenly run out of bedrooms in his mansion, so you had to find an alternative ce to stay? Perhaps he decided to convert his mansion to one of his luxurious hotels?" He asked with such a straight face that once again, augh bubbled out of Jade.

    She realized that she wasughing and smiling a lot within the short time she had spent in hispany. Harry''s father seemed to have withheld humor during the gene transfer. Or maybe Harry had it but just didn''t show it when he was with her. She reasoned when she remembered his interaction with Lucy the previous day.

    "My dad is at Tom''s. Today is his birthday, and I''m supposed to be the birthday surprise," Jade said, but Aaron did not buy it.

    "And neither you nor your brother thought that a hotel would be safer for you instead of the house of such a gorgeous single man? You guys must trust my son a great deal. Now I feel like I did a very bad job raising him," he said, pping his face dramatically, but Jade could see the humor in his eyes even as he said it.

    "You should be proud. You raised a gentleman," Jade said before downing the remaining content of her ss.

    "There are times I wish he weren''t so gentle. A woman like you shouldn''t feel so safe around him," Aaron muttered under his breath, and Jade''sughter rang out.

    "So, what did he say to you?" Jade asked curiously.

    "Seeing how curious you are to know what he thinks of you, am I to assume that you are interested in him?" Aaron asked, deliberately evading her question.

    "I thought we were trading secrets, and it was your turn to answer my question, not ask me more questions?" Jade asked, and Aaron shook his head.

    "When did I ever agree to trade secrets with you?" He asked with false confusion.

    Jade''s mouth rounded in a silent O as it dawned on her that Harry''s father had tricked her into telling him what he wanted to know without returning the favor.

    "You sly old man," Jade hissed, and Aaron chuckled.

    "You had both just finished speaking that night when I called him. He was very impressed. Not just by your beauty, but by your brains too," Aaron said, not wanting to go into the details of his conversation with his son.

    "And you still remember that after over four years?" Jade asked, surprised.

    Aaron''s lips twitched, "Harry isn''t the type to talk about girls. He barely shows interest in them. You are the only girl he has ever talked to me about, so how do you expect me to forget that?" Aaron asked, and Jade leaned forward with interest.

    "Do you think he likes me?" Jade asked hopefully.

    Aaron angled his head as he considered her for a moment. Although he wanted Harry to get into a rtionship, he trusted Harry enough to know that if Harry were interested in Jade, he would get around to telling her about it eventually, and if he was holding back, then he must have his reasons.

    "Do you think he likes you?" Aaron asked without answering her question once again.

    Jade pursed her lips, "I don''t know. Maybe."

    "Do you like him?"

    "It''s hard not to like him, considering how well you raised him," she said, and Aaron smiled as he raised his ss to his lips.

    "I don''t know about him, but I like you. I can see why he found you interesting," Aaron said after a while.

    "I like you too," Jade said with a grin, "So when did you get here? Is he aware that you are around?"

    "No. I am here to surprise him, so I hope you can keep our meeting to yourself, at least until he sees me," Aaron said, and Jade gave him a nod.

    "Sure. Whatever happens in Harry''s absence stays there. I should get my stuff before he gets back from work," Jade said as she slid off the barstool.

    Aaron gave her a nod as he watched her walk away. He stood up when she returned a momentter with her bag and walked up to her.

    "It was nice meeting you, Aaron," she said as she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his cheek. Even though she had met him less than thirty minutes ago, she felt at home with him.

    "The pleasure is all mine," he said with a pleased smile as he reached for the bag.

    "Don''t bother yourself on my ount. I can manage," she assured him.

    "I hope I get to see you again sometime," Aaron said as he followed her to the door.

    "I hope so, too. Take care of yourself," Jade said as she opened the door and walked away.

 Chapter 325 Overthinking Or Not?

    Chapter 325 Overthinking Or Not?����Now that Tom was alone in his bedroom, he had more than enough time to ponder on the issue Lucy had raised in the vehicle. Although he had tried his best to appear calm and unbothered so that she wouldn''t be more upset than she was, he was more worried about the issue than he had let on.

    Lucy didn''t want to get married. His heart contracted at the thought, whichpletely contrasted with everything he had ever wanted. Right from when he was a kid, he had always thought about getting married and being a strong and reliable husband and father like his own father. He had worked as hard as he could to attain sess because he wanted his future wife and kids to live infort and luxury. He had worked hard to build an empire so that he would be able to give his family all his time and attention when the time came. Family meant everything to him.

    Initially, when he had met her for the first time, he had thought she didn''t want to get involved with men because shecked experience in that area and was just closed to the idea because she was a workaholic. And then, after she told him about Jaime, he had thought that her awful experience was the reason she had been avoiding men, and he had somehowe to believe that now that she was with him, she was getting over it. He had nned to take things slowly with her until he saw that she was ready for them to get married.

    He had thought that it would be a case ofter, not never, for her. And that was because he had assumed that since her mind about rtionships had changed, naturally, she wouldn''t mind getting married. But now, hearing her say it to his face. Telling him that she never wants to get married to him. That had cut right through his heart more than he cared to admit because not only did he want to make her his wife, but he also wanted to have kids with her, and she didn''t want any of that.

    What then did she want? To just be in a rtionship with him like this forever? Or to date him until she gets tired of him? Because he knew he could never get tired of loving her.

    Even though he knew there were people in such arrangements who didn''t want marriage and were doing well in their rtionship, it didn''t make sense to him. It would never make sense to him.

    That sort of arrangement wasn''t for a person like him. He believed strongly in family and craved a family of his own. He wanted a wife and children around him who he would love, care for, provide for,mit to, and be responsible for. That was all he wanted. That was what he had always dreamed of until Lucy hade into his life and had be the only woman whose face he pictured when he thought of his wife. He didn''t want just any woman to be his wife. Lucy was the wife he wanted. How often had he looked at her and imagined her, ripe and soft, with a rounded abdomen, carrying the life they created together? How was he going to make this work out? He wondered as hebed his restless fingers through his hair and paced around his bedroom.

    He knew that he could easily decide to just shrug it off and rx since a couple of weeks ago, she hadn''t even been interested in being in a rtionship with the opposite sex. Yet, here she was, in a rtionship with him now. It would be too easy to tell himself that if he could make her fall in love with him, then he could as well make her want to be his wife. But he wasn''t arrogant enough to believe something like that, and he couldn''t dismiss her concerns so easily or remain with her based on the assumption that she would eventually change her mind and get married to him. That wouldn''t be fair to her, and it definitely wouldn''t be fair to himself either if she never changes her mind, Tom reasoned.

    A breakup wasn''t even an option since for him, it wasn''t a mere matter of just getting married to anyone for necessity but marrying the person who made his heart flutter. And that person was Lucy. It wasn''t a matter of just seeing just anyone ripe and round with his baby in her abdomen. He wanted to create life with the one person who had be the essence of his life. He wanted to watch their creation grow within her and see her aglow with the transformation. It was Lucy''s face he wanted to see beside him in bed first thing every morning andst thing at night. So he was more than a little bit bothered that she didn''t want all of that with him.

    He reyed their entire conversation in his head, and although she had said she loved him, and he believed her, doubts were beginning to crawl out. He was beginning to question himself. He wasn''t sure how much she loved him or how much longer she would stay with him. Did she even want to live with him? Did he even know what she wanted, or had he just been doing what he pleased this whole time, while she had been going along with it for his sake, just like the whole sex stuff? Was that what these past weeks have been about? He knew he shouldn''t be having such thoughts, but he couldn''t stop himself.

    He had been the one chasing her relentlessly from the first moment heid eyes on her, and maybe he was doing too much. He realized that along the line, he had begun to treat her like an egg or a delicate china set that he expected to crack if he didn''t handle carefully, and although it wasn''t a bad thing, but maybe that wasn''t what they both needed since it was beginning to take a toll on him, and possibly on her too. Perhaps it was time he rxed and just allowed her toe to him willingly without any pressure.

    "What''s up?" Bryan asked, cutting into his thoughts as he suddenly opened the bedroom door without knocking.

    Tom put on a nd expression as he nced at him, "Nothing serious. Sup?"

    "Must be serious if your hair is standing like that. I do that with my hair too, when I''m worried. I guess it''s a Hank thing," Bryan said, eyeing Tom''s hair which bore testament to his restless fingers as he walked further into the bedroom.

    "Just trying to figure out stuff. What about Jade? When is she getting here?" Tom asked, changing the subject.

    "Soon. I believe. Unless she has decided to toss us under the bus and just spend some more time with Harry. I''m traveling back tomorrow to settle a couple of things with Paul. Although Jeff is handling them already, my presence is needed," Bryan said, changing the subject as he sat on Tom''s gold padded vanity stool.

    Tom''s brow arched, "You need my permission to travel?" He asked, and Bryan grinned.

    "You''re going to be my boss soon, aren''t you? I should start practicing how to be ountable to you," Bryan said, and Tom scoffed.

    "Let me know if he tries to make things too difficult, and I''ll take care of it," Tom said, and Bryan made a hats-off gesture.

    "Sure, boss brother!" Bryan said, and Tom''s lips twitched at his brother''s silliness.

    "Let''s tell mom about Simon tonight. We''ve put it off for long enough," Bryan said, and Tom nced at him in surprise.

    "I almost forgot about him," Tom said with a sigh as he pressed his fingers against his eyes.

    "Of course, you have a lot on your mind. Simon should be the least of your worries," Bryan said with understanding.

    "We can talk to her after the party," Tom said with a sigh.

    "And just so you know, I''m taking the case to court separately. I''d love to deal with Anita from my end while you do what you will from your end," Bryan said, and Tom massaged his temple.

    Between work, his rtionship with Lucy, and dealing with Anita, he didn''t know which was stressing him more at the moment, but his head was beginning to spin, and Anita was thest person he wanted to think about.

    "I already told you the n. Stick to it. It would be best you bid your time until I take down the shields around her. Her family is rted to the country''s chief justice. If you sue her now, I''m sure they would pull every string to dismiss the case, and then they will know I''ming for them. Why don''t we let that be the final straw after I deal with her family? We can sue her separately. That way, she would be too busy going in and out of different courtrooms to have time to find another job after I fire her," Tom said, and Bryan nodded.

    "I will wait. Just don''t take too long. I''m not as patient as you," Bryan said as he got off the vanity and headed for the door.

    He hesitated by the door, "You don''t want to talk about what is bothering you?" He asked, and Tom shook his head.

    "It''s nothing I can''t handle. Thanks," Tom said with a small smile. He really hoped that he would be able to handle it all properly.

    "When you''re done brooding, you cane take a look at the stuff we got for dad, and then we can wrap them together. Jade and Sonia insisted we wrap the gifts ourselves. They called it a loving gesture or something," Bryan added with a roll of his eyes that told Tom he thought the idea was silly before walking away, but not without seeing Tom''s lips curve.

    Once he was alone, Tom went to stand in front of the mirror. Maybe he was just overthinking all of this, and nothing good ever came from overthinking. He needed to get a grip on his emotions for both his sake and Lucy''s.

 Chapter 326 Tension

    Chapter 326 Tension����As Bryan walked into the living room, the doorbell rang, and he walked over to open the door. He raised a spective brow when he saw Jade standing there, "For a moment there, I thought you decided to just get married to your precious uncle Harry and forget about our existence," Bryan said, making a face as he mimicked the tone she had used that morning when she referred to Harry as ''uncle Harry''.

    "I knew it was a bad idea to tell Tom that I like his best friend in front of you. Perhaps you would have felt better if it was Matt that I wanted to bonk?" She asked as she dumped her bag at his feet and brushed past Bryan, whose eyes were beamingsers at her.

    "Is the reasonable Hank brother back from work yet?" Jade asked as she carelessly dropped her handbag on the couch and looked around the apartment.

    "If he is the reasonable one, what does that make me?" Bryan asked as he picked up her bag and shut the door at his back.

    "Do you really need me to spell it out?" Jade asked without sparing him a nce, "Tommy, are you in?" Jade called as she walked into the kitchen to see what it looked like.

    "You are lucky you are rted to me by blood, else, I would have strangled you," Bryan hissed as he dumped her bag on the couch, and Jade giggled, enjoying the exchange of words.

    "Are you sure we are rted by blood? Sometimes I have doubts..." Jade said and cackled withughter when a crumpled paper ball hit the back of her head. God! She had really missed getting on his nerves.

    "Is this the best you can do? I think you are a coward who is scared to strangle me because you know dad and mom will kill you," she said and shuddered withughter as she quickly shut the kitchen door when she heard Bryan''s quick footsteps.

    "Why don''t you open the door, smart mouth, and let''s find out who the coward is?" Bryan taunted.

    "I have nothing to prove to you or anyone else. You bully. TOMMY! If you are in there,e out here and save your helpless baby sister from this bully," Jade cried at the top of her lungs, making Bryan double over in a fit ofughter, and Tom, who had been folding his clothes in the bedroom, came out when he heard Jade''s cry for help.

    "You should be ashamed of yourself, Bryan Hank," Tom chided, mimicking their mother''s tone when he saw Bryan standing by the kitchen door with the broken walking stick of the former house owners as he waited for Jade to open the door.

    "Oh, Tommy! My hero is here! You''re my lifesaver," Jade said dramatically as she opened the door and quickly ran to hide behind Tom, embracing him from behind.

    "Coward," Bryan muttered as he went to sit on the couch, and Jade took the opportunity to look around the house.

    "This ce doesn''t look bad. Maybe I can move in here when I take Harry''s offer," Jade said when she returned to the living room.

    "Just some hours ago, you said you might, and now it is when. Very smooth transition," Bryan observed.

    "Let her be, Bryan," Tom chided like the dutiful older brother he was.

    "How did you manage to live in here, Tom? It''s so old-school. I would have to redo the decor to suit my feminine taste," Jade said thoughtfully,pletely ignoring Bryan as she went to sit beside Tom.

    "Or you could just move into your bedroom in Tom''s mansion. He never said he was letting you stay here," Bryan countered, thinking that it wouldn''t be a bad idea for Jeff and Mia to share the apartment since it was a two-bedroom apartment.

    "Yeah. Why don''t you just braid my hair into pigtails and add shiny pink ribbons for effect?" Jade asked dryly.

    "Not that it wouldn''t look good on a brat like you," Bryan called back.

    Jade ignored him and focused on Tom, "How was work today?"

    "Work was fine. I''m d that you finally decided to join thepany," Tom said with a small smile to rx her.

    "Does that mean I can have this apartment? I don''t suppose you are going to keep living here now that you have gotten Lucy," Jade said, and Tom shrugged.

    "You can have this or any other apartment of your choice when you''re ready. I''m taking my personal stuff with me today," Tom said, and Jade beamed a smile at him as she leaned forward to press her lips to his cheek.

    "You have always been my favorite brother, did you know that?" she said with so much fondness that Tomughed while Bryan scowled at her.

    "If you''re done gold-digging, let''s wrap dad''s gifts. I will get them," Bryan suggested as he stood up to get the items from the dining table where he had ced the gifts.

    "What gifts did you get him?" Tom asked, weing the distraction.

    "We got him a box of expensive Cuban cigars, his..."

    "A box of cigars? Mom is not going to like that," Tom interrupted Jade.

    "Chill. She allows him to smoke a single cigar per day. And this isn''t about mom, remember? It is dad''s birthday. The man likes to smoke, so he should be allowed to enjoy the best of cigars," Bryan said as he returned with the wristwatch and cigar and dropped them on the table.

    "We also got his favorite wine and an outrageously expensive wristwatch," Jade concluded as she picked up the roll of wrapping paper and scissors and started to cut it.

    The three siblings worked together, with Jade calling out instructions to both Bryan and Tom until they sessfully wrapped the two boxes, "Well done," she said with a smile of approval.

    "By the way, I think we should still do something special. What about we sing him a song? I could dance while you both sing," Jade suggested, and once again, the brothers exchanged a look of disbelief.

    "For Christ''s sake, Jade! We already got him gifts. You insisted we wrap the gifts ourselves to give them a special touch, and we did. We arranged for the cake and food and will be spending the evening with him singing the traditional happy birthday song. What other song do you want to sing?" Bryan asked, and Jade raised a brow.

    "There is no gift we can give him that will ever be good enough. What have we not gotten him already over the years? Let''s just make it special for him by showing him how much we love and cherish him," Jade pleaded, "If you like, I can sing, and you both can dance," Jade suggested with a grin.

    "No! I''m going to hate you for life if you make me embarrass myself in front of Andrew!" Bryan protested, and Tom chuckled.

    "Suck it by, Bryan," Jade said, patting his cheek.

    "I can see why dad adores you," Tom said with a fond smile as he ruffled Jade''s pixie hair. He wanted to have a daughter that would be this devoted to making him happy. Wasn''t this one of the highlights of life?

    "Everyone adores me. Duh," Jade said with a sassy smile, and Bryan raised a brow.

    "I definitely don''t belong to the ss of everyone who adores you."

    "You actually top the ss. That''s the only ss you have ever topped in your miserable life," Jade said, and Tom chuckled as Bryan threw what was left of the wrapping paper at her.

    Watching his siblings bicker reminded him once again why he wanted a family of his own. He wanted to watch his kids bicker and fight over nothing like Bryan, and Jade almost always did when they were in the same room. They acted like they couldn''t stand each other, but he knew how much they loved themselves and enjoyed their banters. He enjoyed watching them as he knew he would enjoy watching his kids too, he thought with a deep sigh.

    "Are you okay, sweetie? You don''t look fine."

    "How can you tell?" Tom asked.

    "Because I can read you like an open book, and you''ve been sighing an awful lot too. Want to share the problem?" Jade asked with concern, and Bryan also looked at Tom curiously.

    "Nah. I am not in my best mood, but it''s nothing to worry about," Tom assured them.

    "What is keeping Sonia and Lucy? We should start getting ready to leave. It''s a wonder mom hasn''t called to scold me already for failing to wish dad a happy birthday before leaving the house. Did she call either of you?" Bryan asked, looking from Tom to Jade, and they both shook their heads, equally surprised that their mother hadn''t bothered to call either of them yet.

    Jade sighed, "Dad probably asked her to. I''m sure by now he thinks we forgot his birthday," Jade deduced sadly.

    Just then, the doorbell rang, and Tom stood up, "I guess they''re here. You can get the door while I get my stuff," Tom said as he walked into the bedroom, leaving Bryan, who went to get the door for Sonia and Lucy.

    "I hope we didn''t keep you guys waiting?" Sonia asked as she let Lucy go in ahead of her.

    Bryan took Lucy''s suitcase from her, "I was just about to send a search party," he said as he stole a kiss from Sonia before shutting the door.

    "Hi, Jade!" Lucy greeted as her eyes unconsciously roamed the room in search of Tom.

    "I hope you were able to do everything you needed to do?" Jade asked as she watched Lucy. Something about Lucy interested her. She felt like Lucy was a kindred spirit. Someone she understood.

    "Yes, thanks," Lucy said, wondering if she should go into the bedroom to meet Tom or wait for him toe out.

    "Hey, Jade! Wee to the neighborhood of love," Sonia grinned at Jade, and she grinned back.

    "Thanks. I think I''m going to move in here. I guess I will be Lucy''s neighbor," Jade announced cheerfully, making Lucy look at her curiously.

    Before Lucy could respond to Jade''s statement, the inner door opened, and Tom walked out with a heavy designer backpack, "I guess we are all ready to leave now," he said, and he let his gaze settle on Lucy before smiling at her. Lucy let herself smile back even though she could somehow tell from his eyes that everything wasn''t okay.

    Both their hearts contracted painfully as they gazed at each other. Although neither of them wanted to lose the other, none of them was willing to give up on their choices either. They both wanted each other but in different ways. They wanted different things from each other, and deep down, they both knew that this was one of those times that love wasn''t going to be enough. They were going to need more than love to resolve this.

    "Yes. Let''s go before dad disowns us all," Bryan suggested as he picked up both Lucy''s and Jade''s bags and headed for the door.

    Jade picked up her handbag and walked outside with Sonia, who was telling her how she couldn''t wait for them to settle down so she could tell her more about her and Harry.

    "You are giving this apartment to Jade?" Lucy asked cautiously when they were alone, and Tom shrugged.

    "I don''t think I need it anymore," Tom said, feeling his heart ache as he watched her fumble for something to say. This whole thing wasn''t supposed to be a big deal. He had no idea why his heart was making such a big deal out of it.

    Lucy nodded, "Yeah. We can either spend time at your real house or mine," Lucy said, watching him. Waiting for him to say something. Anything that would reassure her that they were really good, and she was only imagining the tension between them.

    "Yeah," Tom said with a nod as he held out a hand to her.

    "Let''s go," he said, and she ced her hands in his, and they both walked out of the house.

    "Are you joining us, or you''re going with Tom and Lucy?" Bryan asked as he carefully ced Jade''s bag and Lucy''s suitcase in his trunk, and Tom passed him his backpack too so that all the bags would be in the one car.

    "I think I will go with my reasonable brother," Jade said, sticking her tongue at Bryan as she followed Tom.

    "Brat. I hope Harry never spares you a nce," Bryan called out to Jade as she got into the other car with Tom and Lucy, causing Jade and Sonia tough, but neither Lucy nor Tom heard the joke. They were both lost in their thoughts.

 Chapter 327 Tension (2)

    Chapter 327 Tension (2)����Jade didn''t need to be a rtionship expert to know that everything wasn''t okay between the two people she had chosen to share a ride with.

    Seated in the back seat of the car, she looked from one to the other, and it was painfully apparent that Tom and Lucy were not okay. Although they didn''t look like they were fighting, they didn''t seem like they were entirely at peace either.

    It wasn''t like they had said anything to each other to make her feel the way she did, no. On the contrary, neither of them had spoken a word to each other since Tom started driving. And although silence didn''t necessarily mean there was trouble in paradise, since she didn''t expect them to be chatterboxes simply because they were in love, this wasn''t one of thosefortable silences between couples. Even she was feeling very ufortable by it, and she was reluctant to speak as she doubted that either of them was in the mood to be engaged in a conversation.

    Since she had spent time with Bryan and Sonia earlier in the day and had gotten a glimpse of the nature of their rtionship and how crazy they were about each other, she had wanted to do the same with Tom and Lucy, but the atmosphere in the car was taut.

    She couldn''t help wondering what could have transpired between them to put Tom in the foul mood she had noticed he was trying so hard to hide from Lucy. Merely by observing them, she could tell that the dynamics of their rtionship seemed utterly different from Bryan''s and Sonia''s, who seemed like the type to fight and then have a hot makeup sex. On the contrary, these two looked like they were scared to fight with each other. Like they were tiptoeing around the other''s feelings.

    If she had noticed this earlier, she would have gone along with Bryan and Sonia and given these two privacy to trash out their issue, whatever it was. Or maybe it wasn''t toote to leave them, she thought as she looked ahead to see if Bryan had sped off or if he was still driving slowly ahead of them.

    "Oh, shit!" Jade swore dramatically, and Tom nced at her through the rearview mirror while Lucy turned to look at her.

    "What is wrong?" Tom asked with concern.

    "My phone. I gave it to Sonia, and I forgot to take it back. I need to make an urgent phone call. Can you signal Bryan to stop and maybe pull over?" She asked, and Tom shrugged as he honked three times and pulled over.

    Hearing the signal from Tom, Bryan nced at his rearview mirror, "Why are they stopping?" Bryan asked as he also pulled over.

    "Thanks, Tommy. Never mind me, I will just go with them. Sorry for the trouble," Jade said with a bright smile while Tom watched her as though he could see through her as she got out of the car and hurried down to join Bryan.

    "Is something wrong? Did you have a fight with your favorite brother and get thrown out?" Bryan asked as Jade opened the passenger door and got into the car.

    "You wish. Something is up between those two. I figured they need space," Jade said with concern, and Sonia''s brows pulled together.

    "Why do you say so?" Sonia asked, worried.

    "It''s just a feeling. I could be wrong. I just don''t think they''re fine," Jade said, and Bryan nodded as he started driving again while Sonia prayed that Jade was wrong and everything was fine between them.

    Inside Tom''s car, Lucy kept twisting and untwisting her hands on herp. She couldn''t help feeling very nervous now that they were alone once again. Her heart kept contracting, and her stomach continued to churn.

    She wanted them to talk things through, but this wasn''t the time or the ce for them to have that discussion. She couldn''t let herself be impulsive and raise the subject again as she had done earlier since that was what had put them in this mood. What could she do or say to lighten the mood? She wondered as she stole a nce at him.

    At that exact moment, Tom turned to spare her a nce, and their eyes met. Lucy quickly looked away, and Tom returned his gaze to the road. After a brief moment, he reached out and ced a hand over her hands and patted it to calm her, and Lucy looked into his face.

    "Have you called to reject their offer yet? I mean the foundation," Tom asked, and Lucy shook her head.

    "Not yet. I will do that tomorrow. I didn''t want them to think I turned down their offer too quickly without thinking about it. If I take some time, they will respect my decision more," Lucy said, and Tom''s lips twitched.

    "I see. I was thinking about it. Maybe you should ept their offer," Tom said, and Lucy stiffened.

    "Why? I thought we already agreed that I wouldn''t take it? Didn''t you say that you didn''t want me to do it, so why are you changing your mind?" Lucy asked, trying to block the thoughts that were running through her mind.

    She did not want to think about it and start making assumptions. She wanted to hear from him and understand what he was saying.

    "It has nothing to do with our other conversation," Tom was quick to assure her as he lifted his hands from her suddenly still hands. He sensed that her thoughts were likely going wild already.

    "Okay. So what is it about?" She asked, looking at him expectantly, d that they were having a conversation.

    "I spoke with Harry about it after you left," Tom exined.

    "After I left where?"

    "After lunch," Tom exined and went on to tell her Harry''s suggestion, "I think it''s a good idea, and you should ept the offer while I do my best to deal with them," Tom said, and Lucy pursed her lips.

    "Was that the reason you asked if I had made up my mind on it earlier? Why didn''t you just say so?" Lucy asked, and Tom shrugged.

    "I didn''t know how you were going to take it. And I needed to give it some more thought. I think it''s safer for you to take it," Tom exined, and Lucy''s brows creased as she gave it some thought.

    "Will I have to resign from the job after you have handled Anita and her family?" Lucy asked, thinking about a scenario where she would enjoy the job too much and not want to quit.

    "It''s your choice. You are free to do whatever you want to," Tom said, and his heart twisted painfully at the thought. As painful as it was to utter those words, that was the truth. It was her life, and he couldn''t tell her how to live it or what to do. If he could, then he probably would have asked her to change her thoughts about marriage and marry him when she was mentally ready, but that wasn''t within his power.

    Lucy looked at him. Although they were talking about a different subject, she felt that his statement had an underlying meaning.

    Did he mean that she was free not to get married? Of course, she knew that she was free to do that, the same way she knew that he was free to get married as he wanted, even if with someone else. But that wasn''t what they both wanted, was it?

    "So I should call to let them know I''m epting their offer?" Lucy asked after some time, and Tom nodded.

    "Yeah. You can do that. I will meet with them tomorrow."

    "Alright. I will do that tomorrow then. Thank you," Lucy said politely, and Tom sighed inwardly.

    "This is awkward," he muttered under his breath, not liking the sudden scarcity of topics to discuss.

    "What? Did you say something?" Lucy asked curiously.

    Tom spared her a nce and then pulled over to the side of the road and turned to face her, "What are we doing, Lu? I don''t like this. I don''t like the way I''m feeling right now. I don''t want to feel this way!" Tom said, feeling very frustrated.

    Lucy looked at him with apologetic eyes, d that he was no longer hiding his feelings from her like he had been doing, "I''m sorry. I know it''s my fault that you feel this way. I should have known better than to bring it up when I did and..."

    "Don''t apologize. Whether you brought it up when you did, or years from now, I would still feel this way. I know I''m not handling this as you probably expect me to. I know I should handle it differently and reassure you and not feel this way..."

    "Tom, no one said you are supposed to handle this in any particr way. You have every right to feel the way you do," Lucy said softly as she reached out to touch his hand.

    "I know. And I also know I said we should talk about thister when we are both rxed, but I don''t think I can wait until then. My heart feels tight. I feel like a heavyweight is sitting on my chest, and I need to get it off, or else my mood is going to ruin dad''s party for everyone, and I really don''t want that," Tom confessed, and Lucy leaned over to embrace him.

    "I''m sorry, Tom. I know I caused this, and my heart feels heavy too. I love you so much, Tom, and I never meant to hurt you or myself. What can I do to make you feel better? To make us feel better?" Lucy asked, and Tom pulled away to look into her face.

    "Do you really want me to tell you what you can do to make me feel better? Or are you just asking?" He asked with a yful glint in his eyes, making Lucy''s lips twitch in amusement.

    "This is serious, Tom. Stop joking around," Lucy chided since she could guess what he wanted to say.

    "Yeah. You''re right," Tom said with a sigh.

    "I want to know, Lu. Please tell me what you want. What do you want from me? From this rtionship?" Tom asked, the yfulness out of his eyes now.

 Chapter 328 One Year

    Chapter 328 One Year����"Do you really want to talk about this right now? Right here?" Lucy asked, looking into Tom''s eyes while making wild gestures with her hand to remind him that they were by the roadside.

    "Yes, I want to. I''m not sure I''m ever going to be rxed enough to talk about itter unless we talk about it now. So please tell me, Lu. What do you want?" Tom asked with pleading eyes, and Lucy sighed as she took off her sses and rubbed her eyes.

    "Honestly? I''m not sure I know what I want anymore," Lucy confessed, and Tom felt the first stirring of hope in his heart.

    "You don''t know?"

    "Marriage has never been in my ns. I''ve never thought nor dreamed of getting married all my life. All I''ve ever wanted was to work, make a name for myself and live alone traveling around the world at my leisure. Maybe get a pet, and hopefully have a niece or nephew, or both to dote on. I''ve never thought of marriage, so I don''t know," Lucy said, and Tom nodded.

    "Being in a rtionship was never in your n either, was it?" Tom asked, and Lucy shook her head.

    "It wasn''t."

    "But here we are, right?"

    "It''s different. Being a teenager I didn''t mind rtionships but not marriage. I still don''t think marriage is something I can do."

    That was something that Tom couldn''t understand. Her parents were wonderful, and he had watched them interact long enough to know that they were crazy about each other, so what could have possibly made her decide that she didn''t want to be married?

    "Why? What are you scared of, love? Do you think getting married to me will stop you from achieving your dreams? You can still work, make a name for yourself, travel the world, own whatever pet you want, have nieces and nephews to dote on. I can''t stop you from doing any of that. The only difference is, you will be doing all of that with me in the picture. Sharing your joyous and sad moments with me. Can''t you do that?" Tom asked, and Lucy''s brows pulled together in distress.

    "I don''t know."

    "So does that mean you n to break up with me in the future? Because even if you don''t get married to me and you just decide to date me, I will still be in the picture," Tom said, and tears of confusion gathered in Lucy''s eyes.

    "I don''t want to break up with you, Tom. I''m not sure about how I feel right now. I don''t know if I''m going to change my mind on this subject like I''ve done by being in a rtionship with you. It''s all still too soon," Lucy cried, burying her face in her hands.

    Tom felt slightly relieved. If she was just saying she didn''t want to get married to him because she had never thought of getting married, and not because there was any tangible reason for it, then there was hope that he could convince her otherwise.

    "What about kids? How do you feel about kids?" Tom asked as he reached for her hands, and pulled them away from her face and kissed her palms.

    Lucy shook her head, tears rolling down her cheeks as she looked into his eyes, "I''m not sure I want kids either."

    This was going to be tough, Tom thought as he used his thumb to wipe the tears on her cheeks, "Will a year be enough for you to make up your mind on what you want? I mean you can take a year to think about it and be clear on what you want. All you have to do is promise to keep your mind open to the possibility of marriage and kids," Tom pleaded.

    "A year?" Lucy asked in confusion. That sounded like they were postponing the inevitable to her since they were still going to have to face this issue after a year.

    "Yes. I understand that this is all too sudden. So let''s just focus on enjoying our rtionship for the time being. You can tell me if you want to be my wife or not a year from now," Tom suggested.

    "What if the timees and I still don''t want to get married?" Lucy asked, and Tom shook his head.

    "What if the timees and you want to get married?" Tom asked, countering her thoughts, "Let''s not focus on what ifs. I don''t want us to ruin our precious moments together because we are worrying about the future. The past hour has been awful let''s put it behind us. Now that I know your thoughts on marriage, and you know mine too, let''s leave it at that and give it a year. Who knows? I might be the one not wanting to get married anymore by the end of the year," Tom said on a lighter tone, and Lucy gave him a wobbly smile.

    "Okay. On your dad''s birthday next year we will have this discussion again. For now let''s go home, we are keeping the others waiting," Lucy said, and Tom look away from her to see that Bryan had also parked in front of them.

    "I love you very much, Lucinda Perry," Tom said as he leaned forward and kissed her softly.

    "I know. And I love you too, Thomas Hank," Lucy said with a happy smile, feeling relieved.

    "Good. I feel like the weight has been lifted off my chest. We can go home now," Tom said before signaling to Bryan with a honk that they could leave.

    "I think they''re ready to leave now," Jade said when she heard Tom''s signal, since Bryan and Sonia were too busy necking in the front seat to hear it.

    "It was smart of you to give them space," Bryan said as he pulled away from Sonia and started the car.

    "Of course. They needed to talk. I hope they were able to resolve their difference," Jade said, while Sonia took out her phone to chat with Lucy to find out what was going on.

    "Who knows? Maybe they just needed to make out," Bryan said with a grin as he resumed driving.

    "Nah. Tom is more decent than you are. He won''t make out in public," Jade said in Tom''s defense, and Bryan hooted withughter.

    "You don''t know your favorite brother as much as you think you do after all," Bryan said with a smirk, and turned to look at Sonia who was yet to say a word but she seemed to be busy with her phone.

    "What? Why do you say that? Did he make out in public?" Jade asked curiously, cing her head between the two front seats to look at Bryan.

    "Something like that. I don''t know what dirty thing he was doing to Lucy yesterday, but she was making strangled moans while we were all gathered together in the Den, and everyone assumed the sound wasing from Sonia and me."

    "Naturally," Jade said as she hooted withughter, "I can''t believe that our gentleman brother would do something like that in public though. It sounds more like something you would do," Jade said in amazement.

    "You had better start believing that maybe your darling gentleman brother isn''t as gentle as he appears," Bryan said with a proud smile as he stepped on the gas pedal.

    Once they arrived at Tom''s mansion and got out of the car, all three of them waited for Tom and Lucy to join them.

    By the time Tom and Lucy got out of the car, they were bothughing hard as Tom narrated his experience at the mall to Lucy, and how he wished she had been there to grab his ass like she had done in front of Cora after work.

    "We may have to be going out in disguise now. I''m d I haven''t thrown away my costume yet. I will get some for you. Maybe a pink hair," Tom suggested.

    Lucyughed softly, "You should probably get me a purple moustache too. I''m going to be disguised as a male. How about I just apply as your male personal assistant?" She said, making Tomugh as he reached into the backseat of the car to take out the bag containing the stuff Lucy had bought earlier at the department store.

    Sonia, Bryan, and Jade felt varying degrees of relief as they watched the coupleughing happily, "All is well with their world again. I guess we can expect more moans tonight at the party," Bryan said as he went to open the car''s trunk to take out the bags.

    Tom ced a hand around Lucy''s waist as they joined the others. Once they got to where Bryan was standing with the bags, Tom took his backpack and Lucy''s suitcase from Bryan, "I suppose you guys can bring in the rest stuff?" He asked, and without waiting for a response he led Lucy to the door, leaving the rest of them to bring in all they had gotten for their dad''s party.

    "I''m suppose to carry a bag, but Lucy is going in without carrying anything?" Sonia asked incredulously. Not only had Lucy not responded to her texts earlier, she had been staring at Tom the whole time that she had barely looked at her. Oh, Wow! What a best friend.

    "She''s carrying the man''s heart in her hands, and he''s carrying her stuff," Bryan said with a chuckle, while Sonia eyed the bags.

    "Well, I''m carrying your heart too in my hands. Jade isn''t carrying anyone''s heart yet, so you both cane in with the bags," Sonia said as she hurried after Tom and Lucy, leaving Jade who was ring at her and Bryan who wasughing in amusement.

    "You know your girlfriend is crazy, right?" Jade asked, making himugh even more.

    "That''s an understatement. She is actually very crazy," Bryan said with a grin as he handed Jade her duffel bag, "If only Harry was here, I''m sure he would have offered to carry your bag like Tom did for Lucy," Bryan taunted, and Jade hissed at him.

    "Take the rest of the stuff in yourself," Jade said as she picked up the wrapped box of wristwatch and walked away.

 Chapter 329 Dinner Preparations

    Chapter 329 Dinner Preparations����"Where did they all go?" Tom asked Samantha with a concerned frown after he dropped his and Lucy''s bags in the bedroom and returned downstairs, but there was no trace of their parents.

    Samantha shrugged, "They didn''t say. They just seemed pretty excited to go out, and your mother asked Adolf to drive them in the limo. They took Jamal along with them," She said, and Tom exchanged a look with Lucy.

    "Did you tell your dad about the surprise?" Tom asked, and Sonia, who had just joined them, gave Lucy a questioning look.

    "You told him that your dad asked us to remind them?" Sonia asked incredulously, eyeing Lucy like she was a traitor.

    "Yes."

    "No," Lucy and Tom said simultaneously, and Sonia rolled her eyes at Tom, who was trying to cover for Lucy.

    "She didn''t need to tell us. She only confirmed what we already knew. We are smart enough to figure it out on our own. Maybe if just one of you had reminded us, it would have been less suspicious than the both of you doing it at around the same time after speaking with Andrew privately," Tom told Sonia, and she rolled her eyes.

    "If you were that smart, then you wouldn''t have forgotten your dad''s birthday in the first ce," Sonia said with a tsk, and Jade, who just joined them,ughed while Samantha and Lucy struggled to keep a straight face.

    Tom scowled at Sonia, "In case you missed it, your boyfriend is the least smart amongst the Hank siblings," Tom fired back, and this time both Lucy and Samantha joined in Jade''sughter since the joke wasn''t at Tom''s expense.

    "And that proves my point," Tom said, pointing at Bryan, who was walking in their direction, hugging the bag containing the bottle of wines to himself and using his chin to bnce it while also carrying the two bags containing all the snacks they had gotten, and from the looks of him some of the snacks had fallen out of the bag, and he couldn''t wait to set it all down.

    "What proves what?" Bryan asked as Sonia took the bags of snacks from him.

    "Carry all of that alone proves that you are not very smart. Because if you were, you would havee in with just Jade''s duffel bag and asked any of the household staff to bring in the rest stuff from the car," Tom pointed out, and Bryan scoffed as he dropped the bag of wine on the dining table, while Samantha retraced his steps to pick up whatever must have fallen out of the bag on his way in.

    "Yeah, I''m the same not very smart brother you asked for advice on how to woo your girlfriend," Bryan said dryly, and Lucy looked at Tom while Sonia snickered at him.

    "Yeah, the same advice that almost blew up in my face..."

    "No, brother. It wasn''t my advice that almost blew up in your face. I never asked you to lie to her. I may not be smart, but I''m not a liar. Right, baby?" Bryan asked Sonia.

    "You''re smart, baby, and you''re definitely not a liar, my love," Sonia said with a grin as she kissed his cheek, and Tom eyed the both of them irritably.

    "Tom isn''t a liar, and I''m sure whatever advise you gave him must not have been very good either since you obviously didn''t advise him to tell the truth," Lucy said in Tom''s defense, and Tom smiled at her.

    Sonia and Lucy scowled at each other while Bryan and Tom red at each other. Jade, who had been enjoying the banter, shook her head, "C''mon, children. No fighting!"

    "Nobody is fighting. It''s just a harmless... debate," Tom said, and Bryan scoffed.

    "Oh, wow! A couples debate, I wish I wasn''t so single so that I could join in," Jade said dryly.

    "I doubt that Harry would have anything interesting to say if it''s not about work. You called him boring after all..."

    "Harry is not boring," Jade and Tom snapped at him simultaneously, and Bryan shook his head.

    "It is no wonder that Tom is your favorite sibling. All three of you are boring," Bryan said, and without waiting for their response, he looked around, "So why is the ce quiet? Where are mom and dad?" He asked curiously, reminding them of the reason they were all standing there.

    "Samantha said they all went out," Tom informed him before turning to Lucy, "So? Did you tell your dad anything about our n? Maybe he found a way to take them out of the house so that..."

    "No, I didn''t say anything to him," Lucy said before Tom could finish, and he gave her a nod.

    "When did they leave the house?" Jade asked Samantha, who had returned to join them.

    "Sometime around Eleven, I think," Samantha said.

    "Does that mean they went out to celebrate his birthday? Without us?" Bryan asked, and Jade pursed her lips thoughtfully.

    "I think so. This is probably for the best. Let''s organize the ce and freshen up before they get back," Jade suggested, pping her hands to get them started.

    "The cake and food are ready, I hope?" Tom asked Samantha.

    "Yes, sir. Everything is ready," Samantha said with a polite smile.

    "And I can trust that Adolf isn''t aware of the surprise n?" Tom asked since he had counted on the fact that Samantha and Adolf were always at loggerheads before entrusting her with the secret.

    "I made sure he didn''te anywhere close to the kitchen," Samantha said, and Tom nodded in approval.

    "We can have dinner out on the patio, right?" Jade asked, and Tom gave her a nod.

    "Patio?" Lucy asked, realizing that there were still so many parts of the house that she was yet to see. She hadn''t even thought that there was a patio.

    "Yes, the patio.

    I think it''ll be more intimate if we all sit outside and enjoy the evening air," Jade exined, considering that Lucy was asking because she didn''t hear her correctly.

    "You don''t have to worry about setting the table. We will set the table ourselves," Jade assured Samantha before looking around, "Where is Candace?"

    "She is in the guestroom, Miss Hank. Your parents wanted her to go with them, but she insisted on staying back," Samantha exined, and Jade nodded.

    "Please send someone to let her know that I''m here now," Jade said as she took off her shoes, "Let''s meet down here in ten minutes to set the table. I need to get out of these clothes," Jade called to the others as she headed for the stairs.

    "I didn''t know the house had a patio," Lucy whispered to Tom as they both headed upstairs to get out of their work clothes.

    "I will give you a tour of the ce tomorrow," Tom promised as he took her hand.

    Once they got into the bedroom, Lucy walked into the closet with the shopping bag and discreetly transferred the tampons into her box before returning with the bag.

    "What is your dad''s shoe size?" Lucy asked as she took out the shower gel from the shopping bag and ced it on the dressing table before going to drop the shopping bag on the bed.

    "I think he wears a size ten," Tom said thoughtfully as Lucy came to stand in front of him with her back to him. And as though he had been trained to do it all his life, he reached for the zipper of her dress and unzipped it to reveal her whitece bralette and matching pant.

    "Thanks," Lucy said as she stepped away from him, "I think this will fit him," she said as she took out the memory foam slippers from the shopping bag and showed it to him.

    "You got my dad a birthday gift?" Tom asked, surprised and pleased by the gesture as he admired the slippers.

    "I got a pair of these for my dad two years ago, and he really loved them. I think your dad will like it too. What do you think?" Lucy asked as she returned the slippers to the bag and shrugged off her dress.

    "I think I''m jealous of my dad," Tom said, and Lucyughed as she stepped out of her office dress and ced it in theundry basket.

    Tom watched her in surprise since she didn''t seem embarrassed as she usually was to take off her clothes in front of him. He didn''tment on it and just followed her movement with his eyes as she walked into the closet to find something to wear.

    "No need to be jealous. Don''t worry. I promise to get you something better on your birthday," she called out to him, "What do you think I should wear?"

    "Somethingfortable. I could give you one of my t-shirts," Tom offered as he walked into the closet to join her.

    "Why haven''t you taken off your clothes yet?" Lucy asked when she raised her head and noticed that he was still fully dressed, apart from his shoes which he had taken off the moment they walked into the bedroom.

    "Because I''m waiting for you to do it. I told you it''s your duty to undress me until you can look at my naked body without feeling embarrassed, remember?" He said, and she raised a brow.

    "You said you would undress me too, but I just did so myself," she pointed out.

    "I could take off your undies if you want me to, but what I can''t assure you is that we will make it downstairs in time to set the table with the others," Tom said with a naughty smile, and Lucyughed.

    "And you believe I have more self-control than you do? Take off your clothes," Lucy ordered as she unzipped her suitcase and took out a ck mini jean skirt and a floral patterned t-shirt.

    "That sounds hot," Tom joked, and Lucy giggled.

    "What is going to be hot is your sister''s temper when she gets there before you. Join us when you''re ready," Lucy said as she walked out of the closet with her clothes in hand and went to dress up in front of the mirror.

    She was d that she and Tom had been able to put the unpleasantness of earlier behind them. Now the major thing on her mind was how she was going to tell Lucas about Rachel.

    She was going to have to tell him about it at some point that evening, as she doubted that she would find the courage to tell him about it if she kept it to herself for much longer.

    "Are you okay?" Tom asked as he stepped out of the closet, already dressed in a white t-shirt and jean shorts, while she was just buttoning her t-shirt.

    "Yeah. If you were Lucas, would you want me to tell our parents about Rachel first before telling you?" Lucy asked curiously.

    "The wise thing would be to tell your parents so that you all find a way to tell him about it as a family, but the best thing for him would be to tell him about it first. I''m not sure I would appreciate it if either Jade or Bryan went behind me to tell my parents something about you," Tom said, and Lucy nodded.

    "So I have to tell Lucas about Rachel before telling my parents," Lucy said, and Tom nodded.

    "We could just tell our parents together at the same time. Why don''t you stay back and give Lucas a call right now? Then we can tell our parents about Anita and Rachel after dinner tonight?" Tom asked, and Lucy shook her head.

    "It can wait. I have to join you guys in setting up..."

    "It shouldn''t wait. I will do your share of the work. I''m sure the others will understand. Just give him a call right now, and join us when you are done," Tom said as he leaned forward and pressed his lips to her forehead before walking out of the bedroom.

 Chapter 330 Resignation

    Chapter 330 Resignation����Lucas sat on the edge of the bed he had spent most of his childhood with his face buried in his hands as he thought about his life.

    Submitting his resignation letter had been more difficult than he had thought possible. The hospital''s medical director had refused to ept it and had insisted that he give him a proper exnation for his resignation.

    "You are one of my best doctors. I would be crazy to let you leave," the medical director had said, throwing Lucas'' resignation letter in the trashcan as he got off his seat.

    "I understand how you feel, Dr. Drew, but I''m sorry, my mind is made up," Lucas said apologetically.

    "No, you don''t understand! I''m retiring by the end of the year, and I was going to hand over to you. How can you just quit? How can your mind be made up? You asked for some time off, and I gave it to you. If you need some more time off, then you can have it, but I''m not letting you go, Lucas. You are not just a doctor here; you are also my friend," Dr. Drew insisted even though he was old enough to be Lucas'' father.

    Lucas was almost tempted to tell him that ying tennis with him in his spare time hardly made them friends. But that would be too rude considering that it seemed like the man actually considered him a friend. He had always thought the man invited him to y tennis with him because he was bored.

    "I can''t continue to work here," Lucas insisted.

    "Why? What is wrong? Did you get a better offer? Is there something I can do?" Dr. Drew asked, looking at him with such concern in his eyes that Lucas started to feel guilty.

    "It is not you. And this has nothing to do with getting a better offer either. I''m just done here. I''m done with this phase of my life, don''t you get it?" Lucas asked in a half yell, and Dr. Drew took a closer look at him when he heard the frustration in his voice.

    "Are you okay? Are the wedding ns stressing you out?" He asked when he noticed Lucas'' bloodshot eyes.

    "No. It''s not the wedding. The wedding is off. We are not getting married anymore," Lucas said, making Dr. Drew move away from his desk.

    "You are not getting married anymore? Did Rachel break up with you?" He asked in surprise since he knew that they had been dating since their high school days.

    "Are you okay?" He asked as an afterthought thinking that Lucas was heartbroken because Rachel dumped him.

    Lucas took in a deep breath, "I ended things with Rachel. Her father got me this job and..."

    "Is that it? So you are quitting because you broke up with her? Did you think I''m going to fire a young doctor of your caliber because you had a fallout with your fiance, and my friend wants me to fire you? You think I gave you this job just because of your rtionship with my friend''s daughter?" Dr. Drew asked incredulously.

    "It doesn''t matter. None of that matters. I don''t want any ties with her or her family. I don''t want them to think they made me who I am. I don''t want to ever have to feel like I owe them. I''m deeply sorry," Lucas said with a shake of his head.

    "Even if you''ve made up your mind, you will have to give at least four weeks'' notice as stated in our agreement. Not that I can ever rece a doctor of your worth, but I will need time to get someone to take over from you. What about your patients?" Dr. Drew asked, and Lucas shook his head once again.

    "Take a good look at me, Dr. Drew. Do you honestly think that I''m in the state of mind to handle any case at the moment?" Lucas asked, and without waiting for Dr. Drew to say anything else, he gave him a polite bow and walked out of the office.

    Somehow, before he got to his office, news had spread all over the clinic, and two female nurses and a male nurse were waiting for him outside his office.

    "Dr. Perry, is it true? Are you really leaving us?" One of thedies asked as he approached.

    "It''s true. I know it is sudden, and I''m sorry. But I have to go," Lucas said as he walked past them into his office, not willing to be drawn into another emotional confrontation since he could already see the tears gathered in the eyes of one of the nurses who he knew had a crush on him.

    As he packed his belongings into a box, there was a knock on his office door, and he took a deep breath, "Come in."

    The door opened, and his heart broke when ady wheeled her twelve-year-old son, who was his patient, into his office, "Dr. Perry..." The child''s voice broke when his eyes fell on the box which was partially filled with Lucas'' personal effects, and tears gathered in his eyes.

    In his misery, he had forgotten about most of his patients, "Denv," Lucas called softly as he went around his desk to meet the child who had been his patient for the past two years.

    "Please don''t leave," the young boy begged as tears flowed down his cheeks.

    "Please don''t do that," Lucas pleaded as he crunched down in front of the kid and brushed away the kid''s tears with his thumb.

    "Why are you leaving, Dr. Perry?" The kid''s mother asked, sounding equally emotional.

    "I need a break. I need a change of environment. I''m sorry," Lucas apologized.

    "What is going to happen to me?"

    "Dr. Drew is going to take care of you, and then you will be all better and go back to doing what kids your age do," Lucas said, trying to sound cheerful.

    "But I don''t want Dr. Drew. I don''t want any other doctor. It''s you I want. Where are you going to? Maybe mom can bring me there so that you can continue to treat me and make me feel better," the little boy cried, and Lucas knew that he needed to leave before other patients got hold of the news.

    "I''m just going to travel for the time being. I''m taking a break from work. You know what you can do?" Lucas asked as he straightened up, and the kid shook his head.

    "You can always call me whenever nurse Abigailes with the big needle you fear so much, and even though I won''t be there to hold your hands physically, you will hear my voice and know that I''m with you," Lucas promised.

    "Always?" The kid asked, and Lucas nodded.

    "Always," Lucas promised, and then he leaned forward to embrace the child before stepping back, "I have to leave now before the other patients start trooping in. If I have to give every one of them my contact line to reach me, then I might not be able to receive the call of my favorite patient when Nurse Abigailes with the big needle," Lucas said as he ruffled the kid''s hair yfully, and the kid gave him a wobbly smile.

    "I''m going to see you again, right?" The kid asked hopefully.

    "Sure. As long as you receive your treatment and don''t give the next doctor a hard time, we will definitely see. Now return to your ward," Lucas said before ncing at the kid''s mother.

    "Take care of him. And don''t worry, he is in safe hands here," Lucas assured her, and she wiped her tears as she embraced him before wheeling her son out of his office.

    Now seated on his bed, Lucas felt a shudder run through his body as he thought about his job, his colleagues, his patients, and the life he loved but had to give up so that he could cut ties with Rachel and her family. For the first time since he broke up with her, he had a deep feeling of sadness, and before he knew it, he began to sob uncontrobly.

    He slid off the edge of the bed and sat on the floor as he wept. He didn''t know how long he sat there crying until he heard the sound of his phone ringing.

    He ignored it at first and just went to the bathroom to run some water over his face. He looked back at his reflection in the mirror and sighed when he noticed the five o''clock shadow on his face.

    He felt exhausted. He was emotionally, physically, and psychologically drained. He wanted nothing more than to just be left on his own. He wanted to sleep. He was going to head over to the apartment he shared with Rachel the next day to pack up his personal stuff. She could have the furniture and whatever else. All he wanted was his clothes and his peace. He craved peace the most at the moment.

    As he returned to the bed, he picked up his phone, which had started ringing again for the third time, and he cleared his throat when he realized that it was Lucy before receiving the call, "Sup?" He asked, trying to sound more cheerful than he felt. If at all there was anything in his life to be joyful about at the moment.

    "How are you feeling now, Luc?" Lucy asked in concern, after making up her mind that she would keep the information away from him if he sounded the least bit weird.

    "Exhausted. I finally cried. Rachel came over to the house earlier, and I handed in my resignation letter today. It was pretty tough," Lucas confessed.

    "Rachel was there? What did she want?" Lucy asked, torn between her anger at Rachel and her sadness for Lucas.

    Lucas decided not to tell her that Rachel had broken in through the kitchen window, "To make up. But I made it clear that I was done," Lucas assured her.

    "Alright. Your boss, what did he say about your resignation?" Lucy asked curiously.

    "He tried to convince me not to resign, but I didn''t give in. Anyway, I''m done with that. It''s all behind me now," Lucas said, trying to make light of it so that Lucy wouldn''t know just how affected he was by it all.

    "I''m so sorry, Luc," Lucy said; her heart felt very heavy as she listened to him. More than anything, she wished she didn''t have to break this news to him and add to all that was happening in his life at the moment. Just how much could a man take at once? How much could Lucas take?

    "You don''t have to be sorry. I''m fine, I assure you. I just need to take some time off to myself, and I can assure you that I will be fine," Lucas said confidently. Not only to convince Lucy but also to convince himself that the ache in his heart would stop and he would feel better sometime soon.

    "I hope so. I really hope so," Lucy said with a sigh.

    "How are mom and dad? I''m going to move my stuff from the apartment I shared with Rachel tomorrow. I will leave them here before traveling."

    "Have you made up your mind on a ce you''re traveling to?"

    "Not yet. When it''s time, I will know," Lucas said.

    "Alright," Lucy said as the little coward in her head suggested that she ept what he was saying and hang up the call. But she couldn''t. Her heart was beating really fast as she tried to organize the words in her head.

    "Did you just call to check on me?" Lucas asked, suspecting that Lucy wanted to say something.

    "Uhm, no," Lucy said and shut her eyes tightly as she tried to summon all the courage she could to say what needed to be said.

    "What is it?" Lucas asked, his guards up when he heard the weariness in her voice. He didn''t know how but could tell that whatever she wanted to say wasn''t going to be good.

    "We found out the person behind me and Sonia''s scandal. Her name is Anita Miller. She is Rachel''s cousin," Lucy rushed to say.

 Chapter 331 Broken

    Chapter 331 Broken����"Where is Lucy?" Jade asked when Tom joined her on the patio, and she didn''t see Lucy with him.

    "I left her upstairs. She has to make an important phone call," Tom said, and Jade nodded.

    "I suppose she is telling her twin brother about his ex-fiancee?" Jade asked thoughtfully since that was the only thing she could think of that would keep Lucy upstairs. Not that she thought Lucy didn''t have other important things to attend to, but from the way Tom had said it, she could tell it was an unpleasant phone call.

    "Yeah."

    "That must be tough. You should have stayed up with her," Jade said, and Tom''s brows pulled together.

    "Maybe I should have. Buttely, I feel like I''m being overly protective of her and treating her like she is too fragile and would break under the least amount of pressure. I figured I give her space to handle this on her own. She loves being independent," Tom said with a shrug, but Jade could tell that he was worried about Lucy.

    Jade sighed, "I feel sorry for them both," Jade said, not knowing how she would feel if she was in their shoes. She wasn''t even directly involved, yet the mere thought of it made her heart ache.

    "Me too. Earlier in the car, you didn''t forget your phone with Sonia, did you?" Tom changed the subject since it was making him want to return upstairs to be with Lucy.

    Jade shed him a smile as he joined her in bringing three tables together to form a long table that would amodate them all, "How did you know?"

    "Because I''m your older brother, and I can always tell when you''re telling a lie," Tom said with a shrug.

    "Yeah. Why do I always forget that? You both looked like you needed to talk, so I decided to give you space since I know that you won''t have the privacy to do that untilte at night," Jade said, and Tom reached out to ruffle her hair.

    "Thanks. It helped."

    "Do you want to tell me what you both were fighting about? Or were you both that way because you told Lucy about Rachel?" Jade asked as she draped a floral tablecloth over the tables while Tom spread it out at the other end of the table.

    "It wasn''t a fight. We just had a lot on our mind," Tom said, not wanting to talk about it. He wanted nothing more than to put it behind him.

    "Where is Lucy?" Sonia asked as she and Bryan joined them, and she noticed that Lucy wasn''t with them.

    "She is upstairs. She will join us soon," Tom said as he moved to arrange some ss cups on the table.

    "I get that. But what is she doing?" Sonia asked with concern, and this time Tom paused what he was doing and looked at her.

    "She is probably on the phone with Lucas. We agreed that since we will be telling our parents about Anita after dinner, she should talk to Lucas about Rachel first," Tom said, guessing that Lucy had probably already told Sonia about Rachel''s role in everything.

    "Oh, fuck! I''m going upstairs to stay with her," Sonia said and quickly walked away.

    "Her loyalty to Lucy is admirable," Jade said, d that at least Lucy would have the support of Sonia when she had to break the news to her brother.

    "They''re her family," Bryan murmured. He wasn''t looking forward to the moment they would have to break the news to their parents either. He would really hate to see Lucy''s cheerful parents sad.

    "Let''s get to work, guys," Jade pped her hands to get the attention of both her brothers, who looked like they would rather be upstairs with Lucy and Sonia than down there preparing for their father''s party.

    **********

    The line was silent for a moment after Lucy''s statement as Lucas tried to process the piece of information he had just received.

    He knew Rachel''s second cousin, Anita Miller. Since Anita was the closest in age to Rachel in the family, they were more like sisters, but Rachel oftenined about how her mother always asked her to be more like her cousin Anita who was moreposed and organized than she was.

    As a matter of fact, he remembered having met her once over the years when she visited Rachel''s home, and he also remembered saying hi to her over the phone a couple of times when she spoke with Rachel over the phone in his presence. She was even supposed to be Rachel''s maid of honor.

    He understood the rtionship between Rachel and Anita, but what he could not understand was the connection between Anita and Lucy''s scandal.

    Although he was angry with Rachel and wanted nothing more to do with her, he believed she must have told Anita about it during a harmless conversation without knowing that Anita had other intentions. He doubted that Rachel could have asked Anita to do something like that. Rachel was clingy and annoyingly possessive, but he believed he knew her well enough to know what she was capable of and not. He didn''t think that she would intentionally do something like that to hurt either Lucy or him. Especially not when it was that close to their wedding.

    "Luc?" Lucy called softly, wanting to know if he was still there. This was the least of the confession, so if he couldn''t take even this one, she might just have to keep the rest of it to herself and risk his angerter.

    "I know her. I''ve met her before at Rachel''s ce," Lucas exined.

    Lucy cleared her throat nervously, "I see! Anyway, I think Rachel must have talked to her about my... About what happened in the past..."

    "I''m sorry to interrupt you, but do you know Anita personally? I mean, have you crossed paths with her to make her want to do something like this to you?" Lucas cut in, wanting to know why Anita could have done that.

    As far as he knew, Lucy didn''t know Anita, and he had never really talked to Lucy about her either since they hardly ever spoke about his rtionship with Rachel.

    "Kind of," Lucy said as she paced the room.

    Hearing this, Lucas felt slightly relieved that he had been right and Anita hadn''t done that just because of his rtionship with Rachel. It would have been devastating to know that Lucy suffered such public humiliation because of him.

    "You remember that time I called to seek your advice?" She asked and stopped pacing when Sonia pushed open the door gently.

    "You mean the time you needed my advice concerning your colleague''s friend and her driver?" Lucas asked, trying to lighten the mood since it was making him too anxious.

    If what she wanted to say wasn''t serious, Lucy would probably haveughed. But she was too nervous to be amused, "Yes, that time. Anita was thedy I thought he was in love with," Lucy said, and Lucas listened patiently as she exined how she had gotten close to Anita, who was Tom''s employee, and how she had gotten to learn that they had both been involved in a rtionship without Anita knowing Tom''s true identity. How Anita had ruined the rtionship because she thought he wasn''t wealthy, and now she wanted him back.

    Lucas thought about it as she spoke. He could remember overhearing Rachel''s discussion with Anita over the phone a few months back about a wealthy guy she had just met and was seeing, and he still remembered how Rachel hadughed heartily some weekster when she was telling him that the guy Anita was seeing wasn''t as wealthy as he had made Anita believe, and Anita was trying to shake him off politely. So that guy was Tom? Was the world really so small that they all had to cross paths this way?

    "Well, I guess it''s a good thing that I ended things with Rachel. It seems like everyone in that family is nuts," Lucas said, thinking that was all.

    "Yeah. But... There is more," Lucy said in a very small voice. Her hand was beginning to tremble, so Sonia led her to sit on one of the sofas in the room, and Sonia ced an arm around Lucy forfort.

    "What?" Lucas asked cautiously now, hoping that it had nothing to do with Rachel''s direct involvement in this.

    Although she appreciated Sonia''s presence, Lucy was too nervous to sit down, so she stood up and paced around the room as she tried to organize her words, "In the course of trying to find evidence against Anita, Tom hired someone to keep an eye on her, and the person kind of nted a device in her office, so that was how we overheard..." She paused to take in a deep breath.

    "Oh, God! I''m sorry, Luc. I''m really sorry about this. I''d rather not tell you, but I know that it is important and I have to tell you. I just hope you won''t think..."

    "Slow down, Lu. You are making me anxious. Take a deep breath and tell me what is wrong, please," Lucas interrupted. He knew that the only time Lucy talked so much and so fast at the same time was when she was nervous about something, and from the quavering sound of her voice, he could tell that she was struggling not to cry.

    "We think Rachel helped Jamie..."

    Lucas'' heart stopped and almost doubled over when he felt a sharp pain in his heart the moment he heard Rachel''s name in the same sentence as Jamie''s. He didn''t need her toplete the sentence to know what it meant.

    "Rachel knew Jamie?" Lucas asked in a strangled voice, unable to get the words out.

    Tears gathered in Lucy''s voice when she heard the undeniable pain in Lucas'' voice, "I don''t know. We are not sure. Maybe it''s nothing..."

    "Don''t do that, Lu. Please don''t," Lucas pleaded as the first tear dropped from his eyes, knowing that Lucy was trying to make it sound like nothing so that he wouldn''t feel hurt even though he knew that she was broken too.

    "I''m sorry, Luc..." Lucy''s voice hitched, and she broke into a sob. She felt sorry for both herself and her brother, who had been victims of both Jamie''s and Rachel''s unhealthy affection.

    Immediately Sonia took the phone from her, "Luc," Sonia called softly.

    "Sony, what is she saying? Why is she crying? Is it true? Did Rachel really know Jamie?" Lucas asked in a shaky voice as confused tears ran down his cheek while he clutched the left part of his chest, which felt like it was going to explode.

    "I''m sorry, Luc. We don''t know for sure how she could have helped Jamie. But from Anita''s end of their phone conversation, it sounded like Rachel assisted Jamie," Sonia exined, and tears rolled down her cheeks as she watched Lucy, who was now sitting on the couch with both legs drawn up, and her face buried in her hands as she cried.

    She could also hear Lucas''bored breath as he struggled to speak, "I... I can''t talk now..." Lucas was gasping for breath as he hung up the call and let the phone fall off his hand which was trembling as he shook his head in denial, and shut his eyes tightly.

    Rachel? Thedy he had been in love with for over ten years? Someone he would have sworn with his life was incapable of hurting a fly? She had helped Jamie abduct his sister and had been beside him all these years? No. Rachel loved him. She would never do something as unforgivable as that to him. She wouldn''t.

    The more he tried to convince himself that all of this was a misunderstanding, the more his brain dug up some details of that time that he had ignored.

    He remembered Rachel had kept pressing him to see if he knew who Lucy''s prom date was. He had tried to find out from Lucy, but she had said it was a secret, and he had told Rachel so.

    He remembered how Rachel had kept insisting that they leave without Lucy that prom night since she said she was waiting for her prom date.

    Rachel had been aware that their parents were going out for their anniversary dinner date, so it was possible she had been the one who passed that piece of information to Jamie since even Sonia had not been aware of the dinner date.

    He remembered how she had been busy on her phone at some point, and whenever he started looking around for Lucy at the party, she would insist that Lucy was probably busy having fun somewhere, so he should not worry about Lucy and give her his attention instead.

    He remembered how she had made sure that his ss was never empty all through the night.

    "Oh, God! Please, no! No!" Lucas cried as he raised his hand to his head, wanting to block out these thoughts. His whole body was trembling as different emotions choked him.

    He wouldn''t have been as broken as this had he been told that Rachel cheated on him. He could even forgive her for that. But something like this? No. He couldn''t. He didn''t want it to be true. He didn''t want it to be true that Lucy had gone through all of that simply because he had been in love with someone like Rachel and had trusted her like a fool.

    His head was aching. His heart was hurting. He wanted to scream, but he couldn''t. Not when he was struggling to breathe. Maybe it was better this way. He deserved to die for loving and trusting a person like Rachel. If only he hadn''t been too trusting, none of that would have happened to Lucy.

 Chapter 332 Need

    Chapter 332 Need����"I think everything is set. The only thing missing now is the celebrant," Jade said with a satisfied smile as she looked around the patio, which had been decorated with colorful ribbons and birthday foil balloons that spelled out ''HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD'' in an arc at the entrance of the patio, such that it would be the first thing Desmond sees when he walks through the door.

    On the table, different trays of hors d''oeuvres were arranged, consisting of canapes, toast points spread with foie gras, mini quiche, and jelly tarts. Various bottles of wines and wine sses adorned the table, with a transparent flower jar at the center, which contained a mixture of white roses and tulips.

    "Good. Excuse me then," Tom said as he quickly walked away and returned to the house. Although he had been busy with the decorations, his mind had been in the bedroom upstairs all through, especially as it was over forty-five minutes already, and Lucy was yet to join them.

    "Me too," Bryan said as he followed Tom.

    Jade sighed as she sat down. She knew that they were both worried about their girlfriends. She was too. She was at least d that their parents had all gone out to have fun since somehow she had a feeling that the evening wouldn''t be as much fun as they would have all loved it to be for their father. Shit was about to get real for everyone.

    "Hey!" Candace greeted cautiously from the doorway, and Jade turned to look at her.

    "Hey, Candace!" She called with a friendly smile as she stood and went to embrace her. Although they weren''t exactly friends, Jade felt some sort of connection with her, maybe because of how much that case had meant to the both of them two years ago.

    She had needed the case to distract herself just after learning about herte boyfriend''s infidelity, and she had also pursued it to secure the partnership that her firm had promised if she was able to close the case. She had desperately wanted to be the youngest senior partner in her firm at the time. Candace, on the other hand, had needed her to crack the case so that she, her sister, and her son would be free from Jero.

    "I''ve been waiting for you," Jade said as she broke the hug to look into Candace''s face. Although she had been busy with the decorations, she had been expecting Candace.

    "I''m sorry I kept you waiting. I was busy doing someundry, and it took them quite some time to locate me," Candace said with an apologetic smile, "This looks perfect," she said, looking around the patio.

    "You are wee to join us for dinner tonight. Please, have a seat," Jade gestured to a chair as she sat down.

    Candace took the seat beside Jade and folded both hands on herp, bracing herself for the unpleasant subject Jade wanted to discuss with her.

    "How have you been enjoying your stay here? I hear my parents have taken quite a liking to Jamal," Jade said, wanting to start with an easy conversation to rx her before talking about Jero.

    The way Candace''s guarded eyes suddenly lit up with an easy smile showed her love for her son, "Yeah. The feeling is mutual. Last night he asked if he could call Evelyn grandma and J grandmum," Candace said, and Jadeughed.

    "Really? Why grandma and grandmum?" Jade asked curiously.

    Candace grinned, "Apparently, his seven-year-old brain thinks that Evelyn should be called grandma because she appears to be older than J. He has always whined about not having grandparents when most of the kids he knows have grandparents to dote on them," Candace said with a wistful smile.

    "I''m sure my mother would be more than delighted to hear him call her that," Jade said as she ced a hand over Candace''s hand, which was now resting on the table.

    "I''m very sorry about Andy," Jade said, looking at Candace with earnest eyes.

    "Don''t be. I thought about it. I''m sure there was nothing you could have done," Candace said in a resigned tone.

    "Still, I want you to know that I''m deeply sorry. If there were something I could have done to stop it without putting her at risk, I would have. But Cassidy was already a step ahead of me," Jade said, feeling slightly embarrassed to admit that.

    "As I said, it''s not your fault. I should have known better than to leave her behind, regardless of how stubborn she was. Besides, we both know that is not the worst thing that could have happened to her. I believe that she will be fine," Candace said, and Jade nodded, wanting to believe so too.

    "Do you think maybe your sister likes him too? I would hate to think I left her to an abuser," Jade said, the one thing that had been troubling her.

    "I''m not sure how Andy feels towards him... She never really liked to talk about that part of her life... I always thought it shamed her, and I felt guilty because she wouldn''t be living that way if I hadn''t gotten in a rtionship with Jero," Candace said, staring down at her hands guiltily, "I don''t know exactly what happened between them, but I know that Cassidy was fond of her. Did Andy protest? Did she sound scared?" Candace asked a question she realized she should have asked the moment Jade called that night.

    Jade shook her head, "No."

    "Then it''s fine. She will be okay. Before you say anything else, I''ll like to say this. I don''t care about whatever deal you made with Jero. I''m not taking Jamal anywhere near him..." Candace said, and then she raised a finger to stop Jade from interrupting her.

    "You might not exactly understand my decision because you are not a mother yet, but I expect you to ept it. I can''t take Jamal anywhere close to that monster. I don''t care if he has changed or not. Jamal has only just recently stopped asking for his father. I don''t want to go through that phase again," Candace said, making it clear that her mind was made up.

    Jade took a deep breath. She didn''t need to be a mother to understand Candace''s need to keep her son away from Jero, "What about you? Are you going to see him?"

    "Let him know that I will see him, but Jamal won''t being with me. The best I can do for him is give him a photo of Jamal. If that isn''t good enough for him, then he can rot in hell for all I care."

    "I think I can work with that. I will arrange for us to travel tomorrow if you don''t mind."

    "Jamal can remain here, right? Just until Jero is locked up again, and you''ve taken care of the cartel," Candace pleaded. Jamal seemedfortable in the house with the staff and family, and the environment was safe.

    "I will talk to Tom about it," Jade promised.

    Away from there, in Tom''s bedroom upstairs, Lucy clung to Sonia as she sobbed. She wept not for herself but for Lucas, who she knew was hurting even more than her at the moment. She wished there was something she could do to make him feel better.

    "He will be so broken. All this will be too much for him to handle at once," Lucy cried. Lucas had always been the most emotional one between them both, and she knew that he wasn''t going to handle this too well.

    "He will be fine, Lu. Both you and Lucas will be fine," Sonia assured Lucy as she patted her hair softly.

    Lucy and Lucas were the siblings she never had, and seeing them hurt, hurt her too. Even in his death, her half-brother, Jamie, was still making life difficult for those she cared about. Sonia quickly reminded herself that they all couldn''t be emotional at the same time. So instead of giving in to her tears and guilt, she raised her head and looked to the ceiling as she blinked back her tears and consoled Lucy.

    "He ended things with Rachel. He gave up his job. And now this. He is alone over there with no one tofort him," Lucy said with a sniffle.

    She wished she could go over to be with him, but she knew that wouldn''t be a good idea for either of them. Seeing her would only make him feel even more guilty, and then they would both pretend to be okay around the other and keep their emotions hidden.

    Lucy raised her tear-stained face to the door when Tom pushed it open without knocking and walked into the bedroom, "I couldn''t..." her voice broke, and she shook her head miserably, "I just couldn''t say the words to him," she cried, and Sonia stood up to give Tom room tofort her.

    "Sshh," Tom whispered as he sat down and pulled her to himself so that her face was buried in his chest.

    Upon seeing Bryan standing by the slightly open door, Sonia walked over to him, and he led her out of the bedroom to give Tom and Lucy some privacy. Once they shut the door behind them, Sonia gave in to her tears, and immediately Bryan gathered her into his arms, "It''s okay. Everything will be fine. It''s not your fault," he said as though he could read her mind.

    Inside the bedroom, Tom kept murmuring words offort to Lucy until she was able to pull herself together, and then she pulled away from him to look into his face, "I''m sorry. I shouldn''t be doing this. We should be preparing for your dad''s party," Lucy said with a sniffle.

    Tom brushed away her tears with his knuckles and leaned forward to kiss away the teardrop hanging on hershes, "You shouldn''t apologize. You have every right to cry. And although my dad''s party is important to us, it''s nothingpared to all of this. We can always have his party next year, but we have to deal with all this now. What can I do to make it better? Would you like to go see Lucas tomorrow or tonight? I could arrange for us to fly over there together, and then you can spend some time with him," Tom offered, his arms still around her.

    Lucy shook her head, "No. I''m not sure he needs me right now. I think my parents would want to go to him as soon as I tell them, and I''m not sure I can wait until after the party to tell them anymore. Can you make arrangements for them to leave immediately? I don''t think they will be able to stay for your dad''s party. I''m sorry," Lucy said apologetically, and Tom shook his head.

    "There is nothing to apologize for. I understand, and I''m sure my parents will understand too. I will make the necessary arrangements right away," Tom said as he stood, ready to make the phone call.

    He hesitated, "I''m sorry I didn''t stay back to be with you when you made the call. I thought you would prefer to be alone," Tom said apologetically, feeling guilty that Sonia had thought it wise to be with her, while he had left her to be alone.

    Looking up at him, Lucy remembered something she read somewhere, ''Everyone has their own storm, but if someone is by your side when you''re going through one, wouldn''t you feel safer?''

    It seemed to her that Tom was that someone for her. Being in his arms like this and beingforted by him was different. She felt safe with him, and that was probably why she had been able to tell him about her past. Lucy rose from the couch and embraced him, "I don''t prefer to be alone. I feel better when you''re with me," Lucy confessed as she held onto him.

    Tom''s heart fluttered at her words, and he wrapped his arms around her. At least she was admitting that she needed him. He hadn''t realized how much he wanted her to need him the same way he needed her, until she said those words.

    "I might often forget that I need you because I''m used to being alone. And sometimes I may be too proud or stubborn to admit it. Please hold on to me even when I forget that I need you," Lucy murmured as though she could read his mind.

 Chapter 333 Birthday Surprise

    Chapter 333 Birthday Surprise����"I think the kids are back," Evelyn announced when Adolf parked the limo, and she caught sight of the two cars parked in front of the house, which hadn''t been there before.

    "Good for them," Desmond muttered disinterestedly as they got out of the car.

    "C''mon, Des," Evelyn pleaded, knowing he was still upset. She had caught him staring at his phone countless times like he was awaiting their phone call.

    "Let''s just go in there, get our stuff, and..."

    "I don''t know about you folks, but I had too much fun," Andrew cut in before Desmond could finish, wanting them to focus on the pleasant experience they had just shared.

    "There is nothing like too much fun. It''s been a while since we went bowling. I felt like a teenager," J said with a wide smile as her husband took her hand and tucked it under his arm.

    "You looked way better than all those teenagers we saw there. You''re like fine wine. You look and taste better with age," Andrew whispered for her ears alone, and she giggled girlishly as they headed for the main door.

    "I love bowling," Jamal announced excitedly as he slipped his hand into J''s other hand. He couldn''t wait to tell his mom about all the fun things he had done with the adults who kept fussing over him.

    "We all do, darling. But I mostly enjoyed the karaoke," Evelyn said with a soft smile as she turned to her husband with amused eyes, "Who knew you still had it in you to sing?"

    "Was I supposed to lose my voice because I''ve grown older?" He asked gruffly, and they all stopped abruptly when the main door suddenly opened from inside, and Samantha stepped outside panting and looking sort of flustered.

    "I''m sorry, but you will have to wait at the patio. The fire sprinkler broke. We are trying to clean up the ce," Samantha said apologetically, and Desmond frowned. That didn''t make sense.

    "Was there a fire outbreak?"

    "Are the kids okay?" Evelyn asked with a worried frown as she stepped forward.

    "They''re fine, ma''am. They''re at the patio waiting while we clean the house. You can join them there," Samantha said with a shaky smile.

    "We shoulde in and see for..."

    "Let''s just go over to the patio. I''m sure we can find out what happened from the kids," Andrew interrupted Desmond, suspecting that his surprise was waiting for him on the patio.

    Desmond looked unconvinced but nodded his head as he and his wife quickened their pace to go around the house to find out what was going on, while Andrew and J smiled at each other knowingly as they followed at a more rxed pace with Jamal.

    "Grandmum J?" Jamal called.

    "Yes, pumpkin?"

    "What does a fire spinka do?" He asked, looking up at her with curious eyes, and Jughed softly.

    "It''s called sprinkler, Jamal. When there is a fire outbreak, it automatically goes off and lets down water to put out the fire," J exined patiently.

    "Where does the watere from? The sky?" Jamal asked, and Andrew chuckled.

    "I almost forgot how curious kids can be around this age. Reminds me of Lucas and Lucy. Growing up, those two almost drove me crazy with their questions," Andrew said, and Jughed softly until Jamal tugged her arm to remind her that he was waiting for an answer, and she patiently exined to him.

    Ahead of them, Desmond stopped in his track when he rounded the corner and saw the ''Happy Birthday Dad'' disy, with Jade standing in the center of the arc with a happy weing smile on her face, "Happy Sixtieth Birthday, Daddy," she screeched as she ran to him and flung herself at him.

    "Jady!" Desmondughed heartily as he swept Jade off her feet in the same manner Bryan and Tom had done the previous day, and he spun her around in circles.

    "Jade!" Evelyn eximed happily and then frowned in concern when her husband continued to swirl her around in circles, "You shouldn''t do that, Desmond. You''re not as strong as you used to be," Evelyn cautioned, and he set Jade on her feet while panting slightly.

    "I can never be too old to lift my only baby girl," Desmond said with a happy smile that reced the annoyance and irritation in his eyes earlier.

    "Hey, Mom!" Jade said as she stepped away from her father to embrace her mother.

    "You are all bones," Evelynined when she embraced Jade, and all she felt were bones.

    "Geez! Thanks for thepliment, mom," Jade said with a roll of her eyes as she moved away from her mother to look at Andrew and J, who were standing behind her parents with a broad smiles on their faces.

    "This is..."

    "I know who they are, dad," Jade cut off her father as she shed them a grin, "I''ve heard a lot about you, Mr. Perry."

    "I hope you only heard good things? And please call me Andrew," Andrew said as she embraced him.

    "I must say you look even more handsome and charming than I imagined," Jade said with a charming smile.

    "Thanks, Jade. You look lovely yourself, but I''m not surprised. Your mother is an angel after all," Andrewplimented with a grin and then stepped aside to let his wife wee her too.

    "It''s good to finally meet you, Jade," J said with a wide smile as she embraced her.

    "Same here," Jade said as she broke the hug and looked down at Jamal, who was looking at her as though he was trying to figure out something, "Hi, there! Do you remember me?" She asked with a friendly smile.

    "You are my mum''s friend, aren''t you?" Jamal asked thoughtfully, and Jade gave him a nod, impressed that he still remembered.

    "Yes. It''s nice to meet you again," she said as she crouched in front of him to embrace him.

    "Is Grandma Evelyn your mummy?" Jamal asked curiously, and Jade nodded.

    "Yes. Grandma Evelyn, huh? I guess that makes me your aunt now, doesn''t it?"

    "I already have an aunt. You know her. Aunt Andy," Jamal reminded her.

    "Yes, I do know her. But, it never hurts to have more than one aunt. It means more adults to spoil you silly," she said with a wide smile that made himugh as she ruffled his hair.

    Jade straightened up and returned to her father''s side. She took his hands, "I missed you so much my heart was aching," she said as she led him to a chair, "What took you so long?"

    "We were having so much fun that we lost track of time. You could have called me the moment you arrived," Desmond pointed out as he sat down.

    "And miss the happy surprise I just saw on your face? Not a chance," Jade said as she sat on hisp like a little girl.

    "Aren''t you too old for that now?" Evelyn asked as she and the others sat down.

    "I can never be too old to be my dad''s baby girl," Jade said with a grin.

    "What about the others? Where are they?" Andrew asked curiously.

    "They got tired of waiting. But I''m sure they will join us soon now that they know you''re back," Jade said with an easy smile, hoping that everything was fine upstairs.

    "I suppose there was no fire sprinkler incident?" Evelyn asked, eyeing Samantha, who was now standing by the patio door, and Jade blinked at her in confusion before giggling with understanding.

    "None at all. I didn''t know you guys were visiting Tom until yesterday. I can''t believe you guys left me out of all the fun," Jade said with a pout, and her father patted her hair fondly.

    "It wasn''t fun without you," Desmond assured her dutifully.

    "We didn''te for fun. We came because of the news and because Tom wasn''t taking my call. Don''t worry. We still have our family vacation to n for. Just make sure you clear out your schedule before then," Evelyn said as she looked around the patio.

    "You guys did a good job," she said with approval.

    "When did you get here?" Desmond asked curiously as he looked at his daughter with unconditional love in his eyes.

    Thinking that it was best to tell the truth at this point, Jade shrugged, "Early hours of yesterday," Jade said, and her parents looked at her with confused surprise.

    "You were hiding in the house?" Evelyn asked.

    "No. I was at Harry''s..."

    "Harry? Tom''s best friend? Are you seeing him?" Desmond cut in, and Jade rolled her eyes.

    "No, I''m not. I had to wait there until your birthday to surprise you..." Jade stopped talking when her brothers and their girlfriends joined them on the patio.

    "Happy birthday, Dad," Tom and Bryan chorused.

    Desmond red at his boys, irritated that they had to make him angry all day in order to surprise him like this, "Why did you both leave all the work to Jade?"

    "Is that what she told you?" Bryan asked with a scoff as they sat down while Jade giggled.

    "Happy birthday, Desmond," Sonia and Lucy joined.

    Desmond''s eyes softened when his gaze fell on Sonia and Lucy, "Thanks, girls. I suppose you''ve met Jade?" He asked, and they both nodded before he returned his attention to his daughter.

    "I suppose you''ll be around for the next couple of days then? Cause I see no reason you had to spend a day at Harry''s just to surprise me and not spend that time with me," Desmond said, and Jade kissed his cheek.

    "I''m leaving tomorrow to wrap up an important case. I don''t know how long it''ll take, but I''ll visit and spend time with you after it. I promise," Jade said, knowing fully well that despite all the evidence she had against the cartel now, the case could still drag on for months if care was not taken.

    While Jade and her father argued about the duration of her stay, the others around the table ate and engaged in small talk as Lucy''s parents told them all about their outing and how much fun they had, while little Jamal climbed out of J''s thighs to sit on Tom''s thighs.

    Tom looked down at the little boy in surprise, wondering what had prompted him to do that since they both didn''t exactly have that kind of rtionship, and then he almost chuckled when the kid reached for the tray of canapes closest to him and took a piece of spring roll.

    He let the child remain on his thighs as they all continued with the small talk and food. Soon Candace brought in the cake with lit candles, and Jamal shrieked excitedly as he got off Tom''s thighs to meet his mother and the cake.

    "Happy birthday, Desmond," Jade said with a polite smile as she set down the cake in front of him, and Jade got off her father''s thigh to give him room to make his wish and blow off the candles.

    "I had a lot of fun, mum!" Jamal told his mother happily as he embraced her legs, and she lifted him off the ground.

    "You''ve had enough fun for one day, nowe inside," Candace said, wanting to spend some time alone with her son since she would be leaving him the next day.

    "But I''ve not had any cake yet," Jamal protested, wanting to get down.

    "You will have some tomorrow. I''m sure you had lots of candies and choctes and ice cream. That, my charming young man is enough sugar for one day," Candace said as she held on firmly and walked away with him.

    "I think you should tell them now," Tom whispered to Lucy after his dad finished making his wish, and some of the household staff came to clear up the hors d''oeuvres and appetizers to serve the main dish, while Samantha took the cake to cut it into slices for dessert.

    "Is it just me, or our girl doesn''t look fine?" Andrew whispered to his wife as he watched Lucy and Tom whispering to each other.

    Initially, he had assumed she wasn''t eating and was wearing a false smile because she had a misunderstanding with Tom, but watching themmunicate, especially with Tom''s hand covering hers in a supportive gesture, he doubted that whatever was wrong with her had anything to do with Tom.

    "Yeah, I noticed too," J whispered back with a concerned frown. After what happened to her, they had learned to be more observant when it came to the well-being of their children and to never ignore even the slightest changes in their mood, "Are you okay, darling?" J asked,

    "Are you okay, baby? How was work today?" Andrew asked, hiding his concern in an easy smile.

    Lucy cleared her throat, "Work was fine. I need to speak with you," Lucy said, and her parents exchanged a look. They knew that by ''you'' she meant them since they had raised their kids to always confide in them together, but they were curious to know what it was that couldn''t wait until after dinner.

    "In private or right here?" Andrew asked with concern.

    "In private," Lucy said, looking at Desmond and Evelyn apologetically, but they didn''t seem to mind.

    "Let''s go talk then. Please excuse us," J said politely as they stood up, and J turned to Sonia when she didn''t move.

    "Why is Sonia noting with us? Is this not a family discussion?" J asked Lucy, and Sonia stood up immediately and went with them.

    "Did something happen between you two? Is everything okay?" Evelyn asked Tom once they were all alone, and Tom shook his head.

    "Nothing happened. We are fine. But there is something we also need to tell you," Tom said, and Desmond frowned when he saw the seriousness in all three of his children.

    "It''s about me and Sonia''s scandal, and also Lucy''s," Bryan added to get their mother''splete attention, and she dropped the ss of wine she was holding.

    "Thanks for letting me cut my cake before bringing this up. You should probably tell Samantha to hold off on serving dinner. There''s no need for us to waste the food," Desmond suggested, and Jade nodded as she hurried away to deliver the message.

 Chapter 334 Insensitive

    Chapter 334 Insensitive����Once they were seated in the Den, with Lucy and Sonia sitting in the middle of the couch, while J and Andrew nked both their sides, with Andrew seated beside Lucy and J beside Sonia, they looked at both girls.

    "What is the problem, princess?" Andrew asked, cupping Lucy''s tiny hands in hisrge hands.

    Lucy cleared her throat, "We found out the person behind the scandal," Lucy announced, and immediately J''s usually calm eyes shed with anger.

    "Who did it? Is it someone we know?" J asked impatiently.

    "You don''t know her. But she is also responsible for Bryan''s and Sonia''s scandal," Lucy said, and that seemed to annoy both her parents.

    "Ady was behind it? The same person? How did you both get to know a person like that?" Andrew asked in disbelief.

    "She is Tom''s ex-girlfriend. Her name is Anita, and she is Rachel''s cousin," Sonia blurted out.

    J felt goosebumps spread all over her body as she looked from Lucy to Sonia, "You mean Tom''s ex-girlfriend was behind both scandals? And she is Rachel''s cousin?" She asked, wanting to believe that she had probably heard the wrong thing.

    "Yes," Lucy said with a nod.

    "Just exin to us what is going on. Although I can see why she would want to mess with you, even though it''s crazy. I don''t understand what Sonia and Bryan have to do with any of it," Andrew said with a puzzled frown.

    Both J and Andrew listened patiently as Lucy exined everything to them about how she had met Tom (leaving out the part where she went home with him on the first night) and how he had started out deceiving her and pretending to be broke. If not for the seriousness of the conversation, they both would have had something to say about it, but they were more concerned with Anita''s part of the story.

    "So because she wants Tom, she has to resort to something as despicable as this?" J asked, unable to fathom how a youngdy could conceive such wickedness in her heart.

    "It''s not Tom''s fault," Lucy rushed to his defense.

    "It would be stupid of us to me Tom for this, Princess. We don''t think it''s his fault," Andrew assured her, "What I will like to know is what Tom ns to do about this ex-girlfriend of his. Do we have to be concerned about your safety?" Andrew asked with a slight frown, not liking what he was hearing.

    "Of course, we have to be worried! Did you hear her? Anydy crazy enough to go to that length to defame ady like herself who suffered what our girl suffered is a monster! She is a beast without any emotion or human sympathy," J said, and her husband ced a hand on her back.

    "Calm down, babe," he said, patting her back.

    "How can I calm down?" J asked in a slightly raised voice as she stood up, unable to control her fast-rising temper, "Why should I calm down when she did that to my girls? I should find her and give her the sort of spanking her mother failed to give her that made her end up this twisted. Tell me, where is she? Where does she live?" J asked angrily.

    Andrew stood up and walked over to where she was, "Lu is not done talking to us yet. You should let her finish," he reminded her in a calm voice that belied his own true emotion. There was no need to show them he was boiling with rage.

    Who did that Anita girl think she was to mess with his girls in that manner? If it were a man, he would have charged to the man''s house or wherever he was and fought it out with him blow for fucking blow. But it was a little girl of his girls age who was messing with them. Maybe he should still take it out on her father, man to man, for raising such a brat.

    J took a deep breath and let her husband lead her back to the couch where Lucy was still rehearsing how to deliver the real blow to them, while Sonia just watched the scene helplessly, not knowing what to say or do. That was why she hadn''t wanted to go with them when Lucy had asked to speak with her parents in private. She felt utterly useless in all of this.

    "Go on, princess. Tell us, is Tom making any effort to deal with this? Or should we handle it?" Andrew asked calmly.

    "You don''t have to be worried. Tom is already handling it," Lucy was quick to assure them, and they turned to Sonia, who nodded in agreement.

    "Tom is working on it. We are going to handle it, so you don''t have to worry too much," Sonia said confidently, and Lucy went on to exin Tom''s n to them, which rxed them a bit.

    There was nothing they could do that would be more satisfying than what Tom was already working on. The only minor detail left as far as J was concerned was giving the evil brat the p of her life when she met her in court.

    "That''s okay then," J said, thinking that was all, but Lucy stopped her.

    "That isn''t the only reason I wanted to speak with you," Lucy said, and her parents frowned. There was more?

    "What else? Did she do something again?" J asked as she stood up from the couch once again to walk off the next bout of anger she suspected wasing.

    Lucy exchanged a look with Sonia, pleading with her eyes that Sonia should say it. Sonia took a deep breath, "We just found out that Rachel might have aided Jamie in Lucy''s abduction," Sonia said, and J abruptly stopped walking as she looked at Sonia.

    The room was filled with silence as neither Andrew nor J said a word as they each tried to process what Sonia had just said, "Rachel?" J asked no one in particr as she tried to make sense of it.

    "How does that make sense? They were not even friends, or were they?" Andrew asked Sonia in confusion before turning to look at Lucy, who seemed a little pale.

    Sonia shook her head, "I didn''t even know they knew each other."

    "So, where did you hear such nonsense from?" J asked, unwilling to believe it, more for her children''s sake than hers.

    "It''s true. I heard the conversation between her and Anita myself. I mean Anita''s end of the conversation. That was how we knew they are rted, and Lucas confirmed it..."

    "Lucas? You spoke to your brother about Rachel helping Jamie already?" J asked in a half yell. Although she didn''t mean to yell, she couldn''t control it.

    "Yes. I..."

    "HOW COULD YOU DO THAT? How dare you tell him something like that without talking to us first? Your brother is shattered enough as it is, yet you tell him something like this?" J asked in a burst of temper.

    "I thought he should know first since it involves thedy he was going to get married to," Lucy exined quietly.

    Seeing how his wife''s face was turning red from anger, Andrew reached for her arm, "Babe..."

    "NO! It was not in your ce to make that decision! We are a family, and we could have found the right time and the best way to tell him about it. He is there all by himself, God knows what is going through his head, and you dump this news on him? What were you trying to achieve? To make him feel guilty? He is heartbroken enough without you adding guilt to it!"

    "Do you have any idea how I felt when I found out about it myself?" Lucy yelled back as she rose from her seat to face her mother, "Do you think it was easy for me to tell him about it?"

    "That is exactly why you shouldn''t have said a damn word to him! You should have kept it to yourself until you talked to us! That is what you should have done for your twin brother who is vulnerable at this point! That is what family do! You are the older one, yet you have always been insensitive and..."

    "JANET, YOU HAVE SAID ENOUGH," Andrew barked at his wife, annoyed that she was going too far. Although he understood the points they were both trying to make, he also knew that his wife was allowing her worry over Lucas to blind her to the fact that Lucy was also hurting.

    "Insensitive? Did you really just say that I''m insensitive?" Lucy asked in disbelief as tears dropped from her eyes.

    "Lu, please calm down," Sonia said as she went to hold Lucy.

    "You heard her, right?" Lucy asked, turning to look at Sonia.

    "Princess..."

    "It''s fine, dad. I''m alright," Lucy said as she brushed away her tears with the back of her hand, "I packed your stuff already. Adolf is waiting to drive you to the airstrip when you''re ready. Tom has arranged for his pilot to take you home to be with Lucas. And thanks for asking, mom. I''m fine," Lucy said, and without waiting for either of them to say anything else, she turned around and walked out of the Den.

    Sonia looked from Andrew to J, whose body was trembling with a sob, and she hurried after Lucy, not knowing what to say or do. This whole thing was a disaster, and she didn''t know who to feel more sorry for.

    "I didn''t mean to say all of that to her," J cried while her husband embraced her, "I''m just so worried about her and Lucas. After hearing all of this, I felt guilty for going out to have a good time while my babies were suffering, and Ished out at her unfairly. I didn''t mean to say those words to her," J sobbed.

    "Yeah, I know that. And although you owe her this exnation, as well as an apology, you also need a break. Trust me, watching our kids going through all of this is not easy on me either, but we both have to be strong for them. You can''tsh out this way at the kids you''re supposed to be protecting. Like Lucas, Lucy is hurting too. Being in a rtionship doesn''t mean she has healedpletely, and yelling at her the way you did was uncalled for," Andrew said, torn between chiding his wife andforting her. He had lost count of the number of times he had told her she was always more emotional than logical.

    "I know. I know. I''m sorry."

    "You should go and apologize to her while I try to reach Lucas and find out how he is doing. I will join you both after I inform Desmond and Evelyn that we have to leave tonight. Even in her state, she made arrangements for us to go be with Lucas, yet you..." He let his words trail off when J red at him.

    "I said I didn''t mean that!" She snapped at him angrily before walking away. Andrew didn''t know whether tough or feel sorry, so he shook his head instead and dialed Lucas'' line.

    After trying a couple of times unsessfully, he gave up and returned to the patio to inform Desmond that they had to leave at once to take care of a family emergency.

 Chapter 335 Impromptu Departure

    Chapter 335 Impromptu Departure����Oblivious to the drama going on in the Den, the Hank family all sat quietly as Bryan broke the news to his mother, "Simon was responsible for me and Sonia''s scandal... He leaked the information to the press, and I don''t think it''s his first time either," Bryan said, and Evelyn eyed him in disbelief.

    "Simon? There is no way Simon would do something like that. Not after everything I''ve done for him and his family," Evelyn said with a confident shake of her head.

    Without arguing with her, since her reaction had been expected, Bryan took out his phone and showed her the footage of Simon sneaking into his house to nt cameras.

    "The nerve of the rat!" She spat angrily, her eyes sparkling with anger as she watched the help she had personally sent to her son stab her in the back. She was feeling more angry than hurt at the betrayal.

    "You mean this whole time he has been the one selling information to the press? I''m going to deal with him myself," Evelyn swore as she looked up from the phone while her husband and kids just watched her vent without saying a word.

    This was the type of person she was. She was the type of person anyone would want to have in their corner, her only w being that she was usually biased when her children were involved. She was usually a very logical person unless her children were involved, and then she would be more emotional than rational.

    "What did he stand to gain by doing this? Just how much money did he receive to do something as despicable as this? Or did he think we would never find out?" Evelyn hissed angrily as she picked up her phone to give him a call.

    "He received a lot of money for this particr scandal. Someone paid him for this. The same person that was behind Lucy''s scandal," Tom said as he snatched her phone from her.

    "We can''t let him know we are aware of his involvement in my scandal yet, else he''s going to bolt before we get a chance to catch him," Bryan said, while Evelyn just looked from Tom to Bryan in confusion.

    "Why would the same person be responsible for Lucy''s and Bryan''s scandal?" She asked with a frown.

    "Not Lucy and Bryan. Lucy and Sonia," Jade corrected, and the couple paused to chew on that piece of information.

    "Because Sonia was more affected in the scandal than Bryan," Desmond said to himself thoughtfully as it all began to click in his head. That was the only way it made sense. The only thing Lucy and Bryan had inmon apart from Tom was Sonia. Since Tom wasn''t directly attacked in the scandal, it meant that Sonia was themon ground in both scandals, especially as her family was also involved in Lucy''s scandal.

    Evelyn paused as she tried to understand it. "You mean this person has something against Lucy and Sonia?" Evelyn asked in confusion.

    "No. It is Lucy she has a problem with, and it seemed she also attacked Sonia just to discredit her so that she won''t be able to defend Lucy," Tom exined, and Evelyn picked up a ss of water and quickly drank from it as though it would suppress the headache which was brewing.

    "She? A girl paid Simon to do this?" She asked, and Tom took out his phone to show her the receipt of the payment Anita made to Simon''s ount.

    Evelyn pressed her fingers against her eyes. Seeing the calm manner with which they were presenting all the facts and evidence, she could tell that they had taken their time to process and sort through all of it.

    "Who is she? And what problem does she have with Lucy?" Desmond asked curiously after seeing the receipt. Evelyn nodded, urging Tom to answer the question since she was feeling overwhelmed by it already.

    Tom patiently exined the situation with Anita to them and went on to y the recording of Anita''s conversation with Lisa and her mother earlier that day. By the time he was done, Evelyn had moved from weary to pissed.

    "What sort of crazy family is this?" Evelyn asked with disgust, and this time Desmond ced a hand over hers to stop her. Evelyn paused and took a deep breath, "I trust you have fired her already?"

    "Not yet. I''m working on something. When I''m done, she will lose everything, not just her job," Tom promised, and from the calm manner with which she said it, Evelyn believed him, so she gave him a nod.

    "I''m so d you had the good sense to end things with her. They are a bunch of ssless scum. They better not touch a hair on Lucy''s body, else they will have me to contend with," Evelyn promised, and Tom almost smiled at the protective manner with which his mother spoke of Lucy.

    "What about Sonia, Mom? Are they allowed to touch Sonia? Or is Lucy your only daughter-inw?" Bryan asked with a scowl, and Evelyn smiled despite her annoyance at it all, while the others shook their head at Bryan who was still choosing to be petty despite the seriousness of the moment.

    "I mentioned Lucy''s name only because she is the one they''re after, not Sonia. But don''t worry. If they so much as get an inch near Sonia, I won''t leave them alone either," Evelyn promised, and Tom shook his head at Bryan while hoping that everything was fine with Lucy and her parents.

    Desmond sighed, "I suppose this is why Lucy wanted to talk to her parents?" Desmond asked after a while.

    "Not just that. We also just found out that thedy Lucas was engaged to is Anita''s cousin, and she also aided in Lucy''s kidnap," Tom exined, since he had deliberately not yed that end of the conversation to their hearing.

    "Oh, dear!" Evelyn eximed as she raised a hand to her chest and looked towards the patio door, "Do you think they will be okay?" She asked her husband with a worried frown.

    "This whole thing isplicated," Desmond muttered with a frown of his own, beginning to sympathize with his kids, who he had been angry at for most of the day without knowing how much they were dealing with. Yet they had even managed to throw him a surprise party.

    "I''ve arranged for Lucy''s parents to return home to be with Lucas tonight since she has told him about Rachel," Tom said, and Evelyn''s brows dipped.

    "She told him that over the phone?" She asked, exchanging a look with her husband. She wasn''t sure she liked the sound of that, especially considering Lucas'' emotional state when he left the previous day.

    "Yes. She had to. And I support her," Tom said, and both Bryan and Jade nodded in agreement.

    "I''m leaving tomorrow. I need to wrap things up with Paul at the agency and take care of Simon too so that I can return to resume work at Tom''spany," Bryan announced, and his father looked at him in surprise.

    "Tom''spany? You no longer want to be an actor?"

    "Really? You''re moving down here?" Evelyn asked, acting equally surprised as her husband since she knew him well enough to know that he would be jealous if he found out that Tom had discussed this with her already and not him.

    Tom exchanged a knowing look with his mother before exining his n of expanding thepany to his father, "And I officially introduced Harry to the board as my Co-CEO today," Tom said, surprising Jade, who hadn''t known of it.

    "Oh, really?" She asked excitedly and then smiled awkwardly when her father looked at her curiously, wondering why she piped up at the news, "I meant, oh?" She asked more slowly and pressed her lips together, making Bryan chuckle.

    Thinking about Harry now, Jade wondered why he was yet to show up as she looked down at the sexy ck romper she was wearing. She almost grinned, thinking about how Harry would look at her with disapproval for wearing something so indecent, judging by his standards.

    "Harry has a good head on his shoulders. I''m sure he will do well. Who knows? Maybe Jady here might find a ce in thepany soon and work together with her big brothers," Desmond said, hoping that all three of them would settle in Ludus, that way seeing them would be easier.

    "Let''s hope that happens soon," Jade as she looked around the table for something to drink, but the sses were empty.

    "By the way, does he have a girlfriend?" Evelyn asked curiously, and Jade shot Tom and Bryan a look to shut them up, and Bryan stifled hisughter.

    "Mom, Harry''s personal life is his concern, not our business. Let''s not be distracted here. Back to the issue on ground, what are we going to do about Simon?" Jade said, changing the topic smoothly before either Tom or Bryan could respond.

    Evelyn''s blood boiled at the mention of Simon''s name, "I will leave with Bryan tomorrow. I will like to be there when you question him. I have some questions for him myself," Evelyn said, and Bryan looked at her with uncertainty.

    "We are leaving tomorrow? That''s so impromptu," Desmond protested, and Evelyn raised a brow.

    "Impromptu for someone who asked me a moment ago to pack our bags, so we return home tonight?" She asked, and all three of their children looked at him.

    "You wanted to leave tonight? Why?" Jade asked, and Desmond shrugged.

    "I thought you all forgot about my birthday and didn''t care about me, so I was going to return home. I get that you all are very busy, but I don''t think it would hurt to call often to check on your parents, even if it''s just a minute-long conversation. When was thest time we all sat like this as a family? It took a scandal to bring you all together," Desmond said, and Jade looked at him guiltily.

    "I''m sorry you felt that way, dad. I love you very much, and I hope you never forget that. I will try to do better, I promise," she said as she reached over to kiss his cheeks.

    "I''m sorry. I will do better," Tom promised.

    "Me too," Bryan said, and Evelyn smiled at her children, happy they had gotten this out of the way.

    "That is settled then. We leave tomorrow with Bryan tomorrow to take care of Simon. Tom, why don''t you tell us what ns you have set in motion to put this Anita girl and her family in their ce?" Evelyn asked just as Andrew walked through the patio door.

 Chapter 336 Hurt

    Chapter 336 Hurt����"Hey, guys! Sorry to interrupt, but something came up, so J and I have to leave at once," Andrew said with an easy smile, not wanting to ruin Desmond''s party.

    Desmond and Evelyn stood up and went to him, "You don''t have to butter it up nicely, Tom told us about it already, and I''m sorry to see you leave," Desmond said, with worry lines between his brow.

    "Yeah, me too. I was looking forward to letting you win a game tonight as my birthday gift to you," Andrew said with a grin, and Desmondughed despite himself.

    "I''m going to really miss you. Hopefully, we''ll see more of each other when we get back," Desmond said since they live in the same city.

    "Yeah, we definitely will. Happy birthday," Andrew said before moving his gaze to Evelyn.

    "How is J?" Evelyn asked with a concerned frown, understanding that Andrew was handling the situation like a man, but J would definitely be taking it differently. Mothers were worriers, and no mother would be okay after hearing something like that. Especially considering how she had been so worried about Lucas.

    "They''re behaving like inws already," Jade said in amusement as she watched her parents interact with Andrew.

    "Yeah. Tom is a married man," Bryan joked.

    "Try not to make jokes like that around Lucy," Tom warned as he stood up to join their parents while Bryan and Jade exchanged a look.

    Andrew met Tom''s gaze, not seeing any reason to keep it from them since they were now more like family to each other, "She''s pretty upset. Upset enough to have upset Lucy too," Andrew said with a sigh.

    "That doesn''t sound good," Evelyn said, feeling sorry.

    "Yeah. They had a misunderstanding, and J said stuff she didn''t mean, so she has to apologize to Lucy," he said, and Tom excused himself and went in search of Lucy to see how she was doing.

    He headed straight for the bedroom, and when he didn''t find her there, he tried reaching her on the phone, but she wasn''t receiving her call either, so he dialed Sonia''s line instead as he walked out of the bedroom.

    Away from there, Lucy sat on the balcony, looking straight ahead of her. Even though she understood her mother''s concern for Lucas, she couldn''t say that she didn''t feel hurt by her mother''s words. She was hurt and angry that her mother had spoken to her in that manner, whether or not she meant it.

    Insensitive? She had not just called her insensitive but had said that she had ALWAYS been insensitive. When had she ever been insensitive? Fine, some days ago, she had told those mean stuff to Lucas when he only just broke up with Rachel and was hurt, but was that enough reason for her mother to say that to her? Was that one asion the reason her mother had said she had always been insensitive?

    "Lu, we both know that she didn''t mean any of that. Please don''t dwell on it," Sonia said as she looked at Lucy with a concerned frown. Knowing her, Lucy was going to overanalyze all that her mother had said and get even more worked up.

    "We don''t know that. She didn''t just call me insensitive. She said I''ve ALWAYS been insensitive. Do you know what that means? That it''s not the first time she is thinking this way about me," Lucy said with a shake of her head, telling herself that she wasn''t going to cry over this.

    "You don''t know that either. People generally say hurtful words when they are upset. I''m not saying she was right. Sheshed out at you unfairly, but please let it go. You need to stand together now, not fight each other," Sonia pleaded.

    "I''m not fighting with her. I don''t care. She should go and be with Lucas. He needs her more than I do anyway," Lucy said, and to her shame, her voice trembled.

    Sonia stood up and went to embrace her, "Lu, don''t say that."

    "I don''t care! I''ve never needed any of them! When it mattered most, they were not there. Never for once in all these years have I ever med them for what happened to me. I never med them for not noticing that I wasn''t fine. I never med them for not being the kind of parents I could run to when I found out I was being stalked. I could have put the me on them, you know? But I never did. I made excuses for them instead," Lucy said as she swiped at her angry tears and moved away from Sonia, unable to stay still while expressing her anger.

    Lucy continued, her gray eyes sparkling with angry tears, "It wasn''t their life that was ruined by that one incident. Yes, Lucas is hurt, but I''m hurt too. His girlfriend may have aided in what happened to me, but I am the one who suffered from it, not Lucas. I am the one who had to take alcohol and sleeping pills just to keep away the nightmares! I''m the one who can''t stand seeing anyone in the shadows without thinking of Jamie! I''m the one who can''t even stand random strangers staring at me without wondering if I''m being stalked again. I''m the one who now has to face the fact that my twin brother''s girlfriend hated me enough to get involved in something like that. All Lucas has to deal with is guilt, but I''m the one stuck with those awful memories in my head. Do you think I won''t dly swap that memory for guilt? Yet, here I am trying to be strong for myself and Lucas, and she dares to call me insensitive! Insensitive!" Her voice hitched, and she broke into a sob.

    Sonia sniffled as she embraced Lucy, "Please calm down, Lu. I know you''re hurt but please calm down," Sonia pleaded, wondering if she should just give Tom a call.

    Thankfully her phone started ringing, and she dipped her hand into her pocket to take it out while still patting Lucy''s back with her other hand, "It''s Tom," Sonia informed Lucy as she received the call.

    Immediately Lucy pulled away from her and wiped her tears with the back of her hand.

    "Yeah, I''m with her," Sonia said before offering the phone to Lucy.

    "I''m fine," Lucy assured him before he could say a word knowing that he was worried about her.

    "You weren''t taking your call," Tom pointed out, not bothering to argue her im. From her voice, he could tell that she had been crying.

    "I think I left the phone in the Den," she said apologetically.

    "Where are you?"

    "At the main balcony."

    "Okay, I''ming over," Tom said, and as he hung up the call, he came face to face with J, who had just stepped out of the bedroom where she had gone to wash her face.

    She had gone to Tom''s bedroom to find Lucy, but when she didn''t see her, she decided to ssh some water on her face before going to the patio to see if she had returned to join the others.

    "Have you seen Lucy?" J asked Tom hopefully.

    From the look on her face, Tom could tell that she had been crying, "She is on the balcony. Are you okay?" Tom asked in concern.

    "I don''t know. My emotions are all over the ce. I feel like I''m messing up everything. I''m not handling this the right way, and I don''t even know what to do. Both my babies are hurting, and I don''t know how to help them," J said as her eyes filled up again, and Tom embraced her without thinking. He just held her and let her cry.

    J pulled away as she tried to pull herself together, "Thank you, Tom. I''m sorry I soaked your shirt," J said as she brushed away her tears, and Tom reached into his pocket and offered her his handkerchief.

    "You don''t have to be sorry. I''m sorry about the scandal. You all had to face all of this because of me," Tom said apologetically, knowing that she must have told them about Anita now.

    "It''s not your fault. That girl and her family are crazy. Besides, Lucas would have married that psychopath if all of this hadn''t happened. I''m not happy that this happened or that my babies are hurt, but I''m just..." J broke into a sob again and stopped as abruptly as she had started, and used his handkerchief to dry her tears.

    "Just promise me I''ll get a chance to hit her before you are done dealing with her and her family. I just want to hit her really hard," J said, and Tom gave her a nod.

    "If you promise to stop crying, I can even promise to hold her in ce for you to hit her," Tom said, and J smiled.

    "I''m so d that Lucy has a man like you in her life. I''m d that of all the men she could have had, it is someone like you she settled to be with. It is because you are here for her that we can go and be with Lucas. I feel terrible leaving her alone. I still can''t believe I said those awful things to her," J confessed, tearing up again.

    "Then you should talk to her. The sooner you clear the air with her, the faster you can leave here and go be with Lucas. And you don''t have to worry. I''ll make sure she''s fine while you focus on Lucas," Tom promised.

    "I wish it was so easy not to worry. But I''m a mother. Worrying about our kids is what we do for a living. Please take me to Lucy," J pleaded, and Tom led her down the hallway.

    Once Tom opened the balcony door and Lucy saw that her mother was with him, she turned away from them. J''s eyes teared up, knowing that she had hurt her daughter.

    Tom moved over to where she sat and kissed her forehead, "How are you, sunshine?" He asked as he crouched down in front of her and took both her hands in his.

    "I''m fine."

    "Your parents will be leaving soon. You should hear her out. Please," Tom added as he kissed the back of her hands.

    Although Lucy still didn''t want to talk to her mother or look at her, she nodded. She would listen to her without saying a word to her. She had nothing to say to her.

    "I''ll be outside with the others," Tom said as he leaned in to kiss her lips before moving away.

    Taking that as her cue, Sonia stood up too and walked away with Tom, leaving the mother and daughter alone.

    "I''m sorry, darling. I didn''t mean anything I said," J apologized as she went to stand in front of Lucy.

    Lucy cleared her throat, "I''m okay. You should leave now so you can get there in time," Lucy said as she stood up.

    J held Lucy''s hand, "I can''t leave without resolving this with you. I know I hurt you, and I''m sorry. I shouldn''t have said any of that. I was just very worried about Lucas..."

    "It''s fine. I understand. You can go be with Lucas. I''m fine," Lucy said, struggling with the tears pooling in her eyes.

    "No, you''re not."

    "I said I''m fine, mom! Can you please leave me alone?" Lucy snapped at her mother as she snatched her hand away, "What else do you want me to say to you? Lucas needs you more than I do. So go to him and let me be! I''m trying to be more sensitive..."

    "Sweetie, I''m sorry. I really didn''t mean that," J pleaded as tears dropped from her eyes.

    "It doesn''t matter whether you meant it or not. You said it, and that is all that matters. I don''t hold it against you," Lucy took a deep breath as she tried to keep her emotions in check. She hadn''t nned to say anything, so why was she speaking so much? It wasn''t necessary.

    "I''m okay, mom. I''m fine. You don''t have to feel sorry anymore," Lucy said and walked away before her tears could fall.

 Chapter 337 Toms POV

    Chapter 337 Tom''s POV����As Sonia walked down the hallway with Tom, she cast a nce at him, contemting if she should talk to him or not about Lucy''s marital decision.

    She knew that it wasn''t really her business and she should stay out of the couple''s rtionship, but she thought he might be in need of someone else to talk to about it.

    He needed to talk to someone who knew Lucy, at least, and had both their best interest at heart. She wanted to assure him that Lucy loved him, regardless of her decision not to get married. And she wanted to know his thoughts on Lucy''s decision before talking to Lucy again since Lucy was yet to tell her how they resolved it in the car or if they had resolved it.

    "I''m sorry..." Sonia started, and Tom who had been walking beside her silently as he thought of Lucy''s sad eyes, turned to look at her in confusion.

    "Are you talking to me?" He asks, wondering who the apology was meant for.

    "Yes."

    "What are you sorry about?"

    "Lucy told me about your misunderstanding earlier. I caused it," Sonia said, and Tom looked at her with a puzzled expression, wondering how she could have caused it when she hadn''t even been at the mall with them.

    "How? What did you say to her?" Tom asked calmly as he led her into the Den instead of returning outside to join the others. Neither of them sat down. Instead, they stood, facing each other as they talked.

    "Well, the thing is, the issue of marriage came up while we were talking at her office earlier this morning. And when she insisted on not wanting to get married as she had always said in the past, I kind of reacted wrongly since I thought dating you meant she had changed her mind about marriage. I think she felt pressured by me, and that was why she had to bring it up the way she did. I''m sorry," Sonia exined, and Tom nodded in understanding.

    "It''s fine. I will appreciate it if you don''t talk to her about it anymore or pressure her about it next time either. Just let her do things at her own pace. It''s better for us that way," Tom said, and Sonia looked at him curiously.

    "What about you? What do you n to do about it?"

    "Nothing. As I said, I''m going to let her do things at her pace. I''m sure none of this is easy on her. Lucy is someone I deceived just to have her in my life. It''s a miracle that she still loves me and wants to be with me despite all of that."

    "Does that mean you are willing to let her have her way? You will just date her without getting married to her? For how long before you decide to move on?" She asked cautiously, and Tom shrugged.

    "I''m hoping she will change her mind. But even if she doesn''t, it won''t change the way I feel about her. If she could give up wanting to be single to be with me despite my screwups, then maybe giving up the idea of having a family with her shouldn''t be too much of a sacrifice."

    Seeing the confusion on Sonia''s face, he went on, "I''m not saying I have given up on the idea of marriage. I''m just trying to keep my mind open to the possibility of not ever getting married. If that''s the only way I can have Lucy in my life, then I will find a way to adjust to it. She has given up something for me, so I should be able to do the same for her. It''spromise," Tom said with a rueful smile.

    "You do realize that she doesn''t want to have kids either, right?" Sonia pointed out, wondering how Tom would be able to live with something like that. She knew that there were men who didn''t mind, but she didn''t see Tom as one of such men.

    She loved Lucy very much, and she cared for Tom too, even if Lucy would always be her priority. He wasn''t just Lucy''s boyfriend to her. He was also Bryan''s brother, so she had to look out for them both, and to do that, she wanted to make sure Tom understood what he was getting involved in so that things wouldn''t be hard for either him or Lucy. Not forgetting that she was also writing about them, so she couldn''t just sit by and do nothing or know nothing.

    "What if we were married and she couldn''t have kids? Would I leave her? Listen, Sonia. I know you don''t understand how I feel about your friend. Even I do not understand my feelings for her most times," Tom said as he went to sit on the couch, and Sonia did the same, sensing that he had more to say.

    "I don''t think I can exin this, but for me, it was love at first sight. It was like I knew she was mine the moment I watched her walk through the door into the club," Tom said, and Sonia looked at him with keen interest.

    She had no idea it was love at first sight for Tom. Lucy had said he caught a glimpse of her checklist, and she had assumed the feelings came after he took her home.

    "I was seated there waiting for Anita toe in so I would end things with her and leave, but instead of Anita, Lucy walked in dressed for the asion but looking so lost and out of ce. My eyes were glued to her as she made her way to the bar, and like fate, Sam brought her to sit right next to me. If I tell you I remember every word she said to the barman even before I spoke with her, you''d call me crazy, wouldn''t you?" Tom asked, and Sonia just stared at him in disbelief.

    "I''ve been with women in the past. But not once have I ever brought any woman to my home, but with Lucy, it felt so right bringing her here even without knowing much about her. The thought of taking her anywhere else was wrong. I will tell you something crazy... Although I had never said this out loud to anyone, when Lucyy on my bed that first night and I watched her sleeping so peacefully, I thought of asking her to marry me the next morning when she wakes up, just because I didn''t want her to disappear from my life the next day," Tom said.

    This time Sonia''s eyes widened in surprise, making Tom chuckle.

    "I know you think I''m crazy, don''t you? Anyway, I''m d I didn''t do that. That crazy move would have certainly sent her bolting out of my life forever," Tom said with a sad smile.

    "You wanted to marry her from the first day you met her, and she doesn''t even want to get married," Sonia murmured, feeling sorry for him.

    She realized for the first time that she had never really thought of things from Tom''s perspective or tried to find out why he had been interested in Lucy enough to tell all those lies. She had always written their story mostly from Lucy''s point of view, but now she admitted that Tom''s viewpoint was just as important. She was going to have to edit the story again.

    "If I may ask, why didn''t you do it? I mean, since you wanted to ask her to marry you, what stopped you?" Sonia asked curiously.

    "I confirmed from Harry that she was our recently transferred director. So I decided that since she won''t be entirely disappearing from my life, there was no need to hurry. I wanted to take my time to know her better before asking her to be my wife."

    "Let me get something straight. You wanted to propose to her when you didn''t know her, yet when you got close to her, you were trying to see if she was a golddigger. Why?" Sonia asked, pointing out the w in his logic.

    "Not exactly. Pretending to be her driver was to get to know her personally, not to see if she was a golddigger. I didn''t exactly think she was a golddigger...."

    "If you didn''t think so, you would have walked up to her normally and gotten to know her," Sonia countered.

    "As Thomas Hank? Her boss? I don''t think so. People generally pretend and butter up things when you''re as wealthy as I am. I only decided to test her to see if she would fall for the ''CEO'' because she gave me a reason to believe she was looking down on me for being a mere driver and handyman, and when Bryan said she wanted me to know of her rtionship with you, I thought she might be interested in the CEO. I desperately wanted her to prove me wrong because I didn''t think she was that sort of person," Tom exined.

    "What would you have done if she had fallen for the ''CEO'' then?"

    "I wouldn''t have been happy about it, but I would have married her regardless because I am in love with her. I understand that it is natural for most people to choose wealth over poverty. Even I would prefer to be rich than poor after all," Tom said with an amused smile now.

    "If you know that, why give Lucy a chance when you didn''t give Anita a chance?"

    "First, I wasn''t exactly in love with Anita. Also, she didn''t even want to spend any time with me after I told her I wasn''t wealthy. Lucy, on the other hand, is someone I''m in love with. And although she did not like that I was a driver or a handyman, she didn''t let that stop her from treating me like a friend most of the time when she didn''t have her guard up. She even managed to fall in love with me," Tom''s eyes lit up as he said that, and Sonia smiled too.

    "I know I went overboard in trying to understand her kind of person and get her, but I did all I thought I needed to do to... And then when I found out about Jamie, I realized just how wrong it all was," Tom exined, and Sonia sighed as she tried to process it all.

    "Lucy is my soulmate, Sonia. And if what she wants is to stay by my side without officially bing my wife, I will let her do so. It will be difficult for me, I know it. But Lucy is my only chance at love," Tom said, and this time Sonia teared up.

    "I''m d I had this conversation with you. Thank you for loving my baby the way you do," Sonia said tearily as she embraced him. d that she had been right to have trusted him.

    Now she didn''t have to worry so much about Lucy ruining her rtionship with Tom. He deeply loved her and was mature enough to handle things.

    Tom sighed, "What is it with all thedies crying on me today? I can''t offer you my handkerchief. I already gave it to J," Tom said, and Soniaughed as she pulled away.

    "I love you, Tom."

    "Unfortunately for you, I''m taken," Tom said with a wink, and sheughed again.

    "I''m taken too. So I will have to settle for a secret affair," Sonia said, and Tom chuckled.

    "Talking about a secret affair, I hope this conversation can remain between us? I would still like to see if she can change her mind," Tom said, and Sonia smiled.

    "Sure. I would like to see her change her mind. One of my secret desire is to help her n her wedding as the maid of honor and watch her walk down the aisle," Sonia said with a sigh.

    "Mine is to see her with a big baby bump. I can clearly picture it. Twin girls," Tom said, and Soniaughed aloud.

    "I''ve been looking all over for you. What are you both doing here?" Bryan asked irritably from the doorway, ring at the both of them like he had caught them cheating on him.

    "Oh, no! He finally caught us in the act, baby. What are we going to do? I guess it can''t be kept a secret anymore. Go and tell him it''s over baby," Tom said dryly as he kissed Sonia''s cheek, andughter bubbled out of her as she went to meet Bryan while Tom looked around until he found Lucy''s phone.

 Chapter 338 No Party

    Chapter 338 No Party����After leaving her mother on the balcony, Lucy went straight to Tom''s bedroom, wanting to be alone for a moment to catch her breath and put her emotion in check.

    She shut the door behind her and walked into the bathroom. She stood in front of the mirror and stared back at her reflection for a moment.

    She wasn''t usually the confrontational type. She really hated misunderstandings and confrontations such as this, so why had she lost her temper and spoken so harshly to her mother?

    Surprisingly it was the first time she was really showing an outward emotion and talking about her repressed grievance against her family, which she had always kept to herself, buried inside somewhere. In fact, she thought she had gotten over the feeling of hurt.

    Although she would never say it out to her family, a part of her med them for what happened to her. Yes, it wasn''t their fault that Jamie had been a lunatic who abducted her, and although it might be unfair of her to me them, she thought her parents had been too absorbed in their jobs and themselves to even notice that anything was wrong with her.

    She had made several excuses for them, even when Tom had asked how her parents could not have noticed the changes in her following her discovery that Jamie was stalking her, but deep down, she knew they had been too careless. Even when she was barely eating as well as she used to during family mealtimes, no one had noticed.

    And when she stopped joining them in the living room to watch the soap opera, they usually viewed together as a family whenever she wasn''t at Sonia''s, no one had asked why. They had been too focused on themselves.

    She had desperately wanted one of them to notice and try to find out what was wrong so that she could confide in them, but no one had noticed. Lucas had been all about Rachel, and her parents had been all about each other and their job. She had felt so neglected, and the only person who had been there with her all that time was Sonia.

    Maybe she was being unfair by ming them, but she couldn''t help it. She had been seventeen years old. Her parents could have done better. She hated that her mother''s careless words had set it all off in her head, and try as she might to calm down, she couldn''t stop the bitterness and anger that was making her stomach churn.

    She turned on the faucet and let the water run in the sink before sshing some on her face. Just as she reached for a towel to dry her face, she heard the bedroom door open, and so she walked out of the bathroom.

    She forced a smile when Tom walked further into the bedroom while looking at her.

    "Don''t do that, Lu," Tom said with a shake of his head as he studied her wet face, and she looked at him with questioning eyes.

    "Don''t do what?"

    "Don''t force a smile. Please don''t pretend to be happy around me when you are not. You can do so with others if you want, but never do that around me," Tom said as he stopped in front of her.

    Lucy sighed. How did she always forget that even though they had only known each other for such a short time, he knew her so well? "How can you tell the smile is forced?" She asked as he lifted her chin so she would look into his eyes.

    "When ites to you, I can tell every nuance of expression and subtle tone of voice," Tom said, and Lucy felt her heart flutter.

    Her mood slowly lifted, and she smiled genuinely. This was her own person. With him, she wouldn''t have to ever worry about keeping things to herself because whether or not she opened her mouth, he could just tell when she wasn''t okay.

    "I''m lucky to have you, am I not?" She asked, and Tom shook his head.

    "I''m the one who is lucky to have a gem like you," He said as he took the towel from her and dried her face.

    "I thought you said you''d be outside with the others?" She asked when he finished, and she turned away from him to check her reflection in the mirror.

    "I was going to do that, but then I ran into your mom once again. Seeing that you were done talking with her, I decided to bring your phone to you," Tom said as he went to stand beside her and left her phone on the dressing table.

    "How are you feeling now?" He asked as he met her gaze in the mirror.

    "Much better."

    "Good. They will be leaving soon, so don''t keep them waiting," Tom said as he turned to leave.

    "You are not going to ask why I was upset with her?" Lucy asked, and Tom paused by the doorway.

    "I will prefer you tell me about it yourself, but if you want me to ask, then it will be after we have seen them off. So hurry," Tom said and walked away without waiting to get a response.

    Although he was curious to know exactly what her mother had said to upset her, he didn''t want her to talk about it and get even more upset than she already was with her mother before seeing them off. He already figured that whatever her mother had said must have hurt her feelings profoundly, and it wouldn''t be resolved so easily.

    As he walked down the hallway, his phone beeped with a notification to let him know that someone was at the gate. He paused and pulled it out to see who it was that was visiting his house sote in the evening and needed a pass to get in.

    A puzzled frown creased his brow when he saw that Harry''s car was parked in front of the gate, and Harry was just seated there.

    Like his cars, all of Harry''s cars were authorized to pass through the gate without hindrance via the automatic number te recognition installed on the gate. So why was Harry just seated there? He rxed a bit when he looked closely at Harry and noticed that his lips were moving like he was talking to someone. It seemed like he was on a call.

    Meanwhile, inside the car, Harry had a slight frown on his face as he pressed a finger to his temple, "Dad, are you really at my apartment?" He asked, not sure whether to believe his father or not since it wouldn''t be the first time his father would be pranking him.

    "Weren''t you the one who suggested that I pay you a visit? I told you I was going to take you up on your offer, didn''t I?" Aaron asked his son dryly as he looked at the table which he had set for dinner. It had been a while since hest ate with his boy, and he couldn''t wait to see him.

    "So you are really at my apartment?" Harry asked, torn between joy at seeing his father after such a long time and frustration that he had to turn back now that he was finally at the gate after spending most of the evening contemting making this drive.

    It had taken him quite some time to make up his mind to honor Jade''s invitation and drop by Tom''s ce for their father''s party. Not that she was the reason he had decided to stop by after all since thest thing he wanted was to put himself through the torture of seeing Jade again. He didn''t like the idea of saying farewell for the third time in one day.

    Maybe this was a sign that seeing her again before she left was a bad idea. He could save himself the torture now and just turn back whether or not his father was telling the truth.

    "Do I need to take a photograph beside your refrigerator to convince you that I''m here? By the way, one of your bedrooms smells flowery like a female was here. Are you seeing someone?" Aaron asked, and that was all it took to convince him to make a U-turn.

    "You are really here?" Harry asked excitedly, "When did you get here? I''m on my way home now. What do you want me to get you for dinner?" Harry asked, and his father chuckled happily when he heard the excitement in Harry''s voice.

    "I already fixed dinner. Just get yourself here in one piece before the meal gets cold," he said before hanging up.

    Immediately after the call ended, Harry dialed Tom''s line since he knew that Tom would have been notified of his presence at the gate.

    "Why did you leave withouting in? Don''t tell me someone is holding a gun to your head in that car?" Tom asked when he received Harry''s call.

    Harry grinned, "Yeah. And he let me have my phone for a minute just to let you know that you are a dumb ass."

    "What a waste of your final words. You will be greatly missed, my dear friend," Tom said, and Harry chuckled.

    "You don''t have to worry about missing me. I will be taking you with me. I love you too much to let you live without me," Harry assured Tom who turned when he heard Lucy''s footsteps.

    "Keep your love to yourself. Why did you leave? Did somethinge up?" Tom asked seriously now.

    "My dad just called to let me know he''s around. So I had to make a U-turn..."

    "Oh, that''s great! Let him know I will drop by to see him tomorrow after work," Tom cut it.

    "I''m sorry I have to miss the party. How is it going over there?" Harry asked curiously.

    "Don''t worry about not being here. You are not missing anything. There is no party."

    "No party? Why?"

    Tom quickly exined the situation to Harry, and he let out a sigh when Tom finished, "Maybe I should havee in to say hello since your folks will be leaving tomorrow," Harry said, contemting if he should just turn back.

    "They''re not dying, just traveling. You can see them some other time. Go home to your dad," Tom urged him.

    "Alright then. See you tomorrow," Harry said before hanging up. He briefly contemted calling to let Jade know that he wouldn''t being because something came up, but he decided against it.

    It was possible that she had invited him without really expecting him to show up, and he was the one reading too much meaning to her request. She would probably not even notice his absence. Why would she? He was just the boring uncle Harry to her, after all.

 Chapter 339 Dont Lie To Him

    Chapter 339 Don''t Lie To Him����"I guess the vacation is over. I had a swell time with the lot of you," Andrew said as he stood by the car with his wife, where Adolf was waiting to take them to the airport.

    "This wasn''t a vacation," J said, elbowing his side. They hade to be here for Lucy because of the scandal but had ended up spending time with Tom''s family after all.

    "Then we should n a family vacation for us all. Preferably at a time when all the kids will be avable like now," Evelyn piped up, thinking that it would be great to spend time with them all again.

    "Yes, let''s do that," Desmond nodded in agreement.

    "I think Christmas would be the best time for such a family vacation. What do you think?" Sonia suggested, thinking that it would fit into her story perfectly.

    "Christmas is still so far away," Desmondined.

    "Maybe. But hopefully, Lucas would be fine by then so he can join us, and we would have taken care of that brat, Anita, and everyone else we need to handle," Sonia pointed out.

    "That''s correct," J said with a nod.

    "Jady, is that okay with you? Do you think you''ll be avable for a Christmas vacation?" Desmond asked Jade hopefully.

    Jade smiled at him, "I should be. Let''s hope I can wrap up this case by then," Jade said, and Evelyn turned to Bryan.

    "What about you, Bryan?"

    "I will try to leave that period work free. Tom is now my boss, after all, so I''m sure he won''t mind," Bryan said with a grin.

    "What about you, Sonia?"

    "As long as I''m there, she will be there, right baby?" Bryan said, and Andrew rolled his eyes.

    "Let the girl speak for herself, Mr. Lover boy," Andrew said dryly, and the othersughed when Bryan scowled at him.

    "Let the boy be, Andy," J scolded.

    "I''m the one that suggested Christmas. Besides, I work remotely, remember? So I will definitely be there with Bryan," she said with a grin, and Evelyn smiled.

    "Good. Now let''s hope that Tom and Lucy will be able to free up their schedule too," Evelyn said with a satisfied smile, thinking about how great it would be to spend the holidays together.

    "Do you think maybe we can include Harry too? He has been working so hard," Sonia said, and before Jade could respond, Evelyn nodded in agreement.

    "Sure. Harry is already a part of the family anyway," Evelyn said, happy that Sonia was wise and thoughtful enough to include Harry.

    "Okay. Christmas it is then. I''m looking forward to it already," Andrew said as his gaze moved to the door which just opened. He was relieved to see Lucying out with Tom.

    "Sorry we took so long," Tom said as they got to where the others stood.

    "Princess," Andrew said as he looked at Lucy apologetically, and she smiled at him as she embraced him.

    "Take good care of Lucas, and make sure he doesn''t leave your sight unless, of course, he''sing to be with me," Lucy said, and Andrew nodded as he kissed her forehead.

    "I''m sorry about earlier," he said in a low voice, but she shook her head.

    "It''s fine, dad. Let''s forget about that," Lucy said as she stepped away from him to say goodbye to her mother.

    J still had a guilty expression on her face even though she was d that Lucy hade to see them off. "Have a safe trip, mom," Lucy said with a smile as she embraced her mother.

    "I love you, baby," J said as she patted Lucy''s hair before letting her step away.

    "As much as I hate to say this, I''m going to miss you," Bryan said, and Andrew chuckled as he pped him on the shoulder.

    "You didn''t have to say it aloud, boy. I know you will. You can''t know me and not miss me," Andrew said with a smile tinged with arrogance, and Bryan scowled at him.

    "I wasn''t referring to you. I was talking to your wife," Bryan said, making themugh as he stepped forward to kiss J''s cheeks.

    "Ever heard of the phrase two shall be one? You were definitely talking to me, my boy, and you just kissed my cheek too," Andrew said as he rubbed his cheeks, and this time even Bryanughed at the funnyeback.

    "You do too much, Andy," his wife said in amusement.

    "Sony girl," Andrew said as he looked at her with a fond smile, "Make sure you take care of yourself as always. And for my sake, try not to give Bryan an easy time," he said as he embraced her.

    "I vow never to," Sonia assured him with a grin as she pulled away from him to embrace J.

    "I barely just said hi, and now I have to say bye. I didn''t even have enough time to fall for your charms," Jadeined with a pout, and Andrew grinned.

    "Don''t worry. You still have another chance to fall for my charms. I will definitely sweep you off your feet when next we meet again," Andrew promised as he embraced her while his wife said goodbye to the others.

    "Thank you for everything, Tom," Andrew said as he shook hands with Tom, "I believe I don''t need to tell you boys to take care of my girls," Andrew said, looking from Tom to Bryan and then back again.

    "You don''t need to," Tom assured him before Bryan coulde up with a smart response, and with a nod, Andrew held out the car door for J to get into the car.

    "Wait!" Candace called out breathlessly as she ran out of the house carrying Jamal, who was crying, and J turned back to look at them.

    "You didn''t tell us you were leaving tonight," Candace said with a slight frown, even though she knew they didn''t exactly owe her an exnation.

    Jamal had grown fond of them during the little time he had spent in theirpany, so she expected them to have at least said goodbye to the kid that considered them as some sort of grandparents.

    She had been reading him his bedtime stories when Samantha sent one of the housekeepers to inform them that J and Andrew were leaving, and Jamal had insisted on seeing them.

    "We are sorry about that. It''s an impromptu departure. Something urgent came up at home, so we had to leave," Andrew told Candace apologetically as he ruffled Jamal''s hair.

    Candace let Jamal down, and he sniffled as he embraced J, "You were not going to say goodbye?" he asked as he looked from her to Andrew with hurt in his eyes.

    "I''m sorry, darling!" J said with a distressed frown as she bent forward and carried him, bncing him on her waist. She had been so worried about her kids that she had forgotten about Jamal.

    "When are youing back?" Jamal asked, and Evelyn stepped forward to take him from J when she looked at him helplessly.

    "We don''t know yet. But I''m sure we can always work out something with your mom for you to visit if you miss them too much. Now no more tears, pumpkin. Say goodbye to them like a big boy," Evelyn said as she brushed away his tears with her thumb.

    "You can visit us whenever you want, and I''ll take you bowling and get you lots of that sweet stuff you love," J promised as she kissed his face, and Evelyn took the kid from her.

    "I will miss you both," Jamal said as he looked at Andrew.

    "We will miss you too, kiddo," Andrew said with a small smile and patted the kid''s back.

    "Make sure you call me when you arrive. And don''t forget to give my love to Lucas," Evelyn said with a wave at them as they got into the car.

    They all stood there watching and waving until the car disappeared from view, and then they all turned to return inside.

    "It''s past his bedtime now," Candace said as she took Jamal from Evelyn, "Say goodnight to everyone, Jam," Candace said, and once the kid did so, she returned inside the house ahead of them.

    "What now?" Desmond asked no one in particr.

    "Since we''ve gotten all the unpleasant topics out of the way, let''s celebrate your birthday!" Jade said with a wiggle of her body, and when the others agreed, they all returned to the porch.

    "Bryan, can you please ask Samantha to serve dinner? And you, Tommy, excuse me for a minute," Jade said once they got to the porch and the others started to sit down.

    Tom stepped to the side with Jade, while Bryan red at her before going to do as she had requested.

    "What''s up?" Tom asked curiously.

    Jade pulled her ear as she looked at him, not knowing how to present her request, "I''m still in need of your help," she said apologetically.

    Tom''s face was carefully nk as he looked at her, "What an interesting opening statement. Get straight to the point, Jady," Tom urged her.

    "Candace wants Jamal to remain here when she leaves with me... Wait! Just let me finish," Jade said before Tom could interrupt.

    "The kid''s father is a dangerous criminal, and I can assure you that he won''t be winning any father of the year awards. He asked to see Candace and Jamal before he would help me close my case, but she doesn''t want her son anywhere near him. She is willing to go with me only if Jamal can stay here. This is the only ce she believes he would be safe," Jade surmised as best as she could.

    "Doesn''t she have any family rtions she can send the kid to? Wouldn''t she feel better if her family is watching over her kid in her absence rather than a bunch of strangers?"

    "She''s an orphan," Jade said, hoping that would strike a chord of sympathy in Tom while also leaving out the fact that the only person she had who was family to her had been kidnapped by a sexy drug lord.

    Why did that suddenly make her think of Massimo? Hot!

    Tom pinched the bridge of his nose, "For how long will she be gone? And who is supposed to watch after him in her absence? We both know I will be going to work, and you know the others are traveling back tomorrow," Tom pointed out, referring to their parents, Bryan and Sonia.

    "I''m sure Samantha and the others won''t mind. I will ask them just to be sure. I just wanted to get your approval first," Jade said, and Tom sighed.

    "Fine. Just make sure she writes a list of the dos, don''ts, eats, eat nots, or whatever else the kid needs," Tom said, making Jade smile at him as she stretched and kissed his cheek.

    "Thank you, Tommy. You''re so dependable," Jade said as she tucked her hand under his and led him back to join the others.

    "Harry was here a while ago," Tom said conversationally, and Jade stopped to re at him.

    "And you''re only just mentioning it now? Why didn''t I see him?" Jade asked, and Tom chuckled.

    "Rx. I didn''t see him either. He didn''t even drive through the gate. He said his dad is in town, so he had to go home," Tom exined.

    "Oh, yeah!"

    "Oh, yeah? You were aware that his dad was around?" Tom asked curiously.

    "Yeah. I met him at Harry''s apartment when I went to get my stuff. You can''t let Harry know I met his father, though," Jade warned.

    "Interesting. Care to share what you both discussed?"

    "Nothing serious. I told him who I was, and he asked after you, and then I grabbed my stuff and left," Jade lied, feeling too embarrassed to mention that she had been snooping through his best friend''s bedroom and had been caught in the act by the man.

    "Are you in love with him, Jade? Or are you just curious about him? Or maybe you are infatuated with him because you spent thest couple of days with him," Tom asked with serious eyes.

    Jade sighed, "I can''t exactly say that I''m in love with him. I like him, no doubt, and I am undeniably attracted to him. He seems like a very decent guy, and he is different from other guys I know. So let''s just say I like him enough to want to pursue a romantic rtionship with him," Jade said with a shrug.

    "I see. I think I''m going to really enjoy watching you both. Just do us both a favor and don''t let him know you are interested in him in that manner yet," Tom suggested, and Jade raised a brow.

    "Why not?"

    How could he exin this to her without telling her about his discussion with Harry? That was his private business with Harry, and he couldn''t tell her about it, the same way he wouldn''t tell Harry about his conversation with Jade.

    He believed that if she told Harry she liked him immediately, he would continue to do his best to avoid her because, for his weird reasons, he didn''t want to date his best friend''s younger sister even if it was crystal clear that he was liked her. So maybe the best way to get him to face his feelings and push him to ept them and act on them was to make it too hard for him to resist.

    "Just trust me on this, okay? I''m not saying you should stop talking to him or anything. And I''m not asking you to lie to him about anything either. Harry hates lies..."

    Jade winced, and Tom narrowed his eyes, "You lied to him already?"

    "Kind of. I was hoping to tell him the truth tonight when I see him. And please don''t ask me what I lied about," Jade said, and Tom just looked at her without saying a word for a moment.

    "Do me a favor. Tell him the truth. And please don''t lie to him next time, and don''t mess with his emotions. Before you rush to point out that I lied to Lucy, I know so already, so do not waste your breath. Just don''t do that to Harry," Tom advised, and Jade nodded.

    "Are you both going to stand there and talk all night, or will you join the party?" Evelyn called to them as she dished the food.

    "We areing," Tom called back to her as he walked away from Jade.

    "I will tell him the truth," Jade promised as she followed him.

    Now all she had to do was figure out a way to tell him the truth without revealing that she was interested in him.

    Should she do so over the phone tonight or just stop by his office and tell him the truth before leaving? How would he react?

 Chapter 340 Forgive Her

    Chapter 340 Forgive Her����After they were done with dinner, Jade encouraged their father to unwrap the gifts they had gotten him. Lucy quietly excused herself and went upstairs to get him the gift she had gotten him.

    "Dad, you know you can request anything else you want too, right?" Tom asked, and Desmond smiled happily over the rim of his wine ss as he took a sip of his favorite wine.

    "I know. Thank you. You kids have done more than enough already," Desmond said before reaching to unwrap the wristwatch box.

    When he was going about it too slowly, Evelyn, who was dying with curiosity to see what they had gotten him, reached over to help him tear off the wrap, but Desmond pped her hand off, "No touching," he warned, and the others around the tableughed just as Lucy returned.

    Thankful that no one was looking her way, she subtly hid her gift behind her as she sat down beside Tom.

    "It''s a Patek Philippe watch," Desmond announced with an even broader smile as he looked from Tom to Bryan and then back to the wristwatch in awe. He was a lover and collector of wristwatches, but this was going to be the most expensive wristwatch in his collection.

    "Thank you, boys," Desmond said, and Bryan shot Jade a smug smile since she had kept insisting that there was no need to get him such an outrageously expensive wristwatch when he would likely not even recognize its worth whether or not he was a collector.

    Jade rolled her eyes at Bryan, "Really, dad? Thank you, boys?" She asked with a scowl, and he chuckled.

    "Give your brothers some credit, Jady. I know you don''t have an eye for things like these, but they do, so they deserve some des. And thank you too, princess. I''m sure you didn''t leave it all entirely to them," he added with a grin as he gently lifted the wristwatch from its box and put it on.

    "How much did that cost?" Lucy whispered to Tom in awe as she eyed the wristwatch. Working in the fashion line, she knew enough about brands to know that this wasn''t cheap.

    "Some thousands of dors, I would say," Tom said, and Lucy winced as she threw her gift under the table, making Tom chuckle.

    "Don''t do that. I''m sure he will appreciate it," Tom chided as he reached for the gift, but Lucy held his arm.

    "If you embarrass me, I won''t ever forgive you," she warned, and Tom shook his head as he reached for the bag regardless of her warning and ced it on herp.

    "Dad, unwrap your other gift," Bryan urged him when he saw that Desmond was wasting so much time checking out the wristwatch.

    Desmond carefully returned the wristwatch to its box before picking up the other wrapped box. He carefully unwrapped it while Evelyn watched impatiently.

    Once Desmond exposed the content of the second box, he smiled happily once again, while Evelyn red at her children, "I can''t believe that instead of you encouraging your dad to quit this dangerous habit, you went ahead to buy him this as a gift. You do know that this isn''t good for his health, right?" Evelyn asked with displeasure.

    "Give us a break, mom. Every one of us is going to die someday, whether or not we are smokers. Allow the man to enjoy himself," Bryan said, and Evelyn angrily threw a piece of cake at him.

    "Don''t you dare spit out that nonsense to me!"

    "Calm down, Eve. You said one cigar a day. I''m not going to smoke all of these in one day," Desmond reminded her softly since he understood that she was only concerned about his health.

    "Still, they should have known better," Evelyn insisted, but with less anger this time.

    "I love the gifts. Thank you," Desmond said with a happy smile just as a yawn escaped from Evelyn.

    She picked up her phone and was surprised to see that it was almost midnight already, "It has been a long day. I need to retire for the night now, especially as we will be leaving in the morning," she said, and Bryan smiled happily, knowing that they were not going to be doing any silly singing or dancing as Jade had nned.

    "Yeah, you should do that. I will stay out here for a while before joining you," Desmond said with a grin as he held the cigar box to himself.

    "You are not smoking tonight!" She reminded him as she stood up and snatched the cigar box from him, "Join me in the bedroom when you are ready," she said before bidding the others goodnight and going inside.

    "We should head in too," Sonia said, giving Jade a pointed look, reminding her that they were supposed to continue their conversation from where they stopped.

    "Yeah, we should," Jade said with a grin.

    "Tom, if you''re not feeling too tired, let''s continue our game from yesterday before we retire for the night," Bryan suggested, and Tom smirked at him before turning to Lucy.

    He kissed the side of her head, "I will be in the bedroom after I''m done with him," Tom said before standing up to leave with Bryan.

    As the others stood up to leave, Lucy remained seated, "Are you noting with us?" Sonia asked curiously.

    "I will join you shortly," Lucy said, wanting them to leave before she would give the gift to Desmond.

    "Alright. I will be in Jade''s bedroom," Sonia said as she left with Jade.

    Now left alone with Desmond, Lucy contemted the best way to present her gift to him while Desmond watched her curiously. Perceiving that she wanted to speak with him, he decided to talk first.

    "How are you feeling, Lucy?" Desmond asked as he looked at her.

    Lucy cleared her throat and smiled at him, "I''m okay. I saw this while shopping earlier, and I thought you might like it," Lucy said in a rush as she ced the bag on the table and pushed it across to him.

    "You got me a gift?" Desmond asked in pleasant surprise as he picked up the bag and looked into it.

    "It''s a memory foam slippers. It helps to keep your feet warm andfortable..."

    "I know what it is," Desmond cut in with a wide appreciative smile.

    "My dad liked it when I got it for him, and since I''ve not seen you on it before, I decided to get it. I don''t know if it will fit though," she said, still feeling somewhat nervous.

    "I''m sure it will fit. Thank you very much, Lucy. I love it," Desmond said, and as though to prove it to her, he took off the sneakers he had been wearing before and put them on.

    "I''m d you do. Happy birthday once again," Lucy said with a relieved smile as she stood up, ready to return inside.

    "If you are not in a hurry to get back inside, do you mind keeping this old manpany?" Desmond asked before she could leave, and she sat back down.

    "You are not exactly old. Sixty is not old," Lucy pointed out.

    "Tell that to my wife. Ever since she clocked sixtyst year, she has been going on and on about how old we are getting," Desmond said, and Lucy looked at him in surprise.

    "She is older than you are?"

    Desmond smiled when he heard the surprise in her tone, "Why do you sound so surprised?"

    "I don''t know. Maybe it''s because she just doesn''t seem like the type who would marry someone younger than she is, even if it''s just by a month," Lucy said, and Desmond chuckled.

    "You seem to understand her personality quite well. I can assure you that she has changed a lot now,pared to how she was when we first started. Apart from the age issue, I had a difficult time convincing her to be with me since she didn''t even want to get married back then. You can''t imagine my amusement whenever I hear her bugging our kids about getting married now," Desmond said in amusement, and from the way he talked about his wife, Lucy could hear his affection for her in his tone.

    "She didn''t want to get married? Why?" Lucy asked since she couldn''t understand how Evelyn, who looked so homely and motherly, could have ever considered not getting married.

    "Her background. She had a rough time growing up. Her family was dysfunctional in every sense of the word, and she was scared that she would end up bing like her mother or marrying someone like her father," Desmond exined.

    "That must have been tough," Lucy said with a sigh, trying to reconcile this part of Evelyn she was hearing about to the woman she knew.

    "It was. It took me four years to convince her," Desmond said, and Lucy blinked at him in surprise.

    Four years? That was the same time it would take to get most college degrees. Patience must run in their family line, Lucy mused.

    "I think you are like my wife in many ways," Desmond said, making Lucy wonder if Tom had told him about her decision not to get married.

    "Why do you think so?" Lucy asked curiously, and Desmond shrugged.

    "Because I see her younger self in you most times when I look at you. And I think maybe she sees it too," Desmond said, and Lucy sighed.

    "Are you still mad at your mother?" Desmond asked, changing the subject so abruptly that Lucy blinked at him in surprise since her brain was yet to finish processing what he had been saying.

    "I don''t know what your mother said to you, but I hope you can forgive her for it," Desmond continued without waiting for a response.

    "Did she tell you what she said?" Lucy asked, and Desmond shook his head.

    "I didn''t ask. There was no need to ask since she was sad and regretted it. I''m certain that all of this is not easy on you right now. We don''t expect it to be. But you will feel better if you don''t add anger at your mother to the list of things already weighing on you," Desmond said, and Lucy''s eyes teared up.

    "Being a parent is difficult. We have to be responsible for both ourselves and our children. Often times as parents, we set unrealistic standards for ourselves. We want to be everything and do everything for our children without understanding that there is a limit to the things we can do for them. We are scared too. We get scared of making mistakes because we know they won''t only affect us but our kids too. Your mother might be older than you, but inside she is still just a person like you, saddled with the responsibility of being responsible for herself and you too. So forgive her for not being perfect and not being able to say the right things or be there for you as you would want her to," Desmond said, and Lucy felt tears roll down her cheeks.

    Desmond stood up and went to sit on the bench beside her as he draped a hand across her shoulders to console her, "Let it out, dear. Cry it out as much as you want, and resolve whatever it is you need to resolve within you. And when you are done, forgive your mother. Forgive her for being human."

 Chapter 341 Validation

    Chapter 341 Validation����Sonia was rolling on the bed withughter as Jade narrated all that had transpired between her and Harry when they met again in her apartment four yearster because Tom had sent him to make sure she was okay.

    "I swear, you are both a match made in heaven," Sonia said as she wiped a tear that had dropped from her eyes because of herughter.

    "His bluntness was very annoying at first, I can assure you. It''s a surprise that I have somehow gotten used to it," Jade said with a small smile.

    "That''s interesting," Sonia said and then listened attentively as Jade told her how she had hooked Harry up with Aurora and how they were nning to go on a date soon.

    "Oh-oh! That doesn''t sound so good," Sonia said, and Jade sighed.

    "It''s what I get for being a meddling bitch. So it''s either I just sit still and let nature take its course, or I find a way to sabotage their date," Jade said, and Sonia wriggled her brows, an evil smile ying on her lips.

    "I''m all up for sabotaging their date," Sonia said, and Jade giggled.

    "I didn''t expect anything less from you," Jade said since she already knew that Sonia was the type to do crazy stuff, "If Lucy were here, she would probably advise me to let nature take its course," Jade said, and Sonia nodded in agreement.

    "Yep. That''s definitely Lucy. So what are you going to do? Sabotage or not?"

    "Since I''m a perfect blend of both your personalities, I will figure out a way to bnce it," Jade said with a brilliant smile, and they both looked at the door when someone knocked on it.

    "If it''s Lucy,e in. If it''s not, get lost. We don''t need you," Sonia announced, and the door opened.

    "Oh!" Sonia''s face flushed red in embarrassment when Evelyn walked into the bedroom.

    "Should I get lost too?" She asked, and Jadeughed gaily at the embarrassment on Sonia''s face.

    "That didn''t apply to you," Sonia said and pressed her lips together.

    "What do you want, mom? I thought you said you were tired and wanted to sleep?" Jade asked curiously.

    "Yes, I am tired, and I need to sleep. But I also have to talk to you. I''ve not seen you for a long while," Evelyn said as she sat down, and Sonia got off the bed.

    "But we talked outside..."

    "That was barely a conversation. Besides, you were busy being a daddy''s girl. You don''t think I''m going to just let you sleep tonight and leave in the morning without catching up on everything going on in your life, do you?" Evelyn said, and Jade rolled her eyes.

    "Juste out in and say you want to know if I''m in a rtionship yet," Jade said while Sonia slowly made her way to the door.

    "Well, there is that. But more than that I want to know if you are really fine. You don''t have to leave on my ount, Sonia," Evelyn said without looking at Sonia.

    "We can finish our conversation over the phone some other time. I''m tired already and need to go to bed now," Sonia said with a fake yawn.

    Both Evelyn and Jade could tell that she was faking it, but they nodded, "Sure. Have a good night''s rest," Evelyn called after her as she left them to go and find Lucy to know why she didn''t join them.

    "I''m fine, mom. You should go to bed now. You need to rest," Jade assured her mother now that they were alone.

    Evelyn looked at her without saying a word and justy on the bed, bncing her head on one of the pillows as she looked at her.

    Seeing her mother assume that position, she didn''t need anyone to tell her that her mother wasn''t going to be leaving her anytime soon, so shey down too and propped herself up on her elbows as she looked at her mother.

    "Work has been very stressful, but I''m about to wrap up this case finally. I''m considering joining the legal team in Tom''spany when I''m done," she said, and Evelyn smiled at that.

    "That is awesome. Tom didn''t mention it to me when he said he was offering Bryan a job," Evelyn said, and Jade shrugged, not wanting to tell her Harry had been the one who offered her the job and not Tom.

    "I think I need to do something different for a change. If I keep taking up such criminal cases, I''m afraid I might not live long enough to give you grandkids," Jade said, and Evelyn gave her a nk stare.

    "I''m d you are considering this. I will feel much better knowing that you all are in one city, and even if I''m not there, you got each other''s backs. I was beginning to fear that you were all drifting apart because of your jobs," Evelyn said, and it was her eyes that gave her worry away.

    "Not talking all the time doesn''t mean we are drifting apart, mom. The three of us understand that we are all busy, but that doesn''t mean we lose each other less or won''t all drop whatever we are doing at a moment''s notice if either of us needs help," Jade assured her.

    "I hope so. I raised a close-knit family, Jade. I didn''t give up my career to raise you kids only to watch you drift apart on ount of your careers. Your father and I won''t live forever. We are getting older by the day, and I don''t want to think that if I''m not there to call each of you or remind you to check on each other, you won''t do so," Evelyn said, and Jade snuggled closer to her and patted her arm knowing that she was speaking from her experience with her family.

    "Stop sounding like that, mom."

    "I want you three to always be there for each other. Even when you all get married, I''d love all of you to be one big happy family still," Evelyn said, and Jade smiled knowingly.

    "It''s already settled on Tom''s and Bryan''s side. So I guess this is the part where you ask me about the man in my life, so you will try to see if he will fit into this one big happy family image or not?" Jade asked, and Evelynughed softly at being discovered.

    "Why don''t you regrow your hair? Although this style looks good on you, but I miss your long hair," Evelyn said, subtly shifting away from the subject.

    "I will think about it."

    "Good. So what was that about you living with Harry?" Evelyn asked, and Jade blinked at her beforeughing at her mother''s tactic.

    "I didn''t live with him. I only spent two nights at his apartment," Jade said, and Evelyn eyed suspiciously.

    "You must think I''m too old to not have noticed how you acted every time his name was mentioned earlier. Are you seeing him?" Evelyn asked, and Jade sighed.

    Could she ever keep any secret from her family? "No, I''m not. He was just very helpful to me in thest couple of days," Jade said and exined how Harry hade to stay with her.

    "What? Howe something like that happened to you, and nobody thought it wise to tell me about this?" Evelyn asked with a displeased frown.

    "Trust me, Harry is the best person that could have been there with me at the time. He even threatened to report to you if I didn''t eat or get enough rest," Jade said with a grin, and Evelyn smiled.

    "I''ve always liked that boy."

    "Mom, Harry is hardly a boy..."

    "Of course. I see you noticed just how manly he is," Evelyn said in a teasing tone, and Jadeughed.

    "That''s not what I meant. I think Tom and Bryan are men too. You can hardly call them boys," Jade said in her defense.

    "Yeah, they will always be my boys, and Harry is my boy too. He is always so terrible at telling lies," Evelyn said with a fond smile.

    "He lies?"

    "He tries to whenever he is trying to cover your brother''s ass. But I guess it''s not just his thing," Evelyn said, and then she smiled when she noticed how Jade''s eyes were gleaming.

    It had been a while since shest saw Jade looking that way. Since Todd died, it seemed like a light had gone out inside her.

    "You say you are not seeing him, yet you are smiling this way merely because we are talking about him?" She asked Jade with a teasing smile.

    "Stop it, mom. I''m serious. I''m not in a rtionship with him."

    "You realize that I can hear the YET in that statement, don''t you?" Evelyn asked knowingly.

    "I don''t know what you''re talking about," Jade denied. As much as she loved her family, knowing her so well that they could read her, she also didn''t want every one of them in her business.

    "You are interested in him," Evelyn stated. There was no need to ask. She could just tell, and it made her smile.

    She would love nothing more than for Jade to actually be in a rtionship with Harry. She hoped that the feeling would be mutual too since she still remembered how Harry had been staring at Jade four years ago, but she had chosen not to say anything about it since Jade was in a rtionship and her husband had asked her not to meddle even though they didn''t like Todd.

    "It could be infatuation. Or maybe I''m just crushing on him or something. It''s not a big deal," Jade said lightly.

    "That is fine, whatever it is. Now that I''m sure you are okay, I will just go to bed," Evelyn said as she rose from the bed.

    "Seriously, mom? I told you I was okay before we started talking about this, but you didn''t believe me. And now you are sure I''m okay just because I might have a crush on Harry?" Jade asked incredulously.

    "I''m sure you are okay because I can see that happy light in your eyes that has been missing for years. You are in love with your life once again. I don''t know if it has anything to do with you being infatuated with Harry or not, but I hope the light in your eyes stays that way," Evelyn said as she leaned forward to kiss Jade''s forehead.

    Jade teared up as she watched as her mother walk to the door, and then she stopped her, "Mom?"

    "Yes, dear?" Evelyn asked as she turned to look at her.

    Jade got off the bed and went to embrace her, "I''m d you are my mother, ws and all. I couldn''t have asked for a better mom," Jade said, and it was Evelyn who teared up this time as she embraced Jade.

    All these years, she had lived with just a sole purpose in mind. To not be like her mother. From the moment she agreed to marry Desmond, she had made up her mind to give her all to her husband and the children that woulde along. All she wanted was to be a good mother, and she was d that Jade believed she was. That was all the validation she needed.

 Chapter 342 Contrasting Personalities

    Chapter 342 Contrasting Personalities����This chapter is dedicated to Viska01 and Mara_Heller. Thanks for the super gifts.

    *********

    Sonia headed downstairs in search of Lucy after confirming that she wasn''t in Tom''s bedroom. Her steps faltered when she saw Lucy entering the house with Desmond, who was holding his pair of sneakers in his hands, and they were bothughing at something.

    From the sound of Lucy''sughter, Sonia could tell that it wasn''t forced. She was actually enjoying the man''spany, and this made Sonia smile involuntarily.

    "There you are. I was looking everywhere for you," Sonia called out as she joined them.

    "Forgive her. She would have joined you a long time ago. I held her back to keep mepany," Desmond said before raising a foot for Sonia''s inspection, "She got me this for my birthday," Desmond said with a proud smile, and Sonia gasped.

    "You cheat! Why didn''t you tell me you were getting him a gift? I would have gotten him one too. You wanted to win the girlfriend of the year award, didn''t you?" Sonia said in an usatory tone, and Desmondughed.

    "Don''t worry. There is enough room in my heart for both of you. But right now, Lucy is upying a bigger spot. You will need to get me a gift too in order to bnce it out. I''m a very materialistic old man," Desmond said with a wide smile, while Lucy just kept grinning.

    "I will see what I can do to correct this," Sonia promised, and Desmond nodded.

    "Alright, I''ll be waiting. I will leave you girls now. I need to join Eve in the bedroom. She won''t fall asleep unless I''m there to cuddle her," Desmond said with a wink, leaving both girls staring after him speechlessly.

    "I don''t know about you, but I think I''m in love with this family," Sonia said as they watched him disappear.

    Lucy smiled without saying a word. She couldn''t believe that she actually felt better after listening to Desmond and talking with him. It must be because he was Tom''s father, she mused.

    "What did you both talk about for so long?" Sonia asked curiously as she and Lucy climbed up the stairs with no destination in mind.

    "Different things. He told me about his wife, he talked about parenting, and about what happened between my mom and me. I cried, he consoled me, and after that, he just kept talking about funny stuff to cheer me," Lucy said, and Sonia smiled.

    "I think he seeded."

    "Yes, he did," Lucy said with a nod, "So you are leaving with Bryan tomorrow?"

    "Yeah. But if you want me to stay with you, I will," Sonia promised.

    "Nah. That''s not necessary. Besides, I''m sure you will be back soon. What about your apartment? Are you going to move or what?" Lucy asked curiously.

    "Not immediately. But I might do that eventually," Sonia said as they stopped at the top of the stairs.

    "Cool. So what about Jade? I thought you were going to be in her bedroom?"

    "I was until mother Hank came in. You won''t believe what I said to her when she knocked on Jade''s door," Sonia said, and Lucyughed when Sonia told her about it.

    "That sassy mouth of yours is going to be your undoing. Do you remember that time in high school when we..." They both burst into a peal ofughter at the memory before she could finish.

    That had been the good old days before they found out about Jamie''s craziness. They had returned from school one hot summer afternoon, and all Sonia had wanted to do was lounge around the house in just her undies or, best-case scenario, in her birthday suit.

    She had been disappointed when they got to Lucy''s house and found her father''s car parked outside. They got inside the house, and because it was awfully quiet, they assumed that he was probably resting in his bedroom, so they just headed straight to Lucy''s bedroom.

    Once they shut the door behind them, Sonia started speaking, "For fuck''s sake, Lu! Why did your dad have toe back from work so early today when I was actually looking forward to lounging on his favorite couch naked while we watch an episode of Good luck Charlie or Wizards of Waverly ce?" Soniained as she threw her school bag on the bed.

    "Language, Sony! Watch it!" Lucy chided in her proper good girl fashion.

    "What part of the speech am I watching? The for fuck''s sake or the naked?" Sonia asked with a roll of her eyes.

    "You''re incorrigible," Lucy said with a shake of her head as she started to take off her clothes.

    "That, I am!"

    "So you were going to tell me about the partyst night...." Lucy reminded her.

    "Yeah, about that. I still don''t get why you are so scared to sneak out. You could tell your parents that you''re at my ce or we are going to a friend''s house for a groupie..."

    "A groupie? You do know what a groupie means, don''t you?" Lucy asked with a giggle.

    "Well, a word could mean more than one thing. And in my lexicon for cool kids, groupies here mean group reading, smartie. I''m sure your parents won''t mind if you just tell them we are going for a sleepover group reading. And then we can go to a party. It''s not a big deal. These parties are always fun, trust me," Sonia said, her green eyes glittering.

    "I''m sure they are fun, but I''m satisfied with the photos I get to see, and you always tell the stories so well without leaving out details that I begin to feel like I was present at the party. I''d rather be indoors than go to those unauthorized parties. Now enough with the diversion. How did it gost night? Everywhere I turned today, everyone was talking about the party at school. I even overheard someone say you were seen necking with Davies," Lucy said as she adjusted her sses and sat in the center of her bed wearing just her undies as she watched Sonia, eager to get the gist.

    "Well, yeah. We were caught making out," Sonia said with a coy smile.

    "Really? Was it fun? How far did you go?" Lucy asked, looking at her owlishly.

    "God, yes! It was so much more fun than I expected. He actually used his..."

    "Sonia dear, I think I''ve heard more than enough now," Andrew called from behind the closed door of the mini-library, which was directly opposite Lucy''s bedroom, announcing his presence to them.

    As Sonia and Lucyughed at the memory, Sonia shook her head, "I swear to you, that remains the most embarrassing moment of my life. I wished the ground would open up and swallow me at the moment. Especially when I was leaving, and I had to walk past your dad," Sonia said, and Lucyughed harder.

    "Remember how you kept trying to rey all you had said to pinpoint exactly what he could have heard?" Lucy asked, and Sonia raised a hand to her face, which was burning in embarrassment from the memory.

    "We should probably go to bed now. It''s almost one in the morning, and we are out hereughing like maniacs," Sonia said, and Lucy nodded.

    "Yeah. We should. I have to be at the office tomorrow. Did I tell you that I''m epting that offer from the foundation yet?" Lucy asked, and Sonia shook her head.

    "No, you didn''t. Why did you change your mind?" She asked with a concerned frown and listened as Lucy exined Tom''s idea.

    "Although, he said it was Harry who suggested it," Lucy said, and Sonia nodded.

    "It makes sense. Speaking about Harry, I sent you the voice recording I made of my conversation with Jade earlier this morning and this night as well. That would fill you in on all we discussed in your absence," Sonia said with a wink.

    "Is she aware that you recorded your private conversation with her?" Lucy asked with a disapproving frown, and Sonia rolled her eyes.

    "Yes, she is, and she gave me permission to share with you too. Geez! You never change, do you?" Sonia asked with a shake of her head, and Lucy shed her a smile.

    "I do change. As a matter of fact, I''ve changed a great deal. The only thing that hasn''t changed is my good manners," Lucy said as she headed for Tom''s bedroom, "Goodnight, Sony. Got to sleep now. Some of us are not privileged to be our own bosses," she called with a wave.

    "Yeah, please, by all means, sleep. Some of us are not privileged to fuck our boss because we are our own boss. Or maybe I can, with a vibrator. I just might get one. Need to know what it feels like to fuck my boss," Sonia called back as she also headed for Bryan''s bedroom, and Lucy turned to look at her, appalled that Sonia had actually said that out loud where anyone else could have heard it.

    Sonia blew her a kiss and giggled when she saw how furiously Lucy was blushing. Sheughed harder when Lucy gave her the middle finger, "Some of us actually have the guts to say the words out loud, honey. Fuck you too, baby," Sonia said as she walked into the bedroom and quickly shut the door before Lucy could respond.

    Inside the bedroom not far from theirs, Desmond and Evelynughed, "Sonia is a really wild one, isn''t she?" Evelyn, who was snuggled against her husband''s body,ined.

    "I think she is perfect," Desmond said with a chuckle as he patted her back, thinking that it was great that they were going to have all the personalities in the Hank family, both the good and the bad and the terrible.

    "Why did you want me to be the one to speak with Lucy?" Desmond asked curiously after a moment. He had been surprised that Lucy had stayed back on her own when he had actually been nning on asking her to take a walk with him.

    "Because I thought she might be morefortable with you. You know you have a way with words, and I seem to make her nervous," Evelyn exined.

    "She''s a sweet child," Desmond said, and Evelyn smiled.

    "I know. I just keep wondering how those two ended up bing best of friends with their contrasting personalities," Evelyn said with a shake of her head. Although she loved Sonia, she still felt like Sonia was a mischievous handful.

    "The same way we''ve been married for over thirty-one years with our contrasting personalities," Desmond said as he kissed the center of her head, making her sigh contentedly.

    "You''ve talked to Jade, I suppose? Or are you nning on doing that in the morning?" He asked, and she nodded.

    "I talked with her. She''s interested in Harry," Evelyn said, and Desmond sighed.

    "I thought as much. That was a long timeing. Do you remember how she looked at him when he broke her fall that first time?" Desmond asked, and Evelyn smiled.

    "Yeah. Yet you asked me not to interfere even when it was obvious that Harry liked her too," she reminded him.

    "Yeah. I believe if they were meant to be, they would find their way to each other on their own. Besides, what kind of parents will we be to matchmake our daughter whose boyfriend is under our roof with her elder brother''s best friend?" Desmond asked, and Evelyn shook her head.

    "It doesn''t matter now. She looks happy now, and that''s all that matters. She said she''s thinking about joining Tom''spany," Evelyn said, and Desmond chuckled.

    "Of course, she has to be closer to Harry," he said knowingly, and Evelynughed.

    "I can''t believe that I didn''t even think of that."

    "Let''s hope Harry is wise enough to get her this time and not run off like he did thest time. In the meantime, we can rx. Our kids are all doing well, and they are in safe hands. You did such a great job raising them," Desmond said, and Evelyn looked up at him, her eyes gleaming with love and respect for her husband.

    "I could never have done this without you. You promised I was never going to regret being your wife or the mother of your kids, and not once have I ever had a reason to regret it. Thank you," Evelyn said, and Desmond smiled at her as he kissed her softly, making her melt against him.

 Chapter 343 Midnight Chat

    Chapter 343 Midnight Chat����Alone in her bed and unable to sleep, Jade tried to process all the information she had gathered during the day from Tom, Bryan, and Sonia.

    They all seemed to believe that Harry was interested in her, and taking a third person''s view on the issue, she would agree with them.

    Thinking back to their discussion during their first meeting, all the signs had been there. It was very possible that he had been interested in her. Had there, being the keyword, because somewhere in the most logical part of her brain, she was also wondering how possible it was for him to have consistently liked her for over four years without doing anything about it. It just didn''t make sense.

    Maybe he had liked her back then but had given up after realizing just how much her rtionship meant to her and that she wasn''t going to jeopardize it for him even though she thought he was pretty.

    That made more sense. He HAD been interested in her��past tense.

    If she were to go by what they were saying, and think of his feelings for her in the present tense, then the central question on her mind now would be, why was he holding back?

    Not once had he made any attempt to reach her in thest four years or see her, even when she was sure he heard of Todd''s death. She also knew that if Tom hadn''t asked him for his help on her case, he still wouldn''t have reached out to her by now, so how could they all think that he liked her? If he did, why wasn''t he doing anything about it? What if she had gotten married or met someone else? Was it that he did not care? Or was he just one of those silly people who believed that what will be will be?

    With a sigh, she turned over on herrge bed, which was feeling particrly empty tonight. Funny that everyone else had someone in bed with them. Her parents were together, Tom and Lucy were in bed together, and so were Bryan and Sonia, but here she was alone. When was thest she was cuddled? She mused with a sigh as she wrapped both arms and legs around a pillow.

    Her eyes fell on the bedside clock when it struck the hour. It was one in the morning, and she couldn''t sleep. She was worried, but she couldn''t seem to ce a finger on what was bothering her even though she knew it concerned Harry.

    If it weren''t sote in the night, she probably would have given him a call. She still had to clear up that little lie before leaving if she didn''t want it to fester and cause unnecessary problems. She was worried enough already about developing feelings for him and being scared that the feeling might not be entirely mutual.

    Yes, the feeling might not be mutual. Because if he really liked her as everyone else seemed to believe, he wouldn''t be sofortable with being away from her.

    She sighed as she turned again on her side. Yeah, she knew that her thoughts were going around in circles, but there was nothing she could do about it.

    Unable to help it anymore, she sat up and picked up her phone from the nightstand. Even if she couldn''t call him because he was likely asleep, she could at least send him a text. That way, her message would be the first thing he sees when he picks up his phone in the morning, and then he would likely give her a call.

    What simple text could she send that wouldn''t make her feel like she was bugging him at this time of the night? She needed to send a natural and light text that he wouldn''t read too much meaning to

    She tapped her right forefinger against the tip of her nose thoughtfully until her eyes lit up with an idea. Yes! That was it, she thought as she startedposing the text.

    Away from there, Harry, who had just stepped out of the shower with a sky blue towel wrapped around his waist, preparing to go to bed, nced at his phone when it beeped with a message notification, and then his gaze moved to the wall clock.

    Why was someone texting him by one in the morning? Who could be texting him? He wondered as he went to pick up his phone, which he had left beside his pillow.

    He blinked in surprise when he saw that it was a WhatsApp text from ''Esquire'', and he clicked on it without thinking twice.

    "Hey! I''m sure you must be asleep by now. Congrattions on your promotion. I guess you went to celebrate on your own and forgot my invitation to dad''s birthday. Here are some photos of what you missed," Jade had texted, and attached to it were pictures of the hors d''oeuvres, the cocktails and wines, the cake, the meal, and then a picture of everyone around the table, and then a goofy selfie photo of herself.

    Harry felt his lips curve with a smile, and then he snapped out of it when he saw that she was now typing another message. He decided to respond to the first text, "Thanks. And I''m sorry I couldn''t make it. My dad came visiting, so I had to spend time with him," he texted back as he sat on the bed.

    Jade grinned as she read his response. He was awake, that was good. "Yeah, Tom mentioned it. I thought you would be asleep by now." Jade texted again.

    "I was just about to go to bed. We spent a lot of time watching the news and talking that we didn''t realize it was thiste," Harry responded before remembering to ask, "What about you? Why are you awake? Did you just finish partying?"

    Jadey belly down on the bed with her elbows propped on both sides of her pillow as she texted back, "No. I just couldn''t sleep."

    Harry''s brows pulled together in concern, "Why? Are you worried about the case? Were you able to talk to Candace?" He asked curiously.

    Instead of responding, Jade decided to give him a call since she preferred to hear his voice than chat with him.

    Harry was surprised to see her call, so he adjusted on his bed so that his back was resting on the headboard of the bed, with both legs on the bed now and the towel slightly loosened.

    "Hey!" He said awkwardly when he received the call.

    "I spoke with Candace. She agreed to go with me to meet Jero, but she wants to leave her son behind," Jade informed him, just wanting to talk to him about anything as long as he was on the line.

    "Who is she leaving him with? Tom said your parents are going back tomorrow, and Lucy''s parents too," Harry asked in concern, thinking that was probably what was keeping her awake.

    "I''m sure Samantha and the others here will care for him. Besides, Tom and Lucy can check in on him daily. How hard can it be?" Jade asked lightly.

    "I take it Tom agreed to this?"

    "Yes, he did."

    "Cool."

    "So how is your dad?" Jade asked, changing the subject.

    "He''s fine. He''s asleep now," Harry said as he tried to figure out what next to say, "I saw the pictures you sent. That looked more fun than Tom made me believe you guys were having," he said, and Jadeughed.

    "Well, at first, it wasn''t. But then we had to make it count for dad''s sake. And I was looking forward to seeing you," Jade said, and Harry felt his heart skip a beat.

    "Oh!" Wasn''t that supposed to be a feminine reaction? Why did his heart keep acting funny?

    Hearing the surprise in his voice, Jade almost smiled, and then she bit her lower lip when she remembered that she had to confess to him.

    Deciding to go with the blunt and straightforward approach he usually used, to see his reaction, she blurted, "Harry, I know I kissed youst night."

    This time Harry''s stomach did a flip flop and he got off the bed. She remembered? When did she remember? What exactly did she remember? Why was she bringing it up now? If she remembered, then she had to have had a reason for kissing him, right?

    There were a lot of questions he wanted to ask, but he was scared that he might not like some of the answers, and even if he ended up liking the answers, he might not ept them, so it was probably best for both their sakes that he dismisses it as nothing.

    "Two nights ago," Harry said instead.

    "What?" Jade asked in confusion.

    "I mean, it was two nights ago. It''s past one in the morning already," Harry said as he paced the bedroom, while Jade blinked back her surprise.

    That was thest thing she had been expecting him to say. She just confessed to having kissed him, and this was the only thing he could say? She had at least expected him to ask her why or something, even if she had no intention of stating the exact reason. From his response, it seemed like the kiss didn''t affect him as much as she had assumed after all.

    "Oh, yeah. It was two nights ago. Why didn''t you talk about it yesterday?" She asked curiously.

    "I... I was embarrassed and ashamed of myself. I know that you were drunk, and I should have stopped you. I''m sorry for not stopping you. I was caught off guard," Harry exined, and even as the words left his mouth, he cursed himself for taking the cowardly way out.

    Caught off guard? Yes, she had caught him off guard no doubt, but he had kissed her in return, hadn''t he? What was there to be ashamed or embarrassed about? "I also remember that you kissed me back," Jade said, wanting to see how he would excuse that.

    Harry shut his eyes, "That''s more reason why I feel embarrassed. I don''t know what came over me. I should have known better than that. You were drunk, and my action is inexcusable," Harry said, and Jade sighed.

    Okay. Maybe she had learned something from kissing him while pretending to be drunk. She had learned that they had chemistry. And she knew that even if she tried to say she had done it of her own volition and not because she was under the influence of alcohol, Harry being Harry, would likely not believe her.

    The only way to know for sure if he had avoided her and the topic because he was embarrassed for kissing a drunkdy or because the kiss had affected him more than he wanted to admit, was by kissing him for real. No alcohol. Just a passionate woman in her senses kissing a man she was sexually attracted to.

    "You don''t have to feel embarrassed. I''m the one who kissed you because I wanted to. I took advantage of you. I''m sorry," Jade apologized.

    Although Harry heard what she said about kissing him because she wanted to, he didn''t bother to ask her to borate on it. No, he didn''t want to know about why she would want to kiss him.

    "You were drunk. There is no need for you to apologize," Harry assured her dismissively and then feigned a yawn, "We should go to bed now. I have to be up early," Harry said awkwardly.

    "Yeah. Sure. Take care of yourself. Goodnight," Jade said, knowing that he was running away. She intended to see just how much longer he could run, and how far his strength would carry him.

    "You too. Try to get some sleep. And don''t forget to let me know if you need my help," Harry said, and Jade smiled.

    Of course. There was no way she was going to forget something like that.

 Chapter 344 ACE

    Chapter 344 ACE����It was past two in the morning by the time Tom walked into his bedroom. His gaze moved to the bed, and he noticed that Lucy was already fast asleep. She had left the light on.

    He quietly took off his shoes and put on his bedroom flip flop before walking as noiselessly as he could to the bathroom. He took off his clothes and dumped them in theundry basket, and then stepped into the shower.

    He tried to be as quiet as he could, and once he was done in the shower, he walked into the closet, lightly spritzed his body with his body spray, and put on a pair of clean boxers before turning off the light and joining her in bed.

    The moment he raised the duvet and got under it, Lucy snuggled closer to his side of the bed, surprising him, "I thought you were not going toe to bed," she said sleepily.

    "I thought you were asleep," Tom said as he adjusted to amodate her so that she was lying on her side, facing him while he was lying on his back with her head resting on his left arm.

    "I was," Lucy sighed contentedly.

    "Sorry I woke you up," Tom said apologetically.

    "I wanted to be awake when you got back. That''s why I left the light on," She said as she sniffed his body and ran her hand over his bare torso.

    "Sorry I took so long. Bryan refused to concede defeat," Tom said apologetically as he patted her back so that she would go back to sleep.

    "It''s fine. I''m d you''re here now," she said as she yed with one of his nipples.

    Tom tried to distract his body by thinking about anything else other than what she was doing. His nipples were very sensitive, and he could already feel a tent growing in his boxers. He wasn''t going to touch her in any sexual way. For both her sake and his, he was going to resist every sexual urge or desire.

    "Everybody is going back tomorrow. We will go back to being alone," Lucy said, and Tom looked down at her.

    "I suppose you like that?"

    She nodded, "Hm-hm. Although I will miss them, but yes, I like it. And I like your body too. It feels so cool and smells very nice too. I want to lick you," she said, and as though to prove it, she flicked her tongue over his skin, making Tom suck in a breath.

    "You should sleep now," Tom suggested as he kissed her forehead and closed his eyes, willing himself to go to sleep. He wasn''t sure he would be able to keep his hands to himself for much longer if she continued to touch him that way.

    "I spoke with your dad earlier," Lucy said after a minute.

    "You did? What did you both talk about?" Tom asked without opening his eyes, trying to rx his body.

    "About my mom," Lucy said, choosing not to talk about what Desmond had said about his rtionship with Evelyn. She didn''t want to talk about anything marriage-rted that would remind them of the awkwardness and tension of their conversation the previous day.

    "She called me insensitive," Lucy said tly, and this time Tom opened his eyes.

    "Why would she say something like that to you?" Tom asked, feeling a little pang of annoyance on her behalf. Thankfully the topic was enough to calm the tension between his legs.

    "She was mad at me for telling Lucas about Rachel before talking to them first. She implied that I was trying to make him feel guilty, and then when I reacted and said it wasn''t easy for me either, she said I''ve always been insensitive," Lucy said, and Tom pulled away from her and sat up.

    Okay, now he was angry. He knew he shouldn''t be mad since he had seen just how sorry J had felt, and he had even consoled her when she cried, but he couldn''t help his annoyance. He was mad at her. How could she have said something that hurtful to Lucy? Lucy didn''t deserve any of that, whether or not she meant it. That she was putting up a brave front for her family didn''t mean they should also ignore her feelings.

    Tom tried to calm down by reminding himself that they were his family, and sometimes misunderstandings like these were bound to happen. He couldn''t let her know that he was upset, so he schooled his face to look neutral as he switched on the light so that he could look into her face.

    Judging by how stiff his body had suddenly be, Lucy could tell that he was upset but was trying hard not to show it, "I''m okay now," she tried to assure him as she also sat up.

    "I''m sorry she said that to you," Tom said as he reached out to pat the side of her head.

    "At first, I was really upset. No, I was more than upset, actually. I was very angry with her. I was mad because, deep down, I''ve always med them for not paying enough attention to me. Not once did they notice that I was not fine. Not one of them noticed. But despite ming them, I never once made them feel like it was their fault because I didn''t want them to live with that guilt. I kept it all to myself. So I was mad that my own mother said those words to me. I didn''t care whether or not she meant it. I was just mad that she, of all people, was the one who said it," Lucy confessed.

    "I understand. You have every right to be mad," Tom said as he took both her hands in his.

    Lucy took a deep breath, "Yeah. I was mad, but I don''t think I''m mad anymore. Your dad talked to me, and then I felt better. Although it still hurts that my mother said that to me, but I''m not mad at her anymore. It''s possible to feel hurt but not be mad, right?" Lucy asked, and Tom nodded as he raised her hands to his lips and kissed her palms.

    "Yes. It''s very possible. I don''t know what my dad said to you, but I''m d you are no longer mad. What can I do to make you feel better?" Tom asked as he held on to her hands, and Lucy smiled, feeling very lighthearted.

    "I think you are like your dad in a lot of ways," she said without answering his question.

    "Really? What makes you think so?" Tom asked curiously.

    "You''re both excellent listeners. You''re both patient, thoughtful, caring, loving, wise..."

    "Why do you sound like you''re almost half as in love with my dad as you are with me?" Tom cut in, and Lucy giggled.

    "Not almost," Lucy corrected with a grin and giggled when he scowled at her, "And you were right about the gift. He loved it. He even wore it right there," Lucy said with a proud smile.

    "Who wouldn''t love a gifting from a beautifuldy such as you?" Tom asked, and a blush stained Lucy''s cheeks while Tom watched her with an affectionately amused nce.

    "Ace," Lucy said as she met his gaze, and Tom raised a questioning brow.

    "What''s that?"

    "That''s my nickname for you. I will call you Ace," Lucy said with a shy smile, and Tom chuckled.

    "Ace," he repeated as though testing the sound of the word, "Why Ace?"

    "Because you''re an absolute genius when ites to making me happy," Lucy said, and this time Tom looked at her with serious eyes.

    "Are you sure I make you happy?"

    Lucy nodded, "More than you can imagine," she assured him.

    "It''s good to hear that. I think I like it," Tom said as he leaned forward and kissed her forehead, "So are you going to call me Ace just when we are alone, or will you do that in the presence of others?" He asked, knowing how much she was embarrassed by public disys of affection.

    Knowing how much he liked public disys of affection, Lucy shrugged, "I won''t call you that in official settings since you are my boss, but I can call you that in public as long as it is outside the work zone," Lucy said, and Tom nodded as his eyes fell on the wall clock which was hanging on the wall directly opposite the bed.

    "That is fair enough. We need to sleep now, Jewel. It''s almost three," Tom said as he turned off the light and pulled her to himself so that they were both lying on the bed in their former position.

    "What about you? Do I make you happy?" Lucy asked curiously.

    "Your existence in itself makes me happy," Tom said as he kissed her forehead, "Now sleep," he ordered softly, and Lucy smiled as she kissed his chest.

    "Goodnight, Ace," she whispered softly.

    Tom smiled, "Sweet dreams, Jewel."

 Chapter 345 Missing

    Chapter 345 Missing����Long before Lucy became fully awake, she could sense something was wrong. Her body just didn''t feel right, and she was feeling a kind of wetness between her thighs.

    She moaned softly when she felt a slight difort in her lower abdomen and struggled between waking up and continuing to sleep since she was exhausted and had just barely fallen asleep.

    She sat bolt upright when it suddenly urred to her sleep muddled brain what was wrong. It was her menstruation. Her period started when she was lying next to Tom on the bed! She thought in rm. And she knew without a doubt that the sheets were stained since she had somehow adjusted in her sleep and was lying on her back now.

    Her period wasn''t supposed to start until the next day, so why now? She had chosen to shop for her menstrual hygiene products the previous day to avoid such an embarrassment yet this still happened, she thought in distress.

    Because of her sudden movement, Tom was jolted awake too, and he sat up immediately and switched on the light.

    "What is the problem?" Tom asked with concern in his eyes as he looked at her, wondering if she had a nightmare like the other time.

    Lucy looked at him, her face red with embarrassment. She didn''t know how to exin the situation to him. Although it wasn''t supposed to be a big deal since he was her boyfriend, it was a very big deal to her. Things like this still embarrassed her very much.

    She knew that she was stained already, but how was she going to check to see how stained the sheet was when he was watching her?

    Seeing the difort in her eyes, Tom frowned slightly, "Are you okay?"

    She shook her head, "I think I might have stained the sheets," she said in a small voice without meeting his gaze, and Tom looked at her in confusion for only a moment before what she was talking about dawned on him.

    "Oh!" He eximed softly, "It started this morning?" Tom asked, and Lucy''s ears burned with embarrassment as she gave him a nod. She wasn''t used to talking to the opposite sex about something like this.

    Seeing how embarrassed she looked, Tom shook his head as he raised the duvet, making Lucy''s face flush a deeper shade of red when she saw a red spot on the sheet between them.

    "It''s barely noticeable. Do you have the things you need to clean up?" Tom asked as he got off the bed, acting like it was every day he woke up with menstrual stains on his sheets.

    "Yes," Lucy said without getting off the bed, even though she knew that the longer she sat there, the deeper the stains she was going to leave on the mattress. She just couldn''t bring herself to stand up.

    "Alright, go and clean up. I will take care of the sheets," Tom said, but Lucy remained there looking at him uncertainly, and mentally willing him to excuse her.

    "Go on," Tom urged her as he nced at the wall clock. It was almost 6 AM already. They had barely slept for three hours. By the time they would be done cleaning up, it will be time to leave for work.

    "Are you having cramps? Do you need me to get you anything? Perhaps a hot water bottle or something? I think should have one in the house," Tom said, and Lucy shook her head.

    Knowing that she was probably feeling too embarrassed to stand up because of the stain on her pajamas, he walked over to her side of the bed and ced his arm around her shoulders, gently helping her to her feet.

    "There is no need to feel embarrassed. You won''t be the firstdy I''ve seen with..." Tom stopped talking when Lucy gave him a sharp look, and he chuckled as he led her to the bathroom.

    "I wasn''t referring to otherdies. I was talking about my mom and Jade. The first time Jade got hers, our parents weren''t home, so I had to do the honors of getting her what she needed and telling her what to do. I was just eighteen then. Trust me, you don''t want to know the magnitude of emotional trauma that caused me," Tom said jokingly, and Lucy smiled as she resisted the urge to turn back and see just how badly the stains on the sheets were.

    "Take all the time you need... And let me know if you need me to tell you what to do too," he said with a wink, eliciting a shy smile from her this time, and then he kissed the side of her temple before walking away.

    Once inside the bathroom, Lucy shut her eyes in embarrassment. Why did it have toe now? Her cycle was usually thirty days, and this was just the twenty-ninth day, she mused as she opened her eyes and went about cleaning up.

    When she came out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel, she noticed that Tom had taken off the sheets, pillow case, and duvet and from the looks of him, he had been trying to get the stain off the mattress.

    "I''m sorry," Lucy said apologetically, and Tom turned to look at her.

    "Yes. I think you should be sorry for being embarrassed about something as natural as this in front of your boyfriend," Tom said lightly, even though he knew that wasn''t what she was apologizing for.

    "I will wash them," Lucy offered, and this time Tom red at her.

    "I can take care of it. Get dressed for work," Tom said, and without waiting for her to protest, he walked out of the bedroom with the stained sheets, more to give her the privacy he knew she needed to dress up than to actually take care of the sheets.

    By the time he returned to the bedroom after cing the stained sheets in the washing machine, she was standing in front of the mirror, struggling to button up the back buttons of the sleeveless brown top she was wearing.

    Without saying a word, he went to stand behind her and packed her hair to one side as he helped her button up the top. Once he was done, he kissed the back of her neck, sending tingles down her spine before he stepped away.

    "Sorry. I couldn''t resist," Tom said with an unapologetic smile.

    She met his gaze in the mirror, "Thank you," she said in a hoarse voice and cleared her throat before adding, "For that and this," Lucy said, and Tom''s lips twitched in amusement.

    "By ''that'' I suppose you mean for helping with your button, and by ''this'' I guess it''s for being unable to resist kissing your neck. You don''t have to thank me for either of those. The pleasure is all mine," Tom said with a yful smile, and Lucy smiled back.

    This man was just too easy to love, she mused.

    "Are you sure you''re not having cramps?" Tom asked, watching her with concerned eyes.

    "I''m feeling just a little difort, but I''m fine," she assured him.

    "Okay. Are you wearing your hair down today?" He asked when he noticed she was making no move to pack it up as usual, and she nodded.

    "Cool. I should get ready so I don''t make you get to workte," Tom said before walking away from her to prepare for work.

    Forty-five minutester, they both stood in front of the dressing mirror, dressed for work.

    While Tom was wearing a ck turtle-neck in his gray suit and a pair of ck Italian leather shoes, Lucy was dressed in a brown sleeveless high neck knit top, which she tucked into a pair of navy blue dress pants. On her feet was a pair of white pointy-toe pumps, which matched her zer as her handbag matched her top.

    "You are always beautiful," Tom said, and Lucy smiled self-consciously as she smoothened her hair. Although she had let down her hair, her sses were still in ce.

    "Thanks. You look good too," she said, and Tom smiled as he continued to admire her outfit. He loved her taste in clothes, and he couldn''t wait to go shopping with her and watch her try out different outfits.

    He wasn''t usually one who liked to waste his time on things like that, but recently he had discovered that there were a lot of things he liked to waste his time on where Lucy was concerned.

    His eyes fell on the cheap pair of diamond studs she was wearing, but he didn''tment on it. He was still walking on eggshells around her when it came to buying her expensive stuff since he didn''t know just how much she was willing to let him do for her yet. He wanted to do a lot for her, but at the same time, he didn''t want to offend her.

    For someone who had expressed so much happiness and excitement at the thought of her boyfriend being very wealthy, she was yet to demand anything or show any materialistic tendencies.

    "Since you are ready, we can leave now," Tom suggested, and she nodded as she stepped away from the dressing table, and they walked out of the bedroom together.

    "I think everyone is still sleeping. Are we going to leave without saying goodbye to them?" Lucy asked in a low voice as they walked down the silent passageway.

    "We can''t wake them up just to say goodbye, and we definitely can''t wait for them to wake up before going to the office," Tom said, and Lucy silently agreed.

    Besides, she was tired of saying goodbye already. Two days ago they had said goodbye to Lucas, and then they had done that to her parents the previous evening. She would prefer to skip this one. She knew Sonia wouldn''t mind.

    Once they got to the car and were seated, Lucy turned to him, "I will give the SCHFdy a call this morning once I''ve settled in," Lucy said, and Tom nodded in agreement.

    "Yeah, you do that. I will meet with them during lunch break to present my offer to them," Tom said, and Lucy felt a pang of disappointment at the thought that he wouldn''t be avable to have lunch with her as usual.

    Following that, the car was silent for a short while until Tom remembered that he had to tell her about Jamal, "The kid will be staying back after Jade leaves with his mom," Tom said, and Lucy looked at him in confusion.

    "Jamal?" She asked, and when Tom nodded she asked, "Why?"

    Tom quickly gave her a recap of everything Jade had told him, and then she sighed, "Poor kid. Everyone seems to be having some sort of drama in their life."

    Before Tom could respond to that, Lucy''s phone started ringing, and she took it out of her handbag to see that it was a call from her dad.

    Seeing the call, she could tell that her father was calling because her mother was still feeling pretty awkward over what had transpired between them. That and the fact that she was probably feeling ill since she hated to travel by air, "Hey, dad! Good morning!"

    "Good morning, princess. How are you?"

    "I''m okay. How is mom feeling? When did you guys get home?"

    Andrew hesitated for a bit, and Lucy noticed, "She is okay. We arrived in the early hours of the morning, but we didn''t want to disturb your sleep by calling then. I suppose you are on your way to work now?"

    "Yes, I am. What about Lucas? How is he doing?" Lucy asked curiously since she could hear the worry in her father''s voice, which he was trying to hide.

    Andrew was silent for a moment as though contemting whether or not to say something, and then he sighed, "We don''t know, Lu. He wasn''t home when we got here, and we just got back from his apartment. He''s not there either. His phone is off," Andrew said, and Lucy felt her stomach knot with fear.

    Perhaps her mother had been right. She shouldn''t have told Lucas about it when he was alone. "What about his car?" Lucy asked, trying toe up with a number of ces he could have gone to.

    Hearing the sudden worry in her tone, Tom turned to spare a nce, sensing that something was wrong.

    "His car is parked here, and none of the neighbors saw him leave the house. Although it looks like someone broke into the house through the kitchen window, I don''t know if it was Lucas..."

    "What about Rachel. Maybe we should call her and find out if she has seen him?" Lucy cut in.

    "Yeah, I nned to do so after speaking with you. Don''t worry. He might be distraught, but I''m sure he won''t do anything foolish to himself," Andrew assured Lucy before hanging up.

    "What is the problem?" Tom asked with concern, and Lucy sighee.

    "It''s Lucas. He is nowhere to be found," Lucy said, unable to help the pang of guilt in her chest that was beginning to make her stomach churn.

    "His absence has nothing to do with you. Don''t me yourself for it. He probably just needs to get away for a while. I''m sure he will call when he is in a good state of mind. Don''t let it bother you too much," Tom said as he reached over to squeeze her hands softly.

    Lucy took a deep breath to calm herself, as she kept telling herself that it wasn''t her fault. She did what she believed was best for him at that moment, and she trusted Lucas enough to not do anything stupid to himself because of something that wasn''t his fault.

 Chapter 346 New Friendship

    Chapter 346 New Friendship����After the phone call with Lucy, Andrew sighed as he turned to J who was sitting with her head slumped forward and her face buried in her hands.

    She raised her head to look at her husband when we noticed that he was done with the phonecall, "How is she doing?" She asked, sounding exhausted.

    "She is worried about Lucas. She thinks we should speak with Rachel to find out where he is," Andrew said, and he watched as the annoyance crept into J''s eyes at the mention of Rachel''s name.

    "You will have to call her yourself, because I might not be able to hold back from saying something to her," she said, and her husband nodded in understanding.

    He didn''t want to talk to Rachel either, but they needed to know if she had seen Lucas, and whenst she could have seen or heard from him, so he dialed her line.

    Rachel who had barely managed to fall asleep after a long sleepless night, lifted her sleeping mask from her eyes as she reached for her phone when it started ringing.

    She silently prayed it was Lucas calling, and not one of the vendors calling to express displeasure over the sudden postponement of her wedding like a lot of them had done the previous day. She had told everyone the wedding was postponed and not cancelled. She couldn''t bring herself to say that out loud. She didn''t want to believe it.

    As far as she was concerned Lucas was very upset at the moment, but she knew that he loved her. Once he was calm, he would forgive her and then they would move on from this. She couldn''t give up yet.

    Her heart skipped a beat when she saw Andrew''s name disyed on her phone''s screen, and immediately she received the call, "Good morning, Andrew! I''ve been trying to reach you for the past three days. Lucas wants to call off our wedding," sheined, hoping that he was calling because he sympathized with her over the break-up and was going to help her settle things with Lucas.

    Andrew''s blood boiled when he heard her voice, but he reminded himself that he couldn''t let her know that they were on to her yet, "Whenst did you see or hear from Lucas?" Andrew asked, ignoring her greeting.

    "Lucas? oh, my God! Is he missing?" Rachel asked in rm and quickly got off the bed when she heard the impatient worry in his tone.

    "Have you seen or heard from him since yesterday?" Andrew asked, wanting to know if she was aware that Lucas was back.

    If she wasn''t, then he had no business talking with her when he wanted nothing more than to sit back and watch his wife and daughter hit her.

    "Yes. I saw him yesterday. I was at the house, but..."

    "You were at the house? At what time?" Andrew cut in.

    "In the morning. I was there yesterday morning but he was very upset and he didn''t want to speak to me. You won''t believe he even made me go out through the kitchen windo..." She let her words trail off when she realized what she had just admitted to.

    Andrew frowned in confusion, "Lucas was the one who broke the kitchen window?" He asked, wondering why Lucas would make her leave through the kitchen window.

    Rachel realized that she had forgotten about the broke window. She had thought he would get it fixed, but seeing as Andrew knew about it, it meant that he had left it to her to fix it. That was so unlike her Lucas.

    "I''m sorry. I broke into the house through the kitchen window when Lucas refused to open the door. I''m going to fix it, I promise. Let''s just focus on finding him first. I heard after I left him, he went to the hospital and quit his job, and..."

    "Are you monitoring his movement?" Andrew asked coldly before she could finish, leaving her speechless, but only for a moment.

    "No, I''m not. His boss called my dad, and that''s how I heard about it. Where are you? Are you guys back? I cane over to the house immediately and then we can find him together if he is missing," Rachel suggested, but Andrew was done talking to her so he hung up the call without another word.

    Now that Rachel was out of the question, Andrew let out a sigh as he faced J, "She doesn''t know where he is..."

    "Let''s report to the police," J suggested.

    "And tell them what? We can''t just assume that he is missing. He probably just needed a break and went out," Andrew said reasonably.

    "And what if he didn''t? What if something has happened to him?" J snapped at her husband.

    "What else do you think could have happened to him? Do you think he will hurt himself because of this? Or you think someone kidnapped him?" Andrew asked, and J took in a deep breath.

    "I don''t know. I just know that I want to see him. I want to know that he is fine. I just want to know that he is okay," J''s voice hitched as she spoke, and Andrew went over to where she sat and ced his arm around her shoulders.

    "Let''s just trust him and wait a little."

    Away from there, Lucy had a lot on her mind as she walked into thepany building, after Tom dropped her off at the front and left to go in through his private elevator.

    She caught sight of Harry standing by the reception desk and scolding the receptionist, and contemted between saying Hello to him, or just pretending not to see him and going her way since she wasn''t in the mood to talk.

    Before she could make up her mind, Harry turned around and waved at her once he saw her, "Good morning, LuLu," he greeted with a pleasant smile, which she returned as she met him halfway.

    Looking at him now, she remembered how she had spent some time listening to the voice note which Sonia had recorded of her conversation with Jade before she fell asleep, and her smile widened at the thought of a younger Harry flirting with a younger Jade.

    "Good morning, CEO HaHa," Lucy joked when she got close enough to say it without others overhearing her. As much as she liked being friendly with him, they were still in the work zone.

    "Where is your escort? Don''t tell me he didn''te to work," He asked, looking behind her dramatically like he was searching for something and Lucyughed.

    "I don''t know who you are talking about," Lucy said innocently.

    "I''m talking about your stalker of a driver. Where is he?" Harry asked, and Lucyughed again.

    She thought it was strange that she wasn''t even in the mood to talk, yet he was making herugh this way, "I didn''t have any need for him anymore since my boyfriend works here too and can easily drop me off," Lucy said, and Harry raised a brow as he fell in step beside her, and by silent mutual agreement they headed for the elevator.

    "You are too modest, Lucy. Your boyfriend doesn''t just work here. He owns this ce," Harry corrected.

    "He stilles to work here. By the way, I didn''t get a chance to properly congratte you on your new title yesterday. Congrats," Lucy said said, and Harry grinned at her.

    "Thanks. About that, my dad is around and he wants us to celebrate tonight. I was thinking maybe the four of us can go out together for dinner after work, unless of course you already have something nned for tonight," Harry rushed to add.

    "I don''t have any personal ns, but you will have to check with Tom," Lucy said, and Harry waved it off dismissively.

    "All I need is for you to be avable. As long as you agree to it, I know Tom will be avable," he said with a grin, and Lucy giggled.

    "Don''t be so sure about that."

    "Do you want me to prove it to you? Tom woulde flying down like a superhero if you call for him. You have himpletely wrapped around your fingers," Harry said with a shake of his head, and Lucy smiled.

    "You guys can let me know whatever you decide," Lucy said as they stepped into the elevator, and Harry nodded as she pressed the button for her floor.

    Neither of them said a word since there were three other people in the elevator, but once the elevator door opened and they stepped into the empty hallway, Harry looked at her.

    "Tom told me about your brother''s fiancee. How are you feeling?" Harry asked with concern.

    Lucy looked at Harry, and she smiled involuntarily when she realized that he had been deliberately trying to make herugh this whole time when he actually wanted to talk to her about this, "Can I snatch you from Tom?" She asked, and Harry sighed pathetically.

    "Everyone wants to snatch me from Tom, yet he doesn''t value me. Maybe I should just let myself be snatched," he said dryly, and Lucyughed.

    "I like you, Harry. You are cool," she said, and Harry''s eyes lit up.

    "You really think I''m cool?"

    "I don''t think so. I know so."

    He beamed a happy smile at her, "Does that mean you won''t mind bing my friend? Not just being friendly because I''m Tom''s best friend. Maybe I can call you and seek your opinion on stuff I may not want Tom or anyone else to know about?" Harry asked, and Lucy shrugged.

    "I already consider you a friend."

    "Great. Just so you know, I will need a lot of advise from you as you are going to be my first female friend," Harry said, and Lucy nodded.

    "I might need some too, from time to time," She said, and Harry grinned as he held out a hand to her.

    "To being friends," he said, and Lucyughed softly at his enthusiasm as she shook his hand.

    "So back to my question. How are you Lu?" He asked again.

    "I''m trying my best to be okay. Tom told me about your suggestion," Lucy said, and Harry nodded.

    "Why don''t we talk for a moment in your office?" Harry suggested since they were still standing by the hallway, and gestured with his hand for her to lead the way.

 Chapter 347 Game On

    Chapter 347 Game On����"Thanks," Harry said as Lucy gently ced a mug of steaming coffee in front of him before going to sit behind her desk.

    "You are wee," Lucy said with a small smile as she watched him raise the cup to his nose and sniff it before taking a sip.

    Somehow this made her remember what Jade had said about Harry offering to share a mug of chocte with her. That had sounded flirty even to her... She still couldn''t believe that a person as intelligent as Jade could have missed that.

    Well, maybe it made sense that Jade had missed it. People generally seemed to have more insight on issues that are not directly connected to them. How else could she exin how she had not known that she was the one Tom was interested in yet had tried to y cupid and hook him up with Anita? Thinking about it alone made her sigh inwardly. She had been pretty dumb.

    "So, how did you feel about it? My suggestion, I mean," Harry said as he looked at her curiously. He still couldn''t exin what it was about Lucy that he liked, but for some reason, he felt protective towards her. In a brotherly kind of way.

    Lucy shrugged, "I don''t think it''s a bad idea. I know you would not have suggested it if you hadn''t thought it through. And neither would Tom have agreed to it if he didn''t think it was our best shot. I trust both your judgments on this," Lucy said, and Harry nodded.

    "Of course, you should. We are your bosses, after all," Harry said with a teasing smile, and Lucy smiled back.

    "Yeah. There is that too," she agreed and then cleared her throat as she looked at Harry with serious eyes.

    "Can I ask you a question?" She asked, and Harry gave her a nod, wondering what she wanted to know as he watched her.

    "I probably shouldn''t be asking this, but I couldn''t bring myself to ask Tom..." Lucy started as she adjusted her sses on the bridge of her nose, and Harry raised a brow.

    "How far did things go between Tom and Anita?" She asked, and Harry''s brows pulled together in a confused frown.

    She shook her head, "No. I''m not talking about physical intimacy. I mean, you are his best friend, so you would know if he was really into her or something..."

    "Lucy, believe me, I''ve seen Tom with a couple of women in the past, and he doesn''t follow any woman around like a lovesick puppy the way he does with you. And I''ve never seen him put anydy before thepany either. He not only put you before thepany, but he also put you before himself by revealing his identity the way he did. Tom adores you," Harry said, and Lucy sighed.

    "I get what you mean. And yes, I know he loves me. I don''t doubt it. I''m only asking because I''m trying to understand why Anita and her family are so confident to believe she stands a chance with him if they get me out of the way. I''ve been thinking long and hard about it, but it just doesn''t make sense. Maybe Tom was crazy about her and did simr stuff to get her attention, so maybe she believes she still stands a chance with him," Lucy exined, and Harry nodded in understanding.

    "I think I get your point now. However, I don''t think their craziness has anything to do with Tom being into her. Their n is probably to get you out of the way and then find any means necessary to get Tom to be interested in her. That''s how people like them work," Harry said, and Lucy shook her head.

    "But it still doesn''t make any sense. Even if I get out of the picture today, there is no guarantee that Tom will look her way, so why waste so much time and resources on me when they can channel that energy directly into trying to get Tom?" She asked, and Harry raised a brow before sipping from his coffee.

    "You won''t mind if she approaches Tom?"

    "Am I supposed to mind? I love Tom, but this issue is between them, not me. I wasn''t there in the beginning when they had their thing, whatever it was, and I don''t particrly appreciate how I''ve been dragged into it this way either. Maybe she needs closure. I kind of wish Tom would just take it up with her directly and tell her off once and for all so that she would stop before things get out of hand."

    "You got involved in their ''thing'' when you approached Anita and tried to set them up together. If you hadn''t done that, she possibly wouldn''t be trying so hard to get you out of the picture. It''s personal for her because she knows you," Harry pointed out.

    "And I wouldn''t have gotten personally involved with her if Tom hadn''t lied to..." Lucy let the rest of her words trail off in a sigh. She wasn''t going to me Tom for it.

    Yes, he had deceived her, but that was in the past now, and they were past that. This wasn''t the time to pass me. It was time to get solutions. She needed to keep reminding herself of this.

    "Don''t worry about it. We are handling it. Besides, maybe now that Tom has revealed his identity, she would approach him freely without pretense, and he would reject her once and for all," Harry said confidently, and Lucy nodded.

    "I hope so," Lucy said, and Harry nodded as he watched her from the rim of his mug.

    "Well, I''m sure we will find out today since we will be leaving for I-Global airlines soon. I will keep an eye on them to make sure she doesn''t force herself on him, don''t worry," Harry said, shing her a grin.

    "I''m sure you will," Lucy said as she eyed him with interest, "Your girlfriend must be one lucky girl," Lucy said, changing the subject even though she was aware that he didn''t have a girlfriend.

    "Girlfriend? Tom told you I have a girlfriend?" Harry asked in confusion.

    "No, he didn''t. I just assumed you have one. Don''t you?" Lucy asked, and Harry looked at her for a second before shaking his head.

    "I don''t. You know, usually, whendies ask me questions like this, they are often interested in me. I''m beginning to feel that maybe you want me instead of Tom, am I right?" Harry asked, blinking at her in a way that made her giggle.

    I''m not, but I know someone who is, Lucy thought in amusement, "Maybe I am. Who knows? I just might be polygamous in nature and I never realized it till now," Lucy said, batting hershes at him, and Harry chuckled.

    "About the question I asked youst..." He paused when his phone started to ring, "Excuse me," Harry said politely as he took out his phone from his pocket and received the call.

    "Yes?" Harry asked and listened for a moment before ncing at his wristwatch, "Oh, yes! I will be there. Thanks," Harry said and hung up the call.

    "Sorry, I have to leave now. I need to take care of a couple of things before joining the HR team downstairs to interview the shortlisted candidates and pick out the most suitable for the position of Tom''s assistant. Would you like to sit in for the interview?" He asked Lucy, who looked surprised.

    "Today? So early? But we only just decided that he needed an assistant yesterday," Lucy pointed out.

    Harry said nothing until he finished drinking the remaining coffee in his mug, "When ites to business, we work fast. And there is a lot that needs to be done, so an assistant is needed. Next week is thepany''s anniversary, and I-Global airline will also be officially opened."

    "Oh? I wasn''t aware of that," Lucy said, wondering why she hadn''t heard anything of the anniversary.

    "That''s because Tom was too busy chasing you to remember that, and I only just reminded him of it yesterday before the board meeting. I think he probably couldn''t mention it to you because of all that happened yesterday," Harry exined.

    "Oh, I think you''re right," Lucy said, remembering all that had happened the previous day.

    "So this anniversary, how is it done here? Is it a very big deal?" Lucy asked curiously.

    The only thing she knew about the anniversary was that they always gave them bonuses at that time of the year, but since it was her first time at the headquarters, she had no idea how it was celebrated here.

    "Yeah. There are usually lots of activities during that week, ranging from sportspetitions to award ceremonies and cocktail parties. Tom has never attended these functions in the past apart from the closed dinner parties with directors and shareholders, but this year he will be doing so," Harry said, and Lucy nodded.

    "The circr will be sent out today informing all staff of theing events. Don''t worry about it. I''m handling the preparation so that Tom can give you all his attention," Harry said as he stood to leave.

    "When you eventually have a girlfriend, I will make sure Tom handles the business so you can have time to date too," Lucy promised, and Harry chuckled.

    "So, do you want to sit in and get a chance to choose who bes his assistant?" Harry asked, and Lucy shook her head.

    "Nah. We can''t let our rtionship get in the way of work. It will make everyone ufortable," Lucy said, and Harry looked at her for a moment as though he was contemting something.

    "You don''t want to see the female that might be working closely with Tom?" Harry asked, and Lucy''s ears perked up at that.

    "Females?" She asked in rm.

    Harry chuckled, "For a moment there, you were acting too rxed like you didn''t care about Tom, so I wanted to ruffle your feathers a bit. Don''t worry. Tom said they all have to be male, so I''m going to be there to pat them down myself if I have to, just to be sure we don''t have any female CT. You can rx," he said with a wink, and Lucy red at him as she rxed.

    "What do you mean, female CT anyway?"

    Harry grinned, "CT stands for Crazy Tom. That is the term I''ve coined for anybody crazy enough to pretend to be what they''re not to get somebody. So a female CT in this case is a female that might want to be disguised as a male to get close to him," Harry exined, and Lucyughed softly.

    "I see."

    A knock sounded on the door, and Amy walked in once Lucy gave her the go-ahead. She looked slightly surprised when she saw Harry and clutched her bag tightly, "Good morning, Mr. Jonas, Director Perry," Amy greeted politely.

    "You arete," Harry said sternly as he nced at the wall clock.

    "I...I am sorry," she said apologetically, and from the looks of her, Lucy could tell that she wasn''t okay.

    "She called to say she would be runningte," Lucy said as she stood up, and Harry turned to look at her with disapproval.

    "I don''t like being lied to... Especially by people I consider my friends," he said, and Lucy looked at him apologetically.

    "I''m sorry. Can you let it slide this once?" she asked, and Harry gave her a nod before walking away.

    "I''m sorry," Amy said apologetically, feeling sorry that she had made Lucy look bad in front of Harry.

    Lucy waved it off dismissively, "Don''t be. You don''t look fine. What is wrong?" She asked, and Amy teared up, unsure she wanted to share her problem with her boss.

    "I need the day off. I know it''s impromptu, but please, can I go home? I don''t feel well," Amy pleaded, making Lucy go around the desk to meet her.

    "What is the problem? Do you want to talk about it?" She asked as she offered Amy her handkerchief, but Amy shook her head.

    "I''m not sure. I just want to be alone right now. So please, can I go home?" She asked, and Lucy gave her a nod.

    "Sure. Just bring me all the documents you were supposed to submit today before you leave," Lucy said, and Amy gave her a nod.

    "Thank you," Amy said before walking out of the office, leaving Lucy staring after her with concern.

    Immediately Lucy remembered that she also had Lucas to be worried about, so she returned to her desk and picked up her phone as she tried to reach him again, but his line was still off, so she left him a text instead.

    Once she was done, she fished inside her handbag and took out the card thedies from the foundation had left the previous day, and she typed their number on her phone.

    Lucy closed her eyes and took a deep breath, knowing that the moment she dialed their line and epted their deal, there would be no going back.

    She would have to y this game with Anita until either of them gives up. Hopefully, she will not only be ahead of Anita in this game, she will beat her to it.

    "Game on," Lucy said as she dialed the line.

 Chapter 348 Stranger

    Chapter 348 Stranger����Lucas opened his eyes slowly and shut them almost immediately because of the bright light in the room that flooded his vision. He waited for some seconds before opening his eyes again. This time he opened them one at a time.

    His gaze swept across the room slowly, and he wondered why the ce felt so unfamiliar. He tried to sit up when he realized that he wasn''t at home, but his movement was too sudden, and it made his head spin, so he fell back and shut his eyes.

    His head was aching so much that he could have sworn that there were a group of drummers doing a live performance in his brain. But then again, that was what he deserved for consuming so much alcohol until he was knocked out by it.

    The alcohol had been a temporary solution to help him forget about his problems and sleep. But now that he was awake, it felt pointless. He was feeling even more lost and anxious now than before. His heart kept beating fast even though it also felt empty. He didn''t know what he was supposed to do.

    Slowly he tried to sit up again, and he raised both hands to the back of his stiff neck. He had been knocked off on the couch, and as a result of how he had positioned his head, his neck was feeling stiff.

    When he finally managed to sit, he reached for his phone, which was on top of an ashtray on the table beside him, and he scowled at the empty bottle of whiskey he had consumed the previous night.

    As he took a closer look around, he decided that this had to be a hotel room. Although he couldn''t remember exactly how he ended up here, he remembered going to a bar.

    He had left the house because there were too many memories of Rachel there, and the more he thought about what Lucy and Sonia had said about her, the more tempted he was to go over to her ce and do something crazy. Hence thest ce he wanted to be right now was anywhere that reminded him of her.

    He shook his head, not wanting to think about it, and he groaned when pain shot through his back. Damn alcohol! Lucas decided that getting drunk was stupid since he not only had to deal with the ache in his chest now, but he also had to deal with the physical pain in his head and general body difort.

    Once he turned on his phone, several text message notifications came in, but he clicked on Lucy''s text first.

    ''Lucas, cut the crap and give me a call, will you? I''m worried sick about you. You are not the only one in this, you know? CALL ME, or I''m going to drop everything I''m doing over here and find you!'' he sighed as he read her text.

    It wasn''t fair that he was adding to her worries. He had done enough harm to her already by dating someone as despicable as Rachel. Making Lucy worry was thest thing he should be doing. With that thought, he dialed her line.

    "Lucas! Where have you been? Are you okay?" Lucy asked in concern the moment she received the call, and Lucas winced because she was speaking loudly and his head was aching.

    "Can you lower your voice a little? Please? My head aches," He added wearily.

    "Oh, dear! What did you do? Are you fine? Where are you?" Lucy asked as quietly as she could.

    "I''m sorry, Lu. I''m sorry for everything. And I''m also sorry I made you worry. I just wanted to have some time to myself," Lucas confessed apologetically.

    "It''s fine. What have you been up to? How are you feeling now? Where are you? Mom and dad are very worried," Lucy said as she took off her sses and ced them on her desk.

    "I will give them a call when I''m done speaking with you. I think I''m in a hotel. I will be here for some time," Lucas said, and Lucy frowned.

    "You think?" Lucy asked, not missing the uncertainty she could hear in his tone.

    Knowing that if he told her he didn''t know exactly where he was, she would freak out, he decided not to, "I''m in a hotel."

    "What is the name of the hotel? Why are you in a hotel?"

    "I don''t want to be home right now. Everything there reminds me of her. I''ve never considered myself a violent person, but I think I might explode if I see Ra..." Unable to call her name, Lucas sighed.

    "I don''t want to see her, so I''ll rather avoid her," Lucas exined.

    "Mom and dad are back home now. Please go home to them. That way, I will worry less about your well-being. If what you want is a change of environment, thene back here. You can just live with me," Lucy pleaded.

    "You don''t have to worry about me. I won''t do anything stupid. What can I do anyway? Just let me stay here for some days more. I can''t face any of you yet..."

    "Why not? You didn''tmit any crime. Lucas, I hope you don''t me yourself for any of it. If you are wise, you would know that none of this was your fault," Lucy pointed out, and Lucas sighed.

    "We both know you wouldn''t have had any of those horrible experiences if I wasn''t dating her..."

    "Says who? I''m sure he would have easily found another way to get to me if she wasn''t in the picture. It has nothing to do with you."

    "We don''t know that for sure. The girl I almost got married to did that to you," Lucas said in a shaky voice.

    "It doesn''t matter. Let''s just forget about it and put that behind us. Besides, if the table was turned, and you suffered hardship because of a guy I love, would you want me to behave the way you are doing right now? You are putting me in a difficult position?" Lucy said, and Lucas sighed.

    "Lu, we all deal with things differently. Trust me when I say I need to be alone right now. If it''s any constion, I will leave my phone on so that you can reach me any time you want," Lucas pleaded, and then he almost jumped out of his skin when he heard a door open behind him.

    "Let me call you back, Lu. I have to go now," Lucas said and quickly hung up when he heard footsteps heading towards him.

    "Good morning, handsome! I see you are awake now," a beautiful bright-eyed brte with tousled long curly hair greeted as she joined him, and Lucas followed her elegant movement with his eyes as she sat on the couch adjacent to his and stretched out her legs before crossing them at the ankle.

    "Who are you?" Lucas asked as he took another look around the room, which he had assumed to be a hotel room.

    She watched him for a moment without saying a word as she raised a cigarette to her lips which he hadn''t noticed she was holding before.

    She lit it and took a puff before speaking, "You don''t have to concern yourself about who I am. You were drunk and knocked out at the bar. The barman was going to throw you out, so I had to step in. You can call me your savior," she said with an easy smile.

    "And where is this ce?" Lucas asked as he watched her, wondering why she looked sofortable when her robe was almost slipping off her shoulder.

    "This is where I live. You have never gotten this drunk before, have you?" She asked as she eyed him with interest while letting out a ring of smoke through her pouty lips.

    "Why do you ask?" Lucas asked as he tried to stand up slowly.

    "Because you don''t just strike me like the type that makes it a habit to get drunk and knocked out that way. Also, I listened in on some parts of your phone call," she said, unashamed to admit that she had been eavesdropping on his conversation.

    Before Lucas could respond to that, she stood up and returned in the direction she hade from, while Lucas wondered where she was going. A momentter, she returned with a bottle of water and aspirin, "Here. This should help you feel better," she said as she ced it on the table in front of him.

    Lucas eyed the medicine and ignored it as he picked up the bottle of water, "Thanks," he said as he opened it and gulped down the content. He didn''t stop drinking until the bottle was empty.

    All the while the stranger continued to drag and puff her cigarette as she watched him, "You are very trusting, you know? I could have poisoned that water or something," she pointed out, and Lucas snorted.

    "You brought a stranger into your home��a male stranger. Yet you talk about trust," Lucas pointed out.

    "I''m kind but not that trusting or stupid, trust me. You can''t do anything to me. I have my guards standing outside that door," she pointed at the door.

    "It''s good to know that. I''m thankful for your help. I should leave now," Lucas said as he headed for the door.

    "I thought you told the person on the phone that you wanted to remain here for some time? Why the rush to leave?" She asked as Lucas walked past her, and he stopped to look at her, wondering just how much of their conversation she must have heard.

    "That was until I realized I slept in a stranger''s house," Lucas said and then winced at the throbbing ache he felt at the right side of his temple, extending to his eyes.

    "You don''t feel okay yet. Sit down, and I will order for breakfast. I should at least feed you before letting you leave," she said, and from her tone, it sounded like an order. She seemed like the type that liked to have her way. Unfortunately, he was done withdies like her.

    "Miss, I appreciate your help, but I don''t need it, thanks," Lucas said as he turned to walk away.

    "It won''t hurt you to sit down, now will it?" She repeated when she noticed the annoyance that crossed his handsome face as he turned away from her, "Please," she added, and Lucas stopped.

    Since he had nothing else to do with his time other than sulk, he sighed as he returned to his seat while she picked up the ashtray and flicked the cigarette ash into it before standing up.

    "So, who was that on the phone with you?" She asked casually as she returned to the bedroom once again and returned with her phone while Lucas watched her.

    She dialed a number, "Please serve us breakfast. Preferably something good for hangovers," she added before hanging up.

    "Is this a hotel?" Lucas asked, still unsure of where he was.

    "Yes. And like I said, this is where I live. At least for now. Who was she?"

    "She who?" Lucas asked in confusion.

    "The person you spoke with. I think you called her Lu," she asked as she looked at him through the haze of cigarette smoke.

    "Why are you so curious to know?"

    "I don''t think it''s a crime to want to know more about the stranger I brought into my home, is it?"

    "My wife. She is my wife," Lucas lied, hoping she would drop the issue.

    She hung her head to the side as she studied him, "That actually makes sense in a way... Only that it''s not true."

    "Why not?"

    "Because you mentioned something about the person you almost got married to doing something to her. That means she''s not your wife," she said with a smug smile.

    "She could be an ex-wife I''m still in love with," Lucas pointed out, and she pursed her lips as she studied him.

    "Tsk. Is there something you''re good at? You''re terrible with alcohol and you''re such a terrible liar too, Lucas Perry," she said with a shake of her head, and Lucas raised a brow.

    "You know my name?" He asked in rm, making her giggle.

    "You really do not remember anything aboutst night, do you? You should give up alcohol," she said with an amused smile.

    "What happenedst night?" Lucas asked, too curious to feel embarrassed.

    "I walked up to you at the bar and hit on you, but you asked me to go fuck myself without bothering to spare me a nce, much to my chagrin, I tell you."

    "I did?" Lucas asked, surprised. He couldn''t remember anything he had done. Alcohol was really stupid, and he had no idea why he bothered with it.

    "Not in those exact words. But that was the message I got. I was going to leave, but I noticed you were knocked out, and the barman was trying to get you to leave. You didn''t seem like you wanted to go home, so I decided to bring you with me."

    "If I was so knocked out, when did I mention my name to you?" Lucas asked, not sure hepletely bought her story.

    "I got that from your ID card. At least you were smart enough to take one with you. And you kept crying and apologizing to Lucy in your sleep. I thought maybe she was your wife or something, so I decided to check you out online. I put two and two together, and guess what I found?" She asked, and Lucas stared at her,pletely lost.

    "Lucas Perry. I checked you out on Instagram. You are a medical doctor, you have a beautiful fiancee called Rachel, and I saw your twin sister''s pictures. She looked familiar, and then it clicked. Lucy Perry. Lucinda Perry. Thedy who trended all over social media few days ago," she said with a wide smile and spread both hands with a flourish.

    "If you knew all of this already, why did you keep insisting to know who I spoke with?"

    She shrugged, "To see if you would lie or tell me the truth about who you are. And now I''m wondering why you lied."

    "What do you want?" Lucas asked, wondering where she was headed with all this.

    "Nothing," she assured him just as someone knocked on the door, "I think breakfast is ready."

 Chapter 349 Interesting Woman

    Chapter 349 Interesting Woman����Inside his office, Tom tried to forget about anything else and focus on the documents in front of him.

    Now that he had promoted Harry and had also revealed his identity, he couldn''t leave the bulk of the job to Harry anymore. He needed to return to working just as hard as he had been doing before Lucy came into his life.

    He had to admit that since he met Lucy, he had cked much in his duties and had be quite irresponsible where thepany was concerned. It was in no way Lucy''s fault, since she had remained devoted and diligent to her work as always, he was the one who was distracted.

    He was the one who even now still worrying about Lucy and wondering how she was doing while hoping she wasn''t crying or too worried about Lucas when his attention should be focused on the documents in front of him since there was a lot he needed to do.

    First, he had to leave for I-Global airlines in less than an hour with Harry, and after that, he would meet with the foundationdies during lunch break, and then he also had a meeting with some directors.

    Thinking about his meeting at I-Global airlines, he thought of Anita. He tried to imagine how he would be able to stand being with her in the same space when he was so disgusted by her right now.

    Never in his life has he thought it was possible to be as angry or as irritated with a person as he was with Anita right now. Thinking of her name alone caused his blood to boil. As harsh as it sounded, he felt pure hatred for her.

    He had sent her phone number and email address to Barry the previous day, and he hoped that Barry would be able to find something on her and her family soon. He wanted to be rid of them before theing anniversary celebration.

    He nced up when his phone started ringing, and he immediately received the call when he saw it was from Lucy, "Tell me you are missing me," he said in a teasing tone, not wanting her to know that he had been very worried about her.

    Lucy smiled, "Is that why you sent this package? So I will miss you?" She asked as she looked down at the bouquet of flowers and box of dark choctes on her table. She didn''t need anyone to tell her why he had sent dark choctes.

    Despite assuring him that she wasn''t having cramps, he had sent the dark choctes. Tom''s thoughtful gestures always left her speechless.

    "Well, there is that. And you can also think of it as me backtracking and following the proper procedure I should have followed from the beginning before asking you to be my girlfriend, instead of asking for Bryan''s silly bad boy advice," Tom said and felt relieved when Lucy giggled. Herughter didn''t sound forced, so that had to mean she was okay.

    "I don''t think everything you did was Bryan''s idea. Stop ming him," Lucy chided.

    "You know I try to give my best to everything I do. I gave my best to being badder than Bryan," Tom said jocrly, and Lucyughed.

    "Yeah, you did. You deserve an award," Lucy said dryly.

    "Yeah, I do. And that''s why, even though we are in a rtionship already, I still want to make up for my errors. So I will go about being a good boyfriend the right way now, and then in the future, I will ask you to be my girlfriend the proper way," Tom said, and Lucy''s face pulled into a silly smile.

    "That''s sweet, but I don''t think there is any proper way to woo ady. People are tailored differently, so I suppose what works for one person might not really work for another. Any way that works for a person is the right way. And even though I didn''t like it, your style worked," Lucy pointed out.

    "Maybe you are right. Still, I want to start afresh. So get ready to be swept off your feet," Tom said, and she giggled.

    "Again? I''ve been swept off my feet already," Lucy said in amusement.

    "Then get ready to be swept off your back or ass," he said, and Lucyughed, "By the way, the flowers are meant to cheer you up. I hope it worked?"

    "Yes, it did. Although I was going to call you before it was delivered to my office," Lucy said, remembering why she had wanted to call.

    "Okay. What''s up? Or were you just missing my voice?" Tom asked curiously.

    "Lucas called. He said he''s okay and just needs to be alone," Lucy said, and Tom rxed.

    "Do you believe him? Did he sound okay?"

    "Kind of. I think he had too much to drink. He said he''s staying in a hotel because he didn''t want the house to remind him of Rachel," Lucy exined.

    "I understand. Anyone in his shoes would want to be alone to sort out their thoughts too. Just let him be for the time being," Tom said, and Lucy nodded.

    "Yeah, now that I know he''s okay, I will let him be. Also, I''ve called to ept the offer," she added, not needing to spell out what he meant to her.

    "That''s good then. I will let you know after I meet with them. I should get back to work now. Think of how sweet I am when you enjoy the choctes," Tom said, making her giggle.

    "I will. I love you, Ace," Lucy said, and Tom smiled.

    "Me too, Jewel."

    "You too what?" Lucy asked with a frown before he could hang up.

    "I love you too, Jewel," Tom said with a grin.

    "Better. Have a lovely day," Lucy said with a silly smile, and Tom chuckled as he hung up.

    His phone started to ring almost immediately, and he quickly received the call when he saw that it was from Barry.

    "Good morning, Bar," Tom greeted, hoping he had found something helpful.

    "Good morning, bro. I hope it''s not too early to call?" Barry asked as he yed with a pen while staring at hisputer screen.

    "Not if it''s important and rted to the job," Tom said.

    "Yeah, I thought so too. However, you will have to decide if this is important or not. I have been able to gain ess into their phones and devices," Barry announced smugly.

    "So soon?"

    "I told you all I needed was a phone number and an email address linked to everyone you wanted me to spy on. Once the Anitady carelessly clicked on a link I sent to her phone and email, I gained ess to her phone, and from there, I was able to get the..."

    "Thanks, Bar. But I don''t need the details of your profession. What did you find?" Tom interrupted impatiently.

    "Yeah, about that. I came across something interesting. Rebekah Miller seems to be a very interesting woman," Barry said, sparking Tom''s interest.

    "Is she now?"

    "There seems to be a lot more to the rtionship between Rebekah Miller and her inws," he said, making Tom''s ears perk up.

    "More to their rtionship?" He asked curiously since he had been finding a way to pull them all down together.

    "Yes. First of all, from their phone and email records, it seems she has been having an affair with the CEO of Bateman Corp for years now. Long before her husband died, I tell you," Barry said, surprising Tom.

    That wasn''t what he had been looking for when he asked Barry to look into them, but if he could release such a scandal, that would throw them off bnce for some time, and while they''re trying to clear their name, he couldunch his own attack against them, "Do you have solid evidence?"

    "Sure. There are a couple of transaction receipts, he has some nude photos of her, and she also has some sexually explicit photos of them in bed together. There are texts too. But that''s not the most interesting thing I found," Barry said, sounding more and more excited.

    "What else?"

    "She is also having an affair with her daughter''s husband," Barry said, just when Tom thought he couldn''t be surprised anymore.

    "What? Her daughter''s husband? She is having an affair with father and son?" He asked in disbelief.

    "No. She is having an affair with her first daughter''s husband and her second daughter''s father-inw," Barry exined.

    "WOW!" Tom eximed, unable to say anything else. He nced at the door when it opened, and Harry walked into his office. Harry, who had been about to speak, shut his mouth when he saw that Tom was holding his phone to his ear.

    "She''s something, isn''t she? And wait for it, her husband didn''t take his life because he lost his wealth as they imed. I have reason to believe that Rebekah and Bateman are responsible for his death. The so-called business her husband invested in and lost all his money belongs to Bateman. I think they both nned to dupe him off his money when he first started suspecting her of cheating on him, and when her husband found out she was not just having an affair with Bateman but that he also owned thepany he was tricked into investing in, they got rid of him before he could expose them. That is part of the reason she is still so wealthy despite the fact that her husband lost all he had," Barry finished.

    By now, Tom''s thoughts were all over the ce. When he had asked Barry to look into the Millers, he had not expected to find something like this. All he had wanted was a way to take out the backbones of the Miller family, and that was Bateman Corp and the Washington family. This was even more useful as it would affect every one of them.

    "I''m not done yet though. What I found was just so interesting that I couldn''t keep it to myself, so I wanted to share it with you. I''m still browsing through theirputers and phones. It''s kind of slow because you insisted I do it myself and not assign it to anyone else. Once I''m done, I will send you everything you need on them," Barry promised Tom, who was still speechless.

    "You do that. I will give you a call after I process all you''ve just told me," Tom said, and Barry chuckled as he hung up.

    "Who was that?" Harry, who was now seated opposite him, asked curiously after seeing the disbelief on Tom''s face some seconds ago.

    "Barry," Tom said, thinking that this was going to be even more interesting than he had thought. Rebekah Miller had chosen the wrong enemy this time, and he was going to make her pay for her greed and insolence.

    He might have to start by tearing their family apart and turning them against each other. That would be easier. Even Anita wouldn''t want to be controlled by her mother anymore if she found out just how spiteful and irresponsible her mother was and how she had lied to them all.

    The best way to deal with his enemies was to turn them against each other. That way, they would be too busy fighting themselves to think about him. It was perfect!

 Chapter 350 Glioblastoma

    Chapter 350 Gliostoma����"Good morning, everyone," Jade greeted with a yawn as she padded across the room to the dining where the others were gathered for breakfast.

    "You still look so exhausted," Desmond observed as she took the seat next to him, "Don''t tell me you didn''t sleep well," he asked, concerned.

    She had stayed up for quite some time after her phone call with Harry, thinking, plotting, and strategizing. "It took me a while to fall asleep. Where are Tom and Lucy?" She asked when she noticed that they were missing.

    "They left for the office already. Why couldn''t you fall asleep? Do you have insomnia?" Evelyn asked curiously.

    "She probably had nightmares," Bryan said dryly, and Jade scowled at him.

    "Doesn''t seem like either of you have any ns of outgrowing your bickerings, do you?" Evelyn asked in amusement, and Jade raised a brow.

    "Do you want us to?"

    "Please don''t. Pass it on to your kids too," Evelyn said, and Bryan exchanged a look with Jade.

    "Change the subject now, else she''s going to start asking us about marriage and kids," Bryan told Jade in a loud whisper, making themugh.

    "It''s not a crime to want my kids to get married and have kids of their own, is it?" Evelyn asked defensively.

    "Of course, it''s not. We all have ns to settle down but at our own pace. We don''t need you constantly breathing down our neck on the subject," Jade said, and Evelyn sighed.

    "Very correct!" Bryan seconded.

    "That''s the only time you ever agree with your sister. When you want to join forces against me," Evelyn said with disapproval.

    "Sonia, you are very quiet this morning. Are you okay?" Desmond asked, making everyone turn to look at her.

    "Did Bryan do something to upset you?" Evelyn asked with concern.

    "Why do you have to assume I did something to upset her?" Bryan asked with mild annoyance.

    "Because you are always doing something wrong and can be very annoying too," Jade said, and Bryan red at her, but before he could say another word, Desmond silenced them with a look.

    "Other than a slight headache, I''m fine," Sonia assured Desmond.

    "Oh, dear! Have you taken anything for it? I think I have some pain relief medication in my bag somewhere," Evelyn said, wanting to stand up.

    "I already took something for it beforeing down. You don''t have to worry," Sonia rushed to assure her, and Evelyn rxed.

    "It must be stress. I doubt you''ve gotten enough rest since you got here. Hopefully, you''ll get enough rest once we get to Sogal," Desmond said sympathetically, and Sonia gave him a weak smile.

    "Eat up," Desmond said as he rose and transferred a chicken waffle sandwich from his te to hers.

    "Thank you," Sonia said and continued to eat quietly while listening to the conversations going on around the table.

    "Why haven''t I seen little Jamal this morning? Isn''t heing down for breakfast?" Evelyn asked after some time since she had reserved the seat beside her for him.

    Jade cleared her throat, "I''m leaving with his mother today. We are leaving him behind, at least until we are done with the case, and it is safe for them to return to their home," Jade exined, and Evelyn frowned.

    "Who is going to watch over him when you leave him here?"

    "Samantha, Adolf, and the others can keep their eye on him, at least until Tom returns from work," Jade said reasonably.

    Evelyn frowned, "Tom agreed to that?" She asked.

    "Yes, he did. Oh! That reminds me, I need to ask Candace to make a list," Jade said as she quickly stood up and excused herself.

    "The kid needs more attention than that. Can''t we just take him with us?" Evelyn asked her husband with concern.

    "No, we can''t. We also have serious business to deal with. He should stay here. Tom and Lucy can look after the kid," Desmond insisted.

    "But they''re both busy, and I can..."

    "There is no buts, love. If he was Tom''s kid, would you want us to take him along with us? His mother wants him to stay here because it is safer here. I''m sure Tom will find a way to ensure the kid is fine," Desmond said confidently.

    After breakfast, Bryan stayed behind to talk more with his parents while Sonia excused herself.

    The moment she walked into the bedroom, she noticed that her phone''s screen light was on, and she picked it up to check why. She sighed when she noticed that she had missed her editor''s call.

    Even though she probably shouldn''t be angry, she was pissed at him at how easily he had bought the story about her riding on Bryan''s coat-tail. She had expected a little more understanding from him than others since she had worked closely with him for a couple of years. She had expected that he at least would have given her the benefit of the doubt especially considering the fact that he had been the one who had suggested they hold a book signing event in Sogal because her rtionship with Bryan would attract more fans to the event if they found out Bryan would be there.

    When the phone started to ring again, she reluctantly picked received the call, "Good morning," she greeted coolly as she sat on the bed.

    "I know I owe you an apology..."

    "Let''s not bother with that. Why are you calling?" She asked dismissively.

    "Sonia, I''m sorry. I know I should have handled it better. I was upset when I..."

    "I really don''t care about that, James. If that''s the only reason you called..."

    "No! That''s not the only reason I called," he rushed to stop her before she would hang up.

    "About the book signing event..."

    "I''m not doing that anymore," Sonia cut in before he could finish.

    "But we have already started the ns..."

    "Then are you ready to hold a book signing event without the author? Because I can assure you that I''m not going to show up."

    The editor sighed. He knew he deserved this much, "Alright, I understand. I also wanted to find out when you cane down to sign the contract with the movie producer. He is ready to sign the contract immediately. Some other producers have also shown interest in some of your other stories and would like to discuss the details with you in person," her editor rushed to inform her, and Sonia paused.

    Of course, she should have known that the scandal was going to give her this much publicity. "I will get back to you on thatter," she said and hung up the call just as the door opened and Bryan walked in.

    "How are you feeling now, babe?" He asked as he went to sit beside her.

    "Not good. When are we leaving?" Sonia asked as she leaned into him.

    "Within the next hour."

    "You might have to leave without me. I need to fly down to Heden and meet with my editor. There''s a contract he has been trying to seal with a movie producer for a while now. I need to get down there and sign it," Sonia exined.

    "They will wait. They need you more now than you need them. Besides, there''s no way I can let you go down there on your own when you''re not feeling well. Let''s get to Sogal first since my parents areing with us, and we can''t just cancel the trip. Once I''ve settled all I need to do there, we can all go down to Heden together since that''s where my parents live. You will get to do your work and visit the home where I was raised at the same time," Bryan suggested as he kissed her forehead.

    "Okay. That sounds like a good n," Sonia said with a nod.

    Away from there, Lucas raised a mug of coffee to his lips as he observed a uniformeddy lift te after te out of a food service trolley as she arranged their breakfast on the dining table.

    She first ced a bowl containing some diced fresh fruits at the center of the table, and then she arranged the other tes around it.

    Lucas eyed the table, wondering why they had prepared so much for a simple breakfast. There was egg McMuffin, sweet potato, fried egg tacos, crispy fried egg, scrambled egg, a bowl of oatmeal, milk, sugar, and different vors.

    Once thedy was done, she bowed politely before excusing them. By now, the strangedy was done with her cigarette, and she had dumped it in her ashtray.

    "I hope you enjoy the meal," she said, gesturing for him to eat.

    "Do you usually have such avish banquet for breakfast?" Lucas asked, and she shrugged.

    "Not exactly. It''s a recent development," she said as she rubbed her hands together. She was already itching to have another cigarette.

    "What is your name?" Lucas asked, and her lips curved.

    "Why? Don''t tell me you don''t eat with strangers, and so you have to know my name before you eat with me?" She asked with a teasing smile, and Lucas felt himself smile back involuntarily.

    "Something like that."

    She sighed, "As I said, you can call me Savior. There will be no need to know my name after now," she muttered thest part under her breath as she stood up.

    "I need to wash my hands," she excused herself, and Lucas watched as she walked into the bedroom. He heard the sound of running water a momentter.

    Once she returned, she smiled at him as she sat, "Why haven''t you started eating yet? Scared I put something in the food?" She asked as she served some quantity of the oatmeal into a white china bowl and added milk, sugar, and what he suspected to be cinnamon vor before adding some diced fruit.

    "After you warned me about being too trusting, I figured I should be less trusting," Lucas said, and she giggled.

    For some reason, Lucas found himself smiling as he watched herugh. As annoying as she was, she was charming.

    "You have no reason to fear. I mean you no harm. I''m just a bored youngdy trying to find little excitement in the short time I have left," she said as she took a spoonful of oatmeal in her mouth and chewed softly.

    The medical doctor in Lucas became activated, and concern crept into his eyes as he watched her with a frown, "Short time? Are you ill?"

    "Yeah. It''s terminal. Don''t feel sorry for me. It''s not a big deal. People die all the time. I like to believe that I''ve lived a good life thus far," she said flippantly as she continued to eat, "You should eat," she said when Lucas just stared at her.

    "What''s wrong with you? How long have you known about it?" Lucas asked, and she dropped her spoon with a sigh.

    "Gliostoma. I found out about it three weeks ago," she said with an indifferent shrug, but looking at her eyes, Lucas could tell that she was still shaken by the news even though she was trying to sound brave.

    Lucas swallowed, "I''m sorry."

    "Don''t be," she said with a forced smile as she looked upward and blinked back the tears which had gathered in her eyes.

    "How bad is it?"

    "Eat. I doubt you ate before drinkingst night. And please do not ask me any more questions about it," she said as she picked up her spoon and resumed eating.

 Chapter 351 Tracker

    Chapter 351 Tracker����Harry whistled after Tom ryed everything Barry had just said to him, "That''s what you get when you go sticking your nose in other people''s business when you have a dirty business yourself," Harry said, and Tom nodded.

    "Who knows? Maybe if things had worked between you and Anita, she would have tried to have an affair with me," Harry said, and Tom raised a brow.

    "Well, she''s having an affair with one daughter''s husband, another daughter''s father-inw. Who knows? Maybe she''s having an affair with the third daughter''s brother-inw. So it makes sense that she might have wanted to have an affair with your hot best friend," Harry said, and Tomughed.

    "Well, at least you''re single, and she''s single. Who knows? You both would probably have made a power couple, and you possibly would have fallen for her," Tom said with a chuckle when Harry scowled at him.

    "Yeah, and together we would have duped you of your money and murdered you!" Harry said, and Tom shuddered.

    "Don''t joke with something like that," he scolded, making Harryugh.

    "But do you really think it''s possible that she duped her own husband and killed him? It doesn''t make sense, does it?" Tom asked, and Harry shrugged.

    "It doesn''t have to make sense. People do crazy things. And if there''s one thing we have learned about that family thus far, it''s the fact that they are all mentally unstable. I won''t put it past her," Harry said, and Tom nodded.

    "When did all of this happen, though?" Tom asked, and without waiting for Harry to respond, he picked up his phone and searched for Richard Miller on Google.

    "He lost his wealth to a bad investment twelve years ago, and he died eight years ago. They were not divorced, just separated," Harry summarized as he too checked it out on his phone.

    "Does that mean she has been involved with her daughter''s father-inw for over twelve years? That has got to be long before her daughter got married into that family, right? And no one has suspected a thing?" Tom asked in disbelief.

    "What''s even more surprising is how they could both have consistently had an affair for that long. It doesn''t make any sense," Harry said with a shake of his head.

    "Unless of course, it is because they have something on each other, and maybe either of them doesn''t want to let go. I''ll ce my money on Rebekah. I bet she wants to remain relevant by clinging to Bateman," Tom suggested, and Harry nodded.

    "That makes sense. And her son-inw? Why get involved with her own daughter''s husband?" Harry asked, and Tom shrugged.

    "As you said, people do crazy things. If even normal people can do crazy things, what do you expect from crazy people like them?"

    "If normal people do crazy things, then it is expected that crazy people should do normal things. That''s the way it works in mathematics," Harry said with a grin, and Tom chuckled at the joke.

    "All we have to do now is expose all of this and then fire Anita after we are done," Harry said with satisfaction.

    "I thought you didn''t want me to fire her? Weren''t you the same person that said something about not mixing business with pleasure?" Tom reminded him dryly.

    "That was until she started showing us just how demented she is. One of the qualifications to be a staff here is mental stability," Harry said, and Tomughed.

    "So, as Co-CEO, you agree that she is not fit to be a staff here?" Tom asked, and Harry nodded.

    "Hundred percent. Let''s fire her after exposing their family."

    "What do you think about getting a popr television host to feature Rebekah and her daughters in a show and exposing it all to them while the world is watching? I would love to make their fall even more colorful."

    "I think it''s perfect. They should have a taste of their own medicine."

    *************

    Seeing that she wasn''t going to say anything until he did as she wanted, Lucas pulled away from the table, "Can I use your restroom?" He asked, and she nodded as she pointed him in the direction of the bedroom.

    Lucas left, and once inside the bathroom, he reached for the mouthwash he had hoped to find there, and after rinsing out his mouth, he washed his face before returning to join her.

    She said nothing and just ate quietly as she watched him eat. After they had eaten in silence for some time, she spoke again, "My doctor said I have less than a year, but the oncologist I consulted said it''s less than six months," she said with a wry smile.

    "I went to the hospital toote. You know, I''ve had this terrible headache for a long time, but I kept thinking it was just a migraine or probably a result of stress, so I just kept popping pill after pill until they stopped relieving the pain, and then I had no choice but to go see my doctor," she brushed off a tear that slid down her face, and she smiled at him instead.

    "I''m sorry," Lucas said, not knowing what else he could say to her.

    "Don''t be. By the way, I lied to you about a couple of things. Or maybe it was not exactly a lie, but I withheld some parts of the truth. I actually approached you at the barst night because I recognized you from the hospital. I went to the hospital yesterday to see my family doctor, and you walked past me in the hallway. You looked so miserable and dejected that for a moment, I thought you had just been given simr news about your health, but then I overheard some of the staff talking about how you just quit your job," she said, and Lucas frowned.

    "Dr. Drew, is your family doctor?"

    She nodded, "Yeah. But I''ve not been in the country for some time. I came back to be with my family when I learned that my time with them is limited," she added as though to exin why they had never run into each other.

    "So you lied about checking my ID card and Instagram page then?" Lucas asked.

    "No, I didn''t. You looked familiar when I saw you at the bar, but I still had to check your ID card to confirm that it was you. And once I did, I became even more curious about you, especially as you kept calling your sister''s name. And since I could barely fall asleep, I decided to look you up on Instagram," she exined.

    "Keep eating," she urged him as she served a portion of scrambled egg on both tes.

    "Are you always this bossy?" Lucas asked with mild dislike, and she shed him an apologetic smile.

    "Kind of. Sorry about that. Ites with my job. I have to be bossy to have people take me seriously and not just see me as a bimbo because I''m pretty," she said and dropped her spoon when her phone started ringing.

    "Excuse me," she told him as she picked up her phone and smiled when she saw the name disyed on her screen.

    "Amy..."

    "How could you? I can''t believe that you kept something like this away from me! We even yed tennis together on Saturday. How could you have kept that from me?" Amy cried, and immediately she stood up and walked away from Lucas.

    "What are you talking about?"

    "Don''t you dare pretend like you don''t know what I''m talking about!" Amy snapped at her before breaking into a sob again.

    She sighed, "How did you find out about it?" She asked in confusion since she was yet to break the news to anyone, and Lucas was the first person she was talking to about it.

    "Were you hoping we wouldn''t find out until it was toote?" Amy asked, feeling annoyed and heartbroken at the same time.

    "No. That''s not it, I promise. I was just waiting for the right time. I haven''t been around for a long time, and I wasn''t sure this was something I should just spring up on you all. I''m sorry," she said apologetically.

    "Where are you? I want to see you right now."

    "Don''t worry about me. I''m at my apartment in the hotel, so seeing me is impossible. Besides, You should be at work right now."

    "I took the day off. How do you expect me to focus at work when I just found out about something like this?"

    "Don''t worry about me. I just need some time to myself. How did you find out about this anyway?"

    "You listed me as your next of kin, didn''t you? Your doctor called on my way to the office to find out why you haven''t been taking his calls and why you missed yourst two appointments. I asked what the appointments were about, and he told me," Amy exined impatiently.

    "Damn doctor can''t keep his mouth shut. I hope you haven''t told anyone else about it?"

    "Not yet. But I will if you don''t..."

    "Take a chill pill. I will tell everyone soon, don''t worry. Let''s talkter. I don''t want to keep the gentleman waiting for long. I will call you after he leaves..."

    "What gentleman man?" Amy asked before she could hang up.

    She sighed, "Your boss'' twin brother."

    "My boss? You mean Lucy?" Amy asked in confusion.

    "Yes. Don''t ask any more questions. I ran into him by coincidence. Let''s talkter," she said as she hung up, and then once she turned, she saw Lucas standing by the door.

    "What are you doing?" She asked with a frown.

    "I thought you made it clear that it was perfectly normal to eavesdrop on people''s phone conversations?" Lucas asked, and she smiled as she approached him.

    "That''s fair."

    "Who was that on the phone?" Lucas asked, and she raised a brow as she brushed past him.

    "If you paid attention to our conversation, you would know that she works with your sister."

    "Yes, I got that much from your conversation. My question is, what is she to you? How are you both rted? And who exactly are you?"

    Before she could respond, a knock sounded on the door.

    "I guess your bodyguards are here to check on you," Lucas said, and she rolled her eyes.

    "I lied about that. There are no bodyguards. What do I need protection from when I''m dying?" She asked as she walked over to the door to see who was there since this was a separate apartment within the hotel premises.

    Once she opened the door, she was startled to see Rachel. One look at her tousled hair, flushed face, and the robe slipping off her shoulder, Rachel looked past her into the room to where Lucas was standing, and before she could stop her, Rachel brushed past her into the apartment.

    "So this is it? Did you break off our engagement because of this... this whore? You pretended like it was something I did or said that made you want to end things, yet you were cheating on me!" Rachel yelled at him, her eyes burning with anger.

    Lucas looked at her speechlessly, trying to figure out how she could have possibly known he was here since he did not even know where he was himself.

    He nced at her phone which she was holding tightly, before looking at his phone which he had left on the dining table, "How long have you been tracking my phone?" Lucas asked in a very calm voice, ignoring her outburst.

 Chapter 352 Tracker

    Chapter 352 Tracker����"That isn''t the point right now, and don''t you dare try to make this about me, you lying, cheating, ungrateful sleazeball!" Rachel yelled at Lucas angrily as she attacked him, but Lucas was too mad to mind his manners, so he pushed her away roughly, and she fell back.

    "Hey, watch it!" Thedy told Rachel calmly as she ced a hand on her back to steady her, and Rachel turned on her.

    "You! I know you caused this! You have always wanted whatever I had, haven''t you? You just had to throw yourself at him, didn''t you? You knew he was my man, and you couldn''t keep your filthy self away!" Rachel hissed angrily as she raised a hand to hit thedy, but she was quick to grab a fistful of Rachel''s hair with one hand and grab her raised hand with the other.

    "Make no mistake, Rachel, this isn''t high school, and I won''t tolerate your insolence anymore," she warned, her eyes sparkling with undisguised anger as she nced at Lucas, who was looking at them both in confusion, "I take it you don''t want to speak with her, or do you?" She asked even as Rachel cussed and yelled angrily as she tried to free herself.

    Lucas shook his head, "I don''t," Lucas said as he stepped forward and snatched Rachel''s phone from her hand.

    "Give it back!" She yelled as she tried to grab him, but thedy''s grip on her hair tightened, keeping her in ce.

    "For both our sakes, I hope I''m wrong about you tracking my device," Lucas said with a dangerous glint in his eyes as he returned to the dining, making it clear that he was done with her.

    "It''s time to get out of here, Rachel. You are interrupting our breakfast, and nobody wants you here," she said as she dragged Rachel to the door by her hair.

    As a result of the burning pain on her scalp and because she didn''t want to hurt herself any more than was necessary, Rachel followed her to the door, "Try not to go where you''re not needed anymore, and for the sake of your parents do not show your face around me. I mean it!" She warned as she roughly pushed her out and shut the door in her face.

    "Open the door, you disgusting slut!" Rachel yelled as she hit the door.

    "How do you know Rachel?" Lucas asked thedy confused, when she turned to him, "No, hold on. Before you answer that, just who the hell are you?" Lucas asked, thinking this was bing too much of a coincidence for him.

    Neither of them paid attention to Rachel, who kept hitting the door and hurling insults at them as they looked at each other, "You need to calm down. I know all of this might seem suspicious to you and..."

    "Answer my damn question, and quit telling me what to do!" Lucas snapped at her, and she raised both hands defensively as she went to sit opposite him.

    "Fine. My name is Miley. Miley Garwood and I can assure you that I didn''t lie to you about anything. I only left out the part that I may know your fiancee..."

    "Ex-fiancee," Lucas corrected coldly, and she nodded.

    "Yeah, if she wasn''t your ex-fiancee, I doubt I''d have let you spend an extra second in this ce the moment I realized you were connected to her. I''m still surprised about the coincidence of it all, so you can''t me me for..."

    "What''s your rtionship with Rachel? Did you find out about my rtionship with her before or after approaching me at the barst night?" Lucas interrupted.

    "As I said, I didn''t lie to you. I saw you at the hospital, heard you quit your job and called off your wedding..."

    "You didn''t mention that you heard about the called-off wedding," Lucas interrupted.

    "Because up until now, it wasn''t necessary. I still wouldn''t have mentioned it or told you about knowing Rachel had she not shown up," she said with a shrug.

    Lucas eyed her for a moment, "Go on."

    "Running into you at the bar was pure coincidence. It''s not like I was following you or anything. I brought you back here with me because you were knocked out, and I didn''t think you werepletely a stranger to me since I had already run into you. I became curious about you and checked you out on Instagram, which was how I found out about your rtionship with Rachel and got to know about your sister. I didn''t approach you because of Rachel or your sister. I found out about them after bringing you here," she said, and Lucas looked at her for a moment as though he was trying to see through her and determine whether or not she was telling the truth.

    "How do you know Rachel? You talked about high school. We went to the same high school, and I don''t remember you being a student there."

    Miley opened her mouth to respond but winced when Rachel kept yelling and hitting the door, "If I''m going to answer your questions, I should first take care of her," she said as she dialed a number on her phone.

    "Please get rid of the nuisance outside my door and make sure she never shows her face around this premise anymore," she warned before hanging up.

    "Sorry, give me a moment," she said as she walked into her bedroom. She returned a momentter with a prescription bottle and took out a pill from it, which she swallowed.

    Lucas'' eyes fell on the Vicodin bottle, "Is the pain that bad?"

    "It is. Rachel was transferred to your school mid-session, wasn''t she?" She asked, and Lucas gave her a nod.

    "Yeah." Rachel had joined them in the middle of 10th grade, and he had been assigned to help her catch up on all she had missed since they were both taking the same sses. That was how their ill-fated rtionship had started.

    "We used to be ssmates. Maybe friends even. I don''t suppose she told you why she left her former school, did she?" Miley asked, doubting that he would have gotten involved with her if he knew.

    "She said she was being bullied," Lucas said, and Miley cackled.

    "She said that, didn''t she? That sounds exactly like something someone like her would say, unless that she was the bully and not the other way around," Miley said, and Lucas frowned.

    "Rachel?" Although he wasn''t supposed to be surprised, but he couldn''t help it. It seemed like he didn''t know anything about thedy he had almost gotten married to.

    "Yeah. She was the cheerleading captain back at our school and a typical Queen bee with many underlings. Thinking about it now, I think she probably has princess syndrome. Everything always had to be about her. She could never stand anyone wearing the same outfit as her, not even the cheerleading uniform. She never wanted to share anything with anyone either," Miley said, neither of them noticing that the ce was silent now and Rachel had left.

    That sounded a lot like Rachel. She was possessive of everything that belonged to her. He knew that much about her, "So why was she transferred?"

    "Although she has always been a bully, we never had any issues. Our problems started when I coincidentally wore the same outfit as hers to her birthday party, and it got worse when the guy she liked chose me over her. Rachel being Rachel, couldn''t stand it. And guess what she did? She tricked me into the chemistryb and set the ce aze," Miley said, and Lucas'' eyes widened in disbelief.

    "Fire? She set theb on fire?" Lucas asked, and Miley smiled.

    "That was herst attempt before the school finally reacted. I didn''t want to bore you with the details of her threats, or how she pushed me down the stairs once and broke my arm, or how she tried to drown me..."

    "She did all of that, and no one did anything until the fire incident?"

    "Evidence. There was no evidence to prove it. My parents wanted to withdraw me from the school, but I wasn''t willing to leave just because of her. I wanted to expose her. I wanted justice for myself and the others she had bullied, and I believed the only way I could achieve it was by remaining there not running away. It worked," she said with a smile.

    "You could have died," Lucas said, thinking of how foolish and risky her n had been.

    "Probably. But my boyfriend and friends were discreetly looking out for me, ready to capture any evidence of her next attack. Once the evidence was submitted to the school authorities, she was expelled. Her parents pleaded with mine to not press charges because of her father''s political ambition," she finished.

    "Wow!" Lucas eximed as he stood, unable to believe that he had been in love with a lunatic and had almost married her. He almostughed at himself when he remembered how he could have sworn that Rachel could never hurt a fly.

    "I''m sorry..."

    "Why? Because you just told me that I was engaged to a sociopath?"

    "Yes. Because I have a feeling that hearing this would only end up making you feel more upset than happy. I wish I had nice things to say about her," Miley said, and Lucas waved her off.

    "It''s fine. I should leave now," Lucas said as he picked up both his phone and Rachel''s phone. He needed to figure out just how she had been monitoring him and find out to what extent.

    Miley gave him a nod, not seeing any reason to stop him from leaving anymore. Once Lucas got to the door, he stopped and looked back at her, "You didn''t tell me who was on the phone with you earlier," Lucas reminded her.

    "Her name is Amy. She''s your twin sister''s secretary. We grew up together."

    "You grew up together but she''s not your sister?" Lucas asked as he tried to remember the face of Lucy''s secretary. He couldn''t really remember her face, but he remembered that she had sounded smart.

    "You could call her that, but we are not blood-rted. She''s our housekeeper''s daughter," Miley exined.

    "I see. Thanks for helping mest night," Lucas said with a bow before walking out.

    He had enough issues to deal with already and thest thing he wanted was to get dragged into this whatever it was.

    She was terminally ill and nothing good coulde out of being friends with someone he knew would probably die soon.

    He definitely didn''t want to be friends with anyone remotely connected to Rachel either.  They had bad history already and he didn''t want any part in that.

 Chapter 353 I Forgive You

    Chapter 353 I Forgive You����Inside Lucy''s office, she stared at her phone for a moment as she tried to make up her mind whether or not she should speak with her mother.

    Every attempt to focus on work was futile because her thoughts kept drifting to her mother, and she knew that her mother wouldn''t bepletely okay until things were resolved between them.

    Although she still wasn''t over what her mother had said, what Desmond had said made sense to her. Her mother was only human and she was still trying to figure out parenting. If Sonia had been the one who threw a word like that at her in the middle of an argument, she would have been upset, but she would have forgiven Sonia. Her mother deserved that much.

    It was time she rted with her family as she rted with everyone else. Maybe if she expressed her genuine emotions with them for once, then they would all stop tiptoeing around each other and be more expressive.

    Even though she didn''t want topare her family to Tom''s family since she knew that each family operated on different dynamics, and had their problems tailored to their dynamics, she loved Tom''s family and how they understood each other. She wasn''t sure her parents understood her, and she also was beginning to learn that maybe she didn''t understand her parents either. She wanted her family to do better, and to achieve that she needed to let go of her resentments.

    Without wasting another second thinking about it, she dialed her mom''s line.

    J, who was still pacing around the house thinking about where Lucas could have gone, received the call the moment she saw Lucy''s name disyed on the phone.

    "Lucy," her voice came out as a hoarse whisper, and she cleared it.

    "What is wrong? Are you okay? Did something happen?" Lucy asked in concern when she heard the distress in her mother''s voice.

    "I thought your father told you that Lucas is missing?" J asked, surprised that Lucy was asking her such a question when she knew about the situation of things.

    "Lucas hasn''t called you yet? I spoke with him earlier, and he said he was going to give you both a call after our call. I thought he did so already, else I would have called...."

    "He called you? Did he tell you where he is? His line is going through now?" J asked as Andrew who had just returned from walking down the block to see if he would learn anything new, rushed to stand beside her when he heard her question. J ced the phone on speaker so that he could hear Lucy.

    "Yes, he returned my call. He said he wants to be alone for the time being, and he doesn''t want toe home now because everything at home reminds him of her," Lucy exined.

    "Do you think he is okay? Did he sound fine?" Andrew asked as he took the phone from J.

    "You don''t expect him to be okay, mom. He isn''t okay. He had a headache, so he must have gotten drunkst night, but at least he had the sense not to take his car. He assured me that he wasn''t going to do anything stupid, so you don''t have to worry," Lucy said, and they both rxed.

    "Still, it would help if we knew where he was staying. At least that way, I can be very sure that he is fine," J said with a sigh.

    "Don''t worry, at least now that Lucy has heard from him, we can rx until we hear from him directly. And we can also try to reach him again after talking to Lucy," Andrew said, patting her back.

    "What about you? How are you?" J asked when she remembered that she was yet to ask.

    "I''m holding up," Lucy said and then cleared her throat, "But I would like us to address what you saidst night," she added.

    "Baby, I''m very sorry..."

    "I''m not talking about an apology," Lucy interrupted. "I just want to know why you said that. I don''t think that was something that you blurted out carelessly," Lucy said, and J nced at her husband helplessly.

    "Lu..."

    "Stay out of this, dad! It has nothing to do with you... At least not yet. It''s either you both want me to talk about this and get it out of my mind, or you''d rather we all ignore the elephant in the room," Lucy said testily.

    "Fine. I''m sorry. You can go on," Andrew said apologetically.

    "I didn''t mean what I said. I don''t even know where it came from," J said apologetically.

    "I''m sorry, mom, but I don''t believe you. I really wish I could believe you and take your word for it, but I can''t. The choice of words you used didn''t sound like a mistake. But that''s okay," Lucy paused to take a deep breath while her parents stared at each other, wondering what was going through her mind.

    "I wish I could take it back. I wish there were a way you could see into my heart and see that I really didn''t mean it," J said weakly. She was exhausted both physically and emotionally, and she didn''t know what else to say to convince Lucy that she really didn''t mean it, so she let her husband lead her to the couch where they both sat while he held on to the phone.

    "I called because I wanted to let you know that I am not insensitive. I don''t care if there is a tiny part of you that thinks so, or maybe it came from your subconscious. I''m letting you know that I am not insensitive, and I''ve never been insensitive... Well, apart from what I said to Lucas immediately after he broke up with Rachel."

    She continued, hardly pausing for breath, "As far as I''m concerned, I have been the most sensitive member of this family for way too long, and now I''m done carrying that burden. My feelings matter too. Because I care too much about all of you, I have tried to keep most of my fears and feelings to myself, so you don''t feel guilty or get upset, but now I''m done doing that too."

    "I love you both very much, but I realize that I''ve not loved myself enough, and I think it''s time I started doing so. I''m not angry with either of you anymore. I have chosen to no longer be resentful of you both for not noticing when I started withdrawing and for not trying to find out if I was okay as I would have wanted you to do as my parents. Also, I will no longer silently me you for not being there for me as my parents as I needed you to be either. You have both been perfect parents in your own way, and I''m grateful that I got you both. I understand now that you''re humans and because you do not have this whole life and parenting thing figured out as I assumed, you are still prone to making mistakes. I forgive you for being yourselves, and I hope you can forgive me for silently resenting you all these years based on my own expectations and for whatever else I may have done that triggered you to speak to me in that manner." Once Lucy was done speaking, she let out a relieved sigh, and that was when she realized that she had been crying, and her face was wet with tears.

    "Lucy, I''m sorry we hurt you without meaning to. We would have done whatever you wanted us to do as your parents if only you had told us. You always seemed so independent and self-sufficient even before the incident, and we didn''t want to take that away from you because we believed it was your identity. Lucas was always more dependent and more open about his feelings. We wanted you to be yourself because we trusted you, not because we didn''t care about you or notice the changes in you. When you stopped joining us in the living room for the soap operas, we noticed. We noticed, but we assumed you were outgrowing it, and we didn''t want to bother you. When you started eating less, I asked if you were having boy trouble, and you said no, so I assumed you were just trying not to put on weight the way most teenage girls do. I always believed that we were the kind of parents you woulde to if you needed help, and you wouldn''t need to be coerced to tell us if something was wrong. Hence I didn''t see the need to pressure you to talk. I''m sorry I assumed wrongly. It was my fault. I should have asked. I made so many assumptions, and I will always live with that regret knowing what it cost you, what it cost us. I should have made sure I found out what was wrong with you. I''m sorry I never realized this was how you felt. You just kept saying you were fine after everything, and I didn''t want to force you to speak because I didn''t want to trigger bad memories. I''m sorry I failed to be a good mother," J pleaded amidst her own tears and covered her face in her hands, while Andrew just sat beside her with a sad look on his face and his hand draped around his wife''s shoulder infort.

    "You didn''t fail me. Maybe I thought so at some point, but I don''t think so anymore. You weren''t perfect, but you were a good mother," Lucy assured her mother.

    "I will do better, I promise," J said in a broken voice, and Andrew nodded.

    "I''m sorry, princess. We will do better. We will pay more attention to you," Andrew said, and Lucy shook her head as she wiped her tears.

    "You already do. I just wanted to get this off my chest because I''ve kept it in for so long. I love you both, and I wouldn''t trade you for anything," Lucy assured them.

    "We love you too, pumpkin. We really do, more than you can imagine," J said, feeling relieved that Lucy had expressed her feelings.

    "Everything will be fine, mom. And don''t worry, Lucas will be fine too," Lucy said confidently, wanting to move on from the subject.

    "What about Tom and the others? How are they?" J asked curiously.

    "Tom is okay. His parents should be on their way to Sogal by now with Bryan and Sonia," Lucy said and remembered that she was yet to speak with Sonia.

    "I will give them a call after I hear from Lucas," J said, and Lucy nodded.

    "I need to get back to work now. I love you both."

    "We love you too. And give our regards to Tom," Andrew responded before hanging up.

 Chapter 354 Serious Business

    Chapter 354 Serious Business����"You don''t have to drive me around anymore. You''re CEO now. I''m taking my own car. You should take yours too," Tom told Harry over the phone as he took his private elevator to his private parking lot.

    "I''m notining. Besides, it''s not practical. We are going to the same ce, so it makes sense that we use the same car," Harry said as he left his office, they were ready to go to I-Global airlines for thest meeting before the official opening ceremony.

    "You''re beginning to make me feel you love mypany so much, and you want to be in the same car with me by all means, even if it means you have to be my driver," Tom said in amusement, and Harry chuckled.

    "Haven''t I told you I''m in love with you?" Harry asked, and Tom''s face scrunched up in disgust.

    "Ew! I hope nobody heard that!" Tom said, and Harry chuckled.

    "Since you don''t want me to drive you, how about you return the favor and drive me for a change?" Harry asked as he walked into the elevator.

    "You realize I''m going to be leaving to meet with those foundationdies after the meeting at the airline?" Tom reminded him.

    "Perfect! I want toe with you for that meeting," Harry offered, "And don''t you dare say no. I have to be there. It was my idea," he reminded Tom.

    "Whatever. Wait for me in front of the building now. If I get there before you, I''m leaving you," Tom warned as he hung up.

    He got into his car before dialing Lucy''s line after hanging up, "Hey, pretty!" He said once the call connected.

    Lucy, who was trying to settle back to work after the phone call with her parents, smiled, "I take it you''re calling because you''re leaving the office?" She asked, believing he won''t bother her during work hours unless it was necessary.

    "Am I that predictable?"

    "Being predictable isn''t a bad thing. I like that I can guess what you''re up to," Lucy assured him.

    "Good response. That''s not the only reason I called. How are you feeling? Do you need a belly rub?" Tom asked, and Lucy giggled.

    "Like you''re going to cancel your meeting to do that," she said in amusement.

    "I guess I''m not so predictable then. I can postpone the meeting. Some things are a matter of urgency," Tom said, and she grinned again.

    "Yeah, things like giving your girlfriend a belly rub. I''m sure you''ll find a more diplomatic way of saying that to the shareholders and board of directors," Lucy said dryly.

    "I''m sure they''ll trust my judgment. Thepany needs me to be at my best all the time. And I can''t be at my best if my Jewel isn''t feeling well. Hence, I will need to postpone the meeting and make her feel okay in order for me to be okay enough to attend to thepany," Tom exined, and Lucyughed.

    "I love you, Ace," she said with a wide smile, and if he could see her eyes at the moment, he would have seen her heart in her eyes.

    "I love you more. Since you don''t need a belly rub, I should run along then. I''ll be seeing Anita. Do you have any message you need me to deliver to her?" Tom asked, and Lucy giggled.

    "I''m sure whatever you''re likely going to tell her is enough for two. It will be your first meeting since you officially revealed your identity, so you both can''t pretend not to know each other anymore. I''m curious to know how she would react to seeing you and how your conversation with her today ys out."

    "I''m curious too. Don''t worry. For your sake, I might just record our conversations so that you don''t miss anything. Or would you rather I call you discreetly, so you listen in directly? I could even wear an airpod, and then you can tell me what you think as you listen," Tom suggested, and Lucyughed softly, knowing that he actually meant it.

    "I''m too busy right now to eavesdrop on your conversation with her. You can just tell me about it after work. By the way, has Harry told you about us having dinner with him after work?" Lucy asked, and Tom raised a brow.

    "Dinner? When did you speak with him?" Tom asked curiously.

    "Earlier this morning."

    He had been talking with Harry earlier before he was called away to attend to something, and from there, he had gone to supervise the job interview, so that was why he probably had not mentioned it yet, "No, he hasn''t told me yet, but I''m sure he will mention itter. What did you tell him? Are you up for it?" Tom asked, and Lucy smiled as she remembered what Harry had said about Tom being wrapped around her finger.

    "I said it depends on you, and I''ll wait for whatever you decide," Lucy said.

    "You tell me what you want. Are you up for it? If you don''t want to go, you don''t have to," Tom assured her.

    "And then what? Will you go without me? Or you will turn down your best friend''s invitation to stay back with me?" Lucy asked curiously.

    "I could go while you stay back home and rest. You will finally have time to yourself the way you love," Tom said, and Lucy frowned slightly.

    She would have jumped at this three weeks ago, but the thought of Tom being out while she was inside didn''t seem like fun. She knew she was just going to be waiting for him to return, and she would be bored, "Let''s go together," she suggested, and Tom smiled.

    "Okay then..."

    "Harry seems to believe you''ll just go along with his n because I''m okay with it. So you can y a little hard-to-get game with him before giving in," Lucy suggested, and Tom chuckled.

    "Where have you been all my life?"

    "At thepany''s branch in Heden. You refused to promote me early enough," Lucy said jocrly, and Tomughed.

    "I love you, Jewel. I need to run now. I''ll let you know when I''m done."

    "I love you too, and don''t call me again unless it''s the close of work. As sweet as these calls are, I''m distracted..."

    "I''m going to call you. And you better pick up when I do. Bye," Tom said and hung up before she could protest.

    He started the car automatically and drove off immediately, knowing that he would probably see steam rising from Harry''s ears by now. He had kept the guy waiting after warning him not to keep him waiting.

    When he got to the front of thepany, he chuckled when he saw Harry ring at him angrily, "Sorry. I was on the phone with my crown Jewel," Tom said once Harry got into the car and shut the door.

    Harry, who had been about to snap at him, scowled instead, "For Christ''s sake, Tom! She''s in the same building as you. You spent the night together on the same bed and left the house together this morning. Couldn''t it wait?"

    Tom chuckled as he drove off, "It couldn''t. Don''t worry. You''ll understand me better when you finally find someone you love and go into a rtionship," Tom promised.

    "You''re lucky I love Lucy. Else I would have thrown you out of the car," Harry muttered.

    "It''s my car, remember?"

    "I''ve sat behind that wheel more times than you have, remember? It''s not about who owns it. It''s about the person who handles it. Ask Richard Miller," he said with a dark smile, knowing how much Tom hated such jokes, and as expected, Tom looked at him distastefully.

    "Sometimes, when I listen to your dark humor, I wonder how you''re my best friend. How can you joke with something like that?" Tom said with a shake of his head, and Harryughed.

    "How can I not joke with it? Feel free to admit that it''s funny and true silently," Harry said before, returning to his serious mode.

    "So about the interview earlier. We may have gotten someone. He will be resuming next Monday, so until then, I''ll try to organize everything to hand over to him," Harry said, and Tom nodded.

    "I suppose you want to use the time to run a background check on him?"

    "Sure. If he''s working that closely with you, we have to be sure he''s someone trustworthy," Harry said, and Tom smiled in gratitude.

    "Thank you. Feel free to let me know when I can repay anyone of the many favors you''ve done me."

    "In friendship, there is no repayment of favors. But I''ll appreciate it if you have dinner with me and my father tonight. You cane along with Lucy since I know you won''t want to leave her alone," Harry said, and Tom turned to spare him a nce.

    "Can''t make it. Sorry, I have ns."

    "What ns? I have already invited Lucy, and she is avable. Who do you have other ns with?" Harry asked with a scowl since he had already made the dinner reservation.

    "I didn''t tell her about my ns. It''s supposed to be a surprise dinner for just the both of us. I hope you don''t mind?" Tom asked, and Harry scowled at him and looked out of the window in annoyance, making Tom stifle the urge to chuckle. As manly and strict as Harry could be, he sometimes behaved like he was his girlfriend, and Tom wondered if he knew that was how he acted.

    "I will think about it, though, and see if I can cancel the reservation," Tom said, and Harry snorted in response, making him chuckle.

    "I was just kidding. You know you''re my second girlfriend. I can''t say no to you and hurt your feelings," Tom said, pping Harry''s shoulder.

    "You''re lucky you changed your mind. I was already mentallyposing my resignation letter, which I would submit tomorrow morning if you didn''t show up. You want to hear it?" Harry asked with a smirk, and Tomughed.

    "Not interested. Did I give you the details of thest meeting we had in your absence yet?" Tom asked, and Harry shook his head.

    "Shit! There are always so many distractionstely. That was the reason I came into your office earlier, but I got carried away by Barry''s revtion," Harry said, and Tom chuckled.

    "Thest meeting was very entertaining. Lucy had a face-off with Anita," Tom said, and Harry sat up, looking at him with interest.

    "What happened?"

    Tom narrated how they had been arguing over their ideas for the airline and how he asked Lucy to excuse them...

    "No, you didn''t do that!" Harry eximed, feeling slightly annoyed on behalf of Lucy, and Tom chuckled as he continued his narration.

    By the time he was done, Harry was howling withughter, "You mean she pulled over by the side of the road and got out of the car just so she could receive your call?" Harry asked in amusement and then shook his head, "You''re both crazy."

    "Even the most normal people do crazy things when they''re in love," Tom pointed out.

    "Yeah. Like Anita," Harry said with a chuckle, and Tom red at him.

    "Why do you keep talking about her and her family? Besides, who said she''s in love?"

    "She''s in love, not necessarily with you. But she''s in love with your money and your identity," Harry said with a shrug, "And now that we''re back to the subject, I think you should make your stand to her known today. Spell out that even if she was the only girl left in the world and you have to choose between her and a female cheetah, you''d choose the cheetah."

    "No. I''m not choosing either her or the cheetah! Are you crazy? You can be so weird sometimes," Tom hissed, and Harryughed as Tom pulled over in front of I-Global airlines.

    Harry cleared his throat and put on a straight face when he saw the long line of executives waiting for them, including Anita, "Time for serious business."

 Chapter 355 I Dont Even Like You

    Chapter 355 I Don''t Even Like You����All morning, Anita had paced around her office restlessly, trying to figure out the best way to face Tom. It was going to be the first time she would be meeting him since he publicly revealed his identity, and she knew that she was expected to have a reaction.

    How would she have reacted to this announcement had she not known his identity already? How would she have felt about him and his rtionship had she not known Lucy? She didn''t want to ask either her mother or sisters, as this was something she felt she was capable of handling on her own.

    After the close of work the previous day, she had gone shopping for the right office dress to wear. A dress that showed just how ssy and sexy she was without revealing too much skin as was against thepany''s policy. She needed to look her best, as she would be facing Tom now as Anita, his ex-girlfriend, and not just Anita, his employee.

    Her n was simple. She was going to ask him to give her a minute after the meeting, and she would apologize for all the stupid things she did, tell him that she liked him and hoped they could remain friends, and then if possible, push her luck by asking him to prove he has forgiven her by letting her buy him a drink or dinner even if it means bringing Lucy along. Then gradually, she would find a way to stay in his life while they tried to kick Lucy out.

    Now standing in front of thepany with the other executives who had made it a habit of waiting for the CEO that way whenever he wasing, thanks to her arrogant uncle who always asked them to wait that way for him, she couldn''t help but feel awkward.

    "You don''t have to stand here waiting all the time when I''m sure you have more important jobs waiting on your desk," Tom said after they greeted them, and he and Harry walked ahead of them to the conference hall.

    Anita followed quietly, grateful that they had not brought Lucy along with them this time. It would be easier to face Tom and talk to him without having to face Lucy too.

    Now that he was walking in front of her, she could look at him freely. Without the disguise or the yboy earrings and hairdo, he looked so handsome, confident, and powerful. And from the whispers she could hear behind her, it was obvious that she wasn''t the only one that thought so, especially when she saw a couple of female employees stealing nces at him as they pretended to go about their business. This was the man she wanted. The handsome, confident, wealthy, and powerful man. She didn''t care if he treated her the way Tiffany''s or Bernice''s husband treated them. She wanted to be beside this man.

    Once they got to the conference hall, Anita went to sit on the seat closest to Tom as she had wanted to do the first time before Lucy took over the seat. This made Harry exchange an amused look with Tom, and he mouthed ''Cheetah'' to Tom, who red at him with disapproval.

    Tom ignored her and waited for them to settle down before he cleared his throat, "Before we move to the agenda of today''s meeting, you should all know that Harry is now my Co-CEO, and he will be directly in charge of the airline. This will be thest time I have to sit here unless, for any reason, Harry wants me to be here. After the opening ceremony next week, Mr. Harry Jonas will be taking over," Tom announced, and everyone pped, while Anita wondered if he was doing that because he didn''t want to keep running into her here.

    Following that announcement, Tom gave Harry a nod to take over the meeting while he sat back and just listened to them exchanging ideas about how to promote the airline and give it apetitive advantage over other airlines.

    Anita remained quiet while letting the others speak, while she thought of how to talk to Tom after the meeting. They would need to speak, and she wanted him to listen to her.

    "Director Miller?" Harry asked, tapping the desk with a pen to get her attention, and she blinked rapidly as she tried to focus.

    Seeing the way everyone was staring at her, she could tell it wasn''t the first time he had called her name, and her face flushed in embarrassment as she cleared her throat, "I''m sorry. I got distracted," she said, and Harry gave her stiff smile.

    "I guess we should all be relieved that you''re a director and not one of our pilots. Your distraction could cost thepany a lot," Harry said dryly, and Tom tried not to look amused even though the others around the table didn''t bother to hide their amusement.

    "It won''t happen again, sir," she said apologetically.

    "I believe it won''t. Everyone has contributed thus far, but you are yet to pitch in anything. What ideas do you have?" Harry asked coolly.

    Anita cleared her throat as she sat forward, "During thest meeting..."

    "Yeah. I''ve been briefed on that. I''m not asking about thest meeting. I''m asking about now," Harry said dismissively.

    Anita swallowed when she met his cold eyes. His sudden coldness made her ufortable. He seemed to be angry with her, and she wasn''t sure it was because she zoned out. Tom''s coldness she could understand since she had been a bitch to him, but Harry had always treated her like he treated every other employee, so why did it seem like there was more to this?

    "..."

    "It seems like you only have amazing ideas when there''s someone you want topete against. I will remember to bring Director Perry along with me next time to be your muse," Harry said, and Tom chuckled at Harry''s pettiness while the other directors hid theirughter.

    It was not a secret to them that Anita had her eyes on the CEO, and neither was it anymore a secret to them that Lucy was the CEO''s girlfriend, so they could all now understand why Tom had behaved the way he did thest time. The only thing they couldn''t understand was why he had asked his girlfriend to leave so rudely during thest meeting, only to scold Anita in her absence.

    "Since there is nothing else, is there something you would love to add, boss?" Harry asked, and Tom, who had been watching them quietly the whole time, sat up.

    "Nothing much. I think the ideas are good. I''m impressed that you were able toe up with well-thought-through ns on how to execute the ideas. We will have to work on implementing them. I believe you have all taken note of the adjustments that have been made," Tom paused and waited until they all nodded.

    "I look forward to seeing your best results," Tom finished.

    "Alright, that will be all. I will being around daily to supervise and ensure that you''re all on your toes and everything is in ce for the opening. You will also receive an invite to theing anniversary celebration of I-Global, so be sure to attend and participate in the activities as you''re the newest staff. That will be all," Harry said without making any move to stand up.

    As the others left, Tom turned to Anita, "Anita, wait behind. I want to have a word with you," Tom said, choosing to use her name directly since it was a personal matter and there was no need to pretend otherwise.

    He had thought of it, and the best way to approach what needed to be done and take control of the situation was to be the initiator of their conversation.

    If he let her ask to see him as he knew she would, she would be on top of the power differential, but if he initiated the conversation, she would have no choice but to listen.

    Anita nodded, and Tom turned to Harry, who he expected to leave, but Harry looked away from him, making it clear that he had no intention to excuse them.

    He had promised Lucy that he would keep an eye on them to make sure Anita didn''t do anything since he didn''t trust her not to have nted a camera around to make it look like she had something special with Tom. Tom was his best friend, and Lucy was, well... Like a sister to him. So he wasn''t taking any risks. Besides, it would be suspicious if he was to leave alongside the other directors, leaving them alone. That would make people specte, and he didn''t want unnecessary rumors going around apany they had just taken over.

    After the others had left, Tom nced at Anita, who was seated with her head bowed, and both hands folded on herp. Looking at how calm she looked, one would never guess just how evil she could be, Tom thought.

    Harry, who was pretending to be busy with his phone, clicked on his camera and made a video record of them without their knowledge.

    "I understand that based on the way things happened between us and following the revtion of my identity, you must be quite stunned to know that I''m the CEO. I apologize for lying to you about my identity even though you will agree with me that it was necessary," Tom said politely, choosing to act like he didn''t know anything she had been up to.

    What was she supposed to say to now? She had thought she was ready to handle the situation, but he had destabilized her by asking to speak with her first.

    She cleared her throat and tried to retake control of the situation, "Tom, I''m sincerely sorry for not showing up on our date..."

    Tom shook his head and cut her off, "All that is water under the bridge now. You didn''t apologize when we met thest time. Why are you doing so now? Because I''m the CEO?"

    "Because I never got the chance to apologize properly," Anita said, and Tom tried not to scoff.

    "Well, don''t be sorry. You already made it up to me when you tried to hook me up with Lucy at the movie house. Remember what you said to me that day? In your words, ''she is more suitable for you than I am or can ever be, and to make up for the past, I want to help pair you both together'' do you remember saying that?" Tom asked, and Anita shut her eyes while Harry snickered. At least she wasn''t entirely shameless.

    She had said those words. How stupid had she been? What had possessed her to be so presumptuous? She had validated their rtionship, so how was she going to be able to ruin it? Now those words were going to haunt her.

    "You helped me find true love whether you meant to or not, so I''m sincerely grateful to you for not showing up. If you had shown up, I never would have met the perfect woman for me. So, thanks for not showing up. Things didn''t work out between us, and I called off our rtionship because I realized you were not the right person for me. I didn''t love you, and I could never have loved you even if I tried. There is no reason for you to feel awkward or embarrassed. So please focus on your job, so we don''t have to fire you for not paying attention during meetings," Tom said, and Anita felt her eyes sting.

    She blinked back her tears of regret and humiliation that burned her insides and cleared her throat as she raised her head to look at him, "I understand. Can we at least be friends? Maybe I can buy you a drink, or we can have dinner sometime? You can bring Lucy along too. It will be a shame to go back to being strangers. I really did like you genuinely, and I like Lucy too, of course. I see her as my friend," Anita said, and they both turned when Harry scoffed.

    He looked at them over his phone''s screen when they both looked at him, "What? Oh! You heard that? Sorry. I just saw something ridiculous here," he said, pointing to his phone, "Don''t mind me and just continue with your discussion," Harry said with a dismissive wave, but they all knew that he was referring to what Anita had said.

    "We can''t be friends. Besides, I hardly have the time for that. I have my best friend here who doesn''t like to share, and I also have my girlfriend who I prefer to spend every moment of my day beside. There''s no room for other people. Plus, I''m sure you still have to take care of your dog, and I''d hate to take you away from him. So you see? It just would never work because, honestly, I do not even like you. So let''s stick to being employer and employee, alright?" Tom said as he rose, making it clear that he was done.

    "I guess we are done here," Harry said as he pushed away from the desk and stood up after saving the video.

    "Talking about friendship as though you were such a great friend when you thought he had nothing. People should learn to have some pride," Harry muttered under his breath, but loud enough for them both to hear.

    Anita remained seated with her head bowed as both friends walked away. She was doomed! How was she going to ever get him to love her?

 Chapter 356 Tiger Versus Sick Cat

    Chapter 356 Tiger Versus Sick Cat����"You didn''t have to do that. That was too petty even for you," Tom said with a chuckle as he and Harry headed for the car.

    "I''m surprised you were able to stay so calm. God! I really hate her! You had no idea everything I had in my head to say to her. I had to try my best to hold back because she''s our employee," Harry said, and Tomughed.

    "And you weren''t even the one that dated her," Tom said in amusement, even though he understood Harry''s hatred. He was filled with anger and hatred too, but knowing that he already had everything in ce to deal with her was what had helped him to speak calmly.

    "My best friend dated her, and that''s enough. She made things difficult for both you and Lucy, and that, in turn made things difficult for me. I thought I was going to go crazyst weekend," Harry said, and Tom winced.

    "I''m sorry. I know you must have been really stressed," Tom said apologetically.

    "Don''t be. Your problem is my problem, and your enemy is my enemy. Imagine her talking about friendship, the nerves! How can someone be that shameless? And what was that nonsense she was spewing? Did I hear her refer to Lucy as her friend? Really? If I were ady, I''d have hit her head against that desk to reset whatever nonsense was broken in in that micro fish brain of hers," Harry swore, and Tom doubled over, ignoring the curious nces they were getting from the staff as they walked past them.

    "Okay, now you should calm down, Harry."

    "Sure. I will calm down after she and her crazy family pay for all they did and have nned to do. I won''t let you take it easy on them," Harry said with a scowl as they stopped in front of the car that the valet had brought back to the front of the building.

    Tom looked at Harry with a wide smile. His loyalty was second to none, and the amazing thing was that he couldn''t even understand what he did to deserve Harry''s friendship and loyalty. He really loved this best friend of his.

    "Then let''s get started on making them pay," Tom said as he pped Harry''s back lightly, and Harry got into the car while Tom went around to get into the driver''s seat.

    As Harry buckled his seatbelt, his phone started ringing, and his heart skipped a beat when he saw that it was Jade. All the anger he had been feeling a moment ago disappeared and left his mind nk and his mouth dry.

    As he stared nkly at the phone which was ringing, he remembered their midnight chat and phone conversation, which he had been trying all day not to think about.

    "Are you not going to receive your call?" Tom asked when he got into the car and saw Harry staring at his phone, which was ringing.

    He cleared his throat before receiving the call, "Hey!" He greeted in a gruff voice and cleared his throat again.

    "Hello, Harry! Did you sleep well?" Jade asked cheerfully as she sat in front of the dressing room. She was dressed now, and they were about to leave the house; hence she decided to speak with him.

    "Yeah. I believe I did. What about you? I mean, did you sleep well?" Harry asked, and Jade smiled to herself when she heard how flustered he sounded.

    "I didn''t."

    "I see," Harry said and then remained quiet as he waited for her to tell him why she had called.

    Tom spared him a nce, wondering who he was speaking with, but he looked away from Tom. Seeing his reaction, Tom smirked. He could guess that it was Jade. Harry wasn''t the type to look or sound so flustered when speaking with anyone.

    "You see? You are not curious to know why I didn''t sleep well?" Jade asked in a flirty tone.

    "I''m kind of busy at the moment..."

    "No, he''s not busy. I''m driving, and he''s just sitting here. Sup, Jade? Are you guys still at home?" Tom asked, and Jade giggled while Harry red at Tom.

    "We were going to talk about our n for the meeting with thosedies," Harry reminded Tom, not pleased that Tom was insinuating that he had lied.

    "Tell him we will be leaving in a couple of minutes. Since you''re busy right now, I will call backter to let you know when I arrive. Is that okay?" Jade asked to Harry''s relief.

    "Yeah, sure. Have a safe trip," Harry answered quickly, and to his confusion, Jade giggled.

    "Anyway, since you didn''t ask, I''m going to tell you anyway. I didn''t sleep wellst night because I kept thinking about the kiss, and then I dreamt of kissing you. Although in my dream, we did a bit more than kiss. I will give you the details when I call you backter," Jade said before hanging up.

    Long after the call ended, Harry still held the phone to his ear as he stared ahead of him with unseeing eyes. His heart was beating too fast, and his mouth was as dry as a desert.

    Why did she tell him something like that? Why did she dream of kissing him? She said they had done more than kiss. What else had they done? Was it the same dream he had? Why was he even curious about it? Why was the thought of a mere dream making his body warm?

    "Seeing how you have been silent for a while but still holding the phone to your ear, Jade must have so much to say to you," Tom observed dryly.

    Harry snapped back to his senses and dropped his hand as he turned to re at Tom, "You are not a good friend, you know?"

    "I''m not? How? What did I do wrong?" Tom asked innocently.

    "I have your back. I always have your back, but you don''t have mine," he said usingly.

    "I''m sure you know that''s not true. It''s not like Jade was going to eat you up, and you needed protection. It was a simple phone conversation, yet you looked like you were going to pass out. When you talk to me, you sound like a tiger, but when it''s Jade, you sound like a sick cat," Tom said in amusement, and Harry red at him.

    "How did you know it was her anyway?" Harry asked since he hadn''t mentioned Jade''s name, and the speaker hadn''t been loud enough for Tom to hear her voice.

    Tom shrugged, "In all the years I''ve known you, I''m not sure I''ve seen you react to anyone else this way before. The look on your face when you received the call was simr to the look on your face when she was holding your arm yesterday," Tom said with a chuckle, and Harry scowled.

    "I''m NOT going to have anything to do with her!"

    "I never said you were or you should. I thought we both already established that she is our sister?" Tom reminded him, and Harry cussed under his breath.

    "I hate you, Tom!"

    Tom chuckled, "You should maintain this energy when next you talk to Jade instead of shaking like a leaf."

    **********

    Lucas had a wary look in his eyes as he walked out of a phone shop. He couldn''t believe that he had been right and Rachel had been tracking his phone this whole time.

    Just what did he really know about this woman? Everything Miley had said came back to him, and he paused to draw in a deep breath when he started feeling sick.

    He was sick to his stomach. Frightened, and disgusted that he had thought she was the love of his life.

    How? Just how had he ended up with such a scary person? If all of this had not happened with Lucy, he would never have found out the kind of woman he was getting married to.

    He was lost in thoughts as he walked down the road aimlessly, unsure where he was headed. He still didn''t want to go home yet... Speaking of home, he recalled that he was yet to give his parents a call, and his phone had been turned off once again while the guys in the phone shop were working on it, so he reached into his pocket and took it out.

    He turned it on and then dialed his mother''s line. Almost immediately, J received the call, "Oh, Lucas! Thank goodness you finally called. I''ve been worried sick about you. How are you? Where are you?" She asked in a rush.

    "I''m fine, mom. And I''m sorry I made you worry," Lucas said apologetically.

    "Are you sure you are fine?" Andrew asked from beside J.

    "Yes, I''m fine. I just need to be alone for the time being..."

    "Why don''t you tell me where you are? And then I can bring you something to eat? Did you take your clothes? I could help you get some clothes too," J pleaded.

    "Mom, thanks. But I can buy whatever I need. I''m fine, so don''t worry yourself about me. I will leave my line on so you can reach me whenever you want. That way, you don''t have to be so worried," Lucas said, and J let out a resigned sigh.

    "Just make sure you call us whenever you need to talk or see us, okay? Ande home when you''re ready," Andrew said to Lucas'' relief.

    "Sure, dad. I have to go now." He hesitated, "Mom? Can you help me get my personal effects out of my apartment?" Lucas asked, not wanting to step foot in that apartment.

    "Sure, we can. By the way, we called Rachel earlier when we couldn''t reach you," Andrew said, causing Lucas'' eyes to harden.

    "You didn''t have to. Please do not call her next time. She showed up here uninvited," Lucas said, and his parents exchanged a surprised look.

    "Where? How did she get to know your location?" J asked since she doubted that Lucas could have gone somewhere he used to visit with Rachel when he was avoiding her.

    "She installed a tracking device in my phone this whole time. I had no idea. She is dangerous and..." While Lucas was still speaking, the doorbell rang, and Andrew went to the door to see who was there.

    "A tracking device?" J asked in shocked annoyance even as Andrew opened the door.

    He was surprised to see Rachel standing there, "What are you doing here?" He asked without letting her in, and hearing his cold tone, J rose.

    "I think Rachel is here," she informed Lucas quietly as she went to the door to see for herself.

    "Mom, throw her out. Do not listen to anything she says. She is a liar, and she is very dangerous," Lucas said, but his mother was no longer listening.

    Seeing the hostile expression on their faces, Rachel fell to her knees, "Please help me. Save my rtionship with Lucas, please! I love him. I don''t want to lose him. I can''t live without him," she cried, making J''s hand ball into a fist as she fought the urge to hit Rachel for all the pain she had caused her children.

    "The only reason we had anything to do with you was because of Lucas. Now that he no longer wants to be involved with you, we have no reason to tolerate you anymore either. Leave!" Andrew ordered harshly.

    "Andrew, please! Don''t do this to me. I love Lucas! Please help me! Please help me save my rtionship with him! Please!" She cried, reaching out to grab his calf, but Andrew sidestepped her, and she fell forward through the door.

    Immediately, J dropped her phone and roughly pushed Rachel back, not wanting any part of her body inside their home.

    "Save yourself this embarrassment and leave quietly. Make sure you don''t show yourself around here or around my family again. Else I won''t be med for what I do to a trespasser," J warned through clenched teeth as she shut the door in Rachel''s crying face.

    On the other end of the phone, Lucas gritted his teeth as he disconnected the call. Now he needed to just find somewhere he could stay for a while and try to figure out what he wanted for his life now.

    He turned abruptly when a car honked loudly behind him, and his heart skipped a beat when he saw Miley seated gracefully in a red Ford mustang.

 Chapter 357 Home

    Chapter 357 Home����Miley waved at Lucas as she shed him a smile, but the surprise at seeing her again had worn off, and now he was just pissed that she was following him.

    He walked over to where the car was parked, "What the heck is wrong with all of you? Why can''t you just leave me the fuck alone? Why do you keep following me around and monitoring my life?" Lucas yelled at her, not concerned that he was causing a scene.

    Miley just stared at him calmly as he yelled, and she waited until he had run out of everything he had to say before letting out a sigh, "I understand how you feel, and you''ve got every reason to be mad, but I''m too dying to care. Why not get into the car, and I will drop you off wherever you are headed?" She asked reasonably, making Lucas all the more angry.

    "No! I don''t want to be in the same space with you or anyone else!" He snapped at her and started walking away.

    "Hm. Too bad," she said with pursed lips as she continued to follow him while honking the car.

    When Lucas couldn''t take it anymore, he stopped again and turned to her, "What do you want?"

    "For starters, I''m still with your ID card. You left it behind at my ce."

    "You can help me return it to Dr. Drew at your next appointment," Lucas said, and she nodded.

    "Alright. But I will feel better after I know you are not going to any bar to drink yourself into a stupor or do anything silly. Sorry, I know I shouldn''t care, but unfortunately, my dying brain is worried about you," she said with a shrug.

    "Listen, if you''re following me because you want to get back at Rachel or..." Lucas paused when he noticed the mild annoyance in her eyes.

    "I''m dying, and somehow you think getting back at Rachel is the most important to me right now?" She asked incredulously, but Lucas just kept staring at her.

    "There is nothing to get back at her for. She has won, don''t you get it? She has her whole life right ahead of her, and I don''t. I have limited time to make something for myself. To do something meaningful for me. I can''t make what little time I have left to be about Rachel. I can''t afford to," she said, blinking back the tears that stung her eyes.

    "Listen, I know you don''t know me or care about me, I don''t like the fact that I''m worried about you either, but I am. Maybe it''s because I see you as another victim of Rachel or something, I don''t know. But get into the damned car. If you need a drinking buddy, I''ll drink with you and listen to you swear and cuss at Rachel or whoever else. Just don''t waste your life away on her ount," Miley said, and Lucas shook his head.

    "I''m not going back to alcohol. And I don''t need you or anyone to listen. Just leave me alone. That''s all I need."

    "Good. I''m d you don''t need a drinking buddy. Will you be my drinking buddy then? I want to drink myself into a stupor and wallow in self-pity. And I want you to be my audience and listen to me cry and cuss at the universe for giving me such an unexpectedly short lifespan," she said, and this time Lucas paused.

    "Don''t you have friends?"

    "I told you before, I''ve been away for years and just got back. They''re all acquaintances now, and Amy is my only friend. It would be selfish to drag her away from her job to help me. You, on the other hand, just quit, and you have all the time in the world right now. So please, can you just keep mepany? I could pay you for your time if you want," She said, and Lucas looked at her for a moment, trying to understand her.

    "I don''t need your damned money," he muttered under his breath as he got into the passenger''s seat, and her red-painted lips curved in a smile.

    "Thanks. So where do you want to go?" She asked happily.

    "Take me wherever you want to go," Lucas said without looking at her.

    He wasn''t sure he was making the right call by hanging out with her, but underneath her cheerful disposition, he knew that she was sad. And somehow, he couldn''t bring himself to turn her awaypletely. He was a sucker for sick, distressed, and helpless people.

    "Is there anything else you''ve not told me?" Lucas asked as he turned to look at her.

    "Like I''ve been in love with you since you were in high school?" She asked, and Lucas'' eyes rounded in shock, making herugh out loud.

    "Chill. I''m just pulling your legs," she assured him as shebed her fingers through her long hair.

    Lucas rxed, "You followed me from the hotel?"

    "Yeah. I figured it would take me just as much time to dress up as it would take you to get to the gate, so there was no need to stop you when I could easily catch up," she said with a shrug.

    "Why?"

    "Why what?"

    "Why did you follow me? Why are you doing this?"

    "Well, for starters, if you leave here and anything happens to you, I''d be thest person that was with you, and I don''t want to spend what little time I have left behind bars for a crime I did notmit," she said with an easy smile.

    "Why are you always talking about your limited time?" Lucas asked with a frown, and she shrugged.

    "I''m trying to befortable with the idea of dying. How do your patients react when you tell them they''re dying?" She asked as she turned to spare him a nce.

    "Some avoid the subject as though not talking about it will make the sickness disappear. Others keep crying when they talk about it, but you are smiling while talking about it," Lucas said, and he noticed the slight tremble of her lips.

    "I have to learn how to talk about it without breaking down so that my parents won''t break down when I tell them about it. I''m all they''ve got," she said with tears in her eyes as she turned to him.

    "If I can''t be strong, how can I expect them to be when I''m gone?" She asked, and Lucas felt her sadness as tears dropped from her eyes.

    "I''m sorry."

    She cleared her throat and shed him a smile, "I told you before, don''t be. You''re going through your own hell. I''m going through mine. Life sucks. Hopefully, death won''t suck," she said as she swiped at her tears.

    "Sorry, I''m not with my handkerchief. Would have offered it," Lucas said, and she smiled.

    "Why don''t we get you something to wear? And then we can return to the hotel, so you freshen up. Unless, of course, you''d rather not," she said, reminding Lucas that he was looking rough.

    "Let''s do that."

    ***********

    Jade had a silly smile on her face as she walked out of her bedroom to join the others who were already waiting in front of the house. She wondered what would be going through Harry''s mind by now.

    She had decided not to confess her feelings to him as Tom had suggested, but she was going to make it difficult for him to ignore her or get her out of his mind. She wanted him, and she was going to make him want her back.

    "I hope I didn''t keep you guys waiting?" She asked apologetically.

    "It''s fine," Desmond assured her.

    "Where are the others?" She asked, and Evelyn pointed to the car.

    "Sonia and Bryan are seated inside already."

    "What about Candace?" She asked just as Candace walked through the door with both Jamal and Samantha while holding a brown envelope in her hand and a small traveling bag.

    "Remember all I told you? Be on your best behavior. Miss Samantha here will take care of you and make sure you don''t be a bother," she reminded him, and Jamal nodded as he sniffed back his tears.

    "Please, can you help me give this envelope to Tom when he gets back?" She asked, and Samantha nodded as she received it from her.

    "I wish we could take the kid with us," Evelyn murmured to her husband sadly.

    "We can''t," Desmond said, and she nodded as she went to say goodbye to the kid.

    "Make sure you take good care of the kid. You can hire a nanny if need be. Just make sure he has someone to attend to him round the clock," Evelyn said to Samantha, who gave her a nod as she took the kid''s hand.

    Inside the car, Bryan patted Sonia''s head which was resting on his shoulder, "We can cancel this trip if you are not up for it," Bryan said, and Sonia shook her head.

    "It''s just a headache, Bryan," Sonia assured him.

    "It''s not just a headache. You look pale. You''re running a temperature and are beginning to sweat," Bryanined.

    "I''m pale because of my headaches, and I''m sweating because you refused to turn on the AC because you say I''m running a temperature. You are sweating too," Sonia said in amusement as she watched him fuss.

    "I''m going to make sure you get enough rest after we arrive, and if you don''t feel better twenty-four hours from now, we are going to the hospital," Bryan said, and Sonia nodded.

    "Sure. Just rx," she said, and Bryan wrapped his arms around her as he kissed her forehead.

    "I can''t. Not when you''re involved. You are my family. My baby," Bryan said, and tears gathered in her eyes.

    Even though she knew that Lucy and her family considered her a part of them, she never really felt like she belonged there. She loved them and all, but that was Lucy''s family, not really hers.

    That was one reason she had always thought about having a child or getting married. Family. She wanted a real family of her own, not like the one she had with her mother and stepfather. She wanted to experience the sort of connection she had with her father before his death.

    Watching all of them interact with each other as family in thest couple of days made her realize the extent of her loneliness and how much she craved a family. She felt like she was part of them, but she wasn''t really part of them.

    Hence, hearing him call her his family stirred a lot of emotions inside her, and it made her feel like she finally belonged with someone. She felt at home in his hands. Home was no longer just a ce. Home had taken the form of a person, and Bryan was home.

    Tears trailed down her cheeks, and she used the back of her hands to wipe them off as Desmond and Evelyn got into the car.

    "How are you feeling now, dear?" Desmond asked with concern in his eyes as he looked at her.

    She nodded, unable to swallow past the lump that was still lodged in her throat after Bryan''s words.

    "I think she''s spiking a fever," Bryanined to his mother, who reached out to feel her forehead with the back of her hand.

    "Don''t worry, dear. When we arrive, I''ll prepare my special soup," Evelyn promised, and Sonia smiled weakly, choosing to let herself be pampered since she couldn''t remember thest time anyone had pampered her.

    "We are ready to leave, Adolf," Jade said after she and Candace got into the car.

 Chapter 358 Puppet

    Chapter 358 Puppet����Inside Prisci''s office at the She Can Heal Foundation building, Rebekah Miller had a satisfied smile on her face as she sat back on a couch and sipped from a mug of tea while she listened to Prisci, who was giving her the details about her meeting with Lucy the previous day, as well as Lucy''s phone call a moment ago to ept the deal.

    "I knew she was going to ept the offer. It was too good to be turned down after all. She is quite an ambitious youngdy, don''t you agree?" she said, and Prisci nodded in agreement.

    "So it appears."

    "I will draft out the contract terms and send it across to your email. Get her toe down here and sign it as soon as you can," Rebekah instructed.

    "Yes, I will," Prisci said before leaning forward, "But if I may ask, why did you insist that we approach Lucinda Perry? And why that much of a hurry too? No offense, I understand that her story was quite touching, but I think there are otherdies with even more pathetic stories than hers who could have benefited more from the money we are offering her. She has a good job, and from what I saw, she is doing well for herself. She also has Thomas Hank, so what''s so special about her that you had to make us do this?" Prisci asked, trying to understand Rebekah''s intention since it still didn''t sit well with her that she had approached Lucy in that manner.

    Prisci had been more than surprised when Rebekah called and asked her to reach out to Lucy with that outrageous offer, she had wanted to ask questions, but Rebekah had said she would stop by the office to get the feedback hence she had gone ahead to do as she was told, as usual, hoping to get answers from Rebekah when she met her in person.

    Rebekah''s smile faltered since she hadn''t been expecting Prisci to question her. She pushed the cup away from her and sat forward in an intimidating manner, "Other organizations are going to want to work with her as she''s still under the spotlight at the moment, so I figured we get to her first. It would bring the foundation more exposure and also more sponsors," She said with a light shrug.

    Prisci looked at her, unconvinced, "Until now, we have never really been interested in such things so..."

    "You might be the CEO in name, but I hope you haven''t forgotten who owns this ce and who keeps the foundation running financially. You should know better than to question my decisions," Rebekah said with disapproval, and Prisci''s hands balled into a fist on herp as she looked at Rebekah, who was seated across from her.

    "I just want to be sure that you are not trying to do anything that might affect..."

    "And what if I am? Are you going to get in my way?" Rebekah cut in challengingly, and Prisci decided that it was time to take a step back.

    Nothing good woulde from provoking Rebekah. As annoying as she was, and as much as Prisci hated feeling like the woman''s puppet, establishing a foundation had only been a pipe dream until she met Rebekah, and Rebekah offered to help her. Since then, Rebekah had brought her all the money and sponsors she needed to fund her work while taking the backstage.

    That was how Prisci got the fame she now had, and that was how she got the money she needed to sponsor the kind of lifestyle she had always wanted. She knew where she wasing from, and she didn''t want to go back there.

    "There is no need to get cranky, Madam. I wasn''t trying to challenge your authority or anything. I know better than to do that. If you say we should do this, then we would. You are the one that truly owns this ce after all," Prisci said with a pacifying smile, and Rebekah smiled at her with approval.

    "Good. Try not to forget that I can throw you back to the gutters where I picked you from if you start growing wings," Rebekah said with a cold smile.

    "I''m well aware of that. All I''m asking is that you let me know exactly what your n is. We both know that there is no way you are spending so much money on that girl without having some sort of n. What if your n backfires? I need to know what I''m getting into so that I can act appropriately, especially since you do not want your name involved in it," Prisci insisted as politely as she could while holding Rebekah''s gaze.

    There was no need to let her in on her ns. The only person she could ever really trust was herself. She didn''t want to be disappointed by anyone else, so it was best if she used her without letting her know just what she was doing for her.

    "Can you at least let me know why you want her?" Prisci pleaded when Rebekah said nothing and just kept staring at her with narrowed eyes.

    "Quit this foolishness, Prisci. I already told you all you need to know. There is no other n," Rebekah said and then nced at her phone when it vibrated with a media text message notification, and she picked it up.

    Her lips twitched in a secretive smile when she saw the text from Adam, her daughter''s husband. Attached to a short clip of him stroking his engorged cock was the text, ''Why are youte? I''m waiting at the penthouse already. I miss you so much I think it is going to explode.''

    Her eyes zed over with lust as she looked at the photo, and she bit her lower lip as she felt the hot fingers of lust clench her lower abdomen, and her feminine core pulsated with longing.

    "If you say so," Prisci said, and Rebekah cleared her throat and then put her phone away when she remembered that she wasn''t alone.

    "I''mte for my next appointment. I need to leave now. Make sure you do as I''ve said if you want things to keep going smoothly for us all," she said as she quickly stood up.

    "I will," Prisci said as she stood up and escorted her out of the office. Maya stood up immediately as they walked past her desk, but Rebekah didn''t spare her a nce.

    "You don''t need to see me off, I''m in a hurry," she said dismissively, and Prisci gave her a nod as she watched her walk away.

    Once Rebekah disappeared from view, Prisci returned to meet Maya, who was standing beside her desk, which was positioned outside Prisci''s office.

    "Did she tell you why she wants Lucinda Perry to work with us?" Maya asked, but Prisci shook her head.

    "Not exactly. I don''t exactly believe anything she said," Prisci said and went on to tell Maya about their conversation, and Maya sighed.

    "I''m not sure I''mfortable with this. It is one thing for her to use the foundation for their moneyundering, but this involves a person. Ady like those we are trying to help," Mayained.

    "I understand how you feel. I feel the same way too. We just need to be careful and try not to get on her bad side at the same time," Prisci said as she headed for her office, and Maya nodded in understanding.

    Away from there, Tom pulled into the parking lot in front of the building that housed the foundation just as Rebekah stepped out of the building.

    "Isn''t that Rebekah Miller?" Harry asked, and Tom looked in time to see her get into her car.

    "She''s the one," Tom said, and neither of them made any move to get out of the car until they watched her car disappear from view.

    "Even if we didn''t already suspect that she was involved in this, she just told us so herself," Harry said, and Tom nodded.

    Without saying another word, they both got out of the car, adjusted their suit, and headed for the building.

    Once they arrived inside and Maya saw them, she quickly rose from her seat since they were men that needed no introduction. Harry Jonas was known since his face was one they had seen on the papers and every news rting to I-Global enterprise. Thomas Hank, on the other hand, was a face that was still fresh on the first pages of newspapers and magazines ever since he revealed his identity that weekend.

    "Good morning, sirs. What can we do for you?" She asked nervously as she nced at the door to Prisci''s office, hoping this had nothing to do with their offer to Lucinda Perry.

    "We want to see your boss," Harry demanded in his authoritative tone as he stepped forward out of habit.

    Maya cleared her throat, clearly disconcerted by this unexpected visit. She dared not tell them they couldn''t meet Prisci since no prior appointment had been made for this meeting, not when they had barged in on Lucinda Perry the way they had done the previous day on Rebekah''s instructions. Something told her that their presence had to do with that, and it made her feel very anxious. She really hoped they were not in trouble for doing something they didn''t even know about.

    "Excuse me for a minute," Maya said as she quickly walked away.

    Once she got into the office, she rushed over to Prisci''s desk, and Prisci looked at her in shocked confusion when she saw the worry in her eyes.

    "What is the matter?"

    "Harry Jonas is here with Thomas Hank to see you," she whispered, scared that somehow Tom might have a magical hearing ability to hear whatever they were saying.

    Prisci''s heart skipped a beat, "Thomas Hank?"

    Maya bobbed her head, "I don''t know what he wants, but I suspect it might have to do with our visit to his girlfriend. What are we going to do? I don''t want any troubles," Maya said, and Prisci''s brows pulled together.

    "Trust me, and let them in."

    "What if..."

    "Rx, and let me handle it. If it''s about Lucinda Perry, then this might be the opportunity we need to take overpletely and get rid of that controlling bitch. Let them in," she instructed as she straightened her shoulders and sat up.

    Maya nodded and took a deep breath before returning to join Tom and Harry, "She is ready to see you. You can go in," Maya said with a polite smile, and both men walked into the office with Maya following behind them.

    Immediately they walked through the door, Prisci stood up with a weing smile on her face, "Today must be a great day seeing as distinguished gentlemen like you chose to grace my office with your presence," she greeted with false confidence, and both Tom and Harry shed her a smile.

    "I''m Harry Jonas, and this is Thomas Hank, CEO of I-Global enterprise," Harry said politely, and Prisci smiled as she stepped away from behind her desk, extending a hand to Harry.

    "I must be living under a rock if I do not know who you both are. I am Prisci Peters, and this is my assistant, Maya Adams," Prisci said as she moved away from Harry and turned to Tom.

    "We hope you don''t mind us barging on you this way," Tom said politely as he shook hands with her while observing her closely.

    She waved a hand dismissively, "Of course, I do not. I don''t mind people like youing to see me. It''s an honor to have you here. Please make yourselffortable," Prisci said as she led them to thefortable settee in her office.

    "Would you love to have tea or coffee?" She asked as she sat down opposite them, and both men shook their heads.

    "No, thanks. We are fine. We just want to talk," Tom said, and she nodded as she turned to Maya.

    "You can excuse us," she told Maya, who gave her a nod before walking away.

    Now that they were alone, Prisci sat forward as she looked from Tom to Harry and then back again, "So, to what do I owe this pleasure?" She asked, looking at them with calcting eyes.

    "If you know us as you said, then I''m sure you know why I am here," Tom said tly, his eyes hard as he looked at her.

 Chapter 359 Disloyal

    Chapter 359 Disloyal����Prisci looked at both men with a poker face as she tried to figure out the best way to approach the subject.

    She knew they were intelligent men, and it would be stupid of her to try to y them for a fool. At the same time, she had to be careful as she didn''t want to overy her hand since she wasn''t even sure yet if they were friends or foes of Rebekah yet.

    Although she doubted that they were friends of Rebekah since thedy wasn''t one to hide her connection with affluent and influential people. If she so much as knew Thomas Hank personally, she would have bragged about it by now, and his identity would not have remained secret for so long.

    Her eyes twitched suspiciously when she remembered that Rebekah had left only a moment ago. Was it possible that she had sent them here to test her? Was this some sort of test?

    She mentally shook her head. No. It couldn''t be. Thomas Hank didn''t seem like the kind of man that would spend his time doing something as unprofitable as testing a person like her.

    Perhaps he also had illegal business dealings with Rebekah? Nah. That didn''t make sense. If that were the case, he wouldn''t need to deal with her directly when he could just talk with Rebekah.

    If he wasn''t friends with Rebekah, and he wasn''t working with her, then he was here on his own. The only business that connected them was Lucinda Perry, so that had to be it.

    Havinge to that conclusion, she met his gaze confidently, "I know you. But I''m not sure it''s wise to say I know why you are here. But I think you''re here regarding my visit to your office yesterday, to see Miss Lucinda Perry, your girlfriend. Am I right or wrong?" she asked, and Tom''s lips twitched in satisfaction.

    She wasn''t a stupid woman, and he liked that about her. He had half expected her to act ignorant or try to y games with him, but seeing how she went directly to the point, he was half sure he could work with someone like her.

    "Yes, that is why we are here. You see, I love Lucy very much, and I always love to support whatever she chooses to get involved in. Hence I''m here," Tom said as he watched her, and Prisci gave him a warm smile.

    "That''s so sweet of you," she said as she watched him, still trying to understand what was happening.

    Was that all there was to this meeting? Why did she feel like there was more to Rebekah''s request and Tom''s action? She mused.

    "Thanks. As my own way of supporting Lucy''s decision to work with you, I''d love to be one of your top sponsors. What does bing a sponsor entail?" Tom asked, and surprise shed in Prisci''s eyes.

    A sponsor? Even though she had been hoping that Tom would say something like this or maybe even offer them some money without wanting to partner with them, somehow she hadn''t really expected it. It was like luck was on her side or something.

    Until now, Rebekah had been solely responsible for bringing in sponsors. From the first time they met, she had asked them to leave the financial aspect of the foundation to her. Rebekah brought in the money and sponsors and also had her own people manage the financial records.

    All Prisci was allowed to do as the CEO of the foundation wase up with grande event ideas andmunicate with the beneficiaries of the foundation. She wasn''t allowed to ask Rebekah questions. She was only meant to do as she was told.

    Whenever she had an idea for the foundation, she would submit the n along with an estimate of the total sum of money it would cost to Rebekah, and then Rebekah would give her the money she needed to take care of the event, as well as enough money to care for the beneficiaries of the foundation, and at the end of each month, she received her huge sry like the rest of the staff.

    She knew that the foundation was a front for Rebekah''s moneyundering, but she tried not to care because, at the end of the day, she also got all she wanted��doing good for youngdies who had been abused or sexually traumatized, while also making money.

    If Thomas Hank was offering to be a sponsor, then maybe this was the opportunity she needed to finally get out of Rebekah''s shadow and actually do something really good for herself before Rebekah decided that she wanted to cut her off.

    She would hate to go down with Rebekah if or when the time came and all her evil deeds were exposed. It was time for her to set her own path, and maybe Tom could help her achieve that. But first, she would need to earn his trust.

    "Miss Peters?" Harry called, snapping his fingers in front of her when it seemed like she had zoned out.

    She blinked as she tried to focus on them, "I''m sorry. I was just stunned by your offer," she said with an apologetic smile.

    "Can I see your financial reports? I would love to see exactly how things are being run here so that I can offer as much help as I can," Tom requested, and he could see all the wheels turning in Prisci''s head as she watched him.

    Could she trust him? Prisci mused as she watched him. She desperately wanted to trust him since something told her this was the opportunity she had been waiting for.

    Throwing all caution to the wind and choosing to try her luck, she leaned forward, "Are you familiar with Rebekah Miller?" She asked, wanting to see if she could trust him.

    Tom narrowed his eyes, "Why do you ask?" He asked, wondering what that had to do with his request.

    "Because your response is important to me, and it might determine whether or not I need your sponsorship," Prisci said, and Tom exchanged a look with Harry, who was seated beside him, before looking at her.

    Harry wasn''t saying a word as requested by Tom since they had both agreed that Harry would focus on reading her posture and listening to whatever she wasn''t saying. He was to step in only if he felt Tom was mishandling it. Thus far, Tom was doing fine, so he just sat back while observing Prisci.

    "I''ve never crossed paths with her, but I know who she is. What has she got to do with your epting my sponsorship?" Tom asked once again.

    "Do you know if your girlfriend knows her personally? Or is affiliated to her in any way?" Prisci asked again, and this time Tom''s curiosity was piqued.

    He looked directly into her eyes, trying to decide whether or not to tell her the truth, but seeing the determined look in her eyes; something told him that she had her own agenda. He highly doubted that Rebekah would have wanted her to mention her name in such a conversation.

    "She doesn''t. They''ve never crossed paths either," Tom said and watched as her brows creased as though she was trying to figure out something.

    "However..." Tom continued, and she looked at him sharply.

    "Her daughter, Anita, used to be in a rtionship with me, but she didn''t really take me seriously because she didn''t know who I was. Now that she knows who I am, I suppose she is interested in me again. She also used to be friends with Lucy," Tom exined, and Prisci''s eyes narrowed as she finally connected the dots.

    She had been right. Rebekah had an ulterior motive for wanting Lucinda Perry. She possibly wanted to get rid of Lucy so her daughter would have Thomas Hank. But how did she hope to achieve that by offering Lucy these benefits? Or perhaps was she thinking of doing that by tearing her away from Tom''s side? Crazy bitch! Prisci mused in amusement.

    Seeing as Tom was being honest with her, even more honest than Rebekah had been, she decided to be honest with him as well, "Ask your girlfriend to turn down the offer," Prisci said, and this time Tom looked at Harry, who looked almost as surprised as he was.

    "Why? You are the one who offered her the job, why are you asking me to ask her to turn it down?" Tom asked, acting ignorant.

    By now, he was curious more than ever before about the rtionship between Rebekah and Prisci. Something seemed off. Why would she so easily want to ruin Rebekah''s n?

    "It wasn''t my idea to approach her with the offer. It was Rebekah''s," Prisci exined.

    "Rebekah? But you own this foundation. Why is Rebekah the one giving the orders?" Tom asked, wondering why she was being so open with him. What did she stand to gain from this?

    "She is one of our top sponsors," Prisci lied.

    "And you''re willing to go against your top sponsor for a new sponsor? Why?"

    "I can''t answer that question," she said, not wanting to say something that might implicate her.

    "You do realize that asking her to reject your offer means you don''t want my money? Since Lucy''s job here is the only reason I''m offering to be a sponsor. I will ask her to reject your offer then. Thank you for your time," Tom said as he made to stand up.

    "You don''t get it, do you? I''m doing you a favor here. Isn''t it obvious that Rebekah is up to something? Why would she make such an outrageous offer to the girl in a rtionship with her daughter''s ex? A man that her daughter still wants, and I''m sure she also wants you to be her son-inw," Prisci said, making Tom return to his seat.

    "I suppose you''d be needing a favor in return?" Tom asked insightfully.

    "What I''m trying to say is that I don''t know what she is up to, and I don''t want to be involved in whatever she ns to do," Prisci said, and Tom nodded even though he didn''t entirely believe her. She wanted something. He could see it in her eyes.

    "What would happen to you if she finds out that you went against her and told me this?" Tom asked, and Prisci shrugged.

    "She will probably kick me out, I suppose," she said without thinking, and Tom raised a brow.

    "She has that much power?" Harry asked quietly, giving her the impression that she was slowly being backed into a trap.

    "She has all the power. She owns this ce. I''m just a front," Prisci confided, and Tom raised a brow.

    Interesting. He had thought she was just a sponsor. This new information just made it clear that there was more to the Foundation than he had thought.

    "Is there another reason you are giving us all this information aside from the fact that you don''t want to get involved in whatever she is nning? What do you hope to benefit from this?"

    Prisci cleared her throat, "In exchange for the information, I would like you to promise to be my first real sponsor when the timees that I have to leave here and establish my own foundation for abused girls. Lucy can also work with us if she is interested in helping teenage girls with a history of abuse or sexual-rted trauma," she said, and Tom nodded.

    It made sense that she was doing this because of her personal ambition. This just made things easier. He silently thanked Rebekah for whatever she must have done to make Prisci this disloyal to her.

    "I will do that on one condition," Tom said, and she raised a brow.

    "Go on."

    "Lucy is going to ept your offer, but you willmunicate every instruction thates from Rebekah concerning Lucy to me," Tom said, and Prisci''s eyes narrowed when something urred to her.

    "This is the reason you came here, isn''t it? You already knew that there was something fishy about the offer. You already knew everything, didn''t you?" She asked, even though she wasn''t expecting an answer. She had been right to not have underestimated these men. They were sessful businessmen for a reason.

    "Why do you want her to go ahead with it?" She asked in confusion.

    "I have my reasons. Just report to me, and help me keep an eye on Lucy. In return, I will be one of your major sponsors after I''ve taken care of this," Tom said, and she nodded.

    As Tom and Harry walked out of the building a momentter, Harry turned to Tom, "Are you sure it was wise to trust her? If she could easily turn on her boss that way, I don''t think she can be trusted."

    "I never said anything about trusting her. She is ambitious, and that is what I trust. We are not going to be doing any business with her. All we have to do is keep Lucy safe until we put our n in motion. We have one final stop to make before we return to the office," Tom said, and Harry raised a brow.

    "Where are we going?"

    "To find someone who is desperately in need of exclusive news," Tom said in a tone that told Harry that he already had someone in mind. He didn''t need to ask him what he was up to. He knew it already.

    "What about the good sister?" Harry asked, referring to Lisa, who was the only sane person in the family.

    "If she is wise, she will keep her distance from her family. If she joins them for that interview, she deserves whatever embarrassment she will face."

 Chapter 360 Bucket List

    Chapter 360 Bucket List����Miley sat on the couch which Lucas had slept the previous night, with both legs folded under her as she watched a television show while she waited for Lucas, who was cleaning up, to finish and join her.

    She had to admit that Lucas was a wee distraction. She had been distraught since the moment she heard about her condition, but focusing on Lucas and his own problems seemed to take her mind off hers.

    She had gone to get drunk as usual, wanting to go home with a random stranger for another night of wild pleasure, when she saw him. That had been her lifestyle since she found out she was dying. Excessive drinking and sex. There was no reason not to indulge herself and get as much pleasure as she could before dying.

    That was one reason she had been keeping the news of her cancer away from her family. But now that Amy had found out about it, she was going to have to tell them herself before Amy did.

    She didn''t know what she was going to do. How was she ever going to bring herself to inform her parents that she, their only kid, was going to die in six months or less?

    Although the doctors had suggested that she stay in the hospital and receive treatment as that might increase her chances of survival up to a year, but what was the point? What was the point of living for a year if she was going to spend the entire time on a sick bed? She mused with a scoff.

    The doctors had also said she would be in a lot of pain if she didn''t receive treatment. But that was merely the physical pain. The pain, anger, and resentment she harbored in her heart at the unfairness of life beat whatever pain in her head.

    She wanted to dy the announcement to her family for as long as possible since she knew very well that her parents would bundle her to the hospital if they had to and get her admitted if that would mean a better prognosis.

    She wasn''t interested in any of that since she knew they would be doing that for themselves. They would be doing that because they wanted to spend some more time with their dying daughter, not caring if that was what she wanted.

    She wanted to be selfish and do something for herself just because she wanted to. Not that her parents were bad or anything, no. On the contrary, they were excellent and supportive parents, and indeed they deserved to spend more time with her. But she also deserved to live longer than this, but she wasn''t, was she? People rarely got what they deserved.

    She winced when her eyes twitched with another bout of intense headache. She was at least d that her doctor had given her such a potent pain relief medication to improve the quality of her life, if not the quantity.

    She stood up to take the medicine and saw Lucas, who had been standing by the doorway watching her as different emotions flickered across her elegant face. From the look in his eyes, she could tell he was feeling very sorry for her, and she didn''t exactly like it.

    People often looked at her with respect, admiration, envy, lust, longing, adoration, and even fear sometimes, but never pity. Thest time she saw that look was in high school when Rachel picked on her. She absolutely hated that look.

    Her face was carefully nk as her gaze swept over him, taking in the new outfit he was wearing. She tossed back her hair withzy feminity, "You look much better. How long have you been standing there?" She asked as she casually walked past him and went to the dining to take her pain relief medication.

    "Long enough to know you must have a lot on your mind," Lucas said as he sat down on a couch adjacent to the one she had been sitting on.

    "We all have thoughts. That is why we are living beings," she said dismissively as she poured herself a ss of water, and Lucas watched as she swallowed the medicine.

    He could tell that she was masking her emotions once again. He had seen the flicker of dislike on her face before her face went nk. She hated that he had seen her in a vulnerable state.

    "Your head is aching?" Lucas asked when she remained there with her eyes closed after taking the medication.

    She opened her eyes and looked at him with mild amusement, "My head is almost always aching. I thought I told you that already?" She asked.

    "When are you going to start receiving your treatments?" He asked and she shook her head.

    "I don''t have any ns of doing that."

    "Why? That would at least give you some more time," Lucas suggested.

    "Some more time to do what exactly? Lie on the hospital bed looking sickly? And lose my precious hair during chemotherapy? Spend what little time I have left in hospital gowns when I have designer brands hanging in my wardrobe that I''m yet to wear? I''m too vain to live out the rest of my life that way," she said with a wry smile as she returned to her seat.

    "Chemotherapy isn''t the only option. You could have a craniotomy. Or a radio..."

    "Do you think I haven''t considered all my options? I have. The risk involved is too much because of how far gone it is, and I don''t want to take any risks. I''d rather spend the remaining time having fun and ticking every item on my bucket list," she said with a bright smile.

    Lucas remained silent for some time, "Losing your hair is nothingpared to losing your life," he reminded her.

    "Even if I go through with it, I''m still going to lose my life eventually, am I not? I''d rather die with my precious hair than lose a strand of it getting a treatment that would only extend my life a little," she said dismissively, and Lucas sighed.

    "What about you?" She asked, and Lucas looked at her in confusion, wondering what the question was. He wasn''t the one who needed cancer treatment, so what was she asking? He wondered and looked at her when she giggled.

    "Your face is so preciously expressive. I was asking if you have a bucket list," She said, and Lucas sighed inwardly. How could she have expected him to know that was her question?

    Lucas shook his head, "I don''t think I do."

    "Yeah. I didn''t either until I realized I was going to die. We always think we have so much time to live and do all the things we want, so we don''t give much thought to those things we really desire," she said thoughtfully.

    "What is on your bucket list?" Lucas asked curiously.

    "Lots of ridiculous stuff, I assure you," she said with an embarrassed giggle that made Lucas smile involuntarily. She seemed like a delightful person when she wasn''t being annoyingly bossy.

    "Now I think I''m curious," Lucas said, wondering what it was that could possibly make someone like her look so embarrassed.

    "I''m too embarrassed to tell it to you right now. I''ll tell you about itter," she promised as she reached for her pack of cigarettes which was on the table.

    Lucas was quick to grab it before she could, and she raised a brow, "What?"

    "I think maybe you should give up smoking now..."

    "Why? Don''t tell me you are going to say smoking is bad for my health or something," she said sarcastically.

    "Or at least do me a favor and don''t smoke when I''m with you," Lucas said as he pocketed it.

    "Why?" She asked, and Lucas'' dimples winked at her.

    "Because smoking is bad for your health," he said with a grin, and sheughed softly.

    "Don''t be ridiculous. I''m dying. There''s health to preserve. So you''ll have to let me indulge myself," she said as she held out a hand to him.

    "Sorry, not giving it back. Tell me more about yourself. You know about me, but I don''t even know anything apart from your name and your rtionship with Rachel and my sister''s secretary," Lucas said, and Miley sighed as she withdrew her hand and rxed on the couch.

    "My family owns Oasis Hotel..."

    "Oasis?" Lucas asked since he knew they were currently in the Oasis hotel. This was the biggest hotel in the country, and he knew they had branches in different parts of the world.

    "Yeah. It has been passed down from generation to generation. It was supposed to be passed to me," she said with a wistful smile.

    "As I mentioned before, I studied outside the country. I studied hotel management, and I''ve since been overseeing some of the branches abroad since then," she said, and Lucas nodded.

    "And you don''t have a man in your life, do you?" Lucas asked, and she blinked back in surprise at the sudden expected question.

    "I''ve never had the time to be in a stable rtionship because I had to travel around too often to take care of business. It is one of those things I kept putting off forter. May I ask why you asked such a personal question?"

    "Apart from the fact that you know about my rtionship, while I know nothing about yours, I wanted to understand why you would rather spend your time with a stranger than your partner," Lucas exined.

    "I don''t have one. And that is why one of the things on my bucket list is to get married and have a child before I die."

 Chapter 361 Full-blown Anger

    Chapter 361 Full-blown Anger����Rebekah had a satisfied smile on her face as shey naked in Adam''s arms, "I missed you so much that I couldn''t concentrate on work since yesterday. I just kept thinking about our meeting," he said as he pressed a kiss on her shoulder.

    Rebekah smiled, "Just make sure you don''t make any mistakes because you''re distracted," she advised.

    "I won''t. We''ve managed to keep our affair a secret for years. I won''t jeopardize that," he promised, and she sighed in contentment.

    "Can''t we increase the number of days we meet? Seeing you twice a week isn''t enough," Adamined after a while, and Rebekah sat up as she looked down at him in disapproval.

    "It''s either you are satisfied with that, or we end thingspletely," Rebekah warned.

    She had a tight schedule for all her lovers, and she couldn''t risk any of them bing greedy for more. She liked that they all believed that each of them was the only one she was involved with. She didn''t want any unnecessary jealousy.

    She was a woman with a ravenous appetite for sex like she had for power and influence, and she had organized her life in such a way that she had both without fear of ruining her reputation.

    All her lovers had something to lose if their rtionship became exposed to the public, so she enjoyed discreet sex with them while also benefiting from their influence.

    "It''s fine. Having you this way is better than not having you at all," Adam assured her, and she smiled at him.

    "Good. And Bernice? How is she?" Rebekah asked, and Adam''s nose wrinkled in displeasure at the mention of his wife.

    "How are you able to talk about her when we are in bed? It ruins the mood," he said, and sheughed softly.

    "I told you before. It always turns me on to know that you find me more sexually appealing than my daughter. It makes me feel sexy and horny to know that you chose me over her," Rebekah said as she ran a finger down his torso.

    "You realize that you are the only reason I am married to her, right?" He asked, and she nodded.

    "Yeah, I know so."

    "I will divorce her and get married to you in the blink of an eye if I''m sure that you''ll ept my proposal," he said, and she stopped the movement of her finger.

    "Never say something silly as that again. It''s one thing to have my daughter marry my lover. What kind of a mother would I be to get married to my daughter''s husband after he divorces her?" She asked in disapproval.

    "I was just stating a fact, not proposing to you," Adam said, and Rebekah held his gaze for a moment.

    "If you want us to continue meeting this way, remain married to my daughter and take good care of her and your kids even if you don''t touch her," Rebekah instructed.

    Adam sighed, "I will."

    "Good. How about you show me how much you missed me once again before we leave?" Rebekah asked as she pulled his head to her silicone boobs and moved one of his hands down to her slit so that he would feel the wetness there.

    Feeling the wetness between her thighs, Adam became excited once again, but before he could take any action, Rebekah''s phone started ringing, and she picked it up from the nightstand.

    She smiled when she saw that the call was from Bernice, and she shoved Adam down so that he was positioned between her legs. She didn''t need to say a word for him to know what was expected, and he happily buried his face at the point where her legs joined.

    Rebekah''s eyes fluttered shut in pleasure, and she cleared her throat as she received the call from Bernice, "Hey, darling!" She greeted cheerfully.

    "Where are you? I''ming over. I need to speak with you," Bernice said with a note of urgency in her voice, and from her hoarse voice, Rebekah could tell that she had been crying.

    "Have you been crying? What is the problem?" Rebekah asked, not bothering to answer her daughter''s question about where she was.

    "I think Adam is cheating on me. I don''t know what to do. I want to divorce him. I''m fed up with his indifference and everything!" Berniceined.

    "Calm down. Take in a deep breath, and talk to me. Why would you think he is cheating? What did he do?" She asked in a high-pitched voice, more surprised by what Adam was doing down there than by her daughter''sints.

    "I just saw the receipt of a diamond ne he bought a month ago. It wasn''t for me, so who else could he have gifted such an expensive gift to? I''m fed up, mom. I need a divorce. I just wanted to let you know that I''m moving out of his house tonight," She said with a sniffle.

    "Don''t be silly! What kind of example will you be setting for your sisters if you do something like this?" She asked harshly as she dug her fingers into Adam''s hair to hold him off so that she could focus on the conversation.

    Tears slid down Bernice''s cheek as she listened to her mother, "But I''m not happy! I''m feeling more frustrated with each passing day. I''m depressed. I don''t feel love or wanted! I don''t even remember thest time we slept together on the same bed. If he wants another woman, then maybe I should divorce him. I will get half his wealth and..."

    "Keep shut! Your husband works with a lot of women, and I''m sure he probably got the gift for one of his clients. How many times will I tell you to focus on being a good mother to your kids? Don''t go snooping around unnecessarily if you don''t want to find something that might hurt your feelings. Your petty jealousy won''t get you anywhere. Now I''m busy. Let''s talkter," Rebekah said as she hung up the call and threw her phone away from her before pulling Adam up with his hair. She crushed her lips to his.

    "That was Bernice, I guess? What was sheining about this time?" Adam asked as he broke the kiss and looked at her.

    "Don''t ruin the mood, darling. Show me how much you want me, and then we can talk about my daughterter," she ordered as she guided him inside her.

    Away from there, and now alone in her office, Anita''s face burned with anger as she paced her office, recalling every word Tom had Harry had said to her.

    Why were they mad at her when it was all Tom''s fault? At least he had admitted it and had apologized to her, so why couldn''t he see that he was responsible for their rtionship not working?

    What was so wrong with knowing what she wanted and going for it? Would he have approached her if she wasn''t beautiful? What was the big deal about not wanting to date a broke guy? It was all a matter of choice, and things wouldn''t have happened that way between them had he been honest! He had deceived her, so how did it make sense that he was now ming her for not wanting the part of him that he showed her?

    She had wanted his true identity, not the false one, and as far as she was concerned, there was absolutely nothing wrong with that.

    The more she thought about it now, the angrier she became. What had been shame and regret earlier was now full-blown anger and dislike.

    He didn''t like her? Fine! He didn''t want her? That was just fine too. She didn''t want a guy with such a poor sense of judgment and poor taste in women too. Any guy that would choose a tramp like Lucy over her didn''t deserve her.

    Nothing he said had been more insulting than telling her that she had helped him find true love. That had been a p on her face. He even had the effrontery to thank her for it.

    Well, then. Since she had helped him find true love, she was just as well going to snatch that true love away from him, not because she wanted him anymore. Nah, far from it. She no longer wanted Tom.

    What was it that Harry said about having some pride? Now she was going to show some pride. She wasn''t going to grovel or try to make him love her anymore. All she wanted now was to hurt him for insulting her and hurting her pride.

    Surely she could always find another wealthy man, but she would make sure to ruin Tom''s happiness. He prefered to spend every moment of his day with her? Anita mused with a smirk. She would see about that.

    She would let her mother believe she still wanted Tom and allow her to do whatever she wanted with Lucy, and if that failed, she would do what needed to be done once and for all.

 Chapter 362 Talkshow Host

    Chapter 362 Talkshow Host����"Thomas Hank, it''s a pleasure to meet you in person finally," Eric Howells, producer and host of the number one television talk show in the country, rose from his seat as Tom and Harry walked into his office.

    "Thanks for agreeing to meet with us on such short notice," Tom said as he extended his hand to the middle-aged man.

    He had asked Harry to put a call across to Eric on their way to his office, asking if he would be able to meet with them on short notice, and he had agreed without a moment''s hesitation.

    "Are you kidding me? For years now, I''ve been pleading with Mr. Jonas here to help me get an audience with you, and now you reach out to me first? Even if I were on the verge of ejaction, I would have pulled out just to meet with you," He said with a grin, and Tomughed as he shook hands with him.

    "I can see why your show is so sessful," Tom said as he withdrew his hand while Harry and Eric exchanged pleasantries.

    "Please sitfortably. What can I offer you? Name it, and I will have it served," he promised excitedly.

    "Your time. I need you to do something for me. Something I believe will be of benefit to you and your show. And in return, I will grant you an exclusive interview," Tom said, and Eric''s eyes shone with delight.

    "An exclusive interview? With your girlfriend?" He asked hopefully, "Everyone is curious about her and your rtionship with her. I am too," Eric said, and Tom paused.

    "I''m afraid that won''t be possible. My Jewel doesn''t like to be under public scrutiny. An interview with just me will be enough. I can answer your questions, so you don''t need her there," Tom assured him.

    Eric looked slightly disappointed, but having Tom volunteer to appear on his show was already more than he had hoped for, so he nodded, "Okay. What is it that you want me to do for you?" Eric asked curiously, and Tom turned to Harry, giving him a nod to speak.

    "There is a family we want you to feature on your show," Harry said, making Eric''s brows pull together.

    "Who are they? And why do you need me to invite them? You do realize that not just anyone can appear in Live With Eric Howells, right?" Eric asked, not happy that he was going to miss a chance to feature Tom on his show.

    "Oh, don''t worry about that! They are not nobodies. We are talking about Rebekah Miller and her daughters. You know who she is, don''t you?" Harry asked, and Eric nodded.

    "Of course. I know who she is. But there is hardly anything interesting about her life outside the fact that she''s a socialite and her daughters are married to influential men. What could she possibly be doing on my show?" Eric asked, and Harry smirked.

    "Trust us, she is one verrrrrry interesting woman. Emphasis on very. There is a lot of exclusive juicy gossip that would remind everyone why you are still number one in the talkshow business," Harry said, and Eric''s eyes twitched greedily.

    "Juicy gossip?" He asked, and Harry nodded.

    "Very juicy gossip. And we will make the show worth your while, trust us," Harry said, and Eric watched Tom curiously.

    This whole time he had been looking for every means to have Tom feature in his show, and here was Tom offering himself voluntarily. Why? What could the family have done to make Tom want to get involved in something like this?

    "May I ask why?" He asked, and Tom nodded.

    "You deserve to know that much. They were behind the scandal involving my girlfriend and my brother. I want to give them a taste of their own medicine, but on live television, especially on a show as popr as yours. They seem to want fame, so I would love to turn their moment of pride and fame into the most disgraceful moment of their life," Tom exined, and surprise flickered in Eric''s eyes.

    "They were behind that? Why would they do that? How do you know they are responsible for that?" Eric asked, and Tom held his gaze.

    "I can trust that you won''t try to y a smart one, right?" Tom asked, and Eric gave him a nod.

    "I pick my enemies wisely. You are not an enemy I would want to have. Besides, I''m sure you know you can trust me, else you wouldn''t have said anything until you asked that question in the first ce," Eric said, and Tom gave Harry a nod.

    Harry ced an iPad on the desk and showed Eric the receipts and evidence they had gathered to prove that Anita had paid the people who started Lucy''s scandal, as well as Simon, who sold the news of Bryan''s false engagement to the press.

    "Wow! You guys work really fast," Eric said with undisguised admiration.

    "Will you do it?" Harry asked as he recovered his phone from Eric.

    "Are you kidding me? How can I let such an opportunity pass me by?" He asked and then paused when something else urred to him, "What about their inws? Those families are powerful, and they could try to cover it up and make things difficult for me," Eric said, and Tom waved his concerns away.

    "I''ve got it covered too. By the time I''m done, they will be too busy trying to cover their own ass to care about the Millers. They won''t want to be associated with this, don''t worry," Tom promised, and Eric nodded.

    "Count me in."

    "Thank you. I will send across the questions you are to ask them during the show. All you have to do is send Rebekah an invite, telling her you want her and her daughters on your show. I''m sure she would be delighted to appear on your show. Let''s take it from there," Tom suggested, and Eric grinned as he rubbed his hands together.

    "I''m looking forward to this show and seeing the questions you are going to send," Eric said, and Tom smiled.

    "I''m looking forward to it too. Things might likely get very heated on that day, so I''ll advise you to keep your precious pieces of equipment far from the scene," Harry said with a grin of his own, and Eric chuckled.

    "I''ll do just that. We can discuss your interview after I set up a date for theirs and send the invite to them. Will you like me to reserve a sit in the audience?" Eric asked, and Harry looked at Tom.

    "Please do. I want my Jewel to be here to witness their first show of shame," Tom said, and Harry rolled his eyes at Tom''s reference to Lucy as his Jewel for the second time. The man always looked for the slightest excuse to unt Lucy. No, he wasn''t jealous.

    "We would prefer to remain anonymous until we are done with them," Tom said as he stood up, and Eric nodded as he followed suit.

    "Thank you very much for giving us your time. I look forward to working with you," Tom said as he extended his hand to Eric once again for a handshake.

    "By the way, I would like to meet thedy who interviewed you. Her name is Alicia Hagin, am I right? How do you know her?" Eric asked, and Tom looked at him curiously.

    "She is one of my people. I hope there is no problem?"

    "Not at all. She handled the show so well, and for a moment, it felt like I was watching an Oprah show. I would love to speak with her and find out if she is interested in working with me," Eric said, and Tom smiled proudly, wondering what Alicia''s reaction to the offer would be.

    "Why don''t I give her a call and let''s find out?" Tom asked as he took out his phone and dialed Alicia''s line.

    "Hey, Tom! I was going to call you," Alicia said, reminding Tom that he was yet to get back to her about their discussion regarding him telling Lucy about the foundation.

    "I beat you to it. I''m with Eric Howells at the moment, and he would like to have a word with you, do you mind?"

    "Eric? Do you mean Eric Howells of Live With Eric Howells?" Alicia asked in disbelief.

    "Yes, that Eric Howells," Tom said with a smile.

    "And he wants to speak with me?" She asked, not sure she had heard him correctly.

    "Yes. You."

    "What are you waiting for? Pass him the phone already!" She screeched excitedly, and Tom chuckled as he passed the phone to Eric before sitting down.

    "Hello! This is Eric Howells," Eric greeted politely.

    "Hello! I''m Alicia. Alicia Hagin. I''m a huge fan of yours and an ardent follower of your show," Alicia said, and he smiled.

    "Then you don''t mind giving me your contact number so I can contact you, do you? I would love to discuss business with you over lunch at your convenience," he offered, and Alicia''s insides almost burst with joy.

    "No, I don''t. I don''t mind at all. I''ll just ask Tom to do so now. And I won''t mind having yours either."

    He didn''t miss the informal way in which Tom had spoken to her just now or how she referred to Tom like a casual friend. Apart from the fact that she would make a perfect supporting show host, he was curious about the rtionship they had. How did someone like Thomas Hank be friends with a food blogger?

    "That''s fine. I''ll return the phone to him now," Eric said before handing the phone to Tom.

    "It''s Tom," he said and listened to Alicia as she asked him to give Eric her contact number and take his too.

    "We still have to talk, remember?" She asked, not forgetting the reason she had wanted to call him earlier.

    "I already told her about it. I will give you the detailster, or you can just hear it from her. I''ve got to go now," Tom said as he hung up.

    After doing as she had requested, Tom and Harry left the office with a feeling of immense satisfaction. They were getting closer to their goal. Soon Rebekah Miller and her daughters would realize that not everyone was to be messed with.

 Chapter 363 Erratic

    Chapter 363 Erratic����Sonia raised both hands to her head as she sat up to sneeze. She moaned softly because her head which was still aching terribly, while Bryan, who had been cuddling her, also sat up to pat her back.

    "Your body is still burning very much," Bryanined as he pulled her close, but she pulled away from him as she sneezed two more times.

    "I think it''s flu. My throat is beginning to feel sore and itchy," Soniained weakly as she used the back of her hand to wipe the tears that stung her eyes.

    "Whatever it is, stay still," Bryan said calmly as he gently pushed her back on the reclined chair.

    "It won''t help if we both fall sick," Sonia said weakly, and Bryan frowned.

    "You are ill because of me, so it''s only right that I look after you," Bryan said, voicing his guilt.

    "That''s nonsense. This has nothing to do withst night," Sonia said with disapproval, annoyed that he was only caring for her because he med himself for making her ill.

    "If I hadn''t made you skinnydip with mest night, you wouldn''t have caught a cold," Bryan insisted just as Evelyn joined them with a bowl of water and a small towel.

    "Move, Bryan. I need to keep her temperature down," Evelyn said, and Bryan shook his head.

    "Hand it over. I''ll take care of her myself," Bryan said stubbornly as he reached out a hand to take the bowl from Evelyn.

    "Rx. I''m your mother, and I nursed you through different bouts of fever. I''ll take care of her. Just move," Evelyn insisted, but Bryan was having none of it.

    "It''s not that I don''t trust you, mom. I just want to take care of her myself," Bryan insisted, and Evelyn shared a look with her husband, who gave her a nod, silently asking her to let him have his way.

    Evelyn handed the bowl and towel to Bryan and went to sit beside her husband while watching Bryan as he dipped the napkin into the water and squeezed it before cing it over Sonia''s head.

    Her face was pale, and she was unusually quiet as he held her hand. After a moment, she opened her eyes and looked at Bryan, "Are you only taking care of me because you feel guilty for taking me to the poolst night?" Sonia asked, and Bryan red at her.

    "What is that supposed to mean?"

    "That''s what you implied a moment ago," Sonia pointed out.

    "That is what you chose to understand. Of course, I feel terrible that I exposed you to whatever might have ever caused this, but I''m looking after you because you are mine to look after. Now stop trying to pick a fight and rest," Bryan ordered, and Sonia sighed in relief and shut her eyes.

    Bryan watched her tired face, thinking about how fragile his crazy witch looked at the moment. Hey on his sides as he watched her face, and just when he started to believe that she was asleep, she opened her eyes.

    "Do you remember how you made me stay up all night when you hurt your ankle?" She asked with a weak smile, and Bryan smiled as he yed with her hair.

    "How can I forget that?" He asked, knowing that she was bringing that up to make him worry less.

    "I n to repay you for that tonight," she promised, and Bryan smiled.

    "I don''t mind as long as it''ll help you feel better," he assured her.

    "Have you ever nursed a sick person before?" She asked, and Bryan shook his head.

    "Only in movies. But don''t worry, I can take care of you," Bryan assured her.

    "Bryan, it''s time you change the napkin. I''m sure it''s hot and dry already," Evelyn scolded, and Sonia looked in Evelyn''s direction. She smiled weakly at Evelyn when she met her worried eyes while Bryan quickly sat up and repeated the process of dipping the napkin into the bowl and squeezing it dry before cing it on Sonia''s forehead again.

    "Have you been nursed by a boyfriend before?" Bryan asked, and she shook her head.

    "I barely fall ill, and whenever I feel ill for any reason, I try to ovee it myself," Sonia said, and Bryan reached out to pat her hair.

    "You don''t have to ovee it yourself anymore. I will always take care of you," Bryan promised, and Sonia smiled at him weakly as she gave him a nod.

    "Bryan has be quite responsible," Desmond said casually as he followed his wife''s line of vision to see Bryan squeezing the towel once again.

    Evelyn sighed, "As much as I like to see him fuss over somebody else in this manner, I don''t like to see Sonia looking that way either way. She looks too fragile," Evelynined with a frown, and Desmond patted her hand in reassurance.

    "Even the strongest of persons have their moments of break down too. The way I see it, I think she has been trying to stay strong for too long, and now it is taking its toll on her," Desmond observed.

    He had noticed how even though she was part of the room, she never really behaved as if she belonged there. At first, he had thought it was because she was shy around Andrew, but then he had realized that wasn''t it. She just seemed to feel awkward around parents and was always in a rush to exit a room if she had to be there alone with them without either Bryan or Lucy.

    He had particrly noticed how she had sat stiffly in her seat, looking so lost and unsure when Lucy and her parents had stood to leave for their private discussion the previous evening.

    Her bold exterior was just a facade. Underneath that beautiful and seemingly bold youngdy was actually a frightened and lonely young girl.

    He wondered how things had been with her following her half-brother''s death, her estrangement with her parents, and their subsequent death.

    He could bet that she had locked all of that emotion somewhere inside her while trying to be there for Lucy. And nobody else had bothered to really find out how she was doing.

    Knowing Sonia, he was certain that even if Lucy had asked, Sonia would probably never really tell her how she felt because she wouldn''t want to put such a burden on her.

    It was clear that what happened to Lucy had also broken Sonia in other ways. He was going to have to find the time to converse with her before leaving.

    *************

    Candace sat with her eyes closed as she thought about Jamal, who she had left behind. Even though it wasn''t even up to twenty-four hours, and they were yet to arrive at their destination, she missed him sorely already.

    She didn''t know why, but she had a very strange feeling about all of this. Something told her that everything was going to change. What she didn''t know yet was if it was going to be a good change or a bad change.

    She opened her eyes when she felt Jade''s hand cover hers and turned to look at Jade, who gave her a reassuring smile, "Your hands are trembling," Jade said calmly.

    Candace nced at their now joined hands without saying a word, and Jade squeezed softly, "Don''t worry, everything will be fine."

    "You don''t know that," Candace said as she returned her eyes to meet Jade''s.

    "Why? You think something might go wrong?" Jade asked, and Candace smiled.

    "How well do you know Jero? Do you think you know him better than I do?" Candace asked, and Jade frowned slightly.

    "I don''t know. You tell me," Jade said, and Candace sighed.

    "Jero is erratic. I advise you to prepare yourself for worst-case scenarios," Candace said, and Jade nodded.

    "Why did you agree to meet with him? I know you could have refused," Jade said, and Candace smiled.

    "I want to put an end to this ill-fated rtionship with him. If I don''t meet with him, I will have to keep running with Jamal, scared that some how he might show up someday. That is not the way I want my son to live. That is not the way I want to live either," she said, thinking about Matt, who had not bothered to call her or show up since thest time they spoke.

    She did not doubt that she lost his friendship along with whatever else he had felt for her. She deserved it. It was one of the prices she had to pay for making the bad decision of getting involved with a person like Jero and not doing everything she could to leave while she could.

    "Just how do you intend to put an end to your ill-fated rtionship with him?" Jade asked thoughtfully, and Candace looked at her square in the eyes.

    "If he tries to do anything stupid with me, I''m going to kill him if I have to."

 Chapter 364 Devastated

    Chapter 364 Devastated����Amy sat in front of herptop, browsing through every article she could find on gliostoma. The more she searched, the more hopeless she felt as she knew Miley must have also done this. Miley wasn''t one to easily give up without giving something a lot of thought.

    She broke into a sob as shes of Miley at different stages of their life ran through her mind. Images of them as children, ying with Miley''s dolls, feeding birds at the parks. Miley running into her little bedroom in the servant''s quarter''s to announce she had started seeing her menstruation.

    Miley prancing around her bedroom in her first bra with a proud smile on her face.

    Miley crying and begging Amy''s mother to allow Amy to attend the same high school with her, but her mother had refused, insisting that even though the girls were friends, she couldn''t ept charity. It was her duty to raise her children herself, and she couldn''t afford to send Amy to such an expensive school.

    Miley handing a shopping bag to her after every shopping trip with her parents.

    Miley holding her and crying with her when the news of her elder sister''s suicide came to them.

    Miley dolling her up for her first date and dressing up too, iming they were both attending a school party so that Amy''s mother would let them. Miley watching from a discreet distance to be sure that she was okay, and Miley breaking the nose of her so-called boyfriend when he tried to grope her without her consent and had insulted her by calling her a mere servant''s daughter.

    Miley, her best friend and sister who after the cruelty she had faced at the hands of Rachel, had insisted that her parents create a foundation for bullied children to help them fight against oppression from oppressors like Rachel who because of their parent''s status in the society might get away with their crimes.

    It was Miley who had sent her a ticket and everything she needed to go to school with her in the same college abroad and had funded it all from the pocket money she had been saving, making it seem like it was a schrship to Amy''s unsuspecting mother.

    Miley polished, beautiful, and confident, who she had talked to almost every day of her life since she was a kid. Even the distance between them when Miley left the country had not stopped theirmunication or friendship.

    Miley, who had sent down a half bottle of wine wrapped in a white towel to celebrate her job at I-Global,ughing as she told her over the phone that they needed to drink from the same bottle for it to be a celebration.

    Miley teaching her how to apply makeup and y tennis, saying it was a ssy game. Miley who was always willing to lend a helping hand to those in need. Miley who always tried to find the best in people and found humor in every situation.

    Amy sobbed as she thought of the Miley who was dying. Why? Why Miley? This was not fair. Miley didn''t deserve that. She didn''t deserve to lose her best friend in this manner.

    She had hoped that Miley would deny it and tell her it was nonsense or maybe a prank or misunderstanding. She hadn''t wanted to hear that it was true.

    How could she live knowing that she wouldn''t be able to talk to Miley anymore? She wouldn''t be able to spend her leave traveling around with her?

    She sat up when it suddenly urred to her that she was thinking of herself, not Miley. If she was feeling this way, how must Miley be feeling? Miley had so many dreams and aspirations, and now she was going to die?

    It must be difficult, seeing as she had not been able to bring herself to tell her parents about it. She needed to pull herself together and be strong for Miley. Crying wasn''t going to help either her or Miley.

    Amy stood up and walked to the bathroom to run some water over her face. Standing by the mirror, she took a deep breath to calm herself as she looked back at her puffy face, her eyes red and swollen.

    With a sigh, she returned to her living room and paced the entire length of her little apartment as she thought about what she could do to help Miley. One thing was sure, regardless of whatever Miley said, she couldn''t let Miley be alone at a time like this.

    If Miley had just six months left, then by God, she would spend that time with her doing whatever she wanted to do and making their remaining time together memorable for her.

    Having made up her mind on that, she returned to herptop, and this time she had a determined expression on her face as she typed her resignation letter. She loved her job and was very proud of it, but she wasn''t going to let it get in her way of being there for Miley.

    Even though it was sudden, she was going to beg Lucy to let her resign, and if Lucy refused, she was just going to have to provoke Lucy into firing her.

    After typing the letter and going through it, she sent it as a mail to herputer in the office, and then she picked up her car key and walked out of her apartment without bothering to fix her appearance.

    Once she got to thepany, she didn''t care about the weird looks she received from other staff as she walked past them and headed for her department office.

    Immediately she got there, she ignored her colleagues who were looking at her curiously as she headed straight to her desk. She printed out her resignation letter quickly and went to Lucy''s office.

    Lucy, who was on the phone with the head of the design unit at the factory, nced at the door when Amy knocked, "Please, hold on," she said to the man before calling out to who was at the door toe in.

    She was surprised when Amy walked into her office, lookingpletely unlike herself and in a worse state than she had been that morning, "Please, I will call you back. I have to attend to someone right now," Lucy said apologetically before hanging up.

    "What is wrong?" She asked as she walked around her desk to go to Amy.

    "I''m here to submit my resignation letter," Amy said, making Lucy''s brows draw together in concern.

    "Resignation? Why that all of a sudden?"

    "It''s nothing. I just don''t want to work here anymore," Amy said, and her lips quivered as she spoke, shaming her.

    "Did something happen? Amy, you know you can talk to me, right? There is no way I''m letting you leave my office without knowing what''s wrong with you," Lucy said as she ced a hand around Amy''s shoulders and guided her to sit on one of the chairs in the office.

    Tears gathered in Amy''s eyes as she looked at Lucy, and somehow she believed Lucy would understand. She had a best friend, after all. One who had dropped everything and had even broken up with her boyfriend in public just to run over to her. Lucy would definitely understand.

    "I just found out that my best friend is dying. She has cancer," Amy cried, and Lucy teared up immediately.

    "Oh, dear!" Lucy murmured as she embraced Amy.

    Although she couldn''t exactly call Amy her friend yet, Amy wasn''t entirely just an employee to her either. Amy had remained by her side and stayed loyal to the point of challenging her colleagues who she had known way longer before her. Amy had given her the pep talk she needed just the previous day to act like the team leader she was rather than looking down on her ability.

    Amy''s body shook as she cried once again. Saying the words out loud seemed to tear down the dam that had been preventing her tears from falling for thest hour. Admitting that her best friend was dying shattered her heart.

    She held on to Lucy as she cried while Lucy patted her back, not knowing anything to say to her. What could she say? She couldn''t even imagine how devastated she would be if anything happened to Sonia. No. She didn''t even want to imagine it.

    Although she didn''t know just how close Amy must be to her best friend, but she knew that whatever they had must be very special if Amy was choosing to resign because of it.

    As Amy struggled to pull herself together, Lucy handed her the box of tissues on her desk, and Amy drew out a few pieces as she blew her nose into it and wiped the tears from her face.

    "I''m sorry I''m a mess," she said apologetically, and Lucy waved off her apology as she wiped her own face.

    "I''m sorry about your best friend. I wish I knew what to say to make you feel better, but I don''t. I don''t think anything would make you feel better. I actually don''t think anyone should feel okay after hearing such news," Lucy said, and Amy nodded in agreement.

    "What is your n?" Lucy asked, and Amy shrugged.

    "I just want to spend what little time she has left with her doing whatever she wants and taking care of her," Amy said, tearing up again, and she looked up to blink back her tears.

    "Do you think you might want toe back to work after? I could get a temporary recement for you until then," Lucy suggested, and Amy looked at her, surprised that Lucy would make such an offer.

    "You will do that? For me?" She asked, and Lucy smiled when she saw the hope in Amy''s eyes.

    "We are a team, remember? Apart from the fact that I like you, you are good at your job, and I would rather work with you than anyone else. Instead of a resignation letter, you can email me an official letter requesting sick leave. I will print it out myself and put it in your file. I will talk to the CEOs. So feel free to do whatever you need to do for your best friend. Your job will be waiting for you when you get back," Lucy promised, and Amy''s heart swelled with gratitude.

    "Thank you so much, Director Perry," Amy greeted, deeply touched by Lucy''s kindness.

    "Please call me Lucy. I will like to believe that you see me as not just your superior in the office. I''ll call you from time to time to check on you and know how your best friend is doing," Lucy said as they both stood, and Amy embraced her.

    "Thank you," Amy said once again before leaving the office.

    It wasn''t until she had gotten into her car and was on her way home that she remembered that Miley had said she was with Lucy''s twin brother.

    How did she know him? She remembered Miley saying she had run into him by coincidence and that she would talk to her after he left. After he leaves where? The Hotel? What were they doing together? Should she have mentioned it to Lucy? She shook her head.

    Miley''s rtionship with Lucy''s twin brother wasn''t her business. She was just going to go home, type the letter Lucy had asked her to send, and then book the next avable flight to go be with Miley.

 Chapter 365 When? Not If?

    Chapter 365 When? Not If?����Matt sat in the dressing room with his script in hand as the make-up artist powdered his face. This was unlike him. He was unable to focus, and he was struggling with his lines.

    Over thest couple of days, all he had been focused on was Candace and trying toe up with a solution for her problem, hoping that she would reconsider a rtionship with him after she was settled. And then after realizing that he had been lied to that night, he had kept his lines off and had been disinterested in everyone and everything.

    He wasn''t usually one to brood, but he had wanted to be left alone. And then after staying alone for most of the day on Sunday, he had invited some girls over to have a good time with him in the evening, getting wasted. He had hoped they would help him get Candace out of his system, but that didn''t seem to work.

    As annoying as it was, he hated to admit to himself that even now, he was still as worried about the well-being of her and her son as he had been from the beginning. He still wanted to know if they were doing okay even though it wasn''t supposed to be his business. He wanted to know if they had gone to see Jero even though he didn''t want to talk to her.

    It wasn''t like he didn''t understand Candace''s im that she was trying to protect him. Of course, he did. But what was he going to do for a woman that didn''t even trust him to be able to protect her and her son?

    He had chosen to put himself at risk because he cared about her, but she had thrown it at his face. She kepting up with reasons why they couldn''t be together and couldn''t seem to find any reason why she would need him in her life. It hurt him deeply to know that she had resorted to such a horrible story just to get him to leave her alone.

    Well, he had left her alone now, no matter how much it hurt. She and her son were not his business anymore. He had done his bit by handing them to Jade. She was going to make sure she resolved everything for them, and that was good enough for him.

    She didn''t want to be in a rtionship with him, and he didn''t want to be just friends with her, so there was no need to get involved in her business anymore.

    "Sup, Matt? I heard you''ve been unusually quiet since you arrived. Are you alright?" An actor, who had just walked into the dressing room, asked as he sat on the empty seat beside him and pped his back in greeting.

    Jolted out of his thoughts, Matt nced at him. He was surprised that he hadn''t even realized that the make-up artist had left, and he was alone now. Pathetic. He was being annoyingly pathetic right now. There were lots of single uplicated women who wanted him, so why was he stuck on this one woman who didn''t want him?

    He focused on the guy in front of him when he realized he was zoning out again, "I didn''t know you were starring in the movie."

    "I''m not. I''m just hanging around for Lena''s sake. She likes it when I drop by movie sets for her sake," the actor said, referring to his girlfriend, who was ying the female lead in the movie Matt was shooting in.

    Matt chuckled, "I take it you are here to warn me not to get too close to her?" Matt asked since it was no news that the actor was fond of going to different movie sets and warning the male actors starring with his girlfriend not to touch her too intimately.

    "You can''t me me, can you? She does the same to me," He said, looking slightly embarrassed, and Mattughed softly.

    "You have nothing to worry about," Matt assured him, and he smiled as he extended a knuckle to Matt.

    "I knew I could count on you," he said as he fist-bumped with Matt.

    "By the way, what''s up with you? Is it about Bryan? What''s his n now that he no longer wants to be in Golden Star? Are you leaving with him?" The actor asked, and Matt raised a brow.

    "What do you mean?"

    The actor looked at him, confused, "What do you mean what do I mean?"

    "I mean, when did Bryan talk to you about wanting to leave Golden Star?" Matt asked, and the actor looked at Matt to see if he was joking or serious.

    "You are serious? You really didn''t watch the interview that was all over the intest weekend?" He asked when Matt just stared at him in confusion.

    He remembered his assistant persistently trying to talk to him, but he had told him if it wasn''t a matter of life and death, he didn''t want to hear about it. Was that what his assistant had been trying to tell him?

    "What have you been up to? Something must really be wrong if you didn''t know about Bryan''stest scandal. Did you guys have a fight or something? Did you even know that his engagement to that novel writer was faux?"

    Wow! That was out in the open already? He didn''t need to wonder why he didn''t know about it. He knew the answer. He had been too engrossed in himself thinking about a woman that was probably not even thinking about him. Matt reasoned with a sigh as he took out his phone to find the interview the actor was referring to.

    "I should go and check on Lena," the actor said and walked out of the dressing room when it was clear that Matt wasn''t very interested in the conversation.

    Once Matt was left alone, he searched online until he came across all the news articles concerning Bryan and Sonia which had been posted over the weekend.

    Saying he was shocked was an understatement, especially since he remembered speaking with Bryan sometime in the early hours of Sunday after he left Jade and Harry, and Bryan hadn''t mentioned anything about the scandal to him then.

    He sighed when he remembered that he hadn''t exactly been in the mood to talk with Bryan either and had told him he would return his call when he was feeling better.

    He had a frown on his face as he read through all the articles, including those written about Bryan''s announcement during the live YouTube interview that he was terminating his contract with Golden Star Agency.

    He decided to search for the video and watched it for some time before deciding he had seen enough. If he hadn''t read already that Bryan and Sonia were in Ludus, he probably would have driven straight to Bryan''s house to see him.

    He dialed Bryan''s line instead, but it wasn''t connecting. He tried Sonia''s line as well and started to worry when he couldn''t reach either of them after trying a couple of times.

    Why were their lines not going through? He wondered as he tried to figure out how to reach them. Before now, he would have called either Jeff or Mia to find out what was happening with Bryan, but since Bryan had terminated his contract with the agency, Matt wasn''t sure if either Jeff or Mia would know about his whereabouts.

    He sat up when it suddenly urred to him to give Jade a call. Hopefully, she would know where Bryan was and why he couldn''t reach him, or at least tell him an alternative way he could reach Bryan.

    Jade, who had just gotten out of a cab with Candace and was headed inside the hotel where she had stayed with Harry just a few days ago, paused when her phone started ringing, and she reached into her handbag to take it out.

    "Hey, Matt! Thought you were never going to call again," She greeted, as she let one of the Porters by the door take her duffel bag from her, and Candace, who wasing behind her, faltered in her steps when she heard Matt''s name.

    "Hey! I just saw the stuff about Bryan and Sonia online. Were you already aware of it thest time we met?" He asked, and Jade raised a brow.

    "Of course. Didn''t you?" She asked as she headed for the reception desk.

    Matt sighed, "I didn''t," he didn''t need to exin why. Jade could tell he had been too busy worrying about Candace and her family to follow other unrted news.

    "I''ve been trying to reach Bryan unsessfully for the past twenty minutes. Do you have any idea where he is or how I can reach him? Sonia''s line isn''t connecting either," Matt said, surprising Jade, who had thought he was calling because of Candace.

    "They are on their way to Sogal. They are flying with my parents, and mom prefers we don''t leave our phones on while flying," Jade exined.

    "Oh! That''s fine then. Thanks for your help," Matt said, nning to finish the shoot early enough so he would stop by Bryan''s ce since he was in Sogal at the moment.

    "Candace is here with me," Jade hurried to inform him when she sensed he was about to hang up.

    Matt''s heart skipped a beat at the mention of her name, but he ignored it. He reminded himself that she didn''t want him, and no matter how much it hurt his heart and ego, he needed to move on.

    "Cool. I''ve got to go now. I still have a couple of lines I need to memorize," Matt said and hung up without waiting for her to say anything else.

    That was cold! Jade thought with a wince as she returned her phone to her handbag.

    "Was that Matt?" Candace asked from behind her, but Jade didn''t turn.

    "Yes," she said as she stopped in front of the reception desk, and it seemed like the receptionist recognized her because immediately, she took out the key card to the suite and handed it to Jade.

    "You recognize me?" Jade asked with a bright smile.

    "You are the CEO''s sister," the receptionist reminded her with a polite smile, wondering why she looked so surprised about being recognized when she had spent a couple of days sharing a suite with Harry.

    "Oh!" Jade almost facepalmed.

    "And Mr. Jonas instructed us to give you the key to his suite when you show up," she added.

    When? Not if? Jade mused, "When did he give that instruction?" She asked curiously since she particrly remembered telling him she was returning to her apartment and didn''t want to return to the hotel.

    "I don''t know about that, but the manager announced this morning that you would being in today," she exined, and Jade nodded.

    "Thanks for your help," she said before walking away while wondering why Harry had been so sure that she would return to the hotel.

    She had actually wanted to go home but had changed her mind just before getting off the ne. She had remembered that the cartel knew where she lived, and so she couldn''t risk taking Candace home with her as she knew they mighte for Candace. It was one thing to threaten her to drop the case, but they wouldn''t hesitate to hurt Candace.

    "What did Matt call to say?" Candace asked as casually as she could muster as they both stepped into the elevator that would take them to the suite.

    A part of her was tempted to lie and tell Candace that he had asked her to say ''hello'' to her, but she couldn''t bring herself to do that since she didn''t really know what had transpired between them. For all she knew, Matt cared about Candace a great deal and had been hurt by her.

    "He couldn''t reach Bryan, so he called to find out why," Jade said and watched the barely noticeable flicker of disappointment on Candace''s face as she digested the information.

    "Oh! I hope he''s fine?" She asked, trying to stifle her disappointment at the thought that he hadn''t called to check on her or find out if she was okay.

    She had no right to feel disappointment when this was what she had wanted this whole time.

    She should be d that he had finally decided to give up. Perhaps Bryan talked to him? She couldn''t me him. She would give up too after being treated that way

 Chapter 366 Restroom Gossips

    Chapter 366 Restroom Gossips����One part of Lucy''s menstrual cycle that she hated the most was the part that involved her having to use the restroom more often than was necessary because of her diarrhea.

    As a result of this, twenty minutes before the close of work for the day, Lucy was seated in the toilet in thest stall of the restroom for the fifth time that day, trying to relieve her bowel before leaving.

    Lucy smiled in satisfaction as she watched the video which Harry had sent her earlier. It was the recording of Tom and Anita''s conversation, and attached to it were four simple words. For your eyes only.

    From the looks of it, she could say that Tom had handled it perfectly. She would never have imagined that Anita was capable of looking so embarrassed.

    She reyed the video and giggled each time Harry made a funny sound, especially when she listened to his closing statement about people learning to have some pride. She forwarded the video to Sonia with a message reminding her once again not to forget to call her the moment she got home.

    She had tried to reach Sonia after Amy left her office earlier, but her number had been unreachable, so she had sent a long text telling her how much she loved her and how happy she was that Sonia would be moving down to Ludus soon. She also told her that she would be forever thankful that she had an amazing and loyal friend like her.

    Deciding that she had spent too much time in the restroom, she put away her phone and quickly cleaned up. After flushing the toilet, she began to adjust her clothes, ready to leave, when she heard the sound of feminineughter followed by a statement she suspected was rted to her, "Did you see the way she grabbed his butt yesterday?"

    Okay, maybe it wasn''t time to leave yet, Lucy decided as she silently returned to her toilet seat. Although she knew the saying that eavesdroppers never hear good of themselves, she liked to believe that it was rude to interrupt an ongoing conversation by announcing her presence. Nah. She owed it to them to hear what they had to say about her, especially as they hade to her. She hadn''t gone to them.

    "Who didn''t see that? She must think she owns the man now simply because he announced their rtionship to the world," another said, sounding more annoyed than Lucy thought was necessary.

    Yeah, I own him! Care to know what I named him too? Lucy mused with a smirk.

    "I wonder what she''s going to do today. I want to be outside to see them leave together," the firstdy said with a giggle.

    I guess I''ll have to give you a show. I shouldn''t disappoint my fans.

    "What for? Please don''t give them any attention. That rtionship won''tst, trust me," the seconddy said with a scoff.

    Don''t bet on it!

    "C''mon! Don''t say something like that. She''s lucky, though. I can''t believe she came here barely a month ago, and she hijacked the CEO from us who have been here," the firstdy said.

    Yes, I am. Lucy nodded in agreement.

    "Luck? Do you really believe that luck has anything to do with it? I heard that she asked to be made the CEOs assistant, and that was how she seduced him," the seconddy said maliciously.

    Asked who to be an assistant? Seduced who? I wish you knew half of it! Lucy thought with a roll of her eyes.

    "I don''t think that''s what happened. Didn''t you watch the interview? They met at a club before she even knew his true identity. And she even said she didn''t know that her boyfriend was her boss." the firstdy reminded the seconddy, who seemed eager to say only the worst things about Lucy.

    Tell it to her, gurl! Lucy nodded in approval.

    "Do you really expect them to tell the world the truth that she seduced him? Of course, they came up with that story! What is this? A fairytale movie or a romance novel? How naive can you be to believe that you would be in a rtionship with a man and not know he is your boss? There will always be signs," The seconddy countered.

    Dumb ass thinks she''s smart! Yes, bitch, it''s my fairytale! Lucy thought and almost giggled when she realized she had thought of that in Sonia''s voice. Sonia was such a terrible influence.

    "Not if he is pretending to be your driver and you''ve never seen your boss'' face," the firstdy reminded her partner.

    That''s a smart girl! Lucy wished she could see the face of this wisedy.

    "You can buy that cock and bull story all you want. I''m not buying that shit!"

    Nobody wants to sell shit to you either, and that''s why you''re so bitter!

    "What is there not to buy? We all saw ''Tom'', her driver, drop her off at work and pick her up daily. I even winked at him once, not knowing he was the CEO," the firstdy said with a giggle.

    You should stop being friends with her. She''s going to infect you with her foolishness.

    "As I said, I''m not buying it. I think they both acted a well-written script for the public. Did you see her this morning with Mr. Jonas? They seemed so friendly. It''s possible this whole thing was a n between her and Mr. Jonas to seduce the CEO, and now that they have seeded, she convinced the CEO to make Mr. Jonas a Co-CEO."

    Lucy, whose legs were beginning to feel cramped because of the extra time she spent sitting there and listening to their gossip, decided that she had heard enough.

    Talking about her was something she could ignore, even though Sonia had advised her to face head-on anyone that so much as spewed nonsense concerning her rtionship with Tom after she told her about Cora''s nonsense the previous day. But talking about Harry like that? Nah. She wasn''t going to stay still.

    She wasn''t one to calmly listen to anyone talk about her loved ones or friends in that manner. Harry was her friend. A very good friend at that who had even be a videographer for her sake.

    "What is this? Please don''t start spreading such baseless rumors around thepany if you don''t want to lose your job. Why do you seem so bitter about it anyway? Loosen up. She is lucky!" The firstdy scolded her friend as Lucy opened the door and stepped out of the toilet stall.

    The firstdy gasped in surprise since she was the first to see Lucy, and her partner looked equally stunned when she saw Lucy, as it urred to them that not only had they had an audience, but that the audience had been the subject of their gossip.

    Lucy approached them with slow yet deliberate steps, not bothering to pretend like she hadn''t overheard their conversation or like she wasn''t affected by what they had said. Being an introvert and liking to keep to herself didn''t mean she didn''t have a quick temper or know how to confront annoying people.

    Lucy had a smirk on her face as she ignored them and went to stand in front of the mirror. She hung her handbag beside the mirror as she washed her hands while bothdies hurriedly packed their make-up into the bag, wanting to leave quickly.

    Lucy waited until they had gotten to the door before speaking, "I hope you will be able to defend everything you just said before Mr. Jonas? I made sure to record every single statement." she lied as she watched them through the mirror, and to her satisfaction, their face paled, and they gasped in unison as they turned to look at her.

    "I... We didn''t mean any of that," thedy who had been badmouthing her rushed to say.

    "I''m sorry." The other pleaded, scared that she would lose her job like their colleague who, Tom had fired the previous weekend.

    Lucy took her time to clean her hands with tissue paper and then dumped it in the trashcan before picking up her handbag from where she had hung it. And then she slowly turned to look at them, "You called one of the CEOs a liar, and you used the other CEO of using the CEO''s girlfriend to get a promotion," she said with a cool smile, but bothdies shook their head.

    "We didn''t mean that," the firstdy pleaded.

    "I will let the CEOs be the judge of that," Lucy said as she brushed past the both of them, making sure to push her way through the tiny space between them.

    "Please forgive us. Please, I have a sick mother to care for. I can''t afford to lose my job," the seconddy pleaded, beads of sweat already coating her forehead as they rushed after Lucy.

    "You should have thought of her before speaking so boldly about something you know about," Lucy said as she reached for the doorknob.

    Once she turned it, she nced over the shoulder at the seconddy who had said her rtionship wouldn''tst, since from their voices, she was able to tell them apart, "Did you say my rtionship won''tst? I will have to make sure itsts longer than your job," Lucy threatened before walking away while bothdies ran after her, begging for their jobs.

    While they were doing that, Tom drove into thepany premises and parked the car in front of the office building.

    Harry turned to Tom as he unbuckled his seatbelt, ready to get out of the car, "I will meet you in your office after I..."

    "Nah, I''m not going in," Tom cut in before Harry could finish.

    He didn''t see any need to return to his office since it was just a few minutes before the close of work, so he sat back, rxed in his seat as he waited for Lucy to finish up and join him.

    "Why not?" Harry asked curiously, and Tom grinned, knowing that his response was going to irritate Harry.

    "It''s almost closing hours, and my Jewel would be down soon. I''m waiting to take my Jewel home. I don''t want to keep my Jewel waiting by going inside," Tom said, deliberately repeating his pet name for Lucy since he had noticed that Harry eyed him distastefully every time he did that.

    As expected, Harry scowled, "You sure know how to overdo things. Do you know this is the twentieth time you''ve said ''My Jewel'' in thest two hours?" Harry asked with a hiss, and Tom chuckled.

    "I didn''t realize you were keeping count. That means I mention her every..." He paused and closed his eyes briefly before opening them again, "Every six minutes? That''s not enough. I should say it more often then," Tom said, and Harry eyed him distastefully, suspecting that Tom was doing it deliberately to make him envious so he would start seriously thinking about being in a rtionship too.

    "Nonsense. You deserve Anita," Harry hissed, and Tomughed.

    "We both know you don''t mean that," he said as he pped Harry''s shoulder, but Harry pped his hand off.

    "I do."

    "Don''t hate on me, bro! Ites naturally with being in a satisfying rtionship, but you wouldn''t know now, would you?" Tom asked with a grin, and Harry hissed as he got out of the car and banged the door shut, making Tom roar withughter.

    "You have be very annoying since you started dating Lucy." Harry red at Tom, who also got out of the car and looked at him over the car''s roof.

    "I hope to see you be this annoying sometime in the nearest future, my friend," Tom said with a chuckle.

    Harry ignored him as he turned to leave but stopped when he remembered something, "You remember dinner by 7 PM, right?" Harry asked grudgingly.

    "I''m still thinking about it," Tom said with a grin, and Harry snorted as he walked away.

 Chapter 367 Jealous

    Chapter 367 Jealous����After waiting for some time, Tom decided to give Lucy a call to inform her that he was back and waiting for her in front of the building just in case she was still awaiting his call.

    Lucy, who was ready to leave but was contemting giving Tom a call to find out if she should go home without him since she wasn''t sure he was back to his office yet, smiled when she received his call.

    "I was going to call you."

    "Now you don''t have to. I''m waiting outside."

    "Good. Can you wait at the lobby instead?" Lucy asked as she picked up her handbag and walked out of her office quickly, not wanting to keep him waiting much longer.

    "Why the Lobby?" Tom asked curiously, but Lucy had hung up already, so he got out of the car and went inside the building to do as she had asked.

    Once he got to the lobby, he stood there looking around and wondering why she wanted him to wait there when she very well knew that he preferred not to have any interaction with the staff.

    The lobby seemed busy as most of the staff were already heading for the door, and when they saw him, they decided to hang around and see why he was just standing there.

    "ACE!" Lucy called in a loud voice when she got out of the elevator and saw him standing there.

    She raised one hand above her head to wave at Tom while smiling happily at him as she approached him, causing all eyes to turn in her direction.

    Tom had a wide smile on his face as he met her halfway while wondering what had prompted her to behave in such a surprising manner.

    "I missed you," Lucy said as she embraced him and then pulled back to kiss his lips.

    Most of the staff who had been hanging around before Lucy got their attention watched the scene with varying degrees of emotion. The elderly ones amongst them smiled fondly as the duo reminded them of their younger days. The singledies sighed enviously, thinking about how lucky Lucy was to have gotten a man like Tom, while the guys tried not to envy Tom, who had not just the money but the looks to make all the women want him too.

    "What are you doing?" Tom asked with an amused smile as he held on to her before she could pull away and kissed her in a way that made butterflies flutter in her belly before letting go.

    Lucy tried to blink back the mist of desire from her eyes and focus on him, "Kissing my boyfriend, and getting kissed by my boyfriend."

    "I thought you didn''t like such public disys of affection," Tom said as he continued to look down at her like she was his favorite dish.

    She cleared her throat, "I didn''t, but I haven''t seen you for the past eight hours. I missed you," Lucy said, but Tom didn''t believe her. He could tell there was more to it than she was saying.

    Seeing how he continued to stare at her like he was waiting for the truth, she shrugged, "I also heard somedies talking about me, so I decided to give them something more entertaining to talk about," Lucy said, and Tom chuckled.

    "I thought as much. I can''tin. I like this form of entertainment," Tom said as he took her hand, ready to leave, but he stopped and looked at her again when it urred to him that he didn''t even know what they had said, "What did they say, though?"

    "Nothing the CEO should worry about. Just silly stuff that jealous colleagues gossip about. And don''t worry, I handled them well," she assured him with a bright smile, and Tom looked at her curiously as they headed for the door.

    Everyone who had been watching them quickly went about their own business, pretending to be busy as the couple walked away.

    "How did you handle them?" Tom asked, and she told him how she had threatened to report to the CEOs and get them fired, and Tomughed.

    "You should keep good your threat. What are their names?" Tom asked, and Lucy waved off the question.

    "I didn''t see any need to get their names. I didn''t really mean the threat. I just wanted to let them know I heard them in a dramatic manner," she said with a grin, and Tom chuckled as he held out the passenger door for her to get into the car.

    "I''m still curious to know what they said to make you behave this way," Tom said as he shut the door and went around the car to get into his seat.

    Lucy shrugged, "They didn''t believe the story of how we met, and one of them said Harry probably sent me to seduce you so you would fall in love with me and make him the Co-CEO," Lucy said, and Tom turned to her in disbelief.

    "I can''t believe we still have employees that reason that way," Tom said with a shake of his head.

    "Don''t worry about them. I''m sure they will avoid me for some time while also having sleepless nights about losing their jobs. Every time your name is mentioned, their hearts will race, thinking it''s about the termination of their employment," Lucy said with satisfaction, and Tom smiled.

    "I''ve never seen this wicked part of you before," Tom said, and Lucy smirked.

    "There are many parts you haven''t seen, trust me," she said with a wink making Tom chuckle.

    "I look forward to seeing them all. Let''s go home. We have to prepare for dinner with Harry and his dad," Tom said as he turned on the car''s ignition.

    "What''s his dad like?" Lucy asked curiously.

    "He''s witty, funny, and easygoing. You will like him," Tom said, and Lucy smiled.

    "That sounds like you are describing Harry. What about his mother?" Lucy asked curiously.

    "She died while giving birth to Harry," Tom said, and Lucy''s face fell.

    "That''s sad."

    "Yeah, it is. How was work today?" Tom asked, wanting to change the subject.

    "Work was okay. By the way, Amy needs to be away for some time. Will it be okay if I get a temporary recement for her? I n to get Harry''s approval too," Lucy said, and Tom nced at her.

    "Why? Is something wrong with her?" Tom asked and listened quietly as Lucy exined the situation to him.

    Tom sighed when she finished. Amy was the only member of Lucy''s team who he liked anyway. "That''s sad. You can do as you please. Just make sure whoever the recement is, is female," Tom said, and Lucyughed softly.

    "Sure, I will. Thank you. So what about you? How was work today? Were you able to meet with thosedies as nned?" Lucy asked curiously.

    "Yes, I met with the CEO. She was more receptive than I expected," Tom said as he told her about his meeting with Prisci.

    "That sounds too easy. It''s almost like she was waiting to backstab Anita''s mother. Could it be their n to make us rx?" Lucy asked thoughtfully.

    "Even if it is, we can make them believe we fell for it while executing our n. Don''t worry, I won''t let anything happen to you," Tom said, and Lucy smiled.

    "I know."

    "Did I tell you I got to learn some pretty interesting things about Anita''s family today?" Tom asked, and when she shook her head, he went on to tell her about Barry''s call earlier that morning.

    "You can''t be serious!" Lucy said, her nose wrinkling with disgust as she tried to get rid of the image of Anita''s mother having an affair with her son-inw and daughter''s father-inw.

    "Fortunately, I am. Now all I want is to find evidence that she was involved in her husband''s death," Tom said with an evil smirk.

    "You think she murdered her husband?" Lucy asked, wondering when she would stop being shocked by the magnitude of evil Anita''s mother was capable of.

    "Barry thinks so, and he is good at sniffing out suspicious stuff. I trust his instincts," Tom said, and Lucy sighed.

    "I hope we can handle things before it gets messy. I don''t want anything to happen to you," Lucy said, and Tom nced at her.

    "Nothing is going to happen. Howe you haven''t asked about my meeting at the airline?" Tom asked curiously since he had expected that to be the first question she would ask.

    Lucy grinned, "I was saving it for thest."

    "Nah, you wouldn''t be so rxed if you were. You seem like you already know about it. Wait, don''t tell me Harry told you about it already?" Tom asked suspiciously, trying to figure out when Harry could possibly have had the time to talk to her when they had been together all through until they arrived at thepany. Or had he gone to Lucy''s office immediately after he went inside? Tom mused.

    Lucy giggled, "He didn''t tell me anything... He actually recorded a video and sent it to me," Lucy said, and Tom turned to her in surprise.

    "Harry made a video?" He asked in disbelief, and she bobbed her head as she took out her phone and yed it so that Tom would hear his voice.

    "The bastard! I can''t believe I call someone like that my best friend. How can he do something like that without informing me?" Tom asked with a scowl.

    "He could be my best friend if you don''t want him anymore..."

    "Never! Sonia is more than enough. If you want a male best friend, you have Lucas or me. You don''t need Harry or any other male who is not family to you," Tom said, and sheughed softly.

    "You are jealous," Lucy pointed out in amusement.

    "Yes, I am. I''m not sharing you," Tom insisted, and Lucy smiled.

    "I don''t n on being shared or on sharing you either," she assured him, and Tom nodded.

    "Good. As long as we are on the same page on that, we are good."

 Chapter 368 Guardians

    Chapter 368 Guardians����Neither Tom nor Lucy said another word for some time as he drove, until something urred to him, and he turned to Lucy, "Are you okay with staying here, or do you want to return to your apartment now that everyone else has left?" He asked, and Lucy frowned, wondering why he was asking her that.

    Was it because she was on her menstruation, and he wasn''tfortable with having her around since he couldn''t do anything with her? Or was he asking because he needed space... She stopped herself. Assumptions were never good.

    "Why?" She asked as she watched his face intently, wanting to hear it from him directly.

    Tom shrugged, "I just want to be sure that you arefortable and not just living with me because you don''t want to hurt my feelings by returning to your apartment. In as much as I love waking up to the sight of you beside me, I don''t want you to do things you''re notfortable with," Tom said, and she smiled.

    "So you are not asking because you need space?" Lucy asked, and Tom turned to look at her incredulously.

    "Are you kidding me? Why would I need space from you when I''ve only just found you after searching for you all my life?" Tom asked, and she blushed.

    "You could have easily said yes or no. Why do you always have to use such words?" She asked with a shy smile, and he chuckled.

    "Because it''s the way I feel about you. I told you already, Jewel. I want you beside me every moment of every day," Tom said as he drove through the gate to his mansion.

    "You still haven''t answered my question. Are you okay with being here with me, or do you want to return to your apartment?" Tom asked again, and Lucy pursed her lips as she thought about it.

    "I''m happy being here with you. If I need to be alone for some time, I will go to my apartment," she said, and Tom gave her a nod as he pulled the car to a stop in front of the house and parked it.

    "I''m d. Let''s go in then," he said as he got out of the car, and she did the same.

    Once they walked into the house, the first sight that greeted them was Samantha, trying to console Jamal, who was bawling by the staircase.

    "I almost forgot about the kid," Tom murmured under his breath as he started to go take the kid from Samantha, but he slowed down when he noticed Lucy''s quick strides.

    "What is wrong?" Lucy asked as she approached them with concern in her eyes, and Jamal ran over to her and embraced her legs.

    "He wouldn''t say. He has been crying non-stop since he woke up from his siesta almost an hour ago and remembered that his mother and your mothers had left," Samanthained helplessly as she looked at Tom apologetically.

    She had assured him that she could take care of the kid, but she was already failing at it.

    "It''s fine. We will continue from here," Tom said as he went to stand beside Lucy while standing back to observe how she would handle the kid.

    "His mother left a message for you," Samantha informed Tom before going to get the envelope, while Tom watched Lucy with interest as she squatted in front of the kid who had stopped crying.

    "You miss your mom and everyone else, don''t you?" She asked as she took out her handkerchief from her handbag and wiped his tears before cleaning his running nose, and he gave her a slight nod.

    "Yeah, I understand. I miss my mom and the others too. So until we see them again, why don''t we keep each otherpany?" She asked as she extended an open palm to him, and he ced his tiny palm on hers trustingly.

    Tom tried not to smile as he watched Lucy straighten up while holding on to the kid''s hand, and he wondered how she could be so good with kids and not know if she wanted to have kids or not.

    "She asked me to give this to you," Samantha said as she joined them, holding the envelope in one hand.

    Tom''s face was carefully nk as he took it from her and opened it to see the contents. There were three white papers inside. One was a list of the dos and don''ts for Jamal, which he had asked that she write out before leaving.

    The other was... He frowned slightly as his gaze swept through the details of the letter, and then he nced at the kid before reading the letter again. It was a temporary caregiver affidavit stating that she wanted him and Lucy to be Jamal''s guardian in her absence no matter the duration of time she was away.

    Of course, he had agreed to have the kid live with him. But this was different. This made it feel sort of official, and it filled him with a sense of dread. He suspected that the only reason she would have thought about drafting such a letter was that she thought her life might be in danger, and she wasn''t so sure of returning. What was Lucy going to think of it?

    Why hadn''t Candace discussed it with him? And why did she choose him and Lucy? He wondered as he took out the third paper.

    "What is wrong?" Lucy asked when she noticed the different expressions that crossed his face.

    "Let''s talk about it upstairs," Tom said, and she could tell he didn''t want to talk about it in front of the kid.

    "Why don''t you keep Samanthapany while we go upstairs to freshen up?" Lucy suggested to Jamal, who was still holding on to her hand, and he reluctantly let go of her hand.

    "No more tears, alright? We will get you a gift if you don''t cry," Lucy said, and Jamal gave her a nod as he used the back of his hand to wipe his face.

    "Good boy," Lucy said with a smile of approval as she ruffled his hair, and then she dug into her handbag when she remembered she had a wrap of chocte which she was yet to eat, and she handed it to him before turning to Tom who was still staring at the kid, "Let''s go upstairs," she said as she took his hand, and led him away from there, curious to know why he looked so worried.

    "Did something happen?" Lucy asked in a low voice.

    "His mother named us as his temporary guardians," Tom said, and Lucy looked at him, wondering what the problem was.

    "You already agreed that he could stay under your roof. That makes you his temporary guardian already," she pointed out as she paused to take off her heels. She picked them up before following him barefooted.

    Tom didn''t say a word until they got into the bedroom, and then he handed the letter to her, knowing that she would get a better understanding of his reaction when she read through it and saw her name on the letter.

    Lucy sat on the edge of the bed as she skimmed through the letter, and her heart skipped a beat when she came across the line bearing both hers and Tom''s names, "In the event that something happens to her, she wants us both to be his guardians? Why would anything happen to her?" She asked, ncing at Tom, who simply shrugged as he lowered himself on the couch and looked down at the short note which he was yet to read but addressed to them.

    "Nothing is going to happen to her, right? Why would she leave such an affidavit? Is Jade aware of this?" Lucy asked in concern. It was one thing to console a weeping child or y with the kid, but it was utterly different from being entirely responsible for the kid. That was like having an adopted kid. Being responsible for another life when she didn''t evenpletely understand herself yet.

    "I will have to give Jade a call after reading the letter," Tom said, and Lucy stood up from where she was and went to sit beside him to join him as they both read the letter.

    "To Tom and Lucy,

    I understand that you are both probably shocked that I named you both to be Jamal''s guardians, but trust me, I only did so after giving it a lot of consideration over the past two sleepless nights.

    There is no better couple I wouldfortably entrust Jamal''s wellbeing to than the both of you, especially after seeing your families together in thest couple of days. I''m very sorry that I''m springing this on you both out of the blue, but it''s the best I can do for my son, so please help me look after him."

    They both sighed once they finished reading and looked at each other, "What should we do?" Tom asked Lucy, leaving the decision up to her since they had both been listed as the kid''s guardians, and she was the one who had a problem with having kids.

    "What can we do? She is not here, so it''s not like we can reject her request. Let''s just take care of the kid the best way we can until she gets back, or we can do so until her sister shows up," Lucy suggested, and Tom raised a brow.

    Jade had said she was an orphan and didn''t have any family; hence she wanted the kid to remain in his house, so what sister was Lucy talking about? "She has a sister?"

    "Yes. I remember Sonia talking about her sister..."

    "Sonia knows her too? If she has a sister, why not ask her sister to be her son''s guardian?" Tom asked, making a mental note to confront Jade for lying to himter.

    "Yes, Sonia and Bryan know both her and her sister. I don''t know why she didn''t ask her sister. Maybe it has something to do with her sister being a stripper... I''m not sure," Lucy said, and Tom looked at her.

    "Her sister is a stripper? You seem to know a lot about her," Tom observed, and she shrugged.

    "She taught Sonia and me a few things about stripteasing andp-dancing," Lucy said with a yful wink, and Tom chuckled.

    "When are you going to put the lessons into practice then?"

    "I''m going to surprise you one day," Lucy said, and Tom smiled.

    "Are you sure you''re okay with the kid? You said..."

    "I understand your concern. Don''t worry about me. Let''s focus on Jamal. You promised you would care for him until her return. Let''s stick to the n. That''s just a piece of document," Lucy said as she stood up to pick up the shoes which she had dropped beside the bed while Tom folded the letters and reced them in the envelope.

    "Okay, let''s do that," Tom said with a nod as he stood up to freshen up so that they could get ready to leave for dinner with Harry and his father.

    A part of him hoped that by the end of their stay with the kid, she would change her mind about having a family of her own.

 Chapter 369 Flirting

    Chapter 369 Flirting����The moment Jade and Candace got to the suite, Jade led Candace to the bedroom she had stayed in during her stay with Harry before going to Harry''s bedroom. The moment she entered the room and shut the door behind her, she closed her eyes for only a second as she inhaled the residual of Harry''s scent, which still hung in the air.

    She knew that the bedsheets had been changed, but knowing that Harry hadid on that bed was enough to make her heart flutter. And so, even though she knew she was behaving like a lovesick teenager, she couldn''t help herself as she ran to the bed and jumped on it face down.

    She giggled as she tried to imagine the shocked expression that would be on Harry''s face if he happened to see her acting in this manner right now.

    When did she start feeling this way about him? When did she start being this lighthearted and lightheaded at the thought of him? She wasn''t sure it was merely because of how he had talked to that Tanya something girl that night.

    Or was it possibly the moment he talked about not getting sexually involved with just anyone? She wasn''t sure that was it either. As thrilling as that knowledge had been, that hadn''t been it either.

    Perhaps she started feeling that way about him because of the way he always reacted whenever sheplimented him or teased him about being boring? Or was it because of the way he kept feeling ufortable whenever she was too close to him?

    Or maybe, as Sonia had implied, the feelings had always been there, buried just beneath the surface from the moment she first gazed into his eyes but had been ignored because of her rtionship, and she had needed to meet him again and spend some time with him to resurrect them.

    It hadn''t helped either that her brothers, Sonia, and even her mother seemed to all think Harry was also into her, and in their own way, they all seemed very okay with the idea of her being with Harry, especially Tom, who was shipping them.

    Her feelings for Harry had crept up on her like a thief, taking her unawares, and now it consumed her. Her heart felt like it was going to explode if she didn''t tell him how she felt, but she knew she couldn''t do so. At least not yet. She needed to make him feel the exact way she was feeling too, so that he would open up about his feelings and be more receptive to hers too.

    How had he known she woulde to the hotel anyway? She wondered as she rolled off the bed and went to the closet, which he had not let her go close to thest time. She giggled at the memory.

    The closet was empty save for a navy blue t-shirt with a white design on the front, which was hanging on a hanger. She hadn''t expected the closet to be so empty as she had assumed he had some clothes here. So if there was nothing here, what had he been protecting so seriously?

    The t-shirt was good enough for her, Jade thought as she took it out from the hanger and raised it to her nose.

    She closed her eyes as she sniffed the t-shirt, which still smelled of Harry''s cologne, reminding her of how she had sniffed his body that night while he held her and led her out of the club that night.

    "I would never have thought you were such a pervert, Jady," she scolded herself as she opened her eyes, but her lips were curved in a smile.

    Deciding to give him a call, she walked out of the bedroom and went to pick up her handbag, which she had left on the couch in the living room. Once she got there, she took out her phone from the handbag and dialed Harry''s line.

    Meanwhile, in Harry''s home, hey on the bed, which still smelt of Jade, in the room which she had slept in during her brief stay there, as different thoughts ran through his mind.

    Thankfully he had been able to distract himself all day by keeping his mind busy, but now that he didn''t really have any pressing job to keep him upied at the moment, his thoughts returned to her phone call to him earlier.

    Did she desire him? Was that why she had kissed him? If that was the case, what did she want from him? A rtionship? Or was she just physically attracted to him?

    Try as he might to think straight, he couldn''t get past the words she had said about them kissing and doing a bit more than that in her dream. How was he going to be able to keep a clear head and think straight when she was saying things like that to him?

    It was as if he didn''t own his brain anymore, and to prove it immediately after he got home from work, he had gone straight to the bedroom without even realizing where he was headed until he found himself struggling to breathe freely. The woman seemed to overwhelm him in every way, whether or not she was present.

    As if to prove how much control she had over him, his phone started ringing, and the moment he saw Esquire disyed on the screen, his breath hitched as he sat bolt upright, and his heartbeat doubled as he continued to stare at his screen.

    He closed his eyes for a second as he tried to bring his thoughts under control, but then again, he could hardly think straight when Jade was involved. From the first time he had met her, he had found himself doing things he wouldn''t ordinarily do, such as flirting with her.

    Whether or not either of them was willing to admit it, that night, he had been flirting with her, and if her boyfriend hadn''t shown up when he did, he knew he would have kissed her, especially when she kept staring at him in a way that made him feel like she had also been feeling what he was feeling.

    Back then, he wasn''t as worried or concerned about having anything to do with Tom''s younger sister as he now was. And leaving Tom''s home when he did and staying away from Jade for thest four years had helped him put himself together and give himself all the reasons why desiring her or wanting to have anything with her was a bad idea. That had helped him not to think about her... Until now.

    She was making things difficult for him, and he was beginning to fear that he might be unable to hold on to his resolve not to get involved with her much longer. More than that, he didn''t want to be disappointed by her again.

    How a distinguished man like himself, who could silence even the most difficult of men in the boardroom with a single look, could be such a scaredy-cat around a young girl like Jade was something he couldn''t bring himself to understand.

    Before the call could disconnect, he cleared his throat and received it, "Hey!"

    "I''m not interrupting work, am I?" Jade asked as she returned to the bedroom.

    "Not at the moment. How was your flight? And when did you arrive?" Harry asked, wanting to keep the discussion light and easy.

    "The flight was okay. Thanks for arranging it. We arrived at the hotel a while ago. I learned you informed them I wasing. Why were you so sure I was going to return to the hotel?" Jade asked as she walked into the bedroom and shut the door behind her.

    "You are a practical person. You are not the type to take Candace to the apartment where you know you could be easily attacked. The hotel would be the safest ce for you to stay with her," Harry said matter of factly, and Jade smiled as she got on the bed.

    "You seem to know me well enough to predict my actions," Jade observed.

    "I just thought you would return there, so I thought it best to inform them just in case you showed up. I''m sorry if you feel..."

    "Don''t be sorry. I''m d to know you thought ahead of me," Jade said, and Harry felt himself rx.

    For a moment there, he had been worried that she might jump to the conclusion that he was being too forward or trying to control her life in a way.

    "Where are you at the moment?" Jade asked curiously as she connected the phone to her airpod, and Harry stood up immediately as he looked around the bedroom.

    There was no way he could tell her that he was in the bedroom where she had slept. How would he exin his reason for being there?

    If he chose to walk out of the room before responding, that also would be suspicious, "I''m in my bedroom," Harry said after a slight pause, reminding himself that he wasn''t exactly telling a lie. Whether it was the guest bedroom she had stayed in or any other bedroom under his roof, they were all his bedrooms.

    "Good. Do you want to know where I am?" She teased him as she got off the bed and took off the shirt and trousers she was wearing, leaving just her undies.

    Harry raised a brow, "Where are you?"

    "I''m lying on your bed. The room still reeks of your scent," Jade said as she took off her undies, and Harry felt something lodge in his throat.

    He cleared his throat, "That''s probably because no one has been in there since I left," Harry exined, while Jade busied herself with wearing the t-shirt over her naked body.

    "What are you putting on?" Jade asked curiously as she returned to lie on the bed.

    Harry looked down at his office clothes, which he was still wearing apart from his jacket and tie, which he had taken off and were lying down beside him on the bed, as he wondered why she was asking him such an intimate question which he knew was usually an opening for phone sex.

    "My work clothes," Harry said, curious to know what she was going to say next.

    "That means you just came in from work," Jade deduced, "Do you want to know what I''m wearing?" She asked, and Harry closed his eyes as he drew a deep breath.

    "..."

    "I''m putting on just your t-shirt. The one you left in your closet. It smells just like you," Jade said, and Harry tried to block whatever image was shing in his brain.

    Did she just say ''just''? Did that mean she wasn''t wearing any undies? He shut his eyes tightly as he tried to get rid of the different images of her that wereing up in his brain.

    As if knowing the effect her words were having on him, Jade stretched out on the bed and moaned softly, "My whole body aches. I think I need a deep tissue massage," Jade said, and Harry could bet she was out to get him. But what was her n? To seduce him?

    "Do you have any ns for the evening?" Jade asked when he remained silent after some time.

    "Yes. I have a dinner reservation for 7 PM," he said, making Jade''s heart skip a beat.

    "Dinner reservation? Aura is there already?" She asked, trying not to sound too concerned about it even if it troubled her greatly.

    "Aura?" Harry asked with a slight frown before remembering who she was talking about, "No. Not Aurora. My dad and I are having dinner with Tom and his Jewel by 7 pm," he exined, and Jade let out the breath she had been holding.

    "And you couldn''t just say it was with Tom and Lucy? You made it sound like you were going on a date," Jadeined in a pouty tone, which Harry did not miss.

    "Why does it sound like you are worried about who I''m having dinner with?" Harry asked curiously.

 Chapter 370 Delaying The Inevitable

    Chapter 370 Dying The Inevitable����"Wouldn''t you be concerned if you heard I was having a dinner date with someone?" Jade responded to Harry''s question with a question instead, making his brows pull together.

    "Am I supposed to be? Do you want me to be concerned about who you go out with?" Harry asked, and Jadeughed softly when she realized that neither of them was willing to answer the other''s question directly.

    "Well, I don''t know about you, but I am concerned. I suddenly feel jealous at the thought of you having a dinner date with another female. Maybe it''s because of the dream I had," Jade said on a light note, but Harry''s heart skipped a beat at the mention of the dream.

    "I haven''t given you the details of the dream yet, have I?" Jade asked, and Harry cleared his throat.

    He didn''t want to know. "Jade..."

    "Yeah, that was how you called my name in my dream before you kissed me," Jade said, and Harry was sure he was going to have a heart attack if he didn''t stop her from speaking any further.

    "So in my dream, we were back at my home. It was almost exactly as it was four years ago when we first met," Jade went on without letting him say anything or interrupt her.

    "The only difference this time is I wasn''t wearing a sweater or jeans trouser. I was putting on a red sexy see-throughce satin nightgown..." Jade said in a sultry voice and paused as she waited for her words to sink in and for him to get a clear mental image of it.

    "I was only wearing a pair of ck g-strings underneath it, without a bra..."

    After having seen her in various stages of undress, it was so easy for this image to form in his head. And this made all blood in his veins that should be flowing to his brain with oxygen go in the opposite direction to somewhere between his legs.

    Harry took a deep breath. "Jade, this conversation is inappropriate," heined weakly even though his voice had sounded stern in his brain before he uttered them.

    "I''m only narrating what happened in my dream. We both acted very inappropriately and immorally in my dream, and maybe after hearing the details, you''ll understand why I don''t like the thought of you having dinner with another female," Jade said, and he could hear the smile in her voice. She was actually having fun.

    "Why are you telling me all this?" Harry asked, even though he had already figured out that she was messing with him.

    "You are the only person I can talk to about it since it involves us both. Who else should I tell about this? Tom?" She asked innocently, and Harry cringed at the thought of Jade telling Tom something like this. Even though it was just a dream, he couldn''t help feeling embarrassed.

    When he didn''t respond, she took that as a sign to go ahead, so she continued, "You were putting on just your pajamas pant without a shirt, and we were both rxed on the loveseat seeing ate-night movie alone in the living room while sipping from our mug of chocte."

    "What movie were we seeing?" Harry asked, wanting to see if she was making it up.

    "I can''t exactly remember what movie it was since I spent most of the time staring at you than I did gazing at the television," Jade said, and a sigh escaped Harry''s lips since he could imagine just how she had been staring at him.

    "Halfway through it, you turned to me abruptly and said... You have chocte stains around your lips," Jade said in a breathless voice.

    "I tried to lick it off, but you stopped me and said... Let me help you," Jade whispered, and Harry closed his eyes as he wondered why he was yet to hang up the call.

    It was quite ring that she was tempting him or trying to seduce him or do something with the phone call, so why couldn''t he hang up?

    He didn''t want to hear what she was saying, but at the same time, he was curious to hear everything she was saying. With Jade, it was a constant battle of wanting and not wanting to want her because there had never been a time when he didn''t want her.

    "You leaned towards me and brushed it off with your thumb while gazing deeply into my eyes, and then I took your hand, lifted it to my lips, and slowly sucked on your thumb," Jade said, her voice was as soft as a whisper now, caressing and washing over Harry.

    Harry sucked in a breath, "Jade..."

    "Yeah, that was how you called my name huskily when you pulled your thumb away and reced it with your lips..."

    Harry groaned inwardly, "Why are you doing this? What do you want from me, Jade?" Harry asked, and Jade smiled.

    "I want to live rent-free in your head, and your..."

    "What are you doing in here?" Aaron asked as he opened the door and stood in the doorway.

    "Talk to youter," Harry said as he quickly hung up the call before she could say anything else, relieved that his father hade in when he did.

    "Nothing. I was just taking a look at all the bedrooms," Harry said without meeting his father''s gaze.

    "You weren''t home when I got in. Where were you?" Harry asked as he picked up his jacket and tie from the bed before heading for the door.

    Aaron hid his smile when his eyes fell on the bed that had beenin on, and he walked further into the bedroom, walking past Harry, who seemed very flustered, "I was taking a stroll around the neighborhood. By the way, why does this ce smell like ady was in here recently?" Aaron observed as he sniffed the air dramatically, and Harry, who had gotten to the door, stiffened as he turned to look at his father.

    "Ady?" He asked, feigning ignorance.

    "Yes. Did you have a female visitor?" Aaron asked as he walked over to the bathroom and looked around.

    Harry pretended to contemte it only for a second before nodding, "Oh, yeah! Tom''s younger sister crashed here for a couple of days," Harry said casually as though he had only just remembered it, and his father chuckled in amusement.

    "Harry, my boy."

    Knowing that tone, Harry looked at his father wearily, "Go on and just say whatever you want to say."

    "You know I can see through you, right? This isn''t a phone conversation where you can deceive me. I''m looking right at you," Aaron said as he watched him with eyes which were crinkled at the corners with life andughter.

    "What are you trying to say?" Harry asked dryly.

    "She was the one on the phone with you just now, wasn''t she? I heard you mention her name," Aaron said, and Harry scowled.

    "You eavesdrop on my conversations now?"

    "If that were my intention, I wouldn''t have made my presence known at the point when you asked such an interesting question, would I?" Aaron asked with an easy smile, and Harry sighed.

    "Just get ready, dad. We are leaving for dinner by 6:30. The reservation is for 7 PM," Harry said as he walked away, making it clear that he didn''t want to have that conversation with him anymore.

    Unfortunately, his father was just warming up, and from the looks of him, the man was just as determined to talk about it as he was not to talk about it, so he followed him.

    "It''s just 5 PM. There is still time. Let''s talk," Aaron insisted.

    "Dad, don''t nag me about being in a rtionship. I am really not in the mood for that right now," Harry informed him through gritted teeth as he walked into his bedroom, and Aaron followed him in before he could shut the door.

    "Sure, I won''t. I''m just curious about something. You are still very much interested in her, aren''t you?" Aaron asked as he sat on Harry''s bed while Harry dropped his jacket and tie beside him on the bed before proceeding to unbutton his shirt.

    "Interested in who?" Harry asked disinterestedly, and when his father didn''t respond after a few seconds, he turned to see him staring at him with a slightly raised brow.

    "I already told you I''m over her," Harry hissed in frustration, annoyed with his father for pushing the subject when he really didn''t want to talk about it, especially not when Jade had just seeded in messing up his head.

    "Do you remember the first thing you said to me the first time you met her?" Aaron asked, carrying on as though he couldn''t hear the annoyance in his son''s voice.

    "I have a feeling that you are going to remind me of it whether or not I say I remember. So just go on and say it so that we can finish this awkward discussion on time and get ready for dinner," Harry said as he sat on the padded stool beside his dressing table.

    "You said, ''Dad, I think I''ve met her. The one woman for me'' that''s what you said. And you sounded so happy. So confident and excited," Aaron said with a rueful smile.

    "I was just twenty-four..."

    "And you have not talked about anotherdy since then. I know she hurt your feelings without even knowing it, but that was over four years ago, and a lot must have changed in that time. If you still feel strongly about her, why not just talk to her about your feelings?" Aaron said, and Harry sighed.

    "That was in the past, dad. And as you rightly said, a lot has changed since then. Let''s not talk about this anymore. I''m going to start seeing someone else soon. So forget about whatever I told you about Jade," Harry said stubbornly. He wasn''t going to give her the satisfaction of getting him so easily.

    "Do you love this new person?" Aaron asked as he watched his son with knowing eyes, and Harry shrugged.

    "I won''t know if I don''t try, will I?" Harry asked, and his father gave him a nod as he got off the bed.

    "Although I think you are just dying the inevitable by going around in circles, do whatever you must and find out where your heart truly lies," Aaron suggested before leaving the bedroom.

    Once Aaron left, Harry sighed and buried his face in his hands. Damn both his father and Tom for making things even more difficult for him. He didn''t care that they were doing it because they cared about him, their interference was only going to end up making him more impatient with both himself and Jade, and he didn''t care much for that.

    His father was only partially right. He knew he was going around in circles and dying the inevitable. But his father was wrong about one thing. He already knew where his heart was, but he wasn''t sure she knew where hers was yet, and that was why he was still doing his best to hold himself back.

    He had tried his best not to think about her for the past four years and had held back from contacting her this whole time even after he heard of her boyfriend''s death, but fate had brought them together again in the form of his nosy best friend, and seeing her again had brought back all his long-suppressed feelings to the surface.

    He wanted Jade, but for once in his life, he didn''t mind going around in circles if it was going to get him what he wanted without any disappointment.

    Just a week ago, she had been the one trying to set him up on a date with someone else despite all his attempts to stop her, and all of a sudden she no longer wanted to think of him with someone else? Had it only been a game for her, or was she really only just beginning to realize that she was interested in him?

    He was going to honor his date with Aurora whether or not he had any interest in her, and he was going to wait and see how Jade reacts to that.

    She wanted to live rent-free in his head? Well, too bad for her that he wasn''t going to make it so easy for her. He wasn''t going to let her have her way so easily with him as she had the first time.

    If she really wanted him as he was beginning to think she did, she was going to have to prove herself and do more than just create sexual fantasies in his head. As stimting as the thought of doing all of that with her was, that wasn''t what he wanted from her.

    If it were just physical intimacy she wanted, then they would be wasting both their time as that wouldn''t be good for him or his rtionship with Tom.

    He wasn''t usually the type to y games, but it seemed like she enjoyed ying games, so he was going to continue to indulge her and y her games with her until she got tired of it and was sure of what she wanted.

 Chapter 371 Flatmates

    Chapter 371 tmates����"It''s good to see you again," Jeff said with a wide smile immediately the car stopped in front of the house, and he opened the door for Bryan to get out of the car

    Because Bryan didn''t want too many people to know that he was back, he had instructed them not to pick him up at the airport but to wait for him at home and order an Uber to pick him up instead. So while his parents took a cab from the airport, he and Sonia had taken an Uber.

    The smile on Jeff''s face faltered when instead of Bryan, Evelyn and Desmond got out of the car, "Pardon my manners. I didn''t realize you wereing with him," Jeff said apologetically, and Evelyn waved it off dismissively.

    "I''m sure it''s been longer than that, but I''m d you are happy to see us," Desmond said with a grin, and Evelyn giggled.

    "Hello, Jeff! It''s been a while!" Evelyn said as she embraced him, and Jeff smiled at her awkwardly. Even though he had met the woman just twice, she always treated him the same, making him feel like a little boy.

    "Hello, Mrs. Hank, Mr. Hank," Jeff greeted politely as he shook hands with Desmond, and Mia, who was standing beside him, did the same.

    "We are not strangers, Jeff. How many times do we have to remind you to stop addressing us so formally?" Desmond asked in mild disapproval before moving to the trunk of the car.

    "I''m sure Bryan already told you both about Simon''s role in all this mess. We are here to take care of Simon," Evelyn said, and Jeff gave her a nod as he moved away to join Desmond at the trunk of the car where he was taking out their luggage.

    "I still can''t believe Simon has been the one exposing all of Bryan''s scandals," Mia said with a shake of her head, "By the way, what about Bryan and Sonia? Did they change their mind abouting?" Mia asked curiously.

    "No. They will be here shortly. Sonia is feeling under the weather, so they had to stop by the pharmacy to get her some medicine for her cold. I need to fix her something hot and spicy to drink before they get here. Can you grab that bag from the men ande assist me in the kitchen, dear?" Evelyn asked, referring to the bag containing the items she had purchased for the soup on their way, and Mia quickly did as she was told and followed Evelyn inside.

    "So, how has it been over here? I heard you quit working for Golden Star too," Evelyn said conversationally.

    "I never really liked him, plus I know he was likely going to fire me since I''m Bryan''s assistant anyway. If my boss is quitting, there is no space for me there," Mia said with a shrug.

    "True. Howe you didn''t tell me about Bryan and Sonia''s rtionship being faux?" Evelyn asked, turning to look at Mia once they were alone in the kitchen.

    "Because it wasn''t in my ce to give out that information. There is a limit to what I can report to you. I can tell you about his schedule and work locations because I believe as a mother, you are concerned about his wellbeing. But his private business is his business, and I can''t give you such details of his life. I''m sorry," Mia said politely, and Evelyn sighed.

    "I guess that is why you have remained his longeststing assistant," Evelyn said with a nod as she started moving around the kitchen to get everything she needed ready to make the soup.

    "I think they are here," Mia said a momentter when she heard Bryan''s voice, and she quickly excused herself from the kitchen.

    "Oh, dear! You look really ill," Mia eximed softly when she saw Sonia''s pale face as Bryan gently lowered her to the couch.

    "It''s good to see you too, Mia. And you look beautiful as always," Sonia said dryly as Mia went to sit beside her on the couch and embraced her.

    "This wasn''t the sort of reunion I imagined, considering how we parted ways," Mia said with concerned eyes and then frowned when she noticed that Bryan was ring at her, "What?"

    "You are sitting on my spot. Move over," Bryan growled at her, and Sonia smiled weakly.

    "That isn''t any way to talk to a loyal assistant like me. I''m going to stab you in the back like Simon did if you keep being this rude," Mia threatened as she stood, making both Jeff and Desmond, who was on his way to join his wife in the kitchen,ugh out loud.

    "Why don''t you try?" Bryan dared with a smirk as he sat beside Sonia who was smiling at him.

    Sonia leaned closer to him, "You shouldn''t talk to your girlfriend in that manner," she whispered in a teasing voice, and Bryan red at her as he struggled between annoyance that she was still referring to Mia as his girlfriend and amusement that despite her illness she was teasing him with something that annoyed him.

    "Sit up, Sonia. The soup is ready," Evelyn announced as she joined them in the living room carrying a tray that contained a bowl of soup, while Desmond carried a tray containing a ss of water.

    Mia carried a stool to where Bryan was seated with Sonia and ced it in front of them for Evelyn to drop the tray on it before returning to sit beside Jeff.

    "I will feed her," Bryan assured his mother.

    "I can feed myself," Sonia assured him with a yawn, feeling silly now because of the attention she was receiving from everyone.

    "You can, but you don''t have to. Not when I''m here. That''s what being in a rtionship means. Letting someone do things for you that you can do for yourself," Bryan said, and Evelyn exchanged a look with her husband, who winked at her.

    "He ispletely smitten," Jeff whispered to Mia, who was also watching as Bryan fussed over Sonia. It seemed to them like both Bryan and Sonia had forgotten they were not alone.

    "As it should be. She is obviously smitten too," Mia said with a pleased smile.

    "I have to freshen up now and rest for some time. Bryan, do not forget to give Simon a call as nned. Try to sound as natural as possible when you ask him to resume work, okay?" Evelyn said to Bryan, who was already spoon-feeding Sonia, and Desmond shook his head.

    "Eve, Bryan is an actor. I''m sure he won''t screw it up," Desmond said dryly as he extended his hand to her.

    "I''m just saying..."

    "I know. Let''s go in and freshen up. I''m dead on my feet," Desmond said as he pulled her along with him.

    "Can we go to the bedroom? I feel drowsy. I think I might sleep off before I''m done eating," Sonia said with a yawn, and Bryan nodded before turning to Jeff and Mia, "I will join you both shortly," he said as he stood and leaned over to carry Sonia.

    "Bryan, I can walk..."

    "I know you can. I don''t want you to," he said as he carried her bridal style and took her to the bedroom.

    "I missed this ce. I will miss it when you move," Sonia said with a sigh.

    "We can always visit here often," he assured her as he stylishly opened the door and walked into the bedroom before gently cing her on the bed.

    "I''ll be right back," he called as he returned to the living room to take the soup and water, which he carried back into the bedroom.

    By the time he returned to the bedroom, Sonia was holding her phone, "I need to give Lucy a call."

    "Not now. Eat and get some rest. I will call her myself and let her know you are not feeling fine and will give her a callter," Bryan said as he sat beside her and took a spoonful of soup which he extended to her.

    "She will be worried," Soniained before opening her mouth.

    "Fine. Call her after eating," Bryan said as he fed her the soup.

    In the living room, Jeff watched Mia, who was smiling as she chatted with someone on her phone, "Are you still going on that dating app?" Jeff asked casually as he gazed at her.

    "Yes. Why? Want me to set up an ount for you?" Mia asked with a teasing smile as she looked up at him.

    Jeff shook his head, "Nah. Blind dates are not my thing. What are you going to do about your dates when you move to Ludus?"

    "I will continue until I meet my special one, of course. I''m sure there are lots of eligible bachelors over there too," Mia said with a shrug as though he should have known that already.

    "You should be careful though. There are lots of creepy people hiding behind their phones these days," Jeff advised.

    "Maybe you are too careful, and that is why you are still single," Mia said as she continued to chat while talking with him.

    "What do you mean too careful?" Jeff asked, and Mia shrugged as she looked up at him.

    "You always hide behind work, iming you are busy and can''t date, but I don''t really think that''s just it..."

    "What are you both whispering about?" Bryan asked as he carried the tray to the kitchen after feeding Sonia and excusing her to give Lucy a call.

    "We were not whispering. Have you been able to figure out the amodation stuff for me?" Mia asked hopefully.

    Bryan cleared his throat, "About that, I hope you both don''t mind being tmates until either of you finds your own ce?" Bryan asked, and both Jeff and Mia exchanged a look.

    "How many bedrooms are there in the apartment?" Mia asked curiously.

    "Two bedrooms," Bryan said as he returned to the living room and sat down opposite them.

    "That''s cool. As long as I have my own space, I don''t mind," Mia said with a confident nod, "What about you?" She asked Jeff.

    "I''m fine with it too. What do you guys n to do with Simon?" Jeff asked Bryan curiously, and he and Mia listened attentively as Bryan exined all that happened, including Anita''s role in it, before telling their n to them.

    "She sounds evil," Jeff said with disapproval.

    "She is a bitch. I''m d she will be dealt with ordingly!" Mia said with disgust.

    "By the way, I''m still receiving a lot of calls from all thepanies that canceled their endorsement deals with you over the scandal. They want you back. What should I do?"

    "I told you already. Let them go, Jeff. I would rather work with theirpetitors than go back to them. I hatepanies that stand by celebrities only in their rosy times," Bryan said with a scowl, and Mia gave Jeff an I told you so look.

    "I hope you both will be ready to move by the end of the week as discussed? After we wrap up here with Simon and I tie up loose ends at Golden Star, I will be ready to move..." The rest of his words trailed off when they heard the doorbell.

    "Are you expecting anyone?" Jeff asked as he rose to see who was at the door, but Bryan shook his head.

    "Hey, Matt!" Jeff greeted cheerfully.

    "That bastard is in, I guess?" Mat asked as he shook hands with Jeff, who gave him a nod.

    "Matt?" Bryan called in surprise when he heard Matt''s voice.

    "Hello, Mia!" Matt greeted Mia, who returned his greeting, before facing Bryan.

    "Why am I thest to find out that my best friend canceled his contract with Golden Star?" Matt asked with a scowl.

    "Maybe because you were too busy nursing your broken heart to care about the rest of us in the world," Bryan said with a grin and quickly moved away when Matt tried to hit him.

    "At least I wasn''t dumped in the middle of a reality show," Matt said with a smirk.

    "It was the end of the show. You crawled out from under your rock toote. That ship has sailed,nded, and reloaded," Bryan said with a smirk of his own.

    "Whatever. Where is my beautiful Sonia?" Matt asked, looking around.

    "She is inside sleeping. She''s not feeling well," Bryan said before looking at Jeff and Mia, who seemed like they were ready to leave.

    "You can both wrap up things at your end between now and the weekend. By Monday, you have to meet with Harry," Bryan said, and Matt looked at him curiously.

    "Harry? Your brother''s best friend? What are they meeting him for? And why are they here when you are no longer with Golden Star?" Matt asked, and Bryan sighed as he was already tired of repeating the story.

    "I will fill you in on all you have missed after seeing them off," Bryan promised.

 Chapter 372 Best Friends Forever

    Chapter 372 Best Friends Forever����Alone in the bedroom, Sonia smiled as she watched the clip which Lucy had forwarded to her of Tom and Harry talking to Anita. She was sure d that Lucy had such capable men in her life who had her back.

    No. Not just Lucy. She also had them in her life too. Tom was Bryan''s brother, after all, and she knew he wouldn''t hesitate toe through for her if she needed him, and Harry was not just Tom''s best friend. He was most likely to be Jade''s partner too, so he was family as well, and the beautiful thing about the Hank family was that they had each other''s back, even if it didn''t look so when watching them from afar. She was d that she and Lucy were a part of them, even if not officially.

    With a sigh, Sonia dialed Lucy''s line.

    Lucy, who was seated beside Tom as he dialed Jade''s line, quickly picked up her phone when it started ringing and she saw that it was Sonia.

    "I will step out to speak with Jade while you talk to Sonia," Tom offered, and Lucy gave him a nod and watched him walk away as she received Sonia''s call.

    "Thank goodness you finally called! I was just about to dial your line one more time before concluding that you have either been kidnapped or you abandoned me," Lucy joked, and Soniaughed softly.

    "I''m sorry about that. I wasn''t feeling too well, so I wasn''t really..."

    Lucy''s brows pulled together in a deep frown the moment she heard Sonia''s weak voice, "What is wrong? Are you ill?" She asked in rm.

    "Yeah. I got the Flu. I''ve taken some medicine for it, and I''m resting now."

    "Flu? You shouldn''t have traveled if you were ill," Lucy said, very worried.

    "Don''t worry..."

    "How can I not worry? You rarely fall ill. Are you sure it''s just flu? You should go to the hospital. I will call Bryan..."

    "Don''t, Lu! He is worried enough already. I''m fine," Sonia assured her.

    "I''m serious, Lu. Don''t worry about me. They are all taking good care of me over here," Sonia said when Lucy remained silent after some time.

    "Howe you are always the one taking care of me and worrying about me, but you never let me worry about you. Why?" Lucy asked, and Sonia sighed.

    "Because you are my baby, and I don''t like to see you worried. Besides, I''m sure you have enough on your mind right now. That reminds me, I saw the clip you sent. Tom sure knows how to shut the door in people''s faces," Sonia said, skillfully changing the subject.

    "Yeah. Let''s hope she got the message and stops being such a bother," Lucy said, and Sonia sighed.

    "I doubt that. People that suffer from her kind of delusion do not react to such direct insults and rejection too well. She is going to try to do something silly," Sonia predicted with a yawn.

    "You think so?"

    "Yeah. I''ve written about a character like her before, and I had to do a lot of research on their mental state. Don''t worry, though. I''m sure Tom and Harry will take care of her before things get out of control," Sonia assured Lucy with another yawn.

    "You won''t believe what Tom found out about Anita''s family," Lucy said and went on to tell Sonia all that Tom had told her.

    "Why am I not surprised? I hope we will be back early enough to witness their disgrace. I''d love to sit in the front row," Sonia said, and Lucy smiled.

    "Me too. I want to watch it with you. By the way, I''ve epted that job offer," Lucy said and started by telling Sonia about Tom''s meeting with Prisci, and all thedy had told Tom.

    "It seems like Tom had a fun day," Sonia said with another yawn.

    "You are yawning a lot. You must be very tired," Lucy observed.

    "I feel very tired. And the medication is making me feel drowsy too."

    "I should let you rest then. I will give Bryan a call to check on youter," Lucy said when she heard Sonia yawn again.

    "Sure. Just don''t nag him when you do."

    "Yes, mommy," Lucy said with a roll of her eyes before remembering why she had wanted to call Sonia earlier, "Remind meter to tell you about the mini showdown I had with some female colleagues who were badmouthing me today," Lucy said, and Sonia who had been settling into afortable position to sleep, sat up.

    "Showdown? Tell me about it," she said excitedly.

    "I will tell you after you wake up. You should rest," Lucy said, but Sonia wasn''t having none of that.

    "Rest? I''m not tired. I want to hear it," Sonia said as she clicked on the recording icon on her phone.

    Lucy giggled, "You gossipmonger. You said you were tired and feeling sleepy a few seconds ago," Lucy reminded her.

    "So why did you bring it up if you weren''t going to tell me about it now?" Sonia hissed at her as she got off the bed and went to the bathroom to ssh running water on her face.

    "I said you should remind me, so I don''t forget to mention it. Also, remind me to tell you how I kissed Tom in the lobby in the presence of everyone," Lucy said, and Sonia''s mouth dropped open in disbelief.

    "You didn''t!"

    "Trust me, I did! I grabbed his butt yesterday, and today I kissed him in public," Lucy said with a giggle, unable to believe the kind of out-of-character stunts she was pulling now because of Tom.

    "Why am I surprised? If you could make out with him in the presence of both your parents and his, I''m sure you can do anything now," Sonia said in amusement, and Lucy''s face colored in embarrassment.

    "Please, don''t remind me of that," she said, and Soniaughed softly, already feeling better merely by talking to Lucy.

    "So, are you going to tell me about the showdown now? I''m not feeling so sleepy anymore," Sonia said as she returned to the bed.

    Lucy giggled, "Nah. Let''s save that forter. Remind me also to tell you what your friend Candace did."

    "C''mon, Lu! Why are there so many things to remind you of? What did Candace do? And why can''t you tell me about it now?" Sonia protested.

    "I can''t tell you now because I have to start getting ready to go out with Tom. We are having dinner with Harry and his dad by 7 PM. I promise to give you the details tomorrow. So make sure you remind me of it."

    "You are having dinner with Harry''s dad?" Sonia asked curiously.

    "Yeah. Why? You want to write about him too?" Lucy asked jocrly, and Sonia giggled.

    "Well, since the story is a trilogy, I should at least know the background of my third male lead, shouldn''t I?" Sonia said reasonably.

    "Yes, you should. But I also think you should talk to Harry before writing about him. I''m not sure he would like to be written about without his knowledge. Plus, he really doesn''t like being lied to, and I don''t want him to feel I kept this from him deliberately," Lucy said, and Sonia narrowed her eyes.

    "You sound like you are very close to him. Are you friends with him now?" Sonia asked curiously.

    "Yeah. I told you he recorded and sent that clip to me without Tom''s knowledge, remember?" Lucy said, and Sonia smiled.

    "True. But I''m not that close to him, so how do you expect me to tell him that I want to write about him? Besides, it''s not like I''m going to be using his real name or anything. He won''t even know he''s the one if you don''t tell him."

    "Focus on the first two stories and leave Harry and Jade''s story until you are close to him enough to tell him what you want to do. Besides, you need to be sure beyond reasonable doubt that he would get romantically involved with Jade for you to write about them," Lucy reminded her.

    Sonia sighed, "True. By the way, I want to discuss something with you too. Maybe we can talk about itter since you have to prepare for your dinner date now," Sonia said, making Lucy pause.

    "Is it urgent? We can talk about it now if it''s very important," Lucy offered.

    "Nah. It can wait. It''s just rted to my career, and I need your advice. So let''s talk about it when we talkter," Sonia said.

    "Alright. Make sure to get more than enough rest and eat very well."

    "I will. Have fun. And if possible, record the dinner conversation..."

    "I won''t!" Lucy said, and Sonia rolled her eyes.

    "Yeah, I wasn''t expecting you to agree anyway," Sonia said, and a yawn escaped from her lips before she could stifle it.

    "I love you, Sony. You know that, right?" Lucy asked, sounding serious all of a sudden.

    "I... I love you too," Sonia said, wondering where it wasing from since Lucy wasn''t usually very expressive.

    "That isn''t the answer to my question, Sony. You realize that I love you, and I can''t imagine my life without you, right?" Lucy asked, and Sonia''s smile wobbled as tears gathered in her eyes.

    "Of course. What can you do without me?" Sonia asked jokingly as she used Bryan''s shirt, which was on the bed beside her, to wipe the tears from her eyes.

    "You are the most beautiful, brave, bold, and brilliant girl I know. I would never have survived all that happened had you not been beside me. I know I''ve never said this to you before, but thank you for not taking sides with your family and for not leaving me. And thank you for being strong for us both," Lucy said with a sniffle as she wiped her tears. Perhaps it was because of her conversation with Amy earlier. She was feeling very emotional.

    "You are going to make me cry, Lu," Sonia said, her lips quavering as more tears dropped from her eyes. Why was Lucy saying this? Why was everyone making her feel so emotional today?

    "I want you to always be healthy, Sony. I want us to grow old together. I want to always have you by my side and be by your side too..."

    "You are my best friend forever," Sonia assured her.

    "And even though I don''t tell you enough, I love you to the moon, sun, stars, satellite, space, and back," Lucy said, and Soniaughed soppily.

    "Stop it, Lu!"

    Lucy wiped the tears from her eyes just as Tom returned to the bedroom, and she cleared her throat, "Alright. This is awkward. I have to go now. Make sure you take your meds and get enough rest."

    "You''ve said that more than once already. Bye!" Sonia said with a giggle before hanging up.

 Chapter 373 Crush

    Chapter 373 Crush����One look at Lucy''s face, and Tom could tell that she had shed some tears. "Is Sonia okay?" He asked, and Lucy nodded.

    "She is down with the flu, but she sounds fine," Lucy said with a small smile as she stood from the couch, ready to shower.

    "I take it you shed some tears because you were still feeling emotional about Amy''s situation with her best friend?" Tom said as she headed for the closet, and Lucy stopped and turned to look at him.

    "Am I that easy to read?"

    "I don''t think so. I like to believe that reading you is my superpower," Tom said with a grin as he held out his arms to her.

    Lucy smiled as she went to meet him, "I guess I should believe that too," she said, and Tom nodded as he embraced her.

    "I know you love her, and you are scared of losing her. But don''t worry too much. She will be fine. I''m sure Bryan and my parents will look after her well," he assured her as he kissed her forehead, and she gave him a nod.

    "How did your conversation with Jade go?" Lucy asked when she remembered that he had left to speak with Jade earlier.

    "She didn''t know about the letter. She was surprised and asked that I give her some time to speak with Candace and get back to me," Tom said, and Lucy nodded as she nced at the clock.

    "It''s past 6 PM already. We should get ready if we don''t want to bete," Lucy pointed out.

    "You can use the bathroom first. I will go down and check on the kid before getting ready," Tom said, knowing that Lucy needed space to clean upfortably.

    "Alright," Lucy said as she pulled away from him and turned to leave, but Tom pulled her back and kissed her lips.

    "I love you," Tom said, gazing into her eyes as he brushed his knuckles along her jawline.

    She smiled at him, "I know. And I love you too," she said, and Tom gave her a nod before walking away.

    Once he got to the kitchen, he saw Jamal seated on the kitchen ind, munching on a piece of chocte cookie while watching Samantha and the other maids prepare dinner, "Hey!" Tom greeted from the doorway, and everyone looked at him, including Jamal, who looked back at him with dull eyes.

    "Hi!" Jamal responded since he was the one Tom was staring at.

    "Do you mind having a word with me?" Tom asked, and Jamal shrugged indifferently as he plopped the remaining piece of cookie into his mouth.

    Tom went to where the kid was seated and lifted him off the ind to the floor, "Let''s go to the Den," he said as he led the kid out of the kitchen while Samantha and the others tried to mind their business.

    Once they got to the Den, Tom sat on one of the couches, and Jamal did the same, "Do you like staying here?" Tom asked curiously.

    Jamal looked at him for a moment, "It used to be fun," he said in a quiet voice.

    "It is no longer fun?"

    He shook his head, "Everyone else has left. It''s quiet and boring now," Jamal said, and Tom nodded.

    "I''m not bored," Tom pointed out, and Jamal looked at him for a moment.

    "Only because you have Lucy," Jamal pointed out sullenly.

    "That''s right," Tom said, amused by the kid''s perspective, "But you also have Samantha and everyone else."

    "It''s not the same. They are always busy," Jamal said, and Tom nodded.

    "Lucy is always busy too."

    "I don''t mind," Jamal said, and this time Tom chuckled. Okay. It seemed like the kid had a crush on Lucy.

    "Would you like me to get you a home teacher? That way, you wouldn''t miss out on your school work too much while you are here, and it might help you stay busy," Tom suggested, and Jamal gave him an indifferent shrug.

    "Maybe we can y games in the evening when I''m back from work and hang out over the weekend," Tom suggested, and Jamal''s dull eyes lit up, letting Tom know he liked the idea.

    "Will we go bowling too?"

    "If you promise to be a good boy and not cry, then we will go to any fun ce you want. And you can also talk to your mother over the phone," Tom promised, and Jamal''s face brightened.

    "I won''t cry. I will be good," he promised excitedly.

    "Good. Lucy and I are going out for dinner soon. I will ask Samantha and the others to stay up and watch a cartoon with you. We will try toe back early. If you are still up by the time we get back, I will tuck you in and read you a bedtime story. Deal?" Tom asked, and Jamal looked at him like he was contemting something.

    "Will Lucy be there to tuck me in too?" Jamal asked with hopeful eyes, and Tom smiled knowingly. Definitely a crush.

    "You want her to?" Tom asked, and Jamal bobbed his head.

    "We will have to ask her about it," Tom said as he rose, and Jamal did the same.

    By the time Tom returned to the bedroom, Lucy was out of the bathroom, dressed in a bathing robe as she searched the closet for something to wear.

    "You didn''t think that you''d need to dress up for dinner," Tom said, knowing that she hadn''t packed any clothes.

    "I''m sure my work clothes will suffice. After all, you guys will be wearing suits..." Tom watched in amusement as she spoke since he could tell that she didn''t exactly like the idea of wearing formal clothes to dinner with friends.

    "It''s not the same thing. Go to the closet in Jade''s bedroom and see if you can find something you like. If you don''t, we can stop on our way to get you something," Tom suggested, cutting her off.

    Lucy opened her mouth, ready to argue, but when she saw the way he was staring at her like he was anticipating an argument, she shed him a smile instead.

    "Thanks," she said as she walked out of the bedroom, leaving Tom, whose chuckle escorted her out.

    Away from there, as Soniay back on the bed, ready to respond to the beckoning call of sleep, a knock sounded on the door, and she opened her eyes to see who it was.

    "Come in," she called, guessing it was probably Evelyn.

    "Are you sleeping already?" Desmond asked as he peered into the bedroom from the doorway.

    Sonia yawned, "Not yet. But I was about to. Did you want something?" she asked, trying to sit up as Desmond walked in.

    "Other than keeping youpany? Nah. You don''t have to sit up. I will just sit beside you and watch over you while you sleep. Bryan is busy with Matt, and Eve needs to rest for a bit," Desmond said as he pulled the single couch in the bedroom closer to Sonia''s side of the bed before reaching over with his hand to feel her temperature.

    "The fever has gone down. How are you feeling now?" He asked with concerned eyes.

    "I''m fine. You realize I can''t sleep if you are here watching me, right?" Sonia asked as she sat up, and Desmond grinned.

    "Why? Because I''m too handsome?"

    Sonia threw back her head andughed, "You spent too much time in Andrew''spany. He has ruined you," Sonia said with a shake of her head, and Desmondughed.

    "As long as it makes youugh, I don''t mind being ruined," Desmond said as he helped her adjust the pillows behind her so that she would be seated in afortable position.

    "You are so sweet. Your family is sweet too," Sonia said as she watched him lower himself to the couch beside her.

    "Am I? Sweeter than Andrew?" Desmond asked, and once again, Soniaughed.

    "Why? You want to steal his spot in my heart?" Sonia asked, cocking her head to the side.

    "Nah. I don''t have to steal anything. I''m sure you''ll carve my own spot soon enough," Desmond said confidently, and Sonia grinned.

    "Who says you don''t have your own spot already?" Sonia teased.

    "Do I?" Desmond asked yfully, and Sonia smiled at him.

    "What do you want?" Sonia asked curiously.

    From the look in his intelligent blue eyes that reminded her of Bryan''s eyes, she could tell he was not there to just make small talk with her.

    He had old eyes. Eyes that looked like they could see through you and knew every secret you were trying to hide. She liked to describe his eyes as sage eyes.

    "I told you already. To keep youpany," Desmond said as he held Sonia''s guarded gaze.

    "What do you want to know?" Sonia asked, and this time Desmond chuckled.

    "Are you always this suspicious?"

    "No. I''m not."

    "So why can''t you just believe that I''m here to watch over you?" Desmond asked, and Sonia smiled.

    "I believe you are here to watch over me, but I also believe that is not the only reason you are here. I noticed the way you were staring at me on the ne earlier. I''m a writer. Things hardly get past me," Sonia said, and Desmond nodded.

    "I want to know how you are doing," Desmond said, and Sonia smiled.

    "I told you already. I''m fine. I think the medication is working. All I need is to rest and..."

    "I''m not talking about the medicine, and I know you know it," Desmond cut in, and Sonia sighed.

    "How are you?" Desmond repeated.

    "Were you a shrink or something?" Sonia asked curiously.

    "A priest. I was going to be a priest before I met Eve, and like Adam, I let her lead me astray," Desmond said with a straight face, and Sonia''s mouth dropped open in surprise before he burst into a peal ofughter.

    "I was just kidding," he said amidst hisughter, and this time Soniaughed too.

    "I can''t believe I bought that," Sonia said in amusement.

    "To answer your question, I''m not a shrink, but I did take a couple of courses in psychology some years ago. Needed to for Eve''s sake," Desmond said, and Sonia raised a brow.

    "Why? Did she have psychological problems?" Sonia asked curiously.

    "You could say that. She grew up with an alcoholic mother and an abusive father. Her father used to molest her kid sister," Desmond said tly, and Sonia''s brows pulled together.

    "Evelyn?" She asked, unable to believe that someone as tough as Evelyn could have experienced something like that.

    "Yeah. Eve. She always felt guilty about it, wishing he had molested her instead of her little sister. She was too young and couldn''t stop him from molesting her, and their mother was too drunk half the time to do anything about it. She finally snapped when her sister died of sepsis, and she stabbed him in his sleep," Desmond said, and Sonia''s eyes widened in surprise.

    "She killed her father?"

    "Unfortunately for him, he didn''t die. But he was hurt badly enough for her mother to call an ambnce, and then the police were involved," Desmond said, and Sonia frowned.

    "How old was she?"

    "She was twelve. Her sister was nine. Eve lived with the guilt for years. And even though she was taken away from them and ced in foster care, she didn''t move on from it. She med herself for living after her sister died," Desmond said, and Sonia sighed.

    "That''s terrible."

    "Do you me yourself for what happened to Lucy? Is that why you took her side against your family''s?" Desmond asked curiously, and Sonia blinked at him, surprised by how quickly he had turned the discussion to her.

    "I took her side because my parents were wrong," Sonia said after a while.

    "Good. So do you me yourself for what happened to Lucy?" Desmond asked again.

    "Jamie was my brother. My half-brother," Sonia said quietly, as though that answered the question and exined her position.

    "So you me yourself for something your half-brother did, just like Evelyn med herself for something her father did," Desmond said, and Sonia frowned.

    "It''s different."

    "Is it?"

    "Evelyn was a helpless kid. I wasn''t. I could have done something."

    "Like what?" Desmond asked curiously.

    "She wouldn''t have met Jamie had I not been her friend."

    "Do you regret your friendship with Lucy?" Desmond asked curiously.

    "Of course not! I don''t," Sonia said passionately.

    "So, what do you think you could have done to stop what happened from happening apart from not being friends with her?" Desmond asked again.

    "Better put, if you had the powers to change something in the past, what would you have changed?" Desmond asked.

    Sonia frowned as she considered the question, "I could have convinced Lucy to tell her parents about it. I could have told my mom about it or confronted Jamie."

    "Lucy could have done so if she wanted to. Her not doing so had nothing to do with you. Telling your mother or confronting Jamie would also not have changed anything. It wasn''t your fault that your half-brother did what he did. And it wasn''t your fault that Lucy handled it the way she did either. You were an innocent bystander," Desmond said, and tears filled Sonia''s eyes.

    "Did you attend your parents'' funeral?" He asked, and Sonia shook her head.

    "Why? Hold on, Let me guess. You didn''t want to leave Lucy''s side? You felt it would be betrayal on your part if you attended the funeral of the people who tried to pin their son''s death on her?" Desmond asked as he handed Sonia his handkerchief.

    "Why are you saying all this?" Sonia asked as she wiped her tears.

    "Because I think you have been carrying an unnecessary burden for years. I bet you haven''t had a good argument with Lucy since after that incident, have you?" Desmond asked, and Sonia frowned.

    "There is nothing to fight about. We love each other, and we understand each other."

    "I know you love each other, but I also know you are not aspletely open with her as you would love to be. Don''t you want to visit your mother''s graveside? Don''t you miss your mother? Whenst did you talk to Lucy about your mother or family? Have you even mourned your mother''s death?" Desmond asked, and this time Sonia broke into a sob.

    Desmond stood from his seat and went to sit beside her as he gathered her close, "Stop being lonely in the midst of people who deeply care about you, and stop being a stranger when you are with family. Lucy and her family love you, and I know they don''t me you for what happened, so stop ming yourself," Desmond murmured as he patted her back while she wept.

 Chapter 374 Dont Leave

    Chapter 374 Don''t Leave����Lucasughed as he and Miley walked out of the Cinema while sheined about the movie they had just finished seeing.

    "It was crazy, seriously. I think Elena should have ended up with Trevor, not Con."

    "Why? Because Trevor is cuter?" Lucas asked curiously.

    "Well, there is that. He''s more my spec than Con is," Miley said, shing him a grin.

    "Or maybe you just feel sorry for Trevor because he''s not as rich as Con," Lucas said, and Miley frowned as they both stopped by her car.

    "You think so? You don''t think Con was too cunning with his corny lines?" She asked, and Lucas chuckled at her deliberate wordy.

    "I think it was an interesting movie, and Sonia won''t appreciate you referring to Bryan that way," Lucas said, since Bryan had yed the roll of Con in the movie, and Miley rolled her eyes.

    "Do you know I forgot for a moment that you personally know Bryan Hank?" She asked, and Lucas smiled.

    "I won''t exactly say I know him personally yet. We really didn''t talk much when we met," Lucas said, and Miley nodded as she unlocked the car.

    "It has been a nice day. Thanks for getting my mind off my problems," Lucas said with serious eyes as he watched her because he had actually not thought of anything serious all day, thanks to her.

    "I''m better for you than the alcohol, am I not?" She asked yfully as she opened the driver''s door.

    "Yes, you are. I have to leave you now," Lucas said, and the smile left her face.

    "Where are you going from here? Home? Why don''t you get in, so I drop you off?" Miley offered as she got into the car, feeling reluctant to let Lucas go despite the fact that he had spent most of the day with her.

    "As long as you don''t try to convince me to stay an extra hour with you," Lucas said with a knowing smile, and Miley grinned at him unashamed.

    "You were supposed to be my drinking buddy and be my audience while I wallow in self-pity. I haven''t even had any drink yet," she reminded him as she nced at her wristwatch. It was almost 7 PM already. Still too early for her to go to bed.

    "You shouldn''t drink either or wallow in self-pity. Instead, it would be best if you went home to your family so that they canfort you and you can do the same," Lucas said, and she eyed him with mild annoyance.

    "I already told you why I can''t do that yet," she said as she distractedly tossed her hair back withzy feminine grace.

    "Because you don''t want them to force you into receiving treatments, and you want to go home with a man and tell them you want to get married and live happily ever after with him before you die, am I right?" Lucas asked, summarizing everything he had learned from her thus far.

    "Why are you making it sound like you think it''s a stupid idea?" Miley asked, and Lucas scoffed.

    "Because I think it is ridiculous."

    "But you didn''t say so earlier when I first said it," Miley pointed out.

    "Only because I thought you were kidding the first time about the marriage and having a child," Lucas said incredulously.

    When she had mentioned that one of the things on her bucket list was getting married and having a child before her death, he had dismissed it with augh and had brought up another conversation. But in the course of the day, she had mentioned it a couple of times again and was beginning to realize that she actually meant it.

    "Why will I be kidding about something as important as that?" Miley asked, slightly pissed that he wasn''t taking her seriously.

    "For starters, it takes an average of nine months to carry a pregnancy, and you already stated more than once that you have less than six months. When are you going to find the man? When are you going to get married and then get pregnant? Do you n on having the child within five months? I know this is important to you, but it is not realistic. I''m sorry," Lucas said reasonably as he watched her.

    "And you think I haven''t thought of all that already?" Miley asked with a slight frown, wondering if he thought she was an airhead.

    "You have?" Lucas asked curiously.

    "Of course. I''m sure I would be able to find someone decent to love me and marry me at the right price. I will make the man give me his sperm, and then with my eggs, we could get a surrogate. Even if I die, she can have my baby, and my parents will raise the kid," Miley said with a proud smile, and Lucas looked at her sadly.

    "You want to pay someone to love you?"

    She shrugged, "I''m sure none of those guys who imed to love me in the past would be keen on being with me now if they find out I''m dying. Besides, I would only attract golddiggers anyway. So it''s best I choose a man of my choice and pay him. That way, I can get all the love and attention I want before I die."

    "What about you? Don''t you want to fall in love? Do you think you would be satisfied with just having anyone in your life? Especially when you know you are paying them to love you?" Lucas asked curiously.

    "No offense, but you were in love too. How did it work out for you? Love is beautiful and all, but I don''t have the luxury of time to fall in love. I just want to be happy and..." The rest of her words trailed off when her vision suddenly blurred, and she winced when pain shot through her head.

    "Are you with your med?" Lucas asked in concern when she raised both hands to her temple, and he quickly picked up her handbag and handed it to her so she would take the pills.

    "I think so," she said in a very small voice as she reached for the prescription bottle she usually left in her handbag, but it was empty.

    "Oh, no! Oh, God! Not now!" She cried as she poured out all the content of her bag as though she would miraculously find a pill inside.

    "You don''t have any stashed somewhere in your car?" Lucas asked with a frown, and she shook her head slowly as tears dropped from her eyes.

    "I don''t," she cried.

    Lucas frowned as he looked around. There weren''t any pharmacies around them, and even if there were, he couldn''t just walk into any pharmacy to get it since it was a prescription medication and she wasn''t his patient.

    Without wasting another moment thinking about it, he got out of the car and went to open the driver''s door, "I will take you back to the hotel as quickly as I can, and then you can take your pill," Lucas said as he ced an arm around her shoulder and helped her get out of the car.

    Miley held him tightly as he escorted her around the car to the passenger seat, and once she was seated, he helped her buckle her seatbelt before getting into the car and driving off.

    True to his word, he drove as quickly as possible while ncing at her at intervals and squeezing her hand supportively as she cried softly.

    The moment he drove into the hotel premise and parked in front of her apartment, he picked up the key card, which had fallen out of her handbag, before getting out of the car.

    Once he unlocked the door, he returned to her side of the car, and without waiting for her to get out, he unbuckled her seatbelt and carried her bridal style inside the apartment.

    He headed straight to the bedroom and picked up the prescription bottle quickly alongside a bottle of water, and handed it to her. He sat on the edge of the table as he watched her swallow three pills hurriedly before breaking into another sob.

    Watching her cry, Lucas felt his heart contract painfully, and he sat beside her and gathered her close to himself.

    "This is not fair. I didn''t do anything to deserve this pain. I didn''t," she murmured as she cried.

    "I''ve done my best to be a good person. Why do I get to die while someone as despicable as Rachel is alive and healthy? Why? Why me?" She cried bitterly, but Lucas said nothing as he held her and let her cry.

    He didn''t know what to say. He didn''t have an answer to her question. The best he could do was to hold her and let her cry.

    Lucas didn''t know how long he sat there consoling her, but it was when he didn''t hear any word from her again that he looked down at her and realized that she had fallen asleep.

    Lucas sighed as he held her away from himself, but before he could stand up, she grabbed the front of his shirt, "Please, don''t leave me," she said drowsily without opening her eyes.

    "I have to take you to your bed," Lucas said as he gently detached her hand from his shirt and stood up before carrying her to the bedroom.

    Hey her on the bed gently, but before he could straighten up, she grabbed his hand once again, "Don''t leave."

    Lucas sat down beside her with a sigh and covered her elegant hand with his other hand as he watched her sleep. Her face was pale, and her longshes were still wet with tears.

    He didn''t like that he was bing more worried about her or that he was feeling attached to her in a way. Watching her sleep now, she seemed so fragile and nothing like thedy who had beenughing beside him a while ago at the cinema.

    He slowly let go of her hand, "I''m not leaving tonight," he assured her quietly as he stood up and pulled the duvet over her.

    He was going to make sure to leave the next day and go as far away from her as possible. She was making him worry, and he didn''t want to.

    Once he made sure she was well covered, he returned outside to the car, which he had left, and shut the door. He gathered back the items she had poured out of her bag, as well as both their phones, before returning to the house.

    Seated on the couch, he contemted his options. Perhaps he should find a way to reach her family and inform them of her situation? She would be mad at him. He reasoned with a sigh. It wasn''t his ce to do that.

    He thought about Lucy''s secretary, who was her friend and who already knew about the situation, and decided to give Lucy a call. Maybe he could get the secretary''s number from Lucy and give her a call.

    Just as he dialed Lucy''s line, he heard the door open from the outside, and he stood up to see who it was.

    Amy, who had just opened the door and was dragging in her luggage bag, stopped when she sighted the man who she recognized to be her boss'' twin brother, and they both stood still staring at each other.

 Chapter 375 Dinner

    Chapter 375 Dinner����"What do you think?" Lucy asked as she walked into the bedroom to join Tom, but she stopped to admire his outfit when she noticed that he was dressed and looked almost ready to leave.

    He was dressed in a white long-sleeved shirt, but the sleeves were rolled over to his elbow, and the shirt was tucked into a pair of grey id pants. The top three buttons of his shirt were left open, revealing the gold neck chain he was wearing.

    "Why do you have to always look so handsome?" she asked with a silly smile, and Tom grinned as he looked her over.

    "Just so you can keep falling for me," Tom said as he continued to look at the dress she was wearing with thoughtful eyes.

    "What? You don''t like the dress?" Lucy asked with a slight frown as she looked down at the simple blue halter knee-length dress she was wearing.

    "I don''t think there is a thing you would wear that I wouldn''t love. My eyes are biased when ites to you," Tom said, and Lucy blushed slightly.

    "But what?" She asked, knowing he wasn''t satisfied.

    "It''s nothing serious. I wasn''t nning on wearing a zer but seeing how exposed your dress is, I was trying to figure out what zer to take along with me in case you get cold. I don''t want to ruin your outfit," Tom said, and Lucy smiled as she walked up to him and embraced him.

    "You are too sweet," Lucy said as she ran her hands up his back.

    "And we are going to be veryte if you keep that up," Tom said as he kissed her forehead and pulled away from her.

    "We have less than thirty minutes left. It''s past 7 PM already," Tom said as he walked into the closet to find a zer, while Lucy went to the dressing table to add some finishing touches to her face and hair.

    By the time Tom stepped out of the closet ten minutester, wearing a ck zer over his shirt, she was dabbing some perfume on her wrist, and he smiled as he went to stand behind her.

    She had let her hair down and was wearing her green-colored contact lens instead of her sses, "You are beautiful," he said as he brushed her hair to the side and kissed her neck.

    "Thank you," she said with a smile directed at his reflection in the mirror, "And don''t think I have not noticed how you are extra pleased whenever I let my hair down or leave my sses," Lucy said, and Tom grinned.

    "Feel free to tell me something you would like me to do in return each time you do it," Tom said, and Lucy smirked.

    "I will keep that in mind," she promised as she walked away from him and went to sit on the couch so she could put on her pair of high-heeled nude sandals.

    Tom followed her and crouched down in front of her as he took the sandals from her, "Let me help you with that," he said as he helped her buckle her sandals.

    Lucy giggled suddenly, and Tom looked up at her, "What''s funny?"

    "I just remembered that I was supposed to teach you how to be an ideal boyfriend," she said with amidst herughter, and Tom chuckled as he straightened up.

    "You are doing a good job, don''t you think?" Tom asked as he held out his hand to help her up, and Lucy shook her head as he pulled her up.

    "You are such a crook. You tricked me into being your girlfriend with thatme excuse," Lucy said with mock indignation.

    "I''m so ashamed of myself," Tom said, facepalming himself, and she smiled.

    "You should be. Let''s leave now," Lucy said as she took his hand and pulled him towards the door.

    Once they got downstairs, they met Samantha in the dining eating with Jamal, and Tom watched in amusement as the kid stood up once he saw Lucy and approached them.

    "You look different," Jamal observed, and Lucy smiled at him.

    "I do? Good different or bad different?"

    He shrugged, "It''s your hair. I like you better with your hair up and your sses," Jamal said, and Tom red at the kid while Lucy smiled at him.

    "So you don''t think I look good right now?" She asked curiously.

    "You look good. But I like your sses," Jamal said, and Lucy bent forward and kissed his cheek.

    "You are such a little gentleman. Thank you," she said with a pleased smile as she stepped back and turned to Tom.

    "Will you tuck me in and read me bedtime stories if I''m still awake when you get back?" Jamal asked, causing her to turn to him again.

    "Bedtime stories?" Lucy asked, not because she didn''t know what it meant but because she was surprised that he was asking that of her.

    "Yes. Please?" Jamal asked, and Lucy looked at Tom, who just looked back at her without saying a word.

    She cleared her throat as she shed Jamal a smile, "Sure. I will," she promised, and Jamal smiled at them both before returning to the table, while Tom gave instructions to Samantha before leading Lucy away.

    "If you are notfortable with the kid''s request, you don''t have to do it," Tom assured her once they were seated in the car.

    "I was taken aback, not necessarily ufortable. Reading him a bedtime story isn''t a big deal," Lucy said confidently, and Tom nodded as he turned on the car''s ignition and drove off.

    Thirty minutester, they arrived at the restaurant, and both Harry and his father stood up when they saw Tom and Lucy approaching their table, "I''m sorry we kept you waiting. It was my..."

    "Don''t bother with the apology. A lovelydy like you is worth waiting for," Aaron cut in smoothly with a broad smile, making Lucy smile back.

    "I''m Aaron Jonas, the proud father to this shamelessly single young man standing beside me. Call me Aaron," Aaron said as he extended a hand to Lucy, and Lucy giggled as she ced her hand in his, and he bowed as he lifted it to his lips.

    "Your dad has dangerous moves. You should take some lessons from him," Tom whispered to Harry as he eyed Aaron.

    "I''m Lucinda Perry, the proud girlfriend to this dashing man standing beside me. It''s nice to meet you, Aaron," Lucy said with a bright smile as she lowered herself to the seat, which Tom held out for her while Harry rolled his eyes. Tom and Lucy were both a very annoying pair.

    Once Lucy was seated, Harry sat down while Tom shook hands with Aaron, "You don''t look like you aged a day since west met."

    "I wish that were true," Aaron said with a chuckle as he pped Tom''s back fondly, and they both sat down.

    "I should officially introduce you to my..."

    "Rx, Tom. I know she is your Jewel already," Aaron said, much to the amusement of Tom and Lucy.

    It was obvious that Harry had been gossiping about them to his father, and Lucy was curious to know what he had said to his father.

    "I heard you did a lot of silly things to get her," Aaron said with a grin.

    "Please do not remind me," Tom said, and Aaronughed.

    "It''s good to see you again, Tom. I only wish you had gotten your friend a girlfriend while getting yourself one," he whispered to Tom loud enough for everyone to hear, and they allughed apart from Harry, who had a scowl on his face.

    "I''m very well capable of getting myself a girlfriend! Besides, I already told you I have a date," Harry reminded his father as he signaled a waiter over.

    "Oh, yeah! You did say so. Why did I forget? I must have be too used to you being single to remember that," Aaron said with a sigh.

    "With the girl Jade hooked you up with? I thought you said you weren''t interested?" Tom asked, and Aaron raised a brow.

    "Your sister hooked him up with ady?" He asked curiously.

    Harry shot his dad a look, but thankfully before any of them could speak, the waiter came, and they all had to give their orders. Once they were done, Harry turned his attention to Lucy, wanting to shift the discussion away from himself.

    "Did you enjoy the short movie I sent you, Lulu?" Harry asked, and Lucy smiled at him.

    "Yes, I did. Thank you. I owe you one..."

    "You don''t owe him anything," Tom cut in, and Harry chuckled.

    "Yeah, you don''t owe me anything. We are friends after all," Harry said as he winked at Lucy, who giggled while Tom eyed him unpleasantly.

    "I wonder how you both manage to run such a sessfulpany," Aaron said with a tsk.

    "So tell me, Tom''s Jewel. What did you see in this punk?" He asked, jerking his head towards Tom, and Lucy smiled.

    "He is good-looking," Lucy said with a shrug, and Tom looked at her with a bewildered look on his face.

    "That''s what you saw?" Tom asked, and she bobbed her head, making both Harry and Aaronugh.

    "I agree with you, Lulu. He is just a pretty face," Harry said with a chuckle.

    "He''s not just a pretty face. There''s a lot more to him than that. But his pretty face was what first attracted me to him physically," Lucy exined, and Tom sighed in relief, making Aaron smile.

    "I''m curious about something, though. How did you not know that Tom was your driver regardless of the disguise?"

    "I can see Harry already bared his soul to you. He can''t just keep secrets," Tom said dryly as he scowled at Harry.

    "He bitterlyined about how you keep unting your rtionship. And he said the word you said most today was ''My Jewel''. He also said even if he wasn''t interested in getting into a rtionship, just to get back at you, he was going to get a girlfriend," Aaron said with a chuckle, and both Tom and Lucyughed as two waiters arrived with drinks for them.

    "At least it''s not hard to see why I can''t keep your secrets. Don''t me me. It''s a hereditary condition," Harry said dryly, and Lucyughed.

    Once the waiters had left, Aaron looked at Lucy, "So tell me. How couldn''t you have known that it was the same person? I mean the height, the body build, gait, something should have given him away," Aaron said, and Lucy grinned.

    "Are you honestly asking why I didn''t suspect that the supposed very busy CEO of a sessfulpany as I-Global enterprise had enough time and energy to disguise himself and double as my driver? Of all things to be, my driver?" Lucy asked incredulously, and both Harry and Aaronughed heartily.

    "Perfect response. You have a point," Aaron said with a nod of approval.

    "The things we do for love," Tom said pathetically.

    "Yeah, the foolish things you did," Harry said with a shake of his head.

    "At least I have a girlfriend. You don''t," Tom said, and Harry smirked.

    "I''m going to surprise you soon. Don''t worry, and just wait for it."

 Chapter 376 Unacceptable!

    Chapter 376 Uneptable!����"You are Amy, I suppose?" Lucas asked, thinking that she looked familiar.

    "Yes. Your sister''s secretary. We met at her apartmentst weekend," Amy exined as she shut the door behind her.

    "Where is Miley?" She asked, looking around the living room, and without waiting for him to respond, she dumped her handbag on the couch and walked past him with her luggage bag, and headed for the bedroom, making it clear that it wasn''t her first time there.

    Seeing how she walked past him without waiting for a response, Lucas decided there was no need to respond to her question, so he sat on the couch, waiting for her to return after checking on her friend.

    Once Amy walked into the bedroom and saw Miley on the bed, she left her bag beside the door and hurried to sit beside her.

    "Miley?" She called softly as she patted Miley''s hair, and Miley''s lids flickered open slowly when she heard the familiar voice.

    "Amy? Is that you?" She asked drowsily.

    "Yes, Miley!" Amy cried as shey beside her and embraced her.

    "Please don''t cry. I don''t need another headache," Miley pleaded, her speech slurred as she struggled to keep her eyes open.

    For a moment, Amy assumed she was drunk, but since her breath didn''t smell of alcohol, Amy concluded that she was either exhausted or had taken sleeping pills.

    "I won''t, I promise. I won''t," Amy said with a sniffle.

    "Where is Lucas? Did he leave already?" Miley asked, and from the sound of her voice, Amy could tell she was battling with sleep.

    "Not yet. Why?"

    "I don''t want him to leave. Don''t let him leave, okay?" Miley said, and Amy nodded as she patted Miley''s hair.

    "Don''t worry. I will keep him here," Amy promised and held her close until she dozed off again.

    Amy stood and adjusted the duvet over her body before returning to the living room to join Lucas. Once she got there, Lucas raised his gaze from his phone to look at her.

    "What is wrong with her? Did she take sleeping pills?" Amy asked as she sat on the couch adjacent to where Lucas was seated.

    "It''s a side effect of her pain medication. The pain was severe, so she took more than she should ordinarily take," Lucas exined, and Amy nodded even though her eyes were clouded with worry.

    "Now that you are here, I would like to take my leave," Lucas said as he pocketed his phone and stood up.

    "No. She doesn''t want you to leave. Can you please stay?" Amy asked as she also stood to face him.

    "No. I don''t want to. You should convince her to inform her parents and receive treatment," Lucas said as he started to head for the door.

    "Please, don''t leave," Amy said as she rushed to stand in front of him.

    Lucas raised a brow, "Why not?"

    "I don''t know what your rtionship is, but she doesn''t want you to leave. At least wait until she wakes up before leaving," Amy pleaded.

    "There is no rtionship..." Lucas started to say but was interrupted by Amy.

    "If I weren''t here, you would have stayed with her, wouldn''t you? So why not assume I''m not here and spend the night?" Amy asked, and Lucas scoffed.

    "How can I assume you are not here when you are here?" He asked with a slightly raised brow.

    "Fine. I''m not here then," Amy said as she quickly grabbed her handbag from the couch and headed for the door.

    "Where are you going?" Lucas asked in disbelief.

    "Somewhere away from here. I will return in the morning when she wakes up," Amy said, and before he could argue, she opened the door and stepped outside.

    "Don''t leave," Lucas said as he followed her out.

    "Then will you please stay? If it weren''t something she wanted, I wouldn''t be stopping you from leaving. Please stay," Amy pleaded, and Lucas ran his fingers through his hair impatiently before giving her a nod.

    "Fine. Let''s go back inside," he said, and they both returned to the apartment.

    "Thank you," Amy said softly, and Lucas gave her a curt nod as he returned to his seat and took out his phone once again.

    "How is she doing?" Amy asked curiously.

    "She is in pain, and she is sad. It''s a good thing you are here to be with her. No one deserves to be alone at a time like this," Lucas said, and Amy bit her lower lip as she listened to him.

    "Thanks for staying with her," Amy said, and Lucas shrugged.

    "It''s not like I had a choice. She is pretty persistent," Lucas said on a light note, and Amy smiled.

    "Yes, she is," Amy said with a sigh, and they bothpsed into a round of silence.

    After the silence had dragged on for a while, Amy nced at him, "How did you meet her?"

    "I met her right here," Lucas said in amusement, and then his brows pulled together when he realized that it had only been that morning when he woke up in her apartment, yet it felt like he had known her for a long time already.

    "As embarrassing as it is, and as much as I hate to admit it, I have to since I''m sure she will tell you about it eventually. I''m hoping it remains between us. By that, I mean my sister must not hear of it. I woke up here this morning. And ording to her, she brought me here because I was drunk and passed out in a bar," Lucas said, and he watched as Amy''s brows pulled together in a frown.

    "I''m not an alcoholic. I don''t have drinking problems. It was a one-time thing," Lucas said defensively when he noticed how she was staring at him.

    "I didn''t think you were an alcoholic," Amy said, and Lucas raised a brow.

    "So what''s with the look on your face?"

    "I was wondering why she would pick up a random stranger because he was drunk and passed out and bring him back to her ce," Amy said, and Lucas nodded.

    "You will have to ask her that yourself. I don''t suppose you told Lucy anything about me being with your friend, did you?" Lucas asked, and Amy shook her head.

    "It skipped my mind," Amy said, and Lucas nodded.

    "I hope it continues to skip your mind," Lucas said, and Amy''s lips twitched in amusement as she stood up.

    "Excuse me, I need to unpack and freshen up," Amy said, and Lucas gave her a nod.

    "Take all the time you need."

    "You are not going to try to leave when I''m away, are you?" Amy asked doubtfully, and Lucas raised a brow.

    "If I were going to leave, I would have done so regardless of whether you''re here or not," Lucas said, and she gave him a nod before walking away.

    Once she left, Lucas sighed and rxed against his seat as his thoughts drifted to Miley.

    Why did he have to be so weak-willed? Why couldn''t he just say no and walk away from here now that Amy was here to watch over her? He mused as he wiped his face with his palm.

    He didn''t need anyone to tell him that he had stayed back because he was worried about her and not necessarily because Amy had stopped him. He was gradually bing entangled in her business, and he didn''t want any of it.

    ************

    After freshening up, Jade went to knock on the door to Candace''s bedroom, and a momentter, Candace opened the door, dressed in a bathing robe with a towel in her hand, which she was using to dry her hair.

    "Can Ie in? Let''s talk while we wait for dinner to arrive," Jade said, and Candace nodded as she moved away from the door to let Jade into the bedroom.

    Candace sat on the padded stool by the dressing table, while Jade sat on the single couch in the room and stretched out her legs and crossed them at the ankle, "I received a call from Tom a short while ago," Jade started, and Candace sighed.

    "I guess you want to talk to me about the message I left him," Candace said, and Jade''s brow shot up.

    "Is there something I should know?" Jade asked as her intelligent blue eyes watched Candace piercingly.

    Candace dropped the towel on herp and folded both hands in front of her, "Like I already told you before, I''m a mother, and I''m looking out for my son even if it means I have to be selfish..."

    Anger shed in Jade''s eyes, but she tried to keep her cool as she cut in, "I have no problem with you being a selfish mother. However, I have a problem with you pulling a stunt like that behind me..." Jade said and raised a finger to stop Candace before she could say another word.

    "I am not done yet. You might think you are doing me a favor by following me here to meet with Jero, but trust me, you are not. I am the one doing you a favor by trying to make sure I lock your dangerous baby daddy and his cohorts behind bars for life. You can decide to opt-out of this now, and that will bepletely fine by me. Do you know why? I''m unaffected by it. Apart from the personal itch I will get over not closing the case, I can easily decide to take my hands off this case, resign from thew firm and move on with my life, and no one, I repeat, NO ONE would daree after me. But I can''t say the same for you, can I?" Jade asked, cocking her head to the side as she sat up and uncrossed her legs.

    "You had no right to do what you did. That is my elder brother and his girlfriend we are talking about! You have no rtionship whatsoever with them to dump such responsibility on them. He did us a favor by agreeing to amodate you and Jamal, and he went an extra step by agreeing to watch over Jamal in your absence. What you did is UNACCEPTABLE!" Jade said, her voice rising as she spoke.

    Candace nodded, "You are right. I''m sorry. I wasn''t thinking straight. I really needed to ensure that Jamal would be well taken care of if something happened to me. And since he is fond of Lucy''s parents and your parents, I thought he would be happier with Tom and Lucy. I should have talked to you first before doing that. I''m sorry," Candace said in a weary voice, then Jade took a deep breath to calm herself.

    "Let me get something straight. Is there something you n to do that I don''t know about? Do you n to run away from here after meeting Jero?" Jade asked, and Candace shook her head.

    "Of course not. I love my son and would not abandon him for anything. I just don''t trust Jero. I don''t have a good feeling about this meeting, so I''m trying to be sure that Jamal will be fine if anything goes wrong," Candace exined, and Jade frowned slightly.

    "I won''t let Jero hurt you."

    "That is not a promise you can keep, Jade. I know Jero. Do you really think someone as spiteful as Jero will let me be after I testified against him? The only reason I agreed to see him now is so that we don''t have to keep running from him in the future. I want to end everything between us even if it means I have to kill him with my own hands," Candace said, and Jade shook her head.

    "We''ve been through this already..."

    "I haven''t changed my mind, Jade. Even while he was locked up in prison, we continued to live in fear. That is not the kind of life I want for myself or Jamal and Andy. I don''t mind going to jail for his murder if it would mean that Jamal would grow up safe and not have to worry about such a father showing up in the future."

    "I''m sorry, but like I told you already, I won''t let you do something like that. I won''t let you waste your life," Jade said with a shake of her head.

    "I''m not asking your permission, Jade. Just make sure Jero leads you to the Lords. Once he has fulfilled his end of the agreement, I will meet with him. Our meeting will determine whether I live or he dies," Candace said with determination.

    "You should think about your son. If you do anything to Jero and you get arrested, you could spend the rest of your life in jail. Who is going to look after him if something happens to you? Leave Jero to me. He is likely going to get a death sentence after all the people he has killed since he escaped from jail. And who knows? The lords might even kill him before he gets a chance to meet you," Jade said reasonably.

    "Jade, if you were in my shoes, would you leave Jero to chance or thew? Even when you know how corrupt thew is?" Candace asked, and Jade frowned.

    "You should think about Jamal..."

    "I am thinking about Jamal. I''m thinking about his future. If anything happens to me and your brother doesn''t want to care for Jamal, can I trust you to make sure Jamal is well taken care of? At least until you hear from Andy. You can release him to Andy when she shows up," Candace said, and Jade''s frown deepened.

    "Candace..."

    "Can I trust you to do that?" Candace asked once again, and Jade sighed.

    "Yes."

    "Thank you."

 Chapter 377 Secrets

    Chapter 377 Secrets����"Mr. Hank? Mr. Jonas?" A man in his early sixties called out to them as he walked past the private section they were seated with his wife and daughter, and both friends, who had beenughing at something Lucy had said, looked up.

    "Mr. Reynolds," They both greeted as they stood and excused themselves from the table to go greet the elderly man, while Harry tried to hide his displeasure when he sighted Tanya standing beside her parents and eyeing him.

    He didn''t feel the least bit sorry for speaking to her in the manner he had done, and he didn''t like that he was running into her again either.

    "I''m sure you have both met my lovely wife and beautiful daughter," Mr. Reynolds said as he led them to his table, and Tom smiled as he gave him a nod.

    "Yes, we have," Tom said as he gave bothdies a polite bow of acknowledgment, and Harry did the same.

    "I was going to give you a call, Mr. Jonas. I learned you had a misunderstanding with my daughter publicly," Mr. Reynolds said after all four of them were seated, his disapproval ringing clearly in his voice as he looked at Harry with a cool smile.

    "I was going to ignore it, but I learned your daughter embarrassed both Harry and my sister publicly. She is lucky Harry stepped in. Else it would have been a lot more than a misunderstanding," Tom said coldly before Harry could speak, and Tanya''s eyes widened slightly in surprise when she realized who Jade was.

    "Your sister?"

    "Yes. Harry was out with her, and your daughter embarrassed them. Jade is awyer, and she wouldn''t have hesitated to handle the issue both physically and legally had Harry not stepped in the way he did. You should thank Harry," Tom said, and Mr. Reynolds turned to re at his daughter with disapproval for causing trouble without knowing who she was dealing with, and she looked down.

    "I''m very sorry about that. I didn''t get the full details of what transpired between you both. Why don''t I pay for whatever you are having to make up for it?" He offered, and Tom shook his head.

    "Maybe you can buy him a drink some other time. We are here to celebrate Harry''s appointment as my Co-CEO, so it is only fair to me that I waste as much of his money as I can tonight," Tom said with a grin, and both Harry and Mr. Reynolds chuckled.

    "Congrattions, Mr. Jonas," Mr. Reynolds and his wife said while Tanya kept her head down in embarrassment.

    "Thank you," Harry said with a polite nod.

    "Are we to assume that you both n to be inws? I mean, are you in a rtionship with Mr. Hank''s sister?" Mrs. Reynolds asked Harry curiously, hoping that he wasn''t so that she could set him up on a date with Tanya once again.

    Tom said nothing but looked at Harry as he waited to hear his response to the question since he too was curious.

    "We haven''t made up our mind yet. When we do, you will know. If you don''t mind, we have to return to our table. We don''t want to keep my dad and Tom''s Jewel waiting," Harry said with a polite smile as he stood, wanting to escape from there before they started another matchmaking exercise.

    "Oh, sure," Mr. Reynolds said and shook hands with them.

    "We haven''t made up our mind whether she''s our sister or not?" Tom asked with a chuckle as they walked away.

    "Shut up!" Harry warned, making Tomugh even more.

    A few tables away from there, Aaron was engrossed in a simr discussion with Lucy, "I suppose you are well acquainted with Tom''s sister, Jade?" He asked, and Lucy smiled.

    "I am."

    "What do you think about her and Harry? Do you think she might be interested in Harry?" Aaron asked, and Lucy narrowed her eyes at the older man she had observed to be sly in thest couple of minutes.

    It seemed like many more people were interested in this ship than she thought. Sonia would find it very interesting. "Why do you ask? Are you interested in Jade?" She asked with a grin, and Aaron chuckled.

    "C''mon! Don''t get smart with me. I thought we were getting along as friends already," Aaron said, and Lucy grinned.

    "I''m friends with Jade and Harry too," Lucy pointed out.

    "Yeah, Harry mentioned that hence I''m asking. Since you are friends with them, why not help them get things moving already?" Aaron asked, and Lucy shrugged.

    "Maybe some of us enjoy watching the process more than interfering. If you are certain they like each other, why not rx and enjoy how they navigate towards each other eventually?" Lucy asked, and Aaron scowled.

    "They''re being too slow. Besides, I won''t be here to see it. You will be the only one getting all the fun."

    "I could fill you in on it if you want," Lucy offered with a grin, and Aaron chuckled.

    "I knew Tom made the right choice when I set my eyes on you," Aaron said, making Lucy giggle.

    "But what if they mess it up?" Aaron asked, slightly concerned.

    "I don''t see either of them messing anything up. They are both straightforward people. But if they do, I can assure you that Sonia and I will step in," Lucy said, knowing that Sonia wouldn''t let them ruin her perfectly nned love story. She would also have to step in since she was interested in Sonia''s story as well as Harry''s and Jade''s happiness.

    "Sonia? Your best friend? Bryan''s fiancee?"

    "You are so up to date," Lucy observed with a grin, and Aaron chuckled.

    "I have to be. Is she close to Harry too?"

    "She is closer to Jade, and Jade confides in her about stuff," Lucy said, and Aaron grinned.

    "Should I just move down to Ludus? I think all the fun is here," he said and cleared his throat when he sighted Harry and Tom returning to the table.

    "You boys returned too soon. I was enjoying my date alone with the beautifuldy, right darling?" Aaron asked, and Lucy batted hershes at him, making themugh as they sat down.

    "I was just asking if I should relocate to Ludus so I can be closer to her," Aaron said, and Harry shook his head.

    "Please don''t. I can''t stand having you pester me every day," Harry said just as the waiters arrived with their special order.

    "Ungrateful brat. I neverined when you pestered me every day while growing up," Aaron hissed, and at the same time, his eyes fell on his phone which was on the table when it started vibrating. His brows pulled together when he saw the caller''s identity, and he nced at Harry before picking up the phone and rejecting the call.

    "Whose phone calls do you keep rejecting? Is it the same person that kept callingst night? Don''t tell me you have a woman in your life now, and you are hiding her from me," Harry teased his father, and Aaron chuckled as he dipped the phone into his pocket.

    "Yes, I am. I don''t want her to see you and decide she prefers the younger Mr. Jonas," Aaron joked, and Harryughed while Tom reached under the table and took Lucy''s hand, making her look at him with questioning eyes.

    "I''m missing you," Tom mouthed, and she smiled at him.

    Aaron''s phone started to vibrate again, but he ignored the call. Once the waiters left, they began to eat and continued with minor discussions about different subjects until Aaron got tired of the phone, which kept vibrating in his pocket, and he set down his cutlery.

    "Excuse me for a moment. I need to use the restroom," Aaron said, and Harry gave him directions to the restroom closest to them before he walked away.

    "Why do you keep calling?" He asked impatiently once he walked into one of the restroom stalls and received the call.

    "Because you keep ignoring my call."

    "I have nothing to say to you, so there is no reason to receive your calls, Sara."

    "I went to your apartment, and I was told you traveled. I suppose you went to see him. Have you told him yet?" Thedy on the other end of the line asked.

    "Told who what?" Aaron asked, pretending not to understand her question.

    "Aaron, have you told Harry about me?" She asked, unaffected by his coldness.

    "No," Aaron said, annoyed that his dinner was being interrupted.

    "Why not? Why are you dying?"

    "Because there is nothing to tell him. And if you don''t mind..."

    "Aaron. He is my son too," thedy cut in, her voice annoyingly calm in a way that made Aaron''s blood boil.

    She was always so calm. She had been that calm too twenty-seven years ago when she decided to abandon her newly born child in her quest to pursue stardom.

    "Your son? A child you abandoned barely a week after his birth? You have no right to call him your son. He doesn''t know about your existence, and I prefer it remains that way." Aaron hissed in annoyance, angry with himself for still letting her words annoy him so much.

    "He is an adult, Aaron. Why not let him know I want to see him, and allow him to decide if he wants to see me or not?" Thedy asked reasonably.

    "As always, you are still very selfish. You do not care about him or how this revtion is going to make him feel. You just want to have your way as always, don''t you? I''m not going to let you do that. I won''t let you hurt him!" Aaron said, trying hard to keep his calm.

    "I didn''t call to fight with you, Aaron. I told you. I''m dying, and I..."

    "And you think I''m going to feel sorry because you say you are dying? Would you have wanted to be associated with him were he not sessful? Would you have remembered him or given him a second thought were you not dying? You died to us over twenty-seven years ago, and I hope it remains that way."

    "Aaron, please. I need to meet him at least once before..."

    "You wanted fame. You chose wealth and fame over us. Those should be yourpanions on your deathbed. And please stop trying to contact me," Aaron warned, angry that not once in a couple of weeks since she first contacted him had she apologized for walking out of their lives the way she did. He couldn''t let someone like her near Harry.

    "If you keep being adamant, I will have to approach him myself..."

    "You wouldn''t dare! I will not forgive you if you go anywhere close to him. I will expose you for what you are if you so much as show your face anywhere around my son. Try me," Aaron threatened angrily before hanging up the call.

    He wasn''t sure if he was doing the right thing, but knowing how much Harry had taken all his stories about his mother to heart, he knew that the truth would devastate him, and that was what he was terrified of.

    If he had a choice, he would rather die and take the secret to his grave with him than watch Harry break down when he finds out the truth. But he knew that wasn''t up to him alone. Sara seemed desperate, and he couldn''t trust what she would do in her desperation.

    He really hated that she chose a time like this to return to Harry''s life. He needed to figure out a way to talk to Harry about it before Sara would do anything.

    That was even more reason why he wanted Harry to get involved and be in amitted rtionship with Jade, as he feared that Harry might not want to do that anymore if he found out the truth first. He didn''t want Harry to live a lonely life because of his poor choices, and knowing how much Harry hated being lied to, he knew that Harry might have a hard time forgiving him for lying to him all these years, and as such, he wouldn''t be able to offer him muchfort.

    He closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm himself. Once he was sure he was calm, he returned his phone to his pocket and washed and dried his hands before returning to join them.

    "So, where did we stop?" He asked with a bright smile as he returned to his seat, and once again, they resumed their conversations as they ate.

 Chapter 378 Crazy Duo

    Chapter 378 Crazy Duo����"Wow! It must have been tough for you all," Matt said when Bryan finished giving him a detailed summary of all that had happened in his absence after they saw off Mia and Jeff.

    "It was," Bryan agreed.

    "If you hadn''t shown me that clip, I really would never have believed that Simon was behind that shit. I''m still shocked! I feel so disappointed," Matt said as he walked over to the bar to pour himself a ss of wine.

    "You should be thankful he didn''t release any stories of you," Bryan said as he did the same, and they both carried their sses to the living room.

    "There was nothing for him to release. It''s not like he has a camera nted in my apartment."

    "Don''t be so sure. He could have released news of you and your stripper girlfriend when you brought her here," Bryan pointed out.

    "Oh, that''s true! Perhaps the camera wasn''t on when I came in with her that night. Or maybe he knew if he released such, we would have suspected something," Matt said thoughtfully and raised a brow when Bryan suddenly chuckled.

    "What''s funny?" Matt asked when he noticed the mirth dancing in his eyes.

    "Listen. Don''t insult me, okay? I think I just figured out why he didn''t sell your story to the media," Bryan said, and Matt sighed, knowing that Bryan was about to say something stupid.

    "It''s either Simon doesn''t think you are a celebrity worthy of note, or maybe nobody wants to buy your story because they think your life is boring," Bryan said with a grin, and Matt pressed his lips together as he thought of a befittingeback.

    "Yet instead of being ttered that he considered you a celebrity worthy of note, you''re pissed. What an ingrate! You had better be nice to him. You never can tell how many nude photos of you he has. We don''t want the world to see your tiny pee-pee now, do we?" Matt asked, and Bryan chuckled.

    "Is that the besteback you have? This heartbreak must have affected you more than I imagined��poor guy. Even with the monstrous size of your pee-pee, you can''t keep ady," Bryan said with a tsk, and Matt swore under his breath.

    "You are a bastard. You know that, right?" Matt asked, and Bryan howled withughter.

    "Yeah, I do. By the way, did I mention that your dumper left her son with Tom?" He asked, and Matt raised a brow as he picked up his ss of wine.

    "Why did she leave Jamal behind? Isn''t your brother always busy? Who is going to look after him?" Matt asked as he sipped from his ss, unable to stop himself from being concerned about the kid even if he no longer wanted to be involved in Candace''s business.

    "You will have to ask her yourself. What''s the deal with her though?" Bryan asked as he also sipped from his ss of wine.

    "Why didn''t you ask your sister about it? Why are you asking me?" Matt asked with a scowl.

    "You dragged Jade into this..."

    "No, I didn''t. Your sister was herwyer. It was a coincidence that I just happened to reconnect them," Matt said, and Bryan cocked his head to the side.

    "Lately, I don''t believe in coincidence anymore. Not after all that has happened between me, Tom, Sonia, and Lucy. You both were probably fated to meet and..."

    "Oh, please! Stop sounding like a romantic fool. It doesn''t suit your bad boy image," Matt said, and Bryan grinned.

    "Bad boy? Nah. I''ve given up that lifestyle, my friend. I''m now a changed man. A one-woman kind of man," Bryan said with a proud smile, and Matt raised a brow.

    "So this thing you have with Sonia... I take it you are in it for the long run, huh?" Matt asked, and Bryan simrly raised a brow.

    "Why do you ask? Are you interested in her now that your rtionship didn''t work out with your stripper girl?" Bryan asked, and Matt scowled at him.

    "Idiot. Don''t call her that," Matt hissed.

    "Too soon? Oh, my bad! I actually thought this was the point in our friendship where I get to y the best friend role and get you ice cream to cry over your heartbreak, and then we badmouth her together and call her names," Bryan said with a straight face, and Matt chuckled.

    "You''re such a fool. Hold on. I need to get something," Matt said as he excused himself and walked over to the kitchen.

    Bryan waited patiently as he heard Matt rummage through the kitchen cabs, and soon he returned holding a butcher''s knife.

    "What''s that for? Don''t tell me you want to take your life because of her! For Christ''s sake, man!" Bryan eximed dramatically as he eyed both Matt and the knife.

    "It''s for you. Remember what you said? I''d rather cut off my dick than fuck that witch. I''m sure you''ve been doing a lot of fucking. So you should just cut off your minute pee-pee. Be a man of your word," Matt said, and Bryan grinned at him sheepishly.

    "We don''t fuck. We make love," Bryan said as he quickly got off the couch and moved away when Matt drew closer to him with the knife.

    "Don''te any closer. Else I''m going to call my mom," Bryan warned.

    "You''re such a mummy''s boy," Matt said with a tsk as he threw the knife on the table, "I told you she was going to be good for you, didn''t I?"

    "Yeah. First time I don''t mind hearing an I told you so. I''m crazy about her, Matt. Like head over heels crazy. For the first time in my life, I can''t imagine my life without someone. And it''s even crazier that I''ve barely known her for long, and I feel this way about her," Bryan confessed, looking serious all of a sudden, and Matt smiled.

    "Crazy enough to wife her?" Matt asked, and Bryan grinned.

    "Crazy enough to mother her," Bryan said, and Matt didn''t need an exnation to know what he meant. Being married to someone didn''t exactly mean they couldn''t divorce or go their separate wayster. But having a child with her would mean something would always tie them to each other.

    "Good. I love Sonia, and I''m happy for you," Matt said, and Bryan smiled.

    "Thanks, man."

    "Just make sure you don''t mess it up. And be sure to properly cut off ties with all your flings," Matt warned.

    "I haven''t spoken with any of them since Sonia came into my life. Besides, I''m sure they all saw the news of my engagement and the interview..."

    "I said properly, Bryan. End things officially. And tell Sonia about them too, just in case any of them is crazy enough to want to act up like your brother''s insane ex. You have been upied since you met Sonia, and as a result, you haven''t even had time to meet with them or do anything. Soon you will return to your celebrity lifestyle and start running into all the temptations thate with being Bryan Hank. If you really don''t want to ruin what you have with Sonia, make it clear to them that you have given up that lifestyle. Else there will be lots of misunderstanding, trust me. And I''m not going to plead with Sonia on your behalf if you screw this up," Matt warned before taking a sip of his wine.

    "Fine. I''ve heard you. Thanks," Bryan said, and Matt gave him a thumb up.

    "So what have you been up totely aside from getting dumped? What project are you working on?" Bryan asked curiously.

    Matt sighed, knowing that Bryan wouldn''t let him hear the end of being dumped. If he didn''t already know that it was Bryan''s usual way of rubbing your problem in your face until you faced it and got over it, he would have sucker-punched him by now.

    "Apart from learning to mind my business, I''ve been busy on set. We started shooting ''Forever Your Boyfriend'' today, and you won''t believe Trevor showed up as usual to give me the talk about not getting too close to Lena," Matt said, and Bryan chuckled.

    "Poor guy. Every time he gave me that talk, I made sure to be extra close to Lena," Bryan said, making Matt chuckle.

    "You''ve always been a jerk."

    "That''s why I''m d that Sonia is not an actress. I know many of them would want to get back at me," Bryan said with a grin.

    "By the way, what''s your career n now? And what were you talking about with Jeff and Mia earlier about meeting with your brother''s best friend?" Matt asked curiously, and Bryan exined Tom''s n to him as they both reached for their gamepads more out of habit than because they wanted to y.

    "It''s not difficult to understand why Tom is so sessful. Imagine starting an entertainment agency with an A-list actor like you? That''s going to be huge," Matt said, and Bryan grinned.

    "And having someone like Jeff in charge? I have nothing to worry about. You should join me," Bryan offered.

    "Unlike you, I have many pending assignments, and my contracts are still very valid. Making a move like that would have too many consequences and attract penalties I have no desire to pay," Matt said, and Bryan nodded in understanding.

    "True. I will be moving to Ludus by the end of the week after I have wrapped up things at the agency. I will onlye down here when I need a break," Bryan said, and Matt nodded as he turned on the yStation.

    "Let''s y."

    "Give me a minute, I need to check on Sonia, and then we can y," Bryan said as he dropped his pad and went to Sonia''s bedroom to check on her.

    Once he got to the bedroom, he saw his father seated on the couch beside Sonia while sheughed at something he was saying, "I thought you were feeling drowsy?" Bryan asked, and they both nced at him.

    "I thought so too until Desmond came to keep mepany," Sonia said, smiling at the old man who, after consoling her, had told her funny stories to cheer her up.

    "Go and keep your wifepany. Leave my girlfriend alone," Bryanined.

    "Now that you are here, I will. Eve finds it difficult to sleep when I''m not holding her. We will continueter, dear," Desmond said with a smile at Sonia as he stood and pecked her cheek.

    "Thank you," Sonia said, looking into those blue sage eyes she had fallen in love with in thest hour. True to his words, he had carved himself a permanent spot in her heart that had little to do with him being the father of the man she loved.

    She suspected that he had also spoken to Lucy the previous night. That exined why Lucy, who had been in a foul mood after her fight with her mother, had beenughing lightheartedly when she saw them both walking into the house. The man was a gem.

    "Don''t mention it," Desmond said as he walked away, and Sonia followed him with her eyes.

    "Why do you look like you''re in love with my dad?" Bryan asked, and Sonia giggled.

    "Because I am. Now you not only have to be jealous of Andrew, but you also have to be jealous of your dad too," Sonia said as she got off the bed.

    "Your heart must be sorge to amodate three men," Bryan observed jealously, and Sonia grinned.

    "You have no idea howrge it is. It can amodate even more," Sonia said as she walked over to the mirror to check her reflection.

    "Matt is still around, right? I should say hello to him," Sonia said, feeling a bit better than she had been feeling earlier.

    "Are you sure you don''t need to rest? How are you feeling now?" Bryan asked as he went to stand beside her and feel her temperature.

    "I don''t know if it''s the medicine or your father, but I feel better. I wille back inside to rest if I need to," Sonia said, and Bryan looked at her skeptically.

    "Let''s just make sure you are well covered first," he said as he led her back to the bed and made her sit before going inside the closet to take a hoodie and socks.

    Sonia''s heart was filled with love for him as she let him dress him up, and once he was done, he looked at her, "Can you walk? Or should I carry you?" He asked, and her eyes lit up at the thought of being carried.

    "Is your ankle strong enough for that?"

    "It has healed already. Hop on," Bryan said as he crouched down in front of her, and she climbed on his back.

    "Thest time I was carried this way was when my dad was alive," Sonia said as she rested her head on the crook of his neck.

    "I will carry you every day then," Bryan said, and she giggled.

    Once Matt saw Bryan walking in with Sonia on his back, he grinned at her as he stood, "The queen decided to grace me with her presence. I feel so honored," he greeted, and Soniaughed as she tapped Bryan to let her down.

    She embraced Matt once Bryan let her down, and he kissed her cheek, "I heard you''re ill. You must be sick of this fool," Matt said, and Sonia giggled.

    "It''s good to see you. How have you been?" Sonia asked as she sat beside him.

    "Not good. Candace dumped his sorry ass," Bryan said, and Matt sighed.

    "What happened?" Sonia asked, looking at him with concern.

    "She doesn''t trust me to be able to handle herplicated life. I can''t force myself on her," Matt said, and Sonia nodded.

    "It must be tough on you both. Liking each other but unable to do anything about your feelings," she said with a sigh.

    "I''m not sure she likes me that much if she can make such a decision so easily," Matt said as he picked up his ss of wine.

    "Sonia decided to break up with me on the spot too. Was it tough on you?" Bryan asked Sonia, and she nodded.

    "Very tough. Don''t give up on her, Matt."

    "She did say she likes you, but she''s not ready for a rtionship yet..."

    "When did she tell you that?" Matt cut in.

    "The night I called. You weren''t in the mood to talk about her, so I didn''t mention it. Listen, if you really love her, you should be patient with her. You can''t expect her to be ready now just because you are ready," Bryan advised, and Matt red at him.

    "And you just decided to bless me with your wisdom now after taunting me all evening about being dumped?" He asked, and Bryan grinned.

    "What fun would it be if I don''t make you feel bad before making you feel good?"

    "You''re dating a jerk," Matt informed Sonia, making her sigh dramatically.

    "I know. But what can I do? The heart wants what it wants," she said, making both guysugh.

    "What''s this knife doing here, by the way?" Sonia asked as she stood and picked up the knife.

    "It''s there because of something Bryan said the first time he told me about you," Matt said, and Bryan red at him.

    "Shut up!"

    "Tell me," Sonia urged him.

    "He said he''d rather cut off his dick than fuck you," Matt said and waited to see Sonia''s reaction.

    "But we don''t fuck. We only make love. So there''s no need for it. You didn''t tell him that, babe?" Sonia asked, making Bryan hoot withughter as he stood up to kiss her.

    "Damn! I love you!"

    "Don''t! You''re going to get the flu," she warned as she pushed him away while Matt eyed the both of them.

    "You are both a crazy duo. You deserve each other," he said, more amused than disappointed.

 Chapter 379 Surrogate

    Chapter 379 Surrogate����Lucas had a barely noticeable smile on his face as he nced through Miley''s Instagram page. He noticed that true to her words she had followed him the previous night and had liked most of his posts apart from the ones Rachel had featured in.

    She seemed like a very livelydy. Someone who had deeply loved her life and had been happy. She always wore a smile on her face, and her videos were always fun to watch. She even had thousands of followers.

    The more he looked through her page the more he realized that she had been telling the truth about not having friends, as Amy was the only other person in most of her pictures apart from those she snapped with her parents, business partners and the staff of the hotel where she worked.

    He stopped when he saw a photo of her and Amy. They were both standing on a yacht dressed in matching white bikinis with a white transparent flowing skirt that had a slit up to their thighs.

    Miley had a hand around Amy''s waist, and the Amy did the same, and with their other hand they both held a ss of wine raised above their head like they were toasting to something, while their eyesughed at the camera.

    His heart broke when he saw the simple caption. "It should be a crime to look this hot at twenty-five. Happy sexy silver jubilee to me. Cheers to life and all the good things of life."

    He checked the date, and noticed she had posted it four months earlier, before she knew she was dying. He had a lump in his throat as he looked at her smiling face.

    "That was during our weekend getaway for her birthday. We had a lot of ns for her next birthday. We nned on both taking a leave from work and traveling to different countries," Amy said when she caught sight of the picture he was staring at as she walked past him.

    Lucas raised his head when he heard her voice. He hadn''t realized that she was back. She was now dressed in a red silk pajamas, but her eyes looked like she had spent more time crying in the bathroom than having a shower.

    "It''s not toote. You can still do all you nned to do with her, but in advance," Lucas advised.

    "It''s not the same. It can''t be the same," Amy said, her lips quavering and tears gathered in her eyes.

    "Miley doesn''t deserve any of this. She doesn''t. It''s just not right! I can''t believe that this is happening to her. Is there nothing that can be done? You are a medical doctor, right? Can''t something else be done for her? I tried browsing about her condition but my knowledge on that field is limited. You should know something. Anything that will keep her from... From leaving." Amy covered her face with her hands as she broke into a sob. She couldn''t bring herself to say the word dying.

    Lucas watched her, feeling very sorry. Although he was a doctor, but meeting Miley, and seeing Amy this way made him realize that there were more serious problems in life than being betrayed by one''s girlfriend.

    He felt embarrassed for wishing he would die because of the heart ache he had felt after Lucy told him about Rachel''s betrayal of his trust. He felt ashamed of himself that he didn''t value his life enough. While people like Miley were battling with terminal diseases and desperately wanting to live, he had wanted to die all because of someone like Rachel.

    "Her condition is not curable at this stage. She could receive treatment. That would at least improve her quality of life and give her some weeks or months. You have to convince her to receive treatment," Lucas advised, and Amy looked at him through her wetshes.

    "Convince? Did she say she doesn''t want to receive treatment?" Amy asked tearily, and Lucas nodded.

    "If she says she doesn''t want to receive treatment, then she most likely will not do so. Miley doesn''t decide to do anything without giving it a lot of thought, and once her mind is made up there is no telling her otherwise," Amy said as fresh tears gathered in her eyes.

    "You won''t do anything to change her mind? Then why are you here?" Lucas asked, slightly irritated that she was just crying and was willing to let Miley do as she pleased even if it wasn''t the best thing for her.

    "I''m here tofort her and be with her. What else can I do?" Amy asked as tears rolled down her cheeks.

    "Then you should stop crying so much if you are really here tofort her. Your presence here won''t do her any good if you are going to just keep crying this way," Lucas said, and Amy wiped her tears with the back of her hands as she gave him a nod.

    "I know. I won''t cry in front of her. But right now I can''t help it. I''m just so sad. I''m sad for her, I''m sad for her family, and I''m sad for myself. Just yesterday I was thinking about what to get her for Christmas, and now this. I don''t know what else to do. What can I do for her?" Amy cried helplessly.

    "I will tell you what you can do. Start by convincing her to receive treatment and advise her not go ahead with her crazy n of getting married and having a child," Lucas said when he noticed that she was at the verge of breaking into another bout of tears, and as he expected, her head snapped up and she blinked at him

    "Marriage? But she isn''t in a rtionship, or is she? Did she say anything about being engaged?" Amy asked in confusion, and Lucas looked at her wondering why she was asking him, a stranger that, when she was Miley''s best friend and should know the answers to that.

    "No. She is not engaged."

    "Then who is she getting married to? Did she ask you to marry her?" Amy asked, thinking that was the reason Miley had picked Lucas from the bar and had taken him home with her.

    Lucas looked at her in incredulously, "No. Not me. Why would she ask me to marry her? She said it''s on her bucket list. She wants to get married and have a kid."

    Amy paused as she thought of it, "Hmm. She wants to adopt a kid? Adoption might work, but I''m not sure about marriage..."

    "She doesn''t want to adopt a kid. She wants a child with her genes."

    Amy''s brows pulled together as she tried to make sense of what Lucas was saying, "How will that be possible? I mean her doctor said she has barely six months and from all you''ve said, she doesn''t want to receive treatment..."

    "She wants a child through surrogacy. She ns to pay someone to marry her and pay someone else to carry the baby for her. I was trying to talk her out of it before she broke down," Lucas exined, and Amy looked at him.

    "Why were you trying to talk her out of it?" Amy asked in confusion, and Lucas raised a brow.

    "Are you really asking me that? It''s not a logical decision. Although I understand that it is difficult to be logical at a time like this, I think this is a very wrong decision. Let''s assume she does find a man who is willing to be paid to spend thest months of her life with her doting on her, will she be happy? And how soon before she finds a suitable surrogate? What are the chances of it really working? Let''s assume it works, she is not going to live long enough to even see the child be born. She is going to spend what little time she has left worrying about a child she doesn''t even know and wishing she could see the child''s face at least once instead of enjoying herst moments. And what ifplications arise with the pregnancy? All her efforts will be wasted..."

    "Are you just being pessimistic, or is this your way of voicing your concerns for her wellbeing?" Amy cut in before he could finish when she noticed how passionate he was in dishing out his thoughts on Miley''s decision. He seemed to care a lot about her.

    "You seem to have given this a lot of thought. Are you sure you only just met her today? If I didn''t know better I would have thought you''ve known her for a long time," Amy said, but Lucas just stared at her without saying a word.

    "Are you going to just let her have her way?" Lucas asked in resignation, without answering her question, as he too was wondering why he was feeling so affected by Miley''s decision.

    "That is what you don''t know about Miley. It''s not about whether you let her have her way or not. She is going to do what she ns to do and leave you to decide whether or not you want to be a part of it," Amy said softly.

    "What do you think about her n? Do you honestly think it makes sense? Do you want to be a part of this craziness?" Lucas asked, and Amy smiled.

    "To you it might not make sense, but it makes sense to me. If this is something she wants to do, I will make it happen for her even if it means I have to set up interview with thousands of men to get her the right husband. As for a surrogate, she won''t be needing to find one," Amy said, and Lucas raised a brow, and then looked at her with a slight frown, hoping it wasn''t what he was thinking.

    "You are not thinking of being her surrogate, are you?" He asked incredulously, and Amy smiled

    "I am. Carrying her child would be a way of having a part of her with me. It would be like giving birth to her," Amy said, and Lucas looked at her like she had gone crazy.

    "You are okay with her not receiving treatment and dying?" Lucas asked, unable to understand the logic.

    "I don''t want to be selfish. As much as I want her to remain with me, I should also think about what she wants. I know you probably won''t understand this, but Miley means too much to me. All I want is to make her half as happy as she has made me in all the years we''ve been together. I want to help her achieve all she wants in what little time she has left."

 Chapter 380 Exhausted

    Chapter 380 Exhausted����Lucy had a broad smile as she waved goodbye to Aaron and Harry as Tom drove out of the restaurant''s parking lot.

    "Harry''s dad is charming. I get where Harry got his charms from," Lucy told Tom when she turned in her seat to face him.

    "I take it you enjoyed yourself, yeah?" Tom asked, and she nodded.

    "A lot more than I expected, considering that I didn''t even notice how much time we had spent with them until you said it was time to leave," Lucy said, thinking about how she ordinarily hated to meet new people or interact with people, but how easily she was getting along with everyone who was close to Tom.

    "I usually don''t like to go out, and I find it tiring interacting with people I''m not directly rted to. I don''t know if it''s because I love you, or it''s just the kind of people you have around you, but talking to your family and friends is fun," Lucy said, and Tom smiled.

    "Do you remember what I told you the first day I drove you home as your driver after you kept me waiting?" Tom asked, turning to look at her.

    "You said a lot of things. Which of them?"

    "About breaking every wall you set up and being in your space until you want to spend every moment with me?" Tom asked, and Lucy smiled at the memory.

    "Why are you bringing that up now?" She asked curiously.

    "Because I think we are gradually getting there, don''t you think so?" Tom asked, and Lucy bit her lower lips as she thought of it.

    She didn''t think they were gradually getting there. She thought she was there already. Why else had she chosen to go out with him to have dinner with Harry and his dad when she could have stayed back at home to see a movie or read a book? Or why was she at his ce when she could be alone in the solitude of her apartment?

    "I don''t mind losing to you on that. I never nned to fall in love with you or date you after all, but here we are," Lucy said after some time, and Tom smiled.

    "I like that. Let''s keep going with the flow. One day at a time," Tom said, and she nodded.

    "Yeah. One day at a time. By the way, Aaron wants me to push Harry and Jade into acting on their feelings," Lucy said, and Tom turned to spare her a surprised nce.

    "He told you that?"

    "Yeah."

    Although Tom knew that Harry had a thing for Jade, he didn''t realize that it was serious enough for him to have mentioned it to his father. He could understand Aaron knowing about Jade''s feelings for Harry since Jade had said they ran into each other at Harry''s ce, and Jade wasn''t exactly the type to hide her emotions. Was it possible that Jade had told Aaron that she thought Harry was into her? He highly doubted that.

    "Did he say Harry told him anything about Jade?"

    "I didn''t ask."

    "So, what did you tell him?" Tom asked curiously.

    "I told him I''d rather enjoy the show than interfere with it," Lucy said with a shrug, "Besides, I''m sure a lot of you want to interfere already," Lucy said, making Tom chuckle.

    She pursed her lips when she remembered that she was yet to tell Tom about Sonia''s novel, "Sonia is writing a novel about us," Lucy said before Tom could respond to what she had said earlier.

    "A novel about us? Not her and Bryan?" Tom asked in confusion since he remembered Sonia and Bryan talking about a novel during the interview, but he had thought it was just about her and Bryan''s rtionship.

    "More like a novel about your family, since the book is also going toprise of her rtionship with Bryan and Jade''s possible romance with Harry," Lucy exined, and Tom''s lips twitched in amusement.

    "That sounds interesting."

    "You don''t have a problem with it?" Lucy asked curiously.

    "Just tell her not to use my name or say anything about me that might make people think I''m the one. Thest thing I want is for people to start looking at me like a creepy stalker," Tom said with a wince, and Lucy giggled.

    "Do you think Harry will mind? I mean, will he be okay with being written about?" Lucy asked, and Tom shrugged.

    "As long as we are the only ones that know the story is about him, I don''t think he would mind. That reminds me, are you aware that next week is thepany''s anniversary celebration?" Tom asked, and Lucy gave him a nod.

    "Harry told me about it earlier."

    "I never knew Harry to be a talkative or a snitch, but he''s telling you a lot of thingstely," Tomined with a scowl, and Lucy giggled.

    "Let him be."

    "Anyway, I hope you realize you will be there as my partner and not as a staff, right?" Tom asked as he turned to spare her a nce when the traffic light blinked red.

    "Is there a reason I can''t be there as both?" She asked, her brows drawn together.

    "I''m just trying to say, I hope you won''t try to stay away from me during the events. Please don''t bring up that talk about keeping our rtionship separate from work or stuff like that. I want you there, sitting beside me as my partner and not just one of the directors," Tom said, and Lucy smiled.

    "After the stunt I pulled earlier at thepany, do you think I have any intention of staying away from you at work anymore? You might end up being the one pleading with me to take things easy," Lucy said, making Tom chuckle.

    "Good. I just wanted to be sure we were on the same page," Tom said as he resumed driving again when the traffic light blinked green.

    "Anita will be attending the anniversary events too?" Lucy asked after a moment, and Tom nodded.

    "Yes. Why?"

    "Well, I thought the live interview would have taken ce before then, so she wouldn''t have toe," Lucy said, and Tom turned to spare her a nce.

    "Are you worried about running into her? You don''t have to worry about her or anybody else."

    "No. That''s not it. I don''t know if it''s because I know so much about her and her family now, or maybe it''s because I have a lot of confidence in you, but I''m not worried about her anymore," Lucy said, and Tom smiled.

    "Good. If I had my way, I would have preferred the interview takes ce this weekend. But if Eric sends her an impromptu invite, it would look suspicious as I''m sure ady like her would be aware that Eric usually issues an invite to his guests at least two weeks before the show day to give them time to prepare themselves. Besides, I''m sure he already has ns with other celebrities for theing weeks. It''s best he follows his usual routine, so it doesn''t appear suspicious. And asking him to alter his previous arrangements to do this for me would mean I have to owe him a huge favor, and I don''t want to be indebted to him more than I already am. Do you understand?" Tom asked, and Lucy gave him a nod.

    "Yes, I do. Do you think Jamal would still be awake?" Lucy asked, changing the subject when her eye fell on the time disyed on the car''s dashboard, and she saw that it was past eleven already.

    Tom considered the question for a moment, "Hmm. He would most likely have fallen asleep in the Den, still waiting for you to return and take him to bed," Tom said, and Lucy raised a brow.

    "Waiting for me?"

    "Yes. That''s what I would do if I were him. The kid has a crush on you. Didn''t you notice?" Tom asked, and Lucy giggled.

    "Really? What makes you think so?" She asked in amusement.

    "I don''t think so. I know so. Besides, why do you think he wasmenting on your appearance that way?" Tom asked with a scowl, and Lucy giggled.

    "Don''t tell me you are jealous of a seven-year-old boy," she said, poking his side yfully.

    "Jealous? Nah! I get to do all the adult stuff with you, so there''s nothing to be jealous of," Tom said with a grin, and a blush stained Lucy''s cheeks.

    "What do you mean by adult stuff?" She asked, using both palms to cover her face, and Tom chuckled when he turned to spare her a nce and saw her spying at him through the spaces between her fingers.

    "Are you sure you want me to tell you what I mean? Or maybe I should show you instead?" He asked, sending her a naughty wink, and he blindly extended a hand towards her boobs as he returned his attention to the road, but Lucy yfully pushed his hand away whileughing gaily.

    "I can''t believe I''m out hereughing like a lunatic at this time of the night on a work day," Lucy said with a shake of her head.

    "Your boss is hereughing with you, so it''s not such a bad thing," Tom said, and Lucy eyed him with disapproval.

    "Since I started dating you, I go to bedte at night. I''m not getting enough sleep," Lucyined.

    "But I stay upte with you. You don''t hear meining or ming you," Tom pointed out.

    "You have no right toin, not when it''s your usual lifestyle. Did you forget that you were my neighbor before you became my boyfriend, and I can count the number of times you went outte in the evening?" She asked, and Tom wriggled his brows at her.

    "So you were keeping tabs on me?" He asked with a naughty smile, and sheughed.

    "I wasn''t. That reminds me, who did you go out to meet that night I asked you to drive me to the pharmacy, and you were in a hurry to meet with someone? Was it Anita?" She asked curiously.

    "No. I was with Harry both times I was out," Tom said, and she scowled.

    "I''m sure you both met up after work tough at my expense after making a fool of me during work hours."

    "Nah. Harry never really supported this. He only made fun of you because you lied to him, not because he wanted to mess with you," Tom assured her.

    "By the way, what does Harry have against lies?" She asked, recalling the disapproval on Harry''s face when she lied to him earlier that day and what he had said.

    "Hmm. I don''t know the exact details, but I know it has something to do with his high school best friend. Harry''s best friend did something awful, and because Harry trusted him and believed his words, he supported him until the truth was revealed. Then Harry tried to exin that he knew nothing about his best friend''s deceit, but no one was willing to listen to him because of how he had supported his friend so confidently, and his best friend made things worse for Harry by insisting that Harry was in on it with him. They were both sent to juvenile court, and luckily for Harry, he was found innocent," Tom exined as he drove through the gate.

    "Oh! I can see how that must have affected him. It''s a wonder he still trusts people," Lucy said, and Tom nodded as he parked the car.

    "Yeah. That''s why I try my best to always be straight with him," Tom said as he reached over to her side to open the door before opening his own door and getting out of the car.

    "Let''s see if the kid is still up," Tom said as they both headed for the door.

    They could hear the sound of the television before they got to the Den, and they both exchanged a look before Tom pushed the door open, and they saw the kid sound asleep on the couch as Tom had predicted, with his head on Samantha''s thighs, and his legs on Adolf''s thighs.

    Samantha, Adolf, as well as two other female staff who were in the Den were all fast asleep.

    "I will take him upstairs. You can turn off the television and send them to their rooms," Tom suggested as he walked over to the couch and lifted Jamal.

    "Where is he going to sleep? The guest room is farther down the hall from us and the staff quarter. He shouldn''t sleep alone there," Lucy pointed out, and Tom looked at her.

    "So, what do you suggest we do?"

    "Maybe he can have the bedroom closest to yours. That way, it''s easier to keep an eye on him over the night," Lucy suggested, and Tom gave her a nod while wondering if she knew how motherly she sounded as he walked away with Jamal''s sleeping form.

    Lucy quickly turned off the television after she had roused the others from sleep and made sure they had all returned to their quarters, and then she went upstairs to find Tom.

    She stopped by the half-open doorway when she saw him tucking the nket around Jamal, and her heart skipped a beat at that homely image of him. Tom seemed very much at home doing that, and it looked like the most natural picture in the world.

    Could someone like him really want to be with her knowing she didn''t want kids? She mused and shed him a smile when he straightened and noticed her presence.

    "What do you want to do now?" He asked in a whisper as he gently led her out of the bedroom and shut the door behind them.

    "I just want to freshen up and then go to bed. I''m exhausted," Lucy said with a yawn. She was yet to have a proper night''s sleep since she arrived at Tom''s house.

    Tom gave her a nod as he led her into their bedroom, "It''s been a long day. Why don''t you freshen up while I straighten out the bed?" Tom suggested, and Lucy nodded as she dropped her handbag on the couch.

    Remembering that she had not checked her phone for the past couple of hours, she pulled it out of her handbag and unlocked it when she noticed her phone''s notification light was on. She clicked on it to see a missed call from Lucas.

    "I missed Lucas'' call earlier," she said as she contemted whether or not she should return his call since it was veryte already, and she didn''t want to disturb his sleep.

    "How many?" Tom asked as he undressed.

    "It''s just one."

    "It''ste. You can return his call tomorrow or send him a text. I believe if it were very important, he would have called more than once or even called me to reach you," Tom said as though he could read her mind, and Lucy nodded.

    "I should send a text," Lucy said and went on to do so before preparing for bed.

    As shey beside Tom on the bed, some momentter, thest thought on her mind as she slowly drifted off to sleep was how she had been confronted with different kinds of drama every day since Tom made their rtionship public. She wasn''t sure whether or not she was looking forward to the drama that woulde the next day, but for Tom, she was willing to face it all head on.

    "I love you, Ace," she said sleepily as she snuggled closer to him.

    "Sweet dreams, Jewel. And I love you more."

 Chapter 381 Dr. Hottie

    Chapter 381 Dr. Hottie����This chapter is specially dedicated to @Mara_Heller. Thank you so much for the super gift.

    *****

    Lucas opened his eyes when he felt someone''s lips pressed to his temple, and he wasn''t surprised to see that it was Miley. As a matter of fact he felt relieved and kind of happy to see her looking into his face with a bright smile on her face, and her eyes gleaming with excitement as usual.

    "Good morning, handsome. Thanks for not leaving," she greeted cheerfully as she watched him sit up on the couch, and then she sat next to him.

    Lucas let his gaze travel over her, from her sleep tousled hair to the skimpy nightdress she was wearing and he realized that she had changed out of the clothes she had worn the previous night.

    Or did Amy undress her? He doubted that Amy would have dressed her up in such a flimsy night dress when she knew there was a man in the apartment with them.

    "How are you feeling now?" Lucas asked, choosing to focus on her face, and she smiled at him.

    "I feel fine. I''m sorry you had to sleep on the couch for the second night in a row," she said apologetically, but Lucas shrugged it off dismissively.

    "I''m fine. Now that your friend is here, I should be on my way now," Lucas said as he picked up his phone to check the time.

    "Isn''t it too early to leave?" Miley asked just as he saw that it was just past six in the morning. And then he clicked on a text message notification on his screen, and saw it was a text from Lucy exining why she had missed his call and letting him know she would call back in the morning.

    "It''s not too early. Take care of yourself, Miley," Lucas said as he stood and then pocketed his phone.

    "What''s your n? Are you really not going to return to Dr. Drew''s hospital?" Miley asked without standing up, and Lucas spared her a nce, knowing she was trying to stall as usual.

    "No, I''m not returning there," Lucas said as he headed for the door.

    "Why not? What are you going to do now? Get a new job? Or you no longer want to practice?" She asked quickly once his hands touched the doorknob, and Lucas cursed himself silently as he turned to look at her, knowing he was ying into her trap.

    "Instead of worrying your head about me, go home and get treatment," Lucas advised.

    "Why is it important to you that I go home?" Miley asked, standing from the couch and approaching him.

    "I know what you''re doing, Miley. It''s not going to work," Lucas said just as she stopped in front of him, and she smiled at him.

    "What do you think I''m doing? And what makes you believe it''s not going to work?" She asked with a pretty pout.

    "Stop ying games with me, Miley. I don''t want to remain here with you this way, and I don''t want to be friends with you either. I have enough to worry about, and I don''t want to have to worry about you too," Lucas said, and he felt a stab of guilt in his heart when hurt flickered in her eyes for a brief moment before she smiled at him.

    "Alright. I''m sorry to have been such a bother. You can leave," she said as she turned her back to him and returned to the couch, leaving Lucas standing by the door.

    "Miley..."

    "That''s the door, Lucas. You can use it," she said tly, and Lucas sighed as he opened the door and walked out of the house.

    Once he shut the door behind him, Amy stepped out of the bedroom, "Don''t take it to heart. I think he cares about you a lot, and that''s what bothers him," Amy said as she sat down on the couch beside Miley, and she looked at her.

    "I thought you were sound asleep?" Miley asked, and Amy grinned.

    "Nah. I woke up when you did, but pretended to be asleep when I saw you changing into such a sexy nightdress. I wanted to see if you were sneaking to the living room to make out with Dr. hottie," Amy said with a wink, and Miley giggled.

    "Why would you think such a dirty thing you slut," Miley said, and Amyughed.

    "Because I wouldn''t put it past you. I haven''t forgotten how you tried to seduce your tutor and made the poor guy lose his job," Amy said with a grin, and Mileyughed at the memory.

    "I still don''t know who was more mortified between me and my mom who walked in on me unbuttoning my dress. I sure had an earful," Miley said, and Amy doubled over withughter.

    "I remember how hard it was to hold back myughter as I cleaned up the mess your mom had made after dropping the tray of cookies she wasing to serve you, while she scolded you," Amy said amidst herughter and raised a hand to wipe the tears that were now falling from her eyes.

    "And then we had a goodugh afterwards. Those were really fun times," Miley said with an amused smile as she gazed at Amy who had begun to feel emotional.

    "What are you doing here, Amy? Aren''t you suppose to be at work?" Miley asked, and Amy sniffled as she met her gaze.

    "Would you be at work if the situation was reversed?"

    "I can afford to take a break from work, it''s my family''s business. But yours isn''t," Miley pointed out, and Amy snorted.

    "Don''t worry, I took a sick leave. I''m not leaving your side, so don''t even think about telling me otherwise," Amy warned, and Miley sighed.

    "Suit yourself. But I should let you know that nothing fun is going on here. You''re going to be bored shitless and..."

    "Shut up, Miley. I''ve had my fair share of fun with you. I''m not here for fun," Amy said as she moved closer to Miley and gathered her close to herself.

    "How do you feel?" Amy asked as she patted Miley''s hair, and she chuckled dryly.

    "How do you think I feel?" Miley asked.

    "I don''t know. You tell me. I want to know how you feel. Tell me everything," Amy said, and Miley pulled away from her so she could look into her face.

    "I''ve been feeling a lot of things for the past couple of weeks, but seeing you now, I''m terrified," Miley confessed in a shaky voice, her eyes glistening with tears.

    "I don''t know what to expect. For the first time I will be in a ce where I can''t even talk to you," she said, and Amy raised a hand to her lips to stifle her sob.

    "Oh, Miley!" Amy cried softly as she embraced Miley, and they clung to each other as they both cried.

    After crying for sometime, Miley was the first topose herself and then she patted Amy''s back, "Don''t be such a baby," she said jokingly.

    "How can you even joke right now?" Amy asked with a sniffle as she pulled back to look at Miley.

    "That''s all I can do, else I might be forced to take my own life before the universe takes it from me," Miley said as she wiped away Amy''s tears.

    "You won''t do such a thing," Amy said as she held on to Miley''s hand on her cheek, and Miley nodded.

    "Yeah, I won''t. That''s why I have to keep doing my best to stay cheerful. You know, low-key I''m still hoping to receive a call from my doctor telling me it was all a prank or a mistake and I''m not really dying. But the call is taking so long toe," Miley said with a crooked smile.

    "What did you do when you first got the news? Why didn''t you call?" Amy asked, and Miley sighed.

    "It took a while for it to actually sink in. I don''t think I''vepletelye to terms with it yet either. So how do you expect me to tell anyone else about it when I''m yet to believe it myself?" Miley asked, not really expecting an answer.

    "You remember all those headaches I was alwaysining about?" She asked, and when Amy gave her a nod she continued, "Well, apparently they weren''t mere headaches. And then one day I was in the middle of a meeting with this lovely couple who wanted to have their wedding reception at the hotel, and I almost passed out because of the intensity of the pain. My usual pain relief medication was no longer effective, and it was at that point I realized I needed to visit my doctor," Miley said, and Amy listened without interrupting her.

    "You can''t imagine how hard Iughed when he told me I had a tumor growing in my brain. At first I thought it was a sick joke, but then I was the only oneughing in the room. I asked if it wasn''t a joke, and he looked me dead in the eyes and said he wished it was. And then I felt goose pimples all over my body. It was summer, the weather was very hot, but I was suddenly feeling very cold. I didn''t say another word to him. I picked up my handbag and I left his office," Miley said, a distant look in her eyes even though she was looking right at Amy.

    "You know what I did? I went straight to the penthouse suite from there and I crawled under my sheets and slept. Hoping that by the time I wake up I would realize it was just a nightmare or maybe something miraculous would have happened. I''m twenty-five, Amy. For fuck''s sake, I''m fucking twenty-five! Why do I have to die now?" Miley asked, and Amy swiped at the tears running down her cheeks.

    "I''m sorry, Miley. I''m so sorry this is happening. You don''t deserve any of this," Amy said, her lips trembling as she spoke.

    "I know I don''t deserve this, so why is it happening to me? I don''t want to die, Amy. I don''t want to die!" Miley asked as tears flowed freely down her cheeks, and Amy embraced her.

    "I can''t promise that I will make you feel better, but I can promise to be here for you in anyway you want me to. I''ve got you, Miley. Now and always," Amy promised as she consoled Miley who was crying hysterically now.

    After crying for what felt like an hour, Miley managed to pull herself together and Amy excused herself and went into the bedroom to get them both a box of tissues.

    "I swear I haven''t cried this way since I received the news. Thanks foring even when I asked you not toe," Miley said as she took some tissues and blew her nose loudly.

    "Are you only grateful I''m here now because Dr. Hottie left?" Amy asked with a teasing smile, and Mileyughed.

    "What do you think about him?" Miley asked, and Amy raised a brow.

    "What am I supposed to think? He''s handsome and looks pretty decent too. But I''m not surprised about that, his family is decent," Amy said, and Miley nodded thoughtfully, making Amy narrow her eyes at him.

    "Why did you bring a stranger to your ce?" Amy asked, watching her closely.

    "Do you know he was engaged to Rachel?" Miley asked, and Amy''s eyes widened in surprise.

    "Rachel? Crazy Rachel?" She asked in disbelief, and Miley bobbed her head.

    "As a matter of fact she was here yesterday," Miley said with an amused smile when she recalled how enraged Rachel had been.

    "She was here? Like you mean inside this ce? What happened?" Amy asked, and listened as Miley exined it all to her.

    "It''s a small world, isn''t it?" Miley asked, and Amy nodded.

    "A very small world indeed. I wasn''t going to bring this up first until you do, but Dr. Hottie mentioned something about you wanting to get married and having a kid," Amy said, and Miley rolled her eyes.

    "I suppose he wanted you to change my mind?" She asked, and Amy nodded.

    "Don''t waste your breath. My mind is made up. All I need to do right now is find a suitable surrogate and..."

    "Nah. You don''t need to find a surrogate when I''m here. I will be delighted to carry your baby. That way we get to share every moment together," Amy said, but Miley shook her head.

    "No way. There is no way I''m letting you do that. You''ve not even had sex because you want your first time to be special and you are talking about doing this. Your mom is going to throw a fit if she hears of it," Miley said with a shake of her head.

    "My best friend doesn''t have the luxury of time, and you think my virginity is of importance here? If this is the only thing I can do in this short time to show you how much I love you, and how your existence has been a blessing to me, then it''s nothing," Amy said, and tears gathered in Miley''s eyes.

    "You would really do this for me?" Miley asked, and Amy smiled as she kissed away Miley''s tears.

    "You have no idea how much I can do for you. If I could produce sperm, I would have impregnated you or..." She stopped talking when Miley burst into a fit ofughter.

    "You are so silly, Amy. Gosh! I''ve missed you so much," Miley said, and Amy smiled.

    "You don''t have to miss me anymore. I''m here and I''m not going anywhere. Now that we have a surrogate, let''s talk about how to find you a husband. Do you have a selection process in mind?" Amy asked, and Miley smiled.

    "You are really not going to talk me out of this?"

    "I want you to be happy. I want you to only do things that will make you happy whether or not it makes sense to me. As long as you are happy, than I''m fine," Amy said and Miley looked into her eyes lovingly.

    "Oh, Amy! Why aren''t you a guy?"

    Amy giggled, "I could be a lesbian and marry you if you want me to," Amy said with a seductive smile as she leaned closer to Miley, making her shriek withughter as she pushed her away.

    "Ew! No! I want a real man," Miley said, and Amy nodded as she stood and went to her handbag to take her journal and a pen.

    "What are the qualities you are looking out for in a man? Let''s start from there, and then we can decide on how to go about finding him," Amy suggested, and Miley pursed her lips thoughtfully as she considered it.

    "He has to be a kind person with a nice personality. He must be from a decent home. Very intelligent, with a good sense of humor. He has to be taller than me. He should have dimples and gray eyes preferably, a really charming smile, and..."

    "And his name should be Lucas Perry I suppose? You do realize you are describing Lucas, right? Don''t tell me you were going to ask him to marry you?" Amy asked dryly, and Miley sighed.

    "Is there a reason I can''t like or want someone like him?" She asked, and Amy shook her head.

    "Forget about him. He''s not interested in being a part of this. He doesn''t even want you to do this. We will find you a good husband. Someone better than him. And then we can talk about how to break the news to your parents," Amy said, and Miley smiled at her.

    "That sounds like a n."

 Chapter 382 Overthinking

    Chapter 382 Overthinking����Harry had woken up as early as 5 AM as he usually did on work days, and although it was almost 7 AM, he was still lying on his bed looking up at the ceiling.

    He knew he needed to get off the bed and get ready to leave for the office if he wanted to get to work on time as he usually did, but he just couldn''t bring himself to do so.

    He didn''t know what was bothering him and try as he might to figure it out, he couldn''t ce a finger on it. At first, he had thought he was thinking about Jade, but once he focused his thoughts on her, he realized almost immediately that she wasn''t what was bothering him.

    After over an hour of thinking about it, he hade to the conclusion that this was just one of those mornings where he was low on morale, and he feared that he was going to end up firing anyone who didn''t do what was expected of them.

    At least now that Tom had revealed his identity, he could call in sick and have Tom attend to everything in his stead while he took the day off to just rest as he was really not in the mood to face anyone.

    He groaned inwardly and nced at his door when his father knocked on it, wishing his father hadn''t chosen toe visiting at a time like this when he wanted nothing more than to be left alone.

    "Harry? Can Ie in?" Aaron asked as he turned the doorknob.

    "I didn''t say you coulde in," Harry said with a scowl when his father walked in.

    "You didn''t say I couldn''te in either. Why are you still on your bed? Are you fine?" Aaron asked with concern as he went to sit on the edge of the bed.

    "I''m okay. Did you want something?" Harry asked as he rolled off the bed, and Aaron followed him with his eyes.

    "Yes. About thedy you talked about yesterday..."

    "Not now, Dad. Please," Harry said stiffly as he walked into his closet to take out the clothes he would be wearing to the office, and Aaron stood up to follow him.

    "When is it going to be then? Give me a suitable time you''d befortable having the conversation, and then we can discuss it," Aaron said, feeling pressed for time as he needed to push Harry to make a move before his mother did anything.

    He had been unable to sleep all night because he had been too worried about the call he had received from her and her threat to approach Harry if he failed to talk to tell Harry about her. He had thought long and hard about the pros and cons of telling Harry the truth, and he wasn''t sure he could do it.

    "Why? Can''t we just have a normal conversation anymore without it being about me being in a rtionship?..."

    "I just want to see you in a happy rtionship."

    "What''s the rush for? It''s not like there is a time limit to being in a happy rtionship..."

    "What if I was dying?" Aaron cut in, fed up with Harry''s continuous stubbornness.

    "DAD!" Harry yelled angrily as he turned to re at his father, who was standing at the closet door.

    "Just listen to me, okay? I want to meet this girl you talked about before I travel back," Aaron said, a note of urgency in his tone.

    "Why? Why is it so important to you? Is there something you are not telling me about? Are you ill?" Harry asked, watching his father suspiciously, but Aaron shook his head.

    "Do I have to be ill in order to see your girlfriend? I''m just fed up with your excuses! I want to see you in a rtionship!" Aaron yelled in frustration.

    "And what if I don''t want to be in a rtionship? Or does what I want not matter to you anymore?" Harry yelled back irritably.

    Seeing how annoyed Harry was beginning to get, Aaron sighed and dropped both hands to his side, "What you want matters. It will always matter. Your happiness matters to me, so I''m begging you not to waste any more time," Aaron pleaded, his shoulders drooped.

    Hearing the resignation in his father''s voice, Harry took a closer look at him, and only then did he notice how old his father looked that morning. It seemed like he had aged overnight.

    "Dad? Are you okay? Is there something you are not telling me?" Harry asked, going to stand in front of his father.

    Aaron tried to blink back his tears of guilt and fear before looking at Harry. He shook his head, and without saying another word, he headed for the door.

    Harry had a frown on his face as he watched his father leave. His father wasn''t usually the type to act up in such a dramatic manner, so what could be wrong? He wondered as he spread out his work clothes on the bed before going on to shower.

    Once he was ready to leave for work, he went to the living room, but he didn''t find his father there as he expected, and so he walked over to his father''s bedroom to check on him.

    Immediately he raised his hand to knock on the door, he heard his father groaning and panting as though he was struggling to breathe, and immediately he pushed the door open and hurried into the bedroom, "Dad? Are you okay?" He asked in rm when he saw his father sitting at the edge of the bed, bent forward with his hand clutching his chest tightly as though he was in pain.

    Aaron shook his head, "My... ch.. est. It hurts," he managed breathlessly.

    "Whatever this is about, dad, you can talk to me. If it''s about getting a girlfriend, you don''t have to worry. I told you already that I''m on it. I''m not making any excuses this time, I promise," Harry said, thinking his father was putting up a show for him, but upon taking a closer look at the beads of sweat coating his father''s brows and seeing how pale he looked, Harry wasn''t so sure anymore, so immediately he took out his phone and called his doctor.

    Following the doctor''s instructions, Harry helped his father to sit up on the bed in a way that his back was resting on the headboard of the bed while he answered the doctor''s question about his father''s state.

    "I was on my way to my office, but I will stop at your ce to check on him. I will join you in ten minutes," the doctor said before hanging up.

    "What is going on, dad? Why are you being this way? You can''t get sick or let anything of the sort happen to you! You shouldn''t! You are all I have!" Harry pleaded desperately, beads of sweat coating his brows as he watched his father, unable to stand seeing his usually lively father looking so dull and pale.

    Although Aaron''s eyes were closed, tears slid down his cheeks as he listened to Harry. He wanted to talk to Harry and tell him the truth. Several times over the night, he had stood in front of Harry''s door wanting to go in and tell Harry the truth, but he had been unable to bring himself to do so.

    He hadn''t slept a wink all through the night, and he knew that both guilt, fear, and worry were weighing heavily on him, but he couldn''t help it. The more he looked at Harry or listened to his voice, the bigger the weight on his conscience. He was more scared of hurting Harry with the truth than he was of Harry''s anger.

    If all he was going to face was Harry''s anger, then he could live with that, but seeing Harry hurt when confronted with the truth that his mother had not wanted him and that all those love stories had all been a lie... He couldn''t. As manly as Harry portrayed himself, he was always going to be his little boy to him, and he didn''t want to see his boy hurt.

    "Try to take a deep breath, dad. Slowly," Harry suggested while praying that the doctor would arrive there sooner than ten minutes.

    Harry quickly picked up his phone when it started to ring, thinking it was a phone call from the doctor saying he had arrived, but when he saw that it was Jade who was calling, he declined the call without thinking twice as he didn''t want any other call on his line at that moment until the doctor was present there with them.

    Jade called two more times, and he continued to decline her call until he heard the sound of the doorbell, and he spared his father a worried nce before hurrying out of the room to see if it was the doctor and let him in.

    Relieved to see the doctor at the door, Harry led him to the bedroom and stood by his father''s bedside anxiously as the doctor checked his blood pressure and did other vital tests.

    "Your father seems to be very stressed. His blood pressure is too high. For a moment there, I was worried he was having a heart attack when you called me," the doctor said to Harry before focusing on Aaron.

    "Have you been worrying a lottely, sir?"

    "It''s nothing serious," Aaron said, feeling slightly embarrassed now that his symptoms had disappeared.

    "Talk to him, dad. It could have been worse than this. What if I had left for work when this happened to you?" Harry said with a worried frown.

    "I would have been fine. I feel okay now, as you can see. Don''t keep the doctor waiting anymore. You should go to work too," Aaron said, but Harry didn''t budge as he exchanged a look with the doctor.

    "Aren''t you going to give him any medication?" Harry asked, and the doctor smiled.

    "I''ve never seen you this disorganized. Rx, Harry, else you will also be needing medication. I came here directly on my way to work. I don''t drive around with medications in my car. But don''t worry, I will write you a prescription, and then you can get him the medication," the doctor said as he pped Harry''s back lightly before taking out his pen and prescription notepad from his backpack to scribble on it.

    "Are you having difficulty sleeping?" He asked Aaron and seeing the worried look on Harry''s face, Aaron shook his head.

    "Dad, do you need me to excuse you so you can be honest with the doctor?" Harry asked, and the doctor nodded.

    "I think you should excuse us," he suggested, and Harry nodded before walking away from the bedroom.

    A momentter, the doctor stepped out of the bedroom to join Harry, who was waiting outside the door, "Your father needs to rest and stop overthinking. He will be fine," the doctor said as he handed Harry the prescription note.

    "Thank you foring as soon as I called," Harry said as he saw the doctor off to the door, and he gave Harry a nod.

    "It''s part of your membership package. Try not to worry too much. Your father will be okay," he assured Harry as he shook hands with him before leaving.

    Once the doctor left, Harry returned to his father''s bedroom, and immediately Aaron heard his footsteps, her pretended to be asleep. Harry sighed as he looked down at his father, knowing he was only pretending to sleep but not understanding what was happening with the man.

    "I''m heading out to get you the medicine for your blood pressure," Harry said before picking up his phone and walking away.

    Once he got into the car and turned on the ignition, he dialed Tom''s number and connected it to his phone''s Bluetooth speaker as he drove off.

    "Good morning, sunshine. Why are you calling me when we can talk at the office? Don''t tell me you are missing me that badly," Tom, who was in the car with Lucy, joked even though he had been about to call Harry too, to find out if he was okay since he had just finished speaking with Jade, who called to find out what the problem was because Harry was rejecting her call.

    "You wish. I won''t being to the office today. My dad isn''t feeling well, so I have to stay back to look after him," Harry exined.

    "What? What''s wrong with him?" Tom asked while Lucy''s brows pulled together in concern as she listened to the conversation since Tom''s phone was connected to the car''s speaker.

    "The doctor said his blood pressure is high. I''m heading out to get him the prescribed medication. I will take care of the business I can handle from home, so I hope you don''t mind standing in for me..."

    "Are you crazy? Do you even need to ask me something like that? Don''t worry. I will meet with your secretary and find out all you have on your schedule for today, and then we will find a way to blend it with mine. Focus on your dad, and tell him we will stop by to see him after work. Try not to worry too much, alright?"

    "Sure. Give my love to Lucy."

    "No, I won''t! Are you out of your mind? Why would I give your love to my Jewel when she has all my love?" Tom asked, wanting to make Harry loosen up a bit, and to his relief, Harry chuckled.

    "You''re such a fool," Harry hissed at him.

    "Don''t worry too much, HaHa. He''s going to be fine," Tom assured him once again.

    "Yeah. Talk to youter," Harry said as he hung up the call, and then he nced at his phone for only a moment before dialing Jade''s number.

 Chapter 383 Looking For Trouble

    Chapter 383 Looking For Trouble����Jade paced around the room as she thought of Harry, while wondering what was going on with him and why he was rejecting her calls.

    Had she overdone it with herst phone call to him the previous day? Was that why he was avoiding her call now? That had been the first thought that came to mind, and then she had discarded that thought, thinking Harry wasn''t the type to avoid things that way.

    Was he sick? That had been her second thought, until she called Tom to find out if he was okay, and after hearing from Tom that they had all met for dinner the previous evening and he had been fine, she had returned to her first conclusion that he was probably avoiding her. If he was ill, Tom would definitely know about it, so that wasn''t it.

    Or what else could it be? If he was busy, all he needed to do was receive her call and tell her it wasn''t convenient. If he was in a noisy ce all he needed to do was send a text saying he would call back. So why wasn''t he doing either?

    She stopped in her track when her phone started ringing and quickly picked it up from the bed when she saw Harry''s name disyed on the screen.

    "Why were you rejecting my call?" She asked immediately she received the call.

    "I''m sorry. I was in the middle of something when you called. Is there a problem?" Harry asked calmly.

    "Is everything okay?" Jade asked when she heard his dispassionate tone.

    "Yeah. My dad wasn''t feeling too well and I was expecting a call from the doctor. That was why I rejected your call," Harry exined, and Jade''s brows pulled together.

    "Your dad? What is wrong with him? How is he feeling now?" She asked with concern.

    "He will be fine. I just arrived at the pharmacy where I want to get some antihypertensive medication for him. Why did you call earlier? Is there something you want to say?" Harry asked, and Jade sighed.

    She had been calling just to hear his voice and to flirt with him as usual, but she could hardly say that. Not when he had more important things to worry about, "I just wanted to hear from you, and let you know that Jero will be leading us to the cartel lords tonight," Jade said, and Harry nodded.

    "You are not the one to make the arrest so you shouldn''t go there. Ask Jero to lead the police to them. You have done your part, so stay out of trouble and let the police do their job," Harry advised.

    "I wouldn''t need to be there if the system wasn''t so corrupt. But you have nothing to worry about, I will only observe from a safe distance to make sure there are no foul ys," Jade promised.

    "Are you sure you will be fine on your own?" Harry asked, and she smiled when she heard the worry in his voice.

    "It''s not like you cane here to babysit me. Just take care of yourself and your dad, and once I''ve wrapped up things here I will take you up on your offer. You should run along now. Call me when you are bored or you feel like talking to me," Jade said before hanging up.

    Harry sighed as he dropped the phone on hisp but he made no move to get out of the car. Was his father''s worry about his rtionship status the reason for his sudden health challenge? Or was his health challenge the reason he was suddenly bugging him about being in a rtionship? Harry wondered.

    After thinking about it for a minute Harry got out of the car and went into the pharmacy to purchase the medicine. Once he was done, he drove home and by the time he arrived, his father was fast asleep.

    He dropped the medicine by his father''s bedside and just as he turned to leave, his father''s phone started vibrating with a phone call. Not wanting it to disturb his father''s sleep, Harry picked the phone quickly and walked out of the bedroom.

    Harry noticed that the caller''s number was saved as ''Sara'' but not being the type to receive his father''s call, he ignored the phone call as he walked into his bedroom to change out of his work clothes.

    Once he was morefortably dressed, he picked up hisptop and returned to his father''s bedroom to work while also keeping an eye on his father.

    After he settled down on the other side of the bed, he opened hisptop and started going through his emails. Once he saw the date, he realized what it was that had been bothering him, and why he had woken up upset. It was his mother''s death anniversary. He nced at his father''s sleeping form, wondering if that was why he was feeling so emotional as well.

    Aaron''s phone started ringing for the fifth time and this time Harry received the call when he saw that it was from the same caller. Who was this Sarady and why did she keep calling? Harry wondered.

    "Aaron..."

    "Hello!" Harry spoke at the same time as his mother making her keep quiet when she heard his voice, "This is not Aaron. I''m Harry, his son. I''m sorry my father is not.." before Harry could finish speaking Aaron who had been asleep jolted awake and snatched the phone from Harry, his eyes looking wild as he nced at the callers identity.

    Harry looked at his father with a frown, and noticed how his face paled immediately he saw the name disyed on the screen before smashing the phone against the wall.

    "Why are you answering my call?" Aaron bellowed at Harry, more out of fear than annoyance.

    "Calm down, dad. You shouldn''t raise your voice that way when you are not feeling well," Harry said, trying not to read too much meaning to his father''s behavior since he was ill.

    "I want to go home. I don''t want to stay here anymore," Aaron said, his heart beating really fast as he got off the bed.

    "What home? You are not in any shape to go home. And even if you were, you said you were going to stay here for a while. Why the sudden rush?" Harry asked without getting off the bed as he watched his father pack his bags.

    "I''ve changed my mind. I want to go home. You don''t have to worry about me, I will take care of my health," Aaron said, not looking Harry in his eyes as he packed his bag.

    "Why? Are you going to meet that Sarady? Who is she and why has she been calling your line non-stop? She was the same person calling you during dinner, wasn''t she?" Harry asked, and the shirt Aaron was folding fell from his hands which were now trembling.

    This would have been a good way to break the news to Harry, but it wasn''t the right time. He wasn''t prepared for it, "You don''t have to worry about who she is," Aaron said without meeting Harry''s gaze.

    "Are you upset because of mom? Because today is her anniversary?" Harry asked, and Aaron''s heart skipped a beat.

    Aaron suddenly felt faint, and he went to sit on the edge of the bed. Oh, God! He feared he might have a heart attack if he continued to be around Harry. He had thoughting to be with Harry would help him keep watch and make sure Sara doesn''te anywhere near him, but now that he was here, he wasn''t so sure.

    "Dad, talk to me. What is going on with you? You know you can tell me anything, right?" Harry asked, feeling very worried.

    Aaron shook his head, "Not now. Maybeter. Please leave, I want to be alone," Aaron said, and Harry sighed as he got off the bed.

    "That''s the medicine the doctor asked me to get you. Don''t forget to take them. I will be in the living room, call me if you need me," Harry said before walking out of the bedroom.

    **********

    "He seemed very finest night. I hope he will be fine," Lucy said after Tom hung up his call with Jade who had called to inform him she had just heard from Harry.

    "He will be fine," Tom said as he parked the car in front of thepany.

    "From the looks of things I might be very busy today, so you might not hear from me," Tom exined apologetically, and Lucy smiled.

    "Don''t worry about me and just focus on all you have to do. I have a lot on my desk too," Lucy said, thinking of all the work she would have to do now that Amy was absent.

    First she needed to give Lucas and Sonia a call, and then she would check on Amy, before giving Prisci a call to discuss her contract signing with her.

    "I will have Adolf deliver lunch to your office. Make sure you eat," Tom said as he unbuckled his seatbelt and then leaned over to her and kissed her lips lightly, "Have a lovely day, Jewel. And try to stay out of trouble. I love you," he said, and Lucy smiled as she unbuckled her seatbelt.

    She had no intention of staying out of trouble. As a matter of fact, she woke up that morning with the decision to go looking for trouble instead of expecting it toe to her. She needed to start taking control of her life and the things happening around her.

    "Have a lovely day, Ace. I love you," Lucy said with a wave as she got out of the car and headed inside the building, while Tom drove off to his private parking lot.

    As Lucy headed for the elevator, she noticed Cora walking ahead of her and she smiled. Just the right person she wanted to start her troubles with. She knew that Cora was going to be trouble if she didn''t squash her in time, so she quickened her pace to meet up with her.

    Cora turned when she noticed someone step into the elevator with her, and Lucy shed her a pleasant smile, "Good morning," Lucy greeted cheerfully making Cora''s brows pull together.

    "Good morning," she greeted as she tried to walk past Lucy and get out of the elevator since she didn''t want to talk with her.

    "You should stay! I think we should have a brief conversation, don''t you think so? I''d hate to have this conversation with you in the presence of others," Lucy asked, stopping her.

    "I don''t understand," Cora said as she turned to look at Lucy, but Lucy said nothing as she pressed the button for the fourth floor.

    "You were dying to have a conversation with me two days ago, weren''t you?" Lucy asked, reminding her of their conversation in the boardroom.

    Cora blinked at her, surprised that Lucy could actually confront her on that. She cleared her throat, "I don''t know what you''re talking about. I was only talking to you as a colleague."

    "Good. That means you don''t mind me talking to you as a colleague either. Do you, Cora?" Lucy asked, and Cora raised a brow.

    "Director Anderson," she corrected, making it clear she didn''t want Lucy to address her so informally.

    Lucy''s lips twitched with a smile just as the elevator stopped at the fourth floor and opened, "Oh, I''m sorry. My bad. I heard MY MAN call you Cora, so I assumed everyone was allowed to do so," Lucy said, not making any move to step out of the elevator.

    Cora was quiet as she looked at Lucy, not knowing what to say to her, "What do you want?"

    "I have a little advice for you, Director Anderson. Girl to girl, and colleague to colleague. I''m not interested in having problems with you. God knows I have more than enough problems to deal with already, so don''t y any games with me, and don''t pull any silly stunts on me. It''s fine that you admire Tom. I have no problem with that since I''m sure a lot ofdies do too. But if you ever disrespect me the way you did again, I don''t know what I might do. Unless it''s work rted, when I''m with my man, please keep your distance. Are we clear?" Lucy asked, and Cora gave her a nod.

    "Thank you. Have a pleasant day," Lucy said with a wave as she got off the elevator.

 Chapter 384 Girls Talk

    Chapter 384 Girls Talk����Lucy had a satisfied smile on her face as she settled down behind her desk. Who would have thought she would derive such level of satisfaction from a confrontation?

    She had woken up feeling very happy, enthusiastic, and optimistic. Perhaps it was because she had woken up much earlier than Tom and had spent some time watching him sleep so peacefully while calling her name in his sleep and unconsciously reaching for her with his arms, or maybe it was because of the way his eyes had lit up and he had smiled at her so lovingly when he opened his eyes and saw her watching him sleep.

    She had started her day feeling very loved, and in love with not just Tom, but with her life too. And because she intended for it to remain that way she had decided to tackle all of her problems by confronting them head on instead of waiting for them.

    She couldn''t tell what was happening or why she was changing so much in such a short period, but she knew one thing for sure, she loved it.

    Without wasting any more time than was necessary dwelling on it, she decided to return Lucas'' call so that she could also give Sonia a call to find out how she was feeling that morning and continue their conversation from where they stopped the previous evening, before facing her job for the day.

    Just as she was about to dial Lucas'' line, Sonia''s video call came in, and she smiled as she received the call, "Good morning, sunshine! I was going to give you a call after speaking with Lucas, but it seems like you don''t like being number two," Lucy greeted with a wide smile happy to see Sonia''s bright face.

    Sonia smirked, "It is firste, first serve, my love. If it''s not a matter of life and death, you will have to give Lucas a call after speaking with me. C''mon! It was all I could do not to call you as early as 5 AM to get all that juicy gist you promised me," Sonia said, and Lucy giggled, d that Sonia was sounding more like her normal self now.

    "You sound and look better today. How are you feeling?" Lucy asked curiously.

    "If she sounds and looks better, then she is probably feeling better, right? Let''s not waste time with all that small talk. Tell me about the showdown with your colleagues, why you grabbed Tom''s butt in public, what Candace did, and how your dinner with Harry''s dad went," Sonia listed, reminding her of all the things she had said she was going to tell her about.

    Lucy grinned, "Well, that''s a lot. But there is something else to tell you about too. I just confronted one of Tom''s admirers this morning," Lucy said, and she giggled when Sonia''s eyes widened with disbelief.

    "You? You confronted someone?" Sonia asked in disbelief, her insides bubbling with excitement at the news, and Lucy bobbed her head.

    "Remember thedy I told you about? The one who is a director, and was trying to hit on Tom in front of me after the boardmeeting?" Lucy reminded her, and Sonia''s eyes lit up when she remembered Lucy telling her about it two days ago.

    "Oh, yes! I remember. She is the person you confronted?" Sonia asked, and Lucy grinned as she went on to tell her how she approached had Cora.

    "Oh, my baby is all grown up! I''m so proud of thedy you are bing!" Sonia cooed, her eyes gleaming with tears of excitement and happiness.

    Lucyughed, "Me too. It felt so satisfying! I only wish I was like this with Anita from the start," Lucy said with a scowl as she took off her sses.

    "Well, it''s not toote. If the bitch shows up anywhere around you, make sure you give it to her," Sonia encouraged.

    "I intend to. I''m hoping she won''t show up anywhere near me though, but if she does, I don''t think I will let her be. Especially not when I know she was behind the scandal," Lucy said with a determined glint in her eyes, and Sonia nodded in approval.

    "Good girl. Now give me the other gists," Sonia urged her.

    "Not so fast. Are you alone there? Where is Bryan?" Lucy asked when she remembered that Sonia was still with Bryan and his parents.

    "He is busy working out with his best friend, Matt. So we have all the privacy we need," Sonia said with a wide smile.

    "What about Evelyn and Desmond? How are they doing?" Lucy asked, and Sonia remembered she wanted to ask Lucy about Desmond.

    "They''re fine. Evelyn is preparing breakfast, and Desmond is with her in the kitchen. They insisted I shouldn''t leave the bed even after I told them I was feeling better. By the way, I was going to ask you, what did you and Desmond talk about that night I saw you two together?" Sonia asked, and Lucy smiled as she thought of Desmond.

    "He told me about his rtionship with Evelyn, and asked me to forgive my mom. Why?" Lucy asked curiously.

    "Did he tell you Evelyn''s younger sister died after being molested by their father, and she almost killed her father?" Sonia asked in a low voice, and Lucy''s eyes widened in surprise.

    "She did? No! He didn''t tell me that. He only told me that she didn''t want to get married because of her dysfunctional family background, and it took him four years to convince her," Lucy said, and this time it was Sonia''s eyes that widened.

    "Four years?" Sonia asked, surprised.

    Both friends swapped information they had received from Desmond about his wife, and by the time they were done they sighed, "Desmond is awesome," Sonia said, and Lucy smiled.

    "Yes, he is. He is so patient, thoughtful, and kind. I can''t imagine deciding to study a course just to help my partner. But then again, I can imagine Tom doing something like that. Tom took after his father. I''m not so sure about Bryan though," Lucy joked, and Sonia giggled.

    "I don''t think Bryan is that patient. Thoughtful and kind, he is. But patient? Not at all. I think Tom inherited all the patience and left none to Bryan and Jade. God probably knew Tom would need all the patience he could get to deal with a blockhead girlfriend like you," Sonia joked, and Lucy giggled.

    "Yeah, and God knew Bryan wouldn''t require any patience at all to deal with a bad bitch like you since you would be the one throwing yourself at him," Lucy said, and Soniaughed.

    "Yeah, you are right. I have the patience to deal with Bryan. And I think Harry has the patience to deal with Jade so they don''t need it," Sonia said thoughtfully.

    "That reminds me, about Harry and Jade..." Lucy went on to tell her about the dinner and what Aaron had said about helping Jade and Harrye together.

    "Interesting. They seem to have a lot of supporters. That ship must sail," Sonia said, and Lucy nodded.

    "So I guess dinner was fun?" Sonia asked, and Lucy nodded as she told all she had learnt about Aaron and Harry.

    "That''s nice. You haven''t told me about your colleagues yet," Sonia reminded her.

    Soniaughed as Lucy told her about the colleagues who had been badmouthing her in the restroom. And then about how she had kissed Tom in the lobby to pass a message across to everyone not to mess with her.

    "You must have Tom wrapped around your fingers for him to let you do all that with him in thepany. The once invisible CEO now ying around the whole ce with his girlfriend," Sonia observed in amusement.

    "He is the one that has me wrapped around his fingers for me to be doing all of that in the first ce. You know I don''t like drama, and if I didn''t love him, I wouldn''t be putting up with all of this," Lucy said with a sigh, and then she looked at Sonia with a serious expression.

    "I was staring at him as he slept this morning, and you know what I thought?" Lucy asked, and Sonia shook her head.

    "I could die if anything happens to him," Lucy said, and Sonia blinked in surprise.

    "It feels like I have merely been existing before meeting him, and now I feel alive. I thought my life was good and I was happy being alone, but I feel like my life is better now. I still love my career and I''mmitted to my growth, but it all feels different having Tom beside me. You won''t believe he even offered that I could return to my apartment if I needed space, but I didn''t want to leave his side," Lucy said with a lost look in her eyes, and Sonia smiled as she watched Lucy pour out her feelings.

    Even though Sonia knew that Lucy loved Tom, she hadn''t expected such intense emotion or an heartfelt confession like that. Lucy wasn''t usually such an expressive person. She wasn''t sure about it yet, but something told her that Lucy was going to be changing her mind about marriage before everything was over.

    "Love looks good on you, Lu," Sonia said as she watched Lucy, and Lucy smiled.

    "It looks good on you too."

    "I spoke with Tom about you," Sonia said, biting her lower lip since she knew she shouldn''t be telling Lucy about what Tom had told her in confidence. But then Lucy was her best friend, and she felt Lucy deserved to know just how deeply Tom truly felt about her as it would help boost her self-confidence.

    "About me? When? What did you both talk about?" Lucy asked curiously.

    "You can''t tell him I told you about it, promise me," Sonia said, and Lucy nodded.

    "It will remain between us," she promised, and Sonia smiled.

    "Well, it was that time after your fight with your mom, and Tom and I excused you two to talk at the balcony. Tom said it was love at first sight for him. From the moment he saw you at the door of the club he thought you were his soulmate. He took notice of you from the moment you stepped into the club and was watching you even before you sat beside him," Sonia said, and Lucy''s brows pulled together as she tried to remember the first night she met him.

    "He thought I was his soul mate even before talking to me?" She asked, unable to understand how anybody would fall in love with someone they barely know. Attraction, yeah. But love? That was too much.

    Sonia nodded, "He said he was going to propose to you the next morning before he confirmed you were his staff, so he decided to take his time to get to know you," Sonia said, and Lucy''s eyes rounded.

    "Propose? To me? But it was only a fling," she said, and Sonia smiled.

    "It was a fling to you, not to him. That man worships you, Lu," Sonia said, and Lucy''s entire expression softened.

    "Yeah, I know," she said with a smile, thinking of how he was always showing her he loved her, "Sonia, if he wanted to propose to me the first time we met that means marriage must be very important to him..."

    "Getting married to you is important to him, not marriage to just anyone. I didn''t tell you this to make you worry. I only told you so you would know that Tom doesn''t love you because of anything special you did. He loves you because of you. He loves you because deep down he believes you are the one for him. So you have to protect what you have with him fiercely, and don''t let anyonee between you both. It is one thing to have a man, and it is another thing to keep him. If you are going to keep a man like Tom, you can''t afford to be weak or timid," Sonia said, and Lucy gave her a nod.

    "Yeah. I know. By the way, you said you wanted to talk to me about your career," Lucy reminded Sonia.

    "Yes, about that. About what we discussed thest time about getting an office space. I was thinking of doing something bigger. What do you think about owning a writing app where I publish my stories as well as those of other authors? And people pay to read?" Sonia asked, and Lucy smiled.

    "Are you sure it should be just a writing app? Why not something like a website or something where people would get more than just stories? You could do a bit of blogging too. Since you will be dating Bryan, you''d be meeting lots of celebrities. You can use this to your advantage," Lucy said, and Sonia''s eyes lit up.

    "I think that is a very good idea. I will have to think more on it. By the way I''m not going to be working with my editor anymore. I can''t work with someone that doesn''t trust me and can''t vouch for me," Sonia said, and Lucy nodded.

    "Yeah, I understand."

    Sonia looked at Lucy without saying a word for a moment and then she took a deep breath, "Lu?"

    "Hm-hm?"

    "I miss my mom," she said, watching Lucy''s face closely to see her reaction.

    "Me too. I particrly miss her special pancakes. I was going to ask you for some of her recipes, but since you never talk about her, I couldn''t bring myself to ask for it," Lucy said with a small smile, and Sonia''s brow pulled together.

    "You are not angry with her?"

    Lucy shook her head, "No, I''m not. She was always nice to me, remember? She even bought us simr clothes a couple of times, don''t you remember? She''s your mom, I love you too much to hold grudges against her," Lucy said, and tears dropped from Sonia''s eyes.

    "I always wondered why you never talked about her, but I didn''t want to upset you by asking. I''m d you can talk about her now," Lucy said, and Sonia sniffled.

    "I didn''t want to upset you by talking about her," Sonia confessed.

    "And now you want to upset me?" Lucy asked with a grin, and Sonia smiled back as she wiped her tear with the back of her hand.

    "I figured you are my best friend, and I should be able to tell you how I feel. I really wish things didn''t end that way," Sonia, and Lucy looked at her apologetically.

    "I''m sorry. I should have convinced you to go with them or visit them. I''m sorry," Lucy said feeling sad.

    "Don''t apologize, Lu. I never would have left your side for anything. I still haven''t forgiven her, but I miss her. I want to visit her graveside, Lu. I want to take flowers to her graveside," Sonia said, and Lucy nodded.

    "Do you want me to apany you?" Lucy asked, and Sonia smiled.

    "She would probably turn over in her grave if we go there together," Sonia joked, and Lucy smiled.

    "You can go first then. And maybe when next you go I will apany you," Lucy promised, and Sonia let out a sigh.

    "Lu, have you ever regretted our friendship? I mean if we weren''t friends you wouldn''t have had such an experience. Don''t you me me sometimes?" Sonia asked the one question that had been on her mind for years.

    "me you? No. I can''t me you for something that is not your fault. I me Jamie not you. At first I did regret our friendship. I figured, he would never have had those nude photos of me if I wasn''t spending so much time at your ce to begin with. But now I''m just grateful I have you. I think of the incident separately from you. When I think of you, you are just Sonia Smith, my best friend and soul sister, not Jamie''s half-sister" Lucy said, and Sonia sighed in relief, grateful for Lucy''s honesty.

    "I should disown him," Sonia said, and Lucy bobbed her head.

    "I already disowned him on your behalf."

    "So back to our gist. What did Candace do?" Sonia asked, making Lucy giggle.

    "You still haven''t forgotten about that?"

    "Nah, I haven''t. Tell me what she did."

 Chapter 385 Let Him Go

    Chapter 385 Let Him Go����Sonia felt quite differently towards Desmond and Evelyn as she sat across from them to eat breakfast that morning. Perhaps it was because of her conversation with Desmond the previous evening, or her conversation with Lucy concerning them that morning, but she suddenly felt very endeared to them, andfortable in their presence.

    She had a bright smile on her face as she watched them, "Evelyn, is it true that you can''t sleep if Desmond is not there to cuddle you?" She asked, making both Desmond, Bryan, and Matt to chuckle, while Evelyn red at her husband.

    "Where did you hear that?" Evelyn asked with a slightly raised brow.

    "There is no need to deny it, mom. Everyone knows about it, even Matt knows about it," Bryan said in his father''s defense.

    "I think it''s cute that even someone as strong as you loves being babied," Sonia said, and Desmond grinned at his wife.

    "It''s not a big deal. It''s more out of habit for me than necessity," Evelyn said in embarrassment, and Desmond raised a brow.

    "Really? Then I guess it''s time for us to break out of that habit. Matt are you spending the night today?" Desmond asked, and Matt shook his head.

    "Nah. Got a night scene to shoot," Matt said, and Desmond nodded.

    "I guess I will be using the guest bedroom then," Desmond said, and Evelyn frowned at him.

    "Why? Can''t you share a bed with me without cuddling me?"

    "No, I can''t. It''s a bad habit I need to break. I can''t seem to fall asleep without cuddling you," Desmond said, and the others grinned as they watched them.

    "I neverined about it. Why do you need to break the habit?" Evelyn asked her husband with displeasure.

    "It seems to embarrass you, and you know how much I hate to make you feel embarrassed. So let''s just stop sharing a room, okay? We are too old for all that anyway," Desmond said, and Evelyn hissed at him.

    "Stop saying nonsense. Nobody is sleeping on a different bed. Since you can''t fall asleep without cuddling me, you should just keep cuddling me," Evelyn said with a slight blush, and they allughed.

    "What have you been up totely, Matt? Are you dating anyone now? Or are you still busy being a yboy like Bryan used to be?" Evelyn asked, wanting to change the subject.

    "And who said Bryan is no longer a yboy?" Matt asked with a snort.

    "He has Sonia now. So definitely he has changed," Evelyn said confidently.

    "How do you know it''s not a fake rtionship 2.0? You shouldn''t trust your son or Sonia so much. Once a crook is always a crook, you know? And I can assure you that these two are crooks," Matt said, and they allughed.

    "It can''t be a fake rtionship. I can tell a real rtionship when I see one," Evelyn said, and Matt scoffed.

    "Yet you couldn''t tell their engagement was fake," Matt said dryly.

    "We would have known had we stayed with them before their confession," Desmond assured Matt, and Sonia nodded in agreement. She believed that Desmond was the type to see through people, and he definitely would have been hard to deceive.

    "Don''t get your hopes up. Don''t say I didn''t warn you," Matt said as he took a bite from his pancake.

    "That''s why Candace rejected you," Bryan said, and Matt red at him.

    "Candace? Are you talking about our Candace? Matt knows her too?" Evelyn asked curiously.

    "Don''t listen to Bryan. We used to be friends, but not anymore," Matt said dismissively, and Evelyn looked at him with interest.

    "Why not? She''s such a sweet girl. That girl always looks like she has the weight of the world on her shoulders. I think you both would make a good pair," Evelyn said thoughtfully.

    "Why? Because you love Jamal?" Bryan asked suspiciously, and Evelyn smiled.

    "There is that too," Evelyn said with a fond smile as she thought of the kid.

    "If you really do like her, don''t let her go. She seems like a really decent girl," Desmond advised, but before Matt could respond, the doorbell rang and they all nced at the door.

    "I think it''s Simon. I should get the door," Bryan said as he stood up and went to the door.

    Once Bryan opened the door, he saw Simon standing there with a cheerful smile on his face, "Good morning, Bryan!" He greeted, and Bryan felt a stab of hurt in his heart as he looked into the face of the thirty-three years old man he hade to think of as family.

    "Good morning, Simon. It''s been a while. How have you been?" Bryan asked as he stepped aside for Simon to get into the house before shutting the door behind him.

    "Not bad. I was surprised to receive your callst night. I wasn''t aware you were back from your trip else I would havee to clean..." His words trailed of when he saw the others at the dining.

    "Good morning, Mrs. Hank, Mr. Hank. I didn''t realize you were both visiting," Simon greeted cheerfully before turning to greet Matt and Sonia.

    "It''s been a while, Simon. How have you been?" Evelyn asked with a cool smile that didn''t reach her eyes.

    "I''ve been well. You both look very healthy. I think you look younger than thest time I saw you Mr. Hank," Simon noted with a wide smile.

    "I''ve been taking my yoga sses seriously," Desmond said with a small smile as he observed the traitor.

    "Join us for breakfast, Simon. I hope you haven''t had breakfast? I reserved those pancakes for you," Evelyn said, jerking her head to a set of pancakes in front of the only empty seat on the table.

    Simon smiled as he sat down to eat, while the others watched him as they continued to eat. Once he took the third bite of the pancake Evelyn cleared her throat, "I hope Bryan is treating you well?" She asked, and Simon bobbed his head as he beamed a wide smile at her.

    "Yes, he is. He treats me very well," Simon said, and Evelyn smiled back.

    "I''m d to hear that. You know you are family to us. And it is important that family take care of one another," Evelyn said, and he nodded.

    "Thank you so much, Mrs. Hank. I and my family will forever be grateful to you and your family for your help," Simon said, and Evelyn nodded once again.

    "You know, I have always wondered how Jesus felt, sitting down on the same table with Judas and sharing a meal with him despite knowing he was going to be betrayed by him. Have you ever thought about it?" She asked, making Simon''s smile falter.

    Desmond and the others on the table said nothing as they all let Evelyn handle it while they watched the drama.

    "What do you mean?" He asked as he struggled to swallow the food which was now stuck in his throat.

    "If you were told I poisoned those pancakes in front of you, what would be the first reason for my action that woulde to your mind?" Evelyn asked, causing Simon to choke.

    "Here, drink," Desmond said, offering him a ss of water.

    Simon took the ss from him and sipped from it, unable to look any of them in the face as he drank.

    "How many times have you sold information regarding Bryan''s private life to the press?" Evelyn asked, and this time the ss slipped from Simon''s hand and shattered on the floor while he choked on the water he had just swallowed.

    "Something must be wrong with the food. You keep choking," Desmond murmured sympathetically, d that he wasn''t the one on the receiving end of his wife''s anger.

    "I have never done that," Simon said in a shaky voice, and Sonia noticed as Bryan''s hand balled into a fist. She reached out a hand and covered his fist.

    Evelyn said nothing as she rose from her seat and approached Simon''s seat, "Never? So we are to assume that the cameras you nted was a one time thing?" Evelyn asked once she stopped in front of him, towering above him in an intimidating manner.

    Simon didn''t know whether to remain seated, to go on his knees or stand up, but his entire body was shaking now and he couldn''t raise his head to look at Evelyn.

    "Since you seem to have trouble answering all my other questions, how about you answer this one? Who is Anita Miller, and what is your rtionship with her?"

    "I... I don''t know know who that is," Simon said, his hands shaking as he pushed away from the table.

    "Simon," Evelyn called calmly, "I''m trying hard not to hurt you. If you are truly thankful for everything I have done for your family, then you will be honest with me. We know how much she paid you. We have evidence of it. We also have evidence of you cing cameras in the house to spy on Bryan. Whether or not you tell me the truth, you will be punished, but your punishment will be determined by how remorseful and honest you are," Evelyn said, and immediately Simon fell on his knees.

    "Please, Mrs. Hank, I''m sorry. I was greedy, please forgive me, Bryan!" Simon cried, and Bryan stood up and walked away from there to the living room, putting some distance between him and Simon since he was trying his best to hold back his temper and not beat him to a pulp. He felt more pained than angry by Simon''s action and he knew he now that he wouldn''t feel better even if he hurt Simon.

    Sonia rose and ran after Bryan, and Matt rose too, "I''m very disappointed in you, man," Matt said with a shake of his head as he walked away.

    "As you can see, no one is interested in your apology, Simon. What I want is honesty. Was that amount of money worth it? Could you not have asked me or Bryan for money? Have we not given you more than that amount? Who took care of your mother''s hospital bills? Who got your brother awyer and took care of the legal fee? Who was there for you when you got married and had your child?" Evelyn asked, her voice and temper rising with each word.

    "I''m so sorry, Mrs. Hank. I had a lot of debts I needed to take care of and I couldn''t..."

    "Debts? Didn''t I take care of your debts already? Don''t Tell me you are back to gambling," Evelyn cut in before he could finish, and she shook her head in disappointment when he couldn''t respond to her question.

    "It is one thing to be greedy and sell information to the press to cater to your gambling addiction, but to side with an enemy against Bryan? To know that someone means Bryan harm, yet you go along with it? That is something I will not forgive!"

    "Please forgive me. I was wrong. I shouldn''t have done that. She promised to help us get Chris out of prison, and to set up a business for us. I shouldn''t have been greedy. Please I''m sorry," Simon pleaded tearfully, and Evelyn raised a brow.

    "She said she was going to get Chris out of prison?" Evelyn asked calmly, and Simon nodded.

    "That was what she said when she approached me. She said no harm woulde to Bryan since he was a celebrity and she was after Sonia not Bryan. I didn''t know they were in a real rtionship. I would never do anything to hurt Bryan deliberately," Simon pleaded, and Evelyn exchanged a look with her husband who simply shrugged.

    "Do you have any evidence of your conversation with her and her promises to you?" Evelyn asked, and Simon nodded.

    "Yes, I do."

    Evelyn walked away from there and went to meet Bryan in the living room, "You are free to do whatever you want to him. You can hit him if it will help you feel better. We can also get him arrested too if that''s what you want," Evelyn offered, but Bryan shook his head.

    "Neither of that will make me feel better, and I know you won''t feel better either. He did what he did for his brother. I probably would do the same for Tom. Let him go."

    "He also sold information to the press, remember? That wasn''t for his brother," Matt reminded Bryan, not wanting him to let Simon go just like that.

    "Just ask him to get his stuff and leave. I no longer want anything to do with him. I need to leave for Golden Star now," Bryan said as he walked away to the bedroom with Sonia, who was holding on to his hand.

    Matt sighed, and Evelyn frowned as she returned to join Simon, "We are not going to forgive you for this. Needless to say, you are fired. I and my family will have nothing to do with you anymore. And because we once considered you as family, and for the sake of your mother and your wife, I won''t do to you what I had in mind. I want every detail of your conversation with Anita, and every evidence you have that can be used against her. After that, you can get lost," Evelyn said, and gasped in shock when Matt suddenly appeared by her side and viciously kicked Simon''s side making him fall to his side as he cried out in pain.

    "That is for hurting Bryan who has been nothing but kind to you. You don''t deserve my fists," Matt spat out.

 Chapter 386 Time Is Money

    Chapter 386 Time Is Money����Lucas, who was sipping from a hot cup of espresso in a cafe not too far from Miley''s hotel,bed his fingers through his hair in frustration as he tried not to worry about Miley or feel guilty over the way he had left her. He knew he had hurt her feelings by saying he didn''t want to be friends with her, but he believed it was better for him that he left when he still could.

    He couldn''t afford to worry about someone else right now. Especially not when he had problems of his own to take care of, and one of them involved thinking about what next he wanted to do with his life.

    He nced at his phone when he received an Instagram notification, and he saw that it was a notification that Miley was doing a live video. He was very tempted to check to see what she was up to, but he stifled the urge.

    Instead, he went straight to her page and unfollowed her. He didn''t want to get involved with her any more than he already was. His sixth sense told him that she was going to be wanting more than friendship from him, and he was worried that he might offer her what she wanted if he remained around her.

    He shook his head to discard thoughts of her. A least he was grateful to her for one thing. He wasn''t going to be spending any more time sulking over Rachel and her betrayal. No, he wasn''t going to do that. If there was one thing he had learned from his brief interaction with Miley and Amy, it was the value of life.

    Perhaps it was because he was a doctor and was used to seeing terminal patients die. He had never really thought of life or the implication of death so deeply until he saw how much Miley loved her life. Or maybe he had always known but had never taken it seriously, and it had taken him to be in his heartbroken state to understand it.

    This reminded him of the saying, "When you''re happy, you enjoy the music. When you''re sad, you understand the lyrics."

    Well, he had learned a lot of things in this short duration, and even though he hated that he had to learn his lessons in such a hurtful and harsh manner, he was grateful for the lessons learned.

    With that thought in mind, he took out Rachel''s phone, which he had seized earlier and which was in his pocket, and started to go through her texts and call log to see if he would find anything he could use against her.

    He gave up when he came up with nothing after going through it for a while. Of course, it made sense that she wouldn''t have let him hold on to her phone for that long if she had something to hide. He dumped the phone in the trashcan closest to him as he stood up to leave.

    The only reason he had held back from confronting Rachel was because of the ns he was sure Tom and Lucy had for Anita. Rachel was a small fish in the river. The best thing he could do to her now was to move on with his life like she never existed in the first ce. There was nothing else he knew that would hurt her more than that.

    He hesitated outside the cafe door for a moment before returning inside to pick up the phone he had discarded, thinking that it mighte in handy. He dipped the phone in his pocket as he walked out of the cafe and gged down a cab.

    Once he was seated in the cafe, his phone started vibrating with a phone call, and he received it when he saw it was a call from Lucy.

    "Good morning, Lu," he greeted in a cheerful tone, not paying any attention to the driver who was staring at him like he was waiting for him to say something.

    "Good morning, Kiddo! How are you feeling today?" Lucy asked as she took off the stiletto she was wearing and stretched out her toes.

    "Kiddo?" Lucas asked with a scoff. He could tell she was calling him that to get a rise out of him since she knew how much he hated her calling him that.

    "Should I have just called you kid bro then, kiddo?" Lucy asked, and Lucas chuckled, making Lucy smile.

    "I won''t give you the satisfaction of annoying me today, big sis. I feel much better now than I was feeling yesterday. How are you?" Lucas asked, not paying any attention to the cab driver as he turned on his car''s ignition and drove off.

    "I''m fine. I''m sorry I wasn''t close to my phone when you calledst night. Is everything alright with you?"

    "Yeah. Everything is great. I can''t even recall why I called. I probably called to check in and let you know that I''m alright and you shouldn''t worry," Lucas lied.

    "You have no idea how relieved I am to hear that. Let''s leave the whole of that unpleasant incident behind us now, okay?"

    "Are you sure about that, Lu? Or are you just saying this for my sake?" Lucas asked, and Lucy smiled.

    "I''m done pretending to be okay when I''m not, I promise. So believe me when I say I''m fine. I just need you to focus on getting over her. I understand what it means to be stuck in a particr phase for too long, and I don''t want you to waste so much time dwelling in regrets," Lucy advised, and Lucas sighed.

    "Yeah. Sure. I don''t want to do that either. You don''t have to worry about me. I will be fine. By the way, how are things going over there at the office? And how is that secretary of yours? The one that came over to the house," Lucas asked, wanting to know how Amy had managed to get excused from work and be there with Miley and how long she was going to stay beside Miley.

    Lucy''s brows arched at the unexpected question as she wondered why Lucas was asking about Amy, "You mean Amy? She took sick leave. Apart from that, everything else is fine over here."

    "Why? Is she ill?"

    "No, Lucas. She is not ill. Her best friend is ill, so she has to be with her. Why?"

    "You let her go on leave for a sick friend? Are your superiors aware of this?" Lucas asked, impressed that Amy had been honest with Lucy.

    "Yes, the CEO is aware. Amy is not just my secretary. She is my friend. She was the only one in my team who stood by me, so I have to also support her when she needs me to..."

    "How long will she be away for?" Lucas asked, interrupting Lucy.

    "You don''t really expect me to tell you that, do you? Are you going to tell me why you are asking questions about her or not?"

    "No reason. I''m just very concerned about my big sister, and I wanted to know how her secretary turned friend was doing. That''s all."

    "We both know you are not the type to just pick interest in random people. Did you meet Amy or something?" Lucy asked curiously, and Lucas smiled.

    "Are you sure you want to know?" Lucas asked, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper.

    "Yes. Tell me," Lucy said with a crooked smile, knowing that he was going to say something silly.

    "Well, since you insist, I guess I have to tell you then. It so happened in my dream. I was walking along the seashore, and then this beautifuldy dressed in a white dress appeared from nowhere and walked up to me. And she said, ''Hello! I''m your twin''s secretary, and I need you to show concern for my wellbeing and ask her how I''m doing,'' and then before I could respond, she disappeared. Hence..."

    "Hence you are asking me about her," Lucy finished dryly, and Lucas chuckled.

    "It has been a while since we did that, hasn''t it?" Lucas asked with a nostalgic sigh, remembering how he and Lucy used to joke over everything ande up with silly made-up dreams and tales.

    All that had changed when Rachel came into the picture. After Rachel they only talked when it was necessary or important and hardly had time to hang around with each other because Rachel was always stuck to him like his shadow, and then thanks to Sonia, Lucy didn''t really mind.

    "Let''s not dwell on any of that. So you''re seriously not going to tell me why you asked about Amy?" Lucy asked curiously.

    "Well, I just happen to know her best friend. The one who is ill," Lucas said, knowing that one way or the other, Lucy would eventually get to know about it.

    "You do? How? Don''t tell me she is one of your patients?" Lucy said with disbelief, thinking that she no longer believed in coincidences.

    "She is not. It''s a long story. Maybe I will tell you about that some other time. What''s the n for Anita? Have you guyse up with something?" Lucas asked, and then he listened as Lucy brought him to speed with all they had found out and their n.

    "That''s cool. Let me know if there is any way I can help. I tried to see if I could find anything useful in Rachel''s phone, but I couldn''t."

    "Rachel''s phone? You have her phone?" Lucy asked, surprised.

    "Yeah. She came to find me yesterday. I didn''t know she had a tracker on my phone this whole time. I seized her phone," Lucas exined without mentioning Miley.

    "And you''re still with the phone?" Lucy asked as an evil idea began to form in her head.

    "Yes. Why?" Lucas asked when he heard the excitement in her voice.

    "I think I just figured out a way to make Rachel pay for everything," Lucy said thoughtfully.

    "Really? How?" Lucas asked curiously.

    "Don''t worry. I will tell you more about it after I''ve given it much thought. Have you made up your mind on what you want to do now?" Lucy asked, changing the subject.

    Lucas paused when he remembered Miley asking him that same question. He shook his head. He wasn''t going to think about her.

    "I will start by going home to see mom and dad, and once I''ve been able to convince them that I''m fine, I will go on a vacation. I need a change of environment. After I''m well rested, I can decide on what next to do about my career," Lucas said, thinking about the offer Tom had made him.

    "Alright. Do whatever you need to do to make sure you''re fine. I''ve got your back," Lucy assured him.

    "Yeah, I know that. I will do a better job at having your back going forward, I promise."

    "Why don''t you start by telling me about what you discussed with Tom?" Lucy asked hopefully, and Lucas chuckled.

    "Nice try. That''s between Tom and me. Sorry, I can''t tell you. I need to go now, Lu. My regards to Tom. Love you," Lucas said before hanging up.

    Once he hung up, he looked outside the window to see where they were, "Where did I tell you we were going to?" He asked, and the driver smiled at him sheepishly.

    "You didn''t say, so I''ve just been driving around," the driver said, making Lucas look at him incredulously.

    "I suppose I''m expected to pay for this directionless ride?" Lucas asked, and he nodded.

    "Yes. You got into the car and sat there without saying anything. I couldn''t just stay there waiting for you to tell me where you were going when you were so busy on the phone. Time is money, you know? Every moment lost can not be recovered," He said, and for some reason, his words evoked a feeling of sadness in Lucas.

    Time was money, yet there were people like Miley who had money but didn''t have time. No. He wasn''t supposed to be thinking of her.

    Forget about her, Lucas. You''ve got to forget about her.

    "Nice one. Let''s go then," Lucas said as he called out his parents'' address to the driver.

    He was confident that once he traveled to somewhere far away, he would forget all about Rachel and Miley. They were both distractions that he needed to get rid of in order to move past this chapter of his life.

 Chapter 387 Mothers Chat

    Chapter 387 Mothers'' Chat����"Is there any need to take his pair of their matching outfits?" J asked her husband as she stared at a pair of matching shoes belonging to both Lucas and Rachel on their shoe rack.

    "Yes, let''s take whatever belongs to him. If he feels the need to discard or destroy them, then doing so should give him a level of satisfaction. Let''s not leave anything behind that belongs to him," Andrew called from the other side of the closet where he was sorting through the clothes.

    They both worked in silence for some time as they gathered all that belonged to Lucas into separate boxes, and once they were done with the closet, they looked at each other, and J let out a sigh.

    "Do you think he''s going to be okay, Drew?" J asked, and Andrew gave her a nod.

    "Sure, he will. All he needs right now is time. See how well Lucy turned out? Lucas will be fine too," Andrew assured her, and before she could respond, her phone, which was on the bedstand, rang out.

    She reached for it and smiled when she saw that it was a call from Evelyn, "It''s Evelyn," she told her husband as she received the call.

    "Hello, Eve! Good morning," J greeted cheerfully, and Andrew mouthed to her that she should sort through the drawers for all the documents belonging to Lucas while he took the boxes to the car, and she gave him a nod as she moved the padded stool in front of the dressing table to the front of the nightstand.

    "I''m sorry we didn''t call to find out if you''ve arrived or settled in well," Evelyn said apologetically as she poured herself a ss of lemonade while she sat by the poolside, trying to get some alone time for herself.

    "Oh, never mind that! I wasn''t in the frame of mind to receive phone calls either, especially when we couldn''t find Lucas upon our arrival..."

    "Oh, dear! Have you seen or heard from him now?" Evelyn asked with concern.

    "Yes, we have heard from him," J said as she lowered herself on the stool before pulling out the drawers on the nightstand.

    "That''s such a relief. How is he doing? I hope he''s not too hard on himself?" Evelyn asked hopefully.

    "I honestly can''t answer that, Eve. I''m yet to see him. You know how these kids can be. He ims he is okay, but I''m not sure. I really don''t know how he is feeling or what to do to help," J said with a weary sigh as she looked through the documents and took out whichever one had Lucas'' name on it.

    "You can start by not worrying too much about it. You won''t do him or yourself any good if you fall sick because you''re worrying too much. I know how difficult this must be for you as a mother, but just let him be. Try to be cheerful whenever you speak with him. He needs only positive energy right now. You know, when my daughter lost her boyfriend, I was very worried about her too. It was all I could do not to move in with her because I was scared she might attempt to take her life or harm herself. Desmond advised I let her be. And whenever we spoke with her, we never really bugged her by trying to know how she was doing. It wasn''t easy, but Desmond insisted we let her deal with her grief the best way she could. Although it took a lot of time, but she''s fine now. You can also ask him to let you know if there''s anything you can help him do," Evelyn suggested before taking a sip from her ss of lemonade.

    "I''m trying to do that. As a matter of fact, we are at the apartment he shared with that brat. We are helping him move his stuff."

    "That''s fine. That should help keep you distracted for a while. You can also just soak all her fancy clothes in the bathtub and stuff her shoes in the toilet too," Evelyn suggested, and Jughed.

    "I think I will take that advice. How are you? I learned you left Ludus yesterday. How was your trip? Have you settled in? How is Desmond?" J asked, and Evelyn smiled.

    "Everything is alright over here. We had to stop by Sogal to handle some family business at Bryan''s end. Although Sonia isn''t feeling very well, so we will be here until the weekend before leaving for Heden. We hope to meet you both when we get there," Evelyn said, and J smiled.

    "Sure, you will. What''s wrong with Sonia? I hope it isn''t too serious?" J asked with concern as she opened a file to confirm whose it was, and she flung it across the room when she saw it belonged to Rachel.

    "She was down with flu, but I think she''s feeling much better today. Desmond and I just want to hang around to make sure she''s okay before leaving," Evelyn exined, and J was d that both her girls had people like Evelyn and Desmond in their lives.

    "That''s so nice of you. Thank you. I will give her a callter. Hopefully, by the time you get back, things will have settled a bit with the kids, and we can all rx without having to worry too much," J said as she watched her husband return to the bedroom to pick up two more boxes.

    "Sure. By the way, I was thinking. How about we sign up at the same yoga school? We can be partners and attend the sses together. I''ve been inconsistent with my sses because Desmond is always reluctant to go with me. He ims it''s for women, not men," Evelyn said, and Jughed softly.

    "Andrew shares that sentiment too. Perhaps they can both sign up at the same gym. That way, they can also work out together," J suggested, and Evelyn bobbed her head.

    "Yeah, I thought of that. If the distance is too much, we can just find one between our ce and yours. That way, neither of us has to travel a long distance," Evelyn said, and J nodded in agreement.

    "I agree with you. Let''s decide on that after you get back," J suggested when Andrew came in to get thest set of boxes.

    "Alright, say hello to Andrew. And don''t forget to dump the brat''s clothes in water. If possible, you can leave the taps running. I don''t know about you, but doing that would make me feel better," Evelyn advised, and Jughed out loud.

    "I should get to it now before Andrew tries to stop me. Thanks for calling, Eve. I feel much better," J said, and Evelyn smiled as she hung up the call and turned to Desmond, who had just joined her.

    J had an evil smile on her face as she dropped her phone on the dressing table and went to fill the bathtub with water.

    "What are you doing?" Andrew asked when he returned to the room and saw her sorting through Rachel''s clothes.

    "Are you done?" J asked without answering his question.

    "Yes. So what are you doing?" Andrew asked once again.

    "I will tell you about itter. Why don''t you go around the house one more time and see if we are leaving anything behind while I finish up here?" J asked as she escorted Andrew to the door while he eyed her suspiciously.

    "Jane?" Andrew asked, but she shoved him out.

    "It''s best you don''t know until I''m done. Don''t worry. It''s a woman thing," she assured him with a broad smile before shutting the door in his face.

    Although she knew it was a petty thing to do, but that was the best she could do for now. Merely thinking about the look on Rachel''s face when she finds all of Lucas'' stuff gone, and sees her things in a mess, was enough to lift her spirit.

    J picked all the major designer brands, and once she was sure the tub was filled with water, she stuffed both clothes, shoes, and hang bags into the tub and then poured all the items in Rachel''s jewelry box into the toilet.

    If the jewelry were very important to her, then she should dip her filthy hands into the toilet and get them out. Once she was done, she smiled in satisfaction and returned to the dressing table. She took out Rachel''s red lipstick and returned to the bathroom, where she wrote on the full-length mirror that covered one side of the bathroom.

    "THIS IS NOTHING COMPARED TO WHAT YOU DESERVE FOR TRYING TO COME BETWEEN MY CHILDREN."

    Satisfied, she returned to organize all of Lucas'' documents into an empty box, and then she picked up her phone before opening the door to let Andrew, who was still waiting by the door, into the bedroom.

    "What did you do?" Andrew asked as he walked past her to see what she had done.

    J followed behind as he went straight to the closet, and when he couldn''t find the clothes she had been packing a moment ago, he went to the bathroom, and he blinked in surprise when he saw the disaster his wife had done.

    He looked back at her, and he saw the satisfied sparkle in her eyes, "Does this make you feel better?" He asked, and she gave him a nod.

    "For now, yes."

    Andrew took out his phone and snapped a couple of photos, "When you start feeling upset again, you should look at these pictures," he said before turning on the tap at the sink, making Jugh happily as she let him lead her out of the bathroom. He stopped by the nightstand to pick up the box containing the documents before leading her out of the apartment.

    By the time they arrived at their home and J opened the door, she was pleasantly surprised to see Lucas standing by the door.

    "Oh, Luc!" She eximed as she went to embrace him, "I''m so happy to see you. How are you feeling now? You''ve lost so much weight," She observed, and Lucas smiled as he embraced her back.

    "I''m alright. I''ve been waiting for a while. Where are youing from?" Lucas asked curiously.

    "We went to get your stuff from the apartment as you requested," J exined just as Andrew walked in carrying two boxes.

    "Let me take that from you," Lucas offered as he rose to take the box from his father.

    "If you feel that strong, why not get the other boxes from the car?" Andrew asked, and Lucas chuckled as he went out to get the other boxes.

    Both Andrew and J had agreed to take Evelyn''s advice and act normally towards him. If they all behaved like it all wasn''t a big deal, then he would also believe so and wouldn''t dwell too much on it.

    While Andrew and Lucas brought in the remaining boxes, J quickly fixed something for them to eat, and by the time both men were done and had freshened up, the table was set for lunch.

    "So, are you back for good now?" J asked hopefully as they ate.

    "No, I''m not. I came to see you and to let you know that I''m fine so you don''t have to worry about me. I also wanted to pick some of the stuff I would need. I''m going on a vacation," Lucas said, and his parents nodded.

    "A vacation is a good idea. There is nothing like a change of environment to clear your head. Do you have any particr destination in mind?" Andrew asked, and when Lucas shook his head.

    "I think I will start by stopping at Ludus to see Lucy for a moment before leaving," Lucas rushed to say before his parents could start suggesting different ces he could visit.

    "Oh, that''s very good. I''m sure Lu would love that very much," J said with a pleased smile.

    Lucas cleared his throat as he looked at them with a serious expression in his eyes, "I''m deeply sorry for all the pain and heartache that my wrong choice of a girlfriend has caused us all," Lucas said, and J waved it off dismissively.

    "Oh, c''mon! None of that is your fault. You don''t have to apologize for it. When the time is right, Rachel will be sorry for messing with us, I promise you," she said, and Andrew chuckled as he scrolled through his phone before handing it to Lucas.

    "Look what your mom did to her stuff," he said, and Lucas'' eyes rounded in surprise when he saw Rachel''s favorite limited edition handbag soaking in the bathtub alongside her very expensive clothes.

    "Mom! You shouldn''t have done this. She''s going to be very mad when she sees this," Lucas observed with concern even though for some reason, the thought of Rachel being mad and pained made his lips twitch.

    "Definitely not as mad as I am at her, I assure you. She must know better than to do anything stupid. Don''t worry about us. We can take care of ourselves. Just focus on yourself, okay?" J said, and Lucas gave her a nod.

    "Listen to your mom, and don''t worry about anything, okay? Do everything healthy you need to do to heal, and we''ll be here waiting for you when you get back," Andrew said as he pped Lucas'' back fondly.

    "I will. Thank you very much. I have already booked my flight. I''ll be leaving for Ludus tonight, and if for any reason I change my line, I will let you know first," he promised.

    Apart from the fact that he wanted to hand Rachel''s phone to Lucy before leaving, he also wanted to apologize to her properly before leaving. A phone conversation wasn''t good enough. He needed to look into her eyes as he apologized to her. He needed to be sure she was as fine as she imed. That was the only way he would be okay enough to forgive himself and put it all behind him.

    *******

    Author''s Note:

    I couldn''t skip to the next week as nned because I realized there are certain things I need to take care of. I will let you know when I skip, so I don''t leave you confused. Much love.

 Chapter 388 Not So Bad

    Chapter 388 Not So Bad����"Was that J on the phone with you just now?" Desmond asked Evelyn since he had overheard her mention Andrew''s name.

    "Yes. Why are you out here? What about Sonia?" Evelyn asked because he had been with Sonia when she left them toe sit by the poolside.

    "She is busy working on her novel. I didn''t want to distract her so I decided toe distract you instead," Desmond said with a grin, and Evelynughed in amusement as she looked down at his abdomen which was bulging from his unbuttoned shirt.

    "You should sign up in a gym when we get back. Perhaps Andrew could be your workout buddy. He might be a good influence on your fitness goals," Evelyn said, and Desmond scowled at her.

    "Are youparing me to him? I''m older than he is, you know? Just wait until he gets to sixty and see if he''s more charming than I am," Desmond said, and Evelynughed as she patted his abdomen fondly.

    "You''re only older than him by barely five years. If you''d take your exercises more seriously, I''m sure you''d make a more charming older man than Andrew," Evelyn said, and Desmond squared his shoulders.

    "Of course, he wouldn''t stand a chance. Fortunately for him, I''m not big on abs and all of that. I don''t want my sons to feel intimidated by me," Desmond joked, and Evelynughed.

    "Yeah, right."

    "That''s beside the point. How are they doing? How''s Lucas? And what was that you were telling J about dumping someone''s clothes in water?" Desmond asked, and Evelyn exined the situation to him.

    "You''re not that petty," Desmond said, and Evelyn smiled. It was true that she preferred to handle things differently, but that didn''t mean she wouldn''t bring herself that low for her children if the need arose.

    "That doesn''t mean she won''t derive pleasure from being petty. She sounded really unhappy, and that''s the best she can do right now," Evelyn said, and Desmond shook his head.

    "Women," Desmond muttered as he picked dup Evelyn''s ss of lemonade and drank from it.

    "By the way, do you honestly think we handled Simon as we should? I feel we were too easy on him," Evelyn said, trying not to sound too worried.

    "Even if Simon disappointed us, and we are mad at him, he''s someone we once considered family and we can''t throw the baby out with the bathwater. We can punish him by cutting him off, but we can''t hurt him. We are better than that, and I''m d both you and Bryan remembered that," Desmond said, and Evelyn sighed.

    "I guess you''re right."

    "Of course, I am right. Consider the bright side, We got all the evidence Tom can use against Anita from him, and Matt at least attacked him," Desmond said, and Evelyn''s lips curved.

    "I didn''t expect that from Matt. Although I suspect Matt had some bottled up anger inside him and just needed to let it out. Unfortunately for Simon he was at the receiving end," Evelyn said, and Desmond chuckled.

    "You''re getting better at reading people," he observed.

    "When you have been married to a man that reads people like a book for as long as I have, it begins to rub off on you," Evelyn said, and Desmond smiled.

    "I hope Matt is okay, though. I wonder what the situation is between he and Candace," Evelyn said thoughtfully.

    "Whatever it is, as long as the feeling is mutual I''m sure they will find a way to make it work, like Jade and Harry," Desmond said confidently as he took off his shirt.

    "I feel hot, I need to take a dip in the pool," Desmond said as he moved closer to the water.

    Evelyn rose from her seat, "You do that, while I check on Sonia," Evelyn said as she walked away from there back to the house.

    She stopped by the dining when she saw Sonia seated there, tapping away on her keyboard, "I see you''re busy. Can you spare me five minutes?" She asked, and Sonia looked up at her with a cheerful smile.

    "You can have more than five minutes. This can wait," Sonia said as she saved her work and closed herptop while Evelyn sat across from her.

    "First of all, I don''t want it to seem like I''m prying or anything of the sort. You can choose not to answer my question and I assure you I won''t feel offended. I would also love it to be between us..." Evelyn started, and Sonia gave her a nod.

    "Your rtionship with Bryan is real, right? Not that I doubt that it''s real. What I mean is, you''re both not just having fun, right? You both have intention to settle down with each other eventually, don''t you?" Evelyn asked, and Sonia smiled knowingly.

    "We both know you know the answer to that. What you really want to know is how soon before we settle down, am I wrong?"

    "No, you''re not. I also want to be sure you love Bryan as much as he loves you. I can see he''s in love with you, but I don''t know about you," Evelyn said, and Soniaughed softly.

    "Trust me, I love Bryan even more than he loves me. I wouldn''t have let our fake engagement drag on for as long as it did if I wasn''t interested in him. As for your other question, I can''t give you any specific time. We want to spend some more time getting to know and understand each other more before getting married. We could choose to get married in a matter of months, or years, like you and Desmond did," Sonia added with a shrug, wanting to let Evelyn know she knew how long it took her to ept Desmond so she wouldn''t think of pressuring them.

    "Our case was different," Evelyn protested.

    "No, it isn''t. We all have our different backstories that influence our decisions," Sonia said, thinking about Lucy.

    "You don''t want a situation where we hurriedly get married only to get divorced shortly after, do you? I believe your desire is to see your children settled and happy with their partners like you are. If that is what you want, don''t you think it''s best you let them take their time to get there? You raised such capable men, you should trust their decision," Sonia said, and reached out to cover Evelyn''s hand with hers when she sighed wearily.

    "Maybe you''re right," Evelyn said after a moment.

    "I don''t think there''s anything for you to worry about. You should be d that Bryan is in amitted rtionship now. Don''t worry, when we are ready, you''ll be the first to know about it," Sonia assured her, and Evelyn sighed.

    "Alright. I will find something else to calm my grandbaby fever," Evelyn said, and Sonia smiled.

    "Don''t worry, I''m going to be the one to give you your first grandchild," Sonia promised, and Evelyn smiled.

    "You''re going to beat Lucy to it?" Evelyn asked, and Sonia nodded.

    There was no need to tell her that Lucy wasn''t interested in having kids. And judging by how Jade and Harry were behaving, she doubted they would get to that point before her.

    "Yes. I''m going to beat Lucy and Jade to it. So you should be good to me, and care for me more specially," Sonia said, and Evelynughed softly.

    "I will keep that in mind. Speaking of Jade, what do you think about her and Harry? I know you were both discussing it the other night," Evelyn said, and Sonia''s eyes sparkled with interest, knowing she was about to hear Evelyn''s perspective about Jade and Harry.

    "I think they will make a beautiful pair. I''m waiting for Jade to resume at I-Global so we can watch the fireworks. She told you Harry offered her the job, right? I think he probably did so to keep her close, don''t you think so?" Sonia asked, and Evelyn''s brows arched.

    "No, she didn''t mention that. Now I understand why she considered going there in the first ce," Evelyn said with an amused smile, "You might be right about him wanting to keep her close to him this time, considering how he couldn''t do so four years ago," Evelyn said, and Sonia leaned forward in her seat.

    "What happened four years ago?" She asked, pretending not to have heard of it from Jade.

    She listened excitedly as Evelyn recounted how Harry''s eyes had been glued to Jade as she ran down the stairs when he first met her, and how he had followed her around with his eyes during most of his stay there until he left abruptly.

    "I think the poor boy couldn''t stand being under the same roof with Jade''s then boyfriend. I always wished he made a move though. Desmond and I noticed how Jade tried too hard to avoid him, and when I told her he left, she looked really disappointed," Evelyn said in amusement, and Sonia nodded.

    "If you liked Harry that much, why didn''t you do anything about them?" Sonia asked curiously.

    "Desmond doesn''t believe in matchmaking people. He prefers we trust our kids to make their decision and only guide them when they ask for help. If it was up to me, Tom would be a pilot, and Bryan would be a medical doctor," Evelyn said, and Sonia giggled at the thought of Bryan being a doctor.

    "He''s such an amazing father," Sonia said, and Evelyn smiled.

    "And a wonderful husband too. I''m d he always makes me listen to him, else I would have ruined Tom''s rtionship without even getting to know how wonderful Lucy is," she said, and Sonia smiled.

    "What about Bryan''s rtionship with me? You had your reservations too before you realized I''m amazing too, right?" Sonia asked, making a cute face that made Evelynugh softly.

    "I did think you were wild when I met you, but Desmond and Jade thought you were exactly what Bryan needed. And yes, I think you''re not as bad as I thought," Evelyn said, and Sonia''s brows pulled together.

    "Not as bad?"

    Evelyn smiled, "I still think you''re very wild. But you''re also a sweet child, so I don''t mind," Evelyn assured her.

    "I guess I have to make do with that since I also thought you were too strict and old-fashioned, but you''re not as bad as I thought either," Sonia said with a silly smile, and Evelynughed.

    "I can live with that. I should let you get back to work now," Evelyn said as she pulled back her seat and stood.

    Sonia stood up too, making Evelyn look at her curiously, and to her surprise Sonia embraced her, "Thank you for epting me as part of your family, and caring for me yesterday," Sonia said, and Evelyn smiled as she embraced her back.

    "Maybe you''re not so bad after all," Evelyn said, and Soniaughed as she pulled away, and watched the woman walk away.

    Every member of the Hank family seemed to make her feel lighthearted. And now she was sure that Bryan wasn''t just her home. He had given her his family too, and thanks to Desmond''s wisdom, she could also see Lucy''s family as hers now, and face them without feeling guilty for Jamie''s crime or feeling out of ce anymore.

 Chapter 389 I Will Destroy Your Career!

    Chapter 389 I Will Destroy Your Career!����Bryan was still very much in a foul mood as he walked into the Golden Star Agency building with Jeff and Mia, who were tailing behind him.

    He had insisted that Sonia stay back at home and rest in thepany of his parents because he didn''t want his mood to affect hers, and also since he didn''t know how things were going to go between him and Paul at thepany, he didn''t want anything to upset her.

    Some of the other celebrities that worked in the agency and were in the building came out to say hello to him, but Bryan ignored them all as he headed straight for the CEO''s office.

    "Did you really have to dress this way?" Jeff asked under his breath as he eyed Mia, who was dressed in an all-ck outfit. A ck turtleneck shirt, ck trousers, ck ankle boots, and worse of all, she hung a ck cloak over her shoulder, and her lips were also coated with ck lipstick.

    "What''s wrong with my outfit?" She asked with a sweet smile, notpletely ignorant of the weird stares they were receiving because of her.

    "Nothing. Never mind," Jeff said as he hurried to meet up with Bryan, who had just stepped into Paul''s outer office.

    Paul''s assistant stood up immediately she saw them, "Good morning, Bryan..."

    Bryan walked past her before she could finish greeting him and barged straight into Paul''s office.

    "Bryan," Paul greeted with a pleasant smile which quickly transformed into a scowl when he saw Jeff and Mia.

    "What are you both doing in my office?" He growled at them.

    "They''re with me. We are here to tie up loose ends. In case you didn''t get my message because you failed to watch the interview, my business with you is over. I want out," Bryan said, daring Paul with his eyes to make things difficult.

    "Sit down, Bryan. We can always talk things over. We are not enemies after all, or are we?" Paul asked calmly.

    "You became my enemy the day you decided to interfere in my life that way," Bryan responded coldly.

    "C''mon, Bryan! Don''t say that. You of all people know how entertainment works. Celebrities can lose their fame in the blink of an eye, and I did what I thought was best to protect you when everyone else was against you."

    "You did that to protect me? You defamed the woman I love to protect me? Are you out of your mind?" Bryan roared at him.

    "I never knew you were in love with her..."

    "You did. I personally told you about it before you did what you did," Mia chipped in, and Jeff stifled the urge to chuckle when Paul red at her as though he wanted to pounce on her.

    "You are lucky I promised Sonia I wouldn''t do anything rash here, else you''d be talking to my fist," Bryan snarled.

    "Can we at least speak privately? For old time sake, please," Paul pleaded, and Bryan turned to Jeff and Mia.

    "Jeff, assist Mia in moving my personal effects out of the office," Bryan instructed, and they both quickly left the office.

    "Bryan, you can''t possibly mean to end things this way," Paul said in disbelief as cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

    "For the sake of how far we''vee, and because of the respect I had for you, I''m trying to stay calm. Get out the necessary documents and let''s terminate our contract," Bryan insisted.

    "Fine, I admit that I was wrong. I''m sorry for doing that. I was doing what I thought was best for your career. I will apologize to Sonia if you want me to, please," Paul pleaded, but Bryan remained unmoved by his apology.

    "That is exactly why I no longer want to be managed by you or this fucked up agency! You only care about our damned career and the money we bring you. You don''t give a fuck about us. Let''s assume you didn''t know I was in love with Sonia initially. What about after I called? I specifically asked you to take down the article after you released it, but you didn''t listen to me, did you? My opinion or what I want doesn''t matter to you, does it? Everything has to be your way, and I''m done with all of that! Bring out the fucking documents, and let''s get this done with!"

    "I can''t let you go. I won''t let you go this way, Bryan! Not after all I''ve done for you. You owe me, Bryan! There''s no Bryan Hank in the entertainment industry without me! I made you!" Paul growled.

    "Do you honestly think so? Well, I also want you to know that there''s no fucking Golden Star Entertainment without Bryan Hank! You are the big shot you are in the industry because of me! I named this fucking ce, so don''t tell me shit about owing you! I paid my dues in full! I''m leaving this damned ce, and my mind is made up on this. There is nothing you or anyone else can do to stop me. Take me to court or do whatever you want to do about this. I don''t give a flying fuck. But it would be in your best interest to know that whatever you do, I have I-Global''s backing, and I hope you have enough money to spend in taking me to court cause by the time we are done, I will make sure Sonia sues you for every damn penny you are worth for the defamation of her character. Try me," Bryan promised before storming to the door.

    "I will make sure you regret this, Bryan! I will destroy your career!" Paul called after him, hitting the table angrily, but Bryan didn''t bother turning back.

    Bryan paused when he pulled the door open and some of his colleagues, who had been eavesdropping on their conversation, quickly assumed different positions on the couch and around the outer office as though they were busy.

    "I wish you all good luck," Bryan said before walking away.

    Once he stepped out of the elevator, he saw Jeff and Mia in the lobby speaking with Sophia, the neen years old actress he had been involved in a scandal with which had made him propose to Sonia.

    "Bryan! I was just asking about you," she said when she saw him approaching and hurried over to embrace him.

    Bryan pulled away when she kissed his cheek, wondering why she had felt the need to embrace him and kiss his cheeks in such a manner when she was usually cautious around him because of her jealous boyfriend.

    "Hi!" Bryan greeted awkwardly as he took a step back from her.

    "I''m sorry, I was just so d to see you," she said with an apologetic smile, "Is it true that you are ending your contract with Golden Star?" She asked curiously.

    "Yeah," Bryan said with a nod.

    "I''m sorry this whole stuff happened because of me. If I hadn''t asked you to do something about the scandal, none of this would have happened," she said apologetically as she held his hand.

    "It''s not your fault. Don''t let it bother you," Bryan said as he subtly released his hand from her hold, not knowing how to feel about her unusual disy of affection.

    "What are you doing here, anyway?" He asked, and she raised a brow.

    "I''m here to meet with my manager. I''m one of the actors who Paul recently signed. Don''t tell me you didn''t know that?" She asked, and Bryan shook his head.

    "I didn''t. I guess it''s hello, and goodbye for us here," Bryan said, and she shed him a wistful smile.

    "I wish you weren''t leaving just when I joined the agency," she said with a sad sigh.

    "It''s probably for the best. Your boyfriend won''t have to worry about you working with me in the same agency," Bryan said as he nced at his wristwatch, thinking it was almost time for Sonia to take the next dose of her medication.

    "See you around then. Take care of yourself, and good luck," Bryan said, and before she could respond, he walked away to join Jeff and Mia, who was still waiting for him.

    "How did it go?" Jeff asked curiously, and Bryan sucked air through his teeth.

    "He went from being sorry to being mad. He threatened to destroy my career," Bryan said nonchntly as they all headed for the car.

    "You should probably be careful," Mia said, concerned.

    "He can''t do anything to me, don''t worry about it. Did you get everything into the car?" Bryan asked as he turned to take one more look at the building where he had signed his very first contract.

    "Yeah," Jeff said as he also looked back at the building, "I''m going to miss this ce," Jeff murmured.

    "I won''t be missing this ce one bit. I''m looking forward to the move already. I have a feeling that I''m about to live my best life," Mia said with a wide smile, thinking of the new life that awaited her in Ludus.

    Jeff nced at her and shook his head without saying a word. Mia was always too impulsive and adventurous for his liking. Unfortunately, those were part of her charm too.

    "I''m done here. You both can use the next couple of days to tie up your loose ends. By Monday, you should be ready to meet with Harry Jonas," Bryan said as he held out his hand for his car key.

    "You don''t have to drive me home. I can drive myself," Bryan said, and Jeff handed him the car key.

    "I will let you know when I''m set to move," Jeff said as Bryan got into the car.

    "Me too. We will let you know," Mia said with a wave as they both watched Bryan drive away.

    Inside Paul''s office, Sophia sat across from him and watched him curiously as he looked at the intimate photos of her and Bryan, which Paul had nted someone to capture.

    He was a man that always had an alternative n for everything, and from the moment Bryan had informed his assistant to let him know he wasing over to see him, he had prepared everything.

    "These are good, but not enough," Paul said as he opened his drawer and dropped the phone inside.

    "If I may ask, what do you n to do with that, sir?" Sophia asked, wanting to know his n.

    "I intend to find out just how strong and special their rtionship is to make him do something like this to me after all I''ve done for him. Don''t worry. This won''t get you in trouble. Just make sure you always do as I tell you, and I will make you an A-list star in no time, I promise you," Paul said, and Sophia nodded eagerly.

    "Thank you for giving me this opportunity, sir. I promise not to let you down," Sophia said with a smile of gratitude as she rose to leave.

    Although she liked and admired Bryan very much, advancing in her career was more important to her. So if this were the only way she could make it to the top and be an A-list actress like some others who made their way to the top by sleeping with movie producers and directors to get special roles in movies, then she would do it, Sophia thought as she walked out of the office.

    Once she left, Paul rang the inte of his assistant, and almost immediately, she joined him in his office, "You called."

    "I want you to dig up all of Bryan''s past scandals. I want the names of every single female celebrity he has ever been involved in a scandal with, whether it was mere spection or an actual fling. Make sure to highlight the names of those of them that are golden star celebrities," Paul instructed, making her look at him with a slight frown.

    "Can I ask what you want to do with the list?" She asked carefully.

    Although she wasn''t ignorant of what had transpired between Paul and Bryan, she was curious to know what he was up to. Paul often allowed her to share her thoughts, and she felt there was a need to dissuade him from doing anything stupid that might cause harm to Bryan. He didn''t have topletely ruin his rtionship with Bryan simply because he no longer wanted to be managed by him. She believed they should part ways on good terms.

    "I was the one who took care of those scandals in the past because he was my golden star, wasn''t I?" Paul asked, and her frown deepened.

    "So you want to bring the scandals back to light now because he''s no longer your golden star?" She asked in confusion, looking at him like he had lost his mind.

    "Instead of standing there and asking me questions like you''re my employer, why don''t you go and get your damn job done? Do I pay you to ask me questions? Or do you want to quit as well?" Paul snapped at her, and immediately she hurried out of the office.

    Paul had a scowl on his face as he watched her leave. Bryan Hank. He wasn''t going to be hasty in dealing with him. He intended to exercise patience and see just how far Bryan could go without him. He would make sure to not only destroy Bryan''s career but he would also destroy that rtionship that seemed to be so precious to him.

    He had made him a star, and he would also make him a nobody. That would teach every other star in the agency not to go against him or mess with him. Bryan, who was his most treasured star, would be the scapegoat for others to learn from.

 Chapter 390 Missing Daughter

    Chapter 390 Missing Daughter����Bryan''s foul mood evaporated the moment he walked into his bedroom and saw Sonia standing by the bathroom door, wearing nothing but a ck G-string.

    "Took you long enough to get here," she said with a sultry smile as she motioned to him toe to her, with her forefinger.

    "What if my mom had been the one who came in?" Bryan asked in amusement as he shut the door behind him, and took off his shirt.

    "Then I would have asked her to join me in the shower. I told you I dig girls too, right?" Sonia asked with a wink, and Bryan chuckled.

    "And if it was my dad?" Bryan asked as he took off his wristwatch and dropped it alongside his phone on the dressing table.

    "Surely you know I have a thing for older men, don''t you?" Sonia joked, and Bryan eyed her with disapproval.

    "Is there anyone you don''t have a thing for? You probably have a thing for kids too," Bryan said, and Sonia giggled.

    "Why else do you think I''m with you, baby?" She asked with a sweet smile as she fluttered hershes at him, making him chuckle.

    "How did it go over there? Are you okay?" She asked with concern as she walked over to where he stood and helped him take off his belt, before unzipping his jean, and helping him take it off so that he was left in just his briefs.

    "I don''t know. I''m not sure. What about you? How are you feeling? Have you taken your medication for the afternoon?" Bryan asked, watching her suspiciously since he had called to remind her to take it while driving back home.

    "If I say I haven''t, are you going to punish me for being a naughty girl?" She asked in a sultry voice and wiggled her ass at him like she wanted to be spanked.

    Bryan chuckled as he pulled her to himself and kissed her forehead, "You can be so silly at times. Thanks for brightening up my mood."

    "I guess it''s working?" She asked hopefully as she pulled him to the bed and made him sit on it.

    "Sure, it is. I was in a really foul mood earlier," Bryan confessed.

    "I know. Why don''t you tell me all about it?" She asked as she sat down beside him on the bed.

    Bryan told her everything that had transpired between him and Paul, and how Paul had threatened to destroy his career, "I''m not worried about his threat, though," Bryan assured her, but his brows pulled together when he remembered Sophia.

    "What is it?" Sonia asked when she noticed the change in his disposition.

    "I don''t know. Something weird happened on my way out of the agency. Do you know the teenage actress, Sophia Reed?" He asked, and Sonia gave him a nod.

    "Wasn''t your scandal with her the reason you proposed to me?" Sonia asked, and Bryan gave her a nod.

    "Yeah. I ran into her at the agency, and she said Paul recently signed her," Bryan said, and Sonia nodded.

    "So? What''s weird about that? Do you have a problem with her being signed by Paul?" She asked, wanting to know why it bothered him.

    "Not exactly. But she was unusually touchy-feely with me today. She embraced me, pecked me, and she even held my hand," Bryan said thoughtfully.

    "Is that supposed to be a big deal? You both have been on set together and you''ve even kissed her," Sonia said, and Bryan shook his head.

    "It''s different. Maybe I''m overreacting, but I have a weird feeling about it. Also, I''m letting you know about it just in case someone captured us together. I don''t want you misunderstanding me because of stuff like that," Bryan said, and Sonia grinned.

    "So are you going to tell me every time anotherdy gets too close to you or touches you off your movie sets?"

    "You don''t want me to?" Bryan asked, and Sonia shrugged.

    "I don''t mind you telling me about it, as long as you remember to tell me their names and give me their home address so I can fuck them up afterwards," Sonia said with a grin, and Bryan chuckled.

    He paused when his phone started ringing, and he went to pick it up from the dressing table. It was a call from Jeff.

    "Are you calling because you miss me?" Bryan asked dryly once he received the call.

    "I just received a call from Paul''s assistant. She said Paul asked her to dig up all your past scandals, and she asked me to tell you to be careful," Jeff said, and Bryan felt a tinge of guilt concerning the manner he had ignored thedy earlier.

    She deserved better than he had treated her, especially as she wasn''t merely Paul''s assistant, but she was also like family to him. She had be Paul''s assistant shortly after he rose to fame, and had been with them ever since.

    "He is free to do whatever he likes," Bryan said dismissively.

    "Do you want me to interfere? I could make some phonecalls..."

    "Don''t bother yourself with something as insignificant as that. We have more important things to focus on. If we must give our attention to Paul, be prepared to purchase more shares for us. The moment it bes public knowledge that I''ve abandoned Golden Star agency for real, the shares are going to drop. Once this happens, buy as much shares as you can get. Let''s see who ruins who first," Bryan said before hanging up, and he dropped the phone on the bed.

    "Who was that?" Sonia asked, and Bryan exined the situation to her.

    "You didn''t tell him you''re going to work with your brother, did you?" She asked, and Bryan shook his head.

    "Nah. I only told him I have I-Global''s backing."

    "Yet he chose to tow this path?" Sonia asked incredulously, and Bryan chuckled.

    "If he doesn''t take care Golden Star might be the nextpany Tom takes over. Enough about Paul. You didn''t answer my question earlier. How are you feeling now?" He asked, and shey on the bed and spread out both legs.

    "Don''t worry, I took my medication when you called. And now I''m strong enough to go three rounds with you," Sonia said seductively, and Bryan shook his head.

    "There''s no way I''m making love to you until I''mpletely sure you''re fine. You wanted to take a shower, let''s do that before you catch a cold," Bryan said as he stood up and offered her his hand to help her get off the bed.

    "I just told you I''m fine, how else do you need to confirm it?" Soniained as she let him pull her out of the bed.

    "When youplete the dose of your medication," Bryan answered sweetly as he pulled her with him to the bathroom.

    *****

    For some inexplicable reason, Jade felt really unsettled as she drove into the parking of thew firm where she worked.

    Seated in her car, she looked at the familiar building in front of her which now felt sort of strange and unweing to her now.

    Although it was only a week since shest set foot in the building, she felt like it had been ages already, and the most surprising part of it all was that she didn''t feel at home there anymore like she used to.

    The sight of the building no longer calmed her or gave her a sense of pride and aplishment as it used to in the past.

    She couldn''t count the number times in the past years, and even in the past week that she had looked forward toing to work every day and burying herself in the pile of paperwork and documents that was always littered her desk, but now she wanted nothing more than to quickly finish up with what she hade for and leave.

    She was there to let her boss in on some part of her ns before carrying on with it, as it would not only be against the firm''s policy, but it would also be very disrespectful if he were to find out about it through the press or television, when it was an assignment he had given her.

    She couldn''t wait to wrap up the case and hand in her resignation letter. Thinking about handing in her resignation letter, the corners of her lips curved in a smile.

    A week ago, if anyone had told her she would be thinking of resigning from such a prestigiousw firm where she was highly valued and respected, she would have called the person aedian, but then, Harry had walked through her door, and had changed all her ns. Now she couldn''t wait to leave here and go im her man.

    She smiled as she let down her visor mirror to check her face, and her smile widened when she saw her reflection. He had obviously changed more than just her ns.

    The face that was reflected on the mirror lookedpletely different from the face that had looked back at her a week ago before Harry showed up. Now her dark circles were gone, her face no longer looked very thin or pale either. She looked really healthy, and she had Harry to thank for it.

    She hummed a happy tune under her breath as she picked up her handbag and got out of the car. She adjusted her zer and pants before heading for the building.

    She was in such a jolly mood that it was all she could do not to moonwalk or glide across the floor. That fine gentleman was good for her, Jade thought with a happy smile as she confidently walked into the building.

    Just as she walked through the revolving door into the building, a middle-ageddy who was dressed in expensive designer clothes and a sunshade stepped outside, but Jade didn''t pay any attention to thedy who was leaving because at that same moment she saw her boss hurrying towards her while looking in the direction of thedy who had just disappeared through the door.

    "Sara! Jade, help me stop thedy," He called out to Jade urgently since she was closest to the door, and immediately Jade hurried after her.

    "Excuse me," Jade called to Sara once she caught up with her, just before she could get into the passenger seat of her car which was already waiting in front of the building.

    Sara took off her shades as she turned to look at Jade, "Is there a problem?" She asked with a polite smile, thinking that Jade was probably a fan, who had recognized her.

    Jade smiled at her, "Not at all. Mr. Amos asked me to stop you," Jade said, jerking her head in the direction of her boss who just stepped out of the door, and Sara gave her a nod.

    "Alright. Thanks," Sara said as she looked at Amos with interest, while Jade stepped away from them to give them privacy.

    "Do you want something?" Sara asked Amos.

    "You forgot your chequebook," Amos said as he waved it at her, and she smiled at him as she received it from him.

    "Oh, thank you! I''m bing more forgetfultely," sheined as she got into her car, "I hope to hear something good from you soon," she said before giving her driver the go-ahead to leave.

    Once the car drove off, Jade hurried after her boss, "Good morning, sir," she greeted, and the sixty-five years old man with receding hairline turned to her.

    "I was almost beginning to worry about you. It''s good to see that you''re back to work. Have you been able to make any progress on the case?" He asked as they both returned inside the building.

    "Yes, sir. That''s what I came to report to you. By the way, thedy just now. She looked kind of familiar," Jade said, and Amos nodded.

    "She is my client. You must have seen her around here before... oh, wait! I''m sure of it. You''ve met her before. Did you forget already that you met her in my office two weeks ago? Thedy, who used to be a famous model in Paris in her prime?" Amos reminded her.

    "Oh, yeah! The one you said was a one time Be Donna spokeswoman," Jade said with a nod when she remembered her. That exined why she had thought that thedy looked very familiar. But was it really two weeks ago? Something about thedy was nagging at her mind, but she couldn''t tell what it was.

    "That''s the one," Amos said as they both got into the elevator, and he pressed the button for his floor.

    "She looked sort of sickly. Is she okay?" Jade asked curiously, and Amos shook his head.

    "No. She''s ill and desperate. She needs me to help her find her daughter before her condition gets worse."

    "Her daughter is missing?" Jade asked in confusion, but Amos sighed.

    "That''s an unpleasant story I''d rather not get into."

    "You''re awyer. Why didn''t she get a private investigator instead?" Jade asked in confusion.

    "Because she wants it to be done discreetly, and I''m the only one she can trust to keep her secrets," Amos said as he eyed her contemtively, wondering whether or not to tell her that her elder brother''s best friend was Sara''s first child.

    "Does that mean it is a secret that she has a daughter? Did she by chance abandon her daughter? If so why is she looking for her now?" Jade asked curiously.

    "Why don''t you stop concerning yourself with my client''s business, and tell me what I need to know about your case?" He asked, deciding to keep Sara''s secret to himself.

    No good woulde out of sharing such a sensitive information with Jade, especially since Sara had said Harry was yet to know about her existence. The best he could do for Sara was find her daughter so she could be reunited with her kids before her condition became worse.

 Chapter 391 Clingy Boyfriend

    Chapter 391 Clingy Boyfriend����Thirty minutes before the closing hour, Tom''s eyes were fixed on the wall clock, following the second''s hand as he tapped his fingers impatiently on the desk. At the same time, he halfheartedly listened to theints and reports of the resort and hotel managers concerning the challenges they were facing and the new changes they needed to implement in their various branches.

    From the moment he had gotten to his office that morning and rearranged his schedule with the help of Harry''s secretary, he had barely had five minutes to himself as he had moved from one meeting to the other.

    He was feelingpletely drained and exhausted, and his brain felt saturated. He couldn''t even process what the man, who was now speaking, was saying.

    This was supposed to be Harry''s meeting, not his, and now he wished he had asked them to postpone this meeting until Harry was avable to meet with them, or better still, Harry could have held a zoom meeting with them and saved him this stress.

    Thankfully, Harry''s secretary was present there, typing down the minute of the meeting, or else they would all have been wasting their time thinking they had his full attention.

    He couldn''t remember thest time he had been this busy or felt this exhausted. If anything, this made him appreciate Harry''s position in his life even more andmend himself on his wisdom in assigning Harry as his Co-CEO.

    Harry indeed made his life easier, and now he hoped that his new assistant would resume quickly and be at least half as efficient as Harry had been as his assistant.

    Tom sighed inwardly when the man kept going on and on with his boring report. When he couldn''t take the self-inflicted torment anymore, he massaged his temple as he cleared his throat, causing the man who had been speaking to stop abruptly.

    "I don''t know about you all, but this has been a long and busy day for me, and I''m mentally exhausted. Honestly, nothing any of you has said in thest hour has made much sense to me. Can either of you do us all a favor and concisely summarize in five minutes what you have all said so that we can call it a day?" Tom asked as politely as he could muster.

    On hearing that, the managers exchanged a look, and thankfully, the onlydy amongst them volunteered and briefly exined all they had said to Tom.

    Tom listened quietly for some time, and by the time the man was done, he had gotten the crux of the matter, "That wasn''t so difficult, was it?" Tom asked as he stood from his seat, wondering why they had spent over an hourining about something they could have summarized in five minutes.

    "I''ve heard all yourints and suggestions. Mr. Jonas and I will discuss and deliberate on them, and we will get back to you," Tom said, indirectly telling them that the meeting was over.

    Taking that as their cue to leave, they all trooped out of his office, and Tom turned to Harry''s secretary, "I want a printed copy of the minute in five minutes. Send a copy to Harry''s email, too," Tom said as he walked over to his desk to tidy it up while Harry''s secretary quickly left to do as she had been instructed.

    Once Tom nced at the wall clock and saw that it was less than ten minutes to the closing hour, he picked up his suit jacket from where it hung and left the office with his phone and car key in hand.

    He stopped by Harry''s office and took the printed copy of the minute from Harry''s secretary before taking the general elevator.

    Instead of going outside to wait for Lucy, as usual, he went directly to her office, eager to see her since he had not seen her since he dropped her off that morning, and he hadn''t found the time to text or call her either.

    Immediately Tom opened the office door and walked in; every movement and conversation going on in the office as Lucy''s teammates prepared to leave for the day ceased when they saw the CEO in their office.

    Tom didn''t bother sparing them a nce since his gaze was fixed on the beautifuldy, who was seated behind the ss door, which separated her from her teammates.

    As though sensing his gaze on her, Lucy, who had been checking the time and wondering whether she should call Tom or text him, looked up. Instantly, her eyes lit up and her lips curved in a happy smile when she saw him standing outside her office and staring at her through the ss door.

    The image evoked a memory in both their minds of the first time Tom had stood by her office door that way, the first day he had resumed as her driver, and she kept him waiting because she was carried away with work. Who would have thought then that she would ever be this excited to see him standing by her office door this way?

    She stood from her seat when he opened the door and stepped into her office, and she walked up to him, "To what do I owe this unexpected pleasure, Mr. CEO?" She asked with a grin, not paying any attention to her teammates who were watching them.

    "I''m sorry I couldn''t call or text all day. I was swamped with work," Tom said apologetically as he dropped everything he was holding on her desk and pulled her to himself, but Lucy resisted.

    "We are in my office. Everyone is watching," she reminded him softly with a grin.

    "Says the woman that kissed me in the presence of everyone. Or have you forgotten that already? Where is that bold woman?"

    "Well, that was after work hours on our way home. People are going to start saying the CEO is making out with an employee sendin..."

    Before she could finish speaking, Tom walked away from her and opened her office door, "Is there anyone of you here who isn''t aware that Director Perry is my girlfriend?" Tom asked, startling both Lucy and her teammates.

    "Tom..." Lucy chided as she walked over to him.

    Her teammates shook their heads, "We are all aware," one of the men summoned the courage to answer.

    "Does any of you have a problem with me kissing my girlfriend in her office after work hours?" Tom asked again, and Lucy elbowed his side to shut him up.

    "We don''t," another man responded.

    "Good. So why are you all still standing there after work hours, staring at us like you have never seen a man in love with a beautiful woman when you should be leaving? Or do you want to work overtime?" Tom asked, and immediately they all picked up their stuff and hurried out of the office, leaving Lucy, who was trying not tough.

    "Did you really have to do that?" She asked in amusement as she embraced him.

    "Tell me you didn''t want me to do that," Tom challenged as he wrapped both arms around her and let his chin rest on the top of her head.

    "I was kind of hoping you would send them all away," Lucy said with a wide smile as she tried to pull away, but he held on.

    "Let''s remain like this for a while," Tom pleaded, and Lucy stayed still.

    Once Tom broke the hug, he pulled away from her and looked into her face for some moment, leaving her confused as to what was happening. Before she could ask him what was going on, he captured her lips in a slow yet passionate kiss that not only left her breathless but made her whole body tingle.

    "I''ve been thinking of doing this all day," Tom said, his hand on the crook of her neck as he observed her face.

    "Doing what?" She asked, blinking at him in confusion.

    "Hugging and kissing you," Tom said as he kissed her again before pulling away.

    Lucy smiled as she observed his face, "You look beat."

    "Yeah, it has been a long day. The only thing that helped me survive was thinking about seeing you and kissing you at the end," Tom said, making Lucy smile.

    "We should leave then," Lucy suggested, and they both returned to her desk.

    While Tom picked up the stuff he had dropped on her desk, she picked up her handbag and phone, which was on the desk, and they both walked out of the office.

    Instead of going outside, they both headed back to Tom''s office since the car was parked in his private parking lot, and they would need to walk around the building to get to it if they didn''t take Tom''s private elevator.

    "How was your day?" Tom asked as they both took the elevator to his office floor, and Lucy told him all she had done.

    She told him about the phone calls she had made to Lucas, Sonia, and then Prisci, who she had called to inform that she had epted their offer and would being over during the weekend to sign the contract.

    And then she told him how she had left thepany for the I-Global fashion factory to see the state of the ce and get acquainted with the head of the factory and who had been asking to see and know the new creative director.

    "Who drove you there?" Tom asked with a slight frown as they both got into the car.

    "I went with two of my teammates: a male and a female. The guy drove us there," Lucy said, but Tom didn''t look pleased by that either.

    "You didn''t tell me you were leaving thepany premises today when you were telling me your ns," he pointed out to her without bothering to start the car.

    "I didn''t n on doing so either. But I was informed that the head of the factory insisted that they wouldn''t work on the new design we sent to them until he sees me," Lucy exined.

    "You could have sent me a text to let me know about your whereabouts."

    "To the CEO or my boyfriend?" Lucy asked jokingly, but Tom red at her.

    "Lucy, both are the same person, not separate people," he said irritably, and Lucy''s brows drew together when she realized he was upset.

    "Why are you getting mad at me? You were busy all day, and I was busy too. It naturally didn''t ur to me to send a text to let you know I was leaving the office. Now I''m back. Why is it a big deal?" Lucy asked in confusion.

    Okay, he was stressed, and he wasn''t handling the conversation properly, Tom thought as he took a deep breath, "I''m sorry. I''m letting the stress get to me," Tom said and turned on the car''s ignition, but Lucy quickly ced a hand on his arm to stop him from driving.

    "I''m sorry I didn''t text you," Lucy said, not wanting any tension between them because of something as insignificant as that.

    "It''s fine," Tom murmured, but she could tell it wasn''t. She could tell he just didn''t want to talk about it anymore.

    "You''re not the only one who can read me, you know? I know you''re not fine. Why are you making a big deal out of this? I know you are stressed, but you are not the type to lose your cool unnecessarily. I won''t know what I did wrong if you don''t tell me," she reminded him without taking her hands off his arm since she didn''t want him to drive until they had cleared the air between them.

    Seeing that she was bent on talking about it, he turned to her, "You left the office with the same set of people that were quick to call you a murderer and speak ill of you days ago..." Lucy opened her mouth to speak, but quickly shut it when he raised a brow as though he was daring her to interrupt him.

    "Maybe you have forgotten, but we are yet to handle Anita and her mother, and you can''t trust just anyone right now. You can''t just trust anyone because they work in the same office space as you. Especially not people like that who have no iota of loyalty to you. Also, I know I asked you not to leave my sight until I''ve taken care of Anita and her family. Did you know the distance or the location of the factory before today? What if they had taken you elsewhere? I''m not saying this because I''m a clingy boyfriend..."

    "You are actually a clingy boyfriend," Lucy murmured under her breath, and Tom paused to re at her, but before he could say anything, Lucy leaned towards him and embraced him.

    "I now understand why you are upset. You are right. I wasn''t thinking straight," she said as she pulled away from him and kissed his cheek.

    "I''m sorry I wasn''t being careful, and I made you worry. I will let you know about all my movements henceforth. I will text you even when I go to thedies'' room," she added with a yful smile, and Tom sighed wearily as he watched her.

    She was with him, and she was safe. That was all that mattered. He reminded himself. "Did you have lunch?" He asked, but Lucy poked his chest.

    "First, tell me you''re no longer mad at me," she insisted as she reached for his hand.

    "I wasn''t mad at you."

    "Liar. You called me Lucy," Lucy pointed out.

    "You always call me Tom. Does that mean you''re always mad at me?" Tom asked, and she scowled at him since she couldn''t argue with that even though she knew she had a valid point too.

    "You red at me," Lucy reminded him.

    "When did I re?" Tom asked, feigning ignorance.

    "You looked at me this way when you said, ''Both are the same person,'' didn''t you?" Lucy said, mimicking his tone and facial expression, and Tom found himself chuckling.

    "Alright, I''m no longer upset. Let''s leave now. We still have to stop by Harry''s ce," Tom said, and Lucy smiled as she let go of his hand. Relieved that he was back to his normal self.

    "I love you, Ace," Lucy said as she watched him drive out of the parking lot.

    "I love you more. So tell me, did Adolf deliver your lunch? And how did the meeting at the factory go?" Tom asked and listened as Lucy told him about it.

    Tom''s lips curved in amusement as he listened to her. He found it amusing that barely thirty minutes ago, his head had been aching and he had been too exhausted to listen or process what the hotel managers had been saying. Yet, here he was listening to Lucy, and her voice sounded like sweet music to him. Love was just crazy business.

 Chapter 392: The Past (1)

    Chapter 392: The Past (1)"I think I might need to get a bigger bag," Lucas told his parents, who just walked into his bedroom to see him trying unsessfully to zip his luggage box.

    "You don''t need a bigger bag. What you need is to learn how to organize the stuff inside properly," J said in amusement as she walked over to him took out everything in the bag.

    "Make sure you don''t skip your meals, okay?" J told Lucas as she helped him carefully arrange his clothes neatly into his luggage box.

    "Mom, this is the fifth time you''re saying that this evening. Don''t worry. I don''t intend to starve myself to death," Lucas assured her with a wide smile.

    "I''m not saying you intend to starve yourself. I''m just saying eat healthy and hearty meals. You must not lose an ounce of weight," J said, giving him a pointed look.

    Lucas turned to his father for help, but Andrew shrugged, "Listen to your mom, she knows what she is saying," he said, and Lucas sighed when he realized that they were both going to keep nagging him until he finally leaves.

    "Do you want me to send you a picture of every meal I eat? Will that make you feel better?" Lucas asked dryly, and J gave him a nod.

    "As a matter of fact, yes. A video preferably. I want to see you eating the meal from start to finish," J said, and Lucasughed incredulously .

    "I already told you that I''m fine. You need to stop worrying about me. This trip isn''t about Rachel. I just need this break to figure out my life and next career move, trust me," Lucas said, and J looked at him for a moment before giving him a nod.

    "Is there something else you want to add?" J asked when she was done, and there was still room in the bag for more.

    "Wow! How do you always do that?" Lucas asked in amazement, and Andrew chuckled.

    "I ask myself the same question every damn time she does that. It''s like a superpower," Andrew said, and Jughed softly.

    "..." The sound of her ringtone interrupted whatever she wanted to say, and Andrew who was holding the phone handed it to her.

    Once she saw the name of the caller, Sara, the smile on her face died, and was immediately reced with annoyance as she rejected the call, and dropped the phone on the bed beside the bag.

    "Is there a problem? Who was that?" Lucas asked when he noticed the annoyed expression on his mother''s face, and the knowing look on his father''s face.

    "It''s nobody of interest. Have you called to let Lucy know you''re going to see her?" J asked, changing the subject.

    "Not yet. I will give her a call on my way to the airport," Lucas said, and J gave him a nod.

    "Alright, we''ll leave you to finish up and get ready so we can drive you to the airport," J said, and picked up her phone before walking out of the bedroom with Andrew following behind her.

    Immediately they walked into their bedroom, Andrew looked at her, "You''re still not going to speak with her?"

    "I told you before. I have nothing to say to her," J said, not bothering to act like she didn''t know who he was talking about.

    "You don''t have to say anything. But why not hear what she has to say to you?" Andrew suggested.

    "After thirty years? No. I don''t think so. I don''t want to hear whatever she has to say," J said as she looked through her closet for clothes to change into for the drive to the airport.

    "Jane, Sara is your sister. Your only rtion," Andrew reminded her softly as he walked over to where she was and ced a hand on her shoulder.

    "I don''t care. Let''s not talk about her anymore, Drew," J said as she walked away from him, and started taking off her clothes while fuming silently.

    She wasn''t going to waste a second thinking about her selfish and self-centered sister. As far as she was concerned, Sara died thirty years ago after she stole their father''s money and only left a note telling them she was leaving to pursue a career in modelling and they shouldn''t search for her.

    Things never remained the same for their family after she left. Their father never recovered from the shock, and he died a yearter, while their mother had been left broken by both the disappearance of her daughter and the loss of her husband.

    Things had been quite difficult for her mother and her as they struggled to repay her father''s debts since most of the money Sara had stolen had been given to him for a contract.

    Not once in thest thirty years did she reach out to her. So how dare her try toe back after all these years? After all the pain and hardship she had made her face? She was never going to forgive Sara. Never.

    "Jane..."

    "Lucas is waiting, you should hurry up," J said, and walked out of the bedroom before Andrew could say another word to her.

    As she walked into the living room, her phone beeped with a message notification and once she saw that it was from Sara, she deleted the text without checking the content, and then she blocked Sara''s line.

    Few minutester they were ready to leave for the airport, and once they were seated in the car, Lucas took out his phone and dialed Lucy''s line.

    *************

    Lucy who was now seated on the bed beside Aaron, watched him as he slept restlessly, muttering words at intervals in his sleep.

    If she had not chosen to excuse Tom and Harry so they could have a moment to discuss alone, she would have returned to the living room, since was beginning to feel like she was intruding on Aaron''s privacy by listening to all he was muttering in his sleep. She knew for a fact that the man wouldn''t be happy if he found out she had heard these things.

    Despite knowing this, Lucy couldn''t deny that she was curious. Perhaps it was Sonia''s nosiness that was beginning to rub off on her.

    From all she had heard thus far, she had been able to gather that Sara was his wife, and she had left. What she couldn''t understand was if this happened before he met Harry''s mother, or after. She also could not understand why he was being disturbed by this now. Or was this a recent development? Was Harry aware of this? Lucy wondered.

    Unknown to Aaron that he had an audience in his bedroom and the sleeping pills he took was messing with his mind, Aaron relived the events of the past thirty years. How Sara hade into his life.

    He was twenty-six years old again. Young, vibrant, and ruggedly handsome.

    He was back in his studio apartment which also doubled as his photography studio where he took photos of uing models for their portfolios.

    Twenty-two years old Sara walked into his studio, clutching her portfolio tightly in her hands as tears ran down her cheeks.

    Aaron who had been busy attending to another female model, paused when he saw her, and immediately excused himself to go meet her.

    "I thought you were supposed to meet with the CEO of the modeling agency you talked about today, didn''t you meet him? Why are you crying?" He asked with concern, but she only cried harder.

    Seeing how she was weeping noisily, Aaron led her to the little corner that was his bedroom which he had demarcated from the rest of the photography studio with a curtain. And once she was seated on the bed, he offered her a box of tissues, and excused himself to go discharge the model he had been attending to.

    By the time he returned to join her, she had calmed a bit, but he could tell that she was very unhappy, "Do you want to tell me what the problem is?" He asked softly.

    "I was duped. All the money I gave him is gone. There is no agency. They were all con artists," Sara said before breaking into a sob.

    "Money?" Aaron asked, startled to hear that new piece of information since the couple of times she had told him about having an agency that wanted to sign her, she never mentioned it.

    "I gave him all the money I had on me. I have nothing left now. I have no ce to go to," Sara cried, and Aaron embraced her awkwardly, since they were not exactly close friends and she only came to the studio to take photos for her portfolio, and sometimes interact with him and other uing models in the studio.

    "Calm down, and tell me exactly what happened. I''m lost. Who did you give money to? Why would you give money to an agency to sign you as a model? Why didn''t you tell me about it?" He asked, confused.

    Sara sniffled as she pulled away from him, and looked into his face, "He said the agency was very picky, and he promised to make sure I was selected if I paid him. He said I couldn''t tell anyone else about it as that would cause a lot of problems for both of us if I did," Sara exined tearily.

    "And you gave him money? How much money are we talking about?" Aaron asked, and when she mentioned the amount of money she paid, his jaws dropped.

    "Where did you ever get such an amount of money from?" Aaron asked in surprise, and she looked away from him guiltily.

    "It''s my life savings. I''ve been saving for a very long time," she said, and then broke into a sob once again.

    "Calm down. Your tears won''t solve this. How did you find out it was a scam?" He asked, and by the time she finished narrating everything to him, he sighed.

    "Well, you were pretty naive and gullible. However, you won''t be the first youngdy that has fallen prey to men like that, and you won''t be thest either. You have to move on," Aaron said, feeling sorry for her.

    "How can I move on? I have nothing. I have no ce to go to. I don''t have any money. I don''t even have a ce to stay. He assured me I would move into the aodation the agency has for their newly signed models after meeting with the CEO today," Sarained bitterly.

    "Where were you staying before now?" Aaron asked in confusion.

    "A guesthouse," she said, and Aaron shook his head.

    "What about your family?"

    "I don''t have a family. My parents arete and I''m an only child," Sara cried, and Aaron looked at her with pity.

    "I''m sorry about that. Where were you living before you moved into the guesthouse?"

    "I was living with a friend, but she threw me out. That was when I met the con artist who duped me," Sara cried, and Aaron sighed, not knowing how to help her.

    "You''ve had quite a tough life for a youngdy of your age," Aaron said as he patted her back, and then she looked up at him with teary eyes.

    "Can you help me?" She asked, and when he frowned she quickly grabbed his hand.

    "I''m not asking you for any money. I could work for you. Clean your apartment, cook for you, do yourundry, even assist you with the models. All I need is a ce to stay while I try to find my feet," she pleaded, holding his hands.

    Aaron shook his head, "I don''t think that''s a good idea. Where would you sleep? This ce is tiny. It''s barelyfortable for me," he said, making her look around the tiny room.

    "I could sleep on the couch in the studio," she assured him.

    "Please, don''t say no. I have no where else to go. If you turn me away I would have to wander around in the streets please," she begged, her honey-brown eyes beseeching him toe to her aid.

    "I don''t need you to do anything for me. You can stay here, but only for three months. Get a job if you must so you can move out to your own ce," Aaron said, and she jumped on him happily.

    "Thank you so much. I promise you won''t regret this," Sara promised, but Aaron said nothing as he stood and returned to attend to his business.

 Chapter 393: The Past (2)

    Chapter 393: The Past (2)

    Although Aaron had asked Sara to get a job and not bother about helping him out with his chores, Sara paid no attention to him.

    Sara went about cleaning the whole ce and rearranging everything in a way that the studio became more spacious and started to look homely.

    After cleaning and preparing breakfast for them every morning, she would sit around the studio chatting with the models that came around and asking them questions.

    Soon, she asked Aaron to teach her how to use the camera so that she could work alongside him whenever he had too many people to attend to at the same time or whenever he wasn''t avable.

    Seeing how much interest she showed in his business, Aaron agreed to teach her all about photography, and soon she became almost as good as he was.

    Once she became capable of handling the studio on her own, she encouraged him to start epting jobs away from the studio as those would fetch him more money.

    Taking her advice, he began to travel with some of the models to different locations to take pictures of them in ces of their choice, and he started leaving her in charge of the studio.

    This not only brought him more money, but it also brought him more exposure, and slowly his client base increased from just uing models to supermodels.

    Falling in love with Sara had been a very slow but gradual process, and it had little or nothing to do with her beauty. Of course, Sara was a strikingly beautiful woman, but he had seen even more beautiful and desirable women than her.

    Being a photographer who mostly dealt with models, he had seen his fair share of beauties in their various states of dress and undress to be moved by the physical attributes of a woman.

    Returning to his studio after every long day of work to find her waiting, excited and eager to hear all about his day and the people he had met, had gradually be the highlight of his day.

    Seeing all the changes she had made both in his life and in the studio in the short time she had been with him, it was difficult not to be interested in her. She had been so involved in his business that he had almost started to forget about her dreams of bing a model.

    "Sara, can I have a word with you?" Aaron asked one evening, four months after she started living and working with him.

    "Do you even need to ask?" Sara asked with an amused smile as she went to sit on the wooden seat across from him that served as their dining.

    "It has been four months," Aaron reminded her with a solemn expression. It wasn''t that he wanted her to leave, but he needed to know her ns.

    "Four months is gone already?" She asked, surprised.

    "Yeah. How time flies," Aaron said quietly as he watched her closely, and then she leaned forward in her seat.

    "I know you said I can only stay for three months, but can''t you change your mind? I really love living here and working with you," Sara said, looking at him with hopeful eyes.

    "What about your modeling ambition? Are you not interested in pursuing it anymore? You can''t do that if you remain here just taking photos of other models," Aaron reminded her.

    "No. I don''t want to do that anymore," she said, and Aaron looked at her skeptically.

    "Why not?"

    "Have you seen the number of models thate in and out of your studio daily? There are models everywhere. I thought because I was pretty and I had the body for it, I was special and could be a supermodel, especially after that bastard gave me false assurance. But I''vee to terms with reality. It was a silly dream," Sara said with a shake of her head.

    "Listen, Aaron. All I need right now is a chance to prove myself to you. I really do love this job. Employ me, and you won''t regret it, I promise," Sara said solemnly, and Aaron smiled at her.

    "I can''t deny that you have been very helpful in thest four months. I only wanted to be sure that working with me isn''t going to hinder your personal ambition in any way..."

    "Not at all. I assure you. If anything, this has helped me redirect my focus," she quickly cut in to assure him.

    "That''s good to know. Since you''re good at the job and willing to work with me, I will be paying you for your services from now on. Also, we will be moving out of here soon. I want this ce to be solely for work purposes. Maybe we can move into a two-bedroom apartment, and you can have a room to yourself. That way, you can be morefortable, and you don''t have to move your stuff around. What do you think about that?" Aaron asked, and Sara screeched happily as she left her seat and went around the table to embrace him.

    "Thank you so much, Aaron. I love you," she said as she gave him a smacking kiss on the lips, and then as though realizing what she had done, her eyes widened, and she quickly pulled away from Aaron, who was looking at her in surprise.

    She cleared her throat, "I''m sorry. I don''t know what I was thinking. I shouldn''t have done that. I''m sorry," she said apologetically, and without waiting for him to respond, she quickly ran away from there and went outside.

    Aaron remained where he sat, not knowing what to think or how to feel about Sara''s action and then her reaction following it.

    He waited for some time, and when she didn''te back inside, he went in search of her and found her seated at the foot of the wooden stairway that led to the studio.

    "Why are you out here?" He asked as he joined her and sat beside her.

    "I feel embarrassed," she confessed.

    "Why? It was a simple mistake. You don''t have to feel embarrassed," Aaron assured her.

    "It wasn''t a mistake, Aaron. I''m in love with you. I''ve always been in love with you from the first moment I walked into your studio, but you never took note of me," Sara said, surprising Aaron.

    "You are in love with me?" He asked in a very low voice, and she gave him a nod.

    "Why else would I want to remain by your side? Why do you think you were the first I came to when I was duped?" She asked, and Aaron felt his mouth go dry.

    Before now, he had always been so engrossed in his job to get into any serious rtionship, especially as mostdies he knew were not interested in going into a rtionship with a man who was always surrounded by beautiful half-naked models. So he asionally he had mixed business with pleasure and had flings with some of the models who were interested in him.

    Sara turned to him when he didn''t say anything as she had expected him to, "You don''t have to feel pressured by my confession or anything. I understand if you don''t feel the same way. It would be hard for you to feel the same way when you see such beautiful people every day. I can''t bepared with them in any way," she said with a wistful smile.

    "Don''t say that," Aaron scolded her.

    "But it''s the truth. I''m just a pretty stupid homeless girl who was too naive to know she was being scammed," she said with a self-deprecating smile, and Aaron shook his head.

    "You''re better than that. Everyone makes mistakes, and you can''t keep beating yourself over it. Let''s go inside. It''s getting cold," Aaron said and led her back inside the studio.

    It took Aaron some more weeks before he finally opened up to her about how he felt, and once he did, Sara was over the moon

    with joy. Their rtionship had started perfectly. Maybe too perfectly.

    It seemed to Aaron that they were a match made in heaven, and their love was written in the stars. And he had fallen hopelessly in love with her, giving her all of him and all he had.

    Some monthster, they moved from the studio to their apartment as nned. But not as employer and employee, but instead as lovers.

    And a yearter, he was over the moon with joy when she announced over dinner that she was pregnant.

    "Pregnant?" He had asked quietly since he wasn''t sure if that was what she wanted even though it was everything he wanted. A little boy or girl that looked like them.

    Sara bobbed her head, "I''m so stupid," she said with quivering lips as she buried her face in her palms and cried.

    Startled and heartbroken by her tears, Aaron took her into his arms and consoled her, "You are not stupid. Please stop crying," Aaron said as he patted her back and kissed away her tears.

    "If you don''t want the baby, we can abort the pregnancy," Aaron assured her as she cried, and as if that seemed to reassure her of something, she looked up at him as tears flowed down her cheeks.

    "What about you? What do you want?" She asked with a sniffle, and Aaron shrugged.

    "I already consider you my family, and I would love us to keep the pregnancy. But only if you want to. It''s your body, so you should be able to decide what you want. If we are keeping the baby, we should get married and make it official," Aaron said, and she looked away from him.

    "I need to think about it," she told him after a while.

    "Take all the time you need, but also keep in mind that if we''re going to abort the pregnancy, we have to do it fast to avoidplications," he reminded her.

    Three dayster, Sara informed him that she had decided to keep the child, but on certain conditions, one of them being that he would open a bank ount for her and deposit a sum of money for both her and the baby. She needed assurance that she wouldn''t be left stranded with their baby if he suddenly decided that he was no longer interested in her in the future.

    Aaron, being blinded by love, and trusting that nothing could go wrong with their rtionship, not only opened the ount at her request but also made her a signatory to his business ount as well after their intimate wedding. And that didn''t stop him from paying her monthly sry since she insisted that regardless of their rtionship, she was his employee and had to be paid.

    Soon they returned to their normal routine, with Aaron traveling around with clients while Sara stayed back to attend to the clients at the studio.

    When they both went for her ultrasound some weekster, and they found out she was carrying twins, Aaron''s joy knew no bounds at the thought of not having just one but two kids who had their genes.

    That was the first time Sara let it slip that she had been born a triplet when the attending sonographer asked if her family had a history of multiple pregnancies.

    "You have a twin brother and sister? I thought you said you were an only child?" Aaron asked after they left the doctor''s office.

    "They both died during childbirth, and only I survived," Sara had said without looking at him.

    So he could better care for her, he employed someone to assist with taking care of the chores at home and hired someone else to be at the studio with her so that she wouldn''t stress herself too much.

    Aaron also started declining jobs that would make him travel too far away from home, as he always made sure he could return every night to be with her.

    Not long after that time, it was confirmed that she was pregnant with a boy and a girl, and Aaron''s joy was full. As far as he was concerned, everything was perfect, or so he thought until he traveled out of town for a quick job and received a call from the maid at home informing him that Sara was on her way to the hospital alone and she was carrying her hospital bag for delivery.

    "But the baby is not due until next month," Aaron said with a frown, and he asked the maid to apany Sara, but the maid said Sara insisted on going alone and that she was just going for a routine check-up.

    Not feelingfortable with it, Aaron immediately abandoned all he was doing, and by the time he arrived some hourster and got to the hospital where they had registered her, he didn''t find her there.

    He called Sara to find out where she was, and she sent him the address of a different hospital and her room number.

    Once he arrived at the hospital, he headed directly for the room, and when he walked in, he saw Sara lying on the bed, cradling a baby in her arms.

    "Why didn''t you call me? What happened? You''re supposed to put to birth next month," Aaron asked in confusion.

    "I was spotting, so I was worried," she said without looking away from the baby.

    "I''m so sorry I wasn''t here with you, baby," Aaron said apologetically as he went to her and kissed her forehead before looking down at the bundle in her arms with awe.

    "She looks so beautiful," Aaron said, thinking the baby in her arms was their daughter.

    "He. This is your son, Aaron. Here, take him," she said as she offered the baby to him.

    "Our son," Aaron corrected with a proud smile as he carefully carried the baby, who looked so fragile.

    "Where is she, Sara? Where is our daughter?" Aaron asked when he noticed that the second baby wasn''t anywhere in sight, and Sara didn''t seem excited or happy. She just looked dull.

    "She didn''t make it," Sara said in a t voice devoid of emotion as she looked up at him with nk eyes.

    Aaron''s heart didn''t just skip a beat. It cracked, "She didn''t make what?" He asked, refusing to believe what he had heard.

    "She died."

    "No. No," Aaron repeated with a shake of his head as tears gathered in his eyes.

    "She can''t die. How can you say that so easily? Where is she? I need to see her for myself," Aaron said, and as though sensing his father''s agitation, the baby in his arms began to cry.

    Sara pressed a button by her bedside, and a nurse came in to take the baby from Aaron, "We still need to carry out some tests on the baby," the nurse informed Aaron as she took the baby from him.

    "Where is she? I want to see her," Aaron asked as the nurse walked away with the baby.

    "You can''t see her. I already asked the doctor to get rid of the body," Sara said, and Aaron looked at her in disbelief.

    "You did what?"

    "There was no need to keep the body. I didn''t know when you would get here, and I didn''t want to see it or just leave it," Sara said without emotion.

    Aaron staggered back in shock, "Please tell me you''re kidding."

    "Why would I kid about something like this?" She asked, and Aaron looked at her like she had just pped him in the face.

    "How could you do that? How could you do that to me, Sara? She was my baby too. I had a right to see her. To hold her and kiss her goodbye!" Aaron cried, and Sara turned away from him.

    He never received any exnation or apology from Sara after that. A few dayster, after she returned

    from the hospital with the baby, he returned from the studio to find that she had left after taking all the money in his safe, cleared the money in the ount he opened for her and the baby, and made arge withdrawal from his business ount.

    The only thing she had left behind was a short note telling him that she hade to the realization that she couldn''t live that way with him. She wasn''t cut out for marriage or motherhood, and she wanted more for herself. She was leaving the country for Italy, where she intended to pursue her dreams as a model, and he shouldn''t bother searching for her. If he truly loved her, he should forget about her and consider the money she took as her payment for carrying his child.

 Chapter 394: The Past (3)

    Chapter 394: The Past (3)

    It was safe to say that Aaron''s world hade crashing down around him when he read that letter. His life never remained the same after that experience.

    Disregarding all she had said in the letter, he tried to find her in the weeks and months that followed, but all his effort had been futile. It was as though she had disappeared into thin air.

    He hadter found out from one of the models Sara had been close to that she had pleaded with one of the supermodels who often came to his studio to hook her up with her agent some months earlier, and they had agreed that she move to Mn after she puts to birth.

    Regardless of his discovery he had found a way to reach her through the supermodel and when he did, he begged her desperately not to abandon him and their baby. He had assured her that she could be married to him and still pursue her career, that he would support her in every way even if it meant moving to wherever she was.

    She had told him inly that she wasn''t interested in him or the baby. She was nevering back, so he should move on and never bother her again.

    That had been the eyeopener he needed to understand that Sara had been using him the whole time. And she had only agreed to keep the pregnancy so that she would not be stranded.

    He had wept, not for the loss of his money or for the trust she had broken along with his heart which was nowpletely shattered beyond repair. He had wept instead for his newborn child, who had lost his twin sister and had now lost his mother.

    He had wept for his newborn son, who had been unfortunate enough toe through a stupid father like him. A father who had been dumb enough to have blindly fallen for someone like Sara and had chosen such a mother for him.

    He would have been devastated had she stolen all he had and taken Harry with her when she left, but he still would have preferred she had done that instead of leaving behind such a fragile baby who not only needed his mother''s love and affection but also needed to suckle on his mother''s breast.

    Growing up, he had always believed that growing up without a loving mother was way more difficult on a child than growing up without a father. He had always thought that every child needed a mother''s love.

    Having lost his own mother at an early age, not because she died, but because she had abandoned him so she could get married without her partner knowing she was a single mother, he knew and understood what it felt like to be abandoned by one''s own mother.

    He knew what it felt like to be picked on by other kids and how painful it had been for him to grow up with the knowledge that his own mother had not loved him enough to want him. She had been ashamed of him. And now he was broken because he had just subjected his own son to the same fate as he had faced.

    How stupid could he have been not to have seen all the signs? He should have known that someone like Sara could never give up on her ambition. How could he have let himself be blinded by love?

    Aaron wept as he looked down at his innocent baby boy, who was sleeping peacefully in his cot. He told himself that there was no time for regrets or to mourn. Sara had made her decision, and now he needed to step up to the responsibility he now had.

    He resolved within himself to never let Harry be affected by his mother''s absence. He promised both himself and the sleeping infant that he would love him more than enough for two so that never in his life would he feel unloved or unwanted.

    He promised himself that he would show Harry both the love of a father and a mother and would never let him know that his mother had abandoned him. That was the only way he believed his boy could grow into a happy and confident young man.

    Having made that decision, he shut down his studio and sold off all he had. Taking the baby with him, he moved to a different ce to start his life afresh.

    A ce where no one knew about him or Sara. And when anyone asked about his baby''s mother, he simply told them he was a widower who lost his wife while she was delivering their baby.

    After being rejected by his mother and the one woman he had loved enough to get married to, Aaron had been unable to bring himself to get involved with another woman, so he had decided to raise his son himself.

    *******

    Lucy, who was still seated on the bed beside Aaron, watched with concern as he continued to move ufortably in his sleep while muttering Sara''s name at intervals.

    Her eyes widened in rm when he suddenly began to groan like he was in severe pain, and just as she got off the bed, wanting to go and get Harry, Aaron started speaking.

    "Why Sara? Please don''t do this to us," He cried, tears rolling down the side of his face, and she paused when she realized that his pain was more emotional than physical.

    Us? Was he talking about himself and Harry? Did that mean Sara was Harry''ste mom too, and they had a daughter together? What happened to Harry''s sister? Lucy wondered as she returned to sit beside him.

    Tears gathered in her eyes as she watched the sweet, cheerful man she had spoken with just the previous day cry in his sleep like a baby. Was he still so devastated by the loss of his wife? Was that why he never remarried? Was Harry aware of this?

    She sat back, wondering what to do since she couldn''t possibly go and call Harry just because his father was crying and talking in his sleep.

    "Harry, I''m sorry!" Aaron cried, and unable to bear his anguish anymore, Lucy rose from the bed and walked out of the bedroom. Seeing him this way was making her feel deeply sad, and she didn''t want her mood to be affected more than it already was.

    As Lucy approached the living room, her steps faltered when she overheard Tom speaking, and she heard what he was saying, "I still think it''s best you find out who this Sarady is that keeps calling him. Your father doesn''t need to know about it. If you feel too guilty about doing it, you don''t have to get involved, I could help you do it," Tom offered, and Harry sighed as he shook his head.

    "I don''t think I should do that. It would be the same as deceiving him or lying to him," Harry said, and Tom raised a brow.

    "Where is the lie in it? It''s not like he''s going to know anything about it. It''s only a lie if he asks you," Tom pointed out, but Harry shook his head.

    ;

    "It''s the same thing. Although it''s hard to ignore it, I really want to trust him that he will tell me about whatever is bothering him, so I will wait. I can only hope that I won''t regret the wait," Harry said, making Lucy''s brows pull together in confusion.

    Were they talking about the same Sara his father had been talking about in his sleep or was it someone else? She wondered. Deciding not to eavesdrop anymore, she made her presence known as she joined them.

    "How is Aaron doing?" Tom asked as he nced at his wristwatch.

    "He is still asleep," Lucy said without giving any details, and neither did she meet their gaze as she returned to her seat.

    "We should leave now if we want to have dinner with Jamal," Tom said, and Lucy almost sighed in relief as she quickly grabbed her handbag.

    "Give my regards to Aaron when he wakes up. And if you change your mind, let me know," Tom told Harry as he picked up his winess and gulped down the content.

    "Don''t bother yourself about it. I won''t change my mind," Harry said as he escorted them to the door.

    "Thanks foring, LuLu," Harry said as he embraced Lucy after she slid her feet into her shoes, and she forced a smile.

    "Give my love to Aaron, and tell him I will visit him another time," Lucy said, and Harry gave her a nod.

    "I will. By the way, Tom told me you overheard some employees insulting us. What are their names? And what department do they work in?" Harry asked, and Lucy red at Tom, who was still putting on his shoes.

    "I handled it already, so you don''t need to know their names. If it repeats itself, then I will personally submit their names to you," Lucy promised, but Harry wasn''t having that.

    "Rumors like that do not only harm you, they also harm the image of thepany, and we have to make an example out of anyone that spreads such rumors for others to learn from it. If you won''t give me their names, I can as well check the security footage of the passageway and find out those who went into the restroom at the same time as you," Harry said, and Lucy looked at Tom with pleading eyes before turning them to Harry.

    "Please don''t do that. Tom already fired an employeest week. If you fire those two as well this week, it''s going to put me in a difficult position as everyone would think I''m the reason you''re both doing this. No one is going to really care about what they did wrong. Please let it go just this once."

    Harry exchanged a look with Tom before looking at her, "What difference is it going to make if we let it go this once and then discipline another setter when they speak ill of us in the future? I don''t have to handle this myself. I could ry it to the human resource department and have them take care of it," Harry said, but Lucy shook her head.

    "It''s not necessary. Let''s not concern ourselves with things like that. We have more important things to worry about," Lucy pleaded.

    "Just let it go," Tom told Harry as he pped his arm, "We will stop by after work tomorrow if you''re unable to make it to the office. Goodnight," Tom said before leading Lucy away.

    Once they got into the car and had strapped their seatbelts, Tom turned to her, "Are you going to tell me what is wrong?" He asked, looking at her with curious concern.

    "Did I say anything was wrong?" Lucy asked as she reached into her handbag for her phone, and once she took it out, she was surprised to see that she had two missed call notifications and a text.

    "You don''t have to say anything. You looked sad and ufortable when you returned from Aaron''s bedroom," Tom pointed out, but Lucy''s gaze was focused on her phone.

    "Lucas called. I forgot that I ced my phone on silence during the meeting at the factory," Lucy said as she clicked on Lucas'' text.

    ''I''m on my way to the airport. I''m stopping by Ludus to see you before leaving for my vacation. I will be at the hotel I stayed at thest time with dad."

    "He is on his way to Ludus," Lucy informed Tom as she dialed Lucas'' line, but the call did not connect.

    "Really? Is everything alright?" Tom asked, and Lucy gave him a nod.

    "He said he wants to see me before leaving for his vacation," she exined.

    "That''s good then," Tom said as he turned on the car''s ignition and drove off.

    Lucy fell silent and nced out the window as she pondered on all she had heard in Aaron''s bedroom and tried to reconcile it with what she had overheard Tom and Harry talk about. She had a lot of questions to ask, but there was nobody to ask.

    She contemted whether or not she should tell Tom about what she had heard or just keep it to herself.

    Although she felt that she should probably tell Tom about it, but at the same time, she wasn''t sure it was right to tell him all she had heard. This was Aaron''s private business which he had let out during a moment of vulnerability, and she had just been there by chance to hear it. It wasn''t her ce to tell Tom or anyone else about it. She knew for a fact that she wouldn''t like anyone to do that to her.

    She also knew that Tom and Harry would probably not be happy with her if they learned that she had seen Aaron in that state or got to know all she had heard him say, yet had kept it to herself.

    Tom noticed her silence but said nothing as he continued to drive, believing that she would tell him what was on her mind when she was ready to do so. He had done his part by asking, making it clear that he noticed something was wrong. All he could do now was wait for her.

    Unable to hold back her curiosity anymore, Lucy turned to Tom, "Why did Aaron never remarry?" She asked out of the blues, and Tom turned to look at her, surprised by her question.

    He shrugged, "It''s understandable. ording to Harry, his father deeply loved his mother, and he was devastated by her death. He didn''t want anyone else, so he devoted his life to loving and taking care of their love son. Why do you ask?" Tom asked, and Lucy shrugged.

    "I''m just curious. It must have been tough for him," she said with a sad sigh, and Tom looked at her in confusion before returning his attention to the road.

    What was going on in her mind? Why was she suddenly thinking about Aaron and feeling sad that he had raised Harry alone? Tom wondered.

    &n

    bsp;

    Before Tom could say anything, she spoke again, "I guess Harry was an only child? He doesn''t have siblings, does he?" She asked, wanting to know about the daughter Aaron had mentioned.

    Tom spared her another nce, "No. Harry is an only child."

    "Do you know the name of Harry''s mother?"

    "What is going on? Did something happen while you were in his bedroom?" Tom asked, wanting to understand exactly what was going on in her head. If there was one thing he knew about Lucy, she wasn''t a busybody that got involved in other people''s business unless it affected her, and something told him she wasn''t asking merely to satisfy her curiosity.

 Chapter 395: Guess What?

    Chapter 395: Guess What?"Where are we going to?" Candace asked as Jade drove the car out of the hotel''s parking lot.

    Immediately after Jade returned from her appointment at thew firm, she had asked Candace to dress up so they could go out, and every attempt by Candace to find out where they were going had proved futile.

    "Don''t worry, you''ll find out when we get there," Jade said with a secret smile.

    "You are not taking me to Jero, are you?" Candace asked suspiciously, and Jade sighed as she shook her head.

    "Rx. We are not meeting with Jero until he has fulfilled his end of the agreement. I noticed you''ve been rubbing your back and shoulder as though they''re stiff, so I thought you needed to rx. I booked you an appointment at a friend''s spa," Jade assured her, and Candace rxed a bit.

    "Do we have the time to do this? Aren''t you supposed to be there when Jero leads the police to the Cartel lords?" Candace asked after a little pause.

    "I changed my mind about going. I thought it might be too risky, so I alerted different state security agencies of the n. That way, there won''t be any foul y. Don''t worry, Jero and the legions will be apprehended as nned tonight," Jade assured her with a confident smile, and Candace gave her a nod.

    "Thank you."

    "Don''t mention it," Jade said dismissively as she fixed her eyes on the road.

    "Aboutst night... I''m sorry if I was too hard on you," Jade said, and Candace looked at her.

    "You weren''t. I was wrong to have done what I did without speaking with you. I would have done the same if I was in your shoes," Candace assured her.

    She had thought long and hard about her conversation with Jade concerning asking Tom and Lucy to be Jamal''s guardians, and she agreed with Jade for calling her out on her bullshit.

    "Thanks for your understanding," Jade said, and they bothpsed into silence.

    Neither of them said a word to each other for some time since they were both upied with thoughts of their own. After a while, Jade turned to Candace, "You know, I just realized that I don''t know much about you despite the fact that we''ve been through a lot together in the course of this case," Jade said and Candace turned weary eyes to her.

    "There''s nothing much to know about me. You pretty much know everything there is to know," Candace said, and Jade shrugged.

    "I can count a number of things I don''t know about you. For example, I don''t know how you met Andy," Jade said, wanting to engage Candace in a conversation since she wasn''tfortable with Candace''s silence.

    At the mention of Andy''s name, Candace''s lips curved in a smile, "Andy is my family. We grew up together at the orphanage home. She has always been there for as long as I can remember."

    Jade smiled when she heard the warmth in Candace''s voice. Jade hade to realize that the only time there ever seemed to be warmth when Candace spoke was when she was either talking about her son or Andy.

    "I''m sorry to ask, but I was just wondering. How long did you live at the orphanage? I mean, when did you start living there? Did you ever get to find out how you wound up at the orphanage?" Jade asked thoughtfully.

    "You are wondering if my parents abandoned me or if I lost them at an early age," Candace said, and Jade shed her an apologetic smile.

    "I''m sorry if my question made you ufortable," Jade said, and Candace smiled at her.

    "Do you know that apart from trying to get away from Jero and the cartel, I started studyingw because I admire you?" Candace asked, and Jade blinked at her in surprise.

    "Me?"

    Candace''s smile widened as she gave her a nod, "Yeah. The first time we met, you were always so confident, honest, and straightforward. Although, you are different now," Candace said, and Jade raised a brow.

    "How so?"

    "You were always so stiff, and you never let things get personal or asked questions unrted to the case. You did help us a lot, but you kept your emotional distance," Candace said, and Jade smiled.

    "Is this your polite way of saying I''m nosy and you no longer admire me?" Jade asked with a grin, and Candaceughed softly.

    "Not at all. I still like you. You seem more rxed now."

    "Is that a good or a bad thing?" Jade asked curiously.

    "It''s good. You seem happier and even more confident now," Candace said, and Jade smiled when she remembered her mother had said something simr to her.

    "Anyway, to answer your question. It is both. I lost my parents, and my family abandoned me," Candace said, making Jade blink in confusion.

    "I''m lost."

    "The sisters at the orphanage home where I was raised said I was brought to them by a man when I was three years old. ording to them, I was a very sickly child. No one wanted a sickly child, and by the time I stopped being so ill, I was already a teenager, and no one wanted to adopt such a grown-up," Candace said in a t voice as though that didn''t bother her in any way.

    "That''s sad. Who took you to the orphanage? Your father?" Jade asked with a confused frown.

    Candace''s lips curved in a rueful smile, "Not exactly. ording to the sisters, the man who dumped me was my father''s brother. He imed that I had been adopted, and since his brother and sister-inw were dead, and I was such a sickly kid, he couldn''t raise me, so he left me at the orphanage and paid a huge sum of money," Candace said, and Jade felt her heart break.

    "Don''t you want to find out who he is and know more about your family?"

    "There is no need for that. At first, I wanted to find my family. Hence I asked those questions, but when I was told he paid them to take me from him, I saw no reason for me to find him. Andy and I left the orphanage home when we became adults. I''m okay with having just Andy and Jamal in my life," Candace said, but Jade wasn''t satisfied.

    "I''m sorry about that," Jade said apologetically, and Candace sighed.

    "It''s fine. Right now, all I want is to get Jero out of the way so that Jamal can grow up in a decent home," she said, and Jade nced at her

    "About wanting to get Jero out..."

    "Let''s not discuss about that. What you don''t know about wouldn''t hurt you," Candace cut in, and Jade sighed in resignation. It seemed like Candace was set on her ns. She was going to have to try a different approach.

    After Jade drove into the parking lot of the mall and got out of the car, she led Candace into the building and up to Aurora''s spa.

    Apart from bringing Candace there to help her rx, Jade had alsoe because she wanted to see Aurora and find a way to discourage her from meeting with Harry again.

    "Darling!" Aurora, who had been expecting Jade for the past twenty minutes, greeted happily once she sighted them. Jade smiled as Aurora embraced her.

    "Guess what?" Aurora asked excitedly as she took Jade''s hand and led her to her office, which would afford them more privacy, while Candace followed them.

    "What?" Jade asked curiously as she followed Aurora, wondering why thedy seemed unusually excited.

    "I just got off the phone with Harry a while ago, and you won''t believe what he said!" Aurora said, making Jade''s smile falter as her heart skipped several beats.

    "What did he say?" She asked as they walked into the office and sat down.

    "He asked me to apany him to I-Global''s anniversary event as his date! Can you believe that?" Aurora asked in a high-pitched voice as sheughed happily, while Jade felt her throat constrict as she tried to speak.

    "Harry said that?" Jade asked, trying to force a smile while Candace watched her reaction with interest while wondering who Harry was.

    "Yes. Jade, you have no idea how happy I was when he said that. I felt like dancing in the air. By the way, I''m going to visit him next week, and I will be... Oh, lest I forget! He said I should ask you to give me his shirt. He said he left it behind in the closet in his suite. He wants me to bring it along with me whileing," Aurora said, and Jade''s heart broke even more.

    "He said all that?" She asked in a slightly shaky voice, and Aurora bobbed her head.

    "He might be starting to like me, right? What do you think?" Aurora asked, and Jade shrugged.

    "I... I don''t know," Jade said with a shake of her head, confused about everything. What was Harry up to? Wasn''t he interested in her? Or had she and everyone else been mistaken?

    "You said he doesn''t really havedies in his life, right? This has to mean something. Listen, Jade, if things work out between Harry and me, you''re going to be my maid of honor, I promise you," Aurora said with a wide smile as she embraced Jade, and Candace almost rolled her eyes.

    Although she had nothing personal against Aurora, she couldn''t help wondering if Aurora was blind or just in stupid. It was obvious from Jade''s reaction that she wasn''t happy about the progress between her and Harry, so why was she saying all of that? Candace wondered as she continued to watch bothdies.

    "So, can you tell me more about Harry? I mean his personal tastes: favorite color and all that. I want to know as much as I can before going to see him. I''m going to sweep him off his..." The rest of Aurora''s words trailed off when Candace cleared her throat.

    Aurora looked at her in confusion for a moment as though she was wondering who Candace was, and then she remembered, "Oh! I''m sorry," Aurora said with an apologetic smile while Jade turned to Candace, who she had forgotten about for a moment.

    "Aura, meet my friend, Candace. Candace, meet Aurora. She''s the one I told you about. She needs to rx," Jade said with a cheerful smile as she looked at Candace, but looking into her eyes, Candace could tell she wasn''t okay.

    "Your room is ready. You cane with me, and I will have one of the girls take you there. Jade, wait right here, and I''ll get you something to drink while we discuss, and you wait for her," Aurora said with a wide smile as she walked away, leaving Candace to follow her.

    Candace looked at Jade for a moment as though she wanted to say something to her but decided against it. This wasn''t the time or ce to say anything. Jade had been very good to her, and if the only way she could reciprocate Jade''s kindness was by helping her snatch Aurora''s boyfriend, whoever this Harry guy was, then she was going to help her.

    "I will be waiting for you," Jade told Candace with a wide smile as she watched her walk away, and the moment she closed the door behind her, Jade let out a sigh.

    She didn''t know what to think about this information from Aurora. She didn''t even know whether tough or cry at the sudden turn of events. What was Harry thinking? She had told him just the previous day that she didn''t want him going out on a date with anyone because she was jealous. She understood why he was meeting with Aurora. That was her fault. She had hooked them up, and he had promised to go on a date with her before now, and as the gentleman he was, he couldn''t go back on his word. That was understandable.

    But how could he invite her to the anniversary party as his partner? Why would he do something like that? And what was that madness about asking her to give that shirt to Aurora? The same shirt she had told him she was wearing without undies? Jade thought with a hiss of annoyance.

    In fact, she wasn''t going to worry about Harry right now. She had something more pressing to take care of. She reminded herself as she took out her phone and dialed Matt''s line. If she couldn''t stop Candace from doing something stupid, she believed that Matt could.

 Chapter 396: Who Is Harry?

    Chapter 396: Who Is Harry?"Tell me, Lu. Did something happen while you were in the bedroom with Aaron?" Tom asked again when it seemed to him like Lucy was taking too long to answer his first question.

    Lucy bit her lower lip as she contemted telling him the truth. Although she was trying to be fair to Aaron, but putting herself on Tom''s shoe as well, she knew she would definitely want him to tell her the truth if he was the one that heard Sonia''s father say something in his sleep that might help Sonia understand what was going on with her father.

    "He was crying in his sleep and calling out to someone named Sara," Lucy said, deciding to tell him the truth, and immediately Tom stepped on the brake pedal abruptly causing the care to a screeching halt.

    His sudden action made Lucy''s heart skip a beat, and the car behind them, which almost rammed into theirs honked at them angrily.

    "What exactly did he say?" Tom asked, ignoring the angry res of horn behind him.

    Lucy called out an apology to the driver who was swearing at Tom as he drove past them, before looking at Tom, "Are you trying to get us killed? We are in the middle of the road," Lucy reminded him, rmed by his action.

    "I''m sorry," Tom said as he drove away from there until he found a safe spot to park by the side of the road. Once he parked the car, he turned it off before turning to look at Lucy.

    "Did he say anything else?" Tom asked, and when he saw something flicker in Lucy''s eyes, he frowned.

    "You weren''t going to say anything about this had I not asked?" Tom asked, not pleased that she had been nning to withhold such important information about his best friend''s father from him.

    "I wasn''t sure it was in my ce to say anything. I''m still not sure I''m doing the right thing either. I don''t think Aaron would be pleased to know that I was there while he slept and I heard whatever he said in his sleep. I know I wouldn''t be pleased to know someone eavesdropped on my private thoughts while I slept, and not only eavesdropped but told others about it," Lucy said, and the edges around Tom''s eyes hardened.

    "I am others to you? You consider me on the same level as others?" Tom asked, and Lucy frowned at him.

    "That''s not what I meant, Tom. Don''t twist my words or try to misunderstand me. If you were in Aaron''s shoes would you want this?" Lucy asked, and Tom took a deep breath.

    "Let me ask you a question. If Harry was Sonia, and you were me, how would you want me to handle this? Would you be pleased if I kept something like this away from you? No exnations. Just a yes or no would do," Tom said, and Lucy sighed as she looked at him.

    "No. I know what you mean. I understand."

    "Good. If you do, then tell me what you heard. You can''t keep whatever you heard to yourself, Lu. This is not only important to Harry, it is important to me too. If something affects Harry, it affects me as well. And I like to believe you consider my problem as yours in the same manner. If you heard anything in Aaron''s bedroom that might help us understand what is going on with Aaron, you should say so," Tom said, and Lucy took a deep breath.

    "You don''t think this is the same as breaking into Aaron''s phone? I heard Harry tell you that he wants to trust his father and hear whatever it is directly from him," Lucy said, and Tom shrugged.

    "That is Harry. I''m not Harry. If it affects Harry, it affects me and I have to find a way to fix it. Harry would do the same for me," Tom said, and Lucy sighed.

    "I don''t have to tell Harry anything about it. I will find a way to fix it for both Harry and Aaron," Tom promised, and Lucy gave him a nod.

    "I don''t think it''s as easy as you think. I''m confused. I heard you and Harry talking about a Sara that has been calling Aaron. I''m not sure it''s the same Sara that Aaron was talking about in his sleep," Lucy said, and Tom raised a brow.

    "What do you mean?"

    "I think the Sara, Aaron was talking about is Harry''s mother or maybe Aaron was married to someone else before they had Harry. And that Sara bore a daughter for Aaron," Lucy said, and Tom frowned as she ryed the words to him exactly the way Aaron had said it.

    "Maybe it''s not the same Sara. Harry''s mother died when Harry was a baby. Besides, Harry''ste mother''s name was Be, not Sara," Tom said thoughtfully.

    "It depends. I couldn''t tell if he was heartbroken because she died or she left him. Let''s assume she left him. If that''s the case, it could be the same Sara who is calling him now. Maybe she is an ex who he knew before Harry''s mother, and she is trying toe back to his life?" Lucy suggested instead.

    "But ording to Aaron, Harry''s mother was his only one true love," Tom countered.

    "That doesn''t mean he wasn''t romantically involved with other women before he met her. After all, you can say that I''m your one true love, but you have also been involved with other women in the past before me," Lucy reminded Tom, and although he wanted to argue, he knew that she had a point.

    "But if that is the case, and she is just his ex trying to reunite with him, why is he trying so hard to hide it from Harry?" Tom asked no one in particr.

    "On second thought, he could only have been this hurt if Sara was his first love. He cried and begged in his sleep for her not to leave. What if he lied about Harry''s mother being his first love and this Sarady is actually his first love and that''s why he''s hiding her from Harry? Maybe he doesn''t want Harry to find out that he lied about Harry''s mother being his first love. That could be why he was apologizing to Harry in his sleep," Lucy said thoughtfully.

    "It doesn''t make sense. Why would he lie about something like that? And why does she keep calling when he doesn''t want to speak with her? Or does it have anything to do with the daughter he mentioned?" Tom asked, and Lucy sighed.

    "Why don''t we continue this conversation at home after dinner?" Lucy said when she nced at her wristwatch, and saw that the time was almost 8 PM already.

    "You''re right. Jamal needs to go to bed by ten," Tom said when he suddenly remembered that Jamal was probably still waiting for them, and he resumed driving.

    As expected, Jamal was waiting by the foot of the stairs when they got home, and immediately he saw them he ran up to embrace Lucy.

    "I kept trying to convince him to have his dinner, but he insisted on waiting to eat with you both," Samantha said as she joined them.

    "We kept you waiting, didn''t we? I''m sorry," Lucy said with a bright smile as she crouched down in front of hims and kissed his cheek.

    "It''s fine. I''m d you''re here now," Jamal said with an embarrassed smile as he raised both hands to his cheeks.

    "I guess only females receive hugs from you," Tom said dryly, and both Lucy and Samanthaughed as Jamal looked up at him and went to embrace him.

    "Are you going out after dinner? Or can we ying games tonight?" Jamal asked hopefully.

    "We can y games after dinner," Tom assured him.

    "When are you calling my mom? You promised to call her," Jamal reminded them, and they exchanged a look.

    "We can do so now," Tom said before looking at Lucy, "You can go in to freshen up while I call his mom. If I don''t join you by the time you''re done, thene down for dinner," Tom said, since he knew Lucy still needed privacy to change.

    "Alright. Why don''t I take those to the bedroom?" She asked as she took his suit jacket and the documents he was holding from him.

    Tom tugged off his tie and handed it to her too, "Thank you."

    "I will be back shortly," she told Jamal before walking away.

    "I will set the table," Samantha said as she left, and Jamal and Tom also walked over to sit at the Den. Once they were seated, Tom dialed Jade''s line.

    Away from there, in Aurora''s spa, Jade tried not to grit her teeth as Aurora went on and on about Harry and her ns to capture his heart when she meets him again.

    "How about you apany me shopping this weekend? I need to get some new clothes for my trip," Aurora said, but Jade shook her head.

    "Can''t. I will be busy with work," Jade said as she nced at the wall clock in Aurora''s office, wondering why Candace wasn''t out yet.

    .

    She couldn''t believe that Aurora had been chattering endlessly for over an hour already and all she was saying revolved around Harry. She wished she could shut the woman up or change the subject, but every time she changed the subject, Aurora always found a way to take it back.

    "Oh, that''s such a shame! So when can I get his t-shirt from you? He says it''s his favorite t-shirt and he can''t sleep without it," Aurora said, and Jade was almost tempted to snort at that. Favorite shirt my ass.

    "Now that I think about it, I don''t think the t-shirt is in the closet. I had them clean up his suite yesterday, and I didn''t see anything in the closet when I moved my stuff into it. You know I''m staying in his bedroom," Jade said wanting to get a rise from Aurora.

    Aurora raised a brow, "You''re staying in Harry''s bedroom? Is he aware of that?" Aurora asked, and Jade smiled sweetly.

    "Sure, he is. We were staying there together alone thest time you visited, remember?" Jade asked, hoping that would turn Aurora off, but Aurora smiled.

    "Harry must really adore you as a little sister to be looking out for you this way. It''s a very attractive attribute," Aurora said, disappointing Jade.

    "When next he calls you, help me tell him I had them to throw it out already. I didn''t know the shirt was so important to him," Jade said with a bright smile.

    "You asked them to throw it out? That''s so sad. I don''t think Harry is going to like that. Can you tell me what the shirt looks like? Maybe I can get him a new one. That might just help me score a brownie point with him," Aurora said with a thoughtful smile, and Jade tried not to scowl.

    "Do you love him that much?" Jade asked, wanting to see if it would be possible to discourage Aurora from trying so hard to win Harry''s heart.

    Aurora giggled, "Love? C''mon, Jade! You don''t expect me to have fallen in love so easily with him already, do you? I''m not that naive. From all I heard from you and from what I''ve read about him on the inte, he''s a very decent guy. I confirmed that thest time I met him so I think he will make a great partner for me. He''s someone I know I can grow to love. I''m trying to make things work between us, but for now it''s solely physical attraction on my part," Aurora said, and Jade almost sighed in relief.

    "Oh, that''s great! It''s always a good start," Jade said with a nod.

    As long as Aurora wasn''t in love with Harry yet, that was a good enough for her. She knew for a fact that Harry wasn''t going to touch Aurora or have sex with her even if she seduced him, so there was nothing to worry about in that regard.

    Fortunately for Jade, before the conversation could progress any further, Candace returned looking more rxed than she had been earlier, "I''m done," she told Jade, and immediately Jade stood up.

    "Great! We can leave now," she said excitedly before looking at Aurora.

    "We need to leave now. And don''t forget to deliver my message to Harry," Jade said, and Aurora smiled as she escorted them out of her office.

    "Of course. By the way, I noticed you no longer refer to him as old uncle Harry," Aurora pointed out, while Candace listened to them with interest.

    "Maybe that''s because I no longer see him that way. He''s too young and cute to be called that don''t you think?" Jade asked with a giggle, and Auroraughed too as she agreed with her, while Candace''s lips twitched in amusement.

    Once they got into the elevator, and Aurora left them, Jade let out a sigh of relief, "Thank God we are out of there. If we stayed there for an extra five minutes my jawbone would most likely have fractured. My jaws ache from smiling andughing so hard when I didn''t want to," Jade said as she rubbed her jaw, and Candace giggled.

    "Who is Harry?" Candace asked curiously.

    "Harry is Tom''s best friend. Why?" Jade asked, and Candace raised a brow.

    "You are in love with your brother''s best friend?" Candace asked, and Jade giggled when she heard the concern in Candace''s voice.

    Had she been that obvious? How did Candace know she was in love with Harry? Before Jade could respond, her phone started to ring and she took it out from her handbag and received the call when she saw that it was from Tom.

 Chapter 397: Tell Him

    Chapter 397: Tell Him"Mom says to pass the phone to you," Jamal informed Tom after he was done speaking with his mother.

    Tom received the phone from Jamal, "Hello, This is Tom," He said politely, since it was the first time he was speaking with Candace since he read her letter.

    Candace cleared her throat, "Thanks for looking after Jamal. He says he''s happy, and you are both having dinner with him," Candace said with gratitude.

    "You''re wee," Tom said as he looked at the kid who was sitting beside him and looking at him curiously.

    She cleared her throat again, "I also want to apologize for making you ufortable by leaving that letter behind. I had no right to do that. If it makes you feel better you can get rid of it. I wasn''t thinking straight. I''m sorry," Candace said apologetically, and Tom sighed.

    "Don''t worry about it. Just be careful and make sure you return safely. You can be rest assured that Jamal will be well taken care of," Tom promised, and Candace rxed a bit.

    "Thank you," Candace said in a quiet voice that made Tom feel sorry for her.

    After his conversation with Harry earlier, he had tried to put together everything that he had learned from Jade, Harry, and Lucy, concerning Candace, and he felt like he hadn''t been very kind to her, and had treated her with indifference.

    Candace was an orphan who had led quite a difficult life. She had been involved with a terrible and dangerous man that she could only escape from because he was sent to jail. She had to be a stripper to make ends meet, and the only person she called her sister had been kidnapped. Now she had to leave her son in the care of strangers. How hard could life be for a youngdy like her?

    He had put Jade in Candace''s show, and that had made him realize that he would wish for Jade to be treated better than the way he was treating Candace. He needed to do better.

    "You don''t have to worry about anything else. Just ensure you take care of yourself ande back safely. I will make sure you and Jamal are well taken care of when you return," Tom promised, and Candace smiled.

    "Thank you. I will return the phone to Jade now," Candace said before giving the phone to Jade.

    "How are things going over there? How is Lucy?"

    "She is fine. You are both okay, right?" Tom asked with concern, as Jade tried to connect her phone to the car''s Bluetooth speaker so she could drivefortably.

    "Sure. Have you seen Harry today?" Jade asked curiously.

    "Yeah. Lucy and I left his apartment a while ago. Have you spoken with him again?" Tom asked as he picked the remote and turned on the television so that Jamal could watch a cartoon while he spoke with Jade.

    "No. How was he when you saw him? And how is his father''s health?"

    "Although he is very worried about his father, he''s fine. I didn''t get to see his dad because he was asleep," Tom said, and looked down at his hand which was resting on his thigh when Jamal ced his hand in his.

    "Any progress on Anita''s issue? And what about Lucy''s twin? How is he handling everything? Also, have you heard from Bryan and mom? Do you know if they''ve met Simon yet?" Jade asked curiously, and Tom rolled his eyes.

    "How many questions do you expect me to answer at the same time? How about we have a conference call instead?" Tom suggested, thinking that it was better he told everyone about the progress on Anita''s issue once and for all since he was tired of repeating the story.

    "Yes. That''s a good idea. I''m driving right now. I''ll call you and the others when I get to the hotel," Jade said, and just as she wanted to end the call she remembered her conversation with Aurora.

    "Tom?" She called before he could hang up.

    "Yeah?" Tom asked as he turned to look at Samantha who had just walked in to inform him that the table was set for dinner.

    "Did Harry tell you that he asked Aurora to apany him to the anniversary dinner as his partner?" Jade asked, and Tom who had been about to stand up, paused.

    "Aurora?" Tom asked, wondering who that was.

    "Thedy I told you about," Jade reminded him.

    "The one you matchmade with Harry?" Tom asked, and Jade gritted her teeth, while Candace listened to the conversation between the siblings with interest.

    "Yes, that one. Do you think I should be worried? She is visiting him next week," Jade said, and Tom''s brows shot up.

    "Harry didn''t mention anything about that to me. When did she tell you this? Or was it Harry who told you about it?" Tom asked with a slight frown, as he wondered what Harry was up to.

    "No. Aurora did. I left her spa a while ago. So, Harry didn''t mention anything to you about her or being interested in someone?" Jade asked, and Tom''s eyes narrowed as he recalled what Harry had said the previous evening about having a date, and about surprising them soon.

    "Tom?"

    "Well, he did mention something about having a datest night during dinner, but we didn''t take it too seriously," Tom said apologetically, and Jade''s heart skipped a beat.

    "He did? What exactly did he say?" Jade asked, beginning to really feel worried now.

    "He didn''t give any details. He only told us he had a date and would surprise us soon. I thought he was joking. I''m sorry, Jady. I''ll find out more about it, and let you know if he''s serious, okay?" Tom said, feeling sorry for his sister.

    "Maybe I should have listened to you," Jade murmured to herself sadly, thinking that Harry had probably changed his mind about her because she had tried to talk dirty with him the previous day. Maybe she had taken things too far.

    "Why? Did you do or say anything to him?" Tom asked curiously.

    There was no way she could tell Tom that she had tried talking dirty with his best friend over the phone, or that she had directly told him that she wanted to live rent-free in his head. Not after he had warned her to let Harry chase her, and not to throw herself at him.

    "Nevermind. I will give you and the others a call when I get home. Give my love to Lucy," Jade said before hanging up.

    Once she did, she let out a sigh as she looked ahead of her. It didn''t bother her that she was making such a phone call in front of Candace. The only thing that bothered her at that moment was that she was at the verge of losing Harry and she didn''t know what to do about it. Should she call him or not?

    "I guess that answers my question," Candace said thoughtfully, and Jade turned to spare her a nce.

    "What question?"

    "I was going to ask if your brother was aware of your feelings for his best friend and if he would be okay with it," Candace said, and Jade''s lips curved in a smile despite her sadness.

    "Tom loves Harry like a brother, and Harry is a great guy so there''s no reason for him to disapprove. Even my mom approves of my feelings for him," Jade said with a small smile.

    "I don''t suppose Harry knows that you like him?" Candace asked curiously.

    "I''m not sure..."

    "You are not sure? You are in love with him, you didn''t tell him how you feel and then you went on to hook him up with anotherdy and now you''re feeling sad about it?"

    "Is it just me, or was there a silent ''Are you crazy?'' at the end of your question?" Jade asked, trying to find humor in the situation.

    Candace''s lips twitched with amusement, "I thought you would miss that."

    "I''m awyer. Nothing gets past me," Jade said, and Candace snorted.

    "The man you love is about to get past you literally," Candace muttered dryly, and Jade tittered withughter.

    "Remind me again, why are we not friends?" Jade asked, loving Candace''s sense of humor.

    "Because we were on opposite sides of thew when we met?" Candace asked, and Jade giggled.

    "Well, I hooked him up with Aurora before I realized that I was interested in him. And now you can see their progress for yourself," Jade said with a sigh, and Candace shook her head.

    "Even your own feelings got past you, yet you said nothing gets past you," Candace said with a roll of her eyes.

    "Can you just let that line go?" Jade asked with a giggle, d that Candace was trying to make light of the situation. She was feeling sad enough already.

    "What do you n to do? Give up?"

    "Giving up is not an option."

    "Good. I never figured you for the type to give up. Do you think he likes you? Is he attracted to you?" Candace asked, wanting to know how she could be of help.

    "I don''t know. I like to believe so. My mom and brothers says he likes me, and Sonia also believes that Harry is interested in me but he has never made any move. Not even when we stayed alone for a couple of days."

    "You were alone with him? Why didn''t you tell him how you feel?" Candace suggested.

    "I''m not sure telling him how I feel is the wise thing to do," Jade said, and Candace looked at her incredulously.

    "It''s okay for everyone else to know of your feelings for him apart from him? I never thought you were a coward," Candace said, and Jade pursed her lips.

    "That''s not it."

    "Then what is it?" Candace asked with a slightly raised brow.

    "Harry is not that kind of person. He is old-fashioned," she said with a shrug.

    "So what if he is old-fashioned? Who said because he is old-fashioned you can''t directly let him know you like him? You never can tell, maybe that''s all he''s been waiting for," Candace said and Jade sighed.

    She couldn''t believe the number of advisers she had on just this issue. There was Tom, Sonia, and now Candace. Whose advise was she supposed to take?

    "Have you ever tried to seduce him?" Candace asked, and Jade''s eyes widened in surprise.

    "I just told you the man is old-fashioned and you''re asking if I''ve tried to seduce him? Harry is not that kind of man. Besides, he was always ufortable the few times I wore skimpy or revealing clothes around him. He doesn''t like me dressing that way around him," Jade said, and Candace smiled.

    "I think he is attracted to you. And I think you should tell him how you feel."

    "Tom says I shouldn''t."

    "Do you always do what you''re told?" Candace asked with a slightly raised brow.

    "Not always. Only when it''s important."

    "Then trust me, and tell him how you feel. You have nothing to lose if he doesn''t feel the same way," Candace said, but Jade shook her head.

    "I''ve got a lot to lose. My self-respect, my friendship with him, and then there is that Aurora thing. I would die of embrassment. No, I can''t."

 Chapter 398: New Friendship

    Chapter 398: New Friendship"Okay. So you won''t tell him how you feel about him, and you won''t give up. So what''s your big n? I''m sure you have one, right?" Candace asked, and Jade eyed her with displeasure.

    "I never knew you to be this sarcastic," Jade said, and Candace shrugged.

    "I guess it''s safe to say it got past you," Candace said with a straight face, and Jadeughed softly.

    "So? What''s the big n?" Candace asked once again.

    "I haven''te up with any yet. I just might sabotage their date," Jade said with a shrug.

    "Just how many dates do you n on sabotaging? I don''t see your spa friend giving up just because of a few hups in their date ns. And just so you know, if you keep being this passive you just might be walking down the aisle with Harry but not as his wife, as his wife''s maid of honor," Candace said as Jade pulled into the parking lot of the hotel.

    "For someone who is not in talking terms with her boyfriend, you sure do know how to give rtionship advice," Jade said dryly as she turned off the car.

    "Matt is not my boyfriend..."

    "I never even mentioned his name," Jade cut in with a shrug.

    "You didn''t need to. Unlike you I don''t skirt around issues. I confront them head on," Candace fired back as they both unbuckled their seatbelt.

    "Touch��. I''m hungry, let''s go in," Jade said as she got out of the car, and Candace did the same.

    "Is that you trying to avoid the subject?" Candace asked as they both walked into the hotel, and Jade nced at her curiously.

    "No. This is just me wondering why you are so interested in the subject," Jade said, and Candace shrugged.

    "It''s not the subject I''m interested in. It''s you I''m interested in. You have been nice to me and your family has been very amodating. So the least I can do to pay you back is to help you secure the man you love if he is as great as you''ve painted him," Candace said as they headed for the elevator.

    "So if Matt isn''t your boyfriend, what is he to you?" Jade asked, and Candace turned to her with a slightly raised brow.

    "Why are you bringing Matt into this?"

    "I have to understand the dynamics of your own love life before I take any rtionship advise from you. Tom is in a good rtionship with Lucy, and so is Sonia with Bryan. I can trust their experience in that field," Jade said reasonably as they walked into the elevator, and Candace turned to her with an unreadable expression.

    "Of course, you should take their advice. It wouldn''t make sense for a sensiblewyer like you to ept a rtionship advice from a stripper like me who was in a toxic rtionship with one of the senior members of a drug cartel, and is even considering murdering him just to be rid of him," Candace said with a straight face.

    "I''m sorry. That wasn''t what I meant," Jade said with a slight frown as she pressed the button for their floor.

    "I know you wouldn''t say something like that to me. So I''m trying to ckmail you emotionally into listening to me. Did it work?" Candace asked, shing Jade a smile that made herugh.

    "It almost did. On a serious note, what''s up with you and Matt? You know he really likes you, right? And don''t deny it, I know you like him too," Jade said, wanting to be sure that Candace felt the same way about Matt, since she had ced a call across to him already, and she didn''t want Candace to be mad at her if or when Matt shows up. She wasn''t sure yet if Matt was going to show up since she had only told him about Candace''s crazy n and where they were. If he loved her, she expected him to try to stop her.

    "He is a nice guy, so it''s hard not to like him. Apart from the fact that I''m older than him, I''m not necessarily sure we are right for each other. Or maybe it''s just wrong timing. Right now I''m worried about Jero and how to take care of him once and for all. I''m also worried about Andy, who I don''t have the least idea where she is at this moment, I''m concerned about I and Jamal''s future. If I don''t go back to stripping what can I do to earn me enough money? That''s the only way I''ve been able to afford taking care of Jamal and I. My whole life is a mess right now, whereas his life is perfect. If I get involved with him, people would want to dig into myself and find out stuff about me, and you know how it is. There is nothing pleasant about my life that should be on the news. I don''t want Jamal finding out about me that way either. Do you think I''m crazy for wanting to just be friends with him?" Candace asked as they walked out of the elevator and headed for their suite.

    Jade sighed, "I think you''re doing too much worrying and not living enough," Jade said, as she unlocked the door, and they both walked into the suite and shut the door behind them.

    "If you were in my shoes you''d worry even more," Candace assured her as they both took off their shoes.

    "Okay, let''s take everything you have said one at a time. I know you said you don''t want us to talk about Jero again and you don''t want me to try to talk you out of your ns, but just give me listening ears for five minutes, okay? I''m not talking to you as awyer trying to apprehend Jero now, but as your friend. I like to believe that we are friends or at least on our way to being friends," Jade said as they sat on the couch instead of heading to their bedrooms.

    "Fine," Candace said with a sigh

    Jade looked at Candace with a serious expression, "I noticed that all the worries you expressed are centered around Andy and Jamal. Imagine Andying back to meet you, only to hear that you''re in jail for murdering Jero? Have you considered how Andy would feel if she finds out about your n?"

    Jade continued without waiting for her to respond, "You im you are worried about Jamal finding out you were a stripper, but you haven''t given any thoughts to how he will feel when he finds out his father was involved in drug crimes and his stripper mother went to jail for murdering his father, have you? Let''s assume that Tom and Lucy adopts him as you wanted them to, do you think his life will be better or remain the same after he learns of your so-called sacrifice for him? Are you really willing to throw your whole life away because you made the mistake of getting involved with Jero? I like to believe that you are smarter than that," Jade said, and paused for her words to sink in.

    "Honestly, I think your n is stupid. I promised you before, and I''m repeating it, I will make sure Jero gets a death sentence so that you never have to worry about him again. I have evidence of the private investigator he murdered, and that is enough to make him pay. All I''m asking is that you don''t make any ns that will ruin all our joint efforts. I''m not saying this as awyer. I''m telling you this as your friend," Jade said as she reached for Candace''s hand, and rubbed it reassuringly.

    "Jade..."

    "It''s not thatplicated. You can reconsider your stance on a rtionship with Matt after we''ve gotten Jero out of the way," Jade interjected.

    "Getting Jero out of the way isn''t all I mentioned. Matt is a celebrity and I''m a..."

    "Everyone has a past, Candace. You did all you needed to do to get to where you are now. I don''t think there is anything to be ashamed of. Did Matt say anything about it to make you feel ufortable about being a stripper?"

    "No, he didn''t. And this is not about Matt..."

    "You think Jamal would love or respect you less because you stripped to take care of his bills? How are you different from those celebrities, cardi B and the likes who expose so much skin in their musical videos and even on stage to entertain their fans?" Jade asked, and Candace sighed.

    "It''s all entertainment. Whether you''re dancing naked in the club for a private audience or you''re doing it on the stage for the public. I don''t think they''re better than you, so there''s no reason for you to be ashamed," Jade finished, and Candace took a deep breath.

    "I still have to worry about Andy. You don''t expect me to move on with my life when I don''t even know where she is or how she is doing."

    "That''s you making up silly excuses. I''m sure if Andy shows up today you''ll still find something else to worry about. To think you called me a coward when you''re actually the coward who is scared of being happy," Jade said with a shake of her head.

    "I''m not scared of being happy," Candace denied.

    "Yes, you are. And you''re too scared to admit it to yourself. You don''t have to go back to stripping. Jamal is part of the family already, and so are you. If anything from your pastes up, we will be there to take care of it," Jade promised, and Candace eyed her skeptically.

    "We seem to be trading advice tonight. I will consider all you have said if you give Harry a call and tell him how you feel," Candace said, and Jade giggled.

    "Why are we back to that?"

    "Because that is what started this whole conversation in the first ce."

    "Okay, how about we do it this way. After I''ve taken care of this case and ensured that Jero gets a death sentence, I will confess my feelings to Harry and at the same time you ept Matt?"

    "Jade..."

    "Yes. What''s the worse that can happen? Let''s do it together. Let''s prove to each other that we are not cowards," Jade said enthusiastically.

    "And what happens if things progress more between Harry and your spa friend before then?" Candace asked, and Jade narrowed her eyes thoughtfully.

    "I will take my chances. For now I need to focus on this case. I can''t afford to get distracted," Jade said with resolve, and Candace sighed.

    "If you say so," Candace said as she stood up.

    Jade heaved a sigh, "I feel like getting wasted tonight. Whenst did you get wasted?" She asked as she picked up her handbag and shoes.

    "I have a kid to take care of. I haven''t gotten wasted for a moment since I had Jamal," Candace said, and Jade shrieked in disbelief

    "That is horrifyingly unimaginable! Tell you what, let''s go clubbing tomorrow night. And you are not permitted to say no! Consider this an order from your friend and senior colleague. There is no Jamal here to worry about, so we can both getpletely wasted. It will be just two sinfully beautiful and intelligent single women having fun. I would have said let''s get wasted tonight, but I need to be clear headed when they call to tell me about the arrest," Jade said, and Candace smiled.

    She couldn''t remember ever having such a lengthy girly conversation with anyone else apart from Andy. She was even more surprised by the rate at which she was getting along with Jade.

    "Alright. Let''s do that tomorrow."

    "Goodnight then. I have a family conference call to attend to," Jade said with a wave as she headed for her bedroom.

    Thinking about family, Jade''s thoughts drifted to what Candace had said about being abandoned by a man that had imed to be her uncle. There was something fishy about the story. If the man had enough money to pay the orphanage home, why didn''t he get a nurse and nanny to take care of his brother''s child? Perhaps she should look into it for Candace? It would be nice if she found her family, especially if she was from a well to do family.

    She was sure either Tom or Harry could look into it for her. All she needed was to find a way to get more information from Candace about the orphanage where she had been raised. Jade smiled at the thought.

 Chapter 399: Finding A Husband

    Chapter 399: Finding A Husband

    "Can you believe that he unfollowed me?" Miley asked Amy in disbelief as she nced through her list of Instagram followers for the second time trying to confirm what she already knew.

    "Who?" Amy asked as she put down herptop and moved closer to Miley so that she could see who or what Miley was talking about. "Who else? Lucas, of course. He followed me and then he unfollowed me," Mileyined with a pout, and Amy raised a brow. 0 "So? Why does that bother you? He left. He said he is not interested in being friends with you and you showed him the door. So it shouldn''t matter whether or not he''s following you unless of course you are still half expecting him to knack on the door," Amy said with a knowing smile. "He''s mean. I can''t believe he really left just like that and did note back," Miley said with a sad sigh. "We don''t have the time to worry about Dr. Mottle right now. Let''s focus on finding you a husband," Amy said, trying to help Miley focus on the task at hand.

    "Maybe I should call him?" Miley asked, and Amy looked at her skeptically. "No. Don''t. Let him be," Amy said as she picked up herptop and brought it to Miley so she would look at the ''Husband For Hire'' ad disyed on the screen, "What do you think?"

    "I think I should call him. At least to find out if he''s okay," Miley said as she pushed theptop away from her. "Are you sure you''re interested in getting a husband? Or is Lucas the man you have in mind? You''ve been poring over his pictures all day, and have given little or no attention to all I''ve been trying to put in ce for our husband hunt," Amy said, and Miley''s brows pulled together. "It''s difficult to focus on anything when you''re worried about someone," Miley pointed out "He already advised you to worry about yourself, and I think you should do that. He can take care of himself so stop worrying your head about him," Amy said with disapproval. "It''s not like I like to just sit here spending what precious little time I have left worrying about a stranger I met barely seventy-two hours ago, but I can''t help being worried about him," Miley said as she looked at Amy with puppy eyes, and Amy sighed. "Fine. Call him and let''s move on," Amy said, jerking her head towards Miley''s phone. "How about your help me get his phone number so I can call him?" Miley asked with an embarrassed smile, and Amy raised a brow. 0 "What? You didn''t have his number this whole time and you were talking about giving him a call?" Amy asked in disbelief. Miley shrugged, "I was too busy enjoying hispany so it didn''t ur to me to take his number. You said you would do anything for me, right? I want to find out how he''s doing and if he got home safely. Just to be sure he''s not sitting alone in a bar drinking himself to stupor. Please?" She asked, batting hershes at Amy. 0 "How am I supposed to get his number?" Amy asked, not the least bit pleased about this.

    "His twin sister is your boss, remember? You can tell her your dying friend wants her cute brother''s number," Miley suggested, and Amy eyer her in annoyance.

    "Can you stop throwing that word around? It''s bad enough to know that you''re ill, I don''t need to be reminded that of it all the time," Amy hissed at her. 0

    "Fine. I''m sorry. Just get me his number, please? "Fine. Let me see what I can do," Amy said as she picked up her phone and dialed Lucy''s line and ced the call on speaker. Lucy who was hurrying downs the Lairs to join Tom and Jamal at the dining, paused midstairs when her phone started to ring, and she received the call when she saw that it was from Amy. "Hey! How are you doing? I was going to call you tomorrow," Lucy greeted as she slowly walked down the stairs. Amy cleared her throat, as she looked at Miley, "I''m sorry to call you by this time. I hope I''m not interrupting anything?" Amy asked politely. "Not at all. Is everything okay? How is your friend doing? Have you seen her yet?" Lucy asked, and Miley smiled when she heard the concern in Lucy''s voice. Seeing Amy''s reluctance to speak, Miley snatched the phone from her, "Hello, Lucy! This is Miley, Amy''s ill friend," Miley said before Amy could stop her. "Oh! Hello!" Lucy greeted uncertainly, confused as to why she was speaking with Amy''s best friend. "First of all I want to thank you for letting Amy leave to spend time with me. That was so kind of you, and it means so much to me," Miley said, and Lucy smiled sadly. She sounded like a really nice person. "It''s the least I could do. I''m sorry about your health," Lucy said apologetically. "Thank you. I was wondering if I could get Lucas'' phone number from you?" Miley asked, and Lucy''s brows creased as she stopped at the foot of the stairs.

    "Lucas?" "Yes. Your twin brother," Miley affirmed. "You know Lucas? Is he your doctor?" Lucy asked, trying to understand the connection.

    "Not exactly. Perhaps he would have been if he didn''t resign from his job. I''d really like to speak with him. Or you can send my phone number to him and ask him to give me a call that it''s important," Miley said, and Lucy raised a brow.

    She seemed to know a lot about him. How close was she to Lucas? Probably not close enough since she didn''t have his number, but from the way she sounded Lucy could tell that her interest wasn''t solely concerning doctor to patient rtionship, else Amy wouldn''t be so silent. "He is on his way to Ludus right now, so I can''t reach him until morning. I will deliver your message to him when I speak with him," Lucy said, and Miley''s brows pulled together. "Ludus?" Miley said thoughtfully, and Amy shook her head as she took the phone from her. "I''m sorry for the inconvenience, Director Perry. She doesn''t mean any harm. She is friends with your brother and they kind of parted on not-too-good terms earlier, and she is worried about him..." "You''re bbing, Amy," Miley cut in with a shake of her head. "Don''t worry about it. I will send her message across to Lucas. I will text you Lucas'' number when I''ve informed him about it," Lucy assured Amy before hanging up. "Now that we have gotten that out of the way, I''m going to send out the ad now, so that people can start applying, and we can start interviewing prospective candidates," Amy said, and raised a brow when Miley rose up from the couch.

    "Why aren''t you saying anything? And where are you going?" Amy asked curiously.

    "Don''t send out the ad yet. I want to meet with Lucas one more time so I can make up my mind," Miley said with a determined look in her eyes. 0

    "Make up your mind on what?" "On whether or not I want Lucas. I''m notfortable with the idea of meeting random strangers, and I don''t think meeting him was a coincidence..."0

    "Miley! He''s not even interested in being friends with you, yet you want to ask him to marry you?" Amy asked as though she had lost her mind. "We should at least try. If he turns me down, we will find another way. Let''s book the next avable flight to Ludus while we get our stuff ready," Miley said as she headed for the bedroom.

    "But I only just got here from Ludusst night. I haven''t even unpacked my bag yet you want me to move again," Amyined as she followed her. "It''s a good thing you haven''t unpacked your bags yet. If Lucas turns us down, we can just stay back in Ludus and find us a husband," Miley said as she walked over to her closet and started taking out some clothes. Away from there, after having dinner with Jamal, Tom and Lucy stayed back in the Den to watch a show on Nickelodeon with him while he sat down between them with his head resting on Lucy''s body. Even though their eyes were fixed on the television, their minds were far from there as they both thought about Aaron and tried to figure out if both Saras were the same people. Who Sara could be and what she wanted from Aaron.

    After some time, Tom sighed, and turned to Lucy, "Do you have any ns for the weekend?"

    "Have I told you I called Prisci about epting their offer today? I''ll be going to sign the contract with them on Saturday," Lucy informed Tom, and he raised a brow.

    "How long would that take? Tom asked, and Lucy shrugged. "I can''t tell. We might need to talk about my work schedule and all of that. Why?" Lucy asked curiously. "I already have ns for you this weekend," Tom said, an Lucy raised a brow. "What sort of ns?" "Well, for one I realized that we''ve never gone on a date so I was going to take you out for dinner," Tom said, and Lucy''s brows pulled together as she thought about it. "I went on one with you as the CEO," she reminded him. "That wasn''t a date." "We went to the club together the other night," she pointed out with a grin, and Tom chuckled at the memory. "That wasn''t a date either. What I mean is that we haven''t been out together on an official date as a couple," Tom said, and Lucy nodded. "True. But since it''s a dinner date your n isn''t affected. My meeting with them is by noon." "I was going to take you to the spa and salon for a makeover and then we go out together for dinner," Tom said, and Jamal whose eyes had been fixed on the TV looked from one adult to the other when he heard dinner.

    "We just had dinner," he reminded them, and Lucy smiled as she patted his hair softly. "Yes, we just had dinner, but we are not talking about tonight," Lucy corrected. "Can Ie too?" Jamal asked, and Tom shook his head. "Nope. You can''t. I will take you out with me during the day when Lucy is busy, but at night I want Lucy to myself," Tom said, and Jamal turned to him. "Why?" "Because she is my girlfriend," Tom said reasonably. 0 "So I can have her to myself too if she is my girlfriend?" Jamal asked, and Lucyughed out loud while Tom eyed him. 0 "Why would you want to have her to yourself?" "Because I like her," Jamal said, and this time Tom scowled at him.

    "She can''t be your girlfriend because she is mine already. And if you keep this up I''m going to..." The rest of Tom''s threat trailed off when his phone started ringing and he red at Jamal before reaching for the phone which was on the table.

    "This discussion is not over yet," Tom promised when he saw that it was a Skype call from Jade.

    "It''s Jade. I''ll be in the study," Tom told Lucy before walking away to receive the call, leaving Lucy and Jamal who were bothughing. "Tommy, I haven''t added Bryan yet, I wanted to first ask you for a favor," Jade pleaded immediately Tom received the call, and he raised a brow.

    "You''re asking for a lot of favorstely. What is it this time? Tom asked as he went to sit behind his desk

    "I was speaking with Candace about how she ended up at the orphanage and there is something suspicious about the story," Jade said, and went on to tell Tom what Candace had told her.

    "Do you think you could look into it, or should I ask Harry for help? Jade asked, and Tom shook his head.

    "No, don''t bother Harry. He has enough on his mind already. Find out the name of the orphanage home and I''ll look into it myself," Tom assured her. "Thanks. I knew I could count on you. I''ll call Bryan now," Jade said before dialing Bryan''s line to add him to the call..

 Chapter 400: I Cant

    `

    After having his dinner, Harry kept himself busy by watching some shows on the television so he wouldn''t worry about his father or be tempted to go pick up his phone and find out who that Sarady was and what she wanted from his father.

    Trying to distract himself from that line of thought, his thoughts drifted to Jade and he nced at the wall clock. The time was past nine already, so he knew that she must have met Aurora by now, and Aurora would have delivered his message to her, so why hadn''t she called yet?

    Or did Aurora forget to deliver his message? He wondered as he nced at his phone with a frown contemting whether or not to call her or Aurora to find out the oue of their discussion.

    If he called her what would he say was his reason for calling? Perhaps he could say he wanted to find out how the case was going and if Jero had led them to the cartel yet. Harry shook his head. That would be too early. He needed to wait some more.

    Seeing as he was unable to focus on the television show because he was restless, Harry stood up and walked over to the dining. The best way to distract himself was to get engrossed in work.

    He opened hisptop and started going through the minute of Tom''s meeting with the hotel and resort managers which his secretary had emailed to him.

    Harry tried to give the documents on his screen his full attention even though his gaze drifted to his phone from time to time. After working for about an hour, Harry raised his head when his phone started ringing, and he quickly grabbed it when he saw that it was Aurora. He waited for a second and took a deep breath before receiving the call.

    "Hey!" He greeted casually, not wanting to sound too excited.

    "I''m sorry I''m calling again. I hope I''m not disturbing your sleep or work?" Aurora asked apologetically.

    "Not at all. It''s fine. Is there a problem?" Harry asked, eager to know what she had called to say.

    "Not at all. Jade left here a while ago. Remember I told you I was expecting Jade?" Aurora asked, and Harry grinned.

    "Yeah, I think I vaguely remember you mentioned something like that. Why?" Harry asked innocently.

    "Well, I told her about the t-shirt you wanted me to get from the suite, but she said she didn''t see any. She said she had them clean the suite when she moved in, and the closet was empty," Aurora said, and Harry narrowed his eyes.

    "She said the closet was empty?" Harry asked, wondering what Jade was up to. They both knew that she had seen the shirt since she had told him she was wearing his shirt without any undies, so why did she lie?

    "Yes. If you show me a picture of the t-shirt I could get you a new one," Aurora suggested.

    "That won''t be necessary. I can arrange for it myself, so please don''t bother about it and just show up as nned," Harry rushed to assure her.

    "Alright then. I can''t wait to see you," Aurora said, and Harry smiled.

    "Do you have a ce in mind you''d want us to go?" Harry asked, and Aurora narrowed her eyes thoughtfully.

    "I''ll think about it and let you know tomorrow," Aurora said, and Harry nodded..

    "That''s fine. By the way, did you tell her about our date?" Harry asked, and Aurora''s brows pulled together.

    "Jade? I did. Why? Was I not supposed to? I figured I could tell her about it since you asked me to get your t-shirt from her," Aurora exined.

    "It''s not a problem. I was just asking to know. She must have been excited to know that the two people she set up together are going on a date," Harry said, as Aurora giggled.

    "She seemed more surprised than excited. It almost seemed like she didn''t believe you were capable of being involved with ady," Aurora said with a grin.

    "Really?" Harry asked with a chuckle.

    "Yeah. Well, I''m d you''re doing this with me..."

    Doing what with her? Harry mused, hoping she wasn''t thinking they were in a rtionship because he asked her to apany him to the anniversary dinner.

    "Aurora?" Harry cut in before she could finish.

    "Yeah?"

    "Don''t get your hopes up. I''d hate to disappoint you..."

    Aurora cut in with a giggle, "You can''t disappoint me even if you tried" she assured him.

    "I hope so. Why don''t we continue tomorrow? I need to get busy now," Harry said as he stood up when he noticed his father standing in the living room looking at him.

    "Alright. Talk to you tomorrow, goodnight," Aurora said before hanging up.

    "You''re up. How do you feel?" Harry asked as he went to meet his father.

    "Very drowsy. I feel weak. It took a while before I could get off the bed," Aaronined.

    "It''s because of the sleeping pills. Lucy and Tom were here earlier to see you. They said they will visit again," Harry said, and Aaron gave him a nod.

    He half expected Harry to quiz him about Sara and ask him why he had overreacted earlier, but it seemed like Harry didn''t want to talk about. Or maybe not yet.

    "Who were you speaking with just now?" Aaron asked curiously.

    "That was thedy I told you about. She''s visiting next week and we are going on a date," Harry said as looked his father over, "Why don''t you have a seat, so I can get you something to eat?" Harry suggested, and Aaron did as he was told.

    "Do you love her?" Aaron asked as Harry walked over to the kitchen.

    "No. But she''s decent and fun," Harry called back, while Aaron watched him move around the kitchen.

    "What about Jade?" Aaron asked curiously.<sub> </sub>

    "Dad, I already told you to forget about what I told you in the past," Harry said calmly. He was too relieved and thankful that his father was feeling better to be upset by his question.

    "But I think she is interested in you as you are in her," Aaron said, and as expected Harry walked out of the kitchen to face his father.

    "Why do you think so? Have you met or spoken with her?" Harry asked, and Aaron gave him a nod.

    "Yeah. I was here when she came to get her stuff. I asked her not to let you know she saw me since I wanted it to be a surprise," Aaron said, and Harry raised a brow.

    "What did you both talk about?"

    "I can''t tell you that. It''s between her and me. Don''t waste your time with someone else when you''re in love with another," Aaron advised.

    "Dad, what do you want? Do you want me to be in a rtionship or is it Jade you want?" Harry asked dryly.

    "I want you to be happy. I want you to have a happy family. I didn''t have that, I want that for you. And I think Jade will make you happy. Having Jade, you have a whole new family. The Hanks, Lucy, and everyone else," Aaron said with a shrug.

    "They are family to me already. I don''t need to be involved with Jade to get them. If I get together with Aurora I get an even bigger family. I have the Hanks, and Aurora''s family. I could establish my ownmunity," Harry said with a grin, and Aaron chuckled.

    "I''m serious," Aaron said, and Harry gave him a nod.

    "I''m still trying to figure out whatever is between me and Jade. I''m not in a hurry, you shouldn''t be too if my happiness is what you truly want. Don''t worry about anything and just trust me, dad," Harry said as he looked into Aaron''s eyes, and Aaron sighed before giving him a nod.

    "Take all the time you need," Aaron said, and Harry smiled at him.

    Harry''s happiness was more important to him than anything else in the world. He was going to find a way to tell Harry the truth, but not now. He needed Harry to be settled in a rtionship first.

    Until then he was going to find a way to meet with Sara and find out exactly what she wanted from Harry. If it was money for her treatment, he would give her any amount she needed so she would disappear or at least give him some more time before telling Harry the truth.

    **********

    "What are you doing here?" Rebekah asked when she walked into her house and saw her eldest daughter, Bernice, seated in the living room watching television while sipping from a ss of juice.

    Bernice stood up immediately she heard her mother''s voice, "Where are youing from by this time of the night? I''ve been waiting all evening. I called but it wasn''t connecting," Bernice said, and Rebekah eyed her with disapproval.

    She was in a foul mood, and this wasn''t the way she had nned on spending the rest of her night. She had been out with Tiffany''s father-inw and had turned off her phone because Adam had kept calling and disturbing her. And Tiffany''s father-inw had left her unsatisfied after he rushed off to attend to family business, so she had been nning oning home to finish the work with her vibrator or inviting one of her young lovers.

    "Why are you waiting for me by this time in MY house when you should be in yours?" Rebekah asked trying to control her temper.

    "I moved out. I got into a fight with Adam and he hit me. I can''t stay married to him anymore. I would have brought the kids with me but he insisted that I don''t take them with me so..."

    "You can''t," Rebekah cut in before Bernice could finish, and she looked at her mother with a confused frown.

    "I can''t leave the kids with him?" Bernice asked, and Rebekah red at her.

    "You can''t stay here. Go back home to your husband now!" Rebekah snapped at her.

    "Did you hear a word of what I said? Adam hit me! He put his hands on me. I can''t remain married to him! I can''t do it!" Bernice yelled back at her mother in frustration.

    "You probably did something that made him do that to you. I told you before, you nag a lot and men don''t like that. Also, you are always snooping around and interfering in his business, no man wants that. The young man takes care of you and the kids, what more do you need? If you want peace in your home, you need to learn to behave yourself. Now go get your stuff and go back home this minute. You will apologize to Adam until he epts you back. I will give him a call," Rebekah said as she walked past Bernice and headed for the stairs.

    "I''m not leaving. My marriage with Adam is over! It''s not all about money, mom!"

    "Mother!" Rebekah corrected icily as she turned to re at her calcitrant daughter, "And you''re wrong about that. It is all about Money! Without money you''re nobody! Without money you''re nothing. You can live without love, but you can never live without money!"

    "What''s the point of having it when I''m depressed? I''m not happy! I''m feeling less confident about myself with each passing day! I don''t want to continue with this marriage anymore. He doesn''t love me. He never has, and he obviously never will. I need to be loved," Bernice cried, while Rebekah just looked at her with disapproval.

    "Love? You want love? Fine. Go for it. But I won''t let you do that from under my roof. Go get your stuff and get out of my house before I get back here," Rebekah spat out as she started walking up the stairs.

    "Why are you doing this? Why can''t you be more understanding? Adam took my car and cards. I have no where else to go. Why can''t I stay here with you?" Bernice asked as she followed her mother.

    Rebekah paused and turned to her once again, her eyes zing with rage, "I''m so disappointed in you, Bernice. You are my eldest daughter and unfortunately the most foolish amongst your sisters. I don''t associate myself with failures. Don''t delude yourself into thinking I will open my arms to wee you here. Like I cut off your father, I will cut you off too, and you will be an example to any of your sisters that dares to go against me. Don''t make me ask the staff to throw you out. Leave!" Rebekah ordered quietly before walking away to her bedroom, while Bernice stood by the stairs and tears of disbelief dropped from her eyes as she watched her mother disappear from her sight.

    Knowing her mother, Bernice had no doubt that she would ask the staff to throw out her stuff if she didn''t leave herself, so she went to her bedroom and picked up her luggage bags. As she left the house, she dialed Tiffany''s number.

    "Hey, Benny!" Tiffany greeted immediately after she received the call.

    "Can Ie over to your house tonight?" Bernice asked with a sniffle.

    Hearing her sniffle, Tiffany who had a facial mask on her face sat up immediately, "Are you alright? Is everything okay?" She asked with concern.

    "Not exactly. I just need a ce to sleep and someone to talk to," Bernice said in a shaky voice.

    "Sure. You cane over."

    "I don''t have any money on me. Can you pay the cab when I get there?" Bernice asked, surprising Tiffany even more.

    "You don''t have any money on you? You know what? Come over. I''ll ask one of the housekeepers to wait outside with some money for the cab. I''ll be waiting," Tiffany said, and Bernice thanked her before hanging up.`

 Chapter 401: Messed Up Family

    Chapter 401: Messed Up Family"What''s going on, Benny?" Tiffany asked from the doorway immediately Bernice stepped into the house, and she paused when she saw her homekeeper carrying Bernice''s luggage.

    "Why are you with your luggage? Did you have a fight with Adam?" Tiffany asked as she took Bernice''s hand and led her to the living room while the housekeeper took Bernice''s luggage to the guestroom.

    "Can I get a ss of water?" Bernice asked as she sat down.

    "Sure," Tiffany said before calling out to one of the housekeepers to get her a ss of water.

    "What''s going on?" Tiffany asked once again but Bernice didn''t say a word until the housekeeper brought the ss of water.

    "Adam hit me," she said after gulping down the entire content of the ss.

    "Adam hit you?" Tiffany asked, not sounding exactly surprised by the revtion.

    Bernice didn''t miss Tiffany''s tone, "Yes, Tiff. He hit me," she repeated.

    "Okay. But he didn''t send you packing, did he?" Tiffany asked, and Bernice shook her head.

    "No, he didn''t. I left on my own. I''m fed up, Tiff. I can''t continue with that marriage anymore. I just can''t," Bernice said, and Tiffany frowned.

    "Benny, you can''t leave just because he hit you. I told you before, we have to find a way to live with these men," Tiffany said as she went to sit beside Bernice and ced both arms around her.

    "How do you do it, Tiff? I don''t get it. How are you able to live this way? I can''t do it anymore. I''m depressed," Bernice said as she broke into a sob, while Tiffany consoled her.

    "Don''t waste your tears on him. Your husband obviously doesn''t care about you, and he''s not worth it. There is no reason for you to care about him either. All you have to do is find whatever makes you happy, and spend his money on it," Tiffany advised as she held Bernice tightly to herself and patted her hair.

    "What''s going on here?" Jackson, Tiffany''s husband asked when he stepped into the house and saw the sisters in a close embrace.

    "You''re wee, honey. Bernice will be spending the night with us tonight," Tiffany informed him as he walked over to where she was and kissed her cheeks before ncing at Bernice who forced a smile as she wiped the tears off her eyes.

    "Is everything alright? How is Adam?" He asked curiously.

    "Everything is okay. I just needed a breather from him and the boys," she assured him, and although Jackson didn''t believe her, he gave her a nod.

    "Have you had dinner yet?" Tiffany asked Jackson, not bothered by the fact that he wasing home thatte at night.

    "No, I haven''t," Jackson said, and she smiled at him.

    "What about you, Benny? Have you had dinner?" She asked, and Bernice shook her head.

    "Alright. Why don''t you both go in and freshen up while I have them set up the table for dinner?" Tiffany asked with a sweet smile as she helped Bernice rise from her seat.

    "Give me a minute and I will show you to your bedroom," she told Bernice as she called out to one of the housekeepers and asked her to set up the table, before leading Bernice away, while Jackson headed for his bedroom.

    Tiffany led Bernice to the bedroom, which was at the other end of the hallway from Jackson''s bedroom, but two doors away from hers, "That is my bedroom," Tiffany said pointing at her door.

    "Why? You moved away from the one you share with Jack?" Bernice asked, and Tiffany gave her a nod.

    "Yes. We both need our privacy," Tiffany said as they walked into Bernice''s bedroom.

    "Why? By the way, when did you change your housekeepers? Why are they all youngdies when you know your husband has roving eyes?" Bernice asked with a frown after they walked into the guestroom.

    Tiffany giggled, "Don''t worry about that. I made sure they''re all lesbians. None of them will have anything to do with him. If he must act irresponsibly, it has to be outside here," Tiffany assured Bernice, whose eyes widened in surprise.

    "What? They''re all lesbians?" She asked in disbelief, and Tiffanyughed giddily.

    "Yeah."

    "How many of them did you hire? How did you even think to do something like that?" Bernice asked curiously.

    "There are three of them. One cooks, another cleans, and another does theundry. I told you I''m only going to do what makes me happy. I don''t have the time to worry about Jackson or what he does or does not do anymore. I''m focused on me. You should do that too. And get rid of that nonsense thought about quitting your marriage. If you think Adam is having an affair, do whatever it takes to get your mind off it even if it means getting a lover for yourself too..."

    "Tiffany!" Bernice called out in rm.

    "You already said it that he doesn''t care about you," Tiffany said reasonably.

    "I am married. I have my kids to think about. What will they think about me?" Bernice asked, and Tiffany rolled her eyes.

    "Who cares? It''s not like you''re going to tell them about it, or are you? It''s going to be a secret. No one has to know about it," Tiffany assured Bernice.

    "What if Adam finds out?" Bernice asked thoughtfully as she considered Tiffany''s advise. She needed attention. She needed to feel loved and to be touched. She couldn''t keep begging Adam to have sex with her while he looked at her like she was undesirable.

    "Like I said, it''s going to be a secret. You could bring your lover into the home as your househelp. No one would suspect a thing. Your happiness must alwayse first, Benny," Tiffany said, and Bernice blinked at her.

    "I don''t understand you, Tiffany. Just what are you up to?" Bernice asked, and Tiffany shrugged.

    "I''ve found different ways to please myself. And now I''m happy with myself. My life. And even my marriage. Trust me, Benny, you should listen to me if you want to be happy," Tiffany encouraged.

    "Besides, Adam would most likely not be bothered if he finds out you''re having an affair since he doesn''t care about you. Who knows if that would be what he needs to spur him into caring about you?" Tiffany asked, and Bernice sighed.

    "I really don''t know, Tiff," Bernice murmured, thinking about their mother and what she would think. One her way to Tiffany''s home she had thought about what her mother had said about cutting her off. Her life would be over if she left her marriage and her mother cut her off as well. She would lose on all sides and she wasn''t sure she was bold enough for that yet. Besides, she still had her kids to think of.

    "Don''t worry about it and just freshen up. I''ll be waiting at the dining," Tiffany said before walking away.

    Once Tiffany walked out of the bedroom, she dialed her mother''s line, "Bernice is here, Mother," she informed Rebekah.

    "If she refuses to return to Adam''s house, throw her out," Rebekah ordered.

    "But..."

    "No buts. Your sister is out of her mind to have left her home. And the only way we can help here back to her senses is by abandoning her. Talk some sense into her. If she doesn''t listen to you, throw her out," Rebekah ordered.

    "One more thing, make sure neither Lisa nor Anita hears of this. You know how those two can be. I don''t want Lisa encouraging her to leave her marriage, and we can''t afford to have Anita start having doubts about getting married to Thomas Hank. All that love talk your sister is spewing is trash. Make sure shees to her senses," Rebekah added before hanging up.

    Tiffany sighed as she returned to the dining where dinner was being set. She looked around to be sure that her husband wasn''t anywhere around before spanking the ass of the housekeeper who was setting the table.

    The housekeeper grinned at her, and drew her in for a quick kiss, "Come to my bedroom by midnight," Tiffany whispered to her before sitting at the table to wait for her husband and sister.

    After Bernice had freshened up, she stepped out of her bedroom dressed in a set of satin pajamas. She stepped into the hallway at the same time as Jackson stepped out of his bedroom, and they looked at each other since they were standing at opposite ends of the hallway.

    Bernice resisted the urge to run into her bedroom and shut the door behind her when she saw her immoral brother-inw. She usually avoided visiting Tiffany because it was a known fact amongst them all that Tiffany''s husband could never resist anything in skirts, and she had caught him checking her out a couple of times in the past.

    If she had a choice she would have gone to somewhere else, but she was closer to Tiffany than her other sisters. Lisa was too judgemental and wouldn''t understand what she was going through, while Anita was young and inexperienced. Tiffany was the only one she could think ofing to.

    She squared her shoulders and walked down the hallway while Jackson did the same. She tried to quicken her pace so that she wouldn''t have to walk with him or speak with him, and Jackson smirked when he noticed how ufortable she was.

    Bernice was the first to get to the dining, and she didn''t make eye contact with Jackson who she noticed was staring at her regardless of his wife''s presence with them.

    Neither of them said much to each other. Bernice focused on her food while Tiffany did all the talking. Once they were done eating, Bernice said she was tired and going to bed. Tiffany said they would continue their discussion in the morning, and Jackson said he was going to bed too.

    d that everyone had retired to their bedroom, Tiffany retired to hers too, and waited for a while before calling the housekeeper from earlier to keep herpany for the night.

    Bernice on the other hand,y on her bed, thinking about Tiffany''s advise. The thought of doing something as wild as that gave her a thrill of excitement. All she needed to do was to be very discreet about it.

    Everyone had something that made them happy. Their mother devoted herself to charity, Lisa''s was her jewelry store, Anita''s was her job, and Tiffany... She didn''t understand yet. She wasn''t sure what to make of all Tiffany had said since she knew Tiffany was straight... Or wasn''t she? Did she have a male lover somewhere?

    Restless with all that thought, she got off the bed and slowly made her way down the hall to the living room. Everywhere was dark, letting her know the lights had been turned off and everyone had retired to their bedrooms for the night.

    She walked over to the bar and poured herself a ss of wine. She walked outside to the balcony and sat there, sipping from the ss as she gave more thought to it all.

    Taking Tiffany''s advise would probably be the best thing to do for herself and everyone. Adam was cheating so she could cheat as well. Her mother had said she shouldn''tin since her husband was taking good care of her and their kids.

    She could do whatever she wanted after her kids left for school and Adam left for work. That way she would be happy like Tiffany was and be able to live with Adam. Her mother also wouldn''t be disappointed in her or cut her off. It was a win-win for everyone.

    She let out a sigh as she took a sip from the ss, and almost jumped out of her skin when Jackson spoke from behind her.

    "What a pleasant coincidence," Jackson drawled, sounding really pleased.

    Immediately she stood up, wanting to go inside, but Jackson was leaning against the doorframe with both hands folded in front of him, his lips curved in a smirk while his eyes roamed over her body like a predator salivating over its prey.

    "Why do you always avoid me, Benny?" Jackson asked, and she cleared her throat.

    "I wasn''t avoiding you. I''m not avoiding you. I need to retire for the night. I''m tired," she said, feigning a yawn as she tried to walk past him but he didn''t budge.

    "You''re so beautiful, Benny. How often does Adam tell you that?" Jackson asked, and she blinked at him.

    "I beg your pardon?"

    "If you weren''t already married to Adam, I would have married you, not your sister," he said as he reached out a hand and brushed his knuckles over her jaw.

    Bernice sucked in a breath involuntarily before pping his hand away, "Don''t touch me! And do not say such words about my sister. I will pretend I did not hear you. Excuse me," she said hotly as she tried to push him out of her way, but Jackson chuckled.

    "We both know you want me just as much as I want you. I want you badly, Benny. Take a look," he said pointing to his crotch, and Bernice''s eyes moved on their own volition to the bulge in his pajamas.

    She swallowed, "I''m not interested in you Jack. I''m not. You are embarassing us both by doing this."

    "Am I?" Jackson asked as he pulled away from the door and took a step closer to her, making her step back involuntarily.

    "You are," Bernice said without meeting his gaze, and Jackson smiled.

    "It is no news to me that Adam doesn''t care about you. He said he''s not sexually attracted to you, and I wonder if he''s just blind or insane," Jackson said as he moved closer to her until her back touched the railing.

    "I''m going to scream if you touch me," Bernice warned.

    He chuckled, "Yes, you definitely will. By all means do so. You don''t have to worry about a thing, your sister neveres out after she shuts her door, so feel free to scream," Jackson said as his left hand went around her back, and he pulled her forward, capturing her lips in a kiss.

    Bernice tried to push him away, but Tiffany''s words came back to her. Tiffany really didn''t care about anything Jackson did anymore, and she had said it herself that she was happy. Tiffany had encouraged her to do whatever made her happy. What would make her happy right now was to go to bed sexually satisfied. Feeling desired and wanted. It didn''t matter if it was Jackson. All that mattered was that she was sexually satisfied. Having sex with Jackson who also happened to be Adam''s friend would be like getting back at Adam. All she had to do was forget for a moment that Jackson was her sister''s husband. Tiffany didn''t have to find out about it. It was going to be a secret.

    With that thought in mind, Bernice gave in to Jackson, and let him take her at the balcony.

 Chapter 402: Change Of Approach

    Chapter 402: Change Of ApproachAfter his phone conversation with his siblings, Tom returned to the Den and found Lucy watching a soap opera while Jamal slept on the couch beside her with his head on her thighs.

    He stood by the door and watched as she patted Jamal''s hair distractedly, but she didn''t really seem like she was paying attention to the soap opera. She looked more like she had a lot on her mind.

    "Care to share what you are thinking about?" Tom asked, startling Lucy who turned in his direction, and she smiled at him.

    "Random thoughts. Let''s get Jamal to bed. You need to get out of those clothes," Lucy said as Tom approached her.

    Without saying a word, he lifted Jamal off the couch and Lucy stood up and turned off the television before following him out. After they tucked Jamal in, they both went to their bedroom.

    "Is everything okay?" Lucy asked as she sat on the bed while Tom took off his work clothes which he was still wearing.

    "Yeah. Why?" Tom asked as he paused to look at her.

    "I mean Jade and Bryan. Are they okay? Have your parents and Bryan met with that Simon guy?" she asked, and he gave her nod before giving her the details of their conversation.

    "Also, Jade wants me to help her do a background check on Candace," Tom added as he continued to undress, and Lucy raised a brow.

    "Why? Is Candace aware of it? Is she okay with it?"

    "No, she isn''t aware," Tom said and went on to exin what Jade had told him concerning the details of how Candace ended up at the orphanage home.

    Lucy sighed, "This is tricky. She must have moved past that now. Taking her back to her past might be like reopening her wounds, and there is every possibility that Candace wouldn''t appreciate this gesture regardless of Jade''s intention. Especially if you uncover something unpleasant about her background," Lucy pointed out.

    "I don''t think Jade will tell her about it if we find something unpleasant," Tom said, torn between standing there and continuing the conversation in just his boxers or leaving her to go have his shower.

    Lucy shook her head with disapproval, "In the same manner you want to secretly investigate about Aaron and Sara without Harry''s knowledge?" Lucy asked, but Tom didn''t miss the disapproval in her tone.

    "Why do you sound that way? You think it is wrong?" Tom asked, and Lucy shrugged.

    "I''m not trying to judge you or bring back the past, but I don''t think I like how you and your siblings keep secrets from the people you say you care about. First it was me, now it''s Harry and Candace, I wonder who is going to be next," Lucy said, and Tom''s brows pulled together.

    "Lu, all those situations are not the same," Tom pointed out as he went to sit on the bed.

    "Are they not?"

    "Yes, they are not. I''m not trying to make any excuses, but the reason I lied to you is different. In Harry''s case I''m trying to help him, and as for Candace, Jade wants to help her understand why her uncle left her at the orphanage and help reunite her with her family," Tom exined patiently.

    "The situation might be different, but your action is the same. Tell me honestly, if you were Harry would you like him to go behind you and do what you''re about to do? Who knows what family secret you might uncover, and how it might affect them? Do you think you would want Harry to do the same to you? No, don''t answer that yet, I''m not done," Lucy said, raising a finger to stop Tom before he could respond.

    "I know you said Harry would have done something to help you. What I''m asking is, do you think he would have gone about it this way? I understand you and why you want to do this, but no matter how much I think about it, I don''t think it is right, and I don''t think Harry will appreciate this. I wouldn''t want you to do anything that might affect your rtionship with him," Lucy said, and Tom raised a brow.

    "So what do you propose I do? Pretend you didn''t hear anything? Say nothing to Harry, and do nothing about it?" Tom asked, and Lucy shook her head.

    "I''ve been thinking about it. I think I should speak with Aaron," Lucy said thoughtfully.

    "If it''s bothering him that much, then he probably needs someone to speak to. I could get him to talk to me, that way if it''s something Harry needs to know about I will convince him to talk to Harry," Lucy said, and Tom looked at her skeptically.

    "What if he doesn''t confide in you?"

    "Then I will have no choice than to tell Harry what I heard. You shouldn''t get involved. I understand you don''t mean any harm, but I think you need to change your approach of getting things done," Lucy said, and Tom sighed.

    "When are you going to speak with Aaron?"

    "Tomorrow. I could take breakfast to him and then find a way to talk with him," Lucy said as she reached for Tom''s hand.

    "I love you, Tom. I just think you need to learn how to be there for those you love the way they want you to, not how you want to," Lucy said, and Tom gave her a nod.

    "I''ve heard you. I will try to do better. What about Candace? I already promised Jade I would look into it," Tom said, and Lucy shrugged.

    "I can''t stop you from doing that. That''s between Candace and Jade," Lucy said, and Tom gave her a nod.

    "Alright. I will let you handle Aaron your own way, but if it doesn''t work, you will have to tell Harry about it, and you both will have to let me handle it," Tom said, and Lucy smiled at him.

    "Sure," Lucy said, and her smile widened as Tom pulled closer to her and kissed her.

    "Thanks. I need to shower now. I''ll join you in bed soon," Tom said as he stood up.

    "Don''t take too long else I might fall asleep," Lucy warned as he walked into the bathroom.

    "It''s been a long day, you should sleep now," Tom said as he returned to where she nowy on the bed, and kissed her forehead, nose and lips despite her protest.

    "I''ll wait for you," Lucy said as she tried to sit up, but Tom gently pushed her back down.

    "Don''t fight it. You can go to sleep. If you''re up when I get back that''s fine, if you''re not, it''s fine too," Tom said before walking away.

    By the time he returned from the bathroom and joined her on the bed, Lucy had slept off, so he turned off the lights, and cuddled her before drifting off to sleep himself.

    The next morning, as they both prepared to leave the house for the office Tom decided to give Harry a call to find out how Aaron was doing and know if he would be able to make it to the office.

    Harry who had been in the middle of an argument with Aaron, in his bedroom, paused when his phone started ringing, "Good morning, Tom. Sup?" He asked while still looking at Aaron who was scowling at him.

    "Good morning, HaHa. How is your old man doing today?" Tom asked, and Lucy, who was listening in on the call, smiled.

    "He''s doing better than he was yesterday, but I need to stay home with him to be sure..."

    "He don''t need to do any damned thing! He''s just trying to skip work so he canze around the house. Don''t let him ck off, Tom," Aaron called out to Tom, before turning to Harry.

    "I''ve told you countless times that I''m fine. Just go to your damn office and stop fussing over me like some old granny over her first grandchild," Aaron cut in with an angry hiss.

    Although he loved having Harry around him, he couldn''t help feeling guilty whenever he saw him, despite his resolve to tell him the truthter.

    All he needed now was for Harry to leave the house, so he could find a way to fix his phone''s broken screen and contact Sara so he could fix a meeting with her.

    Tom chuckled, "If he can say all that then he''s fine," Tom said, while Harry eyed his father.

    "I''m not leaving him all by himself. I need to keep an eye on him and make sure he gets enough rest even if it means bringing him with me to the office," Harry insisted.

    "Wow! Nobody told me today was bring your dad to work day. So because you''re Co-CEO now you think you can do whatever you like," Aaron hissed at him, and this time both Harry, Tom, and Lucyughed.

    "I need you to apany me to a meeting with some foreign investors today. So how about Lucyes over and keeps himpany instead while youe to the office?" Tom suggested, since that was another reason he had called.

    "Lucy? Doesn''t she have work to do at the office?" Harry asked skeptically. Although he wanted to stay with his father, he also needed to be at the office as he had work to attend to, and not all of the work could be handled from home as he had done the previous day.

    "Hello, Harry! I don''t have anything serious to do. I can assign my tasks to my teammates," Lucy responded before Tom could.

    "Hey, LuLu! You really don''t minding over to keep this grumpy old manpany?" Harry asked, and Aaron''s ears perked up when he heard that Lucy wasing to keep himpany.

    "Lucy, you cane over. I''m sick of seeing Harry around here," Aaron called out to Lucy, and Harry scowled at him.

    "I don''t mind. Is there breakfast or do I need to get something on my way?" Lucy asked curiously.

    "If it''s Samantha''s delicacy, you can bring some on your way here. I''d love to have some too. Alright, Tom. I will get ready for work while I wait for Lucy," Harry said, and Tom exchanged a look with Lucy.

    "I will drop her off at your ce and then we can head to the office together," Tom said, and Harry agreed before hanging up the call.

    "Lucy ising over. She will spend the day with you," Harry informed Aaron, who smiled with satisfaction.

    "That is not a problem," he assured Harry as he walked away to go and freshen up.

    "Are you sure you can get him to talk to you?" Tom asked, and Lucy gave him a nod.

    "I will do my best. Don''t worry and just leave it to me," she assured him.

    "Let''s get going then," Tom said as he stood from the couch held out a hand to help her up.

    "Call me if anythinges up," Tom said as they walked out of the house together.

    "Rx, Tom. Don''t fret," Lucy said as she rubbed his arm in a soothing gesture and Tom gave her a nod.

    Just as they both got into the car, his phone started ringing and he received it when he saw that it was a call from Eric, the talkshow host.

    "Good morning, Mr. Howells!" Tom greeted after he received the call.

    "Eric is fine, please. I hope it''s not too early to talk?" He asked politely.

    "It''s not. Is everything alright?"

    "I wanted to let you know that I''ll be sending out the invite to Rebekah Miller today. One of our guests was involved in an ident and can''t make it to the show so I was thinking I should rece her. Is two weeks okay for you?" Eric asked, and Tom grinned.

    "It''s perfect."

 Chapter 403: Danger

    Chapter 403: Danger"Oh, shit!" Lucy eximed softly, and Tom who had just hung up his call with Eric turned to her curiously.

    "Is there a problem?" Tom asked, and Lucy bit her lower lip.

    "I just remembered Lucas," she said, reminding Tom that Lucas was around and she was supposed to see him.

    "Oh! It escaped my mind too. I''m sorry," Tom said, not knowing what else to say. They had just assured Harry and Aaron that they wereing over, so he didn''t know what to say.

    "It''s not your fault. I shouldn''t have forgotten," Lucy said with a slight frown, wondering how she could have so easily forgotten about Lucas'' text.

    "Can we make a quick stop by the hotel first to see Lucas? I have to find out how long he''s going to be around, and give him the key to my apartment so he doesn''t have to stay at the hotel if he''s going to be around for a while," Lucy said, thinking that she also needed to ry Miley''s message to Lucas, and find out what his rtionship with her was about.

    Tom gave her a nod, "Sure. I''ll just give Harry a call and let him know," Tom said before dialing Harry''s line.

    Once Harry received the call, Tom ryed the information to him, asking him not to be in haste to get ready as they would take some time to get there.

    Once he hung up the call, Lucy gave him the direction to the hotel, before she dialed Lucas'' line, "Good morning, Kiddo," she greeted cheerfully when Lucas received her call.

    "Good morning, big sis," Lucas greeted with a yawn, and Lucy smiled since she could tell his response was meant to be sarcastic but it was ruined by the yawn.

    "I''m sorry I wasn''t close to my phone when you calledst night. How are you doing? You arrived safely, yeah?"

    "No, I didn''t. I''m actually speaking with you from the ICU wearing an oxygen mask," Lucas said, and Lucyughed softly.

    "I''m on my way to the hotel to see you, and Tom is with me. You are fit forpany, right?" Lucy asked, and Lucas looked down at himself. He had copsed on the bed the moment he walked into the hotel room and had slept off wearing his clothes.

    He couldn''t remember thest time he had felt this exhausted, or thest time he had slept so soundly. Thanks to the nature of his job, he could never sleep for more than four hours without receiving one phone call or the other, and in thest couple of days since he left the hospital, he had crashed on Miley''s couch and that had not been exactlyfortable.

    Miley. He shook his head immediately to discard thoughts of her. He didn''t want to think about her. Not now. Notter.

    "I will be fit before you guys get here, and I will wait for you at the cafe beside the hotel," Lucas said, and hung up before Lucy could say another word.

    "Well, that settles that," Lucy said with a small smile, d that Lucas was beginning to sound more like himself.

    "By the way, who was that with you on the phone earlier?" Lucy asked curiously.

    "That was Eric Howells. The man on whose TV show we are going to expose Anita''s family," Tom said, and Lucy nodded.

    "He says one of his guests won''t be avable, so he wanted to find out if it was okay to push the Miller''s interview forward," Tom exined.

    "How forward?" Lucy asked curiously.

    "In two weeks. That''s the week after the anniversary celebration," Tom said, and Lucy smiled at him.

    "It seems likedy luck is on our side," Lucy said, happy with this new information.

    "I think so too. I hope Barry is able to find more dirt on them, and we can prove that Rebekah Miller murdered her husband before then," Tom said, and Lucy nodded.

    "I hope so too."

    Thirty-five minutester they pulled into the parking lot of the cafe beside the hotel where Lucas was lodged, and headed straight inside.

    Lucas, who was already seated at one end of the cafe sipping from a cup of coffee and eating sandwich, stood up immediately he sighted them, and held out his arms to Lucy who walked into his embrace with a wide smile on her face.

    "I''m so happy to see you, Kiddo. Although it''s been just some days since Ist saw you, it seems like a really long time already," Lucy said after she pulled away from his embrace and looked into his face.

    "I know, right? Good morning, Tom. It''s good to see you again," Lucas greeted as he turned to Tom, and held out his hand to him for a handshake.

    "Same here. How have you been?" Tom asked as he shook his hand before all three of them sat down.

    "Good. You can see for yourself. Not bad, right?" Lucas asked with a small smile as both Lucy and Tom looked him over.

    Almost immediately, a waiter approached them. Tom ordered a cup oftte, while Lucy ordered a cup of hot chocte and the waiter left.

    "You look like you lost some weight," Lucy observed.

    "Give him a break. You''d lose some too if you were in his shoes," Tom said lightly, and Lucas grinned, while Lucy scowled at him.

    "Let her know. And just so you know, Tom, you''ve earned yourself some more brownie points. Lucy looks happy and well taken care of," Lucas observed, and Lucy eyed them both with displeasure, especially Tom who was grinning.

    "Well taken care of? Who said he has anything to do with how I look? I take care of myself," Lucy hissed at Lucas.

    "Yeah, she does," Tom agreed, and she red at him.

    "Now you''re taking my side?" She hissed at him, making Lucas chuckle.

    "I''m happy to see that you''re fine," Lucas said as he watched her. He had feared that she was pretending to be okay over the phone, but seeing her this way, he knew without doubt that she was fine, and he knew Tom was responsible for it so he shot Tom a silent nce of gratitude, and as though he understood, Tom gave him a nod.

    "How long will you be staying?" Lucy asked just as the waiter returned with hers and Tom''s drinks.

    "I haven''t decided on that yet. I''m still trying to decide on the ces to go. By the way, here''s Rachel''s phone. Have you decided on what to do with it?" Lucas asked as he took it out of his pocket and ced it in front of Lucy.

    "Thanks. I''m still working on it. I will let you know when I''m done. By the way, why did you decide toe back to Ludus? I''m sure it wasn''t just to give this to me. Don''t tell me you were missing me that much?" Lucy asked with a grin, and seeing that the siblings needed privacy, Tom stood up.

    "Please excuse me for a moment. I just remembered that I need to make some calls to readjust my schedule," Tom said as he picked up his styrofoam cup oftte, and both siblings gave him a nod and watched as he walked away.

    "He''s a good guy," Lucas said, and Lucy gave him a nod.

    "Yeah, he is a great guy. Now why don''t you tell me why you came here?" Lucy asked once again.

    "When did it be a crime to stop by my twin sister before traveling on a long vacation?" Lucas asked, and Lucy shrugged.

    "Of course it''s not a crime. Buttely I''ve be so curious about a lot of things about you that right now I''ve be very suspicious of you," Lucy said, and Lucas raised a brow.

    "What are you talking about?"

    "Tell me about your rtionship with Amy''s best friend, and why she called asking me for your number. Were you cheating on Rachel with her?" Lucy asked, and this time Lucas'' heart skipped a beat.

    "Miley called you? When?" Lucas asked curiously.

    "Also can you tell me why out of all the questions I just asked you, the fact that she called me seemed most important to you?" Lucy said, watching him with interest..

    After her phone call with Amy and Mileyst night she had remembered that Lucas had mentioned knowing Amy''s best friend casually. She hadn''t taken it seriously because Lucas had sounded like it wasn''t a big deal, but after hearing the interest in Miley''s voicest night, she was not only curious but also now very interested in the nature of their rtionship.

    Lucas sighed, "Really, it''s not a big deal. I met her two days ago. She''s pretty cool, but I''m not interested in being friends with her," Lucas said with a shrug, and Lucy raised a brow.

    "Why not?"

    ************

    Jade, who had spent most of the night awake and staring at her phone as she awaited what was probably the most important call of her life at that stage of her life, nearly jumped out of the bed when her phone started ringing few minutes after she drifted off to sleep.

    She grabbed the phone immediately, hoping it was a call from either of the national security agencies who she had entrusted to capture both Jero and the Lords of the legion cartel.

    "Hello!" She greeted immediately she grabbed the phone.

    "Good morning, Esquire," Harry greeted, making her heart skip a beat when she heard his voice.

    Although she wanted to speak with him, but this wasn''t the time, "Hey, hi! Good morning, Harry!" she greeted as she rubbed her eyes.

    "Did I wake you up?" Harry asked with a concerned expression as he adjusted his tie while looking back at his reflection in the mirror.

    While waiting for Tom and Lucy to arrive he had decided to give Jade a call to while away the time, seeing as she had failed to give him a call the previous evening as he had expected.

    "Sort of."

    "Are you alright? I was calling to find out how it wentst night. I mean with Jero and the Cartel," Harry said, since that was also one of the reasons he had called, apart from wanting to see her reaction to what Aurora had told her.

    "Yeah, I''m okay. About that, I decided to take your advice, and stay back at the hotel. I didn''t go with them. I''m still waiting to hear from them," Jade said with a yawn, and Harry raised a brow.

    "Oh, I see!" Harry said with a thoughtful frown.

    She had been at the hotel all evening yet had failed to call him after she heard from Aurora? What did that mean? Was she not affected by what she had heard? Harry mused as he tried to imagine her, waving it off dismissively and turning on the television to watch a television show, or most likely taking out documents rted to her case to pore over them.

    He shook his head. That couldn''t be it. She had said she wanted to live rent-free in his head, and even Aurora had said she had seemed more surprised than excited about the news. That means she cared.

    If she cared, did that mean she had been too affected by the news that she had decided not to call him? He wondered as he tried to imagine Jade crying over the news of his date with Aurora and getting drunk to stupor. He shook his head once again. That image did not suit Jade.

    "What about you? Are you at work already? Oh, by the way, how is your dad''s health?" Jade asked when she remembered Aaron.

    "He is feeling better today. Lucy ising over to spend the day with him so that I can go to work today," Harry said, and Jade nodded.

    "That''s cool," she said, and paused, waiting for him to say something else.

    Although she was feeling very tempted to ask him about his conversation with Aurora and why he had asked her to apany him to the dinner party despite her confession to him two days ago, but she stifled the urge to ask him any rted questions.

    She was going to let him do what he wanted for now, while she focused on closing this case and relocating to Ludus. If he was still single by the time she was done, she would do as she had promised Candace, and confess her feelings to him, but if he wasn''t, then it would just have to be her loss.

    Harry on the other hand was also waiting for her to say something or ask him about it. When she didn''t and the line remained awkwardly silent for some seconds, he rubbed the bridge of his nose as he cleared his throat.

    "Esquire, about our phone conversation the other day. About what you said... What did you mean when you said you wanted to live rent-free..." Before he could finish his question, Jade quickly interrupted him when her phone beeped with an awaiting call notification.

    "I''m sorry, Harry, but I have to go now. They''re calling aboutst night. It''s important I receive the call now," she said, her heart beating wildly.

    "Sure. Let''s talkter then," Harry said, and she hung up immediately.

    "Hey! Good morning! How did it go?" Jade asked breathlessly immediately she received the call.

    "Not so good. For some reason they came prepared. We lost some men, and your witness is badly injured too. He was just moved into the ICU. He was asking for someone called Candace before he passed out," the person on the other end of the phone informed her.

    "What about the Lords of the cartel? Were you able to get them? All of them?" Jade asked, holding her breath as she ced a hand on the left part of her chest which felt like her heart was about to shoot out from it.

    The response to her question was very important to her as it would determine what the future held for her. She knew without a doubt that if for any reason any of the lords escaped, then not just Candace''s life, but her life too would be in danger too. She knew they were going toe for her.

 Chapter 404: Date

    Chapter 404: DateLucas looked at Lucy incredulously, "Are you seriously asking me that right now, Lu? Do you honestly think I''m in the state of mind to be in any way attached to anydy after I just walked out of such a toxic rtionship with Rachel?"

    Lucy sighed as she picked up her cup of chocte. She sipped from it before meeting his gaze, "I understand what you mean. But I think she really likes you," Lucy said, but Lucas shook his head.

    "It doesn''t matter, Lu. I don''t have to be friends with everyone that likes me, do I? I''m just trying to look out for myself right now. My mental health is at stake here. She is ill. You may not fully understand the extent of her illness yet, but as a medical doctor I know how bad her condition is and just how worse it''s going to get overtime if she doesn''t start receiving treatments. Being friends with her or getting involved with her in anyway is going to mess with me. I''m not there yet. I''m not ready for it," Lucas said, as he took a bite from his sandwich before sipping from his cup of coffee.

    Seeing the turmoil in his eyes, Lucy could tell that he was genuinely worried about Miley even though he didn''t want to be, "You care about her," Lucy stated, knowingly.

    "I''m a medical doctor. Caring about sick peoplees naturally to me," Lucas stated, sounding more defensive than he had intended.

    "I know you, Luc. Your eyes don''t lie. You care about her even though you don''t want to. Care to tell me how you met her? Amy said you both didn''t part on very friendly terms," Lucy said, and Lucas looked away from her for a moment as he contemted if he should tell her or not.

    "I will appreciate it if you don''t lie to me," Lucy said, and Lucas sighed as he picked up his cup of coffee which had be cool and gulped down its content.

    Deep down he wanted to talk about Miley. He wanted to tell someone else about his encounter with her and know if he was crazy for caring about her the way he did in such a short duration of time. And right now it seemed like Lucy was the only avable person he could talk to. It wasn''t like he had any other close friends who he could speak with about this right now apart from Tyler, who was thousands of miles away, and who he hadn''t seen since for some years now.

    Lucas took a deep breath before telling Lucy all about his meeting with Miley, how he had woken up at her house and how he had left her, he only left out her n to get married and have a kid before dying.

    By the time he was done, Lucy had a sad smile on her face, and a tear drop on her cheek which she brushed away with her thumb, "She sounds like a really sweet person," Lucy said, and Lucas smiled.

    "She actually is," Lucas admitted.

    "Are you sure you won''t regret this? I understand that you are not ready for any sort of emotional attachment, and you need time to recover from Rachel. But if her condition is as bad as you have said, then she doesn''t have the luxury of time to wait, so you can''t me her foring on so strongly," Lucy said, and Lucas raised a brow.

    "I didn''t say I am romantically interested in her. It''s just friendship. You don''t expect me to just jump from Rachel into anotherdy''s arms in such a short notice do you? I''m not interested in rebounding with Miley," Lucas said, and Lucy smiled as she sipped from her cup of chocte.

    "I didn''t say you should do that, did I? Listen, what I''m just trying to say, is this; At least Miley has a couple of months left to live, so if you care about her why not help make that time more memorable for her? Haven''t you seen healthy people die in the twinkle of an eye? I mean, there''s no guarantee in life. One minute a person is alive, and the next a person is dead. Do you have any idea how many healthy persons without terminal illnesses have died since Miley was diagnosed? She has outlived them all," Lucy said making Lucas sigh.

    "What are you trying to say Lu?"

    "I know you are scared that when you get close to her and she dies you''re going to be devastated by the loss, but you can''t always shield yourself from being hurt, Luc. Life doesn''t work that way. Pain is a part of life. At least when you feel pain you know you''re still alive. If anything happens to Tom right now, I might go crazy with grief, but you know one thing I know? I won''t have any regrets. I think the hurt I''d feel over losing him is worth having him in my life for even only a couple of months. I''d rather have spent that time with him, than not spent it at all," Lucy said, and Lucas looked at her with interest.

    "You have changed a lot," Lucas observed.

    "I know, right?" Lucy asked with a softughter, "You have no idea all the crazy things I''ve experienced and done since I met Tom. It feels like I''m a different person," Lucy said, and Lucas smiled.

    "You are obviously a different person from Lucy that called me a few weeks ago asking me about her colleague''s friend''s driver," Lucas said, and Lucy giggled.

    "That seems like such a long time ago," she said, and Lucas nodded when he remembered how he had been cuddled up on the couch with Rachel when that call came in. Who knew that so much could happen or change in such a short time?

    "So? Am I allowed I text your number to her?" Lucy asked, and Lucas'' brows pulled together.

    "Do you honestly think it is a good idea? If you were in my shoes would you be friends with her at this point?" He asked, and Lucy shrugged.

    "You care about her and being away from her won''t make you care about her less. She likes you, and apart from the fact that she seems like a good distraction for you, you are not working right now so you have some time to spare. You can spend what little time you can with her. Who knows? Maybe she might agree to receive treatment for your sake. What is the worst that can happen? A couple of months or a year from now she probably dies and you are devastated..."

    "Lu..."

    "I know. I know it''s not as easy as I''m making it sound, but if you think about it, that is actually the worst that can happen, isn''t it? And as I said before, that loss is not something you can avoid or have control over, it can happen to anyone. Whether you live with a person for a year, ten years, or thirty years, loss is loss. In this case, it''s something you''re expecting so one way or the other you are partially prepared for it. It''s not a brutal or happening suddenly and catching you unaware," Lucy said as she reached across the table and pat his hand.

    Lucas rubbed his eyes wearily as he considered everything she had said, "Alright. You can give her my number," Lucas said, and raised a brow when Lucy suddenly started giggling as she picked up her phone which was ringing.

    "Amy is calling," Lucy said as she showed Lucas her phone''s screen before receiving the call.

    "Good morning, Amy or is it Miley? Or both?" Lucy greeted cheerfully, and smiled when both Amy and Miley giggled into the phone.

    "Good morning, Lucy. It''s Miley. Have you heard from your brother?" Miley asked, and Lucy extended the phone to Lucas.

    "It''s Miley," she mouthed to him silently, and Lucas'' heart skipped a beat as he took the phone from her.

    "Good morning, Miley," he said, and cleared his throat which was tight.

    "Oh, it''s Lucas!" Miley said excitedly, and Amy who was listening in on the call with the other pair of Bluetooth airpod, rolled her eyes.

    "Hello, Lucas. Good morning!" Miley greeted cheerfully, and Lucas felt a pit growing in his stomach once again.

    "Hi! I''m sorry about yesterday. I shouldn''t have said..."

    Miley cut in before he could apologize, "It''s fine. I''m over it. I don''t think I have the luxury of time to hold grudges right now. Your twin said you''re in Ludus. We just arrived here. Can I see you?" Miley asked, and Lucas raised a brow.

    "You are in Ludus?"

    "Yes. And I''d like to meet with you if you don''t mind," Miley said, Lucas gaze shifted to look at Lucy, who was watching him very closely.

    "What?" Lucy mouthed.

    "She''s in Ludus," Lucas mouthed back, and Lucy giggled as she gestured to him to carry on with his phone call.

    Lucas cleared his throat, "When did you arrive? And why are you here?" Lucas asked curiously, wondering if she was in Ludus because of him or if she had business to attend to.

    "We just arrived. We are on our way to Amy''s apartment," Miley informed him, ignoring his other question.

    "So? When can we meet?" She asked once again.

    "Uhm... Maybe we can do lunch or dinner," Lucas suggested, and Miley smiled happily.

    "Please say dinner. I need to sleep," Amy mouthed to her.

    "Dinner is perfect. Please text me your number right now. I will book a reservation and let you know where to meet us," Miley said, and Lucas raised a brow.

    "Us?"

    "Yeah. Amy will being with me. I can''t wait to see you Lucas. I''ve missed you so much. I''ve been so lonely since you left," she said, and Amy sat up to look at her in disbelief.

    "Seriously? You have been lonely?" Amy asked incredulously, and Lucas'' lips twitched with amusement as he listened to their little argument.

    "I''m not saying that I didn''t enjoy yourpany..."

    "But you are saying you prefer Dr. Hottie''spany to mine? Seriously? Someone who you met barely seventy-two hours ago? Someone who left you while I stayed with you?" Amy asked with mild annoyance as Miley tried to kiss her cheeks.

    Dr. Hottie? Where did that namee from? Lucas mused as he listened to them.

    "There is no basis forparison, and definitely no need for you to feel jealous of Dr. Hottie. You sound like a jealous lesbian partn.."

    Lucas cleared his throat when it seemed like they had forgotten he was still on the line, and immediately they looked at each other feeling embarrassed.

    "Sorry," Miley apologized with an awkward giggle.

    "It''s fine. See youter then," Lucas said, but before he could hang up she quickly stopped him.

    "Don''t forget to text me your number. And follow me back on Instagram. Why did you unfollow me anyway?" She asked, and Lucas sighed.

    "I''m in the middle of a conversation with my sister and you''re interrupting us," Lucas reminded her, and she gasped softly.

    "Oh, that''s true! Please return the phone to your kind-hearted sister," Miley said, and Lucas raised a brow as he handed the phone to Lucy.

    "Amy or Miley?" Lucy asked, and once again they both giggled.

    "Thank you so much for everything, Lucy. You''re such an angel. It is thanks to you that I can see him today," Miley said happily, and Lucy smiled when she heard the excitement in her voice.

    "You''re wee."

    "Is it possible that I see you? Perhaps I could drop by your office and see you briefly? I''d really love to meet Lucas'' twin sister in person, at least once," she pleaded.

    "Why?" Lucy asked curiously. Although she was curious to see her too, especially after she heard from Lucas that she had an unpleasant history with Rachel. Any enemy of Rachel was her friend.

    "Because I like Lucas, and I''m also curious him. I''m sort of curious about you too. There are a lot of questions I''d love to ask you, and I believe I can learn more about him from you," Miley said, and Lucy smiled, while she looked back at Lucas who was watching her with questioning eyes.

    "That''s fine. Unfortunately I have other ns for today and I''m not going to the office, so that would have to be tomorrow. I will answer whatever questions you have about my kid brother. I could even bring a photo album along if you want," Lucy said, and Lucas red at her making her giggle.

    "Really? That would be sooo awesome! I will really love that," Miley said happily.

    "It is settled then. I look forward to meeting you. I have to go now."

    "Before you go, please don''t forget to text me his number. I''ll text you mine so you have it too," Miley rushed to say before Lucy hung up.

    "What was that about?" Lucas asked when Lucy shed him a bright smile.

    "She is a such sweetheart. Make sure you capture some nice photos during your outing with her and post them on your Instagram page. There is no reason not to get upset Rachel while you''re having fun. Make sure you tag me to the posts. I''d love to leave some cutements for her to see," Lucy said as she drank the remaining chocte on her cup.

    "Between you and mom I don''t know who''s worse," Lucas said as he told her what their mother had done to Rachel''s clothes.

    Lucy howled withughter, "I can''t believe she did that. I would have loved to be there. Rachel deserves nothing less than that!" She said with a satisfied smile as she nced at her wristwatch.

    "You have be so petty," Lucas observed, and Lucy giggled as she returned her attention to him.

    "Proudly so too," Lucy said as she took out her apartment keys from her handbag.

    "I have to leave now, Luc. Since you are not sure when you''re leaving yet, why not move to my apartment instead of paying for a room at the hotel? I will ask Adolf to drop off my car at the apartment so you can move around easily, and he can bring you some food too," Lucy suggested as she stood to leave, and Lucas did the same.

    "Please don''t say no. I will feel morefortable knowing you are at my apartment," she pleaded when it seemed like he was going to argue, and Lucas sighed as he took the key from her.

    "Alright," Lucas said as they both walked outside and headed for the parking lot.

    "Let me know how your date with Miley goes, okay?" Lucy said as Tom got out of the car.

    "It''s not a date," Lucas corrected as he held out the passenger door for Lucy.

    "Sure. Still, let me know," she said as she embraced him.

    "I''m serious. Besides, Amy will be there too," Lucas said, and Lucy shed him a smile.

    "Let me know how your hangout with them goes. Satisfied?"

    "Yes. Lu? Make sure you don''t take any photo albums to her. And don''t tell her any embarassing details," Lucas warned Lucy who was smiling at him mischievously, while Tom looked from one to the other wondering who and what they were talking about.

    "You are still around, right?" Tom asked curiously.

    "Yea. For the time being. I will let you guys know before I leave," Lucas said, and Tom gave him a nod before getting into the car.

    Lucas stepped away from the car once Tom turned on the ignition and he waved at them as they drove off.

    He took a deep breath to calm himself once the car disappeared from view, and tried not to worry whether or not he had made the right decision by listening to Lucy and speaking with Miley.

    The only way he could ovee the feeling of unease in his stomach, was by trying his best not to think too much about the meeting with Miley.

 Chapter 405: Package

    Chapter 405: Package"What about the lords of the cartel? Were you able to get them? All of them?" Jade asked, holding her breath as she ced a hand on the left part of her chest, which felt like her heart was about to shoot out from it.

    "Yes. They were four. Two amongst them are dead. They were gunned down while trying to escape. One is in the hospital, and thest one is in our custody," the person on the other end of the phone informed her, and Jade''s breath came in a whoosh of relief.

    "That''s great. I''m so d this is almost over," Jade said happily as she let herself copse on the bed. Now she didn''t have to worry about anything or keep looking over her shoulders.

    "It''s not over. Don''t let your guard down. By the way, they were supposed to be five. One of them is missing," he said, referring to Cassidy.

    "Oh, yeah! That''s true. I suppose he was not present at the meeting?" Jade asked, pretending not to know about Cassidy''s disappearance.

    "I''m not sure. We will question them about it and find out what we can."

    "By the way, how bad is Jero''s wound?" Jade asked curiously.

    "Very bad. The doctor says he is likely not going to make it. Although Jero is unconscious at the moment, I asked the men guarding his room to grant you ess to see him when you arrive. I will text you the location of the hospital. Thanks for your hard work. You made this arrest possible," the man said before hanging up.

    "OH MY GOD!" Jade screamed when the magnitude of what she had just achieved urred to her, and she dropped her phone on the bedstand and jumped on her bed happily.

    Candace, who had just stepped out of her bedroom and was heading to Jade''s room to find out if she had heard anything about the arrest, quickly rushed into Jade''s bedroom to see what was wrong when she heard Jade''s scream.

    "Is everything alright?" Candace asked in rm, and Jade jumped off the bed as she rushed to lift Candace off the ground, despite the fact that Candace was a bit bigger than she was.

    "I DID IT! I MADE IT HAPPEN!" She repeated over and over again as she embraced Candace and spun her around.

    "What did you do? Have they arrested them?" Candace asked, reasoning that was the reason for Jade''s excitement.

    "Oh, my God, Candace! I need a drink! I need to celebrate! We need to celebrate!" Jade said as she quickly let go of Candace and rushed out of the bedroom to the bar.

    "What is going on, Jade?" Candace asked as she followed her into the living room.

    "Give me a moment," Jade said as she took out two wine sses and poured some wine into them before handing a ss to Candace.

    "Cheers to the end of the legion cartel," she said, raising her ss in a toast, and Candace clinked sses with her, "And to Jero''s end," Jade added, making Candace''s heart skip a beat as she watched Jade raise her ss to her lips.

    Candace didn''t sip from the wine. She followed Jade to the living room, and they both sat on the couch while her eyes remained fixed on Jade as she waited patiently for Jade to tell her what she was talking about.

    "How much longer do I have to wait before you start talking? What exactly happened? And what about Jero?" Candace asked impatiently when she noticed that Jade was deliberately keeping her waiting.

    "The operation was sessful. Jero was injured, so he''s at the hospital. I heard it is serious, and he might not make it. He is unconscious at the moment and currently at the ICU," Jade summarized with a brilliant smile, and Candace raised a brow.

    "Jero? Unconscious?" She asked doubtfully, and Jade bobbed her head as she raised her ss to her lips again.

    "I don''t think I can believe that until I see for myself," Candace said with a shake of her head.

    It definitely couldn''t be that easy for her. Life had never been easy for her. She always had to work extra hard to get things done. So how was she expected to believe that Jero, who had made her spend most of the night tossing and turning on her bed as she tried toe up with a n on how to get rid of him, was lying unconscious in a critical condition?

    Jade gave her a nod, "Sure. Why don''t you go in and get ready so we can go pay him a visit, and then you see for yourself?" Jade suggested with a happy smile.

    "Alright. I''ll join you shortly," Candace said as she gulped down the entire content of her ss before heading for her bedroom, and Jade did the same.

    An hourter, Jade pulled her car into the parking lot of the hospital whose address the policeman from earlier had texted her, "Are you ready?" Jade asked as she turned to Candace, who was staring ahead of her.

    Candace took a deep breath before giving her a nod, "Yeah. I think so," Candace said, and they both got out of the car.

    Once they walked into the hospital, they received directions to Jero''s room, and Jade led the way there. Candace stopped walking abruptly when she saw the two policemen guarding the door, and Jade reached for her hand.

    "It''s okay. They will let us in, don''t worry," Jade assured her, before smiling at the policemen.

    "I believe you''ve been informed of my visit? I''m Jade Hank, and I''m here to see Jero," Jade said politely, and both men looked her over before shifting their gaze to Candace.

    Unlike Jade who was formally dressed in a corporate suit pant, Candace was casually dressed in a ck sleeveless bodysuit which was tucked into a pair of jeans trousers, and a matching jean jacket.

    "We will have to pat her down before she goes in with you," one of the men said, and Jade nced at Candace who seemed to stiffen the moment they said it.

    "Of course. I''m sure it''s the protocol. You can pat me down too, but you are both male, and I''m notfortable with that. Is there a female officer around who can pat us down instead?" Jade asked, and both men exchanged a look before shaking their head.

    "Then do you mind if I pat her down while you watch? And she can do the same to me," Jade asked, and one of the men shrugged.

    "Go ahead," he said, and immediately Jade stepped towards Candace and took her handbag from her.

    Jade handed both their handbags to one of the men to search, before she moved her hands over Candace''s body. She paused for only a second when her hands brushed something hard which was tucked into the back pocket of her trouser. She continued patting her down like she didn''t feel anything, and when she was done she looked at the men.

    "Done. You can search me now," Jade told Candace, but they shook their head.

    "That won''t be necessary. We were informed of your visit," one of the officers assured her, and Jade gave them a polite smile as she took her bag from them.

    "Thank you for your service," Jade said as the men stepped away from the door to grant the entrance.

    Immediately they both walked into the room and Jade shut the door behind them, she grabbed Candace''s hand and dragged her to into bathroom, and stretched out her hand to her.

    She didn''t need to say a word for Candace to know that she was furious, "It''s for self-defense. I wasn''t going to hurt him," Candace said defensively as she reached behind her and handed the pocket knife to Jade.

    "Seriously? After everything I told you? Why would you need a knife to defend yourself against an unconscious man?" Jade asked, sounding more disappointed than angry as she threw the pocket knife into her handbag.

    Although she wanted to yell, but she couldn''t because she didn''t want to draw the attention of the officers to them, but her eyes passed the message to Candace.

    "I wasn''t going to hurt him. I have no reason to lie to you. If you know Jero the way I do, then you''d understand the need I''m so cautious," Candace said quietly before walking out of the bathroom and approaching the bed where Jero was lying with an oxygen mask over his nose. Apart from temple which was wrapped with a bandage, his body and face was bruised and he looked like he had taken a serious beating.

    As she looked down at his unconscious form she remembered how they had met, and how she had been fooled by his act into falling for him without really knowing who and what he was.

    Her blood boiled with anger when her previous resentments resurfaced as some memories came back to her. She remembered how he had refused her breastfeeding Jamal. He said her body was his, and she had done her bit by giving birth to Jamal, and so he should be fed with form for infants. The couple of times he caught her breastfeeding Jamal, he had taken her baby away from her for days as punishment.

    She remembered how he had obsessed over her and abused her verbally and emotionally while he abused Andy physically and stole all the money they worked for leaving them penniless and solely dependent on him.

    Her body trembled with anger, and tears dropped from her eyes when she remembered how he sold Andy to men for money. How he beat her and locked her up whenever she refused to sleep with the men. She remembered how Andy often came back in torn clothes with bruises on her face.

    Seeing how the bastard nowy unconscious, Candace silently prayed that he would never wake up. Even though such a death was too good for a bastard like him, she hoped he would die so that neither her nor Jamal and Andy would have to face him again.

    Jade watched as Candace''s body trembled with emotion she didn''t understand, and putting her anger aside for a moment, she stepped towards Candace and embraced her, "It''s alright. He can''t hurt you again," Jade murmured softly as she patted her back.

    "I want him dead, Jade. For Andy''s sake, I want him dead," Candace cried as Jade continued to pat her back.

    "Can...dace," Jero called in a muffled whisper when he opened his eyes and he saw her standing by his bedside.

    Hearing the sound, bothdies turned to look at him, and Candace took a step back while Jade took a step forward, "You''re awake. I should call the doctor," Jade said as she turned to leave, but Jero raised a hand to stop her.

    "No," he said breathlessly as he reached for the oxygen mask and pulled it away from his face so they could hear him.

    "Excuse us. I... want to... speak with her... alone," Jero said slowly before recing the mask, but Jade shook her head.

    "No. That won''t happen. Whatever you want to say to her, say it in front of me," Jade said stubbornly as she dragged one of the seats beside the bed to the window.

    Seeing that he didn''t have a choice, Jero lifted the oxygen mask again, "Thanks for agreeing to see me," he told her slowly and reced the mask.

    "What do you want?" Candace asked impatiently.

    "I wanted to see you onest time to say I''m sorry," Jero said and took a deep breath.

    "If that''s all you wanted to say, I will leave now," Candace said, not interested in his apology.

    "How is Jamal? Did you bring his photograph?" He asked before she could leave.

    "He is fine," Candace said coldly, and dug into her handbag for the picture of Jamal she had brought with her on Jade''s request.

    "Although you don''t deserve this, but I will let you keep it," Candace said as she dropped the picture on the bed.

    Jero picked it up and looked at it for some time before staring at her, "Thanks. He has your stubborn gold curls," Jero observed as he looked at the picture, and Jade who was listening to their conversation took a closer look at Candace and something seemed to click in her head.

    "I was hoping you would visit me, but you never did. I left you a packagewith Bill," he said and quickly reced the mask when he started gasping for breath.

    "What?" She asked with a frown.

    "You will find out what it is when you see it. I was working on it before I was arrested. I was going to surprise you. I love you, Candace. I''m sorry I didn''t know the right way to expess it," Jero said, and Candace''s frown deepened.

    Of course she knew that he loved her, but this wasn''t the meeting she had been expecting. It seemed like something was wrong with him, "Is everything okay?" She asked hesitantly, and he smiled weakly.

    "Don''t worry about me. Try to be happy. I want you to be happy. You can leave now," Jero said to her before turning to Jade.

    "Take her away."

 Chapter 406: Hunch

    Chapter 406: Hunch"Where can we find Bill?" Jade asked as she rose from her window side seat and approached the couple.

    She didn''t know about Candace, but she was curious to know what Jero might have left her. Was it money? Documents to some secret property? Or maybe details of a trust fund ount for Jamal?

    "He will find you when everything is settled and deliver the package," Jero managed weakly, and it seemed like the more he spoke the weaker he became.

    "Don''t you think you should give us a clue as to what to expect in this package? What if Bill tampers with it?" Jade asked, wanting to bait Jero into telling them what it was.

    "He can''t. Only her can ess it," Jero said, and Jade''s brows pulled together.

    "And Andy? What about my sister? Is she safe with Cassidy?" Candace asked, and he nodded slowly as though he didn''t have the strength to speak again.

    "Where is Cassidy headed with her?" Jade asked, and he shook his head before removing the oxygen mask again.

    "I don''t know where. But I overheard something about a cargo ship," Jero managed before recing the mask and then he and closed his eyes to catch his breath.

    "You mean they are traveling in a cargo ship?" Jade asked, and he nodded slowly without opening his eyes.

    "He''s exhausted. We should let him rest," Jade said to Candace who was watching Jero with a slight frown.

    Jero opened his eyes one more time to look at Candace, "Don''t let them know I''m awake," he said, looking at Jade.

    "Why? Are you thinking of escaping from here?" Jade asked, and he smiled weakly.

    "Whatever they''re giving me for pain makes me drowsy. I don''t want to sleep. I want to feel it," Jero said before turning his face away.

    "Let''s go," Jade told Candace who was still looking at Jero with a frown. Seeing her reluctance to leave, Jade ced a hand over her shoulder and led her out of the room.

    "What is wrong?" Jade asked when Candace abruptly stopped walking after they

    "Something is wrong," Candace said with a slight frown unable to shake off her worry, and Jade looked at her with a slightly raised brow.

    "What makes you think so?" Jade asked curiously, and Candace shook her head.

    "Jero would never let me go that easily..."

    "Hold on a second, let me get something straight. You were worried that he was going to try to hurt you or something, and now that you have met him and he didn''t do any of that you''re worried about him?" Jade asked incredulously, and Candace shook her head.

    "I know Jero. Something is wrong. Can we speak with the doctor?" Candace asked, ignoring Jade''s sarcasm.

    "Candace..."

    "Trust me, Jade. I know better than you how much I despise Jero. And I want nothing more than to see him die. But I can''t walk out of this ce without knowing what is wrong with him. This is likely going to be thest time I see him, and I need to know what is wrong. He''s still Jamal''s dad," Candace pleaded, and Jade frowned.

    Jade shook her head incredulously, not understanding why Candace, who had been plotting to kill Jero suddenly seemed so concerned about him, "You forgot he was Jamal''s dad when you wanted to kill him?"

    "I was going to kill him if I perceived him to be a threat not when he is being this way," Candace insisted, and Jade sighed.

    "Fine. Let''s go see the doctor," she said as she led the way, and Candace followed her.

    The doctor was busy attending to some other patients so they had to wait for a while before going in, and after Jade introduced herself and Candace to the doctor she gave Candace a nod to ask the doctor whatever questions she had.

    "Is Jero going to be okay? I mean apart from the injury he sustained, will he be fine?" Candace asked as she leaned forward in her seat, and the doctor exchanged a look with Jade who gave him a nod to answer the question.

    "I don''t know how much I''m allowed to tell you, but you should know that he''s dying. His vital organs were failing when he got here and after running some series of blood test on him we found some poisonous substances in his blood..."

    "Poison?" Jade and Candace asked in unison.

    "Can''t you flush it out of his system?" Candace asked.

    "Yes. We''ve done that, but the damage has been done already. We are still trying to identify the poison. But whatever it is has damaged his heart, lungs, kidneys, and liver so badly that he can only survive by immediate organ transntion. I don''t know how the poison got there or how long it has been in his system but I do know it has been there for a while," the doctor added before either Jade or Candace could say a word.

    "Do you mean it has been there for longer than Twenty-four hours?" Jade asked in confusion since she had been suspecting that the Lords of the cartel were behind the poisioning.

    The doctor gave her a nod, "I suspect it has been there for much longer. That extent of damage couldn''t have happened in such a short duration. Also we found traces of morphine in his blood, that means he must have been in severe pain," the doctor said, and Jade nced at Candace who suddenly stood up.

    "I need to see him again," Candace said, and Jade gave her a nod as she stood up.

    "Thanks for your time," Jade said as they both walked out of the office.

    Candace walked in hurried steps and Jade tried to match her pace. This time the men keeping watch by the door didn''t stop them as they walked into Jero''s room.

    "Jero?" Candace called as she stood by his bed, and he slowly turned his head to her and opened his eyes.

    Candace''s throat tightened when she saw his tearstained eyes, and she stepped closer to the bed, "Who did that to you? Who poisoned you?" She asked quietly, and Jero''s gaze shifted to Jade before returning to Candace.

    "Cassidy," he said with a small smile as a tear slid down the sides of his eyes.

    "Cassidy? Why? When did he do that?" Jade asked with a frown.

    "It is my punishment. I deserve it," Jero said, meeting Candace''s gaze.

    Without saying another word to him, Candace turned around and walked away from the room, leaving Jade to hurry after her. They were both quiet as they walked away from there and returned to the car.

    Candace couldn''t exin exactly what she was feeling in that moment as all her emotions were conflicted. She was still very bitter and angry with him, she was happy that he was going to die, and at the same time she felt sorry for him. She felt sorry that he was dying so pathetically.

    Pathetically? Candace asked herself as she suddenly burst into a peal ofughter, startling Jade who had been about to turn on the car.

    Jade watched as Candace''s entire body shook withughter and just as suddenly as theughter started, Candace broke into a sob. Jade sighed but said nothing as she turned on the car and drove away from there.

    As Jade drove she reyed all that had happened in Jero''s room in her head and her head cocked to the side when her thoughts drifted to something Jero had said and the unbelievable connection she had made.

    It didn''t make any sense, but taking a closer look at Candace, it somehow made sense. She hadpletely forgotten that Candace''s hair had been a long mass of curly gold hair when she met her the first time. It wasn''t until Jero had mentioned the stubborn curls that she remembered it. And once she remembered that, she recalled another face she had seen recently with simr curly gold hair. A face she had thought looked familiar but she had been unable to ce until Jero referred to it.

    How did it make sense that Candace looked like thedy in the photo frame beside Harry''s bedside? It definitely didn''t make sense that Candace looked like Harry''ste mom. Perhaps she was mistaken? She needed to take another look at the picture to be sure they did look alike and she wasn''t mistaken.

    Even though it didn''t make much sense, she couldn''t dismiss her hunch. The inquisitive part of her needed to pursue it and confirm it. Maybe they were distant rtives or possibly doppelgangers.

    She briefly contemted calling Harry and asking him for a picture of his mom, but she discarded the thought, reasoning that would be awkward. How would she exin suddenly asking for a picture of histe mom? She couldn''t ask Aaron either.

    Her eyes suddenly lit up when she remembered that Harry had mentioned that he was going to work and Lucy would be at home with Aaron. Lucy was the perfect person to ask for such a request.

    Away from there, Tom and Lucy walked into Harry''s apartment, with Tom carrying the pack of breakfast Samantha had prepared.

    "I''m so sorry for the dy. My twin brother got into Ludus in the early hours of this morning and we had to stop by to see him," Lucy said apologetically as she and Tom walked into the house.

    "It''s not a problem. How is he?" Harry asked as he held out his arms to embrace Lucy who was approaching him, but she walked past him to embrace Aaron who was standing behind him, and kissed his cheeks.

    "You had all of us worried about you," Lucy said as she pulled away from him, and Aaron grinned at her making Tomugh at Harry who was scowling as he dropped his hands to his side.

    "I''m sorry. I got sick of seeing Harry. I feel better now that you''re here," Aaron said and Lucyughed as she went to embrace Harry.

    "You both should run along now. You''rete," she said before turning to Tom who was dropping the pack of breakfast on the table.

    "The CEO is neverte. The others arrived too early," Harry said making themugh.

    "Take care of yourself, Jewel," Tom said as he kissed her lightly on the lips and Aaron rolled his eyes.

    "Can you just leave already?" He asked with false irritation making themugh.

    "Dad..."

    "Take him away, Tom," Aaron cut in before Harry could speak, and Tom jerked his head to the door.

    "Let''s go," he said, and Harry sighed as he picked up his padded briefcase.

    "Lu..."

    "Don''t worry I''ll take care of him and if anythinges up I will let you know," promised, cutting off whatever he wanted to say, and he gave her a nod before walking away with Tom.

    Once they left, Aaron let out a sigh, "He worries too much."

    "You''re all he has. You can''t me him for worrying about you. Besides, I''m sure you''d do worse if he was the sick one," Lucy said as she walked over to the dining, and Aaron followed her.

    "Still, he worries too much. I swear I''ve told him I''m fine more than a hundred times today yet he wouldn''t listen," Aaronined, and Lucy smiled.

    "I believe he took after someone. Probably you or his mom," Lucy said lightly, and watched from the corner of her eyes as the smile on Aaron''s face faltered at the mention of Harry''s mom.

    "I believe you haven''t had breakfast yet, have you?" She asked, and without waiting for his response she walked into the kitchen and looked around the ce before pulling out a couple of cab drawers until she found the drawers containing the dishes and cutleries.

    "Harry says Tom''s chef is the best," Aaron said as he watched Lucy return to the table with the tes and cutleries.

    "I agree with him. Samantha can make anything taste good," Lucy said with an easy smile as she set the breakfast on the table in front of Aaron and herself.

    "What do you think?" Lucy asked when Aaron bit into the biscuit and gravy, and he gave her a nod of approval.

    "She''s second only to me," Aaron said, and Lucy giggled.

    She watched as Aaron ate, contemting on the best way to raise the subject, and after a while Aaron looked up at her, "Why are you just watching me and not eating?"

    "Did Harry tell you we came aroundst night?" She asked, and Aaron gave her a nod.

 Chapter 407: Possessive Brother

    Chapter 407: Possessive BrotherCandace looked up when Jade offered her a handkerchief and she took it from her, "Thanks," she said with a sniffle, and Jade gave her a nod.

    "You must think I''m crazy for crying over a man I desperately wanted to kill," Candace said, but Jade shook her head.

    "I don''t think anything. Our feelings and emotions are not entirely within our control," Jade said, and Candace gave her a shaky smile.

    "It''s crazy. I resent him for everything he did to us, but at the same time a part of me feels so sorry for him. A part of me that also remembers some of the good moments I shared with him wants to go there and care for him until he dies. I know it''s crazy, but I can''t help it," Candace said as tears streamed down her cheeks.

    "I can''t tell you how to feel, Candace. I believe you loved him at some point in your life. It would be crazy if you didn''t feel this conflicted," Jade said, feeling sorry for her.

    "Do you mind stopping the car?" She asked, and Jade looked at her curiously before finding somewhere to park the car.

    "I think I should go back there and be with him. If for nothing, for Jamal''s sake. He did all sort of evil things, but I have Jamal thanks to him. I can live knowing that he''s not dying just because of his other crimes, but he''s dying such a painful death because Cassidy is punishing him for what he did to Andy. He didn''t go scot-free. I can live with that," Candace said, but Jade didn''t say a word or try to stop her as she got out of the car.

    Jade watched until she gged down a cab and got into it before driving off. She thought about Todd''s betrayal and wondered if she would have been willing to stay by Todd''s side at the hospital if he survived that ident and she found out he had been about to marry another woman.

    Although the nature of Todd''s offense was different from Jero''s offense, she wasn''t sure she was as forgiving or kindhearted as Candace. She would never have wasted a second of her time taking care of him. Although she didn''t support crime or murder, she thought Jero deserved to be poisoned.

    Once Jade got to the hotel, the receptionist informed her that someone was waiting for her at the lobby, "Who?" She asked with a puzzled frown.

    "He refused to say. He''s the one hiding behind the magazine," the receptionist said, when Jade turned to take a look at the people seated at the lobby.

    Jade''s brows pulled together as she approached the man, wondering who it was. Was it possibly Bill? Perhaps he hade to deliver Jero''s package to Candace? She hoped that was the case.

    "Hello! I was told you are waiting for me?" She said, and immediately the person looked up at her.

    Seated there with sunshades on and a hat over his head, which she believed he was wearing to disguise his identity, was Matt. She tried to hide her disappointment when she realized it wasn''t Bill.

    Thankfully it worked since she was more surprised to see him than disappointed. She hadpletely forgotten that she had called him the previous evening to intimate him on all that was going on so he could talk Candace out of her n to harm Jero. Now he was here without knowing that Candace''s n had changed already.

    "Matt!" She eximed with a wide smile as he stood up and embraced her, "How long have you been waiting? Why didn''t you call?"

    "I couldn''t leave immediately you called. We had to film all through the night, and in my rush to leave after my shoot in the early hours of the morning, I left my phone," he exined, and Jade raised a brow.

    "You could have told the receptionist who you were or simply..."

    "It doesn''t matter. Where is Candace?" He cut in as he looked around for her.

    "Why don''t we find somewhere private to speak and I will bring you up to speed on what has happened?" Jade suggested, and Matt dumped the magazine he had been reading on the chair he had just vacated and they both walked away from the lobby and headed for the suite.

    Immediately they walked into the suite, Jade turned to him, "Do you care for wine or should I order breakfast?"

    "Nah. I''m alright. I just want to know what''s happening. Why don''t I see Candace around?" Matt asked as he looked around the suite.

    "She is at the hospital," Jade said, and he looked at her in rm.

    "Hospital?"

    "Rx. She is fine. She went there to look after Jero. He''s hurt," she said, and Matt blinked in confusion.

    "I beg your pardon?" He asked, not sure he had heard correctly. He hade running because Jade told him Candace was determined to out an end to Jero''d life even if it meant her going to jail, so what was Jade talking about?

    Jade quickly summarized everything to him, and when she was done, Matt frowned, "So she went there to take care of him?" He asked, and Jade gave him a nod.

    "It''s crazy, but yeah. I''m sorry I made youe all this way for nothing," Jade said apologetically.

    "Did she say how long she was going to be there with him? How long does he have left?" Matt asked, and Jade shook her head.

    "She didn''t specify how long she''s going to stay there. And I don''t know how long he has left either. But his condition is pretty bad," she said, and Matt looked at her thoughtfully.

    "Can you give me directions to the hospital?" He asked, and Jade looked at him curiously.

    "I suppose you are ready to talk to her now?" She asked, but Matt said nothing as he waited for her to give him directions to the hospital.

    "You can give me a couple of her personal stuff she might need while she''s there," Matt said after she had given him the direction to the hospital and Jero''s room number, and Jade looked at him with a slightly raised brow.

    "You don''t feel upset or jealous that she is taking care of her baby daddy?" Jade asked, and Matt shrugged.

    "I''m not in apetition with him. And I think she is doing what she believes she ought to do in order not to leave room for regrets," Matt said reasonably, and Jade gave him a nod as she walked over to Candace''s room to get some extra clothes and whatever else she believed Candace would need to stay at the hospital.

    "I will let her know you areing," Jade said as she returned to join him, but Matt shook his head.

    "Don''t. I''d rather she doesn''t know I''ming. Let it be a surprise," Matt said, and Jade looked at him hesitantly before giving him a nod.

    After seeing him off, Jade returned to her bedroom and after only a moment''s hesitation, she dialed Tom''s line.

    "Good morning, Jady. Sup?" Tom greeted immediately he received the call, enunciating her name for Harry''s benefit, and as expected, Harry who was driving the car turned to spare him a nce when he heard Jade''s name.

    "Good morning, Tommy. Please can you text me Lucy''s number right now?" She asked hopefully, and Tom spied at Harry from the corners of his eyes.

    "Why? Is there a problem?" he asked curiously.

    "Not at all. I just thought I should have her number. You know, as my favorite brother''s girlfriend," Jade said, and Tom smiled.

    "Alright, I will text it to you after the phone call," he promised, and she thanked him before hanging up.

    Even though the call had ended, Tom held the phone to his ear and continued, "Really? You''re going on a date with that guy?" He asked with false surprise, and Harry turned to look at him sharply, while he pretended not to notice.

    "What guy?" Harry asked before he could stop himself, and Tom hid a grin.

    "I will call you back, Jady. It seems like your other elder brother is curious to know about your new boyfriend," Tom said as he pretended to hang up the phone before turning to Harry.

    "Jade is seeing someone?" Harry asked with a frown, and Tom shook his head.

    "No, she is not. The call ended a while ago so I said that to see your reaction. You are quite the protective elder brother, aren''t you? Jade must feel so lucky to have brothers like us who care about her," Tom said with a grin, and Harry red at him making Tom chuckle as he texted Lucy''s number to Jade.

    "You''re an idiot," Harry said, and Tomughed harder.

    "By the way whatdy were you talking about the other night?" Tom asked curiously.

    "Ady? What night?" Harry asked in confusion, wondering when he ever talked to Tom about ady.

    "Your father said you mentioned having ady in your life. Whatdy was he talking about? Are you seeing someone? Is it thedy Jade introduced to you?" Tom asked, and Harry looked at his suspiciously.

    "Why are you asking?"

    "What do you mean why am I asking? Don''t I have the right to know if my best friend is seeing someone?" Tom asked, and Harry sighed.

    He couldn''t lie to Tom, and at the same time he couldn''t tell him the truth. He knew that if he told Tom the truth about Aurora, Tom would likely tell Jade about it and he didn''t want that.

    "I''m still getting to know her. You can say we are still in the talking stage. I will let you meet her at the anniversary dinner," Harry said before changing the subject.

    Away from there, Aaron waited until he had swallowed the food he was chewing before spoke again, "Yes, Harry told me you both came to check on me. Unfortunately, the sleeping tablets had me knocked out so I couldn''t see you," Aaron said apologetically, and Lucy gave him a nod.

    "That''s fine. I saw you though. I came in to sit with you for some time so that the guys could talk alone," Lucy said as she continued to look at him.

    "Really? You must have been bored," Aaron said with a grin, and then his eyes gleamed with mischief as he leaned forward in his seat, "Tell me, did I look handsome while I slept?" He asked, and Lucy smiled.

    "You always look handsome," she said, thinking of the best way to ease into the subject. He was yet to take his medication. Perhaps she shouldn''t say anything until he was done with his meal and his medicine.

    "More handsome than Tom?" He asked, and Lucy giggled.

    "Don''t even dream of it. Your medication is in your bedroom, right? Give me a moment to grab it," Lucy said as she picked up her phone and rose, and Aaron smiled at her as he watched her walk away.

    Once she got into his bedroom, she headed straight for his nightstand where the medicines were kept and she picked them up.

    Just as she walked out of the bedroom, her phone started to ring and she received the call when she noticed it was from an unsaved contact, "Good morning. This is Lucinda Perry on the line," she greeted politely as she walked down the passageway.

    "Good morning, Lucy. It''s Jade. Tom''s sister," Jade said, surprising Lucy.

    "Oh, Jade! How are you? I''m pleasantly surprised to hear from you," Lucy said in a pleasant tone, and Jade smiled.

    "Harry informed me you are at his apartment?" Jade said after exchanging pleasantries with her.

    "Yes, I am. Do you want to say hello to his dad?" Lucy asked, thinking that was the reason she had called.

    "I will call himter. Right now I need you to do me a favor," Jade said, and Lucy stopped walking.

    "What favor?"

    "Please, could you go into Harry''s bedroom and send me the picture of thedy in the photo frame by his bedside?" Jade asked, and Lucy''s brows pulled together in a frown.

    "Is Harry aware of this?" She asked, not wanting to believe that Jade was asking her to invade Harry''s privacy.

    "No, he''s not. And I''d appreciate it if you don''t let Aaron know about it either," Jade pleaded.

    No. She didn''t like this. She didn''t want to get involved in whatever Jade was scheming, especially if it involved her sneaking around Harry''s apartment like a thief.

 Chapter 408: Who Is Sara To You?

    Chapter 408: Who Is Sara To You?What was the problem with these Hank siblings? Lucy mused with displeasure as she looked ahead of her to the living room. She knew that what she wanted to say to Jade couldn''t be said right there at the passageway as Aaron was likely going to overhear their conversation.

    "Please give me a minute," Lucy said as she returned to the dining and dropped the medicine on the table, "Please, I need to use the restroom," Lucy told Aaron, and he directed her to the visitor''s bedroom where Jade had stayed.

    Once she walked into the bedroom and shut the door behind her, she went into the restroom before continuing with the call, "Are you still there?" She asked, and Jade sat up on her bed.

    "Yes. Are you in his bedroom now?" Jade asked, thinking that Lucy had lied to Aaron about needing to use the restroom so she could go to Harry''s bedroom to snap the picture.

    "I''m sorry for the dy," Lucy said politely.

    "That''s not a problem. So, are you in his bedroom now?" Jade asked hopefully and Lucy shook her head.

    "Let me get something straight. Are you asking me to secretly sneak into Harry''s bedroom to get the picture of his mother and send to you?" Lucy asked in a very calm tone that left no doubt in Jade''s mind that she was being scolded.

    Jade cleared her throat, suddenly feeling awkward and ufortable, "It''s kind of important, and I really need to confirm something," she said in a small voice.

    "Then I suggest you give Harry a call and ask him for permission. Do you know how much trust must have had in me to have left me alone with his father in his apartment? Even I wouldn''t leave just anyone in my apartment. I''d rather not break his trust by sneaking around his apartment and going to ces I have no business being in," Lucy said, and Jade frowned.

    She was surprised that Lucy hadn''t even bothered to ask her about what she needed to confirm before turning down her request. Lucy was a lot tougher than she had thought, "I''m sorry for making such a request," Jade said apologetically.

    Lucy paused for a moment thinking that she might have been too harsh, "You don''t have to apologize. I''m sorry if I sounded too harsh. I just do not like going behind people. If it makes you feel better, you should know that if this was a request from Sonia, I''d turn it down too," Lucy said, and Jade sighed softly.

    Considering Lucy''s past experience, she could understand why Lucy wasn''tfortable sneaking around people or doing things behind people. Jamie had done that to her and had captured photos of her without her knowledge, so naturally she wouldn''t want to do the same to others.

    "I understand. As I said, I''m sorry. I will find another way to..."

    "Jade?" Lucy interrupted Jade.

    "Yeah?"

    "You are interested in Harry, aren''t you?" She asked, and Jade was silent for a moment before responding.

    "Yeah."

    "Then the only proper way you should get that photo is by asking either Harry or Aaron for it. I don''t know what you are so curious about, but what I do know is that as long as it involves Harry, you shouldn''t go behind him this way else you might end up ruining your chances with him. Besides, isn''t it a crime to invade people''s privacy in that manner?"

    "It''s not exactly a crime. Harry is our friend. Besides, if this were one of my cases..."

    "Well, it''s not. Harry is not a case. He is someone you are interested in and you should treat him as such," Lucy cut in firmly, and Jade stopped speaking.

    Lucy took a deep breath when she realized that she was sounding harsher than she intended, "I''m sorry. I can''t help you."

    "It''s alright. I understand," Jade assured her even though she wasn''t exactly happy that Lucy had turned down her request.

    Although she understood Lucy, and she got the message Lucy was trying to pass across, that didn''t stop her from feeling a bit disappointed. She had been this close to solving a puzzle, and now she had nothing.

    How was she going to get a picture of Harry''s mom to confirm what she suspected? It would be suspicious if she suddenly asked either Aaron or Harry for it. Or perhaps she could ask Aaron for it? It wasn''t a big deal, was it? Harry''s mom waste, besides, Aaron had seen her checking out the photo thest time.

    She could tell Aaron that she found someone who looked exactly like Harry''s mom and perhaps she was a distance rtive. Surely, Aaron would love to know if Candace was in anyway rted to his belovedte wife.

    "I hope you do not feel offended?" Lucy asked, wanting to clear the air between them.

    Thest thing she wanted was to be on bad terms with Jade over this. Aside from this nasty streak the Hank siblings seemed to share, Jade seemed like a nice person and she would rather be friends with her than be on her bad side.

    "Not in the least. Thanks for your advice. I will do as you have said and ask Aaron for it instead," Jade said, and Lucy sighed in relief.

    "Thank you very much. Now I don''t have to feel so terrible for not doing it," Lucy said, and Jade smiled.

    "Can I ask you something?"

    "As long as you''re not asking me to nt spy cameras in Harry''s bedroom, you can ask me anything," Lucy joked, and Jadeughed.

    "Why didn''t you ask to what I want to do with the photo?" Jade asked curiously.

    "If I had asked, I''m sure you would have said something interesting and then I''d want to do as you requested to also satisfy my curiosity. The only way not to get involved in something you don''t want is by not being curious about it," Lucy said, reasonably and Jade smiled.

    "Tom is so lucky to have you," Jade said, and Lucy smiled.

    "Thanks. I need to get back to Aaron now. By the way, how is Candace?" Lucy asked when she remembered she was yet to enquire about her.

    "She is fine. I should let you go now. I need to give Aaron a call," Jade said before hanging up.

    After the phone call, Lucy returned to the living room and found Aaron taking his medication, "I''m not taking the sleeping pills. I had enough sleep yesterday tost me a week," Aaron said, and Lucy smiled as she gathered the dishes and leftovers and took them to the kitchen.

    She returned to the dining when her phone started ringing and she received the call when she saw that it was Jade again, "I''m sorry to bother you, but I just realized I don''t have Aaron''s number. Can you hand him your phone?" Jade asked immediately after Lucy received the call.

    "Sure," Lucy said before looking at Aaron, "It''s Jade," she said with a grin, and Aaron''s eyes lit up as he took the phone from her.

    "Hello, beautiful," Aaron greeted, and Jade smiled.

    "You don''t sound ill. Were you pretending to be ill?" She asked, and Aaron chuckled.

    "Oh, you are so brilliant! You caught me in the act!" Aaron said in a mock weak voice, and this time Jade giggled, while Lucy smiled as she excused him to go finish up in the kitchen where she was storing the leftovers

    "How else would Tom have let his damsel out of his sight long enough to fuss over me this way?" Aaron asked, and Jade smiled.

    "I''m d you sound better. We were all worried about you yesterday," Jade said, and Aaron smiled, grateful that Harry had a lot of people in his life who cared about him.

    "It''s good to know that you were worried about me," Aaron said, just as Lucy returned to the table to join him.

    Jade cleared her throat, "Apart from calling to know how you''re doing, I wanted to ask you a couple of questions if you don''t mind," Jade said, and Aaron winked at Lucy, making a her smile.

    "About Harry I suppose?" Aaron asked jokingly.

    "Sort of. I hope you don''t mind me asking, but do you know of any living rtives of yourte wife? I mean Harry''s mom?" Jade asked, and almost immediately Aaron froze, and his face went pale, making Lucy who was watching him to sit up.

    "Aaron?" Jade called, wondering why he had suddenly be quiet.

    "Why are you asking?" Aaron asked as he tried to speak evenly despite his racing heart, but his voice came out tight with all trace of yfulness out of it.

    Jade''s brows pulled together as she began to wonder why Aaron was suddenly sounding that way. Deciding to be honest with him, she cleared her throat, "I know a youngdy who looks almost exactly like thedy in the photo frame beside Harry''s bed. I was just wondering if perhaps she is a distant rtive or maybe they''re just look alikes," Jade said and Aaron rxed a bit.

    For a moment there he had thought that Jade ran into Sara or something. What was the likelihood of such a meeting taking ce? Besides, over the years Sara had gone under the knife a couple of times to work on her face so she didn''t exactly look the same.

    Although she had looked perfect to him in the past, she had worked on almost every single facial feature, and the only thing that she had left the same was her hair and her eye color. It had seemed like she was running away from who she was and doing her best to change everything about herself.

    He had encountered news and photos of her over thest couple of years, and he had been somewhat d for the changes she had made as that had made it easy for Harry not to recognize her. And even if Harry had spotted the resemnce he would most likely have lied to him that she was a mere look alike and not histe mother.

    "Aaron?" Jade called again to regain his attention.

    "His mother was an orphan. Her parents and only sister died in a car crash. The person you saw is most likely a look alike, and not in any way rted to her," Aaron said, but watching him and seeing how lost he had appeared a moment ago, Lucy could tell that there was more to what he had just said.

    She couldn''t help wondering what Jade was asking him and why. She tried to piece together Jade''s request to her, and Aaron''s side of the conversation.

    Was it possible that Jade saw someone who looked like Aaron''ste wife? Why was she interested enough to want to see a picture? Was it perhaps someone close to her?

    Her brows pulled together when she recalled what Tom had said about Jade wanting to dig into Candace''s past.

    No. It didn''t make sense. It couldn''t be Candace. Judging by what little she knew about Jade''s and Candace''s release, she knew that Jade had known Candace for about two years. She would have made such a connection a long time ago if it was Candace. It was probably someone else.

    "Wow. The resemnce is so uncanny. She has simr curly gold hair and facial features," Jade murmured more to herself than to Aaron.

    Curly gold hair? Was it possible that this person was rted to Sara? He wouldn''t put it past her to have lied about losing her family. But even if that was the case and this person Jade had seen was rted to Sara in any way, he didn''t want them in Harry''s life. At least not until he had been able to tell Harry the truth.

    "Alright then. I wanted to confirm she isn''t a rtive. I''m sorry for being a bother," she said apologetically.

    "It''s alright. I suddenly feel exhausted. I need to rest now. Let''s talk some other time," Aaron said before returning the phone to Lucy.

    Lucy dropped the phone on the table when she noticed that Jade had hung up already, and she looked at Aaron with interest.

    "I''ve noticed the way you''ve been staring at me all morning. Is there something you want to talk to me about?" Aaron asked when he stood to leave the dining and noticed the way Lucy was observing him.

    "Yes," Lucy said with a nod,

    He returned to his seat, "Go on, then."

    "Who is Sara to you? You kept mentioning her name in your sleep."

 Chapter 409: Ten Days

    Chapter 409: Ten DaysEven though Aaron''s heart was beating really fast and a million thoughts were running through his mind at that moment, he remained silent for some time after he heard the statement that followed Lucy''s question.

    That was thest thing he had been expecting her to say or ask him, and even now he was trying to figure out what he could have possibly said in his sleep about Sara to make Lucy curious enough to ask him such a question.

    What exactly did she hear him say? Did she tell Harry about what she heard? He wasn''t sure about that since he knew that if she had told Harry then he would probably have questioned him more about it, especially after the way he had reacted the day before when Harry received his call from someone called Sara.

    If she didn''t tell Harry about it, then that left even more question in his mind. He raised his head and met Lucy''s curious gaze. From the way she was staring at him, he could tell that she was giving him all the time he wanted to speak.

    "Can you tell me what I said?" Aaron asked curiously.

    "You talked about your daughter amongst other things," Lucy said, and watched as his eyes widened in rm.

    "I did?" He asked, and Lucy gave him a nod, not wanting to say more than that.

    She wanted to tell him enough to prove that he had said something important, but not give him too much information so that she could get the rest from him.

    "What else did I say?" He asked, hoping that she would tell him everything so he would know how best to answer her question.

    "You don''t expect me to tell you that, do you?" She asked with a slightly raised brow.

    Aaron looked at her for a moment and sighed, "Did you tell Harry about it?"

    She shook her head, "Not yet. My telling him depends on what you tell me, and how much you tell me," Lucy said, and Aaron looked at her wearily.

    "What about Tom? Did you tell him about it?" Aaron asked, and Lucy gave him a nod.

    "Yes, I did. Harry is his best friend so it won''t make sense if I don''t tell him about it. However, you don''t have to worry. Tom won''t mention any of it to Harry. If anyone is going to talk to Harry about it, it''s going to be me. So your secret is safe with me. At least for now," Lucy said, and Aaron smiled sadly.

    "This was why you offered to stay with me today, isn''t it?"

    "Not entirely. I did want to speak with you without Harry''s knowledge, but I also wanted to stay with you and keep youpany," Lucy assured him as she reached a hand across the table and covered his hand.

    "I care about you, Aaron. We all do and we are worried about you. You cried so sadly in your sleep, and it bothered me a lot more than I care to admit to see a sweet man like you so broken in your sleep. Tell me what''s wrong, Aaron. Who is Sara? And why does she keep calling you?" Lucy asked, and Aaron''s heart skipped a beat, surprised that she knew about Sara''s call. Just how much did she know?

    "Did I mention her phone calls in my sleep too or did Harry tell you about it?"

    "No. I overheard Harry telling Tom about itst night. I''m going to try to be as honest with you as I can, and I''m hoping you would do the same," Lucy said, and Aaron gave her a nod.

    "I take it that the Sara you talked about in your sleep is the same as the person who has been calling you non-stop?" Lucy asked, and Aaron merely looked at her without saying a word as he thought about what to say.

    He wasn''t ready to reveal the truth to Harry yet. He had been hoping to meet with Sara to put things on hold for some time. Why was this happening now?

    "I''m the only reason Tom isn''t busy digging out Sara''s identity right now. Although Harry is sick with worry and wants to know who she is too, he insists on waiting for you to tell him about it yourself. Unfortunately, Tom is not going to be as patient with you as Harry is. Especially if Harry is being affected so much by whatever is weighing you down, and in this case it seems to be Sara. Whatever you are hiding right now won''t stay hidden for much longer," Lucy said when he seemed to be taking too long to respond to her question.

    "Tell me who she is and what she is to you. If she''s here to cause you trouble we can all join hands together and fix it so that you will be fine. Please," Lucy added as she squeezed his hand, and Aaron''s eyes glistened with tears, making her brows pull together.

    "Who is she, Aaron? And what did she do to hurt you so much?" Lucy asked as she stood from her seat and went to stand beside Aaron to embrace him.

    Perhaps it was best he told some else about it. Someone neutral who would listen to him and give him a honest opinion and advise. As she had said, he doubted he could hide this from Harry much longer, and even if everything became exposed today, he wanted to at least know that there was someone who knew exactly what had happened and understood his reason for doing what he did. He believed that Lucy could be that person for him.

    She held him close to herself for a moment while Aaron tried to organize his thoughts. After some time he pulled away from her and looked up at her, "It''s moreplicated that you think," he said quietly, and Lucy sat down.

    "Is it something you can tell me? Maybe we can start from something simple. Who is she to you?" Lucy asked, and Aaron looked at her for some time before heaving a deep breath.

    "My wife. Harry''s birth mother."

    Far away from there, in one of the cabins in a Cargo ship sailing across the sea, Andyy on the bed panting hard after another bout of retching. Her hair was stered to her sweaty face and her skin looked quite pale and sickly.

    She raised her head when the cabin door opened and Cassidy walked inside the cabin, "I''m d you are awake now. I was bing very worried about you," he said as as he walked over to the bed and sat down beside her.

    "Get lost," she spat at him weakly, and pped off his hand when he reached to brush her hair away from her face.

    "This can''t be the way you greet me after five days of not seeing or talking to each other," Cassidy said as she eyed him in annoyance.

    "You almost got me killed. What do you expect? That I lick your feet?" She asked, her eyes zing with fury that made up for the weakness of her voice.

    "I apologize for that. That was my fault. I didn''t expect that you wouldn''t know how to swim, neither did I expect that we would have to swim such a long distance to catch up with the cargo ship..."

    "How could you make such ns without knowing if I could swim or not?" She snapped at him angrily.

    "As I said, I''m sorry. But I did my best to make sure you didn''t drown, and here we are..."

    "I wouldn''t have been at the verge of drowning in the first ce if you didn''t include me in your crazy ns!" She snapped at him, and Cassidy sighed.

    "How are you feeling?" He asked with concern, ignoring her outburst.

    "I feel like being alone. So can you just leave?" She asked, and he shook his head.

    "I''m sorry I can''t do that. I''ve been waiting to see you for two years, and waiting to speak with you for the past five days. I can''t leave," He said as he looked at her with a soft expression on his face.

    "I have nothing to say to you," she said, and this time he smiled.

    "That is where you are wrong, Andy. We have quite a lot to talk about," he said, and she eyed him as she felt her stomach churn again, and she quickly moved away from him to reach for the bucket beside the bed.

    Cassidy patted her back gently as she vomited into the bucket, "I''m sorry, my love. You are not fairing so good," he said as he stood to pour her a ss of water to rinse her mouth.

    "Whose fault is it? And stop calling me your love! I am not your love," she hissed at him as she dropped the bucket and collected the ss from him grudgingly.

    Cassidy brushed her hair away from her sweaty face as she rinsed her mouth, "You will want to be. Soon you will want to be," he promised her.

    "How much longer do we have to be on this godforsaken ship?" She asked, and Cassidy looked at her pitifully.

    "Ten days more. We will get to our ind in ten days, and there we can start our life afresh and put our past behind us," Cassidy said, and she frowned.

    "Ten days? What about my sister? How am I supposed to reach her in that time? How am I supposed to know that Jero isn''t going to hurt her?" She asked with concern.

    "Don''t worry. Jero won''t be alive for much longer. He is not going to hurt your sister ever again. I made sure of it." he promised.

 Chapter 410: Familiar Face

    Chapter 410: Familiar Face"Harry''s birth mother?" Lucy ask, not sure she had heard him correctly. Wasn''t Harry''s birth mother dead? Or perhaps someone else had given birth to him, and it was the woman who had raised him who was dead? Probably the woman who had raised Harry was the love of Aaron''s life, and Sara was the one who had given birth to Harry? That didn''t make sense. He had just said Sara was his wife and Harry''s mother. So who then was the person who had died who was the love of his life? Lucy wondered as she looked at Aaron.

    "I thought his mother was dead?" She asked, hoping that Aaron would clear her confusion by exining the rtionship between Sara and Harry''ste mom.

    "Can you keep whatever I tell you between us? At least for now. Until I''m able to summon the courage to tell Harry the truth myself?" Aaron asked, and Lucy''s brows pulled together.

    Just how bad was this revtion that he needed to summon courage to tell Harry about it? And by asking her to keep it from Harry, did he mean she had to keep it from Tom too? That was going to be impossible, "What about Tom? He knows I''m talking to you about this. He would want to know about our conversation. I can''t lie to him. So maybe it''s best if you don''t tell me whatever you wouldn''t want Tom to know about," she said, and Aaron looked at her, impressed by her honest and straightforward character.

    "You are no longer curious to hear everything?" Aaron asked curiously.

    "Of course, I am. But my curiosity can not be more important than what you want. I wouldn''t want to break your trust merely to satisfy my curiosity. Asking you to tell me your secrets when I know that I wouldn''t be able to keep it away from Tom, would be wrong. I promised to be honest with you, so I have to tell you," Lucy said easily, and warmth filled his heart as he looked at her, impressed by how she was putting her concern for him above everything else.

    "You are so purehearted Lucy," Aaron said, d that she was the one who had been in his bedroom that night and not anyone else.

    "Thank you," Lucy said with a warm smile.

    "Would you like to have a ss of juice? Or perhaps red wine? I read somewhere that it''s good for the heart," Lucy offered, and Aaron gave her a nod as he returned her smile.

    He watched as she walked over to Harry''s mini bar to get them wine. She poured red wine into a ss for him, and a nonalcoholic wine into another ss for herself before returning to join him.

    "Here," she said as she ced it in front of him and sat down.

    "Thank you, Lucy," Aaron said quietly as he picked up the ss and took a sip.

    Neither of them said a word to each other for some time, and after a while Lucy nced at him, "I don''t mean to pry, but I suggest you tell Harry about whatever it is you are hiding from him before he finds out some other way," Lucy advised.

    "How would you react if you were Harry and you found out that you have been lied to all your life?" Aaron asked, and Lucy pursed her lips thoughtfully.

    "It depends," she said with a shrug.

    "On what?" Aaron asked curiously.

    "For me it depends on the intention. Why did you lie? Why couldn''t you tell me the truth. Surely I''d be hurt that you didn''t trust me enough to tell me the truth, but if your intention was purely out of genuine love for me, no matter how angry I get, I wille around. Because you matter to me," Lucy said, thinking about how hurt she had been by Tom''s lies, but also how it had been easier to forgive him when she focused more on his intention not the action.

    "I lied to him about his mother. His mother is not dead. Sara walked out of our lives days after she gave birth to Harry," Aaron said after a while, and Lucy''s eyes widened slightly at that piece of information.

    "What?" Lucy asked, and Aaron gave a nod.

    Although she had briefly suspected that, but had dismissed the thought because it didn''t make sense. Hearing Aaron admit to it greatly surprised her.

    "I couldn''t tell Harry about it. I was abandoned by my own mother and I know best how much damage such a knowledge can do to a person''s heart and self-esteem. I didn''t want that for my son," Aaron exined, and this time Lucy felt her heart break for him.

    "The daughter I spoke about in my sleep was Harry''s twin sister. I was told she died at birth, but I never got to see her body," Aaron said, before picking up his ss again with trembling hands and raising it to his lips.

    Lucy''s eyes filled with tears as she watched him, "I''m so sorry," Lucy said softly as she began to put the pieces together.

    She could now understand why he was asking for his daughter, and why he kept pleading with Sara in his sleep. She could understand his pain and tears. Those had been tears of a heartbroken man. Tears of a man who had just lost a daughter, been abandoned by the woman he loved and was forced to raise their baby boy alone.

    "She said she never wanted to have anything to do with us. She wanted to pursue her modelling career. Now she is dying and wants to see Harry," Aaron said, and this time Lucy reached across the table as she had done before and took his hand.

    "Did she tell you why she wants to see him?" Lucy asked softly.

    "Do I need to know why? Tell me honestly, Lucy. Am I wrong for not wanting to tell Harry about her, or not wanting her to be a part of Harry''s life in any way?" Aaron asked, and Lucy shook her head.

    "No. You are not wrong. Still, Harry has a right to know and to decide whether or not he wants her to be a part of his life despite what she did," she said apologetically.

    "But he is never going to forgive me if he finds out I lied to him all these years," Aaron said as tears gathered in his eyes.

    "Don''t say that, Aaron. He will. You raised him better than that. You did a good job raising such a fine and intelligent son. I''m sure all you need to do is sit him down and exin the details to him. Harry will understand why you had to lie to him," Lucy assured him.

    "What if he never understands? Am I also going to lose my son because of Sara? Losing his sister was enough. Do I have to lose Harry too?" He asked as a tear slid down his cheek, and Lucy sniffled as she went to embrace him.

    "You should have some faith in him. You will never lose him to her. I won''t allow it. Tom won''t allow it," she promised fiercely as tears rolled down her cheeks while she tried to console him.

    As Lucy held him, she thought about what Aaron had just revealed and her heart broke for both father and son. She couldn''t begin to imagine how Aaron was going to be able to hold such a conversation with Harry.

    How was he supposed to start? She didn''t want to imagine how shocked Harry would be or how he would react. For someone like Harry who hated being lied to, it was obvious that things was going to be tough for them in the nearest future, and she could understand why Aaron felt so scared. It wasn''t going to be easy in any way. Neither her nor Tom was going to be able to tell Harry about this. Harry needed to hear it directly from his father.

    "Harry has to hear it from you. We can''t let Harry find out about it from her or any other way. Because then it would be your word against hers," Lucy said after a while as she returned to her seat.

    "What do you suggest I do? I was hoping to hold off on telling him the truth until he is in a stable rtionship. Harry has always taken my words about my rtionship with his mother to heart. He has high expectations when ites to love. I fear that he might be disappointed and change his mind about it after he gets to know the truth," Aaron said, and Lucy shook her head.

    "Whether he is in amitted rtionship or married won''t make any difference when he finds out the truth. If he chooses to walk out of such a rtionship he would do so without second thoughts, and if he chooses to remain with his partner because he is too much of a gentleman to walk away, he will be resentful and unhappy. I think it''s best you tell him the truth now so that he can face it before he gets involved with anyone," Lucy advised, and then she paused when she remembered her conversation with Jade a while ago.

    Was it possible that it was all rted? If there was one thing she hade to learn in this past weeks, nothing was mere coincidence. Everything happened for a reason, and if for some reason Jade was suddenly asking for the picture of Harry''s supposedte mom, then something was up.

    She looked at Aaron curiously, "Just now I heard snippets of your conversation with Jade. I suppose you were both talking about Harry''s mom?" She asked, and Aaron gave her a nod.

    "Yeah."

    "Is she really an orphan?" Lucy asked curiously.

    "That was what she told me back then, but I don''t know how true it is. Although after she left I started to doubt her story but I had no desire to look into it," Aaron said, and Lucy nodded.

    "Did Jade tell you why she was suddenly asking about her?" Lucy asked, and Aaron sighed.

    "She said she knows someone who looks a lot like Sara," Aaron exined, and Lucy looked at him curiously.

    Knows? Not saw? So she knew the person it wasn''t like a random stranger who she had just run into? Lucy mused.

    "Do you have a picture of her? I would like to see what she looks like if you don''t mind," Lucy said, and Aaron gave her a nod as he rose from his seat.

    "Although she lookspletely different now, but there is an old picture of her in Harry''s bedroom. Hold on while I get it," Aaron said as he walked away to get the photo frame.

    As Lucy waited for him to return, she thought about Tom and how this news would affect him knowing how much he loved and cared for Harry. How would this affect Harry''s blossoming rtionship with Jade? She wondered, and raised her head when Aaron returned with the photo frame and handed it to her.

    "That''s Sara," Aaron said, and Lucy''s heart skipped a beat when she looked down at the photo and saw the familiar face of Harry''s mother.

 Chapter 411: Holes In The Album

    Chapter 411: Holes In The AlbumIf there was one memory Lucy could remember clearly from her childhood, it was that one time she and Lucas had gone up to the attic in search of some old books they needed for a school project, and had stumbled upon an old photo album which was hidden away in one of the drawers of an old chest.

    Old books temporarily forgotten, they had sat on the dusty floor and flipped page after page of the photo album looking at pictures of people they couldn''t recognize apart from their grandparents whose photos their mom had shown them before, and photos of their parents when they were youths.

    While Lucas had gathered the old books they needed and taken them down with him, Lucy had taken the photo album along with her, curious to find out why most of the photos in her mother''s family album had a face and body cut out of it.

    "Mom, why is there a hole in all these photographs?" Ten years old Lucy had asked as she walked into the kitchen where her mother was preparing dinner.

    J had been quite upset by the question, especially when she saw that Lucy had brought the photo album from the attic with her, "I thought you went up there to get old books. What are you doing with that?" She asked with displeasure.

    "They can always take it back after having a look," Andrew had said as he joined them, and Lucy smiled at him.

    "Do you know why there are holes in the album, dad?" Lucy had asked just as Lucas joined them after dropping off the books.

    "I cut the holes in there," J had said dismissively, but ten years old Lucy hadn''t been deterred by her mother''s cold response.

    "Why? Whose picture did you cut out?" She had asked, and Lucas had seemed equally curious to know as he looked up from the album to their mother''s unsmiling face.

    J had turned to her husband, but Andrew only gave her a shrug since he saw no reason not to tell the kids about their aunty who had run away from home a long time ago thereby breaking the hearts of everyone.

    "My twin sister''s," J responded after a while, and both Lucy and Lucas had looked at her with even more interest.

    "You have a twin sister?" Lucy had asked with delight.

    "She just said so," Lucas had pointed out Lucy''s dumb question.

    "Did something happen to her? Where is she? Why haven''t we seen her? Why did you cut out her photos?" Lucas had asked, and J sighed.

    "We were triplets. Our brother died at birth so it was just the two of us. Fifteen years ago she stole our father''s money and ran away from home so we cut her off. And since she didn''t want to be a part of our family and told the world that she was an orphan I cut her out of our lives too," J said, and their faces fell.

    "She isn''t a nice person," Lucy had murmured in disappointment.

    "Yes, she isn''t. It''s best you don''t know her. Speaking about her upsets me, so you shouldn''t speak of her anymore," J had said, and both kids had nodded.

    "Mom''s hair looks different here," Lucy observed as they continued to look at the photos and Lucas looked into their mother''s face. While her hair was a jet ck, the person in the photo had curly gold hair.

    "That is your aunty not your mom," Andrew had informed them after he peered over their shoulder to see the photo they were talking about.

    On hearing that both kids took a closer look at the photo and then at their mother. Truly it wasn''t their mother. Although the simrities were there, but they weren''t exactly identical twins.

    "How did that get in there?" J had asked angrily as she snatched the album from them and turned using eyes on Andrew.

    "I found it while I was helping you pack your mum''s belongings. She kept it hidden in a book so you wouldn''t cut it too," Andrew had said apologetically and Sara had immediately taken the photo out of the album and walked away from there.

    Lucy and Lucas had exchanged a look as they silently made up their mind not to upset their mother by talking about their bad aunty who had run away from home after stealing their grandfather''s money.

    Now looking into the face of a woman that closely resembled her mother''s face with those same gold curls she remembered, Lucy felt her stomach clench with unease.

    This wasn''t her mother''s twin sister, was she? Was it possible that the person in this photo was her aunty? Was it possible that the wicked woman who had hurt Aaron so much and had made him cry like a baby in his sleep was her aunty? Lucy wondered.

    "Are you okay?" Aaron asked when he noticed the sudden change in her disposition, and Lucy nced up from the photo frame into his face and forced a smile.

    "Yeah. She looks beautiful," Lucy said, not knowing what else to say.

    "Unfortunately for her, beauty is only skin deep. No matter how beautiful she is externally, she is a very horrible person," Aaron said with a shake of his head.

    "Can I ask how you met her? Did you both really get married?" Lucy asked, and they both left the dining and walked over to the living room where they sat downfortably on the couch and Aaron told Lucy all about how Sara hade into his life and how she deceived him.

    "She was a twin?" Lucy asked, when Aaron mentioned what Sara had said about losing her twin sister and parents in an autocrash.

    "A triplet. She said they lost their brother at birth. Although I no longer believe anything she said," Aaron said, but on hearing that piece of information Lucy''s heart skipped a beat.

    Listening to him, Lucy tried to put the pieces together and see if it would fit. Her mother had been born a triplet and had lost her brother. Her twin sister had run away from home thirty years ago after stealing some money, and Sara hade into Aaron''s life around that same period after she was duped of her money. She had abandoned them immediately after Harry''s birth, that was twenty-eight years ago.

    What she didn''t know was the name of her mother''s twin sister. That she would need to find out from her mother, but she was bing more convinced that this Sarady was her mother''s lost twin sister. She needed to speak with her mother no matter how difficult or upsetting the conversation was going to be. She needed to be sure that this Sara person wasn''t her aunt, and even if she found out that Sara was he aunt, she wasn''t sure she could bring herself to say anything to Aaron about knowing who Sara was. He had made it clear that he had no interest in knowing about Sara''s family, so there was no probably no need.

 Chapter 412: Cousins?

    Chapter 412: Cousins?There was absolutely no way all of this could be a coincident, was there? If it happened that Sara was indeed her aunty, then what did that make her and Harry? Cousins? Unbelievable!

    From the looks of things, she was now more involved in this than she had nned to. What was she going to do?

    After everything she had just learned about Sara, if there was one thing she didn''t buy, it was the fact that she had lost the baby at birth and had buried the baby before Aaron got there. Something didn''t add up to her, especially after hearing that Sara had gone to a different hospital to have their child in his absence.

    She suspected a foul y. What she needed to do right now was to find out why Jade had wanted that picture of Harry''s mother, and who Jade had been telling Aaron about.

    "Do you mind if I take a picture of this?" She asked, and Aaron looked at her with a slight frown.

    "Why?"

    "I can''t tell you why, Aaron. Not yet. And I don''t want to lie to you either. However, I can promise that I won''t cause any troubles for you. I just want to confirm something," she said, and Aaron looked at her for a moment before giving her a nod.

    Immediately, Lucy took out her phone and captured it, "Thank you," she said as she returned the photo frame to him.

    She was going to send the picture to Jade and find a way to get more information from Jade without revealing what she already knew. The less the number of people that knew about this, the better for Aaron and Harry.

    "So, when are you going to tell Harry about it?" She asked, and Aaron''s heart skipped a beat.

    "I have to do it soon, don''t I?" Aaron asked, and Lucy gave him a nod.

    "You realize that I''m going to have to tell Tom about this, right?" She asked, and Aaron gave her a nod.

    "For what it''s worth, I don''t think you did anything wrong. You did your best to protect your son from the harsh reality of life. You hid your pain from him and bore it all on your own for so long. Harry should be proud of you, and grateful to you," Lucy said, and Aaron smiled.

    "Promise me that you and Tom would stand by him if things be very difficult for him and he asks me to leave," Aaron said, and Lucy shook her head.

    "Harry won''t ask you to leave. And even if for any reason you leave, I will take your side and try my best to make Harry see reason," Lucy promised.

    "Can you give me until Monday? I''d like to at least spend this weekend with him normally," Aaron pleaded, and Lucy gave him a nod.

    "If that is what you want, then you can do so. You don''t have to worry about me. Harry won''t hear it from either me or Tom. It''s not in our ce to tell him. I just want you to tell him before things get out of hand and Sara approaches him first. Then it will be your word against hers," Lucy said, and Aaron gave her a nod.

    "I think I should meet with Sara and find out what she wants from him before telling Harry about her. I know Sara, she is a very selfish person and I''m sure she came back because she wants something. What do you think?" Aaron asked, and Lucy pursed her lips for a moment as she gave it some thought.

    "Is she in Ludus at the moment?"

    "I don''t know. I was going to give her a call to find out when we can meet," Aaron said, and Lucy contemted it for a moment.

    "Let''s do so now. I wille with you," she said, and Aaron gave her a nod.

    "Alright. Can I use your phone? I sort of damaged mine yesterday and haven''t found time to fix it," he said, and Lucy handed her phone to him.

    "You know her number offhand?" She asked when Aaron started dialing it on her phone.

    "She called so much in thest couple of weeks that it stuck," he said, and Lucy watched him as he raised the phone to his ear.

    Away from there, Sara who had just gotten off the ne and was in a car, headed for I-Global, nced at her assistant when her phone started ringing, "It''s a strange number," the assistant informed her.

    "Take the call," she ordered and watched as her assistant received the call.

    She received the call, "Good morning, This is Sara Walker''s line, Emma speaking, how may I help you?"

    "Put Sara on the line. Tell her it''s Aaron," Aaron said, and immediately Sara''s assistant passed the phone to her.

    "It''s Aaron," she said, knowing he was an important person but not exactly knowing his rtionship with Sara.

    Sara smirked as she raised the phone to her ear, "I thought you were avoiding my calls. I was just on my way to Harry''s office to meet with him," she said, and Aaron''s heart skipped a beat as he turned to Lucy who was watching him curiously.

    "What is she saying?" Lucy mouthed to him, and he ced the call on speaker so she could hear what Sara was saying.

    "Let''s meet," Aaron offered, trying not to sound as panicked as he actually felt.

    "I don''t have the time to meet with you when it''s Harry I''m here to see," Sara said smugly.

    "Do you honestly think that Harry is going to grant you audience or listen to whatever you have to say when he believes his mother is dead? No matter what you believe you''re going to need me. Meet with me and let''s talk about the right way to go about this or you can forget about it," Aaron said, and Sara pursed her lips as she nced at her wristwatch.

    "I don''t have much time to waste here. My assistant will text you the location to meet me. You have until thirty minutes to get there else I''m going to go to Harry myself and you will have no choice than to tell him who I am," She threatened before hanging up.

    "Find somewhere convenient for a formal meeting and text him the address," she ordered told her assistant.

    Aaron on the other hand nced at Lucy as he returned the phone to her and rose from his seat, "I need to shower and get dressed," he said, but Lucy only sighed as she watched him walk away.

    It wasn''t difficult to see that Sara was a self-centered bitch. She felt sorry for her mother who had shared a womb with someone like that, and she felt even more sorry for Harry who was unfortunate enough to have someone like that birth to him.

    She needed to get some answers for Aaron and Harry before Aaron would tell Harry about his mother. She was going to first give her mom a call to find out her sister''s name and show her Sara''s picture for confirmation. Once she was certain that Sara was her aunty, she would have to ask Tom to find out what truly happened to Sara''s baby girl.

    Although, she would hate to adopt the Hank family approach in finding out the truth, but that would be the only way to go about if truly Sara was her aunty.

    Aaron deserved to know the truth about what had happened to his daughter and have closure. And maybe the truth about what happened would also help Aaron fight against Sara if she tried to y dirty. Lucy reasoned with a sigh as she dialed J''s line.

 Chapter 413: Closure

    Chapter 413: ClosureCandace sat beside Jero''s bed and ced a wet napkin on his forehead as she watched him sleep. No matter how much she thought about it, she still couldn''t understand what she was doing by Jero''s bedside or why she felt the need to do this, but she couldn''t help it. Although he was a monster, she wasn''t, and she couldn''t bring herself to his level.

    She tried to focus on on the pleasant thoughts, and dwell on the few good things she could remember about him. No matter how possessive and wicked he had been, he was her first love. He had given them their first home away from the orphanage. He had given her Jamal. For that she would stay beside him until he died.

    She turned to the door when it opened and one of the men stationed outside it walked in, "Someone is here to see you," he said as he looked from her to the napkin on Jero''s temple and back again.

    "Me? Who?" She asked as she rose from her seat.

    "He is outside," the man said before stepping out of the room again, and Candace headed for the door.

    Her heart skipped a beat when she saw Matt standing outside the door with a familiar looking duffle bag in hand and a styrofoam cup of coffee.

    "Matt?" She asked, and he gave her a nod.

    "Hello, Candace! I met Jade at the hotel and she told me you are here," he said as his eyes travelled over her body, from her short crop of ck hair to the sandals she was wearing. She looked sort of exhausted, but she looked good.

    "Yeah," she said as she awkwardly ran both hands over her sides and looked at both men guarding the door as she wondered if Jade told him what she was doing there.

    "I''m nursing Jero," she said, feeling slightly embarrassed by her admission. She couldn''t help wondering what he was probably thinking concerning her nursing the same man she had described to be a monster.

    "I see," Matt said as he took note of her embarrassed gaze.

    "Do you mind stepping out with me for a moment? I would like to talk with you in private," Matt said, and Candace gave him a nod.

    "Is that my bag?" She asked, staring at the familiar bag he was carrying, and Matt gave her a nod.

    "Yeah. Since we weren''t sure how long you''d be here, Jade packed a couple of things you might be in need of," Matt exined as he extended the bag to her.

    "Thanks," she said with a polite smile as she received the bag from him, and opened it for the men to inspect and see there was nothing harmful inside it.

    "Give me a minute to drop the bag," she said as she returned inside the room and after dropping the bag she reced the napkin on Jero''s temple with a cool one before leaving the room.

    "I got this for you," Matt said as he handed her the cup of coffee.

    "Thanks," Candace murmured, and neither of them said another word to each other as they walked down the passageway in search of a convenient ce they could talk.

    While Candace wondered why he hade to see her and what he wanted to say, Matt was wondering the same thing. He had said he was going to stay away from her, so why had he canceled everything he had to do for the day and traveled down here to meet with her?

    All through the flight down there he had tried to convince himself that he was onlying to do his best to talk her out of doing something she might regret by hurting Jero as Jade had told him she nned to do, so why was he still here even after Jade had informed him that Candace was watching over her dying husband and had changed her mind concerning harming him?

    They both continued to walk until they hade out of the hospital building, since everywhere seemed busy with activity and there was barely a private spot where they could sit.

    "I think there is a garden somewhere around here," Candace said when she sniffed flowers in the air, and Matt let her lead the way as they walked around the building until they got to the colorful garden where a couple of patients and their various caretakers sat.

    Once they had found a spot for themselves, they sat down and Candace raised the cup of coffee to her lips as she waited for him to speak.

    After some time passed and Matt still didn''t say a word, Candace decided to speak first, "I''m sorry."

    "I heard that you left Jamal behind."

    They both looked at each other when they spoke at the same time, and Candace smiled, "Yes, I didn''t bring him with me. I didn''t want him to see Jero," she exined and Matt nodded.

    "I''m sure he is happy over at Tom''s. How long will you be here?" Matt asked, and Candace shrugged.

    "I don''t know yet," Candace said, since she was going to be there until Jero was dead and buried.

    "I will probably stop by at Tom''s ce to see Jamal some time next week," Matt said as he turned his attention to some kids who were running around.

    Candace smiled at the thought of how happy Jamal would be, "I''m sure he will be very excited to see you."

    "I hope so. Have you heard from your sister yet?" Matt asked, and she shook her head before telling him what Jero had said about a cargo ship.

    "If they''re traveling in a cargo ship that means it would likely take some time before you hear from her, depending on the destination of the ship," Matt said thoughtfully.

    "Are you still very mad at me?" Candace blurted out as she looked at him.

    She couldn''t hold it in anymore. Matt had been sounding like nothing had happened between them and it was making her anxious. She wished he would express his annoyance or grievance instead of just acting like nothing had happened.

    "That is not why I am here," he said quietly, trying not to let his bitterness show in his tone.

    "Then why are you here?" Candace asked curiously, and Matt sighed.

    "I don''t know. Maybe I was just very worried about you and wanted to be sure everything was okay," he said with a shrug, but still did not look at her.

    "I''m sorry I had to lie to you that way," Candace said apologetically.

    "How much of it was a lie?" Matt asked after a moment''s hesitation.

    "Only the part about Andy and I tampering with the drugs. We didn''t," she confessed, and Matt gave her a nod.

    "Then you shouldn''t be sorry. You wanted me out of your life, and you seeded. You should be d your n worked," Matt said with a shrug.

    "I just didn''t want you to get hurt," Candace said quietly, and this time he snorted as he shook his head and turned to meet her gaze.

    "I don''t believe that. On my waying down here I kept thinking about it, and I came to the conclusion that Jero wasn''t the reason you pushed me away. You knew about Jero and what he was capable of before signing up on that dating app. If you were that worried about Jero, you would never have signed up there. And I can swear that even if Jero dies this moment you still won''t be ready. It''s neither me nor Jero that you are worried about," Matt said, and Candace looked away from him.

    "Tell me that I''m wrong, and I will wait," Matt said as he continued to watch her, but she said nothing.

    After some time, Matt sighed, "You don''t have to worry. I didn''te here to ask you to be my girlfriend again or anything of the like. I think I''m just here to find closure," Matt said dismissively, and Candace tried not to look too disappointed.

    What was she expecting after continuously pushing him away in that manner? Truth was, she still wasn''t sure if she was ready to be in a rtionship yet. Mere thoughts of being in a rtionship always made her stomach churn and twist into nervous knots.

    Maybe he was right and she hadn''t pushed him away just because she was scared of Jero, and she was probably always going to find excuses and reasons not to get involved with him even if she liked him and wanted to have him close to her.

    Perhaps Jade was right, and she was a coward who was scared of being happy. Or maybe she was scared of tasting just a bit of happiness and nothing more.

    All her life it seemed like happiness always eluded her. Things would seem great a bit at the beginning and then everything would go south. Although she had been too young to remember anything but if she was to go by what she had been told, then she had just been adopted by a wealthy family and had lost them to death. That was also the same way she had found love with Jero initially and not long after he turned into such a scary being that made life unbearable for her and Andy.

    All these were probably mere excuses that didn''t make sense, but she didn''t want to take the risk. This fear was the same reason she had chosen not to search for the family who abandoned her. She didn''t want to end up getting disappointed. If she didn''t desire more than she already had, then she wouldn''t be disappointed.

    She was okay with having Jamal and Andy. And maybe she could have umitted lovers asionally if she felt very lonely as time went on, but she didn''t want any emotionalmitment that would set her up for possible disappointment or heartbreak.

    Matt was not only a younger guy, he was also a wealthy celebrity. What in the name of love could be possibly want to do with a single mother like her who was older than him? Being with him no matter how much she liked him would set her up for everything she was avoiding. Possible disappointment.

    "I hope you find it," Candace said after a while, and Matt nodded.

    "I hope so too. I learned that Jero is dying. How does that make you feel?" Matt asked, and Candace turned to him.

    "Mostly relieved. A part of me feels sad and sorry, but I''m relieved. Jamal is better off with a dead father than a living Jero," Candace said, and Matt merely stared at her.

    "You must think I''m crazy for being here with him despite everything, right?" She asked with a small smile and he shook his head.

    "What I think shouldn''t matter to you. I think I will be leaving now. I need to get back to Sogal in time for my next appointment," Matt said as he stood, and Candace did the same.

    "Thanks for stopping by," she said with a polite smile.

    "If you need a friend, you can count on me," he said as he held out his arms, and Candace smiled as she embraced him. She was thankful that he was still willing to offer his friendship despite everything.

    "Thank you, Matt. For everything. Thank you," she said, and Matt sighed as he pulled away.

    Perhaps avoiding her wasn''t the best approach to getting over her. He had learned that the more he consciously tried to forget about her the more he missed her. So he was just going to be the friend she needed and slowly get over her with. That way he could focus on other things without missing her too much.

    "Make sure you don''t do anything you will regret. When all of this is over we will figure out the next step for you and Jamal, so don''t worry yourself thinking about it too much," he said as he gazed at her, and Candace smiled at him, as her eyes filled up with tears.

    Tom had promised to take care of her and Jamal, Jade had said she would help her, and now Matt was offering the same thing. Somehow she was now surrounded by people who cared about her.

    Although she wasn''t really expecting anything from them since she was well aware of how disappointing humans could turn out to be, still she was thankful for the thoughtfulness behind their words.

 Chapter 414: Golden Lotus Restaurant

    Chapter 414: Golden Lotus RestaurantInstead of taking one of Harry''s cars, Lucy and Aaron booked an Uber ride instead to take them to the Golden Lotus Restaurant where Sara had asked Aaron to meet with her.

    They were both lost in their various thoughts as they sat quietly in the car. Aaron couldn''t say he was not worried as he knew that whatever he discussed with Sara would determine a lot of things in his future rtionship with Harry.

    As Lucy had advised, he needed toe clean with Harry after keeping this secret for all these years, and he needed Harry to hear it directly from him even if it would mean going to Harry''s office today to tell him the truth if Sara refused his offer and decided to do as she pleased.

    Lucy on the other hand sighed and looked out of the window as she recalled her phone conversation with her mother while Aaron was getting dressed earlier.

    "Hello, sweety! I''m d you called. I was going to call you to find out if you''ve seen Lucas yet," J had said immediately after she received the call.

    "Good morning, mom. Yes, I have. I was with him a while ago," Lucy had said, as she tried to think of the best way to broach the subject.

    "That is good. How are you? And how is everything going over there? I hope Tom is fine. I spoke with Evelyn yesterday," J had said, and Lucy could hear the smile in her voice.

    "Everything is alright, mom. I called because I wanted to ask you a question," Lucy finally said, thinking that she should have sent the picture to her mother before calling her. But on second thought knowing her mother as she did, she knew that J would freak out if she received such a picture from her out of the blue.

    "Oh! Alright, pumpkin. Go on," J urged her as she poured some tea into her cup.

    "Before I do that, where is Dad?" Lucy asked when she realized that she was yet to hear his voice in the background as usual, and she would prefer if he was there with J to calm her down in case she became very upset.

    "He stepped out a while ago. Go on with your question. Or do you need him to be here to ask your question?" J inquired as she raised her cup of chamomile tea to her nose and took a deep whiff before sipping from it.

    Lucy nced down at the hallway when Aaron called out to apologize for keeping her waiting. She needed to be fast and done with this before Aaron returned.

    "I know you might find my question to be very odd and upsetting, and I''m sorry. But this is important and I really need to know. What was the name of your twin sister?" Lucy asked, and J''s heart skipped a beat as she drew in a sharp breath.

    "What? Why are you asking me that all of a sudden? Has she tried to reach you too? Did Sara give you a call?" J asked as she dropped her teacup and rose, her voice ringing with anger at the thought that Sara was not only contacting her and Andrew but she was now trying to get to her kids.

    Hearing her mention the name that confirmed her suspicion, Lucy''s heart skipped a beat and she swallowed, "Too? Has she been trying to reach youtely?" Lucy asked curiously, and J drew in a deep breath to control her temper.

    "Answer my question, Lucy! Did she give you a call or try to meet with you?" J asked through clenched teeth.

    "No, she didn''t. Mom, do you know if she ever got married or had any kids?" Lucy asked, wanting to know if her mother was aware of Aaron''s existence.

    "I don''t know, and if for any reason she did, then I feel sorry for whoever the unfortunate man is. Unless of course she probably married someone who is just as evil as she is," J spat out spitefully.

    "Did you really hear from her recently? Did she tell you she was ill?" Lucy asked urgently, wanting to be done with the phone call before Aaron returned.

    J took a deep breath. Seeing no reason not to tell Lucy about Sara''s recent calls. She suspected that Sara might try to get through to her by any means possible, and as such she wanted Lucy to ignore her if they ever crossed paths.

    "She has tried to reach out to me and your father but we are not taking her calls, and neither should you and your brother. I don''t know why you are suddenly asking me all these questions about her, but do not for any reason allow her toe anywhere close to you or get involved in any way with her. She is bad news. Sara is cruel, insensitive, heartless, self-centered, and pure evil. Nothing good cane from associating with her," J warned in a hate-filled voice.

    "And I hope you would stop asking me questions about her. You have just ruined my day," J said as she picked up her cup of tea and went to pour it down the sink.

    "I''m sorry. That wasn''t my intention," Lucy said apologetically and nced up when she heard Aaron approaching.

    "Why were you asking all of a sudden?" J asked before Lucy could hang up.

    "I will tell you about itter. I have to go now. I love you, mom," Lucy said and hung up the call once Aaron walked into the living room.

    Seated in the car now, Lucy sighed as she looked away from the window and nced at Aaron who had a pensive expression on his face, "Don''t worry too much," Lucy said as she reached for his hand and ced hers over it.

    She too was worried but she couldn''t let it show. She needed to be strong for Aaron, and for Harry, "I should probably call to inform Harry that we are going out," Lucy said, and Aaron shook his head immediately.

    "If you do that he is going to rush over to wherever we are to take me home," Aaron said, and Lucy sighed.

    She nced down at her handbag when her phone suddenly beeped with a text message notification and she took out the phone. It was a text from Tom.

    [Hey, love! How''s Aaron doing? What''s going on there?]

    "It''s Tom," Lucy informed Aaron as she typed back a response.

    [We are on our way to the Golden Lotus Restaurant to meet with Sara. I will give you the detailster.]

    Her eyes widened in surprise as she read Tom''s text which came back almost immediately, [Who is she? And why are you meeting her there? I and Harry are currently having a meeting with some foreign investors at the Golden Lotus Restaurant.]

    Lucy''s heart was beating very fast as she turned to Aaron, "Tom says Harry is currently at the Golden Lotus Restaurant," she informed him.

    "What? No. We can''t let him see us there. We can''t let her meet him there," Aaron said, rmed, and immediately Lucy texted Tom back.

    [Please get Harry out of there right now. He can''t meet with Sara until Aaron tells him who she is.]

    Away from there, Tom frowned as he read Lucy''s text. Who was Sara and why couldn''t Harry meet with her? It wasn''t like Harry would recognize her if he saw her, or would he?

    Sensing the urgency in her text, Tom nced at Harry who was sipping a ss of wine as heughed at something one of the investors had said.

    [I will see what I can do.] He texted back before clearing his throat to get their attention.

    "Gentlemen, since we are done with the meeting, I think Harry and I need to return to the office. Seeing how you have invested so much, we have to triple our efforts so that you can get even better returns on your investment. You won''t get that if we both CEOs sit here and drink wine all day. Although I''m sure Harry here doesn''t mindzing around all day," Tom joked, and the investorsughed while Harry looked at him with a scowl.

    "Yet I am the supposed workaholic. What''s the rush? We should at least finish our sses of wine," Harry said, and the investors chorused their agreement making Tom smile as he raised his winess to his lips and gulped down the entire content of his winess.

    "I''m done with mine. Finish yours and let''s leave. I have to help Lucy with something important at the office," Tom said as he rose from his seat, and Harry tried not to roll his eyes as he gulped down the content of his winess and rose too.

    "Fine. I''m only agreeing because you mentioned Lucy," he said as he buttoned his suit jacket, "I''m sorry we have to leave now," Harry said politely as the investors stood.

    "It''s fine. Our mind is at rest knowing that you are so devoted to your jobs, and our money is safe with you," one of the investors said as they shook hands with Harry and Tom before they left.

    "What does Lucy want you to do at the office?" Harry asked as they headed for the door.

    "I just recalled that she was supposed to ask the human resource department to put out an ad for a part-time secretary to fill in for Amy until her return," Tom said, which wasn''t entirely a lie.

    "A simple one minute phonecall could have fixed that," Harry pointed out, and Tom shrugged.

    "What can I say? I guess I was just jealous of the way you wereughing at some of those dry jokes and I wanted to take you away from them and keep you to myself. You are fast growing on me," Tom said, and Harry chuckled as they walked through the door.

    "Your level of idiocy never ceases to amaze me," Harry said in amusement as they walked past twodies who were walking into the restaurant.

    Harry paused when he noticed a designer scarf on the floor and he picked it up, suspecting that it belonged to one of thedies who had just walked past them as she was d in designer wear.

    Just as he turned around to call out to her, Sara who had gotten to the door and was about to step inside, also turned around when it suddenly urred to her that the person who had just walked past them was Harry, since she was quite familiar with his face.

    At that same moment, the cab carrying Lucy and Aaron drove into the restaurant premises, and Aaron''s heart skipped a beat when he caught a glimpse of Harry and Sara staring at each other.

 Chapter 415: Harrys Biological Mother

    Chapter 415: Harry''s Biological Mother"I think you dropped this," Harry said as he looked at thedy who was standing by the door of the restaurant staring at him.

    Something about her seemed familiar, but he couldn''t tell what it was since he could swear that he had never seen her before. He doubted that he could ever forget a face such as hers if he had ever seen her.

    Sara''s secretary took a step forward to take it from Harry, but Sara ced a hand on her shoulder to stop her, "Don''t worry. I will get it myself," she said as she stepped forward instead and approached Harry with a smile.

    "You are such a gentleman. Thank you," she said as she received it from him and Harry gave her a polite nod.

    "You are wee," Harry said, and turned to leave, but just as he took a step Sara stopped him.

    "Are you by chance, Harry Jonas?" Sara asked, even though she recognized him.

    Harry looked at her, surprised that she knew who he was, and at the same time curious to know who she was.

    Hearing her question, Tom who was merely observing, quickly stepped forward when he realized that she might be the Sara, who Aaron was on his way to meet, and who Lucy had told him Harry must not meet.

    When he had heard of Sara from Harry the previous day, he had been expecting to see a shabby-lookingdy who was ckmailing Aaron for money or something, but seeing such a dignified person, he couldn''t imagine what business she could possibly have with Aaron to make him so upset.

    "Harry, we should leave now," Tom said urgently, and Sara''s gaze moved to him.

    "And I take it you are, Thomas Hank, Harry''s best friend?" She asked as her gaze settled on Tom.

    Tom had only revealed his identity to the public recently, and seeing how easily she recognized him and described him as Harry''s best friend, that meant she knew him in rtion to Harry. Although Tom was curious to know who she was and find out what she wanted, this wasn''t this time.

    "Yes, I am. I''m sorry, we are in a hurry right now, and we can''t stand around to chat with..."

    "I''m sorry, I don''t seem to recognize you. Who are you? And how do you know us?" Harry cut in before Tom could finish, thinking that she might be the spouse of a business partner and they needed to greet her appropriately if she was. Something about the way she was looking at him unsettled him.

    Sara smiled, "I am here to meet with an old friend. Someone, I think you know. How about you join us for lunch? Or perhaps we could share a bottle of wine until he joins me while I introduce myself to you?" Sara asked, looking at Harry with a sly smile.

    Sara believed that if Aaron was to meet her having a discussion with Harry, he would have no choice but to tell Harry the truth about who she was as that would make everything faster for her.

    "An old friend?" Harry asked, but Tom quickly shook his head.

    "No. I''m afraid we can''t do that..."

    "I was asking Harry, not you. I''m sure he can answer for himself," Sara cut in with a cold smile, "And you are free to leave if you are in a hurry," Sara said, jerking her head to the side for Tom to leave, and Harry frowned, not impressed by her sudden rudeness.

    Tom cocked his head to the side as he stepped forward, ready to respond to her rude remark, but before either of them could say a word, Tom''s phone started ringing and he turned to look at Tom, who quickly received the call when he saw that it was from Lucy.

    "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE YOU DOING RIGHT NOW? Get him out of there and far away from that woman at once! That person is Harry''s biological mom!" Lucy snapped at him to make him realize the urgency of the situation, and immediately Tom''s heart skipped a beat, as he slowly turned surprised eyes to look at Sara who was staring at Harry.

    This woman was Harry''s mom? She wasn''t dead all these years? Of all the secrets he had been expecting Aaron to hide from Harry, this wasn''t part of it.

    She looked wealthy, and judging by the way her gaze was focused on Harry, he could tell that she knew he was her son. Did she possibly abandon him this whole time?

    Although he didn''t know the exact details, but he already didn''t like her merely by looking at her, and she looked like the sort of person who would abandon her child.

    No! There was no way he was going to let Harry find out about his mother this way even if he didn''t exactly know the story. He would take Harry far away from her even if it meant knocking him out and dragging his unconscious body to the car.

    "Who was that? Is everything okay?" Harry asked, looking at Tom with concern when he noticed how stunned he looked.

    "I can''t give you the exact details right now, but we should leave at once," he said in a grave tone, and seeing how serious he looked, Harry gave him a nod.

    "I''m sorry, we have to leave right now. Maybe next time," Harry said and before Sara could stop them, Tom took hold of Harry''s hand and pulled him away with him.

    Sara''s brow was raised as she watched them walk away. Was it possible that Tom knew who she was? Or was Aaron somewhere around here and had called Tom? She wondered as she scanned the parking lot.

    "Is everything alright?" Sara''s assistant asked, and she shook her head.

    "Everything is alright. Let''s go in and wait for him," Sara said as she walked past her assistant into the restaurant.

    In the parking lot across from there, Lucy felt like she was going to have a heart attack merely by watching the scene in front of her. She let out a deep sigh of relief as she watched Tom and Harry get into their car and drive off.

    Although they were too far away to hear what Sara had said to Harry, but judging by how easily Harry had left with Tom, she could tell that Harry still didn''t know who Sara was.

    She turned to Aaron who had bepletely white and she sped a hand over his arm and shook him gently, "You''re going to pass out if you don''t breathe, Aaron," she told him softly when she noticed that he was holding his breath.

    Immediately, Aaron let out his breath, and he raised a hand to his chest as he tried to calm his racing heart.

    "Don''t worry. He didn''t recognize her," Lucy assured him when Aaron used his hands to cover his face.

    "I can''t keep living this way," Aaronined, and the cab driver turned to them as he wondered how long they were going to remain in his car.

    "We should go in now," Lucy said as she handed the cab driver some money notes, and they both got out of the car.

    "I noticed she came with someone. Do you mind if I sit with you when you speak to her?" Lucy asked, and Aaron shook his head.

    "I will feel morefortable if you are there," Aaron said, and Lucy nodded.

    "Me too. I promised Harry I will take care of you. I won''t befortable if I leave you alone with her," Lucy said, and Aaron smiled.

    "Do you mind if I record whatever you both discuss?" Lucy asked, and Aaron shook his head.

    "It''s probably best you do that."

    "When you introduce me, tell her I''m your daughter," Lucy suggested, wanting to see how Sara would react to that.

    "She probably knows Harry is my only child and I don''t have a daughter. She would never believe us," Aaron said, and Lucy shrugged.

    "That is her problem. You don''t owe her any exnation. Just tell her that," Lucy said as she intertwined her hand with Aaron''s hand, and they walked into the restaurant.

    Away from there, in Rebekah Miller''s apartment, she walked down the stairs gracefully as she came down to join her daughters who she had been informed were visiting.

    Tiffany and Bernice stood from their seats as their mother walked into the living room with her gaze fixed on Bernice.

    "What are you doing here? Has she returned to her husband?" Rebekah asked Tiffany, and immediately Bernice stepped forward.

    "Yes, I have. I''m sorry for being stubborn and not listening to you, mother," Bernice said apologetically, and Rebekah turned to Tiffany who gave her a nod.

    "My husband was kind enough to drop her off this morning, on his way to the office," Tiffany assured Rebekah, and she nodded with approval.

    "Good. You may now sit," Rebekah ordered as she lowered herself to her favorite seat and her daughters did the same.

    "You almost disappointed me, Bernice. I''m so relieved that you are back to your senses," Rebekah said as one of the housekeepers came to serve them tea and cookies.

    "I''m sorry, mother," Bernice said with a bow.

    "This must never repeat itself again. You are my first daughter and it is your responsibility to guide your sisters on the right path when they are going astray. What example would you be setting for Anita if she heard of your action?" Rebekah asked, and once again, Bernice apologized.

    "Anyway, it is a good thing that has been cleared up and you are both here. I have good news to share with you," Rebekah said with a pleased smile as she lifted her cup of cinnamon tea to her lips.

    "You do? What could it be?" Tiffany asked as she exchanged a curious look with Bernice.

    "A short while ago, I received a mail from Eric Howells."

    "Eric Howells?" Both sisters chorused in surprise as she had expected and Rebekah''s smile widened.

    "Is it the same Eric Howells we are thinking?" Bernice asked their mother in disbelief, and Rebekahughed delightfully.

    "Yes, my darlings. Eric Howells has sent an invitation for me and my daughters to appear on his show. You know what that means, don''t you?" Rebekah asked, andughed happily when both Bernice and Tiffany squealed with girlish excitement.

    "It means we are celebrities!" Tiffany cried as she embraced Bernice.

    "I can''t believe we have be so famous to be acknowledged by Eric Howells! This is unbelievable! It feels like a dream!" Bernice cried, and Rebekah smiled.

    "It is indeed a dreame true. Now I want you both to remember something. We never would have gotten this far had I allowed your father to drag us down with him," Rebekah said as she looked from Bernice to Tiffany and then back again.

    "We must let go of silly emotions such as love. Those are for nobodies. If you want to achieve great things, you must not allow yourself to be tied down by such foolish emotions," Rebekah warned as she looked at Bernice.

    "If you desire greatness, stick to great people. If you want to be considered rich, associate with only the rich. If you want to be influential, stick with influential people," Rebekah schooled them, and both daughters nodded in agreement.

    "I will never forgive any daughter of mine that chooses a different path from the one I have set for her," Rebekah threatened, and Bernice nodded.

    "I will never disappoint you again, mother," she promised.

    "Now we need to get ready for the show. We have to go shopping for a new outfit. It all has to be limited edition designers. And do not let your sister, Lisa, know about this. You know how she is. Even though she''s married to a wealthy man, she ispletely different from us. I don''t want her embarrassing us. I will let Eric know that she''s expecting her baby soon and as such, she can''t be on the show with us," Rebekah said, and once again they nodded.

    "What about Anita? Will she be joining us?"

    "Of course, Anita has to be there with us. We have to ensure that she looks her best. I want Thomas Hank to see her and know that Lucinda Perry is nothingpared to Anita," Rebekah said with a smirk as she thought about all the ns she had in store for Lucy.

 Chapter 416: Your Dad?

    Chapter 416: Your Dad?"I might say some shocking things in there. Try not to be too startled, and just y along, okay?" Lucy warned Aaron as they walked into the restaurant. Thest thing she wanted was for him to be shocked and have a heart attack or something.

    Aaron turned to her, "What do you n to say?" Aaron asked under his breath as they approached the table where Sara was seated.

    "I can''t tell you right now, but please trust me and y along," Lucy said as she took out her phone and turned on her sound recorder.

    As Sara watched them approaching she turned to her assistant, "Who is thedying with him?" Sara asked as she raised her winess to her lips.

    "Her name is Lucinda Perry. She is J Perry''s daughter, and the girlfriend of Thomas Hank, Harry''s best friend."

    Lucy watched as Sara''s assistant leaned towards her and whispered something to her, which made Sara''s brows pull together as she dropped her winess and took a closer look at Lucy who was also staring directly at her.

    Seeing the surprise on her face as she looked at her, Lucy was quick to figure that it was possible Sara already knew who she was, especially since Sara had tried to reach her mother. It would make sense that in her quest to find her sister she had found out that her sister was married with kids.

    "Why are you just telling me this now?" Sara snapped at her assistant.

    "I''m sorry, ma''am. I only got to know about itst weekend when I watched her interview. I tried to tell you about it but you said you were only interested in your Harry and J and not in J''s children or their rtionships," the assistant said, and Sara raised a finger to shut her up when Aaron and Lucy got to the table.

    J''s daughter? Why was sheing with Aaron? If she was dating Thomas Hank, did that mean she had been the one who called Tom a moment ago? Was that why he had been in a hurry to leave with Harry? Did J''s daughter know who she was? Sara wondered as she watched them approach.

    Aaron pulled out a seat for Lucy without acknowledging Sara, before taking his own seat and looking at Sara. He hated that his heart still hurt merely by looking into her deceptive face.

    "Hello, Aaron! It''s good to see you again," Sara said with a cool smile, and Lucy noticed how Aaron''s hands which were on his thighs balled into a fist, and she reached out a hand to cover his own.

    "I can''t say the same for you. I wish I didn''t have to meet with you," Aaron said just as a waiter joined them, and Sara''s smile faltered.

    "C''mon, Aaron! That is no way to greet an old friend," she said in a chiding tone that made Lucy''s blood boil with anger.

    How could she be sounding this way when she was meeting the man for the first time in twenty eight years after absconding with his money and abandoning their baby? She was clearly unrepentant and unremorseful.

    "I''m not here to greet an old friend. We are not friends," Aaron said coldly, and Sara smirked.

    "Excuse us," Sara said, and immediately her assistant stood up and walked away.

    Sara''s gaze shifted to Lucy, "Why are you not excusing us?" She asked with a slightly raised brow, but Lucy ignored her and instead focused on telling the waiter the wine she wanted, and also ordered a ss of red wine for Aaron.

    "There is no reason for her to leave. She knows everything," Aaron said, and Sara raised a brow.

    Once the waiter left, Lucy turned her attention to Sara, "I can''t leave my dad alone with someone like you," Lucy said with a one-sided shrug, deciding to go on with her n and leave Sara guessing if what she knew about her was correct or wrong.

    Sara raised a brow as she looked from Lucy to Aaron, "Your... Dad?" She asked, wondering what was going on. If she was J''s daughter, why was she referring to Aaron as her father?

    "Do you have a problem with that? Let''s get down to the reason why we are here. What do you want, Sara? Why are you back?" Aaron asked, but Sara shook her head.

    "I won''t have that discussion with you until I know who she is or she leaves us to speak in private," Sara insisted.

    "I already told you who I am. Is it that difficult for you toprehend?" Lucy asked as she eyed the woman who she hade to despise even without ever speaking with her or hearing her side of the story.

    Although she knew that some times it was best to hear both sides of a story before drawing a conclusion, but after hearing from her mother and Aaron about their experience with Sara, she wasn''t sure she wanted to hear anything from Sara. Her mother was a sweet soul who only saw the best in people, and from what she knew about Harry and her little interaction with Aaron, she knew that Aaron was a good man too. Any person who could hurt J and Aaron that way was an evil person.

    "Who are you, youngdy? And what gives you the impression that you have the right to speak to me in such a manner?" Sara asked coldly.

    "You heard her. She is my daughter. And she has every right to speak to you in that manner since she knows exactly the kind of person you are," Aaron said, but Sara looked unconvinced.

    "To the best of my knowledge you only have Harry..."

    "As you rightly said, that is to the best of your knowledge, and as you can see, your knowledge on the issue is limited. I see no reason why we have to waste our time to prove the nature of our rtionship to you," Lucy cut in, and Sara frowned

    "If she is not going to excuse us, then I will take my leave," Sara said as she attempted to rise from her seat.

    "By all means do so. I''m sorry for doubting you, dad. You were right about her. I can''t believe a person like this gave birth to me," Lucy said, startling both Aaron and Sara who suddenly froze, and blood drained off her face.

    Lucy knew that she was taking a big risk as there was every possibility that their daughter was truly dead and she was reopening an old wound. However, this was a risk she was willing to take for both Aaron''s and Harry''s sake. It was a fifty-fifty guess, and if there was any possibility that Harry''s twin sister was alive somewhere, this was the only way she could confirm it.

    "I know you didn''t want her to know about me. I''m sorry, dad. I couldn''t stop myself," Lucy said without taking her eyes off Sara to look at Aaron who had stiffened beside her.

    Lucy''s heart was beating fast as she watched Sara''s pale face, and how her eyes darted from Lucy to Aaron in confusion as she slowly settled down on her seat once again.

    "Wha---at is she talking about?" Sara asked in a shaky voice, but Aaron was still too stunned by what Lucy had just said to respond, so Lucy squeezed his hand, reminding him of what she had told him before they got to the table.

    Seeing her reaction, and hearing her question Lucy suspected that she had been right, and Sara had lied to Aaron about the death of their daughter. She didn''t look like a woman who knew for a fact that her daughter was dead, else, why did she appear so confused when she should be mad at her for saying something like that?

    Choosing to go with her hunch, Lucy continued, "Did you think he would never find out? You sold m..."

    "Lucy, please stop," Aaron called in a pleading voice, and when Lucy noticed how his entire body was trembling with emotion she stopped.

    Sara looked from Aaron to Lucy in confusion, wondering what was going on. Was it possible? There was no way it was possible that Aaron found out about what she had done, was there? And even if he had done so how could he have found their daughter so easily? Was that why she has been unable to find her? Sara wondered as she raised a shaky hand to massage her head which was beginning to ache.

    "A--aron?" Sara stuttered fearfully when she saw how Aaron was trembling with emotion.

    Was it possible that he had been hiding it from her this whole time and had called for them to meet just so he would let her know that he knew what she had done?

    Seeing the sudden fear and confusion in her eyes, and how her hands were now trembling when she had been running her mouth a moment ago and acting like she was in charge, Lucy was willing to bet all she had that Aaron''s daughter did not die at birth.

 Chapter 417: A Liar And A Con Artist

    Chapter 417: A Liar And A Con Artist"Please excuse me," Aaron pleaded as he pushed his chair away from the table and staggered to his feet.

    Immediately, Lucy stood up to help him, when he almost walked into the waiter who had brought their drinks but he shook his head, "I will be back. I need a moment alone," Aaron said as he walked away from there.

    After he left, and the waiter dropped their drinks, Lucy picked up her winess and sipped from it before returning her attention to Sara who was still staring at her.

    "I don''t know why you came back, or what you want from Harry, but I won''t let you get anywhere close to him. If you so much as go ten feet near him as you did earlier without Aaron''s permission, I will expose you for what you are to the world. I will also tell everyone how you stole your father''s money and ran away from home iming to be an orphan!" Lucy warned, and Sara''s brows pulled together.

    Her assistant had said Lucy was J''s daughter, and now she was saying she was Aaron''s daughter. Who was she going to believe?

    But seeing how Lucy knew exactly who she was, did that mean Aaron had possibly found out about her family and he knew J too? Was it possible that J had helped Aaron raise their daughter? Was that why Lucy was dating Harry''s best friend? There was no way all of this could be a coincidence, could there be?

    Now she regretted paying attention to only J, Aaron, and Harry, and not paying attention to all the other details the private investigator had gathered on their friends and acquaintances. She picked up her winess with trembling hands and gulped down the entire content.

    "Who are you?" Sara asked, watching Lucy closely.

    "I already told you who I am. Do I need to spell it out? I am the daughter you sold. Harry''s twin sister, who was raised by your own twin sister," Lucy said, and to her satisfaction, Sara''s eyes widened ever so slightly in shock.

    "How is that possible?" Sara asked in disbelief. It didn''t make any sense.

    "How is it possible? I suppose you are wondering how it happened. How he found me after you sold me and how I ended up with your twin sister, am I right?" Lucy asked, wanting her to talk so she could get the evidence she needed.

    Until Sara says the words with her mouth confirming that she had sold Aaron''s daughter, it would remain just a suspicion and mere spection. Lucy wanted tangible evidence so that she could confidently ask Tom to look into it.

    "Surely you must have heard the saying that no secret stays hidden forever. Aaron and J might have been kindhearted enough to hide the truth of your wickedness from the world because deep down they did not want to cause any problems for you, but I''m nothing like them. I''m your daughter, after all, and I have your evil heart. I won''t hesitate to create problems for you if you cause any more problems for Harry and Aaron," Lucy threatened when Sara just kept staring at her without saying a word, and maybe it was because Sara could see that she genuinely meant the threat, Sara sat up.

    Sara looked at Lucy, not entirely sure of what was going on. If everything Lucy was saying was the truth, and they all knew what she had done, then she couldn''t approach Harry as she had wanted to. She had been counting on Harry and Aaron never finding out the truth about their daughter. Now Harry would most likely not listen to her apology or the exnation she had rehearsed to give him.

    "How do I know you are really my daughter?" She asked skeptically, and Lucy smiled as she slowly picked up her winess and took a sip before gently dropping it on the table.

    At that point Lucy remembered the saying, ''It takes a monster to destroy a monster''. In simr fashion, only a liar and a con artist could destroy a liar and con artist like Sara.

    "What do you need? A DNA test to prove it?" Lucy asked, and Sara gave her a nod.

    "Yes, I do."

    Immediately, Lucy raised a hand to her head and plucked out a strand of her hair, "Alright. What happens if I let you have this and you get the proof you need? Will you tell me why you sold me?" Lucy asked, and Sara frowned, suspecting that this could be a trap.

    "I don''t know what you are talking about. My daughter died," Sara said, and Lucy smirked as she dropped the hair strand on the table between them.

    "Did she? Who am I then? I wonder why you need a DNA test to confirm if I am your daughter if you really believe that your daughter died. For a brief moment, I was almost willing to believe that Aaron was wrong about you, and maybe the error was from the doctor not you," Lucy said, and seeing that Lucy was not buying her act, Sara shook her head as a pool of tears gathered in her eyes.

    "I never sold my daughter. I swear I never knew you were alive, I really thought you died. I think the doctor tricked me into believing you were dead," she cried deciding to take the escape route Lucy had just offered, but Lucy scoffed.

    "Really? Is that the best you cane up with? I feel rather disappointed. Knowing how well you conned Aaron, I expected you toe up with a more original lie than this," Lucy said with a shake of her head, and Sara sighed.

    "What are you trying to achieve by doing this?" Sara asked, not understanding why Lucy was going back and forth with her.

    She still didn''t know what to think, but one thing she knew was that Lucy knew a lot about her past, and seeing how she was connected to both J and Aaron, it was possible that she was telling the truth.

    "I need the truth from you! And I want an apology. A sincere apology. That is the only way I can forgive you for what you did to me and our family," Lucy said as tears gathered in her eyes.

    Sara took a deep breath as she looked at Lucy who was taking out her hankie from her handbag to wipe her tears. All she wanted was the truth and an apology? She didn''t regret anything she had done. Had she not done all of that she would never have gotten to where she was. She had made sacrifices that needed to be made and she wasn''t sorry for them.

    However, if admitting that she was wrong and offering an apology was all it would take to fix things with Lucy and get what she wanted from them, then she could tell her what she wanted to hear. If she was able to fix things with her, she was sure Lucy could help her find a way to fix things with J and Harry too.

    Sara took a deep breath as she met Lucy''s gaze, "I didn''t sell you. The couple needed a child and I had two. They were wealthy and I believed that they would take better care of you than Aaron. I wanted you to have a good life. I know there is no excuse or justification for all I did..."

    "Are you trying to tell me you didn''t get anything out of it? Am I supposed to believe that after everything I know about you?" Lucy cut in, unable to believe that someone as selfish as Sara would do something that did not benefit her financially.

    "Fine. In exchange, they got me a house, and a car, and helped me get endorsement deals. When I heard of their death, I wanted to find out what happened to you, but I was at the peak of my career then so I couldn''t risk the scandal. Giving you away the way I did was wrong, and I''m sorry. Please forgive me," Sara said as a tear slid down her cheek.

    "Thank you. I feel much better now," Lucy said with a sigh, d that she now had the proof she needed that Aaron''s daughter did not die that day.

    "I will try to talk with Aaron and Harry so they can forgive you. I will get back to you," Lucy promised, and Sara smiled.

    "You will do that for me?" Sara asked in mock surprise, and she smiled when Lucy bobbed her head.

    "Could you help me talk to J too?" Sara asked hopefully, and Lucy smiled.

    "Sure. I will. I will like us to put all this behind us and live as one happy big family. If I may ask, what is wrong with you? Aaron said you were ill," Lucy asked, wanting to understand if she hade back because she wanted to reconcile with her family and have them around her, or because she wanted something else.

    Judging by all she knew about her self-centeredness, and the attitude she had put up initially when she talked to Aaron over the phone and when they just arrived, Lucy could bet that she was back because she needed something, and not simply because she wanted a reunion with Harry and J.

    If a family reunion was what she wanted, she would have been more polite to Aaron. But seeing how she was trying to reunite with just Harry and J, something told Lucy this was rted to her health and she possibly needed their help.

    "It is called PSC. Primary Sclerosing Chngitis," Sara said with a sad smile not sure it was wise to tell her yet that she needed a liver transnt. She would need to get close enough and buy their trust before letting them know about it.

    "I''m sorry, I don''t know what that is, but I hope it isn''t too serious, and you will be fine?" Lucy asked, making a mental note to look it up on Google or ask Lucas about it.

    "I will be fine. I''m d I met you today. I''d love to hang out with you and get to know you better. Can you do that for me?" Sara asked, and Lucy smiled.

    "Sure. I would love that too. I would love to hear about Mn and all the fun ces you have visited," Lucy said, and Sara smiled, d that Lucy was just as easy to fool as Aaron was.

    "You are truly my daughter," Sara said, but Lucy shook her head when she saw Aaron returning to the table. There was no need to y nice anymore. She had gotten all she came for.

    Although Lucy knew that she was taking a risk by telling her the truth, she also knew that Sara was eventually going to find out the truth once they walked out of the restaurant, and she would rather deal with it now.

    "No. I am not. You have no idea how d I am that I am not. I am your niece. J''s daughter," Lucy announced, and Sara blinked at her in confusion, not understanding what was going on.

    "I only wanted evidence that you sold your daughter in exchange for a morous life. Now that I have it recorded, we have something tangible to use against you. Don''t think about doing anything to me, you have no idea the number of people who are involved in this case and who just listened in on our conversation. All fingers would point back to you if anything happens to me," Lucy said with a wide smile when she saw the anger in Sara''s eyes.

    "Aaron is here. You should smile. Tell him that you are exhausted and you need to leave. Then quietly crawl back into whatever hole you came out from and don''t go anywhere close to Harry or bother Aaron with your incessant calls again," Lucy said with a polite smile and she rose when Aaron stopped at the table.

    "We can leave now, Aaron. Mom has promised to stay away from Harry until you are ready to tell him about her. Right, mom?" Lucy asked, and although Sara''s hands were clenched under the table, she gave Aaron a tight smile.

    "I suddenly feel exhausted. I need to get some rest," Sara said, and Lucy nodded with approval.

    "It was good to meet you, mom. But I hope we don''t have to meet again," Lucy said, before turning to Aaron who was staring at them as he wondered what bothdies had discussed.

    "Let''s go home," Lucy said as she took Aaron''s hand and walked away with him.

 Chapter 418: Lack Of Genuineness

    Chapter 418: Lack Of Genuineness"Are you really not going to tell me what that was about just now?" Harry, who was driving the car, asked Tom, who continued to look out of the window as they returned to the office after leaving the restaurant.

    The only thing that kept ringing in Tom''s head was Lucy''s statement. "That person is Harry''s biological mom!"

    Harry, who had thought his mother was dead all these years and had always spoken so fondly of her was in for a rude shock when he finds out that his mother had been alive this whole time.

    Then what about the birthday gifts Aaron had kept presenting to Harry all those years iming they were from his mother? Did that mean those gifts had really been from her?

    Tom shook his head. Those gifts couldn''t possibly have been from her. Hearing how Aaron had reacted to her calls and seeing how Lucy had snapped at him to take Harry away from there, he could only assume that themunication with Sara was a recent development.

    "TOM!" Harry snapped at him impatiently, and Tom turned to look at him.

    "Can you tell me what you''re thinking about so seriously?" Harry asked, and Tom looked at him for a moment as he tried toe up with a lie that was also true.

    "Eric Howells called. He is pushing the interview with the Millers forward so I need to give Barry a call and find out what else he has learned about the Millers so we can organize the questions we are giving Eric," Tom said, and Harry raised a brow.

    "Am I supposed to believe that was the reason you looked so surprised earlier? That phone call was from Eric?" Harry asked, and then he frowned when something else suddenly urred to him.

    "Is it Jade? Did something happen to her?" He asked, and Tom sighed.

    "It''s not something I can tell you about right now," Tom said, and Harry''s brows furrowed.

    "So it is about Jade? What happened to her?" Harry asked once again, not understanding why Tom responded the way he just did.

    "No. It''s not Jade. It''s something else," Tom said with a worried frown.

    There was no way he could tell Harry what it was, and now he doubted that he could focus or do anything else at work until he was able to find out what was going on from Lucy.

    "What is it? And why can''t you tell me about it right now? Is it about me? Hold on," Harry said and turned to Tom with suspicious eyes.

    "Is it my dad? Did Lucy call to say something happen to him?" Harry asked in rm.

    "Can you please stop with the questions? Your dad is fine, and everyone else is okay. So, please calm down. I don''t want to have to lie to you about this," Tom pleaded as he looked away from Harry, and Harry sighed.

    He didn''t want to have to lie to him about it? Did that mean that this was about him? Harry mused, "Okay, just one more question, and I will stop worrying about it," Harry said, and Tom turned to him.

    "What question?"

    "It''s not a matter of life and death, is it? Is anyone in danger?"

    "As I said, everyone is okay," Tom said, and Harry nodded.

    "Okay. That''s good enough then. I will rather wait for you to tell me what is wrong in your own time than have you lie to me," Harry said, and Tom sighed in relief.

    "Thanks," Tom said, as he rxed once again. He couldn''t wait to get to the office so he could give Lucy a call and find out what was happening.

    "By the way, didn''t thatdy at the restaurant seem familiar to you?" Harry asked, and immediately Tom became tense once again.

    "Whatdy?" Tom asked, and Harry raised a brow.

    "Lucy, since she is the onlydy you can think of," Harry said dryly as he eyed Tom with displeasure making Tom chuckle despite his upset state.

    How manydies did we interact with at the restaurant?" Harry asked irritably.

    "Oh, thatdy! She seemed familiar to you?" Tom asked, and Harry shrugged.

    "Yeah. Sort of. But I''m not sure. Something about her feels familiar, yet I can swear that I''ve never seen her before. She has the sort of face that I would never have forgotten if I had ever seen it," Harry said thoughtfully.

    "What kind of face?" Tom asked curiously, and Harry narrowed his eyes as he thought of the best way to describe it.

    "She almost looks perfect with that strikingly beautiful face, but something about her smile shows herck of genuineness," Harry said, and Tom raised a brow.

    "Lack of genuineness?" Tom asked with interest. He had always known that Harry was a good judge of people''s character, but he hadn''t expected Harry to draw such conclusion in such a short time. They had barely talked with her for three minutes.

    Harry gave him a nod, "Yes. She seems fake and sort of shallow with a lot of insecurities. She also cares too much about her appearance. If I didn''t already know the face of your ex-girlfriend''s mother, I''d say she was Rebekah Miller," Harry joked, but Tom did notugh.

    "Are you saying this because she was rude to me?" Tom asked since Harry wasn''t exactly the type to bad-mouth other people unless they went against his friends, and Tom also knew that Harry had been upset about the way Sara had been rude to him earlier.

    "Well, there is that too. But I''m also just saying what I observed. I can bet myst dime that she must have done a lot of stic surgeries just to look that way. She barely has wrinkles," Harry said, and Tom merely listened not knowing what to say. He wondered how Harry would feel when he realizes that thedy he was talking about in this manner was his mother.

    "Do you think she might be interested in me?" Harry asked, and Tom raised a brow.

    "Interested in you? Why would she be interested in you?" Tom asked with a slight frown, and Harry chuckled.

    "I don''t know, but didn''t you notice how she kept staring at me in a funny way? And she also wanted me to have lunch with her and her friend. I wonder who her friend is," Harry said, and Tom almost sighed in relief when he noticed they were getting close to thepany. He couldn''t wait to get out of the car and stop having this awkward conversation with Harry.

    Harry turned when he noticed how quiet Tom was concerning the issue, "I can see that you don''t like her. Don''t worry I will turn her down if I cross paths with her again and she tries to make any advances at me," Harry promised as he drove through thepany gate, and Tom sat up as he impatiently waited for Harry to park the car so that he could get down and they could both go to their different offices.

    He hated that he was lying keeping such a secret from Harry, but then again it wasn''t his ce to tell. Now he wished he didn''t know anything about it.

    Away from there, and seated in a cab that was taking them back home, Aaron had a worried frown on his face as he looked at Lucy who was apologizing to him for startling him in the manner she had done earlier by iming to be his dead child.

    "Why did you say all that?" Aaron asked, and Lucy looked at him for a moment without responding to his question.

    She did not want to tell him the truth about his daughter who had been given away until she was certain that the girl was alive wherever she was. There would be no need to give him false hope about the existence of his daughter if she was dead already.

    "I wanted to startle her into confessing all she did to you so I could record it," Lucy said, and Aaron sighed.

    "Did it work? Did she tell you what she wants?" He asked, and Lucy shook her head.

    "No, she didn''t tell me what she truly wants yet, but you don''t have to worry about her approaching Harry anymore. She knows better than to make any trouble for you and Harry after everything I told her," Lucy said, and Aaron looked at her with interest.

    "What did you tell her, Lucy? And why did she agree to do as you said?" He asked when he remembered how Sara had agreed with Lucy when she said it was time to leave.

    "I told you before. I have the recording of our conversation with her, and I let her I was going to use it as evidence against her to show the world what a terrible person she is, if she doesn''t leave you and Harry alone," Lucy said, and Aaron''s eyes moved to her handbag.

    "Did she admit to something that we can use against her? Can I listen to it?" Aaron asked, and Lucy smiled at him.

    "You can, but not yet. I will let you have it after you tell Harry the truth and then you both can listen to it together. For now, I have to do something first before I send the recording to you," Lucy said, not wanting to reveal her rtionship with them yet.

    "What do you have to do?" Aaron asked curiously.

    "I have to find someone. But I can''t tell you about the person I''m looking for yet," Lucy said, and Aaron looked at her for a moment before letting out a sigh.

    "Okay. If you say so," he said with a nod. Choosing to trust Lucy and let her do what she wanted.

    "Thank you," Lucy said with a relieved smile, d that Aaron had agreed to trust her.

    "I should be thanking you. I''m d that you were with me and I didn''t have to meet her alone," Aaron said, and Lucy squeezed his hand softly.

    "Me too," Lucy said quietly.

    She hoped that Aaron would summon the courage to tell Harry the truth as he had said he would do, while she tried to find Aaron''s missing daughter. There was no way Harry would stay angry at Aaron for hiding the truth from him when he listens to the recording and found out what a terrible person Sara really was.

    Immediately after they arrived at Harry''s apartment, Lucy led Aaron to his bedroom and decided to check his blood pressure with his electronic sphygmomanometer. After she did and found out that it was slightly above the normal range, she asked him to try to get some sleep while she got some work done on herptop.

    "Call me if you need anything," Lucy told Aaron as she tucked his duvet around him before leaving the bedroom.

    Immediately Lucy shut the door behind her, she took out her phone from her handbag and dialed Jade''s line. She decided to give Jade a call first before calling Tom since she suspected that whatever Jade had wanted to find out earlier was rted to what she had learned. If there was one thing thest couple of weeks had taught her, it was the fact that no connection was a coincidence.

 Chapter 419: Coincidence Or Not?

    Chapter 419: Coincidence Or Not?"Coincidence," Jade said as she dropped one of the pieces of paper she had shredded on the floor.

    "Not a coincidence," she dropped another.

    "Coincidence," she dropped another.

    "Not a coincidence," she dropped thest paper and sighed as she got off the bed, and began pacing around the bedroom.

    Even though she was supposed to be focusing on preparing for the court case against the Legion cartel, she couldn''t seem to shake off this feeling in her guts that it wasn''t a coincidence that Candace looked so identical to Harry''s mother.

    Regardless of what Aaron had said, the more she thought about it the more she was beginning to see how Candace might share some simrities with Harry. Both their eyes were the same, they were both twenty-eight years old, and they smiled alike. It also urred to her now that she had enjoyed talking with Candace the previous night, in the same manner, she enjoyed talking with Harry and Aaron. Both Harry and Candace talked in the same manner, as Aaron. That is assuming sarcasm was a gic trait.

    If she didn''t know better she would say Candace was Harry''s twin or something, but Harry was an only child and it didn''t make any sense. None of the simrities she had made was enough basis to assume that they were family rtions. Harry''s mother who was dead, was also an orphan just like Candace, so it didn''t make any sense.

    She nced at her phone which was lying on the bed when it started to ring, and she picked it up and frowned when she saw that the call was from Lucy.

    Why was she calling? Did she want to scold her again? Jade wondered as she received the call, "I promise I have been on my best behavior, aunty Lucy," Jade said jokingly immediately after she received the call.

    "That''s good to know, but that''s not why I called," Lucy said in an urgent and serious tone, that made Jade''s brows pull together.

    "Okay. Why did you call?" Jade asked, sensing that it was important.

    "The picture you wanted me to send. I mean, the photo of Harry''s mom, why did you want it? I overheard Aaron''s end of your conversation with him," Lucy said, and Jade raised a brow.

    "If I remember correctly you said ''the only way not to get involved in something you don''t want is by not being curious about it'' didn''t you? Why are you showing interest in this now?" Jade asked curiously.

    "Trust me, if it didn''t concern me I wouldn''t be asking you any questions," Lucy said, piquing Jade''s interest even more, but before Jade could ask her any question she continued.

    "By the way, I got the picture you wanted. Aaron let me snap it. So if you still want it I could send it to you," Lucy offered, but Jade sighed.

    "Nah. That won''t be necessary anymore. Aaron already said histe wife was an orphan. Call me crazy, but you won''t believe that for a moment I was thinking that Candace might be rted to Harry''s mom," Jade said,ughing at the foolishness of her thoughts.

    Lucy''s heart skipped a beat, "Candace?" She asked in surprise as she tried to remember Candace''s face to see if she truly looked anything like Sara.

    "Yeah. I know it''s crazy..."

    "Can you tell me why you thought so?" Lucy asked, and she listened as Jade exined how she had seen the picture in Harry''s bedroom and had thought she looked familiar but couldn''t ce her face until she was reminded earlier that day that Candace had the same hair and she realized that was why thedy had looked so familiar.

    Candace? Was it possible? If it was true that Candace looked so much like Sara why didn''t her mother say anything when she met Candace and Jamal? Lucy mused as she tried to organize her thoughts on all she knew about Candace thus far.

    Jade had just confirmed Candace''s age. She was exactly the same age as Harry. She looked like Sara. Unlike Jade, she knew for a fact that Harry had a missing twin sister, so even if Jade thought she was crazy for linking Candace to them, Lucy didn''t think so.

    "Lucy? Are you still there?" Jade asked when Lucy didn''t say anything after some time.

    "Yeah. I''m here," Lucy said with a frown.

    "Just now you said this concerns you. How? Did you find out something?" Jade asked curiously, but Lucy couldn''t bring herself to tell Jade what she knew.

    Aaron had told her that his wife was an orphan and Jade believed that Harry''s mom waste. She couldn''t tell Jade otherwise. As far as she was concerned this was Harry''s and Aaron''s family business and it wasn''t her ce to tell Jade about it.

    She couldfortably tell Tom because aside from the fact that he was her lover and Harry''s best friend, and he was also aware of her reason for staying with Aaron, she also had Aaron''s permission to tell Tom about it, but she couldn''t tell Jade.

    The fewer the people that knew about this, the better for Aaron since Harry would be even more angry when he gets to know the truth and also finds out that others know about it too. She knew that from experience. She had felt like a fool when she realized that not just Tom, but Harry, Jade, and Bryan, had been in on Tom''s deceptive game.

    "I''m taking care of Aaron. Your call seemed to upset him a lot so I needed to know what you both talked about," Lucy said, but Jade could tell that she was hiding something.

    Her tone had sounded too urgent and serious for it to have merely been out of concern for Aaron''s health, "By the way, why did you ask for the picture? And howe he let you snap it?" Jade asked curiously, wondering what Lucy must have told Aaron.

    "I asked him if it was okay if I snapped a picture of it and he let me. I wanted to send it to you since it seemed like you were unable to ask him for it," Lucy exined, and even though Jade wasn''t entirely convinced by her exnation, she decided not to push it.

    "Where is Candace right now? How is she?" Lucy asked, and Jade sighed.

    "She is at the hospital looking after Jamal''s dad," Jade said, and upon Lucy''s further inquiry she told Lucy what had happened to Jero.

    "I hope she''s fine," Lucy said, and Jade agreed.

    "Tom said you wanted him to help you find out about Candace''s childhood and how she ended up at the orphanage?" Lucy asked, trying to keep her tone light.

    Although she had been of the opinion that it would be wrong to dig into Candace''s past as they might bring up upsetting revtions that would do more harm than good to Candace, Lucy was beginning to have a change of heart.

    Candace was around the same age as Harry and if it happened that Candace was Aaron''s missing daughter, it would bring more joy to both Aaron and Candace than harm. The only harm would be that Candace and Aaron would be hurt by the knowledge of what Sara had actually done.

    "I guess it''s true that lovers don''t keep secrets from each other," Jade said in amusement.

    "Do you think Candace will be okay with that?" Lucy asked, and Jade rolled her eyes.

    "Lucy, I know you might not exactly approve of this, but I hope you won''t try to dissuade Tom from looking into it. I care about Candace, and I consider her a friend, and that is why I need to find out what happened. Something about how she ended up at the orphanage smelled fishy to me and I intend to look into it whether or not you''refortable with it," Jade said in a blithe tone.

    "Fishy? How?" Lucy asked, ignoring Jade''s tone.

    "You have suddenly be awfully curious about a lot of things. What had changed?" Jade asked curiously since she remembered Sonia telling her that Lucy was usually the type to mind her business, and she had observed it too.

    "You can call it a side effect of being so closely attached to the Hank family where no one minds their business," Lucy joked, and Jadeughed.

    "I agree. It''s a Hank trait not to mind our business especially when it concerns those we love," Jade agreed before telling Lucy what Candace had told her.

    So Candace had been abandoned at an orphanage home by a wealthy man iming to be the brother of her adopted parents who had died? Was it possible the couple Sara had sold her daughter off to died, and the brother of the man dumped the child in an orphanage?

    There was only one way to find out if Candace was Aaron''s missing daughter. She needed to do a secret DNA test. If a DNA test confirmed that Candace was Aaron''s daughter, then there would be no need for further investigations.

    All she needed to do was get something with Aaron''s DNA. She was sure she would find something with Candace''s DNA at Tom''s ce. That would be the easiest and fastest way to confirm her suspicion.

    "Wow! She must have been through a lot," Lucy said when Jade finished her story.

    "Yeah. I feel so bad for her," Jade agreed with a sigh.

    "Alright, I have to go now. Thank you for answering my questions," Lucy said, and Jade giggled.

    "Do you realize that this is the longest we''ve ever spoken?" Jade pointed out, and Lucyughed when she realized it was true.

    "The call would have been much longer if Sonia was involved," Lucy said jokingly.

    "Yeah! Speaking of Sonia, I should give her a call to find out how she is doing today. Perhaps the three of us can have a conference call tonight if you''re not too busy?" Jade asked, and Lucy smiled.

    "Sure. That will be great," she said, and they talked for a few more seconds before hanging up.

    Lucy sighed once the call was over. Now she had to give Tom a call. Just as she started to dial his number, his call came in.

 Chapter 420: This Is All So Complicated

    Chapter 420: This Is All So Complicated"Hey, Jewel! How are you doing? Are you free to talk right now? Are you out of there?" Tom asked immediately after she received the call.

    "I''m alright. I was just about to call you," Lucy said as she stood from there and approached the guest bedroom which she had gone into the other time to use the restroom.

    "Good then! I''m at the office right now and I need to understand what you said earlier. What did you mean when you said that person was Harry''s mom?" Tom asked curiously.

    "Things are a lot moreplicated than we thought. Harry''s mom isn''t dead. She abandoned them days after giving birth to Harry. Aaron lied to Harry because he didn''t want Harry to grow with the pain of abandonment, and now he''s scared of telling Harry the truth knowing how Harry feels about being lied to by those he loves," Lucy exined, and Tom sighed.

    He had already figured out that much about Sara or whatever her name was already. He didn''t need any physical evidence to know that it was true. That Sarady looked like someone who was capable of doing something like that.

    "So what does she want now? Why does she keep bothering Aaron?" Tom asked with a frown, feeling sorry for Aaron who had to face a coldhearted witch like that again.

    "She wants to meet Harry and be introduced to him as his mother. Although, I have a feeling that this is rted to her ailment. She is ill and I think she might be in need of a transnt. What is Harry''s blood type?" Lucy asked thoughtfully since she knew a thing or two about medical stuff thanks to all those big medical textbooks Lucas used to leave lying around the house sometimes.

    "O negative," Tom said, and Lucy smiled. That definitely exined it. The universal donors. Her mother too was an O negative, and she could bet Sara knew of it.

    "I think she is trying to get back into their life because she needs a transnt," Lucy said more firmly now, and Tom''s face contorted with anger.

    "She wouldn''t dare! She won''t dare do that to Harry or Aaron! I won''t let her!" Tom growled angrily.

    "Don''t worry. I had a little chat with her and..."

    "You had a chat with her?" Tom asked, his anger turning to surprise.

    "You definitely couldn''t have expected me to leave Aaron in his state to face her himself, did you? Besides, I also had something I needed to confirm," Lucy exined.

    "Lucy..."

    Sensing a scoldinging next, Lucy decided to shock him further and make him forget the scolding, "Remember the daughter I told you Aaron was asking for in his sleep?" Lucy interrupted.

    "Yes. But Lucy..."

    "She happens to be Harry''s twin sister."

    "What the fuck? Harry has a twin sister?" Tom asked in disbelief unable to believe what he had just heard.

    "Did that crazy person take the girl with her when she abandoned them?" Tom asked, beginning to believe it was possible to despise someone more than he despised Anita and her family.

    "No. It''s worse than that. She lied to Aaron that the girl died at birth, but she actually sold her off to a wealthy couple. Aaron doesn''t know this yet," Lucy said, and Tom who had been pacing around his office paused and lowered himself onto the seat closest to him.

    "She did what?" Tom asked weakly, not knowing whether he was feeling more sad than angry right now.

    "You heard me, Tom. She sold off their daughter. Aaron thinks the child is dead, but I just confirmed from Sara today that she didn''t die," Lucy said as she waited for this to sink in before she would continue.

    Tom''s eyes darkened with anger, "Who is she, Lucy? I want her names. I want every detail you have about her. I''m going to ruin her life and take everything from her. I will do everything I can to make sure she pays for making the mistake of hurting Harry and Aaron in this manner. How can she have the guts to show up after the evil shemitted?" Tom asked, his entire body trembling with rage.

    "That woman is my aunt, Tom," Lucy said, and this time Tom rose from his seat in shock.

    "What are you talking about?"

    "She is my mom''s twin sister. I found out about it when I saw the picture of her, and that was why I got involved and had to speak with her," Lucy exined in a t tone, somewhat ashamed by the admittance that she was rted to a person like that.

    "Your mom has a twin sister? You never mentioned it," Tom pointed out, and Lucy sighed.

    "I''ve never met her until today either," Lucy said and went on to exin what happened between Sara and her mother, and how bothdies were estranged.

    "WOW! I can''t believe any of you are rted to someone like her. It''s frustrating that evil people like that exist who are breathing the same oxygen with us!" Tom eximed in annoyance as he walked over to his window, not sure of what to think or how to feel.

    "How did you get her to tell you what she did to Aaron''s daughter? Is she aware that you''re her niece?" Tom asked after a moment''s pause, and Lucy exined what had transpired between her and Sara.

    "That was a risk you took there, Jewel," Tom said, feeling worried about her getting involved with someone as evil-hearted as Sara.

    They were yet to deal with the Miller family, yet another person had crawled out of hell''s hole to cause a different sort of problem for them. He knew without a doubt that this was going to shatter Harry, and he wasn''t looking forward to the day when Harry finds out.

    "It was a risk I had to take else we would never have known the truth. I thought the whole childbirth thing sounded suspicious so I decided to act on my hunch," Lucy exined.

    "Did you say you have the recording?" Tom asked, and Lucy affirmed.

    "Can you send it to me? I will love to listen to it."

    "Alright. I will do so after the call. I don''t have to tell you that you can''t tell Harry about any of this, right?"

    "I''m not stupid," Tom said, feeling slightly offended by her question.

    "You can''t tell him about my rtionship with him either," she reminded him, and Tom paused when it suddenly hit him that his best friend and his girlfriend were cousins.

    "Oh, shit! You''re cousins?"

    "I guess so," Lucy said, and Tom groaned.

    "Now Harry is never going to let me be. I just know he''s going to go on and on about it when all this is over," Tomined, and a ghost of a smile yed on Lucy''s lips.

    "That''s not all, Tom," she reminded him since he seemed not to care about Harry''s missing twin sister.

    "There is more? Are you going to tell me you are Harry''s twin sister too?" Tom asked with a frown, and Lucy almostughed.

    "Jade thinks Candace might be rted to Harry''s mom..."

    "Jade? Please tell me you didn''t tell Jade about this?" Tom asked in a slightly rmed voice.

    "No. Calm down. I''m not stupid," Lucy said in a simr tone as he had done, before going on to exin what had transpired between her and Jade, and what she thought about Jade''s theory.

    Tom sighed, "Oh, man! This is all soplicated," Tom murmured as he ran his fingers through his hair at the thought that he was not only dating Harry''s cousin but may also have been housing Harry''s twin sister and nephew in his home this whole time without knowing.

    He remembered how Harry had talked about her the previous night and asked questions about the kid, "Can you get their DNA samples? I could have someone take a look at them quickly," Tom said, and Lucy nodded.

    "Sure. I''ll do that," Lucy said with a sigh.

    "So what is Aaron''s n? When is he going to tell Harry about everything?" Tom asked curiously.

    "After the weekend. He wants to have a normal weekend with him before telling him the truth," Lucy exined.

    "I guess I''ll have to cancel my ns with Harry. I was supposed to hang out with him at his ce on Saturday after dropping you off at the foundation," Tom said thoughtfully.

    "I thought you were going to spend the day with Jamal?" Lucy asked, and Tom groaned when he remembered something else.

    "That means Jamal might be Aaron''s grandson?" Tom asked, his eyes lighting up at the thought that Aaron had a grandchild.

    "Only if Candace turns out to be Harry''s twin," Lucy exined.

    "I was going to take him there with me. Maybe I shouldn''t..."

    "I think you should. There is no reason Jamal shouldn''t be there to keep Aaronpany while you hang out with Harry. Jamal will be a good distraction for Aaron," Lucy said thoughtfully.

    "Besides, I''m sure Harry would like to see the kid. Remember how he was asking us about himst night? And he even joked about you bringing Jamal to him if you don''t want him," Lucy reminded Tom.

    "Alright. I will take him with me when I visit them on Saturday. For now, you should try and get their DNA samples. If we do the test and it''s not a match then we can proceed to hire an investigator to look into it while I have someone look into Candace''s case too. But if it''s a match, then we may just have killed two birds with a stone," Tom said, and Lucy agreed.

    "Sure, I''ll do that."

    "Thank you, for doing this, Jewel."

    "You don''t have to thank me for doing it. I''m involved now, remember?" Lucy asked, and Tom sighed.

    "You''re going to have to tell your mom about this, right?" Tom asked when he remembered what she had said about her mother being estranged from Sara.

    "That will have to be after I''ve told Aaron and Harry about it. They deserve to know first," Lucy said, and Tom nodded.

    "That''s true. How are you feeling about all of this? Are you okay?" Tom asked with concern.

    "I''m upset. I feel both angry and sad for Aaron. He lost twenty-eight years with his daughter, and if for any reason Candace turns out to be his missing daughter, his regret won''t be just about lying to Harry anymore, it will be believing Sara''s lie that his daughter was dead and having her live the way she did like an orphan when she had a loving father like him," Lucy said as tears gathered in her eyes.

    "He is going to be broken, Tom. And it''s going to take a lot to help him and Harry through this. I feel sad. And I feel even more terrible because the woman behind all this is rted to me," Lucy said with a sniffle.

    "We will be here to help them through it. Let''s do what we can for them, and after they''re able to sort out their emotions we can all take care of Sara," Tom promised and nced at his phone when it beeped with an iing call notification from Barry.

    "Barry is calling," Tom informed Lucy.

    "Alright then. I should let you go now. See youter."

    "I love you, Jewel. Very much."

    "I love you too, Ace."

 Chapter 421: Rotten Family

    Chapter 421: Rotten FamilySara paced around her hotel room with a bottle of wine in her hand which she slugged from at intervals.

    Her blood boiled with anger each time she remembered how Lucy had yed her for a fool and she had totally fallen for it. She wished more than anything that she could deal with Lucy and teach her a lesson, but unfortunately, she couldn''t do anything about it right now.

    She was ill not stupid. And as much as she hated Lucy and wanted to make her pay for the silly stunt she had pulled earlier, she hade too far up in her life to lose everything because of J''s daughter.

    It wasn''t a surprise that she hated J''s daughter as much as she hated J. The only surprise was that she hated them for entirely different reasons. While J was a miss goody two shoes, her daughter, Lucy, had proved to be a sly little devil.

    Sara would have been impressed by Lucy if her stunt wasn''t at her expense and costing her a possible lobe of liver.

    How could she have allowed herself fall into such a trap because of her desperation? How could she have made such a stupid confession? She was smarter than this for chrissake!

    It was her genius brain that had brought her this far, not just her beauty, so how could she have been tricked by such a silly little girl? Sara asked herself, more disappointed and angry at her action than Lucy''s.

    There was no way she could ignore Lucy''s threat and reach out to Harry now. She didn''t want to risk Lucy making good her threat to expose her with the recording which she had.

    But what if Lucy had lied about recording their conversation? She mused, but shook her head at the same time. She couldn''t call Lucy''s bluff. Something about the bold manner with which Lucy had spoken told her that she wasn''t bluffing.

    Lucy hade there with aplete knowledge of who she was, and had been prepared to take her on, but she on the other hand had been takenpletely unaware by Lucy.

    As much as she would have loved to deal with Lucy, she couldn''t. She knew that doing that meant she was going to also have to face her man, Thomas Hank. And as much as she also didn''t like the way he had acted earlier towards her, she was smart enough to choose her enemies wisely. Thomas Hank was an influential man, and he wasn''t a foe she wanted.

    What was she supposed to do now that her ns had been ruined? From the look of things Harry wouldn''t listen to her or buy the story she had been preparing for him anymore about leaving because she had been devastated by the death of his twin sister and had been facing postpartum depression.

    It was also clear that J wouldn''t be willing to help her either, seeing how she had sent her daughter to embarrass her in that manner.

    Why did she have to suffer from such a rare and incurable disease? And why did she have such a rare blood type that required her to seek their help? If not for her stupid ailment she wouldn''t have to face any of them. Her life was perfect enough as it was until her PSC condition which she thought had been cured following herst transnt recurred again some years ago.

    The hospitals were refusing to ce her name on the top of the transnt list regardless of the amount of money she was willing to pay, and she was beginning to run out of patience as her condition was slowly getting worse.

    Her only hope now was finding her missing daughter. She needed to do so urgently before Lucy informs Aaron about it and they also start searching for her. The sooner she found her daughter the better for her.

    After she must have found her daughter or any other means to take care of her health then she could find another way to deal with Lucy and J.

    She picked up her phone and dialed thewyer''s line, "Amos, any good news yet?" She asked immediately he received her call.

    "Sara, you have to be a little more patient. I have..."

    "More patient?" She snapped at him, "Do you know what is at stake here? Aaron is at the verge of finding out the truth about what really happened to his daughter. What do you think would happen if everything bes exposed? Do you think I will be the only one who would take the fall? Your boss may have died, but you and thatw firm of yours will suffer too. So you better find her before they get to her first," Sara warned.

    "You told Aaron?" Mr. Amos asked, and Sara sighed.

    "Let''s not go into that right now. Just make sure you find her before he does," Sara said impatiently.

    "Well, I was going to tell you that I have been able to get in contact with his brother," Amos said, referring to the brother of the man they had sold the baby to.

    "He finally agreed to speak with you? I thought you said he didn''t want to speak with you about it because he was scared he might say something that his opponents might use against him in theing elections?" Sara asked curiously.

    "I had to ckmail him, and after much convincing he admitted that took her to an orphanage home after the death of his brother and sister inw. He gave me the location of the ce, but they have moved from there so I''m trying to find the new ce," Amos exined.

    "What do you have against him that made him tell you everything?" Sara asked curiously.

    "Don''t worry about that," Amos said, not wanting to trust Sara with such an information.

    "Fine. Just make sure you do everything you can to find her, okay?" Sara said, and turned to the door when she heard a single knock on it, "Come in," she said, knowing it was her assistant.

    "Let''s talk some other time," she said as she hung up.

    "When is the flight leaving for Sogal?" She asked immediately her assistant walked in.

    "In an hour. You shouldn''t be drinking that," the secretary said with a slight frown when she saw the bottle of alcoholic wine in her hand.

    "I don''t pay you to tell me what I should or should not do. Get lost," she hissed at her assistant who gave her a polite bow before walking out of the room.

    Sara sighed as she went to sit on a couch. Herst stop was at J''s apartment. She should at least pay her a surprise visit since she cklisted her line and stopped her from reaching her.

    Away from there, in Tom''s office, he received the call from Barry, "It''s been a while. I was going to give you a call," Tom said immediately after he received the call.

    "I think I just may have found the evidence we need to prove that Rebekah Miller and her lover murdered her husband," Barry announced excitedly.

    "You have?" Tom asked, sounding both surprised and excited. Although he had suspected that Rebekah was capable of something like that, he had not expected it to be true.

    "Yes. I will forward everything to you. Also, something pretty funny happened this morning," Barry said, his amusement clear in his voice.

    "What''s that?"

    "It seems like one of the sisters just started having an affair with another sister''s husband. They were exchanging some pretty interesting texts about what happened between themst night."

    "Which sisters?"

    "Bernice the eldest is screwing Tiffany''s husband. And Tiffany is screwing her maids or whoever they are that are living with her in her home. There are different texts on her phone to different people asking them toe to her room. That entire family is rotten, man," Barry said with disgust.

    "Or maybe not everyone. Lisa seems like a pretty decent person. She has a really good rtionship with her husband. Some times I even feel guilty for snooping through their conversations," Barry admitted. .

    "What about Anita? What is she up totely?"

    "Yes, about her. I noticed she has a recorded conversation on her phone with your girlfriend I think. Something about her telling Lucy she is in love with you. I only took note of it because she made a phone call to a blog. I think she ns to use it to prove that her friend snatched her man or something," Barry said, and Tom sighed as he wiped his face with a hand.

    Why did they all have to keep being intertwined with crazy people?

    "I could delete it from all her devices if you want me to?"

    "Don''t worry yourself about that. Let her do what she wants to do. It won''t hinder any of my ns," Tom assured him.

    "Alright then. I will send everything to you by the end of today. It should be enough to bury them. I only feel sorry for the decent sister who has to face the shame of being rted to that entire family," Barry said, and Tom silently agreed.

    It was true that she didn''t deserve what wasing to her, and he hoped for her sake that she wouldn''t attend that interview with the rest.

    He had almost all he needed now, all that was left was to meet with Alicia and have her organize just the kind of questions he needed to deliver trouble to the camp of his enemies.

 Chapter 422: Conflict

    Chapter 422: ConflictSonia had a thoughtful look in her eyes as she looked at herptop screen, contemting on what to write in her next chapter.

    If it was mere fiction, then she probably wouldn''t have been at such a loss. She couldn''t seem to figure out what to write since she was mixing up both real and imaginary events, and she wasn''t sure if she should call Lucy or Jade to get ideas from them for her next chapter.

    As much as she loved writing about her and Bryan, their romance story seemed to be at a standstill at this point since things were going smoothly for them and romance stories mostly thrived more on conflict.

    It was no news that they were crazy about each other and were happy spending every moment together, even at moments like this when she was busy working on her story with both legs resting on Bryan''s ass while he was sprawled on the bed shirtless, ying a video game.

    Writing about them at this point would seem like a filler chapter, unless she was able toe up with an imaginary conflict, and that was something she really didn''t want to do.

    Lucy on the other hand had enough conflict in her rtionship tost an entire book, so maybe it was time to reconsider who her main characters in her novel were going to be. As much as she loved the novel to be about her and Bryan, Lucy''s and Tom''s story seemed more like appealing.

    She sighed as she closed herptop, and Bryan turned to her, "Are you alright? Is the writing not flowing?"

    "I don''t know," she said as she pushed herptop away and raised her legs off his back so that she could lie down beside him.

    "Tell me, what do you want? Inspiration? Motivation? Attention?" He asked as he set aside his pad console and leaned forward to steal a kiss, making her giggle.

    "All of those I suppose," she said, and Bryan raised a brow.

    "Okay, do you need me to give you ideas? You could tell me where you''re stuck and maybe I can help," Bryan offered as he sat up.

    "Our story. It''s sort of like a whirlwind romance. Everything happened so quickly and now I have nothing else to write about us," Soniained, and Bryan narrowed his eyes as he thought about it.

    "And that''s not a good thing?" Bryan asked, and she nodded.

    "It''s not. Besides, whirlwind romance doesn''tst. It ends almost as soon as it starts," Sonia pointed out, and Bryan shook his head.

    "I don''t think that''s always the case. I know some rtionships like that..."

    "Romance stories thrive on conflict. Not just romance, stories generally. And right now our story iscking in that regard," Sonia pointed out.

    "What do you mean there is no conflict? What then do you call that scandal?" Bryan asked with a slightly raised brow.

    "We resolved that too quickly," Sonia said with a frown, and Bryan looked skyward, praying for patience to deal with his girlfriend who was being unreasonable.

    "Says the same person that became upset when I didn''t ept her apology immediately," Bryan said, and Sonia giggled.

    "You can''t me me for not wanting to be on bad terms with you," she said, and Bryan nodded.

    "Okay. So why not make it a short story?" Bryan suggested.

    "Well, our story is not over yet. It''s a mix of fiction and non-fiction, remember?" Sonia asked, and Bryan sighed.

    "So, what do you want? Should we create conflict? Perhaps if I cheat on..."

    "You wouldn''t dare!" Sonia cut in with a re, and Bryan chuckled.

    "What if I cheat on you instead?" Sonia asked with a sweet smile, and this time Bryan red at her.

    "So what kind of conflict do you want? Should I ask my family to disapprove of you? And then you can spend some time trying to make them ept you," Bryan suggested, and she giggled.

    "I already promised Evelyn I was going to birth her first grandchild, she isn''t going to disapprove of me so easily," she said, and Bryan raised a brow.

    "When did you promise her that? That must have made her really happy," Bryan said, watching Sonia with interest.

    "Yesterday. She was happy," Sonia said with a wide smile.

    "Unfortunately, you may not be able to keep that promise as that won''t be happening any time soon," Bryan said, and the smile faded from her face.

    "Why not?"

    "Because we are not having kids any time soon. There is no reason to rush into it. I still want to have you to myself. And as you said, everything is happening so quickly so I think we should take it slowly," Bryan suggested, making Sonia''s brows pull together, but before she could say anything a knock sounded on the door and they both turned to it.

    "Is anyone naked in there?" Desmond asked, elicitingughter from both Bryan and Sonia.

    "You cane in," Sonia called out, and he opened the door.

    "Where are you off to?" Bryan asked when both his parents walked into the room, dressed as though they were going out.

    "We are going on a date," Desmond announced, and Sonia grinned, while Bryan looked from Evelyn to Desmond with a strange look on his face.

    "A date?"

    "Yes. Do you have a problem with that?" Evelyn asked, and Bryan shook his head.

    "Not at all. I hope you enjoy yourselves."

    "We n to. Sony girl, do you need us to get you anything on our way back?" Desmond asked, but she shook her head as she snuggled closer to Bryan.

    "I''m okay. All I want is right here. Have lots of fun," she said, and giggled when Desmond leaned forward to kiss her cheek.

    "Alright, take care of yourself and don''t let Bryan stress you. Call me if you need us to get you anything," Desmond said before leading Evelyn away.

    "Your parents are so cute together," Sonia cooed as they watched Desmond hold the door for Evelyn.

    "I hope we can be even more cute together when we get to that age," Bryan said, looking at her with serious eyes, and Sonia giggled.

    "I don''t think cute is a word that describes us. We are both crazy," Sonia pointed out jokingly.

    "That wasn''t what I meant," Bryan said, with the same serious gaze, and Sonia blinked at him as she reyed what he had said in her head, and then she smiled.

    "Oh! You mean you want us to grow old together, right?" She asked, and Bryan gave her a nod.

    "Yes. I want it all with you, babe. A home. Kids. Family. Everything. But I''d rather we don''t rush into it. We both have our careers to build right now, and I would love us to give it our best shot," Bryan said, and Sonia sighed.

    "I guess you''re right. Let''s focus on building our careers and our rtionship," Sonia said, and Bryan nodded.

    "So back to your story and the conflict..."

    "I was just thinking that if I''m unable toe up with something I might have to rewrite the first couple of chapters and make Tom and Lucy the main characters instead of us," Sonia said, and Bryan rubbed the bridge of his nose thoughtfully.

    "Focus on the other characters, while I try to work out some conflict for our story," Bryan said, and Sonia looked at him suspiciously.

    "What kind of conflict? Don''t try anything crazy," Sonia warned, making him chuckle.

    "If it''s not crazy it''s not us, you know that, don''t you?" Bryan asked as he leaned forward and kissed the sensitive spot on the crook of her neck.

    Sonia moaned softly as she reached for the back of his head, but Bryan was quick to roll away from her, and she red at him while heughed, "You want conflict? I''m going to give you lots of it," Bryan promised, and Sonia nodded.

    "Alright. There''s something else I want to talk to you about," Sonia said when she remembered that she was yet to tell him about terminating her contract with her editor and her new ns for her career.

    "Okay. Tell me," Bryan said as he returned to sit on the bed, and he watched her curiously.

    "I have decided that I''m no longer going to work with my editor. His action hurt me, and it showed that he doesn''t trust me. I see no reason why I should work with a person who can''t vouch for me. I feel hurt that someone I worked with for years could easily believe everything he read, whereas Lucy''s secretary who barely started working with her trusted her enough to stand by her," Sonia said, and Bryan nodded.

    "Okay. I think I understand how you feel. Have you discussed this with him yet?" Bryan asked, and she shook her head.

    "I intend to tell him that when we go over there for me to sign the contract with the movie producer," Sonia said, and Bryan gave her a nod.

    "So what is your n? Do you want me to find you a new editor and manager?" Bryan asked, and Sonia shook her head.

    "No. I want something even better now. I want to start my own writing brand. I will start by creating a writing site where I post chapters of my stories daily, and I will also employ other writers to publish their stories on my site, and depending on how that goes, I will create a writing app, and own a publishingpany eventually. What do you think?" Sonia asked, her eyes gleaming with excitement as she told him her ns.

    Bryan grinned, "I think it''s a good idea. I could be your partner. I''m sure Tom wouldn''t mind investing in it and being a shareholder," Bryan said, and Sonia grinned.

    "You can both invest in the future. For now I have more than enough money to start up on my own," Sonia said, and Bryan nodded.

    "One more thing," Sonia said, and Bryan looked at her curiously.

    "I want to visit my mom. I didn''t attend her funeral," Sonia said quietly, and Bryan moved closer to her and embraced her.

    "That''s good. I will go with you," Bryan promised as he kissed her forehead.

    "Thanks," Sonia said, d that he had offered to go with her.

    "Any other thing you want to talk about?" Bryan asked, and she shook her head.

    "Good. Since I''m done with Paul, tomorrow we will leave with my parents, so we can settle things at your end, and then after that we visit your mom''s graveside, and then we can return to Ludus," Bryan said, and Sonia nodded.

    "We will both be starting over in our career," Sonia said with a small smile.

    "Do you want us to get our own ce or live with Tom?" Bryan asked, and Sonia shrugged.

    "We could live with him for the time being. That way I get to always see Lucy too," Sonia said, and Bryan smiled.

    "That''s settled then."

    "I can''t wait for us to return so I can watch that witch and her family burn. I hope they let me write the questions for the interview for myself. I want them to take a lie detector test too. They wouldn''t know what hit them.," Sonia said, and Bryan chuckled.

    He couldn''t say he felt sorry for the Miller family.

 Chapter 423: Seducing Dr. Hottie

    Chapter 423: Seducing Dr. HottieAmy rolled her eyes as she watched Miley give instructions to the girl who was styling her hair. If anyone walked into the salon, they would think Miley was a professional hairstylist or something.

    "No. Not there. Yes, right there. Good. I look better from that angle," Miley exined as the girl parted one side of her hair and rolled it up with Brazilian rollers so that when she let down the hair, some of it would fall in curls and cover the right part of her face.

    "Can you just let her do her job?" Amy asked, and Miley shook her head.

    "No, I can''t. I paying her to make me look irresistible so I have to get my money''s worth. Don''t I, sweetie?" Miley asked the hairstylist who giggled.

    "Absolutely," the girl agreed, and Amy rolled her eyes.

    "You are so annoying. If I were your stylist I would leave you to fix your hair yourself," Amy said, making both Miley and the stylistsugh.

    "Good thing you''re not my stylist. They''re more good-natured and well-mannered than you," Miley said with a sweet smile.

    "Whatever. But on a serious note, I see no reason why you''re dolling up or having me do the same when it''s just dinner. It''s not like you''re going on a real date with your boyfriend or anything. We should be at home having a good rest instead of doing this," Amyined.

    "That is why you are still single and untouched. If you dress up and go out more often, you''d have men standing outside your door and waiting to eat out of your hand," Miley said with a superior air.

    "I''m single and untouched because I chose to be so, and not because Ick opportunity," Amy said defensively, and Miley snorted.

    "And I don''t want men standing outside my door and eating out of my hand. Unlike you, I''d rather be in amitted rtionship with just one man, than have casual sex with just any man," Amy added, and Miley shrugged.

    "I don''t regret having fun. If I had been keeping myself like you and something like this happened to me I would have been even more devastated, don''t you think so?" Miley asked, and Amy nodded in agreement.

    "You have a point. Still, I think all of this fuss over our look is unnecessary."

    "It is not unnecessary. When you''re going into a battle you have to put on your whole armor..."

    "I didn''t know we were going into a battlefield," Amy said dryly.

    "We are. Our weapons for this battle are our beauty and brain. We have to first knock him off bnce with our appearance, and then while he is trying to recover we make the proposition," Miley said with a wide smile, and Amy rolled her eyes.

    "Do you think Dr. Hottie is the type who would say yes in ce of a no simply because he''s staring at exposed cleavage?"

    "Still, it''s better to be ready. Failing to n is nning to fail, have you never heard of that? We should look our best. This strategy has always helped in the corporate world," Miley said, before ncing at her hairstylist who had stepped away from her after she was done rolling up her hair.

    "Please inform the make-up artist that you''re done and she can take over," she said, before ncing at Amy once again.

    "You promised to be by me and do whatever makes me happy, remember? This makes me happy so do it withoutining. I won''t always be around to do this with you, so please let me enjoy this as I have always done, okay?" Miley pleaded, and Amy sighed.

    "Must you keep doing that?" Amy asked, mildly annoyed with Miley for reminding her of her limited time frame.

    "Yes. I have to keep reminding you so that you don''t forget. I don''t want you to take thesest precious moments of ours for granted," she said as she nced at Amy who was also having her hair styled.

    "Can you give her a more sexy and feminine look? That hairstyle of hers is too practical and formal," Miley said, and the hairstylist gave her a nod.

    "I love my hair just the way it is," Amy insisted making the hairstylist pause as she waited for them to make up their mind.

    "I know. I''ve seen you with that hairstyle for as long as I can remember. I want to see you in something different now. When I''m gone you can go back to it," Miley said, and Amy sighed.

    She couldn''t believe that Miley was really taking advantage of her illness to get everything she wanted.

    "Go on. Do it. Give me a more feminine look. Do whatever she wants," Amy said, and Miley pped happily.

    "That''s the spirit!"

    "So what do you n to do if he says no?" Amy asked after a while, and Miley shrugged.

    "Then I guess I will find other ways to get what I want. But I''m not going to think about that right now. I''d rather focus on what to do when he says yes," she said with a happy smile.

    "Of course. You are still as optimistic as ever," Amy murmured.

    "It''s almost 4 PM. Please try to be fast," Miley said as the make-up artist joined them.

    Amy sighed as she watched Miley through the mirror. As much as she liked that Miley was excited about something despite her condition, she was worried that Miley might be setting herself up for possible rejection and heartbreak.

    From what she had observed about Lucas, he seemed like a principled person and she doubted he was going to give up his principles and agree to do something like that no matter the amount of money they were going to offer him.

    What could she do for Miley if Lucas rejected the offer?

    "You know what I think? Maybe either of us can seduce him," as though she just read her thoughts, Miley suggested with a wide smile and shed the makeup artist an apologetic smile.

    "What?" Amy asked, lookingpletely lost since she didn''t understand where Miley wasing from with that statement or where she was headed.

    "You heard me. If he refuses to do it after we both have tried to convince him, then you can seduce him. I doubt he would agree to be intimate with me. He will remain suspicious of me, but not of you," Miley suggested with a wide smile as though she had juste up with a brilliant suggestion.

    "Me?" Amy asked in disbelief and shook her head when Miley bobbed her head enthusiastically.

    "No. I don''t think that is a good idea," Amy said, but Miley was still smiling widely, as the more she thought about it, the more appealing it became.

    "Scratch that, not I don''t think. I know it is a very terrible idea. Of all things how can you expect ME to seduce him?" Amy asked in disbelief.

    "You called him Dr. Hottie, didn''t you? Doesn''t that mean you find him attractive too?" Miley asked, and Amy blinked at her in confusion.

    Was she sexually attracted to Lucas? Thinking he looked nice and attractive didn''t mean there was any sexual attraction, did it? "No. That''s not what..."

    "So you don''t think he is attractive?" Miley cut in and narrowed her eyes at Amy.

    Amy sighed when she noticed the look of mild annoyance and amusement that passed between the makeup artist and her hairstylist. "Finding him attractive has nothing to do with this," Amy protested weakly.

    "If you''re done with her hair please get the other make-up artist," Miley said to Amy''s hairstylist before looking at Amy again.

    "He is good-looking and really decent. You also find him attractive. I like him and I approve of him. So even if he rejects my offer, I''d want you to be with him. I think you both would be great together," Miley said, and Amy looked at her incredulously.

    "Are you crazy? What are you talking about right now? I don''t think I understand what is going on in your head. He is a person, not a possession that any of us can decide to have or not have. Besides, didn''t you say he just broke off his engagement with that crazy girl, and he was devastated? Going into a new rtionship is probably thest thing on his mind. So if he says no, we should let him be and forget about him," Amy said, and Miley''s lips pouted sulkily.

    "But I like him."

    "If you like him then you shouldn''t be selfish. You should also consider what he wants even if it means staying away from him," Amy said, and Miley sighed.

    "I''m beginning to wonder if you''re my best friend or his," Miley said, and Amy smiled.

    "I''m sure you know I''m telling you this only because you''re my best friend. If he says no, ept it maturely and move on," Amy advised.

    "Alright. I''ve heard you. Let''s hope he doesn''t say no then," Miley said as she looked at her reflection in the mirror.

    "Okay. No more talking. I need to let her do her job. Your makeup artist is here too," Miley said as she shed an apologetic look at the makeup artist who was waiting for her to finish talking before resuming.

    Although, neither of them said another word to each other as they let their makeup artists work on their faces, but they both had the same thought on their minds.

    Seducing Dr. Hottie.

    Asking Amy to seduce Lucas if he turned down her proposal had little or nothing to do with wanting his sperm for her baby. Even if she wasn''t going to be getting any romance in her life as she wanted, seeing Amy get some would bring joy to her and would make herst days memorable. Especially if it was with someone like Lucas.

    She was going to find a way to convince Amy to seduce Lucas. She knew that Amy would do it as long as she thought she was doing it for her. That was going to be her n B. If Lucas refused to be beside her as her man, then she was going to find a way to keep him as Amy''s man.

    They would both be good for each other, Lucas and Amy. Also, there would always be that satisfaction of knowing that either she or Amy was with Rachel''s man.

    Amy on the other hand wondered what had possessed Miley toe up with such a suggestion. Seducing Lucy''s brother? What ever made Miley think she was capable of something like that? The thought of it alone made her want tough out loud.

    "This is perfect," Miley said, once her makeup artist finished and she looked at her reflection in the mirror.

    She stood from her seat and faced Amy, "Now you look irresistible," she cooed as she touched Amy''s chin, making Amy smile.

    "I think we are almost done here. I will go sort out the bills at the cashier''s desk, while you finish up," Miley said before walking away.

    Once Amy was done, she joined Miley, and as they walked out of the mall together, heads turned to stare at them, "You see that? Lucas is not going to be able to say no to both of us."

 Chapter 424: Someones Boyfriend

    Chapter 424: Someone''s BoyfriendAlthough it was almost closing hour, Harry remained seated behind his desk with a puzzled frown on his face as he stared at hisptop screen nkly.

    He had been busy all day, moving from one meeting to another immediately after they returned to the office, so he had been unable to give some thought to what had happened earlier in the day.

    Now that he had some time to himself alone in his office, he was able to think about Tom''s strange behavior as he recalled their meeting with the investors and the strange exchange with thedy in front of the restaurant.

    What could be so serious that Tom couldn''t tell him about? Did it involve him? The more he thought about it, the more he couldn''t shake off the strange feeling that whatever had happened there was about him.

    One minute Tom had been smiling at something one of the investors had said, and the next minute he was busy on his phone and asking that they leave because he needed to help Lucy with something at the office.

    What struck him as odd the most was the urgency with which he had said they should leave, only toter exin that what he wanted to do at the office was help Lucy talk to the human resource department to put out an ad for a part-time secretary.

    Something was up, and his only relief was that it had nothing to do with his father, since he had just gotten off the phone with Lucy a moment ago, and she assured him that his father was sleeping in his bedroom.

    Harry sighed as he rose from his seat and paced around his office. So if it wasn''t about his father what else could Tom be hiding from him?

    What worried him more was the fact that he had called the head of the human resource department and the man told him Tom did not ask him to put out any ad, and there was no need for it since Lucy had already requested he do so the previous day.

    To the best of his knowledge, the people he cared most about were his father and Jade, and those were the only two persons that he believed something could happen to and Tom would try to hide it from him, even if it didn''tpletely make sense that Tom would hide something like that from him if that were the case. Still, he couldn''t be too sure.

    After thinking about it for a while, he arrived at two conclusions. If he called Jade and she was fine, that meant whatever Tom was hiding was rted to him, and the only thing he could conclude was that Tom had wanted to get him out of that restaurant quickly.

    But what could be Tom''s reason for wanting him to leave there? It wasn''t like Jade was going there on a date with anyone and he was trying to stop him from seeing her, was it?

    His mind returned to the woman they had met in front of the restaurant and how Tom had behaved and dragged him away from there. It wouldn''t make sense to think that Tom knew thedy and she was the reason Tom was in a hurry to leave.

    Harry thought about it for a moment before picking up his phone, deciding to give Jade a call to find out if everything was okay at her end. If everything was okay at that end, then he would have to find out who that woman was to know if she was the reason Tom had dragged him away from there.

    If she was fine, as he hoped she was, then he could just tell her he was calling to find out what she had heard from the police about the arrest, and maybe if she had the time to talk, then maybe they could continue their conversation from where he stopped that morning asking her what she meant by wanting to leave rent-free in his head.

    He held his breath as he dialed her line and waited for her to receive the call. He frowned when he heard the disconnect tone after she failed to receive her call, and he dialed her line again. This time it rang again but she didn''t receive the call. He tried three more times, and when she still didn''t receive her call, his heart began to race.

    Did something happen to her? Was that really what Tom was hiding from him? But there was no way Tom would be in his office if something was wrong with Jade, was there? Harry wondered as he began to pack up his stuff, nning to fly down to Varis, but paused when he remembered that he couldn''t leave just like that. His father needed him.

    But what if something had happened to Jade? He wondered anxiously as he tried to think of anyone he could call to check on her. If only he had Candace''s phone number then he would have called her, but unfortunately, he didn''t. And he couldn''t ask Tom for it either.

    After worrying about it for some time he dialed the line of the hotel manager.

    "Hello, sir!" The hotel manager greeted nervously, wondering why Harry was calling him.

    "Please go over to my suite and check on Jade. Find out if she''s in there or not," Harry instructed urgently, and the man raised a brow wondering why Harry couldn''t just call the telephone in the suite instead.

    Unfortunately, Harry wasn''t the type of man he could question, "Yes, sir. I will call you back..."

    "No. Stay on the line. I want to speak with her if she''s in the suite," Harry cut in sharply, and the man nced at his phone when he heard the worry in Harry''s voice.

    He couldn''t help but wonder what the rtionship was between Harry and the CEO''s sister.

    "Yes, sir. I''m heading over there now," he said as he rushed out of his office. There was no greater pressure than knowing that Harry Jonas was still on the line waiting for a response.

    By the time he got to the suite, he was panting for breath as he pressed the bell on the door. Thankfully, because each room was soundproofed, only the upant of the suite would be disturbed by the sound of the bell.

    Jade who had been struggling to stay awake or move because of the sleep paralysis she was suffering at the moment, groaned at the persistent sound of the doorbell as she tried to keep her eyes open. She felt very weak andzy, and the sound of the doorbell worsened her headache.

    "Miss Hank, are you in there?" The man called out even if he knew he would likely not hear her if she responded.

    Curious to know who was at the door, Jade slowly tried to move her hand and her leg until she was able to sit up. Despite the air conditioner in the bedroom sweat trickled down her back and forehead and she managed to stand up.

    She quickly headed for the door while wondering who was at the door. Thanks to the person''s disturbance with the doorbell she had managed to ovee the sleep paralysis.

    Once she opened the door, she raised a brow when she saw the manager, "Is there a problem?" She asked with a slight frown.

    "I''m not sure," the manager said with an apologetic smile when he noticed how she looked. He could tell she had been sleeping.

    "Mr. Jonas sent me," he said as he raised his phone.

    "Harry?" Jade asked as she looked at the phone curiously and then took it from him.

    "Uncle Harry?" She asked, and Harry let out the breath he hadn''t realized he was holding when he heard her voice.

    "What were you doing? Are you okay? I''ve been trying to reach you but you were not receiving my call," Harry said, and Jade''s lips twitched in amusement.

    "Were you worried about me?" She asked, and then when she noticed the way the manager stood there staring at her she cleared her throat.

    "I''m giving his phone back to him now. I will call you back with mine," Jade said and before Harry could respond she returned the phone to the manager.

    "Thank you," she said with a polite smile before shutting the door.

    She quickly hurried to where her phone was and picked it up. She smiled when she saw the five missed calls notification on her screen and they were all from Harry. She had heard the sound of her phone''s vibration but she had been unable to reach for it because of sleep paralysis.

    She dialed Harry''s line and received the call immediately, "Is everything okay?"

    "Yeah. I couldn''t sleep for most ofst night, so I was having a nap. And then I couldn''t wake up because I was having sleep paralysis. Thanks to the persistent sound of the doorbell I was able to stay awake long enough to snap out of it," Jade exined with a yawn, and Harry sighed.

    "Sleep paralysis? Are you okay now?" He asked with concern.

    "Yes, I am. Sleep paralysis is not a stranger to me," she assured him, and Harry made a mental note to read on itter and find out how serious it was.

    "Is Candace not with you? She could have answered the door. Perhaps you should send me her number so I can reach her when next I''m unable to reach you," Harry said, and once again the resemnce between Harry''s mom and Candace shed through her mind.

    She contemted whether or not she should tell Harry about it, and sighed when she remembered how upset Aaron had been over the phone, "She is not here right now, but I will text her number to you after the call," Jade said, thinking that it wouldn''t be a bad idea of Harry to know Candace.

    "Where is she? Is she okay?" Harry asked, feeling weirdly concerned about her.

    "She is fine. Jero is hospitalized so she''s taking care of him," Jade said, reminding him that she was yet to fill him in on the arrest details.

    "Hospitalized? What happened? How did the arrest go? You didn''t call back after you heard from them," Harry reminded her.

    "Oh, sorry about that! It must have slipped my mind," Jade said, making Harry''s brows pull together.

    Wasn''t she the same person who had promised she was going to call him every day? How could returning his call have slipped her mind, especially considering what they had been discussing before she hung up?

    "Slipped your mind?" Harry asked, and Jade bobbed her head as though he could see her.

    "Maybe not. I remember I was going to call at first, but then I thought about it and changed my mind when I decided it was a bad idea," she said honestly.

    "A bad idea? Why?" Harry asked in confusion.

    "Well, I didn''t think I should be talking to someone else''s boyfriend so often. You know how jealousdies can be," Jade said, and Harry''s frown deepened, and he nced at his phone''s screen when he received an awaiting call notification. It was Philip. Why was Philip calling him?

    What was she talking about? "Someone else''s boyfriend?" He asked, and this time Jade rolled her eyes.

    "Why do you keep parroting everything I say?" She asked, and Harry sighed as he massaged his temple.

    "What are you talking about, esquire?" Harry asked, thinking that between Tom and Jade he didn''t know who was stressing him more at the moment.

    Here he was, trying to figure out what Tom was hiding from him, and Jade was also at the side ying games with him. Between dealing with his father''s secret, Tom''s secret, and Jade''s games, he was feeling mentally exhausted.

    "Well, I received your message from Aurora. She sounded so jolly that she could be mistaken for a newlywed bride. So I figured since you''re in a rtionship now, I should keep my distance. I would hate to be the cause of any misunderstanding in your rtionship," Jade said with a shrug even though her heart ached as she said the words.

    Harry sighed as he rubbed a hand over his face. Seriously? This was the best she could do.

    "Listen, esquire. I''m tired of the back-and-forth games. Are you interested in..." His words trailed off when his office door was suddenly pushed open and Tom walked in.

    He hung up without finishing his sentence.

 Chapter 425: Cant, Not Wont?

    Chapter 425: Can''t, Not Won''t?"Did I interrupt something? I thought you were on the phone?" Tom asked when he noticed the way Harry abruptly stopped speaking and pocketed his phone.

    "It''s not important. Are you ready to leave?" Harry asked, choosing to take Tom''s interruption as a sign that he shouldn''t proceed with that yet. Perhaps he still needed to tread with caution.

    It seemed like every time they were close to making a breakthrough in theirmunication someone always interrupted. First, it had been his father who barged into the guest bedroom just when Jade was telling him how she wanted to live rent-free in his head. Next, it had been the important call that entered her phone just when he was about to ask her what she had meant thest time, and now it was Tom interrupting just when he was about to ask her out. This had to be a sign.

    "Yes. Are you not?" Tom asked as he nced at Harry''s desk where hisptop was still lying open.

    "I am. Let''s leave," Harry said as he shut down hisptop and ced it in hisptop bag before heading for the door with the bag.

    He had something else on his mind apart from Tom''s interruption of his phone call with Jade. Now that he knew for a fact that Jade was fine, that left him with the other option. Tom had lied to him because he wanted him out of that restaurant. Why? Or was he perhaps overthinking this? Harry asked as they both stepped into the elevator.

    Tom nced at Harry curiously, wondering who he had been talking to and why he hung up so abruptly. Although he wanted to ask but he stifled the urge since thest thing he wanted was for Harry to start asking him about what happened earlier.

    He had done his best to avoid being alone with Harry all day because he feared he might make a blunder and say something he wasn''t supposed to say. Now he just couldn''t wait to drop Harry off at his apartment and pick up Lucy so they could go home together. He was mentally exhausted from all that worrying, and he needed to see Lucy so he could rx.

    "Why are you in a haste?" Harry who had been lost in his own thoughts, asked when he suddenly noticed how Tom was walking ahead of him towards the car.

    "I want to see Lucy. I''ve missed her," Tom called back, making Harry scoff.

    "Whatever. Just hand over the car key and I will drive. I don''t want you driving me to my death in your haste to see her," Harry said once they got to the car and Tom threw the key at Harry who caught it at once.

    "So were you able to talk to the head of the human resource department about putting out the ad for Lucy?" Harry asked, immediately after they were settled in the car and he turned on the car''s ignition.

    He wanted to see if Tom was going to lie to him again.

    "Yes. I did that immediately we returned to the office," Tom looked away as he spoke, and Harry''s frown deepened.

    He not only hated that Tom was lying to him, but it also bothered him too. If it was someone else he would have been angry at being lied to, but he wouldn''t have bothered about it this much nor given it so much thought, but this was Tom.

    He knew that whatever would make Tom lie to him this much was a serious issue, and the more he thought about it the more anxious he became.

    "Are you alright?" Tom asked when he noticed how quiet Harry was.

    "If I say I''m not, will you tell me what I want to know?" Harry asked, and Tom''s brows pulled together since he understood what Harry was saying.

    "No. I can''t," Tom said honestly, and Harry turned to him.

    "Can''t, not won''t?" Harry asked, and Tom gave him a nod.

    "You know I care about you, and if it was in my ce to say this I won''t keep it from you. So please trust me as you have always done and don''t put me in a more difficult position by asking me about it," Tom said, and Harry looked at him for a moment before giving him a nod.

    So it wasn''t his ce to say anything? Whose ce was it then? Jade? His dad? He paused when something suddenly urred to him and he remembered his conversation with Tom the previous evening. Was this about that? Did Tom find out something about this Sara person? Harry reasoned.

    He took out his phone from his pocket and nced at the screen when it started ringing. And he sighed in relief when he saw that it was Philip who was calling.

    He was relieved that it was Philip and not Jade since he was not sure what to say to Jade, especially in Tom''s presence, but he was also wondering why Philip kept calling him when they had met earlier in the day at the restaurant.

    Instead of connecting the phone to the car''s Bluetooth device as he ordinarily would have done if he was alone, Harry turned to Tom, "Can you help me take out my AirPods from theptop bag?" He asked, and Tom reached into the backseat where Harry had dropped the bag and did as he was told.

    By the time Harry ced one of the AirPods in his ear, the call had been disconnected so he dialed Philip''s line

    "Sup, Harry!" Philip greeted immediately after he received the call.

    "Is everything alright, Phil? I''m driving," Harry exined.

    "Sure. We were all supposed to hang out after your meeting. Why did you guys leave without seeing me?" Philip asked in displeasure.

    "You were at your workce, yet you expect us to leave ours to hang out with you during work hours?" Harry asked with a scoff, and Philip chuckled.

    "Anyway, that wasn''t why I called. I was just wondering if your dad is around."

    "Yes. Why?" Harry asked, wondering why Philip was suddenly asking about his dad.

    "I saw someone who looked very much like him earlier at the restaurant, and he didn''t look very well," Philip said, and Harry''s heart skipped a beat as he turned to look at Tom.

    "What time?" He asked in an easy tone, not wanting Tom to know what he was talking about.

    "Not long after you guys left, I think. I came out to look for you and I saw him heading for the restroom," Philip said, and Harry frowned.

    His dad had been at the restaurant? Was that why Tom had been in a haste to get him out of there? Did that mean the secret Tom said he couldn''t tell him about was his father''s secret?

    "Why don''t I call you back after I get home? And then we can talk about a suitable time to hang out," Harry suggested, and Philip easily agreed.

    "Philip wants to hang out?" Tom asked curiously.

    "Yeah," Harry said with a nomittal shrug as he thought about what Philip had just said.

    Of course, he had more questions for Philip, but if he was to go by what he had just heard, it made sense if his father had been at the restaurant.

    The woman at the restaurant had known him, and she had said she was there to meet an old friend, someone he also knew. Tom had dragged him away from there after receiving a phone call.

    Was his father the old friend the woman had been talking about? How did she know who he was? Why didn''t they want him to meet her? Was that the Sarady who had been calling his dad? Harry wondered with a slight frown as he continued to drive.

    He wondered if Lucy had gone there with his dad. He was certain she had since she couldn''t have left his father alone. Perhaps he should ask her about it? If he did so, Tom would know he knew what was going on, and he didn''t want any of them to know he was aware.

    Tom sighed when he saw the thoughtful look on Harry''s face, and although he wanted to ask him what he was thinking about, he didn''t.

    As they approached Harry''s apartment, Tom dialed Lucy''s line, informing her they were close to the apartment and asking her to get ready so they could go home.

    Neither Harry nor Tom said a word until they arrived at Harry''s apartment, and immediately, Tom got out of the car first and hurried inside.

    He met Lucy and Aaron seated in the living room, watching a show on television, and immediately he sent Lucy a discreet but questioning look. When she also gave him a discreet nod, he turned to Aaron.

    "How are you doing, old man?" Tom asked in an easy tone,

    Aaron smiled at him, "Thanks to our Jewel, I''m feeling much better," Aaron said as he patted Lucy''s hand fondly.

    "Our Jewel? Nah. I''m not sharing her with you," Tom said as he took Lucy''s hand and pulled her away from Aaron making both Lucy and Aaronugh.

    Harry joined them at that moment, and he looked at all three of them before focusing on his father, "How are you, dad? How was your day?" He asked, hoping that Aaron would mention that he had left the house.

    Aaron shrugged, "I''m fine. Lucy made sure I ate, took my medication, and had enough rest as you wanted me to," Aaron said, and Harry nced at Lucy.

    "I hope you didn''t let him go out of the house. He can barely stay indoors all day," Harry said, and Lucy smiled without directly meeting his gaze.

    "Don''t worry. We were indoor," she assured him, and Harry gave her a nod and shed her a smile of gratitude.

    Although Harry had said he was going to give his father time to tell him about what he was hiding, he wasn''t so sure anymore. If Tom and Lucy already knew about it, and they were willing to lie to him just so they wouldn''t be the ones to tell him what his father was hiding, then he was sure it was something very important, and it was time for him to look into it and find out what was going on.

 Chapter 426: Sara Walker

    Chapter 426: Sara WalkerAfter seeing Tom and Lucy off, Harry excused himself and went into his bedroom to change out of his work clothes, while Aaron went to the kitchen to fix dinner.

    Immediately Harry walked inside his bedroom and took off his jacket and tie, he dialed Philip''s line, and the call connected almost immediately.

    "Oh! I wasn''t expecting you to call back so soon," Philip said with a pleased smile.

    Right from their days in college he had always wanted to be a part of Harry''s and Tom''s friendship, but the duo had been too close that tagging with them made anyone else feel like an extra.

    "If it''s not a good time we can talkter..."

    "No. It''s fine. So have you decided on a suitable time for us to hangout? I was thinking we could go on a boat cruise. You both coulde with your partners. It would be nice to meet thedies my friends are dating. What do you think?" Philip asked eagerly.

    "I haven''t decided. I would need to agree with Tom on that first. I actually called because I was wondering if you saw my dad with anyone at the restaurant," Harry asked curiously.

    "Yes. I saw him standing by a table with twodies, and he left with a youngerdy," Philip said, and Harry nodded.

    "Can you help me find out who the otherdy is?" Harry asked, and Philip chuckled.

    "Why do you sound like your dad is having an affair and you''re tying to find out who he is seeing?" Philip asked in amusement, and Harryughed dryly.

    "I should know if I''m going to be having a stepmom soon, don''t you think so?" Harry asked, and Philipughed.

    "Alright. I will find out if a reservation was made. That way I can know who she is. If not, I will get a photo from the CCTV footage and send to you," Philip promised.

    "If it wouldn''t be too much of a bother, can you do it right now?" Harry asked hopefully, and even though Philip had been on his way out of the restaurant, he turned around.

    "Sure. I''ll call you back," Philip said before hanging up the call.

    Done with the phone call, Harry took off his clothes as he contemted on what to do with whatever information Philip would give him. Confront his father? Or keep it to himself and look into it? Why did his father confide in Tom and Lucy, but not him?

    He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed as he walked into the bathroom for a quick shower. While in the shower, he heard his phone ring and quickly washed the soap off his face and ran out, thinking it was Philip, and hissed irritably when he saw that it was Aurora.

    Why was she calling again when they had spoken the previous day? He mused as he ignored the call and returned to the bathroom to finish up.

    Just as he finished dressing up, Philip called back, "Sup?"

    "Thedy''s name is Sara. Sara Walker. Her assistant made the reservation. I guess your dad has a thing for models," Philip said in a teasing tone, and Harry raised a brow.

    "She is a model?"

    "Was. She was an international model, and a one time Bedonna spokesperson, ording to my assistant."

    An international model? He was aware that his father had been a photographer in his youth, and he was acquainted with so many models, but what was the deal with them? And why did she keep calling? Harry wondered.

    "Thanks for the information. I will talk to Tom about our hangout and get back to you," Harry promised before hanging up.

    Sara Walker. He could bet hisst dime that she was thedy he had met in front of the restaurant. It couldn''t be a coincidence that he had met thatdy while leaving the restaurant and his father had met Sara there. Thatdy had to be the Sara bothering his father.

    Wanting to confirm if they were the same person, he sat on the edge of his bed as he entered Sara''s name on Google.

    Immediately her name came up amongst the top search, and he narrowed his eyes when he saw that it was the samedy.

    The more photos he saw the more familiar she looked, and then it struck him that he probably thought she looked familiar because he had seen a photo of her somewhere in his father''s studio.

    If she was this mature now, then his father probably has known her when she was younger, Harry mused as he typed on the search engine, "Young photos of Sara Walker" and his heart skipped a beat when he saw a familiar face disyed on the screen.

    He turned to the photo frame by his bedside and then looked back to his phone''s screen.

    Without saying another word, he dialed a number on his phone, "I want you to help me look into someone. Her name is Sara Walker. This is urgent. Drop everything else you''re doing and look into it immediately. Find out everything you can about her," Harry ordered, before throwing his phone on the bed.

    Just what was going on? He wondered as he stared at his mother''s picture for some time before leaving the bedroom to join his father in the living room.

    Away from there, Jade stared at her phone speechlessly for some time as she reyed the conversation she had just had with Harry in her head.

    She still couldn''te to terms with the way he had abruptly ended the call mid-sentence. Should she call him back and ask him to finish what he had been saying? She wondered as she continued to stare at her phone.

    "Are you interested in..." what? Had he been about to ask if she was interested in being in a rtionship with him? That was most likely it seeing as he had started by saying he was tired of the back and forth games. Jade reasoned with a wide smile.

    But if that was it why didn''t heplete his question? She wondered in frustration as she got off the bed and started pacing the bedroom.

    She was trying to be careful this time and not do anything that she would regret. With Harry she didn''t know what she was doing, and she couldn''t predict what she would say if she called him back.

    The same way she had not nned on talking about his rtionship with Aurora, but had ended up doing so. She had been unable to ignore the pang of displeasure and jealousy that kept nagging at her as she spoke with him.

    After thinking about it for some time she picked up her phone and dialed his line. She called twice and when he didn''t take the call she sighed in resignation and threw her phone on the bed before walking out of the bedroom to the bar to pour herself a ss of wine.

    She sighed when she remembered that her n to have a girls'' night out with Candace was no longer going to work. She would have appreciated the distraction right now seeing how she was worrying so much over rtionship with Harry or rather, theck of it, when she was supposed to be preparing for her court case.

    Perhaps it was best she let nature take its course. What would be would be, she thought as she sipped from the ss.

    Her ears perked up when she heard her phone ringing, and she dropped the ss and quickly hurried to the room to get her phone, thinking it was Harry.

    Her brows pulled together when she saw that the call was from her boss, "Hello, Amos!" She greeted, wondering why he was calling after work hours.

    "I was meaning to call you all day but I have been busy. I was informed you got them this time. Congrattions. I''m proud of you," Amos said, and Jade smiled.

    "Thank you, Amos."

    "Why didn''t youe in to the office? The guys were all waiting to congratte you," he said, and Jade smiled.

    "I''m sorry about that. I had to rest since I couldn''t sleep a winkst night," Jade exined.

    "I understand. Now that you''re almost done with this case, I''d like you to assist me with something I''m working on," Amos said, and Jade raised a brow.

    "Did you forget what I told you yesterday?" She asked with a frown since she had made it clear to him that she was leaving after closing this case.

    "I haven''t forgotten. I will definitely let you go when you''re done, but right now I need you to do me this favor," Amos said, and Jade sighed.

    "What is it about? And why are you not asking one of the guys to do it?"

    "Because you''re ady, and this requires that. Also because I believe I can trust you," Amos added.

    "Alright. I''m all ears."

    "It''s not something I would like to discuss over the phone. I''d rather we meet in person for this discussion," Amos said, and Jade narrowed her eyes.

    "I need to at least know what it is about before I decide if I want to help or not," Jade insisted, and Amos sighed.

    "It''s about Sara. Thedy you met yesterday. The one who is searching for her lost daughter. I need you to assist me in finding her."

    Jade thought about it for a moment, "Alright. Where am I meeting you?"

 Chapter 427: Unsubtle Matchmaking Attempt

    Chapter 427: Unsubtle Matchmaking AttemptLucas had a lot on his mind as he sat in the restaurant, waiting for Miley to arrive. He didn''t know what to expect from her, especially as she had said she wasing with Amy.

    He was yet to make up his mind concerning his discussion with Lucy earlier. Even though he understood everything Lucy had said, and as much as she was right, he also wanted to look out for himself.

    It was wrong timing. He had met Miley at the wrong time. If he hadn''t just experienced this crazy rtionship with Rachel, maybe he would have been open to getting to know Miley and being friends with her, but he was yet to heal emotionally, and the worse thing he could do to himself was to get involved with someone who would leave him devastated soon.

    As much as he liked her and enjoyed herpany, and how she seemed to make him forget his problems, he knew that it was all temporary. She might make him forget all about Rachel and her problems right now, but in the next couple of months, Rachel won''t be his problem. Losing her would be.

    He would rather go through the regret of not getting involved with her, than going ahead to set himself up for such heartbreak.

    Lucas stood from his seat when he saw Miley and Amy approaching the table. He had to admit to himself that bothdies were dazzlingly beautiful in their individual ways.

    While Miley was dressed in a revealing skimpy red dress that showed off her feminine curves and cleavage, Amy was dressed in a partially decent white dress, which gave off some sort of shy feminity vibe.

    Upon closer appraisal, he noticed that something seemed different about Amy. Although he could not entirely understand why he thought so, but Amy looked sort of more beautiful and feminine.

    What changed? He wondered as he continued to look at her for a moment before he realized it, and then his gaze shifted to Miley for confirmation.

    It wasn''t just Amy. It was the both of them. Looking at them, he could bet that they had a makeover. He had noticed the change in Amy because unlike her, Miley had looked strikingly beautiful and sexy to him from the first time he opened his eyes in her apartment, so seeing her this way wasn''t surprising.

    But seeing Amy that way was surprising. He couldn''t exactly remember her face the first time he met her at Lucy''s, but he could remember thinking that she was smart, and something else he remembered clearly was wondering why she was visiting dressed in tennis outfits.

    He couldn''t help but wonder if they had gone for the makeover just for this meeting. He hoped not.

    "Hello, handsome!" Miley greeted with a cheerful smile that lit up her beautiful blue eyes as they got to where he stood.

    Before Lucas could respond to her greeting, she embraced him, "You smell so nice," she said with a wide smile as she pulled away from him.

    "You smell nice, and look nice too," Lucas said in return, and she raised a brow.

    "Look nice?" Miley asked with displeasure, while Amy tried not to giggle since she knew ''nice'' wasn''t the word Miley had been aiming for when she dolled up.

    "Yeah. You look nice. Why? You don''t like looking nice?" Lucas asked innocently as he pulled out a chair for her.

    "Really, Lucas? Nice?" She asked again without taking her seat, while Amy pulled out a seat for herself and sat down to enjoy the show.

    This time Lucas looked at Miley in confusion, wondering what was wrong, before ncing at Amy who was obviously struggling not tough when she met his gaze.

    "Say stunning," Amy mouthed to him, and Lucas frowned as he tried to make out what she was saying.

    "STUNNING!" Amy mouthed again, and Lucas sighed inwardly when Miley turned to know why he was staring at Amy while she was talking to him.

    Stunning? That was what she wanted him to say? Lucas thought with a scoff. Too bad for her that he was only going to say what he wanted to say, and not what she wanted to ear.

    "Yes. You look very nice. And cute too. Now sit down. We are the only people standing in here," Lucas instructed as he returned to his seat.

    Amy''s lips twitched in amusement at Lucas'' attitude. Too bad Miley was ill. They would have made quite a fine pair, Amy thought sadly.

    Miley''s lips pouted sulkily as she lowered herself on the seat he had pulled out. Nice and cute? She had never beenplimented that way before. How could he say she was cute? Cute was meant for describing babies and guys not a gorgeousdy like herself.

    "Hello, Amy! I can call you that, right? I don''t know yourst name else I would have used that instead," Lucas greeted, and Amy smiled at him.

    "Amy is fine," she assured him.

    There was no reason to address her so formally since she was certain this was not going to be thest she would be seeing or hearing of him even if things didn''t go well between him and Miley. He was Lucy''s twin brother after all, and she was going to continue working for Lucy.

    "He should also know yourst name. Herst name is Grant. Amy Grant," Miley supplied just as a waiter approached their table to take their orders.

    After the waiter left, Lucas looked at bothdies without saying a word, and Miley shed him a cute smile which made him smile since it seemed like she had gotten over her annoyance at being referred to as nice and cute.

    "It''s good to see you again. How have you been?" She asked, and Lucas shrugged.

    "As you can see, I''m fine. What about you? How are you feeling? And why are you in Ludus?" Lucas asked, and she shrugged.

    "Why else do you think I''m here if not to see you?" Miley asked, and Lucas nced at Amy who was looking everywhere else but at him.

    "To see me?"

    "I told you I missed you. When I called Lucy and she said you were in Ludus, I decided toe down here too," Miley exined, and Lucas frowned.

    "You shouldn''t have made the trip. I''m not sure how long I''m going to be here. I might decide to leave this night or tomorrow morning," Lucas asked, and Miley smiled.

    "Then it''s good we are here. At least I get to see you before your next trip," Miley said cheerfully, but Lucas continued to frown.

    Something told him that there was more to the trip than justing to see his face, but he didn''t want to dwell too much on it, "Have you decided to start receiving treatment and inform your family about your health?" Lucas asked, and Miley shook her head.

    "Not yet. Let''s not talk about my health or family until we are done. Let''s talk about fun things," Miley suggested as she looked at him curiously, "Did you miss me?"

    "No," Lucas said without thinking twice, and Amy watched him with interest.

    "You answered to quickly. You are supposed to take your time to think about it before responding," Miley pointed out with mild annoyance.

    "I don''t need to think about it. If I missed you, I would know. I didn''t," Lucas said thinking that would discourage her but Miley shrugged.

    "It''s fine. I missed you enough for two," Miley said, and Lucas nced at Amy in time to see her roll her eyes, and his lips twitched in amusement. He felt partially relieved to see that she had pulled herself together and had stopped crying so much like she had been doing the previous day.

    Miley nced at Amy, "Why are you not saying anything?" She asked the same question that had been on Lucas'' mind, and Amy shrugged.

    "I have nothing to say. I''d rather listen to the both of you. You are both fun to watch," she said with an easy smile.

    "I''m sure Lucas would like to know one or two things about you, won''t you Lucas?" Miley asked, and both Lucas and Amy nced at her with a curious look on their faces as they wondered what she was up to, before they looked at each other.

    Amy shed Lucas an awkward smile, and judging by the innocent look in her clear amber eyes, he could tell that she had no idea what Miley was up to, "I don''t mind," Lucas said after a while, surprising Amy who had expected him to say no.

    Why didn''t he say no? She wondered as she nced at Miley. She soon realized that she was in trouble when Miley winked at her. She should have known that it was a bad idea to tag along with Miley. She should have sat at a different table, she thought as she returned her agent to Lucas who was still looking at her.

    "There isn''t much to tell. You know my name. You are aware I work with your sister. Miley here is more like a sister to me than my best friend, and I would marry her if she was interested in girls," Amy finished, making Miley giggle, while Lucas looked at her with interest.

    "Are you into girls?"

    "Nope. I''m into Miley alone," Amy said with a grin which made the corners of Lucas'' lips twitch with an amused smile.

    He had to say he sort of envied the friendship and love between bothdies, "I see."

    "She is single by the way. And she is very much into guys like you," Miley chipped in, startling both Lucas and Amy who had not been expecting such an unsubtle matchmaking attempt.

    Thankfully, they were both saved from the embarrassment and awkwardness of that moment by the arrival of the waiter who brought their orders.

    Amy eyed Miley with displeasure as she wordlessly scolded her with her eyes, but Miley winked at her.

    Lucas didn''t know what to say or do, so he picked up his winess and sipped from it, without looking at either of them.

    "Why don''t I move to the next table so that you can both interactfortably?" Amy suggested when she noticed that Lucas seemed ufortable, but Miley shook her head.

    "We both know you won''t befortable sitting there by yourself," Miley said, and Amy raised a brow.

    "Says who?"

    "Says me. I know you, remember? I''m probably going to end up getting into a fight for your sake before the night is over," Miley said with a giggle, and Amyughed.

    "I''d rather you don''t do that. Your dad gave me an earful thest time," Amy said, while Lucas listened to their interaction with interest.

    Miley turned to him when she noticed the interest on his face and told him how she had been in the habit of fighting guys off Amy because of her sharp tongue.

    "I''m sure that''s one reason she''s still single," Miley said and Amy rolled her eyes.

    "Don''t worry, you won''t get into a fight, and I''m perfectly capable of turning away guys politely now," Amy assured her, but Miley still shook her head.

    "Your presence here doesn''t make us ufortable, or does it affect you, Lucas?" Miley asked, and Lucas who was feeling like they were putting him on the spot, gave them a nod.

    "Yes, it does," he said, and Amy smiled, while Miley raised a brow.

    "Why? Would you rather have dinner privately with me?" She asked with a hopeful smile, but Lucas shook his head.

    "It''s not that. It just feels weird for me to be having dinner with the both of you. Maybe if there was another guy..."

    "You mean a double date, don''t you?" Miley asked with an excited smile, and Amy giggled when Lucas sighed wearily. Miley was obviously wearing him out.

    "This isn''t a date," Lucas corrected.

    "Do you have a friend here in Ludus? You could invite him to hang out with us tomorrow," she offered, and Lucas raised a brow.

    "Who said I''m hanging out with you tomorrow?" He asked, and Miley grinned at him.

    "I was hoping we could all hang out together if you don''t travel tomorrow. It would be fun," Miley said with a bright smile, and Amy decided that it was time to step in and save Lucas when he looked at her with weary eyes.

    "Let''s just eat. One date at a time," Amy suggested, and Lucas shed her a smile of gratitude before focusing on his food.

    Even though he wasn''t feeling hungry, giving his food attention was the escape he needed from facing Miley.

 Chapter 428: Fishy Request

    Chapter 428: Fishy Request"Why are you so quiet?" Lucy asked as she turned to look at Tom who had been quiet since he started driving.

    She had been expecting him to badger her with so many questions the minute they were alone, but he had been unusually quiet for some time.

    Tom sighed, "I don''t know. I guess I''m just trying to process some things in my head one more time before asking you any question," Tom said, and Lucy nodded in understanding.

    "How was work today?" She asked after some time, and Tom nced at her.

    "It was going alright until you told me about it, and after that time I could barely think about anything else," Tom said, and Lucy smiled sadly.

    "I understand," she murmured.

    "What about you? How are you?" Tom asked, and Lucy shrugged.

    "It''s just one of those days I want toe to an end quickly," Lucy said before looking at him with a serious expression.

    "Harry didn''t suspect anything, did he?" Lucy asked, and Tom shrugged.

    "He would be an idiot not to. And we both know he is far from being one. Thankfully, he didn''t press me to say anything. By the way, you didn''t send me your recorded conversation with Sara as promised," Tom reminded her.

    "Oh! Sorry. Itpletely slipped my mind. I will do so now," Lucy said as she took out her phone from her handbag.

    "Instead of sending it, why don''t you connect your phone to the car''s Bluetooth speaker and we can just listen to it together as I drive?" Tom asked, but Lucy shook her head.

    "I''m not sure about that. You are driving and the conversation might upset you," Lucy said, and Tom turned to spare a nce at her.

    "You think I''m not already upset? What could I hear now that you haven''t already told me? Connect it and let''s listen to it together. Don''t worry, I''m okay," Tom assured her, and Lucy looked at him for a moment before hesitantly doing as he had requested.

    Tom said nothing as he listened to the conversation between Lucy and Sara, and Lucy was startled when he suddenly chuckled at the end, "What''s funny?" She asked in confusion since that was the least reaction she had expected to see.

    Tom looked at her with a proud smile, "You sounded really tough and sexy. I was just wondering why I''m never around when you show off all that hotness," Tom said as he stopped the car when the traffic light blinked red.

    Lucyughed softly, feeling embarrassed, "You''re exaggerating. I''m sure either Sonia or Jade could have handled her better," Lucy said, and Tom shook his head.

    "I think you handled her perfectly. You amaze me, Jewel. And I''m so lucky to have you in my life," Tom said as he gazed at her with a soft smile, and she smiled in embarrassment as she turned her face away from him briefly.

    "I''m happy to have you in my life too. And you should know that I was that confident only because I know I have you behind me," Lucy said with a soft smile.

    Tom smiled as he reached for her hand and kissed the inside of her palm, "I''ve got your back, Lu. All day, every day," he promised as he returned his attention to the road and started driving again.

    "I know," Lucy said confidently, "That reminds me. What did she say to Harry in front of the restaurant?" She asked, referring to Sara as ''she'' since she didn''t want to utter her name or refer to her as Harry''s mother either.

    Lucy sighed after Tom told her about their exchange with Sara in front of the restaurant, "She is obviously self-centered and doesn''t care about Harry. I doubt that she would be acting this shamelessly if her intentions were pure. There is no iota of remorse in her attitude. Shouldn''t she be feeling too embarrassed and ashamed of herself to show her face in front of a son she abandoned?" Lucy asked, and Tom nodded in agreement.

    "Yesh. Good thing Harry could see through her pretty face and make-up to see how shallow she and fake she truly is," Tom said, thinking how strange it was that Harry didn''t think that way when he looked at his ''mom''s'' photograph, but felt that way when he saw her in person.

    "By the way, is she really the same person in the photograph Harry has? Harry thought she looked familiar, but I could barely recognize her," Tom said, and Lucy exined what Aaron had said about her going under the knife several times.

    "I guess Harry was right about her," Tom said, remembering how Harry had said he was certain she had undergone surgery to look the way she did.

    Lucy arched a brow, "What did he say about her?" She asked, and sighed when Tom told her everything Harry had said about Sara.

    "As sad as it is that he thinks of his mother that way, it''s a good thing he already has that opinion of her. I only hope he doesn''t feel too hurt when he hears everything."

    "Are you certain Aaron is going to tell Harry everything after this weekend? I''m not sure how much longer I can avoid answering Harry''s question," Tom said with a slight frown.

    "You will have to keep avoiding his questions until Aaron is ready. You know how sensitive the situation is. Harry has to hear the truth from Aaron himself," Lucy said firmly, and Tom nodded.

    "Yeah. I know. Can you give me her full name or phone number? Or anything I can use to look into her," Tom suggested, and Lucy gave him a nod.

    "I have her phone number, but I don''t think there will be any need to waste our time on that. We already know who she is and we have evidence we can use against her. What we need to focus on is finding Aaron''s daughter and making sure Harry isn''t too affected by any of this. If Harry is fine, Aaron would be fine too," Lucy said reasonably, and Tom turned to her with a soft gaze.

    "I don''t know what I would have done in this situation without you," Tom said, and Lucy sighed.

    "Perhaps things wouldn''t have happened this way if I wasn''t in your life. By the way, I got some strands of hair from Aaron''s hairbrush. When can you get the DNA test done?" She asked, returning to the subject.

    "I could send it to them tomorrow, and by Saturday we would have the result," Tom said, and Lucy nodded.

    "Let''s do that."

    "What are the chances that Candace might really be Harry''s twin sister or rted to him?" Tom asked, and Lucy pursed her lips thoughtfully.

    "We both know that anything is possible," Lucy said after a while.

    "If it turns out to be true, that would mean Jamal is your what? Second cousin?" Tom asked, and Lucy smiled at the thought that cute little Jamal might be rted to her.

    "No. That would make him my first cousin once removed," Lucy exined, and Tom''s brows pulled together.

    "First cousin once removed from what?" Tom asked in confusion, and Lucy giggled.

    "It means we are separated by one generation," Lucy exined, and when it looked like Tom was going to ask more questions she shook her head.

    "Let''s not worry about any titles or tags yet. That''s the least of the problem we have on our te right now," Lucy said, and immediately Tom remembered his conversation with Barry.

    "Yeah. You are right. Remember I spoke with Barry earlier?" Tom asked, and Lucy gave him a nod when she recalled that he had told her Barry was calling during their conversation earlier in the day.

    Tom told her what Barry had said about Anita having recorded their conversation to make her look like the bad person who had snatched her friend''s boyfriend, and Lucy shook her head.

    "Too bad for her that I also recorded my conversation with her at the bar. She has nothing on me," Lucy assured Tom as he drove through his gate.

    "Even if she has something on you, I doubt any major news agency would want to publish it. After thest incident, Harry sent out a circr to the CEOs of all the major news agencies, informing them that anyone who dares to carry any unverified news about you or our rtionship again would have I-Global to contend with. They know better than to do something like that again," Tom said confidently.

    "I''m relieved to know I don''t have to be on the media for the wrong reason again. I don''t want to add that to everything else I have to worry about right now," Lucy said with a sigh as Tom parked the car in front of the house and she gazed at the building in front of them.

    "I feel anxious about theing weekend and the week toe," Lucy murmured, and Tom took her hand and raised it to his lips.

    "One day at a time, Jewel. Today has enough problems already. Let''s leave tomorrow''s worries for tomorrow. Now let''s leave all the craziness of the day in the car before going inside. I need to have a normal evening with you to be able to face tomorrow," Tom said, and they both smiled when the door opened and they watched as Jamal stepped out of the house and ran in the direction of the car.

    "Yeah. Let''s do that," Lucy said. And putting on her most cheerful smile, she got out of the car to embrace the kid, who she was beginning to believe that her meeting with him wasn''t a coincidence.

    Away from there, at the restaurant section of the hotel where she was lodged, Jade sipped from her ss of wine as she watched her boss who was seated opposite her while waiting for him to tell her about the case and what he wanted from her.

    Although, Amos was aware that he was taking a major risk by involving Jade in this case considering her brother''s rtionship with Sara''s son, but he nned to use her as his and Sara''s lifeline.

    He would involve her in the case to the extent that if Harry and his father decided to expose Sara or him, it would also affect Jade, and for her sake, they wouldn''t want to go too far.

    "I believe I don''t need to tell you how sensitive this case is, or how important it is that you keep whatever we discuss to yourself. You can''t tell anyone else about it. Not even your family," Amos said, and Jade rolled her eyes.

    "Why do you sound like I''m the one who asked you to involve me in this when you called me to do you a favor?" Jade asked, feeling slightly offended.

    Amos cleared his throat, "I''m sorry, that is not what I meant. All I was trying to say is that you have to keep this between us. No one must know she has a daughter. You will be signing a confidentiality agreement before we begin. And you don''t have to worry, you will be well rewarded," Amos assured her as he leaned forward in his seat and ced a cheque note in front of her.

    Jade frowned at him without looking at the cheque, "Does that mean that she is going to keep hiding the fact that she has a daughter from the public even after she finds her? Why is she searching for her daughter if it has to be done so secretly?" Jade asked in confusion.

    "It''s a long story. She was married before going into modeling. She had twin children but lost the girl during childbirth. Devastated by the loss she abandoned her husband and son, and moved to another country. That was where she became a model. After all these years, she just recently learned that her daughter is alive, so she is doing all she can to find her. What do you expect her to do? Announce it to the world? What if she doesn''t find her after everything?" Amos asked, and Jade''s brows pulled together in a slight frown.

    The story didn''t make sense to her. "Didn''t she see her daughter''s body? How can you say she lost the girl during childbirth, and now you''re saying she just found out the girl is alive?" Jade asked in confusion. How could a mother abandon one baby because she lost the other?

    "The doctor gave her a dead baby," Amos exined, but Jade still wasn''t convinced.

    "So how did she learn that her daughter is alive? Shouldn''t the same source lead her to her daughter?" Jade asked, and even though Amos wanted to swear at her for asking so many questions, he forced a smile.

    "That is what we are doing. Our source informed me that the man who stole her baby abandoned the baby at an orphanage home. I need you to go there and find out what you can about the child. Here is a picture of the child and some information about her and the orphanage home," Amos said as he slid an envelope toward Jade, and she opened it and took out a picture of a four-year-old brown-eyed girl, dressed in a red dungaree and white turtleneck top, smiling at the camera.

    "What about her father and brother? Are they aware..."

    "Jade, take the cheque and quit asking so many unnecessary questions! Your business is with me and Sara, not the child''s father," Amos snapped at her, and Jade raised a brow.

    "Unnecessary questions? I''m sorry, Amos, but I don''t think I want to get involved in something like this. We arewyers for crying out loud! How can youe to me with such a half-baked story and expect me to buy it? Is this what she told you? And you believed her without questions because she paid you handsomely?" Jade asked, disappointment ringing clearly in her tone.

    "You won''t speak to me in that manner. I''m still your boss..."

    "Have you forgotten that my resignation letter is ready?" Jade cut in angrily.

    "You are still my employee until your current case is over and I can as well fire you if you disrespect me any further," Amos threatened.

    "Then do so," Jade hissed as she stood up.

    Realizing that he had gone too far and was about to lose his lifeline he quickly stopped her, "I''m sorry," Amos said before she could walk away.

    "Please, Jade. I really need your help on this. You see how smart you are and how you asked questions I failed to ask Sara? That''s why I need you on this case. Please help me," Amos pleaded, and Jade reluctantly returned to her seat.

    She pushed the cheque back to him, "This is a favor to you, so I don''t need any money. Also, I''m not signing any confidentiality agreement. It''s either you need my help or not," Jade said, and even though Amos did not like that, he gave her a nod.

    "Fine. Help me whichever way you can," Amos said, and Jade held his gaze for a moment before giving him a nod.

    "I will let you know what I find," Jade said as she stood from her seat, picked up the envelope, and walked out of the restaurant.

    She wasn''t going to do it just because she wanted to do him a favor. Something smelt fishy about both his request and the whole story, and she intended to find out what it was.

 Chapter 429: Go After Her

    Chapter 429: Go After Her"Is something wrong?" Lucas asked when he could no longer ignore the way Miley was watching him with a wide smile on her face as he ate.

    Both her elbows were resting on the table, and her chin was resting in the cup of both hands as she smiled at him, "No."

    "So why do you keep staring at me?"

    "Is it a crime to stare at you?" She asked with an innocent smile as she blinked at him prettily.

    "It might not be a crime, but it''s awkward and ufortable. Instead of watching me you should focus on your food too," Lucas said, but Miley shook her head.

    "I feel full merely by watching you eat," Miley said, and Amy shook her head, while Lucas sighed.

    "Besides, there will always be time to eat after now, but there won''t always be time to watch you eat since I might not see you again after today. I need to have my fill of your face," Miley said, and Lucas set aside his cutlery and faced her.

    "Why do you need to have your fill of my face?" Lucas asked, and shrugged.

    "Isn''t it obvious? Because you''re cute and like you. I like you very much," Miley confessed, and Lucas felt his cheeks flush red when he nced at Amy and noticed the amusement on her face as she ate.

    "You shouldn''t say things like that out loud," Lucas chided her in a quiet voice.

    "Things like what?" Miley asked, blinking at him innocently.

    Lucas shifted ufortably in his seat "Things about liking me," Lucas said without meeting her gaze, and Amy''s lips twitched in amusement as she watched him.

    He was really cute. It was easy to see why Miley liked him, Amy mused.

    "Why not? You asked a question and I responded. Should I have lied to you?" Miley asked with an arched brow.

    "If other people hear you they might misunderstand what you mean..."

    "Other people? The only person here with us is Amy, and she can''t misunderstand. She already knows how much I like you. Don''t you, Amy?" Miley asked.

    "I do," Amy said and shed Lucas an apologetic smile. She hated to be in his shoes right now.

    "You see? No one is going to misunderstand anything. Besides, why do you feel ufortable when I watch you? I''m sure people look at you a lot," Miley said, and Lucas shook his head.

    "Not the way you do. It''s scary. Especially with that creepy smile on your face," Lucas said, and Miley red at him while Amy giggled.

    Seeing the mild annoyance on her face, Lucas smiled, "I''m just kidding. Your smile isn''t creepy. It''s actually pretty. But I''m notfortable. I''m sure you wouldn''t be either if I look at you that way," Lucas said, and Miley smiled at him.

    "Says who? I would love you to look at me that way," Miley said, and when Lucas watched her without saying a word, she giggled.

    "Okay, I promise not to look at you that way if you agree to go out with us tomorrow," Miley offered, and Lucas almostughed out loud.

    "Give it up Miley. I''m not going anywhere with you."

    "Why not? Do you hate me that much?" She asked with a pout.

    "Hate you? It''s actually because I like you. If I didn''t like you I wouldn''t mind hanging out with you, and watching you waste what little time you have left. But because I care about you, I''m annoyed that you are doing this to yourself," Lucas said honestly, and Amy who was the only one still eating looked from Lucas to Miley.

    "I see that we are back to that," Miley said with a sigh as she leaned back in her seat.

    "Go ahead and eat. I won''t look at you that way until you''re done." she urged him, but Lucas shook his head.

    He could tell that it was her attempt to change the subject, "I can''t eat anymore. I already lost my appetite, so let''s talk instead," Lucas suggested, and both Amy and Miley looked at him curiously.

    "What do you want to talk about?"

    "Let''s talk about you. Shouldn''t you be busy nning on how to tell your parents about your health? How much longer are you going to keep it from..." Lucas paused and his eyes narrowed suspiciously when something suddenly urred to him and he nced at Amy.

    "Did youe to Ludus to interview men who would be willing to marry you?" Lucas asked, thinking that was probably why they had gotten a makeover, to look more attractive for the prospective candidates.

    Miley exchanged a look with Amy and took a deep breath. It was time.

    "About that..."

    "Miley? You''re Miley Garwood, right?" Ady who was walking past their table asked when she saw Miley, and Miley excused herself to talk with thedy who she recognized as an active Instagram follower.

    Once she left, Amy turned to see Lucas staring at her, and she shed him an awkward smile, "Miley can be too much to handle sometimes. Please don''t be too harsh on her," Amy said apologetically.

    "Is she still going ahead with the marriage and surrogacy n?" Lucas asked, and Amy gave him a nod.

    "Of course."

    "You did not try to talk her out of that ridiculous n?" Lucas asked, and Amy frowned.

    "I never said I was going to do that, did I? And who said her n is ridiculous?" Amy asked defensively, and Lucas looked at her incredulously.

    "I understand that she is too distraught and out of her mind to think straight, but shouldn''t you be a little more reasonable?"

    Amy raised a brow, "I beg your pardon?"

    "I was hoping you would change her mind after having enough time to think about the situation, but instead of doing that you are encouraging her with your blind devotion and loyalty," Lucas scolded, his eyes ring at her usingly.

    "What is so wrong about her wanting to be married and have a child? And what is wrong in supporting my best friend to get what she wants?" Amy asked, feeling annoyed by Lucas'' words.

    Lucas shook his head, "It is wrong because it is not logical. Her action is being fueled by emotions and so is yours! Have you stopped to think about what your boyfriend would say about you being a surrogate?" Lucas asked, and Amy raised a brow.

    "I don''t have a boyfriend, so I don''t think..."

    "And you have no ns of having one either, I suppose? Do you think it makes sense that you are going to be carrying another person''s child..."

    "What I choose to do with my body has nothing to do with you or any damned person!" Amy cut in coldly.

    "Sure. It is not my business. The point here is that you are both not being logical. You are just thinking about the present. I can excuse Miley''sck of objectivity, but not yours. You are not thinking about your future or that of the child, are you? How do you think the child would feel to know that he or she was conceived on the whim of a dying woman? How would you feel if you found out you were conceived based on a bucket list and not out of love?" Lucas asked angrily.

    "I''m sorry, but I''m missing your point. I believe you''re not naive enough to believe that every child was conceived out of love. Miley''s child would definitely understand when the timees. And I see no reason why we are even arguing about this when it has nothing to do with you. Miley has a right to do what she wants, and so do I. If you''re not going to help her then maybe you should stay out of it..."

    "Are you sure you are doing this just because you care about her?" Lucas cut in before Amy could finish speaking, and Amy''s eyes narrowed into slits.

    "What is that supposed to mean?"

    Lucas shrugged, "For all I know, you could be doing this because you want her to reward your loyalty by leaving you all she has when..." The rest of his sentence was forgotten when Amy picked up her ss of water and threw the sparkling water on his face.

    "HOW DARE YOU?" She snarled as she stood, her amber eyes zing with fury at the insult.

    Miley who had been talking with thedy some tables away from there, turned around in surprise when she heard Amy''s voice, and immediately she excused herself and returned to the table.

    "Do you think you care about her more than I do? Who do you think you are to say something like that to me?" Amy was asking just as Miley joined them.

    "Amy? What is going on?" She asked, but instead of responding Amy picked up her handbag.

    "Let''s leave, Miley," Amy said, her eyes glistening with unshed tears as she grabbed Miley''s hand wanting to drag her away, but Miley didn''t budge.

    "What is wrong? Lucas?" Miley asked, ncing at Lucas who was staring at Amy.

    "If you are noting with me, you can meet me at home," Amy said as she let go of her hand and walked away without waiting for Miley to say another word.

    Miley''s frown deepened as she watched Amy leave, and then she turned to Lucas, "What did you say to make her so angry?" Miley asked in confusion.

    She had thought Amy liked Lucas, and everything had been going smoothly to the best of her knowledge, so what could have changed between them in the short time she was away to make Amy so mad?

    Lucas sighed, "You should go after your friend," he said, feeling embarrassed by the words he had spoken.

    He knew he shouldn''t have said that. He shouldn''t have agreed to this dinner in the first ce. Why was he so interested in what either of them chose to do? None of it was his business, so why couldn''t he just mind his business and keep his opinion to himself?

    "Lucas..."

    "Go after her. We can talk some other time. Tell her I''m sorry," Lucas said, but Miley shook her head.

    "If you said something hurtful to her then you should apologize yourself. Go after her and tell her you''re sorry yourself," Miley said as she picked up her handbag.

    "But I don''t know where she is going to..."

    Miley picked up her phone and texted Amy''s home address and phone number to Lucas, "I just texted her details to you. I will be hanging out with thatdy and her friends over there. Please make sure she gets home safely," Miley said, and walked away before Lucas could say another word.

 Chapter 430: Ahhhh

    Chapter 430: AhhhhLucas called himself all manner of names in his head as he hurried outside the restaurant, after settling their bill, hoping to catch Amy before she went too far.

    Once he stepped outside, he looked around but there was no trace of her anywhere. He could see different cars driving in and out of the premise, but there was no trace of Amy around.

    He ran down the road to see if he would find her walking, but he didn''t.

    He took out his phone from his pocket to check the text which Miley had sent him, and he dialed Amy''s line.

    He frowned when he was unable to reach her, and after trying a couple of times he gave up.

    He made up his mind to return to Lucy''s apartment and call it a night since he couldn''t find her or reach her on phone.

    After he was well rested he would send her a proper apology text, Lucas decided, and just as he headed for the parking lot where he had parked Lucy''s car, he saw Miley standing in front of the restaurant and looking around like she was trying to find someone.

    He stopped when he noticed the way she smiled when she saw him and quickly hurried over to where he stood.

    "Oh, Lucas! Thank goodness you are still here," Miley said with a relieved smile.

    "You changed your mind about hanging out with your friends?" Lucas asked, but Miley wasn''t listening to him, instead, she continued to look around.

    "Where is Amy? Didn''t you find her?" Miley asked as she returned her attention to him.

    "No. She was gone by the time I got out. Did she drive?" Lucas asked, and Miley''s brows pulled together as she shook her head.

    "That means she probably took a cab or something. That is not good," Miley murmured as she looked down at the wallet and key in her hand.

    "Since she is not here, I will go home now. Please let her know that I''m sorry, and I will text her or call her tomorrow to apologize properly," Lucas said, but Miley shook her head.

    "Did youe with a car? Please can you go after her? Maybe you can catch up with her before she gets to her apartment," Miley suggested, but Lucas shook his head.

    "No. I can''t do that. I already told you I will give her a call. Her number is not going through right now else I would have done so alre..."

    "I already tried to call her too. Her number is not going through because her battery is dead. I just recalled herining about it on our way here," Miley said with a concerned frown.

    "In that case, I will make sure my text is the first notification she receives when she turns her phone on," Lucas promised, but Miley shook her head.

    "It''s not just about the apology. I want to be sure she gets home safe..."

    "She is not a kid, Miley. And she is not drunk either. I''m sure she can find her way home. She won''t miss her way simply because she is upset," Lucas said reasonably.

    "It''s not that either. I was the one who locked the door on our way out so I''m with the key," Miley said as she raised the single key she was holding for him to see, "I just found it in my handbag," Miley said, and Lucas raised a brow.

    "I''m sure she has a spare tucked away under her doormat or flowerpot somewhere..."

    "That''s not all. She will be stranded. She doesn''t have any money on her. I''m with her wallet," Miley said as she raised the wallet in her other hand.

    "How can you be with her wallet when she left with her handbag?" Lucas asked in disbelief, as he looked at her incredulously.

    "We have a matching pair. I thought this was mine and I picked it from the table while leaving the apartment. I was startled to find both wallets in my handbag," Miley exined with an embarrassed smile.

    "And she didn''t notice that she left the house without her wallet?" Lucas asked, thinking that it didn''t make sense.

    "I''m sure she thinks it''s in her handbag," Miley said with a concerned frown.

    "Then you should go after before she gets there."

    "That won''t work. I can''t go home right now. I already promised thedy inside that I would join her party before remembering that I was with the key," Miley said with a pout, and Lucas frowned.

    "So? You''d rather your best friend is stranded than disappoint a stranger?" He asked incredulously.

    "She is not a stranger. She is an ardent follower," Miley exined patiently.

    "Too bad you will have to disappoint her. Why did you let Amy leave when you..."

    "Seriously? Did she leave on my ount?" Miley snapped at him, startling Lucas who hadn''t been expecting that.

    "I already said I was sorry," Lucas said defensively when Miley red at him.

    "I''m not the one you should apologize to. She will get even more mad at you when she ends up getting embarrassed because she can''t pay for her cab, and stranded because she can''t get into her apartment," Miley said as she extended the wallet and key to Lucas.

    "Are you going to take it to her or not?" Miley asked, and Lucas silently swore at himself before taking the key and wallet from her.

    Miley smiled at him, "You have her home address. I''m sure it won''t be difficult for you to locate. Goodnight, Lucas," she said as she leaned forward and kissed his cheek before walking away.

    Left with no choice, Lucas got into Lucy''s car and dropped Amy''s wallet and key on the passenger seat before checking for Amy''s address.

    Although he wasn''t too familiar with the environment, he relied on Google assistant to give him the right direction to Amy''s apartment.

    Unfortunately, he realized that Google Maps wasn''t always reliable when he ended up getting lost twice. He couldn''t tell if he was the one who didn''t understand the direction, or if it was his google assistant who didn''t know the direction.

    As Lucas tried to find the way he took turns cursing himself and everyone else who had a role to y in his present predicament.

    Why did he let Lucy talk him into going out with Miley? Of all people to take such advice from, why did he listen to Lucy, who had only just recently started to mix up with people? It wasn''t like she had any real rtionship experience with people before now, outside of their immediate family, Sonia and Tyler. So why did he listen to her?

    Why did he leave Lucy''s apartment where he had been spending the day watching movies and ying games on his phone to meet with Miley?

    Why did Amye out with Miley? He was sure things wouldn''t have happened this way had he met with just Miley alone.

    Why did Amy have to get so angry that she had to leave that way? Shouldn''t she have just calmed down after emptying her ss of water on him and yelling at him like that in public?

    Sure, he was wrong. He was a jerk for saying what he said when he knew just how much she had cried when she arrived that night. He had realized how badly he fucked up the moment the words left his mouth, but she had also reacted too quickly, and before he had a chance to recover from his shock and apologize, she had walked away.

    Why didn''t Miley stop her? If she had stopped her from leaving or gone with her he wouldn''t have to be on this sted road trying to find his way to her apartment.

    Why did that damned Instagram follower have to show up and take Miley away from the table? If she hadn''t appeared from nowhere Miley wouldn''t have left and he wouldn''t have talked to Amy at all or argued with her, and even if that had happened, Miley would have been the one going after Amy right now not him.

    Why did Amy''s battery have to be dead right now? Why did she have to leave her wallet and key behind? And why did she leave so fast like she was being chased? Why couldn''t she have just walked away so he would chase after her and find her instead of...

    He stepped on his brake pedal abruptly when he drove past someone dressed in a white dress, and the car came to a screeching halt.

    He looked through the rearview mirror, and sure enough, there was Amy walking down the road barefooted with her sandals in hand.

    She was walking in the opposite direction and didn''t take note of the car that has driven past her or the fact that the car had stopped.

    Immediately, he picked up the wallet and car key from the passenger seat and got out of the car. He walked after her in quick steps, wanting to call out to her, but he slowed down when he realized she was speaking to herself.

    "Lucas? Sounds more like Look Ass to me," Amy hissed to herself angrily, not caring about the fact that she would look like a crazy person to anyone who saw her talking to herself.

    "What an ass! Dr. Hottie my ass! What ever nonsense made me think he was cute or calm? I must have been out of my mind!" She said with a humorless chuckle.

    "Senseless idiot! Little wonder he ended up with a stupid bitch like Rachel!" Amy hissed to herself angrily as she continued to walk.

    "Water is too good for him. I should have poured the spicy sauce on him instead," Amy said muttered angrily, and then suddenly stopped walking when she noticed another shadow beside hers and realized that she wasn''t alone.

    She clutched her handbag tighter and swirled around immediately using her handbag to hit him right in the face before she could make out his face.

    "Ahhhh!" Lucas cried out as he raised a hand to his face.

 Chapter 431: Not Amusement

    Chapter 431: Not AmusementImmediately Amy walked out of the restaurant, she saw a cab dropping off ady in front of the restaurant and she got into it immediately.

    She wanted to be as far away as possible from Lucas because she feared that if she didn''t leave she would go back in there and throw the sses at him.

    If she had been pissed when she walked out of the restaurant earlier, then she was enraged now as she gave more thought to his thoughtless words.

    Of all idiotic things to say! How could he use her of being with Miley for financial benefits? How dare he? Who did he think he was to say that to her? What did he know about her friendship with Miley or how far they hade? What did he know about her loyalty to her best friend? Did he think he loved or cared about Miley more than she did? Amy thought as angry tears dropped from her eyes and she swiped at them angrily.

    Halfway through the cab ride, Amy had managed to calm herself a bit, but that quickly changed when she opened her handbag only to discover that her purse wasn''t in the handbag.

    She tried to think about thest time she had seen it and she remembered dropping it on the table. If it was on the table, that was fine. She could easily go in and get the purse to the driver, she thought, until it suddenly urred to her that she had not seen her key while searching for her purse.

    She poured out all the content of her bag in search of the key, but it wasn''t in her bag. Her brows pulled together when it urred to her that Miley had been the one who locked the door on their way out earlier, and so she was with the key.

    Amy groaned in protest when she picked up her phone to give Miley a call, but then remembered that her battery was dead.

    "Can we go back please?" She asked as she nced at the driver, and he met her gaze through the rearview mirror.

    "To the restaurant?" The driver asked, and she nodded.

    Without asking any questions, he made a U-turn and took her back to the restaurant. Once she got there, she asked the driver to wait for her while she hurried inside to find Miley. Unfortunately, she was informed that Miley had just left.

    Assuming that she had missed Miley who was already heading home, she immediately returned to the cab and asked the driver to take her home.

    By the time the cab finally pulled to a stop in front of her apartment, there was no trace of her car or Miley.

    She politely enquired from the driver if he would be kind enough to help her power her phone so she could give her friend a call, but he had no charger in his car, and she wasn''t friendly with her neighbors enough to make such a request.

    "Is there a problem?" The driver asked, and she shamefacedly exined her predicament to the driver who looked at her, not sure whether or not to buy her story.

    Never in her life had she felt so embarrassed as she did at that moment. This was all Lucas'' fault. She wouldn''t be facing such an embarrassment had he not been so careless and insensitive.

    "I promise you, I''m not trying to deceive you or scam you. If you will be kind enough toe back here tomorrow, I promise to pay you twice the amount I owe you," Amy rushed to assure him when she saw the displeasure on his face.

    "How do I know you live here?" The driver asked, seeing as she was iming she had forgotten her key with her friend.

    "My name is Amy. Amy Grant," Amy said before hurrying to her mailbox to pick up one of the envelopes with her name on it which she handed to the driver.

    The driver looked at the envelope skeptically, "If you''re trying to deceive me I will report you to the police when Ie here tomorrow and don''t find you," he told her, before driving off angrily.

    Once he left, Amy sighed. Seeing how Miley had left the restaurant and was not at home yet, she doubted that Miley was returning home anytime soon. Miley had probably gone to hang out somewhere else with Lucas.

    She was certain that Miley had forgotten that she was with the apartment key, and had no idea either that she wasn''t with her wallet or else she would have returned already.

    She wished she could get mad at Miley for choosing to stay back with Lucas rather than go home with her, but she couldn''t.

    Miley didn''t have much time left and she deserved to spend it doing something she liked with whoever she liked, whether or not she liked the person.

    Miley liked Lucas and wanted him, and despite her annoyance at Lucas for saying something as insensitive as what he had said, she believed he was good for Miley, as she could tell that what he had said hade from a ce of concern...

    ''No, Amy! No! You are not going to make any excuses for him or defend him!'' Amy muttered under her breath.

    Although it was getting dark already, but not wanting to just stand there and wait around until Miley returned from her date, she decided to walk down the road to a friend''s house close by where she had left a spare key for days like this.

    As she walked down the road, the heel of her sandals broke, making her swear angrily. Talk about having a bad day. As if the day could not get any worse, she thought in annoyance as she took off her sandals and picked them up with her left hand before continuing on her way barefooted.

    This was all because of Lucas Perry. She was going through all this because of him. If he had just chosen to get drunk in a different bar that night, Miley would not have met him or taken him to her ce.

    If he had not shown up in Miley''s life they would not have had to make this impromptu trip to Ludus just to see him. All the time she would have spent resting from that stupid trip had been spent dolling up to meet him. She had been cranky all day, and Lucas had seeded in ruining what was left of her day by saying the nonsense he had said.

    If he had not annoyed her she wouldn''t have been in this situation right now. Walking down the road barefooted like a homeless beggar when she should befortably rxed on her sofa eating and watching television.

    "Lucas? Sounds more like Look Ass to me," Amy hissed to herself angrily, not caring about the fact that she would look like a crazy person to anyone who saw her talking to herself.

    "What an ass! Dr. Hottie my ass! What ever nonsense made me think he was cute or calm? I must have been out of my mind!" She said with a humorless chuckle.

    "Senseless idiot! Little wonder he ended up with a stupid bitch like Rachel!" Amy hissed to herself angrily as she continued to walk towards a side alley.

    "Water is too good for him. I should have poured the spicy sauce on him instead," Amy muttered angrily, and just as she got to the entrance of the alley, she abruptly stopped when she realized that she wasn''t alone. Someone was following her.

    She noticed that a male shadow was walking closely beside hers. Too closely. Was she about to be mugged? Was this going to be one of those cases where a lone female was mugged and killed in a dark alley? No way! There was no way she was going to let something like that happen to her.

    She tightened her grip on her handbag as she swirled around immediately and used her handbag to hit him right in the face before she could make out his face.

    "Ahhhh!" Lucas cried out as he raised a hand to protect his face from the assault.

    "What made you think you can rob me?" Amy asked angrily, and without waiting for him to recover, she hit his head with the heel of her sandals and attacked him.

    "Christ, Amy! It''s Lucas!" Lucas cried out as he tried to hold her off. How did he ever think she looked innocent?

    His protest fell on deaf ears as she threw aside her handbag and sandals, and attacked him with her teeth and fingers this time. Biting and pinching him.

    Amy was still too blinded and deafened by her anger at Lucas and her fear of being mugged to make sense of anything he was saying.

    Right now she needed a ce to pour all her anger and frustration, and this thief was just good enough.

    When he couldn''t take it anymore, Lucas grabbed her hair and he tried to push her away gently, "Can you just stop?" Lucas snapped at her angrily.

    His head ached where she had hit him with her sandals, his face was burning and hurting from the scratches her nails and handbag had inflicted on him, not to mention his arm which was hurting, where she was presently biting him.

    "You''ve got to be kidding me, you thief!" Amy hissed as she dug her nails into the hand on her hair, but Lucas grabbed her arm with his other hand and shook her.

    "Have you lost your mind?" Lucas yelled at her, and Amy blinked in surprise when she finally recognized his voice and peered into his face to see if it was really Lucas.

    "Lucas?" She asked as she let go of him and looked him over. Sure enough, it was the same outfit that Lucas had been wearing earlier at the restaurant.

    He red at her, "No. It''s Look Ass!" He said, annoyed. Who would have thought she was such a hellcat?

    To his surprise and annoyance, she raised a hand to her lips to stifle what sounded like a giggle but she didn''t seed. That was thest reaction he had been expecting. Embarrassment? Yeah. More anger? Yeah. But definitely not amusement. He didn''t find anything amusing in what had just happened.

 Chapter 432: Come In

    Chapter 432: Come InLucas watched in annoyance as she tittered withughter. It seemed to him like she found his annoyance amusing.

    "What is funny?" He asked, ring at her.

    She wasn''t usually a violent woman, but after unleashing her anger on him in that manner, she suddenly felt better. Especially knowing that it was Lucas who she had attacked and not a random thief.

    Amy cleared her throat and squared her shoulder as she took a step back, "What are you doing here? And why were you sneaking up on me like that?" Amy asked, and then remembered Miley, "Where is Miley?" She asked with a worried frown.

    Lucas gritted his teeth as he ran his hand over the spots where she had bitten him. It was obvious to him that he wasn''t going to be getting an apology from her. That was okay. He wasn''t going to apologize to her either. They could say they were even now.

    "She said she will be hanging out with thedy she met at the restaurant. I wasn''t sneaking up on you. Your line wasn''t going through, so I came over to apologize for being a jerk, and Miley asked me to bring your wallet and key..." He paused when he realized that he was no longer holding the wallet or the key. It seemed like he had dropped both while trying to protect himself from the assault.

    Lucas dimmed his eyes as looked around the darkly lit alley until his eyes fell on the pink wallet which was lying on the floor a few feet from them.

    He picked it up and continued to look around until he found the key, and he picked it up too, "Here," he said as he handed both to Amy, who had also picked up her handbag and sandals, and was now staring at him as she took them from him.

    "I was just going to get my spare key from a friend," Amy said as she walked out of the dimly lit alley and Lucas followed her.

    She saw the car parked ahead of them and recognized it to be Lucy''s car, but she said nothing as she continued to walk while he walked behind her without saying a word.

    When they got to where the car was parked Lucas looked at her, "Get in, I will drop you off at your apartment before leaving," he said, and Amy turned to look at him.

    Looking at the scratches on his face, guilt tugged at Amy''s heart, and she didn''t know whether to apologize for what she had done or to call them even now.

    While one part of her mind told her that all of it was his fault, and he deserved what he got, another part told her to apologize.

    "You don''t have to. I can walk," she assured him, but Lucas said nothing as he went around the car and held open the passenger seat.

    "Get in. Aside from the fact that Miley asked me to make sure you get home safely, I also have to make sure you get home safely so that no one else has to experience what I just experienced," Lucas said, and Amy''s lips twitched in amusement as she got into the car.

    She directed him to her apartment, and Lucas silently cussed himself when he realized he had driven past her apartment twice while searching for the ce.

    Once they both got out of the car and he escorted her to the door, Lucas eyed her skeptically, "I take it we are even now?" He asked, wanting to get it done with and leave.

    Amy''s lips twitched with amusement. Even though the thought had crossed her mind that they were even now, hearing him say it, she changed her mind, "You said you came here to apologize. I haven''t heard your apology," She said, and Lucas frowned.

    "After all you just did to me?" He asked incredulously.

    "Both are separate incidents. I didn''t do it knowing it was you. I thought I was about to be mugged, and I reacted as any normal person..."

    "Normal? I don''t think so. A normal person would scream for help or run away as fast as they can not turn around and attack a man who you have no idea whether he is armed or not," Lucas countered, and Amy shrugged.

    "That might be the way you react to things like that, not me. I work hard for everything I have and I won''t let anyone steal anything from me. As I said, I''m yet to get your apology," Amy said, returning to the main subject.

    "If your action wasn''t deliberate on your part shouldn''t I get an apology from you as well?" Lucas asked with a slightly raised brow.

    "You wronged me first, and you put me in this situation. If anything had happened to me it would have been on you. You should apologize and then I could think about apologizing to you," Amy said, and Lucas scoffed.

    "Think about apologizing? I could be suffering from internal bleeding right now..."

    "Fine. I will apologize, but only after you have apologized," Amy said, and Lucas sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair.

    "I shouldn''t have said what I said. I don''t know what I was thinking. I''m sorry," Lucas said, and as simple as the apology was, it sounded genuine.

    Without responding to his apology, Amy turned around and opened the door, "Come in," she said and walked in without waiting for a response.

    Lucas looked at her, wondering why she was inviting him into her apartment just like that. All he wanted was to apologize and get going. He didn''t want to indulge in any more conversation with her or Miley for that matter.

    "Are you noting in?" Amy asked from somewhere inside, and Lucas hesitantly walked in and shut the door behind him.

    Standing inside the apartment, he didn''t take a step further and just stood by the door as he looked around the ce. The apartment was small. Not tiny, but perfect enough for one or two persons.

    Everything was well organized in their ce, and the interior decor was mainly a blend of sugar white and rose. The little apartment was feminine and cozy in a way.

    "I didn''t invite you in just so you could stand watch by the door. Come sit," Amy said as she walked in carrying a little first aid box which she dropped on the table.

    Lucas eyed her unpleasantly as she jerked her head to the rose-colored twin sofa in the living room, "I can take care of myself. I will like to take my leave now that you are settled," Lucas said politely.

    "My mother taught me that until your apology has been epted and your offense is forgiven you shouldn''t stop apologizing. I''m yet to ept your apology," Amy said patiently, as she sat on the table opposite the couch as though she was waiting for him to sit so she could treat his wounds.

    "Good thing we were raised by different mothers. That is between you and your mother. I admit that I was wrong and I have apologized despite what you did to me..."

    "Do you want to leave without getting a proper apology?" She asked, and Lucas shrugged.

    "It doesn''t matter. I deserve it. Goodnight," Lucas said as he turned around to leave.

 Chapter 433: Marry Miley

    Chapter 433: Marry Miley"Why are you always in a hurry to use the door?" Amy asked before he could open the door and he turned around to look at her.

    "Then should I use the window instead?" He asked sarcastically and scowled when Amy giggled.

    If there was one thing he had learned about her this evening, it was the fact that she was easily amused and sheughed a lot.

    "I''m sorry. I really wouldn''t have done that if I had known you were the one..."

    "I have strong reasons to doubt that. I''m pretty sure you were transferring your aggression and luckily for you, you got just the right person. I can''t imagine how happy you must be," Lucas cut in, and Amy frowned as she looked at him.

    "I''m not usually that aggressive," she exined, but Lucas raised a brow.

    "You sure could have fooled me," Lucas said dryly, and Amy tried not tough.

    "I''m serious."

    "It doesn''t matter. I was a jerk, you were a hellcat. It''s been a rough day. Let''s just call it a night," Lucas said, and Amy sighed.

    It truly had been a long day for her, and she was sure he didn''t even know the half of it.

    "You should at least let me treat you. You are bleeding," she said, and Lucas raised a hand to the right side of his temple to touch where he was feeling the most pain. He wasn''t sure if it was her handbag or heels that had cut him.

    "I am a medical doctor. I''m capable of taking care of myself," he said matter-of-factly.

    "I guess it is true that doctors make the worst patients. You can''t always take care of yourself. Even the best doctors get treated by other doctors," she said as rose from the table and approached him.

    "Besides, I might lose my job if Director Perry sees these marks on your face and finds out I was responsible for them," Amy said as she grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the couch.

    "Just give me five minutes. I will clean your wound and you can leave," Amy promised as she opened the box and took out the items which she needed to treat his wound.

    Lucas looked in every other direction but hers as he let her treat his wound. He couldn''t help wondering what he was doing here right now in her apartment.

    Amy on the other hand tried to be as careful as she could while treating his wound. She tried not to go too closely to him and keep some space between their faces. She had to admit that she didn''t think it through before offering to treat his wound.

    Being alone with a man in her apartment this way wasn''t ideal. Not that she thought that anything could happen between them, but she should have let him leave and treat his wounds himself. She couldn''t even breathefortably because she was so close to him and damn Miley for that nonsense she had said about seducing him, because now it wasing back to her.

    "Why do you call her Director Perry? I thought you were close?" Lucas asked when the silence between them suddenly became awkward and ufortable.

    Amy said nothing for some time as she contemted his question, "I feel morefortable referring to her in that manner. Maybe in the future that might change," Amy said after some time, and Lucas nodded.

    The room became silent once again, and Lucas cleared his throat, "Why did you believe her? Lucy, I mean. Why did you choose to believe that she was innocent?" Lucas asked, and Amy shrugged as she focused her attention on applying Neosporin ointment to his wound.

    "It seemed like everyone else at the office believed that she was guilty without hearing her story. I know how frustrating and depressing that can be so I wanted to give her the benefit of doubt," Amy said as she looked away from his face to pick a bandage.

    "I''m done," she announced once she had covered his wound, and stood up.

    "Thanks. For treating me and for helping my sister too," Lucas said as he also stood up, not seeing any reason to tell her that wasn''t the only wound he had sustained.

    Amy gave him a nod, "Once again, I''m very sorry. For reacting that way at the restaurant, and for this. I''m really not that kind of person," Amy apologized and Lucas gave her a nod.

    "I deserved that at the restaurant. So it''s alright. I will be on my way now," Lucas said as he headed for the door, and just when his hand touched the knob, it ured to Amy that she had left before they could make their proposition to Lucas.

    "Did Miley tell you why we came to Ludus?" Amy asked quickly, and Lucas turned to her.

    "No."

    "Are you going to meet with her tomorrow?" Amy asked, wondering if Miley had postponed telling him to the next day.

    "No. I have no ns of meeting with her after today," Lucas said, and Amy bit her lower lip as she considered whether or not she should have the conversation with Lucas on behalf of Miley.

    At least that way she would know where they stood and whether or not she should start working on finding Miley someone else.

    "Do you mind sparing me some minutes of your time?" Amy asked as she moved from one foot to the other anxiously.

    Seeing how ufortable she suddenly looked, Lucas hesitantly gave her a nod while wondering what was wrong with him.

    "Have your seat while I clear this," Amy said as she covered the first aid box and took it back inside.

    "Do you care for wine or coffee?" She asked as she returned to join him.

    "Neither. Let''s just talk," Lucas suggested, and Amy gave him a nod as she sat on the sofa adjacent to him.

    She cleared her throat, not knowing how to start. It was crazy that she was about to ask the same man, who had said their n was crazy, to marry Miley and be their sperm donor.

    "I know you think we are crazy for wanting to find Miley a husband and..."

    Lucas cut in before she could finish, "I have moved past that. It wasn''t in my ce to question your decision. I''m sorry for everything I said. I no longer care about the subject. You are both free to do as you see fit," Lucas assured her politely.

    She was probably crazy for thinking about this, but this was one of those things people do for love and friendship, Amy thought as she took a deep breath.

    "Marry Miley. Please."

 Chapter 434: Dr. Tyler

    Chapter 434: Dr. TylerMarry Miley? Lucas repeated the words in his head as he looked at Amy, wondering if she had truly uttered the words or if someone else had said them. He didn''t want to believe that she had just said those words to him despite everything he had said to her both in Heden and at the restaurant.

    Amy shifted ufortably in her seat as she met his gaze. That hadn''te out right. That wasn''t the way she had nned to say it in her head. Perhaps she should try another approach.

    "It''s not for free...."

    "I beg your pardon?" Lucas asked in a slightly raised voice, and almost immediately Amy realized that she had said the wrong thing again and had just insulted him in the same manner he had insulted her earlier.

    Judging by his tone, Amy could tell that he was on the verge of losing his temper, so she hesitated before speaking again, "Listen, I''m sorry, Lucas. I shouldn''t have said that. I know I''m going about this the wrong way, and I understand that this is a lot to ask for but..."

    Before she could finish speaking, Lucas rose from his seat, cutting her off, "No. I don''t think so. You don''t understand anything! If you did, you wouldn''t be so bold as to make such a request in the first ce," Lucas spat out angrily.

    He couldn''t believe the nerve of these women. He really couldn''t!

    She knew that it didn''t make sense that she was making such a request from him. Ordinarily, she would never do something as shameless as this, but she would rather she did it on behalf of Miley and get a response from him than let Miley do it herself. She could handle Lucas'' rejection, but Miley would be too sad.

    Amy stood up and ran her hands down the side of her dress nervously, "Lucas, if it weren''t so important to Miley I wouldn''t ask you..."

    "Of course, it is important to Miley! It always has to be about both of you and no one else, doesn''t it? Tell me, what business of mine is it if this is important to Miley?" Lucas asked, and without waiting for her response he continued.

    "Sure, she took me home when I was drunk even though she honestly didn''t have to, but so what? Do I have to marry her because of that? Do I have to go through more emotional torture because she took me home that night?" Lucas yelled at her, unable to control his temper anymore.

    Amy''s brows pulled together, "No. You don''t have to. That is not what I meant. She likes you..."

    "So what if she likes me? Do you think she is the firstdy to take interest in me? Do I have to get involved with her just because she likes me?" Lucas asked, and Amy swallowed as she shook her head.

    "She is dying..."

    "And somehow you think she is the first youngdy I''ve met who is dying? Do you think death is such a big deal to someone like me who watches people die most times?" Lucas asked, not sure if his anger right now was just because of what Amy had said or if part of it was a transfer of his anger at Rachel.

    Amy looked at him, not knowing what to say. The truth was that she understood him the same way she understood Miley. She was the one who had advised Miley at the salon some hours ago, not to pressure Lucas into doing anything if she really liked him. She had only asked him that on behalf of Miley and not because she really wanted him to do it. It would be weird for her to be a surrogate for Lucy''s brother and Miley.

    She would rather Miley''s partner be a stranger she wouldn''t have to deal with after the whole process, rather than Lucas who she would likely have reason to encounter again in the future.

    "You know what I think? I think you all are a selfish lot. Right now I don''t think there is any difference between both of you and Rachel. You all are the same. You only care about yourselves," Lucas said coldly, and Amy stepped back as though she had just been pped on the face.

    "Lucas I''m sorry..."

    "Don''t! Don''t talk to me. I''m done here. I never want to have anything to do with any of you. Going forward I have no business with you. Stay away from me, and tell Miley not to call me or my sister either," Lucas warned as he headed for the door.

    Amy watched him, not knowing whether to follow him and beg him to listen to her or just let him go.

    Thinking that there was no need to part on bad terms with him, Amy ran after him to apologize to him, but her steps faltered when she saw Miley standing just outside the door.

    Judging by the stunned look on her face, it seemed like she had heard everything they said, or at least most of it.

    Ignoring her, Amy ran past her to stop Lucas who had already gotten into his car and was reversing the car.

    She waved at him to stop and called out after him, but Lucas ignored her as he drove off. As far as he was concerned, he was done with them. There was no way he was going to have anything to do with selfish women like them ever again. He and his family had been burned once by one, and he would be a fool if he walked that path again.

    He was still fuming as he drove, and he red at his phone when it started ringing, thinking it was a call from Amy or Miley, but when he saw that the call was from a foreign number, he quickly connected it to the car''s Bluetooth device and received it.

    "Dr. Luca," a familiar masculine voice at the other end of the line drawled in a teasing tone, and Lucas who had been fuming a second again, found himself grinning in disbelief.

    Only one young man called him Luca. "Dr. Ty? For real? Tyler?" Lucas asked, eliciting a chuckle from Tyler.

    "Sup man? Judging by your excitement you must have missed me a lot, huh?" Tyler asked in amusement.

    "Where have you been? And why didn''t you respond to any of my emails?" Lucas asked with mild annoyance now.

    "I''m sorry, man. I lost my phone shortly after I left the country, and I couldn''t ess my email ount either so I didn''t see any of your emails," Tyler said, and Lucas raised a brow.

    "How then did you get my number now? Don''t tell me you came into the country and left without seeing me?" Lucas asked suspiciously, and Tyler sighed.

    "I was hoping to catch up on lost times before getting into that," Tyler said, and Lucas'' brow shot up.

    "Getting into what?" Lucas asked, his interest piqued.

    "Before that, tell me something. How is Princess Lu? I''ve really missed the both of you," Tyler said, and Lucas smiled at the fond name Tyler still used to address Lucy.

    "She is fine. Doing quite well for herself. Now tell me," Lucas urged.

    "It was Rachel. She called me," Tyler said, and Lucas'' brows pulled together in confusion.

 Chapter 435: First Love

    Chapter 435: First LoveLucas couldn''t help wondering how Rachel had been able to contact Tyler so easily when he had been searching for means to reach him all this time and she knew it.

    "She called you? How?" Lucas asked curiously.

    "She used her psychic abilities, I suppose? How else was she supposed to call me if not through the phone?" Tyler asked dryly.

    "That''s not what I mean. I just didn''t know she had a means of reaching you. How did she get your number?" Lucas asked with a thoughtful frown.

    "I don''t know about that, but she did say something about her dad helping her pull some strings to get it. Don''t know, don''t care. I''m just d she found a way to reach me. At least I got your number from her," Tyler said before delving into the subject for which he had called.

    "Before you ask why she called, she called to say you broke up with her, and she wanted me to plead with you to forgive her and give her another chance," Tyler said, and Lucas scowled.

    "Don''t waste your breath," Lucas warned.

    "Are you crazy? No, hold on. I have to be sure of something before I say anything else. Are you sure you''re not going to get back with her? She mentioned you were engaged and about to wed before you called things off. Is it just wedding jitters?" Tyler asked curiously.

    "No, Ty. I didn''t just develop cold feet. I''m done with her for good," Lucas said passionately.

    "Good then. I guess I can say what I wanted to say. Are you crazy? Why would you believe I''d ever plead on behalf of Rachel?" Tyler asked, and Lucas raised a brow.

    "Why wouldn''t you?" Lucas asked, wondering if Tyler was like Lucy and their parents who thought Rachel wasn''t good for him but had let him have his way.

    "Are you for real? She was too possessive and controlling! Everything changed right after you started going out with Rachel. She cut you off from me, remember? We used to be inseparable until she came into the picture. All that time I spent at your ce with you and Princess Lu, she made sure she took up all your time and I couldn''t even visit anymore. I thought things would change when we got to college and became roommates but I only got to see you during sses. She practically rendered me friendless. I always hold a grudge remember?" Tyler said, and Lucas sighed wistfully.

    "You never said anything. I''m sorry. I didn''t know that was how you felt," Lucas said apologetically.

    "It''s fine as long as you aren''t going back to her. How do you feel about the breakup? I know it must not be easy even though you ended things. She also mentioned that you quit your job," Tyler said, his tone filled with concern.

    "I don''t know how I feel. And trust me, things are more messed up than you think. I just really need a break right now. I''m going to travel around and just rx until I''m in a good ce emotionally and mentally," Lucas confessed.

    "That''s good. Breaks are good for healing. So how about you include me in your list of ces to visit? And then we can catch up on lost time?" Tyler offered, and Lucas smiled.

    "Really?"

    "Sure. I''d love to see you and show off too. I''m not doing so badly for myself, you know?" Tyler said smugly, and Lucas chuckled.

    "But you would be busy with work," Lucas said since Tyler was a doctor too.

    "Don''t worry, I run my own clinic now..."

    "You own your own clinic?" Lucas asked in disbelief.

    "C''mon! Don''t let me ruin the surprise. When are youing over?" Tyler inquired excitedly.

    "Is tomorrow too soon? I could book my flight tonight," Lucas said, wanting to leave immediately so he wouldn''t have to see Miley again.

    "For real? That would be great! It would take you at least thirty-six hours to get here, depending on the stops. But I''ll be looking forward to seeing you. Make my day by telling me you will bring Princess Lu along with you?" Tyler pleaded, and Lucas chuckled.

    "No, I''m not. Don''t tell me you still have a crush on her?"

    "Of course, I do! You know she is my first love!" Tyler said, and Lucasughed.

    "After all this time? Too bad for you she has a boyfriend now..."

    "What? Lucy has a boyfriend?" Tyler asked in disbelief.

    "Yep."

    "But she said she was never going to be interested in men. I feel cheated," Tylerined.

    "I''m sure you wouldn''t feel so when you see how happy she is now," Lucas said, but Tyler scowled.

    "I''m sure I could have made her more happy than she is now," Tyler protested.

    "That''s a road you never traveled so we would never know," Lucas said, and Tyler sighed.

    "Well, for what it''s worth, I''m d she finally recovered and moved on from what that psycho did. Do me a favor and text me Lucy''s number. I should at least reach out to her. Who knows? I could still have a shot at her heart and snatch her from her boyfriend. Then we would end up being inws," Tyler said with a grin, and Lucas chuckled.

    "You''re just setting yourself up for rejection and heartbreak. Tom already has a clear picture of Lucy carrying their kids," Lucas said with a grin as he remembered his conversation with Tom.

    "And I already have a clear picture of Lucy and I old and toothless, smiling and kissing..."

    "Eww! You still say the most disgusting things!" Lucas eximed making Tyler roar withughter.

    "How is Sony, by the way?" Tyler asked curiously.

    "She is dating a big-shot celebrity now. Sonia and Lucy are dating two brothers."

    "Wow! You really shoulde over. I need to catch up on everything and everyone. You''re not deceiving me, right? You will be on your way tomorrow, for real?" Tyler asked hopefully.

    "If you''re in doubt you can just book my flight yourself. You could book the next avable flight," Lucas said jokingly.

    "You know what? I think that is what I will do. I will do it immediately and send you the details. Where is your present location?" Tyler asked, making Lucasugh.

    "Ludus. I''m driving right now. I should go now. I will return your call when I get home," Lucas said before hanging up.

    By the time he pulled into Lucy''s driveway twenty minutester, Tyler had booked his flight and sent him the details. Lucas raised a brow when he saw that the next avable flight leaves in two hours.

    He dialed Tyler''s line and Tyler picked up immediately, "What''s the time over there?" Lucas asked curiously.

    "It''s morning. And yes, I booked the next avable flight as you suggested. That won''t be a problem for you, right?" Tyler asked, and Lucas shook his head.

    "Not at all. It''s perfect. I will just give my parents and Lucy a call right now and get ready to leave for the airport," Lucas said, and Tyler smiled.

    "Great then! Can''t wait to see you. I will have my secretary reorganize my schedule for the week," Tyler said eagerly.

 Chapter 436: Vile Creature

    Chapter 436: Vile CreatureJ had a cheerful smile on her face as she sat on the couch waiting for Andrew to join her so that they could see a movie on Netflix together.

    It had been quite a while since they werest able to do that. Because of all that had been happeningtely, she had been too worried to do any of this, but after receiving a call from Lucas some minutes earlier informing them that he was leaving the country and his first stop would be to see Tyler, she had been more than relieved. Tyler wasn''t a stranger to the family, so she was d to know that Lucas would be safe.

    "You must be very happy about Lucas'' decision. You haven''t smiled that way for some time now," Andrew observed as he joined her with a bottle of wine and two sses.

    "What way?" J asked with a grin and Andrew shrugged.

    "Rxed and happy," Andrew said as he poured some wine into the sses and extended one to her, before sitting down.

    "I''m just very d that Lucas decided to visit Tyler instead of going off to some unknown destination. I was really worried he would do that. I''m d the kids are doing okay despite all that has happened. I have a good feeling that they are going to be fine," J said, and Andrew gave her a nod.

    "Definitely. We may not exactly be the best parents, but we did what we could, and I''m thankful to them that they turned out alright," Andrew said as he picked up the remote control and scrolled through the movie options on Netflix.

    Despite her happiness with Lucas'' decision, something else seemed to be nagging on the back of her mind, and she couldn''t seem to ce a finger on what it was. She tried to think about all that she had done that day and she paused when she recalled Lucy''s phone call to her earlier that morning.

    Her brows pulled together as she nced at Andrew, "Did Lucy call youtely asking questions about Sara?" J asked, and Andrew turned to her with a curious look in his eyes.

    "Why would she call me to ask about Sara all of a sudden? Did you tell her about Sara?" Andrew asked, and J shook her head.

    "It''s strange that she is asking that out of nowhere, right? She called earlier when you were out and she kept asking weird questions," J said, and Andrew narrowed his eyes.

    "Do you think Sara might have contacted her? Perhaps she is trying to reach you through Lucy?" Andrew asked, but J shook her head once again.

    "I don''t think so. Lucy said she didn''t," J said, and Andrew narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.

    "What sort of questions did she ask?" Andrew asked, and J tried to recall all they had talked about.

    "She wanted to know Sara''s name, and she asked if Sara was married with kids, and if I''ve heard from her recently or if she is sick," J said, and Andrew sighed.

    "We both know that Lucy is not the type to ask meaningless questions. Something must have prompted that. Perhaps we should..."

    Before he could finish speaking, the doorbell rang, and they both turned to the door and their gaze moved to the wall clock before returning to each other.

    Who could be at the door by that time of the night? It was past 9 PM already, "Are you expecting anyone?" J asked Andrew, and he shook his head.

    "No. I take it you are not either. Then perhaps, it''s one of the neighbors," Andrew said as he rose from his seat to see who was at the door.

    "Who is there?" Andrew asked as he approached the door.

    "It''s Sara," Sara called from outside, and immediately Andrew''s heart skipped a beat and he stopped in his track as he turned to look at J.

    J who had been busy scrolling through the movie list, raised her head when she noticed that Andrew wasn''t opening the door and he was standing on one spot, "What?" She asked, wondering why he was staring at her like he was in shock.

    "I think you should get the door yourself. It''s Sara," Andrew said, and immediately the calm and rxed look disappeared from J''s face as she got off the couch and marched to the door, while Andrew moved away from her path.

    J swung the door open, and true to Andrew''s words, Sara stood there proudly with her chin in the air as she smiled at J.

    "Hello, J! It''s been a while!" Sara said, and unable to control her anger, J raised her hands and before either Andrew or Sara could tell what she was thinking, she pped Sara hard across the cheek.

    "You must have some nerves to show your stic face around my house," J hissed angrily, and Sara blinked at her in surprise as she looked around them to make sure no one had seen what had happened.

    "What? Do you feel embarrassed?" J asked with an evilughter, "My hand on your face will be the least of your problem if you don''t disappear from my face this instant, you lowlife thief in expensive clothes!" J yelled, and Sara sighed as she straightened her spine.

    "I thought we could have a reasonable conversation like two adults," Sara said and just as J raised her hand again to hit her, Andrew held her.

    "Don''t. She is not worth it. Let it go," Andrew advised.

    Sara''s gaze moved to Andrew who was standing behind J, "I''m not surprised you both got married. You both make a decent pair even though you could have done better," Sara said condescendingly.

    "Watch it!" Andrew warned and Sara raised both hands defensively.

    "That wasn''t meant to be an insult. It''s actually apliment," Sara said, and this time Andrew stepped forward.

    "What do you want here?" Andrew asked, and Sara shrugged.

    "To talk and make peace. Let''s have a decent conversation like adults," Sara suggested, and J shook her head.

    "Talk and make peace? You don''t sound like you came here for any of that," Andrew observed.

    "I have nothing to say to you, and there is nothing you have to say that I''m willing to listen to," J said, and Sara''s lips twitched.

    "I won''t be so sure about that if I were you," She said, suspecting that J didn''t know about her meeting with Lucy.

    "Quietly crawl back into whatever hole you came out from..."

    "Funny that was the same thing your daughter said while we had brunch earlier. What was her name, Lucy? Lucinda Perry, isn''t it? Did she tell you she had lunch with her aunty? I bet she didn''t. Funny I didn''t even know who she was until she introduced herself to me," Sara cut in with a cold smile, and J raised a brow.

    "What are you talking about?" She asked, and Sara smiled as she shrugged.

    "You see why I told you not to be so sure about that? Now you are interested in hearing what I have to say, aren''t you? Can Ie in? We should talk, don''t you agree?" Sara asked, and both Andrew and J exchanged a look, but J shook her head.

    As much as she was curious to find out what had transpired between Sara and Lucy, Sara wasn''t the best person to hear it from. Sara was a liar and she couldn''t believe any word from her. She was just going to hear it from Lucy instead.

    "No, I don''t agree. You are bad news, Sara. I don''t want you inside my house. I don''t care about what you discussed with Lucy, what matters is that she saw you for what you are," J said, and Sara sighed.

    "That is fair considering what I did. But can you at least hear me out? I won''t bother you again after now," Sara promised.

    "Because I don''t want you pestering me or my family again, I will hear you out, that way my husband and I can return to what we were doing inside before you interrupted us," J said, and Sara tried not to roll her eyes.

    "How about we go out then? Maybe sit at a cafe or a restaurant?" She offered, but J shook her head.

    "No. I''m not spending that much time with you. Besides, I don''t want to be seen anywhere with someone like you. Aren''t you worried that people might find out we are rted and you aren''t really an orphan as you im?" J asked, and Sara smiled.

    "I see you still care about me irrespective of your anger. I''ve missed you, Janey. I''m sorry I left the way I did," Sara said, and J shook her head.

    "Care about you? You must have hit your head somewhere on your way here. Let me tell you something, the only reason I didn''t expose you is because mom made me promise not to expose you, not because I care about you. Do you really think I am gullible enough to buy the bullshit you came here to sell? After thirty years you suddenly realize that what you did was wrong?" J asked, and Sara gave her a nod.

    "I understand this might be difficult for you to believe and understand, but it is the truth. I''m sick, Janey. I''m dying. As myst days are approaching I havee to realize the futility of life. How meaningless and empty life is without family. I have everything money can buy but I have no one aside a bunch of strangers serving me. All I want is to spend myst days with you. With my family. I need your forgiveness. I want to also pay back the money I stole from dad. I will pay it back in ten folds to make up for all the trouble," Sara said as she opened her purse and took out a cheque note which she handed to J.

    "I already stopped by the cemetery to apologize to dad and mom. I really want to make amends. I need to be able to face dad and mom when I meet them after I die," Sara said with a sniffle as she raised her handkerchief to her eyes to wipe her nonexistent tears.

    Watching Sara''s act, J suddenly burst into a fit of uncontrobleughter, and Sara blinked at her in confusion.

    J shook her head, "Your acting seems to have gotten better. You seem to have forgotten something, Sara, and it makes me wonder if the stic surgeries affected your brain. I know you better than anyone else. You are my twin sister, remember? I know just how evil, deceptive, and cunning you are. You can''t deceive me. I can always see through you and I know when you are telling lies. Did you really think this miserable cheque was enough to settle everything and make things right between us? What a joke!" J hissed as she tore the cheque in two, surprising Sara.

    "There is nothing I wish more than for you to die a slow, painful, and lonely death. I wish that you experience in ten folds the pain you caused our family. You don''t even deserve to have a dog by your side when you die, you vile creature," J cursed, and spat in front of her before walking into the house and shutting the door in Sara''s stunned face.

    J was the nice, sweet and forgiving one. What changed? Sara thought with a sigh as she stared at the door not knowing what to do now. She had hoped to at least win J over.

    Now that her n was ruined and both J and Harry were no longer part of her options, herst hope was her daughter. She hoped her daughter was alive, and they would be able to find her soon.

    She would do whatever it would take to win her daughter over, even if it meant bequeathing her entire property to her, not that she had any ns of dying soon.

 Chapter 437: Bedtime Stories

    Chapter 437: Bedtime StoriesTom eyed Jamal with mock annoyance as Lucyy on the bed beside him, reading a bedtime story while Jamal giggled each time Lucy switched her voice to suit the character she was reading about.

    Tom sighed when Lucy finished the second story and Jamal was still wide awake, "Shouldn''t you be fast asleep now, young man?" Tom asked, and Jamal shook his head.

    "No. I love listening to Lucy''s voice," Jamal said, and Tom scowled at him

    "Aww!" Lucy eximed with a giggle as she leaned forward to kiss his forehead and cheeks.

    "You seem to like everything about her. Is there anything you don''t like about her?" Tom asked, and Jamal bobbed his head, surprising both Tom and Lucy.

    "And what may that be?" Lucy asked curiously, and Jamal pointed at Tom.

    "Your boyfriend. I don''t like that you have a boyfriend," Jamal said with a grin, and Lucy burst into a peal ofughter, while Tom chuckled at Jamal''s sense of humor.

    "You got jokes, huh?" Tom asked as he poked Jamal''s abdomen, making him squeal withughter as he scrambled closer to Lucy.

    "Can you sleep here tonight?" Jamal asked Lucy with puppy eyes, but before Lucy could respond, Tom responded.

    "No!"

    "Why? Because you want to do adult stuff?" Jamal asked, making Tom and Lucy''s exchange amused nces.

    "What do you mean by adult stuff?"

    "Where did you hear that from?" Tom and Lucy asked simultaneously, and Jamal shrugged.

    "Preston always talks about how he hears his parents doing adult stuff at night," Jamal whispered conspiratorially, and Lucy looked at him with amused interest.

    "I assume Preston is your friend?" She asked curiously.

    "Preston is my best friend in school," Jamal said, and Lucy nodded thoughtfully.

    "Does your mom know about Preston?" Lucy asked, and Jamal gave her a nod.

    "That''s good then," Lucy said as she nced at the hour hand of the clock which was almost hitting ten.

    Who would ever have thought that her once ordinary life would be so filled with activities? From the moment they had gotten out of the car to meet Jamal, until this very moment she had barely had a minute to herself apart from the time she spent in the shower freshening up before dinner.

    After freshening up she had gone to take over from Tom in helping Jamal with his school work, while Tom went in to freshen up. And when Tom returned they had to have dinner.

    From the dinner table, they had gone to the Den to have dessert while watching Tom and Jerry. While they were doing that, Lucas called to inform her that he was on his way to the airport to visit Tyler.

    She had offered to go see him off at the airport but he had insisted that there was no need for that.

    She had then asked for details of his date with Miley, but he had said he wasn''t in the mood to talk about it, but had promised to call her after he arrived.

    He had asked for her permission to send her phone number to Tyler, and she had been more than happy to let him do that since she missed Tyler too.

    After her phone call with Lucas, she had also received a phone call from Sonia asking her when she would be able to talk so they would have a conference call with Jade, and she had promised to call them back after putting Jamal to bed.

    So here she was now, trying to get the kid, who was most likely her rtion, to sleep so she could return Sonia''s phone call before going to bed.

    "You have to go to sleep now, Jam. It''ste," Lucy said as she patted his hair.

    "Can you sleep here tonight? I can let Tom sleep with us if you want, but I will sleep in the middle," Jamal offered, and Tom chuckled.

    "Did you just say, LET? This is my house, buddy. I can sleep wherever I want without your permission," Tom pointed out.

    "But this is my bedroom. You can''t stay unless I want you to," Jamal countered matter-of-factly, and Lucy giggled.

    "Okay, boys. No fighting. We can do this," Lucy said, and they all nced at her phone when it started ringing.

    "I have to take the call. It''s my mom. Read him another story, Ace. I''m sure your voice will put him to sleep," Lucy said with a wink at Jamal before walking away with her phone to receive her mother''s call.

    "Hello, mom!" Lucy greeted cheerfully immediately after she received the call, and walked into Tom''s bedroom.

    "Lucas called..."

    "Lucinda Perry!" J interrupted in a tight scolding tone, that made Lucy snap her mouth shut, while Andrew who was listening to the call since it was on speaker, shook his head at J.

    Lucy knew that tone. Her mother only referred to her that way when she was upset. Did she do something wrong? Lucy mused.

    "Did I do something wrong?" Lucy asked with a slight frown.

    "Did you meet with Sara today despite my warning to you?" J asked harshly, ignoring Andrew''s warning to her not to overreact.

    The crease between Lucy''s brows deepened in confusion. She hadn''t expected Sara to do that.

    "She told you about our meeting? I thought you said you were not taking her calls?" Lucy asked in surprise, and J prayed for patience not to yell.

    "Do you mean you had no intention of telling me that you met with her?" J asked in a controlled voice.

    "Calm down, mom. Trust me, I had good reasons for meeting with her and not telling you about it yet," Lucy said, and before J could snap at her, Andrew snatched the phone from her.

    "Hey, Princess! I trust you''re good? Listen, we trust you, and we know you must have your reasons for doing whatever you did or are doing. But can you tell us why you chose to meet with her and what you both talked about?" Andrew asked, and Lucy shook her head.

    "It isplicated, dad. I can''t tell you about it yet," Lucy said apologetically.

    "Lucy..."

    "Can you tell me what she said? Did she tell you how and why we met?" Lucy asked curiously.

    "Lucy, we called to hear from you not to be questioned by you. We want to know why you met with her despite your mom''s warning," Andrew said in a disapproving tone.

    Lucy sighed, and after a moment''s hesitation, she decided to tell them why she met with Sara without mentioning Harry even though they had only heard of him without seeing him.

    "I can''t give you all the details right now. But somehow I''m friends with her husband and son whom she abandoned over twenty-eight years ago and I only just realized it today..."

    "What?" J and Andrew asked in disbelief as J took the phone back from Andrew.

    "What are you talking about? Sara got married?" J asked in disbelief.

    She was more shocked by the fact that Sara with all her selfishness had gotten married in the first ce than by the fact that Sara abandoned her husband and kid.

 Chapter 438: Can I Meet Him?

    Chapter 438: Can I Meet Him?Of all the reasons J had been expecting to hear from Lucy, this had nevere to mind. Andrew had even suggested that Lucy had probably approached Sara for business to help model a new clothing line or something, but this? J mused inplete shock.

    "Yes, mom. She stole his money and left him alone with their newborn baby. She gave birth to twins. Lied to her husband that the girl died at birth, but actually sold her off," Lucy exined, and J felt goosebumps rise all over her arms.

    That exined Lucy''s question to her earlier. She knew how selfish and wicked Sara could be, but she would never have imagined that Sara was capable of such evil. How could a mother sell her own child? How could she lie to her husband that his child was dead? How could she abandon her newborn child?

    "I called earlier because her husband showed me a picture of her, and I thought she looked familiar, so I needed to confirm with you. I apanied him to his meeting with Sara," Lucy said and paused when she heard J''s sniffle.

    "How did you be friends with them, Lu? Who are they? Did he find his daughter? Why did he meet with Sara? Can I meet them?" J asked in a shaky voice, unable to control her emotion as tears ran down her cheeks at the thought that Sara had not only ruined their family but had also caused such emotional damage to someone else.

    She couldn''t help feeling partly responsible because Sara was her sister. Not just her sister, her twin sister. She felt she owed the poor man and his kids an apology.

    Andrew moved closer to J and ced his arms around her tofort her.

    Hearing her mother cry, Lucy couldn''t help her own tears since she understood how her mother must feel, "Not yet, mom," Lucy said, before exining the situation between Aaron and Harry to them. And also telling them that Aaron was yet to know the truth about what happened to his daughter.

    "Oh, no! What are they going to do now? Oh, my God! What is the poor man going to do?" J asked as she broke into a sob, and Andrew stood to go and get her the box of tissues.

    If she had known about this before Sara''s visit she would have done a lot more to Sara than just hitting her. There were no names in the dictionary that would perfectly describe what she thought about Sara right now or what she wanted to do to her.

    "Calm down, honey," Andrew said as he returned to her side with the box and gave her some to wipe her tears.

    "How can I help, Lu? Is there no way I can help?" J asked with a sniffle as she epted the tissues and blew her nose noisily.

    "Maybe you can tell me what happened? Did she call?" Lucy asked, and J told her what happened.

    Lucy sighed when J finished, "Don''t worry, Tom and I are doing our best to handle things over here. I will also let you know if and when you can meet him," Lucy promised.

    "Why did she want to meet them?" Andrew remembered to ask just before they could hang up.

    "She is ill. I think she is in need of an organ donor or something," Lucy said, and J shook her head.

    Of course, that made sense. It sounded so much like something Sara would do. Sara never did anything without a selfish motive.

    "Let me know if you need me," J said, and Lucy raised her head just as Tom opened the bedroom door.

    "Sure. I will let you know," Lucy said as she self-consciously raised a hand to her cheeks to wipe her tears.

    "I love you, Lucy. Thank you for being there for them," J said, and Lucy smiled.

    "I love you too, mom. Try not to worry too much about it, everything will be taken care of," Lucy promised before hanging up.

    "Is everything okay?" Tom asked as he sat down beside her on the bed and watched her curiously.

    "Is Jamal asleep now?" She asked, and Tom gave her a nod.

    "He must have really loved listening to your voice. He slept almost immediately I started reading," Tom said dryly, and Lucy smiled.

    "So what is up? Is everything okay with your parents?" Tom asked, and Lucy gave him a nod before telling him about Sara''s visit to her parents.

    "Let''s wait until Aaron tells Harry everything. After that we can let Harry decide on how he wants us to handle her," Tom said thoughtfully.

    As much as he would like to take care of her and make her disappear, he owed it to Harry to let him decide how best to deal with the woman who had given birth to him and abandoned him.

    "Yeah, I agree," Lucy said with a yawn as she nced at the wall clock. It was twenty-five minutes past ten already.

    "We should go to bed now," Tom suggested as he followed her gaze.

    "I have to return Sonia''s phone call. I''m supposed to have a conference call with both her and Jade," Lucy said, and Tom shook his head.

    "You look exhausted. I''m sure it''s not an emergency phone call. You can do that during the day tomorrow," Tom suggested.

    "I''m sure they''ve been waiting for my call. It would be rude to cancel on them. You can go to bed. I will join you after speaking with them," Lucy said as she rose from the bed.

    "Why do you need to leave?" Tom asked with a slight frown.

    "It''s girl talk, and I don''t want to disturb you. Go to bed, Ace. I will join youter," Lucy said as she headed for the door.

    "No bedtime stories for me or good night kiss?" Tom asked, and Lucy smiled as she returned to his side to kiss him.

    "No bedtime stories for adults that do adult stuff," Lucy said, and giggled when he tried to pull her back on the bed, "You are wasting more time," Lucy pointed out amidst herughter, and Tom sighed in resignation as he let go of her.

    "How about you don''t leave? I could stuff my ear so I don''t hear your discussion," Tom suggested.

    "That won''t do," Lucy said with a shake of her head.

    "Can you sit on the balcony then? I won''t be able to fall asleep if you''re not within my view," Tom said, and Lucy eyed him.

    "Are you trying to say you won''t be able to sleep when I go to my apartment?" She asked dryly.

    "That''s different. You can''t be under the same roof with me and be far away while I go to sleep," Tom said, and Lucy sighed.

    "Alright. I will shut the balcony door but leave the curtain open so you can see me," Lucy said, and Tom gave her a nod.

    "That''s good enough," he said, and Lucy smiled as she kissed the edge of his lips before walking away to the balcony to give Sonia and Jade a call.

 Chapter 439: Conference Call (1)

    Chapter 439: Conference Call (1)Sonia who was seated on the couch, watching a movie with Bryan, turned to him when the clock struck 10 PM, "Shouldn''t you call them? They''ve been gone all day," Sonia said, worried about Evelyn and Desmond who were yet to return from their date.

    "They are not kids. I''m sure they will be back soon, and if not, they will call. Don''t worry about them," Bryan assured her as he ran his hand down her arm.

    Sonia looked at him unconvinced, "Let''s give them a call just to be sure they''re fine. I could act like I need something," Sonia insisted as she reached for Bryan''s phone.

    Bryan sighed as he paused the movie and dialed his dad''s line and after the third ring Desmond received the call, "Sonia wants to speak with you," Bryan said before passing the phone to Sonia.

    "Hey, Sony girl! Missing me already?" Desmond asked cheerfully, and Sonia smiled in relief.

    "I guess so."

    "I hope that rascal isn''t stressing you out. Do you want us to get you something on our way?" Desmond asked, and Sonia smiled.

    "No. I guess I was just missing you both," Sonia confessed.

    "We just left the movie house now. We will be home soon," Desmond assured her before hanging up.

    "Are you okay now?" Bryan asked, but before Sophia could respond, her phone started ringing with a video call and she shed Bryan an apologetic smile as she picked it up.

    "Sorry, it''s Lucy. This might take a while, so go on without me," Sonia said as she stood up.

    "I will just y ser instead while I wait for you," Bryan said as Sonia kissed him before leaving.

    She had been waiting for this phone call all day since Jade called to inform her that they would be having a conference call that night. It was just what she needed to get new ideas for her story.

    "I was almost beginning to think you forgot to call back," Sonia said immediately after she received the call and grinned at Lucy.

    "It took a while trying to get Jamal to go to sleep, and I had to talk with mom," Lucy exined apologetically.

    "You sound like a mom," Sonia joked, wanting to see Lucy''s reaction, but Lucy giggled.

    "I sound like an aunt. That''s the way I will also look after your kids, and Lucas'' kids when they visit me," Lucy said, resisting the urge to tell Sonia that she suspected she might be rted to Jamal and Candace.

    "We should give Jade a call now before she goes to bed," Sonia suggested as she walked into the bedroom and dropped on the bed.

    "Before we do that. I received a call from Lucas earlier. He is leaving the country tonight. And guess where he''s going?" Lucy asked excitedly.

    "Africa?" Sonia asked, making Lucy roll her eyes.

    "Would I be excited if he was going so far away? Anyway, he''s going to see Tyler!" Lucy announced, making Sonia sit up immediately as she looked at Lucy with round eyes.

    "Tyler? You mean your Tyler?" Sonia asked in surprise, and Lucy rolled her eyes.

    "What do you mean MY Tyler? What makes him mine?" Lucy asked with a giggle.

    "Well, don''t me me for calling him that. I still remember clearly how you used to go on and on about Tyler. Besides, he was the one you nned to make out with on prom night before everything went haywire," Sonia reminded her and winced when it urred to her that she shouldn''t have brought that up.

    Lucy on the other hand smiled at the memory of how excited she had been when Tyler asked her to be his prom date. She mused those days when they were young and carefree. Jamie had stolen that from her.

    "That seems like ages ago," Lucy said with a sigh.

    "Don''t let me ruin the mood. What did Lucas say? Is Tyler married now? Thest time I saw him was on their graduation day," Sonia said, and Lucy shrugged.

    "Me too. I didn''t have the chance to ask any questions as Lucas was sort of in a hurry. Although, he did say Tyler asked for my number," Lucy said, and Sonia giggled.

    "He did? What if he is still interested in you?" Sonia asked with a wink, and Lucy raised a brow.

    "I don''t think so. He is probably trying to reach out for old times'' sake. It''s been a while and I missed him," Lucy said with a fond smile.

    "Me too. You know I would have dated him had he not been your crush? He was so my type," Sonia confessed, and Lucy giggled.

    "Don''t let Bryan hear you say that. I will call Jade now," Lucy said before dialing Jade''s line and including her in the video call.

    "I thought you two were never going to call," Jade said with a yawn of boredom.

    "It''s Lucy. She was busy trying to get Jamal to sleep," Sonia said, and Jade smiled.

    "How is he doing?" Jade asked curiously, and Lucy smiled.

    "He''s such an angel. Although, I think Tom might throw him out of his house soon. They are both in some sort of contest for my attention," Lucy said with a grin, making both Jade and Soniaugh as she told them about Jamal''s exchange with Tom.

    "He always seemed so calm. Who knew the kid was capable of all that?" Sonia asked in amusement.

    "I never would have thought so either. But spending time with him is fun. I doubt Tom would agree with me on that," Lucy said with a happy smile as she thought about the child.

    "I''m sure Tom thinks so even if he won''t tantly admit it. Tom has a huge thing for kids. You''d see it for yourself when you both start having yours," Jade said, and the smile on Lucy''s face faltered a bit but only Sonia noticed it.

    "So how are you doing, Sonia? How was your day? I know about Lucy''s day already and she knows about mine," Jade said, and Sonia raised a brow.

    "Have you both been bonding without me?" Sonia asked as she looked at them both with eyes narrowed suspiciously, and they giggled.

    "That''s not it. Lucy spent the day with Harry''s dad. I called to ask her for a favor but she scolded me and turned down..."

    "You said you were not offended," Lucy cut in with a slight frown.

    "I didn''t say I am offended. I was just giving Sonia a breakdown of what went down," Jade said, while Sonia followed their exchange with interest.

    "What did you want her to do? Steal Harry''s used boxer so you could sniff on it while you masturbate?" Sonia asked with amused interest, and Jade burst into a peal ofughter, while Lucy eyed her in mortification.

    "Sonia!" Lucy called in a scolding tone.

    "I can''t believe you just said that," Jade said, struggling between her amusement and shock at the kind of words that had left Sonia''s lips.

    "You had better believe it. She is capable of saying worse things than that. I can never get used to it," Lucy said with a shake of her head.

    "What did I say that is so surprising?" Sonia asked, amused by both their reactions.

    "So? Who is going to tell me about this request that was turned down?" Sonia asked impatiently as she picked up her journal and pen, ready to jot down all the interesting details.

    "The floor is open to you, Jade. You can tell her about it," Lucy said making Sonia''s gaze shift to Jade.

    "What are you doing with the pen and journal?" Jade asked curiously.

    "How do you think I get ideas for my story? Or why do you think I agreed to stay up thiste for this conversation? I need something to write about," Sonia said with a wink.

    "You should be careful about the things you include in your story," Lucy advised, making a mental note not to slip and say anything about Harry and Aaron''s situation. Thest thing she wanted was for Sonia to write about such a sensitive subject.

    "Yes, ma''am. Now if you don''t mind can you tell me about it already?" Sonia asked, urging Jade.

    "Well, it was some sort of mix-up. Nothing that involved Harry''s undies, I assure you," Jade said as she went on to exin her request to Lucy and what had promoted it. She also told her about Candace''s orphanage story.

    "I see. But I''m curious about something. Lu, did you also think that Candace looked like Harry''s mom when you saw the photo?" Sonia asked, and Lucy shrugged.

    "I don''t know. I think there might be a bit of a resemnce there. Although I''ve never seen Candace with such hairstyle so I can''t be as sure as Jade is," Lucy said without directly meeting Sonia''s eyes.

    "Since you have the photo on your phone why don''t you show it to Jamal? Perhaps he might think it''s his mom if the resemnce is as striking as Jade thinks?" Sonia suggested.

    "That is right. Why didn''t I do that?" Lucy asked rhetorically, thinking that she was going to do that the next day.

    "Even if Jamal thinks so, it doesn''t make any difference. It might just be a case of doppelganger or something. Harry''s mom is an orphan and she iste so there is no way they can be rted," Jade said, and Sonia shrugged, but Lucy said nothing.

    "Well, you never can tell. You know what they say? Never say never. By the way, why do you think the orphanage home story is fishy?" Sonia asked curiously.

    "ording to what Candace said she was told by the sisters, they were paid a lot of money to take care of her. That means he is either very wealthy or her adoptive parents were wealthy. Think about it. If they were wealthy why didn''t he get a nurse to take care of her? It is one thing to say you can''t take care of your brother''s adopted child if you''re broke, but not when you''re wealthy," Jade said matter-of-factly.

    "Personally I think it is pretty normal that her adopted parents'' family wouldn''t want to keep her since she isn''t exactly a blood rtive," Sonia pointed out, as she looked from Jade to Lucy.

    "Would either of you raise your brother''s adopted child as your own if something happened to him?"

    "Family is everything to us, Hanks. As long as the child belongs to my brother, whether by adoption or birth, that child is my family," Jade said, and Lucy nodded in agreement.

    "I don''t think I would give away a child that Lucas called his own whether or not the child was adopted by him," Lucy said thoughtfully, while Sonia pursed her lips in disagreement.

    "We can''t judge based on your rtionship with your family alone. Maybe he wasn''t very close to his brother. Maybe he did not just want her. Maybe he doesn''t like kids. Not everyone can make such a sacrifice. Adopting your brother''s adopted kid requires a lot. Especially if the child is sickly as you already stated. I''m not trying to say your hunch is irrelevant, I''m just trying to say it could be that there is nothing more to the story than she was told," Sonia said with a shrug.

    "I will tell you what I think. I think he gave the sisters so much money to assuage his guilt over what he was doing. He didn''t abandon her only because she was sickly and he didn''t want to raise his brother''s adopted kid. My hunch tells me that he did so probably because he didn''t want her to benefit from whatever her adopted parents might have left her..."

    "Such as a trust fund?" Sonia interjected with a thoughtful look on her face as she paused from her jotting.

 Chapter 440: Conference Call (2)

    Chapter 440: Conference Call (2)"Exactly! I''m awyer and I''ve seen things like this happen before. What if she was listed in their Will before their demise and she was supposed to inherit whatever they had? The money he gave the sisters could be a little stipendpared to what she is truly worth," Jade said, and Sonia nodded slowly.

    "I think there is sense in this," Sonia said, while Lucy thought about it.

    If Candace was truly Sara''s daughter, then from what Sara had said, the people who had adopted her daughter were very wealthy. And if they had adopted her as a newborn, there was no way they wouldn''t have made financial ns and arrangements for her.

    "It actually makes a lot of sense," Lucy murmured after some time.

    "It would be great if we can look into this and find answers for her. Who knows? She might have a lot of money waiting for her somewhere. I''d love to see her happy. Matt cares for her deeply," Sonia said, making Jade remember that Matt had visited.

    "Did Matt tell you guys he wasing over? He was here earlier to meet with her. I just realized I forgot to call to find out how she is doing and how her meeting with Matt went," Jade said with a sigh.

    She had too many things on her mind and she was barely giving enough attention to any of them. One minute she was worrying about how to handle the cartel''s case in court, the next second she was thinking about Candace and her adoption issue, next she was trying to figure out what package Jero had left for Candace, she was also thinking about the love triangle between Aurora, Harry, and her. And now she had to include Amos'' new assignment in it. Talk about overworking one''s brain.

    "Matt traveled down there? Wow! I hope they are able to work things out. It seems like all the fun things are happening over there while I''m down here struggling with boredom and writer''s block," Soniained, making Lucy remember that Aaron had said the same thing.

    "You have no idea how lucky you are to not have too many things to worry about. I can''t even go to bed now even if I tried. My brain keepsing up with stuff to think about," Jadeined, while Lucy looked at them, wondering what they would think about her own situation if she told them the sort of reality drama she was featured in at the moment.

    "Do you need help? You can let me know if you need me to help in any way. I have a lot of spare time right now," Sonia offered.

    "I wish it was something you could do. Unfortunately, they all require my direct help... Or maybe there is something you could help me do. How good are your investigative skills? There''s someone I''d like you to help me gather information on," Jade said thoughtfully.

    "If the person is a public figure, I could check for every single article on them on the inte, but if not, you''d have to give me another assignment," Sonia said with a grin.

    "She used to be a model so I''m sure you would find her information on the inte. I will text you her name after the phone call," Jade said, and Sonia gave her a nod.

    "By the way, how are things going with Harry? Any progress yet?" Sonia remembered to ask, and Jade groaned.

    "That guy is really frustrating me right now," Jade confessed, as she told them all that was going on between her, Aurora, and Harry, and herst phone conversation with Harry.

    "He did that?" Sonia asked in surprise, wondering why Harry would hang up at such a crucial moment and not take Jade''s call or call back.

    "Honestly, I''m getting fed up right now. I think I might just give up and..."

    "You shouldn''t," Lucy quickly cut in before Jade could finish, and both Jade and Sonia looked at her with interest since she had been silent for some time.

    "I''m just trying to say he is just really stressed out right now. You should be patient," Lucy said calmly.

    Lucy was of the opinion that if Aaron and Tom believed that Harry cared about Jade and was interested in her, then it was most likely true regardless of whatever Harry was doing with the Aurorady.

    "You should listen to her. She is Harry''s spokesperson. Always championing his course," Sonia said in a teasing tone.

    "Really? I guess that exins why you scolded me earlier. By the way, Candace thinks I should confess my feelings to Harry. Tom thinks I shouldn''t. What do you both think? Confess or not confess?" Jade asked curiously, and Sonia looked at Lucy, wanting to hear what her advice would be.

    Lucy thought about it for a moment. She wasn''t sure this was the best time for that. A lot was happening, and soon Harry would be shocked by everything. She wasn''t sure it was the best time for either of them to start a rtionship.

    And maybe it would be best if Jade didn''t confess first too. What would Harry think after he hears from Aaron that Sara had confessed her feelings to him first? As much as she liked to believe that Harry was wise and wouldn''t let go of his rationality so easily, she wasn''t sure this was a gamble that Jade should take.

    "Now is not the right time. Besides, I believe Tom knows Harry best. You should listen to him," Lucy said, and Jade nced at Sonia who shrugged.

    "As much as I''m all fordies confessing their feelings to men, I don''t know Harry as much as Tom and Lucy do, so maybe you should listen to them. But make sure you don''t y games with him. You can make your feelings obvious without spelling it out," Sonia advised, and Jade sighed wearily.

    "At this point, I''m exhausted. I think I''ve tried my best. I won''t call him again until he calls me. Heaven knows I have enough on my te to worry about right now. I don''t have the time to sit beside my phone waiting for his phone call," Jade said with a slight frown as her eyes fell on the documents on the bed and the picture of the little girl.

    Something about the kid''s smile reminded her of Candace''s smile. She must be crazy to be suddenly associating everyone and everything with Candace, Jade thought with a shake of her head.

    "Enough about me. How are you feeling now? And how are my brothers?" Jade asked, shing them both a smile.

    Lucy looked behind her into the room where Tom was sleeping on the bed, "Tom is asleep. He had a long day."

    "Bryan had a short day. He is in the living room ying ser while waiting for Evelyn and Desmond to get home from their date," Sonia said with a grin.

    "Date? Those two are the reasons I won''t settle for less when ites to love and rtionships," Jade said, and both Lucy and Sonia smiled in agreement.

    "I should let you two return to your men while I return to my pillow," Jade said, and they allughed.

    "Let''s do this often. And Jade, don''t forget to text me the name. Goodnight," Sonia said as she closed her journal.

    "Sure, I will do that right now. Goodnight. Kiss my brothers goodnight for me," Jade said before hanging up.

    After the call, Lucy stood up to go in, but almost immediately Sonia called her back making her raise a brow, "Did you forget to say something?" Lucy asked immediately after she received the call.

    "Yes. What are you hiding?" Sonia asked curiously.

    "Hiding? Who said I''m hiding anything?" Lucy asked in mock confusion as she returned to her seat.

    "I know you, Lu. C''mon! We''ve been friends for over fifteen years now. Don''t you think I can tell when you''re hiding something?" Sonia asked, but Lucy shook her head.

    "Nope. I''m not hiding anything," Lucy insisted without meeting Sonia''s gaze.

    "I can''t believe you are lying to me right now," Sonia said with a slight frown.

    Knowing that Sonia was not going to let it go, Lucy decided to tell her the part of the information that didn''t involve Harry and Aaron, "It''s not about anything we discussed. Before I called, I told you I was on the phone with my mom. Her twin sister showed up at the house," Lucy said, and Sonia gasped in surprise.

    "Her twin? The one you said she never talks about?"

    "Yeah."

    "I can''t exactly remember the story. What happened between them? Why were they estranged?" Sonia asked, and Lucy reminded her about how Sara had run away from home after stealing from their father.

    "And she is just showing up now after thirty years? What did your mom do? Wee her like the prodigal daughter or throw her out?" Sonia asked curiously.

    "Of course, she didn''t wee her. She is not a good person. I suspect the only reason she is back is that she is ill and in need of an organ donor," Lucy said, and Sonia sighed.

    "That is too bad. Is she wealthy? Is she married? Does she have a kid?" Sonia asked curiously.

    "I learned she is a famous international model. Sara Walker..."

    "Sara Walker? I know her. One of my ex-boyfriends used to have pictures of her on his wall. Remember the guy I told you I caught jerking off on the picture of an older woman?" Sonia asked, and Lucy nodded.

    "Sara Walker was the older woman. If I had known she was your aunt back then I would have stuffed the picture in his mouth," Sonia said, and Lucy giggled.

    "I don''t care about her. Don''t let that bother you. A person like her deserves that," Lucy said and raised a brow when she noticed that Sonia looked distracted as she stared at her screen.

    "What are you looking at?"

    "Jade''s message just came in. The person she wants me to look into is Sara Walker," Sonia announced, causing Lucy''s heart to skip a beat.

    Lucy swallowed, "I wonder why," Lucy said, wondering if Jade had figured out the connection already, and how.

    "Do you want to tell her that Sara is your aunt?" Sonia asked, and Lucy''s brows pulled together in confusion not knowing what to do.

    She couldn''t give Jade such information without knowing why Jade was looking into Sara. And she didn''t want to tell Jade about it either since she needed to tell Harry and Aaron first.

    "No," Lucy said with a shake of her head as Sonia watched her closely.

    "You are not going to find anything rted to my family there. She ims to be an orphan, and since I don''t know why Jade is looking into her I''d rather we don''t associate with her," Lucy exined, hating that she was keeping secrets from Sonia.

    "Don''t worry, tomorrow I will give her a call to find out why she''s looking into her, and I will let you know," Sonia promised, and Lucy sighed as she gave her a nod.

    "Alright. Thanks. I should go to bed now. I have to go to work tomorrow," Lucy said when she saw that it was past almost midnight.

    "Sure. We will be leaving for Heden tomorrow. I need to take care of my business with my editor. I will call to let you know how it goes, and also tell you about my conversation with Jade," Sonia promised.

    "Thanks. Give my love to Bryan, Desmond, and Evelyn. Love you," Lucy said, and Sonia blew her a kiss before hanging up.

    Lucy sighed as she stood up and returned to the bedroom to meet Tom. How did her ordinary life be soplicated and entangled in so many webs and dramas? She mused as shey on the bed.

    She smiled when Tom opened his eyes sleepily and pulled her to himself before turning off the light in the bedroom, "Sweet dreams, Jewel," Tom murmured in a husky voice as he kissed her forehead.

 Chapter 441: Butterflies

    Chapter 441: Butterflies"Good morning, Jewel," Tom greeted with a twinkle in his eyes as he watched Lucy''s eyes slowly flutter open when her bedside rm bell went off.

    Lucy smiled when she opened her eyes and saw Tom''s face hovering above hers. He was lying on his right side with his body propped up on his elbow.

    Tom kissed her eyes making herugh as she weakly pushed him away, "Good morning, Ace. How long have you been up? Why didn''t you wake me up?" She asked, turning her mouth away from his face so that he won''t be disturbed by her morning breath.

    Tom smiled when he noticed what she was doing, and turned her face towards him. He wanted them to bepletelyfortable with each other in every state they found themselves in.

    "I''ve been awake for some time now. I didn''t wake you up because I didn''t want to rush my favorite morning ritual," Tom said, and Lucy looked at him with confused eyes.

    "What ritual?"

    "My favorite way to begin my day is to watch you wake up. It''s like watching the rise of the morning sun. It gives me the same kick," Tom said making Lucy''s heart flutter, and a blush stained her cheeks.

    "I wonder where you get those cheesy lines," Lucy said, and Tom wiggled his brows.

    "You won''t believe me if I told you," Tom said, his eyes twinkling with both amusement and mischief, and Lucy raised a brow.

    "Try me," she challenged, and Tom grinned.

    "Your eyes. When I look into those beautiful diamond-like gray eyes of yours, I''m like a lost man. I''m devoid of every rational thought, and the only words thate to me are expressions of your beauty, virtue, and worth. I could say you are my romantic muse," Tom said, and this time Lucy giggled.

    "Now you''re being too much. Let''s go get ready for work," Lucy said as she tried to get off the bed, but Tom held her back.

    "What''s the rush for? I''m not in a hurry to face reality. The moment we get off this bed and walk out the door we are going to be faced once again with all the unpleasant things we pushed aside yesterday. So let''s just give ourselves this few minutes," Tom pleaded as he sat up on the bed and pulled her back to himself.

    He was right. Who knew what other problems they would have to face today? These days they barely spent enough time talking about themselves. It was always about other people and how to take care of problems.

    "We are going to bete to work," she reminded himzily in herst attempt to maintain her workaholic reputation.

    "No one is going to query you, I assure you," Tom said, and Lucy sighed, not wanting to tell him it was an abuse of power. If everyone stayed in bed that way with their partners no one would show up at work.

    "Besides, it won''t be the first time you will bete because of me," Tom reminded her, and Lucy smiled as she sat between his legs and let her back rx against his body.

    "So what do you want us to do?" Lucy asked, and Tom shrugged.

    "Let''s talk about us. Pleasant things. Tell me about the fun ces you would love to visit, and those things you have always wanted to do but haven''t been able to do," Tom said as he nuzzled her neck, making Lucy''s eyes feel heavy.

    "I can''t think when you are doing that," she said, and Tom chuckled as he paused to give her room to think.

    Lucy narrowed her eyes as she thought about it, "I would love to visit Paris and Maldives," Lucy said with a soft sigh when Tom kissed the spot behind her ear.

    "For someone who didn''t want to be in a romantic rtionship, what did you n to do at such romantic getaway spots?" Tom asked in a teasing tone, not wanting to mention that those were his ideal honeymoon destinations.

    Lucy grinned, "I''m sure there is not a singlew that states that those ces are only meant for romantic getaways," Lucy said defensively as she turned to look at him.

    "Who knows? Perhaps going there would have been all you needed to change your mind. You would have been swarmed by lovers everywhere you turned, and would have no other choice than to find yourself one," Tom said, and Lucy looked at him for a moment.

    "That would have happened only if you were there. I''m sure it was going to be you or no one else," Lucy said, and this time it was Tom''s heart that skipped a beat.

    "Is it normal for a man to have butterflies in his belly? Cause I can swear I feel so many butterflies fluttering in my belly right now," Tom said as he raised a hand to his abdomen, and Lucyughed out loud.

    "I suppose you''re allowed to have butterflies. You are human just like the rest of us after all," Lucy said with a teasing smile.

    "Damn, Lu! You made my heart skip a beat," Tom said, still feeling very touched by her deration.

    "You do that to me all the time," Lucy said with a wide smile on her face as she watched the man she hade to absolutely adore.

    "So now that I''m in a rtionship with a big shot like you, there is no reason why I shouldn''t go there. I will unt you and throw our love in all their faces," Lucy said with a wide smile, and Tom found himself smiling back.

    "Sure. I''d love that very much. Let''s do that after everything is over. Let''s go on a vacation alone..."

    "What about the family vacation your mom talked about? We can''t go separately for ours and then go for that too..."

    "Sure, we can," Tom countered.

    "Mr. CEO, we can''t take leave from work twice in a year," Lucy reminded him, and Tom groaned.

    "C''mon, Jewel. Please don''t ruin this moment with your workaholic tendencies," Tom pleaded.

    "I''m just trying to be realistic..."

    Tom sighed, "As the CEO I could suspend you indefinitely for a month if youmit the perfect offense, what do you think?" Tom asked, and Lucy giggled.

    "I''ve worked too long and hard to get here, I won''t taint my reputation for a vacation. It might interest you to know that I have received offers from other rival fashion firms trying to poach me," Lucy said, and Tom raised a brow.

    "Are we bragging now?" He asked, and Lucy wiggled her brows at him making him chuckle.

    He knew how much she loved her job and how much pride she had in her work, so there was little or nothing he could do right now. He had promised to support her in pursuing her career and he had to do his best.

    "So do you n to give up our personal vacation for the family vacation?" Tom asked, and Lucy shook her head.

    "No. We are only postponing it. For this year we have to go on a vacation with the family as nned. If Paris or Maldives were ces we could go on a weekend getaway we could have done that. So since we may not be able to travel that far out now, we can go for private weekend getaways to nearby locations when we can. And leave the other ces for some other time," Lucy suggested, and Tom gave her a nod.

    "Okay, that works," Tom said as he reached out to y with her hair.

    "I wish today was Sunday," Tom said, and Lucy raised a brow.

    "Why Sunday and not Saturday?"

    "Because you''d be busy on Saturday, but on Sunday you have nothing doing so we can just stay in bed all morning like..." The rest of his words trailed off when someone knocked on the door.

    "Lucy?" Jamal called, making Tom groan.

    "That goes our moment of sweetness," Tom said, and Lucy giggled as she got out of bed to go see Jamal.

    "Good morning, Jamy Jam," Lucy greeted when she opened the door and saw the bright-eyed kid.

    "Good morning, Lucy. Are you not going to the office today?" He asked when he noticed that she was not dressed for work yet.

    "What do you want from my girlfriend?" Tom asked as he joined Lucy by the door.

    "Good morning to you too," Jamal greeted with a pleasant smile, and Tom narrowed his eyes at him wondering what he was up to.

    "We are going to work soon. Are you okay? Did you sleep well?" Lucy asked, and Jamal gave her a nod.

    "Can Ie to work with you? Please?" Jamal asked, looking at them both with puppy eyes.

    "Jam, the office is no ce for a child, and..."

    "I will be lonely. Samantha and the others are going grocery shopping today. I don''t want to go with them it''s boring," Jamal exined, and unable to say no to him when he was looking at her that way, Lucy turned to Tom.

    "There is no ce for him to stay at thepany," Tom said when he noticed the way Lucy was blinking at him now with puppy eyes of her own.

    "I heard Adolf saying you have a room in your office. I could stay in there quietly. Please. I want to see what your office looks like," Jamal pleaded still looking at him with puppy eyes as he tugged on Tom''s pyjamas and Tom sighed.

    "Yes, he does. You can take him in through the private elevator. No one is going to see him," Lucy said, and Jamal bobbed his head.

    "I promise not to cause any troubles. Cross my heart," Jamal said as he ced both hands front of his chest.

    How was he supposed to say no to them both when they were both staring at him that way? It wasn''t his fault that he was a sucker for the woman, and had a soft spot for the kid who was fast growing on him, Tom mused, "If you are not ready by the time wee downstairs, I won''t wait for you," Tom said, and immediately Jamal embraced Lucy and ran off to fetch Samantha.

    "I should go get his mom''s DNA sample now," Lucy said when she remembered that she was yet to do that.

    Tom gave her a nod, "I will give them a call to prepare them to receive it," Tom said, and just as Lucy headed for Jamal''s room, she hesitated and looked back at Tom when she remembered something.

    "Jade is working on something rted to Sara. I don''t know what it is. Did you tell her anything? Or do you think Harry did?" Lucy asked, and Tom''s brows pulled together as he shook his head.

    "I didn''t say anything to her, and I''m not sure Harry did. What did she say about Sara?" Tom asked curiously.

    "I will find out the details from Soniater. I need to hurry so we can get ready for work," Lucy said before walking away, and Tom sighed as he returned inside.

    They were back to reality where they had enemies to put down, and friends to raise.

    He was d that he had been able to spend those few minutesughing and making future ns with Lucy. That precious moment was what he was going to hold on to, to see him through the craziness of the day ahead.

 Chapter 442: Upset

    Chapter 442: UpsetHarryy on his bed staring at the ceiling, unsure whether or not he was in the mood to get out of bed. He sighed when his bedside rm went off and it dawned on him that he had stayed awake all through the night.

    All through the night he had tossed and turned restlessly as he tried to make sense of the situation, but no matter how hard he thought about it or how much time he spent thinking about it he couldn''t figure out what was going on.

    What did it mean that Sara Walker looked exactly like his mother? Did it mean that his father had lied to him about the identity of his mother? Was Sara probably his mom''s twin sister and his father had lied to him that she was an orphan? What could have prompted him to want to keep him away from Sara? Why did her calls upset him so much? Why had Tom been equally upset and dragged him off that way? What were they all hiding?

    During dinner, he had barely been able to concentrate on anything else, as the only thing on his head had been the name ''Sara Walker'' and the question of how she was rted to histe mother.

    He had been very tempted to ask his father about it, but he had decided not to as he listened to his father singing praises of Lucy and talking about how Tom was lucky to have her in his life, and how he hoped Harry would find a woman like her too.

    He was going to wait for the person he had assigned to dig into her life to call back with information on Sara. Even after knowing about it, he wasn''t going to say a word of it to his father or anyone else until they opened up to him first. He wanted to see just how long they nned to hide whatever they were hiding.

    He reluctantly sat up as he rubbed his eyes which were feeling heavy. Never in his life had he felt so sleep-deprived. The day was yet to start but he was sure it was going to be anything but pleasant. He was already in a foul mood and he felt sorry for anyone that would dare to default at work today.

    Once he got off his bed, he changed into his workout clothes before walking out of his bedroom to his exercise room. As he walked past his father''s bedroom, he hesitated at the door for only a moment before moving on.

    Not feeling motivated to do any serious exercise, he turned on the music yer in the room before mounting the treadmill.

    He had no idea how long he had been running on the treadmill until the music abruptly stopped ying and the only sound he could hear was his panting.

    He stopped running and turned off the treadmill when he saw Aaron standing behind him and watching him with a puzzled frown.

    "Good morning, dad. I hope you had a good night''s rest," He said without meeting his father''s gaze as he moved away from the treadmill and went to the refrigerator at the distal end of the room to pick up a bottle of water.

    "What is wrong with you? Why are you running like you are preparing for the Olympics?" Aaron asked with a concerned frown as he moved closer to him, with a towel in hand.

    Harry said nothing until he was done drinking the water, and then he took the towel from Aaron, "Thank you," Harry said as he wiped the sweat from his body, and Aaron watched him closely.

    "Is everything alright? You have been acting strangely since you returned from work yesterday. Did something happen at work?" Aaron asked as he continued to watch Harry dry his sweat.

    "Everything is fine. I''m just preupied with some thoughts," Harry said dismissively as he sat on his workout bench and undid thece of his running shoes.

    "Do you want to tell me about it?" Aaron asked and Harry shook his head.

    "No."

    "Why not?" Aaron asked, and Harry raised a brow, unable to hide his annoyance and bitterness.

    "Why should I? thought we are keeping secrets now? Or are we back to telling each other about the things that bother us?" Harry asked, and without waiting for Aaron to respond he headed for the door.

    "Harry," Aaron called, surprised by Harry''s harsh tone.

    Harry opened the door before turning to look at him, "I trust you feel better now and don''t need me or Lucy to stay with you. I''m going to prepare for work now. I don''t want to bete," Harry said as he walked out of the room, ignoring the pang of guilt in his heart at having talked to his father in that way.

    Aaron had a confused frown on his face as he watched him leave, wondering what hade over Harry and why he had spoken to him in that tone.

    Forty minutester as Harry stepped out of his bedroom ready to leave for the office, he saw Aaron waiting for him by the passageway.

    While he prepared for work he had called himself all sorts of names and berated himself for being a bad son by speaking to his father in that manner, but he couldn''t help feeling angry at his father.

    His father was responsible for his sleeplessness and mood. If he wasn''t keeping secrets from him he wouldn''t have to stay awake all night trying to figure out anything.

    "Do you have a moment? Let''s talk," Aaron suggested, but Harry nced at his wristwatch.

    "No, I don''t. I''m runningte for work," Harry said, and Aaron nodded.

    "I thought you would say so. How about I see you off to the office and we talk in the car? I will take a cab back home," Aaron suggested, and Harry snorted.

    "It''s not bring your parents to work day," Harry said, reminding him of what he had said the previous day.

    "I''m sorry I have not been able to tell you about what is bothering me," Aaron said apologetically.

    "Are you going to tell me about it now?" Harry asked with interest, and Aaron shook his head.

    "Monday. Give me until Monday, and then I will tell you about it," Aaron said, and Harry frowned.

    "Monday? Why Monday? Why not today? What is happening on Monday that I don''t know about?"

    "Nothing. I just want to spend the weekend with you normally..."

    "HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE?" Harry yelled at him, and then he took a deep breath to calm himself.

    "Do you think that makes any sense? How can you think that we can spend a normal weekend together when I know you are keeping secrets from me? When I know that you are lying to me?" Harry asked in a slightly raised voice, and Aaron watched him in surprise wondering what Harry knew.

    "You know what? Do whatever you want. I don''t care," Harry said before walking away.

    *********

    Away from there, Tom was stuck in traffic and Lucy kept ncing at her wristwatch and tapping her feet impatiently as she waited for the cars to move.

    They had driven to a different part of the city to drop off the DNA specimens that they wanted to be tested at theb, and on their way to the office, they ran into a traffic jam.

    "Calm down," Tom said softly when he noticed how tense she was and how she was rubbing her hands together.

    "How can I be calm? At this rate, we are going to get to the office veryte..."

    "And it''s okay," Tom cut in.

    "No, it''s not!" Lucy snapped at him.

    "Stop getting worked up over nothing. You are with me. Nobody is going to scold you," Tom assured her.

    "Isn''t that the point? I''m with you, and that is why I am even more worried because no one is going to scold me. Everyone is going to have an opinion in their head but no one is going to voice it out. Why do you sound like you don''t know what everyone is going to say about my beingte?" Lucy asked in a slightly raised voice.

    "I don''t know. Maybe you should tell me," Tom said, trying not to get upset that she was bringing up the ''What people are going to say'' line again.

    "They are going to say Ie and go as I please because I''m dating the CEO. I am my team''s leader! What kind of pace would I be setting for them if I get to the office thiste?" Lucy asked, and Tom took in a deep breath to calm himself.

    "They are not going to say any such thing. And even if they do, you should ignore them. We have never been thiste to work before now, have we? It''s not like this was nned," Tom exined as patiently as he could.

    "That doesn''t mean I should befortable with the situation! Maybe if we hadn''t spent so much time in bed this morning we wouldn''t be runningte," Lucy said sounding very upset, and Tom raised a brow as he turned to look at her.

    "Really? You are going to bring that into this?" Tom asked angrily, surprising Lucy, and causing Jamal who was sleeping in the backseat to wake up.

    "How is your worrying going to help the situation right now? Do you have any idea the number of meetings I have on my schedule for this morning? Do you think I spend my time with you because I don''t have work to do?" Tom asked unable to keep calm anymore, and Jamal who was seated in the backseat immediately raised a hand to cover his ears.

    Tom caught the movement in the rearview mirror, and turned to look at him, "Are you okay?"

    Jamal shook his head, "You are fighting. I don''t want to hear you," Jamal said in a fearful voice, and immediately, Lucy turned around in her seat when she realized that he was awake.

    "We are not fighting, Jam," Lucy said, shing him a smile as she reached out to pat his hair.

    "We are not fighting. We were just talking," Tom said, but Jamal looked at him with teary eyes.

    "You raised your voice. You yelled," Jamal said, and Tom sighed.

    "I was upset. I raised my voice because I was upset," Tom exined with a sigh and he reached out to touch Jamal but he flinched and suddenly started crying.

    "Please don''t hit me," Jamal cried, making Tom frown as he exchanged a confused look with Lucy.

    "I wasn''t going to hit you," Tom said, wondering why he would think he was going to hit him.

 Chapter 443: Terrible Father

    Chapter 443: Terrible FatherJero opened his eyes slowly and was surprised when he saw Candace sitting by his bedside.

    He removed the oxygen mask on his nose, "You came back?" He asked weakly, and Candace who had been reading a novel on her phone looked at him before ncing at her wristwatch.

    "You have been sleeping for about eighteen hours now. How are you feeling? Should I get the doctor?" Candace asked as she stood up and dropped her phone on the chair.

    "Eighteen hours? Have you been here for that long?" Jero asked in a weak but surprised voice.

    "Don''t sound so surprised. I''m not here because I care about you," she said in a t tone.

    "Then why are you here? To kill me?" Jero asked, and Candace scoffed.

    "If I wanted to kill you, we wouldn''t be having this conversation by now. You''d be on your way to hell by now," Candace assured him, and Jero looked at her with apologetic eyes.

    "I''m sorry for everything..."

    "I don''t need your apology, Jero. There is nothing you are going to say that is going to make me forgive you. Your apology won''t fix anything. It won''t change anything you did to Andy or Jamal or me. So save yourst few breaths," Candace advised before heading for the door to inform the guards that Jero was awake and they could get the doctor.

    After doing that, she returned to her seat and picked up her phone while Jero watched her, "I wanted you to myself," Jero said, and Candace looked at him as he held the oxygen mask away from his face.

    "All my life I never had anyone who loved me or cared about me until I met you. My family never cared about me because I wasn''t as smart as my siblings. When I saw how you loved me, I wanted to have all your love to myself. I didn''t want to share your love with anyone else. Not Andy. Not Jamal either," Jero said, making Candace look at him like he was crazy.

    "Love? I don''t think that was what you wanted from me. You didn''t love me or want my love. If you did, you wouldn''t have done any of those things you did. Andy is my sister. Jamal is your own son. They were not in anypetition with you! How could you treat them that way?" she asked him incredulously.

    "I wanted your undivided attention. You were the only one I cared about. I never cared about Andy. I never really cared about Jamal either. I didn''t want him. I never wanted to be a father..."

    "You didn''t want to be a father? Why did you get me pregnant if you didn''t want him? Why did you let me keep him if you were going to treat him like that?" Candace yelled as tears dropped from her eyes and she stood from her seat.

    Jero closed his eyes as he tried to breathe before speaking again, "You wanted a child. You said you wanted one. All I wanted was to be loved by you. I wanted you to be happy, so I let you keep him. But when he came you barely gave me your attention..."

    "You are sick! So disgustingly sick! And listening to you right now is making me sick!" Candace hissed at him as the door and the two guards at the door walked in.

    From the look on their faces, she could tell that they had heard some parts of their conversation if not all, and hade in to make sure she doesn''t hurt Jero.

    "I know. I realized it when I was in prison. And seeing Jamal''s picture made me realize how terrible I was as a father, and that''s why I''m begging you," Jero pleaded weakly.

    "It took you long enough. Terrible? You think you were terrible? If there is a word worse than that, then that is what you are. You were not only terrible as a father. You were terrible as a human being. Do you have any idea how traumatized they both were because of you? Do you have any idea how many times Andy cried herself to sleep because of you? Do you know the number of times Jamal suffered from nightmares because of you? Or how hard it was for him at school because he was always scared of his male teachers? Do you know how hard it was for me to watch them both suffer because of you?" Candace yelled angrily not concerned about the fact that they had audience.

    She watched as tears of regret dropped from Jero''s eyes and his ECG heart monitor began to beep, "I''m sorry..." Jero said with a gasp.

    "Sorry? Who is the apology meant for? Me? Jamal? Andy?" Candace asked with a shake of her head as she picked up her bag, wondering what had possessed her to think she could stay by his side or care for him in the first ce.

    "Please tell them I''m sorry," Jero said weakly as his ECG monitor continued to beep loudly, and Candace turned to the door when it opened and the doctor hurried to his bedside with two nurses following him.

    "I''m done here. Please let me know when he dies," Candace said as she headed for the door, but before she could walk through the door, the sound of the monitor changed and she looked back when she saw the tlines disyed on the monitor.

    "Time of death, 08:15 AM," the doctor announced before turning to look at Candace.

    Away from there, seeing Jamal''s reaction, Lucy quickly opened the door and got out of the passenger seat, and went to join Jamal in the backseat, "No one is going to hit you," Lucy said as she embraced him.

    "He is going to hit me," Jamal cried as he hid his face from Lucy.

    "Tom would never hit you. You know that, don''t you?" Lucy asked as she held him close and kissed his forehead while patting his back.

    Tom said nothing as he looked away from both Lucy and Jamal, directing his attention to the cars in front of them.

    Why did he feel like Jamal was reacting to something someone had done to him? Was it possible he had been physically abused? Tom wondered with a frown, not wanting to believe that his father could have done something like that to such a little boy. He hoped not else he was going to make the bastard pay.

    Soon Jamal rxed in the back as Lucy hummed a tune to him, while Tom looked at them through the rearview mirror.

    Tom sighed when he nced at his wristwatch and saw that it was 08:15 already. He had a meeting scheduled for 09:00 AM, and from the looks of things, he doubted that they would get to the office in time for his meeting so he dialed Harry''s line.

    "Good morning, Harry. Are you at the office already?" Tom asked immediately after the call connected.

    "Am I not supposed to be at the office by past eight?" Harry asked irritably, causing Tom to frown.

    "Are you okay? Is there a problem?" Tom asked with concern.

    "I woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Why are you calling?" Harry asked impatiently.

    "We are runningte. I''m stuck in a traffic jam and I don''t think I can get to the office in time for our meeting with Mr. Willoughby, so you may have to start without me," Tom exined, and Harry raised a brow.

    "A traffic jam? We both know there is hardly ever traffic on the route from your ce to work. Is Lucy with you? Are you both runningte on purpose? I told you I wasn''t going to condone it if you were making me Co-CEO just so you could ck off..."

    "Cut the crap, Harry! What is wrong with you?" Tom snapped at him irritably, and without waiting for Harry to say another word he hung up.

    Once again, Jamal started crying, while Lucy looked at Tom in confusion, wondering why he was yelling at Harry.

    Tom took a deep breath, feeling annoyed at everyone. Why did the day which had started so beautifully have to take such an ugly turn?

    "I''m sorry, Jamal," Tom said as he met Jamal''s gaze in the rearview mirror, and Tom looked at him for a moment before taking out his handkerchief from his pocket and extending it to him.

    "You shouldn''t cry too much. You look even more ugly when you cry and I doubt Lucy is going to like you very much when she sees your crying face," he said, making a funny face at Jamal as he turned to look at him, and Jamal forced a smile as he took the handkerchief from him.

    Lucy smiled as she helped Jamal dry his tears before looking at Tom, "What is the problem? Why did you yell at Harry?" Lucy asked Tom, and he shook his head.

    "It''s nothing," Tom said without looking at her, but she could tell that he was upset, and she felt sorry because she knew that she had contributed to his current mood.

    "I''m sorry I ruined your mood. I shouldn''t have said what I said about wasting time in bed. I was upset and I took it out on you unfairly. I love you and..."

    Tom sighed, "I love you too, and I''m sorry I raised my voice."

    "My job is important to me. I know that you may not understand..."

    "I understand you, Lu. I get you more than you think. I don''t have a problem with you loving your job. My only problem right now is that you seem to believe you are the only one making sacrifices for our rtionship. I don''t think you realize that I also face criticism. I am criticized in the same manner. Do you think it''s different simply because I''m the boss and you are thedy?" Tom asked, and Lucy''s brows pulled together as she thought about it.

    Tom sighed as he watched her, "Let''s leave it at that. Don''t you think you should give your teammates a call to inform them that you will bete?" He reminded her, and Lucy held his gaze for some seconds before taking out her phone from her handbag to do as he had suggested.

    Tom winked at Jamal when he caught the kid staring at him through the rearview mirror, and made a funny face at him causing Jamal tough. Tom made a mental note to ask Jade about Jamal''s rtionship with his father.

    As Lucy returned the phone to her handbag after putting a call across to her office, it beeped with a message notification and she took it out to see that it was a text from Sonia.

    [I just spoke with Jade. I can''t call because I''m in the car with Bryan and his parents. Jade said her boss is trying to help your aunt find her lost daughter, but it has to be kept a secret. Do you know anything about your aunt having a missing daughter? Don''t you think you should tell Jade about it?]

    Lucy sighed as she read the text. Knowing how smart Jade was, Lucy did not doubt that it wouldn''t take a long time before Jade would put everything together.

    All she needed was Sara''s pre-surgery photos, and once she was able to figure out that Sara was the same person in the photo in Harry''s bedroom, she would put all the pieces together.

    She was beginning to doubt that Aaron''s secret would stay secret for much longer, she thought with a sigh and looked up to see Tom staring at her through the rearview mirror.

    "Jade''s boss is trying to help Sara find her missing daughter," she informed Tom with a worried frown.

    "Let''s not talk about that right now," Tom said as he looked from her to Jamal who was still staring at Tom.

    Following his gaze, Lucy understood what he meant and gave him a nod, "Alright."

    Tom returned his attention to the road when the car behind him honked, and he sighed in relief when he realized that the cars were moving again, and it seemed like whatever had blocked the road had been taken care of.

    Now that he had resolved his issue with Lucy, and Jamal seemed fine, his thoughts drifted to Harry. Why did Harry sound so upset? It wasn''t like Harry to speak to him in that manner, so what was wrong? Was it about yesterday? Tom mused.

    He wasn''t looking forward to spending the day with a grumpy Harry. He had a feeling that this was going to be another long day.

 Chapter 444: Lucy Versus Car

    Chapter 444: Lucy Versus CarImmediately after they arrived at thepany, Tom pulled the car to a stop in front of the building for Lucy to get down before turning to Jamal, "Do you want to go with her? Or can you stay alone in my office?" Tom asked, and Jamal looked at Tom for a brief moment before shaking his head.

    "I want to see your office," he said quietly, and Tom gave him a nod before looking at Lucy.

    Although they had apologized to each other, there was still some tension between them, and Tom could tell that Lucy wasn''tfortable.

    "I will give you a call after my meeting," he promised, and she gave him a nod before kissing Jamal''s forehead and getting out of the car.

    "Have a nice day," Lucy called out to him before walking away while Tom and Jamal watched her until she disappeared from view.

    "It''s just the both of us now, boy," Tom said with a wink as he drove away from there to his private parking lot.

    "Who owns all these cars?" Jamal asked as he looked around the parking lot after Tom parked the car.

    "They''re mine," Tom said, and Jamal''s eyes bulged out as he looked at him.

    "But you have some at home. You can''t drive them all, can you?" Jamal asked, and Tom chuckled.

    "Yeah, I can''t."

    "So why do you have so many if you can''t drive them all? Isn''t it a waste?" Jamal asked curiously, and Tom shook his head, enjoying the conversation.

    "Not really. I love to look at them. Cars are my favorite toys," Tom said, and Jamal watched him with interest.

    "Can you let me have one?" Jamal asked, and Tom chuckled.

    "You are too young to drive," Tom pointed out.

    "My mom isn''t too young. She can drive me," Jamal said, and Tomughed softly.

    "That makes sense. We could arrange for that," Tom said as he led Jamal to his private elevator.

    Neither of them said a word to each other until they were in Tom''s private elevator and Jamal looked up at him, "So you are like the boss around here, huh?" Jamal asked, and Tom smiled.

    "You could say that," Tom said, and Jamal frowned not understanding his response.

    "Are you the boss or not?" Jamal asked, and Tom looked down at him.

    "What if I say I am?" He asked, and Jamal shrugged.

    "Do you think you could give my mom and aunt Andy a job?" Jamal asked, and Tom raised a brow.

    "Don''t your mom have a job?" Tom asked, and Jamal shook his head.

    "She doesn''t like her job. Shees backte at night and she is always tired. Sometimes when they think I''m sleeping I hear them talking about how some man touched them rudely. There are no rude men here, right?" Jamal asked, and Tom looked at him, marveling at how thoughtful he was at his age.

    "I don''t think so," Tom said, and Jamal nodded with approval.

    "I want her to work during the day when I go to school and stay with me at night," Jamal exined reasonably.

    "That''s fine. I will give them a job. Is that all you want?" Tom asked, and he watched in amusement as Jamal''s eyes lit up with mischief.

    "There is one more thing I want," Jamal said, and Tom chuckled.

    "No."

    "How can you say no when you don''t even know what I''m going to say?" Jamal asked with a frown, and Tomughed.

    "Who says I don''t know what you were going to say?" Tom asked, and Jamal looked at him doubtfully.

    "What was I going to say?" He asked curiously.

    "It was about Lucy, wasn''t it?" Tom asked, and Jamal grinned.

    "How did you know?"

    "You don''t have to know how I knew. The answer remains the same!" Tom said, and Jamal scowled.

    "I won''t get upset or yell at her," Jamal said with a sigh, and Tom shook his head, amused by Jamal''s personality.

    "Yeah, right. Save that promise for your future girlfriend," Tom muttered as they walked out of the elevator.

    "I don''t want a future girlfriend. I want Lucy," Jamal said stubbornly.

    "You can only get one. Lucy or the car?" Tom asked, and Jamal looked up at him with a frown.

    "Why can''t I have both?" Jamal asked, and Tom chuckled.

    "You''ve got guts, young man. How can you expect me to give you a car and my girlfriend too?" Tom asked, and Jamal narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.

    "Does Lucy have a car?" Jamal asked, and Tom gave him a nod.

    "Yeah."

    "I choose Lucy then. We can both use her car," Jamal said with a grin, making Tom double over withughter.

    He really liked this kid, Tom thought as he led Jamal into his office.

    "Wow! This is awesome!" Jamal eximed in awe as he looked around the office, and Tom smiled as he watched him.

    "What is that?" Jamal asked, pointing at the 3D architectural design of the resort Tom was working on.

    "It''s an architectural design. You can leave the rest of your questions forter. I have to leave for a meeting now. Make sure you don''t touch any documents on my desk. I will ask someone to check on you and get you whatever you need," Tom said and Jamal distractedly gave him a nod as he headed towards the architectural design.

    "Don''t touch that either," Tom called out to him, and Jamal turned to look at him again.

    "You are not joking about giving my mom a job, right?" Jamal asked, and Tom gave him a nod

    "I''m not. Got to go now," Tom assured him before hurrying out of the office and heading to the conference hall where they were meeting for a contract renewal with the security agency in charge of I-Global.

    Harry raised his head from the file he was looking at when the door opened and Tom walked into the conference hall.

    "I''m sorry I''mte," Tom said apologetically to everyone in the hall, but Harry said nothing as he returned his attention to the document in front of him.

    "It''s fine. Mr. Jonas exined that you were runningte. You''re not the type to show upte for such an important meeting. I hope there is no problem?" Mr. Willoughby inquired politely as he shook hands with Tom.

    "I had to run an errand and got stuck in traffic on my way. Once again I apologize for my tardiness," Tom said, and Mr. Willoughby gave him a nod.

    "I''m d you could join us. We were discussing the renewal of our contract with yourpany, and we were just showing Mr. Jonas here, our new terms and conditions," Mr. Willoughby said as his assistant passed one of the files to Tom, and he nced at Harry as he waited for him to speak and bring him up to speed with their discussion.

    Not letting his annoyance show, Harry gave Tom a breakdown of all they had discussed, and even though it was not obvious to the others that Harry was upset, Tom could tell.

    He had no idea what bee had gotten into Harry''s bo, and as much as he understood that Harry wasn''t the type to be upset without a tangible reason, he didn''t appreciate Harry''s cold attitude towards him.

    On one hand, he knew that Harry was probably acting up because he felt he was keeping secrets from him, but he also expected Harry to understand that he wouldn''t be doing that if it wasn''t necessary.

    Besides, he wouldn''t have arrivedte for the meeting if he hadn''t taken Aaron''s and Candace''s DNA samples to theb, and he had done that because he wanted to know if Candace was Harry''s missing sister and present that to Harry and Aaron to help them resolve their misunderstanding faster.

    After the meeting was over and the others walked away from the hall, neither Tom nor Harry left their seats as was their usual habit.

    "What''s wrong? Why are you acting up?" Tom asked, and Harry raised a brow.

    "I''m acting up because I questioned your tardiness?" Harry asked, and Tom tried to put a rein on his temper. He suspected that Harry was spoiling for a fight and looking for a way to let out his anger.

    There was no need to be upset when Harry was upset too. He tried to put himself in Harry''s shoes and told himself that he would probably act this way too if he felt Harry was hiding something from him.

    "Is this about yesterday? Or did I do something I don''t know about?" Tom asked patiently.

    "I already told you I woke up on the wrong side of the bed, I don''t know what else you want me to say," Harry said as he stood up, and Tom sighed.

    "You know I wouldn''t do anything without putting your well-being into consideration, right?" Tom asked, and Harry met his gaze.

    It annoyed Harry that he wasn''t the type to keep secrets or hide how he was feeling from Tom. And no matter how much he didn''t want to talk about what he had discoveredst night, he couldn''t help it.

    "I found out the identity of thedy we met outside the restaurant yesterday," Harry said, making Tom''s heart skip a beat.

    "How? Did she call you?" Tom asked with a worried frown, not wanting to believe that Sara had ignored Lucy''s warning.

    "Why would she call me? And shouldn''t you be asking me who she is, instead of asking me how I found out her identity? Or am I to assume that you know who she is already?" Harry asked with a slightly raised brow.

 Chapter 445: Jeros Package

    Chapter 445: Jero''s PackageJade had been on her way to visit the orphanage home Amos had told her about when she received the news of Jero''s death, so she had rushed down to the hospital first.

    "How do you feel?" Jade asked after she returned from the doctor''s office to meet Candace.

    "Exhausted," Candace confessed as she embraced her and just held on to her.

    All the fight had left her the moment the doctor had dered Jero dead. Although she still had so much anger and resentment left in her, but what was the point of being bitter at a dead man?

    "Why don''t I take you back to the hotel, and then I will make some calls to discuss what is to be done with the body?" Jade asked, and Candace gave her a nod.

    "Let''s do that," Candace said weakly as she let her lead her out of the hospital and to the parking lot.

    "You know, I realized how futile it was to have stayed back here with him. Imagine yelling at a dying man. They must have all thought I was crazy," Candace said with humorlessughter after they were seated in the car.

    "Did staying back with him make you feel better or worse?" Jade asked as she started the car and drove out of the parking lot.

    "I don''t know. I''m indifferent. Maybe I stayed back because a part of me wanted to watch him suffer. Or maybe it was because I wanted answers. I wanted to know why he was that way. I don''t think I feel better or worse," Candace said, and Jade sighed.

    "Everything will be okay. And you can return to Jamal now that Jero is dead," Jade said with a small smile, but Candace shook her head.

    "I can''t do that until I''m sure everything is over. I want to see the cartel lords go to jail. I want to be able to start afresh with Jamal and Andy without worrying about them showing up," Candace said, and even though Jade didn''t exactly agree with her decision, she decided not to say anything about it for the time being.

    "How did it go with Matt yesterday?" Jade asked, wanting to change the subject, and to her surprise and relief Candace smiled.

    "He was quite the gentleman as always. Did you invite him here?" Candace asked, and Jade shrugged.

    "That was two days before Jero was hospitalized. I wanted him to talk you out of your dangerous n," Jade exined, and Candace smiled sadly.

    "You must have been very worried about that," Candace said, and Jade gave her a nod.

    "Yes. I was. Look how things turned out. I guess we were both just worried about things that were never going to happen," Jade said with a smile, and Candace smiled back at her.

    "Thank you for being here, Jade. You have no idea how much it means to me," Candace said, and Jade gave her a nod.

    "It''s fine. By the way, do you know anything about the orphanage being run at Sacred Heart Catholic Church at Westside?" Jade asked, and Candace looked at her curiously.

    "Yes. That is the orphanage home where I was raised. Why do you ask?" Candace asked curiously, but before Jade could respond, Candace''s phone started to ring and she hesitantly received the call when she saw that it was from an unsaved number.

    "Hello! Am I on to Candace?" The male voice at the other end of the line asked, and Candace turned to Jade as she ced the call on speaker.

    "Yes, this is Candace. May I know who I''m speaking with?" Candace asked without responding to the question.

    "It''s Bill. I left you a package at the hotel. It''s from Jero."

    **********

    Lucy had just concluded a meeting with the members of her team and was dishing out some instructions to one of thedies when the main office door opened and Aaron walked in.

    "Aaron!" Lucy eximed in surprise when she turned to see who had walked in and saw him.

    "Are you okay? Is everything alright?" She asked as she hurried to him when she noticed how pale he looked, and took his hand as she led him into her office, away from the curious eyes of her team members.

    "Why are you here? Did something happen? Did Sara bother you again?" Lucy asked immediately she closed the door behind them.

    "No, she didn''t. I don''t think I can wait until Monday as I nned. I have to talk to Harry today. I think he knows something," Aaron said as Lucy made him sit down on one of the chairs in the office.

    "What happened? Did he say anything?" Lucy asked with concern as she took the seat beside him and held his hands.

    "He didn''t, but I know he is upset. I wanted to talk to you about it before going to his office," Aaron said, and Lucy sighed.

    "Did he tell you why he is upset?" She asked, and Aaron shook his head.

    "He said we can''t have a normal weekend when he knows that I''m lying to him," Aaron said, and Lucy sighed.

    "That is true. I think you should go with your gut and tell him now. At the rate everything is going, I don''t think you will have another chance to do so after now," Lucy said, and Aaron gave her a nod.

    "I think so too. But what if he gets more upset?" Aaron asked with a worried frown, and Lucy shook her head.

    "Just trust him, Aaron. Harry is a reasonable man. The longer you keep this away from him the worse it will get. You won''t be doing either of you any good by keeping it away from him much longer considering how upset he is already," Lucy said quietly, and Aaron sighed.

    "I guess you are right. Keeping secrets from him is upsetting him already," Aaron said, and Lucy squeezed his hands reassuringly.

    "Everything is going to be fine. Maybe not immediately, but eventually. I could escort you to his office and wait outside until you''re done speaking with him if it would make you feel better," Lucy offered, and Aaron gave her a weak smile.

    "You would do that?" He asked, and she gave him a nod.

    "Sure. I will give Tom a call to find out if they are done with their meeting and if Harry is in his office, then we can leave," Lucy said as she reached for her phone which was on the table, and dialed Tom''s line.

    Away from there, Tom pinched the bridge of his nose as he stood from his seat and met Harry''s questioning gaze, "I don''t know who..."

    "Don''t. Do us both a favor and don''t lie to me, Tom. I''m tired of hearing you lie to me. Please be straight with me," Harry pleaded, and Tom sighed.

    "I can''t," Tom said weakly, and Harry shook his head.

    "So you admit that you have been lying to me since yesterday morning?" Harry asked with a mirthless smile.

    "You know that I won''t lie to you if it wasn''t necessary. Whatever I''m doing is because I care about you," Tom said, and Harry shook his head.

    "I would never lie to you whether or not it was necessary. You know that" Harry said, and Tom ran a finger through his hair.

    "I wish I could tell you what''s up, Harry. But I can''t. I promised that I wasn''t going to say a word to you. You have to hear whatever it is directly from your dad. Please try to understand me," Tom pleaded, and Harry held his gaze for a moment, but before Harry could say anything Tom''s phone began to ring and he received the call when he saw that it was from Lucy.

    "I hope I''m not interrupting your meeting?" Lucy asked immediately after the call connected.

    "You are not. The meeting is over. Is there a problem?" Tom asked as he looked away from Harry who was still staring at him.

    "Not exactly. Do you think Harry is in his office? Aaron is here to see him," Lucy said, and Tom raised a brow.

    "Aaron is here to see him?" Tom asked, and immediately Harry heard his father''s name, he raised a brow.

    "Yes. He wants to tell him about Sara. Can I escort him to Harry''s office now? Or is Harry busy?" Lucy asked, and Tom shook his head.

    "I''m sure he would want to see him. You can take him to his office," Tom said and returned his attention to Harry after Lucy hung up.

    "My dad is here?" Harry asked, and Tom gave him a nod.

    "You should go to your office. He is here to tell you everything you want to know," Tom said, and before he could finish speaking Harry headed for the door.

    "Harry?" Tom called, and Harry paused and turned to look at him.

    "Try not to be too hard on yourself or Aaron," Tom said, and Harry walked away without saying a word.

    Tom sighed, not sure if he should follow Harry to his office or just let the father and son take care of their business.

    He was worried. Very worried. But at the same time, he was relieved that Aaron had decided to finally open up to Harry and not keep things to himself anymore. It was better for them all this way, he thought as he walked out of the conference room and headed for his office to go check on Jamal before his next meeting.

 Chapter 446: Your Mother

    Chapter 446: Your MotherBy the time Lucy and Aaron arrived at Harry''s office, Harry was already inside his office, standing by the window and looking outside as he waited for his father to arrive.

    He had informed his secretary that his father wasing, and she was to let him in immediately.

    "Good morning. This is Aaron Jonas. Please can you let Mr. Jonas know that his father is here to meet him," Lucy informed Harry''s secretary immediately they walked into the office and she stood up at once.

    "Good morning, sir. You''re wee, pleasee with me," she said with a polite smile as she stepped away from her seat.

    "I will be waiting out here. Don''t worry, everything will be fine," Lucy assured Aaron with a bright smile as she squeezed his hand assuringly even though her stomach was churning with anxiety and her heart was beating really fast.

    Although Aaron was feeling very anxious and he was scared to go in, he gave Lucy a nod before following Harry''s secretary to the office.

    Harry''s secretary had observed the exchange between Lucy and Aaron, and she couldn''t help but be curious about the rtionship between them and why Lucy wanted to wait outside. What were they going to talk about? She wondered as she knocked on Harry''s door.

    Harry turned his attention from the window when his secretary knocked on the door just once before pushing it open, "Your father is here, Mr. Jonas," Harry''s secretary announced with a bright smile as she held the door open for Aaron to walk in.

    "Thank you," Harry said with a curt nod before looking at his father with a nk expression as he walked into the office.

    "What would you like me to serve?" She asked Harry and Aaron curiously, but they both shook their head.

    "Thank you. We are fine," Harry said, and somehow the secretary could sense the tension in the office so she excused herself.

    Before she could return to her desk, Lucy cleared her throat to get her attention, "Please, if you don''t mind could you go over to Mr. Hank''s office to wait for a bit? I will call you when they are done," Lucy said with a polite smile.

    She didn''t know how Harry was going to react to it, and in case he yelled or something, she didn''t want anyone to get wind of what was happening between father and son. That was always how rumors started.

    Harry''s secretary frowned at her, "But..."

    "Please do as she said," Tom said as he walked into the office.

    "I wasing to get you anyway. There''s a kid in my office I want to introduce you to. I need you to help me babysit him after I leave for my next meeting if you don''t mind. You could take whatever you need with you to my office," Tom said, and the secretary gave Tom a nod as she gathered the things on her desk before heading for the door to join Tom.

    "I will be out here waiting for Aaron," Lucy said when Tom gave her a questioning look.

    Tom gave her a nod, "I will join you after I''ve introduced her to Jamal," Tom assured Lucy before walking away.

    Immediately after Tom left with Harry''s secretary, Lucy went to stand by the door, and she pressed her ear against it so that she could hear what they were talking about, but it seemed like Harry''s office was soundproof just like Tom''s office and she couldn''t hear anything. With a dejected sigh, she lowered herself to one of the seats in the office while silently praying that things would go smoothly.

    Inside the office, Harry remained standing and didn''t bother to sit down even as Aaron moved further into the office. His heart ached when he recognized the worry lines on Aaron''s face. It seemed like his father had gotten older in thest couple of days. What secret could make his usually bold and carefree father look so anxious and insecure?

    "I''m sorry I came here without calling you first," Aaron said apologetically as he stood by the desk looking at him uncertainly.

    "You don''t have to apologize foring to your son''s office. Did you have breakfast and take your medication before leaving the house?" Harry asked grudgingly as he watched his father, wishing that things didn''t have to be so awkward between them.

    Aaron shook his head, "How do you expect me to eat after you left the way you did? But you don''t have to worry, I took my medication," Aaron assured him, and Harry gave him a nod.

    "Why did youe?" Harry asked quietly before ncing at his wristwatch. He was supposed to be leaving for his next appointment at the airline.

    "I want to talk with you. Can you talk right now? I could wait if you are busy right now," Aaron offered, and Harry''s heart ached as he looked at his father''s.

    As important as the meeting at the airline was, hearing his father out was more important to him. He wanted everything to be out in the open so he could go back to having a pleasant rtionship with his father and friends. More importantly, he wanted his father to get over whatever it was and be fine.

    "Give me a minute," he said as he dialed his secretary''s line.

    "ce all my appointments on hold until I tell you otherwise, and put a call to that effect across to everyone I''m supposed to meet," Harry instructed, and then he hung up the call and looked at his father.

    "We can talk now," Harry said as he went to sit on one of the sofas in the office. He didn''t want to make his father ufortable by sitting behind his desk like it was an official meeting.

    Aaron had never felt more anxious in his life than he did at that moment as he walked over to where Harry was seated and sat down on the sofa opposite him.

    Aaron''s eyes were filled with tears as he looked down at his hands which were trembling, and Harry had a frown on his face as he looked at his father wondering just how bad his secret was.

    All of Harry''s anger and resentment were forgotten the moment he saw a tear fall from his father''s eyes. He rose from his seat immediately and went to sit beside his father.

    "What is the problem, dad?" Harry asked with a concerned frown, hating that his father was this way.

    "I''m sorry, Harry. I never nned for things to happen this way. I''m so sorry," Aaron cried, unable to control himself or his emotions as his whole body shuddered with a sob.

    Although Aaron had always taught him that expressing emotions wasn''t a gender thing, and a man had as much right as a woman to cry and express himself in any way he feltfortable doing so, Harry had never seen his father cry, and seeing him this way bothered him a lot more than he could say.

    "I''m sorry. Please forgive me," Aaron cried, and Harry felt his heart break for his father as he ced his arms around him.

    "Stop crying, dad. Calm down. Whatever it is you can tell me about it. We will figure it out together," Harry murmured as he embraced him.

    Aaron remained silent for some time as he tried to pull himself together, and Harry handed him his handkerchief, "You can talk to me," Harry assured him, and Aaron looked up at him with teary eyes.

    "I''m sorry," Aaron said as he shut his eyes.

    "Quit apologizing and just tell me what it is," Harry said calmly, and Aaron gave him a nod as he opened his eyes.

    "The person who has been calling... I mean the person who called thest time you received my phone call. Her name is Sara," Aaron said, and Harry gave him a nod, urging him to go on.

    There was no need to tell him that he knew her name and about their meeting at the restaurant or the fact that he knew she looked identical to his mother and he had asked someone to investigate her. It was better this way. He preferred to hear everything directly from his father.

    "Who is she to you?" Harry asked quietly.

    "Sara is--- she is---," unable to bring himself to say the words, Aaron closed his eyes tightly, and raised a trembling hand to his chest.

    His heart was beating fast as though it would burst, and at the same time, his heart ached for fear of what woulde after now.

    "Who is she?" Harry asked again calmly as he took his father''s trembling hands and held them firmly to calm him.

    "Your mother," Aaron said, and immediately Harry stiffened.

    "She is your mother. She is not dead as I told you. I lied to you," Aaron said, and even though Harry''s first instinct was to stand up and move away from Aaron, he didn''t.

    "I''m sorry," Aaron said, and even though his heart was beating fast as he waited for Harry to react or speak, he felt like a load had been lifted off his shoulders.

 Chapter 447: Deeply Hurt

    Chapter 447: Deeply HurtHarry sighed as he buried his face in his hands. Perhaps it was because he had been so tense for thest two days wanting to know what his father was hiding from him, but now that he heard it he didn''t even know how to react. He just felt numb.

    Seeing how his father had cried earlier and how tough things had been for him in thest couple of days to the point that he had been sick, Harry couldn''t bring himself to react harshly to his father''s revtion.

    He just sat there. He didn''t say a word or let any emotion show on his face as he tried to make sense of what his father had just said.

    He couldn''t say he was exactly surprised. The thought had crossed his mind but he had pushed it away because he didn''t believe that his father would lie to him about something like that for so long, but hearing this from his father now? He didn''t know what to think.

    "Please say something," Aaron said anxiously when Harry remained silent after some time.

    "My mother?" Harry asked slowly as he looked at Aaron when it suddenly clicked in his head that Aaron was telling him that the woman he had met in front of the restaurant the previous day was actually his biological mother.

    That woman? There had been nothing in her words or attitude to show that he was her son. She had called his name. Didn''t that mean that she knew who he was? If she was aware that he was her son why had she talked to him as though such a rtionship did not exist between them? What kind of mother spoke with a son who knew next to nothing about her existence that way?

    Tears gathered in Aaron''s eyes, "I''m sor..."

    "Why? Why did you lie that she was dead?" Harry asked in a weary voice as he looked at his father who seemed like he was going to start crying in another moment.

    He had never known his father to be so emotional. What could that woman have done to make him this way?

    If he was going to be mad at his father, he needed to at least know what had spurred his usually reasonable father into making the decision to keep something like that away from him.

    He knew his father. He loved his father. And as much as his father''s lie hurt him, he didn''t want to get angry without hearing him out. His father who had yed both roles of father and mother deserved that much from him.

    "What happened between you both? Were you married to her?" Harry asked once again, and Aaron gathered all the courage he could muster to tell him the truth.

    He told him everything he had told Lucy. How he had met Sara, and how they ended up getting married when she was pregnant.

    "She left us. Some days after you were born, I got back home from work one day and she was gone. You were alone in your cot and all she left behind was this note," Aaron concluded as he reached inside his coat pocket and took out the letter that he had kept over these years hoping to never have any reason to show it to Harry.

    Harry took the letter from him. It read;

    [Aaron, I can''t do this with you anymore. I thought I could be content with living only as the woman you loved, but after having your child I realized that I can''t be content with this lifestyle. I''m not cut out for marriage or raising a baby. There is more out there for me, and I''m leaving to find it. I''m leaving for Italy. I''m going to pursue my dreams. If you love me as you im you do, then do not try to find me. I need to forge ahead and put this phase of my life behind me. PS: You must have realized by now that I took all the money. I deserve that much for carrying your child, don''t I?]

    Harry''s blood sizzled with anger and he clenched his teeth as he read the note. When he was done he shut his eyes against the anger and pain he was feeling in his heart as he crumpled the paper in his hands.

    He didn''t know whether it was for himself or Aaron he was hurting, but his chest was feeling very tight, and breathing was almost difficult.

    He didn''t want to imagine how his father must have felt toe back home to such a letter after losing one child. She had not only abandoned them, but she had also stolen from him. She had taken his father''s money aspensation for birthing him.

    "I''m sorry," Aaron pleaded when Harry stood up from the couch and moved away from him.

    Regardless of how hurt Harry felt on behalf of Aaron, he was angry at him too. He was mad at his father for not just hiding something like this from him, but for making him think of his mother as an angel when in reality she was an awful and selfish person.

    Aaron stood up, "I couldn''t tell you the truth."

    "This isn''t about being unable to tell me the truth. You made me believe in a lie. You made me love a person that never existed," Harry said, trying not to raise his voice.

    Aaron shook his head this time, "I''m not trying to make any excuses for lying to you, but after what I experienced growing up I didn''t want you to grow up feeling like I did..."

    "You could have stopped at saying she is dead. You didn''t have to make her out to be a saint," Harry said with tears in his eyes as he tried not to sound as upset as he actually felt.

    How many times had he stayed up at night talking to the picture of his mother and telling her everything that was going on in his life? How many times had he longed for her while he was ill and even dreamt of her? How could that kind of person be the mother he had been longing for? How? Harry mused angrily.

    "I''m sorry. I never expected her to show up again. I never thought we would have to face her. I did what I thought was best for you. For us," Aaron cried as he staggered on his feet, and Harry quickly hurried to his side to steady him.

    One look at his father and seeing how pale and old he looked, Harry''s heart ached, and he sighed as he ced both hands on his father''s shoulder before making him sit down.

    "I know. I trust you enough to know that you did whatever you did with my best interest at heart. But I wish you trusted me enough to tell me about it. You didn''t have to let things get to this stage first," Harry said, tears dropping from his eyes as he looked at his father.

    "I''m sorry," Aaron apologized weakly.

    "What does she want now? And why did you meet with her yesterday?" Harry asked, and Aaron''s heart skipped a beat as he looked at Harry in shock, wondering how he knew about the meeting with Sara.

    "I didn''t hear it from Tom or Lucy. They kept your secret," Harry assured him, knowing that Aaron probably thought he had heard it from them.

    "I want to hear everything from you. The truth, please," Harry added, and Aaron sighed as he looked at Harry who gave him an encouraging nod, urging him to go on.

    Harry listened patiently as Aaron told him how Sara had suddenly reached out to him some weeks ago, saying she wanted to meet with their son. Aaron told him how he had refused initially and how she had kept pressuring him to do so and threatened to meet with Harry herself if he didn''t do as she said.

    "You mean this was the reason you were so anxious and almost had a heart attack? You could easily have told me about this and I would have handled it. Why didn''t you tell me about it?" Harry asked with a shake of his head.

    "I was scared," Aaron admitted and Harry frowned.

    "Scared of what?" Harry asked in confusion.

    "I thought you would be mad at me and cut me off if you found out that I lied to you," Aaron said, and Harry looked at him incredulously.

    "Cut you off? Why would I ever do that to you over something like this?"

    "I know better than anyone else how much you hate being lied to. I lied to you, and I''m sorry," Aaron said with tears in his eyes, and Harry shook his head.

    "Dad, I may hate lies, but I also love you much more than I hate being lied to. I don''t think you understand your ce in my life. You are all the family I have. You have been both my mom, my dad, and my brother. I could never have asked for a better parent than you. We have been through so much together, and I expect you to trust me enough to know that I would NEVER cut you off over something like this," Harry paused for his words to sink in.

    "I''m not saying that I''m not mad at you. I am angry. I am deeply hurt and disappointed that you kept this from me. I will need some time to put my thoughts together, but I want you to know that I can''t push you away from me over this or anything else. Don''t ever let something like that bother you," Harry promised calmly as he continued to look at Aaron until Aaron gave him a nod.

    "I understand," Aaron said quietly, feeling deeply relieved that Harry was handling the situation much better than he had expected.

    "What did you discuss with her yesterday? Why did Lucy go with you?" Harry asked, and Aaron nced at the door when he remembered that Lucy had promised to wait outside until they were done.

    "I don''t know what Lucy said to her. I couldn''t stand being there with her so I left for some time to catch my breath, but before I returned to join them they were done speaking. Perhaps you should ask Lucy about it."

 Chapter 448: Girl In The Picture

    Chapter 448: Girl In The Picture"What do you think is in the package Jero left you? Did you ask him about it when you were alone with him?" Jade asked curiously after Candace was done with the phone call with Bill, but Candace shook her head.

    "I don''t know what he left. It didn''t ur to me to ask him about that. I''m not sure I care about it either," Candace said with a dismissive shrug.

    "Perhaps he left you and Jamal some money," Jade said as she turned her gaze away from the road to look at Candace who was staring at her with curious eyes.

    "I don''t think so. And even if that were the case, I wouldn''t touch a dime from it. I''m not interested in his ill-gotten wealth," Candace said dismissively.

    However, she was more interested in something else; the discussion they had been having before Bill''s phone call came in, "By the way, you were talking about the orphanage home at Sacred Heart Catholic Church. Did something happen? Is there a problem there?" Candace asked with concern.

    It had been two years since shest visited the orphanage home, even though she and Andy tried their best to send money to them whenever they could. That was their home, and she intended to visit there before returning to Ludus to get Jamal.

    "Oh, that!" Jade said, making a mental note to inform Tom about the name of the orphanage home where Candace was raised so he could look into her past as nned.

    "There is no problem. It''s just a case I''m working on. I''m trying to help someone find her missing daughter. I was going to drive down to the orphanage home before I received the news of Jero''s death," Jade exined, and although, Candace was relieved that everything was fine at the orphanage, she pursed her lips thoughtfully when she heard that Jade was trying to help someone find their missing child.

    "And you were told the child is at the orphanage home?" Candace asked, wondering which of the kids at the orphanage home could be the missing child since she was familiar with most of them and often visited them with Andy before they had to run away and go into hiding after Jero''s arrest.

    "Most likely was. Not is. That is what I''m trying to find out. That was thest known location they have of the child," Jade said, and Candace''s brows pulled together.

    "Why would she be trying to find her missing daughter in an orphanage home? Did she abandon her daughter there?" Candace asked in confusion, and Jade sighed as she stopped at the traffic light and turned to Candace.

    "Honestly, I don''t know. I don''t have the exact details of the story. I''m looking into it as a favor to my boss," Jade said, and Candace gave her a nod.

    "How old is the child by the way? And how long has this been? I know most of the kids at the orphanage home. Perhaps I could apany you there and help you speak with the sisters. I''m sure they would be more receptive if I''m there with you," Candace offered.

    "That would be cool. I''m not sure how long the child stayed at the orphanage home, but this happened a long time ago and by my calctions, the missing daughter should be around twenty-eight years old by now," Jade said, and Candace frowned.

    "If she is that old that means she is no longer at the orphanage home. Wait, twenty-eight years? That means we are age mates. If she is the same age as me, I must have met her at some point since we would have been at the orphanage home around the same time, unless she was there before me, and was adopted before I got there," Candace said thoughtfully, and Jade nodded as she resumed driving.

    "You said you were taken there when you were three years old, right?" Jade asked when she remembered what Candace had told her about being abandoned by her supposed uncle.

    "Yes. If you don''t mind me asking, how did the child end up at the orphanage home? And why are they suddenly looking for her now when there is every likelihood that she must have settled down and has a family of her own?" Candace asked curiously, and Jade pursed her lips for a moment wondering whether or not she should disregard Amos'' confidentiality plea and just tell Candace all about it.

    Fuck it! She didn''t sign any confidentiality agreement and Candace was most likely going to be able to help her so there was no reason she couldn''t confide in Candace. It wasn''t like Candace was ever going to cross paths with Amos or Sara after all. She was just going to tell Candace about the case without mentioning Sara''s name.

    Candace listened patiently as Jade told her everything Amos had said about the case and when Jade finished, Candace frowned, "Your boss bought that shitty story? Or did he cook it up himself?" Candace asked, and Jade giggled.

    "It doesn''t make sense, right?" Jade asked, and Candace snorted.

    "Calling it nonsense would be apliment. There is no iota of sense in this," Candace said, and Jade nodded in agreement.

    "It doesn''t make sense to me either. I''m trying to find out what thedy is hiding, and why my boss is the one helping her find her missing child instead of the police or a private investigator," Jade said with a sigh.

    "She has to be hiding something. No sane mother would abandon her newborn baby because she lost the twin. She abandoned her husband and newborn son and despite her grief, she moved on and became a model? And now she ims she heard from someone that her daughter is alive when she imed she was shown the corpse of her dead baby? It doesn''t make sense either that someone would go to that length to steal a newborn baby only to drop the baby off at an orphanage home. No. Take it from me, it''s bullshit," Candace said with a shake of her head.

    "I agree. Still, there is no harm in going to the orphanage home to see if we can find out where the girl is now. After we pick up Jero''s package, we can go there if you don''t mind," Jade said as she drove into the hotel premise, and Candace scoffed.

    "What exactly are we going to ask the sisters? It''s not like you know the name of the child or what she looks like," Candace said, and Jade smiled.

    "I may not know her name, but my boss gave me a picture of the kid when she was four years old or thereabout. Check the envelope in the backseat, you will see her picture. Who knows? You just might know who she is," Jade said hoping that Candace would know who the little girl is.

    Candace reached into the backseat, and took the envelope, as Jade pulled the car into the parking lot and turned off the ignition.

    Once Candace took out the kid''s picture, her heart skipped a beat when she recognized the face of the child in the picture, and she looked at Jade with a slight frown.

    Was this some sort of prank? What was Jade up to? Candace mused.

    "Please tell me you are looking at me that way because you know who the kid is," Jade said as she looked at Candace hopefully.

    "Are you asking because you don''t know?" Candace asked, and Jade raised a brow.

    "Because I don''t know what?" Jade asked in confusion.

    "Are you saying you don''t see the resemnce? You don''t know that I''m the kid in this photo?" Candace asked, and Jade''s heart skipped a beat as she snatched the photograph from Candace and looked from the kid''s face to Candace and then back again.

    She remembered that it had crossed her mind the previous night that the kid in the picture sort of reminded her of Candace but she had dismissed the thought thinking that it did not make sense that she was seeing Candace in everyone. But thinking about it now it all made sense.

    The simrity in age, the dimpled smile and brown eyes, the issue of a man stealing a baby from the hospital, and Candace''s own case of being abandoned at the orphanage by a man. It all made sense that the little girl in the picture was Candace so why hadn''t she given it much thought?

    Did that mean that her boss and Sara had not been lying, and Candace had been stolen from her at birth and abandoned at an orphanage home? Who was the man? Why did he kidnap Candace? And why did he choose to abandon her at an orphanage home? Jade mused as she continued to look at the picture with a frown.

    "How did you get that picture? Did you make up this story of someone looking for her missing child? Or did you really not know it was me?" Candace asked with a confused frown as she looked at Jade who seemed genuinely surprised by this revtion.

    The whole thing seemed too organized to be coincident. How could it be that of all the persons in the world who could have been searching for the missing child, it was Jade who had been given the task? And she just happened to be right next to her.

    "Why would I make up such a story? Do you want me to give my boss a call right now and inform him that I''ve found you?"

 Chapter 449: Puzzle Pieces

    Chapter 449: Puzzle PiecesCandace shook her head, "No. Don''t. I don''t want them to know about me until I''m able to make sense of everything. This doesn''t change my opinion about her," Candace said, and Jade pursed her lips.

    "But the story is beginning to add up, don''t you think? She said you were stolen from her by a man, and the sisters said a man brought you to the orphanage home," Jade said thoughtfully.

    "If you think about it, it still doesn''t add up. If I''m to go by what you said you were told, then I was stolen from her at birth. On the other hand, the man who left me at the orphanage home did so when I was three years old. What happened in between? I''m not sure it''s the same person who stole me from her as she ims," Candace said with a shake of her head, and Jade''s brow pulled together as she thought about it too.

    "You have a point. You do not remember anything about your life before you got to the orphanage home, do you?" Jade asked curiously, and Candace shook her head once again.

    "I don''t. Also, how did she suddenly know about my existence? And why is she so convinced that I am her daughter when she saw her baby''s corpse? How can she be putting so much effort into trying to find her supposed dead child when she abandoned the one who is alive?" Candace asked, and then she paused and her heart skipped a beat as it suddenly urred to her that they were actually talking about her and not a stranger.

    She had a mother who was searching for her. If this was true, that meant she had a twin brother and a father.

    A father? A twin brother? A mother? That was a whole family. Were her father and brother still alive? Had she lived this whole time as an orphan when she had a whole family existing somewhere? People who might have actually cared about her but didn''t know she was existing?

    Unaware of what Candace was thinking about, Jade''s brows pulled together, "Perhaps she has made up with her husband and son, and wants to..."

    "A while ago you admitted that something was fishy about the whole story, right? I don''t think you should give them a call. I need some time to think. Let''s talk about thister. At least now you don''t have to go to the orphanage home anymore," Candace cut in as she unbuckled her seatbelt and got out of the car, leaving Jade to do the same.

    She needed to be alone. She needed to rest her head and then think about this whole thing slowly and decide whether or not she wanted to meet this family.

    Her life was already messed up enough, and she was trying to fix things for herself and Jamal, she didn''t want them to be thrown into a whole new family drama.

    If her so-called mother was a celebrity as Jade had said, that must mean her reputation was very important to her. What would they think about her when they find out about the life she had led?

    Wouldn''t they all be ashamed of her if they learned she had been with someone like Jero, had a son out of wedlock with him, and had even been a stripper? Did she want to be subjected to their judgments and disappointment?

    Jade watched as Candace walked in quick steps ahead of her, and she couldn''t help but wonder what was going on in her head as she hurried to catch up with her.

    At first, she had thought that Candace was in a hurry to pick up the package which Bill had left her, but she was surprised when Candace walked past the reception area without stopping, even when they beckoned to her.

    Jade had a concerned frown on her face as she went to the reception desk to pick up the fat envelope which Bill had left for Candace before hurrying up to catch up with Candace since she was with the key to the suite.

    "Are you okay?" Jade asked in concern once she caught up with her in front of the elevator.

    "Do you think you will be okay if you were in my shoes and you suddenly found out that after over twenty-five years of living as an orphan and living the kind of rough life I have lived you might have a family out there?" Candace asked in a defeated voice, and Jade''s brow pulled together in a concerned frown as she reached out and took Candace''s hand and squeezed it softly.

    "Everything will be fine. We will figure it out," she assured her as the elevator door opened and they waited for those inside to step out before going in.

    "What is the name of your client? I mean the woman looking for her missing child?" Candace asked, and Jade did not miss how she detached herself from it like she was not the missing child in question.

    Jade figured that there was no harm in telling Candace about it now that she knew Candace was the person Sara was searching for, "Sara. Her name is Sara Walker," Jade said, and Candace gave her a nod.

    "Don''t you think we should still go to the orphanage home? Now that you know you were not abandoned by your parents and your mother is searching for you, we should find out the identity of the person who left you there in the first ce, and why," Jade suggested, but Candace merely stared at her nkly.

    Seeing that Candace didn''t want to be engaged in any more discussion at the moment, Jade decided to be quiet, so they rode the elevator up to their floor in silence.

    Once they got inside their suite, Candace headed straight for her bedroom but Jade stopped her, "This is your package. I took it from the reception desk," Jade said as she handed it to Candace.

    Candace looked down at the envelope nkly for some time as though she was trying to figure out what it was, and then she sighed when she remembered that Bill had left her Jero''s package. She hadpletely forgotten about it in the heat of this new revtion.

    "Thank you," Candace murmured distractedly, and without bothering to open it to see what was inside she headed for her bedroom.

    "Don''t forget to let me know what is inside," Jade called after Candace just before she shut the bedroom door behind her.

    Jade sighed as she kicked off her shoes and went to the bar to pour herself arge tot of whiskey. She needed it, and she wished she could share it with Candace who she believed also needed a drink.

    Unfortunately, she didn''t want to bother Candace by knocking on her door. She knew that Candace probably needed to rest after spending the night caring for Jero, watching him die that morning, and now learning that she wasn''t an orphan and her family had thought she was dead at birth. It was all too much for one person to take in such a short time. Not to talk about worrying about Andy and not even knowing where she was.

    Jade sighed as she raised the ss to her lips and took a gulp before remembering that she had to give Tom a call to let him know that there would be no need to look into Candace''s background anymore since she had found Candace''s mom.

    The person she was interested in looking into right now was Sara since even Candace had agreed that something was off about her.

    She suspected that if they looked into Sara they would find the true story behind Candace''s disappearance after birth. They also needed to know the identity of Candace''s father and twin brother, and see if Sara had informed them that Candace was alive.

    She doubted that Sonia would find anything rted to it on the inte since her boss had said Sara wanted the whole thing to be hushed up. That had to mean that everything rted to her past before her modeling career was a secret and it wasn''t on the inte.

    She was still going to need Tom''s help on this. Who knows? Perhaps Tom''s contact could help them look into Sara to find out all they needed to know so that Candace would make up her mind whether or not she wanted to meet her family.

    Without wasting any more time thinking about it, Jade took out her phone from her handbag. She paused when she unlocked her screen and saw that she had some unread message notification on her screen and she clicked on it.

    The messages were from Sonia, and they contained a short text, [The information on the inte is limited, but here is what I found] followed by a summary of all she had found concerning Sara Walker on the inte, and some pictures both from her early modeling days to the more recent ones.

    Jade absently scrolled through the messages, and then she paused when she came across a younger picture of Sara Walker. Her heart skipped a beat when she took another look at the picture and she recognized the face on the screen.

    Was this not the same person she had seen in the photo frame on Harry''s bedside? Harry''s mom?

    Aaron was a single father and Harry was his only son. Harry''s mom looked exactly like Sara Walker who had abandoned her husband and son after losing her daughter. Candace often reminded her of Harry.

    If she thought about it this way, and put all these pieces together it made sense, but Aaron had said Harry''s mom was an orphan and she was dead.

    There was no way all of this could be a coincident, could it? Was it possible that Aaron had lied to her about Harry''s mom? Did Aaron lie to Harry? Jade''s heart skipped a beat as the thought crossed her mind.

    Without wasting any more time thinking about it, she dialed Lucy''s line when she remembered that Lucy had said she had the picture of Harry''s mom on her phone now and had offered to send it to her the previous day.

    Once she took another look at the picture and confirmed that it was the same person, she was going to have to tell Tom about everything.

 Chapter 450: The Petersons

    Chapter 450: The PetersonsLucy paced to and fro the length of Harry''s office door as she waited for the father and son to finish their discussion inside the office.

    She wasn''t sure she had ever felt as anxious or restless in her life as she did at that moment. She wished she could at least hear what they were saying.

    With each step she took she prayed that Harry would react as reasonably as she believed him to be and wouldn''t be too harsh at Aaron.

    "Calm down, Lu," Tom, who was seated on the waiting chair, called out to her when he got tired of watching her pace to and fro. Watching her one would think she was standing outside a delivery room and waiting for a pregnant woman to put to birth or something.

    Even though he had a series of meetings on his schedule which he needed to go for, he had asked Harry''s secretary to reschedule them as this was more important.

    He needed to be here for Harry and Aaron. Although he trusted Harry enough to know that he wouldn''t be too hard on his father, he knew Harry well enough to know that he would be hard on himself.

    "I''m calm. I just can''t sit still," Lucy said, and fearing that if Lucy remained there much longer she was going to suffer a nervous breakdown, Tom rose from his seat and went to her.

    "You are not calm, and you''re beginning to make me feel anxious too. One of us has to be calm," Tom said as he ran his hands down her arm.

    "I''m sorry. I just can''t help it. I''m worried," she said with a worried frown, and Tom kissed her forehead.

    "I understand. Maybe you need to take a break. Check on Jamal and see if he is okay. I''m sure he will be happy to see you and he will help you rx for a bit and take your mind off this. I will be here until Aarones out," Tom suggested as he led her to the door despite her protest.

    "I can''t leave. I promised Aaron..."

    "I will call you immediately he steps out of the office," Tom promised as he paused to pick up Lucy''s handbag before escorting her to the door.

    Lucy sighed wearily as she took the handbag from him, "I won''t be long," she said before walking away from there and heading for Tom''s office to check on Jamal as he had suggested.

    She was going to spend only a couple of minutes to rx and then she would return. She needed to be there for Aaron.

    Just as she got to Tom''s office and was about to open the door, her phone started ringing and she paused to take it out. She raised a brow when she saw that the call was from Jade, and the first thought that crossed her mind was whether Jade had found out about her rtionship with Sara.

    "Hello, Jade! Good morning," Lucy greeted once she received the call.

    "Good morning, Lucy. I''m sorry I''m calling so oftentely," Jade said apologetically.

    "There is no reason to be sorry. It''s not like we are strangers to each other. What''s up?" Lucy asked curiously without going into Tom''s office since she didn''t know what Jade wanted to discuss and she didn''t want Harry''s secretary to overhear their conversation.

    "I hope I''m not calling at a bad time. I was hoping your offer is still open and you wouldn''t mind sending me the picture of Harry''s mom," Jade said hopefully, and Lucy''s brows pulled together as she tried to figure out why she was asking for it now.

    Had she changed her mind from thinking it was a coincidence that Candace looked like Harry''s mom or... Lucy''s eyes widened in surprise when it urred to her that Jade might have put the puzzle pieces together now that Sara was in the picture.

    "Lucy?" Jade called, breaking into her thoughts.

    "Yeah? Oh, sure! Sorry, I got distracted. I will send it to you at once," Lucy said, and Jade thanked her before hanging up.

    Immediately, Lucy returned to meet Tom in Harry''s office, and Tom looked at her incredulously when she walked in, "You can''t possibly tell me you''ve seen Jamal already."

    "I just received a call from Jade. She wants me to send her a picture of the photo frame. I think she knows now," Lucy said as she went to sit beside Tom.

    "She didn''t ask you any other question, did she?" Tom asked, and Lucy shook her head.

    "Then send it to her. I''m sure she will give me a call if truly she has figured things out," Tom said, and Lucy gave him a nod as she did as he had said and sent the picture to Jade.

    Less than two minutes after Lucy sent it, Tom''s phone started ringing, and they both exchanged a look when they saw that the call was from Jade.

    "Are you busy right now, or can you talk?" Jade asked in a tone that was somewhere between excited and urgent.

    Tom nced at Harry''s office door and then at Lucy, "I will be back," he mouthed to her as he stood to leave, and Lucy wasn''t sure whether she wanted to follow him and hear what Jade had to say or wait there for Aaron.

    Lucy sighed as she watched Tom leave, and thankfully she didn''t have to spend too much time worrying about Tom''s conversation with Jade as the office door opened at that moment and Harry''s gaze settled on her.

    Lucy looked at him curiously, trying to figure out what he was thinking or what was going on as she looked past him into the office to see if she could catch a glimpse of Aaron.

    "Lucy, please join us," Harry said with a nk expression on his face and he held the door open for her to go in.

    Lucy stood up, and without saying a word to him she walked into his office, and Harry closed the door behind him.

    Immediately after she got into the office, Lucy''s gaze moved to Aaron, and she rxed briefly when she saw that he looked okay.

    Not sure why she was asked to join them, Lucy went to sit beside Aaron, "Have you told him everything? Why am I here?" Lucy asked in a whisper, and Aaron smiled as he gave her a nod.

    "Harry wants to know about your discussion with Sara," Aaron exined as Harry joined them.

    "Before you say anything, I want to apologize for lying to you yesterday. I hope this doesn''t affect our friendship or your friendship with Tom. I think you should know that it wasn''t our intention to lie to you or keep secrets from you. It just wasn''t in our ce to tell you anything. And I hope you won''t stay mad at Aaron either. Keeping the secret from you wasn''t easy on him either," Lucy said apologetically, and Harry noticed how his father gazed at her with pure adoration.

    Ignoring all she had just said, Harry continued to look at her with a nk expression, "Why did you decide to go with him to see her? And what did you discuss with her?" Harry asked calmly.

    Hearing his question, Lucy looked from Harry to Aaron as she wondered if this was the right time to tell them about her rtionship with Sara and whether or not she could raise the issue of the missing daughter now. She wished Tom was in here with her.

    Away from there, in Candace''s bedroom, she couldn''t help feeling restless as she thought about everything Jade had told her while she scrolled through the inte pictures of Sara on her phone.

    This woman was her mother? Candace mused with disbelief as she eyed Sara''s pictures.

    During her early teenage years at the orphanage, she had always wondered what her birth mother looked like. She had been more curious about who her mother was and what she looked like than she had been about her father.

    That had been what prompted her to ask the sisters about how she ended up at the orphanage home, and then after she was told that her supposed uncle had left her there in their care, she had felt so heartbroken and sad by it that she had given up every thought of wanting to know her family background.

    Seeing Sara''s pictures now, she didn''t feel anything special for the woman despite the simrities she could see in their features. She was just not drawn to her in any way, and there was no longing to meet with her as she had thought she would feel if ever such a time came in her life.

    If she didn''t already doubt the credibility of the story, she would have begun to doubt it after seeing Sara''s pictures.

    Candace had been around fake people long enough during her time as a stripper to recognize one when she saw her, and as far as she was concerned, Sara was as fake as they came.

    Perhaps it was her own maternal instincts at y, but somehow the woman just didn''t seem like someone capable of being anyone''s mother. There was no warmth in her eyes, and Candace couldn''t imagine introducing someone like that to Jamal as his grandmother.

    She wondered if her father and twin brother were anything like Sara. She was just going to make up her mind on whether or not she wanted to meet with them after finding out who they were.

    Or better still she could use Sara''s money and influence to find Andy. If Sara was desperate enough to find her daughter, then she probably wouldn''t mind going any length to find Andy if she was told her daughter was kidnapped, would she? Candace mused.

    As she got off the bed wanting to go and discuss her n with Jade, the envelope Jade had given her fell off the bed, and she sighed as she picked it up.

    Even though she had no interest in whatever Jero had possibly left her, Candace tore the top of the envelope open, and then poured out the content of the envelope onto the bed as she sat on the bed once again.

    Her brows pulled together when she saw different pictures, newspaper clippings, and documents.

    She picked up a folded white piece of paper that looked like a letter and her brows pulled together as she read it.

    [My Precious. My love. My priceless treasure. My obsession. If you''re reading this right now, I''m sure it''s because I''m no more.

    I know you may never forgive me for all I did, but I hope this gift makes life easier for you.

    I started working on this some weeks before my arrest, and although I was unable toplete it, I hope you will be able to continue from where I stopped and get all the answers you need, and find the happiness you truly deserve.

    Jero. Your fallen angel.]

    Candace''s brows pulled together as she wondered what he was talking about. Dropping the note, she began to look through the newspaper clippings.

    Her brows furrowed even more when she saw the headline on one of them "Tragedy Hits As Gregory Peterson Dies In Auto crash With Wife And Only Child."

    Her heart skipped a beat when she saw the picture beside the headline. It was a picture of a distinguished couple and a little girl seated on the man''s thighs with a teddy bear in hand.

    She recognized the teddy bear even before she recognized herself. She had given the teddy bear out to one of the kids at the orphanage after she turned fifteen and decided she was too grown to keep it.

    What was this? Jero had been looking into her past? Candace mused as she dropped that newspaper clipping and started scrolling through all the others.

    From all she could see, the couple was her adopted parents, and they seemed to have been very wealthy and influential. ording to the news, the child had died weeks after the ident.

    Candace frowned when she noticed that Jero had scribbled some things behind some of the photos on the bed, and she picked up one of the pictures which were scattered on the bed.

    It was the picture of a man who looked like he was in his mid-sixties. On the back of the photo, Jero had written, [Wilson Peterson. Gregory''s only brother. Abandoned Candace at the orphanage home and stole everything from her iming she was dead].

    The crease between Candace''s brows deepened. So this was the man who had abandoned her at the orphanage home? That meant she had been right, and he wasn''t the same person who had stolen her from Sara had birth.

    Did this mean that her adoptive parents had stolen Sara''s baby? They were wealthy so that didn''t make any sense. So what exactly happened? And how did Jero even find all of this information? She mused as she picked up another photo.

    It was a picture of a youngdy who looked like she was in her early twenties and a young man around the same age. They were both smiling at the camera and her arms were wrapped around him possessively.

    Just as she started turning the photo to see what Jero had scribbled behind it, she paused when she recognized the young man in the picture. Who was she? And what was Lucy''s twin brother doing with her?

    Although she didn''t know his name because they had not really interacted much, she was good with faces and had shared the same space with him once or twice in Tom''s home to remember him.

    She turned the photo around, and her brow arched as she read Jero''s note, [Daughter of Wilson Peterson, Rachel Peterson, and her boyfriend.]

 Chapter 451: Harry And Candace?

    Chapter 451: Harry And Candace?"What''s up?" Tom asked Jade immediately after he got inside his office and could speak freely. The only audience he had was Jamal who was now seated on his seat and swiveling around in his chair while Harry''s secretary was in the outer office.

    "Tom, you won''t believe what I just found out! This is going to blow your mind, I swear," Jade said in a very excited tone, and Tom''s heart skipped a beat.

    Something told him that whatever Jade was about to tell him was something he already knew about Harry.

    "What?"

    "For starters, you don''t need to look into Candace''s past anymore. Somehow it just happened that her birth mother is searching for her, and my boss put me in charge of the case, can you believe the coincidence?" Jade asked in disbelief, and this time Tom''s brows pulled together.

    "Her birth mother is searching for her?" Tom asked as his gaze moved to Jamal who was grinning at him like he had no care in the world.

    "Yes. Yesterday, my boss asked me to take this case as a personal favor for him, and I was supposed to go to the orphanage home to ask some questions about her whereabouts, but then I received a call that Jamal''s dad was dead..."

    Hearing about Candace''s husband, Tom nced at Jamal once again and walked away from where the kid was into the bedroom in his inner office.

    "He is dead?" Tom asked, remembering that he had nned to ask Jade about Jamal''s dad. He made a mental note to ask her that some other time.

    "Yes. He died this morning. So as I was saying, I picked Candace up from the hospital, and on our way home it just urred to me to ask her if she knew the orphanage home I was going to. You know, I wanted to use that as an excuse to ask for the name of the orphanage home where she was raised so I could send it to you. And much to my astonishment it just happened to be the same orphanage home," Jade exined, and Tom sighed inwardly, wishing she would skip the details and just get right down to the point. But at the same time, he didn''t want to sound impatient, so he paced around his little bedroom.

    "Somehow in the middle of our discussion, I decided to show her the picture of the kid I was asked to find, and boom! Candace just happened to be the kid in the picture..."

    Tired of the dramatic narrative, Tom cut in, "So what is the name of the woman? Candace''s mother I mean."

    "Now that is the interesting part. She is a famous international model. Although you may not really know her since she worked majorly in European countries. Her name is Sara Walker and she..."

    Tom''s heart skipped a beat the moment he heard that. Although they had suspected it thanks to Jade''s hunch and had gone as far as taking the DNA samples to theb to confirm Candace''s rtionship with Aaron, hearing it like this made goosebumps rise on his skin.

    Candace was Harry''s twin sister for real? Candace? Tom mused as he remembered the first time he had met her and Jamal on his staircase as he and Lucy left for work. That had been the only time he actually conversed with her until two nights ago when they spoke over the phone.

    He just couldn''t wrap his head around the fact that he had been amodating Harry''s twin sister and nephew. Nephew! That meant Jamal was Harry''s nephew and Aaron''s grandson. Christ!

    Even though he had considered the possibility of all that rtionship the previous day, it still stunned him now to think he was surrounded by Harry''s family. Candace, Jamal, and even his own Lucy.

    "Are you listening to me, Tom?" Jade called impatiently when Tom did not answer her question.

    "What?" Tom asked as he tried to focus on her voice even though he was still very stunned by the entire revtion.

    "I was asking if you are positive that Harry''s mom iste. I know this might be hard for you to believe, but Harry''s mom looks exactly like the younger version of Sara Walker and I heard she has a husband and Candace''s twin brother who she abandoned but I don''t know..."

    "She is the same person," Tom cut in, seeing no need to lie to Jade or act oblivious to it anymore since it was thanks to Jade that they had been able to put together the pieces.

    Jade gasped aloud in astonishment, "What?" Jade asked in disbelief.

    "Sara is Harry''s mom," Tom said with a sigh. At least now they knew for a fact that Candace was Harry''s twin sister.

    "Is Harry aware of this? Does he know that his mother is still alive?" Jade asked, and her heart skipped a beat when she recalled how he had spoken so proudly of his father''s love for his mother the first time he told her that his mother waste, and how sad he had looked when he talked about how his father used to pretend that his birthday gifts were from histe mother. That mother was Sara? She was alive this whole time? She abandoned them?

    "He wasn''t aware, but I believe Aaron is telling him about it right now," Tom said, and Jade raised her hand to her lips as tears gathered in her eyes.

    "Oh, no! Harry is going to be devastated," Jade murmured, all the excitement she had been feeling gone now.

    Although she had suspected it, hearing that her suspicion was true, did not give her the satisfaction she would ordinarily have gotten from being smart enough to have figured it out. Instead, it made her sad. She was sad on behalf of Harry.

    "You haven''t told Sara about Candace, have you?" Tom asked, and Jade shook her head.

    "No, I haven''t."

    "Then don''t. She doesn''t have any good intention, trust me," Tom said, and Jade paused when it suddenly urred to her that Tom already knew all about Sara and her rtionship with Harry, and hadn''t even been surprised about Candace being Harry''s twin sister or anything.

    "Didn''t you just say Aaron is telling Harry about Sara right now?" Jade asked with a confused frown, wondering how Tom already knew about it if Harry had no idea of it.

    "Yeah. Why?"

    "How did you know about Sara then? Did Aaron tell you about her? And why don''t you seem surprised that Candace might be Harry''s twin brother?" She asked, and then paused when it urred to her that Harry... Her own Harry might actually be Candace''s twin brother.

    "Oh, my God! Tom? Harry and Candace? Oh, my fucking god!" Jade eximed as she pped a palm on her forehead. This whole time Harry had helped her with her case, and they had talked about Candace without even knowing that they might be rted in any way.

    "It is allplicated and I''m not sure I can get into it right..."

    "It''s Lucy, isn''t it? She knew about this already before my phone call with her yesterday, didn''t she?" Jade asked as she put the puzzle pieces together when she recalled her conversation with Lucy the previous day when Lucy called to find out why she had wanted the picture of Harry''s mother.

 Chapter 452: Nothing Makes Sense, Yet Everything Makes Sense.

    Chapter 452: Nothing Makes Sense, Yet Everything Makes Sense.Jade remembered how Lucy, who did not like to interfere in people''s business had been asking her questions about why she thought Candace looked like Harry''s mom. She also remembered how Lucy had been quick to say she shouldn''t give up on Harry during their conference call. She had said Harry was stressed. Was this what she had been trying to say indirectly? Had she said that because she knew that Aaron would be telling Harry everything soon and he would be devastated?

    "Jade, let''s talk about all of thister. I need to find out what''s going on with Harry and his dad..."

    "Fine. Just tell me something before you hang up. I need to know two more things before I let you go, and thenter you can tell me everything else that is going on," Jade said, and Tom sighed.

    "What do you want to know?"

    "Is Aaron aware that his daughter is alive?"

    "No. Only Lucy and I are aware of it for the time being," Tom said, and even though Jade was tempted to ask him how they knew about that, Jade had another more important question that she needed to ask. She believed that if Tom knew this much already, then he would have the answer to her next question.

    "Then is it true that the child was stolen from her? ording to my boss the child was stolen at birth and the doctor presented a dead baby to her. Candace doesn''t buy it, and I don''t either. But I don''t know what else to think," Jade said honestly, and Tom hesitated for a moment as he thought about how Candace would feel when she finds out that her mother had sold her off.

    "You can tell me," Jade said when she felt Tom''s hesitation.

    "Sara sold her daughter. She sold her off and lied to Aaron that she was dead," Tom said, and Jade who had been standing in front of her dressing table felt her head spin, and she lowered herself to the padded stool and sat down.

    "She did what?" Jade asked, her heart shattering into a million pieces as she tried toprehend what Tom had just said. The thought of it made her stomach churn.

    "You heard me, Jade. We suspect that she is trying toe back into their lives because she is ill and needs an organ transnt. Under no circumstance must you let her know about Candace until Candace meets with Aaron and Harry," Tom ordered, and before Jade could say a word, Candace knocked on her door.

    "Jade? Are you sleeping?" She called in a somewhat excited voice.

    "Let''s talkter, Tom. Candace is here," Jade said and hung up the call immediately.

    "You cane in," she called out to Candace and then cleared her throat when her voice came out sounding cracked.

    She stood up from the stool and looked at her reflection in the mirror as she tried to force a smile, but then hershes were wet, and her lips were wobbling.

    She wasn''t sure she wanted to see Candace right now. She was still reeling from the shock of all her discoveries, and hearing that Sara had not only abandoned Harry but had actually sold off Candace had been the final blow. She felt sick. She felt pained.

    "Are you okay?" Candace asked from the doorway when she noticed the way Jade was staring at herself in the mirror.

    "Yeah," Jade said, trying to force a smile once again, but looking at Candace and remembering all she had been through despite having a loving father like Aaron and a caring brother like Harry, who had abandoned all he had been doing just toe to the aid of his best friend''s sister, made her sad, and before she could stop herself she broke into a sob and covered her face with her hands as she sat on the stool and started crying.

    She cried for Harry who she couldn''t imagine what he would be going through at the moment, and for Candace who she couldn''t even imagine how she would feel when she eventually finds out the truth about how she ended up the way she did.

    "What is wrong? Did something happen?" Candace asked in confusion as she dropped the envelope on Jade''s bed and walked over to the dressing table as she looked at her with a concerned expression, before embracing her.

    Jade hugged her back as she cried while Candace patted her back, "Whatever the problem is, everything will be alright eventually. Stop crying," Candace said as she handed her the roll of tissue paper on the dressing table.

    "I''m sorry. I''m sorry," Jade cried and she blew into a roll of tissue.

    "There is nothing to be sorry for. You can cry as much as you want, I''m notining," Candace assured her as she continued to pat her back, thinking that the documents she hade to show her could wait.

    "But you should also know that I came to show you the content of Jero''s package. So you can either stop crying and take a look at it, or cry to your heart''s content and when you''re done I will leave with the envelope," Candace said, knowing that would catch Jade''s attention, and immediately her head snapped up.

    "What? You''ve opened it? What is inside?" Jade asked with a sniffle as her curiosity took over once again, and Candace smiled.

    "I''ve never seen a more curious person than you or someone more predictable. That''s it on your bed. Why don''t you take a look," Candace suggested, and immediately Jade stood up and walked over to her bed and upturned the content of the envelope.

    Candace folded her arms across her chest as she remained standing by the dressing table while she watched Jade pore over the documents and pictures on the bed.

    She smiled when she noticed how Jade stopped when she picked up one of the pictures, and thinking it was the picture of Rachel and Lucas, she raised a brow as she waited for Jade to speak.

    "This doesn''t make sense," Jade said as she looked up from the picture into Candace''s face.

    "What doesn''t make sense?" Candace asked as she went to sit on the bed, and she frowned when she noticed that it was a different picture.

    It was a picture of thete CEO of theirw firm, and her boss, and on the back, Jero had written their names alongside a simple description, [Mr. Gregory''s attorneys].

    Jade had a frown on her face as she tried to connect everything she knew together. If what Tom had said was true and the documents on the bed were correct, then it meant that Sara had sold Candace off to Gregory Peterson, and her boss had been a part of that transaction.

    That exined why he was helping Sara find her missing daughter, and why they wanted to keep the case as hush as possible.

    Did that mean her boss had assigned her to the case because he knew Sara''s husband and son, and by extension, knew of her brother''s rtionship with Harry? Was that why he had wanted her to sign a confidentiality agreement? So she wouldn''t be able to tell her family about it? That had to be it.

    "You''ve got to be kidding me!" Jade hissed under her breath. Howe nothing made sense, yet everything made sense at the same time?

    "Do you know them?" Candace asked curiously, and Jade looked at her.

    "This my boss, and this is thete CEO of thew firm where I work," Jade said, and Candace''s brows pulled together.

    "Lucy''s twin brother is also there," Candace said, and Jade looked at her in confusion.

    "Lucas?" She asked, wondering what Lucas would be doing there. Although she had never seen him, she had heard a lot about him, and she also knew about his breakup with Rachel.

    Candace rummaged through the photos and picked it out, "I don''t know his name," she said as she handed the picture to Jade.

    Despite her sadness and anger, Jade''s lips twitched in an amused smile when she saw the write-up behind the photo, "I think Lucy is going to like this."

    Jade couldn''t believe how everything wasing into light. Knowing Tom, and knowing Harry as she hade to know him, she knew that even if they had no direct business with Rachel, they were not going to allow this slide. Rachel had hurt both Lucy and Lucas, and Rachel''s father had stolen from Candace. It did not matter whether or not his brother had been wrong to buy someone''s child.

 Chapter 453: Tell Me Youre Wrong

    Chapter 453: Tell Me You''re WrongInside Harry''s office, Lucy looked from Aaron to Harry and then back again, not knowing where to start.

    Aaron gave her an encouraging nod, "Go on," Aaron said and Lucy sighed as she took out her phone from her handbag.

    "I recorded the conversation. So I think it''s best you listen to it. I will answer whatever questions you have afterward," Lucy said, and they both gave her a nod.

    Just as she wanted to tap the y icon on the recording she hesitated, "Before we go ahead, I would like you to know that until yesterday I knew nothing about any of this," Lucy said, making both Aaron and Harry frown in confusion as they wondered what she was talking about and why she was saying that when it was a known fact that Aaron had told her everything just the previous day.

    "We know. Let''s hear it," Harry said, and this time Lucy gave him a nod before tapping on the y icon and setting the phone on the table.

    She folded both hands together on her thighs, and her heart was beating fast as she listened to the recording along with them. She silently prayed that Tom would join them before it was time for her to exin the part of the recording that involved Aaron''s missing daughter.

    "Hold on," Harry said with a slight frown as soon as he heard Sara''s voice, and Lucy paused the recording.

    "You said you haven''t seen her in twenty-eight years, since she left, right?" Harry asked, and Aaron gave him a nod.

    "Yes. Yesterday was the first time I''ve seen her since she left," Aaron said, and Harry felt his blood boil.

    "Yet that was her opening statement? It''s good to see you again? No apology? Or did she apologize to you before now?" Harry asked, and Aaron sighed as he shook his head, not knowing what to say.

    Lucy on the other hand was pleased with Harry''s reaction. If Harry was already feeling annoyed by this, she didn''t want to imagine how angry he was going to be when he eventually listened till the end and found out just how despicable Sara truly was.

    "I don''t think you should get upset yet. You''re going to hear more upsetting things, so you have to brace yourself," Lucy advised, and then turned to Aaron.

    "You too, Aaron," Lucy said as she reached for both Aaron''s and Harry''s hands and squeezed them gently, making both Aaron and Harry look at her curiously as they wondered just what she was talking about.

    What else could Aaron possibly need to brace himself for? What could be worse than what Sara had done to them already by leaving the way she did? They both mused.

    "Are you ready?" Lucy asked, and they both gave her a nod.

    Lucy sighed as she let go of their hands and resumed the recording, while Harry tried to listen quietly without interrupting it, but after some seconds he couldn''t hold back and he looked at Lucy.

    "Dad?" He asked, wondering why Lucy had referred to his father as Dad.

    Aaron also turned questioning eyes to Lucy since he also did not understand why Lucy had done that even though he had yed along.

    Lucy paused the recording. Although she had been expecting the question, she was not prepared to answer the question. "You will find out by the end of the conversation. So please try to be patient."

    After saying that, she resumed ying the recording without waiting for either Harry or Aaron to say anything, and they both remained silent until they heard Lucy mention how Sara stole her father''s money and ran away from home iming to be an orphan, and before either of them could ask her any question she paused the recording once again.

    Harry and Aaron looked at her with a mixture of surprise and confusion since they could not understand what she was talking about.

    "As I said earlier, I didn''t know anything until yesterday," Lucy rified as she focused on Aaron this time.

    "When you showed me the picture, she sort of looked familiar but I wasn''t sure..."

    "You know Sara?" Aaron asked with a deep frown.

    "Yes, I do. That was one of the reasons why I decided to go with you," Lucy admitted with a sigh, and Aaron merely looked at her not knowing what to say.

    "I would have told you about it yesterday, but I didn''t know what to say or where to start. And I didn''t want to upset you more than you already were," Lucy exined, while Harry watched her with a confused frown, still not understanding what she was trying to say.

    "How do you know her?" Harry asked curiously.

    Lucy folded both hands together on her thigh as she looked at Aaron while avoiding Harry''s gaze, "She is my aunt. My mother''s twin sister," Sara said, and both Harry and Aaron looked at her with wide eyes.

    "What?" They asked in unison, their astonishment evident in their expressions as they looked at each other and then at Lucy.

    "Yes. Although I never met her until yesterday. And like you, my mom has not seen her in thest thirty years until yesterday," Lucy exined, and Aaron frowned.

    "You mean she really is not an orphan, and you are her niece?" Aaron asked, and Lucy gave him a nod before going ahead to exin what her mother had told her and Lucas about Sara and how her single action had ruined their family.

    "She did that? That means she stole from home beforeing to me?" Aaron asked with a deep frown, unable to believe he had been so gullible to have fallen for her false naivety.

    Harry on the other hand couldn''t believe that a person like that was his mother. He couldn''t wrap his head around the fact that of all the women in the world who could have possibly birthed him, he just happened toe from such a she-devil.

    "Your mom must be upset too," Aaron said, and Lucy gave him a nod.

    "There is no picture of her in the photo albums, and her name is forbidden in my family. I was only able to recognize her because of her close resemnce with my mom, and because I once stumbled on a photo of her when I was a kid," Lucy exined, and both Harry and Aaron sighed.

    "Is that all? Or are there more surprises?" Harry asked, jerking his head towards her phone. His head was beginning to ache, and he really wanted to be alone to think.

    He wasn''t even sure yet what he wanted to think about, but he wanted to be alone. He was beginning to feel sick.

    Without answering his question, Lucy resumed the recording once again, and just when Aaron and Harry thought they couldn''t be shocked anymore, Lucy dropped another bomb, and both Aaron and Harry stood from their seats.

    The statement they had heard that evoked such a reaction from them was, "I am the daughter you sold. Harry''s twin sister, who was raised by your own twin sister."

    "What are you talking about?" Harry asked the same question which was on Aaron''s mind as they both stared at Lucy''s phone as though it had suddenly turned into a dangerous animal.

    Lucy paused the recording as she looked at them apologetically, and just then Harry''s office door opened and Tom walked in.

    His gaze first went to Lucy, and then it moved from her to Aaron and then to Harry, "You don''t mind if I stay, do you?" He asked, but neither Harry nor Aaron looked at him.

    Their gaze was focused on Lucy, and they didn''t care about anything else as they waited for Lucy to answer their question.

    Lucy''s gaze moved to Tom, and he gave her a nod before shutting the door behind him and approaching them.

    Seeing Tom, Lucy took a deep breath before returning her attention to them, "I didn''t think the story made sense. From all I''ve heard about her, I couldn''t believe that she would do anything without a purpose. She couldn''t have just decided to change her hospital on a whim at thest minute and not inform Aaron without a reason. It didn''t make sense either that she imed to bury the dead baby before Aaron arrived. So I said that to see if she was hiding something," Lucy exined, and Aaron closed his eyes against the sudden onught of headache that hit him as tears pooled in his eyes.

    Although he didn''t want to believe it, he knew where this was going. He could guess what was going to happen next since he knew Lucy well enough that she wouldn''t let him listen to any of this and subject him to another round of emotional torture if she hadn''t already confirmed her suspicion.

    "Please tell me that you are wrong. Lucy, please tell me that she was right and my daughter died. Please, Lucy. Don''t tell me that I believed her and abandoned my daughter without even knowing. Please, don''t. Please," Aaron cried, his heart beating very fast as he looked at Lucy, not wanting to believe what he could already see in her eyes.

    He didn''t want to believe that Sara had done something as atrocious as that to him. He didn''t want to believe that she had sold their daughter or given her away. He could stand her abandoning him and Harry and carting away with all his money. He could even forgive her for it. But he wasn''t sure he would be able to stand it if he had lived all these years thinking his daughter was dead whereas she was alive somewhere else. He wasn''t sure that was something he would be able to forgive.

    "I''m sorry, Aaron. Maybe if you listen to the rest..."

    "No. Not anymore. I can''t. I don''t want to," Aaron said with a shake of his head as he shut his eyes tightly. Unable to stand anymore, Aaron let himself fall to his knees and he covered his face with his hands as he cried like a baby.

    Harry just stood there in stunned silence unable to think, speak, or do anything as he watched his father cry.

    Tom sighed as he watched the scene before him not knowing what to say or do. Although he was there to give moral support to every one of them in the office, he couldn''t even bring himself to say a word.

    The atmosphere in the office was thick with tension, and pain. Raw pain. Every one of them in the office was hurting in different ways.

    Tears were running down Lucy''s cheeks as she stood from her seat to meet Aaron, who despite the fact that his eyes were shut, tears were running down his cheeks as he beat his chest, while Harry watched his father with a pained expression.

    "I''m sorry. I''m so sorry," Lucy cried as she knelt in front of him and embraced him tightly as she cried with him.

    Tom stood from his seat and went to Harry. Even though Harry wasn''t crying, his face was red with emotion, and the veins on his temple stood out.

    Before Tom could ce a hand on his shoulder, Harry turned around and headed for the door. He didn''t know where he was going, but he needed space. Watching his father that way and knowing he couldn''t even bring himself to console him or do anything to help him at that moment, made him feel suffocated. He couldn''t breathe.

    "Harry..." Before Tom could call out to him to stop him, Lucy cried out.

    "Aaron! Aaron, what is wrong with you?" Lucy cried in rm, and Harry who had gotten to the door turned around and found his father slumped in Lucy''s arms as he gasped for breath while holding on to his chest tightly.

    Immediately, Harry rushed down to where they were and knelt beside his father as he grabbed his shoulders and shook him.

    "Dad? Dad, what''s wrong?"

 Chapter 454: The Truth

    Chapter 454: The Truth

    "Get the car, Torn, and let the hospital know we areing; Harry called out in panic as he immediately tried to carry his father, not minding his weight.

    Lucy who was still crying, rushed ahead of them to the door and held it open while Tom hurried past her to take the private elevator in his office to the private parking lot, and Harry did the same carrying his father.

    As soon as Tom ran into his office, Jamal who was still seated on his seat and swiveling around, sat up and looked at Tom with rmed eyes as he watched him run past him to take the elevator.

    He was still trying to understand what was happening when Lucy and Harry, who was carrying Aaron hurried into the office, and Lucy quickly tapped the elevator button while Harry''s secretary watched them with a concerned frown wondering what was going on. "Lucy? Jamal called when Lucy started getting into the elevator, and she looked back to see him standing by Tom''s desk and watching them with fearful eyes.

    "Come. Hurry," Lucy said, beckoning to him since there was no need to leave him in the office when they were all going to the hospital.

    Immediately, Jamal joined them in the elevator, and they went down to the parking lot where Tom had already parked the car beside by the door waiting for them.

    Tom helped Harry get Aaron into the backseat and both Harry and Jamal sat in the backseat, while Lucy took the passenger seat and Tom drove the car.

    Jamal had a worried frown on his face as he looked down at Aaron who was now unconscious, while Harry was too worried about his father to take note of the kid who was with them in the car.

    Neither of them said a word through the short drive to the hospital, but Tom kept ncing at Harry and Aaron through the rearview mirror while Lucy turned in her seat and held Aaron''s hand as though she feared that something would happen to him if she left his hand.

    By the time they arrived at thepany''s hospital, a doctor, two nurses, and two orderlies were standing outside with a stretcher waiting for them.

    Immediately, Aaron was transfered onto the stretcher, and they all rushed in as the stretcher was rolled into the emergency ward, but before either of them could go in with them, the nurses shut the door.

    "I''m sorry, but you will all have to stop here. I will let you know what''s wrong with him as soon as I can," the doctor said apologetically, and even though Harry wanted to be with his father, he gave him a nod and stepped away from the door.

    "Just make sure he is alright. Whatever you do, make sure he is fine," Harry pleaded, and the doctor gave him a nod before walking into the emergency room.

    Tom walked over to where Harry stood and ced his hand on his shoulder, "He will be fine, Harry. Try not to..."

    "I believe you already looked into it?" Harry cut in without letting him finish.

    They had been friends long enough for him to know that Tom wouldn''t have just stayed still after hearing the conversation between Lucy and Sara. He knew without a doubt that Tom must have looked into it already to confirm what Lucy had said.

    Tom on the other hand didn''t need to ask Harry what he was talking. He knew, so he gave him a nod.

    "I will give you the details after we know how Aaron..."

    He couldn''t wait for that. He needed to know if his father was going to be waking up to a pleasant news or an unpleasant news. He needed to be able to do something about it whichever the answer is.

    "Is she still alive? Harry cut in once again. He didn''t need to spell out the ''she'' he was referring to. Tom knew he was asking about his twin sister. Tom frowned when he realized that Harry wasn''t sounding very worried about his father in that moment. He sounded more like he had something else on his mind. "She is," Tom said as his gaze shifted from Harry to look at Lucy who was sitting on a waiting chair with Jamal while looking at them curiously. "Do you know who is she? Have you been able to find out where is she?" Harry asked quietly and Torn looked at him for a moment, before taking a deep breath. "It''s Candace." Harry blinked at Tom in confusion, "Candace? Who is Candace?" He asked with a confused frown, but Tom just gave him a pointed look without saying another word. "Candace." Harry munnured the name.

    It took a moment for the name to sink in and for Tom''s sentence to make sense to Harry. Immediately it did, Harry''s eyes widened as the reality of what Tom said hit him, and he staggered back like he had just been sucker punched.

    "Candace? Thedy with Jade?" He asked again, looking at Tom like he was waiting for Tom to say he was mistaken, but Tom gave him a nod.

    "Jade just put the pieces together, but I already took the DNA samples of your dad and Candace to theb beforeing to the office. We should get the result by tomorrow," Tom exined, and Harry''s brow furrowed when he figured that was the reason Tom had runte that morning. Even Jade knew about this? He wasn''t sure whether to be grateful or to feel offended at the point that everyone else knew about his family business but him.

    "I need to be alone. Can you stay here and ensure everything is okay? Harry asked, and Tom gave him a nod.

    "Sure." "The car key," Harry asked as he held out his hand for the keys, but Tom shook his head. "I can''t let you drive in this state. Maybe you should go with a cab," Tom suggested, and without arguing with him Harry turned around to leave. Just as he turned, his gaze met with Jamal''s curious gaze, and his heart skipped a beat as he looked back at the kid. He didn''t need anyone to tell him who the kid was. He knew that was Candace''s son.

    They both looked at each other for a moment, until Jamal smiled at Harry and rose from his seat beside Lucy to go to Harry, making all three adults look at him curiously.

    Once Jamal stood in front of Harry, he took Harry''s hand and just held on to it without saying a word.

    Harry''s gaze moved to Lucy and he looked at her, wondering if she had asked Jamal to go to him, but the expression on her face showed that she was also surprised by Jamal''s behavior.

    Unable to bring himself to pull his hand away from Jamal, he let Jamal lead him to the waiting seats and he sat down there, and Jamal sat next to him still holding his hand.

    Lucy who was seated beside them stood from there and went to join Tom who was watching the scene before him with interest.

    "What did Jade say?" Lucy asked in a quiet voice.

    "Candace is Sara''s missing daughter," Tom said, and Lucy sighed.

    From the moment she realized that Sonia knew Candace, she had always wondered if Candace''s presence in Tom''s house was coincidence, but once again she hade to see that there were no coincidences in life.

    They had all been fated to meet one way or the other. It was funny how through her rtionship with Tom she had met everyone else and discovered family rtions she had no idea existed.

    Away from there, in the hotel suite, Jade and Candace had pored over every detail in all the articles and pictures together, and by the time they were done Candace had drawn a Venn diagram showing the connection between Sara, herself, Jade''s boss, and her adoptive parents, while Jade on the other hand had drawn some sort of family tree showing Harry''s rtionship with Candace. "I told you, there is something fishy about this woman, didn''t I?" Candace said as she looked down at an intemet photograph of Sara and her adoptive father on her phone.

    She had been trying to find a connection between Sara and any of the people involved in her adoption since it didn''t make sense that thewyer who was helping Sara just happened to be one of Gregory Peterson''s attorney.

    Thankfully, there was a picture of Sara and Gregory Peterson on the intemet, and the caption hinted that Gregory was Sara''s major sponsor. More like her godfather.

    Candace looked at Jade when she noticed that she looked sort of distracted with a distant look in her eyes, "What is wrong? You seem distracted," Candace asked as she waved a hand in front of Jade.

    Jade couldn''t say that everything was okay. She was very upset and it was taking all her willpower to stop herself from picking up her car keys and barging into her boss'' office to demand an exnation for the crap he had tried to pull on her had she not been smart, but she knew she couldn''t do that. At least not just yet. Doing it now would expose everything and she didn''t want that.

    All she wanted right now was to go into her office and move all her stuff. She wanted to conclude every single business she had with thatw firm and not ever have to cross path with her boss again. Jade sighed as she looked at her, "Would you be mad if I handover the case to someone else? Candace frowned, "What case?" Candace asked, wondering whether she was referring to the Cartel''s case, or the case to find her.

    "The Cartel''s case. Jero is gone now and I don''t think any one wille after either of us once we leave here. I can assign someone capable to handle..."

    "Why would you do that? You are done with the hardest part of it already and all you need to do is make sure justice is served. Why would you let someone else take credit for your hardwork? Besides, I can''t trust anyone else to make sure the case is handled properly," Candace said, and Jade sighed.

    "I don''t think I would be able to stay here much longer. I need to go home. I need to take you home," Jade said, and Candace frowned.

    "Home? Take me home? What do you mean? Candace asked, and Jade sighed once again.

    "I need to go to Harry. He is going through a lot right now and I need to be with him. I''m not sure I can stay here much longer," Jade said, and Candace frowned. "What about Sara? What are you going to tell your boss? "What do you want me to tell them?" Jade asked, and Candace sighed.

    Although she had wanted to use Sara''s resources to find Andy, but she couldn''t bring herself to trust Sara. She didn''t want to take the risk and expose Andy to any problems, "You don''t have to tell them anything. Just tell them you didn''t find anything. I don''t trust her. I don''t want to know her..."

    "I know the truth," Jade blurted out, and Candace raised a brow. "You know what truth?" "About you. Sara. Your father and your twin brother," Jade said, and Candace frowned. "How? "You are right about her. She is not a good person.."

 Chapter 455: That Harry

    Chapter 455: That HarryCandace had a frown on her face as she looked at Jade in confusion, wondering what she was talking about. Up until a moment ago Jade had seemed just as confused about her and Sara''s intention, so when did she discover the truth? Was it while looking at the documents on the bed? Candace mused.

    "What is the truth?" Candace asked, unsure if she really wanted to know or not.

    "..." As Jade opened her mouth to speak, her phone began to ring and she immediately received the call when she saw it was from Tom, "Give me a moment," she murmured to Candace before hurrying out of the bedroom.

    Once she left, Candace picked up her journal to look at what she written down.

    "Sup? How is it going over there?" Jade asked anxiously as soon as she closed the door behind her and walked into the living room.

    "I''m going to send one of the jets over to get Candace. Can you make sure she gets on the jet today?" Tom asked hopefully.

    "I don''t think she will be willing to. Jero just died and earlier she was talking about staying until the case was over," Jade said with a frown as she lowered herself on the couch.

    Tom sighed. "Aaron copsed. We..."

    "What? Oh, no!" Jade cried as she stood from her seat and raised a hand to her chest.

    "He was so heartbroken when he heard about his daughter. We want Candace to be here when he wakes up. Seeing her might help him feel better," Tom said, even though they all doubted that Aaron would feel better especially if he finds out about the tough life Candace had endured.

    Jade raised a hand to her temple, "Do you think I should tell her about Aaron and Harry now? Maybe that would make her more willing to get on the jet."

    "I don''t see any reason not to tell her. But you have to do all you can to ensure shees, okay?" Tom said, and Jade sighed.

    "I will do everything I can to make sure she is there. There is something else I think you need to know," Jade said, and Tom raised a brow.

    "What?"

    "It''s about Lucas'' ex fiancee, Rachel. Her dad is the man who abandoned Candace at the orphanage..."

    "What?" Tom asked in disbelief. Just when he thought things couldn''t get crazier.

    "Yeah. Sara sold Candace to Rachel''s uncle, and after he died, Rachel''s dad abandoned Candace in the orphanage and took all his brother left her," Jade said with a shaky sigh, and Tom frowned.

    "Let''s talk about thatter," Tom said as he nced at Lucy who was looking at him curiously because of the way he had reacted to the information. Maybe this wasn''t such a terribleplication. It might just the right one.

    "How is Harry?" Jade asked quietly.

    "I''m not sure. I honestly don''t know. I think he''s still trying to process everything. He has been awfully quiet," Tom exined said as his gaze moved from Lucy to Harry and Jamal who were still just seated there holding hands.

    "Jamal is here with him. The kid has been holding Harry''s hand even without knowing anything," Tom said, still surprised by the way Jamal had stepped up and taken Harry''s hand stopping him from leaving.

    Jade took a deep breath. She wanted to be there for Aaron and Harry. She needed to be there for Harry. "I''m going to submit my resignation letter today and ask my boss to assign the case to someone else. I will get on the ne with Candace," Jade said, and Tom nodded.

    "That will be good. We will be expecting you," Tom said before hanging up the call.

    Once Jade turned around to return to the bedroom, she saw Candace standing behind her and staring at her with a deep frown.

    "Who was that on the phone? And why were you talking about getting on a ne with me?"

    Jade sighed. "That was Tom."

    Candace''s brow arched, "Tom? You told your brother about Sara? Why would you do that?" Candace asked Jade in an annoyed tone, not the least bit embarrassed to let her know she had eavesdropped on her conversation.

    "He didn''t hear about Sara from me. He knew about her before now," Jade said, and Candace frowned.

    "What do you mean he didn''t hear about Sara from you when I just clearly heard you tell him that Sara sold me to that man? How could you even tell him something like that when we don''t know the details of what truly happened yet?" Candace asked, and Jade sighed wearily.

    "I told you I know the truth, remember?" Jade said as she held Candace''s gaze.

    "And the truth is that she sold me to that man? How did you know she did that? And what is the meaning of this? Who is Aaron? And what is Harry''s name doing here?" Candace asked pointing to Jade''s journal which she was holding since that was the reason she had left the room to find Jade.

    Jade''s sighed when she realized that she hadn''t even taken note of her journal in Candace''s hand. She didn''t need to look too closely to know what Candace was pointing at in the journal. It was the family tree she had drawn which connected Harry, Candace, Aaron and Sara together.

    "Let''s sit for a moment," Jade said as she walked over to the living room and sat on the couch, and Candace did the same.

    "Remember Harry? My brother''s best friend?" Jade asked, and Candace gave her a nod.

    "Yeah. The guy you''re in love with," Candace said, and Jade winced when she remembered confiding in Candace about her feelings for Harry, who now happened to be her twin brother.

    "Yeah. That Harry," Jade said with a nod, and then held Candace''s gaze for a moment before saying, "He is Sara''s son."

    Candace blinked at her in confusion, "Sara''s son? But there is no record of her getting remarried or having a chil..." The rest of Candace''s words trailed off as she made the connection in her head.

    She knew that Tom was thirty, and since he was Harry''s best friend, that meant Harry would most likely be around Tom''s age. She was twenty-eight. It wasn''t possible that Sara would have had another child since her modelling career had started in the same year she gave birth to her. To them.

    The Harry who she had heard a lot about but had not seen was her twin brother? "Harry is the son she abandoned?" Candace asked, and Jade gave her a nod.

    "You pretty much figured her out on your own. I''m sorry," Jade said apologetically as she went to sit beside her, but Candace''s face was nk as she stood from her seat and walked over to the bar to pour herself a ss of wine.

    Sheughed humorlessly as she returned to join Jade, "Today has to be the most memorable day of the century, don''t you think? First, Jero dies, and then I find out my biological mother is searching for me and I have a father and a twin brother, and next I find out about my adoptive parents, and now I learn she sold me off to my adoptive parents and I now know the identity of my twin brother," Candace said in an emotionless tone as she raised her winess to Jade in a silent toast.

    Jade said nothing as she watched her. She knew that Candace was probably still processing things in her head so she waited patiently. Giving her time to put her thoughts together.

    "Why are you staring at me that way?" Candace asked when she noticed the sad look on Jade''s face as she watched her.

    "Do you feel sorry for me?" She asked with a bright smile as she took a sip of wine and then dropped the ss on a stool beside her, "Don''t be. I''m not hurt. I''m not even surprised that someone like her would do something like that. When you have lived the kind of life I''ve lived, things like these don''t get to you anymore. At least she sold me off to a wealthy couple and didn''t just throw me into a dumpster like other kids I know," Candace continued to chatter, while Jade merely stared at her.

    Finding out that you weren''t abandoned but was actually sold off by your own mother had to be better and less hurtful than being dumped by the roadside, right?

    "She had no right doing that. Not when your father is alive! You were not an orphan..."

    "I was raised in an orphanage home, so I am an orphan. It doesn''t matter," Candace cut in, swallowing past the lump in her throat as she continued to smile even though her lips were beginning to wobble.

    "IT MATTERS! Stop acting like you are alright when you''re not!" Jade yelled at her, feeling frustrated because she knew how upsetting everything must be for Candace. For Aaron. And for Harry too.

    "I am alright," Candace said defensively as she tried her best to remain calm but her hands were trembling.

    "Well, that''s good for you then, because YOUR FATHER is not alright! Aaron copsed when he heard the news! He is not fine! Harry is not fine either!" Jade yelled at her as she stood from her seat.

    "What has that got to do with me? How is any of that my fault?" Candace yelled right back as she rose from her seat and angry tears dropped from her eyes.

    "Why shouldn''t I be alright? Would you rather I am devastated? They all lived a good life all these years without me and I lived the best way I could too, so I have every right to be fine whether or not they are fine!" Candace yelled, but her voice hitched, and she broke into a sob which betrayed her im of being alright.

    Jade took a deep breath as she tried to backtrack. She reminded herself that no matter how frustrated she was, yelling at Candace wasn''t the right thing. Not when she obviously hurting.

    "I''m sorry. I''m not saying it is your fault. You are all victims of Sara. You, your dad, and your twin brother. You can be mad all you want, but you can''t be mad at Aaron and Harry. Harry didn''t even know his mother was still alive until today, and Aaron just found out his daughter is still alive," Jade said softly as she embraced Candace whose body was trembling now.

    "I''m sorry, Candace. None of you deserves any of this. I''m sorry for everything, and I''m sorry that I have to beg you for this, but we have to leave for Ludus today. Aaron needs to see you."

 Chapter 456: Typical Hank Behavior

    Chapter 456: Typical Hank BehaviorHarry let go of Jamal''s hand and stood up immediately the door opened and the doctor walked out of the emergency ward.

    Harry, Tom, and Lucy hurried over to his side, "What is going on? How is he?" Harry asked anxiously since it was over three hours already since they arrived at the hospital.

    "I''m sorry it took so long to get back to you. He needed urgent medical attention so we had to attend to him immediately. You can rest assured that he will be fine. Did he suffer a heart attack recently? Or had any heart-rted trouble?" The doctor asked, and Harry gave him a nod.

    "Yes. That was a few days ago. But it was a minor one. At least that was what my doctor said," Harry exined since his personal doctor was different from thepany''s doctor.

    "I see. He suffered a myocardial infarction. It was a good thing you brought him in when you did. Don''t worry, he will be fine," the doctor said confidently.

    "Can I see him now?" Harry asked, hopefully.

    "Although he is unconscious right now, you can see him. He has been moved to a private ward," the doctor said, and all three of them let out a sigh of relief.

    The doctor led them to Aaron''s room, and Tom and Lucy stood back with Jamal at the door while Harry went in to see his father.

    Lucy sighed, "Can we say the worst phase is over now?" She asked, and Tom gave her a nod as he ced a hand on her shoulder and pulled her to himself before kissing her forehead.

    "Thank you, Jewel," Tom said softly.

    Lucy looked at him, wanting to ask what he was thanking her for, but then she remembered his conversation with Jade, "What did Jade say?"

    Tom nced at Jamal before looking at Lucy, "She confirmed the rtionship between Candace and Aaron," Tom said, and Lucy looked at him with interest.

    "How did she confirm it?" She asked, and Tom exined all that Jade had said to him, leaving out only the part about Rachel''s family involvement. They could talk about itter when they were alone and settled.

    By the time he was done, she sighed, "I''m d that we found her before Sara did. At least now Aaron doesn''t have to search for her. We know where she is. All I want now is for Aaron to be fine, and for them to meet," Lucy said, and Tom gave her a nod.

    "Yeah. Me too. I already asked one of the pilots to get them. So hopefully they should arrive before midnight," Tom said, and Lucy looked down at Jamal who had been quiet the entire time.

    "Are you okay, Jam?" She asked as she crouched down in front of him, and Jamal gave her a nod.

    "He will be fine, right?" Jamal asked, referring to Aaron.

    "Sure. The doctor assured us he will be fine. Do you want to see him?" Lucy asked, marveling at how it had just so happened that Jamal was there with them at a time like this.

    "Can I do that?" He asked, looking up at Tom.

    Looking down at the kid, Tom remembered that his dad had died earlier that day. It was quite an eventful day, Tom thought with a sigh as he bent forward and lifted Jamal off the floor, "We will go in together when Harry is done. Why are you always so partial, though? You''ve never held me like that before. Why did you take his hand?" Tom asked in a light tone, and Jamal raised his tiny shoulders in a shrug.

    "He looked sad."

    "Aww! Aren''t you the perfect gentleman, Jam?" Lucy asked as she ruffled his hair fondly, and Jamal grinned at her.

    "So when I''m sad will you hold my hand?" Tom asked, and Jamal pursed his lips like he was thinking about it.

    "Lucy will hold your hand while I hold her hand," Jamal joked, making both Lucy and Tom chuckle.

    "You really don''t like me, do you?" Tom asked making an angry face at Jamal, and heughed as he wrapped both arms around Tom''s neck.

    A momentter, Harry opened the door and he sighed when his gaze fell on Jamal who was in Tom''s arm.

    All of a sudden he had gone from being a simple man who lost his mother at birth and whose only family was a loving dad, to bing a twin brother, an uncle, and the abandoned son of some shameless woman. Not to mention his rtionship with Lucy too. Could life get moreplicated than that?

    He wanted to be alone. He needed to be alone for some time. He was feeling overwhelmed by everything.

    "We will stay with him if you want to leave," Tom said as though he could read Harry''s mind.

    "I don''t think you should leave. At least not yet. Please stay with him until he wakes up. If he doesn''t see you when he wakes up, he might think you left because you are mad at him," Lucy pleaded softly.

    "I''m upset, but I''m not mad at him. How can I be mad at him after seeing his pain like that? What kind of a son would I be to be mad at a father who endured all that pain all by himself just so I would have a perfect worldview?" Harry asked with a deep frown, and Lucy teared up.

    "Oh, Harry! You have no idea how worried Aaron was about your reaction. He was so scared that he might lose you," Lucy cried, and Tom offered her his handkerchief, while Jamal looked at Lucy with concern.

    Harry shifted his gaze to Tom, "Can I speak with Lucy alone?"

    "Do you even need to ask me that? I will take Jamal in with me to see Aaron while you both talk," Tom said, and walked into the room with Jamal, leaving Lucy and Harry alone.

    Without saying a word to Lucy, Harry began to walk, and Lucy followed him. Once they were at the canteen part of the hospital, Harry drew out a chair for Lucy and she sat down before he did the same.

    "Can you tell me exactly what happened? How my dad got to tell you about everything including how you got to know about Candace?" Harry asked, thinking that he needed to know everything from the beginning.

    Not from his dad''s point of view this time, but from Lucy who could genuinely tell him how much his father had been affected by everything.

    Lucy gave him a nod, and then she started speaking. She told him how she had overheard him talking and crying in his sleep, how she had overheard his conversation with Tom about Sara, and how she had decided to speak with Aaron privately instead of telling him about it.

    "... So when Jade called asking me to send her the picture of your mom in the photo frame in your bedroom..."

    "How did Jade know I had such a frame in my bedroom?" Harry interrupted with a frown, and immediately, Lucy realized her slip.

    Perhaps she shouldn''t have mentioned that? But how could she have told him how she made the connection between him and Candace without mentioning Jade''s role in it?

    Lucy swallowed, "I don''t know. She crashed here for some days so I sort of assumed you showed it to her or something," Lucy said, thinking now that she had not even given much thought to it back when Jade mentioned the photo frame.

    Seeing that Lucy didn''t know, Harry doubted that it was Aaron who showed it to her either. Did Jade go into his bedroom in his absence? He mused and then shook his head. That wasn''t the most important thing at the moment.

    "Go on," Harry urged her on, and Lucy continued.

    "You didn''t go into my bedroom?" Harry asked, surprised and impressed when Lucy told him how she asked Jade to ask him or Aaron for the picture instead.

    "No. Was I supposed to? It''s your bedroom. I couldn''t possibly invade your privacy in that manner," Lucy said with a frown, and Harry looked at her for some time without saying a word.

    He had associated with the Hank family long enough to know there was little or no respect for privacy amongst them. One person''s business equaled everyone''s business. And if it mattered enough to one of them, it mattered to them all.

    He doubted that Lucy was going to be able to maintain her stance on respect for privacy much longer. Not when she was a part of the Hank family.

    He knew because that annoying trait of theirs had somehow managed to rob off on him too. Else, why did he go to babysit Jade even when she made it clear she didn''t want him there? He could guess it was his turn to have everyone in his business. So he couldn''t be mad at Jade or Tom.

    "Thank you. It''s refreshing to know that you have not been influenced by the Hank family," Harry said with a small smile, and Lucy continued her narration.

    "... So I got the DNA sample from Aaron''s bedroom and..." Lucy stopped speaking when Harry suddenly chuckled, and she looked at him in confusion as she wondered what was amusing him.

    "I take back what I said," Harry said in an amused tone despite his annoyance at the whole situation.

    How could the same person, who a moment ago had said she refused to go into his bedroom to take a picture because she didn''t want to invade his privacy, go into his father''s bedroom to take a DNA sample without permission?

    "What?" Lucy asked in confusion.

    "You have been sessfully influenced by the Hank family," Harry said with a small smile, and Lucy paused for a moment to think about what he was talking about, and she found herself smiling at him.

    "It''s hard not to do things their way," Lucy admitted, and they both sighed before Lucy resumed her narration.

    "Thank you for everything, Lucy. I know he would have continued to suffer in silence had you not made him open up to you," Harry said when Lucy was done speaking.

    "I''m just d you are not mad at him. Although I always believed you would understand him, I was still worried," Lucy said with a small smile as she reached across the table for his hand.

    "I know you are not okay right now. But we are with you, and you will be fine," Lucy promised, Harry gave her a nod.

    "Thanks. What do you think about Sara?" Harry asked, and Lucy wrinkled her nose as she shook her head.

    "Honestly? I feel ashamed that I''m rted to such a shameless person," Lucy said, and Harry raised a brow.

    "If you feel that way, how am I supposed to feel that such a person gave birth to me?" Harry asked, and Lucy shook her head.

    "I''m sorry. That wasn''t what I meant," Lucy said apologetically.

    "I understand what you mean. Can you help me stay by his side? I know it''s a lot to ask for..."

    "It''s nothing. You both have a really special bond. He also asked me to stay by your side in case you pushed him away. He loves you so much, Harry," Lucy said with a small smile as she looked at Harry.

    "I know," Harry said with a nod.

    "He is such an exceptional father. I wish he didn''t have to go through all of this. He doesn''t deserve any of this," Lucy said with a sigh.

    Harry nodded, "He doesn''t. And that is why I have to leave. I need to clear my head and figure out a way to take care of Sara once and for all before seeing him. So please stay by his side and call me when he wakes up," Harry said, and Lucy gave him a nod.

    "I will. Tom sent for Candace," Lucy informed him, and Harry shook his head.

    He wasn''t surprised to hear that. He did not expect less.

    "I''m surprised he has not dealt with Sara already," Harry said, and Lucy giggled.

    "He would have done that, but he decided to bestow on you the honor of deciding what should be done," Lucy said dramatically, and Harry chuckled.

    Typical Hank behavior. He couldn''t say he wasn''t relieved that he was surrounded by such people. It was because they were with him that he could even afford tough at a time like this.

 Chapter 457: Fear Of Abandonment

    Chapter 457: Fear Of AbandonmentJade had a determined expression on her face as she made her way across thew firm''s lobby to the elevator while carrying some of her case files with her.

    She had thought about it and had given it more than enough thought. She was done working for such a corrupt boss. She knew that a number of her male colleagues would dly jump in and take the cartel case from her now that she was done with the most risky part of it, and had been able to put the dirty old men behind bars. She was just going to hand the case over to the first lucky bastard she could.

    "Hey, Jade! Congrats on nabbing those old farts!" A male colleague called out to her as he hurried to catch up with her before she got into the elevator.

    Great! Just one of the guys she had been hoping to see. "Thanks, Tate. What are you up to these days? Do you have any major case you''re handling?" She asked as she walked into the elevator, and he joined her.

    "Major? Nothing like yours. You know how Amos favors some..."

    "Would you like to take over my case now that I''ve done all the dirty job?" Jade asked, cutting him off impatiently since she didn''t have much time to waste.

    She had left Candace at the hotel to sort out her emotions, while she concludes her unfinished business at thew firm and clear up her desk. She had worked here long enough and was ready to move on.

    "Sure," he said with a chuckle, thinking she was joking, and his eyes widened in surprise when Jade suddenly thrust the file into his hand and dug into her handbag for the sh drive Harry had helped her organize which contained all the information Cassidy had sent them.

    "Here you go."

    "Woaw! Wait a minute! I thought you were kidding?" He asked, surprised by her action.

    "Nope."

    "Why? Did something happen?" Tate asked with a confused frown since he knew better than anyone else in the firm how much time and sweat Jade had put into this particr case.

    He had been on her case for quite some time wanting her to go out with him, but each time he stepped into her office, her head was buried over one file or the other and she barely spared him a nce.

    Everyone had called her crazy for being so obsessed over such a dangerous case, and now she was giving it up just like that when she was almost done? Concluding this case was going to take her career to another level since others had tried, but failed to shut down the cartel.

    "Nothing happened. You can either have it or I can hand it over to Chad. I''m sure he wouldn''t mind," Jade said, and immediately he held the file possessively to his chest.

    "Are you sure about this, Jade? Do you think Amos would approve?" He asked, and Jade shrugged.

    "I''m not going to leave him any choice. He knows I''m resigning from the firm," Jade said as the elevator dinged and the door opened.

    Tate''s eyes widened in disbelief, "Resigning? What is going on for fuck''s sake?" He asked as he followed Jade who continued to walk in quick strides towards Amos'' office.

    "Nothing. I''m going to join the legal team in my brother''spany. I''ve worked here long enough. It''s time to move on," Jade said with a shrug as she continued to walk.

    "But why the rush? Besides, I''ve been waiting this whole time for you to finally wrap up the case so we could go out," he pointed out, and Jade raised both brows as she stopped walking and turned to look at him.

    "I made it clear I wasn''t interested in being more than colleagues with you from the beginning, so I don''t get what you''re talking about. That ship has long sailed, Tate. Now it''s either you are taking this case or not. I''m in a hurry, and I don''t appreciate the dy," Jade said curtly, and Tate sighed.

    "Alright. Fine. Good luck then. And thanks for this. I will do a good job," Tate promised, and Jade shed him a smile as she gave him a thumbs up.

    "That''s the spirit. I always knew you were a wise man," Jade said, patting his shoulder in a friendly manner before walking away from there, leaving Tate to go and spread the news of her resignation and the case transfer, as she knew he would.

    She did not doubt that by the time she would be leaving the building some minutester, everyone in the firm would have heard the news.

    Once she walked into Amos'' outer office, his secretary smiled at her, "Hello, Jade! Congrats on getting them this time," she greeted, and Jade smiled at her.

    "Thank you, Beatrice. Is Amos with a client?" Jade asked curiously, and she shook her head.

    "Not at the moment. I will let him know..."

    "Do not bother yourself on my ount. I will make my presence known," Jade said with a dismissive wave as she walked over to the door to Amos'' office and opened it.

    Immediately she walked into his office, he rose from his seat, "Jade, what brings you here?" he asked, surprised to see her so soon when he expected her to be busy working on the case he had assigned her.

    "Hello, Amos," Jade greeted, and without waiting for him to offer her a seat she took the seat opposite him, "I wanted to let you know that I just handed over the cartel''s case to Tate," Jade said, and Amos frowned as he sat down, but before he could speak Jade continued.

    "Some weeks ago you said if I was feeling overwhelmed I could reassign to someone else," she reminded him.

    "I think Tate is smart and can pull it off," Jade said confidently, and Amos sighed.

    "Alright. I trust your judgment. I guess that means you will have enough time to focus on finding Sara''s missing daughter," Amos said with a pleased smile, and Jade pressed her lips together.

    "Well, that is the second reason I came," Jade started, and then cleared her throat.

    "I came to let you know that I changed my mind about getting involved in Sara''s business," Jade said, and immediately Amos flushed with anger.

    "What do you mean by that?" He yelled, and Jade raised a brow as she rxed in her seat and crossed both legs.

    "Why are you yelling?" Jade asked in a calm but amused tone which only infuriated him the more.

    "You can''t go back on your word!" Amos snapped at her angrily. He had mapped this out as a survival n for himself and Sara, and he couldn''t let Jade back out of their agreement just like that. She was his best shot at finding Sara''s daughter.

    "My word?" Jade asked with humorlessughter.

    "What word did I give exactly? I can''t remember making any promises to you. I said ''I would let you know what I find'' and now I''m saying I can''t get involved in it anymore," Jade said in a reasonable voice as she struggled to keep her own irritation in check.

    "Why? Why won''t you do it?" Amos asked angrily and Jade sighed as she stood.

    "I don''t owe you any exnation on why I won''t do you this favor, Amos."

    "Then why did you reassign your case to someone else if you won''t do it?"

    "I reassigned my case because I''m done working for thisw firm and I''m done working with a corrupt person like you. I don''t owe you any other exnation other than that," Jade''s voice hitched as she struggled to keep her anger under control.

    Eyes zing with anger, she red at him, "You must think I''m a fool, don''t you? You dare to sell me such a sob story even when you know full well about my family''s rtionship with the son Sara abandoned? Did you think I wouldn''t find out eventually? Was that why you brought up that nonsense about a confidentiality agreement? How dare you?" Jade yelled at him, her voice much louder than his.

    Amos blinked back his surprise. How did she know that so soon? "What are you talking about?" He asked, feigning ignorance and Jade shook her head as she dipped her hand inside her bag and took out her resignation letter.

    Although she desperately wished she could p him on the face with all the information she now had, but she couldn''t do so. She didn''t want either him or Sara to know about Candace until she was safely back in Ludus with Aaron and Harry.

    Jade took a deep breath, "I won''t waste my time or breath by exining something we both know already. It will be in your best interest to ept my resignation quietly and not cause any unnecessary trouble. Else, I will be forced to expose the details of your dirty deals with yourte mentor," Jade threatened as she pped her resignation letter on the desk, startling Amos who had no idea where the threat wasing from.

    "What are you talking about?" Amos asked in confusion since he and thete CEO had done a lot of illegal things and he didn''t know which of them Jade knew about.

    "Why don''t you disregard my advice, and then you can find out what I mean?" Jade asked with a cold smile before heading for the door, while Amos stared speechlessly at the resignation letter.

    With her hand on the doorknob, Jade paused and turned to look at Amos with disgust, "Do not hesitate to let Sara know that she messed with the wrong family. WE will stop at nothing to ruin her. And as for you, I''ve lost every iota of respect I ever had for you. You are a disgrace to this honorable profession, and I''m going to make sure you go down with her," Jade promised before walking away.

    As she headed for her office to pack her personal item, she stopped to receive congrattory and farewell greetings from those she met along the hallway, and by the time she was at the parking lot stuffing the box containing her personal items into her car, she was sure she had said goodbye to everyone she worked with.

    Her phone started ringing just as she opened the car door and she received the call. It was a phone call from the pilot at Varis informing her that the ne was ready.

    Although she had nned to go to her apartment to set the ce in order since she wouldn''t be living there anymore and needed to move out, there was no time for any of that. That could wait. The most important thing was getting Candace home.

    Jade took a deep breath once she got into the car and shut the door. Her life in Varis was over, and it was time to turn the next page, she thought as she drove off.

    Immediately after she walked into the hotel suite, she met Candace seated in the living room as though she had been waiting for her.

    "The pilot is ready," Jade informed her, hoping she had made up her mind.

    Candace stood up when she heard Jade''s voice, and she took a deep breath as she faced her, "I don''t know what I feel or how I feel, Jade. I don''t even know how I''m supposed to feel. I don''t even know anything about them."

    "I know some things about them. And I can tell you, they are wonderful people and nothing like Sara," Jade said confidently, and Candace swallowed.

    "If all you''ve said about them is true, then they have both lived all their lives alone together and have an impregnable bond. There won''t be room for anyone else, especially not for someone like me. I doubt they''re going to care about me or Jamal. I don''t want to subject myself and Jamal to ying second fiddle..."

    "Take a deep breath, Candace. You are overthinking," Jade cut in as she approached her and ced both hands on her shoulder to calm her.

    "I know what I''m saying, Jade. I would rather we save ourselves the heartache and just..." Candace''s voice broke, and Jade frowned when she saw the way Candace''s lips trembled.

    All Jade could see at that moment was a little girl in the body of a grown-updy. A little girl who was scared of having high hopes. She was scared of being rejected and abandoned once again.

    "You are thinking that they would be ashamed of you? You are scared they would reject you and Jamal?" Jade asked with a deep frown, and Candace swallowed, unable to deny it.

    Jade took a deep breath as she tried toe up with the best way to reassure her, "Alright, I''m not a parent yet so I know nothing about having a child or losing one. You are a parent, so tell me. How would you feel if you were in Aaron''s shoes and you thought you lost Jamal at birth but found out yearster that he has been alive the whole time?" Jade asked, and the mere thought of it made Candace''s heartache and she couldn''t breathe. Jamal was her world. She could never bear to even imagine that.

    Seeing how physically pained she looked, Jade nodded, "I know without a doubt that Aaron loves you. I know Harry would love you too. Those two would never judge you, trust me. Jamal is at the hospital with them right now. And do you know what Tom said when he called? He said Jamal took Harry''s hand tofort him even without knowing anything. How do you exin such instant connection?" Jade asked, looking into Candace''s eyes as she held her hands.

    Candace took in a shaky breath, "I''m not getting on that ne because I trust either Harry or Aaron. I''m going because I trust you, and if you say they are good people then I''m going to take your word for it. And if you think I should be there with them, then I will do so. But if..."

    "There are no buts, Candace. You''ve said the most important thing, and that is agreeing to get on the ne with me. So let''s just leave it at that, okay? The faster we get on that ne, the sooner you reunite with Jamal. I''m sure he has missed you," Jade said, and Candace smiled at the thought of Jamal.

    "Alright. Let''s do it. I packed my bags," Candace said, and Jade pped happily as she embraced Candace.

    "Now we have to hurry," Jade said as she hurried into the room and picked up her luggage bag which she had packed before leaving for thew firm, and Candace did the same.

    Jade paused by the door when she remembered something, "Give me a second," she said as she ran back into the bedroom and took Harry''s shirt which he had asked her to give to Aurora.

    "I have to deliver this to your twin brother," Jade said with a wink as she tucked the shirt into her bag.

    Candace winced as they both left the suite, "Please don''t call him that. It''s awkward."

    "Get used to it. I''m going to be calling both of you that henceforth. And guess what else I''m going to be calling you after all this is over?" Jade asked in a teasing tone as she grinned at Candace.

    "What?" Candace asked with a frown.

    "Twin sister-inw," Jade said with a wink, and Candace found herself giggling.

    Trust Jade to make light of the situation.

 Chapter 458: He Is Sad.

    Chapter 458: He Is Sad."YOU CRAZY FOOL!" Sara yelled angrily into the phone, and Amos winced as he held the phone away from his ear to save his eardrum from the assault.

    "Are you just dumb or stupid? How did a stupid fool like you end up bing an attorney?" Sara spat out angrily, unable to control her temper after Amos told her about his business with Jade.

    "I''m sorry. I thought I..."

    "You thought what? Are you capable of thinking? Do you even have a brain? Why would you involve someone from the Hank family in this when you know how sensitive this is?"

    "I thought..."

    "Stop telling me YOU THOUGHT!" She barked at him. The veins stood out on her throat and temple as she paced around her hotel room.

    "I am going to kill you if you ruin things any more than you have done already!" She promised.

    Amos took a deep breath, "I''m sorry. I will fix this."

    "Oh, yes! You will! You had better! And make sure you find that girl before they do, or else I will be the one to expose you. My only sin is abandoning my family for fame, and I have no regrets. I''ve lived out my life of fame, and I can as well move away to somewhere else and enjoy my life in solitude. But you? You have a family. You have your wife and kids to think about. What do you think will happen to them if I am exposed?"

    "Are you threatening me?" Amos asked in a tight voice.

    Sara scoffed, "Threat? You don''t get it yet, do you? Your life and that of your entire family is in my hands. I''m not making a threat."

    "If you know so well that despite your health, you can enjoy your life in solitude after you are exposed why are you bothering to do any of this? Why not just go and enjoy your life in solitude and leave everyone alone? After all, I wasn''t the one who asked you to sell your daughter or abandon your son," Amos spat out angrily.

    "You greedy fool! I paid you for all of this. Get the job done and don''t ask me any more useless questions. Find the girl before they do, even if it means you have to kill her so they don''t get to her. Just ensure that her liver is preserved," Sara said, making Amos'' skin crawl even as his eyes widened.

    "Ki---ill her?" He stuttered in disbelief.

    "Would you rather we leave her alive and they find her? If she is dead I can''t be used of selling off my daughter, can I? Don''t you think it''s better she dies, and then we can deny whatever allegation they level against me, and that way we are both saved?" Sara asked, and Amos felt his blood run cold as goosebumps rose on his skin.

    He had always known that Sara was a scary person. Since that day twenty-eight years ago when he walked into his mentor''s office and saw her sitting there with the Petersons, looking heavily pregnant and ready to sign the agreement to give them her daughter in exchange for fame.

    He had thought she was evil, but this was different. How did he get himself involved in something like this? With someone like this?

    How could a mother speak so casually about murdering her own daughter? It was one thing to sell off your child but talking about killing her? What sort of a person was she? This was all shades of wrong.

    "Sara, you can''t expect me to do that. I''m an attorney of thew..."

    Sara cut in with a snort of derisiveughter, "And you won''t be that for much longer if everything is exposed, would you? Quit clowning and get the job done," Sara said and hung up the call without letting him say another word.

    She threw her phone on the bed and took a deep breath as she went to stand by the window. Everything was not working ording to her n and it was annoying her more than she cared to admit.

    Lucinda Perry, Thomas Hank, and now Jade Hank was getting on herst nerve. Why were they interfering in her business with her son? Why couldn''t they mind their business? She wished she could get rid of them all, but she didn''t want to waste what little time she had on that.

    All she needed was to find her missing daughter. Once she was able to do that, she would get her organ. She knew for a fact that her daughter and Harry shared the same blood group and genotype with her since the doctor had checked it the moment they were born.

    She paused when she remembered something important. The doctor. Thospital where she had given birth to the twins. She needed to take care of it now before either Aaron or Harry decided to go back there to ask questions.

    Although she knew that for now, it was probably all spection on their end that she had lied about their daughter''s death. She knew they didn''t know the truth for sure now, and she needed to keep it that way regardless of what she had told Lucy.

    She picked up her phone immediately and dialed a line, "I need you to do something for me immediately. Treat it with utmost priority."

    Away from there, as Harry escorted Lucy back to Aaron''s hospital room, he paused when he remembered something, "Could you send me the recording? And her phone number too," He asked, and she gave him a nod.

    "Sure." She said as she immediately took out her phone and transferred it to him the same way he had transferred the recording of Tom''s conversation with Anita.

    Once she sent it, they continued walking, "When I''m done taking care of this we can talk about how we are rted," Harry said once they stopped outside Aaron''s room, and Lucy nced at him.

    "We could act like such a rtionship doesn''t exist between us. I understand how awkward it might..."

    "There is no reason to act like it doesn''t exist when it does. As upset as I am about everything, I also know I''d rather have you as my cousin than anyone else," Harry interrupted as he looked at her, and Lucy blinked at him in surprise.

    "Harry," Lucy called in a quiet voice.

    "I always wondered why I easily got along with you and liked to tease you, and I think I understand the reason now," Harry said with a small smile, and she smiled back.

    "Tom is already worried about us being rted. Said you won''t let him be," Lucy said, and Harry grinned.

    "He knows me too well," Harry said, and without thinking, Lucy embraced him surprising them both. Harry stood still for a moment, and then he embraced her.

    "Everything will be fine, Harry. I know you are hurting inside even though you are trying to act like everything is okay. And regardless of the circumstances, I''m d I got to know you and Aaron, and I''m d that you are my cousin too," Lucy said as she held him, and Harry shut his eyes against the tears that were gathering in them.

    "And don''t worry about Aaron. I won''t leave his side even for a moment. Do whatever you need to do, and if you need me to do anything, let me know," Lucy said as she pulled away from him, and Harry smiled at her.

    "Thank you, LuLu."

    "You''re wee, HaHa," Lucy said, and Harry smiled once again, as his gaze moved to the ss part of the door into the room where Tom was sitting on a couch with Jamal on his thighs.

    "Can you let me know when she arrives?" He asked, and Lucy could tell he was talking about Candace.

    "Sure. I will tell you as soon as she gets here," Lucy promised, and Harry gave her a nod before opening the door.

    Tom turned to the door immediately it opened, and he set Jamal down as he stood up. He looked from Harry to Lucy and then back again.

    "I''m leaving," Harry said, and Tom nodded.

    "I wille with you," Tom said before ncing at Lucy.

    "Can you..."

    "I can. You should take Jamal with you. He''s going to be bored," Lucy cut in, and Tom gave her a nod before looking at Jamal.

    "Are youing with us or staying with Lucy?" He asked, and Jamal''s brows pulled into a frown as he looked from Tom and Harry to Lucy and then Aaron.

    "I will stay with Lucy," Jamal said, and Lucy looked at him.

    "Are you sure about that?" She asked and he gave her a nod.

    "If we all leave you will be alone. So I will stay with you and keep youpany," Jamal said, and Lucy smiled at him.

    "If you keep being this sweet I''m going to have to dump Tom, and go to you," Lucy said, and Tom red at Jamal yfully while Harry watched the kid with interest.

    This thoughtful little boy was his nephew? Harry mused as he watched him. Something had tugged on his heart when Jamal took his hand, and even though he had desperately needed to be alone, he had felt oddlyforted.

    He smiled when Jamal met his gaze and watched as the kid looked at him with concerned eyes.

    "Do you still feel sad? Do you want me to hold your hands again?" Jamal offered, and Harry shook his head.

    "I think I''m fine now, thanks to you. You can hold my dad''s hand. He is sad," Harry said, and Jamal''s gaze moved to Aaron and then back to Harry.

    "Is that why he is sick? Because he is sad?" Jamal asked, and Harry gave him a nod.

    "Why is he sad?" Jamal asked curiously.

    "Someone he cared about hurt him very much," Harry said, and Lucy blinked back the tears that gathered in her eyes.

    "That is very bad," Jamal said with a worried frown, "Can I hold his hands now?" He asked, and Harry gave him a nod.

    "I think he will feel better if you hold his hand," Harry said, and Jamal moved closer to the bed to take Aaron''s hand, and Tom ced a hand around Lucy''s shoulder when she sniffed a little and dabbed her eyes.

    "Let''s go," Harry said to Tom as he headed for the door.

    Tom kissed Lucy''s forehead, "Take care of yourself and call me if you need me or if anythinges up," he said before looking at Jamal.

    "Young man, try not to hit on my girlfriend while I''m away, else our deal is off," Tom warned and ruffled Jamal''s hair before hurrying after Harry.

    "When is he going to wake up?" Jamal asked as Lucy lifted him from the floor so that he was sitting beside Aaron on the bed.

    "He needs to sleep. But don''t worry, he will wake up soon," Lucy said as they both watched Aaron.

    "He is sad. He is crying," Jamal said as he reached a hand to Aaron''s face and wiped the tears that rolled down the side of his face.

    "He will be fine. We will all be fine," Lucy murmured as she took Aaron''s second hand, while Jamal held the other.

 Chapter 459: Research Center

    Chapter 459: Research Center"So? What''s the n? What are we doing?" Tom asked as he and Harry walked out of the hospital.

    Harry didn''t miss how he had said ''We'' instead of ''You''. That was one of the things he admired the most about his friendship with Tom. It wasn''t one-sided and it was never just about one person. He was always confident that Tom would go the extra mile for him the same way he would for him.

    "My sweet cousin said you sent for Candace already," Harry said with a mischievous smile, and Tom groaned dramatically.

    "Really, man? Did you have to say it that way or bring it up right now?" Tom asked, and Harry chuckled.

    Tom smiled when he heard Harry''sughter. He was relieved to know that despite how upset he was at the moment, he could still find it in him tough.

    "Couldn''t help myself. Lucy is a treasure, you know?" Harry asked as he looked at Tom.

    "Yeah. One I''m grateful I discovered," Tom said, and Harry nodded.

    "Uncle Harry?" Tom called, and Harry turned to see Tom''s teasing grin.

    "Jade was right to call you that. You are really Uncle Harry now, aren''t you?" He asked, and Harry''s lips twitched in amusement.

    "I guess she was. He seems like a pretty decent kid," Harry said as he thought of Jamal, and a smile lit up Tom''s face.

    "I know, right? More like a decent young man. And he has such an adult sense of humor. Can you believe the little brat said the only thing he doesn''t like about Lucy is that she has a boyfriend?" Tom said, and Harry chuckled as Tom told him more about Jamal.

    "Between you and Lucy, I''m not sure who the kid has got more wrapped around his fingers," Harry said when he noticed the twinkle in Tom''s eyes as he talked about Jamal.

    "Even though it is Lucy he adores, I''m the one eating out of his hand. This morning he made me promise to give his mom a job. And then we tried bargaining if he wanted me to get him a car or he wanted Lucy," Tom said, and Harry chuckled.

    "Which did he choose?" Harry asked in amusement.

    "Lucy, of course. He figured since Lucy has a car already, they could both use hers," Tom said, and Harry roared withughter, ignoring the looks that attracted him.

    "Why was he at the office though? What about the no kids at work policy?" Harry asked, and Tom sighed.

    "I just couldn''t say bring myself to say no to him. He wanted to see my office so I figured there was no harm in letting him stay in the office cubicle," Tom said with a wince.

    "He has got you where he wants you."

    "Trust me, he''s going to have you and your dad wrapped around those tiny fingers of his too," Tom said with a chuckle, and Harry smiled.

    "She did a really great job raising him," Tom said, and Harry silently agreed.

    "I guess my dad won''t be bothering me about getting into a rtionship or getting married anymore now that he has a grandson to dote on," Harry said, and Tom remembered something that Lucy had said.

    "He wasn''t doing that because he wanted a grandchild. He was scared you wouldn''t want to be in a rtionship if you found out the truth," Tom said, and Harry''s brows pulled together.

    "Did you think so too? Do you think one insensitive woman is enough to change how I already see life? I''m not that shallow, you know? I''ve got my own convictions. I may have been given birth to by the worst of scums, but I know not everyone is like her. I''ve seen your parents together, Tom. I''ve heard their story. The love tale my dad spun isn''t the only reason I believe in love," Harry said, and Tom grinned, feeling even more relieved now.

    "What about my love story with your cousin?" Tom asked as he ced a hand on Harry''s shoulder, unable to resist teasing him.

    "Fuck off," Harry said as he pushed Tom away from him making Tom chuckle.

    They walked together in mutual silence until they got to the spot where he had parked the car and he got into the driver''s seat while Harry got into the car out of habit.

    "She is on her way, right?" Harry asked, wanting to know what Tom''s n was.

    "Yeah," Tom said as he wondered if there was any need to tell Harry that Jade was on her way back as well. He had received a call from Jade on their way to the airport, informing him that she had quit her job and was getting on the ne with Candace. He was just going to it to Jade to tell Harry about it herself when she arrived.

    "I know I should have discussed it with you first, but when Jade informed me that Sara is trying to find her right now, I figured we keep her away from Sara''s reach," Tom exined as he buckled his seatbelt.

    "It''s cool."

    "Where are we going?" Tom asked, and Harry scowled.

    "I want to be alone, Tom," Harry said, and Tom resisted the urge to point out the fact that he was already sitting in the passenger seat while saying that.

    "Sure. That doesn''t mean I''m going to let you drive around on your own when you are upset. I will drop you off wherever you want, and I will let you be alone," Tom assured him.

    "I don''t have to drive. I could easily get a cab," Harry pointed out.

    "Sure. But your cab driver isn''t your best friend, and he won''t be as much fun as I am either. Besides, I''m sure he wouldn''t have half of the information I''m going to be sharing with you during the drive," Tom said, and Harry raised a brow.

    "What other information do you have?" Harry asked, and Tom grinned.

    "You see what I mean? Tell me where you want me to drive you to, and I will tell you everything you need to know on our way," Tom offered.

    "For someone who was so tight-lipped yesterday and refusing to say a word, you suddenly seem eager to say a lot to me," Harry said dryly, and Tom sighed.

    "You don''t possibly me me for that, do you? Tell me honestly, would you have preferred to hear all of that from me?" Tom asked, and Harry''s brows pulled together as he considered it.

    If he had heard it from Tom and not from his dad, his dad probably wouldn''t be lying on that hospital bed right now since he would have taken every necessary action to deal with Sara, and find a way to reunite Candace with his father.

    But then again, it probably wouldn''t have happened that way, since he would have probably been even angrier at his father, had he heard it from someone else and he wasn''t sure he would have given his father the chance to exin things to him the way he had done.

    "No," Harry admitted honestly with a sigh, and Tom gave him a nod. Thankful that Harry was honest with them both.

    "Good. So tell me how you feel and what you want. Do you want us to go to a shooting range so you can let off some steam? Or would you rather y call of duty?" Tom asked, and Harry shook his head as he buckled his seatbelt.

    "Nah! Just take me home. I want to be alone for some time," Harry said, and Tom started the car and drove out of the parking lot.

    "Home it is then."

    "Tell me all you know," Harry urged him, and Tom told him every single detail he had gathered from both Lucy and Jade concerning Sara.

    The more Harry listened to Tom and processed everything, the angrier he became. He gritted his teeth until he was sure that his teeth were going to crack soon if he didn''t stop.

    Most of Harry''s anger stemmed from the fact that Sara had the guts to show up, expecting a smooth family reunion despite the fact she sold off Candace and lied to Aaron that the child was dead.

    How could a person be that callous? How could she sell a baby she had with her husband and lie to him in that manner and still go ahead to steal some more money from him?

    He knew little enough about Candace from the time he had spent with Jade, to know that life hadn''t been easy on her, but hearing now from Tom how her adoptive parents had died and how she had been abandoned once again at an orphanage by her uncle who stole everything from her, his blood boiled.

    He knew just what kind of life she had led, and the kind of man she had been with, and that was all because a devil like Sara had given birth to them!

    Stealing from Aaron and abandoning them wasn''t much of a big deal to Harry since she wouldn''t be the first woman to choose her career over family, and as much as that was supposed to hurt him, he didn''t feel so hurt by that.

    No, not in a long shot. His father''s love had been more than enough for him. Still was. He had been loved too much by Aaron and was also too old now to begin feeling unloved, unwanted, or inferior. Nah, he was beyond that now, and it was all thanks to having a selfless father like Aaron.

    Although, he was mad that Aaron had lied to him, and he hated that he had thought he had an amazing mother this whole time, but he wouldn''t think about that right now. No, he wouldn''t even think about it as a lie at all.

    As far as he was concerned, he had an amazing mother, and that mother was Aaron. Sara might have donated half his genes, and carried him in her womb, but that woman was not his mother. She was only a surrogate who had been paid to do the job as she well stated in her letter.

    He was NEVER going to acknowledge her as his mother. That was the only way he could deal with her ruthlessly for hurting his father the way she had done, and for hurting Candace because he wasn''t all that hurt himself. His major hurt at the moment came from Aaron''s hurt and Candace''s hurt.

    He knew without a doubt that Candace would most likely be more hurt than he was from everything. He had lived a sheltered life with their father, while she had moved from hand to hand until she even became a stripper. Harry shut his eyes at the thought.

    He couldn''t face the fact that despite all the money he had, his twin sister had suffered that way. Life had been hard enough for her to have made her resort to such a degrading job.

    Wouldn''t it have been better for her if she had been the one Sara had given to Aaron and he had been sold? His life would probably have turned out differently from it was now, but he knew it wouldn''t have been as bad as Candace''s was.

    How was his father going to live with the knowledge that he had a daughter who had lived such a difficult life?

    What punishment would be enough for a person like Sara? What could he do to destroy her for doing that to them and depriving them both of all these years with Candace because of her greed?

    Tom turned to spare Harry a nce when he didn''t say a word after a long time. Tom said nothing when he noticed how hard Harry''s face was, and how his jaw was firmly set, with a thoughtful look in his eyes.

    Tom was quiet until he heard Harry''s chuckle and turned to him curiously, wondering what he was finding funny.

    "It''s funny how I saw through her the first time we met without even realizing who she was," Harry said, and Tom sighed.

    "What do you want us to do to her? Tell me anything, and I''m down for it," Tom said, and Harry smiled.

    "You sound like you''d kill her without questions if I asked you to," Harry said in amusement.

    "I won''t kill her without questions. I will have to ask how you want me to kill her. Poison? Run her over? Chop her up? Or a single gunshot to the head?" Tom asked, and Harry shuddered dramatically as he tried not tough.

    "Geez, Tom! You sound so scary," Harry said, and Tom shrugged.

    "But I''d rather we don''t kill her. Even death is too merciful for a person like that," Tom said, and Harry nodded in agreement.

    "Let''s start by finding the hospital where I was born," Harry suggested.

    "What for? You already know what she did," Tom pointed out.

    "If truly she is the kind of person we know she is, she is going to bemitting more crimes to cover up her previous crimes so we can''t expose her. I''d like to see her give us something to use against her. Where best to start from if not the ce shemitted the first crime?" Harry asked, and Tom''s gaze narrowed as he considered it.

    "You are right. Let''s look into it," Tom said as he parked the car in front of Harry''s apartment building.

    "I will let you know what I find. You handle thepany, while I take care of this," Harry said as he unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of the car.

    "There is nothing stopping me from doing both. I will talk to Barry to add one more person to his list," Tom called out as he watched Harry get into the building.

    Once Harry disappeared from view, the smile disappeared from his face and he picked up his phone and dialed Barry''s line.

    "Sup, bro?" Barry asked immediately after he received the call.

    "I need you to look into someone. And while you are at it, I need you to create the website of a research center for Primary Sclerosing Chngitis. Make it look authentic, and if possible make it look like it has been existing for years. I will send you the address and details of everything you need," Tom said before hanging up.

    Since Sara knew how to be deceptive and evil, he was going to make sure they gave her a taste of her own medicine. For every money she stole from Aaron, he was going to make her pay. For every tear she made them shed, he would ensure she cry a river.

    Knowing Harry, he doubted Harry was going to be able to be brutal enough since his emotions were involved. That was what best friends were for. He was going to wipe the smugness from Sara''s face and make her regret ever doing all she did.

 Chapter 460: Absentminded

    Chapter 460: AbsentmindedSonia had spent most of the day recalling and reviewing the conference call she had with Jade and Lucy the previous night. And the more she thought about it, the more she couldn''t shake off the feeling that Lucy was hiding something from her.

    It was more than just all that talk about her aunt randomly showing up. Lucy had acted like she knew more than she was letting on during the conference call, and knowing how tight-lipped Lucy could be especially when it concerned something that she believed wasn''t her business to tell, she couldn''t put it past her. She also believed that whatever Lucy was hiding was rted to Harry.

    Why else had she rushed to ask Jade not to give up on Harry if she didn''t know something?

    Lucy had avoided her gaze most of the time during their conversation, but it had been particrly obvious when Jade talked about how Candace looked like Harry''s mom. There was something there. She knew it.

    There was also that stuff about Lucy''s aunt searching for her missing daughter, and of all the people in the universe who could have handled the case it just so perfectly happened to be Jade.

    Sonia wasn''t exactly a believer in coincidences, and the fact that Lucy wasn''t even telling Jade about her rtionship with her aunt Sara made Sonia extra suspicious of Lucy.

    And why had Lucy not responded to any of her texts yet when she had obviously read them? Sonia mused with a frown as she nced at her phone. She would have given Lucy a call already had she not been with Bryan and his parents. She couldn''t ask Lucy all the questions she had in front of them.

    "I can see the wheels in your head spinning. What have you been thinking about so seriously when you should be giving me your undivided attention right now?" Bryan asked, tugging Sonia''s hair yfully when he could no longer ignore her absentmindedness.

    He had been observing her for most of the day and apart from the fact that she was mostly quiet, she had a crease between her brows.

    Sonia turned to him, "I think Lucy is hiding something from me," she said with a slight frown, and Bryan raised a brow.

    "You must find me very boring to be thinking of Lucy while we are together," Bryan said with a scowl, and Sonia feigned a yawn.

    "Who knows? Perhaps I''m getting tired of yourpany already."

    "How dare you?" Bryan asked with false indignation, and Sonia smiled as she nced away from him to outside the car''s window which she had rolled down.

    "Do you care about Lucy more than you care about me?" Bryan asked yfully as he tugged her hair again, but she didn''t look at him.

    Perhaps if she had looked at him, she would have noticed the seriousness in his eyes despite his yful tone. Even though he understood that Lucy was the closest person to a family she had, he didn''t like feeling like he came second in her heart.

    Although he cared about Lucy and wasn''t exactly jealous of her, the fact that she had once broken up their rtionship so she could be with Lucy during the scandal, and was now thinking about Lucy when he was clearly making it obvious that he needed her attention, made him feel ufortable, or perhaps insecure in a way, and he didn''t like it.

    "Don''t tell me you want to fight against Lucy for my love?" She asked distractedly.

    "I don''t mind a dueling contest," Bryan said with a grin, but Sonia wasn''t paying attention once again.

    "I received a text from someone this morning," Bryan said after some time, but Sonia merely grunted without asking him what the text was about or who had sent it.

    "Why are we not getting there yet?" She asked, wanting the car to go as fast as possible so they would get to the Hank''s family house quickly. That way she could excuse herself and go to the restroom so she could call Lucy in private.

    Bryan continued to observe her and when he saw the way she was tapping her foot impatiently he raised a brow, "We are almost there. What is in your head?"

    "I told you already. I''m wondering what Lucy is hiding," she said distractedly, and Bryan sighed.

    "Then why not give her a call and clear up whatever it is?" Bryan suggested with a slight frown, trying not to sound irritated even though he was gradually bing annoyed by her attitude.

    She had been distracted all morning and had barely said much to him during the flight down to Heden despite all the times he had tried to engage her in a conversation, and it was beginning to grate on his nerves.

    "I will do that when we arrive at your home," Sonia said, and Bryan raised a brow.

    "If you are going to do that when we get home, why not give me your attention now?" Bryan asked, and Sonia nced at him, trying not to sound or look as irritated as she felt.

    She did not like that he was interrupting her thoughts. She was trying to think and put the puzzle pieces together, yet he kept cutting in.

    "Is there a particr thing you want me to do or say to you?" She asked, and Bryan shook his head.

    "Are you kidding me? I have to need you to say or do something to get your attention now?" Bryan asked, now sounding annoyed by her ridiculous question.

    Seeing how angry he sounded, she frowned, "That''s not what I meant. I''m just..."

    "Forget it. You can spend as much time as you want to worry about whatever Lucy is keeping from you," Bryan said as he turned away from her and took out his phone to go through his social media page.

    Sonia frowned, "Babe..."

    Instead of listening to her, Bryan took out his AirPods box from his pocket and stuffed both his ears with the AirPods.

    "Are we going to fight over something like this?" Sonia asked with a slight frown, but Bryan said nothing as he increased the volume of the music he was ying, loud enough for Sonia to hear so he wouldn''t hear anything else she had to say.

    When the car stopped in front of the Hank family house, Sonia blinked in surprise when she saw how big the house was.

    When she was told the Hank family house was still the same ce all three Hank siblings had been born and raised, she had always assumed it was a small apartment, but seeing the mansion in front of her, she was stunned.

    "Is this really your..." Before she could finish speaking, Bryan walked away from her, and she frowned this time.

    Even if he was mad at her, couldn''t he put aside his anger seeing as it was her first time in his home and he would have to at least show her around? She mused as she watched him join the driver to take out their luggage from the trunk and take it inside.

    While Sonia was still frowning at Bryan''s back, his parents'' cab pulled to a stop behind theirs. Evelyn and Desmond had asked their driver to take Bryan and Sonia home in their car while they left the airport in a cab since too much attention would be drawn to them all if someone spotted either Bryan or Sonia.

    "You''re wee home, Sony," Desmond said with a wide smile as he went to join her.

    "Your home looks lovely. And it''s much bigger than I expected," Sonia said, and both Desmond and Evelyn smiled.

    "It''s Eve''s dream house."

    "This was his wedding gift to me. Although, we''ve worked on the ce a couple of times over the years to keep it modern," Evelyn told her proudly, and Desmond smiled.

    "Where is Bryan?" Evelyn asked, and Sonia jerked her head toward the direction which Bryan had taken.

    "He took the bags in," Sonia said as she took the hand Desmond extended and let him lead her into the house while Evelyn followed behind them.

    "Are you very exhausted or could you apany us to see Andrew and J? I will love to pay them a surprise visit. I''ve missed J so much," Evelyn said with a wide smile when they got to the foot of the stairs, and Sonia smiled as she turned to her.

    "Right now?" She asked wondering if Evelyn wasn''t exhausted.

    Evelyn shrugged, "Right after we freshen up. You and Bryan are leaving tomorrow, are you not?" She asked, and Sonia gave her a nod.

    "Most likely. We will leave as soon as I''m able to finish up all I''m doing here. I have to meet with my editor and speak with a movie producer, and then I have to take care of my apartment."

    "That means you have to take us there today if you don''t mind," Evelyn pleaded.

    "She has been going on and on about seeing J and telling her about our date," Desmond said, and Sonia smiled, while Evelyn rolled her eyes.

    "As if you''re not dying to see Andrew yourself," Evelyn said with a snort as she walked past them, "I need to use the restroom. Let me know when you''re ready, dear," Evelyn said to Sonia before walking away to her bedroom, leaving her alone with Desmond.

    "Are you alright? You were noticeably absentminded all through the flight. I noticed my boy trying to catch your attention a couple of times but you seemed distracted," Desmond observed, and Sonia smiled.

    It seemed like nothing ever got past the man.

    "I''m fine. I was just trying to figure out something," Sonia said, and Desmond gave her a nod.

    "Try not to let whatever it is take all your attention from things that matter to you. Every minute spent can''t be retrieved whether you spent it doing something you love or not. Every time spent is a memory, and in the next minute, this also will be a memory. Always try to find a bnce between what''s going on inside you, and what''s going on around you," Desmond advised as they continued up the stairs.

    "You are so full of wisdom," Sonia said with a small smile, "I might just stay back here with you so I can tap some more from your well of wisdom," Sonia said with a teasing smile, and Desmond chuckled.

    "Don''t let Bryan hear you say that. That''s his bedroom," he said, pointing to a door down the hallway.

    "I will try to freshen up quickly and see if Bryan woulde with us," Sonia said, and Desmond gave her a nod before walking away.

 Chapter 461: Text From Ex.

    Chapter 461: Text From Ex.Once Sonia got to the bedroom, she frowned when she realized that Bryan was in the shower. Why was he bathing without her when they had made it a habit to always shower together?

    Sonia walked over to the door, "How can you shower without me?" She asked from the doorway, but Bryan ignored her as he continued tother his body with soap.

    Seeing that he was bent on ignoring her, Sonia locked the bedroom door and took off her clothes before joining him in the shower.

    Immediately she approached him, Bryan turned his back to her, "You are going to catch a cold," he told her grudgingly, reminding her that she needed to cover her hair.

    "So you are talking to me now? No longer stuffing your ear with your airpod or ignoring me?" Sonia asked as she wrapped both arms around his waist and kissed his back.

    "Don''t do that," Bryan said grudgingly wanting to finish up quickly and leave, but she held on and slowly began to glide both hands up and down his body.

    While one hand went up his abdomen, the other went to his groin, and Bryan sucked in a breath when she grabbed his cock, making it jerk in her hand.

    "Why not?" Sonia asked in a husky whisper as she moved her hand up and down the entire length of it.

    "I don''t..." Bryan tried to speak but couldn''t concentrate because all the blood in his brain had gathered in his groin.

    "You don''t what?" She asked in a sultry voice as she walked around him and came to stand in front of him without letting go of his cock.

    "Sonia..." Bryan swallowed when she went on her knees in front of him and kissed the tip of his cock while looking into his eyes.

    "Let''s fuck and make up," she suggested, but Bryan was not having that. His ego was more important to him at the moment than sex. He didn''t want to be used or feel so.

    "No. I don''t want to. Just... stop," Bryan said, trying to keep his head straight, despite the distraction of her hand on his cock, and Sonia reluctantly let go of it.

    "Have you called Lucy yet?" He asked, and Sonia shook her head as she stood to face him.

    "I believe Lucy can wait. But this can''t wait," Sonia said, but Bryan shook his head as he stepped away from her.

    "I don''t think so. You should call her first. That way I don''t have to worry about you zoning out halfway while I make love to you," Bryan said in a tight voice wanting to turn away, but Sonia held his hand.

    "Did I hurt your feelings that much?" She asked with a frown.

    Bryan turned away, not wanting her to see the hurt in his eyes. For someone like him who was used to being the center of attention, he had felt more than a little bit hurt by her behavior earlier especially since he had really wanted to clear some doubts he was having. Her behavior had only made it worse.

    "Bryan?" Sonia called as she cupped his face in her hands and held him so she could look into his face.

    "It''s nothing," Bryan said without meeting her gaze.

    "If you are hurt, then it''s not nothing. I''m sorry about earlier," she said apologetically as she raised herself on tiptoe and kissed the tip of his nose.

    "What are you sorry for?" Bryan asked, wanting to know if she understood what he was upset about.

    "For not giving you my attention," she said, but Bryan shook his head.

    "Do you realize that you always put your rtionship with Lucy before us?" Bryan asked, and Sonia frowned as she let her hands drop to her sides.

    "Always? What do you mean always?"

    "You broke up with me because you wanted to be with he...."

    "That was a one-time thing, and you know why I did that. I don''t get why you are bringing that up right now," Sonia cut in with an annoyed expression.

    "You don''t?"

    "Are you jealous of Lucy?" She asked incredulously, not sure she liked Bryan''s attitude.

    "I''m not jealous of her. I respect and care about her, and I doubt she is handling her rtionship with Tom the way you are handling ours. How would you feel if the situation was reversed and I''m too busy thinking about Matt to give you my attention?" Bryan asked, and Sonia frowned.

    "I''m not sure I would feel a certain way. I understand that Matt is your best friend so it''s only natural that you worry about him."

    "Really? Matt is my best friend, but you are my girlfriend. I would never let my rtionship with Matt affect what I have with you. I will never put my rtionship with anyone else before ours," Bryan said, and Sonia sighed.

    "Babe, I don''t know what you are thinking, but I love you. I don''t think there is any room forparison between our rtionship and mine with Lucy," Sonia said as she looked into his eyes.

    "You don''t act like I''m your boyfriend. You behave as if I''m just your fuck buddy or a character in your story," Bryan said, and Sonia looked at him incredulously.

    "Christ! Where is all thising from? Just because I was absentminded for a couple of hours, you''ve jumped to these conclusions already?" Sonia asked, and Bryan shook his head.

    "It''s not just that. It''s more than that," Bryan said with a frown, not knowing how best to express how he was feeling without sounding like an insecure or whiny boyfriend.

    He wasn''t usually the type to feel insecure but right now he was feeling that way and he couldn''t even exin why. Perhaps it had something to do with the disturbing text he had received earlier that morning from someone who imed to be her ex-boyfriend.

    It had taken his mind back to something he had read in her journal in the past but hadn''t attached much meaning to. Her attitude all morning didn''t help matters either, especially when he remembered herint the previous day about their rtionshipcking conflict. He was beginning to feel like he was boring her or something.

    "Your anger isn''t about what happened in the car or about Lucy, is it?" Sonia asked with a frown, and Bryan shrugged.

    "I don''t know," Bryan said without meeting her gaze.

    "Do you doubt that I love you?" Sonia asked with a frown, and Bryan shrugged once again.

    "I don''t know. You tell me," Bryan said, and Sonia sighed.

    "Is there something you want to say to me?" Sonia asked as she reached out and turned off the shower. It was obvious they weren''t going to be having a nice time in the shower anymore, so she grabbed the towel on the railing and handed it to him, but he didn''t take it.

    "You should use it on your hair," he said as he walked out of the bathroom into the bedroom.

    Sonia followed him and stood some feet away from him as she watched him quietly while he opened his bag and took out another towel to dry his body.

    "Talk to me, Bryan. What''s going on?" She asked with a worried frown as she wrapped the towel around her body.

    "Do you know any Derek?" Bryan asked without looking at her, and Sonia frowned.

    "Derek? Yes. My ex-boyfriend. Why?" She asked, wondering how he knew about Derek, and why he was talking about him.

    "The male leads in your stories are usually guys you''ve been with, am I wrong?" Bryan asked as he turned to look at her, and her frown deepened.

    "What are you talking about?" She asked in confusion, wondering why he was jumping to another subject.

    "The male lead in yourst story was Derek. And the male lead in the story before thest was the guy you dated before Derek. Now I''m the male lead in this story, am I right?" Bryan asked, and Sonia blinked in surprise as she looked at him.

    "Who told you all this?"

    "Am I right or wrong?" Bryan asked, but Sonia said nothing as she looked at him.

    "How did you know about Derek? And who told you he was the male lead I wrote about in myst story?" Sonia asked after some time.

    "I received an Instagram text from him. He wanted to warn me beforehand that you are a man-eater, and he wanted to be sure I knew about it. He also told me how good you are in bed and how easily you move on when you are bored so he advised me to enjoy myself while itsts. He even sent me some very convincing photo evidence."

    "Photos? He sent you photos?" Why would Derek do something like that?

    "I''m boring you already, am I not? All that talk about not having enough conflict and wanting to change the main characters in your story, is because you are bored, isn''t it?" Bryan asked without answering her question.

    "Bryan..."

    "Who will be the male lead in your next story?" Bryan asked without letting her speak, and Sonia''s heart skipped a beat as she took a step forward.

    "I''m not sure what Derek told you, but you''ve been with countlessdies in the past and I''ve never judged you because of that," Sonia said, and Bryan shook his head.

    "It''s not just about your past. I saw your journal. I saw the initial plot of your story before you changed it. You nned on taming me by making me fall in love with you and getting you pregnant, then you would leave with the baby," Bryan said, and Sonia frowned.

    "That was just a story plot. And you saw it, I changed it," she pointed out, but Bryan shook his head.

    "You said the story was a mix of fiction and nonfiction. I don''t know what part is real and what part is not. I don''t want to be taken for a fool. I don''t want to just be used to satisfy your sexual cravings or be your muse for your next big story" Bryan said, and Sonia looked at him like she had been pped, but before she could respond, a knock sounded on the door.

    "Sony, we are ready to leave," Evelyn called out.

    "I will join you soon," Sonia called back and sighed as she faced Bryan who was already dressing up.

    "I don''t know what to say to you right now. I''m both surprised and disappointed that you are saying all this. I''m apanying your parents to visit Lucy''s parents. Let''s talkter," Sonia said before returning to the bathroom to shower.

    By the time she got out of the bathroom, Bryan had left. She tried not to feel too disappointed as she also dressed up to leave.

 Chapter 462 Jealous And Insecure

    <h2 style="font-size: 22.4px;">?462 Jealous And Insecure</h2>

    "Are you okay, dear?" Evelyn asked as she ced a hand on Sonia''s arm when she noticed how distracted Sonia was as she sat in the car with them, often sighing and muttering under her breath.

    "I''m not. I had some kind of stupid misunderstanding with Bryan," Sonia said honestly as she turned in the passenger seat to look at the couple who were seated in the back seat.

    She was upset about her misunderstanding with Bryan and was even more upset now when she realized halfway after leaving the house that she had left her phone on the dressing table in her haste not to keep them waiting.

    "Do you want to talk about it?" Desmond asked, and Sonia nced at the driver hesitantly making Evelyn smile in understanding.

    "Don''t worry about him, and speak if you want to," Evelyn assured her confidently.

    "I know he is your son, and I''m probably going to be sorry I said thister, but Bryan is fucking dumb!" Sonia hissed in annoyance, and the couple exchanged an amused nce.

    "How can he doubt what I feel for him? So what if my ex-boyfriend decides to be unfortunate and sends him a stupid text or some foolish photos? Is Bryan supposed to just bottle it all in and not talk about it? How am I supposed to know what he is feeling if he doesn''t talk about it when he is the same person who asked me never to keep things to myself? So I''m at fault now because I confided in him about our story needing conflict? The best he can do is hurl usations instead of sitting down like a mature adult to discuss it?" Sonia asked in anger wishing she could yell or throw something.

    "Sonia dear, we understand that you are upset, but can you rx a bit and tell us exactly what it is our dumb son did to annoy you? You are not making much sense, and we can''t answer your questions without getting the details," Evelyn said, and Desmond nodded in agreement.

    Sonia took a deep breath, "One minute we are in the car and I''m trying to figure out the connection about something Lucy told me and Jade''s case, and the next minute Bryan is asking me to choose between him and Lucy..."

    "Bryan said that?" Desmond and Evelyn asked in unison.

    Sonia paused, "Well, he didn''t say it in those exact terms, but he tried to imply that I care more about Lucy than I care about him. I was lost in my thoughts no doubt, and I may have snapped at him when he tried to get my attention in the car. I realized my wrong, and then I went upstairs and joined him in the shower..." She paused and winced when she realized how that must sound to his parents.

    "Unnecessary information. Sorry," Sonia said, and Desmond chuckled at her embarrassment while Evelyn bit back a smile.

    "Go on," Evelyn urged her. It was needless to remind her that she had seen them in bed together in the past and heard her say worse stuff than that.

    "Well, I was trying to make up with him, but he kept talking about how I put my rtionship with Lucy before ours, and that didn''t make any sense..."

    "Yeah, it doesn''t," Desmond agreed. He didn''t want to believe that his son was jealous of Lucy and acting so insecure over Sonia''s bond with Lucy.

    "I figured there was more to it so I probed further, and then he''s talking about some text he received from my ex-boyfriend. I just don''t get him!" Sonia said, and the couple exchanged a look again.

    "What did your ex say to him?" Desmond asked and Sonia shrugged.

    "I didn''t see the text. Just some stuff about how the male characters of my novels are usually guys I''ve dated and how easily I get bored," Sonia said leaving out the good in bed part. That wasn''t something to tell your future parents-inw.

    "Is it true?" Evelyn asked, and Sonia shrugged.

    "Well, they were good looking and that was the only reason I approached them in the first ce. It''s only natural that I use their physical features and some of their nice and romantic attributes in describing my male leads. I wasn''t the female lead in any of the stories. And yes, I easily get bored. They were not exciting. But the situation with Bryan is entirely different. How can he not know that?" Sonia asked with a frown, and Desmond gave her a nod.

    "How can he not know that?" Desmond echoed.

    "Was that why he left the house earlier?" Evelyn asked, and Sonia shrugged.

    "I think so. I didn''t know what to say to him because I was surprised, angry, and disappointed. I told him we could talk about it after I get back," Sonia said, as Evelyn sighed.

    "He must be dumb as you said. Maybe stupid and blind too not to see that you love him too," Desmond said, and Sonia scowled.

    "You shouldn''t call him names," Sonia chided, and the couple shared a silentugh.

    "Is Bryan the male lead in your ongoing novel?" Desmond asked, and Sonia gave him a nod.

    "Does he know about it?" Evelyn asked this time, and Sonia gave her a nod too.

    "He is aware. I''m the female lead too. It''s the first time I''m writing about myself," Sonia said, and Evelyn sighed.

    "Then don''t you think it''s only natural that he feels this way after hearing from your ex?" Evelyn asked, but Sonia shook her head.

    "I expect him to understand that things are different. This is the first time I''m letting myself get close to the family of a boyfriend. I even told him I promised to birth your first grandchild. Does that sound like I''m not serious about the rtionship?" Sonia asked, Evelyn, shook her head.

    "Maybe instead of you to expect him to understand, you should focus on making him understand," Evelyn suggested, and Desmond nodded in agreement.

    "I understand how you feel, but sometimes it is difficult to be reasonable or logical when emotions are high. I think right now Bryan is high on jealousy so he isn''t thinking straight," Desmond said, and Evelyn grinned.

    "You would know, wouldn''t you? After all, he got all that jealous traits from you," Evelyn said in a teasing tone, and Desmond scowled at her making her giggle.

    "You get jealous too?" Sonia asked, eyeing Desmond with curiosity.

    "Why not? What is love without some healthy jealousy?" Desmond asked, and Sonia tried not to roll her eyes as she returned her attention to the road when she noticed they were almost at the Perrys'' apartment.

    "There it is," Sonia said as she pointed at a building in front of them, and the driver parked in front of the ce.

    Away from there, Bryan''s brows were pulled together in a deep frown and he gritted his teeth as he re-read the texts he had received from Derek earlier that morning for the fifth time.<sub> </sub>

    [Hey, Bryan! I know you probably might not read this message since I''m sure celebrities like you are fond of ignoring texts from nobodies like myself, but I''m going to drop this here all the same, in case you just happen to check it.

    My name is Derek, and I''m Sonia''s boyfriend... Perhaps her ex, although I don''t remember is breaking up. She moved on without a word. Lol. One moment I think we are dating, and the next moment she is all over the news as the fiancee of a big-shot actor. Can you imagine my shock?

    I guess she moved on because she is done with my story. Did she tell you yet that the male leads of her novels are usually patterned after the guys she dated or was dating at the time? I''m guessing she is currently writing a romance story about you both, isn''t she?

    I''m not writing this out of jealousy or anything, I love Sony. Fuck! I''m crazy about her. That girl does things to a man in bed that leaves him craving for more. I''m sure you get what I mean, yeah? Back to the point, I just thought you should know. I wish someone told me. That way you would be prepared for when she gets bored and chooses to move on. You have no idea how fast she moves on. Enjoy yourself as much as you can since you don''t know when she will be done with you.

    I think she has a problem withmitting, so I don''t think it''s exactly her fault. The only person I think she ismitted to is her best friend, Lucy. I''m sure you must have noticed that yourself.

    Well, I''m attaching a little present to this message. Say hi to Sony for me. Tell her I still miss the feel of her cunt around my cock.]

    Bryan''s gaze shifted to the photo of Sonia sprawled on the bed. The only thing she was wearing was the grin stered on her face as she looked into the camera with both hands covering her breasts, and her legs crossed to hide her feminine slit.

    This was her past, and he shouldn''t be jealous of it, right? So why was he burning with anger the more he read thest line of the text and saw the mixture of arousal and mischief gleaming in her green eyes? Bryan mused as he dumped his phone on the couch next to him.

    He had left the house and had gone to hang out at a lounge away from his home just so he could think about things logically and clear his head. He wasn''t sure that rereading the text was helping him clear his head in any way.

    The only thing the text was seeding at was making him feel more jealous, bitter, insecure, and doubtful.

    Sonia had said she was disappointed in him for opening up to her, and he had felt a stab of guilt in his heart when he saw the hurt in her eyes, and despite every attempt to assure his heart that Sonia could be trusted and she wasn''t messing with him or using him as Derek had implied, he just couldn''t get rid of the fear of being used and dumped.

    He didn''t want to be made a fool of. He had shown everyone just how much he loved Sonia and had even fallen out with Paul over it. What if Derek was right and she decided to move on after shepleted this story?

    What if she had meant it earlier when she said she was beginning to get bored? Wasn''t that why she said she would change the lead of her stories?

    ''But she is changing the leads to Tom and Lucy, not another guy'' his voice of reasoning reminded him, and he sighed.

    Maybe their case was different? Perhaps she truly was in love with him. She might not have loved the others, but she had fallen in love with him. She was the one who had said she wanted him. She was the one who had wantedmitment from the beginning.

    Was it really from the beginning? She had taken him to a club and had asked those strippers to take care of him. He doubted she would do something like that if she was in love with him. Perhaps she had fallen in love with him after they started living together?

    He recalled every moment they had spent together and tried to figure out if he had ever doubted her feelings at any point in time but he couldn''t find any.

    The first time he saw her journal and read her story plot, he had thought about it as just a plot and hadn''t read any meaning into it, so why was he doing so now? Was it simply because of the text from some dude he didn''t know? Was he going to believe the dude''s words over Sonia''s love for him? Why had he been quick to believe the dude? Was it simply because of what Sonia had said the previous day about their story being a whirlwind romance andcking conflict? Was he overthinking everything?

    "Fuck it!" Bryan swore as he picked up his phone and stood up. He was tired of thinking and guessing. He wanted them to talk about it and clear the air because the more time he spent thinking about it, the more hurt and doubtful he became.

    He dialed Sonia''s line as he walked out of the lounge, but the phone rang for some time and she didn''t receive her call.

    He dialed her line again two more times and when she still didn''t receive her call, he gave up and called his dad instead.

    "Hey, Dumbass!" Desmond who had been watching ESPN with Andrew greeted him as he got off the couch and excused himself.

    Bryan pulled back his phone from his ear to be sure he was speaking with his father, "Dad?"

    "Were you expecting someone else to receive my call?"

    "Why is Sonia ignoring my call? Please put her on the line," Bryan said impatiently.

    "She left her phone in your bedroom, and she is not here right now. She left for her apartment after we got here," Desmond said, and Bryan frowned.

    "We were supposed to go there together, what did she go there for?"

    "Her ce is not far from Lucy''s home, so she wanted to stop over there. I guess she wanted to be alone. You really got her upset you know?" Desmond asked, and Bryan sighed as hebed his fingers through his hair.

    "Can you text me the address? I will stop over there and get her."

    "I don''t have it. Give Dimitri a call and have him text it to you since he dropped her off," Desmond suggested, referring to their driver.

    "Alright, thanks..."

    "Son?" Desmond cut in before Bryan could finish and hung up.

    "Yeah?"

    "Sonia is a nice girl, and you''d be a fool to let anyone tell you otherwise," Desmond said before hanging up.

    Bryan sighed as he dialed Dimitri''s line, and immediately he was done with the phone call and Dimitri texted Sonia''s address to him, he drove off to find Sonia.

 Chapter 463 Numb

    <h2 style="font-size: 22.4px;">?463 Numb</h2>

    J and Evelyn sat in the kitchen, drinking tea while Evelynughed uncontrobly as J told her how she had taken her advice and ruined Rachel''s clothes. That was of course after Evelyn had told J all about her and Desmond''s date the previous day.

    "I can''t believe you really did that," Evelyn said in amusement since she hadn''t exactly expected J to go along with it.

    "You have no idea how upset I was until you gave me that suggestion. And even though I realize how petty and childish it was, that was the only thing I could do to express my anger at that moment. I''m surprised the brat hasn''t said a word or done anything. I was counting on hering over here to create a scene or something so I can do some hair pulling," J said, and Evelyn giggled as she took a sip from the ginger and honey tea.

    "You wouldn''t do that."

    "Oh, trust me, I would have. To think she has been tracking Lucas this whole time. Can you believe that?" J said angrily, and Evelyn shook her head.

    "She needs to get a mental evaluation. How is Lucas by the way?" Evelyn asked curiously, and J told her about Lucas'' trip to visit Tyler.

    "Oh, that''s such a relief! There is nothing like a nice vacation to clear the head," Evelyn said with a relieved smile, and J sighed as she nodded in agreement.

    "Are you okay?" Evelyn asked after some time, and J looked at her.

    "Yeah. Why?"

    "When you opened the door your face was dull and your eyes were puffy like you had been crying for some time. I assumed it was because you were worried about Lucas, but now I''m not so sure anymore. Did something else happen?" Evelyn asked, and J sighed.

    "What do you know about Harry?" She asked, wanting to talk about it.

    "By Harry do you mean Tom''s best friend?" Evelyn asked, since that was the only Harry it made sense that J would be asking her about it.

    "Yes. What is he like?" J asked curiously.

    The family Sara abandoned had been all she could think of since Lucy told her about Aaron and Harry the previous evening. She was both worried and curious about Harry and his father.

    Evelyn looked at J in confusion, wondering why she was asking her about Harry at that moment "He is a nice boy. Can hardly tell a lie without getting caught. He''s loyal too and very good-looking. Why do you ask?" Evelyn asked, and J sighed, not sure if it was okay to tell Evelyn about it yet.

    "Have you ever met his parents?" J asked, but Evelyn shook her head.

    "No. His mother iste, but I''ve spoken with his father over the phone a couple of times. He''s a pleasant man. Funny and sweet," Evelyn said with a fond smile as she thought of Aaron.

    "Are you going to tell me what is going on or do you n on asking me more questions?" Evelyn asked when she noticed the tears that were gathered in J''s eyes.

    "Oh, Evelyn! What am I supposed to do now?" J asked with a sniffle, and Evelyn''s brows pulled together.

    "What are you supposed to do about what? Did Lucy say she is in love with Harry? I suggest you ask her to get her sights off him! She belongs to my Tom, and Harry belongs to my Jade," Evelyn said, and despite her tears, J smiled.

    "Jade?"

    "Yeah. Although those two are slow, but there''s something between them. At least Desmond and I are hoping so," Evelyn confided, and J sighed.

    "Did Tom tell you anything about Harry?" She asked, and Evelyn shook her head.

    "Anything like what? Did something happen to Harry?" Evelyn asked with a concerned frown, and J quickly shook her head as she looked at the woman who she now considered her friend, and not just Tom''s mother.

    She had been surprised to see Tom''s parents standing outside her door with Sonia when she opened the door.

    Despite the close rtionship they had shared at Tom''s home, she never would have expected them toe down to visit them immediately after they got back from their trip. That was touching.

    "Did I tell you I was born a triplet? Two girls and a boy?" J asked, and Evelyn''s eyes lit up with interest.

    "We both know you didn''t! You wouldn''t be asking me that question if you did," Evelyn said as she leaned forward in her seat.

    "So where are the others? I heard multiple pregnancies is some times hereditary. I guess it''s true seeing how you have twins yourself," Evelyn said, deliberately choosing not to ask her why she was talking about her siblings when she had asked a question about Harry.

    She believed that whatever it was, J was eventually going to get to it, so there was no need to push or rush it.

    "The boy died. And my sister... Well, we are estranged. I haven''t seen her in thirty years untilst night," J said, and Evelyn''s eyes widened.

    "Thirty years? What could have happened to make you stay away from each other for that long? What about your parents?" Evelyn asked, and she listened patiently as J told her about Sara and their parents.

    "Oh, dear! I can''t imagine how upset you must have been when she showed up. To think she wasn''t even remorseful," Evelyn murmured when J finished her story.

    "I am even more upset now after I heard from Lucy. If Lucy had told me the details of their meeting before I saw her, I don''t know what I would have done to her," J said, and Evelyn looked at her curiously.

    "Lucy met with her? Why?" Evelyn asked, and J sighed as she told her what Lucy had said about Sara being Harry''s biological mother.

    "Harry? Do you mean his mother is not dead? She not only abandoned her son but also sold her own daughter?" Evelyn asked as she shook her head in disbelief.

    Was it possible that any sane mother would do something like this?

    "I have been unable to think about anything else since I heard from Lucy. My heart keeps aching and I find myself crying each time I think about them," J said and Evelyn shook her head.

    "Both Harry and his father are going to be devastated when they find out the truth about the missing twin they assumed was dead. Perhaps I should give Tom a call to find out what''s going on," Evelyn said as she took out her phone, but J shook her head.

    "I don''t think that''s a good idea. He probably hasn''t told you about it because he doesn''t want to do so yet. I should give Lucy a call instead and find out how they''re doing," J said as she stood from there and went to get her phone from the living room, leaving Evelyn who was still stunned by the fact that Harry was J''s nephew.

    J dialed Lucy''s line as she returned to join Evelyn, and almost immediately Lucy received the phone call.

    "Hey, Mom!" Lucy greeted as she rose from her seat.

    "I will be outside the door, Jam," Lucy told Jamal, who was still holding on to Aaron''s hand, before walking out of the room.

    "Is Jamal there with you? Aren''t you at the office?" J asked curiously immediately she heard his name, and Evelyn''s ears perked up at the mention of Jamal''s name.

    "Yes. We took him to the office with us, but we are at the hospital right now. Harry''s dad suffered a heart attack earlier..."

    "Oh, no! How is he doing?" J asked in rm, and Lucy sighed.<sub> </sub>

    "He''s not awake yet. He finally told Harry the truth, and I told him about Sara being your sister, and about the missing twin. I guess his heart couldn''t take it," Lucy said, and tears gathered in both their eyes.

    "Oh, poor man! What about Harry? How is he taking everything?" J asked with concern.

    "He''s trying to act like everything is alright, but I know he is hurting, mom. Especially now that he knows Candace is his twin sister..."

    "His twin sister? You''ve found her already?" J asked in confusion as she looked at Evelyn who was motioning to her to ce the call on speaker so she could hear what Lucy was saying.

    "Yes. It''s Candace. Jamal''s mom," Lucy said just as J ced the call on speaker, and immediately J exchanged a look with Evelyn.

    "Candace?" Evelyn asked without thinking, and Lucy frowned when she heard another voice.

    "You are not alone?" She asked her mother.

    "I''m here with Evelyn. She and Desmond are visiting," J said after ring at Evelyn.

    "Oh!" Lucy said with a slight frown, not impressed that her mother hadn''t told her that someone else was listening in on the call. What if she had said something she wasn''t supposed to say?

    "Hello, Lucy! I hope you don''t mind that your mom told me everything?" Evelyn asked politely.

    "Of course, I don''t..."

    "What do you mean that Jamal''s mom is Harry''s twin sister?" J cut in with a frown as she thought about Candace and the few times they had shared the same space.

    "We already took the DNA samples to theb for testing, the result should be out by tomorrow. But Jade and Candace already confirmed it," Lucy said, and J''s brows pulled together.

    Candace was Sara''s daughter? How possible was that?

    "How? How did they confirm it?" Evelyn asked curiously, and Lucy exined that Jade had been the first to notice a resemnce between Candace and Sara.

    "How can Jade notice a resemnce when even your mother didn''t notice any simrities?" Evelyn asked, and J frowned.

    In the short time they had stayed at Tom''s ce, she had noticed that Candace preferred to be alone. It was as though she was ufortable being in theirpany, and preferred to spend time with the helps in the kitchen instead.

    She only joined them when she was bringing Jamal to them, oring to take him, so she couldn''t say she had spent enough time in Candace''spany to notice any simrities between her and Sara.

    She paused when she recalled that the first time they saw Candace and Jamal, Andrew had jokingly said Candace reminded him of her when she was that age, and they hadughed over it.

    But did she really not notice any resemnce between Candace and Sara? J mused. Perhaps she had just not taken note of it and even if she had thought anything, she wouldn''t have made a big deal out of it since she couldn''t even remember thest time she thought of Sara.

    "Does that mean Jamal is Sara''s grandson?" J asked no one in particr since she had zoned out of the conversation between Evelyn and Lucy.

    "Candace is on her way there?" Evelyn was asking Lucy.

    "Yes, I need to go back in now. I can''t leave Jamal alone with Aaron for too long."

    "Of course. Give my love to Jamal and let him know I''ll call back to speak with him soon. Let us know whatever happens, Lucy," Evelyn said and touched J''s arm to get her attention.

    "Let me know when he wakes up," J said with a sigh before hanging up the call.

    "None of this makes sense. I should ask Andrew about it," J said with a frown as she stood up to go meet Andrew, and Evelyn followed her wondering what she wanted to ask Andrew about.

    "Did you mean it when you said Candace reminded you of me when I was young?" J asked as she walked into the living room, and Andrew''s gaze shifted from the television screen to his wife.

    "Did he tell you that?" Evelyn asked J curiously, and she gave her a nod.

    Desmond''s gaze shifted to his wife when he heard her voice, making him wonder what the women were about.

    "Candace? Who is Candace?" Andrew asked in confusion.

    "Jamal''s mom," Evelyn supplied, and Desmond raised a brow.

    "C''mon, I said that a long time ago, how can you be bringing that up now when youughed over it when I said it? Are you itching for a fight?" Andrew asked, and J hissed impatiently.

    "Did you mean it or not?"

    Andrew nced at Evelyn for help, "What were youdies discussing?"

    "Lucy just told us that Candace is her twin sister''s daughter," Evelyn exined, and Andrew nced at his wife immediately.

    "Jamal''s mom is Sara''s daughter? How? Does that mean she is Tom''s best friend''s missing twin sister?" Andrew asked, and Desmond looked at all of them in confusion.

    "Are you talking about my son''s best friend, Harry?"

    "Yes, Des. Apparently, Harry and Candace are twins, and their mother is J''s twin sister," Evelyn exined, making Desmond look at her in disbelief.

    "You mean Harry''ste mom is your twin sister? Are you close to Harry?" Desmond asked, thinking that if she was Harry''s aunt she would have a close rtionship with Harry.

    "She is notte. I will exin it to youter," Evelyn said, but Desmond was still confused.

    "Did Tom know about it before letting Candace live with him?" Desmond asked, but J shook her head.

    "No. They just found out about everything," J said as she sat down on the couch and Andrew went to sit beside her and ced his arm around her.

    "This has to be the coincidence of the century," Desmond murmured as he looked at his wife.

    "How are you?" Andrew asked, and J shook her head.

    "I don''t know. I just feel numb with shock. I just can''t believe all this," J said in a daze.

 Chapter 464 Good Job

    <h2 style="font-size: 22.4px;">?464 Good Job</h2>

    Apart from wanting to be alone for some time to sort through her thoughts and clear her head, the other reason Sonia had decided to stop by her apartment was to pick up her other phone which she had left behind when she traveled to pay Bryan a surprise visit.

    She hadn''t expected that she would spend so much time away from her apartment when she left to visit Bryan. Who would have thought that a lot would have happened between them in such a short time?

    She had been able to remain unreachable in thest couple of weeks because she had traveled with only her private phone with her which she used inmunicating with Lucy and in special emergency cases her editor.

    Being a writer there were times she wanted to  shut out the world, and at times like that she often left her general phone off and only used her private line which was strictly meant formunicating with Lucy.

    She had left the Hank family house without her phone and her apartment key since the n had been to drop by her apartment with Bryan, but thankfully, she had a spare key which she always left under the flowerpot beside her door, so getting into her apartment wouldn''t be a problem.

    Standing in front of her apartment now, she reached under her flowerpot for the key and unlocked the door.

    Her brows pulled into a frown when she stepped into her apartment and noticed that the ce didn''t look as abandoned as she had expected.

    As a matter of fact, it looked like someone had been living there for some time and a male shirt was strewn across the single couch in the living room.

    She decided not to close the door behind her following her self-preservation instinct.

    What was going on? She mused as she headed for the bedroom, and she froze by the bedroom door when she heard the sound of the shower.

    "Who is in there?" She called from the doorway without going into the bedroom.

    "Sony? Is that you?" A male voice that she recognized called back, making her frown.

    Derek? What was he doing in her apartment? How did he get in?

    A momentter Derek stepped out of the bathroom with her towel wrapped around his waist, "I see you are back. Wee home," Derek said with a pleased smile.

    "What the fuck are you doing in my apartment?" Sonia hissed in annoyance.

    "I needed a ce to chill so I figured I could stay here since you are not around," Derek said with a shrug.

    "And so you invited yourself into my apartment just like that?" Sonia asked unable to believe what she was hearing.

    "I tried calling but there was no way to reach you. And I texted you on Instagram but you didn''t respond to my text," Derek said, and Sonia scowled at him.

    "How did you get in here without a key?"

    "I have a duplicate of your apartment key," Derek said, and Sonia shut her eyes as she prayed for self-control.

    "How long have you beening here like this?"

    "You are my girlfriend..."

    "WAS!" Sonia snapped at him.

    "You know what? I don''t care how you got the key or when. Get your stuff and get out of my apartment this moment before I''m forced to call the police," she said, jerking her head to the door.<sub> </sub>

    "Is the big shot actor not here with you?" Derek asked, looking behind her.

    Sonia''s eyes shed angrily when she remembered what Bryan had said about receiving a text from Derek, "What did you say to Bryan?" She asked, and Derek smiled as he let the towel fall to the ground.

    "Nothing that isn''t true. I guess he''s not here with you. Do I sense trouble in paradise already?" Derek asked, not minding that he was naked as he approached Sonia.

    "If you take one more step towards me, I will make you regret it for life," Sonia warned in a deadly tone.

    "C''mon, Sony! Don''t you miss me? Does Bryan fuck you better? You always said you loved the size and feel of my cock inside you. You even wrote about us, remember? You called me your favorite man. Don''t you miss this?" Derek asked as he dangled his rod in front of him.

    "Shut your fucking clueless mouth and get lost before I''m forced to cut off your cock and stuff your rotten mouth with it!" Sonia yelled angrily, feeling both angry and disgusted as she looked around her for something she could throw at him.

    She couldn''t believe that she had been crazy enough to have gotten herself involved with a fool like Derek.

    "Rx, babe..."

    Without letting him finish Sonia stormed out of there and went to the kitchen drawer to get a knife, "Get the fuck out this moment before I make good my threat!" She yelled at him and seeing how angry she was, he could tell it wasn''t an idle threat so he raised both hands.

    "Alright. No need for violence or threat. You know how to find me when things go south with Mr celebrity," Derek said with an easy smile as he picked up his trouser from the bed and pulled it on without wearing any underwear.

    Still pointing the knife at him, Sonia held the door open as she waited for him to pick up his belt and get out of her bedroom, and once he did she followed him with the knife and watched as he picked his shirt from the couch.

    "Not so fast. Where is my key?" she said when he started heading for the door, and Derek hesitantly dipped a hand into his pocket and took out the single key that he ced on her table.

    "Now get lost," Sonia said, and Derek winked at her before walking out of the house.

    Once Derek shut the door behind him, he pulled on his shirt and started to wear his belt. He was still putting on his belt when Bryan arrived, and immediately he saw Bryan, he chuckled as he adjusted the waistline of his trousers.

    Bryan froze when he saw Derek. He recognized him from his disy picture on Instagram. What was he doing at Sonia''s apartment? Bryan mused, and his stomach churned when Derek raised a hand to his wet hair andbed through it.

    Why was his hair wet? Did he have his bath in there? Bryan mused, unable to hide his curiosity.

    "You arete to the party, buddy," Derek said with a suggestive grin as he walked past Bryan who remained where he stood, staring at him as he walked away while wondering if there was any need to go in to see Sonia again.

    Once Derek walked away from there and got into a cab, he dialed Jeff''s line, "You are such an evil genius! It worked out even better than I imagined," Derek said excitedly.

    "Did something else happen?" Jeff asked curiously when he heard Derek''s excitement.

    "I guess the universe is on your side. Sonia didn''t only show up, Bryan did too. He saw me leaving her apartment and judging by the look on his face I don''t think he''s going to believe anything she has to say," Derek said, and a satisfied smile tugged the corners of Jeff''s lips.

    "That means they will be breaking up soon, right," Jeff said with approval.

    "Did your man get the pictures?" Derek asked, thinking about how famous he would be if the photos got out with the news that he was screwing Bryan''s fiancee.

    "Yes, they did. Good job. I will send the rest of your money immediately after I hang up," Jeff said before hanging up the call.

 Chapter 465 Bad Dream

    "I thought you left with Harry?" Lucy asked as she turned away from Aaron and Jamal to the door when Tom walked inside the room.

    "I dropped him off at his apartment. He wants to be alone so I left. How is Aaron doing?" Tom asked as his gaze moved to the bed where Jamal, who was now lying down on the little space beside Aaron, was sleeping.

    "He has been stable. He was crying in his sleep initially but he is calm now. How is Harry?" Lucy asked as she rose from her seat to meet Tom, and he sighed.

    "I don''t know. I wish I knew. He is not saying much. I''m even more worried because he''s trying so hard to act like he''s fine," Tom said with a worried frown.

    "Maybe you shouldn''t have left him alone?" Lucy said, but Tom shook his head.

    "He''s better off alone right now. I think he needs to be alone to process everything," Tom said, and Lucy sighed.

    "Your mom is aware of everything. I spoke with her a short while ago," Lucy said, and Tom raised a brow.

    "Why did you tell her about it?"

    "They are visiting my parents," Lucy said as she exined the details of the phone call to him.

    "I see. I will give her a callter then," Tom said, and Lucy gave him a nod.

    "When will they get here?" Lucy asked, referring to Jade and Candace as she nced back at the bed to look at Aaron and Jamal.

    Tom nced at his wristwatch, "They should get here within the next hour. They moved two hours ago," Tom said, and Lucy nodded.

    "That''s fine. Have you been able toe up with a n yet?" Lucy asked, but Tom shook his head.

    "Let''s not talk about that right now. I have to return to the office to take care of things. I already asked Adolf to deliver lunch to you here," Tom said as he kissed her forehead.

    "Let me know if you need anything," Tom said and before he could walk away, Lucy grabbed his hand.

    "I''m sorry about the incident in the car. I''ve been thinking about it, and I was wrong..."

    "I can''t talk about that right now, Lu. Let''s talkter," Tom cut in as he nced at his wristwatch.

    "I have to take care of something at the office," Tom said as he kissed her lips, and she gave him a nod she watched him walk away.

    Lucy turned to the bed when she heard Aaron groan behind her.

    "Harry?" Aaron called softly.

    She walked over to the bed quickly, "Aaron? Are you awake now? How are you feeling?" She asked as she looked at him with concern, but Aaron was looking at the kid who was holding his hand and sleeping next to him.

    Slowly he raised his eyes to meet Lucy and his brows furrowed in confusion, "Lucy?" He called looking disoriented as he looked down at the kid who was lying next to him.

    For a moment there he had thought he was dreaming and the kid beside him was little Harry, but seeing Lucy now he wasn''t so sure anymore if he was seeing things or dreaming.

    Seeing the way he was staring at Jamal, Lucy quickly understood his confusion, "His name is Jamal. He is with me," she said, not sure if it was time to tell him who Jamal was. She wasn''t sure it was her ce to make such introductions.

    She was just going to wait for Candace to arrive and then let them do the introduction themselves.

    "Why am I here? Where is Harry?" Aaron asked as he tried to sit up, rousing Jamal from sleep in the process.

    Lucy was quick to ce a hand on Aaron''s shoulder to stop him, "You shouldn''t sit up yet. I have to get the doctor," Lucy said as she pressed the tiny bell beside his bed.

    Jamal''s eyes lit up when he realized that Aaron was awake, and he sat up and faced Aaron, "It worked. You are awake," Jamal said with a cheerful smile.

    "What worked?" Aaron asked as he looked into Jamal''s brown eyes which seemed to remind him of Harry''s.

    "He said you will feel better if I hold your hands like I held his hand," Jamal exined making Aaron look down at his hand which Jamal was still holding, before looking at Lucy with sad questioning eyes.

    "Harry said he could hold your hands," Lucy exined. She could tell he had a lot of questions, but it was best to start by answering the easier ones.

    "Who is the kid? And where is Harry?" Aaron asked once again as he returned his gaze to Jamal, wondering who the kid was and what he was doing there with them.

    Lucy refrained from saying, ''Your grandson'' but before she could say anything Jamal spoke again.

    "My name is Jamal. I''ve been wiping your tears and holding your hands while you slept," Jamal said, and Aaron looked at Lucy with questioning eyes, but before he could ask any more questions a doctor and two nurses walked in to check his vitals.<sub> </sub>

    Jamal watched with curious interest as they checked him, and once they were done, Lucy walked out with the doctor to hear what he had to say, leaving Jamal alone with Aaron.

    "Where is my son?" Aaron asked Jamal since he seemed to know a lot of things.

    "He left with Tom," Jamal said thoughtfully, and Aaron sighed.

    Was Harry still mad at him?

    "But you don''t have to worry, Lucy won''t leave you. I won''t leave too," Jamal promised with a reassuring smile, leaving Aaron no choice but to smile back at him.

    "Why are you in a hospital? Where are your parents?" Aaron asked curiously.

    "I don''t know where my father is. My mother traveled with thewyerdy to catch some bad people, so I''m living with Tom and Lucy. They are my gardners," Jamal said, while Aaron looked at him thoughtfully.

    "Gardners?" Aaron asked, and then his lips twitched when he realized what Jamal meant.

    "They are your guardians," he said in amusement, and Jamal bobbed his head.

    "Is your heart still aching?" Jamal asked as he looked at him curiously and let go of Aaron''s hand to ce a hand on Aaron''s chest.

    "My heart?" Aaron asked curiously.

    Jamal bobbed his head, "When people feel sad their heart aches and it makes them cry," Jamal exined reasonably.

    Aaron nodded, "My heart still aches," he confessed, and Jamal''s brows pulled together.

    "Are you going to get sick again? Do you need me to hold your hands again until you feel all better?" Jamal asked and took Aaron''s hand again just as Lucy returned to join them.

    "How long have I been here? I had a bad dream," Aaron cut in, and Lucy looked at him curiously.

    "What dream?"

    "We were in Harry''s office. Me, you, and Harry. I think Tom joined us. You said something about my daughter," Aaron''s eyes filled up with tears as he spoke, and Lucy''s brows pulled together.

    "What did I say?"

    "You even yed a voice recording..."

    Oh, dear! Was he thinking all of that was a dream? Lucy mused with a concerned frown.

    "It wasn''t a dream?" Aaron asked when he noticed the worry on Lucy''s face.

    "Let''s not talk about that until you are well, okay?" Lucy said as she touched his shoulder lightly.

    "Does that mean I told Harry the truth?" Aaron asked, and Lucy reluctantly gave him a nod.

    "The kid says Harry left with Tom?" Aaron asked Lucy, and she gave him a nod.

    "Yes. He went home. I will give him a call..."

    "Is that why he is not here? Is he mad at me because I told him the truth?"

    "Not at all. You don''t have to worry. Harry''s not mad at you. All his anger is directed at Sara," she assured him with a forced smile.

    "Are you telling me the truth?" Aaron asked, and Lucy gave him a nod.

    "He said he needs to clear his head ande up with a way to take care of Sara," Lucy added when Aaron continued to look at her skeptically.

    "She is telling you the truth. He said he''s upset but he''s not mad at you," Jamal supplied, surprising Lucy who hadn''t expected Jamal to understand what they had been talking about earlier.

    "Did he really say that?" Aaron asked, and Jamal gave him a nod.

    "I was there when he said it. That was what he said when Lucy asked him not to leave so you wouldn''t think he was mad at you when you wake up," Jamal exined, and Lucy made a mental note to be careful of her words around Jamal. The kid seemed to be more intelligent and observant than she had thought.

    "I should let Harry know that you are up now. That will make him feel better," Lucy said as she took out her phone from her handbag and dialed Harry''s line.

 Chapter 466 Conflict

    Inside Sonia''s apartment, she threw the towel Derek had used into the trashcan in the kitchen and went about cleaning up the ce to remove every trace of him before going to take out her phone from the drawer she had kept it.

    She sighed when she turned on the phone and many texts came up. Some of the texts were from bloggers and journalists who had texted to know if the rumor about her fake engagement with Bryan was true or not, and a couple was from Derek telling her he loved her and begging her to get back with him.

    It was funny how she was just seeing their texts now. She was d that she had left this phone behind after all.

    She contemted giving Lucy a call but decided against it since she wasn''t really in the mood to speak to anyone. She was still very pissed.

    She had a lot on her mind as shey on her bed thinking about her misunderstanding with Bryan and his parents'' advice to her to help him understand that their rtionship was different.

    Although she understood what they meant, she couldn''t help feeling angry and hurt that Bryan would easily jump to such conclusions about her and trivialize their rtionship.

    Regardless of whatever text he had received from Derek, she expected him to know better. She expected him to talk to her about it reasonably not hurl usations at her the way he had done.

    She nced at the door when she heard the doorbell and she ignored it, thinking that Derek hade back.

    She tried to focus on her thoughts but when the doorbell remained persistent, she picked up the knife from where she had left it on the table and stormed to the door angrily.

    "You must have a death wish..." The rest of her words were forgotten when she saw Bryan standing by the door instead of Derek.

    "Were you expecting someone else?" Bryan asked, as his gaze traveled from her angry face to the knife she had been brandishing a moment ago.

    He had been on his way back home when he decided to go back and confront her, but this wasn''t the scene he had been expecting to find. Fuck, he didn''t know what he had been expecting, but certainly not an enraged Sonia.

    "What are you doing here?" she hissed at Bryan in annoyance as she returned inside the apartment leaving Bryan to decide if he wanted to go in or not.

    Sonia threw the knife on the table and sat on the couch as she waited for him toe in, and once he shut the door behind him she red at him as she stood up.

    "What was he doing here?" Bryan asked, and Sonia''s eyes shed angrily.

    "If you saw him leaving, why are you asking me such a stupid question? Why didn''t you ask him that? It''s not like you are going to believe anything I say anyway, so what''s the point? Go to him and get some more information. Get the fuck out," Sonia yelled, pointing at the door for him to leave.

    "Sonia..."

    "I don''t care whatever nonsense that idiot said to you, but you had no fucking reason to insult me or talk to me the way you did earlier, you hear me? Yes, I was absentminded for a while today, so what? Weren''t we in bed together justst night talking about our future? Is what we have so fickle that any fool like Derek can get into your stupid head with some fucking text..." Sonia red at Bryan when he opened his mouth to speak and she raised a finger.

    "No, I don''t want to hear a word from you! You had your chance earlier in YOUR house and you did a fucking good job of pissing me off with it. Now you are in MY space and you are going to listen to me or you can get the fuck out of here and never show your dumb ugly face around me again," Sonia said as she moved closer to him, and Bryan''s brow arched.

    "Yes, I have fucked around with my fair share of guys but so have you. You are not exactly snow white yourself, so you have no fucking right to judge me by that! Yes, I''ve written about some of them too and that is perfectly natural. I do not owe you any apology for choosing to use my ex-boyfriend as my muse. If you have a problem with it, then go fuck yourself!" Sonia yelled, poking his chest with her fingers.

    "You don''t want me to write about you? That''s fine. I will tear up the whole goddamn book about us, but this had better be thest time you insult me and my feelings for you, or we are done," Sonia finished, and when she stopped to catch her breath, Bryan pulled her close and kissed her passionately, but Sonia bit his lips and she pushed him away.

    "Don''t you dare think I''m the kind of girl you can shut up with a kiss! I demand an apology for that shit you pulled!" Sonia hissed, while Bryan licked his lip where she bit.

    "I also demand an exnation for your attitude earlier, and I also want to know why he walked out of your apartment with his hair wet. And why you were holding a knife," Bryan said, and Sonia crossed both hands in front of her.<sub> </sub>

    Sonia took a deep breath, but before she could speak, Bryan''s phone started ringing, and he scowled when he saw that it was a call from Jeff.

    "What?" He asked impatiently immediately after he received the call.

    "Is the conflict to your liking?" Jeff asked excitedly, and Bryan frowned.

    "What?"

    "Last night you asked me to work on a conflict for you and Sonia," Jeff reminded him.

    "What? You nned all of this?" Bryan asked as he looked away from Sonia.

    "If you''re asking about Derek, yes I did. It caused conflict, didn''t it?" Jeff asked matter of factly.

    "Are you crazy?" Bryan yelled at Jeff, and he held the phone away from his ear in surprise.

    "What is wrong?" Sonia asked with a concerned frown when she noticed how angry Bryan looked.

    "I''m sorry. Jeff set the whole thing up," Bryan said apologetically, and Sonia raised a brow as she took the phone from Bryan.

    It made sense that it was Jeff''s n. Jeff had been aware of all their movements from the moment they left Sogal. Fuck! How could he not have guessed it was Jeff? That crazy motherfucker!

    "Hello, Jeff? Are you still there?" Sonia asked as she ced the call on speaker.

    "I don''t know the details of what your ex-boyfriend did over there or why Bryan sounds so annoyed when I was only doing him a favor. Bryan said you both needed some conflict in your rtionship, and we both agreed I find one of your ex-boyfriends to create one. I don''t understand why he is so surprised and pissed," Jeff exined, and Sonia didn''t know whether to be annoyed or amused.

    "You didn''t give me a heads up or tell me that you got one already, you asshole!" Bryan snapped at him.

    "How would it be a real conflict if I gave you a heads up? I should as well have given Sonia a heads-up too you ungrateful bastard!" Jeff snapped back equally pissed.

    "How did you know about Derek, and how did you get him to do this? Does Derek know the details?" Sonia asked curiously, wondering why Derek would voluntarily make a fool of himself.

    "It''s hard not to know he''s your ex when hisment is all over your posts. I checked his profile and saw some of your photos together.

    He doesn''t know I''m Bryan''s manager, and he doesn''t know it''s all a game either. He only believes I''m trying to destroy your rtionship so he''s happy to help. In exchange for his service I promised to pay him and publish his photos on the inte as your ex-boyfriend," Jeff exined and Sonia sighed.

    "Thanks. This is more than enough conflict. We will take care of the rest," Sonia said as she hung up the call before facing Bryan.

    "I''m sorry. I didn''t know things would go this far," Bryan said shamefacedly.

    "I appreciate your trying to help me create conflict, but everything that happened goes to show you don''t trust me. We need to fix that," Sonia said as she pointed to the couch for Bryan to sit on it.

 Chapter 467 Sound Asleep

    As soon as the ne touched down at the airport, Jade took Candace''s hands and pulled her with her as she walked in hurried step away from there to the spot they were to pick up their bags.

    After they had gotten their bags and were headed out of the building, she took out her phone and dialed Tom''s line, "We are in Ludus now. Where are you guys?" Jade asked in an urgent tone.

    "I just left the office. I''m on my way to the hospital to join Lucy and Jamal. Aaron is awake now. Where are you? I sent someone to get you from the airport. His name is Gad," Tom said just in time as Jade spotted a man who was dressed in a chauffeur uniform, standing beside a ck car and waving a card with her name on it.

    "That''s great! Give me a moment I think I''ve seen him," Jade said as she turned to Candace.

    "That''s our ride," Jade said to Candace as they walked towards the man.

    "Miss Hank?" The man asked politely when they stopped in front of him, and Jade gave him a nod when she saw the name tag on the front of his shirt.

    "I received instruction from Mr. Hank to bring you to I-Global hospital," the man said as he held open the passenger door for them to get in.

    "What about Harry? Where is he?" Jade asked Tom as they got into the car.

    "He went home. He wanted to be left alone," Tom exined, leaving out the fact that Harry was not receiving his phone call.

    He had received a call from Lucy, informing him that she had tried reaching Harry several times to inform him that Aaron was up, but Harry was not picking up his phone.

    He had tried reaching Harry too, but there was no response either.

    Although he was worried about Harry and was feeling tempted to check on him, he knew that Harry wouldn''t do anything stupid. If he was ignoring their phone calls, it was most likely because he really wanted to be left alone so there was no cause for rm. At least not yet.

    Jade nced at her wristwatch. As much as she cared about Aaron and wanted to see him, she wanted most to be with Harry right now.

    "Candace will meet you guys at the hospital, but I will drop by at Harry''s first. I will join you after I''ve seen how he''s doing."

    "I don''t think that''s a good idea. I just told you Harry wants to be alone. He''s not even receiving his phone calls..."

    "That''s all the more reason I should check on him. He''s the reason I''m here, Tom. I will let him be alone after I''ve made sure he''s okay," Jade insisted stubbornly and hung up the call before Tom could protest any further or discourage her.

    Jade turned to Candace whose hands were folded on her thighs as she stared ahead of her with a worried expression as she gnawed on her lower lip.

    Jade took her hands, causing Candace to turn to her with questioning eyes, "Did you say something?" She asked, thinking that Jade had said something which she missed.

    "No, I didn''t. I guess you are still feeling very nervous," Jade observed with a small smile which Candace returned stiffly.

    "Yes, I am. You would be too if you were in my shoes," Candace said as she ced a hand on her stomach which was churning nervously.

    "Yes, anyone would be nervous. But you are not just anyone. You are a strong, brave, and beautiful woman. I do not doubt that you will handle yourself properly. Don''t worry, everything will turn out fine. Thankfully, Aaron is conscious now," Jade said, and Candace gave her a nod.

    "That''s good," Candace said with a sigh.

    "I know this might sound crazy considering the fact that I dragged you here, but do you mind going there alone? Tom, Lucy, and Jamal are there. I need to stop by Harry''s house and see how he''s doing before climbing to the hospital," Jade said, and Candace frowned.

    "What am I supposed to say to them or do when I get there?" Candace asked as she looked down at her hands.

    "All you have to do is get there. Tom and Lucy will be waiting for you. And I''m positive they won''t be doing any introduction without Harry. So you have nothing to worry about," Jade assured her.

    "Is he okay? Why is he at home when his dad is in the hospital?" Candace asked, and Jade sighed.

    "He must be upset and wants to be alone. Who wouldn''t be after finding out that the angelic mother he thought was dead his whole life is actually alive and had actually abandoned him?" Jade said, and Candace sighed.

    "You''re right. You should go to him," Candace encouraged, and Jade embraced her.

    "I will give you a call to find out how you''re doing, alright? And I will see if I can pull Harry with me to the hospital," Jade said, and Candace gave her a nod as she embraced her back.

    "Pull the car over at the next stop, please. I have to get out," Jade told the chauffeur, and he did as he was told.

    "Be good," Jade called to Candace as she got out of the car with her handbag and luggage bag.

    Although Candace was tempted to ask her why she was going over to Harry''s apartment with her luggage bag, Candace resisted the urge and waved at her as the driver drove off.

    Jade took a deep breath before gging down a cab. As she got into the cab she tried to assure herself that she was doing the right thing by going to be with Harry.

    Although she wasn''t sure yet how to go about whatever it was they had between them, she believed she could be there for him as a friend for the time being, in the same manner, he had been there for her when he flew down to be with her.<sub> </sub>

    Jade got out of the cab when it stopped in front of Harry''s apartment and after paying the driver she took her luggage bag and slowly made her way to Harry''s apartment floor.

    When she got to his door, she shut her eyes and took a deep breath as she ced a hand on her chest where her heart was beating really fast like it was going to explode.

    "Rx, Jady. He won''t send you away. It''s Harry," she assured herself and once she believed she was calm enough she pushed the doorbell.

    She waited for some seconds and when there was no response from inside she repeated the process two more times. When there was still no response she keyed in the passcode that he had shown her thest time, hoping he had not changed it yet, and thankfully, the door opened.

    She walked into the house and paused by the living room when she saw his phone vibrating on the table. When she went closer to it and picked it up, she saw that it was Tom, and received the call.

    "Hey, Tom! It''s Jade," she said immediately after she received the call.

    "What are you doing with Harry''s phone?" Tom asked not knowing whether to feel relieved that she was there or annoyed that she had gotten there before he could reach Harry and let him know she wasing over.

    "What do you think I''m doing? ying candy crush with it?" Jade asked dryly.

    "Has Candace arrived there yet?" She asked curiously.

    "Not yet. Where is Harry?"

    "I just got into his apartment. I''m yet to see him, but I saw his phone on the table. I will call you back after I see him," Jade said, and without waiting for Tom to say another word she hung up the call.

    "Harry?" She called as she walked down the hallway to his bedroom.

    "Harry are you in? It''s Jade," she called again as she knocked on his bedroom door, and when there was no response, she frowned as she turned the knob.

    When she opened the door, she was surprised to see Harry curled up on the bed in a fetal position still wearing his work clothes.

    She quickly walked across the room to his bed, "Harry?" She called softly as she sat at the edge of his bed and observed his face.

    Hisshes were wet as though he had been crying, and his nose looked red and stood out in his pale face.

    Her heart broke for him when she saw how pale he looked and the dark circles under his eyes. He seemed to have been having a tough time.

    Seeing that he was in a deep sleep, she didn''t have the heart to wake him up. So she quietly walked out of his room and picked up her luggage bag from the living room which she took with her to the guest room where she had stayed thest time.

    Once she was in the room, she dialed Tom''s line, "He''s sound asleep," she said immediately after Tom received the call.

    Tom looked at Aaron, "Jade says he''s sleeping. I guess that''s why he''s not taking his phone call," Tom informed Aaron who had begun to worry.

    "Can I speak with her?" Aaron asked, and Tom passed the phone to him.

    Tom gave Lucy a nod when she looked at him questioningly. He could tell she wanted to be sure he was telling the truth and that Harry was okay since she too had begun to worry.

    "Hello, Jade! It''s Aaron," Aaron greeted in a weak voice.

    "Aaron! I''m sorry I couldn''te directly to the hosp..."

    "The apology is not necessary. I''m d you went to him instead. I have enough people fussing over me here already. How is my boy doing?" Aaron asked in a worried voice and Jade sighed.

    "He doesn''t look so good. I think he cried a lot before going to sleep," Jade said honestly, knowing that Aaron would prefer an honest response. It would be crazy if anyone expected him to be fine after all that revtion.

    "Please don''t leave his side. Don''t wake up him either. I don''t think he has had a good sleep for the past two days and he looked stressed out earlier. If you can, please get him something to eat when he wakes up. He barely touched his mealst night," Aaron said, and Jade nodded.

    "Sure. I will. Don''t worry yourself, Aaron. Focus on getting well quickly and let me worry about Harry. I will ensure that he is fine," Jade promised.

    "Thank you, Jade," Aaron said feeling very grateful that she cared about Harry enough to fly down to be with him.

    Tom took the phone from Aaron and stepped away from the room, "Call me when he wakes up," Tom said, and he paused when he looked down the hallway and saw Candace heading towards him.

    "Candace is here," Tom informed Jade.

    "Are you going to introduce her to Aaron now?" Jade asked curiously.

    "I can''t do that without Harry. I''ll call you back, Jade. Please take care of him," Tom said and hung up the call once Candace got to where he stood.

 Chapter 468 Welcome Back

    So many thoughts ran through Tom''s head as he looked at Candace who was standing in front of him, but the most prominent was that not only was she the mom of his favorite kid at the moment, but she was also Harry''s twin sister and Lucy''s cousin.

    Now that he looked at her closely, he could admit that there was a resemnce between them. One he would never have looked at her long enough to take note of until now.

    Based on his experience as a businessman and how good he was at reading people, he could tell that she was feeling very anxious judging by the way she looked back at him with both hands tightly gripping her handbag.

    "It''s good to see you again, Candace," Tom said with a wide weing smile as he stepped forward and opened his arms to embrace her the way he only weed family since she was family to him now.

    Candace stood stiffly as he embraced her. It was weird being weed and embraced this way by Tom especially considering the cold reception she had received from him when they first met.

    Now she had to wonder if he was being this weing only because of Harry or if he hade to befortable with her since she remembered that he had promised to take care of her and Jamal even before all these revtions came up.

    Tom pulled away, and looked into her face, "Jamal is inside. He will be very happy to see you," Tom said, and the worry lines between Candace''s brows rxed as did her grip on her handbag.

    "I''m sorry for imposing him on you the way I did. And thanks for looking after him and for every..."

    "I will stop you there. There''s no need for an apology or gratitude. Especially now that we are family. I believe everything happened as it was meant to. You have raised such a fine kid," Tom said, and Candace''s eyes lit up.

    "He''s something, isn''t he?" She asked, and Tom smiled.

    "He definitely is. Although he has been a thorn in my flesh. He seems to have a thing for older women. Your boy wants Lucy to be his girlfriend," Tom said, wanting to rx her since he had noticed she seemed to lighten up whenever she talked about Jamal.

    "Lucy?" Candace asked in amusement. Was that why Jamal had said he most preferred Lucy?

    "I have no idea why he is so smitten by her," Tom said, and Candace grinned.

    Thinking about it now, Lucy was the first adult Jamal had met in the house apart from the household staff. He had run into her that morning while he looked around Tom''s house. Perhaps it was love at first sight for her son. Who would have thought his first crush case would be for ady old enough to be his mother?

    "I will do my best to advise him to leave your girlfriend alone," Candace said, and Tom gave her a nod.

    "That will be very much appreciated," he said with mock relief before looking at her with serious eyes once again.

    "Harry is not here right now, so I won''t be doing any introductions. Aaron only knows that his daughter is alive, he doesn''t know we have found you already so you don''t have to be pressured. This way you can see how wonderful he is for yourself, and won''t have to think he''s only pretending to be good to you when he finds out you are his daughter," Tom said, and Candace took in a shuddering breath and gave him a forced smile as she nced at the door behind him.

    "Please be at ease, Candace. Although emotions are high right now, everyone is happy to have you here. Aaron and Harry will be most delighted to meet you," Tom assured her since he had noticed the worry in her eyes.

    "Thanks," Candace said with a nod.

    "Are you ready to go in?" He asked, and she gave him a nod again.

    Tom opened the door and stood back for her to go in, while the eyes of Aaron, Jamal, and Lucy moved to the door.

    "MOMMY!" Jamal who was seated on the bed with Aaron screeched loudly as he tried to get down from the bed, and Lucy smiled as she stood up and helped him get down.

    They all watched in amusement as Candace crouched down at once and held out her arms to catch Jamal who flung himself at her, her eyes gleaming with so much love for him.

    She buried her face in his hair and inhaled deeply as she embraced him while his tiny arms went around her neck.

    "I missed you so much, Jam. You missed me too, didn''t you?" Candace asked with a happy smile as she pulled away from the hug to look into his face and ran her hands over his hair, face and body.

    Jamal bobbed his head, "I missed you very much, but Lucy and Tom were very good to me so it wasn''t so bad without you," Jamal assured her as he touched her face, and Candace smiled as her gaze moved to Lucy and she gave her an acknowledging nod without looking in Aaron''s direction. She couldn''t bring herself to look the man in the face yet even though she could feel his gaze on her.

    "Are you back now? Did you and thewyerdy catch the bad people?" Jamal asked curiously, and Candace smiled as she gave him a nod even though a lump had formed in her throat because his father was one of the bad people and was dead now.

    She knew that a day woulde in the future when she would have to tell Jamal the whole truth about Jero. Although, Jamal was very smart and already knew that Jero wasn''t really a good person since they both didn''t exactly have a good father-and-son rtionship, but he would need to know how his father died.

    "Yes. We caught the bad people so I''m back," she said, and a different worry entered Jamal''s eyes as he looked at her.

    "Does that mean we have to go back home soon? Can we just stay here with Tom and Lucy instead? I''m sure they won''t mind since they have enough room for everyone, right Tom?" Jamal asked, and Tom gave him a nod.

    "See? And Tom already promised to give you a job in hispany. He has a really bigpany, I checked it out myself. And he said he will give us a car too if I leave Lucy alone. Can we stay here please?" Jamal asked, and Candace''s brows pulled together in a puzzled frown as she looked at Tom who was looking at Jamal with a mixture of interest and amusement.

    She didn''t know what to make of Jamal''s words about promises of a job. She could ask him about itter. This wasn''t the ce or time for that conversation, so she cleared her throat.

    "Why don''t we talk about itter, sweety? We can discuss the pros and cons then, agreed?" She asked, and Jamal gave her a nod making Tom raise a brow since the kid seemed to know what his mother meant by pros and cons.<sub> </sub>

    It was easy to see why he seemed so intelligent and mature for his age. His mother spoke with him like a grownup.

    Candace straightened but continued to hold Jamal''s hand as her gaze finally moved to the bed and settled on Aaron.

    Both Aaron''s and Candace''s hearts skipped a beat as they looked at each other but neither of them said a word as they held each other''s gaze.

    For some reason, Aaron couldn''t exin he felt his heart ache as he watched her. The kid had reminded him of Harry, and looking at the kid''s mom was reminding him of Sara. Why? Was he seeing things now simply because he had been told his daughter was alive?

    Looking at her, he could tell she was in her twenties. Probably herte twenties somewhere around Harry''s age. If his daughter was alive then she would be around this same age.

    "Mommy,e to say hello to grandpa Aaron. His heart is sick. Someone hurt him and he cried in his sleep. I had to hold his hands to help him feel better," Jamal said as he pulled Candace towards the bed.

    Jamal was already calling him grandpa Aaron? Candace mused as she let herself be drawn toward the man she had been told was her biological father.

    The man, who she observed was watching her with thoughtful eyes. She was familiar enough with hurt and pain to recognize them in his eyes even as they assessed her.

    As they approached the bed, Lucy exchanged a look with Tom before rising from her seat, "You are wee back," she said with a warm smile as she embraced Candace whose gaze had now shifted from Aaron to her.

    "Jamal has been a delight," Lucy said as she broke the hug, and Candace smiled.

    "It''s good to know he wasn''t too much of a bother. Thanks for watching over him," Candace said before ncing at Aaron.

    "Aaron meet our friend Candace. Candace, this is Aaron," Lucy said, wanting to keep the introductions light and easy.

    "Hello, sir!" Candace greeted while Aaron continued to watch her without saying a word.

    "It''s good to meet you. I''ve heard so much about you from Jamal. You raised a precious kid," Aaron said after some time, and Candace smiled.

    "Thank you."

    "Your boy has been keeping mepany since I woke up," Aaron said as he nced at Jamal who was standing beside his mother.

    "You should embrace him," Jamal said as he pulled Candace closer to the bed.

    "I always feel better whenever I''m hurt and she embraces me. Aunt Andy always says mummy''s hug works like magic," Jamal said, while Lucy moved away from the bed to go stand beside Tom as they watched the scene in front of them.

    "I don''t think that''s a good idea, sweety," Candace said with a shake of her head.

    "Please, mommy. He was crying in his sleep and he said his heart still hurts. Right?" Jamal asked Aaron, and Aaron smiled at him.

    "Don''t wear your mother out, boy. She must be exhausted from her trip. Why don''t you both go home and get some rest?" Aaron suggested, and although Candace wanted to do that, she couldn''t move.

    "I''m not done telling you my story yet. And I promised not to leave your side," Jamal reminded him.

    "You won''t be leaving me alone. I have Tom and Lucy here with me. And you can tell me the rest of the story some other time," Aaron pointed out.

    "You look exhausted, Candace. Why don''t you sit down for while let''s get you something to drink?" Tom suggested, and Candace gave him a nod as she lowered herself to the seat that Lucy had vacated.

    ? "Aaron, we will be back. Do you want me to get you something to drink?" Lucy asked, but Aaron shook his head.

    "I''m fine," he said and his gaze shifted to Jamal.

    "You can get the boy ice cream and cookies if his mom doesn''t mind," Aaron suggested, and Jamal''s eyes lit up as he turned beseeching eyes to his mother.

    "Everyone is full of praises for you today, so I guess you earned it," Candace said, and he smiled at her happily.

    "Alright then. We will be back soon," Tom said before walking away with Lucy.

    Once they left Aaron sighed. Why did he feel like they had deliberately left him alone with the mother and kid to give them privacy?

    If he didn''t already know that Jamal had been living with Tom and Lucy for almost a week now he would have thought Candace was his missing daughter, but it didn''t make sense since Lucy had only just found out about his missing daughter the previous day.

    What were the chances that his missing daughter was so closely associated with Harry''s best friend? It didn''t make sense, Aaron mused with a sigh.

 Chapter 469 Im Not Leaving

    Harry had no idea how long he had been asleep, but the first thought that hit his mind when he opened his eyes was his father. He needed to give Lucy a call to find out how his father was doing.

    He stretched his hands to his bedstand hoping to touch his phone since that was the spot where he usually ced it, but his phone wasn''t beside him. That was when he recalled that he had left the phone in the living room after cing a call to one of his men to help him look into the hospital where he had been born.

    He nced at his bedside clock as he sat up and was surprised to see that it was evening almost 7 PM already.

    He hade into his bedroom only to get aspirin for his headache and had sat on the bed to catch his breath. He had no idea how he had fallen asleep but he knew he had been exhausted in every sense of the word. That was the only reason he could have slept for so long.

    He got off the bed and stripped out of his work clothes, leaving only his boxer briefs as he walked out of his bedroom to the living room.

    He needed to give Lucy a call to find out how his dad was doing, and also to know if Candace had arrived.

    After doing that he would then freshen up and return to the hospital to be with his father so that Lucy could go home.

    Although he still very much wished that he would be alone, he couldn''t. It was his duty to stay by his father and not abandon him at such a time regardless of the hurt and disappointment that was making his heart ache.

    He paused by the entrance of the living room when he perceived the aroma of something cooking in the kitchen, and his stomach rumbled in response.

    Was there someone else in his apartment? Who was cooking in his kitchen? He mused as he headed for the kitchen instead of going to get his phone as he had set out to do.

    He stopped by the kitchen door when he saw ady standing by the refrigerator and he narrowed his eyes.

    Although her face was hidden by the refrigerator door as she searched for something, it took him only some seconds before he figured out the identity of the intruder in his kitchen.

    It was the fragrance of her perfume that first gave her away followed by the shirt she was wearing. She was putting on the shirt he had left in his hotel suite and a little ck bum shorts under it.

    "Esquire?" He called in confusion, wondering if he was beginning to see things or if Jade was really in his kitchen.

    Hearing his voice Jade quickly straightened and hit her head against the roof of the refrigerator as she turned around, causing her to wince as she met his gaze.

    "You are awake," she said as she rubbed the top of her head which was hurting.

    "What are you doing here?" Harry asked, still unable to understand why she was standing in his kitchen instead of being at Varis.

    Jade shrugged as she looked everywhere else but at him, "I''m trying to whip up some dinner for you. I heard you haven''t been eating or resting welltely," Jade said, trying not to sound as flustered as she felt.

    She was doing her best not to look directly at him, and she was surprised that Harry wasn''t feeling self-conscious either. Or perhaps he was too surprised to see her to realize that he was standing in front of her dressed in just his boxer briefs?

    "No. I mean what are you doing here in my house? Why are you in Ludus when you should be in Varis?" Harry asked, and Jade shifted her gaze to his, and he noticed the blush that stained her cheeks.

    Jade cleared her throat, "As much as I love the sight of you in just your briefs..."

    Hearing that Harry looked down at himself, and before Jade could finish speaking he turned around and walked away very quickly, but not before she saw the tip of his ears go red.

    Jade giggled as she watched him leave, and then took a deep breath. She had to admit that he had a really gorgeously masculine body. What a pack of tasty snack! Jade thought with approval as she set about finishing up with dinner while she waited for him to return.

    Inside Harry''s bedroom, his face burned with embarrassment as he looked down at his crotch. How could he have forgotten that he was half-naked? He mused as he looked at his reflection in the mirror.

    What was she doing in his apartment anyway, and why didn''t anyone bother to inform him that she wasing? He knew without a doubt that she hade with Candace. That was the only exnation for her presence here.

    And if she wasing with Candace, that meant Tom had known. So why didn''t Tom warn him that she wasing? Harry thought in annoyance as he walked over to the door and locked it with his key.

    He couldn''t trust Jade not to barge into his bedroom without knocking, and heaven knew that she had seen enough for one day.

    He returned to sit on the stool in front of his dressing table and ran his fingers through his hair as he tried to figure out what to do about Jade''s presence and everything.

    Despite all the problems he had to deal with right now, he knew that he still needed to face whatever was up between him and Jade, especially considering their interrupted conversation the previous day. But this wasn''t a good time for him. What was he supposed to do now that she showed up in his apartment uninvited?

    Harry took a deep breath as he made up his mind to freshen up and go talk with her. He was going to thank her for dropping by to check on him, and then encourage her to be on her way since he was certain she had more important things to do than cook for him.

    He stood up and went into the bathroom to shower. Forty-five minutester he walked out of his bedroom dressed in ck shorts and a gray polo t-shirt.

    "For a minute there I thought you were going to stay in your room all night," Jade said from her seat in the dining as she watched him.

    "I had to freshen up," he said without meeting her gaze as he took the seat opposite her.

    Although he was very hungry and was dying to have a taste of the meal, he did not attempt to touch the food in front of him as he looked at her and cleared his throat, "I''m sorry about earlier. I didn''t realize I wasn''t properly dressed," Harry said apologetically, and Jade smiled.

    "I don''t mind. It wasn''t an unpleasant sight," Jade said, and Harry felt the tip of his ears heat up.

    "Aww! You''re so cute, Harry!" Jade said with a wide smile as she propped both elbows on the table and cupped her chin in her hands as she looked at him.

    "What are you doing here?" Harry asked as he met her gaze.

    "What do you think I''m doing here?" Jade asked in return knowing that he was probably nning to send her away.

    "Jade..."

    "I''m not leaving, Harry! Remember how you barged into my home a short while ago and strutted around like you owned the ce? I''m here to return the favor," Jade said as she angled her chin stubbornly.

    Harry sighed inwardly since he recognized the look on her face. It was the look she wore when her mind was made up on something.

    "Surely you have your job to..."<sub> </sub>

    "I don''t. I quit my job before getting on the ne. So you have nothing to worry about," Jade said, and Harry''s brows pulled together.

    "Still, you can''t be here," Harry protested, and Jade raised a brow.

    "Why not?"

    "Does it make sense to you that you are in my house right now?" Harry asked, and Jade bobbed her head.

    "It makes a lot of sense to me. I wonder why it doesn''t make sense to you when it made sense to you some time ago to show up in my apartment uninvited," Jade said, and Harry shook his head.

    "That was different. Tom asked me to go to you," Harry said reasonably, and Jade shrugged.

    "It''s the same. Your dad asked me to stay with you," Jade said, and Harry sprang up from his seat when he remembered that he was yet to give Lucy a call as he had intended to some time ago.

    Of course, he had been distracted by Jade''s presence, he thought with displeasure while Jade raised a brow, "What are you frowning for? Sit down and eat," she said, pointing to the food in front of him.

    "I need to check on my dad first. Excuse me," Harry said as he headed to the living room to retrieve his phone and Jade followed him.

    "He is fine. Tom, Lucy, Jamal, and Candace are there with him. They all tried reaching you when he woke up but you weren''t taking your call. I let them know you were sleeping and your dad said I shouldn''t disturb your sleep and to fix something for you to eat," Jade said as she followed him but Harry didn''t listen to her as he picked up his phone from the table and dialed Lucy''s line.

    Lucy received the call on the third ring, "How are you feeling? Your dad is awake now," Lucy informed him immediately after she received the call.

    "How is he doing? Can you put him on the line? I have to speak with him."

    "Uhm, can you wait until I return to the hospital? Tom and I stepped out to get Jamal and Candace something to drink. He''s with Jamal and Candace," Lucy exined, feeling slightly sorry that she had left his father''s side when he had asked her not to.

    "You left him alone with them? Does he know who she is?" Harry asked with a concerned frown as he looked around the living room for his car key.

    "Not yet. We are waiting for you to do that yourself," Lucy said, and Tom held out his hand for her to give him the phone.

    "Are you sure it''s a good idea to leave him alone with them?" Harry asked just as Tom took the phone.

    "Your dad hit it off with Jamal as I told you he would. Jamal didn''t want to leave his side so we had..."

    "You sneaky bastard! How couldn''t you tell me that your sister wasing over?" Harry growled under his breath, and Jade who was standing behind him poked his back.

    "Are you talking about me? I''m right here, you know?" Jade asked when Harry turned to look at her, and he walked away from there and headed to for privacy of his bedroom but Jade followed him.

    "I tried reaching you but you were sleeping," Tom said apologetically.

    "That was only after she got here, am I wrong? Or are you trying to say you were not aware she was flying down to Ludus when you dropped me off?" Harry asked as he walked into his bedroom and quickly shut the door before Jade could stick a foot in.

    "Well, I didn''t expect her toe directly to your ce..."

    "Thene get her!" Harry cut in before Tom could speak.

    "I''m not leaving!" Jade called back from the other side of the door making Harry walk into his bathroom.

    "Get her? Jade is not a kid. Send her away if you don''t want her in your apartment. Call the cops on her if need be," Tom said, and Harry gritted his teeth.

    "This is not a joke, Tom. She is not listening to me..."

    "Then what makes you think she is going to listen to me either?" Tom asked, and Harry raised a hand to massage his temple.

    "Do I need to remind you that she is your younger sister? How can you let her do as she pleases? This is irresponsible of you," Harry said sounding desperate.

    "Because she is an adult and can do as she pleases. Send her away if you don''t want her there. It''s as simple as that," Tom said, knowing that Harry only wanted him to step in because he couldn''t say no to Jade.

    "I really can''t deal with Jade right now..."

    "Harry, I''m sorry I can''t help you here. Whatever is going on between you two, is for you to handle. I can''t interfere. I''m sorry. We will give you a call when we get back to Aaron," Tom said and hung up the call before Harryin any further.

    "Is Jade bothering him?" Lucy asked with a concerned frown.

    "He sounds more like himself now than he did earlier," Tom said with a small smile.

    "I take it you are not going to ask Jade to let him be?" Lucy asked, and Tom raised a brow.

    "Would you let me be if I was in Harry''s situation?" Tom asked, and Lucy shook her head.

    "I wouldn''t."

    "Good. So let''s leave those two to handle whatever is going on between them," Tom suggested, and Lucy sighed.

    "What do you think is going on in Aaron''s room right now?" Lucy asked, and Tom grinned.

    "Jamal is probably championing the conversation and trying to get them to like each other," Tom said, and Lucy giggled.

    "Yeah. I can see him doing that."

 Chapter 470 Why Did You Lie?

    Harry took a deep breath as he walked out of his bathroom and squared his shoulders as he opened his bedroom door in preparation to face Jade.

    "I am not going anywhere!" Jade stated as soon as he opened the door.

    "Why not?" Harry asked, and Jade shrugged.

    "I already made it clear I flew down to Ludus to be here with you. So, do not let my effort go to waste," Jade said, and Harry sighed.

    "Jade, this is not good time."

    "It''s not a good time for what exactly?" Jade asked with a slightly raised brow as she folded both arms across her chest.

    "It''s not a good time for whatever you are here for," Harry said, and Jade''s brows arched even higher.

    "And what exactly do you think I''m here for?" Jade asked, and Harry merely stared back at her for some seconds.

    "I don''t know. You tell me," Harry said wearily, and Jade''s lips twitched with amusement as she took a step towards him.

    "I''m here to be a friend... But only for the time being. So you don''t have to worry, I won''t jump you or anything," she promised as she held his gaze.

    "Besides, I will try to make myself as scarce as possible whenever you want to be alone. You will barely notice my presence, trust me," Jade said, and Harry scoffed inwardly.

    Barely notice her presence? Who was she kidding? There was no way he would be within a hundred mile radius of her and not notice her presence.

    "Why are you so bent on kicking me out anyway? Is it because you n on dating Aurora?" Jade asked, and Harry sighed inwardly when he recalled that there was someone called Aurora.

    He didn''t need all theseplications right now. He needed to find a way to make things easier for himself and his dad, and now his sister and her little boy too. There was no time to y Jade''s silly games.

    "This has nothing to do with Aurora. I just want to be left alone," Harry insisted.

    "Too bad for you that I''m not going to leave you alone. Now stop overthinking this ande sit down let''s have dinner. I will drive you to the hospital to see your dad and twin sister," Jade said as she started to walk back to the dining, expecting him to follow.

    Harry winced. Twin sister? Perhaps he was wrong, but he wasn''t sure he was ever going to get used to the idea that he had a twin.

    "Don''t call her that. It''s awkward," Harry said as he followed her, and Jade giggled as she turned to look at him.

    "You both must be truly blood rted. She said exactly that when I called you her twin brother," Jade said in amusement, and Harry looked at her with interest.

    "What did she say?"

    "She said not to call you that. She said it was awkward," Jade said with a grin as she returned to where Harry stood and took his hands.

    "I''m sure you have a lot of questions for me concerning my case, or don''t you? Let''s talk about me while you eat, and then you can decide whether or not you want to tell me how you''re feeling," Jade suggested, and after only a moment''s hesitation, Harry gave in and let her lead him to the dining.

    Once they were seated, Jade served Harry some chicken wings with stir fry vegetables and rice before serving some for herself.

    "You prepared this?" Harry asked, and Jade smiled.

    "You are touched, aren''t you?" She asked jocrly and a barely noticable smile tugged the sides of Harry''s lips.

    "Yes, I am. Thanks," Harry said as he picked up his cutlery, while Jade watched him, waiting for him to have a taste.

    Jade''s eyes followed Harry''s hand as he raised his fork to his lips, and she watched with eager eyes as he chewed with deliberate slowness.

    "It''s been a while since Ist cooked and I didn''t want to order food for you," she exined uncertainly when Harry''s facial expression remained nk as he chewed.

    Harry tried not to smile when he noticed the way she shifted ufortably in her seat, "You didn''t taste this, did you?" He asked, and she shook her head.

    "Not yet. If it''s bad I can just throw it all out and order something. I''m sorry," she said as she started to rise from her seat, but Harry raised a brow.

    "I never said it was bad. Sit and tell me about your case and why they let you leave on such short notice," Harry said, and Jade looked at him skeptically as he cut into his chicken.

    Was the food not bad? She mused as she picked her fork and took a little quantity.

    She blinked in surprise when she tasted the food, "It''s delicious!" She said as she scowled at Harry and eyed him with usation.

    "I never said it wasn''t," Harry said with a casual shrug.

    "But you deliberately made me think it was bad," she said usingly.

    "And what did I say or do to make you think that way?" Harry asked, and Jade''s brows pulled together as she thought about it.

    He hadn''t said anything. She had jumped to the conclusion herself, but that was only because he had failed to say it was delicious.

    "You didn''t say anything, and that is the reason I thought that way. Usually when a person prepares a meal for you, you''re supposed topliment them by telling them how nice the meal is," Jade stated matter of factly.

    "Who made that rule? And do you have so little confidence in your cooking ability that you require my approval? If the meal was bad I most likely would have pointed it out. I didn''t say it was delicious only because I didn''t expect anything less from you. What I didn''t expect however, is to see you squirm," Harry stated, and Jade scowled.

    How did she forget this annoying side of Harry? "Complimenting me is the polite thing to do..."

    "Whatpliment could be better than saying I didn''t expect anything less from you?" Harry asked and Jade shook her head.

    "Forget it. Enjoy your meal," Jade said in annoyance as she dug into her food while Harry watched her in amusement.

    Maybe it wasn''t such a bad idea to have her here. At least she wasn''t looking at him pitifully or asking him any awkward questions. She was acting as though everything was the same even though nothing was the same for him.

    "How long do you intend to sulk?" Harry asked after some time and Jade whipped her head up as she red at him.

    "I''m not sulking!" She hissed at him.

    "If you''re not, why have you not answered my questions?" Harry asked, and Jade shook her head as she tried to remind herself that she was here to lighten his mood not fight with him.

    "Jero died this morning," Jade started, and Harry raised a brow.

    "He''s dead? I remember you mentioned he was hospitalized yesterday but you didn''t give me any details."<sub> </sub>

    "I was going to give you the details but somehow we drifted to other subjects..."

    She paused and they looked at each other for a moment without saying a word since they knew what the subject had been.

    Even though Jade was dying to ask Harry what he had been about to say and why he had hung up the call so abruptly, she knew this wasn''t the time for it.

    She cleared her throat, "Cassidy injected him with poison," Jade said, and Harry paused with his fork midair.

    "Cassidy? The same guy that kidnapped Candace''s sister?" Harry asked and Jade gave him a nod.

    "Yeah. It was his punishment for everything," Jade said before going ahead to exin everything that had happened since she returned to Varis as well as Jero''s package and how it had helped them link everything together and what had transpired between her boss and her.

    Harry said nothing after she was done, as he tried to process everything she had said and mix them up with everything he had heard from Lucy and Tom already.

    "Interesting," Harry murmured after some time while Jade continued to look at him as she waited for him to say something else.

    "How long do you intend to stay here?" Harry asked, and Jade blinked at him in surprise.

    That was thest thing she had expected him to ask her after everything she had just said.

    "Long enough until everything is sorted out," Jade said with an easy shrug, and Harry gave her a nod.

    There was no need to argue with her. He had decided not to argue with her about this anymore. He was just going to make her ufortable to the point that she would have to run from him.

    "How did you know about the portrait in my bedroom?" Harry asked, surprising Jade once again.

    "Wow! You must be close friends with Lucy for her to have your back like this," Jade said with a scowl, both surprised and displeased that Lucy had snitched.

    "She is my cousin after all, what do you expect?" Harry asked, and Jade raised a brow.

    "Lucy? Your cousin? Since when?" She asked with a frown, and Harry raised a brow.

    "You are not aware that Sara is Lucy''s aunt? Sara and Lucy''s mom are twins," Harry said, and Jade''s mouth fell open in disbelief.

    "Oh, my fucking god!" Jade eximed, while Harry merely watched her as he finished the food on his dish.

    "Lucy, that god-damned tight-lipped bitch! She was aware this whole time and she said nothing to me but kept prying for information," Jade said in disbelief.

    How long had she known about it? Was Sonia aware of it too? As Lucy''s best friend it only made sense that Sonia would be aware of Lucy''s rtionship with Sara, right? Why had she left it out when she asked her to help her look into Sara?

    "I''m positive your brother won''t appreciate you referring to her in that manner. I know I don''t," Harry said, and Jade returned her attention to him once again.

    "So y''all have each other''s back now and no one has mine?" Jade asked with a scowl and Harry chuckled.

    "I wouldn''t let anyone call you names either. Tom wouldn''t too. Did he tell you he had a little talk with Tanya''s father?" Harry asked, and Jade hissed.

    "Don''t remind me of that little idiot," she said, and then pursed her lips when something urred to her.

    "If Lucy is your cousin, that means Lucas is Candace''s cousin too. So the family of Candace''s cousin''s ex-fiancee stole from her," Jade deduced, and Harry winced when he felt the beginning of a headache.

    "Don''tplicate things any more than it already is. I''m trying to keep things simple right now," Harry pleaded as he set down his cutlery, and Jade looked at him apologetically.

    "Sorry. At the rate this whole stuff is going I won''t be surprised if we find out that Sonia is Bryan''s twin sister, and I''m actually Tom''s elder sister," Jade said with a shake of her head, making Harry chuckle.

    Jade returned her attention to her meal as she mused on everything, and Harry watched her in silence for some time before speaking again.

    "You still haven''t answered my question, Esquire," Harry reminded her in a quiet voice and Jade''s heart skipped a beat as she swallowed.

    "What question?" She asked, even though she remembered thest question he had asked.

    Damn his memory! She had thought he would have forgotten about it by now.

    "How did you know about the portrait in my bedroom?" Harry repeated.

    Although she was tempted to lie, she didn''t want to lie to him. He had been lied to enough already.

    "I saw it in your bedroom. I wanted to see what your bedroom looked like," she said without meeting his gaze.

    "When?" Harry asked in a husky voice as he continued to look at her. The knowledge that Jade had been in his bedroom evoked some imaginations in his head and triggered something inside him.

    "When I came to get my bags before leaving for Tom''s house," Jade said, and Harry nodded.

    "That was when you met my dad, I suppose?" He asked, and Jade blinked at him in surprise. Did Aaron tell him about their discussion?

    "He told you he saw me?" Jade asked, and Harry gave her a nod.

    "He did." Harry said as he continued to look at her with an unreadable exnation which made her want to squirm.

    For reasons she couldn''t exin, his gaze seemed hot.

    "Aurora said you threw out the shirt," Harry said as his gaze shifted from her face to her body.

    From the way the shirt molded her body he could tell she wasn''t wearing anything under it. It was either she trusted him too much, or she must have a lot of nerves to be walking around his apartment dressed in his shirt without a bra under, Harry mused as he deliberately let his eyes remain on her chest area so she would be as ufortable as she was making him feel.

    Jade felt her cheeks flush and she quickly reached for her ss of water and took a long sip to calm herself while Harry continued to look at her body.

    "I told her I did," Jade said as she set down the ss and pretended not to notice the way he was staring at her.

    "But you didn''t, did you?" Harry asked still without looking at her face as his eyes roved over her body.

    "I didn''t."

    "So why did you lie?" Harry asked as he slowly returned his gaze to her face.

 Chapter 471 Bonding

    Neither Aaron nor Candace said a word to each other, instead Jamal did all the talking while they bothughed asionally whenever Jamal said something funny.

    "You said something earlier. Did Tom really promise you a car if you leave Lucy alone?" Aaron asked, and Jamal grinned as he bobbed his head.

    "He did."

    "So what did you say? Did you promise to let her be?" Aaron asked, and Jamal shook his head.

    "Lucy has a car too. So I can as well use her car, right?" Jamal asked making both Aaron and Candace tough out loud.

    "You raised quite a smart young man," Aaron told Candace, and she smiled. An emotion he couldn''t exin tugged on his heart as he watched her smile.

    "I have no idea how he grew up to be so smart," Candace said, and Jamal grinned at them both.

    "Miss Betty and aunt Andy says I''m a genius," Jamal said with a proud smile, and they bothughed.

    "I bet they do. Perhaps I should call you that henceforth," Aaron said as he watched the kid whose presence was oddly making him feel better.

    "I have to ease myself," Jamal said as he tried to get off the bed.

    "Major or minor?" She asked as she helped him get down.

    "Minor. Don''t worry, I can take care of myself. You need to rx," Jamal said, and Candace smiled at his thoughtfulness as she ruffled his hair.

    "Don''t do that mom! I''m too grown for that now," heined as he rearranged his hair and made his way to the restroom, while both Candace and Aaron smiled as they watched him.

    "They grow fast, don''t they?" Aaron asked with a sigh, and Candace bobbed her head.

    "Too fast I''d say," she said, and Aaron smiled.

    "By the way, are you awyer or a cop? The little genius earlier mentioned that you went to catch some bad guys with Jade," Aaron exined when Candace looked at him in confusion.

    He had deduced that thewyerdy Jamal had talked about was Jade seeing as both she and Jade were back at the same time, and she had left her son in the care of Jade''s elder brother.

    "Oh! It''splicated," she said, not sure she wanted to give him all that detail about her yet, but after a while she decided to just go right ahead and talk to him.

    That way she would be able to tell from his reaction the kind of person he truly was and if he was going to be embarrassed to have a daughter like her when eventually he realized she was actually his daughter.

    "Although, I''m studyingw at the moment..."

    "You want to be awyer? That''s brilliant! It must not be easy raising your kid alone and returning to school to study such a course," Aaron said, looking at her with a proud smile even though Candace could still see the sadness lurking in his eyes.

    "It''s not like I''m returning to school. It''s more like I''m only just going to college now," she said, feeling slightly embarrassed by the admission, but Aaron waved it away dismissively.

    "It doesn''t make any difference what age you go to college. All you have to do is know what you want in life," Aaron assured her when he noticed that she seemed embarrassed.

    "So how do you cope?"

    Candace shrugged, "I had my sister Andy with me. She and the babysitter looked after Jamal in my absence," Candace said with a wistful smile when she remembered Andy once again.

    "Had? You no longer have her?" Aaron asked when he heard the sadness in her tone and she sighed.

    "It''s not like she''s dead or anything. Hopefully not. We got involved with some bad people and she was abducted. Jade was thewyer in charge of the case..."

    "Was?" Aaron asked, and Candace''s lips twitched in amusement at the way he seemed to listen and take note of the words she used.

    "Which of the was are you asking about?" Candace asked, and Aaron smiled.

    "Both. Has your sister been found yet? And is Jade still in charge of the case?" Aaron asked, and Candace nced in the direction of the restroom.

    "Give me a moment. I need to check on Jamal," Candace said as she stood up and went to the restroom.

    She knocked on the door, "Jamal? Is everything okay in there?" She asked as she turned the knob.

    "Yes. I decided to do major instead. Don''t worry about me. Go keep himpany so he doesn''t go back to being sad," Jamal called back, and Candace smiled as she returned to join Aaron.

    "Is he alright?" Aaron asked, and she gave him a nod.

    "Yes, he is," Candace assured him.

    "Andy has not been found yet. Not that we are searching for her. Cassidy, the guy who abducted her promised to reach out to me after they''re settled," Candace exined, and Aaron looked at her with concerned eyes.

    "Do you trust him?" He asked, and she shrugged.

    "I sort of do. It''s thanks to him that we will be able to close the case," she said, and Aaron looked at her with interest.

    "Do you mind if I ask what the case is about?" Aaron asked, oddly interested in knowing more about her.

    "If I tell you about the case, will you tell me why you look so sad?" Candace asked as she gazed into his amber eyes.<sub> </sub>

    She was surprised that she was getting along with him and conversing with him this way already. Talking with him was just so easy.

    Despite the pain and sadness in his eyes he exuded the sort of warmth that naturally drew people in and made a person feel safe in hispany and want to trust him.

    Aaron looked at her for a moment and then he smiled, "Are you saying I have to tell you about myself if I want to know about your case?" He asked, and Candace shrugged.

    "We don''t have to tell each other anything," Candace said, and Aaron chuckled.

    "So what am I supposed to do about my curiosity which has been piqued?"

    "You can make up a story that satisfies you. That''s what I do some times when I''m curious about something but can''t get answers," Candace suggested, and Aaron sighed.

    "So what story are you going toe up with concerning the reason I''m sad?" Aaron asked, and Candace looked at him for some time without saying anything and then she sighed.

    "Jamal already told me someone hurt you," she said, and Aaron gave her a nod.

    "He has been in there for a while. Shouldn''t you check on him?" Aaron asked, and Candace shook her head.

    "He takes quite some time when he''s doing the major," Candace exined, and Aaron smiled.

    "I see. Like you I have a son who I had to raise singlehandedly. It wasn''t an easy task," Aaron said, while Candace leaned forward in her seat as she watched him.

    "Yeah. Harry. I''ve heard about him from Jade. You must have done a good job seeing how all I heard was how nice he is," Candace said, and Aaron smiled as she expected him to, but she didn''t expect the tears that gathered in his eyes.

    "He''s such a good son. I wish I was a better father to him," he cried, and Candace felt tears gather in her own eyes.

    "I guess it''s natural for parents to doubt themselves in this manner. I do so myself most times. But one thing I believe is that Harry loves you the way you are," Candace said as she reached a hand to him and squeezed his hand softly.

    Aaron gave her a wobbly smile as he tried to wear his tears, "I can''t believe I''m crying in front of a prettydy like you. I''ve been so emotionaltely, crying like a pregnant woman over everything. Not that I''ve ever been pregnant though," he joked, and Candaceughed.

    She was relieved to see that Jade was right about Aaron. This man here was not only loveable but adorable too.

    "By the way, Jamal told me he doesn''t know where his father is," Aaron said, and Candace tried not to cuss Jamal''s loudmouth inwardly as she looked behind her to make sure Jamal wasn''ting out yet.

    "He died this morning," Candace said, and Aaron''s brows pulled together.

    "I''m so sorry..."

    "Don''t be. I''m not sorry. I would have killed him myself if I could," Candace said, not knowing why she was admitting such a thing to a man who was going to realize soon that she was his daughter.

    "Oh, I''m not sorry then," Aaron said with a slight frown, and she smiled.

    "You''re not going to ask me any questions about him?" Candace asked, and Aaron shook his head.

    "Why? So you can ask me to tell you something else?" Aaron asked, eyeing her with suspicious eyes that made Candace smile.

    They both turned to the door when it opened and both Tom and Lucy entered carrying a takeout. Their gaze moved between Aaron and Candace before they asked in unison, "Where is Jamal?"

    "He''s in the restroom. I should probably check on him," Candace said as she stood to check on him, but Lucy waved her off.

    "You can remain seated. I will check on him myself," Lucy said as she walked over to the door and knocked on it.

    "Jamal?" Lucy called softly.

    "Lucy?" Jamal called back as he opened the door and peered at Lucy.

    "What are you doing in there?" She asked when she noticed how he looked behind her as though wanting to confirm if she was alone.

    "I was doing all the talking so I got tired and needed a break. Don''t tell them I said that," Jamal said, and Lucy giggled.

    "You cane out now. Your ice cream is here," she said as she pushed the door open, and waited for Jamal to flush the toilet and wash his hand before leading him into the room to join the others.

    "Harry called while we were away," Tom was telling Aaron as Lucy joined them.

    "I guess he''s awake now," Aaron said, and Jamal gave him a funny look as he received the chocte ice cream which Tom passed to him.

    "There is no way he could have sleep called them," Jamal said, and when Candace sent him a warning look, he quick turned to Tom and Lucy, "Thank you."

    "You''re right, Einstein," Aaron said, and Jamal looked at him curiously as he ate from his ice cream.

    "What''s the meaning of eyestan?" Jamal asked after swallowing.

    "It''s another name for genius," Aaron said before shifting his gaze from Jamal to Lucy who was holding her phone to her ear.

    "She''s calling Harry back. He wants to speak with you," Tom exined.

 Chapter 472 Screw Bad Timing

    Jade''s mouth went dry and she gulped nervously when Harry''s now darkened brandy brown eyes slowly returned to her face.

    His gaze skittered across her face and then he met her eyes briefly before his gaze wandered to her lips where it stayed with deliberate intent.

    She was not over the shock that Harry had been checking out her boobs so openly and unashamedly a moment ago, now he was doing this?

    Although his eyes had met hers only briefly, she wasn''t too naive or slow as not to recognize the subtle change in the way he gazed at her, or the sexual tension that was now hanging in the air between them.

    What exactly was his intention? Why was he doing this? To unsettle her? Was it to arouse her? Or to distract her? Because he was doing a fine job of seeding at all three, and some how seeing Harry this way surprised and excited her.

    Her heart seemed to be working overtime now as it pounded heavily in her chest. She was feeling very hot and oddly breathless.

    Her blood sizzled in her veins as she stared at him speechlessly, not sure she could remember thest word he had said to her. Who was this man before her that was oozing of sexual appeal?

    While her heart was working tiredlessly, it seemed like her brain wasn''t functioning anymore. It had suddenly bex, and she was staring at Harry like a horny moron.

    "You are keeping me waiting, Esquire," Harry reminded her in a husky drawl, that made the spot between her legs pulse to life even as her toes curled.

    Oh, Jesus! What was happening to her? Jade mused as she tried once again to recall what his question had been.

    She grappled with her brain to maintainposure and keep a firm rein on both her emotions and her facial expression.

    She was here to offer Harry emotional support and to be a friend not act like some horny hormone driven teenager who was seeing an attractive man for the first time, she reminded herself.

    Ah, yes! They had been talking about Aurora and his t-shirt. The t-shirt she was wearing. He had asked her why she lied, she remembered thankfully.

    Jade took a deep breath and cleared her throat, "Uhm... I just didn''t want to hand it to her," Jade said and Harry''s brow arched as he gazed at her.

    "And why is that?"

    "Maybe because I didn''t like that she sounded like things were going so smoothly between you two," Jade said, and felt her face flush in embarrassment at the confession.

    "Why not? You wanted this to happen, didn''t you? Wasn''t that why you set me up with her?" Harry asked, and Jade tried not to scowl.

    "Well, yes. But that was before I realize..." She let the rest of her words trail off, and she bit her lower lip as she tried to make up her mind if she was going to go with Candace''s suggestion or Tom''s.

    Pour out her heart to him and tell him how she felt about him or not tell him? Heaven knows she was tired of the games already. She wanted to get it all out in the open and fall into his arms, if he would be willing to catch her... But this was not the time. It wasn''t about what she wanted, it was about the timing. She couldn''t be selfish right now.

    "Before you realized what?" Harry asked as his gaze returned to her lips which were distracting him.

    She had said she kissed him on purpose thest time while pretending to be drunk, hadn''t she? What would it be like to kiss her without any pretense between them?

    "I nned on returning the shirt to you myself. That''s why I brought it," Jade said with a bright smile, changing the subject.

    "Did you now?" He asked as he returned his gaze to her face and looked directly into her beautiful blue eyes.

    He knew she was skirting around whatever it was she wanted to say, and that was okay by him. They were eventually going to get to it. He was going to make her say it or make her flee. It was going to have to be one of the two.

    "Huh?" Jade asked in confusion, not sure what he meant by that.

    "If you nned on returning it to me yourself, why are you still wearing it?" Harry asked, tilting his head in her direction.

    Jade let out an awkwardugh, "Do you want me to take it off right now?" Jade asked jokingly, and her lips almost dropped open in surprise when Harry gave her a nod and stretched out a hand.

    "I see no reason why you''re wearing it when you came to return it. Hand it over," Harry said, surprising himself even more than she was surprised.

    "I..."

    "What? You can''t? Or you don''t want to?" He asked in a taunting tone.

    What was he saying? What was he doing? Harry mused as he watched Jade look down at herself and then back to him with a flustered expression.

    He had started this meaning to unsettle her and make her ufortable so she wouldn''t keep assuming he was such a gentleman. The whole idea was for her to open up to him or run away from him and put some distance between them, but now it seemed like he was doing a good job of unsettling himself too in the process.

    "I can''t possibly give it to you this way. I have to wash..."

    "I don''t mind. I love it just the way it is," Harry said, and Jade looked at him, not sure if he was still talking about the shirt or something else.

    "Alright. I will quickly clear this up and then give it to you," Jade said and rose from her seat abruptly and began to stack the dishes, while Harry merely remained in his seat as he followed her movement with predatory eyes while she avoided making eye contact.

    As much as she would have loved to tease Harry and seduce him to the point that he would have no choice than to open up to her about how he felt and even make love to her, she knew this was not the right time for it.

    He was hurt and emotionally vulnerable at the moment, and she didn''t want to add this to his te.

    "Are you trying to chicken out, Esquire? I thought you loved to y games?" Harry asked, making Jade pause to look at him.

    "I don''t understand wha--at you are talking about" Jade said, trying her best not to stutter as Harry pushed his chair away from the table.

    "You don''t understand?" Harry asked as he rose to his full height and took a step towards her.

    "I don''t," Jade said in a voice that oddly sounded like it was from someone else.<sub> </sub>

    "The drunken kiss?" Harry asked, making Jade swallow as she took a step away from him.

    God! This man was tempting her. She could feel the me of lust he had ignited within her grow.

    "Teasing me over the phone by telling me what you were wearing?" Harry asked as he continued towards her.

    If this man knew how horny his action was making her feel, he would run in the opposite direction, Jade mused as she continued backwards.

    "That dream you imed to have about us?" Harry asked as he kept moving in like a predator.

    God, save me from this man, and save this man from me, Jade prayed quietly.

    "That whole talk about living rent-free in my head? You don''t remember your games?" Harry asked, and Jade licked her lips which were dry now.

    Her heart was doing that crazy pitter-patter thing again. What hade over levelheaded Harry? Although, she liked this part of him, but if he didn''t stop soon she was going to jump him. Years of pent-up sexual frustration was going to blow up in his fine face if he didn''t stop tempting her so.

    "Harry..."

    "Is it no longer uncle Harry?" Harry asked with a smirk as he continued to approach her while she backed away from him.

    "What are you doing?" Jade asked weakly even though she was beginning to feel like this was some sort of mating dance between them.

    "Do you not get it yet? I''m ying your game with you. I''m ying one of those silly games you so love to y," Harry said, and Jade cocked a brow.

    "Why? Did you think I was avoiding you merely because I can''t y dirty?" Harry asked with a wicked smile, and before she had enough time to wonder why he was smiling, she got her answer when her back hit the wall.

    There was no more room for escape now, not that she really wanted to escape. She had to stand and face him. It wasn''t like she was scared of Harry anyway. She had only been doing him a favor by avoiding him.

    "What do you want, Harry?" Jade asked trying not to sound as breathless as she felt.

    "I should be asking you that, Jady. What do you want from me? Why do you keep messing with my head, Esquire?" Harry asked as he stopped in front of her and ced both hands on the wall at her sides.

    "I''m not messing with you," Jade said in a low and breathless voice as Harry lowered his head.

    He lowered his lips to her chin and she drew in a sharp breath when he grazed her chin with his teeth. Before she could jolt from the shock of that, his lips was fixed warmly on hers.

    The kiss was long and slow. It made her go weak at the knees and her head reeled once. Her hands found their way to his shoulder and she held on to him to steady herself even as one of his arms went around her waist and he pulled her against him.

    "You sure you''re not messing with me, Esquire?" Harry asked against her lips as he nibbled on them while he let his other hand move to her hair. He had always wanted to do this from the first time he caught her on that staircase.

    Kiss her and touch her hair. Although her hair was no longer as long as it had been then, he was d he could do both now.

    "I''m not. I promise," Jade whispered breathlessly, certain that the me of lust which had now been fanned by his kiss into a volcano was going to erupt in a moment.

    Just as quickly as the kiss had started, Harry pulled back from her and looked into her clouded eyes, "Good. You had better not," Harry said as he watched her struggle to focus her kiss muddled brain on him.

    "Although, I''m not a fan of such games, I can assure you that I can be verypetitive. I will beat you at your own games," Harry promised as he stepped away from her, and her hands fell to her sides weakly.

    Jade swallowed as she stared at him not knowing what to say to him. He seemed like a man in perfect control of his emotions even though she could swear he had been affected by the kiss almost as much as she had been. This side of him was entirely unexpected but sexy as fuck.

    "Are you interested in Aurora?" Jade blurted out unexpectedly, and Harry arched a brow not sure where that question wasing from.

    Before he could respond, his phone started ringing, "Do you want me to be interested in her?" He asked, ignoring the phone call.

    "No," Jade said, not minding the fact that she was speaking like a spoilt brat who was asking her friend not to y with another friend.

    "Alright," Harry said as he turned to leave, but Jade grabbed his hand to stop him.

    "Alright what?"

    "Alright, I heard you," Harry said, and she stared at him for a moment.

    "What about your date with her?" Jade asked, and Harry looked at her with practiced patience.

    "What about my date with her?"

    "Are you still going to take her to the anniversary with you? Will you go out on a date with her?" Jade asked, and he gave her a nod.

    "Yes, I will. I do not go back on my words," Harry said, and Jade''s brows pulled together.

    "She is going to keep thinking she stands a chance with you if you honor your date," Jade said, and Harry sighed as he nced at his phone which had stopped ringing. He had a feeling it was Lucy or Tom calling.

    For a moment there he hadpletely forgotten about everything else and had been so engrossed in the game he had been ying with Jade. Jade was indeed a distraction.

    "Can you get to the point, Esquire?" Harry asked as he watched her.

    Fuck Tom''s advice, and screw bad timing. She was going to grab this opportunity now, "I don''t want you to go out with her or be interested in her. I want you to be interested in me."

 Chapter 473 Not Done

    Harry watched Jade with a guarded expression as she spoke, careful not to reveal anything even though he was actually very surprised that she had finallye around to stating what she wanted.

    This was interesting. At least now they could stop ying games and act like two sensible mature adults.

    "You should say something," Jade urged him with a slight frown when he merely kept staring at her.

    "I''m not sure I understand what you mean Esquire," Harry said as he stepped closer to her and tucked a short strand of hair behind her ear.

    The brush of his finger against her skin made her heart flop in her chest like anded trout, and she swallowed as she tried to focus on him. On their conversation.

    "I want you to have eyes only for me," Jade said, and Harry nodded thoughtfully.

    "Now I''m wondering why you would want me to have eyes only for you, Esquire. Pray tell," Harry said as he gazed into Jade''s eager eyes.

    "Because I''m interested in you, Harry. I like you," Jade said, and Harry smirked.

    "Took you long enough to get to that, didn''t it?" Harry muttered and Jade arched a brow.

    "So?" Jade asked, awaiting his response.

    She had swallowed her pride and thrown caution to the wind by doing this. It had to be worth it. She deserved some des for making an effort at the very least.

    "Being interested in you has never been an issue for me, Esquire," Harry said as his gaze shifted to her lips once again and he brushed her lips with his thumb sensually, making Jade want to wet her lips with her tongue.

    "I''ve only had eyes for you since I set eyes on you," Harry said as he drew her close against him gradually and wrapped his arms around her, slowly.

    "You''ve managed to hold my interest for over four years even without being physically present," Harry said, and Jade''s eyes lit up at that and her lips curved in a happy smile.

    His eyes stayed on hers for three seconds, and then his lips brushed hers, retreated, "However, I''m not sure I''m kind enough or willing to make this so easy for you," Harry said, and the smile on Jade''s face faltered.

    "What do you mean?" Jade asked with a slight frown, but the sound of his ringing phone interrupted them once again.

    "Hold that thought, Esquire," Harry said with an easy grin as he let go of her and walked away from her to pick up his phone which was on the table.

    Jade pressed a hand to her lower abdomen and took a deep breath to calm herself as she watched him movenguidly across the room to the table to receive his call.

    Not knowing what else to do at that moment, Jade returned to the table too and began to clear it up while Harry''s eyes followed her.

    "I take it you''re with my dad now. I''m sorry I missed your call earlier," Harry said immediately after he received Lucy''s call.

    "I only just got here. I haven''t called since ourst conversation," Lucy said, making Harry realize that he had wrongly assumed thest phone call had been from Lucy.

    "Oh, I see. Can you please put him on the line now?" Harry asked as he headed for his bedroom where he could speakfortably without Jade watching him or listening to him.

    "Harry is on the line," Lucy said to Aaron as she passed the phone to him, while Candace watched him with interest.

    "Harry..."

    "You gave me quite a scare, dad," Harry said immediately he heard his father''s voice.

    "I''m sorry about that," Aaron said, relieved to hear Harry''s voice.

    "How do you feel now?" Harry asked in concern.

    "I feel better knowing that you''ve gotten some rest. Did you have something to eat yet? Some of the dinner fromst night is in the refrigerator..."

    "Jade fixed us dinner already. Focus on getting better and stop worrying about me," Harry scolded as he walked into his bedroom and shut the door behind him.

    "That''s not something I think I can do," Aaron said sadly, and Lucy and Tom exchanged a look.

    "We will be outside," Tom said before leading Lucy outside wanting to give Aaron his privacy.

    "I think we should excuse him too, what do you think?" Candace whispered to Jamal and when he gave her a nod they both stood up and went to join Tom and Lucy outside.

    Once he was alone, Aaron sighed, "What should I do now? How do we live now?" Aaron asked, and Harry rubbed the bridge of his nose.

    "Nothing has changed between us, dad. Nothing has to. I don''t want you to let this whole thing bother you anymore. You''ve done enough already, so leave the rest to me, okay? I will handle it," Harry promised.

    "How do you feel about everything?"

    "I don''t know. I''m not sure how to feel about it yet. It still sounds surreal to me," Harry confessed as he sat on the edge of his bed.

    "I''m sorry I lied to you and kept everything from you," Aaron said apologetically.

    "If you are sorry then get well soon and take proper care of your health going forward," Harry said, and Aaron nodded.

    "I will. I promise, I will."

    "Good. Don''t worry about anything else," Harry said once again.

    "I''m worried about you making Jade toofortable around you though," Aaron said,and Harry raised a brow.

    "Are they not in there with you?" He asked, curious to know if his father was saying all of this in front of Tom and the others.

    "No, they''re not. They all excused me to speak with you," Aaron assured him.

    "Oh, alright. What do you mean?" Harry asked, rxed now.

    "She obviously likes you..."

    "I thought you were pressuring me to get involved with someone because you were scared I wouldn''t want to after I learn about Sara?"

    "That doesn''t mean I don''t want you to see you in a happy rtionship," Aaron said, and Harry tried not to roll his eyes.

    "Forget what I said about things staying the same between us. I''m mad at you. Until I stop being mad at you, you''re not to talk to me about any rtionship," Harry said, and Aaron chuckled.

    "You already said you are not mad. You can''t take that back, else I might have another heart attack," Aaron joked, and Harry scowled.<sub> </sub>

    "Don''t threaten me with that, dad. It''s not funny," Harry said, and Aaron sighed.

    "Sorry. Just make sure you don''t be too much of a gentleman with her. This is your chance to get her."

    "I will try not to disappoint you," Harry said dryly, and Aaron chuckled making Harry smile.

    "How do you feel now, dad? Tell me honestly how you feel about everything."

    "I feel relieved that I''ve finally been able to tell you the truth. And at the same time I feel guilty, sad, and heartbroken that your twin sister has been alive this whole time and I lived mourning her like she was dead. I can''t say I regret meeting Sara or marrying her. That would mean I regret having you, and I don''t. I''m grateful everyday that she gave me you. I can only hope that life has been good to your twin sister where she is, and that she is alive and fine," Aaron said, and Harry drew a deep breath.

    "I can''t say I understand how you feel, but I can promise not to let you carry the burden alone anymore," Harry said, and Aaron smiled.

    "Is that why you asked the little boy to hold my hand? He held my hand for such a long time it''s a wonder his doesn''t feel cramped," Aaron said, and Harry smiled.

    "Jamal did?"

    "Yes, he did. I woke up to see him lying beside me holding my hand. He reminds me of when you were a little boy," Aaron said with a sigh.

    "He''s something, isn''t he?"

    "He sure is. He is a very wise and thoughtful kid. It''s not difficult to see where he got all that from. His mom is a pretty decent person," Aaron said, and Harry''s heart skipped a beat.

    "Did you speak with her?" Harry asked, wondering if his father saw any resemnce between her and Sara like Jade had seen.

    "A bit. She doesn''t seem like the type to talk a lot but you can tell from her eyes that she has experienced too much for her young age. Have you met her before?" Aaron asked curiously.

    "I''ve never met her. Although, I''ve heard a couple of things about her," Harry said, and Aaron sighed.

    "I''m sure you have. From Jade I suppose?"

    "Yeah. From Jade. And also from Tom and Lucy."

    "I see. I know it''s probably too soon to ask you this, but do you think maybe there''s a way we can find your twin sister? I think we should start searching for her before Sara..."

    "It''s not too soon to ask me for anything, dad. Besides, We found her already so you don''t have to worry your head about that," Harry said, and Aaron''s brows pulled together even as his heart skipped a beat.

    "You found her already? How? When?" Aaron asked, and even as the questions left his lips he remembered the conversation he had with Jade over the phone the previous day.

    He remembered Jade''s questions about Harry''s mom and if she had any living rtives. And then he remembered his conversation with Lucy.

    "I will tell you about it when I get to the hospital, alright?" Harry said as he stood from the bed and picked up his car key from his dressing table.

    Jade, Lucy, Candace, and Jamal. Somehow he was beginning to get a clear picture of everything. Did that mean-- Did that mean Candace was the one? His daughter? Harry''s twin sister? Aaron mused without listening to anything Harry was saying.

    "Dad? Are you there?" Harry called when it seemed like his father was not hearing anything he was saying.

    Was that possible? Although he had thought she looked a lot like Sara and that Jamal somehow reminded him of Harry at that age, but was it possible? Aaron wondered.

    "Dad?" Harry called once again as he walked out of his bedroom.

    "Is she the one?" Aaron asked in a low tone.

    "Is who the one?" Harry asked in confusion as he paused by the passageway.

    "Is it Candace? Is she your twin sister?" Aaron asked and Harry sighed.

    There was no point hiding it from him. It was best he knew so his mind would be at ease and he wouldn''t have to worry about anything other than recovering fast and getting out of the hospital.

    "Yes, dad. She''s the one. Candace is your daughter, and Jamal is your grandson," Harry said, and Jade who had been seated on the couch waiting for Harry in the living room rose from her seat and stood up to look at Harry.

    Even as Harry said the words, tears fell from Aaron''s eyes as he gazed at the door where he knew his daughter was standing now with his grandson.

    His daughter had been seated right there next to him and he didn''t know it. He could have seen her somewhere else and would never have known that she was his daughter or that the delightful young boy was his grandson.

    He not only had a daughter, but a grandson?His grandson had held his hand for hours and kept himpany telling him endless funny stories most of which were made up just to cheer him up and he hadn''t known the kid was his grandson.

    "Oh, Harry!" Aaron cried as he broke into a sob.

    "I will be right there, dad. I''ming over now," Harry promised as he hung up the call.

    "I''m going to the hospital," he informed Jade who was staring at him, and she gave him a nod.

    She didn''t need to be told that their conversation was suspended until further notice. Now he had to face more pressing and urgent family issues. She could wait. She would wait.

    "Give me a minute to change out of this," she said, and Harry gave her a once over before giving her a nod.

    As she walked past him, Harry grabbed her arm and pulled her back, and before she could express her surprise he crushed his lips against hers.

    "We are not done with our conversation, Esquire. Not by a long shot," Harry breathed against her lips.

    Jade swallowed as she blinked back her surprise and tried to calm the fluttering of butterflies in her stomach, "I didn''t think we were."

    "Good. I just thought to remind you," Harry said as he let go of her hands, and Jade gave him a nod as she walked past him to the guest bedroom.

    Once she left, Harry decided to check who had called him the first time, and he raised a brow when he saw that the call had been from the person he asked to keep an eye on the hospital he had been born.

    He dialed the number, and almost immediately the call connected, "Do you have any news for me?" Harry asked curiously.

    "Yes, sir. There was a fire ident in the medical record room of the hospital an hour ago. The doctor who was there at the time of your birth passed on five years ago," the man informed Harry.

    "Look into the cause of the fire ident and make sure the culprit is caught," Harry ordered before hanging up.

    He wasn''t the least bit disappointed. He had expected her to make a move like this, and he was ready to find every single one of her crimes and expose her, biological mother or not.

 Chapter 474 Outside Aarons Room

    As Tom and Lucy strolled down the hospital hallway in silence, Lucy turned to Tom when she remembered something Jamal had said earlier, "By the way, did you really offer Jamal a car in exchange for him to leave me alone?" Lucy asked curiously, and Tom chuckled.

    "That wasn''t what happened. He asked me for a car, and I agreed to give him one. But he became greedy and also wanted you too. What did you expect me to say?" Tom asked, and Lucy giggled.

    "So it had to be me or the car. Which did he choose?" Lucy asked, and Tom grinned.

    "Which do you think he chose?"

    "Me?" Lucy asked with a grin of her own.

    "Well, he did choose you. But that was only after he enquired if you had a car and when I said yes. He figured you could both use your car," Tom said with a chuckle, and Lucy giggled.

    "No, he didn''t say that!" Lucy said,ughing.

    "That''s not all. He also said he wouldn''t get upset or yell at you," Tom said with a grin, and Lucyughed even more.

    "Aww. He''s just too sweet," Lucy said with a hand ced on her chest.

    "And too smart. A lot of girls are going to be in trouble when he grows up. I''m d he is Harry''s nephew and your cousin. I can rx knowing that my nieces will be safe from him," Tom joked, and Lucy looked at him with a small smile.

    She didn''t miss how he said nieces but said nothing about daughters of his own. Her heart ached when she remembered what Jade had said the previous night about Tom loving kids.

    "We shouldn''t go too far," Lucy said when she noticed they had covered quite some distance, and they turned around to return in the direction they hade from.

    "I''m d it''s weekend. We don''t have to worry about work tomorrow," Lucy said with a sigh.

    "Yeah. I can''t say I''m not d Aaron told Harry everything today. If he had waited until next week as he nned to, things would have been crazy considering that next week is going to be very busy due to the anniversary celebration," Tom said, and Lucy looked at him.

    In the craziness of thest twenty-four hours, she had forgotten all about that. She had also forgotten about her contract signing the next day and Tom''s n.

    "I almost forgot about my ns for the weekend. I guess we won''t be able to go out on the dinner date as nned, right?" Lucy asked, and Tom raised a brow.

    "Why not? Are you canceling all your ns for tomorrow? Including the contract signing?" Tom asked, and Lucy shook her head.

    "Of course not. I can''t possibly do that," Lucy said, and Tom stopped walking.

    "So why are you canceling ours?" Tom asked, and Lucy turned around when she realized that Tom had stopped walking.

    Lucy sighed inwardly when she realized where Tom was driving at, "I wasn''t canceling anything. I just thought you wouldn''t want to go out anymore, considering the situation with Harry. You nned on spending the day with Harry, remember?"

    "Some part of the day, Jewel. Not the entire day, and definitely not the night either,"

    "That''s fine. There is no reason to get worked up over it," Tom said, and instead of arguing with him, Lucy stepped closer to him and ced both arms around his neck.

    "We need to have some time to ourselves regardless of all the craziness going on around us, or else we will never get to it. I want some time alone with you," Tom said, and Lucy smiled.

    "Me too," Lucy said as she kissed the tip of his nose, making him smile.

    They both turned when they heard Jamal''s voice, "I want mine too," Jamal said as he hurried towards them, while Candace shed them an apologetic smile.

    "That''s easy," Lucy said as she crouched in front of him and kissed the tip of his nose while Tom rolled his eyes.

    "You''ve got some ice cream on your face," Lucy said as she took out her handkerchief and wiped his chin.

    "You can''t even clean up after yourself, yet you want a girlfriend," Tom said tauntingly, and Jamal scowled at him.

    "You are just jealous," Jamal said to Tom, making both Candace and Lucy giggle.

    "Yeah. Right. I''m jealous of the kid who wants everything I own. You know I can have you thrown out of this ce, right?" Tom threatened.

    "No, you can''t. You don''t own this hospital," Jamal said, and Tom raised a brow.

    "Don''t be too sure about that," Tom said, and Jamal looked at Lucy.

    "Does he own this ce?"

    Lucy bobbed her head, "He owns a hotel, a pharmaceuticalpany, an automobilepany, and an airline, too," Lucy said, and Jamal looked at Tom with awe-filled eyes.

    "Can I see all of them?" Jamal asked hopefully.

    "Only if you promise to be a good boy," Tom said, and Jamal crossed both arms in front of his chest.

    "I promise."

    "Come with me then. Let''s start with the hospital," Tom said as he took Jamal''s hand.

    "We will join you soon," Tom said to Lucy and Candace before walking away with Jamal.

    Alone with Candace now and not gifted with the skill to talk much or begin conversations with people she wasn''t very closely attached to, Lucy racked her brain for something to say to Candace as they both returned to Aaron''s room.

    What would Sonia say if she were here? She mused, then shook her head after some time. Sonia would probably say something silly like, "How about another striptease ss?" Or "You want to hear how I put thepdance lesson into practice?" Lucy thought in amusement.

    Nah. She wasn''t as crazy as Sonia, so she wasn''t going to tow Sonia''s path. Who else could she emte?

    Desmond. Yeah. What would that wise man have said to Candace if he were here? Lucy mused.

    After thinking about it for some time, she looked at Candace, "Aaron is in so much pain right now. It hurts so much to see him this way. He''s usually a very cheerful, funny, and easygoing person," Lucy said after they had stood there in silence for some time, and Candace gave her a nomittal grunt.

    "I know you hurt as much as Aaron. Possibly even more. I can''t imagine the magnitude of pain and heartache you''d be feeling yourself, considering everything you''ve learned today," Lucy said, and this time Candace stopped walking and looked at her.

    "I''m no stranger to heartache or pain," Candace said, trying to sound brave, but Lucy didn''t miss the slight tremor in her voice.

    "Aaron would never forgive himself if he heard this," Lucy said sadly and stepped forward to embrace Candace.

    "You can cry if you want to. You are with family now. You don''t have to be so strong on your own anymore," Lucy murmured when she sensed how Candace had stiffened in her arms.

    "Nah. I''ve used up my crying quota for the day," Candace said in an easy tone that was meant to amuse Lucy, and Lucy found herself giggling as she pulled away to look into Candace''s face.

    "What does that even mean?"<sub> </sub>

    Candace shrugged, "I''ve cried enough for one day. I''m emotionally exhausted. All I desire right now is a warm bath and a solid mattress. I need to get some sleep, and then maybe I can face the rest of the drama tomorrow," Candace said weakly, and Lucy nodded.

    "When Aaron is done speaking with Harry, I will find out what Harry''s n is, and then I will ask Tom to take you and Jamal home while I stay back here with Aaron," Lucy said, and Candace raised a brow.

    "You seem very close to them," Candace observed, and Lucy smiled.

    "It''s funny that I''ve barely known Aaron for a couple of days, and although Harry has always been my boss like Tom, we''ve only just started rting as friends, and now we''ve found out we are cousins," Lucy said, and surprise flickered in Candace''s eyes at her words.

    "Cousins?" She asked, wondering what Lucy was talking about. She was not only rted to Harry and Aaron but also Lucy?

    "Oh, I''m sorry I let it slip this way," Lucy said, pressing her lips together. For a moment, she had forgotten that Candace was Harry''s twin sister and her cousin too.

    "Does that mean you are rted to Aaron?" Candace asked, and Lucy shook her head.

    "Not Aaron. Sara. She is my mom''s estranged twin sister," Lucy said with a wince, and as expected, Candace''s mouth fell open.

    She could never get used to referring to Sara as her mom''s twin sister. She couldn''t even bring herself to refer to Sara as her aunt.

    "Your mom? You mean J?" Candace asked in disbelief, unable to reconcile the fact that J was Sara''s twin sister.

    J was too warm and kindhearted to be rted to someone like Sara.

    Lucy sighed as she gave her a nod, "I only just found out about it yesterday, and I told them about it today," Lucy said, and Candace shook her head in disbelief.

    J was her aunt? J, who had loved and pampered Jamal, was actually Jamal''s grandaunt? And Lucy was her cousin? What manner of coincidence was this?

    "I still can''t wrap my head around any of this. I feel like I might wake up the next minute and realize that I have been sleeping and it has all been a long dream," Candace said, and Lucy looked into her honey-colored eyes.

    "Would you call it a good dream or a nightmare?" Lucy asked, and Candace shook her head.

    "I don''t know. I woke up this morning an orphan, having no family apart from Andy and Jamal. And now, I''m learning that both my parents are alive; I have a twin brother, an aunt, and even two cousins. Does it sound real to you? Especially considering the fact that I briefly lived under the same roof with both my cousins and my aunt, and my host just happened to be my twin brother''s best friend? Just two nights ago, I was trying to convince Jade about seducing Harry and confessing her feelings to him, and now I''m learning that he''s my twin brother. A couple of hours ago, I was telling Jade how strange it was that your twin brother coincidentally happened to have been in a rtionship with the girl whose father dumped me at the orphanage, and now I''m learning he''s my cousin. None of this makes sense. This is the type of shit that only goes down in movies and Webnovels," Candace said, and just as Lucy was nodding her head in agreement, she paused when Candace''s words hit her.

    "Wait, what? What do you mean by my twin brother is in a rtionship with the girl whose father dumped you at the orphanage?" Lucy asked in confusion.

    "Jade said your brother was engaged to her..."

    "Rachel?" Lucy asked in surprise, and Candace gave her a nod.

    "Yes. That''s her name," Candace said, and when Lucy enquired further, she told her about her first adoption and rtionship with Rachel''s dad and how he had taken over everything and dumped her at the orphanage after the death of her adoptive parents.

    "How long have you known about this?" Lucy asked curiously while filing away the new piece of information in one of her spare brainpartments, reserving it forter when she could think about it and discuss it with Tom.

    "I found out just today. Thanks to the package Jamal''s dad had someone deliver to me after his death, we were able to connect the dots faster. Else Jade would probably have handed me over to Sara," Candace said in a lighter tone than Lucy would have expected.

    "Jamal''s dad is dead?" Lucy asked in surprise.

    "Yeah. He died this morning," Candace said, and Lucy''s brows drew together.

    "I''m sorry about that. It seems like you had a pretty tough day," Lucy said, but Candace shook her head.

    "Yeah, I''ve had a very tough day, but don''t be sorry about his death. It''s probably the best thing that happened to me today. I only wish the other revtions could have waited for at least a day or two beforeing up so I could bask in the joy of being free from Jero and the cartel," Candace said, and then Lucy recalled the episode in the car that morning.

    "Speaking about Jamal''s dad, I''m sorry to ask this question right now, but was he abusive? I mean, did he ever hit Jamal?" Lucy asked, and Candace looked at her in surprise.

    "Why..."

    "Something happened in the car this morning, and Jamal''s reaction seemed weird," Lucy said, and Candace sighed after Lucy exined what had transpired between her and Tom in the car.

    "I thought he had outgrown since it''s been a while since hest had such a reaction," Candace said sadly while Lucy looked at her.

    "Jero never hit me because he imed he loved me too much to hurt me, but he never hesitated to hit Andy and Jamal at the slightest annoyance. Whenever he hits Andy and Jamal cries, he hits Jamal too. And whenever he''s mad and raises his voice at me, Jamal gets frightened, and when he cries, Jero hits him to shut him up," Candace exined without meeting Lucy''s gaze. She felt too ashamed and guilty to do so.

    "None of that was your fault," Lucy said, sensing that she was feeling guilty.

    "It was. I''m the one who got involved with such a violent man. I dragged Andy into that with me and had Jamal for such a man," Candace said, and Lucy shook her head.

    "You don''t regret having Jamal, do you?" She asked, and Candace looked at her like she was crazy.

    "What? Never. Jamal is the best part of my life. He''s like the only thing I''ve done right. I could never regret having him," Candace said fiercely.

    "Then you shouldn''t me yourself for anything. Put the me on Jamal''s father. He did all that, not you. And thanks to you, Jamal will grow up to be a charming young man with all the right male influence around him," Lucy said, and Candace smiled weakly.

    "I have to say; I''m d you are Jamal''s first crush. He couldn''t have done better," Candace said, and Lucy giggled.

    "You have no idea how honored I am to be crushed on by such a precious boy," Lucy said, and Candace grinned as she leaned forward and embraced Lucy this time.

    "Thank you, Lucy," Candace said, and Lucy raised a brow.

    "What for?"

    Candace shrugged, "I don''t know. I feel light and grateful all of a sudden," Candace said, and Lucy smiled.

    "I''m happy you feel that way," Lucy said, and they both turned when they heard Aaron''s door open.

    "Aaron, why did you get out of bed?" Lucy asked in rm as she hurried to his side when she noticed the way he was panting and leaning against the door, but his teary eyes were fixed on Candace.

    Lucy stopped by his side when she noticed the way he was weeping silently and staring at Candace.

    Neither Candace nor Lucy needed to be told that Harry had told Aaron about her being his missing daughter.

    Candace could see the pain, the regret, and the apology in Aaron''s eyes even though he didn''t say a word to her.

    Maybe it was because of all the lovely things she had heard about him from Jade and Lucy which she now believed, or perhaps it was because of the way he had made her feel during their brief interaction a moment ago, or maybe it was because she was a parent, she understood his pain and empathized with him.

    Without saying a word, she stepped forward and hugged him. Hoping that he would drawfort from her embrace and not be too hard on himself anymore.

 Chapter 475 Forget I Said Anything

    Harry gave Jade a once over when she joined him in the living room some minutester, dressed casually in a long-sleeved floral top and a pair of ck trousers.

    "Ready?" He asked, and she gave him a nod.

    "Yeah," Jade said quietly. Perhaps it was because of Harry''s unexpected behavior in thest couple of minutes, the mere sight of him now not only made butterflies flutter in her belly his voice also made her heart jump.

    "Let''s go," Harry said as he led her to the door and held it open for her.

    How he had managed to switch from sexy Harry back to gentlemanly Harry in a couple of minutes was something she needed to study. She hoped that wouldn''t be thest time she would experience that Harry.

    When they got to the car he held open the passenger door for her to get in but Jade hesitated, "I think you should let me drive," Jade said, but Harry''s expression did not change.

    "Get in. I don''t have all night," he said with forced patience.

    "I don''t think you are in the state of mind to drive," Jade insisted, and Harry raised a brow.

    "Did I seem distracted when I kissed you a short while ago?" He asked, and color rose on Jade''s face as she quickly got into the passenger seat without arguing further.

    Once Harry shut the door he went around the car and got into the driver''s seat while Jade turned her face to the window as he started the car and drove off.

    "What are you thinking about? Why are you so silent?" Harry asked, turning to spare her a nce when she had remained quiet for some minutes after he had been driving.

    "Will you tell me how you feel if I ask?" Jade asked as she turned to face him.

    "How I feel about you, you mean?" He drawled, and Jade stifled the urge to giggle, knowing that he was deliberately trying to be obtuse.

    "I''m being serious here. Quit trying to be funny," Jade scolded, and Harry scoffed.

    "Why? A boring guy like me is not supposed to be funny?" Harry asked, and she grinned this time.

    "You are still not over that yet? Don''t let it bother you anymore. You''ve seeded in clearing my doubts. I don''t think anything is boring about you anymore," Jade said, and Harry arched a brow.

    "Why? Because I kissed you?" He asked, making Jade look at him with a surprised expression. She hadn''t expected him to refer to that.

    "Wow! You keep outdoing yourself in surprising me today," Jade murmured, and Harry chuckled.

    "What have I done that is so out of the ordinary, Esquire?" Harry asked, and Jade looked at him as she tried to put her thoughts into words.

    She cleared her throat when Harry turned to spare her a nce, "Well, you''ve always been so gentlemanly and I didn''t expect this..." She raised her hands helplessly as she tried to find the right word.

    "This part of you. If I didn''t know better I would think you were a Casanova," Jade said as she let both hands fall on her thighs.

    Harry smirked, "You would have known I''ve always been this way if you didn''t choose to avoid me after that night," Harry said, and Jade looked at him with interest.

    "Were you interested in me back then?" She asked, still unable to believe it even though he had mentioned it earlier.

    "Did I look or sound uninterested when we spoke that night?" Harry asked as he turned to spare her a nce and Jade shrugged.

    "Well, you didn''t exactly say or do anything to make me know you were interested in me," Jade said, and Harry arched a brow.

    "Did you expect me to behave inappropriately towards you when I knew you had a boyfriend and he was there with you?" Harry asked, and Jade shook her head.

    "No. Let''s not talk about that.  It''s all in the past now. Back to the point..."

    "What point?" Harry cut in.

    "Well, I was trying to say I didn''t expect you to be this way. I mean for someone who has never been with ady..."

    Harry raised a brow, "I had no idea that being celibate meant I had to be timid and naive," Harry said dryly, and Jade rolled her eyes.

    "That''s not what I meant. Your behavior earlier and now doesn''t seem like it''s the first time you''re doing something like this."

    "Why? Are you jealous that I might have been this way with someone else?" Harry asked, and Jade eyed him with annoyance when she noticed that he was deliberately evading her question.

    "Forget I said anything," Jade muttered under her breath.

    "Should I also forget that you said you are interested in me?" Harry asked, and Jade scowled at him.

    "Yes. You can forget that too!" She snapped at him, and Harry chuckled.

    "Then you don''t mind me having eyes for Aurora or otherdies, do you?" He asked sweetly, turning in time to see Jade ring at him.

    "Are you trying to piss me off?" She hissed at him, and he grinned at her.

    "Why are you always so short-tempered?" Harry murmured as he returned his attention to the road.

    Jade studied his side profile, and she didn''t know what to make of his carefree attitude. She had thought he would be broken by the news and everything so why did he act like he was perfectly okay? She mused as she kept looking at him.

    "Why are you staring at me so intently?" Harry asked without turning to look at her.

    "I''m wondering if you are okay. It''s not that I expect you to be fine considering everything, but you keep acting as if nothing happened. How do you truly feel?" Jade asked looking at him with concerned eyes.

    "Are you bipr? One minute you are staring at me like you want to gouge out my eyes, and the next you are worried about me," Harry observed in amusement.

    "Don''t try to change the subject, Harry. Are you okay?" Jade asked in a serious tone.

    "I''m fine. You can stop worrying about me," Harry said, but Jade continued to look at him doubtfully as she waited for him to tell her how he was really feeling.

    "I''m waiting," Jade said, and Harry sighed.

    "If the situation was reversed and you were in my shoes, how would you feel? Maybe if you tell me, I will have a better idea of how I''m feeling," Harry said, and Jade shook her head.

    "I would have been hurt and devastated," Jade said, and Harry nced at her.

    "Why?"

    "Are you really asking me that? Finding out that sort of truth about your mom is bound to break anyone. I wasn''t even directly involved yet I wept when Tom told me about Sara and all she did to you guys. I was deeply sad. For you, Candace, and your dad," Jade said, and Harry shook his head.

    "I don''t feel hurt or devastated that someone like that abandoned me. She is not worth it. She is merely a stranger that means nothing to me. Her existence doesn''t mean anything to me or change anything for me. The only sadness I feel is for my dad and Candace who was most affected by her wickedness. I don''t think I was affected in any way."

    "Did Tom tell you that we both met her?" Harry asked, and Jade looked at him with interest.

    "No, he didn''t. When? How?" Jade asked curiously and listened as Harry told her all about their brief exchange with Sara and how heter got to know she had been there to meet with his dad and Lucy.

    "Let me get something straight, Lucy followed your dad to meet with her aunt who happened to be your mom. Is it that she didn''t know the whole time that her aunt was your mom or what? I mean, if Sara is her mom''s twin sister then she should have known that Sara was married, right?" Jade asked in confusion.

    "They don''t have such a rtionship. That was the first time Lucy met her," Harry said, and then went on to fill Jade in on all the details.

    He started by telling her all that Lucy had told them about Sara and how she ran away from home and went further to tell her what his father had said about Sara.

    "Wow! I don''t know what to say," Jade said with a shake of her head.

    "It''s thanks to Lucy that we found out she lied about the death of the other twin. And it''s thanks to you that Lucy and Tom were able to figure out that Candace was the one," Harry said, and Jade looked at him curiously.

    "So she told Lucy the truth?" Jade asked, and Harry reached for his phone and unlocked it before handing it to Jade.

    "You can listen to their conversation. She made a voice recording," Harry said, and Jade yed it.

    Jade had a stunned expression on her face by the time she was done listening to the conversation between Sara and Lucy, "At this point I''m speechless," Jade murmured as she rubbed the goosebumps on her arms.

    Although she was impressed by how Lucy had handled everything, she shuddered at the thought that she hade across such a cold-blooded person. She couldn''t believe that woman was in any way blood rted to Harry, Candace, or even J.

    "How did Candace take the news?" Harry asked after some time.

    "She wept. At first, she tried to pretend like she was unaffected, but then she broke into a sob and cried like a baby," Jade said weakly, and Harry nced at her.

    "It must have been very upsetting for her," Harry said, thinking about Candace.

    "Yes, it was. As I told you earlier, it has been quite a rough day for her," Jade said, reminding Harry of everything she had said before.

    "I can''t even imagine how she must feel," Harry said with a slight frown, reminding himself once again that his feelings didn''t matter at all.

    The people who were hurting more than him were his father and Candace and all he needed to do was focus on them and help them set things in order.

    "At first she was bitter when she found out about you and your dad. She was reluctant toe with me. She was concerned that there would be no room for her in your close-knit family. I had to do my best to convince her otherwise," Jade said, and Harry''s heart ached for Candace. His sister. His twin sister who he had no idea how he was going to face.

    "Why does she need a room in her own family?" Harry asked, feeling very sad for her.

    "You will have to make that clear to her. She believes you and your dad have been together for too long to make room for an extra," Jade said with a sigh.

    "That is nonsense," Harry said harshly, and Jade nodded.

    "I agree with you. But after finding out she was sold by her own mother and then learning how she ended up at the orphanage and also living with someone like Jero, you can''t me her for being a little wary," Jade said, and Harry sighed.

    "I guess you are right."

    "You remember she and her sister were strippers, right?" Jade asked, reminding him of some of the conversations they had about Candace in the past.

    "Yeah. Why?" Harry asked as he stopped at the traffic light and turned to look at her.

    "She is sort of worried that you might be disappointed and ashamed of her..."

    Harry gritted his teeth, "That should be the least of her worries. Her past doesn''t mean anything to us," Harry cut in with an angry hiss, and Jade smiled.

    "Yeah, I tried telling her that too. I''m only telling you this so you will know better how to rte to her when you meet her. She has a lot of emotional scars so you will have to take it easy on her," Jade advised, and Harry gave her a nod.

    "Sure, I will. Thanks," he said, and Jade gave him a smile.

    "You''re wee. By the way, why did you decide to break the news to your dad that way? I thought you were going to wait until you were with him," Jade said, and Harry sighed.

    "He suspected she was the one already. There was no reason to lie to him or keep the truth away from him Unnecessarily," Harry exined as he kept his gaze on the road he could only hope that his father would be fine at the end of it all.

    The car was silent for the rest of the drive until Harry pulled into the parking lot of the hospital.

    Immediately he turned off the car''s ignition, Jade ced a hand on his arm before he could reach for the door, "Can I hug you before we go in?"

    "Jade..."

    "I know you are in a hurry. It won''t take a minute," Jade said, and Harry reluctantly leaned forward, and Jade embraced him.

    "I know you said you are unaffected, but I know you are only trying to be strong for the sake of your dad and Candace. So I''m hugging you because I know you are most likely going to be at the giving end of the hugs in there and not the receiving end. Stay strong," Jade said softly as she pat his back, and Harry sighed as he let his chin rest on the crook of her neck.

 Chapter 476 Not Your Fault

    Aaron''s body shook violently as he wept in Candace''s arm, and before long, Candace found herself crying too, while Lucy watched them both with tears in her eyes.

    Thankfully, Candace had led Aaron back into the room, and they were seated on his bed now, where he sat sobbing uncontrobly. Anyone could tell by the way he wept that he was deeply sad.

    "I''m sorry," Aaron cried.

    "I''m so sorry," Aaron kept crying.

    She didn''t know what to say or how to respond to his apology. She was too overwhelmed by her emotions to say anything. A huge lump had lodged in her throat, making it impossible for her to say anything other than cry.

    Her heart felt like it was going to burst out of her chest, and she didn''t know if it was because she was hurting or if it was because of the love she felt for Aaron at that moment.

    Even though she knew deep down that none of all that happened was his fault and that life had happened to them all, she was deeply touched by how he was willing to take responsibility for it and how unashamedly he disyed his emotion. And that was the reason her heart overflowed with love for him.

    "I had no idea that she lied. I should never have believed her," Aaron cried while Candace held on to him as she tried tofort him and drawfort from him at the same time.

    It was that scene that greeted Tom and Jamal when they joined them.

    "Why is everyone crying?" Jamal asked in confusion as he looked up at Tom, who had be both his mentor and role model in thest couple of minutes.

    Tom nced at Lucy curiously, and when she gave him a nod, he understood that Harry had told his dad about Candace.

    "You should go and console them," Tom suggested, gently pushing Jamal towards the bed where his mother and grandfather were weeping.

    Once they sensed his presence, Candace and Aaron pulled away from each other to look at Jamal, who was staring at them in confusion since he couldn''t understand why his mother was crying.

    Candace pulled Jamal and held him to herself as she dried her tears while Aaron''s gaze remained fixed on her.

    His baby girl, who he had not onceid eyes on since her birth, was not only an adult now, but a mother. He had missed out on her childhood and growing up, and from the little he had gathered from observing her earlier and his discussion with her, he could tell that life had been hard on her.

    "Are you okay?" Jamal asked his mother as he looked into her face with concerned eyes.

    "I''m fine," Candace assured him with a shaky smile, but Jamal looked unconvinced as his gaze moved to Aaron.

    "Then why are you both crying?"

    How could they exin the situation to a child? Even though Jamal acted all mature, he was still a kid, and this was going to be tooplex for him.

    "Are you feeling sad for grandpa Aaron?" Jamal asked when his mom failed to answer his question.

    "Give me a hug," Aaron said quietly, and Jamal moved away from his mother and went to embrace Aaron, who wrapped both arms around him.

    Tom held out a hand to Lucy and led her to the door so they could give them the needed privacy to discuss whatever they had to discuss.

    "Please take Jamal with you," Candace called out to them before they could leave.

    Understanding that she needed to talk things out with Aaron privately before bringing Jamal into the picture, Lucy held out her hand to Jamal.

    "Jamal, I need to speak with him privately. I will exin it all to you when I''m done," Candace promised as she kissed his forehead before letting him go to Lucy.

    After they left, Aaron and Candace sat in silence for a while as each of them tried to gather their thoughts and figure out what to say to the other.

    Aaron had no idea what to say or do to make up for everything. Even though he was happy that she was alive and was here with him, he couldn''t help feeling responsible for all that had happened to her.

    He couldn''t exactly say he regretted meeting Sara, but just maybe there was something he could have done to stop her from doing all she did to him and his babies.

    As upset as Candace was on the other hand, she knew her pain, but she also understood his pain. She tried to put herself in his shoe as a parent. She thought about what she would want her child to say to her if the situation was reversed.

    She knew how much pain she had felt each time Jero separated her from Jamal to punish her for something. She couldn''tpare it to what Sara had done to Aaron. She couldn''t imagine how she would have felt had Jero sold off Jamal and lied that he was dead.

    She could imagine the pain of never setting eyes on Jamal from birth until he was an adult. She couldn''t imagine missing out on these whole stages of his life and growth. No, the thought of that was much too painful.

    Seeing Aaron this way had increased her anger and hatred for Sara.

    "I''m sorry for..."

    "It''s not your fault," they both spoke simultaneously and then looked at each other.

    "Maybe I could have..."

    "No," Candace cut in as she rose from the bed.

    "I don''t know the whole story yet, but after meeting you... After seeing you this way, I don''t think there is anything you wouldn''t have done to keep me if you knew about my existence," Candace said with a sniffle, and tears gathered in Aaron''s eyes again.

    "For a moment, I med you. I mean after Jade told me about you and Harry. I felt hurt. Naturally, I was upset that you all had a good life..." Candace paused and drew in a shaky breath.

    "I spent the whole time on the flight thinking about it, and I came here wanting to be mad at you. I felt fully justified to be mad. But right now, it''s so hard to be mad at you. It''s unreasonable to be upset when you''re already this upset. I can''t me you when you already me yourself this way. Maybe I feel this way because I''m a parent, and I can understand the helplessness of your situation," Candace said as tears dropped from her eyes, but she didn''t look away from him.

    "You can be mad at me. You should me me. I''m your father, and I failed to protect you," Aaron said with tears in his eyes as he got off the bed and reached out to wipe the tears on her cheeks.

    "No. I''m just trying to say, as much as I feel hurt, I don''t me you for this, and I don''t think you should me yourself either," Candace said as she also reached out to wipe his tears.

    "I know it''s shameless of me to say this right now. I may not have any right to say this, but thank you for staying alive," Aaron cried on a shaky breath.

    "I know things must have been hard on you..." Aaron''s voice hitched, and he paused to put his emotion under control while Candace shook her head.

    "You need to rest. I don''t think you should keep talking. Let''s focus on your recovery. Any other conversation cer," Candace suggested as she led him back to the bed, worried that at the rate he was crying, he was going to trigger another heart attack.

    Outside the room, Jade and Harry walked into the hospital and stopped when they saw Tom, Lucy, and Jamal standing outside Aaron''s door.

    "Tom," Jade called out as she went to them and embraced him before embracing Lucy too, and then ruffling Jamal''s hair.

    "How is he doing?" Harry asked Lucy as he looked at his father''s door with uncertainty. Through the little ss window in the door, he could see Candace leading his father to the bed.

    "You can go in and see for yourself," Lucy said, and Harry gave her a nod as he tried to make up his mind if he should go in to join them or not.

    He wasn''t sure what he was going to say or do in there. And he didn''t know if it was okay to interrupt them. He felt they needed a private father-daughter moment.

    Jade gently nudged him towards the door, "Go in," she said as if she could read his mind, and both Tom and Lucy gave him an encouraging nod.

    Once he walked into the room and shut the door behind him, Tom turned to Jade with concerned eyes, "How is he doing?"

    Jade sighed as she shrugged, "He keeps acting as if nothing happened. He says he''s not hurt but only feels sad for his dad and Candace. I think he is in denial. He hasn''t fully epted it all yet. Or maybe he just hasn''t digested it," Jade said, and Lucy sighed.

    "Harry loves to take care of his loved ones and solve their problems, so maybe he just doesn''t want to let himself feel anything. That''s the only way he might be able to do what he needs to do," Lucy said, and Jade''s eyes narrowed when she remembered everything Harry had told her.

    "So you are Harry''s cousin? I can''t believe you were taking information from me and hoarding yours. I feel offended," Jade said, and Lucy nced at Tom, thinking he was the one who had told Jade about her rtionship with Harry, before looking back at Jade.

    "I''m sorry. That wasn''t my intention. I felt it wasn''t in my ce to tell you about it. I''m sorry you feel this way," Lucy said apologetically, and Jade scowled.

    "It wasn''t in my ce to tell you everything I said either, yet I told you anyway," Jade said, and Tom raised a brow at Jade.

    "She just said she is sorry. Let it go," Tom said, and Jade red at him.

    "This is between Lucy and me. Stay out of it," she hissed at him in annoyance.

    "Please, don''t be mad at Lucy. I''m sure she meant no harm," Jamal said before anyone else could speak, and all eyes turned to him since they had forgotten for a moment that he was still standing there with them.

    "Such a sweet boy. I''ll forgive her for your sake," Jade said as she smiled at him while thinking that Lucy seemed to have all the men wrapped around her fingers. Why was everyone so protective of her?

 Chapter 477 Childish And Immature

    "Where is Sonia?" Evelyn asked curiously when Bryan walked into the house, but he headed for the stairs and didn''t respond to her question as he continued up the stairs.

    Evelyn raised a brow as she watched him disappear, but before she couldment on his behavior, Sonia walked into the house and looked in the direction Bryan had taken before smiling at Evelyn.

    "Sorry I didn''te back to the Perrys'' house as I said I would," she said apologetically as she went to join Evelyn and Desmond in the living room.

    "For a moment, I thought Bryan left you behind, or maybe you chose not to spend the night here anymore," Evelyn said, and Sonia shook her head.

    "I would have given you a call if that were the case. I can''t juste and go as I please in your house," Sonia said without her characteristic excitement, and the couple exchanged a look.

    "Did you both fight again? I thought Bryan went over to reconcile with you?" Desmond asked, wondering why they both seemed upset.

    "We will be fine. He''s just upset," Sonia assured them with a forced smile as she picked a finger of banana from the bowl of fruits Evelyn and Desmond were eating.

    The couple exchanged a look, "If you don''t mind me asking, were you able to resolve the issue with him?" Desmond asked as he watched Sonia peel the banana and take a bite from it.

    Sonia chewed slowly as she turned to them, and after swallowing, she went on to exin all that had transpired in her apartment with Derek, as well as the whole conflict thing and how Jeff had been behind it.

    By the time she was done, both Evelyn and Desmond sighed, "Bryan meant to help," Evelyn said weakly.

    "And I appreciate that," Sonia said with a nod as she ate what was left of the banana.

    "But?" Desmond asked, knowing that Sonia had something else to say.

    "Bryan doesn''t trust me. And the way he handled the entire situation scares me. I don''t want to believe that if Jeff had not called, Bryan would have handled things this way," Sonia said, and Desmond nodded.

    "You are right to feel that way, but you should also not forget that he came to find you to resolve things even before he found out Jeff was behind it," Desmond reminded her.

    "I''m not forgetting that," Sonia said with a sigh as her thoughts drifted to her earlier conversation with Bryan.

    She had asked him to show her the message he had received from Derek, and after reading it, she sighed.

    Derek had no doubt gone too far, especially with thest line about missing the feel of her cunt around his cock, but there was nothing in the text that wasn''t true. But all that was in the past. And the difference was that she was in love with Bryan and wasmitted to him. She had no ns of getting bored or breaking up.

    His jealousy was understandable, but his reaction wasn''t. She couldn''t get over the fact that he had confronted her that way about it when he could easily have raised it as a discussion.

    "I''m sorry..."

    "What are you sorry about, Bryan?" Sonia interrupted as she returned his phone to him.

    "For setting this up and for reacting the way I did," Bryan said, and Sonia shook her head.

    "I think we might be going too fast," Sonia had told Bryan after they were both seated in her apartment.

    "What do you mean by that?" Bryan had asked with a frown, not wanting to believe she was implying what he thought she meant.

    "You heard me. I think maybe it''s time we started to take things slowly if we want this rtionship to work," Sonia said, and Bryan raised a brow.

    "By slowly, what do you mean?" Bryan asked as he watched her.

    "Maybe we shouldn''t move in together..."

    "For Christ''s sake, Sonia! I made one mistake. One mistake. And I''ve apologized for it. I''m sorry. You can''t just make such a decision on the spur of the moment like this," Bryan said as he rose from his seat and went to her, but Sonia shook her head.

    "I''m not mad at you... No, maybe I''m mad. I''m not mad that you tried to create conflict. I''m mad at the way you handled this situation. But I''m not making this decision because I''m mad. I''m making this decision because I love you, and I want us to work..."

    "This doesn''t make sense, Sonia," Bryan cut in.

    "I think we barely know and understand each other well enough to move in together. I think it''s best we go slowly. I can visit, or you do the visiting, and then we go out on dates and get to learn more about each other," Sonia said, and Bryan shook his head.

    "I don''t agree with you. I don''t think this is best for our rtionship. I''ve been able to spend this much time with you because I''ve not been working. What do you think will happen when I resume work, and I have to travel around a lot? We nned that we would live together and travel together to the movie sites, remember?" Bryan asked, but Sonia shrugged.

    "I don''t want us to do that anymore. If what we have is important to you, I''m sure you will find a way," Sonia said, and Bryan looked at her incredulously.

    "Are you fucking kidding me? You are being selfish right now; do you know that? Why do you always call the shots in our rtionship this way without discussing it with me?"

    "Always?" Sonia asked, standing up to face him. This was the second time he was using that word, and it was pissing her off.

    "Yes. This is not the first time you are making a decision that involves us on your own without seeking my opinion or caring about my feelings," Bryan said angrily.

    "Did you seek my opinion before talking to Jeff about creating a conflict in our rtionship?" Sonia asked, equally angry.

    "That was different! You said you wanted drama. You hinted that our rtionship was boring and there was no fun thing for you to write about. Jeff may have gone about it the wrong way, but I did that to help you with your story! That is different from breaking up with me in the middle of a reality shoot because you want to go meet Lucy!" Bryan yelled at her.

    "You have no right to bring that up in this discussion. You understood why I did that. I did that for you!" Sonia snapped at him, hating that he was dragging Lucy into their argument again.

    "Did I ask you to? Did you ask me if that was what I wanted? Is this what being in a rtionship means to you?" Bryan asked,pletely angry now.

    "I can''t believe that we are back to this subject. I can''t wrap my head around the fact that I''m dating someone so childish and immature who can not let go of the past..."

    "Childish and immature?" Bryan asked in a suddenly calm voice.

    "Yes! You heard that right. If you don''t want to be addressed as childish and immature, then you shouldn''t act so childish and immature. I see no reason you keep bringing up Lucy or the fact that I ended things with you that way. I think this is more reason we need a break from each other. I maintain my stand that moving in together is a bad idea at this stage of our rtionship," Sonia said, and Bryan gave her a nod.

    "Have it your way then. Are you going back home with me now, or do you intend to stay back here now?" Bryan asked, and Sonia''s brows pulled together when she realized she had hurt his feelings.

    "Bryan..."

    "Meet me in the car in five minutes if you''reing with me. If you don''t show up, I''ll assume you''re noting," Bryan said, and without waiting for her to say another word, he walked out of the apartment.

    Sonia sighed as she looked at the door. She shouldn''t have called him childish and immature. That had been uncalled for, regardless of her anger. She had hurt his ego.

    She had no ns of changing her stance concerning moving in with him, but maybe she needed to let him calm down before talking to him about it again. She had to make him see reasons with her and understand why they needed to take things slowly.

    Once Sonia joined him outside and got into the car, he started the car and drove off.

    "Bryan, I shouldn''t have called you childish and immature. I''m sorry," Sonia said, but Bryan didn''t spare her a nce as he drove.

    "Babe, I''m sorry," Sonia said, but Bryan remained quiet through the hour-long drive, and once he parked the car in front of their family house, he got out of the car without saying a word to her, and went inside the house.

    Sonia sighed as she forced a smile and looked at Desmond, who was watching her with concern, "I''m fine. You don''t have to look at me with such worried eyes," Sonia assured him before facing Evelyn.

    "So, how was your visit? I hope you enjoyed yourself with J?" Sonia asked as she picked a slice of apple and plopped it into her mouth, wanting them to discuss something else other than herself.

    "About that," Evelyn said as she sat up and looked at Sonia with interest.

    "Did you know J has a twin sister?" Evelyn asked curiously, and Sonia bobbed her head.

    "J told you about her? You must be pretty close. Lucy said she never likes to talk about her," Sonia said as she chewed, and Evelyn sighed.

    "J and Andrew n to return to Ludus tomorrow. I think we should return as well, but Desmond says he''s tired of getting on the ne again," Evelyn said, and Sonia frowned.

    "Why are they going back to Ludus, and why do you want to go there too? Did something happen to Lucy?" Sonia asked with a frown.

    "Not Lucy. Harry. J''s twin sister is Harry''s mom...."

    "What?" Sonia asked in surprise, almost choking on the apple she had just swallowed.

    "Sara is Harry''s mom?" She asked with surprised eyes, and Evelyn gave her a nod as she went on to tell her everything J had told them as well as what she had heard directly from Lucy.

    "Candace? Does that mean Candace is the missing daughter Jade was trying to help Sara find? Does Jade know about this yet? Is she aware that Harry is Sara''s son?" Sonia asked, wondering what was going on and why Lucy hadn''t bothered to tell her about it when they had spoken the previous night.

    "Jade was trying to help Sara find her missing daughter?" Evelyn asked curiously, and when Sonia gave her a nod, Evelyn exchanged a look with Desmond.

    "We should call Jade, so she doesn''t tell Sara about...."

    "I''m sure she knows everything already since Candace is probably with Harry and his dad by now," Evelyn said, and Sonia frowned.

    So she was thest to hear about everything? Both Lucy and Jade had kept everything from her while she had been trying to help the both of them, Sonia thought with a sigh feeling disappointed at Lucy for keeping secrets from her when she never kept anything from her.

    Sonia''s thoughts drifted to Matt, and she wondered if he was aware of this and what he would think when he found out that Candace was Harry''s twin sister.

    "I wonder if Jade travelled with Candace," Evelyn said with a worried frown as she looked at her husband.

    "Can''t we go? Please. Harry is our boy too, and Jamal is our baby. This will be tough on them all, including J. I think we should be there for them," Evelyn pleaded, and Desmond sighed.

    "Fine. I will arrange for us to leave tomorrow," Desmond said as he rose from his seat, and Evelyn smiled at him as he leaned forward to kiss her forehead.

    "Thank you, Des. I love you."

    "I love you more," Desmond said as he headed for the stairs, but paused when Bryan suddenly headed down the stairs looking like he was going out.

    "Where are you going boy?" Desmond asked, since it was past 8 PM already.

    "Out. Don''t wait up for me," Bryan called to whoever cared to listen as he headed for the door and Sonia rose to follow him.

    "Bryan!" She called as she hurried after him but Bryan said nothing as he got into his car and drove off before she could get to him.

    Sonia sighed as she watched him leave. She wished they could go with Evelyn and Desmond to Ludus, but she needed to conclude her business with her editor, meet with the movie producer and travel out to visit her mother''s graveside as she had nned.

    She wished Bryan didn''t choose to act up right now.

 Chapter 478 Kid Sister

    Once Harry stepped inside the room, both Candace and Aaron looked at him, and he paused, "I coulde backter if you need priv..."

    "Don''t be silly," Aaron scolded with disapproval while Candace looked at Harry with a guarded expression.

    She didn''t require any introductions to know who he was. The man standing before her was the person she had never met but had heard so much about from the staff at Tom''s house during her stay there, and also Jade.

    The man she had now been told was her biological brother. Her twin brother. How did he feel about everything? It was one thing for Aaron to be happy about having back his missing child, as most sane parents would be, but what about Harry? Was he d to see her?

    He was a sessful and influential man like Tom, and she knew reputation meant a lot to people like him. How did he feel about having a twin sister with a history like hers? She mused as she looked back at Harry, who was quietly observing her.

    She was strikingly beautiful, with brown eyes like his and a short crop of ck hair like Jade''s.

    Looking at her, Harry could see the resemnce between her and Sara''s younger self. He had spent over twenty-six years looking at the picture and talking to it since he was old enough to speak, so he knew every angle and curve on that face. It was etched in his memory, and he doubted that he would have missed the strong resemnce had he met her before now.

    Aaron watched silently as both his children stared at each other, and he wondered what was going on in their minds and if he should say anything to lighten the air.

    Harry called himself to order when he observed Candace''s posture and realized that his silence was making her ufortable. He noticed that she seemed cautious, like she didn''t know what to expect, and then he remembered everything Jade had told him in the car about her fears and concerns about being epted.

    "Wee home, Candace," Harry said with outstretched arms, surprising Candace, who looked at him with uncertainty, but before she could decide whether or not to embrace him, he covered the distance between them and hugged her to Aaron''s relief.

    Harry was taller and bigger than her, so he covered her up entirely while Candace stood stiffly in his embrace as he held her to himself. She had received so many hugs in one day from different people, more than she had received in her adult life.

    The only people who hugged her this way were Andy and Jamal, but today Jade had embraced her, Tom had done so too, and then Lucy, and then she had embraced Aaron, and now Harry was embracing again. She had never felt so weed and epted.

    "I''m sorry it took so long to learn of your existence and find you," Harry murmured against her hair as he held her, and Candace found herself tearing up once again.

    "We would have done everything we could to find you if we so much as suspected that she lied," Harry said, seeing no need to let her know that their father had kept everything away from him.

    Aaron tried to stifle his sob as he watched them but could not, and Harry pulled away from Candace. They both turned to him, "Don''t you think you''ve cried enough for one day? Even I didn''t cry this much as a kid," Harry said in a light tone, and Candace smiled as she blinked back her tears while Aaron looked at them both apologetically.

    "I''m sorry. I''m so sorry for everything," Aaron cried as he tried unsessfully to control his happy tears at seeing his babies together.

    "Why don''t we give you some time to rest and pull yourself together?" Harry suggested, and before Aaron could protest, Candace nodded in agreement, thinking that he needed a break.

    "I will get Candace something to drink at the cafeteria and get acquainted with her, and then we will return when you have put yourself together. We don''t want her to think you are a crybaby. First impressions matter, remember?" Harry asked in a jocr tone as he handed a handkerchief to his father, and Aaron gave him a wobbly smile.

    "You are doing so well, so just hang in there a little more," Harry encouraged, and Aaron gave him a nod, thankful that he had an empathetic son like Harry. He had no idea how he would have survived all of this if Harry wasn''t as open-minded, caring, and forgiving as he was.

    "I will be back," Candace told Aaron before letting Harry lead her out of the room.

    Immediately the door opened, Tom and the others who were standing some feet away from there turned in their direction.

    "Mommy!" Jamal said, running up to meet her, and she kissed his forehead.

    "I will be back shortly so wait a bit, alright?" she asked, and he bobbed his head before looking up at Harry who was staring down at him.

    "Are you alright now?" Jamal asked with concern, and Harry smiled at him.

    "Yes, I feel better. Thank you for watching over my dad," Harry said as he ruffled Jamal''s hair, making Jamal brush his hair back in position.

    He couldn''t understand why all the adults liked to ruffle his hair. The only person he could permit to do so was Lucy and he wished the others would keep their hands to themselves.

    "We will be at the cafeteria," Harry informed the others, but his gaze was on Jade.

    Jade exchanged a look with Candace before giving Harry a nod, and they all watched as they walked away.

    Once they got to the cafeteria, Harry led her to the spot where he had sat with Lucy earlier and held out a seat for her before taking the chair opposite her.

    "Jamal is a nice kid," Harry said conversationally and she smiled as Jade had told him she would. He had said talking about Jamal always brightened her and got her attention.

    "I''ve been receivingpliments from everyone all day," she said with a proud smile, and Harry smiled back.

    "Jade told me about his father''s death and the package he left you. I know it has been a tough day, anding here must not be easy for you. Thank you for agreeing toe despite everything," Harry said, and Candace gave him a nod.

    "I wish there was something I could do to make up for all the pain you must have endured all these years. I wish she had given me away and not you," Harry said, wanting to make her understand that he shared her pain.

    "I don''t think you should wish for something like that," she said with a slight frown as she blinked back her tears.

    "I really do wish so. I know you didn''t live a pleasant life. I understand that things would have been tough for me had I been the one she abandoned, but I would have preferred it to you going through everything you did," Harry said, and a tear dropped from Candace''s eyes at his kind words.

    This wasn''t what she had expected from him. But then again, it was Aaron who had raised him. It made her feel even more heartbroken to know that she had such a warm and caring family but had been denied all this warmth thanks to Sara.

    "Jade said you thought your mother was dead until today. You must have been very shocked to learn the truth," Candace said, and Harry sighed.

    "I am. But it is nothingpared to how shocked you must be," Harry said, and Candace didn''t miss how he was trying to make it all about her.

    "I want to hear about it if you don''t mind," Candace said, and Harry gave her a nod.

    Knowing that his initial n not to tell her that had been ruined by Jade already, so he decided to open up to her.

    He told her how his father had lied about having a perfect wife and how he had bought him gifts every year, iming that the gifts were from histe mother.

    "Why didn''t he tell you the truth about her?" Candace asked curiously since she hadn''t been able to ask Aaron about it.

    Harry sighed as he told her about their father and how he was abandoned by his mother too. Harry also told her the story about how their father had met and married Sara and how she had abandoned them after stealing from him, leaving Aaron broken.

    Tears dropped from Candace''s eyes, and she smiled as she listened to Harry. All she could see in his story was a father''s love for his son. Aaron was indeed a precious man, and she was proud to know that despite being born by a heartless being like Sara, someone like Aaron was her father.

    By the time he was done, Candace sighed, "I guess, seeing as you only just found out about her existence today, you never met her in all these years?" Candace asked since she had been curious to know if Sara''s maternal instinct had been roused even once in all these years for her to want to see her son.

    Harry told her about his brief meeting with her in front of the restaurant, and he also told her about her meeting with their father and Lucy and let her listen to the voice recording Lucy had made. When he was done, Candace looked at him with disbelief.

    "Is she even human, or does sheck a brain and a heart? You mean she had the guts to threaten him despite all she has done? She even showed up without the least feeling of remorse?" Candace asked, her blood boiling with anger, and Harry nodded.

    "Now I feel more sorry for Aaron. He doesn''t deserve this," Candace said with a frown, and Harry nodded in agreement.

    Harry knew he didn''t have to let her in on all of this immediately, but he wanted her to know everything so they could get that out of the way. She needed to know who her family was and who the enemy was.

    "I don''t suppose you knew you had a twin sister before today?" she asked, and Harry shook his head.

    "But now that I think of it, I think he celebrated your birthday every year too. I once saw him blowing off some candles on a cake in the middle of the night on one of my birthdays, and when I asked him why, he said he was having his own private celebration. He might have done that every year. I don''t think he ever stopped thinking about the daughter he thought he lost," Harry said, thinking about how Lucy had said she saw him crying in his sleep and asking for his daughter.

    "What is your n, Candace?" Harry asked as he watched her, and Candace frowned.

    "What n?" she asked in confusion.

    "I''m sorry I''m asking you this so soon when you only just showed up. But there is a lot I need to do, and I need to get this out of the way. I need to know if you are willing to be with us," Harry said, but Candace looked at him with a nk expression.

    "I hope you understand that my fath... Our father did not abandon you," Harry continued after correcting himself.

    "I understand that you have the right to say you want no part in any of this, and you want to continue to live alone with Jamal. But I''m hoping you won''t do that. I''m hoping you will stay back andplete our family. For both our sake and yours," Harry said, and Candace teared up.

    "You don''t mind having a sister like me? Are you not worried about what people will say?"

    "As long as we reach an agreement right now that I''m the older twin, I don''t think I care," Harry said, wanting to make her smile, and her lips trembled as she managed a smile.

    "Shouldn''t you be worried about your reputation? You know about everything, don''t you?" she asked, and Harry gave her a nod, not pretending to misunderstand what she meant.

    "So are you asking me to choose between my reputation and my family?" he asked with a slightly raised brow, but she looked away, unable to hide her insecurity and shame.

    Harry stood up and went to her seat, then ced both hands on her shoulder and gently made her stand up so she would face him.

    "You are much more valuable to our father and me than my reputation or anything else. And my reputation is a little price to pay in return for having you and Jamal," Harry said, and a tear dropped from Candace''s eyes.

    "So what do you say to taking your ce in the family, kid sister?" Harry asked as he brushed away her tears.

    "It will take some time for me to get used to this..."

    "Me too. But we are not in a hurry," Harry assured her, and this time it was Candace who embraced him.

    Harry sighed as he felt her arms go around him, and he hugged her back. He had been unsure how to approach her or what to say to her, but he was d that Jade had made things easier for them.

    Jade, who had followed to watch them from a distance, smiled when she saw them embrace each other, and she let out a sigh of relief.

    She looked down at her phone when it started ringing with a call from Sonia, and she received the call when she remembered that she had a score to settle with Sonia.

 Chapter 479 More Conflict

    Jade walked away from her hidden spot as she received Sonia''s phone call, "I was going to call you..."

    "Where are you right now?" Sonia asked, interrupting Jade.

    Sonia had nned to give Lucy a call, but seeing as Lucy had not called her all day despite the text she had sent her and remembering what Evelyn said about Lucy being at the hospital with Harry''s dad, she decided to first speak with Jade and wait for Lucy to call her.

    She was trying to distract herself from worrying about Bryan, who had left the house an hour ago and was not taking his calls.

    "I''m in Ludus. Why didn''t you tell me that Sara was Lucy''s aunt? Or were you not aware of that fact?" Jade asked, and Sonia, who had called because she was angry that both Jade and Lucy had kept everything from her, paused.

    She didn''t miss the annoyance in Jade''s tone, "How was I supposed to know that person was Lucy''s aunt? Am I supposed to remember the name of Lucy''s aunt, who I''ve never met in my life?" Sonia asked defensively as she sat on the bed, not wanting to tell Jade that Lucy had asked her not to tell her.

    Knowing the kind of person Jade was, she suspected that Jade would feel even more offended if she told her that, and at this point in her life, all she wanted was peace. No more conflict.

    Jade paused, "Does that mean you had no idea that Sara is Lucy''s aunt?"

    "You heard me. I was surprised to hear from Evelyn that Sara is Harry''s mom and also J''s twin sister," Sonia said, thinking that at least one part was true and would sound believable. She could only hope that Lucy wouldn''t tell Jade otherwise.

    Jade''s brows pulled together, "Wait, my mom is aware of all this?" Jade asked in surprise, and Sonia exined how they had gone to visit Lucy''s parents and J had told Evelyn about Sara, and then they had both spoken to Lucy over the phone.

    "Yes. And I''m also surprised that you didn''t tell me," Sonia said, wanting to turn the tables on Jade, but unfortunately, Jade wasn''t done yet.

    "You mean Lucy told her mom but did not tell you, who happens to be her best friend anything?" Jade asked in disbelief.

    Although it stung Sonia to hear the disbelief in Jade''s voice, knowing that her best friend had kept all of this away from her, she wasn''t going to show it.

    Sonia let out an awkward bark ofughter, "You know how Lucy is. She prefers to mind her business and not talk about other people''s business. She must have told her mom because Sara is her mom''s sister," Sonia said dismissively.

    "Still, you are her best friend. How can she..."

    "I don''t me her for it. It''s Lucy, and I understand her. I''m sure she would havee around to tell me eventually," Sonia said, knowing that despite how she felt about Lucy keeping this from her, Lucy would have eventually told her about it.

    "I can''t be as understanding as you are, Sonia. I was pissed at her. I''m still trying not to be angry. She was on the phone with us for almost an hour while we talked about Candace, and she knew! She knew there was every possibility of Candace being Harry''s sister, yet she kept it to herself. She had every information I needed, but she took all of mine and didn''t give back any!" Jade said, sounding very annoyed.

    "People are different, Jade. You can''t expect Lucy to be like you. It was your decision to give her all the information you had. She didn''t force them out of you," Sonia reminded her, choosing to defend Lucy despite her own annoyance.

    "No, she didn''t need to force them out of me! I gave her all those information because I trust her and consider her family! I wouldn''t have given such information to an outsider!" Jade said, and Sonia sighed.

    She partially agreed that Jade had a point. But even though she could understand what Jade was saying, Lucy had always been this way, and even if she didn''t sometimes like it, she understood Lucy.

    "I''m sure she didn''t mean to withhold any information from you or hurt your feeli..."

    "This is not about hurting me or my feelings. Information is important. She ims to follow the rules and not involve in other people''s business, but she doesn''t have any problem breaking the rules or prying information out of others when it suits her. I find that offensive and hypocritical. What do you think would have happened had I not told Lucy or Tom anything? What would have happened had Tom not opened up to me in time that Sara was Harry''s mom? Don''t you think I would have handed Candace to Sara on a tter before finding out anything? Everything would have been ruined, and it would have been Lucy''s fault!" Jade said in annoyance, and Sonia scowled.

    Why did it seem like Bryan and Jade had issues with Lucy? She couldn''t remember Lucy doing anything serious to offend them, so why was Jade so upset?

    "No. It wouldn''t have been Lucy''s fault. I don''t think it''s fair to her to say something like that. Lucy did what she thought was best, and I''m sure she handled the situation the best way she could. She probably thought she couldn''t tell anyone else about it until Harry and Aaron knew everything. Besides, your brother didn''t tell you anything either, so why are you only ming Lucy?" Sonia asked, beginning to feel irritated by Jade''s annoyance.

    "I don''t understand why you all keep defending her," Jade muttered.

    "Because she is the kind of friend you would love to have in your corner. Someone that doesn''t mind displeasing even her best friend to do what she believes is right for you. Lucy would have handled this the same way if you were in Harry''s shoes, and I''m sure you would have appreciated it. It would be annoying to learn about something like this after everyone else has heard of it, don''t you think? You should get over your annoyance," Sonia said in a catory tone, and Jade scowled since she knew that Sonia had a point.

    "I''m trying to. But as her best friend, I think you should have a conversation with her about being so god-damned tight-lipped. We are," Jade said, and Sonia rolled her eyes.

    "Lucy is going to remain Lucy. Hate her or love her," Sonia said, and Jade sighed.

    "Whatever. How are my folks?" Jade asked, changing the subject.

    "They n on flying down tomorrow with Lucy''s parents. What''s happening over there?" Sonia asked curiously, and Jade filled her in on everything.

    "Nice. I wish I coulde down too, but I have some business I need to settle. Do me a favor and ask Lucy to call me when she is done ying hero, alright?" Sonia said, and before Jade could respond, Sonia''s phone beeped with an iing call.

    "I gat to go now. I have to take this phone call," Sonia said when she saw the call was from Jeff.

    "Alright. Talk to youter," Jade said and hung up the call so that Sonia could take her phone call.

    "Hey, Jeff!"

    "You need to get down to the station at once, Sonia. Bryan has got himself into a fix," Jeff said in a worried tone, and Sonia sprang up from the bed where she had been seated.

    "What happened?" She asked in an rmed tone.

    "He was arrested," Jeff said as he ran his fingers through his hair, hating the situation he had gotten them all into. He wished he had talked things through with Bryan before getting Derek involved. He had messed things up while trying to help.

    "Why? Where is he?" She asked as she quickly got off the bed and picked up her clothes which she had taken off some minutes ago.

    "I don''t know the details, but I received a call from Derek. I think he got into a fight with Derek and..."

    "Derek? For goodness sake! Text me the location," Sonia said as she hung up the call and hurriedly got dressed. By the time she was done dressing up, Jeff had texted her the location.

    As she ran down the stairs, she noticed that Evelyn and Desmond had retired to their bedroom, and not wanting to bother them, she quickly ordered a cab as she left the house.

    Once the cab stopped in front of the police station, Sonia didn''t miss some journalists and paparazzi who were standing around with their cameras.

    "Shit!" She swore under her breath. She wasn''t dressed in disguise, and everyone would know she was the one.

    Why did she keep forgetting that Bryan was a celebrity and normal fights like this that guys got into were bound to be blown out of proportion if someone like Bryan indulged in it? Bryan couldn''t afford another scandal. They both couldn''t.

    "Are you not going to get down?" The cab driver asked impatiently, and Sonia murmured an apology as she took out some money notes from her handbag and handed it to him before getting out of the car.

    Without making eye contact with anyone, Sonia bolted for the door before anyone could spot her or recognize her.

    She ran into one of the cops at the door, and he ced a hand on her shoulder to steady her, "Are you being chased? You can''t run into a station this way," he said when he looked behind her to be sure she was alone and was not being chased, and he noticed that the only people around were the journalists and some paparazzi.

    "I''m sorry. I heard my boyfriend was arrested," she said impatiently as she craned her neck to look behind him.

    "Who is your boyfriend? He asked as he took a closer look at her.

    "Bryan Hank," she exined, and his eyes twitched with recognition.

    "Oh! You can go in then," he said as he stepped away from her path, and Sonia quickly walked in.

    Immediately Sonia walked inside, she sighted Derek seated opposite a cop.

    His face looked a mess. His lips were swollen and split, and he had a cut above his right eyebrow, amongst other bruises.

    She also saw Bryan seated some feet away from him, but his hands were cuffed, and he had a re in his eyes as he looked at Derek, who had a smirk on his face.

    "Babe," Sonia called as she approached him, and Bryan''s gaze shifted to her, but his expression was nk as he turned his gaze away from her once again.

    "What happened?" Sonia asked once she got to where he was and took the seat beside him.

    "Why are you here?" Bryan asked with disapproval. He had not called anyone to bail him, so how did she get to be there?

    "What do you mean? Am I not supposed to be here if you''re here?" Sonia asked, annoyed at Bryan''s attitude. He was taking things too far and it was beginning to piss her off.

    "I''m pressing charges against him. He hit me," Derek said with a malicious smile, and Sonia rose from her seat to face Derek.

    "Don''t speak with him," Bryan told her quietly.

    "Why? Are you too jealous to even watch her talk to me?" Derek taunted.

    "Shut it!" Sonia snapped at Derek.

    "You can''t press charges against him. Else I''m going to press charges for the photos you sent to him," Sonia threatened, and Bryan gritted his teeth.

    "I don''t have a problem with that. I''m sure lover boy here is going to face more embarrassment than me," Derek assured Sonia with an evil grin.

    "Sonia, go back home. I can handle this," Bryan told Sonia coldly, but she ignored both Bryan and Derek and went to the cop who was seated with Derek.

    This whole thing was mostly her fault and she felt responsible for it. If she had not wanted a conflict they wouldn''t be in the middle of one by now. She needed to resolve this as quickly and quietly as she could before it got out of hand.

    "What can I do to get Bryan out of here?" Sonia asked, and the cop tilted his head to Derek.

    "Settle with him. Mr. Hank has refused to give his statement or even apologize to him. He has to settle with him," the cop exined, and Sonia looked at Derek.

    "Let''s speak in private," She told Derek, and Bryan red at her.

    "Sonia, stay out of this. Don''t do any damned thing!" Bryan growled, but Sonia didn''t spare him a nce as she stepped aside with Derek.

    "Why are you doing this? What do you want?" Sonia asked, and Derek shrugged.

    "I need an apology from your boyfriend. And he has to take care of my medical bill andpensate me financially. Everyone saw what he did to me. The pictures and videos should be everywhere by now," Derek gloated.

    "What happened?" Sonia asked as she looked at the wounds on him.

    "He came to the club where I was hanging out with some friends, and he attacked me," Derek said, and Sonia arched a brow.

    "How did he know you were there?" She asked, recalling how Bryan had hurried out of the house earlier.

    "He texted me asking to meet up," Derek said, and Sonia sighed, knowing that Derek must have done something to trigger Bryan.

    "Let it go. I will take care of your medical expense andpensate you financially," Sonia offered, and Derek chuckled.

    "You care about him, don''t you?"

    "That is none of your business. Stop messing with him, or else I will be forced to stoop to your level, and I can assure you it won''t be pretty," Sonia threatened, holding his gaze.

    Derek scowled, "Whatever. I will text you my ount details," Derek said before returning to the cop''s desk.

    "You are lucky to have such a sweet girlfriend," Derek said with a suggestive grin as he walked past Bryan.

    "I''ve settled with his girlfriend. I won''t be pressing any charges," Derek said, and the cop standing beside Bryan uncuffed him.

    "I will text you soon, Sony," Derek said with a wink before walking away.

    "Let''s go home," Sonia said as she returned to Bryan''s side, but he didn''t say a word to her as he stormed away.

    Once he stepped out of the door, the journalists and paparazzi who were gathered around Derek hurriedly moved to him, taking his photos and throwing questions at him asking if what Derek had said about being Sonia''s ex-boyfriend was true, and if that was the reason he had attacked him.

    Bryan ignored them as he fought his way through their midst and got into the first cab he saw, leaving Sonia to find her own way home.

 Chapter 480 No Hard Feelings

    When Candace and Harry returned to Aaron''s room, they met everyoneughing at something Jamal was demostrating, and a smile lit up Aaron''s eyes when he saw them.

    "Jamal was just showing us the role he yed in his school''s y. He''s a terrific actor," Aaron told them.

    "He once auditioned to be a Disney child actor. He wants to be an actor," Candace said, and Jamal shook his head.

    "Not anymore, mom. Now I want to be like Tom," Jamal announced, making themugh while Candace looked at his with interest.

    "Oh, really? Why that all of a sudden?"

    "He has lots of money, cars, and Lucy. I want to have all that too," Jamal said, and the room erupted withughter.

    "I see," Candace said with an amused smile.

    "Lucy, thanks for staying with him. It''ste now. You guys can go home. I will continue from here," Harry said, and Lucy nodded as she rose from her seat.

    "Although my schedule is tight for tomorrow, I will find time to stop by and see you," Lucy told Aaron as she leaned over and kissed his cheeks.

    "Thank you for everything, Lucy," Aaron said, looking at her with eyes filled with gratitude.

    "I didn''t do anything special," Lucy said before looking at Candace.

    "I don''t suppose you''reing with us?" Lucy asked, and before Candace could respond, Harry and Aaron responded.

    "She needs to get some rest."

    "You can go with them. You look exhausted. I''m sure you need to rest," Aaron said, and Candace smiled.

    "I will see you tomorrow," Candace promised, and Aaron smiled back at her as he gave her a nod.

    "I will also see you tomorrow, right, mom?" Jamal asked his mother, and she gave him a nod while Aaron chuckled.

    "I hope I get to see you tomorrow. You make this ce fun," Aaron said, and Jamal grinned at him before going to stand beside Tom, whose hands he held.

    Tom looked down at Jamal with a slightly raised brow, and he chuckled when Jamal grinned at him.

    "Thank you, Tom," Aaron said, and Tom waved it off.

    "Just get well quickly. I need a clear-headed Harry by Monday," Tom said, and Aaron smiled while Harry scowled.

    "I will see them off," Harry told his dad as he escorted Tom, Lucy, Candace, and Jamal out of the room.

    "Where is Jade?" Harry asked when he noticed that she seemed to be missing.

    "She is probably around here somewhere," Tom said, seeing no reason to tell Harry that Jade had not returned since after following him and Candace.

    Before Harry could say anything, they saw Jade rounding the bend ahead of them.

    "The party is over already?" Jade asked as she approached them.

    "You can start yours," Tom said, and she made a face at him.

    "I''m staying back with my dad. You should go home with them," Harry said, and Jade rolled her eyes.

    "I thought we were done with this already? I''m not leaving," Jade said before shifting her gaze to Lucy.

    "Sonia wants you to call her," she said, and Lucy gave her a nod, not knowing what else to say to Jade since it seemed Jade was still not happy with her.

    "Are you aware that the folks areing back to Ludus tomorrow?" Jade asked Tom as they all walked out of the hospital, and he raised a brow.

    "Mom and dad?"

    "Yep. And the Perrys too. At least that''s what Sonia told me," Jade said, and Tom shook his head as he turned to Lucy.

    "No one said a word to me. Were you aware?" Tom asked Lucy, and she shook her head.

    Seeing the annoyance in his eyes, she could tell what he was thinking. The house was about to be filled up again, and he was yet to spend enough time with her. Lucy sighed softly as she rubbed his arm.

    "Why are they alling over when they only just left?" Harry asked, and Jade raised a brow.

    "Why else do you think? To see you all, of course. You are family, and so are Candace and Jamal. Besides, Jamal has always been their baby, and I''m sure they can''t wait to see him," Jade said, and Jamal looked at his mother curiously.

    "Grandma Evelyn and Grandma J areing?" He asked, and his face split into a happy smile when his mother gave him a nod.

    Candace could only imagine how excited Jamal would be when he finds out he is rted to Lucy, J, and Aaron. He had always envied his peers who hadrge families.

    Tom exchanged a look with Harry when they got to the parking lot where his car was parked, "Call me if you need me," Tom said, and Harry scowled at him.

    "When I needed you to get your sister out of my house..."

    "I''m still standing right here, Harry," Jade said, poking his sides softly, making Candace and Lucyugh softly.

    "I had no idea," Harry said dryly, and Jade smiled at him sweetly.

    "You weren''tining when you kissed..."

    "Shut up, Jade!" Harry pleaded through gritted teeth, and the othersughed at his embarrassment while Tom shook his head at Harry.

    "You too, Tom. Shut up," Harry said, knowing that Tom was going to tease him.

    "I didn''t even say anything yet," Tom said with a chuckle.

    "I don''t want to hear a word. Get into your car and take them home. There''s a kid here. Don''t make me force you," Harry said as he opened the door for Candace and Jamal to get into the car, and Tom chuckled.

    "We will have that talkter," Tom assured him.

    "Can I have a word with you?" Lucy asked Jade, and she shrugged as they both moved away from the car.

    "I know you are offended by my actions. I''m sorry. I don''t want this to cause any strain in our rtionship," Lucy said, and Jade sighed.

    "It''s not like I don''t understand your reasons. I do, and maybe deep down, a part of me admires it. But I just can''t help my annoyance right now. I''m trying to be chill with it, so don''t let my attitude bother you. It will pass," Jade said, and Lucy sighed.

    "Are you sure?"

    "Positive. No hard feelings," Jade assured her as she embraced her, and Lucy sighed in relief.

    "Thanks."

    "I may have called you some unpleasant names, though..." Jade said with an awkward smile and shrugged.

    "I''m sure you did," Lucy said as they returned to join Tom and Harry, who were conversing while waiting for them.

    "Sorry for keeping you guys waiting," Lucy said apologetically as she got into the front passenger seat, but just as Tom was about to get into the car, his phone rang.

    He paused and raised a brow when he saw the call was from Bryan''s manager, while Harry and Jade, who were still waiting to see them leave, looked at Tom with interest.

    "Hello, Jeff! It''s been a while," Tom greeted politely.

    "I''m sorry to bother you by this time, but I thought you should know that Bryan is involved in some scandal, and it''s all over the inte..."

    "For Christ''s sake, when do I ever get a break?" Tom hissed angrily, surprising both the people in the car and Harry and Jade, who were still standing close to him.

    "I think Bryan has caused a mess," Jade, who was standing beside Harry, whispered to him as they watched Tom run his fingers through his hair in frustration.

    "What did he do this time to get his name on the news?" Tom asked impatiently while Lucy got out of the car to join him.

    "A fight? Are you kidding me? Even a kid would know that this is not the time for such nonsense! He barely just got out of one with Sonia and he is doing this? Bryan should know better! I''m supposed to be introducing him to the shareholders and announcing the creation of the entertainment agency at the first event of the anniversary next week. How the fuck am I supposed to do that if he''s involved in such a scandal right now?" Tom barked into the phone in frustration.

    Looking at him, Lucy could tell he was at his wit''s end. It had been a busy day for him and it seemed like there was not even a moment of reprieve. What could she do to ease his stress? Lucy mused as she approached him.

    Harry moved closer to Tom and took the phone from him while Lucy held Tom''s hand, "How bad is it?" Harry asked Jeff and listened patiently as Jeff exined the situation.

    Jeff didn''t need to ask who it was since he knew that the only other person who could be handling Tom''s phone was Harry, and he had heard of how scary Harry could be.

    "Alright. I will make some phone calls to get the news off the inte. Get over to wherever Bryan is and get him down here as soon as possible," Harry ordered calmly and hung up the call before turning to face Tom.

    "Don''t worry about it, I will fix it," Harry said, but Tom was too upset to listen to him.

    "You have enough on your te already. Focus on your business, and I will handle this," Tom said, and Harry raised a brow.

    "You know better than anyone that I handle things like this faster and better. Besides, I''m also the CEO, so this is my business too. I will take care of this. Go home and get some rest," Harry said as he pped Tom''s back.

    Tom looked at Harry for a moment, and Harry grinned at him, "You don''t have to thank me. Just say you love me more than Lucy, and we are cool," Harry joked, wanting Tom to smile,and it worked.

    "You wish. Make sure you are good. I will see you tomorrow," Tom told him before turning to Lucy, who was standing beside him.

    "Let''s go home," he said as he led her back to her side of the car and opened the door for her to get in.

    "Calm down, Ace," Lucy murmured, and Tom sighed as he kissed her forehead.

    "I''m trying. Let''s just get home. I''m exhausted," Tom said, and Lucy have him a nod as she got into the car.

    Once he shut the door, Tom went around the car, "Be good, Jade. And talk some sense into that brother of yours," Tom called as he got into the car.

    Harry looked into the backseat at Candace and Jamal, "See you two tomorrow," He said with a wave, and they waved back at him before he stepped away from the car and he and Jade watched as Tom drove off.

 Chapter 481 After Anniversary

    "So, it''s just the both of us again," Jade said as she hooked her arm with Harry''s.

    Harry tried to pull away, but she held on, "What? You only know how to get me all flustered and bothered when we are alone?" She asked tauntingly, and Harry sighed as he let her hold on to him while they walked into the hospital.

    He tried not to pay attention to the curious stares they were receiving from the staff. Harry knew without a doubt that soon there would be gossips about him and Jade.

    "So?" Jade asked once they got into the elevator, and Harry raised a brow.

    "So what?"

    "You said our conversation was not over," she reminded him.

    "We can continue after the anniversary," Harry said, and Jade blinked at him in disbelief.

    "You certainly can''t be serious!"

    "I am. Why?" He asked, and Jade shook her head.

    "How am I supposed to wait for a week to get a simple response from you? How hard can it be to let me know where I stand with you?" She asked, and Harry arched a brow.

    "Perhaps it will help you appreciate better how I''ve felt the whole time," Harry said, and Jade hissed.

    "This is different! You didn''t even tell me how you felt about me. You were not waiting for me."

    "I waited for you to show me around your neighborhood," Harry said, making Jade scowl.

    "I apologized for that already. Besides, you left without letting me know..."

    "I would have let you know if you stayed in a space with me long enough for me to say Hi!" Harry countered and then took a deep breath.

    "Calm down, esquire. I''m not saying I''m not interested in you. I''m just saying I would rather not rush into anything. I''m sure about my feelings, but I''m not sure about yours yet..."

    "I''m in love with you. Isn''t that obvious?" She asked as the elevator dinged and the door opened.

    "When did you start feeling this way about me? What gives you the conviction that you love me enough to be in a rtionship with me?" Harry asked, ignoring her question as they both walked out of the elevator.

    Jade pursed her lips as she tried to remember when she started feeling differently toward Harry.

    "You don''t have to give me the answer right now. I think you should spend the next couple of days thinking about it carefully. I will ask you again after the anniversary dinner. By then you should have made up your mind whether or not you truly want to be with me," Harry said, hoping that would be enough time for him to clear up whatever misunderstanding Aurora was having about their friendship, clean up the mess Sara had created, and also join Tom in taking care of the Millers. There was a lot that needed to be done.

    "What about you? Have you made up your mind if you want to be with me?" Jade asked and Harry smiled.

    "I will do the same at that time. I also have to make up my mind whether or not I''m ready to do this with Tom," Harry said, and Jade looked at him in confusion.

    "What does Tom have to do with this?"

    "He is my best friend. He is your elder brother..."

    "I don''t have a problem with being with Tom''s best friend, and Tom has no objections either," Jade said, and Harry sighed.

    This was one of Hank''s bad traits he hade to learn. They often had the idea that the world revolved around them, and they always wanted things to go their way.

    "It''s not about what Tom or you wants, sugar. This is about me. Tom is my best friend, and we are business partners. If anything goes wrong in my rtionship with you, my rtionship with Tom might be affected too..."

    "What could possibly go wrong?"

    "I hope nothing goes wrong. So let''s take our time and make up our minds, okay?" Harry said, and although Jade wanted to argue some more, she sighed and let it go.

    "Fine."

    "Good girl," Harry said with an approving smile as they stopped some feet away from Aaron''s room.

    "I need to make a quick phone call. Do you mind going in to keep my dadpany until I get there?" Harry asked, and Jade let go of his arm and nted a kiss on his lips before he could stop her.

    "I will be inside," she said with a naughty smile stered on her face and walked away before Harry could say anything.

    Once she got to the door, she paused when she heard Aaron sobbing softly, and she took a deep breath as she knocked on the door, "Can Ie in? It''s Jade," she announced.

    Aaron tried topose himself quickly, "Sure. You cane in."

    Jade walked in with a bright smile on her face, "Hey, old man!"

    Aaron smiled when he saw her, "It''s good to see you again, Jade," he said with a cheerful smile as she lowered herself onto the seat beside the bed.

    "I would say the same, but I''m not sure I like seeing you on a hospital bed," Jade said, and he smiled at her.

    "Thanks for helping us find her. And also for helping her," Aaron said, and Jade waved it off.

    "I''m d I could help," Jade said as she looked at his face. He sure looked like he had cried a lot.

    "How do you feel?"

    "Not bad. The doctor said I''ll be ready to leave in a couple of days."

    "Emotionally. How do you feel after meeting her? Candace, I mean," Jade asked, and Aaron sighed.

    "I''m both happy and sad. Happy that she is alive and that she grew up into such a beautiful young woman. Sad that it took so long to meet her and that I missed out on her growing up. It hurts deeply. I don''t want to imagine all she must have suffered," Aaron said, and Jade nodded.

    "You have every reason to feel this way. But I think you should dwell more on the happy feelings since you have no control over the rest," Jade advised, and Aaron sighed.

    "Yeah, I know. You are right. I''m sorry I lied to you about Harry''s mom. I don''t like talking about her," Aaron said, referring to their phone call.

    "I understand," Jade said with an understanding smile. If he could lie to even Harry about it too, then she had no right to be upset that he had kept the truth from her.

    "How is Harry?" Aaron asked curiously, and Jade shrugged.

    "He is being a man and holding up," Jade said, and Aaron looked at Jade with interest.

    "Can I count on you not to leave his side?"

    "You couldn''t even pull me away from him right now if you tried. I''m in love with your son, Aaron. I don''t n on going anywhere," Jade said with a grin, and Aaron smiled.

    "You didn''t seem so confident thest time we spoke. What changed?" Aaron asked, and Jade shrugged.

    "My determination to get what I want, I suppose," Jade said, and Aaron nodded.

    "He wants you too, even if he won''t admit it easily. I caught him lying on the bed in the guest room. I can bet he went in there because of you. Let''s keep this a secret," Aaron said, and Jade grinned.

    "Oh, don''t worry! He already admitted that he likes me. Did he tell you ady is visiting him soon?" Jade asked, and Aaron nodded.

    "He mentioned it. Why?" Aaron asked, and Jade sighed.

    "I was foolish enough to hook him up with someone else before I realized my feelings for him. Now he is insisting on being the gentleman and taking her to the anniversary party as his date," Jadeined.

    "If he already told you how he feels about you, then I don''t think you should be worried about him taking someone else to the anniversary party," Aaron said reasonably.

    "But that means I have to go alone while he''s there with another woman," Jade pointed out.

    "I don''t think anyone is stopping you from going with someone else too. You are both not dating yet, are you?" Aaron asked, and Jade grinned.

    "That''s not a very future father-inwly advise to give me," Jade said, and Aaron chuckled.

    "When you''ve both gone exclusive, I''ll be more careful with the advice I give you," Aaron assured her just as the door opened and Harry walked in.

    "Are you done being a crybaby?" Harry taunted.

    "If you don''t watch your tongue, I might tell Jade some of your childhood stories," Aaron threatened, and Harry scowled.

    "You can''t do that."

    "Try me," Aaron said, and Harry grinned as he went to sit on the bed beside his father.

    "I''m d that you''re alright. I would never have forgiven you had anything happened to you," Harry said, and Aaron sighed.

    "I should leave you both to talk. I''ll be on the rooftop," Jade said, knowing they both probably needed to settle some things privately.

    They gave her a nod and watched as she left, and once she shut the door behind her, Harry looked at his father, "I hope you won''t try to stop me from exposing and punishing Sara."

    "You can do whatever you want. My business with her is over," Aaron said, and Harry nodded.

    Now they needed to talk about Candace and Jamal and how to strengthen their new family.

 Chapter 482 Nice Voice

    The car was silent during the first ten minutes of the drive. It seemed like even Jamal could sense Tom''s anger and frustration, so he didn''t utter a word.

    Lucy kept ncing at Tom at intervals as she wondered what she could say or do to help his mood. She understood better than anyone else how he was feeling and why he was feeling that way.

    She also knew this was not the time to talk to him. They hadpany in the car, and he wouldn''t be able to express himselffortably.

    Tom turned to spare her a nce when he sensed her gaze on him, and he shed her a forced smile.

    "You don''t have to worry about me. I''m fine," he assured her quietly, but everyone in the car knew he was far from okay.

    "Really, I''m okay," Tom said when Lucy merely stared at him with a nk expression.

    "Fine. What do you want me to do to prove I''m fine? I don''t want you to worry," Tom said, and Lucy shrugged.

    "What do happy people do, Jamal?" Lucy asked, and everyone waited patiently as Jamal pondered on the question.

    "Happy people sing," Jamal said, and Candace tittered withughter when Tom looked at Jamal in disbelief.

    "Who taught you that?"

    "Mom and Aunt Andy sing when they''re happy. Right, mom?" Jamal asked, and Candace gave him a nod.

    "Right."

    "Well, I never said I was happy. I said I was fine," Tom argued to Lucy.

    "It''s the same to us. Happy people are fine. People who are fine are happy. Right, Jam?" Lucy asked, and Jamal bobbed his head in agreement.

    "Right," Jamal said, and Tom red at him through the rearview mirror.

    "Happy people sing. So prove you''re fine," Lucy urged him, knowing that even if he weren''t okay, singing would lighten his mood.

    "I don''t think I have a very nice voice..."

    "It''s not a music audition. I''m sure you will pass," Lucy said, and Tom sighed.

    "Don''t worry, I''m not a good singer either, but I will sing along with you if that will make you feel better. I''m sure Jamal and Candace will sing too. Won''t you?" Lucy asked, looking back at Candace and Jamal.

    "Sure," Candace said, not wanting to be a spoilsport.

    "Mummy has a pretty voice. Aunt Andy does too. Aunt Andy wants to be a singer," Jamal said, and Candace sighed at the mention of Andy.

    She wondered how Andy was doing and where she was at the moment. She could only imagine what Andy would say when she heard everything about her finding her family.

    Knowing Andy, she would be excited and very happy, and she would quickly get along with everyone as though they were her own family. Andy may not be rted to her by blood, but they had shared a blood oath binding them together and swearing allegiance to each other for life.

    As far as she was concerned, Andy was just as blood-rted to her as Harry was, and after everything was settled, the first thing she would love to do was find Andy. All she wanted was to be sure that Andy was alive and okay.

    "You are not paying attention, mommy," Jamal said, breaking into her thoughts and bringing her back to the present.

    "Why don''t you sing first while I will work up the motivation?" Tom asked, and Lucy gave him a nod.

    "That''s fine," she said and connected her phone to the car''s Bluetooth device as she searched through her ylist for her current favorite song.

    The car was flooded with Keri Hilson''s ''knock you down,'' and Tom chuckled when he remembered thest time she had yed that song while jumping on the bed and dancing just to brighten his mood.

    "I never thought I''d be in love like this

    When I look at you, my mind goes on a trip

    Then you came in and knocked me on my face

    Feels like I''m in a race

    But I already won first ce

    I never thought I''d fall for you as hard as I did

    (As hard as I did, yeah)

    You got me thinking ''bout our life, our house, and kids (yeah)

    Every morning I look at you and smile

    ''Cause boy, you came around, and you knocked me down, knocked me down."

    Tom wore a big grin on his face as he drove while listening to Lucy sing along, or better put, scream along while she pointed and poked at him as she sang.

    He couldn''t help wondering why she loved the song so much when part of the lyrics she was singing talked about having kids. Since when had she loved this song?

    "We can''t sing along; we don''t know the song," Jamalined, and almost immediately, he turned to look at his mother when she suddenly started singing the chorus along with Lucy.

    Sometimes love (lovees around, lovees around)

    Oh, ites around

    And it knocks you down

    Just get back up

    When it knocks you down (oh, when it knocks you down)

    Sometimes lovees around (ooh, yeah,es around, yeah)

    And it knocks you down

    Just get back up

    When it knocks you down

    Knocks you down (ooh, when it knocks you down, knocks you down)

    Lucy stopped singing and turned in her seat to look at Candace in surprise when she heard her voice, while Tom looked at her through the rearview mirror.

    "Sorry, I couldn''t help myself. It''s one of my favorites," Candace said apologetically after the song ended and Lucy scowled as she turned in her seat to face the road.

    "Now I can''t sing anymore after hearing your voice. I feel so embarrassed for singing at all," Lucyined, and they allughed.

    "Your voice wasn''t so bad," Candace assured her.

    "I still love your voice," Jamal added, and Tom agreed.

    "Me too," Tom said, and she smiled at them all.

    "It''s Tom''s turn," Jamal reminded them, and Tom scowled at him through the mirror.

    "Is there any special song you want me to y for you to sing along to?" Lucy asked, and Tom considered it for only a moment before giving her a nod.

    "Breathless by Shayne Ward," Tom said, and Lucy''s heart skipped a beat when he winked at her.

    "What are you waiting for? Don''t you want me to sing anymore?" Tom asked with a grin when Lucy kept staring at him, while Candace smiled as she watched them.

    Although she had seen other couples together in the past and admired them, she somehow loved Tom and Lucy''s rtionship more. Maybe it was the way they looked at each other or talked to each other with so much respect that it always melted her heart. She couldn''t decide yet.

    Lucy wet her lips with her tongue as she did as he requested.

    Her lips dropped open in surprise when Tom started singing along, and she wasn''t the only one in the car who looked surprised to hear Tom''s voice.

    "You can sing!" Lucy said in an using tone as tears clouded her eyes. She wasn''t sure if it was because she was too embarrassed by her own voice or if it was because she was in awe of his voice as he sang.

    Tom chuckled, "I''m fine now. You can turn off the music," Tom said as the gate opened, and he drove into hispound.

    Lucy sighed dejectedly, "Yeah, of course, you''re fine. I''m the one in a foul mood now. Everyone else in the car can sing well but me. I''m sure even Jamal can sing better," Lucy murmured.

    "Don''t worry, Lucy. I won''t ever try to make you feel bad by singing better than you..."

    "Can you just back off?" Tom asked, interrupting Jamal with a re while both Candace and Lucy giggled.

    "I will get him out of your hair now," Candace said with a grin as Tom parked the car and she opened the door.

    "Please do, else I might be forced to get into a fistfight with him," Tom threatened, and Jamal stuck his tongue at him as his mother took his hand to take him away.

    "Why are you not getting down? Are you noting in?" Jamal asked curiously.

    "We wille in soon," Lucy said before Tom or Candace could speak, and Jamal gave her a nod before walking away with his mom.

    Alone with Lucy in the car, Tom sighed, "Thanks. I feel much better," Tom said as he turned in his seat to look at Lucy.

    "Bryan caused some trouble..."

    "I got that much from your side of the phone call. Let''s talk about it after you''re rxed," Lucy said, and Tom gave her a nod.

    "There''s something you should know. Candace''s adopted family..."

    "About Rachel? Candace told me already. It can all wait. Let''s go in," Lucy said as she leaned forward and kissed the side of his lips before getting out of the car.

    As they climbed up the stairs, they could hear Samantha and Candace chattering in the kitchen while Jamal told whoever was listening about Tom''s office and the new friend he had met.

    Once they got to their bedroom and took off their shoes, Lucy dropped her handbag on the bed and helped Tom take off his suit jacket, and then she reached for his tie while Tom watched her.

    Slowly she helped him take off his clothes until all that was left was his underwear, "Do you want me to run you a bath?" She asked, and he shook his head.

    "I will use the shower. Thanks," he said as he helped her undress too.

    "You can go in first since you need the privacy," Tom said, and she shook her head.

    "I''m done. It''s three days," she exined and almost smiled when his eyes lit up.

    "However, I want you to shower first so you can rx. I need to return Sonia''s call now. When I''m done, I will give you a massage," she promised with a mischievous smile shutting up Tom, who had wanted to argue.

    "Alright," Tom said before heading for the bathroom while Lucy took out her phone from her handbag and dialed Sonia''s line as she headed for the balcony dressed in only her whitece bra and panties.

    "Hey, baby!" Sonia greeted more out of habit than excitement, and Lucy did not miss her dull tone.

    She figured that Jade must have told her everything, and Sonia was probably mad at her, "I''m sorry, I''m only just calling now. And I''m sorry I didn''t tell you everythingst night," Lucy said apologetically.

    "It''s fine," Sonia said, not sure she was in the mood to talk. She had almost forgotten about awaiting Lucy''s call until Lucy''s call came in. She had been busy readingments and watching clips of Bryan''s fight online until she noticed they were being taken down.

    She had gotten home, and Bryan wasn''t home. She had no idea where he was, and she was worried about him and scared that he would get into trouble again.

    "Are you okay?" Lucy asked in concern before recalling Bryan''s scandal.

    "I don''t know. I had a fight with Bryan, and he''s acting out. Got into a fight with Derek..."

    "Derek? Your ex?" Lucy asked in surprise.

    "Yeah. I didn''t handle things right. I should have. I don''t know where Bryan is and the inte... His fans are saying a lot of nasty things about me..." Sonia''s voice hitched, and she broke into a sob, startling Lucy, who could count the number of times she had seen Sonia or heard her cry.

    "What did they say to hurt you so much?" Lucy asked since Sonia wasn''t the type to be so affected by stuff like this or people''s opinion of her.

    As much as she was tempted to ask Sonia for the details of what could have happened between Bryan and Derek, she set aside her curiosity.

    "I don''t know. I''m just sad and in a foul mood. I don''t know. I''m not happy, Lu. My heart is aching, and I''m confused and worried about Bryan. I don''t know what to do. Some of his fans said I''m going to ruin his career and that he''s always getting into bad scandals since he met me. What if Bryan wants to break up after this? He left me at the police station, and he''s not taking my calls..." She broke into a sob again, and this time Lucy felt tears drop from her own eyes.

    "Oh, Sony! I''m sorry you''re hurting. What can I do? Should I call him or ask Tom to give him a call? I wish I were there with you," Lucy said, and Sonia shook her head as she dried her tears.

    "No, don''t. He might not like that. I have to figure it out," Sonia said as she tried to pull herself together.

    "Evelyn and Jade told me about your aunt and Harry," Sonia said, trying to distract herself.

    "Yes. I''m sorry I couldn''t tell you about it yesterday. I promised Aaron I would keep it to myself," Lucy said apologetically.

    "Jade isn''t happy with you."

    "She told me. I talked with her," Lucy said, not sure how she could help Sonia. She really wanted to cheer her up.

    "Oh, alright," Sonia said with a sigh.

    "When are you guysing back?" Lucy asked, and Sonia drew a deep breath.

    "About that. I don''t think moving in with Bryan is such a good idea anymore..."

    "Sonia? What is going on?" Lucy asked with a worried frown, thinking that it all seemed more serious than she had assumed.

    Sonia exined all that happened, and by the time she was done, Lucy sighed, "I get your point but don''t you think this decision might affect your rtionship?" Lucy asked and turned slightly when Tom walked up behind her and kissed her bare shoulder.

    "If a decision like this is capable of affecting our rtionship, doesn''t it prove that we need time apart to work on it and get to know each other better?" Sonia asked, and Lucy sighed as she watched Tom sit across from her, covered in just his towel, which was wrapped around his waist.

    "So what do you want? Are you not moving down to Ludus anymore? Or you''reing but not just staying with him?" Lucy asked and looked away from Tom when he raised a questioning brow.

    "Well, I have to be close enough to him. I was thinking I could live with you at your apartment for some time if that''s okay..."

    "Of course, you know that''s not even a question. My apartment is yours. All I want is to be sure you are fine," Lucy said, and Sonia sighed.

    "Thanks, Lu. I should get off the phone now. I need my line to be open when he calls," Sonia said, and Lucy sighed.

    "By the way, are you done with your meeting? Harry asked Bryan''s manager to bring Bryan down at once," Lucy said, and Sonia''s heart skipped.

    "At once?" She asked, thinking about her meeting, which Bryan had nned to apany her to, and the visit to her mother''s graveside. She would have to do those alone.

    How would she be able to fire her editor with her head raised high when this scandal was currently rocking the inte?

    "Yes. Because of the scandal. They have to do something about it before the anniversary next week," Lucy exined, and Sonia sighed.

    "That means Tom and Harry took down the posts on the inte?" Sonia asked.

    "Harry might have been responsible for that," Lucy said and exined why they needed Bryan back as soon as possible for the anniversary.

    "I understand. This means he might have to leave without me."

    And without resolving our misunderstanding, Sonia thought sadly.

    Lucy''s heart broke when she heard the sadness in Sonia''s voice. She had never heard Sonia sound so vulnerable or helpless before. Sonia wasn''t usually thus emotional either.

    "Oh, Sony! What can..."

    "Don''t worry about me. I''ll be okay. I have to go now. I should find a way to reach him. I love you," Sonia cut in and hung up before Lucy could say another word.

    Lucy sighed as she looked at her phone before looking at Tom, who was observing her quietly, "Come here," he ordered softly when he noticed the distress in her face and when she moved closer to him, he drew her down until she was sitting on his thighs.

    "You want to tell me what''s wrong?" Tom asked, and even though she was tempted to, Lucy shook her head.

    Her n was to make him feel better and relieve him of stress. Sonia was far away from her and there was no way she could be there for Sonia right now, but Tom was right here, and she could be here for him instead of dumping all her problems on him.

    So instead of telling him what was bothering her, she kissed him, "No. I''m not telling you anything. I think we should make this room our safe room. No unpleasant topic must be discussed in here. It should be like our sanctuary. I want you to be able to rxpletely in here with me," Lucy said, and Tom smiled, knowing that she was trying really hard to help him rx.

    "I like that idea."

    "You do? I could show you something else you might like. But I need to shower first. I will be back shortly, so don''t even think about sleeping off," Lucy warned with a wink, and Tom grinned.

    "I wouldn''t dare sleep off. Not when you''re acting so naughty," he assured her as she headed for the bedroom.

    "Jewel?" Tom called before she could disappear, and she turned to him.

    "Yeah?"

    "You are perfect, and I adore you," Tom said, and she giggled in embarrassment before walking away.

 Chapter 483 Full Of Surprises (Sexual Content!!!)

    While Tom sat on the balcony making some quick phone calls, as he waited for Lucy to shower and joined him, Lucy sat on the toilet seat browsing through the inte for various subjects, which had her face ming bright red as she looked at some pictures and even watched some videos.

    After some time, she got up and showered and then prepared herself for the night. Or better still, for Tom.

    Once she was done with everything, shey down on the bed, "Ace?" She called softly, and immediately, Tom''s head snapped around, and he looked into the room.

    He dropped his phone and rose when he noticed that Lucy had turned off the light bulbs in the room and the only source of light seemed to be the bedsidemp on both sides of the bed.

    Now that his attention had shifted from his work to the room, he could hear a song ying lightly in the background, but he couldn''t tell what song it was.

    "Jewel?" He called as he walked into the room, and his breath hitched when he saw her lying on the bed propped up on one elbow with her long hair sprawled over her shoulders and on the pillow.

    She was dressed in the one-shoulder floral print dress he had gotten her thest time. The same dress she had worn without undies when they gathered at the den with the rest of the family.

    The memory of that made his cock twitch hungrily, but he didn''t move. He remained where he stood as he let his eyes feast on her.

    She struck a pose on the bed like an erotic model letting the slit on the dress ride up to her hip bone and reveal her entire thigh.

    As Tom watched her, Lucy adjusted her position and struck a different pose while giving him a sultry smile and beckoning at him with her forefinger.

    Tom could tell that she was trying really hard. Her innocence and the effort she was putting in both pleased him and aroused him.

    "I didn''t know what to wear, so I decided to settle for this," she said with a self-conscious smile when Tom didn''t make any move toward her.

    "This is bing awkward. Are you just going to stand there and stare all night?" Lucy asked, and Tom looked at her with practiced patience.

    "You said you didn''t want anything sexual for the time being. Do you now? I don''t think I might be able to control myself if I get on that bed with you," Tom said, making Lucy smile.

    "Why don''t I answer your question after giving you the massage? Come here," she said, gesturing for him with her forefinger.

    "Do you want the towel on or off?" Tom asked, and Lucy''s heart leaped as her gaze moved from his face to the tent that had formed in front of him.

    She cleared her throat, "You can lose it," she said as she raised her gaze to his eyes once again, and Tom didn''t miss the gleam of desire in her eyes as she gazed at him.

    He let the towel fall from his waist and stood before her with his back to the balcony door, the moon shining brightly behind him.

    Lucy felt a lump form in her throat even as she felt the wetness between her thighs. She wasn''t sure who was seducing who. She was getting turned on by the whole thing.

    Lucy''s gaze hungrily swept over Tom''s naked body as he drew closer to the bed, his erect cock pointing at her.

    She felt dizzy merely by looking at his engorged cock, and she craved nothing more at that moment than to reach out and touch him. She wanted to taste him.

    She had always wondered what women found so appealing about giving blowjobs, but the thought of doing that to Tom was making her feel too hot, and her heart was racing.

    ''Slow down, Lu! A massage first,'' she reminded herself and sat up when Tom stopped by the edge of the bed.

    "Get on the bed and lie down," Lucy said as she shifted to the other side of the bed and waited for him to lie down.

    "Face up or down?" Tom asked, and Lucy broke her gaze away from his cock to look into his face.

    "Down. Definitely down," she murmured, thinking that she would never be able to do anything if his cock remained within her vision.

    Tom did as she wanted while he wondered how much longer he would be able to keep himself from not touching her.

    As hey on the bed face down with both hands lying on his side, Lucy moved to the other side of the bed and picked up the scented oil she had left on the nightstand before straddling him.

    "Do you intend to keep the dress on?" Tom asked, craning his neck to look at her.

    "I think I should take it off," Lucy said as she got off him, and Tom turned so he could watch her take off her dress.

    Seeing that she had an audience and feeling daring, Lucy decided to y around a bit and tease him.

    She spread her legs apart and stood on her right toe, making sure the slit that rode up to her thighs parted and revealed her legs, and she threw back her long hair flirtatiously.

    Tom watched in amazement and frustration as she raised both hands to rub her hard nipples, which he could see the outline on her dress, and he groaned when she cupped both boobs in her hands and squeezed softly.

    "Jewel..."

    "Wait," she said as she slowly reached for the zip at the right side of the dress and slowly zipped it down.

    Tom''s cock throbbed as he watched her slowly slide one hand of the dress down her left arm exposing her perfect mounds withrge pink nipples.

    His gaze followed the dress as it slid down her body revealing more curves as it went down until it crumpled at her feet, and she was just as naked as him.

    Naked now, Lucy slowly made her way back to the bed and straddled Tom''s back.

    "You are hot and wet," Tom said when he felt her wetness on his back.

    "Yes, I am. For you," Lucy said unashamedly as she picked up the oil she had left on the bed and let some drop on his back.

    Tom closed his eyes and felt himself rx as her soft hands touched his back. She slowly moved her way up to his shoulder and let her fingers work out whatever kink was there.

    Tom groaned and moaned softly as she worked her way from his shoulder to his neck.

    "Do you like it?" Lucy asked hopefully.

    "I love it. I didn''t realize how much I needed this," Tom said in a calm voice while Lucy continued to massage him.

    The more she touched him, the more aroused she became, and when she couldn''t bear it anymore, she got off his back, "Roll over," she ordered softly.

    "Hm?" Tom asked in a very rxed tone.

    "I want your front now. Roll over," Lucy ordered, and immediately, Tom rolled on his back and ced both hands behind his head to support himself.

    Tom watched her as her eyes moved over his body, focusing on his arousal, and before he could open his mouth to grant her permission to touch him, she reached for his cock, and rubbed it gently, making Tom suck in a breath.

    "Jewel..."

    "I want to taste it," she said, and without waiting for the go-ahead, she lowered her head to his crotch and slowly took his cock into her mouth.

    "Lucy," Tom called with a groan, and she raised her head to look into his face with lustful eyes while his precum glistened on her lips.

    "Don''t you want it?" She asked innocently as she licked the precum off her lips and rubbed her hand down the length of his smooth, hard throbbing cock.

    Want? Was she kidding him? Did she have any idea what her touch was doing to him? "I need you..."

    "Then let me pleasure you," Lucy cut in as she lowered her head back to his crotch and took his cock in her mouth once again.

    Tom was amazed as he watched her suck his cock without breaking eye contact with him. Where did she learn to do this? When?

    "Am I doing it right?" She asked when Tom moaned, and he gave her a nod, unable to swallow past the lump in his throat to speak.

    "Tell me," Lucy said, and Tom closed his eyes.

    "You''re killing me, Jewel," Tom said, and she smiled in satisfaction as she pulled away from his cock and drew close to him like she wanted to kiss him, but instead, she kissed his nipple and then sucked it when Tom moaned loudly.

    She reached for his cock and gave him a handjob as she licked and sucked his nipples, and when Tom could not take it anymore, he reached for her waist, but before he could flip over, she rolled over first and sat on his abdomen.

    "Stay still. I''m the one calling the shots tonight," she said as she looked down at him while his cock grazed her ass.

    Tom reached a hand to touch her hair, but she pped his hand off, "Do you want me?" Lucy asked, and Tom looked at her incredulously.

    "Of course I do," Tom murmured huskily, and Lucy smiled coyly as she moved closer to his cock and ground on it.

    "How much?" She asked in a sultry voice when Tom groaned.

    "Badly, Lu. I need you," Tom said, and Lucy leaned forward, letting her hair fall over Tom''s face and chest as she met his gaze.

    "I need you too," she whispered as she covered his lips with hers and adjusted on top of him until his cock found its way into her feminine slit.

    They both moaned simultaneously as it slid inside, and their kiss became even more passionate as Tom''s hand moved all over her body, caressing her.

    Lucy bounced slowly on top of Tom, and he helped her pace her move by holding her waists and moving underneath her even as he continued to shower kisses on her face and neck.

    "Should I take over?" He asked when he noticed that her movement was bing slow and she was getting exhausted.

    Lucy shook her head, "No. I got this," she assured him as she sat up on him with his cock still inside.

    Tom watched her curiously, wondering what she was up to as she slowly maneuvered her way around his cock until she was seated in a reverse cowgirl position.

    "Seriously?" Tom asked with a bit of amazement and amusement, and Lucy smiled shyly as she turned to look at him.

    "I read somewhere that guys love it when thedy is in charge. Especially these positions," she said shyly.

    "When did you read it?" He asked curiously, and she blushed.

    "In the bathroom. Told you I want to pleasure you," Lucy said and he found himself grinning as he stroked his hands down her waist and to the curve of her ass.

    His mind was blown by the fact that she had actually been reading about sex just to please him.

    "Can I go on now?" Lucy asked, and Tom nodded.

    "You are in charge," he said, and he watched to his satisfaction and arousal as she rolled her waist and bounced on top of his cock while he slowly thrust in and out of her.

    Immediately he began to feel like he was getting to his pleasure peak; he held her waist to stop her.

    "What is wrong?" Lucy asked breathlessly.

    "Nothing. I''m going to ejacte now, but I don''t think you are there yet. Roll over," Tom ordered.

    "This isn''t about me. I want to pleasure you," Lucy reminded him.

    "There''s no greater pleasure for me than satisfying you too," Tom assured her and Lucy got off him.

    "No, don''t lie on the bed. Kneel," Tom said, and once she knelt, Tom knelt behind her with one knee and ced his other foot on the bed for support as he positioned himself behind her.

    One hand went around her and cupped her boob while the other guided his cock inside her juicy slit.

    Lucy arched her neck as she raised both arms and joined her hands at his nape. She asked softly when he thrust into her, and she moaned loudly as he moved inside her. His strokes were long and pleasurably slow. The type that made her legs tremble.

    Tom brushed her hair to the side as he softly bit into her neck, causing her blood to sizzle with pleasure.

    Each thrust felt like a hammer to her heart, battering her. Her moans and cries flooded his veins until his thrust became deep and desperate.

    Lucy cried out louder in pleasure when one of his hands went around her, and his thumb brushed her clit as he continued to thrust into her.

    "Tom..." Lucy cried breathlessly as she felt her whole body vibrate with the force of her climax.

    "Yes, baby. Cum for me," Tom said, feeling the clenching and unclenching of her pussy walls around his cock as she orgasmed.

    He thrust harder now as she orgasmed, making her cry out louder as she writhed in his arms, and Tom groaned as he pulled out from her and let himself explode into his hands.

    With a long satisfied sigh, she slid down on the bed and closed her eyes as she tried to catch her breath.

    She opened her eyes when Tom kissed her softly, and she smiled when she saw the wonder in his eyes as he stared at her.

    "That was beautiful. I love you," Tom said, and Lucy smiled shyly as she looked at the sperm in his hands, and without thinking, she dipped her forefinger into it and raised it to her lips.

    "What are you doing?" Tom asked, and she blushed.

    "I was wondering what it tasted like. Need to get used to the taste for when you..." She looked away for a moment and then returned her gaze to him.

    "You know, like when you cum in my mouth," she said, and Tom shook his head in amusement. Lucy was definitely full of surprises.

    He would never have thought of cumming in her mouth or even requesting it, even though the thought of it was arousing.

    He thought women viewed it as disrespectful, and he couldn''t even imagine why she would think of doing something like that. Unless, of course, she had also read about it somewhere that men enjoyed that sort of thing.

    "Let''s go get cleaned up, Jewel. And then you can tell me all what you''ve been reading," Tom said as he got off the bed, and Lucy did the same.

 Chapter 484 Strengthen Or Break

    Standing on the rooftop of the hospital, Jade scrolled through the inte for news on Bryan''s fight, and she was able to find just one before it was taken down.

    Never had she been more impressed by Harry''s efficiency than she was at that moment. There wasn''t a single article on Bryan anymore. It was as if it had never been there.

    Deciding to find out what was going on with Bryan, she dialed his line.

    "What?" Bryan asked gruffly once he received her call.

    Jade frowned, "That is such a pleasant way to say hello to your favorite sister," Jade said sweetly, expecting him to argue with her as usual that she was his only sister and not his favorite sister since if he had more sisters he most likely would have preferred them to her.

    "Are you okay? Do you want something?" Bryan asked impatiently. The only reason he had received her call was to be sure she was fine and wasn''t in any form of distress and needed his help. He wasn''t in the mood to talk.

    "Yes. I''d love to know what is wrong with you and why your name was all over the inte," Jade said, and Bryan hissed in annoyance.

    "I''m not in the mood to talk, Jade. Maybe you should read whatever is written on the inte if you want to know wha..."

    "I would have done so if Harry didn''t already have them take it all down. Harry has a lot on his te, and it''s not nice that he has to clean after you at a time like this. Tom is pissed. This is not the time for scandals..."

    "Yeah, of course, he would be pissed. If the scandal was about Lucy, I''m sure he wouldn''t be so angry..."

    "Are you out of your mind?" Jade snapped at Bryan angrily.

    "Where is that trashing from? What has Lucy got to do with your acting like an idiot?" She asked, feeling irritated.

    "Jade..."

    "No, you shut up and listen to me! You just barely got out of one scandal and ended your contract with Paul. Don''t you think Paul will be having a goodugh at your expense right now? Do you want to ruin your career? How do you expect Tom to announce you to the board at a time like this if your name is all over the ce for the wrong reasons? Do you want to ruin all their hard work? Everyone is having a hard time over here right now, and you are over there causing more trouble instead of..." Jade stopped speaking abruptly when she realized that she couldn''t hear anything on the other end of the line.

    "Bryan?" She called and pulled her phone away from her ear to look at it.

    She let out a long string of curses when she realized that Bryan had long ended the call and she was speaking to herself.

    She redialed his line and scowled when she realized that he had switched off his phone. He never hung up on her. What could have gotten him so upset? Jade mused as she dialed Sonia''s line instead.

    "Sonia? What is wrong with your boyfriend?" Jade asked immediately after Sonia received her call.

    "Do you have any idea where I can find Bryan?" Sonia asked without answering Jade''s question, and Jade frowned when she heard the distress in Sonia''s tone.

    "Why are you asking me that? I thought you traveled together. Is he not home with you?" Jade asked as she checked the time on her leather wristwatch.

    "We had a fight, and he left. I barely managed to get him out of the police station, and now I don''t know where he went. I don''t know where to look or what to do. I can''t disturb your parents'' sleep..."

    "Are they not aware of the scandal?" Jade asked, surprised. She knew that her parents wouldn''t be sleeping if they knew of the scandal or that Bryan wasn''t home and Sonia was this upset.

    "I''m not sure they are," Sonia said, sounding distraught.

    "Perhaps I should wake them up. Hopefully, they can find him and talk some sense into his thick skull. He is making things tough for everyone. This is not the time to act like a child!" Jade hissed, feeling irritated.

    "Do you have any idea where he might be? Maybe a spot he likes to hang out here in Heden?" Sonia asked hopefully. She wanted to at least resolve things with him before he left for Ludus with Jeff.

    Jade''s brows pulled together as she thought about it, "I can''t think of any ce. It''s been a while since we spent time together there," Jade said apologetically.

    "If I may ask, why is he so upset? And why did he get into a fight?" Jade asked, and Sonia sighed as she gave Jade a recap of everything.

    "He is sulking. I can''t believe he''s acting like a spoilt brat right now. This is bad timing," Jade hissed.

    It wasn''t that she didn''t understand that Bryan was jealous and hurt that Sonia wasn''t doing things the way he wanted. She was annoyed that Bryan was handling things childishly andplicating things for everyone. This was probably the downside of working together as a family. Perhaps if Tom had no ns of bringing him into I-Global, they probably would not have been this annoyed. Still, he was ruining his career, and this was going to ultimately affect Sonia as well.

    "I don''t know what to do," Soniained.

    "I know what you should do. Instead of worrying about Bryan, you should go to sleep. You sound exhausted, and it''s past midnight already. Don''t lose sleep over any of this. Bryan wille home when he wants to. Stop worrying yourself. I will call my parents myself," Jade said, and Sonia sighed.

    "Lucy said Jeff ising to get him. I can''t leave yet. I don''t want us to be on bad terms," Sonia said, and Jade sighed.

    This was the aspect of love that she didn''t like. The misunderstandings. The worries and sleeplessness that came with fights.

    "So what are you going to do? Stay awake all night and keep watch until he returns? I spoke with Bryan before calling you. Although he sounds mad, he''s fine. Don''t lose sleep over him. If he''s okay with not knowing how you are faring, you can as well be okay too," Jade insisted.

    "You spoke with him? Can you call him back to find out where he..."

    "He switched off his phone. He doesn''t want to talk."

    "Are you sure? What if..."

    "Trust me. Get some rest, Sonia."

    "Alright, I will. Thanks," Sonia said, and immediately Jade hung up the call and dialed her mother''s line.

    Evelyn, who was writhing under Desmond, paused when her phone rang, and the couple exchanged a look.

    "Are you expecting a call?" Desmond asked, and Evelyn shook her head.

    "I''m sure it can wait until morning," Evelyn said as she kissed Desmond, but he looked at her doubtfully.

    "What if it''s one of the kids?" He asked, and immediately Evelyn tried to sit up and reached for her phone.

    "It''s Jade," Evelyn said, and Desmond got off her.

    "I will clean up while you speak with her," Desmond said as he headed for their bathroom while Evelyn received the call.

    "Is everything alright with you?" Evelyn asked with concern.

    "Yes. I hope I didn''t wake you up?" She asked apologetically.

    "No, you didn''t. Is everything alright? I heard from J about Harry...."

    "Yeah. Sonia told me you''reing over tomorrow."

    "Yes. You''re with Harry, I suppose? Or are you still busy with your case?" Evelyn asked curiously.

    "I''m with Harry. Something came up, so I had to leave. I quit working at the firm. I''m moving to Ludus. We will talk about it when you get here. Are you aware of the mess Bryan created?" Jade asked without wasting any more time on small talk.

    Although Evelyn wanted to talk more about Jade''s move to Ludus, her attention naturally shifted to Bryan.

    "Bryan? What did he do?" Evelyn asked as she got off the bed and headed for the bathroom to join Desmond so he could also hear whatever Jade had to say while they showered.

    She ced the phone on speaker and dropped it by the wash basin so that both she and Desmond could listen to Jade as she spoke while they cleaned up in the shower.

    "He was arrested?" Evelyn and Desmond asked in unison when Jade told them about Bryan''s scandal.

    "Dad? Are you both in the shower?" Jade asked in surprise, not wanting to believe it was what she was thinking.

    "You call your mom by this time of the night; what did you think we were doing? Maybe if you had a serious man in your life, you wouldn''t call and interrupt us in the middle of..."

    "Des!" Evelyn chided her husband while Jade paused. Not knowing if she should feel embarrassed or amused.

    "She is an adult. I don''t know what you''re feeling embarrassed about. It''s not like she is still four and doesn''t know how kids are formed..."

    "Shut up, or I''m going to strangle you," Eve threatened, while Jade looked skyward for help as she tried to stifle her awkwardughter.

    "So, has he been released yet?" Evelyn asked, returning their attention to the issue at hand.

    "Yes," Jade said, choosing to ignore what her father had just said. It was better for them all that she did not imagine what they had been doing.

    "Is Sonia aware of this? I''m surprised you know about this, yet we know nothing of it," Desmond said as he wrapped a towel around Evelyn, and they both returned to the bedroom.

    Jade went on to exin the situation to them and told them Sonia was upset.

    "Why is Bryan acting up?" Evelyn asked with a worried frown, not liking the tension between Sonia and Bryan.

    "I have no idea. Tom is pissed. With the whole situation with Harry, emotions are high right now, and Bryan isn''t helping matters by doing this. I tried talking to him, and he hung up without letting me finish," Jadeined.

    "Don''t worry about him. He will be alright. I will talk to him," Desmond assured Jade.

    "Do you have any idea where he could be? Sonia is worried," Jade asked them curiously.

    "There''s no need for her to worry. We will check in on her and calm her after this phone call," Evelyn said, and Jade nodded.

    "Alright then. I will let you get back to whatever you were doing before I called," Jade said in a teasing tone.

    "Sure. Thanks for being so considerate," Desmond said dryly while Evelyn red at him.

    "Before you hang up, tell me something. Are you staying at Harry''s apartment or with Tom?" Evelyn asked curiously.

    Jade paused, "With Harry."

    "How are things going with you two? Is he still being slow? Do you need our help?" Evelyn asked with interest.

    "The young man is in the middle of a family crisis, and you think romance is the first thing on his mind?" Desmond asked his wife incredulously, and Jade smiled fondly.

    "Dad is right. Harry has a lot on his mind right now. And don''t worry, mom. I can take care of myself. Please don''t forget to check on Sonia," Jade reminded them.

    "We will. Give our love to Harry. We will be with you all tomorrow," Evelyn promised.

    "Sure. I love you both. I hope to have what you both share," Jade said, and her parents smiled at each other.

    "We love you too. Take care of yourself... and extra care of Harry," Evelyn said before hanging up.

    They both sighed as they looked at each other. "I will try to reach Bryan. Go and ensure that Sonia is fine," Desmond said as they both took out clothes to wear.

    Once Evelyn got to Bryan''s bedroom, she knocked on the door softly and pushed it open when she heard the sound of Sonia''s sob.

    Her brows pulled together in a worried frown as she went to sit on the bed beside Sonia, "Oh, dear! Why didn''t youe to us? Jade just told us about Bryan," Evelyn said as Sonia sat up and struggled unsessfully to wipe her tears.

    "Come here," Evelyn ordered softly as she embraced Sonia and let her cry on her while she patted her hair.

    Sonia cried, unable to stop the tears. She had never been more scared of a breakup than she was at that moment. What if Bryan no longer wanted her after seeing thements from his fans? She hade to see Bryan as her home and his family as her family. What was she going to do if she lost all this?

    "Now stop crying, dear. I''m pretty sure Bryan is okay wherever he is. He''s probably thinking about everything. I''m sure he would realize his folly soon. You need to go to bed. You''re beginning to run a temperature," Evelyn said with concern.

    "But Bryan is not back yet," Sonia said as she pulled away from Evelyn, but Evelyn waved it off dismissively as shey on the bed.

    "I''m exhausted. Let''s go to bed now. His dad is trying to find him, so don''t worry," Evelyn said as she pulled Sonia close.

    Having no other choice, Soniay down beside Evelyn, and Evelyn patted her back until she drifted off to sleep.

    Once Evelyn was sure that Sonia was sound asleep, she quietly left the room to find her husband.

    "I take it you don''t know where he went to?" Evelyn asked when she saw him in the living room.

    "I couldn''t reach him. How is Sonia?" Desmond asked curiously.

    "She was crying when I got there. She is very upset, and it''s making me so worried about her. I didn''t think she was the type to show such vulnerability," Evelyn said with a worried frown that was mirrored on Desmond''s face.

    "She has barely just opened her heart to Bryan and us. Bryan is hurting her."

    "What do you think?" Evelyn asked as she sat on the couch, and Desmond joined her.

    "They have both not handled things correctly. And even though this shouldn''t be a big deal, this will test their rtionship. It will either strengthen their rtionship or end it," Desmond said with a sigh.

    "What can we do to help? They obviously love each other. It''s stupid that something as minor as this woulde between them like this," Evelyn said, and Desmond sighed.

    "We can only advise them and then leave them to decide for themselves. I''m hoping they won''t break up. I care about Sonia," Desmond said, and Evelyn teared up.

    "Me too. She is such a sweet child," Evelyn said with a sniffle, and Desmond pulled her to himself.

    "Let''s have a talk with Bryan when he gets back. For now, let''s go to bed," Desmond said, and Evelyn let him lead her back to the bedroom, where they called it a night.

 Chapter 485 Romantic

    Aaron and Harry spent over an hour talking about Candace and Jamal and trying to figure out the best way they could wee them and make them not just feel like they were wee but also make them know that they were family."I want to go home...""No. I''m not letting you do that," Harry cut in before Aaron could finish."Apart from the fact that I no longer have to worry about Sara showing up since the truth is in the open now, I have you and your sister. I feel much better...""Dad, I''m not letting you out of the hospital until I''mpletely convinced that you are fine and won''t break down again. It''s not up for a debate," Harry insisted stubbornly."I don''t mind receiving treatment at home," Aaron pleaded, but Harry wouldn''t hear of it."The hospital is fine.""So she re are you going to sleep? What about Jade?" Aaron asked, reminding Harry that Jade was still waiting."Don''t worry about her. She can sleep in the car while I stay up here with you. I can have the couch," Harry said ncing at the couch they had brought into the room a while ago.Aaron eyed him with disapproval, "Do you think she chose to stay back here so she would sleep in the car? She chose to stay back because she wants to be with you. Does it make sense that she is going to sleep in the car while you are in here? She should have as well just stayed back at home. At least the bed over there would be morefortable than the car," Aaron said, and Harry frowned. "So what do you want me to do?""You can stay back in the car with her, and then let''s go home in the morning. It is morefortable for everyone if I receive treatment at home. That way, your sister can move in with us at once, and you all get to sleep on your bed, so I don''t have to feel like shit for making you stay out here with me when you look so stressed," Aaron said, and Harry sighed."Fine. I will see what I can do about taking you home tomorrow. But I''m not staying in the car while you are alone in here," Harry said, and Aaron shook his head. "I don''t have to be alone. You can ask one of the nurses to check on me at intervals. Although, I doubt that''s necessary. I''m exhausted and want to sleep," Aaron said and rolled his eyes when Harry looked at him doubtfully."At least go out and check on the girl! She has been out for a while now," Aaron said, and Harry silently agreed with his dad. He wondered what Jade had been up to. "I will go see what she''s doing. I will be back," Harry said as he headed for the door."You finally manned up and told her you like her, huh?" Aaron asked before Harry could open the door.Harry turned to look at him, "She told you that?""Not in those exact words. The girl loves you. So who is the girl that ising over?" Aaron asked, and Harry returned to his father''s bedside."She is a friend. Jade''s friend," Harry said, and Aaron looked at Harry with interest."You are not interested in her, are you?" "I''m not.""Good. I trust you n to tell her that you have feelings for Jade and won''t lead her on?" Aaron asked, and Harry gave him a nod."I intend to.""I take it you are sure of her feelings for you now, right?" Aaron asked, but Harry shrugged."We are on our way there. Why? Did she say something?" Harry asked, and Aaron''s eyes twinkled."She implied that I was going to be her father-inw," Aaron said, and Harry chuckled."Isn''t she running ahead of herself?" Harry asked no one in particr."Make sure you let her sweat a little," Aaron said with a wicked grin, and Harry grinned back."Sure. I''m not cheap," Harry said, and Aaron chuckled."I''m so proud of you. Don''t keep her waiting much longer. You can go now," Aaron said, and Harry gave him a nod before walking away to go find Jade.As Harry climbed the short flight of stairs that led to the rooftop he smiled as he thought of Jade and how she had gone from ying games to so openly dering her feelings for him. He couldn''t help wondering if she would be able to patiently wait until he was ready to officially ask her out. He stopped when he saw her staring out into the night with her back to him. "A penny for your thoughts," Harry said, and his heart skipped a beat when she beamed a smile at him as she turned to face him.She was breathtakingly gorgeous, and it warmed his heart that she was as eager to have him to herself as he was to have her to himself."You don''t have to pay. I will tell you for free. I was thinking about you," Jade said as she remained where she stood, waiting for Harry to move closer."Really? What were you thinking about?" Harry asked as he began to approach her again."I was trying to figure out when I started falling for you," Jade said, and Harry merely stared at her for a moment."Have you figured it out yet?" Harry asked, and Jade grinned."Not sure. All the articles on Bryan have been taken off the inte. Thank you," Jade said, changing the subject, and Harry shrugged dismissively."I was only doing my job.""Then thanks for doing such a fine job," Jade said, and Harry gave her an amused smile before turning away from her."Would you say you are the jealous type?" Jade asked curiously, trying to figure out if Harry would have acted the way Bryan was acting.Harry considered her briefly. Wondering where the question wasing from before considering the question itself, "Isn''t it natural to be jealous when you love someone?" Harry asked as he turned away from her and leaned on the rail, looking skyward.

    "Well, yeah, but how would you handle jealousy? Would you say you handle it in a good way or not?"

    "I''ve never been in a situation where I had to handle it. I will answer your question if or when that happens," Harry said, and Jade sighed as she turned away from him and leaned on the railing too.

    "So you weren''t jealous?" Jade asked, and Harry didn''t need to ask what she meant. "No."

    "No? But you said you liked me back then," Jade reminded him.

    "Yes, I did. But you weren''t mine to be jealous of back then. Your boyfriend was the one in the position to be jealous not me. I had your attention, howbeit briefly," Harry said with a small smile as he remembered that night, and Jade sighed as she looked at him.

    "He was jealous but that does not mean he loved me."

    "That''s his problem, not yours. He didn''t deserve you nor the love and loyalty you showed him. Maybe I should have just snatched you from him back then," Harry said, and Jade giggled.

    "Do you think you could have been able to do that?" Jade asked, and Harry gave her a confident nod without looking at her.

    "If I wanted to, I would have. And I think you would havee to me too," Harry said, and Jade''s heart fluttered.

    "I wish you did," she said softly.Harry turned to her and grazed her chin with his knuckle as he gazed into her eyes, "There is no hurry sugar. I can still do that even now," Harry said as he watched her eyes flutter, and then he kissed the tip of her nose.

    "First time I saw you, I thought you looked like a goddess, now you look like a fairy princess," Harry said, and Jade giggled.

    "You sound as though you''ve seen one. And why don''t I look like a goddess anymore?" Jade asked with a mock scowl.

    "I don''t think goddesses keep their hair as short as yours," Harry said, and Jade raised a hand to her hair.

    "Do you prefer it long or short?"

    "I prefer whichever is convenient for you. You are beautiful regardless of the length of your hair," Harry assured her, and Jade felt a lump form in her throat.

    She couldn''t remember thest time she had been touched by suchpliments. Maybe it was because she knew Harry wasn''t the type to say something he didn''t mean so she trusted his words and took them to heart. Not wanting him to know just how affected she was by his words, Jade cleared her throat, "You didn''t think I was pretty when you came to my house," Jade reminded him.

    "I wasn''t happy to see you that way. You looked like hell!" Harry said with a disproving frown and Jadeughed.

    "So if I was your girlfriend or wife would you stop being attracted to me because I look that way?" Jade asked and Harry shook his head.

    "I would never let you look that way. You will be too much in love with yourself to neglect yourself in that manner," Harry said, and Jade smiled.

    "I never knew you could be this sweet or romantic. Now I''m wondering how you stayed single this whole time," Jade said, and Harry shrugged.

    "Maybe being romantices naturally to me when I''m with you. Perhaps I was waiting for you."

    "If you keep saying such sweet stuff I might not be able to wait until next week," Jade threatened, and Harry chuckled.

    "Enough of the romantic talk then."

    "So what do you think about Candace?" Jade asked, changing the subject.

    "Am I supposed to think anything? She is my blood. And as far as we share the same blood she is amazing. We Jonas are exceptional beings," Harry said with a proud smirk, and Jadeughed.

    "I don''t think I''veughed this much in a long while," Jade said, and Harry scoffed.

    "Yet you said I was boring..."

    "You have to let that go. Forgive and forget," Jade said as she rubbed his arm in a cating manner.

    "Maybe someday I will forgive you.""By the way, how is Aaron doing?" Jade asked with concern.

    "He is okay. You need to rest now. It''ste already. Do you mind crashing in the car?" Harry asked, and Jade batted hershes at him.

    "With you?" She asked with a pretty pout and Harry looked at her thoughtfully for a moment making her raise a brow."What are you thinking?" She asked curiously.

    "I''m just thinking that you have the potential of bing a very clingy girlfriend. I might need to have a rethink," Harry said and Jade giggled.

    "It''s toote for that, pal. You should have thought of that before making me fall for you," Jade said as she patted his shoulders in a friendly manner.

    "I didn''t make you do anything. I want to stay up with my dad in the room. You can stay in the car," Harry suggested.

    "I will stay with you in the room. You honestly don''t expect me to sleep in the parking lot alone, do you?" Jade asked, and harry raised a brow.

    "Why not? I thought you are fearless and can take care of yourself?" He asked, reminding her of how she had been bent on sending him away when he visited her apartment.

    "I don''t care what you say. I''m not staying in the car alone. Let''s go to the room," Jade said as she tucked her arm into his.

    "Did you tell my dad that you were going to be his future daughter-inw?" Harry asked as they both headed for the door to return inside the hospital.

    "Yes. Why? You don''t know I n to get married to you?" Jade asked as she looked up at him and Harry chuckled.

    "We are not even dating yet..."

    "Sure. That''s why it is future daughter-inw. We can take it one at a time. But I intend to be your wife," Jade said, and Harry grinned.

    "We will see about that."

 Chapter 486 Break Up?

    Sonia woke up in the middle of the night when she heard sounds like someone was moving around the bedroom. She sat up immediately and turned on the light.

    "Bryan..." She quickly got off the bed when she saw that it was Bryan who was walking around and packing his stuff.

    Bryan paused halfway through packing his bag and turned to look at her with nk eyes causing her to forget whatever she had wanted to say.

    Sonia stopped in front of him, "Were you going to leave without talking to me?" Sonia asked, feeling an intense ache in her heart that she had never felt before.

    "Jeff is waiting outside," Bryan said coolly as he turned away from her and zipped up his bag.

    "Shouldn''t we fix things before you leave? I''m notfortable with the way things are between us right now," Sonia said, and Bryan shrugged.

    "I don''t think there is anything to fix. You have made your stand in our rtionship clear. I don''t mean anything to you..."

    "Bryan! How can you say that when you know I love you?" Sonia asked in disbelief.

    "You may love me, but maybe you don''t love me enough. Or perhaps you don''t love me as I want to be loved. And you don''t respect me either. You talked about me not trusting you, but I think maybe you don''t trust me too..."

    "How can you say that? Of course, I trust you!" Sonia cried.

    "No, you don''t. If you did, you would have listened to me at the station. Or maybe you didn''t listen to me because you think I''m too childish and mature to tell you what to do."

    "For god sake Bryan! Are we going to let things get out of hand? I''m sorry I called you that. I was only trying to help resolve things at the station..."

    "I ASKED YOU TO STAY OUT OF IT!" Bryan yelled at her.

    "I asked you not to do a damned thing! I asked you not to say a word to him. Did you listen to me? Did you listen to any words I said? You disrespected me in front of everyone. You showed them you don''t trust my judgment and I''m not sure I want to do anything with a person who can''t listen to me," Bryan said, ignoring the ache in his heart.

    Sonia blinked back her tears at his words, "What does that mean, Bryan? What are you trying to say?" she asked, raising a hand to her chest.

    "Maybe you are right. We need some time apart. I need some time away from you to reevaluate if I want to be with you on your own terms. I love you, but this is not the kind of rtionship I want..."

    "Bryan!" Sonia cried, unable to control her emotion anymore.

    "Please don''t say that, Bryan," she cried as she held the edge of the dressing table, unable to stand straight.

    "It''s what you asked for. You wanted us to take a break..."

    "That wasn''t what I asked for Bryan. Please stop. You are hurting me," Sonia cried as tears dropped from her eyes.

    Tears gathered in Bryan''s eyes too but he looked away from her, "Let''s take a break. I''m leaving with Jeff for Ludus," Bryan said, and without saying another word to her or waiting for her to say anything, Bryan headed for the door, while Sonia felt herself copse on the floor as her whole body shook with a sob.

    Bryan met his parent standing outside the door, and while Desmond''s face was nk, Evelyn couldn''t mask the disapproval on her face as she walked past him to go to Sonia who was crying while Desmond followed Bryan.

    Bryan waited patiently for his father to say something as they walked down the hallway and the stairs, but when Desmond remained silent after some time, Bryan turned to him when they got to the foot of the stairs.

    "Say it," Bryan said, waiting to be scolded.

    "What do you want me to say?" Desmond asked as he looked back at his son.

    "Anything. Say whatever you have in mind," Bryan said, and Desmond sighed.

    "Why did you fight with him?" Desmond asked, and Bryan''s eyes darkened as he clenched his fist and gritted his teeth.

    "I can''t tell you about that," Bryan said, and Desmond sighed.

    "I suppose you had a good reason for doing that other than blind jealousy?" Desmond asked, believing that Bryan would never have done that without a clear reason.

    When Bryan didn''t say anything, Desmond sighed, "I''m sure Jeff can wait for some time. Let''s have a drink before you leave," Desmond suggested and walked ahead of Bryan to the bar while Bryan followed him reluctantly.

    After pouring some wine into two sses, Desmond handed a ss to Bryan and sat down on the dining before gesturing to Bryan to do the same.

    "Do you love Sonia?" Desmond asked, and Bryan sighed as he looked into his winess.

    "I do."

    "Do you want to break up with her?" Desmond asked once again and this time Bryan shrugged.

    "I don''t know. I need some time to figure that out," Bryan said, and Desmond sighed.

    "Sonia is a good girl. And she loves you."

    "Of what point is her love for me if she doesn''t love me the way I desire to be loved?"

    "How do you desire to be loved?" Desmond asked, and Bryan paused briefly.

    "I want toe first for Sonia. I don''t want to ever have to doubt her love for me or my ce in her life but she keeps giving me a reason to feel that way. I could go all out for Sonia but I''m afraid she won''t do the same for me. She wanted a conflict in our rtionship so she could flow better in her writing. For her sake, I was willing to generate one even if I thought everything was perfect. The conflict didn''t turn out so well, and even though I admit I was wrong in handling things, Sonia blew everything out of proportion. She wants a break, now I''m letting her have it! I''m tired of having her run the rtionship like it''s one of her novels that she needs to haveplete control over."

    Desmond watched and listened patiently as Bryan ranted andined, and when he was done, Desmond sighed.

    "Are you sure you are doing the right thing? Don''t you think you are taking things too far?" Desmond asked, and Bryan shook his head.

    "It''s what she wanted. I''m giving her that."

    "No. You are hurting her. You brought her here, and you are leaving here this way..."

    "She hurt me first. She hurt me too. All I''ve ever done was love her and have her back. I didn''t think about my reputation or mind what people would think about me when I attacked that bastard for speaking about her in such a dirty manner publicly yet what did she do in return? Embarrass me at the station by ignoring me? Sonia called me childish and immature for expressing my feelings to her. Can you believe that? You know what, dad? I''m done. I''m leaving," Bryan said as he picked up his ss and downed the content before setting down the ss on the table noisily.

    The more he talked about Sonia and all that had transpired between them, the angrier he felt. He didn''t want to think about her or the ache in his heart right now. Sonia hurt his feelings too, so it was only fair that she was hurting as much as him.

    Desmond sighed sadly as he watched Bryan walk away with his backpack in hand.

    He and Evelyn had been roused from sleep when they heard Bryan enter the house and go up the stairs. He hade out to ensure that it was Bryan and he had locked the door after he got in when he heard Bryan yell at Sonia.

    He had decided to listen to them and intervene if need be when Evelyn joined him outside the door.

    It was ring that Bryan was not willing to listen to anything right now and he understood that. Bryan had as much right to be angry as Sonia had to be sad right now. He wished there was something he could do for them.

    Upstairs in the bedroom, Evelyn held Sonia and tried tofort her as she sobbed, but Sonia couldn''t control her tears.

    "He is upset right now. I''m sure when he calms down he will realize that he didn''t mean that," Evelyn said, but Sonia wasn''t listening to her.

    At this point, Sonia was both heartbroken and confused. She wasn''t sure what she was supposed to do anymore.

    Moving to Ludus had been because of Bryan, and she had factored him into all her ns both personal and career-wise. What was she going to do now if truly Bryan meant what he said about not wanting to be in a rtionship with her anymore?

 Chapter 487 Indoor Shopping

    Candace had been too exhausted both physically and emotionally to think about anything the previous night, but the first thought on her mind, when she woke up that morning, was the fact that she wasn''t an orphan and she had a father and brother.

    A father and a twin brother, she thought with a half smile as she looked down at Jamal who was sound asleep on the bed beside her.

    She had not been able to tell Jamal about it yet, but she was going to tell him about it before they returned to the hospital.

    Even though she was still nervous about the changes that this was going to cause in her life, she couldn''t deny the fact that she was sort of happy at the same time. Especially at the way both Harry and Aaron had opened their arms to her and weed her into their little family despite only just learning that she was alive.

    Unable to stay in bed, Candace sat up and checked the time. It was past six already, so she got off the bed and after adjusting the nket around Jamal, she left the room and headed for the kitchen.

    She paused by the staircase when she saw some people moving some boxes and items into a room downstairs and she looked at them curiously wondering what was going on.

    Knowing that there was only one ce she could get her answer, she continued to the kitchen.

    "Good morning, Adolf, Samantha," Candace greeted as she walked into the kitchen and saw Samantha kneading dough while Adolf sat by the kitchen ind.

    "Good morning," Adolf greeted back as he drank from his cup of coffee while reading the morning news on his phone.

    "Good morning. I hope you slept well?" Samantha asked, and Candace gave her a nod.

    "Yes, I did. Did you?" Candace asked, and Samantha sighed deeply.

    "At my age, it''s hard to say I did. I could hear my bones creaking," Samantha said dramatically and Adolf snorted.

    "You''re not that old. And maybe your bones would feel better if you let someone take care of you," Adolf muttered, and Samantha red at him.

    "Finish up that horsepiss you''re drinking and get out of my kitchen! Shouldn''t you be supervising them out there instead of sitting there and interfering in a conversation that has nothing to do with you?" Samantha snapped at him.

    "There you go. Your foul mouth is the reason your bones keep creaking not age," Adolf said, as he stood to leave, and Candaceughed when Samantha threatened to hit him with the rolling pin.

    "Your filthy mouth is the reason you''re still single at your age," Samantha hissed at Adolf who ignored her as he walked out of the kitchen.

    "Where do you think you''re going leaving behind your mug without rinsing it?" Samantha called, but Adolf didn''t look back.

    "You like him, don''t you?" Candace asked with a knowing grin as she picked up Adolf''s mug and took it to the sink.

    "There''s nothing to like about that filthy-mouthed ugly-looking man," Samantha said, and Candace giggled.

    "And you don''t have to wash his mug or assist with any chores. You should rest. You looked like you were going to pass out on your feetst night," Samantha observed.

    "How about now?" Candace asked with a bright smile, one that Samantha had never seen on her before.

    "You look... happy," Samantha said while observing her, and Candace smiled.

    "What''s going on out there?" Candace asked, jerking her head to the door.

    "Tom didn''t say. He asked us to let them in," Samantha said with a shrug, and Candace nodded thoughtfully as she looked around the kitchen.

    "Can I borrow your kitchen or share your space with you?" Candace asked, and Samantha narrowed her eyes at her.

    "What do you want to do?"

    "I will like to prepare breakfast for someone. Two people actually," Candace said, and Samantha shook her head.

    "Tom and Lucy? No. I''m fixing their breakfast already," Samantha said, and Candace shook her head.

    "No, not them. I''m taking the food with me to the hospital," Candace said, and Samantha''s brows pulled together.

    ? "Is it for Harry and his dad?" She asked suspiciously since she knew Aaron was at the hospital not only because Adolf had taken food to Lucy and Jamal there, but also because Jamal had told them about how he held Aaron''s and Harry''s hand until they had felt better, earning him a new nickname amongst the kitchen staff.

    They had called his hands ''healing hands."

    "Yes. So will you let me?" Candace asked while Samantha continued to look at her thoughtfully.

    "Why? Are you interested in Harry? Is that why you look so happy?" Samantha asked, and Candace grinned.

    "Yes, I''m interested in him," Candace said, and Samantha pursed her lips as she considered whether or not to say something.

    Candace observed her in amusement as she left the dough and moved closer to her, "There have been some rumors amongst the house staff since Mr. Hank''s birthday that something might be going on between Harry and Jade," she confided, and Candace giggled.

    "Yes, something is definitely going on between those two. And now that you mentioned her, make it breakfast for three. I have to prepare some for her too," Candace said, and Samantha looked at her with confused eyes.

    "I thought you were interested in him?"

    "Yes, but not the way Jade is so you don''t have to worry," Candace assured her, and Samantha sighed when she realized that she was not going to be getting more than that piece of information from her.

    "Alright, I will let you do what you want even though I don''t like sharing my space. What do you want to prepare?" Samantha asked as she returned to the dough she was kneading.

    Candace deliberated on it for a while since she didn''t know exactly what to prepare for them. She had no idea if they had any allergies or special preferences. Perhaps cooking for them now was a bad idea?

    "What are you thinking about?" Samantha asked when Candace remained silent after some time.

    "I just realized I don''t know them well enough to know their preferences," Candace said, and Samantha smiled.

    "Don''t worry, I know Harry''s preferences, and I''m sure he shares the same with his dad," Samantha assured her.

    "Give me a moment to ce this in the oven and then I will guide you," Samantha said, and Candace gave her a smile of gratitude as she sat on one of the stools beside the kitchen ind while she watched Samantha.<novelnext>  </novelnext>

    Away from there, Lucy sleepily reached for Tom on the bed but all she felt was the empty space beside her. When she touched all around her and didn''t feel him on the bed, she opened her eyes and sat up.

    Where was he? She mused as she got off the bed, not bothered by the fact that she was naked.

    "Ace?" She called softly and looked towards the balcony when the curtain moved and Tom waved at her.

    He was on the phone, and from the look on his face it seemed to be a serious conversation, so not wanting to bother him, she walked over to the bathroom and rinsed her mouth using the mouthwash before finding something simple to wear.

    Thankfully it was Saturday and she didn''t need to get ready for work. All she had to do for the day was go for her contract signing at the foundation and go on her date with Tom.

    She paused when she remembered how upset Sonia had been the previous night, and immediately she returned to her bedside and picked up her phone to dial Sonia''s line.

    The phone rang a couple of times but Sonia didn''t take her call, making worry lines form on her brows. Was Sonia okay? She mused as she dialed Bryan''s line. She became even more worried when Bryan''s line failed to connect.

    Was Bryan still mad at Sonia? She hoped not, Lucy mused as Tom walked into the bedroom.

    "Good morning, Jewel," Tom said as he walked towards her, dressed in a tank top and shorts and he leaned down and kissed her forehead.

    "Sorry I wasn''t beside you when you woke up," Tom said, and looking at his face Lucy could tell that something was wrong.

    "Who were you on the phone with? Is everything alright?" Lucy asked curiously and Tom sighed.

    He was angry because once again all his ns for the day had been ruined, but he didn''t want to upset Lucy, so he forced a smile.

    "We have a long day ahead of us. Come with me," Tom said as he took Lucy''s hand and led her out of the room.

    Lucy followed Tom, wondering where they were going as he led her down the stairs and her mouth fell open in surprise when he opened the door to the drawing room.

    The room looked like it had been converted into a boutique or a fashion house, and there were over ten people inside.

    "What is this?" Lucy asked, turning to Tom.

    "I was going to take you shopping as nned but since we never seem to have the time to go for it, I decided to bring it to you. You need to dress the role for your contract signing today as well as your outfits for the anniversary week. I brought in different designers so you can choose whatever you want, although I paid for everything here already. I like to believe I know your taste. I hope you don''t mind?" Tom asked, and Lucy smiled at him.

    How could she mind? Maybe she would have in the past since she prided herself on being independent and getting her things herself, but right now she didn''t mind. All she felt was the love in his action.

    She had to admit that the thought had crossed her mind that she needed to get new clothes for the anniversary week, especially the dinner party. As much as she loved to be herself, she understood that even if he was just Tom to her, she was dating Thomas Hank, and as such needed to dress the role beside him.

    "I was going to drive down to my apartment to find something to wear, but now I don''t have to do that anymore. Thank you," Lucy said as she leaned forward and kissed his lips, ignoring the curious eyes in the room.

    "I''m relieved. For a moment I thought you might misunderstand," Tom said with a pleased smile.

    "Let''s take a look around," Lucy suggested, and cing her arm in the crook of his arm they moved around the room together checking the clothes rack of each designer and the shoes and pieces of jewelry that had been graciously arranged beside them.

    "They are all my style and the perfect size. I love them all. I know this must have cost you quite a fortune. Thank you so much, Ace," Lucy said as she looked around the ce.

    Tom had a smile on his face as he watched her. It seemed like no matter how upset he was, seeing her happy always seemed to make him feel better.

    "It''s nothingpared to the joy you bring me," Tom said quietly and Lucy turned to him and wrapped her arms around his waist.

    "Do you know you have be very good at public disys of affection?" Tom whispered to her as he kissed her forehead and Lucy giggled in embarrassment.

    "Perhaps it''s because when I''m with you I don''t see anyone else," Lucy said, and Tom grinned.

    "And you are quickly mastering the art of making my heart flutter," he said, and Lucyughed as she pulled away from him, while the others in the room watched them with concealed amusement and interest.

    Once they were done, and they had picked out the perfect outfit for her contract signing, Tom dismissed the designers and they were left alone.

    "I spoke with Prisci," Tom said once thest person shut the door behind them.

    "When? This morning?" Lucy asked, looking at him in surprise.

    "Yes. I asked her to push the meeting forward. You should be there by 8 and be out of there in less than an hour," Tom said, and Lucy frowned.

    "Why would you do that without asking me first?" She asked with displeasure and Tom sighed, knowing what she was thinking.

    "I''m sorry. I spoke with my parents. Sonia isn''t fine and we thought you should go to her," Tom said, and immediately tears gathered in Lucy''s eyes.

    "Sonia? What is wrong? Is she Ill? Or is it about her fight with Bryan?" Lucy asked with concern.

    "It''s her fight with Bryan. I will talk with Bryan when he gets here, but you''re the only one Sonia has, so you should go to her. I already arranged for the pilot to take you there after your contract signing," Tom said, and Lucy''s brows pulled together.

    "I''m sorry about our date..."

    She said, knowing how important that was to Tom and wondering what he was thinking.

    "Don''t worry, I understand that you need to be with her right now. Sonia flew down to be with you immediately she knew about the scandal not caring about her rtionship with Bryan. She is not a friend you can be away from when she needs you," Tom said, and Lucy embraced him.

    "Thank you for understanding," Lucy said, touched by how he had made all the arrangements for her while she was sound asleep.

    Tom kissed her lips, "I told you I''ve got your back. It''s a promise. Now we should hurry if you want to meet up," Tom said, and Lucy paused.

    "Aaron and Harry..."

    "Don''t worry, I will be with them and I will exin your absence to them," Tom assured her, and Lucy embraced him once again before letting him lead her back to their bedroom.

 Chapter 488 Email From Research Center

    "What do you think?" Lucy asked some minutester as she stood in front of Tom, dressed in a gorgeous ivory satin button-down long-sleeved blouse tucked into tailored beige trousers with a cinched high waist.

    Instead of packing her hair in a ponytail as usual she hadbed it to the side and let it flow down her shoulders.

    She had also left the first three buttons of her blouse open to reveal the simple yet polished gold ne that adorned her neck, which matched the earrings she was wearing.

    She was carrying a beige-colored handbag, and on her feet were a brown pair of high heel sandals.

    Tom looked her over with an admiring gaze, "You look like you''re about to sign a million-dor deal," Tom said, and Lucy gave him a satisfied nod.

    "That''s the look I was going for when I picked this..."

    "We," Tom corrected, and Lucy shed him a smile.

    "Yeah, we picked it together. I think I''m ready to go," Lucy said as she admired her reflection in the mirror once again.

    Her makeup was mild and sophisticated, and she had stuck to her sses as she usually did instead of ditching them for her lenses as she knew Tom preferred.

    "Let''s leave then. I will wait in the car until you''re done, and then I''ll drive you to the airstrip," Tom said as he picked up the duffel bag she was taking with her on her trip to see Sonia.

    "Aren''t you too casually dressed?" Lucy asked as she eyed Tom who was dressed in a short and a t-shirt.

    "It doesn''t matter. I''m your driver, remember?" he said with a yful wink, and Lucy giggled as they both walked out of the bedroom.

    "Why don''t youe with me?" Lucy asked, and Tom shook his head.

    "I would love to, but the trip isn''t about us. It''s about Sonia. Try to have as much fun with her as you can, I will take care of things over here," Tom said, and Lucy sighed.

    "I''m going to miss you a lot," Lucy said with a pout as they walked down the stairs and Tom chuckled.

    "I should find the person who said change is the only thing constant in life..."

    "Why?" Lucy asked in confusion.

    "I need to write the person a cheque ''cause you''re proof of the correctness of that statement," Tom said, with a grin, and Lucy scowled at him.

    "I''m going to miss you more. I''m trying not to dwell on it," Tom said as they got to the foot of the stairs.

    Lucy nced in the direction of the kitchen when she heard Jamal''sughter, "I should say hello to them before leaving," Lucy said as she headed for the kitchen.

    "You don''t have much time," Tom reminded her patiently.

    "I will be fast," she assured him as she hurried into the kitchen.

    "Wow!" Lucy eximed when she saw Jamal standing beside his mother, his face looking flour white as heughed at her.

    "Lucy!" Jamal eximed when he sighted her, but before he could hurry over to embrace her, Lucy sidestepped him.

    "Sorry, Jam. I''m on my way out, can''t get any stains on these clothes," Lucy said, while Jamal eyed her with interest.

    "Where are you going? Your dress is too pretty for the hospital," Jamal said, and Lucy grinned.

    "Not the hospital. I have a meeting to attend, and after that, I''m traveling to see Sonia," Lucy said for the benefit of both Jamal and his mother.

    "Oh! When will you be back?" Jamal asked, and Lucy shrugged.

    "Hopefully before Monday if Sonia lets me bring her back with me," Lucy said, and Jamal sighed.

    "Is Toming with you?" Jamal asked, and Lucy exchanged an amused nce with Candace.

    "No, but he''s dropping me off at the airstrip," Lucy exined.

    "Can Ie with you?" Jamal asked hopefully.

    "No, you can''t. You have to stay with me. Don''t forget you promised to pay Aaron a visit. Do you want to go back on your word?" Candace reminded him.

    "No," Jamal told his mother before facing Lucy again, "I will miss you."

    "I will miss you too. I have to leave now," Lucy said as she leaned forward and kissed his cheeks before straightening to look at Candace.

    "I''m making breakfast for Aaron and Harry," she said, making Lucy smile.

    "I know they will love it and..."

    "Jewel!" Tom called from the living room.

    "Tom will be back to drive you to the hospital. Give my love to them," Lucy said with a wave before hurrying out of the kitchen to join Tom.

    "I should call my parents to let them know I''m visiting," Lucy said once they got into the car, and Tom gave her a nod.

    She dialed her mother''s line, and it didn''t take long before J received the call, "Good morning, darling," J greeted.

    "Good morning, mom. I heard from Jade that you areing down with Tom''s parents."

    "Yes. Our bags are packed. I think I would feel better if I''m over there with them," J said.

    "Well, I''m traveling down to be with Sonia, so you might not meet me when you get here. You will find my apartment key on the top left tire of my car. You can stay at my apartment," Lucy said, and Tom turned to spare her a nce.

    "Why your apartment? Can''t we stay at Tom''s ce? Evelyn calledst night to say they would be traveling with us too. And why are you going to be with Sonia? Is she ill? She was fine when I saw her yesterday, and she is with Evelyn and Desmond," J said, and Lucy sighed.

    "Something came up so I need to see her. Stay at my apartment until I get back. Why should you stay at your daughter''s boyfriend''s home when she is not there?" Lucy asked with disapproval.

    "I don''t think Tom minds. Besides..."

    "I mind! It''s either you stay at my apartment or you don''t travel down at all," Lucy said firmly.

    "Fine. Have you heard from your brother yet?"

    "No. We should hear from him before the end of the day. He said he will call when he arrives," Lucy said, and J sighed.

    "Alright. When are you traveling? Our flight is for ten."

    "I should be leaving here on or before that time too. I will let you know when I get there. Give my love to dad," Lucy said before hanging up the call.

    "I thought they were going to stay at my house," Tom said, and Lucy shook her head.

    "I don''t think they should do that when I''m not there," Lucy said and turned to Tom when he said nothing.<novelnext>  </novelnext>

    "Tell me what you''re thinking," Lucy urged him.

    "I just don''t see how they''re going to be of any help to Candace or Harry from your apartment when Candace and Jamal are in my house. They''re here to be with them not to see you, am I wrong?" Tom said reasonably.

    "You have a point," Lucy said with a sigh and Tom gave her a nod.

    "However, if you''re notfortable with them staying at my ce in your absence, I could arrange for Adolf to pick them up and bring them over during the day or take them to the hospital, and drop them off at your apartment in the evening," Tom suggested, and Lucy smiled at him.

    "Maybe you are right. They should probably just stay over at yours. That way they can be with your parents," Lucy said, and Tom nodded.

    "I thought so too."

    Lucy nced at her phone when it started ringing, and she received the call when she saw that it was from a foreign number.

    "Hello, Princess Lu!"

    Lucy''s face split into a wide smile once she heard the pleasant voice on the other end of the line and she giggled, "Tyler! I thought you''d never call!" She eximed, and Tom looked at her when he heard the excitement in her voice.

    "I was heartbroken. I heard from Lucas that you fell for some big-shot businessman," Tyler said, and Lucyughed.

    "Tom is hardly a businessman to me. But yes, that''s right," Lucy said, and Tyler groaned.

    "You''re trampling on my heart now. That''s unfair," Tylerined, and Lucy smiled.

    "Too bad for you. How have you been? What have you been up to? Lucas said he''s on his way to visit you," Lucy said and listened as Tyler told her all about his clinic.

    "That sounds interesting. It''s good to know you''re doing so well for yourself," Lucy said with a happy smile.

    "What about you? How have you been? And please tell me you n to break up with this boyfriend of yours. I''m your one true love, you know?" Tyler said, and Lucy giggled.

    "I''ve been great. Never been better. My boyfriend is here. Do you want to say hello?"

    "What? The girlfriend snatcher is there? Put him on the line," Tyler said, and Lucy grinned as she ced the call on speaker.

    "Ace, meet Tyler a very good childhood friend. Tyler, meet Tom, the love of my life."

    "Ouch! You hurt me deeply, Lu. I thought I was the love of your life?" Tyler asked, and Tom snorted.

    "You thought wrong," Tom said, and Lucyughed when Tyler hissed.

    "That sounds like the voice of a typical girlfriend snatcher."

    "Only you would know how one sounds," Tom retorted.

    "You are lucky I''m so far away else you would never have stood a chance," Tyler bragged.

    "I would never have traveled so far away from her in the first ce if I wanted her. You don''t stand a chance," Tom countered and Tyler sighed.

    "Whatever. You win!"

    "See how easily you gave up. It''s no wonder you didn''t win her heart in the first ce," Tom taunted.

    "I don''t like your boyfriend, Lu. Break up with him!" Tyler cried, making Lucyugh out loud.

    "You better take good care of her, or else you will have me to contend with," Tyler threatened.

    "You have nothing to worry about. She is in safe hands. That''s more than I can say for you if you threaten me one more time," Tom threatened, and Tyler sighed.

    "Why don''t we be friends instead? I don''t like being enemies with wealthy people," he offered, and this time Tomughed.

    Lucy smiled as she listened to them exchange pleasantries and converse. By the time Tyler hung up, they sounded like they had been friends for a long time.

    "We are here," Tom announced as he drove into the parking lot of the foundation building.

    Away from there, Sara was seated on the yoga mat in her hotel room, trying to meditate and calm the turmoil brewing inside her, when her assistant knocked on their adjoining bedroom door.

    "Come in," Sara said impatiently, irritated by the interruption.

    Emma walked in and stood in front of Sara as she waited for her to finish her session and look at her.

    After some minutes, Sara opened her eyes and red at Emma, "I hope you have a good reason for interrupting my routine?"

    "I thought you might be interested in seeing this," Emma said, her voice bubbling with excitement as she stepped forward with her iPad in hand disying the screen to Sara.

    "What''s that?" Sara asked impatiently.

    "You received a mail from a research center for primary sclerosing Chngitis. I was praying for you this morning and..."

    "A research center?" Sara asked in disbelief as she snatched the iPad from Emma and read what was disyed on the screen.

    "Pass me my phone," she ordered, and immediately Emma picked it up from the edge of the bed and handed it to her.

    Sara dialed her doctor''s line, "Are you aware of any research center for PSC? Did you give my contact details to any research center?" Sara asked immediately after the doctor received the call.

    "This is barely eight in the morning and it''s Saturday. You can''t just call my private line this way unless it''s an emergency, and even if that''s the case you should call the hospital," the doctor reprimanded her harshly.

    "This is Sara Wal..."

    "I know who I''m speaking with, and I''m letting you know it''s not okay to call my line by this time of the day or week no matter who you are," the doctor repeated, annoyed by her arrogance.

    "Alright. I''m sorry," Sara said even though she didn''t appreciate his tone.

    "I didn''t give your details to any individual or organization but it''s not impossible for them to get it, especially if they got it from someone who works at any of the other hospitals we have submitted your details," the doctor said, and Sara sighed.

    "I received an email from a research center that focuses on PSC," Sara exined.

    "Text the details of the center to me and I will check it outter to see if it''s legit," the doctor promised before hanging up.

    "Should I text him the details?"

    Sara scoffed as she handed her phone back to Emma, "Don''t. Sly old man. I''m sure he doesn''t want me to seek help elsewhere. He probably wants me to keep depending on him to keep me alive," Sara said with a smirk.

    "I will look into the ce myself. Maybe this is the break I need," Sara said with a sigh as she closed her eyes once again, ready to resume her exercise.

    She hoped Amos was working hard to find her missing daughter. She needed to take care of that business and clean up all that mess so she could finally go back to living her best life. She couldn''t wait to do that.

 Chapter 489 The Diamond Necklace

    Although it was very early on Saturday morning, Rebekah sat on her dining with her two oldest daughters having breakfast.

    She had called for a meeting with her daughters; Bernice, Tiffany, and Anita, so they could shop together and also discuss theing talk show they had been invited to, as well as put heads together on how to assist Anita in getting Tom during the anniversary week.

    "What''s taking Anita so long?" Tiffany asked as she nced at her wristwatch.

    "Unlike us with maids, she lives alone and probably needs time to take care of something," Bernice said before taking a bite from her sandwich.

    "You look so rxed and happy, Benny," Tiffany observed over the rim of her sses as she observed Bernice who was glowing.

    "I thought I was the only one who noticed. I guess you made up with Adam and things are going smoothly between you two now?" Rebekah asked, watching her oldest daughter with interest.

    Bernice smiled, "Not exactly. I decided to take your advice and focus on myself. I will let Adam do whatever he pleases as long as he ys his role for our kids and takes care of my financial needs," Bernice said, and both Rebekah and Tiffany smiled in approval.

    "See? Life is easier when you rx and just focus on yourself. I''m so happy to see you this way," Tiffany said as she reached across the table and patted Bernice''s hand.

    "It''s thanks to you," Bernice said as she patted Tiffany''s hand in return.

    "I''m d that you''ve learned. No more of that love nonsense or moving out of your husband''s house. Countless women would give anything to have what you have, so you should always be thankful," Rebekah said with a contented sigh as she raised her ss to her lips.

    She nced at her phone when it started ringing and picked it up when she saw that her caller was Prisci.

    "Good morning, Prisci. Please tell me she is going to show up as nned," Rebekah asked since she was aware that Lucy was supposed to sign the contract that day.

    "That''s why I''m calling. She already did. She had toe in earlier than nned because she had to be somewhere else," Prisci exined, and Rebekah smiled.

    "Perfect! Now, all we have to do is make sure she won''t be avable on Friday evening. Let''s arrange for an event outside Ludus," Rebekah said, and Prisci nodded.

    "I will work on it," Prisci assured her before hanging up.

    "What''s going on, mother? Who was that?" Bernice asked curiously.

    "Lucinda Perry. She bit the bait. She is now under my thumb," Rebekah said with a triumphant smile as she ryed her ns to her daughters.

    "That poor ambitious thing. I''m surprised Thomas let her ept the offer when he is so wealthy," Tiffany said with a shake of her head.

    "Maybe he doesn''t care about her as much as we thought," Rebekah said with a wide smile which broadened even more as Anita joined them.

    "Good morning. Sorry, I''mte. Got a t tire," Anita said as she joined them at the table.

    "Oh, dear! You''re wee," Rebekah said before calling out to one of her maids to serve Anita.

    "Where is Lisa?" Anita asked curiously when she noticed Lisa''s absence.

    "She was not invited. You know how she can be a spoilsport. This meeting is just for us four. I told you about the show with Eric Howells. She is not joining us on the show so there is no reason for her to be here," Rebekah said, but Anita was not pleased.

    "Mother, Lisa is gradually drifting away from us and she is not going to be happy to learn she was left out," Anita protested.

    "Never mind that. I''ve got great news for you. Lucinda Perry is now an employee of the she can heal foundation," Rebekah said excitedly, and Anita smiled in confusion.

    "Oh, really? How did that happen?" she asked, and Tiffany quickly told her about their mother''s n.

    "Oh, that''s brilliant!" Anita eximed, trying to muster up some semnce of excitement.

    She knew she couldn''t tell her mother that she no longer wanted to have anything to do with Tom, so she had to y along.

    If for nothing, but for homes that her mother''s n might work and they would be able to ruin Tom and Lucy''s rtionship even if she was no longer interested in him.

    "I know, right?" Rebekah asked with a giggle.

    They all nced at Bernice when her phone beeped with a text notification, and she smiled when she picked up her phone and opened the text from her sister''s husband.

    [Good morning, beautiful. I miss you. When will you be avable?]

    Since they had sex on the balcony three nights ago, and in the car on his way to drop her off at her home the next morning, they had both met up for sex daily, and more than that they exchanged text messages whenever they could. It was weird to say that her sister''s husband who was known to be a womanizer made her happy.

    Forgetting that she was with her family, Bernice texted back, [I miss you too.]

    "Who is that?" Rebekah asked curiously when she noticed the smile on Bernice''s face.

    Bernice cleared her throat as she set her phone aside and nced at her mother, "A friend I was supposed to meet today. I told her I was having breakfast with you and she texted to know when we would be done," Bernice said, and although Rebekah eyed her suspiciously, she didn''t ask any more questions.

    Bernice was startled when her phone suddenly began to ring, and she stood up immediately she saw it was Jackson, "Please excuse me. This is important," she said as she walked away from the table and went to find somewhere private.

    "Why are you calling when you know I''m with my family?" Bernice asked in a whisper.

    "I told you I miss you. Can''t you just leave them?" Jackson asked, and Bernice felt butterflies flutter in her belly.

    Here she had been begging for her husband''s attention, yet here was her sister''s husband craving hers. What an irony. She felt pleased to know she was desired in this manner.

    "You shouldn''t act so carelessly. You don''t want us to get caught, do you? Besides, it''s not I''m the onlydy you''re seeing so..."

    "You are the onlydy I want to see, Benny. I swear it," Jackson said, and Bernice''s heart skipped a beat.<novelnext>  </novelnext>

    Although she knew deep down that this was wrong on every level and her family would never forgive her if they found out about what she was doing, she couldn''t help it. All she wanted was to be happy, even if her sister''s husband was responsible for it.

    She wasn''t going to break her sister''s home. She was going to try and be as discreet as possible with Jackson so that no one would find out. That way Tiffany wouldn''t get hurt. Tiffany had said she was happy to see her happy after all, so it was a win for everyone.

    "I wille up with an excuse to leave here, and then we can meet," Bernice promised.

    "I will be waiting to hear from you. In the meantime, I will find something to distract myself so I don''t call you again," Jackson said, and Berniceughed out loud.

    "Alright, be good," she said and hung up the call.

    Just as she turned around to return to the dining, she was startled to find her mother standing behind her, "Mom!" she eximed, wondering how long her mother had been standing there.

    "Are you having an affair?" Rebekah asked with a knowing look in her eyes but Bernice looked away from her without answering her question.

    "I see you are. I''m not going to ask who it is or how long this has been going on. Just make sure this doesn''t ruin your marriage and you don''t get caught. And stop being so obvious," Rebekah advised before walking away, leaving Bernice to stare at her mother''s back in shock. That was thest thing she had been expecting to hear from her mother.

    Bernice returned to the table and joined Anita and Tiffany as they talked about thetest fashion trend and what to get when they all went shopping.

    "I already have a gown in mind for the dinner party. I spotted it in their collection yesterday and I asked them to reserve it for me," Anita said proudly.

    "Let''s see if it''s good enough," Bernice said, and when Tiffany nodded, Anita picked up her phone and showed them the picture of a beautiful long-sleeved ck sequin mermaid evening gown with a deep V neckline and an open back.

    "This is ssy," Tiffany said with approval.

    "It oozes confidence and sophistication," Bernice added and Anita smiled.

    "I know, right? By the way, are you really not going to convince mother to let Lisa join us at the Eric Howells show?" Anita asked her sisters.

    "It''s probably best if she doesn''t join us. Besides, she is in herst trimester remember? We don''t want her standing up every couple of minutes to ease herself on the show, do we?" Bernice asked, and they allughed.

    "Then we should let her know about it even if she''s not going to join us," Anita said.

    "Okay. Let''s do thatter. What''s your n for Tom at the anniversary dinner party?" Tiffany asked, and Anita shrugged.

    "I don''t have a n. I''m just going to be my beautiful self and have fun," Anita said, and her sisters shook their heads.

    "That''s not good. You need to have a n. Get drunk or something and find a way to go close to him especially since he won''t have that girl by his side. Find a way to be alone with him in a space. Cry if you need to and act vulnerable when you are alone with him. Men fall for tears all the time," Tiffany said, and Bernice nodded in agreement even if she knew that her husband had never once fallen for her tears.

    "Kiss him or get him to bed," Bernice suggested, and Anita looked from one sister to the other and nodded as she listened to them even if she knew she was never going to do anything they said.

    "Whatever you do, make sure someone captures it and it makes news on the blogs. That''s the most important trying," Rebekah said as she joined her girls, dressed in a simple yet ssy flowing dress.

    "That''s an exquisite piece of jewelry, mother," Tiffany observed, and Bernice''s eyes moved to her mother''s neck and caught on the familiar-looking diamond ne her mother was wearing.

    "Thanks, darling. It was a gift from an admirer," Rebekah said with a proud smile as she fingered the ne on her neck.

    "We should leave now. We don''t have all morning," Rebekah said as she led the way out of the house, while her daughters followed.

    While the others engaged in one discussion or the other, Bernice kept mute as she kept looking at her mother from time to time and wondering why she was the one wearing the expensive ne her husband had bought.

    She remembered calling her mother toin when she saw the receipt of that ne in Adam''s pocket. She had gone to the store where Adam had gotten it to ask questions and she had been told it was custom-made.

    Did Adam have them make a diamond ne for her mother? Why? Her mother had said it was a gift from an admirer, did she know that admirer was Adam? Was Adam truly her mother''s admirer? Bernice mused.

    "Are you alright, Benny?" Tiffany asked when they all got into their various cars but Bernice remained where she stood looking in their mother''s direction.

    "Yes. Sure," Bernice said as she got into her car. She wasn''t sure what was going on, but she was going to look into it.

    Some momentster they arrived at the clothing store they usually shopped, and Anita was shocked to hear that the dress she had specifically asked they reserve for her was not avable.

    "What''s going on?" Rebekah asked one of the store attendants.

    "I''m sorry, madam, someone else paid for it," The attendant exined, and Anita scoffed in disbelief.

    "Are you kidding me? I''ve always gotten my clothes from this ce. How could you not keep that one gown?" she asked angrily.

    "The person bought out all the clothes of that size. We have other nice gowns, you can check..."

    "That is the gown I want!" Anita snapped at thedy in annoyance.

    "Can we know the person who bought the gown?" Rebekah asked with interest.

    "I''m sorry, madam, but we can''t give you that information," thedy said apologetically.

    "It doesn''t matter. We can find the designer to make you the dress if that''s what you want," Bernice assured Anita.

    "Yes, we should do that," Tiffany added, patting Anita''s shoulder in a cating manner.

    Anita took a deep breath to calm herself, "Let''s do that then."

 Chapter 490 Police

    Tom was seated beside Lucy in Prisci''s office, and he had a contemting look in his eyes as he tapped his forefinger on the desk thoughtfully.

    "Ace?" Lucy called softly since they were all waiting for him to speak.

    They had just listened in on Prisci''s phone call with Rebekah, and they all wanted to know if Tom had any countern in mind.

    "Go on and do what she asked you to do," Tom told Prisci.

    Prisci exchanged a look with Maya before looking at Tom, "Are you sure you want me to do that?"

    "Yes."

    "But that would mean I won''t be able to attend the dinner party with you," Lucy reminded Tom.

    "Don''t worry. You are going to be at the party," Tom assured her confidently before standing up and giving her a hand to help her stand up.

    "I will keep in touch with you. Let me know if she lets you in on any other ns," Tom told Prisci and Maya as they both rose to see them out.

    Neither Tom nor Lucy said a word to each other until they got into the car, and Lucy turned to Tom, "You have a n, right?"

    "I do. Don''t worry about it," Tom assured her as he started the car.

    "Are you going to tell me about it?" Lucy asked, and Tom shrugged as he drove out of the parking lot.

    "There will be no need for you to travel if the event they''re nning won''t hold," Tom said simply.

    "But you asked her to go ahead with Rebekah''s n," Lucy pointed out.

    "Yes, I did. But I''m going to shake things up at the foundation, so the event doesn''t hold. But they don''t have to know about it until a few hours before you are expected to leave," Tom said, and Lucy looked at him thoughtfully.

    "Shake things up?"

    "Yes. They will be too busy trying to save their head to want to go on with their event," Tom said, and Lucy''s brows pulled together.

    "Won''t Prisci and Maya be affected negatively by it?"

    "Of course, they will be."

    "They will be affected? They are our people. Shouldn''t we look out for them?" Lucy asked, and Tom spared her a nce.

    "No," Tom said simply.

    "No? Why? Don''t tell me you don''t trust them."

    "I don''t. And you shouldn''t either," Tom advised.

    "If you don''t trust them, why are you letting them in on everything? What if they tell Anita''s mom?"

    "In business, everyone works for their own selfish interest, and right now, Prisci and Maya are on our side because it favors them. They know that Rebekah doesn''t stand a chance against me. Don''t think for a moment that they are on our side or they are doing anything for us out of loyalty. You can''t trust anything that isn''t based on loyalty," Tom said, and Lucy nodded in understanding.

    "I see."

    "And don''t worry, I have people watching them and observing their texts and phone conversations. Even if they don''t tell us everything, we would know their ns," Tom assured her, and she rxed.

    "Shaking things up at the foundation won''t affect the interview, would it?" Lucy asked after a brief moment.

    "No. Her daughter''s father-inw, who is a chief judge, would help her clear the mess. The whole purpose of shaking things up is for you not to travel at the said date, not expose them," Tom exined, and Lucy nodded.

    "Thank you," Lucy said softly.

    "What for?"

    She shrugged, "For making sure all the bases are covered and looking out for me."

    "If I don''t do that, who will? Besides, we both know it''s my fault all this is happening. I have to take care of it quickly," Tom said and nced at his phone when it rang.

    He received the call and ced it on speaker when he saw it was Jeff, "Yeah?"

    "We just got into Ludus and are on our way to your house," Jeff exined politely.

    "I will meet you soon. Make sure he doesn''t go anywhere," Tom said and hung up the call.

    "Don''t be too hard on him," Lucy advised, and Tom turned to look at her.

    "As a brother or as a businessman?"

    "Both."

    "I will do my best. Try to have as much fun as you can. Send me pictures too. I transferred some money to your ount," Tom added hesitantly, and immediately Lucy fished inside her handbag for her phone.

    She was more than surprised to see the six figures alert, "What''s all this for?" She asked with a slight frown.

    "I''ve never given you money before. I wasn''t sure how much I could send," Tom said without meeting her gaze.

    At first, he had wanted to let her find out about it on her own after she left, but on second thoughts, he didn''t want to fight with her over the phone. He wanted them to clear it up so it wouldn''t cause any unnecessary misunderstandings.

    "I don''t need it," Lucy said quietly.

    "Consider it a gift from me. I want you to have it," Tom said, turning to look at her.

    "Please," he added when he noticed the stubborn pride that had crept into her eyes.

    "You have given me so much already, and I''m yet to give you anything in return. This makes me feel very ufortable," Lucy said, not liking the feeling.

    "I have given you material things. Things money can buy. You have given me far more than that. Please keep it. Don''t feel ufortable, please," Tom said, and Lucy shook her head.

    "You have also given me things money can''t buy," Lucy countered.

    "Can you be a little more epting of gifts from me? Please, Jewel. It''s how I express love. There are a lot of things I desperately want to do for you and things I want to get you, but I''m unable to do them because I don''t want to fight you over them. I feel hurt when you refuse to ept gifts from me," Tom said, and Lucy frowned.<novelnext>  </novelnext>

    "You already got me so many expensive clothes today, and now this. The money is too much. What am I supposed to do with it?" Lucy asked, looking visibly distressed by the thought of all that money in her ount.

    "Take Sonia shopping. Buy her whatever she wants to cheer her up. I just want you both to have a good time," Tom said, and Lucy shook her head.

    "Please do not send me such an outrageous amount ever again," Lucy said, and Tom nodded.

    "Alright. I will learn to tone it down, so you don''t feel too ufortable," Tom promised, and she sighed.

    "You should do that. I guess this money is just going to sit in my ount," She murmured, and Tom smiled.

    "Thank you for epting it," Tom said as he drove into the airstrip where the pilot was already waiting.

    They both got out of the car, and the air hostess who was flying with them came to take Lucy''s bag.

    When Lucy noticed the way thedy smiled at Tom as she greeted them, she embraced Tom, "It''s our first time being apart," Lucy said with a sigh as Tom wrapped both arms around her.

    Although she was still not over her mild annoyance at Tom sending her such an outrageous amount of money without asking first, she was missing him too much already to let that get between them.

    "Yeah. I will take care of things here while you do what you can over there," Tom said as he kissed her forehead.

    "Don''t smile at anydy or let anydy smile at you while I''m away," Lucy warned as they watched the hostess leave, and Tom chuckled as he led her into the jet.

    "What about Jade, Candace, and our moms?"

    "They are family. They don''t count," Lucy said, and Tom grinned.

    "Samantha and the maids?" He asked, and Lucy giggled.

    "They are all exempted. You know what I mean," she said, pping his arm yfully.

    "You''ve ruined me for any otherdy. I''m all yours," Tom promised as he took her lips and kissed her longingly.

    "Don''t let any man look at you," Tom warned as he pulled away from Lucy, and she giggled.

    "How am I supposed to do that? Be invisible or blindfold them?" She asked, and Tom shrugged.

    "I don''t know how you are going to do it. Maybe I should have gotten you a t-shirt with my face and name printed on it," Tom said, and Lucyughed.

    "Very funny. Don''t miss me too much."

    "I will. As a matter of fact, I''m going toy the dress you worest night over the pillow so I can perceive you and dream of you," Tom said, and Lucyughed.

    "I wish I thought of taking your shirt with me," Lucy said with a pout.

    "It''s not toote. I could take this off and give it to you right here," Tom suggested, and Lucy looked at him incredulously when he attempted to take off his shirt.

    "Don''t. The air hostess will get a glimpse of your body. She was already trying to flirt with you," Lucy said, and Tom chuckled.

    "Letitia wasn''t trying to flirt with me. She is happily married to one of our engineers, and they have two lovely girls. You will meet her husband at the anniversary party," Tom assured her, and Lucy blushed in embarrassment.

    "Oh! I see," Lucy said, and Tom chuckled again.

    "I should let you leave now. I love you," Tom said as he kissed her temple, but Lucy grabbed his arm as he started to leave.

    "I''m missing you. I can''t watch you leave," she said, and he gave her a lingering kiss, and she sighed against his lips.

    "Don''t make it any harder than it is already for me, Jewel," Tom pleaded against her lips as she kissed him back.

    "Alright. I will be a big girl," Lucy said with a sigh as she pulled away from him.

    "Good. I''ll be here waiting," he said, and without looking back at her, Tom quickly walked away.

    Lucy sighed as she watched him leave, feeling both sad and guilty at the same time.

    Sad because she was missing him already and didn''t want to be away from him. And guilty because she felt like she was being selfish.

    She wasn''t sure it was okay for her to be feeling this way when Sonia was heartbroken and needed her.

    She was supposed to be in a hurry to go to Sonia and be by her side, not here craving for Tom this way.

    Why couldn''t she and Sonia just get a break from all these dramas and enjoy their friendship and rtionship in peace? She mused with a sigh.

    Away from there, as J and Andrew picked up their bags and headed for the door, ready to leave for the airport to join Evelyn and Desmond, the doorbell rang.

    "Are we expecting anyone?" J asked Andrew, and he shook his head as he stopped the bag and went to see who was at the door.

    He was surprised to see two police officers by the door, "Is this the residence of J Perry?" one of the officers asked after they introduced themselves to Andrew.

    "Yes. I''m her husband. May I know why you are here?" Andrew asked just as J joined them at the door.

    "Are you J Perry?" the officer asked J.

    "Yes, I am. What can I do for you?" J asked with a polite smile, and the other officer stepped forward.

    "Miss Rachel Peterson has filed aint against you for destruction of property. You have toe with us to the station," the officer said, and they were both surprised when the other officer began to read her Miranda rights to her.

    "What? Rachel did what?" Andrew asked in disbelief.

    "You have to be kidding me. She had the right to do that after everything she did to my children?" J asked incredulously.

    "Let''s go," one of the officers said.

    "Yes, let''s go. Drew, give Evelyn a call and let her know we won''t be able to join them. You can get ourwyer and meet me at the station," J said as she followed them.

    "I''m following you right now. I just need to get the car keys," Andrew said as he hurried into the house to pick up his phone and the car keys so he could follow the police car.

 Chapter 491 Cousin Not Girlfriend

    Candace sat on the bed as she watched Jamal dress up in readiness for Tom to drive them to the hospital when he gets back.

    "Jam?"

    "Hm?" he asked distractedly, and Candace smiled at how adult-like he sounded.

    "Why are you so silent? What are you thinking about?" she asked, and he gazed at her.

    "I was just wondering if grandpa Aaron is okay. Do you think I should hold his hands again when we get to the hospital?" Jamal asked, and Candace smiled.

    "You seem to care about him a lot."

    "Yes, I do," Jamal said as he tried to stay still while his mother brushed his hair.

    "Why is that?" she asked, and he shrugged.

    "Lucy and Tom care about him," he said simply, and Candace giggled, wondering what she had been expecting to hear.

    Of course, he cared about Aaron because the two people he loved had shown him Aaron was important to them.

    "Do you think he is a good person?" Candace asked, and Jamal bobbed his head.

    "He asked them to get me Ice cream and chocte," Jamal said, and Candace doubled over withughter.

    "I guess that makes him a good person," she said in amusement. She often forgot that Jamal was a kid because of the way he acted matured most times. It was only at times like this, when he said such childish things, that she remembered he was only a kid.

    "Do you like him?" Jamal asked in return.

    "Aaron?"

    "Yes. You hugged him, and you cried with him," Jamal reminded her.

    "Yes, I did. I think he is a good person," she said softly, and Jamal nodded his head in agreement while Candace tried to figure out how to ease into what she wanted to say to him.

    "Do you think Andy is going to like him too?" Jamal asked, and Candace bobbed her head.

    "Yes, she will."

    "Is she going toe and live with us here?" Jamal asked, and Candace sighed inwardly.

    "She traveled. So we won''t be able to see her until she returns from her trip," Candace said, and Jamal looked at her curiously as he sat on the edge of the bed since she was donebing his hair.

    "Where did she travel to?"

    "I don''t know yet."

    "She didn''t tell you where she was going? I thought you told each other everything?" Jamal asked, and Candace nodded.

    "We do, but this trip was unnned."

    "She is okay, right?" Jamal asked with a worried frown.

    "I believe she is," Candace answered as honestly as she could, and Jamal sighed.

    "Jam?" Candace called again after he had been silent for some seconds with a thoughtful look on his face.

    Jamal looked at her, and she took his hand, "Remember what I told you when we talked about my parents?" she asked, and he bobbed his head.

    "Can you tell me what I said?" she asked, and he gave her a nod.

    "You said that you are an orphan, and your parents are the sisters at the orphanage home," Jamal said, and Candace cleared her throat.

    "I found out that I''m not an orphan," she said and watched as surprise and confusion flickered in Jamal''s eyes.

    "You now have real parents?" he asked in surprise, and Candace gave him a nod.

    "I found out that grandpa Aaron is my father," she said, and Jamal''s eyes widened in surprise as he let out a loud gasp.

    "You are kidding, right?" Jamal asked in disbelief after some seconds.

    Candace would have been amused by his reaction if the topic wasn''t an important one.

    "I''m not."

    "But he is Harry''s daddy. How can he be your dad too?" Jamal pointed out.

    "I found out Harry is my twin brother," Candace said, and Jamal raised his hand to his lips as he looked at her with wide eyes.

    Candace wished she could know what he was thinking as he looked at her, but apart from the obvious surprise on his face, his face wasn''t revealing any other emotion.

    "You should Say something, pumpkin," Candace urged him when he remained quiet.

    "I don''t know what to say," he said with a slight frown.

    "You can tell me what you are thinking," Candace said, wanting to understand him since his opinion mattered.

    "Was that why you were both crying?" Jamal asked, and Candace gave him a nod.

    "What about your mommy? Why did you grow up alone?" he asked, and Candace shook her head.

    "Remember the baddy that made his heart hurt?" she asked, and when Jamal gave her a nod, she went on, "That''s thedy that gave birth to Harry and me. She separated us after giving birth to us," Candace said, not wanting to give Jamal the details.

    That would be too harsh for a child. That wasn''t the kind of world she wanted her son to know. Experiencing Jamal was enough.

    Jamal looked at his mother with sad eyes, "She must be very bad," he said quietly, and Candace nodded.

    "How do you feel about this?" she asked curiously.

    If she was going to be epting Aaron and Harry as her family, too, as they had epted her, Jamal had to understand and be in support since they were a pair.

    "How do you feel?" Jamal asked back, surprising her.

    "Why are you asking me that?" Candace asked, and Jamal shrugged.<novelnext>  </novelnext>

    "I want to know if you are happy. Are you happy to have them?" Jamal asked with concern, and Candace felt tears rush to her eyes.

    "Grandpa Aaron and Harry are good people, and they are Lucy''s friends. I don''t mind them being your family," Jamal said, and Candace touched his hair.

    "They are not going to be just my family, Jam. They are your family too. Aaron is your granddad, and Harry is your uncle," Candace pointed out, and Jamal''s eyes lit up as though he had not thought of that.

    "I can have my own granddad and an uncle now?" he asked excitedly, and Candace gave him a nod.

    "Yes," she said andughed out loud when Jamal screeched happily as he jumped on her and embraced her fiercely, making a tear drop from her eyes as sheughed.

    "Are you that happy?" Candace asked with a smile as she buried her face in his hair.

    "Can I tell Lucy about it?" Jamal asked as he pulled away from her and got off the bed.

    "Lucy is aware. And she traveled," Candace reminded him with a smile.

    "What about Samantha? Can I tell her?" he asked as he adjusted his hair. He wanted nothing more than to go out and share the good news with someone.

    "Did I mention that Lucy is my cousin?" Candace asked, and he paused.

    "Lucy? How?" he asked with a confused frown.

    "J is my aunt. She is my mother''s twin sister," Candace said, and Jamal paused for a moment, not sure whether or not he should be happy about this piece of information.

    "But she is not my cousin," Jamal said thoughtfully, and Candaceughed.

    "She is your cousin."

    "Can my cousin be my girlfriend?" he asked curiously, and Candaceughed even harder.

    "No."

    "But I want her to be my girlfriend, not my cousin," heined.

    "Sorry, pumpkin. That can''t be helped. Besides, she already has a boyfriend, remember?" she asked, and Jamal sighed.

    "Yeah."

    "You should be happy Lucy is family. Don''t worry, when it''s time for you to get a girlfriend, you''d find someone as beautiful and nice as Lucy, okay?" she assured him, and although Jamal wasn''t convinced that there was any girl more beautiful or nice than Lucy, he gave his mother a nod.

    "Can I go down to meet Samantha now?" he asked, and Candace smiled at him.

    "Yeah. I will join you after I freshen up," she said as she watched him leave.

    "Don''t run down the stairs, Jam," she called out to him, but before she could get the words out, Jamal had shot down the hallway like a rocket.

    Some minutester, as Candace made her way down the stairs to see if Tom was back and also check in on how far Jamal had spread the news, she faltered in her steps when she saw Bryan seated with Mia and Jeff and having breakfast at the dining.

    "You are back," Bryan said when he saw Candace.

    "Yes. I came back yesterday. Good morning," Candace said with an awkward smile, not sure if Bryan had heard the news about her and the Jonas yet. Although, she doubted he had since he had his own scandals to worry about.

    "Good morning. Pardon my manners. This is Jeff and Mia. Meet Candace," Bryan said casually, and they all exchanged pleasantries.

    "What about Sonia? Didn''t shee with you?" Candace asked when she noticed Sonia''s absence.

    "No. We are taking a break," Bryan said so casually that Candace frowned while Mia and Jeff exchanged an awkward look.

    "Sonia had something to do, so we had to leave without her," Jeff exined awkwardly, and Bryan red at him.

    "Says who?" Bryan asked in annoyance while Candace looked at them as she shifted on her feet ufortably.

    Mia cleared her throat, "Bryan, you need to calm down."

    "I''m calm," Bryan said before looking at Candace.

    "Sorry about that. As I was saying, Sonia and I are taking a break. Or maybe it''s a breakup. I''m not exactly sure which it is yet..."

    "So much unnecessary information no one asked to know," Tom said, and they all looked up to see him standing in the living room.

    "My business is always public business anyway, so there''s no need to keep any information private," Bryan said as he continued to eat while Jeff and Mia stood up.

    Candace immediately excused herself and went to the kitchen to find Jamal.

    "Please, you can enjoy your breakfast," Tom said to Mia and Jeff, but they remained where they stood.

    "Bryan,e with me," Tom said as he turned and walked away from there to the Den, expecting Bryan to follow him.

    Once Bryan walked into the Den and shut the door behind him, Tom faced him, "Do you mind telling me what is going on?" he asked calmly.

    "I''m sure you must have heard from mom or dad. There is no reason to bore you with any unnecessary detail, so I will give you the summary. I got into a fight with Sonia''s ex. Got arrested and then broke up with Sonia," Bryan said as though it was the most natural thing in the world, and Tom''s temper red.

    "Are you out of your mind? Don''t you realize the sort of damage your action can do to your career?" He growled at him, and Bryan snorted.

    "Don''t sound like you are really concerned about my career. You are only worried about yourpany and how this might affect your ns," Bryan said, and Tom''s hand balled into a fist beside him.

    "And what is wrong with that? As your brother, I have every right to worry about the damage you are doing to your career, and as the CEO of I-Global, I have as much right to worry about the effect of your actions on thepany. It would do you well to remember both and not mix them up," Tom snarled at him.

    "Why are you so mad? Wait, let me guess. Because I''m the only one, this scandal is about and not your girlfriend, right? When she was in the news a short while ago, you weren''t this mad at her or worried about the effect of that scandal on my career. But since it''s just me..."

    "What the fuck are you talking about?" Tom asked angrily as he roughly grabbed Bryan''s shirt and pushed him onto the couch before clenching his fists beside him to stop himself from hitting him.

    "Why? Am I lying? Is the truth too bitter for you to swallow? Go on. Be honest. If Lucy was also involved in this scandal, would you have been so mad at me or worried about yourpany?" Bryan asked bitterly as he tried to sit up.

    "What has Lucy got to do with your bullshit? Are you out of your mind?" Tom asked as he looked at him incredulously.

    "I''m not even allowed to talk about her? I hope she breaks up with you and goes to be with Sonia now that she needs her. Or is Sonia the only one that puts friendship and loyalty above her rtionship?"

    "You should be ashamed of yourself. Cause right now, I''m ashamed of the wordsing from you. Let''s talk when you return to your senses," Tom said with a shake of his head as he walked out of the Den.

 Chapter 492 Pathetic

    Once Evelyn and Desmond got to the airport, they found afortable spot where they could sit until it was time for their flight while also waiting for Andrew and J to join them.

    "Maybe we shouldn''t have let Sonia leave on her own. Do you think she will be fine?" Evelyn asked with a worried frown after they had sat in silence for some time since Desmond was busy on his phone.

    "Of course, she will be okay. Lucy would arrive in a couple of hours to cheer her up. Although she is hurt, don''t forget that things like this happen all the time between lovers. It''s not something out of the ordinary, so let''s not make a big deal out of it more than we have already. She said she wanted to return to her apartment and be alone for some time before her meeting with her editor, and that''s okay," Desmond said reasonably, and Evelyn sighed.

    "I know you are right. I just can''t help being worried," Evelyn said as she nced at her wristwatch.

    "J and Andrew are supposed to have gotten here by now. What''s keeping them?" she asked as she took out her phone from her handbag to give J a call.

    "Andrew is most likely ready, but J is dying him with her makeup the way you always do to me," Desmond joked, and Evelyn scowled at him, but before she could say anything, his phone rang.

    "It''s Andrew," he informed her as he received the call.

    "Hey, what''s keeping you?" Desmond asked immediately after he received the call.

    "You will have to leave without us. Some police officers just came to our house and took J to the station," Andrew said, and Desmond immediately sat up.

    "The police? Why? What did she do?" Desmond asked, and hearing the rm in his voice, Evelyn looked at him with questioning eyes.

    "Rachel, Lucas''s ex-fiancee, reported her to the police for destroying her property. I''m on my way to the police station right now. I''m driving behind them. I have already asked ourwyer to meet us at the station. You can travel ahead of us," Andrew said, and Desmond sighed.

    "I will find a way to have them sell our tickets to someone else, that way; we can take the next flight together. We will meet you at the station once you let us know the location," Desmond said before hanging up.

    "What''s wrong?" Evelyn asked, and she raised a brow when Desmond told her what had happened.

    "She reported to the police? Does she not realize the kind of people who would get involved in this?"

    "We can''t leave without them. I hope you don''t mind?" Desmond asked, and she shook her head.

    "Of course, I don''t mind. I was the one who advised J to do that after all," Evelyn said with mild annoyance.

    "It''s not time to me yourself. Let''s fix it."

    "You can speak to them about changing the time of our flight if it''s not toote to do that. I will talk with the chief of police," Evelyn said, and Desmond gave her a nod as he rose to do so while she dialed Tom''s line first. Choosing to talk to him before calling the chief of police.

    "If you''re calling to ask me about Bryan, I have nothing to say," Tom who had just walked into his bedroom after his exchange with Bryan, responded tersely immediately after he received the call, and Evelyn paused.

    "Did you both get into a fight?" Evelyn asked with a concerned frown.

    "I''m much too busy to get into a fight with him. I don''t know what has gotten over him, but he is acting like an idiot right now, and I can''t stand him," Tom said, and Evelyn sighed.

    "Let''s talk about thatter. Lucy has gotten on the ne, I suppose?" She asked since J''s situation required more urgency.

    "Yes, she has. Your flight should be leaving soon," Tom said as he nced at his wristwatch.

    He needed to get dressed and leave for the hospital with Candace and Jamal.

    "There is a little problem. Although we can handle it, I thought you should know. J was picked up by the police a short while ago. ording to Andrew Lucas''s ex-fianceeid aint against her to the police for damaging her property. I n to give the chief of police a call after I hang up," Evelyn exined, and Tom scoffed.

    "She did that?" Tom asked, thinking about all the things they had against her already.

    "Yes. I could call them to release J, but if the girl stubbornly decides to press charges...."

    "She won''t. You can call the chief of police. I will give her father a call," Tom said, and Evelyn nodded.

    "Alright. Please be patient with Bryan. I don''t know exactly what is going on with him, but try to exercise a little patience," Evelyn said before hanging up.

    While Evelyn ced the call across to the chief of police, Tom picked up Rachel''s phone from the bedside drawer where Lucy had left it, and he dialed Wilson Peterson''s line.

    "Rachel?" Wilson asked in confusion as he received the call since he couldn''t understand why Rachel was calling him when they were under the same roof, especially with a line she imed to have lost.

    "This is Thomas Hank, CEO of I-Global," Tom said in a cool tone, and Wilson sat up immediately while his wife, who had been on the bed with him, looked at him with interest.

    "Mr. Hank?" Wilson asked with a frown, wondering why Tom was calling him, especially with his daughter''s line.

    "We are both busy men, so I won''t waste my time or yours. Your daughter had J Perry arrested. You have ten minutes to clear it up, or I will not only jeopardize your political ambition but also have you thrown in jail. I believe you wouldn''t want the demise of your brother and his family looked into," Tom said, and without wasting another breath, he hung up, leaving a stunned Wilson holding his phone to his ear speechlessly.<novelnext>  </novelnext>

    Some momentster, away from there, in Rachel''s bedroom, where she sat in front of the dressing mirror getting dolled up to leave for the police station, her father barged into her bedroom.

    "What did you do?" He roared at her angrily, and she jolted out of her seat in shock.

    "Dad?" She asked, looking from her father to her mother, who was standing behind him in confusion.

    "I asked you a question. What did you do?" He barked at her once again, and she flinched.

    From the way his hands were balled in a fist, she could tell he was doing his best not to lose his temper and hit her.

    "I didn''t do anything wrong, I swear it...."

    "Then why did I receive a call from Thomas Hank and the chief of police?" He asked angrily, causing panic to sh through Rachel''s eyes as she looked at her mother.

    Her mother looked both mad at her and afraid for her at the same time as she shook her head for Rachel to leave her out of what was happening.

    "She ruined my clothes! She went into the apartment I share with Lucas, and she ruined all my expensive belongings," Rachel cried.

    "And you thought it best to have her arrested without telling me? Do you have any idea what you have caused?" He asked angrily while Rachel cried.

    "I was angry, and I thought maybe if I did that, they would want to reconcile and call it even, and then Lucas would...."

    "Reconcile?" His father barked at her before facing his wife.

    "Can you hear your daughter?"

    "What family would want to reconcile with a person that arrests her mother-inw? What were you thinking?" Rachel''s mom asked in annoyance.

    "I don''t know," Rachel cried in frustration.

    "You don''t know? Did you forget that the Perrys are going to be inws with the Hanks? You made Lucas call off your engagement, and instead of trying to win him back and unite the families, you have the guts to have his mother arrested? Do you know how much embarrassment you are causing me? Do you have any idea what going against the Hanks means?" He continued angrily.

    "I''m sorry. I didn''t think things through," Rachel cried apologetically.

    "I have told the chief of police to dismiss the case that it was an error. If you do anything silly that affects my political ambitions, I''m not going to forgive you. Call them and apologize!" He snapped at her as he headed for the door, and then he paused when he remembered something.

    "And why does Thomas Hank have your phone? Didn''t you say you lost it some days ago?" He asked, and Rachel''s eyes widened in surprise.

    "M--y phone?" She stuttered, and when her parents kept staring at her, she looked down.

    "Lucas seized it," she confessed, and her father shook his head.

    "You better get your act together! One more strike, and I will send you far away from here," he threatened before walking away.

    "Why didn''t you tell me about it?" Her mother asked from the doorway.

    "It''s all Anita''s fault! If she didn''t do that, none of this would have happened," Rachel cried, and her mother raised a brow.

    "Anita? Your cousin? What has she got to do with this?" She asked as she walked further into the room.

    She listened as Rachel told her how Anita had used the information she gave her to stir the scandal that tore her and Lucas apart.

    "Your cousin was smarter than you. I know Rebekah. She is going to stop at nothing to make Thomas Hank her son-inw," Rachel''s mother said with displeasure.

    "I guess we lost this one to them. And maybe Lucas was also looking for an excuse to end things with you," she said with a sigh.

    "It''s Miley. That bitch!" Rachel cried, and her mother shook her head with disapproval.

    "Who is Miley? And I suggest you mind yournguage," her mother cautioned.

    "I caught them together at the hotel. She is the one making Lucas act this way! I''m not going to let her go! I won''t forgive her for this!"

    "You are bing pathetic. If Lucas doesn''t want you, let him go. You heard your father; you better don''t pull any more silly stunts. You''ve ruined your chances with that family. Have some pride and move on," her mother advised before walking away while Rachel copsed on the bed and broke into a sob.

    She had thought doing this would at least make Lucas talk to her, but once again, her n was ruined. She had no idea what to do anymore.

 Chapter 493 Not Interested

    Mia and Jeff remained at the dining table, looking down at their food as they both tried to figure out what to do about the situation.

    They had overheard the exchange between the brothers and had watched as Tom angrily left the Den and headed for the stairs. The atmosphere around the house was awkward.

    Too awkward.

    "This wasn''t the way I envisaged moving to Ludus or spending my weekend," Mia said with a sigh, and Jeff nced at her.

    "Me neither."

    "You neither? Are you not the reason everything is such a mess right now?" Mia asked, ring at him.

    "What do you mean by that?" Jeff asked in annoyance.

    "Whose fault is it that Bryan and Sonia had a fallout? You bettere up with a good n to fix everything," Mia said angrily, and Jeff red at her.

    "Have you paused to think that none of this would have happened if Bryan hadn''t tried to create a conflict in the first ce? So instead of ming me, put the me on Sonia, who thought she needed a conflict, and Bryan, who thought it was a good idea to create one," Jeff snapped At her.

    "Yes, anybody else but you. This is what happens when adults have brains the size of a chicken brain. They both messed up, no doubt. But you? Of all idiotic ways to create a conflict, what ever made you think bringing up a real ex was a good idea?" Mia asked, and Jeff rose from his seat.

    "How was I supposed to know that Bryan and Sonia were going to take things so far? I''m cranky enough already, do not upset me any more than you''ve already done," Jeff warned.

    "You have no right to be upset right now. Fix what you''ve ruined," Mia hissed at him before walking away to find Bryan.

    Once she walked into the Den, she met Bryan seated with his face buried in his palm, and she took the seat beside him.

    She sat quietly for some seconds, and then she cleared her throat, "Bryan..."

    "I''m not in the mood to talk."

    "Well, I am. So you should listen. I didn''t give up my job to do this. I chose to keep working with you because I believed you''ve grown up since you met Sonia, and there would be no more of those unnecessary scandals..."

    Bryan sighed impatiently as he looked at her, "Mia..."

    "LET ME FINISH," she snapped at him, surprising him.

    "You are free to fire me if you want to. I''m probably better off without a job than working for your self-absorbed ass anyway," Mia hissed at him.

    "You want to break up with Sonia? That''s fine by me. It''s your loss, not mine. And it''s definitely none of my business anyway. But if you n to ruin your career, then you should give me a heads up, so I can leave now while I can. I don''t want to be here to watch you act this way. I''m going out to find a ce to stay. When you make up your mind on whether or not you still want me to work with you, let me know," Mia said and walked away without giving him a chance to respond while Jeff watched her walk out of the house without so much as sparing him a nce.

    "What has gotten into her?" Bryan asked Jeff when he walked into the Den.

    "She has always been this way. I should be asking you the same Question. Why are you taking things so far?" Jeff asked, and Bryan scowled.

    "I need to be left alone," he said as he rose from his seat and headed out of the Den.

    "What am I supposed to do?" Jeff asked in confusion.

    "Ask the boss. He asked you to bring me here, so maybe they should tell you what''s next," Bryan said as he headed up the stairs.

    "What about that apartment you talked about?" Jeff called after him.

    "Ask Tom," Bryan called back, leaving Jeff at the foot of the stairs.

    As Bryan walked upstairs, Tom walked past him without sparing him a nce as he called out to Candace and Jamal to meet him in the car while Jeff followed Tom outside.

    Where was Tom taking them to? Bryan wondered as he watched from the top of the stairs as Jamal and Candace hurried out of the kitchen carrying a food pack.

    Where was Lucy anyway? Bryan mused as he continued up the stairs, he saw two maids walking out of a room down the hallway carrying aundry basket, and he followed, wanting to ask them about Lucy when he overheard their conversation.

    "I still can''t believe it myself. It doesn''t make sense that Candace is Harry''s twin sister," one of the maids said with a shake of her head.

    "Although I''m very curious to know the whole story, I''m very happy for them. Jamal is so happy," the other one said with a bright smile, and the first one smiled.

    "Yes. It''s hard not to be happy when Jamal is so happy."

    "Candace is Harry''s twin sister?" Bryan asked, startling bothdies, who almost jumped out of their skin.

    "Mr. Hank," one of them said in surprise since they hadn''t heard himing behind them.

    "Did you just say Candace is Harry''s twin sister? Tom''s best friend?" he asked again, and they both nodded.

    "Jamal told us, and Candace confirmed it earlier," one of the maids told Bryan.

    Candace? Harry? Bryan mused with a confused frown. It didn''t make any sense. He was just going to ask Jade about itter. He knew she would know about it.

    "Where is Lucy? Do you know where I can find her?" he asked. One of the maids shook her head while the other gave him a nod.

    "She left early this morning. I overheard her telling Jamal that she was traveling to see Sonia," the maid said, and Bryan nodded.

    "Thanks," he said as he walked away from there. He was relieved to know that Lucy had gone to be with Sonia as he knew Sonia would have done for her. At least it wasn''t a one-sided loyalty.

    Once he got into his bedroom threw his phone on the bed andy down, wanting to get some sleep.<novelnext>  </novelnext>

    He turned and tossed on the bed when he remembered that a few days ago, he had made love to Sonia on that bed, and now they were miles away from each other both physically and emotionally.

    Although it hurt him to know they were both hurting, but he was still mad. He was angry at Sonia. He was mad at himself. He was mad at Jeff for bringing Derek into the picture.

    Bryan frowned when he remembered that, in his annoyance, he had forgotten all about their ns.

    He was meant to escort her to the meeting with her editor, and they were supposed to travel together to visit her mother''s graveside.

    He sighed as he reminded himself that Lucy had gone to be with Sonia and would most likely apany her to all those ces. Lucy was more important to Sonia than he was, anyway.

    He sat up when his phone started ringing and received the call when he saw it was from Matt, "Hey!"

    "Sup? What''s going on with you?" Matt asked curiously.

    "Nothing serious. I''m in Ludus right now. Sup with you?" Bryan asked casually.

    "I''m cool. What''s this I hear about you getting into a fight with some guy at a club and getting arrested? And there have been rumors around the set about a possible breakup between you and Sonia. Is it true?" Matt asked, and Bryan punched the bridge of his nose.

    "Yes. Whatever you heard is true..."

    "Hold up. It''s true that you''re breaking up with Sonia? Why?" Matt asked in confusion.

    "Why do people break up? Let''s talk about something more exciting," Bryan said dismissively.

    "You can''t be serious," Matt said, unable to believe that Bryan and Sonia were breaking up.

    "I am. Don''t make a big deal out of it. I just heard something crazy about Candace," Bryan said, wanting to change the subject, and as expected, that got Matt''s attention.

    "What is it? Is she alright?" Matt asked with concern.

    "Well, she''s back at Tom''s house. I just heard that she is Harry''s twin sister..."

    "Harry? Do you mean Tom''s best friend?" Matt asked, thinking about how Harry had been with Jade while they worked on Candace''s case.

    "Yes. I don''t know the details yet, but I will let you know what I find out," Bryan promised.

    "You don''t have to do that," Matt said with a shake of his head.

    He was just beginning to take control of his emotions once again, and he didn''t want to have a rpse by getting all caught up in Candace''s business. If she wanted him to know, she would tell him about it herself.

    "Why not?"

    "Because I''m not interested. I have a dateter tonight...."

    "A date? With who?" Bryan asked, wanting to talk about everything else but himself.

    "A girl," Matt said simply.

    "A fling or a rebound?"

    "Why don''t we talk about you since I called? Tell me what really happened, Bryan. I know better than anyone that you love Sonia, and I know she''s just as crazy about you. So what''s wrong?" Matt asked, and Bryan sighed as he sat on the edge of his bed.

    Matt listened as Bryan told him all that had happened, and when he was done, Matt sighed.

    "Although I understand how you feel. Sonia has her faults, no doubt. But it''s crazy that you would let something like thise between you both," Matt said with a frown.

    "She let ite between us, not me," Bryan corrected.

    "Come on, Bryan. How can you be jealous of her best friend? You are the same person who told me all about their history. They''ve been through stuff together. You can''t possibly me her for putting her best friend over you at the time. If you take some time to think about it, you''d see that it''s petty of you to even think about it. They''vee a long way together, and it''s naturally going to take some time and work on both your ends before you both can get there," Matt said with a sigh.

    "Are you really going to give that bastard what he wants and let hime between you both?" Matt asked, and Bryan ran a finger through his hair.

    "I don''t know. I need some time to think. I think she also needs some time, too," Bryan said, and Matt nodded thoughtfully.

    "Thinking is good. Just don''t waste too much time thinking. And don''t make a mess of your career while you''re at it. I heard your fans had a lot to say against Sonia. Things must not be easy on her right now," Matt said in a concerned tone.

    "She is with my parents, so I''m sure she''s okay," Bryan said, even though he wasn''t convinced.

    "I will go over to check on her after I''m done with myst shoot for the day. I got to go now. Be good, and stay off the news for all the wrong reasons," Matt warned before hanging up.

    Bryan threw his phone on the bed andy on the bed with his face buried in the pillow as he tried to block out the image of Sonia''s hurt facial expression so he could get some sleep.

    As hard as he tried to sleep, he couldn''t, so hey on the bed staring at the ceiling as he thought about everything Matt had said as well as his discussion with his father, Jade, and Tom too.

    Deep down, he knew he was wrong for feeling the way he did concerning Lucy''s and Sonia''s friendship, but he just couldn''t help it. And that was his problem not Sonia''s problem.

    He cared about Lucy, and he wouldn''t even tolerate anyone speaking ill of her, so why did he say all that to Tom?

    Bryan sighed. Everyone was right. Maybe he really needed to take some time to think and set his head straight.

    That didn''t mean he was going to forgive Sonia for what she did at the station or for going back on their ns. They were still going to take that break, so she could make up her mind whether or not she wanted to be in his life while he also would do the same.

 Chapter 494 Surprise Me

    "Tom?" Jamal called from the backseat of the car after Tom had driven for some time without saying a word.

    "Hm?" Tom, who was driving, responded absentmindedly.

    "Why are you always mad?" Jamal asked reasonably, and his mother, who was in the front seat, turned to cast him a warning nce while Tom scowled at him through the rearview mirror despite his mild amusement at the question.

    "Who said I''m always mad?"

    "Me. You are mad all the time," Jamal said, ignoring his mother.

    "That''s not true. I''m not always mad," Tom countered.

    "Yes, you are. You were mad when we came to your house. You were mad yesterday, and now you are mad," Jamal retorted.

    Tom sighed. He couldn''t deny the fact that he had been mad when they came to his house. He had made it clear in the manner he had received them that morning. However, he was surprised that Jamal had noticed that and did not forget it.

    "You can''t say I''m always mad because of those few asions when you''ve seen me in a better mood at other times. That''s a hasty generalization facy," Tom said, and Jamal looked at him in confusion, not understanding the big words he had just spoken.

    "You''ve been with me at times when I was in a good mood, so doesn''t that tell you that I''m not always mad? I only get upset when people don''t act as they should...."

    "Does that mean you were mad at me because I was running..."

    "No. I was not mad at you. I was mad at my sister. She did not inform me that you wereing until you had arrived," Tom exined for both Jamal''s and Candace''s benefit.

    "It makes me frustrated when things don''t go ording to n," Tom tried to exin, and Jamal felt relieved to hear that.

    Deep down, he had thought Tom didn''t want them in his house and that he was only being nice to them because of Lucy.

    "But things can''t always go ording to n, right, mom?" Jamal asked, and Candace cleared her throat awkwardly at being drawn into their conversation.

    Without looking at Tom, she gave Jamal a nod. That was a line both she and Andy often used, especially on days when she had to do her part-time job and couldn''t pick him up from school but had to send his nanny.

    "See? Things can''t always go as nned, and people can''t always act as you think they should, so you shouldn''t always get mad," Jamal said reasonably, and Tom turned to Candace.

    "Are you sure he is only seven? Maybe you had his birth date mixed up or something," Tom said, and Candaceughed in amusement.

    There were times when she also found it difficult to believe his age, despite the fact that she was his mother. She often felt amazed by Jamal''s insight. He sometimes behaved like a little man trapped in a kid''s body.

    "Did you know that Lucy is my family? She is my aunt," Jamal told Tom when he noticed that Tom seemed rxed now and more approachable.

    He had wanted to share the news with Tom earlier, but he had seemed too angry, and Jamal had been wary of him in that mood.

    "You are her cousin once removed. She is not your aunty," Tom corrected.

    "Once removed from where?" Jamal asked in confusion, and Tomughed.

    "I have no idea. You should ask her that when she gets back. I''m sure she can exin better," Tom said, and Jamal sighed.

    "So I guess she gets to be your girlfriend now," Jamal said, and Tom chuckled.

    "She has always been my girlfriend," he said as he met Jamal''s gaze in the mirror.

    "But I guess now that she is your family, I need to get your approval to be with her," Tom said when Jamal continued to stare at him.

    "Will you still give me the car if I leave her alone and let you have her?" Jamal asked, and this time both Tom and Candaceughed.

    "You can''t leave her alone anymore. Don''t worry, I don''t mind sharing her with you since she''s your cousin," Tom said, and Jamal''s brows pulled together.

    "But it''s not the same."

    "I will give you the car, but you don''t have to leave her alone. She likes having you in her business," Tom assured Jamal, and this time he smiled.

    "That''s cool! Did you hear that, mom?" Jamal asked, and Candace smiled.

    "Yes, I did. Congrats Jam. You will be a car owner," Candace said, and Jamal shook his head.

    "The car will be for us. You can use it until I''m big enough to buy you a new one," Jamal said, and Candace felt her heart swell with love for her kid. Jamal was just too precious.

    "Thank you, baby," Candace said, but Jamal had moved on from there and was facing Tom again.

    "So we made breakfast for grandpa Aaron and Harry...."

    "Uncle Harry," Candace corrected, and Tom looked at her as it dawned on him that she had told Jamal about Aaron and Harry.

    He hadn''t really thought of it when Jamal had said Lucy was his family. He smiled as he nced at Jamal through the rearview mirror.

    He did not doubt that Jamal was all they needed to fix their family. With him in their midst, they would bond in no time.

    "If Harry is your uncle, then I''m also your uncle. You know that, right?" Tom asked, but Jamal shook his head.

    "Uncle Harry is mommy''s twin brother. You are not," Jamal pointed out.

    "But Harry is family to me, and he is just like my brother, so that means you are also family to me. You have to call me Uncle Tom," Tom said, and Jamal looked at him thoughtfully for some seconds.

    "If you are my uncle, does that mean thewyerdy is my aunt too?" Jamal asked, and Tom gave him a nod.

    "Yes. Jade is family, too," Tom said, and Jamal''s brows pulled together.

    "That means she can''t be Ha... uncle Harry''s girlfriend, right?" Jamal said, and Tom looked at Candace.

    Candace shook her head, "I didn''t tell him that. Where did you hear that from, Jamal? Who told you she wants to be his girlfriend?" Candace asked, and Jamal shrugged.

    "I heard Abigail telling...."

    "You shouldn''t listen to such things," Candace quickly cut in, not wanting Jamal to mention the name of the other person so they won''t get in trouble.

    No employer would like to know that his employees were gossiping about his best friend and his sister.

    She wondered why they all kept talking freely in front of Jamal when they knew how sharp he was.

    "So?" Jamal asked Tom.

    "So what?" Tom asked, not understanding his question.

    "If she can be his girlfriend, that means Lucy can be my girlfriend, too, right?" Jamal asked, and Tom sighed.

    "I thought you were done with that already?" Candace asked, and Jamal shrugged.

    "I just wanted to know," Jamal said as Tom drove into the hospital.

    Once Tom parked the car, he nced at Jamal as Candace got down to open his door and take out the food packs, "So I''m Uncle Tom, right?" Tom asked, and Jamal shook his head.

    "No," Jamal said as he got out of the car, leaving Tom, who was scowling at his back.

    As they all walked into the hospital, Jamal ran ahead of Tom and Candace, eager to see Aaron.

    "Slow down, Jamal," Candace called, and he stopped running, but thatsted only for a few seconds before he resumed again, and Candace sighed as she shook her head.

    Jamal burst into Aaron''s room, startling the father and son in the room, "Mommy says you are my grandpa," Jamal announced happily as he threw himself at Aaron.

    Aaronughed happily and exchanged a look with Harry as he embraced the kid, "Did she now?" Aaron asked, and Jamal bobbed his head.

    "Yes. And she said you are my uncle," Jamal informed Harry, and he grinned at him.

    "That''s right," Harry said, and they all turned to the door when Tom and Candace walked into the room.

    "Jamal," Candace called in a disapproving tone, but seeing the happy smile on Aaron''s face and the gratitude in his eyes, she didn''t scold him as she had wanted to.

    "Good morning. I hope you haven''t had breakfast yet. We brought you breakfast," Candace said to both Aaron and Harry as she carried the food pack to the table in the room.

    "Mommy cooked. I helped, too," Jamal whispered to Aaron.

    "You didn''t have to bother yourself on our ount," Aaron said softly, even though he appreciated the gesture.<novelnext>  </novelnext>

    "It wasn''t a bother. I wanted to do it," Candace said, and both Harry and Aaron exchanged a look as neither of them had the heart to tell her that they had eaten already.

    "Good morning, old man. You look better than you did yesterday," Tom greeted Aaron.

    "Why don''t I see Lucy with you?" Aaron asked curiously.

    "She traveled," Jamal supplied before Tom could, and Candace sighed inwardly.

    "Something came up, so she had to leave for Heden. She said she would give you a call when she settles in," Tom assured Aaron.

    "I see. I hope everything is fine?" Aaron asked, and Tom gave him a nod.

    "Thanks, KID sister," Harry said with a wink as he received the food Candace served him, and both Candace and Aaron chuckled.

    "And you too, kiddo," Harry said as he yfully ruffled Jamal''s hair, and Jamalughed as he moved closer to Harry.

    He was willing to let Harry ruffle his hair this once since he was his uncle. Once they were cool with each other, he would ask him not to.

    "Wow! You must be delighted to be an uncle," Tom taunted when he saw the grin on Harry''s face as he pulled Jamal closer.

    Harry chuckled, "Why do I sense jealousy in your tone?"

    "He wanted me to call him uncle, and I refused," Jamal said, and Tom red at him while Harry, Candace, and Aaronughed.

    "Wow! It''s like that now, huh? I see you''re all ganging up on me," Tom said with mock annoyance.

    "No wonder he is so jealous. I''m the only one you''re to call your uncle, alright? If he wants a nephew so bad, he should go get one for himself," Harry said, and Tom raised a brow.

    "Yeah. Aren''t we all just sitting here and waiting for you to give me one?" Tom said, making Aaron and Candaceugh while Harry red at him.

    "Where is Jade, by the way?" Tom asked when he noticed that his sister wasn''t around.

    "She went home. Let''s step out for a moment," Harry said and turned to his father.

    "We will be at the rooftop. Jamal, can you help me hold on to this until I get back?" Harry asked, and Jamal gave him a nod as he took Harry''s dish from him.

    "How is he doing now?" Tom asked Harry once they shut the door behind them.

    "He is fine. We are going home soon. That''s why Jade decided to go ahead of us. She wanted to prepare the guest room for Candace and Jamal so they would move in with us," Harry said, and Tom nodded. Although he would miss the kid, the kid was needed there most.

    "Did the doctor say he is good enough to leave?" Tom asked as they took the flight of stairs that would lead them to the rooftop, and Harry shook his head.

    "Not exactly. But a nurse will go home with us to keep an eye on him until he ispletely fine," Harry assured him.

    "That''s good to know. How about you? I believe you''re doing better now, seeing how you are already kissing our sister. So much for asking me to get her out of your house," Tom said with a shake of his head and chuckled when Harry red at him.

    "What kind of a...."

    "What kind of a brother am I? The type that wants to see my sister happy with a good man," Tom cut in, and Harry scowled.

    "I was going to say what type of a friend are you."

    "I know that''s a lie. But I will tell you regardless. The type that wants to see my best friend happy with a good woman," Tom said with a chuckle, and Harry shook his head.

    "I hate you," Harry muttered as he walked over to stand at the spot where he had stood with Jade in the early hours of the morning.

    "We both know you don''t mean that. You are just embarrassed that I was right the whole time. Don''t worry. I don''t think it''s incest or anything since we both know she is not really your sister or...."

    "Shut up!" Harry growled as he pushed Tom away, and Tomughed as he ced a hand on Harry''s shoulder.

    "I feel so relieved that I''m able tough with you this way. I thought you were going to be weighed down by all of this," Tom confessed, and Harry sighed as he turned to look at him.

    "I would have been if my mother didn''t turn out to be someone like that. She is not worth it. Jeff called to tell me they had arrived. Have you spoken with Bryan yet? What happened?"

    "I don''t even want to think about him right now. He''s getting on my nerves," Tom hissed in annoyance. He had momentarily forgotten about that.

    "Why did Lucy travel?" Harry asked curiously, and Tom told him all about Bryan and Sonia''s issue. At least the part of it he had heard from his father.

    "As if that''s not enough, Lucas'' ex had Lucy''s mom arrested," Tom said, and Harry shook his head.

    "Why did she do that?" Harry asked and listened as Tom told him all about it.

    "Your life is so full of drama," Harry said, and Tom sighed.

    "Tell me about it. I feel exhausted. I''m no longer looking forward to the anniversary as much as I was," Tom confessed.

    "Don''t worry. All of this will pass soon enough. I will clear Bryan with the board. How is Barrying along with the ns?" Harry asked curiously.

    "Everything is going smoothly. Did the guys find anything at the hospital? Or you haven''t put them up to it yet?" Tom asked, and Harry told him about the ''ident'' at the hospital.

    "Interesting. You don''t intend to go easy on her, I believe?"

    "I won''t. Her attempts to cover up her crimes will be her undoing," Harry said, and Tom nodded.

    There was no need to tell Harry yet what his n for her was. He would present it to Harry as a gift after she hadpletely fallen into his trap.

    "Enough of the unpleasant topics. So tell me what led to the kiss. I''m surprised you summoned the courage to kiss her," Tom said with a grin.

    "Get lost."

    "I guess she kissed you. You''re too scared to make any move," Tom taunted.

    "You''d be surprised," Harry said as he headed for the stairs.

    "Really? Surprise me," Tom urged, and Harry chuckled.

    "She is your sister. I can''t give you the details," Harry said as he kept walking.

    "C''mon!"

    "That''s what you get for wanting me to date your sister. It means I can''t tell you stuff like this. Do you still want me to?" Harry asked with a smirk.

    "Are you both dating now?" Tom asked curiously.

    "No. She''s on probation until the end of the anniversary week."

    "Probation?" Tom asked incredulously.

    "Yes. I''m observing her. I need some time to decide if I want to get that deeply involved with your nosy family. Lucy isn''t even married to you yet, and she has been influenced already. I wonder what''s going to be of her when she officially bes a Hank," Harry said, and Tom smiled wryly.

    "You don''t have to wonder too much. She doesn''t n to be a Hank officially," Tom said casually, and Harry stopped walking and turned to look at him.

    "What do you mean?"

    "She doesn''t want to get married."

    "But you want to get married. You''ve always wanted to," Harry said with a slight frown.

    "Yeah."

    "So, what do you n to do?" Harry asked, and Tom shrugged.

    "What can I do?"

    "You''re going to give up on your ns?" Harry asked, and Tom sighed.

    "I will have to do so if she doesn''t change her mind. You have to keep this to yourself. You''re the only one I''ve told about it," Tom said, and Harry gave him a nod.

    "Sure. Let''s talk about it some other time, and maybe we can find a way to change her mind. For now, let''s take them home. Jade would be waiting," Harry suggested, and Tom nodded as they returned to join the others.

 Chapter 495 A Friend

    Candace watched Aaron with a smile as he ate the meal she had prepared while Jamal entertained them as usual, asking Aaron questions while telling Aaron more about himself.

    As Aaronughed at something Jamal said, he began to choke, and immediately Candace went to stand beside him and patted his back to calm him.

    "Thank you. I''m okay now," Aaron said with a smile of gratitude, and Candace moved away from him with the dishes.

    "Your aunt Andy seems like a fun person," Aaron said, and Jamal bobbed his head.

    "She is. All my ssmates love her. When shees back, I will bring her to you," Jamal promised.

    "Please do. It''s good to know I have two daughters," Aaron said, and Candace smiled as she returned to join them.

    "Have I told you that I''m leaving the hospital today?" Aaron asked, and Candace looked at him with concern.

    "You are going home already? Are you sure that is the right thing to do? Did the doctors approve it?" Candace asked, and Aaron looked at her.

    "Yes, the doctor did. A nurse will be going with us. I will be morefortable at home and get well faster. I was hoping you would bothe with us," Aaron said, and Candace''s brows pulled together as she looked into his amber-colored eyes.

    Come with them, as in move in with them or just go with them to know Harry''s ce? Candace mused. As much as she had epted them as her family, she wasn''t sure moving in with them so quickly was a good idea.

    "You don''t have to move in with us yet if you don''t want to. I just thought it would be nice to have you close, so we can all get to know each other. You don''t have to feel pressured by my request. You can take your time," Aaron rushed to assure her when he sensed her hesitation.

    Surprisingly, Jamal said nothing and just looked at his mother as he waited for her to say something.

    "I don''t feel pressured. We will go with you today and get to know where you live," Candace said, and Aaron smiled at her.

    "That''s fine," he said and smiled at Jamal when he held his hand.

    They all turned to the door when it opened, and Harry returned with Tom, "Why can''t I find my food? Don''t tell me you ate it?" Harry asked Jamal with a suspicious look in his eyes as he tickled him and Jamalughed.

    "Mommy packed it," Jamal squealed.

    "Oh, I see. I guess I will have it when I get home," Harry said as he let go of Jamal and looked at Candace.

    "Can I speak with you for a moment?" He asked, and Candace gave him a nod as she followed him outside.

    "I''m taking him home. I understand that it is probably too soon to ask you to move in with us, but I want you to know that whenever you''re ready, the door is open," Harry said, and Candace smiled.

    "Thanks. I will bear that in mind."

    "I also wanted to ask you not to tell him how hard your life was before now," Harry pleaded, and Candace looked at him, but before she could speak, he continued.

    "I''m not saying this because he would feel embarrassed. You saw how he is. It would break him, and he is going to me himself for it...."

    "But he will eventually find out about it. One way or the other, he will know," Candace pointed out, and Harry sighed.

    "I know that. But it doesn''t have to be right now, does it? I would rather he recovers and bounces back...."

    "And then he would break down again when he hears of it then. Do you realize that you are trying to do the same thing he did to you?" Candace asked softly.

    "You are trying to protect him from being hurt by keeping the truth from him the same way he kept the truth from you. You want me to make him believe my life was rosy until now? I don''t have a problem doing that. But what about you? From all I''ve heard about you until now, you''re not that sort of person," Candace said, and Harry sighed.

    She was right. He was trying to do the same thing his father had done. Hiding the truth to keep him from being hurt or ming himself.

    "Don''t worry about it. I won''t make him feel like my life has been all that terrible. I will tell him what he needs to know, both the good and bad, but I will keep it light and easy," Candace promised as she touched Harry''s arm.

    "I may have only met him yesterday, but I care about him too. So don''t worry too much," Candace said, and Harry nodded.

    He needed to remind himself that Candace was also Aaron''s daughter, "I''m sorry," Harry said, and Candace smiled.

    "There is nothing to be sorry about," Candace assured him as they both returned to the room.

    Once they walked in, Harry looked at his father, "Are you ready to go home?" Harry asked, and Aaron gave him a nod.

    "Let''s go home," Harry said, and some momentster, they all were standing beside Harry''s car in the parking lot.

    "I will drive behind you," Tom told Harry after Aaron had settled in, expecting that Harry and the others would go together, but Jamal grabbed his hand before he could leave.

    "I wille with you," Jamal said as he looked up at him, and they all looked at the kid.

    "Why? Shouldn''t you go with your uncle?" Tom asked with a mock scowl.

    "You will be alone," Jamal exined, and Candace smiled while the others looked at Jamal speechlessly. They just couldn''t get used to his thoughtfulness.

    "Can he go with you?" Candace asked politely, even if she knew Tom wouldn''t mind taking him.

    "Sure. Let''s go," Tom said as he took Jamal''s hand and led him to his car.

    Once he had ensured that Jamal was properly seated in the passenger seat with the seatbelt strapped, he got into his car and followed Harry''s car.

    Without Jamal in the car, the car was silent, with Harry driving, Candace in the front passenger seat, and Aaron in the back seat.

    "Do you likew school?" Harry asked after some time when the silence in the car had dragged on for too long.

    "Sure, I do. Although it''s demanding, but I do my best. I look forward to graduation," Candace said, and Aaron nodded in approval.

    "I just realized I didn''t ask about your job. How have you been coping financially?" Aaron said curiously, and Candace exchanged a look with Harry.<novelnext>  </novelnext>

    Candace smiled as she turned in her seat to look at Aaron, "I did whatever I could to get by. I''ve done a lot of jobs. You would cringe when I tell you about some of them," she said with an easyugh, and Aaron smiled sadly.

    "Harry told me how you ended up at the orphanage," Aaron said, and Candace smiled.

    "Don''t worry. I will tell you all you need to know gradually. There is no need for us to rush into it," Candace assured him.

    "You have to go back to school, don''t you? And Jamal, too," Aaron reminded her.

    "Yes, we do. When we left, I wasn''t sure how long we would be hiding this time..." she let the rest of her words trail off as she winced.

    "I told you about Jero, remember? Jamal''s dad. We were hiding from him and his dangerous friends," she exined, and Aaron nodded.

    He remembered her telling him Jamal''s father died that morning and that she would have killed him herself if she could.

    "You didn''t tell me about the case," Aaron reminded her.

    "Harry can tell you about it. He helped Jade," Candace said, drawing Harry into the conversation since he had been quiet for a while.

    "Harry, you did?" Aaron asked, and Harry nodded.

    "Yes. Jade''s life was being threatened, so I had to go be with her for some time while she worked on the case," Harry exined.

    "I see. It must have been pretty dangerous," Aaron said thoughtfully.

    "Yes, it was," Harry agreed, and Aaron sighed as he looked at Candace.

    "Well, you don''t have to hide from them anymore, do you? Besides, you have us now. We will keep both of you safe," Aaron assured her, and Candace smiled.

    "Isn''t it amazing that you''ve been friends with your brother''s girlfriend this whole time?" Aaron asked after some time, and Candace looked at Harry curiously.

    "You are dating Jade? Since when?" Candace asked curiously, wondering if Jade had confessed her feelings to Harry the other night, especially since she had mentioned something about a kiss.

    "We are not dating. At least not yet," Harry exined, and Candace looked at him in confusion.

    "Didn''t you invite that Aurora girl to be your date?" Candace asked, and Harry turned to spare her a nce.

    "Jade told you about Aurora?" Harry asked with a slightly raised brow. It seemed like Jade had told everyone about them already.

    "I was there when Aurora gave her your message and told her about the date," Candace said, and this time Harry grinned.

    "Really? How did Jade react to it?" Harry asked, and Aaron smiled as he closed his eyes while he listened to them in amusement. They sounded just like siblings at that moment.

    Candace pursed her lips as she wondered whose side to be on. Jade or Harry?

    Although Harry was her twin brother, she had known Jade the longest, and Jade had been a good friend to her. Maybe it was best to be neutral.

    "She didn''t exactly look happy about it," Candace said, and Harry''s grin widened.

    "What did she say?" Harry asked curiously.

    "Now, why would I tell you that?" Candace asked in amusement.

    "Because you''re my kid sister, remember?"Harry asked, and Candace giggled.

    "If you are so curious, then ask Jade yourself. You seem to like her too, so why did you invite Aurora to be your date in the first ce?" Candace asked, and Harry sighed.

    "I wouldn''t have done that if she didn''t like ying games so much," Harry said, and Candace shook her head.

    "So what are you going to do about Aurora? She promised to make Jade her maid of honor if things work out between you both," Candace said, and Harry turned to look at her in rm, making Candace giggle.

    "Maid of honor?" Harry asked, and Aaronughed when he heard the horror in Harry''s tone.

    "That''s what you get for pulling a stunt like that. If you are not interested in her, you should make it clear so that no one gets hurt," Aaron advised without opening his eyes, and Harry sighed.

    "Yeah. I intend to."

    "By the way, what about Matt? Have you made up with him yet?" Harry asked when he remembered that Matt was involved with her.

    Aaron''s eyes opened, "Who is Matt?" He asked, and Candace eyed Harry with displeasure for bringing Matt up.

    "A friend," Candace said simply.

    "You both fought?" He asked curiously.

    "No, we didn''t," Candace said and gave Harry a pointed look, not to say anything else.

    Aaron could tell from her tone that there was more to it than she was willing to share, but he decided not to probe further. There was more than enough time to get to know her better and learn about everyone in her life.

    Matt. He was certain Jamal would have something to tell him about this Matt person if he was important to Candace, Aaron thought with a chuckle.

    "What''s amusing you, dad?" Harry asked curiously as he looked at his father through the rearview mirror.

    "I was just thinking of Jamal," Aaron said, making both Harry and Candace smile. They didn''t need to know what he was thinking about the kid. The mere mention of his name was enough to make them smile.

 Chapter 496 Political Aide

    "I just can''t believe she did this," J said in disbelief as she walked out of the police station with Andrew, Desmond, and Evelyn.

    "Well, if you hadn''t messed with her clothes, she wouldn''t have done it," Andrew said, and J stopped in her tracks and turned to her husband.

    "Are you defending her? If she didn''t mess with my kids, I wouldn''t have messed with her clothes! So, don''t stand there and talk like you don''t know why I did it!" She snapped at her husband, and Evelyn ced a hand on her shoulder before Andrew could respond.

    "It''s alright, J. There is no reason for you both to fight over this," Evelyn said calmly as she led J away from Andrew.

    "Thanks foring over and for talking to the chief of police. I didn''t know you were acquainted with him," J said, and Evelyn smiled.

    "He is an old friend. I knew him back in the days when I worked as a political aide to his political godfather," Evelyn exined when they stopped beside Andrew''s car.

    "I see. You must have maintained a good rtionship with him, seeing how he handled everything," J said, and Evelynughed softly.

    "Well, his political godfather was Desmond''s father...."

    "Desmond''s father was a politician?" J asked as she stopped walking and turned to look at Desmond, who was talking with Andrew, as they slowly walked behind them.

    "Yes. Lawrence Hank..."

    "President Lawrence Hank?" J gasped in surprise, and Evelynughed softly.

    "Why do you look so surprised? I thought you were aware of it," Evelyn said, feeling slightly embarrassed by the way J was gawking at her.

    "Well, I always thought the whole fuss about your family name wasrgely because of Tom," J said, and Evelyn nodded.

    "Well, that''s true in a way because Tom is the reason most people now know who Desmond''s father was. You''ve seen Desmond. He doesn''t like unnecessary attention. He hardly even honours invitations to political gatherings," Evelyn exined, and J nodded in understanding.

    "So you used to work for Desmond''s father? Was that before or after you met Desmond?" J asked curiously, and Evelyn smiled.

    "I met Desmond while working for his father," Evelyn said, and J forgot all about her earlier annoyance as she looked at Evelyn with interest.

    "And he didn''t object to your rtionship?"

    "Why don''t I tell you all about it some other time? Perhaps during the flight," Evelyn offered with a smallugh.

    "I''m sorry you got dragged into this," J said apologetically, and Evelyn grinned.

    "You wouldn''t be here if I didn''t give you the suggestion," Evelyn said, and J giggled.

    "Well, I still don''t regret doing it," J said with a sigh as she nced at her wristwatch.

    "I guess we''ve missed our flight," J said with a sigh.

    "The next flight for Ludus leaves by 2 PM. Desmond was able to get the manager to help us change our flight time," Evelyn suggested as their husbands joined them.

    "That means we might be able to see Lucy before leaving. By the way, what''s wrong with Sonia?" J asked when she remembered, and Evelyn sighed.

    "She had a fight with Bryan. They''re both taking a break, and she is pretty upset about it. Bryan has left for Ludus," Evelyn exined, and J frowned.

    "Oh, dear! They are not going to break up, are they?" she asked with concern.

    "I hope not," Evelyn said as she looked at the men.

    "Since we are not leaving until the afternoon, how about we find some fun things to do until then?"

    "You both can find something fun to do. We are going home to watch football," Desmond said, and Evelyn shook her head.

    "You can find your way to wherever you are going to watch the football. We are taking the car with us," J said as she extended a hand to her husband for the car key.

    "Why? Are we not all going together?" Andrew asked as he handed her the key.

    "No. I''m not going anywhere with you," J said grudgingly.

    "Alright. Try not to get into any more trouble," Andrew advised, and J hissed while Desmond and Evelynughed.

    "See youter," Desmond told Evelyn as he kissed her cheeks, while J moved away when Andrew moved close to do the same.

    "Fine. I''m sorry. I was only stating a fact. I didn''t mean to upset you," Andrew apologised.<novelnext>  </novelnext>

    "A fact?" J asked testily, and Andrew raised both hands.

    "I''m sorry."

    "Did you pack our bags in the car?" J asked as she peered into the car.

    "No, there was no time to do so. Those are their bags," Andrew exined.

    Since Desmond and Evelyn had taken a cab from the airport down to the police station, they had left their bags in Andrew''s car before meeting with the chief of police.

    "I have an idea. Why don''t we all go back to your house and get your bags, then we can all go to our house. You can leave your car at our house. Our driver can drop us off at the airport when it''s time to leave," Evelyn suggested, and J returned the car key to Andrew as they all got into the car.

    "Have you heard from them today?" J asked Evelyn curiously as they both got into the back passenger seat while Andrew took the driver''s seat and Desmond took the front passenger seat.

    J realised that she had not been able to ask Lucy about Harry and Candace during their short phone conversation.

    "No. However, I spoke with Tom earlier. I should give Jade a call. She''s with Harry," Evelyn said as she took out her phone from her handbag and dialled Jade''s line.

    Jade, who had just stepped out of the shower in Harry''s bedroom after spending thest couple of hours preparing the house to receive Aaron, Harry, Candace, and Jamal, rushed to the dressing table to pick up her phone.

    "Hello, mom!" She greeted cheerfully as she ced the phone on speaker and dropped it on the table.

    "You seem like you''re in a good mood. I guess everything is going smoothly over there," Evelyn observed.

    "Yeah. Are you stilling over, or you''ve arrived already?" She asked curiously as she towelled her body dry.

    "Our flight was dyed a bit. Lucas'' ex-fianc??e got J arrested," Evelyn said, and J winced in embarrassment.

    "Arrested? Why? Is Tom aware? Has she been released?" Jade asked with a worried frown.

    "Yes, she''s out now," Evelyn said and exined the situation to Jade.

    Jade scoffed, "She has got some nerves doing something like that when all the wealth she and her father own belongs to Candace," Jade said, and Evelyn raised a brow.

    "Candace? What has she got to do with Rachel?" Evelyn asked curiously and ced the phone on speaker so that J and the men could hear Jade.

    Both Evelyn and J stared at each other with wide eyes as Jade told them the connection between Rachel''s father and Candace''s adoptive father.

    "You can''t be serious," Evelyn said in disbelief while J and Andrew exchanged a look through the rearview mirror.

    "I''m sure Tom and Harry won''t let this slide," Jade said confidently.

    "I wouldn''t either. Not after this stunt she pulled. Where are you right now? Is Harry or Candace there with you?" Evelyn asked.

    "No. I''m at Harry''s apartment. I came to freshen up and also prepare his dad''s room. He ising home today," Jade exined.

    "Is he feeling well now?" Evelyn asked with concern while J looked at her curiously.

    "He is feeling better. He wants to recover at home," Jade exined.

    "What about Candace and Jamal?" Evelyn asked curiously.

    "They''re fine. They should being over too. How is Sonia? I was trying to reach her earlier, but her line was not connecting," Jade said, and Evelyn sighed.

    "I don''t know how she''s feeling. Hopefully, Lucy will be here soon to cheer her up. You should stop by Tom''s house and speak to Bryan," Evelyn suggested, and before Jade could respond, she heard the sound of the doorbell.

    "I will do thatter in the day. I have to go now, mom. I think they are here," Jade said, and without waiting for her mom to respond, she hung up the call.

    Quickly she looked around Harry''s bedroom as she picked up her stuff and ran for the guest room.

    Knowing Harry, he had rung the doorbell to let her know they wereing in and not necessarily because they needed her to get the door.

    Even though she had wanted to shower in his bathroom and wanted him to know she had showered there, she didn''t want the others to know it.

    Once she ran into the guest room and started hurrying to dress up, she let out a deep groan when she realised that she had dropped her panties.

    She bit her lower lip as she looked at the door. The n was to mess with his head as he had done to herst night by letting him know she had been naked in his bedroom and had showered in his bathroom, not leave her thong in his bedroom! What was he going to think of her when he saw her panties in his bedroom?

 Chapter 497 Virgin Harry

    Once Harry opened the door, he made a dash for his bedroom with Jamal who had said he wanted to use the restroom, while Tom, Candace, and Aaron followed from behind.

    In his hurry to get Jamal into the bathroom, Harry missed the thong that was lying on the foot of his bed, and once he opened the bathroom door, he raised a brow when a familiar fragrance hit him.

    Why did his bathroom smell like Jade? He mused as his eyes moved around, taking note of the moistness in the atmosphere and the wet floor.

    Did Jade shower in his bathroom?

    "Can I sit?" Jamal asked impatiently when it seemed like Harry was too distracted to pay him any mind.

    Harry shifted his gaze to Jamal, "Yes. Do you need help?" Harry asked wanting to help Jamal unfasten the button of his shorts.

    "No, thanks. You can wait outside," Jamal said, and Harry looked at the kid in amusement who was waiting for him to leave before taking off his shorts.

    Harry stepped out of the bathroom and looked around his bedroom. He could see a few signs that someone had been in his bedroom.

    A crease on his bed, a not-so-visible trail of water on the floor, a bit of wetness on his dressing table, the room still smelt a bit of her shower gel, or was it her shampoo?

    From the look of things it seemed like she had only left there a short while ago before they got into the house.

    Did the shower in her bathroom stop working? Or was this one of her little games? Or perhaps it was some sort of message? Just what had Jade Hank been up to in his bedroom? Harry mused with a sigh.

    As much as he tried to understand what was going on in her head, most times it was hard to figure it out.

    The same way he couldn''t understand how he had let himself be talked into cuddling her.

    Jade had insisted he cuddle her until she fall asleep if he wanted her to spend the night in the car as he asked her to.

    That had to have been the most awkward thing he had done in his life. Although he couldn''t deny that it had felt nice to have her in his arms that way, but it had also been very tempting and frustrating at the same time.

    Trying to act like he was not affected by their proximity, whereas with every breath he took in, his desire for her grew to the point that even she noticed.

    Harry lowered himself to the edge of the bed as he recalled all that had happened in the car between them.

    By the time they got to Aaron''s room from the rooftop, the light in Aaron''s room had been switched off, and a nurse was seated beside his bed watching him.

    Although Harry had not sent for a nurse as his father had asked him to, it seemed like Aaron had gone ahead to request on for himself so that Harry would have no choice than to spend the night in the car with Jade.

    "What do we do?" Jade had asked as they both stood outside the door looking into the room through the ss window on the door. They could make out the nurse''s form because of her phone''s screen light. She seemed to be busy with her phone.

    "You can go to the car..."

    "I already told you I''m not sleeping in the car alone," Jade cut in stubbornly.

    "There is no space for you to sleep in the room. You barely got off the ne a couple of hours ago, you need to rest. You look exhausted," Harry said, trying to reason with her.

    "What makes you think I''m going to be able to get a good rest in the parking lot?" Jade asked with a scoff.

    "Then you should have left with Tom. Should I drive you over to Tom''s? I''m sure you''d sleep better there. You''re stressing me out right now, Jade," Harryined as he massaged his temple which was beginning to throb.

    "Are you okay? Are you having a headache?" She asked in concern touching his arm and Harry sighed.

    "If you''re so concerned about me then please let''s not argue about this. I will feel better if you sleep in the car," Harry said, and Jade''s brows pulled together.

    "But it''s not safe," Jade murmured.

    "There nothing to be scared of. The parking lot is secured and I will have one of the security guards keep a close watch on the car while you sleep," Harry suggested.

    "My father is going to feel very worried if he sees you sleeping on that tiny couch. Please," Harry added and Jade sighed.

    "Will you at least stay with me in the car until I sleep off?" Jade asked, and Harry gave her a nod.

    "Sure. I can do that. Let''s go," he said as he led her to the parking lot where the car was.

    Once he unlocked the door, Jade opened the back passenger door and made herselffortable on the back seat, and Harry shot her a questioning gaze, "Isn''t the front seat morefortable? You could tten the seat," Harry suggested, wondering why she chose to sit at the back instead of the front.

    "What are you doing?" Jade asked, ignoring his question as she watched him get into the driver''s seat.

    "Getting into the car. You asked me to keep youpany, didn''t you?" Harry asked matter of factly as he got

    Jade shook her head, "I did, but this is not what I meant. Am I supposed to be talking to your back until I fall asleep? I want you to get into the backseat with me. By stay with me I meant I wanted you to cuddle me until I sleep off," Jade suggested as she patted the space beside her.<novelnext>  </novelnext>

    "Cuddle?" Harry asked, looking at her incredulously and Jade almostughed.

    "All I want is a cuddle, Harry. I''m not asking you to make love to me. Not that I would mind that though," Jade teased, and Harry raised a brow.

    "Jade..."

    "C''mon Harry."

    "I don''t think it''s a good idea."

    "I will sleep faster and better if you cuddled me. I usually cuddle my teddy bear or my pillow. That''s how I''m able to fall asleepfortably. There is nothing to hold here," Jade said with a sad pout.

    "I still don''t think it''s a good idea. I''m a man. You are ady," Harry insisted.

    "We are not just any random man anddy, Harry. Need I remind you that we kissed earlier? You kissed me. Cuddling shouldn''t be a big deal," Jade said patiently.

    "Jade..."

    "Maybe we should just return to Aaron''s room. I can keep watch with you," Jade said as she started to get out of the car.

    "You look exhausted," Harry pointed out looking at her tired face. Although she looked betterpared to the way he had met her a week ago.

    "Yeah. I do feel exhausted, but I guess the situation can''t be helped," Jade admitted and Harry sighed as he got out of the driver''s seat and went around the car to join her in the back seat.

    "By cuddle you are just going to rest your head on my shoulder, right?" Harry asked reluctantly, and Jade bit back a smile.

    "Your chest," Jade said, and Harry adjusted to give her room to rest her body against his, and Jade moved closer to him.

    Harry cleared his throat as he ced his left arm around her slender body while her head rested on his chest.

    They were positioned in such a way that Jade was hugging him since her head was resting on his chest while her right arm was behind him , and her right handy on his chest.

    Harry swallowed hard as he tried to ignore the feel of her breasts that were pressed against his body.

    "Harry?" Jade called softly.

    Harry cleared his throat, "Yeah?"

    "Why do you seem so different now than you were in your apartment earlier?" Jade asked, and Harry looked down at her.

    "How different?" Harry asked, and Jadeughed softly.

    "You are back to acting like virgin Harry," Jade pointed out.

    "Maybe you ought to be more scared of the virgin Harry," Harry suggested quietly.

    Harry''s attention returned to the present and his gaze moved to the bathroom door when Jamal called out to him from behind the door.

    "So this is where you live?" Jamal asked curiously as he looked around the fancy bathroom.

    "Yes. Why?" Harry asked curiously.

    "Are you as rich as Tom?" Jamal asked as he flushed the toilet and washed his hands at the sink.

    Harry smiled to himself, "Why? Are you going to choose him over me if he is richer?"

    "Is that a yes or a no?" Jamal asked as he walked out of the bathroom and Harry chuckled.

    "Well, I''m not as rich as he is, but I''m not doing so badly," Harry said, and Jamal nodded thoughtfully.

    "I figured. His house is much bigger than yours," Jamal said as he looked around the bedroom, and Harry got off the bed when Candace knocked on the door.

    "Harry? Is Jamal not done yet?" Candace asked.

    "He is done. We areing out now," Harry said as he headed for the door, but at the same time Jamal''s gaze fell on the white colored piece of cloth at the foot of the bed.

    "I think your hankie fell," Jamal announced as he picked it up at the same time that Harry opened the door.

 Chapter 498 Gay Best Friend

    The sight that greeted Candace once Harry opened the door was Jamal holding up a whitece thong. Seeing the shock on her face, Harry, who had been about to say something to her, turned to see the ''hankie'' that Jamal had picked up and was disying, and his eyes widened in surprise.

    He didn''t need anyone to tell him who owned that and had left it in his bedroom--Damn Jade for doing something like this.

    "Oh-oh! It''s not a hankie," Jamal announced as he now held it with the tip of his fingers.

    "Drop that," Harry ordered Jamal who was looking at the thong with interest.

    Jade, who had just opened the guest room door and had been about to step out and join the others, paused when she saw Candace standing by Harry''s open bedroom door.

    "Leave it on the bed for your uncle ande with me to wash your hands," Candace ordered, wondering if the thong was clean or not.

    Leave it on the bed? Leave what on the bed? Was Jamal in Harry''s room? He couldn''t possibly have seen it, could he? Candace couldn''t have possibly seen it, too, right? Jade mused as her heart racedand she quickly pulled the door close to hide herself as she spied on them.

    "He needs to wash his hands. I''m going in to use your bathroom if you don''t mind," Candace said in an amused tone as she looked at Harry, who still stood in the same spot with his face flushed red, staring at the thong as though he had never seen one before. Well, he had never seen Jade''s underwear apart from that one time she forgot to zip up her trousers and that didn''t count.

    Harry cleared his throat as he stepped aside to let Candace into his bedroom without meeting her gaze. How could he meet her gaze when she had seen something like that? They would all assume he had been making out with Jade at home while he left his father at the hospital, wouldn''t they?

    Damn Jade!

    "Mom, it looks like one of yours," Jamal said as Candace led him to the door, which she assumed to be the bathroom, to wash his hands.

    "It does look like mine, but it''s not mine, and you shouldn''t touch other people''s undies," Candace said as she washed his hands.

    "I picked it up because I thought it was uncle Harry''s hankie," Jamal said defensively.

    "Then you should have dropped it the moment you realized it wasn''t a hankie," Candace said as she led him out of the bathroom after drying his hands with the tissue and flushing it.

    Although Jade couldn''t hear what was being said in the bathroom, she remained behind her door since there was no way she could sneak past Harry''s bedroom to the living room without being caught, seeing as his door was still standing open.

    "Does uncle Harry wear the same undies as you because you are twins?" Jamal asked, and Candace looked at Harry. She almostughed when she saw how red his face was.

    Great! Just great! Thanks to Jade he was going to be the weird gay uncle.

    "I''m not sure. Would you like to answer that question, big brother?" Candace asked with a straight face, but Harry could see the mirth in her eyes.

    Harry cleared his throat, "It''s not min...." Harry let the rest of his words trail off when Candace raised a brow and shook her head.

    "Why don''t you go to the living room and keep grandpa Aaron and Tompany while I have a word with Uncle Harry?" Candace suggested.

    "Okay, mom," Jamal said as he ran past Harry out of the room.

    Of course, since the door was open, Jade heard Jamal''s question. She quickly shut the door when Jamal looked in her direction as he tried to figure out if the living room was on the left or right end of the hall.

    Jade sighed as she went to sit on the edge of the bed, and she closed her eyes in embarrassment. She couldn''t tell if she was feeling more embarrassed for herself or for Harry.

    She wasn''t going to step out of the room. No, she wasn''t. There was no way she could face Harry after embarrassing herself and him in that manner. All she wanted to do was hide here until Harry left the house, and then she would sneak out and run away. She would just avoid him for the rest of her life if it were possible.

    Alone with Candace now, Harry sighed, "I could have told him it isn''t mine," Harry said stiffly without meeting her gaze as he looked at the material on the bed.

    "And then you would have to tell him who owns it and what it was doing in your bedroom. Are you sure you''re up for such questions?" Candace asked, and Harry frowned.

    "I guess you don''t have much experience with kids. With kids, especially Jamal, you have to learn how to evade questions. Especially the embarrassing type, else you might find yourself stuttering," Candace said, and Harry sighed.

    "You don''t have to look so embarrassed. You are an adult, after all," Candace said with a teasing grin, and Harry didn''t know whether to re at her or just shove her out of his room and shut the door in her face so he wouldn''t see theughter on her face.

    "So?" Candace asked, looking at him like she was waiting for him to say something, and Harry looked at her in confusion.<novelnext>  </novelnext>

    "So what?" He asked, wondering why she wasn''t leaving already.

    "We both know you don''t wear thongs, or do you?" Candace asked, lowering her gaze to look at his pelvis, and Harry let out an awkwardugh as he took a step away from her, feeling very ufortable by her perusal.

    "I should know if my big brother is into kinky stuf...."

    "Get out of my room," Harry hissed, jerking his head towards the door, and Candace howled withughter.

    "C''mon, big brother," Candace drawled, enjoying the mix of emotions on Harry''s face as he red at her while also looking embarrassed at the same time.

    He made quite a picture. This time yesterday, she would never have imagined herself being in Ludus talk more of being in a stranger''s house and calling him big brother while teasing and taunting him this way, yet here she was. Enjoying herself at her newfound twin brother''s expense. Could life be more unpredictable? Candace mused.

    "You sound like a very annoying kid sister," Harry said as he held the door open for Candace to leave.

    "You sound like a very embarrassed big brother. I hope you cane up with a good story. Trust Jamal. Everyone is going to know you wear female undies. For your sake, I hope it belongs to Jade," Candace said with a wink as she left the room.

    Once she left the room, Harry groaned as she shut the door behind her. He gazed at the white material on his bed as he slowly approached it.

    Just what could have possessed Jade to pull a stunt like this when she knew he wasn''ting home alone? And where was she right now after creating this mess? Harry mused as he picked up the thong and hid it under his pillow before heading for the door.

    Just as he opened the door, he saw Tom walking down the hallway with a grin stered on his face, and he knew the kid had spilled the news to everyone.

    "Shut up," Harry warned before Tom could say a word, but that only amused Tom even more.

    "How did I never figure it out that it was me you wanted this whole time and not my sister?" Tom asked, batting his eyelids at Harry as he brushed the side of his hair like he was tucking a stray strand away.

    "You are a fool," Harry cussed, even though he was amused.

    "It must have been so hard for you to hide your true feelings this whole time, my dearest gay best friend," Tom said as he took a step closer to Harry to touch him.

    "If you touch me I''m going to break your fingers," Harry threatened.

    "Gay lives matter too, you know?" Tom said and chuckled when Harry red at him.

    "Please, shut up," Harry said through gritted teeth.

    "Well, now that the truth is out you don''t have to pretend anymore," Tom taunted, and Harry shook his head.

    "You did say you were going to surprise me. I''m surprised. Although you start slow, but you do work fast...."

    "Nothing happened with Jade. This is all a misunderstanding," Harry said defensively.

    "By that, am I to assume it''s Jade''s undies? Maybe it was a good thing she decided to stop by your ce yesterday...."

    "Can you just shut up and mind your damned business?" Harry hissed at Tom irritably, and Tom chuckled as he raised his hands in surrender.

    "Alright. Fine. No need to get antsy even if Jade is our sister and her undies are in your room. I will get out of your hair after I check on her. She is still here, as you said, right?" Tom said, and Harry nced in the direction of Jade''s room with narrowed eyes.

    So she was not out yet? Why was she hiding in her room after causing such trouble for him? Harry mused in disbelief.

    "I need to have a word with her. We will join you in the living room," Harry said, and Tom grinned.

    "Just a word, huh?"

    "Fuck off," Harry said, and Tom chuckled as he walked away.

 Chapter 499 Finders Keepers

    Harry wasn''t sure how he was going to face his father or even face all three of them together at the same time. Candace and Tom were annoying enough. His dad would be worse.

    He could tell they were probablyughing at his expense right now. And the person responsible for it all was hiding here, leaving him to face all the embarrassment alone?

    No, way! There was no way he would let her hide. He would be damned if he faced that alone.

    Harry headed for Jade''s door and knocked on it, making Jade''s heart skip as her gaze shot to the door.

    Who was there? Jade mused as she dove under the duvet and covered herself. She couldn''t face anyone yet. Opening the door meant the possibility of facing Harry. She couldn''t. Not yet. She needed time to work up her courage and assure herself that it wasn''t a big deal. She wondered if this was how Adam and Eve felt while hiding in the garden after sinning against God.

    Harry knocked again when he heard the movement on the bed but got no response.

    "I know you are in there. If you don''t say a word, I''m going to assume you want me toe inside, and I will," Harry said, and when Jade said nothing, he turned the knob and opened the door.

    Seeing the way she had covered herself up on the bed, Harry didn''t know whether to feel amused her to be mad at her.

    "I take it you are hiding because you know what you''ve done," Harry said as he shut the door behind him and rested his back against it.

    Jade said nothing as she held on tightly to the edge of the duvet and pressed her lips together to keep herself from saying anything despite how hot she was beginning to feel.

    "It was one thing to shower in my bathroom. I got the message. But what were you thinking leaving your...." Harry paused and closed his eyes, unable to bring himself to say the words.

    "Why did you leave that in there when you knew I wouldn''t being back alone?" Harry asked with a frown.

    "It wasn''t intentional," Jade said in a small voice.

    "Did you say something?" Harry asked patiently.

    Jade closed her eyes, "I said it wasn''t intentional," Jade repeated.

    "I can''t hear you. Do you n on having this conversation while hiding under that duvet like a kid? Are you going to stay there all day?" Harry asked as he moved closer to the bed and tugged on the duvet, but Jade held on to it firmly.

    "Don''t! I can''t look at you right now," she murmured.

    "You''ve got to be kidding me," Harry said with a scoff as he got on the bed and pulled on the duvet while she kept trying to hold on to it.

    "This is so childish for a smartdy like you," Harry said with a shake of his head, and Jade pouted as she let go of the duvet and sat up, and Harry pulled it away from her body and threw it aside.

    "I''m sorry. I didn''t mean to leave it in your room. It fell in my hurry to leave your room when I heard the doorbell," Jade rushed to exin without meeting his gaze, and Harry sighed as he looked at her face, which was glistening with sweat.

    So it wasn''t intentional. Well, that meant she must be feeling more embarrassed than he was. It served her right. He could as well return a dose of all the taunts he had received so far.

    "Jamal and Candace saw it. Tom already heard about it too, and I''m sure my dad is aware of it too," Harry said, and Jade bit her lower lip.

    "You told them?"

    "I didn''t have to. Jamal obviously hasn''t been taught to keep people''s private business to himself. If Candace weren''t my sister, I would think he was a Hank," Harry said, and Jade red at him.

    "What do you mean by that?"

    "Do you think you are in any position to be mad at me right now? Jamal thinks it''s mine. He thinks I wear the same undies as his mother. Can you believe that?" Harry asked incredulously, and Jade tittered before she could stop herself.

    "You think this isfunny?" Harry asked, and she giggled as she bobbed her head.

    "If you think about it, it''s funny. Or maybe not," she added when Harry red at her.

    "Your stupid brother was even making gay jokes," Harry said, but there was no annoyance or irritation in his voice this time.

    "We both know Tom was joking. I''m sorry. I didn''t mean to put you in an awkward position," Jade said without meeting his gaze.

    "You are almost always putting me in awkward positions, esquire. And I can''t say I like it," Harry said, and Jade raised a brow.

    "When did I ever put you in an awkward position before now?"

    "The whole stuff with Aurora. Didn''t you set me up on a date with her after I asked you not to?" Harry said, and Jade rolled her eyes.<novelnext>  </novelnext>

    "That''s just twice. And you could have ended things after that night...." Jade let the rest of her words trail off when Harry shook his head and started to rise from the bed.

    "Fine, I was wrong. I''m sorry. I will exin the situation to them if you want me to," Jade offered as she moved closer to him. Although she hoped he wouldn''t let her go through with it. That would be too embarrassing for her.

    Harry sighed as he moved away from her, "I don''t think that would be necessary. They will believe what they want to regardless. And I don''t owe them any exnation anyway. I thought you deliberately left it there, but since you didn''t, let''s forget about it. I left it under my pillow. You can pick it upter...."

    "Or maybe not," Harry said as he rose from the bed and headed for the door while Jade remained where she sat as she watched him leave while wondering what he meant by or maybe not.

    Unable to resist the urge to tease her, Harry turned to her when he got to the door, "You came with more than one pair of that, right?" Harry asked with a naughty grin at the thought that she might not be wearing undies beneath the shorts she was wearing.

    His lips twitched when she blushed as she asked, "Why?"

    "I''m just wondering if you are wearing anything under your shorts," Harry said, and Jade''s jaw dropped.

    "Harry? Are you talking naughty..."

    "Why do you seem so surprised? You talked naughty to me first over the phone, remember?"

    "But that was different...."

    "It''s okay when you do it, not when I do it?" Harry asked, and before Jade could respond, he asked again, "By the way, I can see you are not wearing a bra. You should wear one when we have people around unless you don''t mind me staring at your boobs in the presence of others," Harry said, cutting off whatever she wanted to say as he observed the way her boobs were outlined in the tank top she was wearing.

    "So, are you wearing panties?" Harry asked, and Jade cleared her throat as she folded both hands in front of her.

    "Yes," Jade said, ignoring the embarrassment she was feeling.

    "Good then. I don''t have to give it back," Harry said, and Jade raised a brow.

    "Was that why you said maybe not? Do you n to keep it?" Jade asked curiously since that didn''t sound like something Harry would do.

    "Yes. Finders keepers," Harry drawled, and Jade couldn''t tell why; as surprising as Harry''s words were, the thought of Harry keeping her underwear made butterflies flutter in her belly.

    "Jamal found it, not you..."

    "He found it in MY bedroom. It''s mine. I think you should wear it on our first night...."

    "Our first night?" Jade asked when Harry paused.

    "On second thoughts. It doesn''t have to be at night. Our first time together. I would love to see it on you," Harry said, and Jade felt her mouth go dry.

    "Will you give me a heads up to wear it when the timees?"

    "I might be the one to put it on you and take it off you since I''m keeping it," Harry said with a wink and chuckled when Jade opened her mouth and shut it speechlessly.

    "WOW! Do you have multiple personalities?" Jade asked, not understanding how he could make such a personality switch so quickly. There was no way this person was the same Harry that had stayed so stillst night as he cuddled her to sleep.

    "If I did, which personality would you choose? yboy Harry or Virgin Harry?" Harry asked with a slightly raised brow.

    "I don''t know...."

    "I thought as much," Harry said with a smirk.

    "Would you like me to tint my hair and get piercings like your brother too? Maybe get a tattoo of your name on my chest?" Harry asked, and when Jade kept looking at him in confusion as though she was trying to figure out what he was saying or what he was thinking.

    "Weren''t you the one who told Tom that good girls love bad boys? You are one of the reasons he did all that double personality shit to Lucy, aren''t you?" He asked and chuckled when her mouth fell open in surprise.

    "Don''t look so surprised. Get your pretty bottom off the bed ande to the living room before you make them think I''m doing something in here with you," Harry said as he turned the knob and walked out of the room, leaving Jade staring at his back speechlessly.

    Tom told Harry what she said about good girls liking bad guys? Was that the reason he had been acting that way? This couldn''t be just an act. He was too good at making her ufortable for it to be all an act.

    Was he really going to keep her thong? What would he do with it? She imagined him sniffing it and masturbating to it but quickly discarded the thought. Harry wasn''t the sort of person to do that.

    Or maybe he was? Was she ever going to be able to figure him out?

 Chapter 500 No Relationship To Reconsider

    As Harry walked into the living room, all eyes turned to him, and he could see the gleam in their eyes as though they all wanted to say something but couldn''t because Jamal was present.

    "I had no idea you had a simr taste in undies as Candace," Aaron, who was seated in a wheelchair, said with a grin, and Harry sighed.

    "Dad..."

    "Don''t worry. I love you the way you are. I don''t mind getting you some for Christmas...."

    "Jamal, that isn''t mine. It belongs to a friend," Harry cut in through gritted teeth, ignoring the chuckle of the others as he focused on the kid.

    Thest thing he wanted was for Jamal to tell Lucy and the others that he wore feminine undies. He needed to clear that up immediately.

    "Tom?" Jamal asked, and Tom shook his head immediately.

    "Nah. There is no way that is mine. I don''t wear female undies like your uncle," Tom said, and Harry threw the empty stic bottle of water on the table at Tom as Candace and Aaronughed.

    "Then who?" Jamal asked curiously.

    "Not that it is your business, but it belongs to a female friend," Harry said, and Jamal nodded.

    "Is it thewyerdy? Does your female friend live in your bedroom? Why are her undies on the floor of your bedroom? Is she your girlfriend?" Jamal asked, and Harry turned to Candace for help.

    Maybe he didn''t really know much about kids, but he wasn''t sure it was normal for a child of Jamal''s age to be asking so many questions or such questions in the first ce.

    "Tell us, Harry," Aaron urged him in a taunting tone.

    "It''s mine. It fell off theundry basket when I went to drop off Harry''s clothes in his bedroom. Thanks for helping me find it," Jade said from the doorway, and all eyes turned to her.

    "Laundry? They must have fixed the washing machine in my absence...."

    "Dad, one more word, and I''m going to kick you out of my house. Maybe you will feel better living with Tom," Harry threatened, and Aaron chuckled.

    "It''s not a big deal, Jamal. We are used to things like this happening all the time. Jade is like a sister to Harry in almost the same way she is to me. Jade''s undies fall off theundry basket often and litter even my bedroom. My bedroom is crawling with them...."

    "Tom!" Jade called in a warning hiss.

    "Harry said you are like a sister ...."

    "You bast..." Harry let the rest of the cuss trail off because of Jamal, who was watching, and he lunged at Tom, but Tom was quick to move away, and Jamalughed as Harry tried to catch Tom and went to help his uncle.

    "You don''t have to feel too embarrassed. We all know nothing happened. We just wanted to ruffle his feathers and make him ufortable," Aaron winked at Jade, and she smiled.

    "Don''t you think you went too far, especially with Jamal present?" Jade asked as she sat on the space beside Candace.

    "He will be fine," Aaron said with a grin as he watched Harry throw things at Tom. He was relieved that they could all beughing this way in such a short time.

    Although Jade wanted to tell Candace to caution Jamal and teach him how not to pry into people''s private business or share details of a person''s life without their permission, she refrained from doing so.

    She knew how touchy mothers could be when told they were not raising their kids properly.

    Besides, she was in no position to point out such a w in anyone when she had been mad at Lucy for being tight-lipped and hoarding Harry''s private information.

    So instead, she said, "Can you ask Jamal not to tell everyone else about this? It''s embarrassing enough as it is," Jade said, and Candace smiled.

    "Don''t worry, he won''t," she assured her.

    "By the way, why don''t I see the nurse Harry mentioned would being with you?" Jade asked, looking around as she wondered why the nurse wasn''t with them.

    "She wille overter in the day," Aaron said, and Jade nodded.

    "We haven''t had enough time to talk alone. How are you?" Jade asked in a quiet voice as she focused on Candace.

    "Not bad, I guess. Can you show me to the kitchen? I need to put the leftover breakfast away," Candace said, and they both rose as Jade led her to the kitchen.

    Candace paused in the dining to pick up the food pack, "You told him how you feel already?" Candace asked immediately as they walked into the kitchen.

    "Yeah. I sort of did sost night. Why?" Jade asked as she watched Candace store the food in the refrigerator.

    "I told him about Aurora shopping for wedding dresses," Candace said, and Jade giggled.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "She never said she was shopping for wedding dresses," Jade said in Aurora''s defence.

    "Not from the way I heard it. She sounded like she would shop for wedding dresses if Harry so much as kissed her cheeks. I had to let him know," Candace said as she turned to look at Jade.

    "Well, from our brief conversation, I found out that Harry likes you too. So you shouldn''t hold back in going for him. Not that I think you''re holding back anyway, seeing how you''re already leaving your thong in his bedroom and showering in his bathroom," Candace said with a knowing grin.

    "Did he tell you I showered in his bathroom?" Jade asked, wondering how she knew.

    "He didn''t have to unless you are telling me Harry uses body care products that smell like you," Candace said with a wink, and Jade giggled.

    "Were you there when he saw it? What was his reaction?" Jade asked, and Candace giggled as she told her how Harry had looked very embarrassed and sent her out of his bedroom for teasing him.

    "It wasn''t intentional, though. It fell off while I was taking my stuff to the guest room," Jade exined with a grin.

    "I thought so too seeing how shocked he was when Jamal found it, and how you hid inside. He seems like a very decent guy. You''d be good for each other," Candace said, and Jade shed her a happy smile.

    "I know, right? All I''m waiting for is for the anniversary to be over so he can ask me to be his girlfriend officially," Jade said dreamily, and Candace smiled.

    "I could teach you a thing or two if you want to seduce him into asking you to be his girlfriendsooner," Candace offered, and Jadeughed softly.

    "At this point, it''s safe to say I''m the one being seduced. Harry can''t be seduced into changing his mind," Jade said, and Candaceughed.

    "That''s good to know," Candace said with a sigh, and then she looked at Jade with serious eyes.

    "Thank you, Jade," Candace said, and Jade raised a brow.

    "What for?"

    "For convincing me toe to Ludus to meet them. I know it''s probably too soon to say this, but I''m d I listened to you. They are wonderful and more receptive than I could have expected. I may not have known them for up to twenty-four hours but I feel sofortable. They feel like home already. It''s all so perfect that I still can''t believe it," Candace said, and Jade smiled as she stepped closer and brushed away the tears that had dropped from Candace''s eyes.

    "You are wee, twin sister-inw," Jade whispered as she embraced her, and Candace giggled as she pulled away.

    "So now that we''ve cleared that up. We still have some unfinished business," Jade said, and Candace looked at her with questioning eyes.

    "The case?"

    "No. First, we have to go clubbing, and now that things have turned out this way, you have to reconsider your rtionship with Matt," Jade said, and Candace shook her head.

    "There is no rtionship to reconsider. He has moved on. He only came to the hospital to find closure," Candace said, and Jade raised a brow.

    "Was that what he told you?"

    "Yeah. So you see? There is nothing left to reconsider," Candace said with a shrug, and Jade sighed.

    She had thought there was more to their rtionship than that. Could Matt really have moved on so quickly? She would have to ask Bryan about that.

    "Fine. Who needs men anyway? Let''s n to go clubbing. You need some time off to celebrate," Jade said and then paused when something else urred to her.

    She cocked her head to the side as she looked at Candace, "By the way, what''s your n now? Do you want to move in with Harry or return to Varis?" Jade asked, and Candace sighed.

    "I still need to give that some thought. Although I like that Jamal might have a lot of positive male influence being here, but I have to think aboutw school and Jamal''s school," Candace exined, and Jade nodded.

    "You could apply for a transfer if you want to. I''m sure Tom or Harry could help you get it done very quickly," Jade said, and Candace sighed.

    "I will still need some time to think about it. In the meantime, we will remain at Tom''s house if he doesn''t mind having us there," Candace said, and Jade nodded.

    "Tom won''t mind. You can remain at my brother''s house while I remain at your brother''s house," Jade said with a wink as she linked their arms together, and Candaceughed as Jade pulled her out of the kitchen back to the living room where Harry and Tom were already seated ying PS.

    "Where are they?" Candace asked when she noticed that Aaron and Jamal were missing.

    "In Dad''s bedroom. Dad wanted to get some rest, so Jamal decided to stay with him," Harry said as he focused on the game.

    "I should probably check on them," Candace said as she stood up.

    "The third room down the hall," Harry called to her as she walked away while Jade settled down on the couch beside Tom.

 Chapter 501 HAJ Studios

    Inside Aaron''s bedroom, he sat on the bed with his back propped on pillows, with a wide smile on his face as he listened to Jamal''s chatters as usual. This time he was talking about his aunt Andy.

    "... So she said if I wanted them to stop workingte at night, then I should get a job and pay the bills. And I''m like, but no one would employ me, and she said, how do you know that when you haven''t even gone out to apply for a job yet?" Jamal said, and Aaron chuckled.

    "So what did you do?" Aaron asked, and Jamal shrugged.

    "I got a job. I asked a neighbour to give me a job, and she let me walk her dog every Saturday and Sunday," Jamal said, and Aaron smiled.

    "She must be a very good neighbour," Aaron said, and Jamal bobbed his head.

    "She is. She gives me cookies every time I bring back her dog," Jamal said with a happy smile.

    "So, did they stop workingte at night?" Aaron asked, and Jamal shook his head.

    "No. She said I would need to rob a bank to get the kind of money that would make them stop working sote," Jamal said, leaving Aaron to wonder what sort of work they did at night.

    They were not sex workers, were they? He hoped not. When Candace talked about the jobs she had done, she hadn''t sounded like she did something like that. Or was that what she meant when she said he would cringe when she told him about some of them? He didn''t want to imagine that his daughter could have been subjected to such a lifestyle.

    Harry would know if she had led such a lifestyle, right? What would he do if that were the case? How was he going to be able to make it up to her?

    "Does it hurt somewhere? Why are you frowning?" Jamal asked with concern when he noticed that Aaron was no longer listening to him, and Aaron blinked as he tried to return his focus to Jamal.

    "I was just thinking about something. Do you know about your mummy''s friend called Matt?" Aaron asked, and Jamal bobbed his head excitedly.

    "He is an actor, and he owns a jet. Isn''t that cool?" Jamal asked, and Aaron nodded.

    An actor. That was indeed very cool. He could start by finding out the guy''s surname and seeing his movies.

    "It''s super cool. So do you think your mom and aunt Andy like him?" Aaron asked, trying to be subtle with his question, but before Jamal could respond, Candace gave a single knock on the door softly.

    "It''s mom. Come in," Jamal announced, and Aaron looked at him curiously.

    "How did you know she was the one?" Aaron asked when Candace walked in.

    "That''s how she knocks," Jamal said while Candace gave Aaron a pointed gaze.

    "Matt is JUST a friend, and yes, Andy and I like him, so you don''t have to ask Jamal about it," Candace said, and Aaron gave her a sheepish smile when he realised she had heard him.

    "You said it is wrong to eavesdrop," Jamal pointed out.

    "Yes, it is wrong. I didn''t eavesdrop. I heard the question when I got to the door," Candace said defensively.

    "Go wait in the living room with Tom and Harry," Candace said before Jamal could say anything, and immediately Jamal got off the bed and did as she instructed.

    "I''m sorry. I was only curious," Aaron said apologetically.

    "And you think Jamal is the best person to answer your questions?" She asked as she sat on the single couch in the room.

    "Are you going to tell me about Matt if I ask you?" Aaron asked, and Candace shook her head.

    "I already told you the truth. He liked me and wanted to be in a rtionship with me, but I was not interested in being involved with him, so I pushed him away. We are just friends now, and that is all there is to it," Candace said, and although Aaron had more questions on the subject, he refrained from doing so and decided to ask the most important question that was bothering him.

    "Jamal mentioned that you and Andy workte into the night. Can I ask what job you do?" Aaron asked, and Candace looked at him for some seconds as she tried to organise her response so that Aaron wouldn''t feel bad.

    "When Jade told me about you and Harry, I didn''t want toe with her. Apart from the fact that I was angry and felt abandoned, I didn''t want toe mostly because I was too embarrassed and scared. I thought you both would be too embarrassed and not want to be associated with me when you found out the truth about me," Candace said and listening to her, Aaron''s heart broke for his daughter as he concluded that she was probably evading the question because she was a sex worker.

    "You are my daughter. I could never be ashamed nor embarrassed by you no matter what you did," Aaron rushed to assure her, and tears gathered in Candace''s eyes as she smiled at him.

    She got off the couch and went to sit on the bed beside Aaron when tears gathered in his eyes too.

    "After meeting you, my worry is no longer about feeling embarrassed. I''m more concerned that you would be sad and me yourself, and that''s not what I want. That''s not what Harry wants, either. My life may not have been perfect, and though things weren''t always easy, it wasn''t all that terrible either," Candace added as she gave him a wobbly smile and wiped the tears from his eyes.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I believe you made the most you could out of what life threw at you, and for that, I will always be proud of you," Aaron cut in before she could finish, and he embraced her.

    "If you feel too embarrassed to tell me about your past, then you don''t have to tell me about it. Don''t worry. I understand. We can move on and make the future better," Aaron promised as he patted her back.

    "We were both strippers. Andy and I. That was the only job we could find to take care of our bills," Candace said quietly as she pulled away from him to look into his face.

    Deep down, she still felt ashamed and as difficult as it was to look into his eyes, she did. Somehow she was convinced that he wouldn''t judge her and he wouldn''t be ashamed of her.

    Looking into her eyes, Aaron could tell that it had taken a lot of courage for her to voice that out. He knew they needed to clear this up, and once they were able to get past this, he would have his daughter.

    As sad and heartbroken as he was about it all, he forced a smile, "You must be a pretty good dancer to do that. Between your brother and I, I''ve never seen a worse dancer," Aaron joked, and Candace smiled.

    "Don''t beat yourself over it. We have all done something we were not proud of at one point in our lives or the other. I will tell you a secret I never told anyone," Aaron said, and Candace looked at him curiously.

    "I''m not sure I''ve mentioned it, but I own a photographypany. HAJ Studios..."

    "You own HAJ Studios?" Candace asked in surprise since it was pretty famous in the country as most celebrities use their service.

    "Yes. Each letter stands for Harry, Aaron and Jonas. It was formerly called AJ Studios, but after I had Harry and relocated, I changed the name when I started afresh," Aaron exined and then paused.

    "I might have to change the name again now with you and Jamal in the picture," Aaron said thoughtfully, and Candace giggled.

    "No, you don''t have to do that. Is that the secret you were talking about?" she asked, and Aaron shook his head.

    "No. The money I used to start up my first studio and get my first camera was drug money. I sold drugs in the street for survival. I''m not proud of it. I never talk about it," Aaron said, looking into Candace''s brown eyes.

    "All I''m trying to say is that you have nothing to be ashamed of. In the same way I left my past behind, you could also leave yours behind. I will support you with all I have to make sure you reach your goals, and you never have to do something you are not proud of," Aaron said, and Candace sighed as she embraced him, and Aaron sighed in contentment as he held her close to himself.

    Candace couldn''t entirely exin how she felt being in his arms like that. But she felt light.She felt safe in his arms, and she felt like she didn''t have to try so hard anymore. She felt like a little girl without any worries in the world.

    "Thank you," she murmured against his chest.

    "How does CHAJ sound? The J could stand for Jamal instead of Jonas?" Aaron said, and Candace giggled.

    "You should leave it as it is. I prefer HAJ Studios," Candace assured him.

    "So about this Matt guy..."

    "C''mon! I already told you there is nothing between us," Candace cut in as she pulled away from him to re at him and Aaron chuckled.

    "Alright. Alright. I''ve heard you for now," Aaron said and grinned when she raised a brow.

    "For now?"

    "How did Harry know about him if there was nothing?" Aaron asked, and Candace sighed.

    "Matt is Bryan''s best friend. Tom''s brother Bryan," she exined when Aaron looked lost for a moment.

    "Oh! So you met him at Tom''s house?" Aaron asked, and Candace shook her head.

    "No. We were friends before I knew Tom and Bryan. He assisted Jade with the case," She exined, and Aaron nodded.

    "I see. Sounds like a decent guy," Aaron said, and Candace sighed.

    She didn''t want to think about Matt. She didn''t want to give any room to sadness or regrets. All she wanted to focus on right now was herself, Jamal and her newfound family.

    "Yeah. He is a cool guy. What about you? Why didn''t you ever get married?" Candace asked as shey on the bed with her head propped on her shoulder as she looked at him.

    And just like that, both father and daughter sat there in the bedroom, talking like new friends and sharing as much important details of their lives as they could share at that moment as Aaron tried to catch up on the twenty-eight years he had lost, while Candace tried to learn as much as she could about her father.

 Chapter 502 A Long List Of Enemies

    "Who is winning the game?" She asked when she looked at the scoreboard on the screen and saw 3-1.

    "Who else? Your brother is only good at ying CEO and being Lucy''s handbag," Harry said smugly without taking his gaze away from the screen, but Tom said nothing as he focused his attention on the game.

    "So you told Tom that I''m like a sister to you? Was that before or after we kissed and cuddled?" Jade asked, causing Harry to choke in surprise, and Tom seized the opportunity to score a goal against Harry.

    "That''s cheating," Harry protested as Tomughed.

    "No, it''s not. I saw an opportunity, and I seized it," Tom said smugly.

    "Answer my question, Jonas," Jade said, poking at Harry''s side.

    "Let''s talk about itter," Harry said, notfortable with the idea of talking about something like that with Tom present.

    Tom chuckled, "Why? You don''t want me to hear about the kiss?" Tom asked, making kissing sounds, and as Harry turned to re at him, he seized the opportunity to score another goal and burst into a peal ofughter when Harry looked at him in disbelief.

    "You caused this," Harry hissed, eyeing Jade with displeasure.

    "I will tell you all of Harry''s secrets if you keep distracting him," Tom whispered loudly to Jade, and Harry dropped the pad.

    "I''m not ying another game with you until Jade leaves," Harry said, and Jade shed him a smile.

    "That''s even better. Now I can get both of your attention," Jade said as she turned to Tom deciding to talk to him about her conversation with their mom now that she had his attention.

    "I spoke with mom a while ago and she told me that Lucy''s mom was arrested," Jade said, and Tom gave her a nomittal grunt.

    He hade here to clear his head and forget about everything wrong that was going on. He didn''t want to think about it yet since he was aware that J had been released.

    "What are we going to do about Rachel? Especially with everything we know about her family?" Jade asked, looking from Tom to Harry and back again.

    "We can all figure it outter. She''s the least of our problems. Let''s deal with the bigger ones first. One enemy at a time," Harry said, and Tom''s lips twitched in amusement at Harry''s response.

    "Alright. What about Bryan? I learned that he arrived a while ago. How is he doing? Did you talk to him yet?" Jade asked with concern, and Tom looked at her.

    "I tried talking to him, but he was being an ass. I don''t know what he is thinking and frankly speaking, I''m not in the frame of mind to want to understand him right now either. I have a lot on my head and I''m stressed out of my mind. So maybe you should go speak with him," Tom said while Harry watched both siblings.

    "Aww. My poor Tommy. Don''t worry. I will talk to him," Jade promised as she patted his arm and rested her head on his shoulder while Tom sighed as he rested his head on the top of her head.

    "I didn''t pause the game just so you both could cuddle. If you want to talk, talk. If not, you should excuse us," Harry hissed at them, making the siblingsugh.

    "She is my sister, Harry. Rx. There is no reason for you to be jealous," Tom said with a grin while Jade rose from her seat beside Tom and went to sit beside Harry.

    "What are you doing?" Harry asked when she hooked her arm with his.

    "Cuddling with you while talking with Tom since you are too jealous to let my brother hold me," Jade said with a sweet smile.

    "I didn''t say I was jealous..."

    "Don''t worry. Even if you are, we don''t mind," Jade said, and Tom nodded.

    "Yes, we don''t," Tom parroted.

    "Can you two behave yourselves? There is a kid in the house," Harry said as he tried to move away, but Jade held on to him firmly.

    "We are cuddling, not making out. I''m sure Jamal won''t be traumatised by the sight," Jade said without looking at Harry as she turned to face Tom, who was chuckling.

    "Mom mentioned that Lucy was travelling over to see Sonia," Jade said, and Tom sighed.

    "Is there a topic she didn''t mention to you?" Tom asked irritably and Jade giggled.

    "Are you still mad at Lucy?" Tom asked, and Harry raised a brow.

    "You are mad at Lucy? What did she do?" Harry asked, and Tom told Harry about Jade''s annoyance while Jade tried to shut him up.

    "Not that I''m still mad at her, but I wasn''t pleased with her. She can''t just take information from others without giving back��."

    Harry cut in with a scoff, "Yes, she can. Lucy didn''t do anything wrong��."

    "That''s not the way the world works," Jade countered.

    "That''s not the way the Hanks'' world works, you mean? She didn''t force you to give her any information. Besides, you are the one who involved her in ''your business'', not the other way around. The sooner you realise that the world does not revolve around you Hanks, and not everyone handles things like you Hanks do, the bet��."

    "What do you mean by that?" Tom and Jade asked in unison as Tom red at him, and Jade pulled away from him to re at him.

    "I believe my statement was self-exnatory. I would have done the same thing she did because that is the NORMAL thing to do. As I told you already, Tom, Lucy is a good influence on you. And Jade, I also think you should be friends with her too, so she would influence you positively on how to maintain boundaries. Everything doesn''t always have to go the Hank way," Harry said to Jade ignoring her scowl as he rose when his phone started vibrating in his pocket.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "We are not done. Why are you leaving?" Jade asked grudgingly.

    "Because I''m done. You can continue with your family discussion. You both should be done with your conversation by the time I get back so we can resume our game," Harry said before walking away to receive his call while both siblings stared at his back.

    As Harry took out his phone from his pocket to receive the call, he paused when he saw Jamal approaching the living room, "Is my dad asleep?" Harry asked, wondering why Jamal had left the room.

    "No. My mummy is talking with him and she asked me to wait in the living room," Jamal exined.

    Seeing no reason to leave Jamal alone with Tom and Jade who were busy with their discussion, Harry took his hands, "Come with me then," he said as he took Jamal''s hand and led him to his bedroom.

    "He must be overjoyed knowing that he is rted to your perfect Lucy," Jade muttered, and Tom looked at her when something urred to him.

    "Did you discuss Lucy with Bryan?" He asked, recalling Jade''s annoyance the previous evening and how resentful Bryan had sounded as he talked about Lucy.

    "Not really," Jade said, seeing no reason to tell Tom what Bryan had said.

    "Are you sure?" Tom asked, and Jade nodded.

    "Yeah. Why? Did he say something?" Jade asked curiously, and Tom sighed as he rxed on the couch.

    "He sort of sounded like he was mad at Lucy for something," Tom said, and Jade sighed as she exined why Bryan seemed upset at Lucy.

    "He is acting up because he is jealous of the bond they share?" Tom asked incredulously.

    "Well, it''s not just that. Besides, I don''t think Sonia has done much to help matters. He must be feeling pretty upset about everything even if he isshing out at everyone. You know how Bryan is," Jade said with a sigh.

    "I''m beginning to think the whole idea of establishing an entertainment agency with Bryan is a bad idea. I want to be there for him as his brother, but at the same time, I''m mad at him for getting involved in a scandal at a sensitive time like this. Emotions and logic are conflicting and I don''t like this," Tom said with a sigh, and Jade patted his arm.

    "Don''t worry. I will go home with you so I can see Bryan and talk with him," Jade said and Tom sighed again.

    "Do whatever you have to do and get him straightened out before Monday..."

    "No, not Monday. It has to be Today. I have arranged an interview for Bryan within the next two hours. We have to clear the air before Monday or else things might get crazy," Harry said as he and Jamal joined them.

    Harry was now dressed in clean corporate clothes since the clothes he had been wearing earlier were the same ones he had worn to the hospital the previous evening.

    "But I don''t think Bryan is in any state to handle an interview right now," Jade protested while Tom looked at Harry

    "This is about his career, not his personal life, and I''m sure by now he knows that. He doesn''t have to talk about Sonia if he doesn''t want to. But he has to answer questions about the fight, apologize to his fans, and state that he has cancelled his contract with Golden Star..."

    "The fight is about Sonia so there is no way Sonia wouldn''te up during the interview" Jade cut in before Harry could finish.

    "Let Harry speak," Tom told Jade quietly as he watched Harry, knowing that something hade up, hence the urgency in his tone and that was the same reason he was dressed for work.

    "Tell me what''s up," Tom said, and Harry took out his phone.

    "You should see this," Harry said as he passed his phone to Tom.

    Tom frowned when he saw the caption under a video clip of Paul, "Why I Kicked Out Bryan Hank From Golden Star -CEO Of GSEA"

    "What does he mean by ''kicked out'' when everyone knows Bryan was the one who left the agency?" Jade hissed in annoyance.

    "That''s why Bryan needs to give his own statement as soon as possible. If he waits until Monday then we can''t talk to the shareholders or the board by Monday. Besides, they will start calling the moment they see this video. How do you think they are going to feel about finding out about this clip?"

    "When was this released?" Tom asked in a deadly calm tone after he had watched the video of Paul.

    Paul had said a lot of things about Bryan, but had mostly praised himself for raising a star like Bryan, and had talked about Bryan being too impulsive and irresponsible for his liking hence he could no longer work with him. He had further disyed a picture of Bryan throwing a punch at Derek in the club, and said he was done with Bryan, and wished I-Global good luck in signing Bryan Hank, and he hoped Bryan would have better luck at I-Global since his big brother would take care of him.

    "It was released on Golden Star''s social media tforms a couple of minutes ago. Jeff called to inform me about it just now. I have asked him to bring Bryan to thepany," Harry said, making it clear to Tom that was where he was headed.

    Tom sighed as he rose from his seat. Another enemy just got added to the list. It seemed like the list was getting longer by the day.

    Although he was exhausted and as much as he hated the fact that Bryan had gotten himself involved in a mess like this, he hated even more that Paul was badmouthing Bryan.

    Bryan was his brother, and doing that to Bryan was the same as insulting him. They were going to fix Bryan''s mess, and after that, he was going to push Paul out of the entertainment industry and make Paul''s office into Bryan''s changing room.

    "Let''s go to thepany then."

    He looked down at the casual clothes he was wearing. He had corporate clothes in his office which he could change into.

    "Give me a minute to change my clothes. I''m sure Bryan might need awyer," Jade said as she rose and hurried inside to change.

    "I will inform them we are stepping out while you change," Harry said as he took Jamal with him to Aaron''s bedroom.

 Chapter 503 Jade’s Plan

    The car was silent as they made their way to thepany. While Mia sat in the front seat of the car busy trying to write out the statement for Bryan to read to the press, Jeff was upied with his regrets and guilt as he drove the car, while Bryan just stared out of the window.

    They were all upset and worried about this new development. Of course, they should have foreseen it, given Paul''s threat to destroy Bryan''s career, but they had all been too busy to think about it.

    No matter how much this disturbed Bryan, he was much more disturbed by something else- his guilt over not keeping to his words and following Sonia to her meeting as he had promised.

    Even if Lucy was going to be there with her, Lucy wasn''t him. That didn''t excuse his action. He was raised to keep to his words, but he had been too upset to think about it.

    Fuck, he was still very much upset and mad at Sonia, but that did not excuse his action neither did it stop him from being worried about her. He loved her. He doubted he would ever stop loving her. He just needed time to figure out some things. He needed her to also understand that rtionships involved two people and that she couldn''t keep acting like she was the ss captain in their rtionship.

    "Bryan," Mia called to get his attention, and Bryan looked up at her.

    "I understand that you might not be in the right state of mind for this interview, but you know how important this is for all of us, right?" She asked, but Bryan merely stared at her without answering her question, while Jeff nced at her briefly before returning his attention to the road.

    As angry as she had been when she left Tom''s house, Jeff had been surprised by how worried she had sounded when she called to ask if he had seen the video of Paul and had asked him to call her back immediately he informed Harry and Tom about it.

    He had been on his way to Tom''s apartment since Tom had asked Adolf to give him one of the cars and the key to the apartment beside Lucy''s where he would be sharing with Mia until they got somewhere else for them.

    Jeff had naturally called Harry first since he had seen just how upset Tom was, about Bryan''s situation, but after telling Harry about it, Harry had thankfully asked him not to bother Tom about it since he was with Tom and would rte it to him.

    The moment Harry asked them to meet at thepany and he informed Mia about it, she had asked them to pick her up from the hotel on their way while she tried toe up with a suitable speech for Bryan.

    "Although I get that you are mad at Sonia right now, but I will advise you not to say things about her during the interview that you might regret..."

    "What do you mean by that?" Bryan asked, ring at her.

    Why were they all making him out to be an unreasonable person? He had not once badmouthed Sonia in all of this. He never would insult her, so where was this adviceing from?

    "I''m just saying, don''t talk about breaking up with her no matter how upset you are. You both still need some time to resolve your issues. Don''t make any hasty decision. Last night must have been tough for her if she saw everything your fans and even your anti-fans had to say about her. Especially the threats," Mia said, and Bryan frowned as he looked outside the window.

    This was probably the thing he hated most about being a celebrity. How people could blow something so minor in a celebrity''s life out of proportion just for entertainment without pausing to think about how it affected them.

    He remembered Sonia telling him that she couldn''t give up her privacy and freedom all in the name of being sessful. This must be tough on her, Bryan thought with a sigh.

    "Are you done?" He asked when Mia stopped talking and looked out of the window.

    "Not exactly. I''m just curious, what exactly happened between you and the guy at the club? Did you just show up there and met him by coincidence? Or did you track him down to the club to beat him up for the role he yed in Jeff''s drama or was it for something else? You will have to tell the press about it, is it something that you can say?" Mia asked, and as much as Jeff didn''t appreciate how she was making it sound like he was responsible for everything, he didn''t say a word. He was already beginning to regret bringing Derek into the picture.

    Bryan shook his head, "I don''t want to talk about it. I''m not going to talk about it," Bryan said, and Mia took a deep breath.

    "Alright. I have a suggestion," Mia said, and both Jeff and Bryan looked at her with interest.

    "It''s going to be our word against his. Why don''t we say it''s a prank that went wrong? Bryan, we could say you noticed Derek''s online presence in all of Sonia''s posts, as Jeff observed and you decided to find out just how far he was willing to go with his obsession, so you asked Jeff to make him an offer. Jeff did, and Derek proved to be a nutcase by showing up at Sonia''s house, and that got you mad..."

    "That''s too much unnecessary exnation for people that do not really care about me personally," Bryan cut in.

    "Then I will say it myself," Jeff offered.

    "I will take the me for it since I am the one who decided to bring Derek into the picture. I will exin all that happened. I have all the evidence," Jeff said, and Bryan sighed as he massaged his temple.

    "And how do you think that''s going to make Sonia look? Everyone will me her if we tell them we did this because she needed conflict. They are going to make this about her," Bryan said, and both Mia and Jeff exchanged a look.

    Of course, he still very much cared about her.

    "I think you should both do it. That will kill the narrative that Bryan decided to attack Sonia''s poor ex-boyfriend. There is nothing wrong with a girlfriend telling her boyfriend that she wants some conflict. And there is nothing wrong either with you being romantic enough to want to do that for her. Everything would have been perfect and everyone would have been awwing had you not involved a real ex," Mia said as Jeff pulled into the I-Global parking lot, and to their surprise, some reporters from different news stations were hanging around already.

    The moment the reporters saw the trio get out of the car, they rushed over to where they were, but Jeff raised a hand before they could ask any questions.

    "You will have all the time to ask questions, right now we need to go in and prepare for the interview. So I suggest you save us the time, and save yourself the stress," Jeff said as he made way for Bryan and Mia to pass, and they walked into the building.

    Thankfully the building was empty since it was the weekend, so Bryan led the way to Tom''s office since that was where they were to meet before the interview.

    "Troublemaker," Jade greeted with a teasing smile as she embraced Bryan when he walked into the office, while Tom watched them from his seat without saying anything, and Harry''s gaze was fixed on Mia.

    "I didn''t realize you would be here," Bryan said as he pulled away from her and looked her over, wondering why she was dressed so formally.

    Jade was wearing a pair of navy blue tailored pants with a ck three-quarter sleeved button-down shirt tucked into it, and white stiletto heels.

    "Why would yourwyer not be present?" Jade asked as she adjusted his t-shirt, and Bryan raised a brow.

    "Mywyer?"

    "Of course. For what we n to do, you are going to need awyer. We can''t let Paul''s insolence slide. And who best to represent you if not your darling sister?" Jade asked as she patted Bryan''s cheek, and he nced at Tom and Harry before returning his gaze to her.

    "You are working here now?" Bryan asked, and Jade gave him a nod.

    "Yes. And you are going to be my first client since the I-Global legal team can''t represent you because they don''t know about you joining thepany yet. Aren''t you so lucky to have me?" Jade asked, and Bryan''s brows pulled together.

    "What about your job?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Let''s talk about that after we have cleared this mess. The interview is starting soon and we have to talk," Jade said as she moved away from him to face Jeff and Mia.

    "Jeff, it''s good to see you again," Jade said as she embraced him.

    "Mia, it''s nice to finally meet you after only speaking with you over the phone this whole time," Jade said as she pulled away from Jeff and embraced Mia.

    While Jade exchanged pleasantries with Mia and Jeff, Bryan approached the sofa where Tom and Harry were seated, "I''m sorry about earlier," Bryan said without meeting his gaze.

    "It''s alright. We will address itter. Come sit let''s talk about the interview," Tom said, and Jade took Bryan''s hand and pulled him over to join them on the sofa while Mia and Jeff followed behind.

    "It''s good to finally meet you, Jeff. It''s a good thing you saw the video when you did and you were quick to call me," Harry said as he rose to shake hands with Jeff.

    "Mia saw the video," Jeff said, and Harry turned to Mia.

    "You are Mia, right?" Harry asked as he faced Mia.

    "That''s me. I guess I''m famous," Mia said with a grin.

    "I just told him your name," Jeff said dryly while Jade giggled in amusement.

    "Have we met before?" Harry asked, and Mia shook her head.

    "I don''t think so, Mr. Jonas. Although, people ask me that question all the time. I guess I have a verymon face," she said with a bright smile but Harry looked at her unconvinced.

    He was good at recalling faces, and hers looked like one he had seen before, but he just couldn''t exactly remember where he had seen her.

    "You can call me, Harry," Harry said as he shook hands with her, and then they all sat down.

    "I''m sorry for the cold reception earlier," Tom said, looking from Mia to Jeff.

    "I would be just as cold if I were in your shoes. I''m sorry for not managing him properly," Mia said with a bow that made Tom, Harry, and Jade look at her in amusement while Bryan and Jeff exchanged a look at her seriousness.

    "Straight to business," Jade said, pping her hands so that all eyes would focus on her.

    "I''ve got a n. Let''s talk about Derek. Jeff, you''re the one who contracted Derek, right?" Jade asked, and Jeff gave her a nod.

    "Yes, I did," he said, beginning to feel even more embarrassed and terrible now.

    "Do you have receipts of your chat or phone conversation? Have you told him now that it was meant to be a prank?" Jade asked curiously.

    "I have the receipts and I haven''t told him anything," Jeff said, and looked from Jade to Harry and Tom, wondering why they all looked relieved by his response.

    "Bryan, you are probably not going to like this, but we don''t have much of a choice. This is the fastest way to put that fame-digger back in his ce," Jade said, and Bryan raised a brow.

    "Let''s hear it,"

    "I''m going to need you to put a call across to Derek during the interview and it''s going to be on speaker for the reporters to hear. Make him talk. We have to paint him as the jerk he is," Jade said, but Bryan shook his head.

    "No. I don''t agree with that. What if he says stuff about Sonia?" Bryan asked, looking at Jade incredulously.

    "Do you think I didn''t think about all this already? I love Sonia and wouldn''t even think of doing this if it wasn''t going to help her too. Do you think avoiding this will make him not say stuff about Sonia? Do you know how much stuff he must have said to whoever cares to listen already? Sonia is a big girl and I''m sure she can handle this. Protecting her this way won''t do either of you any good. It''s best for us all if he says silly things. That way everyone would see him for the lowlife jerk he is and turn on him for wanting to rise to fame by tearing your rtionship apart, and we can also sue him for defamation of character and whatever else he has said about Sonia. Everyone would apud you for defending Sonia''s honor by not caring about your reputation," Jade said, and everyone was silent.

    While Harry looked at Jade with admiration, Tom and Jade looked at Bryan as they waited for him to think about it, while Mia and Jeff considered Jade''s idea.

    "I think it''s a good idea. Much better than mine. I suggested Jeff exposes everything to the press. But I think it''s better if Derek exposes it himself this way," Mia said, and Jade nodded.

    "And what if he doesn''t bite the bait?" Bryan asked with a slight frown.

    "He will. He likes to talk and brag a lot," Jeff assured him.

    "I don''t know. Maybe you should run it by Sonia and see if she is okay with it. This involves her too and I can''t make the decision myself. If she is fine with it then you can do it," Bryan said, and Jade pursed her lips.

    "How about you call her yourself?" Jade suggested.

    "No. It''s your idea. You call her," Bryan said, and Jade sighed.

    "Alright. I will do that while Tom and Harry tell you about our n for Paul," Jade said as she rose from her seat and walked away to give Sonia a call.

    Harry cleared his throat, "We n to do the same thing to Paul. Tom said you''ve told Paul about your intentions to leave Golden Star Paul already. You will call him and ce the call on speaker while you confront him for releasing such false statements. Someone as loud as he is is bound to make threats. Let''s expose his lies. And once we are done with that part of the interview we can move to your contract signing today and release an official statement to the public about I-Global Entertainment. We will need to be quick with the interview since Tom and I still have to answer to the shareholders and board of directors," Harry said, leaving out their n to buy off all of Golden Star''s shares once the stocks begin to drop following their announcement.

    "I''m down with this. I''m sorry for causing so much trouble," Bryan said apologetically as he looked from Tom to Harry.

    "Don''t you think either Derek or Paul might get wind of the interview if the reporters release the details of one before we get to the other?" Mia asked, and Harry nodded.

    "Don''t worry about that. It won''t happen," Tom assured her.

 Chapter 504 Not A Crybaby

    After leaving the Hank family home and returning to her apartment, Sonia let herself give in to self-pity and she spent the remaining part of the morning until her meeting, crying.

    She felt devastated by the sudden U-turn that her life and their rtionship had taken.

    Everything had been going so perfectly with her life and all of a sudden everything was upside down.

    How did everything end up going so wrong? Less than forty-eight hours ago she and Bryan had been talking about growing old together and now he was talking about taking a break.

    Where did she go wrong? Sonia asked herself as she sat up on the bed after some time and blew her nose into a napkin noisily before wiping her tears.

    What did she do that was so wrong? Maybe if she could go over everything that transpired between them she would know exactly what she did to deserve being treated this way by Bryan.

    Perhaps she had jinxed things. Everything had been going smoothly until she told him their romance story was a whirlwind romance that needed a conflict. Maybe if she hadn''t said that they would have been fine.

    She paused and reminded herself that what she had said was not the major reason for their misunderstanding. Maybe it had led to it, but it wasn''t the reason.

    Yes, she had said their story needed a bit of conflict, and yes Bryan had gone ahead and attempted to create one, which was sweet of him but that also was not the reason for their misunderstanding.

    She agreed that she had been distracted and inattentive when Bryan tried to get her attention in the car. She had been wrong, but then again, she had realized it in time and tried to make it up to him but he had turned her down and insulted her instead.

    Being distracted and inattentive was something natural that was bound to happen in any rtionship at some point.

    Even in the best of rtionships, a partner may not always be attentive because everyone had stuff they were dealing with, and if the situation was reversed she wouldn''t have reacted the way Bryan had done.

    And yet she had to admit once again that people were different and she couldn''t expect Bryan to react to things as she did. They had different temperaments and were yet to fully understand each other.

    They were having these arguments because Bryan had chosen to misunderstand her. She had only said they should not hurry into moving in together so that they could get to understand themselves properly and build trust. What was so difficult for him to understand in that? Or had she been the one who hadmunicated it wrongly?

    Why did he have to overreact to the extent of going out and getting into a fight when he knew how things like that could affect his image as a celebrity? Sonia mused, beginning to feel annoyed as she got off the bed and headed for the bathroom to ease herself.

    As she turned to leave after easing herself, she caught a reflection of herself in the mirror and stopped to stare at herself.

    Her eyes were red and puffy, and her nose was also. Her face looked dull and stressed out, and she would need a lot of makeup to fix her face for the meeting.

    It was almost time for her to leave for her meeting with her editor and right now she had no idea what to say or do anymore. Could she go on with her original n and fire him? Would she be fine without Bryan? She asked herself as she stood in front of the mirror and stared back at her reflection in the mirror.

    What was she doing? She asked herself when it urred to her that she was now having self-doubts and was also attributing her happiness and even her sess to Bryan.

    This was certainly not Sonia Smith. Sonia Smith was not weak or emotionally dependent on anyone for her happiness. She had been fine on her own this whole time before Bryan showed up in her life and she would be fine with or without Bryan. Her happiness was not dependent on him.

    Who was Bryan Hank to make her feel this way? What was so special about him? She too was equally special!

    "This is not you, girl," she said, pointing at her reflection with disapproval.

    How had the almighty Sonia Smith transformed into such a crybaby? When did she be so emotionally weak? When did she begin to depend on people for her happiness?

    Bryan wanted a break, so what? Was her life supposed toe to a standstill just because of that?

    Yes, she was unhappy about how everything was going, but being this way wasn''t her thing. This wasn''t Sonia Smith! She was the fucking life of the party and she would be damned if she let herself be this way over a man.

    He wanted a break? He could have it! If he also wanted a breakup, he could damn well have it as well! They were both at fault and if whatever was wrong was going to be fixed, then it had to be their joint effort. If he wasn''t ready to work on it, then he should have it his way.

    Having made up her mind, Sonia washed her face and returned to her bedroom to get ready for her meeting. As she looked through her closet for suitable clothes to wear, she made up her mind to go ahead with her ns.

    She may have decided to move to Ludus because of Bryan, but she had not decided to fire her editor or make changes in her career because of him.

    She was firing her editor because he did not trust her and she couldn''t work with him. And now she was moving to Ludus to be closer to Lucy since Lucy was her only family, and also to start the next phase of her career.

    If things worked out between her and Bryan after now, great! If it didn''t, good too! She was going to do things for herself because she wanted to, not because of Bryan.

    Sonia threw a two pieces pantsuit on the bed before taking off her clothes. As she started taking off her panties, she paused with her hand on the waistband and her head snapped to the door when she heard a sound like someone was turning a key in the lock.

    Derek? She thought. And with eyes zing with anger she quickly put on her clothes but before she could finish and hurry out of the bedroom to the kitchen to get a knife and teach him a lesson, Lucy ran into the bedroom and ran past her to the restroom.

    Lucy? She hadpletely forgotten that Evelyn had mentioned that Lucy would being over.

    "I was so pressed. For a moment I thought I might urinate in the cab," Lucy said as she walked out of the restroom after easing herself.

    "I thought you were Derek. I could have stabbed you to death," Sonia said while Lucy watched her.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "How are you?" Lucy asked with concern.

    "You shouldn''t havee. I''m alright and I have my shit together now," Sonia said without meeting Lucy''s gaze as she began taking off her clothes again.

    "You are such a terrible liar," Lucy said as she stepped closer to her and embraced her.

    "Really, Lu. I''m fine now," Sonia insisted as she tried to break the hug but Lucy held her.

    "You don''t have to pretend like you are fine with me. You look terrible, Sony," Lucy said as she pulled back to look into Sonia''s annoyed face.

    "I wasn''t okay initially but I''m fine now. Why travel all the way down here simply because Bryan decided he needs a break?" Sonia asked with disapproval as she moved away from Lucy.

    "When did it be a crime to want to spend some good time with my best girl?"Lucy said as she kicked off her shoes and dropped them on the floor.

    "It''s a good thing you are fine. We can just have fun and talk..."

    "I want to be alone..."

    "You can''t be alone when you have me," Lucy quickly cut in, ignoring Sonia''s obvious annoyance and irritation.

    "What is your n for the day? How about we go see a movie? And then we can have lunch at an outrageously expensive restaurant? And go bowling or do anything fun you like. We can also eat ice cream and choctes and cuss at Bryan," Lucy suggested, wriggling her toes.

    "You don''t like going to the cinema," Sonia pointed out.

    "I don''t have to like it to do it. I''m in a rtionship now, remember? Tom loves seeing movies so I''m practicing for him..."

    "Good for you," Sonia muttered, and Lucy blinked at her.

    "Oh! I''m sorry. I didn''t mean to imply that..."

    "Rx. I know you, and I know you were not intentionally trying to make me feel bad by talking about your happy rtionship. I''m just in a very foul mood, and I don''t thinking down here was a good idea. Unlike you, I have more experience when ites to rtionships and the issue with Bryan isn''t really a big deal," Sonia said, and Lucy''s brows arched as she watched her.

    "Yet you cried to the point your eyes are puffy," Lucy said quietly.

    "I was surprised that''s all. I''m alright now. I have a lot of things I need to do and you will only be getting in the way..."

    "When can you say I have ever been there for you, Sonia? In all the years we have been friends, when have you ever really let me be there for you?" Lucy asked, beginning to feel her temper rise at Sonia''s attitude.

    It had always been this way. Whenever she had a problem she would go to Sonia with her problems, but Sonia always kept whatever was bothering her to herself. Sonia preferred to withdraw and take care of her issues herself rather than share them with her.

    "This isn''t about..." the rest of Sonia''s words trailed off when her phone started ringing and she picked up her phone from under her pillow.

    She sighed when she saw that the call was from Jade. She wasn''t in the mood. She didn''t want to talk to anyone or see anyone.

    Seeing the way Sonia was staring at her phone, Lucy assumed she needed privacy to receive the call so she walked out of the room and went to pick up her handbag and travel bag which she had dropped in the living room in her hurry to ease herself.

    Sonia sighed as she watched Lucy walk out of the bedroom, and then her gaze returned to her phone when it started ringing once again.

    This time she received the call, "Sup?" she asked in a forced cheerful tone since she suspected that Jade was calling to check on her.

    "How are you doing?" Jade asked, wanting to get that out of the way before telling her the reason for the call.

    "Great! Lucy just got here. I''m going out for a meeting with my editor and after that, I''m hanging out with Lucy," Sonia said, and even though Jade could tell Sonia''s cheerfulness was false, she didn''t talk about it.

    "I won''t waste your time then. We wanted to find out if you''re fine with Jeff giving Derek a call during the interview. We need to clear the air and..."

    "Do what you have to do. I''m good," Sonia cut in before Jade could finish.

    "Derek could say stuff about you..."

    "I know, and I don''t care. I''m sure there is nothing he is going to say that is unheard of. Do what you have to do," Sonia said, and before Jade could say anything else, Sonia hung up the call and went to the living room to meet Lucy.

    "Lu..."

    "If you tell me one more time that you want to be alone, I will walk through that door. And this will be thest time I will ever share my problems with you ore to you if you have a problem. You can''t always be the one to decide how to be a friend to someone! You can''t be the one calling the shots in our friendship! It is annoying that you think you have a right to be there for me when I''m down but I don''t have a right to know when you are not okay. And God forbid that I try to be a caring friend," Lucy snapped at her angrily, and took a deep breath when she noticed the tears in Sonia'' eyes.

 Chapter 505 Relationship Counselor

    Lucy pressed her lips together as she looked at Sonia, who looked like she would start crying at any moment. There were a lot of things she wanted to say, but she was trying to be careful with her words since she didn''t want to hurt Sonia or say something she would have to apologize forter.

    "I love you, Sonia. I really do, but you can be very annoying, and this attitude of yours is uneptable!" Lucy said firmly.

    "What do you want me to do? Do you want me to fall on your shoulders and be a crying mess? Tell me, is that what you want?" Sonia asked, and Lucy shook her head.

    "No. That is not the point, and you know what I''m talking about. I walk into your apartment, and the first wee I get as your best friend is that I''m not needed. Do you know how annoying that sounds?" Lucy asked, beginning to get angry all over again.

    "I..."

    "No, don''t say a word yet, and just listen to me, okay? I''ve been tolerating this attitude of yours for all these years because I love you, and now I''m beginning to think that maybe I was wrong to do so. Maybe if I had called you out on it instead of just letting you do as you pleased, all in the name of ''it''s your personality'', we wouldn''t be here right now..."

    "What do you mean by that?" Sonia asked in a tight voice.

    "All through the flight down here, I kept reying everything you told mest night, and seeing your attitude right now, I think I can see where Bryan ising from..."

    "Lucy!" Sonia called in a warning voice.

    "The n was toe down here tofort you and try to cheer you up, but since you insist that you are fine, then I don''t need to do either of those. I''m just going to be blunt and tell you exactly what I think," Lucy continued, ignoring the warning in Sonia''s voice.

    "Oh, wow! Because she now has a boyfriend, she thinks she knows better..."

    "I promise you, Sonia, I''m going to p you hard if you make one more sarcastic reference to my rtionship with Tom. Try me!" Lucy threatened, and Sonia blinked at her in surprise.

    "What exactly is your problem?" Lucy continued in annoyance while Sonia merely stared at her in disbelief.

    The Lucy she knew hated confrontations and would never talk to her this harshly or make such threats. She couldn''t believe how Lucy had changed so much in such a short time. Or was she sounding this way because she was really upset? Sonia mused.

    "So what are you trying to say? That I''m a bad friend?" Sonia asked with a frown.

    "Far from it. You are a great friend, but you are also very annoying. You want to be a friend to others on your own terms, and it doesn''t work that way. You can''t just make decisions and expect everyone else to stick by them," Lucy said and paused to make sure Sonia was following.

    "Can you honestly remind me of one time you''ve cried or been vulnerable in my presence apart from the times you cried with me or for me? Do you know how I felt hearing you cryst night while we talked? For a moment I thought, ''Sonia is finally bing real with me''. Do you have any idea what it''s like to be best friends with someone that only shows you their happy and strong side?" Lucy asked, and Sonia sighed in resignation as she lowered herself onto the couch, suddenly feeling exhausted.

    "You are a wonderful person and an amazing friend, but I think you need to learn how to let people who love you be actively involved in your life the same way you are in theirs. You shouldn''t just make decisions on your own and expect your loved ones to go along with them," Lucy said as she went to sit beside her.

    "Alright. I''m sorry," Sonia murmured softly, and her lower lips quivered as she tried to blink back her tears.

    "I''m not at my best right now, and I just don''t want to inconvenience you. I''m sorry if I made you feel I don''t need you. I do, but I''m just really sad and confused, and I don''t even know what I''m supposed to do," Sonia said as she broke into a sob, and Lucy embraced her.

    "I don''t need you to be at your best. That''s why I''m your best friend. Save all that for the paparazzi. All I need is for you to promise me that you will do better and then actually do better," Lucy said as she kissed Sonia''s cheeks, and Sonia drew in a shaky breath.

    "I will work on it," Sonia promised as Lucy wiped her tears.

    "Good. Since we''ve gotten that out of the way, let''s go out and have some fun. Then we can both figure out a way to fix your rtionship with Bryan," Lucy suggested.

    "I have a meeting with my editor. I need to start leaving now," Sonia said as she nced at the wall clock, and Lucy followed her gaze.

    "I guess this meeting is to tell him you no longer want to work with him again, as we discussed?" Lucy asked, and Sonia sighed.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Yeah. I''m supposed to meet with a movie producer first. I n to tell him after meeting with the producer," Sonia said, and Lucy gave her a nod.

    "That''s fine. I will apany you if you don''t mind. And then we can do whatever else you want for the rest of the day," Lucy said as she patted Sonia''s hair.

    "Alright. Let''s do that. I should start getting ready," Sonia said as she rose, but Lucy grabbed her hand before she could leave.

    "Everything will be alright," Lucy assured her, and she forced a smile.

    "Sure," Sonia said before returning to the bedroom while Lucy picked up her handbag to take out her phone.

    She just realized that she was yet to give Tom a call to let him know that she had arrived and to find out how Aaron was doing today.

    While Lucy was in the living room trying to reach Tom, Sonia was in the bedroom reying their conversation in her head, or rather, she reyed Lucy''s words in her head as she tried to fix her face.

    Lucy used her of wanting things to be done on her own terms, and Bryan used her of always calling the shots in their rtionship. Was that really the case? Was she really making decisions on her own?

    "You are going to bete for your meeting if you just sit there moping at your reflection," Lucy said as she walked into the bedroom with her phone in hand after unsessfully trying to reach Tom.

    She had been unable to reach Tom. He was not receiving his phone calls, and neither was Harry. She wondered what they were up to.

    Sonia sighed as she met Lucy''s gaze in the mirror, "Do you think I am a control freak?" She asked, feeling unmotivated to go out.

    She wasn''t in the mood to dress up or put on makeup. She just wanted toy in bed doing nothing. Both her head and body ached. She felt fatigued, and she was beginning to feel a cramp in her lower abdomen. She could sense that her menstruation was on the way. She made a mental note to wear a tampon on her way out. Thest thing she wanted was to get stained.

    "No. That is too intense. I won''t call you that," Lucy said as she ced both hands on Sonia''s shoulders while holding her gaze in the mirror.

    "Bryan said I''m always calling the shots in our rtionship. And you said something simr," Sonia said with a frown.

    Just some minutes ago, she had managed to convince herself that she had done nothing wrong and all the fault was from Bryan, and now she wasn''t so sure anymore.

    "Do you want to hear what I think about your fight with Bryan, honestly?" Lucy asked, and Sonia gave her a nod.

    "Alright. From all you told mest night, I think Bryan has a valid point. Put yourself in his shoes. I mean, really put yourself in his shoes and think about everything from the start. Only this time, think about it from his perspective, not yours. Now, please don''t misunderstand me. I''m not trying to say I am in support of all his actions. I''m only trying to say it would help if you see things from his angle while he also tries to see things from your angle. Now let''s do it this way. I''m Sonia, and you are Bryan, alright? Let''s act it out from the beginning," Lucy suggested.

    "I know you''ve told me all that happened before, but that was over the phone, and you might have left a thing or two out, so let''s go through it all again," Lucy said while Sonia tried to figure out whether or not she should tell Lucy that their friendship was also part of the reason Bryan was angry.

    "Go on," Lucy urged her and walked away from behind her to go sit on the bed.

    "I''m going to bete if we do all of that...."

    "Then let''s do it as you get ready. It''s easier to solve a problem when you know exactly what the problem is. The purpose of this is not to know who is at fault. It is to know exactly what the problem is so we can fix it," Lucy said, and this time Sonia smiled.

    "You sound like a rtionship counselor."

    "Do you know that this is your first genuine smile since I walked into your apartment?" Lucy asked with a wide smile.

    "We don''t even know what the problem is yet, and you are smiling already. By the time we figure out what it is and how to resolve it, I assure you that you''d beughing in no time and twerking for me. So, go on. Be Bryan. Talk to me as you dress up," Lucy urged her.

 Chapter 506 Seeing Things From Bryan’s Perspective

    Sonia considered it for a moment and decided there was no harm in going along with Lucy''s suggestion.

    "Alright. It all started in the car. Bryan was trying to talk to me, but I wasn''t really paying attention," Sonia said, and Lucy gave her a thumbs up.

    "So why don''t we do a little practical? Talk to me while I act distracted," Lucy suggested as shey on her stomach and picked up her phone.

    "By the way, I don''t suppose you saw him before leaving, did you?" Sonia inquired as she dressed up, but Lucy''s attention was on her phone.

    She just noticed that she had an unread message notification from her mom and was checking it out.

    "Did you hear me?" Sonia asked when she didn''t get a response from Lucy.

    She paused what she was doing and turned to look at Lucy, thinking that Lucy was pretending to be distracted.

    "Hm? Yeah," Lucy grunted nomittally as she continued to read the text.

    "You can act distracted after answering my question. Did you see him beforeing?"Sonia asked impatiently when Lucy still had not answered her question after some seconds.

    "You''ve got to be kidding me," Lucy hissed as she sat up while Sonia watched her, feeling slightly irritated that Lucy was overdoing it.

    "Lucy..."

    "Sorry to interrupt. Can you believe that Rachel had my mom arrested?" Lucy asked, and immediately Sonia swallowed her annoyance and looked at Lucy in disbelief.

    "No, she did not! Is she in need of a whooping?" Sonia asked as she reached for Lucy''s phone to see what Lucy had been looking at.

    She read the text from J asking Lucy to call her immediately she saw the text and telling Lucy that they had missed their flight because Rachel had arrested her, but Evelyn and Tom had stepped in to get her out, and they were at the Hank family house and would leaveter in the day.

    "That girl must be crazy," Sonia hissed in disapproval.

    Lucy shook her head with a thoughtful look in her eyes, "She has to be out of her mind," Lucy muttered before focusing on Sonia again.

    "I''m sorry for interrupting you. So what were you saying?" Lucy asked, and Sonia shook her head.

    "You should give her a call and find out how they''re doing," Sonia suggested.

    "I''m sure they are okay. You can hardly be around any Hank and not be okay. I will call themter," Lucy said, and Sonia sighed when she remembered how she had wept like a baby while Evelyn and Desmond did all they could tofort her.

    "So, how did you feel talking to someone that isn''t paying attention?" Lucy asked with a broad smile since she had heard everything Sonia had asked her.

    "You did that deliberately?" Sonia hissed at her, and Lucy chuckled.

    "It''s annoying, isn''t it? You wouldn''t have realized how annoying it was if I didn''t really ignore you..."

    "I didn''t deliberately ignore him. I was..."

    "Distracted. So was I too. What difference does it make to the person being ignored?" Lucy asked, and Sonia sighed.

    Okay, she got the message. Being distracted while being spoken to wasn''t nice at all. Yes, she understood that she had been wrong in that and she had apologized for that in the bathroom. So that wasn''t the cause of their problem. It was the cause that she wanted to know.

    "I don''t think we should go all the way to the beginning of our fight. We can just focus on all the points that Bryan got angry. He first got mad about the message from Derek�� or maybe not. On second thoughts I think he didn''t really react much to Derek''s message until I was too distracted to pay attention to him and then he got mad. To me, his reaction showed that he didn''t trust me and I got mad too until we both realized that Jeff had nned it to help me generate conflict��"

    "I don''t care about your perspective right now. We are focusing on Bryan''s perspective, remember? As long as you keep seeing things from your end, you will remain right and you won''t see what the problem is. Now before I digress, let me get something straight. Why exactly did you need him to generate conflict?" Lucy asked, realizing that she had failed to ask that question the previous day because Sonia had been too upset.

    "I told you I''m writing about us. Romance stories thrive on conflict��"

    "Romance stories, Sony. Not real-life rtionships. Every normal person wants a peaceful and drama-free rtionship. Only toxic rtionships thrive on conflict. You didn''t have to cause unnecessary drama in your rtionship just to write a story and entertain people that don''t really care about you," Lucy interjected.

    Sonia sighed, "I can''t defend myself right now and say I didn''t ask him to do it. I made him feel like he needed to do something, so I''m responsible for all of this too, I know. However, his reaction made me realize that he doesn''t trust me��"

    "There you go again. I said focus on Bryan, not you," Lucy said, and Sonia sighed.

    "Alright. Maybe you should do the talking," Sonia suggested.

    "Okay. What did Bryan''s reaction tell you about him apart from the fact that you believe he doesn''t trust you?" Lucy asked, and Sonia''s brows pulled together as she thought about it.

    "If Bryan wasn''t your boyfriend. Let''s assume Tom acted the way Bryan did. How would you interpret his behavior?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I would say he was insecure?" Sonia said, and Lucy raised a brow.

    "So pardon me for being amazed that somehow you figured that the best way to build trust was to change all the ns you both made together in the heat of that moment. Have you thought about how you changed your ns in the middle of an unresolved misunderstanding? One minute you were fighting about Derek, and just before you couldpletely resolve that, you shoved your new decision down his throat, and while he was still fuming from that and got into a fight with Derek, he asked you not to get involved and you did. It all seems like Sonia does what Sonia wants, doesn''t it?" Lucy asked, and Sonia frowned as she reyed all her conversations with Bryan in her head.

    "If the situation was reversed I''m sure you would want him to listen to you, but you haven''t really done much listening on your end, have you?" Lucy asked, and Sonia pursed her lips.

    "And if I remember correctly you said you insulted him��"

    "He was being annoying by bringing up unnecessary issues from the past," Sonia said weakly.

    "Have you rted those issues to what he said to see how true they are and if you need to make some changes?" Lucy asked calmly as she watched Sonia who was still processing everything.

    "He says you are more important to me than him, and he can''t get over the fact that I left him toe to you despite the fact that he knows why I did that," Sonia said, expecting Lucy to take her side on this.

    "I don''t think Bryan is upset simply because you left him toe to me. I think he is upset because of the way you went about it. If I remember correctly you suddenly broke up with him in the middle of your shoot and left, right? Do you think he would have been upset if you exined the situation to him and told him you needed to be with me, and asked for his opinion concerning breaking up to save his reputation? Imagine him doing that to you regardless of his reasons. Anyone would be upset about that. I would be too if Tom did something like that to me, and I know for a fact that you would be too. He said he wants a break and you feel like crap, right? That''s probably how he felt when you did that too," Lucy said, and Sonia frowned.

    "We both know I''m new at all of this myself, Sony, and I''m probably thest person to be giving you rtionship advice given that you rte better with people than I do. But let''s not forget that there are rtionship experts out there that are divorced," Lucy said with a grin to make Sonia smile.

    "I know you are used to controlling the guys you date and having the upper hand in your past rtionships, but Bryan is not one of those guys and if you value what you both share, you would learn to make some changes. Believe me, there is no harm in learning how to be the kind of person your loved one wants you to be for them. You have no idea the kind of stuff I read on the inte every day because of Tom. I even watched videos on how to give a handjob and blowjob," Lucy said, moving her hand in an upward, twist, and downward motion like she was holding a cock and sucking, and Sonia burst into a peal ofughter.

    "What has happened to Lucinda?" Sonia asked in amusement.

    Lucy shrugged, "I love Tom. I''m learning different ways to show him that. But that''s not the point here. Listen, I know you love Bryan, and he loves you too. And just so you know, I''m not saying you were wrong to suggest putting a hold on moving in together. I''m just saying the timing was wrong. You could have brought that up at ater time and as a suggestion so you both would discuss it the same way you discussed moving in together in the first ce. And also maybe when Bryan asked you not to do anything at the station you should have trusted him and listened to him. You hurt his ego more than you realized. You really need to think about everything that happened between you two and try to hear exactly what Bryan is saying to you, alright?" Lucy said, and Sonia sighed.

    "Yeah. I think I need to do that. I feel much better now. Thanks for helping me put things into perspective," Sonia said with a smile of gratitude and Lucy got off the bed and curtsied.

    "Thanks foring to my Ted talk," Lucy said, and Sonia giggled.

    "Tom is good for you, Lu," Sonia said, observing Lucy who seemed too cheerful and confident.

    "Duh! I''m good for him too," Lucy said with a flick of her hair.

    "Now that you are smiling, can I talk about Tom without sounding like I''m showing off?" Lucy asked, and Soniaughed.

    "Only if you''re going to tell me if you put the videos into practice," Sonia said. Imitating Lucy''s handjob gesture, and Lucy giggled.

    "Sure, I did put it into practice. But I don''t think I''m there yet. I read somewhere that practice makes perfect, so I''ll just keep doing it until I get it right," Lucy said with a wink and Sonia chortled.

    "See? I told you by the time we are done you''d beughing. Now all that''s left is getting you to twerk. Do you need music?" Lucy asked, and Sonia giggled.

    "You''ve be so silly, Lu," Sonia observed.

    "I can be just about anything to make youugh, Sony. Going forward, if you must cry, never cry alone. Alright? Do so in front of me and I will do all I can to make youugh as you''ve done for me all these years," Lucy said as she got off the bed to embrace Sonia when she teared up.

    "I love you, Sony. And I want you to be happy," Lucy said as she patted her back.

    "I love you too. And I''m sorry for everything I said when you walked in. I didn''t mean any of it," Sonia said, and Lucy smiled.

    "I forgive you. Now hurry up. There is no reason to keep the man waiting only to fire him," Lucy said, and Sonia grinned as she pulled away to pick up her sandals.

    "You are going back to Ludus with me tomorrow, right?" Lucy asked as she watched Sonia put the finishing touch on her face.

    "Yes. But I have to visit my mom''s gravesite," Sonia reminded her.

    "We can get some flowers and go together after your meeting. I should say hello to her," Lucy said, and they looked at each other for a split second before breaking intoughter.

    "Yeah! Let''s do that. No one would know even if she turns in her grave," Sonia said with a grin as she picked up her handbag.

    "I''m ready," she told Lucy and Lucy put on her shoes and went to the living room to pick up her handbag.

    "Why don''t you tell me about Harry and Candace," Sonia suggested as they walked out of the apartment.

    "Oh, no hurry. There is so much I have to tell you, and the best part is we have all day," Lucy assured her as they linked their arms and walked down the road to find a taxi.

 Chapter 507 Lunch Invitation

    While everyone else was busy chattering and talking about theing interview with Eric Howells and the possible questions they might be asked, Bernice kept mute as she looked at her mother''s neck but with a distant look in her eyes.

    After they spent hours shopping for the clothes and jewelry they would wear to the interview, they had decided to have a quick brunch together before going to find the designer who had made the dress Anita wanted.

    "Why are you so silent, Benny? Are you alright?" Tiffany asked when she observed Bernice''s disposition.

    Rebekah smiled knowingly as she looked at her oldest daughter, thinking that she was probably distracted because she couldn''t wait to go be with her lover.

    Of course she could understand that feelingpletely. It wasn''t easy staying focused on any conversation when you knew someone was somewhere waiting to eat you up.

    "You can go home to get some rest if you are not feeling too well," Reba suggested, wanting to give her an excuse to leave.

    Bernice looked into her mother''s face. She didn''t know what to say or how to feel. What sort of mother gave the sort of advise her mother did? She didn''t even ask for the details of the affair, but instead had asked her not to be so obvious.

    Didn''t that mean she was experienced in having affairs herself? Or was she just feeling this way because of the ne?

    If her mother had merelye out right to say the diamond jewelry was a gift from Adam she wouldn''t be feeling so suspicious, but the fact that her mother had said it was a gift from an admirer was what she couldn''t wrap her head around.

    She was feeling very tempted to confront her mother about it, but she didn''t want to offend her mother just in case her mother was not aware of the identity of her admirer. But her mother was smart. There was no way she would ept a gift from someone she did not know or unt it this way if she didn''t know who had sent it.

    "I''m okay. I will leave after we are done," Bernice said with a forced smile, and Rebekah gave her a nod.

    "So, can we know the identity of this secret admirer of yours?" Bernice asked casually and she noticed how her mother''s smile wavered as she looked at her as though she was trying to discern if she was asking because she knew who the person was.

    Bernice shed her mother an encouraging smile, "Don''t tell me you don''t know the identity of your admirer," Bernice said, urging her to tell them.

    "There is no way mother would ept a gift without knowing who sent it. She taught us that much," Anita said, and Bernice nodded in agreement.

    "You shouldn''t tease her. Mother has been alone since dad''s death, so she deserves every attention she is getting," Tiffany said, and Bernice rolled her eyes.

    "Can you stop being mummy''s girl for a moment? No one said she doesn''t deserve it. Shouldn''t we at least know if our mother now has a man in her life? There is nothing wrong in knowing who she is seeing," Bernice insisted, and Anita nodded.

    "Bernice is right. Do you know the person who sent it? If you don''t we can just find out where the ne was bought..."

    "That won''t be necessary," Rebekah quickly cut in. She was beginning to think that wearing the ne was a bad idea. She had wanted to unt it before her daughters, but had she known it would get so much attention she wouldn''t have worn it.

    "I know the identity of my admirer, however, I can''t tell you his name right now due to personal reasons, so I request that you respect my privacy," Rebekah said, giving Bernice a pointed look since she was the one championing the issue.

    Respect her privacy? Respect her privacy when she just admitted that she knew Adam had bought her the ne and was still referring to him as her admirer? There was no way in hell she was going to respect her privacy. She was going to look into this, and if she found out that her mother so much as had anything to do with Adam, there will be hell to pay.

    Thinking about it now, it urred to her that her mother had an unusual rtionship with Adam. They were sort of close, and howe her mother was always taking Adam''s side whenever sheined to her? Why did her mother keep advising her not to pry into Adam''s business?

    It was weird that she was suspecting her mother of having an affair with her husband, but after the sort of advise her mother had given her, she wouldn''t put something as immoral as this past her.

    "Bernice? Why do you keep zoning out?" Anita asked, snapping her fingers in front of Bernice to get her attention.

    "I can''t wrap my head around the fact that mother still has such generous admirers at her age. Don''t you envy her?" Bernice asked Tiffany and Anita, and theyughed.

    "We''ve left that topic. Keep up," Rebekah said irritably, wondering what was going on in Bernice''s head. She didn''t happen to know about the ne, did she?

    "Oh, really? So what are we talking about now?" Bernice asked as she tried toe up with an idea on how to find out the truth.

    "Your uncle Richard. It''s been a while since I heard from him. Have you heard from him recently?" Rebekah asked, and Bernice shook her head.

    "No, I haven''t. Have you tried reaching him on phone or visiting him?" Bernice asked, and Rebekah shook her head.

    "His lines are not reachable, and I don''t have the time to make the trip to his house," Rebekah said, while Anita pursed her lips thoughtfully.

    "He sounded weird thest time I spoke with him. He kept asking questions about what I was going to do about Lucy and Tom," Anita confided.

    "He did? Why? What exactly did he say?" Rebekah asked and Anita told them the details (chapter 246) of their conversation.

    "It''s probably not a big deal. I''m sure he was only asking out of concern. You know he sees you like a daughter," Tiffany said, and Anita nodded.

    "Maybe he traveled out of the country on a vacation?" Bernice suggested.

    "Without informing me? Besides, I don''t think he would have traveled just like that when he is supposed to be receiving treatment," Rebekah pointed out.

    "How about you give his doctor a call? You have his doctor''s line, right?" Tiffany asked, and Rebekah gave her a nod.

    "That''s a good idea. He must keep in touch with his doctor," Rebekah said as she took out her phone to dial the doctor''s line.

    The phone rang for some time before the doctor received the call, and when he did he sounded pissed the moment he realized who the caller was.

    "Have you heard from Richard?" The doctor asked before Rebekah could ask, and she frowned.

    "I don''t know. I was hoping you would know as his doctor. I haven''t been able to reach him for some time now and I''m very concerned about him," Rebekah said, and the doctor snorted.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Did he ask you to tell me this? If you who are his sister doesn''t know where he is, how do you expect me to know? If you hear from Richard, tell him to pay me what he owes or else I will go to the press with the information I have," the doctor threatened, and Rebekah frowned while her daughters watched her, wondering why she was frowning so much.

    "Information? What information are you talking about?" Rebekah asked before the doctor could hang up.

    "Richard is not ill. His major illness is his chronic gambling addiction, and that is what has taken all his wealth. If he doesn''t pay up what he owes me I''m going to release this piece of information to the press," the doctor promised, and Rebekah raised a brow.

    "The first time we spoke before we concluded on selling off the airline to pay his medical bills you said he was dying, and needed money to..."

    "Richard asked me to tell you that. He said that was the only way you would let him sell the airline. He was knee deep in debts and needed to sell the airline to pay off his debts," The doctor exined, and it was all Rebekah could do to not to explode.

    "Are you telling me the truth?"

    "Do I have a reason to lie to you?" He asked irritably.

    "Text me your ount details and the amount he owes you. I will clear it up. Keep this information to yourself," Rebekah said before hanging up.

    She couldn''t let such a scandal taint her. Especially not when she had to be on Eric Howell''s sure. She was going to clean up his mess, and then find him. She had to take care of him once and for all. She didn''t need a liability in her life.

    "What did he say?" Anita asked as they all looked at their mother expectantly.

    Rebekah balled her hands into a fist,"Richard is not dying. He lied just so he could sell the airline and take care of his gambling debts," Rebekah announced, leaving her daughters stunned.

    "I can''t believe he did something like that," Anita said with a frown.

    "I thought he was done with gambling," Tiffany murmured.

    "It''s an addiction. He didn''t give it up, he only learned how to hide it," Bernice said with a shake of her head.

    "Tiffany, you can go with Anita to see the designer. Make sure she gets a makeover for the anniversary week. I have to find your uncle before he causes any more trouble and clean up his mess. Bernice, you can go see your friend," Rebekah said as she rose.

    "I was thinking we could all have lunch tomorrow at my house?" Bernice asked as they all rose to leave.

    "Lunch?" Anita asked as she looked at their mother and Tiffany to hear what they had to say.

    "Yes. It''s been a while since the whole family gathered together. You and Lisa coulde along with your husbands. The boys miss their grandma and aunties," Bernice said as she dropped some bills on the table and Tiffany smiled.

    "That''s not a bad idea. Please let it be outdoor and I don''t mind a pool party," Tiffany said with a wink as they all walked outside.

    "A pool party would be great! Thedies can cool off at the pool while the men y a game or talk about football, politics or whatever they like to talk about," Anita suggested.

    Rebekah sighed, "Alright. Tomorrow then. Remember, do not bring up the interview in Lisa''s presence," Rebekah warned as she got into her car and rolled down the sses.

    "Are we really not going to tell her about it?" Anita asked with a slight frown.

    "Not yet. I will tell her about it if I want her to know. Just keep it to yourselves," Rebekah warned as she shut the door and turned on her car''s ignition.

    "What are you going to do about Uncle Richard?" Tiffany asked curiously as they remained standing beside their mother''s car.

    "Isn''t it obvious that he has lost his mind? I''m going to have to keep him in a ce where crazy people like him are kept. Let me know how it goes with the designer. See youdies tomorrow," Rebekah called as she rolled up her sses making it clear she was done.

    Once they moved away from the car, Rebekah drove off. As she drove, she dialed a line, "Make sure you keep an eye on Bernice. Find out who she is going to meet," Rebekah instructed.

    She needed to know who her daughter was involved with to make sure she didn''t make any silly mistakes that would tarnish their reputation.

    Still standing at the parking lot with her sisters, Bernice had a satisfied smile on her face, as she was pleased with herself ating up with the Sunday lunch idea.

    She was going to observe and monitor her mother and husband during lunch tomorrow so she sees if they were hiding something. God save them both if they were.

    She sighed inwardly when it urred to her that Tiffany would most likely feel this same way if she found out that she was having an affair with her husband. Her heart skipped a beat at the thought.

    Tiffany was her sister and best friend and she loved her. She didn''t want to hurt Tiffany.

    This was wrong. All of it was wrong. If her suspicion ended up being true and she was going to punish her mother and Adam, she had to do so with clean hands not with guilt.

    Why did she let herself get involved in something as stupid and immoral as having an affair with her own sister''s husband? She was better than all of this for crying out loud.

    No. She was done. She was going to meet Jackson and let him know that she didn''t want to continue with any of that anymore.

    "I have to run now. I need to meet up with my friend and also prepare for our lunch tomorrow," Bernice said as she embraced Tiffany and Anita.

    "See you tomorrow. I wille with Lisa," Anita said, since they all knew Lisa might not want to join them.

    "I can''t promise you that Jack wille with me. But I will let him know," Tiffany said with a wave as she watched Bernice walk to her car.

    "It''s just me and you now," Tiffany said as she looked at Anita, "Let''s go find that designer," Tiffany said, and they both headed for their cars.

 Chapter 508 Phone Conversation With Derek

    The moment they all walked into the general conference hall of thepany, Tom, Bryan, Harry, Jade, and Jeff got on the stage, while Mia was assigned to ensure that things went smoothly by moving around and monitoring the activities in case anyone decided to be stupid and upload the contents before time.

    Bryan was seated in the middle, with Jade and Tom nking both sides. Harry was seated beside Tom, while Jeff was seated beside Jade.

    Because only reporters from the most reputable news agencies in the country were invited, the hall was not packed full.

    In the hall were about ten reporters with their aids, two people from I-Global''s PR team, one member of I-Global legal team, and two security guards who were stationed at both the entry and exit doors of the hall to ensure that no one entered or left until they were done.

    "Ladies and gentlemen, you are all wee to this press conference. And thank you foring on such short notice," Tom started, getting all their attention.

    "Although Mr. Jonas has told you the rules already, I''m going to repeat myself. If anyone dares to leak any information in this room out before we give the go-ahead to do so, I will not only make sure you lose your job, and the agency you present is shut down and converted into a bakery, I will sue you for all you are worth. For that reason, and to be sure we are on the same page, you are to sign the non-disclosure without consent agreement form on your desk before we begin," Tom ordered, ignoring the noiseing from the reporters as they murmured amongst themselves.

    Once they had all settled down and had finished signing the non-disclosure without consent form, Tom signaled to Harry to continue.

    "Before we start, I will introduce myself and everyone seated here with me. I''m Harry Jonas. Although Mr. Hank says I''m Co-CEO, he uses me like an assistant and pays me peanuts," Harry joked, and the reportersughed while Tom snorted.

    "Seated beside me is no other than my employer, Thomas Hank. First of his name. Founder and chairman of I-Global, ve driver, and...."

    "Shut up," Tom hissed, forgetting that his mic was still on, and everyoneughed while Harry grinned at him.

    "Moving on, I''m sure I do not need to introduce Bryan Hank since he is the major reason you''re all gathered here. The beautifuldy on Bryan''s left is Jade Hank, the one and only Princess of the Hank family. Although she is a recent addition, she is part of I-Global''s legal team and will be representing Bryan Hank. Andstly, the man beside her is someone I believe you are all familiar with. Jeff Winfrey, Bryan''s former manager, who is now the director of I-Global entertainment," Harry said, while Jade watched him like a lovestruck puppy as he did his thing.

    "Now to business. The purpose of this press conference is first to clear up the scandal that went viral on the intest night about Bryan Hank. Bryan won''t be defending himself. He will rather be exining himself with evidence. The second thing we will be doing is responding to the video CEO of Golden Star Entertainment Agency uploaded a while ago on the agency''s social media page and website, with evidence too. And finally, I-Global will be releasing an official statement. As you all know already, during I-Global''s annual anniversary, we announce the addition of a new subsidiary, but this year there will be two subsidiaries. I-Global airlines, as you already know, and I-Global entertainment. Bryan Hank will be the first entertainer we sign. He will be signing the contract today as thest part of the press conference. Once again, you are wee. You can now direct your questions to Bryan Hank in an orderly manner. Please stick solely to questions rted to the issues I''ve mentioned, and make good use of your opportunity. You only get to ask one question," Harry said before leaning back in his seat.

    Gone was the yfulness on all their faces as everyone was now in their professional mode, ready to tackle the mess.

    A hand shot up almost immediately, and Bryan gave thedy a nod to go on, "Some pictures and videos were released on the intest night but were taken down shortly. Were you the person in those pictures, or was it doctored?"

    "It depends on the videos and pictures you are talking about. If you are referring to the videos of a club fight, then yes. I was the one in the videos. It wasn''t doctored," Bryan said calmly.

    "Is it true that the guy you beat up is your girlfriend''s ex-boyfriend, and she was the reason for the fight?" Another reporter called out.

    "Is it just me, or did that sound like two questions in one?" Bryan asked, turning to look at Jade.

    "He definitely asked two questions," Jade said with a nod.

    "Is the guy Sonia''s ex-boyfriend?" The reporter asked quickly, not wanting to lose his chance.

    "Yes, he is."

    "Can you tell us the reason for the fight?" Another reporter asked.

    "No," Bryan said, and the reporter realized he had phrased his question wrongly.

    "However, I will let the guy in question tell you the reason himself," Bryan added, and although the reporters wanted to ask how he nned to do so, no one wanted to waste their question slot on such a question.

    They watched as Bryan turned to Jeff, and taking that as his cue; Jeff cleared his throat.

    "I''mrgely to be med for all of this. I''m not saying this as Bryan''s manager or because I was asked to take the me. Bryan wanted to create a bit of conflict in his rtionship to spice things up, and he asked for my help. I contacted Sonia''s ex-boyfriend, Derek, without Bryan''s knowledge, asking for his help to make Bryan Jealous, but things got out of hand," Jeff said, and unlike most interviews, everywhere was silent as they tried to understand what Jeff was saying.

    No one was in a rush to ask questions, even though they had a lot of questions.

    Seeing this, Jeff picked up his phone, "To prove this, I will give Derek a call and ce it on speaker. That way, you can all hear what happened for yourselves," Jeff said as he dialed Derek''s line.

    Jeff ced the call on speaker as he had said he would immediately after Derek received the call.

    "Hey! I was just going to call you. Don''t you think I deserve a raise after what I didst night?" Derek asked in an excited tone.

    "A raise?" Jeff asked while everyone else remained silent so that they could all hear Derek.

    "Of course. The money you paid me is not enough for the job I''ve done or the beating I received from Bryanst night. That bastard was determined to kill me," Derek said with a chuckle as he licked his busted lip.

    "Bryan Hank beat you up? What could you have possibly said to annoy him so much?" Jeff asked with a chuckle, goading Derek to reveal more details.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "It wasn''t so hard. The poor bastard is in love with Sonia. Too bad for him that people like you and I exist who don''t want to see them together," Derek said in an amused tone.

    "Did you want to call me only to boast, or are you going to tell me exactly what you did to make him so angry? You realize that he could file aint against you if you crossed a line you shouldn''t have, and that could be messy," Jeff said impatiently.

    "He won''t do that. He loves Sonia too much to expose her to any of that. He doesn''t even want me to say any foul words about her, so how do you expect him to sue me when he is trying to protect her image?" Derek asked smugly.

    "You can''t be too sure...."

    "I am. I studied him already. If he were going to sue me, he wouldn''t have beaten me up in the first ce or deleted the video from my phone. Besides, he refused to give his statement at the station. I swear that bastard is too full of himself to want the public to know I had Sonia before him," Derek said, and Jeff sighed.

    "So you deliberately made him beat you up?" Jeff asked, and Derek chuckled.

    "I was only trying to confirm if he fell for the stunt I pulled in the afternoon. I did a live video talking about horny bitches like Sonia, who would jump on the nearest avable cock. I tagged Bryan in the video, congratting him on losing a bitch like her. I didn''t expect him to suddenly show up at the club where I was drinking with my friends," Derek said with annoyance.

    "Well, it worked out well for us both, didn''t it? We both got what I wanted...."

    "What did you want?" Jeff cut in.

    "Everything. The money from you, the fame I''m getting from it all. My Instagram followers increased. Right now, everyone is against him and Sonia, and they''re both bound to crack under all that pressure regardless of how much love they feel for each other. He even left her at the stationst night," Derek said,ughing happily.

    "Yes. You did a good job. Everyone believes you''re the victim, and Bryan is bullying you," Jeff said, and Derek roared withughter.

    "Yeah! Too bad for him. I almost want to feel sorry for him, but no man. Whenever I remember how he almost broke my jaw for saying we were fucking the same bitch, I get pissed," Derek said with an angry hiss.

    "Anyway, I need more money. You know, to get myself treated and to keep things rolling," Derek said, and Jeff sighed.

    "Unfortunately, I don''t owe you any money. I never asked you to get into a fight with Bryan. Our deal ended after I paid you yesterday," Jeff said, and Derek scoffed.

    "You owe me, man. It''s either you pay me, or I go to Bryan...."

    "And tell him what?" Jeff cut in rudely.

    "I will tell him everything. That you contacted me to ruin his rtionship with Sonia," Derek threatened, but everyone listening to him in the hall could tell he was bluffing.

    "Are you ckmailing me?" Jeff asked incredulously.

    "I wouldn''t exactly call it that. But you could call it that if it makes you pay me...."

    "You are free to tell Bryan everything. Better still, I can help you do that...."

    "Do what?" Derek asked incredulously.

    "Tell not just Bryan but everyone what you just told me. You admitted that Bryan attacked you because you insulted Sonia and not just because he was jealous...."

    "Why would anyone believe you? Besides, you don''t have any proof..." before Derek could finish speaking, Jeff hung up, and all eyes turned to Bryan, who was gritting his teeth in annoyance.

    "Phew! Who wouldn''t hit a jerk like that? I know I would," Jade said, and Tom nodded.

    "I definitely would too, and damn the consequence," Harry said in support while Tom looked at Bryan with an unreadable expression.

    "Tell me you broke his ribs. And this is not my question," one of the female reporters asked, and Bryan chuckled for the first time.

    "I was close to doing that before the cops showed up," Bryan said, and thedy nodded in satisfaction.

    "Good job," Tom said, giving Bryan a thumbs up.

    Although, as the CEO, he wasn''t in support of Bryan''s action as it wasn''t good for thepany. But as his brother and as the boyfriend of Sonia''s best friend, he was in support of Bryan''s actions.

    He knew he would do worse if anyone said shit like that about Lucy, be it privately or in public.

 Chapter 509 Jerk

    As the interview went on, Harry kept his gaze on Mia as she moved around the hall. Why did she look so familiar? Where had he seen that face before? He mused, and before he could look away, Mia caught him staring and shed him a smile.

    Of course, this did not skip Jade''s attention. She followed Mia''s gaze and saw the way Harry looked away from Mia as though he was embarrassed at being caught staring.

    If she didn''t know better, she would think Harry had been staring because he had a thing for Mia. She hoped Mia wouldn''t misunderstand Harry''s curiosity for attraction.

    Jeff also was not left out. He also noticed the smile that Mia shed Harry, and he couldn''t help but wonder where Harry could have seen her.

    They all returned their attention to the interview when one of the reporters asked a question that caught their attention.

    "Does this mean the rumors about you breaking up with Sonia Smith are false?" One of the reporters asked Bryan, and everyone was silent as all eyes moved to Bryan.

    It seemed like everyone in the room was curious about the answer to this question too and Bryan looked at Mia, remembering her warning to him in the car not to say anything about Sonia that he might regret.

    Although Mia appeared calm, she held her breath as she exchanged a look with Jeff, both praying that Bryan wasn''t going to act immaturely and say something stupid that would jeopardize his rtionship since they both knew he loved Sonia.

    Bryan, on the other hand, took some time to contemte the question. He knew he didn''t have to answer it, but thinking about what Matt and Mia had said about his fans giving Sonia a hard time, he knew he needed to address it.

    Was he breaking up with Sonia? Did he want that? The answer was NO. As annoying as the whole situation was, he didn''t want a breakup. He loved her too much to want to be apart from her.

    "Bryan?" Jade called softly when Bryan had remained quiet for some time without answering the question.

    "Those rumors are ridiculous. Why would I want to break up with the most incredible, most intelligent, and sexiest woman I''ve ever had the privilege of knowing?" Bryan asked while Jade eyed him.

    "Most intelligent? Seriously? You''re saying that with your unintelligent sister seated right next to you," Jade muttered, and everyoneughed, including Bryan, who grinned, while Harry shook his head.

    "Perhaps I should rephrase that. Sonia is one of the most incredible and intelligent women I''ve ever known. Hank Women are incredibly intelligent. My mom, Jade, and of course, my would-be sister-inw, Lucy," Bryan added, looking at Tom apologetically.

    Although he had apologized earlier, but he still felt sorry. He knew he was definitely a jerk for saying those ridiculous words to Tom about Lucy. It was stupid to feel resentful towards her when she did nothing wrong to him.

    "So, to answer your question, yes. The rumors are false. I love Sonia Smith with every fiber of my being, and although we''ve known ourselves for only a short time, I can''t imagine living without her," Bryan said with a sigh.

    "But you left her at the station. Wasn''t that the action that fueled the rumors that there was trouble in your paradise?" Another reporter asked, and Bryan nodded.

    By now, he knew without a doubt that he had screwed upst night by leaving her at the station the way he did.

    Leaving her this morning without properly talking things through was also a bad idea. He had yelled and said a lot of things but had failed tomunicate clearly why he was pissed. And despite her insistence to fix things between them, he had walked away.

    He let Derek get into his head without even knowing it and allowed the idiot to seed in creating a rift between him and Sonia.

    He had been too blinded by his ego and anger at Derek to think clearly, and he had gone as far as breaking his promise to her. Was she going to forgive him?

    There was no doubt about the fact that Sonia was wrong too. She was wrong for treating their rtionship the way she did, for calling him names, and for not trusting him enough to take his side at the station, and as much as he liked to believe that he had a right to be angry, his anger did not justify the fact that he had acted like a jerk. He was brought up better than this.

    All he wanted was for her to understand that if their rtionship was going to work and if they were going to be together, then their rtionship couldn''t be about her or him. It had to be about them. They were both equal partners in the rtionship, and he didn''t want her calling the shots without caring about his opinion. That was exactly what he needed tomunicate to her.

    "You are right. I was a jerk. It is ridiculous that I got myself into this mess because I fought to defend and protect her, yet I let my ego and anger get the best of me, and I abandoned the same person I fought to defend at the station when all she wanted to do was help. Sonia did nothing wrong. And only a stupid person would say she is damaging my career. I hate to believe I have stupid fans," Bryan said honestly.

    "Aww, you''ve be so mature merely by sitting next to me. We should do this often," Jade whispered, and Bryan glowered at her while Tom and the others chuckled.

    Harry made a mental note not to involve Jade in any press conference with her brothers in the future since she seemed to have a hard time staying serious.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "So, should we be expecting a real engagement and a wedding soon?" a reporter asked.

    "No. There is no reason to rush it. We still have to get to know and understand each other better so that we can properly handle our misunderstandings in the future without it bing a public business," Bryan said, and the reporter nodded.

    "Is it true that you got kicked out from Golden Star Entertainment Agency, as the CEO said?"

    "No, I wasn''t. I was there some days ago to cancel my contract with Paul. And I will prove it by giving him a call," Bryan said as he dialed Paul''s line.

    Paul deliberately didn''t ept the call until thest second when it was about to disconnect, "Don''t tell me your brother has kicked you out already, and you want toe back," Paul said in an amused tone.

    "Why would I return to an agency whose CEOcks integrity?" Bryan asked, and Paul roared withughter.

    "Integrity? This has nothing to do with integrity, Bryan. By the time I''m done with you, no agency would want to sign an ingrate like you, not even your brother," Paul promised.

    "What makes you think I won''t do anything about this? I will tell everyone what a liar you are and��."

    "Don''t be silly, Bryan. It will be your word against mine. What evidence do you have of this?" Paul asked smugly.

    "What do you want me to do, Paul?" Bryan asked, pretending to be scared.

    "I told you before, didn''t I? I made you the star you are today, and I have all it takes to break you. I will stop at nothing to make sure you regret turning your back on Golden Star because of that girl," Paul promised, and without another word, he hung up.

    "That was faster than I expected. On the bright side, we not only have proved that he lied, but now we also don''t have to pay any termination fee, so we can say the termination of the contract was a mutual agreement," Jade said with a bright smile as she patted Bryan''s shoulder.

    The reporters murmured amongst themselves as they wrote down all they had gathered from the conversations between Bryan and Paul.

    "Let''s proceed with signing the contract," Harry said, and the reporters, as well as the PR team of I-Global, took pictures of them.

    "As you all know, I''ve been the one releasing the official statements on behalf of I-Global this whole time, and today will be the first time Tom releases his first official statement, but before we move on to that, do you have any more questions?" Harry asked once they were done signing the contracts.

    "Does this mean the I-Global has be a family-runpany, seeing how the three of you are now working together?" One of the reporters asked.

    "I see no reason my siblings should work for other people and be treated unfairly when there is room in mypany for them. Unlike their other employers, I won''t try to stifle them, and I will only look out for their best interest as I do for all my employees. However, this doesn''t mean I''m going to be partial because they are my siblings," Tom said, and the reporter nodded.

    "Why isn''t Miss Lucinda Perry present?" Another reporter asked.

    "That isn''t a rted question. If that''s all, I will release the official statement about I-Global Entertainment, and then we can all call it a day," Tom said politely.

    A couple of minutester, Tom, Harry, Bryan, Jade, Mia, and Jeff walked into Tom''s office once they were done with the interview, leaving the reporters and the PR team to release the details to the public.

    "That went well. I was touched. You meant all you said about Sonia, right? Or were you putting up a show?" Jade asked, and Bryan sighed.

    "Of course, I meant it," he said, and Jade nodded.

    "That''s good. You did a good job," Jade said, and Mia nodded in agreement.

    "This is the best interview you''ve had. Straight from the heart without Paul at the side whispering into your ears," Mia said with approval and looked at Jeff.

    "You did well too. I''m sorry I snapped at you both earlier. It was for the greater good," Mia said with an awkward smile and quickly walked away from the office before either Jeff or Bryan could respond.

 Chapter 510 Double Date

    Immediately Tom and Harry walked into the office, they walked over to the office cab where they had left their phones as they both liked to do during press conferences, and picked them up.

    "Lucy called," Harry said as he lowered himself on the couch, when he saw the missed calls notification on his phone. Two of it were from Lucy, two were from Aurora, one from Philip, and a couple of others from some shareholders.

    "She tried to reach me too but now she is not answering her calls," Tomined with a concerned frown on his face as he sat down.

    "You can keep trying to reach her while I return the calls of some shareholders. I guess they''ve seen Paul''s video and were calling to find out if it''s true," Harry said, as he excused himself.

    "What''s wrong?" Jade asked as she joined Tom. She had excused herself earlier to use the restroom.

    "I''m worried. I''ve been trying to reach Lucy but she''s not taking my call," Tom exined as Jade sat down beside him.

    "She is probably out with Sonia. Sonia mentioned that Lucy was with her when we spoke earlier. ording to Sonia she was going out for a meeting and then hanging out with Lucy after. So I suppose Lucy apanied her to the meeting," Jade said reasonably, and Bryan looked at her with interest when he heard Sonia''s name, and he went to sit with them.

    Tom nced at his wristwatch. The interview had taken two hours, and Lucy had called just some minutes after they left the office. That meant they should be done with their meeting soon.

    "Did mom tell you what time their flight would be leaving?" Jade asked Tom.

    "No. I haven''t spoken with her since she called to inform me of J''s arrest. Excuse me," Tom said when his phone started ringing and he walked away from there to another end of the office to receive the call of the shareholder who was calling.

    "Lucy''s mom was arrested? Are mom and dad going somewhere?" Bryan asked as he joined Jade.

    Although she wanted to make a snide remark, she decided not to, "Yes, Lucy''s mom was arrested, and yes mom and dad areing back to Ludus..."

    "Just because of me and Sonia? They are overreacting. It''s not necessary...."

    "Oh, please! The world does not revolve around you and your rtionship," Jade said with a roll of her eyes.

    "Then what are theying for?" Bryan asked, ring at Jade.

    "Didn''t you hear about Candace and Harry being twins?" Jade asked, and Bryan nodded.

    "I heard Tom''s staff talking about it. What''s that about? And what has that got to do with mom and dad?"

    "Harry is family. Candace and Jamal have been living under Tom''s roof too and you know how they feel about the kid. Not forgetting that Lucy''s mom is also their mother''s twin sister," Jade said and Bryan looked at her in confusion.

    "Lucy''s mom is whose mother''s twin sister?"

    "Harry''s and Candace''s. Lucy is their cousin. Lucy''s parents, including mom and dad areing back for a family reunion," Jade said as she gave him a quick recap of everything that was happening, and Bryan sighed.

    "Wow! That''s a lot."

    "Exactly. Everyone has a lot going on right now, and that is why we were all upset about your scandal. Although, now that we know why you got into a fight we are no longer mad at you about that, butI''m disappointed you handled things the way you did," Jade said, and Bryan sighed as hebed his fingers through his hair.

    It just urred to him that if his parents were traveling down, that meant Sonia would be alone. If Lucy had not traveled over to be with her, then Sonia would have been over there with no one beside her. He had left without even making sure she was alright when she had been ill just the day before.

    He looked up just as Tom and Harry returned to join them after their respective phone calls.

    "I don''t have to be here until next week, do I?" Bryan asked, looking from Harry to Tom.

    "Why? Are you going somewhere?" Tom asked as he returned to his seat, and Bryan nodded.

    "Yeah. I need to go and resolve things with Sonia. I shouldn''t have left the way I did, and I don''t think I want to let this drag on longer than it has already," Bryan said, and Harry exchanged a look with Tom.

    "You had your time to resolve things, but you lost it. You can''t cut in on their girls time. Besides, she mighte back with Lucy tomorrow...."

    "You don''t expect me to wait until tomorrow to clear this up, do you? They can have their girls time some other time. I need to set things right with Sonia," Bryan insisted and Tom thought about it only for a moment before reaching a decision.

    "Alright," Tom said, and turned to Harry, "Since you called me a ve driver, do you mind if I use you?" Tom asked Harry, who raised a brow.

    "I mind. You can''t! Harry needs to get some rest!" Jade said with a scowl of disapproval, and Harry cast Jade an amused smile at her protectiveness.

    "Stay out of it," Tom told Jade, and Harry scowled at Tom.

    "Don''t speak to her in that manner," Harry fired at Tom.

    "She is my sister...."

    "So what?" Harry asked, leaving Bryan speechless, while Jade smiled broadly as she went to stand beside Harry, and Tom sighed deeply as he shook his head.

    "What do you want?" Harry asked Tom.

    "I was supposed to take Lucy out on a date tonight, but I had to cancel for her to travel. She will be alone if..."

    "Don''t tell me you want to travel with Bryan just so you can take Lucy out on a date?" Jade asked incredulously.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Yes, I n to," Tom told Jade before returning his attention to Harry, "You can take an all-expense paid vacation to any ce of your choice after the anniversary week," Tom offered.

    "Deal. I will handle the shareholders as promised. Lucy deserves a break. I''m not doing this for you, I''m doing it for my darling cousin," Harry said, and shook hands with Tom.

    "Since you''re doing it for your darling cousin I don''t need to send you on an all expense paid vacation, do I?" Tom asked, and Harry chuckled.

    "What I meant was, my cousin is one of the reasons I''m epting your offer of the all expense paid trip," Harry said before turning to Bryan.

    "You can go. But when youe back, you have to tell me what''s up with your best friend and his deal with my sister," Harry said smugly, and Bryan snorted.

    "Like you told me your deal with my sister," Bryan said dryly as he stood.

    "Hey! Don''t talk to my boyfriend like that!" Jade snapped at Bryan.

    "I''m not your boyfriend yet," Harry reminded her softly.

    "It doesn''t make any difference. We both know you will be soon," she said with a grin, while Tom shook his head.

    "Keep shaking your oversized head that way and it''s bound to fall off sooner thanter," Harry promised.

    "Whatever. I just spoke with Mr. Matthews. Who did you speak to?" Tom asked, and before Harry could respond, Bryan cut in.

    "I will be waiting at the parking lot," Bryan said and walked out of the office in search of Jeff and Mia who had disappeared.

    Tom and Harry spent the next couple of minutes discussing the details of Harry''s meeting with the shareholders while Jade busied herself going through the interview articles that the reporters had now released.

    "I will give Candace a call to let her know I can''t pick them up. I will ask Adolf to do so," Tom said after he and Harry were done with their conversation and he was ready to leave.

    "Don''t worry about it. I will drop them off myself," Harry called after Tom who was already walking out of the office.

    "Let''s go," Harry said to Jade as it was just them both left in the office.

    "I''ming with you on your vacation, right?" Jade asked as she rose.

    "No. You only just resumed your job. Does it make sense that you are going on a vacation already?" Harry asked as he led the way out of the office but before Jade could respond Harry''s phone rang.

    When Harry saw the identity of the caller he turned to look at Jade who was pouting, "It''s your friend, Aurora," Harry said, and chuckled when he saw the annoyance on her face as he received the call.

    "Hello, Harry!"

    "Hey! I''m sorry I missed your call earlier, I was in the middle of something," Harry said politely.

    "That''s not a problem. I was calling to inform you that I just got into Ludus and...."

    "Already? I thought you said you were noting until next week?" Harry said, surprised by the news.

    "Well, yeah. But something came up so I had toe earlier than I nned," Aurora exined.

    "I see. Well, I..."

    Before Harry could finish, Jade cut in, "Is that Aurora?" Jade asked innocently, and Harry raised a brow.

    "Is Jade there with you?"

    "Yes, she is. Do you want to say hello to her?" Harry asked when Jade extended a hand.

    "Sure," Aurora said, and Harry handed the phone to Jade.

    "Hey, Aura! What''s up?" Jade greeted.

    "I''m fine. I didn''t know you were going down to Ludus else we could have traveled together," Aurora said pleasantly.

    "Yeah. Something came up so I had toe to be with Harry. And I brought his t-shirt with me. I found it," Jade said pleasantly, and Harry shook his head.

    "Oh, I see! Maybe we could meet up after my date with Harry," Aurora suggested, sensing that something was up between Jade and Harry.

    "Or perhaps could we have a double date," Jade suggested, and Harry raised a brow.

    "A double date? That will be great!" Aurora said, and then Jade returned the phone to Harry.

    "What double date are you talking about?" Harry asked, looking at Jade like she had lost her mind.

    "There is no way I''m letting my boyfriend go on a solo date with anotherdy," Jade said with a sweet smile as she walked away from him and Harry hurried after her, wondering what she was up to.

 Chapter 511 Surprise Visits

    Neither Lucy nor Sonia were ignorant of the stares they were receiving or the attention they had drawn from the moment they walked into the restaurant where Sonia was meant to meet with her Editor and the movie producer.

    She had chosen to meet with them in a restaurant because she didn''t want her contract with the producer to be signed in her editor''s office. Not when she was cutting ties with him after the meeting.

    Thankfully the movie producer and editor were already waiting by the time they arrived, and they rose to wee thedies.

    "Miss Smith, it''s a pleasure meeting you. I''ve heard so much about you," The producer, a man in his early forties, said before her editor could do any introduction.

    "I hope you heard nice things?" Sonia asked as she extended a hand to shake him, feeling confident with Lucy by her side.

    "Only nice things, I assure you," he said before turning to look at Lucy.

    "Miss Perry, I had no idea I would have the pleasure of meeting you today," the producer said with a pleasant smile, and Lucy looked at him with a confused smile.

    "Have we met before?" she asked, wondering why he sounded like he knew her.

    "I don''t believe we have. I recognize you from your interview," He exined, and Lucy shed him an awkward smile.

    "Ah! I see."

    She had wishfully believed she had left all that behind her in Ludus, but it was obvious that a lot of people had seen the interview, and thanks to Anita, people she knew nothing about all knew her face and life story.

    "I saw the scandalst night. Are you okay?" Sonia''s editor asked with concern.

    "Yes, I''m fine. Thanks. Let''s get down to business," Sonia said curtly. It was toote for him to be acting like he cared about her.

    "Is it true that you are breaking up with Bryan?" the producer asked curiously after they were all seated, and Lucy raised a brow.

    "Will you call off the contract if the rumors are true and we are breaking up?" Sonia asked before Lucy could speak.

    "Of course not. I was merely curious..."

    "Then, if you don''t mind, I would like us to stick to business instead of discussing about my private life," Sonia said with a polite smile, and the producer gave her a nod.

    A waiter came to attend to them, and after that, they spent the next hour discussing the storyline and what adjustments were needed, as well as the perfect cast for the movie.

    Lucy remained quiet most of the meeting as she merely listened and observed Sonia do her thing. She spoke only when spoken to.

    Once they were done signing the contract, the movie producer turned to Lucy, "Is it true that I-Global will be signing Bryan Hank?"

    "Where did you hear that?" Sonia asked at the same time as Lucy since it was not public knowledge yet that I-Global was starting an entertainment agency or signing Bryan.

    "The CEO of Golden Star said it. He released a video a short while ago saying he kicked Bryan out of the agency. Didn''t you see it? It''s probably the most watched entertainment news on the inte today," the producer said, and immediately both Lucy and Sonia dug into their handbags for their phone.

    "He didn''t kick Bryan out. Bryan left on his own," Sonia hissed irritably as she unlocked her phone.

    The first thing they both noticed was the missed calls from Tom. He tried to reach them both, but their phones had been on silent mode.

    They both ignored the notifications as they tried to find thetest entertainment news online.

    "I-Global just released a press statement about Bryan," Lucy said in surprise when she stumbled on an article about Bryan''s interview while searching for Paul''s video.

    "They did?" Sonia asked, moving closer to Lucy to share her phone while the producer and Sonia''s editor also took out their phones to see what was happening.

    Neither of them on the table said a word as they read through the article, and Lucy yed a short clip of Bryan talking about his love for Sonia.

    "See? He is not breaking up. You will fix things," Lucy said with a happy smile as she turned to Sonia, whose eyes were teary already.

    "I thought he beat up Derek because he was upset over our fight," Sonia said with a slight frown, feeling sorry for not listening to him as much as she should have.

    "The good thing is that you both realize you screwed up. So you can fix things," Lucy said happily, and they both looked up when the producer cleared his throat, and they remembered they weren''t alone.

    "I''m d to know you are not breaking up. I''m looking forward to the movie adaptation of the novel you are writing about your rtionship," the producer said, and Sonia smiled.

    "Thanks."

    "Do you think Mr. Hank would be interested in investing in this movie if I give Bryan the lead role?" the producer asked Lucy hopefully.

    Although he had been nning to shoot this movie for a while now, he didn''t have enough sponsors that would enable him the kind of money he would need to pay A-list actors like Bryan Hank.

    He had nned to make use of uing actors that wouldn''t charge too much, but with a major sponsor like Thomas Hank, he would be able to afford Bryan Hank and perhaps one or two other exceptional actors. That would definitely bring his career to the limelight.

    "Are you asking me as an employee of I-Global or as the CEO''s girlfriend?" Lucy asked, and the producer smiled politely.

    "You are both. Are you not?" the producer asked, undeterred by Lucy''s coldness.

    Lucy sighed, "Yes, I am. Maybe you should write a good proposal. I''m sure the businessman in him would be willing to invest in it if your proposal is good enough," Lucy suggested.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Could you both put in a good word for me?" the producer asked hopefully.

    "Is that why you want to adapt my story? Because you want to take advantage of my connection to the Hanks?" Sonia asked, and the producer looked at her with a frown, feeling insulted.

    "I beg your pardon. I''ve been wanting to meet you long before your fake engagement with Bryan Hank. And as a matter of fact, I met with Mr. Conner here earlier that day to discuss the contract process," the producer reminded Sonia stiffly.

    "Yeah. You''re right. I''m sorry," Sonia said, recalling that she had been waiting for her editor toe to tell her about his meeting with the producer when Bryan showed up and proposed to her.

    "Think about it. It will be a win for us all if this movie is as sessful as I know it will be. Apart from the fact that Mr. Hank would make a lot of money from it, this will be your first adapted novel, and we can keep working together to move your stories from paper to screen. And my career. This would really help me a lot," the producer said, and Sonia exchanged a look with Lucy.

    "I can''t influence his decision, but if your proposal is good, I could encourage him to go for it if he seeks my opinion," Lucy said, and the producer gave her a nod.

    "I will very much appreciate that. I should be on my way now," he said as he rose, taking with him a copy of their contract.

    The editor rose too, but Sonia looked at him, "I would like to speak with you privately before you leave," Sonia said, and Lucy excused herself from the table just as the producer left.

    Lucy dialed Tom''s line as she headed for the restroom, and Tom, who was in the car with Bryan on their way to the airstrip, received the call almost immediately.

    "Hey, Jewel! I''m sorry I missed your call earlier. I was busy..."

    "Yeah. I noticed. I read the press release. My phone was in silent mode. Hence I missed your call," Lucy exined.

    "Are you going somewhere?" she asked when she noticed that he sounded like he was inside a car.

    "Yes. I''m on my way out," Tom said since he and Bryan had agreed to surprise Lucy and Sonia.

    Neither of them was to let them know that they wereing over, and they had passed that message across to Harry, Jade, Mia, and Jeff too, not to let it slip.

    "Out where?"

    "Uhm, something urgent came up, so I''m flying out to take care of it," Tom said, wanting to go with a half-truth.

    "Is everything alright? Where are you flying to?" Lucy asked with concern, and Tom realized that if he didn''t change the subject, she was going to keep asking more questions until he was forced to tell her the truth.

    "Everything is fine. I can''t tell you the details right now. I will tell you about itter. How is Sonia doing?" Tom asked, and Bryan, who had been busy on his phone, turned to look at Tom this time.

    "She is fine," Lucy said and then told him about the meeting with the producer.

    "I don''t mind investing in it if his proposal is good. But my financial advisors would have to take a look at his proposal to determine if it''s worth my investment," Tom exined.

    "Sure. Have you seen Aaron today? How is he doing?" Lucy asked curiously as she walked into the restroom and stood by the mirrors to check her appearance.

    "Yes, I have. He has been discharged and is home now with Candace and Jamal," Tom said, and Lucy nodded.

    "That''s cool. My mom told me you helped get her out of the station. Thanks," Lucy said, and Tom nodded.

    "You don''t have to thank me for that. What''s your n for the rest of the day?" Tom asked, and Lucy told him of the ns they had made.

    "Alright then. Keep me posted. I love you," Tom said before hanging up.

    "They will most likely be at the cinema by the time we arrive," Tom informed Bryan as he nced at his wristwatch.

    After the phone call, Lucy used the restroom before returning to join Sonia. By the time she got to the table, the editor had left.

    "You are done already?" Lucy asked, and Sonia sighed as she shook her head.

    "I couldn''t do it. I couldn''t bring myself to fire him for that. Everyone makes mistakes, right? And it''s the first time he has done something like that," Sonia said, and Lucy smiled.

    "So, what''s your n? You''re not going on with the app or website thing again?" Lucy asked curiously.

    "I will. We talked about it, and he''s going to look into it," Sonia said, and Lucy nodded.

    "That''s cool too."

    "So, I was thinking. I think I should go to Ludus. I need to resolve things with Bryan," Sonia said thoughtfully.

    "Sure. We are going back tomorrow..."

    "No. I don''t think I can wait until tomorrow."

    "But we are supposed to go see your mom," Lucy reminded her.

    "She has waited all these years. I''m sure she can wait some weeks more for me to visit her with Bryan. I want to book the next avable flight. It should be a surprise."

 Chapter 512 A Surprise

    As Evelyn and the others highlighted from the car after the driver pulled to a stop in front of the airport, Evelyn paused to take out her phone from her handbag when it started ringing.

    "It''s Jade," she informed the others as she received the call while they walked into the airport.

    "I wonder why Lucy is yet to give us a call," Jined to her husband.

    "Maybe she is busy, or she probably hasn''t seen your text," Andrew said as he rubbed a hand down her arm in a reassuring manner.

    "Hey, mom! Are you guys stilling today?" Jade asked the moment Evelyn received the phone call.

    "Yeah. We just got to the airport. How are things going over there?" Evelyn asked curiously, and Jade brought her up to speed with the interview they had done.

    "Oh, that''s great! I guess Bryan has his head in the right ce now?" Evelyn asked hopefully.

    "Yes, I think so. As a matter of fact, Bryan and Tom are flying down to Heden as we speak. Bryan wants to resolve things with Sonia, and Tom wants to go on a date with Lucy. It''s a surprise, so you can''t let them know."

    "Sure. It''s not like I''m going to pick up my phone to tell them anything or bump into them at the airport anyway," Evelyn said dryly.

    "Do you need me toe to pick you up from the airport? I suppose you''re stopping first at Tom''s, right?" Jade asked curiously, wanting to know if she needed to go home to receive them since Tom wasn''t around.

    "You don''t have to. I will have Adolf pick us up from the airport as usual. Is Candace and Jamal at Tom''s? We picked up a couple of items for Jamal, and I can''t wait to see him," Evelyn said, and Jade smiled.

    While the men had busied themselves watching football and ying games, Evelyn and J had gone shopping for Jamal.

    "No. They are over here at Harry''s with Aaron but will be leaving for Tom''ster in the evening. They are bonding," Jade said, and Evelyn smiled.

    "That sounds lovely. We will stop over at Harry''s to see them before heading home."

    "Alright. We will be expecting you. Let me know when you get here. And give my love to dad," Jade said before hanging up.

    "What did she say?" Desmond asked curiously, since he had been slowly walking beside her while J and Andrew were ahead of them.

    Evelyn ryed everything to him as they hurried their steps to join J and Andrew, who were waiting in the queue to check-in.

    As the elders got into the ne, a cab stopped in front of the airport, and Lucy and Sonia got out.

    "I don''t know why, but I still don''t think this is a good idea," Lucy said as she took out her luggage bag, which she was yet to open since she arrived.

    "Why? If this was you and Tom, wouldn''t you be doing this?" Sonia asked as they kept walking in hurried steps.

    Their flight was scheduled to leave in less than ten minutes, and they were in a hurry to get in on time.

    "Of course I will. I mean, I''m not just veryfortable with the whole surprise thing. The n was to leave in the Jet tomorrow...."

    "Don''t you miss Tom? I thought you''d be happy about going back to be with him instead of being stuck with me here," Sonia said, and Lucy rolled her eyes.

    "That is not the point. Can I at least call Tom to let him know I''ming back?"

    "No. What part of the surprise do you not understand? If you tell Tom, then it''s no longer going to be a surprise. I''m sure he will be pleasantly surprised to see you...."

    "He isn''t even in Ludus right now," Lucy exined with a sigh.

    "I see. Is that why you are trying to dissuade me from going? Because your man won''t be there?" Sonia asked, eyeing her suspiciously, and Lucy shook her head.

    "Let''s have it your way then," Lucy said as they stopped to check-in.

    Once they were done and settled in the ne, Sonia turned to Lucy, "So how about you tell me everything now?" she asked with a pleasant smile as the ne took off.

    While Lucy brought Sonia up to speed with the Jonas family story, in some seats ahead of them, Evelyn and J were engrossed in a story of their own as Evelyn told J how she had met Desmond.

    "Sonia? Lucy?" Desmond called in surprise as he stopped by their seat on his way to use the restroom.

    What were they doing on the ne when Tom and Bryan were headed to Heden for their sake?

    "Desmond!" Sonia said as she exchanged a look with Lucy.

    From the surprise on Lucy''s face, Sonia could tell that, like her, Lucy had forgotten that the elders were also flying down to Ludus.

    "Are my boys aware that you areing?" Desmond asked curiously.

    "No. We want to surprise them," Sonia said, shing Desmond a smile, and he chuckled.

    Wasn''t this funny? He had heard from Evelyn that they were not to say anything to Lucy and Sonia about his boys'' surprise visit, and even though he knew it was safe to tell the girls now since it was obvious the surprise was not going to work anymore, he was in a mischievous mood.

    They were all in for a surprise themselves. He only wished he could see the look on the faces of his sons when they found out they had surprised themselves. The surprises were about to be surprised.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "A surprise. That is nice. A surprise is always good. I''m d to see that Lucy worked her magic on you, and you''re fine now," Desmond said, and Sonia smiled at him.

    "Thank you," Sonia said, and he could tell she wasn''t just thanking him for what he had said but also for taking her side andforting her while she cried earlier

    "It''s good to see you again, Lucy. You look good," Desmond said, and she shed him a smile.

    "Same here. Are my parents on the ne?" Lucy asked as she looked ahead of them.

    She was ashamed to admit that she had forgotten to return their calls. Although she would most likely have gotten around to calling them after she was settled in the evening, but at the moment, the thought had escaped her.

    "Yes, they are. Your parents are over there," Desmond said as he showed them where his wife and the Perrys were seated.

    "But I suggest you surprise them too. Don''t let them know you''re on the ne. I will keep your secret," Desmond said with a wink before excusing himself to use the restroom.

    He couldn''t wait to see all their shocked faces in a couple of hours; Desmond thought with a chuckle as he walked away.

    Away from there in Harry''s apartment, Jade raised a brow when she noticed how Harry kept staring at her as they both settled on the couch after arranging his kitchen and putting groceries in their ce.

    They had both decided to go grocery shopping on their way back from thepany and had arrived home to see that Candace and Jamal were napping with Aaron in his bedroom.

    "What?"

    "I''m still waiting for you to tell me about this double date n of yours. Who are you bringing with you?" Harry asked, and Jade giggled.

    "Why are you so bothered about that? Don''t tell me you are jealous," Jade teased, enjoying herself.

    Of course, she had no one in mind for the double date she had suggested. It had been a spur-of-the-moment decision, and she needed some time to work out the details, but seeing Harry''s worried reaction, she was beginning to enjoy herself. Now she wished she had someone she would take with her. If for nothing, to see how Harry would handle his jealousy.

    "Is there another male in your life?" Harry asked, and although Jade wanted to taunt him, she decided not to when she saw the seriousness in his eyes.

    "No. But I coulde up with one just for the date," Jade suggested, and Harry shook his head.

    "I don''t think that is necessary. I n to tell her how I feel about you during the date, so it''s best you don''t go through that stress. I will handle things with Aurora," Harry said, but Jade had other ideas.

    "It''s not that I don''t trust you to handle it, but you were there when I told her about the double date, and she liked the idea. I would hate to go back on my words," Jade said with a shrug, and Harry sighed.

    "I''m saying this because I do not want any sort of dramater on in our rtionship like your brothers have in theirs. I don''t see any reason to bring in any guy...."

    "Alright. Fine. I see your point. But I don''t have to bring anyone to show up on your date, right? My date could be held up at work by a ve driver boss, and the three of us can end up having lunch or dinner or whatever alone," Jade said, and Harry shook his head.

    "Don''t you think she would be upset?" Harry asked quietly.

    Although he had no intention of going into a rtionship with her, he liked Aurora, and he didn''t want to offend her.

    "Who? Aurora?"

    "Yes. How do you think she would feel when she eventually gets to know we are in a rtionship? She would feel like you were trying to make a fool of her by setting her up with me. Don''t you think so?" Harry asked, and Jade pressed her lips together thoughtfully.

    "I could exin to her. It wasn''t intentional," Jade said with a wince.

    "I think you should let me meet with her alone. It''s best I make her believe I''m the one who is interested in you and trying to get you to date me. That way, she won''t be mad at you. It would be too embarrassing for her when our rtionship bes official, and she remembers how you showed up on the date," Harry said reasonably.

    "Or we could just say it''s an arranged marriage, and my family is forcing me into getting involved with you," Jade said with a pout, and Harry chuckled.

    "So you''re saying I should let you meet with her alone?" Jade asked, and Harry nodded.

    "That''s the least price you can pay for putting me in such an awkward situation," Harry said, and Jade sighed.

    "Alright. I wille up with an excuse not to join you," Jade said thoughtfully.

    She could always find another reason to be at the venue that day without joining their table. She would be too restless to do anything else with her time when she knew her man would be on a date with anotherdy.

    Perhaps she could convince Lucy and Candace to have a date with her on that day? It won''t be bad to bond with Harry''s twin sister and cousin while they all kept their eyes on her man, would it? Perfect!

    "What are you nning this time?" Harry asked wearily when he noticed the mischievous smile on her face.

    "It just urred to me that I need to bond with Candace and Lucy since they''re the important females in your life apart from me. Also, it urred to me that they''re both going to end up being my sisters inw. I have to hang out more often with them, what do you think?" Jade asked with a happy smile when Harry kept looking at her suspiciously.

    "Do whatever makes you up," Harry said, and Jade nodded.

    "I intend to. Thank you," she said as she leaned forward and kissed his cheek.

 Chapter 513 Vacation Plans

    Amy stood over the bed where Mileyy covered up with her duvet, "I''ve had enough of this, Miley! Get out of the bed," Amy hissed as she pulled off the duvet.

    She was about to get dressed for them to leave for the interview she had scheduled with the men applying to be Miley''s potential husband, yet Miley, who she was doing all of these for, was still on the bed.

    "I don''t want to," Miley said with a sniffle.

    "That''s fine. Since you want to keep sulking, I guess I should call them and cancel all the appointments. And then I will call your parents as well...."

    "You can''t do that!" Miley protested as she sat up to look at Amy with sad eyes.

    "Yes, I can. And I will if you keep being a baby about this. You''ve been sulking for almost forty eight hours already. If you don''t want to get out of bed or go on with the ns, you should as well stay in the hospital bed instead," Amy said with a frown.

    Although she felt sorry for Miley, she was also mad. She was sorry that Miley had to hear Lucas who she likedpare her to someone like Rachel, and she was sorry that Miley''s feelings was hurt, but she was angry at the way Miley was going about the whole thing feeling sorry for herself.

    The man didn''t want her, big deal! Why couldn''t she just move on? The most annoying part of it was that Miley had med her for Lucas'' reaction. Asking her why she told Lucas about it without her consent.

    She had wanted to speak with Lucas alone so that Miley wouldn''t have to deal with the rejection, but that had obviously not worked out for them all.

    "What if we call your boss...."

    "No! We are not calling Lucy!"

    "But she agreed to meet with me the other day...."

    "That was before her twin brother stormed out of this apartment angrily. Don''t you think she would be upset if she finds out you''re trying to get to him through her again after upsetting him...."

    "All I want is to speak with him and apologize to him...."

    "No, Miley! Leave him alone. He has made his stance clear, and I honestly can''t fault him for it. He is dealing with personal stuff of his own right now, and even if he wasn''t, it really is selfish of us to...."

    "I''m not going to ask him to marry me or anything, I promise. I only want to hear from him and apologize to..."

    "I don''t care, Miley. Just let him be. Please. I''m the one who will have to face them after all this," Amy reminded her as she went to sit on the bed beside Miley.

    "He doesn''t want to have anything to do with us. We have to focus on you. You are not in any position to be worrying about someone else right now. Forget about Lucas and focus on yourself. I don''t want you to spend what little time you have left looking so sad or miserable," Amy pleaded as she patted Miley''s hair.

    "Alright," Miley said with a resigned sigh.

    "Good. Now quite a number of fine looking men responded to the anonymous ad I put out two nights ago. I spent some time texting with some of them and checking out their social media page, and I was able to choose some candidates. We are meeting with a couple of them today to interview them," Amy announced.

    "Do you think maybe I''m making a mistake?" Miley asked, and Amy sighed.

    "Now you think you''re making a mistake because Lucas won''t marry you? Was he the reason you made this decision?" Amy asked patiently and Miley shook her head.

    "Not at all."

    "Good. The only mistake I think you are making is not informing your parents about your health and about this decision. They would be very heart broken if they find out about this when it''s toote," Amy said as Miley got off the bed.

    "We''ve been through this already, Amy. You know how they are. I won''t be able to go out anymore or enjoy what little time I have left. They''re going to keep fussing and make sure I remain in the hospital receiving treatment that won''t work. They will stop at nothing to find or develop new drugs. That''s not how I want to spend the short time I have left," Miley said, and Amy shook her head.

    "You know what? Let''s not talk about this anymore. Let''s get ready for the interview. The earlier we get this done, the better," Miley said before Amy could say anything, and headed for the bathroom to shower.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Although she wanted them to talk some more about this, Amy said nothing as she rose from the bed to go dress up.

    "Amy?" Miley called before Amy could leave the room, and Amy turned to look at her.

    "Promise me you won''t tell them about it? I have to do it myself when I''m ready," Miley said, and Amy looked at her for some seconds without saying anything.

    "When do you think you''re going to be ready to tell them about it?"

    "I don''t know. I will have to figure out a way around it. But just don''t say a word to them. Let me do it myself when I''m ready. Please," Miley added, and Amy sighed

    "You realize that everyone is going to be mad at me when they find out I was aware, and said nothing, right?" Amy asked with a worried frown knowing how Miley''s parents could be, and her mother too.

    "They won''t know if we don''t tell. You can act as surprised as everyone else when I make the announcement," Miley suggested.

    "And the pregnancy? How do I exin it if we go on with the surrogacy n before you tell them?" Amy asked, and Miley let air out through her lips.

    "That''s true. Don''t worry, I will exin everything to them after we have settled the marriage and surrogacy stuff," Miley promised, and although Amy was notfortable with the whole idea, she decided not to worry about it and focus on being there for best friend.

    "Fine. Let''s just get ready. Hopefully by the end of the day, we will get you a husband," Amy said, and Miley smiled.

    "That''s why I love you. Thank you for doing this for me," Miley said as she went to embrace Amy before walking away from there to the bathroom to shower.

    Although she was still sad about how things ended with Lucas, she agreed with Amy. She couldn''t spend what little time she had left worrying and wishing for what could have been. She had to move on with her life and with her ns.

    She made up her mind not to be too picky. She didn''t want to waste too much time on this. All she needed was to find a good mannered fine looking young man with a solid family history.

    By the time Miley got out of the bathroom, Amy was dressed already and hadid out clothes for her on the bed. She was now sitting on the bed, busy with her phone.

    "Are you really sure you want to be my surrogate? I could find someone else to do it. You don''t have to make such a major life decision for my sake," Miley said, and Amy smiled.

    "I know I don''t have to, but I want to. This is the least I can do for you," Amy said, waving off Miley''s concern without looking at her.

    "Are you sure you won''t regret this?" Miley asked, and Amy dropped her phone and looked at her.

    "It will make me feel better knowing I have a part of you with me. I can''t regret it," Amy assured her.

    "You know your hymen needs to be broken, right? I think you need to have sex first before we go on with it," Miley said with a thoughtful look in her eyes.

    She had been hoping Lucas and Amy would hit it off during their dinner date and Amy would lose her virginity to Lucas, but things had not gone as nned unfortunately.

    Amy sighed, "Let me worry about that myself. Get dressed up let''s leave already."

    "By the way, I''m not sure I mentioned this, but I asked the candidates toe with a copy of their medical reports for the interview. That was why I scheduled the interview for evening so they could get it from their doctors. Whoever we decide on will still undergo some medical tests for us to be sure he is healthy," Amy said, and Miley gave her a nod of approval.

    "That''s a good idea," Miley said as she dried her body, and then stopped when something urred to her and she turned to Amy.

    "You realize we can''t take him to my family doctor, and we can''t hold the wedding here either, right? I think it''s best we fly out of the country. We could go on our usual vacation together and I could get married to him over there. We will make it look like I met him while vacationing and I was swept off my feet so we decided to get married. We could also get started with the surrogacy stuff over there. A week after we get back to the country I will open up to my parents about my health like I just found out about it," Miley suggested.

    "Whatever you decide is fine by me," Amy assured her, feeling sad that this would be theirst vacation together.

 Chapter 514 Cinema

    As the nended on the airport and everyone else was making moves to get out, Desmond tried to distract his wife and the Perrys while giving Lucy and Sonia time to get out.

    Once he was certain they had left, he let his gang leave too, and as they all trooped out of the airport together after taking their luggage, Desmond remembered a little detail he had left out in his conversation with the girls.

    Desmond stopped walking abruptly and touched his abdomen, "I need to use the restroom quickly before getting into the car."

    "What''s wrong? Are you okay?" Evelyn asked looking at him with concern as they all stopped.

    "Yeah. I feel sort of bloated. Why don''t you find Adolf and wait in the car? I will be quick," Desmond promised.

    "I wille with you," Andrew offered eyeing Desmond suspiciously.

    "Yes, please do," Evelyn said before Desmond could say no, and seeing the suspicious look in Andrew''s eyes, Desmond agreed.

    "I will be fast. Don''t worry about me," Desmond assured Evelyn, urging her to leave.

    "Alright let''s go," Desmond said as he started walking after they watched thedies walk away.

    "Do you really want to use the restroom or do you have something else in mind? I noticed how you kept looking at the exit door of the ne while trying to stall us. Is there someone you saw that you want to meet privately?" Andrew asked looking around them as he followed Desmond.

    Desmond stopped, "What..."

    "Keep walking," Andrew urged him, and Desmond moved slowly.

    "No. I''m not meeting anyone," Desmond said as he took out his phone from his pocket, but Andrew continued to look at him doubtfully.

    "If you thought I was going to meet someone privately why did you follow me?" Desmond asked, trying to hide his amusement.

    "To stop you. If you do something wrong and Evelyn finds out, you''ll be in trouble, and then my wife will find a way to link me to it, and I don''t want any trouble," Andrew said with a straight face that made Desmondugh.

    "You think I want to meet with anotherdy?" He asked incredulously.

    "Why else will you be hiding? You don''t look like you want to use the restroom. You definitely don''t sound that way," Andrew said, and Desmondughed.

    "I need to make a quick phone call," Desmond said as he dialed Sonia''s line while Andrew continued to watch him.

    "Hey, Sony! Where are you girls right now?" Desmond asked immediately after Sonia received the call and Andrew raised a brow.

    "We just got into a cab now. We are on our way to Tom''s house. Evelyn and J didn''t see us, did they?" Sonia asked, wondering why Desmond was calling and if he was alone.

    "No, they didn''t. You don''t have to go over to the house. We are all headed to Harry''s apartment. I think it will be best you meet us there," Desmond suggested, and Andrew raised a brow.

    "Will Bryan be there?" Sonia asked, since she didn''t want to waste any time in thepany of the others until she was able to apologize to Bryan and then talk things through with him.

    Yes, he had offended her. She wasn''t disputing the fact that he had gone about everything the wrong way, but so had she too. And right now she wanted them to sit down together and figure out the way forward for their rtionship. She wanted what she had with Bryan to work. And she did not want her pride or habits to get in the way of what they shared.

    "Everyone will be there. Soe over. You don''t have to be in a hurry to get there. I will send you a text after I confirm they are not leaving there soon," Desmond said, and after Sonia thanked him, he hung up.

    "Was that my Sonia on the phone? Is she in Ludus? I thought she was in Heden with Lucy?" Andrew asked in confusion.

    "They were on the ne with us," Desmond said with a chuckle.

    "I suppose they''re the ones you kept staring at on the ne. Why didn''t they say hello to us? And why didn''t you just make the phone call in front of everyone instead of acting so suspicious?" Andrew asked as Desmond nodded as he pocketed his phone.

    "They want to surprise my boys. I suggested they surprise everyone as well, unfortunately you know about it now. We should join themdies," Desmond suggested as turned and they both headed in the direction of the exit door.

    "Surprise? That''s nice. I guess Sonia is ready to resolve things with Bryan. And I get to see my girl today," Andrew said with a pleased smile.

    "Yes. Very nice," Desmond chuckled again since he knew that Andrew wasn''t aware that his sons were on their way to Heden.

    "Don''t let Evelyn or your wife know about this. You know how women are. They are good at ruining surprises," Desmond said, and Andrew smiled.

    "Sure. I''m relieved that this is what you were up to, and not meeting with any one," Andrew said, and Desmond chuckled again.

    "Why do you keepughing?" Andrew asked when he noticed the grin on Desmond''s face and Desmond shook his head.

    "You''ll find out for yourself when we get to Harry''s house," Desmond assured him as they joined the others at the car.

    "How are you feeling now?" Evelyn asked, and Desmond shed her a smile.

    "Much better. We can leave now," he said as he got into the car.

    He couldn''t wait to see the surprise on all their faces. What a beautiful day to be alive.

    *********

    Tom and Bryan had arrived in Heden now, and were on their way to the mall where Lucy had told him earlier they would be going to see a movie and y games.

    "So? What do you n to do when you see Sonia?" Tom asked as he watched Bryan who was lost in thoughts as he looked out of the window of the car.

    "Apologize to her and try to make things right," Bryan said with a shrug.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Are you willing to do what she wants? By that I mean, not move in together yet?" Tom asked, and Bryan sighed.

    "I don''t think staying apart from each other is a good idea. It''s not going to help bring us closer in any way. I know myself and I know my career. If we stay in different ces, we have limited time to spend together, but staying together let''s us see each other more often. I mean, moving in together will help us know each other better. We can go out on dates as often as she wants and even sleep in separate rooms if she wants us to, but I''d rather we live under the same roof," Bryan said, and Tom nodded thoughtfully.

    "What if she insists on staying apart? Are you going to break up with her?"

    "No. Breaking up with her is out of it. I''m going to have to keep trying to make her see reasons why it is not a good idea," Bryan said with a frown, hoping that Sonia would be willing to hear him out despite how he had ignored her earlier.

    "If you know break up is not an option, then you must treat your rtionship as such. You shouldn''t act in the manner you did towards her next time. Since you always like to make the distinction, I''m speaking to you right now as your elder brother and not as the CEO of I-Global. If you have a problem talk it out, and try not to go about it in a way that everyone else has an opinion about your rtionship. Real men don''t leave their women behind no matter how pissed they are, unless it''s the end of the rtionship for them," Tom said, and Bryan sighed.

    "I know I screwed up..."

    "You both screwed up. You think we don''t know she was wrong too? We do. But two wrongs don''t make a right. Your screw up is what everyone has seen, and now no one cares about what she may have done behind closed doors, do you understand me?" Tom asked, and Bryan nodded.

    "I do."

    "Now, concerning your annoyance at Lucy...."

    "I''m not annoyed with Lucy. I''m sorry I said all of that. I didn''t mean it," Bryan quickly cut in before Tom could speak.

    "I''m not sure I entirely believe you. You spoke out of the abundance of your heart. I think it''s silly of you to want topete with Lucy over her spot in Sonia''s life. Imagine me doing that. Does it make any sense to you?" Tom asked, and Bryan sighed.

    "I''m notpeting with her or anything. We all have our ces, I know that. How do you think you will feel if Lucy broke up with you just to go be with Sonia?"

    "She wouldn''t have to do that because I would let her go naturally if it will make her happy...."

    "Do you think I wouldn''t have let Sonia go naturally too if I knew about the issue with Lucy at that time? She broke up with me without even giving me a chance to...."

    "That sounds like a Sonia issue not a Lucy issue," Tom cut in before Bryan could finish.

    "Yeah. I know. I''m not mad at Lucy. Maybe I''m a bit envious of their rtionship, but I''m not mad at Lucy. I wasn''t thinking straight," Bryan said, and Tom nodded.

    "Good. Now don''t go around saying shit about my girl. The next time you do that I''m going to break your nose. I only let you off because it''s the first time," Tom warned and Bryan rolled his eyes.

    "Maybe you should give Lucy a call and find out where they are right now. Maybe they changed their ns and didn''t go to the mall as nned," Bryan suggested.

    "Good idea," Tom said as he took out his phone from his pocket and dialed Lucy''s line.

    Away from there, Lucy turned to Sonia, "Tom is calling. What now? Can I tell him we are in Ludus now?" Lucy asked as she stared at her phone which was vibrating.

    "Hell, no! Why tell him that when he would find out soon enough?" Sonia asked incredulously.

    "So what should I tell him if he wants to know where we are?" Lucy asked dryly and Sonia nced at her wristwatch.

    "We were supposed to be seeing a movie right now at the cinema, right? The car is quiet enough. I will y a movie on my phone and you can just tell him we are seeing a movie. Make sure you whisper to make it realistic," Sonia added as she quickly logged on her Netflix ount and found a movie.

    "I don''t like lying to him," Lucyined, and Sonia rolled her eyes.

    "Don''t go all good girl on me right now, please. It''s not like you are doing anything wrong. It''s a surprise! And when surprising people we tell little barely noticeable white lies like these. Everyone knows this. Right?" Sonia asked the cab driver and he chuckled.

    Lucy sighed as she received the call, "Hey, Ace! Have you gotten to your destination now?" Lucy asked, and Sonia red at her as she yed the movie.

    "Whisper!" Sonia mouthed to her.

    "Can you speak quietly, Miss? Some of us are trying to enjoy the movie!" The cab driver said, and Sonia gave him a thumbs up while Lucy shook her head.

    "You''re at the cinema already? What movie are you seeing?" Tom asked curiously.

    "Uhm, hold on so I can ask Sonia," Lucy said with an awkward giggle as she turned to Sonia.

    "What''s the name of the movie we are seeing?" She whispered.

    "Coming 2 America," Sonia whispered back, since she knew the movie was airing in the cinema.

    "Coming 2 America," Lucy said, and Tom smiled.

    "Alright. I will leave you to enjoy your movie. Let''s talk when you''re done. I love you," Tom said before hanging up.

    "They''re currently in the cinema seeing Coming 2 America," Tom informed Bryan.

    "Let''s meet them there then. I will book the tickets and then we can surprise them after the movie," Bryan said, and Tom nodded in approval.

    "That''s good. I suggest you get a bouquet of flower of Sonia. Your fans would most likely spot you," Tom said, and Bryan nodded in agreement.

    He would book that as well and have them deliver it to him in front of the mall before he goes in.

    Both brothers smiled pleasantly at the thought of how surprised theirdies would be when they see them.

 Chapter 515 Slow Down

    As Harry and Jade settled down on the couch in the living room, ready to see a movie, Jade rose from her seat and went to the sofa where Harry was lying, ready to cuddle with him.

    "We are not alone," Harry reminded her as he sat up and moved away from her so she wouldn''t rest on his body.

    "I don''t see anyone else around here," Jade said with a grin as she sat close to him.

    Harry moved away again, "Jamal or anyone could walk in here at any time...."

    "Rx, Harry. Neither of us is naked. We are just seeing a movie, not having sex," Jade said patiently as she moved closer to him.

    "Do you want us to go to your bedroom instead for privacy?" Jade suggested, batting hershes at him, and Harry sighed.

    The truth was, Harry had no problem with doing any of that with her when they were alone. But he didn''t want to be seen that way with her until they were official. Maybe he was weird, but that was just the way he wanted things. He wanted them to keep things between them until they were both sure they were down for it and ready to be official. Unfortunately for him, Jade was the exact opposite.

    "Then everyone would assume we had sex. Which is worse?"

    "It does not matter what they assume...."

    "Says the same person who hid under her duvet because her undie was found in my bedroom," Harry said dryly.

    "I only felt embarrassed because you saw it, not because...." Jade let the rest of her words trail off when Harry raised a brow.

    "I can''t help wanting to be close to you when we are in the same space," Jade confessed with a pout, and Harry shook his head.

    Seeing that it did not work, she decided to change her tactic, "I can''t believe that while both my brothers are out there having the time of their life with the women they love, I''m here begging the man I''m interested in just to let me snuggle against him. Can life be any more unfair?" Jade wailed, and Harry sighed.

    "Quit being a drama queen. Sit down and shut up-- no caressing or stealing kisses. Let''s focus on the movie," Harry said as he picked up the remote and resumed the movie, and Jade smiled happily as she leaned against him, and they both redirected their attention to the television. Or so Harry thought until Jade spoke again.

    "Harry?" Jade called after some time.

    "What is it this time?" Harry asked wearily with his eyes fixed on the television.

    Jade cleared her throat, "I need to be sure about something," Jade said, and Harry raised a brow.

    "What is that?"

    Jade cleared her throat again, "Don''t take this the wrong way...."

    "Now I''m worried," Harry muttered under his breath as he looked down at Jade, who looked up at him with a scowl.

    Harry kissed her forehead to straighten her creased brows, and she smiled involuntarily.

    "Go on. I''m listening."

    "Let''s say we start dating officially now. You''re not going to want to wait, right? I mean, like, wait until after marriage before we... you know... do it," Jade finished with a shrug, and to Harry''s credit, his face remained carefully nk.

    "Before we... I know... do what?" He asked innocently, and Jade narrowed her eyes as she looked at him, trying to figure out if he was being deliberately dense or was just not getting her.

    "I mean, sex. You know. Seeing how you''ve never done it...." Jade red at Harry when he suddenly chuckled and tugged on her right ear.

    "Is that all you think of? You must be in a hurry to take me to bed," Harry said with a teasing grin, and Jade''s face med red in embarrassment.

    "No. That''s not it," Jade denied immediately.

    "It''s not? So does that mean you don''t mind waiting for some years...

    "YEARS?" Jade asked in rm, and Harry roared withughter.

    "I''m not joking! This is important!" Jade snapped at Harry in annoyance, and he chuckled.

    "What do you want?" Harry asked, looking at her thoughtfully.

    "Well, I just want to be sure you won''t want to wait until we are married," Jade said, and Harry looked at her for a moment.

    "Why not?"

    "Because I don''t think I can," Jade said honestly.

    "So you won''t be with me if I decide I want to wait until after marriage?" Harry asked, and Jade sighed.

    "Well, if that''s what you want, we might have to skip dating altogether and just get married. Or I might just seduce you," Jade said with a shrug, and Harry nodded.

    "Good luck with that."

    "Good luck with what?" Jade asked with a frown.

    "With your seduction n," Harry said, and Jade frowned.

    "Does that mean you expect me to wait until after marriage? You know I''m not like you, right? I''ve been celibate for years only because I''m not in a rtionship, and I don''t think I can be celibate when I have a partner...."<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Slow down, esquire. Don''t you think you''re running ahead of yourself? I''m yet to officially ask you to be my girlfriend, yet you''re talking about marriage already. Why not take things one step at a time?" Harry asked, and Jade frowned.

    "I''m asking for the future, not now. I like to make ns ahead of time," Jade exined.

    "I''ve heard you."

    "But you didn''t answer my question," Jade pointed out, and Harry sighed.

    "Do you remember what I told you at the restaurant that night?" Harry asked, and Jade''s brows pulled together as she tried to remember.

    "You said a lot of things. Which?" She asked thoughtfully.

    "I told you I can''t share my body with just anyone. It has to be with someone special. It''s not just about marriage. It''s about having a connection," Harry exined patiently.

    "Oh! That''s true," Jade said with a happy smile as she rxed again and focused on the tv screen, and Harry sighed inwardly.

    It was just his luck that of all the sane and normal women in the universe, he had fallen for a Hank. She was obviously going to be a handful like her brothers. He hoped he would have the patience and wisdom to deal with her.

    After they spent some time watching the movie, Harry remembered something, and he rose from his seat, "Give me a moment," Harry said when Jade gave him a questioning look.

    "Should I pause the movie?" Jade asked as he walked away from there, but Harry asked her to keep watching the movie as he walked over to the kitchen.

    He returned a momentter carrying a mug of chocte, "Here," Harry said, handing the mug to her, and Jade took it from him distractedly but paused the movie to look at what it was when she noticed the mug was warm.

    She smiled when she saw that it was chocte. It brought back the memory of their first meeting. "Thanks," She said as she raised her mug to her lips and took a sniff before tasting it.

    A smile lit her eyes as she looked at Harry, who was watching her, "You added whiskey. You remembered my recipe," she said, and Harry shrugged.

    "I told you I was cursed with a very good memory," Harry said, and Jade smiled dreamily as she looked at him.

    "Can I fall any deeper?" She asked, and Harry chuckled as he jerked his head to the television.

    "You can. But first, you should return your attention to the movie," Harry said as he picked up the remote and resumed the movie.

    Jade grinned as she drank from the mug before snuggling closer to him. Harry had a satisfied smile on his face as he focused on the television.

    After some minutes, Harry turned to Jade abruptly, "You have some chocte stains around your lips," Harry said, and Jade turned to him as she dropped her mug on the table.

    "I do?" She asked as she stuck out her tongue to lick the areas around her lips.

    "Let me help you," Harry said in a husky voice as he used his thumb to wipe the areas around her lips.

    Jade sucked in a breath when his thumb brushed her lips. The stroke of his thumb on her skin, and the look in his eyes, made her heart suddenly begin to race, and she swallowed as she met his gaze.

    "Does this remind you of anything?" He asked as he looked into her confused blue eyes.

    "The first time you visited our home?"

    "Not that. Doesn''t this remind you of anything else?" Harry asked as he raised his thumb to his lips, but before he could lick it off, Jade caught his hand, and he smirked.

    "The chocte is mine," she said breathlessly, her heart beating fast as she brought his thumb to her lips and sucked on it while maintaining eye contact with him.

    Harry''s heart skipped a beat, and he groaned involuntarily. He couldn''t describe the sort of feeling that single action evoked inside him, but he knew the briefs he was wearing suddenly felt too small for him.

    Why did he never learn? Why did he always do things like these when he knew he would end up falling into his own trap? He wasn''t sure how much longer he was going to be able to keep himself from doing all he wanted to do to her and with her.

    Harry tried to withdraw his hand, but Jade held on to it and continued to suck on it slowly.

    "Jade...." He called huskily, and she smiled when what he had done clicked in her head.

    She pulled away as she looked into his eyes, "The dream I told you about (Chapter 369). Is that what you were asking?" She asked, and Harry nodded.

    "Harry, I''m about to kiss you," Jade informed him, and before Harry could react, she leaned forward and kissed him long and hard.

    Her heart was beating really fast as she pulled away, and she looked at him with her gleaming blue eyes, "If you keep tempting me this way, it''s going to be increasingly difficult for me to keep my distance from you," Jade said weakly.

    "How about you don''t resume work at thepany immediately? We can dy your resumption date, and then we can go on that vacation together," Harry suggested.

    "Really? We can do that?" She asked excitedly, and Harry nodded.

    "Sure. And just maybe I might leave virgin Harry behind, and we can both...."

    Harry stopped when the doorbell rang, and Jade shook her head, "Go on. We can both what?" She asked eagerly.

    "I think your parents are here. You should get the door. I will check on my dad and see if Candace and Jamal are up now," Harry said as he rose and walked away, and Jade scowled.

    "Why did they have to show up right now?" She asked irritably as she went to get the door.

 Chapter 516 SURPRISE!

    Aaron was the first to wake up from the nap, and he smiled when the first thing he saw as he opened his eyes was Candace and Jamal sleeping on the bed beside him.

    As hard as he had tried to stay awake while chatting with Candace, he had dozed off at some point in the middle of their conversation, and he was pleasantly surprised to see that Candace and Jamal had also slept off on his bed.

    Jamal, who was sleeping between him and Candace, was snuggled closely against his mother, but even in his sleep, he was holding on to Aaron''s hand. Aaron smiled as he looked down at his hand. Jamal was holding onto his thumb.

    His heart ached, and tears gathered in his eyes when his gaze shifted to Candace''s beautiful sleeping face. She looked tired and pale. She was not well rested yet, Aaron observed.

    "My poor baby," he murmured softly. It would take her a long time to recover from all the hardships she had endured.

    Despite how hard she had tried to convince him that her life had not been very hard, he knew better than to take her word for it, especially seeing how she couldn''t reallye up with any exciting stories of her life.

    She had made the most she could out of life, but from all the stories she had shared, the only thing he had picked out was that she had been struggling through life and the only bright spots in her life were Jamal and Andy.

    What could be harder than being raised in an orphanage home when your parents were still alive, getting involved with a drug dealer who was obsessed with you, being on the run from criminals, and stripping to make ends meet for your son?

    As far as he was concerned, she had lived a hard life, and he mostly med himself for it. He wished there was something he could do to make up for it, but he didn''t know what to do.

    Perhaps it was time for him to resign as president of HAJ studios. He could resign now and live the rest of his life as a doting father and grandfather. It was not toote to fulfill all his fatherly responsibilities to her.

    Maybe he could transfer all he had, including HAJ studios, to Candace. Harry was doing pretty well for himself, and knowing Harry, he was sure Harry wouldn''t mind.

    Although, from the little he hade to know about Candace, she wouldn''t befortable if he handed it all to her, even if they all knew she needed it.

    He smiled as his gaze moved to Jamal, who suddenlyughed in his sleep as though he could hear what his grandfather was thinking.

    Aaron sighed softly as he reached out and touched Jamal''s hair as if to assure himself that Jamal was real and he wasn''t dreaming. A part of him still couldn''t believe he had such a beautiful daughter and a precious grandson.

    Or maybe he could pass HAJ studios to Jamal since he wasn''t sure Candace would be interested in it or know how to run it. Candace would need a lot of training to be able to run HAJ studios, and she didn''t exactly have the time to do that now. Not when she needed to focus fully onw school now.

    There was no way he could resign and hand over the studios without a good n. He still had to answer to the shareholders. He would just keep working and also work on training Jamal. Jamal had a sharp mind, and he had no doubt that he would learn very fast. He only hoped that Jamal would be interested in thepany and would love the ce as much as he did. Maybe Jamal would be the best person to hand over to as it would help Jamal, who had taken a keen interest in Tom and had decided that he wanted to own his ownpany with multiple subsidiaries like Tom.

    He paused in his musings when he heard the sound of the doorbell, and his gaze shifted back to Candace, who stirred in her sleep.

    "It''s probably the nurse. You don''t have to wake up yet," he murmured as he patted her arm so she would go back to sleep.

    She smiled at him sleepily, and just as her eyes drifted shut, the door opened, and Harry poked his head in, "You''re awake...."

    "Sshh!" Aaron hushed, raising his forefinger to his lips.

    "Dont disturb their sleep," he whispered, and Harry rolled his eyes as he walked into the bedroom.

    "Why? They are going to have to wake up either way. Tom''s parents are here with Lucy''s parents. They will want to see Jamal," Harry exined, and Aaron sighed.

    "They''re here?" Candace asked as she opened her eyes and sat up.

    "Yes. You might want to freshen up beforeing out. You can use the room down the hallway," Harry suggested, and Candace nodded as she yawned.

    "Did you sleep well?" Aaron asked, looking at her with loving eyes, and she smiled as she gave him a nod.

    "Yes, thanks. How do you feel now? Should I fix your lunch?" Candace asked, but Aaron shook his head.

    "Don''t worry about that," Aaron said as he turned to Harry, "What about the nurse? Is she not here yet?"

    "She will be here soon," Harry said as his gaze shifted to Jamal.

    "Just to be clear, I don''t have to worry about Jamal telling them about the incident earlier, right?" Harry asked, and both Candace and Aaron chuckled.

    "Don''t worry, he won''t," Candace said as she softly tapped Jamal to wake him up.

    "Jam?" Candace called softly as she tapped him until Jamal opened his eyes.

    "Wake up. Grandma J and Evelyn are here," Candace said, and almost immediately, Jamal sat bolt upright.

    "They''re here?" He asked, ncing at the door while Harry and Aaron watched in amusement.

    "Yes. They''re in the living room," Harry was still speaking when Jamal rolled off the bed and started heading for the door excitedly.

    "Jam?" Candace stopped him.

    "Remember what I told you earlier about finding Aunt Jade''s undies in Uncle Harry''s bedroom?" Candace asked, and Jamal gave her a nod.

    "You said I must not talk about it again or tell anyone because it''s an embracing subject...."

    "Embarrassing," Candace and Aaron corrected at the same time, and Jamal nodded.

    "Good. So be a good boy and do not mention it when you speak with them. Else Uncle Harry and Aunt Jade will be mad at you. And I won''t be pleased either," Candace said, and for extra effect, Aaron added.

    "Lucy won''t like that either. And I''m sure you won''t want to lose points," Aaron said, and Jamal bobbed his head.

    "I won''t talk about it," Jamal promised Harry, and he gave him a thumbs up.

    "Good. You can leave now," Candace said, and Jamal zipped past Harry and ran out of the bedroom.

    Candace rose from the bed, "I will join you after I wash my face," Candace said as she excused herself, leaving Harry and Aaron.

    Once she shut the door behind her, father and son looked at each other, "How did your bonding go?" Harry asked, and Aaron sighed.

    "Life hasn''t been easy on her," Aaron said, and Harry nodded.

    "Yeah. And none of that is your fault. We will do all we can to make sure she is fine. Just don''t go ming yourself silently for it. It''s time for you to also leave the past behind," Harry said as he rolled the wheelchair closer to the bed.

    "You should say hello to our guests," Harry said as he helped his dad get into the wheelchair.

    "Did you say Lucy''s mom is here too?" Aaron asked, and Harry nodded.

    "Seeing how Jamal loves them, she must be nothing like her sister," Aaron said, and Harry nodded.

    "She is a victim too," Harry reminded his father.

    "Yeah. You''re right. Let''s not keep them waiting," Aaron said, and Harry maneuvered the wheelchair out of the room.

    As they approached the living room, they could hear Jamal narrating how Harry had rushed out of the office carrying Aaron and how he had followed them to the hospital and held Aaron''s hand until he felt all better.

    "Harry darling!" Evelyn called as she stood, and her husband and the Perrys did the same when they saw Harry approaching with his father.

    "Mrs. Hank...."

    "Don''t be silly, Harry. We are way past the formalities. How have you been, darling?" She asked as she went to embrace him, and she kissed his cheeks.

    "It''s been too long since Ist saw you," she said with a fond smile as she stepped back and patted his cheek fondly while Harry smiled at her politely.

    "It''s good to see you again. How was your flight?" Harry asked as he looked from her to Desmond and the Perrys. He met J''s gaze and noticed the way she was observing him.

    "The flight was fun. Hello, Aaron!" Evelyn greeted, moving away from Harry to greet his father.

    Seeing that Harry was already acquainted with Tom''s family, Jamal, who was still holding onto J''s hand, decided to do the honors for Lucy''s family.

    "Uncle Harry, this is grandmum J, Lucy''s mom. And this is Andrew, Lucy''s dad...."<novelnext></novelnext>

    "She gets to be grandmum J, and I get to be just Andrew? Really,d?" Andrew asked, tugging on Jamal''s ear, and he chuckled.

    "I will ask grandpa Aaron if it''s okay to call you grandad," Jamal said, and Andrew chuckled.

    "Who did you ask before calling my wife grandmum J?" Andrew inquired.

    "Shouldn''t you be nicer to him since you want Lucy to be your girlfriend, and he is Lucy''s dad?" Harry asked, surprising Desmond, Evelyn, and the Perrys, who burst intoughter when Jamal nodded.

    "I will call you granddad Andrew for now," Jamal said, ignoring theirughter.

    "Jamal has a crush on Lucy?" Evelyn asked in amusement.

    "For now?" Andrew asked, and Jamal gave him a nod.

    "With your blessing, I''m going to marry Lucy when I grow up. I won''t call you granddad Andrew then," Jamal said, looking at Andrew with such a serious expression that Andrew resisted the urge tough.

    Andrew cleared his throat, "Of course, if she would have you, and your mother permits it...."

    "That''s not going to happen. Don''t give him such false hope," J chided as she lifted Jamal and bnced him on her waist.

    Evelyn nodded in agreement, "Lucy is taken, and you, my sweet boy, have your life ahead of you. Don''t waste it dreaming on meaningless...."

    "Women! They won''t let the young man enjoy his harmless fantasy in peace," Aaron muttered, and the menughed in agreement.

    "Took the words right out from my mouth," Desmond and Andrew chorused.

    "Yet neither of you said a thing," Jade, who had been silently watching the exchange, pointed out.

    "Because they obviously don''t want to get into trouble. But Aaron has no problem saying what he thinks," Candace said as she joined them, and the man chuckled.

    "Oh, Candace!" Evelyn cooed as she went to embrace her.

    "Hello!" Candace greeted with a pleasant smile as she embraced Evelyn.

    "Hello, Harry!" J greeted with an awkward smile as she looked at Harry while Jade rose from where she sat and took Jamal from J so there wouldn''t be any distractions.

    "It''s nice to meet you," Harry said with a pleasant smile. He could understand that she was probably feeling sort of ufortable about meeting her sister''s ex-husband and son, just as they were about meeting Sara''s twin sister, there was no reason to make it any more awkward than it already was for everyone.

    "And you too, Mr. Perry," Harry said as he extended his hand to Andrew for a handshake.

    "Please call me Andrew. I must say I''m surprised that someone as despicable as Sara is capable of birthing such a fine young man...."

    "Andrew!" J called in a warning tone, but Andrew ignored her.

    "I''m positive you turned out this fine because of your dad. You are probably the only ones that must hate her almost as much as J does. Or maybe not. There could be even more people out there she must have stolen from. What is that saying? The enemy of my enemy is my friend, right? Let''s all stick closely together," Andrew proposed as he shook Harry''s hand.

    "Please don''t mind him...."

    "Why not?" Aaron asked, and J shrugged as she nced at him.

    "I''m just not sure you''d want us to talk about her...."

    "Don''t worry. I''m fine. You''re all wee. Please sit down," Aaron said, and just as they all settled on the couch, he looked around the apartment.

    "Why don''t I see Tom around?" He asked Harry curiously.

    "Oh! I forgot to mention it. He flew down to Heden with Bryan. He to surprise Lucy and go on a date with her," Harry said, and Aaron grinned while Andrew shot Desmond a look, but Desmond pretended not to notice as he stifled his chuckle.

    "That''s nice. Those two can''t seem to stay away from each other. I''m waiting for the time when I will see you make such romantic gestures," Aaron said, and Harry red at his father.

    "Very soon, Aaron. And trust me, Harry is very romantic," Jade said with a grin, and Aaron chuckled while the others looked at them with interest.

    "What is romantic?" Jamal asked, looking at Jade, who was still holding him closely.

    "Uhm... I think your mom should answer that," Jade said, looking at Candace with an awkward smile.

    "Romantic means those adult stuff that people in rtionship do to make their partners love them more," Evelyn exined, and Jamal nodded thoughtfully.

    "Like traveling like Tom to see Lucy?" Jamal asked.

    "Exactly!" Evelyn said, and Candace smiled.

    "That was easy," Candace observed.

    "I raised three kids. You have no idea the sort of questions I had to answer. Bryan once asked me why his penis stands erect every morning," Evelyn said, and they all burst intoughter.

    "How did you answer that?" Candace asked curiously.

    "Sent him straight to his father. I told him his father would have the perfect answer since he had a penis too," Evelyn said, and they allughed.

    "Please, no one should ask me what I told him," Desmond said when all eyes turned to him, and thankfully the doorbell rang before anyone could ask him any question.

    "It''s probably the nurse. I will get the door," Harry said as he walked over to get the door, and Jamal followed, while Desmond and Andrew exchanged a look.

    "Lucy!" Jamal screeched happily.

    "Lucy? What are you doing here?" Harry asked in surprise when he saw Lucy and Sonia standing at the door.

    "Lucy?" Jade asked as she rose and both Evelyn and J did the same but the men remained seated, and from the look on their faces Aaron could tell them were not surprised.

    "Why do you all look so surprised?" Sonia asked in amusement when she noticed how they were all staring at them.

    "I need to see Bryan. Where is he?" Sonia asked as she walked past them into the apartment, and they all followed.

    "You came here to find Bryan?" Evelyn asked, while Desmond fought the urge to stifle hisughter.

    "Yes. Desmond said you would all be here. Did Bryan leave already?" Sonia asked when she noticed that Bryan wasn''t in the apartment.

    "Are you aware that Tom is not here?" J asked Lucy.

    "Is Tom aware that you''re in Ludus?"

    "Whenst did you talk to Tom?" Harry and Jade asked simultaneously.

    "No. We wanted to surprise them," Lucy exined with a sheepish smile, wondering what the whole questioning was about.

    "Desmond told you Bryan would be here? When?" Evelyn asked, looking from Sonia to Desmond who was beginning to shake withughter.

    "Bryan is not here! Bryan and Tom flew to Heden to surprise you," Jade announced, and Lucy''s mouth fell open in surprise.

    "Tom flew to Heden?"

    "Bryan flew to Heden?" Lucy and Sonia asked, their jaws dropped in disbelief, and immediately Desmond roared withughter as he yelled.

    "SURPRISE!" and both Andrew and Aaron joined in hisughter.

 Chapter 517 Movie Hall Surprise

    Instead of going quietly to the mall where the cinema was located, Tom and Bryan had decided to make a grande entrance since it wasn''t all the time that both Hank brothers were spotted in the same ce at the same time, especially now that Tom''s identity had been revealed.

    As a result of this, they pulled up in front of the mall in a gold Mansory Rolls-Royce Phantom limousine, drawing the attention of everyone.

    They had decided to take the limo so there would be enough room for all four of them inside, and they had settled for such an expensive ride because Tom wanted to splurge and they both wanted to show off a bit.

    "We are here," the Hank family driver who had received them from the airport announced, and Bryan opened the door.

    Once they stepped out of the limo, people gathered around to watch them while capturing pictures with their phones and whispering amongst themselves as they made guesses on why the brothers had decided to make an appearance there.

    Tom and Bryan stood beside the car as Bryan scanned the area in search of the delivery man with the bouquet.

    He spotted the delivery man heading towards them with the bouquet and he received it from him and generously tipped him, they both walked inside the mall with a multitude of people following them.

    Most of the people around them wanted to ask Bryan for his autograph and take photos with the brothers, but the brothers were too preupied with their mission to pay them any attention so no one could approach them.

    They had barely taken a few steps inside when the manager of the mall ran out to wee them, "Hello, Mr. Hank! It''s a pleasure having you in our mall. Please what can we do for you?" he greeted with a deep bow as he stopped in front of them, blocking their path, and both brothers looked at each other in amusement, wondering which of them he was referring to since they were both Mr. Hank.

    Realizing his error he cleared his throat, "You are both wee. It''s not every day we have such dignitaries at our mall," He said, and Tom nodded as he shook hands with the man.

    "Thanks for the warm wee. Now, if you don''t mind, we would love to be excused. The movie isn''t exactly waiting for us," Tom said as he nced at his wristwatch.

    The movie would be ending in less than twenty minutes, and they needed to get in there in time to surprise the girls.

    "Alright. Let me know if you need anything," the manager said as he stepped out of their way, and they walked away.

    Bryan stopped in his track when something urred to him and he returned to meet the manager who was still standing where he was looking down at his hand.

    Tom stood and watched Bryan as he went to speak to the man, and when Bryan returned he raised a brow, "What did you say to him?" He asked, and Bryan smiled.

    "I''m putting up a little show for Sonia," Bryan said with a proud smile as they got on the esctor and headed for the part of the mall where the cinema was located.

    Once they got into the mall, they tried to look around to see if they could spot them, but it was too dark so they sat on the avable seats at the back of the hall and joined in watching the movie.

    Once the movie ended and people started to rise from their seat, instead of the usual cast disy at the end of the movie, "I LOVE YOU, SONIA SMITH. I''M SORRY" was disyed on the screen just as the lights came on, and sounds of "aww" rented the hall.

    Bryan and Tom rose from their seats to find the love of their lives, and while some of thedies in the hall were taking pictures of the screen to post on social media, others were gushing over the handsome brothers.

    "I can''t see Lucy. Can you see Sonia?" Tom asked with a frown when he scanned the hall and didn''t see Lucy.

    "No. She is not here either," Bryan said with a slight frown, both brothers ignoring some of thedies that were now trying to flirt with them.

    "Maybe they left to use the restroom?" Bryan suggested.

    "Let''s get out of here," Tom said, hating the attention they were receiving.

    As they walked out of the hall, Tom dialed Lucy''s line to find out if they were still in the mall or had left.

    Bryan followed, still holding the bouquet of flower in hand. By now the news about their visit to the mall was all over the inte and thanks to those who were in the movie hall and had captured the disy on the screen, people had figured out that the brothers were there to see Sonia.

    The manager who had been standing just outside the movie hall, ran up to them them, "Mr. Hank��."

    Tom turned to the manager when Lucy didn''t take his call, "Could you help me make an announcement. My girlfriend is not receiving my call, and I will love to know if she is still somewhere around the mall��."

    Just as the manager gave them a nod and was about to scurry away, eager to please them, Bryan stopped him.

    "Maybe I should give Sonia a call first. What if they''ve left the mall?" Bryan asked, and Tom nodded.

    Away from there; Lucy and Sonia looked stunned as they tried to process what they had just been told, while Evelyn, and J were busy ring at Desmond and Andrew who were stillughing uncontrobly.

    While Lucy was cringing as she remembered how she had just lied to Tom a while ago that they were seeing a movie in the cinema, Sonia was thinking about the fact that Bryan had traveled back to see her.

    That had to mean he was really ready for them to work things out now and was not taking a break anymore, right? She knew she still owed him an apology for misunderstanding him and all, but she was happy that he was as willing as she was to work things out.

    "What if Tom called me because they wanted to meet us?" Lucy asked Sonia with a slight frown, feeling guilty for deceiving Tom.

    "You think they went to the cinema? We should call them," Sonia said, while Jade looked at them curiously.

    "What Cinema?" Jade asked, and Sonia exined how they had told Tom they were seeing a movie.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "This is why people should not tell lies," Harry muttered under his breath, feeling sorry for Tom who was now on a wild goose chase.

    "Cut it out. She''s feeling bad enough already," Aaron scolded as he looked at Lucy.

    "Don''t beat yourself over it, dear," Aaron told Lucy who looked very upset.

    "Tom won''t get mad. I will ask him not to be mad," Jamal said as he tugged on Lucy''s hand, and she gave him a small smile of gratitude.

    "When did you meet Desmond and what did he tell you?" Evelyn asked, and Sonia scowled at Desmond as she told Evelyn and the others how they had met him in the ne and all he said. She didn''t leave out how he had called her after they left the ne to ask them toe to Harry''s apartment.

    Aaron, Harry, Jade, and Candace listened to her story with amusement as they tried not tough, seeing how pissed thedies looked.

    "How can you y such a prank on them? Don''t you know how important this is to them? I can''t even believe you find this funny," Evelyn snapped at Desmond.

    "If you give it some thought, it''s funny. The surprisers ended up bing the surprisees, if that English is correct," Andrew said with a roaringugh that stopped abruptly when his wife threw her handbag at him.

    "And you too? You plotted this with him��."

    "No, I didn''t plot anything. It''s all Desmond," Andrew said defensively, and Desmond turned to him with a slightly raised brow.

    "What are you looking at me that way for? Did you tell me that Tom and Bryan traveled to surprise them?" Andrew asked Desmond before turning to his wife and Lucy.

    "I swear to you, I''m only just finding out about it all now. I''m onlyughing because it''s funny, not because I was in on this n," Andrew said, not wanting to be on the bad side of the women.

    "You have no honor," Desmond said with a shake of his head, his tone dripping with disapproval.

    "And you have no shame! For Christ sake!, Desmond! How can you y such a prank on the kids?" Andrew asked with a straight face as he moved away from Desmond, joining the women and looked down on Desmond, and this time Aaron chuckled.

    "Grown men behaving like boys," Evelyn shook her head with disapproval as she looked from Andrew to Desmond.

    "Well, let''s look at the bright side. At least this shows they''re both willing to work on their rtionship. I mean just take a look, Bryan traveled all that way, and Sonia came this way��."

    "Desmond! That is not the point!" Evelyn hissed at him.

    "But what could I have done? I met them in the ne on their way here. Nothing would have changed, would it? Tom and Bryan were already on their way over there. What would have changed if I told them the truth? Besides, didn''t you say it was meant to be a secret and neither of us could tell them about it? Well, I took that seriously and I kept the truth��."

    "DESMOND!" Evelyn yelled, startling Jamal who was watching the adults and wondering why they were all making so much fuss over nothing.

    "I will stop arguing and apologize now if I were you," Andrew advised Desmond, and Aaron chuckled when Desmond red at Andrew.

    "Alright! Fine. I''m sorry but��." Desmond suddenly burst into a peal ofughter again.

    "I wish I could see the look on the boys'' faces right now," Desmond said amidst hisughter, and this time even Harry, Jade, and Candace joined the men in theughter.

    The only people that were not finding the situation funny were Evelyn, J, and of course Lucy, and Sonia.

    "Tom is calling," Lucy announced when her phone started vibrating, and immediately Sonia looked at her.

    "Receive the call," Sonia suggested, and Lucy frowned.

    "I lied to him," she said with a sigh not knowing how to face Tom.

    It was beginning to look like she always ended up in awkward situations whenever she took Sonia''s advise.

    "He lied to you too, didn''t he?" Sonia reminded her and Lucy paused.

    That was true. Tom lied�� no. He didn''t exactly lie. He left out the detail. He told her he was traveling out of Ludus to take care of something urgent and would give her the detailster. She on the other hand had lied.

    "He didn''t," Lucy said with a sigh.

    "Still, you should receive his call," Evelyn urged her.

    By the time she wanted to receive the call, it had disconnected already.

    "Bryan is calling," Sonia announced, her heart beating very fast as she received the call.

 Chapter 518 Very Impressive

    Everyone was silent as Sonia received the call, and Lucy couldn''t tell if it was because they wanted to know what Tom and Bryan were up to or if it was because they were curious to hear the exchange between Bryan and Sonia since this seemed to be their first interaction since their misunderstanding.

    "ce the call on speaker," Jade suggested, but while she was still speaking, Sonia walked away from their midst and headed for the door.

    "Why don''t you return Tom''s call?" Evelyn suggested at the same time as Jade, but even as she was speaking, Lucy was already following Sonia out of the house.

    "Hello! Can you hear me? Babe?" Bryan asked when Sonia didn''t say a word.

    Once Sonia stepped out of the door, and Lucy shut the door behind her, she raised the phone to her ear, "Babe?"

    "Where are you?" Bryan asked the moment he heard her voice.

    "I''m sorry," Sonia spoke at the same time, and they both paused as they waited for the other to go on.

    "What did she say? Where are they? And why isn''t Lucy receiving her call?" Tom asked Bryan, trying not to sound as impatient as he felt now, standing outside the movie hall with a crowd of people he did not know staring at him and taking pictures.

    "I''m very sorry for misunderstanding you and for the things I said. I didn''t mean to hurt you. I don''t want to take a break...."

    "I''m sorry for leaving the way I did. Let''s talk some more when we see. Where are you right now? And where is Lucy? She is there with you, right?" Bryan asked since he could tell that Tom was beginning to get upset from the way he was scowling at him.

    Sonia looked at Lucy, who was standing next to her, "She is here with me, and we are together in Ludus," Sonia said, not bothering to let Bryan know that she knew where he was.

    Lucy, on the other hand, cringed as she imagined how the brothers would react to the information Sonia had just given.

    "Ludus? You are in Ludus right now? Why?"Bryan asked in shock, and even Tom looked taken aback by the news.

    "Ludus?" Tom asked as he snatched the phone from Bryan.

    "Hello, Sonia! This is Tom. Where are you right now? And where is Lucy?" Tom demanded briskly, and hearing his voice, Sonia quickly passed the phone to Lucy.

    Although she was usually the courageous one, she wasn''t really sure she could face Tom right now. It was best to leave that up to Lucy. It was Lucy he had a soft spot for, not her. So Lucy should do the exnation.

    "What?" Lucy asked with a slight frown.

    "Tom wants to speak with you," Sonia exined, and Lucy''s heart raced as she raised the phone to her ear.

    "Ace...."

    "Where are you right now?" Tom cut in calmly.

    "We are at Harry''s apartment...."

    "Harry''s apartment? Does Harry have an apartment in Heden?" Tom asked with practiced patience as he tried not to ground his teeth.

    "His apartment in Ludus. Sonia wanted to surprise Bryan, so we came back together to...."

    "You made me believe that you were in the cinema," Tom reminded her, his blood beginning to boil at the level of their deception as he remembered how she had imed she was inside the cinema seeing a movie.

    "I''m sorry. We were going to go there to see the movie, but Sonia changed her mind, and she didn''t want me to...."

    "Since you are at Harry''s apartment right now, that means you must be aware that I''m in Heden, am I right?" Tom cut in.

    "Yes. We just...."

    "I''m right here making a fool of myself at the mall where you said you would be, and you are over there...." Tom paused, took a deep breath, and without saying another word to her, Tom returned the phone to Bryan and walked away.

    He couldn''t believe that she had found out about the mix-up and had not only failed to call him but had also ignored his phone call.

    She had gone to Harry''s ce to see Aaron yet had failed to call him when she found out he had traveled that distance to see her.

    He was mad at her and angry at everything else. Here he was, trying his best to do all he could to be with her and spend time with her, yet she didn''t care about him.

    "I''m sorry...."

    Not knowing what to say to her, Bryan sighed, "He is no longer with the phone. I need to go...."

    "Alright," Lucy said in a quiet voice as she returned the phone to Sonia.

    "Babe...." Sonia called, but Bryan had hung up the call already.

    "Is everything okay?" Sonia asked with a concerned frown when she saw the distress on Lucy''s face.

    "Yeah," Lucy murmured as she looked at her own phone, contemting whether or not she should call him or give him time to cool off.

    This whole surprise thing was a bad idea, and she had known it from the moment Sonia suggested it. She should have told Tom about it. Knowing him, he would have kept the truth from Bryan and possibly helped Sonia n a better way to surprise him. Now he was mad at her.

    He had been upset when she merely left the office on an official assignment without informing him first, talk more of traveling from one city to another without his knowledge.

    "What did he say? Did they go to the mall?" Sonia asked, and Lucy nodded, tears gathering in her eyes.

    As minor or funny as it might seem to anyone else, Lucy knew Tom wouldn''t take it so lightly. She couldn''t take the fact that she had done something like that so lightly either. Despite how stressed he was, he had made that trip to see her.

    He had believed her so quickly because he trusted her, but she lied to him and made him go all that way for nothing.

    "I will exin to him and let him know it''s all my fault," Sonia offered, guessing from the look on Lucy''s face that Tom was upset with her.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Lucy shook her head, "There won''t be any need for that," Lucy said as she decided to settle for a text message instead.

    "You can go in. I will join you inside," Lucy said as she startedposing a text on her phone.

    Away from there, Bryan hurried after Tom as he left the mall and caught up with him at the foot of the esctor.

    "Tom...."

    "Unless there is something else you want to do in Heden, let''s return to Ludus," Tom said without letting him finish.

    "We can leave," Bryan said as he handed the bouquet of flowers to the nearestdy, and they left.

    As they got into the car, Tom''s phone beeped with a text notification, and he took it out. He wanted to ignore the text at first when he saw that it was from Lucy, but on second thoughts, he clicked on it.

    [I was wrong to lie to you regardless of my reason. I''m sorry. Please forgive me. It''s past five minutes already. Call me. I love you.]

    Past five minutes? Tom mused with a slight frown as he tried to figure out what she meant. It didn''t take long before he figured it out, and he sighed.

    They had both promised to try not to stay mad at each other for longer than five minutes (Chapter 285).

    Back in Harry''s apartment, the others gathered around Jade''s phone as they all read the details on a gossip blog talking about the Hank brothers who showed up at a mall to surprise Sonia Smith, who stood them up.

    "It seems like you Hanks can never stay off the news. You lot always attract trouble," Harry muttered to Jade, forgetting that Evelyn and Desmond were there, and three pairs of eyes turned to re at him. He quickly shed Evelyn and Andrew a smile.

    "I was only pulling your legs," Harry assured them, and the others in the roomughed.

    Theirughter ceased, and all eyes turned to the door as Lucy and Sonia, who had insisted on going in with her, walked in, "What did Tom say?" Jade asked curiously as she dropped her phone, and everyone returned to their seats.

    Lucy looked at her, wondering why Jade was asking what Tom said when it was Sonia who had left to answer Bryan''s call. What made them think she had spoken to Tom? She mused as she stared at Jade.

    "Did Tom not speak to her through your phone?" Jade asked Sonia since, from the expressions on both their faces when they walked in, Lucy seemed more distressed than Sonia.

    "Nothing," Lucy said simply, but they all knew she was not telling the truth.

    "I''m leaving now. I will see youter," Lucy said to Aaron before turning to her parents, "I guess we will meet at Tom''s house," Lucy told them in a tired voice.

    "Oh, dear! Tom must be mad. I''m sorry, Lucy," Desmond said, looking remorseful now as he rose, but Lucy shook her head.

    "No. It''s not your fault. You did nothing wrong," Lucy said with a sigh.

    She wished she could me this on either Desmond or Sonia, but she couldn''t. It was not their fault. It was hers.

    Tom was her man, and she knew him well enough to know that this was going to piss him off. Especially when his surprise visit to her had been ruined and who knew what else. Tom hated having his ns messed up, and that seemed to be happening a lottely. She only hoped her text would work.

    "Tom won''t be mad. I told him not to be mad, right mom?" Jamal asked from where he sat beside J.

    "Yes, you did, pumpkin," Candace responded.

    "Don''t worry too much, Lulu. Once he stops getting mad about his thwarted ns, he will understand. Tom is not unreasonable," Harry assured her.

    "We will talk to him not to be mad," Evelyn assured her.

    "Harry give him a call right now and let me talk to him," Aaron suggested, and Lucy smiled.

    "Thanks...," the rest of her words trailed off when her phone started ringing, and she saw it was Tom.

    "It''s Tom, right?" Jade asked, and Lucy gave her a nod as she received the call.

    "I''m not calling because I''m no longer mad at you. I''m still very disappointed and mad. However, I''m calling because I love you. My anger will eventually pass, but my love for you won''t pass...."

    Lucy''s heart swelled with love for him, and tears gathered in her eyes. Her lips wobbled as she smiled, "I love you too. I''m sorry," she cried, and although the otherdies in the room couldn''t hear what Tom was saying, their eyes were teary as they watched Lucy.

    "We are on our way back, so don''t you dare think of getting on any ne anding back here," Tom warned, and Lucy sniffled as she giggled while Bryan looked at Tom with newfound admiration.

    "What can I do to make it up to you?" Lucy asked as she turned away from the others.

    "You could give me the whole of tonight and tomorrow. I want you all to myself. No divided attention."

    "I''m all yours," Lucy promised.

    "Cool. I will see youter then. Take care of yourself. I love you."

    "I love you more," Lucy said, meaning that for the first time.

    "No. I love you more," Tom said before hanging up.

    "Wow!" Bryan eximed as he looked at Tom.

    "What?" Tom asked with an arched brow.

    "You''re impressive. Very impressive," Bryan said, giving him a thumbs up, and Tom smiled.

    He had really been upset as at the time he dialed Lucy''s line, and although he wasn''tpletely past the annoyance of everything, he felt better after speaking with her.

 Chapter 519 Live Video

    Harry looked around his apartment and he couldn''t believe how rowdy it was. This was the first time he was having such arge gathering in his house and there wasn''t even enough room for everyone.

    He was having a headache. Everyone was talking at the same time, some seated, some standing, and people were just at every corner he looked in his living room.

    Now that she had resolved her misunderstanding with Tom, there was no reason for her to leave the gathering since he wouldn''t be in ludus at least until a couple of hours so she was busy talking with her parents about her mother''s arrest, while Sonia was talking with Desmond and Evelyn.

    "I''m hungry," Soniained, and Evelyn turned to her.

    "Of course, you''d be. I doubt you''ve had anything to eat since you left the house, or have you?" Evelyn asked, and Sonia shook her head.

    "Why don''t we go to the kitchen and fix dinner for everyone," Jade suggested to Candace, and both Lucy, and Sonia joined them.

    Harry silently hoped that they would clean the ce before leaving. He didn''t want to have to call in the cleaner on a weekend, and he definitely didn''t want to have to do the cleaning himself either.

    Inside the kitchen, Jade looked at Sonia and Lucy, "Now that you both seem okay, I think you need to know that your men are trending on social media because of you," Jade said, and Candace giggled while Sonia and Lucy looked at her with questioning eyes.

    "Trending why?" Lucy asked, while Sonia wasted no time in taking out her phone to see what was happening on social media.

    "You should see for yourself," Jade said before turning to Candace. "What do you suggest we fix for everyone?"

    "Let''s see what we can make out of what we can find," Candace suggested while Sonia and Lucy pored over the articles on social media.

    "I can''t believe he bought me flowers. It''s the first time anyone is buying me flowers," Sonia said with a wide smile.

    "I can count a number of guys that bought you flowers," Lucy said dryly.

    "They don''t count," Sonia said waving her hands dismissively.

    "And he apologized publicly in a cinema. Isn''t that so romantic?" Sonia asked with a girlish giggle and Lucy rolled her eyes.

    "Yes, it is. You can include all of that in your novel," Lucy suggested.

    "Everyone still thinks you stood him up," Jade pointed out as she and Candace rummaged through the refrigerator in search of food items that would be enough to prepare a meal for everyone.

    "Well, that can be corrected easily," Sonia said as she went on her instagram page and started a live video, startling Lucy who quickly moved away from her.

    "What are you doing?" Lucy asked with a frown.

    "Going live to let everyone know Bryan wasn''t stood up," Sonia said even as people started to join her live video.

    "Your face don''t look so good," Jade said, turning to look at Sonia.

    "I''m live already," Sonia pointed out, and Jade quickly went around to join Sonia while Lucy stood beside Candace.

    "Hello, everyone! As you already know, I''m Sonia Smith. Bryan''s girlfriend...."

    "And I''m Jade Hank. The most beautiful Hank sister," Jade said with a bright smile and they both giggled as they read some of thements.

    "No, I''m not gay. I assure you," Jade said when one personmented on how pretty she was saying she looked like a lesbian, while another person asked if the reason Sonia left Bryan was for Bryan''s pretty sister.

    "First of all, I want to publicly apologize to Bryan for misunderstanding him. Baby, I''m sorry, and I love you."

    "Aww," Jade cooed, cing a hand on her chest.

    "Secondly, I''m going to ignore all the hatements I readst night from Bryan''s fans. I''m ignoring it all because I want to believe you said all you did out of love for him and concern for his career. Now to the reason I''m making this video. I just saw the news online about Bryan being stood up by me. That''s not true. I traveled all the way down to Ludus to surprise Bryan and make up with him only to find out he also traveled down to Heden to see me. I''m over here with his family waiting for him to return. So it''s all love down here. I hope the gossip blogs would stop spreading unverified stories. Thanks for your time. I love you all. Goodbye for now," Sonia said, and ended the video.

    "How was that?" Sonia asked with a satisfied smile as she looked at Lucy and Candace.

    Lucy shrugged, "I guess it''s okay."

    "Good. Now that we have gotten that out of the way, let''s talk about how the both of your are cousins," Sonia said pointing at Lucy and Candace.

    "And how you are interested in her twin brother," Sonia said pointing at Jade and Candace.

    "And how you are dating her brother," Sonia said pointing at Lucy and Jade.

    "And how you are my best friend, and how we are dating her both brothers... don''t you think we should just bring out knives right now and take a blood oath swearing allegiance to each other seeing how we are all connected?" Sonia asked, making themugh.

    "Oh! I left out how you are involved with her brother''s best friend," Sonia said, referring to Candace and Jade once again.

    "I''m not involved with her brother''s best friend. Nothing is going on between Matt and I," Candace informed her stiffly.

    "Nothing? But Matt is in love with you," Sonia said with a slight frown.

    "You think so too, right?" Jade asked, while Lucy listened to them withoutmenting since she was the only one who didn''t really know Matt personally and knew next to nothing about Candace''s rtionship with him.

    "Not anymore. That''s all water under the bridge now," Candace said dismissively wondering why everyone was talking about Matt today. She hoped they would drop the subject and let sleeping dogs lie.

    "Love doesn''t fade so easily.... Talk about the devil," Sonia said with a grin when her phone started ringing and she saw that it was Matt.

    "That''s Matt?" Jade asked, and Sonia nodded as she received the call while Candace pretended to be busy so she wouldn''t focus on Sonia to hear what she was discussing with Matt.

    "Hey, gumsdrop!" Matt greeted cheerfully making Sonia smile.

    "Sup, sunshine!" Sonia greeted back and Matt chuckled.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Do you sound this way because you are fine or are you trying to sound cheerful to make me believe you''re good?" Matt asked making Sonia''s brows pull together in confusion.

    "Is there a reason I shouldn''t be fine?"

    "I heard about your fallout with Bryan. Are you okay? Do you need a shoulder to cry on?" Matt asked with such a concerned tone that made Sonia smile.

    "Aww! I''m so touched right now," Sonia said, genuinely feeling touched by his question.

    "Don''t feel so touched. I n to snatch you from him. That bastard doesn''t deserve a germ like you. Please, if you both ever make up don''t tell him I said this," Matt pleaded and Sonia giggled making the others wonder what they were talking about as they went about fixing snacks for everyone to eat.

    "Are you still at the Hank home? I could drop by with a box of ice cream and chocte for you," Matt offered.

    "That''s so sweet of you. Do you have a social media ount, Matt? Instagram? Twitter? Facebook?" Sonia asked in amusement.

    "Sure, I do. Why?" Matt asked.

    "Whenst did you go online?" Sonia asked curiously.

    "Some time this morning I think. I''m not really a fan of social media. I prefer to spend my time doing other things instead of trying to see what other people are doing with their time. Besides, it''s a known fact that most stuff posted online are lies. Why waste my time?" Matt asked, and Soniaughed softly.

    "You''re so weird for a celebrity. Anyway, if you had gone online you''d have been updated on the current state of our rtionship. Bryan and I are cool, or better put, we are on our way to being cool, so I''m fine. Thanks for asking," Sonia said, and Matt sighed in relief.

    "I''m relieved you''re both not breaking up," Matt confessed honestly.

    "You are such a darling," Sonia said, and Matt smiled.

    "Anyway, I told Bryan I was gonna stop by to check on you I still have to do that. So where are you?" Matt asked as he nced at the wristwatch.

    "Well, unless you are in Ludus or n to fly down to Ludus, I''m afraid you can''t do that. I''m in Ludus. Got here about an hour ago," Sonia exined and Matt raised a brow.

    "Huh? Does that mean you are with Bryan right now?"

    "No. He''s in Heden. We both traveled to see the other," Sonia said, exining the mixup and Matt burst into a peal ofughter.

    "Serve y''all right. Alright then. Since you''re good, I don''t have to worry. Got to go now," Matt said wanting to hang up, but Sonia quickly stopped him.

    "I''m at Harry''s apartment right now. Jade is here. And Candace too. You want to say hello?" Sonia asked, and Candace stiffened at the mention of her name, while Jade walked over to where Sonia was and took the phone from her.

    "Give my regards to them. I have to go now...."

    "Too bad I''m with the phone already. How are you?" Jade asked, and Matt sighed.

    "I''m fine. Seeing how you''re both there I guess things turned out well and Jero is dead," Matt said, resisting the urge to ask Jade about what Bryan had told him concerning Candace being Harry''s twin sister.

    "Yeah. Want to say hello to her?" Jade suggested, and Candace paused what she was doing to look at Jade with disapproval even though a part of her wanted to speak with him.

    "Can''t.I''m busy right now. On my way out on a date and I...."

    "You''re going out on a date?" Jade asked with a frown, and Candace also looked slightly surprised.

    "Yes. Got to go now. Give my regards to Candace," Matt said, and without letting her say another word he hung up the call.

    All eyes turned to Candace, and seeing the concern on their faces she shed them an awkward smile, "See? I told you. There''s nothing between us," she said before turning her back to them and started whisking the eggs.

    Seeing how awkward the atmosphere was now, Sonia decided to change the subject, "How are things going with Harry?" She asked Jade curiously and Jade grinned.

    "Better than I thought. I have so much to tell you. But first. Since you''re all here, I need your help. Harry is going on a date and I need to spy on them," Jade said, and Lucy frowned.

    "Why is Harry going on a date when you just said things are going well?" Lucy asked curiously as she sifted the flour.

    "Well, it''s Aurora. I matchmade them. Harry is being Chivalrous and doesn''t want to go back on his words to her. But I''m notfortable," Jade exined with a frown.

    "So what''s your n?" Sonia asked with an excited smile.

    "I told her it should be a double date but Harry doesn''t want me to show up," Jade said, telling them all what Harry had said and what she nned to do.

    "Harry has a valid point. I''d feel stupid if I were in her shoes andter found out you set me up with him yet ended up snatching him from me and not even telling me anything," Lucy said, and Candace nodded in agreement.

    "Doesn''t that sound like what happened between you and Anita? Trying to set her and Tom up and dating Tom afterward?" Sonia asked, and Lucy frowned.

    "No, it doesn''t. I was the one that was taken for a fool because Anita didn''t tell me Tom was her ex or anything. I''m surprised you''re even saying this," Lucy said annoyed.

    "Sorry. I didn''t mean to annoy you," Sonia said apologetically.

    "So what do you suggest I do? Sit back and watch him go on a date with her? C''mon, Candace! You saw Aurora. You heard all her ns," Jade said, and Candace shrugged.

    "But Harry said you should leave it to him. Trust him and do nothing," Candace suggested.

    "I support that too," Lucy said, and Jade turned to Sonia.

    "I understand it''s not easy to stay still. But I see no reason why we can''t have lunch together on that day at that venue." Sonia said, and Jade smiled.

    "I always knew I could count on you."

 Chapter 520 Going Home

    "So, Sara is your twin sister?" Aaron asked J in the middle of the random conversations they were all having in the living room, and everyone suddenly went silent.

    "Why don''t we go and y some games in my bedroom?" Harry asked as he rose to leave the adults to that conversation, and Jamal followed him.

    "Yes, she is. I''m sorry for all the pain and anguish she caused you," J said apologetically.

    "I heard from Lucy that you received your fair share from her too," Aaron said, and J nodded.

    "Everyone who is unfortunate to encounter her gets their share. I''m surprised she still hasn''t changed," J said with a sigh.

    "Lucy mentioned that she paid you a visit recently," Aaron said, and J gave him a nod.

    "She did. I don''t know what she hoped to aplish by doing that, though. She showed up with a cheque wanting to pay back in multiple folds the money she stole from our father that cost him his life. The same money my mother and I worked our fingers to the bone to pay back until she died too. Can you believe that?" J asked, her voice rising as tears filled her eyes at the memory.

    Aaron looked at her sadly, "I''m sorry...."

    "I am too. What I am still trying to figure out is whether I''m more pissed at the fact that she still thinks money is everything even after all these years or the fact that she didn''t have the decency to act remorseful...." J paused to take a deep breath when Andrew ced a hand on her shoulder to calm her.

    "Remorse? I don''t think she is capable of it. She didn''t show any either when we met after twenty-eight years," Aaron said with a shake of his head.

    Desmond and Evelyn listened without contributing to the conversation since they knew they would never understand the sort of pain Aaron and J experienced in Sara''s hand. They were both victims of Sara.

    "How did she ever get to be that way? So selfish, deceptive, and maniptive? Did something happen to her? Maybe a trauma?" Aaron asked, unable to understand how a person could just be that way.

    "No. Nothing happened. She always was that sort of person. She didn''t want to see anyone happy if she wasn''t happy. She wanted everything to revolve around her. She knew too well how to y the victim card, and sometimes I think I contributed to that," J said sadly.

    "Why would you think that?" Aaron asked with concern.

    "I enabled her. I encouraged her actions. There were times when we were kids that she would do something wrong and convince me to take the me for it. She would im because I was our parent''s favorite, they would let it slide if I took the me but would punish her severely for it if they found out she did it. I let myself be a pushover for her. I made excuses for her, thinking she would eventually change, but she never did, and that cost my parents their joy and eventually their life. And it cost you so much too," J said as tears dropped from her eyes.

    "You did nothing wrong, Jane. You only did what siblings do naturally. You can''t me yourself for that," Evelyn said softly.

    "I can never understand why people love to take responsibility for the actions of others regardless of their rtionship. As long as you''re not directly involved, it''s not on you. It''s on her. You didn''t ask her to do any of those things she did," Desmond added, and both his wife, Andrew, and Aaron nodded.

    "They are right. It''s not your fault. Sara did all of that on her own, so you shouldn''t feel responsible," Aaron assured her.

    "I''m still surprised at the coincidence of it all. I mean, it''s strange that the family she sold Candace to is rted to the family of your son''s ex-fianc??e," Aaron said, and the others nodded in agreement.

    "I''m just as surprised. I''m d Candace is fine, and we can all be together like this," J said with a sigh, and they all looked up when Jade and the others walked into the living room with tes containing cookies and other snacks.

    "The snacks are ready," Jade announced.

    "Where is Harry?" She asked when she noticed he and Jamal were absent.

    "In his bedroom with Jamal," Aaron said, and Jade excused herself to go get him.

    Once she got to his bedroom, she knocked on the door once before opening it and poking her head through, "What are you doing?" She asked when she saw Harry and Jamal on the bed ying a game of chess.

    "What does it look like? Frisbee?" Harry asked sarcastically as he corrected Jamal''s wrong move, teaching him what to move and in what direction.

    "Jamal, go to the living room. We made cookies," Jade suggested as she walked into the bedroom, and immediately Jamal got off the bed and shot out the door.

    Seeing that they were alone in the room, Harry rose from the bed, "I suppose you came to get me. Let''s go," he said as he dipped both hands in his pocket while Jade observed and admired him with a smile.

    "Why are you smiling?" Harry asked, eyeing her with suspicious eyes.

    "Can''t I smile while admiring my man?" Jade asked, and Harry chuckled.

    "Sure, you can do that when I be your man," Harry said as he headed for the door while Jade went to the bed and lifted the pillows.

    "Didn''t you say...."

    "It''s no longer there. You didn''t expect me to leave it there with Jamal on my bed and visitors in the house, did you?" Harry asked with a slightly raised brow.

    "I was just curious, that''s all. Where did you keep it?"

    "Somewhere safe. By the way, you are leaving with your parents, right? The nurse will be staying in the guest room," Harry said, and Jade smiled.

    "But there is another guest room...."

    "For as long as you upy the other room, Candace would not want to move in with Jamal, and my dad wants them to. So you can''t move in there. That room is solely for her now," Harry said, and Jade smiled.

    "That''s fine. I will move into your bedroo...."

    "No! You can''t do that!" Harry cut in before she could finish.

    "Why not? There''s enough room in here for both of us," Jade pointed out.

    "There is enough room in here because this is how much space I need...."

    ? "What do you mean by that? Are we going to have separate rooms when we get married?" Jade cut in with a frown, and Harry paused, not sure whether to be amused or not.<novelnext></novelnext>

    He would never have thought Jade would be this way. So possessive and expressive of her feelings. He guessed this was what they meant when they said the patient dogs eat the fattest bone. She was doing most of the chasing now.

    "If we get married...."

    "When not if. We are getting married," Jade corrected.

    "Okay," Harry said patiently, and Jade raised a brow.

    "Okay what?"

    "I just okayed what you said. What did you say?" Harry asked, and Jade sighed.

    "You were saying something, and I corrected you. You can''t just say okay and not finish what you were saying," Jade said impatiently, and Harry chuckled.

    He was in for the ride of his life with this one. "I can no longer remember what I was saying because you interrupted me," Harry said, and Jade narrowed her eyes.

    "I remember. I can remind you of it since you can''t remember. I said I''m moving into this bedroom with you. And then after our usual back and forth, you said okay, I could stay here since we would share this room after we get married."

    "No, I didn''t say that. When we get married, we are not going to live here," Harry said, and Jade grinned.

    "See? You remembered what you were going to say. And it wasn''t so hard using when instead of if, was it?" Jade asked with a triumphant smile.

    "Since you''ve gotten that out of me, I hope you understand now and don''t mind going to Tom''s house where you have a room to yourself," Harry said, and Jade scowled.

    "If I go over there, I will be lonely. Lucy will be with Tom, Sonia will be with Bryan, Candace will be with Jamal, and our parents have each other, but I will be all alone," Jade said with a pout.

    "You''ve been alone for a long time. I''m sure you''ve mastered the art by now...."

    "But I will miss you. Won''t you miss me?" Jade asked, and Harry shook his head.

    "No, I won''t," Harry assured her, and Jade eyed him with disapproval.

    "You don''t mean that, do you? Why are you telling lies?" She asked, and Harry chuckled.

    Wasn''t he just used to this by now? He wondered if they were aware of their distinctive family behavior and how they all came to have this inmon--always wanting to have their way and wanting everyone to do and say what they wanted. Was it their upbringing?

    Unfortunately for Jade, he had no intention of being a pushover for her or letting her have her way. He knew just how easy it would be for him to give in to her, and as much as he loved having these exchanges with her, he needed to also draw the lines so she wouldn''t overdo it.

    "You must be so full of yourself to assume that saying I won''t miss you is a lie. Tell me, esquire, why am I not surprised?"

    "How can you tell your girlfriend that you won''t miss her?" Jade asked angrily, and Harry smiled.

    "First, you''re not my girlfriend yet. Secondly, you''ve bothered me so much in the short while since you arrived that I need time to recuperate. You said you came here to be with me and cheer me up, right? That means your being here is not about you. And it''s not because you''re lonely. Thanks foring. I feel better now, so you can go be with your family," Harry said, and Jade frowned.

    "Are you chasing me away?"

    Harry took some steps towards her and pulled her to himself, "Not at all, sugar. Why would I do that?" he asked as he ced a finger under her chin and raised her head, so she was looking up at him into his eyes.

    "I''m not chasing you away. I''m only putting you in your ce. If and when we decide to be in a rtionship together. I want you to know thatyou won''t always have your way," Harry said as he lowered his head to hers and took her lips in a slow, teasing kiss.

    Jade felt butterflies flutter in her belly, and she grabbed the front of his shirt when she swayed on her feet.

    "So take your time to think whether or not you can stand not having your way all the time, alright? My girlfriend won''t be the Hank Princess. If we are going to do this, you have to leave all that spoilt brat behavior behind. I won''t condone it. Maybe I will sometimes, but not all the time. And just so we are clear you''reg going home with your parents, okay?" Harry asked as he nibbled on her lower lip, pulling away each time she tried to capture his lips.

    "Okay," Jade whispered against his lips, and Harry deepened the kiss before pulling away, but his hand remained on her lower back.

    "Okay what?" Harry asked, a knowing smile dancing on the corners of his lips.

    Jade blinked in confusion, "Okay, to what you said."

    "What did I say?" Harry asked, knowing that if she had heard him rightly, she would have been ring at him for calling her a spoilt brat, and she wouldn''t say okay to going home so easily.

    Jade stepped away from his arms as she tried to think about what he had said, and Harry chuckled and made for the door when she suddenly let out a long string of curses as she picked up one of the pillows on the bed and threw it at him.

    "Good. You heard me," Harry said,ughing loudly as he ducked when she threw another pillow, and he quickly left the room and shut the door behind him.

    Hisughter died on his lips when he came face to face with Desmond, and he cleared his throat, "Uhm, I wasing to..."

    "I need to find the restroom," Desmond cut in, stopping him from exining himself.

    "Thest door down the hallway," Harry said, feeling awkward at running into the father of the girl he had just kissed. How long has he been standing there? Did he hear anything? How much did he hear?

    As Desmond turned to leave, the bedroom door opened, and his gaze moved to Jade when she stepped out of the room.

    His eyes moved over her flushed face and her glistening lips, and she shed him a smile, "What are you doing here, dad?" Jade asked, and Desmond scoffed.

    "Your mother thought you lost your way or were kidnapped by aliens, so she wanted me toe to find you," Desmond said dryly and returned his gaze to Harry.

    "There is no reason to look like a guilty thief in your own house. Maybe now you will keep her busy enough to stop disturbing her mother and me in the middle of the night. Man can''t have fun with his wife in peace because they have kids that won''t stop getting into trouble," Desmond muttered as he walked down the hallway in search of the restroom.

 Chapter 521 Dont Interfere

    By the time they finished eating the snacks and conversing, the time was far spent, and Aaron''s nurse, a youngdy in herte twenties, had arrived.

    As everyone got ready to leave, Harry was more than thankful that Jade and her crew had cleaned up the ce.

    "It was nice meeting you, Aaron. And you too, Harry," J said once Adolf called to let Evelyn know that he was outside the building waiting to drive them to Tom''s house.

    "Same here. I hope to see you all again before you leave," Aaron said with a smile as he looked at the group.

    "We hope so too. Get well soon," Evelyn said as they rose to leave.

    Aaron had enjoyed theirpany far more than he had expected he would. The jokes, the banters, the teases, and all of it. They were an exciting and amusing group.

    "Are youing with us?" Evelyn asked when Jade, who had gone to show the nurse to her bedroom a while ago, returned carrying her luggage.

    "Yes, I am," Jade said as she eyed Harry, but he maintained a nk expression as he looked back at her. Only she could tell that he was amused despite his straight face.

    "Oh! Okay," Evelyn said, deciding not to ask any further questions there since she was sure Jade had her reasons, and they could always talk about itter.

    "That''s great! We can have a sleepover in your bedroom! Just us girls," Sonia suggested happily.

    "Who is in?" Sonia asked, looking from Jade to Lucy and Candace.

    "I''m in," Jade said excitedly.

    "I can join you only after Jamal goes to sleep," Candace said, and Sonia pped her hands gleefully.

    "So it''s settled then," Sonia said, but Lucy shook her head.

    "No, it''s not. I didn''t say I was going to join you. And I doubt you will have the time for that yourself if Tom and Bryan arrive soon," Lucy pointed out, and Sonia sighed.

    "That''s true," Sonia murmured. She would be too busy discussing with Bryan and making up with him to want to leave him for a girls'' hang out.

    "You got my hopes raised for nothing. I guess it''s going to have to be just the both of us singledies, then. You are my new BFF. We still have to choose a day to go clubbing. Thest time I went clubbing, your brother cut short my fun," Jade told Candace as she ced her arm on Candace''s shoulder while Harry''s ears perked up at the mention of her going to a club.

    There was no way he was letting her do that in his absence, not after he had seen firsthand what she did at the club when she was drunk and twerking on the stage. No way!

    "You can decide on that on our way. Let''s leave now so we can get there in time for Jamal to observe his bedtime," J suggested as Jamal went to hug Aaron and Harry good night.

    "Since the car would not amodate everyone, I will drop off the youngdies while the elders can go with Adolf," Harry suggested, but they all refused.

    "We can get a Uber. There is no reason for you to drive all the way to Tom''s and thene back on your own. You should stay back with your dad or get some rest," Jade said, setting aside her grudge temporarily as she took out her phone to quickly order an Uber ride.

    "Jamal wille with us, and the rest of you can find your way," Evelyn said while J looked at Candace.

    She hoped she would get a private moment to chat with Candace. She was going to find a way to do that once they got home. She was feeling very maternal towards Candace and Harry, who had never experienced the love of a mother.

    "We will see you tomorrow. Have a good night''s rest," Candace said as she embraced Aaron and kissed his cheek.

    Once Candace, Lucy, and Jade had kissed Aaron goodbye, he looked at Sonia, "What about you? You shouldn''t be left out," Aaron said with a grin as he patted his cheeks where the others had kissed him and Sonia, and the othersughed as she went to do the same.

    "Dad, I will be back after seeing them off," Harry said to his father as he took Jade''s luggage before escorting them out of the door.

    Inside the elevator, the elders talked about how exhausted they were and how they needed to go to bed while the girls talked about the interview. Jade bragged about how she brought the idea to call Derek and Paul while Harry listened to them all without saying anything.

    "I''m surprised you are leaving when such a hot chick just moved in. Why?" Candace asked Jade as they walked out of the elevator ahead of the others.

    Sonia hurried to join them as she excused Harry and Lucy when they started their own conversation.

    "If Harry were the type that would fall for just anyone, I wouldn''t be trying so crazy about him, would I?" Jade asked, and Candace scoffed.

    "You know that, yet you want to spy on him and Aurora?"

    "That is different. I''m just ufortable about their date," Jade said defensively.

    "I don''t see how it is different. I''m still curious though, why are you leaving already? Earlier, you said you were going to be here for some time. What changed?" Candace asked while Sonia listened as she tried to figure out what they were discussing before contributing to the subject.

    Jade shrugged, "He wants me to go home," she said casually, trying to sound like her pride wasn''t hurt by that.

    "Really? Why?"

    "Did you do or say something to annoy him?" Candace and Sonia asked simultaneously.

    "What do you mean? It''s his house, and he is allowed to decide who stays and who leaves," Jade said defensively.

    "What was his reason for asking you to leave?" Sonia pressed.

    "We discussed it, okay? He just needs space until we are able to sort through our feelings. It''s not a big deal," Jade lied, not wanting to say anything else since she knew the more questions she answered, the more questions they would ask. It was embarrassing enough for her that Harry had asked her to leave. She didn''t want to add to it by listening to them tell her how flimsy his excuse was.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Behind them, Harry and Lucy were having another serious discussion, "I was speaking with Tom earlier and raised the issue of marriage..." Harry paused when Lucy stiffened.

    Of course, if it were someone else, Harry would never have mentioned this, but with Lucy, he felt like they had a connection and could talk about anything, so he didn''t hesitate to raise the subject. That would help him know if he should get involved or not.

    "Don''t worry; it''s between us both. He told me you don''t want to get married. I''m just curious to know why," Harry said, and Lucy looked at him.

    "I''ve never given it a thought. I don''t think it''s a big deal," Lucy said, curious to know exactly what Harry and Tom had talked about and what Tom had said.

    "Do you think it''s something you can change your mind about? Maybe if you are persuaded otherwise?" Harry asked, and Lucy shook her head.

    "Did Tom ask you to talk to me about it?"

    "No, he didn''t. I told you it came up in the middle of our conversation and I told him I was going to try to help. I wanted to hear from you first to know whether or not I should interfere," Harry exined.

    "Don''t interfere. I will rather not be persuaded on the subject. If I ever decide to do it eventually, I want it to be because it is something I want, not because anyone convinced me or persuaded me to change my mind. I want to be able to take responsibility for whatever decision I take," Lucy exined, and Harry gave her a nod.

    "I understand," Harry said with a smile. From what she had said, he could tell that her decision was not a rigid one and could be subject to change but only on her own terms.

    Once they all got to the front of the building, Adolf got out of the car and held open the car door for them.

    Desmond turned to Harry, "Let''s have a drink one of these days before I go back, okay?"

    "Yes, sir!" Harry said with a polite bow, and Evelyn smiled as she touched his cheek fondly.

    "Good night, Harry. Take care of yourself and your dad," she said, and Harry gave her a nod as he watched her get into the car with Jamal.

    "It was nice to meet you, Harry," J said, and Harry smiled at her.

    "Same here," he said with a polite bow and watched her and Andrew get into the car as well.

    "Drive safely," Harry called to Adolf as he drove off with them.

    The Uber ride pulled up almost immediately, andLucy embraced Harry before getting into the car.

    "I don''t have to worry about Jamal saying anything to them, right?" Harry asked Candace once again, and she smiled.

    "He won''t. Don''t worry about it," Candace assured him and embraced him before joining Lucy inside.

    "Good night, Sonia," Harry called to Sonia, and she smiled.

    "Good night," she said with a wave as she got into the car.

    Once Sonia got into the passenger seat with the others, and Jade was left with Harry, a smile tugged on his lips when he noticed she was scowling at him again.

    "Try not to miss me too much, esquire," Harry said as he stepped forward and kissed her forehead, making butterflies flutter in her belly.

    "Who says I''m going to miss you?" She asked in a voice that came out differently than she had nned.

    "You said so. Call or text me if you are bored or lonely," Harry said and jerked his head towards the car.

    "Get in," he ordered softly.

    Although Jade wanted to argue, she scowled, "Whatever," she muttered as she turned to get into the car, but Harry was quick enough to open the front passenger door and hold it out for her to get in.

    "Put on your seatbelt. I''ll see you tomorrow," Harry said as he shut the door after she got in.

    "Why didn''t you request an older nurse? Or someone unattractive?" she asked before Harry could step away from the door, and he leaned forward so he could look into the car through her window.

    "Because I didn''t factor your self-esteem in while requesting for the most suitable nurse to take care of my dad. I had no idea you had so little confidence in yourself or my feelings for you. Goodnight, esquire," Harry said dryly before looking at the driver.

    "Take them home. Drive carefully," Harry told the driver before stepping away from the car.

    As the driver drove off, Jade turned in her seat to frown at Harry, and Sonia turned in her seat too, but unlike Jade, she had a broad smile on her face.

    "Wow!" Lucy breathed, breaking the silence in the car.

    "What was that? I can''t decide if he just scolded you or if that was a reassurance or a weird deration of love," Candace said, and Sonia and Lucyughed softly.

    "That''s what I have to face with Harry," Jade said with a sigh.

    "I like him," Sonia dered.

    Harry was definitely not what she had expected. She had expected someone very calm, gentle, sweet,romantic, and doting.

    And although she was sure he was all that, she could tell there was more to him. He was more exciting than he appeared. She was so going to enjoy befriending him and getting him to permit her to write about him.

 Chapter 522 Welcome Home

    "Where are youing from?" Adam asked when Bernice walked into the housete that night.

    Bernice looked at her husband, taken aback by his question, "Me?" she asked as she looked behind her wondering who he was talking to.

    "Do you see anyone else behind you?" Adam asked in annoyance.

    "Well, you can''t me me for being surprised by your question since you mostly ignore me and act like I don''t exist," Bernice said, but Adam''s gaze remained cold.

    "That doesn''t answer my question. Where are youing from by this time of the night when you left the house all morning?"

    Bernice nced at her wristwatch. It was just five minutes past eight, "It''s not thatte. Besides, I didn''t realize I''m a prisoner in my house...."

    "Make no mistake, Bernice. This is not your house. It is mine. Now you''re either going to tell me where you''reing from by this time of the night, or you''re going to return there to pass the night."

    "Adam, it''s bad enough that you don''t treat me like your wife. I''m graduallying to terms with it, and that''s fine by me. I won''t check your phone or pry into your business anymore. But I will appreciate it if you let me be! I don''t question you when you go out and returnte or not evene back home some times. So why do you have a problem with my movement? It''s not like you love or care about me!"

    "Are you having an affair?" Adam asked suspiciously.

    "An affair? You must think everyone is irresponsible like you are!"

    Adam balled his hands into a fist, and Bernice''s gaze followed the movement, "What? Do you want to hit me again?" she asked with a shake of her head.

    "I''m going to ask you onest time. Where are youing from?"

    "Well, if you must know, I spent the day with my mother and sisters...."

    "The entire day?" Adam asked, since he had been with Rebekah some hours ago.

    "Yes. I told you my mother wanted us to have breakfast with her, and we spent the rest of the day shopping," Bernice said as she raised the shopping bags she was carrying for him to see.

    "Do you want to also see what we bought?" she asked sarcastically.

    "And you mean to tell me you just left your mother and sisters now?" Adam asked calmly as he watched her.

    Bernice opened her mouth to say yes, but paused when it urred to her that if her mother and Adam truly had something going between them, then it was possible that Adam would have spoken with her mother and he would know her mother had left on time.

    "Not exactly. Mother left first to take care of something, and then I had to leave Tiffany and Anitater to meet with a friend..."

    "I never knew you had friends," Adam cut in.

    "There is a lot you obviously don''t know. Well, I invited my family over for lunch tomorrow. I hope you will make yourself avable," Bernice said, changing the subject since she didn''t want him to ask her any more questions about who her ''friend'' was.

    Adam tried to act like he had not heard of the lunch from Rebekah already, "Don''t you think you should have informed me first before inviting them over?"

    Bernice sighed, "You are right. I should have. It''s just that I missed them so much and wanted to spend some time with them. And the boys have missed them too so I invited them over without thinking. I''m sorry," Bernice said, and Adam looked at her for a moment wondering what she was up to.

    "You must not stay out this long anymore. We both can''t be absent from the kids," Adam said before turning around and walking away.

    Once he left, Bernice heaved a deep sigh of relief. She had not nned on staying out thiste. After leaving her sisters she had first left to purchase spy cameras for the house since she would need evidence if she was going to divorce her husband for cheating with her mother.

    After doing that she had gone out to meet with a caterer that would take care of their lunch the next day and from there she met up with Jackson as nned to let him know she didn''t want to continue with their affair anymore, but she had somehow ended up in bed with him again. She had no idea how she had let him seduce her into sleeping with him once again.

    Seeing that Adam had disappeared into his bedroom, Bernice quickly looked around the living room for spots where she could hide cameras unnoticed and nted them there before going to the kitchen and then the guestroom to do the same.

    She settled on these spots because they were the only ces she expected her mother to go into. She knew her mother could go into the guest room to use the restroom or touch up her makeup as she liked to do.

    Cameras picked up subtle gestures that the people failed to notice unless they had a second look, so she needed to see if she would detect any sort of weird behavior between her husband and mother.<novelnext></novelnext>

    She had made up her mind that the moment she confirmed her suspicion, she was going to file for a divorce and she was going to take as much as she could get from him. She was done with this sham of a marriage.

    Once she was done she packed the rest of her stuff to her bedroom and prepared to retire for the night.

    **********

    By the time Adolf drove Tom and Bryan into Tom''spound, it was past 11 pm and almost everyone had settled in their bedrooms, apart from Jade, Sonia, and Candace who were in Jade''s bedroom chatting.

    Sonia being her restless self had been unable stay still long enough to wait for Bryan in his bedroom, especially not when she wanted to hear all about the progress between Harry and Jade. So she had decided to stay with Jade until Bryan''s return.

    Lucy on the other hand had opted out of the girls hang-out. She had spent little time talking with her parents before leaving them to return to Tom''s bedroom to wait for him until he got back since she had promised to give him the whole of her evening and the next day.

    While waiting, she had joined Samantha in the kitchen so they could prepare something for her and Tom to eat when he gets back. They made sure to package the food in a way that it would still be hot by whatever time he got back that night.

    Once she was done with that and had it set up on the table in his bedroom, she let a bottle of white wine chill in a bucket of ice on the table at the balcony where two sses were seated.

    After she got those out of the way, she shaved, washed her hair, soaked herself in a warm and scented bath to rx her mind and body.

    Settling for something sexy to wear had been a challenge at first, but after trying for some time, she decided to settle for her birthday suit.

    What could be more sexy than lying on the bed naked with her hair down? Tom was going to love her and want her regardless of what she was wearing so there was no need to make so much fuss.

    Having made up her mind she lit some scented candles in the bedroom and turned off the light bulbs before pouring some wine for herself since she needed to loosen up a bit from the tension of the week and the day.

    As the alcohol rxed her body, she dropped the ss on the table andy on the bed face up with her legs spread out and her hair sprawled over the pillow.

    That was exactly the sight that greeted Tom when he walked into his bedroom, and once Lucy heard the door open she sat up.

    "How is a man supposed to stay mad when he is greeted by such a sight?" Tom asked in a husky voice as he shut the door behind him while Lucy rose from the bed.

    "Not staying mad is the point," Lucy said with azy smile as she approached him slowly.

    "Wee home, Ace," she said as she looked at him, while his eyes moved over her body.

    He looked up at her when she stopped in front of him, "Did I keep you waiting for long?" he asked as she embraced him.

    "I''m alright. You must be exhausted," she said as she pulled away and reached for his tie, but before she could remove it, Tom grabbed her waist and pulled her to himself as he kissed her.

    "Thanks for waiting up. I''m no longer mad at you," Tom said as he pulled away from her and Lucy smiled.

    "I know I owe you an exnation. I will do so after you shower and have dinner...."

    "Or maybe I could have you first, and then we can shower together, and then you can tell me all about your day while we have dinner, and then we can continue," Tom said as he ran his fingers down her body, and Lucy giggled as her body tingled in the ces he touched.

    "I don''t know," she said in a cracked voice and cleared her throat, "Aren''t you too tired for that?" she asked with a coy smile as she yed with his tie.

    "You thought I would be too tired yet you set these up and dressed this way?" he asked as he brushed his thumb over her nipple and immediately her sensitive nipples hardened.

    "Even these beautiful buds don''t agree with you," Tom said with a grin.

    "It''s the cold they''re responding to," Lucy said and Tom raised a brow.

    "Oh, is it?" Tom asked as he tweaked her nipples and a soft moan escaped her lips.

    "That''s what I thought too. Let''s get you hot," Tom said as he pulled her back to himself and this time there was nothing soft about the kiss.

 Chapter 523 No More Conflict

    While Lucy and Tom were busy in his bedroom eating and being eaten, Sonia made her way to Bryan''s bedroom after he called her to let her know he was back.

    Once she opened the bedroom door and walked into the bedroom, Bryan who was taking off his trousers, turned to look at her, and they both remained where they stood staring at each other.

    "I saw your live video," Bryan said, breaking the silence that hung in the air between them.

    That was the first message he had seen when he got off the jet. Mia had screen-recorded it and sent it to him.

    "I read about your interview and your appearance at the cinema," Sonia said, and Bryan sighed.

    "I wanted to surprise you," they both said at the same time and broke out inughter.

    "I''m sorry," they both said simultaneously once they stoppedughing, and then paused as they smiled at each other.

    "Come here," Bryan said, and Sonia went to him.

    Bryan embraced her and held her in his arms as she also hugged him back fiercely. They remained in each other''s arms that way for some time without saying anything until Sonia pulled away.

    "Give me a minute, I need to catch my breath," she said as she took a deep breath because she was feeling suffocated with her face pressed against his chest.

    Bryan watched her for some seconds with a nk expression, and then he sat on the bed, and patted the space beside him for her to sit.

    "You must be exhausted. Let''s talk in the morning," Sonia suggested, but Bryan shook his head.

    "I don''t think I will be able to have a good night rest if I don''t get this off my chest," Bryan said, and Sonia sat beside him.

    They both remained silent for some seconds as Sonia gave Bryan the time he needed to gather his thoughts, and after some time Bryan took her hands, "I love you, Sonia. I really do and I''m d we both came back to our senses," Bryan started, while Sonia simply stared at him.

    "I''m deeply sorry about my reaction. Regardless of whatever you did, I overreacted and I take responsibility for all of it. I''m immature as you sai...."

    "No. No. I didn''t really mean that," Sonia quickly cut in.

    "Yes, you did. And even if you didn''t, I think I acted very immaturely. Seeing Tom handle his misunderstanding with Lucy made me realize how badly I handled ours," Bryan said with a sigh even though it bruised his ego to admit that.

    "Well, you can''t be so sure that he wouldn''t have handled things like you did had he been in your shoes. Their misunderstanding wasn''t as serious as ours," Sonia said, trying to defend Bryan since she could understand how hard it must be for him to admit this out loud.

    "Not Tom. He is my elder brother and I know that much about him. He would have handled things way better. Sure, he would have beat Derek up, but he would never have done it so carelessly or publicly for it to get in the news, and he definitely would not have left Lucy alone at the station the way I left you," Bryan exined, and Sonia smiled.

    "You packed a pretty good punch though. I never thought you had it in you," Sonia teased, and Bryan chuckled.

    "I love you, Bryan. So much more than you think. And I''m sorry. I know I hold part of the me. I''m sorry for being so distracted when you were trying to talk to me, and I''m sorry for not listening to you at the station. I wanted to help," Sonia said, and Bryan nodded.

    "I know that. But I expected you to trust me. I was going to handle it. Even if you hadn''t done anything, I would never have spent the night at the station. From the moment the officers realized who I was they were willing to let me go in the car but I didn''t want them to do that. Besides, I asked them to let things y out because I also wanted to see how far Derek was willing to go," Bryan exined, and Sonia frowned.

    "Why were they willing to let you go? Because you are an actor?"

    "No. Because they could lose their job if my grandfather hears of it," Bryan said, and Sonia''s brows pulled together.

    "Your grandfather?"

    "Yes. Lawrence Hank," Bryan said, and Sonia gasped.

    "The one time president?" she asked, and Bryan gave her a nod.

    "So I really did not want you to get involved. I could have had him locked up at the end of everything..."

    "But the situation didn''t look that way when I got there," Sonia said with a frown, when she recalled that both his hands had been cuffed.

    "The cop told me you were refusing to settle or give your statement and you were cuffed too," she pointed out.

    "I was cuffed so I wouldn''t attack Derek. When he was giving his statement he made some remarks and I was forced to hit him. It was either they cuffed me or locked me up temporarily," Bryan exined, and Sonia nodded.

    "I see," Sonia said, still surprised about the identity of his grandfather.

    Although, the man was old now and never made public appearances, he had been one of the best presidents the country had ever had.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Howe I never knew he is your grandfather? It''s not on your bio, is it?" she asked, and Bryan shook his head.

    "You know how easy it is for people to tie your sess to your family background. I didn''t want anyone to assume I got to this level because of family connections. I worked hard for it. Besides, our father never allowed us to brag about it or introduce ourself as the former president''s grandchildren. He didn''t do that himself either. Tom is the only one who used our grandfather''s influence to get the caliber of investors he needed for hispany. And as you can see, he pretty much hid his identity even after doing that," Bryan exined, and Sonia nodded thoughtfully.

    "Why? I mean your dad. Why didn''t he want you to introduce yourself that way? Is he not on good terms with his father?"

    "He was a good president and he tried to be a good father but he wasn''t a present father. He was almost always absent, and because of him my dad was kidnapped. So it''s more like he likes his father, but doesn''t like the title attached," Bryan exined and then remembered that they were not done clearing up their misunderstanding.

    "Back to what I was saying. I want you to know that I don''t have a problem with your writing about us. I''m sorry I let that text get to me the way I did. Also, you should know that I do not hold anything you did in the past against you. About your friendship with Lucy, I want you to understand that I''m not against Lucy. I love her both as your best friend and of course as my brother''s partner...."

    "I know that," Sonia cut in, "And I want you to know that you and Lucy have your special ces in my heart. I wouldn''t have hesitated to leave Lucy''s side in the blink of an eye like I left you that day, if the situation was reversed and you needed me. She is my best friend, and you are my man. I understand there is a difference," Sonia assured him.

    "It''s not just about leaving me. It''s the way you left. It''s abouting up with decisions on your own. I don''t like that. I will never make a decision that involves the both of us without discussing it with you first. We are a team. No one person should be calling all the shots," Bryan said, and Sonia sighed. Lucy had been right.

    "It''s not a deliberate act. I think I''ve been this way for a long time. Maybe ites with being alone and making all decisions for myself for too long I don''t know. Or maybe I''m just a control freak that wants to treat my life the way I do my stories. Lucy talked to me about it, and apparently it''s not just you I do it to. She ims she has been tolerating me all these years. I will do my best to work on it. The change might note at once. But I will do my best to pay attention when you correct me," Sonia promised.

    "Does that mean you are willing to review the subject of moving in together?" Bryan asked, and Sonia paused.

    "I didn''t ask for us to go on a break, Bryan. I only brought up that suggestion because I thought we might be going too fast when we barely know much about each other...."

    "And how do you know we don''t know much about each other?" Bryan asked, and Sonia shrugged.

    "Hasn''t this whole episode proved it? We both don''t trust or understand each other enough yet," Sonia said patiently.

    "Has it urred to you that this could have also happened to people who have been in a rtionship for years or are married? Besides, don''t you think it is easier to understand and learn more about a person who lives under the same roof with you than a person who lives far away from you? You don''t have to travel with me to movie sites if you don''t want to, but I need you to be with me under the same roof when I''m not working," Bryan pleaded and Sonia looked at him contemtively for a moment.

    "Do you believe I love you?" she asked, and Bryan gave her a nod.

    "I do."

    "Then you just don''t think I love you enough?" she asked, and Bryan sighed.

    "Not exactly. Or maybe I thought so before now. You gave me the feeling that you were fine on your own and even if I decided to walk away you wouldn''t be very much affected," Bryan answered honestly.

    "Do you still think so now?"

    "No. I think you love me, but not the way I want to be loved. You don''t get my lovenguage. And maybe it''s the same for you. Maybe I''m not loving you as you want to be loved too," Bryan said, and Sonia nodded thoughtfully.

    "We could talk about that tomorrow. You need to have dinner and rx," Sonia suggested.

    "We are not done yet. We haven''t concluded on whether we are moving in together as we nned or not," Bryan said, and Sonia nodded.

    "Fine. Let''s go ahead with it. If it does not work out then we will have to live apart," Sonia said, and Bryan smiled.

    "Agreed. Although I''m not asking for any more conflicts, but I think we need to discuss more suitable ways of resolving conflicts in the future without having the world in our business. I learned that from Tom," Bryan said and Sonia nodded in agreement.

    "I''m in. It''s a good suggestion."

    "So, you don''t need any more conflicts for our story, right?" Bryan asked, and Sonia giggled.

    "Do you even need to ask? Please, no more conflict," she said, and Bryan smiled as he pulled her close to himself and kissed her.

    "I need to freshen up," Bryan said after he broke the kiss.

    "You do that. I will go down to the kitchen to see if I can find something for you to eat while you shower," Sonia suggested as she rose but Bryan caught her wrist before she could leave.

    "I''d rather redeem what you were offering in the shower yesterday. We can go down stairs together to find dinner after we are done," Bryan suggested with a naughty smile.

    "You turned me down yesterday. That offer is no longer on the table," Sonia said with a sultry smile.

    "Then how about make-up sex in the shower?" Bryan suggested, and Sonia sighed lustily.

    "Too bad I can''t resist you. Let''s go," Sonia said as began to undress.

 Chapter 524 Midnight Conversation

    Inside Tom''s dark bedroom, he and Lucyy naked on the bed after another round of intense lovemaking, both feeling exhausted andzy but unable to go to sleep.

    Tom listened as Lucy exined the conflict between Sonia and Bryan, and told him about Sonia''s annoying reception and her conversation with Sonia.

    "You handled things very well," Tom said with approval and then listened as she continued to tell him how they had left for the meeting with the producer and Sonia''s editor, and how their ns had changed after his first phone call to her informing her he was traveling to take care of something.

    "You mean, my dad told you that you would find Bryan at Harry''s apartment?" Tom asked with an amused chuckle as Lucy told him about her day and all that had happened.

    "Yeah. Heughed so hard when we showed up there, wanting to surprise Bryan and ended up being surprised. He even yelled, ''Surprise'' can you believe that?" Lucy asked, feeling more amused now than she had felt at the time, while Tomughed really hard.

    "Well, he never fails to amuse us. I can''t say I''m surprised. He has always been more mischievous than even us, his kids," Tom said with a sigh as he rubbed his Hand down Lucy''s naked back.

    "Your mom didn''t take it so lightly. And I wasn''t amused by it either. If he had told us the truth, I wouldn''t have lied to you about being at the cinema," Lucy said as she adjusted her head on his chest and circled her forefinger around his nipple.

    "So how did the meeting at Harry''s apartment go?" Tom asked, and Lucy told him all that had happened, including the girls discussion in the kitchen and how Jade was nning to spy on Harry and Aurora.

    "She never listens," Tom said with a shake of his head.

    "Maybe you should talk to her. I think Harry might be pissed if she does that," Lucy suggested.

    "I''d rather not get involved in their business. They will sort it out on their own," Tom said as he yed with Lucy''s hair.

    "Tell me about your day," Lucy suggested, and unlike Lucy''s long narration, Tom summarized his without much details.

    "After dropping you off at the airport, I came back home and took Candace and Jamal to Harry''s. Although that was after getting into a brief argument with Bryan. And then Harry, Jade, and I went to thepany for the interview after we saw a video Bryan''s formerpany released. After that Bryan decided to travel down to Heden to see Sonia, and I decided to go with him to see you. And now I''m here," Tom said, and Lucy wrinkled her nose with disapproval.

    "What happened to the details?"

    "I didn''t want to bore you with them," Tom said, and Lucy scowled.

    "Does that mean I bored you with mine?"

    "I could listen to you all day and never get bored, Jewel. Talking about my day in details will make us go to sleep faster," Tom said, and Lucy giggled.

    "Alright."

    "Jewel?" Tom called after sometime.

    "Hm?" Lucy asked with a contented sigh.

    "I''m sorry I didn''t give you a chance to exin yourself earlier," Tom said, and Lucy raised her head which was resting under his chin, to look at him.

    "Thanks. At least you called back. That made me very happy," Lucy said as she kissed the spot under his chin, and he chuckled.

    "God! I love you too much, Lucy," Tom said as he kissed her forehead, and Lucy smiled as she let her head rest on his chest once again.

    "I know. And I love you too much too," Lucy assured him.

    They both fell silent for a while, Tom thinking about how he would love to have her this way with him forever and Lucy thinking about her conversation with Harry while wondering whether or not to raise the subject.

    "Are you sleeping?" Tom asked when she had been quiet for some time.

    "No."

    "I just realised I never asked you this question. Why did you decide to take such a risk on your birthday? I mean, your checklist?" Tom asked, and Lucy giggled at the memory of Tom catching a glimpse of the checklist.

    "I always yed safe after that incident. For a change, I wanted to mark my birthday by doing something shocking and wild. It was a dare to myself to lose my virginity on my birthday if I got the promotion...."

    "Maybe I''m wrong, but that doesn''t sound like something a practical person like you would do. It was dangerous. This whole time I was thinking maybe Sonia dared you into doing it. I can''t imagine you deciding to lose your virginity to a stranger on your birthday," Tom said, and Lucy sighed.

    "Sonia had nothing to do with it. As a matter of fact, my intention was to shock her. But you are right about it not being something a person like me would do. The funny thing is I dared myself I would do that IF I got a promotion before my birthday. I didn''t think I was going to be promoted before. Maybe after, but not before. And then you can''t imagine my shock when the promotion came two days before my birthday," Lucy said, and Tom chuckled.

    "I think I would have gone home without approaching anyone if you had not offered yourself," Lucy said with a grin.

    "I guess the universe was trying to hook us up hence the promotion came when it did," Tom said, and Lucy giggled.

    "Even if I hadn''t gone there that day, we would definitely have met at thepany," Lucy said reasonably.

    "I highly doubt that," Tom said, and Lucy sat up to look at him with a slight frown.

    "Why not?"

    "Because I would not have paid any attention to you...."

    "What makes you think so?" Lucy asked, feeling slightly miffed at that.

    "Because I do not mix business with pleasure. I don''t get involved with my employees...."

    "Yet here you are lying naked with one," Lucy said dryly, and Tom chuckled.

    "The most beautiful and sexy one at that. I''m such a lucky bastard," Tom said, amused by her annoyance.

    "We both know that''s not true," Lucy said with a scowl even if she was pleased by thepliment.

    "What''s not true? You don''t think I am a lucky bastard?" Tom asked with a grin, deliberately misunderstanding her.

    "I''m not the most beautiful or sexy staff at I-Global," Lucy said, and Tom raised a brow.

    "I don''t know what you''re talking about. But it''s true for me. You''re so beautiful that I find everything you do sexy. You could even fart right now, and I''ll get a hard-on," Tom said with a grin, and Lucy burst into a peal ofughter.

    "That''s so disgusting, and it''s not even true," Lucy said amidst herughter while Tom smiled as he watched her.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I guess you''re no longer feeling offended?" he asked, and Lucy tried to maintain a straight face.

    "I wasn''t mad."

    "You were not pleased either. I didn''t fall for you as my employee, Jewel. I don''t even remember that you work for me most of the time. I liked you before realising who you were. So with you, I''m always simply Tom..."

    "So it''s ''like'' now? No longer love?" Lucy asked, and Tom chuckled as he pulled her back to lie on him.

    "I think you should go to bed now," Tom suggested as he kissed her forehead.

    "You haven''t told me how you handled Rachel," Lucy reminded him.

    "I gave her dad a call using her phone," Tom said, and Lucy raised a brow.

    "Why her phone?"

    "Why would I want someone like him to have my personal line?" he asked, and Lucy smiled.

    "So what if you didn''t have Rachel''s phone?"

    "Then I would probably have used Adolf''s or Samantha''s phone," Tom said, and Lucyughed softly.

    Lucy sighed after Tom told her about his threat to Rachel''s dad, "Do you also think he killed his brother?"

    "It''s not impossible. But I don''t think I care about that. I don''t want to know about it. We already have enough trouble on our te, and I don''t want to add that to it...."

    "You shouldn''t say that. If he killed his brother, then it''s our duty to expose him and make sure he is punished for it. Evil prevails when the good do nothing," Lucy said, and Tom sighed.

    "Jewel, we have no business with Rachel''s dad...."

    "You mean apart from the fact that he raised such a silly daughter and also stole Candace''s money and dumped her in an orphanage home?"

    Tom sighed, "What do you want us to do?"

    "I don''t think you need to do much. I thought about it earlier. I think we could send an anonymous message to his opponents informing them of Candace''s existence and telling them of the possibility that he killed his brother. I''m sure with such information, his opponents would be more than eager to dig into his past and expose him. He would not only lose the elections but also face justice," Lucy said reasonably.

    "That is assuming his opponents don''t have their own secrets," Tom pointed out.

    "That''s the reason I said opponents, not an opponent. They all can''t be corrupt. There must be someone among them who will be willing to expose him, and when that happens, if Candace wants she can take him to court to fight for all that is rightfully hers," Lucy said, and Tom nodded.

    "Alright. We will discuss it with the otherster. But you realise that doing that might also mean that Harry and Candace have to exin their rtionship and expose Sara, right? I don''t know if they will be willing to do all of that."

    "We will definitely discuss it with them," Lucy said with a sigh.

    "What about Rachel? Do you have anything in mind for her?" Tom asked, and Lucy fell silent for some seconds.

    "I think dealing with her father should be enough punishment for their family. At first, I wanted to punish her and expose the role she yed in my abduction, but then I had to think of Lucas. He loved her for years. He was this close to making her his wife. For his sake, I''m willing to let it go. But I will have to hit her. Just once, at least," Lucy said, and Tom nodded.

    "I will make it happen," He assured her.

    "I know you will. What''s the n for tomorrow?" Lucy asked curiously.

    "Today, you mean? It''s past midnight already. We could spend all day right here in bed and then go out for dinner. What do you think?" Tom asked, and Lucy opened her mouth, wanting to ask about everyone else and if they didn''t need to spend time with them, but with one look into Tom''s eyes, she changed her mind. They could all wait.

    "Sounds like a n. Apart from the fact that I don''t think there''s any way we can achieve that with so many people in the house with us. They''re going to interfere," Lucy pointed out as she snuggled closer to him.

    "I guess we will have to go out earlier then. Let''s go to bed," Tom said as he kissed her forehead before patting her back and hair to put her to sleep.

    "Sweet dreams, Jewel," Tom whispered.

    Just as Lucy was at the edge of drifting off to sleep, she remembered something and opened her eyes, "Howe Director Anderson did not recognise you? She is a director, right? So by now, she must have seen your face. Am I wrong?" Lucy asked, and Tom, who had been trying to go to sleep himself, opened his eyes, wondering why she was suddenly asking him that.

    "She has seen me only once since her appointment as director some months ago. I''m sure she would never have imagined I was the one. Not with the hairstyle, piercings, or contact," Tom said, and Lucy nodded.

    "I guess so. Even I would never have imagined it," Lucy said with a yawn.

    "Why did you ask?"

    "I was curious about it before now during thest meeting and only just remembered to ask now. I thought she must have been pretending not to recognise you and was making passes at you," Lucy said, and Tom chuckled.

    "I see. You don''t have to worry about Cora or anyone else...."

    "Don''t mention her name. You''re never to call her that," Lucy said, pressing his lips together, and Tom chuckled.

    "What am I to call her then?"

    "Director Anderson. That''s masculine enough," Lucy said, and Tom chuckled again.

    "Yes, my queen," Tom said, and Lucy sighed in contentment as she snuggled closer.

    "I want to get inside your body," she said sleepily, making Tomugh.

    "You''re so adorable," Tom said as he kissed the tip of her nose.

    "Sweet dreams, Ace. I love you," Lucy said with another yawn before giving in to her tired body.

    "I love you too."

 Chapter 525 Damn Harry

    The following day they gathered at the dining table for breakfast as usual, and this time Candace was forced to join them.

    "Did you sleep well?" J asked with a warm smile, and Candace gave her a nod.

    Candace wasn''t sure how to rte with the woman who was the twin sister of the woman who had given birth to her and given her away. It wasn''t like she had anything against J. No, she didn''t.

    Her only problem was that she really didn''t know what she was meant to say or do. Or what was expected. The whole thing was awkward. It was easier for her to rte with Harry and Aaron because they had left her no choice in the way they opened their arms to her. And it was easy to connect with Lucy too because she and Lucy were almost age mates and had interacted closely before now. But with J, it was different.

    She knew that J wasn''t pretending to be nice to her. J had always been a pleasant person, and although she hadn''t really interacted with her before now, she had known that much from Jamal, who always spoke fondly of J.

    What Candace did not know was that J felt the same way. She didn''t know how to approach Candace or what to say either. It wasn''t every day that a person found out her evil estranged twin sister had started a family and abandoned them.

    "I learned you are acquainted with our Matt?" Evelyn asked conversationally, and Candace paused, wondering what it was with everyone and her personal business and why they kept talking to her about Matt.

    "Yes. He helped me a great deal by helping me reconnect with Jade," Candace said with a forced smile.

    "Grandma Evelyn, do you know Matt too?" Jamal asked curiously, and Evelyn turned to him.

    "Yes, pumpkin. He is Bryan''s best friend," Evelyn said, and Jamal smiled.

    "He is my friend too. He promised to y games with me and to be my tour guide in his jet," Jamal said, and Evelyn smiled.

    "That sounds like something our Matt would say. He is a really good guy, and I hope he finds love soon," Evelyn said, looking at Candace.

    Bryan had said Candace rejected Matt, and Matt had said he used to be friends with her. That had to mean she was the one turning him down.

    Thankfully, Candace didn''t have to respond to that as all attention turned to Sonia and Bryan as they joined them at the table. Sonia was wearing one of Bryan''s sweatshirts with a short, while Bryan was wearing sweatpants with a tank top.

    "Mr Lover boy, when did you boys get back from your surprise visit trip?" Desmond asked when Bryan and Sonia joined the table, and everyoneughed in amusement.

    "Before midnight. Good morning everyone," Bryan greeted as he pulled out a seat for Sonia beside Jade, and they both sat down.

    "Good morning, everyone," Sonia greeted cheerfully.

    "It''s good to see that you have both resolved things," Evelyn said with a pleased smile.

    "Yeah, they certainly have," Andrew said with a grin when he took note of the hickey on Bryan''s neck, who was sitting beside him.

    "It''s good to see you again, Andrew," Bryan said, and Andrew grinned.

    "Did you miss me much?"

    "I wish I could say I did. How is your shoulder now? Have you had someone take a look at it yet?" Bryan asked with concern remembering the swimming pool incident.

    Andrew rolled his shoulder, "Yeah. J made sure Lucas took a look at it. Thanks for asking," Andrew said, and Bryan nodded as he nced at J.

    "I think you look lovelier than thest time I saw you," Bryan said, and J giggled.

    "That is such a sweet thing to say," J said as she looked around the table.

    "Why are Lucy and Tom not down yet?" J asked Samantha and the two maids who were attending to them.

    "They won''t being down. Tom asked that their breakfast be served in the bedroom and requested that they not be bothered," Samantha exined, and Evelyn raised a brow.

    "So he is not going toe down to say hello to his parents who are visiting him?" Evelyn asked with disapproval.

    "He didn''t exactly invite you to his house. You invited yourselves. And he is not the reason you''re here either, so if you are looking for someone to say hello to you, you should go to Harry''s house," Jade said grumpily, and all eyes turned to her.

    She had been unusually quiet and moody since she joined them at the table, so her annoying statement wasn''t exactly surprising.

    "Is everything alright, Princess?" Desmond asked as he watched her with interest.

    "I''m fine," Jade said with a scowl as she picked a slice of toast and shoved it into her mouth while ring at her phone.

    She couldn''t believe that Harry had not called her all night to find out if she had arrived home or to wish her goodnight. And he was not making any move to call her this morning either. The cold-hearted bastard!

    After breakfast, Sonia followed Jade, leaving Bryan behind, who was conversing with his parents and the Perrys after Candace and Jamal excused themselves to get ready so they could leave for Harry''s to spend the day with Aaron.

    "Are you alright?" Sonia asked with concern as they approached Jade''s bedroom.

    "Harry hasn''t called nor texted. He didn''t callst night, and he hasn''t called nor texted today either," Jade said as she walked into her bedroom, and Sonia went in with her.

    "Did you try calling him?" Sonia asked, and Jade looked at her incredulously.

    "No."

    "Why not?" Sonia asked, wondering if there was any rule that stated that the guy had to be the one to call.

    "Because I want him to miss me. He said he wasn''t going to miss me. It''s going to hurt my pride if I call him first," Jade said matter of factly as shey on her bed, and Sonia shook her head as she joined her.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "So you''d rather be moody all day than pick up your phone and call him?" Sonia asked as she propped herself on one elbow and looked at Jade.

    "Yes. I''d rather be moody than let him know I miss him," Jade said with a scowl, and Sonia giggled.

    "Good luck with that then," Sonia said, and Jade red at her.

    "Is that all you''re going to say? What do you think I can do to get him to call?" Jade asked, and Sonia shook her head.

    "No offence, Jade. But right now, you sound like a lovesick high school teenager, not a mature, confidentwyer," Sonia said, and Jade sighed.

    "Really?"

    "Yes. Pick up your damned phone and give him a call. There is no point ying hard to get if you''re going to spend the whole day scowling and snapping at everyone," Sonia advised.

    "Whatever. I''m not calling him first," Jade said as she rose from the bed and went to drop her phone on top of the dresser so she would not be tempted to dial Harry''s line as she had been struggling not to do all morning.

    "So you resolved things with Bryan, huh? Are you going to move in with him?" Jade asked as she returned to the bed, and Sonia bobbed her head.

    "Yeah. We reached apromise. If it doesn''t work out, then I can move out," Sonia said, and Jade nodded.

    "That''s nice. Fighting doesn''t suit you two," Jade said with a distracted smile.

    "I know, right? I''m so d we were able to resolve things. Jade, keeping the phone far away from you, yet keeping your gaze on it this way isn''t going to make Harry call you first," Sonia said when she noticed how Jade''s gaze remained fixed on the phone.

    "Fine! I will give him a call, but I''m not going to visit him!" Jade said as she rose from the bed and went to pick it up, and Sonia stifled the urge to giggle.

    "That''s your call," Sonia said as shey back on the bed with elbows spread out on the pillow and both palms under her head as she looked up at the ceiling.

    Once Jade picked up her phone, she dialled Harry''s line, and after several rings, Harry picked up her call, "Good morning, esquire," Harry greeted pleasantly, and she resisted the urge to re at her phone.

    "Good morning, Mr Jonas," Jade greeted sweetly, and Harry grinned while Sonia giggled.

    "Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed, esquire?" Harry asked although he knew exactly what the problem was. Of course, it was Jade, so he knew what the problem was. He had been anticipating it, knowing how stubborn and proud she was.

    "My sleep was perfectly fine, and my morning is going beautifully. Thanks for your concern. I hope you had a good night''s rest too?" She asked curtly, and Harry stifled the urge to chuckle.

    "Sure, I did. I haven''t slept this well in a long time," Harry said, and Jade red at her reflection in the mirror, imagining it to be Harry.

    "Good for you. I''m calling to find out how your dad is doing. I hope he is feeling better today?" Jade asked, and Sonia giggled, enjoying Jade''s childish disy. Why did people do such ridiculous things when they were in love?

    "Yes, he is perfect. The attractive young nurse is so good with him...."

    "That''s good, then. Give my love to him. Have a nice day, Mr Jonas," Jade cut in and hung up before Harry could say anything else, making him chuckle.

    What was he going to do with this Hank Princess? Her stubbornness, pride, and impatience were second to none he had ever seen; he mused in amusement.

    Of course, he had wanted to callst night but had decided to wait and see if she would call as he asked her to, and by the time he realised she wasn''t going to call, it waste already, and he didn''t want to disturb her sleep. And a while before her call came in, he had been trying toe up with the best way to say good morning to her, but she had called sooner than he expected to express her displeasure so formally.

    Well, it was all good. She was going to call back soon anyway, that he was sure of.

    Back in Jade''s bedroom, Sonia was rolling on the bed withughter as Jade fumed over Harry''s description of the nurse.

    A knock sounded on her door, and bothdies turned to it, "Come in," Jade called in annoyance, and a maid walked in with a basket containing flowers and choctes.

    "This came for you," the maid informed her, and Jade frowned.

    "Me?" She asked, thinking the maid was talking to Sonia.

    "Yes," the maid said, raising the card that bore her name, and Sonia looked with interest as Jade took the basket and card from the maid and set the basket on the dressing table before opening the card.

    [Good morning to the most beautifuldy in the world. I hope you have a day as bright, colourful, and beautiful as you. Love, H.J]

    Jade''s lips fell open, and her cheeks coloured rosily as she looked from the card to the flowers and then back again, and seeing her reaction, Sonia got off the bed.

    "Who sent it?" She asked curiously.

    "Harry," Jade whispered, feeling both ted and embarrassed at the same time.

    "I love me an old-fashioned gentleman," Sonia cooed when she plucked the card from Jade and read the short note.

    As the maid walked out of the bedroom. Evelyn and J walked inside, and Evelyn took the card from Sonia while Jade remained where she stood, looking at the basket in stunned silence.

    "I told you it''s from Harry," Evelyn showed J with a proud smile.

    "Harry is so sweet," J said, and Jade couldn''t agree more.

    As annoying and cold-hearted as he could be, he was definitely sweet, and now she didn''t know how she was supposed to call him back after that formal phone call she had just made. Damn Harry!

 Chapter 526 I Know You

    After everyone had left her bedroom, Jade fell on her bed face down and beat the pillow with both hands in embarrassment as she yelled into her pillow.",

    "Screw you, Harry!" she cried and then sat up to cast a nce at the basket of flowers once again.

    She bit her lower lip as her gaze moved from the card to her phone, and then she picked up her phone.

    As hard as it was going to be to swallow her pride and call him, she wasn''t going to give Harry the satisfaction of knowing just how embarrassed she felt.

    She shut her eyes as she dialed his line, and almost immediately, he received the call, "Hey, esquire! Calling to check on my dad or me this time?" Harry asked in an amused tone, and Jade pressed her lips together.

    "I realized I didn''t ask how you were doing thest time, so I wanted to see if you''re fine," Jade said, and Harry grinned.

    "Yep! I''m fine. I just had breakfast. The nurse isn''t only pretty and young, she cooks fine too," Harry said, and Jade gritted her teeth.

    "Then you should have just sent her the damn flowers!" Jade snapped at him, and Harry chuckled.

    "Yeah, I should have. I''m sure she would be more pleasant and appreciative. Unfortunately, she doesn''t make meugh as you do, and she isn''t as beautiful as you," Harry said, and Jade felt herself blush.

    "Oh, Harry!" she eximed, and Harry smiled.

    "Why are you so stubborn, esquire?" Harry asked, and Jade raised a brow.

    "What do you mean stubborn?"

    "You could have calledst night when you got home. Why didn''t you?" Harry asked, and Jade scowled.

    "You called me insecure in the presence of everyone else," Jade pointed out.

    "You know me, Jade. If you didn''t want such a response, you shouldn''t have asked me such a question in the presence of anyone. And I don''t recall calling you insecure," Harry said, and Jade rolled her eyes.

    "What''s the difference between calling me insecure and saying I have low self-esteem?"

    "I didn''t say you have low self-esteem either. If you were not too proud, you would have realized that I was expressing my disapproval at you for asking me such a question. Your question indirectly hinted to anyone that heard you that you are insecure, you don''t trust me, and that I might be irresponsible. Do you know that?" Harry said, and Jade pouted.

    "That wasn''t what I meant. Was that why you didn''t call?" Jade asked,

    ? "Was what why?" Harry asked, wanting to know what she meant.

    "Did you fail to call because you were mad at me?" Jade asked grudgingly, and Harry resisted the urge to chuckle.

    "I don''t hear your apology, esquire," Harry said, knowing she was feeling remorseful now.

    "What am I apologizing for?" Jade asked stubbornly.

    "I can''t answer any of your questions until you apologize to me," Harry insisted.

    "Fine. Whatever! I''m sorry...."

    "Who says whatever when apologizing?" Harry asked with a slightly raised brow, and Jade took a deep breath.

    "I''m sorry."

    "Good. You apologized for making me miss you all night because you stubbornly chose not to call me. And for making false assumptions. I wasn''t mad at you. Although I didn''t like your question, but I wasn''t mad. I stayed upte awaiting your call, but you stubbornly chose not to...."

    "I stayed upte awaiting your call too!" Jade snapped at him.

    "Whose fault is that? Didn''t I ask you to call when you were bored or lonely?" Harry asked, and Jade pressed her lips together.

    "Who said I was bored or lonely?"

    "If you weren''t, why did you stay upte awaiting my call?" Harry asked, and this time she didn''t have a response.

    "I assume your silence answers the question. And I''m sure you must know already the reason I didn''t call this morning," Harry exined.

    "You could have called instead of waiting for my call," Jade muttered.

    "No, esquire. I told you, I''m not tolerating any of that pride and stubbornness unless I decide to. You have to get off your high horse if we are doing this," Harry said, and Jade sighed.

    "So I have to put up with your pride and stubbornness, and you...."

    "I''m neither proud nor stubborn, esquire. I will, however, be both if that''s what I have to do to put you in your ce," Harry said, and Jade sighed.

    "So I don''t get an apology too?" She asked, and Harry shrugged even though she couldn''t see him.

    "If you can tell me something reasonable you want me to apologize for, I will," Harry offered, and Jade narrowed her eyes as she considered it.<novelnext></novelnext>

    He had answered her question in front of the others exactly the way he usually did. He was blunt and annoying, and she had always known that. And yes, she understood what he meant. His father had been in a dire situation, and he had chosen a suitable nurse, yet she had made light of it by asking him such a ridiculous question in the presence of everyone else.

    And he had asked her to call, and she had decided not to because she wanted him to miss her. Well, it had worked. He admitted he missed her all night, Jade recalled with a broad smile now.

    "You said you missed me all night, right?" she asked excitedly, and Harry chuckled.

    "Is that what you want me to apologize for?"

    "No! You said you weren''t going to miss me yesterday, and just now, you said you missed me!" Jade said happily, and Harry shook his head.

    "I guess you realized there was nothing for me to apologize over. Did you like the flowers?" Harry asked, and Jade smiled.

    "Of course! All my favorite flowers and choctes are in the basket. How did you know to pick them?" Jade asked with a curious smile.

    "Why don''t you guess?" Harry asked as he sat up on his bed and crossed both legs at his ankle while he adjusted his pillows behind him.

    "You''ve been stalking me?" Jade asked in a teasing tone.

    "You''re smarter than that esquire. Give it another shot," Harry suggested, and Jade pursed her lips as she thought about it.

    "Tom told you?"

    "Close enough. I told you how I helped Tom send you gifts on your birthdays. I sent some of those flowers and choctes at different times on your birthday over the years. Tom had a list of your favorite stuff," Harry exined, and Jade smiled.

    "And you remembered each of them?" Jade asked, feeling touched.

    "I made my own list. And sometimes I added some extra gifts from me to you without indicating it. I didn''t know how you would feel about receiving a gift from me," Harry admitted, and Jade''s eyes rounded in surprise.

    "You did? Tell me what you got," Jade asked eagerly, and Harry chuckled.

    "Maybe if you''re a good girl, I will tell you," Harry promised.

    "Did Tom know about it?"

    "No. I never told him," Harry said, and Jade sighed.

    "Harry? Where are you?"

    "In my bedroom. Why?" Harry asked.

    "I want to see your face," Jade said, and Harry raised a brow.

    "Right now?"

    "Yes," Jade said, and Harry got off his bed, wanting to go and freshen up so he could go and see her.

    "Alright, give me twenty minutes..."

    "What for? Are you naked? You don''t have to show me your body unless you want to," Jade said in a teasing tone, and Harry paused when he realized she was requesting for a face time and not a physical meeting.

    "Oh! Alright," Harry said as he returned to the bed and switched the call to video call.

    Immediately Jade saw that Harry was requesting a video call, she ran to the dressing table to check her reflection, and she quickly glossed up her lips and ran her fingers through her hair.

    She adjusted the spaghetti strap of her sleeping robe, which she had worn downstairs for breakfast, to make sure her cleavage was visible before pulling the basket he had sent close to her and receiving the call.

    Harry smiled when he saw her smiling face beside the basket, "You are beautiful, and your cleavage is beautiful. I know you wanted me to see that," he said, and it was all Jade could do not to blush.

    "Thanks," she said, and Harry chuckled as she set her phone to rest in front of the mirror and picked up one of the choctes.

    "So, what did you think when I called you earlier? You must have had a goodugh, huh?" Jade asked as she unwrapped the chocte and ate, and Harry chuckled.

    "I knew you were going to call, but you called earlier than I expected. I expected you to take some more time to debate and argue with yourself whether or not you should call me first," Harry said with a grin, and Jade raised a brow.

    "Well, what if I didn''t call until I received the basket?" Jade asked, and Harry grinned.

    "You don''t find it strange that you received the basket almost immediately after you called?" Harry asked, and Jade narrowed her eyes.

    "What do you mean?" Jade asked, and Harry shrugged.

    "Let''s just say the basket was waiting for your call. I know you, Jade. I know how you reason and how you react to things. That''s the advantage I have over you in this rtionship. You are only getting to know me now, but I''ve known you for years. In the same way, I know you are not going to listen to me, and will try to show up during my date with Aurora. If I see any trace of you around there, we are done," Harry said, and Jade''s lips fell open in disbelief.

 Chapter 527 Adopting A Kid? (Sexual Content!!!)

    Tom stirred in his sleep when he felt a grip around his cock, and he was jolted awake when he felt a surge of pleasure through his body.

    Nothing prepared him for the surprise of seeing Lucy kneeling by the foot of the bed with her long hair falling over and covering her face and her lips around his cock.

    "Fuck!" Tom groaned when Lucy attempted to deepthroat him, and Lucy pulled away and brushed her hair away from her face as she raised her head to look at him.

    "Sorry I woke you up. Good morning," she said with a bright smile, her eyes a bit watery and her lips gleaming with saliva, or was it precum? What a way to be roused from sleep.

    Before Tom could gather his thoughts together and snap back to his senses, Lucy straddled him in a frog pose and sat on his cock, surprising him even more, and he let out a deep groan as he felt his cock slip inside her juicy slits.

    "Do you like it?" she asked as she rocked on top of him slowly with her gaze fixed on his face as though she was watching for pleasure signs.

    "Do you n to stop if I say I do?" Tom asked in a husky voice as he reached for her boobs and squeezed one of them gently before pinching her nipples, and Lucy moaned softly.

    Seeing how that excited her, he tried to sit up. His left hand went around her waist to cup her ass, and at the same time, he took her right nipple in his mouth while he used his other hand to y with the other nipple.

    Lucy moaned loudly as she adjusted her position to a frog squat so her thighs wouldn''t hurt, and she buried her fingers in Tom''s hair as she continued to move on top of him.

    It was beginning to seem like the more she made love with him, the more she wanted to make love with him. Her desire for him was increasing with each passing day.

    Tomy back on the bed, and with his hands on her waist, he began to move under her. Lucy gasped when she felt his thrust the first time, and her eyes closed of their own volition as she threw her head back and moaned with reckless abandon as he continued to thrust in and out of her.

    "You are so beautiful," Tom said as he watched her, and Lucy opened her mist-colored eyes to look at him, and Tom watched in amusement as color flooded her cheeks at the realization that he was watching her in the throes of passion.

    "Say it," Tom said when she ceased moving, and he saw something flicker in her eyes, and she looked at him like she was hesitating to say something.

    Lucy licked her lower lip and then cleared her throat as she tried to gather her courage to say what she wanted to say, "I want you to fuck me," she said, and it took all of Tom''s willpower not to let his shock show on his face.

    Who was this wild person on top of him? Tom mused as he gazed back at her, wondering what hade over her.

    "You want me to fuck you?" He asked, and when she bobbed her head, he pulled out and rolled off the bed.

    "Come here," Tom said, and Lucy did as she was told.

    Still standing, Tom made her fall forward on the bed so that she was lying on her stomach with her legs spread apart and her feet nted on the ground.

    Tom thrust into her, and Lucy buried her face in the pillow to keep herself from screaming even though she really wanted to. She made a mental note to do this with him in the privacy of her apartment or anywhere else they could be alone where she wouldn''t have to worry about being heard by anyone.

    Tom fucked her hard until both her legs felt weak and she couldn''t stand anymore, and then he fucked her in a spoon position until she orgasmed.

    By the time he was done, they were both panting hard, and while he was trying to catch his breath, Lucy turned to him and covered his lips with hers in a passionate kiss.

    "You will be the death of me," Tom said as he turned away from her to catch his breath.

    Lucy giggled, "Let''s freshen up. Breakfast has been served."

    "Already?" Tom asked, ncing at the balcony.

    "Yeah. I texted Samantha with your phone earlier," Lucy said as she got off the bed, and Tom did the same.

    "We need to change the sheets. You ruined it," Lucy said, pointing to the stain on the bed.

    "Whose fault is it?" Tom asked dryly as he tugged on the edge of the sheet pulling it off the bed while Lucy took out the duvet.

    "I will call Samantha to have someone take care of it while we freshen up," Tom said as he picked up his phone while Lucy headed for the bathroom.

    While everyone else was busy with one activity or the other around the house, Lucy and Tom sat on the balcony of his bedroom, having breakfast.

    "You are so beautiful," Tom said as he observed Lucy, who seemed to be glowing in the morning sunlight wearing her hair loose around her shoulders, dressed in nothing but one of Tom''s white long-sleeved button-down shirts, with the button undone and no underwear.

    Tom, on the other hand, was covered in a cream-colored bathrobe, and like her, he wasn''t wearing any undies under the robe.

    "Am I?" Lucy asked with a small smile as she equally observed him over the rim of her mug of juice since Tom had insisted, as usual, that she didn''t take coffee because of her peptic ulcer.

    "Yes, you are," Tom said softly as he reached for her leg and raised it gently so that one of her legs was resting on his thigh, and he lowered his head to it and kissed her toe, making butterflies flutter in Lucy''s stomach.

    "What is in your head?" Lucy asked in a throaty voice and then cleared her throat when Tom returned his loving gaze to her.

    He was still trying to wrap his head around how she had woken him up with his cock in her mouth and how she asked him to fuck her, "I''m thinking of you," Tom said, and she smiled.

    "What about me?"

    "How much you''ve changed. You don''t seem so shy anymore too," Tom observed, and Lucyughed into her mug.

    "Shy about what?" she asked, and Tom shrugged.

    "How do you expect me to remain shy when I''m almost always dressing and undressing in front of you?" she asked, and Tom grinned.

    "I guess so. Besides, there''s nothing to be shy about. I''m usually naked whenever you are," Tom said, and Lucy smiled.

    "Yeah."

    "Why did you do that this morning?" Tom asked, and Lucy didn''t bother to pretend not to know what he was asking.

    "You were asleep. It was poking me. At first, I was curious, and then I thought about practicing the hand and blow job with you asleep, and then I was aroused. I wanted you," Lucy admitted with a mild blush, and Tom found himself grinning.

    "So it had nothing to do with satisfying me?" he asked, and she gave him a nod.

    "Yes. It was purely selfish," she said, and Tom chuckled.

    "Why am I pleased by the sound of that?" Tom asked with a pleased smile. It made him even happier to know that she had not initiated it to please him but to please herself. She desired him.

    "You tell me," Lucy said with a grin.

    "But I don''t get why you asked me to fuck you," Tom said, and Lucy looked away in mild embarrassment.

    "Why do you have to bring that up right now?" She asked, making Tom chuckle.

    "Because I''m curious. And you better not go all shy on me right now," Tom said, and Lucy turned to him.

    "Well, sex doesn''t always have to be so..." she paused as she tried to find the right word, "So organized. I don''t know if that''s the right word to exin this. As much as I enjoy the forey and how we both try to pleasure each other, I think I would also love it to be spontaneous sometimes. I mean, like having quickies, just having sex for sex''s sake, and not necessarily lovemaking. I don''t know if you get what I mean," Lucy said while Tom watched her in amusement.

    Sometimes he couldn''t believe she was the same person he had met just weeks ago. He was in awe of her, and his heart was full of love for her. It wasn''t just about the sex. It was mostly about the changes he could see in her. In such a short time, she had changed so much and had be more loving, more giving, and far more expressive than he could have dared to hope for.

    "If that''s what you want. You know I try to be careful when it involves you," Tom said, and Lucy smiled.

    "That reminds me, something urred to me during my conversation with Sonia yesterday," Lucy said, and Tom angled his head.

    "Want to tell me about it?" he asked, and Lucy gave him a nod.

    "Yeah. You know, I think it''s very easy most times for us to be selfish in the course of our rtionship with others. By selfish, I mean being self-centered. Wanting things always to go the way we want," Lucy said, and Tom watched her with interest wondering where she was driving at.

    While trying to talk sense into Sonia, she had realized midway that, in some areas, she was also like Sonia. While it was good to have personal principles or values and beliefs and hold on to them, in a rtionship, there was always room forpromise and finding a middle ground.

    When Harry brought up that subject while seeing them off, she had given it another thought and tried to rte it with what she told Sonia earlier by looking at it from Tom''s perspective instead of hers.

    "I know we talked about reviewing this next year, but I spent some time thinking about it while waiting for youst night," Lucy paused to see if he got what she was trying to say.

    Tom''s heart skipped a beat. Was she talking about her decision not to get married? Did she change her mind already?

    "What about it?"

    "I tried to understand things from your perspective. I want to see it from your angle, and I want you to see things from my angle. I want us to reach apromise," Lucy suggested.

    "I thought we did already. Wasn''t that the reason we said we would review it next year?" Tom asked, and Lucy shook her head.

    "That isn''t apromise. That was us trying not to face it at the time. It''s like postponing what needs to be said or done. I don''t want us to wait a year to realize we don''t want the same things," Lucy said, and Tom raised a brow.

    "So what are you trying to say?"

    "I want us to find a way around it. I don''t want to deprive you of something you want, and at the same time, I don''t want to do anything I might end up resenting either of us for," Lucy said, and Tom sighed.

    "So, did youe up with a solution?" Tom asked, and she looked at him hesitantly for a moment.

    She cleared her throat, "Well, I know you love kids, so I was thinking... don''t get me wrong. It''s only a suggestion. Would you mind adopting a kid?" Lucy asked, and Tom raised a brow.

    "Adopting a kid?" He asked, not understanding what that had to do with her not wanting to get married or having a child.

 Chapter 528 Your Baby?

    Lucy took a moment to gather her thoughts together so she would know how best to put them to him. Maybe she should have told Sonia about it first and heard what Sonia thought so she would know if it made sense to suggest such a thing to Tom.

    "Yes. I know you love kids. And I don''t want to deprive you of having them. So I was thinking maybe you won''t mind adopting a kid. There are so many kids out there without parents, in need of someone to take care of them. And I think you have what it takes," Lucy said, and Tom nodded thoughtfully.

    "Okay. And then what?" he asked, making Lucy look at him in confusion.

    "What do you mean?"

    "I mean. What next after I adopt a kid or two? Are you going to marry me?" he asked, wanting to know if what she meant was that she would get married to him, but they would have to adopt kids. If that was what she wanted, the idea would be very well weed.

    Lucy shook her head, "No. I''m not sure yet how I feel about that yet...."

    "Alright. Let''s see if I get what you mean. You still don''t want to marry me, but you want me to adopt kids so I can be fine with just dating you, am I right?" he asked, and Lucy winced.

    When he put it like that, it sounded somehow, "I..."

    "Will you be the mother to the kids if I settle for an adoption?" Tom asked without letting her answer the first question, and Lucy''s brows pulled together.

    "Like be responsible for them?" Lucy asked, and judging by her tone, Tom could tell she didn''t want that.

    "Yes. Like taking care of them as a mother would. Of course, they would have nannies to cater to some of their physical needs, but they will need both parents to cater to their emotional needs. So will you be their mother?"

    "Don''t I need to be your wife to be their mother?" she asked carefully.

    "You already made it clear you don''t want to marry me...."

    "I never said that... At least not that way," Lucy corrected, "If I ever want to get married, it would be you. I''m just not sure I''m cut out for it," Lucy said with a slight frown.

    "Understood. As my girlfriend, will you be their mother?" Tom asked, and Lucy shook her head.

    "Isn''t that the same as having kids of my own and being responsible for them?" she asked, and Tom raised a brow.

    "You don''t want that too," Tom said with a nod. It wasn''t a question. It was what it was. She didn''t want to be responsible for any child.

    "You don''t want to marry me, and you don''t want us to adopt the kids together either. In other words, you want me to opt for adoption, but you don''t want to be a part of it. All you want is to remain my girlfriend, am I right?" Tom asked, trying not to sound annoyed, but Lucy could tell he was bing upset.

    "I just want things to remain the same between us. I don''t want anything to change..."

    "Do you have any idea how selfish that sounds?" Tom asked, cutting off whatever she wanted to say.

    "Selfish? I''m only saying this for you..."

    "For christ''s sake, Lucy! Do you have anything against having a nice peaceful moment together? We are out here having a beautiful morning, and you decide to bring this up, knowing how sensitive the conversation is for the both of us, and you im you''re suggesting this for my sake?" Tom asked as he let her leg drop from his thigh and stood up.

    He couldn''t help feeling offended by the selfishness of her suggestion. He felt so offended because he was disappointed. For a moment, he had been hopeful that she had changed her mind and was going to say they could get married but adopt kids.

    "I didn''t mean to ruin the moment. I thought the suggestion would work best for us..."

    "How does this work for me? Does it make any sense to you that I adopt a child, and then I''m in a separate rtionship with my girlfriend, who doesn''t want to be involved in the child''s life? I can see how well it works for you, but how does it work for me? Last time I checked, I said I wanted a family, not just a child. If all I wanted were a child, I would have over a dozen kids from different women running around the house already!" Tom said angrily, trying hard not to raise his voice.

    "You know what? Maybe I should bring my own suggestion. How about I get someone to have my baby instead? Since we are talking about what works best for me, we should consider this too," Tom said, and Lucy''s heart skipped a beat.

    "Your baby?" Lucy asked as she rose.

    "Yes. Doesn''t that sound like a good idea? I could get someone. Anyone. To have a child for me. Maybe if I like her enough, I could marry her. We don''t have to worry about you being my wife or the child''s mother then, do we? That way, you get to remain my girlfriend for as long as is convenient for you, and I get to have a family. It''s a win-win. I''m sure she won''t mind me having a mistress. I will be sure to exin the situation to her..."

    "How can you say such a thing?" Lucy asked in a hurt tone, her heart beating fast and aching at the thought of Tom being with another woman.

    "What? Don''t you like that suggestion? Of course, you don''t. That is the same way I don''t like your suggestion. You talked about this suggestion being borne out ofpromise, yet I can''t find what you''re willing to give up for this. So far, you''ve only told me what you think I can do so we can be together, not what you''re willing to do," Tom said, and as he turned to walk away from the balcony back to the bedroom, Lucy grabbed his hand.<novelnext></novelnext>

    He was right. This wasn''t really a solution either. Somehow she had thought that he would be fine once he had his own kid and he wouldn''t mind just being in a rtionship with her.

    "Please, don''t leave. I''m sorry. I didn''t give it as much thought as I thought I did," Lucy said apologetically, and Tom paused.

    He observed her as different emotions flickered on her face, and he closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm himself. He tried to remember all the reasons he loved her, and he tried to remind himself that although he did not like her suggestion, she had not said it to annoy him but had only suggested it because she was trying to find a way for them to work.

    "Jewel?" he called when he felt he was calm enough, and she met his gaze.

    "Did anyone bring the issue up while I was away? Did someone pressure you into thinking about this again?" he asked calmly, and she sighed.

    "It''s not that. It''s just that I was sort of worried about it..."

    "Why? I haven''t brought it up or asked you anything about that since we talked about it. Did I say or do anything to make you feel pressured?" Tom asked, and she shook her head.

    "No. It''s not you. It''s me."

    "From what I can see, you are not ready to change your mind on the subject, and I''m not forcing or urging you to do that either..."

    "But what about you? I know you want..."

    "Forget about what I want. We had an agreement. We agreed already to revisit the issue in a year. Let''s stick to that. You don''t have to worry about anything else," Tom said, and Lucy sighed.

    "I''m sorry I ruined the mood."

    Tom pulled her close and cupped her chin with his hands, "I don''t know what''s going on in your head, but I just want to be able to have a nice time with you without either of us worrying about anything else. So please do me a favor and not bring up this subject until the stipted time. Unless, of course, you''re bringing it up to tell me you''ve changed your mind," Tom said on a lighter note, but Lucy looked at him with worried eyes.

    "You are not going to consider your suggestion, right?" she asked, and Tom sighed as he kissed the tip of her nose.

    "No, I''m not. I''m sorry I said that. It''s not an option. We will put our heads together and find a way to work things out so we are both fulfilled and happy. For now, don''t worry about anything else, and let''s focus on finding ways to spend more time together and be happy," Tom assured her as he raised her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckle.

    There was no need to tell her right now that even if she failed to change her mind, he was not going to give up on her. He hoped she would be more open to it then or at least to the idea of parenting. He could settle for adoptionter, as she had suggested, but if he was going to do that, he wanted her to be involved in the kid''s life. She should be able to do that much for him. In a rtionship, there had to be give and take on both sides.

    "So what are we doing now? Going back to bed?" Lucy asked, and Tom shook his head.

    "No. I want to do something else. There''s something I''ve always wanted to do," Tom said, and Lucy raised a brow.

    "What?"

    "Let''s go to the spa together. After the body treatment, I want to watch them take care of your hair and give you a makeover. Also, you can get your nails done. I noticed you need a pedicure," Tom suggested, and Lucy giggled in embarrassment as she looked down at her nails and feet.

    "Yeah, I do need a manicure and pedicure. I haven''t done that since I moved here. But don''t you think you will get bored waiting for me to do all this?" Lucy asked, and Tom grinned.

    "I can never get bored watching you. After that, we can go on a dinner date. What do you say?" Tom asked, and Lucy''s eyes twinkled.

    "There is something I would like to try too," Lucy said with a shy smile and Tom raised a brow.

    "What''s that?" he asked, and Lucy drew close to him.

    "Sex in the car," Lucy whispered, and Tom chuckled.

    "Before or after the spa session?" Tom asked with a silly grin, and Lucy giggled.

    "Isn''t it better in the dark? I mean, anyone could see us by the roadside during the day," Lucy said, and Tom chuckled.

    "Leave that to me. Only make sure you''re putting on a dress, and you don''t wear undies," Tom said with a wink as he led a giggling Lucy back inside the bedroom so they could get ready to leave.

    If there was one thing they both loved about their rtionship, it was how quickly they resolved their conflicts and moved past them.

 Chapter 529 Don’t Tell

    Sonia walked into Bryan''s bedroom and saw him seated on the bed with his phone to his ear, speaking with Jeff.

    "Alright. You don''t have toe over. I need to leave the house anyway, so I will meet you both instead," Bryan said and turned to look at Sonia.

    "It''s Jeff," he informed her and then chuckled at something Jeff said.

    "I believe she has forgiven you. But you''ll have to confirm for yourself when you see her," Bryan said and then paused as he listened to Jeff again.

    "Alright, sure. I will try to see if I can convince Samantha to prepare some for you both," Bryan said before hanging up.

    "Jeff sent his apologies, and Mia sent her love," Bryan said as he scrolled through his phone for Samantha''s contact.

    Sonia smiled at the mention of Mia, "Is she living with Jeff?" Sonia asked as she went to sit beside Bryan.

    "Yeah. Didn''t I mention that they will both be sharing Tom''s apartment? I mean the one beside Lucy''s apartment," Bryan said as he dialed the number, and Sonia shook her head.

    "Maybe you did, and I forgot. Is everything alright?" Sonia asked curiously since the tone of the conversation from Bryan''s end had been serious when she walked in.

    "Give me a second," Bryan told Sonia when Samantha received his call, and he quickly requested for her to pack a meal for Mia and Jeff.

    Once he was done, he faced her again. "Everything is okay. Jeff called to report the expected issues following the interview. Paul had been breathing fire initially but seeing how the agency''s stocks keep plummeting. He is now wanting to reconcile. Unfortunately, he can''t get through to me anymore, so he is bothering Jeff and Mia," Bryan said with a sigh.

    Jeff had started buying out as many of the shares as he could get the moment the stock began to fall. Bryan had done his best by trying to warn Paul that Tom was involved and he was a little fish in the ocean filled with sharks, but Paul had not paid heed to his advice. Now Paul was going to lose Golden Star, and he would have no one to me but himself.

    "Do you feel bad about it?" Sonia asked as she studied his expression.

    "No, I don''t. His greed and ego put him in this situation, not me. Derek, on the other hand, is threatening to take Jeff to court for using him and tarnishing his image in that manner. And there are a couple of calls from producers andpanies who want to meet with me to discuss movie roles and endorsement deals," Bryan summarized, and Sonia smiled.

    "It''s all good. I know you can handle all of it," Sonia said confidently, and Bryan nodded.

    "Yeah."

    "So we are going to see them?" Sonia asked, and Bryan looked at her with an unreadable expression.

    "I''m going to see them, but you are wee to go with me if you want to," he said, and Sonia rolled her eyes.

    "Did you have to say it that way? Sounds like I''m actually not wee toe with you," she said, and Bryan shook his head.

    "No. That is me saying I can''t dictate for you or us. I''m leaving you to make the decision toe with me on your own. You could have made other ns to hang out with Lucy or Jade or even to write," Bryan said, and Sonia sighed.

    "Alright. I''ve heard you, and I''ming with you. I don''t think I have other ns. I''m not sure I will be setting eyes on Lucy today. She already made it clear she belonged to Tom for the whole of the day. The house will be boring without you. Jade is busy. Candace and Jamal should have left for Harry''s by now. And your parents and the Perrys are busy with their own stuff. So you see? You are stuck with me, my dearest boyfriend," Sonia said with a grin as she ced both hands on his cheeks and pulled them together to make a funny face.

    Bryan chuckled, "I guess this is one reason people go into rtionships. They want someone who will be with them when all their friends are too busy to hang out," Bryan said dryly, and Sonia shook her head.

    "No, I don''t agree. Or maybe I agree, but only partially. We go into rtionships because we want our own person. Someone who can fulfill some, if not all, of our emotional needs. Someone we click with both physically and emotionally. Someone who I expect to cuddle me and kiss my shoulder or neck or forehead or knuckles whenever we make physical contact," Sonia said as she stood from where she was seated and sat on his thigh, making Bryanugh.

    "Like this?" he asked as he kissed her shoulder.

    "Yeah. Someone whose presence makes our eyes light up. Sometimes you get tired of just fucking and want someone you can make love with. Someone who makes us feel at home like you make me feel," Sonia said as she gazed into Bryan''s eyes, and he held her gaze.

    "Do I really make you feel that way?"

    "Yes, you do, baby. And that''s why you are stuck with me," Sonia assured him, and Bryan grinned.

    "You are stuck with me too," Bryan said, and then he kissed her.

    "I was going to ask, is Lucy the only friend you have? I''ve never heard you talk about anyone else," Bryan asked after he broke the kiss.

    "Not anymore. I have Jade and Candace now, while Lu remains my best friend. Although before now, I had other acquaintances, yeah. But Lucy used to be like my only friend. I was her only friend too," Sonia exined, and Bryan nodded.

    "What about you? Is Matt your only friend?" She asked, and Bryan shook his head.

    "No. I used to have a lot of friends, but because of my career, I couldn''t always keep up. It''s easier to be friends with Matt because we share the same career," Bryan exined and then nced at the wall clock.

    "I should probably go see Jade now concerning Derek''swsuit threat," Bryan said as he attempted to rise, but Sonia held him back.

    "Derek is not going to do anything. He''s merely barking, so let''s not give him any more attention than we have already..."

    "And what if he goes ahead to do it?" Bryan asked, and Sonia shrugged.

    "Then I hope you don''t mind others seeing the nude pictures he sent to you ''cause I''m going to sue him for that," Sonia said, and Bryan shook his head.

    "Nah. I don''t want that. Not because I''m ashamed or anything. I just don''t want your business out there more than it is already. I won''t let things get to that extent," Bryan said, and Sonia sighed.

    "Alright. But you have to wait a bit before meeting Jade. She is distracted right now. Her mind is filled with thoughts of Harry, and they''re probably still talking over the phone right now, or she might be getting ready to go over to see him. He sent her flowers and choctes just to say good morning. It was so beautiful and heartwarming to see her speechless after fuming only minutes before," Sonia said with a grin, and Bryan chuckled.

    "Flowers and choctes?"

    "Yep. And a handwritten note. It was such an old-fashioned and sweet gesture. We were all touched. By we, I mean your mom and J included," Sonia said, and Bryan made a mental note to do that for her sometime in the future.

    "I see. Let''s get ready to leave, then. I can talk to her on our way out," Bryan said, and they both rose and helped each other undress before going in to shower.

    They were still in the shower when Bryan''s phone started ringing, and Bryan quickly finished up and left Sonia in the shower to get his phone.

    Bryan quickly covered up in his bathrobe before reaching for his phone, and he received the call immediately he saw that it was Matt.

    "What''s up, man?" Bryan asked as he sat back on the bed.

    "Read you showed up like a fool with flowers to surprise Sony but ended up getting surprised," Matt said in amusement, and Bryan chuckled.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "It''s good to see you''ve finally learned how to use your phone, dumbass," Bryan fired back.

    "Seeing how lively you sound, I take it you and Sonia are cool now. You''re no longer sulking like an idiot," Matt taunted.

    "You''re such a bastard. How was your datest night?" Bryan asked when he recalled that Matt had mentioned something about a date the previous day.

    "Man, I don''t want to talk about it," Matt said with a groan, and that piqued Bryan''s curiosity even more.

    "Did something happen?" Bryan asked with a grin, eager to hear it so he could taunt Matt.

    "Not exactly. I found out she is a weightlifter," Matt said in a tone that made Bryan sputter withughter.

    "That was not supposed to be funny," Bryan said as he tried topose himself while Sonia, who had just stepped out of the shower, looked at him with interest, wondering who was on the phone.

    "Well, it isn''t. I''m just not cut out for being with someone that could sweep me off my feet literally," Matt said dryly, and Bryan chuckled as he watched Sonia move around as she dressed up.

    "Can you believe she asked how much I weighed? She kept going on and on about how people never believed she was a weight lifter because of her physique, and she even joked about lifting me from the restaurant door to my car at the end of our date," Matt said, and Bryanughed harder.

    "Well, look on the bright side. On your wedding day, you get to try something different. The bride can lift the groom bridal style," Bryan said withughter, and Matt found himself chuckling too.

    "I''m really not against her hobby, career, upation, or whatever she chooses to call it. But I''d rather be with a feminine woman. You know, someone who can rely on me for protection and who will call me to help her lift stuff and open jars or containers. That sort of thing," Matt exined.

    "Yeah, I get what you mean. So how did it end? Did you let her lift you to your car?" Bryan asked in amusement and reached out to p Sonia''s ass yfully when she walked past him.

    "Of course not! Paul called for an impromptu meeting, so we had to call it a night. I dropped her off at her apartment, but I never looked back after I drove off," Matt said, and Bryan raised a brow.

    "You didn''t kiss her goodnight or go in for coffee?" Bryan asked, and Matt chuckled.

    "She offered, but I told her I was in a hurry. There was no need to lead her on," Matt said with a sigh.

    "So about Paul," Matt continued.

    "Paul?"

    "Yep. I told you he called for a meetingst night. That brings me to the second reason I called..."

    "You don''t intend to ask me to settle with Paul, do you?" Bryan asked with disapproval.

    "I would be an idiot to do so, considering all he has said and done. Paul is desperate, and everyone at the agency is worried. I''ve received quite a number of phone calls this morning. One thing I know for sure is that Paul didn''t expect you to do that interview or sell him out that way. You can''t imagine the effect your action is having on the stock," Matt said, and Bryan shrugged.

    "I warned him. What about you? Why don''t you jump out of the sinking ship and join I-Global entertainment?" Bryan offered.

    "I was going to get to thatter. I overheard something disturbing. Something about Paul taking pictures of you and Sophia inpromising positions," Matt said, and Bryan raised a brow.

    "Where did you hear that?"

    "Paul''s office. He was inside the office talking with Sophia when I arrived. It''s the weekend, so his secretary wasn''t around. I overheard them before I could make my presence known," Matt exined, and Bryan shook his head.

    "He''s never going to stop plotting, is he?"

    "Well, I confronted him. I couldn''t just pretend I didn''t hear anything. I just called to be sure you had nothing with Sophia," Matt said, and Bryan smiled.

    "I didn''t. The funny thing is I suspected it. I told Sonia there was something suspicious about Sophia thest time I saw her. She was all over me, and that was weird," Bryan said, and Sonia paused to look at him.

    "Well, I guess he is only trying to desperately reconcile now because you caught him. I''m done with him."

    "I''m done too. I let him know I would be leaving Golden Star as soon as I was done with my pending assignments. I can''t keep working with someone like him," Matt said, and Bryanughed happily.

    "I love this. I will let Jeff and the others know about this. We will be looking forward to having you here."

    "I''m beginning to look forward to that too. Give my love to Sonia. I have to go now," Matt said before hanging up.

    "What was that about?" Sonia asked curiously, and Bryan told her all they had discussed.

    Sonia smiled, "I''m d his date didn''t work out. I want things to work out between him and Candace. And with himing down here, I think there is a chance for them."

    Bryan angled his head as he thought about it, "Oh, shit! Now he''s going to have to deal with Harry and their dad too," Bryan said, and Sonia giggled.

    "How I love Ludus," Sonia said as she picked up her phone to text Candace to let her know it didn''t work out between Matt and his date. Although Candace didn''t ask her for such information, and Candace denied being interested in Matt, Jade had told her about their agreement. So Candace could try again.

    ? Bryan nced at his phone when it started ringing again and raised a brow when he saw it was from Matt, "Did you forget something?"

    "Yes. Please don''t tell Sonia about my date...."

    "You called toote. I already did," Bryan said apologetically.

    "Can you ask her not to tell your sister or Candace about it?" Matt asked hopefully. He didn''t want Candace to know. He had deliberately told them he was going on a date because he wanted her to know he had moved on. He would feel too embarrassed if she heard of it.

    "Sure, I will. Take care," Bryan said as he hung up the call and turned to Sonia.

    "You''re not to tell.... what are you doing?" Bryan asked when he saw she wasn''t listening.

    "I just sent a text to our girls'' group to let them know Matt''s date didn''t work. Now Candace can try to get him," Sonia announced with a grin, and Bryan groaned inwardly.

    "So what were you saying?" She asked with a wide smile.

 Chapter 530 Hurting People Hurt People

    How could he say he would end whatever was between them if she showed up at his date with Aurora? Did that make any sense? How could his meeting with Aurora be more important than what they shared? Jade mused as shey on her bed belly-down with her chin resting on both hands as she stared at the basket of flowers he had sent.

    Wasn''t Harry being too harsh with her? Besides, he had been there when she suggested a double date, so it wasn''t supposed to be a big deal, was it? Why did Harry have to be so stubborn and controlling?

    Her gaze shifted to the door when a knock sounded on it, and she raised a brow, but before she could speak, she heard her mom''s voice, "Are you still in here, Jady?" Evelyn asked, and Jade sat up.

    "Yes. You cane in," she said with a sigh, knowing that her mother was there to talk about Harry.

    Evelyn opened the door and walked in, "That''s not the look that should be on the face of a youngdy that just received flowers from a dashing young man. You are not busy, are you?"

    "I''m not. I thought you were busy with J?" Jade asked, and Evelyn nodded.

    "Yes, I was. But I wanted to spend some time with you. I don''t get to have you around as often as I want, so I have to make the best use of the time whenever I see you," Evelyn said as she joined Jade on the bed.

    "Now that I will be working at I-Global, you''ll get to see me as often as you want," Jade assured her.

    "Yeah. I''m counting on that. I''m still so excited that the three of you are working together now," Evelyn said, and then she smiled.

    "So about that..." she said, pointing to the basket of flowers.

    "I take it things are going smoothly with Harry, yeah?"

    "When he is not being annoying and controlling, yeah," Jade said, and Evelyn raised a brow.

    "Controlling?"

    "Yes! Can you believe Harry threatened to end things with me if I showed up on his date? Like, who does that? I mean, we are interested in each other, yet he expects me to befortable about him going out with someone else behind me," Jade said, and Evelyn frowned.

    "Harry said that? He ns to go out with someone else aside from you?" she asked in confusion. Harry did not strike her like the two-timing kind, and he wasn''t the type of person to be controlling either, at least to the best of her knowledge.

    "Yes, he said so," Jade said angrily.

    "Who is this other person? Are you sure she is not just a friend?" Evelyn asked, unwilling to believe that Harry was what Jade was painting him to be. That was something herte boyfriend would do, not Harry.

    "Well, she is my friend...."

    "Your friend?" Evelyn asked, and then she listened as Jade told her how she had tried to hook up Aurora and Harry.

    "Ouch! What did you do that for?" Jade cried when her mother pped her hard on the back.

    "You are very silly for trying to paint Harry in a bad light when you are the one at fault!"

    "Mom!"

    "I knew it was a bad idea when your dad and brothers spoilt you silly by always letting you have your way, but I thought you would know better. I can''t understand this childishness and silliness you are exhibiting now. I can''t believe a grown woman like you can act like a spoilt six-year-old," Evelyn hissed, and Jade red at her.

    "What did I do that is so wrong?"

    "You are acting like a brat! And you are lucky Harry is being so patient with you. If you know what is best for you, you better not show up on their date. Let him handle what needs to be done," Evelyn warned and took Jade''s hands in her own when she sighed sadly.

    "But..."

    "Listen to me, okay? Harry is a thoughtful young man, and you''d be silly to lose him over useless insecurities or by making unnecessaryparisons. Harry is not Todd...."

    "What do you mean?" Jade asked, wondering why her mother had to bring Todd into the conversation that way.

    "It might not be a conscious effort on your part, but I think a part of you has not healed from your rtionship with Todd. Although you''ve always been a brat...."

    "Mom!"

    "I was just kidding," Evelyn said with a grin.

    "We both know you weren''t this way when you were with Todd. Don''t you think you''re behaving this way with Harry because you are mistaking him to be Todd..."

    "No, I''m not! They''re two very different people. Todd could never be half the man Harry is!" Jade said passionately, and Evelyn nodded.

    "That is very true. And I believe the smart and reasonable part of your brain knows that. But there is also a not-so-smart part of your brain that doesn''t entirely believe that or seems to so conveniently forget it at the least signal of insecurity. I was like that too," Evelyn confided, and Jade looked at her in confusion.

    "Like how?" Jade asked as she couldn''t imagine her mother being anything other than the sweet wife she was to her father.

    Evelyn sighed, "In the earlier years of my rtionship and marriage with your father, it was tough letting go of my past. You know, when you were a kid, I wouldn''t let him change your diapers or see you naked," Evelyn confided, and Jade was silent for a while, and then her eyes rounded when she understood what her mother was saying.

    "But he never gave you any reason...."<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Yes. He never gave me any reason to feel that he was like my father, but that didn''t mean I wasn''t scared. It wasn''t something I did consciously. Sometimes I could be in the kitchen fixing dinner, and it would ur to me I left him alone with the kids, and I would sneak up on him to see what he was doing. Of course, each time I did that, he knew. And he understood," Evelyn said with a small smile.

    "Thinking about it now, I realize it must not have been easy on him. But he never onceined. He even took courses in psychology for my sake. I''m blessed to be married to a man like your father. Now what I''m trying to say is that, like me, you could be doing the same thing in your rtionship with Harry. Maybe you regret letting Todd have his way, and now that part of you just wants to be rebellious regardless of whether or not you know Harry is right," Evelyn said, and Jade frowned.

    Was that true? Was that what she was doing?

    "Do you honestly think Harry is controlling, as you said earlier?" Evelyn asked, and Jade was silent for a moment as she thought about it.

    "He said he wasn''t going to let me always have my way...."

    "And as the smartwyer you are, does that mean the same as being controlling?" Evelyn asked, and without waiting for her to respond, Evelyn continued, "Besides, Is he supposed to let you always have your way? Will you always let him have his way? What sort of rtionship would you both have if he always let you do whatever you want?" Evelyn asked, and seeing things from her mother''s point of view, Jade scowled.

    "It''s just that Aurora really likes him, and Harry doesn''t really have experience withdies...."

    "Does he seem naive to you? Harry is handsome and wealthy. Do you have any idea how many women must be throwing themselves at him? Are you the one who has been helping him keep them away this whole time?" Evelyn asked, and Jade raised a brow.

    "Why do you trust Harry so much? If I didn''t know better, I''d think he was your son," Jade said, and Evelynughed.

    "Of course, I consider him a son. Trust me when I say Harry can handle himself. He won''t cheat on you like Todd did," Evelyn said, and Jade frowned.

    "How did you know Todd cheated? I never told you that," Jade said, and Evelyn looked at her incredulously.

    "You were aware? Yet you remained with him?" Evelyn asked in disbelief.

    "I found out only after he died. So how could you have known? Don''t tell me Tom told you about it?" She asked, seething angrily.

    "Tom knows too? Well, he didn''t have to tell me. After you brought him home, I did a background search...."

    "You did what?" Jade asked, feeling both angry and betrayed.

    "I didn''t like him. Your father didn''t like him either. Your father likes everyone, and if he doesn''t like someone, then something must be wrong. I had to look into him. Unfortunately, he was involved in the ident before the private investigator could give me any information on him. The private investigator told me about Todd''s rtionship with thedy who was in the car with him at the time of the ident," Evelyn said with a shrug.

    "Why didn''t you say anything this whole time?" Jade asked, feeling betrayed that her mother had kept that away from her this whole time.

    "Because we thought you knew, and your father and I agreed that even if you didn''t know, it wasn''t our ce to tell you something like that when he was dead. You''d either not believe us, or you''d be even more heartbroken than you were. I''m sorry we didn''t tell you," Evelyn said softly, and Jade sighed.

    "You are not going to do a background search on Harry now, are you?"

    "Your grandfather did that when Tom took Harry to him before they started the business together," Evelyn said, and Jade''s eyes widened.

    "He did? So did he know about Harry''s mom?" Jade asked, and Evelyn shook her head.

    "Of course not! We were told his mother waste, and he was raised by his single dad, the chairman of HAJ photography studio. That was a secret between only Aaron and her, so there was no way anyone else could have known about it seeing how he relocated and changed everything," Evelyn said reasonably.

    "What about Sonia and Lucy? Did you look into them? Or is it just the men I like you get to look into?" Jade asked dryly, and Evelynughed.

    "What''s there to look into? I only found out about Lucy''s identity because of the scandal, and what other secret could she be hiding that could be deeper than that? I also met her and her parents. As for Sonia, I was going to look into her, but the scandal also told us about her background," Evelyn said with a shrug.

    "Fine. Whatever. I won''t show up at Harry''s date if that''s what he wants," Jade grumbled, and Evelynughed softly.

    "I can''t believe you are still so immature," Evelyn said as she patted Jade''s hair fondly, and Jade rested her head on her mother''s shoulder.

    "So, what''s your n for the day? Are you going to visit him today?" Evelyn asked, and Jade shook her head.

    "No, I''m not. I don''t want to see him until the end of the anniversary when he is done with his date," Jade said, and Evelyn raised a brow.

    "Why not?"

    "There is no reason to. He is not my boyfriend yet," Jade said simply, and Evelyn smiled.

    "If you say so. Since you''re not busy, how about we spend the day together? Let''s go shopping or get our hair and nails done. Or have a mother-and-daughter date," Evelyn suggested, and Jade''s eyes lit up.

    Thest time they had done that was that same holiday when she had brought Todd home and met Harry for the first time. It would be nice to do that today.

    Spending the day with her mother would help her take her mind off Harry for some time. She needed to be rxed to think about all her mother had said and see if it was true that she was letting her experience with Todd affect her rtionship with Harry.

    She really didn''t want to always be at loggerheads with him, so she wanted to take a step back now and look at things critically and analyze herself. She needed to be whole before going into a rtionship with Harry. Hurting people hurt others, and she didn''t want to carry her past hurt into her rtionship with Harry and ruin his first rtionship experience.

    "Yes, let''s do that. It''s been forever since we did that together," Jade said, and Evelyn nodded happily.

 Chapter 531 Giving Reasons To Plot

    "I was napping when you called. I really don''t think it''s a good idea to do this today," Anitained as she got into Tiffany''s car who had been waiting outside her apartment to take her to the beauty spa as their mother had instructed.

    "Yeah, I thought so too. You know, I told mother there was no hurry, and you could get it done within the week instead of today, but she insisted you get it done today. And her logic sort of made sense. Never leave for tomorrow what you can do today. You might end up being too busy with work to bother with it. She also said she didn''t want it to look too obvious that you had a makeover, so it is best you do it today," Tiffany said, and Anita tried not to roll her eyes.

    "Any word from mother''s lips would make sense to you," Anita mutterer as she nced at her wristwatch.

    "I heard that," Tiffany said with a scowl.

    "You were meant to hear it. It looks like I will bete to Bernice''s for lunch. I have to go get Lisa first," Anita said, and Tiffany rolled her eyes.

    "Why are you the one to get her? Shouldn''t her loving husband bring her over?"

    "You know how Ron is. He can barely stand being in the same room with mother for longer than ten minutes without leaving. If Ron brings her, she might have to leave early," Anita said, and Tiffany snorted.

    "He acts like he is better than everyone else," Tiffany said, and Anita giggled.

    "That''s not true. I get along with him just fine. The only reason you don''t like him is because he doesn''t get along with mother, and you''re jealous because he treats Lisa better than your husband treats you," Anita said, and Tiffany red at her.

    "That''s such a mean thing to say!"

    "Mean but true nheless. So what about Jack? Is heing? Or did he manage toe up with one of those thousand and one reasons why he can''t he there?" Anita asked, and Tiffany smiled.

    "Surprisingly he ising. He even offered to cancel his tennis n with his friends so he cane with me," Tiffany said, and Anita turned to her in surprise.

    "Wow! That is very surprising."

    "Yeah. All that is left now is for us to get you your own man. Who knows? Mother might decide to get remarried after you," Tiffany said with a grin and Anita giggled.

    "Speaking about mother, do you know who her secret admirer is?" Anita asked with interest since Tiffany was closest to their mother and was always the first to know what was going on with her.

    "I don''t. But I''m pretty sure he is someone really impressive. Mother will never settle for anyone less than perfect," Tiffany said as she pulled into the parking lot of the beauty spa and Anita nodded in agreement.

    "That''s true."

    Once they walked into the spa, Anita stiffened and stopped walking when she sighted Lucy and Tom seated at the reception while talking to one of the female staff.

    "What is wrong?" Tiffany asked when she noticed that Anita had stopped walking, and she followed Anita''s gaze to where the couple were seated with Tom''s arm wrapped around Lucy.

    This was the first time Anita was crossing path with Lucy since the scandal about Lucy and she wasn''t sure how to approach her. Was she to approach her as a friend or foe? It wouldn''t be weird if she ignored Lucy considering the way Sonia had spoken to her thest time she called Lucy, right? (Chapter 234)

    She had kept her distance from Lucy after that because it had seemed like they were suspicious of her at the time. If Sonia hadn''t said all of that to her, she would have remained by Lucy''s side as a friend until she sessfully got rid of her from Tom''s life.

    That was all water under the bridge now since she didn''t want Tom anymore. Not after all he and Harry had said to her thest time in the conference hall (chapter 354). She would have also preferred to ignore Tom but the only problem was that Tom was still her boss, at least for now, so she couldn''tpletely ignore him.

    "If you want us to leave, we can just go somewhere else," Tiffany offered, mistaking Anita''s reaction to be jealousy.

    Anita sent her a look that said she was being ridiculous, "Dont''t be silly, Tiff! Mother would be so disappointed if she heard her favorite daughter say something as cowardly as that."

    "Mother is not here with us. If you feel ufortable we can leave. I won''t be drawn into any catfight," Tiffany insisted, but Anita ignored her as she proceeded to walk towards them.

    She was Anita Miller. The Millers were not the type to be intimidated for any reason. All she felt for the couple was anger and hatred, and she would love nothing more than to ruin their stupid rtionship.

    Lucy was the first to see Anita approaching, and she tapped Tom''s hand to alert him, making him look down at her hand and then her face, wondering what was wrong.

    He followed the direction of her gaze and when he saw Anita approaching he patted Lucy''s hand to calm her since he knew she was upset. This was the first time she wasing face to face with Anita since her discovery that Anita was responsible for the scandal.

    Because of thedy standing in front of them, Tom couldn''t say anything to Lucy so he returned his attention to thedy he had been discussing with.

    "Let her know I''m here to see her," he told thedy who gave him a nod before hurrying away to go inform the spa owner of the presence of Thomas Hank.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Once Anita got to where they sat she stered a false smile on her face, "Hello, Tom! Hey, Lucy!" she greeted, and without waiting for them to respond, since she wasn''t sure they were going to, she continued on her way, but stopped when Lucy greeted her, surprising both Anita and Tom.

    "Hello, Anita! It''s been a while," Lucy greeted with a bright smile.

    If Anita could act so friendly despite all the evil she was plotting against her, then so could she as well, Lucy mused as she rose to face Anita, while Tom remained seated, wondering what Lucy was up to.

    Tiffany didn''t bother to stand with Anita, instead she went to say hello to some friends who were at the spa, leaving Anita to face Lucy and Tom alone.

    Anita looked at Lucy, trying to figure out what Lucy was up to. But Lucy kept her smile in ce.

    "I always had the mind to return yourst phone call after that misunderstanding with my best friend, but I haven''t been able to find the right time to do that. I hope you are not mad? Sonia can be pretty jealous a times. You know how girls can be. I''m sure you have friends," Lucy said, wanting to make sure Anita didn''t think they knew what she was up to.

    "Of course. I understand how female friendships can be," Anita said with her graceful smile in ce.

    "I''m d you do. Also, I think I need to correct something you just said. Tom doesn''t like his employees referring to him so casually as Tom. Especially his female employees. He prefers to be addressed as Mr. Hank. Calling him Tom the way you did, could be misleading, don''t you think so?" Lucy asked with her smile in ce the same as Anita''s.

    Anita''s smile faltered ever so slightly as her gaze shifted from Lucy to Tom, but Tom''s loving gaze was fixed on Lucy with a grin on his face.

    "He didn''tin..."

    "Yeah, right? He is my man so I understand how he feels. He didn''t have to express his displeasure out loud for me to know. Especially as he thought you''d know to do better after he told you he doesn''t like you," Lucy said, and Tom chuckled.

    "I guess some habits are hard to break. I didn''t mean to upset you. I''m sorry," Anita said, and Lucy smiled sweetly as she patted Anita''s arm in a way only close friends would do.

    "Oh, don''t worry about it, darling. I wasn''t the least bit upset. It just didn''t ur to me that it was a habit, since I didn''t think you were close enough or together long enough to form one. I just thought to correct you so you wouldn''t make such a mistake in the presence of others," Lucy said, and for the first time in her life Anita was thankful for all the lessons her mother had given them on keeping a stiff upper lip regardless of how annoyed or upset they were, else Lucy would have realised just how annoying she was being.

    "I should return to MY man. He doesn''t like it when I''m away for too long hence he followed me here," Lucy said as she turned to smile at Tom who winked at her.

    "That''s sweet. I shouldn''t keep my sister waiting, have fun," Anita said as she turned and walked away from there as gracefully as she could to join Tiffany who was seated far away from the drama.

    "See you at the anniversary dinner," Lucy called after her before returning to her seat beside Tom.

    Tom chuckled, "That''s so unlike you. Did you have to do that?"

    "Of course, I had to. I did nothing wrong, yet both her and her family have been plotting against me, so I should as well give them a reason to do what they are doing. She is not the only one who can act so friendly while plotting," Lucy muttered grudgingly, and Tom chuckled.

    "Why don''t I give her something to be mad about?" Tom asked as he leaned closer to Lucy and turned her face to him before kissing her.

    They were still kissing when twodies walked out of an office at the distal part of the hall and approached them.

    One of thedies cleared her throat, and "Hello, Mr. Hank! It''s a pleasure having you and yourdy here. I''m Tracy, the owner of the spa, and this is my friend, Aurora," she greeted pleasantly.

    "Hello! I don''t think you know me, but I''m a friend of your sister, Jade, and I''m also acquainted with your best friend, Harry. I had toe out to say hello when I heard you were here," Aurora said with a friendly smile that made Tom and Lucy exchange an amused look once they realized this was thedy who Jade had tried to set up with Harry.

    "Oh! I''ve heard a lot about you," Tom said with a pleasant smile as he shook hands with her.

    "Oh, really? From Harry, I hope?" she asked with hopeful eyes, and Tom winced.

    "No, we actually heard of you from Jade. She had only lovely things to say about you," Lucy chipped in with a bright smile.

    Of course, the only reason Jade felt insecure or threatened was because she knew Aurora was a wonderfuldy. The sort that any man, who didn''t have anotherdy in mind, would fall for.

    "Oh, really? Why don''t I attend to you? I''d really love to hear all she had to say while I take care of you if you don''t mind," Aurora suggested with a happy smile as she linked her arm with Lucy''s as though they have been friends forever.

    "Don''t worry about them, I will attend to them myself," Aurora assured her friend.

    "I take it you are also here to rx. I will have my best hand assist Aurora who would be attending to you. You can both use the VVIP room," the spa owner said as she let Aurora lead the couple to the VVIP room.

 Chapter 532 A Step Ahead

    Anita seethed in her seat beside her sister as they listened to some of the otherdies around them gossip about Lucy and Tom, and how beautiful and lucky she was to get a man like Tom.

    They were all seated there waiting for their turn, while Tom and Lucy were receiving such special treatment. Of course, Anita had heard all about the VIP room, and it was reserved only for the one percent of the one percent in the society. That meant not just anyone could go in there, yet here she was, and a nobody like Lucy was in there.

    Tiffany ced a hand on Anita''s hand when she noticed how she kept pinching at her nails as she usually did when she was irritated, "Don''t worry, I''ll handle it," Tiffany promised.

    "What are you going to do?" Anita asked, and Tiffany smiled.

    "Wait and see."

    "I would love to be friends with her," one of thedies was saying, and another nodded.

    "Me too."

    One of them turned to Anita, "We saw you talking with her earlier. Are you friends with her?"

    Before Anita could respond, Tiffany took that as the cue she had been waiting for and joined the conversation, "It''s a sad story. They used to be really close friends, and Tom used to be her boyfriend. That girl may look all sweet and innocent, but she snatched my sister''s man," Tiffany said, patting Anita''s hand, and thedies gasped in disbelief as they looked at Anita.

    "Is that true?" One of them asked.

    "That sounds like something that happens in a soap opera," another said as they all looked at Anita, eager to hear this piece of gossip from the horse''s mouth.

    "How is that possible? Seeing how he revealed his identity because of Lucinda, I don''t think there was anything serious going on between him and your sister," another said, earning her a re from Tiffany.

    "He was in love with her! That Lucindady seduced Thomas!" Tiffany snapped at her, and Aurora who was now dressed in a uniform as the rest staff and had been passing by to pick up a beauty product from the disy shelf to show Tom and Lucy slowed down so she could hear what was being discussed.

    "Go on. Tell them," Tiffany urged Anita.

    Knowing that Tiffany was trying to paint Lucy in a bad light for her sake, and because she was already fed up with all the nice things thedies had been saying about Lucy, Anita decided to tell them what they wanted to hear, since it was true after all that Lucy had snatched her man.

    Anita tried to put on her most modest smile, "You really didn''t have to bring that up, Tiff. It''s all in the past now. I''ve healed," Anita said with a shake of her head.

    "Oh, dear! Don''t tell me it''s true!" Anotherdy said, and Anita smiled in embarrassment.

    "Lucy is really a nice person. You can''t me her for falling for my man. Tom is quite a catch after all," Anita said, and thedies exchanged a look amongst themselves.

    "So you mean she snatched your man? Why did you both speaking with her?" One of thedies asked with a frown.

    "Oh, Anita is much too sweet for her own good. I even offered that we go some ce else so she doesn''t have to face that backstabbing man snatching lowlife tramp, but she said there was no need to be on bad terms with them, and that she wished them well. Can you imagine anyone so sweet?" Tiffany asked, and the others looked at Anita pitifully.

    "You are such a sweet soul, you poor thing," one of thedies said as she reached out to pat Anita''s hand.

    Anita smiled awkwardly, "They found love in each other. I can''t me them for that, can I? Maybe I was meant to bring them together. Tom did thank me for helping him find his true love," Anita said with a pained smile, and thedies eximed in outrage.

    "No, he didn''t do that!"

    "He can''t be that cold, can he?"

    Anita shrugged, "You think you know a person, but you never can really tell how a person is until you go close to them."

    "Did you notice he didn''t say hello to her? He acted like he didn''t even know her!" One of thedies pointed out, and the others agreed.

    "And Lucinda had the guts to approach you with a smile after she stole your man? We should teach her a lesson!" Ady said, and the others nodded in agreement.

    "You don''t have to. I hold nothing against her. Really. You know, I think I understand her better after seeing that interview about all that happened to her. She deserves to find love and be happy," Anita said with a sweet smile which only infuriated the otherdies the more.

    "Not with your man! That is uneptable! It is because nice people like you allow people like her get away that we have so manydies doing things like this they''re not supposed to do," one of thedies said.

    "What should we do to her? We should teach them a lesson," one of them asked, and as they whispered amongst themselves, Aurora drew closer to them.

    "Do you think maybe we could convince one of the staff to tamper with her skin or hair treatment?" One asked, and the others nodded in agreement and one leaned closer to the others.

    "You know when Mira and Issa had their fight some months ago, it was really dirty, and they even used some of the girls to ruin each other''s treatment. Of course, Tracy had to fire the girls, and canceled Mira''s and Issa''s membership at the salon, but I''m sure for the right amount, someone here could do it anonymously," one said in a conspiratorial whisper.

    "I don''t want to be a part of this," Anita said with a shake of her head as she moved away, but not without first exchanging a knowing nce with Tiffany who was more than thrilled to see that her little n had worked out perfectly.

    She couldn''t wait to share the news with their mother and Bernice. They would all have a goodugh.

    For Tiffany, she was doing this because, like her mother, she wanted Anita''s transition as Tom''s woman to be smooth. They knew just how easy it was for people to point fingers at the person considered to be the ''other woman''.

    Lisa had also been seen as the other woman in her rtionship with Ron, since he had been engaged when she met him. Because of this, Lisa didn''t really flow well in these circles since she was considered to be the outsider who snatched the fianc�� of someone else. No one cared if Lisa and Ron were in love or if Ron''s previous rtionship was only a business arrangement between two families, since most of them had gotten married by arrangement.

    The only thing thedies here cared about at the end of the day was right and wrong. As far as they were considered it was wrong to go into a rtionship with someone who was in a rtionship with another. It was wrong to be the reason a rtionshipes to an end.

    Their mother knew this, and this was why she had wanted Tiffany to apany Anita to the beauty salon where she had first heard about Tom being the driver of one of his staff. Their mother had wanted her to start a different kind of rumor here. But who would have thought that the duo would choose that day of all days to show up?

    Tiffany had wanted to give up on the n because of their presence there, but seeing how the otherdies had been talking about Lucy, she had decided to step up and do what she was there to do, so that Anita wouldn''t have a hard time after she got Tom back. That way, everyone would be aware that she had always been Tom''s woman from the start and had only taken back her man from Lucy.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "That is a new face here. I''m sure she doesn''t know much. We could use her," one of thedies suggested, pointing at Aurora who was standing by the shelf, pretending to be busy while eavesdropping on their conversation.

    "Hey, dear! Excuse me!" One of thedies said, and Aurora walked over to where thedies sat.

    They beckoned her to move closer, and then one of thedies whispered to her what they wanted her to do.

    Away from there in the VIP room, Lucy eyed Tom suspiciously since they were alone now that Aurora had excused herself, "You wanted us toe here because you were aware she would be here, didn''t you?" Lucy asked, and Tom smiled.

    It was true that he had known Anita was going to be here, and he had wanted to see how Lucy would handle being in the same space with Anita before the anniversary.

    He had wanted to also see how Anita would act�� whether as a friend or a foe. Apart from wanting them to rx, this had been like a test run to see what would happen at the anniversary dinner and also to witness something else for himself.

    "We were going toe here to rx. I already nned��"

    "But you knew she would be here, didn''t you?" Lucy asked, and Tom sighed.

    "Yes, I was aware. I still have someone keeping an eye on her and her family. But I wanted us toe here because on my way homest night Barry sent me something," Tom said as he took out his phone and yed a voice recording for Lucy.

    It was a conversation between Tiffany and Rebekah.

    "Hello, mother! Were you able to find uncle Richard?" Tiffany asked when she received her mother''s call the previous evening.

    "Not yet, but I have someone on it. How did it go? Were you girls able to find the designer to make your sister''s gown?" Rebekah asked.

    "No, mother. The designer informed us that the person who bought the gown Anita wanted, also bought the design from him, as a result he can''t remake that design but he agreed to make something close to that design."

    "Someone bought the design? Did you find out who did that?"

    "No, mother. He refused to say," Tiffany said apologetically.

    At this point, Lucy paused the recording and looked at Tom, "Is the gown in question one of those the designers brought in yesterday?" She asked, and Tom gave her a nod.

    "It''s the gown you chose for the anniversary party."

    "Did you buy me those clothes because Anita wanted them and you wanted to show off?" Lucy asked with a frown, not wanting to believe that Tom was trying to use her to get to Anita.

    The corners of Tom''s lips hardened as he looked at Lucy, "I believe you know me, so why don''t you tell me?" Tom asked, and Lucy''s frowned deepened.

    "I wouldn''t be asking if I knew," Lucy said, and Tom rubbed the bridge of his nose as he prayed for patience not to get mad at her for implying something like that.

    "Did we agree to go shopping or not? Is there anything wrong in seeing a gown I like and paying for it despite knowing that someone I used to know wanted it?" Tom asked, and Lucy sighed.

    "Now do you want to keep listening or are you done?" He asked with hand stretched out for his phone, and Lucy looked at him for a moment as though trying to make up her mind if she should believe him or not.

    "Alright, I''m sorry I doubted your intentions for a moment. It would have helped if you told me all of this before now," Lucy said, and Tom considered her words for a moment.

    "Are we ever going to get to the point where you trust my judgement and action whether or not I exin them to you first?" He asked, and Lucy shrugged.

    "That level of trust takes time. We are not there yet, but I believe it''s not impossible for us," she said honestly, and Tom held her gaze for a moment before giving her a nod.

    With that out of the way, Lucy resumed the recording.

    "That''s fine. Do not forget to take Anita to the salon spa tomorrow as we discussed...."

    "Aren''t you forgetting that tomorrow is lunch at Benny''s?" Tiffany asked.

    "What is so special about the lunchpared to what you''re supposed to do? You can bete. Don''t worry about it and just make sure Anita is there with you and you bring up the issue of how her friend snatched hee man," Rebekah instructed, and Lucy turned to look at Tom when she heard that.

    "Anita isn''t going to like that. What if she insists on getting her makeover on a weekday?" Tiffany asked, and Rebekah tsked in disapproval.

    "You are her big sister. Convince her. If she fails toply, give me a call. Just make sure you get it done today. I want the story out there already. If things go as nned at the anniversary party, I want people to be talking about how Anita took back her man from her evil friend and how their love prevailed. Imagine us talking about Thomas Hank as Anita''s boyfriend at Eric''s show! Rebekah Miller and her power puff girls," Rebekah said, and Tiffanyughed.

    "Alright, I will do my best to get it done. I will have to take her there before noon so we can finish in time to make it to Benny''s for lunch."

    "That''s fine. Do not disappoint me, Tiff," Rebekah warned before hanging up.

    Before Lucy couldment on what she had just learned, Aurora returned with the beauty product she had been rmending to them.

    "I was just offered quite an impressive sum of money to mess with your skin," Aurora announced in a singsong voice as she joined them.

    "Really?"

    "Yeah. You''re so lucky I happened to be here. I bet any of the other girls would have epted their offer considering how huge it is. I''m curious about something though, did you really snatch him from your friend?" Aurora asked as she looked from Lucy to Tom and then back again.

 Chapter 533 Dont Stoop....

    Evelyn and Jade, who had walked into the reception area of the salon shortly after Aurora left to join Tom and Lucy in the VIP room, were now seated in the backseat behind thedies, whispering amongst themselves excitedly. At the same time, they waited for Aurora toe back and give them feedback on the task they had assigned her.

    Neither of thedies paid attention to the new people who had joined them as they resumed their gossip.

    "Have you been here before?" Jade asked Evelyn since it was her first time visiting that salon spa.

    She had never been to any in Ludus because she resided in Varis, and Aurora''s beauty salon and spa was where she took care of her beauty care.

    "No, but I''ve seen good reviews about their services on Instagram. And since it''s situated on Tom''s property, I wanted us to have a look. Now that you''re moving to Ludus, you could get their membership card before we leave if their services are satisfactory," Evelyn exined, and Jade sighed.

    "So, how long do we have to wait? It seems like all thesedies are waiting too," Jade observed.

    "I made a reservation for 2 PM, so there is still plenty of time for us to look around the tower to see what Tom did with the ce. We got here early," Evelyn said as she nced at her wristwatch.

    She had wanted them toe into the spa early so they could observe the staff and see how they conducted their service before it was time for their appointment. That way, she could cancel if their service was not satisfactory or up to the expected standard.

    "Don''t worry, we can step out after some time," Evelyn assured Jade as she turned to the youngdy seated beside her, who seemed to be in her mid-thirties.

    "Are you a regr here, or is this your first time?" She asked, and thedy turned to her with impatient eyes, wanting to focus on the discussion going on in front of them.

    "Regr," she said as she returned her attention to thedies, and Evelyn did the same, wanting to know what was so important about their discussion and why everyone seemed engrossed in it.

    "Don''t sweat it. We will handle this for you," one of thedies assured Anita, who kept pleading with them not to go on with their evil n as she really held no grudges against Tom and Lucy.

    "Why did you insist on messing with her skin instead of her hair?" Tiffany asked thedy who had told Aurora what to do.

    "She can always get a wig to cover her hair, not her face. He should see her for the monster she is. Let''s see if he will want to unt her with a blotched face," thedy exined, and the othersughed andmended her wisdom.

    "What if Tracy finds out we are involved in this and withdraws our membership?" One of thedies asked, and another brushed it off dismissively.

    "She can''t do that to us all. Do you know how manydies are going to support us and boycott her business if they find out she withdrew our membership because we were teaching that girl a lesson?"

    "I wonder who thesedies are conspiring against," Evelyn said to Jade, whose attention was now on her phone.

    "Who are they talking about?" Evelyn asked thedy beside her, and this time she was more willing to respond to Evelyn''s question since it involved gossip.

    "You see thatdy," thedy said, pointing at Anita''s back. "Apparently, her best friend snatched her man, and the cheating pair had the guts toe in here together. And not only that, her backstabbing best friend was shameless enough to say hello to her. So thedies decided to teach her a lesson," thedy said, and Evelyn smiled.

    "That would serve her right," Evelyn said with a nod of approval. She liked it when women supported women this way.

    "You are always too quick to judge. You don''t even know the whole story yet, and you''re already taking sides," Jade, who had been listening to them, said with disapproval since her mother was fond of doing that. Not long ago, she had done the same thing to Lucy, and here she was doing it again to a stranger without hearing the other side of the story.

    Thedy looked at Jade with equal disapproval, "What more is there to know? We all saw the cheating couple walk in together, and we saw the way the man ignored her and treated her like she didn''t exist."

    "That poor girl must have been so hurt," Evelyn said as she stared at Anita''s back pitifully.

    "And you won''t believe she is being so graceful about it. I feel hurt and angry on her behalf. Can you imagine her saying they deserve to be in love and happy? One would think, considering what happened to the backstabber girl, she would have more conscience. But who knows? Maybe all that story she told was a lie. Anyone capable of stealing a friend''s man is capable of murder, and I won''t feel sorry if she harms that stupid cheat of a man," thedy said spitefully, and Evelyn looked at her in confusion.

    "What story did she tell?" Evelyn asked, and thedy was more than eager to tell.

    "Some time ago, news of how she murdered a young boy and his family was all over the inte. I think you might have heard or read of them. The man she is dating is Thomas Hank, the CEO of...."

    Jade''s head snapped up at the mention of her brother''s name, and she looked at thedy, "The so-called backstabber they want to teach a lesson is his girlfriend?" She asked, and thedy nodded.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Evelyn exchanged a look with her daughter and then looked at Anita''s back. Who was thedy iming to be Lucy''s best friend?

    "Are Tom and Lucy here?" Evelyn asked Jade, and thedy looked from mother to daughter with interest.

    "I don''t know. I haven''t seen them all morning," Jade said, and then she took out her phone to dial Lucy''s line and Evelyn decided to dial Tom''s line.

    "Do you know them personally?" She asked, but neither Jade nor Evelyn responded to her question.

    Away from there, inside the VIP room, Tom stood in front of Lucy while Aurora, who was still waiting for the couple to answer her question, looked from one to the other.

    "Where are we going?" Lucy asked when Tom extended a hand to her.

    "Do you think we came here only to rx and hear what they have to say about you?" Tom asked, his hand still outstretched as he waited for Lucy to take it.

    "Yes. That is what I came to do. That is what you said we wereing here to do. You said you always wanted to do this...."

    "Yes. And I still n to do so, but we can do that after setting things straight."

    "What do you n to do?" Lucy asked, and Tom raised a brow.

    "I intend to confront her in the presence of her audience. She should be able to retell her tale in front of me confidently," Tom said, and Lucy shook her head.

    "Is that necessary? You shouldn''t stoop to her level. You are bigger than that...."

    "Says who?" Tom asked, and Aurora stifled a giggle.

    "Tom...."

    "It is because she and those with her assume I am bigger than that, is why she must have the boldness to tell such a tale while I am under the same roof as her. I told you before being a CEO doesn''t mean jack to me. I n to live exactly like everyone else, and I won''t let my wealth or title get in my way," Tom said, but Lucy didn''t budge.

    "You confronted her a while ago. What happened to your speech about giving her a reason to plot?" Tom asked, and Lucy shook her head.

    "That is different. Besides, we can still expose the truth as nned during the live show. We don''t have to do this now. It''s good enough that they asked the wrong person to do the job," Lucy pointed out while Aurora watched them, wondering what live show she was talking about.

    "Eric''s live show and now are separate events. I wouldn''t be confronting her this way if she did not sit out there and tantly lie to everyone to tarnish your image. I didn''te here only to sit back and let her and her sister fill the mind of everyone with hate. Not that I care what any of thosedies out there think about me, but I care what they think and say about you. If we don''t confront her now, by the time we leave here, you will be the topic on the lips of every woman who has ever walked through the doors of this spa. If Aurora didn''t know us, do you have any idea what could have happened to you? What about the next time you need toe here or go somewhere else? If we don''t correct this now, everyone will believe that what she said is the truth, and The damage will have been done before the live show," Tom said, and when he noticed that Lucy was still hesitating, he shook his head.

    "If you''re not going toe with me, I can as well do what I want to do on my own," Tom said as he dropped his hand to his side as he headed for the door, leaving his phone on his seat.

    "What are you doing sitting there? You should go with him. You''re lucky you have a man that has your back this way," Aurora said, taking Lucy''s hand and pulling her up.

    As Lucy took a step towards the door, her phone started ringing, and she nced at it when she saw the call was from Jade. The call could wait. She had to join Tom.

    After now, she and Tom would have to discuss how he brought her here without giving herplete information and yet expected her to go ahead with his ns, Lucy decided as she dropped her phone in her handbag and hurried after Tom leaving behind her handbag and Tom''s phone which was also ringing.

    "Tom," Lucy called as she caught up with him, with Aurora following closely behind them.

    Tom turned to her, getting ready for another argument, "I''m not...."

    "I think it''s best I confront her myself. I don''t want you to stoop to her level," Lucy insisted as she held Tom''s gaze, and after a moment, Tom gave her a nod, and they both headed for the reception.

 Chapter 534 Storytelling

    As Tom and Lucy approached the reception area, they both stopped in their track in surprise when they saw Evelyn and Jade standing in front of Anita.

    Since Evelyn and Jade were backing them, neither Tom nor Lucy made any attempt to alert them of their presence. Instead, they watched them, wanting to know what was going on.

    "Go on. I''d like to hear the story you told these gullible fools. Tell me exactly how Lucy snatched my son from you," Evelyn demanded harshly while some of thedies who didn''t know her gasped in surprise at the realization that the woman in front of them was Evelyn Hank.

    Tom exchanged a look with Lucy, both wondering what Evelyn was doing there and how she had known about what was going on. It was obvious that even if they had agreed to ignore it, it wouldn''t have gone their way.

    "And while she is at it, I hope for all your sakes that no harm is done to Lucy, else I will have everyst one of you locked up and the keys thrown away. I care nothing about who you are," Evelyn threatened harshly while the women squirmed in their seats.

    Jade looked at her mother and made a mental note to tell herter that she had no right to be so harsh on thedies when she had been just as gullible as them a moment ago and had foolishly believed what she heard until she found out it was Tom and Lucy they were talking about.

    "I''m not part of them. I only listened to what they said," thedy who had been seated beside Evelyn earlier said as she quickly rose to leave, but one re from Jade and she sat down.

    Tiffany stood up, assuming the role of big sister, "My sister doesn''t have to repeat anything or say anything to anyone. Let''s leave, Anita," Tiffany said, and when Anita rose, Jade stepped in front of her to block her path.

    "If either of you takes one more step, I''m going to p you so hard your head is going to spin," Jade threatened, daring her to take another step.

    "You can''t...." The rest of Tiffany''s words were lost as Evelyn pped her hard across the face causing thedies to gasp in surprise.

    "I don''t make threats or issue warnings. Now sit down and shut your mouth," Evelyn ordered Tiffany, her eyes burning angrily as she turned to Anita.

    "Now answer the question!" Evelyn snapped at Anita, but Anita remained quiet as she stared ahead of her without making eye contact with anyone.

    She hadn''t expected this turn of events, but she would be damned if she bowed her head in shame or let them intimidate her. The Millers don''t scare easily.

    "Do you know who I am? Who do you think you are to hit..." before Tiffany could finish speaking, Jade pped her hard to shut her up, and she staggered back, almost losing her bnce, but Anita was quick to hold her and help her regain bnce.

    "I don''t give two cents who you are. Sit down and shut your filthy lying mouth!" Jade hissed at her angrily.

    The left side of Tiffany''s face burned red from the dual p she had received from mother and daughter, and tears stung her eyes as she reluctantly let Anita lower her to her seat. They were not raised to indulge in physicalbat, and there was no way they could leave so easily, so it was best to do as they were told.

    Tiffany and Anita lowered themselves to their seat as gracefully as they could without making eye contact with either Evelyn or Jade, who were holding them hostage. From the corner of her eyes, Anita could see Lucy and Tom, and that made her eyes burn with tears of humiliation which she quickly blinked back.

    "Mom," Tom called to get his mother''s attention, and Evelyn turned from Anita to look at her son and Lucy.

    "Why were you not answering your phone? Lucy dear, is everything alright?" Evelyn asked, and Lucy nodded, and thedies breathed in relief, d that no harm hade to Lucy since they didn''t want any problems for themselves and their families.

    "Aurora, what are you doing here?" Jade called in surprise when she saw Aurora standing beside Lucy with a grin on her face, obviously enjoying the show.

    "I was just getting acquainted with your brother and his girlfriend. Thankfully, thesedies assumed I was a new staff here and offered me some money to tamper with Lucy''s skin care," Aurora said, her eyes brimming with excitement, and thedies shrunk into their seats while Tiffany turned her face to the side.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Aurora?" Evelyn asked, looking at Jade to confirm if the name sounded familiar because she was the one they had talked about earlier who was going out on a date with Harry, and Jade nodded.

    "What is going on here?" Tracy, the owner of the spa, asked as she stepped out of her office after one of her staff came to inform her of what was going on at the reception.

    "Thesedies offered me a huge sum to tamper with Lucy''s skincare," Aurora informed her friend, and Tracy looked at her in disbelief.

    "What? Why would they do something like that?" Tracy asked as she looked at thedies seated in front of her, taking note of Tiffany''s red cheeks.

    "My sister and I had no part in it. It was all their idea," Anita said stiffly, and Tiffany nodded in agreement since Anita had kept trying to convince them not to harm Lucy even though they both knew she had done that to free herself from the consequence if they were caught.

    "But they were going to do it because you incited them with your tale. Why not repeat what you said to them in front of us," Lucy asked, stepping forward since this was between Anita and her.

    "I think you all need to take whatever this is out of...." Tracy snapped her mouth shut when Evelyn, Jade, and Lucy turned to re at her.

    "You should be grateful we are only talking here. If anything had happened to Lucy, this ce would have been shut down," Evelyn assured Tracy.

    Seeing how the threedies in his life were handling the issue, Tom stood aside with hands in his pocket as he watched the scene unfold with a nk expression.

    Anita''s eyes filled with hatred as she stood to face Lucy, "I told them exactly what happened. I dated Tom first. Tom was my man until you showed up, pretended to be my friend, and snatched him despite knowing how I felt about him," Anita said spitefully.

    "I pretended to be your friend and snatched your man despite knowing how you feel about him; is exactly what happened? Is that so?" Lucy repeated her tone, a mix of amusement and incredulity.

    "Is that what you tell yourself? That I showed up and snatched your man? Does that take away your sense of shame and help you sleep better at night? I was going to ignore this because I didn''t want to stoop to your level, but now I''m grateful that Tom insisted we confront you and expose you for the shameless gold-digging liar you are," Lucy said as she turned around and walked away from Anita.

    Everyone looked at her, wondering where she was going and what she wanted to do, and they were all surprised when she returned with a single chair and ced it in front of Anita before sitting down, facing everyone else.

    Evelyn and Jade let her take over while they stood beside her, daring everyone in front of them to leave until they were done.

    "Since you are here, and your audience is still here, you don''t have to retell anything. I will speak for myself and tell my own part of the story so I can strip off whatever it is you have used to cover your shame," Lucy said as her gaze moved to thedies who were still squirming but didn''t make any move to leave because apart from the fact that they were not allowed to leave, they also wanted to watch the drama y out between Lucy and Anita.

    By now, the audience had increased. A couple of the staff who were out to get the next set of customers on their list, and some of thedies who had been inside receiving their treatments and were about to leave, now stood there at the reception to see what was going on.

    "Not that I owe anyone here any exnation, but you should at least find out whether or not I deserved whatever you plotted against me," Lucy said while Anita picked up her handbag.

    "I don''t have to stand here...."

    "You are right. You don''t have to stand," Lucy cut in rudely.

    "You can sit if you please, but what you will not do, is take a step out of here. You won''t leave this ce until I''m done," Lucy said firmly, jerking her head to Anita''s seat for her to sit down.

 Chapter 535 Public Battle

    When Lucy waited for some seconds, and Anita didn''t sit, she shrugged dismissively and went on as she faced her audience, "Yes, it is true that Anita dated Tom before me," Lucy admitted and waited for thedies to silently judge her with their eyes as she knew they would.

    "It is also true that I pretended to be her friend. I never cared about being friends with her. There wasn''t a single thing I liked about her," Lucy said with a careless tone she could only have gotten from Sonia.

    "What is not true, however, is that I snatched her man. At the time I approached her, Tom here was pretending to be my driver. He even moved into the apartment next to mine just so he could be close to me," Lucy said smugly. The women exchanged a look amongst themselves, each wondering why they had forgotten that vital part of the interview when Tom and Lucy had talked about meeting at a club.

    "I never knew of her existence, and that is because she and Tom had already broken up. Oh, have I mentioned that they both broke up because she thought he was a handyman and treated him like he was nothing without knowing he was actually Thomas Hank? She," Lucy said, and everyone started murmuring amongst themselves while Tiffany bowed her head.

    Anita lifted her chin, "That is..."

    "Shut it! You don''t get to talk now. We asked you to speak, but you refused, so you only get to listen now," Jade snapped at her.

    "Thanks to Anita, I met Tom for the first time at the club they were supposed to meet, but she failed to show up because she was not interested in dating a nobody. I only found out about that muchter and..."

    "You have...."

    "Not another word, Anita. Not a single word. Do not interrupt me," Lucy warned as she rose from her seat to face Anita.

    "At the time I met Tom, I was not interested in a rtionship. And that was a fact I made clear even to you, yet you tried to set me up with him thinking he was my driver. I admit that at some point, I too was foolish enough to try to hook you up with him because I thought maybe Tom was interested in you, and I wanted him to stop bugging me. However, that was only until he told me how you used to be his girlfriend. The man I fell in love with was Tom, my driver. And that was before I ever knew he was the CEO. So who exactly did I snatch from you, Anita? Thomas Hank, the CEO, or the handyman, Tom?" Lucy asked calmly, but Anita said nothing, and everyone began to murmur and make sidements.

    "What? Cat got your tongue? You can''t answer the question?" thedy who had offered Aurora the money asked Anita harshly.

    "Stay out of this," Lucy hissed at thedy. She was doing this to get square with Anita and not because she wanted anyone to take her side.

    "Go on. I''m waiting for you to counter one thing I''ve said, you filthy gold-digger!"

    Seeing that she was losing to Lucy, Anita decided to go all the way, "Golddigger? Pfft! I don''t have to counter anything you said. It doesn''t change anything. Just don''t stand there sounding all self righteous and pretending like you didn''t know who he was the whole time, you calcting murderer!" Anita hissed at her, and all thedies looked at Anita, who had been acting all sweet and graceful earlier, in surprise.

    With each word that left Anita''s lips, Lucy felt the mes of anger igniting inside her. She remembered the scandal that had been engineered by Anita and how she had hidden herself to weep, how she had endured the whispers and hate speech. How even now, they were plotting to make sure she was absent from the anniversary and nning to tear her away from Tom''s side.

    "Why don''t you say that one more time?" Lucy dared her.

    "What? You can''t?" Lucy asked, and Anita gave her a condescending look.

    "Everyone heard me the first time. I said what I..."

    Without waiting for her toplete her sentence, Lucy pped her to shut her up making Anita fall back in surprise into her seat.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Do you have any idea how long I''ve been wanting to hit you? Thanks for giving me a valid reason to do it publicly," Lucy said, feeling her whole body burn with anger and hatred for Anita as she longed to her again.

    "Who do you think you are to spread such lies about me? Who do you think you are to call me a murderer? What gave you the boldness to release such details of my past to the world?" Lucy shrieked angrily, her whole body trembling with rage.

    Everyone else watched in confusion, wondering what Lucy was talking about. Jade turned to Tom, wondering if it was okay for Lucy to reveal their knowledge of that detail to Anita yet.

    For the first time, Anita looked stunned. She was surprised at the fact that Lucy knew what she had done. How did she know about it? If she had known why had she been silent this whole time? Why didn''t either she or Tom confront her?

    "Did you think I would never find out that you paid those people to release that horrible story about me?" Lucy asked when she saw the surprise on Anita''s face, and all eyes turned to Anita in surprise.

    "How long did you think I would be able to keep my calm after swallowing your nonsense for this long? You released that hateful news about me yet called to check on me, pretending to be my friend, and you had the guts to stand here and im I pretended to be your friend? How dare you spread such hateful lies about me while I am under the same roof as you?" Lucy asked as she hit the other side of Anita''s cheek angrily.

    Although a part of Tiffany wanted to take her sister''s side, she was too embarrassed by her to do so. She didn''t want to be involved in Anita''s mess. How could Anita have been careless enough to have allowed herself to be caught? Their mother was going to be very pissed if she heard all this.

    Tiffany did not bother to take out her phone, which was vibrating in her handbag, since she suspected it was their mother calling to find out how everything was going. She couldn''t tell her this now.

    "You wanted my attention, now you have it. The battle between us was silent until now, but today you have made it public, and I hope you are ready for whatever I''m going to do. I intend to fight dirty going forward. I will stoop as low as you and even go lower than you if I have to, but I will make sure I drag you down to the very level a spineless swine like you belongs, and I will step all over you to climb back up. Tom is my man, and there is nothing you or anyone else can do about it!" Lucy promised, and without another word, she turned around and walked away from there, returning to the VIP room.

    Seeing that Lucy was done, Tom stepped forward and faced the spa owner, "From this moment, I do not want any of thesedies on my property," Tom said and turned to Jade.

    "Get their details from her. It should be sent to every I-Global establishment and property," Tom told Jade, and once she gave him a nod, he walked away,pletely ignoring Anita.

    "You are all so lucky that no harm came to either of them. You really should thank your stars," Evelyn hissed at them as she went in search of Tom and Lucy, leaving Jade alone with Aurora and Tracy, the spa owner.

    Almost at once, all thedies turned on each other, casting mes and yelling, and without uttering a word, Tiffany sneaked away from there, leaving a stunned Anita to follow suit if she wanted.

    All thedies snarled insults at Anita, calling her all manner of names, leaving the spa owner with no choice but to call security to escort them out.

    Anita did her best to keep her head held high as she walked out of the spa without making eye contact with anyone. By the time she got to the parking lot, Tiffany had left already, so she boarded a cab.

    After she got into the back seat of the cab and told the driver where she was headed, she let herself give in to the tears of humiliation, and she sobbed quietly until the car pulled to a stop in front of her house.

    By the time she paid the driver and got out of the cab, her eyes was dry, and she was back to being Anita Miller again. Her mother did not raise her to be weak. She still had to pick up Lisa so they could head to Benny''s house for the family lunch.

 Chapter 536 Angry

    Once Lucy walked into the VIP room where Aurora was to attend to them, she picked up her handbag and headed for the door, but before she could leave, Tom walked in.

    "Where are you going?" Tom asked, and Lucy turned to him, her face flushed and her gray eyes still zing with anger.

    "Home. I''m done here. I''m going home," Lucy stated simply.

    "But we are yet to get the massage and skinca...."

    "Do I look like I''m in the mood for any of that right now? Maybe you should have thought of that carefully before bringing me here without informing me about anything," Lucy snapped at him angrily.

    "I thought we already resolved that?" Tom asked, and Lucy red at him.

    "Did we? Becausest I remember, you were walking out that door angrily like I had no right to refuse to go along with a n you failed to inform me about!" Lucy hissed at him.

    Tom sighed, "You are right. I should have told you. I''m sorry," Tom said, but that did nothing to rx Lucy, who was still boiling. She still had a lot of anger left in her, and an apology was in no way going to stop her from expressing her displeasure.

    "Why would you make me believe we wereing here to rx when you had other things in mind? What exactly was your n?" Lucy hissed angrily while Tom watched her.

    It was the first time she was getting this mad at him since the day he revealed his identity to her. Although he was sorry he withheld such information from her and upset her, a twisted part of him sort of liked it.

    He didn''t realize he was smiling until Lucy flung her handbag at him angrily, "What are you smiling about? Do you find this funny?" She asked, ring at him, and the grin vanished from Tom''s face as he raised both hands.

    "By God, I don''t. I screwed up, and I''m sorry. This won''t ever happen again," Tom pleaded as he took a step towards her, careful to step over her bag.

    "It had better not! Do you have any idea how I felt knowing you brought me here because you knew they would be here?" Lucy asked, and Tom reached for her before she could move away.

    "No, I don''t. Why don''t you tell me?" Tom said calmly as he held her waist to keep her from moving away.

    "Don''t touch me!" She hissed as she tried to wriggle away, and Tom kissed her.

    She continued to struggle against him, but Tom held her firmly. Although she was tempted to bite his lips to teach him a lesson, she tried to rein in her temper. She wasn''t the type to hurt someone she loved because she was upset.

    When she stopped struggling, Tom stopped kissing her and looked at her, "Your five minutes are up," he reminded her, and she scowled.

    Lucy took a deep breath as she struggled to bring her temper under control. Tom was being too reasonable right now, and it was taking the fight out of her.

    "I''m sorry. I really am. And I promise you, I will never repeat this," Tom said as he ced a finger under her chin and raised her face so she would meet his gaze, but Lucy refused to look directly at him since it was hard for her to make eye contact when she was upset.

    "Your five minutes of anger is up, and just so you know, you''re eating into your next five minutes. That means the next time I upset you, you have less time to stay mad," Tom said, and she red at him.

    "Are you already nning to get me mad?"

    "As much as I know, I will do my best not to get you mad. I''m human. So it''s natural that I might offend you without meaning to," Tom said as he kissed the crease on her forehead, and then he nted a kiss on both sides of her cheeks and then the tip of her nose, and he moved to her chin, and by the time he got to her lips, a smile was already tugging on them.

    "I really do not appreciate what you did," Lucy said as she finally met his gaze.

    "I know. I''m sorry," Tom said as he embraced her, and she sighed.

    When she didn''t hug him back, Tom took both her hands and ced them behind him, making her giggle as she held him.

    "Have I told you, you look sexy as hell when you are pissed?" Tom murmured against her hair, and Lucy scoffed.

    "There is nothing sexy about hell."

    "I''m serious. You look so beautiful. I should work on annoying you more often," Tom joked, and Lucy jabbed his ribs with her fist.

    "Is my anger a joke to you?" She asked as she pulled away.

    "No, it''s not. But I can''t deny that I find it sexy. And what I particrly found sexy was that line about Tom being your man. That was so hot," Tom said with a wink, and Lucy giggled.

    They both turned when Evelyn cleared her throat, "Now that you are both done fighting, can Ie in?" She asked from the doorway, and Lucy blushed at the thought that Evelyn had been watching her disy of anger the whole time.

    "We were not fighting," Tom said as he bent to pick up Lucy''s handbag and ced a possessive hand around her waist.

    "Thankfully so," Evelyn said, d that everything was okay between them.

    "How did you know we were here?" Tom asked before Evelyn could speak, and she raised a brow.

    "By here, do you mean this room?"

    "The spa."

    "Jade and I came out together. We had no idea you were here until we heard thedies talking," Evelyn exined.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "So you both just happened to be here?" Tom asked, finding it hard to believe it was a coincidence, and Evelyn raised a brow.

    "Is there a reason you find that hard to believe?" Evelyn asked, and without waiting for his response, she jerked her head to the door, "What do you n to do about that insolent girl?"

    "Let''s talk about that some other time," Tom said, and Evelyn gave him a nod before looking at Lucy.

    "You handled her real good, my dear. Now don''t be mad anymore and get your beauty treatment. And make sure to scrub the hand you used to touch filth. See you at home," Evelyn said before walking away.

    Once she left, Tom turned to Lucy, "I learned something interesting today."

    "Which is?"

    "The fact that all the women in my life have violent tendencies. Is your hand okay? You pped her really hard. It''s a wonder her neck didn''t snap," He said as he raised the hand with which she had pped Anita and massaged her palm with his hands.

    "I''m alright. Do you think Jade will be fine? I mean, she is awyer. Doesn''t her action go against her profession? Hitting them when she could have threatened to have them arrested...."

    "Jade has a rash temper. She hates bullies and can''t stand disrespect of any kind. She used to get into fights a lot in high school...."

    "That wasn''t the only reason I hit her," Jade cut in as she and Aurora walked into the room, and Tom and Lucy looked at her.

    "Threatening them with thew won''t do. Their family is connected by marriage to the Chief Justice. Did you forget? Besides, if we decide to take any legal action, it means you are ready to reveal every card you hold against them, and I can''t let you deprive me of the joy of watching their disgrace on a live show. So, you see? The least I could was hit her insolent face. They can''t pursue this by suing me because they know they are the guilty ones, and even if they do, the old man won''t let it," Jade exined reasonably while Aurora set out to organize all they needed for the massage, facials, and skin treatment.

    ? "What old man?" Lucy asked, and Jade looked at Tom.

    "She doesn''t know about grandfather?" Jade asked, and Tom shrugged while Lucy looked at Tom with questioning eyes.

    "Thanks to you, she knows now," Tom said before looking at Lucy.

    "Our grandfather is Lawrence Hank, one-time president," Tom exined casually in a way that told Lucy not to make a big deal out of it.

    "Ah! I see," Lucy said, and although she had a lot of questions, she chose not to ask any.

    Aurora, who was listening to their conversation while carrying on her business, cast Lucy an amused nce since that was thest way she would have expected her to react to such information.

    "I got all the names and details of thedies as you requested. What should I do with them?" Jade asked Tom.

    "Thanks. You can send the list to my email. I will have it taken care of by Monday," Tom said before turning to Lucy.

    "Do you still want to leave?" Tom asked Lucy, and Aurora raised a brow.

    "Leave? We haven''t even started yet. Don''t tell me you are scared that something might go wrong," Aurora said, and Lucy smiled at her.

    Even if she were no longer in the mood for any of this, she would have to do it for the sake of Aurora, who had been looking forward to bonding with them during the whole process, and who had also spent so much time consulting with them so she would know the condition of their skin and tailor their individual treatment to their specific needs. She had talked them through the various stages of the treatment, exining the purpose and benefits of each and educating them on skincare and the benefits of visiting a spa. It was only fitting she received her first experience from her.

    "No, I''m not. Thanks for helping me. We can start when you are ready," Lucy said, and Aurora beamed a smile at her.

    "Alright. I''ve set out your robes, towels, and disposable undies. You can go into your private changing room and take off your clothes as we discussed already. There are flip flops too. I made a random guess on your sizes," Aurora said as she pointed them in the right direction, and they thanked her as they left.

    Alone with Jade now, she smiled, "I have to get to work. Too bad they came first, else I would have taken care of you," Aurora said, and Jade waved it off with a smile.

    "It''s fine. Lucy should get a taste of all the special treatments I''ve enjoyed in your hands. And seeing as I won''t be living in Varis anymore, I need to start finding someone else to take care of my skin," Jade said, and Aurora raised a brow.

    "You won''t be living in Varis anymore? Why am I just learning of this?" Aurora asked with a hurt expression.

    "It''s aplicated story. Why don''t we talk about itter? Maybe we can meet sometime...."

    "Perhaps we can talk about it during our double date?" Aurora asked with a bright smile that made Jade feel guilty.

    It was impossible to get close to Aurora and not be drawn to her sunny and cheerful personality. Maybe this was why she was so worried about Aurora meeting with Harry--not because she didn''t like Aurora but because Aurora was a very sweet and lovable person, and she feared Harry might fall for her charms.

    It was silly of her to think so, but she couldn''t help it, and she felt terrible about their love triangle. This was all a Jade problem and not an Aurora problem.

    Thanks to her mother, who had talked some sense into her, she could see clearly now that Harry was right. Aurora was a good friend, and she didn''t deserve to find out about her and Harry any other way than from Harry himself.

    And she also owed Aurora an apology and a proper exnation, but that would be only after Harry must have spoken with her.

    "I''m sorry, I kind of suggested that on impulse," Jade said with an apologetic smile.

    "I don''t have a boyfriend, and I think I should let you have your time alone with Harry. Maybe we can both hang out alone before you leave Ludus," Jade suggested, and Aurora nodded.

    "Alright. Let''s do that. See you some other time then," Aurora said as she embraced Jade, and Jade waved at her as she walked out of the VIP room.

 Chapter 537 Big Sister

    Anita pasted a smile on her face as she watched Lisa and her husband walk down the stairs to join her in the living room where she had been waiting for them since the housekeeper let her into the house.

    "Hello, Anita. It''s been a while," Lisa''s husband greeted cheerfully.

    "How is my favorite brother-inw doing?" Anita asked, and Ron grinned.

    "Don''t let your mother hear you. I''m certain if she had her way she would want even my angel to hate me and probably divorce me," Ron said, and Lisa pped his arm yfully.

    "Don''t say that. Mother doesn''t dislike you that much," Lisa said in her mother''s defense.

    "Oh, yes she does. And we all know that the only reason she tolerates me is because I''m not poor. If I were poor she would never let any of her daughters smile at me," Ron said, and both sisters giggled.

    "That''s true," Anita said, bending her lips to the side.

    "That''s why you are my favorite sister-inw. By far the smartest too," Ron said, and Anita grinned at him.

    "I know, right?" She asked as she nced at her wristwatch. She couldn''t deny that she was no longer as enthusiastic about the family lunch as she had been earlier. She knew without a doubt that their mother would find out about what had happened soon enough. That was if Tiffany had not informed her of it already. And then she was going to be scolded and talked down on the whole time. No, she wasn''t looking forward to that.

    "Make sure you take care of my angel. No alcohols. Make sure she eats healthy, and bring her back home early enough. She gets easily exhaustedtely. Also��."

    "Calm down, Ron. It''s just for a couple of hours. I''m not going to spend a week there," Lisa cut in with a grin, and Anita smiled as she watched them.

    "I know. I''m just worried. I''m not there to look after my babies, and��"

    "You would be there to look after your babies if you didn''t choose to stay back home," Lisa pointed out with a pout.

    "Let''s not get into that, darling. You know very well, that I can''t stand your mother and elder sisters. They can''t stand me either��."

    "Guys will be there. Adam and Jack will be there��."

    "I don''t exactly roll in the same circle with those two either," Ron said with a wince.

    "You don''t get along with anyone in my family��."

    "I get along quite well with Anita. Isn''t that right, smartie?" Ron asked as he ced an arm around Anita''s shoulders, and she grinned at him as she patted his hand fondly.

    "True. We get along really well," Anita said, and Ron pecked her cheek.

    "Good. So take good care of your sister, alright? Call me if she so much asins of a muscle twitch and I''ll be there faster than the speed of light," Ron said as he moved away from Anita to kiss his wife.

    Lisa sighed, "I will be fine. It''s not even close to my potential day of delivery yet," Lisa said as her husband led them outside.

    ? "Two weeks is close enough. The doctor said so," Ron said, and then turned to Anita with a grin.

    "I will be a dad in two weeks," he said with a proud smile, and Anita smiled back.

    "And I will be an aunt. Make sure you call me when it''s time to go to the hospital. I will love to be there," Anita said, and Ron gave her a nod.

    "Sure, I will. I will need someone to pour some water on me if I pass out after all," Ron joked, and all three of theughed as they got to Anita''s car.

    Ron held out the driver''s door for Anita to get in, before leading his wife around to the passenger side. He kissed her lips, "Be good, alright?" He said as he opened the door and she gave him a nod.

    "Yeah. And try not to miss me too much," Lisa said, and Ron stuck out his lower lip.

    "I miss you already. Make sure you have fun and don''t let your mother talk you into leaving me no matter what, okay?" He said, and she giggled as she got into the car which Anita had already started.

    "She is not that bad," Lisa said, but Ron said nothing as he shut the door.

    He knew enough about her mother to know she was that bad. But there was no reason to tell her that. He didn''t like the woman, but he loved the woman''s daughter, and for that reason, he wouldn''t tell his wife just how well he knew her mother and what she was capable of.

    "I love you," Ron called to his wife as Anita drove off.

    "Do you think mother hates Ron?" Lisa asked after she had fastened her seatbelt and Anita shrugged.

    "I wonder why they don''t get along despite the fact that he is rich. Or perhaps she doesn''t like him much because she didn''t choose him for you herself?" Anita asked, and Lisa shrugged.

    "I don''t know. It bothers me at times. You know, going to family gatherings like this without Ron," Lisa said with a sigh.

    "Well, if it''s any constion, what you have with your husband is beautiful. And it''s better to have a wealthy husband that dotes on you the way Ron does than to have one who doesn''t care about you, yet shows up in family gatherings," Anita said, and Lisa smiled.

    "That''s true. I''m hoping you will put that into consideration when settling down too. Don''t just sit back and allow mother to choose your man. Your happiness is your own responsibility," Lisa advised, and Anita nodded without saying anything.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Are you okay?" Lisa asked after a while as she looked at Anita''s face.

    Anita bobbed her head, "I''m fine," Anita said, shing her a false smile, but Lisa was not convinced.

    "Okay. Tell me. What''s wrong?" Lisa asked, and Anita raised a brow.

    "Why do you think anything is wrong? I''m fine," Anita assured her.

    "No, you are not. I saw the fake smile on your face when I came downstairs. And your voice has a tinge of something�� should I call it worry or sadness?" She asked with concern, and Anita smiled.

    This was the reason she loved Lisa the most among her sisters. Lisa was more attentive, thoughtful, caring, and considerate. She knew without a fact that if it was Lisa who had followed her to the spa, Lisa would never have left her behind. Lisa would never have let any of that happen in the first ce.

    Anita''s lips wobbled as she tried to find the right words to tell Lisa all that was going on with her, "Pull over," Lisa said when she noticed the distress on Anita''s face.

    "We will bete," Anita said, and Lisa waved it off.

    "I don''t care about keeping them waiting. I want to know what''s wrong with you," Lisa insisted, and then joked, "We can just lie against the baby if you''re scared mother will scold you. Tell her the baby dyed us," Lisa said, and Anita''s lips twitched as she pulled over by the roadside.

    Once she parked the car, Lisa took her hand, "What is the problem, Annie? You can talk to your big sister and I will make it alright," Lisa said with concern that made Anita break into a sob.

    "Oh, dear!" Lisa eximed softly as she unfastened her seat belt and turned in her seat to embrace Anita.

    Anita wasn''t one to easily give in to tears, because their mother had raised them to believe tears were a sign of weakness, and the only time they were supposed to use it was as a weapon to get what they wanted from the opposite sex. So seeing Anita cry, told her that something was really wrong.

    Lisa didn''t ask her any questions as she allowed her to cry, and after she had cried to her heart''s content, she pulled away and looked at Lisa, "I''m sorry," she said with a sniffle when she noticed she had stained Lisa''s peach-colored dress.

    "It''s fine. I need to start practicing having stains on my clothes for when your niecees," Lisa said with an easy smile as she patted Anita''s hair fondly. Perhaps it was her pregnancy, she was feeling maternal towards her kid sister.

    "Talk to me. What is the problem?" Lisa asked, and Anita took a deep breath before telling her what had happened at the spa.

    She tried to be as honest as she could despite knowing that Lisa would scold her, and by the time she was done, Lisa sighed deeply.

    "And Tiffany? What did she do?"

    "She left without a word."

    "I can''t believe that Tiffany left you there after creating such a mess for you," Lisa hissed in annoyance.

    "She didn''t. She only tried to help, and I was the one...."

    "Oh, Annie! You are still so naive if you don''t realize what happened there. Tiffany would never do anything that mother didn''t ask her to do. Don''t you already know that by now? Do you think mother asked her to take you there only because she wanted you to look your best? Mother is always calcting. She does nothing without thinking of a way to get something else out of it, believe me. Isn''t that the same salon Tiffany overheard them talking about Tom and Lucy the first time? Didn''t she say the source was one of Tom''s employees?" Lisa asked, and a confused line formed on Anita''s brows.

    "Yes. Why?"

    "If Lucy and Tom had not been there, or if the news had not gotten to them and they reacted the way they did, what do you think would have happened? Don''t stress your brain, I will tell you. The news would have spread like wildfire, in the same way, Ron''s ex-fiancee spread the news of her breakup with Ron by using me of snatching him from her. And the news would have eventually gotten to I-Global and caused a lot of damage to Lucy at thepany. Do you know how people treatdies that snatch other people''s men? I wasn''t even friends with Ron''s ex-fiancee, yet I was treated so badly and mother knew all about it. Now can you imagine how it would have been for Lucy, who you imed was your friend?" Lisa asked, and Anita narrowed her eyes.

    "You think mother asked Tiffany to raise the subject there?" Anita asked since she had assumed that Tiffany had brought up the subject simply because thedies there had been singing praises of Lucy and she had wanted to make her feel better.

    "I don''t think. I can assure you that is exactly what happened. And when we get to Benny''s you will find out for yourself," Lisa said confidently.

    "But if that was the case why didn''t Tiffany inform me she nned to do such a thing? Why didn''t mother say anything?" Anita asked, and Lisa scoffed.

    "Since when did mother need your permission to do anything?" Lisa asked, and Anita sighed.

    "Now listen, you were wrong in doing what you did. I''ve told you countless times, leave Tom and Lucy alone. If you are wise, you would apologize to them and be on good terms with them. You don''t have to be friends with them since I doubt they would want to be friends with you, especially after this nonsense you did. But I think you should apologize to them and make peace...."

    "But...."

    "Just listen to me! No buts! You can''t afford to have them as your enemies. Tom is your boss..."

    "I''m quitting my job," Anita said, and Lisa looked at her with disapproval.

    "So?"

    "So it doesn''t matter if they''re my enemies or not. We won''t be seeing each other anymore," Anita said matter of factly.

    "And why are you leaving your job?"

    "Are you seriously asking me why? I can''t possibly keep working for Tom after everything. I nned on quitting before now, and today''s incident has only reinforced my conviction. I can no longer work there," Anita said, and Lisa shook her head, feeling very disappointed and sad at the same time. She wished their father was alive. Anita would never had turned out this way under their father''s watchful eyes. Or maybe not. Seeing how Bernice and Tiffany who were the oldest had turned out.

 Chapter 538 Family Time

    Anita frowned as she looked at Lisa, "Say it," she said with a sigh, knowing that Lisa had a lot she wanted to say.

    "You are leaving a good job because you are unnecessarily, and stupidly proud and stubborn. I''m not going to stop from quitting your job if that is what you want. Do what you please with your career. I know mother acts like she has all the right connections in the world so you must feel untouchable, but trust me when I say it is better for you to be friends with Tom and Lucy than to make them your enemies, whether or not you''re quitting your job. For them to know you were behind that scandal, they must have evidence against you. What will you do if she decides to press charges? Oh, don''t tell me. I know. Call in favor from your chief judge inw, I''m sure. Does your conscience not prick you even a little? Why do you keep allowing mother who has lived her life to the fullest to dictate your life? You have your life ahead of you and there are so many good men out there that you can have so why..."

    "Good wealthy men like Ron?" Anita asked, and Lisa grinned as she usually did whenever her husband''s name was mentioned.

    "Yes. Good wealthy men that will love you and worship the ground you step on. It doesn''t have to be Tom. And it is stupid of you to try anything to ruin their rtionship. You can never be happy if all you keep doing is finding ways to sabotage their rtionship. I told you before, even if Tom leaves Lucy, he will nevere back to you. I wouldn''t if I were him. And from the reaction of his mother and sister, you can see that their rtionship is pretty much sealed. It is foolish of you to want to destroy what they have for something you can''t have. How would you feel if Ron''s ex keeps trying to destroy what I have with Ron?" Lisa asked, and for the first time, Anita got what Lisa was saying.

    "What you have with Ron is beautiful. It shouldn''t be destroyed," Anita said, and Lisa smiled as she nodded.

    "Exactly. And you say this because I''m your sister and you know us. You know our love story. Set aside your jealousy and foolish grievance and think about what Tom and Lucy share. Isn''t it beautiful?" Lisa asked, and Anita was quiet for some time.

    "It is."

    "Now once again, set aside your annoyance and think of Lucy as a person. Not Tom''s girlfriend. Think about her as you once did before you knew she was going out with Tom. Was she wicked or unfair to you? Does she deserve anything you and mother are doing?" Lisa asked, and when Anita opened her mouth to respond she shook her head.

    "No. I said you should think. It takes time. Take a minute and really reflect on it. Ask yourself, aside from being in love with Tom, did Lucy do anything to deserve what I''m doing or what I n to do?" Lisa asked, and Anita paused as she thought about it and after some time she shook her head.

    "No. She did nothing wrong," Anita admitted.

    "And Tom? Was he wrong in choosing the woman that loved and chose him when he was a nobody over the one that rejected him?"

    Anita sighed, "He was wrong to deceive me...."

    "I remember thest time we spoke, you told me he apologized about that," Lisa reminded her, and Anita sighed once again.

    "Yes, he did."

    "Good. Now, why are you allowing mother to lead you in such a destructive path? Haven''t you learned from Bernice and Tiffany? Nothing good cane out of mother''s n for you," Lisa said, and Anita sighed.

    "But she will cut me off if I go against her," Anita said, and Lisa smiled.

    "I think that might be the best thing that could ever happen to you. Leaving mother''s unhealthy nest. Her nest drains you of positive energy andmon sense. With mother, you can''t use your brain. She thinks for you. I won''t be surprised if we get there and she influences you once again and you decide to continue on this pointless quest," Lisa said as she continued to look at Anita with kind eyes.

    "You are better than this, Anita. I know you. You are not so stupid and shallow. For once, make good use of your brain and do what is right," Lisa said with a yawn.

    "Alright."

    "Alright?" Lisa asked, and Anita nodded.

    "I''m exhausted of it all already. Honestly, I already made up my mind to let go. But mother already has ns...."

    "Then let''s ruin her ns. Since you can''t outrightly disobey right now. Let''s ruin her ns until she gets tired and gives up on them. And maybe by then, you would have summoned enough courage to defile her to her face," Lisa suggested, and Anita smiled.

    "Mother will have our heads if she ever finds out we did anything," Anita said, and Lisa smiled.

    "Don''t worry, I''m sure Ron will protect us. And if you''ve really given up on Tom, I can get Ron to hook you up with a couple of his nice single friends, and then you can find your own man," Lisa said, and Anita giggled.

    "No. I think I need a break. I need to find out what I really want before going into anything with anyone. I need to put my life in order and make good use of my brain. I''ve been thinking. After I quit my job I will like to leave here. I mean relocate. Away from mother," Anita added, and Lisa smiled.

    "I would hate for you to leave me and go far away, but if it''s mother you''re running from, I could even offer you Ron''s jet to go as far away as you can," Lisa said, and Anitaughed.

    "Let it remain between us. I don''t want mother or the others to know of it until my mind is made up," Anita said, and Lisa gave her a nod.

    "Sure. Hopefully, that will make mother give up on Tom and Lucy too," Lisa said, and Anita nodded.

    "You still owe them an apology," Lisa reminded her.

    "No, I can''t."

    "You can. And you will. I wille with you if you want. But you have to apologize to them sincerely. You hurt her not once but twice. You released such hurtful news about her past, and then you deliberately tried to paint her in a bad light. You need to let her know you are sorry. I would want Ron''s ex to apologize to me," Lisa said, and Anita sighed.

    "Alright. I will think about it. We arete. Fasten your seatbelt," Anita said as she returned the car to the road and Lisa did as she was told.

    "Have I ever told you, you are my favorite Miller?" Anita asked, and Lisa giggled.

    "I''m no longer a Miller. I''m a Steel."

    "With a backbone made of steel," Anita joked, and they bothughed.

    "Thanks, Lis. I love you," Anita said, feeling better now than she had felt earlier.

    "I love you too. And don''t worry, I won''t sit back and let mother scold you. I have your back," Lisa promised.

    Less than thirty minutester, as she pulled into Benny''s parking lot, Anita turned to Lisa when they saw Tiffany''s car at the parking lot.

    "Tiffany is here already," Anita said, and Lisa shook her head.

    "It''s not unexpected. She has always been the most selfish and self-centered of us all. It''s not hard to see why she is mother''s favorite," Lisa said, and Anita smiled.

    "What do you have against mother?" Anita asked, and Lisa shook her head.

    "Do I need to have anything against her to not like her nature?" she asked, but Anita knew there was more to it. Lisa had always disapproved of their mother, but she had only done so silently until some years back during her final year in college.

    "Let''s go in," Lisa said as she unfastened her seatbelt and got out of the car, leaving Anita to do the same.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Once they got into the house, Bernice''s housekeeper informed them that the others were having lunch at the backyard, and they headed there.

    "Aunt Lisa!"

    "Aunt Anita!" the boys eximed excitedly as theyunched at their their aunts, but Anita was quick to step in front of one of the boys to stop him from jumping on Lisa.

    Lisaughed as she watched Anita catch the boys and embrace them, "You can''t throw yourself at Lisa that way. Do you want to hurt your little cousin?" Anita asked, and they shook their head.

    "I wasn''t going to hurt her," the little boy said, and Lisa smiled as she patted his head.

    "It''s been a while since Ist set eyes on you munchkins. You seem to have grown taller," Lisa said, narrowing her eyes at them.

    "What''s your n? To grow bigger than my baby so she doesn''t have ymates?" she asked, and Anita turned to her with wide eyes.

    "It''s really going to be a girl?" Anita asked, and Lisa grinned.

    "I was going to surprise you with that," Lisa said, and the little boys shot out to announce to their mother that aunt Lisa was having a girl.

    "That''s so good. I can''t wait to meet her," Anita said as she gazed at Lisa''s abdomen.

    "I think she can''t wait to meet you too. She responded," Lisa said with a wide grin as she took Anita''s hand and ced it on her abdomen.

    Anita''s eyes lit up with wonder when she felt the baby''s movement, "She is saying hello to her beautiful aunt," Lisa said with a happy smile.

    "Oh, Lisa!" Anita said with a happy smile which quickly wiped off her face when she saw her mother approaching with Tiffany.

    "How much longer are you going to disappoint me, Anita?" Rebekah asked harshly, her eyes gleaming with anger.

    "Mother...."

    "Hello, mother!" Lisa greeted pleasantly as she stepped in front of Anita, who she could see was beginning to cower as she did when their mother was mad.

    "Stay out of this, Lisa!" Rebekah hissed at her.

    "It''s good to see you too, mother. We are here to have lunch. Why don''t we enjoy lunch as a normal family today and leave all these theatrics forter. This is Benny''s home. Respect it," Lisa said with a sweet smile ignoring the annoyance on their mother''s face.

    "It''s a relief to see that you got out of all that drama in one piece," Tiffany said unashamedly, and Lisa turned to her with displeasure.

    "You should be ashamed to look her in the face talk more of speaking to her. I can''t believe I shared the same womb with someone like you. But then again, when I look at the person that birthed us, I can''t me you. I only wonder how I ended up in such a womb in the first ce..."

    "LISA!" Rebekah snapped angrily, losing patience with Lisa, while Tiffany red at Lisa.

    "It''s just honest curiosity, mother. I''m certain you have also had the same thought seeing as I''m nothing like you," Lisa said with a sneer as she seized Anita''s hand and pulled her with her to go join Bernice at the backyard.

    Rebekah massaged her temple as she watched them leave, while Tiffany red at Lisa and quickly followed them to go confront Lisa.

    Instead of going back with her daughters, Rebekah headed for the guestroom where she usually rxed whenever she visited Benny''s house.

    "Lisa!" Tiffany called angrily, but Lisa merely turned to eye her with displeasure.

    "We are guests here. Respect yourself and act like a grown-up for once," Lisa advised without stopping still dragging Anita with her.

    "Hello, Adam! Hello, Jake!" Lisa and Anita greeted both men, who were busy barbecuing and grilling with a wave.

    "Hey, Lisa! Hello Anita!" both men waved back pleasantly.

    "Hey, Benny!" Lisa greeted as she and Anita joined Bernice who was seated with the boys.

    Bernice grinned, "I heard you are having a girl. I envy you," Benny said as she rose to kiss Lisa''s cheeks.

    "You could try again...."

    "Nah! I''m done. One experience is enough," Bernice said before looking at Anita.

    "I heard what happened at the salon. Are you okay?" Bernice asked, and Anita nodded.

    "Mother said you won''t be on the show with us anymore," Tiffany informed Anita, and Lisa raised a brow.

    "What show?" she asked, making Tiffany realise she had slipped.

    "A show you are not wee on as well," Tiffany said with a sardonic smile and Lisa turned to Anita for an exnation while Bernice who suddenly noticed her mother''s absence nced in her husband''s direction, and she wasn''t very surprised to see that he was no longer standing beside Jack.

    She had been avoiding Jack since he surprisingly arrived with Tiffany. She hadn''t been counting on him joining them since he hardly ever showed up for family gatherings. The way he kept looking at her, anyone with eyes would know that something was up between them, and thest thing she wanted was to be caught in her own trap.

    She quickly looked away from Jack when he winked at her, and she nced at Tiffany, "Where is mother?"

    "I don''t know. I left her inside," Tiffany said with a careless shrug as she shooed the boys away and stuffed her mouth witha piece of Apple pie.

    Bernice rose from her seat and excused herself from them, "Where is Adam?" she asked Jack who was smiling at her lecherously.

    "He got some stain on his shirt and went in to wash it off," Jack said, and Bernice nodded as she walked away from him. It was time to confirm her suspicion.

 Chapter 539 Sparks Will Fly

    As mother and daughter sat still for their pedicure session, Evelyn looked at Jade, "She seems like a nice person," Evelyn said, and without asking, Jade knew her mother was referring to Aurora.

    "Yes, she is."

    "And she is very beautiful and pleasant too. I can see why you are so worried about their date," Evelyn said, and Jade rolled her eyes.

    "I''m beautiful and pleasant too, and I''m not bothered about their date anymore. I''m just going to rx and let things y out naturally," Jade said, and Evelyn nodded with approval.

    "That''s more like it. You should do that," Evelyn said, and once thedies who were tending to their pedicure excused themselves briefly, Jade turned to her mother.

    "You do realize that you had no right to scold thosedies the way you did earlier, right? You should have just left the scolding to me since you are exactly like them," Jade said, and Evelyn red at her.

    "What do you mean by that?"

    "You may have conveniently forgotten how you were on their side until you realized they were talking about Tom and Lucy, but I haven''t. I''m frankly disappointed that you still let yourself react to things that way," Jade said, and although that stung Evelyn, she knew that Jade was being honest so she didn''t say anything in her defense as thedies who were tending to them returned.

    Evelyn sighed as she reflected on her action. She was not proud of it, and she knew that if Desmond was to hear of it, he wouldn''t be pleased with her either since he always told her to get her facts right before casting any judgement.

    It was a w. A major character w that she had been trying to work on for years but each time she was presented with a real-life situation to exercise what she had learned, she always gave in to her emotions rather than logic.

    Jade nced at her mother, and seeing the crestfallen expression on her face, Jade reached out and squeezed her hand, "I''m sorry I was harsh," she said, knowing how sensitive her mother could be despite her brave front.

    Evelyn shook her head, "You were right. There is no reason for you to apologize," Evelyn said with a small smile.

    "Still. I didn''t have to say it in that manner. You are great, mom. You''d be too perfect if you didn''t have some of these little character defects," Jade said, and Evelyn forced a smile.

    "That''s you trying to make me smile," Evelyn said, and Jade sighed.

    "Yes, I want you to smile, but I also mean it. And I want you to put more effort into doing better. It is always better to dish judgement from a logical viewpoint than an emotional viewpoint," Jade advised and picked up her phone to continue her solo scrabble game from where she stopped.

    She paused the game when she remembered that she had seen a message notification, from the girls'' group, that Sonia had created the previous night when she turned on her data earlier, so she went online to see what it was, and to also inform Sonia about the drama that had just taken ce.

    [Hey, girls!!! Guess what? Double good news! Matt''s date didn''t work out! And he ns to join Bryan at I-Global! I think the universe is saying something. *wink* What do you girls think?]

    Jade grinned as she read the text, and texted back, [The universe is definitely saying something. Candace, I think you still have a shot! Don''t shy away, girl!]

    "What are you grinning at? Are you texting with Harry?" Evelyn asked curiously.

    "It''s Sonia. Matt ns to join Bryan at I-Global," Jade informed her, and Evelyn smiled.

    "At this rate, I won''t be surprised if Tom employs your dad and I. Seems like everyone is working at I-Global now," Evelyn said, and Jade giggled.

    "Well, I''m d that Matt ising over. With Candace here and all that. Did you know that he used to be involved with Candace?" Jade asked, and Evelyn nodded.

    "Yeah. Bryan mentioned it while we were at his ce and Matt came around. Do you think there is hope for things working out between them?" Evelyn asked hopefully.

    "I believe so," Jade said as she went on to tell her mother all about how Matt had reconnected her with Candace and how they had fallen apart, and she also told her mother how Matt had shown up at Varis hours after she informed him of Candace''s n.

    "It appears that he is more invested in her than she is in him. If she doesn''t want him there is no reason to force things. They both deserve to love and be loved," Evelyn said, but Jade shook her head.

    "Not exactly. From what I''ve seen, they both like each other. Candace likes him. Even if she won''t say it out loud, I think the problem is that she sort of feels like she is not good enough for Matt...."

    "What nonsense is that? How can a beautiful girl like her think that way?" Evelyn asked incredulously and Jade shrugged.

    "That is just the way she feels," Jade said, not making any reference to the fact that Candace had been a stripper.

    "Well, she shouldn''t feel that way. She has every reason to be proud. She is not only beautiful, she also did such a wonderful job raising a bright kid like Jamal, and now she has Harry and their father. She needs to know that she deserves to be loved and so she should let herself be loved by Matt," Evelyn said, and Jade nodded.

    "Maybe you should tell her that. Just don''t say I told you anything about Matt. She prefers to skirt around that issue," Jade said, and nced at her phone when it beeped with a text notification.

    She raised a brow as she ready Candace''s response to herment, [I don''t know what you are both talking about. Sonia, the universe isn''t saying anything. I already said whatever was between Matt and I is water under the bridge.]

    [Really? I fulfilled my end of our deal and confessed to Harry, but you are going to shy away from yours?] Jade texted back.

    Candace, who was seated with Harry, Aaron, and the nurse, watching a movie on Netflix, picked up her phone when it beeped again.

    She had turned off her data all morning, since Adolf dropped her and Jamal off at Harry''s apartment, and had only turned it on to browse the meaning of a new word she had heard in the movie they were seeing, when she saw the message Sonia and Jade had dropped in the group chat.

    She sighed when she saw the messages. She had thought they would have dropped the subject of her rtionship with Matt following their conversation the previous day, why were they actively back to it again?

    [I''m not shying away from anything. That Matt''s date didn''t work out doesn''t mean he wants me. And even if he does, now is not the time for me to get into a rtionship. I still have to put my life in order. And even if Matt moves down to Ludus, I might not be here since I''m still trying to figure out what I want to do now.] Candace responded.

    [Why am I not surprised? As usual, you have an excuse. I knew you would alwayse up with a reason.] Jade texted back, and Candace frowned irritably.

    [Why don''t you girls focus on your rtionship and let me be? Enough of the Matt talk, else I''m going to exit the group!] Candace typed, and hesitated for a couple of seconds.

    She didn''t want to sound rude or anything, but she really wasn''t used to having everyone in her business in this way and she wished they would all just forget about her and Matt and let her be. If she didn''t draw the line now, they would keep thinking it was cool to bring up the subject and she didn''t want that, Candace reasoned as she tapped the send button, and almost immediately, Jade responded.

    [Alright. If that''s what you want I''ll drop it.]

    "Is everything alright?" Aaron asked when he noticed the frown on Candace''s face and she forced a smile as she looked at him.

    "Yes. Just chatting with Jade," Candace said, and that got Harry''s attention too.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Speaking of Jade, why isn''t she here? Is she noting over today?" Aaron asked Harry, and Candace looked at him.

    "Why are you asking me when Candace is the one chatting with her?" Harry asked with a scowl since he had also been expecting her.

    He had thought she woulde over following how she had been persistently and stubbornly pursuing him since she arrived, but seeing how she had not called back since theirst conversation, he guessed she was still mad at him for saying their rtionship would be forgotten if she showed up during his date with Aurora.

    "Well, she is your girlfriend, isn''t she?" Aaron asked Harry, and he sighed.

    "I guess she is busy," Harry murmured.

    "Are you sure about that? Or did you do something to annoy her?" Aaron asked suspiciously and Harry red at his father.

    "She is busy," Harry insisted as he rose from his seat and headed for his bedroom.

    "Seeing how you are grumpy, I smell a lovers'' tiff," Aaron said, making both Candace and the nurse, who had been silent to giggle, while Harry paused to glower at his father.

    "For someone who isn''t in any rtionship, you sure do know so much," Harry muttered as he walked away.

    "Of course. I was in one long enough to have you. Check on Jamal while you are at whatever you''re going in there to do. Tell him grandpa is missing hispany. And don''t bang the door like an annoying teenager," Aaron called after Harry, but he didn''t stop.

    Candace returned her attention to her phone when it beeped with a notification from the group. It was Jade.

    [By the way, Sonia. You won''t believe what happened today. We ran into Anita and her elder sister at the spa. You would have been so proud of Lucy had you been there to see her handle Anita.]

    [Are you noting over to Harry''s today?] Candace asked, not bothering to ask Jade about who Anita was, since she knew whether she asked or not, she was going to find out soon enough.

    [I''m not.]

    Candace raised a brow, [Why not? Did you fight with Harry?]

    [Did he say we fought? I don''t have toe to his house often. He isn''t my official boyfriend yet.] Jade pointed out.

    Although she missed him and wished she could talk to him or see him, she wasn''t going to. She was going to take some time to evaluate her feelings and get on the right track with her emotions.

    [He didn''t. But I think he misses you.] Candace confided, and Jade felt her lips twitch.

    [Too bad for him. He won''t be seeing me until after the anniversary.] Jade texted back, hoping that Candace would deliver her message to Harry.

    Away from there, Sonia, who was in the car with Bryan, heading out to meet Jeff and Mia, looked down at her phone when it kept beeping with message notifications as she contemted whether or not to check her messages.

    Bryan was speaking to her, and she didn''t want to give her attention to her phone and risk another emotional outburst from him.

    As if he could read her mind, Bryan who was driving, turned to look at her in amusement, "If you are ignoring your texts for my sake, I suggest you don''t."

    "Huh?" Sonia asked, and Bryan smiled.

    "You will most likely not hear anything else I say until you check your messages, so go on and do it," Bryan advised, and Sonia shed him a smile of gratitude as she unlocked her phone and checked Jade''s and Candace''s messages.

    She wanted to respond to Candace''s message, but became caught up in Jade''sst message about Lucy and Anita so she responded to that instead, [We? Lucy went to the spa with you?] Sonia asked with a frown.

    "What''s wrong?" Bryan asked when he noticed her frown.

    "I think Jade and Lucy went out together," Soniained.

    "I don''t think so. Dad said Jade and mom went out together. He didn''t mention Lucy leaving with them," Bryan said, just as Sonia''s phone beeped again.

    Jade sent a rolling eye emoticon, followed by a long exnation of what had transpired between them and Anita at the spa.

    "Can you believe that Jade and Evelyn just happened to be at the same spa with Tom and Lucy and overheard thedies plotting to harm Lucy?" Sonia asked in disbelief and Bryan turned to spare her a nce.

    "Really? That''s some crazy stuff! Why would they want to hurt her?" He asked, and Sonia read our Jade''s message to him.

    "I''m d nothing bad happened," Bryan said with a sigh, wondering why it was taking Tom so long to take care of Anita.

    "I wonder why Candace doesn''t want to get involved with Matt. I mean I can get why she was staying away in the past due to the nature of her job and Matt''s career, but I expected her to jump on this opportunity now," Sonia said with a frown as she read through the earlier chats.

    "Did she say something?" Bryan asked, and Sonia read out what Candace had said.

    "You should let her be. I believe they will both find a way to make it work if they really want to," Bryan advised as he Pulled up the car in front of Tom''s apartment.

    "You mean like we did?" Sonia asked with a grin, and Bryan smiled.

    "Not quite. But something like that. As long as Matt remains my best friend, and Candace is a part of the family through both Jade and Lucy, they will always cross paths. And when that happens...."

    "Sparks will fly," Sonia said with a wide smile.

    "I was going to say when that happens, they will decide if they can stand just being acquaintances or friends, or if they want something more," Bryan said, and Sonia giggled.

    "Doesn''t matter what you were going to say. Those two have great chemistry, believe me. I know it," Sonia said confidently, and before Bryan could say anything, Mia burst out through the front door to wee them.

 Chapter 540 Hello, Mother!

    "MIA!" Sonia screeched excitedly as she jumped out of the car quickly and went to embrace Mia.

    Miaughed happily as she hugged her, "It''s so good to see you again, Sonia! For a moment there, I really thought you two were over," Mia said when she pulled away to look at Sonia.

    "Same here! Thanks for kicking Bryan''s ass. He told me you didn''t take it easy on him," Sonia said, and Mia grinned as they looked at Bryan, who was getting out some food packs from the booth.

    They had been thest to leave the house because they had been waiting for Samantha to prepare and pack some dishes for Mia and Jeff.

    "No one took it easy on him. I''m d you both worked out your differences," Mia said as they turned to the door when Jeff stepped out to join them.

    "Is that food?" Jeff asked hopefully when he saw Bryan carrying the food packs and quickly went to take some from him.

    Jeff paused when it urred to him that he had walked past Sonia, and he turned to her after taking some of the food packs from Bryan, "I''m sorry for causing such a misunderstanding for everyone. I wasn''t thinking clearly," Jeff said, looking contrite, and Sonia smiled.

    "We all had our faults. I hold nothing against you," Sonia assured him, and he gave her a nod before returning inside the house.

    "I can''t believe that you can''t cook. How have you been feeding this whole time?" Bryan asked Mia when he got to where she was standing.

    "If we all cook, who would patronize the cafes and restaurants? I have to help those honest people make a living," Mia said with a bright smile, and Sonia giggled while Bryan shook his head as he walked away without responding to her question.

    Mia pointed to Lucy''s apartment, "I guess that is your best friend''s apartment?" She asked curiously, and Sonia nodded when she turned to look at Lucy''s apartment.

    "Yeah. I should probably drop in to see the ce. It''s been a while since she came here," Sonia said and looked across the street when Alicia called out to her, and Jasmine waved at her.

    "That''s thedy who interviewed you guys thest time, isn''t she?" Mia asked since she recognized Alicia.

    "Yes, she is," Sonia said with a wide smile as she waved at the couple who were now heading in their direction.

    Sonia excused herself from Mia to meet them halfway, "Hello!" Sonia greeted pleasantly.

    Seeing how they had looked out for Lucy and stood by her in her time of need, she considered them friends.

    "Hello! How have you been?" Alicia asked with a friendly smile.

    "Great!"

    "We saw the scandal about you and Bryan. I told Jas that you both would never break up," Alicia said confidently, and Sonia smiled.

    "Yeah, she said so," Jasmine affirmed.

    "I guess you have more faith in what we have than I do. I actually thought we were going to break up. How are you two doing?" Sonia asked, and Jasmine shrugged.

    "We are fine. How are Tom and Lucy? It''s been a while since we saw them around here," Jasmine said.

    "We are fine. Still trying to find suitable sperm donors since our Tom is taken," Alicia joked at the same time, and Sonia giggled while Jasmine looked at Alicia, wondering how she could say that so carelessly.

    Although Sonia wasn''t a stranger to them, she wasn''t exactly a very close friend either, so she saw no reason for Alicia to say that.

    "Tom and Lucy are doing beautifully. I will be sure to let them know I saw you two," Sonia said to Jasmine before she returned her gaze to Alicia.

    "Have you tried other gay couples? Or gone to a sperm bank?" Sonia asked, and Alicia shook her head.

    "We don''t want other gay couples, and I don''t want a sperm bank either," Alicia said, and Sonia nodded.

    This beggar was obviously a chooser, Sonia mused. "I''m sure you will find a way," Sonia said, and Jasmine nodded.

    "Yeah, we will. Thanks."

    "So, will the couple be living in Tom''s apartment, or are they just visiting briefly?" Alicia asked, referring to Mia and Jeff.

    "They are not a couple. The man is Bryan''s manager, and thedy is Bryan''s assistant. They will be sharing the apartment," Sonia exined as she waved to Mia, who had been standing beside the car waiting for her, beckoning her to join them so she could introduce her to the neighbors.

    "I recognized the guy as Bryan''s manager from the interview yesterday but assumed thedy was his wife. So is he single? I mean, his wife wouldn''t allow him to live under the same roof with such an attractive female, would she?" Alicia asked as they watched Mia approach.

    "They are both single. Why? Are you considering Jeff to be a potential sperm donor?" Sonia joked, and Alicia grinned.

    "Well, he is good-looking. I could put him into consideration after I get to know him," Alicia said with a wink, making Sonia giggle, and Jasmine shook her head.

    "Hello! You are wee to the neighborhood. I''m Alicia, and this is my wife, Jasmine," Alicia said cheerfully when Mia joined them.

    "I''m Mia. It''s nice to meet you both," Mia said with an equally cheerful smile, and Jasmine nodded politely.

    "I guess you will be around for the live show with Eric Howells?" Alicia asked, and Sonia grinned.

    "I wouldn''t miss that for anything. Do let me know if you need my help inpiling the questions," Sonia said with a wink.

    "Sure. I will text you on Instagram," Alicia said, and Sonia nodded.

    "We will leave you to go in now. Give our love to Lucy and Tom," Jasmine said as she took Alicia''s hand.

    Knowing Alicia and her penchant for gossip and poke-nosing, she knew that Alicia would want to go into the house with Sonia and Mia, and she couldn''t let her do that.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Alicia looked at Jasmine with a pout before waving to Mia and Sonia, "Mia, do stop by whenever you can for a visit. I will find time to drop by with some homemade pies to wee you to the neighborhood officially. You will love my pies," Alicia said, and Mia smiled.

    "Jeff and I will appreciate that," Mia said, and they watched Jasmine lead Alicia away before heading for the house.

    "One talks too much, and the other one doesn''t talk much," Mia said, referring to Alicia and Jasmine.

    "Probably the reason they''re a good match. Why is Jeff single?" Sonia asked thoughtfully since it had never urred to her to ask.

    "I don''t know. Never asked. Perhaps he is asexual?" Mia said with an amusedugh.

    "You have never seen him with ady before?" Sonia asked seriously.

    "Until recently, our interactions have been strictly about Bryan. We only meet at work, so I wouldn''t know. I could ask him if you want me to. Why? Are you nning to hook him up with someone?" Mia asked, and Sonia shook her head.

    "I was only curious," Sonia assured Mia as they opened the door and walked into the house.

    "What live show were you both talking about?" Mia asked, and just before Sonia could respond, Mia turned to Jeff.

    "Jeff, why are you single?" Mia asked, causing Jeff to choke on the sandwich he had been eating.

    Bryan raised a brow, "Why are you asking that out of the blue?" Bryan asked, looking from Mia to Sonia and back again.

    "I just realized I never asked. Do you need me to create an ount for you on the dating app?" Mia offered, and Jeff shook his head.

    "No. Thanks," Jeff said, and Mia shrugged as she went to sit beside him to pick a sandwich.

    Only Sonia noticed that Jeff did not answer the question, but she said nothing as she sat down beside Bryan.

    "What took you both so long outside?" Bryan asked as he picked up a slice of sandwich and fed Sonia.

    "We were saying hello to Alicia and Jasmine," she said, and Bryan had a puzzled look in his blue eyes at first as he tried to recall who they were, then his eyes cleared when he remembered, and he nodded.

    "The nosy lesbian couple," Bryan said, and Sonia hit him yfully.

    "They are not nosy. I can''t believe that''s the only thing you remember them for."

    "That''s not the only thing I remember them for. Anyway, I was talking to Jeff about my conversation with Matt," Bryan said, and Mia raised a brow.

    "What conversation?" Mia asked curiously since she was the only one in the dark about it now.

    Bryan informed her about his conversation with Matt and what Matt had said about Paul plotting with Sophia.

    Mia shook her head, "That has to be the reason he is trying so hard to settle with you. All his ns are in tatters."

    "Yeah. I should give Harry a call. I need tomunicate everything to him, and I also have to find out what we are to do tomorrow. You know, like our office space and stuff," Jeff said as he picked up his phone and dialed Harry''s line.

    Harry, who was lying on his bed contemting whether to call Jade to apologize for being too harsh earlier or going over to Tom''s house to see her, nced at his phone when it started ringing, and he received the call from Jeff.

    After exchanging pleasantries with Jeff, Harry listened to all he had to say patiently, "Dont worry about Paul or Derek. We will take legal action if they make any move. As for Matt, he is wee to join us after he ends his deal with Golden Star. And about the office space, you cane over to the office tomorrow, and we will work out the details," Harry said before hanging up.

    Just as he threw his phone on the bed, it started ringing again, and he received the call when he saw that it was from the person he had asked to look into the cause of the fire at the hospital of his birth.

    "What did you find?"

    "They im it was an electrical problem, but I checked the security footage in the hallway that leads to the medical record room. A man dressed in a doctor''s coat walked into the room, and the fire rm went off minutes after he left. He was wearing a face cap and a face mask so that I couldn''t see his face, but I was able to find out who he was by checking the te number on his car. The security camera outside the building captured him getting into his car," the man exined, and Harry sighed inwardly.

    "Should I anonymously send the information to the police?"

    "Yes. Do that," Harry said, knowing that if Sara Walker was anything like he thought she was, she would be able toe out of this unscathed. He was curious to know just how influential and powerful she was. That would determine how to deal with her. He didn''t want her to recover from whatever he would do to her.

    "Keep a close eye on the suspect and the case. Let me know if they make a connection. I suspect this is going to lead you to ady named Sara Walker. If this happens, keep a close eye on her and let me know how everything ys out," Harry instructed before hanging up.

    Between bonding with his family, preparations for the anniversary, and his budding rtionship with Jade, he had almost forgotten all about Sara.

    He needed to take care of Sara quickly. He couldn''t bring himself to pretend like he did not know of her existence. He needed to at least let her know he now knew of her existence so that when he punished her, she would know exactly who was behind her downfall, Harry thought as he dialed Sara''s line, which he had collected from Lucy.

    "Hello! This is Sara Walker''s line. Emma speaking, how may I help you?" Sara''s assistant greeted once she received the call.

    "Put me on to Sara. Tell her it is Harry. Harry Jonas," Harry said, and immediately Emma nced at Sara, who was busy on herptop trying to find all she could on the research center.

    "It''s Harry Jonas," Emma said, and immediately Sara heard his name, her head snapped up.

    "Harry? Are you certain?" Sara asked, and when Emma gave her a nod, she extended her hand for the phone.

    Harry was calling? What could be the reason? Sara wondered as she raised the phone to her ear, "Harry?" She asked doubtfully.

    "Yes, this is your son, Harry. Hello, mother!"

 Chapter 541 Shameless!

    "What show was Tiffany talking about?" Lisa asked Anita curiously after they sat at the other end of the table, away from Tiffany, who was busy on her phone.

    "Eric Howells invited mother and her daughters to his show," Anita exined since Tiffany had already let the cat out of the bag.

    "Am I not one of the daughters? Why am I just hearing of it now? Don''t answer that. Let me guess; mother asked you not to tell me about it because she doesn''t want me on the show?" Lisa asked, and Anita shrugged without denying it.

    Lisa shook her head, "She never ceases to amuse me. I wouldn''t want to be on the same show with her even if I was being paid to do it, anyway," Lisa said, and Anitaughed.

    "That cannot be true," Anita said, and Lisa raised a brow.

    "It is the truth. The only reason I still visit her is because of you and Bernice. I have no business with her and Tiffany. They have negative energy, and whenever I''m around them, I always feel drained," Lisa said with a yawn as she reached for Anita''s ss of drink on the table, and Anita picked it up and moved it away from her.

    "You can''t have this. There is alcohol in it," Anita said, and Lisa scowled.

    "Why didn''t Bernice reserve my own drinks, knowing I can''t take alcohol? I feel so thirsty and unwee," Lisained, and Anita patted her hand.

    "Give me a moment. I will go in and get you some juice or whatever nonalcoholic drink I can find," Anita offered.

    Lisa smiled, "Thanks," Lisa said as she watched Anita leave.

    As Anita walked into the kitchen, she met the chief housekeeper, "I need a ss of nonalcoholic drink for Lisa," Anita said, and thedy looked towards the backyard.

    "Perhaps you should ask Lady Bernice. She reserved some drinks for her," thedy said, and Anita looked around.

    "Where is she?"

    "I don''t know," the housekeeper said, and Anita nodded as she went around to find Bernice.

    Away from there, Bernice sat on her bed; she clicked on her phone to check the CCTV footage so she would know where they were.

    As she suspected, they were having a quickie in the restroom of the guestroom. Tears sprang to her eyes, and her heart sank as she watched her husband, who had never touched her, grab her mother''s boobs from behind and fucking her passionately in a doggie position.

    She had thought she would be happy to confirm her suspicion, but her head suddenly felt light, and she felt faint.

    Her heart ached as she watched her mother mutter some dirty words andmand her husband to fuck her.

    Her own mother. How long had this been going on? This couldn''t possibly be the first time they were doing this. Her heart ached as she watched them, and when she couldn''t bear it anymore, she headed straight for the guestroom to confront them.

    She didn''t bother to knock when she got there. She pushed the bedroom door open and watched on her phone''s screen as Rebekah and Adam turned their gaze to the door.

    Rebekah raised a finger to her lips to silence Adam but did not let him take his cock out of her. Unable to continue watching them, she closed her screen.

    "Mother? Are you in here?" Bernice called, her heart aching as she said the words. She couldn''t stand this betrayal. She had thought she was ready for it, but it seemed like her heart was about to burst.

    "Yes, darling. I''m using the restroom. I will join you soon," Rebekah called back impatiently, wanting her to leave.

    "I want to speak with you," Bernice said. She was pained. Deeply pained. How could her mother, of all people, be the other woman in Adam''s life? How could her own biological mother be the reason her husband was unfaithful?

    "Let''s talkter, Bernice. I will join you soon," Rebekah said firmly in a voice that told Bernice to leave.

    "Alright," Bernice said as she walked to the door and pretended to shut it as though she had left but returned to sit on the bed quietly so she could wait for them to finish.

    "She has left. Let''s go on. Don''t tell me you have gone soft already?" Rebekah asked, and Bernice shut her eyes as she listened to them.

    "Maybe if you could rub it��. oh," Adam groaned, and Bernice resisted the urge to check her phone to see what was going on.

    "Does my daughter make you this hard? Tell me!" She heard Rebekah ask.

    "No, she doesn''t. My cock belongs to you and recognizes only your touch," Adam breathed.

    Bernice raised her hands to shut her ears. Her heart was pounding hard and fast as she waited to confront them. She had no idea what she was going to say to them, but she wanted them to know their sham of a marriage was over.

    She didn''t have to wait too long because she heard Adam grunt, followed by Rebekah''s satisfied smile. And then they turned on the tap to clean up.

    "I will leave first, and then you cane out after some time. That way, I can make sure no one sees you when you leave." Bernice heard Rebekah say as she opened the bathroom door.

    Bernice rose as her cheating husband, and shameless mother stepped out of the bathroom with her husband''s arm around her mother''s waist, and she couldn''t say she was surprised when all she saw in their eyes were annoyance after the initial surprise.

    "What are you still doing here? Didn''t I ask you to leave?" Rebekah asked in annoyance.

    "Mother! How can you be so shameless?" Bernice yelled angrily.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Don''t speak to your mother in that manner!" Adam snapped at her with displeasure, and Rebekah ced a hand on his arm to stop him.

    "Leave us," Rebekah ordered Adam.

    "Are you su��"

    "Now!" Rebekah ordered, and Adam eyed his wife with disapproval before walking away.

    As Adam walked down the hallway to return to the backyard, Anita, who had gone to Bernice''s bedroom to find her after hearing from the kids that she went upstairs, stepped out of Bernice''s bedroom when she didn''t see her inside.

    She contemted returning to the backyard but decided to first check the guest room to see if Bernice was there with their mother.

    Just as she got to the guest room and raised her hand to knock, she paused when she heard Bernice''s angry voice.

    "How could you be so shameless? How could��." The rest of the words were lost when Rebekah pped Bernice hard.

    "Don''t you dare speak to me in that manner!" Rebekah hissed at her, surprising Anita, who had a puzzled frown on her face as she wondered what was going on between their mother and Bernice.

    Anita contemted going in to find out what was happening but held back herself. She doubted they would tell her what was wrong. So she remained silent as she listened to them.

    Without thinking twice, Bernice pped her mother back, "Don''t you dare tell me what to do, you shameless old whore! I can''t believe you are my mother! How can you sleep with my husband under my roof?" Bernice shrieked angrily, and Anita''s mouth fell open in surprise.

    Their mother was having an affair with Bernice''s husband? How could she? Why would she do that? Anita mused as she pressed her ear to the door.

    Rebekah let out a burst of humorlessughter, "Your hypocrisy disgusts me, Bernice! For someone who is fucking her younger sister''s husband, you have no right to be mad at me. You are lucky I didn''t have your husband fuck me on your bed!" Rebekah spat out, her eyes zing with anger as she watched Bernice stagger back in shock at being caught in her own trap.

    Of course, Bernice wasn''t as surprised as Anita, who quickly raised a hand to her lips to stifle her surprised gasp. What was happening?

    "I�� I��."

    "What? You think I wouldn''t know?" Rebekah cut in as Bernice stuttered. She was d that she had followed her instinct and asked someone to follow Bernice, or else Bernice would have gotten away with her self-righteous act.

    "Sleeping with Jack was a mistake, and you have no right to judge me for it! If you were not screwing my husband and taking his attention away from me, I wouldn''t need to look forfort in the arms of another man," Bernice defended as tears dropped from her eyes.

    "A mistake? I don''t think so since I''m sure yesterday wasn''t the first time. I can''t believe you stooped so low as to get involved with Jack. Someone who sleeps with everything in skirts. Are you that desperate?" Rebekah asked with disgust.

    "Still, you have no right to judge me! How could you have an affair with Adam? You are older than him, and he is my husband, for crying out loud! Who knows if he is the only one you are fucking, you old slut!" Bernice cried, and Rebekah scoffed.

    "I don''t care what you think about me having an affair with your husband, but make sure you do not ever call me such names or treat me with such disrespect ever again! You should be thankful I allowed my lover to get married to you," Rebekah hissed as she headed for the door.

    "Your lover?" Bernice asked in disbelief.

    "I''m going downstairs. Pull yourself together and make sure you are on your best behavior��."

    "I''m divorcing Adam," Bernice said, making Rebekah stop and turn to her.

    "You will do no such thing! You hear me?"

    "How do you expect me to stay married to him after knowing this?" Bernice cried.

    "If you so much as file for divorce, I will forget the fact that you are my daughter, and I will give Adam proof of your affair with Jack. Adam is awyer, and his father is the chief judge. I hope you haven''t forgotten that? Who do you think is going to lose at the end of it all? How do you think Tiffany is going to feel when she finds out you are one of her husband''s whores? Be a good girl and pretend like you didn''t see Adam and me. Only then will I pretend I don''t know what is happening between you and Jack. This conversation is over," Rebekah said, and Bernice copsed on the bed in defeat.

    She couldn''t believe that this shameless witch was her mother. She couldn''t believe that she had gotten the proof she wanted, yet she was powerless to do anything about it. She was hurt. Deeply hurt. And there was nothing she could do.

    Immediately Anita heard their mother heading for the door, she ran into Bernice''s bedroom as fast as she could to avoid being seen.

    Her heart was pounding really fast as she sat on Bernice''s bed to catch her breath.

    Their mother was having an affair with Bernice''s husband, and Bernice was having an affair with Tiffany''s husband? Unbelievable!

    What sort of family was theirs? What was going on? Was this what her family really looked like behind closed doors? Everybody was sleeping with everybody''s husband?

    How could their mother and Bernice be this way? How could the two people she admired and looked up to as her role models be this disgusting? All her life, she had wanted nothing more than to impress them and meet their expectations, yet this was all they amounted to? How could they be this way? How could they live this way?

    What did their mother mean when she said she let her lover marry Bernice? Hold on, was Adam the admirer their mother had spoken about? Was Adam the one who had gotten her the diamond ne? It couldn''t be, could it? How much did Tiffany know?

    To think their mother had the guts to keep telling her she was a disappointment to her, yet she was the one living such a disgraceful and immoral life.

 Chapter 542 Party Over

    Anita looked up when Bernice opened the bedroom door, and Bernice almost jumped back in surprise, "What are you doing here?" Bernice asked with a forced smile as she quickly tried topose herself and brush away the tears on her face with her hand.

    "I was searching for you. Lisa needs a drink, and your housekeeper said you reserved some for her. Are you okay?" Anita said as she rose from the bed, trying to sound as normal as possible.

    "I''m fine. You can leave. I will bring Lisa''s wine," Bernice said, and Anita looked at Bernice for only a second before walking away.

    As Anita walked down the hallway to join Lisa outside, she made up her mind that she was no longer going to remain a part of this disgustingly dysfunctional family.

    Lisa was right. Letting her mother control her life was stupid. And seeing the kind of person her mother was, reinforced that fact. It was time to get out of their mother''s unhealthy nest.

    "I can''t believe you came back without the drink," Lisained when Anita sat next to her.

    "Benny will get your drink. She reserved some for you," Anita said tly as her gaze moved from their Tiffany to Jack, who was ying with Bernice''s kids, and then to their mother and Adam, who were having a conversation.

    Although she wanted nothing more than to walk away from there, she also wanted to wait and see just how her mother and Bernice were going to sit there with them and pretend like everything was alright.

    "Is everything alright?" Lisa asked as she observed Anita.

    "Let''s talk about it after we leave," Anita said, knowing she could confide in Lisa. There was no way she could keep such a disgusting thing to herself. She just had to talk to someone about all she had heard.

    "Alright," Lisa said, and then smiled when she saw Bernice approach them with a bottle of nonalcoholic wine.

    "I hope that bottle in your hand is for me," Lisa said hopefully.

    "Yes. I''m sorry I took so long. I had to make sure the boys were in their bedroom," Bernice said with a cheerful smile that irritated Anita.

    "Finally, I get something to drink. Thanks, Benny," Lisa said with a bright smile as she received the drink from Bernice, and Anita helped her open it and poured some wine into a ss.

    Soon everyone settled to eat, and Anita watched as her mother and Bernice acted as though they had not just finished fighting over a man a while ago.

    She watched as Tiffany and Bernice interacted like best friends and observed how Adam acted politely toward their mother while Bernice avoided Jack''s gaze.

    Had she not overheard all she did earlier, she never would have suspected a thing. She would have been fooled and would have continued to think that her family was the ideal family.

    Rebekah cleared her throat when she met Anita''s gaze, "I believe you are aware that you are no longer wee to join us on the show. Not after that drama at the spa," Rebekah said, and Anita smiled stiffly.

    "Thanks for letting me off the hook easily. I was going to apologize to you that I wouldn''t be avable to join you on the show. Something came up, and I will be busy." Anita said calmly, and Rebekah raised a brow.

    That wasn''t the reaction she had been expecting from Anita. She had expected her to show more remorse and to apologize for her carelessness and the embarrassment she had caused the family.

    "Are you sure about that? You didn''t say anything about being busy earlier," Tiffany quipped, and Lisa shook her head.

    "Can you act your age for once instead of acting like a little mommy girl in front of your husband?" Lisa asked, and Tiffany shot a re at her.

    "Watch the manner with which you speak to me!"

    "I will start doing that shortly after you start behaving like an adult," Lisa retorted.

    "I think you all need to calm down," Adam suggested calmly.

    "Then you all should ask Lisa to be more respectful! She has been insulting me since she got here, and I do not appreciate it!" Tiffany spat out angrily.

    "As I said, I wouldn''t insult you if you..."

    "Enough!" Rebekah snapped at them both.

    "...act like an adult," Lisapleted her statement before sipping from her winess.

    Seeing that everyone was silent again, Rebekah focused on Anita, "It doesn''t matter whether or not you are busy. You won''t be on the show with us. Bernice and Tiffany are enough to represent my daughters," Rebekah said, and Anita scoffed.

    "Of course. Bernice is your daughter quite alright. Tiffany too," Anita muttered under her breath, and Lisa, who heard her, looked at her, wondering what was up with her.

    "Did you say something?" Rebekah asked as she kept her gaze on Anita.

    "Yes. I said I am no longer interested in being with Tom, so you should let him and Lucy be," Anita blurted out, unable to hold back.

    All three of her sisters looked at her in surprise, especially Lisa, who had not expected her to act on her advice so quickly. She had thought Anita would be too scared to do so.

    "Why? Because of what happened at the spa?" Tiffany asked while Bernice simply watched them. She had a lot going on in her head, and she wasn''t motivated enough to get involved in the conversation. She wasn''t even entirely following the conversation since she kept zoning in and out.

    "What do you mean by that? Don''t tell me you are willing to lose Thomas to that nobody. I won''t let you...."

    "I wasn''t asking for your permission, mother," Anita cut in coldly, startling Rebekah and her sisters, who all took a closer look at her, wondering what had gotten over her. This wasn''t Anita. Anita would NEVER speak to their mother so rudely. They all knew how much she revered her. So what was happening?

    Rebekah could sense that something was different in Anita''s attitude, but she couldn''t tell what it was. However, she could see that Anita''s eyes had lost the warm sparkle of love and fear they once held for her. Why was that?

    "If you are doing this because I threatened to take you off the live show, then you don''t have to. Fine. I will let you join us...."

    "I''m not saying this because of the live show. As I already said, I have better things to do than to appear on that show. Tom loves Lucy, not me. I don''t want a man who doesn''t love or respect me. I want a man that loves me the way Ron loves Lisa," Anita said passionately, and as the words left her lips, she realized, for the first time, that was truly how she felt.

    What she desired was love. Real love. She wanted a wealthy man alright, but she also desired love. She could get it all, just like Lisa.

    "Are you out of your mind? Who is feeding you with such nonsense about love?" Rebekah asked angrily.

    Lisa giggled, unable to hold herself, as she raised her ss of wine to her lips. She had never felt more proud of Anita than she did at that moment, watching her face off with their mother. She never thought the day woulde, but she was d she was there to witness it.

    All eyes moved to Lisa when she giggled, "It''s you, isn''t it? Are you the one feeding her with all this nonsense? You are the one who is confusing her?" Rebekah asked harshly.

    "So what if I''m the one? What is wrong with her decision? Why not focus on the happiness of your daughters instead of using them to climb the socialdder?" Lisa asked as she set down her ss to face her mother.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Anita, do not listen to Lisa. Do not let her ruin your life...."

    "I''d rather she ruins my life than let you ruin it. Can''t you see? She is happier than Tiffany and Bernice, whose lives you nned out. I won''t get married to a man that cheats on me or treats me with disrespect like Adam and Jack do to Bernice and Tiffany," Anita said, itching to say all she had heard inside.

    "HOW DARE YOU?" Tiffany shrieked angrily before their mother could recover from her shock and say anything, while Adam and Jack eyed Anita with displeasure for dragging them into their family drama.

    Bernice sighed loudly, "You are right, Anita. I support you. Don''t marry Tom if you don''t want to. And don''t let mother or anyone else control your life or tell you who to be with. It never ends well, trust me. Do whatever makes you happy," Bernice said with resignation and gulped down the wine in her ss, ignoring her mother''s furious gaze.

    "Thank you all foring. I''m exhausted. I need to get some sleep," Bernice said with a sigh as she rose from her seat, making Tiffany and Lisa look at her, wondering why she looked so defeated.

    "Are you alright, Benny?" Lisa asked with concern.

    "It is ungracious to leave before your guests. Sit down!" Rebekah ordered Bernice.

    "This is my home, mother. I can choose to be ungracious however I want. You should stop trying to control my life..."

    "Sit down, Bernice," Adam said sternly.

    "I''m going in. You can remain a gracious host," Bernice said without looking directly at Adam. Her heart hurt too much and she couldn''t look into his face.

    "I''m sure you all can find your way out," Bernice said to her sisters and walked away before Rebekah or Adam could say another word.

    Adam rose and stormed after his wife furiously, while Tiffany looked at Bernice''s back with a worried and confused frown, wondering what was going on.

    "Maybe I should go and make sure she is okay. Adam looks pisse...."

    "Sit down and keep shut!" Rebekah snapped at Tiffany, making her mp her mouth shut.

    Anita shook her head as she turned to Lisa, "I think the party is over. Are you ready to leave?" Anita asked, and Lisa bobbed her head.

    "Sure. This is by far the most entertaining family gathering I''ve had the honor of attending," Lisa said as she gently rose from her seat.

    "I won''t let you destroy your life! I will cut you off if you defile me!" Rebekah threatened.

    "That is only if I don''t cut you off first. Good luck with that, mother!" Anita said as she picked up her handbag and walked away with Lisa.

    "Shoud we check on Bernice before we leave?" Lisa asked, and Anita shook her head.

    "No. Let''s leave," Anita said as she pulled Lisa with her to the car.

    "What has gotten into you?" Lisa asked Anita after they got into the car.

    "Mother is having an affair with Adam, and Bernice is having an affair with Jack. Can you believe it?" Anita asked angrily as she turned on her car''s ignition and drove out of Bernice''spound.

    "How did you know this?" Lisa asked calmly and listened as Anita ryed all she had overheard earlier to her.

    "Bernice? I can believe that mother is capable of that, but I''m disappointed in Bernice for following in mother''s promiscuous footsteps," Lisa said with a shake of her head.

    "Why would you believe that mother is capable of that? Has she ever done something to give you that impression?" Anita asked, and Lisa sighed.

    "Dad told me she was having an affair. He was going to divorce her before everything went downhill for him. And I once confronted her after catching her with a younger man. She knows I know her, that is why she doesn''t bother with me. I''m so disappointed she is sleeping with Benny''s husband," Lisa said with a shake of her head.

    "Dad told you that? And you caught her in the act? Why didn''t you ever say anything?" Anita asked with a frown.

    "Like you would have listened to me then. You are just like Tiffany. Mother can do no wrong in your eyes. You all took her side when she kicked dad out, remember? It''s a miracle you are thinking for yourself right now. I can only hope you don''t run back to her nest once you get over this shock," Lisa said, and Anita scowled.

    "Get over this shock? I can never look at her the same way ever again! I can''t even stand to look at her! I''ve never felt more disgusted!" Anita spat out bitterly.

    "I can see now why you have been this way towards her," Anita said thoughtfully.

    "I wonder if Bernice is going to be fine," Lisa said with a sigh.

    "I don''t care about Bernice! It serves her right. How can she be having an affair with Tiffany''s husband? I feel so mad at the lot of them!" Anita said angrily, and Lisa sighed.

    "You should calm down. At least now you see why it is a bad idea to follow Mother''s footsteps. I''m d your eyes are beginning to open. No matter what she says, please stay away from her influence and find your own path to happiness," Lisa advised.

    "Do you think I should tell Tiffany about Bernice and her husband?" Anita asked, and Lisa shook her head.

    "How do you know Tiffany is not also involved in some sort of immoral affair? Seeing how she takes after mother, I won''t put it past her," Lisa said, and Anita sighed.

    So much had happened in one day, and she was feeling so drained and mentally exhausted. All she wanted was to drop Lisa off at home and then go home and crawl into her bed.

    She really needed to take another look at her life goals and reprioritize them. Pleasing her mother and being on her good book was totally out of it now.

    "Maybe we should find time to speak with Bernice. I don''t know what we are going to tell her. I can''t imagine her confessing to Tiffany, and we can''t tell Tiffany either," Lisa said feeing sorry for both Bernice and Tiffany. Their mother had sessfully ruined their lives.

    Neither of them said a word as they were both lost in their thoughts until Anita pulled the car to a stop in front of Lisa''s house.

    "Thanks, Annie. Don''t forget what I told you earlier. Leaving Tom and Lucy alone is not enough. You have to apologize to them."

    "Yeah."

    "I want to hear you say it, Annie. Promise me you will apologize to them," Lisa said, and Anita turned to her.

    "I can''t say it won''t be difficult, but I will do my best. That''s if they will be willing to hear me out," Anita said, thinking she would need to figure out a way to go about that.

 Chapter 543 Gullible/Emotionally Needy

    Sara was silent for some seconds as she tried to figure out why Harry could possibly be calling her.

    Did Aaron finally tell him about her? What about Lucy? Did she tell either Harry or Aaron about their discussion? What was going on?

    "Are you that surprised by my call?" Harry asked when she did not say anything after some time. He had called her not only to satisfy his curiosity and to put his ns in motion, but he had also called to catch her off guard and to take a peek at what was in her head. He wanted to see just how smart she was.

    "As a matter of fact, I am. I don''t know what to say," Sara answered more honestly than Harry had expected.

    "My father told me about you. I still can''t believe that I never knew of your existence until now. Why didn''t you say anything when we met?" Harry asked, sounding like he was genuinely surprised.

    "Your father asked me not to say anything to you until he had the chance to open up to you," Sara said, still trying to figure out what Harry was up to.

    "I must say I''m disappointed that you didn''t reach out to me. I would love to meet with you. I think we need to meet and talk," Harry said, and a thin line formed on Sara''s brows.

    "Did your father tell you that we met recently? What did he tell you about me?" she asked, wanting to know how much Harry knew.

    As much as Harry hated telling lies, he couldn''t bring himself to tell her the truth right now. Telling her the truth wouldn''t serve his purpose, and a person like her did not deserve the truth.

    "Yes, he told me of your meeting. That''s how I know you were the one I met at the restaurant. He told me you both got separated after my birth because you were dealing with postpartum stress and he couldn''t be there for you as you wanted him to be," Harry said, and Sara paused.

    That sounded like something Aaron could say. Knowing Aaron, he was capable of taking the whole me for something like this just so his son wouldn''t be hurt by the truth. She knew him well enough to know that he would be too emotional to tell Harry the truth, but what about Lucy? What did she tell Harry and Aaron? Had she told them of the twin who didn''t die yet?

    From the little she had seen, Lucy was nothing like Aaron, and judging by all Lucy knew about her and their family ties, she doubted that Lucy would withhold all that information from Aaron and Harry.

    "Was that the only thing your father told you?" Sara asked cautiously.

    "Yes," Harry said, knowing the reason for her wariness.

    "What about Lucy?" Sara asked, and Harry almost smirked since he could tell the reason for her question.

    "Lucy? What about Lucy?" Harry asked innocently.

    Did that mean Lucy didn''t tell him anything? Sara mused, "I just wanted to know if she told you anything about our meeting," Sara exined.

    "Is there something she is supposed to tell me? Did you give her a message for me?" Harry asked sounding like he was genuinely confused by her question.

    "No. Nothing. I''m just asking after her. You know, she was with your father thest time we met," Sara said quickly, not wanting him to suspect anything.

    Did Lucy decide to keep everything she knew to herself seeing that they are rted? Or did she tell Aaron and he asked her not to mention it to Harry? What was going on? Sara wondered.

    "Oh, Yeah! I think I remember them mentioning it. Anyway, I called because I would love for us to meet in person. I figured that I should meet the woman who gave me life," Harry said, and Sara frowned as she looked at herptop''s screen.

    It wasn''t like she had genuinely wanted a family reunion or anything. If this research institute turned out to be legit as she was beginning to believe it was, then she wouldn''t really be having any real need for Harry''s liver unless she was keeping him as an alternative.

    Although she still had to think about Lucy''s warning. Lucy had warned her not to go anywhere close to Harry, or she would expose her. Not that she cared much if Lucy told Harry and Aaron the truth since it would be their word against hers. The doctor was dead, and the hospital records were destroyed. The other twin was nowhere to be found, so there was no evidence to prove that she had lied.

    What she cared about, however, was Lucy exposing her to the world. Her reputation was important to her. She knew how gullible people were. With or without evidence, such a scandal would affect her.

    She was now considered a veteran in the modeling world and she was still a role model and mentor to so many youngdies, and she couldn''t let such a scandal destroy her life.

    As much as she despised Lucy and would like to ignore her, she couldn''t risk leaving such a secret with Lucy.

    Could she count on Lucy being more reasonable now since it was Harry who was asking to meet her? Would Lucy choose to let peace reign and destroy whatever information she had?

    "Are you there?" Harry asked when Sara remained silent.

    Sara cleared her throat, "Yeah. Is your father aware of this? I mean thest time we spoke he and Lucy were keen on keeping me away from you, so...."

    "Don''t worry about my father. He is aware that I need to unite with my mother. And Lucy is not a part of our family so she really doesn''t have a say in who I meet with or not. You are free to decide on the venue for our meeting and let me know," Harry offered, knowing that would make her let down her guard a bit and not feel suspicious.

    "Are you sure she doesn''t have a say? Your father seemed very fond of her," Sara said, still wanting to know just how close Lucy was to Harry.

    "Yes, he is. She is my best friend''s girlfriend. Do you know Tom? The guy who was with me when we met. Lucy is his girlfriend and she stays by my father''s side to keep himpany when I''m busy, so they''re sort of attached to each other," Harry exined easily, and Sara frowned slightly, feeling genuinely confused by Harry''s attitude.

    "I would really love to meet you, and get to know you...."

    She couldn''t understand what was happening or what Harry wanted from her, "You don''t mind that I left?" Sara asked.

    "I''m sure you had your reasons. I''m an adult and I don''t think there is any reason for us to be stuck in the past. Let''s all move on," Harry offered, and Sara rxed.

    It seemed like Harry was exactly like his father. Weak and emotionally needy, Sara thought with a smirk.

    Although she didn''t really need Harry anymore, If she could get close enough to Harry, she could find a way to confirm if it was true that Lucy had recorded their conversation at the restaurant that day, and then she would find a way to destroy whatever Lucy had.

    After that, she would find a way to discredit Lucy. She wouldn''t hurt her. That would be too much of a hassle. She would discredit her and make sure Harry and Aaron would never believe any word thates from her.

    She paused. What about J? Even if she discredited Lucy, she would still have to face J she reminded herself.

    Almost immediately she remembered that Lucy had not even told J about their meeting. She was the one who mentioned their meeting to J.

    Well, since it seemed like Lucy had not told anyone yet about their discussion and had failed to tell Harry about their family ties, she would just have to beat her to it and tell Harry first.

    She would tell Harry about her family ties with Lucy and a bit of truth about her background. If Harry was half as gullible as his father, as she suspected he was, and if she pulled it off well enough, Harry would despise J. That was the only way she was going to seed.

    "Are you still there?" Harry asked again after a short while.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Alright. I will get back to you on it," Sara said, feeling in control of the situation.

    "Thanks. I look forward to seeing you," Harry said with a satisfied smile before Sara hung up.

    He didn''t mind that he was going to seem gullible and desperate to her. That was exactly what he wanted her to believe, Harry thought as he dialed another line.

    "Find me a beautiful youngdy between the ages of twenty-seven and twenty-eight," Harry instructed the moment the person received the call, and once he gave him the specifics he rose from his bed and headed to the living room to intimate Aaron and Candace with his ns.

    Thankfully, the nurse was out and it was just his father and Candace seeing a movie and discussing in the living room when he got there.

    "Jamal is still sleeping?" Harry asked when he noticed the kid was still not out yet.

    "Yeah. He barely naps, but when he does, it takes all day," Candace said, and Aaron chuckled.

    "Harry was just like that too. I think he still is," Aaron said as Harry sat down.

    "I just got off the phone with Sara," Harry informed them, and Aaron''s heart skipped a beat as it always did at the mention of Sara, while Candace raised a brow.

    "She called you?" Candace asked as her gaze moved to Aaron whose face had lost all the traces of the smile it had held only seconds ago.

    "No. I called her...."

    "What for?" Aaron asked with a slight frown. Sara was bad news and he didn''t want Harry to get involved with her.

    As far as he was concerned, if Harry wanted to teach her a lesson, he should do so from a distance and not go anywhere near her.

    "I told you not to try to stop me, remember? So calm down. This is me doing what I have to do to punish her. I didn''t tell her about anything we heard from Lucy," Harry said, quickly summarizing the conversation between him and Sara.

    "Sara is maniptive and deceitful...."

    "I''ve heard enough about her to know that. Trust me, and don''t worry about me," Harry assured Aaron, and he sighed in resignation.

    "You are not going to tell her about me, are you?" Candace asked, knowing that she wanted absolutely nothing to do with Sara. She would rather not set eyes on Sara in this lifetime or in the one toe.

    "I won''t. But I need your help. I will need you to give me the details of the orphanage where you were raised and whatever you can remember," Harry said, and Candace narrowed her eyes.

    "You want to get someone to pretend to be me?" she asked, and Harry smiled. Impressed by her smartness.

    "Yes. I''m going to pay someone to be you. We have to know everything she ns to do," Harry said, and Candace nodded.

    "You can let me know if you need my help," Candace offered.

    "I will definitely need your help. You have to talk to the sisters at the orphanage to y along and help us convince Sara that whoever we will be using is you," Harry said, and Candace shrugged.

    "That''s easy enough. I can do that," she said, and Harry nodded.

    "You''re not bringing Jamal into this, right?"

    "Of course, not!" Harry said, displeased that his father would even think that.

    Satisfied, Candace yawned as her gaze moved to the wall clock, "I should probably give Adolf a call so he can be on his way to pick us up."

    "You don''t have to. I will drop you off. I need to see Tom," Harry said, and Candace wiggled her brows.

    "Are you sure you did not mean Tom''s sister?" she asked in a teasing tone, and Aaron chuckled.

    "I think that was what he meant," Aaron said, and Harry tried not to scowl as he looked from Candace to their father and back again.

    "I received a call that Matt wants to join I-Global entertainment. Did you know that?" Harry asked, knowing that would not only shut her up but also get their father''s attention.

    "What has that got to do with me?" she asked with a scowl while Aaron grinned, enjoying himself at both their expense.

    "Well, he''s your friend, isn''t he? Do you want us to ept him or not?" Harry asked, and Candace red at him.

    "You''re bringing Matt up only because you don''t want to talk about Jade, right?" Candace asked knowingly.

    "And you are going back to that because you don''t want to talk about Matt," Harry said, and Candace sighed as she shook her head.

    "Anyway, just so you know, Jade has no ns of visiting you anytime soon. She says you are not her boyfriend yet, and you won''t be seeing her until after the anniversary," Candace said, and Harry raised a brow.

    "What else did she say?"

    "Nothing that concerns you. Just some stuff about someone called Anita having a sh with Lucy at the spa and inciting the otherdies to hurt Lucy. Do you know who that is?" She asked, and Harry raised a brow.

    "Lucy was hurt?" Aaron asked with concern.

    "No. I don''t think so," Candace said as she picked up her phone and read out Jade''s story to their hearing.

    "Do you know who that is?" Candace asked, and Harry nodded.

    "She is Tom''s ex-girlfriend," Harry said distractedly. If they already did not n to carry out the live show, he would have been very mad at Tom for not handling Anita''s issue properly.

    He nced at the wall clock, he was going to have to inform Tom and Lucy about his n to handle Sara. He could just as well see them after dropping off Candace and Jamal. He would have to see Jade too. It was obvious that he had hurt her feelings.

 Chapter 544 Emotional Detox

    Once Jade returned from her outing with her mother, she went straight up to her bedroom to freshen up and rx before dinner, leaving her mother to chat with the others and catch up on the events of the day.

    As rxing as the massage had been, she was exhausted from all the activities. They had gone out for lunch in a fancy restaurant together and did a bit of shopping after leaving the spa.

    After she had showered, she put onbat shorts with a tank top and settled on her bed with her journal and pen in hand.

    Now that she was finally alone, she could rx and think about all her mother had said earlier and also put her rtionship with Harry in perspective.

    As she opened her journal to jot down her thoughts, a knock sounded on the door, and red at it. Why couldn''t a person be left alone around here? She mused irritably.

    "Princess?" Desmond called, and almost immediately her irritation died and her lips pulled into a smile when she heard her dad''s voice.

    "You cane in, dad," Jade called to him, and sat up on her bed as she watched her father walk into the bedroom with a ss of juice.

    "You look so beautiful my eyes ache," Desmond said as he took note of her hair which had been washed and styled in a way that instead of the pixie cut which had grown a bit long, she now had a short bob. Her brows had been plucked too, and she had also gotten ash extension done.

    "Thanks," Jade said with a wide smile.

    "Is that for me?" Jade asked even as she reached out to take the ss of juice from him.

    "Sure," Desmond said as he let her have it, and he sat on the edge of the bed.

    "Thanks," Jade said as she drank from the ss and gulped down everything, "I didn''t realize I was craving something cold and sweet," Jade said with a smile of gratitude as she dropped the empty ss on her nightstand.

    "How was your outing with your mother?" Desmond asked as he kept his gaze on her.

    Jade shrugged, "Eventful. She told you about the incident at the spa?" Jade asked, and Desmond nodded.

    "Yeah. She also said she slipped back into her age-long habit and you were disappointed," Desmond said, and Jade raised a brow.

    "So you are here to scold me for being harsh to your wife?" she asked, and Desmond chuckled.

    "That''s between your mother and you. Besides, I chided her too. I''m just here to spend some time with you since we''ve hardly had any time to ourselves in a long time," Desmond said, and Jade smiled.

    "That''s true," Jade said as she shut her journal and pushed it away from her. She could do her reflection at ater time.

    "So what has been going on with youtely aside from Harry?" Desmond asked, and Jade giggled.

    "Why do I feel like the subject you just put aside is the real topic you want to talk about? Oh, I know why. It is because I know you very well," Jade said, and Desmond chuckled.

    "I''m being real this time, trust me. Besides, what''s there to want to talk about Harry for? I know him. And I pretty much know you both are into each other and he sent you some good morning flowers and stuff. I''m just here to really know how you''re doing," Desmond said, and Jade looked at her father for a moment.

    "I''m fine. You know I''m fine," she said, and Desmond nodded.

    "You look fine. But we will know soon enough. Why don''t you tell me all about Varis? Your job, your cases, your dating life over there... Before Harry," Desmond added.

    "We never got the chance to visit ''cause you kept saying you were busy each time we offered to visit you. So I want to hear all about it. Bring me up to speed with your life. I''d also like to know how you met Candace and all that crime story in between," Desmond said as he let his back rest on the headboard of the bed, and Jade tucked both legs in front of her as she satfortably facing him.

    Desmond listened to every word that came out of Jade''s lips with rapt attention,ughing and eximing when he needed to, and expressing disbelief and disapproval when necessary.

    "Interesting," Desmond said when Jade finished speaking. But Jade was not sure what part of her story he was referring to. Unlike her mother, she had told her father all about Candace and even Andy and their stripping job. She knew her father would never judge Candace by that.

    Desmond did not miss the fact that she had spoken all about work and she did not mention anything about any guy in her life until Harry came over as a knight in shining armor to rescue his damsel in distress.

    "You are so brilliant, Jady. Did you know that?" He asked, and Jade giggled.

    "Of course, I do."

    "And you are very smart too," Desmond said and watched as Jade''s giggle settled into a smile.

    "And you are so beautiful and kind-hearted and loyal. And I''m so proud of thedy you are," Desmond said, and this time Jade shifted ufortably as she tried not to squirm.

    Knowing her dad, a long speech was going to follow thosepliments, and she wasn''t so sure what this speech was going to be about or if she was going to like it.

    "Okay. Where is this going, dad?" She asked as she scratched the back of her ear.

    "Well, your mother told me about your conversation with her earlier this morning. And she mentioned your misunderstanding with Harr...."

    "Here we go. I knew it! I was wondering how long it will take you to get to the Harry talk," Jade cut in, and Desmond smiled.

    "As I said, I''m not here to talk about Harry. It''s you I want to talk about. This is about you not about Harry," Desmond said, and Jade rolled her eyes.

    "Alright. Go on. I''m listening. But if you are going to repeat all that talk about how I''m a spoilt princess...."

    "I don''t think you are a spoilt princess," Desmond cut in, and Jade paused as she looked at him with suspicion, wondering what his deal was.

    "Yes. You heard me. Maybe a broken princess, but definitely not a spoiled one. I think you are a very beautiful, brilliant, and smart youngdy who knows exactly what she wants and goes for it. And I need you to always remember that. Never forget who you are. Not even for a second. Do not let events of the past make you doubt your worth, or affect the way you see yourself or the way you project yourself to others," Desmond said and paused to make sure she was following.

    "What do you mean?" She asked, confusion clouding her blue eyes that looked very much like her father''s.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I''m saying you should always carry yourself with pride in yourself not just your job. Do not feel inferior or insecure about anything or anyone. I can tell you for free that Todd didn''t cheat on you because you were not good enough or because you werecking in any way," Desmond said, and tears gathered in Jade''s eyes as she looked away from him, feeling as though he could see what was inside her head by looking into her eyes.

    It was true that in the first year after Todd died she had been full of unanswered questions. She had always wondered why Todd cheated on her. She had wondered if she had beencking in a way. But never had she voiced out those thoughts of inadequacy.

    She had asked herself a lot of questions concerning their rtionship and it had been harder for her to deal with Todd''s betrayal because he was not even alive to tell her what she had done wrong or the areas where she had beencking that made him decide to not only get into a rtionship with someone else but to also engage her.

    His betrayal had stung. Her feminine pride and self-esteem had beenpletely bruised and battered, and the only pride she had left was her pride in being a member of the Hank family and her pride in her career. And that was the reason she had invested all her time and energy into her career.

    "I would have had this conversation with you long ago had you been open to talking about Todd. But you refused to say anything and I didn''t want to force you. Look at me, princess," Desmond said, and Jade reluctantly met his gaze as a tear slid down her cheek.

    She hadn''t realized that the wound was still very raw and fresh despite all the time that had passed. She had deceived herself into believing she had moved on because she stopped thinking of it. But only now did she realize that the surface of the wound might have closed, and seemed like it was healed, but the wound was still bleeding inside.

    Desmond reached out and brushed away her tears even as more fell, "You are beautiful, Jade. You are lovedvishly. You are more than enough, and any man that would have the honor of having you in his life is lucky. You have no idea how lucky your brothers and I are to have you. Todd never deserved you. I''m not saying this as your dad. I''m saying this because I know it for a fact," Desmond said, as he looked into his little girl''s eyes and watched her lips quiver.

    He realized that he should have spoken with her sooner. It had urred to him while listening to Evelyn speak about her discussion with Jade concerning her conflict with Harry, that Jade might be feeling insecure because of self-doubt and not just because she had trust issues.

    It was one thing to distrust other people, but it waspletely another thing to carry such fear that anyone else could easily rece you. Such thoughts often stemmed from a deep-rooted feeling of inadequacy.

    If there was one thing he knew, it was the fact that no one who truly knew their worth, would easily feel threatened by the presence of someone else unless, of course, the person felt the person was better than them.

    "I know you are still hurt. And I suspect that somewhere inside you, a deep part of you probably mes yourself for what Todd did. You are probably thinking you did something to deserve what he did. Or maybe you are thinking if you were a certain way, he wouldn''t have done that. I''m here to tell you that it wasn''t you. It wasn''t your fault. It wasn''t about what you did or what you did not do. Todd did what Todd wanted, and it had absolutely nothing to do with you or your abilities," Desmond said and his heart ached as he watched Jade break into a sob.

    "I''m saying this because I don''t want you to keep carrying such a mindset or burden around. I especially don''t want you to carry it into your next rtionship. It hurts, but admit to yourself that he didn''t love you. He found love somewhere else and that is fine. Now it''s time for you to healpletely and move on. Forgive Todd, and let go of whatever anger or bitterness you harbor in your heart. You are forgiving him for not being honest with you. You are doing it for yourself, not for him. You are doing it so you can move onpletely. And if it makes you feel better, tell yourself that it was for the best that he found the kind of love he wanted before he died whether it was with you or not," Desmond said as he pulled Jade to himself and embraced her as she wept.

    "It hurts dad. My heart still hurts," Jade cried, and a tear dropped from Desmond''s eyes as he patted her back.

    "I know Princess. That''s why you need to face it now and let it go. The emotional wound needs to be opened and treated properly for it to heal. You''ve let it fester for too long by neglecting it. Now face it," Desmond said and he continued to murmur silent assurances to her.

    Once she had calmed a bit, Desmond rose from the bed and walked over to get her the box of tissue on top of the dressing table. After she had wiped her nose and face, Desmond looked at her, "Now say, I am beautiful."

    "Go on and say it," Desmond urged her when Jade looked at him, reluctant to say it.

    "I''m beautiful."

    "I am more than enough," Desmond said, and tears clouded Jade''s eyes again.

    "I''m more than enough," Jade repeated.

    "Say it confidently, princess. Your lips are saying it but your body isn''t. I don''t need you to say it like you believe it. I need you to really believe it," Desmond encouraged.

    Jade sat up and raised her chin, "I am more than enough."

    Desmond grinned, "Harry is such a lucky bastard to have you."

    "Yeah. Harry is lucky," Jade affirmed, as she embraced her dad, and they both turned to the door when a knock sounded on it.

    "Can Ie in? It''s Candace," Candace announced.

    "Yeah,e in," Jade called without leaving her dad''s body and Candace opened the door.

    As Desmond watched Candace enter the room, he remembered what his wife had said Jade told her at the spa, and he also remembered what Jade had told him a while ago about her.

    Candace looked from father to daughter and she didn''t miss the crumpled tissues on the floor. Jade''s red nose was enough to tell her Jade had been crying.

    "Harry is outside. He wants to see you," Candace announced, making Jade''s heart skip a beat as she sat up and pulled away from her dad.

    Desmond chuckled at her spontaneous reaction as he watched her run to the mirror to look at her face.

    "I will let you handle your business, Princess. Carry yourself like the brilliantdy I know you are," Desmond said as he got off the bed and picked up the empty ss of juice from the nightstand.

    "Thanks, Dad. I love you," Jade said without looking at him as she powdered her face and applied a bit of lip gloss to her lips.

    Desmond said nothing as he approached the door where Candace remained, standing there like she was waiting for him to leave so she could say something to Jade.

    "Where is Jamal?" Desmond asked curiously.

    "He is with Evelyn and J in the Den," Candace said politely.

    "And how is your dad''s health?" Desmond asked, deliberately referring to Aaron that way to see how she would react.

    ? Candace''s heart skipped a beat at that, but she nodded, "He looks much better than he did yesterday."

    "Good," Desmond said with a nod, and without another word to her, he walked out of the bedroom.

    Desmond sighed inwardly knowing that he was going to also have to talk to her. It seemed like Jade and all the youngdies connected to him through his kids went about with so much emotional baggage. And just like Lucy, Sonia, and Jade, Candace also needed a bit of emotional detox.

 Chapter 545 The Lady I Love....

    Although a part of Jade was still mad at Harry for threatening to end whatever they had if she showed up at his date with Aurora, she raced all the way from her bedroom down the stairs, and by the time she got to the foot of the stairs she was breathless.

    She paused at the foot of the stairs to catch her breath andpose herself before walking to the front door.

    As she walked from the door to meet Harry, who was waiting for her in his car, she reminded herself of everything her dad and mom had said.

    She was going to consciously put away every feeling of insecurity and inadequacy. She knew it wasn''t going to be easy, but she would make conscious efforts. She needed to start acting it by carrying herself properly. She was not going to make a fool of herself or give Harry the wrong impression about her anymore.

    By the time she stopped by the passenger door and knocked lightly on the window to get Harry''s attention, she was feeling more in control of her emotions.

    Once Harry saw her standing there, he got out of the car and went around to join her, "Hey!" he greeted as he gave her an unhurried once over.

    "Hi! Candace said you wanted to see me," Jade said calmly, not letting her face or tone give out her excitement at seeing him.

    "Are you alright?" Harry asked with concern as his gaze roamed over her face.

    "Yeah," Jade said, as she dipped her hands into the pocket of herbat to keep herself from embracing him or touching him as she craved to do.

    "Are you sure? Did you cry?" Harry asked with concern, and Jade raised a hand to her face self-consciously.

    "Why?" She asked, wondering if something was wrong with the light makeup she had applied. He wasn''t referring to her new hairstyle andshes, was he?

    "I don''t know. I guess your eyes just seem a bit dull," Harry observed.

    "I''m alright. I was sort of busy before Candace came to get me," she said, and Harry nodded.

    "I see. So what were you busy with?" he asked conversationally.

    "Spending time with my dad," Jade said, and Harry nodded as he stuck his hands in his pocket.

    "I see. Your hair is different. It is longer," he noted.

    "Mom said she loves it long, so I''m considering regrowing it. We went to the spa," Jade exined.

    "You look beautiful," Harry said softly.

    "Thanks. Why did you want to see me?" she asked, curious to know so she could get that out of the way before telling him all she had in mind.

    "Are you still mad at me?" Harry asked, and Jade raised a brow.

    "I never said I was mad," Jade pointed out, even though it was true that she was still a bit miffed by his earlier threat.

    "You didn''t have to. Besides, if you aren''t mad why didn''t you show up today? And why did you tell Candace that I won''t be seeing you until after the anniversary? Are you going somewhere?" Harry asked, and Jade scoffed.

    "I didn''t show up at your house because I had no reason to visit a ce where I''m not weed. And no. I''m not going anywhere. I''m just not going to visit you or randomly show up in front of you until we be an item officially," Jade said, while Harry continued to observe her.

    "Why?"

    "Why? Did you just ask me why?" Jade asked, ring at him.

    "Yes. Why won''t you visit me until you be my girlfriend? And why do you think you''re not weed at my apartment?" Harry asked calmly.

    Although he hade to apologize to her for being harsh earlier, he wanted to know exactly what she was mad about and to see how upset she was and how she would express herself.

    Jade took a deep breath. She was not going to be unreasonable. She was going to behave like the reasonable and intelligent youngdy she was.

    "Tell me something, Harry, am I forcing myself on you?" she asked, and Harry frowned.

    "Of course, not! Why would you ask me such a question when you know how well I feel about you?"

    "How you feel about me?" Jade asked with a scoff.

    "I''m honestly not sure I know how you feel about me. Lately, you''ve made me feel like I''m forcing myself on you," Jade said, and before Harry could speak, she shook her head.

    "I''m not done yet. I realize that I may not have been on my best behaviortely, but that doesn''t mean it is okay for you to boss me around or push me around. You can''t push me away one moment, and be trying to pull me back the next. I''m not your puppet or ything," Jade said, and Harry raised a brow.

    "When did I boss you around or treat you like my ything?"

    "When? You make use of every opportunity to remind me that I''m not your girlfriend yet. And you, Harry Jonas, you asked me to leave your apartment because you needed space. You also threatened to not have anything to do with me if I showed up at your date. So pardon me if I don''t understand why you are standing in front of me right now and asking me why I''m noting over to your ce. Isn''t that the same way kids discard their toy when they don''t have use for it and pick it up when they miss it? Quit giving me mixed signals, Harry Jonas. It''s either you want me in your life or you don''t. You may be old-fashioned, and love to do things the old-fashioned way, but I am not. I''m a 21st-centurydy. Being old fashioned is your choice, not mine. So don''t you dare expect me to walk down that path with you or put up with your shit anymore. I won''t always get my way? That is fine by me, but don''t expect to always have your way either. I won''t let you shove your principles down my throat, and if you can''t stand that, then you can shove your stupid principles and your so-called love up your ass," Jade said poking his chest as she paused to catch her breath, while Harry smiled as he watched her, the fire back in her eyes.

    "I want to believe my anger is not amusing to you," she hissed at him, and Harry chuckled.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I just caught a glimpse of the old Jade. It''s attractive. And it''s good to know you still have that fire in you," Harry said, and she raised a brow.

    "What are you talking about?" Jade askedwith an annoyed scowl.

    "I will rather keep that to myself. I didn''te to fight with you esquire. I came to see you because I missed your presence, and I also wanted to apologize for being too strict with you earlier," Harry said, and Jade snorted.

    "Missed seeing me? Didn''t you say I was a nuisance and you needed time to recuperate from me?" she asked grudgingly, and Harry took a step closer to her.

    "I never said you were a nuisance. I could never call you a nuisance, Esquire. However, I meant it when I said that you bothered me so much and I needed time to recuperate. That wasn''t meant to be an insult. If you didn''t leave, I have no idea what I could have done to youst night. You have no idea what you do to me or how I feel when I''m with you, esquire. I forget everything else when I''m with you. I''ve never been more tempted to throw away my principles as I''ve been since you got here," Harry said, as he touched her face gently.

    Although Jade''s breath hitched at both his touch and confession, she pped his hand off her face, "Keep your hands to yourself. You are not my boyfriend yet," she hissed at him, and Harry smiled grimly as he dipped his hand into his pocket and moved away from her.

    "Alright. I can see you''re still mad about a lot of things, and there is a lot I need to apologize for. I will listen quietly while you express yourself, that way I can know what I''m apologizing for," Harry said as he rxed his back against the car while Jade faced him with her back to the house.

    "If I bother you that much, why are you here? Don''t you want to recuperate anymore?" Jade asked grudgingly.

    "I think I can handle this much of your presence. I just really wanted to see you, but I don''t want to be with you in private."

    "Why didn''t youe inside if you didn''t want us to be alone?" Jade asked and he shrugged.

    "Because I would have had to talk to everyone else. I would rather spend the time talking to you, and go in to say goodbye to them when I''m ready to leave," Harry said, and Jade smiled reluctantly.

    "But we are alone right now, aren''t we?" Jade pointed out.

    "You can hardly call this private. We are out here in the open. And we are not alone either. Your mom and Lucy''s mom have been watching for some time. Don''t look at them abruptly," Harry told her, since he had sighted thedies at the window when he got out of the car to join Jade.

    Jade smartly went to stand beside him, with her back against the car while looking at the windows in front of the house where she could see more than two heads.

    "They are not the only ones spying," Jade said with a shake of her head.

    "Do you mind spending some time with me? Maybe we could go for a little drive around and talk?" Harry asked, and Jade looked down at her fluffy slippers and the tank top, and thebat shorts she was wearing.

    "Do I need to go in to change?" she asked, and Harry shook his head.

    "It''s dark already. We are not going to any public ce," Harry said, and Jade eyed him reluctantly.

    "Are you certain you want to do that? We are going to be alone if we drive away from here," she reminded him.

    "Get in the car, esquire," Harry said as he held open the passenger door for her to get in.

    "Alright," she said as she got into the car and Harry shut the door before going to get in the driver''s seat.

    Harry did not say a word as he drove far away from there, and it wasn''t until he had driven a safe distance that he parked the car by the quiet roadside, and turned to Jade.

    Jade was slightly startled when Harry suddenly pulled her close to himself and covered her lips in a hungry kiss. At first she wanted to push him away, but she was too drawn to him to resist the urgency of his lips on hers, so she kissed him back with equal fervor.

    Unable to think straight as he drowned in the kiss, Harry used what little self-control he had left to break the kiss and pulled away from Jade leaving her wishing he had not stopped kissing her.

    His kiss made her thirsty, and it wasn''t for water. She wanted more. More of his kiss, more of his touch. More of him.

    "You see what I was talking about? Only you can make me act this way, esquire," Harry groaned breathlessly as he looked into her face, and Jade raised a finger to her lips.

    "I thought I asked you to keep your hands to yourself until you be my boyfriend?. You can''t be having boyfriends benefit when we are not dating yet," Jade murmured under her breath.

    "I did keep my hands to myself. You said nothing about keeping my lips to myself," Harry said with a grin, and Jade tried hard not tough but she couldn''t stop the smile.

    Damn her heart for being unable to stay mad at him. "Keep your entire body to yourself," Jade muttered.

    "I feel hot. Let''s step out of the car," Harry suggested as he got out, leaving the headlight on as he went to open her door.

    He led her to the car trunk, and lifted her off the ground effortlessly so that she sat on the trunk of the car while he stood between her legs.

    "I''m deeply sorry I was harsh earlier," Harry apologized, and Jade cocked her head to the side.

    "Isn''t being harsh sort of your thing?" she asked dryly.

    "Hear me out, esquire," Harry cut in, so she wouldn''t interrupt him.

    "I''m sorry I said all that the way I said them. I had no intention of disrespecting you or hurting your feelings. I understand that was no way to talk to thedy I love and respect. I promise to work on my bluntness. I really do not want to hurt your feelings in any way," Harry said, and Jade sighed without saying a word. She had no idea what to say.

 Chapter 546 I Trust You

    "Say something, will you?" Harry urged her when Jade just stared at him without saying a word.

    "You realize you just told me you love me, right?" Jade asked, and Harry chuckled.

    "When has that ever been a secret?" Harry asked, and Jade shrugged.

    "It''s not something you''ve said outrightly," Jade pointed out, and Harry considered her for a moment.

    "So do you want to hear me say it again?" He asked, and Jade bobbed her head.

    "I love you, esquire. And I will love you to have more confidence in yourself and in my feelings for you. You are my first love, and I intend for you to be my only love till the day I draw myst breath," Harry said making butterflies flutter in Jade''s belly.

    "I love you too, Jonas. And I''ve got the answer to your questions," Jade said and Harry raised a brow.

    "What question?" Harry asked, wondering what she was talking about.

    "You said you weren''t sure about my feelings for you (chapter 481). Now more than ever, I''m sure about my feelings for you. I''m madly in love with you. You wanted to know when I started feeling this way about you, I can''t exactly point to any particr moment but believe I started feeling this way from the very first time we met but I never took note of it. I also believe it grew over the days we spent together in Varis, but I never realized it until after we got to Ludus. I love you and want to be in a rtionship with you because I not only feel alive when I''m with you, but I''m also happiest when I''m with you. And you bring out both the best and worst sides of me," Jade said everything in a rush, and Harry smiled.

    "You are slowly catching up," Harry said as his gaze moved over her face.

    "A kiss would have been perfect at this moment, but you are not my boyfriend yet," Jade said with a yful grin, and Harry chuckled as his arms went around her waist and he pulled her forward for a kiss.

    "You are not my boyfriend yet," Jade reminded him but did not move away from him.

    "I thought 21st-centurydies are allowed to kiss guys they''re not dating yet?" Harry asked, and Jade giggled, feeling much better now than she had felt all day.

    "Not old-fashioned gentlemen," Jade said as she let him im her lips.

    Her stomach somersaulted as he kissed her with deliberate care. She could tell he was being careful so as not to drive himself over the edge.

    The kiss they shared was short but intense and unhurried. A silent promise of what was toe.

    As Harry broke the kiss, his eyes remained on her lips, "I want you so bad, esquire," Harry confessed, and Jade groaned.

    "You are really not helping me by telling me that," sheined as she pulled back from him.

    "It wasn''t meant to help you," Harry said with a grin, and Jade smiled as they both wordlessly stared at each other.

    "So?" Harry asked after some time.

    "So what?" Jade asked, wondering what he wanted to hear.

    "Am I forgiven?" Harry asked, and Jade shrugged.

    "I guess so."

    "Good. Now we can deal with the other stuff you mentioned," Harry said, feeling the need to address all she had mentioned during her outburst.

    "Can''t we just forget it? I don''t want us to ruin the mood," Jade said, but Harry shook his head.

    "We won''t ruin the mood. We are going to have a mature conversation so we can understand each other better," Harry said, and Jade sighed.

    "Alright. I''m listening."

    "Before we do that, I''d like to ask one question. When did you realize that I was in love with you?"

    "Hmm, that. You hid it so well," Jade said in amusement as she thought about how annoying he had been when he showed up at her doorstep. Who would have thought she would be head over heels in love with him? Definitely not her.

    "I had no idea you were interested in me. You were always so mean," Jade said, her lips curving in a smile as she remembered all their arguments and banters.

    "I wasn''t mean. You are the one who made a habit of making me ufortable," Harry pointed out.

    "You were mean. Do you remember all you said when you came into my apartment? (Chapter 161) You even implied that I was unattractive!" Jade said, feeling her blood boil at the memory.

    "No offense, but you did look unattractive. You have no idea how upset I was to see you that way," Harry said, with a shake of his head, not wanting to remember that.

    "I''ve always tried my best not to regret past decisions in my life that I can''t change, but when I saw you I regretted not making any move back then," Harry said, and Jade smiled.

    "We probably would have been married by now had you made a move then," Jade reasoned, and Harry chuckled.

    "Yeah. Possibly with a kid. A pretty little girl that looks like you," Harry said, and Jade smiled at the thought of that.

    "Or a little boy that looks like you," she said, and Harry grinned at that.

    "But you would likely not be the hotshotwyer you are right now," Harry pointed out.

    "Why? You wouldn''t want me to work?" Jade asked, turning to look at him.

    "Didn''t you say you buried yourself in your job to escape your grief?" Harry asked, and Jade nodded.

    "True. But I also think if we were married, I would have still been a hotshotwyer. I know you would have pushed me to be the best in my career. I would have given my best to my job because I was passionate about it and wanted to make you proud, and not because I was trying to escape my grief," Jade said and Harry smiled.

    "What makes you so confident?"

    "Remember the morning after we arrived at your apartment? (Chapter 278)" Jade asked, and Harry nodded.

    "I was so touched to see you had stayed up all night to help me organize the file Cassidy left. That didn''t seem like something any random guy would do for his best friend''s sister. I remember thinking then that you would make a very supportive partner. A person that would stay up all night that way to help me organize my file wouldn''t let me ck off in my career," Jade said, and before Harry could respond she continued.

    "My heart melted too when you made my coffee the way I love it. Anyway, I don''t need to be a hotshotwyer. I don''t mind being just a regrwyer and your hotshot wife.... I''m getting way ahead of myself again, am I not?" Jade asked thoughtfully and Harry chuckled as he pressed a kiss on her lips.

    "It''s best you are hotshot Jade. You can be a hotshotwyer and hotshot wife and hotshot mom," Harry pointed out.

    "See? I know you wouldn''t let me ck off," she said with a smile that made her eyes twinkle like one of the stars in the sky.

    "You still haven''t answered my question," Harry reminded her.

    "I had a feeling you might be attracted to me hence I kissed you that night at the club (chapter 300) I was trying to test the chemistry between us to see if the feeling was mutual, but then you disappeared and left me a fuck off note and you also told me at thepany cafeteria that you liked Aurora (chapter 304)," Jade said with a shrug.

    "It was Tom, Bryan, and Sonia who pointed it out to me that you liked me," Jade said, and Harry narrowed his eyes.

    "Bryan and Sonia? How did they know?"

    Although he had never outrightly admitted to Tom that he was in love with Jade, despite all of Tom''s attempts to get him to open up about it, he could understand Tom telling her that, but he couldn''t understand Bryan and Sonia.

    "I don''t know. Maybe Bryan saw something in the way you looked at me. Sonia kind of guessed it when I told her all about our first meeting."

    "You did? Why?" Harry asked curiously.

    "She''s a bestselling romance author, what do you think?" Jade asked, and then pressed her lips together when she realized her slip.

    "She wants to write about us?" Harry asked with a frown.

    "Well, it''s more a story about the Hank siblings. And since she believes I''m romantically involved with you, she wants to write about us," Jade exined, and Harry shook his head.

    "I''m notfortable with that."

    "Your name won''t be there...."

    "Almost everyone knows about her and Bryan''s story and a bit of Tom and Lucy''s story. If those stories are part of the novel, any person who makes good use of their brain would know the story is about the Hank siblings and that the partner of the Hank sister is me," Harry pointed out.

    "I do not want my business to be public business, so kindly ask her to leave me out of her novel," Harry said, Jade pouted.

    "But our story is beautiful. I''d really love to read about it," Jade pleaded.

    "You can write it down in your journal and read it," Harry said, and Jade giggled.

    "You know that''s not what I mean. I want to see what Sonia would do with our story. Besides, I can''t let her write about my brothers and not write about me. Please?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Is Tom aware that Sonia is writing about him?" Harry asked, and Jade shook her head.

    "Lucy might have told him, but I''m not sure."

    "I will think about it," Harry said, making a mental note to ask Tom about itter.

    "Alright. What was it you wanted to say earlier before asking me that question?" Jade asked, and Harry smiled.

    "Good thing you remember. Can I be honest with you? I mean, I know I can, but I don''t want you to get mad," Harry said, and Jade looked at him for a moment before giving him a nod.

    "I believe I can handle your honesty now. Go on."

    "One of the things I loved most about you the first time I met you was your confidence in yourself. It was the first thing I noticed about you...."

    "You noticed my confidence while I was falling off the stairs?" Jade asked in amusement.

    "It was the first thing I noticed about you during our chat," Harry said with a grin.

    "Yet you called me a spoilt brat," Jade reminded him yfully.

    "Well, I wouldn''t call you one if you didn''t act like one," Harry said and chuckled when Jade pushed him away.

    "I said I will try not to be blunt. I never said I won''t be honest," Harry said as he got on the trunk and sat beside her.

    "Earlier you implied that I was making you feel like you were forcing yourself on me," Harry said, and Jade nodded.

    "Well, I want you, so it''s not that you were forcing yourself on me. If I acted that way, it''s most likely because I haven''t exactly beenfortable with your attitude," Harry said, and Jade raised a brow.

    "What attitude?" Jade asked defensively, and Harry took her hand in his own.

    "There is a huge difference between a person being confident and assertive and being someone who wants everything to go her way out of sheer pride and unreasonable stubbornness. For some time now you''ve been thetter not the former." Harry said, and although Jade was tempted to respond defensively, she held back her tongue to let him finish.

    "So are you saying I''m not confident or assertive?" she asked, and Harry shook his head.

    "No. That''s not what I''m saying. The Jade I met four years ago was all of that and more. But for reasons I don''t quite understand, you''ve been more of a spoilt brat since I arrived at your doorstep in Varis. No offense. I know there is more to you than this, and I desperately want to see that part of you again," Harry said, and Jade sighed as she pushed backward and rxed on the trunk with her back resting on the rear windscreen.

    "And what if that Jade doesn''t exist anymore?" she asked after a short moment of stargazing.

    "I saw a glimpse of her tonight. So I know she is still in there. And if for any reason she is no longer there, we can alwayse up with a better version of her," Harry assured her as he kissed her open palm.

    Jade sighed, "I''m sorry."

    "What for?" Harry asked as he turned to focus on her.

    "For being a spoilt brat. And for indirectly hinting that I don''t trust you or your judgment," Jade said, and Harry felt his heart soften towards her.

    "I trust you. Or so I think. But I guess I have some emotional baggage I need to deal with so I don''t keep being such a spoilt brat. I will do my best to consciously and actively work on it," Jade said, and Harry took her hand.

    "How can I help?" Harry asked, and Jade shook her head.

    "I''m not sure you can. This is probably something I need to do on my own," Jade said, and Harry pulled her close so that her head was resting on his shoulder while they both gazed at the stars.

    "Did he hurt you that much?" Harry asked, and Jade bobbed her head.

    "Yeah. This whole time I thought I had healed, but thanks to my parents I got to realize today that I''m still very hurt, and it''s affecting my reaction to things," Jade said, and Harry kissed the side of her head.

    "I guess I sort of noticed it. Each time you talked about him you sounded bitter. I just didn''t realize that was the reason you''ve been acting so out of character. I''m sorry I''ve been so hard on you. I promise to be more patient and understanding," Harry promised.

    "Thanks."

    "Was that why you cried earlier?" Harry asked, and Jade raised her head to look at him.

    "How did you know I cried?"

    "Your eyes don''t lie to me. I can tell how you feel when I look into your eyes. You shouldn''t have bothered with the makeup," Harry said, and Jade smiled.

    "I could hardlye down to see you looking a mess. Thest time that happened you said a lot of unpleasant things," Jade reminded him.

    "That was the best way I thought I could handle it then. I''m sorry."

    "What about now? How would you handle it?" Jade asked curiously.

    "Carry you. Embrace you. Kiss away your tears. Tell you I love you," Harry said, and Jade giggled happily.

    "I see. Why do you keep kissing me and talking to me like I''m your girlfriend yet you always remind me that I''m not your girlfriend yet?" Jade asked, and Harry smiled.

    "Apart from the obvious reason of wanting to get on your nerves, and make you slow down, I don''t want to feel like I''m lying to Aurora. She will feel better if she believes I''m in love with you but haven''t asked you to be my girlfriend yet. I will tell her about my feelings for you during our hang out, and hopefully, she won''t mind me taking you to the anniversary party instead," Harry said, and Jade nodded thoughtfully.

    "I see. About your date with Aurora...."

    "I won''t end things with you because of that. But I still insist that you don''t show up there," Harry cut in before she could finish.

    "Yeah. I was going to say you don''t have to worry about it. I won''t interfere with your date," Jade assured him and Harry got off the car and faced her once again, taking both her hands in his.

    "Look at me, esquire," Harry said softly, and Jade met his gaze.

    "This heart has never raced for any otherdy but you in all my life," Harry said as he ced her right palm on his chest.

    "As far as I am concerned, no otherdy holds a candle next to you. You don''t ever have to worry about the nurse, Aurora, or anybody else. Neither of them means anything to me. And if you ever start having doubts, talk to me. I promise to always listen, and I promise to always clear your doubts," Harry assured her, and tears gathered in Jade''s eyes.

    "I trust you."

    "Smart girl," Harry said as he ced his hands on her waist and carried her down, but when he let go Jade embraced him.

    "Thank you."

    "What for?" Harry asked as his arms went around her to envelop her.

    "For staying single this whole time. I''m d I didn''t lose you," Jade said as she pulled away from him and Harry smiled.

    "I''m d I didn''t lose you too. As much as I didn''t like seeing you in that state, a part of me was d you buried yourself in your job and didn''t get into a new rtionship," Harry said as he took her lips in a lingering kiss, that left them both breathless and restless.

    Harry nced at his wristwatch, "We should head back now," Harry said as he led her back to her side of the car.

    "Why the hurry? Let''s stay here and talk some more," Jadeined, refusing to get in.

    "We''ve been out here for about an hour now. I brought you out without telling anyone where I was taking you. I have to take you back home before they start to get worried," Harry said, and Jade rolled her eyes.

    "I''m not a teenager, Jonas. They all saw me get into your car. No one would be worried even if I don''t go back tonight," Jade said, and Harry opened the door.

    "They don''t know we know they saw you. I''m not irresponsible," Harry stated simply, as he jerked his head for her to get in.

    "You should just as well seek my father''s permission before taking me out on a date," Jade muttered under her breath.

    "Sure. I intend to. Now get in."

    Harry chuckled when her mouth fell open in disbelief, and Jade wasn''t sure whether or not he was joking.

    "Are you serious?"

    "Yes, I am. Now get into the car, esquire, and tell me how you enjoyed your day without me," Harry urged her and Jade sighed in resignation as she got into the car grudgingly.

    "Good girl," Harry said as he shut the door.

 Chapter 547 For Your Sake

    Harry listened quietly as Jade told him all that happened at the spa, while he slowly drove them back to Tom''s house.

    When she was done he turned to her, "You do realize that you don''t act in line with your profession, right?"

    Jade scowled, "Being awyer doesn''t make me less human or immune to anger. They were wrong and I had to make an example of them," Jade said defensively.

    "By hitting them? How many others have you assaulted like this because you lost your temper? It''s a wonder you still have your license," Harry said with a shake of his head.

    "That was hardly an assault. They were wrong. Besides, don''t you think you should be patting my back for standing up for your beloved cousin instead of scolding me?" Jade asked, and Harry chuckled.

    "You never cease to amuse me, esquire. You do realize that you could have stood up for her without hitting anyone, right? I can understand Lucy losing her temper and hitting Anita. I can also understand your mom doing so. But you? Awyer? You should know better," Harry said, and Jade mumbled under her breath.

    "I''m sure if the story ever makes it out, Tanya would realize how lucky she was that I stepped in before youpletely lost your temper (chapter 289)," Harry said, and Jade snorted.

    "Don''t even remind me of that brat. She was so lucky you stepped in when you did and handled it the way you did," Jade said, and Harry grinned.

    "I know, right? Tom used to tell me all about your quick temper and how you used to get into fights a lot in high school. And after seeing for myself how short your temper is, I knew I had to step in," Harry exined and Jade scowled.

    "Is there a thing Tom hasn''t told you about me?" Jade asked, thinking about all Harry knew about her merely from talking with Tom.

    "Well, he didn''t tell me how much I would enjoy kissing you. I guess some things were left for me to discover myself," Harry said with a wink, and Jade felt herself blushing.

    "You''re so silly," Jade said with an embarrassed smile that made her cheeks hurt as she looked away from him.

    "I really do not want you to get in trouble. Your brothers are causing more than enough trouble already. Besides, you can''t always cause trouble because you know your grandfather''s name is capable of getting you out of it. So can you at least try to control your fiery temper for my sake?" Harry asked, and Jade turned in her seat to face him.

    "For your sake?" she asked, and Harry gave her a nod.

    "First for your sake. You should uphold thew you so passionately defend. And then for my sake. When we go public with our rtionship, I wouldn''t like to see or hear such news of my girlfriend," Harry said, and Jade sighed.

    "Fine. I''ve heard you. I will try," she said, and Harry smiled.

    "Good girl. So, you said Aurora was there and she helped Lucy and Tom?" Harry asked, and Jade nodded.

    "Yeah. She saved the day. She is such a nice person. Seeing her today, I felt really guilty about everything. I really don''t listen, do I? I ended up making thingsplicated for us all when I could have just minded my business and stopped trying to y matchmaker when you asked me to," Jade murmured.

    "Don''t beat yourself over it. I will be as polite and gentle as I can be when I let her down. That way your friendship won''t be affected," Harry promised her softly.

    "Are you sure? Do you think she will forgive me?" Jade asked, and Harry shrugged.

    "Of course, she will. It''s not like you snatched her man. As I said, don''t worry about it. I will ensure her feelings and pride won''t be hurt," Harry said, and Jade nodded.

    "She is attending to Lucy. What if Lucy let''s it skip?" Jade asked thoughtfully.

    "Lucy isn''t the type to do that. She won''t say a word to her," Harry said confidently.

    "How are you so sure of that?"

    "Because I trust her. Lucy won''t tell," Harry said, and Jade rxed.

    "Yeah. I suppose you''re right. I''m sorry for leaving you to clean up a mess I made," Jade said apologetically.

    "You won''t be the first Hank whose mess I''m cleaning up," Harry said, and chuckled when Jade hit his arm yfully.

    "Why do you keep badmouthing about my family?"

    "Because I can."

    "So, what about you? How was your day? How much did you miss me?" Jade asked, and Harry smiled.

    "More than I thought possible. I was indoor with my dad, Candace, Jamal, and the nurse," Harry said, and Jade nodded.

    "So how are you guys bonding?" Jade asked curiously.

    "You mean the nurse and I?" Harry asked innocently, and Jade red at him, making him chuckle.

    "Candace can be quite annoying," Harry said with a grin, and Jade smiled.

    "Siblings are generally annoying," she assured him.

    "I''ve heard people say that for years, but I''m just beginning to understand it," Harry said, and Jade giggled.

    "Your dad. He''s feeling better, right?" She asked, and Harry nodded.

    "Yeah. I spoke with Sara today," He said, and as he expected, she looked at him with interest.

    "She called?"

    "No, I did. I called her," Harry said as he drove into Tom''spound.

    "You did? Why? What did you both discuss?" Jade asked curiously, and Harry told her about his conversation with Sara as he parked the car.

    "I see," she said thoughtfully, after he had exined his n to her.

    "What do you see?" Harry asked, wanting to know exactly what she thought.

    "I think it''s a brilliant n. Although quite dangerous if truly she is desperate to cover her crimes as you believe," Jade said, and Harry raised a brow.

    "You think she might try to hurt the fake Candace?" Harry asked, and Jade gave him a nod.

    "Think about it, do you think someone as selfish as she is would want to leave a daughter she abandoned alive? That would be too risky. If she gets someone she believes to be her daughter, she would most likely take the liver or whatever she wants from the girl and get rid of her. That way, neither you nor your dad would ever know of it. Her secret would be safe from everyone," Jade said, and Harry nodded.

    "Good. I thought so too. And that''s fine. I''m counting on her trying to get rid of the girl to cover her crimes. If I can''t find the proof to make her pay for the crime shemitted years ago, I should at least make hermit new crimes that would expose her past crimes as well," Harry said, and Jade smiled.

    "You should have gone tow school."

    "It''s a good thing my soon to be girlfriend did, and my sister is in one," Harry said, and Jade grinned.

    "Speaking about Candace, I heard from Sonia that Matt is joining Bryan," She said, and Harry nodded.

    "Yeah. What do you think about Matt and Candace?" Harry asked, and Jade shrugged.

    "They like each other but Candace is pushing him away," Jade said, and Harry smiled.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I figured."

    "Why do you ask?" Jade asked curiously.

    "I just wanted to confirm it. The only way to get her to shut up is when I bring Matt up. I n to get on her nerves," Harry said, and Jadeughed softly.

    "I''veughed and smiled so much that my jaw aches. I think I smile thrice as much when I''m with you," Jade said, and Harry chuckled.

    "Have you had dinner yet?" He asked, and she shook her head.

    "At first I wasn''t hungry because I had a lot on my mind, and now I''m just so full of you," Jade said with a content smile and Harry shook his head.

    "Make sure you get something to eat before going to bed," Harry said, and she sighed.

    "Alright. I will. You too. Or maybe not," Jade said with a scowl as she sat up and eyed him.

    "Why did the nurse prepare your meal this morning? I mean, I know she is there to take care of your dad''s health. But why is she looking after a man who isn''t hers?" Jade asked, and Harry grinned.

    "I only said that to get on your nerves. I ordered breakfast for everyone," Harry said, and Jade hit him arm making him chuckle.

    "Do you have any idea how upset I was? Quit trying to get on my nerves. And don''t ever refer to her as pretty again," Jade said, and Harry smiled as he watched her.

    "Mind you, this has nothing to do with insecurity. It''s pure and sincere jealousy," Jade said, and Harry threw back his head tough.

    Jade felt warm as she watched himugh, "I never knew you couldugh this much until today," Jade said with a wide smile, and Harry smiled.

    "I can''t remember thest time Iughed so much in a day. It goes without saying that I enjoy yourpany...."

    "Yet you didn''tugh this much all the time we were together in Varis," Jade pointed out.

    "I told you already. I wasn''tfortable. I was still sort of struggling with my attraction and feelings for you, and you really did not make it easying around me half naked and getting in my space," Harry said, and Jade smiled.

    "I''m d I didn''t make it easy. I don''t n to go easy on you, Jonas," Jade said, and Harry raised a brow.

    "I noticed you have been calling me that all evening. Why is that?"

    "I sort of prefer it to calling you Harry. Everyone else calls you Harry. And Jonas sort of sounds sexy to me. Or maybe it just sounds sexy to me because it''s your name. If your surname was Abraham it would probably sound sexy too," Jade said with a wink, and Harry shook his head in amusement.

    "If I didn''t know better I would think you had too much wine to drink," Harry said, and Jade grinned.

    "Perhaps it''s your lips. I''m intoxicated by you, Jonas," Jade said as she leaned close to Harry and he moved back.

    "You need to go in now, esquire. We''ve been out here long enough," Harry said, and she pouted.

    "But...."

    "I still need to drive back home, remember? I can''t just leave my dad alone with the nurse for so long. And I also need to get some rest, tomorrow is a work day," Harry reminded her.

    "Oh! That''s true. I guess I have to let you go then," Jade said with a sigh.

    "Come here," Harry said, and Jade''s heart skipped a beat when he pulled her to himself and kissed her long and hard.

    Jade moaned into his lips as her fingers moved to his hair, and Harry groaned, wanting to break away but unable to let go. Thankfully, he didn''t have to struggle much because someone knocked on the window, bringing him back to his senses.

    He immediately let go of Jade, and turned with a guilty expression to see who it was. He scowled when he came face to face with Tom whose grinning face was pressed against his window, and beside him was Lucy.

    "Go in, esquire. I will give you a call when I get home," Harry told Jade as she opened her door, but he did not do the same. Not with the bulge in his trouser.

    "When I saw you drive in and didn''t get out of your car for so long, I thought something happened to you so I decided to check. Who would have thought you were inside with our sister?" Tom asked with a knowing grin when Harry rolled down his window, and Harry red at him while Lucy who was resting against Tom giggled.

    "I suppose you''re pissed I interrupted you? Don''t worry. I didn''t see anything, I assure you. I suppose you were getting something out of our sister''s eyes? Or was it her lips? I guess something got stuck in there and you could only use your lips," Tom continued with a taunting smile.

    "Shut up, Tom, or I''m going to kill you," Harry threatened and Tom chuckled.

    "You''d need to get out of the car to do that, and we both know you can''t," Tom said, and hooted withughter while Harry swore at him.

    "Tom, can you stop teasing him?" Jade asked as she joined them beside Harry''s window.

    "No, I can''t. It''s between me and him, so stay out of it," Tom said without taking his amused eyes off Harry who was now staring at Lucy, and deliberately ignoring Tom.

    "Hey, Lulu! Are you okay?" Harry asked Lucy, who was still grinning.

    "I''m fine, HaHa. How are you? And how is Aaron?" Lucy asked, her speech slightly slurred.

    "Much better today. And I''m fine. I guess you had a lovely time with this good for nothing fool?" Harry asked, and Lucy giggled as she swayed slightly on her feet.

    "I had a swell time with the love of my life. And we did lots of fun stuff you can''t even imagine. And he is no fool," Lucy said as she ced her arms around his waist possessively.

    "Are you okay, Lucy?" Jade asked as she watched Lucy with interest.

    Tom chuckled, "She is not. She''s sort of tipsy," Tom said as he ced both arms around Lucy to keep her steady.

    "I told you I''m fine," Lucy protested, her speech still slurred.

    "You neither look nor sound fine," Jade observed, and Lucy snorted.

    "I was sober enough to see you pressed against HaHa with your fingers in his hair like this," Lucy said, puckering her lips in a kiss gesture as she dug her fingers into Tom''s hair.

    "I guess you''re fine if you saw that," Tom said as he looked from Lucy back to Harry.

    "No, she''s not fine," Harry said, feeling both amused and embarrassed by Lucy''s disy. Knowing Lucy, he was certain she would be embarrassede morning.

    "I nned to speak with you, but I guess that won''t be possible seeing the situation of things. And it''ste too," Harry said, and Tom nodded.

    "Yeah. Let''s catch up at the office tomorrow. I''ve got to take my baby inside. And I''m sure you both have to continue whatever we interrupted," Tom said with a wink before sweeping Lucy off her feet and carrying her bridal style inside.

    "Go in with them, esquire. I will give you a call soon as I get home," Harry said, and Jade blew him a kiss before running after Tom.

    Harry waited until he saw her get into the house and shut the door behind her before driving away.

 Chapter 548 No Regrets

    As Jade ran up the stairs to her bedroom ahead of Tom, she ran into Candace at the top of the stairs.

    "Seeing the smile on your face I guess you both made up," Candace said, and seeing that Jamal was nowhere in sight, Jade took Candace''s arm and pulled her with her.

    "Yes, we did," Jade said with a happy smile.

    "Why are you pulling me with you?" Candace asked as she let Jade pull her along.

    "Because I need someone to listen to me gush about how much I am in love with Harry. And since you are his twin sister and you happen to be avable, you are the perfect person to tell," Jade said excitedly, and Candaceughed.

    "I''m sorry, but I''m not avable. I was on my way downstairs to meet with Lucy''s mom. She asked me to join her at the patio after putting Jamal to sleep," Candace said, and Jade pouted as she let go of her arm.

    "What about Sonia? Is she back yet?" Jade asked, and Candace gave her a nod.

    "Yes. They came back some time ago. Sheined of being tired so she retired to her bedroom after dinner," Candace said, and Jade remembered that Harry had asked her to get something to eat.

    "I should probably see if there is anything left for me to eat," Jade said as she turned to go back downstairs with Candace.

    "Is Lucy alright?" Candace asked with concern when Tom approached them carrying Lucy who was giggling into Tom''s chest.

    "She is drunk," Jade whispered.

    "Hello, Harry''s twin!" Tom greeted Candace, and Lucy looked up.

    "Hello, cousin! Where is my munchkin?" Lucy asked with a wide smile, and Candace grinned.

    "He has gone to bed. I think you should too, seeing how drunk you are," Candace said, and Lucy strained in Tom''s arms to look back at Candace as Tom walked past them.

    "I''m not drunk. I''m just a weeny bit tipsy and I''m not going to bed yet, I want to put your lessons into practice," Lucy called back to Candace with a wink, and Tom chuckled while Candace giggled.

    "She is definitely drunk," Candace muttered as she and Jade watched them disappear into Tom''s room.

    "What lesson is she putting into practice?" Jade asked with interest.

    "Lapdancing and stripteasing. I taught her and Sonia a bit about it," Candace said, and Jade giggled.

    "I guess someone is about to have a fun night," Jade said as they resumed walking down the stairs and they both giggled.

    "So when am I going to receive my lessons?" Jade asked, and Candace rolled her eyes.

    "You can get it from Lucy after she is done tonight. If she remembers what she did," Candace said, and they both giggled.

    "You will stop by my bedroom after speaking with Lucy''s mom, right?" Jade asked, and Candace shook her head.

    "I don''t know how long it will take so I can''t promise you anything, but I will try," Candace said before walking away to go meet J, while Jade went to find herself something to eat.

    J was seated alone on the patio when Candace got there, and she said nothing as Candace sat down opposite her with the table between them.

    "Lucy is back," Candace informed J forck of anything else to say as she was ufortable by the way J was staring at her.

    "That''s good to know," J said as she sat up.

    "I''m sure this must be awkward for you, and you''re wondering why I asked to see you," J said, and Candace nodded without meeting her gaze.

    "It''s sort of awkward for me too. Meeting my full-grown niece this way," J said with a strained smile.

    "I want to say so much to you, yet I have no idea what to say," J confessed, and Candace met her gaze.

    "You don''t have to say anything," Candace pointed out, and J smiled.

    "I do. I owe it to myself and to you to say something. So I will start by apologizing to you. I''m sorry Sara did that to you," J started.

    "You did not deserve that. No child deserves that. I''m sorry you had the misfortune of being born by someone like her. And I''m sorry for all the hardships you must have faced as a result of this," J said, while Candace stared at her.

    "Why are you apologizing?"

    "Because Sara is my sister."

    "I thought you cut her off and you both are estranged?"

    "No matter how much I hate her or how angry I am, there is nothing I can do to change the fact that she is my sister. I may have cut her off physically but we are still rted by blood, and it is that blood that makes you my niece," J exined, and Candace sighed.

    "I guess I understand," Candace murmured.

    "We can''t choose the people we are connected to by blood, but we can choose whether or not we want tomunicate with them and keep them in our life. I would love to be an active part of Jamal''s life and yours. I may have cut off Sara, but I want you both to ept me as your family," J said, and Candace shrugged.

    "Jamal already sees you as his grandma."

    "Grandmum you mean?" J asked, and Candaceughed softly.

    "What about you, Candace? Would you let me be a mother to you? I know you have a father and a brother, but would you mind if I treat you as my daughter?" J asked, and Candaceughed unexpectedly.

    "I won''t call you, mom. I''m too old for all of that now. You can just treat me as you would a niece. It would be too weird and awkward for me to refer to you as anything else other than Lucy''s mom or J. Maybe with time that could happen, but not right now. I''m still trying to figure out things," Candace said as honestly as she could, and J smiled.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "That''s fine. There is no hurry. You don''t have to treat me as your mom or call me anything. I''m only asking that you open your heart to be loved by me. We can take every other thing one step at a time," J said as she passed her phone to Candace.

    "Can I have your contact details? I would love to be able tomunicate with you and Jamal even after I return to Heden," J said, and just as Candace reached to pick up the phone, it started ringing.

    "Please give me a moment," J said to Candace as she picked up her phone, and when she saw that it was a foreign line she received the call since she was still expecting a call from Lucas.

    "Hello, mom! It''s Lucas. I hope I did not disturb your sleep," Lucas greeted, and J smiled.

    "No. I''m still wide awake, sweetheart. I was almost beginning to worry about you. How are you? When did you arrive there? And how is Tyler doing?" J asked excitedly.

    "Tyler is fine, as I am. There was a slight dy in my flight so I only just got here. This is Tyler''s line. You can reach me through him," Lucas said with a yawn.

    "Why? Did you lose your phone?" J asked while Candace looked around the patio, not wanting to stare at J directly as it would be rude to make it obvious she was listening to the conversation. And she couldn''t leave either since they were not done yet.

    "No, I didn''t. I''m just not going to turn it on for some time. I need to stay off the grid until I''m in a good ce psychologically. Is dad there with you? I should say hello to him before giving Lucy a call," Lucas said as he nced at his wristwatch, rethinking his decision to give Lucy a call until morning.

    Unlike his parents who could receive his call at any moment, he knew that Lucy was most likely with Tom, and he didn''t want to interrupt anything in case they were ''busy''.

    "No. He isn''t here right now. He is at the Den watching a football game with Desmond."

    "Desmond? Tom''s father? Are they visiting?"

    "We are back in Ludus right now," J exined, and Lucas'' brow pulled together.

    "Is everything alright? Did something happen to Lucy?" he asked with concern, and it urred to J that he wasn''t aware of all that was happening.

    "No, dear. Lucy is fine. Something came up so we had toe back," J rushed to assure him, but Lucas found that hard to believe.

    "Are you sure? Did Rachel or her cousin cause any more problems?" Lucas asked, and even though J was tempted to tell Lucas that J had gotten her arrested, she chose not to add to his worries.

    "No. It''s not that. Everything is alright. You said you just arrived, didn''t you? You must be exhausted. You should freshen up and get some rest. Let''s talk sometimeter," J said, and although Lucas wanted to know what was going on, he was exhausted and needed to get some rest.

    "Everything is fine, right?" Lucas asked one more time, and when J assured him that everything was okay, he hung up, promising to call back after he was well rested.

    "That was Lucas, my son. You met him thest time we were here, remember?" J asked, and Candace gave her a nod.

    "I''m only just hearing from him now since he left the country, so he isn''t aware of the whole ''Sara'' situation," J exined as she returned her phone to Candace to input her number.

    After Candace had typed in her number, J smiled at her, "Thanks, dear. It''ste. I shouldn''t take up any more of your time. I''m pretty sure you need to go in and get some rest. Let''s talk again tomorrow," J said, and Candace gave her a nod as she rose and walked away from there.

    Although she genuinely liked J, this was still very awkward for her. For some reason, it had been easier to connect with Aaron and Harry. Perhaps it was because they were her direct family, she couldn''t tell.

    The discoveries of thest couple of days had been really tough and emotionally draining for her and she couldn''t wait for them to deal with Sara so she could leave everything behind her and start afresh with her newfound nosy family and friends.

    As she returned upstairs, she made her first stop at Jade''s bedroom, but before she could knock on the door she heard Jade''s voice like she was on phone with someone.

    She waited for some seconds to be sure, and she smiled when she heard Jade''s girlishughter and it urred to her that Jade was on the phone with Harry. She decided to retire to her bedroom instead and leave the lovers to their romance.

    As she walked further down the hallway, she heard Sonia moaning loudly, and she grinned. So much for being exhausted and retiring early. She was obviously not too exhausted to go some rounds.

    It seemed like everyone was having a fun time with their partners, Candace thought with an amused smile.

    ''Everyone but you'' a voice in her head whispered, and she sighed.

    "Yeah. Everyone but me, and that ispletely fine. I have enough on my te already," she muttered to herself as she walked into the bedroom she shared with Jamal.

    ''Enough on your te won''t keep you warm at night'' the voice came again.

    "I have Jamal to keep me warm at night," Candace said as her gaze moved to her bundle of delight who was soundly asleep.

    ''Jamal won''t make you moan like you heard Sonia do. What you need is a man'' the voice said dryly, and Candace scrunched up her nose in disapproval at her internal dialogue.

    She knew where the conversation was going and she needed to put a stop to it.

    "Alright, enough! Shut up!" Candace hissed at herself impatiently as she got on the bed beside Jamal. She wasn''t going to think of anything, and just go to sleep.

    She wasn''t going to think about the fact that everyone kept talking about Matt and making her feel like she was throwing away something good.

    She had no regrets for pushing him away. She had made the right call to focus on herself and her son. At least for now, Candace tried to assure herself.

    She wasn''t going to think of Matt either and wonder what went wrong with his date. She was going to sleep away her curiosity, and by the time she woke up in the morning, her mind would be clear enough for her to decide on her next course of action and whether or not she wanted to remain in Ludus.

    Although from all indications, she was most likely not going to stay here. If anything, she was going to live with Aaron.

    They had lost so much time already and she would rather move in with Aaron when he returns to his base than live here in Ludus with Harry, where she would most likely be running into Matt often.

    Yes. That was it. She would leave with Aaron, after all, he lived in Sogal just like her. That way she wouldn''t need to transfer schools, and Jamal would have a good male figure like Aaron around him.

    Any man that could raise an admirable person like Harry was more than perfect to be Jamal''s role model. It would be a win-win for her and Aaron, who she knew without a doubt would love to have them live with him. Apart from Jamal of course who wouldn''t be so pleased about leaving Lucy, Candace thought with an amused smile as she slowly drifted off to sleep.

 Chapter 549 Scared Of Change

    Monday morning came very fast, and as usual, Tom and Lucy left for the office before the others came out of their bedrooms.

    They had woken up a bitte and had to hurriedly get ready for work and leave. It was the week of the anniversary and there were a lot of things that needed to be done, starting with the annual meeting with the shareholders and board of directors to present thepany''s financial performance to them, and to discuss the way forward for theing year.

    Tom pretended not to notice the way Lucy kept ncing at him at intervals as he drove them to work. He had noticed that she seemed to have a lot on her mind, so he had decided not to ask her any questions and wait for her to tell him what she was thinking when she was ready to talk.

    Knowing Lucy, he knew if she wasn''t ready to talk about it, he would need to probe for a while before she would say whatever she was thinking, and he really wasn''t in the mood to probe.

    "Are you okay?" Lucy asked after some time.

    "Yeah. Why?" Tom asked, and Lucy shrugged.

    "You''ve been silent," Lucy said, and Tom shook his head.

    "No. You''ve been silent. I''m just letting you be while also trying to work out some of the details of the meeting and also a couple of other things," Tom exined as he turned to spare her a nce.

    "This is going to be a busy week," Lucy said, and Tom nodded.

    "Yeah. Is your head still aching?" He asked since she hadined of a throbbing headache earlier.

    "No. I feel much better after taking the hangover medicine. I''m sorry I slept off once again," Lucy said, and Tom smiled.

    He had stepped out to the balcony to receive a phone call from one of his foreign-based shareholders, and by the time he returned to be entertained by Lucy, he had met her sprawled on the bed fast asleep in the same manner she had done the first night they met.

    "Nah, It''s not your fault. I should be the one apologizing. The phone call took longer than I expected. Besides, I know yesterday was pretty exhausting for you. I''m also surprised you rememberedst night, considering the fact that you never remember the details each time you are drunk," Tom said, and Lucy scowled.

    "I told you I wasn''t drunk. I was tipsy. I didn''t think that the alcohol content was enough to make me tipsy. I was drunk thest two times but I was tipsyst night. I know the difference," she said, and Tom nodded.

    "Does that mean you remember all you said to Harry, Jade, and Candacest night?" Tom asked, and a blush stained Lucy''s cheeks.

    Tom chuckled, "I see you do."

    "You could have stopped me from making a fool of myself," Lucy pointed out.

    "There was no need to. You didn''t make a fool of yourself. You are cute that way," Tom said, and Lucy scowled.

    "What is cute about being a bbermouth? What if I had said something more embarrassing that I wasn''t supposed to say?" Lucy asked with a displeased frown, and Tom smiled.

    "I don''t think it''s a bad idea to let loose sometimes and allow those around you to see that side of you. Besides, I wouldn''t have let you make a fool of yourself in front of strangers. Everyone you spoke with was family," Tom pointed out.

    "I think I should stay off alcoholpletely seeing how loose-tongued I can be when I''m under its influence."

    "On the contrary, I was thinking I should let you indulge in alcohol more often so you can loosen up as that is the only way I can know what you are really thinking. You are often too cautious," Tom said, and Lucy raised a brow.

    "Too cautious?" Lucy asked, and Tom gave her a nod.

    "Yes," Tom said without exining further.

    "What do you mean?" Lucy asked, and Tom sighed.

    "I can barely tell what you are really thinking. It''s like I know you and I don''t at the same time," Tom said, and Lucy frowned.

    ? "But I always tell you what I''m thinking," Lucy said, and Tom shook his head.

    "No, you don''t. Sometimes I have to probe, and other times I have to guess. You only tell me the oue of your thoughts, not really what you are thinking. It''s almost like you are scared to voice out your raw unfiltered thoughts," Tom said, and Lucy shook her head in disagreement.

    "I do tell you what I''m thinking. I did tell you my unfiltered thoughts yesterday, and where did that get us?"

    "No. Yesterday you told me the oue of your thoughts, not your unfiltered thoughts. If it were your thought you wouldn''t have said it the way you did like you had it all figured out. You would have told me what led you to think that and how you got to that point of conclusion."

    "That doesn''t make sense to me," Lucy said, and Tom shrugged.

    "It doesn''t have to."

    "Can we talk about yesterday?" Lucy asked after a moment.

    "What do you want to talk about yesterday?" Tom asked without looking at her.

    "About our misunderstanding concerning my suggestion?" Lucy asked, and Tom shook his head.

    "We are done with that. I already told you I''m not discussing that subject until next year," Tom said with a note of finality in his voice.

    "I wasn''t saying we should talk about my suggestion or the subject. I just want to ask you something different," Lucy said, and this time Tom looked at her.

    "Alright. Go on," he said as he returned his gaze to the road.

    "Do you think I am a selfish person?" Lucy asked, and Tom shook his head.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "No. You are not," Tom said without hesitation.

    "You don''t have to lie to please me. You can be honest with me," Lucy said, and Tom nced at her briefly again.

    "I honestly wouldn''t be with you right now if I thought you were a selfish person. If you are asking this because I said your suggestion was selfish, you should know that bringing up a selfish suggestion once doesn''t necessarily mean you are a selfish person. Every one of us does this at some point," Tom assured her, and Lucy sighed.

    The first thought on her mind when she woke up that morning had been their misunderstanding. Thankfully, Tom had still been fast asleep. She had taken the time to think about their situation and misunderstanding since she had been too upied the previous day to find time alone to think.

    "Can you tell me what you are thinking? No filters," Tom said when he noticed the concentration lines that fanned her brows.

    "I don''t know. I think I''m not happy," Lucy said, and that made Tom''s brows pull together in concern.

    "With what?"

    "My life I guess," Lucy said, and Tom raised a brow.

    "What about your life?"

    "I always thought I knew what I wanted and I was in charge of my life, but I no longer feel that way. I feel like everything is changing so fast and going out of my control, and I no longer know myself or what I''m doing. It makes me anxious because I don''t know what might change next or how that change might affect me. Does this make sense to you?" Lucy asked, and Tom nodded.

    He could tell where this line of thought wasing from, and quite honestly, he understood. She used to be so meticulous and had a pattern she stuck to, but since he came into her life all of that had changed in a matter of weeks.

    From never wanting to be in a rtionship, she had not only gotten into one but had sort of moved in with him. From being an introvert and having her own space, she was now always surrounded by people who never minded their business, and she could hardly find time to be alone.

    And now she was scared that she was going to change even more and no longer be able to recognize herself. It scared her because she felt like she was not in control of the changes.

    The car was silent for some time and Tom looked at her again, "So can you tell me the areas of your life you feel are out of your control?" Tom asked, and Lucy wrung her hands together.

    "My whole life. My life is spinning out of my control and I can''t help it. The incident with Anita yesterday, that person out there was not me. I''m acting differently and I can''t seem to recognize myself," Lucy said, and Tom nodded.

    "Do you regret handling Anita as you did? Do you like or hate the person you are bing? Would you say these changes are positive or negative? I mean, apart from the fact that you feel anxious by the uncertainty of it all, do these changes improve your quality of life? Do the effects make you happy?" Tom asked, and it took Lucy a moment to carefully consider it before giving him a single nod.

    "Yes. I guess," Lucy murmured.

    "Yes to which of the questions?" Tom asked since her response was not specific and he wanted her to spell it out.

    "The changes are not exactly bad. It''s just...."

    "So would you say it''s not exactly that you are unhappy with your life, but rather you are anxious and scared about the changes that you are seeing in yourself? You like how things are right now, but you are just notfortable because they are not as they used to be?" Tom cut in, and Lucy shrugged once again.

    "I suppose," Lucy said, and Tom sighed.

    "You know what I think? Change scares you, Lucy. You love to stick to what you know and what you believe to be safe. You are scared to try out new things. I really think you should be more open to change," Tom said, hoping she wouldn''t misunderstand him.

    "Open to change? I''m very open to change. I''m in a rtionship with you because I''m open to change. Who suggested that we have sex in the car? That was something new for me," Lucy said, and Tom shook his head.

    "That was not exactly the kind of change I was talking about, but since you brought it up, can you remind me how long it took me to convince you that it was safe to have sex in the car despite the fact that you were the one who suggested it?" Tom asked, and Lucy grimaced.

    "I was worried someone might see us."

    "You mentioned our rtionship as part of the changes you''ve made. While I agree that it was a major change for you, I don''t think you are entirely open to it yet. I''m pretty sure our rtionship is part of the changes that are making you anxious, am I wrong?" Tom asked, and Lucy frowned.

    "I just don''t like to make mistakes."

    "What sort of mistakes do you think you could make by being in a rtionship with me? Besides, what''s wrong with making mistakes? Mistakes are a natural and integral part of learning and growth. When you make a mistake, you learn from it and that is how you grow and be better," Tom said, and Lucy shook her head.

    "What if it''s a mistake that can''t be corrected? Some mistakes are more costly than others," Lucy insisted, but instead of arguing with her, Tom said nothing.

    "It''s not like I like to be this way. I just can''t help it. I''m really trying," Lucy said, tears gathering in her eyes.

    Tom sighed, "No one is disputing the fact that you are trying. I think you need to understand that no one is perfect. If you n to do anything worthwhile in life, you are definitely going to make mistakes, unless you n to stick to only the things you already know. And you won''t grow that way. You''d only be setting yourself up for a mediocre life," Tom said, but Lucy said nothing.

    "For someone who is so scared of change, why did you ept the promotion and move from Heden to Ludus? Wasn''t it scary for you, leaving everyone you know behind?" Tom asked, and Lucy shook her head.

    "That was different. It was about the advancement of my career. I wasing here to do something I know," Lucy said, wondering if she was making any sense.

    "So you are only open to change as long as it has to do with your career?" Tom asked, and she shrugged once again.

    "My career is predictable. If I put in the work, I get good results. I can see where I''m going. It is within my control. I could wake up and decide to quit my job if I feel like it has be too much to handle. I could always make a switch to a differentpany, and it will be entirely my decision...."

    "Or you could be fired. That''s not within your control," Tom pointed out.

    "Still, I will always have other options. I have control over my career but it''s not like that with rtionships. You can''t just quit and resign on people. When ites to dealing with people there is so much more at stake and a lot more to consider. There are lots of uncertainties. People change, feelings change."

    Was that what her fear of marriage and having kids was about? Control? She was scared that things could change between them? That didn''t make any sense, Tom mused.

 Chapter 550 Control Freak

    "Is that it?" Tom asked, and Lucy looked at him in confusion.

    "What?" she asked, wondering what he was talking about.

    "Is that what you are scared of? Is that the reason you don''t want to get married?" Tom asked, and Lucy frowned.

    "Didn''t you say we were not to talk about it until next year?" she reminded him.

    "I said we would both revisit our final decisions after a year. That doesn''t mean I don''t want to understand the reason for your present decision. If I understand your reason it could influence my decision," Tom said, and Lucy sighed.

    Her unexinable fear of marriage and having kids both unsettled and bothered her more than she cared to admit. No matter how hard she thought about it, she couldn''t fathom why the thought of having kids of her own who would rely on and depend on her made her feel like a weight was sitting on her chest. The thought of it made her feel very anxious.

    "Tell me something, Lucy. Are youpletely involved in this rtionship, or are you still testing the waters?" Tom asked, and Lucy''s brows pulled together.

    "What do you mean?"

    "You are still notpletely sold out on the whole rtionship thing yet, are you? This is only as much of yourself as you are willing to give to me, am I wrong? Based on what you said yesterday, you love being just my girlfriend. I''m sure you love the idea of having your own apartment where you have all your stuff and you could easily run back to it at the slightest inconvenience. Deep down you are still expecting something to go wrong between us, and that was why you implied that you don''t trust me yet as that level of trust takes time, right? (chapter 532) You don''t want to make too many changes so that if things crash you can return to your safe little world and meet it exactly the way you left it. Tell me, am I wrong? " Tom asked, and Lucy frowned.

    "Is this the part where I respond and you call me selfish? Because your questions seem to be leading up to that."

    "Contrary to what you think, this is not an attack. I''m not trying to attack you. I''m only trying to understand you better. So can you calmly consider my question and give me an honest response?" Tom asked, and Lucy shook her head.

    "That sounds very much like an attack. I love you, Tom, but I have no idea what you are talking about," she said without looking at him.

    Tom already knew that saying she loved him was her way of avoiding the subject, and thankfully he had a fair idea of what her problem was. Unfortunately for her, this wasn''t a subject he was willing to drop.

    "Your love for me isn''t what is in question right now. You probably think your feelings for me might change and so you don''t want to get married to me even though you love me and would want to remain in my life, am I wrong? You want the rtionship to be on your own terms. You want it to still be within your control because you feel that the moment we get married you will have to give upplete control of your life and give all of yourself to me and our kids, and that is exactly what scares you, isn''t it?" Tom asked thoughtfully.

    He had made a mistake in assuming that talking about her experience during the interview with Alicia was all she needed to heal. If she still craved this much control over her life then she probably wasn''t there yet. She still had a lot going on inside her, and she very much needed therapy. Why didn''t he think of that? Tom mused.

    Lucy considered Tom''s words. Was that it? Did that make sense? Was that the reason she was scared of getting married? Why did this awfully sound like the conversation she had with Sonia?

    "You make me sound like a control freak," Lucy murmured.

    "I think you are a control freak," Tom said simply.

    "You think I''m a control freak simply because I don''t want to get married?" she asked, looking at him like he was being ridiculous.

    "No. I think you are a control freak because from all we have discussed in this short time, you seem to have a problem with not having control, and that can''t be normal. Although I hate losing control over situations myself as I''m sure every human does, but I don''t obsess over control of every aspect of my life. I think maybe it''s time you receive therapy as we discussed before (chapter 197)," Tom added as he drove into thepany premises.

    The edges of Lucy''s lips hardened, "So now you think I''m crazy because I told you my unfiltered thoughts as you wanted me to?" Lucy asked fighting back her annoyance.

    "At this point, you are just being unreasonable. I never said you are crazy. I''m d you shared your thoughts with me because now I think I understand you better. I believe you need therapy because some of your decisions might have stemmed from past trauma," Tom said as he parked the car in front of the building for her to get down.

    "Oh, wow! Now you think you know so much about trauma," Lucy muttered as she unfastened her seatbelt and reached for the door without looking at him, "Have a nice day," she said tersely, but Tom held her back before she could step out of the car.

    "I don''t like fighting with you, and I really don''t want to fight with you over this, Lucy, but I will if I have to, for both my sake and yours. I''m hoping for your sake and for the sake of what we have that you will be willing to give it a try," Tom said before letting go of her, and immediately she got out of the car and walked away.

    Tom sighed as he watched her leave. He needed to be sure if her decision to not get married stemmed from some past trauma, and if something could be done about it.

    It was one thing for him to be willing to make such a huge sacrifice and give up his desire to be with her if she had clear logical reasons for her decision, and it was another thing to make such a sacrifice if he knew that something could be done about her fears but she was unwilling to face them.

    He made a mental note to speak with his fatherter in the day. He was going to need to tap from his father''s wealth of knowledge to deal with Lucy as he worried that he might run out of patience with her if she remained adamant about receiving therapy.

    As he parked the car at his private parking lot, his phone started ringing, and he picked it up and received the call when he saw it was from Barry.

    "Good morning, Bar. How are you?" Tom greeted as he got out of his car and headed for his private elevator.

    "Good morning. I''m alright. Uhm, I wasn''t sure whether or not to report this to you, but something is up with the Millers," Barry said, and Tom raised a brow.

    "What do you mean?" Tom asked with a sigh. He was beginning to think that this was going to be another long and annoying day.

    "First of all, Rebekah has men searching for someone called Richard Wyatt. I gathered he is her brother. She also had someone following her eldest daughter and found out about Bernice''s affair with Tiffany''s husband. Bernice also found out about her mother''s affair with her husband...."

    "When did all of this happen?" Tom asked with a slight frown as he rode the elevator up to his office.

    "Over the weekend. They seem to have had quite a busy weekend. And things seem intense this morning. Bernice''s husband called Rebekah a while ago to report that Bernice has not stepped out of her bedroom her opened her door since she went in the previous afternoon despite her kids crying for her. The reason I called, Bernice just sent Tiffany a text informing her of her affair with her husband," Barry exined, and Tom''s brow pulled together.

    "She did?" He hoped all their secrets wouldn''te to light before he had a chance to expose them himself.

    "Yes. The text sort of unsettled me. I don''t think she is alright. What should I do?" Barry asked, and Tom sighed.

    "Just keep your eye on them all, and let me know whatever happens," Tom said and hung up just as he stepped into his office and saw Harry standing there with a young man.

    "Good morning, sir," the young man greeted Tom with a polite now and Tom raised a brow as he looked at Harry with questioning eyes, wondering who the stranger was.

    "You didn''t think a CEO of my caliber will remain your assistant forever, did you? Meet Eric. Eric Howell. He is the young man I told you will be resuming at your office today (Chapter 353)," Harry said and turned to the young man.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Do not forget all I''ve instructed you. Talk to my secretary if you''re confused about anything. I will leave you to get acquainted with your boss," Harry said but before he could leave, Tom stopped him.

    "Excuse us. I will let you know when I need you," Tom told Eric, and immediately he walked away and shut the door behind him.

    "Don''t you like him?" Harry asked as he unbuttoned his jacket and sat down, while Tom went around his desk to take his seat.

    "I have no problem with him. You chose him, and I trust your judgment," Tom said simply as he sat down.

    "So what seems to be the problem?" Harry asked as he watched Tom.

    "I''m just not in the best of moods. The day just started yet I feel exhausted already. I had a misunderstanding with Lucy, and I just received a call from Barry about the Millers. Their secrets are beginning toe to light, and that could affect our ns," Tom said, and Harry raised a brow.

    "What secrets areing to light?" Harry asked choosing to focus on that before talking about Tom''s misunderstanding with Lucy.

    Harry listened as Tom told him everything Barry had said, "That doesn''t change the n. The secrets are still within their family. The most important goal is to expose them to the world and not just to each other. Besides, only one of Rebekah''s offenses has been revealed. Her other crimes have not been revealed, especially the moneyundering and the issue of how she and her lover duped her husband and murdered him. That was not mentioned, was it? Unless of course her daughters knew about it this whole time but said nothing. The goal is to reveal everything," Harry pointed out.

    "Yeah. You are right. Let''s hope it remains within the family until it''s time for the live show," Tom said, and Harry nodded.

    "It''s unlike you to be bothered about something as obvious as that. I suppose your mood has a lot more to do with your misunderstanding with Lucy than Barry''s phone call," Harry said knowingly.

    "Perhaps you are right. Lucy is being unreasonable. I told her she needs to get therapy and she got mad iming I called her crazy. Can you believe that?" Tom asked in disbelief.

    "Therapy? Did you call her crazy?" Harry asked wondering about the origin of the conversation.

    "Of course, not!" Tom briefed him on the conversation they had the previous day and that morning and how it had led to his suggestion.

    "Well, I can see your point. She does need therapy whether or not she believes she is fine. I''m surprised she never received one after going through such a horrible experience," Harry said, and Tom raised both hands.

    "Thank you! I mean, I may not be an expert on the subject, but what if there is a slight chance that her decision is in a way rted to what happened to her? I''m not asking for too much, am I?"

    "I think she reacted that way because she felt attacked. Lucy is reasonable. Give her time. She woulde around after calmly thinking about it," Harry said confidently.

    "I genuinely hope she does!" Tom said, and Harry rose.

    "Well, while we wait for her toe around, don''t sit here sulking. Today is a busy day and we''ve got a lot to do, so...."

    "Not so fast. Did you think I wouldn''t bring upst night?" Tom asked with a grin and Harry grimaced.

    He had been counting on avoiding this discussion, "Don''t you have more important things to do like prepare for our meeting with the board, instead of talking about my private business?" Harry asked, and Tom threw his head back and let out a goodugh.

    "Kissing our sister in front of my house is now your private business? Were you counting on avoiding me so I don''t bring it up?" Tom asked with a taunting smile.

    Knowing that Tom would only taunt him more if he didn''t admit his feelings, he decided to do so, "Fine. I''m in love with Jade. Is that what you want to hear? I''ve said it. So can we not talk about it?" Harry said, and Tom grinned.

    "Took you long enough to admit it. So I guess she is out of probation?" Tom asked dryly.

    "I haven''t asked her to be my girlfriend yet. I will after I resolve the issue with Aurora. I was told you met her yesterday," Harry said as he returned to his seat since there was no reason to avoid Tom anymore.

    "Yeah. She has quite a pleasant personality, and she is pretty smart and outspoken too," Tom said, and Harry smiled.

    "Yeah, she is. She left a simr impression on me the first time we spoke, hence I couldn''t just push her away," Harry said, and Tom nodded.

    "Let''s hope she doesn''t get too hurt," Tom said, and Harry nodded.

    "I will make sure of it. By the way, Jade told me about the incident at the spa. Shouldn''t we fire Anita after that stunt she pulled?" Harry suggested, but Tom shook his head.

    "We don''t mix up our private issues with business, remember? One has nothing to do with the other. We won''t kick her out for personal reasons, but she will quit on her own by the time we are done," Tom said, and Harry sighed.

    "You are right."

    "Speaking of dealing with people, any update concerning the fire incident at the hospital?" Tom asked, and Harry nodded.

    "Yeah. I was going to tell you about itst night and also ry the detail of the virtual meeting with the shareholders to you," Harry said and went on to tell Tom all about it.

    "Perhaps I should let you in on what I''m also doing," Tom said, and when Harry raised a brow, he told him about the fake research center.

    "Were you ever going to tell me about it?" Harry asked, and Tom nodded.

    "Sure. But only after she falls into the trap and has paid back in multiple folds all the money she stole from her family, your dad, and what she got after selling her daughter. I was concerned you might feel sorry for her and not want me to go to that extent," Tom said, and Harry shook his head.

    "I can''t feel sorry for her. No punishment is too great for her. She definitely has to pay for all the pain she has caused everyone," Harry said, and Tom nodded.

    "Good. We are on the same page then. Also, Lucy raised a suggestion about Rachel''s father," Tom said as he told Harry about it.

    "I think that''s a good idea. It saves us a lot of stress. Let''s run with it," Harry said and seeing that they were done with their personal issues they delved into business.

 Chapter 551 To Resign Or Keep Working?

    Anita stood by her office window lost in thoughts. At the moment she was torn between turning in her resignation letter as she had nned to do and continuing with her job at I-Global Airline.

    Although the name might have been changed from Ocean Airline to I-Global airline, the ce still held a special spot in her heart.

    The airline had belonged to her maternal family, and herte grandfather had taken her there often when she a child, since she was the only grandchild who had shown any interest in nes.

    He had taught her all he could teach a little girl of her age about the airline. She had fallen in love with the ce and that had been the sole reason she had wanted to work in the airline.

    Quitting her job here and going to work in another airline would feel like a betrayal to herte grandfather. She was emotionally attached to the airline and all the memories in it in the same manner as she was attached to her house.

    Remaining here did not make sense either. There was too much bad blood between her, Lucy, and Tom, and she would be ufortable every time she had to run into either of them in thepany.

    Why didn''t Tom fire her anyway? Perhaps if he had done so this whole time it would have been better for her, Anita thought with a sigh as she returned to her desk and looked at herptop screen on which the resignation letter, she hadposed the previous week, was disyed.

    Why was she having second thoughts about submitting her resignation letter? She had been okay with betraying her grandfather''s memoriesst week or whatever it was her conscience chose to call it, so why was it such a big deal now? Was it because of all Lisa had said?

    Lisa had asked her to apologize and she knew she needed to apologize to Lucy for everything, but she did not know where to start from.

    Was she being reluctant to resign now because she thought there would be no need to leave thepany she loved if she apologized and groveled?

    She nced at her phone when it started ringing, and she rejected the call when she saw it was her mother calling once again as she had done the previous night, and this time she cklisted the number. She didn''t want to hear from her or see her.

    Hearing from Lisa about how their mother had cheated on their father, had brought back some memories she had not really read much meaning to in the past, and it made her realize how selfish and wicked their mother was, but she had been too blinded by love and respect to see it.

    She had always thought her mother was perfect, but after hearing all she heard at Bernice''s house, every of such illusion had beenpletely shattered.

    To think she had threatened to cut her off, Anita thought with a snort. As far as she was concerned, Rebekah Miller ceased to be her mother the moment she saw past all her pretense.

    All she could see now was a shameless, and immoral adulteress. Someone who didn''t even have the decency to be ashamed or be apologetic to her daughter for sleeping with her daughter''s husband. Someone who could ckmail her own daughter to shut her up. Nah. That woman wasn''t her mother.

    Anita''s gaze moved to thendline on her desk when it rang, and she picked up the receiver, "Mr. Hilton wants to know if you are avable to apany him to I-Global," the airline''s president''s secretary informed her, and Anita''s heart skipped a beat and her throat constricted.

    "What for?" She asked in a voice that wasn''t her own.

    "This is the Anniversary week. The airline has to be represented at the meeting of all I-Global directors and shareholders. The manager wants you to go with him," the secretary exined patiently, even though she couldn''t understand the panic in Anita''s voice.

    "Please let him know I''m not feeling too well...."

    She had always jumped on every opportunity to go to I-Global on behalf of the airline so why was she being reluctant to go there now? The secretary mused.

    "I''m sorry, but it wasn''t exactly a question. In his words ''Inform Director Miller that we will be leaving for I-Global by 10 AM''. I was only trying to pass the message politely," the secretary said, letting Anita know she couldn''t back out of it.

    Anita sighed as she reced the receiver. It was still too soon to face Tom and Lucy. Besides, she was yet toe up with a way apologize to them.

    Not wanting to face them, she quickly printed out her resignation letter before walking out of her office to meet with the director who Harry had appointed as the president of the airline.

    "Is he in? I want to speak with him," Anita said once she walked in, and from the determined look on her face, the secretary knew better than to stop her.

    The secretary gave her a nod and she knocked on the door briskly before pushing it open and walking inside, "I''m sorry, I can''t go with you," Anita said as soon as she walked into the office and ced the letter in front of him.

    "What is that?" He asked without picking it up.

    "My resignation. I will no longer continue to work here, so you can get someone else to apany you there," Anita said, and he looked from the letter to her.

    "You are quitting your job because you do not want to go to I-Global?" He asked incredulously.

    "I don''t owe you any exnation," Anita said tersely.

    "Alright. You don''t have toe with me to I-Global if you don''t want to. I don''t understand why you want to leave but unless it is life threatening, I won''t ept this letter yet. I will give you two weeks to think about it. If you change your mind before then, you can keep your job. If you don''t, you are free to leave," he said as he shoved the letter towards her.

    Although, she was intolerable at times and he wasn''t exactly fond of her, he couldn''t deny that she was very to good at her job, that was the only reason he was doing this for her, also the fact that her uncle had asked him to look out for her after he sold off the airline to I-Global.

    "I won''te to the office until I make up my mind," she said without reaching for the letter.

    Although he couldn''t understand what was wrong, he gave her a nod, "I wille up with an excuse to exin your absence if I''m asked," he said, gesturing to the resignation letter for her to pick it up.

    "You should hold on to the letter. You don''t have to worry, I will work from home until my mind is made up," Anita said, and once he gave her a nod, she headed for the door.

    She hesitated at the door and turned to him, "Thank you, sir," she said before leaving the office.

    She returned to her office and picked up herptop and every other important file she needed before leaving the office. As she drove home she tried to figure out the best way to go about apologizing to them.

    When she remembered her mother''s n to make sure Lucy was absent from the anniversary party, she made a U-turn and headed for the foundation to meet with Prisci instead.

    As she drove, she reached for her phone when it started ringing and received the call when she saw that it was from Lisa, "Hey! I''m driving...."

    "You''re not at the office?" Lisa cut in.

    "No. Is there a problem?" She asked when she noted the slight concern in Lisa''s voice.

    "I''ve been trying to reach Bernice but her line isn''t connecting. I''m worried about her. I was hoping you would go check on her," Lisa said, and Anita scowled.

    "And then what? I really don''t think you should worry about her. She has her husband and Jackson tofort her," Anita said dryly.

    "Anita! You shouldn''t say such a thing. She wasn''t okay yesterday. We need to check on her," Lisa said calmly.

    "Well, I have other important things to attend to. You can check on her if you are that worried," Anita said, and Lisa shook her head.

    "I can''t. I wasn''t feeling so well when I woke up this morning so the doctor asked me to stay in bed, and you know how protective Ron can be," Lisained.

    Anita sighed, "Alright. I have to go now, but I promise to stop by her house and take a selfie with her if possible just to put your mind at ease," Anita promised before hanging up.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Few minutester she arrived at the She Can Heal Foundation building, and headed directly for Prisci''s office.

    Immediately Prisci was informed of Anita''s presence she set her phone on sound recording and ced the phone on the table before Anita walked into the office.

    "Did Rebekah send you? She didn''t mentioned that you wereing," Prisci said after she had exchanged pleasantries with Anita.

    "She is not aware that I''m here, and I''d rather it remains so," Anita said, and Prisci raised a brow.

    "Is everything alright?" She asked curiously.

    "It depends. I''m here to discuss my mother''s n with you concerning Lucinda Perry. I believe you know who she is?" Anita asked, and Prisci gave her a nod.

    "Yeah. Sure."

    "She ims she is doing all that because of me, but I don''t want you to go through with her instructions," Anita said, and Prisci''s brows pulled together.

    "I beg your pardon?" Prisci said, and Anita exined the situation to her.

    "... so I want to know if there is something I can do to make sure her n won''t pull through, so that Lucy can be at the anniversary party. I won''t be there myself, so there is no reason for her not to be with her man,"

    "If you mo longer want Thomas Hank why don''t you tell that to your mother instead of dragging me into this? I work for your mother. What do you think she is going to do to me if she finds out I joined hands with you to ruin her ns?" Prisci asked with a frown.

    "She won''t listen to me if I tell her I''m not interested in him. She is only going to try to convince me not to give up bying up with more ridiculous ns. I will prefer we work together to make sure none of her ns work. She doesn''t have to know I''m involved. And I will pay you for it," Anita said, knowing how much Prisci loved money.

    "Why don''t you tell Lucy about it and have her cancel the contract?" Prisci asked, and Anita shook her head.

    "No! I can''t be the one to tell. Besides, if she does, mother will just find another way to do what she wants, and either of us might not know it."

    "This doesn''t make sense. Did your mother ask you to test my loyalty?" Prisci asked suspiciously since that was the only way this could make sense to her.

    "Like I don''t have better things to do with my time?" Anita asked irritated by the question.

    Prisci sighed, "I need to think about it. I will let you know after I think about it," she said, and Anita rose.

    "Call me when youe up with an idea. And do not forget to keep this to yourself," Anita said before walking away.

    Once she left there she drove to Bernice''s house to fulfil her promise to Lisa, not necessarily because she cared about Bernice. She deserved whatever she got for sleeping with Tiffany''s husband. If only she had not done that, she would have been able to confront their mother squarely instead of being forced to shut up.

    As she drove into thepound, she met Tiffany who had also just driven in and they eyed each other for a moment, "Did you get a text from Bernice too?" Tiffany asked, wondering if that was the reason Anita was there.

    "What text?" Anita asked in confusion.

    "Never mind," Tiffany said before walking ahead of Anita into the house since she was still mad at Anita for being rude to her the previous day.

    "Where is Bernice?" Tiffany asked the housekeeper who came out to greet them.

    "She is in her bedroom. She has refused to step out of her bedroom or let anyone in since she went in there yesterday afternoon," the housekeeper said, and Tiffany''a brows pulled together as she turned to look at Anita who was also frowning.

    "What about Adam and the boys?" Tiffany asked, since she knew how much Bernice cared for her kids.

    "He left for the office and the kids have gone to school. She refused to see them as well," The housekeeper said, and almost immediately Tiffany flung her handbag on the couch and hurried up the stairs while Anita followed her in confusion.

    "Benny? Benny, it''s Tiffany. Open the door!" Tiffany called as she knocked on the bedroom door, but there was no response.

    "Benny? Open the door, I''m not mad I promise," Tiffany called, but there was still no response.

    "Mad at what? What text did she send to you?" Anita asked when she remembered that Tiffany had mentioned receiving a text. Could it be that Bernice had told Tiffany the truth?

    "It''s personal," Tiffany said, not wanting to give such an information to Anita.

    Although Anita wanted to ask if the details of the text was about Bernice''s affair with Jack, she held back from doing. She couldn''t say it. What if that wasn''t it? She mused as she watched Tiffany continue to knock on the door frantically.

    "Benny, open the door damnit! If you don''t open the door I''m going to call mother!" Tiffany threatened as she beat the door.

    Anita who was beginning to have a bad feeling about this turned to the housekeeper, "Do you know where the spare keys are kept?" She asked, and thedy gave her a nod.

    "Yes, but she said...."

    "GET IT!" Anita snapped at the housekeeper without letting her finish, and immediately she scurried away.

    "Where are you going?" Anita asked when Tiffany turned to go downstairs.

    "To get my phone. I should inform mother...."

    "Don''t! For all you know, mother is the reason she has locked herself in there, so stand still and wait for the housekeeper to get the keys!"

    "Don''t be ridiculous! Why would she lock herself up because of mother? I don''t care what your problem with mother is but...."

    "Can you make use of your brain for a second or is your brain just for fancy?" Anita snapped at her and before Tiffany could respond, the housekeeper hurried back in quick steps, bring a bunch of keys with her.

    Anita and Tiffany stepped aside to give her room to try out the keys and unlock the door.

    The moment she opened the door, Tiffany roughly pushed her out of the way and hurried inside.

    They all gasped in unison when they saw her lying motionless on the floor with pills scattered on the floor and two empty bottles of medication. They were all smart enough to know what had happened.

    "Benny!" Tiffany cried as she and Anita rushed to her side.

 Chapter 552 Not A Control Freak

    Inside Lucy''s office, she sat with her seat backing her desk and the door as she fumed over Tom''s words. She had tried to channel her annoyance to the files in front of her but she had given up when Tom''s words kepting back to her.

    Why did he have to make her feel bad because she had been honest with him about her emotion? How could he call her a control freak when she never even tried to control him or anyone else around her? What was so wrong about wanting to be in control of things that happened in her life? What was bad in wanting to be in charge of her own life? She wasn''t a bad person, but his words made her feel that way.

    What did she need therapy for? Yes, in the past she had been unable to think about that experience or talk about it, but that was not the case now. Now she could even mention Jamie''s name without hyperventting or freezing. So why was he trying to make it seem like she was yet to move past it? Why was he making her present about her past?

    Seeing how he was yet to call her, that must mean he didn''t see anything wrong in what he said, right? Was she being unreasonable by reacting this way?

    She swiveled her seat when her phone started ringing and she picked it up and received the call when she saw Tyler''s name disyed on the screen, "Hey, Doctor Ty!" She greeted, trying to sound cheerful.

    "My name is Doctor Lucas, not Tyler," Lucas said easily, and Lucy''s lips pulled up in a smile when she heard his voice.

    "Who would have thought I would miss hearing your voice?" She asked dryly, and Lucas chuckled.

    "Obviously not you," Lucas said, and Lucy''s smile widened as she sighed.

    "When did you get there? How are you? And why are you calling with Tyler''s phone?" She asked curiously.

    "I''m fine. I got here a while ago. You can reach me through Tyler''s line. Are you free to talk right now or will you call me backter?" Lucas asked, knowing that she was most likely busy with work in the office.

    Lucy nced at the wall clock, it was just 9 AM. There was still enough time before the meeting which was ted to start by 11 AM.

    "We can talk now. Is everything okay?" She asked wondering what he wanted to talk about.

    "Yeah. How are you? What is going on over there? Mom told me they are back in Ludus. Is everything alright?" Lucas asked, and Lucy sighed.

    "Yeah. Everything is fine. Do you remember that Mom has a twin sister?" Lucy asked, and Lucas tried not to roll his eyes.

    "Was I supposed to forget something like that?" Lucas asked dryly.

    "What has that got to do with anything? Is she in Ludus?" Lucas asked reasonably.

    "Well, not exactly. We found out she got married and gave birth to twins. A boy and a girl. She abandoned them. And you won''t believe who the twins are," Lucy said, and Lucas grinned.

    "Me and you?" He asked jokingly, and Lucy tittered withughter.

    "Don''t be silly!"

    "But you said I won''t believe it. And of course, I don''t believe it''s us," Lucas said, and Lucy grinned.

    "Well, the girl is Candace. Remember her? Jamal''s mom? Thedy and her son at Tom''s house?" Lucy asked, and Lucas''s eyes twitched in surprise.

    "Holy shit! You are kidding, right? I mean, if I wasn''t in such a bad emotional state then and had met her at a time when I was single I could have hit on her!" Lucas said, and Lucy grinned.

    "You sound like you are feeling much better already," She observed.

    "There is nothing like a change of environment to make one feel better. I mean I''ve met and interacted with different people in the past forty-eight hours. I''m not there yet, but I can assure you I feel much better," Lucas assured her.

    "So are you going to tell me about your date with Miley and why��."

    "Don''t digress, Lu. You are yet to finish your story, and I have lots of questions. Do you mean to tell me that beautifuldy is our cousin? How did you find out? And what was she doing at Tom''s house anyway? Did mom meet her twin sister? Have they reconciled? Have you met her? Is she cool? What about her son? What is he like? Have you met him?" Lucas asked, and Lucy sighed. There was so much to tell him and she had no idea where to begin.

    "So much has happened in the short time you left. I don''t even know where to begin," Lucy confessed.

    "Well, you can start by answering my questions. That makes it easier," Lucas said as though it was the obvious logical thing to do.

    "Alright. Take it one question at a time and I will see what I can do," Lucy said, and she answered Lucas'' questions as he asked them one after the other.

    By the time she finished answering all his major questions, Lucas was stunned, "WOW! I''m still trying to wrap my head around the fact that our cousin''s adoptive parents were rted to Rachel," Lucas said, and Lucy nodded.

    "Yeah. No matter how much time I talk about this, I get goosebumps each time I think about all the connections."

    "It''s mind-blowing, isn''t it? Do you know how they say it''s a small world? You never really believe it until stuff like this happens to you, and then you realize just how small the world really is," Lucas said, and Lucy had to agree with him.

    Hadn''t she learned that since she met Tom? How somehow they all ended up knowing each other or being rted to each other? It really was mind-blowing.

    "Well, it''s all good. Seeing how you like this Harry guy, I''m sure I''m going to get along with him," Lucas said, and Lucy grinned.

    "I think you are both going to get along pretty well."

    "I will take my time to heal properly, that way I can be in the best frame of mind when I meet our cousins. I''m already looking into talking to a therapist��."

    "A therapist? Why?" She asked in confusion. As far as she was concerned, Lucas was very fine.

    "Well, I didn''t realize how toxic Rachel was until I ended things. I don''t know how the rtionship must have affected me psychologically. I wouldn''t want to move around with such emotional baggage, so it''s best I talk to a professional about it and get it all out of me," Lucas said reasonably.

    "I don''t think there is anything wrong with you. People leave rtionships every day for even worse reasons and they don''t go to therapy, yet they are fine. All you need to do is move on," Lucy said, not wanting to hear anything rted to therapy since she was still pissed by Tom''s words.

    "I beg to differ. Most people move on, but they do not heal. Sometimes you never know how much yourst rtionship messed you up until you meet someone new and you start projecting the hurt, fears, insecurities, and distrust onto them. I don''t just want to move on from Rachel, I want to heal from her," Lucas said, and Lucy sighed.

    "Alright. If that is what you want. But if you ask me, it''s a waste of good money. Those people charge so much only to listen to you talk. People might think you''re crazy if they hear you''re visiting a shrink," Lucy muttered, and Lucas chuckled.

    "Well, it''s my money, and I''d rather waste it on a shrink than on alcohol. And stop sounding ignorant. Therapy is good for the soul. You should try it sometime," Lucas advised.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Although on different asions in the past he had offered to pay for her to get therapy, she had turned down all his offers telling him she was fine.

    "Thanks, but I will pass. By the way, do you think I''m a control freak?" She asked, and Lucas''s brow shot up as he wondered where that wasing from.

    "A control freak?" He asked cautiously.

    "Yeah. Would you say I''m a control freak?" She asked again, not wanting to mention that Tom had told her that.

    "Well, it depends on��."

    "It''s a yes or no question," She hissed at him impatiently.

    "You are my sister so I''m probably not the best person to ask. You should probably ask Tom who is your partner��."

    "Why should I ask Tom and not you?" She asked in annoyance.

    "Well, he is your boyfriend. He knows you more intimately��."

    "Than my twin brother? We grew up under the same roof. It shouldn''t be so hard for you to answer. Do you think I control others or push them around and always try to have things done my way?" she asked, and Lucas sighed.

    "Okay. You don''t exactly try to control others, although you can be very critical of others. And what I do know is that you love to be in control of your life too much, and that is not unusual for someone with your traumatic experience��."

    "So you are saying I''m a control freak?" She cut in.

    "The fact that you are obsessing over this should tell you something about yourself. Control freaks hardly know they are one. Stop making a big deal out of it," Lucas advised.

    "How can I not make a big deal of it?" Lucy asked with a frown.

    "Listen, I don''t know who said that to you, but instead of sitting in your office obsessing over it, you should try to understand what the person was trying to say. Ask your team members what they think about you. Ask Tom or Sonia for their opinion. Go on google and check for the signs."

    Lucy sighed, "Alright. I will. Thanks."

    "You''re wee. So, how is Tom doing? What''s up with you both? Seeing the way the families are bonding, you might get married before you know it. Just make sure you wait until I get back," Lucas joked, but Lucy did notugh.

    "Tom is fine. So are you going to tell me about your date with her or not? Was it that terrible?" Lucy asked, wanting to change the subject.

    Lucas sighed, "Can you believe they wanted me to marry her and donate my sperm to Amy so she would be a surrogate and carry Miley''s child?" He asked, angry as he recalled the conversation with Amy.

    "They did that? That''s crazy! How could they possibly ask you to do something like that?" Lucy asked incredulously.

    "Exactly! I wish them the best of luck with their crazy ns. I want no part in it," Lucas said, and Lucy nodded in agreement.

    "I''m sorry about that. That wouldn''t have happened had I not pressured you into meeting with her," Lucy said apologetically.

    "It''s alright. I should let you get back to work. I called because I was worried that something was wrong after hearing from mom that they were in Ludus. Say hello to Tom, our cousins, and Sony."

    "Give my love to, Tyler, and take care of yourself," Lucy said before the call was disconnected.

    She sighed as she dropped her phone on the desk and then picked it up almost immediately when she remembered what Lucas had said about checking google for some signs that might tell her whether or not she was a control freak.

    She took out her journal and a pen from the drawer before imputing her question on her google engine.

    She had no idea how long she spent poring over various articles written on the subject, and by the time she was done, she sighed as she looked at her journal.

    Okay, maybe she had SOME of the traits associated with control freaks but that didn''t mean she was one. She didn''t believe she was one. Compared to her, Sonia was more likely to be called a control freak, yet she knew Sonia wasn''t one either.

    She sighed when her phone started ringing and she picked it up when she saw it was a video call from Sonia, "Hey!" She greeted with a forced smile.

    "You have be a difficult person to see. Do I need to make an appointment to see you now?" Sonia asked jokingly, and this time Lucy''s smile was genuine.

    "Perhaps you should. What''s up?" Lucy asked as she watched Sonia who seemed to be busy with her makeup.

    "Bryan and Jade are going over to thepany so I thought I shoulde with them so I can spend some time with you. Please tell me you are not very busy," Sonia pleaded.

    "Well, I will be soon. Shouldn''t you be busy working on your story?" Lucy asked and Sonia shrugged.

    "Yeah. Candace and Jamal left a while ago to be with Aaron, so I''m going to be alone with the old folks and as much as I love them, it won''t be fun."

    "Alright, you cane over. But you should bring yourptop and writing materials along with you. That way you can stay back in my office and keep busy doing your stuff when I step out," Lucy suggested, and Sonia shed her a smile.

    "That is perfect. And then you can tell me all about the incident at the spa," Sonia said with a wink, and Lucy shook her head in amusement.

    "I should have known that was the reason you wanted to see me."

    "I want to see you because I miss yourpany and then I want to hear the story," Sonia said with a wink, and Lucy giggled as her eyes moved to the clock.

    The time seemed to have moved very fast during her conversation with Lucas and google search. It was past 10 AM already and she had less than forty-five minutes to get ready for the meeting.

    "Alright. Seeing how you haven''t left the house yet, there is every likelihood that I might not be in my office when you get here so I will let my team members know you areing," Lucy said before hanging up.

    Lucy sighed when she remembered how she had angrily left Tom that morning, and the fact that she was going to be seeing him at the meeting.

 Chapter 553 Grandfather

    As Tom, Harry, and Eric concluded their meeting in readiness to leave for the general conference hall which would amodate all the shareholders and directors of I-Global, Tom''s phone beeped and he scowled when he saw it was a multimedia message from Barry.

    "What is wrong?" Harry asked when he noticed the reluctance on Tom''s face to check the message.

    As curious as Tom was to know what was going on, he wasn''t very keen to find out about it in that moment. He could do so after the meeting.

    "Barry just sent a recording," Tom informed him.

    Harry turned to Eric, "You can go ahead of us to the conference hall and make sure everything is in order. We will join you shortly," Harry said, dismissing Eric.

    They waited until he had left, and Harry jerked his head towards Tom''s phone, "Let''s hear what he sent," Harry said, and Tom shook his head.

    "We can always listen to it after the meeting."

    "Like hell. Why would I stay in suspense trying to guess what he sent when I can just listen to it right now?" Harry asked as he reached to snatch Tom''s phone from him but before he could do that, Prisci called.

    "It''s the foundationdy," Tom told Harry with a resigned sigh. It seemed like whether or not he was in the mood to hear anything about the Millers, he did not have much of a voice.

    "Perhaps something is up?" Harry asked, and Tom shrugged as he reluctantly received the call and ced it on speaker for Harry to hear since he didn''t want to go through the stress of recounting the conversation to him.

    "Good morning. Did something newe up?" Tom asked impatiently without waiting for Prisci to greet him first.

    Prisci was slightly taken aback by the impatience she heard in his tone, but she tried not to let it bother her. If she could tolerate a nobody like Rebekah in order to earn a living, she could tolerate a person like Thomas Hank. He was her ticket to the life of luxury she desired after all.

    "Anita Miller left my office a while ago," she told him, and rushed to exin the detail of their conversation, conveniently leaving out the part where Anita had offered to pay her.

    "She said all that? Do you think she was being genuine?" Tom asked in confusion, wondering what was going on. Had she been affected so much by Lucy''s p, or was she suspecting something already?

    "With the Millers you can never tell. But there was defiance in her eyes like she really wanted to go against her mother. I may not trust her words, but I trust the disgust I saw in her eyes each time she mentioned her mother," Prisci said, and Tom sighed.

    "What should I tell her?" She asked when Tom didn''t say anything.

    "You don''t have to tell her anything yet. I''m busy at the moment. I will get back to you some timeter," Tom said before hanging up.

    "Lucy''s hands must be magical to elicit such personality-altering effect," Harry said in amusement.

    "It''s either that or Anita is backing down because Lucy confronted her and she now knows we are aware she was behind the scandal," Tom said thoughtfully.

    "That could be true. And perhaps she also found out about her mother''s affair with her brother inw seeing as one of the sisters knows already," Harry suggested, and then gestured to Tom''s phone.

    "Let''s see if Barry has the answer," Harry suggested, and Tom clicked on the audio file Barry had sent.

    They exchanged a look when they listened to the voice recording, and it dawned on them that it was Anita''s phone call to the emergency line requesting for an ambnce to transport her unconscious sister, who had attempted suicide, to the hospital.

    Neither of them said a word for a minute after the phone call ended, and Harry sighed while Tom massaged his temple, "There is so much unpleasant drama within that family," Harry murmured, not sure whether to feel sorry for Bernice or not.

    Without saying a word Tom rose from his seat and walked around his desk to his tiny office room to find medicine for his headache.

    The throb in his head had grown into a full blown headache and he doubted he would be able to function at the meeting without relieving it.

    After taking aspirin, Tom stepped out of the room in time to hear Harry''s phone ring, and he watched as Harry received the call.

    "Is there a problem?" Harry asked, and listened for some seconds before standing up and turning to face Tom.

    "Are you sure?" He asked, and listened for some seconds before hanging up.

    "That was Eric. He called to inform us that your grandfather just arrived," Harry said, and Tom raised a brow.

    "My grandfather?" He asked in disbelief, and Harry nodded.

    "Lawrence Hank...."

    Without waiting for Harry to finish speaking, Tom quickly walked out of the office, leaving Harry to follow him.

    Was it really his grandfather? Why did the old man choose to show up on a day such as this when he wasn''t in his best element?

    Even as he stepped out of the elevator, he confirmed it. He could see some of the shareholders who had arrived earlier hurrying in the direction of the lobby. He could tell they were going to say hello to the one time president. He may have left the position for years, but he was still very much a force to be reckoned with.

    The major question bothering him was why today? Was he ill? Did something happen? Tom asked himself as he got close enough to see the eighty-seven years old man was seated in a wheelchair.

    As Harry followed behind Tom, he spotted some of the staff huddled together gossiping, and he decided to join them.

    "I heard he owns thepany and put his grandson in charge." Harry heard the one who seemed to be leading the group tell the others.

    "I don''t think so. I heard this is the first time he is stepping foot in I-Global since it''s existence," another said.

    "Really? Why is that?" Another asked.

    "Why don''t youe with me to my office and I will answer your questions over your sack letters?" Harry offered, and they all froze when they heard his voice, and gasped in shock when he came to stand in front of them.

    "If you will only spend the day gosspising and not do your jobs, you should turn in your resignation letters," Harry advised reasonably and immediately they murmured their apologies as they dispersed.

    Harry could never understand the reason employees would decide to leave what they were paid to do, to indulge in unnecessary gossip.

    Lawrence Hank smiled when he sighted Tom approaching. He would have been in the conference room already, had he not been intercepted by the small crowd that had gathered around him to pay obeisance.

    "If you don''t mind, I need to receive the CEO''s greeting," Lawrence Hank told them politely, and they made way for Tom.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Grandfather," Tom greeted with a bow.

    "When did you arrive? You could have called to inform me you were in Ludus. Are you fine?" Tom asked, and Lawrence waved off his concerns.

    "I''m not here as your grandfather. I''m here in my capacity as the thirdrgest shareholder of I-Global. We can have lunch as grandfather and grandson after the meeting if you are not too busy to sit with an old man," Lawrence said in a quiet voice.

    "You didn''t have to bother yourself toe down here. I could have sent you the report as usual...."

    "I wanted to be here for a change and see first hand what you have aplished," Lawrence said and shifted his attention to Harry who had joined them.

    "You''ve done a good job taking care of him," Lawrencemended Harry who bowed politely.

    Lawrence nced at his wristwatch, "I believe it''s time for the meeting. Let''s not keep everyone waiting. We can talk after. Lead the way," Lawrence ordered softly.

    Tom exchanged a look with Harry signaling him to lead the way and everyone else followed Harry, while Tom slowly walked behind them to match the pace of the grandfather''s wheelchair.

    "I saw the press release. It''s a good thing your siblings are joining thepany. You need the extra pair of trusted eyes around here. I don''t suppose they are within the building right now, are they?" Lawrence asked, and Tom raised a brow.

    "Are you asking as my grandfather or as a shareholder?" Tom asked dryly, and the old man''s body shook withughter.

    "I''m asking as a grandfather who would love to have lunch with his grand children," Lawrence answered.

    "Yes, they are. Our parents are also in Ludus," Tom informed him since there was every possibility that he wasn''t aware that his son was around.

    "Ah! I guess it''s a good thing I decided to stop over then. Let''s make it dinner," Lawrence said with a pleased smile.

    "Why are you really here, grandfather?" Tom asked with concern.

    "I already told you my reason, boy. You don''t have to worry about my presence. Carry on as you would if I weren''t here," Lawrence assured him.

    "I suppose that youngdy is Lucinda Perry? Your girlfriend, huh?" Lawrence asked when they saw Lucying from the opposite direction and her steps faltered when she saw them.

    Tom met her gaze and he didn''t miss the tension in her eyes. They watched her hesitate for a moment as she tried to decide whether or not to go over and say hello, and then she acknowledged them with a polite nod as any other person would and joined Harry and the others as they walked inside the conference hall.

    "Yeah. She is the one. I guess you are up to date with news concerning my life as usual," Tom said, and the corners of Lawrence''s eyes crinkled.

    "Of course. What else would I do for fun? She seems like she would be a handful. Ask her to join us for dinner. I would love to meet her," he said, and Tom raised a brow.

    "Why?"

    "Because I want to meet my grandson''s girlfriend, why else?" Lawrence asked with a shake of his head as they entered the conference hall for the meeting.

    Away from there, Bryan, Sonia, and Jade made their way to I-Global. Jade was practically bubbling with excitement at the thought of seeing Harry, who had sent her a good morning text very early in the morning.

    "Are you that happy?" Bryan asked with a scowl when he caught the smile on her face through the rearview mirror, and Jade giggled while Sonia turned in her seat to look at Jade.

    "Yes, I am. You would be too if you were in my shoes," Jade said, and Bryan snorted, but Sonia could tell he was only putting up a front. She knew best just how happy he was that Jade had opened herself to love again.

    "So, do you have any new detail for my book? Maybe you could tell me what happenedst night when you both drove off into the night," She suggested with a wink, and Jade grimaced when she remembered what Harry had said.

    "I may have let it slip that you are writing a book. Harry doesn''t want us to be a part of it. I''m sorry," Jade said, and Sonia''s brows pulled together slightly.

    "Could I convince him otherwise?" Sonia asked, and Jade shook her head.

    "I''m not so sure about that. Harry can be pretty stubborn and adamant when he wants to be. Maybe if you could ask Tom or Lucy to convince him," Jade said with a shrug.

    "Tom or Lucy can persuade your boyfriend and you can''t?" Sonia asked in amusement.

    "Well, I''m not exactly his girlfriend yet. We are still getting to know and understand each other so I don''t think I''m in a position to try to make him change his mind on the subject. He trusts Lucy''s judgement a great deal, and Tom is his best friend, so you should ask for their help," Jade said, not feeling the least bit embarrassed to say that.

    Sonia sighed, "I guess I have to talk to Lucy about it then. Perhaps she could convince Tom to convince Harry," Sonia said, while Bryan listened to them without saying anything.

    He nced at his phone when it started ringing and he received the call and ced it on speaker when he saw it was Jeff calling. Jeff and Mia had gone ahead of them to I-Global.

    "We are almost there," Bryan said immediately he received the call.

    "I thought I should let you know the entire ce is abuzz with news of your grandfather''s presence," Jeff informed him.

    "My grandfather?" Bryan asked in surprise, and immediately Jade sat up to pay more attention to what was being said.

    "Yes. I hear he is in the conference room for the boardmeeting," Jeff said, and Bryan met Jade''s questioning gaze.

    "Alright. Thanks for the heads up," Bryan said before hanging up.

    "Did something happen to grandfather?" Jade asked with a concern while Sonia also looked at Bryan curiously.

    "You can ask him when you get to thepany," Bryan said with a grin, and Jade''s eyes lit up.

    "Really? Is he in Ludus?" She asked excitedly, and Bryan gave her a nod.

    "Wow! It''s been years since Ist set eyes on him. I can''t wait!" Jade said excitedly while Sonia looked from Bryan to Jade contemtively.

    She was bing very curious about their grandfather.

 Chapter 554 Right Or Left?

    Candace didn''t know it but tears rolled down her cheeks as she watched Aaron and Jamal argue over a move false Jamal had made as they yed a game of cards.

    It warmed her heart each time she saw her precious little boy interact with either Aaron, Harry, or Tom. It gave her so much joy to see that he was surrounded by such wonderful men who didn''t merely tolerate his presence like his own father had done but actually embraced and weed it because they loved him.

    The joy and admiration on Jamal''s face right now told her she had made the right decision bying to Ludus to connect with Aaron and Harry. She only wished that Andy was with them to share in all these joy and love of family.

    She had been gued with dreams of Andy all through the night and the first thought on her mind when she woke up in the early hours of the morning had been Andy.

    She had found herself crying and longing for her sister. She was both worried and concerned since it was ten days already and there was no word from Andy. Where was she? What state was she in? Was she okay? Was Cassidy treating her well? When would she hear from her or see her again?

    "Are you okay, darling?" Aaron asked when he noticed how Candace was staring at them with tears in her eyes.

    Candace blinked rapidly, and then she let out an awkwardugh, "I''m fine."

    "You have tears in your eyes," Jamal said, and Candace raised a hand to her face and smiled as she brushed away the tears.

    "They''re the good ones," she assured Jamal who had risen from his seat beside his grandfather to go wipe her tears.

    "Happy tears?" Jamal asked, and Candace bobbed her head, while Aaron considered her thoughtfully.

    "Jamal, go get your mom the box of tissues in my bedroom," Aaron said, and even though Jamal thought there was no need for it since his mom wasn''t exactly weeping, he left to get it.

    "Come sit beside me," Aaron said as he adjusted on the couch so that it would amodate her.

    "I''m fine. Really," Candace assured him, but still went to sit beside him.

    Knowing he wasn''t convinced, she faced him, "I just got emotional seeing Jamal with you that way. I mean, he never really had a good male figure in his life, and now he has three. He has a grandfath��." Her voice hitched as fresh tears pooled in her eyes, and Aaron embraced her.

    "A part of me still feels like it''s all a dream and I''m going to wake up and find that it''s not real," Candace confessed.

    "Ow!" She eximed when Aaron pinched her arm.

    "See? You felt that. It''s not a dream," Aaron said, and Candace sighed.

    "I''ve decided that Jamal and I will be going back to Sogal," Candace said, and Aaron looked at her with a slight frown.

    "How soon?" He asked, since that was what bothered him. He was fine with them moving to Sogal since he also lived there, but if they returned back to their own ce and life so soon, he would never really get the opportunity to bond with them as he wanted to.

    Candace smiled as though she could read his mind, "I suppose we can hang around until you are healthy enough and ready to travel back," she exined, and Aaron beamed a smile at her.

    "It''s good to know you are returning to Sogal. You know, I still find it surprising that I lived in Sogal all these years and not once did we cross paths," Aaron said, and Candace smiled.

    "Sogal isn''t a little city, it''s almost as popted as Ludus. I''m sure you haven''t crossed path with everyone in Sogal," Candace pointed out, besides, they didn''t exactly roll in the same circles. Maybe if he was the type to visit strip clubs, they could have crossed paths.

    "I guess even if we had crossed path we would never have known. We were not meant to meet until now," Aaron said and Candace nodded in agreement.

    "Do you have an extra room in your house?" Candace asked after some seconds, not sure how Aaron would feel about her question but trusting that he would be happy to know she nned to maintain their rtionship.

    "It''s not��."

    "There is no tissue box," Jamalined as he returned to join them, interrupting whatever Aaron had nned to say.

    "Oh! There is none? I thought I had one," Aaron said, while Jamal looked from Aaron to his mother who had changed her position.

    "Should I check Uncle Harry''s bedroom?" He offered, thinking they were probably discussing and needed privacy.

    "You don''t have to. Come seat with us," Candace said, and Jamal sat on the arm rest beside his mother.

    "Jam, we will be traveling back home soon," Candace said, bringing him into the conversation.

    "Home?" He asked, not liking the sound of that.

    "Yes. Sogal. We both have to return to school," Candace said, and immediately Jamal shook his head.

    "I don''t want to go back there. Let''s stay here," Jamal argues just as Candace had known he would.

    "We have to��."

    "Why do we have to? Why can''t we just stay here with Tom, and Lucy, and uncle Harry, and grandpa, and grandmum J and everyone else?"

    "I will be going back to Sogal too," Aaron informed him.

    "But Lucy won''t being. And Tom and uncle Harry too. It''s going to be just us like before," Jamal pointed out.

    "No. It won''t be just like before. Now you have your grandfather, and we can visit Lucy, and uncle Harry from time to time," Candace exined patiently.

    "I don''t want to visit, I want to stay. I like it here. Why do you want to go back? Is aunt Andy back? I don''t want to go back if she is not there," Jamal said, looking for another excuse.

    "She is not back yet, but we have to be home when shees back so she doesn''t start worrying and searching all over for us," Candace said.

    "But Tom promised to give you a job and..."

    "Your mom can work at HAJ studios. Don''t you want to know where I live and know where I work too?" Aaron cut in when he noticed that Candace was beginning to lose her patience with Jamal.

    "Is your house as big as Tom''s house?" Jamal asked contemtively.

    "I have never been to Tom''s house, so I don''t know how big it is. But I can tell you a secret, there are lots of fun stuff for little boys your age in one of the bedrooms," Aaron assured Jamal.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Fun stuff? Like toys?" He asked with eyes gleaming with interest, and Aaron grinned.

    "Lots of solid toys I got Harry when he was a kid. And they are still in a good shape too. I could get you some more toys too if that''s what you want."

    "But what about Lucy?" Jamal asked sadly.

    "You can always speak with her over the phone and we can visit her whenever we want to," Aaron promised, and Jamal sighed.

    "Will you take me to yourpany? Is it like Tom''spany?" Jamal asked, and Aaron smiled.

    "No, it''s not the same as Tom''s. But you might love it when you see it," Aaron said, counting on that.

    He nned to leave HAJ studios to Jamal in the future, and he hoped Jamal would love it as much as he did.

    "Alright," Jamal said with a resigned sigh.

    Aaron turned to Candace, "My house is yours, and you don''t have to move in with me if you don''t want to, but you should know that there is more than enough room for you, Jamal, and Andy."

    Away from there, in a certain cabin room in a ship, Andy took her time to wash her hair, shower and dress up in front of the dressing mirror in the cabin.

    She had no idea why Cassidy had chosen oversized male clothes for a vain female as herself, but she had tried to make do with it by leaving the top buttons open. She didn''t work on her boobs just so they could stay hidden.

    She had rolled up the sleeves a bit, and then tied a knot at the front to expose her belly button ring. There wasn''t much she could do about the trouser so she would manage it, but the shirt? She had to look sexy, she thought as she sent a wink at her reflection.

    After spending thest ten days in the godforsaken cabin which still had the stench of vomit, Andy wanted nothing more than to get a breath of fresh air even if it meant defying Cassidy who had specifically asked her not to step out of her cabin.

    Screw him! No one told her what to do! The only reason she had not left the cabin in those ten days was not because she took his words seriously. But rather because she had been unconscious within the first five days after barely surviving drowning, and had been sick in the following days.

    Now that she was strong enough to move about on her own, she would be damned if she let him tell her what to do. She wouldn''t let the fucker order her around or control her like she was his prisoner. He didn''t own her. She didn''t give two fucks about his im to have paid Jero a huge amount of money to have her to himself. She wasn''t a dog and Jero wasn''t her owner. As far as she was concerned, he had kidnapped her, and the moment they got to somewhere safe she would find a way to leave.

    She needed to find a way to reach Candace who she knew would be worried sick about her. She missed Candace and her sweet little Jamal. This was the longest she had been away from them. Away from her family. Her only constion was in the fact that Candace had Matt to look out for her and Jamal. Knowing that Matt was there made her feel less anxious, she thought with a sigh as she took one final look at her reflection before stepping out of the cabin.

    She looked down the corridor, wondering whether to go in the left or right direction. Not knowing where to go, she decided to go right, since right was the generally epted right, and left was�� well, left just sounded so wrong, Andy thought, amused by her own thought.

    It was her first time in a cargo ship and she had no idea what to expect. Hopefully she would find someone who she could talk to or who might be of help to her.

    The only person she had set eyes on since she got on the ship was Cassidy. She was yet to see anyone else. She some times heard voices when they walked past the door, but no one hade into her room apart from Cassidy who always brought in her meals or came to check on her despite the fact that she was still not talking to him. He came in whenever he liked, and always talked to her until he was exhausted of speaking without getting a response.

    As she walked down the corridor her eyes took in everything, and she only stopped when a door some feet away from her opened and a man who looked to be in his early forties stepped out.

    "Did you lose your way, pretty miss?" He asked with a polite smile when he saw her.

    Andy paused as she contemted whether or not it was safe to tell him she was trying to find her way outside. Preferably somewhere she could get a breath of fresh air.

    Before she could respond he spoke again, "For your safety I think it''s best you cover up properly if you don''t want the boys ogling," he said, and Andy shrugged.

    "I don''t mind them ogling," Andy assured him, and he gave her a nod.

    She had spent a good number of years being on disy for men to drool over her, so it wasn''t a big deal for her if some sexstarved boys wanted to feast on her with their eyes.

    "If it wouldn''t be too much of a bother, could you escort me to somewhere I can get a bit of privacy and fresh air?" she asked, reasoning that he was harmless.

    "That''s not a problem," he said as he took her back in the left direction.

    "So the left is the right direction to go?" She asked in amusement.

    "I figured the right side is always right, or the right is always the ride side," Andy said, and he chuckled at her humor but didn''t correct her. There was no need to.

    "So how long have you been working on water?" Andy asked conversationally.

    "This ship? Four years. Ships in general? Almost twenty years," he said with a proud smile.

    "So where is this ship headed?" She asked wanting to know if the ship was stopping at the ind Cassidy had mentioned (chapter 409) or if they were just dropping them off and continuing on their way.

    They still had about five days to get to the ind, and she needed to begin to find a means of escape before then. If she was going to escape from Cassidy, she needed to start working out her escape n now.

    Pete didn''t respond to her question as he stepped forward and opened a door for her to go in, and Andy swore under her breath when she saw Cassidy standing inside the room staring outside a wide window with a cigar between his lips.

    She should have followed her instincts and continued in the right direction. See where the left direction led her!

    "I said to take me to somewhere private where I can get fresh air!" She hissed at Pete angrily as she tried to walk out of the room but Pete didn''t budge from the door.

    "I met her on the corridor," Pete informed Cassidy.

    "Thanks for bringing her to me. You can leave us," Cassidy said as he turned to look at her.

    Andy turned to leave after Pete moved away from the door and left, but she stopped when Cassidy spoke.

    "You don''t listen, do you?" He asked, and Andy turned back to face him but before she could speak, Cassidy spoke again.

    "Why are you wearing that? Are you that desperate for male attention?" He asked with disapproval as he gazed at her boobs which were fully in public disy.

    "Yes, I am! So what? What are you going to do about it?" She asked, her green eyes burning furiously.

    A vein worked in Cassidy''s temple but he managed to keep his face nk as he slowly made his way to where she stood defiantly staring at him and daring him with her eyes to do his worst.

 Chapter 555 Murderer And Beast

    As Cassidy stopped in front of Andy, she eyed him, watching and waiting to see what he was going to do while also preparing herself to pounce on him if he so much as made the wrong move.

    In a sudden but calcted move that took Andy unaware, Cassidy ripped her shirt in two to expose her twin mounds.

    "You bastard!" Andy gasped in shock and outrage as her hands shot out to strike him, but again he was quicker than her.

    He pushed her against the door roughly and before she could regain her bnce, he pinned her to the door with his left leg pressed between her legs and his left hand holding both of hers firmly above her head.

    "What am I going to do about it?" Cassidy asked as his right hand moved unrestricted over her body.

    Andy tried to put into practice all the self-defense lessons she had learned over the years to free herself from him, but there was nothing she could do. Her hands were restricted, as were her legs, or else she would have rammed her knee into his crotch to teach him a lesson.

    Cassidy held her firmly in ce and while she swore at him, his roving right hand grabbed and squeezed her left breast, "Your body still responds very much to me," he noted with much satisfaction as his gaze moved over the face that had haunted him for a long time and his fingers trailed over one hardened nipple.

    "You are so full of shit!" Andy spat out with annoyance and she cried out involuntarily when he pinched her nipple.

    "Did that hurt? Is that how you like it now? Was this the sort of attention you craved?" Cassidy asked in a cold tone as he red at her, "I hope you enjoy it because I can assure you, this is the sort you are going to receive when you step out of here."

    "That is not your business, you first-ss jerk!" She spat at him angrily.

    "My business? You may not know it yet, but you are my business. Everything you do is my business and I''m not going to allow you to carry yourself about like some dumbass whore," he said, and Andy''s green eyes shed angrily as she tried to headbutt him, but Cassidy merely stared at her like she was a recalcitrant kid.

    "ALLOW ME? Who the fuck do you think you are to allow me to do anything you disgusting bastard? If I choose to parade myself naked in front of every guy on this ship like a dumbass whore or fuck every guy on this ship, it''s my call to make, not yours! So don''t make the mistake of thinking that I need your permission, you stupid fool!" Andy hissed at him.

    "Choose? Do you think you have the liberty of choice in a ship filled with sex-starved men who want nothing more than to sink their cocks in a woman''s warmth? Perhaps I should let you do as you please," Cassidy said as he let her go abruptly.

    "Go on out and prostitute yourself, just make sure you don''te back to me after you have been vited," he said, jerking his head to the door for her to leave before turning away from her.

    As soon as he turned, Andy attacked him, ready to pull out his hair and gouge his eyes out, and as she had hoped Cassidy turned in time for her knee to shoot up between his legs.

    Cassidy''s breath exploded and even as he doubled over in pain, she mmed her fist into his chin. He let out a grunt of surprise as he fell to the floor.

    "Come back to you? Why would Ie back to an animal like you if I''m vited by them when you are just the same as them? For all I know they may even be more decent people than you," Andy said as she kicked him and she watched with satisfaction as he groaned in pain. How she had longed to see him in pain.

    Although he was mad at himself that he had allowed himself for a split second to be distracted by his thoughts long enough for her to attack him, he was impressed by her quickness and strength.

    Standing over him, with hands on her hips and no care about the fact that her breast was still fully exposed, she looked down at him with a sneer, "You are a filthy bastard, you know that? Acting like you have my best interest in mind here. Calling me names and behaving like a saint, when all you are underneath all this front is a dirty bastard! You brought me here against my will and for all I know you are just like Jero...."

    "Andy." He called in a warning tone as he spat out blood.

    "What? You don''t like being told the truth? You don''t want me to be vited yet you are the first person who vited me, so what does that make you? I will tell you what. A hypocritical scumbag. I believe you took me hostage so you could escape, didn''t you? We can part ways now. That''s the only way I won''t be tempted to sh your throat in your sleep," Andy said and turned on her heel, ready to leave.

    She let out a shriek when Cassidy grabbed her ankle and pulled her down causing her to fall back on her ass, "Fuck!" She swore as the pain shot through her entire body.

    "Damn, you bastard!" She swore as Cassidy rolled over her despite the fact that he was still reeling in pain, and she reached out to scratch his face.

    "Stay still!" Cassidy hissed at her as he grabbed a fistful of her hair to stop her from scratching out his eyes.

    "Get the fuck off me! I don''t want you touching me or talking to...."<novelnext></novelnext>

    The rest of her words were lost when Cassidy covered her lips with his bloodied lips.

    "Damn it! When did you be such a hellcat?" Cassidy yelled as he pulled away from her when she bit his lips.

    Andy spat out his blood that had stained her lips, "If you don''t want to die, get off me, and stay away!" Andy snapped at him as she pushed him away from her and tried to rise.

    Cassidy rubbed his chin as he hefted himself up, "You are so damned stubborn and annoying," Cassidy said with disapproval as he rose.

    "You wanted to get a breath of fresh air and privacy. You can do both here without subjecting yourself to being ogled at. It''s safer," Cassidy said as he offered her a hand.

    Andy ignored his hand as she rose on her own, "I''m not interested in sharing the same space with you," Andy said as she headed for the door.

    "You can have the space. I will leave," Cassidy said as he brushed past her and headed for the door, while Andy remained where she stood, watching with guarded eyes as she waited for him to leave.

    "Do you truly despise me so much?" Cassidy asked, and Andy''s nose wrinkled with disgust.

    "Am I supposed to like a man that raped me? A man that had his men murder an innocent girl who was trying to earn a living? A man that kidnapped me and separated me from my family? A man that almost got me killed because he did not have themon sense to ask if I could swim or not before blowing up a ship and killing everyone he imed to be his men? You tell me. Is there anything worth liking about you?" Andy asked with disgust.

    "The girl was a coteral damage. Those were not my men. They were my father''s men. And I would never have touched you if I had known it was your first time," Cassidy said with a sigh, at least grateful that she was talking to him now even if she was expressing her dislike and anger.

    "So it would have been okay to force yourself on me as long as I''m not a virgin?" She sniped at him angrily.

    "No, Andy! Damn it! That is not what I meant...."

    "So, what did you mean?" She asked coldly with her hand on her waist looking at him and waiting for him to give her a response.

    "I was angry that night, alright? I was bitter and sad! I was drunk and I wasn''t in my right mind. I''m not proud of my action...."

    "Yet, you repeated it," she said, reminding him of the subsequent times he had her.

    "Alright. I admit it, I went about it all the wrong way. I felt responsible for you and...."

    Andy scoffed in disbelief, "It''s astounding how you can look so smart yet manage toe up with something so ridiculously foolish. You felt responsible for me? And the way to express that was by making me your personal whore?"

    "I was drawn to you, Andy. And I thought it was mutual since I made sure to give back as much pleasure as I took," Cassidy said, and Andy shook her head.

    "You are mistaken if you think it was ever about the pleasure for me. I only tried to find what pleasure I could get out of the whole exercise because that was the only way I could endure it. Do you have any idea how humiliating each experience was? How much I would scrub my body after each experience and sit under the shower to cry because I felt ashamed and disgusted with myself? I may have let you have your way with me, but I loathed you every bit as much as I loathed every person that Jero passed me to. You are no different from them or Jero," Andy said, and Cassidy nodded.

    "I despise you more than you can ever imagine Do not be deceived, Cassidy. You are nothing but a rapist, a beast, and a murderer."

    Cassidy ignored the insults. He couldn''t get mad at her for calling him those names. He had forced himself on her. And thanks to his father he had be a beast and a murderer, so she had every reason to see him in that light.

    "That is fair. I deserve all of that," he said and without another word to her, he turned around and walked away from there, giving her the space she needed.

    She could hate him all she wanted, she had every right to do so considering what he had done, but he wasn''t going to let her leave. At least not yet. He needed her help. He was going to keep his hands to himself and stay away from her if that was what she wanted, but he was not going to let her go.

 Chapter 556 Annoyingly Nosy

    While Bryan, Mia, and Jeff met with Harry''s secretary to discuss Harry''s n for their office space, Sonia and Jade decided to stay back in Lucy''s office.

    Once they walked into Lucy''s office, Sonia took Lucy''s seat behind the desk and arranged her stuff on the desk while Jade sat opposite her.

    "So, your grandfather, what is he like?" Sonia asked conversationally.

    "What is my grandfather like?"Jade asked herself with a thoughtful smile.

    "I''m not sure I can exactly describe him. He is loving. I mean, in his own way. He is just one of those people that believe he is made for a greater purpose. And maybe if he didn''t marry myte grandmother when he did, he probably would never have gotten married. What am I saying? Not probably. He would never have gotten married had he ''discovered himself'' as he likes to call it, earlier," Jade said, while Sonia looked at her, not sure she understood what Jade meant.

    "What do you mean?"

    "He lives for people. He doesn''t believe he was made to merely be a family man. He is a good man, well-loved by all as you must know already. His only shoring as far as my dad is concerned is that he is there for everyone but his own son," Jade exined.

    "Oh! I think I get it now," Sonia said with a nod when she remembered what Bryan had told her about Desmond being resentful of his father''s office.

    "Bryan told me about your dad''s awkward rtionship with him. So where does he live and howe you haven''t seen him in years?" Sonia asked as she opened Lucy''s drawers and snooped through them.

    "Despite his age, he does a lot of traveling. As you must know he is a travel writer. He advocates through writing about the ces he has been to and the needs of the people in those ces. He draws the attention of phnthropists and the government of those ces to them. So it''s hard to see him. We barely have the time to visit our parents who are within the country how much more our grandfather who is always traveling about," Jade said reasonably.

    "He is cool and can be annoyingly nosy when he wants to be, so brace yourself. I''m sure he knows a lot about you already," Jade said, and Sonia raised a brow.

    "Bryan told him about me?"

    "We don''t have to tell him anything for him to know. I just mentioned that he can be annoyingly nosy remember?" Jade reminded her.

    "I will keep that in mind," Sonia said distractedly as she took out Lucy''s journal which was on top of the other documents in her top drawer.

    "I just realized I haven''t gotten Lucy a gift for her birthday this year. I got Lucy a set of this pocket-sized journal for her birthdayst year. She has a thing for pretty journals," Sonia said with a small smile as she opened the journal.

    "Are you allowed to look into her journal? I mean, isn''t it sort of like invading her privacy?" Jade asked with a slightly raised brow.

    "She lets me read her journals. She doesn''t write her thoughts, it mostly contains her ns and schedules and this," Sonia said with a grin as she shed Jade the to-do list Lucy had made on her birthday.

    "This was the night she met Tom," Sonia exined, and Jade raised a brow as she took a closer look at the list.

    "Are these items on the list supposed to be a big deal?" Jade asked in confused amusement.

    Dressing sexily, wearing contact lenses, going to a club, having a double martini, and even a one-night stand didn''t seem like a big deal to her.

    Maybe the one-night stand was, but every other thing there was something people did every day.

    Sonia smiled, "For Lucy? Yep. Every item on this list is a big deal for Lucy. You have no idea how excited I was when she told me about it."

    "How can wearing a sexy dress or contact lenses be a big deal?" Jade asked incredulously.

    "She was always so decently dressed after the incident with Jamie. It was almost as though she was ashamed to reveal her body. She said stepping out without her sses made her feel exposed like she was naked and everyone could see her. She hides behind her sses."

    "Okay. I get that. But what about the alcohol? I mean how can she have never had alcohol or been to a club at her age?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Sonia shook her head, "Lucy has had alcohol, not just a double martini. Before the incident with Jamie, she used to be so much fun to be with, and very outgoing. We had a lot of ns for college. You know; boys, parties, clubs, and all that stuff teenage girls like to imagine. But after that incident, she sort of closed up. She hardly ever wanted to step out of the house. At first, she would sometimes have panic attacks in public, scared that someone was watching her or stalking her. And to make matters worse, she didn''t talk much. Not about what happened or anything else. I could be with her chattering all day but she would only say a word or two. I could say that incident sort of rewired her," Sonia said with a shake of her head and smiled as she blinked back the tears that had gathered in her eyes.

    "As it would anyone," Jade said, feeling teary herself.

    "That must have been tough on you. Watching your best friend change into a different person,"

    "Tough? That is an understatement. That had to be the worst period of my life. It was like I lost my family and best friend at the same time. All I had was her after my parents left, but she wasn''t really present. She was like an empty shell. Physically present, but her eyes were empty. I was lonely. That was how I resorted to writing," Sonia said with a sigh.

    "Anyway, going to a club was a big deal because it meant she had to summon the courage to be in a room full of strangers she did not know. Going home with a stranger was a huge risk considering her experience. Do you understand?" Sonia asked, and Jade frowned.

    "Sounds more like craziness to me. I mean that was reckless and irresponsible. She should never have gone to a club for the first time alone. What if Tom was a serial killer, a rapist, or something?" Jade asked, and Sonia shrugged.

    "Doing something crazy was the idea. She wanted to do something irrational, call it irresponsible. She had spent the years following the incident behaving very rationally and she wanted to do something out of the ordinary. Thankfully, it had a happy ending since that was how she met your brother," Sonia said with a happy smile as she flipped through the journal.

    "Did she receive therapy?" Jade asked with interest.

    "I told you she never talked about it. The interview was the first time I got the details. All attempts to make her speak with a therapist were futile. Thest therapist suggested we let her be. She needed to be willing to confront what had happened and talk for therapy to work. They wouldn''t know how to help her if they have no idea of what is wrong or how she feels," Sonia exined and Jade sighed.

    She had forgotten that Lucy was the same person who had faced such a traumatic experience. Perhaps if she remembered this often, she would be less judgemental of Lucy''s attitude of moral superiority.

    Sonia paused and narrowed her eyes when she stopped at the page Lucy had written on that morning. She had scribbled a lot of things. More like thoughts and questions.

    "What?" Jade asked when she noticed the concentration on Sonia''s face.

    Sonia shook her head as she shed her a smile, "I was just thinking of something," Sonia said as she shut the journal and returned it to the drawer, not wanting to talk to Jade about it until she was able to talk to Lucy and find out why she had scribbled control freak and therapy all over her journal.

    "So about going to crash Harry''s date...."

    "Nope. I''m not doing that anymore," Jade said, and Sonia raised a brow.

    "You''re not? Why? Because Harry said so?"

    "Not just because Harry said so. Because it would have been a terrible idea. I really don''t think I should be taking advice from you," Jade said in amusement and Sonia scowled.

    "What do you mean by that?"

    "Candace and Lucy were against the idea, but you weren''t. If I had gone ahead with it I could have caused unnecessary problems between me and Aurora, and also me and Harry," Jade said reasonably.

    "Well, it wasn''t my idea. It was yours. I was only being a supportive friend," Sonia said with displeasure.

    "Thanks. But I would rather you discourage me from doing silly things than support me next time. Take for instance, the way you encouraged me to give Harry a call yesterday. You got a point for that," Jade said with a pleasant smile and Sonia rolled her eyes.

    "Whatever. It''s your rtionship. Don''t ask for my input next time," Sonia muttered and picked up her phone when it beeped with a notification.

    She raised a brow when she realized the notification was from her menstrual tracker app and clicked on it. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw that her period was two dayste.

 Chapter 557 Exposing It All

    Outside the emergency room where Bernice was being treated, Tiffany and Anita paced to and fro as they waited to receive word from either of the doctors who were attending to her.

    Anita was yet to return Lisa''s call to inform her of what was going on. She didn''t want to rm her and get her worried until she was sure that Bernice was alright.

    How could Bernice attempt to take her life? Was any of this worth it? If she was feeling so frustrated couldn''t she have just walked out of the marriage or something? Why do something like this to herself?

    "I''m never going to forgive Benny if she dies! Never!" Tiffany blurted out as she stopped outside the door fighting back her tears.

    "Why would she do something so stupid? It''s stupid! It''s all stupid! So, what if she slept with Jackson? I would have been mad, but I would have forgiven her for it. I never would have held it against her!" Tiffany cried as she covered her face with her palm and sobbed into it.

    "She told you she had sex with your husband?" Anita asked, turning to look at Tiffany.

    "Don''t judge her, okay? You may not understand Benny, but I do. I knew how unhappy she was. I know it''s crazy for me to be defending her when she slept with my husband, but I''d rather have her alive than dead. She is my best friend!" Tiffany cried, and Anita looked at her not knowing what to say.

    "Did you go to her house to see her because you knew she was going to try to take her life?" Anita asked, and Tiffany shook her head as she sniffled.

    "No. I was actually going to yell at her and pull out her hair for doing something like that," Tiffany said as she wiped her face with her hands.

    "I wasn''t going to do it because I''m still in love with Jackson or because I''m jealous. I was going to do it because she deserves better than Jackson. Why run from Adam into the arms of a scum like Jackson when she can do better?" Tiffany asked, and Anita sighed inwardly wondering what madness had possessed everyone in her family. Well, excluding Lisa thankfully.

    Anita waited until some people who were heading in their direction had passed before she spoke again, "Seeing how you don''t have a problem with her having an affair with your scum of a husband, I guess you are also cheating on Jackson?" Anita asked, and Tiffany eyed her with displeasure for a moment.

    "You can judge us all you want, but you would never understand what it means to walk in our shoes," Tiffany said, and Anita scoffed.

    "Your shoes? Why aren''t you taking off the damn shoes if it hurts so much?" Anita asked, feeling both disgusted and disappointed.

    She wasn''t sure she could judge or me Tiffany and Bernice since she might have ended up exactly like them if she had not paid heed to Lisa''s words or overheard the conversation between their mother and Bernice.

    "Easy for you to say. Why don''t you wait until you are married? And then you can find the answer for yourself?"

    "Married? I''d rather die single than end up like the lot of you," Anita spat out with disgust, but Tiffany ignored her and nced at her wristwatch instead.

    "Why isn''t mother or Adam here yet?" Tiffany murmured with a sigh as she looked around for somewhere to sit since her feet were beginning to ache and she was tired of talking with Anita.

    "You called them?" Anita asked, and Tiffany looked at her like she was being ridiculous.

    "I texted them on our way to the hospital. Am I not supposed to let her husband know where she is? And shouldn''t mother know...."

    "No! You shouldn''t have! Why would you tell her stupid husband anything? Does he look like he cares about her? I told you not to get mother involved either! Are you just dumb or stupid?!" Anita snapped at her.

    "Watch your tone, Anita! You are the one being stupid right now. Both mother and Adam has every right to know...."

    "NO, THEY DON''T! Not when they are the reason she almost took her life!" Anita hissed at her.

    "Don''t be ridiculous!"

    "What do you mean by that?" Rebekah, who had just arrived asked, and Anita turned to look at her.

    "You don''t know? Do you really not know what I mean? You have to be even more shameless than I thought for you to show your face here," Anita said, shocking both Rebekah and Tiffany.

    "Don''t you dare speak to mother in such a disrespectful tone! What has got into you?" Tiffany asked in dismay.

    "I see you have spent too much time in Lisa''spany and you havepletely lost your manners," Rebekah said with disapproval.

    "Lisa is definitely the one influencing her negatively," Tiffany said, and Anita snorted.

    "I''d rather be influenced by Lisa, than either of you," Anita said, and Rebekah looked away from her to Tiffany.

    "Did Bernice tell you why she tried to take her life? Did she leave a note?" Rebekah asked ignoring Anita.

    "Don''t you know why already? Or are you asking merely because you are scared she must have tried to expose you?" Anita asked, and Tiffany red at her, while Rebekah looked at her, wondering if she knew anything and how much she knew.

    "What is your problem? Why do you keep attacking mother? Is it because she said you are no longer wee on Eric''s show?" Tiffany asked angrily.

    "Why don''t you ask your mother why Bernice attempted to take her life?" Anita asked, and Tiffany looked at her like she was mad.

    "Are you stupid? What has that got to do with mother? I already told you the reason...."

    "What reason?" Rebekah cut in before Tiffany could finish.

    "Go on and tell her," Anita urged Tiffany.

    Tiffany red at Anita, not wanting to tell their mother about Bernice''s mistake. Their mother would be mad and disappointed with Bernice if she found out that Bernice had done something so immoral, especially with her husband.

    Thankfully, Tiffany didn''t have to answer because her phone started ringing and she received the call when she saw it was her husband.

    Tiffany moved away from her mother and Anita, "Hey, babe!" She greeted, soundingpletely normal like nothing was wrong.<novelnext></novelnext>

    There was no reason for her to fight with her husband because he had slept with her sister. That would be unnecessary since Bernice wasn''t the first woman neither would she be thest woman Jackson was having an affair with since they got married. She was past caring now.

    She wasn''t mad at Jackson in the same way she wasn''t mad at Bernice. As far as she was concerned they were both in an open marriage now and were free to do whatever they pleased to whoever they pleased.

    "I stopped by the house to pick up some documents and I was told you left to visit Bernice. Is she alright?" Jackson asked, trying not to sound very worried since he had been worried about Bernice all night and all morning because her number was not connecting and she wasn''t responding to his tests.

    "No, she is not fine. She attempted to take her life and is in the hospital right now," Tiffany said, and Jackson''s heart skipped a beat.

    "She did what? What is the name of the hospital?" He asked, sounding very worried now, and Tiffany tried not to be affected by how worried he was sounding as she gave him the direction to the hospital.

    Rebekah on the other hand who had moved away from Anita, dialed Adam''s line, "Why are you not in the hospital?" She hissed at him immediately after he received her call.

    "I have work to do," Adam said quietly.

    "What work could be more important than your wife''s life? Set aside whatever you''re doing ande here...."

    "Is that necessary? She knows now that I''m in love with you and not her. There is no reason for me to pretend to be a doting husband. Bernice is just doing this to get our attention. She is an attention seeker, and if she really meant to take her life she would never have been found until she was dead," Adam said reasonably and Rebekah gritted her teeth.

    "Quit speaking like a fool ande here right away, else whatever is between us is over! You hear me?" Rebekah threatened and hung up.

    She was slightly startled when she turned and saw Anita standing beside her, "What are you doing? Were you eavesdropping on my call?" She asked, trying not to look flustered.

    "Yes, I was. I suppose that was Adam?" Anita asked even if she already knew.

    "What has gotten over you?" Rebekah asked Anita just as Tiffany joined them.

    Anita shook her head, "Nothing. I''ve just seen you for what you are. A shameless old slut," Anita said and caught Rebekah''s hand before she could hit her.

    "Don''t you dare!" Anita warned as she held on firmly to Rebekah''s arm.

    "What are you both doing? People are watching," Tiffany muttered under her breath when she noticed the curious gazes being directed at them, and Anita let go of her mother''s hand.

    "Don''t you ever try to raise your filthy hand on me again," Anita warned her harshly.

    "Anita, I think you should leave. I will stay back to make sure Bernice is fine," Tiffany suggested, wanting Anita to leave so she wouldn''t keep picking a fight with her and their mother.

    "No. I think you and mother should leave instead," Anita said, and Tiffany scowled.

    "Don''t be ridiculous. You have to be at the office," Tiffany reminded her.

    "No, I don''t. I submitted my resignation letter already....."

    "You did what?" Rebekah asked angrily.

    "....I''m not leaving. I can''t trust her not to try to hurt Bernice," Anita said, and Rebekah red at her.

    "What do you mean by that? You have made quite a number of insinuations in thest couple of minutes. Do you care to share what you mean?" Tiffany asked with a displeased frown.

    "Bernice confessed to Tiffany that she has been having an affair with her husband," Anita informed Rebekah and didn''t miss the surprise that flickered through her eyes.

    "Is that true?" Rebekah asked Tiffany who was ring at Anita for being a loudmouth.

    "Mother, please don''t be mad. Don''t be too hard on Bernice...." Tiffany stopped talking when Anita suddenlyughed dryly.

    "Oh, Tiffany! You don''t have to exin to mother. She is aware of it already and she understands perfectly what Bernice did," Anita said, and Tiffany looked from Anita to their mother in confusion.

    "How can you say mother is aware? That doesn''t make any sense," Tiffany said with a shake of her head, not believing Anita.

    "Anita," Rebekah called in a warning tone, but Anita ignored her.

    "Oh, yes! She is aware, and she sees nothing wrong with it because she is also having an affair with Adam, Bernice''s husband," Anita revealed, shocking Tiffany whose lips fell open in surprise, while Rebekah tried to maintain a nk expression.

    "What are you talking about? Mother, what is she talking about?" Tiffany asked Rebekah who was looking at Anita with so much anger in her eyes.

    "Don''t ask me such senseless questions, and quit listening to the nonsense she is saying. She doesn''t know what she is talking about...."

    "Is it really nonsense? Are you sure I don''t know what I''m talking about? Cause Bernice may not have left a suicide letter but I did overhear your conversation in the guest room yesterday," Anita revealed, and Rebekah''s brows pulled together.

    "What conversation are you talking about?" Tiffany asked Anita, unable to wrap her head around the fact that their mother was having an affair with Adam.

    "Your precious Mother is Adam''s lover. Bernice confronted her, and she threatened and ckmailed Bernice into not doing anything about her affair with Adam, that was the reason Bernice was out of sorts yesterday, and that is the reason she tried to kill herself after telling you the truth!" Anita informed Tiffany before turning to their mother.

    "The truth is out in the open now, you have nothing more to use against Bernice. You almost killed her, but I won''t let you have your way anymore. You''ve done enough harm to us in the name of wanting what''s best for us," Anita said, while Tiffany remained where she stood lost for words as she stared from Anita to their mother.

 Chapter 558 Take Your Own Advice

    The moment the general meeting came to an end, Lucy stood up and quickly headed for the door with her stuff. This had to be the longest meeting she had ever attended in her entire life.

    She had felt awkward for most of it since even though she had kept her head down she had met Tom''s gaze each time she looked up, and had once caught Tom''s grandfather staring at her, and when their eyes met, he had grinned.

    "Why are you in so much of a hurry to leave, cousin?" Harry asked as he blocked Lucy''s path.

    "Who are you running from?" Harry asked, giving her a knowing look. He had hurried after her the moment he saw her head for the door.

    Lucy shed him a quick smile, "Sonia is waiting in my office," she said, wanting to be out of there before Tom and his grandfather would get to the door.

    "So, you are in a hurry to go meet Sonia and it''s not just because you are avoiding me or your boyfriend?" Harry asked, and Lucy looked at him, wondering if Tom had told him anything.

    "Why will I avoid either of you?" Lucy asked, choosing to y the innocent card.

    Harry grinned, choosing to indulge her, "Well, I will speak for myself. After your drunken dramast night��." Harry let the rest of his words trail off when Lucy blushed.

    "About that. I''m sorry," she said, and Harry chuckled.

    "It''s fine. Don''t you want to say hello to Tom''s grandfather? I think you should do so before leaving," Harry suggested, and Lucy looked at him, unsure if it was okay to do so.

    "Even strangers are saying hello to him, shouldn''t his grandson''s girlfriend do the same? You would embarrass Tom and give everyone the wrong idea if you don''t greet him. Come say hello to him. I''m sure Sonia can wait or you both can just meet up at home," Harry said, and before Lucy could protest he took her hand and led her back into the hall where some of the shareholders were still gathered around Tom and his grandfather.

    Once Tom saw the both of them at the door, Harry signaled to him toe over, and Tom excused himself from his grandfather''s side and went to meet them.

    "Your boyfriend is here, he should do the honors of taking you to his grandfather while I return an important phone call," Harry said as he let go of Lucy''s arm and winked at Tom before walking away.

    Standing alone now, Tom looked at Lucy while she looked everywhere else but at him, "Let''s go," Tom said and started to walk away when he noticed she seemed to be maintaining her earlier annoyed stance, while Lucy looked at him.

    "Are you mad at me?" Lucy asked with a frown as she followed him, but Tom said nothing.

    "Tom, why��."

    Tom turned to look at her, "Not now, Lucy. I''m really not in the mood to argue with you. I will introduce you to my grandfather and you can go back to your office as you were in a hurry to do earlier," Tom said, and Lucy sighed inwardly as she followed him.

    Cora who had been standing with the other directors who had gathered around Tom''s grandfather, to introduce themselves to him and snap pictures with him, didn''t miss the awkward tension between Tom and Lucy as they approached.

    As a matter of fact, she had noticed that there was no form ofmunication between them during the meeting and Lucy had kept her head down for most of the time, and had only spoken when she gave the report on her department. It seemed like there was trouble in paradise, she mused. She hoped so.

    "Atst! The beautifuldy whose greeting I''ve been waiting for this whole time. Were you going to leave without saying hello to me?" Lawrence eximed when he sighted Lucy, and he beamed a smile at her.

    Lucy tried not to stiffen visibly when all eyes turned to her, and she forced a smile, "I''m sorry. I noticed the crowd and didn''t want to be a bother," she said apologetically as she stopped in front of him, and he waved off her excuse.

    "When did a simple hello be a bother? Since it''s still work hours I won''t bother you. We can get to know each other better during dinner," He suggested, and Lucy looked at Tom.

    "Dinner?"

    "Yes. I''m having dinner with the family tonight. I should leave now so you both can get back to work. Why don''t you both see me off," Lawrence answered before Tom could, and Tom led him out of the conference hall while Lucy followed behind.

    Once they had seen the old man off to his car and he had left, Tom turned to return inside without saying a word to Lucy and she followed him.

    Tom pretended not to notice she was following him until they both got into the elevator and she pressed the button for his floor.

    "I think we need to talk."

    "Do we?" Tom asked with disinterest.

    "I''m not a control freak��."

    "I''m busy, Lucy. I have a lot of things to take care of. I can''t talk about that right now," Tom cut in simply, making it clear he was no longer interested in the subject.

    Lucy frowned, "Why are you mad at me? You are the one who called me names. I''m the one who should be upset not you," Lucy said defensively.

    "I don''t remember saying I''m mad at you or stopping you from being upset, did I?" Tom asked, feeling both annoyed and irritated by the fact that she was holding on to the im that he called her names.

    "But you��."

    "You should go back to your office, Lucy. I''m busy," Tom said when the elevator stopped at his floor and he walked out without looking back.

    Lucy stepped out with him, "Tom��."

    "Can you just let me be?" Tom snapped at her as he turned to look at her, startling her.

    "I want to be left alone. Please, let me be. It doesn''t always have to be about you, does it? I was trying to have a reasonable conversation with you this morning and you picked offense. That is fine by me, but don''t expect that I will put a long list of things I''m supposed to attend to right now on hold just to entertain whatever tantrum you want to throw. I''m sure you have stuff to do in your office, get to it while I take care of mine," Tom said, and walked away, leaving behind a stunned Lucy.

    As much as he did not like to talk to her in such a harsh manner, his head was throbbing and he was short on temper. He knew without a doubt that they were going to argue some more if he entertained the discussion right now, and he really wasn''t in the mood for it. He had a lot on his te that he needed to take care of.

    As he walked into his office, he was surprised to find Bryan seated there, "Where is grandfather?" Bryan asked when Tom shut the door behind him.

    "He just left. When did you get here?" Tom asked, but Bryan was frowning.

    "He left already? I expected��."

    "He will be having dinner with the rest of the family tonight," Tom informed him.

    "Oh! That''s great then. Much better than meeting him in such a formal setting. How did he look? Is he okay? Why did he decide toe here all of a sudden? Did he inform you beforeing?" Bryan asked curiously.

    "He looked okay, but I don''t know. You can direct the rest of your questions to him when you meet him. I should probably call Mom to inform dad and Samantha about dinner," Tom said as he took out his phone and dialed his mother''s line.

    Once he was done with the phone call he sat behind his desk and faced Bryan who was watching him spectively, "Why are you staring at me in that manner?"

    "Are you okay? Did the meeting not go as nned? You look and sound pissed," Bryan observed as he watched Tom.

    "I''m just having a bad day I guess," Tom said with a sigh as he wiped his face with his hands.

    "Sorry about that. Do you want to talk about it?" Bryan asked, and Tom shook his head.

    "I can handle it. What are you here for?" He asked as he rose to go take another pain relief for his throbbing headache.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I came in with Jeff and Mia to check out our office space��."

    Tom stopped by the doorway of the office bedroom, "About that, You can make do with whatever little space you get for the time being. There should be no major move until I''m done with Golden Star," Tom said, and Bryan raised a brow.

    "What do you mean?"

    "The space left within this building wouldn''t berge enough to house an entertainment agency. I was going to purchase another building, but I don''t think it will be a bad idea to take over Golden Star Entertainment instead," Tom said, confident in his ability to take over the agency.

    Bryan smiled, "I was hoping you would make such a move. I got some shares," Bryan said, and Tom nodded, impressed with his smart thinking.

    "Good. I will let you know when I need them," Tom said before walking into the bedroom to get himself medicine for his head.

    "How is the n for Anita and her familying? I heard about the incident that took ce at the spa yesterday," Bryan said when Tom joined him again.

    Tom sighed, "I thought it was all under control, but now I''m not so sure," Tom admitted as he told Bryan about his ns and the recent developments in the Miller family.

    "Wow! That''s a lot," Bryan said, and neither of them said anything for a minute until the door opened and Jade walked in.

    She had left Lucy''s office the moment Lucy returned and said the meeting was over. At first, she had been in a hurry to go see her grandfather but after Lucy informed her the old man had left, she decided to go see Harry instead.

    "Lucy says we are having dinner with grandfather?" Jade asked, and Bryan gave her a nod.

    "Yeah. Where is Sonia?" Bryan asked curiously.

    "I left her with Lucy. Why is Harry not in his office? Did he leave for another meeting?" Jade asked Tom.

    "Shouldn''t you have asked his secretary?" Tom asked, and Jade raised a brow at Tom''s terse tone.

    "Well, his secretary asked me to check your office. I will just give him a call," Jade said, and looked at Bryan with questioning eyes, wanting to know if everything was fine, and when he gave her a nod she sashayed away.

    Away from there inside Lucy''s office, Sonia tried to put aside what was bothering her and faced Lucy, "Is everything alright?" Sonia asked, and Lucy sighed.

    "I don''t know. Tom is acting weird," She said with a frown.

    "Weird? In what way?" Sonia asked, and she shrugged.

    "I was trying to speak with him just now and he snapped at me. He asked me to leave him alone," Lucy said with a worried frown, and Sonia raised a brow.

    "Why? Did something happen at the meeting to annoy him?" Sonia asked with concern.

    "It''s not that. We sought of had a misunderstanding earlier this morning and I got mad at him for calling me a control freak and saying I needed therapy," Lucy exined, and Sonia nodded thoughtfully.

    That at least exined what she had read in Lucy''s journal, "I see. And I suppose you don''t agree with him?" Sonia asked, and Lucy raised a brow.

    "Do you?"

    "This is not about me. It''s about you," Sonia pointed out defensively.

    "And I''m asking you. Do you agree with Tom? Do you also think I''m a control freak?" Lucy asked, and Sonia licked her upper lip as she tried to find the right words to answer the question.

    "Well, it depends on what you think being a control freak means," Sonia said, and Lucy looked at her, trying to fight her annoyance. She could tell that Sonia was trying to evade the question in the same way Lucas had tried.

    "If I remember correctly. Just two days ago, you asked me this same question and I gave you a direct answer without beating around the bush," Lucy said stiffly, and Sonia sighed.

    "Alright. If by control freak you mean hating change and always wanting things to go your way, then yes. You are like that most of the time. Although you don''t do it so aggressively and I don''t think you do it deliberately sometimes, but you do it. You get upset when you are criticized or told a bitter truth, but you have no problem with criticizing others or telling them the truth. You love to stick to your principles and expect everyone to do the same. You prefer to do things yourself because you believe no one can do what you do better than you. You get visibly upset when you feel like things are not going your way or everything is changing."

    "So you also think I''m a control freak," Lucy murmured as tears gathered in her eyes.

    "That doesn''t mean you are a bad person," Sonia assured her.

    "How do any of these character ws you listed not make me a bad person?" She asked, and Sonia''s brows pulled together.

    "You see why I didn''t want to answer your question? Now you are upset," Sonia said, and Lucy shook her head.

    "I''m not."

    "Yes, you are. I think you need to give yourself a break. You are not perfect, Lucy. You can''t be, even if you try," Sonia said as she rose from her seat to go sit on the edge of the desk beside Lucy.

    "Why didn''t you ever say anything?" Lucy asked with a frown.

    "The same reason I''m sure you were tolerating my attitude all these years too I guess? I suppose we were able to stand each other''s attitude because we love each other and it wasn''t toxic or harmful to us and we both respected each other''s boundaries well enough. But things are different now that we have these men in our lives," Sonia said with a shrug and Lucy sighed.

    "Do you think Tom is right, and maybe that is why I''m scared to get married? Do you think it''s all rted to what happened?" Lucy asked with a frown.

    "Why don''t you tell me about your conversation and exactly what led to Tom saying that and I can give you my honest opinion?" Sonia suggested.

    Sonia listened as Lucy gave her every single detail of her conversation with Tom, and when she was done Sonia sighed. She could see Tom''s point, but she knew better than to jump on it and say she agreed with Tom.

    "How do you really feel whenever you think about getting married and having kids?" Sonia asked, and Lucy shook her head.

    "Anxious? The thought of it is like a weight on my chest and I can''t breathe," Lucy said, and Sonia nodded.

    "Was that the way you felt before? I mean before the incident?" Sonia asked, and Lucy considered it for a moment.

    "If I remember correctly, thest time we had this conversation right here in your office (chapter 303) you mentioned that what happened contributed greatly to your conviction of not wanting a man in your life. I think it might all be rted. Your need for control, your fear of marriage and kids. Let''s look at it this way. You had no control over what happened to you. It was a very terrible and traumatizing experience, and so now you desperately crave control over your life because that is the only way you can ensure that nothing goes wrong for you ever again. You don''t want anything that might threaten what little control you have over your life and that includes getting married and having kids. Maybe you are scared that you haven''t got your life in order and thest thing you want is to bring anything unpredictable into the picture. And maybe a part of you sympathizes with your parents and you don''t want to ever have to go through what they did as parents seeing their daughter that way," Sonia said reasonably.

    "I don''t know," Lucy said with a shake of her head.

    "True. And we would never know for sure if you don''t go for therapy��."

    "But I don''t need��."

    "No, buts Lu. We''ve had this conversation several times over the years, and I know Lucas has tried to convince you about therapy too. Maybe you should take your own advice. Put yourself and your fears aside and think about everything from Tom''s perspective this time. Think about your rtionship with Tom and how much effort he has put into chasing you from the very beginning and trying to make things work between you both, and thenpare it with how much effort you have put in. Is he really asking for too much? Is asking you to do this for yourself such a big deal? You told me that if I value what I have with Bryan, I would learn to make some changes and be the kind of person he wants me to be for him. (Chapter 506) YOU TOLD ME SO. You said there was no harm in learning to be the kind of person my partner wants. You said you love Tom and you are learning different ways to show him that. It seems to me that you are not learning the really important things he needs you to learn. So maybe this time you need to think about everything from Tom''s perspective and really hear what he is saying instead of trying to pick a fight with him for telling you the truth. Tom loves you, of that I''m sure. If you love him and value your rtionship, you would do what he is asking. It''s for you. And I would love nothing better than for you to receive therapy. I''m sure your parents and Lucas would love that too. If you won''t do it for yourself, at least do it for the sake of those of us who really care about you," Sonia pleaded, and Lucy sighed in resignation.

 Chapter 559 Professional Distraction

    "Jonas!" Jade called out in a loud voice when she sighted Harry from afar off heading for the cafeteria, causing heads to turn in both hers and Harry''s direction.

    Harry turned when he heard her voice, and even though he didn''t like that she called him in such a manner within thepany, thereby drawing attention to them both, he didn''t let it show on his face.

    His heart fluttered when he saw the wide smile on her face as she hurried to catch up with him, and he smiled at her, remembering thest time she had been there and how she had bothered him.

    She was dressed simply in a red shirt that was tucked into blue jeans, and she had on a white pair of low ts, "I''ve been searching all over for you," Jade said breathlessly when she stopped in front of him.

    "You could have just called," Harry pointed out as he looked at her, his gaze softening as he watched her.

    "Well, I did, but your line was busy. So I decided to ask around if anyone had seen you leaving," Jade said as she beamed a smile at him. Although she wanted to embrace him and touch him, she knew Harry wouldn''t want her to do that. At least not here. Not yet.

    "You look lovely," Harry observed, and her face glowed with pleasure.

    "Thanks."

    "You managed to draw the attention of everyone to us," Harry said, and she smiled apologetically when she noticed that most of the people around were trying hard not to stare directly at them.

    "Sorry. But I''m sure looking from the side, they would most likely think of me more like a stubborn kid sister that likes to follow you about. You know, your best friend''s kid sister is your kid sister kind of thought," Jade said, and Harry scowled.

    "You are not my kid sister. And thankfully there is nothing brotherly about my feelings for you," Harry said, and Jade grinned.

    "ording to Tom, you imed I was," Jade teased him as she poked his arm yfully.

    "You were the one who first said you had motherly and sisterly instincts towards me (chapter 251)," Harry reminded her, and she frowned.

    "I did? When?" Jade asked, and Harry raised a brow.

    "You can''t remember saying that to me at the suite? While we were watching Lucy''s interview?" Harry reminded her, and she giggled when she remembered.

    "Well, you were the one who showed up at my door and asked me to assume you are my brother (chapter 161)," she reminded him.

    "I asked you to ASSUME so if it would make you feel better not take me as one. And just so you know hearing you talk about your motherly and sisterly instinct towards me was very annoying," Harry said, and Jade giggled.

    "The same way introducing me as your little friend (chapter 286) was annoying," Jade said, and Harry chuckled.

    "Alright, I guess we are even. Let''s just agree from here on out that there is nothing motherly or sisterly about your feelingsfor me," Harry said, and Jade extended a hand.

    "As long as there is nothing unclely or brotherly about yours for me too, we have a deal. Cause that would make the thoughts I have of you incestous," Jade said with a wink and Harry chuckled as he shook her hand.

    "What are you here to do anyway? Want to grab something to eat?" Jade asked curiously as she looked behind him into the cafeteria.

    "Oh, right!" Harry said as he turned back to look into the cafeteria. For a moment he had almost forgotten he was there to find someone.

    That was exactly the kind of effect Jade had on him. She made him forget everything and everyone else. Having her working with him in the same building would be trouble for him, Harry thought, and then reminded himself that he had offered her the job himself.

    He missed her whenever she wasn''t with him and was distracted by her whenever he was in herpany. He was just going to have to learn to live with the knowledge that having Jade in his life was going toe with a lot of professional distractions, and he needed to discipline himself not to entirely forget himself especially within thepany.

    "I wanted to see the President of the airline. He is having lunch here. Are you in a hurry?" Harry asked, and Jade shook her head.

    "Not at all."

    He gave her a nod, "Good. Why don''t you wait in my office?" Harry asked as he nced at his wristwatch, "I will join you soon," he said, and Jade shed him a smile.

    "Sure," she said with a wave before walking away.

    Harry smiled as he watched her back knowing she was most likely going to turn before taking the bend, and just as he expected, she did, and he winked at her, making her giggle.

    Harry caught himself smiling and sighed to himself. He couldn''t even control his emotion in public anymore. He was certain that anyone with eyes could guess something was up between them. He only needed to look at the surprised look on the faces of some of the staff who had seen him wink at Jade to know that the whole building would be buzzing with news of their rtionship soon.

    Harry sent them a re and immediately they turned away their faces. Harry maintained a straight face as he walked into the cafeteria, and stopped at the man''s table, who he hade to see, "Can we talk?"

    The man rose, "I would havee to your office if you had sent for me," He said, feeling ufortable that Harry hade there for his sake.

    "It''s more a personal matter than an official one," Harry said as he gestured to the man''s seat for him to sit down, before sitting down as well.

    "I won''t take too much of your time. I was expecting you toe with Director Anita Miller. Why did youe with a different director?" Harry asked curiously.

    "She wasn''t feeling well, so she asked that I go with someone else," the man said, and Harry looked at him thoughtfully.

    "She did? I guess it''s for the best. I want to know more about her. How has been her performancetely? And what are your observations?" Harry asked, startling the man who had been expecting anything else but that.

    "I beg your pardon?" he asked, wondering if Anita might have said or done anything to show Harry that she was no longer interested in the airline.

    "I want her fired, but unlike me, Mr. Hank doesn''t want to fire her based on personal reasons. He wants her to quit on her own. She gets on my nerves and I''m not sure I can wait for her to do so. I need a professional reason to fire her," Harry said honestly, having no problem with admitting that he was willing to do something Tom wasn''t willing to do.

    "She actually submitted her resignation letter this morning but I turned it down," the man confessed, wondering what Anita could have done to offend Harry.

    Although he wanted to look out for Anita, he couldn''t do that at the expense of his position. Thest thing he wanted was to get on the bad side of his new employers because of someone who didn''t really care about him.

    "She did?" Harry asked rhetorically, and the man nodded.

    "What was her reason?" Harry asked with interest. He had decided to speak with the man because he wanted to better understand what Anita was ying at, but it was beginning to look like she was really backing away.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "She didn''t give me any. She is verypetent and I honestly think it would be a shame to lose such a dedicated staff as her," the man said, feeling the need to add thest part. And he exined what he had told Anita about taking some time to rethink her decision.

    Harry nodded, "Alright then," he said as he rose, and the man looked at him in confusion wondering if that was all.

    "Alright? Do you want me to ept her resignation?" he asked, and Harry raised a brow.

    "Didn''t you say you rejected her resignation already? Let me know what she decides after now. Enjoy your meal," Harry said briskly before walking away.

    Why did it seem like Anita was having a change of heart suddenly when they were so close to punishing her already? He wasn''t sure whether to feel relieved about this new development or not. How were Tom and Lucy going to feel about it? Were they going to be willing to forgive her just like that and let it go? Well, that was dependent on whether or not she was willing to humble herself and apologize to Lucy. That would definitely determine their next course of action, Harry thought as he got into the elevator and headed for his office to meet Jade.

    Once he stepped out of the elevator, his phone started ringing and he nced at it expecting that the call was from the person who wasing over to see him, but he smirked when he noticed that the call was from Sara.

    It was great that she was calling first. Thankfully, one of his men had called to inform him that they had seen a youngdy that fit the description he had asked for. Everything was falling into ce.

    "Hello, mother!" Harry greeted pleasantly as he walked past his secretary into his office.

    Jade who had been seated on his seat behind his desk, rose once he walked into the office but Harry pressed a finger to his lips asking her to keep mute as he walked over to stand beside the window in his office instead of sitting.

    Sara tried not to wince at the way he called her mother. It made her feel old and she didn''t like it. Unfortunately, she couldn''t ask him not to call her that. At least not yet.

    "Hello! I''m not calling at the wrong time, am I?" she asked politely.

    "Not at all, mother. No time could ever be wrong to hear from you," Harry assured her sweetly.

    Mother? Why was he calling her that? Jade mused with a raised brow when she realized he was on the phone with Sara.

    "I have been able to clear my schedule. We can meet tomorrow if you are not very busy...."

    "I could never be too busy for you, mother. Text me the time and venue and I will be there," Harry assured her.

    It gave Sara so much joy to know that Harry was just as gullible as his father. The only good thing about him was that he was wealthy and wasn''t going to be dependent on her hard-earned wealth.

    "I will have my assistant text the details to you after the reservation has been made," she assured Harry before hanging up.

    "Really? Mother?" Jade asked with displeasure once Harry turned back to face her. As far as she was concerned, Sara didn''t deserve to be called that.

    "Yeah. Mother," Harry said with a nod.

    He did not call her mother because he loved to call her that, but rather he did so because he felt that was the best way to mock her. He intended to keep throwing the name in her face until he was done with her.

    "I didn''t imagine you would call her that," Jade said with disapproval, and Harry grinned.

    "I''m sure she doesn''t want me to call her that either. She wouldn''t know what hit her when I''m done. Enough about her, how is your day going? When did you get here?" Harry asked as he watched her.

    "We got here while you were in the conference room. And the day was just crawling slowly until you showed up," Jade said with a shrug.

    "I guess you are bored?" Harry asked knowingly, and Jade smiled as she gave him a nod.

    "It''s the first time I''ve been so idle in years," Jade confessed, and Harry nodded in understanding as he held out a hand to her, and she walked around the desk to go to him.

    "I think being bored is only a small price to pay for looking so well-rested, rxed, and breathtakingly beautiful, don''t you think so?" Harry asked as he took her hand and raised it to his lips making her smile.

    "Well, if you say it that way, I guess so," Jade said as Harry pulled her to himself easily and embraced her.

    "I will be meeting with Sara sometime tomorrow. And I also n to see Aurora tomorrow. I think the sooner I resolve the stuff with Aurora the earlier I can go out on a date with you," Harry said and he kissed the top of her head, making Jade sigh with contentment.

    "I guess I won''t be seeing you tomorrow then," Jade said after she pulled away from him, and Harry smiled.

    "Don''t worry, I''ll text you each time I pick up my phone," Harry promised and Jade smiled.

    "Did you see my grandfather?" Jade asked, and Harry gave her a nod before leading her to the desk.

    "Yes. He is still as formidable as ever," Harry said as he made her sit at the edge of the table and stood in front of her.

    "That''s good to know," Jade said with a small smile as she wrapped both arms around Harry''s waist and looked up at him.

    "So, about that vacation you talked about," Jade reminded Harry.

    "Yeah? What about it?" Harry asked with a grin.

    "Well, thest time we were discussing it (chapter 515), you were saying something about leaving Virgin Harry behind. You said and we can both... Then you were interrupted. What were you going to say?" Jade asked, and Harry chuckled.

    "Well, I was going to say maybe we can both...." Harry stopped when a knock sounded on the door, and heughed out loud when Jade swore loudly as she red at the door.

    "I guess it''s not something I''m meant to tell you then. I think my guests have arrived," Harry said with a grin as he stepped away from Jade and called out to his secretary toe inside.

    "I will just take my leave," Jade said grudgingly when the door opened and the secretary informed him that his guests had arrived.

    "Nah. You should stay," Harry said before giving his secretary the go-ahead to let them in.

 Chapter 560 A Fresh Start

    "Mother, I think you should leave," Tiffany said quietly, still feeling shaken by all that Anita had revealed.

    What shocked Tiffany most was the fact that their mother had known about Bernice''s affair with her husband, and didn''t do anything to stop it, but instead had used the information to ckmail Bernice into staying silent.

    Thinking of her mother as such a person sent chills down her spine. It was scary. She couldn''t imagine how Bernice must have felt not only being betrayed by her own mother but being ckmailed by her too, and being unable to do anything. The thought of it brought angry and sad tears to her eyes.

    "Don''t be ridicu...."

    "Leave!" Tiffany snapped at her. What annoyed Tiffany most was the fact that their mother still didn''t look shame-faced or remorseful about her actions.

    "You are both making a mistake. I have always only wanted the best for you. And I know you might be confused and shaken right now, and may not exactly understand...." the rest of Rebekah''s words were cut off when Tiffany shoved her away roughly.

    "Leave this moment or I won''t be held responsible for whatever happens to you. I can tolerate and forgive anything else you do, but hurting Benny to this point. To the point that she imagined that taking her own life was better than living, I don''t think I can forgive you. I will never forgive you if anything happens to her." Tiffany broke into a sob.

    "We don''t need you! Leave!" Anita spat out angrily.

    "What is going on here? Why are you treating your mother so disrespectfully?" Adam asked as he joined them, and both sisters turned to him with angry eyes.

    "You should be ashamed of yourself, Adam. I''m both disappointed and disgusted," Tiffany said as she swiped at the tears on her face.

    "I beg your pardon?" Adam asked, looking at Rebekah to exin the situation to him.

    "You wouldn''t havee to see your wife had your lover not threatened to cut ties with you, would you?" Anita asked, and surprise flickered in Adam''s eyes.

    "You should leave with your lover you shameless fool. I never should have advised Benny to go back home to you. At least Jack is a dog, but I know he would never stoop to the level of having sex with my mother...."

    "You should keep your voices down," Rebekah hissed irritably.

    "Why? Are you ashamed now? Are you concerned about your reputation? Did you think of that before indulging in such a shameful and immoral...."

    "Do not speak to your mother in that manner," Adam cut in angrily, cing a protective arm around Rebekah which she immediately shrugged off.

    "We are in love with each other and...."

    "Shut up!" Rebekah hissed under her breath, and without wasting any more time trying to talk to her daughters or Adam, she walked away from there.

    They were her daughters. They might all be upset right now but soon they would realize that they needed her more than she needed them. It was thanks to her after all that they were who they were in society and were living sofortably. They woulde back and she would make them take back their words and apologize to her.

    As Adam chased after Rebekah, he ran past Jack who immediately called to him, "Adam? How is Benny doing?" Jack asked with concern.

    "You can ask your wife," Adam said as he continued to hurry after Rebekah, leaving Jack to go into the hospital.

    "Rebekah!" Adam called as he caught up with her in front of the hospital.

    "Go back in there and stay by your wife," Rebekah hissed at him as she kept walking towards her car.

    "Don''t be ridiculous! You know I don''t care about her. Besides, now that the secret is out in the open we don''t have to hide our feelings for each other anymore," Adam said reasonably and Rebekah eyed him with annoyance, disgusted by his stupidity and clinginess.

    "And what is that supposed to mean?" Rebekah asked irritably.

    "I can divorce Benny and...."

    "And then what? Marry me? Are you that senseless? What makes you think I will ever do such a foolish thing? Now that everyone knows about it, the fun is out of it. It''s over between us," Rebekah said, leaving Adam stunned.

    "What do you mean over?" Adam asked in confusion.

    "I believe you do not expect me to break it down to you," Rebekah said as she unlocked her car but before she could open the door, Adam blocked her path.

    "It can''t be over between us, Rebekah. I won''t ept it. I would never have married Bernice in the first ce had you not gotten me drunk and made me have sex with her. I only got married to her because she got pregnant and you insisted I marry her. You are the one I''ve always been in love with, and I''m not going to let you dump me in this manner," Adam said angrily and Rebekah scoffed.

    "I am Rebekah Miller. When I say it is over, it is over. Quit making a fool of yourself, Adam," Rebekah advised as she sidestepped him and got into her car.

    Adam stepped away from the car and watched as she drove off. Once her car disappeared from sight he returned inside the hospital to confront Tiffany and Anita who he believed were responsible for Rebekah''s behavior.

    As he drew closer to them, his steps faltered when he heard Anita''s words, "So, what are you here for? Are you here as Benny''s lover or as her brother-inw?"

    "Anita, please don''t do that," Tiffany said in a pleading tone while Jack looked surprised to know that Anita knew about his affair with Bernice.

    "What? You don''t want to confront him? I''m pretty sure he seduced Benny and not the other way around," Anita said, looking at Tiffany.

    "What are you talking about?" Adam asked Anita as he joined them, and Anita eyed him with disgust.

    Seeing that Anita had no intention of talking to him, he turned to Jack, "Did you screw my wife?" Adam asked Jack, wanting to believe he had heard wrong.

    "Let''s not do this here," Tiffany suggested, and Adam looked at Tiffany in disbelief.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "You knew about it? You knew your husband was fucking my wife?" Adam asked in a slightly raised voice, and Tiffany red at him.

    "In the same way you were having sex with our mother, so what?" Tiffany asked, annoyed that Adam was trying to create a scene when he was just as guilty as Bernice and Jack.

    "You were cheating on Benny with her mother? C''mon, man! That''s gross," Jack said in disgust, and Adam swung a punch at him.

    "You bastard! How dare youy your filthy hands on my wife?" Adam growled angrily, and a fight broke out between them.

    "Please don''t do this! You both need to stop!" Tiffany yelled, her face burning with embarrassment when she noticed they had gathered a small audience.

    Anita shook her head as she walked away in the same Tiffany had done to her the previous day, to find a quiet corner where she could rx and put some distance between her and them.

    She didn''t want to deal with either Jack or Adam who was embarrassing themselves. After now she was cutting them offpletely.

    Anita stopped by the reception desk to ask for directions to the hospital cafeteria or somewhere she could get something to drink. After this, she informed the nurse that some men were fighting outside the emergency theater and that security operatives should be asked to throw them out.

    After she had been able to get a cup of coffee and somewhere to sit, she decided to return Lisa''s call to inform her of all that was going on.

    She made a mental note not to make Bernice''s situation sound very bad since she knew how Lisa could be. Although Lisa didn''t like their lifestyles or get along with them, she cared about every one of them genuinely and could get really upset if she heard that Bernice had attempted to take her life.

    "Hey, Annie! I''ve been waiting for your call. Have you been able to check on Benny?" Lisa asked the moment she received the call.

    "Yes. She is fine," Anita lied and Lisa frowned.

    "She is fine? Why did she turn off her phone? Are you still there? Let me speak with her," Lisa said, and Anita sighed.

    Knowing Lisa she was going to find out the truth sooner thanter anyway. She knew Lisa would not rest until she spoke with Bernice.

    "She isn''t feeling well so we brought her to the hospital. Tiffany and I," Anita said instead.

    "She is Ill? What state was she in when you got there? What did the doctors say? What hospital? I''m sure Ron wouldn''t mind me going to see��."

    "No. That won''t be necessary. You need to rest. Don''t worry, I won''t leave her side until I''m sure she is fine. Besides, Tiffany is here, and so are Jack and Adam. Mother just left," Anita said and Lisa''s frown deepened.

    "If everyone is there, then it must be a very serious situation. I have to be there��."

    "Stay put, Lisa. There is nothing you can do here aside from worrying. Don''t stress the baby. You are better off at home, trust me," Anita said but Lisa still wasn''t convinced.

    "Are you telling me the truth, Annie? Tell me the truth. Did Adam attack her? Is she alright?" Lisa asked, unable to shake off the feeling in her gut that something was very wrong.

    "Is she conscious? The only way I will stay put is if you let me talk to her or at least send me a video," Lisa insisted stubbornly and Anita sighed. She had never been able to tell lies to Lisa sessfully, why did she think she could start now?

    "She attempted to take her life," Anita said quietly and Lisa gasped loudly.

    "She did what?" Lisa asked as she immediately got off the bed.

    "Lisa, calm down. The doctors are attending to her right now. You don''t need to be here��."

    "Calm down? How can you say that when our Benny attempted suicide and is in the hospital? I have to be there! I knew it! I knew I should have tried talking to her yesterday. We shouldn''t have left that way. Oh, God! What if something happens to her? What if she dies? I''m never going to forgive myself if she doesn''t make it," Lisa cried, and Anita sighed.

    "She is not going to die. You need to stay positive and calm down, Lisa! Think about yourself and your baby. I''m here. I will make sure that everything is fine. I promise," Anita assured her.

    "And you should probably know that I confronted mother, Adam, and Jack. Mother was unremorseful. She left. Adam and Jack were fighting a moment ago," Anita told Lisa, trying to distract her from worrying about Bernice.

    "Fighting why?" Lisa asked, and Anita exined the situation to her.

    "You shouldn''t have done that in such a public ce, Annie. What if blogs get wind of it? Benny doesn''t need any of this right now. She is only going to get more upset when she finds out it''s all out in the open," Lisa said with concern.

    "No. She is going to be relieved to know that she doesn''t have to be weighed down by such a burden anymore. She can divorce Adam now if she wants to. She doesn''t have to tolerate his bullshit anymore," Anita said in annoyance.

    "What about Tiffany? How is she taking it all?" Lisa asked in concern.

    "She is worried about Benny. Benny sent her a text to tell her about her affair with Jack before trying to take her life. Tiffany is mad at mother right now. Although I''m surprised and disappointed that she isn''t mad at Jack," Anita said and Lisa sighed.

    "She has probably resigned herself to having an open marriage. I will try to talk to her if she will listen. Listen, Annie. Let me know the moment you hear from the doctors, okay? I need to inform Ron about the developments and see if he can have someonee over to drive me down to the hospital since he doesn''t want me to take a cab," Lisa said before hanging up.

    Anita sighed as she sipped from her cup of coffee. She had always thought her life was perfect and all that was missing was a man but now she had no idea what her life was about anymore.

    Everything was out of ce and it was ring now that she needed to unlearn a lot of things, but she didn''t even know where to start or how to go about setting her life on the right path.

    She had a long way to go, but she was going to start by finding a way to seek Lucy''s forgiveness. She would seek Lucy''s forgiveness and then leave Ludus as she had nned. She couldn''t stay in Ludus anymore. She needed a fresh start.

 Chapter 561 Crystal

    Inside Harry''s office, he and Jade assessed the youngdy who had been found to impersonate Candace.

    Her name was Crystal, she was twenty-seven years old, she had brown eyes, and although her hair wasn''t as curly or gold as Candace''s hair, she looked beautiful and was good enough to pass as Sara''s daughter.

    She was dressed in ripped jeans trousers and a blue t-shirt on which ''I Don''t Suck Pussies'' was written on the front. Jade found it funny, but Harry thought it was crude.

    "So? What do you think?" Harry asked Jade, and she lifted a shoulder casually as he had noticed she usually did when she had something to say but didn''t want to say it at the moment.

    Jade looked at thedy instead, "How good is your acting skill?"

    "It depends on how good the pay is. I could best Angelina Jolie at the right amount," she said with a confident shrug.

    "The person you are going to meet is very deceptive herself. You can''t make mistakes," Harry said, and thedy gave him a crooked smile.

    "I con people for a living. Let me worry about her," she assured Harry, and Harry''s gaze shifted to the man who had brought her and he gave Harry a confident nod.

    "Alright then. I will get back to you. I will let you know when and where we will meet next again so we can all discuss the other details," Harry said as he and Jade saw them off to the door.

    Once Harry and Jade were left in the office, Harry turned to Jade, "Any observations?" He asked after they both sat down.

    "She doesn''t suck pussies," Jade said with a grin, and Harry scowled.

    "I can''t understand how she could wear such an outfit to a formal meeting," Harry said with a shake of his head and Jadeughed softly.

    "She seems wild. Sara deserves such a daughter. Let''s just hope she doesn''t try to con us," Jade said, and Harry nodded in agreement.

    "That''s why she will be signing a contract," Harry said, and Jade giggled.

    "You are paying her to con somebody else and you want to bind your agreement legally?" She asked in amusement.

    "For starters, I don''t think it is wrong for a con artist to con a fellow con artist. And secondly, it''s not exactly conning. She is going undercover...."

    Jade tittered withughter at that, "Undercover as Sara''s daughter?" Jade asked, and Harry nodded.

    "Yes, I don''t see why not. I''m not asking her to steal from Sara or hurt her. All I want is to know exactly what Sara wants and expose her. That''s not a crime," Harry said reasonably.

    "Well, it is. But don''t worry. I''m sure we can draft something up to keep her in check," Jade said and Harry gave her a thumbs up.

    "I knew I could count on you. By the way, it seemed like you wanted to say something earlier when I asked what you think about her," Harry said, and Jade looked at him with an unreadable expression.

    "What made you think that?"

    "Well, you sort of have this thing you do with your shoulder when there''s something on your mind but you don''t want to say it," Harry said, and Jade shook her head.

    "No, I don''t," she said and Harry nodded.

    "Yes, you do. You might not have taken note of it, but I have. Can you honestly say you didn''t think anything when I asked you that question?" Harry asked, and Jade rolled her eyes.

    "Well, I thought that making her pass as Candace isn''t a problem since Sara has no idea what Candace looks like as an adult. I mean she only had the childhood picture. But what if Sara wants a DNA test?" Jade asked, and Harry raised a brow.

    "Isn''t that the easiest part? Candace can provide the blood for that," Harry said, and Jade considered it for a moment.

    "That makes sense, but what if Sara decides to do it without her knowledge? I mean like take her hairbrush, toothbrush, or something?" Jade asked reasonably.

    "That is the reason she would have to be the first to demand a DNA test. If she asks for it first, that would throw Sara off guard, don''t you think? She wouldn''t expect a con artist to request something like that, would she?" Harry asked, and this time Jade grinned.

    "I see you''ve thought about it and covered all the bases," Jade said, and Harry nodded.

    "I always do," Harry said and took Jade''s hand.

    "Speaking about covering bases, why haven''t I kissed you today?" Harry asked as Harry rose and pulled her out of her seat making a tingle skitter up her spine.

    "Because we are in thepany I suppose?"

    "Well, I don''t see anyone here right now, do you?" Harry asked in a voice that was soft and smooth as silk as he pulled her to himself.

    Jade swallowed as she got lost in his brown eyes, "Well, maybe you are not in the mood," Jade said as she licked her dry lips.

    "I''m always in the mood to kiss you, esquire," Harry said in a husky voice as he took her lips which had parted in anticipation, and her mind went gloriously nk as her yearning for him blossomed inside her like an uncontroble me.<novelnext></novelnext>

    It seemed like no matter the number of times Harry kissed her, she could never get used to the knee-weakening effect of his lips on hers.

    If she could read Harry''s mind, she would realize that he felt the same way. Each time he kissed her felt like the first for him.

    The kiss which Harry had meant to be simple and light was anything but that. It seemed like each time he kissed her his desire for her grewrger. It was like having a sip of your favorite drink and wanting to take repeated gulps.

    ? He felt her body strain and tremble against his as she returned his kiss passionately, taking as much as she was giving with her hands buried in his hair since she didn''t want to mess up his clothes.

    Harry didn''t dare to think about what he was doing or let the fact that they were in his office bother him as he let his tongue plunge between her lips and his hands moved to cup her boobs for the first time.

    When she moaned, Harry felt his tight hold on control slip. Good God! He was losing control. It was as though an animal instinct was taking over him and he desperately wanted nothing more at that moment than to tear off her clothes and take her right there and then.

    He needed to stop. He had to stop right now else he wouldn''t be able to hold himself back anymore. Even if he was finally going to do something like this, it couldn''t be this way. Not in this ce. He didn''t want his first experience, especially his first experience with Jade to be this way. Holding to that thought, he broke this kiss.

    "Damn it, Jonas! I''m going to kill you if you stop right now!" Jade hissed, her blues eyes wild with passion, her lips red and swollen and her face flushed.

    Harry rubbed his thumb over her lower lip, "You are too sexy for my good!" Harry said huskily as he turned away from her, needing to put some distance between them.

    "You are evil and heartless," Jade hissed as she watched him go stand by the window with his back to her.

    Harry chuckled without looking back at her, d to know that he had almost as much effect on her as she had on him.

    "It''s because I have a heart that you''re not going to walk out of here with ripped clothes," Harry said, and thanks to Jade''s colorful imagination he didn''t need to exin what he meant.

    "I don''t mind such wickedness. I could always leave through Tom''s elevator or we could order some new clothes online and have them delivered to your office," Jade suggested as she sat on the edge of the table and struck a seductive pose.

    Harryughed, "We are not having this conversation, esquire. Maybe we can consider doing that in the future," Harry said as he turned to look at her when he felt he had his emotions in control once again and his hard-on had rxed.

    "In the future? Does that mean you don''t mind having sex in your office?" Jade asked curiously.

    "Am I supposed to?" Harry asked, and Jade grinned as she approached him slowly.

    "I''m d I quit my job. I''m so going to enjoy working here with you. I think I''m going to need to change my wardrobe and get more skirts and dresses for future purposes. You know, it makes the whole process easier and nothing gets in the way," Jade said with a wink as she stopped in front of him.

    Harry shook his head in amusement, "I never imagined you would be this naughty."

    "Is that apliment?" Jade asked batting hershes innocently as she used her thumb to clean off the lipstick stain around his lips.

    "I''m not sure yet."

    "Well, you will be soon enough. So about our vacation, you areing with naughty Harry, right?" Jade asked hopefully as she yed with his tie.

    "Do I have to reconsider going on a vacation with you? Why do you keep making me feel like you can''t wait to take my innocence?" Harry asked in amusement.

    "Because I can''t wait to be alone with you. I want us to get to know each other better. I want to explore your body as passionately as I explore your mind," Jade said with a flirty smile and Harry shook his head.

    "That sounds like we reversed roles. I''m supposed to be the one saying something like that," Harry said, and Jade raised a brow.

    "Do you have a problem with that?" Jade asked and Harry shook his head.

    "I''m not sure I do. But your honesty is quite disturbing right now."

    "I could lie. But you''re the one who doesn''t like games or being lied to. So you have to deal with the fact that apart from the fact that I am head over heels in love with you, I''m strongly attracted to you sexually. I didn''t ask you to be so damn hot and sexy," Jade said, and Harry groaned when she embraced him, stirring his desire once again.

    "You do something to me, esquire. I''m not quite sure I can exin it. But you make me feel all sorts of emotions," Harry said, and Jade pulled back to grin at him.

    Her breath caught and she forgot what she had been about to say when she saw the desire in his gaze.

    "Harry," She whispered, and he kissed her forehead.

    "I love you, Jade Hank. Don''t you dare doubt that or forget for a moment that I''m head over heels in love with you," Harry said, and Jade swallowed as her heart swelled with love for him and tears gathered in her eyes.

    "I don''t think I could ever get used to hearing you say that," Jade said as Harry wiped her tears.

    "I don''t think I want you to ever get used to it. I want your heart to flutter every time I say that."

 Chapter 562 Pregnancy Test Kit

    Alone in his office, Tom listened patiently to the recording which Barry had just sent him. It was the conversation between Anita and Lisa which confirmed to Tom that Anita now knew about her mother''s affair with her brother-inw and that Bernice had confessed to Tiffany.

    That at least exined the change in Anita''s attitude and why she was trying to go against their mother. Maybe she wasn''t so terrible after all.

    What Tom did not understand now was what he was supposed to do. Because from the looks of things, Rebekah Miller was the only one who was likely going to attend Eric''s Live Show since she had fallen out with her daughters.

    Tom paused when something suddenly urred to him. Eric Howell was the name of the show host. Wasn''t that also the name of his new assistant? Were they rted? Tom mused and called for his assistant.

    "Are you in any way rted to the television show host, Eric Howells?" He asked the moment his assistant walked in.

    "No, I''m not. I''m Eric Howell, and he is Eric Howells. I''m a huge fan though, but that''s as far as our rtionship goes," Eric said, and Tom nodded.

    "Alright. You may leave," Tom said dismissively and as his assistant left, Bryan stepped into the office.

    He had left a moment ago to have a word with Jeff and Mia who had called to let him know they were done with their business for the day and were leaving.

    "Is there something you need me to do at home in preparation for the dinner with grandfather?" Bryan asked as he took his seat, but Tom shook his head.

    "No. I''m sure mom would sort that out. You know how she is with him," Tom said, and Bryan chuckled.

    Of course, they all knew. If one didn''t know better one would think Lawrence Hank was Evelyn''s father and not Desmond''s since she got along with him better than Desmond did with his father.

    "Alright then. I should give Sonia and Jade a call to see if they''re ready to leave," Bryan said as he dialed Sonia''s line.

    "Sonia said Jade isn''t with them. Can you help me find out if Harry is back in his office?" Bryan asked Tom after his phone call with Sonia and Tom called Harry''s secretary to find out if Harry was back to his office.

    "Harry is in his office and so is Jade," Tom informed Bryan and he shook his head as he rose.

    "I thought as much. See youter then," Bryan said as he dialed Jade''s line and walked out of Tom''s office.

    Inside Harry''s office, Jade sighed in contentment as she stood looking outside the window with Harry standing behind her, his arms around her and his chin resting on the top of her head.

    Although they were both silent, it wasfortable and soothing. No words were needed at that moment. They both knew how they felt about each other and wanted to just enjoy their presence.

    Jade groaned and Harry''s gaze shifted to Jade''s handbag when her phone started ringing, but Jade made no move to go get it. She didn''t want this moment to end yet.

    "Aren''t you going to get that?" Harry asked, and Jade shook her head.

    "I don''t want to," Jade said, but before Harry could respond a knock sounded on the door and she red at the door.

    "Too bad," Harry said as he brushed his lips against hers before asking whoever it was toe in.

    "Why did you ignore my call?" Bryan asked Jade with a scowl as he walked in.

    "I didn''t know it was you. I wouldn''t have received it if I had known it was you either way. How did you know I was here anyway?" Jade asked with a scowl of her own.

    "Where else would you be within the building?" Bryan asked as his gaze shifted from Jade to Harry whose gaze was fixed on Jade, staring at her like he couldn''t get his fill of her.

    "What do you want?" Jade asked impatiently, wanting him to leave so she could return her attention to Harry who was yet to say a word since Bryan walked in.

    "We are leaving now. Are youing with us?" Bryan asked and Jade turned to Harry, reluctant to leave him.

    "Don''t worry, you can leave. I still have to get back to work," Harry said as he pat her hair.

    Jade sighed, "Alright. Call me when you are free to talk, okay?"

    "Sure. Take care of yourself. Text me if you need to talk and I will call you if I''m not very busy," Harry promised as he kissed her while Bryan watched them.

    Harry seemed like a different person right now. He couldn''t believe the confident man in front of him was the same Harry who had looked like he was going to pass out thest time they visited thepany and Jade clung to him.

    Once Jade stepped away from Harry and headed for the door, Harry looked at Bryan, "Did my secretary show you the office space?" Harry asked and Bryan gave him a nod.

    "Yeah. Thank you," Bryan said before following Jade who had walked past him.

    "Things seem to be progressing quite fast between you two," Bryan said when he caught up with her by the elevator.

    "Was that why you decided to interrupt?" Jade asked with an annoyed hiss.

    "If I had known you were both making out I would have left you to find your way home yourself," Bryan assured her and she scowled at him.

    "Whatever," she muttered as they got into the elevator.

    Jade turned to Bryan when she remembered that Tom had seemed to be in a bad mood earlier, "By the way, what''s up with Tom?"

    "Are you done sulking?" Bryan asked dryly and shook his head when Jade red at him.

    "He is having a bad day," Bryan said, and upon further inquiry, he exined the situation with Anita and her family to Jade which Tom had told him earlier.

    "All that happened just between yesterday and today?" Jade asked incredulously as they headed for Lucy''s office after getting out of the elevator.

    She didn''t believe that the Anita she had encountered the previous day was capable of such change within twenty-four hours. Unless of course something serious must have happened to change her heart, but Jade couldn''t think of any such thing that could lead to such a change.

    "Yeah."

    "I don''t think that is enough to put Tom in such a foul mood. I mean, I understand how this upsets his ns, but I think it''s more than that. Perhaps the meeting didn''t go well?" She asked as they walked into Lucy''s outer office.

    "Did your boyfriend seem upset about the meeting?" Bryan asked as he waved at Lucy''s teammates as they walked past them.

    Jade shook her head, "He''s not my boyfriend yet, and no, he seemed fine," Jade said, and Bryan cocked a brow.

    "Not your boyfriend yet and you''re both like that?" Bryan asked in disbelief and Jade shrugged.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "It''s hard to believe, right?" Jade said with a grin as they walked into Lucy''s office.

    "Are you ready to leave?" Bryan asked and Sonia gave him a nod as she rose while Bryan picked up herptop.

    "By the way, what is wrong with Tom? Why is he upset? Is it just because of the stuff with Anita and her family or did something else upset him at the meeting? Perhaps our grandfather said something?" Jade asked Lucy who tried not to look confused by the sudden question.

    "What stuff with Anita and her family?" Sonia asked before Lucy could ask any questions.

    "You didn''t tell her?" Jade asked, assuming that Lucy was aware of it, but from the expression on Lucy''s face, Sonia could tell that Lucy had no idea what Jade was talking about.

    "Anita''s oldest sister attempted suicide and Anita visited the foundation," Jade said and recounted all Bryan had told her he heard from Tom about Anita''s conversation with Prisci.

    Lucy listened to Jade without saying a word or revealing any emotion, and Sonia''s gaze stayed on Lucy the whole time.

    "So, do you know what''s up with Tom?" Jade asked Lucy again.

    "They had a lover''s tiff so that''s probably contributing to Tom''s foul mood," Sonia informed Jade and Bryan since she could tell that Lucy had no intention of saying anything, and saying nothing was only going to make them want to probe deeper.

    "I hope it''s nothing too serious," Jade said with concern.

    "I hope you both resolve your differences soon," Bryan said, and Lucy forced a smile.

    She hoped so too. She had decided to take Sonia''a advice and go for therapy if that was what Tom wanted. She still thought it was stupid to just sit in a room with a total stranger and share her life story with them, but if that was what Tom wanted, she could manage that for his sake.

    Sonia went around the desk and embraced Lucy. "Don''t forget all we discussed. Talk things out with Tom. When you get back from work let''s talk some more about this," Sonia whispered to Lucy before leaving with Bryan and Jade.

    As Sonia walked out of thepany with them, she tried to pay attention to Bryan''s and Jade''s conversation about Bryan''s office space but she couldn''t keep up. She had concerns of her own that were troubling her.

    She had been able to distract herself by talking with Lucy about her problem, and now she had to face hers. Her menstrual cycle of twenty-seven days had been consistent for years, so what could be wrong?

    She had always looked forward to having kids of her own, but right now she desperately hoped she wasn''t pregnant. Bryan had clearly said he wasn''t ready for them to have kids yet (chapter 422) and after their conflict, she hade to agree with him too.

    They weren''t ready for that step yet. No matter how much they loved each other, they were still getting to know each other, and having kids right now was only going toplicate their rtionship.

    She needed to get a pregnancy test strip as soon as possible and discreetly too. Discreetly because she knew that if she walked into any random store or pharmacy to get it and they recognized her as Sonia Smith, Bryan Hank''s girlfriend, that could lead to another scandal and she couldn''t afford for that to happen. She was tired of being on the blogs.

    There was only one person apart from Lucy that she could trust to do such a thing for her and that was Mia. She couldn''t ask Lucy because just like her, Lucy would be easily recognized and that would also cause trouble for her and Tom.

    "Are you okay?" Bryan asked when he noticed that Sonia was not saying anything and she had a slight frown on her face.

    Sonia forced a smile, "Yeah. Sure. I''m just trying to figure out a plot in my story," Sonia lied since that was easier than iming she was worried about Lucy. She knew where that line hadnded them thest time.

    "Do you have any idea what Lucy and Tom fought over?" Jade asked curiously.

    "It''s sort of a personal issue between them. I''m sorry, I can''t tell," Sonia said apologetically and Jade exchanged a look with Bryan both wondering how serious the issue was.

    "Did Mia and Jeff leave already?" Sonia asked, wanting to change the subject.

    "Yeah. They left a short while ago," Bryan said, wondering what was wrong with Sonia as they got into the car.

    Once they were seated in the car Sonia texted Mia, [Please, could you help me purchase a pregnancy test kit ASAP? I would do it myself if I could. You can''t tell anyone about it. Not even Bryan.]

    "Stop!" Mia ordered the cab driver who was carrying her and Jeff, immediately she saw Sonia''s text.

    "Is there a problem?" Jeff asked in rm.

    "Take us to the closest pharmacy. I need to get something," Mia told the cab driver and Jeff raised a brow.

    "Are you ill?" He asked with concern since she looked like her normal insane self.

    "It''s just a slight headache," Mia lied, and Jeff''s brows pulled together.

    "When did it start? Is it only a headache?" He asked, and Mia gave him a nod and shut her eyes pretending to rest her head so that he wouldn''t ask her any more questions.

    Once the cab stopped in front of a pharmacy Mia quickly grabbed her handbag and opened the door before Jeff could get out, "I will get it myself. You don''t have toe with me. Thanks," she assured Jeff as she hurried out to go get the test strips.

    Jeff looked at her wondering what she was up to but decided not to follow her and just let her do her thing.

    A whileter Mia returned, and Jeff looked at her as she got into the car, "Did you get the medicine?" He asked since there was nothing in her hand, and she patted her handbag.

    "Yeah. We can leave now. Thanks."

    As the cab driver parked the car in front of their shared apartment and they got out, Alicia waved Mia over.

    "Why is she always looking around the ce like a spy?" Jeff asked Mia irritably but with a smile on his face so that Alicia wouldn''t know he was speaking ill of her.

    "You can ask her that when shees over," Mia said with a sweet smile as she started to head in Alicia''s direction.

    "The key," Jeff reminded her.

    "I have no idea how long this will take. She tends to chatter a lot so get the key from my bag and help me take my bag in," Mia pleaded as she handed her handbag to Jeff, forgetting about the pregnancy test kit.

    Jeff rummaged through her handbag for the key as he walked to the door, and he paused when he noticed the pregnancy test kit in the bag alongside a bottle of acetaminophen.

    A pregnancy test kit? Was Mia pregnant? He mused as he turned to look at her with a slight frown.

    There was no way he could ask her about it unless she told him about it herself, so he was going to have to pretend like he hadn''t seen anything.

 Chapter 563 Distance Makes The Heart Grow Fonder

    Tom didn''t know how long he had spent working on the documents on his desk and reviewingpany records but he nced at his phone when it started ringing and he picked it up when he saw that it was his father, "Hey, dad!"

    "Your mother just informed me about dinner. Do you think it''s a good idea to have dinner here? I mean, Lucy''s parents are here. Are you both ready for that step yet?" Desmond asked, and Tom''s brows pulled together.

    "What step?"

    "If your grandfather meets Lucy''s family that sort of makes things more official, don''t you think? I have nothing against things being official, but I wanted to be sure that you are both ready for that step as I''m positive it mighte up in the discussion during dinner," Desmond said, and Tom sighed as he rubbed his hand over his face.

    He had not thought of that. Obviously, he had not been thinking much all day because he was in a foul mood and his head kept aching.

    "No, we are not ready for any of that. You can ask mother and Samantha to hold off on the preparations. I will make a reservation for us to have dinner at a restaurant," Tom said wearily.

    "Are you alright?" Desmond asked, not missing the weariness in Tom''s voice.

    Tom sighed, "I was going to seek your counsel on something personal after I get home from work, but maybe if you''re not too busy we can talk now since I doubt we will be able to speak in private this evening," Tom said, and Desmond nodded.

    "I''m alone, let''s talk. Is there a problem?"

    "Dad, this has to stay between us. You can''t tell mom about it," Tom said, and Desmond raised a brow.

    "Alright. What is the problem?"

    "It''s Lucy. She doesn''t want to get married and neither does she want to have kids. I think maybe her traumatic experience might still be affecting her in a way, but she doesn''t want to receive therapy. Maybe I''m the one who is making a big deal out of this, I''m not sure. I probably shouldn''t be, but I''m mad at her. I know she probably expects me to be more understanding considering how I''m the one who did everything crazy to get her, but I feel like if I keep being the understanding one and keep sacrificing all I want just to let her get everything she wants I might gradually grow to resent her even though I love her. I''m not sure I''m making sense, but I know you were in a simr situation with mom. What do you think I should do?" Tom asked, and Desmond sighed.

    "For starters, what I had with your mother ispletely different from whatever is going on between Lucy and you. Your mother wasn''t living with me, and she wasn''t even interested in any sort of rtionship with me outside of tonic friendship. Lucy on the other hand lives with you and is very much involved with you. So you see? It''s different. Secondly, I don''t think there is anything wrong with how you feel about the situation. I''m not saying this because I''m your father and I feel the need to take your side. I''m saying this because you seem to be the one willing to make all the big sacrifices in order for things to work, and any normal human would be upset by that," Desmond said, and Tom sighed.

    "What can I do? I really love her, and I don''t want to lose her. But at the same time, I don''t want to sacrifice so much for her only to end up having regrets and resenting her. I really wish she would put in a little more effort...."

    "What effort do you want her to put in?" Desmond cut in.

    "She could start by receiving therapy. I need her to work on her unhealthy desire to have so much control over her life."

    "Did you tell her that? What did she say?" Desmond asked, and Tom told Desmond all about their conversation that morning.

    Desmond sighed, "Did you suggest therapy because you believe she might change her mind on marriage and kids after doing that? What if she receives therapy and still doesn''t change her mind? Can you live with that? Do you think it will make you any less resentful when you eventually remain with her for years and see your siblings and everyone else around you get married and raise their own kids while all you have is a girlfriend and maybe a pet? Or do you want to remain with her, hoping that she would change her mind as time goes on? What if she never does?" Desmond asked, and Tom frowned.

    "You remained with mom for four years...."

    "As I clearly stated, your mom''s case was different. She wasn''t even my girlfriend. Waiting and trying to convince her for years was my choice not because she wanted me to. Lucy lives with you. She has ess to you. Why would she want marriage when she already has you this way? She isn''t scared of losing you because deep down she knows you love her and would do anything to keep her. She wants to have you and keep you all to herself without going all the way," Desmond pointed out.

    "What are you trying to say?"

    "Now I''m going to advise you as your father. I think you need to stop being so avable to her. I wasn''t this avable for your mother. I was out of the country most of the time but I tried to be there for her whenever I could. Maybe you should stop treating Lucy like a wife and giving her wife privileges. If all she wants is to be a girlfriend, then treat her like one," Desmond suggested.

    Although he knew that was sort of harsh, he believed Lucy had been pampered enough by everyone around her and it was time for them to forcefully push her out of her shell or whatever safe cocoon she had been covered in.

    "How?" Tom asked with a frown.

    "Call and text her as you should naturally. Take her out on dates when you can, but she has to return to her apartment. If you believe her apartment is her safety nest, allow her to go back to it. She should take herself to work going forward. You both don''t have to see at work every day. Make yourself scarce. Absence makes the heart grow fonder. Allow her to return to her life the way it was before she met you. That''s the only way she can find out for herself if she wants the changes thate with being with you or not," Desmond Advised.

    Tom sighed inwardly. He knew something like that would really hurt Lucy''s feelings, "Isn''t that too much?"

    "It''s not. You are not breaking up with her. You are just taking some steps backward for her to step forward and meet you halfway. It''s all psychology."

    "Alright. I get you. But I don''t think I can do that right now. Her parents are still around," Tom pointed out.

    "We will all be leaving soon, so you can wait a bit. And mind you, I''m not asking you to wait because you owe them anything. I love Andrew and his wife, but they are not your inws. I''m asking you to wait just so it doesn''t seem like you are acting out because of the misunderstanding you both had. Give it a few days, take your time to think about all I''ve said and if you are convinced it''s the right thing to do for your rtionship, you can ask her to return to her apartment," Desmond said, and Tom sighed.

    Doing that was going to be difficult since he was used to having her around and he was going to miss her, but he agreed that maybe this was what he needed to do to save whatever they had. If what they shared was important enough to Lucy, she would step forward. And if it wasn''t.... Well, he wasn''t going to think about that part.

    "Alright. I will do that. Thanks, dad," Tom said, d that he had spoken with his father about it.

    Once he hung up the call, he nced at the wall clock and sighed. It was almost time to go home and he was still not in the mood to talk to Lucy yet.

    He dialed Harry''s line, "Have you left for the meeting with the new investors for the mountainside resort?"

    "I''m about to leave. Why?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I''m going with you. I will meet you in your office right away."

    "Tom are you...." Harry sighed when he realized that Tom had hung up.

    Away from there, after much deliberation, Lucy found herself heading for thepany''s clinic thirty minutes before the close of work. She had thought long and hard whether to take thepany doctor up on his offer (chapter 155) or to give Lucas a call and have him set her up with a good therapist, but she decided that since Tom was the one insisting she goes for it, he should as well be the one to pay for it.

    Once Lucy arrived at the clinic, most of the staff greeted her politely as she walked past them, recognizing her as the CEO''s woman.

    She was ushered into the doctor''s office immediately and she didn''t waste any time telling him what she wanted.

    A few minutester she walked out of the doctor''s office with the details of two therapists, and she returned to thepany, wanting to catch Tom in his office before they left for the day.

    She believed that by now he would be done with all he had to do since it was almost time for the close of work. They needed to talk. They had to talk about the stuff she had heard from Jade about Anita''s family, and they had to resolve their misunderstanding. She didn''t want to be on bad terms with him.

    As she walked into his outer office space, she was surprised to see the young man seated there, "Hello, director Perry! I''m Eric Howell, Mr. Hank''s assistant," Eric greeted politely, recognizing Lucy as Tom''s girlfriend.

    "Oh!" Lucy eximed softly. She had forgotten that Tom''s assistant was resuming.

    "I''m here to see the CEO. Is he in?" She asked politely, and Eric shook his head, surprising her.

    "He left a moment ago. I was going toe to...."

    "He left?" Lucy asked in surprise.

    "Yes. He left for a meeting with Mr. Jonas. He instructed me to drive you home. I was just about to wrap up what I was doing ande to your office," he said apologetically, and Lucy''s heart skipped a beat.

    Was Tom so mad at her that he would leave the office without talking to her? What did she do that was so wrong? Lucy mused with a worried frown.

    "Don''t worry. I will go home myself," Lucy told Eric as she took out her phone from her handbag and walked away.

    She dialed Tom''s line as she got into the elevator.

    Inside Harry''s car, Harry looked at Tom with a slight frown, "C''mon, Tom! Don''t tell me you are still mad at her?"

    "Do you think I deliberately want to be mad or I enjoy being mad at her?" Tom asked in annoyance.

    "If you don''t enjoy it then you should talk things out with her," Harry said Tom snorted.

    "Lucy is being unreasonable right now and it''s getting on my nerves. I love her, but I just can''t stand her attitude right now. Earlier, after the meeting, you saw how she behaved. If you hadn''t stopped her from leaving or brought her back she would have left without saying hello to my grandfather. My grandfather, Harry! Do you know how disrespectful and embarrassing that would have been? I get that she doesn''t want to get married, but did she have to act that way toward my grandfather? And the most annoying thing was that she kept trying to bring up the conversation right there. Not because she wanted to get what I was saying, but because she wanted to defend herself. Can you believe that?"

    "Still, I think instead of avoiding her you should talk to her. How long are you going to avoid her anyway? You''re both going to be sleeping under the same roof," Harry pointed out, and Tom''s phone rang before he could respond.

    He sighed when he saw that it was Lucy, and he reluctantly received the call but said nothing as he listened, and waited for her to speak first.

    "Tom?"

    "Yeah?"

    "I just left your office and I was told you were not in," Lucy said in a small voice.

    "Yeah. I told you I was busy. Eric will drop you off at my house. I will be back muchter and might bete for dinner with my family. You don''t have to join my family for dinner if you''re notfortable," Tom said in a cool tone that made Lucy''s heart hurt.

    She didn''t miss how he had said his house instead of home and how he had just politely asked her not to show up for dinner with his grandfather.

    "Are you still mad at me?"

    "I''m busy. Let''s talkter," Tom said and hung up.

    "That was cold," Harry said, and Tom shook his head.

    "Let''s talk about something else," Tom said, and Harry sighed.

    He could tell that Lucy''s action had actually hurt Tom more than it annoyed him. He wasn''tfortable seeing Tom and Lucy that way, and he wished there was something he could do to help them. Unfortunately, this was something they would have to fix themselves.

 Chapter 564 Your Family.

    As Lucy sat in the cab on her way to Tom''s house, different thoughts ran through her mind. What was going on? Why was Tom being so cold all of a sudden? Even if her action earlier had upset him, wasn''t he taking things too far?

    He had not even given her a chance to tell him about her decision to go for therapy before blowing her off. Was he getting tired of her already? If he was behaving this way over the phone, how was he going to act towards her at home? She wrung her hands in distress as she thought about all of this.

    She wasn''t sure what was going on with Tom, but she figured that maybe he was acting this way towards her because he needed space. Perhaps that was what she should do. Give him space. She couldn''t stand the tension between them or the cold treatment.

    If he didn''t want her to be present at the dinner with his grandfather, then she wouldn''t go there. If he didn''t want to see her, then she would stay out of his sight.

    Without wasting much time thinking about it, she asked the driver to make a U-turn and headed for her apartment instead. She took out her phone and dialled Sonia''s line.

    It took a while, but Sonia received the call just before it disconnected, "Hey!" Sonia greeted, trying to sound cheerful.

    "I''m noting over to Tom''s house tonight. I''m just going to stay over at mine," Lucy said, and Sonia''s brows pulled together as she sat up on the bed.

    She had told the others that she wasn''t feeling too well and had decided to stay in her room while Jade and Bryan discussed the dinner details with their parents.

    "Why?"

    "Why? Because it''s my apartment," Lucy said, and Sonia shook her head.

    "You didn''t listen to anything I told you?" Sonia asked incredulously.

    "I did! I did, okay? I even went as far as going to thepany doctor to get the details of some top therapists. I went to Tom''s office to talk things out with him, and guess what? He wasn''t there. He left thepany without telling me. If I were the one who did the same thing, he would be mad, but he left without telling me when he knew full well that I would have been waiting for him in my office. I think he needs space. I should give him that," Lucy said, feeling both angry and frustrated.

    Sonia sighed, "Maybe you''re right, and he needs space, but I don''t think it''s a good idea. Didn''t you say he used you of keeping your apartment handy because of times like this?" Sonia asked reasonably.

    "Isn''t it obvious that I need my apartment at times like this? That is his house! This is my apartment! He can as well move into my apartment with me if he wants to. No one said it has to be thedy leaving her ce," Lucy said, and Sonia shook her head.

    "You both shouldn''t be mad at the same time. You got mad, and then Tom got mad, and now you''re mad because he is mad, and then he will get even madder knowing you are mad again. Do you see where this is going? It''s pointless. Tom might be taking things too far, but you started it, so you should apologise for reacting the way you did when he was only trying to point out reason with you," Sonia said, and Lucy sighed.

    "I would have apologised if he stayed long enough on the phone to hear me out," Lucy hissed.

    "You can send him a text. Let him know you are sorry and that you are going to start therapy. I''m sure that''s a good start," Sonia offered and then remembered something.

    "By the way, aren''t you supposed to join them for dinner? Didn''t you say his grandfather said something about getting to know you better during dinner?" Sonia reminded her.

    "I don''t think Tom wants me there. He said I don''t have to join them if I don''t want to," Lucy said, and Sonia raised a brow.

    "He said that?"

    "Yes! Does that sound like something he would have said if he wanted me there?" Lucy asked, and Sonia sighed.

    "Maybe you are reading too much meaning into his words. I''m sure Tom would love you to have dinner with his family. He probably said that because he assumed you didn''t want to," Sonia said, and Lucy looked out the window.

    "I don''t know...."

    "Come back, Lu. Even if you think you both need a break, this is not the time for it. At least resolve whatever it is first, and then you can go to your apartment," Sonia said patiently, and Lucy sighed.

    "Alright. I''m close to my apartment now. I will stop by and see how the ce is and thene back home," Lucy said, and before she could hang up, Sonia stopped her.

    "Since you''re there, I will need you to help me get something from Mia," Sonia said, and once Lucy agreed, Sonia hung up the call and dialled Mia''s line to instruct her to give the pregnancy test kit to Lucy.

    Inside the apartment which Mia shared with Jeff, Mia hurriedly dressed up in an oversized polo t-shirt as she hurried out of her bedroom to answer the door.

    Jeff, who had also heard the doorbell stepped out of his bedroom, and his gaze followed Mia as she moved from the door to the living room, carrying two boxes of pizza which had just been delivered with two cans of coke.

    "Dinner is ready!" Mia announced with a cheerful smile as she set down the box of pizza and can coke on the table and went into the kitchen to get two tes.

    "Do you know for every box of pizza you order, you get a free can of coke? So I bought two boxes of pizza. That way, we can get two free cans of coke," she said with a pleased smile that made Jeff want tough.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "You bought an extra box of pizza that we don''t need so that we can get a free can of coke when we have a pack of can coke in the refrigerator?" Jeff asked incredulously.

    "Don''t tell me you don''t know that free and stolen stuff tastes better," Mia said, not letting Jeff''s tone affect her glee at getting two free cans of coke.

    "And what is going to happen to the extra box of pizza?" Jeff asked, and she shrugged as she opened the box and tore out a piece of pizza which she stuffed into her mouth before taking the twin sofa across from Jeff and turning on the television.

    "I could leave it in the refrigerator so you can have it in the morning or whenever you please. Or I could give it to Alicia and Jasmine. I''m sure they will appreciate it," Mia said with her mouth full, and Jeff shook his head.

    "Do you always waste money this way?" He asked, wondering why she lived and acted like some rich kid who had too much money to throw around.

    "Waste? How?" Mia asked in honest confusion.

    "You don''t cook. You im you don''t enjoy stale food, so you buy food daily. And now you bought an extra box of pizza just to get a free can of coke. That is pretty wasteful, don''t you think?" Jeff asked, and Mia shook her head.

    "I don''t think so. I can''t cook. As I''ve told you a couple of times already, we all don''t have to cook or learn to cook. I buy food daily because I don''t enjoy refrigerated food. And I already told you free stuff tastes better. So, no. I''m not wasting money. You should eat," Mia said and smiled happily as she chewed.

    "How is your head?" He asked, and Mia looked at him with a puzzled frown for a moment and shed him a smile when she remembered the reason for his question.

    "I feel much better now. Thanks," Mia said, but Jeff only gave her a nod as he picked a piece of pizza.

    Was she in a rtionship now? Who was responsible for her pregnancy if truly she was pregnant? Was she going to tell him about it? He mused as he watched her from under his lid while they ate.

    They weren''t exactly close friends that discussed the personal details of their lives, but right now he was curious about a lot of things.

    "Your family is in Sogal, right?" Jeff asked suddenly, and Mia stiffened for a moment.

    "What?" She asked with a confused smile.

    "Your family. Are they aware that you moved? Do they know you are sharing an apartment with a single man?" Jeff asked, and Mia grinned.

    "Why? Are you scared that you will be harassed for cohabiting with me? Don''t worry. No one is going to harass you," Mia said dismissively.

    "That doesn''t answer my questions," Jeff pointed out, and Mia rolled her eyes.

    "In case you didn''t notice, I''m an adult, and they don''t need to know anything about me or my living arrangements. Now if you don''t mind, can we drop the subject?" Mia asked, and Jeff shrugged.

    It seemed to him like she wasn''t on good terms with her family, and even though he was curious to know why he let it go.

    Mia on the other hand suddenly lost interest in the pizza as she wondered what could have prompted Jeff to ask about her family. Did she do or say something to make him think she was hiding something? Perhaps she could have answered his question without sounding so defensive? It was bad enough that Harry seemed suspicious of her. What if they decided to look into her? She liked her life as it was, and she didn''t need anything to upset it.

    "Mia? Your phone is ringing," Jeff said, cutting into her thought when he noticed that she seemed distracted.

    She rose from her seat immediately and went into her bedroom to get it, "Hey! Is everything alright?" She asked the moment she received Sonia''s call.

    "Yeah. Were you able to get the kit?" Sonia asked hopefully.

    The kit. Mia thought with a slight frown when she realised she had forgotten about it. She nced at her handbag when she remembered Jeff had brought it in. Did Jeff see it? She hoped not.

    "Yeah. I go it."

    "Thanks. Lucy will be stopping over soon. Could you help me give it to her?"

    "Sure. What''s going on? Are you alright?" Mia asked in concern.

    "Yes, I am. My period is runningte, so I need to confirm that everything is okay. You can''t tell Bryan about this, promise?" Sonia said, and once Mia promised her, she hung up.

 Chapter 565 Pregnant

    Lucy sighed as she looked around her bedroom and paced the entire length. It seemed like forever since she hadst spent time there, and though the apartment was hers, it felt foreign to her. She had spent more time in Tom''s house than in her own apartment since she moved to Ludus.

    She had jumped at the opportunity to move to Ludus when she received her promotion because she wanted to get out of Heden for a change and live alone.

    She had wanted to live independently as an adult without having to live under the same roof as her parents anymore, and now that she finally had the chance, she had moved right in with Tom.

    Did she love Tom? Yes. Did she love being with him? Yes, she did. Did she keep her apartment because she thought things were going to go wrong between them? No. That wasn''t true.

    She kept her apartment because it was hers. She wasn''t nning on moving in fully with Tom. They were in a rtionship, and the whole idea of not getting married to him was so they could both have their space when they needed it and retain their individuality. So why did Tom make it seem like having her own apartment was a crime? Lucy mused as she walked over to her bed and sat on it.

    She took out her phone and decided topose a long text to Tom as Sonia had suggested, but paused when she remembered that he was probably in the middle of a meeting and her text would only distract him.

    She decided to put a hold on telling him about it and just wait to tell him about it after dinner. If he chose to hear her out, that was fine. If he refused to give her listening ears, she would just give him his much needed space.

    Having made up her mind, Lucy rose from the bed and headed for the refrigerator in the living room. Once she opened it, she sighed when she saw the packs of cranberry juice that were seated inside and the choctes.

    Tom had added those to the grocery list she had sent him (Chapter 231). This brought back something Sonia had mentioned earlier in her office about how much Tom had put into their rtionship from the beginning until the presentpared to hers.

    Was she really not doing enough for him? So far, she had been doing all she knew best to do and had been there for him, with him, and beside him as best as she could. So what else were they talking about?

    She turned from her refrigerator and went to sit on her couch. She looked at her door, remembering the first day Tom had shown up at her door as her neighbour and assisted her in setting up her apartment.

    She sighed as she remembered every moment he had shown up at her door after that and everything else he had done for her, especially those little thoughtful gestures like reading about ulcers because of her and choosing to buy her the cranberry juice. Drinking juice with her instead of wine or coffee so she wouldn''t feel like she was missing out by taking just cranberry. Taking her to work daily and always being present for her. Revealing his identity to the world and standing up for her when the scandal started. Refusing to fire her as she knew everyone else had wanted.

    To the best of her knowledge, Tom had done his best to be as selfless as possible, and he had never deliberately said or done anything to hurt her feelings apart from the time he lied about his identity and took her to the spa to confront Anita without her knowledge.

    She seemed to be the one that was mostly getting mad at him for things and annoying him, and each time he tried his best not to stay mad at her. So why did she make a big deal over what he said that morning? Why had she felt like Tom was attacking her? Was it really the control freak in her, as Sonia had said?

    Her action that morning couldn''t be the only thing that was annoying Tom, could it? Perhaps he was also worried about Anita''s family.

    She paused when she remembered the meeting. During the session, she had caught him staring at her on different asions, and his gaze hadn''t been hostile. It had been soft, sort of, like he was trying to figure out what she was thinking, so what had changed? She mused as she tried to recall what else she could have done.

    She sat up when she remembered being in a hurry to leave and how Harry had stopped her. Was that why Tom was mad? If she remembered correctly, he had said something about introducing her to his grandfather so she could return to her office, as she had been in a hurry to do. Was that the reason he was mad? She mused with a sigh.

    She had been about to leave without saying hello to his grandfather when everyone else had gone up to him to pay obeisance. Apart from the fact that he was Tom''s grandfather, he was a major shareholder, and she was supposed to say hello.

    She had been unable to draw the line between her personal and professional rtionship with Tom. The line was blurring for her, and she was being blinded by emotions. She was acting unreasonably.

    Sonia was right. Staying away right now wasn''t the best thing. If Tom was taking a step away from her, she was supposed to be drawing closer, not moving away, as that would only widen the chasm between them.

    She had overreacted this morning, used Tom of calling her names without really seeing it from his perspective, and she had acted inappropriately in public. She was at fault, and she owed him a real apology, Lucy thought as she rose and headed for the door.

    If Tom said she was a control freak, and Sonia agreed with him, then she needed to work on herself. If they both believed her traumatic experience was responsible for it, then she needed to deal with it. She could do better. She would do better.

    With that thought in mind, she ordered a ride and headed for Tom''s apartment to get Sonia''s stuff from Mia.

    Once she rang the doorbell, the door opened a momentter, and Mia shed her a bright, weing smile, "Finally, I get to meet Sonia''s best friend! I''ve heard so much about you. I''m Mia. Bryan''s assistant," Mia said as she extended a hand to Lucy, and Lucy found herself smiling as she shook hands with Mia.

    It was easy to see why Mia and Sonia got along just fine. Mia had a bubbly personality, much like Sonia. They were able to carry everyone along and talk to everyone like they had been best friends forever.

    "I''m Lucy. It''s nice to meet you," Lucy said, shaking off a feeling of nostalgia and sadness.

    She felt sad and nostalgic standing in front of what she knew as Tom''s apartment but talking to someone else. Tom''s apartment held certain memories for her.

    Mia turned when Jeff joined them at the door, "You must know Jeff. Bryan''s manager," Mia introduced, and Lucy nodded as she shook hands with Jeff.

    "It''s nice to meet you," Lucy said with a polite smile, which Jeff returned.

    "Pleasee in," Jeff offered, wondering why she was standing outside.

    "I''m in a hurry. I stopped by to pick up Sonia''s stuff," Lucy said, and Mia gave her a nod.

    "She told me. Give me a moment, and I will get it," Mia said as she returned inside.

    She came out a momentter with an envelope containing one of Sonia''s novels and the kit, "Tell her I enjoyed the storyline," Mia said with a wink which Lucy didn''t exactly understand.

    "Thanks. See you around!" Lucy said with a wave.

    She turned around in time to see her cab arrive, and she got in. After she had given the cab man the directions, she opened the envelope to see the novel Mia had read and then she noticed that something else was in the envelope.

    Once she took it out, she raised a brow. A pregnancy test kit? Was that the reason Mia had winked at her? Was Sonia suspecting that she was pregnant? Lucy smiled at the thought. She knew how much Sonia loved and craved a family of her own with kids. She did not doubt that Sonia would be ecstatic if it turned out she was pregnant. She was about to be an aunt, Lucy thought with a happy sigh. This was at least one bright spot in her day.

    Once Lucy arrived at Tom''s house, she met his parents and siblings in the living room, "Where is Tom?" Jade asked curiously.

    "He had to attend a meeting, so I came back alone," Lucy said, and Bryan and Jade exchanged a look while Desmond looked at her without saying a word. Only Evelyn seemed not to guess what was going on.

    "Alright. You should freshen up. We will be leaving to have dinner with Desmond''s dad soon," Evelyn said, and Lucy gave her a nod before turning to Bryan.

    "Where is Sonia?" she asked curiously.

    "She is resting in the bedroom," Bryan said, and Lucy gave him a nod before walking away.

    She dialled Sonia''s line as she took the stairs, "I''m here now," she told Sonia immediately after Sonia received the call.

    "Meet me in Bryan''s bedroom," Sonia said just as Lucy stopped right by the door and tapped on the door.

    "I''m right there."

    Sonia hung up the call and opened the door immediately to see Lucy''s beaming face, "Are we having a baby?" Lucy asked excitedly, and Sonia pulled Lucy in and shut the door behind her.

    "What is wrong?" Lucy asked when she noticed the worry in Sonia''s eyes.

    "I don''t want to be pregnant," Sonia said simply, and Lucy frowned.

    "Why not? You have always looked forward to having a baby," Lucy said, and Sonia shook her head.

    "I can''t be pregnant yet. Bryan wouldn''t like that. We are just recovering from ourst misunderstanding. This might cause another problem for us," Sonia said, and Lucy sighed.

    "So Bryan doesn''t know about this?" Lucy asked.

    "It has to remain between us," Sonia said, and Lucy gave her a nod.

    "Hm. Alright. How about you get the test done? Let''s know for sure. It might just turn out to be a false rm, right?" Lucy said as she handed the envelope to Sonia.

    "Get it done. I will wait here," Lucy encouraged, and Sonia nodded as she took the test kit out of the envelope, and once she had brought it out, she left the pack on the bed and locked the door.

    Lucy stood by the door of the bathroom as Sonia carried out the test. Lucy tried to bring up different subjects to calm Sonia as they waited for the result, and when Sonia raised her head to meet Lucy''s gaze, Lucy didn''t need to see the strip to know the test was positive.

    "Oh, Sony!" Lucy cried as she went in to embrace Sonia, and Sonia''s body shook as she wept.

    "It''s positive, Lu. I''m pregnant!" Sonia cried.

    Every time she had imagined the day she would find out she was pregnant, she had always imagined herself happy and excited, not this sad.

    She had been careful all these years not to get pregnant because she didn''t really consider the past men in her life as people she would want to share her baby with, and she had sort of let herself be carried away by her love for Bryan and had not been careful enough to take the right precautionary steps not to get pregnant.

    Or perhaps she had not done so because she had thought Bryan would be okay with having babies with her until he mentioned he wasn''t ready for them to be parents yet.

    "You should tell Bryan about it. I''m sure he would have a change of mind," Lucy suggested.

    "What if he doesn''t? I don''t want to put him in that situation. I don''t want to be in that situation either," Sonia cried, and they both turned to the door when they heard the knob turn, and Bryan knocked.

    "Take it. Help me pack it up and keep it. I will get it and dispose of itter," Sonia said in rm as she quickly rinsed the strip and forced it into Lucy''s hand.

    "I''ming, babe," Sonia called as she quickly rinsed her face while Lucy hurriedly dipped the positive strip into the empty pack and hid it in her handbag before opening the door to let Bryan in.

    Lucy shed a surprised Bryan an apologetic smile, "Sorry we locked you out of your bedroom. Sony, let''s talkter," Lucy called out to Sonia as she hurried out of the room.

    Lucy sighed as she walked into Tom''s bedroom, thinking about Sonia. There was nothing good about the day. She wished she could sleep it off or wake up to find out it was all a dream.

 Chapter 566 Overwhelmed

    Anita and Tiffany sat on the two single sofas in Bernice''s private hospital room as they watched her unconscious form, with an oxygen mask over her face.

    She seemed pale and nothing like the gracious hostess she had been when she weed them into her home just the previous day.

    Neither of them had said a word to each other since Anita joined Tiffany in the room after Adam and Jackson had been escorted out of the hospital by the guards.

    Tiffany still looked visibly shaken and pale as she sat there, holding onto Bernice''s hand. She had a lot on her mind and was feeling different emotions, but what she desired most was for Bernice to open her eyes.

    She would worry about everything elseter. She would worry about why Jack had seemed so upset to the point of fighting with Adam over Bennyter.

    She had turned off her phone after Adam and Jack were thrown out of the hospital because Jack had kept calling to find out Bernice''s state. She didn''t want to wonder why her husband seemed so concerned about Bernice. She knew it wasn''t because he was being a dutiful brother-inw.

    Tiffany sighed as she shook the thought out of her head. She needed to think about something else. Anything else other than Bernice and her husband.

    Her thoughts returned to their mother, and she sighed, "How? How could mother do such a thing?" Tiffany asked after some time, breaking the silence in the room.

    Anita, who had been busy on her phone, looked up when she heard Tiffany''s voice, "I kept asking myself the same question yesterday. All my life I wanted to be like her, and now��. Now I feel lost. I don''t want to be anything like her," Anita said with a shake of her head as she rose when she started feeling cramped.

    "I need to move around for a bit. Do you need me to get you something to eat or drink?" Anita offered, and when Tiffany only gave her a nomittal grunt, she ced a hand on Tiffany''s shoulder. This time Tiffany looked at her.

    "I asked if you wanted me to get you anything," Anita repeated, realizing now that Tiffany hadn''t been listening to her and had most likely unintentionally asked the question on her mind out loud.

    "No. You should go get some rest. I will stay with Benny," Tiffany said with a sigh when she nced at the wall clock and saw that it was past 6 PM already.

    "I told you already. I''m not leaving. Stop asking me to leave as though Bernice is not my sister, too," Anita snapped at her irritably.

    "I''m sorry. You don''t have to leave if you don''t want to. Everything is just so messed up. Our lives are messed up. Our family is messed up," Tiffany cried, and her voice hitched as she broke into a sob.

    Anita moved close to her and ced her arm around her, "I''m sorry I snapped at you. I''m just really short on temper right now," Anita said contritely, and Tiffany nodded.

    "I understand. I wish I could snap at someone too," Tiffany said as she brushed her tears away and returned her gaze to Bernice.

    "What do you think would happen when she regains consciousness? Do you think she will want to go back home to her husband and kids?" Tiffany asked thoughtfully.

    "I hope not. I won''t be a part of that. I''m hoping you won''t support that either. She had no business staying married to Adam. She has to get a divorce and leave that marriage��."

    "It''s not like I don''t agree with you. I do. But what else can she do? Even if she files for a divorce, she won''t gain anything. Adam is awyer, and his father is the chief judge. The case will always go in his favor, especially now that he knows she cheated too. Benny will lose the boys to Adam, and he won''t pay her a dime. I don''t think she has much money, and she can''t move in with mother. I can''t let her move in with me, you know, not after her affair with Jack. Where will she go? What will she do?" Tiffany asked, and even as the words left her lips, it urred to her that Bernice must have thought of all these hence she decided to take her life.

    "She can live in my house. It''s our family home, after all. She will work! She is educated. Bernice is very intelligent and can get a job with her degree. You should divorce Jack as well," Anita said, and she moved away from Tiffany when she shook her head.

    "I''m not doing that. I''m not leaving my marriage," Tiffany said, making Anita frown.

    "Why not? What is so special about your marriage with Jack that you can''t leave? Is it the money? Is it mother? Are you still scared of her despite all you''ve seen and heard?" Anita asked incredulously.

    "It''s not any of that. My marriage affords me the freedom I want and everything I need��."

    "Freedom? To do what?" Anita asked in confusion.

    Tiffany rose and turned to face Anita, "I am a lesbian, okay?"

    "A what?" Anita asked in surprise as she looked at Tiffany like she had just sprouted another head.

    "You heard me. I''m not attracted to men. I''m not sexually interested in Jack. I tried my best to be, but I''m not. I thought maybe I could be bisexual, but I''m not. You can judge me all you want, but it''s who I am. That''s my sexual orientation," Tiffany said with a defiant look in her eyes as she watched Anita stumble backward and lower herself back on the couch.

    "How long have you been interested indies?" Anita asked, wondering if she truly knew anyone in her family.

    Every one of them seemed to be hiding something. First, it was her mother and Bernice, and then it was Lisa telling her about what she knew about their parent''s marriage, and now it was Tiffany telling her this.

    "For as long as I can remember."

    "Then why? Why did you marry Jack? Why didn''t you say anything this whole time? Was mother aware? Is Bernice aware?" Anita asked, not knowing what to think.

    "Was I supposed to announce it to everyone? Why did I marry Jack? Knowing mother, do you think she will ever let me get married to ady ore out publicly as a lesbian? I once tried to talk to mother about it when I was seventeen, and she told me never to think about it or talk about it. My arrangement with Jack works perfectly for me. Staying married to him allows me to have ess to his money, and I can be with anydy I want without being suspected of anything," Tiffany exined, and Anita shook her head.

    "I can''t believe any of this. I''m sure this is all a nightmare, and I will wake��."

    "It''s not a nightmare, Anita. Deal with it. We all have stuff going on with us. We are human," Tiffany said as she returned to her seat and faced Bernice once again.

    They both turned when the door opened, and Lisa walked in.

    "Lisa! You should be resting. You shouldn''t havee," Anita said as she rose to meet Lisa.

    "I''m okay. Ron is with me. I had toe and see Bernice," Lisa said as she approached the bed while Ron embraced Anita and gave a reassuring look to let her know everything was okay.

    "Hello, Tiffany!" Ron greeted, and Tiffany responded nomittally.

    "What did the doctor say?" Lisa asked Tiffany and Anita.

    "I told you already. He said she might be unconscious for some time, but she will be fine," Anita supplied.

    "Darling, can you excuse us for a moment?" Lisa asked her husband, and he pecked her cheek before excusing them.

    Once he left, Lisa turned to Tiffany and Anita, "Have you both decided on what we are to do?" Lisa asked, and they looked at her in confusion.

    "What we are to do about what?" Tiffany asked, setting aside her grudge against Lisa for the time being.

    "About mother. Bernice. Our family. We can''t just pretend like mother didn''t have an affair with Benny''s husband or that nothing happened between Benny and your husband��."

    "Whatever happened between Benny and my husband is none of your business. This is between Benny, Jack, and I, so you both should stay out of it," Tiffany said, and Lisa turned to Anita, who shook her head.

    "And mother? What about mother? Are you going to also turn a blind eye to her action?" Lisa asked, and Tiffany sighed.

    "I don''t know. I don''t think I can forgive her yet. You can do whatever you want to mother. All I want is for Benny to recover," Tiffany said, and Anita signaled to Lisa to step out of the room with her.

    "Did you know that Tiffany is a lesbian?" Anita asked the moment they walked out of the room.

    "She is?" Lisa asked, not soundingpletely surprised.

    "Why don''t you sound surprised?" Anita asked, and Lisa shrugged.

    "Dad always suspected it," Lisa said, and Anita sighed.

    "She doesn''t love Jack. She says their marriage is convenient as it lets her be herself. If dysfunctional were a family name, it would be ours," Anita said, and Lisa smiled.

    "Every family has their secrets��."

    "Not like ours, Lisa, and you know it! Our family is all shades of screwed up. I won''t be surprised if Benny wakes up and decides she still wants Adam or decides to forgive mother. I''m exhausted. Since you are here and have seen her for yourself, I don''t have to stay here anymore. Tiffany can stick to her side like the dutiful sister she is. I don''t think I understand anything or anyone anymore. I''m overwhelmed. Do to mother whatever you please. I''m out of here," Anita said, but Lisa held her hand before she could leave.

    "Where are you going?" Lisa asked, and Anita shook her head.

    "I don''t know. Home or anywhere that is not near here, I suppose. I would have really loved to be by your side when the babyes, but I''m not so sure I am in the best state of mind right now. I might have to leave sooner than I nned. I will keep in touch with you. I love you," Anita said as she embraced Lisa, and Lisa patted Anita''s back as she hugged her.

    "I love you too, hon. But what about all that you need to do? Mother''s n for Lucy, and your apology...."

    "Don''t worry. I intend to do all of that. I''m still trying toe up with the best way to go about it all. Thank you, Lisa. Thank you for being different. I can dare to do things differently now only because you were beside me and kept pushing me," Anita said as she pulled away, and Lisa gave her a proud smile.

    "Be fine, Annie. Although I will miss you sorely, I believe this is probably for the best. Come back better. We will be waiting for you," Lisa said as Anita pulled away from her.

    Lisa watched Anita walk away until she disappeared from view, and then she turned when she felt her husband beside her.

    "Is everything alright?" Ron asked as he ced his arm around his wife''s waist.

    "Everything will be alright. I need to have a word with Tiffany, and then we can leave," Lisa said before returning to the room to join Tiffany.

    "Tiffany," Lisa called softly as she lowered herself to the seat which Anita had earlier upied.

    "What else do you want to say? I have told you to do whatever you want. Can you just let me be?" Tiffany asked impatiently as she turned to look at Lisa.

    "No, I can''t. I promised dad I was going to look out for my sisters, and I intend to do just that whether you want me to or not," Lisa said softly.

    "Are you here to look out for us, or do you just want to gloat?"

    "Gloat? About what?" Lisa asked incredulously.

    "I don''t know. You tell me. Maybe you want to show us you have a perfect life and the perfect husband��."

    "My life is not perfect, and this is not about me. It''s about you and what you''re doing with your life," Lisa cut in patiently.

    "Your life is not perfect, yet you want to tell me how to run my life?" Tiffany asked incredulously, and Lisa drew in a deep breath to control her temper.

    "You are beginning to get on my nerves, Tiffany," Lisa said irritably.

    "You always get on mine.��." Tiffany rose immediately as she felt Bernice''s fingers move.

    "Benny? Benny, are you awake?" Tiffany asked when she noticed the flutter of Benny''sshes, and Lisa rose immediately and went to the door.

    "Ron, please get the doctor," Lisa called to her husband, who was seated some feet away from the door, before returning to join her sisters.

    Tears gathered in Bernice''s eyes when she opened her eyes and saw Tiffany standing over her with concerned eyes.

    Bernice shut her eyes and turned her face away so she wouldn''t face Tiffany. She couldn''t face her, not after what she had done.

    "How are you feeling, Benny? You scared us," Lisa said softly.

    A doctor came in with some nurses and asked Tiffany and Lisa to excuse them while they checked on Bernice to see how she was doing.

    After some minutes the doctor and the nurses left the room after reassuring them that Bernice was fine.

    "Benny," Tiffany called softly as she approached Bernice, and tears dropped from her eyes when Bernice broke into a sob.

    "I''m sorry. I''m so sorry," Bernice cried with her hands over her face, unable to bring herself to look at Tiffany.

    Lisa sighed as she watched Tiffany embrace Bernice as they wept together. She was d that Anita had decided to take a different path, but she had no idea what to do to help these two or how to punish their mother.

    One thing she knew for sure was that Rebekah had to pay for her immorality, greed, and wickedness.

 Chapter 567 Awkward Family Dinner

    Lucy had never felt more ufortable in her life than she did when she walked into the reserved part of the restaurant where they had made the dinner reservation for the evening.

    In the middle of the room, there was a round table with eight chairs around it, and Tom was already seated with his grandfather chatting and sipping from a ss of wine by the time the rest of them joined them.

    Lucy tried not to let her face give away her emotion when she met Tom''s gaze. Tom was slightly taken aback when she smiled at him.

    "Tom, you are here already? Why didn''t youe home?" Evelyn asked as they joined them.

    "I got here less than ten minutes ago. I figured it would be easier and quickest toe here directly rather than get home beforeing here," Tom exined with a dismissive shrug.

    "My lovely Evelyn," Lawrence Hank said with a wide smile as he rose to embrace Evelyn.

    "You don''t have to rise on my ount, Lawrence. It''s always a pleasure to see you," Evelyn said with a bright smile as she kissed both sides of his cheeks.

    "How have you been?" Evelyn asked when she pulled away and took the seat next to him by his right since Tom was seated on his left.

    "Excellent," Lawrence said as his gaze moved to Desmond, who had taken his seat, "Is he still foul-tempered?" Lawrence asked Evelyn, and she grinned.

    "He is not foul-tempered. And if he seems that way towards you, it''s probably because you deserve it," Evelyn said as she took the seat between her husband and Lawrence.

    "I see you''re still defending him as usual," Lawrence said dryly, but Desmond said nothing to his father as he watched Bryan and Jade, who was waiting to say hello to him.

    "My pride," Lawrence greeted fondly, and Jade flushed with pleasure as she leaned forward and embraced her grandfather.

    "I''ve missed you so much," Jade said, and the old man smiled as he patted her face fondly.

    "As I have missed you. I''m d you''re joining I-Global," Lawrence said, and Jade smiled brightly.

    "What did you get me?" Jade asked expectantly and Evelyn looked at her with disapproval.

    "Aren''t you too old to be expecting gifts from your grandfather...."

    "What do you mean too old? No matter how old she is, she remains my granddaughter. Your package is in the car, my dear. You will get it after dinner," Lawrence assured her.

    "I knew you would nevere without a gift for me," Jade said with a happy smile as she kissed his cheeks.

    "Where is the rascal of the family?" Lawrence asked as he looked behind Jade for Bryan, who was grinning.

    "You can''t keep calling me that," Bryan protested.

    "I can, and I will. You haven''t introduced yourdy to me," Lawrence reminded Bryan as his gaze moved to Sonia, who was standing beside Bryan with Lucy, and Bryan reached for Sonia''s hand.

    "Meet Sonia Smith, my girlfriend. Babe, meet my grandfather," Bryan said easily, and the old man smiled at Sonia, who easily returned his smile.

    "It''s a pleasure to meet you, sir," Sonia said politely, and Lawrence gave her a nod.

    "The pleasure is all mine," he said, and Bryan held out a seat for Sonia as he sat between her and Jade, leaving the remaining empty seat for Lucy since that was next to Tom.

    "I''m sorry about my conduct at thepany earlier. I was sort of flustered. Thanks for inviting me to dinner," Lucy said politely, and Lawrence smiled at her.

    "It''s alright. Please sit down," Lawrence said, and as Lucy went around the table to take the seat beside Tom, he rose and pulled out the seat for her.

    "Thanks," Lucy murmured as she sat down.

    Lawrence''s gaze shifted to Jade, who was seated next to her father, "Your brothers are here with their partners. When am I going to meet yours?" Lawrence asked Jade, and she shed him a wide smile.

    "Some day soon, hopefully," Jade said as the waiters came in to serve them.

    Perhaps it was because Sonia had a lot going on in her mind, she was moreposed and organized than usual as she sat down and merely watched the interaction with a polite smile.

    She had been unable to have another conversation with Lucy after Bryan interrupted them earlier, thus when their eyes met now, Lucy''s gaze was questioning as she discretely jerked her head in Bryan''s direction, wanting to know if Sonia had told Bryan about the pregnancy, but Sonia shook her head making Lucy sigh.

    Hearing Lucy sigh, Tom turned to look at her, "Are you alright?" Tom asked, making a deliberate effort to push their misunderstanding aside and act appropriately in the presence of his family.

    "Yeah. Thanks," Lucy said with a soft smile.

    "How did your meeting go?" Lucy asked curiously.

    "It went smoothly," Tom said and nced down in surprise when Lucy ced a hand over his wondering what she was up to.

    "I''m sorry about that today. I missed you," Lucy whispered, and Tom met her gaze.

    "I missed you too," he admitted, and Lucy smiled as she focused her attention on the meal which had been served and ate silently.

    She moved her attention to Lawrence when he mentioned her name, "...I loved your presentation during the meeting today. I can see why you are a director," Lawrence told Lucy, and she smiled.

    "Thank you, sir," she answered politely.

    "Please call me Lawrence. So what is it like being the head of the fashion��."

    "Lawrence, this is a family gathering. Can you not talk about work while we are eating?" Evelyn cut in politely.

    "I''m only trying to know my grandson''sdy better, not talking about work," Lawrence assured her before returning his attention to Lucy once again.

    "I gathered that you are living with Thomas, am I right?" Lawrence asked, and Lucy looked lost for a moment, not knowing the best way to answer the question.

    "She is not. She has her own apartment but visits me often," Tom said casually as he continued to eat.

    "Ah! I see," Lawrence said with a nod as he shifted his gaze to Sonia.

    "I''ve read through a couple of your bestselling novels. You are a talented writer," Lawrence said, and Sonia smiled at thepliment.

    "Thank you, sir. I''ve also read some of your books," she said, and he smiled at her, pleased to know she had made an effort to read his books.

    "Before or after realizing I am Bryan''s grandfather?" Lawrence asked, and Bryan answered before Sonia could.

    "She only got to know about you less than forty-eight hours ago," Bryan assured him.

    "Really? So what made you read my books?" Lawrence asked curiously and Sonia shrugged.

    "The same reason everyone else buys them I suppose? You are a great storyteller and we get to travel to ces we might never visit in reality through your books. The ces you write about aren''t locations anyone would want to go spend a vacation. We learn about other cultures and lifestyles through you," Sonia exined, and Lawrence smiled, pleased with her response.

    "Perhaps I would gift you a signed copy of mytest book, and you can give me an autograph," Lawrence suggested, and Sonia beamed a smile at him.

    "That would be a pleasure. Thanks."

    "The first time I read Sonia''s novel, I couldn''t sleep a wink until I finished the story. My baby is that good," Bryan announced proudly.

    "Really? Which novel was that?" Jade asked curiously, and even Sonia looked at Bryan with interest, wanting to know which story it was that had captured his interest.

    "Hm, I can''t recall the name, but it''s something about a Witch and a hunter, I think," Bryan said thoughtfully, and Sonia smiled.

    "The witch and her hunter?" Sonia asked, and Bryan gave her a nod.

    "That was the first novel I read as well," Lawrence said, and Bryan grinned.

    "I really enjoyed that story. You all should read it. Believe me when I say my baby is really good," Bryan said as he took Sonia''s hand and kissed her palm.

    "Are you trying to show off because grandfather is here?" Jade asked with a scowl, and Bryan chuckled.

    "You should have just invited Harry to dinner if��." Bryan shut his mouth when Jade stepped on his foot.

    "Harry Jonas? Are you going out with Harry?" Lawrence asked with interest.

    "You loudmouth!" Jade muttered under her breath and hissed at Bryan before shing her grandfather a smile.

    "We are just good friends for the time being. We hope to see where that leads," Jade said, and Lawrence gave her a smile of approval.

    "I hope that works out. Harry is a very reliabled," Lawrence said as he shifted his attention to his grandsons once again.

    "So, how are things going on with you both? I''m wondering whose wedding I''m going to attend first," Lawrence said as he looked from Tom to Bryan and back again.

    Desmond, who had remained silent the whole time, cleared his throat, "What brought you to Ludus?" Desmond asked, wanting to change the subject when he noticed Lucy''s sudden difort.

    "I came to see how Tom is running thepany, and I wanted to see my grandkids," Lawrence said easily.

    "I see. So what country did you fly in from this time?" Desmond asked, and Lawrence smiled when he heard the subtle annoyance in Desmond''s tone.

    "One of those countries that needed my voice as usual," Lawrence said, and knowing that if she didn''t step in, both men were going to start arguing soon, Evelyn decided to cut in.

    "Are you ever going to get tired of moving around?" Evelyn asked in a casual tone.

    "I don''t think so. I will keep serving humanity until I cease to exist. I know your husband is not pleased with that, but that is the path I have chosen, and it can''t be helped. I''m, however, d that my grandkids are family-oriented like their father," Lawrence said with a proud smile.

    "And if they were not? If I decided to follow your footsteps to serve humanity and not raise a family, would you have a family gathering like this where you can just show up out of the blue and walk in and out of our lives as you please?" Desmond asked irritably, and both Evelyn and Jade touched him.

    "Dad," Tom called quietly, but Lawrence stopped Tom before he could say anything else.

    "Probably not. But this is your path. And since you chose to raise a family, it is my responsibility to meet with the family when I can and see how everyone is doing," Lawrence answered easily and then focused on Tom and Bryan once again.

    "So, which of you is getting married first? Is it going to be you, Tom? Or Bryan?" He asked once again.

    "I don''t know about Bryan, but it''s not in my n," Tom said when he noticed how Lucy was wringing her hands on her thigh.

    "What do you mean it''s not in your n?" Evelyn asked with a frown.

    "Isn''t it too early in their rtionship to be asking them such questions?" Desmond asked, and Bryan nodded.

    "I agree with dad. It''s still too early for any of us to be talking about marriage. Sonia and I are not ready for any of that yet," Bryan started with a shrug, and Lucy sighed inwardly as she nced at Sonia who was wearing a forced smile.

    "I''m not sure that is what your brother meant," Evelyn said as she turned to Tom.

    "Does that mean you don''t want to get married? You both don''t want to get married?" Evelyn asked as she looked from Tom to Lucy, and Desmond looked at her.

    "You heard him. He said it''s not in his n. He has a right to choose his path," Desmond said, and Evelyn frowned.

    "Tom said it''s not in his ns. It''s not the same as being too early, is it? Shouldn''t that bother you?" Evelyn asked her husband, but before anyone else could speak, Tom spoke again.

    "Can we talk about something else? I''m sure there are so many other topics that we can talk about as a family that doesn''t have to revolve around my personal life," Tom said irritably, sounding harsher than he had meant to.

    The room was silent for a moment as Sonia and Lucy watched the scene before them awkwardly.

    "We haven''t seen you for a long time. Why not tell us about the ces you have visited? I''m curious to hear all about that and know what you have been up to," Jade suggested with a bright smile as she broke the silence, and Lucy almost let out a breath of relief when Lawrence began to talk about his trip.

    Lucy sighed inwardly when she nced at Tom and noticed that his face was carefully nk as he picked up his winess and took a long sip. She couldn''t wait for the evening to be over.

 Chapter 568 Foot Rub

    After dinner, Lucy decided to go home with Tom rather than join the rest of the family as she had done whening.

    Once they got into the car, the tension that had hung between them all day took over the car, and neither of them said a word to each other as Tom drove behind his family.

    Lucy said nothing as she tried topose her thoughts and put her words together so that she wouldn''t make any more mistakes, while Tom simply kept mute because he just didn''t want to speak.

    "I''m sorry," Lucy said after some time.

    "It''s okay," Tom said simply without taking his attention away from the road.

    "I know you''re still mad at me. I overreacted. I shouldn''t have reacted the way I did. And I shouldn''t have behaved that way at thepany either," Lucy added, but once again Tom did not look at her.

    "It''s alright," he said dismissively as he kept his attention fixed on the road.

    "I contacted two therapists," Lucy said, and this time Tom raised a brow.

    "Why?"

    "Why what?" Lucy asked in confusion.

    "What for? Why did you contact a therapist? Last time I checked you said you didn''t have a problem and you didn''t need to see one," Tom reminded her.

    Lucy rubbed her hands together, "I spoke with Sonia. She sort of agrees with the stuff you said. I may not exactly buy into the therapy thing, but I choose to trust you. If you believe I need it, then I will go for it," Lucy said, and Tom sighed.

    "Good for you," he said without much interest.

    This was what he had wanted her to say earlier this morning, so why was he not satisfied even after she had said it? Tom mused.

    "Can you say something?" Lucy asked, and Tom sighed.

    "I''m not sure what you want me to say," Tom said simply.

    "Tell me how you feel. You can vent if you want to," Lucy encouraged.

    "I need to feel something to vent, I don''t feel anything. There is nothing to vent about," Tom said, and Lucy''s brows pulled together.

    "What do you mean?" Lucy asked in confusion and Tom shrugged.

    "I feel emotionally exhausted and drained right now. Maybe by morning I might know what to say to you. But right now, I''m not in the mood to say anything," Tom said, and the crease between Lucy''s brows deepened.

    "Earlier you said you missed me," she reminded him.

    "I can be upset and still miss you, can''t I?"

    "I know you''re still upset by my reaction��."

    "It''s not just about your reaction, Lucy. I wish it was, but it''s not," Tom said still without looking at her. Some how he couldn''t look at her and stay mad at her.

    As much as he was tempted to put this whole episode behind them and move on, he knew better than to do that. This awkward and ufortable moment was necessary if they were going to progress in their rtionship.

    "Then what else is wrong?" Lucy asked, and this time Tom pulled the car over by the roadside and turned to face her.

    "A lot of things. For starters, I''m wondering how long things will continue between us like this. I''m trying to figure out if I''m as ready as I thought to walk down this path with you. I understand that you never wanted to be in a rtionship and I''m the one who put everything on the line to chase you until you fell in love with me, but now I''m wondering if I''m ever going to stop chasing you. I''m wondering if I''m going to be okay with living this way. I don''t want to grow to resent you or end up having any regrets," Tom said and Lucy pressed her lips together for a moment.

    "Do you need space?" Lucy asked, and Tom sighed.

    After all he had just said, this was what she could ask him? If he needed space? Tom mused in disbelief.

    "Space?" He asked, wondering where she was driving to with that.

    "Yeah. I read somewhere that when men are upset they need space. Do you need me to give you space so you can calm down? Do you feel suffocated?" Lucy asked, and Tom sighed inwardly.

    "Is that all you got from what I just said? What if I say I do need space, what would you do then?" He asked, wanting to know exactly what she was thinking.

    "I could go to my apartment and stay away for some time until you are back to normal��."

    "Until I''m back to normal? What exactly do you define as normal for me, Lucy?" Tom interrupted in an annoyed tone.

    He couldn''t believe that he had felt conflicted about taking his father''s advise to ask Lucy to return to her apartment because he didn''t want to hurt her feelings, yet she had no problems with suggesting it herself. She was in a hurry to run back to her nest at the slightest inconvenience. It made him feel like she was only living with him for his sake and not because she really wanted to stay there.

    "You not being so mad me. I don''t want us to fight. I''m notfortable with any of this," Lucy exined, and Tom nodded.

    "As much as I hate fighting with you, I think we need to fight sometimes to get on the same page. I think this is one of those times we need to disagree to be able to reach an agreement," Tom said, and Lucy looked at him, not understanding what to make of what he was saying.

    "What agreement?"

    "Since you don''t mind moving back to your apartment to give me space, I think we should do that. Maybe you need space as well��."

    "Tom, I don''t��."

    "I think we need to spend some time apart from each other. You can move back into your apartment since you love your personal space so much," Tom said in a t tone.

    "I don''t understand you. What do you want from me? What do you want me to do? You said you wanted me to get therapy and I agreed, so why are you saying all this? Don''t you think you''re taking things too far? I apologized for behaving the way I did earlier, so what else do you want me to do?" Lucy asked, feeling both scared, confused, and annoyed at the same time.

    "I should be asking you that. What do you want from me? Because I''m beginning to think that no matter how much I give it would never be enough. I think you expect me to make all the sacrifices in this rtionship while you give me whatever is convenient for you. You want me to take hundred steps towards you while you remainfortably seated," Tom said feeling very annoyed, and when Lucy opened her mouth to argue he sighed wearily.

    "You know what? Let''s not argue anymore. I''m exhausted. I''m tired of the back and forth. Just do whatever you want, Lucy. It''s what you''ve always done anyway. Do whatever makes you happy, even if it means not receiving psychotherapy. I will tolerate it all until I can''t and maybe then we can break up," Tom said, and without waiting for her to respond he started the car.

    Tears stung Lucy''s eyes as she looked at him, shocked that he had actually talked about a break up.

    Although she still wanted to talk to him so they could resolve things, she kept mute. He was obviously not in the mood for a conversation and forcing it would only result in more misunderstanding.

    Neither of them said a word until they got to the house, and by the time they did, the others had arrived ahead of them and gone into their various bedrooms.

    "Lucy!" Jamal called excitedly the moment they walked into the house, and the frown on Lucy''s brows straightened into a wide smile as he hurried over to embrace her.

    "It''s past your bedtime, Jam. Why are you still up?" She asked, surprised to see him awake.

    "He said he missed you, and insisted on seeing you before going to bed since you might leave for the office before he wakes up," Candace exined as she joined them.

    "Oh, dear! I''ve missed you too," Lucy said as she kissed Jamal''s forehead.

    Jamal looked up at Tom who had also stopped, "Are you fine?" Jamal asked with a curious frown, and Tom forced a smile.

    "Sure."

    "You look tired," Candace observed, and Tom gave her a nod.

    "I''m exhausted," Tom admitted, and Jamal walked away from Lucy to meet Tom.

    "You need a cold drink and a foot rub. Aunt Andy always says there is nothing like a cold drink and a good foot rub after a busy day," Jamal said, and Tom chuckled involuntarily while Lucy and Candace smiled.

    "Are you going to give me a foot rub then?" Tom asked, and Jamal shrugged.

    "I could if you want, but your foot would be toorge. My hands are not big enough," Jamal said, spreading them so Tom could see how small his hands are.

    "But Lucy can do that, right Lucy?" Jamal asked, and Lucy smiled awkwardly as she looked at Tom, and Candace did not miss the tension between the two who were often lovey dovey.

    Seeing how exhausted Tom was, Candace would ordinarily have asked Jamal to let them be, but she decided not to. Jamal''s presence might be just what they need to talk to each other.

    "Right," Lucy said, and Jamal nodded in approval.

    "Lucy will help you. And I will get you something cold to drink while you freshen up," Jamal offered, and Tom smiled.

    "Thanks Buddy, but you don''t have to worry��."

    "Let''s go and get the drink," Candace said, ignoring Tom''s protest as she took hold of Jamal''s hand and pulled him away leaving Tom and Lucy.

    Without saying a word they both headed up the stairs to their bedroom, and once they walked in Lucy went to sit on the couch and watched as Tom stripped off his clothes.

    No matter how had she tried she couldn''t seem to figure out what to do or what to say. This was the first time Tom was staying mad at her for so long and it made her anxious ufortable. She wasn''t used to this awkward atmosphere between them.

    "Are you noting to shower?" Tom asked when he started heading for the bathroom and noticed that Lucy was still seated where she was staring at him.

    "I will," Lucy said in a small voice as she rose and began to take off her clothes while Tom walked into the bathroom.

    He knew she was ufortable, and so was he. He wasn''t this sort of person. Maybe that was his major problem; loving her so much to the point that he didn''t want to see her the least bit unhappy. Seeing her look so confused and sad made him feel terrible.

    After undressing, Lucy joined Tom in the shower, and as she reached for her shower gel, Tom grabbed it and after pressing some on his palm, he applied it on her body without saying a word.

    "Tom," Lucy called, her voiceing out in a whisper.

    Tom said nothing as he gently spread the soapther on her back and Lucy stood stiffly as she let him massage her nape not knowing what to say to him or what to do.

    Tom paused when he felt her body tremble against his hand, and he sighed inwardly when he looked into her face and noticed she was crying.

    "Please don''t do that," Tom murmured.

    "I don''t know what to do to show you that I''m trying. Please, stop being mad, Tom. I don''t want to break up. I don''t want to lose you. I''m really trying my best and if you say it''s not good enough I will try harder," Lucy cried and Tom sighed.

    "Please stop. I can''t deal with this right now," Tom pleaded, feeling weak against her tears.

    "Then what should I do? Tell me whatever it is. I don''t want us to go to bed this way," Lucy cried as Tom brushed her tears away.

    Tom turned towards the door when he heard a knock on the bedroom door. He knew it was most likely Jamaling to deliver the ss of cold drink as he had promised.

    Tom walked away from Lucy and moved to the edge of the bathroom door, "We will join you in five minutes," Tom called out to him before turning to Lucy.

    "As much as I love you, I respect your choices and decisions, and I expect you to respect mine as well. I can''t throw away all I want just to let you have all you want. You will have to meet me in the middle. I don''t know how you''re going to do that, but that''s left for you to figure out if our rtionship is important to you. I won''t fight you over this anymore. Let''s clean up. Jamal is waiting," Tom said as he turned on the shower on all sides.

 Chapter 569 Selfish

    Tom smiled as he watched Jamal, who sat at the edge of the bed watching him sip from the ss of cold juice while telling him all about his day.

    Jamal had insisted that Lucy massage his foot, but Tom had yfully declined, not wanting to put Lucy in an awkward position.

    "We will be going home after grandpa gets better," Jamal announced, and the smile disappeared from both Lucy''s and Tom''s faces.

    "Already?" Tom asked, and Jamal bobbed his head.

    "I''m going to miss you," Lucy said, and Jamal''s brows pulled together.

    "I will miss you too. I didn''t want to leave you, but mom said we have to. We need to go back to school, and we need to be home when Aunt Andyes back," Jamal told Lucy with a sad sigh.

    "Your mom is right," Lucy said quietly.

    "You don''t have to worry, we can visit you, and I can always talk to you over the phone," Jamal promised, and Lucy smiled.

    "How soon are you leaving?" Tom asked thoughtfully, and he shrugged.

    "When grandpa gets better. Are you still going to give my mom the job and car?" Jamal asked, and Tom smiled.

    "Sure. You could decide on any car you want and let me know. I will have it delivered to your home after you get back. And your mom can let me know after she decides on the sort of job she wants," Tom said, and Jamal smiled happily.

    "Thank you," Jamal said with a yawn.

    "Are you feeling sleepy?" Lucy asked with concern, and Jamal shook his head even though they could both tell he was feeling sleepy.

    "Why are you both not talking to each other?" Jamal asked with a concerned frown. He had wanted to spend time with them because he enjoyed theirpany, especially how Tom pretended to be jealous whenever he went too close to Lucy, but tonight things seemed different between them.

    "We are talking to each other," Lucy said with a bright smile.

    "No, you are not. You are talking to me, not each other. Tom is not even mad that I''m sitting so close to you and holding your hand," Jamal pointed out as he looked from one to the other.

    "That is because I''m too exhausted to be jealous of you tonight," Tom assured him with a grin, but Jamal eyed them suspiciously.

    "Did you fight?"

    "No, we didn''t. We have been talking all day, so we have nothing left to say to each other right now," Lucy exined patiently.

    "That''s true. You look tired. You should go to bed now," Tom suggested.

    "I look tired because you both keep looking at me. You are not even looking at each other," Jamalined with another yawn making both Tom and Lucy smile.

    Their eyes met, and they returned their gaze to Jamal, "Why don''t you go to bed now? I need to sleep. Tomorrow is another busy day for me," Tom said, and Jamal sighed as he got off the bed.

    "Goodnight, Lucy," he said as he embraced Lucy, who kissed his cheeks, and then he moved to Tom''s side of the bed.

    "Don''t be mad at Lucy for too long," He said quietly, and Tom raised a brow.

    "Who says I''m the one who is mad at her?" Tom asked, and Jamal shrugged.

    "Because you''re the one who looks mad. She just looks sad," Jamal said simply, and Tom sighed, wondering how the child got to be so observant and perceptive.

    "See you tomorrow," Lucy said as Tom rose and escorted Jamal out of the room.

    Lucy didn''t bother to follow them. Instead, she went to lie down on her side of the bed. She knew without a doubt that she wouldn''t be able to fall asleep. She wasn''t the type to fall asleep easily when her heart was so troubled.

    Tom didn''t want to talk, and it wasn''t like she could force him to resolve things with her either. She was just going to let him rest and try to figure out what next to do on her own.

    Her heart skipped when she heard the door open, and she shut her eyes, pretending to be asleep since it would be too awkward for them both to be awake and not talk.

    Tom shut the door behind him and stood by the door staring at her still form. She was lying at the edge of the bed and not in the middle as usual.

    His heart ached as he watched her. He knew without a doubt that she was pretending to be asleep, and it made him sad. He wished things weren''t this way between them. He loved her so much that it hurt him to see her this way.

    What was he going to do? He wasn''t even sure if he was going about it the right way. He knew that he needed to take his time to think and map out a better n that would work out perfectly for them, but his head had been aching all day, and saying he was exhausted would be an understatement. He couldn''t think straight or have a normal conversation with her right now the way he knew she wanted.

    Deep down, he knew there was nothing he wouldn''t give to keep her in his life, but all he wanted right now was for her to really show him that she wanted their rtionship as much as he did. He wanted some sort of assurance that it would all be worth it, Tom thought with a sigh as he got on the bed and turned off the light on his side of the bed.

    Hey on his side of the bed for a minute and then moved to her side of the bed and pulled her into his arms, surprising Lucy, who was pretending to be asleep.

    She said nothing as she let him cuddle her, but she found it hard to rx against him. Her heart was racing, and it was hurting at the same time. She couldn''t breathe. Tears stung her eyes as shey stiffly in his arms, and she bit down on her lower lip to keep herself from making a sound.

    Tom patted her back and kissed her forehead, "I have no idea how to deal with any of this or make it easier for us both. I wish I did," Tom murmured sleepily, and tears dropped from Lucy''s eyes, but she remained still and waited until Tom had dozed off before getting off the bed.

    She picked up her phone and quietly walked out to sit on the balcony. Once she was there, she let the tears flow freely and raised both hands to her lips to stifle whatever sound apanied the tears.

    She had thought apologizing for her behavior and contacting the therapists, as he had wanted her to do, would resolve their misunderstanding, but it seemed that wasn''t all that Tom wanted, and right now, she had no idea what else to do.

    She was experiencing a myriad of emotions that she could not even exin. She was in pain, and she was scared. She was terrified that she was losing Tom. All she knew was that her heart was breaking, and she didn''t know what to do about it.

    Without thinking she dialed Tyler''s line, hoping that Lucas was close to the phone so she could talk to him. She needed to talk to someone right now and he was the only one she could think of. Sonia already had her own problem to deal with, and she couldn''t bother her parents with this.

    "Princess Lu! Tell me you''re calling because you miss me and not because you want to talk to your brother," Tyler greeted in a cheerful tone that would have made Lucy smile if she wasn''t so upset.

    "Is Lucas there?" She asked, and hearing her voice, Tyler could tell that she wasn''t okay.

    "Give me a minute to get the phone to him," Tyler said as he rose and hurried to Lucas'' bedroom.

    "Lucy is on the line for you," Tyler said as he knocked on the door, and almost immediately the door opened the Lucas took the phone from him.

    "Are you okay?" Lucas asked with a concerned frown which was also mirrored in Tyler''s face.

    "I''m not fine. Can you talk right now? I need to talk," Lucy said, and Lucas looked at Tyler.

    "Excuse me for a moment," Lucas told Tyler and returned into the bedroom after Tyler gave him a nod and walked away.

    "What is the problem?" Lucas asked wondering what could be so serious to make Lucy was call him by that time of the night.

    "My rtionship with Tom is crashing and I don''t know what to do," Lucy cried, and Lucas did his best to calm her and encouraged her to tell him what the problem was.

    Lucas listened patiently as Lucy told him about Tom''s desire to settle down, as well as all that had transpired between her and Tom that day, including the awkward dinner conversation.

    "You told him you don''t want to get married?" Lucas asked, sounding slightly surprised.

    "Yes," Lucy said and Lucas sighed.

    "If your fear was only about having kids, I might be able to understand that, but I can''t understand why you would feel anxious about getting married to the man you love and already live with," Lucas said, but Lucy said nothing.

    "I don''t me Tom. I can imagine how devastated he must feel, considering that he had already imagined you pregnant with twins...."

    "He told you that?" Lucy asked in surprise.

    "Yeah. That first night at his house (Chapter 269). He said he wanted to have a boy and a girl, or two girls who looks and acts just like you," Lucas said, and Lucy''s eyes filled with tears.

    "What do I do? I would get married to him and have his kids if I could but I can''t. The thought of getting married or having kids makes me feel so anxious I can barely breath," She cried in a voice that tore at Lucas'' heart.

    "Well, therapy is a good starting point. After therapy you can know for sure if you want to be married to him or not...."

    "What if I still don''t want that?"

    "Then you will have to let him go," Lucas stated simply, shattering Lucy''s heart.

    "But I can''t! I love him!" Lucy cried.

    "Love is never enough. Your desires and goals have to align too else you will both be unhappy. Love is not selfish. It would be selfish of you to want to keep him when you can''t give him the kind of life he wants. Can you stand seeing him unhappy and unfulfilled? How do you think his mother and grandfather would feel about you when they find out you are the reason Tom is not talking about marriage and not because he doesn''t want to get married?" Lucas asked softly.

    He knew that this was tough for Lucy, but he believed deep down that her decision not to get married had more to do with her trauma than it did with anything else and he had no doubt that before the end of her psychotherapy she would be more open to the idea.

    "So you are saying it''s either I give him what he wants or we break up?" Lucy asked, and Lucas shook his head.

    "No. It''s not just about Tom. It''s about you too. It would be senseless of you to get married to Tom and have kids if you genuinely don''t want to. You will end up unhappy and resentful. You have to also want it to do it. So, go for therapy. But make sure you do it for yourself not for Tom. Do it because you need it. You really do need it, Lu, whether or not you change your mind about marriage. You need to be whole," Lucas said, and Lucy sighed.

    "I think you should move back to your apartment. That should help the both of you. It would be easier to break up and move on at the end of the day if you''re not living with him. Living with Rachel made things worse for me," Lucas said, and Lucy sighed again.

    "Alright, I''ve heard you. Thanks for listening to me. I should go back to bed," Lucy said before hanging up.

    Maybe if she could stop being Lucy for a minute and look at the issue from a logical standpoint, she would know what to do, Lucy mused as she wiped her tears and decided to set emotions aside and approach the subject as she would an official assignment.

    She tried to cheer up by reminding herself that Tom loved her. This was a rough patch in their rtionship that they could get over if she would be able to be there for Tom as he wanted her to be.

    As she had done several times already, she went over all that had happened in her head again, only this time she did so not as Lucy. She tried to think about her rtionship with Tom from a logical and unbiased point of view.

    She knew that Tom''s primary desire was to get married and have kids. Even as she thought about it, her heart began to race. Getting married and having kids was not something she was sure she could do.

    Lucy shook her head to discard the thought and remind herself that she wasn''t Lucy at the moment. She needed to be objective.

    Just as Lucas had said, it would be selfish of her to try to hold on to Tom if she couldn''t be there for him in the way he needed her to be. It would be selfish to want him to give up all he wanted for her sake.

    Tom was an amazing person, and he deserved to be happy, Lucy thought as tears gathered in her eyes once again, but she brushed them off as she rose to go back into the bedroom after making up her mind on what to do.

    He had said he would keep tolerating her until he couldn''t, and then they would break up. She was just going to enjoy their rtionship while doing her best to be there for him in the ways she could until she also knew for sure what she wanted.

    She was going to move back to her apartment and she would give Therapy her best shot whether or not she believed in it, and if her feeling concerning marriage and having kids remained the same after therapy, then she was just going to have to let him go regardless of how heartbreaking it would be for her.

    Once Lucy got on the bed, Tom sleepily reached for her, "I love you," Tom murmured in his sleep, and Lucy sighed as she snuggled against him.

    "I love you too," Lucy whispered and listened to his steady heartbeat until she drifted off to sleep.

 Chapter 570 Uncomfortable

    Chapter 570 Ufortable

    Lucy''s heart skipped a beat when she opened her eyes the next morning and saw Tom watching her the same way he always did whenever he woke up before her, the only difference was that he was holding her hand this time.

    Tom smiled, "Good morning, my Jewel," he greeted pleasantly, and although she was still feeling a bit anxious, she smiled back.

    "How long have you been awake?" She asked, and Tom shrugged.

    "Long enough to know to behold your beauty," he said with a grin and Lucy blushed.

    "Did you sleep well?" She asked awkwardly and he gave her a nod.

    "I did. Did you?" He asked as he looked down at their joined hands.

    "I guess so," she said, as she watched him while wondering what he was thinking.

    Why was he acting like everything was alright and they had not just had the most awkward day of their rtionship the previous day? What was going on in his head? Lucy mused.

    If he was trying to brush off all that had happened yesterday and pretend like everything was fine, she was more than willing to move on from it as well but she wasn''t so sure that was the best thing to do.

    "That''s good. Let''s get ready for work," Tom said as he kissed the back of her hand before rolling off the bed.

    As they both prepared for work, Tom''s gaze moved to Lucy at intervals and when he could, he watched her from the corners of his eyes as she dressed up.

    Like her, he had pretended to be asleep so she could rx but had been awake when she went to the balcony to cry and he had eavesdropped on her part of the conversation with Lucas.

    Now that he was well rested and refreshed, his mind and thoughts concerning Lucy and their rtionship was clear.

    He was going to make her his wife and the mother of his kids.

    He wanted Lucinda Perry to be his wife and the mother of his kids, and he was going to find a way to make her want the same thing no matter how long it would take.

    If he could get her to fall in love with him and be in a rtionship with him, then he could also get her to marry him.

    He was a patient man, and he wasn''t the type to give up on what he wanted so easily.

    Although his father''s suggestion was a wee one, he was smart enough to know that Lucy''s personality was very different from his mother''s personality regardless of what little simrities they shared, and what worked on his mother might not work on her.

    Taking the same approach as his father had done might not necessarily work since Lucy was more reserved than his mother and he knew her well enough to know her default response to emotional disturbance was withdrawal.

    He was going to need to be more careful with Lucy. He would let Lucy return to her apartment as his father had suggested, but that was as far as he nned to go. He hoped that staying apart would make her miss living together.

    "What are you thinking about?" Lucy asked when she caught him staring at her and noticed he seemed lost in his thoughts.

    Tom shed her a smile as he shook his head, "I was just thinking that you look really beautiful," Tom lied, and although Lucy narrowed her eyes suspiciously, she didn''t push further.

    "Are you ready to leave?" Tom asked as he looked her over.

    She was dressed in a ck corporate dress that stopped at a knee, and had a rose colored floral scarf around her neck which matched her stiletto.

    "Yeah," Lucy said, and they left the house together.

    "Are you going to be very busy today?" Lucy asked as they got into the car.

    "Yeah," Tom said as he started the car.

    "You met my assistant yesterday. What do you think about him?" Tom asked as he drove off.

    "He said his name is Eric Howell. Is he rted to the television show host?" Lucy asked, and Tom shook his head.

    "He is not. Harry looked into his background and it was clean," Tom assured her.

    "That''s quite a coincident," Lucy said thoughtfully, and Tom nodded.

    "By the way, you haven''t gotten someone to rece your secretary yet, have you? Do you need help?" Tom asked, and Lucy shook her head.

    "No, thanks. I''m not sure I''mfortable with working with just anyone right now. I think I can manage on my own for the time being," Lucy said, but Tom said nothing.

    The conversations they were having was sort of awkward and they both knew it. It was clear they were avoiding the real issue they needed to talk about.

    "I heard from Jade about Anita and her family," Lucy said, and Tom sighed.

    "I should have told you about that. I''m sorry. I forgot."

    "It''s okay. I''m sure you would have told me had things not happened the way they did between us yesterday," Lucy said, hoping this would be an opening for them to talk about yesterday.

    "About Anita''s family��." Tom started and passed his phone to Lucy so she would listen to everything Barry had sent him while he drove.

    Lucy sighed when she was done listening, "This changes everything, doesn''t it?" Lucy asked, and Tom nodded in agreement.

    "Yeah, it does. But we will have to wait and see what happens next," Tom said, and he took his phone from Lucy when Harry''s call entered.

    "Good morning, sunshine! Sup?" Tom asked sweetly immediately he received Harry''s call.

    Harry chuckled, "Save the endearments for your girlfriend, I don''t need it. I see you are feeling better today," Harry observed.

    "Yeah. I''m sure you didn''t call just to check on me when you know we would be meeting at the office soon. What''s up?" Tom asked curiously.

    "Don''t be so sure. I missed you so much that I dreamt of you��." Harry trailed off with a chuckle when Tomughed out loud.

    "Good. I see you are okay. So, the thing is this. I just received a distress call from one of the hotel directors in one of the branches outside the country, and one of us is needed over there to resolve the issue��."

    "What is the situation? Can''t it be resolved from here?" Tom asked without letting him finish.

    Tom listened as Harry gave him the details "��.You know I can''t travel right now," Harry finished, and Tom nodded.

    "I will take care of it. Don''t worry about it," Tom assured Harry before hanging up.

    "Is everything alright?" Lucy asked with concern since she had heard the worry in Tom''s voice.

    "Something urgent came up, and I have to travel out of the country today," Tom said, and Lucy''s heart skipped a beat.

    "Today?"

    "Yeah. Hopefully I won''t be gone for too long," Tom said, and Lucy frowned.

    "What about the anniversary events?"

    "Harry will handle it. I should be able to resolve the problem and be back before the anniversary dinner party on Friday," Tom said, and Lucy sighed.

    They were both silent for some time and then Lucy cleared her throat, "Um, can we talk about yesterday?" She asked, and Tom turned to look at her and took her hand in his.

    "Your reaction to my observation hurt me, but I also took things too far. I''m sorry I hurt your feelings," Tom said, and Lucy looked at him, not sure why she felt like he was saying this so they won''t argue further but he had other ns in mind for her.

    "I''m sorry I hurt you. I didn''t mean to," Lucy apologized, and Tom raised her hand to his lips.

    "It''s fine now. So which therapists did you contact? And how can I help?" Tom asked, and Lucy smiled as she told him about the two therapists and how she was still trying to make up her mind on which of them to go for.

    "Maybe you can start by talking with them both and settle for the one you feel morefortable speaking with," Tom suggested.

    "Alright. I will do that. Do you still want me to move back to my apartment?" Lucy asked, her heart racing as the question left her lips.

    Tom nodded, "Yeah. I think you should. You can do that after our parents leave," Tom said, and Lucy looked at him for a moment.

    "Tom? Are we good?" She asked, and Tom smiled at her.

    "Sure. We are," he assured her, and Lucy sighed.

    She wasn''t sure if she believed him. She was still very ufortable. He was traveling and would be away for a couple of days. He still wanted her to move to her apartment even though things still seemed sort of tense between them.

    Lucy took a deep breath. She was going to move back to her apartment no doubt, since Lucas had also suggested the same thing. But the problem was that she wasn''t sure how things was going to be between them going forward, and that was what made her feel very ufortable.

 Chapter 571 Medical Abortion

    Chapter 571 Medical Abortion

    The breakfast table was unusually quiet that morning as everyone seemed to be preupied with various thoughts, and those who weren''t too busy thinking were busy eating.

    Sonia yed around with the fried egg on her te as she thought about the positive pregnancy test result and what to do about it. The mere thought of it made her heart beat very fast and made her feel nauseous.

    She couldn''t tell Bryan about it. That would cause another friction in their rtionship, and she didn''t want that. Bryan had once again made it clearst night during dinner that he wasn''t ready for such a leap in their rtionship yet. She needed to get rid of it silently so he wouldn''t find out.

    She had thought long and hard about it over the night and has made up her mind to have a medical abortion. That was the easiest to deal with. No one would know about it, and she wouldn''t need to go to a hospital.

    Despite havinge to that decision, her heart ached at the thought of stifling the life that was growing inside her.

    Seated across her, Evelyn had her own worries to think about. Tom''s statement during dinner had given her a sleepless night, and she needed to talk to either Tom or Lucy privately to be certain that it wasn''t what she thought Tom meant. It couldn''t be. She didn''t want it to be.

    Although Desmond had argued with her over and over again fromst night to this morning that even if that was what Tom meant, he had every right to make such a decision for himself, and she had no business getting upset or trying to change his mind about it, Evelyn paid no heed to his words.

    Tom was her son, and whatever he chose to do with his life was her business. Tom had always been all about having his own family, and if for any reason something had changed that, she needed to know exactly what it was and why. It couldn''t be Lucy, could it? Evelyn mused as she looked at J, who was eating as though she didn''t have a care in the world.

    Evelyn picked up her phone when it rang suddenly, "It''s Tom," she announced apologetically as she received the call since she was big on not receiving phone calls during mealtimes.

    "Good morning, mom. I need you to pack a suitcase for me. I''m flying out of the country in a bit to take care of an I-Global emergency situation. Could you do that for me?" Tom asked, sounding sort of urgent since he was about to leave his office for a meeting.

    "Sure. Do you need me to bring it to your office?" Evelyn asked eagerly, hoping she would be able to meet and discuss with either him or Lucy privately.

    "You can just give it to Adolf��."

    "I will bring it myself. It''s been a while since Ist visited thepany. I will stop by," Evelyn said before hanging up.

    "Is everything alright?" Desmond asked, and Evelyn noticed that all eyes were on it.

    "Yeah. He needs me to bring his luggage to the office. He has to travel out of the country to handle an emergency," Evelyn exined.

    "That''s quite sudden," Desmond said, wondering if Tom was doing this because of his misunderstanding with Lucy.

    "Things like this happen all the time when you run apany," Evelyn assured him.

    "Can Ie with you?" Sonia, who had been silent all morning, blurted out without thinking, and Bryan''s brows pulled together as he looked at her.

    "Didn''t we n to go see a movie today?" Bryan asked, and Sonia nodded.

    "Don''t tell me you can''t stand to be without me even for an hour?" Sonia asked in a teasing tone, "I''m only apanying her. I''m sure Evelyn doesn''t n to spend all day at thepany, right, Evelyn?" Sonia asked, and Evelyn nodded.

    "Sure. You cane with me if you want to," Evelyn said, and Sonia shed her a smile of gratitude.

    "Can Ie too?" Jamal asked, and Candace turned to him.

    "Don''t you want to visit your grandpa today?"

    "We won''t take long. I want to see thepany again. You should too. You haven''t seen it yet, have you?" Jamal asked, and both he and Candace looked at Evelyn, wanting to know if they could join them.

    Although Candace wasn''t the type to say what was on her mind or what she wanted, she was curious to see where Tom and Harry worked.

    Even though Evelyn could tell that she was stretching it, she went ahead. What harm coulde from letting them join her? "Sure. You both cane," Evelyn said, and they beamed at her.

    "What about me? I cane too, right?" J asked, and both Andrew and Desmond exchanged a look.

    "You should as well get an excursion bus," Andrew muttered, and Desmond chuckled.

    "Tom is going to be in for the shock of his life when he sees y''all," Desmond said and then raised a brow at Bryan and Jade.

    "Are you both not going with them?" He asked his children.

    "No, I''m not," Bryan said, sensing that Sonia wanted to leave with Evelyn because she was avoiding him.

    Her behaviour, since they went to I-Global the previous day, had told him that much. What happened in Lucy''s office? She had been all chatty and excited on their way to I-Global but had been as cold as a fish by the time they were returning.

    It didn''t help that she and Lucy had locked themselves up in their bedroom for whatever reason the previous day. That Had told him that Lucy knew what was wrong.

    Although he had tried his best not to feel that way, but it had been next to impossible not to feel locked out. Or was it shut out? This wasn''t about him feeling insecure or jealous about Lucy. Something was up with Sonia, and he wished she would tell him what it was. Did he do something wrong? Or was it that he was just being overly sensitive and reading too much meaning into whatever was wrong with Sonia?

    Although he couldn''t tell what it was but he knew that she was hiding something from him, and maybe it was best to let her be alone if that was what she wanted for the time being. He wanted to believe that she woulde around to tell him what the problem was. Or should he just ask Lucy about it? Bryan mused.

    "Jady?" Desmond called when she said nothing, and she sighed as she dropped her cutlery and rose.

    "I have stuff to attend to in my bedroom. I''m full," Jade announced as though everyone at the table was blind and couldn''t see that she had barely touched the meal in front of her.

    "Alright," Desmond responded, not bothering to ask her what the problem was.

    After his conversation with her the previous day, he was sure she could deal with whatever the problem was, as he suspected it had to do with Harry.

    As always, Desmond was right about the cause of Jade''s sad demeanour. It was true that her mood was because of Harry.

    Jade had no idea why she was still feeling so worried about Harry''s date with Aurora despite all that had happened between them over the weekend and the assurance he had given her.

    Did her insecurity run so deep? Right now, she was more worried by her worry over their date than she was about the date itself. Why couldn''t she just act like it wasn''t a big deal? Why couldn''t she just go about her day normally? Why was her heart racing? Why was her stomach churning?

    "Jade," Candace, who Jade hadn''t noticed was following her, called softly behind her, and Jade turned.

    "Hey!" Jade forced a smile.

    "Are you alright?" Candace asked since she considered Jade, a close friend.

    "Yeah. What about you?" Jade asked as she let Candace get in step beside her, and they continued up the stairs together.

    "I''m okay. I''ve decided to move back to Sogal after Aaron gets well and is ready to leave," Candace announced, and Jade paused.

    "Why? Because Matt is moving to Ludus?" Jade asked, and Candace tried not to roll her eyes.

    "You''re smarter than that question, Jade. My life doesn''t revolve around Matt," Candace said in a disapproving tone.

    "Well, if you must know, I want to live with Aaron and get to know him better. If possible, catch up on lost years. I will always have time to do that with Harry, but Aaron is getting older by the day. Besides, I need to make something out of my life before getting involved with anyone. Something I can be proud of," Candace said, and Jade sighed and nodded as they stopped in front of her bedroom.

    "Alright. I understand. Sorry I brought Matt up," Jade said, and Candace smiled.

    "It''s okay. So, how are things going between you and Harry?" Candace asked with interest since she had been wondering if Harry was responsible for Jade''s mood.

    Jade smiled as she thought of Harry, and Candace could tell it was genuine, "Beautifully. Harry is everything," Jade said as she opened the door, and Candace smiled as she walked in with her.

    "If that''s the case, why have you been sulking all morning?" Candace asked, and Jade sighed.

    "I wasn''t sulking. I don''t know. I''m just anxious about his meeting with Aurora. And no, I''m not thinking about going there to spy on them. I''m just worried, and that is what is bothering me," Jade said as she dropped onto her bed, and Candace sighed in understanding as she sat beside her.

    "I see��." The rest of her words trailed off when her phone rang with a call from Harry, "It''s your boyfriend," Candace told Jade with a wink as she received the call.

    "Hey, twin brother!" Candace greeted cheerfully, knowing it would make Harry wince.

    "Hey, twin sister!" Harry greeted back in an equally cheerful tone, determined not to let her ruffle his feathers, and Candace giggled.

    Jade smiled as she watched Candace, feeling somewhat happy to observe the interaction between them even though she couldn''t hear what Harry was saying.

    "Did you call because you want to hear my voice or because you want to talk to your girlfriend?" Candace asked curiously.

    "I was hoping you''d be home when I got back from work yesterday. Why are you always in a hurry to leave when I can easily drop you off?" Harry asked with mild annoyance, and Candace''s heart skipped at that word ''home''.

    "Well, I didn''t want to be a bother and��."

    "You could never be a bother even if you tried��."

    "Are you sure about that?" Candace interrupted in a teasing tone, and Harry could hear the smile in her voice.

    He paused to reconsider what he had just said, "I think I can tolerate you," Harry said with a grin, and Candace giggled. She could never get used to knowing she had her own family now.

    "Can you not leave tonight? I will love to see you and Jamal when I get back. I want us to talk," Harry said, and Candace paused her lips. He was asking her to spend the night.

    "About what? Did Dad tell you I''m moving back to Sogal with him?" She asked, and they both paused.

    Jade smiled. It was the first time she was hearing Candace refer to Aaron directly as her dad.

    Candace cleared her throat, "I mean��."

    "Yeah. He told me. That''s not all I want to talk to you about. When you''reing,e prepared to spend the night, okay? We should have a proper family dinner and spend the night together," Harry urged her, and Candace nodded.

    "Alright. I will be stopping by thepany with Evelyn and the others. I want to see where you work," Candace said, and Harry nced at his wristwatch.

    "I might not be here when you arrive, but I promise to show you around before you leave for Sogal," Harry said, and Candace smiled.

    "Jade is here. Want to say hello to her?" Candace asked, and Jade looked at her expectantly.

    Although she had spoken with Harry earlier that morning already, she was eager to hear his voice again.

    "No. If I want to say hello, I will dial her line. Tell her I love her eyes. And ask her to try not to worry too much about the meeting with Aurora because I will be thinking about her the whole time," Harry said before hanging up.

    "He said to tell you he loves your eyes," Candace said, and Jade''s lips curved in a smile.

    "And he said you should not worry about his meeting with Aurora since he will be thinking of you the whole time," Candace added, and Jade sighed.

    "I''m trying not to."

    "I guess he can see through you even when he is not with you," Candace said, and Jade smiled once again.

    "I told you he is everything, remember?" Jade said with a small smile.

 Chapter 572 The Middle

    Inside Tom''s office, Harry sat opposite him as they discussed his trip and what he was expected to do, and also talked about how Harry would take care of things in his absence.

    Once they were done talking about business, Harry eyed Tom with interest, "So? What did you decide to do?" Harry asked. Knowing Tom, he knew that Tom was acting as his usual self only because he had made up his mind on what to do.

    "About what?"

    "About Lucy and her decision? I take it you''ve gotten a solution?" Harry asked, and Tom shrugged.

    "She decided to go for therapy," Tom said, and Harry grinned.

    "She did? See? I told you. Lucy is reasonable. She only needs time and patience," Harry said, but Tom merely stared at him.

    "What now?" Harry asked, sensing that Tom wasn''t satisfied.

    "Well, I told her therapy is not enough," Tom said, and Harry shook his head in disapproval.

    "Sometimes I can''t believe you. Just yesterday, you said...."

    "I know all I said. But I also got to realise that even if she receives therapy and decides she still doesn''t want to get married, I won''t let her go," Tom said, and Harry raised a brow.

    "So what are you going to do? We both know you''re a family-oriented person, and in our line of business, most old-fashioned people trust you more and believe you to be more responsible when you are married and have your own family," Harry pointed out, and Tom shrugged.

    "Good you know all that. Although I haven''tpletely worked out the details yet, but I''m going to make Lucy my wife. I think I can settle for adopting kids if she is vehemently against that idea, but she has to be my wife," Tom said with a stubborn set of his lips, and Harry grinned.

    "Whenever you have that determined look in your eyes, you almost always get what you want. I look forward to seeing how you go about this one. Although I''m afraid tattoos and earrings won''t help you this time," Harry joked, and Tom smirked.

    "I won''t be needing those. The stake is much higher this time. I''m going to risk losing her to marry her," Tom said, and Harry raised a brow.

    "How do you risk losing her to marry her?" Harry asked, and Tom shrugged.

    "I will let you know after my n is in ce. Although I''m hundred per cent sure you''re going to call me crazy...."

    "Don''t do anything crazy, Tom," Harry advised, but the wild determination in Tom''s eyes told him that his mind was made up, and Harry shook his head.

    "Just don''t hurt her, and don''t lie to her...."

    "I will do whatever it takes, Harry. Whatever." Tom cut in.

    "And you will end up losing her...."

    "Are you listening to me? I just told you I''m willing to risk losing her to marry her. It''s a gamble. Don''t worry, I won''t get you involved," Tom promised, and Harry sighed.

    "It''s not about getting me involved. Just don''t hurt her, Tom. I really won''t forgive you if you do," Harry warned.

    "Do you think I derive pleasure from doing any of this? Don''t you think hurting her is going to hurt me too? Whatever I''m doing is for Lucy and me. If she needs to experience the pain of losing me to realise how much she wants me, then she will! Don''t go all protective cousin on me right now! You''re first my best friend before you''re Lucy''s friend or cousin," Tom snapped at him, and Harry sighed.

    "It''s not about being a protective cousin or anything. I really do not want you to do anything you''re going to regret. Your rtionship with Lucy means a lot to me too," Harry said defensively.

    "And it doesn''t mean anything to me? If this was between you and Jade, do you think I would take sides?" Tom asked, and Harry paused and considered it.

    Knowing Tom, he most likely would let them resolve it between themselves and not interfere. That was just the sort of person Tom was when it came to rtionships.

    Harry had no idea what to say. How was he supposed to stay neutral in this? Lucy was hardly someone he could see going through stuff and look away. Tom was his best friend, and Lucy was his friend and cousin.

    Yeah, he might have only just recently gotten close to her and got to know that she was his cousin, but that didn''t mean he didn''t feel strongly about her.

    "You''re meeting with Sara soon, right?" Tom asked, changing the subject.

    "Yeah," Harry said with a sigh as he nced at his wristwatch. If Tom wanted to change the subject, that was fine by him, but he wasn''t going to let Tom do anything he was going to regret. That was part of his duties as a best friend, wasn''t it?

    "I have checked out Wilson Peterson''s (Rachel''s dad) main opponent," Harry informed Tom.

    "And?"

    "As you must know, the polls show that Wilson is in the lead, and it will take a miracle for his opponent to close the gap. If we send what we have to him, he should be able to do what we want. He must be desperate enough by now," Harry concluded.

    "What sort of person is his opponent?" Tom asked, and Harry raised a brow.

    "He is a politician. What sort of a person do you expect him to be?" Harry asked dryly.

    "Well, I just don''t want us to help someone evil climb the politicaldder," Tom said, and Harry snorted.

    "That is not and has never been our business. Our business here is bringing down Wilson Peterson, not choosing a Governor for Heden," Harry pointed out, and Tom sighed.

    "Alright. So when do you n to go ahead with the n?" Tom asked, and Harry smiled.

    "Tomorrow. I''m going to tell Candace about it tonight. I want the whole drama to begin tomorrow. I will have the orphanage contact Jade''s previous boss tomorrow about finding the girl he is searching for. Before the weekend, Sara should be reunited with her long-lost daughter," Harry said, and Tom smiled.

    "At least one thing is going ording to n," Tom said as he yed with his pen.

    "Are you still worried about the Miller family? Any update from Barry?" Harry asked, and Tom met his gaze.

    "Yeah. A conversation between the pregnant sister and Anita," Tom said as he pushed his phone to Harry for him to listen to the recording that Barry had sent him the previous evening while he was having dinner with his family but had only been able to listen to it a short while ago. He had been listening to it a moment ago before Harry walked into his office.

    Harry yed it, and the first voice he heard was Lisa''s happy and relieved cry, "Annie, Benny is awake! She regained consciousness," Lisa cried.

    "Mighty nice of her to wake up just after I left. She must be avoiding me," Anita said dryly, but the relief in her voice was unmistakable.

    "Are you going to see her before you leave?" Lisa asked hopefully.

    "Leave? Is Anita leaving? Where is she going to?" Harry asked Tom as he paused the recording.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Tom rubbed the bridge of his nose, "I think she has made up her mind to quit her job and move away," Tom said, and Harry frowned as he resumed the recording.

    "No. There is no reason to. I''m d she survived. I only hope she doesn''t go back to Adam," Anita said with a sigh.

    "I spoke with her. She doesn''t n to return there. What do you think we can do for her?"

    "Good. For starters, let''s help her find a goodwyer who isn''t scared of going against Adam''s family. She can move into my house, and then we can talk about getting her a job," Anita said, and once the sisters reached an agreement, they hung up.

    "Hmm, I guess we should be d we have one less enemy to worry about?" Harry asked with a sigh as he looked at Tom.

    "And just let her go after what she did?" Tom asked, and Harry shrugged.

    "Why don''t we let Lucy decide if she wants to forgive Anita or not?" Harry asked, and Tom nodded.

    "Yeah. We agreed to wait and see," Tom said, and Harry rose.

    "Good. I have to leave you now. I need to handle some stuff before heading out to meet the old witch," Harry said, and Tom''s lips twitched.

    "Let me know how the meeting goes," Tom said as he watched Harry walk away.

    Harry met Eric by the doorway,ing in with two styrofoam cups of coffee, so he took one from him, and instead of going to his office, Harry headed straight for Lucy''s office.

    Lucy was still pondering over the state of things between her and Tom when he knocked on her door, and she raised her head to see Harry standing there with a cheerful smile and a cup of coffee in his hand.

    "Good morning, LuLu! Can Ie in?" Harry asked, and Lucy smiled back.

    "Sure," she said as she sat up and looked at Harry, wondering what he wanted to talk about.

    "Please sit," she urged him.

    "How are you?" Harry asked as he sat, and Lucy shrugged.

    "I''m okay. Thanks for not letting me walk away yesterday," Lucy said, and Harry nodded.

    "It''s nothing. Besides, Tom asked me to stop you," Harry said, and Lucy''s smile faltered.

    "Tom asked you to stop me?" she asked, and Harry gave her a nod.

    "I was busy and didn''t notice you leaving until Tom brought it to my attention. He couldn''t possibly let you make such a mistake after all," Harry said, and Lucy sighed.

    "Thanks all the same. How is Aaron doing? I should stop by to pay him a visit soon. I miss him," Lucy said, and Harry grinned.

    "He is feeling much better now doing all that grandpa stuff. I''m sure he will love to see you too," Harry said as he continued to watch Lucy with interest.

    "Tom said he has to leave the country today?" Lucy asked after Harry had remained silent for some seconds.

    "Yeah. I would have handled this, but I can''t leave my dad right now, and I also have to meet with Aurora today, thedy you met at the spa," Harry exined.

    "Oh! The date! She spoke so much about it. I hope it goes well. She is a sweetdy," Lucy said, and Harry nodded.

    "Yeah. I''m hoping so too," Harry said as he raised the cup to his lips and took a sip from it.

    "So, why are you here?" Lucy asked when she got tired of waiting for him to get to the point.

    "Two reasons. To see if you need someone to talk to and to tell you about my meeting with Sara."

    "Tom told you about our misunderstanding, didn''t he? Is that why you are here?" Lucy asked suspiciously, and Harry shook his head.

    "We don''t have to talk about that if you don''t want to. But I''m here just in case you need someone to listen to you. I mean, I know Tom better than anyone else, and I''m really rooting for you both, so maybe you can talk to me," Harry suggested, and Lucy sighed.

    "Thanks, but I think I''m fine. You don''t have to worry about me. And if for any reason I need to talk, I will find my way to your office," Lucy assured him.

    "Is that a promise?" Harry asked, and Lucy gave him a nod.

    "So why are you meeting with Sara?" Lucy asked and listened as Harry brought her to speed on his ns.

    "She must underestimate you a lot if she believes that you would want to meet with her despite all she has done," Lucy said, and Harry nodded.

    "People like her tend to feel superior and believe they are smarter than everyone else. I thought I should let you know so that you would behave ordingly if she reaches out to you for any reason," Harry said, and Lucy smiled.

    "Sure," Lucy said, and Harry rose, ready to leave.

    "I have to leave now. It''s almost time to meet with the witch," Harry said with a crooked smile.

    "Harry?" Lucy called, stopping him.

    "Yeah?"

    "Would you still be this way with me if Tom and I were to break up?" Lucy asked, and Harry considered the question for only a moment.

    "You might stop being my best friend''s girlfriend, but you won''t stop being my friend or cousin. Also, I don''t think you both would break up. I trust you both to meet in the middle and not lose each other," Harry said reasonably.

    Tom had said the same thing about her meeting him in the middle, Lucy remembered. She knew that meantpromise, but she had no idea where the middle was in this situation.

    "Where do you think is the middle?" she asked, and Harry shrugged.

    "The point that is fair to the both of you. Where no one is giving too much or losing too much, I''m sure you will figure out your middle," Harry said with a small smile before walking away.

 Chapter 573 Great Performance

    Harry was alreadyfortably seated at the Golden Lotus Restaurant thirty minutes before the agreed meeting time.

    He had arrived much earlier because he needed the time to take care of some part of his personal business and alsopose himself before her arrival. Thest thing he wanted was for his face or voice to give off his dislike and disgust for her.

    The moment he sighted her, he rose from his seat, and a wide weing smile was etched on his face as he watched her approach. So this was the face of the evil witch who had hurt his father and sister? Harry mused as an unfamiliar feeling settled in his chest. A feeling he had no doubt was genuine hatred.

    Although he had seen her before and had formed an opinion of her the first time, seeing her again now, not as a stranger but as the woman who had brought him and his twin sister into the world, made him despise her even more.

    He waited until she was a few feet away before starting the performance, "Mother!" Harry eximed loudly as he approached her, causing Sara''s steps to falter as she quickly looked around to see if anyone had heard him.

    Unfortunately for her, what she didn''t know was that the people seated in that part of the restaurant were journalists who were nted by Harry to cover the news of his reunion with his mother, who had abandoned him.

    "Harry, what are you doing?" Sara asked with an awkward smile when Harry suddenly met her halfway and embraced her tightly, pretending to weep.

    "I''m so happy to finally meet you, mom! All these years, I thought you were dead," Harry said loud enough for everyone to hear and held on firmly as Sara tried to pull away from the hug.

    "You''re creating a scene, Harry. Don''t embarrass us both," Sara said through gritted teeth, wanting to walk away, especially when she heard the shutters of cameras.

    "Oh!" Harry said as though realizing that he was in public, and he straightened, "I''m sorry. I was so emotional I lost my mind for a minute," Harry said with an apologetic smile as he pulled away from her.

    "Let''s sit down," Sara said with an awkward smile that didn''t reach her eyes as she walked briskly to their table, leaving Harry to follow her.

    Once they were seated, Sara raised a brow, "I didn''t expect you would be so weing," Sara said as she watched him.

    She had been sort of wary of meeting with him, as she had kept wondering if this was a trap, but seeing how Harry had publicly made a fool of himself and embarrassed them both, she doubted he was in any waypetent enough to trap her.

    "Why not? You are my mother. That is all that matters. Whatever happened in the past is between you and dad. It has nothing to do with me," Harry said dismissively.

    "How sweet of you," Sara said with a pleased smile.

    It was unfortunate that he wasn''t like her in any way. Too bad for him that he had inherited his father''s weakness and gullibility exactly as she had thought. Maybe she would have been more open and receptive to him had Lucy not interfered with her ns and had her options not increased.

    Thankfully she had checked out the research center, and it was legit. She had booked a zoom meeting appointment with the founder and research head. Once she was certain she had everything in ce, she would disappear once again.

    Harry could see the wheels turning in her head as he rubbed his hands together, pretending to be nervous, "I''m so happy to see you. Thank you foring back into my life and insisting on meeting me," Harry said as he signaled to a waiter to attend to her.

    Sara ordered a ss of wine since she wasn''t in the mood to eat, and seeing as Harry was only having wine as well, she guessed the feeling was mutual. They had a lot to talk about, and food would only get in the way.

    After the waiter had taken their orders, Harry looked at Sara eagerly, "Can you tell me more about yourself? I would love to know you better," Harry said excitedly, while Sara tried not to tut in disappointment.

    Sara thought as she began to tell him what little of herself she thought he needed to know, "There is so much to tell," Sara said with a sigh.

    "I should probably start by telling you the truth. I lied to your dad about some things," Sara said, and Harry raised a brow.

    "You did?" He asked, curious to know what lies she was about to tell him too. Only an idiot would believe any word thates from Sara, and Harry Jonas couldn''t be mistaken for one.

    "I''m not an orphan as your father thinks," Sara said, and Harry''s mouth fell open as he tried to look shocked.

    "You''re not? Do you mean you have family somewhere? I--- have a family?" Harry asked, and Sara''s face fell as she shook her head and looked down at her hands.

    "I can''t exactly call them my family," Sara said as she raised her head to look at Harry, and he almost snorted when he saw the pool of tears in her eyes. The woman should have be an actor and not just a model, Harry mused.

    "Why is that?" Harry asked softly, looking at her with concerned eyes.

    "Well, my mother gave birth to triplets, and amongst the three of us, only my sister was healthy. Our brother died at birth, and I was a very sickly child. My health cost my parents so much money, so they... they didn''t want me," Sara said as a tear dropped from her eyes, and Harry watched incredulously as she reached into her handbag for a handkerchief to wipe her tear.

    She didn''t say another word until the waiter came with their order, served them, and left.

    "I once heard my mother say she wished I had died like my brother," Sara said, and Harry shook his head, bbergasted.

    "Your own mother said that? How can a mother be that mean? That callous?" He asked in disbelief, and Sara smiled weakly.

    "I always asked myself the same question. How could my own mother wish I was dead? It hurt me so much, especially the times when my parents would lock me up in the house and go out with my sister. They always hid me, saying I was a nuisance and an embarrassment to them," Sara said as tears pooled in her eyes once again, and she looked at Harry, hoping he was buying her story.

    "Those people are evil. They are not your family!" Harry said angrily, and Sara sniffled.

    "I''ve learned to leave with it. Especially after they abandoned me. When I was seventeen, I was seriously ill, and I guess they thought I was going to die, so they took me to the hospital in the middle of the night and left me there. By the time I was well enough and got back home, my family had moved," Sara said, and Harry looked at her with a stunned expression.

    He couldn''t believe that a person could be so evil to concoct such a story. If he didn''t know better, he would think she was telling the truth. What was she thinking making up such a story? Where was she driving at? Harry mused as he watched her.

    "Was that when you met dad?" he asked finally, and she shook her head.

    "I had to work for some time and save enough money while squatting with friends...."<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "You had friends? I mean, I thought you were always locked up?" Harry asked, and Sara blinked at him, slightly taken aback.

    "Yeah. Friends I made while at the hospital. I was there for quite a long time," Sara said with a stiff smile, and Harry nodded, allowing her to go on with her tale.

    "I met your dad after I was duped by someone who offered to help me achieve my modeling dream," she said, and Harry''s brows pulled together.

    "Modeling? Weren''t you sickly? How could you consider modeling as a career?" Harry asked, and Sara smiled stiffly.

    "It was my dream. Besides, I got a lot better after receiving treatment...."

    "How were you able to take care of the hospital bill?" Harry asked, and Sara sighed inwardly, despising the constant interruption.

    She picked up her winess and took a sip before answering his question, "A kind gentleman took care of it. Unfortunately, he never revealed his identity," Sara said before Harry could ask who the person was.

    Sara sighed, "Anyway, I met your fatherter, and after I gave birth to you, I began to feel sick again, and I was scared that I was going to die. I didn''t want to be a burden to your father, so I fled....."

    "With his money?" Harry asked casually as he nursed his winess.

    "I know it was wrong. But I needed to receive treatment," Sara said, looking contrite.

    "Not longter, I ran into the kind gentleman who paid my hospital bill back then, and he offered to be my sponsor and help me be a model," Sara said, and Harry nodded thoughtfully.

    "I''m d things turned out well for you," Harry said after a moment.

    He was just going to let her entertain him and worry about all the loopholes in her storyter. The idea of meeting with her wasn''t to let her know he knew what kind of person she was after all. It was to make her rx and trust him. So making her believe he was buying the story she was selling wasn''t a big deal. The end would always justify the means.

    "Is there a way I can meet this man and thank him?" Harry asked, and she shook her head sadly.

    "Unfortunately he passed away," she said with a sigh and Harry looked at her apologetically.

    "I''m sorry about that. I''m sure he must have meant a lot to you. I mean, he did what your parents couldn''t do. Did you ever meet your parents again?"

    "I tried to. When I got back into the country, I hired a private investigator to find my family. I wanted to fix things, you know. My therapist said I behaved the way I did and abandoned my husband and son because I was still traumatized by my experience with my family. So I wanted to fix things with them and with you and your dad," Sara said, and Harry watched her with interest.

    Therapist? He thought with amusement. He could swear Sara had never sat in the four walls of a therapist''s office before.

    "Did you meet them? Did they apologize to you?" Harry asked, encouraging her to go on with her story.

    He was d that he was recording the entire conversation. She was a good storyteller, and what better way to spend the evening with his father and sister than to let them be entertained by the beautiful tale spun by Sara?

    "I found out my parents were dead, but I met my twin sister and her husband. They wouldn''t even let me go into their house. They threw me out, and she said I was cursed," Sara said, and opened her mouth as though to say something else but shut it and pressed her lips together like a little girl trying hard to keep a secret.

    "Is something wrong?" Harry asked when he noticed her slight hesitation to say something, and Sara shook her head and sighed.

    "I don''t know whether or not I should say this. I''m scared," she said, looking at him with frightened eyes.

    "Of what?" Harry asked with a slight frown.

    Sara took a deep breath. It was now or never, she told herself as she met Harry''s gaze, "Lucy."

    "Lucy?" Harry asked with a surprised frown.

    "Yes. Your best friend''s girlfriend," Sara said as she rubbed her hands together nervously.

    "Why? What does she have to do with you? With us?" Harry asked in confusion as he watched Sara fidget in her seat.

    "She threatened me," Sara said as tears gathered in her eyes once again, and Harry frowned.

    "Lucy did? Why would she do that? What does she have against you?" Harry asked, and Sara shook her head.

    "I guess she thinks I''m going to get in her way of marrying your best friend if I reveal the truth about her. She is my sister''s daughter," Sara said in a rush, and Harry was almost tempted to throw his head backward andugh.

    Lucy, who was against the idea of marriage, was worried about Sara getting in the way of her marriage with Tom, who was more than eager to marry her?

    "Lucy is your sister''s daughter? She is aware?" Harry asked with a confused frown, and Sara almostughed gleefully, d that Lucy had kept the information to herself.

    "Yes. I don''t know how long she has known, but when she came with Aaron to meet me, she threatened me. She bragged about how much you all trust her and how you have her back. She said if I came close to you or said a word to you about our family ties, she was going to deal with me. She threatened to use me of selling off yourte twin sister and doing a lot of other hideous things. That girl is evil, I tell you. Lucy is just as terrible as her mother, and I''m so scared she might make good her threat. You have to help me, Harry," Sara cried, her hands beginning to tremble, and Harry watched her in stunned silence, amazed by her theatrics.

    So this was it? This was the reason for all that story? Discrediting Lucy was the reason for this outstanding performance? Wow!

    Harry wished he could stand up and apud her performance.

 Chapter 574 Im In Love....

    Rebekah paced around her bedroom with a wine ss in hand as she tried to figure out a way to fix things. Everything was falling apart. Everything was a mess.

    She was losing her daughters, and the life she had built for herself and them. First, it was Lisa, and then it was Bernice, and now it was Anita and Tiffany.

    How was she going to fix this and get her girls back where she wanted them? Neither of them was taking her call to tell her how Bernice was doing, and she couldn''t just show up at the hospital because she didn''t want them to embarrass her like they had done the previous day.

    She turned to the door with a scowl when one of her housekeepers knocked on it, "What?" she barked at her without opening the door.

    "Mr. Adam is downstairs," the housekeeper informed her politely.

    Rebekah opened her mouth to ask her to send him away but changed her mind at thest second since she knew just how stubborn Adam could be, and she didn''t want him to create a scene.

    Without saying another word to her, Rebekah opened the door and headed out of her bedroom to meet Adam downstairs. She needed to put an end to his nonsense once and for all.

    She stopped abruptly and turned to her housekeeper when it urred to her that she might need to speak with Adam privately unless she wanted her private business to be everyone''s business.

    "Where are the others?" Rebekah asked, referring to the cook and the two cleaners.

    "They went grocery shopping," the housekeeper said, and Rebekah nodded.

    "So you''re the only one in the house right now?" she asked, and the housekeeper gave her a nod.

    "Yes, ma''am."

    "Come with me. I need you to go get me something," Rebekah said as she returned to her bedroom with the housekeeper following behind.

    Once inside her bedroom, she gave the housekeeper some money and a long list of items she didn''t need.

    "You don''t need to hurry. You can take your time," Rebekah told her as they left the room once again, and the housekeeper hurried down the stairs to her bedroom to dress up while Rebekah joined Adam.

    "What makes you think... Oh, my God! What happened to your face?" Rebekah asked in surprise when she saw how battered his face was, like he had received a thorough beating.

    "Were you aware? Did you know that bastard Jackson was fucking my wife?" Adam barked at her with bloodshot eyes that red at Rebekah, who was standing at the foot of the stairs.

    "Will you keep your voice down and watch yournguage?" Rebekah hissed at him as what little concern she had disappeared and she looked around them to see if the housekeeper was nearby.

    "No, I won''t! I won''t let you tell me what to do anymore!" Adam growled at her, and Rebekah eyed him with annoyance.

    "Shouldn''t you be at work right now? Are you drunk?" she asked when she noticed that he seemed sort of unstable.

    "What if I am? You made me marry your slut of a daughter, and now you think I will let you walk out of our arrangem.."

    "Shut your mouth!" Rebekah snapped at him just as the housekeeper approached.

    Sensing the seriousness of their conversation, the housekeeper quickly hurried past them to the door and left the house, shutting the door behind her.

    "No, you shut up! I''m divorcing Bernice, and we are going to continue with our rtionship!" Adam said as he advanced towards her.

    "There is NO rtionship! Nothing of such exists between us. And this had better be thest time you show up unannounced in my house spilling such nonsense! Now get out!" Rebekah yelled, pointing at the door.

    "Do you really think I''m going to just let you use me and dump me? After all these years? After all I''ve fucking done for you?" Adam asked incredulously as he stopped in front of her.

    "After what you have done for me? What the fuck have you done for me, you moron?"

    "For starters, I married your whore of a daughter when no one else wanted her enough to marry her!"

    "Get out, Adam! Leave before you make me do or say something we would both regret. Be a good boy and get lost while I''m still being nice, else I''m going to call the police," Rebekah threatened angrily.

    "Call the police? Why don''t you go on and do that, Rebekah? I dare you to call the police! Do you think I''m going to just walk away and let you go? I''m going to fuck everything up for everyone, Rebekah! I''m going to start by taking that motherfucker to court for having the guts to hit me after fucking my bitch of a wife! I''m going to divorce Bernice and make sure she goes through the worst humiliation ever so much so that she won''t be able to show her face in public. And you? I''m going to ruin you, Rebekah!" Adam retorted, and Rebekah snorted.

    "Ruin me? Why don''t you try and do all of that? I sure do have so much to talk to your father about, after all. I''m sure he will love to hear about all your secret deals," Rebekah said with a stiff smile.

    "Fuck it, Rebekah! I still want you! For heaven''s sake, I love you! How can you be so mean to throw it all away? Fine, let''s say we are all even now. Let''s call it even. I won''t divorce Bernice. She can fuck Jackson all she wants, and I won''t make a big deal out of it. We can continue our affair, and it will all stay within the family," Adam pleaded as he grabbed her arm and pulled her to himself, crushing his lips to hers and grabbing her boobs roughly.

    Rebekah pushed him away angrily, and before he could regain hisposure, Rebekah''s vicious backhanded p knocked him back a couple of steps.

    "Don''t you darey your filthy hands on me without my say-so, you hear me? We had our fun, Adam, and now it''s over. Take your drunk ass home and sober up!" Rebekah snapped at him before turning around and climbing up the stairs.

    Adam raised a hand to his split lips, and his eyes heated when he touched blood. Blinded by rage, he hurried after Rebekah.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "You fucking bitch!" he roared as he reached out to grab her hair.

    Hearing hime up behind her, Rebekah spun around quickly, and just before Adam could touch her, she pushed him hard and watched in shocked surprise as he lost his footing and tumbled down the stairs.

    "Adam? Adam?" Rebekah called out in an rmed voice from her position at the top of the stairs as she looked down at his unmoving body which was lying at the foot of the stairs.

    "Come on, Adam, don''t do this!" Rebekah pleaded, her breathing in shallow pants as she hurried down the stairs to check him.

    Blood drained from her face when she noticed the pool of blood under his head. Her heart pumped very fast as she ced her hand under his nostrils to check if he was still breathing, but his breath was very faint.

    Her hands trembled as she moved away from him and just stood there staring down at him.

    What was she going to do? Although he was still alive but needed urgent medical care, but she definitely wasn''t stupid enough to call for an ambnce.

    How was she going to exin his presence in her house or the ident? What if she did call the ambnce, and he died? His father was the chief judge, and there was no way she wouldn''t be tried or convicted for murder, even though this wasn''t exactly her fault.

    "Calm down, Rebekah. Don''t panic. You''re in charge," she told herself quietly and began to pace around the living room.

    Rebekah used both palms to wipe off the sweat that was now dripping from her face despite the air conditioner. She stopped pacing, closed her eyes and took in a deep breath.

    What could she do about this messy situation? Rebekah asked herself, and immediately she ran to the door, changed the passcode, and locked the door. The first thing she could do was to keep this a secret by making sure no one walked in on her until she decided on what to do.

    Perhaps it was best for everyone if she left him to die? Especially Bernice. Adam''s death would make her a wealthy widow instead of a penniless divorcee, she mused as she wiped her sweaty palms on her gown.

    Adam was a corruptwyer and most likely had a lot of enemies so she didn''t have to worry about being a suspect. No finger would point at her as long as she did a good job of disposing the body.

    Realizing that she couldn''t just leave him lying there on the ground at the foot of the stairs, Rebekah contemted taking him up the stairs to hide him in her bedroom but there was no way she could carry him or drag him there so she dragged his body across the floor and hid him under the staircase.

    After doing that she got a mop and quickly wiped the blood stains off the tile. She knew she had to hurry before the housekeepers returned.

    She paced around as she tried to figure out what next to do. She couldn''t move the body alone. After contemting for a moment she went upstairs to her bedroom to get her phone. Once she picked it up from the top of her dresser, she dialed a number.

    "Come over to my house right now. I have a job for you," she informed the person on the other end of the line before hanging up.

    Away from there, Tiffany walked into herhouse, and saw Jack seated by the dining as though he was waiting for her.

    "Why are you at home? Didn''t you go to work?" she asked as though he had not cheated on her with her sister.

    "You weren''t taking my call. I asked the housekeepers to let me know if they hear from you, so I was waiting to see you. How is Benny? I heard she regained consciousness?" Jack asked with concerned eyes that made Tiffany frown.

    She was exhausted and had onlye home to freshen up and get some change of clothes and food for Bernice. She was not really in the mood to talk, "Jack...."

    "I''m sorry about yesterday, Tiff. I shouldn''t have caused a scene. I''m sorry. But I really need to know how she is doing, Tiff. I need to see her. Please let me," Jackson pleaded, and Tiffany sighed.

    "Why Jack? This whole time I let you do your stuff, but you had no right treating Benny like one of your whores! Why did you take advantage of Benny? How could you do such a thing?" Tiffany asked, and Jack shook his head.

    "Whore? I could never treat Benny as a whore, Tiff. Never. I''m in love...." Jack let the rest of his words trail off when he realized his slip. That wasn''t something a man should be admitting to his wife.

    "You are in love with Bernice?" Tiffany asked in disbelief. Although she had suspected it but hearing it directly from Jack shocked her.

    "I''m sorry, Tiff. I really am. But I''ve always been in love with Bernice. I just couldn''t work up my courage to talk to her and by the time I was ready to open up about my feelings I learned of her engagement to Adam...."

    "You have always been in love with Bernice? This whole time?" Tiffany asked in confusion, and Jack nodded.

    "I know I shouldn''t be telling my wife that I''m in love with her sister. The truth is I never would have made any pass at Benny had I thought she was happy in her marriage. When I walked into the house that night and saw her looking so miserable I felt really hurt. I didn''t realize how bad things were between her and Adam even though he always said the most awful things about her, which always made me feel bad. All I wanted was to make her happy. I wanted to put the smile back on her face," Jack said with so much sincerity in his gaze that Tiffany almost staggered back.

    "Why then did you marry me?" Tiffany asked weakly.

    "I have no idea what deal your mother made with my father. He threatened to cut me off if I didn''t marry you. And then I figured that if I married you I would at least still get to see Benny," Jack confessed, and Tiffany shook her head as she looked at her husband.

    Adam was in love with their mother, and her husband was in love with her sister. Had always been in love with her?

    "I think I need to be alone," Tiffany said, not knowing what else to say to him. She didn''t even know how she was feeling so how would she know what to say to him?

    Seeing how stunned she looked, Jack could tell she needed the space so he stepped out of her way and let her walk away while cussing himself for being a stupid Coward.

    If only he had not been so cowardly seven years when he saw her for the first time. If he only he approached her then, none of this would have happened. He screwed up back then and was now screwing up her life when all he had wanted was to make her happy.

 Chapter 575 Pregnant?

    "You really did not have toe over, mom. Adolf could have done this," Tom said as he rose from his seat when his mother walked into his office carrying a suitcase.

    "I wanted to see what you''ve done with the ce. Besides J, Jamal and Candace wanted to take a look around the ce," Evelyn said with a bright smile.

    Something about her eyes put Tom on guard. There was a sort of pleased, knowing look in her eyes that he couldn''t tell its source.

    "You all came together?" Tom asked in surprise, and Evelyn nodded as she looked around the office.

    "Yes. They''re busy looking around. Don''t worry. We won''t be here for long. We are heading to Harry''s to see his father after we leave here," Evelyn assured him as he took the suitcase from her.

    "Thanks," he said as he ced it on the table to check if she had included all he needed.

    Tom blinked back his surprise when he saw a pregnancy test kit packed on top of his clothes, "What is this, mom?" He asked, looking at her with a confused frown as he wondered why she had included that in his luggage.

    "I should be asking you," Evelyn said, watching him closely as she took out the pack and held up the kit.

    She had been surprised to find Lucy''s handbag hidden in the corner of the closet and had picked it up to hang it along with the others when the pregnancy test kit fell out from it. She had been both shocked and ted to see a positive test kit.

    "Why should you be asking me? Do I look like I missed my period?" Tom asked dryly, and Evelyn narrowed her eyes.

    "It does look like Lucy did. Am I to assume you weren''t aware?" Evelyn asked, and Tom frowned.

    "This belongs to Lucy?" He asked as his gaze moved to the kit she was holding, and Evelyn nodded.

    "It was in her handbag, hidden away in your closet, so I suppose it''s hers unless you''re sharing your bedroom with anotherdy I know nothing about," Evelyn said, and Tom''s heart skipped a beat.

    "You saw this in Lucy''s handbag? And it''s positive?" He asked again, unable to believe it.

    Seeing the surprise on his face, Evelyn realized she had made a mistake, "I guess you didn''t know about it yet. Perhaps it was meant to be a surprise. I should have asked her first," Evelyn said, regretting her thoughtlessness.

    Tom said nothing as he kept staring at the kit in disbelief. Was Lucy pregnant? How? And why would she be pregnant and not tell him about it? That didn''t seem like something Lucy would do. She had her ws, but she wasn''t the type to keep such secrets to herself. Or had she kept quiet because she thought it was the wrong timing, especially after their misunderstanding?

    "You should take it back," Tom said, not bothering to touch it, and Evelyn returned it to the pack and dropped it in her handbag.

    "Are you going to ask her about it?" She asked curiously, and Tom sighed, resisting the urge tob his fingers through his hair.

    "No. I''m sure she will tell me about it when she is ready."

    "What is going on with you, Tom?" Evelyn asked as she lowered herself to the chair closest to her.

    "Nothing. I''m good," Tom assured her as he sat on the edge of his desk, wishing his mother would leave so he could think.

    "Were you serious about not wanting to get married?" Evelyn asked, and Tom scratched the back of his ear.

    "I''m not ready at the moment, but I will eventually. I still need to figure out some stuff," Tom said, and Evelyn let out a sigh of relief.

    "You should have just said sost night. I could barely sleepst night because I kept worrying about you," Evelynined, and Tom watched her curiously.

    "Can I ask you a personal question?"

    Evelyn smiled, "Sure."

    "It''s unrted to the topic. But I''m curious. When you didn''t want to get married initially, did you appreciate dad trying to change your mind?" Tom asked, and Evelyn broke into a smile.

    "Getting married and having you and your siblings is the best decision I ever made," Evelyn said without thinking twice.

    "That''s what you know now, over three decadester. But at the time, did you like being persuaded?" He asked, and her brows knit together thoughtfully.

    "I can''t say I did or didn''t. Your father was quite subtle. He snuck up on me and slipped past my defenses. Before your father, I was always independent and self-sufficient, and then one day, I realized I wasn''t anymore," Evelyn said with a soft smile as she thought of Desmond.

    "You mean he exposed you to a need you didn''t realize you had?" Tom asked, and Evelyn beamed a smile at him.

    "You sound just like your father. And yes. He made me realize that not all men were like my father, and I didn''t deserve to be lonely or do life on my own because of something my father did," Evelyn exined.

    "Did you ever get help? I mean, therapy?"

    "I did, but it didn''t really help. I guess I had a terrible therapist, and hepletely put me off therapy. But your dad was right for me. He was the therapy I needed," Evelyn said, and Tom sighed.

    "That''s nice," Tom said as he rose, and Evelyn eyed him with interest.

    "It''s Lucy, isn''t it? She doesn''t want to get married?" Evelyn asked knowingly.

    "It''s not a big deal, mom. I can change her mind," Tom assured her, not wanting her to make a big deal out of it.

    "I could talk to her," Evelyn offered and rose to meet Tom.

    "Please don''t. I don''t think she would appreciate that," Tom said and looked at his mother when she stood in front of him and palmed his face in the cup of both hands.

    "You are like your father in so many ways," she said with a soft smile.

    "Don''t worry. I won''t interfere. I know you love Lucy, and I love her. I just really hope she doesn''t take as long as I took," Evelyn said, and Tom smiled, grateful that his mother was not overreacting.

    "I hope so too, mom. I really do," Tom said, and they both nced at the door when Eric knocked, wanting to remind Tom of his meeting.

    "I should let you get back to work. Let me know when she tells you about the pregnancy," Evelyn said with a twinkle in her eyes.

    "Mom, all of this has to remain...."

    "Between us. I know. I won''t say a word to anyone," Evelyn promised, making a zipping gesture on her lips.

    "Have a safe trip," she said before leaving the office.

    As she walked away from the office, Tom shut his suitcase while thinking about the positive pregnancy kit. Was Lucy really pregnant? How did she feel about it? What did she n to do? Tom mused, beginning to feel very worried about her now.

    Away from there, in Lucy''s office, she sat with Sonia, who had decided to stay back in the office with Lucy while J, Candace, and Jamal had gone on a tour of thepany.

    "You can''t make such a decision without informing Bryan," Lucy said with a worried frown as she sat on the chair beside Sonia, holding her hands for support.

    "What good is going toe from telling him about it?" Sonia asked, and Lucy raised a brow.

    "No good has toe from it. It''s just the right thing to do. You both formed the baby together, and Bryan has a right to know...."<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "It''s my body," Sonia said stubbornly as she pulled her hands away from Lucy''s.

    "Seriously? Are you going to go the pro-choice route now? We both know this doesn''t make any sense. Bryan deserves to know and make the decision with you. He should be with you through the process if you both agree on terminating the pregnancy. If the situation was reversed...."

    "Lucy, please!"

    "I love you, Sony, and I know you don''t want to hear all this from me right now, but I''m obligated as your best friend to tell you the truth. Didn''t you both just have a fight over the fact that you make decisions that involve the both of you without consulting him? How do you think Bryan is going to react or feel if he finds out about this after the deed has been done?" Lucy asked, and Sonia raised a brow.

    "How is he going to find out about it? Do you n to tell him about it?"

    "For Christ''s sake, Sony! I understand how you feel and why you think you need to do this, but I think it''s a bad idea."

    "So you won''t support me?" Sonia asked as tears gleamed in her eyes, and Lucy sighed.

    "If you still decide to go ahead with it, I will surely stand by you, but I hope you change your mind," Lucy said, and Sonia nodded.

    "As long as I have your support, that''s all I need. Now enough about me. Were you able to resolve things with Tomst night?" Sonia asked, and Lucy shrugged as she stood up and returned to her seat.

    "He asked me to move back to my apartment," Lucy said, surprising Sonia.

    "He said so?"

    "Yeah. I think it''s probably a good thing for us both. Lucas also thinks I should return to my apartment," Lucy said, and Sonia sighed.

    "Are you sure that''s a good idea? Won''t you both drift further apart?" Sonia asked, and Lucy smiled.

    "Says the same person that wanted to do the same thing with Bryan. Didn''t you say things were moving too fast? I think it''s the same for us. It''s probably best we stay apart," Lucy said, and Sonia sighed.

    "Why do things have to be soplicated for us?" Sonia asked, and Lucy shrugged.

    "Maybe we still have so much we need to learn. Tom wants me to meet him in the middle. I don''t even know where that is," Lucy said, and Sonia raised a brow.

    "Meeting him in the middle means giving something if not all. You could choose to marry him and not have kids, or decide to have kids with him and not marry him," Sonia pointed out.

    "I see," Lucy murmured as she picked up her click pen and began to click and unclick distractedly.

    "What are you going to do?" Sonia asked with concern, and Lucy smiled.

    "I should start by moving back to my apartment and taking therapy more seriously. I should leave while Tom is away on his trip. It would make it easier. I think I will take things a day at a time from now on. I need to learn to worry less about the future. Who knows? The world might end, Tom and I might fall out of love with each other, or I may even die before I have to make a final decision," Lucy said jocrly, but Sonia didn''tugh.

    "You shouldn''t joke about something like that," Sonia scolded.

    "But it''s the truth, Sony. Anything can happen. Think about the Miller family, for instance. Who would have thought that things would take such a turn?" Lucy asked, and Sonia looked at her curiously.

    "Did Tom tell you about it?" Sonia asked, and Lucy sighed.

    "Yeah. Anita is sort of making a U-turn. Can you believe that?" Lucy asked in disbelief.

    "So, are you going to forgive her? I mean, after thest stunt she pulled at the spa, do you really believe this change thing? How can she change in just Twenty-four hours?" Sonia asked, and Lucy shrugged.

    "I don''t know, Sony. I''m keeping my fingers crossed. I''m exhausted, and I don''t have any fight left in me. I just want to live a quiet, ordinary life without having to plot or n against anyone. I want to mind my business and live on my own terms," Lucy said and straightened when she sighted her mom, Candace, and Jamal approaching.

    "They''re here," Lucy said as she rose and smiled as Jamal burst into her office.

    "Lucy!" Jamal called cheerfully as he embraced her.

    "I''m heartbroken, Jam. I thought I''d be the first person you''d want to see when you walked into the building," Lucyined, and J pped her arm.

    "You shouldn''t hit Lucy," Jamal said, looking at J with mild disapproval for hitting Lucy.

    "Aww! My champion," Lucy cooed as she kissed Jamal''s forehead, and he gave her the kind of shy smile that only a smitten seven years old could give.

    "Be a responsible adult, and don''t lead the kid on," J scolded.

    "Leading me on to where?" Jamal asked innocently, and they allughed.

    Candace, who had taken the seat Lucy vacated, turned her attention from them and looked at Sonia with interest, "Your package was delivered a moment ago," she informed Sonia as she reached into her handbag for the sealed parcel.

    She had no idea what Sonia had ordered or why she had ced the order using her details, but she could tell that Sonia wasn''t alright.

    "Oh, thanks!" Sonia said as she reached for it and ced it in her handbag while avoiding Lucy''s gaze.

    "Your office looks better than I expected," J observed as she looked around while Jamal went to sit on Lucy''s chair and swiveled around yfully.

    "What about your secretary? The girl that came over to your apartment...."

    "Amy is fine. She took a leave of absence," Lucy exined, and J nodded.

    "Did you see Harry''s office?" Lucy asked Candace, and she shook her head.

    "He''s not in. He promised to invite me over and show me around next time," Candace said, and Lucy smiled.

    "We couldn''t go to Tom''s office because Grandma Evelyn said he was busy," Jamal informed Lucy.

    "Yes, he is."

    "We brought his clothes because he is traveling," Jamal said, and Lucy nodded.

    "So I heard."

    "Maybe now that Tom is traveling, we can have some time to ourselves. Your father and I have barely spent time with you since we got here," J said happily, and Lucy smiled.

    Since she met Tom and moved in with him, it seemed like her whole life had begun to revolve around him, and she barely had time for anyone or anything else. She had be too dependent on him emotionally, and it was probably best she took some steps back if she didn''t want to get hurt at the end of the day.

    "Yeah. I was thinking we should move to my apartment. You know, spend some quality family time together before you travel back. What do you think?" Lucy asked, and J smiled happily.

    "That''s fine. I''m sure your dad wouldn''t mind," J said, and Sonia sighed, hoping that Lucy wasn''t making a mistake.

 Chapter 576 Fishing

    Very satisfied with the meeting with his mother, Harry didn''t leave immediately after seeing Sara off. He couldn''t since he had to conclude his business with the journalists and also had to meet with Aurora there in a couple of minutes.

    Immediately he walked back into the restaurant, the journalists gathered around him, "Is Sara Walker really your mother?" One of them asked excitedly.

    Harry had not exactly given any one of them the specific detail of what they were to do. He had simply told them toe to the restaurant if they wanted something interesting to write about.

    "Everything you saw and heard is true. She abandoned me days after giving birth to me. I only knew of her existence some days ago. You can write about it," Harry said, not minding that he was making his personal business public. As long as Sara was affected negatively by it, he would do anything.

    "I will advise you to do a thorough research on Sara Walker. Only then can you understand the importance of this information. Now if you don''t mind, I have to prepare for my next appointment. Thanks for honoring my invitation," Harry said, and just as he turned to leave, he paused.

    "One more thing. I will reward whoeveres up with the most gratifying but genuine story," Harry said before walking away to find the reserved spot for his meeting with Aurora.

    Ten minutester, Harry rose as he watched a beaming Aurora walk towards the table to meet him.

    "Hello!" Harry greeted her with a friendly smile, extending a hand for a handshake but was surprised when she embraced him instead.

    "Hello, you! I can''t believe I''m actually seeing you for real. You look gorgeous," Aurora said as she let Harry hold out the chair for her, and she lowered herself to it.

    Harry cleared his throat, "Thanks. You don''t look bad yourself," Harry said as he sat down and signaled to a waiter while Aurora picked up the menu.

    After they had ced their orders, Aurora set aside her menu and focused on Harry, "So, how have you been? How is the anniversary weeking?" Aurora asked excitedly.

    "I''ve been quite busy."

    "That''s not surprising. I''ve always wanted to ask. How does it feel being Harry Jonas? I mean, working in such a sessfulpany," Aurora asked, and Harry narrowed his eyes.

    "Are you a reporter?" He asked, and she giggled.

    "I can''t believe you caught me. The spa is just a ce where I work under a false identity to gather information on other people," Aurora said, and Harry chuckled.

    Soon their food was served, and they ate in silence for a while until Harry cleared his throat, "The job is demanding, but it''s fulfilling. I love what I do. I love doing it with my best friend...."

    "Doesn''t that sound weird? Doing it with your best friend?" Aurora asked with a wink, and Harry chuckled.

    "Since I''m sure you know what I mean, I won''t expand on that. I''ve done quite well for myself, and although I''m content, I know we are nowhere close to the target yet," Harry said, and Aurora smiled.

    "An ambitious man. I like that."

    "How long will you be in Ludus?" Harry asked, and Aurora shrugged.

    "Well, to be honest, I''m not sure yet. I''m thinking of moving to Ludus," Aurora said, and Harry almost choked on his drink, making her smile.

    "Why do you look so surprised? Do you think I''m relocating because of you?" she asked in amusement.

    "You''re not?" Harry asked before he could stop himself, and this time Aurora giggled.

    "Of course not. Rx. A friend of mine who owns a major beauty salon and spa here in Ludus is relocating with her family, and I''m considering buying the business from her," Aurora exined.

    "But you have your own ce in Varis," Harry pointed out.

    "Andst I checked, I-Global has various branches all over the country and outside of it, and that isn''t stopping you from buying more businesses," she said, and this time Harry smiled.

    "You are right. So this is going to be a branch?" Harry asked with interest.

    "Yeah. But more like the headquarter since this ce here in Ludus has so much more potential. I mean in terms of the quality of the clients. I''ve been having this itch for some time. Like I''ve been restless and wanting a change of environment and a change of pace, and I think it''s a good opportunity. What do you think?" Aurora asked, wanting to hear his honest opinion.

    "You''re certain I have nothing to do with your reason for moving here?" Harry asked, and Aurora smiled.

    "And here I was, thinking I was the blunt one," Aurora said dryly.

    "I like you, Harry. I really do, but I''m not the sort of person who would make such a risky move because of a man. Especially one who I think is in love with someone else," Aurora said casually, and Harry raised a brow.

    "In love with someone else?" he asked in confusion, and Aurora grinned.

    "Aren''t you in love with Jade? Or did I think wrong?" Aurora asked, and Harry''s heart stuttered.

    Seeing the stunned guilty look on his face, Aurora smiled, "Rx. I''m a lot of things, Harry, but my mother didn''t raise a stupid daughter. I mean, the signs were all there from the day you both walked into the spa. Am I wrong?" Aurora asked, and Harry shook his head.

    "I''m sorry," Harry murmured.

    "What for?"

    "For leading you on, I suppose," Harry said, and she chuckled as she waved off his apology.

    "You didn''t lead me on. I prefer to think I led you on. I lead you all on, actually," Aurora said with an easy smile.

    "I was going to tell you about it today," Harry said, and she nodded, still with the smile stered on her face.

    "I figured so when Jade said she wasn''t joining us anymore," Aurora said with a giggle.

    "How did you know?" Harry asked, and Aurora shrugged.

    "It was more of a guess. I didn''t know anything for sure. I guess I should attribute it to my sharp feminine instinct, I suppose? It was sort of sweet hearing from Jade that her elder brother''s best friend was visiting her. Maybe it was just the romantic in me, but I pictured a romance story when I heard that. And then when I saw how cute you looked, and the way you looked at her like no one else was in the spa but her, I decided you couldn''t be doing that solely out of duty to your best friend," Aurora said with a grin.

    "Remember I asked if you liked her? (chapter 216) but you didn''t exactly answer the question," Aurora said, and Harry sighed.

    "If you thought I was in love with her, why did you keep trying to--a�" I mean, why did you keep reaching out and wanting to meet me?" Harry asked, and Aurora shrugged.

    "Because I like you. And because I wanted to see how long it would take for you to open up about your feelings, especially since she kept calling you old uncle Harry," Aurora said with a wink.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Does that mean you''re not interested in me?" Harry asked, wanting to understand her before he rxed.

    "Maybe if Jade weren''t interested in you, I would be. But after seeing how pale and distressed she looked when I talked about getting married to you and making her my maid of honor (chapter 395), I can''t do that to her. I consider her my friend," Aurora said with a giggle, and Harry''s brows pulled together.

    "You did all that deliberately?" Harry asked, remembering what Candace had said about Aurora''s conversation with Jade.

    This time Auroraughed out loud as she bobbed her head and then raised a hand to her lips, embarrassed when heads turned, "Of course. In the same way, I know you deliberately asked me to give your regards to Jade and ask for your favorite shirt (chapter 391). I was taken aback when you asked me to apany you to the anniversary dinner, so I wanted to subtly check with Jade to be sure everything was okay. Her reaction told me all I needed to know," Aurora said, and this time Harry smiled.

    "You''re much smarter than I gave you credit for. I''m sorry," Harry said, and Aurora grinned.

    "It''s fine. I have to say I like your circle. Thedy with Jade kept scowling at me when I talked about marrying you...."

    "Candace?" Harry asked in amusement.

    "I believe that''s her name."

    "She is my twin sister," Harry said, and Aurora''s eyes widened in surprise.

    "No kidding?"

    "Yeah," Harry said with a proud smile, happy to tell someone who wasn''t already part of the whole family about Candace. He hadn''t realized how much he had wanted to say the word to someone else.

    "Wow! I had no idea. Jade didn''t introduce her as such, either. And there is no mention of her in the articles online. Well, I''m d I''m not inpetition with Jade," Aurora said with a genuine smile.

    "You both have really loyal and amazing people in your lives. Lucy kept looking at me with her pitiful doe eyes like she wished she could tell me the truth, and Tom tried his best to be friendly," Aurora said as Harry watched her in amazement.

    "You are something else," Harry said, and Auroraughed gaily.

    "So, I''ve been told. I guess one of you has worked up enough courage to confess your feelings to the other?" Aurora asked, and Harry pinched the bridge of his nose.

    "Everyone has been worried about this meeting, especially Jade, who has been scared you''d be mad at her. And I nned to lie to you."

    "About what?"

    "That I haven''t told her how I felt. I''ve always been in love with Jade from the first time I met her four years ago," Harry confessed, and Aurora smiled.

    "I''m d to know you were all worried. And I''m extra d because I went with my gut feeling and didn''t make a fool of myself. It would have really hurt," Aurora admitted.

    "Thank you, Aurora. You have no idea how relieved I am," Harry said, and Aurora raised a finger and shook her head.

    "Not so soon," she said, and Harry raised a brow.

    "I''m going to forgive you both and give my blessings on one condition," Aurora said, and Harry sighed inwardly.

    "What?"

    "Fishing. I want you to go fishing with me. Jade is wee toe as your girlfriend, of course," she quickly added.

    "And she has to be willing to learn how to fish. That should be enough punishment for trying to hook me up with a man who has eyes only for her."

    "Why do you want me to go fishing with you?" Harry asked, remembering that she had asked him that the first time they ate together (chapter 216).

    "I used to go fishing with my dad when he was alive. None of my friends know how to fish or are interested in fishing. And finding someone whosepany I enjoy and who can fish has been almost impossible. You could see it as a romantic getaway for you and Jade. I just need thepany out there in the water while I do something I love to do," Aurora said, her eyes pleading with him to agree.

    Before Harry could respond, they both heard his name and looked up to see Philip approaching, "I was told you were around here somewhere," Philip said with a pleasant smile, and Harry rose to shake hands with him.

    "You didn''t get back to me as promised about the hangout," Philip said in an usatory tone, even though he wanted nothing more than to ask Harry if the rumors he had just heard about meeting his mom were true.

    "I''m sorry about that. Things have been sort of busy for us," Harry said as they shook hands.

    "I forgive you then. I received the invitation to the anniversary dinner. Thanks," Philip said as his gaze shifted to Aurora, who was still seated and watching their exchange unashamedly.

    "Phil, meet my friend, Aurora. Aurora, this is Philip Foreman," Harry introduced, and Aurora shed Philip a smile as she rose.

    "Nice to meet you, Mr. Foreman. I''m Aurora Adams. You can call me Aura," Aurora said as she shook hands with him.

    "The pleasure is mine. And you can call me Phil. I''m sorry for interrupting your meeting," Philip said with a pleasant smile.

    "It''s fine," Aurora assured him as she sat down, and Philip returned his attention to Harry.

    "I will get out of your hair once you give me a sure date for the hangout," Philip urged him.

    "Can you fish?" Harry asked, thinking fast, and Aurora''s ears perked up at the question.

    "Of course. That''s my favorite pastime activity when I need to rx. Do you want us to go fishing?" Philip asked with interest.

    "I want to," Aurora blurted out, and Philip turned curious eyes on her.

    "You can fish?" He asked, and she grinned.

    "Of course," Aurora said with smiling eyes while Harry watched them in amusement.

    "Really? Do you mind if I join you both briefly? Maybe we can share fishing tips?" Philip asked, looking from Aurora to Harry.

    "You''re wee to join us if she doesn''t mind," Harry said, and Aurora looked at Harry for a moment before looking at Philip.

    "You''re wee to join us only if you don''t have a girlfriend or someone you''ve been in love with for four years," Aurora said, and Harry chuckled while Philip grinned as he sat down.

 Chapter 577 Dinner Date

    Unable to wait untilter to tell Jade all that had happened, since Harry knew how worried she probably was, the moment he got into his car, he dialed Jade''s line and connected his phone to the car''s Bluetooth device so he could speak with her as he drove.

    Almost immediately, the call connected, "Tell me you are done with the meeting. How did it go with Aurora? Was she very mad?" Jade asked anxiously, and Harry smiled.

    "Calm down," Harry said softly.

    "I can''t. I''ve paced around my bedroom so much that I won''t be surprised if there is a crack on the floor," Jade said, and Harry chuckled.

    "Well, the meeting was quite interesting and nothing as I expected. Aurora is wonderful," Harry said, deliberately stalling since he wanted her to sweat a bit.

    "Aurora is wonderful? So one date with her, and you''re in love with her now?" Jade asked with a hiss, and Harry chuckled.

    "I didn''t say that. I''m not. But I think Philip might be. I left them together," Harry said, and Jade paused.

    "Philip?" she asked, trying to remember who that was.

    "Yeah. You remember him, don''t you? The guy we met at the restaurant the same night we met Tanya. The owner of Golden Lotus Restaurant...."

    "Your friend who tried to hit on me because I''m Tom''s sister?" Jade asked with a scowl, and Harry chuckled.

    "I''m sure that wasn''t why he tried to hit on you, but yeah. That''s Philip."

    "How did he meet Aurora? Wait, what exactly happened?" Jade asked curiously.

    "Well, don''t be surprised, okay? Aurora suspected all along that I was in love with you and you with me," Harry said, and Jade''s mouth dropped open in surprise.

    "That can''t be true," Jade said in disbelief as she tried to recall all her conversations with Aurora to see if Aurora ever acted like she knew of her feelings for Harry.

    "Well, it is. Thankfully she brought it up before I could, and...."

    "I don''t want a summary, Jonas. I want details. What exactly led to it?" Jade cut in impatiently as she sat in the middle of her bed with both legs folded under her.

    Jade did her best to patiently listen to Harry tell her about his discussion with Aurora.

    "She is moving to Ludus? She didn''t mention that when we met," Jade cut in.

    "Maybe that''s because she is still thinking about it," Harry said and continued his story.

    "Wait, what? She deliberately talked about getting married to you to get a rise out of me?" Jade asked in disbelief, and Harry chuckled.

    "Yes."

    "So I''ve been worried this whole time for nothing?" Jade asked as she let herself fall back on the bed and give in to the overwhelming feeling of relief.

    "Obviously. She is smarter than you gave her credit for," Harry said, and Jade''s lips curved in a relieved smile.

    "She is crazy," Jade murmured and then sat up when she remembered what Harry had said about Philip.

    "So, what''s up between her and your friend?" Jade asked, and Harry continued the story.

    "I don''t mind learning how to fish for her sake. That''s the least I can do to apologize to her and thank her for not making a big deal out of my fuck up," Jade said, and Harry smiled.

    "I knew you were going to say that, so I agreed to a hangout. I''m going to talk to Tom so he and Lucy can join us. It would be the six of us."

    "Does that mean Aurora and Philip are an item?" Jade asked with interest.

    "Seeing how Philip offered to pick her up and escort her to the anniversary dinner, I suppose they might very well be on their way there. They were chatting like long-time best friends when I left them at the restaurant," Harry said, and Jade smiled in relief.

    "I never knew people could hook up over something as ordinary as fishing," Jade said, and Harry chuckled.

    "Do not let either of them hear you. I don''t think they will appreciate you referring to such a sacred ritual as ordinary," Harry said, and Jade giggled.

    "Your friend, Philip. He is single, right? I mean, unattached? Thest thing I want is for her to get hurt," Jade said after a slight pause.

    "I''m sure he is. Philip knows better than to toy with Aurora. I introduced her to him as my friend, so I''m sure he knows not to mess with her," Harry assured her with his gaze fixed on the road.

    "So, I guess I get to be your date to the anniversary party?" she asked hopefully.

    "There is no guessing. How about we go on a dinner date tomorrow?" Harry asked, and Jade''s eyes lit up as she quickly got off the bed.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "A dinner date?"

    "Yeah. I will pick you up by six after I get out of work," Harry said, and Jade threw her phone on the bed and screeched happily, making Harryugh.

    "Wait!" Jade quickly picked up her phone again when she remembered something.

    "I forgot to ask. What about your meeting with Sara? How did it go?" Jade asked as she moved to her closet to see if she had something suitable to wear to a dinner date.

    "It was smooth. You won''t believe all the lies she told me," Harry said with a shake of his head.

    "What lies?"

    "I will tell you all about it tomorrow...."

    "No! I don''t want to spend my first date with you talking about her," Jade quickly cut in.

    "Alright. I will give you the details over the phone when I''m less busy," Harry promised.

    "I guess that means I''m not seeing you today then," Jade said with a pout.

    "Yeah. I''m spending the evening with my dad, Candace, and Jamal," Harry said, and Jade sighed.

    "That''s fine. I will just have to go to bed early. That way, it will be tomorrow already by the time I wake up," Jade said, and Harry grinned.

    "I love you, esquire," Harry said, and before she could respond, her phone buzzed with an awaiting call notification.

    "I love you too. I have to go. Aurora is calling. Talk to youter," Jade said quickly as she disconnected Harry''s call and received Aurora''s call.

    "Aura...."

    "I guess you were on the phone with our sweet old uncle Harry?" Aurora asked dryly.

    "I''m very sorry, Aura. It was not my intention to hook you up with him and then go behind you to get involved with him. Things just turned out that way," Jade rushed to say.

    "Harry already apologized on your behalf, and he also promised that y''all will go fishing with me, so I''m cool," Aurora said dismissively.

    "Are we really cool? No hard feelings?" Jade asked cautiously.

    "Of course we are. It wasn''t like I was dating Harry yet or anything. It was an honest mistake on your end, so I see no reason to lose a friend over it. Besides, Harry introduced me to a fine-ass guy who loves fishing," Aurora said with a girlyugh.

    "So I heard," Jade said with an easy smile. She made a mental note to treat Aurora even better and take their friendship more seriously now.

    "Phil asked me to have dinner with him tonight, and since I have nothing nned for the evening, I agreed. Can you do me a favor and find out for sure if he is single? I hate to invest my time or emotion in other people''s men."

    "You could ask him directly," Jade pointed out.

    "Sure, I already did. He said he is single. I just want to be extra sure. After seeing how those women almost dealt with your brother''s girlfriend, I don''t want to be in any way associated with...."

    "Harry wouldn''t leave you alone with him if he didn''t trust him," Jade said simply, and Aurora sighed.

    "Alright. I will keep my fingers crossed. When are we meeting? You promised we would meet after my date with Harry," Aurora reminded her.

    "We could meet today if you''re not too busy...."

    "I was hoping you would say that. I need to go shopping, and I want you toe with me," Aurora said excitedly.

    "Shopping?"

    "Yeah. I need to get something to wear. I have a date tonight, remember? I only came to Ludus with two date outfits. One for my date with Harry and the other for the anniversary dinner party. Why don''t we go together, and then you can fill me in on how you finally got to realize you''re in love with your old uncle Harry? I love to hear a good love story," Aurora said hopefully, and Jade smiled.

    "Alright. Let''s do that. I think I might also need a dress for my first date with Harry and for the anniversary dinner party," Jade said, and Aurora squealed excitedly.

    "Perfect! Although I''m not very familiar with Ludus, I''m sure we can both find our way around," Aurora said, and once they had agreed on a ce and time for their meeting, Jade hung up the call and let out a deep sigh of relief, feeling even more than grateful now that the whole thing had not blown over her face.

    She was d that everyone was happy.

 Chapter 578 Kiss And Make Up

    No matter how hard Tom tried to focus on the documents in front of him, his conversation with his mother kepting back to him.

    The pregnancy kit had to be Lucy''s, right? It wouldn''t make sense for her to have such a personal item belonging to someone else, would it?

    If it was hers and she was pregnant, as the kit had said, he needed to get her to open up to him about it so they could resolve it as soon as possible.

    If she was going to have a medical abortion or whatever was more suited to her, he needed to be with her through it. He couldn''t just travel and leave her to handle things on her own.

    As much as he loved Lucy and wanted nothing more than to marry her and have children with her, he couldn''t be selfish right now and think about himself or how his heart kept racing at the thought of the possibility of a life growing in Lucy''s abdomen.

    He couldn''t expect her to keep the baby if truly she was pregnant. He knew Lucy well enough to know she wouldn''t be able to handle being pregnant right now. That would be too much of an unnned and unexpected change, and it would rock her world.

    He picked up his phone as he contemted calling her to ask her about it, but changed his mind, thinking that this wasn''t the sort of conversation to have over the phone.

    He nced at the wall clock in his office to see if he had enough time before the next meeting to stop by her office but turned to the door instead when it opened, and Harry walked in, "Tom!"

    The cheerful smile on Harry''s face disappeared, "Did something happen?" he asked when he saw the worry lines on Tom''s face.

    "I''m d you''re back. It''s almost time for the next meeting, but I need to talk to Lucy before I leave...."

    "Then go to her. I will take care of it," Harry said without hesitation.

    "How did your meeting with Sara go?" Tom asked as he rose from his seat.

    "I will tell you about itter. You don''t have much time left before you leave on your trip," Harry said as he nced at his wristwatch.

    "Thanks," Tom said once again as he hurried past Harry and headed for Lucy''s office.

    Once he got to the office, her teammates were startled to see him and rose immediately, but he ignored them as he walked straight into her office.

    "Tom!" Lucy called in surprise as she rose, shing him an uncertain smile while wondering what he was doing in her office.

    "Do you have a minute to talk?" he asked as he stopped in front of her desk.

    "Sure. I could havee to your office had you called," Lucy said as she walked around her desk to meet him.

    "It''s fine. I wanted to get out of my office anyway," Tom said awkwardly as he looked at her.

    "Are you ready to leave now? I heard Evelyn brought your suitcase."

    "I will be leaving soon. Can we step out of here?" Tom asked, and Lucy picked up her phone from the desk before responding.

    "Where are we going?"

    "Let''s talk in the car?" Tom suggested, and once Lucy gave him a nod, he led her out of the office.

    Neither of them said a word to the other as they took the elevator back to his office and from there to his private parking lot.

    Once they had both gotten into the car, Tom turned to Lucy, "Are you alright?" Tom asked as he observed her.

    Lucy smiled, "Yeah. Sure. You?"

    "I''m okay. Is there something you need to tell me?" Tom asked, and her brows pulled together.

    "Something like what?"

    "Anything you think I need to know before traveling? Or maybe something you n to do in my absence?" Tom asked, thinking if she was deliberately keeping it from him, then she probably was nning to get rid of the pregnancy in his absence.

    Did Sonia tell Bryan about it or let it slip to Tom that she was moving out in his absence? Lucy mused with a sigh.

    "I figured it was best not to mention it to you since I didn''t want things to be any more awkward between us than they already are," Lucy said quietly.

    "So you thought keeping it away from me was the best?" Tom asked calmly, struggling not to be mad at her for thinking of making such a decision without informing him. To say he was disappointed in her was an understatement. He was both hurt and disappointed.

    Lucy nodded, "Yes. I thought it was the best. Lately, it seems like everything I say seems to be wrong, so pardon me for not wanting to tell you about it before going ahead with it. Besides, when I asked you about it today, you insisted��."

    "Asked me about what?" Tom asked with a frown, wondering what she was talking about.

    "About moving out. Didn''t you say you wanted me to leave?" Lucy asked, beginning to feel annoyed by Tom''s questions.

    "I''m not sure I understand what you''re talking about," Tom said, and Lucy took a deep breath.

    "I''m moving back to my apartment while you are away. So, I won''t be at your house when you get back," Lucy said, and Tom felt his heart skip.

    "I thought we agreed you would move after our parents leave?" Tom asked, and Lucy shook her head.

    "No, you said so, not me. I don''t want to have to stay in that bedroom alone in your absence, only to move out immediately after you get back. I''d rather leave while you''re away. It''s easier that way," Lucy said, and Tom sighed.

    He could see reason with what she said, but that wasn''t exactly what he was here to know.

    "Are you pregnant?" Tom asked before he could change his mind, and Lucy frowned.

    "Pregnant? Am I supposed to be? Why would I be pregnant?" She asked in confusion.

    "You''re not pregnant?" Tom asked, equally confused by her confusion, and Lucy took a deep breath to calm herself.

    "Why would you think that I''m pregnant? Were you trying to get me pregnant or something?" She asked, struggling between confusion and irritation at the question.

    "What about the positive pregnancy test strip in the closet?" Tom asked, and Lucy''s gray eyes iced over.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Were you snooping through my stuff?" She asked coolly.

    "I wasn''t snooping, and that is not the point��."

    "That is exactly the point! And if you must know, it isn''t mine!"

    "The test strip isn''t yours? Whose is it? And why was it in your handbag?" Tom asked in confusion.

    "That is NOT your business! I think moving back to my apartment is probably best for us both since I can no longer have my privacy in your house. In all the time I spent under your roof, I never touched anything that wasn''t mine or that wasn''t given to me, and neither did I go snooping around your stuff, so I see no reason why you had to go through my handbag without my permission," Lucy said angrily as she reached for the door, but Tom held her back.

    "Are you sure you want to leave in the middle of a conversation again? Just before I travel?" He asked patiently, and Lucy shut her eyes and counted to five to calm herself before facing him.

    "Although I don''t think this should be a reason for argument between us, I didn''t snoop through your stuff. I wouldn''t do that, no matter how curious I am. If you say you''re not pregnant, I will take your word for it. I just wanted to be sure everything was okay with you before leaving. I''m sorry I found out about the stuff in your handbag, and I''m sorry I asked who owns it. It''s not my business��."

    "Tom��."

    "That was the reason I wanted to talk to you. You can return to your office. I will let you know when I arrive," Tom said calmly and started reaching for the door, but this time Lucy stopped him.

    "Can we stop fighting and arguing over every little thing? Please?" She asked, feeling exhausted.

    "I''m not the one fighting with you, Lu."

    "I know. I''m sorry. I overreacted once again. I''m very sorry. I know I shouldn''t have responded that way," Lucy said apologetically, but Tom said nothing as he listened to her.

    "I don''t know what I''m doing. I''m always saying and doing all the wrong things. I''m sorry, Tom. I''m not deliberately doing any of this, I swear. I don''t know why I keep having the wrong reaction��."

    "There is no right or wrong reaction to anything," Tom cut in before she could finish.

    "But I don''t want to keep being on edge with you and fighting you over everything. I''m scared. I''m anxious. I''m worried. I don''t know what to do about any of this," Lucy said, fighting back her tears.

    Tom was tempted to reach out andfort her, but he stopped himself, knowing that would only distract them from the issue on ground.

    "I have no idea why you are on edge with me, Lu. I understand that this is your first romantic rtionship, and I know you''re probably still struggling with a lot of things. I know it must not be easy on you, but I would appreciate it if you didn''t walk out in the middle of a conversation with me. I really do not like it, and I''m not saying this just because you''re my girlfriend," Tom said calmly.

    "I''m sorry. It won''t repeat itself," Lucy said, and Tom sighed as he reached for her face and used his thumb to brush off the single tear drop on her cheek.

    "My mom saw your handbag hiding somewhere in the closet while she was packing my bag, and she asked me about it, assuming I knew about your pregnancy," Tom exined.

    "Oh, no!" Lucy eximed softly.

    "Yeah. I''m not telling you this because I''m trying to prove I didn''t snoop through your stuff. I''m telling you this because she thinks you are pregnant, so you might want to clear the air with her. I will talk to her," Tom assured her.

    "I''m sorry," she murmured.

    "It''s fine. And you should know that I have no problem with you snooping through my stuff. I''m an open book with you, Lucy. I''m all in. It''s okay if you don''t want me going through your stuff or if you don''t trust me enough to confide in me about other stuff going on around you."

    "It''s not that. I do trust you��."

    "No, you don''t. You still doubt my intentions and actions. But I won''t fight you over that. I''m waiting for you, Lu. I hope you get over everything that is holding you back soon," Tom said as he took her hand and raised it to his lips.

    "Thank you," Lucy said, her lips trembling.

    He brushed his knuckles over her cheekbone, "You''re just moving back to your apartment, not breaking up, right?" Tom asked softly, looking into her eyes.

    "I don''t want to break up," Lucy said quietly.

    "Good. Me too. So why don''t we put all of this behind us?" Tom asked, and Lucy smiled, her first genuine smile, Tom noted with relief.

    "Can we really do that?" She asked hopefully.

    "Sure. Now we can kiss and make up, and then maybe a make up sex will convince you that we''ve put it behind us. I''m sure that will convince me, I don''t know about you. If I had known I would be traveling and you would be moving out before my return, I would have spent the whole ofst night making love to you," Tom said with a wink as he ran his hand down her arm.

    Lucy giggled, "About meeting you in the middle��."

    "For real, Lu, I need you to take your time to think about it. Get therapy. I will go with you to see your therapist at every of your appointment if you want me to. Let''s revisit this subject as we agreed to do next year. By then, you would have gotten therapy, and I will be sure your decision is not trauma-based," Tom said, and Lucy''s brows pulled together.

    "But what if my decision doesn''t change?" She asked, and Tom smiled confidently.

    "What if it does? We don''t know anything for sure, Lu. I love you today, Lu. That''s all that matters. I love you today."

    "I love you too today, or should it be, I love you today too?" Lucy asked, and they bothughed at how it sounded.

    "Can you promise me for real this time that you won''t bring up this conversation about marriage and kids until the specified time, unless you''re bringing it up to propose to me?" Tom asked, and Lucy sighed softly before bobbing her head.

    "I promise not to ever bring it up until it''s time for us to talk about it next year unless I''m bringing it up to propose to you," Lucy said, and Tom grinned.

    "Good. So, how about that make up kiss I talked about?" Tom asked with a puckered lip, and Lucy pressed her lips to his.

    She was over the moon with joy that Tom was back to normal and he wasn''t going to be traveling while on bad terms with her.

    "Can I convince you to let me make love to you right here? I read somewhere that make up sex is good for the mind," Tom asked as his hands deftly moved to cup her boobs.

    "Or maybe we can sneak back into your office and do it there instead? Is it soundproof? Your office?" Lucy asked, her voice riding on a moan when Tom located her nipple despite her blouse and bra.

    "It sure is. Let''s go."

 Chapter 579 The Hell With That!

    Lucy would never have described herself as wanton or reckless, but that was how she felt after letting Tom make love to her right there on his office desk before moving to the bed inside.

    Somehow, in thest twenty minutes, she hade to believe that make up sex was every bit as intense and pleasurable as she had heard.

    It had taken every ounce of self-control they both had not to rip their clothes in their hurry to touch and pleasure each other.

    Imagine having to return to her office in different clothes than she had worn earlier while leaving with Tom.

    That would have started quite a very interesting rumor around the office, Lucy thought with a giggle, and Tom, who was cradling her on the bed in his office bedroom, looked at her.

    "What is amusing you?" he asked with interest.

    "How would I have exined my change of outfit had you ripped my blouse earlier?" she asked, and Tom grinned.

    "Maybe something spilled on it during lunch?" Tom suggested, and Lucy giggled.

    "Do you think they''re going to know?"

    "Know what?" Tom asked in confusion.

    "That we had sex. My clothes look rough. Do you think they are going to suspect a thing?" Lucy asked, and Tom looked at her clothes which were on the floor with his apologetically.

    "I''m sure they won''t look so rough on you. If you feel tempted to exin yourself, you could tell them you got into a scuffle with someone," Tom said with a wink, and Lucy chuckled.

    "I''m going to miss you," she whispered before she could stop herself, and she chewed her lower lip as she buried her face in his chest.

    Tom pressed his lips to the side of her head, "Want toe with me?" he asked, and she shook her head.

    "I wish I could," Lucy said with a sigh, and although Tom was tempted to tell her she could if she wanted, he chose not to.

    It was not necessary.

    "I will be back before you know it. And when Ie back, we can go on a proper date," Tom promised as he raised her hand to his lips, and then his gaze moved to the clock.

    "You will be back before the dinner party, right?"

    "I hope so. I''m not entirely sure about that," Tom said apologetically.

    "It''s fine. I can just skip it if you''re not back by then."

    "You shouldn''t. I will love you to be there whether or not I''m there. Now as much as I love to lounge here with you doing nothing, I need to go over some details with Harry and be on my way," Tom said, and Lucy sighed as she rose.

    "Can I see you off?" Lucy asked hopefully.

    "I don''t think that''s a question you should be asking, Lu," Tom chided as he rose.

    "Alright. I will quickly clear up my desk while you meet with Harry. Let me know when you''re ready to leave," Lucy said as she walked into the bathroom to freshen up, and Tom followed her.

    "You know, I didn''t think you would agree to have sex in the office," Tom said as he watched her clean up.

    "I didn''t think I would either. And it wasn''t bad," Lucy said, and Tom''s lips curved in an amused smile.

    "It wasn''t bad?" he asked with a slightly raised brow.

    "Yeah, it wasn''t so bad," Lucy said with a challenging glint in her eyes.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "If I weren''t in a hurry, I would make you take back those words," Tom said, and Lucy giggled.

    "Too bad you''re in a hurry," Lucy said with a coy smile as she brushed past him back into the room to dress up.

    Tom chuckled as he watched her, "Too bad," Tom repeated as he went into the bathroom to clean up.

    After dressing up, Lucy walked out to the office to find her earring since she was missing one ear, and after seeing it, she went to stand by the window as her thoughts drifted to Sonia and the parcel Candace had received on her behalf earlier.

    She knew without a doubt that the content of the parcel was the abortion pills. She had tried talking Sonia out of it again after her mom, Candace, Jamal, and Evelyn had left for Harry''s house, but Sonia had remained adamant, and she was worried.

    "Enjoying the view?" Tom asked as he snuck up and embraced her from behind, and Lucy smiled.

    "Can I ask you a question? It''s unrted to us," she said, and Tom nodded.

    "Sure," Tom said as he nced at the clock. He still had a couple of minutes. He decided as he let her turn to look at him.

    Seeing the tension in her eyes, he could tell she was worried, and whatever it was she wanted to talk about was important to her.

    "Say, for instance, two people are in a rtionship. They''re in love with each other and doing great. The guy says he is not ready for marriage or kids yet. He just wants to spend his time knowing and loving thedy, and then thedy finds out she is pregnant. Do you think it''s okay for her to have an abortion without informing him? Mind you, she would love to have the baby, but she can''t because the guy is not ready for that step yet. She feels like telling him about the pregnancy might put some strain on their rtionship. If you were the guy, what would you want her to do? How mad would you be if you found out about the pregnancy and abortionter?" Lucy asked, wanting to have a second opinion.

    Tom didn''t need her to spell it out for him to know her question was rted to the positive pregnancy kit.

    "Are you sure she loves him? Her decision is selfish, and love is not supposed to be selfish. Is she making this decision for herself or him? I know that a lot ofdies love to argue that it''s their body and their decision, but it''s unfair to the man to make such a decision without his knowledge, regardless of what he had said at a prior time. She needs to understand that things change. Desires change. What if he would love them to have the baby? If I were the guy and I found out about it after the deed had been done, we would have to go our separate ways. I can''t be in a rtionship with someone that makes such a major decision that involves us both by themselves," Tom said, and Lucy sighed.

    "What would you do if she was your friend? Support her or tell her boyfriend?" Lucy asked, and Tom raised a brow.

    "We are not talking about Sonia and Bryan, are we?" he asked, and when Lucy didn''t meet his gaze, Tom narrowed his eyes.

    "Sonia is pregnant and wants to have an abortion without Bryan''s knowledge?" Tom asked incredulously, and Lucy sighed.

    "Don''t overreact. I''m not supposed to be telling you...."

    "The hell with that, Lu! Convince her to tell Bryan, or I will!" Tom threatened.

    "You can''t do that...."

    "I can, Lu! And I''m telling you I will."

    "I''m telling you this in confidence because you''re my boyfriend. I''ve broken Sonia''s trust already. You can''t say a word of this to Bryan."

    Tom took a deep breath, "If you don''t want me to do that, then you either convince Sonia to tell him about it, or you tell him about it yourself. I see no reason why you should be worrying about keeping her trust when she is about to do something detrimental not only to herself but to Bryan and their rtionship as well. Christ, Lu! If you''re trying to be a good friend, then shouldn''t you do so by not letting her ruin her rtionship? Didn''t they just have a fight over this attitude of hers?" Tom asked incredulously.

    "Calm down, Tom. I don''t think we should fight over this. I will do my best to convince her to tell him about it," Lucy said quietly.

    "And if she doesn''t, you tell him. I won''t be pleased if she goes ahead with this without Bryan''s knowledge," Tom insisted, and Lucy sighed.

    "Alright. Just don''t say a word. I will take care of it," Lucy insisted, and Tom sighed.

    "Bryan is not as irresponsible as you think, Lu. Trust me, you will be doing Sonia a world of good by telling Bryan about this," Tom said, and Lucy raised her hands.

    "I hope you are right. I should return to my office now. Let me know when you''re ready to leave," Lucy said and kissed Tom before walking away.

    She knew that Sonia was going to be mad at her for spilling her secret to Tom, but she was going to take Tom''s advice on this one. She was scared that Sonia was making a mistake, and she would rather risk offending Sonia than stay back and do nothing while Sonia made such a mistake.

 Chapter 580 Fixing Things

    As Tiffany descended the stairs carrying a duffel bag, she paused when she saw Jack seated by the foot of the stairs where she had left him as though he had remained there waiting for the past two hours.

    He stood up immediately he heard her footsteps, "Tiffany, I know this is a lot to ask, but can Ie with you to the hospital? Please?" Jackson asked hopefully.

    "I don''t think that is a good idea," Tiffany said tly as she tried to walk past him but he grabbed her hand.

    "Please, Tiff. I just want to see her, know how she is doing, and apologize to her. I understand I went about it all the wrong way. I took advantage of her loneliness. I thought seducing her would be easier than confessing my feelings to her. Please let me see her just this once, Tiff," Jack pleaded, while Tiffany looked at him surprised by the genuineness in his gaze.

    The only problem she had always had with Jack as her husband was the fact that he flirted with so manydies and usually wasn''t discreet about it.

    She didn''t have a problem with him having an affair since she wasn''t sexually interested in him, but she would have preferred if he had just a mistress and kept the rtionship a secret instead of doing it so openly to the extent that everyone called him a dog.

    Apart from that w, he was not a bad person. He treated her well even though they both knew they weren''t in love with each other and he tried to show up at events that were important to her.

    "I really don''t think she would want to see you," Tiffany said weakly.

    She had spent most of thest two hours upstairs crying and feeling bad for herself and Bernice. She had spent that time asking herself so many what ifs. What would her life had been like had shee out open about her sexual preference and lived her truth? Would Bernice''s life had been better had Bernice gotten married to Jack instead of Adam? Would Jack have been happier and probably more decent?

    "If she asks me to leave, I will. I won''t create a scene I promise. Please, Tiff," Jack pleaded as they both held each other''s gaze.

    Tiffany sighed, "Let me get the food and then we can leave," Tiffany said, and Jack took the duffel bag from her as she went to the kitchen to get the food she had asked them to pack for her and Bernice.

    As she approached the car, Jackson went to her and took the food pack from her which he carefully ced in the backseat while she got into the car.

    Once Jackson got into the drivers seat he turned to Tiffany, "I''m sorry, Tiff. I know this whole thing is stupid and I must have sounded insensitive earlier. I did not mean to hurt your feelings by having an affair with Benny or telling you how I feel about her...."

    "Can we not talk about it right now?"

    "I''m sorry. It''s all my fault. Please don''t be mad at Benny," Jack said apologetically.

    "I can''t make up my mind yet if I prefer you fucking around with everything in skirt or I''m okay with you being in love with Benny," Tiffany said, and Jackson nodded.

    "I understand how you feel. I know I made a mess of things. I''m sorry. I will apologize to Benny and try to fix things with Adam...."

    "There is no need to fix things with Adam. Benny is divorcing him," Tiffany said, and for the first time Jackson felt hope surge within him.

    "She is?" He asked, sounding more excited than he had intended to.

    "Yes. But I hope you realize that this doesn''t mean you can get together with Benny. You are still married to me. It would be weird for you to be with my sister," Tiffany reminded him.

    "We both know she wouldn''t want to have anything to do with me either, so let''s not think about that. I will apologize to her, and also apologize to Adam, because it''s the right thing to do," Jackson insisted, and Tiffany sighed.

    "Alright. Let''s go," Tiffany said, and with that Jackson started the car and drove off to the hospital.

    By the time they arrived at the hospital, Lisa was in the room with Bernice, and she stood up immediately she saw Jackson, wanting to yell at him to leave, but paused when she saw that Jackson wasn''t even looking at her, and his gaze was fixed on Bernice''s sleeping form.

    "Why did you bring him here?" Lisa asked in a tight voice, and Bernice opened her eyes.

    "Because I wanted to. Benny, is it okay if Jack speaks with you? If you say no, he will leave right now," Tiffany said as she took the duffel bag from Jackson and ced it on the couch along with the food pack.

    Bernice''s gaze shifted to Jackson and she turned away from him when she noticed the bruise beside his left brow, and the crack on his lower lip. Tiffany had told her about the fight between Adam and Jack, and as much as she felt sorry for getting sexually involved with her sister''s husband, she had felt an odd sense of satisfaction in knowing that Adam had been mad enough by her action to fight. She had been even more d when she heard that Adam had taken more punches from Jack than he delivered.

    Although Bernice didn''t want to speak to Jack since she wasn''t sure she wanted to be alone with him, she gave Tiffany a nod since the request hade from Tiffany.

    "Thanks," Jackson whispered to Tiffany as he moved closer to the bed, while Lisa watched him with hawk eyes.

    "Let''s excuse them," Tiffany said, and Lisa raised a brow.

    "Why would I want to leave your husband alone with her?" Lisa asked in annoyance, every bit the protective sister that she was.

    "Lisa, we don''t have to fight over everything, and I''m particrly not in the mood right now," Tiffany said, and without waiting for Lisa to follow her, she walked out of the room.

    "Lisa, please excuse us," Bernice said quietly even though she was grateful to have Lisa looking out for her this way.

    Lisa looked from Jackson to Bernice reluctantly and then back again, "Don''t you dare try anything. I will be standing right outside the door. If she so much as whimpers I will kick your ass," Lisa threatened, before waddling away.

    The moment Lisa shut the door behind her, Bernice turned her face away from Jackson. She couldn''t bring herself to meet his gaze. She didn''t want to.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "How are you feeling now?" Jackson asked in a concerned tone.

    "I''m fine. The doctor said I can leave by tomorrow morning," Bernice said without looking at him.

    "I''m d," Jackson said as he continued to look at her.

    "I know I messed up. I almost messed up your life. I''m sorry," Jackson said, not minding that she wasn''t looking at him.

    "None of it was your fault."

    "It is my fault. I seduced you. I took advantage of your loneliness. Christ, Benny! You tried to take your life. If I had not seduced you, things would never have gotten to that extent. I would never have forgiven myself if you did not survive. Never," Jackson said and this time Bernice turned to look at him.

    "I''m an adult and can take responsibility for my actions. I didn''t try to take my life because you seduced me. I tried to take my life because I was feeling frustrated and I hated the person I had be. I wanted to end it all. It had nothing to do with you," Bernice said calmly.

    "You wouldn''t have felt that way had I not gotten into the picture. I''m going to do my best to fix this, Benny. I will do all I can, I promise."

    "There is nothing to fix. Although, I''m sorry I slept with Tiffany''s husband, we all agree that everything probably happened this way for the best of everyone. I finally got to see the sort of person my mother is and what she is capable of. Anita and Tiffany got to see for themselves too. Now we will all be free from her," Bernice said, and Jackson sighed.

    "Does that mean you are not mad at me?" He asked hopefully.

    "I have no reason to be mad at you. I knew you were my sister''s husband when I chose to do what I did. We share equal responsibility in whatever happened between us. Now I hope we can put it behind us. I hope you can work things out with Tiffany, and this doesn''t affect your marriage," Bernice said and Jackson nodded.

    "Thanks. If there is anyway I can be of help to you, do not hesitate to let me know. You can tell Tiffany," Jackson said, and without waiting for her to say anything he quickly headed for the door so he wouldn''t be tempted to tell her exactly how he felt about her.

    Immediately he opened the door, Lisa rushed in to check on Benny, while Tiffany met her husband, "Are you done?" She asked, and he gave her a nod.

    "Yeah. Thanks, Tiff," he said as he looked at her, and she sighed when she saw the sadness in his eyes.

    "Are you going to the office now?" She asked, and he shook his head.

    "I''m not sure. I think I will just head back home," Jackson said, and kissed Tiffany''s cheeks before walking away.

    Tiffany felt a pang in her heart as she watched him leave with his shoulders drooped in resignation, and she sighed as she returned inside the room to join her sisters.

    Jackson dialed Adam''s line the moment he got into his car, wanting to settle things with him and get that out of the way. He didn''t want Adam to make a big deal out of his affair with Bernice or use that against her in any way.

    Away from there, in Rebekah''s apartment, she stood over Adam''s unconscious form with the man she had called earlier.

    Thankfully she had been able to call her maids and ask them to take some time off to themselves ande backter in the evening since she was in the middle of an important meeting and didn''t want to be distracted.

    "What do you want me to do with him? Bury his body or just dump him somewhere and make it look like he was involved in an ident?" The man asked.

    "Judging by the crack on his head anyone call tell his head hit something. You can move his body somewhere else. And make it look...."

    The rest of her sentence trailed off when Adam''s phone suddenly started ringing, startling her.

    "His phone. I forgot about that," Rebekah said as she looked down at Adam, and the man with her deeper his gloves hands into Adam''s jacket to take out his phone.

    "Jackson," Rebekah murmured when he showed her the name of the caller.

    It would have been very nice if she could find a way to pin this on Jackson since they had both been involved in a fist fight just the previous day. It would prevent any further investigation that might point to her. But if she did that, she would be exposing the fact that Bernice had an affair with Jackson, and that would cause a lot of issues for Bernice.

    How was Bernice going to cash out as Adam''s widow if the news of her infidelity got out?

    She pursed her lips as she considered it. If she would be able to get her daughters to deny Bernice''s affair with Jackson, then maybe she could pull it off, after all she was doing it for them. She was certain her daughters would be willing to cooperate with her.

    If Jackson gets jailed for the crime, Tiffany could file for divorce and take as much as she can get from him, and then Tiffany would be free to live as she wanted. It would be a win for her girls.

    Having made up her mind she turned to the man, "Let''s pin this on Jackson. Text him with Adam''s phone. Make it clear Adam is leaving my house and going somewhere to meet with a witness. Ask Jackson to meet you there in an hour. Do you have any ce in mind with stairs? Somewhere you can make it look like he really fell off the stairs in the middle of an argument?" Rebekah asked, and the man only thought about it for a moment before nodding his head.

    "Perfect. I will let you take care of it then," Rebekah said with a satisfied sigh.

    Although killing Adam had not been her n, but this just as well served her purpose. Her daughters had used her of ruining their lives, and now she was just going to fix it and make sure they all ended up happy. This was the least she could do to make her girls happy.

 Chapter 581 You Are Cute

    "Are you throwing a party?" Mia asked when she walked out of her bedroom and saw Jeff setting the dining table.

    She had stayed locked up in her bedroom all morning since she had no reason to leave the house.

    "No. I was just going to call you after setting the table. You haven''t had anything to eat all day, have you?" Jeff asked, without looking at her.

    He had overheard her crying in the middle of the night, and he suspected it was because the pregnancy test had turned out positive.

    For someone who was pregnant, she wasn''t taking care of herself at all. He wondered if she was deliberately starving because she didn''t want to keep the baby.

    "No, I haven''t. Don''t tell me you prepared all this," Mia set as she dropped her phone on the table and picked up a chicken wing.

    "I did. Sit down and eat," Jeff ordered as he drew out a chair for himself and sat down, while Mia looked at him through narrowed eyes.

    "Hm. This tastes nice. Why are you being nice to me all of a sudden?" she asked suspiciously as she ate.

    "Has there ever been a time I wasn''t nice to you?" Jeff retorted, and she paused as she thought about it.

    "I guess not," Mia said as she sat down.

    Mia watched in puzzlement as Jeff set a ss of fruit juice in front of her, "What is going on? It''s not my birthday," she said as she picked up the ss and took a sip.

    "It doesn''t have to be your birthday for you to eat healthily, does it? Enough of all that junk. I will do the cooking," Jeff offered, and Mia frowned.

    "You won''t have the time for that when Bryan resumes, and you know it. We can just find someone to do the cooking for us," Mia said as she watched Jeff, and then paused when it urred to her that he had not once stared at her since she joined him in the living room.

    "I don''t like other people preparing my food," Jeff said as he sat down, and then he paused when he nced at her and noticed she was staring at him with interest.

    "What?" he asked, suddenly feeling ufortable.

    "What what?" Mia asked, slightly amused as he looked away from her.

    "Why are you staring at me that way?" Jeff asked, looking down at his te as he focused on his meal.

    "I don''t quite understand how you can talk to someone without looking at them. So let''s just say I''m staring for two. You and me," she said with a grin and then nced at her phone when it vibrated with a message notification.

    She picked it up, and smiled once she read the message, "Great! I have a blind date tonight. I might note back early. It''s fifty-fifty," she said as she continued to eat, and Jeff looked at her but said nothing.

    "I never knew you were such a terrific cook," Mia said between mouthfuls.

    "There are lots of things you don''t know," Jeff said quietly.

    "Huh?" Mia asked, wondering what he had said.

    "Thanks," Jeff said, and Mia smiled.

    "I should be thanking you. It''s been over two years since Ist had any home-cooked meal," she said casually as she sipped from the juice.

    "I suppose you don''t visit your family often?" Jeff asked, and Mia hesitated a bit before shaking her head.

    "I don''t. What about you? Do you visit your family often?" She asked, subtly shifting the subject to him.

    "I do when I have the chance. Why don''t you visit your family often? Are you on bad terms with them?" Jeff asked, and Mia sighed as she pushed away from the table, losing her appetite.

    "Something like that. Thanks for the meal. I need to get ready for my date," Mia said as she picked up her dish, and without waiting for him she headed for the kitchen while Jeff followed her with his gaze, wondering why she always had her defenses up whenever her family was brought up.

    He stood up and followed her into the kitchen, wanting to know exactly what her n was for her pregnancy since they were housemates.

    "Mia?" he called from the doorway, and she turned around surprised to see him standing in the middle of the kitchen by the little ind.

    "Yeah? Don''t tell me you''re done eating already," she asked with an easy smile.

    Jeff shifted awkwardly on his feet, "Yesterday while searching for the key in your handbag I saw something... A pregnancy test kit," Jeff exined, and Mia sighed inwardly.

    "I wondered if you saw that," she said, looking at him with interest as she waited to hear what he had to say and why he had brought it up.

    "I''m not going to ask you how it happened or judge you. You are an adult and I''m sure you''re perfectly capable of making your own decisions, but since we live together, I will like to know what you n to do. You don''t have to tell me if you don''t want to tell me," he rushed to add and then frowned when Mia tittered withughter.

    "What''s funny?" Jeff asked in confusion.

    "You, Jeff. You are cute. Your face is burning," Mia said with a grin.

    "Don''t tell me you assumed I''m pregnant simply because you saw an unused pregnancy kit?" Mia asked, and Jeff shrugged.

    "Well, I''m not pregnant...."

    "I heard you crying at night," Jeff said, and Mia winced as she dried her hands.

    "Okay, I get the picture, Jeff. But I cried because of something entirely different which I can''t tell you about. Trust me, I''m not pregnant. Is that why you prepared all that food?" she asked, and Jeff scratched the back of his ear awkwardly making her giggle.

    "You''re so sweet, Jeff. I''m happy to know if I ever be pregnant I have such a wonderful person like you to look out for me. Thanks," Mia said as she walked towards him and kissed his cheek.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "If that''s the reason you offered to do the cooking, you don''t have to," Mia said as she walked past him back and Jeff followed her out.

    "No. That''s not it."

    "Alright then. I can take care of grocery shopping if you give me a list of the things you need and I will do my best to assist you in the kitchen whenever I can. By that I don''t mean I''m going to cook," she rushed to add, and Jeff smiled.

    "I know."

    "Thanks, Jeff. You are such a lifesaver. I need to get ready for my date now," Mia said, blowing him a kiss as she headed for her bedroom, and Jeff returned to the dining to finish his meal, relieved that she wasn''t pregnant, but now curious to know the reason she had cried.

    Away from there, at the cinema, Bryan tried to fight back his irritation as he nced at Sonia for what seemed like the tenth time and noticed as usual that she still wasn''t staring at the screen.

    After picking her up from thepany he had asked her if she still wanted to see a movie or go home, and she had insisted on seeing the movie.

    She had been quiet and distracted all through the drive and he had asked her several times if she was okay and what the problem was, but each time he asked she had said the same damn thing.

    "Nothing serious. Just a slight headache. I''m fine."

    He had suggested they postpone seeing the movie and just go back home instead so she could get some rest, but she had insisted they see the movie as nned, so why was she not even paying attention to the movie?

    What was the point ofing to see a movie with her if she was just going to zone out that way? They could have as well just stayed back at home.

    "Let''s go home," Bryan said, and Sonia looked at the screen before turning to him with a slight frown.

    "Why? The movie is not over yet," she pointed out.

    "I''m no longer interested in seeing the movie. Let''s leave," Bryan said and stood up before she could protest and walked away, letting the popcorn spill on the floor.

    Sonia rose and hurried after him, "Are you okay?" she asked, but before he could respond someone recognized him.

    "Bryan Hank? Oh, my God! Look, it''s Bryan and Sonia!"

    And just like that they were surrounded by fans wanting to get pictures of them and with them and get autographs from both of them.

    Bryan tried to fight back his irritation as he obliged his fans until they were able to get away from the crowd.

    Immediately they got into the car, Sonia turned to Bryan, "I''m sorry," she murmured, knowing he was pissed.

    She couldn''t me him for being pissed. She was at fault. She was yet to take the pills and was already feeling guilty not just about the abortion but also about keeping it from him.

    The thought of taking the pills and terminating the life that was growing inside her was breaking her heart. What if the baby was a girl like she has always wanted? Even if it was a boy, killing the baby was just wrong. She felt like folding up on her bed and just crying.

    "If you''re just going to apologize without telling me what the problem is, I''d rather you don''t," Bryan said quietly and waited a bit for her to say something.

    When she said nothing, he started the car and drove off.

    "I don''t understand you, Sonia. I really don''t. I''m doing my best to be understanding right now but you''re not helping. What exactly do you want?" Bryan asked irritably after driving for a while.

    "I don''t know," Sonia cried, and just like that she broke into a sob, startling Bryan.

    Bryan turned to look at her in confusion wondering where the tears came from as he quickly found a spot to pull over by the roadside, "What is wrong?" he asked in confusion as he watched her cry, not knowing what to do.

    "Did I do or say something to upset you?" he asked feeling both worried and confused as he reached out tofort her.

    "No, it''s not you. You didn''t do anything," Sonia said amidst her tears.

    "Give me a minute, okay? I need a minute," Sonia said, and got out of the car, needing to breathe.

    Her heart kept beating very fast, and being with Bryan wasn''t making it any less easy on her.

    Bryan sighed as he watched her get out of the car. He thought about giving Lucy a call to find out if she knew what was up with Sonia, but before he could do that, Sonia''s phone vibrated and he took it out of her handbag.

    She had three missed call notifications and two texts. Without considering whether or not he was doing the right thing he checked to see who had called, and his brows pulled together when he saw they were all from Lucy.

    Why was she calling Sonia when Sonia had left her office less than two hours ago? Bryan mused as he clicked on the texts. One was a spam message and the other was from Lucy.

    [I hope you haven''t done anything. I love you, Sony. I''m sorry I''m going back on my words, but I can''t let you do something you are going to regret. You either tell Bryan about it or I will tell him myself.]

    Bryan''s brows pulled together as he read the text, trying to understand what it meant. It was obvious there was something he needed to know about, but why did Lucy start the text with those words? What was Sonia nning to do? Bryan mused and turned to the door as Sonia opened it and got into the car.

    "You missed Lucy''s call. And you have a text from her," Bryan said as he handed her the phone.

    She didn''t bother to ask him why he had her phone since they both did not make a big deal out of respecting each other''s privacy. That was the reason they both could ess each other''s phones after all.

    Sonia sighed as she read Lucy''s text and then she met Bryan''s burning gaze. Sonia''s heart skipped a beat when it urred to her that Bryan might have read the text.

    "What are you keeping from me, Sonia? What is Lucy talking about?" Bryan asked, making it clear he had read her text and was unapologetic about it.

 Chapter 582 Are You Pregnant?

    What was wrong with Lucy? This was supposed to be a secret between them, so why did she have to send such a stupid text? What was she supposed to tell Bryan now? Sonia mused as she wrung her hands together and looked everywhere else but at Bryan, who was watching her and waiting for an answer.

    "Let''s go to Tom''s house. I will tell you about it when we get...."

    "No. I want to hear about whatever this is right here and now. You could have told me at the housest night or this morning, but you didn''t, so you don''t get to choose where or when to tell me anymore. Spill it, Sonia! What are you hiding from me? What is Lucy talking about?" Bryan asked, fighting back his impatience at her attitude.

    Sonia took a deep breath as she braced herself to tell him the truth, "Okay. You''re right. I''m sorry," she said quietly as she folded both hands on herp and then looked out of the window, unable to meet his gaze.

    "Do you remember our conversation in Sogal? You know, the one we had on the night I told you about my conversation with your mom? You said you didn''t want us to have babies immediately, andst night you said we weren''t thinking of getting married...."

    "I know all I said, Sonia. What I don''t know is what that has to do with what you''re hiding from me. Can you stop beating around the subject and just tell me directly what it is?" Bryan cut in impatiently.

    Sonia''s lips quivered, "I didn''t mean for any of this to happen, and I was going to take care of it without bothering you...."

    "Take care of what?" Bryan asked in confusion, and then his eyes narrowed suspiciously.

    "Are you pregnant?" He asked and watched in disbelief as Sonia raised both hands to her face and broke into an uncontroble sob once again.

    "You are pregnant?" He asked again, even though her cry already told him that was what the problem was.

    "I''m sorry...."

    Without letting her finish, Bryan swore under his breath as he got out of the car and went around to her side of the car, and opened the door.

    He pulled her out of the car gently and embraced her while she cried. He said nothing and just patted her back while he tried to quench the me of anger that was kindling within him.

    He was mad. He was very mad at her and disappointed, but he knew that this was probably not the best time to tell her that. Not when she was crying this way.

    How could she try to keep something like that away from him? What was her n? And why was she apologizing for being pregnant when they both knew he was also at fault? If he hadn''t been careless this whole time, it wouldn''t have happened, so why was she taking the me for it?

    Once she had calmed a bit, Bryan made her get into the car and went around to get into his seat. He didn''t say a word to her as he started the car.

    Sonia looked at him, and she could tell that he was mad. His teeth were clenched, a vein was throbbing on his temple, and his grip on the wheel was very firm. He was struggling not to show just how mad he was.

    "Bryan...."

    "When did you find out about it?" He asked quietly.

    "Last night. I got the notification from my period tracker while we were at thepany yesterday but confirmed itst night," she said, and Bryan nodded.

    That exined the change in her mood from the moment they left thepany. That exined why she had been so distracted and acting out of sorts.

    "Say something," Sonia pleaded when Bryan remained silent after some time.

    Bryan smiled wryly, "It took you almost twenty-four hours to say anything to me, and you expect me to just say something a few minutes after you inform me that you are pregnant but had no n of telling me about it?" Bryan asked without looking at her.

    "I didn''t know what to say to you," Sonia said as she looked down at her hands.

    "How about a simple, I AM PREGNANT?" Bryan snapped at her.

    "I didn''t know how you would react to it. You made it clear you were ready...."

    "For Christ''s sake, Sonia! For Christ''s bloody sake, can you stop? This has absolutely nothing to do with what I said! This has everything to do with you thinking you have everything figured out for both of us! I have every right to know that you are carrying my baby! Our baby! What were you going to do? Terminate it without my knowledge? If Lucy had been in support of your action, would you have gone along with it, not minding me?" He asked angrily, and when he couldn''t hold himself back anymore, he pulled the car over by the roadside and turned to her.

    "I''m sorry...."

    "My opinion doesn''t matter to you, right? What I want does not count, does it? You know what? Do whatever you want with the pregnancy. It''s your body anyway, isn''t it? Let''s break up! I can''t keep doing this with you. I can''t keep guessing to know what''s wrong with you," Bryan said angrily.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Are you breaking up with me because I''m pregnant or because I failed to tell you I''m pregnant?" Sonia asked with quivering lips as tears fell from her eyes.

    "Damn you, Sonia! I''m breaking up with you because you are not ready to be in a rtionship with me! I told you thest time you can''t make decisions for me! If it involves us and our rtionship, we both need to have a say! You don''t seem to agree with me on that, so what''s the point?"

    "I''m sorry! I''m sorry, Bryan! I just didn''t want us to fight over it, and I didn''t want to resent you...."

    "What do you mean resent me?" Bryan cut in irritably.

    "I didn''t want to have to hear you ask me to terminate it yourself. I''m not sure I would forgive you if I heard you say that," Sonia cried, and Bryan frowned.

    "Weren''t you going to terminate it?"

    "Yes, I was going to do so because I''m sure that''s what you would want us to do...."

    "But you don''t want to terminate it?" Bryan asked in confusion, but Sonia only cried harder.

    "I don''t understand you, Sony," Bryan said with a sigh while Sonia unfastened her seatbelt.

    "Where are you going?" Bryan asked with a frown as she reached for the door.

    "We just broke up, didn''t we? And you asked me to do whatever I wanted."

    He had only said all of that to her because he was mad, and he wanted her to know how mad he was, but that wasn''t the point right now.

    "I didn''t mean that. And we are still talking...."

    "I can''t talk right now. Let''s talkter. Now that you know I''m pregnant, I will go ahead and terminate it as I know you would want me to...."

    "What the fuck is wrong with you? At what point in our conversation did I say anything about you terminating the pregnancy?" Bryan asked in frustration, but even as he was still talking, Sonia got out of the car.

    Bryan frowned in confusion as he watched her get out of the car and g down a cab.

    When did he say he wanted her to terminate the pregnancy? Why was she so hardheaded and stubborn? What was he going to do with her? Bryan mused as he watched her get into a cab.

    How was she the one that was mad now when she was obviously the one that was wrong? Did he handle everything wrongly?

    Maybe Sonia needed some time to figure out what she wanted, but one thing he knew he didn''t want was her making decisions that affected the both of them without his consent.

    Bryan sighed as he started the car again and headed home. He had no idea where she had gone off to, but whenever she came back, he was going to sit her down, and then they woulde up with a solid n together on what to do.

    If she didn''t want to keep the baby, that was okay by him since she was the one carrying the pregnancy. There was no way he was going to force her to keep a baby she didn''t want to have.

    All he wanted was to be a part of whatever her decision was. If she was terminating it, he wanted to be with her through it. If possible, he wanted them to see a doctor and discuss the pros and cons together.

    If what she wanted was to have the baby, he saw no reason for her to abort it. Of course, he had not nned for them to have a baby yet, but if the baby was here already, they could always find a way to make it work. Together.

    She could move in with him, and he could employ a couple of nannies to assist her in taking care of their baby while she also went about her writing and they did their stuff. He loved kids, so he didn''t think it was a big deal.

    No, that wasn''t well worded, he decided when his stomach did a flip-flop.

    Having a baby with Sonia was a very big deal. He had never really given much thought to being a father since he had not been nning to start a family so soon, and now he was going to be a father.

    Okay. He needed a drink.

 Chapter 583 Suspicious Text

    After Lisa left her sisters in the hospital, Tiffany and Bernice sat in silence, both filled with thoughts of their own, until Bernice sighed.

    "Why did you bring Jack here? How can you stand seeing us together after what we did to you?" Bernice asked in confusion.

    "Jack might have his ws, Benny, but he isn''t a bad person. I know he is nothing like Ron, but I can''t me him. I''m sure Ron would have been just like Jack had he been forced to marry someone he knew nothing about��."

    "I never said he was a bad person, Tiff. And now that you mentioned it, this makes me wonder why he was forced to marry you. I mean, what did his father stand to gain from the marriage?" Bernice asked, and Tiffany''s eyes narrowed.

    "I don''t know. I never thought about it or asked mother. Do you think mother ckmailed Jack''s father into making Jack marry me?" Tiffany asked with a worried frown, and Bernice shook her head.

    "Those two are very close. If she ckmailed him, he doesn''t look it. Not with how well they get along with each other. That is difficult to fake," Bernice pointed out, and Tiffany nodded.

    "You''re right. By the way, if you don''t mind me asking. What was he like when you two were together? I mean the affair," Tiffany asked, and Bernice frowned.

    "I don''t think that is something I should be talking to you about," Bernice said with a shake of her head. It was weird enough that Tiffany wasn''t pulling her hair out as she had expected her to. But wanting the details of her affair with Jack was out of it.

    "Why not?" Tiffany asked.

    "Why not? Why would you want to put yourself through that? Does it make any sense to you?" Bernice asked, beginning to feel upset, not for herself but for Tiffany.

    "Benny, let me worry about that. I''m asking you to tell me," Tiffany insisted."Do you know how I felt seeing mother and Adam? Do you know what I thought about while trying to take my life? How much pain you would be in knowing I did that with your husband! Why would I want to hurt you more by telling you about it?"

    "Was he happy? Did he make you happy, however briefly?" Tiffany asked, ignoring everything else Bernice had said.

    "Tiff...."

    "I need to know, Benny! He told you he is in love with you, didn''t he?" Tiffany asked, and Bernice shook her head quickly.

    "No, he didn''t! Why would he tell me something as ridiculous as that? It was just lust! You know how Jack is,e on," Bernice rushed to assure Tiffany, and Tiffanyughed dryly.

    "How many times did you meet with him?" Tiffany asked, and Bernice looked away guiltily.

    "Tell me the truth, Benny. Once? Twice? A couple of times?" Tiffany asked impatiently.

    "I''m sorry, Benny! I was so lonely, and...."

    "Was it once or twice?" Tiffany snapped at her.

    "A couple of times! A couple of times, I''m sorry. Thest time I was going to tell him it was over, but...."

    "Jack doesn''t have sex with the same woman twice," Tiffany said tly.

    "What?" Bernice asked with wide, confused eyes.

    "Jack is in love with you. He told me so himself. He said he had always been in love with you before you married Adam," Tiffany said, and Bernice turned away from her.

    "It doesn''t make sense. That can''t be true...."

    "It''s true. I know, Jack. I had someone follow jack for a long time when we first got married. The fact that he told me how he feels about you and didn''t bother to say a word of it to you tells me a lot," Tiffany said with a sigh.

    Bernice frowned as she tried to remember if he had ever given her a hint of his feelings for her. She had always avoided visiting Tiffany''s house because she had noticed how Jack always looked at her like he wanted to eat her. She had always known he desired her (chapter 401), but she had thought that was just him being his normal immoral self.Her heart skipped a beat when she remembered what he had said about her being the onlydy he wanted to see (chapter 489).

    Jackson was in love with her? He had always been in love with her? How? Why?

    "Oh, God!" Bernice cried as she covered her face in her hands.

    She had thought it was just sex. Had she known he was in love with her and it wasn''t just lust, she wouldn''t have gotten involved with him. Or would she?

    Tiffany sighed as she looked at Bernice, "It''s funny, you know? I didn''t realize how much I loved Jack until he told me he was in love with you," Tiffany said as she stood up from her seat and went to sit beside Bernice.

    "And the funny thing about this whole thing is that I''m not even interested in him sexually. So, why did my heart break a little when he said he was in love with you?"

    "I''m so sorry, Tiff. I had no idea he felt that way about me. I would never want to hurt you this way," Bernice cried.

    "You may not know this, but I''m a lesbian, Benny," Tiffany said, and Bernice''s head snapped up as she looked at her sister in disbelief.

    "All those girls in my home? The housekeepers? They are my partners," Tiffany said, and Bernice blinked in surprise. Bernice listened as Tiffany told her how she had struggled with her sexuality initially and how difficult it had been to open up to their mother.

    "Oh, Tiffany! Is Jack aware?"

    "No, he isn''t. I don''t think he knows. You know, at first, when we got married, I thought I was bisexual. I thought maybe I could bring myself to enjoy sex with him, but he didn''t seem all that sexually attracted to me. At first, I thought maybe I had a problem, or maybe he was avoiding me because he perceived I was not sexually attracted to him or something. I also thought he probably wasn''t attracted to me because he was forced to marry me, but after he told me about his feelings for you, I figured that he probably couldn''t bring himself to do it with me because I was your sister," Tiffany said, and Bernice sighed.

    "This is all messed up, isn''t it?" Tiffany asked, and Bernice nodded.

    "How did our lives be this messed up?" Bernice asked sadly.

    "We both know how. Maybe if mother hadn''t chosen Adam for you...."

    "Her lover. How could she do that to me? How could she make me marry her lover?" Bernice asked, her heart aching at the thought.

    Tiffany shrugged, "Who knows what her n was? Anyway, maybe you would have been married to Jack had you not married Adam. Jack said he didn''t have the courage to approach you until it was toote," Tiffany said, and Bernice looked at her.

    "And what about you?"

    "Me? Maybe if I didn''t listen to mother and let her control my life, I would probably be living freely, or who knows? Maybe I would have fallen in love and been married to some wealthydy somewhere?" Tiffany asked with a rueful smile, and Bernice sighed.

    "Well, we will be fine. I''m happy Lisa is doing okay for herself. And I''m d it''s not toote for Anita to find her own path," Bernice said, and Tiffany embraced her.

    "I''m sure we will find ours too. As long as we are alive, it''s never toote for us either," Tiffany assured her.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Tiff?" Bernice called softly, and Tiffany pulled away to look into her face.

    "Hm?"

    "Were you able to forgive me because... Because you were not sexually attracted to Jack?" Bernice asked, and Tiffany paused for a moment to consider the question.

    "In a way, yes. I think I might have been more hurt if I was really in love and interested in my husband. When I saw the text, I was a bit pissed but more disappointed that you''d choose someone like Jack. I mean, I didn''t know he was in love with you then. But I didn''t like the idea of moving from a scum like Adam to a dog like Jackson forfort."

    Bernice sighed softly as she looked down at her hands, "I didn''t think about that. I was just lonely, and all I needed was someone to remind me of how beautiful I was. I''m sorry Jack happened to be that someone," Bernice said and then met Tiffany''s gaze.

    "Although it was wrong, but those few days with Jack made me feel alive and desired," Bernice confessed.

    Tiffany smiled sadly, "How long have you been suspicious of mother and Adam?" Tiffany asked, changing the subject. "Since I saw her wearing that diamond ne," Bernice said, and Tiffany''s eyes widened in surprise.

    "The diamond was from Adam? How did you know?"

    "I saw the receipt at home and went to the shop to check out the picture. Can you imagine how shocked I was to see it on mother and hear her say it was a gift from an admirer?" Bernice asked, and Tiffany reached for her hand.

    "I''m sorry, Benny," Tiffany whispered.

    "I don''t know what to do with you, Tiff. You must love me too much, or you must not love Jack enough. You shouldn''t feel sorry for me. You should tell me I deserve that for having an affair with your husband. How am I supposed to feel if you don''t express any real anger?" Bernice asked, and Tiffany smiled.

    "We are all full of shit, so you''d have to find a way to live with your own shit," Tiffany said, and then stood up to pick up her phone when it started ringing.

    "It''s Jack," she told Bernice as she received the call.

    "Hey! Sorry I''m calling you. I was trying to reach Adam over the phone, but he didn''t receive his call. He sent me a weird text...."

    "What do you mean weird?" Tiffany asked, thinking it was weird that Jackson was telling her this.

    "The text was too detailed. I mean, considering what happened between us yesterday, the text was too detailed. He wants me to meet with him somewhere, so I''m going to forward the text to you," Jack said, and Tiffany frowned.

    "Why?"

    "I just don''t have a very good feeling about this. And you''re my wife, right? So you should know, just in case anything happens...."

    "If you think something is going to happen, then you shouldn''t go," Tiffany said while Bernice watched her with interest wondering what was going on.

    "I''m not saying anything is going to happen. I''m saying this in case anything happens," Jackson said, and Tiffany sighed.

    "Alright. Just don''t fight with him, okay?"

    "Sure. I don''t intend to. I''m about to leave to meet with him now," Jackson said before hanging up.

    "What''s going on?" Bernice asked when Tiffany remained where she stood, frowning down at her phone. "Jack is going to meet with Adam. Although I don''t think it''s necessary for him to see Adam. He says he has a bad feeling about it...." Tiffany stopped talking and frowned when she clicked on the text she had just received.

    "Jack is right. Something doesn''t seem right," Tiffany murmured as she read the text. Why was it necessary for Adam to state he was leaving their mother''s house in the text? The tone of the text didn''t sound angry as Adam had been the previous day.

    For someone who had been so pissed, the text seemed more like he was keeping his friend informed on his movements. That wasn''t right.

    "What is wrong?" Bernice asked again.

    "I have no idea," Tiffany said as she showed the text to Bernice.

    "Why would Adam want to meet with Jack at the rooftop of an iplete building? I mean, I get what he said about meeting a witness there, but that doesn''t mean Jack has to meet him there, does it? Besides, he could easily return Jack''s call while driving to meet with his witness. Why does he have to meet Jack? No. It''s not a good idea. Call Jack and ask him not to go," Bernice said with a worried frown.

    Immediately, Tiffany dialed Jack''s line. Jack picked it up to receive her call, but almost immediately, his phone went off, reminding him that he had forgotten to charge it all through the previous day because he had been worried about Bernice.

    "What?" Bernice asked when Tiffany frowned as she dialed the number again.

    "I think his phone is off," Tiffany said, and Bernice frowned.

    "Why don''t you call Adam?" Bernice suggested, and Tiffany dialed Adam''s line, but the call didn''t connect.

    "It''s not connecting," Tiffany said with a worried frown.

    "Why don''t you call Agnes and find out what Adam''s meeting with mother was about? The housekeepers would know, right? They''re always eavesdropping, after all," Bernice suggested, and Tiffany nodded as she scrolled through her phone for the head housekeeper''s number and dialed it.

    Thankfully, Agnes received the call almost immediately, "Agnes? Was Adam in the house today? My sister''s husband?" Tiffany asked, going straight to the point.

    "Yes. He was in the house when I left��."

    "When you left? Are you back at the house now? Who else was in the house?" Tiffany asked.

    "No one. The others went grocery shopping, and madam sent me on an errand. She asked us not toe back for some time since she had an important meeting. We are not home yet," Agnes exined, and this made Tiffany narrow her eyes.

    "Alright. You don''t have to tell her I called, alright?" Tiffany said before hanging up.

    "What did she say?" Bernice asked, and once Tiffany ryed the information to her, Bernice frowned.

    "Do you think mother sent them away so she could spend time alone with Adam?" Tiffany asked, and Bernice shook her head.

    "I don''t know. I have no idea what is going on."

    "There is no way Adam would be nning to hurt Jack, right? Besides, their families are sort of close. He wouldn''t be that careless, right?" Tiffany asked with a worried frown. "I see no reason why Adam should attempt to hurt Jack. Adam is awyer after all. Maybe we are overthinking this. Let''s rx."

 Chapter 584 Righting Wrongs

    Anita stood in the middle of her bedroom looking down at her luggage which she had packed, ready to travel.

    Although she didn''t have all her ns figured out yet, she was ready to leave and put a distance between her and her family.

    Lisa had sent her a text to let her know Bernice was conscious and recovering well. That was good enough for her. All she wanted was to be out of the house before Bernice moved in.

    As much as she understood Bernice''s situation, she couldn''t stop herself from being angry and disappointed in Bernice. She had held Bernice in such high esteem and had looked up to her in a way.

    She sighed when her gaze fell on Snow, her dog teddy bear, which she was yet to pack. After the death of her dog, she had made a teddy bear replica of him.

    Looking at Snow, she remembered Tom. She remembered how surprised and pleased she had been when he showed up on their first date with a couple of dog treats.

    Even though Tom had never seen the Poddle, he had bought her a couple of snacks for the dog, saying he wanted to bribe his way into the poddle''s heart.

    She had been surprised and pleased that he remembered such detail and had cared enough toe bearing gifts for snow. Her joy had been like that of a single mother, d to see her new partner make efforts to get along with her kid.

    All that had been before he lied to her about his identity. She had really liked him and was on the verge of falling in love with him. As a matter of fact, she had nned to invite him into her house after the date that night until he told her he was a nobody.

    Hearing that had made goosebumps rise all over her body. She could picture the disdain on her mother''s face had she dared to introduce a nobody to the family as her boyfriend.

    Even Lisa, who was known as the family rebel, had not brought a nobody home, so why should she?

    Because she liked Tom, she had been unable to end things with him directly and had decided to ghost him instead.

    She remembered all the times she stood him up and all the times he kept calling to find out if she was fine and what was wrong.

    She remembered the day Snow died and how broken she had been. Tom had been the first person she told about it, and he had offered toe over to be with her, but she had turned down his offer.

    Tom may have lied to her about his identity, but he had done his best to make their rtionship work. Tom was a good guy, and he deserved to be with a woman that loved him and made him happy.

    She doubted she would have fallen for him as Lucy had done had he been her driver. She would never have looked his way because she wasn''t raised to look in such a direction. She was raised to be shallow-minded, just like her mother. She was raised to judge people by how much money they had.

    Lisa was right. Tom and Lucy deserved better. She had been foolishly feeling entitled and wronged when she was the one who had wronged them. She was going to do better, Anita decided as she picked up her phone. She would start by apologizing to them properly.

    Away from there, Harry walked into Tom''s office after his meeting.

    "So? How did it go? Have you been able to resolve things with Lucy?" Harry asked as he took the seat opposite Tom.

    "Pretty much. She is moving back to her apartment while I am away...."

    "Is that a good idea?" Harry asked, and Tom raised a brow.

    "I thought you do not support cohabitation? Did getting involved with Jade make you change your mind on that already?" Tom asked as he shut down hisptop, and Harry rolled his eyes.

    "This has nothing to do with Jade. Every human rtionship is different. Your rtionship with Lucy started differently, and her moving out of your house seems like you both are stepping away from each other instead of stepping towards each other. I thought you said you were going toe up with a n to make her your wife. Is this the n?" Harry asked incredulously.

    "It is part of the n. And no, we are not stepping away from each other...."

    "That might be what you think. Are you sure Lucy thinks the same? I''m not trying to encourage cohabiting here, but I think one reason Lucy has been able to improve so much is that you both have been living together. Do you think things would have gotten to this point between you both had you been living separately?" Harry asked, and Tom sighed.

    "It''s not like I don''t get what you''re saying, Harry. I do. But this is a risk I''m willing to take. I want her to understand that marriage might not be as bad as she actually thinks it is. It''s all about getting a certificate to live with one person for the rest of your life unless you decide you''ve had enough and want to move on. I think living together as we have been doing is pretty much what married people do. If she doesn''t want to get married, she shouldn''t be living with me," Tom said, and Harry shook his head.

    "For everyone''s sake, I sincerely hope you know what you''re doing, and you both are not making a mistake. I hope your n works out," Harry said, and Tom nodded.

    "It will. You will see. How was the meeting?" Tom asked and listened as Harry filled him in on the details of the meeting.

    "That''s good," Tom said as he nced at his wristwatch.

    "We should leave now," Tom said as he picked up his phone and rose from his seat.

    "Before you leave, I have a question for you," Harry said, and Tom raised a brow.

    "What?"

    "Are you sure you''re okay with me going out with Jade? This is yourst chance to object," Harry said, and Tom grinned.

    "What if I object?"

    "Then I will also object to your rtionship with my cousin," Harry said, and Tom chuckled.

    "That doesn''t make any sense...."

    "Why don''t you go ahead and object? Then we will find out if it makes sense or not?" Harry asked sweetly.

    "And for your information, I''m going on a dinner date with Jade tomorrow. I''m going to be asking her to be my girlfriend officially. I was only being polite by seeking your permission," Harry said, and Tom grinned.

    "Look how much you have grown in such a short time. I feel like a proud father," Tom said as he pped Harry''s back yfully.

    "Fuck off. Now that we''ve gotten that out of the way, we can leave now," Harry said as he picked up Tom''sptop while Tom picked up his suitcase.

    "By the way, are you sure you don''t want your assistant to go with you?" Harry asked, and Tom shook his head.

    "I''m sure. He is new. I don''t think he should be traveling with me on his second day on the job. Besides, I''m notfortable with the idea of traveling with someone I don''t know so well yet. He should stay back and get the hang of things. You can observe him some more," Tom said as they headed for the elevator.

    "Is Lucy noting with us?" Harry asked curiously when they stepped into the elevator.

    "She is. I''m calling her already," Tom said as he raised the phone to his ear.

    Immediately after the call connected, Tom informed Lucy that they were on their way to the parking lot and they would pick her up in front of the building.

    "You haven''t told me how your meeting with Sara went," Tom reminded Harry.

    Harry chuckled, "It was fun. She was quite entertaining. I think I got my acting skills from her," Harry said in amusement, and Tom scoffed.

    "You don''t have any acting skills," Tom said as they stepped out of the elevator and approached his car.

    "Too bad we didn''t bet on it earlier. You would have lost your money had you seen how I clung to her. I shed a couple of tears too," Harry said with a grin, and Tom eyed him in disbelief.

    "No, you didn''t," Tom said with a grin, and Harry chuckled.

    "I did. The cameras caught it from a nice angle too," Harry said as he took out his phone from his pocket to show Tom the pictures.

    Once they got into the car with Harry behind the wheel, he handed his phone to Tom to see the pictures while he started the car and drove off.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "I can''t believe you did this," Tom said with a chuckle as he went through the pictures.

    "I can''t believe I pulled it off either. She was so ufortable I felt like bawling just to embarrass her further," Harry said, and Tomughed heartily.

    "What did she say?" Tom asked, and Harry smiled as he pulled the car to a stop in front of the building for Lucy to get inside the car.

    "Hey, Lulu! How was work today?" Harry asked in a friendly tone.

    "It was okay. You''ve met with Sara and Aurora, right? How did both meetings go?" Lucy asked with interest.

    "It was interesting. I was stalling until you joined us. Didn''t want to entertain Tom alone," Harry said as he took his phone from Tom, connected it to the car''s Bluetooth, and yed his conversation with Sara before driving off.

    "You recorded the conversation?" Lucy asked with a delighted smile.

    "Of course. I love to keep receipts," Harry said with a wink, and Lucy giggled as she paid attention to the conversation.

    Tom chuckled, rolled his eyes, and cringed at different points as he listened to the conversation, while Lucy''s eyes seemed to grow wider the more she listened to Sara.

    "Wow! I can''t believe her," Lucy murmured, and Harry grinned.

    "You should try to find the humor in it, LuLu. By tomorrow she will be on the top of most searched people on the inte. I would love to see how she exins having a son when she has imed to be childless this whole time," Harry said, and Lucy shook her head.

    "Are you fine? If I feel this awful about this, I can only imagine how you feel," Lucy said, and Harry waved it off.

    "I''m alright. As far as my dad and Candace are okay, I''m alright. All I want is to make her lose everything. I want her to lose everything she sold Candace to achieve. I want her to pay, Lucy. That''s what is driving me," Harry assured her.

    "You''ve changed," Tom observed.

    "If you found out someone like that was your mom, you would change too," Harry said, and Tom sighed.

    "Yeah. You''re right. I would probably go crazy!" Tom agreed.

    "Now, enough about me! Why are you both not talking to each other? You''re going to be away from each other for some time. You should focus on each other. Don''t mind me. Just pretend I''m not in the car and say whatever mushy stuff you want to say," Harry suggested, making both Tom and Lucyugh.

    "You can''t argue that he is rted to Jamal," Lucy said to Tom when he turned to look at her.

    "I was going to say that. I''m going to miss Jamal when they leave," Tom said with a sigh.

    "Yeah, me too."

    "I promised to get them a car. If they''re ready to leave before Ie back, give Jamal any car of his choice when he makes up his mind," Tom told Harry.

    "Any?" Harry asked with a mischievous smile.

    "You had better not influence his choice. I can''t afford your taste," Tom warned, making both Harry and Lucyugh.

    "What about your meeting with Aurora?" Lucy asked, and Harry filled them in on the details.

    "Aww! That''s lovely. I hope something sweet and genuine develops between them," Lucy said with a hopeful smile.

    "Now that I think about it, I think Philip and thedy have simr personalities," Tom said, and Harry nodded in agreement.

    "Yeah. I realized how great a matchmaker I was when they started chatting nonstop," Harry said, and Tom snorted.

    "Yeah. Right," Tom said dryly.

    "Watch it, Tom. If you''re not careful, I might just decide to hook LuLu up with someone else before you get back just to show you how good my matchmaking skills are," Harry threatened.

    "You wouldn''t dare!" Tom retorted.

    "What do you say, LuLu? I could get you a partner for the anniversary dinner if Tom isn''t back by then," Harry suggested.

    "That would be great," Lucy said with a grin, and Tom turned to look at her.

    "Really? That would be great?" Tom asked, but Lucy merely shrugged.

    "If you so much as bring any guy an inch close to her, I''m going to kill him, and you will be held responsible for...."

    "Lucy, are you okay?" Harry asked in concern cutting off the rest of Tom''s words as he pulled over by the roadside while Tom turned to look at Lucy, who had suddenly turned white as a sheet and was gasping for air.

    "What is wrong?" Tom asked, but Lucy merely shook her head as she tried to regte her breathing.

    Once Harry parked the car, Tom got out of the front seat and opened the backdoor to join Lucy, "What is wrong, Jewel?" Tom asked as he took Lucy''s hand while Harry stepped out of the car and put some distance between him and the car to give them space to talk.

    "I''m okay," Lucy managed, but the haunted look in her eyes, her quivering lips, and her trembling hands told Tom otherwise.

    "You don''t look or sound fine," Tom said as he embraced her and patted her back to calm her.

    When he felt she was calm enough, he pulled back to look into her face, "What is wrong? Did I do or say something...." Tom paused as his brows pulled together.

    "Was it what I said about killing anyone thates an inch close to you? I didn''t mean that," he asked when he recalled what he had been saying before her reaction.

    "I know you didn''t mean that," Lucy cried.

    "I don''t know what happened. One moment I was smiling, and the next moment, it was like I was flung back into the past. I''m sorry. I''m sorry," Lucy cried, and Tom sighed as he embraced her.

    "You don''t have to apologize. I''m the one who is sorry," Tom murmured as he kissed the top of her head.

    "I should have been more careful with my choice of words," Tom said as he pulled away once again and looked into her face.

    "I''m nothing like him, Lucy...."

    "I know," Lucy cried, "I thought I was over it after that interview. I even let you cuff my hands, remember? I don''t know where that came from," Lucy said with tears in her eyes.

    "Don''t worry. It''s alright. You will be fine," Tom assured her as he kissed her temple.

    They both looked up when Harry walked towards them in hurried steps, "Is she settled now?" Harry asked Tom, and when he nodded, Harry handed Tom his phone.

    "You need to see this. It''s all over the inte. Anita released a video of herself confessing to what she did and apologizing to you and Lucy."

 Chapter 585 Murder Not Suicide

    Chapter 585 Murder Not Suicide

    Without being told, Anita knew that what she was about to do was going to affect her in more ways than one, and she would never be able to move around freely anywhere in Ludus with her head held high after doing this. But she also knew that she needed to go through such extreme measures to get both Tom''s and Lucy''s attention and seek their forgiveness.

    How else could she speak to them? She couldn''t show up at their home or office. That would be too much. She doubted they would want to see her let alone give her the chance to speak. Not after the stunt she had pulled at the spa.

    No matter how long she spent thinking about it, doing this was the only way she could really prove that she was sorry, and by so doing, she could also make a statement to her mother to leave them alone.

    Thinking about Rebekah, she knew her mother was going to be livid if she found out about this. How were her sisters going to react? She mused as she adjusted her phone stand on a stool.

    Looking at the phone stand, she was reminded once again of one more thing her mother had deprived her of. She had purchased the phone stand some years ago because she had wanted to start a personal vlogging YouTube channel, but her mother had forbidden her from doing so.

    "Don''t put your business out there, darling. People are drawn to the mysterious. You''d be like everyone else if you did something like that. And I can''t stand any daughter of mine doing something so�� ordinary. I won''t have it," Rebekah had said, and as the foolish daughter she was, she had obeyed.

    Anita smiled, wishing she could see the look on Rebekah''s face when she saw the video she was about to make. The mere thought of going against her mother so publicly made the embarrassment she was about to face worth it.

    Seated on one of the couches in her living room, Anita took a deep breath before tapping the record button.

    "Hello, there! My name is Anita Miller, but I have no doubt that by the end of this video, many of you are going to forget my name and probably stick to calling me a bitch. I deserve it. Only a mean bitch would dig into someone''s past and use their pain against them. Mr Thomas Hank, and Ms Lucinda Perry, I hope you both get to see this. I wasn''t sure you''d be willing to meet with me or listen to me, so I had to resort to this open confession and apology to get your attention��." Anita started before going on to talk about how she had been behind the scandal involving Lucy''s past as well as Bryan and Sonia''s scandal.

    From there, she progressed to exin why she had done that by talking about her rtionship with Tom and how she had ruined it because her mother raised her to always go for money and not love.

    "��. I had to go into details for the benefit of the public. Tom and Lucy, I''m sorry for everything. You both did not deserve the lies and evil schemes. You have something amazing going on between you, and I''m ashamed of myself for ever trying toe between you both. You don''t have to forgive me if you can''t, Lucy. I know how much my actions must have hurt you, and I''m deeply sorry. Tom, you''re a wonderful guy, and Lucy is so lucky to have you. Thanks for remaining professional and not letting our personal issues get in the way of my job this whole time. I''ve submitted my resignation letter. Kindly honor it. Lucy, please end whatever contract you have going on with the She Can Heal Foundation. My mother is behind it, and she is looking for ways to tear you and Tom apart. I''m not a party to that. At least not anymore. I hope you both have a beautiful life together."

    Without saying another word, Anita ended the video and posted it on all her social media handles, tagging Tom and Lucy''s social media handles to the videos. It was only after doing that that she allowed herself to give in to her tears. Her entire body shook as she wept.

    She couldn''t believe she was such an awful person. How could she have stooped to such a level and do such terrible things to someone just to get a man? There was no iota of pride or ss in her actions.

    Just as she tried topose herself, she heard the sound of her doorbell, and her brows pulled together as she hurried to the bathroom to run some water over her face while wondering who could be visiting.

    Was it Lisa? Their mother? Or was Bernice out of the hospital earlier than nned? She didn''t really have friends who could show up at her house unannounced, and she wasn''t all that friendly with her elderly neighbors either.

    She spied through the window and was more than a little bit surprised to see her uncle. Dressed in funny-looking clothes that she supposed were meant to be a sort of disguise.

    "Uncle Wyatt!" She eximed as she opened the door, and the man walked in immediately with a wild look in his bloodshot eyes. He smelt of sweat and alcohol, but he seemed sober.

    Immediately she shut the door behind him; he went to the window and spied outside to be sure no one wasing.

    "You can''t tell your mother that I''m here, okay? You can do so after I''m out of here. I will be quick, and then I will leave, so listen," Wyatt said urgently, and Anita frowned.

    "I''m not on talking terms with her, so you don''t have to worry. Are you okay? You look like you''ve not been feeding well. I should get you something to eat," She offered with a concerned frown.

    "There is no time for that. Your mother is after my life," he said, and Anita looked at him incredulously.

    "Yes, mother is searching for you, but she is not out to harm you��."

    "You don''t know your mother so well, Annie. You don''t know her or half of what she is capable of. She has some dangerous people looking all over for me. I want to know why. What did she hear? Did she find out about the gambling, or did she get to know I told Thomas Hank about what you did?" He asked, and Anita paused.

    "What are you talking about? What did you tell Thomas Hank?" She asked in confusion.

    He raked his fingers through his thinning hair, "Remember ourst phone call? He made me call you. He knows you are behind the scandal. Thomas Hank has to be the reason your mother is looking for me. Damn him! He threatened me. He ckmailed me, and even after I did what he wanted, I can''t believe he told your mother the truth," Wyatt swore, making Anita''s eyes widen in shock.

    She remembered her uncle''sst phone call and the way he had kept asking her to know if she was behind the scandal. That exined how Lucy knew she was behind it. But if they had known for that long, howe they did not do anything about it? Were they waiting for something or nning something?

    "Are you listening to me?" Wyatt asked impatiently, and Anita tried to refocus on him.

    "What did you say?" She asked as he took her hands in his sweaty palms.

    "I''m sorry I betrayed you. I just couldn''t let him tell your mother about my gambling. If Rebekah gets me, she is going to kill me. I know it. And I can''t let that happen. You know you''re like a daughter to me, right? You''re the only one I could think ofing to. I don''t have enough money to leave the country, and even if I did, I don''t want to leave.," Wyatt said, his lips set with determination.

    "You''re not making much sense. Besides, she might be a lot of things, but she is definitely not a murderer. I don''t think she will do that. Why did youe here? Why do you think I can be of any help to you? What do you want me to do for you? Is it money you want?" Anita asked with a frown.

    "No. No. I can''t take money from you, Annie. I already feel embarrassed showing up before you like this. I came here because you are the only person I can trust. I want you to pass a message to her. I don''t want to speak with her. She terrifies me, your mother, I swear. Always have. Tell her to call off the men she has searching for me, or else I''m going to expose her secrets," Wyatt said, confusing Anita even more.

    "What secrets are you talking about? If I''m going to deliver such a message, I should at least know what you know," Anita added when he hesitated, and Wyatt took a deep breath.

    "She is not the only one keeping an eye on me, you see. I also made it my business to keep an eye on her business when I had the money to do that. Tell her I know about her numerous affairs, and tell her I know she killed your father. Tell her to stay away from me, or else I''m going to expose her before killing myself. I''d rather take my life than die by her hands," Wyatt said while Anita looked at him in stunned disbelief.

    She wasn''t exactly sure if her uncle was making things up or saying what he knew, "What do you mean she killed my father? It was suicide. Everyone knows he took his life. So what are you talking about?" Anita asked in confusion.

    "I can''t get into that right now, Annie. But trust me it''s the truth. Your father never killed himself. Your mother made it look that way. I never nned to use any of it against her. She is my sister, after all, and I was going to take her secrets to my grave and ept her ws, but now I can''t do that anymore, can I? Not when she is refusing to be understanding of my ws. Not when she is after my life. Tell her to leave me alone else I will ruin her life before she gets the chance to kill me. I won''t die quietly like your father!" Wyatt said, and with that, he walked away, leaving behind a stunned Anita.

    Anita copsed on the couch, her face pale even as a shudder ran through her. There was no way that could be true. Rebekah might be immoral and controlling, but she wasn''t a murderer. She couldn''t possibly have killed her own husband, could she?

    Even as she asked herself the question, she answered it within herself. As much as she hated to admit it, Rebekah Miller was capable of anything.

    Anita''s gaze shifted to her phone when it started ringing and she shuddered when she saw the call was from her mother. It was an Instagram call.

    Since she had cklisted her mother''s phone number it made sense that she would find an alternative means to reach her.

    Anita declined the call, and decided to check her DM for messages and sure enough she saw that her mother had left her several messages, thest one being a voice note.

    She took a deep breath before ying it. She winced involuntarily when her mother started by yelling.

    "HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND? ARE YOU CRAZY? WHY DID YOU DO SOMETHING SO STUPID AND ANNOYING? I was going to give you a couple of days to get over whatever you''re feeling, but seeing how stupid you have acted, I don''t think I should. No daughter of mine is going to ruin everything I''ve worked hard for!"

    Anita took a deep breath as she pushed her phone away from her, and almost immediately it started ringing again and this time she received the call when she saw it was from Lisa.

    "Are you okay, darling? Mother just drew my attention to the video you made. That was a huge step you took, sweetie. I''m so proud of you," Lisa said, and Anita took a deep breath.

    "Uncle Wyatt was here a short while ago. He said father was murdered. It wasn''t suicide,"Anita informed her quietly.

 Chapter 586 Super Interesting

    Chapter 586 Super Interesting

    Lucy remained silent even after the twenty minutes long video of Anita''s confession ended, and Tom exchanged a look with Harry before looking at Lucy again.

    "Are you okay?" Tom asked as he took both her hands in his, and Lucy sighed.

    "I suppose I am. Did she have to go this far, though? This will put her in a difficult position," Lucy said with a slight frown.

    "It''s not your ce to worry about her or feel sorry for her. She put herself in this mess," Tom said, and Harry nodded in agreement.

    "Well, it''s not her I''m worried about. This also draws attention to me in a way," Lucyined.

    "Don''t let it bother you, Lulu. I think it''s good she did this. This is pretty much what Tom intended to do to her and her family at the Eric Howel live interview after all," Harry pointed out.

    "Did she really have a change of heart just because she found out about her mother''s affair with her brother-inw?" Lucy asked thoughtfully.

    "It''s possible. Who knows how crazy people think? By the way, why hasn''t Barry called to report this?" Harry asked, bringing Tom''s attention to the fact that he was yet to hear from Barry.

    "I should call him. I''m running prettyte already," Tom said with a slight frown as he nced at his wristwatch.

    "Let''s get moving. And you can call him on the way," Harry suggested, and they all got into the car.

    Tom dialled Barry''s line, and it took some time before Barry received the call, "Hey, pal! I''m in the middle of something really important right now. Why don''t I call you back? I will tell you all about it after I''m done. And just so you know, you''re going to have to triple whatever you''re paying me. Things just got super interesting," Barry said before hanging up.

    "What did he say?" Harry asked when he noticed the frown on Tom''s face as he dropped his phone.

    "He seems to be busy with something. I think something happened," Tom said thoughtfully.

    "Don''t worry, I will give him a call and find out what''s up," Harry said as he looked at Lucy through the rearview mirror.

    He couldn''t help wondering what was on Lucy''s mind. She seemed sort of distant for someone whose boyfriend was travelling. He knew without a doubt that if he were the one travelling, Jade wouldn''t be seated so quietly. He chuckled at the thought of Jade''s clinginess and how much he loved it.

    "What is amusing you?" Tom asked with a scowl, and Harry grinned.

    "Nothing that should concern you. I can approve Anita''s resignation, right?" Harry asked, and Tom shook his head.

    "No. Don''t," Tom said, surprising both Lucy and Harry.

    "Why not?" Harry asked in confusion.

    "She is just going to run away to somewhere else so she won''t have to face the consequences of her action. Since she has taken away the satisfaction I would have gotten from the live show, I should as well punish her in a different way. She shouldn''t leave. Let her know that if she quits, I will press charges for all she did. She should stay back here and experience the same degree of embarrassment Lucy did after having her news all over the inte. She should face the embarrassment of working for me and facing both Lucy and me at meetings where everyone knows what she did. That''s the only punishment we can give her, don''t you think?" Tom asked, and Harry winced as he drove into the airstrip.

    "Isn''t that too much?" Lucy asked quietly.

    "After the pain she caused you, I don''t think that is punishment enough," Tom said as he looked out the window.

    "We will let her family off the hook then?" Harry asked, and Tom shrugged.

    "I guess we will have to see how that goes. If their mother still decides to show up on the live show despite all this drama, Eric will have to go on with it," Tom said dispassionately as Harry parked the car.

    "You both can kiss and cuddle while I make sure the jet is ready to fly," Harry said as he got out of the car, excusing them.

    Tom got out of the car and joined Lucy in the back seat, "Is everything alright?" he asked softly, and she nodded.

    "Yeah. Sonia wasn''t picking up, so I sent her a text. When I get home, I will talk to her. You don''t have to say anything to Bryan," Lucy said, and Tom sighed.

    "I''m sorry I reacted that way earlier. I could have made my point without being so harsh," Tom said, and Lucy nodded.

    "That is true."

    Tom sighed, "I really wish things would be better between us. I want us to be better," Tom said as he took her hand and raised it to his lips.

    "I want that too. I understand that you''ve been patient with me this whole time, and you''ve been doing all of the giving. I''m sorry. I will spend the time while you''re away working on myself," Lucy said, and Tom pulled her to himself.

    "While you''re at it, you can let me know whatever you think I need to work on as well. I''m not arrogant enough to believe I''m perfect. I''m pretty sure I have my ws too. So let me know whatever you''re notfortable with. I want to be good for you, Jewel," Tom said, and Lucy nodded.

    "I will."

    "Earlier, you sounded like you wanted me to let Anita go," Tom said, and Lucy nodded.

    "Yes. I will be morefortable if I don''t have to see her again. I don''t think I will be fine with having to run into her at work. What I want is for her to get out of our lives so that we can be done with her and her family," Lucy said, and Tom sighed.

    "Why didn''t you just say so?" He asked, and Lucy looked at him nkly.

    "You didn''t seek my opinion. You said it like your mind was made up. So I didn''t think my opinion was needed," Lucy said, and Tom winced.

    "I''m sorry. If that is what you want, then I will let her go. But if her mother insists on showing up at Eric''s live show, I won''t put a halt to that," Tom said, and Lucy nodded.

    "That is fine by me."

    "Alright. Your therapy. You will take it seriously, right?" He asked, and she nodded.

    "Yeah. I have to."

    After what she experienced a short while ago, she didn''t need anyone to tell her it was post-traumatic stress disorder. If there were any chance that therapy would make her function better in any way, then she would give it her best shot.

    Harry knocked on the door, "It''s time to leave," Harry announced, and Tom kissed Lucy''s forehead.

    "Be good, alright? I will call you after I arrive, and every chance I get, I will call or text," Tom promised, and Lucy nodded as they both got out of the car.

    "You can approve Anita''s resignation," Tom told Harry as they all headed for the ne.

    "Why the sudden change of heart?" Harry asked, and Tom shrugged.

    "Lucy doesn''t want Anita around. Lucy''sfort is more important to me than teaching Anita a lesson," Tom said, and Lucy, who was quietly walking between them, looked at Tom.

    "Don''t you think you should have asked Lucy''s opinion first before rambling about it earlier? Stop confusing me," Harry hissed, and Lucy giggled while Tom red at Harry.

    "Aww, LuLu isughing now. I was beginning to worry about you. I think she likes it when I scold you, don''t you, Lulu?" Harry asked as he looked at Lucy.

    "Yeah. I do," Lucy said, and Harry ced his arm around her neck and pulled her to himself.

    "I got you then. I will scold Tom every chance I get," Harry promised and chuckled when Tom pped his hand off Lucy''s shoulder.

    "Take good care of her, okay?" Tom said as they stopped by the ne, and he turned to Lucy and embraced her.

    "I don''t feelfortable leaving this way. I feel like we haven''t resolved things properly��."

    "It''s fine," Lucy murmured.

    "We will be fine," Tom promised as he kissed her lips lightly.

    "I love you," he said, and Lucy smiled.

    "I know. I love you too," Lucy said as she watched Tom walk away.

    "Really, Tom? I don''t get a goodbye hug and kiss," Harry called to Tom, and Lucy giggled when Tom sent him the middle finger without turning back.

    "I love you too, Tom!" Harry called out, making Lucyugh.

    "Are you okay?" Harry asked as they got into the car after watching the ne take off.

    Neither of them had said a word to the other as they walked back to the car together, and he had noticed Lucy brushing off her tears.

    "Yeah."

    "Are you telling the truth?" Harry asked, and Lucy looked at him as she gestured helplessly with her hands.

    "I don''t know, Harry. I just don''t think things will be the same between us again. I don''t know why, but I think everything is going to change, and I don''t know how I feel about that," Lucy said as another tear dropped from her eyes.

    "What if it''s a good kind of change?" Harry asked, and she sighed.

    "I don''t know," she said with trembling lips.

    Harry could see what Tom meant when he said Lucy was scared of change.

    "Lucy, I don''t know much about anything else, but one thing I know for a fact is that Tom loves you, and he isn''t letting go," Harry assured her.

    "Are you thinking of letting go?" Harry asked, and Lucy shrugged.

    "If I can''t give him what he wants, I will have to, won''t I?" Lucy asked, and Harry patted her shoulder in a friendly manner.

    "I think instead of you to spend time worrying about the changes or what to do if you''re unable to give Tom what he wants, you can make an effort to make sure the changes are positive changes," Harry suggested.

    "How?"

    "By healing. Why not focus on your therapy? Try focusing on yourself and bing better. While you''re on that you can also read books on rtionships. I understand you don''t exactly have much experience in the rtionship field. Why not read up on rtionships?You can''t imagine the magnitude of knowledge you can get from such books. I could lend you a couple of mine. Maybe you feel this way because you''re not exactly sure yet about what you want or what you''re doing. You want Tom in your life, don''t you?" Harry asked, and Lucy nodded.

    "Of course I do."

    "Good. He wants you too. That is something you both have inmon. You might not yet have reached an agreement on the terms on which you both want each other, but I think this is a good starting point. Forget everything else and focus on healing and building your mind. I think that is what you need the most right now. Don''t worry. Everything will be fine. Give it time," Harry said, and Lucy sighed.

    "What if after the therapy, I still don''t want to get married?" Lucy asked, and Harry smiled.

    "That doesn''t matter. If you don''t want to, you don''t have to do it just to please Tom or anyone else. By the end of the therapy, I believe you will be in a better mental space and perfectly able to know and choose what you want. Whatever you will choose to do, I will support you," Harry promised, and this time Lucy smiled, grateful for his understanding.

    "Thank you."

    "Just don''t tell Tom I said that. He will kill me. Let this be a secret between us cousins," Harry said with a wink, and Lucy giggled.

    "Sure."

    "I will drop you off at Tom''s��."

    "No. I''d rather go to my apartment. You can drop me off at a convenient spot where I can get a cab," Lucy said, and Harry shook his head.

    "Can''t do that. I will drop you off at your apartment then," Harry said as he started the car and drove off.

 Chapter 587 Murder

    Chapter 587 Murder

    The car was silent until Lucy''s phone rang, breaking the silence in the car. She received the call when she saw it was from Bryan.

    "Bryan?" She asked cautiously since Bryan wasn''t the type to call her. Perhaps it was Sonia calling her back with Bryan''s phone.

    "Yeah, it''s Bryan. Are you busy? Can we talk?" Bryan asked, and Lucy raised a brow.

    "Is everything alright?" She asked with a frown.

    "I don''t know. I saw the text you sent to Sonia, and she told me about the pregnancy. Can we talk?" Bryan asked hopefully.

    "Over the phone? I''m noting to the house tonight," Lucy exined.

    "I''d prefer we meet instead. Tell me where to meet you, and I wille over," Bryan suggested, and hearing the worry in his voice, Lucy sighed inwardly.

    All she wanted was to go into her apartment and have the night to herself, but she could hardly turn down Bryan''s request. Not when she knew that Sonia''s well-being was involved.

    "Alright. You can meet me at my apartment," Lucy offered before hanging up.

    "Is everything okay?" Harry asked, and she nodded.

    "Yeah. Bryan wants us to talk," Lucy said with a shrug.

    "Do you both get along really well?" Harry asked, and Lucy smiled wryly.

    "I''m not sure. I have a problem with getting close to people��."

    "You didn''t seem to have that problem with me," Harry said, and Lucy grinned.

    "I wonder why I feel rxed andfortable around you," Lucy said, and Harry raised a cocky brow.

    "C''mon! How can you wonder that? It''s me," Harry said, and Lucy giggled.

    "You weren''t so rxed initially, though," he pointed out.

    "How could I be rxed when you kept picking on me?" Lucy asked, and Harry chuckled.

    "You should hold Tom responsible for that. How was dinner with the old manst night?" Harry asked when he remembered he had failed to ask Tom about it.

    Lucy shrugged, "It was sort of awkward."

    Harry expected nothing less. A gathering of the Hanks was bound to make any normal person around them feel awkward or out of ce.

    "I know the Hank family can be a handful. Sometimes they just don''t know when to stop. And what''s worse is that whatever annoying things they do, they do it with the best intentions��."

    "I wonder how you ended up falling for one if you know all this. I wish someone had warned me beforehand," Lucy muttered, and Harry chuckled.

    "I don''t think it would have made any difference. As controlling as they can be, they are amazing. You just have to know when and to draw the line so they don''t cross it. They may be annoyingly controlling, but they do listen when you make your stance known. I''m sure you''ve noticed that in Tom. In the same way you were clearheaded in handling the issue between my dad and me without letting Tom and Jade do as they pleased, you should handle your rtionship with Tom and the Hank family that way too. Speak out when you''re notfortable with something, and demand to be treated better if you think you''re not being treated right. I know I''m rambling. I don''t know why. I guess what I''m trying to say is that you shouldn''t just let Tom make decisions or do whatever he likes. Be actively involved in your rtionship if you want it to work," Harry said, and Lucy smiled.

    "I get what you mean. Thanks," Lucy said as Harry pulled the car to a stop in front of her apartment.

    "Be good, Lulu," Harry called after her as she unfastened her seatbelt and opened the door.

    "You too. Give my love to Aaron," Lucy said as she got out of the car and waved at him.

    As Harry pulled out of the driveway, he dialled Barry''s line, wanting to get that phone call out of the way before he got to the house since he wanted to spend uninterrupted time with his family.

    His family, Harry thought with a grin as he connected his phone to the car''s Bluetooth device.

    "Hey! It''s good you called. I was trying to reach Tom, but his line isn''t connecting," Barry said immediately after he received the call.

    "He is on his way out of the country to handle some business. You can talk to me. That''s why I called."

    "Well, it has been a really busy day for my boys and me. That woman Rebekah Miller is cold! You won''t believe she attempted to murder her lover and frame her son-inw for it," Barry said, and immediately Harry pulled the car over by the roadside.

    "She did what?"

    "You heard me. She tried to frame her other son-inw for the murder of the son-inw she was screwing," Barry exined.

    "Do you have any evidence?" Harry asked, and Barry grinned.

    "Plenty. You have no idea the length I went to get this done, so you''re going to have to really pay a lot. I''m not talking about just me. I had to involve other people in this...."

    "Can you tell me exactly what happened and what you did?" Harry asked, wanting to slow down Barry, who was speaking in an excited rush.

    "Sure."

    Harry listened patiently as Barry told him all that had transpired that day and what he had done, and by the time Barry was done, Harry was grinning.

    There was no way Rebekah Miller wasn''t going to pay for her crimes this time, and it was going to be thrilling.

    "You did well. And just because I hate that woman''s guts, I''m going to double whatever Tom pays you," Harry promised before hanging up.

    Away from there, at the hospital, Bernice and Tiffany had progressed from mild worry to full-blown worry when they still couldn''t reach either Jack or Adam after a couple of hours.

    Tiffany had called Benny''s housekeeper, and she had informed her that Adam had not returned to the house since he left that morning. Tiffany had also called her housekeepers, and they told her Jack wasn''t home yet.

    "Something is wrong, Benny. I can feel it," Tiffany said as she started to pace across the room.

    "Maybe you should call the police?" Bernice suggested.

    "And tell them what? That I''m worried because my husband went out to meet with my brother-inw, and I''m unable to reach either of them?" Tiffany asked, and Bernice sighed as she adjusted on the bed.

    They both looked up when the door opened, and their mother walked in. Her worries forgotten, Tiffany faced Rebekah with a scowl, "What are you doing here?"

    "Seeing how you are still here, I take it you don''t know your husband has been arrested for the murder of Adam," Rebekah said, throwing both her daughters off.

    "What are you talking about?"

    "Adam is dead?" Tiffany and Bernice asked in unison.

    "I have no idea what transpired between them, but the news is everywhere. I rushed over the moment I saw the news," Rebekah said tly as she looked at them both and took in their stunned expressions.

    "It''s not true. That doesn''t make sense. Adam can''t be dead. Jack wouldn''t do something like that," Tiffany said as she quickly picked up her phone to check for the news on the inte and just as Rebekah had said, it was boldly written all over the ce.

    JACKSON BATEMAN, SOLE HEIR TO BATEMAN CORP, MURDERS ADAM WASHINGTON JUNIOR, THE ONLY SON OF THE CHIEF JUSTICE.

    "What''s wrong, Tiff? Is it true?" Bernice asked apprehensively as she watched Tiffany go pale.

    Tiffany staggered in disbelief as she looked at the pictures of Jackson in cuffs as he was escorted into the police vehicle, and she copsed on the couch because her knees were too weak to hold her.

    Seeing Tiffany''s reaction, Bernice could tell that it was true, so she raised a hand to her lips, "Oh, my God!"

    The Washington familyw firm was responsible for handling the legal matters of the Bateman family. Who was going to represent Jackson and prove his innocence if the person he was used of murdering was Adam Washington, the only son of the chief judge? Tiffany mused.

    "Jack is innocent," Tiffany whispered after a moment of stunned silence as she raised her head to meet Bernice''s equally dazed gaze.

    "Don''t be so sure, darling. You weren''t there," Rebekah pointed out.

    "Neither were you. Or were you?" Bernice asked, and Rebekah looked at her with disapproval while Tiffany busied herself by looking at the news.

    "What do you mean by that?" Rebekah asked, annoyed by Bernice''s attitude.

    "You tell me! As much as we know, Adam was with you before Jack went to him," Bernice said matter-of-factly, and Rebekah tried to hide her surprise at the fact that they knew Adam had been to her house.

    Rebekah took a deep breath, "Don''t be ridiculous. I''m not here to fight with you girls, alright? I''m here to render my support. Your husband is dead, and Tiffany''s is going to jail. I know things have not been so good between ustely, but we should be able to put it behind us in these trying times. I believe we can all work things out, can''t we? I mean, if Tiffany here can forgive you for having an affair with her husband, then you can as well be more understanding of my situation. It wasn''t like I was having an affair with your husband. Out of the goodness of my heart as your mother, I let you marry my lover...."

    "You disgust me!" Bernice spat out as she removed the cann from her hand and began to rise from the bed.

    "What are you doing?" Rebekah asked, watching her.

    Tiffany''s gaze moved to Bernice, "Benny...."

    "We need to leave. I need to go home to my kids. I can''t leave them alone, not with this news. And you need to go to Jack to find out what happened and how you can help. I know you will be too worried to leave me here," Bernice said as she picked up the bag of clothes Tiffany had brought earlier.

    "Listen, before you go, we should get something straight. Jack and Adam did not get into a fight because you had an affair with Jack, okay? We can''t let that get out. Else they''re going to make you an aplice, and you know how brutal Adam''s family can be. The reason they fought was that Jack got to know that Adam beats you up, and they had a fight over it. That''s the only way to make you the victim here, and Maybe Tiffany can convince Jackson to...."

    "Can you stop?!" Tiffany yelled.

    "This is my husband you are talking about! Why do you think it is okay toe here and say such things? We have no idea what happened between them, so why do you think it is fine to assume Jack is guilty?" Tiffany asked hotly.

    "I''m trying to look out for the both of you...."

    "Don''t! No one asked for your help. Shouldn''t you be at home mourning yourte lover? Why did youe here where you are not needed?" Tiffany asked angrily.

    "Let''s leave, Tiffany. We can stop by the doctor''s office on our way out," Bernice said after she had changed into new clothes.

    "You are both allowing your emotions to cloud your sense of judgement. Can you just think for a moment? Why are you worried about Jack, who doesn''t care about you or respect you? Adam treated you poorly, and he deserved...."

    "He deserved what? To die?" Bernice asked before Rebekah could finish.

    "Think of it this way, with Adam dead, you don''t have to worry about being divorced. You be his wealthy widow who inherits all he owns, and you''re free to do whatever you want with whoever you choose. And you, Tiffany, with Jack in jail, you can divorce him and take half of all he owns. You both get the chance to start afresh," Rebekah said reasonably, hoping they would understand and appreciate what she was doing for them.

    Tiffany and Bernice exchanged a look, and without another word, Tiffany picked up her bag, and they both walked out of the room, leaving a disappointed Rebekah.

    After they signed the discharge paper and left the hospital, Tiffany took a cab and headed for the station while Bernice headed home.

    As Bernice sat in the cab, all she could think about was Adam''s weird detailed text to Jack and the fact that Rebekah had sent everyone out of the house during Adam''s visit.

    Why did she do that? What happened during Adam''s visit? Adam couldn''t have visited just to make out with her, and Rebekah wouldn''t have been so careless to allow such a thing either.

    None of it made sense��especially their mother''sposure. She didn''t seem upset by any of it, and that was disturbing. Her lover was dead and her son-inw was going to be thrown into jail for it yet all she could think about was the mary benefit. It was cold. Too cold, even for someone like Rebekah Miller.

 Chapter 588 Pretty Emotional

    Chapter 588 Pretty Emotional

    Lucy''s brow creased with a frown when she checked the spot her apartment key was supposed to be but didn''t find it.

    She knew without a doubt that she did not take it to Tom''s house since she remembered leaving it there just the previous evening, so where could it be? She mused as she headed for her apartment.

    Apart from her, only Tom, Lucas, and Sonia knew where she kept the key, and seeing as neither Tom nor Lucas was around, that left Sonia.

    Was Sonia in her apartment? But Bryan did not mention anything about that when she asked him to meet her there. Lucy mused as she pressed the doorbell.

    "Sony? Are you in there?" She asked, trying not to be too loud so she wouldn''t attract any attention. Thest thing she wanted right now was for anyone to know she was here.

    All she wanted was to be alone in thefort of her apartment. She didn''t want any intrusion.

    She almost sighed in relief when she heard footsteps inside, followed by the door being opened from inside.

    She did not doubt that Sonia would be pissed at her, but she didn''t mind. She believed she had done the right thing. Advising Sonia to tell Bryan the truth was the best thing for Sonia, and maybe if Sonia told her how the conversation had gone, she would know what to expect when Bryan showed up.

    Once Sonia opened the door, she walked back inside, and Lucy followed her after shutting the door behind her.

    "Sony, I know you are pissed��."

    "I''m not," Sonia said tly.

    "You are not?" Lucy asked, surprised.

    "I''ve been thinking about it. I should have told him about it from the moment I began to suspect it," Sonia said as she walked into the bedroom and got on the bed, pulling the duvet over her.

    "What happened? What did Bryan say when you told him?" Lucy asked as she sat down on the bed beside Sonia.

    "I never said I told him��."

    "Bryan told me you did," Lucy cut in, and Sonia sat up.

    "What else did he say? Was he very mad?" She asked with a worried frown.

    "He didn''t sound mad. He wants to see me. He wants us to talk. Does he know you are here? I asked him to meet me here," Lucy exined.

    "I should leave before he gets here," Sonia said, rising from the bed, but Lucy ced a hand on her shoulder to stop her.

    "Where would you go? Back to Tom''s? Just stay calm. I could talk with him outside. He doesn''t have to know you are here, and you don''t have to see him if you don''t want to, but first, I have to know what he said. How did he react to the news? Does he want an abortion?" Lucy asked with concern.

    "I don''t know. He was mad I was keeping it away from him��."

    "Rightfully so. He has every right to be mad. You can''t me him for that," Lucy said, and Sonia sighed.

    "He broke up with me," Sonia said, and Lucy looked at her in disbelief.

    "No, he didn''t."

    "He did! He said I could do whatever I wanted with the pregnancy," Sonia said, tears dropping from her eyes, but Lucy merely stared at her.

    "What? You don''t believe me?" Sonia asked, and Lucy shook her head.

    "It''s not that I don''t believe you. It''s just that what you''re saying doesn''t make sense. So, you said, Bryan, I''m pregnant. And then he said, do whatever you want with the pregnancy. I''m done with this rtionship? Or what?" Lucy asked in confusion.

    Lucy sighed when Sonia began to cry again, and she embraced her, "Whatever it is, I''m sure Bryan is going to fix it. That must be the reason he wants to talk to me. You haven''t taken the pill, have you?" Lucy asked, and Sonia shook her head.

    "Good. Let''s hear what Bryan has to say first, alright? I''m certain he reacted the way he did only because he was upset. Bryan isn''t unreasonable. Stop crying and try to get some rest while I change out of these clothes," Lucy said as she kissed Sonia''s head before standing up.

    Wanting to distract Sonia from her problems, Lucy looked at her as she undressed, "Have you been on social media today?"

    "No. I''m not interested in anything," Sonia said, and Lucy nodded.

    "Anita did a live apology video," Lucy said and almost smiled when Sonia''s eyes widened in surprise.

    "Apology? To you?" Sonia asked, and Lucy nodded.

    "She stated all her crimes��." The rest of Lucy''s words were lost in a giggle when Sonia got off the bed in search of her phone. Nothing worked at distracting Sonia from her problem more than other people''s problems.

    As Lucy headed for the bathroom, her phone started ringing, and she picked it up when she saw it was Bryan, "You''re here already?" Lucy asked.

    "Yeah," Bryan said as the cab stopped in front of Lucy''s apartment.

    "I will be out in two minutes," Lucy promised as she hurried to her closet and pulled out a random pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt which she hurriedly put on.

    "Bryan is here," Lucy informed Sonia as she hurried into the living room, where Sonia was seated on the couch watching Anita''s video.

    Immediately she heard that Sonia stood up, "Can you bring him in? I will be in the bedroom. I want to hear what he has to say," Sonia said, and Lucy frowned.

    "Sony��."

    "Please, Lu. It''s not like you''re going to hide anything he says from me anyway. He doesn''t have to know I''m here," Sonia pleaded.

    Lucy considered it for a moment. She trusted Bryan. She knew he loved Sonia. And because she trusted his love for Sonia, she believed that whatever he was going to say to her was going to help their rtionship. That would work better in convincing Sonia of his intentions than anything Bryan was going to say to her.

    "Alright," Lucy agreed, and Sonia hurried into the bedroom while Lucy went outside.

    "I''m sorry I kept you waiting," Lucy said apologetically once she met him standing by her car.

    "I didn''t wait for long. It was an impromptu arrangement, after all," Bryan said as he followed Lucy, who led him inside her apartment.

    "There is not much to offer since I''ve not stayed here in a while. Can I get you a ss of water?" She asked, and Bryan shook his head.

    "That is not necessary, Lucy. I hope I''m not making you feel ufortable?" Bryan asked when he noticed how she was standing awkwardly.

    Lucy smiled, "Not at all. Please make yourselffortable," she said as she took the seat adjacent to him.

    Bryan cleared his throat, "I''m sorry I called you out of the blue��."

    "You don''t have to apologize for that, Bryan. I''m actually d you did," Lucy rushed to assure him.

    Bryan nodded, "Did Sonia tell you one of the reasons for ourst misunderstanding? Did she tell you I was upset because I thought you were more important to her than I am?" Bryan asked, and Lucy nodded.

    "She mentioned something in that line. But I don''t hold it against you," Lucy said with a small smile.

    "I''m sorry to ask this, but if you were pregnant, would you tell Sonia about it before telling Tom about it?" Bryan asked, and Lucy shrugged.

    "It depends on the circumstance. And you should know that Sonia only told me about it because I helped her deliver the test kit, and I was there when she took the test," Lucy said in Sonia''s defense.

    "Do you think she would have ever told me about it had you not asked her to?" Bryan asked, and Lucy sighed.

    "I''m sure she did not tell you about it simply because I asked her to. She would have eventually gotten around to it," Lucy said confidently, and Bryan sat up in his seat.

    "Am I asking for too much, Lucy? Is it too much to ask the woman I love to involve me in whatever concerns her? In whatever concerns us? How could she have been nning to have an abortion without even telling me first?" Bryan asked, still unable to wrap his head around it.

    "Do you want the baby? ording to Sonia, you said you didn''t want any of that��."

    "I said I didn''t want?" Bryan cut in.

    "I thought she was in agreement with me on that! I thought she wanted the same thing! She was the one who suggested not living together some time ago, wasn''t she? Why is she holding what I said against me when we were in agreement about wanting to take things slowly and know more about each other? Our rtionship isn''t all about what I want! What she wants matters to me too! Yes, I''d prefer to have her to myself and spend a lot of time getting to know and love her better, but that doesn''t change the fact that I want her to be in my life for the long run. I love Sonia. I''m crazy about her! But what I can''t stand is her making decisions without talking to me," Bryanined.

    "Maybe she was in agreement with you on that, and when this came up, she figured she should take care of it so it doesn''t be a problem for the both of you��."

    "How can something we both did be a problem for us? I am just as responsible for the pregnancy as she is if not more. It''s not in her ce to worry about it by herself! This shows she doesn''t trust me, and it not only annoys me, but it also hurts me too!" Bryan cried out in frustration.

    "I understand how you feel, Bryan. I really do. I have also addressed the same issue with her before now. But one thing I try to remind myself often is that Sonia has been living on her own terms since she was eighteen. She has been making decisions involving her alone for the past seven years. Have you considered the fact that it might not be deliberate?" Lucy asked, and Bryan sighed.

    "Yes. I''ve thought about that. That doesn''t mean I can''t get upset when she does stuff like this, does it? I mean, what if she had gone ahead and aborted our baby without discussing it with me first? Do you think I would have forgiven her for that? Do you think that excuse about it not being deliberate would have made sense to me?" Bryan asked incredulously.

    "What do you want, Bryan? Do you want the baby or not?" Lucy asked, and Bryan sighed as he raked his fingers through his hair.

    "That''s why I''m here, Lucy. I want to know what she wants."

    "I think it''s best I know what you want first," Lucy insisted.

    "I told you already. I love Sonia. Whether we start a family in the next ten years or now, it doesn''t make a difference to me since she is the one I know I want to spend my life with. Yes, having a baby now is going to affect us both in a lot of ways, but I know we can make it work if that is what she wants. I have been thinking about it since she told me about it, and I can''t stop wondering if it''s a girl or a boy and who the baby is going to look like or behave like. I don''t want to imagine us terminating our first pregnancy. I need to be sure that is what she wants too. I can''t force her to keep our baby if she doesn''t want to. But I will be really happy if she decides to keep the baby. We can find a way to make it work. We can get as many Nannies as she wants so it doesn''t affect her career. I''m sure my mom wouldn''t mind babysitting when we go out on dates. We can make it work," Bryan said, and they both turned towards Lucy''s bedroom when they heard a sniffle behind the door.

    Lucy couldn''t me Sonia for blowing her cover. Not when she was feeling pretty emotional herself and wanted to cry and embrace Bryan for saying all the right things.

    "Is Sonia in there?" Bryan asked in surprise, and without waiting for Lucy to respond, he headed for Lucy''s bedroom.

    "Babe?" He called, and Sonia stepped out from behind the door.

    "I was wrong. I''m sorry," Sonia said as tears ran down her cheeks.

    Without saying a word, Bryan pulled Sonia to himself and embraced her, "I did not mean what I said about breaking up. I was mad at you. I still am. But I don''t want to break up with you," Bryan murmured as he kissed her wet cheeks.

    "Me too," Sonia cried.

    "I will wait outside," Lucy said as she opened the door and excused herself, but neither of them looked at her.

    Lucy sighed as she took her car keys from where it was hidden by the tire and got into her car.

    She was d that Bryan and Sonia wanted the same thing. She smiled at the thought of Sonia having a baby. Evelyn would definitely be over the moon. Thinking of Evelyn, Lucy sat up as she remembered that she needed to clear the misunderstanding with her. Telling Evelyn that the kit wasn''t hers wouldn''t be enough for the woman. She knew it. She had to tell Bryan and Sonia about it so they would join her in informing Evelyn that the kit she had seen belonged to Sonia. Evelyn would be just as excited since she was going to be a grandmother

 Chapter 589 I Will Expose Her!

    Lucy had almost dozed off in her car by the time she heard the knock on the window, and she opened her eyes to see Sonia shing her phone''s shlight inside the car.

    Lucy smiled as she opened the door and got down to meet Sonia and Bryan, whose arms were linked as though they were scared to let go of each other.

    "Sorry we chased you out of your apartment," Bryan said, and Lucy waved the apology off with a smile.

    "I don''t mind. You both resolved things, huh?" Lucy asked, looking at Sonia, whose eyes were gleaming happily.

    Sonia bobbed her head, "I guess you''re going to be a godmother after all," Sonia said, and Lucy smiled happily as she embraced her.

    "Thank you so much, Lucy. Thanks for convincing your stubborn best friend to talk to me," Bryan said and chuckled when Sonia pinched his side.

    Lucy pressed her lips together and looked from Bryan to Sonia, "It was actually Tom''s idea. He threatened to tell you himself if I didn''t make Sonia tell you," Lucy confessed with a wince, and Sonia looked at her in surprise.

    "You told Tom about it? Why would you do that?" Sonia asked angrily.

    "Calm down, babe. I don''t think anger is not good for our baby," Bryan said, patting her back, and Sonia turned to look at him in disbelief before throwing back her head tough, and Lucy joined her.

    "What''s funny?" Bryan asked with a confused smile.

    "What do you mean anger is not good for our baby? You barely found out about the pregnancy hours ago, and you know what''s good for it?" Sonia asked in amusement, and Bryan grinned.

    "Just don''t get too worked up emotionally. That''s my point," Bryan said, and Sonia returned her attention to Lucy.

    "You''ve got some exining to do, Lucinda Perry," Sonia hissed.

    "Why don''t we go inside, and I will tell you all you need to know? Or are you in a hurry to leave?" Lucy asked, and Sonia shook her head before turning to look at Bryan.

    "Are we?"

    "Not at all. Let''s go in," Bryan said, and all three of them returned inside with Bryan''s arm possessively wrapped around Sonia.

    As Sonia made to sit on the couch, Bryan quickly gently helped her sit down, and she grinned up at him in amusement, "Calm down, Bryan. Isn''t it too early for all this?" She asked, and he grinned.

    "It''s never too early," Bryan said as he sat down beside her, and Lucy shook her head in amusement as she watched them.

    She would never understand the dynamics of rtionships. One minute two people would be hurting so much and on the verge of a breakup, and the next, they were all loved up. How did the human mind work? Why was human emotion soplicated? Lucy mused.

    "We are waiting, Lu," Sonia reminded her, and Lucy nodded.

    "Evelyn happened to go into Tom''s closet, and she found my handbag with the positive pregnancy test kit...."

    "And she assumed it was yours?" Sonia asked in surprise.

    "Exactly! And she asked Tom about it. We almost had a major misunderstanding about me being pregnant. So to clear all doubt, and also because I wanted to be sure I was doing the right thing for you, I told him about it. And he was very pissed," Lucy concluded, and Sonia looked at her apologetically.

    "I can imagine how awkward that conversation must have been for the both of you. I''m sorry. It''s my fault...."

    "There is no need to pass me. All you have to do now is to exin to Evelyn that the kit she saw belonged to you and not me," Lucy said, and Sonia looked at Bryan.

    "We can do that, right?" She asked, and he gave her a nod.

    "Sure. But I had hoped we would find a more dramatic way to share the news with the family," Bryan said sadly.

    "I''m sure we have had enough drama. Let''s just skip any more drama and tell the family," Sonia said, and Bryan nodded.

    "Now that we have gotten that out of the way, let''s talk about Anita. Did Tom see the video before he left? What are we going to do about her now?" Sonia asked Lucy before facing Bryan.

    "Did you see Anita''s video? She confessed to being behind our scandal," Sonia said, and Bryan raised a brow.

    "When?" Bryan asked, and Sonia took out her phone to show Bryan the video since she was not done watching it herself.

    "Tom wanted to reject her resignation, but I asked him to approve it and let her be. I want her to disappear from our livespletely," Lucy said after they had finished watching it, and Sonia nodded in agreement.

    "I agree with you. No good wille from keeping her close. Who knows what she is nning or when she might decide to strike again?" Sonia said thoughtfully.

    "Maybe I should write about something like this? I viin who pretends to turn a new leaf and then does something even worse?" Sonia asked no one in particr as she narrowed her eyes and started thinking about it.

    Bryan exchanged a look with Lucy, and she shook her head, "Don''t jinx it. I prefer to believe she has turned a new leaf and won''t be pulling any more stunts," Lucy said, and Sonia shed her a smile.

    "Sure. Doesn''t mean I can''t use that as a plot in one of my stories," Sonia said with a yawn.

    "I''m hungry," she announced.

    "It''s time to go home. We can find you something to munch on, and then we can have dinner when we get home," Bryan said as he quickly picked up his phone to book a ride.

    Although Sonia rolled her eyes when she met Lucy''s amused gaze, Lucy could tell that she was more than pleased with Bryan''s behavior.

    "By the way, have you moved back here already?" Sonia asked when it urred to her that Lucy did not seem like she was going home with them.

    "Moved back? What are you talking about?" Bryan asked in confusion.

    "I told you I don''t want to spend the night in Tom''s bedroom without him. I''d rather spend the night here. I will be here for some time," Lucy rushed to exin before Sonia could say anything.

    "I see," Bryan said with an easy smile.

    "Our ride is here," Bryan announced when his phone started ringing, and he quickly stood up to help her up, and Sonia smiled as she rose.

    "Take care of yourself, Lu. We will talk over the phone," Sonia said, giving Lucy a pointed look.

    "Sure. You take care of yourself and our baby," Lucy said as she escorted them to the door.

    "I will take care of them, you don''t have to worry," Bryan promised, and Lucy giggled when Sonia rolled her eyes once again.

    "I''m sure you will."

    "Are we not saying hi to Mia and Jeff?" Sonia asked as they approached the cab.

    "We already said hi to them earlier in the day. We need to get my babies something to eat," Bryan said as he led her into the cab.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Lucy was beginning to think her jaw was going to ache all night, judging by how much time she had spent smiling andughing over Bryan''s doting behavior.

    A smile remained on her face as she waved them goodbye and returned to her apartment.

    Alone in her apartment now, Lucy sighed as she locked the door and returned to her bedroom. She was going to have a hot rxing bath with music ying in the background, and then she was going toy cuddled up on her bed reading a novel until she dozed up.

    Yes. That was what she was going to do. It was going to be just like old times.

    Away from there, Tiffany walked into the police station, and the first people she saw were Jackson''s parents speaking with one of the detectives.

    "Gabe, Ang," Tiffany greeted as she hurried over to join Jackson''s parents.

    "Why didn''t you call me?" She asked her inws when she got to where they stood.

    "You''re here. I was going to call, but Jack asked us not to bother you because you were at the hospital taking care of your sister," Ang said, looking flustered as she embraced Tiffany.

    "What is the situation of things? Can I see Jack?" Tiffany asked hopefully as she pulled away from her to look at her father-inw.

    "It''s terrible! It''s all so terrible, Tiffany! Jack swears he did noty a finger on Adam," Jack''s mother informed her.

    "It''s a tricky situation. I''m doing all I can, but seeing how this involves the Washington family, it is tough. Jack had no reason to fight Adam, did he? I keep telling them it must have been a friendly fight. One of those stuff guys do, but no one is willing to believe me. Can you exin what happened between them?" Jack''s father asked Tiffany with a worried frown.

    What was she to say? She couldn''t exactly tell his parents that their son not only had an affair with her sister, who was married to Adam but was actually in love with her. That would make even his parents look at him suspiciously, and she knew deep down that Jack was innocent.

    "Can I have a few minutes with my husband? Please?" Tiffany asked the detective, who was still standing beside them.

    "Please. She is my daughter-inw. She should at least be allowed to see her husband," Jackson''s father pleaded, and the detective asked Tiffany to follow him and led her to the room where Jackson was being kept for questioning.

    "You have five minutes. No physical contact. No whispers either," The detective warned before excusing them.

    Immediately she walked into the room, Jackson, whose head was bowed, raised his head to look at her, "Tiff? What are you doing here? You didn''t have toe...."

    "Shut up! How are you doing? What happened?" Tiffany asked as she took the seat across from him, and Jack shook his head.

    "I have no idea. I arrived at the location where Adam asked me to meet him. His car was parked there, but my phone''s battery was t, and I left my charger in the other car. Since I couldn''t reach him over the phone, I went into the building to search for him. I saw him lying on the ground by one of the stairs, and I panicked. While I was trying to call the emergency number, I heard the sound of sirens, and I was surrounded by the police. I don''t know what happened. I swear, Tiff. I didn''ty a finger on him," Jack said, and Tiffany nodded.

    "I believe you. Did you exin to them how you felt when you received the text from Adam? You thought it was weird, remember?" Tiffany asked, and Jack nodded.

    "I tried to. But someone seemed to have told them about the fight we had at the hospital yesterday. I have no idea how they got to know about it. They''ve been asking me to tell them what happened, but I can''t. You know I can''t do that," Jack said, holding her gaze.

    Tiffany could tell he was withholding the information for the sake of Bernice''s reputation. If he so much as said the truth, the Washington family would get wind of it, and they would throw Bernice out with nothing. Not even her kids.

    "It''s a setup. Someone set you up," Tiffany said without thinking, and Jack nodded.

    "Yeah. I figured out that much. The question now is, who could be behind this?" Jack asked, and Tiffany pressed a finger to her temple as she tried to think.

    Apart from the members of their family, no one else had gotten the detail of the fight at the hospital. Yes, there had been onlookers, but they had not been standing close enough to hear what was being said, and she doubted that any of those people were interested in their family business enough to murder Adam or frame Jack. Whoever had reported Jack to the police must have known the reason for the fight, but had deliberately withheld that piece of information from the police.

    It couldn''t be Anita. She knew that Anita hated both Adam and Jackson, but she was a little miss perfect and wouldn''t get her hands soiled with blood out of love or devotion for her sisters. It definitely was not Lisa, either. That left their mother.

    ording to Adam''s supposed text, he had been in their mother''s house when he sent the text. The housekeeper had said their mother sent them away during Adam''s visit.

    Did something happen?

    Tiffany''s eyes narrowed as she thought of their mother''s visit to the hospital, her cool attitude and all she had suggested.

    Rebekah Miller. Was this her doing? Did she do this thinking she was doing them a favor? Tiffany mused as she met Jack''s gaze.

    "What was Adam''s state? Can you remember the exact injury on him?" Tiffany asked, and Jack narrowed his eyes.

    "He seemed like he had fallen down the stairs, so I suppose the injury was behind his head? But now that I think about it, there was no pool of blood," Jack said, and Tiffany nodded.

    "Don''t worry. I will do everything I can to get you out of here," Tiffany promised.

    "Can you tell Benny that I didn''t do it? Tell her I''m sorry about Adam, and I didn''t do it," Jack pleaded, and Tiffany nodded.

    "Don''t worry. Neither of us believes it anyway. We will do what we can to prove your innocence," Tiffany promised as she rose.

    "Take care of yourself, Jack. Don''t break," she said with a small smile before walking out of the room, her eyes gleaming with determination.

    If Rebekah Miller was responsible for this, she was going to answer to her. She could tolerate almost anything but murder. She had not only almost made Bernice take her life, but she also murdered Adam and tried to make Jack take the me for it? No! If her mother was guilty, she was not going to have that. She was going to make sure Rebekah Miller faced thew.

    Tiffany dialed Bernice''s line as she got into her car, and Bernice received the call almost immediately, "I was just about to dial your line. Did you see Jack? How is he? What did he say?" Bernice asked with concern and Tiffany quickly exined the situation to her.

    "Is there a way we can check Adam''s body?" Tiffany asked hopefully.

    "I don''t think so. I don''t think it''s a good idea for either of us to go anywhere close to it," Bernice said, and then took a deep breath.

    "Listen, Tiff. I know you''re probably going to call me crazy, but I''ve been thinking about it, and I think mother is behind this," Bernice said, and Tiffany raised a brow.

    "How did youe to that conclusion?" Tiffany asked, and listened as Bernice repeated all she had thought about a moment ago.

    The only part Bernice missed was that someone had informed the police beforehand about the fight between Adam and Jack. And that someone had to be someone within their family who knew they had fought. And most likely someone who knew the reason for the fight but didn''t want to say it because they were protecting Bernice.

    "I''m heading to her house. I think she is behind this too...."

    "I will meet you...."

    "No, Benny! You lost your husband. You should be home with your kids. I will handle this."

    "And what if she is behind it as we suspect?" Bernice asked skeptically.

    "I don''t want to believe mother is that sort of person, but if she is, then I will expose her, Benny! I will! I won''t let Jack be imprisoned for a crime he did notmit. Someone has to stop her, and it''s going to have to be one of us. Take care, Benny! I will deal with this," Tiffany said before hanging up, and Bernice sighed.

    She never would have thought Tiffany had it in her to stand up to their mother. So much was changing in such a short time. How did they all get here?

 Chapter 590 Murder Case

    Chapter 590 Murder Case

    "Are you sure you want to walk this distance?" Bryan asked Sonia as the cab pulled to a stop outside Tom''s gate.

    "Sure. It''s been a while since Ist exercised too," Sonia assured him, and they both got out of the cab after Bryan paid the driver.

    As the cab driver reversed the car and drove off, Bryan and Sonia turned to leave but paused when they noticed an unfamiliar car approaching.

    The car stopped close to them, and Jade got out of the front passenger seat while the driver rolled down her window.

    "Why did you both get down here?" Jade asked curiously.

    "Because we wanted to. Where are youing from?" Bryan asked as his gaze shifted to Aurora.

    "I''ming from outside. This is my friend, Aurora. Aura, meet my annoying brother and his lovely girlfriend," Jade said, and Sonia''s eyes lit up.

    "Aurora! I''ve heard a lot of wonderful things about you, especially how you saved my best friend at the spa. Thank you," Sonia said with a friendly smile, and Aurora smiled back.

    "It was nothing. It''s nice to meet you. I love your novels. I hope to get an autograph."

    "You will surely get one," Sonia assured her.

    "Why don''t you get in so I drop you off inside?" Aurora offered, and Bryan shook his head.

    "Thanks. We want to take a stroll."

    "Yeah. Thanks for the offer. I hope to see you again," Sonia said, and Aurora smiled.

    "Can I join you? Or is it a couple thing?" Jade asked, looking from Bryan to Sonia.

    "Sure. You can tag along," Sonia said while Bryan scowled.

    "You don''t have to drop me off inside. You can''t bete for your date," Jade said with a wink, and Aurora giggled.

    "Thanks for letting me off the hook," Aurora said pleasantly.

    "I will just get my bags then," Jade said as she opened the backdoor and took out two shopping bags while Aurora helped her get her handbag.

    "Don''t expect me to help you with those bags," Bryan warned, making thediesugh.

    "Of what use are you to me as my brother if you can''t do this for me?" Jade asked as she pressed one of the shopping bags against his arm until he took it from her.

    "It was nice meeting you both," Aurora said to Bryan and Sonia as she turned on her car''s ignition.

    "Same here," they responded.

    "Have lots of fun," Jade called out to Aurora as she reversed the car and drove off with a wave.

    "She is beautiful! I thought you were jealous of her. What changed?" Sonia asked curiously as they all walked inside thepound, and Jade told them about Harry''s date with Aurora and how she had let them off the hook and hooked up with Harry''s friend instead.

    "Wow! That''s beautiful," Sonia said with a wide smile.

    "Yeah. To make it up to her, I had to go shopping with her for her date. And we still owe her a kind of couple date fishing trip," Jade said, and Sonia''s eyes lit up with interest.

    "Really? Tom and Lucy will be going too?" Sonia asked with interest, and Jade nodded.

    "That''s the n��."

    "Can wee too?" Sonia asked hopefully.

    "Why would you want to go fishing with them when it''s obviously their punishment for deceiving her?" Bryan asked incredulously.

    "It will be fun to experience such a group couple hangout," Sonia said with a shrug.

    "Well, I guess we could join them if you want us to. But first, we have to be sure it will be safe for you and the baby��."

    "Why wouldn''t it be safe?" Jade asked and then stopped walking abruptly when she reyed his statement in her head.

    "Sonia is pregnant? Sonia, are you pregnant?" Jade asked, and both Sonia and Bryan turned to look at her, wide smiles stered on their faces.

    "Oh, my God! You are pregnant? For real? I''m going to be an aunt?" Jade asked excitedly as she walked over to where they stood and embraced Sonia.

    "This is so wonderful! It''s beautiful! Congrats! Oh, my God! I''m so emotional right now. Bryan is going to be a daddy," Jade said, her eyes glistening with tears as she embraced Bryan.

    "Is mom and dad aware? Have you told them yet? What about Tom and Lucy?" She asked, unable to contain her excitement, and Soniaughed happily, pleased by Jade''s reaction.

    "Tom and Lucy are aware of it. We haven''t told anyone else yet. We will make the announcement when we get in," Bryan said and then puffed his chest a bit.

    "You have to respect me��."

    "Oh, please shut up!" Jade hissed, and Soniaughed as they continued walking to the house.

    "By the way, did you see the news about Anita?" Sonia asked, and Jade raised a brow.

    "You mean the bitch that tried to mess with Tom and Lucy? No. What news?" Jade asked, and Sonia told her about the video and Lucy''s decision to let her go.

    "She is so lucky," Jade said irritably.

    "Lucky?" Sonia asked in confusion.

    "Yeah. Doing this saves her from the humiliation Tom had nned for her. As far as she made this confession on her own, she will not only gain some sympathizers, but people will also believe she has turned a new leaf and will forgive her. Now she can rise again. Had she not done this, and the interview had gone on as nned, Tom would have crushed whatever hope she had at ever walking with her head raised again in public," Jade said thoughtfully, and Sonia nodded.

    "Why are you so silent?" Jade asked, turning to look at Bryan.

    "I''m trying to figure out if I want a girl or a boy. I''d have to get private guards or security dogs to keep scoundrels away from my daughter cause I know she would be so beautiful they would flock around her. I''m stressed out merely by thinking about her beauty," Bryanined, making both Sonia and Jadeugh.

    Jade stoppedughing as she reached into her handbag to take out her phone when it started ringing. She smiled when she noticed that the call was from Harry, and she received it immediately, "Hey, Jonas!"

    "You are good, right?" Harry asked as he got out of his car.

    "Yeah. I just got back from my hangout with Aurora. We went shopping for her date with your friend. I think she ispletely smitten by him," Jade said happily.

    "That''s good. Have you seen the news?" Harry asked, and Jade raised a brow.

    "What news? Do you mean Anita''s confession? Sonia just��."

    "No. Not that. It''s about the Millers, but not Anita''s confession. It''s a murder case, and I want you to represent Jackson Bateman."

    Away from there, ssical music from Lucy''s phone yed in the background as Lucy settled herself in her bathtub, which was filled with hot water containing sea salt and a bubble bath.

    She sighed contentedly as she let her head fall back and closed her eyes. The moment she shut her eyes, a memory surfaced. The first time she shared a bath with Tom (Chapter 273).

    Tears gathered in her eyes as she recalled all they had talked about in the bathroom that night. He had promised that he would always be hers, but here they were. Here she was, afraid that she was losing him.

    It seemed like things had been much better between them in the beginning than it was now. All they seemed to do now was talk about other people and misunderstand each other.

    It would have been much better had she not brought up the issue of not wanting to get married. She should never have raised that subject. Everything had been fine between them until she raised the subject because she saw him with a jewel box. Lucy thought with a soft sigh as she opened her eyes and wiped off the tears on her cheeks.

    It was stupid, Lucy thought with a dryugh. It was stupid of her to assume that the problem was in bringing up the subject when she did.

    What difference would it have made had she told him a year or twoter that she never nned to marry him? It would probably have been worse then cause knowing Tom, he might have arranged a public proposal only to be rejected by her.

    No. She was in the bath to rx, not to think about Tom or their rtionship. It was strictly a time for herself. Lucy time. She needed to focus on herself. Lucy thought as she closed her eyes once again.

    Lucy opened her eyes when the ssical music suddenly stopped ying and was reced by the sound of her ringtone.

    She reached for her phone and received the call when she saw it was from Sonia, "I guess you''ve told everyone?" Lucy asked with a wide smile.

    "Lu, I think you should check the evening news. It''s about Anita''s family."

 Chapter 591 Family Confrontation

    Chapter 591 Family Confrontation

    "You need to be calm," Ron said, casting a worried nce at his wife, who seemed very upset.

    "I''m calm! I have been calm all day," Lisa assured him as she looked outside the window.

    "You are not calm. This could have waited until morning��."

    "No, it can''t wait!" Lisa cut in angrily.

    She couldn''t wait for them to arrive at her mother''s house so she could confront her concerning her affair with Adam, ckmailing Bernice, and what she had just been told by Anita about her being responsible for their father''s death.

    "You are getting worked up, and it isn''t good for you or the baby," Ron said with a frustrated sigh.

    It annoyed him that her family was alwaysing up with one thing or the other to get her worked up, and her emotions were so invested in them that she put them before the well-being of herself and their baby.

    "The baby is fine, and so am I," Lisa assured him, and he sighed.

    "You said Anita will be there as well, right?"

    "She is probably there already," she said impatiently as she tapped her foot restlessly.

    Seeing her tap her foot that way, Ron knew better than to continue with the questions or to keep talking. She was on the verge of snapping at him, and she was holding onto herst thread of self-control.

    As soon as Ron parked the car in front of Rebekah''s house, Lisa sighted Anita''s car and got out of the car without waiting for him to help her with the door, and she wobbled her way to the car where she knew Anita was waiting while Ron hurried to catch up with her.

    She tapped on the window, and immediately Anita opened the door and got out, "Let''s go in," Lisa said before Anita could say a word.

    Looking at Lisa, Anita could tell that she was upset. Or maybe mad was a better description. Anita winced as she looked at Ron, who looked back at her with weary eyes.

    Although Lisa was the most reasonable and calmest among the Miller sisters, she was also the craziest. Whenever she got angry, she always threw a destructive fit.

    As Anita followed Lisa, Ron patted his pocket to make sure his phone was close just in case he needed to dial the emergency number urgently.

    "Lisa, wait up," Anita called calmly, and Lisa turned to look at her at the door.

    "Why don''t I go in first? She might be more willing to talk to me alone than she would be to say anything to you��."

    "Do you honestly think I came here to have a reasonable conversation with her?" Lisa asked in disbelief before ringing the doorbell.

    When one of the housekeepers answered the door, Lisa brushed past her into the house and stopped abruptly in her track, shocked by the unexpected scene in front of her.

    "I am going to prove it! I''m going to find evidence to prove that you killed him!" Tiffany was yelling at their mother, who stood in the middle of the mess staring at Tiffany like she had lost her mind.

    Anita''s and Ron''s faces mirrored the shock on Lisa''s face as their gaze swept over the living room, which looked like a storm had blown past it.

    The pieces of furniture were overturned, and the flower pots and artworks that decorated the living roomy shattered on the floor.

    "Did uncle Wyatt pay you a visit too?" Anita asked before Rebekah could say anything, surprised that Tiffany knew about their mother being responsible for their father''s death.

    Rebekah and Tiffany turned when it urred to them that they were no longer alone, and Rebekah fixed her gaze on Anita, "What are you all doing here at this hour, uninvited? Didn''t I teach you better?" Rebekah asked with disapproval.

    "You are in no position to talk about teaching anyone anything," Lisa pointed out, annoyed.

    Judging by how calm their mother looked and her tone, it was obvious that she was unaffected by Tiffany''s outburst.

    "What are you talking about?" Tiffany asked Anita in confusion.

    "You were talking about father, weren''t you? How did you find out she murdered father? Did uncle Wyatt tell you about it too?" Lisa asked Tiffany, whose eyes widened in shock at the question.

    "She murdered father?"

    "What nonsense are you talking about?" Rebekah snapped at them in annoyance. They were all getting on her nerves, and she wasn''t in the mood for this sort of nonsense.

    "Who were you talking about if not father?" Anita asked Tiffany in confusion.

    "Didn''t either of you see the news? Adam is dead, and Jack was arrested as the prime suspect!" Tiffany announced.

    Lisa''s mouth dropped open in surprise, and Anita raised a hand to cover her mouth as she looked at Tiffany in disbelief while Ron simply stared.

    Anita had missed the news because she had turned off her data after the live video she made because she didn''t want to get any more newment notifications. Her heart jumped every time her phone beeped.

    Lisa had also missed the news because after watching Anita''s interview, she had called tomend her for doing it, only to be told about their mother''s possible involvement in their father''s death.

    Checking social media for news was thest thing on her mind after she heard that, and it was thest thing on Ron''s mind. Not when his wife had been so upset, and he kept trying his best to calm her until she decided she was going to confront their mother else she wouldn''t be able to go to sleep.

    "Adam is dead? How? How is that possible? What happened?" Ron was the first to get over his shock at the news.

    "That is what I''m here to ask her! You just said uncle Wyatt told you she is responsible for father''s death, right? If she has done it once in the past, then there is every possibility that she did this too. I know you killed Adam. I know you are behind this...."

    "SHUT YOUR MOUTH AND GET OUT OF MY HOUSE THIS MINUTE! ALL OF YOU!" Rebekah roared angrily. She had had enough!

    "Did you murder father?" Lisa asked, stepping forward.

    "Are you crazy? How foolish can you be? Why would you be listening to your addict of an uncle? He will say anything ridiculous to get money from you! What do I stand to gain by murdering your father?" Rebekah asked angrily.

    "Shouldn''t you be reminding us that hemitted suicide instead of asking us what you stand to gain by murdering him?" Anita asked, and Rebekah red at her.

    "You are all an ungrateful lot. I did all I could to raise you to be prestigiousdies, but I can''t believe this is how you choose to reward me! How dare you stand in my house and use me of murdering your father, my own husband? How dare you use me of murdering Adam and setting your husband up? HOW DARE YOU?" Rebekah screamed angrily.

    "Because we know you are capable of all of that and more! If you were shameless enough to have an affair with your daughter''s husband and ckmail her, there is no limit to how low of a scum you are! Do you think father didn''t tell me about your numerous affairs? Do you think I did not know he was working on divorcing you? Do you think I was deceived by the crocodile tears you shed as Richard Miller''s widow? I''m disgusted whenever I remember that you are my birth mother!" Lisa spat out angrily, wishing Tiffany had not broken all the breakables in the living room already.

    She had been so looking forward to causing some damage to the house, but Tiffany had beaten her to it, and now all she could do was pour out her bitterness.

    "All these years, not once did you apologize for having sex with my boyfriend! Do you think I do not know that you tried to seduce Ron too?" Lisa asked, surprising every one of them, including her husband, who looked at her in surprise.

    "What?" Tiffany and Anita asked in unison while Rebekah''s eyes twitched in embarrassment.

    "What? You think I did not know?" Lisa asked with disgust.

    "Babe," Ron called softly.

    "I''m not mad at you for not telling me, Ron. You did not fall for her wiles. That is the most important thing. I was grateful that you kept it to yourself despite how hard I tried to make you open up to me," Lisa assured her husband.

    She had deliberately brought him home some weeks after they started going out to introduce him to her mother, as she had wanted to see if he would behave like herst boyfriend, who she had caught pants down with her mother. She had also wanted to see if that had been a one-time thing on her mother''s part or if she would once again try to seduce her daughter''s boyfriend.

    She had excused herself, iming she wanted to use thedies as she was having a running stomach, and had found herself a nice spot to hide while she watched her mother make a fool of herself.

    Lisa had joined them some minutester after Ron politely turned down her mother''s advances, and Rebekah had told Lisa there and then that she didn''t like Ron and she didn''t want her to continue going out with him. Of course, that did not stop Lisa from marrying him when he proposed some timeter.

    "I thought Bernice and Tiffany were safe because you chose their husbands, but I should have known better than to expect better from a constantly horny worn-out slut like yourself," Lisa spat in disgust.

    "It seems you are having sex with everyone''s man. Did you have sex with Jack too?" Tiffany asked, and Rebekah red at her, choosing to conceal her embarrassment with anger.

    "You must be very stupid! If you all don''t get out of my house within the next minute, I''m going to call the police," Rebekah threatened.

    "Why don''t you do that? When they get here, I can ask them to take a good look around here. I''m sure they will find something since Adam was first here before Jack found his body, and for all we know, he could have been murdered right here," Tiffany said, and Rebekah balled her hand into a fist.

    She had only included that piece of information in Adam''s text to Jackson because her housekeeper had seen him in the house, and just in case Adam had told anyone he wasing to see her.

    "I had no reason to murder Adam, unlike your husband��."

    "First, your husband turns up dead, and now your lover. And you had no reason to murder either of them, yet they just happened to end up dead," Tiffany said sweetly.

    "I need you to be sure of one thing. I''m going to investigate my father''s death. It wasn''t properly investigated because it was ruled as suicide. Now I''m going to go back to it, and God help you if uncle Wyatt is telling the truth," Lisa said just as her water broke, surprising everyone.

    "I knew this was going to happen. Let''s leave," Ron said, and without arguing with her husband, she let him lead her outside.

    "Each time I think you can''t shock me anymore, you manage toe up with something worst. For your sake, I hope Uncle Wyatt is wrong, and I hope Tiffany is wrong," Anita said with a shake of her head as she headed for the door, and then she stopped.

    "Uncle Wyatt said you should call off the dogs you have searching for him, else he is going to be forced to expose your secrets," Anita delivered the message before hurrying outside so she could join Ron and Lisa at the hospital.

    "I''m going to make you regret what you did," Tiffany promised before walking away.

    The moment the door shut behind Tiffany, Rebekah let her knees which had been trembling the whole time, give way as she fell to the ground.

 Chapter 592 Memories

    Chapter 592 Memories

    After seeing the news online, Lucy dialed Harry''s line. Although the problem of the Millers wasn''t her business anymore now that she had told Tom to let Anita go, she knew that that Barry was still monitoring the Millers and would know about whatever it was that was going on.

    "Hey, LuLu! Is everything alright?" Harry asked, surprised to be receiving a call from her.

    Although he had nned not to receive any more calls the moment he stepped into his apartment since he wanted to spend the evening only interacting with his family, but Lucy was family too.

    "Yeah. Did you see the news concerning Anita''s brothers-inw?" Lucy asked curiously.

    "Yeah. Don''t worry about it. Let''s meet in my office in the morning and I will give you the details," Harry promised.

    "Does that mean you have heard from Barry?"

    "Yes. I believe with this case we can handle everything. Don''t worry and go to bed Lucy. Everything is okay," Harry assured her before hanging up.

    If Harry said everything was okay, then everything was fine, Lucy decided as she returned to the bathroom to dry her hair which was still damp.

    She had gotten out of the bathtub immediately she saw the news and had only wrapped a towel around herself before dialing Harry''s line because she felt it would be indecent to call him while naked.

    After blow drying her hair, she returned to the bedroom and dressed in only an oversized tshirt before crawling under her duvet.

    The bed felt strange. It was funny that her own bed now felt strange simply because she had spent thest couple of weeks in Tom''s bed. With him.

    He had not been gone for up to four hours yet she missed him already. Even though they weren''t exactly on the best of terms, she missed his presence. Lucy sighed as she shook her head to block out the thoughts.

    She reached for one of the romance novels arranged on her nightstand and adjusted her pillows as she settled down to read.

    One would think that by the number of romance novels she had read in her life she would be an expert in handling her rtionship, but here she was with no clue on how to make her rtionship work.

    She was a sucker for happy endings in novels and even in the life of other people, but when it came to herself, she was scared shitless. Too scared to make that happy ending move because she wasn''t wired to focus solely on those romantic moments.

    It was just the same way she was excited about Sonia''s pregnancy. As long as it wasn''t hers, she was happy since Sonia was happy. It was something Sonia wanted. And because Sonia wanted it, she would wee the changes that came with it.

    She would probably be able to live with being responsible for another human being. A human being you would most likely have no control over. A human being who could turn out to be a psychopathic stalker or the pitiful victim of such a stalker.

    Lucy shuddered at the thought and took a deep breath as she got off the bed. She picked up a pillow and her duvet and headed for the living room with her novel.

    As much as she wanted to distract herself and rx it seemed like her mind had ns of its own and nothing was working.

    Since her mind was being very active, she could as well put it to work by thinking of pleasant things instead of focusing on worrisome thoughts.

    She wondered if Sonia had been able to tell Evelyn about her pregnancy and what the reaction was. In a way she wished she was there to join in the celebrations, but she would rather spend the night here on the couch in her apartment than sleep in that bedroom without Tom.

    How would the next couple of days be without Tom? She would have to drive to work herself. Since Tom appeared in her life as her driver she had never had to drive herself to work, and the only time she had been away from him was during work hours.

    Lucy sighed when her stomach rumbled, and she realized that she was yet to eat. She was hungry and there was nothing to eat.

    She thought of going out to get something, and then she smiled when a memory of one of her first interactions with Tom came back to her (chapter 26).

    So much had happened between them in such a short time, and so much had changed too, now instead of Tom, the people in the next apartment were Mia and Jeff, Lucy thought with a nostalgic sigh as she decided to order a box of pepperoni pizza instead.

    She picked up her novel again and willed herself to concentrate on it until her pizza arrived.

    As she opened the box of pizza another memory hit her. Thest time she had eaten pizza, it had been right here in her living room with Tom (Chapter 55) and that had been the night he told her he didn''t have sex with her as she had thought.

    Lucy sighed as she chewed on the pizza dispassionately as though it was a chore. Okay. It was obvious that in the short time she had been with Tom, he had affected her life a lot more than she had thought possible.

    Maybe moving back to her apartment wasn''t such a bad thing. She needed to learn to live without Tom. Yes, she needed to learn how to enjoy her life without thinking of him every single time or making everything about him.

    She was going to think of him as much as she could tonight, and then tomorrow she wouldn''t. Until he got back, she was just going to put him at the back of her mind. She couldn''t afford to miss him this way. How was she ever going to cope if she had to give up on himter? Lucy asked herself before she finally dozed off.

    Away from there, Harry and Jamal were having a goodugh over winning Aaron and Candace who had paired up against them in most of the games they had been ying together since dinner.

    After a while, Candace looked at Harry with a slightly raised brow, "When do you n to tell us about your meeting with her?" Candace asked, and Jamal looked up curiously.

    "With who? Thewyerdy?" Jamal asked, and they all turned to him.

    "It''s adult discussion. You''ve had enough fun for tonight, Jam. It''s time for you to go to bed. The adults need to talk," Candace said as she rose not giving Jamal the time to argue.

    "I thought this was family time. Shouldn''t I be part of the family discussions?" Jamal asked, and Harry chuckled.

    "Young boys need to go to bed early so they can grow tall. Don''t you want to be as tall as your mom and uncle?" Aaron asked Jamal.

    "Howe I need to do a lot of things to grow tall?" Jamal head, wrinkling his nose distastefully.

    "Maybe because nothing goodes easy," Harry pointed out.

    "Is being short bad? What if I don''t want to grow as tall as you? Can I stay a bit longer?" Jamal asked, and Candace shook her head.

    "I want you to grow really tall and handsome��."

    "Me too. Besides, Lucy likes tall guys. Can''t you see how tall Tom is?" Aaron asked with a grin, and Jamal rose grudgingly at the mention of Lucy''s name.

    "I guess I''m tired," he said, and the adults hid their smiles.

    "I will sleep in grandpa''s bed," Jamal told them as he headed for the room, and then he stopped and turned.

    "I guess no one is going to read me any bed time stories tonight?" He asked pitifully.

    "Why not? Let''s go," Aaron said as he rose from his seat to go with Jamal.

    "Dad, you shouldn''t be moving about without your wheelchair," Harry said as he rose to push the wheelchair forward.

    "I''m fine. I need to stretch my legs a bit. I''m only going to walk to my bedroom, don''t worry about me. You can start without me. I will catch up," Aaron assured Harry and Candace before leading Jamal away, eager to spend some time alone with his grandson.

    "So?" Candace asked Harry who was still looking down the hallway in the direction Aaron and Jamal had followed.

    "It was interesting," Harry said as he lowered himself back on the couch.

    "I didn''t wait all day just to hear that," Candace said with a scowl and Harry grinned.

    "Well, there were tears. Tears of reconciliation," Harry said, and Candace raised a brow.

    "She cried? Is she capable of tears?" Candace asked in disbelief and Harry chuckled.

    "I did the crying. I felt so emotional meeting her," Harry said, and Candace rolled her eyes.

    "Don''t tell me she bought your act?" Candace asked, and Harry shrugged as he took out his phone to y the recording to her.

    When she was halfway through it, Aaron joined them, "Is Jamal asleep?" Candace asked curiously.

    "Yeah. What were you listening to?" Aaron asked cocking his head to the phone.

    "The conversation between me and Sara," Harry exined as he urged Candace to resume listening.

    By the time it ended, Aaron shook his head sadly while Candace merely stared at the phone and sighed.

    "We are still meeting with the fake me tomorrow, right?" Candace asked, and Harry gave her a nod.

    "Yes. By morning Sara will wake up to find out she is trending all over social media and she will have to exin how she has a twenty-eight years old son. Before noon she should be hearing from her long lost daughter. You will leave with me to the office in the morning. Jamal can stay back at home with dad," Harry said, while Aaron listened without saying anything.

    "Alright. Let''s do that," Candace said with a yawn.

    "I''m exhausted. I should go to bed now," Candace said as she leaned towards Aaron and kissed his cheek.

    "What about your date with the other girl? I thought that was today too?" Aaron asked Harry as Candace rose to leave, and she paused to hear Harry''s response.

    "Well, she sort of knew I was interested in Jade, and that Jade felt the same way about me."

    "She did?" Candace asked, surprised, since she had been sort of irritated by Aurora''s insensitive behavior when they met.

    "Yeah. And she noticed you didn''t like her much. She said you kept scowling at her when she talked about getting married to me," Harry said with a grin, and Aaron chuckled.

    "Why were you scowling at her? Didn''t you like her?" Aaron asked, and Candace shrugged.

    "I have no problem with her, it''s just that my loyalty lies with Jade. Jade seemed to like the Harry guy and I didn''t like that her friend was going on and on about him without noticing that Jade wasn''tfortable. Now that I know she did all of that deliberately, I will be more friendly towards her if we cross paths again," Candace assured them.

    "I''m off to bed. Goodnight," Candace said before walking away, leaving Aaron and Harry alone.

    "I guess you can go out with Jade now?" Aaron asked with interest, and Harry grinned.

    "We are going on our first date tomorrow," Harry confided, and Aaron''s eyes twinkled.

    "Good! That''s so good!" Aaron said with approval, and Harry chuckled.

    "You didn''t say anything about my meeting with Sara," Harry pointed out, and Aaron shook his head.

    "I''m really not interested in her. Now that I have your sister and Jamal with me, I want to spend my time making up for lost time with your sister and Jamal. I''m not interested in wasting any time thinking or talking about Sara. You are free to do whatever you think you need to do," Aaron said, and Harry nodded.

    "Alright. We should go to bed too. I have so much I need to do tomorrow," Harry said, and they both retired to their bedrooms for the night.

    Once Harryy on his bed, his mind drifted over all that had happened that day and he sighed.

    He was satisfied with all that had happened. His meeting with Sara had been good, the same as his meeting with Aurora and Aurora''s hookup with Philip. Anita had made a public confession and apologized to Tom and Lucy. Rebekah Miller had managed to dig her own pit by giving them exactly what they needed to punish her.

    It had been one very long and interesting day. A day well spent. Tomorrow however was going to be better, because he had it all nned out already. Especially his dinner date with Jade.

    Jade Hank was going to officially be his girlfriend in less than twenty-four hours. He couldn''t wait to show up at Tom''s doorsteps to pick her up for their date, Harry thought with a wide smile and sighed in contentment as he drifted off to sleep.

 Chapter 593 Favourite Women

    Lucy woke up the next morning feeling tired. Her body ached from sleeping on the couch, but that was thest thing on her mind as she looked around her apartment and sighed.

    She had dreamt of Tom, and somehow she had expected to see him beside her when she woke up, only to realise she was lying on the couch in her apartment. It was going to be a really long next couple of days without Tom, Lucy realised as she rose to prepare for work.

    As she stepped out of her apartment, she sighted Alicia, who ran over immediately after she saw her, "Hey, Lucy! Good morning! You''re back in your apartment? I thought I saw the light onst night," she said excitedly.

    "Yeah. I can''t let the rent go to waste. Good morning," Lucy said with a brilliant smile.

    "I''m sure Tom won''t mind the rent going to waste. One of the perks of having a billionaire boyfriend," Alicia said with a wink, and Lucy gave an awkwardugh as she knew Alicia expected.

    "How is Jasmine doing?" Lucy asked, and Alicia looked towards their apartment.

    "She is good. Wanna say hello to her?" Alicia asked, and Lucy quickly shook her head.

    "No! I''m in a hurry. Maybeter," Lucy said as she opened the car, letting Alicia know she was serious about leaving.

    "Alright then. It''s good to have you back here," Alicia said with a bright smile as she let Lucy get into her car.

    "By the way, did you see the video trending online yesterday? Anita Miller is such a bitch. I can''t wait for the interview with Eric Howells," Alicia said, and Lucy nodded, not bothering to tell her the interview might not hold anymore because all the secrets were almost out in the open now.

    "Yeah, I saw it. I need to run now, Alicia. See you around," Lucy said as she started the car and drove off with a wave.

    Once she arrived at thepany, her n was to head directly to Harry''s office since she knew he usually arrived early, too, and she wanted to have the conversation about the Millers with him first before resuming work for the day. She didn''t want any distractions once she got to her office.

    She was surprised when she sighted Jade alighting from one of Tom''s cars in front of thepany as she parked her car, and she hurried to catch up with Jade.

    "Good morning, Jade!" She greeted as she fell in step beside Jade.

    "Good morning, Lucy! You were missed at dinnerst night. Heard you decided to move back to your apartment because you couldn''t stand being there without Tom," Jade said, and Lucy shrugged.

    "I thought it would be easier being at my apartment."

    "Was it?" Jade asked with interest.

    "Nah. It wasn''t," Lucy admitted, and Jade giggled.

    "Well, don''t try too hard. When you put too much effort into avoiding something, it bes your reality," Jade advised as they stepped into the elevator and Lucy pressed the button for Harry''s floor.

    "I''m on my way to Harry''s office. I suppose you''re here to see him too? Heard about his meeting with Aurora. Congrats," Lucy said with a grin, and Jade giggled.

    "Thanks. We have a dinner date tonight, but I''m here for business," Jade said, and Lucy took a second nce at her corporate outfit. Jade was dressed in a navy blue tailored pantsuit and red stiletto shoes.

    "Oh! You''re resuming here today?" Lucy asked curiously, wondering what was up.

    "I''m sure you heard about Anita''s brothers-inw. Harry wants me to represent Jackson, and I''m here to find out why and what I''m expected to do," Jade said, and Lucy frowned in confusion.

    "Why?"

    "Why what?" Jade asked, not understanding Lucy''s question.

    "Why would he ask you to do that?" Lucy asked, and Jade sighed with exaggerated patience as they both got out of the elevator.

    "I clearly just said I''m here to find out why as well," Jade pointed out as she took the lead.

    "I''m going in first. You can join us after two minutes," Jade informed an amused Lucy.

    She intended for Harry to see her first, not Lucy. She was going to be Harry''s girlfriend, after all. She was ny per cent there already, and his first smile of the day should be directed at her, not Lucy.

    Lucy shook her head in amusement as she watched Jade walk into Harry''s office without knocking, and Jade sighed, "Lucy,e in. There''s no point waiting for two minutes," Jade said with a scowl when she saw Candace in the office with Harry.

    "I like to believe the disappointment I see in your eyes is not because you saw me here, is it? What were you nning to do in here alone with him?" Candace asked in amusement, and Harry chuckled as he went around his desk to meet Jade.

    "Good morning, beautiful," He greeted her as he kissed her cheek, but before he could pull away, Jade''s arms went around his neck.

    "Tell me you haven''t smiled at anyone else today?" Jade asked, and Harry raised a brow.

    "Why?"

    "Because I was hoping to be the first reason you smiled today," Jade said with a slight frown, and Harry smiled into her eyes.

    "You were the reason I smiled to sleepst night, and I had a wide smile on my face when I woke up this morning and remembered our dinner date was in a couple of hours. And your voice was the first I listened to this morning, remember?" Harry asked, and Jade blushed delightfully while Candace rolled her eyes, and Lucy, who was standing behind Harry and Jade, giggled.

    Jade pressed her lips to Harry''s for a quick kiss before pulling away, "I believe you."

    "Good morning, LuLu. Did you sleep well?"

    "I did, HaHa," Lucy said, and Harry nodded while Candace looked at them in amusement.

    "I suppose Jade is JaJa, and I am CaCa?" Candace asked, and they allughed.

    "Good morning, CaCa," Jade greeted her pleasantly as Harry ced a hand on her lower back and led her to one of the seats close to Candace.

    "Finally, you can see me, JaJa? I thought I wasn''t wee here?" Candace asked dryly, and Jade giggled.

    "Why wouldn''t you be wee in your twin brother''s office? I wasn''t happy because you ruined my early morning quickie ns," Jade said, and Candaceughed while Harry and Lucy shook their heads.

    "Good morning, Lucy! Jamal sent his love," Candace told Lucy, and Lucy grinned.

    "Tell him I hope we can go on a date before he leaves. Just the both of us," Lucy said, and Candaceughed.

    "He is never going to get over you if you do that," Candace warned.

    "Oh, I don''t want him to!" Lucy assured her, and Candaceughed.

    "How lucky I am to have my favourite women in my office so early in the morning," Harry said as he watched them.

    "Let''s get down to business, Harry. I can''t represent Jackson Bateman, and it''s not just because I don''t like his wife. Do you realise who the victim is? He is Adam Washington. The only son of the chief judge. Asking me to represent Jackson Bateman is a career suicide��."

    "Yet, here you are dressed like you are going to see him after you leave my office," Harry cut in.

    "That is only because I trust you must have a good reason for wanting me to do that. So I dressed up for the jobhoping you will give me a good reason to go for it. We could have had this whole conversation over the phone and saved me this office visit had you not hung up after making such a request," Jade pointed out.

    "I don''t think you mind the visit very much," Candace murmured and Lucy grinned, while Harry chuckled as Jade scowled at Candace.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "It''s good to see that you trust me. And yes, I do have a very good reason. Trust me. This isn''t career suicide. If anything, it''s going to be the best thing that ever happened to your career because Jackson isn''t responsible for what happened, and the chief judge will forever be in your debt for making sure justice was served. We have all the evidence to prove it."

    "Is the evidence admissible in court?" Jade asked, and Harry shrugged.

    "You will have to determine that."

    "But why are we doing this? I mean, I thought the Millers were our enemy. Are we suddenly going soft now just because of Anita''s apology?" Jade asked, and Harry shook his head.

    "Rebekah Miller is the ultimate enemy. And as much as we would have just preferred to let it all go following Anita''s apology, we can''t turn a blind eye to Rebekah''s crimes. Her daughters will have so much to learn from their mother''s downfall," Harry said, and Jade sighed.

    "Alright. So, if Jackson Bateman didn''t murder Adam Washington, who did?" Jade asked the question which was on Lucy''s and Candace''s minds.

    "Rebekah Miller did and is deliberately framing Jackson for it."

    "What?" Lucy and Jade asked in unison while Candace watched in confusion, not really understanding anything.

    "Why would she murder one son-inw and set up the other son-inw?" Jade asked.

    "I thought Adam was the one she was having an affair with?" Lucy asked in confusion.

    "She was having an affair with her son-inw?" Candace asked in disbelief, and they all turned to her.

    "Yeah," Harry said, answering both Lucy and Candace at the same time.

    "Don''t be too shocked. That''s not the worst thing she has done," Lucy assured Candace, who looked disgusted.

    "And I thought Sara was the worst thing that could happen to anyone," Candace said, and Harry smiled.

    "They''re cut from the same cloth. Maybe Lucy''s mom isn''t the right twin. A switch must have happened at the hospital," Harry joked, and they allughed.

    "Unfortunately, there is a resemnce thing between them. Or at least there was before all that surgery," Lucy pointed out.

    Before Harry could respond, his phone started ringing, and he grinned, "Speak of the devil. It''s Sara," Harry announced as he received the call and ced it on speaker for them to listen to her.

    "Good morning, Mom��."

    "Have you seen what is trending on the inte? It''s a picture of us together!" Sara announced, sounding very displeased.

    "Together? As though we are lovers or what?" Harry asked with mock innocence, and it was all thedies could do not tough.

    "Don''t be silly! All those silly people are talking about how you''re my son, and we reunited. We can''t have that now, can we? We need to do a damage control��."

    "Damage control? What for? You''re my mother. I want the world to know you''re my mother, and I''m��."

    "Can you shut up!" Sara snapped and then took a deep breath when she remembered that she was supposed to be nice.

    "Listen to me, honey. There is no reason for the public to be involved in our private family business. As much as I want to tell the world that you are my son, I don''t think it''s a wise move. We are both public figures, and it''s going to be very inconveniencing. Also, I don''t want Lucy to misunderstand and try to hurt me. I told you she warned me," Sara said, and Lucy snorted while Jade and Candace shook their heads.

    "So what do you want me to do? Deny the ims?" Harry asked curiously.

    "Well, let''s tell them myte best friend was your mother. I would have said my sister, but everyone believes I''m an orphan. So maybe we can say my best friend who died before I became a model. Okay? Our stories have to be the same. If anyone asks you, tell them I''m yourte mother''s best friend. I''m doing this for you, trust me. I have enemies that might want to go after you if they believe you''re my son. I have to protect you. And just so you know, I will be leaving Ludus tonight. I don''t think we should meet again," Sara said, and Harry nodded in agreement since he had no n for meeting her that way again.

    "Alright, Mom. If that''s what you want, I will do so," Harry promised before hanging up.

    "Your mother''s best friend? Seriously?" Jade asked irritably.

    "When is she getting here?" Candace asked, referring to Crystal, the con artist.

    Harry nced at his wristwatch, "Soon. You can ce the call to the orphanage home and ask someone from there to go inform Jade''s boss that they have found her," Harry instructed Candace, who took out her phone to do so immediately.

    "Jade, you should get to work. You can go pay Jackson Bateman a visit. I will transfer the evidence you need to prepare for the case," Harry told Jade, who sighed.

    "Alright. This won''t interfere with our date, right?" She asked hopefully.

    "Nothing will interfere with it. I will pick you up by 6 p.m. Let me know how the meeting with Jackson goes," Harry said as he leaned forward and kissed Jade.

    "Alright. Let me know how it goes with the girl who doesn''t suck pussies," Jade told Harry with a wink and giggled when he scowled.

    "See y''allter," Jade said as she headed for the door and then paused to look at Lucy.

    "You''re still here?"

    "No. I''m heading to my office now since I''ve heard it all," Lucy said as she rose.

    "See youter. Give my message to Jamal," Lucy said to Harry and Candace before walking out with Jade.

    "I heard from Bryan and Soniast night," Jade said with a wide smile.

    "I suppose they''ve made the announcement? How did Evelyn and Desmond react? They must have been very excited," Lucy asked with a grin.

    "They couldn''t make the announcementst night. We got carried away with the Miller family drama," Jade exined, and Lucy sighed.

    "Too bad."

    "Yeah. By the way, you and Tom are cool, right?" Jade asked as they walked into the elevator, and Lucy turned to her after pressing the button for her floor.

    "Sure. Why?"

    "I don''t know. Maybe it''s thewyer in me, but I didn''t believe anything you said earlier about crashing at your apartment just so you wouldn''t miss him too much. If Harry travelled out of town, I know I would want to lie on his bed and inhale his scent all night long instead of avoiding his ce together," Jade said with a shrug.

    "Different strokes for different folks, remember?" Lucy asked, and Jade nodded.

    "Yeah. That''s what I told myself as well. Hence I''m asking you if everything is fine. Tom truly loves you, Lucy, and I believe you love him too. So I really hope things will work out between you two. Whatever might be wrong, I hope you both can work it out. Okay?" Jade asked as the elevator stopped at Lucy''s floor.

    "Sure."

    "Have a pleasant day," Jade said and embraced Lucy before letting her step out of the elevator.

    Lucy sighed as she walked into her office, and she paused when she saw a note on her desk. She picked it up, and a smile tugged on her lips when she read the handwritten note.

    [Good morning, Jewel. Missed mest night, didn''t you? I know you''re probably trying hard not to think about me. Too bad I n to stay on your mind all day. Every day. I love you. Your handsome boyfriend.]

 Chapter 594 Get Lost!

    By the time Jade parked the car in front of the station, Harry had transferred all the files he had received from Barry to her, so she had remained in her car as she looked them over.

    A crooked smile tugged her lips as she watched the very clear video evidence Barry had attached. This was going to be a very interesting case, and Harry was right. It would be very good for her career.

    Jade got out of her car, and with confident strides, she walked into the station and approached the first desk she saw.

    "Good morning, officer. I''m Jade Hank, and I''m here to see Mr. Bateman," Jade said, and the officer raised a brow.

    "What''s your rtionship?" the officer asked, looking her over.

    "I''m going to be representing him in court if he doesn''t have awyer yet," Jade said briskly, and the officer looked at her as though she had lost her mind.

    "Do you know the details of the case? Are you aware that the victim is the only son of the chief justice?" the officer asked, and Jade shed him a smile.

    "Yes, I am well aware. Now if you don''t mind, can you take me to him?" Jade asked politely.

    Instead of taking Jade to Jack, the officer led her to the detective in charge of the case, and the detective took her to the room where Jack was being kept.

    Immediately she walked into the room; Jack raised his head, and looked at her in confusion, since he had no idea who she was, "Do I know you?" Jack asked after the detective excused them.

    "I''m not sure you do. I''m Jade Hank. If you don''t have awyer already, I will take up your case if you don''t mind," Jade offered as she sat opposite him.

    Jack looked at her in confusion, "Why?"

    "Why what?" Jade asked with a friendly smile.

    "Why would you take up my case? You don''t know me, do you? Did Adam''s father send you here?" Jack asked suspiciously.

    "Because I like a challenge? If you don''t want me to, I could leave. It makes no difference to me, really," Jade said as she rose, but before she could turn around, Jack stopped her.

    "Do you believe I''m innocent?" Jack asked, looking at her with hopeful eyes.

    "Well, it''s your responsibility to convince me of your innocence. It''s only after you have convinced me that I can convince the others. You have had a lot of cases against you in the past, but you are lucky those cases were handled by the Washingtonw firm. Hence they can''t dig them up and use them against you now since that would send the wrong message to their clients, and they wouldn''t want that," Jade said as she sat down and opened a file.

    "Seeing as you stopped me from leaving, I assume you don''t have awyer, right?" Jade asked, and Jack nodded.

    "It''s not surprising. No one in their right mind would want to take up a case such as this," Jade said, and when Jack raised a brow, sheughed softly.

    "I''m not in my right mind," she said, and Jack smiled hesitantly. For reasons he couldn''t exin, he liked her and somehow trusted her.

    "Can you really do this?" he asked, and Jade gave him a nod.

    "Now, I want you to tell me exactly what happened between the both of you. I''m not talking about just the incident that led to his death. I want to know everything," Jade said, watching him now with a nk expression.

    "There is not much to tell. We are married to two sisters. We have been friends for a long time, and as you know, already, hisw firm handles all our legal issues. We got into a little fight two days ago...."

    "What led to the fight?" Jade asked, even though she already knew all the details. She needed to establish trust between the both of them, me she needed to be sure he was going to be hundred percent honest with her.

    Jack looked away. He couldn''t bring himself to tell Jade the truth. That wouldn''t be good for Bernice''s reputation.

    "You have to be honest with me, Mr. Bateman. It won''t do you any good to hide it from me."

    "I can''t tell you that. I''m sorry," Jack said quietly.

    "Why not? Are you certain that whatever you''re hiding from me is a secret?" Jade asked reasonably, and before Jack could respond, the door opened, and Tiffany stormed in angrily.

    "What are you doing here?" she asked Jade, eyes zing with anger.

    "What does it look like I''m doing?" Jade asked calmly while Jack looked at his wife, wondering why she seemed upset.

    "What''s the problem, Tiff?"

    "Don''t talk to her. Don''t trust her. She is not on your side," Tiffany warned her husband before facing Jade.

    "Get lost. We don''t need you," Tiffany said, holding the door open.

    "I suppose you''ve gotten a suitablewyer to represent your husband, then?" Jade asked Tiffany without rising.

    "That is not your business. Our family will handle it. Get lost!" Tiffany snapped at her, and Jade sighed when mock patience.

    "What do you say, Mr. Bateman? Should I leave? You''re the one who needs to be represented, not your wife. I do not even like her. If she were the one seated there, I wouldn''t get involved in this," Jade said, and Jack looked at Tiffany before returning his attention to Jade.

    "Can you give us a moment alone?" he asked, and Jade rose.

    "Sure. I will be outside," Jade said as she walked out of the room.

    Once she shut the door behind her, Jack looked at Tiffany, "Do you know her?"

    "Yes. That is Jade Hank. Sister to Thomas Hank," Tiffany exined.

    "Why don''t you want her to represent me?" Jack asked, at a loss.

    Tiffany quickly exined the situation between both families and the confrontation at the spa, "She doesn''t have any reason to want to do this. What if she deliberately makes a mess of things just to get back at us?" Tiffany asked reasonably.

    "Although I don''t understand her motive for taking up my case, I don''t think she will do that. No one is willing to take up my case. We have to give her a try," Jack said, and Tiffany frowned.

    "I don''t think this is a good idea."

    "We don''t have much of a choice right now," Jack reminded her, and she sighed as she rose.

    "Let me talk to her, and then I will send her in," Tiffany said as she rose.

    "I''m going to tell her the reason Adam fought with me was that he found out I made sexual advances at his wife...."

    "Or you can tell the truth. You beat Adam up for having sex with his mother-inw," Tiffany said, giving him a pointed look.

    "I can''t do that to your mother...."<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "She isn''t my mother anymore. Say it! There is no need to make Adam look like a saint. If you don''t tell them about my mother and Adam, I''m going to tell them. So deal with it," Tiffany advised before going out to meet Jade.

    "You are not doing this to mess with me, are you?" Tiffany asked the moment she stopped in front of Jade.

    "Remind me again, who are you? And why should I waste a second of my time messing with you?" Jade asked, not bothering to hide the irritation on her face.

    "If I find out you''re messing with me, I''m going to...."

    "Shut it! You are in no position to threaten me. I could walk out right now, and that doesn''t make a difference to me or change the fact that your husband is screwed if I don''t represent him," Jade said with a careless shrug.

    Tiffany looked at her for a moment, "I''m going to let you...."

    Jade walked past her and back into the room before she couldplete her sentence, making it clear she didn''t need her permission for anything.

    "Since you have decided to let me represent you, I hope you are willing to tell me the truth. Only the truth," Jade said, giving him a pointed look.

    Thirty minutester, Jade stepped out of the station and saw Tiffany standing outside waiting for her. Wasn''t she the lesbian fucking all her maids? Why was she so devoted to her husband? Jade mused.

    "Do you have a minute?" Tiffany asked, sounding more polite now than she had been earlier.

    While Jade had been busy inside with her husband, Tiffany had called her sisters to seek their opinion, since Bernice and Anita were at the hospital with Lisa who had delivered a beautiful baby girl in the early hours of the morning.

    After much consideration, they had all reached a consensus that they leave their personal sentiments aside and allow Jade to handle the case especially as this wasing after Anita''s public confession and apology.

    "Depends on what you want to talk about. If it''s unrted to the case, I don''t," Jade said without stopping, and Tiffany nodded as she followed.

    "It''s about the case," Tiffany assured her.

    "I''m sorry for my shitty attitude earlier. I had no right to act that way especially when I was at fault thest time. Thank you for offering to help even though we don''t deserve it," Tiffany said quietly, and Jade faltered in her steps as she looked at her.

    "Don''t worry. I won''t mess up the case just because I don''t like you. It''s my duty to uphold justice, and I won''t let my feelings get in the way," Jade said and continued walking, but Tiffany continued to follow her.

    "What do you think? Do you believe my husband?" Tiffany asked, and Jade shrugged.

    "What I believe doesn''t matter. Do you believe him?" Jade asked as she stopped by her car, and Tiffany nodded.

    "Jack is a lot of things, but there is no way he could have hurt Adam. Did he tell you about the weird text message he received from Adam?" Tiffany asked, and Jade nodded even though she had seen the text before talking to Jack.

    "Yes. What about it?" Jade asked, and Tiffany took a deep breath. She knew she was taking a big risk by trusting Jade Hank, but what harm coulde from telling Jade that she believed her mother was behind it?

    "I don''t think Adam typed that text. It is unlike Adam. Also, shouldn''t we find out what happened between the time Adam left my mother''s house to the time he got to their meeting center? I mean, it doesn''t make sense that Adam would ask Jack to meet him in such a remote ce, considering what happened between them the previous day. The whole thing is not adding up," Tiffany said, and Jade narrowed her eyes.

    "Are you trying to tell me you think your mother might have a hand in this?" Jade asked, and Tiffany swallowed hard before nodding her head.

    "Do you have any tangible reason?" Jade asked and listened as Tiffany exined the entire situation to her, including how Rebekah had sent out the maids and what she had said during her visit to the hospital.

    "I see," Jade said with a nod.

    "I might be mistaken, but I know for sure that Jack is not responsible for this. Maybe you can investigate the crime scene some more and visit my mother. You could check for fingerprints in Adam''s car, right?" Tiffany asked, and Jade eyed Tiffany with interest.

    "You must have given this a lot of thought," Jade said, and Tiffany sighed.

    "Yes, I have. Did Jack tell you that Adam and my mother were having an affair?" Tiffany asked, and Jade gave her a nod.

    "He did."

    "He also told me he made a pass at your sister. What did you think about that?" Jade said, watching Tiffany closely.

    Tiffany shrugged, "It''splicated. Nothing happened between them, okay? Jack had always been in love with Bernice long before he married me, and when he realized she wasn''t happy in her marriage, he tried to hit on her, but she turned him down. Adam found out about it, got mad, and started a fight with Jack. It''s nothing more than that," Tiffany said, and Jade nodded thoughtfully.

    So they were trying to protect Bernice. That was admirable, "So you''re not mad at your husband?"

    "We didn''t get married because we were madly in love or anything. It was an arranged marriage, and we both pursued our interests," Tiffany said without meeting Jade''s eyes.

    "I see," Jade murmured.

    "You can help him, right?" Tiffany asked hopefully.

    "I know we have our differences, and I''m sorry for everything. But this is really important to me, and I need to be sure that you can help my husband," Tiffany said, and before Jade could respond, her phone started ringing.

    She raised a brow when she didn''t recognize the number, and she received the call, "Hello.... Yes. This is Jade Hank," she said when the person on the other end of the line interrupted her.

    "Yes, sir. I will be there in thirty minutes," she said before hanging up.

    "I will help your husband. If for nothing, for the fact that you''re willing to throw your mother under the bus," Jade said with a wide smile that left Tiffany confused as she got into her car.

    As Jade drove away from there, she dialed Harry''s line, "I just left the station. I''m on my way to meet with the chief judge right now. Someone informed him I''ve taken up the case," Jade informed Harry briskly.

    "You don''t sound like you''re talking to your almost-boyfriend," Harry pointed out, and Jade grinned.

    "Sorry. My mind is on other things right now," Jade said apologetically.

    "I know you can handle it," Harry said confidently.

    "Sure, I can. How did the meeting with Crystal go?" Jade asked curiously.

    "Everything is in ce. All that is left is for Sara to reunite with her daughter," Harry said, and Jade giggled.

    "That''s good, then. I was just checking in. I will let you know how the meeting goes. Talk to youter," Jade said before hanging up.

    She hadn''t realized how much she missed working on a case until she caught her reflection in the rearview mirror. She was grinning and humming a happy tune.

    She giggled at the thought of bringing down Rebekah Miller. Wasn''t it funny that her own daughter was willing to testify against her in order to save a husband she wasn''t even in love with? That was what you got for being a shitty person. This was exactly what was going to happen to Sara as well.

    Jade paused when something urred to her, and she burst out inughter. Sara and Rebekah? Was it a coincidence that both shittydies bore the biblical names of a mother and daughter-inw? There was a connection, after all, Jade thought in amusement.

 Chapter 595 League Of Fathers

    Sonia woke up to see Bryan grinning at her, and she turned away, feeling slightly embarrassed, "For God''s sake, Bryan!" She scolded half-heartedly as she sat up.

    "What did I do?" Bryan asked, amused by her disy of self-consciousness.

    "You can''t just be staring at me with that creepy smile while I''m asleep," sheined, and Bryan raised a brow.

    "Why not? And since when did my smile be creepy?" Bryan asked, and she shrugged.

    "I guess it has always been creepy, but I''ve been too blinded by my love for you to notice it," Sonia said, and the twitch of her lips gave her away.

    "Yeah, right! Let''s freshen up and go down for breakfast. We should share the news with them this morning," Bryan suggested as he rose and held out a hand to her.

    "Bryan?" Sonia called hesitantly.

    "Yes, baby?"

    "Are you sure you want to do this? I mean, the moment we tell them, there is no going back, you know?" Sonia asked, and Bryan sat on the edge of the bed and took her hands.

    "What can I do to convince you, Sony? Should I start shopping for baby stuff? Or building a nursery? I''m not changing my mind, babe. As long as this is what you also want, let''s do it," Bryan said as he kissed the back of her hands, and she smiled softly.

    "Alright. Let''s do it," she said with a nod, even though there was a lot of stuff she still wanted them to discuss before making the big announcement.

    "What is it?" Bryan asked, studying her face.

    "Tell me what''s on your mind. What are you thinking?" Bryan asked, urging her to speak.

    "Well, I was just thinking that with this new development, we might have to reconsider our living arrangement," Sonia said, and Bryan nodded.

    "Alright. I''m listening. Go on," he said, watching her intently.

    "Do you still want us to keep living together?" She asked cautiously.

    "Of course. We agreed to do that, right?" Bryan asked, and she nodded.

    "Yeah. We did. But I might not be able to travel around with you when you start working again as nned, and I can''t possibly live here when you''re not here," Sonia exined quietly.

    "We won''t be here for long. Paul is already having problems, and soon, we will take over Golden Stars. Once we do that, we can go back to our home in Sogal. And if that doesn''t work, we can just buy a property here in Ludus if you''d rather be closer to Lucy," Bryan assured her and smiled when her eyes lit up.

    "We can do that?" Sonia asked, and Bryan nodded.

    "Sure. We are starting a family, and yourfort is the utmost priority to me. You will need Lucy around you if I''m not around all the time. Besides, Tom and Jade are in Ludus too, so it makes visiting easier for my parents," Bryan said exined, and Sonia embraced him without saying another word.

    "I take it you want us to settle in Ludus?" Bryan asked, and Sonia bobbed her head.

    "Alright then. I will contact I-Global real estate director to find us a suitable property after we decide on the kind of building we want," Bryan said as he kissed the side of her head, and she sighed contently as she snuggled closer to him and kissed his neck.

    "Sony," Bryan called in a husky voice as he pulled away.

    "What?" Sonia asked with a slight frown.

    "Let''s freshen up and go down for breakfast," Bryan said, kissing her cheek.

    "You don''t want to have sex with me?" Sonia asked with a frown. She had made advances at himst night, but he had gently turned her down and just cuddled her to sleep instead.

    "We both know I want to. But I''m trying to be careful right now. Once we have seen a doctor, and I know it is safe to do so without hurting you or our baby, we can do whatever we want," Bryan assured her, and Sonia sighed.

    "I already told you it''s safe. I''m not fragile, you know? I was sick, you refused to touch me, and now this," Soniained, and Bryan smiled.

    "You are fragile, Sonia. And even if you''re not, I''m not taking any chances. I know you have the hots for me��." The rest of his words drifted off in a chuckle when Sonia rammed her elbow into his side.

    "Who has the hots for you, idiot?" She asked as she got off the bed and headed for the bathroom, and Bryan''sughter rede followed her as he joined her.

    After freshening up, they found something decent to wear and went downstairs to join the elders.

    "For a moment, I thought you were not going toe down for breakfast. The table is so empty this morning, and I can only imagine how it''s going to be tomorrow morning when J and Andrew go over to be with Lucy at her apartment," Evelynined with a sigh as Sonia and Bryan sat down.

    "We have been eating alone for years since the kids left the house, and soon we will go back to doing that. Why are you suddenly worried now about an empty table?" Desmond asked under his breath.

    "That is different! I didn''t leave my house only toe to be lonely in Ludus!" Evelyn snapped at her husband.

    "That can''t be helped, Mom. Everyone is busy right now. Anyway, we have important news to share with you all," Bryan said, and Evelyn looked at them wearily.

    "Nothing bad, I hope?" Desmond asked as he looked from Bryan to Sonia.

    "It depends on how you take it," Bryan said with a shrug, and Sonia stepped on his foot.

    "You are not breaking up, are you?" Evelyn asked, and Bryan raised a brow.

    "They don''t look like they want to break up. They look chummy," Andrew pointed out.

    "Go on. What is it?" Evelyn asked impatiently, but Bryan said nothing as he ced some muffins in front of Sonia.

    "You want to tell them, or should I do it?" Bryan asked, realizing they had not talked about who was going to break the news.

    For reasons Sonia could not understand, she suddenly felt nervous as she looked from Evelyn''s concerned gaze to Desmond''s expectant gaze, to Andrew''s amused gaze, and then J''s curious gaze, and then she looked back again at Evelyn.

    "The stuff you saw in Lucy''s handbag is mine," Sonia blurted out to Evelyn.

    "That''s not how I was going to say it," Bryan murmured, disappointed by Sonia''s undramatic announcement.

    "What is she talking about?" Desmond asked his wife, who was just staring at Sonia speechlessly.

    "What did you see in Lucy''s handbag?" J asked Evelyn curiously.

    "Oh, my God!" Evelyn shrieked happily, startling everyone, and in the next moment, she was out of her seat, tears gleaming in her eyes as she went to embrace Sonia.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "What is going on?" Desmond asked with a frown, not liking the fact that he didn''t know what was going on.

    "You''re going to be a granddaddy soon," Bryan said with a grin, and Desmond''s eyes widened in disbelief, while Andrew grinned happily as he pped Desmond''s back.

    "Congrats, Buddy!"

    "Sony dear!" J cooed as she went to embrace Sonia was now crying softly against Evelyn''s shoulder.

    "This is so beautiful, Sonia. Thank you," Evelyn whispered against Sonia''s hair.

    "I''m going to be a grandfather," Desmond cried in disbelief, and to the shock of everyone at the table, he broke into an unexpected sob.

    "C''mon, Dad! You shouldn''t be crying?" Bryan said as he rose to join his father.

    As he sat beside his father on the seat Evelyn had vacated, he ced his hand behind Desmond tofort him, and Desmond turned to him.

    "Congrats, son. I''m so proud of you," Desmond said as he pulled himself together while Andrew shook Bryan''s hand.

    "You''re wee to the League of Fathers, boy. I hope it''s a girl," Andrew said warmly.

    "Sony, can I get a hug?" Desmond asked as he rose to meet Sonia, remembering that he was yet to congratte Sonia.

    "Sure, Desmond," Sonia said as she rose to embrace Desmond.

    "We should let Tom and Jade know...."

    "They are aware," Bryan said, and Evelyn frowned.

    "I see. We are thest to know," Evelyn said with displeasure.

    "Does it matter? What matters is that you''re going to be a grandmother, right?" Desmond reminded her, and Evelyn beamed once again.

    "You''re right."

    "This calls for a celebration. I should take out my cigar, and then we can drink," Desmond said as he walked away to get his cigar, ignoring Evelyn''s disapproving stare.

    "I suppose you haven''t visited a doctor yet, have you? Get dressed. Let''s go to the hospital," Evelyn suggested excitedly.

    "If we do that, everyone is going to know," Sonia pointed out, ncing at Bryan.

    "They''re going to know in a couple of months either way. Let''s just go get a proper test at the hospital and see a doctor," Evelyn said, patting Sonia''s shoulder.

    "Yes, Sonia. You should see a doctor," J encouraged as she returned to her seat beside her husband.

    "You don''t have to worry about it, Mom. I will take her myself," Bryan said, but Sonia quickly shook her head.

    "It''s bad enough that I''m going there. If we go together, it''s going to be a major scandal��."

    "It''s my career. Let me worry about it. Eat for two, and then we can leave when you''re ready," Bryan said, jerking his head towards her untouched muffins.

    "You should eat up, Sony. Tell me whatever you want, and I''m going to prepare it for you right away, alright? I no longer feelfortable about leaving. Maybe I should stay a bit longer. Will youe with us back to Heden so I can take better care of you?" Evelyn asked, and Bryan scowled at his mother.

    "She is not going anywhere with you. I can take care of her, okay? But you''re wee to stay with her in my absence after we get our own ce," Bryan said, and Evelyn''s eyes lit up.

    "You are getting your own ce here in Ludus? This is so lovely, Bryan!" Evelyn cried happily as Desmond returned carrying his box of cigars, which his kids had gifted him on his birthday.

    "I''m feeling generous today. Want a cigar, Andrew?" Desmond asked, and Andrew grinned.

    "I don''t mind. Leave the women ande hang out with us men, Bryan. We need to celebrate, and you need to learn a thing or two about being the partner of a pregnant female and fatherhood," Andrew suggested as he and Desmond headed for the bar.

    "Call me when you''re done with breakfast," Bryan told Sonia before walking away with the men, leaving Evelyn and J to fuss.

    "Tell us, Bryan, how did it feel getting the news from Sonia?" Andrew asked when they got to the bar.

    Bryan shrugged as he took out wine sses and did the honor of pouring the wine. He could hardly give them the details and how mad he had been about being left in the dark, "Awesome. I''ve not been able to think of anything else since yesterday," Bryan said with a grin, and both Desmond and Andrew chuckled.

    "You know, earlier, I remembered the day Evelyn told me she was pregnant with Bryan. And I got so emotional thinking that my little boy is going to be a daddy," Desmond said, and Andrew chuckled.

    "He is not so little anymore, seeing how he managed to impregnate her," Andrew pointed out, and they all chuckled.

    "How did Mom break the news to you?" Bryan asked curiously, and Desmond chuckled at the memory.

    "It was on a weekend. I was sleeping in. She tapped me gently. I woke up, and she said, ''Tommy is so lucky to have you, you know? You have been such a wonderful father, so I decided to give another child the privilege of being fathered by you. Baby two is on the way'' Can you believe it?" Desmond asked as Bryan and Andrewughed in disbelief.

    "What was your response?" Bryan asked in amusement.

    "I said, ''That''s great!'' And then I pulled her against me, kissed her, and made love to her," Desmond said, and Bryan scrunched his face up in disgust, not wanting to imagine his father releasing inside his mother while he was in the womb.

    He made a mental note not to subject his baby to such emotional torture. If he was going to make love to Sonia, he was just going to work harder on his pull-out game.

    "What about you, Andrew? How did you feel when J told you about her pregnancy?" Desmond asked curiously.

    "How did she break the news to you?" Bryan added.

    Andrew chuckled, "It was our first anniversary. We agreed not to have a baby until after a year. It was her idea, not mine. So after we got back from dinner, I handed her the gift I got her, a gold ne. And she gave me hers. It was an envelope. I opened it, and there it was��a positive pregnancy test result. I looked at her with all my love in my eyes, and she had a wide smile on her face. I smiled back, swept her off her feet, and made love to her as gently��."

    "Save the details. I''m sure your kids won''t appreciate knowing that you did that with their mother while they were in there. I know I don''t," Bryan said, and both Desmond and Andrew roared withughter.

    "Ignorant boy," Andrew said with a shake of his head.

    "Teach him, Andrew. Teach him," Desmond said with a chuckle.

 Chapter 596 You Or Your Son

    In the office of the Chief Judge, Jade sat across from the man who seemed to be in his mid-sixties.

    "Are you rted to Lawrence Hank?" he asked, watching her, and Jade smiled.

    "Yes, I am. But that is totally unrted to the reason I took up this case," Jade said confidently.

    "Why then did you take it up knowing who you are going against?" the chief judge asked, and Jade shrugged.

    "It''s a matter of justice. I believe my client is innocent. Hence I''m defending him," Jade said, and he red at her.

    "If he were innocent, my son wouldn''t be lying dead right now...."

    "We both know your son is not dead," Jade cut in, surprising him.

    "I beg your pardon?" the chief judge asked.

    "Your son is not dead as the public thinks, is he? I know he is in critical condition, and I believe the only reason you haven''t made that information public yet is that you want to be able to charge my client for murder and not attempted murder in the case that your son eventually dies. Am I wrong?" Jade asked, and his eyes hardened.

    "It doesn''t change the fact that he hurt my boy. I won''t let him get away with it. And I strongly advise you not to get in my way," The chief judge warned.

    "What makes you so confident that my client is guilty? I mean, this could be a setup, you know?" Jade asked reasonably.

    "Do you have any idea the number of crimes we have covered up for that nitwit? Judging by his records, I won''t put this past him. Besides, they had a fight the day before this. Did you know that?" the chief judge asked, and Jade sat forward in her seat.

    "And do you know the reason for the fight? Are you aware that your son has been having an affair with his mother-inw?" Jade asked, and the chief judge jerked back as though she had pped him.

    "How Dare You? How dare youe in here and make such usations against my son?" he asked angrily, struggling not to raise his voice.

    "It''s not an usation. Are you aware that your daughter-inw attempted to take her life a couple of days ago? Do you know why? It was because she caught them. You can ask your daughter-inw for the video evidence if you can stomach seeing your son doing it with his mother-inw," Jade said, not caring that she was not being totally honest with the man.

    He wasn''t her client after all, and if he wanted to know the whole truth, then it was best he looked into it more. One thing she knew for sure was that regardless of what he would find, they would keep the whole thing hush-hush within the family because they cared more about their public image than they cared about anything else.

    The chief judge was silent for some time, and then he looked at Jade, "Why are you so sure that Jackson is innocent? Do you have evidence?"

    "What case was your son working on? Which witness did he have to meet at such a remote location? Does he usually do that? What if the so-called witness had hurt him before my client arrived at the scene?" Jade asked matter-of-factly.

    The Chief Judge shook his head, "I don''t think that is the case."

    "Can I ask you a question?" Jade asked politely, and he gave her a nod.

    "Are you more interested in punishing my client than you are in apprehending the real culprit who did that to your son?"

    "I''m not asking you to release him or anything. Don''t you think your integrity would be questioned when your son regains consciousness and admits my client was not behind it?" Jade asked before the man could answer.

    "And what if he doesn''t wake up? What if he wakes up in a vegetative state?" he asked, and Jade shook her head.

    "All I''m asking is that you do not frustrate my effort by trying to use your influence to turn an innocent man into a criminal. I will apprehend the criminal myself. Let me do my job, and I won''t have to tell anyone that your son is still alive," Jade threatened subtly.

    "How did you know my son is alive?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.

    Jade shrugged, "The same way I know my client is innocent. You will just have to trust me on that," Jade said as she rose.

    "As much as I have enjoyed talking to you, I need to run along now," Jade said with a polite bow, and the Chief Judge rose.

    "I looked into you before you arrived. You have quite an impressive record, and I can see you are a very intelligentdy," He said, and Jade smiled.

    "I''m ttered."

    "Can you not bring up the issue of Adam''s infidelity in court?" he asked ufortably.

    "If the prosecutor brings up the fight between them as my client''s motive, I will have to bring it up," Jade said, meeting his gaze squarely.

    He sighed, "I will ask him to leave that out."

    Jade shrugged, "If that''s what you want. But you must know that leaving that out means there is nothing to hold against my client. Being at the crime scene at the time the police arrived doesn''t make him guilty," Jade pointed out.

    "If you are able to apprehend the criminal who did that to my son, I think we will get along pretty well," he said, and Jade grinned this time.

    "I have no doubt that we will get along, sir," she said, and they turned to the door when they heard a brief knock before it opened.

    The secretary walked in, "Mr. Bateman is here to see you," he said apologetically, referring to Jackson''s father.

    "Let him in," The chief Judge said and looked at Jade, "I suppose you''re familiar with your client''s father?" he asked, and Jade shook her head as the door opened and the man walked in.

    "I''m not. But I don''t mind saying hello to him," she said, curious to see the face of the man who was having an affair with his son''s mother-inw.

    Jade wondered how he would react when he found out that his lover was the one messing with his son''s life.

    "Thank you for agreeing to see me...."

    "You have this youngdy to thank. She is your son''swyer," The chief judge said, and Mr. Bateman''s gaze shifted to Jade as the Chief Judge made the introductions. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Jack informed me of your visit," Mr. Bateman said, looking at Jade while wondering what she was doing with the Chief Judge and if he had sent her to jeopardize his son''s chances.

    "Yes. I will be representing him. If you don''t mind, I will excuse you both to talk while I go about my business. I hope you can make out time for us to discuss the case," Jade said to Mr. Bateman, and he gave her a nod.

    "If you''re not in a hurry, you can wait. This meeting won''t be long," he said, and Jade nodded.

    "I will wait for you by the reception," she said and gave the chief judge a polite nod before walking out.

    She waited about fifteen minutes before the senior Bateman stepped out of the office, "Can I buy you a drink?" he asked, and Jade shook her head.

    "I''m afraid I don''t have the time. Let''s talk in your car," she suggested instead, and they both walked out together while Jade tried to organize her thoughts.

    Once they got into his car, the driver excused them, and they faced each other, "Why were you in his office? Did he send you to jeopardize the case?" Mr. Batman asked, and Jade stared at him with a nk expression.

    "Is your son aware that you are having an affair with his mother-inw?" Jade asked instead, and he blinked in surprise.

    "What? What does that have to do with this case?" he asked, shifting in his seat ufortably.

    "We will get there. Tell me something, Mr. Bateman. If you had to choose between saving yourself and saving your son, who would it be?" she asked, and he frowned.

    "What do you mean?"

    "I can help your son. I have what it takes to make all of this go away. But I need you to do something first," Jade said, and his frown deepened.

    "What is that?"

    "I want evidence that you and your lover, Rebekah Miller, murdered herte husband, Richard Miller...."

    "I didn''t do any such thing," he cut in, his eyes wide with fear.

    "Yes, you did. You both duped him and robbed him of all he had. If you can give me evidence of his murder, then your son will be free. It''s going to have to be you or your son. I will await your call," Jade said, slipping herplementary card into the space between them.

    "And don''t think of doing anything silly. A lot more people are with me on this than you can imagine. And if I were you, I wouldn''t talk to Rebekah about our conversation. She isn''t your friend. I will prove it to you in time," Jade promised as she got out of the car and walked away, feeling like the protagonist in an action movie.

    Once she got into her car, she hummed a happy tune as she checked her reflection in the mirror, thinking about her date with Harry.

    She still had to stop at the crime scene for formality''s sake and take a look around, even if she was aware that wasn''t exactly the ce where the crime had truly taken ce.

    She picked up her phone and dialed Candace''s line, "Hey! You busy?" she asked immediately after it connected.

    "Not exactly. Just watching a television show," Candace said with a yawn.

    "Good. Minding with me to inspect a fake crime scene? I mean, you''re going to be awyer, right? I don''t mind epting you as an intern," Jade said, and Candace grinned.

    "That''s not a bad idea. Where should I meet you?" Candace asked as she rose and then looked down at her casual mom clothes.

    "I will pick you up, don''t worry...."

    "I don''t exactly have the wardrobe of an intern," she said with a slight frown.

    "Don''t worry, anyone who sees us will just assume you have bad taste in clothes," Jade said, and Candace chuckled.

    "Gee, thanks! I feel much better," she said dryly, and Jade grinned.

    "We can get you something nice to wear if it bothers you so much. And maybe after checking out the crime scene, we can go somewhere nice, and I will tell you about how much I love your twin brother and how I''m looking forward to our first date," Jade said, and Candace giggled.

    "I don''t want to hear any of that," Candace said and Jade rolled her eyes.

    "I don''t think you have much of a choice."

    "By the way, Harry told me about Aurora," Candace remembered.

    "Oh, yeah. I will give you more details when we see," Jade promised.

    "Alright. I will be waiting for you," Candace said before hanging up the call, and then she went out to the balcony to inform her father and Jamal that she was going out.

    After telling them she was going out, she turned to leave and then paused when she remembered she was yet to ry Lucy''s message to Jamal.

    "By the way, Jam. Lucy says she hopes you both can go on a date before we leave," Candace said and watched in amusement as Jamal''s eyes lit up.

    "Really? She said that?" he asked, and Candace nodded while Aaron chuckled.

    "What about Tom? Did they break up? Going out on a date means she is going to be my girlfriend, right?" Jamal asked excitedly, and Candace and Aaronughed out loud.

    "Why don''t you ask Lucy those questions on your date? I need to get ready before Jade gets here," Candace said as she walked away, and then sheughed when she heard Jamal tell Aaron that he needed to go shopping for his date.

    Living with Andy must have really taught him a lot more about dates than she expected, Candace mused, and then the smile vanished from her face as she thought of Andy.

    How could she be so happy and go about her life like everything was fine when she had no idea where Andy was or if she was alive? Candace mused sadly.

 Chapter 597 FaceTime

    As Lucy worked that morning, her gaze moved to the wall clock at intervals, and although, at first, she couldn''t exactly tell what it was she was waiting for when she realized it was Tom''s call she was waiting, she sighed and picked up her phone.

    She didn''t have to wait until he arrived at his destination before reaching out to him, did she? She could send a text to just check on him the same way he had left that note on her desk. She would just respond to his text.

    Thinking about the note, she smiled again. Was it Harry? Who could have helped him leave the note on her desk? The most beautiful thing about the note was the fact that it was handwritten by him. She thought it was sweet that he had thought of writing such a note for her before leaving. He had managed to aplish the exact reason for which he must have written the note, staying on her mind all day. Not that he had not been on her mind even without the note.

    [Good morning, Ace. I''m waiting to hear from you. Call me the moment you arrive, alright? Try to get some rest, and don''t overwork yourself. I got your note. I love it. I love you. Your beautiful girlfriend.]

    The smile on Lucy''s lips wobbled as she reread the text, and she realized her vision had be blurred by tears.

    ''Okay. I miss him. I do miss him very much already,'' Lucy admitted to herself as she brushed her tears away and tapped on send.

    Almost immediately, a knock sounded on her office door, and she was surprised to see Adolf standing by the ss door with a food pack.

    "Come in," she told him as she rose to greet him.

    "Good morning, Adolf," Lucy greeted with a confused smile.

    "Good morning, Lucy. Tom instructed that we bring you breakfast because you often forget to eat, and you have an ulcer," Adolf exined as he ced the food pack on her desk and Lucy blinked in surprise, touched by the gesture.

    "Thanks, but you shouldn''t have bothered...."

    "It''s not a bother. J asked me to bring the keys to your apartment. I''m going to drop them off thereter in the day," Adolf cut in politely, and Lucy nodded as she walked back to her desk to get the key from her handbag.

    "Samantha says you should let her know if there is anything you prefer in particr. She says you can make a list," Adolf said, and Lucy smiled.

    "Tell her I''m fine with whatever she makes for everyone else. Thank you, Adolf," Lucy said, and Adolf gave her a polite nod before walking away.

    As Lucy returned to her seat, tears gathered in her eyes once again, and she covered her face with her hands as she took a deep breath.

    Why was she feeling so emotional? It was almost like she had assumed in her mind that the rtionship was over, and seeing everything Tom had arranged for her before leaving made her tearful.

    Tom loved her. He still loved her. While he was busy fighting for their rtionship to work, she was busy looking for a way to survive without him if the rtionship didn''t work.

    Was this what Sonia had meant when she said Tom was going all the way to chase her, and she wasn''t putting in any special effort?

    Lucy picked up her phone and dialed the number of one of the therapists, and once her secretary received the call, Lucy booked an appointment for the next day.

    She looked up when a knock sounded on her door again, and she smiled when Harry walked in, "You''re not too busy to chat with your favorite cousin, are you?" Harry asked with a wide smile and approached her desk.

    "I don''t think I am. What are those?" she asked when she noticed he was holding a couple of books.

    "They are called Books," Harry said dryly, and Lucy rolled her eyes.

    "Oh! Really? I had no idea," Lucy said in an equally dry tone, and Harry chuckled.

    "I told you I was going to lend you a couple of books on rtionships, remember?" Harry asked, and Lucy raised a brow.

    "Oh!"

    "Yeah. Oh. I wasn''t joking," Harry said as he ced the books in front of her.

    "Did you read all these?" Lucy asked as she picked up the books. They were five in number.

    Harry gave her a nod, "I have more where those came from. But these are some of my favorites," Harry said as he took his seat, and his gaze shifted to the food pack.

    "You brought breakfast from home?" Harry asked curiously.

    "No. Samantha made it, and Tom had Adolf deliver it," Lucy exined.

    "Mind if I find something to munch on?" he asked, and Lucy spread her hands.

    "Help yourself. Speaking of Tom. You are the one who left Tom''s note on my desk this morning, aren''t you?" Lucy asked, and Harry raised a brow as he opened the food pack.

    "I didn''t. Tom left a note?" Harry asked as he took out a muffin while Lucy fished it out from within the pages of her journal where she had tucked it and gave it to Harry.

    Harry grinned as he read it, "Who knew the idiot had it in him to do something like this? I thought he was only good at doing creepy things like stalking you."

    Lucyughed, "Don''t insult my boyfriend."

    "I will try to remember that. No, I didn''t leave the note. Maybe his assistant did. I will ask him," Harry said as he returned the note to her and took a bite from the muffin.

    "Right. I forgot about him. I guess Candace has left?" Lucy asked, and Harry nodded as he chewed.

    "Yeah. We concluded with the orphanage home and with Crystal. Everything is going as nned," he said after swallowing.

    "Do you still n for them to be BFFs?" Lucy asked, and Harry shook his head.

    "We changed our minds on that. If Candace stays by her side, Sara might want to dig into Candace, and then she will know Candace is somehow connected to Jade and us, and we can''t have that," Harry said as he took another bite, and Lucy nodded.

    "That''s good to know. I was going to point that out. Hence I asked. By the way, how much longer before Tom arrives at his destination?" Lucy asked with concern, and Harry nced at his wristwatch.

    "About an hour or less," Harry said as he quickly ate the muffin as though just remembering he had to be somewhere.

    "I have to run, LuLu. I''m sure you need to get back to work too. Make sure you read the books any chance you get, okay?" Harry said as he rose, and Lucy smiled as she gave him a nod.

    "Yes, sir," Lucy said, and Harry walked away while wondering what Jade was up to and how the meeting was going.

    Alone again in her office, Lucy nced at the clock and decided to give Sonia a call to find out if she had told the family about her pregnancy yet, but before she could dial Sonia''s line, her phone rang, and she received it when she saw it was her mother.

    "Hi, Mom!"

    "Are you busy?"

    "Not at all. What''s up?"

    "Sony is pregnant!" J announced gleefully, and Lucyughed.

    "So I heard."

    "It was so beautiful, darling. Evelyn wept. Desmond did too. I felt all emotional myself. I can''t imagine how they must feel, weing their first grandchild," she said with a sigh, and Lucy sat upright, her sixth sense telling her what wasing next.

    "With Lucas'' break up with Rachel, I know settling down is thest thing on his mind, and I can''t really me him or pressure him. What about you, Lucy? How is your rtionship with Toming? Evelyn mentioned that Tom announced during the family dinner that you both didn''t have any marriage ns yet. What about kids? When do you both n to start having kids?" J asked while Lucy tapped on her desk.

    "Mom, I have to go now. I have to...."

    "You said you weren''t busy," J reminded her.

    "Yes, I wasn''t. But now I am," Lucy said with a frown.

    "Why do I feel like you''re avoiding the subject? We are going to have this conversation, Lu. Maybe not right now, but we will," J promised before hanging up.

    Lucy sighed as she took off her sses and rxed against her seat. She rubbed her eyes, suddenly feeling drained because of the conversation with her mother.

    Human needs were truly insatiable. A while ago, she was being pestered to get a boyfriend, and she did. Now it was marriage and kids? And after those, what?

    She missed the days when all she had to worry about was meeting work targets.

    ''But you are happier now than you were in those days, '' a voice in her head said, and she sighed.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Whatever," she muttered.

    Instead of calling Sonia as she had nned, she pushed her phone away and ced the breakfast pack in front of her desk.

    Samantha had neatly arranged muffins, sausages, scrambled eggs, and sandwiches in the bag. How was she supposed to eat all of that alone? She mused, then paused when she noticed a familiar piece of paper at the bottom of the bag.

    She took it out and grinned when she noticed it was a handwritten note from Tom.

    [Think of me when you eat. Will you send me a picture? I love you. I miss you. I love you again.]

    "This is so silly," Lucy said with a giggle as she looked at the letter, and just then, her phone started ringing.

    She picked up her phone and her heart skipped a beat when she saw it was Tom. She swallowed nervously as she received the call.

    "Hey, baby!" Tom said in a tired voice, and her brows pulled together.

    "Are you okay?" she asked with a concerned frown, her nervousness disappearing.

    "Yeah. Just exhausted. I was busy going through all the details of the branch here. I just got off the ne. I''m on my way to the hotel now. How are you?" he asked, a smile in his voice, and she smiled.

    "I got your notes," she said, and this time he grinned.

    "Made your heart skip, right?" he asked, and Lucy giggled softly as she nodded.

    "It did."

    "Then I guess you''ve had breakfast, right?" he asked with concern.

    "Not yet. I was about to before your call came in," she admitted.

    "I should let you get to it then. We can talkter...."

    "NO!" Lucy cut in, surprising Tom.

    "I mean, let''s just talk now. You''re tired and will need to get some rest when you get to your hotel and...."

    "You don''t have to exin yourself, Jewel. I actually prefer the no," Tom said softly, and Lucy bit her lower lip.

    "So, do you miss me? Did you miss mest night?" he asked, and she nodded.

    "A lot more than I expected," she confessed, feeling emotional.

    "Can I see your face?" he asked hopefully.

    "You mean like a Facetime?" she asked, feeling self-conscious as she touched her hair to be sure it was still on her head.

    "Yes. It''s okay if you can''t do that right now...."

    "Let''s do it. I want to see your face as well," Lucy assured him, and Tom switched to a video call, which Lucy promptly received.

    "Hey, beautiful!" Tom greeted, and Lucy smiled as she looked at him.

    "You look really exhausted," she noted.

    "Yeah. I''m away from my energy booster," Tom said, and Lucy blinked coyly.

    "You mean Harry?" she asked, and Tom chuckled.

    "God, I miss you terribly, Lu! I can''t believe it''s not twenty-four hours yet since Ist saw you. It feels like weeks," Tom said as he gazed into her eyes.

    "I miss you too," Lucy whispered, unable to break away from his gaze.

    "Should I just shut down the business over here ande back home?" Tom suggested with a grin, and Lucy giggled.

    "Perhaps you should," she said, ying along.

    "You said it! I''m going to do it. I won''t care about the number of people that will be put out of their job or the families that will suffer...." Tom broke off when Lucy giggled.

    "Do what you have to do. I will wait," Lucy assured him.

    "What''s going on over there? How is work going?" Tom asked, and Lucy remembered all that had happened in his short absence.

    "So much has happened. Sonia told Bryan about the pregnancy. They are keeping the baby," she announced happily, and Tom smiled as he watched the excitement dance in her eyes.

    "That''s great! I will give Bryan a call when I can to congratte him," Tom said, and Lucy nodded.

    "Also, Anita''s family is in a mess," Lucy said and exined the details to Tom.

    "Harry wants Jade to represent them?" he asked, wondering what Harry was thinking but trusting him too much to express his concern over the decision.

    "Yes. Maybe when you talk to him, he can exin better," Lucy said, and Tom nodded, barely managing to stifle a yawn.

    "You need to get some rest," Lucy said with concern, and Tom nodded.

    "Sure. I will soon as I get to the hotel," he assured her.

    "Alright."

    "Love?" Tom called softly.

    "Yeah?"

    "I thought about us. Our rtionship, I mean. I realize that I''m a lot like you when ites to being in control of things. We may not exactly express it in the same way, but I do have control issues and hate it when things don''t go my way," Tom said as he watched her.

    "Why are you telling me this?" Lucy asked in confusion, knowing it must not be easy for him to say that to her.

    "Because I don''t want to be controlling. At least not with you. I want you to be able to be yourself freely with me without tiptoeing around me like I made you do two days ago. I don''t want to always be right. I just want us to be happy, okay? So if I start acting all-controlling, don''t just ept it, alright?" Tom said, and Lucy nodded.

    "I booked a therapy session for tomorrow," she said, and Tom smiled.

    "That''s good. I have to go now, Jewel. I just got to the hotel. I love you."

    "I love you too. Take care of yourself. Don''t skip meals, and don''t overwork. And don''t forget to call me," Lucy instructed, and Tom grinned, wondering if she knew she sounded like a wife and mom.

    "Yes, Mom. Love you again. Bye!" once he hung up the call, he sighed.

    He had been right. The distance was going to do them both much good. As much as he missed her, this was probably the best thing he could do for their rtionship at the moment.

    He could handle the Millers, Rebekah, and whoever else he needed to handle from the distance.

    He couldn''t handle things as his father had suggested. He loved her too much to be cold or distant, and he wasn''t sure he could stay in his bedroom or lie on his bed without her by his side.

    Of course he felt bad for deceiving Harry this way, but he was going to do what he had to do to get Lucy. Harry would probably have discouraged him from leaving if he had told him his n.

    The first time he had stalked her (howbeit with the best intentions) and had been all over her to get her to fall for him. Now he was going to give her space to make her see that she really didn''t want to be alone and wanted him as much as he wanted her.

    He wondered how she was going to react when he eventually told her he was going to be here for a while. That could wait until after the anniversary dinner party.

 Chapter 598 Low Self-Esteem

    After chatting with the men for some time, Bryan excused himself, wanting to go to his bedroom to give his best friend a call.

    He needed to brag to someone, and who best to be at the receiving end than his single pringle best friend?

    As he went up the stairs, he heard the womenughing, and he could only wonder what they were talking about and if it was in any way simr to the ew inspiring revtion his father and Andrew had shared.

    Once he got to the bedroom, he dropped on the bed and took out his phone to dial Matt''s line.

    He paused and tried to figure out the most unsuitable way to break the news to him.

    ''Hey, partner! Get ready to be a godfather!'' Bryan eximed and shook his head.

    Not good enough.

    "Guess who is about to join the League of Fathers?" Bryan asked, and even though he liked that one a bit, it wasn''t good enough yet.

    "Hey, dog! Add some respect to my name! I''m going to be a dad!" Bryan said and then sighed.

    He was just going to go with all the lines, and whatever elsees to mind, he decided as he dialed Matt''s line.

    "Don''t tell me you just saw me or someone you know saw me, okay? I just got into Ludus barely an hour ago, and I was going to call...."

    "You are in Ludus?" Bryan cut in, taken aback by Matt''s statement.

    Matt sighed, "Oh! Yeah. Sogal is sort of boring right now, and since I''m done with all I have to do at the moment, I decided to rx. Though I have a meeting with Harry tomorrow. Maybe we can meet upter if you''re not too busy," Matt said, and Bryan grinned.

    "Whyter? What are you up to? I have news for you. I was going to tell you over the phone, but now I think I should do it in person," Bryan said, bustling with excitement, and Matt raised a brow.

    "What news? Is it about Sonia?" Matt asked, hoping everything was okay between them.

    "If you''re so curious, why don''t youe over?" Bryan suggested, excited at the thought of hanging out with Matt.

    Matt hesitated for a second, "Is she still over there?"

    "Who? The sexydy who used and dumped you?" Bryan teased.

    "Yeah, my sexy dumper," Matt hissed, and Bryan chuckled.

    "Yes. But she spent the night at Harry''s. I don''t know if she ising back here today. Why? You''re not going toe over if she is here?" Bryan asked as he spread out on the bed.

    "Yeah. I''d rather not run into her. And I will appreciate it if you don''t tell Sonia I''m in Ludus either...."

    "That doesn''t make any sense. Sonia, as well as everyone else, is going to be here when you drop in, so she is going to see you and know you''re in Ludus unless you''re wearing a mask or something," Bryan pointed out.

    Matt sighed, "Let''s meet somewhere else then. Maybe we can meet at one of the cafes around the hotel. I''m at I-Global hotel," Matt said, and Bryan looked up when the door opened, and Sonia walked in.

    "I was just going to call you. Thought you were still with the guys," Sonia said before she noticed he was on the phone.

    "Sorry," she whispered.

    "It''s fine. It''s just Matt," Bryan assured her, and Sonia raised a brow.

    "Did you tell him yet?" she asked in a whisper, and Bryan shook his head.

    "Sonia is here. Want to say hello?" Bryan asked Matt.

    "Hey, Matty man! You have no choice but to say hello, you know?" Sonia said as she fell on the bed beside Bryan, and Matt chuckled.

    "Of course, Queen!" Matt said as Bryan passed the phone to Sonia.

    "What''s up? What are you up to?" Sonia asked as shey face up beside Bryan, who seemed to be examining her abdomen.

    "I''m in Ludus at the moment," Matt said, wanting her to hear it from him first.

    "Oh, that''s great! Are youing over?" Sonia asked excitedly.

    "No," he said without hesitation.

    "I suppose you''re noting because you are avoiding Candace?" she asked knowingly.

    "Yes. I am avoiding her. And I will appreciate it if you don''t talk to her about me or to me about her," Matt said, and Sonia shrugged.

    "Cool."

    "Bryan says he has news for me. Want to share?" Matt asked, and Sonia nced at Bryan, who shook his head.

    "Sorry, buddy, you will have to hear it from him. I have to get ready to go out with Evelyn. See you hopefully before you leave Ludus. Kisses," Sonia said as she returned the phone to Bryan.

    "I will call to let you know when I''m on my way," Bryan told Matt and then hung up to face Sonia.

    "Where are you going with my mom?" Bryan asked as he watched Sonia take out a pair of jeans trousers and a top from the closet.

    "She booked an appointment with a doctor friend of hers who specializes in obstetrics and gynecology," Sonia exined.

    "And I''m not allowed toe with you?" Bryan asked with displeasure.

    "You are wee toe with us. But I think it might be best you don''t make an appearance just yet. I''d love us to treasure this moment alone within the family before the whole world begins to specte whether or not Bryan Hank is expecting his first baby," Sonia said, and Bryan sighed.

    "How about we be on a video call while I''m there? That way, you can be there without really being there?" Sonia asked, not wanting him to feel bad.

    "It''s not the same. But I suppose that will do. Only for now," Bryan said, and Sonia bobbed her head.

    "Sure," she said as she quickly kissed him and then began to take off her clothes.

    As Bryan watched her, he couldn''t help wondering how long before the baby bump would be visible. The thought of seeing Sonia full and ripe with his baby turned him on.

    "Why are you staring at me that way?" Sonia asked in a husky voice when she noticed the way his gaze was caressing her body.

    "You know, my dad and Andrew said it''s safe to have sex...."

    "You asked them that?" Sonia asked in disbelief as she flushed with embarrassment.

    "No, I didn''t. They were merely sharing their fatherhood experience. I wasn''t particrly thrilled when my dad told me he weed the news of my conception by making love to Mom," Bryan said with a scowl, and Sonia giggled.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "So? You want to give it a try?" Sonia asked as she slowly moved towards the bed where Bryan was still seated.

    Sonia straddled him and smiled cunningly when she felt his erection, "We will be gentle, and if it hurts or I be ufortable, I will let you know," she promised as she helped him take off his clothes.

    Away from there, immediately Candace got into Jade''s car; Jade started the car and drove off, "You didn''t tell Aaron that was I picking you up, did you?"

    "I may have. Why?" Candace asked, and Jade made a face.

    "I haven''t been here for some time, remember? And then stopping over to pick you up without going in might seem somehow," she shrugged.

    "Don''t worry. He isn''t going to make a big deal out of it. And you can always go in to say hello when you bring me back," Candace assured her.

    "So, where is this fake crime scene? And I hope we are still stopping by a clothes store to get me something suitable for an intern. This morning I was the only one underdressed in Harry''s office," sheined with a slight frown.

    "Really? I didn''t notice," Jade said, and Candace rolled her eyes.

    "As if you notice anything else when Harry is within a hundred-meter radius from you," she muttered, and Jade grinned.

    "You are right. I don''t notice anything or anyone else when Harry is around. I''m sure neither Harry nor Lucy thought you looked underdressed...."

    "They''re family. They wouldn''t think so. I walked past human beings on my way in and out of thepany, remember? What ifter in the future, when they find out I am Harry''s sister, they remember seeing me dressed poorly? That''s going to be embarrassing for Harry and me too. I should have put a lot more thought into dressing up," Candaceined, and seeing that she was serious, Jade''s gaze moved over her outfit in a quick nce.

    "This was what you wore earlier, and there is nothing wrong with wearing jeans trousers, and a t-shirt...."

    "A faded jeans trousers and a T-shirt that says ''Best mom in the world.'' I wore that to my brother''s ce of work, and people saw him showing me around," Candaceined, feeling frustrated that Jade wasn''t getting her point.

    "Did Harry say anything to give you the impression that he didn''t like your outfit?" Jade asked, and Candace sighed.

    "It''s not about Harry, okay? It''s about me. Everyone else is doing great. You all are aplished and look so smart. Look at my father. He owns HAJ Studios. My twin brother is a CEO at I-Global. You are an aplishedwyer. Lucy is a director at I-Global. I am like nothingpared to all of you. And when Harry decides to introduce me to everyone else, what will he say? I have no aplishments for him to be proud of," Candace cried, tears spilling from her eyes.

    Okay. This was clearly an issue of low self-esteem, Jade deduced as shefound a spot by the side of the road and pulled over before taking Candace''s hand.

    "I don''t think you are nothing. And I know neither Aaron, Harry nor Lucy thinks so. I would never have survived all you survived. Look at you, Candace! You are beautiful! You are strong! You even raised an amazing kid like Jamal. How could you ever think you are nothing? Yes, you weren''t dressed in your best clothes, so what? Listen, we will go to the nearest clothes store we can find and get you some pretty impressive clothes, and if you want, we can both go to Harry''s office tomorrow and make another first impression if that''s what you want. I don''t mind wearing this T-shirt and trousers when we go there tomorrow," Jade said, trying to make her smile.

    Candace took a deep breath, "I don''t know, Jade...."

    "Then you can trust me as you''ve always done, Candace. I know enough for two. And stopparing yourself to everybody else in your head. Only a smart person can study to be awyer. Besides, have you forgotten already that you are my intern? Just take it easy on yourself, okay? In the next couple of years, this will be a distant memory," Jade assured her as she squeezed Candace''s hand.

    Candace nodded, "Thanks."

    "Come on, cheer up. We will get you some clothes and then go over to inspect the fake crime scene. When we are done, we will find somewhere to rx and talk for a bit before I go back home to get ready for my date," Jade said, buzzing with excitement as she started driving again.

    "Why do I feel like you just want to use me to kill time?" Candace asked suspiciously, and Jade grinned.

    "I don''t think I can stay home doing nothing while waiting," Jade confessed, and Candace giggled.

    "You should be well rested before your date...."

    "I''ve been resting for long enough. Now I just want to get home, get dressed, open the door, and see Harry," Jade said, and Candace shook her head.

    "What do you see in Harry anyway?" Candace asked, and Jade turned to look at her incredulously.

    "What do you mean what do I see in him? Harry is the best guy in the world. He is everything. Aplete package," Jade said, and Candace rolled her eyes, even though she was pleased that Jade felt this way about Harry.

    "Good for you both. That''s a dress store over there. Pull over," Candace ordered, pointing at the building quickly, and Jade did as she asked.

    By the time they walked out of the dress store an hourter, Candace had ditched her jeans and t-shirt and was now dressed in a coral-colored sleeveless turtleneck jumpsuit with white zers and a pair of white high-heeled sandals to match.

    "Now I feel like I''m your intern," Jade said as they ced the shopping bags in the backseat of the car, and Candace giggled.

    "Will you be very surprised if I tell you I''ve never dressed up this way?" Candace asked, and when Jade looked at her with a raised brow as they got into the car.

    Candace shrugged, "I''ve never had a reason to. I went from working at a bar and restaurant to living with Jero and having Jamal to being a stripper. And I dress casually when going to school. I''ve always wanted to dress up this way and feel like a brilliantdy who has got her life put together," Candace exined, and Jade felt tears gather in her eyes.

    "There''s a feel to it, you know? You must be so used to it that you won''t get what I''m saying," Candace said as she looked down at her clothes in admiration.

    She looked like a kid. Jade thought as she turned away from Candace to brush off her tears.

    Damn, Sara! It was all Sara''s fault!

    "Let''s go to the fake crime scene! I feel like a true intern now," Candace said with a wide smile, oblivious to Jade''s sadness.

    "Sure."

    "I''m curious about this case, though. Can you tell me more about it?" Candace asked, and Jade told her everything she needed to know as they headed to the scene.

    As expected, there wasn''t much blood around to indicate that whatever had happened to Adam had happened right there.

    "This doesn''t make sense," Candace murmured after they had looked around for a moment.

    "I already told you it''s a fake crime scene, so you shouldn''t expect anything here to make sense," Jade said, and Candace nodded.

    "You are right. I just think if they nned on making this ce look like the actual crime scene, they should have put more thought into it. And why didn''t they make sure he was dead before doing this?" Candace asked with a shake of her head.

    "It was probably a spur-of-the-moment decision. She didn''t n to hurt him, but when she mistakenly did so and thought he was dead, she decided to make the most out of the situation," Jade reasoned as she took some snapshots.

    "Let''s get out of here. Our job here is done," Jade said, and they both returned to the car.

    "That''s Tom''s hotel, right?" Candace asked when she saw the I-Global hotel ahead of them.

    "Yeah," Jade said as she nced at her wristwatch. It was past 3 p.m.

    "I''m hungry. I skipped breakfast," Jade murmured.

    "Me too. Let''s stop over at the cafe over there," Candace suggested, and a minuteter, Jade drove into the parking lot of the cafe.

    "Isn''t that Bryan?" Candace asked as they got out of the car and sighted Bryan going into the cafe.

    "What is he doing here?" Jade mused as they both headed inside.

    "What do people do at cafes?" Candace asked dryly and stopped abruptly when she saw who Bryan was greeting.

 Chapter 599 Gemima

    599 Gemima

    If Candace had not pointed out the cafe and asked to have lunch there, she would have believed that Jade had deliberately brought her here so they could run into Matt. But seeing how it had been her own decision, she marveled at the way the universe pulled it off.

    She remembered during his visit to the hospital he had said he would visit Jamal at Tom''s ce some time this week (chapter 413). It was funny how she had forgotten about it and only just remembered now.

    Immediately Jade sighted Matt, she turned to Candace, "We can go somewhere else," she offered.

    "Make up your mind before he looks this way," Jade whispered when Candace said nothing, and just then Matt who wasughing over Bryan''s joke looked up, and saw them.

    "Toote to bolt. He has seen you," Jade announced as though Candace was blind.

    "For god''s sake Bryan! I asked you not to let her know I was here," Matt hissed under his breath.

    "Let who know what?" Bryan asked in confusion and turned to look behind him to see who Matt had seen.

    "Oh, wow! Even Sonia didn''t know we were meeting here, so it has to be a coincidence," Bryan said as he waved at Jade and Candace.

    "There is no need to leave without saying hello," Candace said with a shrug.

    Matt wasn''t her enemy after all. Thest time they met they had parted on friendly terms. She was pretty sure this awkwardness was mostly one-sided since she was the guilty party. She also reminded herself that Matt had been out on a date the other day, so he must have moved on.

    "Alright. Let''s say hello to them. Get whatever we want, and scoot. We can eat in the car," Jade offered as she waved back and approached their table.

    "What coincidence? You expect me to believe that?" Matt asked incredulously, but his face did not give away anything as he smiled at thedies and rose.

    "So, what? You think she heard you were in Ludus and ran all the way over here to run into you after rejecting you?" Bryan asked with a scoff as he rose and Matt red at him.

    He did have a point, Matt thought.

    "Hello, beautifuldies!" Matt greeted pleasantly as he embraced Jade and shed Candace a smile.

    "It''s always good to see you, Matt. I didn''t realize you were in Ludus," Jade said, and he shrugged.

    "Got in a while ago," Matt exined and then looked at Candace again.

    "Hello, Candace!"

    "Hi!" she responded awkwardly without meeting his gaze.

    "It''s been a while. How is everything going with you? And how is Jamal?" Matt asked, and Candace risked a nce at him.

    "Great! He is great. Everything is great!" she said, wishing they could leave now.

    "You look gorgeous, Candace," Bryan said as he admired her outfit.

    "Thanks," Candace said with a polite smile, doing her best not to look at Matt again.

    "What are you both doing here?" Bryan asked Jade curiously.

    "We went to inspect the crime scene. Candace is working with me as an intern. We decided to stop over and get something to munch on...."

    "Why don''t you both join us, then? We have been standing for a while now and people are watching," Bryan suggested, and Jade turned to Candace who quickly shook her head to Matt''s relief.

    Thest thing he wanted was to be in the same space as Candace. Yes, he had no hard feelings toward her, but he was yet to sessfully get over her and running into her like this was just going to just make things hard for him.

    "I was going to call you after leaving here, Jade. Let''s speak privately for a moment. You both can catch up," Bryan suggested, and walked over to another table with Jade, leaving Matt alone with Candace.

    Matt cursed Bryan in his mind as he held out a seat for Candace, "You should sit," he suggested, and Candace sat down stiffly, praying that Jade would be quick.

    They were both silent for a moment and Candace''s gaze was fixed on her hands which were resting on her thighs.

    A waiter came to their table to ask them if they wanted anything, and they both said they didn''t. Eating alone together would look like they were on a date and they both didn''t want that.

    "You look quite different. Beautifully so," Matt observed, and she looked at him.

    "It''s just the clothes. I got them earlier. I wanted to look smart beside Jade as her intern," she exined awkwardly.

    "No. It''s not the clothes. The clothes do look good on you, but you look beautiful," Matt said, thinking she looked brighter.

    "Thanks," Candace said with a nod.

    "You don''t have to take it the wrong way. It''s only apliment, I''m not trying to hit on you," Matt assured her.

    "I wasn''t going to take it anyway. I know you have moved on," Candace said, and Matt nodded.

    "Yeah," Matt said, and Candace swallowed, feeling oddly disappointed that he did not deny it.

    "You still haven''t heard from your sister yet, have you?" he asked, and she shook her head.

    "No. No news from her yet," she said, and they both turned when a pretty youngdy approached them.

    "Hello! I''m sorry to interrupt. I''m a huge fan. Can I get a picture?" she asked shyly, and Matt shrugged.

    "Sure," he said, and she turned to Candace with an apologetical smile.

    "I''m sorry," she said, and Candace nodded as she watched the girl lean close to Matt and take a selfie.

    On seeing that, the others who were hanging around but didn''t have the confidence to walk up to Matt approached them too and Candace smiled awkwardly as she watched them.

    "I''m sorry," Matt said apologetically after they had left, and she shook her head.

    "It''s fine. You''re a celebrity after all," she said, and Matt nodded.

    "One of the reasons you don''t like me," Matt said with a grin and Candace opened her mouth to deny it, but he shook his head.

    "By the way I heard about you meeting with your family. I''m happy for you," Matt said changing the subject.

    "Thanks. Do you still n to see Jamal while you are here? He''s at Harry''s. He will be happy to see you," Candace said, and Matt smiled.

    "Sure. I should. I will arrange to see him before leaving," Matt said, and they were both visibly relieved when Jade and Bryan returned to the table.

    Candace rose immediately, giving Jade a let''s get out of here look.

    "We will just get what we need and be on our way. I have a date to prepare for," Jade announced as Bryan sat down.

    "Bye," Candace murmured to the guys.

    "You guys enjoy yourself. See you some other time, Matty," Jade said and linked her hands with Candace as they went to the counter to get some snacks.

    "She looks so chic, doesn''t she?" Bryan asked, and Matt red at him.

    "Was that the reason you left me alone with her? What did you have to discuss with Jade that couldn''t wait untilter?" Matt hissed.

    "You both are not enemies. How would you know you''re over her if you don''t spend time with her? Candace is practically family now, and you are bound to run into her often as long as we remain friends. Signing with I-Global where her twin brother works guarantees that too," Bryan pointed out.

    "I should reconsider our friendship then. And I should definitely think twice about signing with I-Global. Thanks for...."

    "Matt, darling! I was wondering where you went to," an excited feminine voice called from the doorway causing heads to turn.

    Jade and Candace who were still standing by the show ss also turned to see who it was. It was the beautiful model, Gemima. One of the numerous celebrities Matt had been romantically associated with in the past.

    She was dressed in a skimpy ck dress and gold diator heels. They looked from her to Matt who was now standing to greet her.

    Matt tried not to wince or look in Candace''s way as he weed Gemima who gave him a full lip kiss right there, not caring that they had an audience.

    "Gem, you do realize we are in a public ce, right?" Matt asked as he pulled away.

    "Will you feel better if I kiss Bryan too?" she asked, and Bryan shook his head.

    "Don''t think about it. My girlfriend is going to rip you apart if you try that," he warned and nced in Jade''s direction in time to see her and Candace walking out of the cafe.

    "I can at least peck you," Gemima said as she did just that, and then she sat on the seat Matt held out to her.

    "So, what''s up? I was surprised to receive your text," Gemima said, looking at Matt a happy smile.

    "What text? Are you both getting back together?" Bryan asked incredulously.

    "Why do you sound like that''s such a bad thing?" Gemima asked, mildly annoyed.

    "It''s not bad, it''s terrible! And I don''t approve!" Bryan said, and Gemima scowled at him.

    "We are never getting back together. I asked her toe keep mepany since I was bored. Gem, don''t attach any meaning to it, okay? We both know we are not good for each other," Matt said and Gemima sighed.

    "But you know I want us to get back...."

    "If it''s going to be difficult for you, you can just forget my text and leave," Matt said, and she raised a hand.

    "Fine. It''s fine. I will keep youpany if that''s all you want," Gemima promised.

    "I need to be alone with Bryan. Maybe you can go back to my suite and wait, or do whatever you want until I''m done," Matt suggested, and she rose.

    "Try not to keep me waiting for too long," she said as she red at Bryan before walking away.

    "What are you doing?" Bryan asked under his breath.

    "I just told you I was bored and invited her...."

    "If you were bored you could have called me over. I''m in Ludus....."

    "You don''t have boobs. Sex with Gemima has always been great. I need the distraction."

    "Have you forgotten how she used you?" Bryan asked in disbelief.

    "I haven''t forgotten. Now I''m the one using her to keep my boredom at bay. So can you please drop the subject now? I''m really not in a good mood right now," Matt said irritably.

    "I don''t want to see you get hurt," Bryan said, and Matt grinned.

    "What a girly thing to say. What was the news you were going to share earlier?" Matt asked, changing the subject.

    "Oh, that!" Bryan said with a grin.

    "Shit! I''ve forgotten all the lines I memorized. I''m going to be a daddy," Bryan announced in a low but excited voice, and Matt''s eyes widened in disbelief.

    "What?" he asked, and Bryan chuckled as he bobbed his head.

    "It''s Sonia, right?" he asked suspiciously, and Bryan raised a brow.

    "Who else would it be?" Bryan asked and watched as Matt''s shocked face transformed to a happy smile.

    "You lucky bastard! I always thought I was going to beat you to it!" Matt eximed as he shook Bryan''s hand happily.

    "We are keeping it a secret right now. Only the family is aware," Bryan said, and Matt nodded.

    "Sure. So what''s your n? Are you going to wife her or do you just want her to be your baby mama for now?" Matt asked in a low voice.

    "I''m thinking of proposing to her this weekend. I want to be married to her before the pregnancy bes public knowledge," Bryan exined, and Matt grinned.

    "Why the hurry? You want to make an honest woman out of her, huh?"

    "That sounds so old-fashioned. I have always wanted to get the order right. Marriage then kids. Not kids then marriage. I told you before that I want Sonia to be my wife. So it may being earlier than nned, but it''s what I want," Bryan said, and Matt raised a brow.

    "Have you asked if that''s what she wants? Do you know if she wants that too?" Matt asked and Bryan shook his head.

    "I believe she wants it too, but just to be sure I asked Jade to find a way to ask Sonia about it. And to find out the sort of proposal Sonia might prefer. I don''t want to involve her best friend, Lucy. I can''t trust her not to tell Sonia about my ns," Bryan said, and Matt grinned.

    "Alright. I guess you are telling me this because you want me to be present?" Matt asked, and Bryan nodded.

    "Of course. You are going to be my best man, you know?" Bryan asked, and Matt chuckled.

    "Sure. I''m d it worked out between you two. Apart from the fact that I love Sonia, I think she is your perfect match," Matt said, and Bryan nodded.

    "I think so too, even if I some times feel frustrated by her independence and stubbornness."

    "I''m sure you will both be fine. I will stop by the house to see her tomorrow," Matt promised as he nced at his wristwatch.

    "I should go join Gemima," Matt said, and Bryan scowled.

    "You still have feelings for Candace, you know?" he asked, and Matt shrugged.

    "Doesn''t change anything," Matt said as he rose.

    "She has feelings for you too," Bryan added as he rose up top.

    "Still doesn''t change anything. She is alright now and won''t be needing me to y friend, protector or whatever. Give Sonia a kiss for me," Matt said as they both walked out of the cafe.

 Chapter 600 I Forgive You

    600 I Forgive You

    "Are you alright?" Jade asked after they had driven in silence for a while.

    She had nned on spending the time talking about her love for Harry, but this was hardly the time to rub her love life in Candace''s face.

    "Sure. Why not?" Candace asked in a chirpy tone.

    "It must have been awkward for you earlier, right?" Jade asked, and Candace shrugged.

    "Sure. But it wasn''t so bad. Matt isn''t my enemy you know? We patted on good terms, so it wasn''t so bad," Candace said still sounding cheerful as she bit into her donut.

    "I don''t think she is his girlfriend. They''ve shot ads together in the past, you know?" Jade said, and Candace shrugged dismissively.

    "They don''t look bad together. She could be his girlfriend or not. It really doesn''t make any difference to me, Jade. So please stop trying to cheer me up like I just caught my boyfriend with anotherdy," Candace said, giving her a pointed look and Jade sighed.

    Seeing that Candace was bent on acting like she was fine and everything was okay, Jade decided not to push it even though she had seen the sh of jealousy in Candsce''s eyes when they saw the kiss the model shared with Matt.

    "Alright. I''m d you''re fine. By the way, Bryan and Sonia are expecting a baby," Jade told Candace and smiled when Candace screeched happily.

    "Oh, my God! That is so wonderful! Was that the reason he asked to speak with you privately?" Candace asked excitedly, and Jade shook her head.

    "No. He wants to propose to her. He asked me to discreetly find out from Sonia if she is ready to settle down, and the kind of proposal she might prefer. I was thinking you will do it with me. She might be suspicious if I bring up such a conversation, but if we both happen to be talking about it while she is within earshot I''m sure she would just join in the conversation and not give much thought to it," Jade exined, and Candace grinned.

    "You know, I expected such a news from Tom and Lucy. It''s sort of unexpected and cute in a funny way to see Bryan and Sonia get married," Candace said, feeling happy that she was going to be a part of something so beautiful.

    "Tom and Lucy, right? Those two look more coordinated and seem more like the marriage and family type. Bryan and Sonia are more the forever boyfriend and girlfriend type," Jade said and they both giggled.

    "I agree with you on that."

    "Are you passing the night at Harry''s?" Jade asked, and Candace nodded.

    "Yeah. Since Harry will be out on his date with you, Jamal and I will stay home with Aaron. So feel free to release him tomorrow," Candace said with a wink, and Jadeughed.

    "I will Keep that in mind. Thanks," Jade said, and they bothpsed into silence.

    The silence was broken by the sound of Jade''s ringtone and she tapped on her earpod to receive the call when she saw it was her mom.

    "Hello, soon-to-be Grandma!" Jade greeted with a grin and Evelynughed gaily.

    "Hello, you! Where are you? I haven''t set my eyes on you all day. Are you not supposed to be getting ready for your date?" Evelyn asked excitedly.

    She was very happy with her life and everything right now. Her children were all doing well. Even though she had been worried about Tom and Lucy''sck of marriage ns, she couldn''t be bothered about it right now. Now when Bryan and Sonia had given her what she wanted.

    She was expecting her first grandchild, and Jade was finally in a rtionship. Tom had Lucy, Bryan and Sonia, and now Jade had Harry. They had all found wonderful partners for themselves and she felt really happy and fulfilled.

    "I will be home soon. I had to take care of something first," Jade exined as she nced at her wristwatch.

    It seemed like the time was running now. This whole time the day had been going slowly and all of a sudden it was almost 5 p.m. already. Wasn''t it just past 3 when they left the crime scene? Jade mused.

    "I can take a cab. You don''t need to take me home," Candace offered, knowing that Jade was going to bete.

    "Are you sure you don''t mind?" Jade asked, not bothering to pretend.

    "I''m not a kid, Jade. I can find my way home myself. And I don''t want you to keep my brother waiting. It''s your first date and you''ve been waiting a long time for this. So let me take a cab, and go get ready," Candace said, and Jade looked at her apologetically.

    "I''m really sorry. You know I nned to drop you off and say hello to Aaron."

    "You don''t have to be sorry. I''m sure he won''t mind when I tell him you were in a hurry to meet up with your date. Pull over so I can get a cab," Candace said, and Jade did as she requested.

    Jade got out of the car and assisted her in taking out the other bags while she hailed a cab.

    Once Candace got into the cab, she waves at Jade as the cab drove off, and she sighed, grateful that she was alone now.

    She needed some time to herself before facing her father and Jamal. She knew that after now the only time she would have time to herself was at night after everyone else had gone to bed, and she couldn''t wait until then to analyze her conversation with Matt and her feelings.

    From the little time she had spent in that cafe she had deduced three things. The first was that she still liked Matt very much and was still very drawn to him now as she had been in the past. The second was that she didn''t like seeing him kissing someone else. And the third was that she still didn''t intend to do anything about the state of their rtionship or friendship.

    As sweet as the whole love thing was, she wasn''t ready for it yet. She wanted to put her life in order. Get a degree, get a good job, be someone she can be proud of, for herself, and for her family. Only after that could she let herself get involved.

    She was still too ashamed of herself to want to be with someone like Matt. Unlike many women, she didn''t believe she needed a man toplete her or to fix her life. She had made that mistake once, with Jero. Thinking a man was what she needed to make her feelplete. She wasn''t going to repeat it. She would fix her life and then find love. It could be with Matt or with anyone else.

    Away from there, the Miller sisters were all gathered together in Lisa''s hospital room with Bernice''s boys running around the ce, to Ron''s displeasure.

    "Do you think maybe I should talk to her?" Anita asked her sisters, referring to Jade.

    They were all still deliberating on the wisdom of letting Jade handle the case, especially considering the fact that they were all pointing to their mother as the suspect.

    "I already did. What more could you possibly want to say to her? She made it clear that she would hand off it if I asked her to. She sounded more like she was doing us a favor," Tiffany said with a sigh as she watched Lisa breastfeed her baby.

    "It does look like she is doing you a favor. I''m still wondering why she is doing this when every otherwyer is too scared of Adam''s family to take up the case," Anita said thoughtfully.

    "Maybe they are trying to show they hold nothing against you after that apology video you released," Bernice said to Anita.

    "Keep the noise down, boys!" Bernice called out to her kids.

    Lisa studied her sisters quietly, d to see that they were all on the same team and could now see their mother for all she was.

    "What do you think, Lisa?" Anita asked, since she trusted Lisa''s judgement more than that of the others.

    "We have been through this three times already. I think she must have a personal interest in the case to have taken it up not considering Adam''s family background. But I doubt she would take it up just to sabotage it. If the Hanks want toe after you, I believe they have better and more effective ways to do it than to resort to such means. So, you should all rx and let thedy do what she wants to do. Neither of you is implicated in the case after all," Lisa said matter of factly.

    "You have a point. It doesn''t make sense that she will take up the case because she wants to punish me," Anita said with a nod, and then looked at the delightsome bundle on Lisa''s arm.

    "Lisa, can I hold her now? I will scrub my hands and even sanitize them if you want me to," Anita pleaded.

    "We should all be allowed to hold her. I can''t believe you''re keeping our niece away from us," Tiffany said, scowling at Lisa.

    "I will let you hold her soon as I get my fill," Lisa assured them as she smiled down at her baby.

    "And when are you going to get your fill?" Bernice asked dryly.

    "Maybe a year from now," Lisa said with a grin, that earned her a re from all her sisters.

    They all turned to the door when it opened and Benny''s boys ran to greet Rebekah who stepped inside.

    Immediately, Ron who was seated at the other end of the room, giving the sisters room to talk, rose and approached her, "I don''t think you should be here, Rebekah," he said politely.

    "I have to see my grandchild," Rebekah said looking at Lisa and the bundle in her arms.

    "You are not wee here," Lisa said hotly.

    "Calm down, Lisa. We will deal with it," Anita said as she rose to face their mother.

    "We don''t want to create a scene. We have told you all we had to say to youst night. Leave," Anita said, and Rebekah took a deep breath.

    "Aren''t you all being too harsh on me? All these years I''ve done my best��."

    "Your best? Did you just say your best?" Tiffany asked heatedly as she also faced their mother.

    "None of us would be in this mess had you not done your so-called best!" Tiffany hissed angrily.

    Seeing that Rebekah wasn''t going to leave so easily, Ron took Benny''s boys outside to get them snacks.

    "Alright. I did make some mistake. But I''m sorry. I never meant for any of you to get hurt," Rebekah said calmly.

    "Well, we don''t care about whatever your intentions were. We just want you out of our lives," Bernice said without bothering to move.

    "You have no right to judge me, Benny. You of all people should understand. You are exactly like me," Rebekah said, annoyed that Bernice was still acting up when she was guilty of the same offense.

    "I thought I was, hence, I tried to end my life. But since I regained consciousness I''ve realized that I''m nothing like you."

    Rebekah took a deep breath, and reminded herself that she was here to make peace not start an argument, "What do you girls want me to do? Tell me anything you want and I will do it so we can all get past this," Rebekah pleaded.

    "Start by telling us the truth. Did you kill dad?" Lisa asked first.

    "I didn''t! Why would I do such a thing? I loved him!" Rebekah denied vehemently.

    "You loved him yet you cheated on him and abandoned him when he lost everything," Lisa said in disbelief.

    "I''m human. I make mistakes," Rebekah said as tears gathered in her eyes.

    "Did you murder Adam and try to put the me on Jack?" Tiffany asked, and Rebekah looked at her like she had lost her mind.

    "Why would I do that to my sons inw and subject my daughters to such? When I heard the news all I could think about was the two of you and how to keep you safe from it," Rebekah promised, looking more contrite and sincere in that moment than she had her entire life.

    Lisa sighed, "Alright. I guessst night emotions were running high. I forgive you," Lisa said, and her sisters turned to look at her like she had lost her mind.

    "Are you crazy?" Anita asked in disbelief.

    "Have you lost your mind?" Bernice asked angrily.

    "Did having a baby make you go soft?" Tiffany hissed.

    "I mean, she is still our mother, right?" Lisa asked, and then looked at Rebekah.

    "Please excuse us for a moment, I need to talk to them," Lisa said with a small smile, and Rebekah nodded, and smiled at Lisa before stepping out of the room.

    "What is wrong with you, Lisa?" Anita asked with a frown.

    "What was that about? I thought you hated her more than the rest of us?" Tiffany asked in annoyance.

    "Don''t tell me you believe anything she said?" Bernice asked, disappointed.

    "I''m perfectly okay. And I still don''t believe her. I just don''t think we should make mother our enemy. Pushing her away might not be the smartest move since we don''t know what she might do if she loses it. If we want to expose her, we have to stay close to her. That way she will let down her guard," Lisa said, and they all looked at her.

    "I can''t remain close to her. I can''t stand being under the same roof with her even if I wanted to. Besides, have you forgotten the apology video I made mentioning her. It''s going to give the wrong impression about me and all I said there," Anita said with a frown.

    "You should leave as you nned to, Annie. You wanted a fresh start. Leave this to the rest of us. We will take care of it," Lisa promised as she reached out to touch Anita''s hand.

    "So, you are saying we should remain by her side while looking for ways to prove she is behind everything?" Tiffany asked, and Lisa nodded.

    "Let''s make her believe everything is fine. Anita, when shees back in, you can walk out making it clear you want no part in this," Lisa suggested.

    "I can just leave right now," Anita said as she reached for her handbag.

    "You should at least hold her in your arms before leaving," Lisa suggested, and Anita gently carried the baby from her and smiled as she looked down at her while Bernice and Tiffany moved closer to Anita so they could take a closer look at their niece.

    "She is so beautiful," Anita said in awe.

    "Yes, she is. I still can''t believe she came out of me," Lisa said with a proud smile.

    "I''m d I was able to witness her birth as I always wanted to. As much as I would love to hold on to her and spend some more time with you, I have to leave so you can handle the unpleasant family business," Anita said as she returned the baby to Lisa''s waiting arms.

    "So where are you going?" Bernice asked, and Anita shook her head.

    "I have no destination in mind right now. I''m just going to get into my car with my stuff and drive around until I find a ce I''d like," Anita said, and Tiffany nodded.

    "That means you are not going far-away then."

    "I''m going very far-away," Anita assured her, and squeezed Lisa''s hand.

    "Take care of yourself," Anita said, and then turned to Tiffany and Bernice, "You too," she said before walking away.

    As she opened the door, Rebekah looked at her hopefully, "They can forgive you if they want to, but I have no more business with you," Anita said as she walked past her, while Rebekah went into the room and was happy to see that she had won back the hearts of the other three.

    If Lisa coulde around, Anita woulde around. She was sure of that.

 Chapter 601 Game On

    Matt inwardly cursed the luck that made him run into Candace that afternoon as he returned to his hotel suite, where Gemima was waiting for him.

    He didn''t want to think about her. He didn''t want to miss her, and he definitely didn''t want to worry about whether or not she had seen Gemima kiss him.

    Why did he keep feeling like calling her just to let her know there was nothing going on between him and Gemima? It wasn''t like he was cheating on her. She had been the one who rejected him, so why did he have to feel guilty for trying to move on?

    Perhaps he was going about moving on from her the wrong way. Matt mused as he opened the door and walked to the bedroom.

    He paused by the doorway when he saw Gemima positioned sexily in the middle of the bed. She was dressed in a ck fis teddy that reminded him of what Candace had been wearing the first night they met.

    She was wearing high-heeled sandals and sipping from a ss of wine, "I''ve been waiting for you," she said with a sultry smile, and Matt sighed inwardly.

    This was the reason he had asked her to join him, so why was he feeling so annoyed and irritated by it all now? Matt mused as he walked over to the table where she had left the bottle of sparkling wine and poured himself a ss.

    "Are you alright?" Gemima asked as she got off the bed and approached the couch where he was now seated.

    "Have you ever been in love, Gem?" Matt asked, and she looked at him with a nk expression for a moment before smiling at him.

    "I''m not caught out for love, Matt. I''ve been beaten once, and now I''m twice shy. Why do you ask? Do you fancy yourself in love with me? Is that why you asked me over?" She asked, and Matt snorted.

    "I''m in love with someone else. Not you. I''m trying to get over her. Hence I want to see if I can use you to keep my mind off her," Matt said, and Gemima''s smile transformed into a scowl.

    "That''s not a nice thing to say to ady," she said with disapproval as she set down her winess.

    "You don''t expect me to be nice to you, do you? Not after you approached me on purpose, wanting to get involved with me only so you could create a scandal to promote yourself," Matt said, and she sighed.

    "I had to do what I needed to climb thedder of sess. I''m sorry you got hurt but don''t forget that things were good between us. All you had to do was ignore the fact that the scandal was deliberate," she said defensively.

    "In exchange for having great sex with you, all I had to do was let you ride on my coattail," Matt said with a nod.

    "It wasn''t a bad deal, was it?" Gemima asked softly as she ced a hand on his shoulder.

    "It wouldn''t have been if I didn''t find out the truth. I''m not getting back with you, Gem. All I need is yourpany. And it''s going to be on my own terms," Matt said, and Gemima sighed.

    "Alright. So, who is she? Is she a celebrity? What is she like? Why are you trying to forget about her?" Gemima asked as she took off her sandals since it was obvious that Matt wasn''t in the mood to be seduced.

    "She isn''t a celebrity, and she doesn''t want to get involved with me," Matt said, and she looked at him incredulously.

    "Is she crazy? Why would she not want to get involved with a Mr nice guy like you?" Gemima asked, and this time Mattughed easily.

    "I said I don''t want to think about her, Gem. You are supposed to be taking my mind off her, not talking about her," Matt said, and Gemima moved closer to him and rested her head on his chest.

    "I have no idea how I''m supposed to do that. Do you want us to have great sex?" She offered, and Matt smiled.

    "I like you a lot, Gem."

    "I know. And I like you too. And if it makes any difference, I really regretted using you the way I did," Gemima said softly.

    "It''s fine. I''ve forgiven you for it. You taught me not to get involved with celebrities," Matt said, and she sighed.

    "Do you really n to give up on the girl? I mean, if you love her, shouldn''t you try to get her? Maybe if you tell me about her, I can help you," She offered, and Matt groaned.

    "I don''t need your help, Gem. Especially not after she must have seen you kissing me. Now, can you not talk about her? I really don''t want to think about her. Seeing her today was bad enough," Matt pleaded, and even though his statement only made her more curious, she decided not to press.

    "Okay. Let''s just drink, gossip, and have great sex then," she suggested as she refilled her winess and clinked it with his.

    Away from there, Sara paced around her hotel room with her phone pressed against her ear as she listened to Amos.

    "Are you sure about that?" She asked, her heart beating excitedly as she listened to Amos.

    "Yes. I received a visit from one of the sisters at the orphanage home. They called asking for Jade, and I attended to them," Amos said excitedly.

    "And they told you they''ve been able to locate my daughter?" Sara asked, trying not to sound too eager.

    "Yes. They gave me her phone details and home address. I haven''t called her yet. I wanted to report to you before doing that. And I heard she is over there in Ludus. You are still in Ludus, right?" Amos asked, and Sara thanked her good luck since her flight was supposed to leave in two hours.

    "Yes. I''m in Ludus. Send me everything you have on her, and I will reach out to her myself," Sara said before hanging up.

    She was d that despite the fact that she had started the day on a bad note with the useless news about her and Harry, she was going to be ending it on a brighter note.

    She was curious to see her daughter and find out what she had made of herself. Was she as sessful as Harry? Did she look just like her? Was she as bold and driven as she was? Sara mused.

    She turned to the door when she remembered her assistant was still standing there, "Cancel our flight. We won''t be leaving today as nned," Sara instructed as she walked over to look outside the window of her hotel.

    Sara enjoyed watching theings and goings of strangers. Especially those who were beneath her, and we''re struggling to make a living. It made her feel powerful and sessful.

    Maybe things would have been better for her had Aaron not bounced back. Had he been poor and Harry been broke, she wouldn''t have had to do too much.

    Well, she hoped her daughter wasn''t doing so well for herself. She would like to sweep the girl off her feet and fly off with her to get her surgery so she can also get rid of her before Aaron or Harry gets wind of her existence.

    She looked at her phone when it vibrated with a text message notification, and she clicked on it.

    Well, it did seem like the girl wasn''t doing so well for herself, Sara thought with a satisfied smile when she saw the home address, which wasn''t situated in an upscale area.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    A couple of minutester, Sara wasfortably seated in the rental car and on her way to pay her daughter a visit.

    She had it all nned out in her head. She was going to take the girl for a DNA and blood test and then spend the next couple of days fraternizing with the girl while waiting for the result to be out.

    She would do her best to win her heart, and once she was certain the girl was her daughter and the girl was a match, she would convince her to donate part of her liver to her, and in exchange, she would be the one to inherit all she owned.

    Of course, she knew that the poor girl would be very willing to do that. If she agreed, they would get the surgery done, and afterward, she would get rid of the girl.

    If she refused, she would just have to get the liver harvested by other means and still get rid of her.

    Sara snapped out of her thoughts when the car rolled to a stop, and her assistant turned to her, "We are here."

    Sara rolled down the window and looked at the neighborhood, which looked like a ce where druggies and hoodlums lived.

    "Wait in the car," Sara said as she got out of the car and headed to the area where a group of young people was gathered, chattering.

    "Hello!" Sara greeted with a pleasant smile meant for those beneath her.

    Everyone ignored her and continued talking as though they had not heard her voice, "Please excuse me," Sara repeated, the pleasantness gradually seeping out of her smile.

    "I''m here to see Crystal. Do you know where I can find her?" Sara asked, and this time everyone stopped talking, and all eyes turned to her.

    "Why? Did she cause you any trouble?" One of thedies asked.

    So Crystal was a troublemaker? Sara mused.

    "Not at all. Can you point me in her direction?" Sara asked, and thedy smiled.

    "I''m Crystal," she announced, and the othersughed while Sara took a closer look at her.

    There wasn''t much resemnce between them. She did have brown eyes and gold curly hair, but that was as far as the resemnce went where she was concerned.

    What had she expected? That the girl would be the spitting image of her? Of course not! Her beauty was unmatched.

    Her daughter was nowhere halfway as beautiful as she was. Not even a daughter of hers couldpete with her on that. Sara thought with a smirk.

    While Sara assessed her, Crystal decided on the spot that she didn''t like Sara. She recognized the haughty look on Sara''s face. She knew people like Sara who thought that they were better than everyone else.

    And that smirk on her face, whatever it was she was finding amusing, the joke would be on her at the end of the day.

    She could understand why Harry and Candace would want to do something like this to her, and she would enjoy nothing more than to rip the woman off her money, Crystal thought as she tried to maintain a curious and confused face as she stared at Sara.

    "Well? Are you going to stare at me all day, ma''am? When do you intend to state the purpose of your visit?" Crystal asked rudely, still acting like she had no idea who Sara was.

    "Oh! I''m sorry. Is there somece decent around here where we can sit down?" Sara asked, and the others with Crystal snickered since they all shared amon dislike for haughty rich folks.

    "Depends on what we are sitting down to talk about," Crystal said and then turned to her friends.

    "I''ll be right back," she told them as she led Sara away.

    "Who are you? And what do you want?" Crystal asked after they had put a distance between them and her friends.

    Sara took a deep breath, "My name is Sara Walker. Did you grow up in an orphanage home? Sacred Heart, to be precise?"

    "What''s that got to do with you? Everyone knows I''m an orphan. It isn''t news. Since you''re obviously not here for business, we have nothing to talk about," Crystal said and turned to leave, but Sara grabbed her hand.

    "I think you are my daughter. I''m your mother!" Sara announced.

    Crystal turned to look at her with disdain, "You think, or you know? Don''te here spitting shit, ma''am! I''m an orphan. I''ve always been one. I have no reason to believe you''re my mother, and even if it turned out to be true, I have no intention of epting you in my life after living as an orphan all these years, so scram!" Crystal hissed at her as she jerked off her hand, leaving a perplexed Sara. She hadn''t anticipated such a reaction.

    This was only a temporary setback. And she had been wrong toe without a gift. She would go shopping tomorrow and surprise Crystal with gifts that she wouldn''t be able to reject. Sara decided as she headed for her car.

    Crystal had a smug smile on her face as she walked back to join her friends.

    Silly woman. If she thought this was going to be easy for her, she had another thoughting. If Sara was anything like Harry had made her believe, then she was going to enjoy ying this game with her.

    eaglesnov?1,��o�� Harry had said Sara could be dangerous? Well, they had no idea what she was capable of herself. If only they knew.

    Crystal waited until Sara''s car had disappeared before walking away from her friends to dial Harry''s line.

    "Game on. Sara just left here."

    "How did it go?" Harry asked as he headed out of his office in a hurry to go home so he could freshen up and go pick Jade up for their date.

    "It was smooth," Crystal said with a sly smile.

    "You can''t make any mistakes. And don''t forget that you can''t have my number saved on your phone or call me randomly," Harry reminded her.

    "You have nothing to worry about," Crystal promised.

 Chapter 602 First Date

    Harry arrived at Tom''s house exactly fifteen minutes before 6 p.m.

    Standing by his car outside Tom''s house, Harry wasn''t sure if he felt more excited or nervous.

    He couldn''t really ce why he was feeling so nervous now when he had been excitedly looking forward to this moment all day.

    Perhaps it was because he wanted everything to be perfect for their first date, and even though Jade was already eager to be his girlfriend, he still nned to ask her officially.

    He had spent hours the previous night trying to pick out the outfit for their date. He had finally settled on a navy blue suit with a crisp white shirt and a ck tie. Hepleted the look with polished ck dress shoes and a matching belt.

    Harry took a deep breath as he straightened his zers and then went around the car to take out the bouquet he had got her before going to knock on the door.

    Ordinarily, he would open the door and walk in, knowing the door was never really locked, but he was not here on a casual visit, so he had to act ordingly.

    He had been to Tom''s house over a hundred times in the past years, and now he was here, not to see Tom, but to take the only love of his life out on their first date.

    Almost as soon as he rang the doorbell, Evelyn opened the door as if she had been waiting all day for this moment, and she beamed a wide smile as she embraced him before he could say hello.

    "Oh, Harry! Come on in. You''re so wee," she said as she pulled away and patted his cheeks in a fond gesture.

    Harry cleared his throat, "Thank you."

    "I suppose that is for Jade?" Evelyn asked as she took the bouquet from him, "I will give it to her."

    "Make yourselffortable while I will go see if Jade is ready," Evelyn said as she hurried away to join Sonia and Jade upstairs.

    Harry turned when he heard Desmond clear his throat, and he thanked his good sense foring a few minutes earlier.

    He expected that Desmond was going to want to give him the girl''s father talk. Hence he hade earlier so it wouldn''t interfere with the time for their date.

    "Hello, Mr Hank," Harry greeted politely.

    "You are not in haste, are you?" Desmond asked, hiding his amusement at how tense Harry seemed.

    "I''m not," Harry assured him, and Desmond nodded.

    "Come chat with me for a moment," Desmond said and led Harry into the Den.

    "I would offer you a drink, but since you''re driving and you''re going on a date, I don''t think I should," Desmond said, and Harry nodded.

    "Fathers never think any man is good enough for their princess, do you know that?" Desmond asked out of the blue.

    "I''ve heard that in movies," Harry said, and Desmond chuckled.

    "Well, you''re hearing it from me now. I love my daughter. I''ve loved her even before she was born. She is priceless to me," Desmond said, and Harry nodded.

    "You are a great young man, Harry. And as much as I think no one is good enough for her, I think you''re more than good enough," Desmond said, and Harry looked at Desmond in surprise.

    "I''m ttered..."

    "There is no reason to be," Desmond cut in.

    "Jade can be a handful. She is stubborn, and she is still dealing with a lot of stuff that she might not mention to you. All I ask is that you be patient with her. I want you to love her even more than I do. And please do not break her heart," Desmond said as tears gathered in his eyes.

    Even though it was just their first date, for some reason, he felt like he was giving her away in marriage to Harry already.

    "I love Jade, and her heart is safe with me. You never have to worry about her," Harry promised, and Desmond nodded.

    "That is good enough. Let''s go back before she begins to search for you," Desmond said as he rose.

    "Thank you, Mr Hank," Harry said softly.

    "Desmond. I think that''s the only problem I have with you. You never listen. The next time you call me Mr Hank, I''m going to ask Jade to break up with you," Desmond threatened as he walked past Harry.

    They both got to the living room in time to see Jade descending the stairs.

    Harry forgot to breathe for a second as he watched Jade descend the stairs.

    She was dressed in a knee-length ck dress that hugged her curves in all the right ces. The dress had a V-neckline that showed off just enough skin to make Harry''s heart race. She paired it with a pair of ck pumps, which made her legs look long and toned.

    As for her hair, it was styled in loose curls, and shepleted her beautiful look by wearing minimal makeup, letting her natural beauty shine through.

    As they met at the foot of the stairs, Harry couldn''t help but admire how stunning Jade looked.

    Jade smiled, holding Harry''s gaze as she descended the stairs slowly, while Evelyn and Sonia, who were following behind Jade, giggled, knowing that he wasn''t even seeing them.

    Desmond, who was standing beside Harry, smiled proudly as he watched Jade, and he winked at Evelyn when their gaze met.

    Watching Jade descend the stairs with Harry standing there, they were reminded of the first time the pair had met.

    Harry''s gaze held the same look of awe he had when she ran down the stairs fully covered in her sweater and jeans, with her face flushed with cold.

    It seemed to them that no matter what Jade was dressed in, Harry was constantly in awe of her existence.

    "Why do you look so stunned? You''ve always known I''m beautiful," Jade said with a teasing smile when she stopped in front of Harry, and he smiled into her eyes.

    "The stunned lookes with the role. I have to act stunned to feed your ego," Harry said, and Jade threw back her head andughed gaily, easing both their nervousness since she had been just as nervous as he.

    "I received the flowers. They are lovely," she said as she met his gaze again.

    "Someone abandoned them by the roadside," Harry said with a shrug as he held out his arm to her, and Jade smiled as she slipped hers through it.

    "Mighty considerate of you," she said and as if they suddenly remembered they were not alone, they looked at Evelyn and Sonia, who walked past them to join Desmond.

    "Thankfully, Harry is not a stranger to any of you, so there won''t be any need for introductions. We are leaving now," Jade said, and Harry looked at both her parents.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Please, you don''t have to worry about her. I will make sure she is fine, and I will be sure to bring her back in time," Harry promised, and Jade rolled her eyes while Sonia giggled.

    "Jonas, I''m a full-grown-assdy! I don''t need to be back home on time," Jade hissed at him while Desmond and Evelyn smiled at Harry.

    "You both should have fun," Evelyn said simply.

    "And she doesn''t have toe back tonight if she doesn''t want to," Desmond added, making Jade grin at her father while Harry looked away in mild embarrassment, amusing Evelyn and Sonia the more.

    "We will have fun. You should too," Jade said as she leaned forward to kiss her dad and mom before pulling Harry away.

    "Harry is such a gent," Evelyn said with a pleased smile as they closed the door behind them.

    "Jade couldn''t have done better," Desmond said in agreement, and Evelyn nodded.

    Once they got outside, Harry turned to Jade, "Your family is weird."

    "I think you are the weird one."

    "Why would your dad suggest I keep you with me overnight? I mean, he is your dad! He should be protecting you possessively," Harry said as he led her to the car and opened the door for her.

    "Because he understands that I''m an adult, which you obviously do not seem to understand! Maybe I have to undress and show you my body for you to know I''m a full-grown woman," Jade hissed at him.

    "Perhaps you should. Your dress is making me really curious," Harry murmured as he shut the door and went around the car to get into his seat.

    Knowing that Jade was probably getting ready for an argument, the moment he got into his seat, he took her by surprise and kissed her before she could say a word.

    "You are beautiful, esquire. But you look even more so today, and I love your dress," Harry said as he pulled away, and Jade, who had been getting ready for an argument, smiled.

    "Thanks. You look dashing yourself," Jade said, and he took her hand.

    "I know thattely, you must have felt that being my girlfriend or going on this date is more important to you than it is to me. But I just want to let you know that I feel like the luckiest man on earth to be going out on a date with you. I met you four years ago, but I''ve loved you far longer than that. You could never love or want me more than I love and want you even if you tried, esquire. Whatever you think you feel for me right now is nothingpared to what I feel for you. And I want you to always know that your safety,fort, and joy will alwayse first with me," Harry said as he lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her palm.

    Jade couldn''t speak because her throat felt like something had lodged in there, and she was trying hard to blink back her tears so they wouldn''t ruin her makeup.

    Before she could say anything, Harry started the car and headed out, "Where are we going?" Jade asked curiously.

    "Somewhere we can eat and talk," Harry said easily.

    Knowing that he obviously didn''t want to tell her where he was taking her, Jade decided not to push and let herself be surprised.

    "Let''s set out the rule for this date," Jade said, and Harry turned to her with a raised brow.

    "Okay. Go on."

    "The only thing we are talking about tonight is us. I mean the both of us as Jade and Harry without the Hank or Jonas part attached. Let''s get to know each other better and stuff. No talk about anything else," Jade said, and Harry nodded.

    "Sure. What else?" Harry asked, and Jade shook her head.

    "That''s all I can think of. Do you want to add something else?" Jade asked, and Harry considered it for a moment.

    "I think that covers it," Harry said, and Jade smiled.

    "So, how was your day? Or am I not allowed to ask about it?" Harry asked, and Jade narrowed her eyes.

    "It was nice. I''m not giving you details. Maybe tomorrow I can do that," Jade said, knowing that if she did, they would have to start talking about the Miller family and also have to talk about Matt and Candace and other stuff unrted to the both of them.

    Harry smiled, "Alright. So, what do you want to talk about?"

    Jade cleared her throat, "Earlier, you said you met me four years ago but have loved me longer than that. How?" Jade asked, and Harry narrowed his eyes.

    "Why do I feel like you came up with this rule so that you can ask me as many questions as you want about my feelings for you?"

    e��glesn?��el "Nothing is stopping you from doing the same," Jade pointed out.

    "I was with him each time you called toin about something, and he often talked about you. I saw pictures of you. I felt like I knew you even before I met you. I even used to dream about you sometimes," Harry said, feeling slightly embarrassed to admit that.

    "Dream? What sort of dream?" Jade asked with a suggestive smile.

    "Get your mind out of the gutters. It was nothing erotic. I had harmless dreams��."

    "Well, erotic dreams are not harmful, are they?" Jade cut in, and Harry shook his head.

    "You were a teenager. You were still in high school. You were a minor! I''m not a paedophile," Harry said firmly.

    "So what were the dreams about then?" Jade asked with a frown.

    "They were random dreams. Sometimes I y games with you. I was sometimes teaching you math and some times were just talking with you. Once, I dreamt I was married to you," Harry said, and Jadeughed.

    "Really? Did you tell Tom about it?" Jade asked, and he shook his head.

    "Never. Why would I? I felt guilty enough about dreaming of you in the first ce," Harry said, and Jade smiled softly.

    "Was that why you never had a girlfriend?"

    "I was just never interested in anyone enough to want to date them. Am I allowed to check on Tom before we get to the restaurant?" Harry asked, changing the subject.

    "Sure."

    "Thanks," Harry said, and instead of calling Tom directly, he dialled the number of the person in charge of the hotel.

    Once he confirmed that Tom had arrived but was exhausted and trying to get some rest before his meeting, he instructed the man to ask Tom to call him after he was well-rested and hung up.

    "Now you can have me all to yourself for the rest of the evening," Harry said as he drove into the premises of a very exclusive restaurant.

 Chapter 603 Soul Mate

    As Harry and Jade walked into the restaurant, Jade didn''t miss how the doorman greeted Harry very warmly yet politely and how Harry stopped to speak with him and ask questions about his family.

    She noticed the same thing happened as they walked past each staff and each time they did, the staff greeted her with so much respect.

    Once they got into the elevator leading to the rooftop, Jade turned to Harry, "Youe here often? Howe you know everyone here personally?"

    "Because I own the ce," Harry said casually, and Jade''s eyes widened in disbelief.

    "You own this ce?" she asked, and he nodded.

    "Yeah."

    "How?" she asked, and the side of his lips curved.

    "Money," he said simply, and Jade pped his arm.

    "That''s not what I mean! You never told me you owned such a restaurant," she pointed out.

    "It never came up in our discussions, and that is why I chose to bring you here on our first date. It''s part of the getting to know me," he said easily as they got out of the elevator, and Jade smiled.

    "Is Tom aware?" she asked, and Harry raised a brow.

    "Why not? He bought me the restaurant as my birthday gift some years ago," Harry said, and Jade gasped in disbelief.

    "My brother bought you a restaurant?" she asked, still looking at Harry, and he chuckled.

    "Yes, he did. Now stop looking at me and focus on where you''re going," Harry advised.

    "Just so you know, we are not done with this conversation. I can''t believe he got you a restaurant, and every year you people send me some silly...." Jade broke off mid-sentence and stopped walking when she suddenly noticed that flower petals decorated the path they were walking on.

    "Oh, Wow!" she whispered when she realised they were going to be alone on the rooftop since only a table for two there sat there, and the only source of light there were the candles surrounding the table.

    "I didn''t want any interruptions," Harry exined as he took her hand and led her to the table.

    "Oh, Harry!" Jade breathed, and he smiled at her as he held out a seat.

    "You''re so easy to please," Harry said as he brushed her forehead with a kiss and waited until she wasfortably seated before sitting.

    "I''m not easy to please. I just didn''t expect you to do all of this," Jade said, and Harry held her gaze.

    "Why not? It''s our first date. And I really didn''t do anything other than tell them what I wanted for tonight," Harry said, and Jade smiled.

    "The fact that you wanted to do this is what I mean," she said, touched.

    "So, I take it you like it?" Harry asked, and she bobbed her head.

    "I love it," she said with a sweet smile as she watched Harry pour some wine into their sses.

    "That''s good," Harry said with a satisfied smile.

    "So, did Tom really get you this restaurant as your birthday gift? Why?" Jade asked, and Harry raised a brow.

    "I thought we were only going to be talking about Harry and Jade? Why are you bringing up Tom?" Harry asked, and Jade scowled as she picked up her winess.

    "I''m not bringing up Tom. I''m talking about Harry and his restaurant," Jade said before taking a sip.

    "Maybe you should know that this is not the only business I own outside I-Global. And this ce, well, most people do not know I own it apart from the staff. Because of its exclusivity, we are also able to gather exclusive information on people here," Harry said, and Jade raised a brow.

    "What do you mean?" she asked, not wanting to believe it was what she was thinking.

    Harry shrugged, "Not everybody can afford to eat here, and this is most likely not the ce an average person would want to bring their romantic interest for a date. Politicians meet here. Business people meet here. They talk. Deals take ce here. We gather information and use them when necessary to advance I-Global," Harry exined, and Jade''s eyes widened in surprise.

    "You mean you ckmail people?" she asked in disbelief.

    "We wouldn''t have to ckmail anyone if they were doing the right things, right? Besides, it''s not exactly ckmail. We tell them what we know about them, and naturally, they are willing to cooperate," Harry said easily.

    "Don''t they trace it back to the restaurant? Besides, how do you do it? Is the ce bugged, or do you have the staff eavesdropping on their conversations?" Jade asked with interest.

    "Why should they trace it back to a restaurant I have no connection with?" Harry asked, and Jade shook her head.

    "What kind of a person are you, Harry?" she asked curiously.

    "The kind that loves to make your heart race?" Harry asked with a grin, and Jade giggled.

    "You know that''s not what I mean."

    "What kind of a person do you think I am?" Harry asked, gazing directly into her eyes as a waiter came to serve some appetisers.

    "One minute, I think you''re this good and straightforward guy who would never get involved in anything illegal and stuff, and the next minute you do or say something that makes me think otherwise," Jade said, and Harry chuckled as he nced at the waiter who was serving them.

    "What do you think, Nick? Am I good or bad?" Harry asked, and the waiter, who looked like he was in his thirties, smiled.

    "I believe it''s a matter of perspective. To the good, you are good, and to the bad, you can be just as bad," he said, and Harry smiled as he took some money out of his wallet and tipped the waiter.

    "That''s a brilliant response," Harry told Nick, who thanked him and quickly excused himself while Jade continued to watch Harry in puzzlement.

    "There is really nothing to be confused about, esquire. Do you think young men like Tom and I could have survived this long or made it this far if we stuck to just being the good guys? In business, it is eat or be eaten," Harry said easily.

    "So you''re saying you are a good and bad guy?" Jade said, and Harry smiled.

    "I won''t exactly say I''m a good guy, but I will say I am a straightforward guy. Hasn''t it urred to you yet why Tom asked me to protect you? Tom wouldn''t send a good guy toe and babysit you when you''re in danger, would he? What am I? A bulletproof? He would only send someone that is capable of protecting you," Harry said, meeting her gaze squarely.

    "Jesus, Harry!" Jade eximed when it suddenly urred to her what he meant.

    Harry smiled, "This date is about getting to know me, right? I''m putting it all out on the table. I think you should know all that I''m capable of. I''m still the Harry, you know, but I can be much more than that if the situation demands it," Harry said simply.

    "So, you can shoot?" Jade asked, and Harry nodded.

    "Sure. And if I have to, I will."

    "Have you killed someone before?" Jade asked with a frown.

    "You''re awyer. You shouldn''t be asking me that," Harry said simply.

    "Does that mean you have?" Jade persisted.

    "No. I haven''t killed anyone before. I don''t n to. But I''ve inflicted injuries before. I do what I do to protect myself," Harry said, and Jade sighed. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "What about Tom?" She asked, and Harry raised a brow.

    "This is about us. I can''t discuss Tom''s business with you," Harry said simply, and Jade sighed.

    "Any more surprising things you think I need to know about you?" Jade asked, and Harry shook his head.

    "I don''t think so. You should eat," Harry said, jerking his head to the appetisers in front of them.

    Having gotten the tough part of the conversation out of the way, they eased into light and yful conversations, getting to know more about themselves and their preferences. However, it was mainly Harry answering Jade''s questions since Harry knew more about Jade than she knew of him.

    As they talked, dinner was served, but that didn''t stop Jade from telling him all about her experience in college and her friends.

    Harry didn''t miss how she mistakenly mentioned herte boyfriend and quickly tried to switch the subject.

    "You once told me he was your first love, right? (Chapter 315)" Harry asked, and Jade paused only for a second.

    "Yeah. You could call him that."

    "So, you didn''t have any boyfriend in high school? Who took you to prom?" Harry asked, and Jade shrugged.

    "I was among the hottest girls in high school, remember?" Jade asked, giving him a haughty look that made him chuckle.

    "Yeah, you were a member of the Saucy Six, I remember," Harry said, recalling she mentioned being part of a dance group (chapter 294).

    "You have a good memory," Jade said with a pleased smile.

    "I especially don''t forget things that have to do with you," Harry said, and her heart fluttered.

    eaglesnov?1,��o�� "Don''t say stuff like that," Jade said weakly.

    "Why not?"

    "It makes me want to kiss you," Jade confessed, and Harry grinned.

    "So? No high school boyfriend or prom date?" Harry asked, bringing her back to the subject.

    "I didn''t have a boyfriend, but I allowed someone to escort me to prom. There wasn''t a short supply of guys wanting to take me to prom. I guess I just wasn''t interested enough in any of them to date them," Jade said, and Harry nodded.

    "What about you? Did you take any girl to prom?" Jade asked, and Harry shook his head.

    "No. I didn''t ask any to apany me either, even though most of them wanted me to take them," Harry said, and Jade raised a brow.

    "And how did you know that?"

    "Because I got letters from a couple of them. Many of the girls in school had a crush on me. I guess they sort of liked me because I was one of the best in the basketball team, the most intelligent in my ss, good-looking and a loner. I think girls are drawn to stuff like that," Harry said with a shrug.

    "Now I wish I went to your school too," Jade said with a scowl.

    "Why?" Harry asked in amusement.

    "You could have fallen for me, and I would have fallen for you too. We would probably have been Prom King and Queen," Jade said, and Harry chuckled.

    "Don''t you think you''re forgetting we wouldn''t have been in the same ss?" Harry asked, and Jade rolled her eyes.

    "Whatever," she muttered, and he smiled as the waiters came to clear the table.

    "So, how did you meet him? How did you fall in love with him? Was it love at first sight?" Harry asked, and Jade frowned.

    "Should we be talking about him on our first date?" she asked, not wanting to talk about Todd.

    Harry shrugged, "I just want to know about that aspect of your life. This might be thest time we have to discuss him," he said as he continued to watch her.

    Jade sighed, "It wasn''t love at first sight. He was three years ahead of me in college. I got lost while trying to find the cafeteria, I stopped to ask him for directions, and he said he was headed that way. We had lunch together. After that, we ran into each other more often. We naturally became friends, and then he asked me to be his girlfriend. I really liked him so I agreed. But it was mostly because everyone else seemed to have a boyfriend but me. And college wasn''t really like high school, where I had so many guys flocking around me. I fell in love with him in the course of our rtionship," Jade said with a shrug.

    "I see," Harry said as their deserts were served.

    "What do you see?" Jade asked with a slight frown.

    "You," Harry said with a grin and turned to give the waiter a nod before he left.

    "Enjoy your dessert," he said as he jerked his head towards the covered dessert te, which Jade was yet to open.

    He watched Jade with curious eyes as she opened the dish, and his lips twitched when she gasped softly.

    "Harry!" Jade eximed softly when she saw the words written in chocte next to the dessert.

    It was a simple I with a heart symbol and a U, and under it was the request, "Please Be Mine".

    Harry pushed away from the table and rose, extending a hand to Jade, who was looking at him now with an awe-filled expression.

    Jade took his hand, and he pulled her to her feet, "I love you, esquire. Always have and always will. I''m not really cut out for all these drama or romantic gestures, but I know you are (chapter 251). And for you, there is nothing I wouldn''t do to see you happy. Will you be my girlfriend? I know you find me boring and annoying and��."

    "Shut up, Jonas," Jadeughed happily as she kissed him.

    Once her lips touched his, fireworks exploded in the sky above them, and Jade looked up in surprise.

    "You didn''t do that, did you?" She asked, her eyes gleaming with excitement as she watched the disy.

    "Depends on whether you like it or not," Harry said with a satisfied smile as he watched her watch the sky.

    "You''re too good for me, Harry," Jade said with tears in her eyes as she turned to look at him again.

    "Does that mean you agree to be my girlfriend?" Harry asked with a grin.

    "I''ve been your girlfriend for a while now. You just didn''t know it," Jade said with a grin, and Harry chuckled as he lowered his head to kiss her.

    "I don''t think I''m too good for you, esquire. I think we are just perfect together," he assured her before iming her lips.

    Jade couldn''t help all the emotions that swam through her as she returned Harry''s kiss.

    She couldn''t believe she had wasted four years of her life shutting out everything else because of Todd when someone like Harry was out there waiting for her.

    Being with Harry this way was magical and she knew without a doubt in mind that he was her soul mate. The one person she was made to love.

 Chapter 604 Malone

    Lucy wasn''t so sure asking her parents to move to her apartment was such a good idea anymore.

    She hade back from work to meet them, hosting Alicia and Jasmine, and she had been forced to join them in a conversation she had no interest in.

    And almost as soon as she got out of the shower after Jasmine and Alicia left, her mother had asked her to join them for dinner. She had been forced to sit through her mother''s endless chatters when all she wanted was to do was curl up on her bed with one of those books Harry had borrowed her until she slept off so she could count another day gone until Tom''s return.

    "It''s been a while since we spent time together like this, just the three of us," Andrew said with a happy smile as he sat with Lucy after dinner while J went in to freshen up for the night.

    "Yeah," Lucy said with a distracted smile as she picked up her phone to check if she had received any messages from Tom within thest five minutes since shest checked.

    It urred to her earlier at the office that she didn''t have any pictures of Tom on her phone.

    She had wanted to take a look at his picture but had been unable to find any. The only thing she had was the video of Tom and Anita, which Harry had recorded thest time.

    How could they have been dating for some time now and even living together, yet it had never urred to her to take pictures of him or with him?

    She knew without a doubt that that wasn''t the case for Tom since she had caught him taking photos of her on different asions, thest one being during their date together after the spa session.

    And there weren''t that many pictures of Tom on the inte unless, of course, she wanted to watch the video of Alicia''s interview just to see his face, Lucy thought with a sigh.

    "Are you okay, darling?" Andrew asked with concern when he noticed the frown on her face.

    "Yeah. Just a bit distracted," Lucy assured him without looking at him.

    "You must miss Tom," Andrew said knowingly, and this time Lucy looked at him.

    "Yeah. Much more than I thought I would," Lucy admitted, and Andrew smiled.

    It was one thing to have moved out of his house, but it was another to not see him at all for an entire day. She wasn''t even going to count talking to him or the FaceTime. None of those counted.

    She had be so used to him that the longer she spent away from him, the more cranky she realised she was bing, even if she was doing her best to not make it obvious.

    "Tom is good to you, right?" Andrew asked, and Lucy nodded.

    "He is very good to me. I think that is something I''m beginning to realize more and more since he is away," Lucy said softly.

    "So, what is next for your rtionship? What are your ns?" J asked as joined them.

    "J," Andrew called in a warning tone before Lucy could respond, and Lucy was grateful for his interference because she had been at the verge of snapping at her mother.

    Thest thing she wanted to do was fight with her mother, but she was cranky enough to do so at the moment if her mother didn''t drop the subject.

    "What? Can''t I ask her that?" J asked Andrew irritable before turning to Lucy.

    "I told you we were going to talk more about it," J reminded her.

    "I''m starting therapy tomorrow," Lucy said instead, even though she knew that wasn''t what her mother wanted to know.

    "Therapy? What for?"

    "Oh, pumpkin! That is great!" J and Andrew said simultaneously, and Andrew turned to J.

    "What do you mean what for?" he asked with a slight frown.

    "What are you receiving therapy for, sweety? Did something happen with Tom?" J asked Lucy, ignoring her husband.

    "Give me a moment alone with your mom," Andrew told Lucy, and she rose and walked into the bedroom, leaving her parents alone.

    "What is wrong with you, J? Why would you ask her such a question when you know very well she never received therapy all these years?" Andrew asked, trying not to be mad at her.

    "All these years she has been strongly opposed to receiving therapy and all of a sudden she is getting one. Don''t you want to know what prompted it?" J asked, equally annoyed with her husband.

    "Is that the most important thing right now? What is important is that she is receiving one, and you should be happy about it! And stop asking her what her next n is! She is doing well enough already," Andrew snapped at her.

    "I never said she wasn''t doing well. Sonia and Bryan are expecting a baby and��."

    "So what? So what if Sonia is pregnant? Lucy has to get pregnant too because Sonia is pregnant? Are youparing her to Sonia now?" Andrew asked in annoyance, and J red at him.

    "Don''t you dare try to make me feel stupid, Andrew! I care about Lucy every bit as much as you care about her and even more, so don''t stand there and try to make me feel like I''m being unreasonable," she hissed at him.

    "You are being unreasonable," Andrew said with a frown.

    "What is wrong with you? Shouldn''t you be happy enough with the fact that she has a man in her life now and is in a stable rtionship?" He asked irritably.

    "I am happy that she has a man in her life, but��."

    "There are no buts, J. Lucy is an adult. Leave her alone to decide what she wants and at what pace she wants her rtionship to go. Do not pressure her unnecessarily," Andrew warned before walking away to meet Lucy in her bedroom.

    "Dad, you didn''t have to," Lucy said softly since she had overheard all they said, but she didn''t resist when her father embraced her.

    "I had to. I know you must have a lot going on with you, and thest thing you need right now is to be pressured," Andrew said as they both sat on Lucy''s bed.

    "Lucas told you about our phone call, didn''t he?" Lucy asked, and Andrew gave her a nod.

    "Yeah. He was very worried about you and wanted me to make sure you were alright," Andrew said and Lucy sighed.

    "I don''t know what to do, dad. I have no idea what I''m doing," Lucy confessed.

    "Therapy is a good start. I''m sure you will figure it all out," Andrew assured her and she sighed.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "No, fatherly advise?" She asked hopefully.

    "Receive therapy, and take every other thing one day at a time. Stop thinking too far ahead into the future. There are lots of uncertainties in life and there is only so much mistakes that you can avoid," Andrew said simply.

    "What is marriage with mom like? I mean, I know you both bicker half the time, but I know you love each other. Don''t you have fears?" Lucy asked, and Andrew smiled.

    "We all have fears. What I fear most is life without your mother. I fear to think of her dying before me. But I wouldn''t want to push her away just so I don''t suffer the pain if such a thing ever happens. I don''t know if that makes sense," Andrew said, and Lucy nodded.

    "In a way it does. Shouldn''t you go makeup with her? She is probably sulking right now," Lucy said, and Andrew snorted.

    "Let her sulk. She has no problem with being harsh to others, but when the favor is returned she can''t stand it," Andrew said and Lucyughed softly, knowing that he would go to her soon enough as he always did.

    "What do you want, darling? Would you prefer we put a bit of distance between us and Tom''s parents?" Andrew asked, and Lucy shook her head.

    "No, dad. I''m not going to break up with Tom. I''m working to see how I can make things work with him. He is doing his best so I should do mine too," Lucy said, and told her father about the notes she had received from Tom and even the breakfast Adolf brought to the office.

    Andrew smiled, "Tom is a really good man. I hope things work out between you two," Andrew said as he rose.

    "And even if it doesn''t, you will always be my princess. So, do whatever you believe is best for you. Don''t worry about your mother. She caught the grandma fever after Sonia''s announcement. It will pass," he assured her before walking away to find his wife.

    Alone in her bedroom now, Lucy quickly rearranged the bed and went out to let her parents know that they could go in for the night if they wanted.

    Seeing that they were in the middle of a conversation she told them she was going outside for fresh air and walked out of the house with her phone.

    She needed some time alone, and she didn''t mind hiding out in her car to get it.

    As she unlocked her car, her thoughts randomly drifted to Amy and she remembered that she was yet to check on Amy since thest time they both talked.

    Although after hearing from Lucas about what Amy and Miley did, she was mad at them, but she couldn''t just cut Amy off because of that.

    Amy had been there for her when she needed someone, and for that she wouldn''t count whatever Amy and Miley had done to Lucas against her.

    Once she dialed Amy''s line, she waited for some time before Amy received the call, "Lucy?" Amy called, sounding genuinely surprised to hear from her.

    "Hello, Amy! It''s been a while," Lucy greeted pleasantly, and Amy moved further away from the bedroom where Miley was trying to get some rest.

    She had been throwing up all day and the doctor said it was a side effect of the new pain relief medicine she was taking.

    "Yeah. How have you been?" Amy asked cautiously.

    "Good. I''ve been good. How are you doing? How is your friend?" Lucy asked and Amy sighed.

    "We are good. She is getting by daily. I''m sorry I haven''t called you��."

    "Oh,e on! I should be the one apologizing not you. You don''t have to be sorry. I know you must have been busy," Lucy said dismissively.

    Amy hesitated for a second, "I''m sorry to bring this up, but I really feel guilty about how things happened between your brother and us. Did he tell you what happened?" Amy asked, and Lucy sighed.

    "Yes, he did."

    "I''m very sorry, Lucy. I really didn''t mean to hurt or upset him that way. I knew it was wrong of me to make such a request from him. I was just too selfish thinking and worrying about Miley to think about him. I''m really sorry," Amy said, and Lucy smiled.

    "Amy?" Miley called from the doorway, and Amy spun around to look at her.

    "Are you okay? Do you need me to get you something?" Amy asked with concern as she rushed to Miley''s side.

    "I should let you go now. I called to know how you were doing. My regards to Miley," Lucy said, before hanging up immediately.

    "I''m fine. Was that Lucy?" Miley asked, and Amy nodded.

    "Yeah��."

    "Did she say how Lucas is doing?" She asked with concern.

    "We agreed not to talk about him anymore, remember? Besides, you are in no condition to worry about him. Now that we have found someone suitable, why don''t we inform your parents about your health? You are looking paler and getting weaker with each passing day," Amy said with a worried frown.

    "Calm down, Amy. We will inform them soon enough but not just yet. Let''s just get everything sorted out first. By this time next week you should have undergone the procedure, and after that I will introduce Malone to them as my fianc�� and have a small wedding. I will let them know about my health after our honeymoon trip. That way if they decide to get me hospitalized I would have done all I want to do," Miley said weakly as she lowered herself on the couch.

    "How do you know you would be healthy enough to do all of this when your health seems to be deteriorating so rapidly?" Amy asked as she sat down beside her.

    "I will. Don''t worry. Okay?" Miley promised, but looking at her, Amy doubted it.

    "Your parents won''t like this," Amy reminded her for what seemed like the thousandth time.

    "I''m an adult. They don''t have to like my decision to respect it," Miley said, and Amy sighed.

    "Do you think they will ept Malone?" Amy asked, and Miley shrugged.

    "I don''t see any reason why not. Apart from the fact that Malone is a decent guy, he is only a well-paid sperm donor and a loving partner to dote on me in my final days on earth. He already signed the agreement to note anywhere near you or the baby after my demise," Miley reminded her and Amy winced at that.

    Her sixth sense told her she was making a mistake and things might not really work out as easily as Miley was saying it, but she couldn''t take back her promise now.

    She could only hope that whatever happened, Miley''s parents would forgive her and that Miley would at least find peace and joy in herst days on earth.

    Whatever happens afterward she would find a way to deal with it.

 Chapter 605 Everything And More

    605 Everything And More

    As Harry drove Jade back home, he noticed she was unusually silent and turned to her, "Are you alright?"

    "Better than I''ve been in a while," Jade assured him as she turned to sh him a smile.

    "Why are you so quiet then?" he asked, and she sighed as she settled into her seat.

    "I can''t seem to stop going through the detail of the entire evening over and over again, Jonas. It was so perfect," she whispered softly, and Harry smiled.

    "The evening is not over yet, esquire. So why don''t you save that for when you''re alone and give me your attention?" Harry suggested, and she nodded.

    "You''re right. I definitely should do that. Sorry," she said as she turned to look at him.

    "Can we talk about stuff outside the two of us now?" Harry asked, and Jade narrowed her eyes.

    "Who do you want to talk about?"

    "How long do you think it would take to resolve the case?" Harry asked, and Jade sighed thoughtfully.

    "Hmmm, it shouldn''t take too long. All we need is for Mr. Bateman to give me what we need to prove Rebekah murdered her husband. Once he has done that, I can proceed to reveal everything. That way, she won''t have anyone on her side to help her out since I''m going to expose every one of them in court," Jade said with a shrug.

    "Including Jackson?" Harry asked, and she nodded.

    "He isn''t exactly innocent now, is he? Adam''s family helped him and his father cover up their corruption and other crimes. They should all go down once and for all," Jade said, and Harry smiled.

    "How do you intend to do that when you''re defending him?" Harry asked, and Jade shrugged.

    "When there is a will, there is always a way," Jade said, and Harry nodded.

    "What about the sisters?" he asked, and she paused her lips for a moment.

    "I honestly don''t think they''re that bad. They are conceited, yes. But they are redeemable. At least that''s what I got from attempted suicide," Jade said, and Harry raised a brow.

    "You believe they are redeemable, but you don''t think Jackson is redeemable?"

    "We have no record of any of the sisters hurting anyone before now. Anita showed she is redeemable by releasing that video. Bernice showed the same in her attempted suicide. Tiffany showed the same by trying to expose her mother, even if she is a lesbian who might benefit more from divorcing her husband and letting him take the fall for the crime. I think without their mother in the picture, they will all turn out alright. Jackson, on the other hand, hasn''t done anything to show he is redeemable. Being in love with his sister-inw and trying to protect her might be cute, but he hasmitted other sexual crimes against other women in the past (chapter 307), and he walked away without a scratch. As far as I''m concerned, he is just a jerk who has been caught up in a mess he didn''t create. I like to believe this is Karmaing for them all," Jade said, and Harry chuckled.

    "You are merciless. I like that."

    "We show mercy to people that deserve it. He doesn''t deserve it. I''m clearing him for murder as I told them I would, but that is as far as I will go," Jade said, and Harry nodded.

    "As soon as you''re done with this case, let''s go for a vacation then," Harry said casually, and Jade''s eyes lit up as she turned to him.

    "Really?"

    "Yeah!"

    "Then I''m just going to have to hurry it up...."

    "You can''t make any mistakes, esquire. Take your time and do a thorough job," Harry cut in, and she rolled her eyes as he drove into Tom''s premises.

    "Sure, I will."

    Once Harry parked the car, he turned in his seat to look at Jade, "I had a wonderful time, as always, with you."

    "No. I disagree," Jade said, and Harry raised a brow.

    "I always have a wonderful time with you. But there was nothing as always as tonight. It was entirely different," Jade exined, and Harry chuckled.

    "Is that so?" he asked as he reached out to touch her face.

    "Yeah. Thanks, Jonas. If I weren''t already crazily in love with you, I definitely would have fallen head over heels for you tonight," Jade said as she gazed into his eyes.

    "Why do you love me, esquire?" he asked curiously.

    "I don''t think there is a particr reason. I feel safe and happy when I''m with you. I feel like I can be myself around you even though I know you will scold me when I do something I shouldn''t. I think you''re my soulmate," Jade said, and Harry took her hand and lifted it to his lips.

    "I think you''re mine too. So you should know that I''m going to ask you to marry me exactly six months from now. Take your time to think about it," Harry said, making Jade''s heart skip several beats.

    "Harry!" she eximed.

    "I know what I want with you, esquire..."

    "What do you want?" Jade asked softly.

    "I want a home with you. I want a family with you. I''m not going to spend so much time dating you. I know the basic things I need to know about you, the rest I will slowly unravel in marriage. I''m going to spend the next six months courting you. Don''t worry; this isn''t the proposal. I''m just making my intentions known so I don''t take you by surprise. I will do my best to make it as dramatic as I know you will want it to be," Harry promised, while Jade just stared at him speechlessly.

    "Why wait for six months if you''re so sure then?" she asked, and Harry smiled.

    "We have so much to do in six months," he said, and she cocked her head to the side.

    "Like?"

    "Like get your ex out of your system for good...."

    "He is already out of my system," Jade protested.

    "I want you to be able to hear or call his name without flinching or freezing. I don''t want the thought of him to have any effect on you other than indifference. The only name I want to affect you in any way is mine," Harry said, and Jade grinned.

    "Well, your name affects me a lot already. What else?" she asked curiously.

    "Last time, you said you needed time to work on the effects yourst rtionship had on your personality. We will work on making you the best version of yourself," Harry said, and Jade giggled softly.

    "Really? How do you intend to do that?" she asked, and Harry shrugged.

    "By giving you back everything he stole from you and making you see yourself as the priceless treasure you are," Harry said, and Jade took a deep breath, but before she could speak, she noticed a naughty glint in Harry''s gaze and narrowed her eyes to hear what he had to say next.

    Harry gave her a naughty smile, "And we also need to test our sexualpatibility and the likes in six months," he added, making Jade''s jaw drop.

    "Sexualpatibility? You''ve never even done...."

    "Doesn''t mean I don''t know what I want or how I want it," Harry stated.

    "You might be too much for me to handle, Jonas," she said softly as she ced a hand on her chest where her heart had started to race.

    Harry chuckled, "I actually think I might be. We will have to find out," Harry said, and Jade blushed.

    "I didn''t mean sexually," Jade said, looking away, and Harryughed.

    "I know what you meant. I was just teasing," he said as he brushed his thumb over her wrist, making her pulse race.

    "You should go in now, esquire," Harry said as he opened his door and stepped out of the car without waiting for her to protest.

    As he went around the car, he discreetly checked out the windows to be sure no one was watching as he went to open her door.

    As soon as Jade stepped out of the car, he pulled her to himself, shut the door, and gently pushed her against it, surprising her.

    "Harry!" she gasped softly.

    Harry smiled, "I noticed you tend to call my name whenever I take you by surprise," Harry observed as he imed her lips in a kiss.

    Although Harry had kissed her several times, and each time he did, it had a great effect on her, but there was something different about this kiss.

    It was hungry and possessive. She could sense he wasn''t holding back as he usually did in the past. It was almost as though he was iming her lips as his and wanted her to know it.

    He wasn''t even giving her any room to return the kiss. He was devouring her lips, and Jade''s knees tingled and grew increasingly weak as Harry kissed her.

    She gripped his jacket for support, giving a little sigh as she submitted her lips to him. She had never been this aroused by just a kiss, and she couldn''t believe the wetness she could feel in her undies.

    Harry pulled back and then just gazed at her swollen red lips, his brown eyes looking dark as he smoothed his thumb across her lips.

    His lips curved in a smirk as he returned his gaze to her face and met her brilliant blue eyes which were wide with surprise but the lust in them was unmistakeable, "Does my desire scare you yet?" he asked, and even though her mind was reeling, Jade raised a brow.

    "Was that supposed to be scary?" she asked in a challenging tone, and Harry threw back his head andughed.

    "I love you, esquire. I will escort you to the door now," Harry said, but before he could step away, Jade shook her head.

    "I still need a moment," she said since her knees were still weak and her body was yet to recover from the assault his kiss rendered her senses.

    Harry smiled as he watched her, "What are your sexual fantasies, esquire?" he asked, and Jade looked at him in disbelief even as she felt the hot fingers of lust clench her lower abdomen as her clit twitched.

    "For Christ''s sake, Harry!" she snapped in frustration.

    Harry grinned, "You don''t have to give me a response right now if you''re too shy. You can do soter. Perhaps send a text," Harry suggested while Jade watched him in disbelief.

    "Why did I ever think you were innocent?" she muttered.

    "What am I guilty of, esquire? Getting you hot and bothered?" Harry asked as he leaned closer to her as though he wanted to whisper something, but instead, he licked her ear, making her gasp.

    "Harry!" she eximed, and he chuckled.

    "Do you realize you''ve called my name more times today than you have in all the time since I''ve known you?" he asked as he moved away and straightened his jacket like a gentleman.

    "I believe you''ve gotten enough time to pull yourself together?" he asked, and Jade sighed inwardly.

    "Are you trying to get back at me for something?" she asked weakly, and Harry grinned.

    be meaningless," Harry said, and Jade sighed.

    09:19

    "What did I get myself into?" she asked no one in particr.

    "Ah! I always knew you were smart! Finally, you get it. Consider it a partial payback for all the time you yed those silly games with me over the phone, kissing me while pretending to be drunk and making me worry unnecessarily, and for wearing those damn sexy clothes around me to make me ufortable."

    "Partial?" Jade asked, and Harry grinned.

    "This is just the beginning, esquire. Now that you''re my girlfriend, I intend to keep this up with you. I only did my best to hold back because we were not official, and I didn''t want anything between us to be meaningless," Harry said, and Jade sighed.

    "What did I get myself into?" she asked no one in particr.

    "You have no idea," Harry responded as he took her hand and led her to the door.

    "You are going to dream of me tonight, esquire. You''re going to dream about everything I can and will do to you when the time is right," Harry promised as he gave her a light kiss on her lips and stepped back, once again the gentleman.

    "Go in," he urged her.

    "Good night, Jonas," Jade whispered without bothering to argue with him.

    "Good night, esquire," Harry called back as she went into the house without looking back at him.

    As he turned to leave, he knew for a fact that she would be standing by the window to watch him, so after walking some steps to the car, he turned to look at her and chuckled when she quickly stepped away to hide.

    Jade stood there and spied from the side until he had driven off.

    "Why are you spying on your boyfriend?" Sonia asked from behind Jade, making her jump back in surprise.

    "What do you mean spying? I wasn''t spying," Jade said defensively, but the glow in her eyes and the blush on her face made Sonia curious.

    "You look like you just fell in love afresh," Sonia teased.

    "Oh, Sonia! Harry is everything and more!" Jade eximed softly.

    "Now I''m curious to know all about your date," Sonia said with a grin.

    "Why are you still awake? It''s almost midnight?" Jade asked when it suddenly urred to her that everywhere was silent and Sonia seemed to be the only one awake.

    "I''m waiting up for Bryan. He had to go out for a meeting with a producer," Sonia exined.

    "At this hour?" Jade asked, and Sonia shrugged.

    "Let''s go upstairs. I can''t wait to hear all about your date," Sonia reminded her once again as she linked their arms together and pulled her towards the stairs.

 Chapter 606 Long-distance Relationship

    606 Long-distance Rtionship

    The moment Tom woke from his timed hour-long nap, he sighed when the first thing he did was look to his side for Lucy.

    He missed her terribly. Tom admitted to himself as he got off the bed and headed for the shower.

    Now was not the time to think about missing her. He had work to attend to despite the fact that he was still feeling pretty exhausted and needed to sleep some more.

    When he arrived earlier, he had gone straight to the conference room for a meeting with the staff that hadsted for hours which was much longer than he had nned and had ended with him asking a majority of them to clear their desks.

    The state of the hotel was a mess, and he was very surprised that both he and Harry had missed it in the reports. It was even more surprising that this ce was still running.

    There were a lot ofints about the Hotel management, which had not been reported to the headquarters the whole time, and they had only deemed it fit to report it now that the issue was out of their hand and the government of the country was at the verge of shutting the ce down.

    Once he got out of the shower, it urred to him that he did not check his phone, so he walked over to his phone and picked it up. He noticed he had missed a call from his mother while he slept and smiled when he saw a text from Lucy.

    [I hope you''re getting enough rest. I''m about to go to bed. Send me pictures of you when you can. I miss you.]

    Although it was just past 8 p.m. in his location, he knew it was past midnight over there in Ludus, and she had sent the text barely forty minutes ago. He knew she must be fast asleep now, but despite the time difference, he decided to send her a selfie.

    That way, she would see his face when she woke up even if he doubted they would be able to talk until she was at work the next day, that was if there was enough to be to talk.

    Not when he had to meet with the state''s authorities. He also needed to meet with and appease the guests who had filed variousints against the hotel.

    Not minding the fact that he was still dripping wet and only had a towel around his waist, Tom took various selfies with his phone and sent them to Lucy.

    To his surprise, his phone rang almost immediately, and his brows pulled together in concern as he received the call from Lucy.

    "Did I disturb your sleep?" he asked when he heard her yawn.

    "No. I was actually hoping to hear from you before going to bed. Are you free now?" she asked hopefully.

    Even though it was past 8 p.m., he already had a meeting scheduled for 9 p.m. at the club.

    "No. I''m getting ready to leave for a meeting," Tom said, and Lucy sighed in disappointment.

    "Have you had something to eat yet? Did you sleep?" she asked with concern.

    "Yeah, I did," Tom said, not bothering to tell her he had been able to sleep only for an hour and had only had steak all day.

    "You should go to bed, Lu. It''ste, and you have to go to work tomorrow," Tom suggested.

    "Will you call me when you get back?" she asked hopefully.

    "No. I wouldn''t want to disturb your beauty sleep," Tom said, and she frowned.

    "It wouldn''t be a disturbance," Lucy protested with a yawn, and Tom smiled.

    "I can''t promise to call you, Lu. I have no idea when I will be back. And I might be too exhausted to make that call. But I will make sure to call you before noon," Tom promised, and Lucy sighed.

    "Alright," she said, trying not to sound as sad as she was feeling.

    "You will be back on Friday, right?" Lucy asked hopefully.

    "Thatrgely depends on the oue of these meetings. But I hope so. I really want to see you in that dress," Tom said, and Lucy smiled.

    "Do you like the selfies I sent?" Tom asked as he nced at the wall clock in his room.

    He was going to bete for his appointment if he didn''t hang up now. He nned to give Harry a call while in the car on his to the club since he knew Harry wasn''t a deep sleeper and would receive his call at any hour whatsoever.

    Apart from discussing business with him, he also remembered Harry''s date with Jade and was curious to know how that went.

    "I haven''t viewed them yet. I dialled your line the moment I received the text," she exined with a pout.

    "Alright, love. I really need to run now, or else I will bete for my meeting. Don''t fail to send me pictures, okay? And if you miss me too much, send texts. I will respond when I can," Tom promised.

    "Alright. You too. I love you," Lucy said, and Tom smiled.

    "I love you too. Take care of yourself," Tom called back before hanging up.

    Tom quickly dressed up, and a couple of minutester, he was seated in his car and dialled Harry''s line as the driver took him to the club.

    Harry, who had just gotten off the phone with Jade after informing her he had gotten home, received Tom''s call immediately after he saw it.

    "Hello, baby!" Tom greeted, and Harryughed heartily.

    "I''ve missed you. I was beginning to think you were never going to call," Harry said as he sat on his bed.

    "You have no idea how busy I have been. Things are a mess over here, Harry. I can''t believe this ce was getting run down without our knowledge," Tom said, and upon further inquiry from Harry, he exined the whole situation to him.

    "Shit! I can''t believe the director never said a word about any of this. Not even when he was here for the meeting on Monday or when he called yesterday requesting our presence," Harry said irritably.

    "I already asked everyone in charge to clear their desks...."

    "You fired them already? Including the director?" Harry asked, slightly surprised.

    "Yeah."

    "But we don''t have anyone to send over there right now and...."

    Tomughed, "Don''t worry. I won''t ask you to go over there. I will handle things over here, and once everything is running smoothly, I can return...."

    "What do you mean handle things over there? You''re supposed to be back here by Friday," Harry cut in with a frown.

    "Yeah. I will make it back in time for the anniversary dinner, and after that, I will put everything in order over there and return here. I have to handle this...."

    "What about Lucy?" Harry cut in once again.

    "What about Lucy?" Tom asked, pretending not to understand what he was asking.

    "How long do you intend to stay over there? What about your rtionship with Lucy? Have you spoken with her about this? I could go over there...."

    "No, Harry. I will handle this. Besides, you''re supposed to be going on your leave, remember? You can let me know when you''re ready to do so, and I will find a way to take care of things. I will talk to Lucy about it when I get back. I''m sure she wouldn''t mind a long-distance rtionship," Tom said easily, and Harry narrowed his eyes.

    "Tom, is this a part of your grand n to win her over?" Harry asked, and Tom chuckled.

    "What if I say it is?" Tom asked, and Harry sighed as he wiped his face with his hands.

    "I don''t know. Distance makes the heart grow fonder, but don''t also forget that out of sight could be out of mind. And judging by your history withdies over there..."

    "Rx, Harry. I''m just here to take care of business. As it is, I''m on my way to a club for a meeting right now, and I don''t have enough time for chitchat. So enough with the interrogation. Lucy told me about Barry and about you asking Jade to represent the Millers in court. What is that about?" Tom asked changing the subject.

    Tom listened patiently as Harry told him everything in detail.

    "Right now, it feels to me like we are doing the Miller sisters a whole lot of favour. We ordinarily should have no business with Rebekah and her activities since Anita, who was really our target, has backed out," Tom said thoughtfully.

    "Would you rather we turn a blind eye to it all?" Harry asked, and Tom sighed.

    "No. Let''s just get it all done and fast. Have someone keep an eye on Jade. I can''t trust anyone associated with Rebekah."

    "I did that already. Just don''t tell her about it. I don''t think she''s going to like knowing she is being followed," Harry said, and Tom smiled.

    "Yeah, she wouldn''t. I will find time to speak to Barry. How did your meeting with the impostor go?" Tom asked, and Harry chuckled at his reference to Crystal.

    Harry briefed him on what Crystal had told him about Sara''s visit and that the game was on now.

    "Have your men keep their eyes on that girl, Harry," Tom advised.

    "Why? You think Sara will hurt her too?" Harry asked in amusement.

    "On the contrary, it''s not her safety that I''m concerned about. I don''t trust her. I''m worried she could ruin everything," Tom said, and Harry considered it for a moment before nodding his head.

    Even though Tom had never met Crystal, Tom wasn''t one to trust people easily, and the fact that Crystal was a con artist only made it worse.

    "We had an agreement...."

    Tom chuckled, cutting Harry off, "Who are you kidding, Harry? If she messes this up, we can''t get her arrested or take her to court...."

    "I could kill her," Harry cut in, and Tom paused.

    "Well, we could. But we both know you would rather not. So, let''s prevent that by keeping our eyes on her. Give her number to Barry and have him monitor her calls and texts. Sara''s as well," Tom advised.

    "Why haven''t we done that the whole time? That was the first thing I should have done," Harry said with a frown.

    "It''s not toote to do so. So, how did your date with Jade go?" Tom asked, switching subjects again since he was trying to cover all he wanted them to discuss before he arrived at the club.

    Harry smiled, "It was lovely. I took her to the hotel. We had a romantic dinner at the rooftop, just the both of us," Harry said, and Tom smiled.

    "I suppose you told her it was yours? Were you trying to impress her by showing off your wealth to her?" Tom teased.

    "Well, there was that. And I was trying toe clean with her about what we do there," Harry said, and Tom raised a brow.

    "You told her everything?"

    "Yeah. You know me, Tom. I don''t like lies or secrets. She is awyer and might frown at things like that. I don''t want her to find out about itter. I had toy out all my cards on the table," Harry exined.

    "How did she take it?" Tom asked curiously.

    "She was surprised. Asked a couple of questions, but that was it. She agreed to be my girlfriend. There were fireworks...."

    "Fireworks?" Tom asked with augh.

    "Yeah," Harry said with a grin.

    "I thought you weren''t down for all that romantic shit?" Tom teased.

    "Jade loves stuff like that, so I had to give it to her. And you''re one to talk. I saw the note you left Lucy," Harry fired back, and Tom chuckled.

    "Anything to make thedies happy, right?" Tom asked, and Harryughed in agreement.

    "Well, making them happy makes us happy as well, so I guess it''s more for us than it is for them."

    "You''ve been in a rtionship for barely 4 hours, and you already sound like a married man," Tom said, making Harry chuckle.

    "By the way, Tom. I told Jade I''m going to ask her to marry me in six months'' time," Harry said as Tom''s car pulled into the club premises.

    "In six months? You move fast, don''t you?" Tom asked with a pleased smile.

    "Considering it took us a long time to get here, you can''t me me for being fast, can you?" Harry asked, and Tom chuckled.

    "You finally have the balls to admit you''ve been pinning for her for a long time?" Tom taunted.

    "Well, I''m happy you are finally in a rtionship. You both deserve to be happy, and you deserve each other. I need to go now. I just got to the club," Tom said before Harry could respond when the driver stopped the car and came around to open his door.

    "Let me know how it goes. You can call whenever," Harry reminded him.

    "Now that you have a girlfriend ask her to call you whenever. We are done," Tom said hissed.

    "Never! You will always be my first love, baby!" Harry called back, and Tom hung up with a chuckle.

 Chapter 607 Kimberly/Dawn

    Chapter 607 Kimberly/Dawn

    The moment Tom walked through the doors of the club, the first thing that urred to him was that this wasn''t a regr club.

    It seemed like almost every body in there were in various states of undress. Majority of thedies were naked, and the few who were dressed were only covered in sexy lingerie, and most of the men were just as naked, some just shirtless and some were dressed in just their briefs.

    Everyone was going about their activities like being naked was the new normal. The waitresses were serving drinks butt naked, those in the dancehall were naked, and even the barman was shirtless save for a red bowtie, it seemed all the staff were wearing to be easily identified, and his briefs.

    Tom looked around in mild confusion until he felt somebody stand beside him and he turned to see a young man dressedpletely in suit.

    "CEO, I-Global?" he asked, and ady who just walked in and heard that, turned in time to see Tom give him a slight nod.

    "My boss is expecting you," he said and gestured to the right as he led the way.

    As Tom followed him down an hallway, he couldn''t help wondering why anybody in their right mind would want to have a business meeting in such an environment.

    For christ''s sake he was here to meet with the man in charge of Hotel management and hospitality regtions in the country not a random nobody. Why would he arrange for such a serious meeting here?

    As Tom was escorted past different open rooms it urred to him that if he had thought the people at the Central part of the club were crazy, then he had been mistaken.

    In almost every room he walked past, people were having sex. Threesomes, orgies, gay-sex, masturbation, and no one seemed to care about their privacy.

    Tom liked to consider himself a wild person, but having sex in public under the scrutiny of other people like an animal was something he was sure he could never indulge in.

    Tom tried to focus as he was led into another room, and this time he was taken aback when he realized it was more of a torture room for those into BDSM.

    "Thomas Hank!" a handsome man in his mid forties greeted as he rose from the couch where he had been seated.

    Thankfully, unlike the others in this room who were naked and either chained to a pole or tied to bed and being dominated, he was dressedpletely in a suit, and seemed to be a voyeur.

    "Mr. Moore?" Tom asked as though he doubted the man''s identity and the manughed softly.

    "I''m sure you must be surprised that I chose such a location for our meeting," he said with a knowing smile.

    "I can''t say I''m not," Tom responded honestly.

    "Well, I always spend Wednesday nights here, and since you wanted me to fit you into my schedule it had to be here. Someone else is joining us by the way," he said as he ced a hand on Tom''s shoulder in a friendly gesture and led him to his couch.

    "Who?" Tom asked with a slight frown.

    "Someone who has been wanting to see you for a very long time," he said, leaving Tom more confused.

    "And I suppose you don''t want to tell me who this person is? Or why they want to see me?" Tom asked and he smiled.

    "I have no idea why. You will see."

    Even though Tom didn''t exactly like the idea of meeting someone he didn''t know, he didn''t push it.

    "If you don''t mind me asking, what is this ce?" Tom asked politely.

    "Did you miss the name? It''s Club Eden...."

    "If I didn''t, I wouldn''t have found my way here now, would I?" Tom asked as he continued to gaze around.

    His eyes settled on a couple who were suspended in the air on a swinglike material as they copted while the woman kept using a rod to spank her partner''s ass. All around they were serenaded with various cries of moans and groans.

    The manughed as he watched Tom, "It is as you see. A Den of pleasure. Everybody here has one thing inmon, they desire pleasure."

    "Isn''t it distracting to meet with me here? Maybe if we could find a private room...."

    "I would rather we talk here. Why? Do you find it arousing? Tell me, do you enjoy things like this?" he asked with a grin.

    "I have a reputation to maintain. I can''t be seen in a ce like this," Tom said cautiously.

    "This ce is government approved. There is nothing wrong with a businessman having fun. And just so you know, you have no idea the calibre of people whoe here. See that guy over there?" he asked, jerking his head in the direction of a man in his fifties who was banging a youngdy hard from behind while choking her with one hand and pulling her hair with the other.

    "What about him?" Tom asked curiously.

    "He is the chief of police. I don''t reckon he can do that to his wife. But in here, nobody cares who you are outside. What happens in Eden, stays in Eden," he assured him with a grin.

    "Still...."

    "And those are my girls," he interrupted with a chuckle and rose as twodies approached them.

    They both looked like they were in theirte twenties, and one of thedies was naked and had something like chocte around her nipples as though she was walking around looking for someone to lick it off her, while the other was dressed in a skimpy ck dress and her eyes were on Tom.

    Tom used a hand to wipe his face and didn''t bother to stand up when thedies stopped in front of them.

    He watched with a nk expression as Mr. Moore bent down and licked the chocte off both nipples, making thedy giggle while the other continued to look at him.

    Instead of looking on, Tom signalled to a waitress to get him something to drink, making it clear he wasnt interested in Mr. Moore''s business. All he wanted to do was discuss the Hotel and leave.

    "Thomas Hank," thedy who was dressed called, drawing Tom''s attention as she sat down beside him.

    "We don''t know each other, do we?" Tom asked politely as he received a ss of wine from the waitress.

    She narrowed her eyes, "I definitely know you. I don''t forget faces so easily. Especially not one as handsome as yours," she said with a smile and Mr. Moore raised a brow.

    "You still haven''t told me how you know him, Kim," he reminded her and sheughed softly.

    "We had a one-night stand four years ago," she said, and Tom almost choked on his wine.

    "Four years ago? The sex must have been really good if you still remember him," the otherdy said with a giggle, but Mr. Moore was not amused.

    "Four years ago? A one night stand?" Mr. Moore asked, looking at her with questioning eyes, and she nodded, answering his unspoken question.

    "You don''t remember me, do you?" she asked with a tsk when Tom looked at her with a frown of disbelief.

    "Am I supposed to remember someone I had a one night stand with four years ago?" Tom asked with a slightly raised brow.

    "I guess you make it a habit of having one night stands then. Give me a minute and I will jog your memory," she said as she reached into her purse for a cigarette and lit it, while Mr. Moore and the otherdy listened with interest.

    "We met at the poolside of the I-Global hotel four years ago the same night the ce was opened. You were drinking alone after swimming, and I was in the pool. I joined you because you were alone and the other tables were upied. Do you remember now?" she asked and Tom blinked in surprise.

    "That was you?" He asked as he looked her over once again, wondering how she could remember him so easily.

    "Yes. That was me," she said with a pleasant smile, d that he remembered her now.

    "He was the one four years ago?" Mr. Moore asked, genuinely surprised but not displeased.

    "Yes," she said as she took a puff from her cigarette.

    "What do you mean the one? Is she the person you mentioned wanted to see me?" Tom asked Mr. Moore and he nodded.

    "I was going to introduce them earlier but you didn''t seem interested. This is Kimberly Moore, my niece," he said, not bothering to introduce the otherdy who happened to be his wife.

    "Your niece?" Tom asked, beginning to feel very ufortable now since he wasn''t sure what was happening.

    "Yes."

    "I need to speak with him alone if you don''t mind," Kimberly said looking at her uncle as she took another puff.

    Tom shook his head, "I''m sorry, I can''t. I''m here for a business meeting and...."

    "I believe whatever she wants to discuss with you is more important than whatever we will be discussing. Don''t worry, I know the reason you wanted to see me. I will be more willing to help you after you listen to her," Mr. Moore said as he rose and then looked at his niece before walking away with his wife.

    Alone now, Kimberly looked at Tom without saying a word for sometime and then leaned forward, cing a hand on his thighs.

    Tom withdrew immediately, "Is there a problem?" Tom asked not liking that he was sitting alone in such a ce with ady like her.

    "I''ve been searching for you for the past four years. You left without a word. I had no idea what your name was. The hotel had no information on you either, and...."

    "Why were you searching for me? I mean, we both agreed not to exchange any personal information since it was simply a one night stand," Tom pointed out.

    "And you can''t imagine my pleasure and surprise when I caught a glimpse of you during the interview with your girlfriend and you turned out to be the CEO of I-Global," she said, continuing as though he had not interrupted her.

    "So what? You want to ckmail me into giving you some money or what exactly is the purpose of all this?" Tom cut in impatiently.

    She threw back her head andughed heartily as though he had just cracked a very hrious joke, "Please, Thomas, don''t make meugh. Take a good look at me. Do I look like I''m in need of your money?" She asked as she picked up the ashtray on the table and tapped out the cigarette before dropping the ashtray.

    "What do you want if not my money?" Tom asked with a raised brow.

    "I am wealthy enough. I even have shares in yourpany...."

    "You do?" Tom asked with interest and she smiled.

    "Yeah, I do. Although I''m not actively involved. I had no idea you were the CEO anyway. You know, I usually leave my personal broker in charge of things like that. Maybe if I had been involved actively I wouldn''t have wasted so much time..."

    "Can you please cut to the chase and tell me what this is about?" Tom asked and she shook her head as she opened her handbag and took out her phone.

    "I see you''re quite impatient," She said as she unlocked the screen and turned it so that Tom could see the screen saver.

    "Here," she said handing him the phone and Tom reluctantly took it from her.

    Disyed on the screen was a picture of the most beautiful three years old girl Tom had ever set eyes on, smiling into the camera with her hazel eyes gleaming mischievously.

    Tom''s heart skipped a beat as he looked at the picture, hoping it wasn''t what he was thinking.

    He had used a condom, right? He always used condoms. He never had unprotected sex withdies until Lucy. Tom reasoned as he tried to remember the night four years ago and what had transpired between them.

    "Why are you showing me this?" He forced himself to ask after the silence had dragged on for long enough.

    Kimberly watched Tom whose eyes were still fixed on the screen as she leaned back in her seat, "Her name is Dawn. She is your daughter. She is the only reason I''ve been trying to find you all this time."

 Chapter 608 Dawn Hank

    Chapter 608 Dawn Hank

    Lucy had a wide smile on her face as she sat behind her desk looking at the selfies Tom had sent her.

    His hair was still wet and water glistened on his brows andshes as he smiled into the camera.

    He still looked as handsome as ever even though his eyes looked tired. She contemted setting one of the pictures as her screensaver or background photo but she decided against it. She didn''t want anyone else to see Tom that way.

    She was just going to wait for him to send her one where he was fully dressed and she would use that. She giggled at the thought of actually making him her screensaver.

    She hoped that he would be back by Friday as nned. This trip had made her realize more than anything that being away from Tom wasn''t something she liked one bit.

    After looking through his selfies, she decided to send some of her own and she spent the next couple of minutes snapping and sending him lots of pictures.

    She looked up when Adolf knocked on the door and walked in with a food pack, "Good morning Lucy," Adolf greeted polite and Lucy rose with a warm smile as she picked up the food pack from the previous day.

    "Good morning, Adolf. I''m sorry for putting you through this stress...."

    "I don''t consider it stressful," Adolf rushed to assure her as he ced the food pack on the table.

    "You''re far too kind. Thank you. I washed this. I hope you don''t mind taking it back with you?" She asked as she handed it to him.

    "Not at all. Please enjoy your breakfast," he said with a polite bow as he took it from her and then walked away.

    Alone, Lucy quickly opened the food pack and just as she had hoped there was a note from Tom inside.

    [Good morning, my priceless Jewel. Today I want you to know that you are the light of my life. My invaluable treasure. I hope you have a beautiful day today.]

    "Aww," Lucy whispered with a wide smile.

    The wide smile disappeared from her face when a knock sounded on her door and she looked up to see Cora standing there.

    She raised a brow as she watched Cora walk into her office, and instead of giving her attention to her, Lucy slipped Tom''s note into her handbag and packed up the breakfast.

    "Did you miss your way?" Lucy asked, making it clear she wasn''t wee.

    Cora smiled, "Good morning, director Perry. I realized I''ve never checked out your office. I figured I should," Cora said pleasantly.

    "I didn''t realize we were that close or that you had so much spare time in your hands," Lucy said tly, not bothering to offer her a seat.

    "That is no way to talk to a colleague. We are not enemies, are we? Besides, shouldn''t you offer me a seat?" Cora asked still smiling pleasantly.

    Lucy had no doubt that Cora was there for a purpose. She knew better than to let her guard down or act friendly. Cora wanted something, and she wondered what it was.

    "I would if I invited you. What do you want?" Lucy asked, and Cora shrugged.

    "Well, you know everyone has been talking about that video trending online. You must be happy about being vindicated, right?" Cora asked, and Lucy raised a brow.

    "What video?"

    "The apology video released by Anita Miller of course. Don''t tell me you don''t know that''s the only thing everyone has been talking about since yesterday?" Cora asked as she sat down, deciding she had waited enough for Lucy to be courteous enough to offer her a seat.

    Lucy realized that she had not thought of the video or even paid attention to anyone because she had been too distracted by her own worries.

    "I see. Thanks for the information," Lucy said, and Cora smiled again.

    "So, I found out the CEO is not in the country," she said, and Lucy pressed her lips together.

    "Is that why you are in my office when you should be in yours doing what we are paid to do?" Lucy asked, and Cora looked at her for a moment beforeughing out loud.

    "You really need to loosen up, Lucy. It''s no wonder you don''t have any friends around here," Cora said even though the more time she spent talking to Lucy the more annoyed she was.

    Lucy eyed her for a moment and then smiled, "By the way, I''ve been meaning to ask you a question for some time now. Can you honestly say you had no idea Tom was the CEO when you were hitting on him while he was pretending to be my driver?" Lucy asked, and Cora frowned.

    "I beg your pardon?"

    Lucy smiled sweetly, "You''ve been a director long before I came here. You''ve seen the CEO''s face before. I find it very hard to believe that you didn''t know my driver was the CEO," Lucy said simply.

    "Am I supposed to worry about what you believe or not?" Cora asked tightly and Lucy smiled.

    "No, you''re not supposed to. Now that you are being real, can you drop the friendly facade and say whatever you came here to say. I don''t have all day for meaningless chitchats," Lucy stated.

    "I guess things are not going well between you and the CEO?" Cora asked, and Lucy''s heart skipped a beat but she managed to keep her face nk.

    How did she know that? Did she hear something?

    "I''m quite observant, so I noticed," Cora said, thinking about their attitude during thest general meeting that was held in the presence of Tom''s grandfather.

    Lucy smiled, "You wish so, don''t you? You know something I learned? When you spend so much time thinking about something you might dream of it. In the same way, when you think about something long and hard enough, you begin to see it even if it isn''t there. Congrats. You have a very active imagination," Lucy said as she nced at the wall clock.

    She was expecting Tom''s call in any moment and she wanted Cora out.

    Lucy raised a brow when Cora dropped her phone on the desk, "If you''re fine as you im, can you exin that?" Cora asked, pointing at the picture disyed on her screen.

    Even if a part of Lucy didn''t want to give Cora any satisfaction by looking, she was too curious not to, so she picked up the phone.

    Disyed on the screen was a picture of Tom seated with a beautifuldy in a room, and around them were different couples making out.

    "If things are as peachy as you want me to believe why is he in an erotic club with ady who isn''t you? In case you don''t know what happens there, people go in there to have sex or to be voyeurs so they can be turned on enough for sex," Cora said, her eyes gleaming with malice.

    Even though Lucy''s heart had started racing and her stomach was beginning to churn because of how nervous she was, she stered a smile on her face.

    "Who are you to demand an exnation? And what makes you think I care what you think about our rtionship?" She asked as she pushed the phone back to Cora.

    "I''m sure the CEO will be delighted to know that his employee cares so much about him to the point of having people spy on him," Lucy said with a malicious smile of her own as Cora''s smile slid of her face.

    "I wasn''t spying on him. A friend shared the picture with me," she snapped at Lucy.

    "I''m sure he will love to hear the exnation from you directly," Lucy said, and almost sang for joy when her phone started ringing with a call from Tom.

    She turned the phone for Cora to see her caller''s ID before receiving the call, "Hey, babe!" She greeted cheerfully, and just as Cora rose to leave, Lucy pointed the seat for her to remain seated.

    "Hello, love! Have you had breakfast yet?" Tom asked trying to sound as normal as possible, and Lucy smiled.

    "I was about to before I was interrupted by Director Anderson," Lucy said, making Cora''s heart to skip a beat.

    "She interrupted you? How? Why?" Tom asked and Lucy smiled as she watched Cora squirm in her seat.

    "She had something interesting to share with me," Lucy said, and then muted the phone as she looked at Cora, "Would you like to say hello?" She asked and giggled when Cora paled.

    Lucy rolled her eyes and tsked before unmuting the call, "How was your night? How did the meeting go?" Lucy asked, hoping Tom would tell her who it was he met with and where.

    Tom''s heart skipped a beat at the question. That was thest he wanted to think about. His head was banging seriously and he had been unable to focus on anything else he was doing.

    Lucy noticed the silence but kept a smile on her face for Cora''s benefit, even if her insides were quivering as she wondered why Tom wasn''t answering her question.

    "It was unusual but fine," Tom said finally.

    "Unusual? What was unusual about it?" Lucy asked curiously.

    "Well, the person I had a meeting with asked me to meet him at a certain club. I had no idea it was a Den of pleasure. It was awkward having people around us who were having sex," Tom said, choosing to settle for half-truth, and Lucy smiled d that he had been honest with her.

    "You mean they were having sex all around you?" She asked for Cora''s benefit.

    "Yeah. I need to go now, Lu. I still have a lot to do if I want to be able to make it back in time for the dinner party," Tom said, and Lucy sighed.

    "Alright. I miss you. And I love you. Don''t forget to eat, and rest. Make sure you don''t overwork yourself," Lucy reminded him.

    "I will keep that in mind. I love you," Tom said before hanging up.

    "I''m going to let this foolishness slide this once. Get out of my office!" Lucy ordered harshly, and immediately Cora rose and walked away without another word.

    Once Cora shut the door behind her, Lucy sped her trembling hands together.

    Tom said the person he was meeting was a man, but why was he seated there alone with ady? And why did it take so long for his to answer her simple question? Lucy mused.

    Away from there, Tom paced around his bedroom after the phone call. He had been unable to think straight since he walked out of the club. All he could see was the picture of the little girl.

    Despite his insistence that they had used a condom that night, Kimberly had also insisted that the condom might have been faulty since he was the only person she had sex with at the time.

    Kimberly had suggested he carry out a DNA paternity test if he was in doubt as to the paternity of He had looked into Kimberly Moore after leaving the club that night and from all he had found out about her, she really didn''t seem like someone who would want to pin a pregnancy on a random the little girl.

    She had even offered they do it there or fly down to Ludus with him and do it in ab of his choice of he didn''t trust her.

    Of course he couldn''t let that happen. Even though he had ways wanted a child of his own, this wasn''t how he had nned it and thest thing he wanted was a scandal of this magnitude.

    He had looked into Kimberly Moore after leaving the club that night and from all he had found out about her, she really didn''t seem like someone who would want to pin a pregnancy on a random man.

    She imed that all she wanted from him was to be present in their daughter''s life. She didn''t need his money or anything. She only wanted him to be a father to his daughter.

    Dawn. Dawn Hank. He could imagine her running around his mansion, he thought with a small smile that quickly disappeared from his face when he caught his reflection in the mirror. He shouldn''t be feeling this way already. He reminded himself as he pinched his nose.

    How was he going to exin the fact that he has a three years old kid? How would Lucy feel about it?

    He knew he shouldn''t even be worrying about Lucy''s feelings right now as that wasn''t priority. If it was true that the little girl was his, there was absolutely no way he would abandon her just to make Lucy happy.

    A part of him prayed she wasn''t his kid since the only woman he wanted to have a baby with was Lucy.

    But another part of him hoped she was his. Perhaps if she was his, Lucy would be understanding enough to see that the deed had been done and would be epting of his child.

    That way he could live with her decision even if she never wanted to have a child with him, since he had a biological child of his own already.

    Okay. Maybe he was thinking too far ahead. First things first, he was going to carry out a DNA test. Once he got the result he would figure out what next to do. Tom decided with a shake of his head, and nced at his phone when it started ringing.

    He picked it up when he saw that it was Kimberly. She was calling to let him know she was on her way with the little girl for them to go for the DNA test.

    Did he want to be seen with them publicly? He didn''t want that. At least not yet. He was just going to take a hair strand or whatever he could from her and have the test done by his own people and at his own time.

 Chapter 609 Randy Past

    As Tom got out of the elevator and headed for the lobby, he caught sight of Kimberly sitting with Dawn, and Kimberly smiled when she met his gaze and whispered something to her daughter.

    Immediately Dawn''s head snapped around and before Tom could guess what was happening the little girl was running in his direction.

    Tom faltered in his steps and stopped walking when she threw herself at him, leaving him no choice but to pick her up.

    Thankfully, the lobby was empty save for the receptionists and a couple of guests checking out, since he had shut the gates of the hotel to guests for the time being until he resolved the issues on ground.

    As Tom lifted the little girl off the ground his gaze was fixed on her face which bore a mixture of curiosity and amazement.

    "You''re so handsome," she said with a bright smile that made Tom smile in return.

    "Hello!" Tom greeted.

    "Hello! I''m Dawn. Dawn Wealth," she said with a brilliant smile.

    "Wealth? Is that your Daddy''s name?" Tom asked curiously.

    "Mommy said you are my daddy. Aren''t you supposed to tell me your name before asking a question?" She asked, looking genuinely confused, surprising Tom who did not expect her to be so articte at her age.

    "That''s not polite, Dawn," Kimberly who had caught up with them, chided her daughter softly before looking at Tom.

    "But Ms ra said it''s wrong not to introduce yourself first... I''m sorry for being rude," Dawn said with a pout instead when her mother gave her a pointed look.

    "Ms ra is her governess," Kimberly exined with a small smile.

    "She has a governess at her age?" Tom asked, both surprised and impressed.

    Kimberlyughed softly, "It''s never too early to start teaching her. You have no idea all she is capable of at her age. She is a little genius," Kimberly said with a proud smile.

    "Are we not going to sit?" Dawn asked when she noticed that neither Tom nor Kimberly were making any move to find a ce to sit but were just standing there.

    "Let''s talk in my office," Tom suggested as he set Dawn on her feet, but she held on to his hand, so they walked into the elevator together.

    "I thought we were going to find somewhere for the test?" Kimberly asked in confusion as she followed him into the elevator.

    Ignoring her question, Tom entered the number for his office floor, "Her surname is Wealth," Tom stated.

    "That''s right. Since I had no idea who you were, and she was born a wealthy kid, we all figured we name her as such. The name Dawn was given because you left before Dawn...."

    "What?" Tom asked in disbelief. Who named kids that way?

    Kimberlyughed, "She was also born at Dawn. The name was just befitting," Kimberly said with a shrug.

    "We should talk. I will find someone to babysit..."

    "I don''t need a babysitter. I can take care of myself," Dawn cut in and then looked at Tom apologetically.

    "That was rude, I''m sorry. I wasn''t supposed to cut in," she said politely and Tom smiled as he looked down at her.

    "Yeah, she can take care of herself," Kimberly said Tom as the elevator door opened and they walked out of the elevator.

    Tom led them down the hallway to the office, while she fished inside her handbag for something and a momentter she took out a tablet which she handed to Dawn.

    "You can keep busy while I speak with your dad," Kimberly said after Tom led them into an office space.

    Tom raised a brow at that. Each time he heard the word daddy he had a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach.

    "Where can I sit, please?" Dawn asked, looking at Tom curiously.

    "You can sit in the outer office while I go in with your mom," Tom said, and she gave him a brisk nod as she graciously sat on one of the waiting chairs.

    The outer office which was meant to be for the assistant of the director was vacant because Tom had fired both the director and his assistant.

    "Are you certain she will be alright?" Tom asked Kimberly, reluctant to leave the little girl unattended.

    "She will be fine," Kimberly assured him, and Tom opened the office and led her inside.

    He walked straight to sit behind the desk, hoping it would put enough distance between them for her to know he had no intention of indulging her if she had any other ns.

    "She is such a littledy," Tommented, and Kimberly smiled.

    "Yes, she is. So, do you mind telling me why are we not going for the DNA test as agreed?" Kimberly asked without bothering to sit, and Tom shrugged.

    "All of this is too sudden. I need time to put my thoughts together. I will do the DNA test when I''m ready for it. I do not want to be pressured," Tom said simply, and she sighed.

    "Alright. I suppose you want us to keep our distance until you''re ready toe to terms with this?" Kimberly asked, and Tom nodded.

    "Yes. And I will appreciate it if no one else knows about this..."

    "When I found out your identity I didn''t say a word to anyone. Not even my uncle. Why would I do so now?" she asked, feeling slightly annoyed.

    "Why did you wait until now to show up if you found out who I was weeks ago?" Tom asked, and she raised a brow.

    "What sort of a person would I be showing up at that moment considering the issue with your girlfriend which made you reveal your identity? I was going to wait a bit more toe to you, but I was with my uncle when you called for a meeting with him, so I figured I meet you now and save myself the trip. Listen, as I told you, all I want from you, is to be a father to our daughter. That''s all. If by the time you confirm she is yours, you still decide you don''t want her to be a part of your life, I won''t force it," Kim said and turned around to leave.

    "Are you leaving?" Tom asked, and she turned to look at him.

    "Yes. I thought we were done with the conversation?" She asked in confusion.

    "Why did you tell her I was her father when we are yet to confirm...."

    "You are the one who needs the confirmation. Not me. I know the man I slept with. I''m not some whore who gets down with any random stranger. I was in a bad ce emotionally and only did what I did with you, aplete stranger, because I wasn''t in my right mind. Dawn deserves to know who her father is whether or not he wants her in his life. And you don''t have to worry, Dawn isn''t a fragile princess. Even if you reject her, she will be fine," Kimberly assured him, and Tom sighed as he rose and went around the desk.

    "I will need some DNA samples. I''m leaving tomorrow and would prefer to have my own people carry out the test," Tom said, and Kimberly gestured towards the door where Dawn was seated.

    "Knock yourself out. Take whatever you want," she said as she continued towards the door and Tom followed.

    Dawn looked up when the door opened and Kimberly smiled at her, "Darling, remember what I told you DNA samples are?" Kimberly asked as she took the tablet from her and kept it away in her handbag.

    Dawn nodded as she looked at Tom, "Yes."

    "He wants some DNA samples," Kimberly exined.

    "What do you want?" Dawn asked as she rose to face him.

    "Your hair strand or nail clippings?" Tom said, and she shrugged as she held out her fingers to Tom. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Her nails looked really neat and well trimmed so getting a nail clipping was out of it.

    "I will settle for your hair strand," Tom said as he returned to the office to get a bag and the nail clipper set he had asked one of the staff to get him earlier.

    Neither Kimberly nor Dawn said a word as he took out the scissors inside approached and cut out some hair strands.

    "Let''s leave," Kimberly said as she took Dawn''s hand.

    "Bye. See you next time," Dawn said with a wave and a bright smile as she walked away with her mother while Tom watched them, and even though he was tempted to spend more time getting to know the kid, he didn''t stop them.

    Once he was sure they had left, he returned into his office and shut the door behind him as he dialled Harry''s line.

    Right now he knew the only person he could talk to was Harry. Harry was his sounding board and he trusted Harry''s judgement more than that of anyone else.

    Harry who was in the middle of a meeting but had kept his phone close in case Tom called, rose immediately he saw Tom''s call.

    "You will have to excuse me. I have to take the CEO''s call," Harry said politely and without question everyone stepped out of his office to give him privacy.

    "I knew you would call," Harry said immediately after he received the call.

    "Harry, I''m in a mess," Tom said, and the moment Harry heard the seriousness in Tom''s tone he frowned and forgot the joke he was about to make.

    "Are things not going as nned? Do you need me toe over?" He asked as he walked over to his desk to check his schedule book.

    "That''s not it. Ady showed upst night iming we have a three years old daughter together," Tom said, and Harry raised a brow.

    "Is this supposed to be a prank?" Harry asked, taken aback.

    "Would I joke about something like this?" Tom asked, and Harry frowned.

    "Give me a minute," Harry said as he walked over to the door and looked at the security team he had been addressing regarding the anniversary dinner party.

    "This is important. I will send a message across to your leader and he will let you know what I expect. You can leave," Harry said and as they dispersed he turned to his secretary.

    "No interuption whatsoever until I call for you," he told her before returning to his office.

    "Alright. Tell me everything," Harry said once he was seated behind his desk with his journal in front of him and a pen in hand.

    "Remember thedy I hooked up with four years ago when we opened the hotel here?" Tom asked, and Harry frowned.

    "Am I supposed to remember her?"

    "You left me in the pool to attend to the guests since no one knew I was the CEO back then, and by the time you got back I had hooked up with her," Tom said trying to jog his memory.

    "Okay. So, she shows up after four years with a child? Did you forget to use a condom?" Harry asked trying to understand the situation.

    "I did. Just listen okay?" Tom said, and went ahead to tell him how Kimberly had shown up in the clubst night and he told Harry all about their conversation and the fact that Kimberly and Dawn just left his office.

    "I know a bit about the Moore family. She is wealthy and from a solid background so she can''t be doing this for money or fame," Harry said thoughtfully.

    "Yeah. That urred to me too when I checked her out," Tom said as hebed his fingers through his hair.

    "I can''t believe any of this! This is messed up," Harry said thoughtfully as he thought about Lucy and her already rocky rtionship with Tom.

    "Don''t I know that already?" Tom asked, and Harry drew a deep breath.

    "Don''t worry. Let me have someone look into her. Maybe her family is having financial issues..."

    "We both know that can''t be the case. She is from a long generation of old money, Harry. That sort of money doesn''t just go away," Tom pointed out.

    "Still, I will find out all I can about her. If she has an ulterior motive, I will find out. We will get the DNA test done when you get here and then..." Harry broke off midsentence when something urred to him.

    "You do realize that with this new development there is no way I''m letting you stay back there to run the hotel, right?" Harry asked, and Tom raised a brow.

    "What do you mean?"

    "Whether or not it turns out true that the little girl is yours, I can''t let you abandon Lucy over here and stay over there where this Kimberlydy lives. Long distance rtionship is bad enough, but one with trust issues would never survive. Unless you n to end things with Lucy, you will have toe back here," Harry said, and Tom took a deep breath.

    "And what about the kid?"

    "There is nothing wrong if shees to visit you, is there? Or do you n to start a family with them over there?" Harry asked, slightly annoyed that Tom was even asking that.

    "You know that''s not what I mean. Anyway, we can''t mix business with pleasure. I told you I let most of the management staff go. I have to be here..."

    "I will take care of it. My dad is leaving soon with Candace and Jamal. I''m sure Candace will look after him...."

    "You just started dating Jade...."

    "I''m sure she wouldn''t minding with me. She can do whatever she needs to do from over there," Harry cut in again.

    "You just put Jade in charge of a case, remember? And you''re supposed to be going on a leave soon. Everything can remain as it is. I will take care of the hotel...."

    "I''m not going to let you or anyone else screw up your life, Tom. I know you love Lucy and wouldn''t want to lose her. I also know there is no way you are going to abandon that kid if she turns out to be yours. So, when you get back, we are going to get the test done, and you can tell Lucy about it let''s hear what she has to say," Harry said, and Tom''s heart skipped a beat at the thought of breaking such a news to Lucy.

    "How do you think she is going to react?" Tom asked feeling anxious.

    "She wouldn''t like it, but then again, the deed has been done. She will have to figure out a way to live with it if she can," Harry said with a sigh.

    "And if she can''t?" Tom asked with a frown.

    "Then you will just have to live with the consequence of your randy past," Harry said with a chuckle.

    "I can''t believe you''re making a joke out of this right now," Tom hissed.

    "Well, I''m not the one who became a baby daddy over night. I can afford to joke," Harry said and chuckled as Tom hung up angrily.

    The smile slid off his face as he looked down at his journal. Thedy''s name was Kimberly Moore, and her daughter''s name was Dawn Wealth.

    Just when he thought they were free from drama they were about to have another crazy experience, Harry thought as he dialed a number.

    "I need you to look into some people ASAP. Treat with utmost urgency," Harry said as he read out the names and location.

    "I want detailed information on her love life; past and present. And I will appreciate it even more if you can get the kid''s medical record and tell me whatever you can about her father," Harry said, hoping Kimberly was telling lies, even though like Tom, a part of him already believed that the kid was Tom''s.

    Someone like Kimberly Moore had no reason to use Tom falsely. And judging by all Tom had told him she said, she didn''t sound like she needed him all that much either.

 Chapter 610 Nosy Couple

    Chapter 610 Nosy Couple

    "Are you certain this is what you want?" Harry asked Matt, who was seated across from him as they discussed his move from Golden Star to I-Global entertainment agency.

    "Even if I didn''t want to, it''s the smartest move to make right now. I can trust I-Global to manage my career. Golden Star is down already. Majority of the shareholders have pulled out and Paul is a wreck," Matt said and Harry''s lips twitched.

    "Well, he should have known better than toe for the Hanks," Harry said, and Matt nodded in agreement.

    "Serves him right if you ask me. I''m curious about something though. Will everyone signing with I-Global have to go through you? I thought Jeff was supposed to be in charge of the agency," Matt said and Harry nodded.

    "Jeff is in charge. And after now I will have no reason to want to meet with the stars signing with the agency. For Bryan I met with him personally because I wanted to be sure Tom was making the right business move by bringing his brother in," Harry exined, and Matt arched a brow.

    "And me? Why did you have to meet with me?" Matt asked, and Harry chuckled as he scratched the back of his ear.

    "You must have heard that Candace is my twin sister, right?" Harry asked, and Matt nodded.

    "Yeah. Small world. What has that got to do with my signing with I-Global?" Matt asked, and Harry smiled.

    "I witnessed how much effort you put into helping her. I know you care about her and I appreciate it��."

    "You don''t need to thank me for that," Matt said gruffly.

    "There is every need to thank you. I also want to ask you a question. I know this might sound personal��."

    Matt seemed like a great guy, and seeing how much Matt had tried to help Candace and how upset he had been over Candace''s lies, he had no doubt that Matt loved Candace.

    "Don''t. If it''s personal, don''t ask any questions," Matt cut in, and Harry held his gaze for a moment before letting out a sigh.

    "Alright then. You can conclude the rest details with Jeff, and he will get back to me," Harry said, and Matt gave him a nod.

    "I suppose he will show me the office?" Matt asked, and Harry shook his head.

    "Although, we already chose an office space for the agency, Tom insisted we give it some time. He ns to purchase the Golden Star building and turn Paul''s office into Bryan''s restroom," Harry said with a grin, and Matt chuckled.

    "Tom is really cool," Matt said as he rose, "Thanks for your time, Harry."

    "You will attend the anniversary dinner party, I believe?" Harry said as he opened his drawer and took out an invite.

    "Since you are a part of I-Global now, I think you should be there," Harry said as he extended it to Matt.

    "Thanks for the invite," Matt said as he took it from him and headed for the door.

    Harry sighed as he watched him leave, and silently hoped that Candace would be able to resolve her issues with him.

    Matt seemed like a great guy, and seeing how much Matt had tried to help Candace and how upset he had been over Candace''s lies, he had no doubt that Matt loved Candace.

    Once Matt left thepany, he drove over to Tom''s mansion since he had promised to pay them a visit so he could see Sonia.

    As he drove, he thought aboutst night with Gemima and how the sex which had once been great between them seemed so ordinary and unexciting now. Or perhaps boring was the word.

    If he needed a sign to know he was still very much fucked up over Candace, then that had been it.

    As much as he hated to admit it, Gemima had been unable to turn him on despite her kisses and touch. He had gotten himself hard by thinking about Candace. Their lovemaking and how hot she had looked at the club when she danced for him.

    Even after managing to get an erection, he had been so distracted during the sex, thinking about his meeting with Candace that afternoon and how she had looked in those ssy clothes.

    Of course, Gemima had noticed his distraction and had to stop. He didn''t ask her why she stopped, and neither did she say a word. He didn''t apologize or give any exnation either.

    Once she got off him, she had gone right into the bathroom to shower and when she returned to join him on the bed, she brought a bottle of wine and sses for them, and spent the rest of the time telling him about hering projects and sharing entertainment gossip until they slept.

    Matt sighed as he stopped outside the gate and dialed Bryan''s line to inform him he was outside as he waited to be identified by the security camera in Tom''s gate.

    Once the gate was opened, he drove in and was met by Bryan at the door, "Hey, man!" Bryan greeted.

    "Matt darling," Sonia called excitedly as she tried to run past Bryan, but he held her back by the waist.

    "Slow down, babe. Don''t run," he said, and she rolled her eyes as Matt walked up to them.

    "Congrats darling," Matt told Sonia as he swept her off her feet and gave her a smacking kiss on her lip before setting her down.

    Sonia giggled as she embraced him, "Thank you," Sonia said as she linked her arm with his and they went inside.

    "So, how have you been? By the way, Jade told me they ran into you guys yesterday," Sonia said, and Matt shook his head.

    "Don''t do that, Sony," Matt said, knowing she was trying to bring up Candace.

    "Don''t do what? I was only asking a harmless question," she said with an innocent smile, and Matt snorted.

    "If I didn''t know you, I would believe that. The house looks empty. Where are the senior Hanks?" Matt asked.

    "They are hanging out with Lucy''s parents. Evelyn gave the staff the day off. So, we are practically home alone since Jade is busy in her bedroom," Sonia said as they headed for the Den while Bryan went to the bar to get a bottle of wine and sses.

    "So, are you really done with her?" Sonia asked once they were seated, and Matt sighed.

    "Done with who?" Matt asked, pretending not to know what she was talking about.

    "Are you really going to pretend you do not know I''m talking about Candace? Are you over Candace? I learned you were kissing some model��."

    "I didn''t kiss her, she kissed me," Matt said defensively, and Sonia grinned.

    "Really? Does that mean nothing is going on between you two? Bryan said you used to be involved with her," Sonia said and Matt scowled.

    "You''re so nosy, anyone ever told you that?" Matt asked, and she giggled.

    "Yes, thanks. You still haven''t answered my question," Sonia reminded him.

    "You never give up, do you?" Matt asked, and she bobbed her head.

    "No, I don''t. I still think you both would be perfect together," Sonia said, but Matt said nothing.

    "C''mon," Sonia said as she tickled Matt and he chuckled.

    "If I didn''t love you, I would be mad at you right now," Matt said, and Sonia smiled.

    "Good thing you love me. Cause I love you too. So, tell me," she pleaded.

    "Why? So, you can tell Candace whatever I say?" Matt asked and she shook her head.

    "Trust me, Matt. I love Candace, but I''m on your side. I won''t say a word to her if you ask me not to," Sonia promised.

    "I wouldn''t say a word to her if I were you," Bryan said as he joined them and Sonia red at him.

    "What do you mean by that?" Sonia asked, and Bryan shrugged.

    "No offense, love, but I don''t think you''re very good with secrets. I can just imagine you telling Lucy, and Lucy telling Candace," Bryan said as he handed Matt a ss of wine.

    "I will pretend you didn''t say that. Why are there only two winesses?" Sonia asked, and Bryan looked at her incredulously.

    "You shouldn''t be taking wine in your state," Bryan stated, and she nodded.

    "I see you are not ignorant. Still, don''t you think you could have gotten me something nonalcoholic? Am I just supposed to swallow my saliva while I watch you both drink?" She asked, and Bryan sighed.

    "I have just two hands, Sony. I will go get you something to drink now," he said as he left.

    "So?" Sonia asked as she faced Matt who was sipping his wine.

    "So, what Sony?" Matt asked wearily.

    "About Candace��."

    "Did Candace say something to make you believe she is interested in me? Why do you keep pushing this when you already know she is the one who rejected me?" Matt asked quietly.

    "I know she has feelings for you��."

    "Did she say so?" Matt asked, and Sonia shrugged.

    "Be honest, Matt. Do you really think Candace isn''t interested in you?" Sonia asked and he shook his head.

    "She might be interested but she doesn''t want a rtionship with me. That much I know. She alwayses up with a reason why she can''t be with me. I can''t force her to want me," Matt said with a sigh.

    "Her pride would never let her admit it, but I know she wants you. Jade thinks so too. And Jade told me they had a sort of agreement that she would confess her feelings to you after they got Jero out of the way (chapter 398)," Sonia said, and Matt raised a brow.

    "They did?" He asked curiously.

    "Yes. But ording to her you showed up and told Candace you were moving on and wanted closure," Sonia said, and Matt frowned.

    "Well, what is done is done," Matt said with a shrug as he looked into his wine.

    "I guess you''re still interested in her," Sonia said, and Matt chuckled.

    "You''re not going to get anything out of me, Sony. Quit wasting your time," Matt said as he yfully tugged her hair while she pouted.

    "Candace is here," Bryan announced as he walked in with a ss of juice for Sonia.

    "Really?" Sonia asked as she rose and took the juice from Bryan.

    "Matt is being annoyingly tightlipped. You two can enjoy yourself while I catch up with Candace," Sonia said as she walked away, leaving them alone.

    "Sonia is nosy, isn''t she?" Bryan asked Matt with a grin as he picked up his winess and sat down.

    "I''m d you know that," Matt said with a chuckle.

    "So, did you fuck her?" Bryan asked, and Matt scowled.

    "Fucked who for Christ''s sake? Can you and Sonia leave my business alone?" Matt muttered.

    "Did you fuck Gemima? I hope you didn''t?" Bryan asked, ignoring Matt''s annoyance.

    "You''re just as nosy as Sonia. I did. Do you have a problem with that?" Matt asked with a slightly raised brow.

    "So, you''re getting back with her?" Bryan continued with a scowl, ignoring Matt''s question.

    "I don''t think she would want to have sex with me ever again afterst night. It was fucked up," Matt admitted.

    "Want to talk about it?" Bryan asked, and Mattughed dryly.

    "Now you care about whether I want the conversation or not?"

    Bryan grinned as he sipped from his wine, "I actually don''t care. I was only being polite. I want to hear all about it," Bryan said, and Matt shook his head.

    "I''m still stuck on Candace, okay? I can''t seem to get her out of my fucking mind. Seeing her yesterday didn''t help. You won''t believe I had to summon thoughts of her to get an erection despite having Gem''s lips on my cock. And I kept thinking about how she looked yesterday while Gem was fucking riding me," Matt admitted, and Bryan stuck his tongue in his cheek to keep fromughing.

    "I swear I''m going to murder you if youugh," Matt threatened and ignoring his warning Bryan broke into a fit ofughter.

    "I''m sorry, man! Must have been a hell of a ride for Gemima. Tell me you didn''t make the mistake of calling her Candace?" Bryan asked as he set down his ss.

    Matt chuckled, "Why would I make such a mistake? They''re nothing alike. Not that it would have mattered if I had done so anyway," Matt said with a sigh.

    "Want to know what I think?" Bryan asked.

    "Tell me, smart ass."

    "I really think instead of avoiding her, you should face it head on. Maybe that way you can move on faster, that is if you really don''t want to try to fix things," Bryan advised.

    "What do you mean?" Matt asked with interest.

    "Be friendly towards her. Instead of keeping yourself from calling her, call her. That way you won''t miss her so much or have her in your head all the time. Soon enough you should be able to friendzone her, who knows?" Bryan said, and Matt sighed.

    "I thought of doing that before, you know? I even went to see her at the hospital where she was nursing her baby daddy and offered her my friendship (chapter 413)."

    "So, what changed?" Bryan asked, and Matt shook his head.

    "I don''t know. I guess every time I see her or interact with her I''m reminded of how good it would have been between us, and then I miss her even more," Matt said, and Bryan nodded.

    "Avoiding her won''t do it. And you can''t even do so even if you wanted now. So, why not at least make your meetings friendly instead of awkward?" Bryan suggested.

    "I know you are right. It''s not like I have any choice, do I?" Matt asked, and Bryan shook his head.

    "You don''t."

    "Is Jamal with her?" Matt asked when he remembered the kid.

    "No, she''s here alone," Bryan said, and Matt nodded.

    "I should probably go see the kid today."

 Chapter 611 Marriage And Proposals

    Chapter 611 Marriage And Proposals

    "So, tell me all about your date," Candace said excitedly as she got on Jade''s bed, while Jade packed up the documents she had been studying.

    "Where should I begin? The flower petals that decorated the floor? Or the romantic candle lit dinner on a rooftop? Or the sweetest chocte written proposal to be his girlfriend? Or the fireworks?" Jade asked and Candace giggled.

    "Okay. I believe now that Harry outdid himself. But details. Tell me all about it," Candace said with a grin and Jade was more than happy to oblige.

    "Woaw! Six months?" Candace asked in surprise when Jade mentioned Harry''s future marriage proposal.

    "Yeah," Jade said with twinkling eyes.

    "Told you I was going to be your twin sister inw, didn''t I?" Jade asked, and Candace giggled as the door opened and Sonia walked in without knocking since the door was slightly open.

    "Yeah, you did say so," Candace said, and exchanged a look with Jade as Sonia joined them on the bed.

    "Are you sure you want to get married to him, though?" Candace asked, switching to the purpose of her being there, since they needed information for Bryan.

    "Of course! You needed to see how smitten she lookedst night. If he had proposedst night, she would have said yes without blinking," Sonia said as she sipped from her ss of juice, and Jadeughed.

    "Of course! And it''s thanks to you that I got to realize there was something between us," Jade said, and Sonia smiled happily.

    "You''re always wee."

    "And it is thanks to me you made a move, remember?" Candace pointed out, reminding her of how much she had insisted Jade open up to Harry.

    "Well, I was pretty much going to do that. But thanks to you too. That''s why you are going to be my maid of honor when we get married," Jade said, and Candace giggled.

    "Really? I get to choose my own color and style, right?" Candace asked, excited at the idea of being a maid of honor.

    "Of course."

    "Good. Talking about marriage, congrats Sony. I heard the wonderful news," Candace said, and Sonia gave her a wide smile.

    "Thanks. Maybe you can give me some pregnancy and motherhood tips," Sonia said hopefully.

    "Sure. All you have to do is ask what you want to know. And you do know there are pregnancy apps you can download now, right?" Candace asked, and Sonia nodded.

    "Yeah. Bryan downloaded a couple of them already," Sonia said with a grin.

    "He seems more excited about the pregnancy than you are," Jade said, and Sonia giggled.

    "Yeah. It''s hard to believe I was so scared he wouldn''t want us to keep the baby. I almost had an abortion without his knowledge," Sonia confided, and both Jade and Candace gasped in surprise.

    "Why would you ever think of doing something like that?" Jade asked in disbelief.

    "That would have been really cruel to Bryan," Candace said, and Sonia sighed.

    "Yeah. I was all up in my head. I just didn''t think he would want us to keep the baby and I didn''t want to put him in a difficult position of suggesting an abortion," Sonia exined.

    "Some times we tend to magnify our problems in our head when they''re really not as serious as we think. Effectivemunication and time are all you need to resolve most problems. Talk about it, and then give it time," Candace said, and Sonia considered it for a moment.

    "That actually makes a lot of sense," Sonia said thoughtfully as she made a mental note to jot that down somewhere.

    "Of course it does. I know what I''m talking about," Candace said with a smile.

    "Yeah, right!" Jade said with a roll of eyes.

    "What do you mean by that?" Candace asked with a slightly raised brow.

    "Nothing. Absolutely nothing," Jade said with a sweet smile.

    If she said what she meant by that, they might end up deviating from the topic and miss the opportunity to get the needed information from Sonia, so she would leave that forter.

    "Well, I''m d you didn''t go along with your n, Sony," Jade said and Sonia nodded.

    "Yeah. Me too. Bryan seems so happy," Sonia said with a small smile.

    "Who knows? He just might pop the question soon," Candace said with a wink, and Jade giggled while Sonia shook her head.

    "Nah! I don''t think so."

    "Why not? Don''t you want to get married?" Jade asked curiously.

    "Of course, I want to. But I''m not sure Bryan is ready for that. You know, having a baby is one thing. Celebrities do that all the time. I mean having baby mamas and stuff. Marriage is an entirely different ball game, and I don''t think Bryan is ready for that yet," Sonia said with a shrug.

    "But you are, aren''t you?" Candace asked, and Sonia grinned.

    "Of course. I hope to spend the rest of my life with Bryan," Sonia said, and Jade smiled to hide her relief.

    "That means if he pops the question now you will say yes?" Jade asked just to be sure.

    "Of course! What would be better than having our baby in the safe confines of marriage? Don''t tell Bryan I said that, though. I mean, having our baby is great, marriage or not. But I also think it would be beautiful to be married and have the baby," Sonia said with a shrug.

    "Sure. I get what you mean," Jade said with a nod, and Candace turned to Jade.

    "So, now that Harry has gone to such lengths for just your first date, what would you like him to do for your marriage proposal?" Candace asked, and Jade raised a brow.

    "Did he ask you to ask me this?" Jade asked with a teasing smile and both Candace and Soniaughed.

    "We both know, he didn''t. Besides, I haven''t really spoken with him since he left to pick you up for the date. He got back reallyte and was in a hurry to leave for the office this morning. There wasn''t really anytime to talk," Candace said, and Jade smiled.

    "Well, I trust Harry. I know whichever way he chooses to propose will be perfect. What about you, Sony?" Jade asked, and Sonia frowned.

    "What about me what?" She asked in confusion.

    "How would you like Bryan to pop the question? Would you prefer a private proposal or a public proposal? Want drama? I never really believed your fake engagement because I thought the proposal seemed too basic," Jade said, not wanting Sonia to detect anything suspicious about the questions.

    Sonia giggled, "You won''t believe I''ve almost forgotten all about that proposal. It seems like all that happened a lifetime ago," Sonia said with a wide smile.

    "I would prefer a private proposal myself," Candace said, and Jade rolled her eyes.

    "Of course. Anyone who knows you can tell," Jade said dryly.

    "What do you mean by that?" Candace asked with a scowl.

    Sonia giggled, "It means everyone knows you''re a person private," Sonia said easily, "Well, I don''t really care whether it is a private or public proposal as long as it''s a diamond ring. And from Bryan, of course," Sonia said with a wink, and both Jade and Candace giggled.

    "By the way, are you aware that Matt is downstairs?" Sonia asked Candace when she remembered she had mentioned it yet.

    Candace''s heart skipped a beat, "Really?" She asked, trying to sound nonchnt.

    "Yup. I asked him about the model. He said he didn''t kiss the model. She kissed him," Sonia said as she exchanged a look with Jade who grinned.

    Jade liked that she was the one pairing with people to get something out of them and not the one in the dark.

    "Does that matter?" Oblivious to the look exchanged, Candace asked. Choosing to act as natural as anyone else would act. It wasn''t a big deal.

    "Yes, it does. That means nothing is going on between them," Jade said easily but Candace said nothing.

    "She used to be his ex, you know?" Sonia said, watching Candace closely while she pretended to be busy with her phone.

    "Really?" Jade asked with interest, her gaze on Candace as well.

    "Yeah. Bryan said things ended really badly between them since she tried to use Matt. So, I guess she is the one trying to get Matt not the other way around," Sonia continued.

    "She must have realized what an amazing guy he is. Can''t me her for trying to get him back," Jade said, and this time Candace dropped her phone and red at them both.

    "Will you both cut it out? I''m not dense, you know? I know exactly what you''re doing," Candace said, and Sonia looked at her innocently.

    "What are we doing other than gossiping?" Sonia asked, and Jade shrugged.

    "I guess we can gossip about anything but Matt," Jade said, and Candace rolled her eyes.

    "Where is everyone else by the way? I didn''t say hello to them because the house seemed really quiet," Candace asked to change the subject.

    "Lucy''s parents moved to her apartment since she isn''t here right now. And my parents went to hang out with them," Jade exined, letting her change the subject.

    "What about Samantha and the others?" Candace asked.

    "Today is their off day. So they all went about their businesses. How is Jamal doing? How is Aaron?" Jade asked, and Candace was relieved that her n had worked.

    "They''re good. Getting along really well. They''re so taken with each other. It''s going to be so much easier to move back to Sogal now with Aaron," Candace said with a happy smile.

    "Harry is going to miss you all when you leave," Jade said, feeling bad for Harry.

    "But that would give you more room to visit and stay over," Sonia pointed out, and Jadeughed softly.

    "As much as I love spending more time with him, they are his family. He''s going to feel lonely," Jade said with a shrug.

    "Harry will be alright. And you can always make him feel less lonely," Candace said as she patted Jade''s hand.

    Jade nced at her phone when it started ringing and she smiled when she saw that it was a call from Mr. Bateman, Jack''s father.

    "Excuse me," she told them as she picked up her phone and moved away from them before receiving the call.

    "Can we meet?" He asked immediately she received the call.

    "Is it about the case?" Candace asked curiously and Jade gave her the details.

    "Alright. I need to leave now anyway. Let me know how it goes," Candace said as she rose to leave "Sure. Where do you have in mind?" She asked, not minding that there was no introduction or exchange of pleasantries. She liked it this way. Straight to business.

    "My office? Do you know where it is located?"

    "I have never been there, but I''m certain I can locate it if you give me the direction," Jade said and hung up the call after he promised to text her the location and they agreed to meet in an hour.

    "I''m sorry,dies. This meeting will have to be adjourned. I have to get ready to leave for a meeting," Jade said as she faced Sonia and Candace.

    "Is it about the case?" Candace asked curiously and Jade gave her the details.

    "Alright. I need to leave now anyway. Let me know how it goes," Candace said as she rose to leave the room and Sonia did the same.

    "Sure."

    "You want to leave already? Why don''t we join Bryan and Matt in the Den?" Sonia asked as she walked out of the room with Candace, shutting the door behind her.

    "Sonia, do us all a favor and quit matchmaking. It''s not going to work," Candace said, giving her a pointed look.

    "Well, since you''re both so sure it''s not going to work, why spend so much time trying to avoid each other? If you believe you''re over him, you should have no problem spending some time with me in hispany," Sonia said with a shrug as they approached the stairs.

    "I''m not avoiding him...."

    "Then what are you doing?" Sonia cut in.

    "Back off, will you?" Candace snapped at her.

    "Do you know you''re being very annoying right now? And I really don''t appreciate it," Candace said with a scowl as they descended the stairs.

    Sonia sighed, "Fine. I''m sorry. But I really think you both will make a very good couple...."

    "Thanks for the vote of confidence, alright? But please stop. And don''t badger Matt like this either. It''s really not cool. If anything is ever going to happen between us again it''s going to be because we both want it, and not because of your matchmaking skills," Candace said, and almost immediately the words left her lips she regretted it when she saw Matt standing some feet away from the stairs staring at her.

 Chapter 612 Friends With Benefit

    612 Friends With Benefit

    Candace had hoped she would be able to leave without running into Matt since Sonia had said he was at the Den with Bryan, but now that she had seen him, she shed him a smile.

    "Hey, Matt! We run into each other yet again," she said in a cheerful tone that rang false even to her.

    "Yeah. What a coincidence," Matt said as he remained where he stood staring at the one woman who was driving him crazy.

    "Where is Bryan?" Sonia cut in, looking at Matt curiously.

    "He went to the bedroom to change into his swimming trunk. Said he wanted to go to the pool after seeing me off," Matt exined without taking his gaze off Candace who stood rooted to the same spot she had been when she caught sight of him.

    "Oh, you''re leaving already? So is Candace. I should probably go change into my swimming trunk too so I can join him. Excuse me," Sonia said as she quickly turned around and returned upstairs, leaving them alone.

    Candace shifted ufortably, not sure what to do or say, considering the way Matt was staring at her as though he had something to say.

    "So, how are you?" She asked with a bright smile.

    "I''m alright. Are you going to Harry''s right now?" Matt asked as he dipped his hands in his pocket.

    "Yeah," she said with a nod.

    "Did you drive?" Matt asked, and she shook her head, wondering why he was asking.

    "No. Thanks for reminding me. I need to order a ride...."

    "You don''t have to. I could give you a lift. I want to see Jamal," Matt added when he observed the confusion on her face.

    "Oh!"

    "Yeah. So?" He asked, and she shed him a smile.

    "Sure. Why not? It''s not a big deal. Just two old friends sharing a ride to..." She let the rest of her words trail off when it urred to her that she was bbering.

    If sitting in an open cafe together for less than ten minutes hadn''t been awkward enough, she was certain sharing a car with him for over twenty minutes would drive her crazy.

    If Matt had noticed her bber, he showed no sign of it as he remained where he stood, staring at her as though he was trying to figure out something.

    "Jamal will be really thrilled to see you," Candace said, and this time Matt smiled.

    "As I am to see him," Matt said, and Candace nodded stiffly.

    "I came to see Jade," she exined when they both remained where they stood in awkward silence, waiting for Sonia and Bryan to join them.

    "I figured," Matt said, and Candace nodded.

    "There is no reason for things to be so awkward between us, you know? I mean, we might be running into each other a lot more often," Matt said, and Candace shed him a smile.

    "Yeah. Sure."

    A couple of minutester, Sonia and Bryan stood outside dressed in their swimming trunks as they waved at Matt''s retreating car.

    "I can''t believe they ran into each other while trying to get away before the other," Sonia said with a giggle.

    "That''s probably going to be the most awkward drive of their lives," Bryan said with a chuckle as he pulled Sonia with him to the poolside.

    Inside the car, neither Candace nor Matt said a word to each other as he drove, despite their agreement to not be awkward.

    Candace made sure her face was turned to her window, and she did her best to focus on everything they drove past so she wouldn''t have to think about the fact that she was alone in a car with Matt.

    "Why are you so ufortable?" Matt asked breaking the silence in the car.

    Candace snapped her head in his direction as she turned to look at him, "I''m not," she said defensively.

    "You are. Your whole body is turned away from me and pressed against the door," Matt said jerking his beard towards the empty space on her seat, and she adjusted.

    "I was just enjoying the scenery," Candace said as she turned back to look at the window.

    "Really? I find it funny that you are so ufortable," Matt said, but Candace said nothing.

    She already said she wasn''t ufortable, and if he was insisting she was, she had nothing else to say to him. All she wanted was for them to arrive at Harry''s as soon as possible.

    "What can I get him?" Matt asked, and Candace turned to look at him in confusion.

    "Who? What?"

    "Jamal. I can''t possibly show up empty handed. I would like to get him something. What do you think he will like?" Matt asked, and Candace shook her head.

    "You don''t have to��."

    "I do. You and I may not exactly get along with each other, but Jamal and I are cool��."

    "I do get along with you. What do you mean?" She asked with a slight frown.

    "Really? There is no need for the pretense, Candace��."

    "There is no pretense. We are cool. We had great sex. We moved on. You are meeting otherdies again. Everything is great," Candace said with a careless shrug.

    "I am meeting otherdies again? What does that mean? What does it have to do with this?" Matt asked irritably.

    "I''m just saying, you are alright����what? Why did you stop?" Candace asked when Matt abruptly pulled over by the roadside.

    "I''m alright? What do you term alright, Candace?" Matt asked, unable to contain his annoyance.

    "I may have hurt your feelings, but you already got the closure you needed and you have moved on

    ����"

    "Moved on? Who are you to determine whether or not I''m alright or have moved on? I spentst night conjuring thoughts of you just to get a hard on to fuck someone I''ve never had a problem fucking in the past, and while she was riding me all I was thinking about was you. Can you tell me what part of that says I''ve moved on?" Matt snapped at her.

    Candace blinked, taken aback by his blunt honesty, "Oh! Wow!"

    "Oh? wow? Oh, wow!?" He asked angrily.

    Candace swallowed, "I don''t know what you expect me to say."

    "It''s easy for you to sit there and say whatever you like however you like, isn''t it? How dare you say we had sex and moved on as though that was all there was between us? We spent several months chatting and talking over the phone before we ever met! Before we ever had sex! So, how can you keep implying it was just sex?" Matt asked, and Candace took a deep breath.

    "Alright. I''m sorry. I never meant to offend you����"

    "What about you? Are you alright? Have you moved on?" Matt asked without letting her finish.

    "Matt��"

    "Have you?" He asked before she could protest.

    "I''m alright. And yes. I''ve moved on," Candace said without meeting his gaze.

    "Really? So, who are you seeing now?" Matt asked, and she shifted ufortably in her seat.

    "I can move on without needing to see anyone, can''t I? Now, can we just drop the subject and go?" Candace asked wearily.

    "Why? It''s okay for you to know about all that is going on in my life and who I''m seeing or not, but I can''t know about you?" He asked, and she shook her head.

    "I never asked to know anything about your life. In case you did not notice, the Hanks have a Candace said, and Matt nodded.

    17:08

    problem with minding their business and keeping their opinions to themselves," Candace said while Matt continued to stare at her.

    "What you said on the staircase earlier means there''s still a chance of things working out between us, right?" Matt asked with a raised brow.

    "What did I say?" Candace asked,pletely at a loss.

    "What you told Sonia about the possibility of things happening between us only if we both want it," Matt said, and Candace''s heart skipped a beat.

    She swallowed, "I only said that so that she would stop trying so hard to hook us up together," Candace said, and Matt nodded.

    "I see. Are you certain you are over me and have no more feelings whatsoever for me?" He asked again, and Candace bobbed her head as she drew in a shaky breath.

    "Sure," she said as she turned away from him again.

    "Damn it, Candace!"

    Candace jolted when Matt suddenly grabbed her chin and turned her face to him, and before she could ask what he was doing, he crushed his lips to hers, and tossed them back to that night not so long ago when they had devoured each other on the bed in Bryan''s guest room.

    At first Candace was shocked by the kiss, but before she could will herself not to react, she was already kissing him back.

    Matt''s lips tasted of both anger and hunger and as he kissed her, his frustration at her poured into her.

    She felt a tingle skim along her spine. And longing like a me she''d never been able to put out shot through her. She hated herself for it, yet that did not stop her burying her fingers in his hair and kissing him for all she was worth.

    She would think about the rightness or wrongness of her actionter, but for now all she wanted was to feel. To feel him.

    Later she woulde up with a good excuse to exin why she was doing something contrary to everything she had told herself just the previous day.

    Later she could assure herself that the only reason she had given in to this longing was because she was lonely and because Matt was the only other man apart from Jero who had ever touched her. But for now��.

    Candace moaned softly as Matt fondled her boobs, and without thinking her hands moved from his hair to his groin, eliciting a groan from him as she rubbed the his erection.

    At first he had kissed her only to see how she would react to it so he would know if there was still any attraction on her part, but the moment she returned his kiss, he forgot everything else.

    "Your body always betrays your lies," he whispered against her lips as his hand moved from her boobs down to the waistband of her trousers, and he unbuttoned and unzipped it effortlessly with one hand and slipped his hands into her panties between her legs.

    "You''re wet for me," Matt said in a husky voice as his lips move to her neck and he nted soft kisses down to her chest.

    Candace''s breath came out in gasps as his middle finger thrust in and out of her while his thumb yed with her clits, as his lips continued to do their wonders.

    "Matt, please," she moaned loudly as she felt herself teetering on the edge of an intense orgasm.

    "Do you want me to stop?" Matt asked as he continued to finger fuck her.

    "Yes. No. I want you," Candace cried, certain that if he stopped now she was going to die.

    Matt stopped moving his fingers, but they remained where they were, "Then say it, Candace. Tell me you want me as desperately as I want you," Matt said looking into her face.

    "Say it," he ordered her as he brushed his thumb over her clit to remind her of what she was depriving herself.

    Candace swallowed a moan, "I want you desperately," she said in a voice that didn''t sound anything like hers, but that was all Matt needed to hear.

    He crushed his lips to hers once again, and finger fucked her until the only sound in the car was that of Candace''s muffled cries of pleasure.

    "Cum for me," Matt said as he felt her legs tremble and her insides clench and unclench.

    Matt didn''t stop until he felt her body rx, and then he pulled away from her, while Candace looked away from him, feeling embarrassed.

    Matt said nothing as he took a tissue from the tissue box in the car and handed some to Candace for her to clean up, and then took some with him as he stepped out of the car to give her room to clean up and organize her clothes.

    Despite how stiff his erection felt at that moment, Matt felt very pleased with himself as he wiped her juice off his fingers. This wasn''t about satisfying himself. It was about proving to her that she wanted him, and proving to himself that he wasn''t just pining away for someone who didn''t want him.

    Candace tapped on the window when she was done to let him know he coulde back, and Matt took a deep breath as he got back in.

    "Matt��"

    "You still want me, Candace. You can deny it all you want but your body says otherwise," Matt said quietly.

    "Physical attraction has never been an issue between us," Candace pointed out.

    "So, what is the issue this time? First you said Jero was dangerous and you were scared he would hurt me. Now Jero is out of te picture. Next you said I was a celebrity and being with me might expose you and what you do. Now you are rted to Harry Jonas and connected with the Hanks. They''re equally celebrities. Will you cut them off too?" Matt asked, and Candace took a deep breath.

    "I still have a lot going on with me and I need to figure out stuff and make something meaningful and worthwhile out of my life," Candace said, and Matt nodded.

    "And you can''t do that with me by your side?" Matt asked, and shook her head.

    "Matt��"

    "I''m not asking you to marry me, Candace. I''m only asking you to be my girlfriend," Matt said reasonably.

    "I''m sorry��."

    "Okay. I get it. You don''t want emotional entanglements. How about we be friends with benefits? It makes it easier for us both. No more awkwardness. Nomitments if you don''t want it. And the best part, no one has to know anything is going on between us. Especially not the Hanks. It will be just two friends who are sexually attracted to each other having great discreet sex together," Matt offered, and Candace looked at him with a slight frown.

    "You don''t have to give me an answer right now. Just think about it. I have only one more rejection from you left in me. If you insist you don''t want anything, this is thest time I will ask," Matt said as he started the car.

    Candace''s heart raced, and she folded both hands on her thighs as she looked straight ahead of her, wondering what she had just done, and trying to make sense of his offer.

    "So, you haven''t answered my question. What can I get Jamal?" Matt asked, acting like nothing had happened between them and he had not just asked the woman he knew he was in love with to be his fuckbuddy.

 Chapter 613 Therapy Session

    613 Therapy Session

    By the time it was noon, Lucy left the office to go for her first therapy session. She was to meet with the therapist by 1 p.m., and it was about forty five minutes drive from I-Global to the hospital.

    Thankfully, Tom had made arrangements so that she could get off work early on the days she needed to go for her sessions, so she didn''t need to worry about being out of the office for personal business during office hours.

    Although she was gued by many thoughts as she drove, she had her mind set on this therapy.

    Amongst the two therapists the doctor had rmended to her, she had decided to settle for the female, or rather, she had decided to begin with her, and if it didn''t go well, then she would seek the service of the male therapist.

    Perhaps Lucy had chosen Julia Andrews because apart from the fact that she was female, she had found out that thedy had experienced sexual abuse and had been the victim of a stalker herself, and so unlike other therapists, she specialized in dealing with patients who were victims of stalkers and sexual abuse.

    This made Lucy feel like since they had simr experience, she could rte better.

    Lucy had spent some time checking out the website of the therapist and reading a lot of reviews about her before their meeting, and almost all of them had been positive. She would have been worried had she not seen any negative reviews. Seeing those in the magnitude of positive reviews made her feelfortable.

    For the first time in her life she prayed that she had been wrong about therapies and desperately hoped that she would get the help she now so much believed she needed.

    "Doctor Julia''s One O''clock appointment?" The secretary asked with a polite smile the moment Lucy walked into the psychotherapy section of the hospital, and Lucy gave her a nod.

    "Yes, please," Lucy said, as the secretary approached her.

    "You''re wee, Miss Lucinda Perry. Pleasee with me," the secretary said as she led Lucy down the hallway that led to the office of the therapist.

    The secretary knocked once on the door before turning the knob, "Your one o''clock is here, ma''am," She announced and stood aside to let Lucy in.

    "Miss Lucinda Perry!" Julia greeted with a bright smile as she rose from her desk, "Would it bother you if I say it''s nice to meet you?" She asked as she went around her desk to take Lucy''s hand in a warm handshake.

    The secretary shut the door behind her as she excused them, while Lucy couldn''t help but wonder why the therapist seemed so friendly and sounded like she knew her.

    "Do you wee all your first time clients with that line, doctor?" Lucy asked with a confused smile as she looked at the beautiful plumpdy who looked like she was in herte forties.

    "Please call me Julia. And no, I don''t. As a matter of fact I''ve never said that to any patient of mine. Have you had lunch yet?" Julia asked curiously not bothering to offer Lucy a seat.

    "No. I had ate breakfast. Why say that to me then?" Lucy asked, getting back to her question.

    "Because I feel like I know you. It''s not every time you get the opportunity to meet your patient first on TV before meeting them in person, is it?" she asked, still smiling and Lucy nodded as she finally understood.

    "You saw my interview," she stated simply.

    "As did thousands of people all over the world. Since you''re not hungry I suppose we can take a walk?" Julia asked, and Lucy arched a brow.

    "Are we not supposed to sit here and talk about why I''m here?" Lucy asked, and Julia shook her head.

    "We are not supposed to do anything. There is no one right way to therapy. I prefer to interact with my patients outside the office on our first day. You know, build a friendly rapport that would help us to be intimate," Julia exined as she shrugged out of her white coat.

    "I see. Do you mind referring to me as your client instead of a patient?" Lucy asked as she followed Julia out of her office.

    "I see you''re in that ss," Julia said with a soft smile as she turned to give Lucy an assessing smile before they got into the elevator.

    "What ss is that?"

    "The ss of those who feel insulted by the idea of receiving therapy," Julia said as she pressed the button for the rooftop.

    Lucy took a deep breath, "I''m just notfortable with being referred to as a patient."

    "Alright then, client," Julia said with a friendly smile.

    "Thanks. So, if you saw my interview, that means you know why I''m here, right?" Lucy asked as the elevator door opened, and they stepped out of it.

    "I can''t say I do. I''d rather you tell me," Julia said as they stepped into the beautiful rooftop garden filled with artificial flowers.

    "You''re not allergic to flowers, are you?" Julia asked and Lucy shook her head.

    "No, I''m not. Why do you ask? Aren''t these artificial flowers?" Lucy asked as she examined them.

    "There is a garden of natural flowers ahead of us. I''d love us to sit over there," Julia exined as she led Lucy further down.

    "So, what do you want, Lucy? I hope you don''t mind me calling you that? I prefer to be on a first name basis with my clients," Julia said when they got to the end and found a lovers seat.

    Lucy shrugged, "It''s fine. My loved ones believe I need therapy��."

    "But you don''t think you do?" Julia cut in curiously.

    "I''m beginning to think so. For the first time in my life I''m doubting a lot of things, and then two days ago I reacted in a disturbing manner to a statement that shouldn''t ordinarily have warranted such a response. I honestly do not see how talking about my life will make anything better, but if they say it works, I''m willing to give it my best shot to see if there is even the slightest chance that I might gain more rity and feel better," Lucy exined, and Julia nodded.

    "Interesting. What sort of games do you like? Favorite Sports?" Julia asked, and Lucy frowned.

    "How is that in any way rted to all I just said?"

    "Calm down, Lucy. Do not get ahead of yourself. You can''t breeze in and out of therapy. As I told you earlier, this first appointment is to build a rapport��."

    "You are charging me to build a rapport," Lucy cut in.

    "Yes, I am. There are hundreds of therapists in the country. I believe someone capable referred me to you, and you decided toe to me for a reason. If you don''t like my method, you are free to go somewhere else where you can dictate to your doctor how best to treat you. But if you are going to be my patient��."

    "Client," Lucy corrected.

    "If you''re going to be my PATIENT, you will let me do my job how best I know to do it. That''s the only way your mind can be cured from whatever ails it," Julia said sternly, but her eyes remained warm as they held Lucy''s gaze.

    "I''m not much into games or sports. I do more of solo activities. Reading novels mostly," Lucy said after a short while and Julia smiled.

    Julia took Lucy''s hand and squeezed softly, "I understand that this must not be easy for you. But I will like it very much if you could put aside your reservations concerning therapy and trust me. While money is important and takes care of my bills, my job is every bit as important and personal to me. I consider my clients family," Julia said, and then pointed to a peony.

    "That''s my granddaughter''s favorite flower," Julia said with a bright smile as she took out her phone to take a picture.

    "You have a granddaughter?" Lucy asked, and Julia bobbed her head as she opened her phone''s gallery and showed Lucy pictures of her granddaughter.

    "Yeah. I have four kids. A girl and three boys. I had my daughter when I was eighteen. She is married now with two kids of her own," Julia said as she showed her a picture of all her kids and grandkids together at herst son''s high school graduation.

    "What about you?" Julia asked, and Lucy shook her head.

    "I don''t have grandkids," Lucy said with a small smile, and Juliaughed softly.

    "Of course, you don''t. Would you love to have kids?" Julia asked, and Lucy shook her head.

    "No. I''m not sure about that. Why do you ask?"

    "Well, usually when I show youngdies pictures of my grandkids, they usually have this dreamy look on their face, as though they''re picturing their kids, but you don''t have that look," she observed, and Lucy shrugged.

    "Is it weird that I don''t have it?" Lucy asked, and Julia shook her head.

    love and lose out on career? Or why settle for your career and lose out on love when you can have it 17:11

    all? I don''t want to settle for one and lose out on the other. I want to live a bnced out life. I want "Of course not. We all want different things for ourselves. While some desire a family, some want a good career, and there are others who want to find a bnce between both and just be happy," Julia said easily.

    "Like you?" Lucy asked, and Juliaughed softly.

    "Yes, like me. I believe there is so much worth having in life, so why settle for less? Why settle for love and lose out on career? Or why settle for your career and lose out on love when you can have it all? I don''t want to settle for one and lose out on the other. I want to live a bnced out life. I want to live doing what I love and having the people I love with me to cheer me on both in good days and bad days," Julia said, and Lucy sighed.

    "That sounds nice," Lucy said, and Julia nodded.

    "It is nice. I can imagine nothing better than going home to my husband at the end of a very fulfilling day at work and sharing with him my high and low moments while listening to our boys squabble," Julia said with a grin.

    A bnced out life. Lucy mused, "You make it sound so easy," Lucy said, and Juliaughed.

    "Really? That was not my intention, believe me. It''s anything but easy. But what I can tell you, is that I find fulfillment in all of it. It''s all worth it for me," Julia said with a sigh of contentment.

    "So, how is Sonia doing? What does she think about your receiving therapy?" Julia asked curiously and Lucy raised a brow.

    "You know Sonia?" She asked, and Juliaughed.

    "Of course, I do. I watched your interview, remember? I had to rewatch it a couple of times after I saw you were going to be my client. So, I can say I know your best friend. I know you have a twin brother. I know your boyfriend too," Julia said, and Lucy nodded.

    "Well, all three of them you mentioned seem to be in agreement that I should get therapy."

    "You never received one before now, right?" Julia asked, and Lucy nodded.

    "And I take it your boyfriend is the major reason you''re more willing to get help now?" Julia asked, and Lucy looked at her questioningly.

    "Why do you assume so?"

    "Because your twin brother and best friend have been in your life all these years, yet you never bothered with getting help. Your boyfriend is the new person in the picture," Julia said with a shrug as though it was obvious.

    "You could say that," Lucy said with a nod.

    "You must love him a lot," Julia said with a knowing smile, and this time she noticed that Lucy''s smile was different.

    "I do. I read about your trauma��."

    "Ah! I see. I suppose that''s why you chose toe to me," Julia said with a small smile.

    "Yeah. That was part of it. I thought you could rte better to what happened to me," Lucy said, and Julia nodded.

    "Can you tell me about it? I mean, since you know my story, would you mind sharing yours?" Lucy asked curiously.

    "It was different from yours. I knew I was being stalked. He didn''t make it a secret. I osted him twice, and he said he loved following me. He loved watching me. I couldn''t report him to the police because I had no way to prove it. And then one night on my way back from a friend''s birthday party, he attacked me. Raped me. And that was thest time I ever saw him," Julia said with a shrug.

    "He raped you? Did you receive therapy? How did what happen to you affect or change your life?" Lucy asked with interest.

    "Not at first. How was I supposed to afford therapy when we barely had enough to feed?" Julia asked, and Lucy blinked at her in surprise.

    "I guess you missed the part of my story that talked about being from a humble background. As a matter of fact it was a miracle that we were able to keep a roof over our heads. My parents were as poor as could be. So, to answer your question, no. I didn''t receive therapy. Not that I even knew what it was at the time. All I knew was that life hit me hard at eighteen. I was raped and ended up pregnant, and I needed to find a way to survive for both myself and my baby. That is how it changed that just after an hour with Julia she felt she had made the right decision in agreeing to receive 17:12

    therapy.

    my life. It made me more responsible," Julia said with a shrug.

    "My parents were very supportive even though they had no money. I had to work as hard as I could. I worked several jobs at the same time. Saved away what little I could while sharing the rest with my family and taking care of my little girl. When my girl was four, I met my husband, Tim. We fell in love and he married me. It was thanks to his support that I was able to go to college. And today we have three handsome boys together," Julia finished, and smiled when she noticed Lucy brushing off tears.

    "Although, you make it sound like it was easy, but I know you must have had a hard time," Lucy said with a sniffle.

    "I didn''t have the time to have a hard time, Lucy. I was too busy working my ass off to have a hard time, and when I was opportune toy my head on the floor, I sleep was that of an exhausted man. Dreamless," Julia said with an assuring smile.

    "So, it never bothered you? The memories?" Lucy asked with a frown.

    "Make no mistake, Lucy. It did. When I met Tim, it all came back to haunt me. In fact that was how we met. My wallet had fallen off my pocket and I had no idea. Tim was trying to get my attention but I had a earphone on and couldn''t hear him. So, he touched me, and I attacked him involuntarily. Gave him a bloody nose," She said with a rueful smile.

    "Eventually, I had to receive therapy after much encouragement from Tim. And it was while receiving therapy I decided I wanted to be a therapist myself. I wanted to be able to offer help to girls like myself who might not be able to afford it because they''re too easy trying to survive. So, I render pro bono services to such girls over the weekends," Julia exined as she nced at her wristwatch.

    "It''s safe to say as bad as it was, what happened to me helped me find my purpose. Our time is up, Lucy. I need to meet my next client now," Julia said as she rose, and Lucy rose as well.

    "Thanks for sharing your story with me," Lucy said, and Julia smiled.

    "I hope I see you again, Lucy. I really like you a lot, and I would love nothing more than to be able to help you heal your mind," Julia said as they returned inside.

    As Lucy got into her car, she felt more optimistic now than she had felt earlier. It was nice to know that just after an hour with Julia she felt she had made the right decision in agreeing to receive therapy.

    Lucy decided that therapy might really not be as bad as she had thought. Or perhaps it was Julia that she liked. She couldn''t wait to see how their next session would go.

 Chapter 614 No Right To Be Jealous

    Chapter 614 No Right To Be Jealous

    While Matt was in high spirits after what happened between them in the car, Candace was quieter now.

    Matt seemed to have found the solution to his problem, while Candace on the hand seemed to be in a worst state of confusion now.

    How did being friends with benefits with Matt differ from being in a rtionship with him? Candace mused.

    Considering her strong reaction to him, was she really going to be fine if Matt moved on and never asked her to be with him again?

    She considered herself a lot of things but foolish. She wasn''t foolish enough not to know she wanted Matt. She could deny it to everyone else but herself.

    "I suppose you''re so quiet because you''re thinking about my proposal?" Matt asked as they approached Harry''s apartment.

    "No," Candace quickly denied.

    "No? Is that a no to my proposal or��."

    "I mean that''s not the reason why I''m quiet," Candace said, and then bit her lower lip when Matt grinned.

    "I suppose it''s a good thing you aren''t rejecting it then," Matt said, and Candace looked at him.

    "Go on," Matt said, and Candace raised a brow.

    "What?"

    "Go on and ask your question. I''m guessing you have a question for me, don''t you?" Matt asked, and Candace nodded.

    "Assuming I agree to this arrangement. Assuming. We won''t be seen in public together, right? And our meetings would be as discreet as possible? No visits to my home and you won''t expect me to visit yours either, right?" Candace asked, and even though that wasn''t exactly what Matt wanted, he knew he was going to have to let her have her way if he wanted her.

    "Right. For as long as you want," Matt promised.

    "The penthouse over there is where Harry lives," Candace pointed since there were a couple of other magnificent buildings in the area.

    "Where you live," Matt corrected as he drove to the gate and once the security men recognized him and Candace they let him drive in.

    "So, do you have any other questions for me?" Matt asked as he found a spot to park his car.

    "Not at the moment," Candace said as she unfastened her seatbelt, but Matt held her hand to stop her before she could get out of the car.

    "What?" She asked, and Matt smiled.

    "Seeing as I don''t know when I might be with you alone this way again, I don''t feel it''s right to just let you go," Matt said, and Candace looked all around them self consciously.

    Matt chuckled, "I''m not going to do anything inappropriate to you here. I just wanted to know how it''s going with your family. Are youfortable? Are you happy?" Matt asked, and Candace''s lips curved in an involuntary smile.

    "With a father like Aaron and a brother like Harry, it''s hard not to be," Candace said, and Matt smiled.

    "That''s good to know. So, do you n on staying here in Ludus now?" Matt asked, and Candace shook her head.

    "No. We have been away for long enough. We are leaving soon. Thankfully, Aaron lives in Sogal," Candace exined, and Matt nodded.

    Matt''s phone rang before he could say anything else and he picked up the phone, "Excuse me," he told Candace as he received Gemima''s call.

    "Sup? What are you up to? Are you up for a party tonight?" Gemima asked, and Matt smiled. A rtionship might not have worked between them, but Gemima was a cool friend to have.

    "No, I''m not. But don''t let me stop you. I''m okay now, so you don''t need to babysit," Matt said, and Candace looked away, guessing he was talking with thedy he had said he fucked.

    "Are you sure? You know I really don''t mind," Gemima assured him.

    "Yes, I am. Thanks forst night," Matt said, and Candace felt jealousy like bile rise inside her.

    ''I have no right to feel jealous'' Candace reminded herself as she tried to zone out so she wouldn''t hear the rest of the discussion.

    "You don''t have to thank me. I won''t keep you for longer than necessary then. Let me know if you get bored or lonely," Gemima said before hanging up.

    "Sorry. That was my friend��."

    "The girl you fucked," Candace heard herself say.

    "Yeah. The girl I spent the night with. Do you have a problem with that?" Matt asked, trying not to sound as amused as he felt but the tightness he saw around her lips.

    "Of course not. It just doesn''t tell well of you to spend the night on top of onedy and spend the next day finger fucking another," Candace said, and Matt''s lips twitched.

    "I was actually under not on top," Matt corrected.

    "I didn''t ask for the details," Candace hissed.

    "Besides, I didn''t spend the entire day finger fucking you either. Not that I wouldn''t have loved to. Or maybe I''d rather spend the day on top of you than��." Matt chuckled when Candace got out of the car before he could finish and started walking away.

    So, she didnt like the idea of him being with otherdies? Nice! Who could have guessed things would turn out this way today? Matt mused as he quickly got out of the car and picked up the gift bag he had gotten for Jamal before running after Candace.

    He caught up with her as she got into the elevator, "You really were going to leave me behind when you know I don''t even know the apartment number?" Matt asked in disbelief as he joined her and the door closed.

    "You should have thought of that before deciding to��" the rest of her words were lost when Matt suddenly crushed his lips to hers.

    Just as hungrily as she had returned his kiss in the car earlier, Candace found herself doing so once again, with her back pressed against the wall of the elevator and Matt''s hand which was holding the gift back was snaked around her in support.

    Matt abruptly broke the kiss and stepped away from her, "If you have a problem with me having sex with someone else, don''t you think you should ept my proposal and be the only one having sex with me?" Matt asked as the elevator stopped on Harry''s floor and the door opened.

    "I want you. I know you want me too. We are both adults and I know we can make this work if you want it to," Matt said as they both got out of the elevator.

    Candace drew a deep breath as shebed her fingers through her hair just to be sure she looked okay. Last thing she wanted was for Aaron to suspect anything.

    "I ept your proposal, but on the condition that you can''t see anyone else while you''re with me. I won''t see anyone else. Let''s go in," Candace said very quickly, and without waiting to see his reaction or hear his response, she walked over to Harry''s door and entered the passcode.

    A smile lit up her face as she walked in and saw Jamal and Aaron seated on the couch watching a cartoon.

    "Can you guess who is here to see you, Jam?" Candace asked as she walked in but Matt came up behind her before Jamal could guess.

    "MATT!" Jamal screeched happily as he jumped off the couch to go meet Matt, while Matt chuckled as he caught him halfway and swept him up, throwing him up.

    Jamal cackled happily, while Aaron who was still seated, swept an amused gaze over Candace who was watching the exchange with a reluctant smile before returning his attention to Matt.

    "How have you been, man?" Matt asked as he finally set Jamal on his feet.

    "I thought you forgot all about me," Jamal said as he grinned up at Matt.

    "How could I ever do such a thing? I''ve been busy with work, you know? Some of us don''t have hardworking mothers like your mom or wealthy uncles," Matt said dryly, and Jamalughed.

    Matt straightened when his eyes fell on Aaron, "Good day, sir!" He greeted politely.

    "Dad, this is Matt. Matt Swift. He''s�� uhm, he''s a friend. Matt, my father. Aaron Jonas," Candace said, giving Aaron a pointed look that asked him not to say anything untoward.

    Between the Hanks, including Sonia who she considered a Hank, and Aaron, she wasn''t sure who was worse.

    "It''s nice to meet you, sir," Matt said as he stepped forward to shake Aaron''s hand while wondering why he looked sort of familiar.

    "The pleasure is all mine, I assure you. I''ve heard so much about you," Aaron said with a grin, ignoring the re Candace was shooting at him.

    "You have? Good things I hope?" Matt asked as his gaze shifted to Candace before returning to Aaron.

    "Sure. Please sit down and make yourselffortable. I hope you are not in a hurry?" Aaron asked, and once again Matt looked at Candace who, Aaron noticed seemed to be avoiding his gaze.

    "I don''t think I am. Jamal, here. This is for you," Matt said as he sat down and extended a gift bag to Jamal.

    "For me?" Jamal asked with wide eyes as he looked at his mother for approval, and when she gave him a nod he quickly received it from Matt.

    Jamal opened the bag and took out a game box handheld console, "Thank you. I love it," Jamal said his voice awe-filled.

    Jamal looked so touched by the gift that it almost brought tears to Candace''s eyes. She had asked Matt to get him snacks but Matt had insisted that Jamal was a little boy, and little boys loved to y games. He seemed to have picked just the right gift for Jamal.

    "Offer our guest a drink? Or is there something you find fascinating about standing there?" Aaron asked in amusement, and Candace scowled at him before turning to Matt.

    "What can I get you?" She asked without looking directly into his face.

    She still couldn''t bring herself to do so. Not after embarrassing herself twice in one day, and especially not when she was wondering if agreeing to be his friend with benefit was a smart move.

    "A ss of water will be fine. Thanks," Matt said, and Candace gave him a nod before walking away.

    "I''m curious to know how you both happened toe in together," Aaron said with a curious smile.

    "We met at Tom''s, and he offered to drop me off since he wanted toe see Jamal," Candace called back from the dining before Matt could respond.

    "Ah! I see!" Aaron said with a straight face.

    "Do you know Lucy?" Jamal asked curiously, and Aaron chuckled, while Matt raised a brow.

    "Tom''s girlfriend?" He guessed, since that had to be the only Lucy Jamal could be asking him about.

    Jamal scowled at that description of Lucy, "Sort of. She is��."

    "Jamal, you can tell him all about your love for Lucyter. Why don''t you go to the room to check out your new game while I chat with Matt for a bit?" Aaron said with a chuckle, and Jamal flushed in embarrassment while Matt grinned.

    "You won''t leave without saying goodbye to me, right?" Jamal asked hopefully.

    "I wouldn''t dare. Besides, we still have to catch up on all that has been going on with you, don''t we?" Matt asked, and Jamal nodded before walking away.

    "He has a crush on Tom''s girlfriend?" Matt asked in amusement.

    "A major one it seems," Aaron said with a grin as Candace returned with a ss of water for Matt.

    "Have you had lunch and taken your medication?" Candace asked her father.

    "Yes. Wouldn''t you like to go in and freshen up?" Aaron suggested before Candace could sit, and she flushed when she met her father''s gaze and saw the amusement dancing in his eyes.

    She didn''t know how he knew it, but something told her that he knew something had happened between her and Matt. Nosy old man, Candace mused irritably as she walked away.

    "I won''t ask what happened on your way here. It''s not my business. But I take it whatever is between the both of you is not over yet, and you still intend to do what you can you get her, am I right?" Aaron asked, fixing Matt with a look that told him he expected a direct response to his question.

    "Right," Matt said, and Aaron smiled.

    "Good. I heard about how much you helped her, and I thought it would be a shame for things to end between you both just like that. If you ever need my help, do well to let me know," Aaron said, and Matt smiled.

    "I will keep that in mind. Thank you, sir."

    Even though he didn''t like or want any interference in his rtionship with Candace, he was d to know that everyone around them was so willing to push them together, including Candace''s father.

    "Aaron. You can call me Aaron. Can you tell me more about yourself? I mean something that isn''t already written on the inte," Aaron said with a smile that told Matt that the old man had done some digging into him.

    "Sure."

 Chapter 615 Girls Hangout

    Chapter 615 Girls Hangout

    Instead of returning to the office, Lucy decided to just drive around and find somewhere to rx since she wasn''t mandated to return to work after her therapy.

    After driving for some time, she found a quiet spot with lots of trees around and parked the car under one of the trees.

    First, she texted Tom to let him know she was done with her session for the day and that it had not be bad. And then she sent him pictures of herself and her environment.

    Done with that, she took out her journal and a pen and adjusted her seat to afortable position as she wrote down all her thoughts concerning her discussion with Dr Julia.

    While she was still in the middle of doing that, her phone started ringing and she quickly picked it up, thinking it was Tom, but sighed when she realized it was Lucas.

    Hearing from Lucas was good too, she reminded herself as she received the call, "Hey!" She greeted cheerfully.

    "Hey, you! How are you doing?" Lucas asked curiously.

    "I''m good. Ended my first therapy session a while ago," Lucy announced.

    "Therapy? You started one already?" Lucas asked sounding delightfully surprised.

    "Yeah. I decided to give it a shot so you all would stop nagging me so much," Lucy said dismissively, even though she wanted Lucas to ask her how it went.

    "So? What do you think about it? Was it good or bad?" Lucas asked with interest.

    "Well, it was honestly better than I expected. We didn''t talk so much about me, though. She said today was for us to build a rapport so we spent the time getting to know each other. She is a lovelydy, and I believe she is terrific at her job," Lucy said and Lucas smiled happily.

    "I''m d to hear that. Perhaps I could use her service too?"

    "Not unless you were a victim of a stalker or have been sexually abused before. She specializes in such cases," Lucy exined.

    "Well, Rachel did stuck me, didn''t she? I mean through my phone," Lucas joked, and Lucy giggled.

    "It''s good to know you can now joke about her," she said with a smile in her voice.

    "Tyler is always making jokes about her, so it''s either I learn tough about it or I murder my host," Lucas said, and Lucyughed softly.

    "How is Ty doing? I guess you''re enjoying your break?" Lucy asked curiously.

    "He''s good. And yes, I love being here. It''s refreshing. Tyler rmended me for a six months advanced medical training course. So, I will be here for a while," Lucas said, and Lucy sighed.

    "You''re not nning to stay back there permanently, are you?" Lucy asked with a slight frown.

    "Why? You''re missing me already?" Lucas asked in a teasing tone.

    "Of course! It''s too far away. We will all definitely miss you," Lucy said and Lucy chuckled.

    "Don''t worry, it''s not a permanent move. I will be back after the training and ready to get back to work," Lucas assured her.

    "So, how is Tom? And how are things going between the two of you now?" Lucas asked curiously.

    "Not bad. He''s out of the country at the moment taking care of business. But everything is alright. I''ve decided not to let breaking up with him be an option. I think if I keep thinking things might end eventually I might not put my best into making things work. So, I''ll just try to forget anything else and work on those things I can work on," Lucy said, and Lucas smiled.

    "One therapy session and you already sound this way. I''m more than impressed," Lucas said, and Lucy rolled her eyes.

    "It has nothing to do with the therapy. I just figured I need to do what I can to make things work since Tom is doing his best too," Lucy said, and went on to tell Lucas about the notes Tom had left her.

    "He''s a great guy. I wish you both all the best. By the way, mom told me about Sonia and Bryan. Don''t let her put any pressure on you," Lucas said and Lucy told him about the little exchange between their parents the previous evening.

    "It''s good dad is putting his foot down on it. Anyway, I called to find out how you''re doing. I''m d you''re good," Lucas said, but before he could hang up, Lucy stopped him.

    "Lucas?" She called hesitantly.

    "Yeah? Is there something else?" He asked, and she sighed.

    "I''m sorry to bring this up. I spoke with Amyst night," Lucy exined, and Lucas paused.

    "I already told you I want nothing��."

    "Yeah. Sure. I''m in support of your decision. She wanted me to let you know she is very sorry. That''s all," Lucy rushed to assure him.

    "It really doesn''t change anything, Lu. I''m not upset nor mad. I''m indifferent right now. I wish them all the best in their endeavour. Whatever you do, just make sure you do not give them Tyler''s number," Lucas warned.

    "Sure. I won''t," Lucy said, and then nced at her phone when it beeped with an iing call notification.

    "Alright then. Talk to youter. Be good. Love you," Lucas called, and hung up after Lucy responded.

    Immediately, Lucy received Sonia''s call. She had been expecting Sonia''s call since the previous day, but had been too preupied to give her a call.

    "Hey, baby!" Sonia greeted in her usual chirpy tone, and Lucy grinned, happy that Sonia was back to being her happy and carefree self.

    "You seem to be in a good mood," Lucy said, and Sonia giggled.

    "Well, I am. That''s not why I called. How are you? And how are things between you and Tom?" Sonia asked curiously, and Lucy repeated all she had told Lucas to Sonia.

    "But something strange happened today," Lucy said, and then went on to tell Sonia about Cora''s visit to her office, the picture, and Tom''s response.

    "Hmm! What? You think he''s lying to you?" Sonia asked, and Lucy sighed.

    "I don''t know. I don''t want to doubt him or think about it, but I''m bothered by it. I mean, it doesn''t make sense that a business meeting would be held at such a ce. And then he said he met with a man, but the picture said otherwise," Lucy said with a sigh.

    "If you ask me, I think you should take Tom''s word for it. If you''re still in doubt by the time he gets back tomorrow, you can just ask him in person. Tell him what you heard and saw, and ask for an exnation," Sonia advised.

    "Yeah. I think I will do that. I''m hoping he gets back tomorrow in time for the dinner party. You''reing, right?" Lucy asked hopefully.

    "I wouldn''t miss if for anything. Bryan is going to be there after all, and so is Matt. You haven''t met Matt, right? Did I tell you about Matt and Candace?" Sonia asked excitedly, and before Lucy could respond she started telling her all about their coincidental meeting the previous day and that morning as well.

    "Sounds like one of your romance stories. I hope everything works out well for Candace. She deserves to be happy," Lucy said thoughtfully.

    "Yeah. Matt too," Sonia said, "I was thinking, it''s been a while since we hung out together. You know? Just us besties chilling. No boyfriend drama. I was hoping you would make out time this weekend so that all four of us can hangout. By four, I''m talking about us girls. Us two, Jade and Candace. What do you think?" Sonia asked, and Lucy smiled.

    Even though she expected Tom to be around, she wasn''t sure how her weekend would be now that she was no longer living with him. He might as well have made his own ns for the weekend.

    She couldn''t let her life and ns all revolve around Tom''s avability, and she couldn''t sit still waiting for him to make ns for them. Taking a couple of hours to spend time with friends wouldn''t hurt anyone.

    "Sure! That should be fun," Lucy said, and Sonia smiled happily.

    "Good! I wanted to check with you before suggesting it to the others. I will bring it up in the group and then we can decide on when and where to hangout," Sonia said excitedly.

    "That''s fine."

    "I should get back into the pool and join Bryan. Love ya," Sonia said before hanging up.

    Away from there, sitting across from Mr. Bateman, Jade watched the man silently as she waited for him to speak.

    She believed he had called her over because he was ready to make some sort of deal, and she wasn''t going to say anything until he said what he had in mind.

    "Before I say anything, I will like to know what you have against Rebekah Miller," Mr. Bateman said, and Jade raised a brow.

    "That''s not how this works, Mr. Bateman. It is my job to ask questions and get information from you. It is your duty to answer my question and tell me all I need to know if you care about your son and want to save him. I heard yourpany stocks are dropping really fast. This scandal is not good for you or yourpany," Jade said, and Mr. Bateman shook his head.

    "Even if I tell you what you want to know, I''m sure thepany will still be affected in the long run," he pointed out.

    "The truth is, whether you tell me what you think I want to know or not, I''m going to find it and prove how you and Rebekah murdered Mr. Richard Miller. You can take my offer and save your son, or I can do it myself, and then both you, your son, and yourpany will suffer. I''m giving you an opportunity to at least save your son," Jade said as she picked up her phone and scrolled through her gallery.

    She turned the phone''s screen to him to reveal a screenshot picture of Adam fucking Rebekah from behind, "You aren''t the only family rtion warming Rebekah''s bed, you know? And neither are you both the only men warming her bed. You have no idea what she is capable of. I''m telling you about her affair with Adam in confidence. The chief judge doesn''t want me to reveal this information to the public," Jade said, and Mr. Bateman frowned in confusion.

    "I don''t understand. What exactly is going on?" He asked, and Jade smiled.

    "In order to prove that your son isn''t responsible for Adam''s murder, I will have to bring up the issue of Rebekah''s affair with Adam. If I''m unable to do so, your son will be found guilty," Jade said, and he narrowed his eyes.

    "Are you trying to say Rebekah is behind all of this?" He asked, and Jade shrugged.

    "I''ve revealed enough. Are you willing to give me what I want or not?" Jade asked, and watched as he pinched his nose.

    "I had no hand in Richard''s death. Yes, I may have defrauded him, but that was as far as I went. Murdering him was Rebekah''s idea. She was the mastermind behind his death. I had nothing to do with it," Mr. Bateman said.

    "Evidence. What I want is evidence. If Rebekah is behind it as you im, then provide me with evidence," Jade said impatiently.

    "Can you give me your word that you will save my son?" He asked, and Jade met his gaze squarely.

    "If you provide me with evidence that Rebekah is behind her husband''s death, I will make sure I prove that Jackson is not responsible for Adam''s murder," Jade promised.

    Mr. Bateman took a deep breath as he opened his drawer and took out an old phone with a damaged screen, "Alright. I believe you will find the evidence you need in here. This used to be Rebekah''s phone. She lost it on the night Richard was murdered. She doesn''t know I have it. I''m giving you this because after she lost her phone, she made me wipe out my phone''s memory so I wouldn''t have any record of our past implicating conversations," Mr. Bateman exined.

    "So, why did you keep it this whole time?" Jade asked as she took the phone from him and he shrugged.

    "One thing you learn as you grow old is that even your best friends can be your worst enemies. I had it this whole time and had forgotten all about it until we met yesterday. I don''t know what Rebekah has to do with this case, but if she is deliberately trying to make him take the fall for a crime he did notmit, then she has be an enemy," Mr. Bateman said, and Jade nodded.

    "Can I ask a question?" He asked, and when Jade shrugged, he looked at her curiously.

    "Why are you trying to prove that she murdered her husband? What is it to you?"

    "She messed with someone she shouldn''t have messed with, and now they will stop at nothing to bring her down from her high horse and expose her," Jade said, and he nodded.

    "I don''t suppose there is a way I can convince you to expose her without involving me?" He asked, and Jade shook her head.

    "I''m afraid not. Thanks for this piece of evidence. I will do what I can for your son," Jade promised as she rose and he rose as well.

    "Thank you very much for your time," Jade said politely before walking away.

    The next person she was going to visit was Rebekah. She was yet to meet the woman in person and she was very curious to see her.

    She had no doubt that for Mr. Bateman to have given her Rebekah''s old phone, he must have deleted everything that connected him from it. She was going to get it from Rebekah.

 Chapter 616 Give Anita A Break

    "Has any of you heard from Anita today? I''ve been trying to reach her all day," Rebekah said as she joined her daughters, who were gathered in Lisa''s house.

    Lisa had been discharged some hours ago, and both Bernice and Tiffany had offered to keep herpany since they didn''t want to be alone at the moment either.

    "She leftst night. Would you like something to drink?" Lisa asked as she breastfed her baby.

    "Left? What do you mean?" Rebekah asked with a confused frown.

    "She moved away. She decided she didn''t want to be part of the family drama anymore and wanted to start afresh, so she left Ludus," Lisa exined, and Rebekah looked at all three of them as though they had lost their minds.

    "She told you so? You all knew, and yet you allowed her to do that?" Rebekah asked harshly, and Bernice eyed her with displeasure.

    "Allow? Anita is an adult, mother! Were we supposed to tie her down with something and wait for you to approve before letting her go?" Lisa asked in amusement.

    "This isn''t funny! How can you be so irresponsible? She is your younger sister and you are all supposed to��"

    "You are in no position to yell at us or talk down to us. You don''t have any right to talk about irresponsibility either! We may have forgiven you, but that doesn''t mean you still have the right to y mother to us. Anita is an adult, and if what she wants is to have nothing to do with you and this family, then it''s good," Bernice hissed at her.

    Even though all three sisters had agreed to keep a close watch on Rebekah by pretending to let go of everything she had done, Bernice couldn''t hide her resentment.

    And thankfully, neither Tiffany nor Lisa expected her to. That was the only way the forgiveness would appear to be real. If she forgave all and chose to act like nothing had happened, that would be too suspicious.

    Rebekah took a deep breath to calm herself before sitting down, "Anita is ruining her life and��."

    "It''s her life to ruin!" Bernice snapped at Rebekah.

    "Calm down, Benny. Mother has every right to be worried about Anita," Tiffany cut in, acting the role of mummy''s girl as was expected.

    "And Anita doesn''t have a right to choose what to do with her life? If mother wants to remain a part of our lives, she needs to stop trying to tell us what to do or how to live. She should be supporting us not controlling us," Bernice insisted.

    "I agree with Benny. Mother, give Anita a break. She needs it after everything that has happenedtely. I''m pretty sure she wille back to her senses soon once she figures out that she has taken things too far," Lisa said what she believed Rebekah would want to hear, and Rebekah sighed.

    "Listen, I''m sorry for everything. I know I haven''t exactly been the best mother, but all I want is for you girls to seed," Rebekah said, and Bernice snorted.

    "By fucking my husband under my roof?" She asked, and Lisa red at her.

    "Watch yournguage, Benny. I have an impressionable child with me," Lisa warned.

    "Oh, c''mon Lisa! She''s just a baby and can''t even make out what is being said," Tiffany said with a roll of her eyes.

    "You can say whatever you want around your baby when you have one, but I insist that you all watch yournguage around mine," Lisa repeated firmly, grateful that Ron wasn''t around to witness the scene in the living room.

    "By the way, are you still going for the live show with Eric Howells next week?" Lisa asked, changing the subject.

    "Of course! I wouldn''t miss that for anything. This is one of those once in a lifetime opportunity you know?" Rebekah asked, and the sisters exchanged a look.

    "You do realize it doesn''t make sense for you to do that right now, don''t you? I mean, considering one of your sons-inw is dead, and the other is being held as the suspect," Lisa pointed out.

    "Lisa is right," Tiffany said, and Rebekah shook her head.

    "I don''t think one has anything to do with the other. Besides, I received the invitation before any of these came up. It''s fine if you girls can''t be on the show with me. I can give Eric a call to let him know I will be on the show alone. I''m pretty sure he will understand," Rebekah said, and neither of her daughters were surprised by her selfish insistence on going on the show in such a trying time.

    Before any of them could say a word, Rebekah''s phone rang, and she frowned when she saw the call was from Prisci, "What?" She asked once she received the call, annoyed by the interruption.

    "I was asking to know what your ns are concerning the Lucinda Perry. Tomorrow is Friday. Should I go on with the n?" Prisci asked, and Rebekah scowled with disapproval.

    "Are you stupid? How do you expect us to go on with it after the nonsense Anita spewed on social media? Cancel it! Cancel everything! Put an end to the contract with her!" Rebekah snapped angrily while her daughters watched her.

    "I don''t think that''s wise. The contract terms clearly stated that anyone who breached the terms would pay��."

    "So, what do you expect me to do?" Rebekah cut in angrily.

    "Well, it would be wiser to go on like nothing happened. I mean, keep Lucinda Perry as the face of the foundation and��."

    "I should keep my daughter''s rival as the face of my foundation?" Rebekah asked in disbelief.

    "You have to. Canceling the contract with her will cost you much more than it will cost you to keep her on the job. And doing that will also make everyone believe Anita was telling the truth," Prisci said, and Rebekah drew a deep breath.

    "Just handle the business with her as you deem fit and keep me out of it. I''m not interested in her anymore. Or at least not at the moment, until Anita returns to her senses and ims what is hers," Rebekah said, and without waiting for Prisci to say another word, she hung up the call.

    "I suppose that was about Thomas Hank''s girlfriend?" Lisa asked and Rebekah sighed.

    "Everything is a mess. All my carefully arranged ns is a mess right now! Where the heck did Anita go to? Did she say where she was going?" Rebekah asked without answering Lisa''s question.

    "She didn''t," Tiffany said, and Rebekah rose.

    "I''m worried about her. I need to try to find her," Rebekah said as she headed for the door.

    "Mother, maybe you should let her be. At least for the time being," Lisa called, stopping Rebekah.

    Rebekah turned to her daughters, "I just need to be sure she is alright and knows what she is doing. I know you must all think me to be a bad mother. But that doesn''t mean I would ever want to see anyone of you hurt," Rebekah said and opened her handbag when her phone started ringing.

    She frowned when she saw the unfamiliar number and reluctantly received the call, "Hello! This is Rebekah Miller. How may I help you?" She asked very politely.

    "Hello! I''m Jade Hank. Thewyer representing your son-inw. I would love to see you now if you''re not very busy," Jade said, and Rebekah frowned.

    "Why? What for?" She asked, while her daughters looked at her curiously.

    "I was told yourte son-inw was with you before he met with my client. I would love to hear more about your meeting with him. Where can I meet you?" Jade asked again.

    "Now?" Rebekah asked.

    "If you''re not very busy, it would be best we meet now. The earlier we meet, the sooner I can find the real culprit. I''m sure you''re as eager as I am to find out who truly murdered your son-inw," Jade said, and Rebekah''s frown deepened.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Something about Jade, put her on edge and made her uneasy. She felt as though every statement was calcted to elicit a certain response from her.

    "I will be happy to assist you in anyway I can. Instead ofing to me, you can tell me where to meet you," Rebekah said, and Jade told her where to meet her.

    Once she hung up the call, Rebekah looked at Tiffany, "Who is representing your husband?"

    "Jade Hank��."

    "Hank? Is she rted to Thomas? Hold on! Isn''t that the name of his younger sister?" Rebekah asked, and Tiffany nodded.

    "Yeah. She showed up and volunteered to help," Tiffany said, and Rebekah looked at her as if she had lost her mind.

    "Are you crazy? Why would you let his sister represent your husband? Especially after what transpired between you all at the spa! Have you no sense?" Rebekah shrieked angrily.

    Although Tiffany felt her temper snap, she tried to remain calm. She couldn''t let her temper ruin her n, "No one else was willing to go against Adam''s father to represent Jack. How was I supposed to turn down her offer? Anita already apologized to them for what she did. And so did I. I have no problem with Jade Hank. She is a pretty goodwyer and I''m sure she will be able to prove Jack''s innocence," Tiffany said, and Rebekah drew a deep breath.

    "How are you sure she is not doing this to get back at you somehow?" Rebekah asked, and Bernice raised a brow.

    "You think she would deliberately lose the case to punish Tiffany? Well, shouldn''t that make you happy then? After all that was what you wanted. For Jack to go to jail so that Tiffany can get a divorce and take as much as she can from him," Bernice said, and Rebekah pursed her lips.

    "For your sakes, I hope you''re not making a mistake by letting her handle this case," Rebekah said before walking away. She wasn''t going to take any chances with Jade Hank. She was going to find out what the girl was up to, and take care of her if need be.

    Once they were certain she had left, Bernice stood, "God! I hate that woman! I never knew I could hate anyone this way!" Bernice said passionately.

    "She seems worried about Jade Hank. I think letting her take the case was a good idea. Anything that worries Rebekah Miller is good," Lisa said, and Tiffany nodded.

    "I think so too. For a moment I thought I was going to blow up," Tiffany said with a sigh and then looked at her sisters.

    "I''ve been thinking. Perhaps we should do a DNA test," Bernice said, and Tiffany raised a brow.

    "What for?" Lisa asked in surprise.

    "Well, have you considered the fact that we may all not have the same fathers? If she was cheating on father, seducing your husband, and having sex with my husband, I wonder how many others she has been with, and how long she has been so promiscuous," Bernice said reasonably.

    "I don''t know. I don''t care. I don''t want a DNA test. Dad remains my father. He is the only father I want to know," Lisa said stubbornly.

    "What if��."

    "No what ifs Benny. You can both carry out a test if you so desire, but I''d rather not know. It would be too painful to even consider that she did such wickedness to a man who did nothing but love her," Lisa said, and Tiffany nodded.

    "What will we do with the knowledge anyway? Go look for our biological fathers if it turns out true? I don''t think so. This is one of those things I''d rather not know as well. You all are my sisters, and Richard Miller is our father whether or not mother had sexual rtions with anyone else," Tiffany said, and Bernice sighed.

    "You do have a point. Alright. Let''s not do it. I will just��" the rest of her words trailed off when her phone started ringing and she frowned when she saw the caller was her father inw.

    They both hardly ever had any reason to call each other. He had made it clear from the start that he didn''t approve of her marriage to his son. Especially as she had gotten married to him by getting pregnant.

    Bernice rose as she received the call, "Where are you?" He asked without so much as a hello.

    "I''m at my sister''s. She put to bed and��."

    "Shouldn''t you be at home with the kids at a time like this instead of moving about?" He growled angrily.

    "The kids are fine. They have several activities lined up for the day. I will be with them before they miss me. By the way, I was going to visit you. I went to the morgue to see my husband''s body but I was told you instructed them not to let anyone go near his body until the case was over," Bernice said, while her sisters watched her.

    "Yes, I did. I can''t trust anyone not to tamper with evidence��."

    "I am his wife!" Bernice protested.

    "This is not why I called. It will be in your best interest not to let anyone else know about whatever Adam had going on with your mother. If you so much as tarnish my son''s reputation, I will make sure you never see the kids anymore, and I will destroy you," he threatened, leaving Bernice speechless.

    "You called to threaten me?" She asked in disbelief.

    "I called to ask you to keep shut! I don''t care what was going on in your marriage. If you love the kids, you will do well to heed to my warning. I love my son as much as I believe you love your boys, and I will do whatever I can to protect him, dead or alive." With that he hung up, and Bernice turned to look at her sisters in disbelief.

    "Can you believe he called to threaten me?" She asked as she told them all about the conversation.

    "Did he always know about mother and Adam?" Tiffany asked thoughtfully.

    "He would rather cover his son''s immorality then focus on finding his son''s murderer?" Lisa asked with a frown.

    "And what was his reason for not letting you see Adam''s corpse?" Lisa asked and Bernice shrugged.

    "He said he didn''t trust anyone not to tamper with evidence," Bernice exined and Tiffany frowned.

    "What evidence? That doesn''t make any sense. Are they conducting an autopsy or what?" Tiffany asked and Bernice shook her head.

    "I have no idea. Honestly, if Jack wasn''t currently behind bars, I wouldn''t believe Adam is dead," Bernice said with a sigh.

    "What is he isn''t?" Lisa asked, and both Tiffany and Bernice exchanged a look.

    "Jack wouldn''t be behind bars if he wasn''t. Jack saw the body, remember?" Tiffany pointed out.

    "True. Okay. What if they''re actually hiding something else? What if there is evidence on him to prove that Jack is innocent? Jack''swyer is allowed ess to the body, right?" Lisa asked, and Tiffany tried not to roll her eyes.

    "Why would Adam''s father want to hide the evidence that would prove Jack is innocent? Do you think if he knows the real culprit he won''t release Jack right away?" Bernice pointed out.

    "What if there is evidence on the body that mother was responsible? What if that''s how he knows about mother and Adam? Seeing how he just threatened you, don''t you think he might be willing to keep the truth hidden and me everything on someone innocent just so he wouldn''t tarnish his son''s reputation? I mean, it''s not like the Washington''s are honest in their dealings after all," Lisa exined, and Tiffany narrowed her eyes thoughtfully.

    "You may be right. Maybe I should meet with Jade��."

    "Let''s invite her over. We should all meet with her. And maybe we can also have her look into father''s murder. I believe if there is anyone who can look into what happened to father and get results, she can," Lisa said, and both Tiffany and Bernice nodded in agreement.

 Chapter 617 Island

    Sara''s secretary, Emma, stood to the side as she watched Sara point out different designer items to the sales person attending to them in the boutique.

    "Hmm. I''m not sure about her shoe size," Sara said thoughtfully to no one in particr as she walked over to the shoe section and eyed the shoes in disy.

    As far as Emma was concerned, Sara was buying too much. But she couldn''t voice her concerns. She was of the opinion that if Sara wanted to build a rtionship with Crystal, the best way to go about it was to talk with her not buy her love.

    "Well? Why aren''t you saying anything?" Sara asked as she turned disapproving eyes to Emma.

    "I don''t know her shoe size either. I''ve not met her yet," Emma said politely.

    Sara pursed her lips for a moment, "Well, I can always bring her here next time. For now, these bags and clothes are more than enough. Let''s go," Sara said and both the sales person and Emma followed her to the counter to conclude the transaction.

    Sara had spent most of the night thinking about Crystal, and she wanted to handle things with her very quickly. She didn''t have the time to waste, especially not now that she had arranged a meeting with the head doctor at the research center.

    "Do you think she is going to like the gifts?" Sara asked Emma after they got into the car and were on their way to see Crystal.

    Emma smiled as she knew Sara expected, "Of course, she would. Who wouldn''t?" Emma asked, knowing that was exactly what Sara expected her to say.

    "I thought so too," Sara said with a satisfied nod as she nced outside the window.

    Emma had worked with Sara long enough to know when she asked for your opinion, you were only supposed to say what she wanted to hear and not what you thought. Your opinion meant nothing to her. You were being paid to massage her ego not voice your thoughts. No one knew better than Sara. No one was wiser than her.

    If Sara was someone who listened to anyone else other than herself, she would have suggested that Sara slows down so they could look deeper into the girl first, but what did she know?

    Once the car stopped outside Crystal''s residence, both Sara and Emma got out, and Emma carried most of the shopping bags, while Sara took one and led the way.

    Thankfully, there was no gathering of people in front of the ce today, and the first person they saw directed them to Crystal''s apartment.

    Once they got there, Sara knocked on the door and waited for some seconds before the door was opened.

    Crystal scowled when she saw Sara and Emma. She tried not to let her eyes betray her excitement at the sight of the shopping bags.

    "What do you want?" She asked impatiently even though she had been waiting all day for Sara to show up.

    "I know we didn''t start off on the right foot yesterday. But I''d love to make up for it. I brought you some gifts. Can Ie in?" Sara asked with a hopeful smile, and Crystal looked at the bags with false disinterest as she stepped aside for them to go in.

    Her apartment was cramped inside, but there was no denying that it was a bit stylish. Trinkets and some keepsakes she had stolen at different points in her life decorated her little abode.

    Crystal watched as the bags were dropped on top of her coffee table, and she looked at Emma, "Who is she? Your daughter?"

    "No. This is my assistant, Emma. Emma, you can wait in the car," Sara said, and Emma excused herself immediately.

    "Don''t expect me to offer you anything. Why are you here again after all I told you yesterday?" Crystal asked with a scowl.

    "Are you not curious to see your gifts? You should check the things I got you," Sara suggested with a bright smile even though she hated the guts of the little brat. Not even a word of thanks for the expensive gifts.

    "I didn''t ask you to get me anything, and I don''t think you should be the one to tell me when to check them out. Are you trying to buy my affections? Do you have ulterior motives for approaching me?" Crystal asked, and the smile faltered on Sara''s face.

    "I beg your pardon?"

    "Why are you here, old woman?" Crystal cut in, and Sara stiffened.

    How dare the lowlife refer to her as old? She would relish the idea of killing this girl now, Sara thought. She wouldn''t feel any guilt when it was time to take out this mannerless and uncouth girl.

    "You are being rude, you know? I''m here to get to know you. Aren''t you curious to know if I''m truly your mother?" Sara asked, and Crystal took an exaggerated breath as she went into her room, took out a pair of scissors and clipped her nails in front of Sara. Then she returned into the bedroom, picked up Candace''s nail clippings which was wrapped in a tissue.

    "Have these. I''m scared of needles, and I love my hair too much to take out a strand. Take these to ab and get them tested. You cane back to me after you get the results," Crystal offered and Sara took the nail clippings from her.

    "Shouldn''t I be the one more concerned with conducting a DNA test?" Sara asked curiously, wondering why the brat wasn''t grateful that someone as wealthy as her was iming to be her mother.

    "Why? Did you expect me to open my arms in wee to you a total stranger because I''m broke and you''re wealthy? I''ve lived most of my life as an orphan and thest thing I want is for someone random to show up iming to be my family and then disappear on meter. I want proof that we are rted. Only then will I listen to whatever you have to say," Crystal insisted, and Sara sighed.

    "And if we are? Will you ept me as your mother?"

    "Let''s not get ahead of ourselves ma''am. If you don''t mind, I need to get back to what I was doing before you came in," Crystal said, and Sara looked at her incredulously as she rose. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Are you asking me to leave?" Sara asked, unable to believe the manners of the girl. She really hated the girl. It would have served her best if Harry had this attitude and the girl had Harry''s attitude.

    "Wasn''t I being polite enough?" Crystal asked, and Sara headed for the door without another word.

    Once Sara shut the door behind her, Crystal smiled greedily at the shopping bags as she picked them up and turned out all the contents.

    At least she had good taste, Crystal thought happily as she checked out the brands and price tags on the clothes.

    Silly old woman thought the world revolves around her and she could buy everything with money. By the time she was done with her, she would learn that some things were more important in life than others.

    Away from there Andy was roused from her midday sleep when a knock sounded on her door, and she reluctantly sat up with a frown.

    "You cane in," Andy called, believing it was the cook, since that was the only person who came in to serve her meal.

    After her exchange with Cassidy thest time (chapter 555), they had not crossed paths. She had remained in her room, and Cassidy on the other hand had ceaseding to check on her or bring her meals as he used to.

    Her brows pulled together when Cassidy walked in and before he could say anything she raised a brow, "You sure made yourself scarce. For a moment I thought you fell off the ship and drowned to death," Andy said, and Cassidy nodded.

    "I''m sure you would have liked that very much. I''m sorry I''m still alive. I''m not here to fight with you, okay?" Cassidy said, and Andy raised a brow.

    "What do you want?"

    "We will be arriving on the Ind shortly. Get ready to get off the ship," Cassidy announced and Andy rose involuntarily.

    Although a part of her was relieved that she could finally be onnd, another part was apprehensive. She had no idea what was she awaiting her on the Ind. It made her very nervous.

    "I thought we had two more days?" Andy asked as she rose.

    "It was estimated that way because we expected a turbulence, but thus far everything has been good," Cassidy exined before turning to leave.

    "So, what am I supposed to do?" Andy asked uncertainly, stopping him before he could leave.

    "I just told you. Take care of whatever you need to, and join me on the deck," Cassidy said impatiently.

    "There is nothing I need to take care of. It''s not like I came here willingly or with a luggage, did I?" Andy asked, and Cassidy sighed.

    "Alright. Come with me if you please," he said, and walked away, leaving her to follow him.

    "I suppose I can get feminine clothes on this Ind? You don''t expect me to keep dressing up in male clothings, do you?" Andy asked as she followed him.

    "I didn''t think that would be the most important thing you''d worry about. But you don''t have to worry. There is a closet full of whatever feminine clothes you''d like to wear," Cassidy assured her without sparing her a nce.

    "What did you think would be the most important thing I''d worry about?" Andy asked, but Cassidy said nothing as he led her through a door to the deck so she could view the Ind from the distance.

    After their little fight the other day, he had decided to stay out of her way. He had done so many things he wasn''t proud of in his life, but none of them tormented him as much as hurting her did. He knew nothing he said or did was going to change her opinion of him, so the best thing to do was keep his distance. Both physical and emotional.

    "Did you move your family here already? What business do you n to do here?" Andy asked, wanting to know whatever she could before they got off the ship but again Cassidy said nothing and neither did he spare her a nce.

    As Andy followed closely behind him, she tried not to let his cool attitude upset her. If anyone was supposed to act coldly towards the other, the coldness was supposed to being from her, so why was he acting like she was being a bother?

    She admitted that she had been stubborn and unwilling to listen to whatever he had to say this whole time on the ship, but after spending thest three days thinking about whatever fate awaited her on the Ind, she decided that perhaps it would have been wiser for her to be on his good side and listen to him when he was willing to talk about himself.

    She needed to get more information from Cassidy about the Ind and what he wanted from her. That was the only way she could find a means of escape. She had to know all she could about her enemy. His strength, his weakness, and whatever else she could use against him.

    "I''m sorry for all the hurtful things I said thest time," Andy started, and Cassidy turned to her.

    "I don''t think you are. And even if that was true, I really do not need your apology. I''m a rapist, a beast and a murderer like you said," Cassidy assured her as he resumed walking.

    It was a good thing he knew he was all of that, Andy mused.

    "Still, I''m sorry."

    "Let it go, Andy. Now, there is the Ind," Cassidy said as they rounded the corner and he pointed to their destination and waited to see Andy''s reaction.

 Chapter 618 Maribel

    Chapter 618 Maribel

    "Oh, my!" Andy whispered in awe as she got her first view of the Ind.

    The beauty and serenity she could sense even from a distance took her breath away, and Cassidy spied her from the corner of his eyes as she moved closer to the rail to have a better look.

    Andy was very certain that the sight before her was the garden of Eden which the sisters of the orphanage had so well taught them as children.

    In front of her wasnd filled with endless grains of golden sand, which made her want to jump off the ship just to dip her feet in the sand.

    It was as though the whole ind itself was made from the purest of gold. And the evening sun cast a golden orange hue in the background which reflected off the surface of the shimmering blue waters.

    Green nts spread out all around the ind, dotted with a variety of coloured flowers that grew among the bushes, and from the distance she could almost hear the singing voices of different species of birds.

    She could see several buildings scattered around the ce in between, and there were people too. Some were standing close to the shore. The whole scenery was so beautiful it made her speechless.

    Cassidy almost felt his lips twitch as he watched her, and he was d that she at least seemed to like the ce. He really hoped she would like it enough to want to stay.

    "It''s so beautiful," Andy allowed herself say as she turned to look at Cassidy who managed to look indifferent as he stared ahead of him with a nk expression.

    "Good thing you think so. Should be easier for you to stay then, since it would be hard for you to run off anyway, seeing as you can''t even swim," he pointed out and whatever pleasure Andy had derived from seeing the Ind vanished and she red at him but managed to hold back her tongue from saying anything.

    If she was going to escape from Cassidy, she needed to befriend him and find out as much as she could from him. Losing her temper wouldn''t help her in anyway.

    Cassidy didn''t miss the quick flicker of annoyance in her eyes before her re transformed to an easy smile, "I''m certain if I''m a good girl you won''t hold me captive forever," she said, making him raise a brow.

    He knew when someone was up to something, and he could tell she was nning something. She was acting so out of character by being so agreeable and it made him wary. He intended to find out what she was nning. Not that she would be able to escape even if she tried. She woulde to learn that soon enough.

    By the time they both got out of the ship a whileter, a small crowd had gathered by the shore and were pping cheerfully in wee of Cassidy.

    "You''re wee back, Alex! It''s good to have you back finally," the leader of the group announced.

    "No dramas here, Andy. Try to be good," Cassidy warned under his breath as he stepped forward with a warm smile to embrace and shake hands with them, while Andy watched the scene before her in confusion.

    Alex? Who were these people? Did these people really know him? Why were they out here to wee him this way like they were long time friends? What was this ce? The amazing thing was that none of the people gathered around look poor.

    "Everyone, meet my friend, Andy. Anderson Roberts," Cassidy announced as he ced a hand on her lower back and brought her forward as he introduced her to everyone.

    Andy managed to smile as she shook hands with people whose names and faces she was very certain she wouldn''t remember after now.

    "You must be pretty exhausted. We will let you get home to Mari now. But you should know that there will be a party in your honor on Sunday night," the leader of the group announced, and the others cheered happily as they dispersed, while Cassidy took Andy''s hand and led her away.

    "Why do they call you Alex?" Andy asked when she noticed everyone they walked past called him Alex as they waved wee to him.

    "Because that''s my name."

    "Who is Mari?" Andy asked as they walked through a gate into what seemed like an estate. The ce and it''s residents made her think of Wisteriane in her favorite soap opera, Desperate Housewives.

    "You will see for yourself soon enough," Cassidy answered as they kept walking.

    "What is this ce? Are there no cars in this ce? How much farther do we need to walk?" Andy asked as she tried to keep up with his pace.

    "Do you realize you''ve said more words to me today than you did in all twelve days we spent on the ship?" Cassidy asked, and turned when she noticed that Andy had stopped walking.

    "You need to tell me what��."

    "Need? No. I don''t need to do or tell you anything. You had your chances on the ship but you were not interested in hearing anything I had to say. And now, I''m no longer interested in saying anything either. So you can either move your ass, or I''d��."

    "Or what? What would you do?" Andy snapped at him.

    "Andy�� I''d rather not fight with you. All I want is to go home and get some rest. Unlike you who have spent thest twelve days resting in your cabin, I''ve barely had up to twenty hours of sleep��"

    "And how is that my fault? You shouldn''t have brought me here in the first ce! Do you really think I''m going to give you any moment of peace? I n to frustrate you until you get tired of me and send me on my way," Andy said, and Cassidy raised a brow.

    "Aren''t you forgetting the other option? I could just as easily kill you and throw you in the middle of the water for some human-eating animal to feed off you, and no one would know what happened to you," Cassidy threatened, and Andy scoffed as she arched a brow.

    "Am I supposed to be surprised by such a threat? Or was that expected to scare me? I expect nothing different from a creature like you," she said, and Cassidy nodded.

    "That is fine by me��." Cassidy broke off when he a sighted a little girl running towards him, and the frown on his face gave way to a splitting smile as he ran down and swept her off her feet, while Andy watched in puzzlement.

    "Daddy!" Five years old Mari cried happily as she embraced her father.

    "Why are you out here alone? Where is Susan?" Cassidy asked with a concerned frown as he looked around for any sign of the old housekeeper.

    "She dozed off. I tried waking her so we coulde see you, but she was sound asleep," Mari exined.

    "Daddy?" Andy asked aloud in confusion, and Mari pushed up the sses on the bridge of her nose as she turned to look at Andy.

    "Andy, this is Maribel, my daughter. Angel, this is Andy. She is daddy''s friend and will be responsible for you going forward," Cassidy said, giving Andy a warning look not to argue with him in front of his daughter.

    "Hello, Andy!" Maribel greeted with a shy smile, and even though Andy was very pissed at Cassidy and wanted nothing more than to hit his head against the wall, she couldn''t be mad at the innocent child.

    "You are so pretty, Mari," Andy said with a warm smile as she extended a hand for handshake and Maribel shyly ced her hand in Andy''s while still being held in her father''s arms.

    "You are pretty too," Maribel said, and Andy smiled.

    "I hope we both get along," Andy said, and Maribel nodded.

    They all looked up when they heard a distressed cry and saw ady who looked like she was in her mid sixties running in their direction breathlessly.

    "Sir Alex! I''m so sorry!" Susan cried as tried to catch her breath.

    "I swear by God, I only closed my eyes for a second and opened them to find the young one gone," she said, looking very distressed, and although Cassidy did not like that his daughter had been moving around unattended he smiled at her.

    "It''s my fault. I know you have had too much work on your hands. But you have nothing to worry. I brought someone with me to assist you in taking care of Mari now. Her name is Andy. Andy, this is Susan, my home keeper," Cassidy said, and Susan''s gaze shifted to Andy.

    "You''re wee, Miss Andy," Susan said with a weing smile even though she looked somewhat doubtful of Andy''s ability to care for Mari.

    "Thank you," Andy said with a polite smile and they all continued down to the house while Susan and Cassidy made small conversation.

    Andy was surprised when they got to the house and she saw how simple it looked with a picket fence around it. This was not the kind of house she expected someone like Cassidy to live in. Here looked like the home of a normal man, and she knew Cassidy was far from normal.

    "Why don''t you go in with Mari, while I exin Andy''s duties to her," Cassidy suggested as he set Mari down.

    Without saying a word Susan took Mari''s hand and scolded her for running off on her own, as she led her into the house while Cassidy led Andy to what she assumed to be his storage room but turned out to be a mini study.

    "I can''t believe your nerves, Cassidy!" Andy hissed the moment the door closed behind them.

    "Alex. You have to call me Alex like everyone else��"

    "I do not care what everyone else calls you! How dare you? How dare you drag me away from my family and bring me here to care for yours? What were you thinking?" She asked angrily.

    "Apart from Susan, you''re the only one I trust. The only one I can trust," Cassidy said, and Andy blinked at him in surprise.

    "What?" she asked incredulously.

    "I was going to exin things to you on the ship, but you refused to listen. I need you, Andy," Cassidy said quietly as he went to sit on the edge of the table.

    "You need me? You have a really funny way of showing it. When you need someone, you beg them and do all you can to convince them. You don''t kidnap or threaten to kill someone you need," Andy hissed at him.

    Cassidy sighed, "Alright. I wasn''t thinking. But then again if you really think about, there was no way I could outrightly risk my ns by telling you anything��."

    "Yet you say you trust me?" Andy cut in.

    "Yes, I do trust you. But the n was set. I had to make sure anyone watching me wouldn''t suspect a thing. If I had approached you from the moment I knew you worked at the club and told you everything, someone could have noticed something, and that would jeopardize everything. That is why I did my best to talk to you on the ship but you shut me up every time I wanted to tell you," Cassidy said with a weary sigh.

    "You expect me to believe all this? You''re a very wealthy man. If you wanted a nanny for your girl you could hire anyone you wanted��."

    "Are you listening to me? I can''t trust just anyone!"

    "So why do you trust me? What makes you think I won''t hurt you or your daughter the first chance I get?" Andy asked, and he shook his head.

    "Because I know you. And that''s not the kind of person you are. I''m really tired Andy. Please, could we talk about thister? Maybe in the morning? I really really need to get some rest. This is the only ce I don''t have to watch my back and can rest," Cassidy pleaded.

    "Then maybe you shouldn''t havemitted crimes that would make you watch your back all the time or have no one to trust!" She snapped at him.

    "Do you think I wanted any of this? Do you think this is the life I nned for myself? Or for my daughter? Do you think so? I did what I had to do! I''m not proud of any of it, but it is what I needed to do!"Cassidy snapped back, and then took a deep breath to calm himself as he massaged his temple.

    "Let''s talk in the morning," Cassidy repeated calmly.

    "When can I reach out to my sister to let her know I''m okay?" Andy asked, since she could tell he was really exhausted.

    "I will let you know when it''s time. I promise. I won''t hurt you. I won''t touch you or make any advances at you either. And��."

    "Save your promises," Andy muttered as she walked out of the study.

    She needed to think.

 Chapter 619 Get Rid Of Her

    Chapter 619 Get Rid Of Her

    As Rebekah made her way to the restaurant where Jade had asked her to meet her, she called her hit man and asked him to stay on standby around the location in case she wanted him to take care of Jade after their meeting.

    He had been working with her for years and taking care of all her dirty work and not once had he made any mistake. And as such, she trusted him.

    She doubted he had made any mistakes in taking care of Adam''s body and making it look like Jack was behind it. But just in case Jade had found something to connect her to it, she needed him to take care of it quickly before it became a problem.

    Once she got to the restaurant, Jade who was already seated sipping from a winess rose with a weing smile on her face.

    "Mrs Miller?" Jade asked politely, and Rebekah smiled back as she gave her a nod and joined her on the table.

    "I hope I didn''t keep you waiting for too long?" Rebekah asked as they sat.

    "Not at all. I''m grateful you agreed to meet with me on such short notice," Jade said as she signalled to the waiter to attend to Rebekah.

    "Of course, I was curious to know why you would want to speak with me. Am I a suspect?" Rebekah joked, and Jadeughed softly.

    "I''ve noticed that most times the guilty ones tend to ask such questions," Jade said with a grin, and watched as Rebekah stiffened.

    "I can''t imagine that being the case here. I mean, you would have no reason to murder your own son-inw, would you? It''s not like you were lovers or anything," Jade joked, but Rebekah did not smile.

    "I beg your pardon?" Rebekah asked, and Jade pursed her lips.

    "I''m just kidding. It wouldn''t make sense for you to be the culprit. I wanted to know what yourte son-inw discussed with you during his visit," Jade said as she took our her journal and a pen.

    "I would have expected such a visit from the police and not awyer," Rebekah said thoughtfully.

    "I have no idea why the police is yet to pay you a visit. They probably don''t know the whole story yet and...."

    "What do you mean the whole story?" Rebekah asked with a slight frown.

    "Jack told me stuff I think he wouldn''t mention to the police. Your daughter did the same. So did Mr. Bateman and the chief judge. Between what every one of them told me in confidence I believe I might know some things the police do not know," Jade said and watched as Rebekah''s gaze sharpened.

    "What are you driving at?" Rebekah asked, and Jade shook her head.

    "Nothing. You asked a question and I answered. I want to know what you know as well before I speak with the wife of the deceased," Jade said, and Rebekah watched her, unsure of what to make out of any of this.

    "What did Tiffany and Jackson say?" Rebekah asked wanting to know if anything about her affair with Adam was mentioned.

    "You do know I can''t tell you that, don''t you? I don''t want whatever they said to influence your own statement," Jade said with a polite smile.

    Knowing how protective Tiffany was of Bernice, Rebekah doubted they would have told Jade about Bernice''s affair with Jackson or her attempted suicide. And she believed no matter how upset her daughters were, they would never spread their family''s dirty linens in public by talking about her affair with Adam.

    "Well, Adam was upset. He was having marital problems with his wife. He needed me to step in and help him go to the hospital to plead with her. I noticed his bruises and asked what happened and he said he got into a fight with Jackson. He wouldn''t say why. I assumed it had to do with business. You know the Washingtonw firm takes care of the legal affairs of Bateman Corp. So while we were speaking he received a call from Jackson. Told me he had to leave to meet with Jackson," Rebekah exined.

    "A meeting with Jackson? Not a witness?" Jade asked, and Rebekah frowned thoughtfully for a moment.

    "I don''t know. Perhaps he was to meet with a witness first and then Jackson," Rebekah said with a shrug.

    "I see. How would you describe their rtionship? I mean, I know they''re both your sons-inw, but were they close?" Jade asked, and Rebekah pursed her lips for a moment.

    She shook her head, "I really can''t say. You will have to ask their wives."

    Before Jade could ask her next question, her phone vibrated in her handbag giving her the opening she needed for the next phase of her n.

    Even though she touched her phone, she brought out the phone Mr Bateman had given her and ced it on the table for Rebekah to see before taking out her own phone and returning Rebekah''s old phone into the bag.

    "Excuse me, please. It''s my boyfriend," she said with a bright smile when she noticed the call was from Harry.

    "Hey, baby!" she greeted cheerfully.

    "Move away from where you are seated," Harry said in a tight voice.

    "Please give me a moment," Jade said as she moved away from the table to a corner she could speakfortably without being overheard.

    "Is everything alright?" Jade asked with a worried frown.

    "What the hell do you think you''re doing meeting with Rebekah Miller without telling me about it?" Harry snapped at her angrily.

    "Hey! Don''t you dare raise your voice at me! I might be your girlfriend now, butthis is my job, and you have no right to be spying on me..."

    "You are doing a job I asked you to do! A dangerous job with dangerous people involved! I specifically asked you to inform me about your every movement," Harry said angrily.

    "I''m supposed to take permission from you before meeting with anyone? Don''t be ridiculous! I''m meeting with her in a public ce. What could be so dangerous? Besides, I..."

    "Can you be reasonable for once? If you''re not going to be cooperative and would rather work on your own then maybe it''s best if you don''t get involved anymore in this..."

    "Don''t you dare, Jonas!" Jade warned.

    Harry took a deep breath. He wasn''t one to lose his cool easily, but hearing that Rebekah''s hitman was outside the restaurant where Jade was had sent a chill down his spine. For a minute he had wondered what could have happened had he not asked his men to follow her about.

    He couldn''t believe that she had barely been his girlfriend for a day and she was risking her life this way already by being so damned stubborn. Thest thing he wanted was to lose her because of her pigheadedness.

    "The man in the video. The one with Adam''s body. He is outside the restaurant right now. Why do you think he is outside there waiting while you are having a meeting with Rebekah Miller?" Harry asked, and Jade felt her blood run cold.

    "What? Do you think I''m the one he is waiting for?" she asked in a choked voice, feeling sick all of a sudden, and Harry forgot all about his anger and frowned.

    "It''s good to know that you still have the good sense to be scared. I don''t think he is waiting just to have a meeting with Rebekah. Don''t worry. She can''t hurt you. Did you say anything to Rebekah to make her believe you know something?" Harry asked instead, not bothering to mention that he was already on his way there.

    "I was just going to mess with her and get her to say something she''s not supposed to say," Jade said, and Harry sighed.

    "Stick to your n and just act normal, alright? Soon we will know if he''s waiting for you or not. Don''t worry, my men will keep watch," Harry promised.

    "Why didn''t you tell me you had people following me?" Jade asked after a moment.

    "Your safety is paramount to me. I was upset because you did something like this without telling me. How do you think I''m going to feel if anything happens to you while you''re doing this? Trust me, okay?"

    "I do," Jade murmured.

    "Good girl. Now when you leave, take the longer route to Tom''s house. The road is more secluded and I''d rather if anything is going to happen there should be no witnesses or cops involved. Do you understand what I''m saying?" Harry asked, and Jade swallowed as she nodded.

    "Yes. I do," she said since he couldn''t see her nod.

    "Good girl. You can go back to her then. I love you," Harry said, and hung up before she could respond.

    Once the initial chill had worn off, Jade felt angry now. She hoped for Rebekah''s sake that she wasn''t the one the man outside was waiting for, cause if she was, then she just seeded in making this mission a lot more personal.

    "I''m sorry I kept you waiting. I had a sort of misunderstanding with my boyfriend," Jade said with an apologetic smile.

    "It''s not a problem. Do you have any other questions?" Rebekah asked, and Jade nodded.

    "Yes, please. Aside from Adam being your son-inw do you have any special rtionship with him?" Jade asked, and Rebekah looked at her with a stiff smile.

    "What sort of special rtionship am I supposed to have with my son-inw?"

    "Well. I have no idea. I heard you both are very close," Jade said, and Rebekah nodded.

    "I try to get along with all my son-inw. Adam is more friendly than the others hence we are closer. By the way, I couldn''t help but notice you have two phones," Rebekah observed with a curious smile.

    "Two?" Jade asked, feigning confusion.

    "The other phone you brought out," Rebekah said, and Jade smiled.

    "Oh! That isn''t really mine. It''s a gift from a friend who is in need of a favour. He said I might find the content helpful," Jade said with a polite smile.

    "Ah! I see," Rebekah said with a stiff smile. The phone she bad seen looked very much like her lost phone. She could almost swear it was, but she couldn''t be so sure.

    The phone had been missing for years now. It wouldn''t make sense for it to turn up suddenly in the hands of Jade Hank, would it? Rebekah mused.

    "By the way, I heard your husband''s death might have been ruled as suicide too quickly," Jade said, and immediately Rebekah''s eyes hardened.

    That was it! Jade Hank knew something and her big mouth was going to lead to her death, Rebekah decided.

    "Really? I wouldn''t know. We were sort of estranged before his death. I believe I have answered every question you have for me. I need to go home now. It has been a long day," Rebekah said as she rose and Jade did the same.

    "Thank you very much for your time," Jade said as they both headed for the door.

    Jade tried not to look around her anxiously as she stepped out of the restaurant. Instead, she headed for her car, trusting that Harry wouldn''t let any harme to her.

    Once Rebekah got into her car, she texted her hit man, [Get rid of thedy who just stepped out of the car with me and bring me her phones.] before driving away.

    As Jade drove away, she nced at her rearview mirror and saw a ck saloon car follow her, and another ck saloon car follow as well.

    Did this mean that Rebekah had really asked her man to follow her? What was the n? To tail her? Hurt her? Threaten her? Or kill her? What exactly could be Rebekah''s reason for doing this?

    She could only hope that whatever Rebekah''s man nned to do to her, Harry''s men would be much faster.

 Chapter 620 Switching Sides

    Chapter 620 Switching Sides

    As Jade drove out of the congested part of the city and got on the private route leading to Tom''s house, she noticed that the car driving behind her sped up, and just as he tried to get in front of her car and block her, she instinctively stepped on her brake pedal, and before she could guess what was happening, Harry''s car appeared from nowhere and hit the car, shocking both Jade and Rebekah''s hitman.

    Without waiting for anything, Harry''s men who were still behind Jade as instructed, got out of their car and hurried to check on the hitman, while Harry got out of his car to check on Jade.

    "Are you alright?" he asked as he tried to open her door when he saw how pale and dazed she looked.

    Jade''s gaze shifted from the cars in front of her to Harry, and Harry tapped on her window, reminding her that her door was still locked.

    Immediately she unlocked the door, Harry unfastened her seatbelt and pulled her out of the car into his arms as a tremor passed through him.

    "You look too pale and shaken for someone as stubborn as you," Harry said, feeling the same tug on his heart that he had felt when he showed up on her doorstep weeks ago and saw her looking like a shadow of herself.

    She was once again looking all too fragile for his liking, and it made him want to carry her home and tuck her into his bed.

    "It''s not every day awyer watches her boyfriend try to murder someone," Jade said weakly as she pulled away to look into Harry''s face.

    "I wasn''t trying to kill him. If I was, he would be dead by now for so much as thinking of hurting you," Harry assured her fiercely, his eyes hard and angry.

    "Was he going to kill me?" Jade asked in a shaky voice, ignoring the sounding from the direction where Harry''s men were ruffling up Rebekah''s hit man who was already injured from the ident.

    "That''s what the text Rebekah sent to him implied. How many phones do you have and why does she want them? Did you record your conversation with her?" Harry asked with a concerned frown as he took out his phone to show her the text Barry had sent to him while he had been on his way to meet Jade.

    "The phone was what she wanted? But he was already waiting outside before I brought out the phone," Jade murmured to herself as she looked away from Harry to Rebekah''s hitman who now had a bloodied face.

    "You whaven''t answered my question, esquire," Harry reminded her.

    "I will. Let''s finish with him first. We might have use for him," Jade said as she stepped away from Harry to go meet the other men and Harry followed her.

    Rebekah''s hitman was writhing on the ground and spurting blood from his mouth. Harry''s men stopped hitting him once they saw them approaching.

    Before any of the men could say anything, Jade spoke first, "I know Rebekah wanted you to get rid of him, but I can''t let you do that," Jade told Harry''s men and all the men looked at her in shock.

    Harry''s men turned to look at Harry, and even though Harry wasn''t exactly sure what Jade was ying at, he decided to trust her and gave them a nod to y along.

    "We are only following the instruction..."

    "Yes, I know. I was there when she told you the n, remember?" Jade said as she forced a smile and then squatted in front of Rebekah''s hitman.

    "Rebekah set you up. After doing all her dirty work and helping her get rid of her son-inw''s body, this is how she repays you," Jade said, and the man lifted his face to look at her.

    "I don''t know what you are talking about," The hitman denied.

    "Do you really not know? Her n was to have you killed and then take the me for the death of her son-inw," Jade said as she took out her phone and showed the hitman the video of him with Adam''s body in the fake crime scene.

    The hitman shook his head, "Rebekah would never do this to me," he protested.

    "Do you really believe that? I''m sure her dead son-inw thought the same thing. He would never have expected Rebekah who was his lover to murder him either. But where is he now?" Jade asked, and watched the hurt surprise in the man''s face.

    "Don''t tell me you are one of her lovers," Jade said in disbelief.

    "It''s none of your business," he said as he spat out blood from his mouth and used the back of his hand to wipe his bleeding nose.

    "Believe it or not, Rebekah wants you dead. How do you think we all knew about your n to murder me? These men were waiting outside the restaurant long before you arrived. Today was about you, not me. You can either work with me to take her down so you don''t go down alone, or I will do as she wants. Let them kill you and make you take the me for everything," Jade said, holding the man''s gaze.

    "What are you going to do to me?" he asked Jade uncertainly.

    "Keep you safe and hidden so she believes you are dead. You will provide me with all the information I need about her crimes, and testify against her when I need you to. That''s all," Jade said while Harry watched her in admiration as what she was nning dawned on him.

    "If I refuse?"

    "Whether or not you y along, it doesn''t change anything for me. But it will be in your best interest to y along. It could earn you a shorter amount of time in jail," Jade said, and he sighed.

    "Alright. I will work with you," he said, and Jade smiled.

    "Smart decision," she said as she straightened.

    "Do you know how to y dead? Lay still like you''re dead. Rebekah will need proof," Jade said, and the many down and shut his eyes while Jade took snapshots of him.

    "What do you n to do with him?" Harry asked, wondering what her n was.

    "Keep him hidden," she said, and before Harry could ask her any other question she dialled the number of the chief judge.

    "The case just got a bit more interesting. Do you have a safe ce where a culprit can be kept?" Jade asked the moment the judge received the call.

    "The safest ce for a culprit is the prison where he deserves to be," the chief judge said gruffly.

    "Not if he is going to be a witness. I''m trying to use him get the main culprit. Do you have somewhere?" Jade asked impatiently.

    "Yeah. I do. I will text you the location," the chief judge said, and Jade nodded.

    "Alright. Thanks. I will give you the details when next I meet you," Jade promised before hanging up.

    "Who was that?" Harry asked with a frown.

    "The Chief judge. I have no time to waste keeping an eye on a criminal. The chief judge however wouldn''t mind doing what he can to have his hands on the real culprit," Jade exined, and Harry nodded.

    "So, are you going to let him in on our ns?" Harry asked and Jade shook her head.

    "Not at all. All he needs to know is that the young man hear works for Rebekah Miller, and she asked him to get rid of me because of the case," Jade said, and Harry nodded.

    As they turned to return to where the men stood, Jade''s phone started ringing and she raised a brow when she noticed it was an unknown number.

    "Hello! This is Jade Hank. How may I help you?" she asked briskly immediately she received the call.

    "Hello! You may not know me. I''m Lisa. Lisa Steel. Sister to Anita Miller," Lisa exined, and Jade raised a brow.

    "I see. How may I help you?" she asked, curious to know why the only sane member of the Miller family was calling her.

    "It''s not something I think we should discuss over the phone. I would love to meet with you, buting to you would be impossible right now because I recently put to bed and have been ced on bed rest. Can I invite you over for lunch?" Lisa asked hopefully.

    "Lunch?" Jade asked thoughtfully.

    "Yes. Is Tomorrow fine?" Lisa asked, and Jade pursed her lips.

    "Can I at least know what the meeting is about?" Jade asked curiously.

    "Well, it''s about myte father''s death," Lisa said, catching Jade''s interest.

    "Alright. Tomorrow is fine. You can text me the time and location," Jade said before hanging up.

    "Who was that and what do they want?" Harry asked, and Jade exined to him.

    "You can''t go there alone. I don''t care if she is the good one or not," Harry said, and Jade raised a brow.

    "It would be rude for a guest to show up with..."

    "I don''t care about you being rude, esquire. It''s your safety I care about. Have Candace apany you. She mentioned something about being your intern. Let her go with you," Harry said, and Jade shook her head.

    "You''re so protective...."

    "And possessive too," Harry added, and Jade giggled.

    "Are you certain you can deal with my job? You can''t have people following me everywhere and..."

    "You now work for I-Global, remember? Why do you think I wanted you to work with us?"

    "To keep me close?" Jade asked with a grin.

    "And to make sure you don''t take on jobs that put you at risk. I''m d you look and sound like yourself now," Harry said as he leaned forward and pressed a kiss on her lips.

    Jade nced down at her phone when it beeped with a text notification and saw it was from the chief judge, "He has sent the safe house address."

    "Good. My men will take him there while I escort you home," Harry said as he took her phone while Jade rolled her eyes.

    "I can go home alone."

    "You can. But you don''t have to," Harry said, and without another word to her he headed back to join his men.

    "Who are you?" the hitman asked Harry curiously.

    He could understand why the others were there, but he couldn''t understand who Harry was or why "Then you shouldn''t really bother about escorting me..."

    "Let''s go," Harry cut her off as he led her to her car.

    he had hit his car that way.

    "He is my boyfriend," Jade said, knowing Harry wouldn''t respond.

    "You have some nerve asking me questions. You have no idea how lucky you are that she wasn''t hurt," Harry said with a sneer before turning to his men.

    "Take him to this address and thene back to get rid of his car," Harry said after reading out the address to his men.

    Harry and Jade stood as they watched his men take the hitman away, and once they had driven off Harry pulled Jade to himself and embraced her.

    Jade smiled as she held him, "I''m fine."

    "I know you are. The hug is for me not you," Harry said and Jade smiled.

    "You want to hang out?" she asked, and Harry nced at his wristwatch.

    "I can''t. I had to reschedule two very important meetings so I could be here. I have to go back to the office now even if it''s past office hours," Harry said, and Jade nodded.

    "Then you shouldn''t really bother about escorting me..."

    "Let''s go," Harry cut her off as he led her to her car.

    "I will drive behind you. After I see you go through the gate I will be on my way," Harry insisted as he held open her car door and with a sigh Jade got into her car.

    "Thank you, Jonas," Jade said as Harry shut the door and he raised a brow.

    "What for?"

    "For showing up," Jade said as she held his gaze. She would have been pretty shaken up had he not been present. His presence had given her the confidence to go on fearlessly.

    "Knowing what a scaredy cat you are, I couldn''t possibly leave you alone," Harry joked and chuckled when she red at him.

    "Don''t think I didn''t notice you shaking when you embraced me after I got out of the car," she hissed and he grinned.

    "A man is allowed to worry about the love of his life," Harry said with a wink before walking away, and Jade sighed as she watched him get into his dented car.

    Was it possible to love him any more than she did already? She wasn''t sure.

 Chapter 621 Romantic Fool

    Although Jade had managed to handle herself really well earlier, she was quite shaken by the time she parked the car in front of Tom''s mansion after Harry had left.

    She didn''t step out of the car immediately but remained inside with her head resting against the wheel as she thought about her carelessness and what could have happened had Harry not saved the day.

    She didn''t necessarily regret riling Rebekah up to the extent that she had acted the way she did. What she regretted was not being careful enough and not actually sharing her ns with Harry beforehand.

    She had underestimated Rebekah''s wickedness, and that could have cost her life had Harry not been a step ahead.

    What if his men had not been watching her from a distance? Sure, if anything had happened to her, they would easily have known Rebekah was behind it, but that would have been long after the deed had been done.

    She owed Harry an apology. A sincere apology for running her mouth at him the way she did over the phone at the restaurant. He had every right to be pissed.

    Jade drew a deep breath as she thought about her new n to use Rebekah''s man against her. Before she proceeded with what she intended to do next, she was going to run it by Harry first and get his approval.

    As proud and stubborn as she could be, she wasn''t stupid. She knew that it would be in her best interest to involve Harry going forward in whatever ns she made, not only because he was her boyfriend but because, time and time again, he had proven that he put more thought into her safety than she ever did.

    Jade raised her head when someone tapped on her window, and she opened the door when she saw Bryan looking at her with a slightly raised brow.

    "Are you okay?" He asked as she got out of the car.

    "Yeah," Jade said as she drew in a shaky breath.

    "You don''t look okay. Did something happen?" Bryan asked with concern, and she smiled.

    Perhaps it was because she had not spent enough time around her family since she started her practice. She had almost forgotten how protective her family could be.

    "You can''t tell anyone, alright? Although I''m sure Harry is most likely going to tell Tom," Jade said with a slight frown.

    "Tell Tom what? Are you pregnant?" Bryan asked, and sheughed softly.

    "Is that all you can think of?" She asked with a sigh.

    "Let''s go in. I think I need to drink something strong and then I will tell you. Where is Sonia? Is mom and Dad back?" She asked as they both went inside.

    "No, they''re not back yet. Sonia is taking a nap," Bryan said, and Jade nodded.

    "I suppose you must have been bored; hence you noticed I was back," Jade said, and Bryan shrugged.

    Once they got to the bar, Bryan poured a little quantity of vodka into a ss and handed it to Jade.

    Once she had swallowed the entire content of the bottle, she exined what had happened to Bryan.

    "Jesus, Jade! Are you out of your mind? How could you do something so stupid? Shouldn''t you be smarter than that? That was so damn careless!" Bryan half yelled, but Jade wasn''t annoyed by his outburst.

    She could tell he was thinking about what could have happened to her and not what had happened.

    "I know. I know," Jade said, and then Bryan took a deep breath as he reached out to pat her back.

    "Are you okay? You must have been really shocked," Bryan said, and Jade nodded.

    "I''m fine," Jade assured him.

    "You know, that woman deserves a good beating before she is arrested," Bryan said with a scowl, and Jade smiled.

    "All I want is to see her locked up for life. I''m determined now, more than ever, to expose all her crimes. Including this attempt on my life," Jade said thoughtfully, thinking about Lisa''s invitation.

    "I''m d Harry was there," Bryan said, and Jade nodded.

    "Me too."

    "Speaking of Harry. Sonia said something about a proposal in six months," Bryan said, and Jade rolled her eyes.

    "At this rate, the whole family will know about it and start keeping counts with me."

    "Well, if you wanted it to be a secret, you shouldn''t have told anyone about it in the first ce," Bryan said simply and then sat up.

    "By the way, have you been able to get anything from Sonia?" He asked, and Jade grinned.

    "Yeah. She definitely wants to get married, and she wants a diamond ring. She doesn''t care if it''s a private or public proposal," Jade said, and Bryan smiled.

    "Thank you. I knew I could count on you," Bryan said with a wide smile.

    "So? What''s the n for the proposal?" Jade asked curiously.

    "I would love it to be a family and friends affair. If Tom gets back this weekend, then I will pop the question on Sunday," Bryan said, and Jade raised a brow.

    "Friends? You are not talking about inviting your celebrity friends, are you?"

    "Not at all. It''s going to be an intimate engagement party. Matt will definitely be in attendance. Jeff and Mia too. You can invite the Jonas.I will need you to organize it. Get a good event nner if need be. Mia and Jeff will assist you as well. I''m still trying to find the right venue��."

    "Why not use Tom''s ballroom instead of hiring a hall? It''s high time he puts that space into use," Jade said, and Bryan shook his head.

    "I thought about it, but it''s Tom''s house. As amodating as Tom can be, I don''t want to abuse his hospitality by throwing a party��"

    "He wouldn''t mind," Jade said reasonably.

    "Yes, I know. But this is my life with Sonia. I have an idea of what I want. Sonia and I will be going to check out some properties tomorrow��"

    "Properties? You are moving?" Jade asked in surprise.

    "Of course. I''m getting married to Sonia. We are starting a family," Bryan exined as though he was talking to a slow child.

    "I know. I mean, I just didn''t expect it to be so soon. Besides, you have your ce in Sogal," Jade said with a shrug.

    "We decided to settle in Ludus. If Sonia epts my proposal, I''m getting married to her immediately. We need our own space," Bryan said, and Jade nodded.

    "What now?" Bryan asked when he noticed the tears in Jade''s eyes.

    "I don''t know. I guess I just feel somehow about all of this. I''m happy. But it feels like we have all grown up and are going our separate ways now," she said with a shrug as she swallowed past the lump in her throat.

    "I''m in Ludus. Tom is in Ludus. You will be in Ludus when you marry Harry. We are all working together in I-Global. We are not going our separate ways," Bryan assured her, and she smiled as she blinked away her tears, feeling slightly embarrassed.

    "I know. It''s silly I''m feeling this way, considering that until recently, I was in Varis, and you were in Sogal, and Tom was here. Marriage and starting a family is just a different kind of change," she said, and Bryan ruffled her hair, making her re at him.

    "It''s only different in the sense that the family is growing. More annoying Hank kids on the way," Bryan said, and Jade giggled.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "So, about the venue?" Jade reminded him.

    "If we find a property we like tomorrow, I would like us to throw the engagement party there��."

    "You can''t be serious, Bryan. Tomorrow is Friday. You want the engagement party on Sunday. When are you going to set the ce up in time for a party?" Jade asked incredulously.

    "I''m very certain at the right price, I can get the right people to do the job at short notice," Bryan said confidently.

    "Wouldn''t Sonia want to set up the house herself?" Jade asked, and Bryan pursed his lips.

    "I will discuss it with her and find a way to convince her so we can hire interior decorators. She is pregnant, after all, and shouldn''t be stressing herself. If we don''t find a suitable house by tomorrow, we can get a hall. But I''d really love to propose to her in our new home," Bryan said, and Jade shook her head in amusement.

    "You romantic fool," she murmured, and Bryan grinned.

    "You''re that happy, huh?" Jade asked, and he nodded.

    "Over the moon," he said, and Jade smiled.

    "I will leave you to it then. I need to freshen up and spend some time plotting Rebekah''s downfall," Jade said as she rose, and Bryan did the same.

    Away from there, Candace and Jamal walked into the living room after seeing Matt off, and she raised a brow when she noticed the grin on Aaron''s face.

    "Matt offered to fly with us to Sogal in his jet, but mummy said no," Jamal announced.

    "What is amusing you?" Candace asked with a raised brow at the same time.

    Aaron ignored her and focused on Jamal instead, "She did? What was her reason? Matt seems like a nice guy," Aaron said to Jamal as he sat beside him while Candace walked past him.

    "He is super cool. I like him," Jamal said happily.

    "You like everyone," Candace said dryly as she headed for her bedroom, knowing fully well that she was avoiding her father and whatever it was he had to say about Matt.

    She was thankful that Jamal had gone along with her to see Matt off, else it would have been a tad awkward. And she was thankful that he was present here, too, since that was the only reason Aaron wasn''t asking her questions already.

    Matt had said he was going to give her a call, and without a doubt, she knew why. She had epted his offer and ran off before he could even say anything. He was going to want them to talk about it, and they were going to have toy out the rules for their affair.

    Should she just take back what she said? She could say it was a slip of the tongue or even say she had said it because she felt overwhelmed at the moment.

    Just as she sat on her bed, her phone rang, startling her, and she eyed the phone when she saw the call was from Matt, "You can''t possibly have gotten to your destination yet," Candace said immediately after she received the call.

    "I couldn''t wait. I didn''t want to give you enough time to change your mind," Matt said, and Candace pressed her lips together.

    "I see," she murmured and said nothing as she waited for him to speak.

    "So, we are really doing this, right?" Matt asked, and Candace felt butterflies flutter in her belly.

    "It''s just sex, remember?" Candace reminded him.

    "Friends with benefits, Candace. It''s not just going to be about sex. We have to maintain the friendship too. That means normalmunication and hanging out as friends, too," Matt said, and she narrowed her eyes.

    "How is that different from us being in a rtionship?" She asked, and Matt almost grinned.

    "Nomitment��."

    "I said you can''t have sex with anyone else while having sex with me, remember?" Candace reminded him.

    "I know. We have to keep the intimacy part a secret, so it''s different," Matt said, knowing this arrangement was either going to help him get what he wanted with her or drive him even more crazy than he already was.

    "No public appearances," Candace reminded him.

    "None as a couple. But definitely, we can go out as two friends, can''t we?" Matt asked, and Candace raised a brow.

    "How am I sure you''re not trying to trick me into this arrangement and��."

    "Candace, I promise I won''t tell anyone about our affair. I''m going to treat you as a friend in public, and you will only be my lover behind closed doors," Matt assured her, making her heart race at the thought of being his lover.

    "Okay," she said in a husky voice that made Matt smile.

    "I''m not going to let you back off, Candace," Matt warned.

    "I never said I was going to," she said as she rose and began to pace around the room.

    "Good. So, how often do we get to see each other?" Matt asked, and Candace shrugged.

    "Depends on our schedules. You''re often busy��"

    "I can make out time for you. That won''t be a problem," Matt said, and Candace sighed.

    "Maybe once a week?" Candace suggested, and Matt mulled over it for a moment.

    "Only when my schedule is very tight. We will have to spend some weekends together," Matt suggested, and Candace bit her lip thoughtfully.

    "Jamal��"

    "He can always visit your dad when we have to meet. I''m sure they won''t mind," Matt said.

    "But that would make my dad suspicious," Candace pointed out.

    "Suspicious that his adult daughter is seeing someone, which is absolutely normal. He just doesn''t have to know I''m the one," Matt said, and Candace sighed.

    "Alright."

    "So, can we meet tomorrow?" Matt asked, making her heart skip a beat.

    "Isn''t that too soon? Besides, everyone we know is in Ludus, and we could easily be��."

    "I''ve missed you, Candace. I don''t think it''s too soon. We can arrange to meet discreetly. I will figure out somewhere we can meet and spend some time alone without prying eyes," Matt said, and Candace bit her lips as her heart thudded with anticipation.

    "Okay," Candace said, and Matt smiled triumphantly.

    "I will let you know when Ie up with something. Take care of yourself," Matt said before hanging up, and Candace slumped on the bed and ced a hand on her racing heart.

    Her reaction was normal. It had been a while since she had sex, so it was perfectly normal to feel so excited, Candace assured herself.

 Chapter 622 Pleasant Surprise

    Chapter 622 Pleasant Surprise

    Lucy had a lot on her mind as she drove to work very early the next morning. Although it was not yet time to resume at office but she thought she was better off there than at home with her parents. She wanted to be alone.

    Where was Tom? What was going on with him? Was he alright? She mused.

    She was yet to hear from him since after the conversation they had in her office the previous day before her breakfast, and despite all the messages and pictures she had sent to him, she had gotten no response.

    Well, to be fair, the messages had actually not ticked delivered as at the time she sent them even though they ticked sent.

    She had tried to assure herself the night before that perhaps he was busy with series of meetings and had kept his phone off to avoid distractions.

    She had hoped she would wake up to messages from him but had been sorely disappointed when she saw nothing of the such when she woke up despite the fact that she noticed the messages had delivered.

    She had been in such a foul mood that she had snapped at her mother when she innocently inquired about Tom. Lucy took a deep breath as she drove into the empty parking lot of thepany.

    She was almost tempted to give Harry a call to find out what was going on, but decided against it since she would meet him at the office. She hoped that he would have an exnation for Tom''s silence.

    More than anything else she really hoped that Tom had been able to resolve whatever problem was going at the branch over there and was on his way back already or preparing to be leave there. That was if he still nned to make it in time for the dinner party.

    As she walked into her office, she stopped short at the door when she opened it and saw Tom sitting behind her desk.

    "Tom?" She called in disbelief, and her heart soared with joy when he grinned at her as he rose.

    "Surprised?" He asked, and with a shriek of joy Lucy dropped her handbag and ran around the desk to throw herself at Tom who was now chuckling.

    Before she could say anything, Tom covered her lips with his and gave her a long and hard kiss that told her just how much he had missed her.

    Once Tom stepped away, he smiled into her eyes as he looked at her, "Why are you here so early?"

    "I should be asking you that. What are you doing in my office by this time of the morning?" She asked, taking in his tired appearance.

    "Other than wanting to surprise you when you get here?" Tom asked, and Lucy grinned, all her worries forgotten.

    "Well, I have been pleasantly surprised. But why didn''t you at least respond to my texts? I was very worried!" Sheined and he smiled.

    "I thought it wouldn''t hurt to have you worry about me a little. Especially since you will get to see me soon anyway," Tom said with a shrug as he sat on the edge of her desk and pulled her close.

    "I feel like I''m dreaming," Lucy said happily and Tom pulled her nose.

    "Ouch!"

    "I gusss you''re not dreaming then," Tom said, and Lucy smiled as her arms with around his neck.

    "When did you arrive? Is Harry aware that you''re back? Did you go home already?" Lucy asked curiously.

    "You are the only one who knows I''m back. I arrived in the early hours of the morning and came here directly after freshening up and getting some rest in my office. I wanted to see you before anyone else," Tom said, and Lucy felt ripples of joy flow through her body.

    "I missed you. I can''t believe you were away for just two days. It feels like a really long time," Lucy said, and Tom nodded.

    "I missed you too. You haven''t told me why you are here by this time. Did something happen?" Tom asked with a concerned frown.

    "I was in a foul mood and didn''t want to be around my parents so I decided toe in early since I left work quite early yesterday," she exined.

    "I see. And here I was thinking you were drawn by my presence," Tom said dryly and sheughed softly.

    "Perhaps that was it. So? How did it go? Were you able to resolve everything?" Lucy asked, and Tom took a deep breath as he scratched the back of his ear.

    After his conversation with Harry the previous day, he had decided to just leave everything ande back to Lucy immediately. He was going to get the DNA done and let her know what was going on.

    All through his flight he had been worried about what her reaction would be and how she would take the news if it happened to be true. He didn''t want to lose her. He just couldn''t afford to.

    "Is everything alright?" Lucy asked with worried eyes when she noticed the slight frown that now etched his brows.

    Deciding not to go into it immediately, Tom smiled, "Yeah. I haven''t been able to resolve it all. Something came up so I had to put everything else on hold," Tom exined.

    "What came up?" Lucy asked with concern.

    "Let''s not rush into it yet. Why don''t we go up to my office and you can tell me about your therapy session and how you''ve enjoyed my absence?" Tom suggested as he straightened and Lucy jabbed an elbow into his side.

    "There was nothing to enjoy about your absence. I was counting the seconds until your return," Lucy said as she let Tom lead her take her hand and lead her to the door.

    Tom picked up her handbag from where she had dropped it earlier and led her to the elevator.

    "You became more beautiful in my absence. Perhaps I should stay away for some time," Tom teased and Lucy smiled at thepliment.

    "I wish I could say the same about you. You look really exhausted. Perhaps I shouldn''t let you out of my sight again," she said, and Tom took her hand in his.

    "I hope you would do that," Tom said and Lucy looked at him.

    Somehow she could tell that there was something going on with him, and she couldn''t help but wonder what it was.

    Despite his smile, she could see the worry in his eyes. What was bothering him? Did something serious happen? Did it have anything to do with the picture Cora had shown her and the reason he had lied to her?

    "So? Tell me everything that has been going on with you," Tom urged her, and Lucy tried to fill him in on all that had happened since he left and finished by telling him about her therapist.

    "I think I like her," Tom said, as he locked his office door behind door so that no one would be able to get in, and he led Lucy into the bedroom.

    "Yeah. Are you going to tell me what''s wrong?" Lucy asked, looking at him with serious eyes.

    "What?" Tom asked and Lucy raised a brow.

    "I know you missed me, but I believe you were waiting for me because there was something you wanted to say to me, am I wrong?" Lucy asked and Tom shook his head.

    "You are right. But I don''t think we should rush into it..."

    "You look restless, Tom. You are going to remain that way until you say what is on your mind. Talk to me," Lucy said with a worried frown.

    Without saying anything, Tom ran his fingers through his hair and took a deep breath as he looked at her. How did a man tell the woman he loved something like this?

    Could he trust her to understand and not run in the other direction?

    "I don''t know how to say this. I''ve spent hours thinking about the best way to exin this, but I can''t seem toe up with anything," Tom confessed with worried eyes.

    Lucy''s brows pulled together as she took off her sses, "You are making me anxious. Did you do something? Were you with someone else?" she asked the first question on her mind.

    "Someone else? Are you asking if I cheated on you? Of course, not! I could never do that," Tom said fiercely, and Lucy let out a relieved sigh.

    "If that''s not it, what could be so difficult to exin?" she asked, and Tom sat down on the bed and patted the space beside him for her to join him.

    Lucy put on her sses as she sat down beside him and took Tom''s hand in support, "Tell me."

    "I''m not sure if I should say anything until I''m certain..."

    "If it''s bothering you so much when you''re not certain of it yet, then you should probably tell me about whatever it is and let''s worry about it together," Lucy suggested.

    He had thought about it too. Carrying her along all the way so she would know how important she was to him and how important this whole issue was to him as well.

    "I told you I''ve been with otherdies in the past, right? I mean, I''ve had sexual rtions withdies in the past," Tom started, and Lucy looked at him with confused eyes as she gave him a nod.

    Although she wanted to ask why he was bringing that up, she didn''t want to interrupt whatever he had to say.

    "You remember I told you about having a meeting in a club?" Tom asked and Lucy adjusted her position as she gave him a nod once again.

    "Well, the man I met with invited someone else over. His niece," Tom started, and Lucy looked at him thoughtfully.

    That would exin thedy in the picture that Cora had shown her, but that didn''t exin why they were alone. Unless the person he had a meeting with was trying to hook him up with his niece? Was that it?

    "Are you listening?" Tom asked when he noticed that Lucy seemed distracted.

    "You said he brought his niece along. What for?" Lucy asked curiously.

    "The thing is, she is someone I sort of hooked up with years ago. It was a fling not a rtionship..."

    "So he brought her to rekindle old mes?" Lucy asked sharply.

    "There was never me," Tom said tightly.

    "The fact that you slept with her says there was one," Lucy said matter-of-factly.

    "Shall I go ahead or let you work with your assumptions?" Tom asked, and Lucy sighed.

    "I''m sorry. Go on," she said although there was now a nervous pit in her stomach.

    "ording to her she had been trying to find me all these years. You know, until recently my identity has remained hidden, so she didn''t really know who I was until the interview," Tom exined, and Lucy withdrew her hand from his and folded her hands together on her thighs.

    She could tell now that whatever it was he wanted to say was something she was not going to like and the longer she waited for him to get to the point the more nervous she felt.

    "Can you just go straight to the point and tell me what she wants? Is she going to be another Anita we have to worry about?" Lucy asked, and Tom took a deep breath.

    "I don''t know how it happened, but she ims we have a child..."

    "A CHILD?!" Lucy eximed as she involuntarily sprang to her feet.

    "Lucy..."

    "Did you just say she has a child for you? How can you even say you have no idea how it happened?" Lucy asked, cutting him off as she put some distance between them as he rose.

    "I swear I had no idea of this until she showed up at the club. I used protection when I slept with her. I can hardly believe it myself. I''m going to carry out a DNA test. This happened four years ago, Lu. Long before I met you," Tom rushed to exin while Lucy merely stared at him like she was dreaming.

    "Please say something," Tom pleaded when she merely continued to stare at him speechlessly.

    "What am I supposed to say? What do you expect me to say?" Lucy asked in a broken voice.

    "Anything. Tell me what you are thinking," Tom pleaded.

    Lucy shook her head, "I can''t think right now. Let''s talk about it after you get the DNA test and you know for certain," Lucy said as she picked up her handbag and turned to leave.

    "Lucy, please I need you to talk to me. I love you. I need you to listen," Tom pleaded.

    "I love you too. But let''s talkter. I''m sure you need to rest and sort out other things too. I need to be alone right now," Lucy said as she walked away from the office blinded by her tears.

    She had no idea where she was going but she knew it wasn''t to her office. She needed to be somewhere else where she could be alone and think. And cry.

 Chapter 623 Selfish

    Chapter 623 Selfish

    A child? Tom already had a child with someone else? She couldn''t exin what she was feeling or why she was feeling that way, but it felt like something sharp was piercing through her heart and it was breaking at the same time.

    Perhaps she knew why she was feeling that way. It was because she felt that she was losing Tom.

    Just when she thought Anita was out of the way and now she could do her best to make her rtionship with Tom work something like this had toe up.

    It was always one obstacle after the other and she wasn''t sure they could surmount this one. It seemed like they were not meant to be together.

    Anita did not even have a child for Tom yet look how much effort she had put into trying toe between them. Could she expect anything less from this new baby mama who had just shown up?

    Regardless of whatever assurances Tom was going to give her she knew this was not going to be that simple.

    A child was involved here. If the kid turned out to be Tom''s child there was no way she would expect him not to take responsibility for the child.

    And she knew well enough to know that by doing so his baby mama would remain a constant part of his life. Could she stand that? Could she live with any more drama? Lucy mused as she stepped out of the elevator stifling a sob as she headed outside.

    "LuLu!" Harry who had just arrived and was headed for the elevator called out to her when she walked past him without acknowledging his presence.

    "Lucy!" he called again but Lucy didn''t hear him as she kept walking.

    Harry frowned, wondering what was wrong with her as he quickly followed her. He was d that other employees had not started arriving yet, else this would have given them something to gossip about.

    He didn''t have time to wonder for long as his phone started ringing and he stopped to receive the call immediately he saw it was from Tom.

    "Let me call you back..."

    "I just told Lucy about it," Tom said at the same time with Harry.

    That exined Lucy''s state, Harry thought as he looked in the direction Lucy had left.

    "I will call you back," Harry said as he quickly hung up and hurried after Lucy.

    By the time Lucy got to the parking lot, and opened her car she was already sobbing, but before she could get in and shut the door, Harry held the door to prevent her from shutting it and her tearfilled eyes gazed up at him.

    "What is wrong? Did something happen?" Where are you going?" Harry asked with a concerned frown as he watched her try to pull herself together.

    Even though he now knew what was wrong, he couldn''t act like he knew about it. At least not until he got the details from her. He couldn''t understand why Tom would share something like that with her over the phone. It was unlike Tom to be so thoughtless. He would have expected Tom to tell her that in person.

    "Nothing," Lucy cried softly as she tried unfailingly to stop her tears.

    "What is the problem? Where are you running off to?" Harry repeated as he watched her.

    Lucy shook her head with a half sob, "It''s nothing. I just need a moment to be alone before I resume..."

    "You can''t say it''s nothing when you''re crying this way," Harry pointed out and she shook her head as she wiped her tears away with her palm and forced a smile.

    She cleared her throat, "Really. I''m alright. You should probably go in. Tom got back early and he''s in his office," Lucy said, and Harry narrowed his eyes.

    "Tom is back? You saw him?" Harry asked in surprise.

    Thest time they talked was when Tom called to inform him about the situation, and Tom hadn''t said anything about returning.

    If he was back already that meant he must have gotten on the ne not long after their discussion, and he could guess it was because he was worried about Lucy''s reaction. Tom wasn''t one to sit around and do nothing when he was worried about something.

    "Yeah. I really want to be alone..."

    "You didn''t even hear me when I was calling out to you, what makes you think I''m going to let you drive out of here in this state? And you can''t possibly just sit here in your car to cry either. Soon, others will start arriving and they will easily see you. And then everyone would starting up with stories and whispering," Harry said reasonably.

    "I have no idea what could have transpired between you and Tom. But if you really want to get out of here I could drive you to wherever you want, and after you are calm you can tell me about it if you want to," Harry offered, and Lucy merely stared at him nkly.

    "The key, Lucy. Give it to me. If you want to go somewhere, get into the passenger seat and tell me where. I will be your driver for today," Harry offered softly as he extended his hand to her.

    "Don''t you have work to do? Don''t you want to see Tom?" Lucy asked and Harry shook his head.

    "I''vee to like you even more than I like to work. If anyone asks why I''mte I''m sure you cane up with a story for us," Harry joked, reminding her of her lie, and Lucy gave him a wobbly smile.

    "Besides, Tom will have my head if he finds out I let you drive off in the state I saw you just so I could say hello to him," Harry assured her, and she sighed.

    "Maybe I don''t need to go anywhere. I will just return to my office," she said with a shake of her head as she fished inside her handbag for a handkerchief to fix her makeup.

    "That''s fine too. Do you want to tell me what Tom said or did to upset you?" Harry asked and she shook her head.

    "It''s nothing," she said without looking at him.

    She did not want to talk about Tom''s private business at least not until they were sure that kid was his. And she was certain that if Tom wanted Harry to know about it, he would tell him about it soon, or he probably has told him already, Lucy mused as she turned to take another look at Harry.

    If she was in Tom''s shoes and something like this happened to her the first person she would talk to about it was her best friend. She would most likely run it by Sonia before presenting it to Tom.

    "Tom talked to you already, didn''t he?" Lucy asked, and Harry raised a brow.

    "About what? I don''t even know he is back..."

    "You know why he had to return early, don''t you?" Lucy asked, and Harry shook his head.

    "If you''re asking me a question, it''s best you ask a direct question so I can know what exactly you want to hear," Harry said and Lucy got out of the car.

    "You know about thedy he met with at the club?" she asked, choosing to y safe.

    If Harry said he knows nothing about that, then she wouldn''t go further than that. But if he knew about her, then he knew the rest.

    Harry looked at her for a moment before giving her a nod, "Yes."

    "I think I will take you up on your offer to talk to you," Lucy said, and Harry nodded.

    "Let''s go to my office," Harry said, and Lucy shook her head.

    "I don''t want to run into Tom yet. I need to process it all before I say anything to him," Lucy said and Harry nodded in understanding.

    "Let''s go to the cafeteria then. It''s usually quiet at this time of the morning. And I need to get my morning coffee boost. Don''t worry, Tom never goes down to the cafeteria. The only time he did was when he was being your errand boy," Harry assured her with a small smile.

    Neither of them said a word as they walked into the cafeteria and once Lucy was seated, Harry headed to the counter to get himself a cup of coffee after Lucy assured him she didn''t want anything.

    After he returned and took his seat, Lucy looked at him curiously, "Do you know thedy in question?"

    "Lucy, you''re supposed to be telling me what Tom said to you. I will tell you what I think you should know after I hear what Tom said," Harry said and Lucy sighed.

    Harry took a sip from his styrofoam cup as he waited for Lucy to speak, and after a moment she told him all what Tom had said.

    "Do you think the kid might truly be Tom''s? Or perhaps thisdy just wants to pin it on him because he is wealthy?" Lucy asked hopefully.

    "We can''t tell until we conduct the DNA test. But you should know that Kimberly Moore is a very wealthydy from a solid background. I don''t see what she stands to gain by doing this if the kid is not Tom''s," Harry said honestly, and Lucy felt whatever fragment of hope she had, shatter.

    "Yes. But we can''t be so sure yet. Let''s wait until the DNA test is done and we see the result," Harry suggested, and Lucy sighed deeply.

    "That means the kid is most likely his," she said quietly.

    "Yes. But we can''t be so sure yet. Let''s wait until the DNA test is done and we see the result," Harry suggested, and Lucy sighed deeply.

    "And what if the kid is his? What am I supposed to do?" Lucy asked, and Harry shook his head.

    "That''s not for me to tell you. You have to make that decision on your own. Whatever I say right now will be biased because I will always look out for you and Tom''s joint interests," Harry said honestly.

    "He might have to get married to her since she has his kid, right?" she asked with a frown.

    "That question should be directed to Tom after you''ve heard him out not me. Right now I''m here only to listen to you. I will tell you what I think only after the result is out and you''ve heard Tom out. But for now I think the most important thing for you to do is to listen to him and hear what he has to say. If the situation was reversed, Tom would do that for you too. Or maybe I''m just being biased because he is my best friend," Harry said with a sigh, and then he looked at her.

    "You need to remember that Tom never nned for any of this to happen. The fact that he left everything he had to do over there tells me how worried he must be. And as much as I understand how you feel, I think maybe you should also think about how Tom feels, because I know for a fact that he has been thinking about how you might feel about this since he got the news. Tom always puts your feelings before his own. I''m not saying it''s wrong to think about yourself too. I''m just saying maybe this time you should think about how hard all of this might be for Tom. Finding out he has a kid with someone he has met only once and never once gave a second thought in all these years. As beautiful as the idea of having a kid might be, this was unexpected and unnned. He is confused and has a lot on his mind," Harry said calmly and tears gathered in Lucy''s eyes as she listened to him.

    "What I''m trying to say is that Tom needs you. I probably shouldn''t bring this up, but remember how he stood by you when that scandal came up? He went as far as revealing his identity for your sake even before we knew for a fact that Anita was behind it. I think it''s time you returned the favor. If you love Tom, it''s time for you to prove it to both him and to yourself. This isn''t about you, Lucy. It''s about Tom. I''m pretty sure this won''t be easy for either you, but I believe it will be better for you both if you stand with him," Harry said and then sighed.

    "I said I wasn''t going to say anything and then I ended up saying a lot more than you did," Harry said with a wry smile and Lucy sniffled as she brushed away the tears on her cheeks.

    "You''re right. I''m d I ran into you, and I''m d you said all of that. It was probably what I needed to hear. I was thinking only of myself��"

    "That''s only because you haven''t had time to yourself to think and process things. I''m sure you would have realized everything I told you on your own," Harry said, and Lucy shook her head.

    "I don''t think so. Maybe I''m more selfish than I realize. I tend to think only about how I feel. I always overthink and dwell more on the negative side of things. The DNA test hasn''t even been carried out yet and I ran out of his office that way. Tom deserves better than that from me," Lucy said as she pushed away from her seat and rose.

    "Where are you going?" Harry asked curiously as he rose.

    "I think I should go back to him. I still don''t know how I''m going to navigate through this, but as you said, I will think of just Tom this time and focus on standing by him. He has done that much for me and I should do the same. Hopefully we will figure it out together," Lucy said and Harry took her hand and squeezed it softly.

    "That''s good. Everything will be fine. I will make sure of it, I promise. And if you need to talk, call me anytime ore see me," Harry said and Lucy smiled as she gave him a nod.

    "This is the second time you''re stopping me from running away. Thank you for not letting me leave once again," Lucy said before walking away.

 Chapter 624 Trying Too Hard

    Chapter 624 Trying Too Hard

    Standing by the window in his office, Tom wondered if he should have followed Lucy when she left or just stopped her from leaving entirely.

    He had been to her office few minutes before calling Harry earlier, and seeing as she wasn''t there, he had no idea where she had gone to.

    He had trying calling but she wasn''t picking up. His only source offort right now was knowing that her car was still in the parking lot, which meant she had not left the premises.

    He had even gone to the storage room where she had hidden thest time to see if she was hiding there but she wasn''t there either.

    He couldn''t say he was surprised by her reaction. He wasn''t exactly disappointed either. This was Lucy after all. And if there was one thing he had learned about her, it was the fact that she liked to run away from her problems. She preferred to hide rather than face her challenges squarely, Tom thought with a sigh.

    He nced at his wristwatch and scowled as he wondered why Harry was yet to return his call. He walked out of his office and walked over to Harry''s office to check for him, but Harry wasn''t there yet.

    Deciding to get busy rather than hang around doing nothing, Tom returned to his office and picked up the envelope containing the DNA samples.

    He was certain that by the time he arrived at theb, it would be open. He would rather do something productive with his time by taking the sample over for testing rather than stay around and worry. He would try to reason with Lucy again when he gets back.

    Just as he headed for his private elevator, his office door opened and he turned around to see Lucy.

    "Lucy," he called softly, surprised that she had returned so soon.

    "Are you going somewhere?" Lucy asked when she noticed the envelope he was carrying and saw he had been headed for the elevator.

    "Yes. But it can wait," Tom said as he watched her. Waiting for her to say something.

    "I''m sorry. I shouldn''t have left that way," Lucy said apologetically as she shut the door behind her and stepped further into the office.

    Tom shook his head immediately, "You don''t have to be sorry. You did nothing wrong," Tom assured her as he approached her and stopped in front of her.

    "I know I was wrong, Tom. You don''t have to make excuses for my behaviour. I shouldn''t have reacted the way I did��"

    "You reacted how you knew to react. I showed up unexpectedly and told you something very shocking. It''s expected that you would want sometime��"

    "No! Just stop, okay? I know you''re always trying to pamper me and make me feel good. I appreciate it, but now is not the time. I didn''t think about how you must feel, and I made this about me, and that was wrong," Lucy said firmly, and Tom sighed.

    Although he wanted to assure her that he meant what he had said and he didn''t think she was wrong to react the way she did, let said nothing and decided to let her do the talking instead.

    Lucy took a deep breath, "I know you were away for just two days, but I''ve been thinking a lot in your absence. And I''vee to realize that I''ve been selfish. You''re mostly at the giving end and I''m almost always on the receiving end. I''m more selfish that I realized. And what transpired between us earlier only reinforced it," Lucy said, while Tom continued to watch her.

    He had no idea what she was talking about or where it wasing from, but he didn''t think she was selfish.

    Yes, there had been times when she came up with selfish suggestions such as the time she suggested he adopt a child she wouldn''t care for, but he really didn''t think she was selfish.

    She had been single until she met him and he could understand that the concept of putting a partner''s need first might be foreign to her, and he didn''t fault her for it.

    Besides, putting one''s partner first was a thing of choice. It was his choice to put her first, she didn''t have to return the favor out of a sense of duty. If ever she was going to put his needs before hers, he wanted it to be out of love and devotion and not because she felt she owed him.

    "I''ve not been fair to you. I''m sorry. I''m sorry for always thinking about myself. And I''m sorry that every time somethinges up my first reaction is to pull away from you. I don''t want to only be at the receiving end of our rtionship. I want to be there for you too, Tom. I want to stand by you. I hope it''s not toote for that," Lucy said hopefully.

    "You should know that between the time you walked through the door and now, nothing has changed. There is still every possibility that the little girl is mine��"

    "I aware of that," Lucy said with a sigh.

    "Still, it''s too early for me to run away, right? I mean, I will never know how things will turn out eventually if I just pull away now," Lucy said with a shrug.

    "Early? You still n to run away eventually?" Tom asked thoughtfully.

    "No. That''s not what I mean. I won''t lie to you or myself, Tom. I don''t have it figured out yet. I''m scared. This whole thing scares me. I really don''t want any dramas. But I''m here right now only because I''m trying for once to think about you and not myself. I''m trying to put your feelings first," Lucy confessed and Tom sighed.

    "I''m sorry I''mplicating things��"

    "No. Don''t. You don''t have to apologize. It''s not like you cheated on me or anything. It all happened in the past, and you really do not owe me any exnation or apology for your past," Lucy said softly and Tom stepped forward and embraced her.

    "Thank you, Jewel. This means a lot to me," Tom said and Lucy patted his back as she held on to him.

    They remained in each other''s arms for a while before Tom pulled away to look at her, "I was at your office earlier. Where were you?" Tom asked curiously.

    "You went to my office?" Lucy asked, and Tom nodded as he went to sit on the edge of his desk and pulled Lucy against him.

    "Yeah. I was worried. I wasn''t sure it was right to let you leave that way," Tom exined and she smiled.

    "I ran into Harry on my way out so we both went to the cafeteria," Lucy exined.

    "Did you tell him I was here?" Tom asked and Lucy gave him a nod.

    That exined why Harry had hung up without letting him speak, Tom reasoned.

    "I did. Harry actually made me realize it was wrong to leave the way I did," Lucy confessed.

    "I suppose he knows you came back to see me?" Tom asked, thinking that exined why Harry was yet to return his call or show up on his office. He was deliberately making himself scarce. Tom decided he owed Harry one.

    "Yeah. I left him at the cafeteria. By the way, where were you going to earlier?" She asked curiously as she pulled away to look at him.

    "I was going to head to theb to drop off the DNA samples," Tom said and Lucy nodded.

    "Oh! Can Ie with you?" Lucy asked, and Tom arched a brow.

    "It''s work hours now," he reminded her, since he knew how much she liked to work.

    Lucy smiled, "I''m dating the CEO so I can afford to skip work for a couple of hours, can''t I? If we could stop by my office, I will give my teammates some instructions before we leave," she said, and Tom looked at her again, wondering what she was thinking.

    "You don''t have to. I could go on my own or ask Harry��."

    "Harry will be busy. Besides, I''m your girlfriend, not Harry. I wille with you," Lucy said firmly this time, and Tom''s lips curved in an amused smile.

    "If you insist," Tom said as he rose, feeling relieved now.

    "I insist. Let''s go."

    "Why don''t I bring the car to the front of the building why check in with your teammates?" Tom suggested.

    "Or we could take my car and I drive you for a change," Lucy offered with a wink, and Tom grinned.

    He could see that she was really going all out to make it up to him. Not that he needed her to, though.

    "You don''t have to��"

    "I want to. You can think of it as me wanting to show you off. I told you Cora was at my office yesterday, remember?" Lucy said and Tom nodded.

    "Yeah. What was that about? Did she cause any trouble?" Tom asked curiously.

    "Let''s go while I will tell you about it," Lucy said as she linked her arm with Tom''s and pulled him with her towards the door.

    "Well, she started by insinuating that things were not going so well between us. And then she showed me a picture of you and ady at the club," Lucy exined, and Tom stopped walking and looked at her.

    "She did what?" He asked coolly.

    "She wanted me to exin why you were at an erotic club with a differentdy if things were going so well between us," Lucy exined and Tom frowned.

    "Why didn''t you ask me about it?" He asked as he watched her, knowing that it must have bothered her a lot more than she was letting on.

    "In front of her? Of course, not. Besides, you told me you were at the club anyway��"

    "But I didn''t tell you I was with ady. This could have caused a major misunderstanding between us," Tom said, feeling very annoyed now, but Lucy could tell his anger was directed at Cora, not her.

    "But it didn''t. And now I know who thedy was," Lucy said with a shrug.

    "Are you going to tell me it didn''t bother you?" Tom asked, and she sighed.

    "It did bother me a little since you said you were meeting with a man, and there was no man in the picture. But I decided to wait for you to get back so I could ask you about it," Lucy exined patiently.

    "I''m not going to let this slide," Tom said with a fierce look in his eyes as he resumed walking.

    "You can''t fire her or discipline her��"

    "Why not? I''m her boss and she invaded my privacy. I can do whatever I want," Tom said harshly as he opened the door, startling Eric who had no idea anyone was in the office.

    "Good morning, sir! Good morning, Miss Perry," He greeted politely and they both called back a response but didn''t break their stride.

    "I believe I warned her already," Lucy said softly.

    "Let''s stop by her office and clear any doubt she has," Tom said in a tone that brooked no argument.

    As they stopped in front of the elevator it opened and Harry stepped out. Immediately he saw Tom his mouth fell open.

    "Oh, my God! Tom? Is that you? When did you get back?" He asked dramatically making both Tom and Lucyugh."

    Harry smiled when he saw their arms linked. Everything was going to be fine, he thought.

    "Cut it out. Lucy already told me you''re aware I''m back," Tom said with a grin.

    "Oh, she did? I can''t believe you can''t keep a secret," Harry said dryly.

    "I see you both are heading out. Tom, I will catch up with youter," Harry said as he pped Tom''s back and walked away.

    "So, the kid is a girl?" Lucy asked as they got into the elevator, not wanting them to return to Cora''s subject.

    "Yeah. She is three years old," Tom said, and Lucy nodded.

    "I suppose you saw her already since you have her DNA sample with you," Lucy said thoughtfully.

    "Yeah. She brought her to see me," Tom exined.

    "To the club?" Lucy asked with with wide eyes as they got into the elevator, and Tom chuckled.

    "Of course, not. She brought her to the hotel," Tom exined.

    "Oh," Lucy muttered, and Tom took her hand.

    "You don''t have to worry about her. We met and discussed in my office. I won''t let this cause any trouble for you, I promise," Tom said and Lucy sighed.

    "I know you won''t," she said with a small smile.

    "So, what was she like? The kid I mean?" Lucy asked, and Tom looked at her.

    "Do you really want to know?" He asked with concern.

    "Of course. ording to Harry, there''s every possibility that she might be yours. And I''m sure you believe it too. That''s the only reason you must have decided to tell me about it before carrying out the DNA test, am I wrong?" Lucy asked, and Tom shook his head.

    "If she is yours, as your girlfriend, I should know about her. I can''t pretend like she doesn''t exist," Lucy said, and Tom''s brows pulled together as looked at her.

    Someone who had suggested he adopt a kid but not get her involved in the kid''s life was suddenly so curious to know about a kid that might be his?

    It seemed to him like she was taking everything in too quickly. If it were someone else he wouldn''t be worried, but for someone like Lucy, she was acting like it wasn''t a big deal too soon, and he knew very well that that wasn''t the case.

    It made him worry about how she would really feel and think when she was alone. He knew she was trying to be this way for his sake, but she was trying too hard and he couldn''t help being worried about her.

    "Why aren''t you saying anything?" Lucy asked, poking his side as the elevator door opened and they got out on her floor.

    "She seems very bright. Her name is Dawn. From our little interaction, I think she acts more like an adult than a kid," Tom said as they headed for her office.

    "Like Jamal?" She asked with a smile and Tom chuckled.

    "No. Not like Jamal. Jamal ispletely different," Tom said thoughtfully.

    "In what way?" Lucy asked curiously.

    "Well, Jamal seems naturally mature. I mean, he observes everyone and everything. Dawn on the other hand seems like she was trained to not be a kid," Tom said, and Lucy frowned.

    "That sounds kind of sad," she said as they walked into her office and every conversation and movement in the office stopped as her teammates looked at them.

    Once Lucy had given instructions to those concerned, they both headed out of the office again and before Lucy could press the button for the first floor, Tom entered the button for Cora''s office floor.

 Chapter 625 I’m Scared

    Chapter 625 I��m Scared

    "You will go in first. I will wait outside the door," Tom suggested and Lucy looked at him with a puzzled frown.

    "Why? What am I supposed to say to her?" Lucy asked as the elevator door opened and they stepped out.

    "Why? Because I''m not letting her attitude towards my girlfriend slide. If I do nothing, it''s going to make her think it''s okay to walk up to you and say whatever she likes. If I show up in her office instead of inviting her to mine, it''s going to make everyone realize something is wrong, and it will pass a message to them all that no one is allowed to mess with you. Go in there and say whatever you like to get a ride out of her. I want her to say something she''s not supposed to," Tom insisted, and Lucy sighed as they stopped outside the door.

    At times like this the difference between her and Tom seemed so obvious. Where she would rather ignore somethings, Tom would rather be petty.

    "Don''t you think this will refelect badly on me and put me on the bad books of the others?" Lucy asked, and Tom shook his head.

    "You don''t need to be on their good book. You are my girlfriend, Lucy. If they can''t respect you, I want them to be scared of messing with you," Tom assured her as he raised her hand to his lips.

    "It''s best we go in together," Lucy said as she linked her hands with Tom''s and opened the door.

    Cora''s teammates who were all gathered together looking at something Cora was showing them all turned to the door when it opened, and Cora froze when she saw Lucy walk in with Tom behind her.

    In the short while since she became closely acquainted with Tom, not once had she seen his eyes look so cold and unfriendly. She knew without a doubt that Lucy had said something to him.

    "Good morning, sir! Good morning, ma''am," her teammates all called out to the couple respectfully while Tom fixed his gaze on Cora.

    Cora''s frozen face twisted in a stiff smile as she gazed at Tom, "Good morning, sir. Good morning, Director Perry."

    Lucy beamed a smile at Cora, "Good morning, director Anderson. I thought I should check out your office as you did mine yesterday, and I invited him to join me. I thought you would like that," she said pleasantly, and Cora''s teammates remained where they stood around Cora, not sure what was going on and whether or not they should return to their desks.

    Tom didn''t respond to the greetings, "I have no interest in your office. I believe you know why we are here?" Tom asked Cora without taking another step into the office.

    Cora looked from Tom to Lucy, and Lucy gave her a nonchnt shrug.

    "Do you want toe into my office so we can speak privately?" Cora offered as she rubbed her sweaty palms down her pants.

    "I didn''t realize you cared about privacy. I don''t see any reason why I should respect yours by talking to you in your office when you didn''t respect mine," Tom said coldly.

    Cora''s teammates looked from Cora to Tom, and then started heading for the door but Tom''s gaze moved from Cora to them, "I didn''t say anyone could leave," he said briskly before returning his attention to Cora.

    "I learnt you are very curious about our rtionship. I believe you have questions for me. Go on," Tom said, jerking his head towards Cora for her to speak.

    Cora looked down at her feet in embarrassment, "I''m sorry, sir."

    "What for?" Tom asked with a raised brow.

    "I shouldn''t have said anything to Director Perry," Cora said quietly, and Tom shook his head.

    "What did you say to her?" Tom asked, and Cora shook her head unable to bring herself to repeat everything she had said, especially not in the presence of her teammates.

    "Do you love your job?" Tom asked, and Cora bobbed her head.

    "Do you want to keep your job?" Tom asked again, and this time Cora looked up at him.

    "If you do, I suggest you repeat everything you said to her right now. And you better not leave out a detail," Tom said, and Cora nced at Lucy who looked away from her immediately.

    "I don''t have all day, Miss Anderson. And do not think losing your job is the worst I can do to you. Ask the staff who was fired for badmouthing Lucy thest time. She is yet to get another job," Tom threatened, and Lucy turned to look at him, surprised by that piece of information.

    Tears gathered in Cora''s eyes and her lips wobbled as she told Tom about her conversation with Lucy.

    "I''m sorry," she said when she was done.

    "Do you know what you should be sorry for? You should be sorry for being interested in my personal business. A business for which I did not employ you. But most of all, you should be sorry for thinking you could mess with my girlfriend and not have to deal with me," Tom said coldly.

    "It will never happen again," Cora promised without meeting their gaze, and Tom shook his head.

    "I believe it won''t. I want the name and details of whoever sent you the picture," Tom said and Cora''s head snapped up.

    "Sir��"

    "You can provide me with it, or hand in your resignation letter. I expect it to be on Lucy''s desk within the next hour, or I will assume you are no longer a staff of I-Global," Tom said and turned to leave with Lucy.

    He hesitated with his hand on the doorknob as he turned to her, "And just so you know, handing in your resignation letter won''t stop me from going after your friend either," Tom said before opening the door but Lucy did not step out with him.

    She gave him a nod to wait outside so she could speak to Cora, and once Tom had shut the door behind him, Lucy turned to Cora.

    "I must say I''m disappointed by your reaction. I thought you were more gutsy than this. Why do you look so shaken now?" Lucy asked with a raised brow, ignoring Cora''s teammates who moved away to their various desks, and pretended not to pay attention to what was going on.

    "All I want is to have a peaceful rtionship with Tom. One without drama. One in which things like this doesn''t have to take ce within thepany. I don''t know why you keep getting on my nerves, but I do hope this will be thest time this happens. It will be a shame for thepany to lose apetent director like you," Lucy said, and without waiting for a response she walked away to join Tom.

    "Are you okay?" Tom asked, and Lucy gave him a nod.

    "What you said in there, is it true? About thedy you fired thest time (chapter 229)," Lucy asked, and Tom shrugged.

    "Someone like her doesn''t deserve to work amongst other people. I don''t like getting involved in other people''s life, but when they decide to mess with me or mine, they leave me no choice," Tom said, and Lucy sighed.

    "Isn''t that too harsh? I mean I understand that she was wrong. But life is hard enough already and frustrating her efforts to get another job is only going to make her life tougher. You are bullying her," Lucy said and Tom shook his head.

    "She tried to bully you first. She should know what it feels like to be bullied," Tom said and Lucy embraced him.

    "Thanks. I know you''re doing all this for me, but I don''t want you to be so ruthless. I won''t be okay knowing someone out there is having a tough time because they wronged me," Lucy said and Tom shook his head as he pulled away.

    "You''re too soft. They know it that''s why they mess with you."

    "And you''re too hard," Lucy said with a small smile.

    "That''s why no one would dare to mess with me," Tom said confidently.

    "Apart from me?" Lucy asked with a grin, and Tom smiled.

    "Sure. You''re the only one allowed to," Tom said as he nted a quick kiss on her lips before leading her away.

    Once they got to the parking lot, Lucy got into the driver''s seat of her car while Tom took the passenger seat.

    "I guess we are headed to the sameb we went thest time, right?" Lucy asked, and Tom gave her a nod.

    "Yeah. Do you remember the direction?" He asked, and she shed him a smile.

    "Sure. You can rx," Lucy assured him as she started the car and drove out of thepany.

    Tom turned to the side as he watched her with interest while she drove.

    After she had driven in silence for some time, Lucy turned to look at him briefly, "Why are you staring?"

    "I''m trying to figure out what you''re thinking," Tom confessed.

    "What I''m thinking about what?" Lucy asked curiously.

    "About anything. What''s on your mind right now?" Tom asked, and Lucy hesitated for a moment.

    "Please tell me," Tom pleaded.

    Lucy sighed, "I''m just wondering if you''re happy. I mean, I know the situation might not be ideal and all that. But I also know you''ve always wanted a kid��"

    "With you," Tom reminded her.

    "Still, I''m just curious to know how you really feel about this whole situation," Lucy said, and Tom nodded.

    "You can ask me," Tom pointed out.

    "Will you be honest with me about your feelings?" Lucy asked, and he nodded.

    "Yes. As long as you''re honest with me about yours, Tom promised.

    "Sure," Lucy said with a nod, "Let''s talk after dropping it off at theb," Lucy said, and they filled the time with other discussions.

    After they had dropped it off, on their way back, Lucy parked the car by the roadside, at afortable spot where they could talk.

    "So, go on and tell me. How do you feel? How did you feel when she told you about it? And when you saw the kid? Dawn, right?" She asked, and Tom nodded.

    Tom took a deep breath and let it out slowly, "At first I didn''t believe it. I couldn''t believe it. I''m not careless. I always use a condom��"

    "Sorry. Can I ask how you both met?" Lucy asked, and Tom pinched his nose.

    "We met at the poolside of the hotel on the night it was opened. I was in need of femalepany. She joined me on my table and we flirted for some time over a few sses of drinks which ended with us going up to her room. I left before she woke up, and didn''t see her again until she showed up at the club," Tom summarized.

    "I guess you both did not discuss any personal details?" Lucy asked thoughtfully and Tom shook his head.

    "We didn''t. Besides, my identity was still pretty much hidden at the time, and she would never have known who I was had I not revealed my identity," Tom said, and Lucy smiled wryly.

    "I suppose it''s my fault she found you," she said but Tom said nothing.

    "Tell me how you really feel," Lucy said as she held Tom''s gaze.

    "A part of me hopes it''s not true. But another part of me wishes it''s true," Tom confessed, and Lucy nodded.

    "I suppose the part of you that hopes it''s not true wishes so because of me?" Lucy asked knowingly.

    "Both parts wishes so because of you," Tom said and she raised a brow.

    "How? Why?" She asked in confusion.

    "I wish it''s not true because I don''t want to lose you. I don''t want you to run away because you don''t Lucy swallowed, "Would you be so upset and confused about all of this if I wasn''t in your life? Wouldn''t you be happy to be a father despite the situation?" Lucy asked again and Tom let out a want to be involved in my child''s life. I also wish it''s true because I hope that maybe your love for me will be stronger than whatever fear you have. And that maybe if you see we don''t have a choice in this matter and I truly have a daughter, you won''t mind being a part of both our lives. That way I could find a way to live with you not wanting to birth any," Tom said honestly, and Lucy felt tears gather in her eyes.

    "Can you not think about me for a moment, Tom? If I wasn''t in the picture how would you feel about this?" Lucy asked and Tom shook his head.

    "I can''t not think about you for a moment. You''re in the picture, Lucy. I want you in the picture," Tom said softly, making her heart skip a beat.

    Lucy swallowed, "Would you be so upset and confused about all of this if I wasn''t in your life? Wouldn''t you be happy to be a father despite the situation?" Lucy asked again and Tom let out a deep breath.

    "She is beautiful, Lucy. And for a moment yesterday, I was happy thinking about the possibility of being her father. I would really love to be a father, Lucy," Tom said quietly and two fat drops of tears rolled down Lucy''s cheeks.

    Lucy''s throat felt very tight, and she forced a smile when Tom thumbed away her tears, "I know you will make a really good father," Lucy said softly.

    "Will you tell me how you truly feel about all this?" Tom asked, and Lucy drew in a shaky breath.

    "I''m scared," she confessed.

    "Of what?" Tom asked, taking both her hands in his.

    "Of losing you. I''m scared of everything. What if thisdy wants you? What if this poses another problem for us? What if you have to marry her? Harry said she is wealthy and from a solid background. What if..."

    "Stop making up these scenarios, Lucy. Have I ever given you a reason to think I''m incapable of making my own decisions? You can''t lose me. At least not to anyone. And you should know that what Kimberly wants does not matter to me. What you want matters most. All I want is to be a father to Dawn if she is mine. And I would want you to be involved. All that matters here is what we both want," Tom said simply.

 Chapter 626 Nightmare Chaser

    Despite the fact that Jade had woken up earlier than usual that morning, she was in a foul mood because she had been gued by nightmares based on the events of the day for most of the night until she had decided not to go back to sleep.

    Who was Rebekah Miller to do this to her? Who did Rebekah think she was? She had faced tougher and more dangerous enemies than Rebekah in the courtroom, and she had defeated them, Rebekah would be no different. She would do everything possible to see Rebekah locked behind bars.

    Jade had spent most of the time reading up every article she could find on Rebekah Miller on the inte, until she suddenly remembered the phone which Mr Bateman had given her and she immediately picked it up.

    How could she have forgotten such an important item? If truly Rebekah had sent her hitman after her because of the phone, then it probably contained something she shouldn''t see.

    Once she unlocked the phone, Jade decided to check the messages first, and she raised her brow when she noticed that thest series of text on it were exchanged between Rebekah and herte husband.

    Jade''s heart broke for Richard a little as she scrolled through the text to see the start of the texts.

    [How could you do this to me, Rebekah? How could you treat me this way?] Richard had first sent, making Jade curious to know what he was talking about, but it seemed she had been the only one curious since Rebekah did not respond to the text.

    [How could you have been cheating on me for so long? How can only Benny be mine? Why are Tiffany, Lisa, and Anita not a match?] Richard asked with an attached DNA result to prove his ims.

    Jade''s eyes were round with surprise as she looked through the results, and her eyes grew even rounder when she saw Rebekah''s response.

    [So? What are you going to do? Tell the girls that they''re not yours? Go ahead and tell them then.]

    Jade''s heart broke as she thought about how Richard must have felt reading this. Did he weep? Was he mad? What sort of man was he? Jade mused curiously as she read his response.

    [I am not going to do anything about it. I love my girls too much to put them through something as embarrassing as this. All I want is to be officially separated from you.]

    Rebekah did not respond to the text anymore, and then two weekster the next text from Richard came.

    [Did you think I wouldn''t find out? Did you think I would never know? I won''t let either of you get away with this, Rebekah!]

    Jade frowned as she wondered what he was talking about. It seemed like something had been deleted, Jade thought with narrowed eyes. Something told her it had to do with Mr Bateman and he deleted it. Perhaps it was when Richard Miller found out about their rtionship?

    That was thest text from Richard and there was no response from Rebekah. Jade checked the call log and noticed that Rebekah had given Richard a call that same day.

    Jade went on to check the date andpare it to the date of Richard''s death, and she wasn''t surprised to see that Richard had diedter that day.

    ording to the news, his estranged wife had been the one who discovered his body when she went to check on him.

    Jade shook her head in disgust as she read through the details. It was said that Richard hung himself in his apartment and left a suicide note apologizing to his daughters for being a pathetic and ipetent father.

    Jade jumped when her phone rang suddenly, and she smiled when she picked it up and saw it was Harry.

    "Good morning, Jonas," Jade greeted with a yawn as she got out of her bed to stretch.

    "Did you just wake up?" Harry asked curiously.

    "No. I have been up since three a.m. What''s the time now?" Jade asked as she nced at the wall clock and gasped in surprise when she saw it was past eight already.

    "Why were you up?" Harry asked.

    "Why are you just calling me now?" Jade asked at the same time.

    "I was busy. I had to make some international phone calls to take care of some stuff. Why were you up?" Harry asked again and Jade sighed.

    "I had some nightmares," Jade said with an embarrassed wince.

    "Why didn''t you call me?" Harry asked with a frown.

    "To do what? Chase the nightmares away?" Jade asked in amusement.

    "Of course. I could have stayed up with you and kept youpany since we couldn''t really talk muchst night because I was busy," Harry said, and Jade smiled.

    "It didn''t ur to me, and even if it did I wouldn''t have called. You work really hard and you need to get all the rest you can. I can''t disturb your sleep over��"

    "I''m asking you to do that, esquire. If we were on the same bed, wouldn''t I be up with you?" Harry asked, and Jade sighed softly.

    "I guess so."

    "Even Tom wakes me up whenever he feels like��."

    "What? How dare him disturb your sleep when he isn''t even your girlfriend?" Jade asked irritably and Harry chuckled.

    "I am allowed to disturb his sleep when I want to as well. Once I was ill when we were in school, and Tom nursed me in for nights. And another time my car broke down when I went to a remote location and there was no phone connection to reach him. Tom drove out in search of me in the middle of the night when he didn''t hear from me after only thirty minutes. We have that sort of friendship," Harry exined, and Jade scowled jealously.

    "If you were to choose between Tom and I who would you pick?" Jade asked, and Harry shook his head in amusement.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "I will choose Tom," Harry said simply and Jade''s mouth fell open in disbelief.

    "Harry!"

    "Yeah. Tom would never ask me to choose between the woman I love and himself. So, I think until you learn not to ask me such a question, Tom will have to remain my first choice," Harry said and she scowled.

    "As long as he''s male, he''s my brother, and he has Lucy, I can live with that," Jade said, and Harry chuckled.

    "Why did you even bring up Tom''s name in the first ce?" Jade hissed.

    "Just to let you know that if Tom can wake me up in the middle of the night, so can you. What have you been up doing anyway?" Harry asked, changing the subject.

    "I was looking into Rebekah Miller, and checking out the phone," Jade said as she told Harry all she had learned.

    "Well, all of that was expected. It''s not surprising. Did you tell Candace about your ns for today?" Harry asked and Jade groaned when she remembered she was yet to give Candace a call.

    "I haven''t."

    "You can do so after our conversation. I need to take care of a couple of things now so that Tom can find time to get some rest before the dinner," Harry said as he nced at his wristwatch.

    "Is he back?"

    "Yes. Although, I haven''t had time to talk with him yet."

    "I see. That''s good then. That means Bryan can go ahead with his engagement as nned. By the way, I should invite you now. Bryan ns to engage Sonia on Sunday. It''s supposed to be a surprise so you can''t tell Lucy about it. All you have to do is show up with your family," Candace said Harry raised a brow.

    "Bryan and Sonia are getting married for real?" Harry asked in surprise and Jade smiled.

    "Yeah. They''re expecting a baby," Jade said, surprising Harry even more.

    "Well, that''s good news. I''m happy for them," Harry said, wondering how Tom would feel after Bryan gets married and starts his family, and Jade does the same shortly after.

    "Me too. Although I thought Tom would be the first amongst us to get married and start a family seeing as he has always been the one most interested in love and romance. He might just end up being thest after all," Jade joked.

    "Jade?" Harry called, and she frowned.

    "You hardly call me by my name. What?"

    "Can you try not to repeat what you just said in front of Tom? It''s going to upset him if you bring it up," Harry advised, and Jade raised a brow.

    "Why would he be upset? Thinking about it now I thinktely he gets upset a lot when ites to such issues about him and Lucy. Why is that?" Jade asked thoughtfully.

    "I can''t tell you why. But since you''ve noticed he is sensitive to statements like that, you should try not to say stuff like that around him," Harry advised.

    "You''re such a good friend to Tom. I''m jealous," Jade said with a pout.

    "I see we are back to that. I have to get busy now��"

    "Wait! Don''t hang up yet," Jade said, and cleared her throat.

    "What else?" Harry asked when he noticed the slight pause on her end.

    "I''m sorry about yesterday. I acted rashly," Jade said making him smile.

    "It''s alright, esquire. You''re fine, that''s all that matters to me," Harry assured her.

    "I was fine thanks to you. Thank you for looking out for me the way you did��"

    "For Christ''s sake, esquire. You don''t have to thank me for that. You''re mine to protect," Harry said, and she smiled happily at his possessive words.

    "Are you going to keep calling me esquire?" Jade asked curiously.

    "Is there something else you will like me to call you?" Harry asked, and she pursed her lips as she thought of it.

    "I like esquire. It sounds sexy when you call me that. But others might find it weird," Jade said, and Harry nodded.

    "Alright. I will figure out something to call you when we are with others. Something sweet enough to annoy the heck out of your brother. Don''t forget to let me know before you leave for your meeting with the Millers, alright? You can leave a text. And take Candace with you. Take care of yourself. I love you," Harry said, and hung up before Jade could bring up another topic to keep him on the line.

    Jade eyed the phone when she realized he had hung up, but a smile tugged on her lips as she sent him an ''I love you too'' text.

    The smile slid off her face when her gaze returned to Rebekah''s phone and she decided to give Candace a call to fill her in on what had happened and their meeting with the Lisa Steel.

 Chapter 627 Interconnecting Door

    The moment Andy stirred in her sleep, a part of her brain told her she was no longer on the ship even though she couldn''t remember exactly where she was.

    However, once her eyes opened, she remembered. How could she not? When a pair of green eyes hiding behind round rim sses were peering into her face with curious admiration.

    Andy''s first reaction was to smile, while the little girl took a step back from the bed, "I didn''t mean to wake you up. Honest to God," she said, raising her right hand solemnly.

    Andy yawned as she sat up on the bed and stretched, "You didn''t wake me up," Andy said as she nced at the window and was surprised to see it was bright as day already outside.

    "Good morning, Maribel. Did you sleep well?" Andy asked, wondering why the little girl was always on sses.

    "Good morning, Andy. Yes, I did. I hope you did too?" Maribel asked, and Andy smiled as she gave her a nod.

    "Do you always wear your sses?" Andy asked and she bobbed her head.

    "I can''t see without it," Maribel exined, and Andy''s brows pulled together.

    "You can''t see without it?" Andy repeated and she nodded.

    "My eyes got injured when my mommy went to heaven," she exined and even though Andy wanted to ask further questions, she decided to save it for Cassidy.

    "Daddy said you can stay in bed all day and get some rest," Maribel informed her.

    "He did? How sweet of him. I can''t believe he''s giving me a day off already. Who is going to take care of you then?" Andy asked with a sweet smile, her sarcasm lost on the little girl, but not on Cassidy who could hear her from his bedroom.

    "He already took care of me. I''ve had my bath and I''ve also had breakfast. Susan is resting today. We left you some breakfast for when you wake up," Maribel exined.

    "That''s sweet of you. Where is your daddy right now? I need to have a word with him," Andy said as she got out of the bed, not minding the fact that she had just woken up and was yet to freshen up.

    "He is in his bedroom," Maribel said and Andy raised a brow.

    "Where is his�� WHAT?" Andy asked in disbelief when Maribel pointed to an adjoining door in her bedroom.

    She had taken note of the door the night before when Susan the housekeeper showed her to her bedroom, but she had been too exhausted to check out what was on the other side of it.

    How could there be an adjoining door between her bedroom and Cassidy''s? What was the pervert thinking? She mused as she marched to the door.

    "You stay in here, alright? I need to have a word with your daddy," Andy said before unlocking the door and walking into the bedroom.

    Cassidy who had just stepped out of the shower a short while ago and had been listening to the conversation between Andy and his daughter while putting on his briefs, pursed when he saw the doorknob turn.

    "You don''t knock?" He asked when she walked in, and he noticed the sudden flush on her face before she quickly turned her back to him so he would dress up.

    Andy took a deep breath to calm herself against the sudden rush of desire she felt at the very familiar sight of his body.

    "Sorry. I wasn''t thinking," she said in a rough voice, and then cleared her throat still not turning to look at him.

    "Never mind. It''s not like there''s anything here you haven''t seen before," he said dismissively as he unhurriedly tugged on his trousers and put on his shirt.

    "Why did you give me the room next to yours with an adjoining door?" Andy asked, unaware that he was dressed now.

    "Because that''s the only avable room left. Would you prefer to share a room with Mari or Susan?" Cassidy asked as he remained where he stood now staring at her back.

    He wondered if she realized that her ck nightie was see through and he could see she wasn''t wearing anything under it. It was best she remained in that position with her back to him, since he would rather be assaulted by her back view than the sexy view of her boobs.

    Her sleep-tousled hair made him think of wild sex with her, and the thought of it alone gave him a hard-on.

    How was he going to be able to keep his hands to himself if his mind and body reacted her to this way? He mused as he tucked both hands into his pocket.

    As much as he wanted her, he was going to do his best not to touch her no matter how hard it was going to be.

    He had really hated the fact that all she thought about their time together was that he had raped her.

    Perhaps the first time he had forced her, and that had been because he was drunk, miserable and angry. But the times that followed he had genuinely thought they had a connection.

    Cassidy sighed, not wanting to remember any of that. It didn''t matter. She hated him. She didn''t want him. That was all he needed to remember.

    "You could have moved either of them here and��"

    "And share an adjoining door with Mari or my housekeeper?" Cassidy cut in.

    "I don''t see why not. Are you not dressed yet? It''s awkward talking to you with my back turned," Andyined.

    "I''m dressed, but for your sake it''s best your back remain turned. I don''t suppose you realize the kind of suggestive nightdress you wore into my bedroom?" Cassidy said, and Andy looked down at herself, but didn''t feel embarrassed about her outfit.

    Andy turned around to look at him, "It''s not like there''s anything here you haven''t seen before," Andy said dismissively as she eyed him.

    She was surprised to see that he wasn''t dressed in the usual pristine white clothes she was ustomed to him wearing. He was dressed now in casual jean trousers and a big sized gray long-sleeved turtle-neck top.

    Somehow he looked even younger and more handsome now, and the restless and edgy energy she always could feel in the air around him was not there. He seemed like a different person here. Even his eyes looked mild.

    "When you are done staring and want to talk, let me know," Cassidy said as he sat on the padded stool by his dresser, and watched with disguised amusement as color stained her cheeks.

    It felt nice to know that despite her exposure and experience as a stripper he still could affect her this way in spite of her hatred of him.

    "What changed?" Andy heard herself ask, and he raised a brow.

    "I''m not sure I understand what you mean," Cassidy staring at her with interest.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "You seem different. You look different. Your outfit. Your attitude. Why?"

    "I''m home," he said simply, not bothering with another exnation.

    She wanted to ask him more questions, but remembered that wasn''t the reason she hade into his bedroom in the first ce.

    ''Priorities, Andy. Don''t be too curious. You shouldn''t care about anything else.''

    "I can''t stay in that bedroom. I don''t want a door between our bedrooms," Andy said and Cassidy raised a brow.

    "Then do you want to share mine?" He asked with a teasing light in his eyes.

    "I have no intention of bing your whore here!" She snapped at him, and just as easily the smile disappeared from his eyes and he sighed inwardly.

    "That was meant to be a joke. I''m sorry," he said, and Andy frowned, taken aback by his apology.

    What was this? Who was this man?

    "Can you try to be more careful with yournguage around here? Mari picks up words really fast and I can''t have her asking me or anyone else to exin certain words at her age," Cassidy said, and Andy''s frown deepened.

    "Listen, I don''t mind switching rooms with Mari. She is your daughter and I''m sure it won''t be bad for you to share interconnecting doors��"

    "And if I havepany with me?" Cassidy asked, and Andy blinked at him.

    "You don''t think I might bring in someone from time to time to keep mepany? I don''t want to expose Mari to all that. That''s why her bedroom is on the other end of the hallway," Cassidy said, and Andy raised a brow.

    "And I''m supposed to be exposed to that?" She asked in disbelief.

    Cassidy wondered what she would say if he told her that he had built the house this way, with her in mind when he made the interconnecting doors. That room was for her. Built and prepared just for her.

    "You are an adult. And you''re not interested in me. So, I''m sure you won''t mind. Better you than Mari or Susan," Cassidy said, even though he had no intention of bringing anyone to into his bedroom.

    "I believe you can have the door sealed. I don''t think I will sleepfortably knowing you''re on the other side of the door," Andy said and Cassidy sighed.

    He had no intention of sealing the door. Even though she hated him right now, he believed with time and patience she woulde to see that he really wasn''t who she thought he was. He would show her he was genuinely sorry for the past, and that he meant her no harm.

    "The door has a lock, Andy. You can keep it locked. A locked door is as good as a wall. You have my word that I won''t walk through that door unless you ask me to. And if for any reason I need to go into your bedroom I will make use the front door," Cassidy said patiently, and Andy looked at him hesitantly.

    "I believe you wanted to say something else to me before you found out about the door?" Cassidy asked with a slightly raised brow.

    All he wanted was for the conversation to end so she would leave. Her nightdress was causing him distress and sitting was the only way he could hide it from her.

    Andy nodded, "Maribel. What is wrong with her eyes?" Andy asked the top question on her mind since Maribel sounded like it involved her mother and she was curious to know about it.

    Until the previous day she had no idea that Cassidy had a child, and hearing that the child''s mother had gone to heaven made her even more curious.

    Cassidy shrugged, "Aren''t eye defects normal?"

    "Defects and normal shouldn''t be in the same sentence. And no. She mentioned not seeing without her sses and something about her mother. If I''m going to take care of her I should know the basics about her," Andy said and Cassidy looked away from her for a moment before looking back.

    "We can talk about that some other time," Cassidy said, not wanting to think about it.

    "What about my sister. When can I talk to her? I need her to know that I''m okay," Andy said, and Cassidy nodded.

    "You can send a textter��"

    "A text is not enough!" She snapped at him.

    "Only for now, Andy. I promise I will let you talk to her soon," Cassidy said calmly.

    "You''ve made a lot of promises, Cassidy, do you know that? I wonder how you''re going to remember them or keep them," Andy said as she eyed him.

    "I''m not sure I will be able to keep my promise of not touching you for much longer if you keep staring down at me dressed in that excuse of a dress. You really should go and freshen up and change into something else, Andy," Cassidy warned, and watched, much to his pleasure, as color rose in her cheeks and she involuntarily took a step back.

    She cleared her throat, "I''m not done talking to you yet," she said, and Cassidy rose.

    "We won''t be doing any much talking soon if you don''t go and get changed. Let''s talk after you''re decently covered. DECENTLY, Andy. Don''t dress to tease me and expect me not to have a reaction," Cassidy warned, allowing her to see the tent in his pants.

    Andy looked away from him, "You bought the clothes not me��"

    "For thefort of your bedroom, not mine. Now leave, Andy. And don''te back into my bedroom unless it''s an invitation for me to take you in my bed. I will be in the living room," Cassidy said, and without another word Andy turned around and fled.

    Cassidy did not know whether to be amused or disappointed by how quickly she left, but he licked his teeth as he gazed at the door.

    There was no way he was sealing that door. It was going toe in very handy in the future, that he was sure of.

    He couldn''t help it. He was strongly attracted to her and he liked her to the point of feeling possessive towards her. But more than that he felt an overwhelming sense of responsibility towards her.

    At first he had thought he felt so because he had taken her innocence but now he knew it was because he had contributed to her hardships. He wanted to make up for it.

    His daughter was only an excuse for bringing her here. He wanted her here, not just for Maribel but for himself. They both needed her.

    For the time being he was going to focus on making up for his wrongs, even though he knew kidnapping her and forcing her intoing here with him wasn''t entirely right either.

    It wasn''t like he had a choice anyway. She never would have willingly followed him, he reminded himself with a sigh.

 Chapter 628 Time Will Tell

    Chapter 628 Time Will Tell

    Lucy took a deep breath as she parked the car in front of thepany, and she turned to Tom, "So, do you n to go back? You said you weren''t done with your business over there yet."

    Tom looked at her, knowing that his response was very important to her. Although, his original n had been to put some distance between them by staying out of the country so that she could miss him and realize how much she wanted to be with him, but with this new development there was no way he could do that. Especially not after knowing how scared and worried she was already. If anything, he needed to be closer to her now so he could reassure her that regardless of the DNA result, she was who he wanted.

    As usual Harry had been right when he said he couldn''t go back there. It wouldn''t be safe for his rtionship with Lucy. He didn''t want her to be any more bothered by this than she already was.

    "Initially, I nned toe for the dinner party and then go back to take care of things, but I don''t think so anymore. However, if for any reason I have to, you will have toe with me," Tom said, and although he half-expected Lucy to argue about not leaving her job to travel with him, he was surprised when she gave him a nod.

    "If it turns out that she is yours��"

    "We will all work out a suitable arrangement. She cane live with me or visit me often," Tom cut in, and Lucy nodded once again.

    "Your family. You''re going to have to tell your parents about it. Can I be there when you tell them?" Lucy asked, and Tom looked at her incredulously.

    "Of course. I expect you to be there with me," Tom said, and Lucy drew in a deep breath.

    "Alright. Let''s get back to work. It''s good we are closing by noon today. I have to stop over at yours to pick up my dress before leaving," Lucy said, and Tom nced at his wristwatch.

    "Let me know when you''re ready to leave and I will take you home," Tom said as he leaned forward and kissed her softly.

    "Alright. See youter. I love you," Lucy said as they both got out of the car.

    "I love you more," Tom said as he took her hand and they walked into the building together.

    "You haven''t had breakfast yet, have you?" Tom asked as he nced at his wristwatch, and Lucy shook her head.

    "It can wait until noon," Lucy said, and Tom eyed her with disapproval.

    "I will ask Samantha to prepare something for us. Let''s eat together at home," Tom suggested as they got into the elevator.

    After Lucy got off on her floor, Tom rode the elevator to his floor and instead of going into his office, he went to Harry''s.

    Without knocking, he opened the door and Harry grinned when he saw him, "I can see it in your eyes. You missed me," Harry joked, and Tom chuckled.

    "Of course, I did!" Tom said as he took the seat opposite Harry.

    "I suppose the conversation went well with Lucy?" Harry asked hopefully.

    "I suppose I owe you for that?" Tom asked, and Harry shook his head.

    "No, you don''t. She seemed really upset when I ran into her, so I just had to try to calm her. And when she asked if I knew about Kimberly, I couldn''t lie to her," Harry exined.

    "What exactly did you say to her?" Tom asked curiously.

    "Nothing much. I told her this was about you, not her. And if she loved you, she would prove it by showing her support," Harry said reasonably and Tom sighed.

    "We took the DNA samples to theb," Tom said, and Harry nodded thoughtfully.

    "That''s good. So, what''s the n? I think we should n towards her being your child. If she isn''t, there''s nothing to be done about it other than rule it as Kimberly''s mistake. But if she is, there''s so much you need to do," Harry said and Tom rubbed his eyes.

    "Yeah. I know. I don''t think I might be able to take care of the business over there as nned," Tom said, and Harry nodded in agreement.

    "I understand. You don''t have to worry about it. I will take care of it," Harry assured him.

    "Let''s just find someone else to go over there. Mr. Moore assured me he will handle the government. All that is left is restructuring of the management. We need to find someone we can trust to handle it," Tom said and Harry thought about it for a moment before giving him a nod.

    "I will look into it. You look exhausted," Harry observed.

    "You would too, if you suddenly found out you might be a father. Have you been able to find anything on Kimberly?" Tom asked, and Harry shook his head.

    "I''m afraid she might be telling the truth. ording to the guy I asked to look into her, herst rtionship ended in a devastating heartbreak four years ago, that was a couple of weeks before the hotel was opened. He jilted her on their wedding day. And since then she hasn''t been in any serious rtionship. It''s more like she swore off love," Harry said, and Tom sighed.

    "She did mention that she was in a bad state emotionally when we met," Tom said as he pinched his nose.

    "I saw the pictures of the little girl. She does look like you in a way," Harry said, and Tom nodded.

    "I thought so too when I first saw her picture. This is all so messed up, Harry," Tom said, and Harry smiled.

    "Yeah, I know. But it could have been worse," Harry said, and Tom raised a brow.

    "How can it possibly get any worse?"

    Harry chuckled, "She could have given birth to twins. Or five different women could have shown up with kids for you," Harry said, and Tom red at him.

    "How can you joke right now?" Tom asked irritably.

    "I suppose being a father has made you lose your sense of humor," Harry said with a chuckle.

    "I''m d to know you''re enjoying my misery," Tom said, and Harry smiled.

    "I have to enjoy it now. Knowing you, I''m very positive that the moment the result confirms our suspicion and you get over this phase, you''re going to torment me with the fact that you''re a father. I can as well torment you now," Harry said, and Tom sighed.

    "Do you really think Lucy will stay?" Tom asked, and Harry gave him a nod.

    "You need to trust her, Tom. You know what she told me earlier? She said she was only thinking of herself and maybe she was more selfish than she realized. Lucy might be a bit slow when ites to making up her mind on things, but her heart is in the right ce. She cares about you and is very scared to lose you," Harry said, and Tom wiped hand over his face.

    "Thanks."

    "I heard about your visit to Director Anderson''s office," Harry said with an amused smile.

    "Already?" Tom asked with a slightly raised brow and Harry chuckled.

    "I have ears and eyes all over ce. It must be fun to be you. So many drama going on in your life at the same time," Harry said, and Tom sighed.

    "I will be happy to share some of the drama with you��"

    "No, thanks. If I wanted any drama I wouldn''t have waited this long to have my first girlfriend," Harry said dryly.

    "What has been going on? Anything I should know about? What''s up with the arrangement for the dinner party? Is there something I can do?" Tom asked, changing the subject.

    Harry quickly brought him up to speed on all the arrangement that had been made and told him all he needed to know, "��And you should know that Rebekah Miller made an attempt on Jade''s life yesterday," Harry said, making Tom''s heart skip a beat.

    "What? Is Jade alright? Did anything happen to her?" Tom asked as he rose immediately.

    "She is fine. We were a step ahead," Harry said, and exined all that had happened.

    "I''m beginning to think sending her to jail is too good for her," Tom said with a frown.

    "Jade is involved," Harry reminded Tom, in case he had forgotten that his sister was awyer.

    "I don''t know what I would do without you," Tom said and Harry smiled.

    "Let''s hope you never get to find out," Harry said as he rose too.

    "Yeah. Yeah. I know. I didn''t say we should do anything now, did I?" Tom asked with a grin and Harry chuckled.

    "By the way, Jade told me about Bryan and Sonia expecting a baby," Harry said, and Tom groaned.

    "I''m yet to give Bryan a call to congratte them," Tomined.

    "I''m sure you can do that in person now that you''re back," Harry said, and Tom nodded.

    "Are you sure there''s nothing I can do around here?" Tom asked, and Harry shook his head.

    "Everything is in ce. You look dead on your feet, Tom. Go get some rest. It''s going to be a busy night," Harry reminded him.

    "Are you putting Eric to use?" Tom asked, and Harry smiled.

    "How else do you think I managed to get everything done?" He asked, and Tom rose.

    "I don''t know what I would do without you," Tom said and Harry smiled.

    "Let''s hope you never get to find out," Harry said as he rose too.

    "If you need me, I will be in my office until noon," Tom said as he headed for the door.

    "I won''t be needing you. Go home and get some rest," Harry said with a dismissive wave as he sat down and returned his attention to hisptop.

    Away from there, in Lucy''s office, she sat behind her desk with herptop in front of her as she thought about the events of the morning.

    No matter how much she tried to focus on the designs in front of her, her thoughts kept drifting to it.

    After a moment''s hesitation, she let her curiosity win over her despite the fact that she had work to do. There was no point pretending to work when her mind obviously wasn''t in it. She would only end up doing a clumsy job.

    Work could wait, Lucy decided as she typed the name ''Kimberly Moore'' onto herptop''s search engine, and almost immediately her profile came up.

    If Sonia was here, she would probably say she was acting like a crazy ex stalking her man''s present girlfriend, Lucy thought in amusement as she slowly looked through Kimberly''s profile, and read most of the articles she could find on Kimberly online.

    She soon confirmed that Harry was right when he said Kimberly was from a solid background. She seemed pretty loaded herself. So, why would someone like her lie about such a thing? Lucy mused as she scrolled through Kimberly''s photos.

    She easily recognized her as thedy who had been in the club picture which Cora had shown her.

    Kimberly was a beauty. She looked so ssy and stylish that Lucy felt tiny pangs of jealousy.

    When Lucy saw a link to Kimberly''s instagram handle, she clicked on it, and her breath caught when the first picture her eyes fell on was a photo of Dawn.

    Lucy''s gaze was transfixed on the photo as she stared back at the adorable kid who she now believed was unmistakably Tom''s.

    The resemnce was obviously there. But God, the little girl was such a beauty to behold!

    Lucy found herself smiling as she looked at more pictures of Kimberly and Dawn rocking simr outfits with Dawn trying to replicate her mother''s postures.

    her interview with Alicia. It was the part where Sonia and her were being interviewed.

    She scrolled past Kimberly''s personal photos in search of more pictures of Dawn, and she mistakenly liked one of the pictures which she quickly unliked.

    She scrolled further down, and froze. Her brows pulled together in a frown when she saw a clip of her interview with Alicia. It was the part where Sonia and her were being interviewed.

    [I don''t think anyone deserves to have their personal business out in public in this manner. It is very annoying that both friends had to relieve such painful memories this way simply because someone stupid decided to cause trouble. I hope they both heal.]

    Lucy noted that it had been posted on the same day of the interview. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, not knowing what to make of Kimberly Moore.

    She seemed like a nice person, but she had thought the same of Anita, had she not?

    Was Kimberly really a nice person? Was she going to cause any problems for them? Lucy mused as she continued her search for pictures of Dawn.

    Lucy soon discovered that Dawn had her own Instagram page, so she switched from Kimberly''s ount to Dawn''s, but frowned when she realized the ount was on private, and she needed to follow the ount before she could view the page.

    Without thinking, Lucy let her curiosity get the best of her once again, and she clicked on the follow button.

    She kept refreshing the page impatiently as she waited for her request to be epted so that she could get ess to Dawn''s ount, but to her surprise an Instagram message notification came up on her screen.

    Her heart skipped a beat when she saw that the message was from Kimberly Moore, and she hesitantly clicked on it.

    [Hello! I guess your boyfriend must have told you about Dawn. Hi, I''m Kimberly!]

    Lucy''s brows pulled together as she looked at the message, wondering whether or not she should respond. Had Kimberly been monitoring the ount?

    It was better for her to talk with Kimberly now, and determine whether she was friend or foe.

    [Hello! I''m Lucy. I was sort of curious. I''m sorry if it offends you.] Lucy sent back, her heart beating fast as she waited for Kimberly''s response.

    Kimberly sent aughing emoji [You don''t have to apologize. It''spletely normal. I have to say I''m genuinely surprised and impressed that he told you about it so soon. I asked my social media managers to let me know if or when you checked out our handles. I was going to reach out to you, but I thought it might be considered rude, so I decided to wait until you did so first. I hope you don''t mind?]

    Lucy pressed her lips together as she read Kimberly''a message. What was Tom going to think if he found out she was chatting with Kimberly? She mused.

    [It shouldn''t be a problem. Your daughter is very pretty.] Lucy texted back.

    [Thanks. I wanted to reach out to you because I figured I owe you an apology. I know the news must have upset you. If I could raise Dawn without letting him know, I would. But I thought it wouldn''t be right for him not to know.]

    Despite the fact that she was touched by Kimberly''s message, Lucy frowned, still not sure what Kimberly wanted.

    Perhaps it was because of her dealing with Anita, she was very wary of people now. Especially females. Most especially females involved with Tom.

    [I don''t think you owe me an apology. And I don''t think you were wrong to inform him about it, if truly she is his daughter.] Lucy texted back.

    [She is his daughter.]

    [The paternity test will tell. I suppose you would want him to get married to you since you have his kid?] Lucy asked the question on her mind.

    To her surprise, Kimberly sent a rolling eyes emoji, [Is that what you want me to do? I don''t think so. The man is yours. The only reason I''m having this conversation with you is because I don''t want you to misunderstand my intentions like you are already doing. I want nothing from your man. You might be my daughter''s stepmom if he epts his child, and I don''t think we should be on bad terms. What do you think?]

    Lucy took a deep breath, [I think time will tell.]

 Chapter 629 Not Your Business

    Chapter 629 Not Your Business

    Alone in her bedroom after Jamal left to Aaron in the living room, Candace dressed up in some of the new outfits her and Jade had bought the other day.

    A frown etched her brow as she worried about Andy. She had dreamt about Andy. In her dream Andy was being forced to marry Cassidy against her will and she had been weeping profusely.

    Was that what was going on with Andy? Was that why Cassidy abducted her? To marry her? It did not make sense.

    She wished there was a way she could reach out to her and find out for certain if she was fine.

    "Where is Jamal?" Candace asked as she walked into the living room after she was dressed.

    "He is in my bedroom practicing his spellings," Aaron said as he looked up from the television to Candace and then grinned.

    "You look good," he said, and Candace smiled.

    "Thanks. I should check on him before I leave," Candace said, wanting to leave but Aaron stopped her.

    "I see you are still avoiding me," Aaron observed.

    "Avoiding you? Why will I do that?" Candace asked innocently even though they both knew she had been doing her best to not be alone with him since Matt''s visit.

    "Since Jamal is not here to save you right now, why don''t we talk?" Aaron offered, and Candace raised a brow, pretending not to know what he was saying.

    "About what?"

    "About the handsome visitor who visited yesterday," Aaron said, and she rolled her eyes.

    "Matt? What about him?" She asked innocently.

    "Nothing. He seems like a decent guy," Aaron said simply.

    "So, you said yesterday. Why are you repeating yourself?" Candace asked, and Aaron grinned.

    "He cares about you. He''s really into you. And judging by your attitude yesterday, I think you are into him too," Aaron said, and she raised a brow.

    "What attitude?"

    "Do you really want me to spell it out? All I want to know is why you don''t want to give him a chance," Aaron asked, and Candace nced at her wristwatch before sitting down.

    The time was past ten. Jade had asked her toe over to the house before noon, and to dress in her corporate clothes because they were going for a meeting together. She nned to meet up with Matt after her business with Jade.

    Thinking about Matt, he had sent her a text early that morning, reminding her of their meeting, and a short whileter had sent her an address.

    Candace sighed as she looked at Aaron, reminding herself that he was her father and wasn''t just trying to be nosy. He was just being her father and looking out for her, the way Desmond had done for Jade.

    She remembered the conversation she had overheard between Desmond and Jade some time ago outside Jade''s bedroom.

    Even though she still wasn''t used to all of this yet, she shrugged, "I need to figure out my life and put certain things in order. A rtionship isn''t priority for now," Candace said honestly, and Aaron smiled.

    "So, it''s not because you don''t like him then? You just need time?" Aaron asked, and Candace nodded.

    "Yeah. I need to sort out my life. A lot has happened in a short time and I still feel overwhelmed by it all."

    "I think that''s a valid reason," Aaron said, surprising Candace who had expected him to argue that she could do both simultaneously.

    "So you support my decision?" She asked suspiciously, and Aaron smiled.

    "I don''t see why not? You are an adult. You raised Jamal all by yourself. I trust you to know what is good for you and what you need at this time of your life. I only wanted to be certain you were not denying your feelings for him," Aaron said, and Candace sighed.

    "Was I that obvious?" Candace asked, and Aaron chuckled.

    "You never even looked at his face the whole time. And don''t get me started on your appearance when you walked in. Your eyes were sparkling and your lips looked red and swollen. Your hair looked liked someone''s fingers had ran through them��"

    "Alright. That''s enough," Candace cut in feeling embarrassed and Aaron chuckled.

    "Well, I hope you can exin that to him and you both are able to work something out. It would be a shame to waste all that passion," Aaron said as Candace rose.

    "I need to leave now. I will check in on Jamal quickly," Candace said as she walked away, leaving Aaron who was still grinning.

    A short whileter, Candace was seated in one of Harry''s cars. Harry had insisted that she not take a cab anymore and use one of his cars instead since she knew how to drive.

    It all felt different. She felt like a different person seated behind the wheels of such an expensive car and dressed in such expensive and fashionable corporate clothes.

    She smiled at her reflection in the mirror surprised by how happy she looked. She wondered what Andy would think if she were to see her this way.

    Once she arrived at Tom''s house, she headed for the Den where she could hear the voice of the elders to say hello to them.

    Evelyn was the first to see her, "Hello, Candace! I was just telling J that I miss Jamal. Did you bring him along with you?" Evelyn asked hopefully.

    "No, I didn''t. Aaron insisted he was doing well and wanted the nurse to leave. So, Jamal is keeping himpany," Candace said apologetically.

    "How are you doing? You look exceptionally beautiful today," J said with a pleasant smile.

    "You look really smashing in that outfit," Andrew said, and Desmond nodded in agreement.

    "You took the words right out of my mouth," Desmond said and Candace shed them all a smile.

    "Thank you. I''m here to see Jade. I stopped by to say hello to you before going upstairs," Candace said, and even though J looked like she still had something to say, she nodded.

    "Why don''t I walk you upstairs? It''s been a long while since I walked beside a beautiful youngdy," Desmond said as he rose earning him a yful re from Evelyn, while Candace took the arm he offered.

    "I''ve been meaning to have a moment with you for some time now," Desmond said as they approached the stairs.

    Although he had forgotten about his desire to speak with her until himself and Evelyn were speaking with Jadest night and her namee up in their discussion.

    "Really? What for?" Candace asked, genuinely surprised.

    "Nothing much. I just like to catch up with all my girls from time to time," Desmond said, and Candace turned to him with an amused smile.

    "I''m one of your girls?" She asked, and Desmond scowled as he stopped walking.

    "You don''t think you are?" He asked, and sheughed softly.

    "I don''t know. I''m only hearing it for the first time. Who are the others?" Candace asked curiously.

    "Jade, Lucy, and Sonia," he said easily and Candace grinned, despite herself. She didn''t know why she felt amused and rxed chatting with him.

    He was like another version of Aaron. She thought without the trauma Aaron had experienced, he would have been just like Desmond.

    "I see," Candace murmured.

    "So now that you know, how about you tell me how you have been?" Desmond asked, and Candace shrugged.

    "I''m fine, as you can see," Candace said, and Desmond smiled.

    "And how are you enjoying your family? Do you feel at home? Or do you feel like an outsider watching from the inside?" Desmond asked, and Candace''s brows pulled together.

    "I do feel at home," she said, wondering why he was asking her such a question.

    "That''s good," Desmond said with a nod and they resumed walking once again.

    Even though he wanted her to open up to him, he knew it was too soon. She was nothing like Sonia and Lucy. Sonia and Lucy were his boys girlfriends so talking to them had been much like talking to Jade.

    Someone like Candace would find it odd that he was interested in talking with her. He could only engage her little at a time, and not push. He first needed to be friends with her and make herfortable with the idea of chatting with him.

    "Hey, Candace!" Sonia who just walked out of her bedroom, greeted cheerfully when she sighted them.

    "I guess this is where we part ways," Desmond said with a cheerful smile as he let go of Candace''s arm.

    "Have fun,dies," Desmond said as he stopped to kiss Sonia''s cheeks before going into his bedroom, while Candace watched him with a mixture of amusement and curiosity.

    "Are you very close to him?" Candace asked Sonia in a quiet voice.

    "Desmond? I would say he is close to everyone. Why?" Sonia asked, and Candace shrugged.

    "I don''t know. He was asking me funny questions and said something about you and Lucy being his girls," Candace said, and Soniaughed softly.

    "He was probably just trying to find out if you needed to talk. If you ever need someone to talk to, you should talk to him. He''s a great listener," Sonia said before taking a second look at Candace.

    "I see. I will keep that in mind," Candace said as she eyed Sonia who was busy assessing her.

    "What?" Candace asked, feeling ufortable by Sonia''s silence.

    "Wow! You look gorgeous," Sonia said, and Candace rxed.

    "Thanks. You all don''t hold back yourpliments, do you?" She asked with a small smile, and Sonia shook her head.

    "Never," Sonia said and then tapped her forefinger on her lips.

    "Is there a way I can convince you to tell me about your movement with Matt yesterday?" Sonia asked, and Candace shook her head.

    "Nope. Not your business. I''mte for my appointment," Candace said, and without waiting to hear Sonia''s protest, she hurried down the hallway to Jade''s bedroom.

    "That''s not fair! My baby wants to know," Sonia called back making Candace giggle.

    "I''ve been pregnant too, remember? I doubt your baby has a nose yet for nosiness. Your baby doesn''t care about my personal business," Candace called back as she stopped in front of Jade''s door.

    Jade opened the door before Candace could knock, "I thought I heard your voice," Jade said as she returned to her bed, while Candace eyed her disheveled appearance.

    "Why are you not ready yet? I thought you said we were going somewhere?" Candace asked as she sat on the padded stool by the dressing table.

    "I''ve been busy. And we still have some time. I don''t suppose Harry mentioned that I was attacked yesterday?" Jade asked, and Candace stiffened.

    "Who attacked you? Is it the cartel?" She asked, her eyes wide with rm as she rose.

    "No. God, no. Not them. It was Rebekah Miller. She sent someone after me," Jade exined and rushed to give Candace the details.

    "That''s crazy," Candace with a frown.

    "Yeah. So I''ve been busy all morning thinking of every possible way to fuck her up. We are having lunch with her daughter. Harry insisted I take you along with me," Jade said, and Candace raised a brow.

    "I guess it''s better to lose the girlfriend and annoying twin than to lose just the girlfriend?" She asked, and Jade looked at her for a moment beforeughing out loud.

    "Heaven knows I don''t understand your sense of humor. I''m going to pop into the shower and get ready. You can read up all I jotted down. That should give you some idea about what we might be discussing during lunch," Jade said before taking off her pajamas and walking into the bathroom.

    By the time Jade was done getting ready, it was almost 1 p.m. and Candace had finished reading through the notes on the journal.

    "You''re not going to tell her about their different paternities, are you?" Candace asked with a frown as she eyed the journal.

    "If I have to��."

    "I don''t think you should do that. It''s not your ce to tell her the man she grew up loving as her father wasn''t really her father," Candace said, not wanting to imagine how devastated Lisa would be to find out he wasn''t her biological father.

    As far as Candace was concerned, it didn''t matter whether or not he was their biological father. It was obvious he had loved them all in spite of knowing they weren''t his children. Biology didn''t matter. Sara had taught her that much.

    "If you were in her shoes wouldn''t you want to know?" Jade asked, and Candace shook her head.

    "As far as he loved me and treated me right, I wouldn''t want to ever know. The knowledge would hurt me and I would always feel sorry," Candace said, and Jade sighed.

    "Alright. I won''t mention that. Let''s go," Jade said as she headed for the door and Candace followed her.

    "I will be driving behind you," Candace informed her, and Jade turned to look at her with a grin.

    "I see you are driving now. I will join you in your car then. No need to take separate cars��"

    "How will you get back? I have an appointment with a friend��"

    "You don''t have to worry about that. I will take a cab," Jade assured her.

    As they descended the stairs, the front door opened and Tom walked in with Lucy.

    "Tommy!" Jade called excitedly as she went to embrace him, "You look tired," she said with a concerned frown.

    "I am tired," Tom said as he nced at Candace who was smiling at something Lucy was saying.

    "He asked if you were breaking up with Tom," Candace said, and Lucy giggled.

    "Who asked that?" Tom asked with a frown.

    "Who else but Jamal? I''m going on a date with him this weekend," Lucy exined, and Tom shook his head.

    "Well, tell him to get ready to go out with me after his date with Lucy. Seeing how gorgeous you both look, I guess you''re going out?" Tom asked, and they both nodded.

    "We have a lunch date with Anita''s sister. Lisa Steel," Jade said, and Tom raised a brow.

    "Did she call for the meeting or you did?"

    "She did. She wants to discuss something about her father''s death. By the way I found out the sisters don''t share the same paternity," Jade said, and Tom exchanged a look with Lucy.

    "Are the sisters aware?" Lucy asked, and Jade shook her head.

    "I don''t think they are aware. Candace is of the opinion I don''t tell Lisa about it," Jade said, and Lucy nodded in agreement.

    "It''s not your ce to tell them that," Lucy said, and Candace smiled at her.

    "How did you find out about their paternity?" Tom asked and Jade shook her head as she nced at her wristwatch.

    "You''re not traveling anytime soon, are you? Why don''t I tell you all about it when I get back? I don''t want to bete," Jade said, and Tom nodded as he watched Jade and Candace head for the door.

    Lucy sighed, "I guess this is why you shouldn''t throw stones when you live in a ss house. Rebekah''s secrets would have remained a secret if she didn''t interfere with us."

    "Or maybe not. We have nothing to do with all that is going on with them right now. We haven''t even done anything yet. I guess it''s just time for Karma to catch up with her," Tom countered.

 Chapter 630 There Is Hope

    "Let''s get something to eat before going upstairs," Tom suggested as he led Lucy towards the kitchen.

    They both turned when Sonia squealed with a mouth full of corn dog as she descended the stairs.

    "Lucy!" She cried excitedly as she ran to embrace Lucy with an empty te in hand.

    Lucy giggled as she hugged her, "Why do you seem so excited?" Lucy asked as Sonia pulled away as she quickly swallowed.

    "I''m happy to see you, of course. And you too, Tom. Wee back even if it''s your house," Sonia said, and Tom smiled at her as he embraced her.

    "Congrattions," Tom said, and Sonia pressed her lips together with a contrite look on her face.

    "I should thank you for making Lucy insist I speak to Bryan," Sonia said, and Tom waved it off.

    "That''s nothing. I''m d it worked out. Where is everyone else?" Tom asked, and Sonia pointed to the Den.

    "Both your parents are seeing a movie. Jade just went out with Candace, you must have seen them on your way in. Bryan is upstairs getting ready for us to go house hunting," Sonia said, and Lucy raised a brow.

    "House hunting?" Lucy and Tom asked in unison.

    "Yeah. We can''t live here forever, can we? Not with the babying. Lu, lets catch upter. I need to quickly drop this te in the kitchen and go get dressed," Sonia said, and Lucy plucked the te from her hands.

    "I will help you," Lucy offered, and Sonia blew her a kiss as she hurried away, leaving them.

    "It seems like everyone is going out," Tom said as he took the te from Lucy and pulled her along with him.

    "Shouldn''t we say hello to them first?" Lucy asked as they walked past the Den.

    "They''re busy with their movie. We can do so before going upstairs," Tom said, and Lucy nodded.

    She wasn''t exactly very keen on seeing them right now anyway.

    "Wee home, Tom! You''re right on time. You can sit down while I serve you," Samantha said, and both Lucy and Tom sat by the kitchen Ind while Samantha moved around quickly to serve them.

    "Thanks for the meals you sent over, Samantha. I enjoyed them," Lucy said, and Samantha smiled at her.

    "Although I was instructed to do so, but thank you for thanking me," Samantha said as she set their meal in front of them.

    "This looks delicious. Thank you," Tom said as he gazed at the te of steak and baked potato.

    "Enjoy your meal," Samantha said as she excused them.

    "This was waiting on my desk when I returned to the office," Lucy said as she opened her handbag and took out a folded sheet of paper.

    Tom opened it and saw the name written and other details written on it, "I guess she likes her job," Tom said referring to Cora who had submitted the friend''s name he asked her to.

    "What are you going to do with it?" Lucy asked curiously as she picked up her cutlery to cut her steak into smaller pieces.

    Tom said nothing as he focused on cutting his steak quickly and then swapped their tes, "I will get in contact with the management of the club. She is a staff there so they should deal with her actions," Tom said and watched as Lucy visibly rxed.

    She had been worried he was going to take it up personally. It bothered her in a way that he seemed to always go the extra mile to punish people.

    They both ate in silence, while Lucy contemted whether or not she should tell him about her conversation with Kimberly.

    Before she could make up her mind, Bryan walked into the kitchen, "There you are! For a moment I thought Sonia was seeing things. It''s good to see you," Bryan greeted happily and Tom grinned.

    "How is the expectant father doing today?" Tom asked, and Bryan squared his shoulder proudly.

    "Great! I feel really great, Tom. I can''t wait," Bryan said, and then nced at his wall-clock.

    "Sonia said you''re house hunting?" Tom asked and Bryan nodded.

    "Yes. Sonia prefers to live in Ludus since Lucy is here and I might not always be around. I''m in a hurry to meet up with the realtor right now. Let''s catch up when I get back. Just wanted to say hello to you before leaving. Hi, Lucy!" Bryan remembered to call to Lucy as he hurried away from the kitchen.

    "Hi! Bye!" Lucy called back making Tom smile in amusement.

    After they were done with their lunch, they stopped by the Den to say hello to their parents.

    "Lucy! I can''t believe Tom left and you disappeared just like that. I missed you, you know?" Evelyn said as she went to embrace Lucy.

    "I''m sorry. I should have called or said something," Lucy said apologetically.

    "It''s fine. Can we speak privately for a moment?" Evelyn asked, and Tom who was talking to his dad, shot his mother a warning look.

    "I believe I owe you an apology. Let''s speak privately," Evelyn insisted, ignoring Tom, as she took Lucy''s hand and led her away.

    "I will meet you upstairs," Lucy told Tom as she followed Evelyn.

    Lucy tried not to frown as Evelyn led her outside to the patio where they had celebrated Desmond''s birthday and they both sat on a bench.

    If it was just an apology why did they have to sit? It shouldn''t take more than a minute, should it? Lucy mused.

    "How have you been?" Evelyn asked with a friendly smile.

    "I''ve been good. And you?" Lucy asked, and Evelyn nodded.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "I''m alright. I wanted to speak with you privately for two reasons. First, I want to apologize. I wasn''t snooping through your stuff. I saw the bag there and assumed it had fallen or something. I wanted to help you set it right, but then I saw the test kit and I got carried away with my excitement after I saw it. I''m sorry," Evelyn said, and Lucy sighed.

    "It''s fine. I''m d the misunderstanding has been resolved," Lucy said with a small smile, and Evelyn nodded.

    Neither of them said a word for some time and just when Lucy was bing impatient and was about to ask her what else she wanted to say, Evelyn spoke.

    "The first time I met you, I told you I really liked you. Do you remember?" Evelyn asked, and Lucy smiled when she remembered their first meeting (chapter 263).

    "Yes."

    "Some how reminded me of my younger self. And I was surprised when Desmond told me you reminded him of me when I was younger," Evelyn said, and Lucy smiled when she remembered her heartfelt conversation with him and how he had told her the same thing (chapter 339).

    "I apologize in advance for what I''m about to say. I understand you might not appreciate it," Evelyn said, and Lucy frowned.

    "So, why say it?" She asked, and Evelyn smiled.

    "Because it''s my nature to not be silent when I have something to say. Please bear with me," Evelyn said, and Lucy shifted ufortably, suspecting that she was going to talk about the marriage issue as well.

    "You see, I know my kids. Tom, Bryan, and Jade. I know what their desires and passions are. I''ve always let them express themselves and be themselves. I love them and I always put their happiness above mine," Evelyn said, and drew a deep breath.

    "Once when they were teenagers, I asked them what they wanted to be. Bryan said he wanted to be a very famous celebrity. That was expected since he was already pursuing his career as an actor from a young age. Jade being the youngest wasn''t quite certain then. She said she wanted to be a superhero and fight bad people. She always hated injustice so I wasn''t surprised she chose to studyw. Do you want to know what Tom said?" Evelyn asked, and Lucy gave her a nod.

    "He said he wanted to be very wealthy. But most importantly he wanted to be a great father and loving husband like his father," Evelyn said, and Lucy sighed deeply.

    "Do you know how shocked I was during the dinner with his grandfather? (Chapter 567) I was taken aback to hear Tom whose dream had been to be a loving husband and father, suddenly regard marriage so dismissively. I couldn''t sleep that night. I thought long and hard about it. And then the next day I saw the pregnancy test strip. I had to take it to him because I needed to understand what was going on," Evelyn exined, and this time Lucy nodded in understanding.

    "After deliberating on everything, I figured you''re the one who is against the idea of marriage, and not Tom. Am I right?" Evelyn asked, and Lucy nodded reluctantly.

    "I''m not talking to you about this to convince you to change your mind. So, don''t misunderstand me. I''m not asking you to end things with Tom either��"

    "Why not? If you believe getting married and having a family is his dream, and it is what will make him happy, shouldn''t you ask me to either change my mind or let him go?" Lucy asked with a frown, and Evelyn smiled.

    "And what if you are what makes him happy? What''s the point of getting married to someone else and having a family with someone else if he isn''t with the person that makes him happy?" Evelyn asked as she reached out to touch Lucy''s hair lovingly.

    "I''m a very partial mother, Lucy. I love my kids endlessly. I would love Tom to have all the happiness he deserves with you. I can set my desires aside for Tom''s happiness. I see you as my daughter inw already. Although the wedding documents make things sort of official, but I don''t think it is the documents that determines our rtionship. I think it''s the heart," Evelyn admitted with a small smile as she took Lucy''s hands in her own.

    "You know, I''ve been in your shoes before. As a matter of fact it took Desmond four years to convince me to be with him. I don''t know. Maybe what you need is time, or maybe you really never want to get married, I can''t tell. But whatever it is, I just wanted to let you know that as long as Tom doesn''t mind, I won''t mind either. And I know the rest of the family wouldn''t too. So, you don''t have to worry about us. That is, if you were worried. I thought you might be after that conversation during dinner with their grandfather. All I want is for Tom to be happy. And you too," Evelyn said, and Lucy''s brows pulled together.

    That was it? That was what she wanted to talk to her about? "Is that it?" Lucy asked before she could stop herself.

    Evelyn nodded, "Yes. That''s what I wanted to say to you. We can go back inside," Evelyn suggested as she rose.

    "Can I ask you a question?" Lucy asked, and Evelyn sat back down.

    "Sure."

    "What was the reason you didn''t want to get married and why did you change your mind about getting married?" Lucy asked, and Evelyn heaved a deep sigh.

    "I was raised in a foster home. My mother was an alcoholic and my father was worst. I lost my kid sister because of them, and swore never to get get married or have kids. I didn''t want to turn out like my mother and I was scared to marry a man like my father. I didn''t want to have kids I might not be able to protect," Evelyn said, not wanting to go into the details of her dysfunctional family.

    "So, why did you change your mind?"

    "Hmm. My roommate back then asked me some questions that made me rethink my choices. Her fiance had just been diagnosed with a terminal disease then, and it was a tough time for her. She was upset and took it out on me once when Iined about Desmond not calling me as often as I expected him to," Evelyn said with a nostalgic smile.

    "What did she say to you?" Lucy asked with interest.

    "If you love him so damned much why not marry him and stop whining to me all the time? Some of us have real challenges, not self-made challenges! Or do you think he''s going to live forever pining away for you? Would it take losing him for you to realize you want him in your life?" Evelyn said and thenughed softly.

    "It''s funny that I still remember her words, isn''t it? After she said that she broke down in tears and then I consoled her. When she was calm she apologized to me. And then she asked me, ''Would you rather lose Desmond than marry him? If he was dying like Max, and getting married to him would save him, would you rather he dies than marry him? Does the benefit of marrying him not outweigh the risks? What harm cane from marrying him?'' those were the questions she asked, and it took me almost a week to answer them," Evelyn said with a wide smile.

    "What was the answer?"

    "I figured I would rather marry him than lose him because I was too scared to give us a try. I like to believe my love for Desmond outweighed my fears. But it wasn''t easy. When has love ever been easy? Love itself is a gamble. Giving your heart to someone and trusting them not to break it. Loving someone and trusting they won''t die on you. Getting over my fears was a struggle, but Desmond was right there with me in the struggle, and it made it worth it. I don''t know if that makes sense," Evelyn said, and Lucy shrugged.

    "Can I ask why you don''t want to get married?" Evelyn asked, and Lucy sighed.

    "I''ve always been more career driven. I don''t know. Maybe I''m scared of not having control over my life. I''m still trying to figure it out why I''ve never really fantasized about marriage. I don''t know," Lucy said, and Evelyn smiled.

    "I''m relieved to know you don''t know why," Evelyn said as she squeezed Lucy''s hand softly.

    "Why?" Lucy asked with a frown.

    "It means there is hope. If you had a strong conviction or reason against it, then changing your mind would be very difficult or impossible. On the other hand, I believe that if you don''t know the reason yet, it means you probably haven''t really thought about it. If it is something you didn''t think about deeply and haven''t really made up your mind on, then you can easily change your mind by yourself," Evelyn exined.

    "I don''t understand," Lucy said with a confused frown.

    "For instance you are invited to an event. Let''s say you have a cogent reason why you can''t go. Could be because you have to be somewhere at the time, or you are ill. When you say you can''t attend, it''s because you very well know why you can''t make it. But if you simply turn down the invitation without a reason just because you don''t feel like, then there is every possibility that you can still be convinced or you can even change your mind in thest minute. Does that make sense?" Evelyn asked and Lucy nodded thoughtfully.

    "Yes."

    "Good. Let''s go in now," Evelyn said as she rose and Lucy did the same.

 Chapter 631 My Safe Place

    Standing in the middle of his bedroom, Tom sighed as he looked around the room. Although the bedroom was organized and the bedsheets had been changed, Lucy''s scent was still in the room mixed with his.

    His gaze moved to the dressing table. Lucy''s cosmetic products, perfumes, hair brush, jewelry box, and a couple of other personal effects were arranged on one end while his were on the other end.

    He walked into the closet and smiled wryly when he noticed that the housekeeper had arranged the closet, and Lucy''s clothes were now hanging beside his.

    Was she going to want to take her stuff with her? He didn''t want any of the items to be moved. He loved having her stuff mixed with his this way.

    Moving into her apartment didn''t mean she couldn''t sleep over at his from time to time, right? Or was that what she was thinking? Perhaps he wouldhave to discuss it with her.

    He frowned when he remembered that she wasn''t in the room yet because she was having a discussion with his mother. What was she saying to Lucy? He really hoped she wasn''t going to say anything that would cause any problems for him.

    He walked to the entrance of the closet when he heard the bedroom door open, and watched Lucy as she walked in and shut the door behind her.

    Distracted by her thoughts, Lucy didn''t see him as she threw her handbag on the couch and sat on the bed with both palms spread out on it.

    Instead of making his presence known, Tom just watched her silently instead so he could gauge her state and know if his mother had upset her.

    Lucy, on the other hand, sat there staring into space as she thought about her conversation with Evelyn.A lot of things about their conversation bothered her, but what she was thinking about at the moment was Evelyn''sst statement about it being a good sign that she didn''t know the reason she did not want to get married.

    Did she really not have a cogent reason for not wanting to get married? At what point in her life did she decide that she didn''t want to get married? What influenced that decision?

    Her thoughts drifted to the questions Evelyn had said her roommate asked her, and she reached for her handbag and took out her journal to write down the questions.

    Perhaps she would also try to answer these questions along with the other questions guing her at the moment.

    She opened her journal and smiled as she read through what was written on the left side of it. It was her thoughts based on her conversation with her therapist the previous day, she sighed when she looked at the right side. She had written down random stuff she had learnt about Kimberly on it.

    She was going to have to tell Tom about her conversation with Kimberly. Now was not the time to keep unnecessary secrets from each other. She thought as she picked up her pen and turned the page over.

    Tom watched as she penned down her thoughts with a crease between her brows.

    "I''m curious to read what you''re writing," Tom said, startling her.

    "When did you get here? I didn''t hear the door open," Lucy said as she closed the journal and watched him approach her.

    "I''ve been here all along. I''m surprised you didn''t notice my presence," Tom said as he watched her.

    "Sorry. I guess I was distracted," Lucy said with an apologetic smile as she pushed every other thought away and rose from the bed.

    "What did she say to you?" Tom asked, and Lucy shrugged.

    "Nothing much. She exined how she saw the pregnancy kit and apologized."

    "Is that all she said?" Tom asked, and Lucy gave him a nod since she had promised Evelyn that the other conversation would remain between them and she wouldn''t say anything to Tom.

    "Are you sure? If she said anything to upset you��."

    Lucyughed softly, "Rx, Tom. She really was sweet. I wasn''t the least bit offended by anything she said. That I can assure you," Lucy said, and Tom watched her to see if she was lying, but she kept the smile on her face.

    "If that''s the case why were you so distracted? What were you writing in there?" Tom asked, and Lucy sighed as she sped her hands together.

    "Well, I did something I shouldn''t have done. I was wondering if I should tell you or not. I really don''t want to offend or upset you?" Lucy exined, and Tom sat down beside her with a concerned frown.

    "What did you do?" He asked as he took her hand, while gazing at her with interest.

    "Earlier I got very curious. I wanted to know what they looked like��"

    "What who looked like?" Tom asked, lost for a moment.

    "Dawn and her mother," Lucy said without meeting his gaze.

    "I see. So what did you do? Check them out online?" Tom asked, and Lucy met his gaze.

    "How did you know?" She asked, and Tom looked at her in amusement.

    "Because it''s the natural thing to do. I mean after she spoke to me that night, I did the same thing. I wanted to know more about them," Tom exined and Lucy sighed.

    "Dawn looks like you," Lucy said, and Tom nodded.

    "I thought so too. Harry said the same thing. I don''t think there''s anything wrong in checking them out. It''s normal so don''t feel bad or apologetic��."

    "Well, that wasn''t all that happened," Lucy cut in, and Tom raised a brow.

    "What happened?"

    "Dawn''s instagram ount was private and I wanted to see more of her pictures so I sent a request," Lucy said with a wince.

    "It was private? When I checked it two days ago it wasn''t," Tom said, and Lucy shook her head.

    "I suppose it was a bait for me or something. The moment I sent a request I received a message from her. Kimberly I mean," Lucy said, and this time Tom scowled.

    "I''m sorry. I know I messed up," Lucy said quickly the moment she saw the annoyance on his face.

    "I''m not mad at you. I''m mad at her. Why would she contact you? She has no business whatsoever with you! We haven''t even gotten the DNA results yet and she wants to mess with you? What did she say to you?" Tom asked angrily.

    "Oh!" Lucy said softly as she rxed.

    "You don''t have to be mad. She wasn''t rude or anything. If anything I think I might have been the rude one. She was sort of friendly," Lucy said, and Tom shook his head.

    "Anita was friendly too. I don''t trust any of them," Tom said, and Lucy touched his shoulder.

    "She really didn''t sound like she wanted to make trouble," Lucy insisted.

    "Can I see your chat?" Tom asked, and Lucy took out her phone from her handbag and showed him the conversation between her and Kimberly.

    Tom said nothing as he read through the chat and when he was done he shook his head, "I still don''t trust her. They always start out nice. Can you not talk to her again?" Tom asked, and Lucy shook her head.

    "If Dawn happens to be your daughter, there is no way I can ignore her as your girlfriend. She will be a part of your life, as will I. I''d rather shemunicates with me than ignore me," Lucy said, and Tom looked at her for a moment.

    "Are you sure? What if she bothers you?" Tom asked, and Lucy smiled.

    "I will bother her right back. I won''t sit back and do nothing," Lucy assured him, and after a moment he sighed.

    "I''m sorry you have to go through this because of me," Tom said apologetically.

    "It''s fine. Let''s just not worry about any of this until you get the result from theb," Lucy suggested.

    "Are you sure that''s what you want? We could talk about it some more��"<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "What''s there to talk about? Let''s just have a normal weekend. By Monday we can face it. I think you need to rest. Try to rx this weekend," Lucy said, and Tom raised a brow.

    "Why do you sound like I''m not going to see you?"

    "Well, I don''t know what ns you might have for the weekend, but I''m hanging out with Sonia, Jade, and Candace tomorrow. And I n to spend Sunday with Jamal," Lucy said, and Tom scowled.

    "All Saturday and Sunday? You didn''t make any ns with me in mind?" He asked, and she shrugged.

    "You said we needed space��."

    "Come on. I thought we resolved that already? Wasn''t the distance I covered on air away from you space enough?" Tom protested.

    "You asked for it, not me. I can''t make any assumptions about what you want or don''t want right now. So I''m just going to pick up my stuff and leave so you can freshen up and get some rest," Lucy said as she started to rise, but Tom held her back.

    "Why are you in a hurry to leave? What are you going to do at home? Is there something urgent you need to take care of?" Tom asked, and she shook her head.

    "Not really," Lucy said, and Tom nodded.

    "Good. So, let''s talk some more and take a nap together. I really missed sleeping and waking up beside you. You can get dressed here and we will leave together for the party. That way I don''t have toe pick you up from your apartment," Tom said, and Lucy eyed him hesitantly.

    Although a part of her had wanted to go back to her apartment now that her parents were here so she could be alone to think. But at the same time another part of her had been hoping he would ask her to stay with him because she really wanted to be with him right now. Being with him helped her to focus more on him than the challenges, and she preferred it to going home where she would only end up overthinking and worrying as usual.

    "I missed sleeping beside you too," Lucy admitted, and Tom smiled as he rose to take off his jacket and tie so he could be morefortable.

    "That''s good. By the way, you were only going to pick up the outfit for tonight, right?" Tom asked with a concerned frown.

    "Why?" Lucy asked as she watched him unbutton his shirt.

    "I don''t think you should move everything. I don''t really want you to movepletely. Especially not right now. I love having you and your stuff here," Tom said, and Lucy shook her head.

    "You can''t just ask me to go ande as you please, Tom," Lucy said even though she understood what he was trying to say.

    "I know. I''m sorry. I was wrong for asking you to leave the way I did. It''s not like we were breaking up. I was going to make sure you spend some nights here from time to time, and I do the same over at your apartment. I thought living separately would help us understand and appreciate each other better��"

    "If that was what you thought, you could have discussed it with me properly," Lucy cut in, feeling hurt all over again as she recalled the manner with which he had talked about her moving back to her apartment (chapter 568).

    "I''m deeply sorry," Tom said, and Lucy looked at him for a moment without saying a word.

    "Well, as much as I love and miss you too, I think we should stick to that. I will spend some time here with you, and you can spend some time with me in my apartment," Lucy offered, thinking about Dawn.

    Although, she had said they shouldn''t talk about the kid right now, she knew they would have to feature her into their future ns if the result came back positive.

    "That works. You can start by spending tonight with me. I missed you too damn much, Jewel," Tom said as he pulled her to himself and kissed her neck, making herugh out loud.

    "I can''t. My parents. I made them move out of here. I can''t leave them alone at my apartment��"

    "I''m sure they won''t mind. They might even need the space. On second thoughts, you are right. Since they''re leaving tomorrow��"

    "They told you they are leaving tomorrow?" Lucy asked, taken aback by the information.

    "Yes. Were you not aware? That''s why they came over. They are getting ready to visit Aaron so they can say goodbye to Jamal before leaving," Tom exined.

    "I must have made them feel unwee," Lucy said with a wince.

    "Or maybe they just miss thefort of their home and want to go back. My parents are leaving as well. So, how about youe over tomorrow?" Tom asked, and Lucy shook her head.

    "You shoulde over to mine instead. It''s been a while since you were there," Lucy suggested, and Tom grinned.

    "Do you want me to bring some extra clothes to mark my territory?" He asked, and sheughed.

    "I will empty a drawer for you, and make room for your stuff around the bedroom," Lucy said, and Tom kissed her.

    "That sounds like a good arrangement."

    "Speaking about good arrangements, I was going to wash my hair before the dinner party. So, how about we take a shower together, and maybe you can assist me in washing my hair?" Lucy asked with a coy smile as she tugged her hairband off, letting her hair fall over her shoulder and back.

    Tom paused and watched her with twinkling eyes, "You really did miss me, didn''t you?" he asked, and she nodded.

    "Of course I did. So, do you want to shower together or not?" Lucy asked, and he grinned.

    "You never have to ask twice," he said, and watched as she took off her sses and reced it inside its case.

    "Will you assist me in washing my hair?" Lucy asked as rose to strip off her clothes.

    "Sure. I could wash your entire body if you let me," Tom said, and Lucy giggled as they walked into the bathroom.

    Inside the bathroom, Lucy turned on the shower and made sure it was warm before stepping under it, while Tom picked the shampoo from the bathroom cab and brought it to her.

    Lucy turned off the shower after her hair was wet, and Tom helped her pour some shampoo on her hair, "Should I scrub?" He asked, and she shook her head.

    "Hold on. I will let you know when I need your help," Lucy said with her eyes closed as she massaged the shampoo into her hair and washed.

    She giggled when Tom''s hand came around her and grabbed her boobs, "Tom!"

    "I can''t just stand here doing nothing. Besides, you should have known this would happen when you suggested we shower together," Tom said defensively.

    "Turn on the shower. Not on full st. Make sure it''s warm," Lucy instructed in order to keep his hands busy as she quickly washed the soapsud from her face.

    "You are done washing your hair already?" Tom asked with a scowl and Lucy giggled.

    "I made a mistake thinking you would be of help��."

    "Well, I did want to help, but there was nothing for me to do yet so I decided to get busy with other rounder things," Tom reminded her and Lucy shook her head as sheughed.

    "Never mind. I think my hair is alright. Let''s shower so you can get some rest," Lucy offered and Tom shook his head.

    "I don''t feel so tired anymore," he said looking at her with sincere eyes.

    It greatly surprised him that they could both be hereughing this way right now. He had been so worried and scared all through his flight, and now he couldn''t even remember any of the things that had been troubling his mind.

    "Of course, you don''t," Lucy said with a knowing smile dancing around her lips as she looked down at his erection.

    Ignoring his erection, Tom drew Lucy into his arms and embraced her, "Thank you, Lucy."

    "What for?" Lucy asked with a confused frown.

    "For being my home and my safe ce. I was so worried and scared that I was going to lose you because of a silly mistake I made unknowingly in the past. Thanks for not running away. Thanks for being here right now," Tom said, and Lucy felt tears gather in her eyes as she patted his back.

 Chapter 632 Honesty

    "I never knew you could drive," Jade said as she watched Candace handle the wheels.

    "That was probably the only useful thing Jero had me learn," Candace said with a shake of her head to ward off any memories of that period of her life.

    "Sorry I made you think about him," Jade said apologetically, and then her eyes widened when her phone started ringing and she remembered she was yet to give Harry a call.

    "Oh, shoot! He''s calling," Jade murmured as she looked at the phone, contemting whether to receive the call and lie to him, or wait it out and then call back.

    "Who is calling?" Candace asked as she turned to look at Jade, concerned by her difort.

    "It''s Harry. He asked me to call him before leaving the house and I totally forgot to do that," Jade said, and Candace rolled her eyes.

    "It''s not a big deal. You make Harry sound like he''s Jero or some scary controlling guy," Candace said with a shake of her head as she returned her attention to the road.

    "This almost caused a misunderstanding between us yesterday," Jade exined.

    "Then lie to him if it makes you feel better. Tell him you''re just leaving the house now and was about to dial his number," Candace suggested, and Jade nced at her side mirror.

    "Not when I can see his men behind us. They probably told him we are on the move already. Shit!"

    "It''s just Harry. If really his men are behind us, he will know you''re ignoring his call," Candace pointed out.

    "You''re right. It''s just Harry," Jade said and quickly received the call before it disconnected.

    "Hey, Jonas! I can assure you it wasn''t intentional. I was going to call you, I swear. I''m sorry. I just got distracted and��"

    "Calm down, esquire," Harry said, when he noticed she sounded sort of tense.

    "It''s not a stringent rule. It''s normal if you forgot, and I figured you might. I asked Candace to take the car and asked my men to follow her just to be sure you don''t leave without her," Harry assured her, and Jade let out a deep sigh as she rxed.

    "Really? Do you always think so far ahead?" Jade asked with interest.

    "I don''t leave important stuff to chance. Are you feeling better now?" Harry asked, and she frowned.

    "I''m alright. Why?" Jade asked, wondering why he was asking.

    "I figured you must have been very bothered by the events of yesterday seeing as you had nightmares," Harry exined.

    "No worries. I''m alright. Very pissed, but I''m fine," Jade said, and then moved her phone away from her ear to check her phone''s screen when she noticed she had an iing call.

    "Oh, shoot! I forgot I was supposed to meet with the Chief Judge," Jade said as she nced at her wristwatch.

    "The chief judge? I''m noting with you for that, am I? I told you I have an appointment," Candace reminded her.

    "I can take a cab," Jade assured her before returning her attention to the phone call.

    "Why didn''t you take your car? Don''t take a cab. My men will drive you there and take your home afterwards," Harry offered.

    "Alright," Jade said, surprising Harry who had expected her to argue with him.

    "No argument?" Harry asked and Jade rolled her eyes.

    "How can I argue with you after yesterday?" She asked, and he smiled.

    "Alright then. Do you have a dress for tonight?" Harry asked, changing the subject.

    "Yes. I got something for myself during my shopping with Aurora," Jade said, remembering that she was yet to hear from Aurora since then. She wondered how her date with Philip had gone.

    "Alright, then. Please let me have a word with Candace," Harry said.

    "She is driving. Can I ce the call on speaker instead?" Jade asked, and Candace turned to her.

    "He wants to talk to me?" Candace asked as she reached for Jade''s phone, "I want to talk to him too," she said without waiting for Jade to ce the call on speaker.

    "You figured going to lunch alone with one of the enemy was too dangerous for your girlfriend, so you decided I go as well so we can both be poisoned together?" Candace asked dryly, and Harry chuckled.

    "I sent a package home for you. I hope you don''t minding to the dinner party with me?" Harry asked, ignoring what she had said.

    "I thought it was meant for only your staff?" She asked, surprised by his invitation.

    "Not exactly. The members of the staff are allowed toe in with their plus one, and they gain entry using their office cards. Non-staffs on the other hand are issued special invitation cards with which they gain entry," Harry exined.

    "Oh, I see," Candace said, wondering what she would do in such a ce. The crowd was going to bepletely different from what she was used to. Not in a bad way though. She just wondered if she would feel out of ce in such a ce. She had no social graces.

    "Besides, you might end up working in I-Global so it''s not too soon to know how thepany operates, you know? Unless of course you choose to work with dad," Harry added and Candace felt her lips curve at the thought of having a real job in a realpany.

    "What about Jamal? Are we going to leave him alone with��"

    "Don''t worry. J and Andrew already offered to stay with them until we get back. I think Evelyn and Desmond will be there too. So there''s nothing to worry about," Harry said, and waited to get a response from Candace.

    "Are you sure you want me there? What if I end up embarrassing you or something?" Candace asked hesitantly.

    "I wouldn''t ask or make all these ns if I didn''t want you there, would I? And I doubt you would deliberately want to embarrass yourself or me. So, if anything happens, it won''t be your fault. What other excuse do you have?" Harry asked patiently, and she sighed.

    "Just say you wille for christs sake!" Jade, who had deducted what the conversation was about from Candace''s end of the conversation, cut in impatiently, making Candace scowl at her while Harry stifled a chuckle.

    "I''m not sure I have the right outfit��"

    "I sent an outfit already. Two actually. You can choose to wear which ever of both you prefer. I take it you areing. See you when I get back. Please return the phone to Jade," Harry said, and Candace sighed as she did.

    "Don''t worry, she will definitely be there. I will pull her by the hair if I have to," Jade assured Harry immediately she took the phone from Candace.

    Harry chuckled, "You won''t have to do that. We will pick you up by 7 P.M. Will you be ready by then?" Harry asked and Jade nodded.

    "Sure."

    "Alright then. Take care of yourself. I love you."

    "I love you too," Jade said before hanging up and turning to look at Candace whose brow was furrowed.

    Candace was wondering how long they would spend at Lisa''s and how long she would spend with Matt before getting home in time to get ready for the dinner party. If she had known the day was going to be filled with so many activities, she wouldn''t have agreed to meet with Matt.

    "What''s wrong?" Jade asked, and Candace turned to her.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "What will the party be like? I''ve never been to such a formal party before," Candace said, and Jade smiled.

    "Don''t worry about it. You''re going to be fine. You won''t be in the midst of strangers. I will be there, Sonia and Lucy will be there too. You will befortable," Jade assured her, and Candace sighed again.

    "So, what time is your appointment with Matt?" Jade asked casually.

    "I''ll see him after��." Candace stopped abruptly when she realize she had fallen into a trap, and turned to look at Jade who was grinning from ear to ear.

    "I''m not seeing Matt," Candace corrected, but it was toote already.

    "Yes, you are. The moment you said you had an appointment, I figured it was Matt. It must not have been easy running into each other for two days in a row," Jade said with an amused smile.

    "I said I''m not seeing Matt!" Candace said through gritted teeth.

    "Okay. That''s fine too. And you don''t have to worry. I won''t tell anyone if that''s what you''re worried about," Jade said with an agreeable smile that set Candace''s teeth on edge.

    While Candace was seething, Jade hummed a happy tune as she looked outside the window, and soon they arrived at Lisa''s house.

    Less than thirty seconds after they rung the doorbell, the door opened, and Jade was surprised to see Tiffany and Bernice standing there.

    "I was not informed I was having lunch with you all. I thought I was meeting with Mrs Steel?" Jade asked Tiffany, not taking a step into the house.

    "Hello, I''m Bernice. Bernice Washington. The eldest amongst my siblings. I''m sorry Lisa didn''t give you the details, but we all wanted to meet with you. We will exin the details over lunch," Bernice said as she stepped back from the door to give them room to go in.

    Jade turned to Candace who gave her a shrug, and then they both walked in.

    "Hello! You must be Jade Hank? I''ve heard so much about you," Lisa said with a bright smile as she descended the stairs.

    "Congrattions on the birth of your baby," Jade said politely and Lisa beamed with pleasure.

    "Thanks. I just put her to sleep now so we can talk without any distraction," Lisa said before ncing at Candace who was standing behind Jade.

    "Oh! I''m sorry for not introducing my colleague. This is Candace Jonas, my colleague," Jade said without thinking, and Candace looked at her.

    Candace Jonas? They had not discussed that. Her name was Candace Robert and the thought of changing herst name had not even urred to her yet.

    "It''s nice to meet you," Lisa said and then turned to her sisters.

    "I believe you''ve met my sister, Tiffany. I wish I was there to witness your encounter at the spa," Lisa said with an amused smile that earned her a re from Tiffany, but drew a smile from Jade.

    "Is yourst sister not joining us?" Jade asked curiously, wondering why Anita wasn''t there since these three were here.

    "No, she won''t. She left. Too many family drama. She couldn''t stand it," Lisa exined, and then looked at Jade with hopeful eyes.

    "I hope your brother and his girlfriend can find it in their heart to forgive her. Anita isn''t really a bad person. She made wrong decisions, and for that we are sorry," Lisa said, and Jade decided that she liked Lisa.

    "You should at least offer them a seat first," Tiffany pointed out.

    "Oh, my apologies. Please sit down, and make yourselvesfortable," Lisa said as she pointed to a seat, and then she and her sisters took a seat.

    "Thanks," Jade and Candace said as they sat down.

    Without wasting a moment Jade leaned forward in her seat, "I''ve been very curious as to the reason for this invitation," Jade started, and the sisters exchanged a look.

    "Well, it''s about our mother. Before we go further, may we ask how your meeting with her went? We were together when she received your call," Bernice said, and Jade looked at each other them for a moment.

    "Not too well, I think. Why don''t you tell me the reason you asked to meet with me? And after that I can decide whether or not to say anything to you?" Jade asked, and once again the sisters exchanged a look before Tiffany leaned forward.

    "The other day, I told you I had reasons to believe my mother is involved in whatever happened to my sister''ste husband, right?" Tiffany asked, and Jade gave her a nod.

    "So you said. Did you change your mind on that?" Jade asked, and Tiffany shook her head.

    "We find it suspicious that Bernice here hasn''t been allowed to see her husband''s corpse. Have you seen it? I mean, you are thewyer, so you should be allowed to take a look, right?" Tiffany asked, and Jade''s eyes narrowed, while Candace busied with scribbling down what they were saying despite the fact that the conversation was being recorded by Jade.

    "I think something is off. I don''t feel like my husband is dead. The fact that my father-inw is stopping me from seeing his corpse makes me all the more suspicious. Could you look into it? I know we are in no position to ask for favors from you, but since you offered to be Jackson''swyer, we believe looking into this might help you get the answers you need to prove his innocence," Bernice added.

    "We all believe that our mother might be involved. Tiffany told you our mother was having an affair with Adam, right? Jack might have his ws but I don''t believe he would go as far as murdering Adam to cover his affair with Ben��"

    "Lisa!" Tiffany called to stop her from exposing Bernice''s affair.

    "I thought we agreed to be honest with her?" Lisa asked with a frown.

    "It''s fine, Tiff. I really don''t mind us telling the whole truth," Bernice said to Tiffany before turning to Jade.

    "As shameful as it sounds, I had an affair with my sister''s husband. That was what led to the fight between them at the hospital. The point is, we believe our mother has a hand in all of this, and just maybe the chief judge is aware and is trying to cover it up��"

    "Why would he want to do something like that?" Jade cut in.

    "It''s possible he is willing to let Jack take the fall for it so he wouldn''t have to expose his son''s affair with our mother. Jack had an affair with his son''s wife after all, and was at the supposed crime scene. Who best to take the fall?" Tiffany asked, and Jade''s lips twitched in amusement.

    Although the sisters had a very wild imagination, there was no denying that they were smart. She admired them for that.

    "If I remember correctly, you said our meeting was about yourte father''s death," Jade said as she turned to Lisa.

    Once again the sisters exchanged a look and Lisa gave her a nod, "Well, it''s unrted to the case. But we were hoping you''d have the resources to help us look into it. We have reasons to believe that he didn''t take his life. We think he was murdered and our mother might have a hand in it," Lisa said, surprising both Jade and Candace who exchanged a look.

    "What led you all to believe such a thing?" Jade asked curiously.

    "I know you must think we are crazy for thinking so ill of our mother," Bernice said with a sigh.

    Lisa exined what their uncle had told Anita and also the fact that she knew her father had been nning to divorce their mother before his demise.

    "Are you certain you want to look into that?" Jade asked, and all three of them nodded their heads.

    "We need to know. And if she was responsible for his death, then he deserves justice," Lisa said, and Jade sighed inwardly, wondering how Lisa would feel to know he wasn''t her biological father.

    "Lunch has been served. Please let''s go to the dining," Lisa announced when she saw her chef standing by the doorway.

    "So, will you help us look into this?" Tiffany asked after they were all seated on the dining and eating.

    "Well, because you''ve been honest with me thus far, I will return the favor with equal honesty," Jade said, and they all looked at her with interest, including Candace who was curious to hear what Jade nned to say.

 Chapter 633 Andy’s Text

    Jade paused for a moment to captivate her audience, "I was already looking into it. Your father did not take his life. He was murdered. And your mother was involved," Jade said, and Lisa''s cutleries slipped from her fingers as it crashed on the floor, while Tiffany and Bernice looked at her, their faces mirroring stunned surprise.

    Although they had been suspicious that their mother had a hand in it, hearing it this way was very shocking. Hearing that their father had not taken his life as they had thought this whole time but had actually been murdered, was heartbreaking.

    "What?" Lisa asked as tears gathered in her eyes, ready to fall.

    "You heard me. And I think you need to know that your mother made an attempt on my life yesterday because she suspected I was looking into your father''s death," Jade said, and their eyes rounded in horror and disbelief.

    By now, nobody was eating, and Candace was too busy watching the reactions of the sisters to look at her food.

    "What happened? How? Why?" Lisa asked, and Jade wasn''t sure if Lisa was asking about their father''s case or about the attempt on her life.

    "Why were you looking into our father''s death?" Tiffany asked after she recovered from her initial shock.

    "Because I was digging up dirt on her and it came up," Jade said, and Tiffany''s frown deepened.

    "Why were you digging up dirt on her?" Tiffany asked, and Jade had to admit that Tiffany was very smart.

    "Tiffany, that should be the least of our concerns right now. We should find out what she knows about dad''s death," Bernice said once she recovered from the shock.

    "We also need to know why she was looking into mother for dirts. What if she was looking into us too, and we gave her all these information?" Tiffany asked her sisters.

    "You are right. But you should know that you didn''t tell me anything that I didn''t already know about you before today. I know you are a lesbian involved with your housekeepers. I know about your sister''s affair with your husband. I know about your mother and Adam and her many other lovers. Lisa is the only person who seems to be clean. And perhaps Anita whose w was causing problems for my brother and his partner. Why do you think I offered to represent your husband? Do you think I don''t have better things to do with my time?" Jade asked, and all three sisters looked at her in stunned silence.

    "Why? What do you want with us?" Tiffany asked in a shaky voice now.

    "You don''t mess with a member of the Hank family and expect us not to react. Your mother and Anita got our attention. It''s a good thing for Anita that she had a change of heart when she did. And the same goes for you both. But your mother? After what she did yesterday? I''m going to put in all I have to see her behind bars," Jade promised.

    "What did she do to you?" Bernice asked curiously, and Jade exined how Rebekah had sent her hitman after her.

    She only tweaked the story by telling them the hit man had died in the process. That way if they nned to report back to their mother after now, they still wouldn''t have theplete information.

    "I don''t mind. You can do whatever you want with her. But can you tell me what happened to my father?" Lisa asked, and Jade told them all she believed they needed to know about their mother, her numerous affairs, and how she and Mr Bateman had duped their father of all he had and killed him.

    By the time she was done with her story, all three sisters were sobbing quietly, "Please let us know how we can help. We want Justice for our father," Lisa said, and her sisters nodded in agreement.

    Now more then ever before, they were determined to teach their mother a lesson. For ruining their father''s life and eventually murdering him, she was going to pay.

    Candace looked at Jade in admiration, not missing the fact that in all Jade had told them, she had left out the important information such as how she got to know all she knew about them, the phone in her possession given to her by Mr. Bateman, or the fact that she had evidence to prove that Jack was innocent, and Adam was still alive.

    As Candace drove away from there a momentter, Jade turned to her, "How did I do?" Jade asked, and Candace smiled.

    "Great! You won their total trust and confidence by giving them honest but iplete information," Candace said, and Jade grinned.

    "Stop the car. I will get off here so you can go see Matt now," Jade said, and Candace pulled over.

    "I''m not going to see Matt!" Candace snarled at her as she got out of the car.

    "My regards to him. See youter," Jade said with a pleasant smile as she walked away, and approached the car where Harry''s men were waiting for her, leaving behind a scowling Candace.

    Candace picked up her phone to dial Matt''s line so she could inform him that she was on her way, and then paused when she saw a text from a strange number.

    [Hey, Candacey! Missing me? I miss you more. I''m alive. I''m safe. I hope you are too? How is my sweetest Jam? I dream of you both every night. Hopefully I can speak to you soon, or so the bastard says. Don''t worry about me. I''m fine. I love you too much. Your favorite Brandy.]

    Her lips curved in a smile of relief because she was overwhelmed with gratitude and relief that Andy was alive and well.

    She tried to dial the number but the call didn''t go through. It said the number did not exist. She tried to text back too but it bounced back.

    Candace felt a sob rise within her and before she could stop herself her, the dam gate behind her eyes shattered and tears started pouring from her eyes as she cried uncontrobly.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Without thinking she dialed Matt''s line, and almost immediately he received the call as though he had been waiting by his phone all day to hear from her.

    "Are you on your way now?" Matt asked with a wide grin, and then paused to pay attention to the background sound.

    "Are you okay?" He asked with a worried frown when he realized the sound he was hearing was sniffling.

    "She texted, Matt. Andy. I just received a text from her," Candace said tearfully and Matt struggled to get what she was saying.

    "Oh, that''s great! Have you been able to speak with her? How is she doing?" Matt asked, d that she had heard from her sister and that was the reason for her tears.

    "No. The line is not connecting," Candace said with a sniffle.

    "Alright. Calm, down sweet. It''s a relieve that you heard from her. Now we know that she is fine. I believe she will reach out to you when she can," Matt said, trying to reassure her but she continued to cry.

    "Where are you?" He asked when he heard the st of a horn in the background.

    "I''m by the roadside. I was driving down when I��"

    "Where exactly are you? I wille over now," Matt said as he rose from the bed.

    "You don''t have to��"

    "I want to. Tell me where you are," Matt insisted as he tugged on a tshirt.

    "Alright. Stay there. Don''t leave. I''ming right now," Matt said after Candace had told him where she was, and then he hung up and instead of taking his car he ordered an Uber ride since she had said she was driving.

    But the time he got to her fifteen minutester, Candace had managed to dry her tears and was already feeling embarrassed that she had called him.

    "You really didn''t have toe," Candace murmured as she wind down her window to talk to him.

    He was wearing a baseball hat and sunsses which Candace knew was more for disguise than fashion.

    "Too bad for you that I''m here now. Get into the passenger seat, I will drive?" Matt offered, but she shook her head.

    "I''m fine now. I can drive myself," she said with a stubborn lift of her chin.

    Amused by her attitude, Matt went around the car and got into the passenger seat, "So, we are going to my ce?"

    "Your ce?" Candace asked with a frown.

    "You forgot I have a house here in Ludus?" Matt asked with a raised brow.

    "I thought we agreed to meet in a neutral ce? I mean we had an agreement��"

    "No. I said I''d figure out somewhere we can spend time without prying eyes, and I did. My house. I hardly have visitors there. I haven''t even been there since I got into Ludus until this morning. It''s discreet," Matt said matter of factly.

    "This is not a rtionship��"

    "We are friends, aren''t we? Shouldn''t you know where your friend lives? I know your apartment. I''ve been there. You should at least visit one of my residence. Does it bother you to go to house? Perhaps you fear that you might develop some emotional attachment��"

    "I just thought we were going to a hotel," Candace cut in irritably.

    "You''d rather we go to a hotel where we can be spotted by anyone than we go to my ce which is secluded and private?" Matt asked reasonably.

    "Whatever," Candace muttered and Matt grinned triumphantly, knowing he had won this round of argument.

    He intended to keep winning every little round until he secured a permanent spot in her heart and life.

 Chapter 634 Sexual Satisfaction

    Once Candace and Matt arrived at the estate where Matt''s house was located, he took off his baseball hat and sunsses.

    The environment was quiet, the security men stationed at the gate did not look at her twice as they drove in after they saw Matt in the car with her. Candace understood now what Matt had said about it being a discreet and safe location.

    Matt had to draw the attention of the security guards back to her, "Please prepare a card for her so that she can easily get in whenever shees over. She would be visiting often," Matt exined, making Candace turn to look at him with a raised brow but he merely shrugged.

    "Pleasee with us, ma''am," one of the men said to Candace and she pulled the car to the side before getting out with Matt.

    They walked into the security house which looked like arge office itself, and Candace was surprised to see more people inside andtv monitors which were being observed by a couple of people.

    It both amused and intrigued her that the ce was run like a high securitypany.

    "Lots of celebrities and influential people live here, so they can''t be too careful," Matt exined as he walked beside her.

    Soon they were led into a room and the guard who escorted them in, returned to his position at the gate, while the people in the room attended to them by recording Candace''s information on their database, such as her name, age, fingerprint and a picture of her, and then recorded Matt''s detail since he was the person she would being over to visit.

    Once they were done activating it, they handed a ck card to her which had a little chip at the back, "You won''t have to answer any questions if you present this at the gate and it''s checked," thedy who attended to her informed her with a polite smile, and Candace thanked her before letting Matt lead her out.

    "All this for a little visit?" Candace muttered when they got back into the car.

    "It''s not little. You can use this ce as your getaway home if you need to be alone whether I''m around or not," Matt said, and before Candace could remind him they were just friends he smiled.

    "You''re my friend, are you not?" He asked, shutting her up.

    Candace busied herself with looking around the ce as she slowly drove down following Matt''s direction. Every building around had its own private gate so it was like everyone was minding their business.

    She highly doubted that members of the press or paparazzi would gain entrance into such a ce easily.

    "I see you like it," Matt observed when he noticed she looked impressed.

    "It looks like a secret nest," she said, and he nodded.

    "That''s what it is. An expensive secret nest where I can safe from public eye. There," Matt said, pointing to his gate, "In my hurry to get to you, I forgot to take the remote," he said as he got out of the car and walked to the gate.

    Candace watched his back and let herself smile as she admired the shape of his butt.

    Matt turned to look at her after the gate had automatically opened and noticed she wasn''t driving in because she was smiling at something, and almost immediately she realized he had turned and was staring at her, the smile slid off her face and she drove in without meeting his gaze.

    Although, Matt had no idea what she had been looking at or what she had been thinking, he was d to see she had been smiling. He didn''t care what was amusing to her.

    "Have I told you how beautiful you look in that outfit?" Matt asked as she got out of the car, and she rolled her eyes even though her cheeks flushed with pleasure at hispliment.

    "I didn''t dress up for you. I told you I had to go somewhere with Jade��. What?" She asked when Matt started grinning.

    "You still don''t seem to know how to ept a honestpliment, Candace," Matt said, and she scowled making him chuckle.

    "Thanks," she muttered under her breath.

    "Toote. I''ve taken it back. Let''s go in," Matt said as he led her to the door and opened it to let her in.

    Candace''s heart beat doubled as she walked into the living room. The house looked exactly like what it was. Expensive. It was all so masculinely tastefully furnished.

    Unfortunately she wasn''t much interested in the decor right now or in colors. Anticipation caused her blood to drum in her ears.

    She was partially expecting Matt to pounce on her and take her right there in the living room. She was hoping he would. After their make out session in the car yesterday and the way he had told her he missed her, she expected nothing less.

    Matt threw down his baseball hat and sses on the couch and faced her.

    "Wee to my house. You haven''t had something to eat yet, have you?" He asked, making her look at him with a slight frown.

    "I''ve had breakfast," she said, and he nodded.

    "Breakfast not lunch. You can take off your zers and shoes. Rx you feet and find something to watch on TV while I prepare something for us to eat," Matt said, but before he could turn to leave Candace stopped him.

    "What are you doing?" Candace asked, not hiding her disappointment.

    "What do you mean?" Matt asked looking at her with an innocent expression.

    "You want to cook? I should rx? Do we have the time for any of that?" Candace asked, and Matt grinned when he realized what she meant.

    "I like that you can''t wait to have my hands on you," Matt said as he moved closer to her, and she forced herself to re at him but it didn''t work.

    "Says who? I''m only saying this because��" she stopped talking when Matt stopped in front of her and one hand went around her waist as he pulled her to himself and gave her a long and hard kiss.

    "I guess it''s a good thing you don''t want me enough yet. I will be in the kitchen. Try to rx," Matt said as he kissed her ear which he knew was one of her erogenous zones before walking away, leaving her horny and annoyed.

    Did he really think she was here to be wooed by him? All she wanted was to have a nice time with him in bed. Not to rx or be cooked for.

    Well, she was going to just have to teach him that Candace gets what she wants and what she wanted right now was to have him on top of her. Or perhaps under her. She was going to show him that no one, not even thedy he had been with the other day was better than her. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Without thinking about anything else, Candace stripped off her clothes andid them neatly across the couch.

    She left her undies on, and didn''t bother to take off the stiletto she was wearing. Because she knew she was meeting with Matt she had worn the sexiest pair of lingerie, she brought with her to Ludus, under her clothes.

    It was a redce fish teddy. She wanted to see how he would be able to keep his mind on cooking if she chose to assist him dressed this way.

    Her mind made up, Candace slowly made her way in the direction she had seen him go, and Matt who was busy frying the vegetables he had chopped down before her call, looked up when he heard the click of her heels.

    He grinned when he she sexy pose at the door. Her right elbow leaned on one end of the door with her fingers in her hair, and the other hand was on her waist with legs apart.

    "You look like you just stepped out of the covers of a yboy magazine," Matt said, and to her surprise he returned his attention to stirring the contents in the pan.

    Perhaps she needed to move closer, Candace decided as she took slow steps into the kitchen and towards the kitchen ind, "Can I help?" She asked, and Matt hid a smile as he turned to look at her.

    "No, thanks. I''ve got it all covered," he said, and almost swallowed his tongue when she sat on the granite Ind and spread her legs.

    "Are you sure whatever you''re ying with can''t wait?" Candace asked as she looked at him with a sultry smile.

    "You''re not ying a fair game, Candy," Matt protested weakly.

    "I''m not ying at all, Matt. Come here," she ordered, and Matt spared one nce at the vegetables simmering in the pan and decided it could wait a couple of minutes.

    As he walked towards her, Candace kicked off her shoes slowly, one after the other while maintaining eye contact with him.

    Matt was certain he had never met anyone half as beautiful or hot as she was, and he desperately wanted to bury himself deep inside her moist warmth.

    As he stopped in front of her, she wrapped both legs around him, and as though they were both possessed, the attacked each other.

    Matt peeled off the teddy from her body as he hungrily kissed her, while Candace reached out to unfasten the buckle of his belt.

    In less than a minute, Matt was pants down and was buried cock deep inside her as he thrust in and out of while she moaned uncontrobly as he feasted on every part of her body his lips could touch while teasing her nipples.

    Candace felt like her whole body was on fire. She felt like a volcano that was about to erupt and she cried out his name loudly as she felt the first waves of orgasm hit her.

    As she mped around him, Matt let himself give in to his climax too, and he quickly pulled out of her and used his hands to cup his cock as he released.

    "Fuck! The vegetables are burning," he said when he suddenly perceived the smell, but Candace shed him a triumphant smile as she slid off the Ind.

    She looked too pleased with herself, Matt thought, amused as he went to wash his hands, and pointed her down to the hallway where she could use the bathroom.

    Once he returned to the kitchen, he put on his pants and tried to salvage what he could of Lunch.

    He had not nned to have sex with her. At least not yet. Not today. He had wanted to woo her and treat her right. Cook for her and watch tv with her. That had been his n. He had not thought of the possibility of her seducing him this way.

    How could he possibly have resisted her when both his heart and body wanted her and craved her desperately? He mused as he set the table.

    He hoped he had not ruined his ns by falling for her seduction, Matt thought, and looked up when he heard her soft footsteps.

    Candace was a lot of things, but shy was not among them. All she was wearing was a smug smile. She seemed veryfortable in her body as she joined him at the dining still naked.

    "Let''s eat," Matt suggested weakly.

    "I''m leaving after lunch. I have to get home in time. Harry asked me to go with him to a dinner party, and I need to try out my clothes and get ready," Candace informed him.

    Although Matt had received the invitation from Harry with no intention of honoring it, hearing that Candace would be there made him d he had gotten the invitation. He made up his mind to be there.

    There was no reason to tell her that he would be there. He would love to surprise her, and see how she would react to his presence in public.

    "Alright. Dress up and let''s eat," Matt said, and Candace raised a brow, wondering if that was all the sex they were getting today.

    That was only a quickie not really sex, right?

    "I''d hate to dress up and have to take it all off again," Candace said, and Matt met her gaze.

    "Don''t worry, you won''t face to take it all off again," he said, and watched as her brows furrowed.

    "That''s all for today?" She asked unabashedly and Matt chuckled.

    "For someone I had to practically seduced into agreeing to this arrangement, you seem to be more into it than I am," he said with a teasing smile and she eyed him irritably.

    "Sex has never been an issue between us," she reminded him, "And if we are doing this, I expect to be sexually satisfied at the very least," Candace said, and Matt smiled.

    "I see. My efforts in the kitchen can''t go to waste. Let''s eat, and then we will see how it goes from there," Matt suggested, and much to his amusement, Candace joined him on the table stark naked.

    He knew without a doubt that he was really going to enjoy this arrangement. But more than that he was going to enjoy making her want more than sex from him.

 Chapter 635 Everyone Will See

    Jade and the chief judge walked into the warehouse where Rebekah''s hitman was being held, and they both looked down at the man whose hands and legs were tied to a chair.

    "I don''t think the ropes are necessary. I have no intention of running away," he told Jade, displeased by the illtreatment.

    "You say he''s the one who did that to my son?" The chief judge asked, and Jade gave him a nod.

    "I believe so. If he isn''t the one, then he must know who did that to him," Jade assured him, and Rebekah''s hitman shook his head immediately.

    "It wasn''t me. I didn''t hurt him. I only moved his body as she asked me to," he rushed to defend himself.

    He didn''t need to ask who the Chief Judge was, since he had been following the case since he moved Adam''s body and called the police.

    "Who asked you to do that?" The chief judge asked, his anger zing angrily.

    Rebekah''s hit man turned to Jade, and she gave him a nod for him to go ahead, "Rebekah Miller," he confessed, and the chief judge turned to look at Jade in disbelief.

    "Rebekah Miller? You mean to tell me that woman did that to my son?" He asked in a loud voice.

    "You heard him. He moved the body on her instruction," Jade said, and the chief judge returned his attention to Rebekah''s hitman.

    "Can you tell me exactly what happened?" He asked, and Rebekah''s hitman shook his head.

    "I have no idea how it happened. I received a call from her toe take care of something. When I got there I saw your son''s body under the staircase," the hitman exined and went on to exin how Rebekah hade up with the n to set Jackson up and how he had executed it.

    "My God! That Horrible woman! How could she? How could she do that to my son? My only child?" The chief judge asked in angry disbelief.

    "You will have to ask her that yourself after we lock her up," Jade said and the chief judge looked at her.

    "What are you waiting for? An arrest warrant? I''ll issue it right away," he said, and Jade shook her head.

    "Let''s speak privately," she said, and he red at Rebekah''s hitman once before walking away with Jade.

    "You do realize that there is every possibility that the issue of her affair with your son coulde up after she is arrested, don''t you?" Jade asked, and the chief judge looked at her in disbelief.

    "What are you driving at? That I subvert justice because of that? I should allow her walk away after doing something like this to my son? I''m sorry but that won''t happen! I will find a way to ensure that the issue of their affair does note up in court, but if there''s no way around it, then I will find a way to live with the scandal. Whatever the case is, she must be prosecuted," he said vehemently.

    Jade gave him a nod, d that he was bent on punishing Rebekah, "I''m d to hear that. For a moment I was worried you would want to hide the truth."

    "Can you tell me how you caught him?" The chief judge asked, and Jade shrugged.

    "I met with Rebekah yesterday to ask her some questions. She sent him after me to get rid of me, but my men overpowered him," Jade summarized.

    "Why would she want to do that?" He asked in confusion.

    "Because she suspected that I know about her involvement in her husband''s  murder," Jade said, and the Chief Judge looked at her in confusion.

    "What do you mean? Richard took his life," he said with a frown, and from his tone Jade deduced that he must have been close to Richard Miller.

    "Were you very close to him?" Jade asked, and he nodded.

    "We used to be best of friends. What do you mean he was murdered? Why would anyone want to murder him?" The chief judge asked curiously.

    "I''m sorry to ask, but can you exin further? I mean, when I spoke with your daughter-inw, she didn''t sound like you had a good rtionship with her. If she was your best friend''s daughter shouldn''t you treat her better?" Jade asked, and he sighed.

    "I''ve never been fond of Rebekah. I guess that was one of the things that drove a wedge in my friendship with Richard. It was sad that things went downhill for him. I wasn''t happy about that, but there was nothing I could do because he turned down all my offers of help. You see, Richard was a very proud and stubborn man. Rebekah moved out with their daughters and left him alone. When Adam told me he wanted to settle down with Bernice I refused. Not because I had anything against her, but because I did not like Rebekah and I knew she had too much influence over her girls.  When Adam insisted on marrying her iming she was pregnant, I had no choice," the chief judge exined, and Jade got a clearer picture of things.

    If they were family friends, that exined how Rebekah must have met Adam and started her affair with him.

    "Can you tell me now what you meant about Rebekah  being involved in Richard''s murder?" He asked again, and Jade nodded and exined her findings to him.

    "You mean she was having an affair with Bateman and together they duped Richard and murdered him?" He asked in disbelief, and Jade nodded.

    "How evil can she be? Do you have evidence of this?" He asked, and Jade nodded.

    "I spoke with Mr Bateman. He confirmed it was all Rebekah''s idea. He also gave me Rebekah''s old phone which she lost on the day Richard died. It contains the texts she exchanged with her husband before his death. I believe her hitman was also involved. The call she made between the time she received thest text from her husband and the time she called him, was to her hitman. I believe he can also tell us what happened to your friend," Jade exined.

    "If that is the case, then I must get justice both for Richard and my son. If I may ask, how did you know all this? And why did Bateman reveal something like that to you when he is involved in it?" The chief judge asked in confusion.

    "Because like you, he is a father and he''s doing his best to save his son," Jade exined.

    "What do you want from all this? Why did you choose to look into Richard''s death?" He asked, and Jade shrugged.

    "Because I was asked to. Your daughter-inw and her sisters asked me to look into their father''s death. They wanted me to help prove their mother''s involvement his death," Jade said, preferring to im she was doing this because of them rather than for personal reasons.

    "Why did they choose to look into it after all this time?" He asked, still feeling very confused.

    "They believe their mother is responsible for what happened to Adam. And they received a message from their maternal uncle iming their mother murdered their father," Jade exined giving him the details she had.

    "If you know all this, why haven''t you asked for the release of your client and asked for an arrest warrant for Rebekah Miller?" He asked curiously.

    "You are in a better position to do that. But for the time being Jackson Bateman should remain in police custody. And the case of Mr Miller''s death should be reopened next week and the arrest warrant for Rebekah Miller  issued at the same time. I will let you know the exact time," Jade said thoughtfully knowing she had the upper hand between them and he would do as she demanded.

    "Why next week?"

    "You will see when the timees. Everyone will see," Jade said with smirk.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    She was getting closer to her goal. She couldn''t wait to witness Rebekah''s downfall. She would make sure Rebekah got nothing less than a life sentence in prison.

    Away from there, in Tom''s bedroom, long after he had slept off, Lucy remained snuggled in his arms in a spoon position as she listened to the sound of  his even breath and tried to think about everything that was weighing heavily on her mind.

    She wished she could move from the bed to get her journal and pen, but she didn''t want to move and disturb Tom''s sleep. He seemed really exhausted.

    She wished she could talk to either Lucas or Sonia about this new development and hear what they had to say. She knew that like Harry they would encourage her to stand by Tom, which was what she intended to do, but still, she needed to talk to someone else about it. Her own person.

    Even though she had selfishly suggested he adopts and takes care of the kid alone, she realized that it would be difficult for Tom to raise a kid without a woman by his side.

    Kimberly wasn''t even an option, Lucy thought with a scowl. She might not be sure about a lot of things, but one thing she was certain about was that as long as Tom wanted her in his life and not Kimberly, she wasn''t going to give him up either. She loved him too much to give up.

    She focused on the possibility of Dawn being Tom''s daughter. If Dawn was Tom''s daughter, and Tom had no desire to be in a rtionship with Kimberly, then it was almost the same as though Dawn was being adopted, but the only difference would be that Kimberly would be a part of their lives and Tom wouldn''t have exclusive right to Dawn as she would have to keep going between both Tom and Kimberly.

    As nice as that sounded to Lucy on a personal level, because it would give her and Tom time to be alone, she wasn''t sure it was such a good thing for the kid.

    Although she didn''t have any experience with divorced parents, but from the little she had read and seen in a couple of movies, she knew that moving to and fro between one''s father and mother wasnt something any kid would want to be faced with. Kids needed a stable and loving home and environment.

    And for Dawn''s case it would even be moreplex since Tom was practically a stranger to her. She had no doubt that Tom would love the kid and be a great father, but she wondered how the first couple of weeks or months would be for them. It would probably be best if Kimberly would be there with her daughter to help smoothen the bonding between father and daughter.

    Lucy heaved a sigh. She knew she was thinking too far ahead, but she couldn''t help it. This was exactly who she was, and now that this new development hade along and it was clear to her that she wasn''t going to end things with Tom over it, she needed to start preparing herself for the future changes that would happen so she wouldn''t be caught unaware.

    If Dawn was Tom''s daughter, she knew deep down that she would love and ept the kid on default just as she believed she already did.

    She loved Tom, and if the kid was a part of him, then nothing else had to matter. He did not have an affair or cheat on her. This happened in his past after all.

    Maybe if she knew he had a kid before she fell so hopelessly in love with him, she could have walked away, but she couldn''t see herself walking away from him because of this.

    She had not merely decided to visit the kid''s Instagram page on a whim. She knew she had been drawn to it like moth to light. And the reason was because from the moment she saw the child''s picture a part of her already believed she was Tom''s little girl and she wanted to know her and do her best to love her as she should.

    She didn''t consider herself maternal or anything close to it, but she could treat the kid the way she treated Jamal. She hadn''t considered herself the rtionship type until she met Tom either, yet here she was. She would do her best to take it all one day at a time and see where it leads them.

    She smiled when Tom''s hand caressed her back sleepily, "You''re not sleeping, are you?" Tom asked and she adjusted so she could look into his face.

    "I''m not, but you should keep sleeping," Lucy said as she patted his face.

    "If you''re not sleeping, I should stay up��"

    "No. You still need to rest. There''s still time before the party. I will rather pick up a book from my handbag to read while you sleep," Lucy said as she used that opportunity to get out of the bed to get her handbag.

    Tom yawned, "You must have been bored," Tom said as he tried to sit up, but she shook her head.

    "I wasn''t. I enjoyed listening to your breath," Lucy said as she returned to the bed, and Tom chuckled.

    "That''s something a bored person would say," he pointed out as his gaze moved to the book she was holding.

    "What book is that?" He asked curiously.

    "I borrowed it from Harry," she said as she passed it to him.

    "Opposites Attract," he read the title with a smile as he looked up at her.

    "Are we opposites?" He asked, and she nodded.

    "You mean outside the fact that you''re male and I''m female? You''re my employer and I''m your employee?" She asked with a teasing smile and Tom chuckled.

    "I believe that''s not what the book is talking about, is it?" Tom asked as he returned it to her.

    He preferred to read motivational books centered on business and money and making than books about rtionships. He believed that every rtionship was different and the same things didn''t work for everyone, so as far as he was concerned, the only rule that applied was doing what you believed worked for your rtionship.

    "It''s talking about differences in temperaments, and how to handle those differences," Lucy exined and Tom nodded as he yawned.

    "What do you think is my dominant temperament?" Tom asked even though he knew what it was.

    "I believe you are Choleric," she said, and Tom chuckled.

    "Yeah. You''re right. I''m a Choleric-Mncholy," Tom said, and Lucy nodded thoughtfully, making a mental note to look more into it as she read.

    "So, what do you think I am?" She asked, and Tom grinned.

    "Your dominant trait is definitely Mncholy," Tom said, and Lucy sighed.

    "So, what did the book say? Are our temperamentspatible?" Tom asked, and Lucy nodded.

    "Yeah," she said as she flipped the pages to herst read page.

    "Why don''t you tell me what you''ve read thus far?" Tom asked as he adjusted to a morefortable position andy down facing her with his hand on her thighs.

    Seeing his new position, and sleepden eyes, Lucy could tell he was still feeling very sleepy and was trying hard to stay awake for her sake, so she decided to indulge him, knowing he would sleep off before she was done.

    Five minutester, Tom was snoring softly, and she grinned as she watched him sleep.

    "This is not always the case, though," Tom said sleepily in response to a nonexistent statement that Lucy made, and she giggled quietly as she dropped the book and picked up her journal.

 Chapter 636 Getting Dressed

    After getting dressed for the party, Tom left to join Bryan in the living room as they waited for thedies who were together in Jade''s bedroom to join them.

    Sonia had invited Lucy into her and Bryan''s bedroom so they could have a moment together alone before leaving for the party, but Jade had insisted that they all converge in her bedroom instead to help each other dress up and get their makeup done.

    "So, how did your house hunting go?" Jade asked Sonia as she applied her mascara.

    "It was fun. The realtor was capable and understood his assignment. We checked out a couple of houses, but one in particr stood out for us both. You''re going to love it when you see it," Sonia said with a wide smile.

    "How many bedrooms are there?" Lucy asked curiously as she put on her contact lens.

    "Oh, don''t worry. There are five bedrooms. And one of the bedrooms is specially reserved for you. You do realize you are going to be sleeping over a lot and babysitting, right?" Sonia asked, and Lucy giggled when Jade stopped what she was doing to look at Sonia with a raised brow.

    "And what about me? Don''t I get a room?"

    "Sure. There is a room reserved for anyone of the Hanks. So, you can use it when youe visiting or Evelyn and Desmond can use it. We gave it a lot of thought. Lucy''s bedroom is exclusively hers! She is going to be my chief babysitter," Sonia said, and Lucy eyed her uncertainly.

    "You do realize that unlike you who babysat for your neighbors in high school, I don''t have any such experience with kids, right? How am I supposed to care for your baby in your absence?" Lucy asked, and Sonia rolled her eyes.

    "Our baby, Lu. Ours. What makes you think I have any experience either? I babysat kids around Jamal''s age not babies. So, we are both going to learn all about it. You realize this baby is ours, right? We are both pregnant and you''re going to be with me every step of the way. You will be going with me to my prenatal sses in Bryan''s absence too," Sonia chattered excitedly as she rubbed her abdomen dreamily while Lucy turned away from her without saying another word.

    If she was alone with Sonia, she would have used this opportunity to bring up the issue about Tom''s supposed daughter, but she couldn''t do that in front of Jade.

    "Jade, how did your meeting with Anita''s sister go?" Lucy asked, changing the subject.

    "Oh, that! It went better than I expected, and I can assure you that by this time next week, Rebekah will be where she deserves to be. Locked behind bars," Jade said, and Sonia looked at her with interest as she applied her red lipstick to her lips.

    "Speaking of Rebekah, I heard she sent someone after you yesterday," Sonia said, and Lucy turned to look at Jade immediately.

    "She did? Why?" Lucy asked, and Jade rolled her eyes.

    "It wasn''t a big deal. Don''t worry about it," Jade told Lucy, but Sonia wasn''t having that.

    "That wasn''t what I heard. I heard you looked pretty shaken. And I heard it was thanks to Harry who drove in like your knight in shining armor, that you''re in one piece," Sonia said, and this time Jade scowled.

    "Bryan and his big mouth. I told him to keep it to himself. He obviously can''t keep a secret," Jade said with a shake of her head.

    "You could have been hurt," Lucy said, and Jade sighed when she saw the worried expression on Lucy''s face.

    "But I wasn''t. Besides, it was probably for the best that she sent him after me. Now we have him in our custody and he will testify against Rebekah," Jade assured Lucy.

    "We should hurry up. Harry will be here soon," Jade said as she nced at the wall clock in her bedroom, wanting to change the subject.

    They all turned to the door when a knock sounded on it before it was pushed open.

    "Hello,dies! Are you ready?!" Candace greeted as she walked into the room.

    Candace giggled when she saw the stunned expression on their faces, "Well, I wish I could capture the look on your faces right now. It goes without saying that I look good, huh?" Candace asked with a grin as she swirled around to show them her dress.

    Her dress was simple, ssy, and beautiful. It was a red long-sleeved, high-slit maxi long velvet bodycon dress, with a deep V-neckline both in front and behind.

    She had a pair of gold earrings on her ears, and a ne with a matching pendant. And strapped on her feet were a pair of high-heeled gold sandals.

    Sonia was the first to find her voice, "You look radiant!" Sonia eximed excitedly.

    Candaceughed softly, "Harry got the outfit," Candace said with a grin.

    "Harry sure has a good taste in women and clothes. But I don''t think the clothes could have looked better on anyone else," Lucy said, earning her a sweet smile from Jade and Candace.

    "That''s such a lovelypliment," Sonia said with a grin.

    "I think every male in that hall is going to be drooling over you. Thankfully, Harry is your twin brother so I don''t have to worry," Jade said, and Candace giggled.

    "Well, Bryan would be drooling over me, as I''m sure Tom would be drooling over Lucy. You can have any of the other guys," Sonia said making all four of them giggle.

    "By the way, I received a text from Andy earlier," Candace told Jade as she helped Sonia zip up her dress.

    Jade who was helping Lucy add a finishing touch to her makeup turned to her, "You did? When? What did she say? Did she tell you where they are?" Jade asked excitedly.

    "After you left. She didn''t give me any details. She just wanted me to know she was alright," Candace said, and Sonia raised a brow.

    "Are you sure she sent the text?"

    "Yeah. She spelt my name as Candacey. That was what she used to call me when we were little," Candace said, and Jade frowned.

    "How about you give the number to Harry? Maybe he can trace��."

    "I already did. He already tried doing that too. But it seems Cassidy knew we would do that. It line can''t be traced," Candace said, and Jade nodded.

    "That makes sense. He used to own a techpany after all," Jade said, and Candace nodded.

    "That was the same thing Harry said. I''m relieved to know she is alright," Candace said, and Jade smiled.

    "Me too. Hopefully you will hear from her again very soon," Jade murmured as she held Candace''s gaze.

    "Since we are all here together right now, why don''t we talk about tomorrow''s hangout? When are we meeting and where?" Candace asked, wanting to change the subject.

    "Why don''t we go clubbing?" Jade suggested, but Sonia shook her head.

    "What am I supposed to do in a club if I can''t have alcohol?" Sonia asked with disapproval making themugh.

    "You could have nonalcoholic wine and dance. And it wouldn''t be a bad idea to have someone sober with us in case the rest of us get drunk," Jade said, and Candace nodded in agreement.

    "That''s right."<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "I thought our hangout was meant to be during the day?" Lucy asked, and Jade shrugged.

    "We can go to a daytime club. It''s all the same to me. And it would be less rowdy too. I don''t care whether it''s night or day, all I want is to dance to loud music and try out new cocktails," Jade said, making Lucy and Candace giggle while Sonia scowled.

    "And I''m supposed to just watch?" Sonia asked.

    "No. You''re supposed to be sober as you watch over us, and then call the men toe take us home when we are done," Lucy said, earning her a high-five from both Jade and Candace.

    Before Sonia could respond to that, a knock sounded on the door and they all turned to the door to respond to the housekeeper who had been sent to remind them to hurry up.

    "Tell them we will be down in a minute," Jade said as they all looked at each other to be sure everything was in ce.

    "Why don''t we give them a show?" Sonia suggested and Jade grinned.

    "I like that idea. Candace can go down ahead of us since they''ve all seen her," Sonia said, and Candace rolled her eyes.

    "I think what you mean to say is that I should go ahead of you because I don''t have a man waiting for me downstairs," she hissed as she walked away, making the rest of them giggle.

    "Lucy, you can go first," Sonia said, knowing that Lucy was itching to go down already.

    "Lucy, you go ahead. I don''t mind goingst," Jade said with twinkling eyes.

    As Candace walked down the stairs, Tom, Harry, and Bryan went to stand by the foot of the stairs to meet their girlfriends.

    "Where are they?" Bryan asked with a frown when she came down alone.

    Candace shook her head, "You want my advise? I think you all should break up with your girlfriends. They don''t know how to keep to time," she said as she went to join them at the foot of the stairs while the guys cast her amused expressions while wondering what their girlfriends had done to her.

    Their gaze reverted to the staircase when they heard the clink of heels, and even though Tom had seen Lucy in the dress before that day, when she tried it out during their indoor shopping, he was still stunned by her overall appearance.

    Her dress was a beautiful long-sleeved ck sequin mermaid evening gown with a deep V neckline and an open back.

    She had let her hair fall in loose waves just the way he loved it, and she had reced her sses with her contact lens.

    A diamond ne adorned her neck, and on her feet were a pair of limited edition ck sandals.

    She smiled as her eyes met with Tom''s and took the hand he offered, "You look exquisite," Tom said, and she grinned as he kissed the back of her hand.

    "I feel expensive. I''ve never worn outfits that cost so much," Lucy said and Tom chuckled.

    "Get used to it," he said as he turned to lead her away.

    "You guys can join us outside," Tom called to them as they left.

    Bryan grinned when Sonia appeared, dressed as he knew she would be in a ck strapless dress that clung to her body like a second skin and stopped on her mid thigh, and attached to the side was a flowing train.

    "You''re going to catch a cold in that," Bryan said with a shake of his head.

    "Good thing my human heater is my escort," Sonia said with a suggestive smile as she slowly descended the stairs, and Candace rolled her eyes.

    "Can you girls hurry up? We don''t have all night," Candace yelled so that Jade would hear her, and Sonia giggled.

    "You''re just jealous," Sonia said to Candace as she stopped in front of Bryan and kissed him.

    "You look like mine," Bryan said as she pulled away.

    "Of course I''m yours," Sonia said as she took the hand Bryan extended and let him lead her outside.

    "Should I go and drag her down?" Candace offered Harry, and he chuckled.

    "Let her be," he said as he waited patiently for Jade to make her entrance.

    Jade held Harry''s gaze as she slowly descended the stairs, dressed in a flowing plum-colored spaghetti strap satin dress with a thigh high slit.

    "Did I keep you waiting?" She asked, and Candace rolled her eyes.

    "Of course, you did!" Candace said, while Harry smiled.

    "I could wait an hour longer if I get to be rewarded with such an enchanting sight," Harry said, and Candace shook her head.

    "Lies! You are all a bunch of liars," she dered, making both Harry and Jadeugh.

    "I will wait in the car," Candace said as she walked away leaving them, while Harry smiled at Jade.

    "I didn''te empty-handed. I brought you flowers but your brothers hid it because they didn''t want their girlfriends to see it and get mad at them for not getting them any," Harry said, and Jadeughed.

    "That sounds like something you would do, and something they would do," Jade said as she took Harry''s hand.

    "Are you ready to leave?" He asked, and she nodded.

    "Yes, I am."

    "Make sure you stick to me all night long. I don''t want anyone making advances at you," Harry said, and Jade giggled they walked out of the house together.

    "Candace seems very excited tonight," Jade observed.

    "I guess she had a nice day," Harry said, and Jade grinned when it urred to her that Candace had been with Matt earlier.

    It seemed like things had worked out fine between them. She hoped to find time to quiz Candace about it before the night was over.

 Chapter 637 Playing The Part

    Candace had been in high spirits from the moment she left Matt''s house after two amazing rounds of very satisfying sex.

    Even though she had doubted the wisdom of her decision to engage in such an affair with him, she couldn''t deny that she had enjoyed herself even in such a short duration.

    And Matt had turned out to be a better cook than she had expected. Despite the fact that the sauce had gotten burnt, the meal had tasted really nice.

    Although she knew it was silly, but she was looking forward to her next visit to him which was going to be the next day.

    They had both agreed that they make the best use of this period since they were both avable right now and didn''t know how their schedules would turn out after she returned to Sogal and he resumed work.

    Getting home and finding the lovely package Harry had sent her to choose from, she had felt like she had walked into a fairytale movie and was a princess. She had enjoyed the admiration of her father, Jamal, Desmond, Evelyn, Andrew, J and of course Harry after she dressed up.

    They had all taken pictures of her and with her on their phones, and then Aaron had taken out his camera which he brought with him and set it up so they could take a group photo together in that moment.

    Then she had told Harry about the text from Andy, and Harry had offered to have his men track the number but they got nothing.

    Still, that hadn''t dampened her mood since she was still grateful to have heard from Andy, and was thankful for Jamal and her newfound family, and her friendship with Matt.

    And then both her and Harry had driven to Tom''s house, and she had wallowed in the pleasure of having so many lovely people in her life now who she could tell genuinely cared about her.

    Sitting in the backseat of the car, she and Jade filled Harry in on the details of their meeting with the Miller sisters, and Jade told them about her discussion with the chief judge.

    Once the car stopped and they all got out, and joined Tom and the others, while the valets took their cars away as all seven of them walked down the red carpet to the hall where the event was to be held.

    "Is this your girlfriend?" Several of the reporters called out to Harry when they noticed he was holding on to both Candace on his left and Jade on his right.

    "Who is she?"

    "May I know you ma''am?" Some called out to Candace since she was the only person they knew nothing about amongst the others.

    Candace stiffened heads and cameras turned in their direction. She had not imagined that the event would be so grand or that the ce would be crawling with journalists and paparazzi.

    "You''re beautiful. Rx and smile," Harry whispered to her as he patted her hand, and she smiled at him in gratitude.

    Some of her reporters focused on taking pictures of Tom and Lucy, since it was Tom''s first time of attending the anniversary party openly as CEO, and it was the first time they were seeing him and Lucy together in public this way.

    Some others focused on Bryan and Sonia who were more of a celebrity couple because of Bryan was considered a screen god.

    Unlike the others, Bryan smiled and waved at the reporters who called out to him, and he pulled Sonia closer so they could pose for a few shots.

    "You''re enjoying this aren''t you?" Sonia asked with a giggle as they posed for the camera.

    "Such is the life of a star," Bryan said as he pressed his lips to the tip of her nose making her giggle as they continued moving to give room to others who wereing behind them.

    They all continued down the red carpet to where the decorated photo backdrop stood. Once they got there they all stood together so they could be snapped as a group and after that they headed for the event hall.

    Immediately they walked into the event hall, they were surrounded by people who came to say hello to Tom and Harry and to congratte them.

    Tom made sure Lucy remained right there beside him the whole time as he said hello to everyone who came to him and introduced her to them.

    "Jade!" Aurora who has just walked into the hall screeched happily when she spotted her, and immediately Jade let go of Harry and went to say hello to Aurora who was with Philip.

    "Well, this ce is packed full. We should find somewhere to sit," Sonia whispered to Bryan, and then turned to Candace who seemed a bit ufortable.

    "Want toe with us?" She asked, and Candace let go of Harry and left with Bryan and Sonia to find somewhere to sit while Lucy remained with Tom and Harry as all three of them socialized with the guests.

    Immediately the ushers spotted Bryan and Sonia, they led them to one of the tables at the forefront which had been reserved for them.

    "How did they do this? Everything is just so organized," Sonia said when they got to their table of twelve and realized there was a name tag in front of each seat.

    Candace looked around, "And the hall is sorge," she observed as she took her seat, and a waiter came with a tray of champagne sses.

    Bryan and Candace picked a ss each, but Bryan instructed the waiter to get something nonalcoholic for Sonia who was busy going around their table to check the name tags so she would see who was joining them on the table.

    "I guess Tom and Harry wanted us to all be together," she said when she observed that most of the names were familiar.

    Lucy, Tom, Harry, Jade, Aurora, Philip, Mia, Jeff, and then then there was Matt, "Is Matting?" Sonia asked Bryan, causing Candace''s heart to skip a beat.

    "I don''t think so," Bryan said, certain that Matt wouldn''t show up at such an event. Especially if he suspected that Candace might be present.

    "Why not? His name is here," Sonia asked as she took her seat, and Candace tried not to look too obvious as she strained her ear to hear what Bryan was saying to Sonia from where she sat away from them.

    Because of the name tags on the seats, she was meant to sit between Harry and Lucy which was about two seats away from Sonia and Bryan.

    As the waiter brought Sonia''s nonalcoholic drink, an usher led Jade, Philip and Aurora , who were with their wine sses already, to the table, and Jade did the introductions as they sat down.

    "So, you''re the couple who loves to fish," Sonia said with a grin, making both Aurora and Philipugh.

    "Hello! We meet again. I''m sorry about getting on your nerves thest time," Aurora greeted Candace with a wide smile.

    Candace smiled, "All is well that ends well. I guess the fishing is going well," Candace said, nodding towards Aurora''s hand which was joined with Philip''s, and Aurora giggled.

    "Phil loves to hold hands," she told them with a wide smile.

    "I love to hold her hands not just any hands. Her hands are so tiny and cute," Philip told them making Aurora blush.

    "Don''t say that! It''s embarrassing," Aurora said, and Philip chuckled as he raised her hand to his lips to kiss it.

    "You look so beautiful when you blush," Philip said, and Candace shook her head.

    "I can''t believe I have to be subjected to an evening on the same table with you all. You''re all annoying," Candace hissed, making Aurora and Philip look at her slightly taken aback by her outburst but one look at Jade and Sonia who wereughing out loud, they realized she was kidding and rxed.

    Next Jeff arrived, saying Mia wouldn''t be joining them because she wasn''t feeling too well and her drugs made her drowsy.

    They all chatted and discussed like old time friends, and soon Candace felt herself rxing. She was even more surprised to realize that she was enjoying herself and thepany of everyone around the table.

    Soon an announcement was made asking everyone to settle down as the event was about to kickoff, and Tom, Lucy, and Harry returned to the table to join them.

    "I love the sitting arrangement. Whose idea was it?" Jade asked after they were all seated. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "We all agreed on it. Tom, Lucy and I," Harry said and then nced at the empty seats.

    "Is Mia not joining us?" Harry asked when he noticed that Jeff was present but Mia wasn''t.

    Jeff exined to Harry that Mia was ill, but Harry gave him a nod but said nothing even though he doubted that was the reason she was upset.

    He had a feeling she was avoiding him. He had noticed that she had made up an excuse not to be at every meeting he had with Jeff since the day he said she looked familiar. Perhaps it was time for him to look into her and find out what she was hiding.

    "I guess Matt is really noting," Sonia said to no one in particr.

    "Matt is supposed to be here too?" Jade asked curiously, wondering if that was the reason Candace had been excited all evening.

    "I invited him since he''s a part of I-Global. I don''t know if he''sing or not," Harry exined for the benefit of everyone.

    "Why would I miss such a fun gathering?" Matt asked as an usher showed him to his seat.

    Candace felt her heart lurch and her spirit plummet when she saw the model from the cafe standing beside Matt.

    Her gaze shifted to the model, as she wondered why Matt had not told her he was also attending the party and why he brought her along with him when he knew fully well that she would be there.

    They had an agreement, didn''t they? They agreed he was not going to see anyone else for as long as they were together, so why was he with anotherdy just hours after having sex with her? Why was he with this particrdy who she knew without a doubt was thedy he had told her he had sex with the other day?

    "Are you alright?" Harry whispered as he looked at her, when he noticed she was too busy eyeing the model to pay attention to the introductions being made.

    "Yeah. Sure. I''m alright. I''m just wondering why you didn''t deem it fit to tell me you were inviting him?" Candace asked in a whisper.

    "Was I supposed to? If I remember correctly you have no business with him. Or do you? Should I give you a list of everyone I sent an invite to?" Harry asked sweetly, and she scowled but quickly reced it with a stiff smile when her gaze met with Matt''s who was now seated beside Matt, while Gemima upied Mia''s seat beside him.

    "Hi! You look lovely," Matt said with a polite smile as he had said to every otherdy around the table.

    Lovely? Candace mused as her blood boiled over, but she managed to control her emotions as she smiled at him, "Thanks. You look good yourself," she said as her gaze shifted from him to Gemima and then back again, demanding an exnation with her eyes.

    Lucy, Sonia, and Jade all nced at Candace and exchanged an understanding look, each thinking about how ufortable she must be to be on the same table with Matt and his model.

    They all directed their attention to the podium when Harry was called upon to give the opening speech, and as they all rose to give him a pping ovation, Gemima leaned closer to Matt.

    "She is the one, isn''t she?" She whispered, and Matt smiled.

    "Yeah," Matt said as his gaze met with Candace''s, who had caught Gemima''s movememt from the corners of her eyes and was now watching them.

    Matt''s gaze traveled over the length of her body which he could see but his eyes remained nk as it met with hers again.

    To her surprise his expression was ordinary. He didn''t look as stunned as the others had been to see her dressed that way. He just looked at her with casual interest as though they had not spent the afternoon making out on his kitchen Ind or fucking their brains out on his dinning table and couch in the living room.

    As they all sat down once again, Candace couldn''t help but notice that Gemima''s hand was resting on Matt''s thighs, and as she looked up she caught Matt''s amused gaze before he looked away from her.

    He was amused? He thought any of this was amusing? He was sitting there beside another woman and smiling at whatever nonsense she was whispering in his ears and he had the nerves to be amused? No! She was not going to tolerate any of that.

    Grateful that everyone else seemed engrossed by whatever it was Harry was saying, she took out her phone from her handbag and texted Matt.

    [We had an agreement, and seeing as you can''t honor it, I take it our arrangement won''t work.]

    Matt nced at his phone when it vibrated, and he waited a minute before checking the text.

    He considered whether or not he should respond to it, and decided not to. They could talk about itter.

    "That was from her, wasn''t it?" Gemima asked and Matt turned to her.

    "Yeah," Matt said, and Gemima giggled softly.

    "She looks really pissed. You might not have to do too much to win her heart after all," Gemima said making Matt grin, while Candace seethed as she watched them.

    She couldn''t believe that Matt had put his phone away without responding to her text. He did not even spare her a nce. He was ignoring her.

    Seeing how Candace kept sending a re in Matt''s direction, Jade leaned into Harry''s empty seat so she could whisper to Candace, "You''re being too obvious," Jade said, and Candace turned to re at her.

    "I shouldn''t havee here," Candace muttered under her breath.

    "Are you alright?" Lucy asked Candace softly, and she turned to her.

    "Yeah. Sure. Thanks," Candace said, and even though Lucy wasn''t convinced, she decided not to push.

    Sonia being the busybody she was, didn''t miss anything going on around the table. And as far as she was concerned, Matt and Candace were an item. She did not care about the model who had apanied Matt.

    "Why did Matte with her?" Sonia whispered to Bryan with a frown.

    "I have no idea. He didn''t tell me he was attending the party either," Bryan said, and Sonia scowled.

    "Can we swap seats?" She pleaded with Bryan.

    "No," Bryan said, and then turned to Matt who was seated next to him.

    "Why did you bring her with you? I thought you said the sex was terrible and you were done?" Bryan whispered to Matt.

    "We are not having sex right now, are we?" Matt asked, and Bryan frowned.

    "Her presence is making everyone is ufortable," Bryan said before returning his attention to the stage.

    They all gave Harry a standing ovation once he was done giving his speech, and one of the pioneer shareholders of thepany was called to read the history of thepany and it was established.

    "Are we going to sit this way all night?" Candace asked Harry when he returned to his seat.

    "No. This is the official part of the night. After Tom presents the special awards to the employees of the year, dinner will be served, and then move to a different hall for partying and socializing," Harry exined.

    "Great! I can''t wait!" Candace said as she raised her ss to her lips and gulped down the entire content while Matt watched her from the corners of his eyes.

    She had wanted them to keep their affair a secret and for him to not treat her like a lover in public, so why did she seem so upset when he was only doing exactly what she asked for?Did she forget he was an actor?

 Chapter 638 Restroom Meeting

    After Tom presented the awards to the most exceptional employees of the year, and the formal dinner was over, they all rose to proceed to the next hall for socializing and partying.

    Sonia looked at Lucy, Candace, and Jade, "Powder time, girls. Why don''t we go to thedies?" she suggested with a sweet smile.

    Lucy turned to Tom, "I think we are about to have a meeting," she whispered into his ears, and he chuckled.

    "Have fun," he said as he kissed her and she rose to leave with Sonia.

    "Yeah. I was going to suggest that myself, let''s go," Jade said before turning to Harry.

    "I''ll be right back," she said, gave her a pointed look.

    "Don''t cause any trouble," he said, and she scowled.

    "What do you mean by that?"

    "It means I know you have a penchant of causing trouble. Don''t stir any," Harry repeated before turning to Candace.

    "Don''t let her influence you," he advised, and Candace smiled.

    "I can take care of myself," Candace assured him as she let Jade take her hand.

    "I wille with youdies," Aurora said before looking at Philip who seemed to not want her out of his sight for a moment since she told him she was leaving on Sunday.

    "I will be right back," she said with a grin, and he kissed her hand as he let her to hurry after them.

    "Don''t you want to go with them?" Matt asked Gemima as thedies walked away while they rose to head for the party hall with the others.

    Gemima giggled, "Are you kidding me? They''re obviously going there because they want to plot against me, the bitch who is stealing their friend''s man. I won''t be surprised if one or more of them tries to get me away from you so that she would have some time alone with you to give you a piece of her mind," Gemima said with an amused smile and Matt raised a brow.

    "You think so?" Matt asked and she grinned.

    "I know so. I would do that too if she were my friend and you showed up with someone else. I like them. I could use friends like them if I were not too busy ying the role of bad bitch tonight," Gemima said with a giggle but Matt was beginning to worry now.

    "On second thought, I should probably join them. I will like to see what they n to do," Gemima said as she excused herself from Matt and headed in the direction of the restroom.

    "Are you avoiding me?" Matt asked as he tried to catch up with Bryan who was walking ahead of him.

    "Yes. I don''t want to be guilty by association. Why will I talk to you and risk getting on their bad books? In case you didn''t notice, they are all pissed. I can''t risk Sonia seeing me chatting with you and thinking I''m okay with the fact that your brought Gemima here with you," Bryan said with displeasure.

    "Why not? I have the right to bring someone else along with me to a social gathering," Matt said matter of factly.

    "Someone you have a history with?" Bryan asked with a scowl.

    "So it would have been best if I brought someone new? I thought you were supposed to have my back as my best friend?" Matt asked, and Bryan raised a brow.

    "Well, it''s time for you to have my back. In case you have forgotten, Sonia is crazy, and she is pretty scary when she''s mad. I can''t have her mad at me right now," Bryan said before walking away from Matt.

    He could never forget the time Sonia had opened her door to him brandishing a knife at him because she thought he was Derek.

    "Hi!" Harry greeted with a grin, and Matt turned to him.

    "You are not about to bite my head off for bringing someone else with me too, are you?" Matt asked, and Harry chuckled.

    "Why should I? You are allowed to bring your plus one to the party. Last time I checked, you were not dating Candace, or are you?" Harry asked, and Matt did not know how to respond to that so he said nothing.

    "I heard you were at my apartment yesterday," Harry said, and Matt nodded.

    "Yes. To see Jamal."

    "I see," Harry drawled, and something about the way he looked at Matt, made Matt ufortable.

    "That I don''t get along with Candace doesn''t mean I don''t get along with the kid," Matt said defensively and Harry smiled.

    "You don''t get along with her? That wasn''t what I heard," Harry said, and Matt raised a brow.

    "What then did you hear?" Matt asked, and Harry shrugged.

    "Nothing that should concern you. I just stopped by to say hello to you. As long as you''re not involved with my sister, you''re free to do whatever you want with whenever you want. I n to introduce her to a couple of nice guys anyway," Harry said, and walked away without waiting for Matt to respond.

    Why was everyone overreacting? It wasn''t like he had kissed Gemima or introduced her to them as his girlfriend.

    They all knew Candace had been the one who rejected him, so why was everyone acting like he was the jerk here? Perhaps it was time to speak with Candace privately.

    Away from there, once thedies walked into thedies room, Sonia shut the door while Lucy and Aurora walked over to Vanity mirror to powder their faces as Jade turned to Candace.

    "What do you n to do about that?" Jade asked, and Candace raised a brow.

    "About what?" She asked nonchntly as she went to join Lucy and Aurora.

    "About Matt and that girl. You have been ring at them all evening," Lucy said without looking away from the mirror.

    "See that? Even Lucy who usually does not take note of such things noticed it! It doesn''t take a genius to know you''re very much interested in Matt. So why not cut out the drama and get him?!" Sonia eximed, and Aurora turned to them in amusement.

    "I thought you were with him earlier today. What happened?" Jade asked, and Candace red at her, while the others looked at Candace with interest.

    Someone knocked on the door and Sonia turned impatiently, "It''s currently undergoing maintenance," Sonia called out to the person and faced Candace.

    "So, you were with Matt today? What happened?" Sonia asked, and Candace let out an exasperated sigh.

    "No, I wasn''t! Can you all just focus on powdering your faces and let me handle my business myself?" Candace asked but Jade and Sonia were having none of it.

    "I could barely enjoy my dinner because of you. You want us to let you handle your business yourself? Fine. But you have to tell us how you intend to do so. Is it by looking like a wounded puppy all night?" Jade asked, and Candace red at her.

    "You didn''t enjoy your dinner because you don''t know how to mind your business! That''s not my fault. And if that''s how I choose to handle my business, then leave it be!" Candace snapped at her.

    Seeing that everyone was bing upset, Lucy set aside her powder and faced Candace. She ced a hand on Candace''s shoulder to calm her.

    "I understand you don''t like having anyone in your business, but we all really care about you. If you insist that we should back off, we will. But if there''s something you think we can do to help, then tell us," Lucy said, and then gave Sonia a pointed look to keep shut when she started opening her mouth to speak again.

    Aurora smiled as she watched them. They were an interesting group, and she hoped they wouldn''t mind including her in their cycle.

    "Can I say something?" Aurora asked politely, and they all turned to her. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Candace you don''t have to be pissed. I think it''s a sweet thing that they all care about you and want to help. Although, I don''t know anything about your history with Matt, but everyone on that table noticed you were visibly upset by the presence of Gemima on the table. It''s the same way I noticed you were pissed when I kept going on and on about Harry despite Jade''s visible distress that day. It''s what friends do. So, like Lucy said, if there''s something you think we can do, maybe distract her so you can have a moment alone with him, or wreck her dress so she has to leave, you can say it," Aurora said with a mischievous gleam in her eyes.

    "Maybe distracting her would work, but no one is ruining anyone''s dress tonight," Lucy said before the others could buy into the idea.

    "Gee! Thanks for saving my dress," Gemima who had been standing outside the door and listening to them, called back to Lucy.

    They all turned to the door, and Sonia walked over to yank it open. She scowled when she saw Gemima, "Apart from stealing other people''s men, you eavesdrop as well?" Sonia asked, and Candace rolled her eyes.

    "Can you cut it out, Sony?" Lucy asked, and shed Gemima an apologetic smile.

    "Please pardon us��"

    "Are you dating Matt?" Aurora asked Gemima curiously before Lucy could finish her apology.

    "He introduced me as his friend, didn''t he?" Gemima asked in amusement as she walked passed them to the vanity mirror to powder her face.

    Candace scoffed, "What sort of friends screws each other?" Candace asked under her breath, but everyone heard her.

    "How about, friends with benefit?" Gemima asked, and Candace''s heart skipped a beat at that.

    Was she also Matt''s friend with Benefit? Or did she say that only because Matt had told her about their agreement? Candace mused.

    "So, you admit that you''re sleeping with him?" Jade asked with a scowl.

    "I don''t understand why you''re all upset. It''s not like Matt is taken or anything," Gemima said, turning to look at Candace incredulously.

    "That something is not taken doesn''t mean it is avable for just anyone," Sonia hissed at her, and Gemima giggled without looking at them.

    "I see. I will keep that in mind. But if you ask me, you can''t expect someone like Matt to stay unattached forever. I think if she really wants to be with him, she would do what it takes to get him instead of ring and glowering at me like I''m the enemy. It might be me today, and another girl by his side tomorrow. How many girls are you going to re at?" Gemima asked as she applied her lipstick, and once she was done she walked away leaving them.

    Neither of them said a word for a while after she left, and then Candace took out her phone from her bag when it vibrated with a text notification.

    Her heart skipped a beat as she clicked on it when she saw it was a text from Matt, [Meet me at the underground parking lot.]

    Candace sighed, "I appreciate your concern. But I will handle my business myself. Please, excuse me," Candace said before walking away.

    "Well, if you ask me I think Gemima has a point. If Candace wants him, she would do what she has to do," Aurora said quietly.

    "Maybe she needs a little push to do what she has to do," Jade pointed out.

    "Maybe she doesn''t. Maybe what she needs is to be left alone to handle things her own way. Candace looks capable to me. Can we get back to the party now that the meeting is over?" Lucy asked hopefully.

    "Did she really meet with Matt today?" Sonia asked the most important question on her mind.

    "Although she didn''t admit it, I think so," Jade said as they all walked out of thedies room.

    It took Candace a couple of minutes to find the underground parking lot and once she got there, she looked around trying to find Matt because lots of cars were parked there.

    Matt who was hidden behind some of the cars, waved to her the moment he saw her and she approached him, looking every bit as pissed as she had been earlier in the hall.

    The moment she opened her mouth to speak, Matt pulled her into his arms and kissed her. The kiss was slow and intense at the same time, bringing to mind all the memories of that afternoon, and causing lust to surge within her.

    "I''ve been wanting to do that all night. Now can you tell me why you have been ring at me all night? And what was that text about," Matt asked with an innocent smile that had her blinking at him in confusion as he pulled back.

    Candace tried to clear her head to remember what she had been going to say, and once she did she red at him, and Matt tried not to chuckle when she swiped her hand over her lips as though to wipe off his lips.

    "Our arrangement won''t work. We had an agreement and you defaulted��"

    "What was our agreement?" Matt asked calmly.

    "You agreed not to see anyone else while our arrangement stands," Candace reminded him in annoyance.

    "So, how did I default?" Matt asked reasonably.

    "Are you asking me that? How can you ask me that when you''re the one who brought ady here with you?"

    "That ady came here with me doesn''t mean I''m romantically involved with her. I couldn''t possiblye here alone. She''s just a friend."

    "With benefit! Do I look stupid to you? Wasn''t she the samedy who kissed you at the cafe? Was she not the one you fucked?" Candace asked angrily, and Matt sighed.

    "I should never have told you that. Now I''m going to regret it forever," Matt said, and Candace pped his arm.

    "Is that the point right now? Do I look like someone you can two-time? Youe in here with onedy and sneak another into the parking lot to make out with you after ignoring her all night��."

    "First of all, I''m not two-timing anyone. Gemima knows I have no interest in her. She wanted toe here tonight and begged I take her along with me. Secondly, I didn''t sneak you here. I called you out here because you made it clear you didn''t want anyone else to know what was going on between us. And in order to speak with you privately, I asked we meet here. And finally, I only kissed you, I didn''t make out with you even if I''d love to," Matt corrected as he swept a nce over her dress.

    "Are you going to deny ignoring me too?" Candace asked irritably.

    "Need I remind you that I''m an actor, Candace? You asked us to keep things between us a secret, didn''t you? Do you want this affair to be a secret or not? I could ask Gemima to go home right now and spend the rest of the evening by your side," Matt said, and Candace huffed.

    "That doesn''t exin why you ignored my text or keptughing and smiling at everything she said," Candace hissed, and Matt resisted the urge tough.

    "For someone who wants a secret affair, don''t you think you''re being too obvious? If I had responded to your text everyone would have noticed the exchange of texts between us and known something was going on. I''m trying to keep my end of the deal but you''re not being helpful. Because of you everyone thinks I''m a jerk," Mattined.

    "I''m being too obvious? I''m not being helpful? Alright. If you think it''s okay for you to bring someone else to a party you knew I''d be attending, then I hope you don''t mind watching me socialize with other men as well, because that''s what I intend to do when I return in there," Candace warned, and Matt raised a brow.

    "You can''t do that, Candace. That''s different��."

    "Really? How so? Please tell me," Candace said as she crossed both arms in front of her and waited for his exnation.

    "I''m a man. I can control myself and turn down sexual advances��."

    "And because I''m a woman, I''m weak and can not do that?" She cut in sarcastically.

    "No. I mean that''s not the case for the other men you might socialize with," Matt said, and she rolled her eyes.

    "How do I know you''re not going to take her back to your ce and have sex with her after the party?" Candace asked and Matt sighed with exaggerated patience.

    "I''m not interested in her. You''re the one I''m interested in," Matt said and Candace gave him a pointed look.

    "I don''t care what you past rtionship with her is. I don''t want to see you with her anymore, Matt. If I can go to a party alone, then so can you. The moment I get back in there, I''m going to dance and flirt with every single avable man in the room. That''s what you get for pissing me off and making me look stupid on that table. I''m not going to share you with anyone. It''s either you''re in or not. If this happens again, we are done," Candace said, and brushed her lips against his before cat-walking away.

 Chapter 639 You Look Familiar

    Instead of returning directly to the hall, Candace headed back to thedies room to touch up her makeup, while Matt called Gemima to join him outside so they could walk back into the hall together and no one would notice anything was amiss.

    "I suppose you came out to meet with her?" Gemima asked with a grin as he walked up to Matt.

    "What happened in thedies room? Did you speak with them?" Matt asked without responding to her question, and Gemima shrugged.

    "I did. As I suspected, they were plotting against me so I told her if she wanted you, she should make her move instead of ring at me," Gemima said as she nced at her wristwatch.

    "I think I''ve enjoyed this party enough for tonight. You don''t mind if I leave now, right? It''s Friday night and I need to hit the club," Gemima said, and Matt shrugged.

    "It''s fine by me, but I''m not leaving yet, so I can''t drop you off," Matt pointed out.

    "Oh, don''t worry! I will ask someone to pick me up," Gemima assured him, and Matt gave her a nod.

    "Alright let''s first get back to the hall first, and then you can leave," Matt said and Gemima linked arms with him as they returned inside.

    Inside the party hall music yed in the background and some of the guests danced, while Lucy, Sonia, Jade, and Aurora sat together at one end chatting as their men socialized with other men talking about various topics ranging from sports to finance, and entertainment.

    "So, things are going well between you both, huh?" Jade asked Aurora and she smiled.

    "Yeah. I''m actually surprised by how fast everything is moving," Aurora confessed as she raised her winess to her lips and took a sip.

    "And how fast is it moving?" Sonia asked, her eyes twinkling with interest.

    "You''re so nosy, So," Lucy said, shaking her head in amusement as she nursed her drink.

    "Don''t worry. I don''t mind. I''m just as nosy as she is," Aurora assured Lucy, and Soniaughed gleefully.

    "I knew we would get along just fine from the moment I saw you," Sonia said, making Auroraugh while Lucy rolled her eyes despite the smile on her face.

    "So, about Philip?" Jade reminded Aurora.

    "Yeah. Well, he''s really into me, as I am into him. It''s almost like love at first sight, I don''t know. I know it''s been only a couple of days since we met but we''ve spent almost all the time together. I barely have time to attend to the reason I came to Ludus in the first ce, and you won''t believe he''s talking about flying back to Varis with me," Aurora said, but she her eyes were gleaming with excitement even as she spoke.

    "Doesn''t he have a job to attend to?" Lucy asked, making the rest of themugh.

    "He owns a restaurant," Jade exined to Lucy since she didn''t know much about Philip.

    "He owns a chain of restaurants. He says he will use the trip as an opportunity to check in on the branch in Varis," Aurora exined some more.

    "So, I suppose you both are dating now?" Jade asked, and Aurora shook her head, surprising them all.

    "We haven''t actually talked about that even though we know we are headed there. We are just going with the flow," Aurora said, and Lucy shook her head in confusion.

    "Is that a good idea? I mean, shouldn''t it be defined so you can know for sure what you''re doing?" Lucy asked, and both Sonia and Jade nodded in agreement.

    "Are you okay with not knowing? Shouldn''t you ask him?" Jade asked, and Aurora smiled as she shook her head.

    "No. There is really no hurry. We just met. And no matter the level of attraction between us, we are good friends right now and are still getting to know each other. When it''s time for us to define our rtionship, we would do that. But wanting to define that right now reeks of desperation, and that''s no really how I roll," Aurora said, and giggled as she waved at Philip who winked at her from across the room.

    Lucy nodded in understanding, "You do have a point. You are right. I''m sorry for questioning��"

    "C''mon! Loosen up! There''s no need to be sorry. We were only having a conversation," Aurora assured Lucy.

    "That''s how Lucy is. She''s always too polite and rigid. Makes it hard to have fun conversations with her. I do hope you''d loosen up tomorrow, Lucy," Jade said, and Lucy smiled while Soniaughed.

    "Lucy is fun when she''s drunk. We will have to make sure she gets drunk," Sonia said and Jadeughed.

    "Yeah. That''s right. I remember the way she actedst time she came back him drunk," Jade said, and Lucyughed despite her embarrassment.

    "Thanks for the heads up. I''ll try not to get drunk," Lucy said, while Aurora smile she she listened to them.

    "What''s happening tomorrow? Another party?" Aurora asked curiously.

    "A girls party. Just us girls hanging out to gossip and have fun. You are invited toe if you can get away from Philip," Sonia said jerking her head towards the men, and they allughed as they looked at Philip who was staring in their direction.

    "He''s love struck," Sonia said with a shake of her head.

    "Completely smitten," Jade said in agreement, while Lucy smiled as her eyes met with Tom''s.

    "Thanks for the invitation. I believe hanging out with your girls would do me a world of good," Aurora said, pleased to be included.

    "By the way, Lu. Which of thedies here is the silly colleague you told me about?" Sonia asked, and Lucy looked away from Tom to focus on Sonia.

    "What silly colleague?" Jade asked curiously.

    "One of her colleagues seems to have her eyes set on Tom," Sonia exined and Jade rolled her eyes.

    "Another Anita Miller?" Jade asked Lucy, and she smiled. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "She''s not as calcting as Anita. She''s more direct. Likes to get on my nerves. We handled it. I told Tom about it, and we both stopped by her office for a chit chat," Lucy said, and Sonia raised a brow.

    "Really? You asked him about the picture too?" Sonia asked, and Lucy wished she wouldn''t bring that up right here, right now.

    "What picture?" Jade asked curiously.

    Seeing the look that Lucy gave her, Sonia could tell that Lucy did not appreciate the fact that she had brought up the subject in the presence of others.

    "Yes, I asked him. Tom was at a club to meet with a client and someone took a photo of him with ady by his side and sent it to Cora, which she showed me. Thedy happened to be the niece of the client Tom was meeting," Lucy exined, and they all nodded.

    "Oh! I hope Tom disciplined her for getting involved in his private business?" Jade asked when Sonia said nothing.

    "Yeah, he did. I''m sure she learned her lesson seeing as she has not crossed over to my side of the hall all evening," Lucy said, and Jade nodded in approval.

    "Why is Candace taking so long? Do you girls think that perhaps she is with Matt? He''s sort of absent too," Sonia said as she looked around the hall.

    "That would be only if they''re having a threesome or fighting somewhere. Gemima is not here too," Jade pointed out.

    "Well, at least Candace is here now," Lucy said, and they all turned towards the entrance door as Candace walked in.

    Candace was feeling more in control of herself and her emotions now as she walked in, and as she looked around the hall trying to find where the other girls were seated, a young man approached her.

    "Hello, beautiful!"

    Although she had threatened to flirt with every guy in the room, she had nned to do so just yet, especially since Matt didn''t seem to be in the hall at the moment.

    "Hi!" Candace said with an hesitant smile.

    "I was trying to find you. For a moment I thought you left, but Harry assured me you were somewhere around," He said, and Candace raised a brow.

    "Harry did?" She asked, wondering who he was and what he must have discussed with Harry.

    "Yeah. I''m Sam. Samson Sullivan," he said as he extended his hand for a handshake and Candace reluctantly shook him.

    "You can call me Candace. And before you think about hitting on me or anything, I should like you to know I''m not interested. I''d hate for you to waste your time or mine," Candace said, and Samughed out loud.

    "You are quite straightforward," he said, and Candace gave him a nod.

    "Yes, I am. But before you leave, I''m curious to know what you asked Harry and what he said to you," Candace said, and he shrugged.

    "I didn''t say I was leaving simply because you made your disinterest know," Sam pointed out.

    "As long as you don''t hit on me and expect me to smile orugh at everything you say, I don''t care whether you go or stay," Candace said, and he grinned.

    "Why don''t I get you something to drink?" Sam suggested, and Candace shrugged as she took the hand he extended and they walked over to corner where the champagne tower and snacks were on disy.

    Once they had gotten two sses of drinks, Candace turned to him, "So? You haven''t answered my question," she said, and he smiled.

    "I figured if I answered immediately you might not have any reason to want to talk to me again, and might leave. So, why not drag it out a little?" He asked, and she raised a brow.

    "I''m not that curious. I could as well ask Harry myself," she assured him.

    "But it would be more fun to hear it from me, wouldn''t it? I mean, he doesn''t even know why I enquired about you," he said, and Candace nodded.

    "So? Why did you?" Candace asked with interest as her eyes moved around the hall in search of Matt but instead her gaze met with Sonia''s and then Jade''s who seemed to be watching them intently as though they were trying to figure out what they were discussing.

    Candace rolled her eyes at the busybodies and returned her attention to Sam who was watching her with some sort of interest.

    "At first when I saw you walk in with Harry, I thought you looked familiar," he said, and instinctively she froze.

    He didn''t miss her reaction, but he chose not toment on it.

    "I''m not someone who loves to be bugged about such a thing. I don''t like not being certain of stuff. So I kept watching you during the whole formal part of the ceremony and I noticed you didn''t seem like you were fine. I was hoping to catch a moment with you alone, but when we moved here and I didn''t see you, I had to ask Harry about the beautifuldy with him earlier. He said you went to thedies room," Sam exined, and Candace met his gaze.

    "So?" She asked, wanting to know if she still looked familiar or if he had figured out something.

    "So, what?" He asked with an innocent expression.

    "So what do you want now that you have gotten a moment with me? Has your uncertainty been resolved?" She asked, and Sam looked at her, wondering why she seemed so nervous.

    "I don''t mean to be rude or anything, but you really do look like someone I know," Sam said, and Candace couldn''t help feeling nervous.

    Did he really know her? If he did, then she was certain it was from the club since that was the only ce a person like him could possibly know her from.

    Coming here was a bad idea. She shouldn''t havee here. She was going to end up embarrassing Harry and everyone of them who hade with her.

 Chapter 640 Dance Floor Conversations

    Four pairs of eyes looked in Candace''s direction with interest as they tried to figure out who the man was and what he was saying to Candace.

    "I wonder what he is saying to her. Can anyone of you read lips?" Sonia asked hopefully even though she knew the answer to that.

    "I can read bodynguages, and Candace''s bodynguage right now says she is ufortable," Jade said, and Lucy frowned.

    "Perhaps one of us should go and bail her?" Lucy suggested.

    "Harry should go," Jade said as she picked up her phone and dialed Harry''s line.

    Harry took out his phone when it vibrated in his pocket and turned to look at Jade, wondering why she was calling him.

    "Pick up," Jade mouthed to him as she pointed at her phone, and Harry received the call.

    "We think Candace is distressed. Can you find out if she is alright?" Jade asked as she jerked her head in Candace''s direction and immediately Harry turned to look. He gave Jade a nod before hanging up.

    Oblivious to everything else going on around her, Candace forced a smile as she looked at Sam and waited for him to say what he wanted to say.

    "Can you please rx? You look really nervous," Sam pleaded when he noticed the beads of sweat on her forehead despite the air conditioner.

    "I''m rxed," Candace lied as she quickly drank from her champagne nearly choking on it.

    "Is everything alright?" Harry asked as he appeared at her side, cing a hand on her shoulder.

    "Yes," Candace rushed to assure him, thest thing she wanted was for him to hear any of this here even if he knew about her past. It would be too embarrassing.

    Harry looked at her for a moment and held her gaze to be sure if she wanted him to stay or to leave, and when she gave him a nod, pleading with her eyes that he should leave, he turned to Sam and gave him a warning look.

    "It would be in your best interest not to offend her, Sam," Harry warned before returning to join the other guys.

    "You seem pretty close," Sam said as he watched Harry leave.

    "Why is Harry leaving without taking her with him?" Sonia asked with a frown.

    "Perhaps she said she didn''t want his help," Jade said as her gaze met with Harry''s and he shook his head.

    "Hey, friends!" Gemima greeted, drawing their attention as her and Matt stopped by their table.

    Lucy couldn''t help giggling at Gemima''s attitude and Sonia''s sour expression as she eyes her, "We are not your friends," Sonia stated.

    "I told you she was the worst of them all, didn''t I? Perhaps Bryan must have told her something unpleasant about me," Gemima told Matt whose gaze was directed across the hall in Candace''s direction as was Jade''s and Aurora''s.

    "Anyway, I was about leaving so I decided to stop by and say hello. I didn''t want you thinking I left because I was threatened by you," Gemima said, and Sonia rolled her eyes.

    "Good riddance. Matt, you''re not leaving with her, are you? I think Candace might need your help," Sonia said, and this time Gemima looked in Candace''s direction as well.

    "What did you want to say?" Candace asked, feeling a bit more confident now after Harry had shown up.

    "You are aw student, aren''t you?" He asked, and Candace looked at him, taken aback by that.

    Was that what he meant when he said she looked familiar? He had seen her in school?

    "Yes. Have we met before?" She asked, and he smiled.

    "I''ve seen you a couple of times during your lectures but I''ve never approached you. My mom is one of your professors and some times when I visit her I like to sit behind the ss and watch her lecture. I''m awyer myself. I am part of the legal team here in I-Global," he exined, and watched as she visibly rxed.

    "Oh! I see. I guess your mother is Professor Ann Sullivan?" Candace asked and he nodded.

    "Yeah," he said, and continued to watch her like he wanted to say something else.

    "I''m curious though. Do you take note of all the students in the ssroom or is it just me?" Candace asked, and he winced.

    "What else?" Candace asked suspiciously, and he sighed.

    "I hope this doesn''t make you ufortable, I mean no harm. I actually took note of you because I''ve seen you before then. Twice. At the club once. And then another time during my friend''s bachelor party," He confessed, and watched as she stiffened.

    "No. Please don''t panic. I''m not going to breathe a word of this to anyone. Not even Harry. I promise!" He said and Candace didn''t know how to respond to that.

    "If you recognized me every time you saw me in the past, that means you recognized me the moment I walked in, didn''t you? You did not approach me because you were trying to figure out why I look familiar," Candace stated, and he pinched the bridge of his nose.

    "Yeah. You''re right."

    "Why then did you approach me? What do you want?" Candace asked as she straightened her back, and he shook his head.

    "I suppose I''m just very curious about you. Seeing you here in thepany of Harry and the others. You all seemed to be very close. I know it''s not my business but I was just really curious to know you," Sam said helplessly, not knowing how to phrase his question.

    "You mean you want to know why aw student like me who is close to someone like Harry works as a stripper?" Candace asked, and he shook his head as he looked at her apologetically.

    "No. I''m sorry��."

    "Well, if you must know, I''m no longer a stripper. I did that to get by during a tough time. They''re my friends and family so they know all about it. I believe that''s all you need to know. Now if your curiosity has been satisfied, I''d like to be excused," Candace cut in coolly and as she turned to leave, she bumped into someone, spilling her drink on him.

    "Oh, shit! I''m sorry," she said as she looked up to see who she had bumped into, and almostughed when she realized it was Matt.

    "Candace, I''m really sorry. I did not mean to be rude," Sam said, and Candace shrugged.

    "I''m not offended, just done talking with you," Candace said dismissively before looking at Matt.

    "I''m sorry. What were you doing behind me anyway?" She asked in amusement as she reached into her purse for her hankie to dab off the stain while Sam walked away, feeling embarrassed by her dismissal.

    "Rescuing you. Sonia and the otherdies. I can see why Bryan is terrified of them. They all insisted you looked like you were ufortable and asked that Ie save you by asking you to dance with me," Matt said as he took the hankie from her.

    "And what did you tell them?" Candace asked as she looked in Sonia''s direction, and noticed they were no longer seated. She looked around and saw them dancing with their men.

    "Well, even though I wanted nothing more than to interrupt whatever you were both discussing, I refused as I was supposed to. And Sonia kept talking about how I was being a jerk and how she would never talk to me again, and the others joined her and when I couldn''t take it anymore I decided toe to you," Matt said, and Candace shook her head.

    "Well, as you can see, I didn''t need help. You shouldn''t have budged. They''re never going to stop trying to matchmake now," Candace said.

    "Who was that guy? What was he saying to you?" Matt asked curiously.

    "Why? Did it upset you?" Candace asked sweetly.

    "No, it didn''t. You didn''t seem to be enjoying the conversation so I had no reason to be upset. But it had me concerned," Matt said, and she shrugged.

    "He recognized me. He said he has seen me at the club before," she exined, and Matt looked at her with concern.

    "Did he say anything improper? Do I need to break his nose?" Matt asked, and Candace surprised him when sheughed out loud.

    "No, thanks. He wasn''t rude," Candace assured him.

    She had no idea where the courage to respond to Sam in that manner hade from. Perhaps it was just the part of her that hated having nosy people in her business, or perhaps it was because she knew deep down that she had family and friends in the hall with her who would stand by her regardless of her past. And Matt had proved just that.

    "Where is she, anyway?" Candace asked, referring to Gemima. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "She left already. So you don''t have to flirt with anyone. So? Will you dance with me?" Matt asked as he took her winess from her and led her back to the table to drop it.

    "Are you sure it''s a good idea?" Candace asked, and Matt shrugged.

    "I don''t think they would think much of it considering they believe they forced me into asking you to dance," Matt said.

    "Maybe. As long as you don''t enjoy yourself too much. We have to try to look ufortable and uninterested else they''re going to think their n is working," Candace said as she let him lead him to the dance floor.

    "That might be difficult. I want to move my hands over your body," Matt whispered to her as he took her into his arms, and butterflies fluttered in her belly.

    "You''re an actor, Matt. Act like it," she said, reminding him of what he had said earlier as she pressed her boobs against his chest.

    Well, maybe she might not really flirt with anyone else as she had threatened, but she could torment him with her body and remind him of what he was going to lose out on if he fucked up one more time by showing up around her with any girl.

    "You said try to look ufortable and uninterested yet you grind your body against mine in this manner and expect me not to have a reaction," Matt muttered under his breath.

    "You do sound ufortable," Candace said in amusement.

    "We are still on tomorrow, right?" Matt asked hopefully.

    "You bet," Candace said with a smile which she quickly covered up with a scowl when her eyes met with Jade''s who was dancing with Harry some steps away from them.

    Jade smiled, "I wonder when they''re both going to stop deceiving themselves. Anyone with eyes can tell they''re very much into each other," Jade whispered to Harry.

    "When they''re ready they will. Until then, can you focus on me?" Harry asked, and Jade rolled her eyes.

    "Why should I when you abandoned me all night long and chose to go have those boring discussions with the guys?" Jade asked, and Harry looked down at her.

    "You ditched me from the moment we walked into the hall, remember?" Harry asked, and Jade shed him a smile when she remembered she had walked away from him the moment she saw Aurora.

    "Let''s talk about something else," Jade said, and Harry chuckled at her tactics to change the subject because she was guilty.

    "What do you want to talk about?" Harry asked and Jade shrugged.

    "What''s your n for the weekend?" She asked, and Harry raised a brow.

    "I heard you girls were spending Saturday together."

    "That''s our n. What''s yours? Am I seeing you?" Jade asked, and Harry shrugged.

    "I''d love to see you. Besides, you''re my girlfriend. So, it''s also your call to make. If you ask me to cancel all my ns to spend time with you, I will," Harry said, and Jade grinned.

    "You always know the right things to say. A man after my heart," she said as she rested her head on his chest and they both swayed to the rhythm of the music.

    Few feet from them, Sonia''s gaze swept across the dance floor as she danced with Bryan. She couldn''t help noticing that everyone seemed to be doing more of talking than dancing.

    She smiled in satisfaction as her gaze settled on Candace and Matt. She had nothing personal against Gemima, but as far as she was concerned, Gemima was an unwanted distraction in this romance. Perhaps it was the writer in her that made her believe those two were meant to be together.

    "Candace and Matt look so good together, don''t they?" Sonia asked, and Bryan nodded agreeably.

    "Yeah. They do."

    "I suppose the next time we would all be gathered together this way will be at Jade''s wedding," Sonia murmured. She had enjoyed being with everyone this way tonight even though Gemima''s presence had put a damper on the pleasant mood.

    "Why do you think so?" Bryan asked, and she shrugged.

    "Because it''s the next social gathering after now. Remember, she said Harry would be proposing in six months," Sonia said reasonably.

    "What if Tom and Lucy decides to get married before then?" Bryan asked, and Sonia shook her head.

    "I don''t see that happening�� anytime soon," she added so that Bryan wouldn''t ask her what she meant about not seeing it happening.

    "And what if we get married before then?" Bryan asked jokingly and Sonia giggled.

    "The both of us? That''s highly unlikely," Sonia said with a shake of her head.

    "Why do you think so?" Bryan asked with a slight frown.

    "Why? You suddenly want to get married?" Sonia asked with a teasing smile.

    "Don''t you want to?" Bryan asked as he stopped dancing while looking at her seriously.

    "Why wouldn''t I want to? I''d marry you any day and time. I''m just saying I don''t see it happening anytime soon," Sonia said, and Bryan rxed.

    "So, if we were to get married, when do you think would be the best time?" Bryan asked, and Sonia grinned.

    "I just told you I''d marry you any day and time. If you asked me to marry you right now, I will," Sonia assured him, and Bryan chuckled.

    "Not so soon," he said, and she grinned.

    "See? I told you," Sonia said, and giggled when Bryan kissed her.

    He would love to see her reaction when he popped the question to her on Sunday.

    A couple of feet away from them, Lucy and Tom gazed at each other as they danced, "Are you enjoying the party?" Tom asked, and sheughed softly.

    "I don''t think there is a right response to that question. You have no idea the number of people who have said hello to me tonight. I''ve spoken with more people tonight than I have done in years. And I don''t even remember ny percent of the names of those you introduced me to earlier," Lucy confessed and Tom chuckled.

    "There is no hurry. You will eventually get to know the very important ones," Tom assured her and she sighed softly.

    "What about you? Are you enjoying the party? I know it''s your first time being here like this," Lucy said, and Tom shrugged.

    "I think I''m okay. I know most of the people in the hall even though they didn''t know me until recently. I''ve received a lot of invitations to various events. I have a feeling I''m not going to be able to keep a low profile for much longer," Tom said, and Lucy nodded in understanding.

    "Don''t worry. I will try to always apany you to such events so you don''t feel too ufortable," Lucy assured him, reminding herself that he had exposed his identity for her sake and this was all part of the consequence.

    "Really?" He asked as he watched her with a curious smile.

    "Of course. Why should my man attend such social functions without me by his side?" She asked with a raised brow and he grinned.

    "I love the sound of that," he said, and she smiled.

    "You should. By the way, how much space would you like me to create for you? I n to clean out a drawer for you when I get home tonight," Lucy said, and Tom''s grin widened even more.

    "So soon? Why not wait until tomorrow? You would need to rest," Tom said and she shook her head.

    "Tomorrow is going to be a busy day. I have to clean the house and do myundry after my parents leave. And there''s the hangout with the girls. I want everything go to be organized before youe," Lucy said and he smiled at her as the music stopped.

    "I think I''m ready to call it a night. Ready to leave?" Tom asked, and Lucy beamed a smile at him.

    "I''ve been waiting to hear that since the moment we arrived," Lucy said happily, and Tom chuckled as he led her away from the dance floor.

 Chapter 641 Sneaking Around

    Later that night as Andyy in bed after Mira and the housekeeper had gone to sleep, she sighed as she thought about all that had happened during the day.

    After their encounter in his bedroom earlier that day, she had barely been able to spend a moment alone with him to talk.

    He had left the house on a stroll with Maribel before she finished freshening up, and after they had returned some timeter after she had breakfast, he had given her a sheet of paper and pen to write down what she wanted to say to Candace, and give it to him so he could send the text himself.

    She had wanted to argue with him and fight over it, but she had been unable to do that. Not when Maribel had been looking up at her innocently while the housekeeper had been busy ring at her.

    She was very certain that Cassidy had done that deliberately. The calcting bastard had made sure he did that in the presence of his daughter and housekeeper because he knew she wouldn''t want to fight with him in front of them.

    After she wrote down the text, Cassidy had disappeared, and the housekeeper had left to get some groceries. leaving her to spend the rest of the day getting to know the little girl.

    She couldn''t help wondering if Candace had received her text since she was yet to see Cassidy to ask him.

    Although Cassidy had assured her that Candace would get the text, she wasn''t sure she entirely trusted him.

    She sighed as her thoughts drifted to Candace and she sat up in her bed.

    How was Candace doing? How was her little Jam doing? Was Jero truly dead as Cassidy had said? Had the case been resolved now? Was Candace now dating Matt? Andy mused with a smile.

    She knew for a fact that Candace liked Matt a lot, and she thought it would be a shame if Candace didn''t give the guy a chance simply because he was a celebrity.

    She hoped they were dating. She liked Matt. The dude was attractive, had a good sense of humor, and was wealthy. And most importantly, he seemed to like Candace a lot. It would be Candace''a loss if she let go of someone like that.

    She really hoped Candace was happy and having fun with Matt, and not having a hard time. That was what she wanted for Candace.

    She paused when she heard footsteps down the hall and soon Cassidy''s bedroom door opened and he closed as he walked in.

    So, he was back from wherever he had disappeared to all day, she thought with a scowl. Must be nice to be the man of the house, going anding as he pleased she thought dryly.

    The man was a mystery to her, and even though she didn''t care about him and neither was she curious to know him beyond all she already knew, she couldn''t help it.

    In order to n her escape, she needed to get to know her captor. She needed to befriend him. Seduce him if need be, to let down his guard so she could be able to run away.

    Although she wasn''t in cuffs, tied to a chain, or locked up in a room, but her situation wasn''t far different from one whose hands were tied.

    What was the point of being able to move around easily if she was stranded? They were on an ind and even if she managed to sneak out of the house, there was no ship to take her out of the ind.

    She wasn''t certain yet what the rtionship was between Cassidy and the other residents of the Ind, else she would have gone out to inform them she had been kidnapped and asked for their help to escape, but she couldn''t risk it. At least not yet.

    It would take some time, but she was going to have to befriend both Alex and most of the people on the Ind.

    That was the only way she would know how to leave. Perhaps a ship came by to drop grocery and supplies for them from time to time. Or maybe they had a special way of transportation out of the ind.

    Whatever it was, she was going to find out.

    Her gaze shifted to the interconnected door when she heard movements inside Cassidy''s bedroom, and she paused to listen.

    A momentter she heard his bedroom door open and close gently and she got out of bed.

    Where was he going to at this time of the night when he had only just returned a moment ago? She mused as she got out of bed.

    She was going to have to follow him discreetly and find out what he was up to.

    Thankfully she was still dressed in the tshirt and jeans she had been wearing all day, so she tried to be as noiseless as possible as she unlocked her bedroom door and tiptoed to the living room.

    Because most of the lights in the house had been switched off save for the light in the hallway, Andy was able to make her way into the living room, and once she got there, she headed for the door, naturally assuming that Cassidy had gone out.

    Cassidy who was seated in the dark sipping from a ss of whiskey watched silently as she made her way towards the door, and before she could reach for the knob, he raised a brow.

    "Trying to run away?" He asked, startling Andy who spun around in surprise.

    Instead of looking like a thief who had been caught in the act or admitting she had only been trying to follow him, Andy raised her chin as she met his gaze.

    "What if I am?" She challenged, but Cassidy said nothing as he merely remained where he sat watching her over the rim of his whiskey ss.

    When she didn''t get a response, she stepped towards to him, "Were you keeping watch over the door because you thought I was going to try to escape?" She asked suspiciously.

    Cassidy sighed as he set his ss down and massaged his temple, "Sneaking around doesn''t suit you. Can you please sit down?" He asked calmly, and Andy being the reasonable person she was, and seeing no reason to argue over it sat down.

    "Did you get my message to my sister? Did she send a response?" Andy asked as she tried to squint so she could get a better view of his face.

    "She received the text, but she can''t text back," Cassidy said, and Andy rose tosh out at him angrily, but he raised a finger to stop her.

    "We don''t always have to fight or argue. If you want an exnation, you will get one. But don''t yell and just listen first," he said and even though Andy was itching to speak she sat still and waited for him.

    "The text was sent in a way that the number can never be traced back. I can''t be sure that her phone is safe. Someone could be monitoring her phone to see if she would hear from you or anything. I can''t be entirely sure that they bought the yacht''s explosion and believe I''m dead," Cassidy said, and Andy raised a brow.

    "If everything went as you nned and they''ve all been arrested, what are you scared of? They''re all locked up��"

    "Their families were not arrested. The cartel lords might have been arrested but some of their sons could want to look deeper into my involvement and death. I''m trying to be sure it''s safe. I need it all to die down and for them to forget about me," Cassidy exined, and Andy shook her head in confusion.

    "I don''t understand. Why did you choose to get involved in all of this if you were going to betray them anyway? If you''re going to always have to live this way you should have just remained there since you''re just like them��"<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "I''m nothing like them. I''d rather live this way than be a part of them," Cassidy spat out bitterly and Andy''s brows pulled together in confusion.

    "Well, when can I speak with my sister then? I have to talk to her," Andy said instead of asking why he had sounded so bitter.

    "I will let you know when I believe it''s safe," Cassidy said and Andy shook her head.

    "So, how am I supposed to know she is fine? I need to know how they are doing!" Andy insisted and Cassidy picked up his ss and drank from it.

    "You might end up jeopardizing their safety if you keep contacting her. Your sister and nephew are safe at the moment. They are currently in Ludus, living with Harry Jonas, thewyer''s boyfriend��"

    "Why would she be living with the Lawyer''s boyfriend? And how do you know that? Andy asked in confusion.

    "I don''t know the exact details yet, but she looks like she is doing okay," Cassidy said as he rose and Andy watched, wondering why he was leaving.

    He walked down the hallway and went into his bedroom and just when she thought their conversation was over and he had left, he returned to the living room holding an envelope.

    He turned on the light in the living room,"I was going to give this to you in the morning," he said dropping the envelope on herp as he returned to his seat.

    Andy opened the envelope and took out the pictures inside. She blinked back tears when she saw several pictures of Candace at different times.

    "I thought you would be worried and want to know how she was doing so I asked my men to keep an eye on her. I couldn''t get across to them or ess their messages until we arrived. From what I gathered, she returned to Ludus with thewyerdy after Jero''s death. She doesn''t move around much, so it took some time for them to find out where she was, but by following the movements of thewyerdy and her boyfriend they were able to locate her," Cassidy exined as Andy pored over the pictures.

    There were a couple of photos of Candace. She was walking into I-Globalpany with Harry, and another of her and Jade walking into a boutique anding out with Candace dressed in her new ssy clothes.

    "She looks so beautiful. The clothes look so good on her," Andy murmured to herself as she brushed her tears from her cheeks.

    And then there was another picture of Candace seated in Harry''s car and crying when she received Andy''s text.

    "This was sent earlier today. I believe it was around the time she got your text," Cassidy said when he noticed she was staring at that particr picture.

    "I don''t think you have to worry much about her. My men observed that she was being followed. It seems they''re still trying to protect her," Cassidy said, but Andy said nothing.

    Andy smiled when she saw a picture of someone getting into the car and she didn''t need to take a closer look to know it was Matt. The fact that he was covering his face like a celebrity made her certain he was the one

    Did this mean that things was going smoothly between them as she hoped? Andy mused with a smile.

    She picked up thest picture, and her smile widened when she saw a picture of Candace walking down the red carpet in thepany of Harry and the others.

    "She looks like she was made for the red carpet," Andy whispered softly, while Cassidy watched her with interest.

    "That was captured earlier tonight, at the anniversary dinner party of I-Global," Cassidy exined and Andy looked up at him.

    "Who are these people?" Andy asked as she looked down at Tom, Lucy, and the others who she didn''t recognize.

    The only people she recognized there was Jade, who she knew personally as theirwyer. Seeing how Harry was holding Jade and Candace, she suspected Harry was Jade''s boyfriend who she had heard about but had never seen. She also recognized Bryan who she knew was an actor and Matt''s best friend, and Sonia who she recognized as a result of their engagement scandal . She had met them before after all when her and Candace had given the couple ap dance in the past.

    Cassidy pointed out the others to her and exined who each of them was based on the information he had received.

    "So, they''re all a family then," Andy said upon hearing about Tom''s, Bryan''s, and Jade''s rtionship as well as how Harry was Tom''s best friend and Jade''s boyfriend, and how Sonia and Lucy were best friends dating the two brothers.

    "Yes. Thomas and Harry co-own I-Global," Cassidy added, and Andy nodded.

    "Why are there no photos of Jamal?" Andy asked, and he shook his head.

    "They haven''t been able to get one. When they do, you will get it," Cassidy promised her.

    Andy sighed, "I guess they are surrounded by people who can take care of them," Andy said, thinking she could at least worry less about Candace and Jamal now.

    As long as they were fine and she was sure they knew she was okay too, then she could endure being away from them for a while.

    "Yes. That is why I think you shouldn''t worry too much. Please be patient," Cassidy said and Andy held his gaze for a moment.

    "Why does everyone around here call you Alex?" She asked, changing the subject abruptly.

    "Because that is my name. Cassidy is my birth name but I changed my name to Alex after I left home for college. I didn''t want to be associated with my father or his business," Cassidy said simply and rose before she could ask him any other questions.

    "Why?" Andy asked regardless.

    "I don''t think we can get into that tonight. You should get some sleep," Cassidy said as he turned off the light, letting her know he was done talking.

    Andy looked down at the photos on herp and gathered them together and put them in the envelope as she rose.

    Neither of them said a word as they walked down the passageway to their bedrooms, and once she got to her bedroom door she paused to look at him as he continued down to his, "Cas?" She called, and he turned to look at her.

    "Thanks for these," she said, raising the envelope, and he gave her a nod.

    As she turned to walk into her bedroom he stopped her, "Andy?"

    She turned to look at him once again, "You don''t have to try to escape or do anything to endanger yourself. When I''m certain everything is settled, I will let you go if you still want to," he promised before walking away.

    Andy sighed as she walked into her bedroom and shut the door behind her. What did he mean if she still wanted to? Why wouldn''t she want to get away from this ce?

 Chapter 642 This Isn’t Happening!

    Alone on his bed, Tom couldn''t sleep despite the fact that the time was almost three in the morning. Perhaps it was because he had slept for hours during the day when Lucy was with him.

    After dropping Lucy and Jeff off at their apartments at past 12 A.M. earlier after they all left party, he had wanted to stay back with Lucy to wait until her parents got back from Harry''s, but Lucy had insisted he go home to get some rest while she busied herself with rearranging her closet and drawers until her parents'' got back.

    Because of Aaron''s health they had thought leaving him alone with Jamal wasn''t ideal, so both Tom''s parents and Lucy''s parents had spent the time with them pending when Harry and Candace would get back from the party.

    The moment he got to his house, he had freshened up and busied with arranging the stuff he would move to Lucy''s ce.

    The whole situation was amusing to him. The truth was he still had no idea what he and Lucy were doing or how to understand their rtionship, but one thing he had resolved in his heart to do since he got back from his trip, was to go with Lucy''s flow.

    Every rtionship was peculiar in its way and what he had with Lucy was even more so. He loved her. He knew she loved him. And even though he wanted more, and she didn''t, their love had to be enough.

    One thing he knew was that he''d rather have what they had now, than not have her in his life at all. She was his person. His soulmate. She made him happy and that was all that mattered.

    Having her with him tonight as his partner had made one thing clear to him. Even though they were not married, everyone had recognized her as his partner, and she had acted ordingly too whether or not she realized she had been acting like his wife by conversing with his guests and acting as the hostess.

    Although she had asked that they don''t talk about Dawn until the weekend was over and they got the DNA paternity result on Monday, he couldn''t help wondering how she would take it if it truly came out positive.

    Thinking about Dawn, Tom sighed as he picked up his phone to take a look at her pictures. What would he do about the kid if she turned out to be his?

    He needed to speak with his parents about all of this since they were leaving the next day. He would need them to hear it from him directly before leaving and to hear what they also had to say about it.

    Without giving much thought to the fact that the time was just past 3 A.M., he rose from the bed and walked out of his bedroom.

    He knew they were back from Harry''s since he had heard their voices down the hall when they came in.

    Once he got to their bedroom he knocked on the door, rousing them both from sleep.

    His parents exchanged a look when they woke up and heard the knock again, "Am I dreaming? I thought all our kids were grown up?" Desmond asked when he nced at the open window and saw it was not morning yet.

    "Hold on," Evelyn called out to Tom as she got out of bed and adjusted her sleeping robe while Desmond turned on the light and nced at the bedside clock.

    He scowled when he saw that the time was 3:29 A.M. and they''ve been sleeping for only two hours yet were being disturbed. He walked into the bathroom to ssh water on his face.

    "Tom?" Evelyn asked in surprise when she opened the door and saw it was her eldest son knocking.

    Tom never woke them up in the middle of the night. Not even when he had been a kid.

    "Sorry to disturb your sleep. Can I speak with you?" Tom asked apologetically.

    "Did someone have a nightmare? Need to join daddy and mommy in bed?" Desmond drawled sarcastically as he approached the door, and paused when he saw Tom.

    "Tom?" Desmond asked, looking as surprised as Evelyn had been to see him.

    "You want to speak with me?" Evelyn asked, and Tom shook his head.

    "The both of you. I thought I might not be able to have some time alone with you if I wait till morning," Tom said, and his parents exchanged a look.

    "Want toe inside?" Desmond asked, and Tom gave him a nod, and they stepped outside to let him in.

    After they were all seated on the bed, Tom looked at them apologetically again, "I''m sorry for disturbing your sleep," he said, and they both waved it off dismissively.

    "You wouldn''t wake us up if it wasn''t important. What is wrong? Did something happen?" Desmond asked with concern.

    "Sort of. I think I might have a daughter," Tom said, and both his parents looked at him.

    "Is Lucy pregnant?" Evelyn asked in confusion.

    "No, mom! This isn''t about Lucy. I met someone I''ve been with in the past, during my trip. And she told me we have a daughter together," Tom exined without meeting both their gaze.

    Despite the fact that he was an adult perfectly capable of making his own decisions, he felt somewhat embarrassed to tell his parents he had made such a mistake that even Bryan who was the family yboy had not made.

    Neither Evelyn nor Desmond said a word as they exchanged a look, each trying to process the information.

    "How do you know she is telling the truth? Anyone could make up stories just to get money from you. I mean you''re a very sessful��."

    "I don''t think it''s about money, mom," Tom cut in, and exined the situation to them in detail, and who Kimberly was.

    "You mean she let you take the DNA samples yourself?" Desmond asked, and Tom nodded.

    "And you say the kid looks like you? You believe she might be yours?" Evelyn asked, and Tom gave her a nod.

    "Oh, lord! This isn''t happening!" Evelyn murmured as she pressed both hands to the sides of her head.

    "I know I''ve always said I wanted a grandkid, but not this way. This is wrong for everyone," Evelynined.

    "Don''t say that, Eve. You''re not helping," Desmond chided as he patted her back.

    "But it''s the truth. It''s going to affect everyone..."

    "And who is the everyone?" Desmond cut in.

    "Tom and Lucy''s rtionship. The kid''s life will be affected too. Our rtionship with Lucy''s parents will be affected if things don''t work out between Tom and Lucy..."

    "I love Lucy and her family, but this is about Tom and the little girl..."

    "Lucy is like our daughter-inw...."

    "Being LIKE is not the same as being it. She is not Tom''s wife. She doesn''t even want to be. Tom can make whatever decision that works best for him and the little girl. We don''t have to make this about Lucy," Desmond cut in.

    "Lucy matters to me, dad. Wife or not, she is an important part of my life and this is about her as well," Tom said, not liking how his father had dismissed Lucy.

    "I know that. And I understand it. I''m only saying the kid is important and I don''t like your motherining about how the kid''s presence might affect everything else. How do you think the child would feel if she knew her supposed grandmother thought her existence was aplication?" Desmond asked, and Evelyn frowned.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "That wasn''t what I meant. Besides I rightly said the kid''s life will be affected too," Evelyn said defensively.

    Desmond sighed as he thought about the entire situation, "When will the result be out? Do you need us to cancel our flight? We can be around until it has been resolved," Desmond offered and Tom shook his head.

    "No. You don''t have to stay��"

    "That''s nonsense! We will stay back until the result is out. It''s not like there is anything urgent we are hurrying back to attend to. We will stay," Evelyn dered.

    Despite their best intentions, Tom wanted them to leave so he could have time to be alone with Lucy, "No, mom. I''d rather you go home as nned. It''s not like your presence would change the result of the test. I decided to tell you about it now so I do not have to exin it all over the phone if the test resultes back positive," Tom said calmly and Desmond nodded in understanding.

    "Sure. You can let us know the result when it''s out and we will figure out where to go from there," Desmond said, but Evelyn wasn''t in agreement.

    "What''s there to figure outter? I think it''s best we make the decisions now. If the child turns out to be yours, what do you n to do?" Evelyn asked, and Desmond frowned.

    "What else can he do other than be a father to his child?" Desmond asked matter of factly.

    "I believe you don''t have ns of pursuing a rtionship with the child''s mother. Do you?" Evelyn asked, ignoring her husband.

    "She is already the mother of his child��"

    "I want an answer from Tom, not you," Evelyn snapped at her husband, and he shook his head in exasperation. Evelyn was

    "Other than being the mother of my child if it turns out true? Of course, I don''t. Lucy is the only woman I n to spend my life with," Tom said, and both his parents nodded.

    "Then it''s simple. If the resultes back positive, we wille back and you will invite the child and her mother down to Ludus so we can see them. We will have to discuss with her and agree on you raising the child��"

    "Evelyn! You can''t possibly take the child away from her mother," Desmond cut in.

    "I''m not saying it''s going to be a fight for custody or anything. We will all talk about it reasonably. The child would be Tom''s child too, and she has spent three years with her mother already. The child needs to know her father and his family," Evelyn said reasonably.

    "And if she doesn''t agree to being separated from her kid?" Desmond asked with a raised brow.

    "Why wouldn''t she? I don''t think she would mind Tom being involved in the child''s life. I believe she tried to find Tom because she didn''t want to raise the child alone. It''s not like she expects him to relocate to her country because of the child or that she expects him to marry her for the child''s sake. If she wants Tom to be involved in raising the child then she would have to let the child live with Tom. At least for some time," Evelyn said, and Tom sighed.

    "Maybe we are thinking too far ahead," Tom said as he massaged his temple.

    "It doesn''t hurt to think far ahead. That way you won''t be clueless when it''s time to take a stand and make a decision. When the resultes, you can discuss all of this with Lucy. I believe she would want to be part of the decision making since she is also a part of your life," Evelyn said, and Tom sighed once again.

    "You haven''t told Lucy about it yet, have you?" Evelyn asked with a concerned frown.

    "I have," Tom said, surprising both his parents.

    "You did? When? How did she take the news?" Evelyn asked, and Tom shrugged.

    "She has been supportive. She even followed me to theb to drop the samples," Tom said, not seeing any need to tell them Lucy had fled from his office the moment he told her about the kid.

    "That''s good then. Don''t worry, son. It''s not the end of the world. This might turn out to be a blessing in disguise," Desmond said as he reached out to tap Tom''s shoulder.

    "Your father is right. Don''t let it bother you too much. I''m sure we will find a way to make it work if she turns out to be your daughter," Evelyn promised as she reached for his hand and squeezed it gently.

    "I''m serious about you going back as nned," Tom reminded his mother and she nodded.

    "Alright. But you have to let us know whatever you decide. And we have to be here when you invite them over," Evelyn said, and Tom gave her a nods

    "Sure. I will. You can''t tell J or Andrew��"

    "Of course not. It''s not our ce to do so," Evelyn cut in.

    "You don''t even have to ask," Desmond said at the same time.

    Tom gave them a nod, "Thanks for hearing me out. And once again I''m sorry I disturbed your sleep," Tom said as he rose to leave.

    "You''re our son. It''s your right to disturb our sleep," Evelyn assured him.

    "I don''t know about that," Desmond said, and Tom chuckled while Evelyn pped his arm yfully.

    "I will leave you both to get some rest while I try to do the same," Tom said as he headed for the door.

    Once he shut the door the door behind him, Evelyn and Desmond sighed, "He looks very worried. I doubt he''s going back to bed," Evelyn said with a frown.

    "Anyone in his position would be worried. You could have handled it better," Desmond said, and Evelyn shook her head.

    "It''s your job to handle things better, remember? It''s my job to react normally and bnce things," Evelyn said as she snuggled closer to Desmond and rested her head on his shoulder.

    "What are we going to do?" Evelyn asked with a sigh.

    "Nothing. It''s not for us to do anything. Tom has to handle this alone. With Lucy by his side hopefully," Desmond said, wondering if Lucy would be okay with raising the kid if Evelyn''s suggestion worked and the child came to live with Tom.

    Evelyn drew back to look at him with a frown, "But we can''t just not do anything. We are his parents��"

    "Tom is thirty. He''s not a kid. He can handle this himself. I''m certain all he needs is the result and then he will figure out what he wants. Let''s go back to bed," Desmond suggested.

    "I can''t understand how you are always so calm��"

    "I know we did a good job raising the kids, Eve. So, I trust them. They won''t fold over such little inconveniences. Tom won''t be the first young man to find out he is a father out of the blue," Desmond said confidently.

    "But the situation with Lucy��"

    "That is also for them both to resolve not for us to lose sleep over. We have a flight to catch in a couple of hours. I''m going back to sleep. You can stay up and worry all you want or you can join me," Desmond said as he reached for the switch and turned off the light.

 Chapter 643 How Do You Know Their Names?

    The Hank family gathered together for breakfastter than usual that morning before Evelyn and Desmond would prepare to leave for the airport, since they had all had ate night.

    It didn''t take long for Jade and Bryan to observe that something was wrong since both Tom and their parents were unusually quiet as they ate.

    "Did we miss something? It seems like something happened when we weren''t looking," Jade said to Bryan and Sonia.

    "Is everything alright?" Bryan asked his parents and Desmond smiled.

    "Sure. We are going to miss you kids," Desmond said, and Evelyn nodded in agreement.

    "And you, Tommy? Are you alright?" Jade asked, looking at Tom with interest.

    "I miss Lucy," Tom said, and Jade rolled her eyes, while Sonia smiled.

    "I trust she will be back now that you''re back from your trip. I guess she wille back after her parents leave," Bryan said, and Tom shrugged without saying anything.

    "I seem to be the only person whose partner isn''t living under this roof. Perhaps I should ask Harry to move in too?" Jade l asked, and this time even her parents and Tomughed.

    "By the way, Sony, how did the house hunting go yesterday? Did you find any ce of interest?" Evelyn asked since she had not seen him since they left for the house hunting.

    "We did. I can see why Tom is so sessful. He employs only the best. The I-Global realtor who took us around seemed to know just what we wanted," Bryan said with satisfaction.

    "You won''t believe Bryan handled the paper works and paid for the house yesterday," Sonia said, her eyes shining with excitement at the prospect of buying their home.

    Jade exchanged a look with Bryan, knowing that statement meant he was going on with his n to engage Sonia in their new home.

    "It was an eye opening experience. You won''t believe Sonia wanted to pay half the money for the ce," Bryan said, and Jade raised a brow as she looked at Sonia.

    "Why would you want to spend a dime? Your boyfriend is wealthy. I would suck him dry if I were you," Jade said, and Sonia giggled.

    "I can''t wait to see how you suck Harry dry," Bryan said and Jade stuck out her tongue.

    "I intend to do just that��"

    "I guess I will have to let him know," Tom cut in, and Jade rolled her eyes.

    "He knows and he loves me just the same. Nothing you say can change his mind. You will only end up making him fall harder in love," Jade said with a smug smile and her parentsughed.

    "Must feel good to be so confident," Tom muttered.

    "How did the party gost night? Did any interesting thing happen? Sonia, please tell me. I trust your storytelling skills," Evelyn said, and Sonia shrugged.

    "Well, it was going well until Matt showed up with some girl, and they both sat on the same table with us and Candace," Sonia said with a scowl.

    "It was awkward. Candace kept ring at her," Jade said with a giggle.

    "Awkward? That''s an understatement," Sonia said with a snort and Evelynughed.

    "So, what happened? Any cat fight?" Desmond asked with interest, and they allughed as Sonia and Jade told them about the meeting in thedies'' room and how Gemima had busted them.

    "I guess you all had a nice time then," Evelyn said with a small smile when they were done talking about the party.

    "Yeah. And today we are going to continue. We are going clubbing. Just us girls," Jade said, and Evelyn turned to Sonia.

    "You are not taking alcohol��"

    "She won''t. I''m going to be there to look after her and my little Nibling, don''t worry," Jade said, and Evelyn nodded.

    "I thought I was the one meant to look after you alcoholics?" Sonia asked dryly, and Jade giggled.

    "Eve, we need to go get ready to leave for the airport," Desmond said as he nced at his wristwatch and pushed away from the table.

    After their parents left, Tom left as well, leaving Sonia, Bryan and Jade on the table.

    Sonia picked up her phone when it rang and smiled when she saw it was Lucy, "Hey, baby!" Sonia greeted cheerfully as she rose and excused herself.

    Immediately she left, Jade leaned closer to Bryan, "So, we are going ahead with your original n?" Jade asked, and Bryan nodded.

    "Yes. Perhaps if you have timeter in the day I can take you over there to show you the ce and then you can figure out what to do," Bryan suggested and Jade nced at her wristwatch.

    It was past ten in the morning, "Is there a way we can do that without Sonia being suspicious or wanting toe with us?" Jade asked, and Bryan shrugged.

    "Even if she does go with us, she doesn''t need to know the reason I took you there. Nothing wrong in unting my house to my sister, is there?" Bryan asked, and they both pulled away when they heard Soniaing back.

    "Babe, I''m sorry. But can we cancel our appointment with the interior decorators? I need to go over to Lucy''s," Sonia said as she joined them and the siblings exchanged an amused look.

    "Sure, we can. Is everything alright with Lucy?" Bryan asked, and she nodded.

    "Yeah. It''s been a while we spent some time together alone. And since it''s weekend and she isn''t so busy we figured we chill together before hanging out with the otherster," Sonia said as though it wasn''t a big deal even though she could tell that whatever Lucy wanted to discuss with her was very important.

    "Don''t worry, we don''t have to cancel. I can meet with them myself if you tell me what you want��"

    "But I will like to be there when the decisions are made," she cut in with a frown.

    "We will just be discussing the ideas today. No major decision making. Whatever we discuss I will let you know and we can meet with them again on Monday," Bryan said as he took her hand and kissed her palm.

    "Alright," Sonia said reluctantly. Lucy came before any other thing. She could let Bryan handle it today and on Monday she would tell them exactly what she wanted.

    "Why don''t Ie with you? I will like to see the ce. And since Sonia won''t be with you, my feminine opinion mighte in handy," Jade asked hopefully and Sonia smiled.

    "That''s right! Great! Jade will go with you, babe. And I can just meet with them on Monday," Sonia said with a smile and Jade grinned at Bryan.

    "Alright, then. It''s settled. We will drop you off at Lucy''s on our way," Bryan said, and Sonia kissed his cheek happily.

    "Great. Thanks baby. I should go get ready to leave then," Sonia said and then turned to Jade.

    "I might not be back before the time for our outing, so Lucy and I will join you girls when it''s time," Sonia told Jade.

    "That''s fine. I have to see Harry anyway. I will pick up Candace while I''m there and we can all meet at the club," Jade suggested, and Sonia shed the siblings a smile.

    "Great. I''ll be upstairs getting ready," Sonia said before walking away.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    The moment she disappeared from view they bothughed, "This makes the whole thing easier. Everything seems to be going your way," Jade said, and Bryan grinned.

    "Must be a sign that I''m doing the right thing," he said as he pushed away from the table and rose.

    "I should go get ready to drop her off at Lucy''s. You should too," Bryan said before walking away.

    Less than two hourster, Sonia stood outside Lucy''s apartment and rang the doorbell, and a momentter Lucy opened the door.

    "What did you want to talk about," Sonia asked as she walked inside and Lucy rolled her eyes.

    "Really? You''re not even going to sit first?" Lucy asked in amusement.

    "What difference does it make whether I sit or not? By the way, Tom misses your presence in the house. You both seemed fine yesterday. I take it his trip helped smoothen things out?" Sonia asked as she went to the refrigerator to find something to munch on and Lucy shook her head as she sat down on the couch, waiting for Sonia to settle down.

    "Why aren''t you saying anything?" Sonia asked as she sat down opposite Lucy and opened the Maltesers chocte she had taken from the refrigerator.

    "Because I''m about to have a serious conversation with you, and I can''t do that if you''re not settled," Lucy said and Sonia frowned.

    "You''re making me worried. What''s this about?" Sonia asked, and Lucy picked up her phone and after unlocking it she handed it to Sonia.

    "What am I supposed to do with your phone? Aww!" Sonia said with a wide smile when her eyes fell on the picture of the cute little girl dressed in matching outfit with her mother on the screen.

    "Kimberly and her daughter Dawn��"

    "How do you know their names?" Lucy asked in surprise when Sonia mentioned their names, and Sonia bobbed her head.

    "Yeah. She recently followed me on Instagram even though I''ve been following her for years��"

    "How long have you been following her?" Lucy asked curiously and Sonia shrugged.

    "Long before she even had her daughter Dawn. Dawn is such a sweet little princess. I hope I have a little girl. Would love to dress up this way with her too," Sonia said with a wide smile and then after a moment of admiring them she paused and frowned when she noticed that Lucy was silent.

    "Why are you showing me their pictures anyway? Does it suddenly make you feel maternal?" Sonia asked with a teasing smile as she looked up at Lucy.

    "That''s thedy who was with Tom in the club picture which Cora showed me," Lucy exined.

    "Oh! Really? Why are you checking her out? Didn''t you say that was resolved already since she was rted to the person Tom was meeting?" Sonia asked as she looked at the picture again.

    "Scroll to the next picture," Lucy said, and Sonia did as she was told to a selfie photo of the little girl alone.

    "Take a closer look at the kid," Lucy suggested before Sonia could speak, and Sonia''s eyes narrowed as she zoomed in on the picture.

    "I told you I''ve seen the kid''s picture since she was born. I know what she looks like. What do you need me to see?" Sonia asked as she looked up from the picture.

    "Doesn''t the kid bring anyone you know to mind?" Lucy asked, and Sonia frowned.

    "What''s going on, Lu? What''s this about?" Sonia asked as she met Lucy''s gaze.

    "Doesn''t she remind you of Tom? The eyes? That smile?" Lucy asked, and Sonia shook her head in exasperation.

    "Don''t tell me you allowed that girl get into your head and now you think Tom has a family somewhere. The kid might look a bit like Tom but that doesn''t mean anything. People have doppelg?ngers all the time, and she is not even close to being Tom''s doppelg?nger. Resemnces like this happen randomly between strangers," Sonia said dismissively.

    "And the fact that Kimberly was at the club?" Lucy asked, wanting to get a rise out of Sonia.

    "I believe it''s just coincidence that she met Tom at the club. Tom isn''t hiding anything from you," Sonia said with a frown.

    Lucy resisted the urge to smile at Sonia''s heartfelt defense of Tom, "Why are you so sure he isn''t hiding anything?" Lucy asked, wanting to see how far Sonia would defend him.

    Sonia dropped the chocte and rose up eyeing Lucy angrily, "Because he is TOM! How can you even ask me that? That guy is crazy about you and he wouldn''t do anything to hurt you or jeopardize your rtionship. It''s crazy that you''re even questioning his integrity right now! I find it annoying on his behalf! Listen to me, if you''re doing this because you''re looking for an excuse to break up or��"

    Sonia stopped talking abruptly when Lucy began to giggle, "What''s funny?" She asked with a frown.

    Lucy shook her head as she keptughing, "It''s you. You''re funny," Lucy said,ughing out loud.

    Sonia remained where she stood, watching Lucy as she waited for her to stopughing and exin what she meant, "When you''re done tittering, I hope to know what you find amusing," Sonia said, and Lucy sighed as she looked at her.

    "Why are you so quick to defend Tom when I''m your best friend?" Lucy asked, and Sonia frowned.

    "It is because I''m your best friend, that I am defending him. You''ve changed so much for the better and be happier since he came into your life. Tom is good for you, and I know it. So, I won''t let you ruin it because some stupid girl at work showed you a stupid picture which you were stupid enough to let get into your head," Sonia said, and Lucy nodded.

    "I''m d you think so highly over my boyfriend. Now, sit down, Sony. You shouldn''t get so worked up. It''s not good for our baby," Lucy said, and Sonia scowled as she went to sit down beside Lucy on the twin sofa.

    "Lu, I''m being serious right now. I think��"

    "I know you''re serious. I am too. So, keep shut and listen," Lucy said, cutting Sonia off.

    "Kimberly showed up at the club to inform Tom about the kid. ording to her, the kid is his," Lucy said, and Sonia frowned.

    "I''m not sure I understand what you mean," Sonia said with a frown.

    "Tom had a fling with Kimberly once. She ims the kid is his��"

    "Tom told you that?" Sonia cut in.

    "Yes, he did. And I chatted with Kimberly myself," Lucy exined and Sonia sighed as she let her head rest on the headrest of the couch.

    "You could have just said so earlier," Sonia said with a slight frown.

    "And miss your theatrics?" Lucy asked with a small smile.

    "How is Tom taking it?" Sonia asked, and Lucy shrugged.

    "We submitted DNA samples at theb for paternity test already. We are awaiting the result on Monday. He said a part of him hopes she is his, and the other part of him hope she isn''t," Lucy exined, and Sonia nodded.

    "That makes sense. What about you, then? How do you feel?" Sonia asked, and Lucy took a deep breath.

    "That''s what I wanted to talk to you about."

 Chapter 644 Jealous Of Kimberly

    If there was one thing being with Tom as his partner at the party had shown Lucy the previous night, it was the fact that despite being with Tom all this while and even working closely with him in the office and attending meetings with him, she was still mostly thinking of him as just Tom.

    The ordinary guy she had met at the club, and the ordinary guy who had done everything he could to win her heart. The ordinary guy who had left his mansion to live in a little apartment next to hers, and the guy who had left his spacious office to serve as her driver.

    Tom was more than that, and seeing him in his elementst night in the midst of all those influential people, had told her Tom was a big shot.

    A big shot who had be an ordinary guy for her sake just so he could win her heart. A big shot who would have preferred to remain hidden away from the spotlight but had exposed himself for her sake. All because he wanted to protect her.

    Now she realized that she too felt possessive towards him, and wanted to protect him from everything that would make him unhappy.

    Lucy had thought long and hard about Tom and the situation with Kimberly and Dawn before going to bedst night, and that had been the first thought on her mind when she woke up. What she wanted now was for Sonia to be her sounding board and to let her know if she was going crazy or if she was in her right mind.

    "Go on, I''m listening," Sonia urged Lucy as they turned on the couch to face each other.

    "This changes everything, you know? I mean, the possibility of Tom being a father now��"

    "Lucy��"

    Lucy shook her head when Sonia interrupted, "Hear me out first," Lucy said, and Sonia sighed and gave her a nod.

    "At first when Tom told me about it, all I could think about was how this would affect me and our rtionship. I even ran away from him, but then thanks to Harry I had to think about how it would affect Tom too. This will indeed change everything whether or not we want to admit it," Lucy said, and Sonia nodded without saying a word.

    "I love Tom, Sony," Lucy said and Sonia smiled.

    "I know you do."

    "I''ve onlye to realize just how much I love him in thest couple of days of his absence. And even now I''m still thinking about how wonderful he is. Tom is a great guy and he deserves all the happiness he can get��"

    "Why does that sound like you''re about to say you want to break up and let him go?" Sonia asked with a frown, and Lucyughed softly.

    "I never want to let him go, Sony. I don''t want to lose him. Not for any reason if I can help it. I don''t think Tom is someone I can afford to live without right now," Lucy assured Sonia, and she rxed.

    "That''s good then. But you still haven''t told me how you feel about this," Sonia said, and Lucy nodded.

    "I know this is going to sound weird, but I actually feel sort of jealous of Kimberly," Lucy said, and Sonia''a eyes widened in disbelief.

    "Jealous? Why? Why would you feel jealous of her? When Tom is yours and not hers," Sonia said matter of factly.

    "She met Tom first. She was with him first. And from all indications she possibly has Tom''s child," Lucy stated quietly.

    "So, what? Men have baby mamas all the time, that doesn''t mean they all marry their baby mamas. Tom is madly in love with you. You should have see how lonely he looked during breakfast. And he said it''s because he misses you. I know Tom isn''t going to want to be with her��"

    "That''s not what I''m saying. A part of me just wishes that I was the one who had his child not her or anyone else," Lucy said without meeting Sonia''s gaze, and Sonia''s jaw dropped in surprise. She hadn''t been expecting that.

    "What? But you don''t even want kids," Sonia reminded her.

    "I know. I know it sounds absurd, but that''s just how I feel. I know it''s silly and the deed has probably been done already, but I don''t want anyone else having that sort of connection with Tom. When I first saw the kid''s picture I was drawn to her. You know, it was like some sort of maic pull. I thought I was just being curious about her because she sort of reminds me of Tom. But then the more pictures I saw, the more I wanted to see. And then before going to bedst night I was looking at the kid''s pictures and out of no where a thought urred to me. It was like I was wishing she was mine," Lucy said, and tears gathered in Sonia''s eyes.

    "Oh, Lu," Sonia murmured softly, and Lucy shook her head.

    "I know. I know I''m being weird. I feel weird too," Lucy said, and Sonia took her hands.

    "I don''t think it''s weird. I think it''s just so beautiful that you love Tom so much that you''ve naturally opened your heart to the kid even if you''re not certain she is his yet," Sonia said, and Lucy sighed.

    "Maybe. But I have a deep feeling that she is his. Kimberly sounds so convincing too. What do you know about her? Do you think she is someone I should worry about?" Lucy asked, and Sonia paused to think about it for a moment.

    "Well, you know some times people are different from what they post on social media," Sonia started and Lucy gave her a nod.

    "True. Still, you can tell a bit about them from years of observation if you''ve been an ardent follower as you im," Lucy said and Sonia shrugged.

    "Well, from the little I know about her from social media, she is cool. Carefree. She is the definition of miss independent and says she raises her daughter to be that way too. She never posts stuff about men. I remember she was going to get married some years ago. I believe I mentioned it to you then. He jilted her on their wedding day and the news was all over the ce. It trended for weeks. She deleted everything on her page and took a long time off social media. By the time she came back monthster, she had a babybump so everyone naturally assumed the baby belonged to her ex fianc�� and no questions were asked. Since then she hasn''t posted anything about having a man. Hold on. I saved a clip from one of her interviews some time ago where she was asked about it," Sonia said as she rose to pick up her hand bag from where she had been seated before and took her phone from it.

    "I saved it because I liked her outfit and wanted to get something simr," Sonia exined as she scrolled through the videos on her phone.

    "Here it is," Sonia said as she yed it, and Lucy leaned forward to see the video.

    "Although, I know you don''t like to talk about, but could you indulge my audience and tell us what really happened four years ago? I mean, why was your wedding called off? There were lots of questions and spections. Didn''t the rumors bother you? Wouldn''t you love to clear the air?" the interviewer asked, and Kimberlyughed softly.

    "If you know I don''t like to talk about it, what makes you think I''m going to indulge you or your audience?" Kimberly asked with a friendly smile.

    "Perhaps I''m hoping you will be more willing to talk about it now that so much time has passed," the interviewer said with a hopeful smile.

    "I''m even more determined not to look back into the past now that so much time has passed. What''s past is behind, and should be forgotten. I believe if you spend too much time looking into the rearview mirror to see what''s behind, you could miss what ising ahead. I''ve moved on. The media should do so as well," Kimberly said, her smile in ce, and from the look in her eyes Lucy could tell she wasn''t faking the smile. Her smiled looked genuine.

    As a matter of fact she had the face of someone who smiled andughed a lot, and Lucy had noticed that in her instagram posts.

    "Alright. So, any ns to settle down in the future?" The interviewer asked, and Kimberly smiled ruefully.

    "I have none. I''m okay with my life as it is," Kimberly said simply before they moved to other subjects.

    "She doesn''t sound like a bad person, and maybe my fears are unnecessary. She even dismissed it when I asked if she wanted Tom to marry her," Lucy said, and Sonia raised a brow.

    "You asked her that? Why? Hold on, You said you spoke with her? When? Who called?" Sonia asked when she realized she had been too carried away by the news of the possibility of Tom having a kid to focus on the other details.

    "She chatted me up on Instagram," Lucy exined.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "She did? Can I see the conversation?" Sonia asked, and Lucy handed her the phone.

    Sonia grimaced as she read through the chat, "Don''t you think you were too cold and polite when she was trying to be friendly?" Sonia asked when she was done.

    "She has had time to think and process everything before chatting me up. I wasn''t prepared to chat with her. Besides, after Anita I can''t be too careful," Lucy said defensively, and Sonia sighed.

    "I understand. But she seems understanding though," Sonia said and Lucy nodded.

    "Yeah. I think so too," Lucy agreed.

    "I don''t think you need to worry about her. Perhaps what you should do is keep an open mind towards her. If the kid turns out to be Tom''s, you''re going to need to get along with her," Sonia said, and Lucy nodded in agreement.

    "I thought so too, so I was thinking that if the kid turns out to be his, maybe I could suggest to Tom that they bothe down instead of having Tom go over to meet them," Lucy said, and Sonia looked at her for a moment.

    "What do you really want, Lucy?" Sonia asked curiously.

    "Tom would need to be a part of the kid''s life��"

    "I''m talking about you now, Lucy. Not Tom," Sonia cut in, and Lucy shrugged.

    "I want to be with Tom and I want us both to be happy together. I''m a part of Tom''s life. They will also be a part of his life. I will have to be involved with them. I know Tom enough to know that he might not be able to find the bnce easily if I remove myself from the picture. So, I''m going to stand by him. If she''s his daughter I will care about her and for her as I should as Tom''s girlfriend," Lucy said, and Sonia smiled.

    "You know, I really wish I could get a glimpse of all that''s going on in your mind right now. You sound like apletely different person. Weren''t you the same person who suggested to him that he adopts a child and leaves you out of it?" Sonia asked in amazement.

    "Well, that is different. This is reality and I have to be realistic now. It won''t make sense if Tom has to share his time between thepany, me, and his daughter. It will be overwhelming for him," Lucy said reasonably.

    "I understand what you mean. And I agree with you. I''m just surprised," Sonia said, and Lucy sighed.

    "Do you think I''m thinking too far ahead and maybe I should just calm down?" Lucy asked, and Sonia grinned.

    "That wouldn''t be you. Thinking far ahead is what you do best. And as long as you''re thinking far ahead in the right direction, I don''t think it''s a bad thing this time," Sonia said reasonably.

    "It''s a good thing that instead of dwelling on the problem this time and trying to withdraw, you''re actually thinking of ways to ovee it. Therapy is good for you��"

    "Don''t credit it to therapy," Lucy cut in with a roll of her eyes, "I''ve barely started my sessions yet, so you can''t say it''s because of therapy."

    "So what or who should I credit it to? Tom?" Sonia asked, and Lucy shrugged.

    "My love for him I suppose," Lucy said and giggled, "Well, looking at the bright side now, I''m not the only one with baggage in our rtionship. Tom has his own baggage too," Lucy said with a grin and Sonia chuckled.

    "You''re taking this so well, Lucy. Too well, even," Sonia observed and Lucy shrugged.

    "By now you should know I never stay in between. I''m always all the way in or not in at all. It''s either I pull away and break out with him, which as I told you already is not something I want to do. Or I stand with him and make it work. And the best way to do that is to think about how to make it work, and that''s what I''m doing," Lucy said, and Sonia nodded.

    "True. All the way in could also be getting married to Tom," Sonia pointed out cautiously.

    "About that. I was going to ask you a question. Do you remember the first time I said I wasn''t going to get married?" Lucy asked curiously since that was another reason she had wanted to talk to Sonia.

    "Sure. I think we were in middle school then. One of our favorite teachers quit her job after she got married, and around that time one of thedies I babysat for back thenmitted suicide because her husband absconded with all the money she had and even left her in debts, remember?" Sonia asked, and Lucy narrowed her eyes.

    "Yeah, I remember you weeping profusely as you told me about her death, and I remember thinking she was cruel for not thinking about her kids and taking her life just like that. And after that Mrs Perkins lost her husband and was beside herself with grief," Lucy said with a frown as she recalled everything that had led her to her decision.

    Sonia bobbed her head, "Yeah. You used to love Mrs Perkins a lot because she always had the best muffins," Sonia said, and Lucy sighed.

    "Why did you ask though?" Sonia asked when she noticed the thoughtful expression on Lucy''s face.

    "Evelyn asked why I didn''t want to get married��"

    "Evelyn? You told her that?" Sonia asked in surprise, and Lucy exined what had led to the conversation and what they had discussed.

    "Evelyn can be so sweet," Sonia said with a small smile.

    "Yeah. She is when she isn''t being nosy," Lucy said with a small smile.

    "You always said you didn''t want to lose control of your life to a man like our teacher who quit simply because she got married. You didn''t want any man to be the center of your world like Mr Perkins was to Mrs Perkins, and you didn''t want to end up with a jerk who would betray you and run away with all you''ve worked for. Simply put you said you being alone would have saved them from all that grief," Sonia said, and Lucy smiled ruefully as she recalled the conversation.

    "You weren''t fazed at all. You insisted that you would get married and be happy. You said what happened to Mr Perkins was natural, and that what happened to thedy you used to babysit for, and our teacher was a result of their choices," Lucy said, and Sonia nodded.

    "And I still think so," Sonia said and Lucy sighed.

    She could see how she could have decided not to get married as a teenager because of those experiences she had witnessed, and she could understand how her own trauma had impacted her decision.

    But what she could also see was the fact that Sonia had also been right. It was all about choices.

    "I wonder how you were so mature," Lucy said, and Sonia gave her a smug smile.

    "Some of us were born that way," Sonia said proudly.

    Lucy was sure of one thing at the moment, and it was the fact that she was already faced with all of those things she had been trying to to avoid by not getting married,whether or not she was married to Tom now.

    As an adult she could now see that the problem wasn''t marriage. The thing she should have avoided and been scared of from the start was falling in love and not marriage.

 Chapter 645 Busted

    Rebekah paced around her bedroom with a deep frown etched between her brows as she dialed her hitman''s line for what was probably the hundredth time in thatst two days.

    What was going on? Why wasn''t his line reachable? Did something happen to him? She had even been to his apartment to find him but had noticed that the ce was empty, even the dirty tes on the sink seemed like they had been left there for days.

    It was unlike Sam. What was more disturbing was the fact that she was yet to hear any news about Jade''s possible death from her daughters.

    She knew that if something had happened to Jade she would know have heard from them by now since Jade was thewyer handling Jackson''s case.

    All of this made her feel uneasy. Did he perhaps get caught? No. That was impossible. There was no way Jade could possibly have overpowered him.

    What then could have happened to him? Why did she keep having this queasy feeling?

    Everything seemed to be falling apart. Her men were yet to find Wyatt, and she still couldn''t reach Anita. Everything seemed to be falling apart. The only constion she had right now was that her other three daughters were still on her side.

    She turned to the door when a knock sounded, and her housekeeper informed her that Tiffany and Bernice were downstairs.

    Rebekah sighed as she checked her appearance in the mirror before going down to see them. Perhaps they had finally brought her some good news she wanted to hear.

    As she walked down the stairs, Bernice and Tiffany who were seated in the living room, looked up at her and stopped whatever discussion they had been having.

    "Hello, mother!" They greeted as they rose and Rebekah smiled.

    "I must say that I''m surprised to see you both. Pleasantly surprised," Rebekah said as she went to sit on her favorite chair and they both sat down.

    "Why would you be? It''s not unusual for us to visit you this way," Tiffany said, and Bernice nodded in agreement.

    "Well, with the unfortunate events of the past couple of days, you can''t me me," Rebekah said as she met Bernice''s gaze.

    "We have to put all of that behind us and move forward," Bernice said as she sat forward in her seat.

    "Yes, we should. Adam is dead now so there is no reason for you both to be on bad terms. We are family after all. We should leave all of that in the past and strengthen our bond," Tiffany said, and Bernice nodded in agreement.

    "You haven''t told Eric that you''d be on the show alone, right?" Bernice asked hopefully, and Rebekah shook her head.

    "I''ve been upied with other things. I should do that now��"

    "No, don''t! Thank God you suggested wee," Tiffany said to Bernice with a smile.

    Rebekah looked from Tiffany to Bernice and then back again, "Why don''t you want me to call him?"

    "We thought about it and decided that we would like to be on the show with you as nned. We might never get this opportunity again," Bernice said, and Tiffany nodded.

    "You both can''t possibly want to appear on TV. Not with the issues going around about your husband''s murder and your husband''s arrest," Rebekah said looking at them both.

    "Let us worry about that, mother. Besides, I''ve decided to divorce Jackson when all this is over as you suggested. If we are asked about it on the interview I will exin that we are separated," Tiffany said, and Bernice nodded.

    "We won''t be the first socialites to do something like that. We got the invitation before all of this happened, so i don''t think it should be a problem," Bernice added, and Rebekah looked at them uncertainly.

    "I don''t think it''s a good idea," Rebekah said thoughtfully.

    "You''ve taught us to always hold our heads up high no matter the situation," Tiffany reminded her and she sighed.

    "Are you sure you can handle it?" Rebekah asked and they both nodded.

    "Why not? We don''t think it''s a good idea for you to appear on the show alone. We should also show Anita what she will be missing out on by leaving," Bernice said, and Rebekah nodded in agreement to thest statement.

    "Alright then. We will go on with the original n. It''s next week," Rebekah said and the sisters smiled.

    "I take it that neither of you have heard from Anita yet?" Rebekah asked and they shook their heads.

    "Her line is still not reachable," Tiffany said, and Rebekah frowned.

    "Don''t you think Lisa might be lying to us? Perhaps she knows where Anita is and is hiding her," Rebekah said thoughtfully.

    "I don''t think so. She has been very worried herself," Tiffany said, and Rebekah sighed.

    "By the way, how did your meeting with thewyerdy go?" Bernice asked, and Rebekah tried to look nonchnt as she shrugged.

    "It was okay. I have no idea why you are letting her handle Jackson''s case. I can easily get you someone else," Rebekah said, and the sisters exchanged a look.

    "Well, she''s doing a good job. She assured me that Jackson would be released soon and the real culprit would be behind bars," Tiffany said, and Rebekah tried not to frown.

    "And why is she so certain that Jackson isn''t the real culprit?" Rebekah snapped without meaning to.

    "She said she has some sort of evidence," Bernice said, and Rebekah frowned.

    "Evidence? What evidence could she possibly have? When did she tell you this?" Rebekah asked and Bernice shrugged.

    "Yesterday. We had lunch with her at Lisa''s," Bernice said, and the sister''s watched as Rebekah''s frown deepened.

    "Yesterday? Why? Did she say anything else?" Rebekah asked and they exchanged a look.

    "She said the culprit sent someone after her," Tiffany said, and they watched as Rebekah stiffened.

    Rebekah cleared her throat, "She said that?" Rebekah asked as her heart began to race.

    "Yeah. I can''t even imagine anyone who would do something so despicable," Tiffany said with a shake of her head.

    "It has to be a monster. I bet whoever the person is must be as ugly as their soul," Bernice said and Tiffany nodded in agreement.

    "I think so too. Only an ugly monster could be capable of all these wickedness. Too bad she refused to say. She insists we will find out soon enough," Tiffany said, and both sisters carried on without minding their mother who seemed restless now and was beginning to sweat.

    "Well, it''s possible she is just bluffing," Rebekah attempted.

    "I don''t think so. She showed us the picture of the guy who attacked her," Tiffany said as she rose and showed her mother the picture which Jade had sent her.

    Rebekah''s heart dropped and her blood ran cold as she looked at the picture of the seemingly lifeless body of her hitman. That exined why she was yet to hear from him.

    "Is he dead?" Rebekah asked hopefully.

    "I''m not sure. I didn''t think to ask," Tiffany said while Bernice nced at her wristwatch.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Oh! We should be on our way now. The boys should be done with their lessons. We are taking them to Lisa''s to see their cousin," Bernice said as she rose, and Tiffany did the same.

    "Yeah, we should be on our way. Mother, looks a bit pale. You should get some rest. We want you looking your best for theing show," Tiffany said with a smile, and Rebekah forced a smile as she rose.

    "I always look my best," Rebekah assured them.

    "Yeah, you do. But you should look even more so for this show. You''re going to be a star after it. I can just picture your face all over the television and people watching you and marveling at the sort of wonderful mother you are," Tiffany said, and Bernice watched in amusement as Rebekah''s chin angled proudly.

    If only she knew what Tiffany meant by that, Bernice thought with a shake of her head as they headed for the door, and once they left Rebekah copsed on the couch and buried her face in her hands.

    As Tiffany and Bernice got into Tiffany''s car, they turned to each other, "Did you see the look on her face when we showed her the picture?" Tiffany asked, and Bernice nodded.

    "I wonder why Jade asked us to do that," Bernice said thoughtfully.

    "She probably wants to make her ufortable and see what she would do next," Tiffany said reasonably.

    "Thank goodness you suggested we leave when you did. I was already exhausted," Tiffany said as she started the car and headed for the station where they were going to pay Jackson a visit.

    "I can''t wait to see what Jade has up her sleeves for the talk show. Rebekah Miller is finally going to get what she deserves. I still can''t get over the fact that she did all of those cruel things to father," Bernice said with a shake of her head. She had made up her mind not to refer to Rebekah as mother anymore.

    "She definitely will get what she deserves and more. And we will be there to witness it," Tiffany said confidently.

    If there was one thing Tiffany was grateful for, it was the fact that she was not on Jade''s bad book. Seeing how much information Jade had on them even to the extent of knowing about Eric Howells interview, she was d that she was on Hank''s side.

    "I should probably call to let her know we''ve done as she asked," Tiffany said as she dialed Jade''s line.

    Jade, who was in the car with Bryan on their way to Harry''s ce after checking out the property Bryan and Sonia purchased, received the call after the third ring.

    "We just left the house. We were able to speak with the housekeepers," Tiffany said without bothering with pleasantries.

    "What did they say? Did they notice anything odd when she came back that day?" Jade asked with interest since she wanted to gather as much undeniable evidence as she could against Rebekah Miller.

    "Nothing much other than the fact that she seemed to have done her ownundry. She washed the clothes she had been wearing before they left. And the cleaner said the mop was wet as though it had been used," Tiffany said, while Jade narrowed her eyes.

    "Why did they observe something like that?" Jade asked curiously.

    "She never lifts a finger. If she''s paying to get the job done, there''s no reason to assist the helps in doing their job. Doing herundry and cleaning the ground herself is a big deal," Tiffany exined.

    "I see," Jade said with a nod.

    "I''m sorry. I know that''s not much for you to prove anything," Tiffany said and Jade smiled.

    "Well, the fact that they were sent out of the house at the time your mother was with Adam, and she asked them not to return immediately is enough. All I want is to get them on the witness stand. These little observations will help me question her better as well," Jade assured her, seeing no reason to tell them the evidence she had against Rebekah already was more than enough. She only wanted more irrefutable proof.

    By the time Jade finished with the phone call, they had arrived at Harry''s and she waved to Bryan as she got out of the car.

    Once she got to Harry''s door, she rang the doorbell before unlocking the door since she knew his passcode.

    "Hello, handsome," Jade greeted sweetly as she walked into the living room and gave Aaron a peck.

    "Jade? What are you doing here? I thought Candace was meeting up with you?" Aaron asked in confusion as he looked up at Jade.

    "Yeah. But we are not going out until 3 P.M," Jade said as she looked down the passageway in the direction of Harry''s bedroom.

    "Is she aware? She''s already dressed to go meet you," Aaron said just as Candace stepped into the living room, and was surprised to see Jade.

    "What are you doing here?" Candace asked, trying not to blush at being caught by Aaron.

    She had lied to him that she was going to see Jade so she could go spend some time with Matt before stopping by Tom''s to leave for the party with Jade. She had not expected Jade to show up here.

    "You''re going out?" Jade asked as she looked at Candace suspiciously.

    "Yeah. I wasing to see you so we could discuss the ns for Bryan''s engagement," Candace said, as Harry joined them.

    "Esquire," Harry said with a pleased smile when he saw her and held out his arms for her toe to him.

    "You weren''t going to see Jade, were you?" Aaron asked Candace in amusement

    "Yes, I was!" Candace said defensively and Aaron chuckled.

    "What is wrong?" Harry asked, and Aaronughed.

    "She said she was going out to meet up with Jade, and here is Jade," Aaron said, and Candace scowled when Harry chuckled.

    Candace was d that Jamal was taking a nap at the moment and not there to witness the fact that she had not only lied but had been caught in the middle of it.

    "I guess since Jade is here now you don''t have to go anywhere. She has saved you the trip," Harry said with a grin that infuriated Candace.

    "I was going to see Sonia too not just Jade," Candace said, and Jade rolled her eyes.

    "Sonia is not at home. Tom is home alone. Sonia went to see Lucy, and Bryan went to see Matt," Jade said and Candace raised a brow.

    "Matt didn''t say��" she stopped abruptly and pressed her lips together when she realized her error, and without another word she hurried down the hallway back to her bedroom, and pressed her hands to cover her ears as theirughter followed her.

    "I guess she was going to see him after all," Aaron said with a grin.

    "Yeah. I thought as much. I should let her know I lied then. Matt already told Bryan he was busy with something and couldn''t meet up," Jade said as she hurried after Candace, and Harry chuckled.

    "Too bad Jade showed up and ruined their ns," Harry said and his fatherughed.

    "Candace didn''t have to lie about where she was going. She''s free to visit him if she wants to," Aaron said and Harry nodded.

    "She''s just being unnecessarily secretive and stubborn. Everyone knows she likes him," Harry said with a shake of his head.

    "Doesn''t she remind you of someone else? Yourself perhaps? Pot calling kettle ck," Aaron hissed at Harry.

    "Well, my case was different. I��"

    "Whatever. I don''t want to hear it," Aaron said as he picked up the remote controller and increased the volume of the television so he wouldn''t hear whatever Harry had to say.

 Chapter 646 Sick Appointment

    The moment Candace walked into her bedroom and shut the door behind her she dialed Matt''s line.

    "Hey! Are you on your way now?" Matt asked the moment he received the call.

    "How am I supposed toe over when you''re with Bryan? How did you n to exin my presence at your house to him?" Candace snapped at him as she threw down her bag on the bed.

    "I''m with Bryan? Howe I didn''t know that?" Matt asked dryly.

    "What do you mean by that? Do you realize I just made a fool of myself out there because of you?" Candace asked in annoyance.

    "If I were with Bryan I would have told you so. I''m not with Bryan. I told him I can''t meet with him," Matt said simply.

    "But Jade said��" the rest of her words trailed off when Jade opened the door and walked into the room.

    "I lied. Sorry," Jade offered with an apologetic smile.

    "I will call you back," Candace told Matt before hanging up abruptly.

    "I don''t get why you have to lie and sneak around like a teenager," Jade said before Candace could attack her.

    "I''m not lying or sneaking around! I''m keeping my business private and I don''t appreciate you causing such unwarranted misunderstandings," Candace hissed at her.

    "Lying that you''reing over to see me just so you can go somewhere else to meet with Matt. Is that what you call keeping your business private?" Jade asked as she folded her hands in front of her,pletely unaffected by Candace''s annoyance.

    If there was one thing she had learned about Candace in the short duration of their friendship, it was the fact that Candace never held back in expressing her displeasure, but that didn''t mean they were having a fight. Candace just wasn''t the type to hold back.

    "What''s wrong with that? Does my business have to be everyone''s business?" Candace asked, and Jade shrugged.

    "And if something were to happen to you before you get to Matt''s how would we know where you went to?" Jade asked, angling her head to the side to look at Candace.

    "If something were to happen to me, Matt would definitely speak up," Candace said, and Jade tsk-tsked at that.

    "Listen to yourself, Candace. You''re not making any sense. For someone as exposed and experienced as yourself, I don''t expect you to be acting like a naive teenager. What''s the big deal in having a boyfriend that you''re being so secretive?" Jade asked, and Candace scowled at her.

    "Matt isn''t my boyfriend," Candace said, choosing to ignore the jab about acting like a naive teenager.

    "Really? He''s not? What is he to you then?" Jade asked with mock curiosity, and Candace sighed in resignation, knowing she won''t get out of this silly and annoying conversation without opening up.

    "Why are you so interested in this anyway?" Candace asked, and Jade smiled.

    "Because you''re my friend. Because you''re going to be my twin sister inw. Because you''re my future sister-inw''s cousin, because Matt is my family friend, because Matt cares about you and I know you do the same, because��."

    "Because you''re just so nosy and can''t keep your nose off my business. Typical of Hanks as Harry would a say," Candace cut in, and Jade giggled.

    "If you think you''re going to provoke me out of getting an answer from you, you''ve got another thoughting. Come on, Candace," Jade said as she moved closer to her.

    "Alright. Fine. Since you must know, I agreed to be his friend with benefit. We are not dating or anything. It''s purely sexual," Candace said, and Jade''s lips twitched in amusement.

    "Matt asked you to be his friend with benefit?" Jade asked with a tinge of amusement in her tone.

    Candace looked away, feeling slightly embarrassed. "Yeah. You can''t tell anyone, alright? We are not dating."

    "Going by your reaction to the presence of anotherdy beside himst night, don''t you think friends with benefit in respect to the both of you is the same as a normal adult rtionship?" Jade asked wondering who they were both kidding.

    "No, it''s not. We are only having sex. No romance. No going out on dates," Candace exined.

    "I guess you''re both free to go out with other people?" Jade asked and Candace frowned.

    "Of course, not! Matt is the only guy I''ve been with since Jero who was my first. Why would I want to see other guys? And why should he be with other girls?" Candace asked, and Jade grinned.

    "You''re both in a typical celebrity secret rtionship. You''re dating away from public eyes, but you are dating whether you think so or not. If you''re going to lie abouting to see me next time, it''s best you give me a heads up so I don''t show up out of the blues like this next time," Jade said, and Candace looked at her with a frown.

    "We are not saying. You''re not going to tell anyone else about our conversation, are you?" Candace asked, and Jade shook her head.

    "No. But I''d rather you are straight with me going forward. You should at least have someone you talk to about your movement. I could cover for you when you need me to," Jade offered.

    "You''ve already ruined it all," Candace said with a scowl.

    "I don''t think either your dad or your brother cares about your meeting with Matt. Simply tell them you''re going out and be gone," Jade said, and Candace looked at her doubtfully.

    "Or we could say I was going to see Matt because we are to discuss some of the engagement party ns?" Candace suggested, and Jadeughed softly.

    "Maybe you can tell that to Jamal, but definitely not to your dad or Harry. They''ve caught on already. By the way, I was going to ask. Who was that guy at the partyst night and what did he want?" Jade asked curiously, and Candace''s nose wrinkled in disgust.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Just someone who recognized me from the club and stuff," Candace said with a casual shrug.

    "Really? What did he say to you? What did you say to him?" Jade asked curiously.

    "Don''t worry about that, I handled it. I guess he was scared of Harry. He was really careful," Candace said, and Jade looked at her for a moment.

    "You must have felt embarrassed," Jade said as she reached for Candace''s hand and squeezed it softly.

    "Well, I did. Initially. But then I remembered I had a solid army behind me, and I became more confident," Candace said, and Jade smiled.

    "You should leave now if you n to meet up with Matt today for your dick appointment and not bete for our hangout," Jade said as she tapped Candace''s bum.

    "My God, Jade! Why will you call it that?" Candace asked with mortification and Jade giggled.

    "That''s what you said it was, wasn''t it? Purely sexual meeting equals dick appointment. You should get going," Jade said with a grin, and Candace giggled.

    "Some times I can''t believe you," Candace said with a shake of her head as she picked up her handbag.

    "I will fill you in on the stuff with the case and Bryan''s engagementter," Jade said as they both walked out of the bedroom and headed for the living room.

    "I guess you''re going to Lucy''s to meet with Lucy and Sonia?" Aaron guessed with a teasing smile and Candace scowled at him.

    "No. You guessed wrong. I''m going to see Matt this time. Since he''s with Bryan we are going to discuss the engagement ns," Candace said, and both Aaron and Harry who were watching ESPN chuckled.

    "Have fun with the engagement ns then," Aaron said, while Harry looked at her as she headed for the door.

    "Aren''t you taking the car?" Harry asked and before Candace could respond Jade cut in.

    "I will suggest you don''t drive since we have no ns of going back home sober!" Jade said with a wink and Candace giggled.

    "Alright. No cars then. I will take a cab. See youter," Candace said before walking away.

    Once she shut the door behind her, Aaron shook his head, "For someone who was exposed to such a rough life, she''s still somewhat innocent and naive," Aaron said with an amused smile.

    "About that, did she tell you what the guy at the partyst night was talking to her about? Do you know the guy personally?" Jade asked, and Harry shook his head.

    "I didn''t ask her about it. He''s part of our legal team. Why? What did he say to her?" Harry asked, and Jade told them what Candace had told her.

    "Well, stuff like this is bound to happen. I was thinking that after we''ve handled Sara, I will introduce her officially to the press as my sister and have her say it out in the open that she was a stripper. That way there wouldn''t be any need for anyone to look in her past. If you have no secrets, there will be nothing anyone can use against you," Harry said, and Aaron frowned.

    "Do you think Candace is capable of that? She might not look or act it but she''s really insecure and has low self esteem," Jade said, and Aaron nodded in agreement.

    "I don''t think she can do that," Aaron said.

    "She can and she will. She just needs a little support and push. Don''t worry, I will make sure of it. I will be right there with her when she makes the announcement. It wouldn''t be done to shame her. It would help to free her from the burden of her past. That''s the only way she can get past her insecurity and low selfesteem. No one can shame her with a past she has dered publicly," Harry said confidently.

    "If you say so. I need to take a nap," Aaron said as he rose to leave for his bedroom.

    The moment he left and they were alone in the living room, Harry pulled her to himself and kissed her slowly until she felt her head spin.

    "That''s to say I''ve missed you," Harry said, and Jade gazed up at him with dazed eyes.

    "Well, I should say I missed you too," Jade said as she climbed into his thighs and covered his lips with hers.

    She almost purred from lust and excitement when she realized he had a boner and she was sitting on top of it.

    She moved on hisp and ground on his arousal making Harry groan as he pulled away, and this time he was the one with the dazed expression, "You switched that up from zero to a hundred in a second," Harryined, and Jade grinned as she moved against his boner.

    "Stop doing that! There''s a kid in the house," Harry hissed at her in frustration and Jade giggled.

    "Why don''t we go to your bedroom?" Jade suggested as she batted hershes at him.

    "I can''t take you in there when you''re in such a naughty mood. I''m going to end up making love to you," Harry said as he carried her off hisp, making Jade''s heart skip a beat.

    "What if I ask you to do it?" Jade asked with a pout.

    "Why do you want me to?" Harry asked curiously, and she shrugged.

    "Because I want you? We don''t have to have sex yet if you don''t want to. But it wouldn''t be asking for too much to neck and make out like silly teenagers, would it?" Jade suggested even though she knew Harry would say no as usual.

    Harry eyed her for a moment before rising from his seat, "You know what? I don''t see why not. Since I skipped all of that as a teenager, I should probably try it out now," Harry said to her surprise, and before she could react to that he carried her off the couch and headed for his bedroom.

 Chapter 647 Love And Change

    Tom dialed Kimberly''s line after contemting for a while whether or not to confront her for approaching Lucy when the result was not out yet.

    He wanted to make sure he put her in her ce and let her know that baby mama or not he wasn''t going to condone any unnecessary dramas or let her mess with Lucy in any way.

    "Hey, Hi! Why are you calling already? Is the result out yet?" Kimberly asked in surprise after she received the call on the fifth ring.

    "No, it''s not. Lucy told me you chatted with her. Why did you do that?" Tom asked, and Kimberly turned to her hair stylists and signaled to them to excuse her.

    "I didn''t mean any harm, okay? I just figured you told her about it already so I wanted to get acquainted with her," Kimberly exined.

    "You had no right doing that. If I wanted you to get acquainted with her I would have made the introductions at the right time. I don''t want you speaking to her or anything! Don''t try to mess with her, I won''t take it," Tom warned harshly and Kimberly''s brows furrowed in annoyance.

    "Back off, will you? I don''t understand why you''re speaking to me so harshly, but I''m not your enemy and neither am I here to cause any conflicts. I was only trying to get along with thedy that would be involved in Dawn''s life. What is so wrong about that? Listen, if you think it''s going to be too burdensome to be involved in Dawn''s life, say so and we will cut off allmunication with you," Kimberly hissed in annoyance and hung up without letting Tom say another word.

    Tom scowled as he stared at his phone, and before he could decide whether to call her back or not a knock sounded on his door.

    "Come in," he said gruffly and Bryan walked in.

    "Is everything alright?" Bryan asked when he noticed the annoyance on Tom''s face.

    "Sure. What''s up?" Tom asked, and Bryan shrugged.

    "I noticed you were home and I figured since we are home alone, we could y a game or two or just sit out to drink and chill," Bryan suggested.

    "I could use both," Tom said as looked around the room for a moment as though he was searching for something before walking out with Bryan.

    "So, I was going to tell you somethingst night before Harry and Candace showed up. I''m proposing to Sonia tomorrow," Bryan said as they descended the stairs, and Tom stopped walking and turned to him in surprise.

    "Tomorrow?" Tom asked, and Bryan nodded.

    "Yeah. I don''t want our baby to be born outside wedlock. So, I''d love to get married to Sonia before the baby bump bes obvious. That way she can wear whatever dress she has dreamt of wearing her whole life without the bump getting in the way. I haven''t told her. I hope you won''t tell Lucy either. But I want you to be there and make sure Lucy is there," Bryan rambled on while Tom watched him with a nk expression.

    He couldn''t believe that he had spent his entire life believing Bryan was the irresponsible brother when he was the one. Despite Bryan''s lifestyle he didn''t have a baby outside wedlock, yet here he was still trying toe to terms with the fact that he might be the father of a three years old kid.

    "Tom? Are you alright?" Bryan asked when Tom did not say anything after some time.

    "Yeah! I''m just surprised and happy for you. I guess we should grab the drink to celebrate first. I will pour you a ss from my most expensive wine," Tom said as he continued down the stairs and they headed for the bar.

    Bryan chuckled, "Isn''t it funny that I''m getting married before you? Don''t you dare propose to Lucy and try to beat me to going to the altar," Bryan warned and Tom chuckled.

    "You don''t have to worry. I have no ns of getting married any time soon. And let me know any way I can be of help," Tom assured him, as he put all his worries behind him and focused on celebrating with Bryan instead.

    Away from there, after Lucy''s conversation with Sonia, she busied herself by cleaning up her kitchen while Sonia took a nap on her bed.

    As she cleaned the kitchen, she reyed her conversation with Sonia in her head as she tried to figure out what to do now that she knew the problem was falling in love and not marriage.

    Thinking about it she knew she wouldn''t feel any less devastated or shattered as Mrs Perkins had been if anything were to happen to Tom now, so marriage really wasn''t the issue.

    Tom was too supportive to make her want to give up her job to be a stay at home wife like her teacher''s husband had done. And she couldn''t even imagine him packing up and running away with her money like the otherdy''s husband had done.

    She giggled softly at the thought. Between her and Tom if there was anyone who would run away with the other''s money it was her since she had nothingpared to all Tom owned.

    So, once again it wasn''t about marriage but about the kind of person one got married to. And she knew Tom wasn''t a bad person.

    The thought of marrying Tom made her heart begin to race and she paused as she cleaned out the kitchen cabs.

    It was obvious that even though in her head she now knew that marriage wasn''t the issue, she was still scared of the idea. Perhaps she could discuss it with her therapist on her next appointment. She believed that Doctor Julia would be able to help her there.

    "Are you expecting someone? Why did you leave that space on your dresser? And I noticed a drawer is empty," Sonia said as she watched Lucy from the doorway.

    "You were snooping, huh?" Lucy asked, not the least bit offended.

    "Yeah. You know it''s second nature to me," Sonia said with a grin and Lucy giggled.

    "I''ll just have to teach our baby not to turn out nosy like you or Bryan''s family," Lucy said as she watched Sonia yawn.

    "You can''t out do majority. You either beat us or join us," Sonia said and then raised a brow.

    "So, who is the space for?"

    "Tom. I created the space for Tom. We will be shuttling between his ce and mine now. He''sing overter tonight and I n to give him a spare key," Lucy said, and Sonia grinned.

    "Wow! That''s a new level," Sonia said, and Lucy nodded.

    "Yep. It is. And I must confess that I''m sort of excited about it. Having him here is going to be just like the begining when we just met. Things might be different if or when his daughter shows up, but I might have to spend more of time at his ce then," Lucy said with a shrug before returning her attention to cleaning out the kitchen cab while Sonia remained where she stood staring at Lucy.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Sonia was feeling a lot more optimistic now about Lucy now than she had felt in a long time. She had noticed earlier that Lucy seemed more open to the idea of marriage now. Some thing told her that Lucy was finally going to be changing her mind regarding getting married to Tom soon.

    "What?" Lucy asked when she raised her head a momentter and noticed that Sonia was still standing on the same spot.

    Sonia shook her head, "Nothing. Just thinking about stuff."

    There was no need to ask her about it yet or point it to her. She would leave her to take her time to make up her mind. She knew Lucy would tell her about it when she was sure and ready.

    "What stuff?" Lucy asked curiously.

    "You didn''t give me a response yesterday when I talked about you going to the clinic with me during my antenatal appointments," Sonia said, changing the subject, and Lucy raised a brow.

    "I didn''t realize you needed a response. You should know my feelings would be hurt if you went with someone else who is not me, apart from Bryan. Of course, it would be an honor and a great privilege to stand in for Bryan," Lucy said, and Sonia grinned.

    "And you won''t mind babysitting either, right?" Sonia asked, and Lucy shrugged.

    "The baby is ours. As long as you tell me what to do and make sure a nanny is not more than ten feet away from me, it shouldn''t be a problem," Lucy assured her, and Sonia beamed a smile at her.

    "I knew I could count on you," Sonia said, and Lucy looked at Sonia with interest.

    "How do you feel though? Any morning sickness? Can you feel the baby moving yet?" Lucy asked and Sonia shrugged.

    "I feel okay. I''m not feeling sick or anything yet. The only thing I''ve observed for now is that I easily get tiredtely. And I can''t feel the baby''s movement yet until the next couple of weeks. Although, I can''t wait to begin to feel it and to know if I''m having a boy or a girl," Sonia said, her eyes gleaming excitedly as Lucy had noticed it gleamed now each time she talked about the baby.

    Lucy smiled, "I hope it''s a girl. I can''t picture you with a baby bump though, and even though I know you''d make a wonderful mom, I can''t quite picture it yet," Lucy said with a small smile.

    "Well, I can picture you with it a baby bump and I can see you as a mom. I think you''d be an even more wonderful mom," Sonia said, and Lucy shook her head.

    "I''m not so sure about that," Lucy said, and Sonia raised a brow.

    "You don''t think you would make a good mom?" Sonia asked curiously.

    "Do we ever know if we would? Can you ever tell how a kid is going to turn out?" Lucy asked, and Sonia chuckled.

    "So how do you know I''d make a wonderful mom then?" Sonia asked as Lucy dropped her cleaning napkin.

    Lucy didn''t say a word for a moment and shrugged, "I don''t think you would let your kids run amok," Lucy said matter of factly.

    "And you think you would let yours run amok?" Sonia asked dryly and Lucy frowned.

    "Not everything can be controlled, Sony. You''re nosy and don''t mind getting on people''s nerves. I like to let people have their privacy. Can you imagine the sort of parent I''d be��"

    "Not everything needs to be controlled. Besides, it''s not your ce to determine how your kids turn out. Your duty is to raise them to the best of your ability and then let them make their own decisions as adults when it''s time. Your mom is like you most of the time and see how well you and Lucas turned out," Sonia said, and Lucy rolled her eyes.

    "Indeed. We turned out so well that I ended up being kidnapped by a stalker and Lucas ended up with that crazy bitch," Lucy said dryly.

    Although Sonia wanted to argue further, she decided not to, and changed the subject instead.

    "Speaking about Rachel, did you read about what''s happening to her father?" Sonia asked, and Lucy raised a brow.

    "What''s that?"

    "I forgot to mention it earlier. I saw the news on our way here. He lost the primaries in his partyst night, and after his shocked reaction when his opponent mentioned his questionable past, he has been trending online sincest night. Everyone is talking about his brother''s suspicious death and the missing child," Sonia said, and Lucy smiled.

    "I wonder how she is doing," Lucy said, and Sonia grinned.

    "Want to find out? We could call her," Sonia said with a mischievous smile and Lucy giggled.

    "I don''t think that''s a good idea. There''s no need to let them know we were involved in any of this," Lucy said and Sonia sighed.

    "You''re right. I hope things go downhill for them now," Sonia muttered.

    "It will. This is only the first of many evils to befall them," Lucy said confidently.

    "Let''s not talk about them anymore. I''d rather talk about the house you bought with Bryan. When are you fixing the ce and moving?" Lucy asked, and she watched with amusement as Sonia''s eyes lit up once again and she began to chatter excitedly about her ns for the ce and for their baby.

    Somehow Sonia had changed so much in such a short time. Perhaps it was the pregnancy? Or maybe it was because she was happy in love. She wondered if Sonia even knew how much she had changed.

    Had she not changed herself? Things she would never have considered doing months ago were things she now thought about doing. Tom had disrupted her life, but she wasn''t evenining because like Sonia, she was happy in love.

    Perhaps the changes were a side effect of being with the Hank brothers. She wondered if Harry was experiencing any major changes in himself by virtue of dating the Hank princess.

 Chapter 648 Passionate Moment (R18)

    Chapter 648 Passionate Moment (R18)

    Inside Harry''s bedroom, Jade giggled as he dropped her on the bed, andy over her, trapping her under him.

    "I didn''t think you''d agree so easily. What hase over you?" Jade asked as she looked into his honey brown eyes.

    "I like to take you by surprise from time to time. So, you wanted to make out, huh?" Harry asked as he slid his hand under Jade''s short dress and she gasped out his name in surprise as his hand made contact with her skin.

    "Yes, sugar?" Harry asked in a husky voice as he let his hand rest on her stomach which quivered slightly as he gazed at her.

    Jade''s mouth was dry as she looked at him not remembering what she had wanted to say. The intimacy of their positions made her eye lids heavy and it made her cores ache with desire.

    When she didn''t say anything, Harry lowered his lips to hers and plunged his tongue between her lips which were parted in expectation, and he filled himself on her.

    Like every other time he had kissed her, she wondered if she would ever get used to the toes curling electric zap she felt every time he kissed her.

    Even though she was graduallying to realize that she would always feel powerless against his kisses, Jade could tell that there was something different about this particr kiss.

    Perhaps it was because this was the first time he had taken her into his bedroom and was kissing her on his bed as his girlfriend she couldn''t tell, but the restraint she often felt from him whenever he kissed her wasn''t there this time.

    There was something different about this kiss. It was raw and primitive, and it made her juices flow in a terrifying way. She doubted there was a woman alive who wouldn''t want to be kissed this way, with this much hunger and passion.

    Harry''s hand moved upward and his thumb brushed over her nipple which had gone taut against her bralette, making her suck in a breath, and as she did that, his tongue went deeper into her mouth.

    His mouth fit over hers so perfectly it felt like her lips were made just for his kisses.

    Jade trembled in anticipation as his other hand worked on the zip of her dress and in a moment Harry helped her out of her dress.

    He broke the kiss long enough to say, "We can''t let it get ruined since you''re going out��"

    Jade impatiently pulled his head down and brought his lips back to hers once again shutting him up. She didn''t care about any damn dress. It could get ruined for all she cared.

    She had never thought she was much of a kisser or enjoyed kissing until she met Harry. And now thanks to him, kissing him was now a hobby. Very well on its way to bing an addiction.

    Harry fondled her boobs through her bralette for a moment and to her surprise his hand went up to her neck and he cupped it firmly but not too tightly as he kissed her, making her wonder once again if he was into bdsm.

    Harry''s hand continued to explore her body and soon his lips followed suit. He moved from her lips to her neck, and the scrape of his chin, which he had neglected to shave that morning, against her skin added to her excitement.

    Jade could swear she had never been turned on all her life as she was in that moment in Harry''s hands, and it made her really wonder if she was Harry''s first. The man seemed too experienced with his hands and lips to not have done this before.

    The frustrated passion and pure unrestrained desire that erupted from him was released into her, creating a kiss that was far beyond anything she had ever experienced.

    This crazy moment with him made her really eager to know what having sex with Harry would be like.

    With Harry''s hand now fisted in her hair he pulled her head back as he kissed and licked and sucked and nipped on her neck. Judging by the soundsing from her and the way she was weighing under him, he realized her neck was one of her sensitive spots so he focused on it.

    He wanted her more than he had wanted anything else in his life, but he didn''t want to take her now. He couldn''t. Especially not with his father and Jamal in the house with them.

    When it was time to take her, he would make sure they were alone and she wouldn''t be in a hurry to go anywhere else. That way he could take all the time in the world to unravel every sensitive spot on her body inch by seductive inch, and she would have the liberty to cry out his name unashamedly as he would want her to.

    He didn''t think and neither did he dare to think about anything else as his hand moved down to her thighs and yed around the spot between her thighs making her legs tremble as they automatically parted.

    Harry could feel the wetness between her thighs and it made his already rock hard erection painful, knowing that she was this horny and hungry for him but he couldn''t take her.

    He let his fingers slide into the band of herce panty, which matched her ck bralette, and her moan and torrid response came instantly when his finger brushed against her clit.

    Her body arched and trembled against his, and she grabbed his hair and pulled his head back up as she devoured his lips on a hungry kiss. He swallowed her moans thirstily as his fingers yed and plucked on her clit like the expert hands of a guitarist.

    "Harry," she cried into his mouth as a shudder ran through her.

    She wanted him. She desperately wanted to tear off both his clothes and her undies and let him drive himself into her.

    She wanted to feel him thrust into her as she closed around him and she wanted to ride him until neither of them could continue forck of breath.

    But she knew better than to do that. Harry was infuriatingly stubborn and he wouldn''t want her to do that. Doing that might make him stop all together so she had to ept what he was willing to give. At least for now.

    Jade trembled when Harry cautiously slid his middle finger inside her slit while his thumb remained on her clit, and she felt herself vibrate as he began to thrust in and out slowly at first but as she arched her waist to meet up with the thrusts he increased the pace.

    "Oh, god! I think I''m about to cum. Go faster!" She cried against Harry''s lips and he inserted another finger into her slit and thrust even deeper and faster, swallowing her gasps and moans.

    As Jade struggled with her desire, Harry struggled with his too, but unable to stop himself he pulled away from her and before she couldin, he went lower and to her utmost surprise he tugged off her panty and his tongue reced his thumb on her clit while his fingers continued to thrust in and out of her.

    Still conscious enough to know they were not alone in the house, Jade pulled one of the pillows over her head and cried out Harry''a name into it as her whole body shuddered and for the first time in her life she felt the waves of orgasm hit her.

    Harry pulled the pillow off her face so he could watch her as she slowly recovered. And he chuckled when she covered her face with her hands.

    Jade was everything he had dreamt of and more. She was beautiful, brilliant, soft, strong, sexy, and pliant.

    He watched as she slowly removed her hands from her face to look at him, her eyes dark and heavy, her lips red and soft, and parted in a shy smile.

    "You are not possibly shy, are you?" Harry asked with a mocking smile when she reached for the duvet to cover herself.

    "You''re fully dressed and I''m exposed! How can you expect me to befortable?!" Jade hissed as she pulled a pillow over her body, and he chuckled.

    "You weren''tining earlier," Harry said with a grin as he watched her.

    "Some times, I can''t believe you, Jonas!"

    "It''s a wonder you didn''t cry out Jonas a while ago," Harry said andughed softly when her face flushed red.

    "I will wash my hands and then excuse you to freshen up if you''re feeling too embarrassed to do so," Harry offered with a wink that made her heart tumble as she watched him leave.

    Jade sighed softly as she closed her eyes. Harry! God! How could she not be crazy about him? How was it possible?

    She couldn''t believe he had actually gone this far to satisfy her without even letting her do anything whereas Todd who had deflowered her had never once satisfied her.

    Without thinking about it, Jade got off the bed and took off her bralette. She wanted to see how he would react to her nakedness and if he would fold.

    She walked into the bathroom where Harry was drying his hands, and reached for the button of his shorts.

    Harry chuckled as he ced a hand over hers to stop her, "I don''t know what you think you''re doing or what you n to do, but I''m not making love to you today, esquire. The bathroom is yours. I will be back after checking on my dad and Jamal," Harry said as he headed for the door, and Jade scowled at his back.

    If she hadn''t felt his boner earlier she would have wondered if something was wrong with him.

 Chapter 649 Girls Hangout

    Chapter 649 Girls Hangout

    Seated in Matt''s apartment now, Candace pressed her lips as she sat still while he went to get her a ss of water.

    How was she to tell him that she who had given the rule not to let the others find out about their affair had been the first to blow it?

    "So, what happened earlier? What was with the phone call?" Matt asked curiously as he brought the ss of water she had requested to her and sat down on the couch beside her.

    Candace took a sip and then without meeting his gaze said, "It may have slipped that I wasing to see you."

    "Slipped? From whom? To who?" Matt asked with curious amusement.

    Candace didn''t meet his gaze as she exined what had happened, and Matt tried to keep a serious face as he listened even though he was dying ofughter inside.

    When she was done he raised a brow, "So, what now? Since one of your rules for our arrangement has been broken by YOU, do you want to end it?" Matt asked and Candace frowned.

    "They''re all too nosy and��"

    "What now, Candace?" Matt asked as he took the ss from her and set it aside.

    Candace felt her pulse jump at his touch, "Would I be here despite after being caught if I wanted to stop seeing you?" Candace asked, and her heart skipped a beat when Matt brushed his thumb over her wrist.

    "Good. Cause I warned you that I wasn''t going to let you back off," Matt said, and she swallowed.

    "We agreed we would end things when either of us wanted to," Candace said without looking into his eyes.

    "Yes. But it''s too soon to end things else you''re going to make me feel like you used me and I don''t like feeling used," Matt said and Candace met his gaze.

    "Yet you hang around and even have sex with someone who used you," she said with a scowl and Matt groaned.

    "Can you please let that go and forget I told you anything about having sex with her?" Matt pleaded.

    "No, I can''t. I won''t. I want you to always remember that I''m going to bitch this way whenever you think of cheating on me," Candace said, and Matt raised a brow.

    "Isn''t the term cheating supposed to be used when it''s a rtionship?" Matt asked and she snorted.

    "What''s the difference between this and that? Or did you really think I agreed to this arrangement without knowing your intention?" She asked, and Matt chuckled.

    "And what do you assume my intention is?" Matt asked and she eyed him.

    "I believe you don''t expect a response to that," Candace said as she withdrew her hand from his and rose from her seat.

    "Let''s get down to it, I have to leave soon," Candace said as she reached for the zipper of her dress to undress.

    "Have you had something to eat?" Matt asked, and she paused and raised a brow.

    "No! You''re not wasting my time with any silly unnecessary cooking," she said with a re and he chuckled.

    "I cooked already. I''d rather you eat before I eat you," Matt said making butterflies flutter in her belly.

    "I''m not hungry," Candace said and he looked at her for a moment.

    "You will be after we are done. You''re not leaving without eating," Matt said and she rose a brow.

    "Why? Did you put something in the meal?" Candace asked making him chuckle as he took her hand and tugged her down so she fell on him.

    "If you know my intention as you im then you should know why," Matt said as she straddled him.

    "Let''s not get into that," Candace said as she held his face and tried to kiss him.

    "Is sex really all you want from this?" Matt asked as he squeezed her ass gently.

    "Maybe. For now," Candace said in a husky voice as she nibbled on his lower lip and Matt raised a brow.

    "And in the future?" Matt asked and she shrugged.

    "We could consider other options," she said and without saying a word, Matt took her lips in a passionate kiss.

    If sex was what she wanted right now then he would make sure she had more than her fill of it until she wanted something more.

    Two hourster, all four of them, Lucy, Sonia, Jade, and Candace met at the same club Jade had gone to thest time.

    "Hello! You''re here early. Is your uncleing today?" The Barman who had attended to Jade thest time (Chapter 294) greeted as they stopped by the bar so she could give him their orders.

    "Your uncle?" Sonia asked curiously.

    "You frequent here a lot?" Candace asked when Jade smiled at him.

    "He''s not my uncle. He''s my boy friend," Jade said, and the barman raised a brow.

    "Recent development I suppose? He said you weren''t his girlfriend thest time," the barman said, and Jade raised a brow.

    "Do you remember the face of everyone whoes in here?" Jade asked with interest.

    "You caused quite a stir with your dancing skill on the stage so it''s hard not to remember you or the person who came to get you," he exined.

    "You danced on stage?" Lucy asked in disbelief.

    "I''ll tell you about it after we settle on what to drink," Jade said and then instructed the barman on the drinks she wanted them to serve and to make sure new shots were brought to their table every twenty minutes.

    "Every twenty minutes?" Candace asked as Jade led them to the same spot she had sat with Harry thest time since it was private enough and gave them view of the bar.

    "Yeah. That way we can have progressive conversations as we also progress from tipsy to drunk," Jade said with wink.

    "I still can''t believe I''m in a club but can''t even take alcohol," Sonia said as she scowled down at her mock-tail.

    "Don''t worry, I will drink for two," Lucy assured her.

    "Wee to the world of motherhood. It''s a world of self deprivation. You have to put another being before yourself and think of their well-being before yours," Candace said at the same time, and Lucy winced at that.

    "That''s not a very encouraging thing to say," Lucyined.

    "Why not? Can''t think of putting someone else''s well-being above yours? Especially someone who can''t cater for themselves?" Jade asked matter of factly.

    "Well, if you can''t then you shouldn''t consider having kids so you don''t turn out to be an awful mother who abandons one kid and sells off the other. Not everyone deserves to be mothers anyway," Candace said harshly and then winced the moment the words left her lips.

    "I''m sorry," she said when she noticed the stricken look on Lucy''s face, and Sonia patted Lucy''s hand.

    "Self deprivation isn''t such a bad thing if you think about it. I''m positive there are things you deprive yourself of for Tom''s sake or my sake or even the sake of Lucas and your parents. I believe it''s even more worth it to do so for your kids. There''s joy and satisfaction thate from seeing those little human happy. Right, Candace?" Sonia asked and Candace nodded.

    "Sure. For instance not taking alcohol during pregnancy is for the overall well-being of your baby. Would you rather drink it or keep your baby safe? Or would you rather enjoy your sleep than attend to your crying baby?" Candace asked reasonably while Jade texted back Aurora who had texted to find out where they were.

    "So, if Jamal was visiting you and had a nightmare, would you ratherfort him or go back to sleep and leave him to take care of himself?" Sonia asked, and Lucy shrugged.

    "Those are minor and necessary," Lucy said.

    Candace shrugged, "Motherhood is beautiful. I would deprive myself of everything if I need to for Jamal''s sake," Candace said passionately.

    "Ladies! Ladies! Ladies! We are at a club for Christ''s sake! Motherhood is not something singledies should be talking about in a club," Jade cut in with a groan.

    "What should we be talking about then?" Lucy asked with an amused smile. It was funny that Jade was the youngest amongst them yet she often acted like she was the oldest.

    "Sex. The men in our lives. Sex again. Talk more about our men and more about sex," Jade said making themugh.

    "Why don''t you start by telling us how you ended up dancing on the stage thest time you were here?" Lucy asked with interest and Jade went on to tell them about it and how Harry had shown up to take her home.

    While Jade was speaking, their first round of shots were served and she paused and counted to three for all three of them to take the shot while Sonia watched them enviously.

    Jade told them how she had tricked him into kissing her even though she had told Sonia about it in the past and when she was done she scowled, "I think Harry used to be a monk or something in his past life," Jade announced irritably as she dropped her ss on the table and the others giggled.

    "Why do you think that? Don''t tell us he hadn''t touched you yet?" Sonia asked with a curious smile.

    "Touch me? Oh, he touched me so well. It''s his level of self control in not doing more than touching me that I find so annoying," Jade hissed in frustration while Lucy watched, both amazed and amused that Jade was having this conversation with them knowing fully well that Harry''s twin sister was seated there.

    She couldn''t imagine discussing her sex life with Tom in front of Jade. That would just be too awkward.

    Candace on the other hand had a smug smile as she watched Jade. Like the other day, she had spent hours in bed with Matt and felt like she had more than made up for the past couple of years of not having any bed action.

    "Well, did you try to seduce him?" Candace asked with a smirk.

    "I waspletely nude for crying out loud and wanted to return the favor. And guess what that pigheaded twin brother of yours did after looking at me? He chuckled!" Jade said incredulously, and Sonia''s jaw dropped in disbelief while Candace doubled over withughter.

    "You''re kidding, right?" Sonia asked in disbelief.

    "He chuckled? Your body must have looked really funny. I should see it too," Candace said amidst herughter and Jade red at her.

    "Shouldn''t you be impressed? I mean, that tells you he wouldn''t easily fall for the seduction of other women," Lucy said reasonably.

    "Impressed? How impressed would you be if Tom finds your body amusing rather than sexy? If I didn''t know for a fact that he was okay down there I would be worried," Jade said with a scowl.

    "I can''t tell. He has neverughed after looking at my body��" Lucy trailed off and rolled her eyes, "This discussion is ridiculous. But I think the fact that you know for a fact that he is okay down there should tell you he DOES find you sexy. Maybe he''s waiting for a more special moment to do it," Lucy said with a shrug.

    "You always defend Harry even more than his own twin sister. Perhaps we need another DNA test?" Jade asked and they allughed as Aurora joined them.

    "Sorry, I''mte. I was busy," Aurora said with a suggestive smile.

    "While some are getting some action in the bedroom, others are not. I suppose you are more interested in talking about sex because you''re not getting it," Candace said dryly and Jade shot her a re.

    "Don''t make fun of me or we might just talk about those of us who are getting it secretly. At least Aurora isn''t sneaking around to get it," Jade threatened and Sonia looked at Candace suspiciously.

    "You''re getting it?" Sonia asked and Candace shook her head at Jade.

    "For awyer you have such a big mouth," she hissed at her.

    "You started it, didn''t you?" Jade retorted.

    "Alright. I had sex with Matt. So, what? It was just sex!" Candace said, but from the look on Lucy''s and Sonia''s faces as they exchanged a look they didn''t agree it was just sex.

    "When? Tell us about it," Sonia said excitedly.

    "What''s there to tell? Unlike Jade who was only touched, I was touched, licked, sucked, eaten, and fucked, and I returned all the favor," Candace said smugly and Sonia pped excitedly.

    "That doesn''t sound like just sex to me," Aurora said and Sonia nodded in agreement.

    "I guess it wasn''t a quickie at the party. By the way, why didn''t you bothe together? Aren''t youing from Harry''s?" Sonia asked Jade curiously.

    "Yeah, I am. But Candace left to meet up with Matt because they had some important business they needed to discuss. And you should know she lied to them she was going to see me but I showed up to see Harry unfortunately for her," Jade said making Candace decide there and then to never ever confide in Jade.

    "So, you both resolved thingsst night?" Sonia asked curiously.

    "Why did you have to lie about it?" Aurora asked at the same time.

    "Because I obviously didn''t want anyone to know I was fucking Matt, but thanks to Jade here, everyone knows now. So can we move on from my private business now?" Candace asked sweetly and then looked at Lucy.

    "Howe you don''t ask much personal questions?" Candace asked Lucy who she noticed always did more listening than talking.

    "I figured that if I don''t ask you personal questions you wouldn''t expect me to answer your personal questions. I''d rather respect your privacy so you can respect mine," Lucy said with a shrug, and Candace smiled.

    "Perhaps you can teach Jade a thing or two on how to mind her business. She can be so infuriating," Candace said and Jade scowled at her while Lucyughed softly.

    Lucy took out her phone from her handbag when it vibrated, and she frowned when she saw it was an Instagram message notification from Kimberly.

    [I''m sorry I reached out to you. I only wanted to get acquainted with you. I won''t do so anymore.]

    "Phones are not allowed, Lucy!" Jade chided when she saw Lucy on her phone.

    "What is wrong?" Sonia asked when she noticed the frown on Lucy''s face and she moved closer so she could see what Lucy was staring at.

    "Did something happen?" Sonia asked and Lucy shook her head.

    "I have no idea. Maybe Tom confronted her?" Lucy murmured thoughtfully but for Sonia''s ears alone since Sonia was seated very close to her.

    "Maybe," Sonia said with a sigh.

    "What do you think I should do?" Lucy asked and Sonia took the phone from her.

    "Nothing for now. Rx and have fun. You can talk to Tom about itter and maybe respond to the text after you''ve seen the DNA result if Tom says he''s okay with youmunicating with her," Sonia said as she dropped the phone into her handbag.

    Lucy sighed as she tried to focus on what Jade and the others were discussing.

    She was bing worried that she might end up making an enemy out of Kimberly who might actually and genuinely be trying to be friends with her.

 Chapter 650 Drunk

    Unlike Jade and Candace who seemed to have a high level of tolerance for alcohol, Lucy and Aurora were theplete opposite.

    Three shots in and Aurora was telling them her life history and all about her crazy sex with Philip while Lucy wasughing like a maniac about nothing and everything.

    "You know, It''s funny that Tom and I met in the club and I''m seated here in a club right now," Lucy said with a giggle that made the others watch her in amusement.

    "Really? I never really got the details of the story about how you both met from the direct source. Mind sharing?" Jade asked hopefully, knowing that this was the only time she could get Lucy to loosen up in this manner.

    "I don''t think��"

    "Why not?" Lucy cut in with a slur before Sonia coulde to her aid.

    "I should tooootally tell you girls about it. It''s interesting really," Lucy said with a drunkenugh, and Candace struggled within herself with whether to let Lucy talk or try to shut her up.

    Lucy wasn''t the type to be so chatty, and seeing her this way made Candace feel sort of guilty.

    "Maybe you shouldn''t say anything, Lucy. Instead, I will tell you girls all about my stripper days," Candace offered.

    "I offered to share my story first! You can go after me," Lucy said with a scowl, and Jade giggled.

    "Why are you girls trying to shut her up? She has finally loosened up, please let''s enjoy this version of her before she goes back to being a perfect self," Jade pleaded and then shook her head when she turned to Aurora and noticed she was slouched against the couch and had been knocked out by the fourth short.

    "Sooooo, it was on my birthday," Lucy started and Candace shrugged as she adjusted on her seat to enjoy Lucy''s drunken tale, letting her curiosity get the best of her since she also wanted to know how someone as introverted as Lucy ended up with Tom.

    Seeing how Candace and Jade seemed very engrossed by the story, Sonia picked up her phone and quickly texted Tom.

    [I think you shoulde to get Lucy ASAP! She''s drunk and telling everyone the story about how you both met. You can also let Philip know Aurora is drunk as hell too.]

    "... Even though I have never told him, I thought Tom was reeaaally hot when I set my eyes on him and he seemed like the most eligible guy present for a one-night stand," Lucy said and Jade shook her head incredulously.

    Even though she had heard it from Sonia but not in these exact details, she still could not wrap her head around Lucy doing something so outrageous and reckless.

    Lucy continued with her entertaining story, sometimes mixing up the details because of her alcohol-messed-up brain and having to ask Sonia for confirmation of some details.

    "So, Tom stalked you?" Candace asked incredulously.

    "Yeah. But he really wasn''t creepy or anything because I liked him," Lucy said in Tom''s defense.

    "That''s a man that knows exactly what he wants. Unlike your brother who sits back doing nothing for years and lets the woman he loves be single for so long," Jade told Candace dryly.

    "At least Lucy positioned herself to be chased, did you?" Candace asked in Harry''s defense and Lucy doubled over withughter making them all look at her with concern.

    "Do you still need some more shots?" the waiter, who had been attending to them since they arrived, asked as he stopped by their table.

    "I don''t know about the others, but I''m done," Candace said with a shake of her head knowing that one more shot and she would either be bbing like Lucy or knocked out like Aurora.

    "Why not? The n was to get drunk," Jadeined.

    "You can go ahead and get drunk then," Candace urged her, and Jade rolled her eyes as she returned her attention to the waiter.

    "I still want a shot," Lucy said, making the waiter look at her doubtfully.

    "No, Lucy! That''s enough. Tom will be here to get you soon," Sonia said, and Lucy turned to her as Jade ordered another shot for herself and dismissed the waiter.

    "Tom ising? I guess I should hit the dancefloor then. What''s clubbing without dancing, right?" Lucy asked, and before any of them could voice an objection, Lucy rose and headed for the stage.

    "Wow! Your girl is so much fun when she is drunk," Jade said with a smallugh as she rose to go join Lucy.

    She was in the mood to dance herself, and since Dancing was one of the reasons they were at the club, she didn''t see any reason not to hit the dancefloor with Lucy or perhaps she could hold off on dancing and capture the moment for Lucy instead.

    "So, you and Matt, huh?" Sonia started, and Candace rolled her eyes.

    "Can''t y''all mind your business?" Candace asked and Sonia shook her head.

    "I don''t know about the others, but I can''t. I''m very invested in your rtionship. So, when did your rendezvous begin? Don''t tell me you both suddenly decided to hook upst night after the whole Gemima shit. Did he bring her with him just to make you jealous?" Sonia asked, and Candace sighed.

    "No, he didn''t. Seriously, Sonia, if you all don''t start minding your business I''m going to start nosing into your personal business too," Candace said, and Sonia shrugged.

    "I''ve never stopped you. You can ask me whatever you want to know about me," Sonia offered with enthusiasm.

    "Do you ever regret taking Lucy''s side and losing your family?" Candace asked, and Sonia was taken aback by the question.

    Sonia cleared her throat, "Uhm, That''s an ufortable subject. I''d rather you ask me something else. Perhaps you can ask me something about my rtionship with Bryan," Sonia suggested, and Candace smiled.

    "I thought so too. My rtionship with Matt is an ufortable subject. When it bes something I like to talk about, I will let you know. But until then, please learn to respect my boundary," Candace said sweetly.

    "Alright. Fine. I hear you loud and clear," Sonia said as she turned her attention to the stage, and she cringed when she saw Lucy dancing on the stage while Jade made a video of her from the bar.

    What was keeping Tom? Sonia mused as she rose, ready to go rescue her friend from what she knew was going to be a very shameful memory for her when she finally returned to her senses.

    "Look who just arrived, everyone! It''s my handsome boyfriend!" Lucy dered loudly when she sighted Tom walk in through the door with all the other guys but thankfully the music was too loud so no one could make out what she said.

    Tom paused by the entrance when they walked in and they all looked around for them. Thest ce his gaze went to was the stage since he had not been expecting her to be so drunk as to get on the stage.

    "She is on the stage," Harry told Tom as he jerked his head towards the stage, and Tom didn''t know whether to groan or chuckle when he saw Lucy standing there and waving at him with a drunken smile on her face as she swayed her body to the rhythm of the song.

    "Well,st time I was here, your sister was entertaining the house. Enjoy," Harry said, and Bryan chuckled.

    "Good thing I don''t have to worry about Sonia being drunk," Bryan said as he, Harry, and Philip headed for the spot where Sonia stood waving at them.

    Tom ignored the looks he was receiving from the few patrons in the club as he headed for the stage, "Come down, babe," Tom said as he stopped in front of the stage and looked up at her.

    "Youe up here and say hello to everyone. I''m having so much fun," Lucy said with a grin.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "I can see that. Why don''t we have fun in private?" Tom suggested and Lucy turned like she was going to get down but to Tom''s surprise, she went to the Deejay and took his mic.

    "Listen, everyone! I want you all to meet my gooooorgeoooous boyfriend! He is the absolute love of my life and I''m fucking crazy about this very sexxxxy man!" Lucy announced loudly.

    As sweet and funny as the confession was, Tom knew it was time to get her out of the stage before she embarrassed herself further. He wasn''t the least bit embarrassed but he knew she would bee when the alcohol left her system.

    Knowing that she was not going to get off the stage unless he made her, Tom climbed the stage.

    Jade who was still busyughing as she filmed Lucy, turned her camera to Tom but before she could film him, Harry came up beside her and snatched her phone from her.

    "What? Why did you do that?" Jade protested.

    "You shouldn''t film her in this state and especially not in this ce," Harry said with disapproval.

    "Why not? I''m doing this for her so she can know what she was up to while she was drunk," Jade said defensively.

    "If you, who is with her, can do something like this, what will stop others from doing the same? How do you think Lucy is going to feel if she sees clips of her drunken self trending on social media? You shouldn''t have let her get on that stage!" Harry said with disapproval and Jade frowned.

    "I didn''t think of that," she said when she looked around and noticed that they were being filmed but thankfully no one would make out what they were saying because of the loud music.

    "You are the uncle turned boyfriend," the Barman said as he looked at Harry.

    "Hello to you too," Harry said coolly before facing Jade again.

    "I take it you''re not drunk," Harry said as he eyed Jade.

    "Obviously. As you should know, I can handle my liquor. Are you here for me or Candace?" she asked as she eyed him, her annoyance at him all forgotten now.

    "Bryan is here for you. I''m here for Candace," Harry said and she scowled at him.

    "No. Bryan is here for Sonia. I''m your girlfriend! You should be here for me!" Jade protested.

    "Good thing you are not drunk. No one has to be here for you. You can just go home yourself," Harry said and Jade''s lips curved in a pout.

    "That''s not fair. Candace is not drunk either. So, why not hang out with me instead of your sister?" Jade asked, batting hershes.

    "I''m not here to hang out. I''m leaving with Candace after handling the situation you might have created," Harry said, and before Jade could ask him what the situation was, Harry headed for the stage and took the mic from the deejay.

    He made a quick announcement asking whoever had made a video of Lucy to delete it immediately and make sure it never gets on the inte or else they would face legal action.

    Jade sighed as she went to join Harry after he was done, "I''m sorry. I really didn''t think it was a big deal," Jade said apologetically.

    "I think it would be best for you to keep in mind that you are in Ludus now, not Varis. You are not only Tom''s sister, you are my girlfriend too and a staff of I-Global and whatever you do can make news easily. People will always recognize you now even if they don''t approach you. The same goes for Lucy, Sonia, and Candace. Neither of you can live recklessly now because you have a lot of eyes on you, especially after our group picture fromst night made the first page of the newspapers," Harry said, and Jade nodded.

    "I understand. I get it. I''m sorry. Don''t be mad," Jade said as they joined the others, and walked past Philip who was already leaving with an unconscious Aurora on his arms.

    "I''m not mad. I just want you to be more careful, that''s all," Harry assured her as he kissed her forehead before turning to Candace.

    "Thanks for not getting drunk. It would have been very annoying to carry you," Harry said and Candace rolled her eyes.

    "Because I won''t offer to kiss you like Jade did when she pretended to be drunk? I bet you wish Jade was drunk," she said with a teasing smile and Harry scowled at Jade.

    "I can''t believe you told her that," Harry said with a shake of his head.

    "She also said she thinks you were a monk and...." Jade pped her hand over Lucy''s lips to shut her up while Harry raised a brow at Jade.

    "I thought you loved her being chatty. You should let her talk," Sonia said with a giggle.

    "Thanks for handling it, Harry. I have to take Lucy home now. The rest of you can have fun," Tom said before carrying Lucy, who was still bent on dancing, away.

    Once he helped her get into the car and fastened her seatbelt, he went around and got into the driver''s seat.

    "I''m not as drunk as you all think, you know?" Lucy asked, and Tom nodded.

    "Yeah. I can see that. I don''t think you''re drunk at all," he said dryly as he started the car.

    "Doesn''t this remind you of the first time we met?" Lucy asked as she turned in her seat so she could look at him as he drove.

    "Every time you''re drunk I remember the first time we met," Tom said and she giggled.

    "Didn''t you just say you didn''t think I was drunk?" she asked with a yawn.

    "I didn''t say you''re drunk right now either. I said every time you''re drunk I remember," Tom said with a grin, and she giggled.

    "I think alcohol makes me horny. We should make out. Perhaps we can have sex in the restroom of the club before leaving. Or maybe here in the parking lot," Lucy suggested and Tom shook his head.

    He couldn''t believe she hadn''t noticed he was driving already and they were out of the club''s premise.

    "I''m taking you home to sleep this off," Tom said when he turned to see her dozing.

    "Tom?" Lucy called after he had driven in silence for some time.

    "Yeah?" Tom called as he turned to spare her a quick nce to see if she was alright.

    "Did youe with your extra clothes?" Lucy asked and he chuckled, amused that she was thinking of that even in her drunken state.

    "Yes. My bag is in the backseat," Tom said and Lucy yawned again.

    "Good. I don''t think I can stop loving you and I really don''t want to either. So you should know that I love you whether or not Dawn turns out to be yours, and if she happens to be yours, I will love her even as I love you, so you shouldn''t worry about me and just be happy if it makes you happy," Lucy promised before dozing off, leaving Tom speechless.

 Chapter 651 Brazen Lucy

    As Tom drove the remaining distance to Lucy''s apartment, he nced at her from time to time still stunned by her drunken confession of love and support for him.

    Her words kept reying in his head and the more he thought about it the lighter he felt.

    He had thought she had been overdoing it the previous day and was probably pretending to be okay when she wasn''t, but after hearing her say this in her drunken state he was more convinced now that she really wasn''t going to leave him over this, and for that he was both very relieved and grateful.

    Although, as relieved and grateful as he was feeling, he wished she was sober so he could ask her a couple of questions. Like what she meant about loving Dawn as she loved him.

    Did that mean she was going to be okay with ying an active role in Dawn''s life if she happened to be his daughter? If she was willing to do that by his side, then he didn''t think he could ask her for more. He could see she was alreadypromising and meeting him in the middle.

    After he parked the car in front of Lucy''s ce, he looked inside her handbag for the keys to her door as he decided to open the door first before getting her out of the car to make the process easier.

    As he got out of the car and headed for her apartment to open the door, Alicia who was taking a stroll with Jasmine waved at him as they made their way towards him.

    "Hello, Tom! It''s good to see you," Jasmine greeted with a friendly smile.

    "Been a while," Alicia said and Tom smiled at them.

    "Same here."

    "Well, if you''re here to see Lucy, you should know that she is not in. I saw her leave earlier with Sonia. She didn''t take her car," Alicia informed Tom making him wonder why she would think he didn''t know about his own girlfriend''s movement.

    "Yeah. I know," Tom said, not bothering to add that Lucy was with him and was crashing in his car.

    "By the way, I thought I saw youst night dropping off Lucy. That was you, right?" Alicia asked with a curious smile.

    Tom shook his head inwardly, amazed by the fact that even at such ate hour Alicia had been up and had spotted him.

    She seemed like the human security camera of the neighborhood monitoring everyone''s activities. He wasn''t sure he had ever met anyone as nosy as Alicia.

    He had always thought that only lonely old folks in such neighborhoods did stuff like that and monitored people''s life, but now thanks to Alicia he was learning that it was probably a bad habit that grew on people like Alicia to their old age.

    He was very d he wasn''t a permanent resident of this neigborhood and had chosen to settle in a more reserved location, else he wasn''t sure how he would live with someone like her in his every day business.

    If she wasn''t already on his good book before now for looking out for Lucy even if it had been at his expense, he would never let someone like here close to him.

    "Yeah, that was me��"

    "Yeah. I figured. I saw the pictures in the newspaper. The anniversary party looked lit. Although, I sort of wish we got an invitation," Alicia said with a wistful smile and a shrug.

    "Please don''t mind her," Jasmine said apologetically.

    "By the way, the interview with Eric is on Tuesday, you know? Eric and I were wondering when you would send the questions��"

    "Listen, I wish I could chat with you right now but I really need to get Lucy inside the house. Why don''t we talk about itter?" Tom cut in.

    "Get her inside? Where is she?" Alicia asked as she looked in the direction of Tom''s car, and Jasmine shook her head.

    "We are sorry for keeping you! We didn''t realize you were together," Jasmine said apologetically as she took Alicia''s hand before she could ask Tom any more questions and pulled her away. Scolding her as they left.

    Tom shook his head as he opened the door. He had no idea how someone like Jasmine had ended up with a person like Alicia, but they best exined the phrase, ''opposites attract''.

    Once he had opened the door, he returned to the car and instead of waking Lucy, he unfastened her seatbelt and carried her out of the car and into her apartment.

    "Tom? Where are we going?" Lucy asked as she snuggled closer to him.

    "We are in your bedroom," Tom said as he gentlyy her down on the bed.

    As he tried to straighten up so he could return outside to get his duffel bag and her handbag from the car, Lucy opened her eyes held on to him.

    "Don''t go."

    "I''m not leaving. I only want to get our bags from the car," Tom assured her.

    "The bags can wait," Lucy said as she tried to sit up so she could kiss Tom.

    "What are you doing?" Tom asked in amusement when Lucy buried her fingers in his hair as she leaned in for a kiss.

    "Coming on to you. I told you I want to have sex with you. Alcohol makes me horny," Lucy said, and Tom chuckled.

    How could he have forgotten how brazen she could be whenever she was drunk?

    "Well, let''s see if you can stay awake long enough for me to go lock up the car and get our bags. I''ll be back," Tom said as he pulled her close for an intense kiss that left her swooning before leaving the room.

    Even though her head was spinning and her legs felt heavy, Lucy got off the bed and quickly stripped off her clothes, leaving only her strapless push up navy blue colored bra andce thong on.

    She listened to be sure that Tom wasn''ting in yet as she quickly took off her lens since it was begining to irritate eyes, and she fluffed out her hair with her fingers.

    When she heard the door open, she dove on the bed, and although the sudden movement made her eyes roll in her head, she adjusted into a sexy pose.

    As Tom stepped into her bedroom, he grinned when he saw her blinking rapidly like she was trying to focus, and shook his head as he dropped her handbag on top of her dressing table and his duffel bag on the floor beside it.

    "Come here," Lucy said with a sultry drawl before he could speak, and motioned him forward with her forefinger.

    "I think I should get you into the shower first," Tom said as he slowly approached the bed, and watched as she reached behind her to unsp her bra.

    "I think you should fuck me first," Lucy countered as she threw her bra aside and started taking off her thong while maintaining eye contact with Tom.

    A tent formed in Tom''s pants on its own volition as he stopped beside a naked Lucy and he let her take his hand and pull him down to join her on the bed. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Once he was on the bed, Lucy rolled over before he could move and straddled him, "I want to be in charge," Lucy said as she met Tom''s desireden gaze with her heavy eyes.

    "Are you sure about that?" Tom asked and she nodded as she undid his shirt''s buttons.

    "Yeah! That''s part of the reason I deliberately got this drunk. I wish I didn''t always need to be so tipsy to get this way with you," Lucy murmured as she helped him out of his shirt and undershirt.

    "Well, you don''t need to be drunk to do it," Tom said as he reached out to touch her hair.

    "I''m always in my head and overthinking things when I''m sober. It''s easier to loosen up with alcohol because I can just me any mistakes I make on alcohol," Lucy said with a giggle that made Tom smile.

    So, it was deliberate, Tom mused as he watched her unfasten his belt. What she said made sense since she was the type to forget most of the stuff she did when drunk after she became sober.

    "You don''t have to be worried about making mistakes with me. I''ve made my fair share of mistakes with you," Tom said, and Lucy wrinkled her nose.

    "You''ve not made any sexual mistakes. I''m not so experienced yet," she reminded him as she unzipped his trouser, and Tom sat up so he could take off his trouser.

    "Don''t tell me you really think youck experience. I think you''re doing great," Tom said, making conversation with her even if he knew she probably wouldn''t remember most of the stuff they talked about.

    Tom sucked in a breath and groaned when she grabbed his cock through his boxer and squeezed on the cap softly.

    "You know the advantage my ce has over yours?" Lucy asked as she helped him take off his boxer so he could be just as naked as she was.

    "Tell me," Tom said when he noticed the naughty gleam in her eyes.

    "Privacy. We can both moan and scream down the roof if we want to and no one would hear or bother us," Lucy said with a grin, as she lowered herself on him so that she could kiss his nipples.

    Tom''s cock twitched as she kissed and sucked on his nipple, and Lucy''s hand went down to grab it so she could give him a handjob as she continued to tease his nipples.

    Tom pulled her up so she was straddling him and he covered her nipple with his lips, making her moan loudly as he licked and sucked on it, circling his tongue around her pink are.

    As he sucked on her nipple, his right hand found it''s way between her legs and he wasn''t surprised to feel her wetness.

    Lucy moaned wildly as his fingers connected with her clitoris and even though she had said she wanted to be in charge, she couldn''t bring herself to stop him from touching her.

    She focused on kissing his neck and nibbling his ears as he pleasured her with his lips and fingers.

    "Fuck! I want you inside me, now," Lucy said breathlessly when she realized she was at the edge of her first orgasm.

    She repositioned herself on him and sat directly on his cock making Tom moan as he felt his cock slide into her warm wetness.

    Tom ced his hands on her waist, and with his lips still on her nipple he began to thrust in and out of her slowly from under her.

    "Fuck me, Tom! I want you to fuck me!" She cried breathlessly as she bounced on his cock, wanting him to increase his pace.

    Tom raised his head from sucking her nipples and he felt his already stiff cock grow even stiffer inside her as he watched the wild look in her eyes as she gazed at him.

    Damn! She looked damn hot and sexy with her hair down and her brazen attitude.

    Seeing how he was watching her, Lucy buried her fingers in his hair and crushed her lips to his as she continued to bounce on his cock, leaving him no other option than to match her pace.

    Tom''s hands moved over her body, ying with her nipples, and squeezing her ass as she took charge and rode him with fervor while kissing his passionately.

    Lucy broke off the kiss, and Tom opened his eyes when he felt her movement. He was slightly surprised when she did a one eighty degree rotation on his cock so she was positioned in a cow girl position now without letting go of his cock.

    With her back to him, Lucy turned her head to make eye contact with him as she adjusted into afortable position and started riding him cowgirl. Twisting and rolling on him.

    Tom had no idea what hade over her or where or when she had learned to do this, but he could swear this was the wildest he had ever seen her, and he loved the hell out of it.

    In no time they were both moaning and panting really hard and Lucy looked away from Tom as she felt her body begin to tremble.

    Tom sat up and pushed her down on her knees as he positioned himself behind her and thrust into her. He grabbed her hair with one hand, and the other hand went around her to grab her boob as he pounded in and out of her making Lucy cry out loudly as her core clenched, and she toppled over the edge of her orgasm, leaving Tom no choice but to follow suit.

    Tom pulled out of her immediately as he ejacted, while Lucy fell face down on the bed, panting hard.

    Tomy beside her, and watched her as she tried to catch her breath, "You''re beautiful," Tom whispered as he reached out to touch her hair, and she opened her eyes.

    "Did you like it?" Lucy asked and Tom gave her a nod.

    "I loved it. And I love you even more," Tom said as he kissed her shoulder, and Lucy yawned.

    "I love you too. I think I might fall asleep soon," she said in azy voice.

    "I''m surprised you haven''t done so yet," Tom said, and she smiled as she yawned again.

    "What''s the time?" Lucy asked and Tom nced at the clock by her nightstand.

    "It''s almost 7 P.M," Tom said as he got off the bed wanting to go get a ss of water.

    "It''s still early. I can''t fall sleep yet. You''d be bored. And I need to fix is dinner," Lucy said with a yawn as she tried to sit up but her body resisted the movement, thanks to both the alcohol and the sexcercise.

    "Don''t worry. I asked Adolf to deliver dinner. Let''s just shower first, and then I can arrange my stuff while you sleep. I��" the rest of his words trailed off when he heard her soft snores and realized she had dozed off as usual.

    Tom chuckled.Some things never changed.

    One thing he hoped to change however was her reliance on alcohol in order to be her naturally wild self.

    She might not know it yet but she was a very sensual person and he hoped to help her explore that aspect of her without the use of alcohol.

 Chapter 652 Ulcer

    Tom was awoken by Lucy''s whimpers and he sat up on the bed to see her rubbing her stomach like she was in pain.

    "What''s wrong?" He asked with a worried frown as he got off the bed and went to turn on the light.

    "My stomach hurts," Lucy cried softly as Tom went to her and used his thumb to brush off the beads of sweat on her forehead.

    "How bad is it? It''s not menstrual cramp, is it?" He asked, since he remembered that she had already seen her period for the month and she was still naked so it obviously wasn''t her period.

    Before she could respond her stomach rumbled and she shook her head as she quickly got off the bed and rushed to the restroom.

    Immediately she got in, she locked the door behind her before Tom could follow her in and sat on the toilet seat to empty her bowels.

    "Lucy," Tom called softly from the doorway begining to feel even more worried now.

    From where he stood by the door and from the sounds he could hear, he could tell that she seemed to be having a running stomach.

    What did she eat? Wait, did she even eat yesterday before going out with the girls? He mused as he waited by the door for her toe out.

    He heard the toilet flush, and when Lucy opened the door, he noticed she looked really pale and was sweating profusely while still clutching the area under her breastbone.

    "What can I do? Is it food poisoning? Should we go to the hospital?" Tom asked as he carried her back to bed despite her protest that she could walk.

    "I think I need my antacids. Please check the drawer for them," Lucy said weakly as she tried to adjust to a suitable position on the bed that would cause her stomach to hurt less.

    "Antacids? It''s the ulcer?" Tom asked, and when she nodded, he quickly opened the drawer and took out the antacids, and Lucy watched in confusion as he started putting on his trousers.

    "What are you doing?" She asked as she chewed.

    "Dressing up. I''m taking you to the hospital right now," Tom said, and she shook her head.

    "It''s normal��."

    "How long before it relieves you after taking the antacid?" Tom cut in, and Lucy gasped when another wave of burning pain hit her.

    "That''s it! I''m taking you to the hospital," Tom said as he tugged on his shirt and walked to her closet to pull out something for her to wear.

    "No! I can bear it. It''s just past four in the morning," Lucy said even though her eyes were watery now as she popped a couple of antacids into her mouth and chewed faster hoping it would relieve her of the burning pain.

    The first time Tom had spent the night and made love with her here on her bed, he had ended up taking her to the hospital because she had fainted while telling him her story, and now this.

    "Good. I''m d you can bear the pain until we get to the hospital. You don''t have to bear it after we get there," Tom said as he distractedly grabbed a short and T-shirt.

    He didn''t bother with undies as he returned to her side and despite her protest wore the tshirt over her head until she had no choice but to do as he was demanding.

    "I need my pants," Lucy said as she tried to get off the bed.

    "Not that I think it''s important right now, but I will get it," Tom said as he walked over to her drawer where she kept her undies and took out a ckce pant.

    Once she had finished dressing up, he carried her out of the house despite her protest and drove off as fast as he could to the hospital while she continued to chew on her antacids.

    "How bad does it hurt?" Tom asked, ncing at her at intervals as he drove.

    "It''s not the first time I''m having such an episode, Tom. Please rx," Lucy said weakly.

    "It''s the first time I''m experiencing it with you and you can''t expect me to rx when you''re obviously in pain," Tom countered.

    Lucy looked at him apologetically, "I''m sorry. It''s my fault��"

    "No, it''s not. It''s mine. I''ve always known you were irresponsible when ites to your eating habits. I shouldn''t have been so irresponsible to let you go to bed without eating anything especially after all that alcohol you consumed," Tom countered, and despite the burning pain she was feeling Lucy scowled.

    "I''m not irresponsible," she hissed at him.

    "Save your breath and argue thatter. Let''s get you to the hospital and make sure you''re fine first," Tom said with a stern frown.

    She had never seen him look so worried. Not even when he saw her crying in the storage room after she had heard them calling her a murderer.

    Maybe he had looked this worried when she had fainted thest time, but she had been unconscious so she wouldn''t know. But seeing the worried lines between his brows now made her feel sorry and remorseful.

    "What did you eat yesterday?" Tom asked, and she winced.

    "A packet of chips and chocte," Lucy said and Tom shook his head not knowing what to say to that.

    "I''m sorry. I will pay more attention to my eating habit," Lucy murmured.

    "You should. I just want you to be fine. I don''t like to see you in pain," Tom said, and Lucy smiled.

    "How will you stand seeing me inbor pain then?" She joked, and then both her and Tom stiffened.

    Tom turned to look at her, and noticed she had pressed her lips together now, obviously taken aback by the joke she had made. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Not wanting it to be awkward, Tom smiled, "Perhaps it''s for the best that you''re not interested in having kids then," he joked as he returned his attention to the road, and Lucy said nothing, wondering where that hade from.

    The rest of the drive to the hospital was silent, and once they got there, Lucy was given priority treatment while Tom was asked to wait as the doctor checked on her.

    After a short moment the doctor came out and confirmed she was having ulcer pains but assured Tom that there was no cause of rm. She was being taken care of and would be okay in no time.

    After an hour, Tom was allowed to go in to stay with her, and he was relieved to see her smiling. She didn''t look so pale anymore.

    "How do you feel now?" Tom asked as he went to sit beside her.

    "The doctor said we can leave after I''ve exhausted this drip. I told you it wasn''t life threatening," Lucy said, and Tom shook his head.

    "I''d rather not take any chances with you," Tom said, and Lucy sighed.

    "Well, this is the fastest I''ve been relieved of the pain. Thank you," Lucy said as she looked at her hand where the drip was fixed.

    "Now that you feel better, can you tell me why you didn''t wake me up the moment you started feeling the difort?" Tom asked and Lucy shook her head.

    "I just didn''t want to disturb your sleep," Lucy said and Tom raised a brow.

    "I was sleeping right next to you, Lucy. It wouldn''t have been a bother. Don''t tell me if I hadn''t woken up, you would have remained there whimpering all night?"

    "I wasn''t whimpering," Lucy said defensively and Tom heaved a deep sigh as he gazed at her.

    "Alright. I''m sorry. I really just didn''t want it to seem like every time you passed the night at my ce you had to take care of a medical emergency," Lucy said without meeting his gaze.

    "Why? Were you scared I wouldn''t want to spend the night at your ce anymore?" Tom asked, and Lucy''s lips twitched as she met his gaze.

    "Maybe," she said with a grin and Tom chuckled.

    "Some times I don''t know what to do with you," Tom said with a shake of his head.

    "You can just love me," Lucy said, and he nodded.

    "That I already do. I guess the pain didn''t let you have any hangovers," Tom observed as he moved closer to her.

    "I guess so. Although, I was having a mild headache earlier but the stomach ache was worse," Lucy said as she let Tom gather her into his arms.

    "Sorry, love. I hope you realize I won''t be letting you have alcohol anymore. So, you''d have to work on letting yourself loosen up without alcohol," Tom said as he brushed his lips against her forehead.

    "Last night was crazy by the way," Tom said as he pulled away to look into her face.

    He grinned when he saw the blush that stole up her face, "How much of it do you remember?" He asked, and she shrugged.

    "Enough to know I wasn''t drunk enough," Lucy said, and Tom chuckled.

    "And do you remember dancing on the stage at the club?" Tom asked, and she winced.

    "I wish I didn''t. I remember doing that but I can''t recall the dance moves," Lucy said, and Tom shook his head.

    "Why did you do that? It''s unlike you," Tom said and she sighed.

    "Jade almost alwaysins about how uptight I am. It''s not in my nature to be as carefree as they are. I guess I just wanted to have fun with the girls and show them I could be fun to hang around with as well," Lucy said with a shrug.

    Tom wasn''t sure if she realized how sad that sounded.

    "You don''t have to try so hard to fit in. I think you should be yourself and they should learn to ept you the way you are. Everyone can''t be wild and careless," Tom said, and she raised a brow.

    "You also think I''m uptight and need to loosen up. You insinuated it the other time in the car," Lucy pointed out.

    "No! I''ve never referred to you as uptight. You''re far from uptight. Cautious was the word I used (chapter 549). I said your speech is always guarded," Tom said, remembering the exact conversation she was referring to.

    "Well, if I''m to take the advise you just gave I can choose to remain cautious and you can ept me the way I am, right?" Lucy asked, and Tom smiled.

    "I already epted you the way you are. However, epting you the way you are doesn''t mean I can''t ask you to improve on certain areas that affect our rtionship, does it? I only suggested you work on yourmunication skills. I promised to do the same as well, remember?" Tom pointed out reasonably.

    "Well, maybe being more carefree is also a way to improve my friendship with Jade and the others," Lucy said, and Tom shrugged.

    "That''s your choice. Just don''t do anything you''d be embarrassed about just because you want to impress them," Tom advised.

    "Were you embarrassed by my actions?" Lucy asked, realizing she had not thought of that aspect.

    Tom chuckled, "Was I supposed to be embarrassed that you announced to everyone that I''m your boyfriend and you love me?" Tom asked and she closed her eyes.

    She had forgotten making that announcement.

    "I''m never going back to that club. Ever," Lucy said, and Tomughed softly as he caressed her cheeks as though to get rid of her blush.

 Chapter 653 A New Phase

    "Do you know the difference between now and thest time you brought me here?" Lucy asked, an hourter as they got into Tom''s car after she had been discharged.

    "Tell me," Tom said as he started the car, and she scowled at him.

    "You''re taking me home yourself. You didn''t abandon me like you did thest time," Lucy said as she fastened her seatbelt and Tom looked at her incredulously.

    "Damn it, Lucy! You didn''t have to remind me that I was such a lowlife jerk," Tom said, and she giggled.

    "I couldn''t help it. Sorry. This was definitely not how I envisioned spending our first morning together in my apartment," Lucy said, smoothly changing the subject.

    "Well, it''s barely seven yet. We can just return to bed and wake up like nothing happened," Tom assured her.

    "Maybe. So, what''s your n for the day?" Lucy asked with interest.

    "I will be hanging out with Harry. It''s been a while we chilled together. And hopefully I can take you out on a date tonight," Tom said, thinking about Bryan''s surprise engagement party.

    "Oh, a date?" Lucy asked with a surprised smile.

    "Yeah. Nothing very fancy though. When are you meeting with Jamal for your date?" Tom asked, and she shrugged.

    "I''m going over to pick him up by noon," Lucy said and Tom nodded.

    "That''s fine then. We can spend the rest of the morning together and then you can drop me off at Harry''s and pick me up when youe back with Jamal. Is that okay?" Tom asked, and Lucy shed him a smile.

    "It''s perfect!"

    They drove in silence for a while as Tom thought about Lucy''s slip earlier.

    He was sort of curious to know what had prompted her to make the statement she had made earlier about how he could stand seeing her inbor pain.

    Was he reading too much meaning to her slip up or was she perhaps rethinking her decisions and ready to change her mind?

    He also wanted to know if she remembered and had meant what she said in the car about sticking with him whether or not Dawn was his and loving Dawn as she loved him if she turned out to be his.

    "By the way, I told my parents about Dawn before they left," Tom said, wondering if she would be okay to talk about it since she had said they put it aside until they saw the result.

    "You did? I thought you were going to wait until we got the results," Lucy said as she adjusted in her seat to look at him.

    "I figured it was best I tell them in person before they leave. You know how they are, if I tell them about it over the pher they might want to fly down again, and I don''t want them to," Tom said and Lucy smiled.

    That was something both their parents had inmon. Traveling on a whim the moment they received any news whether or not you wanted them to.

    "I see. So? How did they take it? I bet Evelyn was happy," Lucy said, and Tom shook his head.

    "On the contrary her reaction was surprising. She was more worried about you and how it would affect us," Tom said, and Lucy''s heart did a flip flop.

    "Really?" Lucy asked, and Tom nodded.

    "Yeah. She must love you more than I thought," Tom said, and Lucy smiled sadly.

    As much as she appreciated their concern, she thought it was sad that when everyone else should be thinking about the kid, they were more worried about her reaction.

    "Well, you can ask her not to worry about me. If the resultes back positive, we would all have to focus on Dawn. That reminds me, did you say anything to Kimberly?" Lucy asked when she remembered Kimberly''s text, not giving Tom time to respond to her statement about them focusing on Dawn.

    "Why? Did she reach out to you again?" Tom asked with a frown.

    "You did, didn''t you? You really shouldn''t have, Tom. I don''t want to have a bad rtionship with her if I can help it," Lucy said, and Tom scowled.

    "Did she threaten you or say anything harsh?" He asked, and Lucy sighed.

    "No, she didn''t. She apologized for reaching out to me. I''m just saying, I don''t want to be on bad terms with her. She was only trying to be nice and you didn''t have to tell her I said anything to you or make her feel bad for talking to me," Lucy exined.

    "I know how trusting you can be and I simply wanted her to understand that you are a no go area. I don''t want another Anita situation," Tom said reasonably.

    "Yes, I understand that. But you are being a bit too protective," Lucy said, and Tom snorted.

    "Protective? I haven''t even started yet," He assured her, and she giggled.

    "I''m serious, Tom. We have to at least give her the benefit of doubt without letting our guards down," Lucy said and Tom sighed.

    "So, what? You want to be friends with her?" He asked, and Lucy shrugged.

    "If she happens to be the mother of your child, then yes! I''d rather we are friends than enemies," Lucy said and Tom shook his head.

    "I am not sure I''mfortable with that," he said with a frown.

    "Trust me, you would be even more ufortable when I can''t get along with Dawn because her mom has poisoned her heart against me. The enemy of a girl''s mom is her enemy," Lucy stated, and Tom turned to spare her a nce.

    She sounded like she had made up her mind to be actively involved in Dawn''s life and was already thinking of getting along with the kid.

    "Alright. You can do whatever you want. But if she bothers you or says anything unpleasant to you, you have to tell me," Tom said and Lucy gave him a nod.

    "Sure."

    "You know you don''t have to do any of this, right?" Tom asked, and she smiled.

    "I''m doing it because I want to. Also, I wanted to suggest something, but I do not know if it''s too soon to do so," Lucy said, and Tom nced at her. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Let''s hear it."

    Lucy cleared her throat, "If it''s okay with you, I want to suggest that if the resultes back positive you invite them down here instead of going over," Lucy said, and before Tom could respond she quickly spoke again.

    "I''m not suggesting that because I am worried or feeling insecure about you traveling over to see them alone. I''m just saying so because it would be easier for us all to meet them. I will like to see them too," Lucy added as he drove into her street.

    "My mother suggested the same thing," Tom said, and Lucy rxed.

    "Oh, really? Nice! So? Are you going to do that?" She asked as he parked the car, and Lucy smiled.

    "Since you''re also cool with it, I will invite them over," Tom said, not wanting to tell her yet that Evelyn had also suggested that Dawn moves in with him.

    "And you should know that even if I had any ns of traveling, I would have made sure youe along with me," Tom added as he took her hand and kissed her knuckles.

    "Cool," Lucy said, and they both got out of the car and went into the house.

    Inside the house, Tom urged Lucy to go in freshen up since the bathroom was too small to amodate them both at the same time.

    While she was at it, he went into the kitchen to heat up the meal which Adolf had deliveredst night while she was asleep.

    As Lucy walked into her bedroom, she grinned when she saw Tom''s stuff arranged on the space she had left him on her dressing table.

    She walked over to her closet and pulled the drawer she had reserved for him open. She felt a surprisingly overwhelming sense of satisfaction at the sight of his neatly folded undies in her drawer.

    She opened the main closet door and something tugged on her heart when she saw a couple of his clothes hanging there.

    She sighed as she closed the door and stepped back, then looked around her bedroom.

    Even though having someone who wasn''t her family or Sonia in her space in this manner was new to her, she didn''t feel ufortable in any way.

    Tom was like a part of her and it just felt right to have him with her and to have his stuff mixed up with hers.

    After she had straightened the bed and properly put away the clothes they had worn the previous night which he had folded and kept on the padded vanity stool, Lucy freshened up and went out to find him, dressed only in an oversized tshirt, which she had stolen from Lucas.

    She stood by the kitchen door barefooted, and watched as Tom moved around setting their breakfast on a tray.

    Overwhelmed by an emotion she couldn''t exin, she walked into the kitchen quietly and wrapped her arms around Tom''s waist from behind, surprising him.

    "Is everything alright?" Tom asked, and she bobbed her head even though she was standing beside him and he couldn''t see her.

    "Yeah. I just felt like embracing you," Lucy said, and Tom smiled.

    "Then you should do it properly," Tom said as he took her arms and pulled her around so that she was standing in front of him.

    "So, what''s making you feel like embracing me?" Tom asked as his arms went around her and he gazed down at her as she looked up at him.

    "I think I just like having you here," Lucy said and Tom grinned.

    "If I had known that being in your apartment would make you more romantic I would have moved in a long time ago. Tell me, do you want me to sell my house and move inpletely with you?" Tom asked with a teasing smile and Lucy giggled.

    "Please, don''t," she said as Tom''s hand moved over her back and he raised a brow.

    "You''re not wearing anything under this, are you?" He asked, and she gave him a coy smile.

    "Why don''t you see for yourself?" She asked, and Tom chuckled.

    "I will do that after you''ve had breakfast. Come now, I don''t want it to get cold," Tom said as he kissed her chin.

    "What if I don''t want to eat breakfast yet? What if I want to eat you instead?" Lucy asked as she stretched on her toes to kiss him.

    "What''s gotten into you today?" Tom asked in amusement as he kissed her back, and she shrugged as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

    "I don''t know. Maybe I''m just trying to practice being naughty without any alcohol? How am I doing?" She asked and Tomughed softly.

    "You are doing more than good. But I will only be willing to indulge you after you''ve had breakfast," Tom said making her scowl at him as he picked up the tray and led the way to her bedroom.

    "You''re going to regret turning me down. I''m going to make sure of it," Lucy threatened as she followed him.

    "I''m sure I will," Tom said and she gave him a stink eye as they both settled down on the bed.

    Seated on her bed and having breakfast with her this way while she kept scowling at him, Tom couldn''t help but feel like they had stepped into another phase in their rtionship.

    It felt like he had crossed another line with her. Or perhaps he had broken through another wall around her heart.

    Yes, she had been with him in his house and all, but their rtionship felt somewhat different now. Deeper in a way.

    He could feel Lucy opening up her whole heart to him and letting him into her life unlike before.

    He couldn''t help but wonder what had prompted the changes in her. Was it just his short trip? Or was it because of Kimberly and Dawn? Whatever it was that had prompted the changes, he was thankful for it.

    "What are you grinning about?" Lucy asked when she noticed the smile which had formed on his face.

    "Seeing how your love for me increased in the space of a few days because I was away, I was wondering if I should perhaps take another trip. Perhaps a longer one��." The rest of his words were lost in a guffaw when she threw a piece of steak at him.

 Chapter 654 Everyone Would Be Happy

    Harry, who was ying PS with his father, rose from the couch when the doorbell rang a couple of times.

    "It''s probably Lucy," Aaron said since they were all aware that she was picking up Jamal for their little date and it was almost time for them to leave.

    "Yeah," Harry said in agreement as he opened the door.

    He scowled when he saw Tom standing there with Lucy, "If I had known you were out here I wouldn''t have opened the door," Harry said, and Tom chuckled.

    "Why not?" Tom asked as he walked past Harry into the house while Lucy embraced Harry.

    "You know the damned passcode! Use it!" Harry hissed at Tom as he led Lucy into the house and shut the door behind them.

    "Well, you''re not alone in the house, are you? What if someone was running around naked?" Tom asked with a grin, and Harry rolled his eyes while Aaron raised a brow.

    "And who would be running around here naked?" Aaron asked, and grinned at Lucy as she came to kiss his cheeks.

    "How have you been?" Lucy asked, giving him her whole attention while Tom and Harry continued to argue about Tom''s annoying use of the doorbell despite the fact that he could unlock the door himself.

    "This old man has missed you," Aaron said and Lucy giggled as she sat beside him.

    "What old man? I don''t see any one around here. All I see is a very attractive mature male," Lucy said, batting hershes at him, and Aaron chuckled.

    "Can you stop flirting with my girlfriend? Each time we are around you, it''s either you or Jamal flirting with Lucy. Do I have to cut Harry off?" Tom asked, mock ring at Aaron.

    "Lucy, I suppose you will have to choose. It''s either us or Tom," Aaron said, and Lucy ced a hand on her chest.

    "How could I ever do that? I think I''m polygamous in nature and can''t settle for only one fine man. Hence, I chose handsome men from different age groups. You all would have to love me for who I am," Lucy said, looking from Aaron to Tom and back again, while Harry shook his head in amusement.

    "Thinking about it, you''re right. But a teenager is missing from the list. Should I find you one?" Harry asked, and Lucy rose dramatically.

    "s! I think I have found my one true love who loves me for who I am," Lucy said as she went to hug Harry and they all chuckled.

    "Lucy!" Jamal cried excitedly as he hurried down the hallway to greet her.

    "Ah! And my other true love," Lucy said with a beaming smile for Jamal as she went on one knee to embrace him.

    "I can''t believe how much I''ve missed you," Lucy said as she buried her face in the crook of his little neck and he wrapped his tiny arms around her neck.

    "I missed you too. I''m ready to leave," Jamal informed her, and Lucy pulled away from him to look at him.

    She giggled when she noticed he was dressed in a shirt and trousers with a bow tie which sort of made him look really formal.

    "You look dashing, darling," Lucy said as she straightened up, and Jamal grinned.

    "Thank you. You look beautiful as always," he said as he looked Lucy over.

    She was dressed in a floral red knee length dress with bow straps. Her hair was back in a ponytail as usual and her sses was in ce.

    "When are you going to look away from my girlfriend long enough to acknowledge my presence?" Tom asked, and Jamal grinned as he looked his way.

    Even though he was never going to admit it out loud to anyone, Tom was his idol, and he was more than happy to see him.

    "She is my girlfriend for today. Right, Lucy?" Jamal asked with a smirk, and Lucy bobbed her head.

    "Totally," Lucy said as she rose.

    "Going with you on a date doesn''t mean she is your girlfriend," Tom said, and Jamal raised his chin.

    "It does!"

    "Does that mean I will be your boyfriend when I take you out on a date?" Tom asked, and Jamal looked at Tom incredulously.

    "I''m not going on a date with you. A date is for boys and girls. I''m only gonna hang out with you," Jamal said matter of factly and the rest of themughed.

    "Well, I suppose I can let you have your COUSIN for today," Tom said, stressing on the word and Jamal scowled at him.

    "Hello, sober Lucy!" Candace greeted as she joined them, and Lucy winced.

    "Give me a break, will you?" Lucy asked, and Candaceughed softly.

    "You sure took one from your senses yesterday. I''m surprised you are able to show your face in public," Candace said with a grin.

    "All I did was dance and talk," Lucy said dismissively.

    "Yeah. Very interesting dance steps too. Did you see the video?" Candace asked, and Lucy gasped.

    "There was a video?" Lucy asked, turning to Tom who had not mentioned that.

    Tom shrugged, "Harry took care of it. Right, Harry?" Tom asked, looking at Harry.

    "That doesn''t mean the videos don''t exist. Maybe you should take a look at it. That way you will think twice the next time you think it''s a good idea to get drunk in public," Harry said with a pleasant smile.

    "I hope youdies can find another less irresponsible way to hang out? Perhaps have such drunken meetings in your room or hang out in a spa and gossip without alcohols. I don''t want to have to deal with any unnecessary scandals," Harry said, giving both Lucy and Candace a pointed look.

    "It was your girlfriend''s idea. Talk to her, not me. It wasn''t like I was drunk anyway. Good thing it was both your girlfriends who ran the whole show," Candace said as she went to sit next to Aaron and he draped his hand over her shoulder to pull her close and she rxed against him.

    "Well, you can do me a favor by making sure Lucy never takes a drop of alcohol when next you girls hangout. I will talk to Sonia and Jade too. She woke up with a raging ulcer this morning and I had to take her to the hospital," Tom said and they all looked at Lucy with concern.

    "An Ulcer?"

    "Are you alright now?" Harry and Candace asked simultaneously before Aaron could speak.

    "Do not mind Tom. It wasn''t that serious," Lucy assured them.

    "Yes, it was. If only you had seen how pale you looked," Tom said, and Jamal frowned.

    "We can stay home if you are not feeling��"<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "You''re so sweet, Jam. But you don''t have to worry. I''m fine, alright? Let''s leave these adults now and go spend some time together?" Lucy interrupted Jamal as she took his hand.

    "Is there something he shouldn''t have?" Lucy asked Candace curiously.

    "Don''t worry, Jamal is responsible. He wouldn''t let you get him whatever that would hurt his health," Candace assured Lucy.

    "Alright then. We should get going," Lucy said as she went to kiss Aaron''s cheeks and then kissed Tom before leaving with Jamal.

    "So, is Jadeing over?" Harry asked Candace after they were sure that Lucy had left.

    "No. She asked that I meet her at Bryan''s house. She is busy supervising the workers," Candace said and Tom turned to Harry.

    "Do you want us to join them? I thought you wanted to hangout?" He asked since he had not nned to head there untilter in the day.

    Bryan had assured him he that everything was under control and his help wasn''t needed. All that Bryan wanted was his and Lucy''s presence.

    "Sure. We are hanging out. Give me a minute to change my clothes then we can drop Candace off to meet Jade before going to the lounge," Harry said as he walked away to do just that.

    Outside, once Lucy and Jamal got to the parking lot, she automatically unlocked the car as they approached it and Jamal ran ahead of her.

    She looked at him wondering what he was up to, and giggled when he held open the drivers door for her to get in.

    "My heart can''t take any more of your sweetness, Jam," Lucy said with a wide smile as she stopped next to him, and instead of getting into the car, she opened the backdoor for him to get in.

    "Thanks for holding out the door. But I can''t get into the car if you''re not seated and buckled in first," Lucy said, and Jamal left the door open as he got into the car and let Lucy fasten his seatbelt even though he thought that wasn''t necessary and he could do it himself.

    And he also did not really like the fact that he was being tucked away in the backseat like a kid. He wished he were an adult and could ride in front with her or even drive the car himself.

    After Lucy got into the car, she turned in her seat to face him, "So, what would you like to do? Do you have any fun ce in mind you want to go?" Lucy asked, and Jamal shrugged.

    "Can we go see a movie?" Jamal asked, and Lucy raised a brow.

    She had expected him to want to go to the amusement park or a yground, "Cinema?"

    "Yes. And maybe we can get ice cream and snackster," Jamal suggested, and Lucy found herself grinning when it dawned on her that he was treating it like an actual date.

    "Sure. That works for me. But we will have to stop off at an amusement park or a video arcade. I''d love to y a couple of games. Is that fine by you?" she asked as she started the car, and watched as his eyes lit up through the rearview mirror.

    Although she wasn''t really into movies and stuff, but for Jamal she could do it since it was obvious he had suggested that mostly for her sake.

    "So, what sort of movies do you like?" She asked, wanting to make conversation with his as she drove away from there.

    "It depends on what I''m allowed to see," Jamal said, and Lucy giggled.

    "Right. We will have to find something age appropriate for you," Lucy said, wondering why it hadn''t urred to her that they couldn''t see normal adult movies.

    "But we can see something you like. I''m sure she won''t mind," Jamal said, referring to his mother, and Lucy smiled.

    "Nah. I''m not very much into movies. I sleep halfway into them, so it''s best we see something you prefer," Lucy said and Jamal shook his head.

    "Then let''s not see a movie. I thought you would want to see a movie since uncle Harry said that''s what adults do during dates," Jamal said, and Lucy giggled.

    "Don''t you want to see a movie?" Lucy asked and he shrugged.

    "I wanted to because I''ve never been to a cinema so I don''t know what it feels like," Jamal exined, and she smiled.

    "Then permit me to be the first person who goes to a cinema with you," Lucy said, and he looked at her hesitantly.

    "But you won''t enjoy it. You just said you will sleep off," Jamal pointed out.

    "I will try not to, and if I begin to doze off you can wake me up. Deal?" She asked, and Jamal smiled at her.

    "Okay."

    They continued in silence for some time and Lucy would have thought that Jamal had slept off had she not been ncing at him from time to time through the rearview mirror.

    "Lucy?" Jamal called after a while.

    "Yes?"

    "Are you going to get married to Tom?" Jamal asked, and Lucy''s heart skipped a beat.

    "Huh?" She asked, not sure she had heard his question clearly.

    "Are you going to get married to Tom?" Jamal repeated, and Lucy was silent for a moment.

    "Uhm, I''m not sure yet. Why?" She asked, hoping he wouldn''t ask further questions there and just tell her what he was thinking instead.

    "You want to break up with him?" Jamal asked with a slight frown.

    "No, I''m not breaking up with him," Lucy was quick to correct.

    "Then you''re going to get married to him," Jamal stated reasonably.

    "Why do you ask?" Lucy asked again, not responding to that. She wasn''t about to tell a seven years old kid all that was going on in her head right now.

    "Well, I sort of like Tom and he loves you a lot. So I was thinking that I wouldn''t want to hurt his feelings by taking you from him," Jamal said, and Lucy stuck her tongue in her cheek to stop herself fromughing.

    "Ah! I see. That''s so considerate of you," she managed.

    "If you both have a daughter, she would be just like you, but I would be older than her and she can be my girlfriend instead, right? That wouldn''t hurt either you or Tom. That way everyone will be happy, right?" Jamal asked, and this time Lucy couldn''t help herughter.

    "I suppose so," Lucy said, and she watched as Jamal''s lips curved in a smile.

    The kid never ceased to amuse and amaze her.

 Chapter 655 Hurt Feelings

    After Tom and Harry had dropped off Candace at Bryan''s new ce, they went to the lounge where they usually used to hang out until Lucy showed up in Tom''s life with all the apanying drama.

    After they were seated and sipping from their wine sses, Harry turned to Tom, "So? What''s up with you?" Harry asked with interest.

    On their way they had agreed to only discuss personal stuff during this hangout, and not talk about work or business.

    Tom shrugged, "I''m alright. Sort of anxiously waiting to get the result tomorrow," Tom confessed.

    "Why didn''t you ask them to speed things up? I mean, they could have easily done that because it''s you," Harry said and Tom sighed.

    "I didn''t want to," Tom said, and Harry raised a brow.

    "Why not? You''d rather be anxious all weekend than get the answer you seek easily?" Harry asked and Tom looked away for a moment before looking back at him.

    "I suppose I just wanted to have a normal weekend with Lucy. I thought things might change when we get the result and I wanted us to be at ease," Tom exined and Harry nodded in understanding.

    "Did she do or say anything to make you think she would walk away if the resultes back positive?" Harry asked and Tom shook his head.

    "On the contrary her behavior has been sort of really encouraging. It''s beautiful and scary at the same time," Tom said, and Harry chuckled.

    "Beautiful and scary?"

    "Yeah. It''s beautiful because I would love for it all to be true. I sort of feel like our rtionship has improved a lot this weekend despite the whole Kimberly thing. And I''m scared because I''m worried she might be in denial or something and if she realizes for real that the kid is mine, she might just withdraw," Tom said with a sigh.

    "Well, I''m very sure you''re overthinking it. This is the reason you should have pushed for the test to be carried out faster. That way you would save yourself all this stress. The way I see it you''re only postponing the inevitable," Harry said as Tom sipped from his ss.

    "I suppose you''re right. Tomorrow is almost here now, so we will know," Tom said, and Harry eyed him curiously.

    "Have you decided on what you would want to do if she turns out to be yours?" Harry asked and Tom nodded.

    "My mom and Lucy suggested I invite them down here to meet with the family. I also would want to talk to Kimberly to see how we can coparent from the distance. Perhaps she can live with me and start school here, then spend her holidays with Kimberly, or she can school there and spend her holidays with me," Tom said and Harry nodded in understanding.

    "Yeah. I think that''s the only way it can work due to the distance," Harry said thoughtfully.

    "I can also visit from time to time while she is over there. I wouldn''t want to wait months to see her," Tom added and Harry nodded once again.

    "That sounds fine. You seem to have given it a lot of thought," Harry said, and Tom shrugged.

    "I don''t think I had much of a choice. Lucy wants to be friends with Kimberly," Tom said and Harry raised a brow.

    "And why does it seem like you don''t want her to?" He asked, and Tom sighed.

    "I don''t know. I just don''t want a repeat of the whole experience with Anita��"

    "I don''t think there is any reason to worry. Both situations are very different. The stuff with Anita happened only because you weren''t honest from the beginning. Lucy would never have gotten close to Anita had you clearly told her your intentions from the onset or at least told her precisely that Anita was your ex. Lucy is going into this fully aware of who Kimberly is, and she doesn''t need to be told to be careful until she can tell if Kimberly is friend or foe. Both situations are not the same," Harry stated confidently, and Tom pinched the bridge of his nose.

    "I suppose you''re right��"

    "Of course, I am. When have I ever been wrong?" Harry asked with a smug smile and Tom chuckled.

    "I could list a couple��"

    "I don''t want to hear them," Harry cut in and Tomughed.

    "So, how do you feel about Bryan getting married?" Harry asked, and Tom raised a brow.

    "What''s this? Therapy? You don''t have to worry about��"

    "I''m not worried, just curious," Harry corrected.

    "Well, I never would have imagined that Bryan would get married before me or that I would be actively considering not getting married, but I''m fine. I had ns of finding a way to change Lucy''s heart about the whole marriage then, but then life threw me a curveball and now marriage is the least of my worries as I''m too busy trying not to lose her as my girlfriend. I''ve decided that I''m just going to take life as ites," Tom said dismissively before looking at Harry with interest.

    "Enough about me. Let''s talk about you. What''s happening with you? How does it feel to be in a rtionship?" Tom asked with a grin and Harry chuckled.

    "I''m not sure. It''s all good I think," Harry said since he didn''t feel like much had changed since he started dating Jade.

    His love for Jade was a constant. And his thoughts of her were the same. The only difference was his growing desire to make love to her, and even though Tom was his best friend he could hardly tell him that he couldn''t wait to have his sister under him.

    "And Sara?" Tom asked, and Harry shrugged.

    "She''s awaiting the DNA test result to ascertain if Crystal is her daughter. I spoke with Bar. She has tried to arrange a meeting with the supposed head doctor at research institute, so I''ve arranged for someone to meet her. But I think she would be putting that on hold for the time being," Harry exined and Tom raised a brow.

    "Why?"

    "Because she wouldn''t want to miss out on this opportunity to get a free lobe of healthy liver or the whole of it for that matter. If she''s anything like I think she is, she would want to get a transnt first," Harry said and Tom mulled over it for a moment.

    "The good thing is that either ways, she falls into our trap," Tom said, and Harry nodded.

    "I would rather she makes an attempt on illegally harvesting Crystal''s liver so she can be arrested. Duping her through the research institute scheme wouldn''t be good enough for me," Harry said and Tom smiled.

    "There are a lot of things we can do to her. And there is no reason we can''t make her do both," Tom said confidently.

    As though summoned by their discussion, Harry''s phone started ringing with a phone call from Sara and he raised a brow and showed Tom the caller''s identity.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    "Speak of the stic devil," Tom muttered as Harry received the call.

    "Hey, mom!" Harry greeted cheerfully and Tom scoffed.

    He''d rather choke on his own balls than refer to someone as Sara that way.

    "Don''t call me that! Call me Sara!" Sara hissedimpatiently, and Harry raised a brow.

    "Why? It''s not like anyone is here to hear me call you that," Harry said reasonably.

    "I don''t like it. I don''t want it. And if you keep calling me that I might just have to��"

    "What? Abandon me again?" Harry asked harshly, and realizing that she had pissed him off she took a deep breath.

    Although she had been about to threaten to cut him off if he continued to refer to her as his mother against her will, she had not expected that her gullible son would be annoyed at her. She had expected that he would apologize instead and promise not to make her ufortable anymore. That was what Aaron would have done.

    She couldn''t afford to annoy Harry. What if she did and he ended up angry enough to want to expose her for real? She couldn''t have that.

    "Of course, not! I would never do that to you," Sara said catingly.

    "If you don''t want a rtionship with me why did you bothering back into my life?" Harry asked with a scowl.

    "Of course, I do want a rtionship with you. It''s just awkward right now��."

    "Why did you call?" Harry asked curtly, not giving her room to make her foolish excuses. He really wasn''t in the mood for it.

    Sara pursed her lips as she considered her options. She had wanted to ask him to make an official statement to the press denying being rted to her. She had continued to receive calls and questions about her rtionship with him and if he was her son.

    Thest thing she wanted was for Crystal to get wind of the news and try to go in search of Harry. All her ns would be ruined if Crystal got reunited with Harry and Aaron.

    Unfortunately as it stood now, Harry seemed to be in a foul mood and she couldn''t exactly ask him to do that else he might not only get annoyed but might be suspicious.

    "I was hoping we could meet again," Sara said instead even if that wasn''t the reason she had called.

    Maybe she coulde up with a way this time to quell the rumor. Perhaps she could make them think he was her lover or something.

    "I thought you said you were leaving Ludus and you suggested that we don''t meet again? (Chapter 593)" Harry asked, not liking the idea of seeing her again.

    "Well, something came up and I didn''t leave as nned. As long as we stick to the story of me being yourte mother''s best friend I think we should be fine," Sara said and Harry shook his head.

    Of course he knew what hade up. Crystal hade up. What he didn''t get was why she suddenly wanted to see him.

    "Well, I don''t think it''s a good idea. I''d rather we don''t get into such an awkward situation again. I guess seeing you once was enough. And since you''ve made it clear you don''t want me in your life I don''t think we should keep in touch or see," Harry said, and Sara frowned.

    What was going on? Was he rejecting her now? Why? Simply because she had asked him not to refer to her as mom?

    "C''mon, Harry. You can''t possibly be mad at me simply because I said I don''t want to��" the rest of her words trailed off when she heard the disconnect tone and her eyes widened slightly in disbelief.

    Did Harry just hang up on her? How could he? Harry was sweet and gullible, why was he suddenly acting like his silly twin, Crystal?

    "Why did you do that?" Tom asked Harry curiously.

    "I''m tired of her bullshit. I don''t have any more room for it. Besides, this should make her focus on Crystal," Harry said dismissively.

    Tom looked at Harry for a moment and shook his head, "You can cut the act. She hurt your feelings, didn''t she?" Tom asked, giving Harry a knowing look.

    Harry said nothing as he sipped from his ss. There was nothing to say. Tom knew him well enough to see through his anger and know his feelings were actually hurt.

    Even if he only called her mom to taunt her and make her feel guilty, hearing her say she didn''t want him calling her that sort of made him feel rejected in a way.

    As much as he hated to admit it to himself or anyone else, Sara''s attitude hurt him. And it annoyed him because he knew he shouldn''t feel anything where she was concerned. Not even hurt. She didn''t deserve to have the slightest bit of power over his emotions.

    Seeing that Harry didn''t want to talk about it, Tom pped a hand on his back, "Do you want to hear some ''your mama so ugly jokes''? I coulde up with one or two for you, and the best part of it is that neither of us will have to feel guilty about it," Tom said, and Harry chuckled.

    "I''d rather we don''t talk about her at all. Let''s focus on more pleasant subjects instead," Harry suggested.

    "Yeah. I was thinking. Since I won''t be traveling anymore, why don''t you go on your vacation now?" Tom asked and Harry shook his head.

    "We still have so much going on..."

    "We will always have so much going on. That doesn''t mean you shouldn''t take a break. Let''s work on handling any loose ends you might need to fix this week, and then you can leave. I think it''s high time you take a break," Tom said and Harry smiled.

    "A paid vacation, huh?"

    "Fully funded by me. Tell me where you want to go and I will take care of it," Tom promised and Harry chuckled.

    "Don''t you think it would be weird for you to handle the details considering I''m taking your sister with me and it might be a really steamy sex themed vacation?" Harry joked, and Tom chuckled.

    "You? Steamy sex-themed vacation? I will definitely handle the details!" Tom promised with a grin.

 Chapter 656 Motherhood

    Candace couldn''t say she wasn''t impressed by Bryan''s and Sonia''s taste as Jade gave her a tour of the house showing her every inch of it, while the workers busied themselves with their assignment both around and inside the house.

    "This ce is going to be spectacr by the time they are done," Candace said, and Jade nodded.

    "I have no doubt about it. Now all we have to do is hope that things go smoothly tonight," Jade said and Candace raised a brow.

    "What could possibly go wrong? We both know Sonia is going to be over the moon with joy," Candace pointed out and Jade grinned.

    "Sure. It''s beautiful being a part of this, isn''t it?" Jade asked and Candace nodded.

    "It is. Weeks ago I never would have imagined my life would take such a turn and I would be here like this hanging out with people like you," Candace said with a small smile.

    "Can you imagine all you would have thrown away had you gone ahead with your n to get rid of Jero?" Jade asked, and Candace scowled.

    "But I didn''t," she pointed out.

    "Agreed. I''m just trying to say, this teaches us that some things are better left to time. Some of our present worries and concerns be insignificant with time," Jade said with a shrug.

    "I suppose you''re right. I wonder how Sonia hasn''t caught on yet when she always acts like she is all knowing," Candace said changing the subject.

    "How is she supposed to know anything when we are being really discreet? Even Lucy doesn''t have a clue," Jade said, and Candace nced at her watch.

    "Speaking of Lucy, I wonder how she is doing with Jamal. Do you think I should check on them?" Candace asked, and Jade shook her head.

    "Lucy is someone I can trust with my kid. And considering how much Jamal adores her, you can bet they''re having a smooth day," Jade said confidently.

    "That''s right. It''s amusing to see him so taken by her. I wonder how she would react when she finds out he actually took one of Harry''s cards to pay for their date," Candace said with a grin and Jade looked at her with amused disbelief.

    "You''re kidding, right?" Jade asked, amused by the thought of Jamal paying for lunch or whatever Lucy was getting him.

    Candace giggled, "I wish I was. He quizzed Harry and his grandpa about dates and all, and then asked for money to pay for the date. Well, I didn''t expect Harry or our dad to fight over whose card he could go with," Candace said with a grin, and Jade giggled.

    "That boy of yours is something. You must be so proud," Jade said and Candace nodded.

    "I am. Every day I am grateful for the gift that he is. Sometimes he can be a pain in the ass though," Candace said as Jeff and Mia joined them.

    "Bryan said you were with the chef. How did it go?" Jade asked them, since they were in charge of the refreshments.

    "We have it all under control," Mia assured her.

    "We came over to see if you needed extra help here," Jeff told Jade.

    "I''m not sure I do, but maybe you could help me supervise the decoration being done outside and see if something is missing," Jade said, and they both left.

    As Jade and Candace stepper into the passage way, they heard a familiar voice talking with Mia and Jeff in the living room.

    "Isn''t that Matt?" Jade asked Candace who was wondering the same thing.

    "Where are the gorgeousdies?" Matt asked as he appeared by the passageway.

    "What are you doing here? We weren''t expecting you," Jade said, and Matt arched a brow.

    "Bryan might be your brother, but I''m his best friend and I''m here to make sure everything is going smoothly and to see if there is any manly chores you need me to run," Matt said before shifting his gaze to Candace.

    "Hello, Candace!"

    "Hi, Matt! What''s up?" She asked, and Jade rolled her eyes.

    She thought it was ridiculous that they both thought she could be fooled by such casual hellos when she already knew they were screwing each other.

    "You know what? I will just excuse you two and join Jeff and Mia outside," Jade said before walking away, leaving them alone.

    They both stared at each other for a moment without saying anything, and Matt walked up to her and kissed her.

    Candace''s lips twitched with an amused smile as he broke the kiss, "This whole stuff is silly," she said with a shake of her head.

    "I''m d you think so too. Now that it seems they all know about our little affair, do you think it makes sense to pretend otherwise?" Matt asked as he took her hand and pulled her into one of the bedrooms closest to them and shut the door.

    "Yes. Let''s keep it the way it is. I won''t let them dictate to me what I should do or how I should do it. You''re not bringing any friend with you tonight, are you?" she asked, and Matt grinned.

    "Do you want me to?" he asked, wanting to get a reaction.

    "Why don''t you try it?" Candace asked with a sweet smile, and kissed his jaw before walking away.

    Away from there, Lucy was having a swell time with Jamal. Her first moment of shock hade when she was about to pay for their movie tickets and Jamal brought out a card to make the payment.

    Well, she had not exactly been the only one shocked. Even the cashier had been taken aback by the gesture as well.

    "What are you doing?" Lucy had asked in amusement, while looking around slightly embarrassed.

    "I want to pay. Uncle Harry said a gentleman handles the bills," Jamal exined, and the cashier chortled.

    "Oh, you''ve got yourself a sweet young man, ma''am," the cashier said, looking really amused.

    "Thanks for the sentiment, Jam, but that doesn''t always apply, darling. I asked for this date, and I''m handling the bills. So don''t embarrass us both any further, and put that card away. You can save it for when you take my daughter out on your first date," Lucy said, and Jamal hesitantly returned the card into his pocket.

    "Oh? He''s not your son?" the cashier asked, and Lucy smiled awkwardly.

    "No, he''s not. Can I have the tickets, please? I''m sure you have a long line of people to attend to," Lucy said politely, and the cashier quickly handed them the tickets and they left to pick up their snacks.

    "I''m sorry," Jamal murmured, and Lucy turned to him, and crouched in front of him so they could be on the same eye level.

    "You don''t have to be sorry for doing something you believed was right, Jam. It was a sweet gesture, I assure you," Lucy said as she kissed his cheek.

    "But you said I embarrassed us," Jamal pointed out.

    "I didn''t mean it in a totally bad way. I said that only because we were holding up the line and bringing attention to ourselves. What you did was sweet," Lucy assured him.

    Jamal eyed her for a moment wanting to see if she was just saying that or she meant it, and when she held his gaze, he finally smiled, "Okay."

    "Good," Lucy said as she straightened up and took his hand again.

    "Excuse me," the man who had been standing behind them on the queue called as he approached, and both Lucy and Jamal turned to look at him.

    "Yeah? Is there a problem?" Lucy asked politely.

    "No. Not at all. I overheard your conversation on the line earlier. I thought it was cute. I''m Mike," he said with a polite smile as he extended his hand for a handshake, and Jamal scowled.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    "Hello, Mike! Is there something you wanted?" Lucy asked politely, deliberately not giving her name.

    "I was hoping I could tag along with you too..."

    "No, you can''t!" Jamal said, surprising both Lucy and the man.

    "This is a date for just the two of us. And she already has someone she is getting married to," Jamal stated, making sure to defend both his and Tom''s interest.

    As far as Jamal was concerned, if he couldn''t have Lucy, the only man allowed to have her was Tom because Tom loved her like he did.

    Lucyughed softly, "You heard my man. It was nice meeting you, Mike. We have to go now," Lucy said, and walked away with Jamal, while the man remained where he stood staring at them.

    "Why did you do that? I would have said no," Lucy told Jamal as they picked up their snacks.

    "I didn''t like him talking to you," Jamal said and Lucy grinned.

    "I see."

    Thanks to Jamal''s constant interestingmentary, Lucy was been able to stay awake through the movie at the cinema.

    After that they had gone to a video arcade and yed a couple of games before she decided to take him to a park so he could mix up with other kids of his age since she knew he had not been able to do that since he got to Ludus.

    Although he had been reluctant to leave her side at first, Lucy assured him that she brought him out to have fun and would feel better if he did that.

    She was amazed by Jamal''s ability to socialize, and how he seemed to draw all the other kids around to himself.

    She looked around the park at the different mothers and nannies around. Some were seated alone and some in groups. There were a handful of men around as well.

    The whole ce was colorful and filled with happy sounds andughter apart from the asional yell from mothers or nannies to their wards.

    "Your kid?" ady asked as she sat beside Lucy who was grinning as she watched Jamal teach a younger kid how to skip.

    Lucy turned her smiling face to thedy, "No," she said, not seeing any reason to expand on it.

    "But you do have the look of a proud mom though," she said, and Lucy raised a brow.

    "Really? How do proud moms look?" Lucy asked curiously.

    "Just like you do," she said with a grin, and Lucy chuckled.

    Although she didn''t like talking with strangers much, there was something rxing about thedy, so she decided to just enjoy thepany.

    "Those two nking your boy in yellow and green shirts are my boys," she said, and Lucy turned to look at the young guys standing beside Jamal.

    "They are cute. Are they twins?" Lucy asked when she noticed the resemnce between them despite the height difference.

    "I always get that question. They are two years apart. They took after their dad totally, those two. Not a single thing from me. I wonder if I contributed anything gically apart from being their warehouse for forty weeks," she said with an envious sigh that made Lucy look at her again.

    "You don''t sound so pleased about it," Lucy said and she giggled.

    "Don''t mind my outburst. I''ve always wanted a girl. A girl who looked like me and maybe a bit like him. But what did I get? Two boys who are the spitting image of their dad. It''s so unfair considering I''m the one who housed them in my body," she said, and Lucy smiled.

    "Well, you could always try again," Lucy suggested and she shook her head.

    "Hell, no! I''ve given up. I could die of heartbreak if I tried again and got another boy that looks just like him," she said with a shake of her head and Lucyughed.

    "What if you had a little girl who looked like him?" Lucy asked, thinking of Dawn who looked a lot like Tom but in a feminine way.

    "At least it would be a girl," thedy said and then called out to one of her sons to behave himself.

    "I don''t think there is anything wrong in having little boys who remind you of your husband. Besides, if you think about it, it''s sweet in a way, don''t you think? You never have to really miss him because you''re always looking into his face," Lucy said and her heart skipped a beat when she realized her words had actually evoked images of little boys that looked exactly like Tom in her mind.

    Her little boys with Tom.

    "Oh, wait until you have yours and then you can tell me about it," she said, but Lucy was no longer listening to her.

    She was now beginning to wonder what was really going on with her. Did she actually just imagine having kids with Tom? With Tom?

    "Are you married?" thedy asked, and Lucy shook her head as she turned to her, trying not to dwell on her thoughts at the moment.

    "No, I''m not. But I do have a very handsome and sweet boyfriend," Lucy said with a happy smile.

    "Judging by the smile on your face, you must be happy in love," she said, and Lucy''s smile widened.

    "I am," Lucy said with a nod.

    "That''s nice. He must be a great guy," she said as both their gaze wandered to the kids.

    They were both silent for a while until Lucy spoke, "What about you? Were you happy in love with your husband before you got married?" Lucy asked curiously.

    Although she wasn''t usually one to pry on other people''s private lives, but she was curious and she didn''t think thedy would mind.

    She giggled, "Of course. He''s the love of my life. Always has been, and always will be. Don''t mind the fact that I''m irked about the boys looking like him. I just feel cheated," she assured Lucy.

    "That''s nice," Lucy said and then turned to her, "What''s motherhood like? My best friend is pregnant and I''m really happy about it and looking forward to sharing the experience with her," Lucy said with a small smile even if the question was more about her than Sonia.

    "That''s great. Congrats to you both," she said, and then pursed her lips for a moment to consider the question, "I don''t think I have the right words to describe it. That sort of unconditional love and bond is best experienced. One thing I can tell you though, is that it can be stressful and draining. But with the right partner by your side and with all the good help you can get, it''s probably one of life''s most profound experiences," she said confidently.

    "I''m sure you must have had to give up on some pleasures and stuff you love..."

    "There was nothing I gave up on that isn''t worth the joy I got from feeling the first flutter of those two in my stomach, or the joy of holding them in my arms after birth, or that of seeing them look into my eyes with trusting eyes as I nursed them, or watching them take their first step or call me mama for the first time," she said passionately and thenughed softly when she realized tears had gathered in her eyes and she brushed them away.

    "Sorry I was rambling. What I''m just trying to say is that motherhood is worth it. And with someone like you by your best friend''s side, I''m sure she would do great! You''d make a good mom yourself," she said, and Lucy raised a brow.

    "Why do you say that?" Lucy asked and she smiled.

    "You''ve got the mom instinct. Your eyes haven''t strayed from the kid for longer than a couple of seconds, and each time he almost trips your body reacts naturally," she said, and Lucy sighed as she nced at her wristwatch.

    "Ah! We need to start heading back now. I have a date to get ready for," Lucy said when she noticed it was almost 6 P.M.

    "We need to leave too anyway. I''m Mary by the way," thedy said as they both rose.

    "I''m Lucy. It was really nice meeting you and conversing with you," Lucy said as she signaled Jamal over so they could leave.

 Chapter 657 Dream Come True

    Jamal was dozing in the back seat by the time Lucy pulled into the parking lot at Harry''s ce.

    After Lucy turned off the car she didn''t get down immediately but remained in her seat staring at Jamal through the rearview mirror.

    Sometimes it was so easy to forget that he was only a kid because of the way he acted and spoke.

    She giggled when she recalled how he had proudly taken out the card to pay for their movie ticket. Now that was something.

    She couldn''t wait to watch him grow up so she would see how he would pamper his girlfriend. Hopefully they won''t be in the plural.

    She had noticed that majority of the kids who had flocked around him at the park were girls.

    She spent only a moment contemting whether to carry him in or wake him up, before he opened his eyes.

    He smiled at her when he caught her eyes in the mirror, "I dozed off," he said as though she had missed it, and she grinned.

    "So, I noticed. We are here now. Ready to go in?" she asked, and he gave her a nod.

    Lucy got out of the car and as she unlocked his door and unfastened his seatbelt, his arms went around her neck.

    "Thank you, Lucy. I love you," Jamal said, and Lucy was taken aback when her heart fluttered pleasantly.

    "I love you too, Jam. And I had fun today. You were such a gentleman," Lucy said as Jamal broke the hug so she could straighten up.

    "Uncle Harry says Ie from a family of gentlemen," Jamal said, and Lucy giggled as she locked the car and took his hand.

    "Yeah. No doubt about that," Lucy said, thinking she should have gotten something outrageously expensive with Harry''s card just to teach him a lesson.

    "Those kids at the park thought you were my mom," Jamal told Lucy as they got into the elevator.

    "Really? So what did you say to them?" Lucy asked, and he shrugged.

    "I told them you will be my girlfriend''s mom," Jamal said with a grin, and Lucy giggled.

    Once they got to Harry''s, Tom opened the door to let them in, "Finally, you''re back. I missed you," Tom said as he kisses her.

    "She didn''t have the time to miss you because she was with me," Jamal informed Tom as he went to meet Aaron and Harry who were ying a round of ser.

    "How did your date go?" Aaron asked, pausing the game to look at Jamal.

    "It was very fun," Jamal said filling them in on all they had done.

    "I can''t believe you gave him your card to pay for our date," Lucy said to Harry with a shake of her head.

    "You gave him one of your cards?" Tom asked in amusement and Harry grinned.

    "I don''t see why not. He has to start learning to be the perfect gentleman, right, Jamal?" he asked, and Jamal bobbed his head.

    "Right. Lucy let me pay for our games. And I didn''t let anyone steal Lucy," Jamal said proudly and Tom raised a brow.

    "Did someone want to steal her?" Tom asked and Lucy giggled.

    "A man wanted to join us, but Jamal shooed him off by telling him I had someone I was getting married to," Lucy exined, and Tom grinned at Jamal.

    "You did? I should reward you for that," Tom said, and Lucy rolled her eyes, while the menughed.

    "Tell me, what do you want?" Tom asked, and Jamal looked from Aaron to Harry for a suggestion.

    "If I were you I would ask for a private jet or a house," Harry suggested.

    "Tell him you will think about it," Aaron said, and Jamal nodded.

    "I will think about it," Jamal said, and Tom grinned.

    "As long as you don''t say you want Lucy or all of my shares or thepany," Tom said as he patted Jamal''s shoulder.

    "We need to run now," Tom said as he nced at his wristwatch and Harry nodded knowingly.

    The drive from Harry''s to Lucy''s would probably take them about thirty minutes and they would need to freshen up and dress up before driving another distance to Bryan''shand Sonia''s.

    "So, how did your date go?" Tom asked as he drove them to Lucy''s.

    "It was fun. Jamal was fun," Lucy said with a grin as she told him what Jamal had said about not wanting to hurt Tom but left out the part apart wanting to date their daughter.

    Saying that would only make the conversation awkward, and she didn''t want that. Things were going well between them right now, and she still had a lot of things she needed to figure out and put in ce in her head before ever broaching that subject again.

    "Jewel?" Tom who had beenughing called softly, when he noticed she had gone silent all of a sudden.

    "Yeah?" Lucy asked as she smiled at him.

    "Is everything alright? You suddenly became quiet," Tom said and she nodded.

    "Yeah. I''m going to miss Jamal when he goes back," she said with a sigh.

    "We can always visit him or have him visit us if you want," Tom assured her.

    "Sure."

    As they dressed up an hourter, Lucy turned to Tom, "So where are you taking me?" she asked, and he grinned.

    "It''s a surprise. I''m sure you''ll love it," Tom said, and Lucy eyed him suspiciously.

    "I don''t like surprises," she said as she turned away from him to put on her lens.

    "Well, I''m very certain you will love this one in particr," Tom said as he looked her over.

    For their date Lucy had chosen a glimmering ck midi column dress with a halter neck. Her hair was a tumble of curls which fell over her shoulders. A pair of diamond and emerald drops dripped from her ears.

    "Your beauty never ceases to steal my breath," Tom said, and Lucy grinned as she met his gaze in the mirror.

    "Let''s hope you still think so fifty years from now when my skin is all wrinkly," Lucy joked, and Tom caught her hand before she could turn away.

    "I love it when you think so far ahead and speak of it so casually," Tom said with a grin, and Lucy chuckled.

    "Why? You think I''m going to let you go? You are stuck with me, love. You''re mine," she said as she held his warm gaze, and Tom smiled.

    "I think wrinkles would look sexy on you," Tom said, and she giggled.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    "Please, no! I''m d you''re so wealthy. I can always have stic surgeries to look younger and sexier..."

    "I had no idea you so desperately wanted to look like your stic doll aunt Sara," Tom cut in and Lucy''s lips dropped open in shock butughter gurgled out of her.

    "You''re a mean bastard to say that," she said as sheughed.

    "Like fine wine, you will only be more beautiful with age," Tom assured her as he looked her over one more time before leading her out of the apartment.

    "Where is this ce?" Lucy asked as they drove into the residential area where Bryan''s house was located. She doubted there were any restaurants or hotels in the neighborhood.

    "The ce I''m taking you to," Tom said, shing her a grin, and Lucy adjusted in her seat as they drove past the open gate into the premises.

    "This looks like someone''s home not a restaurant," she said, and Tom shrugged.

    "I said we were going out on a date. I never said I was taking you to a restaurant, did I?"

    "What are you up to?" she asked suspiciously.

    "Something good," Tom assured her as he drove around the house to park the car away from view as they had agreed so that Sonia wouldn''t be suspicious when she saw too many cars parked outside their new home.

    As he drove around the house, Lucy caught sight of Harry''s car which was already parked there and saw Matt getting out of his car.

    "What''s happening?" she asked and he shrugged as he parked the car.

    "We are here now. You will find out soon enough once we join the others," Tom said as they both got out of the car.

    Tom led Lucy to the back of the house, and she was stunned by the decoration and arrangement of the ce.

    There were flowers and balloons everywhere she turned and in the middle was a single wide bouquet table like the one at the anniversary dinner party.

    "You''re here. For a moment I thought you were going to be arriving after them," Jade said as she walked up to them.

    "Hello, Lu the drunk! How are you doing today? Are you sober now?" Jade greeted sweetly and Lucy giggled.

    "I''m not sure I am. What''s going on here? Whose party is it?" Lucy asked curiously.

    "You do know how to keep secrets better than Bryan. I''m really impressed," Jade said with a pleased smile as she plucked Lucy''s purse from her hand.

    "It''s Sonia''s engagement party. I''m going to be holding on to your phone so you don''t sneak off and alert her," Jade said, and Tom watched Lucy as she gasped, her eyes wide with happy surprise.

    "Really? Bryan is proposing to Sonia tonight?" Lucy asked Tom and he grinned.

    "Yeah. He didn''t want you to know about it so you wouldn''t tell Sonia," Tom exined and she rolled her eyes.

    "I wouldn''t have told Sonia about it. Besides, I would have been happy to be a part of the arrangement! I feel cheated," Lucy said with a scowl as she turned to Jade.

    "Is everything in ce? Is there something I can do?" She asked, and Jade shook her head.

    "Nope. Everything is in ce. We had too many hands on board. Mia and Jeff took care of the catering, I handled the decoration, and Candace handled the florist. Matt is seeing to the waiters," Jade said and Lucy sighed.

    "I see."

    "You don''t have to look so sad. I''m sure you''d be with Sonia all through the wedding nning process. You will definitely be in charge of that," Tom said, and her eyes lit up again.

    "You''re right! I actually have a wedding to n! Oh, my God! I didn''t even think of that!" Lucy eximedughing happily, and Jade shook her head in amusement.

    "Well, I''m going to leave you both now. I need to get back to my man," Jade said as she turned to leave with Lucy''s purse, and then paused to look at Tom.

    "By the way, Harry said you offered to take care of our vacation?" She asked, and Tom chuckled.

    "Yeah. Why? You don''t want me to?" Tom asked, while Lucy looked at them curiously wondering what vacation they were talking about.

    "Can I trust you to make sure it''s as romantic as possible? Don''t go all protective possessive big brother on me and get us separate bedrooms," Jade warned, and Tom grinned.

    "I would never think of doing that to either of you," Tom assured her, and she grinned.

    "You''re such a good brother. When you want to propose to Lucy, I will go the extra mile for you," Jade promised as she pecked his cheeks before walking away.

    Tom turned to see Lucy''s reaction to what Jade had said but she was merely smiling as she looked around, "I suppose this is the property they purchased?" Lucy asked and Tom gave her a nod.

    "Sonia is going to be so happy. This is a dreame true for her. Getting married to someone she loves and having a family," Lucy said happily.

    "What about you? What is going to be a dreame true for you?" Tom asked as he watched her with interest.

    "Why? Are you going to make ite true?" She asked with a teasing smile.

    "Sure. I would love to if it''s something I can do. So, tell me," Tom urged her.

    Lucy opened her mouth to say it but frowned when she realized she didn''t even know what it was.

    She pursed her lips as she considered the question for a moment.

    If she had been asked this same question a week ago she might have said getting to the peak of her career or owning a house or something, but now she wasn''t so sure anymore.

    She wasn''t sure she had ever had a dream that wasn''t tied to her career. All she had been doing until now was merely existing and living for her job.

    She had not really lived until she moved to Ludus. Until she met Tom. Until she fell in love with him and met all the wonderful people connected to him.

    Yes, independence was still a major personal goal for her. Being able to do what she want, when she wanted and how she wanted. But in Tom''s brief absence the independence had meant next to nothing and all she had wanted was to have him back with her.

    All these years had she not thought that she didn''t need a man in her life? She never would have guessed that she would be happier by letting a man into her life. Yet, here she was.

    In thest couple of weeks she hade to learn that there was more to life than her career or even money.

    This was begining to make her realize that she did not know herself as much as she had thought she did all this time, and perhaps it was time to really get to know herself and find out what she wanted. Maybe it was time to start dreaming again.

    Tom smiled as he watched different emotions flicker on her face. He had expected her to say something about getting to the peak of her career, but seeing how confused she looked, he was somewhat relieved.

    Maybe there was hope for him after all.

    "What are you thinking about so seriously? Want to own a fashion line?" He asked to get her attention and Lucy smiled as she shook her head.

    "Nah! I like working for you too much," she assured him with a grin.

    "That''s such a relief. I have no doubt how fashion line would be out of business if you decided to be apetitor," Tom said making her giggle as they went to join the others.

 Chapter 658 Surprise Engagement Party

    "Isn''t this the way to the house? Is the restaurant on this route or are we stopping by the house before going to the restaurant?" Sonia asked with a displeased frown as Bryan drove the car.

    As much as she liked being spontaneous she wasn''t in the mood for spontaneity right now. She had nned to spend the evening just lying in bed until Bryan suddenly decided he was craving some fancy Chinese delicacy.

    She had suggested he order whatever he wanted but he had insisted they go out together since it had been a while they had gone out on a date.

    How could he not understand that being an extrovert didn''t mean she was always up for such impromptu dates? She was not in the mood. She was feeling lethargic and wanted to stay in.

    After much convincing, here she was, dressed up in a sexy red dress he had convinced her to wear and seated in the car letting Bryan drive her to wherever he pleased

    "Yeah. Jade said she left her earrings there yesterday and wanted me to help her get it��"

    "And you didn''t think you should inform me about this detour? We are going there to meet with the interior decorators tomorrow, aren''t we? Why can''t the earrings wait until tomorrow?" Sonia hissed irritably.

    "She wants to wear it tomorrow��"

    "For Christ''s sake, Bryan! Then she could have picked it herself! I''m really not in the mood for all of this! I''m tired and want to be on my back," Sonia said, and Bryan reached over to take her hand.

    "I''m sorry. I understand I''m stressing you," Bryan said as he lifted her hand to his lips without taking his gaze off the road.

    Sonia pulled her hand away from his irritably and turned her back to him so she was looking out her window.

    "C''mon love, don''t frown. You look more beautiful when you smile," Bryan said, and she turned to re at him.

    "I''m not staying at the restaurant. Not after this detour. We will just get the food ande back home. We can arrange to go on a date some other time," Sonia said, and Bryan nodded.

    "Alright. If that''s what you want. I''m sorry," Bryan said amicably.

    Seeing how calm he was and how he was trying to calm her, Sonia sighed, "I understand you were trying to be romantic by wanting us to go out on a date, but I''m really not feeling up to it. Sorry I''m ruining the mood," Sonia said apologetically and Bryan shrugged.

    "It''s fine. Is something bothering you or is it the pregnancy hormones?" He asked curiously and she sighed

    "I don''t know. Maybe it''s the hormones," she said, and Bryan turned to look at her.

    "What can I do to help?" Bryan asked and Sonia raised a brow.

    "Other than taking me back home?" She asked, and Bryan grinned.

    "I thought we are heading to our home?" Bryan asked, and Sonia smiled involuntarily.

    "Whatever. Let''s just get it over with," she said as he drove through the open gate.

    "Why is the gate open?" Sonia asked with slight a frown.

    "I guess they workers must have forgotten to shut it on their way out. We will do that on our way out," Bryan said and Sonia sighed.

    "That''s quite careless of them. I guess we should be thankful there''s nothing valuable in the house yet," Sonia said and Bryan smiled.

    "I doubt anyone living around here would be the type to cart away people''s valuables when they''re not looking," Bryan assured her as he parked the car.

    "Well, you can afford to be so trusting. I can''t. Did she tell you where she dropped the earrings?" She asked as she unfastened her seatbelt.

    "Give me a minute to call her," Bryan said as he picked his phone and dialed Jade''s line to inform her they were there so they could get ready.

    "We are here. Where did you drop the earrings?" Bryan asked, and listened for a moment before turning to Sonia who was already getting out of the car.

    "She thinks it might be in the backyard," Bryan said as he got out of the car and they both headed for the front door.

    Once they got into the house, Sonia turned on the lights and headed straight for the back door which led to the backyard, and as she approached she couldn''t help but hear the sound of music drifting from there.

    "Are the workers still around or did someone forget their speaker here?" Sonia asked as she turned to look at Bryan.

    "Let''s find out," he suggested with a nk face as he slowly followed her, letting her lead the way.

    As Sonia opened the door, Bryan quickly dipped his hand into the pocket of his trousers to take out the ring.

    Now she could clearly hear the lyrics of the song. It was Ed Sheeran''s thinking out loud. One of her all time favorites since she was a huge fan of Ed Sheeran.

    As she got off the porch and turned the bend following the music, the backyard was suddenly flooded with light and a loud cry of "Surprise!" Split the air as camera lights shed in her eyes to capture her shocked expression.

    "What?" She asked in stunned surprise as she looked around at the smiling face of everyone present there while wondering what was going on.

    She turned to Bryan, and gasped in surprise when she saw he was on one knee and holding out a princess cut diamond engagement ring.

    "For days now I''ve been thinking a lot about this moment and what to say to you. There is so much I want to say to you and so many promises I want to make, but I don''t think I want to exhaust them all here tonight. If I do that what else will I be telling you for the rest of our lives together?" Bryan asked, and everyoneughed, while Sonia merely continued to stare at him as tears gathered in her eyes.

    "One thing I can say though, is that I don''t think it''s a coincidence that of all thedies gathered at the lobby that day, I chose you to be my fake fianc��e. Perhaps I did not recognize you as mine then, but my soul recognized your soul and of its own volition my heart pulled me to you. At first I thought you were a witch, but then I knew for real that you were one, cause only a witch could have captivated my heart as easily as you did. I''m enchanted by you and I love you, Sonia Smith. You''re the most beautiful, most intelligent, mostpassionate and sexiest woman I will ever know. I want you to be mine. In body, heart and soul. I want to spend forever knowing and loving you. Will you please do me this honor and be my partner for life?" Bryan asked, and a tear spilled from Sonia''s eyes as she bobbed her head and held out her fingers to him to slip on the ring.

    "Oh, Bryan!" Sonia cried, her lips wobbling as she looked down at her fingers and broke into a sob startling everyone.

    Bryan smiled as he rose and embraced. Kissing her head as he held her tightly to himself while she cried.

    Looking at Sonia, Lucy couldn''t stop her tears from flowing either, despite the smile on her face, and she sniffled as she received the hankie Tom handed her.

    "Damn pregnancy hormones," Jade muttered beside Harry, and he chuckled since he could see she was blinking back tears.

    "I suppose you''re pregnant too?" Harry joked, and Jade giggled as she brushed her tears away.

    "Her tears are contagious," Jade said as she stepped forward.

    "Alright, enough of the tears sister inw! It''s time to celebrate!" Jade eximed, and they all pped and gathered around Bryan and Sonia, congratting them.

    While the guys drew Bryan aside, thedies nked Sonia.

    "We took you by surprise, didn''t we?" Jade asked with a grin and Candace giggled.

    "All that talk about engagement and proposals was because of me?" Sonia asked when it finally clicked, and both Jade and Candaceughed even more but Lucy was lost.

    "I always thought you were so smart. I can''t believe you didn''t catch on," Candace teased Sonia as she embraced her.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    "Did you know about this too? I really wasn''t expecting it," Sonia said and Lucy shook her head.

    "I had no idea. Tom tricked me. He lied we were going on a date and brought me here. Now that you mention it, I should get back my phone from Jade," Lucy said and exined how Jade had seized her phone making Soniaugh softly.

    "Well, we couldn''t trust you to keep the secret from her," Jade said as she returned Lucy''s purse.

    "Lucy is best at keeping secrets," Sonia assured them as she faced Lucy again and they both teared up as they embraced.

    "Congrats, best girl! I''m so happy for you!" Lucy said as she patted Sonia''s back.

    Perceiving that the best friends needed a moment alone, Candace and Jade excused themselves.

    "I can''t believe I was giving him such a hard time in the car earlier while he had managed to set this up. Now I feel like a bitch," Sonia said, and Lucy giggled.

    "I''m sure he knows you''re a bitch already and loves you all the same. By the way, if I remember correctly you used to say people who shed tears during proposals are hypocrites, yet you just cried a river," Lucy said and Sonia shrugged.

    "me it on the pregnancy hormones," she said, and Lucy giggled.

    "I have a feeling you''re going to be ming a lot of things on your pregnancy hormones," Lucy said and Soniaughed softly.

    "Well, I was actually surprised and touched. I wasn''t expecting a proposal. I didn''t think Bryan was ready. I know he loves me and stuff, but you know, he''s a celebrity and all that. I thought we will just keep dating and I''ll be his Babymama and stuff until he was ready," Sonia said with a shrug.

    "How do you feel?" Lucy asked looking at her seriously and Sonia sighed.

    "Happy and contented. I''m going to have a husband I love and a baby we cherish. My own family and home, Lu!" Sonia said, and Lucy smiled.

    "Dreame true, yeah?"

    "Dreame true, Lu! You realize this means you''re going to be spending all your free time with me, right? We have to make lots of ns for the wedding, Lu! I want a really grande wedding," Sonia said, and Lucyughed.

    "Why don''t you start by enjoying your engagement party and then we can talk about the wedding nster? Your fianc�� and the guests are waiting," Lucy said jerking her head towards the others.

    "Fianc��, Lu! He''s no longer just my boyfriend but my fianc��!" Sonia said with sparkling eyes and Lucy giggled as she took Sonia''s hand and led her back to where Bryan was standing.

    "Ready to go back home to lie on your back now?" Bryan asked, and Sonia grinned as she kissed him.

    "I guess that will have to wait," Sonia said as Mia walked up to them.

    "Congrats, girl! I knew if anyone could tame Bryan, it was you!" Mia said as she embraced Sonia.

    "Oh, Mia! Thank you," Sonia cried softly as she embraced Mia, remembering how Mia had rooted for her at the beginning of the fake rtionship.

    "Tame? I tamed her too," Bryan said defensively making Mia and Soniaugh.

    "I don''t think you did," Matt said as he joined them, and embraced Sonia.

    "Too bad I can no longer snatch you from him," Matt said, and Soniaughed.

    "You couldn''t even if you had tried," Bryan said smugly as he pulled Sonia back to his side.

    "Can I wee my soon-to-be sister-inw?" Tom asked, and Sonia stepped away from Bryan to embrace Tom.

    Seizing the opportunity, Bryan drew Lucy aside, "I was going to talk to you before proposing to her but I also didn''t want to ruin the surprise," Bryan said and Lucy grinned as she shook her head.

    "That doesn''t matter to me, Bryan. As long as Sonia is happy, I''m cool," Lucy assured him.

    "Well, since you''re the closest person she has to a family apart from your parents and brother, I wanted to assure you that I love Sonia and will do my best to make her happy for the rest of our lives," Bryan said and Lucy giggled.

    "I''m sure you will. And if you don''t, I trust Sonia to handle you," Lucy said, and Bryan chuckled.

    "Right. I''m also hoping we would both get along better. I mean, it''s not like we don''t get along. I just hope we will have a better rtionship since apart from the fact that you''re Tom''s girlfriend, you''re also really important to Sonia. Maybe we could work on being friends?" Bryan asked, and Lucy smiled.

    "Sure. Thanks," Lucy said and they both turned when Jade used a piece of cutlery to tap lightly on her winess so she could get everyone''s attention.

    "Alright, people! I know that so many of you are jobless here, but tomorrow is a work day and we need to leave here early," Jade announced.

    "That''s my role you''re filling! I''m Bryan''s best friend for crying out loud!" Mattined loudly making everyoneugh as they took their seats around the table.

    "I''m surprised you invited Alicia and Jasmine. I thought you didn''t like them," Sonia asked as she looked at the couple who were busy capturing photos.

    "I don''t dislike them. I just don''t like them nosing into my business. And I invited them because I wanted them to cover the engagement and release the news to the public. I didn''t want to invite any other reporter into our home," Bryan exined and Sonia nodded.

    "That was quite thoughtful of you," she said with an approving smile.

    "You don''t mind us spending the night here, do you?" Bryan asked quietly, and Sonia raised a brow.

    "Where? We haven''t set up... Hold on, did you fix our bedroom without my knowledge?" Sonia asked with a re and Bryan chuckled.

    "Only a temporary fix. I wanted us to spend tonight here. It doesn''t change the fact that you''re in charge of fixing up the ce. It''s your house after all," Bryan said, and she rxed.

    "Our home," Sonia corrected.

    "The building is yours. I know you didn''t notice that I bought it in your name. Consider it my engagement gift to you," Bryan said, and Sonia''s jaw dropped.

    "Bryan!" she said softly not knowing what else to say.

    "I love you," Bryan said and raised her hand to his lips.

    "That could be us, you know?" Matt whispered to Candace who was seated beside him, when he noticed the smile on her face as she stared at Bryan and Sonia.

    "Really?" she asked as she turned her attention to him and Matt nodded.

    "Yeah. I know it will be us someday. I''m counting on that," Matt said and without waiting for her to say a word he deliberately turned away from her to talk to Jeff who was seated beside him.

    He wanted her to have it in mind that he was only ying her game with her right now but still had every intention of building something serious with her someday when she was ready. He wasn''t going to let her forget it.

 Chapter 659 Awkward Request

    As they all dined together, everyone around the table had different thoughts running through their mind even as they conversed.

    While Sonia and Bryan were filled with joy at the prospect of beginning the forever journey with each other, Lucy was joyful on Sonia''s behalf but couldn''t stop thinking about Tom''s question to her.

    What would be a dreame true for her? It seemed like with each passing day she was getting more thought-provoking questions that she had no answers to.

    Tom who was seated beside her, was wondering how he would propose to Lucy if ever she eventually decided to get married to him. He knew it was risky to have such hopeful thoughts, but he couldn''t help it.

    Knowing how private Lucy could be, he doubted that she would want such an engagement party. She would most likely want a quiet proposal with just the both of them.

    Tom''s lips twitched as he imagined proposing to her and making love to her after she epted. He would rather do that himself than sit like this to eat with a bunch of people no matter what their rtionship was. They could always dine together on their wedding day, it just didn''t have to be on their engagement hour.

    Seated beside Tom, Harry was busy thinking about all that he needed to put in ce so he could leave with Jade on their vacation.

    It had been such a long time since thest time he had taken a leave from work, and even the while on the so-called leave, he had been busy working but not just from the office.

    It didn''t matter that he had traveled to one of the best vacation spot in the world to spend his time away from work. He had almost been drive crazy by the idleness and boredom of not doing anything.

    He had no doubt that with Jade it would be easy toze around and do nothing but give his whole attention to her. Even with his busy schedule right now, she had no problem stealing his attention and thoughts. That had never been a problem with Jade. By simply being in the same space with him, she had his attention.

    His lips twitched as his thoughts drifted to the image of her joining him naked in the bathroom the previous day. She was crazy. Crazier than he had thought, and as amusing as it was, it was cute.

    Her annoyance at his reaction had actually amused him more even though he had actually thought she was mind-blowingly sexy, if there was such a word to qualify it.

    If only she knew the number of women who had tried to seduce him over the years, then she would understand that his self-control was more about himself than it was about her.

    Seated beside Harry, Jade was imagining Harry''s proposal to her. Even though she knew she was running ahead of herself she just could not help it.

    "How do you intend to propose to me?" Jade asked as she turned to look at Harry and he chuckled.

    "When it''s time I will figure it out, and you will know," Harry said, and she scowled.

    Harry leaned closer to her so he could whisper into her ears. "You shouldn''t scowl. You look better, smiling,ughing, blushing, or having an orgasm," Harry said and Jade gasped in shock as color flooded her face and Harry chuckled as he returned his attention to his meal

    Candace looked around the table as she ate and one again she was overwhelmed by the sort of people she had in her life now. Was she daydreaming or was she really a part of this cycle?

    A couple of weeks ago she never would have imagined that her life would take such a turn, but thanks to Matt, it had.

    If he hadn''t shown up in her life when he did and reunited her with Jade, she would probably still be in hiding by now or maybe something worse could have happened to her, after all Cassidy and Jero had managed to find them.

    And even if thanks to Jero she would still have known she had a family, she would never have tried to dig deeper to know it was Aaron and Harry. She never would have even made an attempt to contact them if Jade hadn''t convinced her to.

    Here she was now. Seated with these lovely people, enjoying a quiet dinner in celebration of love.

    She looked down when she felt Matt trailing a finger on her thigh and then she nced at him, wondering what he was up to.

    "How about we sneak off so you can show me what you''re wearing underneath your beautiful dress?" he whispered to her with a nk face.

    "Pervert!" she hissed yfully, trying not to look amused as she caught Sonia''s gaze on them, and Sonia winked at her.

    She couldn''t believe that even at this important moment, Sonia was busy focusing on her interaction with Matt. Never had she seen a busybody like Jade and Sonia in her entire life.

    Mia was unusually silent as she ate, and Harry did not miss that. Neither did he miss the fact that all evening she had tried not to be within his line of vision. He was going to make sure to have a word with her before leaving.

    Unlike the others, Jeff was more interested in eating to his satisfaction, so his whole attention was focused on the meal.

    Alicia and Jasmine on the other hand, busied with checking out the videos and pictures they had captured so they could sort them and show it to Bryan and Sonia before leaving.

    The n was to release the news of their engagement that night after they left there.

    Once they were done with dinner and were having dessert, Jade cleared her throat so that every other conversation around the table would seize.

    "I understand that this is your engagement party, but since everyone involved is gathered here right now do you mind if we discuss Rebekah Miller''sing interview?" Jade asked, looking at Sonia and Bryan for permission.

    Bryan turned to Sonia and she shrugged, "I don''t see why not. It''s not like all the conversations going on around the table was focused on us anyway," Sonia said with a grin.

    "It''s this week, isn''t? I haven''t been paying much attention," Tom muttered to Harry who was seated next to him.

    "We both know you have more important things to worry about. Leave stuff like that to us who don''t have babymama dramas," Harry whispered back and chuckled when Tom red at him.

    "So, what do we need to know about the interview?" Lucy asked curiously and Jade filled them in on everything that had happened thus far and her n for the interview. <novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    "We still haven''t discussed the possible questions we need to ask her yet," Alicia reminded them, ncing at Tom.

    "That should be the easiest part. We have toe up with questions about motherhood and being the wife of Richard. Just something to keep her upied with her lies until the police shows up to put the cuffs on her," Jade said and Sonia smiled.

    "You can leave the questions to me. Alicia, I will text you the questions by morning," Sonia said and Alicia gave her a nod.

    "Although I wish Anita would be on that stage with her mother after all she did, but I guess it''s a good thing she turned a new leaf," Sonia muttered and they chuckled.

    "How many of us are going to be attending that interview?" Jade asked curiously.

    "Since Anita won''t be there, I''m not sure I''m interested anymore. I''ll rather watch the show from my office," Lucy said, and Tom nodded.

    "Me too."

    "I will definitely be there. I don''t want to miss the drama," Sonia said with a grin.

    "That settles it then. The three of us will be there. Candace, you''ll be joining us, I trust you don''t have an appointment to meet with any friend at that time," Jade said, and Candace rolled her eyes while Matt chuckled.

    "Mr. Jonas?" Alicia called politely since this was her first time interacting with Harry unlike the others.

    Harry raised a brow as he turned to her, "How can I help you?" he asked, and Jade grinned at the coolness of his tone.

    Harry was obviously not one to just let anyone into his cycle whether or not he was sharing a meal with them at the same table. He had heard all about how nosy Alicia could be and he had enough nosy people in his life already. There was no room to amodate more.

    Alicia cleared her throat, feeling slightly unnerved by his coldness, "I was hoping you would be willing to grant me an interview concerning the issue that has been going on for some time now about Sara Walker being your mother," she said politely and everyone stopped what they were doing to look at Harry.

    Jeff and Mia were the only two people at the table, apart from the gay couple, who had no idea about the rtionship between Harry and Sara and they definitely didn''t know about Candace''s rtionship with Harry either.

    "Alicia, I didn''t invite you here to do this," Bryan said, when he saw that Tom was clearly displeased by Alicia''s manners.

    "We are sorry," Jasmine apologized immediately she sensed the tension that had taken over the air and pinched Alicia to do the same.

    "I''m sorry. I didn''t think before speaking," Alicia said, wondering if they seemed upset by the subject because it was true.

    "I believe you thought before speaking, but you just didn''t think your request would be met with such a response," Harry said before Tom could speak.

    He did not miss the fact that she didn''t seem genuinely apologetic about doing what she did.

    "No, I..."

    "I will grant you an exclusive interview if only you go can dig into Sara Walker''s life on your own and confirm whether or not the rumors are true. If you''re able to do that ande up with any tangible evidence on your own, I will grant you an exclusive interview and tell you everything," Harry promised, interrupting Alicia.

    "You will?" Alicia asked excitedly.

    "I will," Harry said as he met Candace''s questioning gaze.

    He gave her a subtle nod, asking her not to worry. He doubted that Alicia would be able to uncover anything meaningful they didn''t already know about Sara, but if she ended up doing so, then it would be an advantage for them.

    As much as he didn''t like Alicia''s nosy personality, he had loved how she handled Lucy''s interview and got her to talk about her past. Maybe Candace would need someone like that too when it was time to introduce her officially to the world as his sister.

    He believed that Alicia had enough empathy to make both Candace and the public understand that Candace had done what she needed to do to survive and there was no shame in anything she had done.

    Jade ced her hand over Harry''s and squeezed gently. Maybe it was because she had spent too much time in hispany some how she could guess what he was thinking.

    Once they were done and everyone was ready to leave, Harry cornered Mia before she could get into Jasmine''s car since they hade together.

    "You''ve been deliberately avoiding me, haven''t you?" Harry asked from behind Mia, and she spun around to face him, slightly startled.

    "What? No! Why would I do that?" she asked, looking flushed.

    "That''s the exact same thing I''ve been wondering. Why would you do that when you can easily tell me where we first met. Or would you rather I hire someone to look into you?" Harry asked, and Mia swallowed.

    "No. No! I wasn''t avoiding you. And all of that is not necessary," Mia said, and Harry nodded.

    "I don''t want to keep the others waiting. I will be expecting you in my office tomorrow. If you don''t show up before noon, I''ll assume you want me to dig into you," Harry said and walked away without letting her say anything else.

    Mia raised a hand to massage her temple as she watched him walk away. She would rather tell him who she was herself than have him dig into her life. Since she had no idea how much digging would be done or what they might find.

 Chapter 660 ECopy Result

    The first thing Lucy did when she woke up the next morning was reach out for Tom, but when her hands made contact with the empty space beside her, she frowned as she sat up and turned on the bedsidemp.

    Where was Tom? She mused as she nced at the clock beside her. It was just past four in the morning.

    They had gotten home sometime past eleven the previous night, and had shared the bath together, rxing, talking about all that had happened at the engagement party and making love before finally going to sleep.

    She got out of bed and looked around to find her oversized T-shirt which she threw over her head before going out in search of Tom.

    She found him in the living room, dressed in just his boxers and sipping from a mug of coffee with his back to her.

    Judging by his posture, Lucy guessed he was lost in his thoughts so she decided to sneak up on him on tiptoes, but before she got to where he was, he sensed her presence and turned to her.

    He smiled at the sight of her touseled hair and sleepy face which was now set in a pout at being caught.

    "How did you know I was here?" She asked, and Tom chuckled as he pointed to her shoulder.

    "Good morning. Missed me?" he asked as he set down the coffee mug, and she bobbed her head as she climbed onto hisp straddling him.

    "Yeah. Why are you up already? Did you even get any sleep?" she asked as she watched his face since she knew she had slept first.

    "I couldn''t fall asleep," he said with a shrug.

    "Why?" she asked with concern.

    Tom smiled, "You were snoring so badly..."

    "Liar! I don''t snore!" Lucy hissed and he chuckled as he rubbed his eyes which were beginning to feel really heavy.

    Despite the fact the he was exhausted and wanted to sleep, his mind wasn''t. He was too worried to go to bed.

    "Is something bothering you?" Lucy asked as she rubbed his shoulders gently.

    Tom hesitated a moment before shaking his head, "I don''t know. I guess I''m feeling really anxious. In a couple of hours the result will be out. I''m just worried," Tom confessed.

    "Aww!" Lucy cooed as she embraced him.

    Tom buried his face in the crook of her neck and tried to rx as she patted his back like a motherforting a troubled child.

    "I didn''t expect you to lose sleep over it," Lucy said softly.

    "How could I not? If the resultes back positive it means my whole life is going to change, Lucy..."

    "For the better hopefully," she said in a soothing voice as she pulled away to look into his face.

    "What if it isn''t for the better? What if I''m not prepared for it? I mean, I don''t even know what I''m expected to do. How am I supposed to build a rtionship with the child if she is mine?" Tom said and Lucy giggled.

    "What''s funny?" he asked with a frown, and she grinned.

    "I never thought the day woulde when I would see the almighty Thomas Hank doubting himself," she said with a teasing smile, and Tom sighed.

    "I''m being serious."

    "And I am being serious too. How can you even doubt yourself?" Lucy asked incredulously.

    "What if I''m not ready to be a father yet?" he asked with a frown.

    "How could you not be ready? You''ve always wanted to have a child and now you just might have one. I expect you to be excited not second-guessing yourself," Lucy said, and Tom shook his head.

    "This is different, Lu. Wanting it is different from being all round prepared to take on the responsibility. Take Bryan for instance. Sonia is pregnant and he has the whole of nine months to prepare his mind towards fatherhood. But you see this? It''s like it is being thrust upon me. There is no enough time for me to prepare. It''s all so sudden," he said and she sighed.

    This must have been one of the things Harry had meant when he said Tom must have a lot on his mind. It had not exactly urred to her that apart from being worried about her reaction to the news he would be so worried about not being ready to be a father.

    "If you ask me, I think you''re more than ready and would do an excellent job. Let''s assume you were adopting. It would be the same as this. Adopting a grown up child��"

    "No, it wouldn''t," Tom cut in.

    "It''s not just about her age or the fact that I missed out on her birth and all. It''s about being ready for it psychologically. If I were going for an adoption I would be adopting with an already prepared mind. I would even be the one to see the child, bond with the child and choose to adopt them myself. This is different. If the DNA resultes back positive I have no choice in the matter. I have to meet this cute little stranger and try everything I can to form a bond with her. How and where would I start from? What if she ends up not liking me as she gets to know me?" Tom asked, and even though Lucy was tempted tough again, she shook her head.

    "Who wouldn''t love you? Besides, didn''t you say she was happy to see you when they came up to the hotel to see you?" Lucy reminded him.

    "I don''t know, Lucy," Tom said as he rested his head on her bosom and she patted it gently.

    "I thought I was the overthinker in this rtionship. Are you trying to take my position from me?" She asked, and Tom smiled. <novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    "I think it''s a good thing we are well bnced. You can be reasonable while I am overthinking and vice versa," Tom said and Lucy kissed the tip of his nose.

    "Don''t you think you are forgetting something?" she asked, and he looked up at her.

    "What?"

    "The fact that you won''t exactly be doing it alone. I will be right beside you cheering and supporting you in every way that I can," Lucy said, and Tom smiled as his hands moved over her back.

    "As much as I would love to have you do this with me, I couldn''t possibly ask you to do something I know you don''t want to. Last time we had conversation about kids you made it clear you didn''t want to be involved with one whether birthing them or adopting them," Tom reminded her.

    "Yeah. And that was before we realized I might not have much of a choice in the matter since the man I am crazily in love with probably has one already. What kind of a lover would I be if I left you to take care of this all by yourself?" Lucy asked reasonably.

    Before Tom could respond she kissed the side of his lips, "It''s a good thing I''m not the only one with drama and baggage in the rtionship. Not that I''m calling the kid a baggage," Lucy rushed to add so he wouldn''t misunderstand.

    "I''m just trying to say, you don''t have to ask me to do any of this with you. I will love to be here for you for change," she said as she held Tom''s gaze with a firm one of her own.

    "Thanks," Tom said, and she shrugged.

    "If we are done with that, can we return to the bedroom now? You need to get some sleep, love. Why don''t youe in and rest your eyes for the next couple of hours? I''m sure no one would mind terribly if you show up at the office an hourte," Lucy suggested.

    "I doubt I''d be able to get any sleep. Not after consuming two mugs of coffee," Tom said and she raised a brow.

    "So, why did you take coffee then?"

    "Because I wanted to drink something other than water, and there was no alcohol," Tom said, and she nodded.

    "I see. Perhaps we can wear the coffee out of your system, what do you think?" She asked with a suggestive wink and Tom chuckled.

    "I think you might end up wearing yourself out in the process," he said, and she grinned.

    "I guess that''s a little price to pay in order to put you to sleep. I will have to pilfer a couple of bottles when next I sleep over at your ce," Lucy said and Tom raised a brow.

    "Why pilfer when you can just buy it?"

    "You don''t possibly expect me to buy the sort of wine you prefer with my money, do you? Do you think I haven''t checked the prices of the wines at your bar? I''ve been thinking about it, you know? I think that''s the downside of having a wealthy boyfriend. You have such an expensive taste and I think I might have to break my ount to get you anything of your taste," she said and he chuckled as he rose, still carrying her, and headed for the bedroom.

    "Then you should allow me ce you on a monthly girlfriend allowance. That way you can afford to buy me stuff of my taste," Tom said and she rolled her eyes.

    "Buy you stuff with your own money? How romantic. I''d rather break my ount. What''s the point in working so hard and saving so much if I can''t afford to splurge on the love of my life?" she asked, and Tom chuckled as he dropped her on the bed and she wrapped her legs around him so that he would remain on top of her.

    "I think you''re awesome, Tom. And would make an excellent father. Any child would be proud and lucky to have you as their dad," she said with a serious expression.

    "If you think so why don''t we make at least one proud and lucky child together some time in the future?" Tom asked, half expecting her to pull away or dismiss it, but to his surprise she giggled.

    "I guess I will have to think about it," she said, surprising him further.

    He wasn''t sure whether to ask if she meant it or if she was pulling his legs, but he decided not to push it. Maybe he could yfully bring it up again next time so he could know what was going on in her head.

    He didn''t know if she realized it yet, but so much about her was changing. And he loved it both for her and for himself.

    A couple of hourster, seated behind the desk in his office, Tom received the eCopy of the DNA paternity result that had been bothering him all through the weekend and without opening or downloading it he dialed Lucy''s line.

    He knew he could have called Harry to do this with him, but the person he wanted to be with him right now was Lucy. He wanted her to be here with him when he opened it so they could see the result together.

    "Tom?" Lucy asked the moment she received the call, wondering if everything was alright.

    "They''ve sent the result," Tom said, and Lucy''s heart skipped a beat at that.

    "And?" She asked, holding her breath as she waited for him to tell her the result of the test.

    "I haven''t checked it yet. Can youe over to my office so we open it together?" He asked, and without thinking twice Lucy shut down herptop and rose.

    "I''ming over right now," she said as she hung up the call.

    She quickly picked her zers from where she hung it and put it on as she strode out of her office, walking briskly.

    Tom might not know it, but the DNA paternity test result was just as important to her as it was to him. The presence of this kid wouldn''t only be changing his life but hers as well.

    Seeing how it seemed like she was begining to rethink her decision on marriage and having kids, there was every possibility that this one child might end up being her first child as well even if she was going to be her stepdaughter.

    If the kid happened to be his, then this might just be the child that would determine whether or not she was interested in having kids of her own.

 Chapter 661 Stupid Prank

    Before Lucy arrived at Tom''s office, Eric was given strict instructions by Tom to hold his calls and not to let anyone in apart from Lucy and Harry until he was instructed otherwise.

    Lucy now stood behind Tom, with her hands on his shoulder as she leaned forward, both holding their breaths to see what the result was after he had downloaded it.

    They both felt like students awaiting an admission result into a school of their choice or someone being handed the prognosis of a terminal disease.

    "It won''t click on itself. Go on and click on it, let''s see," Lucy urged Tom, and he shut his eyes as he tapped on the document.

    When Lucy gasped softly, he opened his eyes and felt like his heart was going to explode when he saw the test result.

    Dawn was not his daughter.

    Even though they had both been hoping for it, they still were stunned by the result, and neither of them said a word.

    Lucy remained silent until she felt Tom''s shoulder trembling under her hand, and to her surprise she realized he was crying silently.

    Forgetting everything else on her mind, she swiveled his seat around so that he would face her and she pulled him close and embraced as she fought back her own tears.

    Tom didn''t make a sound but his body shook as he wept, and he didn''t mind that Lucy was there to see him like that.

    All he could think about was the fact that he was relieved. He was so relieved the kid was not his that he was almost ashamed of himself for that.

    Lucy didn''t say a word to him as he wept. As relieved and thankful as she was that the kid was not his, all she could think of was the fact that he must be sad and disappointed.

    Despite his doubts about being ready for fatherhood, he must have been hoping that the kid would be his, Lucy thought with a sniffle as tears fell from her eyes, and she patted his back and his hair to calm him.

    Neither of them had any idea how long the remained there that way until the office door opened and Harry walked in.

    One look at the couple and their position, Harry''s steps faltered. He could guess the reason for Tom''s emotional state, and without thinking twice he walked out of the office, choosing to leave them alone. He could always talk to Tomter.

    Once he shut the door behind him, Tom pulled away from Lucy and rose. He didn''t say a word to her as he headed for the bathroom and once he was inside he left the water running at the wash basin as he washed his face.

    After drying his face he walked out to face Lucy who was standing in the bedroom.

    From the look on her face, Tom could tell that she had no idea what to say to him but wanted to just be by him andfort him, so he held out his hand to her and she embraced him.

    "I''m sorry," Lucy said finally in a choked voice and he pulled away to look at her.

    "What for?" He asked, and she shook her head.

    "I know you must be really disappointed that she isn''t yours��" Lucy said but Tom cut her off with a shake of his head.

    "I''m not. I''m relieved. I feel too relieved and ashamed to be disappointed," Tom said as he gazed at her.

    "Ashamed? Of what? Why?" Lucy asked in confusion.

    "The magnitude of my relief makes me wonder if I would have been disappointed had she turned out to be mine. Wouldn''t that have made me a bad father?" He asked and Lucy shook her head.

    "I don''t think so. Sonia crying when her pregnancy test came back positive didn''t mean she didn''t love her baby," Lucy countered as Tom took her hand and led her back into the office.

    They were both silent for some time until Lucy looked at Tom, "What next?" She asked, and he shrugged.

    "I will have to give Kimberly a call and ask her to go find the father of her daughter elsewhere. I can''t believe she was so confident to pin it on me," Tom said, annoyed now as he thought about it.

    "We had all been some what confident too, hadn''t we? I mean, the resemnce between the kid and you was really strong, and knowing you have been with her the past��"

    "I didn''t do so without protection," Tom said with a scowl.

    "Well, now you''re sounding so sure. You didn''t sound so sure some time ago," Lucy reminded him.

    "All of this doesn''t make sense. What did she stand to gain by doing this when she knew the result woulde back negative?" Tom asked with a frown.

    "Maybe she didn''t know it woulde back negative," Lucy countered but Tom shook his head.

    "No. I think there is more to it. Harry looked into it. He would definitely have found something if she was hiding something. If I''m not the father then she was with someone else, and she has denied being with anyone else," Tom said as he picked up his phone and dialed Harry''s line.

    "Are you done weeping like a sissy?" Harry asked dryly the moment he received the call.

    "Can youe over to my office now?" Tom asked, and Harry sighed.

    "I was waiting for your call anyway. I have something to tell you," Harry said as he hung up the call, picked up an envelope and headed for Tom''s office.

    Once he got into the office, he raised a brow, "I thought you''d both be sharing a ss of wine in jubtion right now?" Harry asked and Tom narrowed his eyes.

    "Jubtion over what?" Tom asked since he was yet to tell Harry about the result.

    "Were you not just bawling your eyes out because the result came back negative? You have me to thank for that by the way," Harry said as he sat down.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    "Why is he thanking you for it? Did you tamper with the result?" Lucy asked with a frown.

    "No. I prevented it from being tampered with. I wasing to tell you about it earlier but seeing how you were bawling��"

    "Can you stop saying that?!" Tom hissed at Harry, making himugh.

    "Was Kimberly going to tamper with the result?" Lucy asked in confusion.

    "No. Not Kimberly. The mastermind behind the whole prank," Harry said, making Tom re at him.

    Tom could tell Harry was slowly dragging out the details to get on his nerves, "Spill it, will you?"

    "Alright. Where do I start from?" Harry asked thoughtfully as he ced both legs on Tom''s desk and crossed them at the ankle.

    Lucy''s lips twitched when she saw the murderous glint in Tom''s eyes as he eyed Harry. Harry was pushing his luck by testing their patience right now.

    "Do you want the details or do you want to know who was behind it? Choose wisely," Harry said, and seeing that Harry was in a mood to annoy him, Tom sighed.

    He wasn''t going to give Harry the satisfaction of seeing him lose his temper, "Everything. I want the details."

    "Good. Now to the details. I received a distress call yesterday from the director at theb��"

    "Yesterday? Why didn''t you tell me about itst night?" Tom cut in.

    "Because I don''t think that was the right ce for such a conversation. Now back to what I was saying. The director was at some sort of crossroad and didn''t know what to do. He didn''t want to lie to you or go against the ethics of his profession, and he didn''t want to offend the mastermind either. So, he wanted my help," Harry exined, and watched as Tom exchanged a look with Lucy.

    "I suppose even if I ask you''re not going to tell me who the mastermind is yet?" Tom asked, and Harry shook his head.

    "It''s not fun if I tell you. So back to my story. Upon hearing from theb director that the DNA result was negative, I took another look at the file I received on Kimberly to see if I had missed something in the kid''s record. All signs had been pointing to you as the father before now, so seeing that the result said otherwise, I decided that I had to have missed something. So, I called the nurse who took care of my dad, and asked her to help me with the calction of the kid''s conception. Judging from her birthday to the day we opened the hotel where you met her. The kid was born exactly forty-six weeks after you were with her mother," Harry said, and Lucy shook her head.

    "Forty-six weeks? How is that possible? Besides, she stated in the instagram picture she posted of Dawn as a new born that she had her at exactly thirty-nine weeks," Lucy said with a frown as she fished out her phone from her handbag to search for the picture.

    She remembered the exact length of pregnancy because she remembered wondering why it was thirty-nine weeks instead of thirty-six weeks which stood for nine months, since people always said nine months was the duration for pregnancy.

    "Yes. You are right. It''s in the record," Harry said so she wouldn''t bother with her phone.

    "That means she must know that there is no way the kid is mine," Tom said thoughtfully.

    "Yeah. Unless she believes your sperm took a really long time to fertilize her eggs. No offense, Lulu," Harry said, and Tom sighed.

    "So if she knows for a fact that the kid isn''t Tom''s and she wasn''t mistaken, how could she havee up with this ruse then?" Lucy asked thoughtfully.

    "Are you sure she is not the mastermind trying to tamper with the result?" Tom asked and Harry nodded.

    "She is not the one. But that doesn''t mean she is not involved," Harry said and Tom scowled.

    "So who was the bastard or bitch behind this that tried to tamper with the result?" Tom asked impatiently.

    Harry chuckled, "Your grandfather is the bastard," Harry said, and watched as Lucy''s lips fell open and Tom blinked in surprise.

    "My grandfather? My grandfather wanted the result tampered with? Why? This doesn''t make any sense. There is no connection here. How does he even know Kimberly and Dawn?" Tom asked in disbelief, unable to believe that his grandfather would do something as juvenile and irresponsible as this.

    "Well, I was curious too, so I looked into it. I''ve been busy sincest night and all morning. I''ve barely had enough sleep on your ount. I think I need a raise," Harry said with a sigh while Tom waited patiently for Harry to say what it was about.

    "The rtionship between your grandfather and her father seems to go back a long way to before your grandfather became president. I also found out your grandfather was with her family on the morning of your encounter with Kimberly. So, I''m guessing that was when he came up with the n," Harry said, and Tom frowned while Lucy merely took in all the information.

    "He was there before Tom''s trip? Is it possible that he knew Tom had a meeting with Kimberly''s uncle?" Lucy asked thoughtfully.

    "That''s very possible. The hotel was having issues so it would only be natural for Tom to want to meet with the person in charge of hotel management and hospitality regtions," Harry said with a nod.

    "If you think about it, it sort of makes sense. I don''t think if Tom were really the father of the girl Kimberly would have waited weeks to reach out to him after identifying him. It was probably convenient for them that you showed up when you did," Lucy said thoughtfully.

    "This doesn''t make any sense. What is the purpose of all this? Are you sure it was my grandfather?" Tom asked unable to make sense of it.

    "I wouldn''t be reporting it to you if I wasn''t sure," Harry said, and Tom rose from his seat and went to look out of his office window.

    "So, what do we do now? Pretend we don''t know anything and y along to see how far this goes? Or do you want to confront them?" Lucy asked not sure what was next.

    "We have had more than enough drama already. I don''t need more. I''m going to give my grandfather a call and give him a piece of my mind before calling Kimberly. I''m not going to stand for this nonsense!" Tom said, beginning to feel really annoyed by it all.

    He couldn''t believe he had been so worked up and unable to sleep or think straight for thest couple of days over such a stupid prank.

    Even Lucy had cried because of it.

    His grandfather should have known better than to do something as stupid as this. There was no way he was going to let it slide!

 Chapter 662 Explanations

    After Lucy returned to her office to meet with a designer who she had an appointment with, Harry remained with Tom in his office.

    Tom raised a brow when he noticed how Harry was staring at him instead of leaving too, "What? Why are you not leaving too?" Tom asked, and Harry scoffed.

    "Did you think I wouldn''t find out?" Harry asked with a raised brow, and Tom looked back at him nkly.

    "Find out about what?" Tom asked and Harry gave him a pointed look.

    "That you had given a call to most of the branch directors outside the country to know if your attention was needed anywhere. And then you made them call me toy aint so that I would ask you, and you could in turn offer to travel in my stead because you knew I wouldn''t be able to travel right now," Harry said, and Tom shrugged.

    "So?"

    "So don''t tell me that was the grand n you had to win Lucy''s heart? Distance? Really? Sometimes I can''t believe you!" Harry said with a shake of his head.

    "Well, it worked. Or at least it was working before this whole stupid Kimberly and Dawn stuff put an end to it," Tom said, annoyed that he had fallen for the stupid prank.

    He should have insisted that the kid wasn''t his especially since he knew for a fact that he had used a condom. And now that he was thinking straight he recalled that he hardly ever released inside any of thedies despite wearing a condom and he always made sure to flush the condoms.

    How could he have lost his head over Kimberly''s ims so easily? Had he been that desperate for a child?

    Harry shook his head, "Well, it''s a good thing this happened to bring you back to your senses. Staying away for weeks or months would have done nothing good for your rtionship. Some times I doubt your brain works so well when you think about your rtionship with Lucy. That is assuming you have a brain to begin with," Harry said and Tom scowled.

    "Now you''re a rtionship expert?" Tom asked dryly.

    "Yes, I am. So, take my advice and stoping up with stupid ns to make her change her mind or anything. By the way, I think your grandfather visited them immediately after he left Ludus. Did something happen during your family dinner to make him think he needed to prank you with something like this?" Harry asked, and Tom frowned as he thought about it.

    Harry was right. He had traveled the very next day after dinner with their grandfather. Now that he thought about it his grandfather had left Ludus that night after the family dinner saying he had to make a stop to visit an old friend before leaving for his next humanity saving adventure. While he on the other hand had left the next evening after the close of work.

    "I''m not sure. He did ask about our marital ns and I made it clear it''s not in my n. He didn''t seem bothered by that. I see no reason why he should be or why that should prompt him to do something like this," Tom said, and Harry sighed as he nced at his wristwatch.

    It would be noon soon. He wondered if Mia was going to show up or not.

    "You Hanks are a handful. I guess you all got your meddling character from your grandfather. It''s good to see that you''re at the receiving end of the meddling of a Hank," Harry said with a shake of his head as he rose.

    "Too bad you''re romantically involved with one now so you should get ready for a life time of having your affairs being needles upon," Tom said with a scowl and Harry grinned.

    "Too bad I''m drawn to you Hanks. But it''s a little price to pay for having your sister. I can live with that. I''m sure it''s not toote to congratte you on not being a dad. Maybe when you stop being so pissed we can toast to that. I''m going to take care ofpany business now while I leave you to take care of your meddling family business," Harry said as he headed for the door.

    Once Harry left, Tom took a deep breath and paced around his office to work of some steam before dialing his grandfather''s line.

    As angry as he was, he didn''t want to end up saying stuff he might regretter. He would rather have this serious conversation with a clear head, not one clouded with anger.

    "Hello, Thomas! To what do I owe this unexpected pleasure?" Lawrence Hank greeted the moment he received Tom''s call and Tom scowled.

    "We both know why I am calling. And I''d appreciate it if you don''t insult my intelligence any further and go straight to the point by telling me why you felt the need to do something so unwarranted and annoying," Tom said, and Lawrence Hank sighed.

    "Think of it as a harmless prank��"

    "DID YOU JUST CALL THAT A HARMLESS PRANK?" Tom yelled angrily and Lawrence had to pull the phone away from his ear a bit.

    Tom shut his eyes and took a deep breath to calm himself, "In what world is something like that a harmless prank? I can''t believe you got that little girl involved in your act. What are you thinking?" Tom asked in a gruff voice.

    "You are upset. I get it. I''m sorry. If you can''t think of it as a stupid prank from your bored old grandfather��"

    "NO! I can''t! I won''t. I need an exnation. What exactly was your n? If the n director had done what you wanted and given me a fake result what else would you have pulled? What did you stand to gain by making your own grandson believe something like that?" Tom asked irritably.

    "Alright. Calm down. Okay? You were going to be told the truth eventually��"

    "Eventually when? After I must have bonded with the kid? Or after my rtionship might have been ruined?" Tom asked and his grandfather raised a brow.

    "Was something like this capable of ruining your rtionship?" Lawrence asked and Tom paused when something urred to him.

    "Is that it? Was it your n to make thise between Lucy and I so that we would break up and then I would get married to Kimberly thinking the kid is mine?" Tom asked, and to his surprise Lawrence chuckled.

    "Your imagination is quite funny. It''s not as serious as that, okay? Besides, Kim would never have wanted something like that to happen. Although there was a time when I hoped you would get married to Kimberly, but that was so long ago. I thought you would make a good pair and wanted to matchmake you two but your parents wouldn''t hear of it. Especially your father. You know how he behaves when I try to get involved in your lives��"

    "Rightfully so. After what you just did, I can''t me him," Tom muttered, but then became curious about the former part of his statement.

    "Did you say you wanted to matchmake us? When?" Tom asked, and his grandfather sighed.

    "A long time ago while you were still in college. Don''t you remember Kimberly? I''ve mentioned her a couple of times in the past. I even showed you her picture once. Besides, I was the one who invited her to the hotel opening. She was having a hard time after her fianc�� deserted her so I and her parents encouraged her to go out," Lawrence said, and Tom frowned.

    "Does that mean she knew who I was even then?" Tom asked in confusion.

    "No, she didn''t. She had seen pictures of you as a child on my phone but none of your adult self. I doubt she could have recognized you. Maybe if you told her your name she would have known. She called me a couple of weeks ago after she watched the interview to tell me she met you at the night of the hotel opening," Lawrence exined.

    "You both must be very close for her to tell you something like that," Tom observed.

    "Yes, we are. She is just like a daughter to me. I would have said granddaughter, but Jade wouldn''t like that," Lawrence said with a smile.

    "But that still doesn''t exin why you both did what you did," Tom said, bringing them back to the conversation.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    "Well, when she called to say she had met you, but she didn''t tell me anything happened between you two. We joked about it and made thought nothing more out of it. And then after my dinner with the family some days ago, I stopped over to visit her family since I haven''t seen them in a couple of years. I was stunned when I saw her kid. The little girl looked so much like you and I thought she was actually yours. Especially since she told me she had crossed paths with you��"

    "If she is like a daughter to you shouldn''t you have seen the kid all this while or known who the father was?" Tom asked, and Lawrence sighed.

    "Being like a daughter to me doesn''t make her my daughter, does it? I keep tabs on you because you''re my family. It would be weird to do the same with her, don''t you think? Besides, she had the child through artificial insemination. Got the sperm from a sperm bank��"

    "So, the child doesn''t really have a father?" Tom asked with a frown, thinking that must have been the reason she had easily yed along with her mother''s act.

    "Yes. She decided she never wanted to get involved with any man after that experience."

    "So, when do we get to the part where you tell me why you decided to do something like this?" Tom asked impatiently and his grandfather sighed.

    "While I was visiting with them your mother called me��"

    "My mother?" Tom asked with a frown wondering why his mother was being mentioned in this.

    "Yes. She was very worried about what you said during dinner. She said she couldn''t sleep all through the night and since your father was not bothered by your decision I was the only one she could talk to. She was scared you really might not want to get married anymore and she wanted me to maybe talk you out of ruining your life by doing something you might regret," Lawrence exined.

    Tom''s brows pulled together as he tried to make the calctions in his head to know if she had talked to Lawrence beforeing to see him in his office with the pregnancy kit or after.

    It would make more sense that she had spoken to his grandfather before he told her about Lucy.

    "She wanted you to talk me out of it? Am I missing something or did she forget that you are not family oriented?" Tom asked incredulously.

    Lawrence was silent for a moment, "Your mother knows me best. Don''t you think the world would have been very lonely for me at this age if I didn''t have you all in my life, even if I only visit every once in a while? I wasn''t a good father to your father, and it wasn''t because I didn''t want to. I just didn''t know how to be. The only reason I often say if I had known better I would never have gotten married is because I hate to see how my actions and inactions has affected my rtionship with my only son. However, the truth is if I had the chance to go back in the past and correct something, I would try better at being a father to him while also doing my best for humanity. Both can coexist. My son doesn''t have to suffer in order for me to save the world," Lawrence said thoughtfully, and even though Tom was tempted to ask him to tell that to Desmond and not to him, Tom decided to focus on the part that concerned him instead.

    "So you decided to prank me in order to convince me not to tow your path and to get married?" Tom asked, wanting to understand his grandfather''s logic.

    "Not exactly. It was more about your girlfriend than about you. Your mother and I figured your girlfriend was the reason for your decision. I saw how you both acted during the board meeting and during dinner. If you noticed, I didn''tment on your decision during dinner because I was too busy assessing her reaction," Lawrence continued.

    "Hold on. Does my mother know about this? Did you tell her about using Kimberly?" Tom asked with a frown, thinking he would be more pissed at his mother than anyone else if she knew.

    "No, she doesn''t. I''m sure she would never have agreed to it," Lawrence said, and Tom rxed.

    "After the call with your mother, I was watching the kid and it suddenly urred to me that she could pass for your daughter. Then I started to think, what if. I told Kimberly about it and sheughed it off. I asked her to y along with me, and she decided to indulge this old man in ying such an expensive prank on his grandson. Don''t me her. She doesn''t know how to say no to me, especially after I helped her track down her fianc�� who jilted her and taught him a lesson. And then as though the universe was in support of it, her uncle''s wife who just joined us received a call from her husband informing her he had invited you to join them at the club. Kimberly did what she did as a favor to me. So, please don''t be mad at her," Lawrence said, and Tom frowned.

    He didn''t know what to make of all this. It was just messed up and crazy, "I have no idea what to say to you right now." Tom confessed.

    "Listen, you are like your father in a lot of ways. I know this might be hard for you to believe, but I did it with your best interest in mind. I thought your girlfriend might feel threatened at the thought of anotherdying into your life and would want to sit up or act fast to im you if she truly loves you. I did something simr for your parents," Lawrence said, and chuckled when he remembered all he had done without Desmond''a or Evelyn''s knowledge.

    "My parents?"

    "Yes. But that''s a story for another time. I''m getting older by the day. So if the only thing I could do for you before I die is help you fix your rtionship, I wanted to do it. I can assure you that Kimberly wouldn''t have caused any problems for you. We would have told you the truth after seeing the effect of the DNA result on your rtionship. Kimberly meant no harm. That was more reason I asked her to chat with Lucy. I wanted to know what Lucy was thinking," Lawrence said, and Tom sighed.

    "I can''t say I''m not annoyed. I''m still very much annoyed. I couldn''t sleep or think straight," Tom said irritably.

    "I''m sorry about that. I will apologize to Lucy too if you want me to," Lawrence offered.

    "I told my parents about this already. They are going to be really pissed when they find out you were behind it," Tom said with a frown.

    "You told them already? Why?" Lawrence asked, sounding so rmed that Tom almostughed.

    "I had to. If she turned out to be mine it would have been a family issue," Tom said, and Lawrence frowned, thinking of how he would face another confrontation with his son. He knew Desmond would be pissed.

    As annoyed as Tom was by it all, deep down he knew that this might have had its own perks. Even though he hadn''t created the drama, somehow he knew it had helped strengthen his rtionship with Lucy. It had somehow made her focus shift from herself to him.

    She had be more attentive to him in thest couple of days and had focused on being there for him because she believed he needed her.

    Tom sighed, "Don''t worry. This will just be between us. I will tell them the result came back negative and that will be the end of it," Tom said, and Lawrence sighed in relief.

    "And Kimberly? Will you forgive her?" He asked hopefully.

    "I don''t think I have a choice seeing how she was only following your instructions. If I can forgive you, I should as well forgive her," Tom said, and Lawrence rxed.

    "That''s a relief��"

    "You have to stay out of my rtionship going forward. I don''t want you meddling in my business. Thanks for your help, but I don''t need it. If and when we are ready to settle down, we will let you know. But until then, don''te up with any more pranks or whatever. I won''t forgive you if you meddle in my rtionship one more time," Tom said and Lawrence nodded.

    "I won''t. I promise," Lawrence said before hanging up.

    Although he had wanted to know if his n had worked even a little, but he knew better than to ask Tom about it.

    He hadn''t really thought about the fact that Tom would be very worried and upset about having a child, all he had thought about was rushing things up so they would get married.

    His heart was very weak now, and his doctor had said if he suffered another heart attack he might die. He had wanted to tell them that during the family dinner but had been unable to.

    He sighed as he looked at the picture of Bryan''s engagement which was disyed on hisptop screen.

    He was at least d that even if he didn''t witness Tom getting married, he would most likely watch Bryan walk down the aisle with Sonia and possibly hang around long enough to see his first greatgrand child. That would have to do.

 Chapter 663 My Man

    Sonia had a happy smile on her face as she watched Bryan walk into their bedroom carrying a tray of breakfast which he had ordered in.

    They were still in their new home and since their bedroom was the only part of the house that had been fixed, they couldn''t use the kitchen yet.

    They had agreed to wait to meet with the interior decorators before leaving so that Sonia could tell them what she wanted specifically.

    It had been from one phone call to the other all morning since Evelyn''s phone call woke them up, as a lot of people wanted to confirm the news of their engagement.

    The longest phone call had been from Evelyn who had been over the moon with joy, and equally pissed that Bryan had waited for them to leave before popping the question in their absence.

    Evelyn had wanted to know the sort of wedding that Sonia wanted so she could organize it all, but Sonia and Bryan had politely asked her to let them handle it and if they needed her help they would let her know.

    "I''m d we turned off the phones," Sonia said as Bryan joined her in bed and ced the tray at the middle.

    "Me too. Last night was so wonderful, Bryan. Thank you," Sonia said as she looked at him with earnest eyes, and Bryan smiled as he raised a piece of toast to her lips and she took a bite.

    "And thank you for saying yes to marry me. I promise to cherish you and our baby or babies as the case may be," Bryan said as he took her hand and kissed her palm.

    "If this were my novel, I''ll be ending our story right here, you know?" Sonia asked as she ate, and Bryan shook his head.

    "I''ve always wondered why some authors end books that way or why movies end that way," Bryan said and Sonia shrugged.

    "Because the rest should be left to the imagination of the reader. They can think about the happily ever after from there. Why ruin it by writing about marriage and the ups and downs thate with it when you can end it at such a good point?" Sonia asked and even though Bryan understood he still didn''t agree.

    "Well, wait until our babyes and then you can end the story if you must," Bryan said and Sonia grinned.

    "I was on the phone with my editor a while ago. He thinks now might be the best time to release the novel on our story. It might sell faster as everyone would be interested in us right now because of the news of our engagement. What do you think?" She asked and Bryan raised a brow.

    "But you are not done with the story yet, are you? Wouldn''t it be stressful for you to try to hurry it along? Besides, do you n to include the pregnancy in it and not the baby?" Bryan asked, and Sonia pursed her lips.

    "What do you suggest I do?"

    "I think you can wait until our babyes. The news of the birth would be a trending subject as well and I''m sure your book would sell just as well. That way you can take your time to write without stressing yourself and you can end the story with our baby''s arrival," Bryan said and Sonia nodded.

    "Alright. I think that works just fine," she said, and they ate in silence for some time before Bryan spoke again.

    "I was thinking. How about we find time to travel over to see your parents as we nned to thest time?" Bryan asked and Sonia nodded.

    "Yeah. We should. I should introduce you to them and let them know I''m getting married," Sonia said and then nced at her other phone when it started ringing.

    "I thought we turned off our phones?" Bryan asked, and she gave him a sheepish smile.

    "You know only Lucy can reach me through this phone. I couldn''t turn it off," she said and Bryan shook his head.

    "Maybe I should get one for family too," he muttered as he focused on his meal while Sonia received Lucy''s call.

    "Good morning, baby!" She greeted cheerfully.

    "Can you talk now? Are you busy?" Lucy asked and immediately Sonia remembered it was Monday and they had probably received the DNA result.

    "Sure," she said and rose.

    "Babe, I need to speak with Lucy in private. I will be back," Sonia told Bryan before walking out of the bedroom.

    "What''s up?" Sonia asked as she headed down the hall and into an empty bedroom.

    "It''s negative! The kid is not his," Lucy announced and Sonia felt like dancing for joy.

    "Thank goodness! How do you feel about that?" Sonia asked curiously.

    "Mostly relieved. Even though I had made up my mind to stick with Tom, I wasn''t looking forward to the whole Babymama drama. God, I''m so happy, Sony," Lucy said as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

    After she left Tom''s office she had been upied by a brief meeting with a designer and after the designer had left she had taken her time to think about it all and had just needed to talk to Sonia about it.

    "And Tom? He must be disappointed, I suppose," Sonia said thoughtfully.

    "He is not. He was more relieved than disappointed," Lucy said with a sigh as she recalled how he had wept.

    "Really?" Sonia asked, somewhat surprised.

    "Yeah."

    "I can''t understand something though. Why did Kimberly do such a thing? Has he called her yet? I mean, she should have known Tom wasn''t the father��"

    "You won''t believe Tom''s grandfather was behind it," Lucy cut in, and Sonia gasped in disbelief.

    "You''re kidding, right?"

    "I wish I was. I can''t even imagine what he was thinking. But I''m d it was all just a really bad prank," Lucy said before going on to tell Sonia how Harry had found out the truth. <novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    "Tom was so pissed."

    "I would be pissed too if I were in his shoes. So, what now?" Sonia asked, wondering what Lucy was thinking.

    "I don''t know. As annoying as this whole stuff might have been, it has got me thinking though," Lucy said, and Sonia raised a brow.

    "About what?" Sonia asked and Lucy bit her lower lip as she thought about how to say it.

    "It made me wonder what having Tom''s kid would feel like. It made me imagine what our kid would look like," Lucy confessed and tears gathered in Sonia''s eyes.

    It was the damned pregnancy hormone always making her feel weepy.

    "Lucy," Sonia whispered.

    "I''m not sure about it yet, but I''m still thinking. I think I am sort of bing more open to the idea of marrying Tom," Lucy said, and Sonia grinned.

    Although she had already figured that out during theirst discussion, she chose to act surprised, "Really? Oh, my God! That''s so great Lu!" She eximed.

    "Rx! I didn''t say I''ve made up my mind yet. I said I''m more open to it and I''m still thinking about it," Lucy said, but she wasughing even as she said it.

    "What happened? Why are you changing your mind?" Sonia asked curiously.

    "After our conversation the other day I suppose I figured out that marriage was never the problem. Love was. Love is rather. Everything I''m scared of about marriage can as well happen even in our rtionship. I''d be just as heartbroken now that we are just dating as I would be in marriage if I lost Tom or if anything happened to him. If I''m ever going to do marriage and all of it I''d rather it''s with Tom. I love him, Sonia. With every part of my heart," Lucy said and Sonia smiled.

    "You don''t want to be like Oprah anymore?" Sonia asked dryly, reminding her of what she had said some time back about Oprah not being married yet in amitted rtionship for years.

    "Well, the difference between Oprah and me is that her partner shares her views. Tom doesn''t share mine. And now that I think about it, my view isn''t really good enough to stand against his," Lucy confessed and tears gathered in Sonia''s eyes once again.

    "Oh, Lucy!" Sonia cried and Lucy took a deep breath.

    "I''m not going to say a word of this to him. Not until I''m done with my therapy. When I feel confident enough, I will tell him," Lucy said and Sonia grinned.

    "I guess I''ming to the end of your story too," Sonia said and Lucy raised a brow.

    "What do you mean?"

    "My novel. I think I can see the end already," Sonia exined and Lucy smiled.

    "I guess you can. I should get back to work now. I''ve cked off for long enough. I called because I really needed to talk to you and get these thoughts out of the way by saying them out loud," Lucy said, feeling lighter and happier now that she had been able to organize her thoughts by sharing them with Sonia.

    "Feel free to call me whenever you need to get anything out of your head," Sonia said and Lucy giggled.

    "How are you feeling today by the way? What does it feel like being engaged?" Lucy asked and Sonia beamed a happy smile.

    "I feel like the happiest and luckiest l girl alive," Sonia said and Lucy giggled.

    "That''s good to know. Are you both going back to Tom''s anytime soon?" Lucy asked curiously.

    "Yeah. We will go back today and stay there until the house is ready for us," Sonia said and Lucy nodded.

    "In that case I will ask Tom so we spend the night at his house. That way we can start making the ns for your wedding. I''m very sure you''d want to get it done quickly before your baby bump appears," Lucy said and Sonia grinned.

    "You bet. Come with every idea you have. I will ask Jade and Candace to be present too as they will be my bridesmaids. This is going to be fun!" Sonia said happily and Lucy giggled.

    "Got to go now. Love you," Lucy said before hanging up.

    She had a wide smile on her face as she dropped her phone and it urred to her that she was happy. She was unbelievably happy right now.

    For the first time in years she was more than content. She was satisfied with her life, with her job, with her rtionship with Tom.

    She felt like everything was taking shape and for the first time since she moved to Ludus and met Tom, she felt like she had a handle on things and knew exactly what she wanted and what she was doing.

    She was going to give her best to everything in her life. She would give her best to her job as she could. Give her best to her rtionship with Tom and her friendships and rtionship with her family, and she would give her best to therapy as well.

    If she was still feeling this way or even better six months from now, that would be all the confirmation she would need to know that she was on the right track.

    She grinned as she thought about Tom and how he would react if he knew she was now really thinking of being his wife and possibly having his kid. She knew without a doubt that he would be over the moon with joy.

    That was what she wanted for him and for herself. She wanted them both to be happy and satisfied with their life. She wanted them to have everything the wanted from each other and with each other.

    She nced down at her phone when it vibrated with a message notification and she sighed when she picked it up and saw it was from Kimberly.

    [I''m sorry. Please don''t be too mad.]

    [As long as you''re not interested in my man, I''m not mad.] Lucy texted back.

    My man. Yes, that was right. Tom was her man and there was nothing anyone could do about it.

 Chapter 664 I Thought You Were Dead

    After Tom''s phone call he contemted giving Kimberly a call but decided not to. He had no business with her and he definitely had nothing to say to her either.

    His grandfather could ry whatever information to her, since they were both partners in crime.

    If she was decent enough, she would give him a call to apologize to him, and if she didn''t, that was not going to be his problem.

    Instead of giving Kimberly a call, he dialed his mother''s line instead, and after the fourth ring she received the call.

    "I''ve been waiting to hear from you all morning," Evelyn said excitedly.

    "Good morning, mom! Is dad there with you?" Tom asked as Desmond went to sit beside his wife so he could hear what Tom had to say.

    "Sure, I am. How are you?" Desmond asked before Evelyn could respond.

    "I''m alright. Good morning, dad. I''m calling to inform you I received the DNA result and it was negative. The kid is not mine," Tom said, and both Evelyn and Desmond sighed in relief.

    "That''s good to know," Desmond said and Evelyn raised a brow.

    "I thought you were hoping the kid was his?" Evelyn asked and Desmond shook his head.

    "When did I ever say that?"

    "You were willing to take the kid''s side over Lucy''s��"

    "I wasn''t taking sides. I was stating facts. I hoped the kid wasn''t his, but I said what I thought should be the case if the kid turned out to be his. Now can we not argue any more and focus?" Desmond asked and Evelyn scowled at him.

    "Well, what do we do about the girl? We definitely can''t let her get away with this. How could she try to pin her baby on you?" Evelyn asked, annoyed.

    "We are not doing anything. She made a mistake, and now she will have to find the person responsible for her pregnancy since it''s not me," Tom said, not wanting to tell them it had all been a prank.

    "But��"

    "You heard him. Let it go. There is no need to add to all the drama going on already. Besides, what do you expect him to do? Sue her?" Desmond cut in.

    "How do you feel? I hope you''re not disappointed?" Desmond asked returning his attention to Tom.

    "Why would he feel disappointed?" Evelyn asked and Tom sighed.

    He wasn''t in the mood to listen to their endless arguments. Some days were like that with them. He wondered what must have set them off today.

    "I should get back to work now. Talk to youter," Tom said and hung up, leaving them to bicker for as long as they liked.

    Almost as soon as he hung up, his phone started ringing and he received the call from Kimberly.

    "I know you must think I''m a bitch or something��"

    "On the contrary I don''t think anything. I haven''t bothered enough to waste my time thinking about you," Tom cut in, and Kimberly nodded.

    "That''s fair. I get it. I''m just calling to say I''m sorry. I heard from Lawrence. I have no excuse for agreeing to go along with his n, but if you let me I will make it up to you," Kimberly said, and Tom raised a brow wondering what she was up to.

    "Make it up to me? Do you think that is something you can do?"

    "Yes. We are both business people. So I will rathere to you from that angle. Why don''t I help you resolve the issues you''re having over here? My uncle told me about it. I can help you take care of it so you don''t have to fly down, and in exchange you could forgive me," Kimberly offered.

    "I can handle my business myself," Tom said and Kimberly smiled.

    "I''m sure you can. But I can handle it faster and better. I live here. I''m well known here. Doors would open up for me faster than they would for you. I will meet with everyone you were supposed to meet with on your behalf and straighten out all ruffled feathers. It''s the least I can do for making you leave withoutpletely handling your business down here," Kimberly said and Tom thought about it for a moment. <novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    Even though he was still very much annoyed, he couldn''t just throw out her offer without taking it into consideration.

    "You can think about it and have anyone get back to me," Kimberly said before hanging up.

    Away from there in Harry''s office, a minute before the clock struck noon, his secretary walked in to inform him that Mia was there to see him.

    "Let her in," Harry said, and a momentter Mia walked inside.

    "I thought you were not going to show up," Harry said as he jerked his head to one of the chairs for her to sit.

    "You didn''t leave me with much of a choice, did you?" she asked with a raised brow as she took the seat across from him.

    "I wouldn''t bother you if you weren''t acting so suspiciously by avoiding me," Harry said, and Mia looked at him in confusion.

    "Avoiding you? Why would you think that?" Mia asked, and Harry did not miss the fact that she wasn''t acting timid or speaking very politely.

    "For starters, you didn''t attend the anniversary dinner party," Harry said, and Mia scoffed.

    "And you assumed that was because I was avoiding you? Did it ur to you that there might be other people present there who I didn''t want to see me?" Mia asked and Harry raised a brow.

    "Who would those be?" he asked, wondering if he had made a mistake and should have just gone ahead to hire a detective to look into her.

    Mia sighed, "I don''t think that is your business. However, I will tell you what I think you want to know. Mia is not my real name. And yes, we met some years ago at my husband''s office while I was still married to one of your foreign business partners," Mia said, and Harry''s eyes widened ever so slightly as he finally figured out who she was.

    "I thought you were dead?" he asked, recalling the news about her unfortunate ident shortly after their meeting.

    Mia sighed, "I am and would like to remain so. I am not here to cause any trouble. I''m keeping my head down and just doing what I can to survive. So, I will appreciate it if you don''t cause any problems for me by stirring things up. And I wasn''t avoiding you. I only avoid gatherings that might put me in public view," she said and Harry looked at her for a moment.

    "Are you saying you weren''t avoiding me during the engagement party?" he asked, and she nodded.

    "Alicia was taking a lot of pictures of the group. The only way I could avoid being in her pictures why by staying by her side and away from the line of her camera. I had to make her delete the picture she took of me speaking with Sonia. You can confirm from her," Mia said and Harry frowned.

    "Why?" he asked, and Mia raised a brow.

    "Why what? Why did I fake my death? Why did I leave my husband? Why am I working for Bryan when I''m wealthy enough to live my life without working for a day?" she asked and Harry nodded.

    "I wanted to be free. I''ve lived all my life under my parents being the dutiful daughter and doing everything they wanted me to without any thoughts to myself. They made me get married to him when I was twenty-one without any thought to what I wanted. Every day of that marriage was a horrible nightmare. There was nothing I didn''t endure in his hands. Every day was an emotional torture. Physical, verbal, emotional, and sexual abuse were the order of the day. I had two miscarriages. He beat me to unconsciousness once, yet my parents wouldn''t hear of a divorce as it would ruin the merger of bothpanies and affect thepany stocks," Mia paused and took in a deep breath as she swiped angrily at the tears on her cheeks.

    As much as she was trying to sound detached from all she was saying, the thought of it was upsetting her again.

    "They cared about their fucking stocks more than they cared about my life. Do you know how that feels? It was either I remained in that fiery pit and continue putting up with that bastard or I left. It was either I killed him with my own hands and spend the rest of my life in jail or I take my own life. What would you have had me do? Fake my death or take my life for real? Cause I would have done that," Mia said, meeting Harry''s gaze now.

    She had told him a lot more than she nned to, and seeing the apology and sympathy in his eyes, she felt slightly embarrassed.

    "I''m sorry you went through all of that," Harry said softly as he released his hand which had been balled in a fist the whole time she was talking.

    Miaughed humorlessly, "I am too. I am sorry I endured all of that because I was too scared to walk away. I''m just trying to live a normal life now, Harry. Is that too much to ask? All I want is a life that isn''t controlled by my family or him. I''d rather they keep believing I''m dead. I can''t let them find me. I can''t go back to that life, Harry. I can''t. I''d rather die," Mia said as she swiped at the tears in her eyes.

    "Now that you know this, if have a problem with me working with Bryan, say so and I will disappear," Mia said and Harry shook his head.

    "I won''t do anything. Your secret is safe with me," Harry promised, and Mia looked at him for a moment before rising from her seat.

    "Thank you," she said and walked out of the office.

    Harry sighed as he watched her leave. That wasn''t what he had been expecting.

 Chapter 665 Falling Out

    Although her long awaited interview with Eric Howell was just twenty four hours away, Rebekah couldn''t feel much excitement over it because she was troubled.

    For the first time in a very long time she had dark circles under her eyes and she looked pale and drawn because she had not been able to sleep.

    This weekend had to have been the longest in her life, and even right now as she sat in her car on her way to see Mr Bateman, she was anxious.

    Everything was a mess. She was worrying about a lot of things that she couldn''t seem to control.

    She was not only worried about Anita who had decided to cut off the family, she was worried over the inability of the guys she had sent to find her brother, Wyatt.

    Initially she had only wanted to find him and get him locked away in a psychiatric away from everyone else, but now she wanted to get rid of him. After what he told Anita, she knew he was a risk she couldn''t afford. Wyatt had be a liability and whether or not he was her brother it was time for him to disappear. But first she needed them to find him.

    Another thing that bothered her was Jade Hank. She wasn''t sure what to do, whether to continue to wait for Jade to make a move and call her or to do something again.

    Did Jade really have evidence or was she just bluffing? If she had evidence why wait this long to request for her arrest? What was Jade up to? How did she even get her hands on that long list and forgotten phone? How much information was in it? Or perhaps she was mistaken and the phone with Jade that day was not her lost phone?

    She kept worrying that the police might show up with her hitman in any moment to arrest her. If they had her hitman then it was over for her, because he knew about every single dirty thing she had ever done.

    She needed to speak with Bateman and let him know that there was trouble and maybe he would join heads with her toe up with a way to take care of Jade whether or not she was his son''swyer.

    He could always find another capablewyer for his son. One that wouldn''t dig so deep as Jade to cause any problems for them.

    She frowned when her phone started ringing and she picked it up to see that it was her cousin, Rachel''s mom.

    What did she want? Rebekah mused impatiently as she received the call and ced it on speaker.

    "Rebekah, have you seen the news?" Rachel''s mother asked anxiously making Rebekah''s heart skip a beat.

    "What news? Am I on the news?" Rebekah asked in rm as she found a spot to park the car so she could pay attention.

    "No, it''s Wilson. We are ruined, Rebekah! Everything we have worked so hard to build is about to crash! His political��."

    "Stop! Stop it, okay? What makes you think I am interested in any of this?" Rebekah cut in angrily, pissed that her cousin was adding to her stress.

    Rachel''s mom broke into a sob, "You''re the only one I can talk to, Rebekah. Everyone else is avoiding us. Thedies at my club wouldn''t even talk to me. Everyone has been whispering about us since the rumors about Wilson''s elder brother''s death surfaced. We can''t even go out because there are reporters everywhere," she cried and Rebekah rolled her eyes.

    "I have my own problems, Emilia! You don''t see me calling you to weep, do you? If you have a problem, fix it! Instead of bothering other people about them��"

    "Please don''t hang up, Rebekah! I really need your help. Wilson thinks that Thomas Hank might be behind this. Rachel said��"

    "Thomas Hank?" Rebekah asked with a puzzled frown, wondering what Thomas Hank had to do with her cousin''s family.

    "Yes. Rachel said Anita is sort of connected to him and his girlfriend. I have been trying to reach Anita all to no avail. Can you help me? Maybe she can speak to him on our behalf and make all of this go away," Rachel''s mom pleaded desperately.

    "Why would Thomas Hank do anything to your husband? Why do you think he is behind it and not your husband''s political opponents?" Rebekah asked in confusion.

    "Did Anita not tell you that Rachel''s ex fianc�� is Thomas''s girlfriend''s twin brother? After he called things off, Rachel went berserk and got his parents arrested. Tom called my husband and threatened to ruin his political ambition. He also mentioned the demise of Wilson''s brother in his threats (chapter 492). It can''t be coincidence that he made such a threat and this happened, can it?" Rachel''s mom asked and Rebekah frowned as she began to arrange the puzzle pieces in her head.

    If he could attack Wilson Peterson merely because Rachel got his girlfriend''s parents arrested, then that must mean he was targeting her too, right?

    Thomas Hank must have listened to Anita''s confession, and must be aware that she had plotted against his girlfriend.

    Now it was begining to make sense. Was it possible that Jade Hank had taken up Jack''s case because of her? Just so she could get close to their family?

    Even if Thomas Hank had not sent his sister from the beginning for plotting against Lucy, Rebekah had no doubt now that he would being after her now for attempting to hurt Jade. What had she gotten herself involved in?

    "Rebekah are you still there?" Rachel''s mom called when she had been quiet for some time.

    "Emilia I don''t think I can��"

    "You have to help me, Rebekah! Remember that it was all your idea! You made me make Wilson do all of that. You can''t abandon me now��"

    "I made you? You realize now that I made you do all of that and be who you are today, yet all this while you''ve been acting like you were bigger than I am? Deal with your mess yourself. If I were you, I''d find the girl to see if she is still alive before anyone else gets to her. I have no doubt that Thomas Hank might be on it already if truly he is the one behind this," Rebekah said before hanging up.

    Even though she partially believed that it was possible that Thomas Hank was noting for her, another part of her didn''t believe much in coincidences.

    What was their n? Were they after her or was it her and her daughters? Thinking about how Tiffany and Anita had shed with Jade and Evelyn at the spa, Rebekah couldn''t even begin to imagine how Tiffany could be so stupid as to let Jadee close to her.

    Her hands shook as she held on tightly to the steering wheel, wondering what she could do now to get herself and her daughters out of this.

    Once she arrived at Bateman Corp, she headed straight for Mr Bateman''s office but before she could walk past his secretary as she usually did whenever she came over to see him, the secretary stopped her.

    "I''m sorry, you can''t go in," he said as he quickly went to stand in front of her.

    Rebekah frowned as she looked behind her to see if there was someone else standing there who he was referring to.

    "Me? I can''t go in? Do you have an eye defect or did you hit your head somewhere?" She hissed, annoyed that he was treating her that way.

    She was having a bad day already and thest thing she wanted was to be treated in such a disrespectful manner.

    "I''m sorry, Mrs Miller, but you can''t go in. Apart from the fact that he''s with someone right now, you do not have an appointment��"

    "And since when did I need an appointment to see your boss? If you don''t want to lose your job, get out of my way this moment," Rebekah snapped at him as she tried to push him out of her way but he did not budge.

    "You can either call to inform him you''re here or you will have to book an appointment and leave. I am only following his orders," the secretary said calmly, and Rebekah raised a brow.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    "He ordered you not to let me, Rebekah Miller, into his office?" She asked in disbelief as she took out her phone to dial his line, but before she could do so his office door opened and Jade stepped out of it.

    Rebekah took a step back, startled to see Jade there, and even though Jade''s blood boiled at the sight of Rebekah she stered a smile on her face.

    "Hello, ma''am!" Jade greeted pleasantly when she noticed that Rebekah seemed nervous.

    "He����ello?" Rebekah asked hesitantly, not sure what was going on or what to say. Seeing that Rebekah was distracted at the moment, the secretary quickly went in to inform Mr Bateman that his son''s mother-inw was there to see him.

    "I guess you''re here to meet with your inw. I will be on my way then," Jade said with a polite bow as she started to walk away.

    She didn''t seem like anything was wrong, Rebekah mused as she quickly stopped her, "Miss Hank?" She called, and Jade stopped to look at her.

    "My daughters told me you were attacked," she said, and Jade nodded.

    "Yes, I was. Luckily, my men got to him before he got to me," Jade said holding Rebekah''s curious gaze.

    "I''m d. I can''t imagine what would have happened had you been hurt. You know that we are all relying on you for Jackson''s freedom. I hope you got the criminal arrested?" Rebekah asked and Jade shook her head.

    After what Rebekah had attempted thest time she couldn''t be so stupid as to repeat the same mistake she had made before.

    "Unfortunately he''s dead. The impact of the car on his killed him," Jade said, wanting Rebekah to rx.

    "Oh, dear! That''s sad. I was hoping you would have been able to find out who sent him."

    "I was hoping so too, but unfortunately we couldn''t find anything. I reported to the police so they''re trying to find out where he lives to see if they can find his phone and anything that would point us to the person who sent him. I need to go now," Jade said with a polite smile as she walked away, leaving Rebekah who wasn''t sure whether to be rxed or not yet.

    Once Jade left, Rebekah started for Bateman''s office but the door opened before she could get to it and Bateman stepped out with his secretary behind him.

    After watching the video which Jade had just showed him of Rebekah''s hitman confessing to setting Jackson up, he was more than ready to end every tie he had with the evil woman and damn the consequence.

    The only reason he was not descending on Rebekah was that he didn''t want to ruin Jade''s n. Jade had assured him that by the next day Rebekah Miller would be arrested and Jackson would be set free.

    That was all he wanted. He didn''t mind paying for his crimes as Jade wanted him to.

    His only crimes were duping Rebekah''ste husband as Rebekah had suggested he do, and he had also sort of been an aplice in his murder. He wouldn''t be sentenced to jail for life. Only some years.

    He didn''t mind going to jail for some years if that would mean that Jackson wouldn''t spend the rest of his life in jail as he knew he might be sentenced if the chief judge set his mind on it.

    "What were you doing with thatwyer? Do you know who she is? And what is this nonsense your secretary was saying about me needing an appointment to see you?" She asked with displeasure as she approached her long time lover.

    "What do you want Rebekah?" He asked gruffly, stopping her before she could touch him.

    "What do I want? What is with that tone? Don''t tell me you''re mad because I haven''t shown up to see you since Jackson got arrested?" Rebekah asked, concerned that he was acting up.

    "As you can see, I''m on my way out. I will give you five minutes to say what you want and leave," Bateman told Rebekah as he turned to return to his office.

    "You can get the car ready," he told his secretary who quickly excused himself as Rebekah and Bateman returned into the office.

    "C''mon, tell me what''s wrong," Rebekah said with a concerned frown as she shut the door behind her.

    "You have less than five minutes now to state the reason for your visit," Bateman said and Rebekah paused for a moment before smiling at him.

    "I get it. You''re upset. Why don''t I make it up to you and then you can tell me what I did wrong?" Rebekah said as she started to unbutton her jacket.

    Bateman looked at her with disgust, "That''s all you know to do, isn''t? It''s always about sex for you. My son is locked up for a crime he didn''tmit and you somehow think that sex is what I need right now?" he asked with a shake of his head as he headed for his door.

    "What is wrong with you?" Rebekah asked, feeling both irritated, annoyed, and desperate now.

    "Am I the reason your son is locked up? Why was he at the crime scene if he is so innocent? Here I am trying to cheer you up and you''reshing at me! Instead of you to sit in your office consulting with that suspiciouswyer who has nothing good up her sleeves, why don''t you go out and find your son a betterwyer and stop trying to transfer your aggression to me! I''m not your wife!" Rebekah hissed angrily.

    Bateman almostughed as he watched her in disbelief. If Jade had not told him all that Rebekah had done he would have fallen for her tirade just now.

    He couldn''t believe he had been involved with the shedevil for so long. He just couldn''t believe it.

    "Well, thanks for trying to cheer me up. I''d rather be cheered up by my wife, so maybe you should go and cheer your daughter up," Bateman said as he held out his office door for her to leave.

    "What does this mean?" Rebekah asked, eyeing him angrily.

    "Exactly what you think it means. Whatever we both had between us is over. You can leave," He said and Rebekahughed harshly.

    "Over? It can''t be over. We can''t ever be over, you hear me? I could ruin you��"

    "Go on and ruin me, but do so outside my office. Get out!" Bateman roared at her, shocking her.

    Rebekah red at him for a moment before straightening her shoulder and raising her chin. As she walked out of the office with what little pride she had left, all she could ask herself was if this was the end for her.

    She couldn''t add falling out with Bateman to the list of things bothering her right now. She couldn''t even afford to fall out with him.

    Perhaps she could go to her other inw, the chief judge. If the police wasing for her soon as she suspected then she would need all the immunity she can get from him.

    Or maybe she should run awayand go into hiding until things settled down?

 Chapter 666 Mother/Daughter Reunion

    While Rebekah Miller was having a hard time trying to figure out how to get out of the possible mess she had put herself into with the Hanks, Sara was equally having a tough time.

    Her day had started on a bad note and had sessively progressed from one bad phone call to another.

    It had all started with Crystal''s phone call to her, she thought, but then changed her mind.

    She wasn''t sure that was where things had begun to go wrong. Maybe it had started from the moment where she reached out to Aaron.

    Crystal had called earlier to say she had seen an article about Sara having a son, and wanted to know if it was true.

    She should have focused on finding her daughter first before ever reaching out to Aaron. Maybe if she had been a little more patient she wouldn''t have had any need to meet with either Aaron or Harry who was now acting up.

    She didn''t exactly care that Harry was mad at her and wanted to cut off. That didn''t mean anything to her. Not when she was pretty sure that Crystal was her biological daughter and she could get what she wanted from Crystal and get rid of the insolent girl without any trouble.

    Now she wasn''t so sure she could easily get what she wanted or get rid of the girl without any trouble. Not when everyone was beginning to ask questions.

    She had done her best to convince Crystal that it was all a misunderstanding by the press and she had only met with Harry because she was histe mother''s best friend.

    And then shortly after her conversation with Crystal she had received a call from the stupidwyer Amos, telling her that Wilson Peterson was trying to find histe brother''s adopted daughter.

    What was wrong with everyone? Why couldn''t they just let things be? She knew that if for any reason Wilson finds Crystal, then she could say goodbye to her hopes of harvesting the girl''s liver and disposing of her.

    She needed to act fast and get out of the country before things got any moreplicated than it already was.

    What if Lucy had already told Aaron and Harry that the other twin had been sold and did not die as she made them believe? What if they believed Lucy?

    Sara stopped pacing her room to dial Amos''s line. Immediately he received the call she instructed him to return to the orphanage home and donate arge amount which would shut them up so they wouldn''t disclose the identity of Crystal to anyone else.

    After a he had done that, she left to visit theb where the DNA test was being done. If the result was not out yet, she was just going to pay them to give her a positive result then she would convince Crystal to travel with her while she waited for the real result.

    She needed to get Crystal far away from here as soon as possible.

    It seemed like luck was on her side as it didn''t take long for her to find someone at theb who was willing to give her the positive DNA result she wanted for the right amount.

    Taking the result she headed straight for Crystal''s apartment. The girl wanted a DNA result to prove they were rted, well, she was going to get it, Sara thought as she knocked on Crystal''s door.

    Crystal raised a brow when she opened the door and saw Sara standing there, "You don''t give people a call before you visit them?" Crystal asked with a scowl.

    Sara gave her a winning smile, "I''m sorry. I was too excited when I saw the result and I had to hurry over to see you," Sara said as she took out the envelope and held it out to Crystal.

    "What result?" Crystal asked as she eyed the envelope which was in Sara''a hand without taking it.

    "The DNA result, of course. Do I have to stand out here? Can''t Ie in?" Sara asked as she looked down both sides of the hallway.

    "The result is out already? I thought that would take a couple of weeks?" Crystal asked as she hesitantly took the result from Sara and stepped aside for Sara to get into the house.

    "I paid extra so they would treat it as urgent," Sara said with a shrug. Now that she thought about it, she wondered why she hadn''t done exactly that when she submitted the samples the previous week.

    Sara watched Crystal as she opened the envelope and took out the result with tremblings hands.

    A tear dropped from Crystal''s eyes to the result and her lips wobbled as she raised her head to look at Sara.

    "So, it''s true? This is not a prank?" Crystal asked, looking devastatingly hopeful.

    Sara summoned all the tears she could muster as she nodded eagerly and took a step towards Crystal, "It''s true. You''re my daughter. I''m your mother and I finally found you my dearest," Sara cried as she embraced Crystal.

    Each of them put on their best act as they wept, holding on to each other tightly. Neither of them wanted the other to outcry them.

    They both cried for some time until Sara got exhausted and pulled away from Crystal, "I''m sorry it took so long to find you," Sara said as she brushed away Crystal''s tears from her face.

    If her n was going to work then she needed to be every bit the doting mother for Crystal to love her and want to leave with her.

    "It doesn''t matter. All that matters is that you''re here now. Nothing else matters," Crystal said as she sniffled.

    "I promise to make it up to you. I will make it up to you, starting now," Sara said as she looked around the apartment.

    "Will you let me take care of you? I don''t want you living away from me in such a ce anymore. Will youe with me?" Sara asked hopefully, and Crystal looked around her apartment.

    As much as she liked the ce, she desired a better life for herself. And that was what she nned to get from Sara. She couldn''t do that by living apart from Sara.

    She would do Harry''s job as he wanted, but she also had ns of taking as much as she could from Sara too. She would start by figuring out Sara''s signatures and mobile bank codes. Stealing Sara''s money would be Sara''s little punishment for being so deceptive.

    The fact that Sara had denied being Harry''s mother and Harry had not made his connection with her public knowledge yet, made it all easy for her.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    Seeing how Crystal was looking around the apartment without saying a word, Sara assumed it was because she was reluctant to leave the ce, so Sara took Crystal''s hand.

    "I really want you to be with me, Crystal. Please don''t say no," Sara pleased and Crystal heaved a deep dramatic sigh.

    "Alright. When do you want me to move in with you?" Crystal asked and Sara held her gaze.

    "Immediately. Right now," Sara said and Crystal gasped in disbelief.

    "Now? I can''t! I need to pack��"

    "You don''t have to pack anything. I can get you new clothes and everything else you might need. I have no idea how you have survived living here this whole time, but I don''t want you to struggle anymore," Sara said, holding her gaze earnestly and Crystal tried to look distressed.

    "Even though you''re my mom, I don''t want to be a burden to you. I can''t leave right now. There''s a loan I''m trying to pay. I have debts I need to take care of. Maybe I can," Crystal said as she looked away from Sara.

    "A loan? What debts?" Sara asked with a frown.

    "Just a couple of people I''ve borrowed money from. You don''t have to worry. I will take care of the debts myself. I just need some time to resolve it before I move in with you," Crystal said and Sara nodded.

    "You don''t have to worry. I will take care of your debts. Juste with me," Sara said and Crystal shook her head.

    "No, you don''t understand. You don''t even know how much I''m talking about. The money is huge��"

    "I''m sure it''s something I can handle. Don''t worry and just say you wille with me," Sara urged her and when Crystal remained silent, Sara took out her phone and opened her bank app before handing the phone to Crystal to input her ount details so she would know she wasn''t joking.

    Crystal''s brows furrowed as she hesitantly put in her ount details, and once she was done, Sara sent her a huge sum of money that made her mouth drop open in shock.

    Even though she had nned to con Sara, she had not nned to request for such an outrageous sum of money. Seeing how easily Sara had given her such a huge sum of money, she decided that going forward she was going to capitalize on Sara''s desperation even more.

    "Does that cover your debts?" Sara asked as she watched Crystal whose mouth was still agape.

    She was wealthy enough to take care of the girl''s debts as long as the girl followed her. Letting the girl keep living here was only going to dy her ns andplicate things for her.

    "It is. Thank you so much, Sara!" Crystal cried as she embraced Sara, and some how Sara felt relieved that unlike Harry, Crystal was referring to her as Sara.

    Crystal paused and pulled away from Sara, "I hope you don''t mind me calling you Sara? I don''t think I can call you mom just yet," Crystal said, and Sara almost scoffed.

    "I understand. And to be honest with you, I prefer it this way too. It would feel really weird for me as well if you called me mom," Sara said and Crystal nodded.

    "I also hope you don''t n to introduce me to everyone as your daughter? I don''t want or need the attention," Crystal said, and Sara smiled genuinely for the first time.

    She was beginning to like the girl. The girl was saying all the right things, Sara thought happily.

    "It''s fine if you don''t want any of that," Sara said, and Crystal nodded.

    "Where do you live? Is it here in Ludus?" Crystal asked and Sara shook her head.

    "No. I came here only to find you. Now that I''ve found you, we can leave the country together," Sara said and Crystal paused only for a moment before letting out a sigh.

    "It''s going to be hard to relocate and leave behind everything I know and love," she said wistfully.

    "I understand how you feel. But trust me, you won''t miss any of this when you leave. I will make sure of it," Sara trying not to sound irritated or impatient.

    After a short moment Crystal nodded, "Alright. I wille with you," Crystal said, and Sara smiled happily as she embraced Crystal.

    At least one thing had finally gone right today, she thought happily. She was a step closer to getting what she wanted now.

    As Crystal hugged Sara she smiled as well. She had hit the jackpot. She was going to retire from a life of cheap con after this business with Sara.

    A momentter Sara asked Emma, her assistant, over toe carry the designer items she had gotten Crystal some days ago as those were the only items in the room she could let Crystal take with her.

    As Sara and Crystal got into the car to leave, Sara''s phone beeped with a message notification and she clicked on it when she saw the email was from the head doctor at the research institute.

    [Hello, Sara! I thought I should let you know that here at the institute we also specialize in liver transnts as you must have seen on our website page. You mentioned in yourst email that there is a possibility of you getting a transnt soon. If you have a donor ready, we would be d to offer our service to you as you''re now one of our sponsors. I think it would be best we do it here so we can monitor your progress and take better care od your health until we can get the medicine right. It''s only a suggestion and you are free to keep working with your personal doctor. I will be waiting to hear from you. And you should know that we are ready when you are.]

    She smiled as she read the message. This had to be a sign, she thought with a contented sigh.

    The doctor at the research institute seemed like a greedy person, and she had no doubt that for the right amount he wouldn''t mind operating on Crystal whether or not she was a willing donor.

    Everything was gradually falling in ce now. All she had to do was leave Ludus with Crystal, and she would never have to worry about Harry or Lucy ever again.

 Chapter 667 Alex Or Cassidy?

    Andy had a frown on her face as she thought about Cassidy. She couldn''t help but wonder why he was making himself scarce despite the fact that they hade to an understanding thest time they spoke and he gave her Candace''s photos.

    She knew for a fact that the people of the Ind had thrown a small wee party for him the previous night, but he had not invited her or taken her along. She did not even know when he left for the party.

    She hardly knew anything about hising and going now, and she doubted that he still slept in his bedroom next to hers.

    Not that she cared where he slept or whether or not she saw him. But it annoyed her that he brought her here and didn''t even have the courtesy to at least check in on her often to know whether or not she was doing okay.

    "Why are you scowling?" Maribel asked as she peered into Andy''s face.

    "I''m not frowning, doll. I''m just lost in thoughts," Andy said with forced smile as she looked at Maribel who she had kept busy by asking her to color some diagrams.

    "Why do you always call me doll?" Maribel asked and Andy tapped her nose yfully.

    "Because you, my perfect little girl, look just as pretty as a doll," Andy said, and Maribel giggled happily at thepliment as she rose to go get into Andy''sp.

    "I like you a lot," Maribel said as she pushed up her sses on her nose with one hand and touched Andy''s hair.

    Susan, the housekeeper, chose to walk into the living room in that moment and she eyed them both with disapproval as she moved about, pretending to be busy.

    "You do? I''m so relieved to hear that I have someone who likes me here. I wonder why you like me though," Andy said as her hands went around the little girl''s waist.

    "Because you''re pretty, you are not old and you are fun. If I had a mama she would look just like you," Maribel said, reminding Andy that she wanted to ask Cassidy about that.

    "But you have Susan with you," Andy said as she patted Maribel''s back.

    "Susan is too old to be my mama," Maribel said and while Andy stuck out her tongue at Susan discreetly so that Maribel wouldn''t see her.

    "It''s time for your nap, Mari," Susan said as she went to where Andy was seated and tried to lift Maribel.

    "But Susan��"

    "Now, Mari!" Susan snapped, but Andy held Maribel tightly without letting Susan snatch her away.

    "I will take her to her room and put her to sleep," Andy said with a sweet smile as she rose with Maribel and headed for the kid''s room.

    After she had put the kid to sleep thirty minutester, she met Susan waiting for her outside the kid''s bedroom and she raised a brow.

    "She is asleep already," Andy said as she walked past Susan and immediately Susan followed her.

    "What do you want here?" Susan asked, and Andy stopped walking and turned to Susan.

    "I beg your pardon?" Andy asked, and Susan nodded.

    "You heard me. Why are you here? I know that Sir Alex brought you here, but why did youe? Who are you to him? Why did he bring you here? What is your rtionship with him?" Susan asked, and Andy crossed both arms in front of her.

    "Why are you asking me all that when you can ask him yourself?" Andy asked irritably.

    Susan ignored Andy''s annoyance, "That is not a question I can ask Sir Alex��"

    "So, who do you think you are to ask me such questions?" Andy cut in impatiently.

    "I am responsible for Sir Alex and Maribel, and I won''t let you hurt them," Susan said stubbornly and Andy frowned.

    "And what makes you think I want to hurt them?"

    "What do you think will happen to Maribel after you make her get so attached to you and then you leave here?"

    "So you''d rather I''m unkind to the child so she doesn''t get attached to me?"

    "I''d rather you leave things the way you met them. Stay all day in your room if you must. Act like you don''t exist, unless you n on staying here for the rest of your life, which I know you don''t. Someone like you wouldn''t be able to stay here anyway," Susan said and Andy raised a brow.

    "What do you mean someone like me?" Andy asked, wondering what she meant by that.

    "You are a wild one. Things like that cannot be hidden. I can see it in your eyes and in the way you walk. Unless your aim for being here is to warm Sir Alex''s bed, which I strongly disapprove of because he deserves someone better��"

    "I believe you have said enough, Susan!" Cassidy snapped as he joined them.

    "Sir Alex��"

    "Apologize to her," Cassidy said harshly, and Susan pressed her lips together.

    "Right now!" Cassidy repeated, but before Susan could say a word Andy walked away.

    Cassidy followed her immediately, and before she could shut her bedroom door, he put in a door to stop the door.

    "I''m sorry she said that to you," Cassidy said, but Andy said nothing as she walked away from the door and went to stand by her bedroom window with her back to him.

    Cassidy remained by the door, not sure of what to say but not sure he should leave without making sure she wasn''t upset either.

    He had been really busy with work in his study until he caught sight of Susan and Andy talking in the hallway and from their postures and expressions he had determined it wasn''t a light conversation.

    Andy was more amused than annoyed or hurt by Susan''s statement. It amused her that Susan believed that Cassidy deserved someone better. Did Susan have any idea who Cassidy really was? Did anyone on this Ind know what he was capable of?

    "Susan used to be like family to Maribel''s mom. She watched Maribel''s mom grow, and moved in with us when Maribel''s mom was pregnant. She is very protective of Maribel and me," Cassidy exined in a tired voice.

    "If only she knew you and all you are capable of she wouldn''t bother being so protective of you. Do any of them here truly know you?" Andy asked in an even tone as she faced him. <novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    "You''re the one who doesn''t know me," Cassidy said as he met her gaze. He was still standing outside her bedroom without going in.

    Andyughed humorlessly, "I don''t?" She asked incredulously.

    "Yes. You don''t," he said tly before turning around to walk away, since he could see she wasn''t as upset as he had thought.

    Andy followed him as he walked into his bedroom and he turned to look at her, "Why are you following me?"

    "We are not done with our conversation. And I have some questions for you," Andy said, and he raised a brow.

    "What did I tell you thest time you came in here?" He asked, and she raised her chin defiantly.

    "You can eithere out let''s talk or I''m going to remain here," she said as she watched him massage his temple.

    He seemed to do that a lot, she observed.

    Without saying a word Cassidy walked further into his bedroom and opened one of the drawers. He took out some pain relief medicine and Andy watched as he picked a bottle of water from his bedside and swallowed them.

    After he had done that he got on his bed and faced her, "You can sit on the stool," he said, pointing to the padded stool by his dressing table.

    "I''mfortable standing here," Andy said stubbornly from where she stood by the door.

    "Alright. So, what do you want to talk about?" Cassidy asked even though he was feeling sleepy since he had barely slept for more than four hours in thest seventy-two hours.

    "Who are you? Cassidy or Alex?" Andy asked, and Cassidy''s lips twitched.

    "Notice how your name Andy rhymes with both my names?" He asked, and Andy scowled.

    "What has that got to do with my question?"

    "Nothing. It just urred to me. Alright. I will answer your question if you can answer mine. Who are you?" He asked and she raised a brow.

    "What''s that supposed to mean?"

    "Deep down, are you the innocent waitress who was taken in by Jero, or are you the call girl Jero made you into? Or the stripper you had to be to survive?" He asked, and Andy''s brows furrowed.

    "I am neither of those," Andy said angrily.

    "Yeah. I didn''t think you were either. But those are all you, are they not?" Cassidy asked as he watched her.

    "How then would you describe yourself, Andy?Would you describe yourself by your circumstances or who you know you are deep down?" He asked when she was silent for some time.

    "What are you getting at? And how does this answer my question? You''re making this about me when it should be about you," Andy said, and Cassidy shook his head.

    "No. The answer to your question can be found in your answers to my question."

    "No, I don''t think so. We are nothing alike. All my life I''ve never had a break. From the orphanage I worked as a waitress and struggled to get the basic things of life. Our paycheck was never enough to cover the bills. Jero showed up in Candace''s life and we both thought maybe heaven had decided to smile on us and we could catch a break, but our life with Jero was a nightmare! And after escaping Jero we didn''t have the qualifications to get any good paying jobs that would help us take care of ourselves and Jamal, so we had to resort to stripping. I''m not a whore! I''ve done all I had to do to survive until now! And you? You don''t have an excuse for doing what you did to me or for living a life of crime as you did! I didn''t have a choice, but you did! So don''t you darepare yourself to me!" Andy yelled at him angrily.

    Cassidy nodded as he watched her, "Maybe you are right. Maybe violence like other things can be hereditary," he said thoughtfully.

    "As you''ve rightly put it, life is all about choices, and I believe the choice we make as individuals tells a lot about who we are. What does my choice of living here tell you about me?" Cassidy asked and she scoffed.

    "That you''re a coward hiding out here away from the enemies you made for yourself," Andy said and he held her gaze for a moment before speaking.

    "I don''t believe in judging people based on the situations where I meet them. I believe that a lot of factors affect the choices we make and the actions we take at different points in our life. I didn''t choose to live here because I want to hide from anyone. I chose to live here because I desire a life of peace and quiet for myself and Maribel. I know you think I''m a monster, but I''ve never shed an innocent blood��"

    "Your men killed an innocent girl! (Chapter 259)" Andy snapped at him.

    "She wasn''t as innocent as you believe. She knew we wanted you, and she was willing to y along as long as she was well paid��"

    "You expect me to believe that? Because she is not here to defend herself you can afford to tell lies," Andy interrupted.

    "Believe what you will, Andy. Every single man who died on that yacht were my father''s men who were present when Maribel''s mom was killed. They all had iting. I have only two regrets in life that haunt me. One of them is not being at home when myte fianc��e was attacked, and the other is doing what I did to you," Cassidy said, and when Andy opened her mouth to speak he continued.

    "Now to answer your question. This right here, is who I am. A father and a responsible citizen. I''m Alex. I''m not Cassidy. Cassidy is the monster my father gave birth to and the cartel made. That''s not who I am. I''m sorry you had to be caught in the crossfire and became a victim of that monster. I''m tired. I want to be left alone now," Cassidy said as he turned on his side and shut his eyes, letting Andy know that he was done talking.

    Although Andy still had a lot of questions for him, she was too stunned by the revtion to speak. His father''s men had killed Maribel''s mom?

    She looked at him for a moment before walking out of his room. This conversation was not over yet. She was going to stay in the living room and make sure he didn''t leave the house without her knowledge.

    As she walked into the living room, she saw Susan seated there knitting a sweater for Maribel.

    Susan cleared her throat, "I''m sorry. I shouldn''t have said any of that to you. I was worried about them and spoke without thinking. Sir Alex has never brought anyone here before. It has always been just us. Before she died, Maribel''s mom made me promise to look out for them both��"

    "You were there when she died?" Andy asked softly and watched as tears gathered in Susan''s eyes as she nodded.

    "I wasn''t at home. I came back in time from grocery shopping to see the cars leaving. She was so strong. She did her best to hold on so the baby could be born. She said it was fine if she died as long as Sir Alex had the baby," Susan said as tears dropped from her eyes.

    "I don''t know how you both know each other, but Sir Alex is a good man and all I want is for him to not hurt anymore and to be fine. And I want little Maribel to be happy. I''m sorry," Susan said again, and Andy sighed.

    She already felt a lot of anger and hatred for Cassidy, but what she did not expect to feel was pity.

    She needed to organize her thoughts and put the all the pieces she had together to get a clear picture of who he was.

 Chapter 668 No More Interference

    After her chat with Kimberly, Lucy returned to Tom''s office to have lunch with him and to find out how he was doing now and if he had spoken with his grandfather and Kimberly.

    "You''re letting him off the hook just like that?" Lucy asked incredulously after Tom had told her about his conversation with his grandfather and Kimberly.

    She could understand him not wanting to do anything to Kimberly since Kimberly was not exactly family and had only done his grandfather''s bidding, but she couldn''t quite understand why he would leave it just at scolding his grandfather and keep the truth away from his parents.

    "What do you suggest I do to him? I can''t possibly tell my parents about it. Dad would be furious. Things are bad enough between them, and this might only widen the gap between them," Tom said, and Lucy took a deep breath.

    "And your mom? Shouldn''t she know the result of her meddling? Shouldn''t she know that this whole thing happened because of her?" Lucy asked, and even though Tom wanted to defend his mother, he knew that Lucy was right.

    If his mother had stayed put and not asked his grandfather for help, his grandfather would most likely have not had a reason for this.

    "I just think you''re making this too easy for him. What is to stop him from doing something else next time when he knows that all he has to say is that he is sorry and all will be forgiven?" Lucy asked calmly.

    "But you easily forgave Kimberly," Tom said, and Lucy raised a brow.

    "Kimberly doesn''t mean anything to me. Or to you. As annoying as what she did is, she is a stranger to us. It is your grandfather who needs to be handled," Lucy said, and Tom sighed.

    "You know what? I''m just going to ask him to apologize to you. When he calls, feel free to do or say whatever to him. Handle it as you would have wanted me to," Tom said, and Lucy shrugged.

    "Just don''t regret itter," she warned.

    "I will try not to. Let''s talk about something else. This conversation is getting me worked up," Tom said and Lucy nodded.

    "So, how about we spend the night at your ce? Maybe we can spend the rest of the week at your ce and go back to mine at weekend? That way I can spend time with Sonia to n for their wedding," Lucy said, and Tom shrugged.

    "That''s fine by me," he said as he nced at his wristwatch.

    "That''s my cue to leave. I suppose you are expecting someone," Lucy said as packed up the dishes into the lunch bag and Tom nodded.

    "Yeah," he said as they both rose.

    Once Lucy returned to her office, she settled down to focus on her tasks for the day.

    Although, she was still very excited that things had been resolved and she didn''t have to worry about someone else having Tom''s child, she did her best to focus on what she had to do.

    She worked without distraction for a while and raised her head when her phone started ringing.

    She arched a brow when she saw it was from an unknown caller and she received the call thinking it was Tom''s grandfather, "Hello! This is Lucinda Perry��"

    "Lucy, it''s Rachel. Please don''t hang up," Rachel pleaded desperately, and immediately Lucy scowled as she hung up the call.

    Her phone rang three more times but she ignored it and blocked Rachel''s line from reaching instead.

    Thest thing she wanted was to hear from Rachel or to speak to her. Not after all she had put her and Lucas through.

    She wouldn''t have taken the call had she known it was Rachel. She wondered why Rachel had used a different line to reach her, and then recalled that Rachel''s old phone which Lucas had seized was still in their custody.

    Just as she returned her attention to the documents in front of her, her phone started ringing again and she red at it, thinking it was Rachel.

    Her brows pulled together when she saw it was Lucas and she received the call immediately, "Don''t tell me she tried calling you too?" Lucy asked, and Lucy frowned.

    "Who tried calling me?" Lucas asked in confusion.

    "If no one tried calling you, then you shouldn''t mind me," Lucy said, not wanting to discuss Rachel with Lucas.

    Thest thing she wanted was for him to be upset. "How are you doing? Were you missing me?" She asked before Lucas could press her to tell him who she had been referring to.

    "Yeah. I just got off the phone with mom and dad and wanted to check on you. I saw the news of Sonia''s engagement. I called to congratte her earlier. I still can''t believe she is getting married," Lucas said and Lucyughed softly.

    "She has changed a lot. If you were here, it would be easier for you to believe it. It was so beautifulst night," Lucy said softly.

    "I could see that from the clips," Lucas said, and they were both silent for some time.

    "A lot has changed in such a short time, hasn''t it?" Lucy asked when she heard Lucas'' sigh and could guess he was thinking about his canceled wedding with Rachel.

    "Yeah. I called off my engagement, you got a boyfriend, and Sonia is getting married. Who would have guessed that any of these would happen?" Lucas asked thoughtfully.

    "It all happened for the best, don''t you think? I mean, they''re good changes if you think about it. It could have been worse. Can you imagine finding out everything about her after your wedding and then being a divorcee?" Lucy said and he nodded.

    "Sure. I know that," Lucas said and Lucy heaved a deep sigh.

    "How are you doing? Are you really okay?" She asked with concern.

    Lucas smiled, "I''m fine. I didn''t call for you to worry about me. I wanted to know how you''re doing now that Tom is back," Lucas said and Lucy smiled.

    Even though Lucy was tempted to share her recent thoughts with him, she decided not to rush it and wait until her mind waspletely made up.

    "I''m doing great! Everything is going perfectly. We are finding our bnce gradually," Lucy said happily, and Lucas raised a brow when he heard the excitement in her voice.

    "I guess everything is good then. That''s nice to know," Lucas said, feeling genuinely relieved to hear that.

    Lucy pulled the phone away from her ear to look at the screen when she got an iing call notification, and she scowled when she saw that it was an unknown number.

    Was Rachel trying to reach her again with another line? She mused as she ignored the call.

    "Luke?" She called hesitantly, thinking that she should at least tell Lucas about it.

    "Yeah?"

    "Rachel called me earlier."

    "I figured she was the one you were referring to when you received the call," Lucas said in an even tone. <novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    "I don''t know why she was calling. I didn''t listen to her. I hung up when I realized she was the one. She called several times but I blocked her line," Lucy exined but Lucas said nothing.

    He thought he was best to remain silence rather than say what was on his mind. He knew that Lucy would be mad at him if he asked her to take Rachel''s call and hear her out.

    It annoyed him that as mad as he was at Rachel, he was still concerned about her and felt sorry for her. He had seen the news about her father, and he knew without a doubt that Tom had a hand in it.

    "Are you okay? Why are you so quiet?" Lucy asked with a frown.

    "I''m fine. How are our newly found cousins and evil aunt?" Lucas asked, changing the subject.

    She frowned when she heard the ding of a text notification from the same line and she clicked on on it.

    [Hello, Lucy. This is Lawrence Hank. Please return my call.]

    "Uhm, they''re fine. I mean the cousins. I''m sure you saw them in the party photos. As for the evil aunt, I hope she rots in hell. I just received a text from Tom''s grandfather now. I need to give him a call," Lucy said and Lucas sighed.

    "Sure. Let''s talk some other time. Give my regards to Tom. Love you," Lucas said before hanging up.

    Lucy dialed Lawrence''s line immediately, and he received her call on the second ring.

    "Hello, sir!" Lucy greeted politely as she rose from her desk to move around the office. It was difficult to sit still while speaking with him.

    "Hello, Lucy! How are you doing today?"

    "I''m alright, sir. And you?" She asked cautiously, hoping they would be done with the exchange of pleasantries so he would get to the purpose of his call soon.

    She knew he probably wanted to apologize for what he had done.

    "I''m fine. I called because I know I owe you an apology for what I did," Lawrence said, and Lucy raised a brow.

    "What exactly did you do?" She asked, surprising Lawrence who had not expected the question.

    "I beg your pardon?" Lawrence asked and Lucy smirked.

    Did he really think she was going to make this easy for him when he had not made it easy for Tom or her? No way.

    "I think I should know what you''re apologizing for," Lucy said, and Lawrence frowned.

    "Well, if you don''t know then maybe there''s no need to apologize to you��"

    "Sure. I''m sure Evelyn and Desmond would be pleased to know what''s going on," Lucy said, and Lawrence raised a brow.

    "Are you threatening me?"

    "It depends on how you interpret it, sir. Tom might be willing to let you off the hook so easily, but I''m not," Lucy said firmly and Lawrence chuckled.

    "So what are you going to do about it then?" He asked, and Lucy narrowed her eyes.

    "I should tell the family about it. I''m sure they would all be amused and delighted to know the kind of prank their grandfather yed," Lucy said, and Lawrence frowned.

    "For someone that couldn''t meet my gaze thest time we met, you sound quite bold right now," he muttered.

    "I was very cautious and respectful until you crossed the line. You had no right doing what you did," Lucy said and Lawrence smiled.

    "Alright. Fine. I''m sorry. I ept that I shouldn''t have asked Kimberly to lie to Tom about her daughter''s paternity. I was wrong. What now?"

    "Why did you do that?" She asked, and Lawrence shook his head.

    "It was to prank Tom, and I also wanted to shake your rtionship with Tom a bit to see how you would react," he said, and Lucy nodded.

    "I see. Well, you will have to report yourself to Desmond and Evelyn and tell them exactly what you did��."

    "What? I can''t possibly do that!" Lawrence protested vehemently and Lucy smiled deciding it was the ideal punishment for him.

    "Why not?"

    "This will cause more problems between Desmond and I," Lawrenceined.

    "I believe you will find a way to resolve it. You can either tell them or I will."

    "Tom promised that he would keep it to himself and won''t tell," Lawrence pointed out.

    "Thankfully, I''m not Tom, and I don''t remember making such a promise to you."

    "I''m an old man and��"

    "And you should have remembered that before ying such an expensive prank," Lucy cut in, and Lawrence took a deep breath.

    He had not expected Lucy to be so tough. He had thought reasoning with her would be easier than it had been with Tom, especially since Kimberly had told him Lucy had forgiven her easily.

    Who knew she could be so tough?

    "Alright. I will tell them I was behind it," Lawrence said with a defeated sigh.

    "Can I trust that this would end here and you won''t interfere in our rtionship anymore? I respect you a lot, but I won''t tolerate any more interference," Lucy said firmly.

    "I won''t," he promised before hanging up.

    Lucy sighed as she returned to her desk. She knew she had been sort of harsh, but that couldn''t be helped.

    She needed to start drawing the lines and putting people in their rightful ces so that everyone would know they were not allowed to interfere in her rtionship with Tom anymore.

 Chapter 669 Sleepover

    "Are you not going out today?" Aaron asked as he eyed Candace curiously, wondering if she had no ns for visiting Matt as she had been doing consistently since Matt brought her home the other day.

    "Is there somewhere you want me to go?" Candace asked with a slightly raised brow as she turned her attention from the movie they were seeing to meet his gaze.

    "You''ve been going out a lottely. I just thought you''d do the same today," he said with a sweet smile.

    "No, I''m not going anywhere. I want to stay indoors with you," Candace said, choosing not to indulge her father since she knew what he was driving at.

    "You can go out if you want to. You don''t need to keep mepany," he assured her.

    "Why don''t we return to Sogal by weekend?" Candace asked, changing the subject.

    "You read my mind. I was going to suggest that myself. I think I''ve had my fill of Ludus and I''m ready to get back to work. I can''t wait to show you and Jamal around thepany," Aaron said with a happy smile just as Jamal joined them.

    "Is yourpany as big as Tom''spany?" Jamal asked curiously as he handed his book to his mother for her to check his spellings.

    "Tom''spany is that big because he deals in a lot of businesses. But mypany specializes in photography��"

    "I guess it''s not as big as Tom''s then," Jamal said thoughtfully, cutting Aaron off.

    "Jamal! That was rude!" Candace scolded while Aaron chuckled.

    "I''m sorry, grandpa," Jamal said with his head hung in shame.

    "That''s alright. If you want it to be as big as Tom''s some day then you will have to run it when you grow up and make it that way. Can you do that?" Aaron asked with interest.

    "Uncle Harry and Tom can help me do it," Jamal said confidently, and Aaronughed again.

    "I can''t wait to teach you all about Jamal," Aaron said as he looked at his grandson with a proud smile.

    "Don''t worry grandpa. I will make it really big," Jamal promised.

    Seeing how much Jamal admired Tom and wanted to be like him, he had no doubt that Jamal had all it would take to expand HAJ studios into an even biggerpany in the future.

    He had never been interested in doing more than photography himself. He was content leaving it as it was, but didn''t mind if Jamal would have other ns for it.

    Aaron watched as Candace corrected Jamal''s spelling errors and gave him another assignment to go do in the bedroom so he wouldn''t be distracted by the television.

    They''ve been doing their best to homeschool him so he would be able to catch up easily when he returns to school.

    "Don''t you want to date again?" Candace suddenly asked, startling Aaron who frowned.

    "What?" Aaron asked as he wondered where the question hade from.

    "From what I''ve heard from Harry he has never seen you with anydy or heard of you having a rtionship. Why?" Candace asked, and Aaron shook his head.

    "Because I don''t want to," Aaron said, and Candace raised a brow.

    "Because you got married to a bitch and she hurt your feelings?" Candace asked tly.

    "You shouldn''t talk about your mother that way," Aaron said with a shake of his head.

    "You can choose not to see her in that light, but you can''t tell me how to see her or how to talk about her," Candace said, annoyed that even now Aaron was defending Sara.

    "Candace��"

    "How can you be so calm and forgiving? Don''t tell me you still love her?" Candace cut it, feeling very much annoyed at him.

    "This has nothing to do with loving her��"

    "Sure it does. Don''t you regret meeting her? Don''t you wasting a part of your life with her?"

    "No, I don''t. That would mean I regret having you and Harry, and I could never regret that. I will always be grateful to her because it''s thanks to her that I have you both. I expect you to understand this better than Harry, Candace. Do you regret being with Jamal''s father?" Aaron asked, and Candace frowned.

    As much as she hated Jero and all he had put them through, she could never bring herself to regret meeting with him. Not when she had gotten the best gift of her life from him.

    "Candace," Aaron called softly, and she met his gaze.

    "I have never thought about getting involved with anyone after Sara. Maybe it''s because I haven''t healedpletely after all this time, or maybe it''s because I am a coward and I''m scared. I don''t know which it is. But it has nothing to do with loving Sara," Aaron said, and Candace sighed.

    "Don''t you get lonely?" She asked, remembering the reason she had asked him the question in the first ce.

    "How can I be lonely when there is so much to keep busy with? I gave myself to raising Harry when he was younger, and after he left for college I developed other interests. All I have looked forward to was him getting married and having a family of his own so I would have grandkids to dote on. Now I have you and Jamal. I''m not lonely. I''m happy," Aaron assured her and then sat up straighter to look at her.

    "And I want you to be happy too��"

    "Don''t you dare try to talk about Matt," Candace cut in before Aaron could finish and he chuckled.

    "How did you know I wanted to talk about him?" Aaron asked, and Candace smiled.

    "You adjusted your posture and your eyes began to gleam," Candace said, and Aaronughed again.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    "Alright. Fine. I won''t say anything else. How about we leave this weekend?" Aaron suggested.

    "That''s fine by me," Candace said, and then picked up her phone when it beeped with a message notification.

    Candace clicked on it when she saw it was a message from Sonia on their girls group, [Hello, singledies! Are you here? This is my first message to you as an engageddy.]

    Candace giggled and shook her head in amusement as she started to type a response, but stopped when Jade''s response entered.

    [Hello, engageddy! What do you want from us?]

    [Candace could youe over today and spend the night here? I would like us to spend some time together discussing my wedding ns. Lucy will be here, so will be Jade, since she can''t sleep over at her boyfriend''s] Sonia added with a grin, deliberately wanting to annoy Jade with thest line.

    [Sure, I cane over.] Candace responded.

    [Sonia, keep this up, and on your wedding day I will be the reason why you both can''t be wedded.] Jade threatened, and Candace giggled.

    [Have you guys picked a date yet?] Candace asked curiously.

    [We haven''t picked the exact date yet. But it''s going to be in month''s time.] Sonia responded.

    [Alright. See you girlster then.] Candace said as she dropped her phone to focus on the movie, but it beeped almost immediately and she picked it up again thinking Sonia had left another message.

    She smiled when she saw that the text was from Matt this time. They had not spoken all day. He had not called nor texted and she had also chosen not to call or text him even though he had been on her mind, especially the words he had said to her during the engagement party about waiting for her to be ready.

    His text read, [Hey, sexy!]

    [Hey, hottie!] Candace texted back.

    [I was changing the bedsheets on my bed and I couldn''t help missing you because it smelt like you. So, I decided to leave it until the next time youe, so the new sheets can smell of you too.] Matt texted and Candace eyed the text.

    Why did that sound like a crafty invitation?

    [Thats fine.] Candace texted back, and Matt scowled at her response.

    [What''s fine? The fact that I miss you or the fact that I''m leaving the very dirty bedsheet on because they smell like you?] Matt texted back and she giggled.

    [Both are fine. I''m sure if the bedsheet was so dirty you wouldn''t leave it on just because it smells like me.]

    [Why don''t youe over and see just how dirty the bedsheet is?] Matt suggested, and Candace shook her head in amusement.

    [Nah. I don''t think I want to drive down there just to see your dirty bedsheet.] Candace said, and Matt sighed.

    [How about youe over to see me then? Just because I miss you. Don''t you miss me?] he asked, and Candace grinned. Now he was stating what he wanted.

    [Sorry, I can''te over. I''ve seen you for days in a row already so I''m taking a break.] Candace said, and Matt''s brows pulled together.

    [Are you getting tired of me already?] he asked, and she giggled.

    "You seem to be smiling and giggling a lot," Aaron who had been watching her observed.

    "It''s just Sonia and Jade. Sonia wants me toe over so we can all talk about the details of the wedding," Candace lied easily and Aaron looked at her doubtfully.

    "I''m serious. I''m not lying this time. Do you want to see the message?" Candace asked as she rose to go show him, and Aaron chuckled.

    "I never said you were lying," he said, and she scowled at him.

    "But you thought so. I will send you a picture of me in my pyjamas with the girls!" She promised as she walked away from the living room making Aaron chuckle.

    As Candace walked into her room, her phone beeped again and she clicked on Matt''s messages.

    [Why are you not saying anything?]

    [Are you dumping me already?]

    [If you dump me I''m going to do a drunken live Instagram video and tell the world how mean you are.]

    [Okay. So, what are you wearing?]

    [Want to see the color of my brief? Come over and take a look.]

    Candace rolled her eyes and giggled at his messages.

    [I''m spending the night at Tom''s ce with Sonia and the girls. Maybe I will see you tomorrow on my way back home from there.] she texted back.

    Matt pursed his lips as she read her text. She was spending the night at Tom''s ce? To the best of his knowledge Tom had a lot of rooms to amodate his guests. He was very sure he could pay them a visit tonight and sleep over.

    Bryan would need to n hising wedding with his best friend too, after all, Matt thought with a grin.

 Chapter 670 Ice Cream Date

    After work, Tom picked Lucy in front of thepany as usual and they both headed for his house instead of Lucy''s.

    "My grandfather said you asked him to report himself to my parents?" Tom asked as he drove and Lucy nodded.

    "Yes. He should do that much. Why? Do you have a problem with it?" Lucy asked with a raised brow and Tom shook his head.

    "No. I asked you to handle it. So whatever you say is fine," Tom said quickly.

    "Good," Lucy said as she looked away from him to her window.

    It seemed to her that when it came to other people interfering in his life or their rtionship Tom knew how to draw the line and was usually harsh and unforgiving, but when it came to his family he was lenient.

    She was just going to step in and do what he couldn''t do himself.

    It was one thing to seek their opinion on his problems but it was another to have them interfere directly one way or the other.

    Her family knew better than to interfere. They could talk all they wanted, but that was all they were allowed to do. And all the talking was to be directed at her and not at Tom.

    Neither of them said a word to each other as they were both lost in their own thoughts, until they both sighed simultaneously and turned to look at each other.

    "What is in your head?" Tom asked curiously.

    "I''m just thinking, what now?" Lucy said, and Tom smiled since that was sort of what he had been thinking too.

    As happy as he was that this whole drama with Kimberly was a ruse, he felt like some how they were back to where they were before it all came up.

    Yes, there have been improvements in their rtionship, but now he had no idea of what was next.

    Would they be stuck in the same pattern? Would things change for them?

    "What do you want now?" Tom asked, and Lucy grinned.

    "A bowl of chocte Ice cream," she said, and Tom chuckled.

    "Let''s find somewhere to get it for you then."

    "What about you? What were you thinking?" Lucy asked as she looked at him with interest.

    "Nothing serious," he said with a shake of his head as he kept his attention on the road.

    They drove in silence for a moment until they sighted an ice cream parlor ahead of them and pulled over to get some for Lucy.

    "Want to stay in the car while I get it?" Tom asked, and she shook her head.

    "Why don''t we just sit out there for a moment? There''s no hurry in getting home, is there?" Lucy asked as she took off her zers so that she was wearing just her spaghetti strapped top on her cks.

    Tom watched as she took the band off her hair and shook it out so it would fall down her shoulders.

    "What are you doing?" He asked, and she smiled at him.

    "Consider it an Ice cream date," she said as she opened the door and got out of the car.

    Tom chuckled as he did the same, "Why do you suddenly want an ice cream date?" He asked curiously as they both headed inside.

    "Because you seem tense. I want you to rx," Lucy said, surprising Tom who had not expected that.

    "I''m not tense," he said, even though he appreciated her gesture.

    "You are. You have been unusually quiet. So I want us to get some ice cream, rx, and pretend we are two people who are not Thomas Hank and Lucinda Perry," Lucy said, and his lips twitched.

    "Want me to be Handy Tom?" He asked, wiggling his brows and she giggled.

    "We can make it more fun instead. How about you are Lucy, and I am Tom?" She asked as they went to the ice cream stand to ce their orders.

    Tomughed at that, "You want me to be you?" He asked, and she nodded.

    "Why? Can''t do that?" She asked, and Tom shrugged, feeling really amused.

    "I don''t see why not. I don''t think it''s so hard to be you. All I have to do is sit quietly, smile when I need to and make as little contribution as I can muster to any subject," Tom said, and Lucy scowled.

    "That''s not me!"

    "How would you know that?" He asked with a grin as they stopped in front of the show ss and ced their order.

    Because they now had an audience, Lucy decided not to respond.

    Instead of ordering the chocte ice cream Lucy had said she wanted, they ordered for vors which were mixed together into arge bowl with waffles inside.

    After they found afortable spot and sat down, Lucy scowled at Tom, "You just described me as boring," she said, and he chuckled.

    "I thought we''ve gotten past that already?" He asked, and she raised a brow.

    "How can we?"

    "Alright. That wasn''t to say you were boring. It just meant you don''t talk much unless you absolutely need to or you are drunk. Now can we focus on switching roles?" Tom asked as he pushed up an imaginary ss on his nose bridge as Lucy often did, making Lucy giggle.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    "Alright then," she said as she ate a half spoonful of ice cream.

    "Action!" Lucy said, once she had swallowed her ice cream, and while Tom smiled, she kept a nk face.

    Tom watched her with amused eyes, curious to see exactly how she would behave like him. Maybe it wasn''t such a bad way to destress after all.

    Lucy cleared her throat, "Are you okay, Jewel?" Lucy asked in a deep voice, while she tried to maintain a soft gaze as she looked at Tom.

    Tom grinned, "Sure, I am. Why do you ask?" Tom asked in a tiny voice that made Lucy howl withughter, attracting the attention of others in the ice cream parlor.

    Lucy raised a hand to cover her lips, embarrassed, "Sorry about that," she said, and Tom raised a brow.

    "You are breaking out of character," he said in a tiny voice that made her giggle again.

    "I don''t think this will work. Let''s just forget about it," she said in her normal voice with a shake of her head.

    "Why not?" Tom asked as he took his first spoonful of ice cream.

    "Because you sound funny," Lucy said with a grin and then watched Tom with serious eyes for a moment.

    "So, are you feeling better now?" she asked, and he nodded.

    "Yeah. Sure. Thanks," he said, but she continued to watch him.

    "What now?" Tom asked, wondering what she was thinking.

    "Have I ever told you how handsome you are?" Lucy asked, and Tom chuckled as he looked away from her, feeling unexpectedly embarassed by thepliment.

    What was up with her? He mused.

    "Aww! Don''t tell me you are shy," Lucy said in amusement and Tom looked at her.

    "Did you have some alcohol at work when no one was looking?" He asked, and she giggled.

    "No, I didn''t. Why?" She asked with a grin.

    "If you didn''t, why are you acting so unlike yourself?" Tom asked, and she smiled as she shrugged.

    "I don''t know. I guess I''m just happy and I want you to be too," she said, and Tom raised a brow.

    "You must be really relieved that Dawn isn''t mine," Tom said, and Lucy nodded.

    "Yes, I am," she said, not bothering to expand on the fact that she felt that relieved because she wanted to be the only one to bear his kids if at all.

    "But that''s not the only reason I''m happy. I''m also d that Anita is out and I''m excited that tomorrow Rebekah would be taken care of tomorrow. I think everything will finally be normal for us. I''m sort of feeling rxed and contented," she said, and Tom smiled.

    "That''s good. I''m happy to know you feel that way," Tom said as he watched her take a spoonful of ice cream.

    "Sonia said their wedding is set to be in a month''s time," Lucy said, changing the subject.

    "Oh, really? That''s nice. I wonder what I should get them. If they didn''t get a house already, I would have done that," Tom said thoughtfully, and Lucy raised a brow.

    "Wow! I keep forgetting that you''re that wealthy," she said, and Tom chuckled.

    "What should I do to make you not forget?" Tom asked, and Lucy smiled at him.

    "I love you, Tom," she said, causing his heart to flutter at the unexpected confession.

    "I love you too, but what''s up with you today?" Tom asked, and Lucy smiled.

    "Nothing is up. I''m just thankful I have you in my life and I''m expressing that. What''s so strange about it?" Lucy asked, and Tom gazed at her for a moment without saying a word.

    It sort of felt like they were reversing roles and Lucy was doing what he usually did.

    "It''s strange because I''m not used to being at the receiving end of such open affection from you," he said, and Lucy''s heart broke a little for him at that.

    Where he had always been one to express his love and feelings for her at every point so effortlessly, she had been more reserved.

    "Well, I guess I will have to do it more often so you get used to it," she said as she took a scoop of ice cream and brought it to his lips.

    Tom opened his mouth and let her feed him, and they both held each other''s gaze as he ate slowly.

    "Thank you," Tom said, and she raised a brow.

    "What for?" Lucy asked curiously.

    "For being in my life. And for not leaving even when you thought Dawn might be mine," Tom said, and Lucy smiled.

    "I''m never leaving you for anything. I love you. I want to be with you. And that''s that. Even you can''t make me leave you now. So you better get prepared, because going forward, I''m going to stick to you like a tick on animal skin," she threatened, and Tomughed softly.

    "I''d like that," Tom said with a happy smile.

 Chapter 671 Impromptu Dinner Date

    "What are you doing?" Desmond asked when he joined Evelyn in the den and noticed she was watching Cartoon Network.

    Evelyn smiled as she turned to him, "I thought I should get familiar with the cartoons they show these days," She exined and Desmond chuckled.

    "It''s not like the baby has been born already or you are going to be spending that much time with the baby��"

    "I n to spend that much time with my grandkids," Evelyn said, and Desmond shook his head as he picked up the remote and changed the channel.

    "By the way, do you really think we should let Tom let that girl go just like that?" Evelyn asked and Desmond gave her a pointed look.

    "If he said let it go, then you should let it go. Don''t go looking for trouble when there is none," Desmond said, and Evelyn eyed him with displeasure as she picked up her phone and rose.

    "I''m not looking for trouble, but she did look for trouble. I see no reason why we should let her go," Evelyn said before walking away, leaving Desmond alone in the Den.

    He shook his head as he watched her leave, wondering how they had both been able to live with each other for years despite their differences in personality.

    Not bothering to take Desmond''s advice, Evelyn dialed Harry''s line the moment she walked into their bedroom.

    Tom had not given them any details on thedy in question and since she could hardly call Tom to enquire about it after he made it clear he didn''t want to pursue the issue, she knew she could ask Harry since he would know the silly girl who had dared to pull such a prank on her son.

    Something like this could not have happened to Tom without Harry''s knowledge, of that she was confident.

    Harry who was driving him, raised a brow the moment he saw Evelyn''s call. He briefly considered ignoring the call so he could call Tom and find out what was up before talking to Evelyn, but on second thought he decided to take the call.

    "Hello, Mrs Hank!" He greeted politely.

    "Harry, you are my son''s best friend and my daughter''s boyfriend now? When will you ever stop calling me that and call me just Evelyn?" She asked, and Harry''s lips twitched.

    If only she and her husband knew that he referred to them that politely mostly because he knew it irritated them and made them ufortable.

    "Soon. I''m working on it," Harry promised, and Evelynughed softly.

    "How have you been? And how is your father?" Evelyn asked, and Harry raised a brow wondering if she had called to make small talk or if there was something she wanted to know.

    "I''m fine and my father is well. I hope you are fine too," He said politely.

    "Yes, I am. How are things going with Jade?" Evelyn asked and Harry almost sighed.

    "Everything is going quite smoothly," he said with practiced patience.

    "I know you didn''t call me to make small talk. Is there something you need me to do?" Harry asked smoothly so she wouldn''t beat around the bush any more, and Evelyn smiled.

    "You hurt my feelings, Harry. Do you mean I can''t call just to check on you?" She asked, and Harry almost snorted.

    "My apologies. I guess you called to make small talk. On that note, congrattions on Bryan''s engagement," Harry said, deciding to just y along with her until she was ready to get to the subject.

    Something told him it had something to do with Kimberly and she was beating around the bush because she was about to ask him to do something that Tom wouldn''t want.

    "Thank you. Harry��" Evelyn said, and then cleared her throat.

    Here ites, Harry mused as he waited.

    "Uhm, Tom discussed something disturbing with us before we left. I believe you know about it. I mean some random girl iming she had a child for him," Evelyn said, and Harry''s lips twitched.

    "That has been resolved. I trust he told you the DNA paternity test result came back negative," Harry said since Tom had told him about his conversation with his grandfather, Kimberly, and his parents before leaving the office.

    "Yes. Thankfully so. I was just curious. Do you know who thedy on question is? I mean, did you look into her?" Evelyn asked carefully, not wanting to give away anything that would make Harry suspicious enough to inform Tom about their conversation.

    "Yes, I did," Harry said, not giving any more information than was necessary.

    "What did you find? What''s her name?" Evelyn asked, and Harry shook his head.

    "I think Tom is in the best position to be telling you that not me," Harry said politely.

    "Harry, you are family, and we should all look out for each other. Do you think we should let her get away with doing something like this? She needs to be cautioned, and if Tom wouldn''t do it, I should as his mother. You don''t have to tell Tom you told me anything. And I won''t get you involved. All I need from you is her name and contact details and I will handle the rest," Evelyn said, and Harry smiled wistfully.

    Even though her approach was almost always wrong, Harry admired Evelyn because her intention was always right and her heart was in the right ce. She was a very loyal and protective mother, and she made him wish he had a mother like her and not Sara.

    "I think you should listen to Tom and not do anything," Harry advised since he knew that Evelyn would feel terrible if she realized this had happened in a way because of her meddling.

    "Why not? Why are you all willing to let it go? Even you, Harry? Isn''t he your best friend? If he won''t do anything, shouldn''t you do it?" Evelyn asked irritably.

    "I wouldn''t go behind Tom to do anything unless I thought it was necessary. And in this case, it''s not necessary to do anything. We got the DNA results and that''s all that matters," Harry said, and Evelyn hung up angrily without saying another word to him.

    Before Harry could decide how to feel about that, his phone started ringing almost immediately and he chuckled when he saw that it was a call from Jade.

    "I think your mom might oppose our rtionship now," Harry said as he received the call, and Jade raised a brow.

    "Why would she do that? Did something happen?" Jade asked as she stepped on her brake pedal when the traffic light turned red. <novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    "I might have just got on her bad books. But not to worry, I''m sure she would realize sooner thanter that it was for her own good. So, how is my favorite girl in the world doing?" He asked and Jade rolled her eyes.

    "I''m sure you also refer to Candace and Lucy like that as well," she said, and Harry chuckled.

    "Alright. How are you doing, esquire? I don''t call them that," He said, and she scowled.

    "I''m fine! Very fine, thank you!" She said, making him grin.

    "At least one of us is fine. I''m not fine. I''m missing the love of my life terribly," Harry said, and her lips twitched involuntarily.

    "Want to see her?" She asked hopefully since that was the reason she had called, because she wanted to see him.

    "I didn''t say you were the one," Harry joked, andughed out loud when Jade hissed.

    "I didn''t say I was the one either. Harry, you better not get on my nerves!" She warned testily as she resumed driving.

    Harry smiled, "I always want to see you. I''m on my way home from work. Want me to stop over at Tom''s before going home?" He asked, thinking that he could see her and Tom as well so he could tell Tom about his conversation with Evelyn.

    Jade shook her head immediately even if Harry could not see her, "No. Why don''t Ie see you instead? If youe over here there is every possibility that you and Tom would want to talk about something or it would be a group hangout. I want you to myself," Jade said, and Harry chuckled.

    "I won''t have any privacy with you if youe over to see me too. I want you to myself. And I don''t want you driving all that distance. Why don''t we meet halfway instead? We can have dinner together at a restaurant not far from Tom''s ce or mine��"

    "You mean Philip''s restaurant?" Jade asked since that was the only restaurant she knew wasfortably between both ces.

    "Yeah. If you want us to go somece else we can do that," Harry assured her.

    "No. I''m okay with that. I''m that far away from there. I should be there in ten minutes," Jade said, and Harry nced at the time on his car''s dashboard.

    "You will most likely get there before me. I hope you don''t mind waiting?" He asked, and Jade shrugged.

    "You waited for me for years so a couple of minutes shouldn''t be too much," Jade assured him.

    "I might not be there until an hour��"

    "An hour?" Jade eximed and Harry grinned.

    "Is an hour too much to wait for someone who waited years for you?" He asked, and Jade cleared her throat.

    "Of course, not. I was only surprised. I mean, you said you were on your way home so I didn''t expect you would take that long to get here," she exined, and Harry chuckled as he pulled into the parking lot of Golden Lotus Restaurant.

    "I will try to be quick. I will inform them you''reing so they direct you to a table. You can go into the restaurant when you get there and wait for me at our table," Harry said as he turned off his car.

    "Alright. Just so you know, I will order the most expensive drink on their menu. See you soon," Jade said before hanging up.

    Harry got out of his car immediately and walked in quick strides to the entrance to request a table for their impromptu date.

    No sooner had he gotten seated, before he saw Jade approaching, and they both grinned at each other when their gaze met.

    "You sly bastard," Jade said once she got to where he was, and he kissed her lips softly.

    "I didn''t keep you waiting, did I?" He asked with a grin as he held out her seat, but instead of sitting down Jade embraced him.

    "God, I missed you. I missed your scent," she said as she buried her nose on his chest, making him chuckle.

    "People are watching," he whispered as he kissed the side of her head, and she reluctantly pulled away and sat down.

    "I missed you more," Harry said as he sat down across from her and they both picked up the menu when a waiter approached them to take their orders.

    Once they had sorted that out, they smiled at each other once they were alone again.

    "How did you day go?" Harry asked, and listened as Jade told him all she had done and her meeting with Rebekah.

    "I''m psyched about tomorrow. Can''t wait t see that bitch in cuffs," Jade said, and Harry nodded in agreement as the waiter came to serve their drinks.

    "What about you? How did your day go?" She asked after the waiter left, and he shrugged.

    "It was hectic and I spent most of it missing you," Harry said, not going into details since he didn''t want to be the one to tell her about Tom and Kimberly.

    "Really? What did you miss most?" Jade asked excitedly and Harry grinned.

    "Getting on your nerves," he said making her giggle.

    "By the way what were you saying about my mom earlier?" Jade asked curiously and then looked behind her when she noticed that Harry was looking behind her with amused eyes.

    She almost gasped in surprise when she saw Sara walking to a table with Crystal.

 Chapter 672 Ryso

    Bryan, who was lying on the bed beside Sonia who was seated, watched her as she worked on herptop and shed her a smile when she caught him staring at her.

    "You''re supposed to be rehearsing your lines not watching me," she reminded him.

    "You''re more interesting than the lines, fianc��e," Bryan said, and Sonia giggled.

    "When do you think your body is going to start changing to amodate our munchkin?" Bryan asked curiously and Sonia raised a brow.

    "Why? So you can make sure you''re not here to see me grow fat and ugly?" She asked, and he grinned.

    "I don''t think you could ever be fat and ugly," Bryan said as he moved closer to her so he could ce his hand on her t abdomen.

    "I''m looking forward to seeing the changes. I read that your boobs grow fuller when you''re pregnant and��"

    "Really? I never knew you preferredrge boobs. So my boobs are too small for you?" Sonia cut in with a raised brow.

    "I can''t wait to see your belly grow rounder too. I suppose I prefer bigger abdomens. Your abdomen is too t for me," Bryan said dryly, and Sonia eyed him.

    "Are you trying to avoid my question by ying smart?" She asked, and Bryan nodded.

    "Yes, I am. You seem to be in the mood to pick a fight with me when all I want to do is assure you that you''d always be the most beautiful woman in the world in my eyes," Bryan said as he set aside herptop, and Sonia shook her head in amusement.

    "You''re distracting me," sheined even though she was enjoying the attention.

    "Yes. I want us to take a break from work. We have been busy for hours. Why don''t we give our baby a name?" Bryan asked as he kissed her belly.

    "Isn''t it too early for that? We don''t even know the gender yet," Sonia pointed out.

    "Not the real name. Let''s pick a gender neutral pet name we can call our baby," Bryan suggested again, and Sonia shrugged.

    "Alright. Do you have any in mind?" She asked curiously.

    "What about Bryson?" Bryan asked with a grin and Soniaughed softly.

    "That is a masculine name," she said with a shake of her head.

    "But we don''t mean it like the masculine name itself. It''s just a mix of both our names since the baby is a product of both our genes," Bryan countered.

    "Okay. What about Ryso? I took out the first andst letter of Bryson," Sonia said, and Bryan thought about if for a moment before giving her a nod.

    "I think that will do. So, you will be called, Ryso," Bryan said to Sonia''s abdomen as he kissed it again making Sonia giggle.

    Bryan sat up when his phone started ringing and he picked it up when he saw it was a call from Matt.

    "Hey! What''s up?" He asked once the call connected.

    "I was wondering if I coulde over and spend the night? And maybe we can spend some time together ying games seeing as you would be getting married soon," Matt said, and Bryan narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

    "Is everything alright?"

    "Sure. I just need a change of environment for tonight," Matt said, and Bryan sighed.

    "Alright. I will give Tom a call and get back to you," Bryan said and hung up.

    "What did he say?" Sonia asked curiously.

    "He wants toe over to spend the night here," Bryan exined and Sonia raised a brow.

    "Why? Do you think maybe he''s aware that Candace ising over to spend the night hence the sudden request?" Sonia asked, and Bryan grinned.

    "She is spending the night here?"

    "Yes. I told you I was meeting with girls tonight, remember?" Sonia asked and Bryan nodded.

    "I thought you were referring to just Jade and Lucy. Matt probably knows Candace will be here hence he wants to sleepover. The sly bastard!" Bryan said with a chuckle.

    "I wonder if Candace knows that Matt ising over," Sonia said thoughtfully.

    "Let''s just pretend we don''t know anything. Don''t say a word to Candace," Bryan said as he dialed Tom''s line.

    Tom who wasughing at something Lucy said as they ate their ice cream received Bryan''s call the moment his phone rang.

    "Is everything alright?" Tom asked with concern.

    "Yes. I''m sorry to bother you. I want to invite Matt over tonight. Do you mind if he spends the night here?" Bryan asked politely.

    "He is wee to stay," Tom assured him before hanging up.

    "Tom says he is wee to stay," Bryan told Sonia and she grinned.

    "I wonder what those two n to do tonight. I believe they will be sneaking down the hallway to each other''s bedroom in the middle of the night," Sonia said, and Bryan chuckled.

    "Let''s not ask any questions and let them believe we''ve been fooled, okay?" Bryan said and Sonia nodded in agreement.

    Away from there, just as Tom and Lucy got into the car after their ice cream date, Lucy''s phone began to ring and she took it out of her handbag to see it was Evelyn who was calling.

    Why was she calling? Had she heard from her father-inw already? Lucy mused as she turned to Tom.

    "It''s your mom," she informed him before receiving the call. <novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    "Hello, Lucy! How are you doing dear?" Evelyn asked pleasantly the moment the call connected.

    "I''m fine. How are you and Desmond?" Lucy asked, and Evelyn smiled.

    "We are fine. Are you alone? Can you talk right now? There is something really important I want us to discuss," Evelyn said, and Lucy raises a brow as she nced at Tom who was yet to start the car and was staring at her.

    "Is it urgent? I''m on my way home right now. If it is not very urgent I will call you back after I get home," Lucy said and Evelyn nodded.

    "That''s fine. I will like it to be between the two of us. I don''t want Tom to know about it," Evelyn added.

    "Alright," Lucy said before hanging up.

    "What did she want?" Tom asked curiously.

    "She hasn''t said yet. I will find out when we get home. But she did say she didn''t want you to know about it," Lucy said, and Tom shook his head.

    He hoped for his mother''s sake that she wasn''t trying to stir any more trouble.

    "You will tell me whatever she says, won''t you?" He asked, and she smiled.

    "Sure," Lucy assured him as he started the car and they headed home.

    They both couldn''t help wondering what it was Evelyn wanted to say to Lucy. While Tom was wondering if it was possible that his mother was calling to speak with Lucy because she had heard from his grandfather, Lucy on the other hand was wondering if it was about the conversation they had thest time about marriage.

    They drove infortable silence until they got to the house, and Lucy dialed Evelyn''s line once they walked into the bedroom and she kicked off her shoes.

    "Lucy? Can you talk now?" Evelyn asked the moment she received Lucy''s call.

    "Yes. What did you want us to talk about?" She asked curiously as she ced on call on speaker for Tom to hear.

    Evelyn cleared her throat, "We heard from Tom about the child as well as the DNA paternity test and result," Evelyn started, and Lucy raised a brow.

    "I know you are aware of it since he told us he told you about it even before confiding in us," Evelyn said and Lucy frowned while Tom came to sit beside her after taking off his clothes and leaving on just his underwear.

    "Yes, I am aware," Lucy said patiently as she waited for Evelyn to get to what she wanted to say.

    "I was wondering if you know the identity of thedy behind all this," Evelyn said cautiously.

    "Yes, I do. Why?" Lucy asked in confusion.

    Evelyn cleared her throat, "I don''t think we should let her go scot-free after trying to deceive Tom. Tom might not want to deal with her, but as thedies in Tom''s life I don''t think we should let this go," Evelyn said and Lucy smiled.

    "I agree with you. I thought Tom was too lenient with the people behind this. What do you suggest we do to her?" Lucy asked, and Evelyn beamed a happy smile while Tom raised a brow, wondering what Lucy was up to.

    "I don''t want you to get involved in case Tom finds out about this. I wouldn''t want to be the cause of any problems between you two. All I need is for you to tell me the name of thedy," Evelyn said and Lucy considered it for a moment.

    A part of her was tempted to say Evelyn Hank was the name of thedy, but another part of her wanted Evelyn to dig into Kimberly Moore and find out for herself her role in what had happened.

    "Her name is Kimberly Moore," Lucy said and Evelyn frowned.

    "Kimberly Moore?" She asked in confusion since she knew exactly who that was.

    She had worked long enough for Lawrence Hank to know his rtionship with the Moore family. She even remembered Lawrence talking about matchmaking Kimberly and Tom years ago but Desmond had been adamantly against it.

    She also remembered that Lawrence had visited the Moores justst week after their family dinner.

    Evelyn frowned, "Are you certain that is her name?"

    "Yes. Do you know her?" Lucy asked innocently.

    "Uhm, I will look into it. I believe there is a mistake somewhere," Evelyn said before hanging up.

    "She knows Kimberly," Tom said and Lucy nodded.

    "She does. I would love to see what she will do after she realizes what happened," Lucy said as she rose to take off her clothes.

    Tom held her hand and pulled her to himself so that she was standing in front of him while he remained seated, and his hands went around her waist as he looked up at her.

    "Are you mad at her?" Tom asked with a concerned frown.

    "I''m not. But that doesn''t mean you should be so okay with what she did. I think it''s time we need to set some healthy boundaries in our rtionship. That''s a concept I don''t think your family understands yet. No offense," Lucy said, and Tom raised a brow.

    "What does that mean?"

    "Are you asking me what healthy boundaries mean?" Lucy asked with a grin and Tom chuckled.

    "I''m not trying to judge you or anything. All I''m trying to say is that I wouldn''t let my family meddle in our rtionship in the manner your family does whether or not they have our best interest at heart. I don''t think you should let yours do so either. I think when ites to your family you are just too tolerant," Lucy said as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

    Tom nodded, "You are right. And that''s the reason I left this to you, remember?" He asked, and she scowled.

    "And here I was thinking you left it to me because you wanted me to be the one your family sees as the bad person," Lucy said and he chuckled.

    "No one would dare see you as the bad person. And maybe you''re just who they need to teach them how not to meddle in other people''s business," Tom said, and Lucy kissed the top of his nose.

    "When she calls you after finding out the truth about Kimberly and your grandfather, make sure you let her know it''s no longer okay for her to meddle in our rtionship going forward," Lucy said and Tom nodded.

    "Yes, mdy. Now let''s get you out of those clothes so we can freshen up together," Tom said as he rose to help her undress.

 Chapter 673 More Lies

    As Sara sat down, she stiffened the moment her gaze met with Harry''s who was seated only a couple of tables away from her.

    Not knowing what to do, she smiled at him, but Harry ignored her by turning away from her and returning his gaze to Jade who was speaking to him.

    "Do you want to go over to their table to say hello?" Jade asked and Harry nodded.

    "I have no reason to do that. I have no direct business with her anymore," Harry said, and Jade raised a brow.

    "What happened?" Jade asked and Harry shrugged.

    "I''m just fed up with her antics. I have better things to do with my time than to indulge her foolishness," Harry said and Jade narrowed her eyes.

    "Did she do or say something to trigger this?" She asked and Harry sighed as he told her about the conversation he had with Sara on Saturday.

    From where she sat, Sara frowned, not knowing how to feel or react to such dismissal from her own son. If anyone was to dismiss the other, it was supposed to be her ignoring him not the other way around. Nobody ignored Sara Walker.

    And why did his behavior upset her? It wasn''t like she wanted a real rtionship with him anyway. Perhaps it was her pride which was hurt.

    "Wasn''t that your best friend''s son? Aren''t you going to say hello to him?" Crystal asked with a curious smile when she saw that Sara seemed disturbed about running into Harry in this manner.

    "No. I don''t think I should. It will only make the rumors about us worse, and neither of us wants that. Besides, he should be decent enough toe over to say hello to me if it was important to him," Sara said as picked up the menu and scanned it.

    "I wonder who thedy with him is. I hope she is not his girlfriend. I was hoping you would introduce us. He looks really handsome," Crystal said and watched as Sara nched at the thought of both her kids hooking up.

    Crystalughed softly, "Why do you look so pale? I was only kidding. I wouldn''t dare suggest you hook me up with someone who has been used of being your son," Crystal joked, and Sara forced augh.

    "You got me there. For a moment I was startled by your request because I couldn''t bear the thought of disappointing you," Sara lied without so much as blinking.

    Crystal smiled but said nothing as the waiter came to take their orders.

    After the waiter left, Sara faced Crystal again, "So, tell me. Do you have any important person in your life? I mean someone who would miss you if they didn''t see or hear from you for a couple of days? Like a boyfriend?" she asked, wanting to know if Crystal''s future disappearance might raise an issue for her so she would know how to go about it.

    Crystal smiled, "Why would they not hear from me for a couple of days? It''s not like we are going to a ce without an inte connection, are we?" she asked as she watched Sara with amused eyes.

    Sara smiled, "Of course not. I''m only asking to know the important people in your life," Sara assured her as the waiter returned with their drinks

    "Because of my experience at the orphanage, I''m not very fond of people, and I like toe and go as I please without having to bother about who is missing me or not. So, there are no boyfriends or very close friends. No one would try to find me if they never hear from me again for life," Crystal assured Sara, knowing that was what she wanted to hear.

    She intended to make everything as easy as possible for Sara so she could draw her into her own trap. She didn''t understand why or how the woman could think that she could outsmart her.

    Sara tried not to let her joy at Crystal''s words show on her face as she took a sip from her winess.

    This was perfect. It was going all too perfectly! She could get rid of the girl without any problem and it would never be traced back to her.

    "I''m curious about something," Crystal said, and Sara arched a perfectly carved brow.

    "What do you want to know?" She asked, and Crystal shrugged.

    "My father. What about him? And how did I end up in an orphanage?" Crystal asked, and Sara''s face fell.

    "He died a long time ago. He was so heartbroken when we lost you," Sara said sadly, and Crystal frowned.

    "How did you lose me?" Crystal asked curiously.

    "Your nanny stole you from us and we never saw you again. I thought you were dead this whole time," Sara said, and the ridge between Crystal''s brows deepened.

    "So how did you know I''m alive?" She asked, wondering how Sara came up with such unreasonable lies.

    "I received a letter some time ago telling me about it. The letter said your dad had an affair with the nanny and dumped her. So, out of spite she took our little girl and sold her off. The letter told me where to look," Sara lied without blinking.

    "But it wasn''t stated anywhere on the inte that you''ve ever been married or had a child," Crystal said and Sara nodded.

    "That''s because I''ve never opened up about this part of my life. It really hurt me and I buried it all deep within me until that letter came and I realized it was time to find my you," Sara said and Crystal smiled.

    "I''m d the letter came. And I''m d you came to find me. Thanks for not giving up on me despite my shitty attitude," Crystal said, and Sara waved it off dismissively.

    "Let''s forget about the past and focus on the future. Our future together," Sara said as she raised her ss in a toast and Crystal clinked it with hers.

    A couple of feet away from them, Jade looked at Harry with concern, "We can leave if you feel ufortable being in the same space with her," Jade assured him.

    "If anyone should be ufortable here, she should be the one. I have no reason to feel ufortable. Besides, our dinner will be served soon," Harry said just as the waiter brought their meal.

    Jade nced behind her at Sara and Crystal, "I guess things are going well between the both of them," Jade said, after the waiter had left and they both picked up their cutleries to eat.

    "Too well if you ask me. Let''s hope the girl doesn''t get greedy and mess things up," Harry said thoughtfully as he ate.

    He had received a message from Barry earlier letting him know that Sara transfered a huge sum of money to Crystal''s ount. He wondered what the money was meant for and why Crystal was yet to mention it to him.

    "Why did you say that? Did she do something to make you suspicious?" Jade asked with interest and Harry exined the details of his conversation with Barry to her.

    "I guess it''s a good thing she doesn''t know that her phone is being monitored then. Let''s wait and see if she informs you about it. If she tries to y smart by revealing everything to Sara for money we can just cut her off," Jade said after some time.

    "I don''t think she is going to expose us," Harry said confidently. <novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    "Why not?"

    "She is smart enough to know that she stands to gain more by pretending to be the daughter. I think what she ns to do is take as much money from Sara as she can. I don''t mind her doing that. I will just prefer that she keeps me informed on all that she is up to. That is the only way I can trust her," Harry said thoughtfully.

    "Alright. Let''s focus on us now. I didn''te out to talk about that," Jade said and Harry nodded.

    "I wanted to discuss something important with you," he said, and she sat up when she noticed he was suddenly looking very serious.

    "Go on," She urged him when he said nothing for some time.

    "Let''s talk about something you did at the club on Saturday," Harry said and she frowned.

    "I already apologized for making the video. And I did promise to be more careful next time. Why are you bringing that up again?" Jade asked with displeasure.

    "We didn''t talk about you sharing so many details of our rtionship with everyone else. How would you like me to talk to Tom about what happened between us in my bedroom?" Harry asked and she winced.

    "I didn''t exactly give them all the details of what happened��"

    "So, you did tell them part of what happened then? I didn''t want to believe you did. But the more I thought about what Lucy said about you thinking I was a monk, the more inclined I was to believe that you discussed that," Harry said, and Jade looked away from him guiltily avoiding his gaze.

    "Jade," he called softly so that she would look at him.

    "It is normal for girls to talk about these things. Besides, I wasn''t the only one who talked about stuff like that. Candace and Aurora did too," Jade said with a frown as she looked at him.

    "I don''t know about their men, but I don''t like being the subject of such discussions. I feel somethings are meant to stay between us. I don''t like the idea of Candace or Lucy or Sonia or even Aurora knowing such intimate details about me. That knowledge is reserved for you alone," Harry said and Jade sighed.

    "Alright. Fine. Whatever happens in your bedroom stays in your bedroom going forward," Jade promised.

    "Do you think I''m being too rigid?" Harry asked and Jade shook her head.

    "No, you''re not. Even though I hate to admit it, I know you are right. I don''t think I''d feelfortable knowing you discuss stuff like that with Tom and the other guys," Jade said and Harry nodded.

    "I would never do that to you," Harry assured her as he took her hand and raised it to his lips.

    "Being my girlfriend must be tedious, right?" He asked, and Jade smiled involuntarily.

    "It is. But I can''tin because you''ve never demanded for anything unreasonable," Jade said and Harry kissed her palm.

    "If or when I do, do not hesitate to decline. And you should also let me know whatever makes you ufortable," Harry said and Jade nodded.

    After dinner, they rose to leave, and Sara''s feelings was hurt when Harry walked past her table without acknowledging her.

    Without thinking she called out to him.

    "Harry?" Sara called with a forced smile, and both Harry and Jade turned to look at her.

    "Yes, ma''am?" Harry asked politely as he looked at her with a nk expression.

    Sara rose, "Are you leaving already? I didn''t want to interrupt your date with your friend hence I didn''t stop by your table," Sara said as she looked at Jade and then she silently cussed herself for stopping them when she recognized Jade.

    "Hello! I''m Jade Hank. I believe we have met before," Jade said, referring to their meeting outside her former office in Varis when she had left her cheque book in her boss'' office.

    "Have we?" Sara asked, wanting to act like she didn''t remember.

    "Yes. You met with Mr Amos who was trying to help you find your missing daughter. I suppose you''ve met her now?" Jade said as she nced at Crystal who was still seated enjoying her meal.

    Sara''s gaze moved from Jade to Harry quickly and she shook her head, "No. I don''t know what Mr Amos told you, but that was a misunderstanding. And this isn''t my daughter. She is just a young friend of mine," Sara rushed to assure them.

    "Oh! I see. My bad then. I''m sorry," Jade said with an apologetic smile.

    "Let''s leave," Harry said as he led Jade away without saying another word to Sara.

    Sara frowned as she watched them leave and then she looked around to make sure no one had noticed what happened before she sat down.

    She had almost ruined everything. She should have left the moment she saw Harry in the restaurant. What had she been thinking stopping him?

    Now that Jade had made that statement she had no doubt that Harry would want to look into Crystal to confirm if she was truly his sister.

    All the lies she had told Harry about Lucy threatening her was useless now.

    How could she have forgotten about Jade Hank?

    This was all because of the stupid mistake Amos had made by involving Jade Hank in searching for her missing daughter.

    "Are you alright?" Crystal asked, and Sara shed her a smile.

    "Yeah. I''m sorry about that. The rumors must have upset him a lot more than I thought. I think we should leave the country as soon as possible," Sara said and Crystal nodded.

    "Let''s do that."

 Chapter 674 Trouble Everywhere

    "Are you okay?" Jade asked Harry as he escorted her to her car, and he nodded.

    "Sure. Why wouldn''t I be?" Harry asked and Jade looked at him with a concerned frown.

    She couldn''t help being worried about him. Harry could put up the hard and careless facade all he wanted but she could see that this whole Sara thing was beginning to get to him, and she couldn''t me him.

    "Harry, you can talk to me if you''re not fine. You don''t have to be so strong in front of me," Jade said softly as they stopped by her car, and Harry drew a deep breath.

    "I''m fine, esquire. There''s no reason for you to worry your pretty intelligent head. You have better things to worry about," he said softly, and she shook her head.

    "None of which is as important as your well-being," Jade said and he smiled.

    "Including our vacation?" He asked with a grin and she giggled.

    "I''m not worried about that. What''s there to worry about when I''m actually looking forward to it?" She asked, and Harry smiled.

    "Looking forward to confirming whether or not I''m a monk?" He asked, and sheughed softly.

    "Why did you do that anyway?" She asked with a scowl and Harry rested his back against her the drivers door while she leaned into him.

    "Do what?" He asked, not understanding what her question was.

    "How could youugh the way you did when I walked into the bathroom? It was embarrassing, you know?" She said with a pout and Harry smiled.

    "What was embarrassing about it?" He asked with interest.

    "You took one look at my body and youughed as though I looked funny," she said with a frown, and Harry smoothed out the crease on her brow with his thumb gently.

    "I wasn''tughing at your body. Iughed because you imed to be embarrassed about being naked while I was fully dressed and I excused you, only for you to walk up to me naked," he exined and she scowled.

    "You could have at least let me�� allowed me to��-" unable toplete her statement she looked away from him and he chuckled.

    "Allowed you to do what? You can''t even say the words?" He asked in amusement and she eyed him.

    "Pleasure you!" She snapped at him and heughed.

    "Pleasuring you was more than enough pleasure for me. You look so beautiful when you orgasm," he said and she gasped at his words making him grin.

    "Don''t worry, esquire. Soon I will let you do whatever you want with me as I will with you," he promised as he kissed her lips lightly.

    "It made me curious though," Jade said, and Harry raised a brow.

    "About what?"

    "Have you ever found yourself in such a situation? I mean have you ever been seduced before that way?" She asked, and Harry shrugged.

    "Sure. It would be strange for a man in my position not to have experienced that, don''t you think? There are lots of desperatedies out there, sugar. And I''ve met my fair share of them."

    "Really? How did you handle it? You didn''tugh at them, did you?" Jade asked, and Harry shook his head.

    "Nope. Told them they''re beautiful and some day they will find the right man who appreciates their beauty, but that man isn''t me and I''m not moved by things like that," Harry said and Jade smiled.

    "Did you say it that way or were you harsh?" Jade asked curiously.

    "I only get harsh when they don''t listen the first time. Have you ever tried to seduce anyone that way before?" Harry asked and Jade frowned.

    "No. I''ve never wanted anyone as I want you," Jade admitted and Harry smiled.

    "That''s good to know."

    Jade sighed deeply as she rested her head on his chest and listened to his heartbeat, "I wonder what living with you would feel like. I mean waking up every day beside you. Coming back home to you and sleeping next to you every night," she said and Harry smiled as he pictured it.

    "You didn''t add driving to work together everyday," he said, and she pulled away to look up at him.

    "That''s true. Just like Tom and Lucy," Jade said thoughtfully.

    "It would be beautiful, wouldn''t it?" Harry asked and Jade pursed her lips.

    "Won''t it get tiring? I mean, seeing each other all the time," Jade said, and Harry raised a brow.

    "You n to get tired of seeing me all the time? You''d rather I make myself scarce?" He asked and she shook her head.

    "Of course, not! I''m just saying what if we get tired?" She asked, and he shook his head.

    "I could never get tired of seeing you all the time. But you don''t have to worry. I travel a lot anyway, so you will have more than enough time to miss me in between," he assured her.

    Jade sighed, "It feels good talking about the future this way, doesn''t it?" she asked with a small smile.

    "It sure does," Harry said with a nod.

    Although he wanted to suggest that they leave now so that Jade would get home on time, he refrained from doing so since he could tell she wasn''t ready to leave yet.

    "Jonas?" Jade called softly, and he looked at her.

    "Yeah?"

    "I will be there for you in every way she wasn''t," Jade promised as she held his gaze.

    "Are you offering to be my stepmom again?" He asked with a raised brow.

    "When did I ever do that?" She asked, and Harry chuckled.

    "Right inside this very restaurant the first time I brought you here, remember? (Chapter 289)," Harry said, and Jade giggled when she remembered it.

    "I was only kidding then!" Jade said, and Harry chuckled.

    "So you said," Harry said and Jade looked at him with interest.

    "What was on your mind when I said that?" She asked when she remembered he had not smiled orughed at her joke as she had expected him to at the time.

    "I thought if you were ever going to go by the name Mrs Jonas, it would be as my wife. I wouldn''t even let you marry any other man by that name," Harry said, and Jade giggled.

    "What would you have done then?" Jade asked and Harry smiled.

    "It''s a good thing we both will never find out, right?" Harry said and then took out his phone when it started ringing.

    "It''s Candace," he told Jade before receiving the call.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    "Missing my presence badly?" Harry asked and Candace rolled her eyes.

    "I have no use for you. I''m spending the night at Tom''s ce with the girls and I was calling to inform you of that I won''t be home when you get here," Candace said and Harry raised a brow.

    "So I heard. Are you taking Jamal with you?" He asked curiously.

    "No. He''s staying back."

    "Alright then. I guess I will see you tomorrow then," Harry said before Candace hung up.

    "I guess it''s time for me to go home," Jade said, and Harry nodded.

    "Yeah. I will drive behind you and see you off��"

    "Why? That''s stressful. You don''t have to do that," Jade protested.

    "I already dismissed the men following you, so I need to. Besides, I n to see Tom briefly," Harry said and she scowled.

    "I should have know he had to do with it," she hissed, and he chuckled.

    "Stop being dramatic and get into your car," Harry said as he kissed her forehead before stepping away to help her open her car door.

    Once Jade got into her car, Harry went to get into his car and drove behind her.

    As Harry drove his thoughts returned to the events at the restaurant and seeing Sara there.

    Suddenly he wanted to take care of her urgently and get her out of his life for good. He wasn''t sure he could patiently wait for her to bite the bait anymore. He had to make her bite it.

    He dialed Barry''s line as he drove, and it didn''t take long before Barry received his call, "Hey, man! Any update?"

    "Things have been silent on the end of the Millers. The only important call Rebekah Miller received today was from Emilia Peterson, her cousin. It seems like she was the brain behind them dumping the girl at the orphanage and taking over all that belonged to her," Barry reported, and Harry raised a brow.

    Now wasn''t that an interesting point of intersection for both Sara and Rebekah? Bothdies had yed a role in all that happened to Candace. Good thing they were facing judgement soon.

    "And Sara? Anything on her?" Harry asked as he kept his gaze on Jade''a car which was ahead of him.

    "Between Sara and Mr Wilson, thewyer is in a hot mess right now. Mr Wilson is threatening to take thewyer down with him if he doesn''t help him find the girl and find a way out of the mess��"

    "Is Sara aware of this?" Harry asked curiously.

    "She is. He reported it to her and she doesn''t care. They are both nning to find someone to pretend to be the niece. And she is suggesting that thewyer advise Mr Wilson to do damage control by iming his niece was not abandoned as the media imed but was rather happily reunited with her biological family thanks to him," Barry reported.

    "Is there a way we can move things forward? I want things to go faster and for Sara to slip so she can be arrested," Harry said and Barry thought about it for a while.

    "What if rumor gets out that the missing girl in question is Sara Walker''s daughter who she sold for money, she might want to hurry things up, right?" Barry asked, and Harry considered the idea for a moment.

    He had to put a lot of things into consideration before making any move. He didn''t want to make things tooplicated, especially for Candace''s sake.

    "I don''t think so. That might make her want to put a hold on things because too many eyes will be on her. For the time being keep observing them. Let me know when they find someone to act as Wilson Peterson''s niece," Harry said before hanging up.

    Away from there, as Sara and Crystal got into the car after their dinner date, she received a call from herwyer and rejected it.

    "Any problem? I''m with someone important right now," Sara said, subtly letting him know she was with Crystal and there was a limit to what she could discuss.

    "I think we might have a problem," Amos said anxiously, and Sara''s brows pulled together as she nced at Crystal who was pretending to be busy with her phone.

    "Go on. I''m listening," Sara said as she was beginning to feel anxious herself.

    Her brief exchange with Harry and Jade had left her nervous already.

    "I just got off the phone with Wilson. I tried suggesting that even if we can''t find the real girl we can pay anyone to act as her since no one would know about it, but he said even if that was already his n, he still needs to find her and get rid of her. He thinks Thomas Hank might be searching for her as well as doesn''t want him to get to her first," Amos said, and it took a moment for it to register in Sara''s head.

    "What? Why? Do you think they made the connection already? I mean, his sister worked with you and she is dating Ha��" she stopped when she realized she was saying a lot in Crystal''s presence.

    "I''m not sure. I believe they are two unrted cases. I can understand that Harry might be searching for his sister since Jade must have confirmed it to them that you are searching for your missing daughter. But the rtionship between Thomas Hank and Wilson is different. It has more to do with Wilson''s daughter and Thomas''s girlfriend''s family. He is after Wilson Peterson in this case, not you," Amos exined.

    "That doesn''t make it any better. If they are working on it from both sides they will make the connection sooner thanter and realize it''s the same girl," Sara said as she began to tap her feet anxiously.

    "I was thinking, since Wilson ns on getting rid of the girl as well, can I just tell him about you��"

    "Are you out of your mind?" Sara snapped at him before he couldplete his statement.

    "Sara, this is not the time for any of this. The enemy of your enemy is your friend, and right now that friend is Wilson. Besides, this will take a lot of pressure off me if Wilson knows you are with the girl and n to get rid of her as well," Amos pleaded.

    "Why should I care about taking pressure off you when you are the reason I''m under a lot of pressure myself? If you had not been so stupid to involve Thomas''s sister knowing fully well their family rtionship I wouldn''t be in so much mess," Sara yelled at him not minding her driver or Crystal.

    Although Amos wanted to remind her that she had also slipped and told Lucy some stuff, but he decided not to do so. He needed to butter her up if he wanted to get what he wanted.

    "You do realize that if Wilson goes down he is going to want to take me down as well, right? I don''t know what I might be forced to reveal about everyone involved..."

    "Does he have any means to prove the identity even if you present just anyone to him?" Sara asked, knowing without doubt that Amos had just subtly threatened him.

    "I don''t think so��"

    "Good. Then it doesn''t make any difference who you present to him," Sara said reasonably.

    "He is going to kill an innocent girl if I present her to him as his niece. That will be two murders on me, Sara. Two. Let''s minimize this by��"

    "Don''t you dare tell him anything, you hear me? I don''t care what he does to whoever you get. Get someone to do the job and make sure they are paid more than enough to make it worth it. Don''t call me over this again," Sara warned before hanging up.

    Now more than ever before she needed to hurry.

    "Is everything alright? You sounded quite upset," Crystal asked with a concerned smile and Sara shed her a smile.

    "Sure. It''s just my agent. He gets on my nerves all the time. He can''t get his job done. What''s so hard about finding new models?" Sara asked with a shake of her head.

    "I see. You should take it easy then," Crystal said with a small smile as she returned her attention to her phone.

    Sara nced outside the window as she thought about her conversation with Amos. As long as Crystal was with her, then she was safe.

    They would keep searching but would never findCrystal because she was going to take her far away from their reach.

    She was already several steps ahead of them, Sara thought with a satisfied smile.

    From the corners of Crystal''s eyes she spied the smile on Sara''s face and she smiled. It seemed like there was a lot more to the case than she had been told. This was all very interesting.

 Chapter 675 Hypocritical

    After her phone call with Lucy, Evelyn paced around her bedroom contemting if she should give Lawrence a call or not to ask him if he knew anything about what had happened between Tom and Kimberly.

    She hoped not. She really hoped he wasn''t in any way involved in it and that it had all been an honest misunderstanding on Kimberly''s end.

    Now that she knew Kimberly was thedy in question, she couldn''t bring herself to reach out to her.

    She feared that it might not be a coincidence. How could it be when Lawrence had visited the Moore family recently?

    Was Tom aware of this? Had he made the connection between Lawrence and Kimberly? Was that the reason Harry suggested she let things go as Tom had said?

    Perhaps it was best if she left things the way they were since Tom was willing to.

    She nced at her phone when it began to ring and she quickly picked it up when she saw it was a call from her father-inw.

    "Lawrence��"

    "Is Desmond there with you?" Lawrence asked before she could speak.

    "No, he''s not here. I''m alone. I was just contemting whether or not I should call you," Evelyn said and Desmond who had been about to walk into the bedroom to ask her toe down for dinner, paused at the door when he heard she was on the phone.

    It was something about her tone that actually made him stop to listen to her.

    "What did you want to call me for?" He asked, wanting to stall a bit before telling her why he had called.

    "I wanted to find out if you know anything about Tom and Kimberly Moore?" She asked, not wanting to give him the details in case he wasn''t involved.

    Desmond frowned, wondering what business Tom had with his father''s goddaughter.

    Lawrence cleared his throat, "That''s the reason I called��"

    "Please tell me you are not involved, Lawrence," Evelyn pleaded knowing that this was all going toe back right to her.

    Lawrence? She was talking to his father? What was going on? Desmond mused.

    Lawrence winced, "You asked me to do something��"

    "For God''s sake Lawrence! I asked you to find a way to convince him about getting married and starting a family, not ask your goddaughter to use him of being the father of her baby! What were you thinking?" Evelyn asked as she lowered herself to the bed weakly.

    "It was supposed to be a harmless prank," Lawrence said and Evelyn frowned.

    "How can something like that be a harmless prank? Do you have any idea how worried he was? I was upset he chose not to pursue it and punish thedy involved, but now that I know who she is and how it all happened, I''m relieved. Tom doesn''t know you are involved, right? It''s best if he doesn''t know and we can all just pretend this didn''t happen," Evelyn said and Lawrence sighed.

    "He''s aware of it all. Lucy is aware too. And she threatened to report it to the whole family if I don''t do so myself. That''s why I called," Lawrence said and Evelyn massaged her temple.

    Lucy was aware? Was that why she had so willingly told her about Kimberly? Evelyn mused.

    "We can''t let Desmond know about this. He would be furious if he got to know you were involved in this. I will talk to Lucy and plead with her to keep it to herself and��" she stopped talking when the door opened and Desmond stood there looking at her.

    Evelyn immediately hung up the call as she rose and forced a smile, "Des��"

    "Are you married to me or to my father?" Desmond asked before she could say anything and her smile faltered.

    "What sort of question is that? I''m married to you of course," she said with a frown.

    "So can you exin what I just overheard right now?" Desmond asked in a t voice.

    "That was your dad��"

    "I know that much," Desmond said, and Evelyn sighed.

    "The whole stuff with Tom was a prank and your father was behind it," Evelyn said and Desmond nodded.

    "I see. And what was your role in it?" He asked, and she frowned.

    "What do you mean my role in it? I had no idea about this until now! I''m only just hearing of it," Evelyn said defensively.

    "If that is the case why were you talking about keeping it away from Tom and me?" Desmond asked and Evelyn shook her head.

    "What good coulde from it? Everyone is going to be angry and overreact. This is a family issue and we��"

    "Am I expected to believe that you do not have a role to y this? Just a while ago you were overreacting and talking about punishing the girl behind this, and now that you know you have a hand in it you no longer want everyone to be angry and overreact? Isn''t that hypocritical of you?" Desmond asked, trying to control his fast rising temper.

    "I don''t have a hand in it. I never asked your father to do that. I only asked him to try to convince Tom to change his mind about getting married and that was before I spoke with Lucy," Evelyn exined weakly.

    "I told you to let Tom be and not meddle in his business. I clearly said if he says he doesn''t want to get married, leave him alone to make up his mind when he is ready! Why did you have to involve my father in his business?" Desmond asked as his voice rose angrily, surprising Evelyn who had never seen him that mad.

    "Des��"

    "You never listen, do you? You prefer to do as you please because you think you know what is best for everyone, don''t you? Now that you know you have a hand in it your tune has changed." Desmond cut in harshly.

    "I just thought��."

    "You thought what? That I was not being a good enough father because I didn''t want to interfere in Tom''s private life? That man was a bad father to me but you expect him to be a good grandfather to my kids? Am I that incapable to you?" Desmond asked and Evelyn stepped forward.

    "No, Desmond! I swear I never thought of any of that," Evelyn said as she tried to touch him, but Desmond turned around and left the room angrily and she immediately followed him.

    "I''m sorry," Evelyn pleaded as she tried to catch up with him and Desmond stopped abruptly and turned to face her.

    "I''m very much upset and I want to be left alone right now. I don''t want to say any hurtful words to you that I might regret," Desmond said as calmly as he could before walking away.

    Away from there, Jeff rose very quickly from his seat on the couch when Mia walked into the house that evening and he looked at her with a worried frown.

    "Where have you been all day? I kept trying to reach you but it seemed your phone was turned off," Jeff said as he approached her and then paused when he noticed that she was not very steady on her feet. <novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    "Why?" Mia asked as she very slowly made her way to the couch so she wouldn''t fall on her face.

    "Are you drunk?" Jeff asked in surprise as he stood still while watching her.

    "Just a little bit," Mia said and Jeff frowned, wondering what hade over her.

    She had left the house earlier that morning without his knowledge and he had been so worried about her that he had gone to Alicia''s to see if she was there and when he didn''t find her, he had called Bryan to enquire if she was with Sonia.

    It wasn''t like her to go out without saying a word hence he had been very worried, and seeing her so drunk made him feel even more concerned about her.

    What was the deal with her? Since they moved in together he had noticed that she was either out at night meeting strangers on a blind date or she was in her bedroom crying in the middle of the night.

    He looked at her for a moment without saying a word and then left her there and went into the kitchen.

    By the time he returned a short whileter with a mug of warm honey water, Mia was lying on the couch with her eyes closed and he sighed as he dropped the mug on the table and crouched down in front of her.

    "Mia," he called softly as he shook her shoulder to rouse her and she opened her eyes to look at him.

    "Leave me alone," she said as she pushed his hands off her shoulder and Jeff moved back a little because of the stench of alcohol on her breath.

    Ignoring her protest, Jeff took her by her shoulders and lifted her so that instead of lying on the couch she sat upright, and then he picked up the mug of warm honey water and sat down beside her.

    "I will leave you alone after you drink this. It will help you not to feel like shit in the morning," Jeff said calmly and Mia reluctantly opened her eyes to look at him.

    "Why do you care? Why should you?" Mia asked, and he frowned as he raised the mug to her lips.

    "Because you are my housemate and I have to look out for you. Now drink this and stop talking. I fear I might get drunk just by inhaling the alcohol on your breath," Jeff said and as she opened her mouth to speak again, he ced the mug between her lips so she would drink instead.

    Mia who was feeling thirsty, took the mug from him and gulped down the content because it was warm and sweet and once she was done Jeff took the mug from her and ced it on the table.

    "Come, I will escort you to your room," Jeff said as he rose and reached for her but she shook her head.

    "I can go on my own. I''m not that drunk," she said without budging.

    "Alright," Jeff said as he rose and picked up the mug while Mia looked at him from under her heavy lids as he headed for the kitchen to rinse and keep the mug.

    The conversation with Harry earlier had left her in a scattered state of mind and she had resorted to alcohol to get herself out of the pit the painful memories had thrown her into.

    But she still wasn''t feeling any better. Perhaps she was not drunk enough yet, Mia decided as she rose to get herself a bottle of wine.

    As Jeff stepped out of the kitchen, he saw her by the dinning taking out a bottle of wine from the refrigerator and snatched it out of her grip before she could open it.

    "What?" She snapped at him in annoyance.

    "I didn''t give you the honey water so you could get even more drunk. Go to your bedroom and sleep off whatever is bothering you," Jeff ordered and she red at him.

    "Do I look like your daughter or wife that you can order around? I bought that wine with my goddamned money and I can drink it whenever I want to!" She yelled at him, and Jeff frowned, slightly taken aback by her unexpected outburst.

    "I''m not ordering you around��"

    "You are not? Are you sure about that? Because you sounded very well as though you were trying to tell me what to do with my life!" She said, and he frowned.

    "Mia, you are drunk��"

    "I can be drunk if I choose to! It has nothing to do with you. Absolutely nothing. So get your butt out of my business and leave me the fuck alone!" She said as she snatched the bottle of wine from him and he let her have it.

    "Did I say something to upset you?" Jeff asked, not sure what was going on with her.

    She had seemed pretty drunk when she walked in, but she didn''t sound so drunk right now and he had no idea why she seemed so mad at him like he had offended her.

    Mia said nothing as she raised the bottle of wine to her lips and took a long drink, not minding that most of it was pouring on her dress.

    She inhaled deeply and let out a deep breath as she dropped the bottle of wine on the dining table and sat down while Jeff continued to watch her.

    Seeing as she was not retiring to her room yet despite the fact that she seemed upset, he thought she might want to talk so he took the seat opposite her.

    "Are you hungry?" He asked, and Mia raised her head to look at him in confusion.

    "What?"

    "Do you want me to fix you something to eat? I doubt you''ve had anything to eat all day," Jeff said, and Mia shook her head.

    "I''m fine. Thanks," she said, feeling guilty for going off on him a while ago. He had done nothing to deserve that. She had transferred her aggression to him when he wasn''t the one she should be saying those words to.

    She should have stood up to her family and her husband that way instead of being a coward. Maybe she was yet to heal and move past all that had happened because she was hiding instead of confronting it.

    "Do you want to talk or you want me to leave you alone?" He asked, and she nodded.

    "I want to be left alone," she said, and Jeff gave her a nod as he rose to retire to his bedroom.

    "I don''t know what the problem is, but whatever it is, I hope you''re fine by morning," Jeff said as turned to leave.

    "Jeff?" Mia called, and he turned to look at her.

    "Yes?"

    "I''m sorry I yelled at you. And thank you," she said, and he gave her a nod before walking away.

    Right from the first time they started working together he had noticed that she both dressed and acted strangely but now that they were living together under the same roof he was beginning to realize that she was quite aplicateddy, Jeff mused.

 Chapter 676 Dinner Table

    Chapter 676 Dinner Table

    After freshening up, Tom and Lucy went downstairs for dinner, and they exchanged a look when they noticed that no one else was at the dining.

    "Are Bryan and Sonia not having dinner?" Tom asked Samantha who hade out to meet them after she was informed they were ready for dinner.

    "I''m not sure. I will send someone over to inform them you are having dinner now," she said, but Tom shook his head.

    "That''s not necessary. I''m sure they wille down themselves when they are ready," Tom said as he held out Lucy''s seat for her to sit down before taking his seat next to her.

    "Without everyone else here the table looks toorge and empty," Lucy observed after they were seated and Samantha had excused them.

    "Get used to it since it would be just the both of us here most of the time," Tom said and Lucy looked at him with interest.

    "How did you ever dine here alone?" She asked and he shrugged.

    "I usually ate in my bedroom when I was alone, and Harry had dinner with me sometimes," he exined.

    "It must have been lonely," Lucy said and Tom smiled wistfully.

    He had always imagined that in a couple of years he would get to share the dining with his wife and kids, but that didn''t seem feasible anymore.

    "It''s a good thing I have you now to share my dinner with me almost every night, isn''t it?" He asked and she nodded.

    "Why almost every night, though?" She asked, interested in his choice of words.

    "Because we will most likely not have dinner together every night. Either of us might have other engagements that would make us unavable to eat together. There are business trips, and stuff like that," Tom said reasonably and she smiled.

    "We could make it a habit of eating together every night as long as we are both in Ludus together. And when either of us is away we could have dinner together through video calls unless we are having dinner with other people," Lucy said, and Tom smiled.

    "I will like that."

    "Maybe we can rece thisrge dinning set with something smaller?" Lucy suggested thoughtfully, and Tom looked at her with interest.

    It was her first time talking about making any changes in his home. Was he reading too much meaning into all her words and actionstely?

    "What happens when everyonees visiting?" He asked casually, and she sighed.

    "You have a point," she said and smiled when two maids came to serve them.

    "Thanks," Lucy said after they were done serving them and they gave her a polite smile before walking away.

    "If you want to rece the dining set you can do that," Tom said, and Lucy looked at him with a slightly confused expression before she recalled they had just been talking about changing the dining set.

    "Oh, I don''t think that is necessary. The two of us can use this veryrge table but the whole family can''t use a smaller table. Thest thing we want is to have to move the dining furniture every time the rest of the family is around," Lucy said as they both began to eat.

    "That''s fine then. I would have really hated to let go of this set. I still have fond memories of it," Tom said with a grin and Lucy giggled, knowing he was referring to the time they had made love there.

    "Do you ever entertain guests at home?" Lucy asked curiously.

    "I''ve never really had to because I was keeping my identity hidden. But now that I''ve made a public appearance I guess I might invite some persons over from time to time. Why? Don''t tell me you are dying to y the perfect hostess again?" Tom teased and she grinned.

    "I''m not thinking of doing that anytime soon. Butst night at the engagement party I just kept thinking it wouldn''t be a bad idea to host balls and cocktail parties here," she said with a shrug.

    What she had actually thought about was what she could do as his partner to support him and his business.

    Tom wasn''t just the usual or average boyfriend. He was a very sessful businessman and things like these were expected from time to time if he was going to establish his ce in the prominent society. This was something she believed he needed to start doing now.

    "Aren''t ball parties old-fashioned?" Tom asked, amused by Lucy''s unexpected show of extroversion.

    Lucy shrugged, "We would host a modern themed ball party then. It will be unique and strictly by invitation for only the top 0.1% with a couple of celebrities in attendance. No media people will be present. The pictures those celebrities would post on their social media pages will enough to tell the tale of the party. Naturally people would want to know more about you and your businesses. You''d get more investors especially for that mountain resort project you are working towards," Lucy said and Tom looked at her in amazement.

    "Who are you? And what have you done to my introverted girlfriend?" Tom asked, and Lucy giggled.

    "Hosting a party once or twice a year doesn''t make me any less of an introvert. Besides, it''s for you. Now that you have made your identity known to all, I was thinking it wouldn''t be a bad idea to expand your social circle. It would go a long way in helping thepany," Lucy said reasonably and Tom smiled.

    "You never cease to amaze me, Jewel. You know what? You can do whatever you want with the house and with my money," Tom said as he reached for her hand and kissed it.

    "What a romantic sight to behold," Harry drawled as he joined them and Lucy giggled while Tom raised a brow.

    "Missed me and decided toe see me?" Tom asked with a smirk which quickly transformed into a scowl when Harry bent forward and kissed his cheek.

    "I missed you baby," Harry said making Lucy choke on her food as sheughed while Tom pushed Harry away.

    "Harry, quit being silly." Jadeughed as she handed Lucy a ss of water while Harry sat down.

    "Are you here to spend the night with your girlfriend as well?" Tom asked with a raised brow.

    "Who else is here to spend the night with their girlfriend?" Jade Matt wasing over," Tom said and Harry chuckled as he exchanged a look with Jade.

    asked curiously as she sat down.

    "Lucy said Candace is spending the night and Bryan called to say Matt wasing over," Tom said and Harry chuckled as he exchanged a look with Jade.

    "Do you think it was nned and Candace is aware?" Harry asked curiously.

    "What was nned and what am I aware of?" Candace asked as she joined them.

    "When did you get here? We just drove in and didn''t see youing behind us," Jade said and Candace rolled her eyes.

    "If you weren''t too busy kissing and smooching each other in his car immediately after you both drove in, you''d have noticed I drove up behind you," Candace said dryly and Jade shed Harry an apologetic smile since she was the one who had gotten into his car before he could get out to assault his lips.

    "I need to go get out of these clothes," Jade said as she dashed off, and Harry smiled as he watched her go.

    "I see my boy is growing into a man gradually," Tom said as he pped Harry''s back yfully.

    "Fuck off," Harry said as he pulled out a seat for himself.

    "Hello, Tom! Hey, Lulu!" Candace greeted.

    "Hey CaCa! I can see you are fine. How is Jamal doing? You didn''t bring him along?" Lucy asked curiously.

    "Nah. He will stay with his grandpa. Besides, now that he has decided to let you go for Tom��"

    "Let her go for me as though he could snatch her from me in the first ce," Tom cut dryly and Lucy grinned.

    "Don''t be so sure. Jamal is such a charmer. You are lucky he cares about you and doesn''t want to be responsible for your heartbreak," Lucy said making them allugh.

    Tom turned to Candace and Harry, "You''ve both not had dinner yet, right? Why don''t you join us��"

    "Thanks. I had dinner with my dad and Jamal already. Maybe you should ask Harry since he chose kissing your sister overing home to have dinner with us," Candace said dryly as she sat down.

    Harry shook his head, "It''s a good thing you are able to have dinner now. A couple of nights ago I was so worried about you because all you could do was re and hiss jealously around the dinner table while others were enjoying their dinner," Harry said, referring to the anniversary party.

    "And thanks, Tom. Your sister and I had dinner already," Harry told Tom who wasughing with Lucy.

    "Did you both have real food or your lips?" Candace asked with a sweet smile.

    "How do people ever cope with having sisters? Or is mine just different? From what I know Jade is a sweet sister to you, and Lucy is an Angel��."

    "You should be happy. You got the sister you deserve," Candace said, making a face at Harry.

    "Talking about getting what we deserve. I ran into your mom and Crystal at the restaurant earlier," Harry told Candace and she scowled.

    "Your mom, you mean? You were the one who kept calling her ''mom'' over the phone the other day in your office," Candace said, mimicking Harry''s tone over the phone when he talked to Sara.

    "Will you both ever stop bickering?" Lucy asked in amusement as Tom signaled to one of the maids to get Harry and Candace something to drink.

    "Tell that to Candace."

    "Tell that to Harry," they both said in unison, and they all startedughing.

    "Don''t bother with the drink. I''ve had enough for one night. And I''m driving," Harry told the maid who was waiting to receive instruction from him on what drink he wanted.

    "Anything sweet is fine, ra. Thanks," Candace told the maid, she was familiar with their names from the little time she had spent with them in the kitchen.

    "So, what happened when you ran into ?" Candace asked the same question that was on Tom''s and Lucy''s minds.

    Harry shrugged, "Nothing eventful. Ignored her and then she stopped me on our way out," Harry said, exining their brief exchange.

    "Her feelings are probably hurt because she is not used to being at the receiving end of such treatment," Lucy said with a shake of her head.

    "Too bad that''s what she is going to be getting from me going forward," Harry said and Candace smiled in approval.

    "I like that you are giving her the cold shoulder. She doesn''t deserve being treated any differently whether or not you are ying pretend," Candace said and Tom nodded in agreement.

    "She must be nning to run off with Crystal by now. I''m sure she likely thinks you are still searching for your sister," Tom said thoughtfully.

    "Luckily I didn''t have to search. Trouble walked up to me herself," Harry said dryly, and Candace scowled at him while Lucy and Tomughed.

    "I didn''t walk up to you," Candace hissed at him.

    "Whatever. Anyway, I should let you both continue with your romantic dinner. I will be waiting to have a word with you in the Den before I leave," Harry told Tom as he rose and Tom turned to Lucy.

    "Do you mind if I go speak with him now?" Tom asked and Lucy shook her head.

    "You definitely shouldn''t keep him waiting," Lucy said and Tom kissed her cheek as he rose to leave with Harry.

    "I suppose we are going to be mothers-inw in the future seeing as you agreed to let Jamal have your future daughter, right?" Candace asked Lucy with a grin now that they were both alone.

    Lucy giggled, "That wasn''t what happened. What did he say?" She asked in amusement as the maid returned with Candace''s wine.

    "Thanks," Candace told her as she epted the drink before turning to Lucy again, "He said exactly what I just said. He said you both agreed that he would let you be for Tom and in return when you both have a daughter he will date her in your stead," Candace said and Lucyughed softly.

    "You didn''t tell him my daughter would be his cousin too?" Lucy asked and Candace rolled her eyes.

    "As if he''d listen to that. There is no reason to worry. I know he will understand better the older he grows," Candace said confidently.

    "He said he had a really wonderful time. It was all he talked aboutst night and this morning. Thanks," Candace said and Lucy smiled as she waved it off.

    "I enjoyed myself too. How did you do such a good job raising Jamal to be so sweet?" Lucy asked and Candace shrugged.

    "I have no idea. You know, I''ve often wondered the same thing myself seeing as his father wasn''t the ideal father figure. I''m d now that he is surrounded by such amazing men. I have no worries as far as Jamal is concerned. I hope you do know that you are lucky to have an amazing man like Tom?" Candace said and Lucy raised a brow with amused curiosity.

    "Why do you think so?" Lucy asked and Candace smiled.

    "It''s open knowledge that the guy adores you. I mean that was one of the very first things I noticed about him the first time I met the both of you. He seemed so cold and unapproachable but when he looked at you his gaze was warm. I was so d Jamal ran into you and not Tom," Candace asked, and Lucy smiled.

    "That''s right. I forgot about that," Lucy said as she remembered running into Jamal for the first time on the stairs (Chapter 219).

    "Sitting here with you this way brings another memory to mind.Hearing your voice the night before I met you," Candace said with a grin, and Lucy raised a brow.

    "What happened��" Lucy shook her head in embarrassment, "Don''t tell me you heard us too?" She asked and Candace tittered withughter.

    "Of course, I did. It was mostly you making all the noise," Candace said,ughing harder when Lucy blushed.

    "Jamal didn''t hear anything, right?" Lucy asked, her ears burning in embarrassment and Candace wiped the tears from her eyes as sheughed.

    "Thankfully he was very much asleep else I would have had to answer a lot of awkward questions."

    "I was drunk," Lucy exined even if she couldn''t remember the details aside knowing they had sex on the dining and she shouted a lot.

    "After seeing how you act when you are sober and when you are drunk, I figured that out already," Candace assured her.

    "I''m surprised you didn''t say anything all this time. Especially to the oth hers,"Lucy said and Candaceughed.

    "That''s something Jade would do not me. I''m only bringing it up now because we are alone on the scene," she said with a wink.

    "By the way, we are leaving for Sogal with my dad this weekend," Candace said and Lucy sighed.

    "I will miss you all. I will have to take my first trip Sogal for your sakes," Lucy said and Candace smiled.

    "It would be nice to have you around. I like you a lot, Lucy," Candace said and Lucy smiled.

    "The feeling is mutual."

 Chapter 677 Family Conflict

    Once Tom and Harry were settled in the Den, Tom looked at Harry with a serious expression, "Is everything alright?"

    "Sure. I wanted to check on you to see how you were feeling now about the whole DNA stuff," Harry said and Tom eyed him doubtfully.

    "You saw me before I left the office��"

    "That was at the office. I wanted to be sure you wouldn''t be at home weeping," Harry said and Tom chuckled.

    "Well, as you can see, I''m fine. Now tell me the real reason you wanted to see me," Tom said and Harry shrugged.

    "Your mom called earlier," Harry said and Tom raised a brow.

    "Earlier when? And what did she want?" He asked, feeling exasperated already even though he was yet to hear what Harry had to say.

    The fact that she had spoken to Lucy already made him certain that her call to Harry had to do with Kimberly.

    This was exactly what Lucy had been saying earlier about his family, especially his mother meddling in his affairs.

    He had told her to let things be, so why was she still going about calling everyone?

    "Not long after I left the office. About two hours ago," Harry said as he nced at his wristwatch to estimate the time.

    "She wanted you to give her Kimberly''s details?" Tom asked and Harry nodded.

    "How did you know?" He asked with interest

    "She spoke to Lucy a while ago. I''m guessing she chose to ask Lucy about it because you turned her down," Tom said with annoyance.

    "She is not okay with the fact that you don''t want to do anything about what happened. She feels you shouldn''t let Kimberly go just like that," Harry said and Tom nodded.

    "Let''s wait and see what will do now that she knows those behind it. It''s annoying having her meddle in my business this way, you know?" Tom said, and Harry didn''t know whether to pity him or envy him.

    "At least you have a mother who loves you enough to want to meddle in your business," Harry said and Tom frowned.

    "Don''t go that route with me," Tom cautioned.

    "I''m just trying to say you shouldn''t be too upset with her. Maybe if you see her actions from a ce of love you''d be less irritated. For your own good and peace of mind," Harry said reasonably.

    "What I would rather do for my own good and peace of mind is put a stop to it once and for all. I''ve had enough of all of it. It''s tiring. And seriously after this whole Kimberly stuff, I''m not ready to put up with it anymore," Tom said in annoyance, and as though summoned by the conversation Evelyn chose to call him at that very moment.

    Tom scowled when he saw her call and received it without saying a word as he waited to hear what she had to say first.

    "Tom? Are you there?" Evelyn asked, sounding agitated.

    "Yes, I am. Is there a problem?" Tom asked, feeling slightly concerned by her tone.

    "How could you let Lucy threaten your grandfather into��"

    "Excuse me?" Tom cut in, not wanting to believe his mother was saying what he thought she was saying.

    "I don''t support what your grandfather did in any way, but handling it the way you did was wrong. How could you let Lucy get involved? This was supposed to be between your grandfather and��"

    Tom rose from his seat involuntarily, "I don''t want to believe you are serious right now. I don''t want to believe you called me to say this, because you are really beginning to get on myst nerves," Tom cut in tersely and Harry raised a brow, wondering what was going on.

    "I''m serious! Do you know how much problem this is going to cause between your dad and grandfather? Your father is mad at me alre��"

    "He is MAD at you because you made him mad! It has nothing to do with Lucy! And you should know I''m mad as hell right now as well, and I don''t even want to talk to you either! I''m disappointed that still can''t see that you are the cause of everything. I''d appreciate it if you don''t make this about Lucy! You wanted to punish Kimberly despite all I said to you before, so go ahead and punish her and grandfather as you deem fit, but DO NOT for whatever reason try to put any me on Lucy. Your issue with dad is your fault. Deal with it! Maybe this will teach you to listen to others," Tom yelled, and Bryan who had been on his way to the dining with Sonia, walked into the Den, leaving Sonia to go ahead of him to the dining.

    "What''s going on? Why is he mad?" Bryan asked Harry who remained where he was seated watching Tom.

    "Tom��" before Evelyn couldplete whatever she wanted to say, Tom hung up angrily.

    "Can you believe her? Can you believe she is trying to put the me on Lucy? This is unbelievable! It''s crazy!" Tom said angrily, and Harry sighed while Bryan frowned as he looked at them, wondering what was going on.

    "Why are you yelling at mom? And what is she ming Lucy for?" Bryan asked Tom in confusion.

    "Maybe you should call her and ask her that yourself! I''m too mad to talk to anyone right now. I''m going upstairs. See you tomorrow, Harry," Tom said as he turned and walked away while both Bryan and Harry frowned in concern as they watched him leave.

    "Tom is losing his temper a lottely. He never loses his calm this way," Bryan observed, and Harry had to agree.

    "I guess everything is getting to him," Harry murmured as he rose.

    "I just walked past Tom and I swear he was breathing fire. What got him so upset?" Jade asked both Harry and Bryan as she walked into the Den.

    "I think it''s mom. He was yelling at her a moment ago. Maybe Harry can tell us what is going on," Bryan said and both of them turned to Harry.

    "Why is Tom upset?" Jade asked him tly.

    Not seeing any need to hide it much longer since it had be their family business, Harry sighed, "Your mom asked your grandfather to find a way to convince Tom to settle down, and your grandfather hanged up with his protege or goddaughter, I don''t know what she is to him. She came to Tom iming she had a daughter for him��"<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    "What?" Bryan and Jade asked in unison.

    "You are joking, right?" Jade asked in disbelief.

    "I wish I was. Tom had toe back earlier from his business trip because of that. He carried out a DNA test and it turned out the kid isn''t his. Theb director told me your grandfather was trying to get him to tamper with the result and im the girl was Tom''s. You can guess the rest of the story from there," Harry concluded and both Jade and Bryan frowned.

    "All this was going on since Friday?" Bryan asked in disbelief.

    "Why didn''t you say anything to me?" Jade asked Harry.

    "Because it''s not your business. Tom is mad right now. He has every right to be. So maybe you can both talk to your mom. This is not the best time for her to try to put any me on Lucy. I need to leave now," Harry said as he nced at his wristwatch and Jade sighed, while Bryan sat down.

    "I will see him off to his car, ande back so we can talk," Jade told Bryan before walking away with Harry.

    Away from there, at the dining, Sonia had a concerned frown on her face as she joined Lucy and Candace.

    "Did something happen between Evelyn and you?" Sonia asked curiously.

    "Something like what?" Lucy asked before taking a sip from her ss of water.

    "On our way down here, Tom was yelling. I deduced he was on the phone with Evelyn and he said something about not putting the me on you or making it about you. Bryan went in to find out what was wrong," Sonia said and Lucy frowned.

    "I don''t know what that was about. If he was yelling that means he must be upset. I should go find out what is wrong?" Lucy said as she excused herself and went to the Den.

    She was surprised to find just Bryan seated inside, "Where is Tom?" She asked, and Bryan raised his head to look at her.

    "He went upstairs to cool off. Can I have a moment with you?" Bryan asked hopefully.

    "Sure," Lucy said as she went to sit close to him.

    "Harry told us about the DNA stuff. What he didn''t say is why my mom thinks you are to me for something. What is that about?" Bryan asked and Lucy took a deep breath before going on to narrate what had transpired between her and their grandfather as well as herst phone call with Evelyn.

    "When we spoke a short while ago she wasn''t mad at me, so I don''t understand why she might be mad enough to me me for anything now," Lucy said feeling exhausted.

    Unless Evelyn was upset because she she felt justified that Lawrence Hank had done what he did with Kimberly because of Lucy''s refusal to get married.

    "I asked your grandfather to report himself to your parents and the rest of the family else I would do so myself," Lucy said after a short pause.

    "You did?" Bryan asked, surprised that Lucy had given their grandfather such a task.

    "Yes, I did. He crossed a line by doing what he did, and that has to be corrected. Tom was very affected by this whole drama and I won''t let anyone get away with messing with him, whether or not they are his family. If Evelyn is upset because of my actions, I can''t say I''m sorry about that. She can look out for Tom how she deems fit as his mother, and I would do the same how I deem fit as his girlfriend. If you don''t mind, I need to go find Tom," Lucy said as she rose and walked away, leaving Bryan who did not know whether to admire Lucy or be worried about the friction in the family.

    Lucy was right. His grandfather had gone too far pranking Tom the way he did and Tom had every right to be upset.

    "What is going on?" Sonia asked as she walked into the Den to join Bryan.

    Candace had decided to go upstairs and change into morefortable sleeping clothes, and since she didn''t want to stay alone at the dining when she was burning with curiosity she had decided toe find out what was going on.

    "Are you done with dinner already?" Bryan asked as he rose when she sat beside him.

    "It''s hard to have dinner when everyone seems upset. And I didn''t want to eat alone," Sonia said and Bryan rose to lead her to the dining.

    "Sorry about that. Let''s go have dinner now. We can''t keep our Ryso starving," Bryan said we he took her hand.

    "Why was Tom upset? Where is Lucy?" Sonia asked as they returned to the dining.

    "She went to find Tom. He is very upset. Grandpa yed a prank on Tom..."

    "That is putting it mildly. That was no prank," Sonia hissed, and Bryan paused to look at her.

    "You knew about it?" He asked, and Sonia realized her slip.

    She shrugged, "Yeah. Lucy told me about the stuff on Saturday and called to inform me of the DNA test result," she said, seeing no need to keep it a secret anymore.

    "Why didn''t you tell me?" Bryan asked with a frown.

    "Your brother didn''t tell you about it why should I tell you something I heard from Lucy?" Sonia asked matter of factly.

    Bryan opened his mouth to argue but Sonia raised a finger and shook her head, "Don''t you dare try to pick a fight with me over this. You kept Tom''s secret too when he was pretending to be someone else to Lucy. And what did you tell me? You are not Tom and I''m not Lucy..."

    "How is that even the same thing?" Bryan asked with a scowl.

    "So, what do you want right now? You would rather us to fight over this? Like we haven''t had enough fights already? Do you want more conflict?" Sonia asked, and Bryan red at her.

    "You shouldn''t have kept it from me," Bryan insisted.

    "You know this is probably one of the problems thates with two best friends being involved with brothers. I see no reason why I should tell you something my best friend told me in confidence simply because he is your brother. I''m not arguing about this anymore with you. We can either discuss the situation logically or forget about it," Sonia said before walking ahead of him to go sit at the dining leaving a sulky Bryan to follow her.

 Chapter 678 Family Conflict (2)

    Outside the house, Jade was drilling Harry in the same manner Bryan had been questioning Sonia.

    "How could you keep something as important as that from me?" Jade asked Harry, not happy that she had been in the dark about that.

    "I told you already. It is Tom''s business not yours. If he wanted you to know about it, I''m sure he would have told you himself," Harry said and she frowned.

    "I don''t keep stuff about Candace from you," she pointed out.

    "That is your choice, esquire. That doesn''t mean I have to return the favor. I''m exhausted and want to go home now. So let''s talk tomorrow," Harry said as he unlocked his car and Jade stood aside, watching him in annoyance.

    Harry leaned over and nted a kiss on her lips which she didn''t respond to, before getting into his car, "I will call you when I get home. I love you," Harry called out to her before driving away.

    As he drove out, Matt who wasing in shed his light at him in greeting and Harry shed back his light as he continued on his way home.

    Jade was about going inside when she saw Matt''s caring so she waited for him to park and get out so they could go in together.

    "Hey, Jadey!" Matt greeted as he walked up to her and ced his arm around her shoulder.

    "Why the forlorn look on your face? Are you missing your boyfriend already?" Matt asked and she scowled.

    "This is not a forlorn look. I''m just upset. Let''s go in. Did you decide toe over knowing Candace would be here?" She asked as they walked into the house, and Matt pulled on his best surprised look.

    "Candace is here? I thought she had moved to Harry''s ce?" Matt asked, and Jade eyed him suspiciously but said nothing.

    "Why are you upset? Did Harry do something to make you angry? That guy annoys me too. He can be so full of himself," Matt said, and Jade pped his arm.

    "Don''t talk about my boyfriend that way. I''m the only one permitted to be mad at him. And he is not full of himself," Jade said, and Matt grinned.

    "I guess you are not mad enough then. Where is Bryan?" Matt asked, even though Candace was the person he was most curious to see.

    "I left him at the Den," Jade said and they both headed to the Den.

    When they didn''t find him there, but heard the sound of cutlerying from the dining, they both headed for the dining instead.

    "You do realize that your annoyance does not make sense, right?" Sonia was asking Bryan as they joined them.

    "Why is everyone annoyed tonight?" Matt asked as he joined them.

    "What is annoying you too?" Jade asked as Bryan nced at them.

    "Do you believe that Sonia was aware of what grandpa did but didn''t say anything to me about it?" Bryan asked in disbelief.

    "Exactly like Harry. You lot are so annoying. How can you keep such important things from people you call your partners when you know it''s a family issue?" Jade asked Sonia in annoyance.

    "If Tom had told me something upsetting about Lucy and I kept it away from you just because Lucy hasn''t told you about it yet, would you be happy with me?" Bryan asked Sonia.

    "What is going on?" Matt asked, curious to know what the problem was.

    "Tom had a problem which Lucy told me about. Bryan found out about it today and is mad at me for not telling him about it. Does that make any sense? I have a right to keep my best friend''s secret whether or not it is about your brother!" Sonia said incredulously.

    "Unless the secret was about something harmful, I don''t get why this is an issue. Or was there something you could have done about it to help the situation had she told you earlier?" Matt asked Bryan who scowled.

    "Why are you taking her side? You are my best friend and should be taking my side seeing how she is defending what she did for her best friend''s sake," Bryan said, and Sonia rolled her eyes.

    "You both would reconcile soon and then I will be on Sonia''s bad book. I would rather be on your bad book than that of your fiancee. Besides, you didn''t take my side when I needed you the other night either. You said she was scary, right?" Matt asked with a pleasant smile and Bryan scowled.

    "Matt? What are you doing here?" Candace asked in surprise when she returned to see him at the table.

    "Bryan invited me toe over and spend the night," Matt lied, shooting Bryan a warning look to not say otherwise.

    Bryan smiled, "I didn''t. He called and asked if he could spend the night," Bryan said as he set down his cutlery and rose.

    "You bastard!" Matt cussed.

    "That''s what you get for wanting to be on my bad book," Bryan said as he walked away from the dining and Jade eyed Sonia with disapproval as she followed Bryan before turning to Candace who was ring at Matt.

    "Did you also know about the prank?" She asked, wanting to know if it was just her and Bryan who had been left in the dark or if either Lucy or Harry had told Candace about it.

    "What prank?" Candace asked in confusion, and Jade nodded with approval, seeing that Candace did not know anything about it.

    "Let''s go upstairs to my bedroom and I will tell you about it since it''s not a secret anymore," Jade suggested.

    "I will join you after having a word with Matt," Candace said, and Jade excused them.

    "What are you doing here?" Candace asked Matt and he shrugged.

    "Visiting."

    "Visiting? Because I told you I would be here?" She hissed under her breath.

    "What is it with everyone having misunderstanding with their partners under this roof tonight? Perhaps I shouldn''t havee..."

    "Yes, you shouldn''t havee! What we have is supposed to be private but..."<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    "How can it be private when everyone already knows what is going on? And do I need to remind you that you were the one who set the privacy rule yet the same person who exposed what was going on to the others," Matt said and she scowled.

    "They wouldn''t have found out if you didn''t keep wanting to see me every day!" She hissed at him, trying to keep her voice down.

    "I never forced you toe. You came each time I requested because you also wanted to see me. And not once did youin about the frequency of our meetings when we were making love," Matt pointed out.

    "And today that I chose not to see you, what did you do? Did you stay put? No! Instead you chose toe over here," Candace countered, and Matt sighed.

    "Candace..."

    "I guess it''s a good thing that I''m returning to Sogal by weekend. I intend to see how you can make such impulsive moves when you have your job to attend to," Candace said irritably.

    "You are returning by weekend?" Matt asked with a frown.

    "Yes! For christ''s sake, I told you I would see you tomorrow. Why didn''t you just wait? Why did youe here?"

    "I just wanted to see you, alright? What''s so wrong with a man wanting to seize every opportunity he has to see the woman he loves?" Matt asked and she red at him.

    "Don''t you dare talk to me about love! We agreed that this was a purely sexual rtionship..."

    "I''m sorry if hearing that I love you makes you feel so ufortable, but that doesn''t change how I feel about you. You can use me for sex all you want, but what I feel is entirely up to me," Matt said and Candace red at him in annoyance before walking away without another word.

    Matt sighed as he sat down. The woman was a lot of work. After now he would just give her some space and let here to him on her own when she was ready.

    Upstairs, in Bryan''s bedroom, Sonia got on the bed and rolled over to lie on Bryan who had turned his back to her.

    "Leave me alone," he said grudgingly.

    "But Ryso wants to stay close to you," Sonia said, and Bryan scowled as he sat up.

    "Don''t lie against the baby," he said, and Sonia sighed.

    "I honestly don''t think we should be fighting over this. What your grandfather did was wrong. And I''m disappointed in Kimberly for using her daughter for such a thing. I''m going to unfollow her," Sonia said, stylishly changing the subject.

    "Kimberly? You know thedy in question?" Bryan asked, his curiosity piqued.

    "Yeah. Shouldn''t you know her since she seems to be close to your grandfather?" Sonia asked as she picked up her phone to open Kimberly''s page so he would see thedy in question.

    "Kimberly Moore. My grandfather used to talk about a certain Kim a lot. The little girl does look like Tom in a way. Hold on. Why would Tom believe the kid is his if he hasn''t been with her?" Bryan asked when it suddenly struck him.

    "He was with her a long time ago. It was a one night stand and he didn''t know she was connected to your grandfather," Sonia exined.

    "Are you sure the result came back negative?" Bryan asked doubtfully as he eyed the picture.

    "Even if it didn''t, it has been confirmed that it was a prank. Why is your mother mad at Lucy?" Sonia asked now that she sensed that they had gotten past Bryan''s annoyance.

    "Lucy asked my grandfather to report himself to my parents and the rest of the family. I don''t see why that should make her mad though," Bryan said and Sonia nodded.

    "If anyone is supposed to be mad, it is Tom and Lucy. I remember how mad I was by that stupid prank Jeff and you pulled, talk more about a prank involving a child. It is very annoying and your mother should be apologizing not provoking them further," Sonia said and Bryan raised a brow.

    "Are you saying that because Lucy is your best friend?" He asked and she smirked.

    "No, I''m saying that because it is the truth, and if you think otherwise then I''m going to have a problem with you. Don''t even think about supporting your mom or grandfather," Sonia warned sternly as she got off the bed and Bryan frowned.

    "What! Now you are mad at me for simply asking a question?" Bryan asked incredulously.

    "I''m not mad yet. But I will be if you don''t act right. Give your mother a call and find out what the problem is," Sonia urged him as she pointed at his phone.

    "Why?"

    "Before this esctes further, you should step in. You were so mad that I kept it a secret from you but now that you know about it you don''t even want to do anything to help the situation? What difference does your knowledge of the situation make then?" Sonia asked, and Bryan sighed as he did as she requested.

    "Bryan, I was just about to give you a call. I was speaking with Tom and he hung up and now I can''t reach him again...."

    "Speaker," Sonia said, and Bryan ced the call on speaker so she could listen in on the conversation.

    "What did you say to him?" Bryan cut in.

    "I only scolded him letting Lucy handle a situation he could have handled himself. Your grandfather yed an expensive prank on Tom and in as much as I''m not in support of it, letting Lucy step in that way was wrong. Your father is mad at me and I overheard him yelling at your grandfather over the phone and asking him to stay away from his family. You know how things are between them. Lucy just made it worse," Evelyn said, and Sonia shook her head in disapproval as she tried to keep herself from saying anything.

    "What exactly happened?" Bryan asked calmly, wanting to understand things from his mother''s end as well.

    Evelyn tried to calm herself as she exined everything to Bryan and by the time she was done Bryan shook his head, "I can''t take your side on this one, mom. Both dad and Tom are right to be mad at you. I would be too if I were in their shoes. Instead of trying to me Lucy for something you and grandfather caused, you should ept that you were wrong and ask for forgiveness and stop telling Tom how you think he should have handled the mess you created."

    "I never said I was right neither did I say I was not sorry. I wouldn''t have gone to your grandfather had I realized what the issue with Tom was earlier. That''s why I''m saying Lucy had no right doing what she did especially since she is partially responsible for this. If she was not so set on not getting married to Tom, your grandfather wouldn''t have had to do what he did in the first ce! We did what we did because we were looking out for Tom!"

    "Lucy doesn''t want to get married to Tom?" Bryan asked in confusion as he nced at Sonia who looked very pissed now.

    Because she was feeling very tempted to snatch the phone from Bryan and yell at Evelyn for making this about Lucy when it was actually all her fault, Sonia walked out of the bedroom angrily leaving Bryan to finish his conversation with Evelyn alone.

 Chapter 679 Family Conflict (3)

    At the balcony of Tom''s bedroom, Lucy embraced Tom from behind as he silently stared into the night.

    She had walked into the bedroom to see him standing out there just like that, and even when she touched him, he did not turn to look at her.

    Neither of them said a word. Lucy could tell Tom was upset and didn''t want to talk, and Tom could tell that Lucy understood his need for the silence even though her presence was wee.

    "Why aren''t you asking me what happened?" Tom asked after some time, when he was sure he was calm enough to speak.

    "I suppose I''m more interested in making sure you are fine than in satisfying my curiosity," Lucy said, and Tom sighed as he turned around to face her.

    He smiled wearily as he looked into her face which was etched with worry line, "I guess I should have handled things myself instead of dragging you into it. I don''t like you being med for any of this," Tom said, and Lucy smiled.

    "Don''t worry about me. I will handle it. Although I don''t like confrontations, but I don''t think I would mind this one very much if ites to it," Lucy assured him.

    "I don''t want you having any problems with my mom..."

    "I don''t think it is avoidable at this point. I love and respect her, but she wants to have too much control over your life and your rtionship and I am not willing to let that happen as long as I''m in your life. So we will have to deal with it woman to woman. So, why don''t you rx and tell me what she said, and then I will give her a call and resolve things," Lucy suggested.

    "I don''t want you to talk to her. She is upset right now. Especially as my father is mad at her. She might say something to you I won''t be able to forgive her for. So just let it be," Tom said calmly.

    "Do you trust me?" Lucy asked, and Tom held her gaze for a moment before giving her a nod.

    "Sure."

    "Then let me handle this. I don''t like to see you so worried," Lucy said as she took his hand and led him to the seats at the balcony and they both sat down.

    "Tell me everything she said," Lucy said and Tom told her exactly what Evelyn had said.

    "I guess she feels this way because I''m your girlfriend and not married to you? If I were your wife she would consider me family and wouldn''t think I was wrong want to punish your grandfather," Lucy said, and Tom shook his head.

    "I don''t think so. I know for a fact that she considers you part of the family and thinks of you as her daughter inw. She just wants to put the me on you so she wouldn''t feel too bad about her role in all of this," Tom said confidently.

    He knew his mother well enough to know she was being all defensive and passing mes because she knew everyone was mad.

    "Unfortunately for her, your grandfather isn''t the only person I was trying to punish. I had her in mind when I decided that I wanted your grandfather to report himself to them. I will wait it out till morning. If she doesn''t call me to express her displeasure before then, I will call her to express mine," Lucy said, and Tom sighed.

    "I didn''t expect you to be so calm about this," Tom said, and Lucy smiled.

    "Don''t worry your head over this. I have to go and join the girls. We still have to talk about the wedding ns since Candace came over for it," Lucy said as she rose from her seat.

    "I will wait up for you," he said as she kissed him lightly on the lips.

    "Alright. I will try to make things snappy so I don''t keep you waiting," Lucy said before walking out of the bedroom.

    The moment she shut the door behind her, she saw Sonia and Bryan standing by the hallway and paused when she heard Bryan''s question to Sonia.

    "Are you aware that Lucy doesn''t want to get married to Tom?" Bryan, who had just finished speaking with his mother and hade out to find Sonia, asked.

    Sonia who caught the movement of the door some feet away from them looked up to see Lucy, and she met her gaze.

    "Where did you hear that?" Lucy asked as she approached them, not wanting to put Sonia in a situation where she had to lie to Bryan.

    Bryan turned to Lucy, "Is it true?" He asked just as Jade and Candace who had heard their voices stepped out of Jade''s room to find out what was happening.

    "Is what true?" Jade asked curiously.

    "Mom just told me Lucy doesn''t want to marry Tom," Bryan said, and both Jade and Candace looked at Lucy in surprise.

    "Why would you not want to marry Tom?" Jade asked in confusion.

    "I don''t think it''s any of our business. It''s between her and Tom..."

    Jade eyed Sonia with annoyance, "What makes you think it is okay for you to interfere in other people''s business but m up when ites to Lucy? And how can you say this is not our business? Tom is our brother and we have every right to know..."

    "No, you don''t. Unless Tom wants you to know you have no business knowing about my personal business with your brother. You don''t see me prying into your private lives, do I? Why does my decision have to be a subject for your entire family to debate on?" Lucy asked, feeling really annoyed now.

    "Lucy," Sonia called softly, not wanting Lucy to fight with Bryan and Jade. The whole issue had escted really quickly thanks to Evelyn''s phone calls.

    "What is going on here?" Tom asked as he also stepped out of his bedroom.

    "We asked if it was true that Lucy doesn''t want to marry you and she got offended," Jade exined and Tom nced at Lucy, wondering where they had heard that. <novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    "Did you hear it directly from her that she doesn''t want to marry me?" Tom asked, and Bryan stepped sighed.

    "That was what mom told me. She said grandfather was trying to force your hand about settling down and having a family of your own before they realized it was Lucy who was refusing to get married and not you," Bryan said, and Tom frowned.

    "Is that supposed to justify their action? I have done my best to understand the way things are done in this family, but I am not going to put up with the meddling any longer. My rtionship with Tom is our personal business and going forward I will appreciate it if neither of you questions me about any part of it. I doubt you will put up with your attitude if you were in my shoes, so why do you expect me to put up with it? The only person I owe any exnation in this family, is Tom, and that is exactly how it is going to remain," Lucy said in a slightly raised voice before returning to the bedroom leaving the rest of them standing there.

    "Why is she overreacting when we only asked a question?" Jade asked with a frown.

    "I don''t think she is overreacting. And even if she is, what she said is on point. You need to know when to stop meddling. I guess there will be no wedding nning tonight. I will be in my bedroom if you need me," Candace said before walking away.

    "You both shoulde with me," Tom said to Bryan and Jade, and they followed him, while Sonia decided to go talk to Lucy.

    Tom led them to the bar, and they all sat down, "I didn''t mean to upset her. I was surprised to hear that from mom so I had to ask. And I wasn''t even asking her. I was asking Sonia before she showed up," Bryan said defensively.

    "Why do you keep things away from us? Aren''t you supposed to talk to us if you are having a problem? Why would you rather talk to Lucy and Harry and leave us out? Do you think they care about you more than we do?" Jade asked, feeling very annoyed by all that was happening.

    "Are you alright?" Bryan asked when Tom remained silent for some time.

    Tom sighed, "I''m not sure what I want to say to you both, but if either of you decides to take mom''s side on this, I will be very pissed and won''t take it lightly with you. The decision whether or not Lucy and I are going to get married is solely ours. It shouldn''t affect any one of you..."

    "But...."

    "No buts Jade. When your boyfriend died you didn''t want us to ask you any questions or pry and I respected that. Now I''m saying I need you to respect my rtionship with Lucy and not pry or meddle. We don''t need any more dramas." Having said that, Tom rose and walked away, leaving Bryan and Jade.

    "Why do they make it sound like we''ve been meddling in their rtionship this whole time? I have never shown any interest in it until tonight," Jade said irritably and Bryan sighed.

    "It doesn''t matter. Let''s just listen to them and keep our nose out of their business. And I agree with him. Mother was wrong. I can''t side with her on this..."

    "What exactly happened? What did mother tell you?" Jade asked and Bryan exined the whole situation to her, also telling her how upset their father was.

    "I don''t support what grandfather did either. But that doesn''t mean we shouldn''t do anything to help the situation," Jade said reasonably.

    "What can we do?"

    "We can start by letting mother know that she was wrong. If she sees that we are all mad at her, she will realize how much she screwed up and she will apologize rather than try to pass the me," Jade suggested.

    "I already told her that much. So I guess you have to give her a call yourself and give her a piece of your mind," Bryan said and Jade nodded.

    "I will do just that."

    "You are not mad at Sonia, are you?" Bryan asked, and she scowled.

    "I''m not. It just annoys me how she doesn''t mind prying into other people''s business but when ites to Lucy she acts like her moralpass is so high," Jade said and Bryan sighed.

    "That is only because it is Lucy''s business. I''m sure she wouldn''t mind you prying into her business. Since Lucy isn''t the type to meddle in other people''s business unless she is involved, Sonia is just trying to have Lucy''s back," Bryan said defensively and Jade eyed him.

    "Why are you defending her when you were mad at her earlier?" Jade asked and he smiled.

    "I''m not that mad at her. I understand why she did what she did. I just like to see her beg and try to make peace," Bryan said and Jade shook her head.

    "Where is Matt anyway?" She asked and Bryan chuckled.

    "Ipletely forgot he is here. I should probably go find him and show him to his bedroom," Bryan said as they both rose.

    "Why would Lucy not want to marry Tom?" Jade asked, and Bryan gave her a pointed look.

    "I don''t know. I''m sure she has her reasons and I''m sure Tom has his reasons for sticking with her. So, stay out of it," Bryan warned before walking away.

    Jade sighed as she looked around her for her phone so she would give her mother a call and then check if Harry had gotten home, but she realized that she had left it in her bedroom.

    As she returned upstairs she couldn''t help but wonder what Lucy''s reason was for not wanting to marry Tom. It was weird.

    Did Harry know about it? She mused, and then remembered something about Harry asking her not to brag about her and Bryan getting married before Tom.

    Was that why he had said that? That had to be it. Of course, Harry must know everything that had to do with Tom and Lucy. She was just going to ask him about it. Not because she was prying or wanting to meddle but because she just wanted to satisfy her curiosity.

    She decided that once she was done with the phone calls, she would apologize to Lucy and get the girls together so they could discuss the wedding preparations as nned.

 Chapter 680 What Egg?

    Chapter 680 What Egg?

    Sonia, who had followed Lucy into Tom''s bedroom, was torn between wanting to vent with Lucy and calming her down since she knew that Lucy had every right to be upset.

    She wasn''t even Lucy, yet she was blowing very hot herself after listening to what Evelyn had to say.

    If she didn''t want her husband getting upset at her, she should''ve not meddled in the first ce. Even though Lucy had not asked Lawrence to report himself, she was pretty sure Desmond would have found out about it and would have still gotten upset, so why put the me on Lucy?

    How could Evelyn, who was supposed to be a mother that would pull the family closer together, be the one acting in a way that was causing so much unnecessary drama all because she was too proud to ept that she was wrong and apologize?

    "You can vent if you want to," Sonia told Lucy since she seemed too calm.

    "I think I''ve said all I need to say for tonight. I''m sorry you got dragged into it because of me," Lucy said, and Sonia waved it off.

    "Don''t be. You have no idea how much I had to hold back myself from snatching the phone from Bryan and scolding Evelyn myself. I can''t believe Evelyn is trying to me you for the result of her actions. How could she keep saying all the wrong things when all she had to do was apologize?" Sonia said, sounding more pissed than she intended to, so she rose up and began to pace to work off the steam.

    Lucy smiled. This was probably one of the best things about the both of them dating two brothers. She felt much better knowing her best friend was on her side. Sonia''s loyalty was unquestionable.

    "I''m d you didn''t do that. Thest thing I want is for you to have any problems with her on my ount. Especially now that you are getting married to Bryan soon. We don''t want you to be on her bad books too," Lucy said, and Sonia, who had been pacing around the room, stopped to scowl at Lucy.

    "Who cares about being on her good book? In case you haven''t gotten the memo yet, she just got herself on my bad book for pulling this shit tonight! And I told Bryan we are both going to have a problem if he dares to take his mother''s side! You are my best friend, and whoever is against you is against me!" Sonia said in annoyance, making Lucy giggle.

    "Is it the pregnancy hormone? You look more pissed than I am. Quit overreacting," Lucy said, wanting to make light of the situation so that Sonia wouldn''t be so upset in her state.

    "I am pissed! I expect you to be too!" Sonia hissed, and Lucy giggled.

    "Did youe in here to get me riled up, or are you here to calm me down? Besides, it''s your first time in the master''s suite," Lucy reminded Sonia, knowing the best way to distract her from her annoyance was to arouse her interest in something else.

    Unlike the other bedrooms in the house, Tom''s was designed as a suite, and even though you could see the bedroom from the little living room immediately you walked into the bedroom, you needed to go into the bedroom to see all of it and the balcony.

    "Yeah. I know. But I''m too annoyed to care about that for now. I''m certain there will be other opportunities for me to see it. I''m just so disappointed in Evelyn for causing all this mess. All she had to do was apologize. But she is too proud to do so and��"

    "Evelyn isn''t proud," Lucy cut in, and Sonia scowled.

    "The very first time we met, she apologized to me for something I had no idea she even did (Chapter 263). She isn''t proud. I think she is very upset over her misunderstanding with Desmond, and it is making her illogical. I don''t think they usually have serious issues like this," Lucy said with understanding.

    "Really? So, you''re not mad at her?" Sonia asked in disbelief, and Lucy sighed.

    "I thought I was earlier, but seeing you mad at her made me try to reevaluate the situation so I could calm you. And I think I can understand why everyone is acting the way they are acting right now. Mind you; I''m not saying it is alright for them to do any of this. I''m just saying I can understand where they are alling from. So, can you please stop being so mad? We don''t want a baby with anger issues," Lucy joked, and Sonia''s hand moved to her abdomen, and she sighed.

    "And you don''t care that because of her, your private business is now public knowledge. I still can''t believe that Bryan and Jade are gullible enough not to see what their mother is doing and how she has sessfully turned the issue from what it is and made it about you not wanting to get married," Sonia said, getting back to the subject.

    Lucy had been surprised to hear Bryan ask her about her decision not to marry Tom. She couldn''t say her feelings had been hurt when she found out Evelyn had been the one to tell Bryan about it. It was no news that the Hank family had a problem with keeping secrets, the only exceptions for her being Tom and his dad.

    "You can''t me them. I think they were just too shocked by the news to care about anything else. It doesn''t mean they have been distracted from the main issue," Lucy said in their defense, and Sonia scowled.

    "Why are you defending them? I thought we were both supposed to be mad at them?" Sonia asked, and Lucy grinned.

    "I''m not defending them. It is what it is. I''m just trying to rationalize things, so I understand why they asked the question. And I''m not mad at them. I just needed to seize that opportunity to draw the line and make it clear I wouldn''t tolerate any more meddling from any of them," Lucy said, and Sonia sighed as she sat down on the couch beside Lucy.

    "I can see why you are her favorite daughter-inw to be. She is going to be so ashamed of herself and regret this action when she finds out you are more open now to the idea of marriage to Tom," Sonia said, and Lucy smiled.

    "I don''t n to say a word of it to Tom anytime soon until I''m done with my therapy, so it has to stay between us until then," Lucy said, and Sonia nodded.

    "Sure. I understand. God, Lu! Your self-control needs to be studied in college. I thought I wasing in here to calm you, but you calmed me instead. Heaven knows if I were in your shoes, I wouldn''t be sitting here so calmly rationalizing shit. I''d have called her out for this nonsense she pulled. If her kids are not sensible enough to do��"

    The rest of her words trailed off when Tom opened the door, and Lucy bit back a giggle when Sonia flushed in embarrassment, wondering whether Tom had heard what she had just said.

    Sonia knowing that they needed privacy to talk, quickly rose, "Talk to youter," Sonia said to Lucy as she quickly left the bedroom.

    Tom walked further into the room, looking at Lucy without saying anything as he went to sit beside her on the spot Sonia had vacated.

    He felt really sorry that his family was making things hard for her, and he med himself for it. If only he had handled the situation like he should have, then his mother wouldn''t have made this about Lucy.

    "I''m sorry. I''m sorry things had to go this way because I failed to handle it properly," He said as he took Lucy''s hand in his.

    "You don''t have to apologize, love. It''s not your fault that things turned out this way. I don''t me you, Tom, and I don''t me them either. I understand that they are your family and are only looking out for you in the best way they can. I just want them to be able to respect our rtionship and not interfere unless either of us asks them to," Lucy said softly.

    "Aren''t you mad?" He asked, and Lucy shrugged.

    "Maybe earlier, I was mad a little, but I''m not mad anymore. I''m kind of d this is all happening," She said, and Tom raised a brow.

    "Why?"

    "Well, seeing how your mom is reacting to it because your dad is mad at her, I don''t think she would want to interfere in our business again and risk having problems with him. And I got my chance to confront Bryan and Jade. Now everyone would know that your girlfriend is not easy to mess with," She said, and Tom smiled.

    "Thank you, Jewel," Tom said as he drew Lucy closer for a kiss.

    "I should be thanking you for letting me do this my way and not trying to protect them," She said after they broke the kiss.

    "I''m sorry my mom told them about your decision," Tom said, and Lucy shrugged.

    It didn''t matter that much to her now. Especially as she was reevaluating her choices.

    "That is not important right now. They were bound to find out about it sooner orter. Besides, it gave me the opportunity I needed to vent," Lucy said, and Tom gazed at her silently for a moment.

    "You are indeed my priceless Jewel," Tom said, and she smiled.

    "How did you handle it with them anyway?" Lucy asked with interest.

    "I only told them not to interfere. And I made it clear I will be mad if they side with her on this," Tom said, and Lucy sighed.

    "This wasn''t the evening we bargained for, was it?" She asked, and Tom shook his head.

    "It wasn''t what I bargained for. I thought I was finally going to be having a good night''s sleep after being unable to sleep for thest couple of nights," Tom said, and Lucy scowled.

    "Too bad. That wasn''t what I bargained for myself," She said, and Tom raised a brow.

    "Now I''m curious to know what you bargained for," Tom said with a small smile, and Lucy grinned.

    "Well, I nned to do something crazy with you tonight to celebrate the DNA result being negative," Lucy said, and he narrowed his eyes.

    "Crazy? How crazy?" Tom asked when he saw the mischief in her eyes.

    "I don''t think I should tell you that anymore since you made it clear you would rather sleep," Lucy said with a coy smile as she rose, and Tom grabbed her hand as he rose up too.

    "C''mon!" He said excitedly, and she giggled.

    "You should go to bed��"

    "How do you expect me to sleep easy when you just told me you had other ns? Besides, I thought you had ns with the girls," Tom said, and she raised a brow.

    "When has my ns with the girls ever stopped my ns with you? Besides, that was supposed to make it even crazier and more interesting," She said with a smirk.

    "Just what were you nning, Jewel?" Tom asked in amusement.

    "You really want to know?" Lucy asked, and Tom rolled his eyes.

    "Of course! I won''t be asking if I didn''t want to know, would I?" He asked, and she grinned.

    "Alright. Kiss my forehead, and I will tell you," She said, and Tom kissed her forehead, amused by the show she was putting up.

    Lucy pointed to her left cheek for him to do the same, and he did. And then she pointed to her right cheek, the tip of her nose, her chin, her neck, and then her lips.

    Tom could tell she was doing all this to make sure he was okay, and he showed his appreciation for the gesture by ying along.

    As he kissed her lips, he deepened the kiss, and his hands reached to grab her boob and her ass, making herugh as she quickly pulled away.

    "Okay. Alright. You''re doing far more than I asked for," She said with a giggle, and Tom smiled as he watched her.

    "You know I can''t resist you. So, are you going to tell me now?" He asked, and she nodded.

    "Well, I wanted us to do this earlier, after dinner, before the mood got ruined. Remember that egg?" She asked, and Tom frowned.

    "What egg?" He asked, and she looked at him, wriggling her brows suggestively as she waited for him to figure out what she was talking about.

    "C''mon Lu. I have a lot in my head right now and can''t y guessing games��"

    "Really? I guess you''re not interested enough, then. One would think you''d easily guess the egg I''m talking about since it''s the only one in this room," Lucy said with a pout, and Tom looked at her for a moment before his eyes widened in disbelief.

    "The vibrator?" He asked, and she grinned as she bobbed her head, surprising him even more.

    "But you said you didn''t want to put any inanimate thing inside you when I asked you to do it (Chapter 297)," He reminded her.

    "Well, that was then. I want to give it a try now. I want us to try something new," She said with a grin, and Tom watched her in disbelief.

    "Jewel��"

    "You didn''t discard it, did you?" She asked, and he shook his head.

    "Good. We can always try it some other time. The evening is ruined already. I mean, you are upset, and I don''t think you''re up for any of this, so I should probably let you sleep��" She let the rest of her words trail off with a pout as she batted hershes at him.

    "No fucking way!" Tom eximed, making Lucy giggle.

    "Where are you learning all this from?" Tom asked in amusement.

    "I suppose ites naturally to me. Tell me, how do you feel now?" Lucy asked, and Tom smiled.

    "It''s hard to remain upset when you are like this," He said, and she smiled, pleased that he was okay.

    "Good. I''m d that you feel better now. I''m going to be Sonia''s maid of honor, you know? And it is my duty to make sure everything goes smoothly. Candace informed me they would be leaving for Sogal by weekend, and since she came over tonight so we can all n the wedding, I need to make sure we all stick to the n so that her leaving Jamal tonight wouldn''t be in vain," Lucy said, and Tom nodded.

    "Alright. I will wait up for you as promised earlier," He said, and she smiled.

    "I think we need to relieve the tension since everyone is sort of upset. So, why don''t youe downstairs as well? I will gather everyone together," She suggested, and Tom raised a brow.

    "And the egg?" He asked, and she grinned.

    "That''s the fun part. I''m going to put it on, and you can operate the remote controller while we are out there. I''d love to see how much self-control I have," Lucy said, and Tom chuckled.

    "I would love to see that, too," He said with a grin.

    "Alright. Go get it, and I will put it on before going out to gather the others. I also think you should give your dad a call before youe downstairs. Only you can calm him right now," Lucy said, and Tom merely smiled as he looked at her, letting his gaze convey his thoughts.

    He felt like he had run out ofpliments to give to her. She was amazing in every way possible.

    A couple of minutester, Tom watched as Lucy inserted the egg inside her, and immediately after she was done adjusting her clothes, he pressed the power button as he had always wanted to do, and Lucy gasped when she felt the vibration, making them bothugh.

    "How does it feel inside you? Does it feel like me?" He asked, and she shook her head.

    "No. It feels weird walking around with this, but I''m sure I will adjust soon enough," She said as she headed for the door.

    "I''m going out now. Be careful with that, and don''t let the others see it," She warned, and he grinned.

    "Sure," He promised as he watched her leave.

    Once she shut the door behind her, Tom sat on the bed and sighed as he thought about what he had overheard her and Sonia say earlier before he could walk into the bedroom.

    So, he had not been wrong, and she was bing more open to the idea of getting married to him? What changed? Was it because of Kimberly and Dawn? He mused.

    Hearing that had contributed most to the uplifting of his mood, and even though he had really wanted to ask her about it earlier, he had decided not to since she had made it clear to Sonia that she wanted to wait until after her therapy before discussing it with him.

    He was going to patiently wait for her until she was ready to talk to him about it. And while waiting, he was going to be the best and most supportive boyfriend he could possibly be to her and give her even more reasons to want to marry him, Tom decided happily.

 Chapter 681 Resolving Things

    The moment Jade walked into her bedroom, she picked up her phone, which was lying on the bed, and just as she had expected, she saw that she had missed two calls from Harry.

    She decided to first return Harry''s call before speaking with her mother.

    The phone rang for some time before Harry received the call, making her raise a brow, "What took you so long?"

    "I just got out of the shower. I''m surprised you called back. For a moment there, I thought you were deliberately ignoring my call because you were mad at me," Harry said as he towel-dried his hair.

    Jade rolled her eyes, "What happened is hardly enough reason for me not to want to talk to you," She said with a pout as she sat on the bed as if Harry could see her.

    "Yet you didn''t deem it fit to say you love me or bid me goodnight," Harry pointed out.

    "That was because you left the way you did. You made me feel like I was nagging, and you couldn''t wait to leave," She said, and Harry sighed.

    "That wasn''t my intention. You seemed like you wanted to fight��"

    "We are saying the same thing, are we not? I wasn''t fighting with you, but you made it look like that was what I was doing. And then you left just like that," Jade cut in.

    "I was really exhausted, esquire. I barely sleptst night, and I''ve been busy all day. I could have gone home directly after work, but I wanted to see beautiful you, and then we ran into Sara, and my mood almost got ruined, but you fixed it. It has been a really long day for me, and all I wanted was to end it on a pleasant note with you, but you wanted to fight over something unnecessary," Harry said, and Jade scowled.

    "I didn''t want to fight, and my annoyance wasn''t unnecessary. But fine. I''ve heard you. Let''s not stress you anymore by arguing over it. It''s past now," Jade said, and Harry smiled.

    "Thanks for being understanding. So, now that we have gotten that out of the way, what are you up to? Are you ready for bed?" Harry asked, changing the subject.

    "I''m not sure. I n to give my mom a call after speaking with you. A lot has happened in just one night. By the way, did you know about Lucy not wanting to marry Tom?" She asked, and Harry raised a brow.

    "Why?" He asked, wondering how she had found out about that.

    "Why what?" Jade asked in confusion since that wasn''t the response she had been expecting.

    Was he asking her why she was asking him that, or he was asking her why Lucy didn''t want to get married to Tom?

    "Why are you asking me that? And where did you hear that from?" Harry asked, and Jade nodded as she crossed her legs.

    It was obvious that Harry knew about it, as she had expected, "Mom told Bryan. Everyone knows about it now," Jade said and went on to tell him how Lucy had yelled at them when they asked her about it.

    "Why didn''t you tell me about it this whole time?" Jade said with displeasure, and Harry shook his head.

    Were they about to argue over this too?

    "Because it is not your business. If either Lucy or Tom wanted your opinion or interference, they would have told you themselves. I guess none of them told you about it because they knew if they did, it would be public knowledge. Besides, if I had told you about it, what would you have done to help the situation?" Harry demanded.

    "What do you mean if they had told me about it, it would have be public knowledge?" Jade asked, feeling very offended by that.

    Harry took a deep breath, "Do you remember one of the reasons I didn''t want to get involved with you?" Harry asked, and she sat up, wondering what that had to do with her question.

    "Other than the fact that you didn''t think I was interested in you?" Jade asked with a frown.

    "My friendship with your brother. I told you before, and I''m going to say it again. I don''t want our rtionship to affect my friendship with Tom or vice versa. I love you as my girlfriend, and I cherish Tom as my best friend. I would like to keep my rtionship with you both separate. Thest thing I would want is for us to have issues over my loyalty to Tom. Don''t expect me to share the personal details of his life, which he told me in confidence. Tom''s business is his business, and our business is ours."

    "Alright. Fine. Make sure you don''t get mad when I keep stuff about Candace away from you, too," She warned.

    "That''s fine by me."

    "That''s fine by me, too," Jade hissed, and his lips twitched.

    "Esquire, I''m sorry if I sounded harsh, but I just had to tell you the truth. I really think you need to stop being so interested in other people''s business. It''s this same trait in your mom that has caused all this mess tonight," Harry said, and Jade sighed.

    "Fine. I won''t ask you any personal stuff rting to Tom and Lucy anymore," Jade said grudgingly, and Harry smiled.

    "And you won''t pry or interfere in issues that concern the others as well unless you are called upon, right?" Harry asked, and Jade scowled.

    "Well, I don''t think the others mind��"

    "C''mon, sugar," Harry coaxed.

    "How can I not interfere? What''s the point in having family and friends if I can''t be involved in their personal life and business? It''s boring," Jadeined, and Harry smiled.

    "It''s not boring. It is called respecting boundaries. You should only interfere in people''s business when you are asked to get involved. Every human rtionship needs healthy boundaries, esquire. And you need to start having your own boundaries, too," Harry said patiently, like he was talking to a kid.

    "So, we can''t gossip about our family and friends as normal couples do?" Jade asked with a frown.

    "Sure, we can, only on issues that concern us. We can''t pry into their business," Harry said, and Jade sighed.

    "I didn''t bargain to make so many changes when I decided to date you," Jade said, and Harry chuckled.

    "I will never ask you to make any character adjustment that isn''t for your own good, sugar. I don''t want Lucy or anyone else speaking harshly to you again because of this," Harry said, and Jade sighed.

    "Alright. Fine. I will try. But you also need to work on being less blunt and harsh. I''m your girlfriend, for crying out loud. You should do your best to be romantic and talk sweetly to me even when I''m upset or being unreasonable instead of leaving the way you did earlier," Jade said, and Harry smiled.

    "Alright. I promise to work on it. I''m sorry I hurt your feelings. It wasn''t my intention. I love you too much to ever want to deliberately hurt your feelings," He said, and Jade smiled.

    "Alright. I''ve heard you. I''m sorry for adding to your stress as well. I should let you go to bed now. I have to give my mom a call before she goes to bed."

    "Alright, love. Sleep well when you do. I love you," Harry said, and she smiled.

    "I love you more. Make sure you go to bed now and don''t open your eyes until morning. Sleep as much as you can and get rid of all that stress, okay?" Jade said, making him chuckle.

    "Yes, mdy. Goodnight," Harry said before hanging up.

    Jade smiled, d that her conversation with Harry had ended well, and then she rose and braced herself as she dialed her mom''s line.

    The call connected almost immediately, but Evelyn said nothing, making Jade''s brows pull together.

    "Mom?" She called when she heard a sniffle.

    "Are you mad at me too?" Evelyn asked pitifully, making Jade feel sorry for her.

    Jade sighed, "You should have known better than to call Tom and try to me Lucy��"

    "I was only trying to make him see reasons why he should have handled things himself instead of letting Lucy get involved, but he hung up. What did I do that was so wrong? I didn''t ask your grandfather to do such a thing, so why is everyone ming me? Why is no one seeing reasons with me?" Evelyn asked as she broke into a sob.

    "Mom, as much as I feel sorry for you right now, I have to tell you that you brought this upon yourself. You were wrong to make this about Lucy. All you had to do was sincerely apologize for the role you yed, and all would have been forgiven and forgotten. Why did you have to question Tom about letting his girlfriend handle things? Have you considered what would have happened had she broken up with Tom over it, only for them to find out it was all a prank? Do you think Tom would have forgiven you or grandfather?" She asked, and Evelyn sniffled.

    "We were only looking out for him��"

    "That is still not the point! You are missing the point. Right now, it doesn''t matter why grandfather did what he did. The point right now is that you made everything worse. I came back home to see Tom enjoying dinner with Lucy. They both looked happy until you called Tom and ruined his evening. You ruined the evening for all of us, not just for Tom. Why couldn''t you have just called to apologize?" Jade enquired impatiently.

    "I wasn''t thinking straight. I was upset because your father got mad," She said as she sobbed softly.

    It wasn''t every day one received a scolding from her husband and all her kids in one evening.

    "It''s okay. I''m sure Dad will let it go after he cools off. He never stays mad at you��"

    "No, Jade. He''s really mad this time. I''ve never seen him so angry. He raised his voice, and he has locked himself up in the guest room. He had never done that before," Evelyn cried, and Jade sighed.

    "Don''t you think instead of making things worse, you should be doing all you can to resolve things so he can stop being mad? How do you think he is going to feel when he finds out you are ming Lucy instead of taking responsibility for your action?" Jade asked, and Evelyn''s lips wobbled.

    "What should I do? Tom turned off his phone already," Evelyn said, and Jade shook her head.

    It was funny that the only time their mother acted like a clueless child was whenever something involved her husband.

    "I''m sure Lucy''s phone is on. You should call her and apologize to her directly. That way, she can calm Tom on your behalf, and they both can calm Dad on your behalf," Jade suggested.

    "Apologize to her? She knows I med her?" Evelyn asked, feeling a surge of shame at her action.

    "Of course, she does. She was pretty upset earlier and even yelled at Bryan and I when we asked her about not wanting to get married to Tom��"

    "Bryan told her I told him about it?" Evelyn asked in rm.

    "Of course. If you didn''t want him to say it, why did you tell him?" Jade asked and then winced when she remembered what Harry had said about Tom and Lucy keeping things from her so it wouldn''t be public knowledge.

    "I was wrong. I made everything worse," Evelyn said, and Jade smiled.

    "Yes, mom. You were wrong. That''s why Dad always says we are bound to make mistakes whenever we react emotionally to things instead of logically," Jade said, and Evelyn sighed.

    "Thanks, Jade. I will call her now. I hope she doesn''t reject my call," Evelyn said before hanging up.

 Chapter 682 Apology

    ?

    As Lucy walked out of the bedroom, she decided to stop by Jade''s room first since there was every possibility that Jade might not want to speak with her ore out to join them after she had yelled at her that way earlier. She needed to clear the air with Jade.

    She knew that there would be no problem with getting Candace toe out since that was the reason she was here, and she was also sure that Sonia wouldn''t mind them going ahead with their n for the evening since it was for her after all.

    She knocked on Jade''s bedroom door, and Jade, who had just ended her phone call with her mother, opened the door and was a bit taken aback to see Lucy standing there.

    After what had happened earlier, Lucy was thest person she had been expecting to see at her door. Not because she was mad at Lucy but because she thought Lucy was still very mad.

    She knew they shouldn''t have confronted Lucy the way they did. If anything, they should have asked Tom who was their brother instead of asking Lucy about it that way and putting her on the spot.

    "Lucy?" Jade asked, unsure of what to expect from her.

    Was she here to yell some more? Jade mused.

    "I was hoping we could talk. Can Ie in?" Lucy asked uncertainly since she wasn''t sure Jade would want to talk to her.

    "Sure! Come in," Jade said as she made way for Lucy and shut the door behind Lucy after she walked in.

    "Before you say anything, I want you to know that I''m sorry about what happened earlier. You were right and had every reason to be mad. Bryan and I had no right to put you on the spot that way," Jade rushed to say the moment she had shut the door, and Lucy looked at her, slightly taken aback by the apology.

    "I didn''t think you would apologize," Lucy said honestly.

    "What? Why not? I was wrong. I know how to take responsibility and apologize when I''m wrong," Jade said, and Lucy sighed as she sat on the edge of Jade''s bed.

    "I knew you and Bryan were going to eventually find out about it. I just didn''t expect it toe out like that at that moment. I''m sorry, I yelled. I could have made my point without yelling at you both that way," Lucy said, and Jade nodded.

    "Can you forgive my mom? She isn''t usually like this. She is just��"

    "You don''t have to make any excuses for her, Jade. And there is no reason for me not to forgive her either, as long as she learns from this. All I want is for everyone to stop meddling. Meddling creates more problems than it solves," Lucy said, and Jade nodded.

    "Yeah. I get your point," Jade said as she sat down.

    "Will you consider it meddling if I ask why you don''t want to marry Tom?" Jade asked hopefully.

    "That is a personal matter between me and Tom," Lucy said with a small smile, and Jade sighed.

    "Fine. I don''t want to know," Jade said, making Lucy''s lips twitch since she knew that Jade was dying to know.

    "I''m seeing a therapist," Lucy told Jade, wanting to at least share something personal with her. She wanted them to be friends, and she wanted to make an effort, no matter how little it was.

    "Seeing as in dating? Or seeing as in receiving therapy?" Jade asked with a raised brow, making Lucy giggle.

    "How can you ask me that?" Lucy asked, and Jade shrugged.

    "I asked why you didn''t want to marry Tom, and you said that out of the blue. So, I''m trying to connect both. Maybe you don''t want to marry him because you are dating a therapist," Jade said with a silly smile that made Lucyugh.

    "I meant to say I''m receiving therapy."

    "What for? Since when?" Jade asked with a concerned frown, and Lucy shrugged.

    "Why do people go for therapy? I guess I''m yet to entirely heal from my trauma. Last week was my first time," Lucy said, and Jade nodded.

    "Why are you telling me this, though?" Jade asked curiously, and Lucy shrugged.

    "Because it is something I want you to know. I will always tell you the things I think you should know, and in exchange, you have to promise not to pry into my rtionship with Tom��"

    "To be honest with you, Lu, I''m not sure I understand what you all mean by prying and meddling. What is so wrong with asking questions or wanting to know more about what is going on in the life of my loved ones?" Jade asked with a slight frown.

    "Asking questions is not wrong, as long as you drop it when the other person makes it clear they don''t want to talk about it. And you shouldn''t ask questions that make people ufortable. You do that a lot to Candace. There is a very thin line between asking questions and prying. Knowing when not to cross that line is very important," Lucy exined.

    "I see. I guess I tend to pry and interfere a lot, and it has be a habit. So, please don''t be mad when I do it. I would appreciate it if you point it out to me whenever I do so without thinking. That would make me more conscious of it," Jade said, and Lucy nodded.

    "Sure, I will," Lucy said, and before she could speak further, her phone started ringing, and she pursed her lips when she saw that it was a call from Evelyn.

    "Excuse me for a moment. I need to take this call," Lucy said as she rose and quickly walked out of the bedroom.

    She cleared her throat as she received the call and walked down the hall so she could speak freely on the balcony with no one around to eavesdrop on the phone call.

    "Lucy?" Evelyn called tentatively when the call connected.

    "Were you expecting someone else to receive the call?" Lucy asked, mildly amused.

    "I didn''t think you would want to talk to me after what I did," Evelyn exined with a sigh.

    "Well, I received the call mainly because I was curious to know why you were calling. Are you calling to directly put the me on me, or am I to expect an apology from you?" Lucy asked as she opened the door to the balcony and stepped outside.

    "I''m sorry, Lucy. I shouldn''t have done or said all of that. I was wrong to let my emotions get the best of me. Can you find it in you to forgive me?" Evelyn asked, not wanting to make any more excuses.

    Lucy sighed as she sat on one of the seats there, "I will forgive you only if you give me your word that you will never interfere in our rtionship again. I understand that Tom is your beloved son, but he is also a full-grown man, and you need to trust him to make his own life decisions��"

    "I trust him. I swear to God, Lu, I do. I never would have talked to Lawrence had I heard from Tom first or had that conversation with you at the porch the other day. I meant every word I said to you on the porch. I had no idea Lawrence would go this far to prove a point to Tom," Evelyn said, and Lucy sighed.

    "I''m sorry I told Bryan about you not wanting to get married, Lucy. And I''m sorry I put the me on you instead of taking responsibility for my actions," Evelyn said when Lucy remained silent.

    "I forgive you. But this can''t happen again, Evelyn, especially for Tom''s sake. You got him really upset," Lucy said with a frown as she realized that she had been more upset for Tom''s sake.

    "It won''t ever happen again, Lucy. Can you help me plead with Tom to forgive me too? And if possible, call me so I can apologize to him properly as I should have done before," Evelyn asked hopefully.

    "I don''t think he would want to speak with you again tonight. Maybe by morning��"

    "Morning is still a long time away, Lucy. Please help me. I don''t want Desmond to sleep in the guest room tonight," Evelyn pleaded.

    "Alright. I will see what I can do," Lucy said before hanging up.

    Away from there, in Tom''s bedroom, he sat on the balcony as he spoke with his father over the phone.

    "Yes. I was quite surprised when I found out grandfather was behind it too," Tom told his father.

    "You should cut him off. He must think he can do whatever he likes simply because we let him walk in and out of our lives whenever he pleases. I''ve told him to stay away from every one of you!" Desmond said angrily.

    "Please calm down, Dad," Tom said calmly.

    "How can I be calm? Your mom is to me for all of this! If she weren''t always reporting everything about you kids to him, he wouldn''t have pulled such crap! She doesn''t listen. She seems to think she knows it all, now see the mess she has caused," Desmond said, and Tom sighed.

    Tom was sort of d that he did not bother to tell his dad how his mom was pushing the me on Lucy. That would make him even more angry than he already was, and Tom did not want that.

    "I''m sure both Grandpa and Mom have learned their lessons. Please forgive them," Tom said, and Desmond frowned.

    "How do you know they have learned their lessons? They are never going to learn their lessons unless there is a drastic consequence for their actions. Why should you forgive them so easily?" Desmond asked, and Tom smiled.

    "Because you have always taught us that if there is one thing we must never postpone in life, it is forgiveness. Do you remember how you used to make us kiss and makeup whenever we fought as kids? Do you think the magnitude of offence should determine when we offer forgiveness?" Tom asked reasonably and turned when he heard the door open, and Lucy joined him.

    "Is that your dad?" Lucy asked, and Tom gave her a nod while wondering why she had returned to the bedroom. She didn''te to take out the egg, did she?

    "I would love to speak with him too," Lucy said, and Tom ryed the information to Desmond before passing the phone to Lucy.

    "Hello, Desmond!" Lucy greeted him after she had taken the phone.

    "Hello, Lucy! How are you doing? I''m really sorry about everything��"

    "You don''t have to apologize. I''m the one who is sorry for stirring things up the way I did," Lucy cut in.

    "It''s a good thing you did. If you didn''t, everyone would have joked it off, and they wouldn''t have realized the magnitude of damage their interference could have caused," Desmond said, and Lucy nodded in agreement.

    "I''m sure they have learned their lessons. Can we all forgive them now and put this behind us?" Lucy asked hopefully.

    "You can forgive them if you want to. I have to make sure something like this doesn''t repeat itself. I won''t let my wife or father cause such troubles for my kids," Desmond said, still blowing hot.

    "Evelyn is very sorry. She didn''t expect that he would take things that far when sheined to him. Please forgive her," Lucy said, and Tom raised a brow, wondering why Lucy was defending his mom and whether she had spoken to her already.

    "Don''t worry about us. We will resolve things when we will," Desmond assured her.

    "Please, Desmond��"

    "Don''t let it bother you, Lucy. This is not your fault, and it is not for you to fix. Evelyn needs to learn, and I know best how to teach her. I think I''ve let her have her way for too long," Desmond said, and Lucy sighed.

    "Alright. I will give the phone back to Tom now. Goodnight," Lucy said as she returned the phone to Tom.

    Tom said goodnight to his father, and after he ended the call, he looked at Lucy with a slightly raised brow, "Are you done nning with the girls already, or did you change your mind?"

    "Your mom called, so I had to resolve things with her. I wanted to ask you and your dad to forgive her," Lucy said, and Tom looked at her with serious eyes.

    "Did she apologize?" He asked, and Lucy nodded.

    "Yes, she did. I won''t be here pleading on her behalf if she didn''t," Lucy assured him.

    "Have you forgiven her?" Tom asked, and Lucy gave him a nod which made him sigh.

    "I have forgiven her, and you should forgive her. I believe everyone has gotten the message and will think twice before interfering in our rtionship from now on. They must know now that even if you don''t do anything about it, I won''t sit back and tolerate it," Lucy said as she leaned down and kissed his cheek.

    "Alright. I''ve heard you. If you''re okay, then I''m fine too," Tom said, and Lucy smiled.

    "I should get back to gathering the girls now. You can meet us in the Den," Lucy said before walking away.

 Chapter 683 Wedding Planning

    After picking up her pen and journal, Lucy returned to Jade''s bedroom and knocked on the door softly, and once Jade opened it Lucy smiled at her hopefully, "I was hoping we could go ahead with our n for tonight? Candace is leaving by weekend, and since she is here already, we shouldn''t waste the opportunity," Lucy said and Jade nodded in agreement.

    "I don''t mind. But do you think Sonia would want to? She didn''t look too pleased earlier," Jade said, remembering her brief altercation with Sonia.

    "Sure, she will. This is for her after all. I will get the others. You can wait at the Den," Lucy said and Jade shrugged.

    "Alright. See you downstairs in a bit," Jade said before shutting the door as Lucy went to get Candace.

    Candace, whoy on her bed fuming as she wondered what Matt was up to at the moment, looked to the door when she heard the knock. Even though she wasn''t pleased with Matt''s decision toe over here tonight, a part of her wished it was Matt who was at the door.

    Maybe if he apologized for showing up the way he did, they could make up and who knows what else could happen?

    She went to open the door and tried not to show her disappointment when she saw Lucy standing outside her door.

    "Hey," Candace greeted with a surprised smile.

    "I guess I wasn''t the one you were expecting, right?" Lucy asked with a small smile not missing the disappointment in Candace''s eyes.

    "You weren''t, but doesn''t mean I''m not pleased to see you. Are you alright now? Come in," Candace said as she held open the door for Lucy thinking that maybe Lucy needed someone to talk to.

    After Lucy walked in, she shut the door behind her, "I''m okay. I came to inform you that we will all be meeting in the Den to go ahead with the wedding ns. We can''t miss such an opportunity when you came over tonight for it," Lucy said and Candace raised a brow.

    "That''s nice, but are you sure you''re okay with nning a wedding after what happened earlier?" Candace asked and Lucy smiled.

    "I resolved things with Jade already. We shouldn''t let such minor misunderstandings ruin our ns. Tonight is about Sonia not me, so please go down to the Den. I will get Sonia and join you there," Lucy said as she headed for the door.

    "Alright then. I will be down in a jiffy," Candace promised, and Lucy walked away, heading to Sonia and Bryan''s bedroom.

    "Sony?" Lucy called as she knocked on the door and Sonia opened the door almost immediately.

    "What''s wrong? You want toe in?" Sonia asked with a frown, wondering if Lucy had fought with Tom.

    "What could be wrong?" Lucy asked with a smile and then looked past Sonia into the bedroom.

    "Is Bryan not inside?" She asked, wondering why Sonia was asking her toe in.

    Sonia shook her head, "He is probably downstairs with Matt. Why are you here? Did you fight with Tom? Did he overhear all I said?" Sonia asked with concern and Lucy smiled as she walked into the bedroom.

    "Of course, he didn''t. Tom isn''t the type to eavesdrop. I''m sure he opened the door the moment he got there. Anyway, I came to get you so we go down to the Den��"

    "What for?" Sonia asked in confusion.

    "We have a wedding to n, remember? Jade and Candace will be there waiting," Lucy said, and Sonia beamed her a smile.

    "Really? I didn''t think we would make wedding ns after...."

    "It''s your wedding, Sony. There is no way I would let my issues get in the way of our ns," Lucy assured her, and Sonia hugged her.

    "Thank you. Although I''m surprised Jade agreed toe down for it. I thought she would be sulking or mad," Sonia said as she pulled back.

    "I thought she might be too, but I was surprised when she apologized to me," Lucy said and Sonia smiled.

    "That''s nice. I guess Tom scolded her," Sonia said and Lucy shrugged.

    "Maybe. Let''s get going. We don''t want to keep them waiting," Lucy said, and they headed for the door.

    They both walked out of the room to see Candace walking out of her room, so they all walked together.

    The moment they got to the Den, they saw Bryan and Matt seated there already ying PS.

    "Hey, babe!" Bryan called to Sonia as he paused the game, and she went to him.

    "You didn''t tell me you will be down here ying games with Matt," Sonia said with a scowl and Bryan pulled her down on hisp.

    "I thought you''d still be busy with Lucy. And I wasn''t sure if you''d be mad at me or not," Bryan said before ncing at Lucy who was already seated.

    "I''m sorry about earlier, Lucy. I didn''t mean to question you that way," Bryan said, knowing if he resolved things with Lucy, Sonia would be less mad.

    "All is forgiven. I hope you don''t mind releasing your fianc��e to us, we have a wedding to n and we don''t have all night," Lucy said and Bryan grinned.

    "Sure. You can have her. Thanks for not being mad," Bryan told Lucy before looking at Sonia.

    "Since Lucy is not mad, I hope you are not mad at me too? I didn''t take sides with my mom, I promise," Bryan said and Sonia kissed him.

    "I''m not mad. I don''t want us to fight over this anyway," Sonia said and Bryan nodded.

    "Me too. So, why don''t you go and n the wedding with the girls, and we can go up together when you''re done?" Bryan suggested and Sonia nodded as she kissed him again before rising.

    "Sorry you came over when everything is so shitty," Sonia told Matt whose gaze had been fixed on the screen since Candace walked in and he waved it off.

    "It''s fine. Been a while I beat Bryan''s ass anyway," Matt assured her and she smiled as she went to join Lucy and Candace.

    "I hope you don''t rush off in the morning, let''s have breakfast together and chill," Sonia said while Bryan raised a brow.

    "Is Jade not joining you?" He asked, wondering why Jade wasn''t there yet.

    "Why won''t I be joining them?" Jade asked as she walked into the Den with her journal and a pen and went to join thedies.

    "Shouldn''t you guys excuse us? It''s going to be distracting having you in here," Jade said and Bryan shook his head.

    "We were here first. And there''s a lot of other ces you girls can go to," Bryan said and Sonia smiled.

    "I''d rather be here and keep my eyes on him. Besides, I might need his opinion on a couple of things. So it''s good he is here," Sonia said and Bryan blew her a kiss which she returned, before he resumed his game with Matt.

    It didn''t take a genius to know that something was wrong between Candace and Matt seeing how he was not even looking in her direction and she was trying her best to not look affected by it.

    "So, let''s get down to it! What kind of wedding do you want, Sony? Tell us what your dream wedding is, and we will do all we can to make it a reality," Lucy said, jumping right into it since she didn''t want them to waste anymore time. It was gettingte already.

    Sonia pursed her lips as she considered Lucy''a question while Lucy and Jade opened their journals to write.

    "Wait, why am I the only one who didn''te with a jotter and pen?" Candace asked as she looked from Lucy to journal, "Lucy you didn''t say anything about jotting down stuff," Candace said, making the rest of them giggle.

    "I''m not with a jotter myself," Sonia pointed out.

    "You are the bride. You don''t count. We do the nning while you rx," Candace said dismissively.

    "Goes to show you are not organized," Jade said with a sweet smile that made Candace scowl at her.

    "I don''t think I can stand having you as a sister-inw. I should probably hook Harry up��"

    "You wouldn''t dare," Jade growled, making themugh.

    Lucy pped to get them back to focus, "We don''t have all night,dies. And Candace, it''s notpulsory you jot anything down. Jade and I will have that covered," Lucy said kindly.

    "Sure. Thanks," Candace said with a nod.

    "Sony?" Lucy called, reminding her that she was yet to answer her question.

    "I think it''s best you ask me specific questions," Sonia said and Lucy nodded.

    "Alright, first of all do you want a big wedding or something intimate?" Lucy asked, and Sonia turned to ask Bryan but before she could, Jade stopped her.

    "Let''s know what you want first. You are the bride," Jade said, and Sonia shrugged.

    "I think I would prefer an intimate wedding. It''s not like I have lots of people I would want to invite anyway. I don''t know about Bryan. He might want his celebrity friends to be present," Sonia said reasonably.

    "Bryan, do you want a big wedding party or something intimate?" Jade called out to Bryan.

    "Whatever Sonia wants is fine by me as long as I''m not expected to show up in a pink Tuxedo," Bryan said making themugh.

    "Intimate wedding it is then. We will work on the guest listter," Jade said as both her and Lucy jotted it down.

    Candace couldn''t help but steal nces at Matt. She had noticed that he hadn''t bothered to spare her a nce since she walked into the den, and it was agitating her.

    How could he say he was here to spend time with her when he had his eyes glued to the stupid game he was ying? She mused irritably as she tried not to let her annoyance show.

    From there they moved to other aspects of their n, talking about vendors andpanies to patronize.

    "I''ve received a couple of messages from various vendors on Instagram, begging to offer their services for the wedding. How about we check them out? If they''re not good enough, we could look elsewhere," Sonia suggested.

    "That''s a nice idea. Let''s see what they got," Lucy said, and they all gathered around Sonia.

    "Why don''t we connect Sonia''s phone to the television instead of crowding Sonia this way," Candace suggested not only because it would be easier to view the screen that way, but so that Matt would stop ying the stupid game.

    "But the guys��" before Lucy could protest on behalf of Bryan and Matt, Jade walked over to where the guys were and picked up the remote control of the television.

    "Sorry guys. Some things are more important than others, and right now we need to make use of the television," Jade said and without waiting for them to protest she switched the channel so that Sonia could cast her phone to the tv.

    "So, what are we supposed to do now?" Bryan asked with a scowl.

    "Sit with us and share your opinion since it''s our wedding," Sonia said sweetly as she connected her phone to the tv.

    "Yes. You too, Matt, since I''m sure you''re going to be Bryan''s best man," Jade said so that Matt wouldn''t leave.

    "It was a good idea to connect the phone to the... ahh!" Lucy gasped when she suddenly felt the vibration between her thighs.

    "What? Are you okay?" Sonia asked as all eyes turned to Lucy with concern.

    Lucy tried not to blush or look embarassed as she nodded. "Yeah, I''m alright," she said as she crossed her legs and while the others focused on the screen she looked at the door in time to see Tom who was grinning at her.

    "What took you so long?" She asked, making the others look at Tom as he strolled into the Den.

    "Missed me? I had to give Harry a call considering how I left him earlier," Tom exined as he looked around and then looked at the screen.

    "How are the nsing along?" He asked as he sat with Bryan and Matt.

    All the others looked at Tom, surprised that he didn''t sound any bit upset as he had sounded earlier. He sounded normal like his usual self.

    If anyone had taken a closer look they would have realized that he was even looking happy now. Happier than he had been before the whole family drama started.

    "Everything is under control," Jade informed him and they all returned their gaze to the screen.

    While the others fixed their gaze on the screen and were busy talking about whether or not to patronize one of the vendors, Tom''s gaze was fixed on Lucy.

    From the way she sat, he could tell she was bracing herself for the next vibration so he rxed as he watched her, enjoying himself.

    Each time she nced at him, he winked at her and she smiled as she returned her gaze to the screen.

    When he was sure she was distracted enough and was in the middle of an argument with Jade over why one vendor was better than the other, he discreetly pressed the button again.

    "C''mon, Jade! Take a look at ahhh!" Lucy eximed as she shot out of her seat and Tom strangled a chuckle as everyone looked at her again.

    "Are you alright, Jewel?" Tom asked before anyone else could, and as Lucy opened her mouth to speak Tom pressed the plus button increasing the vibration frequency.

    "Babe?" Tom asked when Lucy closed her eyes as she tried not to moan.

    To the others, Tom sounded worried and concerned, but Lucy could hear theughter in his voice.

    Why was he not turning off the vibrator already? Did he n to make her orgasm right here under the watchful gaze of everyone? Lucy thought as she choked on a moan.

    Seeing how Tom was still seated and watching Lucy who was bent forward with her eyes shut, Sonia put two and two together and an amused smile twitched her lips when she realized what was happening.

    "I don''t think Lucy is feeling well. Maybe we should continueter. Tom, maybe you should take her upstairs," Candace suggested as she went to stand beside Lucy and patted Lucy''s back which was trembling.

    Lucy gritted her teeth as she looked up, not minding that her face was red, "I''m alright. I can manage," she assured them breathlessly as she held Tom''s gaze.

    Tom, who was struggling not to smile, pressed the power button on the vibrator so she could catch her breath.

    "Are you sure you''re alright? We can go upstairs��"

    "Ye--s. I''m fine," Lucy said with a sigh, determined not to give in so easily, even though she knew she was horny as hell and the tingling in her clit was not going to stop anytime soon.

    She was soaking wet down there, and any slight movement caused her clit to tingle.

    She sat down and crossed her legs tightly together while Tom licked his teeth as he watched her, "I''m sorry for the interruption. So, as we were saying... ohhh!" She rose abruptly when Tom discreetly pressed the button again while trying not tough.

    "Jade, please continue. I need to use the restroom," She said as she hurriedly left the Den and Tom rose with his hands tucked in his pocket.

    "I should go check on her," he said with a straight face before walking away.

    Immediately they left, Sonia, Bryan and Matt who had caught on to what was going on with Lucy burst into peal ofughter while Candace and Jade looked at them, wondering what was amusing about Lucy''s difort.

    "What is funny?" Jade asked in confusion.

    "I don''t think Lucy will being back any time soon. Let''s just continue with the meeting some other time when she doesn''t have to use the restroom," Sonia said with a grin.

 Chapter 684 Not A Sex Robot

    ?

    Tom kept grinning to himself as he slowly made his way to the bedroom to join Lucy.

    He wasn''t in a hurry. She had asked for it, and she had gotten exactly what she asked for, he thought with a chuckle.

    The moment he walked into the bedroom, Lucy who had taken off her clothes already leaving only her pant on, shut the door behind him and pounced on him as she snuffed out his chuckle with her lips.

    Although Tom was already very aroused merely by watching her reaction earlier, but seeing how she was naked and in a hurry to the extent of ripping his pyjamas shirt, he became even more aroused.

    With their lips still locked, he reached for the waistband of her pant and he groaned when he touched just how wet she was as he took out the egg.

    "Lucy��"

    "Shut up, and fuck me," Lucy ordered against his lips as she pulled his trousers and briefs down his thighs so that his erection pped her abdomen.

    As Tom stepped out of his clothes and let the egg fall to the ground, Lucy took off her pant, and without wasting another moment he lifted her off her feet and as her legs came around his waist, he thrust into her making her moan loudly as she buried her face in his neck and bit him.

    "Go faster, Tom," she breathed urgently as she tried to rock against him while kissing his ears.

    Tom turned around so that her back was pressed against the door as he pumped in and out of her while his hands kneaded her ass.

    Tom''s blood was pounding in his ears as he rammed in and out of her. The deeper his thrusts the louder her cries of harder and faster.

    As much as he worried for her that the others might hear her voice, she didn''t care since she had decided to throw caution to the wind the moment she suggested they use the egg.

    It didn''t take long before Lucy''s body began to spasm as she climaxed, and Tom kept thrusting in and out as she cried out loud following the waves of passion coursing through her body.

    Tom pulled out of her as usual as he ejacted, and adjusted her so that his cock would be between them, and the sperm wouldn''t fall on the ground but would rather stain them both.

    Seeing how she was yet to stop shaking, he carried her in his arms as he headed for the bathroom.

    Once Lucy was stable, she giggled as Tom set her on her feet, "That was crazy," she said making him chuckle.

    "The sex or the episode in the Den?" Tom asked with a grin.

    "Both. Do you think they caught on?" Lucy asked, and Tomughed softly when he saw the blush on her cheeks.

    "It''s toote to feel embarassed. I''m sure one or two person must have guessed what was happening. And even if they didn''t, the way you were screaming a short while ago is enough to tell them you weren''t exactly using the restroom," Tom said and sheughed in embarrassment.

    "Well, it''s not like I''m the first person to do any of this, anyway. And there''s no kid in the house. They are all adults so they should deal with it," she said, putting up a brave front.

    "Yeah. They should deal with it," Tom said as he kissed her cheek.

    Lucy looked down at the sperm which was smeared on her pelvis and part of her abdomen and then she looked up at Tom with a mischievous smile.

    "You crushed little Toms all over me," she said jokingly and Tom looked at her for a moment before doubling over withughter when he got what she meant.

    "They would swim inside you if you wanted them," he joked both, keeping his tone light.

    "Yeah, right," Lucy said with a grin as she turned on the shower, "Let''s freshen up and go to bed. It''s been a long day," she said and Tom smiled as he joined her.

    He was hopeful. Very hopeful that some day Lucy would carry his babies. Their babies, inside her.

    Long after everyone else had gone to bed, Candace remained awake in her bedroom, pacing to and fro as she wondered why Matt was yet to text or call her or even make any attempt toe into her bedroom.

    She had left the door slightly open aftering upstairs earlier, but the longer she waited for him to show up, the more restless and impatient she became.

    Why was he noting? Was he mad at her? Was that why he had ignored her all evening and not said a word to her since their exchange?

    She had wanted to assume he had deliberately ignored her because he didn''t want to give the others any reason to talk about them or look at them with interest, but it was past midnight now and everyone was in their bedrooms, so what was keeping him?

    Maybe she had been a bit too harsh, but what did he expect when he chose to spring such a surprise on her? She mused as she bit her lower lip.

    Or maybe he was noting to her because did not know which of the bedrooms was hers? That had to be it, Candace decided as she went to look at her reflection in the memory, making up her mind to go to him since she knew his bedroom.

    Looking at her reflection in the mirror, she wished she had know Matt would be there and had chosen a sexier nightie instead of the in pajamas she was wearing.

    She added a little color to her lips and ran her fingers through her hair to make it look a bit tousled.

    Once she was certain she looked okay, she headed for the door deciding that if anyone saw her she was just going to tell them she was going to get herself a ss of water or something.

    Never mind the glossiness of her lips. She loved to sleep with a bit of makeup on.

    Picking up her phone, she opened her door quietly and stepped into the hallway. Thest thing she wanted was to knock on Matt''s door and alert the others that something was happening.

    Once she got to Matt''s door, she texted him, [Hey! I''m at standing outside your door. Open up.]

    She waited for a while and when she didn''t hear any movement inside the bedroom and neither did she receive a text, she frowned.

    Was he ignoring her or what? She mused as she turned the knob, hoping he hadn''t locked it from inside.

    Thankfully, the door opened and she walked into the dimly lit bedroom. Candace''s mouth hung open in disbelief when she saw him sprawled on the bed sound asleep and snoring softly.

    He had been sleeping? Matt had been asleep while she was busy waiting for him to show up in her bedroom? She thought with annoyance as she shut the door behind her.

    She went over to where hey and pulled the duvet off him in annoyance, rousing him from sleep.

    "Candace?" Matt asked in confusion as he sat up and turned on his bedsidemp.

    "I can''t believe you are sleeping," she hissed at him irritably trying to keep her voice low.

    "Why? Is something wrong?" He asked as he rubbed his eyes, not understanding what she was doing in his bedroom or why she seemed so upset.

    "Didn''t you im you came here because you wanted to see me?" She asked in disbelief.

    "That was until you made it clear you didn''t want to see me," Matt said as he adjusted his pillows behind him and sat up so he was facing her.

    Now that he was no longer feeling sleepy, he could see her clearly, and his annoyance at how she had spoken to him earlier had returned.

    "So you decided to go to sleep without talking to me? I can''t believe you could sleep so soundly," she said as she looked down at him.

    Matt drew a deep breath as he stared at her with hard eyes, "Make up your mind, Candace. It''s either you want me in your life or you don''t. I came here to see you and you made it clear you were not happy with my decision. I see no reason you are sneaking around in the middle of the night to my bedroom and getting mad about me being asleep. As cute as these sneaky meetings are, they''re childish and getting tiring," Matt said irritably, and Candace drew back.

    "So, what are you trying to say?" She asked, feeling like an idiot foring to his bedroom.

    "I''m saying you should make up your mind on what you want. I won''te and go as you please. I''m not your sex robot, I''m your lover. I''m not going to let you keep treating me like sex is the only thing I''m good enough for," Matt said and Candace frowned.

    "I never said you were my sex robot and I''ve never treated you that way," she said defensively.

    "Really? Maybe you just don''t know how to treat a lover then. You said some stuff earlier that I do not appreciate��"

    "What did I say?" Candace cut in.

    "I''m not going to go into that. You can return to your bedroom and try to remember every word you said to me earlier. If you don''t mind, I''d love to go back to sleep," Matt said, and Candace felt her heart break.

    "Are you asking me to leave?" She asked, and Matt nodded.

    "Yes. I want you to leave. I don''t want to be�� what did you call it earlier? Impulsive. Yes. I don''t want to act impulsively anymore around you. How do you expect to exin being in my bedroom at this time of the night if someone sees you? You want me to stay put and for things to remain private. I got it. I will do so going forward. Youined that they found out about us because I kept asking to see you every day. Well, guess what? You don''t have toe by to my ce tomorrow. I''m leaving Ludus tomorrow. So, you got your wish��."

    "You are leaving Ludus tomorrow?" Candace asked in disbelief.

    She had thought they still had a couple of days together before she had to leave during the weekend.

    "How does it feel hearing it from me this way?" Matt asked and Candace red at him.

    "When were you going to tell me you were leaving tomorrow?" She asked, ignoring what he had said.

    "You don''t have to know. You can''t eat your cake and have it, Candace. I hope you have a safe trip when you go back to Sogal. Give me a call when you have made up your mind on whether or not you want me in your life," Matt said, and tears stung Candace''s eyes as she looked at him.

    "You said you were going to wait��"

    "Yes! I said that, and I meant every word of it. I am willing to wait for you to make up your mind ande around to wanting a real public rtionship with me, but that doesn''t mean I will put up with you throwing my love in my face every damned time or being treated like a sex robot without emotions when we are alone. I''m not asking to announce to everyone that we are doing anything. You can act aloof all you want when we are with others, but you should at least acknowledge my love and feelings for you. How can I be the only one who is considerate towards you and you are not willing to think about me? Am I asking for too much?" Matt asked, and Candace took a deep breath.

    "So, what are you saying? Are you implying that we end things between us?" Candace asked and Matt dragged his fingers through his hair.

    "I''m asking you to think about all I''ve said and let me know whether we are going to move forward or end things," Matt said, and Candace held his gaze for a moment.

    "Have a safe trip when you leave," Candace said before walking out of the bedroom.

    Matt sighed as the door shut behind her and he shook off the feeling of guilt that came over him because of how he had spoken to her.

    He wasn''t going to feel bad. He was doing the right thing both for himself and for her.

 Chapter 685 Because I Love You

    ?

    The moment Lucy opened her eyes, she smiled when she saw Tom staring at her with a wide smile.

    "Why do you always do that?" She asked as she turned away from him so he wouldn''t perceive her morning breath.

    "I''ve told you it''s my favorite way to begin my day. No matter the number of times I see your face in the morning, you look more beautiful each day," Tom said, and she giggled as she tried to sit up when he plucked her nipple.

    "I guess you slept well," Lucy said as she folded her hands in front of her to shield her boobs while looking at him.

    She noted that unlike the previous day and the couple of days since he got back from his trip, he looked more rxed now and well-rested.

    "Yeah, I did. Did you?" Tom asked, and Lucy gave him a nod.

    "I dreamt of the kid. Dawn," Lucy said with a yawn as she stretched out.

    "You dreamt of a kid you have not seen and not me who slept beside you?" Tom asked with a mock scowl.

    "Of course, you were in the dream too," Lucy assured him, not bothering to tell him that in her dream, they were married, and Dawn was their daughter.

    That would sound so ridiculous, especially considering the fact that Dawn was not even his child, to begin with.

    "Well, it''s funny that I dreamt of the kid too," Tom said with a sigh, and Lucy raised a brow.

    "What was the dream about?" She asked with interest, and Tom shrugged.

    "She was visiting. I guess this whole stuff got to us too much," Tom said, and Lucy nodded.

    "Yeah, it did. I wonder if your parents made upst night," Lucy said thoughtfully.

    "Don''t worry about them. Let them handle their issue themselves. I don''t want to think aboutst night," Tom said, and Lucy raised a brow.

    "Are you sure you don''t want to think aboutst night? Is there no part of it you want to remember?" She asked suggestively, and Tom chuckled.

    "You know that''s not what I meant. When next would you like to give it a try?" Tom asked, and Lucy giggled.

    "I need to work on my self-control first," she said as she got off the bed.

    "It''s not fun if you are able to control yourself. I liked how you kept ahhing," Tom said with a chuckle, and Lucy giggled.

    "Yeah, you liked it because you won''t be the one to face the others. Perhaps we should find a simr toy for you. Let''s see how well you will like it then," Lucy said as she walked over to the dressing table, not minding that she waspletely naked.

    She turned to look at Tom when she noticed how silent he was and giggled when she saw that he was trying to sneak up on her.

    "We should get ready for work. Today is the show day," she said, reminding Tom about Eric''s show with Rebekah.

    "Yeah. I also spoke with Barry and Ericst night before joining you at the Den. Everything is in ce for today," Tom said as he stood behind her and grabbed her boobs from behind so they were staring at their naked forms.

    Lucy''s nipples hardened involuntarily when she felt his erection poke into her back, and she moaned softly as Tom''s thumb yed with her nipples.

    "You are turning me into something I don''t recognize," she said as she leaned against him and shut her eyes.

    "Open your eyes and look into the mirror," Tom urged her softly as his other hand slowly caressed all the way down from her boobs to her abdomen, down to the spot between her thighs.

    Lucy opened her gray eyes, which were heavy with desire already, and her breath quickened as she watched Tom in the mirror. Lucy could feel herself getting well already as she held his gaze.

    "See how good we look together?" Tom whispered in a husky voice as he hunched a bit so that his lips were at the same level as her ear.

    "Don''t we look good together?" Tom asked, urging her to answer his question as his finger made contact with her clit, and she gasped softly.

    "We do," she said breathlessly.

    "Have you ever imagined what our kids would look like?" Tom asked as he slipped two fingers inside her already juicy slit, and Lucy moaned as she arched her back to give him ess.

    "Have you?" He asked as he kissed her nape.

    "Yes," Lucy moaned as she tried to turn to face him, but he held her in ce as he continued thrusting in and out of her with his fingers.

    "Look at me, Jewel. We are having a conversation," Tom whispered as he licked her ear, and Lucy''s legs trembled.

    "How am I supposed to think?" Lucy struggled to ask past the fog of lust that had settled on her brain.

    "I don''t want either of us to think. We think too much. I like this conversation this way," Tom said as he rubbed his cock against her, and Lucy moaned as she rubbed back against him.

    "You''ve imagined what our kids would look like?" He asked again, and she gave him a nod, unable to speak.

    "Did you like what you saw?" He asked as he thrust in deeper with his fingers bent upward so he could locate her G-spot.

    "Yeaaah," Lucy cried as he made ae gesture inside her.

    "So, why do you want to deprive us both of that?" He asked as his other hand went to work on her clit while he kept thrusting inside her with his other fingers.

    "Tom..." Lucy cried as her legs began to shake.

    "Tell me why, Jewel," Tom said as he held her gaze and watched as she slowly toppled over the edge of pleasure with a loud cry.

    As her whole body trembled with the force of her orgasm, Tom slipped his fingers out of her and bent her over so that her elbows rested on the dressing table as he thrust into her from behind.

    Lucy cried out loudly as she felt him thrust into her, and it was obvious he was not making love to her this time. They were fucking, and she loved every bit of it.

    It didn''t take long before she felt another orgasm rack through her body, and as she came, Tom pulled out of her as he also ejacted, letting the sperm spill on her ass.

    Tom leaned over her body as they both panted hard, trying to catch their breath and once they did, Lucy looked at Tom.

    "What was that about?" She asked, and Tom grinned.

    "Wanted us to start the day on a sexy note," he said with a wink.

    "I mean the questions," Lucy said, and Tom shrugged as he kissed her shoulder and stepped away.

    "Giving you something to think about. You did say you''d think about it yesterday. Just reminding you not to forget to think about it," Tom said casually, even though it was a topic he really wanted them to have.

    Now that he knew she was gradually changing her mind about getting married to him, he wanted to know if that also applied to having kids with him or if she had been joking.

    Lucy turned to face him, "I see," she said as she watched him.

    "What do you see?" Tom asked, and she shrugged.

    "I will think about it, okay?" She said, but Tom eyed her doubtfully.

    "For real?" He asked, and she nodded.

    "Yeah. Let''s not talk about it now, okay? We agreed not to have this discussion until next year, remember?" Lucy said, and Tom nodded.

    "Yeah, we did. Sorry. Just wanted to make sure I got a favorable response when the timees," Tom said, and Lucy smiled.

    "I guess this whole stuff has increased your longing for a child," she joked.

    "Not just any child. A love child with you. I''ve always longed for that," Tom said, and Lucy raised a brow.

    "A love child? Doesn''t that mean a child born to parents who are not married?" She asked, and Tom frowned.

    "Well, since you wouldn''t marry me, I''ve decided to settle for that, at least that," Tom said, and she scowled.

    "Let''s get ready for work so we don''t runte," Lucy said, changing the topic since she didn''t want to have to tell him all she was thinking now until she was entirely sure.

    She red at Tom when she felt his sperm dripping down her ass, "Why did you do that?" She asked as she tried to turn around to look at it.

    "We are going to shower anyway. It''s easier to wash it off you than to clean the ground or leave it to the cleaner," Tom said with a wink and whistled happily as he headed for the bathroom, leaving her to follow him.

    Even though she was not saying the exact words he wanted to hear yet, it was apparent that she was gradually getting there. That was all that mattered. A year, two years, he could give her all that to make up her mind as long as it yielded the desired result.

    "What about Sara? How much longer before she is taken care of?" Lucy asked as she walked into the bathroom, where Tom was already pressing the toothpaste onto their toothbrushes.

    "Your stic aunt, you mean?" Tom asked with a taunting smile, and Lucy giggled.

    "Your best friend''s mom," Lucy said, and Tom chuckled as he watched her sit on the toilet seat to ease herself.

    "Soon enough. Harry wants to be done with her as quickly as he can," Tom said as he began to brush his teeth.

    "Yeah, I got that from the way he spoke about herst night," Lucy said as she eased herself, and she blushed in embarrassment when she farted in the process.

    "You are so cute," Tom said with a chuckle as she cleaned up and rose to join him after flushing the toilet.

    "You are probably the only guy on the who thinks watching his girlfriend fart is cute," Lucy said dryly as she took her toothbrush from him and started brushing too.

    "Maybe I think so because you''re the only girl on the who looks cute when she farts. We would never know if other girls look cute because I don''t care about them. I only have my eyes on you," Tom said, and Lucy rolled her eyes as she giggled.

    "After we''ve taken care of everything and Harry is back from his vacation, you should apply for leave so we can go on one too," Tom suggested, and Lucy raised a brow.

    "Where would you want to go?" She asked, and he shrugged.

    "Any ce of your choice. Somewhere romantic where I can make love to you under the sunset or at a private beachfront..." Tom said as he trailed a finger down her back, and Lucy giggled.

    "Keep doing that, and you are going to turn me into a sex maniac," Lucy threatened.

    "Wouldn''t be a bad idea. We need to catch up on all the years of sex you missed," Tom said with a wink, and she giggled.

    "That''s very thoughtful of you. For now, let''s just hurry up and get out of the house before the others wake up. I am not ready to face any of them on our way out," Lucy said, and Tom grinned as he cleaned his toothbrush and reced it on the stand.

    He had no doubt that he was going to have a beautiful day today. And even if anything happened to try to upset him, all he would need to do was remember how he had started the day with his Jewel.

    "Why are you smiling to yourself?" Lucy asked, and Tom grinned.

    "Because I love you."

 Chapter 686 Torch

    ?

    Jade was woken up by Harry''s phone call, and she smiled as she received the call and heard Harry''s voice.

    "Good morning, beautiful.''

    "Good morning, handsome," she greeted with a yawn.

    "You''re still in bed? I thought you''d be up and bubbling with excitement ready to go kick ass,," Harry said and Jade giggled.

    "I decided to enjoy my sleep first. The show won''t be on until 10 A.M., so there is still enough time to bubble with excitement," Jade said and Harry smiled as he sipped from his mug of coffee.

    "Everything is set then, I suppose?" He asked, and listened as she made some funny sounds while stretching.

    "Sure. Did you sleep well?" Jade asked as she got out of bed.

    "Yeah. I did. You?" He asked and she scowled.

    "I would have slept better if you were beside me," she said and Harry chuckled.

    "Make no mistake, esquire. You wouldn''t have had much of a sleep if you were on the same bed with me," Harry said, and Jade grinned.

    "Really? What would we have been doing then?" She asked in a flirty tone and Harry chuckled.

    "You will find out when the timees," Harry said and Jade scowled.

    "You''re not fun," sheined with a pout.

    "So, you''ve told me. I''m still boring old uncle Harry, remember?" He asked, and she giggled.

    "I thought you were over that already," she said in amusement, thinking how it seemed like ages ago since she called him boring.

    "How can I be over it when you reminded me just now?" He asked dryly.

    "Anyway, I apologized to Lucyst night," Jade said, and Harry raised a brow.

    "You did?" He asked, since he had not expected that.

    "Yeah. I was going to do so in the morning but she came over to my bedroom so we talked a bit," Jade exined the details of her conversation with Lucy.

    "That''s sweet of you, esquire. I''m very pleased with you. I should reward you. Tell me what you want," he said, and Jade smiled, feeling like a little girl.

    "Anything?" Jade asked, and Harry chuckled when he heard the excitement in her voice.

    "Sure," he said and Jade grinned.

    "Can I spend the weekend with you after your family leaves?" She asked hopefully, and Harry chuckled.

    Why was he not surprised, "The weekend? You don''t want me to get you something?" He asked and she shook her head.

    "No. I just want to have a normal weekend alone with my boyfriend in his apartment," Jade said and Harry smiled.

    "Sure. We can do that," Harry said, and chuckled when he heard her screech happily.

    "Really? We can?" Jade asked making himugh.

    "I don''t see why not. It''s just for the weekend. You''re not moving in. And mind you, this doesn''t mean I will make love to you or..."

    "Don''t say something you might have to take back or regret, baby," Jade cut in, thinking about all the sexy clothes and undies she was going to take with her for the weekend. She nned to make it very hard for him to resist her.

    Who cared the number ofdies he had resisted in the past? She was Jade Hank, his girlfriend. Thosedies had meant nothing to him, but she was his girlfriend and she knew without a doubt that she would find a way to crack him.

    Even though Harry was not there with her he could imagine all that was running through her mind already, and it made him want to take back what he had said about letting her spend the weekend alone with him.

    Could he really resist her if she came to spend the weekend with him, prepared?

    "You have to y fair, esquire..."

    "All is fair in love and war, darling," Jade drawled dramatically, giddy with excitement now that she could tell he wasn''t so confident.

    Harry sighed, "Alright. I need to get ready for work now. I love you. Have a beautiful day, and don''t hesitate to give me a call or text whenever you can. I will do the same," Harry promised.

    "I love you more. Muahh!" Jade blew a kiss into the speaker before hanging up.

    Now that she had started the day on such a pleasant note with Harry, she was ready to step out.

    First she needed her morning dose of coffee, she thought as she walked into the bathroom to brush her teeth and when she was done, she decided to check in on Candace if she was awake so they could go downstairs together.

    Once she knocked on Candace''s door, it didn''t take long before Candace opened the door, and she raised a brow when she noticed Candace''s disheveled appearance.

    She didn''t look like she had slept well, and her eyes were sort of red around the edges.

    This was not what she had expected when she knocked on Candace''s door. Although she had thought Candace might still be in bed because she was too tired from all the sexercise with Matt over the night.

    She had expected a flushed and gleaming-eyed Candace glowing from the after effect of a night well spent in the arms of Matt, not this.

    "Are you okay?" Jade asked with concern.

    "Yeah. Good morning," Candace said, and even though Jade wanted to probe some more, she held herself from doing that.

    "Want to sleep some more or are you up for breakfast? You areing with me to the show remember?" Jade said, and Candace sighed.

    "Give me a couple of minutes to freshen up and I will join you," Candace said as she turned to return into her bedroom and Jade followed her inside.

    "Are you feeling sick?" Jade asked and Candace shook her head.

    "No. I couldn''t sleep much. I spent the night binge watching a movie on Netflix," Candace said as she walked into the bathroom while Jade sat on the bed.

    "I thought you would spend the night with Matt. Are you both really not talking?" Jade asked despite her decision not to pry.

    "Yeah. We are not talking," Candace said tly as she busied with brushing her teeth and washing her face.

    The exchange with Matt had disturbed and upset her a lot to the point that she had been unable to go to sleep.

    "Do you want to talk about it?" Jade asked, and Candace turned to look at her in disbelief.

    "Am I dreaming or is Jade Hank really asking me such a question?" Candace asked, and Jade giggled.

    "Don''t sound so shocked. I''m learning not to pry or meddle anymore. So? Do you want to talk about it or not?" She asked and Candace raised a brow.

    "Will you let me be if I say I don''t want to talk about it?" Candace asked and Jade shrugged.

    "Sure. It will be hard, but I will drop it," she promised.

    "Good. I don''t want to talk about it. Thanks for asking though," Candace said and Jade sighed.

    "This is so boring," sheined with a pout and Candace giggled.

    "Keep practicing. You will get used to minding your business soon enough. I''m ready. Let''s go downstairs," Candace said and they both walked out of the bedroom together.

    "Last night was funny though. I googled the vibrator stuff. Can''t believe Tom and Lucy did that. I''m surprised you didn''t figure it out like the others," Jade said, and Candace giggled.

    "If it were someone else I would have easily suspected that was what was happening, but because it was Lucy I just didn''t think in that direction. I wonder whose idea it was. Must be Tom''s. Lucy is much too reserved to want to do something like that," Candace said and Jade had to agree.

    Lucy did not seem like the type who would want to experience such pleasure in public.

    "They must have had a really nice time afterwards," Jade said with a giggle.

    "They definitely did," Candace said, and Jade smiled thoughtfully.

    "I wonder what Harry would think about me owning a vibrator," Jade said as she imagined teasing Harry with it.

    "If he is as old-fashioned as you im he might not like the idea. Some guys hate the thought of sharing their partners with anything else. It''s like saying he isn''t doing a good job," Candace said and Jade smiled.

    She was just going to take one to Harry''s ce for the weekend. It was either he did the job or watch her use the vibrator to get the job done.

    "Have you ever used one? A vibrator?" Jade asked curiously and Candace giggled.

    "Yeah. Until Jamal somehow discovered it one day and we had to tell him it was a torch which had gone bad, and I disposed it in front of him," Candace said and Jade doubled over withughter.

    "A torch? Seriously?" Jade asked as they both walked down the stairs.

    "What other exnation could we give to him? I was too flustered by the sight of him holding it up and wanting to put it in his mouth..."

    "In his mouth? Oh, my God! Where did he even find it?" Jade asked, unable to control herughter.

    "I was using it, and when I heard him approaching the room I quickly took it out and left it under my pillow to attend to him. I guess I forgot all about it because the next time I saw it, it was in his hands," Candace said and Jade hooted withughter.

    "Oh, my God! That''s so funny!"

    "Thankfully Andy was quick to snatch it from him. You had to see how serious she looked as she told him how dangerous it was for kids to y with spoilt torches," Candace said with a grin.

    "And he bought that?" Jade asked in amusement.

    "Why not? He was just five years old. And I''m sure he would buy it even now. He even asked us to get a simr torch so he would see how it works," Candace said and Jade giggled.

    "I can''t imagine what he would think of you when he grows up and find out what that was," Jade said as they got to the dining.

    "I pray he never remembers," Candace said as she sat down while Samantha came to join them.

    "Ready for breakfast or you just want coffee? I had a hard time convincing Matt to have breakfast before he hurried off after taking just a cup of coffee. Seeing you allst night I was happy there was a full house and the dining would be lively, but I guessed wrong," Samanthained after they were done with the pleasantries and small talk.

    "Matt left already?" Jade asked, surprised to hear that.

    "Yes. He said he had a flight to catch and had to hurry off," Samantha exined.

    "I will have breakfast if it''s ready," Candace said, wanting to change the subject.

    "Me too," Jade said, and waited until Samantha had disappeared before facing Candace.

    "Did you both have a serious fight?" Jade asked with concern.

    "We didn''t fight. By the way, I thought you were practising how to mind your business?" Candace reminded her.

    "I just wanted to be sure you are okay," Jade said, and Candace shed her a smile.

    "Why wouldn''t I be? Thanks for your concern, but I think it''s time to change the topic. Let''s talk about the live show," Candace suggested, and they both looked up when they heard Lucy and Tom''sughter as they approached.

    Lucy stoppedughing when she saw Candace and Jade seated at the dining, and a blush stole up her cheeks when she noticed the amusement on their faces.

    "Good morning to you both," Candace greeted with a pleasant smile while Jade grinned as she eyed Lucy with interest.

    "Good morning. I hope you both slept well," Tom said and after the pleasantries he excused himself to go give Samantha instructions on the meal he wanted delivered to him at the office.

    "I''m sorry I couldn''t wait until the end of the discussionsst night. How did it go?" Lucy asked with interest.

    "Sonia decided we meet some other time since you were indisposed," Candace said and Lucy tried not to blush.

    So much for assuring Sonia she wouldn''t let her personal business get in the way of Sonia''s wedding n.

    "So, how are you feeling this morning?" Jade asked with a wink.

    Lucy raised a chin as she met Jade''s gaze, "Thanks to Tom, I feel much better," Lucy said with a sweet smile that made themugh.

    "You keep surprising me, Lucy. I wouldn''t have figured you for the type to do something so wild," Jade said, and Lucy shrugged.

    "What can I say? More surprises await you," she said as she turned to Candace who was grinning at her.

    "Uhm, did you guys agree on another time to meet then?" she asked curiously.

    "Not yet. Maybe we can do that on the group chatter," Jade said just as Tom returned.

    "Alright. Sure," Lucy said as she turned to Tom.

    "Are you ready to leave now," Tom asked as he took Lucy''s hand and she gave him a nod.

    "Have a lovely day," Lucy called to them as she let Tom pull her away.

 Chapter 687 Show Time

    ?

    Although it was supposed to be her big day, Rebekah wasn''t feeling excited about it in any way.

    It was less than two hours before the show, and she was still seated in front of her dressing table, staring into the mirror.

    The makeup artist she had contacted and the hair stylist would arrive soon, and she couldn''t even work up the motivation to freshen up before their arrival.

    She had no idea why the thought of being on a live show suddenly made her feel very nervous, like she was a trapped mouse.

    Thomas Hank and Lucinda Perry would probably watch the show, and if they had so much as forgotten about her existence, seeing her on their screen would draw their attention back to her.

    It did not help that despite driving the long distance to the chief judge''s office the previous day; he had refused to see her.

    She had waited for hours, but all to no avail. It seemed like everyone, and everything was working against her right now, and she had no idea why.

    She had even gone to her hitman''s ce once again, and after looking around to be sure no one suspicious was lurking around, she had gone in to search his ce to see if she would find anything that could tie him to her.

    She turned to the door when a knock sounded on it, and before she could say anything, the door opened, and both Bernice and Tiffany walked into the bedroom.

    They were both dressed in the outfits they had picked when they all went shopping for the show together thest time.

    "Don''t tell me you haven''t had your bath, Mother?" Tiffany asked in disbelief as she looked at her mother, who was still dressed in her sleeping gown.

    "Are you ill?" Bernice asked as they both went to her side.

    They both looked so radially dressed and excited that she began to feel ufortable, "I''m not ill. I was just going to the bathroom now," She said as she rose.

    "You don''t look so healthy, Mother. And you look like you haven''t been sleeping well. You have circles under..."

    "I said I''m fine!" Rebekah snapped at Tiffany irritably.

    "Why are you both here anyway?" she asked with a frown.

    "Well, we figured we all leave together like in a convoy. We came with our most expensive cars. We should make a statement with our arrival, you know?" Tiffany said excitedly, and Rebekah smiled reluctantly.

    "Yeah. Sure. I should freshen up before my makeup artist and hairstylist gets here," Rebekah said, wanting them to excuse her.

    "By the way, have you seen the news about Wilson?" Bernice asked as they headed for the door.

    "Yes. I received a call from Emilia yesterday," Rebekah said, and both Bernice and Tiffany looked at her with interest.

    "Is the news true?" Tiffany asked, and Rebekah shrugged.

    "They did what they had to do to get to where they are now. You can wait for me in the dressing room," she said dismissively as she walked into the bathroom, leaving her daughters to excuse her.

    "What does she mean by that?" Tiffany asked Bernice as they headed downstairs to the dressing room.

    "She means exactly what she said. Wee from a family of horrible people who would do anything to get to where they want to be," Bernice said, not exactly surprised.

    "I wonder where the poor girl is," Tiffany said with a sigh.

    "That is if she is still alive. Anyway, what do you think is wrong with her? Is she suddenly having cold feet about the show?" Bernice asked, and Tiffany shook her head.

    "Looks that way to me. Well, it''s our duty to make sure she gets there. She wouldn''t dare back out of a show like that. Especially not when Eric already announced us to be the next guests on the show," Tiffany said, and Bernice smiled.

    "Hopefully, everything will go well. She would be arrested, and Jack would be released," Tiffany said as they walked into the dressing room where the makeup artist and hairstylist were going to doll up Rebekah.

    "I wonder what Jade Hank has up her sleeves for the show," Bernice said thoughtfully.

    "We will find out soon enough. I can''t wait to see her escorted out by the police," Tiffany said as she touched up her makeup.

    "That would be a sight to behold," Bernice said as she also touched up her makeup.

    "I''ve been thinking," Tiffany said after a while, and Bernice turned to her.

    "About what?"

    "About Jack and I. I''m going to ask for a divorce after things settle down," Tiffany said, and Bernice''s eyes widened.

    "For real? I thought you were kidding when you mentioned it thest time," she asked, feeling guilty.

    She knew it would be hard for Tiffany to forgive and forget what she did with her husband.

    "I thought about it and decided it was time to be true to myself. Lisa is so happy in her home. I want that for myself. A partner who is crazy about me and who I feel the same about. Look at Anita. Although she almost ruined things for herself, she is set to change her life now. The life I''m living right now is what mother chose for me. I didn''t choose it. I want to live for myself now. I think you should too," Tiffany said, and Bernice shrugged.

    "I get what you mean. It''s not like I have a choice anyway. With Adam gone now, I don''t have to worry about a messy divorce," Bernice said, and Tiffany nodded in agreement.

    "Talking about messy stuff, Mother''s arrest is going to bring a lot of ugly attention to us. Maybe we should travel to somewhere with the kids and lie low until things settle," Tiffany suggested.

    "I''m not sure I can do that. I''m yet to see Adam''s body, remember? And I know nothing about the funeral arrangement either. The boys and I can''t be absent at his funeral," Bernice said, and they both stopped talking abruptly when they heard footsteps approaching.

    It was the make-up artist and hairstylist who had arrived to get Rebekah ready.

    Rebekah joined them twenty minutester, and as they busied with dolling her up while her daughters talked about Lisa''s beautiful baby, Rebekah remembered what Emilia had said about Thomas.

    "Are you both aware that Rachel''s ex-fiance happened to be Lucinda Perry''s twin brother?" she asked, and they both turned to her in surprise.

    "Really?" Tiffany asked in surprise.

    "I guess that''s how Anita knew about Lucinda''s past?" Bernice said thoughtfully.

    "I guess so. I didn''t think about that. Emilia and her husband believe that Thomas Hank might be behind their problem," Rebekah said, and both sisters frowned.

    "Why would he do that? I thought Anita mentioned that it was the guy that called off the engagement?" Bernice asked curiously, and Rebekah exined the details to them since it was easier to dwell and focus on other people''s problems than hers.

    "If Thomas Hank is truly behind this, then I must say he is scary," Tiffany said with a false shudder.

    "That is why you shouldn''t have employed the service of his sister. What makes you think she would judge the case in your favour? What if she is just trying to find something to use against us?" Rebekah asked, and Tiffany rolled her eyes.

    "We didn''t do anything wrong..."

    "You of all people who encountered her at the spa, shouldn''t be saying that. And after that video Anita made, it would do us good to avoid thempletely," Rebekah said, and Bernice smiled.

    "You sound scared, mother. That is so unlike you," Bernice taunted, and as she expected, Rebekah raised a chin.

    "Scared? Of who? I am not scared. I have no reason to be. It would be foolish not to be careful. That''s all I''m saying," Rebekah said haughtily.

    "If you''re so concerned about it, maybe we should pay Thomas Hank a visit and apologise for all misunderstanding so he doesn''t target us," Tiffany suggested, even though she knew it was toote for their mother already.

    "I agree with you. Anita has mentioned you already..."

    "Or maybe I could take a moment to address that during the show?" Rebekah suggested, and both her daughters pped in agreement.

    "That would be perfect!" Tiffany said, and Rebekah smiled.

    She was going to do just that. She was not so stupid to want to go against Thomas Hank, especially not now when she didn''t have the backing of her iws.

    An hourter, Rebekah Miller was all mmed up and strutting like a peacock as she walked into Eric Howell''s office with her daughter behind her.

    It was her first time meeting him in person, and thanks to her daughters, all the jitters she had been having earlier had been reced with excitement.

    She was Rebekah Miller, after all.

    "Hello, Mrs Miller! It''s a pleasure to have you in our studio today," Eric greeted pleasantly as he rose to shake hands with the woman he had be so curious about.

    He was dying to know just what secrets she had that Thomas Hank wanted to expose.

    "The pleasure is all mine, Mr Howell..."

    "Eric. Call me, Eric, please. I love to be on a friendly basis with my guests. And these beauties are your lovely daughters, I suppose," Eric said as his gaze shifted from Rebekah to Tiffany and Bernice.

    "Yes, they are. This is Bernice, my eldest daughter. She was married to thete Adam Washington, and this is Tiffany, my second daughter. She is married to Jackson Bateman of Bateman Corp," Rebekah said proudly, making her daughters cringe at her tactlessness.

    How could she talk about Adam''s death so dismissively, like it happened ages ago, and mention Jackson like he was some superstar when in reality, he was locked up for a crime they believed shemitted?

    "My condolences. I read about both of your husbands. As a matter of fact, I didn''t expect that either of you would make it here today," Eric said, and Tiffany smiled.

    "We couldn''t leave our mother to be here alone, seeing as you requested an interview with her and her daughters. Our other sisters can''t be here because the youngest is out of town, and the other put to birth a couple of days ago. So, we just had to be here to support our mother," Bernice exined with a polite smile.

    "I see. I wouldn''t like to put you both in a tough spot considering how things are right now for both of your families. I don''t mind interviewing your mother alone if this is going to be stressful for you," Eric said, and before Rebekah could speak both, Bernice responded.

    "No, it''s fine. We are okay. We need the distraction," Bernice said, and Tiffany nodded in agreement, leaving Eric to wonder about the manner of people they were.

    How could they show up for a live television show at a time like this? He mused.

    He still couldn''t wrap his head around what was going on, especially after the visit from Jade Hank that left him with the impression that the daughters were working together with the Hanks against their mother.

    "Then you won''t mind answering some questions while on the show? I''m sure the viewers would be curious," Eric said, and Rebekah tried not to look displeased by the idea that her daughters were going to steal the show from her.

    "I don''t think that''s a good idea..."

    "Sure. We don''t mind answering some questions. We have nothing to hide after all," Tiffany said, and Bernice nodded in agreement while Rebekah forced a smile.

    "As long as we don''t make the show all about their marital woes," she said with awkwardughter and her daughters joined in herughter, surprising Eric, who expected them to be offended by their mother''s word.

    "We wouldn''t dare steal your show, mother! You are the star of the day," Bernice assured her with a bright smile.

    They all turned to the door when a knock sounded before the door was cracked open a bit to reveal Eric''s assistant.

    "The stage is set, and the audience is ready for the show," she informed them so they could leave.

    "I guess it''s show time,dies!" Eric announced before leading them out of his office to the stage where Alicia was already seated waiting for them.

    Bernice''s phone beeped with a text notification as she followed them, and her heart skipped a beat when she paused to click on it and saw it was from Jade.

    [Your husband is not dead.]

 Chapter 688 Talk Show (1)

    ?

    As Rebekah Miller got on the stage with Eric and her daughters, the first person her eyes fell on in the audience was Jade, who was seated in front, and the moment their gaze met, Jade waved at her with a grin, and Candace who was sitting beside Jade giggled.

    If she wasn''t already feeling ufortable by Jade''s presence there, the fact that Jade was holding a box of popcorn as though she was getting ready to enjoy herself made all her earlier anxiety return.

    Her feeling of unease only got worse when her gaze shifted from Jade to scan the rest of the audience, and her heart skipped several beats when she made eye contact with familiar faces.

    Most of them were her lovers, both past and present.

    What was going on?

    "Mrs Miller?" Eric Howells called since she was the only one still standing while everyone else was seated.

    Rebekah turned to Eric with confused eyes and looked back at the audience, wondering if her brain was making up things or if these people were indeed here.

    "Mother? Are you alright?" Tiffany whispered when she noticed that her mother had gone pale and beads of sweat coated her forehead.

    Tiffany couldn''t understand why her mother was suddenly looking like a deer caught in the headlight of a car. It definitely couldn''t be merely because she saw Jade.

    Tiffany turned to look at Bernice, who was silent, and she noticed that Bernice had a distant look in her eyes as she stared ahead of her.

    What was going on? Tiffany mused.

    "Mrs Miller? It is now or never. We are going live in less than two minutes," Eric informed Rebekah impatiently before facing the audience.

    10 A.M was show time, and the show was going to start whether or not she was ready topose herself. He could guess that her reaction was because of someone in the audience. He had no idea who they were or why Thomas Hank had chosen these people.

    Tiffany rose from her seat and took her mother''s hand, "You are embarrassing us. Are you ill?" Tiffany asked as she pulled her onto her seat.

    Rebekah shook her head, "I''m fine. What is she doing here? Did you invite her?" she asked as she sat down.

    "Who?" Tiffany asked in mock confusion.

    "Jade Hank," Rebekah hissed.

    "No, I didn''t. Maybe it''s coincidence��"

    "It''s not! I think she is up to something��"

    "Mother, you''re being paranoid. The show is about to start. Please pull yourself together and don''t embarrass us any further," Tiffany said impatiently, and even though Rebekah still had her concerns about the chosen audience, she decided to let it rest.

    There was no way Eric could have known that most of the men present there were her lovers. That was something only she knew. So maybe this was all a coincidence.

    She was going to make sure to publicly apologize to Thomas Hank and his girlfriend during the show so that she could stop feeling so anxious.

    She was Rebekah Miller, and she knew she was more than capable of handling whatever came her way today.

    "Benny? Are you alright?" Tiffany whispered to Bernice, and she looked at her with distant eyes as she gave her a nod.

    She was alright. What she couldn''t wrap her head around was the fact that Adam was still alive.

    It made sense that he was alive, seeing how she was yet to see his body, and his parents weren''t exactly acting like they were mourning him.

    What she couldn''t understand was why it was all over the news that Adam was Dead and how Jade had managed to find out that he was alive despite the news.

    If he wasn''t dead, where was he? And what was he doing? Did that mean their mother was innocent and had not killed Adam as they had thought?

    Or was it that her mother and Adam hade up with this n together?

    Most importantly, why did Jade send another text asking her to make the announcement during the interview? What did she stand to gain?

    She couldn''t understand all that was going on, and the thought of it was beginning to make her head ache.

    "Good morning, and wee to your favourite television show, Live with Eric Howells! As you already know, I''m your host Eric Howells," he said with a wink, and the audience apuded as expected.

    "Thank you. With me, here is my cohost, Alicia Hagin," Eric introduced, and Alicia smiled at the camera.

    "Good morning, and wee to Live with Eric Howells," Alicia said with a rxed smile.

    "As you can see, we have some very special guests with us on today''s show. At first nce, you''d think they are three sisters. I''m sure you think so, right? I thought so myself, but they are not," Eric said with a grin, and Rebekah preened with pleasure at thepliment.

    "With us on the show today is the ever-young and beautiful Rebekah Miller and her gorgeous daughters, Tiffany Bateman and Bernice Washington," Eric introduced, and the audience cheered.

    "I''m curious about something, Mrs Miller��"

    "Call me Rebekah, please," Rebekah cut in with a pleasant smile.

    "Rebekah, it is then. Do you mind sharing the secret of your ageless beauty with us," Eric asked, and Rebekah flushed with pleasure.

    "I was going to ask her that myself. Your beauty is so radiantly youthful," Alicia said, and Rebekah giggled, loving the attention she was receiving.

    "Well, there is not much secret. I eat a healthy diet, I exercise regrly, and I don''t miss my facials and spa sessions��"

    "And thanks to the science of stic surgery," Bernice added dryly, and everyoneughed while Rebekah forced a smile as she tried not to re or look offended.

    "stic surgery? You''ve gone under the knife? I never would have guessed," Alicia lied, and Rebekah smiled.

    "Well, I did have a breast mastopexy, and I did a bit of body sculpting some years ago," Rebekah said, and Alicia smiled.

    "Your cosmetic surgeon must be really good. You should share their details with me after the show. I''d like to look as young and beautiful as you do when I get to your age," Alicia said, bent on feeding Rebekah''s ego.

    "Sure, I will," Rebekah said as she slowly rxed.

    Of course, they didn''t know anything. It was all coincidence. The show would go on perfectly, and she would be beautiful in it.

    "Your family has been involved in a couple of dramas since we invited you on the show. Would you like to answer a couple of questions about it?" Eric asked, and Rebekah decided that was the perfect opportunity she needed to get her apology across to Thomas Hank.

    "Well, it would depend on what drama you''re talking about," Rebekah said, not wanting to be too direct.

    She would let him set the pace and mention the names himself, and then she would take that as her cue to apologize.

    "Well, maybe for a start, we can talk about the video your youngest daughter released some days ago," Eric said and signaled to his media team to y the video of Anita on the screen for everyone.

    Rebekah folded her hands together as she watched the video, and she tried to keep her smile in ce as she watched it alongside others.

    "This video. Did you know about it?" Eric asked, pausing the video after Anita had mentioned her mother.

    "About her making the video or her ims in the video?" Rebekah asked with a fixed smile.

    "ims? Are you saying she wasn''t being honest?" Alicia asked curiously.

    "Although she made me sound like a horrible mother and a viin, it was not all a lie," Rebekah said as she sat up.

    "Does that mean some of the things she said were a lie?" Alicia asked as she also leaned forward in her seat.

    "What I mean is, things did not exactly happen as she painted them," Rebekah said, and Eric raised a brow.

    "Do you care to borate on that? I''m sure the viewers are dying to know. We received a lot of questions on our social media page after we made the announcement that you were the guest on today''s show," Eric said, and Rebekah nodded.

    "I would love to. I''d probably never get this sort of opportunity to clear the air again, so I should seize it," Rebekah said, all the while avoiding looking at the audience.

    "Please do," Alicia urged her with a polite smile.

    "First of all, I''d love to apologize to Thomas Hank and his lovely girlfriend, Lucinda Perry. I''m very sorry for all of this misunderstanding. The truth is, I had no idea about Anita being behind that scandal. I had absolutely no idea. And about making Lucinda Perry the face of my foundation, it wasn''t my idea. I am not directly involved in running the foundation. I have employed people to do that. When the idea came up to make her the face of the foundation, I couldn''t object to it simply because my daughter had a problem with her," Rebekah said, and both Tiffany and Bernice exchanged a look.

    "So, you are saying you were not in support of what your daughter did? And you have no ill intentions towards Lucinda Perry, as your daughter imed in her video?" Alicia asked, wanting to leave no room for misinterpretation of facts.

    "That''s right. There is no reason for me to do any of that. I can''t me my own daughter for misunderstanding and judging me so unfairly or throwing me under the bus just so she wouldn''t face the consequence of her actions," Rebekah said with a rueful smile.

    "I see," Alicia said before turning to look at Tiffany and Bernice.

    "How about the both of you? Were you aware of your sister''s actions?" She asked, and they both shook their heads.

    "Not at first. We had no idea she was behind the scandal. But she did tell us about it afterwards. And I''m ashamed to admit that I encouraged and supported her," Tiffany confessed shamefacedly.

    "We all encouraged her, including our mother. As a matter of fact, contrary to what our mother just said, she pushed Anita the most. She even threatened to cut her off if she failed to win Thomas Hank''s heart." Bernice, who had been boiling with anger over the way their mother was talking about Anita, decided that she had had enough.

    Rebekah''s mouth dropped open in shock at what Bernice had just said. She had not expected that her own daughter would do something like that to her on a live show.

    "What?" Alicia and Eric asked in unison, pretending to be just as surprised as Rebekah was.

    "You heard me. The only person who was against it all from the beginning was our third sister, Lisa Steel. She discouraged Anita at every given opportunity. She is the only reason Anita was able to break free from the yoke of this spiteful bitch we call our mother," Bernice said, stunning everyone, including Tiffany, who hadn''t expected such an outburst from her.

    "Are you out of your mind?" Rebekah asked in a controlled voice, trying hard not to lose her cool in front of the camera.

    Eric and Alicia exchanged a look and decided to sit it out and let the mother and daughter entertain both them and the guests.

    "This is going to be more interesting than I thought," Jade murmured to Candace with a grin as she chewed her popcorn.

    She had been hoping for some drama, and here it was. She couldn''t believe they had only asked the first question on Sonia''s list, and the show was this hot already.

    "Don''t you think this is going to ruin things? What if she storms off the stage before the police get here?" Candace asked without taking her gaze off the stage.

    "They won''t let her leave so easily. Her daughters will keep her on the stage even if it means tying her to it," Jade said with a confident smile as she returned her gaze to the stage.

    "You are the one who is out of your mind,ing here on a live show to spit out lies about your own daughter. What for? Cheap fame? Is it not enough that you almost ruined her life, and she had to pack up and leave? Even Anita is more mature than you are. She was smart enough toe out publicly to confess and apologize but look at you. Why can''t you own up to your shit for once?" Bernice asked angrily.

    "Are you going to sit there and listen to your sister lie against me in front of the camera?" Rebekah asked, hoping that Tiffany woulde to her aid.

    "The only person who has told lies in front of the camera is you, Mother. Not Bernice, and definitely not Anita," Tiffany said, shocking Rebekah even more.

    What was going on? What was happening here? She mused as she looked at the audience, and Jade raised her can of soda in a silent toast to her.

    Unable to stand the embarrassment or whatever was toe next, Rebekah turned to Eric, "I guess the show is over..."

    "No, it''s not. Can we move to the next question, please?" Tiffany asked Alicia with a polite smile, not wanting to give her mother any excuse to leave.

    No. There was no way she was going to let her leave the stage without the cuffs on her wrist or the police escorting her out.

    She had promised Lisa and Jade that she would see to it, and by God, after seeing how their mother so easily turned against Anita, she was more than ready to see the woman locked away for life.

 Chapter 689 Shame On You Both!

    ?

    Rebekah Miller couldn''t help the feeling of dread that hade over her now. If she weren''t so sure of her consciousness, she would have thought she was having a bad dream, but she knew that wasn''t the case.

    She was actually living a nightmare right now. Her daughters, who were supposed to make her stand out and shine brilliantly on the show, were turning against her in front of millions of viewers.

    What was happening? Was this Jade''s n? Did she poison their heart against her so that she would be humiliated this way? Had her apologye toote, and she was already being punished by the Hank family?

    Were Eric and Alicia a part of this, or were they oblivious to what was going on?

    Was it wise to remain here? Or perhaps she should leave before she was embarrassed further by her traitorous daughters? Rebekah mused.

    Away from there, inside Tom''s office, hisrge television screen, which was rarely turned on, was on now as he watched the live show with Harry and Lucy.

    They couldn''t help theirughter as they watched the scene before them. The show was yet to start, and Rebekah was fidgeting already.

    They couldn''t wait to see how everything would y out or how she would react when everything she had done finally came to light.

    "At this rate, I fear she might leave before the show is over," Lucy said without taking her eyes off Rebekah on the screen.

    "No, she wouldn''t. The police are waiting right outside already while also watching the show. They will move in at the right time. It''s a show, after all. Rx and enjoy it," Tom said with a grin.

    "The police are there already? Is Jade aware?" Harry asked since Tom had not shared that part of the n with them.

    "I don''t think she is aware. I decided to cover all the bases. I don''t want any mistakes or flops. This is my show, after all, and I should make sure ites to a perfect end," Tom said, and Harry chuckled.

    "Wouldn''t it be fun to organize something like this for Sara as well? I love the idea of watching her downfall with a ss of wine in hand as I''m entertained," Harry said, and Tom grinned.

    "I''d love to see that too," Tom said, and they all returned their attention to the television in time to hear Eric speak.

    "That was sort of awkward. Why don''t we leave this subject since it seems like a sort of topic for your family," Eric suggested, and Rebekah rxed a bit as he wanted her to.

    "Yes. Let''s move to safer topics. Well, before the whole drama surrounding your daughters started, we were going to talk about you, Rebekah. If you don''t mind, we''d like to talk about your marriage to yourte husband," Alicia said, and Rebekah''s brows pulled together.

    What did herte husband have to do with this interview? Why were they bringing this up? Was this Jade''s doing? It couldn''t be a coincidence that she had seen her lost phone with Jade a couple of days ago, after which Jade had brought up herte husband, and now she was being asked about him on a live show.

    "What about our marriage?" She asked, trying to smoothen her brows for the camera even though this interview was beginning to stress her and beads of sweat were now rolling down her back.

    "You both were separated for about eight years before his death four years ago, am I right?" Alicia asked, and Rebekah nodded as she sped her hands together.

    "Yes, we were estranged for years," Rebekah answered, hoping this would be thest of the questions regarding her husband.

    "Why estranged? Why didn''t you get a divorce? I mean, eight years is a long time, right? And you''re such an attractive and beautifuldy. You could have easily divorced him and remarried. Why didn''t you?" Alicia asked, and Rebekah smiled as she shook her head.

    It seemed like she had been mistaken. The question was easy enough and expected.

    "Well, apart from the fact that I''m old-fashioned and do not believe in divorce, I never stopped loving my husband. Although I was disappointed by most of his life choices, and he also knew I couldn''t forgive him for some of his mistakes, so we settled for a separation. It was the best I could do. My mama raised me to be a till death do us part kind of wife��"

    "Really? Was that why you murdered him? So you would be free of him?" Tiffany asked, cutting off her mother, and both Alicia and Eric turned to her while the audience wentpletely silent.

    "I beg your pardon?" Rebekah asked, her heart thudding fast in her chest now. She could almost feel the walls closing over her. She needed to leave. She needed to find a graceful way out of here.

    "Murder? What are you talking about? Your father took his life��."

    "Our father didn''t take his life. He was murdered," Bernice said emphatically, cutting off Eric.

    "What do you mean he was murdered? I remember it was all over the news that he took his life, and your mother here was the first person to see his body," Alicia said, trying not to sound as excited as she actually felt.

    "Isn''t it just too convenient that the first person who saw his corpse happened to be his estranged wife?" Bernice asked, her eyes burning with hatred for her mother as she looked at her.

    "Are you using me of murdering my own husband? Your father, because I was the first to see his body?" Rebekah asked with a chagrined expression, momentarily forgetting about the camera as she faced her daughter.

    "Your husband? The same man you kicked out after he lost all he had, and you never let hime close to any of us? You didn''t even let him attend our weddings. Tell us. What were you doing at his ce when you found his body? What did you go to check on him for on the day of his death?" Bernice asked, and Rebekah''s eyes hardened.

    "You can''t be asking me such a question in a live show��"

    "Why not? It''s called a live show for a reason. If you didn''t want your business to be public business, you wouldn''t be sitting here right now. Or what did you expect to discuss here? Your beauty products?" Bernice asked harshly.

    "Your father asked to see me!" Rebekah yelled at her, losing her cool.

    "I can''t believe you are asking me such a question in such a ce simply because your drunk of an uncle put ideas in your head," Rebekah said, and Tiffany, who had been silent, shook her head.

    "Uncle Wyatt may have put the idea in our heads that you murdered our father, but we have also been doing some digging, and everything points to you," Tiffany said, drawing their mother''s attention to herself.

    Alicia exchanged a look with Eric, wanting to know if she should step in now, but Eric shook his head.

    Although this wasn''t the sort of show usually aired on Live with Eric Howells, but no one could use him of setting the family up.

    They were asking pretty decent and straightforward questions, but it was clear the family obviously had a lot of dirty linens to wash before the camera.

    He could imagine the scandal that this interview would generate. He could picture the headlines on blogs and news outlets.

    Everyone would want to watch the show and see what had transpired for themselves, and it would be awesome because he would make the rerun avable based on popr demand.

    This was undoubtedly going to make his ratings blow up and give his show even more publicity than it already had.

    He had no doubt that his team handling the social media page were working already! He owed Thomas Hank and Harry Jonas big time for granting him such an opportunity.

    Although Rebekah wanted nothing more than to stand up and walk out of the show, her ego wouldn''t let her. She wouldn''t give her daughters the satisfaction of shaming her or calling her a murderer on a live show. She would leave only after silencing her daughters.

    "What exactly points to me? Because as far as I can see, the only crime I seem to havemitted before you two is finding your father''s corpse! And I won''t have you both speak to me like this in public!" Rebekah responded hotly.

    "The only crime? Did this horrible bitch just say the only crime shemitted?" Bernice asked Tiffany in disbelief as she rose from her seat.

    "You duped him! You kept fucking around with different men, both young and old, and when he wanted a divorce, you conned him! You and your lover conned him and took all he had!" Bernice yelled at her mother angrily.

    "These are some serious usations without evidence, you know? Would you all like to calm down and talk it out? I''m sure this is all one big misunderstanding," Alicia said with a polite smile, but neither of them was paying any attention to her.

    Tiffany opened her handbag and took out the documents which Jade had given them to prove that the it was Rebekah and Mr Bateman who jointly owned the business which had duped their father.

    She flung it at Rebekah, who was yet to recover from her shock at what Bernice had just said about conning their father. How did she find out about that? How much did they know? And how did they manage toy their hands on the evidence?

    "Can you deny this?" Tiffany asked while Eric picked up the documents and nced at them.

    "Isn''t this your father-inw?" Eric asked Tiffany after reading out what was written on it, and she nodded.

    "Yes. And this woman here has been having an affair with him for years," Tiffany said, and it was all Eric could do not to whistle.

    Since they wanted to y dirty, she would stoop low and y dirty with them so that they all would be affected. She wouldn''t go down alone! Never!

    "How can you both do this? How can you do this to me after all I''ve done for you?" Rebekah asked, struggling between her disbelief, anger, embarrassment, and pain of betrayal.

    "And what have you done for us? What exactly did you do other than try to ruin our lives?" Bernice retorted angrily.

    "Do you want to know what is more disgusting than her having an affair with my father-inw? She has been having an affair with Benny''ste husband on the side as well!" Tiffany announced before Rebekah could say anything, and both Alicia and Eric''s jaws dropped in surprise.

    "Adam is notte. He is alive," Bernice corrected, and this time they all watched as Rebekah, whose face had been a bright red, suddenly nched.

    No! This wasn''t happening. It was all a nightmare. She was going to wake up at any moment and realize she had been sleeping all along and was having a bad dream simply because of her anxiety, Rebekah assured herself.

    "What are you talking about, Benny?" Tiffany asked in confusion, and Alicia and Eric also looked at her equally confused.

    "I found out before we got on stage that he is alive. He is not dead," Bernice said, and as though on cue, Eric looked up at the screen with a frown when his media team suddenly switched the channel.

    "She is right," Eric said as he jerked his head to the screen, and they all looked up to see Jackson Bateman standing outside the police station with the Chief judge while they were being interviewed.

    The headline on the screen read, [ADAM WASHINGTON ALIVE: JACKSON BATEMAN SET FREE BASED ON NEW EVIDENCE PROVING HIS INNOCENCE]

    Jade giggled as she watched the confusion on their faces and the panic on Rebekah''s face. This felt like she was watching a y in a drama theater.

    Although the sisters had suspected that Adam was alive because of the way his parents had remained hushed about the issue, but seeing the official news now, they exchanged a look, wondering what exactly was going on.

    Rebekah shut her eyes as she tried to think. If Adam was still alive and there was evidence to prove that Jackson was innocent, then it meant they wereing for her. This was the wrong ce to be right now. It was time to leave. She was going to just get off the stage and go into hiding.

    "I won''t stand here and take any more of all these insults and usations from you both! You stand there and judge me for having an affair with your sister''s husband, but you have no problem with her fucking your husband. And what about you fucking all the helps in your house! You are both hypocrites, and it is needless to say, you are no longer my daughters! Eric, I hope you had a nice show," Rebekah said spitefully, wanting to have thest word as she left.

    Before she could walk out of the stage, Tiffany grabbed her hair and pulled her right back, "Yes, I''m bisexual, so what? Jackson and I have an open marriage, and we are free to do whatever we want with whomever! You have no excuse for doing all you did to our father, and we are going to make you pay!" Tiffany screeched angrily as she shook her mother while Eric and Alicia quickly went to rescue Rebekah from Tiffany''s grip.

    As they scuffled on the stage, the police walked into the hall, and all eyes turned to them. Tiffany let go of Rebekah immediately since the police were there and her mission was aplished.

    Taking that as her cue, Jade stood up and escorted them to the stage while Candace remained seated.

    "You put them up to this! This is your doing, isn''t it?" Rebekah said coldly.

    She knew there was no way out of this now, but she was not going to let them see her fear.

    "Yes, it is. It''s good to know that you are smart and can arrange the puzzle pieces," Jade said with a pleasant smile.

    "How does it feel, having your lovers as your audience?" Jade asked surprising everyone who had thought they knew it all.

    "Lovers? What? These men are her lovers?" Bernice asked in disbelief while Tiffany looked at the audience with disgust.

    The men in the audience all looked at each other, surprised to realize that they were in the midst of their fellow colleagues.

    "Yes, they are," Jade said with a cheerful smile, but her eyes were cold as she looked at Rebekah.

    "I''m not part of them!" Candace announced as she quickly stepped away when she noticed the way all eyes were on the audience now.

    "In case you are wondering why these detectives are here, I will spell it out to you before they read your rights. You are going to jail for a lot of reasons, and guess what? Nowyer is going to save you. Needless to say, you are going to jail for duping and murdering yourte husband. You are going to jail for the attempted murder of Adam Washington and for deliberately trying to make my client, Mr. Jackson Bateman, the culprit, you are going to jail for your illegal business dealings and using your foundation for moneyundering, and most importantly, you are going to jail for making an attempt on my life," Jade said and watched to her satisfaction as Rebekah staggered on her feet despite her false bravado.

    "You can read her rights and take her away," Jade said before stepping back.

    "You let her use you. How could you let her use you?" Rebekah cried, pointing at her children as the detectives read her rights.

    "How could you murder our father? How could you dupe him and murder him?" Tiffany asked, feeling tears burn behind her eyes as the detectives cuffed her.

    "You are no daughter of mine, Tiffany. You betrayed me for a man who isn''t even your biological father. You think you ruined me? You are all ruined as well! She used you to ruin us all. Shame on you both!" Rebekah spat at her daughters as the detectives led her away.

    And just like that, the live show was over.

 Chapter 690 Choices

    ?

    As the police led Rebekah away, Jade didn''t wait to see the reaction of either Tiffany or Bernice to what their mother had just said about their paternity.

    Instead, she signaled to Candace so they would leave since she had to be at the station, too, when Rebekah was brought in.

    "Good show," Candace told Jade as they both walked outside, and Jade smiled when she sighted the swarm of reporters who had gathered in front of the building and were now throwing questions at Rebekah Miller, who was in cuffs.

    "I know, right? All we have to make sure of now is that the bitch spends the rest of her miserable life behind bars," Jade said as they headed for their car.

    "She''s cruel to have revealed the truth to her daughters in that manner. I wonder what they are going to do now," Candace said, and Jade shook her head.

    "They were bound to find out sooner orter. What they do with that information is their business. As far as I''m concerned, my business with that family is over," Jade said as she unlocked the car, and they both got in.

    "I feel bad for them. In trying to ruin their mother, they''ve also left their own reputation in tatters," Candace said with a sigh.

    "I don''t feel sorry for them. That is their punishment for choosing to tread on that path. I wanted them to also suffer the consequence of their action; hence I asked them to be on that stage," Jade said with a shrug as she started the car.

    "But they had no choice in the manner they lived. They did all they did because of their mother," Candace said in their defense, and Jade shook her head.

    "I disagree with you. We all have choices in life, Candace. As much as we would love to me others for the choices we have made, at some point, we also will need to take responsibility for our choices. If their sister Lisa had lived like the rest of them, then I might have agreed with you that they had no choice. But by virtue of the fact that one of them turned out differently regardless of their mother''s influence, I can''t agree with you. They all grew up in the same environment, and they all made their life choices," Jade said, and Candace''s brows pulled together as she thought about what Jade had just said.

    Yes, she agreed that Jade had a point. So, did that mean she was wrong to me Sara for how her life turned out? Yes, getting involved with Jero and eventually bing a stripper had been her choice, but hadn''t she made those choices because of all life threw at her, thanks to her mother who abandoned her?

    Perhaps someone else in her shoes might have made different choices and ended up better or worse than she had, she thought with a sigh as she nced out of the window.

    Thinking about choices, her thoughts drifted to Matt, and she sighed once again. She was grateful for this distraction. Thanks to all this drama, she didn''t have to think about Matt and theirst conversation.

    "Sonia is definitely going to regret not being here with us," Jade said as she drove.

    "Well, she was obviously not feeling well. There was no way she could have left the house in that state," Candace said, thinking about Sonia, who had been feeling really nauseous that morning.

    "Yeah. I have never seen Bryan look so worried," Jade said with a sigh.

    She nced at her phone when it started ringing and received the call when she saw it was from Harry.

    "Hello, boyfriend!" She greeted excitedly.

    "Hey, girlfriend! You did a good job. We enjoyed the show," Harry said with a proud smile, and Jade giggled.

    "The show wasn''t exactly my idea. We all had our roles to y in executing it. Besides, it was your idea to get me involved," Jade reminded him, even though she was pleased by thepliment.

    "That is true. But it went smoothly, thanks to your brilliance. So, how about we have dinner togetherter in the day to celebrate?" Harry suggested as he gazed outside his office window.

    He had left Tom and Lucy immediately after the show ended just so he could give Jade a call. His first impulse had been to drive down there to pick her up, but he knew she would probably be busy hence had settled for a phone call.

    "Why don''t we hold off the celebration until everything is finalized? The chief judge wants her to be prosecuted as soon as possible, and he wants me to take care of it," Jade said thoughtfully.

    "Are you turning down my dinner invitation?" Harry asked, and Jade giggled.

    "Yes, I am. Sorry about that. I''m on my way to the station with Candace right now. I have no idea when I will be done, and I know I''m going to be exhausted," Jade exined apologetically.

    "I guess it can''t be helped then. That''s what I get for falling in love with a brilliant and hardworkingdy," Harry said, and she grinned.

    "Yes. I don''t want any mess up. Who knows if she probably had an affair with the chief of police too?" Jade said jokingly, and both Harry and Candace chuckled at that.

    "Alright. I will let you get to it. Don''t stress yourself too much. I love you," Harry said before hanging up.

    Back at the studio, Tiffany and Bernice exchanged a look as they both copsed on the couch, and neither of them said a word to each other for the first couple of minutes.

    Guessing that they needed time to pull themselves together, Eric signaled to Alicia and the rest of the team to pack up and excuse them.

    "I can''t believe she said that. How could she be so callous?" Tiffany asked aloud, not asking anyone in particr.

    Bernice, who was more stunned by the fact that all those men in the hall had been Rebekah''s lovers than by what Rebekah had said at their paternity, looked at Tiffany.

    "Why does that surprise you? That is exactly who she is," Bernice said as she looked around them.

    Now that the show was over, it dawned on her that in a bid to expose their mother, they had also exposed themselves. And there was going to be a heavy bacsh on them too.

    Before Tiffany could respond, her phone began to vibrate, and she reached inside her handbag for it, "Lisa is calling," she informed Bernice before receiving the call.

    "Where are you both now?" Lisa asked with a concerned frown. She was still very much shaken by what their mother had said, which confirmed their suspicion.

    She had watched the show, and it had been worse than she imagined. She couldn''t say she enjoyed watching her family tear each other apart in public view. They were her family, and she felt ashamed by all the disgusting revtions.

    Even though nothing ill had been spoken about her, she knew she was going to be just as affected by it as everyone else.

    She knew the past scandal about her snatching Ron from his ex-fianc��e was going to resurrect again, as people would want to find even the slightest dirt on her to make it seem like she was just like the rest of her family.

    "We are still at the studio," Tiffany murmured as she ced the call on speaker for Bernice to hear.

    "I''m sure reporters will be waiting and searching all over for you. You both cane over here��"

    "No, Lisa. I don''t think that''s a good idea. Thest thing we want is for you to be tainted by any of this. We will take care of ourselves. Focus on yourself and the baby," Bernice said, and Lisa frowned.

    "Benny? How are you feeling? Have you heard from Adam? Was Mother really behind it?" Lisa asked, reminding Bernice about her husband.

    Bernice had forgotten about Adam, and now that she remembered, it urred to her that she needed to find out where he was and probably go see him.

    There was no doubt about the fact that she was going to divorce him regardless of whatever threats he made, but first, she needed to see him.

    "Benny?" Lisa called when Bernice didn''t say anything.

    "No, I haven''t heard from him. I should probably pay his parents a visit," Bernice said as she rose.

    "Let''s talkter, Lisa. We have to leave now," Tiffany said as she hung up the call and rose as well.

    "Who told you about Adam being alive?" Tiffany asked curiously since she had not been able to ask earlier.

    "Jade," Bernice said, and Tiffany frowned.

    "How did she know about that?" Tiffany asked, wondering if Jade had known that Adam was alive all along and if that was the reason she had so confidently taken up the case when everyone else had been reluctant to do so.

    "I have no idea. That''s not important right now. I''m leaving to go see Adam''s parents. You should probably go see Jackson too," Bernice said, reminding Tiffany about her husband.

    "Oh! You''re right. Let''s go, then. I will give him a call on my way," Tiffany said, and they both headed outside.

    The moment they stepped outside, reporters who were still waiting around for them approached them, but neither of them said a word as they made their way past the group to get into their cars.

    Different thoughts ran through Bernice''s mind as she drove to the house of her inws.

    She knew they were going to be mad about the damage the interview would do to their family reputation, but she didn''t care.

    All she wanted was to confront them about hiding her husband''s state from her and see Adam before going ahead with her ns.

    She was going to get a really good divorcewyer, and she will fight with all she had to make sure she got as much money as she could get from Adam, and she would also get custody of their boys.

    She would resort to ckmail if need be since she still had the evidence of his infidelity, whereas he didn''t have any to prove hers other than hearsay.

    After she was done with that, she would go far away with her kids. She had no doubt that after the interview today, her children would also suffer from it. She understood how high society reacted to scandalous things like this.

    Thest thing she wanted was for her children to be looked down on or bullied because of her.

    While Bernice was thinking that, Tiffany was having simr thoughts as she dialed Jack''s line.

    Jack received the call almost immediately, "I was just about to give you a call. My mother just told me about the interview��"

    "Where are you?" Tiffany asked, cutting him off.

    "I''m at the family house. Hold on," Jack said, and Tiffany heard some noise in the background.

    "I will join you at hometer. The police just came for my dad," Jackson said and hung up immediately.

    Tiffany drew in a deep breath as she dropped her phone on the seat next to her and headed for her house instead.

    So many thoughts were running through her mind, and she didn''t even know where to start from.

    This whole time it had not really dawned on her that the man who had joined hands with her mother to destroy their father was the father of the man she was married to.

    She had been too centered on her anger and grief over the unfairness of her father''s death to think about it.

    And now her mother had confirmed their suspicion that Richard Miller wasn''t their biological father.

    What was she to do with that information? She asked herself and then shook her head. Nothing. There was nothing she was going to do about it. Just as she and her sisters had agreed, it didn''t matter to them whether or not they had Richard Miller''s DNA.

    He was the father they knew, regardless of whatever the spiteful bitch they called their mother imed.

    Any man who would have an affair with a married woman to the extent of impregnating her wasn''t worthy to be her father.

    She paused, and her heart skipped a beat when she thought about her mother''s affair with her father-inw.

    He couldn''t be their father, could he? There was no way even a bitch like Rebekah would let her own daughter get married to her half-brother, right? Tiffany asked herself as a shudder ran through her.

    No. Jackson couldn''t be her half-brother. It was too ridiculous to imagine. She wasn''t even going to give it another thought.

    She was just going to get home, see Jackson and discuss things with him reasonably, and then they would get a quiet divorce.

    After that, she would do exactly what Anita had done. She would pack and leave. Thankfully, she didn''t have any kids to hold her back like Bernice.

    She would love to put all this drama behind her and forget all about her mother.

 Chapter 691 He Is Dead

    ?

    "How do you feel?" Tom asked Lucy as they had lunch together in his office after the show since they had skipped breakfast because they had been too focused on the live show.

    "Great! I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulder, and I can finally breathe now," Lucy admitted, and Tom nodded.

    He understood that feeling. He was feeling very much relieved himself, too, now that Rebekah Miller and her family had been taken care of.

    "That''s good," Tom said and picked up his phone when it started ringing.

    "It''s Eric," Tom informed Lucy as he received the call.

    "Mr. Hank, you''re a genius! My show rating is at an all-time high. I have never had so many views on our YouTube Channel or social media tform in such a short time! Mr. Hank, I am forever in your debt for this!" Eric announced excitedly, and Tom smiled.

    "Well, it was a win-win for us both. I''m d you trusted us and let us use your tform. The show was a sess," Tom said, and Eric chuckled.

    "Sess? It was a massive sess," Eric announced, and this time, Tom chuckled because of how excited Eric seemed despite how dramatic the show was.

    "Anyway, I''m calling to remind you that you promised to be a guest on my show," Eric said after they were done talking about the show.

    "I thought you''d be willing to let that go seeing how your show benefited from doing this," Tom said in amusement.

    "You thought I would let go of an opportunity to have an exclusive interview with you? No way!" Eric eximed, and Tom chuckled.

    "Well, we can arrange for a convenient time to do that. But I can assure you that you wouldn''t find anything interesting on me. It won''t increase your rating."

    "Let me be the judge of that. Let me know when next you have someone interesting you need me to bring on the show," Eric said, and Tom chuckled before hanging up.

    Perhaps he would take him up on that offer someday. Who knew?

    "Why are you frowning?" Tom asked when he noticed the crease on Lucy''s brows as she raised her phone to her ear like she was making a phone call.

    "It just urred to me that I haven''t heard from Sonia by now. It''s weird because I know she would have called once the show was over to share her excitement. And I didn''t see her among the audience on the show with Jade and Candace either. She said she was going to join them. I''m trying to reach her now, and she is not taking her call," Lucy exined, and Tom dialed Bryan''s line and ced the call on speaker.

    "Don''t worry. I will give Bryan a call and find out from him. She is probably busy," Tom said as they waited for Bryan to receive his call.

    "Is everything okay? How is Sonia?" Tom asked the moment the call connected, and Lucy looked at Tom expectantly as she waited to know what the problem was.

    "She woke up feeling ill, so I had to take her to the hospital to see a doctor. We got back a short while ago, and she is sleeping now," Bryan exined, and Lucy frowned.

    "But she was okayst night. What could be wrong?" Lucy murmured.

    "You should speak to Lucy," Tom said as he passed the phone to Lucy, who looked even more worried after hearing that Sonia was ill.

    "Hello, Bryan! What did the doctor say the problem was? Is she okay? Is the baby fine?" Lucy asked with concern.

    "The doctor said they''re both fine, and there is no need for rm. She was feeling very nauseous and weak, so I rushed her to the hospital since I didn''t know what to do," Bryan exined.

    "Isn''t it too early for the symptoms?" Lucy asked with concern."

    "I thought so too. Hence I panicked. But the doctor said it''s normal in the first trimester and that the symptoms vary in individuals," Bryan exined, and Lucy sighed.

    "Alright. Please ask her to call me the moment she is up. And thanks for taking care of her," Lucy said, and Bryan raised a brow.

    "Isn''t it my duty to do that as her fiance?" He asked, not seeing any reason why she should be thanking him for something like that.

    "Yes, it is. But Sonia has always taken care of herself, and she never even tells me when she is ill unless I find out myself. So, I''m just d that she has someone now who looks out for her," Lucy exined.

    "You don''t have to worry about her. I will take good care of her," Bryan assured her before hanging up.

    "If she has started feeling this way already, I wonder how it''s going to be in a month''s time. Don''t you think this could affect their wedding ns?" Lucy asked Tom thoughtfully.

    "I''m sure they will figure something out. Besides, the wedding is going to be for only a couple of hours. I''m sure by then she would have found a way to manage her symptoms," Tom said, and Lucy nodded.

    "I will have to browse and make more research on it," Lucy said, and Tom smiled as they continued with their meal.

    "Do you think I should apologize to your grandfather?" Lucy asked after a moment, and Tom raised a brow as he looked at her.

    "What for?"

    "My conscience is pricking me. I feel sort of guilty. Even though I keep telling myself that I handled the situation correctly, I still think I might have been too harsh and disrespectful while talking to him," Lucy exined with a concerned frown.

    "Well, I wasn''t there when you spoke with him, but if you think you were disrespectful, you could apologize to him so you feel better. I know you might be mad at him for doing what he did, but he is not a bad person," Tom said, and Lucy nodded.

    "Sure. I know he is not. I will give him a call the moment I get back to my office. I also think you should try to smoothen things between your dad and grandfather. He sounded genuinely worried about this whole drama causing more problems between him and your dad," Lucy said, and Tom nodded as he recalled what his grandfather had told him about regretting not being a good father.

    After they were done eating, Lucy returned to her office, and Tom decided to give his parents a call to find out how things were going and to know if they had resolved the issue between them.

    He briefly contemted giving his mother a call first but decided to do soter after speaking with his father since he remembered that he needed to talk to his father about resolving things with his grandfather.

    All these years, they had grown up to understand that there was a rift between their father and grandfather, but none of them had actively done anything to resolve it. Not even their mother, since this rift had existed long before she even married Desmond.

    The most they had done was try to maintain peace between them whenever they were all having family time together. And these gatherings were not done often.

    It didn''t take long before his father received the call, "Hello, son! How are you doing today?" Desmond asked as he turned down the volume of the television set in the guest room.

    "I''m fine, Dad. How are you? And how is mom?" Tom asked, and Desmond paused for a moment before responding.

    "I''m okay. Your mom is fine, I guess. I haven''t seen nor spoken with her sincest night," Desmond admitted.

    "Sincest night? Where did you spend the night?" Tom asked, sounding really surprised since he could not remember his parents ever having a misunderstanding that would make them sleep in separate bedrooms.

    "In the guest room."

    "For Christ''s sake, Dad! Are you not taking things too far? What happened to talking things through? I know very well that you''re notfortable with not talking to her either, so why are you doing this?" Tom asked with a frown and nced at his phone when he noticed an awaiting call from Kimberly.

    He frowned, wondering why she was calling his line, but ignored it as he focused on his conversation with his father.

    "I can''t yell at her. I don''t want to. I don''t want to leave the house either. This is the only way I can let her know I will no longer condone or tolerate her stubbornness, especially when ites to you, kids..."

    "I''m sure she has learned her lesson now. You really should make up with her, and let''s all put this behind us. She didn''t mean for any of this to happen. If grandfather had told her of his n, you know she would never have agreed to it," Tom said, and Desmond sighed.

    "Don''t worry about it, Tom. She is my wife. I know what I''m doing," Desmond insisted.

    "If you say so, but at this point, I think you''re just being stubborn. You really should let it go," Tom said with a frown.

    "I will, don''t worry about it. How is everyone doing over there?" Desmond asked, and Tom sighed.

    "Everyone is doing great. What about grandfather? Have you spoken with him again?"

    "What for? I have nothing to say to him."

    "Shouldn''t you speak with him and resolve all your issues with him once and for all?" Tom asked, and Desmond raised a brow.

    "There is nothing to resolve. I cut him off already..."

    "He is your father. Our grandfather. You can be displeased by his choices and choose to stay away from him, but you can''t change what he is to you or to us..."

    "Did he ask you to talk to me? Listen, Tom..."

    "No, Dad. You listen to me for a change. I need you to just listen, okay? Grandfather is not perfect. He made choices that were not exactly fair to you and didn''t treat you the way you would have loved to be treated, but that is only because he is human. He could have been worst. He could have been a deadbeat father or even abandoned you. He did what he knew best to do. And whether you like to admit it or not, it is thanks to him that you are where you are right now. He might have realized toote that he made the wrong choices..."

    "Did he tell you he regrets his choices?" Desmond cut in.

    "Yes, Dad. He told me that. And maybe if you stopped being so mad and judging him long enough to listen to him, he would tell you exactly how he feels. How can you be such a great father and so good at advising everyone else, but when ites to your rtionship with your own father, you are doing such a shitty job?" Tom asked with disapproval, and his father sighed.

    "What exactly did he say to you?" Desmond asked, and Tom shook his head.

    "If you''re so curious about it, I suggest you ask him that yourself. You both need to talk to each other. Really talk, Dad. You know, some years ago, I happened to read one of the books in your library, and it said when we fail to forgive and move on, we get stuck in that same time zone of our past. It didn''t entirely make sense to me back then, but thinking about you now. It makes so much sense now. The little boy who felt neglected by his father is trapped somewhere inside you. And no matter how many years have passed or how emotionally intelligent you''ve be over the years, that little boy is not growing. He has remained stunted all these years because you are still stuck in the past, and that is because of your inability to forgive your father and move on. You should fix things with him," Tom advised, and Desmond blinked back the tears that stung his eyes at Tom''s words.

    He knew that Tom was right, but merely thinking about talking to his father made his heart to hurt.

    "Promise me you will talk to him, Dad? No matter how difficult it is, you should talk to him. Besides, I think his n worked," Tom said, and Desmond raised a brow.

    "What?"

    "Apart from the fact that it has made me realize even more now that the only child I want to have is one with Lucy and not with anyone else, I think this whole episode has been making Lucy rethink her decision. She hasn''t said anything to me yet, but I can sense the changes in her. So, as much as we didn''t like the prank, it did yield result," Tom said, and Desmond sighed and nced at the door when he heard Evelyn knocking.

    "I see. Your mom is at the door. I will talk to her now and maybe give your grandfather a call when I''m done," Desmond said, and Tom smiled.

    "Thanks for listening to me, Dad," Tom said before hanging up while Desmond rose to go to the door.

    "Des? Open up. I really need to talk to you," Evelyn cried, sounding hysterical, and Desmond frowned when he heard her voice.

    Was she this upset simply because he had locked himself up in the guest room and was not talking to her? He mused as he opened the door.

    "What is wrong? Did something happen?" He asked in rm when he saw the tears on her face and the grief in her eyes.

    "It''s Lawrence. He is dead. I just received a call from his P.A. Your father slumped while giving a speech at an event," Evelyn announced as she broke into a sob.

 Chapter 692 Impromptu Trip

    Chapter 692 Impromptu Trip

    After his phone call with his father, Tom decided to return Kimberly''s call and find out why she had been calling, and just as soon as the call connected, his office door opened and Harry walked in wearing a glum expression.

    "What''s wrong?" Tom asked Harry with a frown before he heard Kimberly''s sob.

    Harry said nothing as he turned on the television in Tom''s office, and Tom''s brows pulled together when he saw the headline on the screen.

    EX-PRESIDENT, LAWRENCE HANK, DEAD!

    Without speaking with Kimberly, Tom hung up the call as he stared at the screen with disbelief.

    "What is the meaning of this?" Tom asked Harry, not wanting to believe it was what he was seeing.

    "He died a couple of minutes ago. He slumped while giving a speech during a United Nations event and was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital," Harry exined quietly, and watched as Tom staggered on his feet and held the table for support.

    "Oh, my God!" Tom murmured as tears pooled in his eyes.

    His first thought was his father. His father was going to find out soon and he would be devastated by the news whether or not they had been close. And then there was his mother who had been like a daughter to Lawrence for all these years.

    "What can I do?" Harry asked, seeing how Tom stood where he was with a lost look in his eyes which were glistening with tears.

    "I have to go to my parents. Jade and Bryan would most likely want toe too so we can all arrange for his funeral. Can you give Jade a call and find out if she is aware already? Ask her to meet us at home. I will give Bryan a call to get ready," Tom said, and Harry nodded.

    "I will ask James to be on standby," Harry said, referring to one of their pilots.

    "Thanks," Tom said without looking at Harry as he fell back on his chair and covered his face with both hands.

    Harry looked at Tom for a moment before walking out of the office. As he left the office he dialed Jade''s line.

    "Don''t tell me you''re missing me," Jade said in amusement as she received the call, and Harry could tell she was yet to see the news.

    "Where are you right now? Are you done at the police station?" Harry asked, not sure how to break the news to her.

    "Yes. But I have a meeting with the chief judge now, so I''m on my way there. I''m going to drop Candace off first so she can go home to your dad and Jamal," Jade exined.

    "Can you postpone the meeting with the chief judge? Something came��"

    "C''mon, Jonas! I can''t start taking the chief judge for granted now simply because Rebekah has been arrested. I know you miss me but I still need to��"

    "Your grandfather is dead," Harry cut in, and immediately Jade stepped on her brake pedal, bringing her car to an abrupt halt in the middle of the road.

    "For Christ''s sake, Jade!" Candace eximed as the car lurched forward, causing her drink to spill.

    The driver behind Jade honked angrily at her as he drove past her, but Jade did not pay attention to any of that as she sat still in the car not minding where she was parked.

    "I''m sorry. Tom wants you to meet them at home so you can all fly over to join your parents and prepare for his funeral," Harry said apologetically, wishing he was there to embrace her.

    He would have preferred to break the news to her in person since he knew she loved her grandfather deeply and would be devastated by the news of his death, but knowing how stubborn she was, the only way he could get her to listen to him and go home was by breaking the news to her.

    "I will be on my way home," Jade said with quivering lips and Candace frowned when she noticed that Jade''s countenance had changedpletely.

    "Pass the phone to Candace," Harry said and Jade did so without another word.

    She couldn''t even think. The only thing that kept ying repeatedly in her head was Harry''s words. ''Your grandfather is dead''.

    "What did you say to her? Couldn''t you have waited until she got home? We could have gotten into an ident, you know?" Candace asked with a frown.

    "Her grandfather is dead. If you don''t mind, can you drive her home?" Harry asked hopefully, and Candace turned to look at Jade with understanding now that she knew why she had reacted that way.

    "Sure. I will hang up now. We are parked in the middle of the road and I need to get us out of here before the policee for us," Candace said before hanging up.

    "Get out of the car. I will take you home," Candace told Jade as she unfastened her seatbelt and got out of the car.

    Jade did not say anything as she got out of the car to let Candace take over, and immediately she got into the passenger seat, she broke into a sob.

    Candace said nothing and just let her cry as she drove. She wasn''t sure that if she decided to speak she would have the right words tofort Jade, so she figured it was best to just keep quiet and let her cry.

    Back in Tom''s office, after putting a call across to inform Bryan that their grandfather was dead and he was on his way home so they could all arrange to fly out to Heden together to join their parents, he rose to leave and then remembered that he had to inform Lucy before leaving.

    Thinking about Lucy, a frown creased his brow when he recalled their conversation during lunch.

    She had said she wanted to apologize to his grandfather. Did she try to reach him already? Was she aware of the news? Tom mused as he made his way to her office. Deciding to see her before leaving.

    As he walked down the hallway to her office, he could tell by the looks he received from most of the staff that they had all seen the news of his grandfather''s death.

    The moment he noticed that the blind was down in Lucy''s office and he couldn''t see through the ss, he knew she had heard the news already, so without knocking he walked into her office, and just as he knew she would be doing, he saw her weeping at her desk.

    "Jewel?" He called, and she raised her tearful gaze to him as she cried.

    "I''m sorry. I''m so sorry, Tom. This is all my fault. I killed him. I shouldn''t have been so harsh," she cried as her whole body trembled, and Tom momentarily forgot his grief as he went to her and gathered her into his arms.

    "Don''t be ridiculous. This has nothing to do with you," he said as he patted her back but she shook her head.

    "I should have let it go as you did. I shouldn''t have pushed him so hard," Lucy cried and Tom sighed.

    "Can you please do away with the guilt? I have to worry about my parents and organizing the funeral right now. I don''t want to add this to it, especially when it ispletely unnecessary. He is old. He slumped and died, simple. The timing might suggest otherwise but it is what it is. So, please pull yourself together and stop ming yourself for something that has nothing to do with you," Tom said, trying to sound as patient as he could.

    Almost as if a switch hade on in her brain, and she realized she was making this about her instead offorting him, she looked up at him as she wiped off her tears, "I''m sorry. How do you feel? Have you spoken to your parents? How are they taking it?" She asked, but he shook his head.

    "Not yet. I think my presence might be more important than a phone call. I need to fly out to Heden to be with my parents and help set things up for the funeral," Tom said and Lucy nodded.

    "Is there something you need me to do?" Lucy asked, not sure what she could do.

    As much as she would love to be with him andfort him, she didn''t want to face his family.

    Even if he didn''t agree that she was responsible for this and he wasn''t ming her, the others might me her. Especially Evelyn. They might not say it directly to her face, but she knew deep down they would all me her.

    Before Tom could respond, his phone started ringing and he received the call the moment he saw it was from his mother.

    "Tom? Your grandfather��."

    "I know. I saw the news," he said, stopping her frompleting her statement because of the way she was crying.

    "How is dad taking the news?" Tom asked with concern.

    "Not well. He hasn''t said a word since I told him about it. He has remained silent," Evelyn cried, and Tom drew a deep breath.

    "Don''t worry. Hang in there, I will be with you soon," Tom promised.

    "Bryan and Jade��"

    "We will all be there together, don''t worry about it. I will handle everything, okay?" Tom assured her, and Evelyn rxed a bit.

    "What about Lucy and Sonia? Will they being too?" Evelyn asked, and Tom nced at Lucy.

    "She wants to know if you''reing with us," Tom said and Lucy teared up again.

    "I would love to if my presence there won''t upset everyone," Lucy confessed guiltily.

    "What is she talking about?" Evelyn asked with a sniffle since she heard what Lucy said.

    "She mes herself for what happened��"

    "Alright. I will. Thanks," Lucy said as she returned the phone to Tom.

    "Pass her the phone," Evelyn said in a firm voice now and Tom did as she requested.

    "Evelyn, I''m sorry��"

    "Come along with Tom. I will be expecting you," Evelyn said firmly, making it clear she wasn''t expecting no for an answer.

    "Alright. I will. Thanks," Lucy said as she returned the phone to Tom.

    Once Tom was done talking to his mother he looked at Lucy, "So?"

    "I wille with you," she said, and Tom nodded.

    "We have to leave now. I will be waiting in front of the building. Join me in the car after informing the head of operations that you will be away for a couple of days," Tom said before walking away, and immediately Lucy cleared her desk and reassigned her duties to her teammates.

    They didn''t need to ask any questions since they all had heard the news and understood that she was leaving with the CEO.

    As Tom made his way back to his office so he could use his private elevator to his parking lot, he saw Harrying out of his office.

    "I thought you went home already," Harry said and Tom sighed.

    "I had to see Lucy first. She will being with me," Tom said and Harry gave him a nod.

    "I would havee with you but we both can''t be away at the same time. I will see you guys at the funeral. Try to take things easy and let me know if you need me to handle anything from here," Harry said as he pped Tom''s back fondly.

    "Thanks, man!" Tom said, feeling grateful once again for Harry''s friendship.

    "Don''t mention," Harry said before walking away.

    As he returned into his office he sighed when it urred to him that just like that, the n to spend the weekend alone with Jade at his apartment was canceled.

    There was no way he could let her travel without seeing her first when he knew she was upset by the news. Harry picked up his car key from his desk and headed out again.

    "Cancel the rest of my appointments for the day, and liaise with Eric to reorganize my schedule for the rest of the week. I will handle all of Tom''s appointments," Harry instructed his secretary before walking away.

    Maybe he could pay Jade a surprise visit on Friday and spend the weekend with her over there instead. That should cheer her up a bit, Harry mused.

    He scowled when he randomly remembered that thest time he had been at the Hank family home with Jade, she had been there with her stupid ex-boyfriend.

    There was no way he was going to spend time with her in that same bedroom she had shared with her ex boyfriend.

    "Focus, Harry! It''s not a vacation. She just lost her grandfather," Harry reminded himself as he got into his car and headed for Tom''s ce.

 Chapter 693 Caring Boyfriend

    Chapter 693 Caring Boyfriend

    "I can''t understand. This is all so sudden. He didn''t look so frailst week when we all had dinner together. How could he die just like that?" Jade asked Bryan in disbelief as tears rolled down her cheeks while Bryan just sat where he was staring straight ahead of them.

    Hisst conversation with his grandfather had been just the previous day when his grandfather called to congratte him and Sonia, and to ask what they wanted for their wedding gift.

    Before that he had called the moment he heard about Sonia''s pregnancy to express his joy over expecting his first great grand child.

    Who would have thought he would die so soon? Bryan mused as he blinked back his tears.

    "Have you called mom or dad?" Bryan asked, since he had been unable to bring himself to do that since he heard the news from Tom.

    "I tried calling dad but he didn''t pick up. I haven''t called mom yet. She must be so devastated. You know how close they were," Jade said, and Bryan nodded.

    "What about you? Have you spoken with either of them?" Jade asked and Bryan shook his head.

    "Can''t. Don''t know what to say to them," Bryan confessed, and Jade nodded as tears pooled in her eyes again.

    "I wonder how dad is taking the news," Jade said, and Sonia who had just woken up and had walked into the living room looked from Bryan to Jade.

    "What''s going on? What news?" Sonia asked, not missing the grief on their faces.

    Bryan rose when he saw her, "How are you feeling now?" He asked with concern.

    "I feel much better. What''s the problem?" Sonia repeated as she watched Jade brush her tears off.

    "Our grandfather is dead," Bryan said, and Sonia gasped in surprise.

    "What? How? When?" She asked in disbelief and Bryan told her what he had gotten from the news, since it was all over the ce now.

    "Oh, my God!" Sonia eximed softly as she lowered herself to one of the chairs.

    "Will you be able to travel with us? We have to fly down to be with our parents," Bryan said, and Sonia nodded.

    "Sure. That can''t be helped," Sonia said, feeling saddened by the news.

    Even if she had not been very close to the man and had only met him just a week ago, she felt sorry to hear he was gone. He had sounded so happy at the prospect of having his first great-grand child and now he was no more.

    They all looked up when the door opened and Harry walked in. Immediately Jade saw him, she rose from her seat and walked into his embrace.

    "Oh, Harry!" She cried as she broke into a sob once again.

    Harry said nothing as he held her closely and patted her back as she cried while Bryan and Sonia excused themselves to go pack their bags upstairs.

    "Everything will be alright, sugar," Harry said after a while.

    "It''s all just so sudden��"

    "Death usually happens that way, love. And nothing ever really prepares you for it," Harry cut in as he kissed her forehead.

    "Why are you here?" She asked as she looked up at him through her wet eye lids.

    "Why do you think I''m here?" Harry asked and she sniffled.

    "Thanks foring. I''m sure you had stuff to do at the office," she said and Harry nodded.

    "Yeah, I did. But none of them was as important asforting you. I will get back to work after I see you off. Have you packed your stuff for the trip? Tom will be here soon," Harry said and Jade shook her head.

    "I haven''t. I can''t bring myself to do anything," Jade said with a sniffle.

    "Come on, I will help you pack so you can be ready before he gets here," Harry said as he took her hand to lead her upstairs.

    Jade was still too grief-stricken to realize that Harry was going upstairs to her bedroom.

    It wasn''t until they stopped in front of her bedroom door and Harry turned the knob, that it suddenly urred to her what was going on, and immediately she snapped out of her daze and stepped in front of him to block his path.

    "What?" Harry asked in confusion.

    "You can''te inside," Jade said, and he raised a brow.

    "Why not?" He asked, wondering why she had allowed hime all the way upstairs only to block his path now.

    "Because I don''t want you inside my bedroom," Jade said, and Harry looked at her for a moment before giving her a nod.

    "Alright. I will wait downstairs," he said and turned to leave, but that only made Jade feel guilty so she stopped him.

    "It''s because I didn''t clean up my room before leaving," she blurted out, and Harry turned to look at her with a slightly raised brow.

    "Is your bedroom in a worse state than I met your apartment when I visited you?" Harry asked, and Jade''s lips twitched involuntarily as she shook her head.

    "Not exactly."

    "So, what''s new? I''ve seen you look your worst and I''ve seen your apartment in a terrible state, not forgetting that we lived together in the hotel suite and I saw first how you take care of your room. Or should I say how you don''t take care of your room?" Harry asked, and a blush stained her cheeks.

    "Are you calling me dirty?" She asked, and Harry raised a brow.

    "Are you dirty? Don''t worry, even if you are, I''m neat enough for two and can clean up after you. I''m also rich enough to employ people to clean up after you," Harry said and she grinned.

    "I don''t know whether to be annoyed or pleased," she said and Harry grinned.

    "Can Ie in now?" Harry asked, and Jade looked behind her at her door before looking at Harry.

    "Give me a minute," she said as she dashed into her bedroom and locked the door behind her while Harry shook his head in amusement as he stood outside the door waiting for her.

    Once inside her bedroom, Jade scowled when she realized that her bedroom had been cleaned already and nothing was out of ce.

    Did she just embarrass herself for nothing? She mused as she opened the door to let Harry in.

    "Surprise!" She said, and Harry chuckled as he walked into her bedroom.

    three times a week. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays," he said as he looked around her bedroom.

    "I''m not surprised. I know Tom''s cleaners do a good job. They clean the bedrooms three times a week. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays," he said as he looked around her bedroom.

    "You could have just said that earlier. Besides, you don''t even live here, how do you know that when I don''t?" Jade asked with a scowl.

    "What should we pack first? Your undies?" Harry asked as he headed for her closet, and Jade ran to her closet immediately to block his path, making him chuckle.

    "Don''t pack anything. Just sit down while I pack," Jade ordered and Harry gave her a nod as he went to sit on the bed.

    He wouldn''t have gone close to her undies drawer anyway. He had only wanted to get a reaction out of her.

    He knew that his presence was momentarily distracting her from her grief, and that was what he wanted. To be able to cheer her up no matter how little before she left.

    Harry watched as she took a bag from the top of the closet and he shook his head when he saw how she was just picking stuff from her closet and shoving them into the bag.

    "Are you not going to fold those?" He asked, wondering how someone as organized as he was could have fallen for someone as disorganized as Jade.

    "There is no time. Tom will be here soon and I don''t want to keep him waiting," she reminded him without turning to look at him.

    "You either fold those neatly or I''m going to help you do that," Harry said, and Jade turned to look at him over her shoulder.

    Seeing the seriousness on his face, she scowled, "Maybe you should go wait downstairs. I will join you when I''m done."

    "Do it now, esquire, or I will help you," Harry repeated, and she grumbled as she did as she was told.

    "You''re a bully," Jade muttered grudgingly when she was done packing her bag.

    "That wasn''t so hard, was it?" Harry asked as he rose from the bed.

    "I hope you''re not forgetting anything? By the way, were you able to reschedule your meeting with the chief judge?" Harry asked and Jade nodded.

    "He saw the news before I called. As much as he would have liked to prosecute her quickly, he doesn''t mind allowing her stay that way for a while before she is taken to "That sounds good," Harry said as he watched her reach for herptop and chargers.

    They both turned to the door when a knock sounded on it and Jade walked over to open it.

    Tom who had knocked on the door was not very surprised to see Harry standing behind Jade inside the bedroom since he had seen Harry''s car downstairs so he knew Harry was with Jade.

    Of course, Harry was her boyfriend and it was expected that he would be there tofort his girlfriend.

    "You''re back," Jade said as she embraced Tom.

    "Yeah. Lucy is packing our bags. Will you get ready to leave in thirty minutes?" Tom asked and she nodded.

    "Alright. Let''s meet downstairs when you''re done," Tom said, and then gave Harry a nod before walking away to go join Lucy pack his bag.

    "At times like this I wish you were not working for Tom," Jade said, and Harry raised a brow, wondering where that wasing from.

    "Why?"

    "Sonia and Lucy areing. I know you can''te with me because you have to look after thepany in Tom''s absence," Jade exined with a sigh.

    "I won''t miss the funeral, don''t worry," Harry promised as he hugged her.

    There was no need to tell her he nned to visit and spend the weekend with her. He would prefer to just show up and surprise her.

    "You had better not miss it. You have to be there," Jade warned as she held on to him.

    She hated funerals, and she hated this one even more because it was her grandfather''s. She didn''t want to watch him being buried. And she didn''t want to have to remember thest funeral she had been to as she watched them bury her grandfather.

    Thest funeral she had been to was that of herte ex-boyfriend. That had been the same day she found out the bastard had been cheating on her.

    How do you transition from mourning a lover in one moment to weeping from a broken heart? The betrayal had hurt a lot worse than it would ordinarily have because he was dead and she couldn''t even vent or confront him. It still stung.

    She had avoided funerals like a gue since then, but unfortunately she couldn''t avoid this one. She needed Harry''s presence there to help her go through it without breaking down.

    Even if she the wound was still very sore and she could still feel the heaviness in her heart, having Harry around had brightened her up a little, and had taken her mind of things. She wished he could be with her all through.

    Jade sighed after a moment when she remembered that she wouldn''t be able to spend the weekend with him as nned, "Sorry I have to rain check on our weekend arrangement��"

    "That is hardly important right now. We have lots of weekends ahead of us," Harry assured her, and she nodded as she took in a deep breath.

    "Thanks foring," Jade said and Harry smiled at her.

    "Aren''t you lucky to have such a caring boyfriend?" He asked and she smiled.

    "You are so full of yourself," she said with a shake of her head.

    "I beg to differ. I think I''m full with love for you. Let''s go downstairs and find you something to munch on before you leave. I doubt you''ve had anything else to eat apart from the popcorn you kept chewing on the show," Harry said wanting to make her smile but Jade sighed when she remembered the show.

    "That seems like it happened ages ago. And I don''t think I can eat anything right now," Jade said and Harry nodded.

    "Yeah, that''s more reason I want you to eat now. You''re going to need energy to cry as I know you would when you get home. I also know you''re most likely not going to eat anything when you get home and everyone else will be too sad themselves to care about that. So, you should eat something now before you leave. I want to see you eat something," Harry said as he took her bags from her and headed for the door.

    Once they got downstairs, Harry headed for the kitchen to find Samantha, and as she quickly fixed sandwiches for Jade and the others, Harry took some fruits from the refrigerator and blended them into a smoothie.

    "Here. Take this with you. You can''t let my effort go to waste so try to take it when you can," he said to Jade as he handed her the bottle of smoothie before setting a te of sandwich in front of her.

    "Thanks," Jade said as she took the smoothie from him, and Harry sat down to watch her eat.

    Forty minutester, Harry stood beside his car, and watched as the jet took off.

    He sighed as he got into his car after the jet disappearedfrom view and returned to the office.

 Chapter 694 Another Child

    Chapter 694 Another Child

    The moment their flight touched down at the airport some hourster, two cars were already waiting to take them home.

    Tom and Lucy got into one, while Bryan, Sonia, and Jade got into the other.

    It had been a very silent trip since neither of them had been in the mood to talk. While Tom, Bryan, and Jade were still in a daze at the sudden loss of their grandfather, Lucy was still busy ming herself for being responsible for the old man''s death, while Sonia was doing her best not to get sick since the motion was making her nausea worse.

    Inside the car, Lucy shifted closer to Tom and rested her head on his shoulder as she took his hand in hers.

    "How are you feeling?" She asked quietly, and Tom sighed.

    "I don''t know yet. The only person I''m thinking about right now is my dad. You know, I just finished speaking with him about reconciling and fixing things with my grandfather before I got the news," Tom said and Lucy looked up at him.

    "He would be devastated."

    "I wish I had thought of convincing him earlier to makeup with his father rather than doing it only when it was toote," Tom said and Lucy sighed.

    "No one could have guessed that something like this would happen now," Lucy said as she squeezed his hands softly.

    "Even at that. All these years we let them be at loggerheads with one another when we could have stepped in and made things right��"

    "There is a limit to what you could have done. They are both adults and would not have resolved things unless they wanted to," Lucy cut in.

    "My grandfather was sorry. He didn''t like the state of things between them," Tom said and Lucy shrugged.

    "Then he should have told Desmond so and pushed for a reconciliation. This isn''t your fault," Lucy assured him and Tom sighed as he looked out of the window while she rested her head against him again.

    "Kimberly was calling earlier. I guess she wanted to tell me the news," Tom murmured more to himself than to Lucy when he remembered.

    "Did you return her call?" Lucy asked without raising her head.

    "I was going to do so before Harry broke the news to me. After that I didn''t think there was any need to return the call," Tom said and Lucy sighed.

    "I guess this will be hard on her as well seeing how they were close," Lucy said thoughtfully.

    It was past nine in the evening by the time they arrived at the Hank family mansion, and Evelyn was waiting outside to receive them all.

    Her usual pleasant face was pale and her red nose and swollen eyes stood out on her face as she tried to force a weing smile.

    The moment they stepped out of the cars, the smile copsed on her office and she pressed a hand to her lips to keep herself from sobbing.

    Seeing how she stood there, Tom embraced her and held her closely to himself, and just like that she broke into a sob.

    Jade joined in her tears as she also went to embrace Tom and their mother while Bryan remained where he stood with Sonia and Lucy as he watched them with a heavy heart.

    "I''m sorry. I know I shouldn''t be crying this way," Evelyn said as she brushed her tears away and pulled away from Tom and embraced Jade who was still weeping softly.

    "You should cry if you need to. There''s no reason to hold back your tears," Tom said and her lips wobbled, but she forced a smile as she turned to Lucy.

    "You''re wee, Lucy. I wish your first visit to our home wasn''t on such circumstances," Evelyn told Lucy before ncing at Sonia.

    "You don''t look well. What''s wrong?" Evelyn asked as she observed Sonia.

    "Nothing serious. I''m just feeling nauseous," Sonia said with a forced smile not wanting to add to Evelyn''s worry.

    "Where is dad?" Tom asked before Evelyn could respond to what Sonia had said.

    "He is in his study," Evelyn said, and Tom gave her a nod as he made his way past her into the house, and both Bryan and Jade followed him as they went to find their father, leaving Sonia and Lucy to their mother.

    "Come in, I will show Lucy to Tom''s bedroom and while you both freshen up I will prepare some tea to calm your stomach," Evelyn Inside the house, Tom did not bother to knock as he walked into his said as she led them into the house.

    Inside the house, Tom did not bother to knock as he walked into his father''s study, and when he did he wasn''t surprised to see Desmond sitting behind the desk and drinking whiskey.

    "Dad," Jade called in a shaky voice as she walked through the door and walked past Tom to go meet him.

    Desmond didn''t say a word as Jade walked around the desk and embraced him.

    She held on to him very tightly as tears dropped from her eyes, while Tom and Bryan went to take the seats opposite their father.

    Tom didn''t say a word as he poured some brandy into two snifters and passed one to Bryan who received it appreciately.

    Neither of them said a word for a long time, until Jade finally broke the hug, "I''m sorry, dad," Jade murmured, and Desmond gave her a nod.

    "How are you feeling?" Bryan asked and Desmond shrugged as he drew in a deep breath.

    "Any word from his assistant yet on what happened to him?" Tom asked and Desmond raised a brow.

    "What happened other than he was a selfish bastard who chose to die at a time like this?" Desmond asked unable to hide the bitterness and anger in his tone.

    "I get that you''re mad at him for a lot of reasons, but can you set your anger aside and let''s all figure out the way forward?" Tom suggested and Desmond sighed as he rose from his seat and moved away from the desk.

    "Give us a moment alone. I need to speak with him," Tom told Bryan and Jade, and they exchanged a look before walking out of the office.

    "How do you really feel, dad?" Tom asked calmly after the door closed behind Jade and Bryan.

    "I was going to call him as you suggested. After all you said, I was going to give him a call just after speaking with your mother. So, can you tell me why he decided to die now? Why he chose today of all days to leave?" Desmond asked, and this time Tom heard the grief in his father''s voice.

    "He didn''t choose to. I''m sure if he had a choice he wouldn''t have wanted to leave just yet," Tom said quietly.

    "All my life he was never really there for me. The older I grew I thought I had adjusted to his absence. I thought I was even okay with it. So, why does it hurt that he is gone?" Desmond asked as a tear dropped from his eyes.

    He always had answers for everyone else and had wisdom to share with anyone who needed it. But now that he needed answers for himself, he couldn''t be of help to himself.

    "It hurts because he is your father. And whether or not he is here now, you need to forgive him and make your peace with him, dad. Right now it''s more important for you to do so for your sake," Tom advised as he went to where his father stood and ced a hand on his shoulder.

    Desmond took a deep breath as he faced Tom and ced a hand on Tom''s shoulder, "Thanks foring over. And yeah. I know you''re right concerning all you''ve said. I know that in my head. It''s my heart I''m still trying to reconcile with my head," Desmond said as he returned to his seat behind the desk.

    "I should give Henry a call now. He has been trying to reach for all day," Desmond said as he picked up his phone and dialed the line of Lawrence''s assistant.

    "Desmond, I''ve been trying to reach you all day. I suppose you saw the news by now. ept my condolences," Henry said sympathetically.

    "What happened to him, Henry?" Desmond asked calmly and listened quietly as Henry told him all about histe father''s health struggles and how he had visited the family to inform them about itst week but had changed his mind at thest minute.

    "You mean he has been ill and has had a couple of surgeries over the years? Why am I just hearing about this now?" Desmond asked in disbelief.

    "He didn''t want you to know about it. He said it wouldn''t make any difference to you whether he was alive or dead, so there was no need sharing such information with you. He made me promise not to say a word of it to you or Evelyn," Henry said and Desmond tried not to feel hurt.

    Typical of his father not to care about sharing anything personal with him.

    "I see. What is the n for his funeral? Did he discuss that with you at any point?" Desmond asked, and Tom raised a brow.

    "He said you were to decide how to bury him. Although as an ex-president he will be given a ceremonial state burial. So whatever you decide you have to ry to me so I canmunicate to the state house. There is something else I wanted to discuss with you," Henry said and Desmond raised a brow.

    "What is it? Is there a problem?" Desmond asked, wondering why Henry sounded like he wasn''t going to like whatever he was about to hear.

    "I''m not sure how you''re going to take this. It''s about your father," Henry cautiously.

    "What about him?" Desmond asked with a frown.

    "He found out yesterday that he has another kid," Henry said Desmond''s jaw dropped in disbelief.

    "What?" Desmond asked, making Tom frown as he wondered what was happening.

    "He was quite upset yesterday. I''m guessing the shock of that and everything else that transpired between you all contributed to��"

    "What do you mean? What are you talking about?" Desmond asked in confusion, not caring about anything else Henry was saying.

    His father had another child somewhere? How? That did not make any iota of sense. And why was he only just finding out about it?

    "It''splicated. I can''t exin the details to you, but she will when she gets there," Henry said making Desmond''s frown deepen.

    "When who gets here? His other child is ady? Is sheing here? What for? And why is she showing up after all this time?" Desmond asked, making Tom frown in confusion as he wondered what his father was talking about.

    "As I said, I can''t exin the details. I''m shocked myself. I wanted to give you a heads up before they arrive. I''m sure you will understand better when she gets there. I''m sorry you''re finding out about it this way. But you should know that your father didn''t n for that to happen," Henry said quietly and hung up before Desmond could ask him any more question.

    Desmond stared at his phone with a frown as he tried to understand what was going on.

    "Whose other child? What did he say?" Tom asked his father, and Desmond raised his gaze to Tom.

    "Your grandfather has another child and ording to Henry she ising over," Desmond said and Tom frowned.

    "Grandfather has another child? How? Since when?" Tom asked, and just then a knock sounded on the door of the study.

    "You both need toe out. We have some guests," Bryan said with a frown, and both Tom and his father exchanged a look before standing up and walking out of the library with Bryan.

    Tom''s steps faltered when he saw Kimberly and Dawn standing in the middle of the living room with Evelyn and Jade.

 Chapter 695 Unbelievable!

    Chapter 695 Unbelievable!

    Seeing Kimberly there, different thoughts ran through Tom''s mind at the same time, and ncing at his father who was staring at Kimberly in disbelief, Tom suspected that they were having the exact same thought.

    It couldn''t be coincidence that they had just been informed of Lawrence''s daughter who would be visiting and here was Kimberly.

    How could Kimberly be his grandfather''s daughter? It did not make any sense. Or maybe it was not entirely nonsense seeing how Dawn looked like him. It could that the Hank gene had flowed from her to her daughter, Tom mused as he met her gaze.

    "Hello, Thomas! I''m relieved you''re here. I''m sorry I''m barging in on your family this way, especially at this time of the evening," Kimberly said politely.

    Tom noticed that her face looked in and puffy as though she had been crying, and he guessed it was because of Lawrence.

    "What are you doing here?" Tom asked Kimberly in confusion, not wanting to believe that she was the one Henry had just told his father about.

    "I stopped by your office at Ludus earlier and was informed by your assistant that you just traveled home, hence I had to fly down here," Kimberly said to Tom, making him frown.

    Evelyn whose gaze was fixed on the little girl, Dawn, looked up at Kimberly, "Your daughter looks pretty exhausted. Couldn''t it have waited until morning?" She asked, wondering what was so urgent that Lawrence''s goddaughter had to pay them a visit without prior notice.

    "I wish it could. But this is urgent. I''m sorry once again," Kimberly said apologetically as she rubbed her daughter''s back, who had no idea what was going on.

    "Are you saying you are here to see me?" He asked, not understanding what was going on.

    "What is this about?" Desmond asked at the same time and Kimberly shed him an apologetic look.

    "Perhaps I could speak with you both in private?" Kimberly asked hopefully and Desmond looked at Evelyn who wanted to protest.

    "Take care of the kid," he told Evelyn before signalling to Kimberly to follow him.

    "What is going on? Why is she here?" Jade asked Evelyn and Bryan as they all looked at the little girl.

    "Jade go prepare a cup of warm chocte for the kid," Evelyn ordered as she jerked her head to the couch.

    "Sit down, dear," Evelyn told Dawn who reminded her very much of Tom at that age.

    "Thank you," Dawn said politely as she graciously lowered herself to the couch and sat down like a prim and proper youngdy.

    Bryan excused himself to go upstairs to check on Sonia, while Evelyn sat down beside the kid who was looking everywhere else but at her.

    Inside Desmond''s study once they were seated, Desmond fixed his gaze on Kimberly as he waited for her to speak.

    "Were you in the country already? There was no way you could have traveled down just after hearing the news," Tom said, giving Kimberly the opening she needed.

    "I was in the country. I flew in with Dawn on Saturday morning to attend a wedding in Sogal," Kimberly exined.

    "You were in Sogal when I spoke with you on Saturday morning and when we spoke yesterday?" Tom asked, and Kimberly nodded.

    "Yes. We were supposed to leave today," Kimberly said and Desmond raised a brow.

    "That doesn''t exin why you are here," Desmond pointed out, and Kimberly nodded.

    "I know what I''m about to say mighte as a shock to you and..."

    "Are you about to tell us you are my father''s daughter? Because that doesn''t make any sense. I know your parents," Desmond cut in, and Kimberly frowned as she quickly shook her head.

    "No. God, no! I''m not Lawrence''s daughter," Kimberly said quickly, and both Tom and Desmond let out the breath they hadn''t realized they had been holding.

    "However, my daughter is," Kimberly said, and this time both Desmond and Tom looked at her with a dumbfounded expression.

    "I know this muste as a shock..."

    "You are telling us that little girl is my father''s kid?" Desmond cut in, his disbelief evident in his voice.

    "This is ridiculous! How do you expect us to believe that? First it was me, now it''s my grandfather? Are you saying you had an affair with my old grandfather? He is over eighty for crying out loud!" Tom said, and Kimberly nodded.

    "Yeah. I know it sounds outrageous. I know," Kimberly said as she wiped her hands over her face.

    "If you know that, then why are you sitting there and saying something so unbelievable to us?" Desmond asked as he rose from his seat.

    "Why is it so unbelievable? You don''t believe the fact that your father is capable of impregnating ady, or you just don''t believe that my daughter is his? How do you exin the resemnce to your son?" Kimberly asked, and Desmond shook his head.

    "The resemnce doesn''t mean a thing. People look like people all the time. It''s normal..."

    "Don''t tell me he was actually trying to make me take responsibility for his own daughter and imed it was all a prank?" Tom said as the idea struck him, and Kimberly frowned.

    "Is that how little you think of your grandfather? He would be so disappointed to know that," Kimberly said in a scathing tone.

    "For your information, Lawrence never knew about the kid. He wasn''t aware that Dawn was his. I didn''t say a word of it to him untilst night. All this time he thought I had her through artificial insemination, so leave him out of this!" Kimberly said hotly, defending Lawrence.

    "How does any of this make sense? You are not making any sense. If he didn''t know she was his daughter and you were bent on keeping it a secret why did you tell him about it now? And why are you here now? Is it because he is dead and you are hoping to have part of his wealth transfered to your daughter?" Desmond asked and Kimberly rose from her seat, feeling very offended.

    "If I had a choice, I wouldn''t have told him about it and I wouldn''t be here either! Do not insult me by making my presence here aboit money!" Kimberly said coldly and Tom took a deep breath.

    "Okay. Let''s all calm down. Dad, please sit down. Kimberly, please sit down and tell us exactly why you are here and what you want," Tom said, knowing they wouldn''t get anywhere if they continued with the arguments at the rate they were going.

    Desmond reluctantly returned to his seat, and Kimberly took a deep breath to calm herself before doing the same.

    "I know I''m not in any position to lose my temper right now.Especially not when I''m here to seek your help. I apologize," Kimberly said to Tom and Desmond.

    "Seek our help? What for? Can you tell us exactly what happened? We''re you romantically involved with my grandfather? Why did you keep your daughter away from him if truly he is her father, and why are you bringing it all up now?" Tom asked calmly.

    "It was a one time thing. Lawrence did not mean for it to happen. He never would have done something like that sober," Kimberly said, and Desmond raised a brow.

    "Did my father force himself on you?" He asked cautiously, and she quickly shook her head.

    "No. Not at all. It was mostly me. I''ve always loved and admired him. Even crushed on him growing up. As I told you before I was in a bad state of mind following being jilted by my fianc��. Lawrence helped me to track him down. That happened weeks after we met at your hotel opening. And when Lawrence visited me after dealing with him, we got talking and drinking that night. It was mostly me. I made the move on him," Kimberly admitted.

    "You had sex with a man old enough to be your grandfather?" Desmond asked, soundingpletely disgusted.

    "Yes, I had sex with a man I''ve always loved and respected. And if Lawrence had been willing for us to have an affair I would have been more than happy to. I''m not ashamed to admit that," Kimberly said, giving Desmond a pointed look.

    "I guess he wasn''t interested in having an affair with you?" Tom asked, not wanting them to get into another argument.

    "Yeah. The next morning he was both ashamed and devastated when he realized what had happened between us. No matter how much I kept trying to assure him it was what I wanted, he med himself for taking advantage of me, especially considering his rtionship with my father. So, how was I to tell him about the pregnancy when I realized I was pregnant?" Kimberly asked, and Tom took a deep breath, unable to imagine his grandfather doing all of that.

    "Why didn''t you take necessary precautions? And why did you decide to keep the baby knowing how he would feel about it? What about your family? Are they aware?" Tom asked, and she shook her head.

    "They had no idea what had happened. The moment I realized I was pregnant I decided to keep the baby since I had been nning on having a baby through artificial insemination already. I was already seeing a fertility doctor before then to discuss the process, so it was easy to make my family believe I became pregnant that way. I also made the doctor y along," Kimberly exined quietly.

    "And he never suspected anything?" Desmond asked with disbelief.

    "After what happened between us he didn''t visit for a very long time. We talked over the phone sometimes when I called to seek his advise, but that was it. He withdrew from me out of guilt. He didn''t know much about Dawn until he visited recently," Kimberly exined.

    "Was that why you decided to tell him about her now?" Tom asked, and she shook her head.

    "I never nned to tell him. I was going to take the secret to my grave��."

    "So, what changed?" Desmond asked curiously.

    "The prank. I never should have let him go ahead with the prank. And I never should have been a part of it. My uncle visited in my absence and told my parents about our meeting at the club. They asked me about it and I told them it was a prank, but I guess they didn''t believe me seeing checked with the clinic and found out I lied about the artificial insemination. They''re mad at me that I''ve been lying to them all these years," Kimberly exined with a shuddering sigh.

    "And I suppose they insisted that Tom was the father?" Desmond asked thoughtfully, and Kimberly nodded.

    "Yes. And then my father called Lawrencest night to inform him that his grandson had impregnated me and seemed not to want to take responsibility for the pregnancy," Kimberly exined, gradually letting them understand all that was going on.

    "Your grandfather tried to convince them it was a prank, and reminded them I had artificial insemination, but then they told him they found out I lied about that. And that was how Lawrence figured out Dawn was most likely his. He called to ask me about itst night, and I had to tell him the truth," Kimberly finished.

    "All this happened while you were in Sogal?" Tom asked, and Kimberly nodded as tears pooled in her eyes.

    "Yes. Last night. I didn''t imagine what it would do to Lawrence. I''m sure he must have thought about what damage it would do to his reputation if the truth was revealed. I shouldn''t have kept the pregnancy. I killed him," Kimberly cried softly and both Tom and his father sighed in resignation.

    "I wanted to see you and exin things to you before my parents call or your parents. I don''t want them to find out about Lawrence being Dawn''s father," Kimberly pleaded and Tom frowned.

    "Are you asking me to lie to your parents and im your daughter is mine?" Tom asked in disbelief as he rose.

    "I don''t know what else to do. I know I messed up with this whole prank thing, but please I really need your help. Not for my sake but for Lawrence''s sake. I have no idea how my parents would react or treat Dawn when they find out she is Lawrence''s kid. I don''t want them to hate him. He doesn''t deserve to be remembered this way for a mistake I made," Kimberly pleaded with a sob.

    "Do you have any idea what you are asking me to do? This is ridiculous!" Tom said with a shake of his head as he headed for the door, leaving his father alone with Kimberly.

 Chapter 696 Family Meeting

    Chapter 696 Family Meeting

    "What?" Evelyn, Bryan, and Jade eximed simultaneously after Desmond told them what Kimberly had said about Dawn being Lawrence''s daughter.

    Desmond had asked Kimberly to leave and give them time to think about all she had said so they could decide on what to do. And she had told him she would remain in Heden until a decision was reached and maybe until Lawrence''s funeral since she was reluctant to go face her family.

    "Is this supposed to be a bad joke or what?" Bryan asked incredulously.

    "Please don''t tell me you believed that crap! Grandfather would never do something like that. Never!" Jade said as she rose, feeling really annoyed.

    "First she imed the kid was Tom''s, and now all of a sudden because grandfather is no more she ims the kid is his? This is ridiculous!" Bryan said with a shake of his head.

    Tom said nothing as his siblings expressed their annoyance, while Evelyn on the other hand remained mute, and soon everyone noticed.

    "Why aren''t you saying anything?" Desmond asked his wife, and she sighed.

    "What is there to say? As ridiculous as it sounds, we will have to carry out a DNA test. You all saw the kid. There is no denying that she does look like a Hank. And you did say Henry told you about it before she arrived. He wouldn''t have mentioned it if Lawrence did not tell him about it," she said quietly, still reeling from the shock of both the old man''s death and the news of his illegitimate child.

    "This is annoyingly ridiculous! I can''t believe that grandfather could have been that careless and irresponsible. There is just no way he could have slept with someone as young as that. Especially not the daughter of his best friend. That is so disgusting! Absolutely shameful!" Jade said in a slightly raised voice as she paced around the study while the others were seated.

    "Keep your voice down!" Evelyn cautioned, not wanting anyone else to overhear their discussion.

    Because it was strictly family business, Sonia and Lucy were not in the study with them and were instead having dinner at the dining, so they had no idea what was going on, especially since they hade downstairs shortly after Kimberly left and the Hanks went into the study.

    They had met the cook who led them to the dining on Evelyn''s instruction, telling them the family were having a meeting.

    As far as Sonia and Lucy knew, the meeting was about Lawrence''s death and funeral, so while they waited for the family to finish up their discussion, Sonia and Lucy talked about Rebekah''s interview which Sonia had missed.

    "Well, that''s not all she said," Desmond said after everyone was silent and they looked at him.

    "What? There is more to this ridiculous tale?" Jade asked, and Evelyn red at her, silently asking her to keep shut and let her father speak.

    "She asked that Tom im to be the child''s father," Desmond said and Evelyn raised a hand to head which was already throbbing and Jade looked at her father ck-jawed while Bryan raised a brow.

    "That''s sick! Totally sick and shameless! Simply because she had both grandfather and grandson doesn''t mean she can just spring up shit like that," Bryan said with disgust.

    "Please don''t tell me you''re considering it, Tom! Tell me you''re not even thinking about it," Jade interrupted Bryan in annoyance.

    "Can you both keep shut and let your father give us the whole details?" Evelyn hissed impatiently and they all turned to Desmond who sighed.

    Desmond went on to exin to them all that Kimberly had said about her rtionship with Lawrence and how she had kept the pregnancy away from him and her family, and how her family had uncovered the truth about her child not being from artificial insemination as she had imed.

    "... She is worried about what this might do to Lawrence''s reputation..."

    "No, I don''t think so. She is worried about what it might do to her own reputation if it gets out! Grandfather is dead, and if anyone should be talking about his reputation it should be us worrying about that not her!" Jade cut in, and Desmond sighed.

    "Christ! This is all so crazy!" Bryan eximed as he slumped against his seat.

    It was as though the day kept moving from one level of crazy to another and he was stressed out already.

    All day he had been in a state of turmoil. He woke up to find Sonia feeling ill and had been worried about her, and then the news of his grandfather''s death came, and now this. He wished the day could end already, or maybe he could open his eyes and found himself sleeping on his bed in Tom''s house and realize it had all been an unpleasant dream.

    "So, what are we going to do if we carry out a DNA paternity test and find out she is actually Lawrence''s daughter?" Evelyn asked the one question that everyone seemed to be avoiding.

    "Tom, you carried out a DNA test, didn''t you? What was the DNA percentage?" Jade asked curiously and Tom who had been silent the whole time frowned.

    "I didn''t take note of that. It didn''t ur to me to do so. All I checked for was the statement part that said she was not my daughter," Tom said simply.

    "But you still have the result, right? Maybe we can check it now and put ourselves out of the misery. That way we cane to a decision on how to handle this now. The earlier the better," Evelyn said and they all agreed with her.

    "Give me a moment," Tom said as he took out his phone and scrolled through his emails for the eCopy result which had been sent to his email ount.

    Too impatient to wait, Jade went to sit beside him, and once he found it and clicked on it, Jade''s gaze went right down to the part were the probability of paternity was written.

    It was twelve point five percent.

    "I think she might be telling the truth. Tom shares DNA with the kid even if he is not the father," Jade announced as she rose again.

    "We will still carry out a proper DNA test. Thest I want is for her toe for me or dad next, iming the child is ours," Bryan said dryly, and despite the seriousness of the situation Jade giggled.

    "It would have been easier to believe had she said the child was yours," Jade said and Bryan scowled.

    "I don''t digdies who are older than me," Bryan said and before Jade could respond Evelyn shot her a look.

    "Let''s focus on the issue at hand," Evelyn said, and all eyes turned to her.

    "There is no issue to focus on. Kimberly has to handle her business with her family and leave is out of it. The child is not mine and I''m not going to im otherwise. It''s as simple as that. Since the child is possibly grandfather''s, she is part of the family whether or not we like it, and so we will take responsibility for her as a family..."

    "That child might be our aunt," Jade cut in when it suddenly clicked, and Bryan chuckled.

    "Mom, how do you feel about having a kid for a sister-inw?" Bryan joked, and Jade giggled while Evelyn red at them.

    "This is hardly anything to joke about!" She hissed at them.

    "Well, it''s either we cry or weugh right now. I can''t believe I went from mourning my sweet old grandfather toughing about the possibility of a three years old kid being my half aunt. This is all so wild," Jade said with a sigh.

    Desmond cleared his throat to get their attention, "I stand with Tom on this. As much as I have no interest whatsoever in associating with the child as my father''s kid, the responsible thing to do will be to care for her as she is part of the family. Her business with her family is hers and has nothing to do with us. I''m going to have dinner," Desmond said as he rose, ready to leave.

    "I agree with you both," Bryan said and Jade nodded.

    "I support it as well," Jade said, ready for the meeting toe to an end so she could go upstairs to her bedroom to give Harry a call since she was het to speak with him since she arrived.

    Evelyn stopped Desmond and Tom before they could leave, "Des? Tom? I would like to speak with you both privately," Evelyn said and Bryan and Jade took that as their cue to leave even though they didn''t like being left out of the discussions.

    They hoped she wasn''t nning on convincing Tom to do what Kimberly wanted seeing as she was the only one who had not stated that she was in support of Tom''s decision.

    They knew just how close she had been to their grandfather and wouldn''t put it past her to want to consider saving his face even in his death.

    Tom raised a brow as he watched his mother and waited for her to speak.

    Desmond also couldn''t help wondering what she wanted to talk to them about.

    After gathering her thoughts, Evelyn cleared her throat, "Initially I was going to address the whole family, including Sonia and Lucy, since you''re all here. But I decided to speak with you both directly first before talking to the others," Evelyn said, looking from Tom to her husband.

    "What is this about?" Tom asked, and Evelyn''s brows pulled together.

    "About the prank and everything else that followedst night," Evelyn said simply.

    "Not now, mom," Tom said, thinking it was all wrong timing.

    "I want us to get that out of the way so we can focus on everything else. I know you are both mad at me and probably only talking to me right now because of the situation of things. You all have expressed your disappointment in various ways..."

    "Mom, I''m not mad at you. Let''s forget about it. It''s all in the past now," Tom said, and she shook her head.

    "No, it''s not. You might no longer be mad because of all that has happened, but I''m mad. And I''m disappointed in all of you, and I have to tell you exactly how I feel," Evelyn said, and Tom frowned.

    "What?" Desmond asked in disbelief, and Evelyn nodded.

    "Yes. You heard me right. I admit that I was wrong to have put the me on Lucy the way I did. And I admit that I said things I shouldn''t have said. I also admit that maybe I should have listened when you asked me to let the issue ago, instead of probing further. For all of that I am sorry," Evelyn said and Tom nodded.

    "Then what are you mad about when you know you are wrong?" Desmond asked, and she took in a deep breath.

    "I am mad because you both made me feel like an unreasonable person. Last night I was willing to do anything for peace to reign because I hate not being on good terms with you, but that doesn''t mean I agreed with all you said, Desmond. During dinner with Lawrencest week, Tom made a statement about not wanting to get married, and I expressed my worries to you. Did you at any point in that discussion tell me the reason Tom made such a statement even though you were aware of it already?" Evelyn asked, and Desmond said nothing.

    "Go on. Answer the question," Evelyn urged him.

    "No, I didn''t."

    "I''m d you admit that you didn''t. You made me believe you were fine with his decision and tried to make me think it wasn''t a big deal and I shouldn''t worry about it. You didn''t even want us to talk about it. I AM HIS MOTHER! If there is anyone who is allowed to meddle in his business, I believe I have every right to be..."

    "Mom..."

    "Let me finish," she said, raising a finger to stop him from speaking.

    "You might not have been on good terms with your father, Desmond, but I was. I always have been even before you met me. Lawrence has always been like a father to me. I see nothing wrong in sharing my concerns with him when I know he cares about Tom as well..."

    "But I asked you to let it go, didn''t I? Couldn''t you have trusted me and taken my word for it?" Desmond asked and Evelyn shook her head.

    "No, I couldn''t. Not when you acted like it didn''t matter to you. I know all my kids and I know Tom had always wanted to get married. I believed something was wrong and I needed to fix it whether or not you were interested in fixing it. If you had told me what the issue was, I never would have gone to Lawrence! How could you withhold information from me, dismiss my concerns casually and expect me not to act on my own?" Evelyn asked hotly.

    "I asked him to keep it to himself," Tom said in his father''s defense.

    "That doesn''t change anything. I had already spoken to Lawrence about it before Tom told me Lucy was the one who didn''t want to get married. You can call Lucy in here and ask her what I told her after that," Evelyn said, forgetting that she had promised Tom not to talk to Lucy about it.

    "You talked to Lucy about it?" Tom asked with a frown.

    "Yes, I did. I spoke with her about it because I needed to understand her. I won''t apologize to you for doing that. I am allowed to worry about you. It is my duty as a mother. Worrying about my kids is what I do best and I will continue to do so until the day I draw myst breath. You can''t ask me not to interested or interfere in your life. I was not wrong to worry about you enough to ask for Lawrence''s help. I admit that he went about it the wrong way, and I was surprised since all I actually expected him to do was talk to you. So, on behalf of Lawrence I apologize to the both of you for the prank. I called you both here to apologize and also to express my displeasure," Evelyn said and then paused.

    "Also, I see no reason why you couldn''t handle this yourself and had to involve Lucy..."

    Tom shook his head, "No. Don''t bring Lucy into this. She did nothing wrong. The prank affected her too. She is my girlfriend. And maybe if they didn''t take it further by contacting her as well, I wouldn''t have let her get involved," Tom stated.

    "Lucy did the right thing," Desmond stated tly.

    "Tom could have done that. Lucy has no rtionship with Lawrence. It was disrespectful to have your girlfriend treat your grandfather that way," Evelyn said and Tom sighed.

    "Alright. I apologize for that. I should have handled things myself. Listen, mom, I understand that you can''t help worrying about me and interfering in my life but I''m an adult..."

    "Let me ask you a question. Why did you send Harry to Jade when she was having a hard time with herst criminal case?" Evelyn asked, and Tom frowned, not understanding where that wasing from.

    "Why else? She was in danger and needed to be taken care of," Tom said simply and she nodded.

    "Good. Now tell me, how was it your business? I mean, Jade is an adult and fully capable of taking care of herself so why did you have to step in when she didn''t ask you to?" Evelyn asked and Tom raised a brow.

    "She is my younger sister and I have to look out for her whether or not she asks for my help. That was how you raised us." As the words left his lips he understood where she was headed.

    "Good. In like manner, whether or not you are an adult, you are my son and I have to be involved in your business and do whatever I can to make sure you are happy, whether or not you ask for my help," Evelyn said and Tom sighed.

    "How would you feel if Lucy''s parents chose to meddle in our rtionship?" Tom asked, and Evelyn shook her head.

    "I knew all this was about Lucy. Tom, every family is unique in their own way. Her parents can decide not to meddle in her affairs, that is their style but it''s not ours. I didn''t raise any of you to mind your business. I raised you to mind each other''s business and be there for each other. Family is allowed to meddle. I agree that there is a limit to meddling, and that''s why I chose to respect your decision about sticking with Lucy. But what I''m saying right here and right now is that I won''t stop being interested in you or your affairs. You are free to live however you want or do whatever you want after I''m no more," Evelyn concluded as she rose and both Desmond and Tom nodded before heading for the door.

    Tom sighed as they rose too.

    "I''ve heard you," Tom said as he rose.

    "I will be addressing everyone tomorrow, including Lucy and Sonia. So, you can let her know what I said before then," Evelyn said and Tom nodded before heading for the door.

    "I demand an apology from you Desmond. I ept that I was wrong, but you were wrong too. We agreed not to keep things concerning the kids from each other and you did that," Evelyn said as she held her husband''s gaze.

    "I just lost my dad..."

    "And I just lost my father-inw," Evelyn said with a scowl, letting him know she wasn''t letting him off the hook.

    "Alright. I''m sorry I didn''t tell you about it. But that doesn''t mean I''m okay with your actions either. You don''t listen and I''m beginning to find it increasingly annoying," Desmond said and she nodded.

    "I''m sorry. I will do my best not to go against you anymore," Evelyn said, and Desmond held out his hand to her and she embraced him.

    "I won''t forgive you for sleeping in the guest room," Evelyn said with her head on his chest.

    "I needed to make a statement you would understand," Desmond said and she scowled.

    "Yeah. Well, that was a very loud statement. I got it. So, don''t do that next time. We should always talk things through," she said and Desmond sighed as he rubbed her back.

    "It will be best if you don''t things we have to fight over."

    "Were you able to sleepst night? Did you enjoy sleeping without me?" Evelyn asked, and Desmond chuckled as he broke the embrace.

    "Yeah. For the first time in a long time I was able to rest my arms without any weight resting on it," Desmond said as he took her hand and headed for the door, and Evelyn scowled as she followed him.

 Chapter 697 Reaching An Understanding

    Chapter 697 Reaching An Understanding

    By the time Lucy returned upstairs to Tom''s bedroom, he had freshened up and waiting for her to join him in bed.

    "You haven''t had dinner yet. I brought you some of the sandwiches Samantha packed us earlier," Lucy said as she walked over to the bed with a tray containing the sandwich and a ss of soy milk.

    "Milk?" Tom asked in amusement since he couldn''t remember thest time he drank milk.

    "Yep. It should help you sleep well," Lucy said and pointed to the tray after she carefully ced it on top of the nightstand near him, "Sit up and make sure you finish it all," she ordered and Tom raised a brow.

    "Or what?" He asked in a mocking tone and she crossed both arms in front of her.

    "Why don''t you try me and find out?" She asked with a smirk before walking over to sit on the dressing table.

    Tom smiled as he watched her and even though he didn''t feel like it, he took a bite from the sandwich.

    "Kimberly and Dawn were here earlier," he said in case she had not heard it yet and Lucy, who had just sat down tob her hair turned to look at him.

    "Kimberly was here with Dawn? When?" Lucy asked in surprise.

    "When you were unpacking and freshening up. She wasn''t here for long though," Tom said and Lucy nodded as she returned her attention to the mirror.

    "I guess she must havee to sympathize with your family and find out the funeral details? She must be pretty devastated herself," Lucy said thoughtfully as she removed the hairband that held up her hair.

    "Well, she came for a different purpose actually," Tom said, and Lucy turned in her seat to look at him as she brushed her hair.

    "What purpose?" She asked with interest.

    Tom sighed, "Dawn might actually be my grandfather''s daughter," Tom said and Lucy''s jaw dropped open in disbelief even as her eyes widened in surprise.

    Seeing how stunned she looked, Tom smiled as he wondered if he had looked the same way when he heard the news.

    "You are kidding, right?" Lucy asked, and Tom shook his head as he took another bite from his sandwich.

    "I wish I was. But it''s not so unbelievable, right? I mean the kid does look like me in a way," Tom said and Lucy pursed her lips.

    "That''s true. But how? I mean, your grandfather is over eighty years old and Kimberly is so young. It doesn''t make sense that they both would have had such a rtionship," Lucy said and Tom shrugged.

    "People get involved with older people all the time," he said and she shook her head.

    "I think that happens mostly when money is the major motivation. Kimberly is young, wealthy, and beautiful. She doesn''t need to be in a rtionship with a man as old as your grandfather when she can have a multitude of attractive young men," Lucy said and Tom shrugged once again.

    "I''m sure she has her reasons for doing what she did. It doesn''t change the fact that the kid is my grandfather''s," Tom said and Lucy sighed.

    "How did your parents react to the news? Was that why you all were locked up in the study?" Lucy asked and Tom nodded.

    "Yes. My dad was stunned no doubt, and he didn''t like it one bit," he said as he contemted how to tell her about what Kimberly had asked.

    "It''s normal. I wouldn''t like it either if I were in his shoes. Imagine having to find out after my dad''s death that he had another kid," Lucy said with a shake of her head as she kept brushing her hair.

    "Why did she decide to inform you about it so soon after your grandfather passed? Was he against your dad finding out before now? Or is there something else?" Lucy asked thoughtfully.

    "It''s sort ofplicated," Tom said as he held Lucy''s gaze.

    "Do you want to talk about it?" Lucy asked, and Tom sighed as he told her all that Kimberly had said about her one night stand with their grandfather and how her family had found out she had lied.

    "Although she messed up, I think that doctor''s license should be withdrawn. He had no right to divulge her personal information whether or not they are her parents," Lucy said with disapproval before Tom could finish.

    Tom''s lips twitched in amusement. It was funny and sort of expected that that was what she picked toment on out of all he had just said.

    "What''s funny?" She asked when she noticed the amusement on his face.

    "Your reaction is funny. Anyway, in conclusion, Kimberly was here because she wanted me to im to be Dawn''s father," Tom said and Lucy rose up.

    "What?" She asked in disbelief.

    "She doesn''t want her parents to know it was Lawrence, and since they already believe I''m the kid''s father I should y along," Tom said and watched as anger lit up her eyes.

    "She has some nerve! How dare here here to make such a request?" Lucy asked hotly.

    "Does she think you are stupid or what? Why do you have to ruin your reputation because you need to cover up for your grandfather? And what happens after you im the kid is yours? She wants her parents to insist that you marry her or what? Because that is what I seeing up next," Lucy said angrily while Tom merely enjoyed her reaction since he had gotten over the shock and annoyance of the request already.

    "Why aren''t you saying anything? Please don''t tell me you agreed to go ahead with it," Lucy asked ring at him, and Tom chuckled.

    "Why are you getting mad at me when I only told you what she said?" Tom asked in amusement.

    "This is not funny, Thomas," Lucy said and Tom raised a brow.

    "Now it''s Thomas, huh? Next you''re going to be calling me Mr Hank, I guess. Right, Lucinda?" He asked and Lucy''s lips curved in an involuntary smile.

    "I''m not joking. What was your response?" She asked and Tom beckoned to her to sit down next to him.

    Lucy sighed as she went to sit down on the other side of the bed beside him and Tom took her hand.

    "I would never have made such a major decision without talking to you first. And in this case, there is nothing to talk about. I won''tplicate my life just to protect my grandfather''s reputation. I''m sure he wouldn''t have wanted me to do that," Tom said and Lucy rxed.

    "And your parents? Do they agree with your decision? What about Bryan and Jade?" She asked and he gave her a nod.

    "We are all on the same page. Kimberly will have to find a way to deal with the mess with her family on her own. All we can do is be responsible for our little aunt," Tom said and Lucy paused as she tried to figure out who he was referring to, and then she giggled when she realized it was Dawn.

    "Oh, my God! That is hrious," she said as she shed him an apologetic smile.

    "You are free tough. I''m sure everyone would be able tough over it in due time," Tom said with a small smile.

    "You are not going to change your mindter and decide to im the child, are you?" Lucy asked and Tom shook his head.

    "im my aunt as my kid? Then my dad''s half-sister would be his granddaughter, and my mom''s half-sister-inw would be her granddaughter, and Jade''s and Bryan''s half aunt would their niece. That would mess up our family tree," Tom said with an and shake of his head making Lucyugh.

    "That''s fine then. It iste already. Finish up your dinner so we can throat.

    "She insists that she doesn''t like how I let you handle things. She is go to bed," Lucy said as she rose to return to the dressing table.

    "By the way, my mom wants to talk with everyone tomorrow about the prank and stuff," Tom said, and Lucy raised a brow.

    "I thought it was resolved already?" Lucy asked and Tom cleared his throat.

    "She insists that she doesn''t like how I let you handle things. She is not ming you for anything. She just doesn''t like that I didn''t handle things myself and thought it was disrespectful to my grandfather," Tom said, and Lucy simply nodded.

    "Is that all?" She asked and Tom sighed.

    "She also made it clear that she is not going to stop being interested in my business either," Tom said, and Lucy nodded once again.

    "Are you not going to say anything?" Tom asked, and Lucy shook her head.

    "I don''t think I should. I''m sure you agree with her," Lucy said and Tom raised a brow.

    "What does that mean?" He asked and she shrugged.

    "Don''t you agree with her? Are you going to say it hasn''t crossed your mind that you should have handled things yourself instead of letting me get involved? You can be honest," Lucy said, but Tom said nothing.

    "You don''t have to feel guilty about agreeing with her. I have my regrets too. I was going to apologize to your grandfather, remember? I wish I didn''t speak with about this at all. And I wish I simply epted his apology and let you deal with everything however you wanted. Don''t worry, I will apologize to her tomorrow," Lucy said with a sigh.

    "Nobody is ming you for anything, Lucy. If anyone is to be med it should be me. I should have handled things properly myself," Tom said softly and she nodded.

    "I know. But I''m allowed to have regrets, am I not? This whole thing has taught me that you Hanks have your own way of handling issues. Expecting your family to do things differently simply because my own background is different, might be somewhat selfish and unrealistic. I''m going to learn to adjust and be more amodating," she said as she resumed brushing her hair.

    "By the way, she also said you both talked about your decision not to get married. What did she say to you?" Tom asked and Lucy shrugged without turning to look at him.

    "She said she wanted you to be happy and if being with me made you happy then she was going to let us be regardless of my decision. She was very understanding," Lucy admitted, and that made Tom feel relieved in a way.

    Tom said nothing as he watched her and did his best to finish up histe night snack. Once Lucy was done brushing her hair she went to pick up the tray and took it downstairs to the kitchen.

    As she rinsed the ss and te, Evelyn walked into the kitchen, "I thought you would be asleep by now," she said, and Lucy turned to face her.

    "Tom just had dinner now so I''m cleaning up," Lucy said as she dried the ss and te.

    Evelyn smiled, "I''m d he was able to eat something. Thanks for making sure of that. I was too distracted to pay attention to any of that," she said and Lucy nodded as she dried her hands.

    "Can we talk for a moment?" Lucy asked and Evelyn looked at her slightly surprised since she had not expected that.

    She had always been the one to initiate conversations between her and Lucy so this was new.

    "Sure. We can talk in the patio," Evelyn said as she opened the back kitchen door and they both stepped outside.

    They both sat on the swing, and Lucy adjusted so that she would face Evelyn, "Tom said you n to address everyone tomorrow," Lucy started and Evelyn nodded.

    "Yes. That''s right."

    "I was going to talk to you tomorrow, I could just as well do so now since we are both here," Lucy said and Evelyn turned curious eyes to her.

    "I understand you do not approve of the way I handled the situation," Lucy began and Evelyn shook her head.

    "I do not approve of you handling it. I agree that Lawrence was wrong to have pulled such a prank, but Tom should have been the one to scold his grandfather not you," Evelyn corrected.

    "I''m sorry. I felt Tom was being too lenient and I wanted to handle it so that you all would quit meddling��"

    "Meddling?" Evelyn asked with a smallugh.

    "I love you, Lucy. And as I told you already, I do think of you as my daughter-inw even though you''re not married to Tom. I know my definition of family might differ from yours, and I also understand that you might not particrly like how things are done in this family, but I do not want you toe in and change how things are done," Evelyn said carefully.

    "Change things?" Lucy repeated, and Evelyn nodded.

    "Let me ask you a question, the day at the spa when that brat and her sister were instigating others to harm you, did you think Jade and I were meddling by handling things the way we did?" Evelyn asked and Lucy''s brows pulled together.

    "No. What you did was normal. I would have stepped in had the case been reversed," Lucy said and Evelyn raised a brow.

    "Why? But it wasn''t really our business, was it?" Evelyn asked and Lucy frowned.

    "That doesn''t mean you should stand by and do nothing when you know I''m in danger," Lucy said and Evelyn nodded.

    "There are different kinds of dangers you know? We interfered because they were going to do you physical harm. What if it was an emotional harm or something else? Are we supposed to stand by and do nothing?" Evelyn asked and Lucy sighed.

    "What are you trying to say?"

    "I''m trying to say there is nothing wrong in getting involved in the business of those you love just to keep them safe and happy. That is the kind of rtionship I raised my kids to have with each other. Tell me something, if Lucas suddenly said he never wanted to get married anymore, wouldn''t you worry and try to find out what is wrong? Wouldn''t your parents worry and try to fix it? Will you all just ept it and wish him luck?" Evelyn asked and Lucy''s frown deepened.

    "I don''t know about my parents but I know I would want to find out his reason and I would try to talk him out of it but I wouldn''t try to fix it," Lucy said and Evelyn smiled.

    "And if he refused to tell you anything?" Evelyn asked and Lucy sighed.

    "Alright. I get what you''re trying to say," Lucy said and Evelyn smiled.

    "I raised my kids to love and care for each other and to have each other''s back. I raised them to interfere in each other''s lives to ensure their happiness, and they have always been that way even when they didn''t see each other often. However, they also know where to draw the line. I don''t want you to change that, Lucy. You might be a private person, and I respect that, but don''t try to change how things are done here. I''ve seen what happens in homes where everyone is allowed to mind their business, it''s not what I want in my home. I told Tom already, and I''m telling you now as well. If there is anything wrong with Tom and I see the need to interfere, I will. I am his mother and I will do all I can to make sure he stays happy and safe. If or when you have kids of your own, I believe you will understand me better," Evelyn said and Lucy sighed.

    There was no need to say more, especially since it was obvious that Evelyn wasn''t going to change. This was an argument she was not going to win, so there was no need to push it.

    And maybe she would try to see things from their perspective. That should help her find a way to amodate their excesses as she knew they were also amodating hers.

    "Alright. I''ve heard you. Once again I''m sorry if I crossed a line. And thanks for your time," Lucy said as she rose to leave even though she had not said all she had in mind to say.

    "Thanks for your understanding. I promise to discuss my worries concerning Tom with you going forward. That way we can bothe to an understanding so I don''t have to take any actions that might affect you both in anyway," Evelyn said as she rose and Lucy smiled.

    "That''s fair enough," Lucy said before bidding her goodnight.

 Chapter 698 Daughterly Advice

    Chapter 698 Daughterly Advice

    Evelyn woke up earlier than usual the following morning, and got out of bed, ready to start her day.

    Regardless of the circumstances, it wasn''t every day she had the rare opportunity of having all her kids together at the same time under her roof. It had been such a long time since they all visited this way, and in as much as she was mourning herte father-inw and friend, she knew she had to make sure her family was well taken care of.

    She sent one of the housekeepers to go inform everyone in their various bedrooms that they should be down for breakfast by 8:30 A.M.

    As she busied with preparing breakfast for her family, her thoughts drifted to Kimberly''s visit the previous evening and she sighed as she thought about Lawrence and how much damage it could do to his reputation if the news got out.

    Lawrence was a very respected world leader, and so many people would be disappointed to know he had been involved in such an illicit affair with his best friend''s daughter to the extent of getting her pregnant.

    No one was going to care about the real details. Everyone was just going to judge him, and then it would also affect the family in one way or the other.

    She turned around, startled when she felt an arme around her waist, and she smiled when she realized it was Desmond.

    "Good morning, Eve. I was surprised not to find you in bed when I woke up," Desmond said as he kissed the crook of her neck and she giggled as she stirred the egg sauce.

    "I have to feed my family. The kids are home after such a long time," Evelyn said and Desmond raised a brow.

    "I can''t remember thest time I saw you standing over the cooker this way. So, you can''t cook for me but you don''t mind cooking for the kids?" Desmond asked as tucked his chin in the crook of her neck.

    "That is precisely the reason I stopped preparing your meals. You stopped joining me in the kitchen this way and making such romantic gestures," she said dryly and Desmond chuckled.

    "Really?" Desmond asked as he bit her ear and she giggled as she turned around to look at him.

    "Of course. Did you sleep well?" She asked, and he sighed.

    "I did surprisingly. You missed a call from J. Andrew called to say he saw the news and they would being aroundter in the day," Desmond said, referring to Lucy''s parents.

    "That''s fine. They must be aware that Lucy is around," Evelyn said and Desmond shrugged.

    "I don''t know. I didn''t mention it just in case she had not done told them yet. She can do so herself," Desmond said and Evelyn smiled as she walked away from him to go take out the bread from the oven.

    "Lucy is such a nice girl, you know," Evelyn said, and Desmond raised a brow as he went to pour himself a cup of coffee.

    "Why do you say that?" He asked, and she shrugged.

    "Because she is. I had a nice little chat with herst night after you had gone to bed," Evelyn said and Desmond raised a brow.

    "What did you both chat about?" He asked curiously and she shrugged.

    "We were trashing out our differences��" Evelyn paused and shook her head, "I suppose I did most of the talking," Evelyn said when she realized that she had not really allowed Lucy speak much.

    "Of course, you did," Desmond said as he pulled out a stool by the kitchen ind and sat down.

    "What does that mean?" She asked and he shrugged.

    "We both know you don''t leave anyone much of a chance to say stuff when you have your mind set on what you want to say," Desmond said and raised a finger before Evelyn could argue.

    "Let''s not argue over that. It''s too early in the morning. You are free not to agree with what I said, but no arguments," Desmond said and Evelyn scowled.

    "Are you not going to ask me what I told her?" Evelyn asked and he shook his head.

    "I don''t think there is any need to. I can guess that you probably told her you won''t stop getting involved in Tom''s business and she agreed without putting up any argument," Desmond said and Evelyn looked at him curiously.

    "How did you know that?" She asked and Desmond chuckled as he sipped from his coffee.

    "Because I know you well enough, and I understand Lucy. If she had put up an argument you wouldn''t have started by telling me Lucy is a nice girl, and neither would you have said the chat was nice. Lucy is much too smart to argue with you," Desmond said and Evelyn raised a brow.

    "Meaning?"

    "Meaning I''m sure she will find a way to handle the situation that won''t require her fighting with you. The girl doesn''t like conflicts," Desmond said and Evelyn sighed.

    "How are you feeling today?" Evelyn asked to change the subject.

    "I don''t know how I feel or how I''m expected to feel considering the fact that I didn''t even like him much. So, let''s just say I''m okay and not thinking about anything," Desmond said and Evelyn scoffed.

    "You liked him a lot. Do you think I never noticed how you followed up on every news that concerned him over the years?" She asked and he shook his head.

    "That doesn''t change anything. I''m mourning him as every other person would mourn him since he wasn''t a father to me but to the world," Desmond said and Evelyn sighed when she remembered Kimberly again.

    "The girl would be back again today, right?" Evelyn asked, and Desmond didn''t need to ask her who she was talking about.

    "I believe so."

    "What can we do to help Lawrence?" She asked, and Desmond looked at her with a nk face.

    "What do you mean what can we do to help him?"

    "His reputation is at stake here and��"

    "Is this your way of suggesting that we ask Tom to im the kid as his?" Desmond asked suspiciously and Evelyn looked at him like he had lost his mind.

    "Why would I jeopardize Tom''s reputation to salvage Lawrence''s? I loved your father, but my sones first and I would never do or suggest anything that would hurt him in any way," Evelyn said fiercely, and Desmond rxed.

    "Good. I just wanted to ensure that we were all on the same page. Besides, I don''t think there is any reason to worry about my father''s reputation. I doubt that her parents would want to announce to the world that she got pregnant for such an old man. If I were her parents I would want to keep it under wraps so that it would remain a family secret," Desmond said reasonably.

    "Do you really think so?" Evelyn asked, and he gave her nod.

    "Yes. All we have to do is convince her to tell them the truth, and maybe offer to help her speak with them as well and assure them we will take full responsibility for the kid." Desmond said and Evelyn sighed.

    "Alright then. Let''s do that," she said with a nod just as Jade walked into the kitchen.

    "Good morning," she greeted as she kissed her father''s cheeks before going to pour herself a cup of coffee.

    "This kitchen smells divine, mom. Why are you doing the cooking?" She asked when it urred to her that none of the domestic staff were present.

    "It''s been a while since I had you all here with me, so I want to feed you. I''ve missed doing that," Evelyn said and Jade smiled.

    "Nice. Can''t remember thest time I ate something prepared by you anyway," she said as she took a seat beside her father.

    "Did you sleep well?" Evelyn asked and Jade smiled.

    "I did. I never realized how much I missed my room until I walked in therest night. It seemed like I walked back in time. Everything was still in their ce," Jade said with gleaming eyes, and Desmond gave Evelyn a smug smile.

    "Your mom said your room looked too much like a teenager''s room and wanted to redecorate your room some time ago, but I opposed the idea," Desmond bragged and that earned him another peck from Jade.

    "Thank you, dad. I prefer it just the way it is," Jade said and Evelyn rolled her eyes as Desmond rose and walked out of the kitchen to give mother and daughter room to talk.

    "Apart from the fact that it looked like a teenager''s bedroom, I thought one of the reasons you didn''t want toe home was because it might remind you of yourst visit home with that brat, so I wanted you to have something different when youe around," Evelyn said defensively.

    "That was thoughtful of you, but I''m d you didn''t change a thing. The room has more pleasant memories for me than memories of that visit with him," Jade said as she took a sip from her cup.

    "Well, that''s good to know. I''m d I listened to your dad. But don''t you think you should change the room decor? The whole ce looks pink and is covered with Barbie stickers. What if Harry decides to visit and sleep over? Wouldn''t that room decor be too immature for someone like him?" Evelyn asked reasonably and Jade giggled.

    "Harry is much too busy to visit. And even if he did, I''m sure he would manage the room as it is. After all he wouldn''t be the first guy to sleep there��"

    "I can''t believe you areparing that cow to Harry," Evelyn said with disapproval and Jade tittered withughter.

    "Cow?" Jade asked in amusement.

    "Yes, he''s a cow. And if I remember correctly which I do, Harry was here thest time you visited with the cow. I''m not sure he would befortable staying in the same room," Evelyn said thoughtfully.

    "You are thinking too far ahead, mom. I''m sure Harry wouldn''t be sleeping over. He will be here for the funeral and will most likely stay at the hotel or leave the same day," Jade said and Evelyn sighed.

    "Well, you''re going to have to change the room decor before before your wedding at least. I won''t have my son-inw sleeping there when you both visit after you get married," Evelyn said and Jade grinned.

    "Alright. You can change it then. But leave my keepsakes and other stuff," Jade said and Evelyn nodded, satisfied.

    "How do you feel, mom? I know how close you were to grandpa," Jade said, and Evelyn sighed.

    "I''m okay I suppose. I will definitely miss him, but the living has to keep living, right?" She asked and Jade nodded.

    "And thanks to the distraction, I''m thinking more about the little girl than I''m thinking of Lawrence right now," Evelyn said and Jade nodded.

    "Me too. I wonder how her parents are going to take the news," Jade said thoughtfully.

    "What else can they do other than ept it and move on? How are things going with Harry?" Evelyn asked, changing the subject and Jade smiled at the mention of Harry.

    Her sweet Harry. She had spoken with his before going to bed and first thing that morning. The man knew just how to make her happy.

    "Great. He''s wonderful. I nned to spend the weekend with him before this whole stuff came up," Jade said and Evelyn smiled.

    "I''m d to hear that," Evelyn said and then Jade looked at her with interest.

    "I saw you stepping out to the patio with Lucyst night," Jade said, and Evelyn nodded.

    "Yeah. She wanted us to talk," Evelyn said and Jade raised a brow.

    "I guess she talked to you about meddling and prying in their rtionship?" Jade asked and Evelyn smiled.

    "I guess she wanted to do that, but I didn''t let her. Tom is my son first before he became her man. So, I will keep doing all I can to make sure he is okay," Evelyn said and Jade sighed.

    "Well, maybe you should tone it down a bit," Jade suggested and Evelyn raised a brow.

    "What?"

    "Lucy is not the only oneining about the way we meddle and pry. Harry has pointed out the same thing and so has Candace. Do you know what Harry calls it? The Hank trait. I''ve always thought it was normal and okay to pry as long as I''m looking out for the best interest of the person involved, but I''m not so sure about that anymore. When someone says you need to butt out of their affair, you should respect them enough to butt out," Jade said with a shrug.

    "You are my kids and I can''t butt out of your affairs. I am your mother, I have to look out for your best interest," Evelyn insisted stubbornly.

    "No one is disputing that fact that you''re our mother. But do you really think you know what is best for us more than we do? And would you rather upset us with your interference than trust us and listen to us? Your role at this point in our lives isn''t to try to fix our lives for us. Your role is to advise us when wee to you for guidance," Jade said and Evelyn scowled.

    "You are asking me not to do anything even when I see things not happening right?" She asked incredulously.

    "What I''m saying is that it wouldn''t hurt to give minding your business a try. I know it has be a habit for you. It is for me too but now I''m trying to change so I wouldn''t always get on the nerves of those around me. You''ve lived your whole life looking out for us, maybe now you need to focus on looking out for yourself and enjoying your time with dad. Tour the world and have fun instead of focusing on us. We are fine and can take care of ourselves," Jade said and Evelyn frowned.

    "Go set the table for breakfast. Your brothers and the girls should be down for breakfast soon," Evelyn said not wanting to continue with the unpleasant conversation anymore and Jade rose to do as she was told having said her piece.

 Chapter 699 Family Breakfast

    Chapter 699 Family Breakfast

    Lucy cleared her throat to get everyone''s attention at the dining after they had eaten for some time and all eyes turned to her in surprise since she wasn''t usually one to initiate a conversation or even contribute much during conversations.

    Tom raised a brow as he looked at her, wondering what she wanted to say since she had not told him anything about addressing his family.

    "I would like to address everyone since we are gathered here right now. I wouldn''t want to disturb everyone by calling you out to talkter," Lucy exined, but no one bothered to eat as they waited for her to speak.

    "First of all, I''d like to start by expressing my deepest sympathies. I may not have known Lawrence so well, but I knew you all loved him. Please ept my condolence," Lucy said and they all nodded but kept staring at her with varying degrees of curiosity.

    "Now to the main reason I wanted to address everyone. I''m sorry for all the problems that my being Tom''s girlfriend may have caused the family��."

    "Lucy, don''t.��"

    Lucy ced a hand over Tom''s hand to stop him from interrupting her. She had thought long and hard about her conversation with Evelyn after Tom had slept off, and she had decided that she was going to say her piece before Evelyn addressed the whole family.

    She knew that if Evelyn addressed everyone she wouldn''t be able to say anything the same way it had happenedst night, and she wanted to say what was on her mind in front of everyone since speaking with Evelyn in private had not workedst night.

    "I understand that we are from different backgrounds and might not always agree on certain things. And I can also see how my decision to not get married to Tom might have led to Evelyn and Lawrence trying to help Tom, the result being the prank and the conflict that followed��"

    "The prank and the conflict that followed had nothing to do with you. It was all my wife''s fault," Desmond cut in, and Evelyn frowned.

    "Desmond��"

    "Let''s let Lucy finish," Jade cut in before Evelyn could start arguing with her husband.

    "Thanks, Jade," Lucy said before she continued, "Well,st night I got thinking that maybe if I did not get involved and so harshly ask Lawrence to confess to you, all of that misunderstanding wouldn''t have happened," Lucy said and Sonia shook her head.

    "I don''t agree. Maybe all that was meant to happen," Sonia said, surprising everyone.

    "What?" Evelyn asked with a frown.

    "Yes. I think all of that needed to happen so that everyone would learn from it. I''m not okay with Lucy trying to take the me for all of this when the truth is��"

    "Babe," Bryan called, trying to stop her. Thest thing he wanted was for her to get involved in all the mess and end up having a fight with his mother.

    "What? You don''t want me to say anything? So, if the situation was reversed you''d want me to sit there and take the me like Lucy is doing? Jade, would you have let even Harry''s dad do something like that to Harry and you?" Sonia asked, looking from Bryan to Jade.

    "Neither of us supported our mom or grandfather. We all agree that it wasn''t Lucy''s fault. So, maybe we should all move past that now," Jade said as she took a bite from her bread roll.

    "So, what are you all trying to say? That I don''t have a right to worry about my son?" Evelyn asked, looking directly at Sonia.

    "No one is saying that, mom," Bryan said in Sonia''s defense.

    "You do have a right to be worried. But I''m saying that it was wrong of you to me Lucy for all of this. Lucy wasn''t the reason for all that happened. Everything happened because instead of simplymunicating with Tom, you decided that you needed something to be done. You could have easily talked to Tom and shared your concern with him before discussing with Lawrence. Lawrence could also have easily talked to Tom. Why did you both feel you had to do something?" Sonia asked and Evelyn raised her chin.

    "Because Tom is my son," Evelyn said and before Sonia could respond Lucy spoke.

    "He is also a full grown man. Why let him be CEO then? Why are you not running hispany on his behalf if you find him so incapable of making his own decisions?" Lucy asked before Sonia could respond.

    "I thought we were done with this and we reached an agreement?" Evelyn asked Lucy with a frown.

    "You said your piece and I agreed. But I didn''t say mine, and I want to say it now since it involves the entire family. I understand that you all like to look out for each other, but Tom is��" Lucy stopped talking when Tom rose.

    "I think it''s best I excuse myself if you''re all going to keep talking about me as though I''m not present here," Tom said when they all looked at him.

    "Sit down," Desmond ordered calmly.

    "Dad��"

    "Sit down. This is all happening because you failed to handle things as you should. You can either listen to them talk about you and make decisions that involve you like you''re not present, or you can man up and make a decision for yourself. So, sit down," Desmond said sternly, and Tom took his seat once again.

    Seeing that Tom was offended, neither Lucy nor Evelyn said another word and an awkward silence fell in the room as they all sat there quietly.

    Desmond cleared his throat, "Lucy, I''m going tomend you for not letting Tom sweep everything under the rug. What you did had "I don''t need to be in good terms with my father to determine what is right and wrong. If he wanted to be treated with respect, he to be done and I''m d you did it��"

    "You wouldn''t be saying that if you were in good terms with Lawrence. It was disrespectful��"

    "I don''t need to be in good terms with my father to determine what is right and wrong. If he wanted to be treated with respect, he shouldn''t have done such a thing. What did he expect? That everyone wouldugh and tap him on the back foring up with such a stupid prank?" Desmond asked, and Evelyn pressed her lips together.

    "It is because Tom has always condoned your behaviour that it has gone on for this long, and I''m d that Lucy is not having that," Desmond said and Evelyn eyed him with displeasure but Desmond did not pay attention to her.

    "As Sonia rightly said, this was meant to happen. I agree that some adjustments needs to be made in the family and it will be made now that we are all here together. Although, we raised you kids to look out for one another, but I expect that as adults you would all understand where to draw the line. Eve, there is nothing wrong with you worrying about the kids. But they don''t need you to fix their lives. I''ve always told you that. You can choose to talk with them but when you see they don''t want to share their problem with you and they don''t want you to get involved, you should leave it alone. Now all three of them have partners whoe from different backgrounds and might not appreciate the meddling. You need to step back and let them be so you don''t cause problems in their rtionships," Desmond said and Jade nodded.

    "I concur," Jade said in agreement.

    "You are all asking me not to get involved in your lives?" Evelyn asked, looking from Jade to Bryan and then to Tom.

    "We are asking you to let us do things our way. We are not kids anymore. We are capable of taking care of our business. Take for instance, I was supposed to take Sonia to the clinic for her first appointment but you insisted you go with her instead. I didn''t like that, but I let you do it just for peace to reign��"

    "Sonia didn''t want you to go with her," Evelyn cut in defensively.

    "I told her not to worry about it and would have taken her there myself had you not insisted on taking her yourself. I''m just saying, you are a great mom but you should know when to step back and let us handle our stuff ourselves," Bryan said even though he was disturbed by the tears that were now shimmering in Evelyn''s eyes.

    "No one is trying to hurt your feelings, mom. We love you, and we appreciate all you do for us. But all we are asking is that you let us handle stuff ourselves. If we need your help we will let you know," Jade said as she reached out to ce an arm around her mother.

    "Tom?" Desmond called when Tom remained silent and Tom sighed.

    "First of all, I have no idea why you think I''ve always let her interfere in my private business. Mom can be too much some times but I''ve always handled it and she can attest to that. This whole stuff happened only because we have all spent more time together under the same roof in recent times than we have done in years. There is no way mom would have known much about my rtionship with Lucy had we all not lived together. I was going to let it slide only because I believed there was no way it would repeat itself, but on second thought I decided to let Lucy handle it because she was also affected by it," Tom said and then rubbed his temple.

    "Mom, Lucy did nothing wrong. Had I been the one who asked grandfather to report himself, dad would have been mad at you regardless. None of this was about Lucy. It was about you. So you can stop hiding behind that excuse now and take full responsibility for all that happened," Tom said calmly and tears dropped from Evelyn''s eyes.

    "I was only trying to look out for you because I love you," she said tearfully.

    "I understand that, and I appreciate it. But next time I expect you to talk to me and do as I ask instead of doing what you think is best for me. If you are truly doing all this to look out for us, then you should be able to listen to us and do it as we want," Tom said and Evelyn sobbed softly.

    "I''ve heard you all. I''m sorry. I will stop interfering in your lives," Evelyn said as she rose and excused herself from the table.

    She couldn''t help feeling heartbroken that all her kids were asking her to stay out of their businesses. She had given her life to raising them and they were her world, yet they were all asking her to mind her business and let them be.

    Desmond, Jade, and Lucy rose at the same time to follow her, but Lucy looked at Desmond and Jade, "Please let me talk with her," Lucy said, and they gave her a nod before she walked away.

    Lucy caught up with Evelyn before she walked into the guest room, "Evelyn," Lucy called softly, feeling bad that Evelyn''s feelings were hurt.

    "I''m sorry your feelings are hurt. It was not my intention to hurt your feeling," Lucy said when Evelyn stopped.

    "I know. I just need a moment alone. You don''t have to worry. I will be fine," Evelyn assured Lucy as she brushed off her tears.

    "And I''m sorry. I really did not mean to put the me on you. I know it''s not your fault. All I wanted was to be able look out for my kids like I couldn''t do for my sister. I''m sorry I need to be alone," Evelyn said and Lucy couldn''t help feeling guilty as she watched Evelyn walk away.

    Although she had brought up the discussion there because she hoped that Tom and Desmond would help her make Evelyn understand, now that they had done that she wasn''t so sure anymore if she had done the right thing.

    "You did the right thing," Desmond said from behind her as though he could read her mind and she turned to look at him.

    "Don''t worry about it. She will be fine," Desmond assured her.

    He knew without a doubt that no matter how hurt Evelyn was, she would do her best to change now that she had heard directly from all her kids.

 Chapter 700 Hurt Feelings

    Chapter 700 Hurt Feelings

    "I don''t think you should have gotten involved in it," Bryan said as he and Sonia walked into Bryan''s bedroom after breakfast.

    "It''s okay if you don''t think I should have gotten involved," Sonia said and Bryan raised a brow.

    "What?"

    "It''s okay for us not to always agree on everything. I did what I believed I needed to do. If you think it was wrong, it''s fine. Since I also think you are wrong for telling me I shouldn''t have gotten involved," Sonia said as she got on the bed and picked up upptop.

    "Song��"

    "Bryan, let''s change the subject, please," Sonia said testily.

    Bryan sighed as he joined her on the bed, "I''m not saying this because I want us to fight. I just don''t want you to be in a bad ce with my mom," Bryan said softly.

    "And you think I want to be in a bad ce with her? I only stated a fact that you all were too rxed to want to state," Sonia said, giving him a pointed look.

    "You only did that because this was about Lucy��"

    "Really? Are we back to that? You know what? I don''t want to have this conversation right now. I will just go find somewhere quiet to do my writing," Sonia said as she started to rise from the bed, but Bryan held her back.

    "Let''s talk it out. I want us to talk not fight or argue," Bryan said calmly and Sonia looked at him.

    "You agree that your mom was wrong but you also think it was wrong of me to point that out to her? Tell me, is it because we are not married yet and you think I''m not a part of the family so I shouldn''t express myself freely? Should I excuse myself whenever you''re having family discussions going forward?" She asked and Bryan frowned.

    "Of course not. You know that''s not what I mean. I''m only looking out for you, babe," Bryan said reasonably as he rubbed a hand down her arm to calm her since he could see she was upset.

    "And I was looking out for Lucy because none of you were going to say a word," Sonia said and Bryan shook his head.

    "That''s not true. Lucy was handling things well enough and didn''t need you to speak on her behalf. My dad had her back already. All I''m saying is I would prefer you stay neutral next time. If anyone should be in a bad spot with her, let it be me. I will speak up on her behalf next time. I just don''t want you to be on bad terms with my family." Bryan said and Sonia raised a brow.

    "You are not trying to ask me to apologize to your mom, are you?" Sonia asked suspiciously.

    "I would appreciate it if you do because I don''t want any friction between the both of you. My mom is big on respect and you came off a bit rude. She might have been wrong but she is still my mom and I love her. And I love you too and wouldn''t feelfortable knowing she is not happy with you," Bryan said and Sonia sighed.

    "Alright. Fine. If that''s what you want, I will apologize to her," Sonia said and Bryan kissed her forehead.

    "Thanks," Bryan said and Sonia scowled.

    "I''m a bit disappointed in the way Tom handled things earlier. I don''t believe he wanted to walk away just like that," Sonia said when she remembered how he had been about to leave.

    "I would have done the same. I don''t think Lucy discussed with him before raising the subject there. He had every reason to want to leave. Tom has always been the closest to our mother and he already expressed how he felt to her the other night over the phone. He didn''t have to speak up there in front of everyone to prove anything," Bryan said and Sonia shook her head.

    "He should have been the one to do what your dad did," Sonia said but Bryan shook his head.

    "And he has to do that in front of everyone in order for you to know he is defending Lucy? Do you want to know what I honestly think? Tom isn''t necessarily upset because our mom went behind him to talk to our grandfather. He is mainly upset at her because she ignored what he said about letting things be and kept wanting to find out about Kimberly. And also because she tried to make it about Lucy instead of apologizing to him for not listening to him. The only thing we all me our mom for is trying to put all the me on Lucy. If our grandfather had not pulled that prank and he had only talked to Tom about getting married, do you think anyone would be mad at her for seeking grandfather''s help?" Bryan asked, and Sonia frowned.

    "Not exactly," Sonia said honestly.

    "So, how is it her fault that our grandfather pulled such a prank? Tom understands that it wasn''t entirely her fault, and that was why he wasn''t going to do anything about it. This whole thing put Tom in a bad spot of having to take sides��" Bryan stopped when Jade knocked on the door, and he went to open the door.

    "Can Ie in?" She asked, looking somewhat downcast, and Bryan let her into the room.

    "I think we hurt mom''s feeling," Jade said, feeling bad as she sat on the bed.

    "No doubt about that," Bryan said with a sigh, and Sonia rose to excuse them but Bryan pulled her back on the bed once again.

    "What should we do?" Jade asked, and Bryan shrugged.

    "Nothing. Let''s stay out of it and leave it to dad, Tom, and Lucy," Bryan said and Jade sighed.

    "I don''t like the way all of this is going. Maybe Lucy should have just let things be especially now that grandfather is no more. And you too, Sonia, you didn''t have to also attack her. She must have felt like everyone was against her," Jade said, but to Bryan''s relief, Sonia said nothing.

    "It doesn''t change the fact that we needed to talk to mom about this. We were not willing to do this because we didn''t want to hurt her feelings, but Lucy made us face it. I''ve always found it annoying the way she gets the people who work for us to spy on us. All my previous assistants did that and I had to keep firing them until Mia showed up and proved she was different. Simon always reported to her about everything I did so it''s no wonder he could rat me out to Anita and to the press. In case you didn''t notice, Adolf does the same to Tom. I don''t know how she keeps tabs on you, but I''m sure she did too. It is all a lot. What I''m trying to say is that this discussion was necessary. It may not have happened at the best time or in the best way, but we needed to talk to her about stepping back. She might be hurt now, but I know once she gets past this feeling she will understand us and do better," Bryan said, and Sonia eyed him, not sure where he stood.

    One moment he was defending his mother to her, and the next he was sounding as though he had been tolerating her for so long and waiting until now to speak out.

    Jade sighed, "She told me some time ago that she did a background investigation on Todd, and grandfather did on Harry before he started business with Tom," Jade said and Bryan sighed.

    "You see what I mean? I understand they were trying to look out for, but that''s too much," Bryan said and Jade nodded.

    "I don''t suppose she did any background search on Lucy and I?" Sonia asked with a slight frown.

    "She didn''t have to. The scandals told her all she needed to know about the both of you," Jade said and Sonia rxed.

    "You know what I think? It''s our fault. If we had been honest with mom this whole time and told her how we felt, Lucy wouldn''t have had to be the one to do it," Jade said after some time, and Bryan nodded in agreement.

    Away from there, as Lucy joined Tom in his bedroom, she could tell that he wasn''t happy with her for raising the discussion during breakfast without discussing it with him first.

    Although he did not say a word, but she hade to know him well enough to know when he was upset.

    "You are mad at me, aren''t you?" Lucy said when Tom said nothing to her and kept his gaze on hisptop.

    Tom raised his gaze from theptop to look at her briefly, "I''m d you are aware," Tom said as he shut down hisptop.

    to stir things up. I know you well enough to know that was a calcted move. That is my family out there. If you were going to "I only wanted to clear things up before your mom brings it up."

    "That did not look like you were trying to clear things up. I know you, and that''s not how you clear things up. You deliberately tried to stir things up. I know you well enough to know that was a calcted move. That is my family out there. If you were going to address them, you should have spoken to me first, especially since this involves me," Tom said as he rose to face her.

    "I wasn''t trying to stir things up. I know I should have told you beforehand��"

    "Justst night you assured me you were going to apologize to her and do your best to adjust and be more amodating of them��"

    "I did apologize to her already and was getting to the other part before all the interruptions," Lucy cut in.

    "Do you really expect me to believe that was what you had in mind? Someone who nned to apologize wouldn''t say some of the things you said out there��"

    "You mean what I said about her running thepany in your stead? Cause that''s the only thing I know I said wrong there. I was out of line and for that I apologize."

    "You shouldn''t have said anything in the first ce. Things were messy already��"

    "I wouldn''t have had to utter a word if you had handled it all yourself from the beginning," Lucy hissed irritably, and Tom frowned.

    "I beg your pardon?" Tom asked in a tight voice.

    "You heard me. Are you scared of your mom? While I agree that I may not have handled things right, it wasn''t in my ce to handle any of this in the first ce. Do you have any idea how mortified I was the first time I met your mom and she told me to ''keep things down tonight''? Do you think I don''t know Adolf reports everything to her? You knew about it the whole time but did nothing about it. Do you think I reacted this way just because of the prank?!" Lucy asked and Tom shook his head as he headed for the door, not willing to get into an argument with her.

    "Sure. You can walk away. You wanted to do that earlier during breakfast anyway. So, go ahead and leave. Or better still, you don''t have to leave. I will leave since this is your home and I''m causing too much trouble for everyone. I was wrong and I admit it, but you have no right to be mad at me when you''re the one who put me in this position and you''re the one making me look like the bad one now," Lucy said as she looked around for her stuff.

    Tom shook his head and continued for the door, but before either of them could leave the bedroom, a knock sounded on the door and Tom scowled as he opened the door, "Your parents want you downstairs. They said to tell you that Kimberly is here," the housekeeper announced before going to pass the same information to Bryan and Jade.

 Chapter 701 Your Choice

    Chapter 701 Your Choice

    Even though Lucy was curious to see Dawn and Kimberly in person, she didn''t follow Tom as he went downstairs since it was their family business and had nothing to do with her.

    Instead she busied herself with packing her bag. She was just going to go over to her parent''s house to spend the time there and would attend Lawrence''s funeral from home.

    She was not needed here. She could tell her presence here was causing more trouble than good, and maybe she just wasn''tpatible enough with Tom and his family.

    They were all misunderstanding each other and Tom''s attitude was beginning to make her feel like she was the problem when all she had been trying to do was set healthy boundaries.

    She nced at the door when a knock sounded followed by Sonia''s voice, "Lu? Are you in?" Sonia called, and Lucy brushed the tears away from her face as she walked over to the door to meet her.

    "What are you up to?" Sonia asked since she had seen Tom going downstairs alone earlier and had figured Lucy was in the bedroom.

    She had realized that they were yet to talk about the craziness of the fact that Dawn was Lawrence''s child, and they were yet to discuss how absurd Kimberly''s request was. She hade for them to do that as the others were busy talking with Kimberly.

    "Packing my stuff. I think I should go over to my parents for the time being," Lucy said and Sonia frowned when she noticed that Lucy seemed upset.

    "Why? Don''t tell me it''s because of what happened during breakfast," Sonia asked, and Lucy shook her head as tears stung her eyes.

    Lucy''s lips wobbled as she spoke, "I think I''m causing too much trouble for everyone��"

    "Did Tom say that?" Sonia asked with a frown.

    "Not in those exact words. He didn''t have to. You saw how upset Evelyn was. Tom was upset too," Lucy said as a tear dropped from from her eyes and Sonia shook her head.

    "Let''s take a stroll," Sonia suggested as she took Lucy''s hand and tried to pull her out of the bedroom.

    "Let me get my phone," Lucy said as she went to pick up her phone from the bed, and she said nothing else as she followed Sonia quietly.

    Sonia led her to the main balcony. After they were both seated, Sonia looked at her as she waited patiently for Lucy to say what was upsetting her.

    "I can''t believe Tom is ming me for raising the subject. I admit that I was wrong to have brought it up without discussing it with him first, but how could he use me of trying to stir things up?" Lucy asked, feeling genuinely hurt.

    "Maybe he was upset because his mom was upset," Sonia said reasonably.

    "And he thinks I''m not upset that she was so upset? I wish I didn''t say anything. I wish I had just kept mute about the whole thing and let him sweep it under the rug like he wanted to," Lucy said and Sonia shook her head.

    "We both know you could never have ignored it even if you tried. Besides, Desmond supports you. Bryan and Jade might not be happy that their mother is upset but they agree that this had to happen. Don''t beat yourself too much over it," Sonia said and Lucy shook her head.

    "This is thest time I''m ever going to interfere in anything that involves Tom and his family. I''m not going to get involved. If they want to meddle in each other''s business, I''m going to let them do that as long as it doesn''t affect me in any way," Lucy said and Sonia sighed.

    "If you really want to step out of the house, we can both go over to my apartment or go see your parents but we wille back. Leaving now is a bad idea, trust me. You took your leave from work so you will be with Tom. You can''t just leave now over a misunderstanding," Sonia said and Lucy drew a deep breath.

    "It''s not like he stopped me from leaving when I said I wanted to leave. He doesn''t want me here. What use is my presence here if I''m causing him trouble?" Lucy asked and Sonia patted her shoulder.

    "I''m sure he was only upset. He is going to apologize when he is calm enough��"

    "I honestly don''t care for his apology��" the rest of her words trailed off when her phone started ringing and she checked to see it was her mother calling.

    While she spoke with her mom who had called to check on her and inform her they were on their way to pay the Hanks a visit, Sonia busied with checking for the hot news of the day.

    Lucy raised a brow when Sonia''s jaw suddenly dropped as she stared at her screen in disbelief, and Sonia turned the screen so that Lucy would see the trending news online.

    Away from there, seeing the way the Hank family were gathered in the living room, no outsider would guess what had happened between them during breakfast.

    Evelyn looked like her usual self, fully in control and her hand was tucked in Desmond''s hands who was seated beside her.

    Although Tom was still pretty upset over his misunderstanding with Lucy, he managed to keep a straight face as he waited for his parents and Kimberly to speak, since as far as he was concerned he had no business to discuss with Kimberly.

    He pretended not to notice the way Dawn was staring at him with adorable eyes and avoided looking in the kid''s direction entirely.

    Desmond cleared his throat, "We have all deliberated on your request and we agreed that you have toe clean with your family. Tom won''t be taking responsibility for something his grandfather did. You do not care about my father''s reputation more than we do," Desmond said without beating around the bush.

    "But I think my paren��"

    "There are no buts. It''s absurd that you would make such a request in the first ce. If you knew anything about Lawrence then you would know that he wasn''t the type of man to ditch his responsibilities. He would never have wanted Tom to take the fall for him. You put both yourself and Lawrence in this mess, so you should deal with it. If you need us to speak with your parents, we will. But what you want isn''t going to happen," Evelyn said firmly.

    Everyone turned to Tom when his phone started ringing and he excused himself when he realized it was Harry. They had both not had the time to speak since the previous day after he left Ludus, and right now he would rather speak to Harry than just sit there.

    "It''s Harry," Tom said as he excused himself and walked away to receive the call.

    "Hey! I''m sorry I haven''t been able to call to find out how things are going over there. It''s been crazy here," Tom said the moment he received the call, and Harry frowned.

    "I guess that''s why you haven''t seen the news. Or have you seen it? I''ve been busy myself. Eric only just brought it to my notice a moment ago," Harry asked, and Tom raised a brow.

    "What news is it this time?" He asked, tired already of whatever it was.

    "Well, I''ve been doing all I can to get the sites to take it down. It''s a rumor about the possibility of a marriage between you and Kimberly, giving details of the closeness between your family and hers, and there are pictures of the kid too. Basically they''re saying you both already have a kid together. I''m doing all I can to handle it so you don''t have to worry," Harry said and Tom stood still.

    "Tom? Are you there?" Harry asked when Tom said nothing.

    "I think Kimberly and her parents are behind this," Tom said, feeling his blood boil at being forced into this mess.

    "Jade told me about Kimberly and your grandfather. I considered that her parents might be behind it but I didn''t want to jump to conclusions yet," Harry said honestly.

    "Kimberly is here right now. Let me call you back," Tom said as he hung up the call and returned to the living room.

    "Are you behind the news or is this your parents doing?" Tom asked Kimberly harshly and everyone in the living room looked at him

    "What news?" Desmond asked the question that was on everyone''s mind while Jade quickly went online to find out what was happening.

    "It''s here. Rumors of marriage between Tom and Kimberly who have a daughter together. There are pictures of the kid here," Jade said without reading through the article.

    "Did you know about this? Are you behind it? Did you do it to force Tom''s hand?" Evelyn asked, feeling very annoyed.

    "It wasn''t me. My parents are behind it. I was going to mention it earlier but you didn''t let me get a word in. I called them beforeing here and they said if Thomas was going to be a coward about taking responsibility for his child, then they would have to do something about it since Lawrence is dead and they can''t trust your husband to handle things," Kimberly exined to Evelyn.

    "I''m going to sue them for this," Tom said angrily, but his father shook his head.

    "Suing them will only escte things and bring unnecessary attention to you. Right now, it''s only a spection so we can ignore it and handle things internally. Let''s straighten things out right now," Desmond said as he looked at Kimberly.

    "Give your father a call," Desmond said but Kimberly was hesitant to do that.

    Although she was a growndy, she knew how her parents could be, and she was scared of what their reaction might be the moment they find out Dawn was Lawrence''s.

    "Is there a reason you''re not doing as you''ve been told? Or do we have to escte things before you realize that you''re not going to have your way?" Evelyn asked impatiently.

    "It shouldn''t be so hard to tell them the truth. It''s not like they''re going to disown you and your daughter. The worse they can do is be mad at our grandfather. That''s the worse that can happen," Jade said, trying to encourage Kimberly to call her parents.

    Kimberly shook her head but didn''t say a word. They didn''t know her parents like she did. She knew it wouldn''t be as easy as they were all thinking it would be.

    She nced down at Dawn, "Can you take her somewhere else? I don''t want her to be here when we talk to my parents," Kimberly told Jade, and even though Jade didn''t want to miss what was going on, she rose and reached a hand out to Dawn.

    "Go with her, darling. Mummy needs privacy," Kimberly told Dawn, and watched as they both walked away.

    The moment Kimberly was certain that Dawn was nowhere close, she dialed her father''s line and they all waited for the call to connect.

    "You can either tell them exactly what they need to know or we will tell them ourselves. I believe it is better they hear it from you," Evelyn said Kimberly rose just as the call connected.

    "Hello, Dad!" she greeted in a shaky voice while Tom, Bryan, and their parents continued to look at her.

    "Hello, honey! Your mother and I were just talking about you and Lawrence''s grandson��."

    Kimberly''s palms both felt sweaty as she held the phone very tightly against her ear and cut in, "Thomas is really not Dawn''s father. Dawn''s biological father is Lawrence Hank not Thomas," Kimberly said very quickly before she could lose courage.

    "What are you talking about?" Her father asked in a very grave voice.

    "I''m sorry. I''m very sorry. I didn''t mean to hurt you or to disappoint you. I��" Kimberly stopped talking when she realized her father had hung up and she turned to Desmond with tearfilled eyes.

    "He hung up," she informed them, and almost immediately her phone started ringing with a call from her mother.

    "Kim? What is this your father is saying? You admitted to having a one night stand with Lawrence''s grandson, didn''t you? Why are you trying to break our hearts bying up with such a lie about you and Lawrence? You are only saying this because Thomas is denying you and Dawn, aren''t you?" Her mother asked, and Kimberly broke into a sob when she heard the hope in her mother''s voice.

    "It''s the truth, mom. Lawrence is Dawn''s biological father��"

    "No! There is no way Lawrence could have had any sexual rtions with you. You don''t know what you''re talking about! How can you say a man old enough to be your grandfather is the father of your kid? That is absurd!" Her mother eximed in dismay, ignoring Kimberly''s tears.

    "I''m sorry, mom. I''m sorry. I didn''t mean for you to find out this way or for any of thisto happen," Kimberly cried, and her father snatched the phone from his wife.

    "If what you''re saying is the truth, then I don''t want to see that kid in my house��."

    "DAD! You can''t do that. She is still your granddaughter and she��."

    "I don''t know who that kid is. You''ve been lying to us this whole time and the only way I can stand you right now is by not seeing the kid. So, you can either leave her behind ande back home at once, or you can go wherever you please with her and don''te back at all! It''s your choice!" Her father said before hanging up, and Kimberly broke into a sob.

 Chapter 702 I Need Me

    Chapter 702 I Need Me

    After Lucy''s phone call with her mom, she and Sonia read through the entire length of the first article talking about Tom and Kimberly.

    And they went further to take a look at some of the posts on social media blogs concerning it.

    As expected, Lucy''s name was mentioned in most of thementsl sections. Some spected that she was the reason Tom had not married Kimberly the whole time and she was causing problems between the couple hence the family had decided to step in.

    Others said they knew it would never work out between her and Tom since he was way out of her league and Kimberly was more suited to him than she was.

    Some others talked about how Thomas Hank who was had always kept a low profile had be so exposed to the public because he got involved with the likes of Lucy who was beneath him, and if he had stuck with Kimberly all the way he would have been able to maintain his low profile.

    Sonia looked up from her phone to Lucy when a fat tear drop fell on her hand and she realized that Lucy was crying.

    Lucy shook her head as she rose, "I''m sorry, Sony, but I really think I should leave. I don''t want to deal with all this mess," Lucy said as she rose from her seat.

    "This is a mess you''re going to have to deal with as Tom''s girlfriend. Following this news all eyes is going to be on you. You are the confirmation they''re all going to need. If you take a step away from Tom, everyone is going to assume it is because it is true. No one is going to care that something else happened behind closed doors. Besides, you are not like the ignorant fools who wrote this article or the idiotsmenting on what they know nothing about. You know the truth. You know better��"

    "Yes! I know the truth and that is why I want to leave. I want a break because I know better. If I had thought only about myself and had been selfish from the start to leave when this whole Kimberly and Tom thing started out as a prank, I wouldn''t have thought about stepping in to cause so much trouble within the family and Tom wouldn''t be ming me either for trying to stir things up��."

    Sonia shook her head as she cut in, "No, Lu. All of this is unrted��."

    "Is it? Because I don''t think so. It is all Tom drama. Tell me what I''m expected to do right now? Sit around here and do what while I''m being talked about this way by people who know nothing about me? I told you already that I''m not getting involved in Tom''s business anymore. I see no reason why I should be here when we are mad at each other," Lucy said and Sonia sighed as she rose and ced both hands on Lucy''s arm.

    "Tom needs you��"

    "I need me! I need myself too, Sony! I''m not happy about any of this. I''m not going to lie to you or pretend otherwise. I''m not happy. As much as I love Tom, there is just too much drama surrounding him, and his attitude right now isn''t helping matters. And before you think about reminding me that I had my drama with the scandal and Tom stood by me, I''d like to remind you that I would never have had that scandal in the first ce had I not been involved in a rtionship with him. Anita would never have picked on me to do what she did. All of that happened because of my rtionship with Tom. We''ve barely been together for two months yet the drama is more than what most people experience in a lifetime of rtionship. I have been doing my best, Sony. Heaven knows that I have been trying. And you can attest to the fact that I''ve been working on myself too. I''vee a long way from who I was when I moved to Ludus, and some times I can''t even recognize myself. Everyone is always quick to want to point out how good Tom is to me and how he is trying, but you all seem to forget that he chose all of this! I didn''t! I didn''t want any of this until he showed up and forced himself into my life. Call me selfish, but I was minding my business on my own when he came into my life with all of this drama, and now I''m being made to feel like I''m the bad person who wants to ruin him and tear his family apart. I''m emotionally drained and exhausted! I''m going to step back and let them handle everything their Hank way. I don''t think I can keep doing this. Who knows what other drama is going toe up after this or how I''m going to be dragged into it?" Lucy ranted as tears ran down her cheeks, while Sonia teared up.

    Jade, who had been searching for Sonia and Lucy because she had gone to the bedrooms to find them so she could leave Dawn with them for a moment but had not seen them, stood away from the balcony with the kid as she listened to Lucy''s rant.

    "Do you really think leaving now would make you feel better? Will leaving change the public''s opinion about you. Do you think you will worry less about Tom and all of this business even after you leave? If you think it will make you feel better, then feel free to leave. But we both know you love him too much for that. And yes, I agree that you''vee a long way from the person you were months ago, but you still have a long way to go. We all do actually. Tom is your man, Lucy, and you might both be mad now, but you won''t always be mad. Couples have misunderstandings all the time but what matters is how you deal with each other in such times and how you choose to fix it. Talk things through with him again when you''re both calm and resolve it. Don''t pack up and leave in the middle of a misunderstanding. That''s never the best thing to do, unless of course physical violence is involved, which I know that''s not the case. I will advise you both should be mad together under the same roof than for you to leave," Sonia said as she brushed off Lucy''s tears and embraced her.

    Jade sighed as she looked down at the kid who was yet to say a word to her but seemed like she was also listening to what Sonia and Lucy were saying.

    "Seems like we are stuck together. Everyone else is busy," Jade told Dawn as she led her to her bedroom instead. She had hoped to leave the kid with Sonia and Lucy so she could go back to follow up the conversation with the rest of her family, but that was obviously not going to happen now.

    Downstairs, the Hanks looked at Kimberly as they waited patiently for her topose herself and tell them what her parents had said.

    Evelyn walked over to the dining and picked up the box of tissues there which she handed to Kimberly to blow her nose.

    "He doesn''t want me to bring Dawn back home with me," Kimberly exined after blowing out her nose.

    "Well, that''s an expected initial reaction. Any parent would be angry and disappointed," Desmond said but Kimberly shook her head.

    "I know my father. He means it. How can he ask me to choose between them and my daughter?" She asked tearfully.

    "You messed up, and naturally your parents will need time toe around," Desmond said sympathetically but neither Tom nor Bryan were feeling the least sympathetic towards her.

    "For the time being we have to send your parents the paternity DNA result which Tom conducted in order to clear any doubts they might still be having of Tom being your daughter''s father. That way we can ask them to make sure to take down everything they''ve put out there," Evelyn said and Kimberly nodded as she passed her phone to Evelyn so that they could copy out her father''s details.

    Tom walked over to them and once he took her father''s phone number, he forwarded the link of the DNA result to her father so that he could ess it the same way he had essed it.

    After Tom had done that, Desmond waited a couple of minutes before dialing the number on his phone and he excused himself and walked away them to go into his study, but Evelyn and Tom followed him.

    The call connected on the fifth ring, "Hello! This is Desmond Hank," Desmond introduced himself politely as he ced the phone on speaker for Evelyn''s benefit.

    "I believe you received the text from my son, and my call shouldn''te as a surprise to you considering the false information you put out there about my son," Desmond said when Kimberly''s father said nothing after he introduced himself.

    "You have some nerve calling me to say that considering how your father and son used my daughter��"

    "I beg your pardon?" Desmond asked in disbelief.

    "You heard me right. How shameless can your family be? Your father vited a girl young enough to be his granddaughter and your son used her as well when she was in a vulnerable state. Unless you are calling to take responsibility for this mess your family has put mine into, I don''t want to have any business to do with your family. And for all our sakes I suggest you keep the little girl and release my daughter back to me," Kimberly''s father said bitterly before hanging up.

    "What does he mean take responsibility for the mess? Why do we have to do anything about this nonsense when it''s all his daughter''s fault?" Evelyn who had listened to the conversation asked irritably while Desmond looked at his phone in disbelief.

    "This is all grandfather''s fault! If he had not decided to y such a prank in the first ce I wouldn''t have had to be drawn into all of this mess," Tom said in annoyance even though he had not heard the whole of the discussion because he hadn''t been standing very close to his parents.

    "You wouldn''t have been dragged into this mess if you zipped up your pants and didn''t have anything to do with her in the first ce," Desmond said with disapproval.

    He really wished his father was alive and here so he could give him a piece of his mind for all of this.

    "No, please. Let''s not do this. Now is not the time to pass mes. We need to fix this quickly," Evelyn said with a concerned frown.

    "How can it be fixed when her father so obviously thinks we are to me here? Getting all the blogs and news sites to take down the false information is going to be next to impossible because of the influence of the Moore family. The way I see it, I only have two options. It''s either I sue them for this or I just ignore it, and I can''t just ignore it. My reputation is at stake here, and there is Lucy as well," Tom said, feeling even more upset at the thought of Lucy seeing the news.

    It was bad enough that they were upset at each other already. This was going to make things worse. He knew how much she hated drama.

    "We should leave it to Kimberly to handle it now that her father is aware you are not the kid''s father," Desmond said and Evelyn sighed.

    "What about the kid? You heard what her father said," Evelyn reminded Desmond and he sighed while Tom walked out of the study back to face Kimberly.

    "I hope you are happy that you''re messing up things for everyone. This is all your fault! I still can''t believe that you had the guts to even request that I pretend to be your baby''s father!" Tom said angrily, not minding that Kimberly was still weeping.

    "Tom, you need to calm down," Bryan said with a sigh since he was the only one who had remained in the living room with Kimberly.

    "Would you be calm if you were in my shoes? How can I stay calm when my name is all over the inte this way?" Tom asked, facing Bryan angrily.

    "I''m sorry. I never knew things would get to this," Kimberly cried.

    "I think you should go home to your parents and resolve things with them. You created this mess by not being honest with them from the beginning and only you can fix it," Desmond said as he joined them in the living room again.

    "What do I do about Dawn? I have no where to take her. My parents won''t see me if I take her with me. I know them well enough to know they won''t let me anywhere close to them with Dawn," Kimberly said tearfully and Evelyn looked at Desmond.

    "You can leave her here with us for the time being and go back home to your parents. I''m pretty sure your parents woulde around soon enough and would ask you to bring her back. She is their granddaughter after all and they''re bound to miss her," Evelyn said, and Tom raised a brow as he turned his disbelieving gaze to both his parents.

    "Is that what you both agreed on? Do you realize that leaving the kid here and doing nothing about the rumors would make everyone believe she is truly my daughter and that the rumors are true! How is this any different from me iming to be the father?" Tom asked incredulously.

    "This is different. We have to handle things delicately. No one has to know the kid is here with us. She is your grandfather''s daughter and we all agreed to take responsibility for her, remember? I will take care of her and after Kimberly resolves things with her parents, we can all decide on whether or not to make an official statement about the child''s paternity," Evelyn said reasonably.

    "I''m sorry, what do you mean by decide whether or not to make an official statement? This is my reputation we are talking about and I won''t be a part of whatever this is. I won''t sit around here doing nothing and wait for you all to make such a decision. Since her parents started this madness and do not want to take down the news, I''m going to issue an official statement to refute the rumors and release the DNA result to prove that she is not my child, but grandfather''s child. Let''s all deal with that scandal together after I clear my name. You can do whatever damage control you want to after that, but it wont be at my expense or that of my rtionship," Tom said before walking away to give Harry a call.

 Chapter 703 You Promised.

    703 You Promised.

    The moment Tom walked into the bedroom and didn''t find Lucy, he panicked thinking she has left as she had threatened to do earlier, but was relieved when his gaze fell on her half-packed bag.

    He decided to first give Harry a call and set things in motion before going to find Lucy.

    He knew he had not handled things the best way earlier and had allowed his frustration at everything get the best of him to the point that he spoke with Lucy the way he had done.

    The moment he dialed Harry''s line, the call connected immediately as though Harry had been waiting by his phone for him to call.

    "Sup? We are unable to bring down the news. I think whoever put out the information is making sure it is not taken down," Harry said in frustration the moment he picked up.

    "It''s Kimberly''s parents," Tom said and Harry nodded.

    "I see. When you telling them the truth then?" Harry asked and Tom quickly told him all that had happened.

    "Hmm. The only good side of this is that the rumors are having a positive impact on our stock. I''m sure it''s the same for them hence they might not want to put it down yet. Have you made up your mind on what to do?" Harry asked with a sigh.

    "Yes. I want to release a statement..."

    "Of course, we should. I was actually drafting one already but I wasn''t sure how much information you''d want to put out. By the way how is Lucy taking all of this? Thements about her are not ttering at all, and..."

    "Whatments?" Tom asked with a frown.

    "What do you expect? Badments of course. Most people are rooting for you and Kimberly since they believe you''re most suited for each other. If you want me to read out a couple of thements for you, I could, but I would rather not. I find them offensive," Harry said and this made Tom take a deep breath.

    Why did all this have to happen now? Why did things have to keep going from bad to worse? Couldn''t they catch even a moment''s break? Tom mused.

    "Let''s reveal everything with the DNA test result attached," Tom said and Harry raised a brow.

    "Do you also want to reveal that your grandfather is the kid''s father?" Harry asked curiously.

    "I don''t see why not. Why should the truth be covered at my expense? Reveal everything as well as the fact that her parents are behind the false information. Attach receipts and dates to it," Tom said and Harry nodded.

    "Alright. Sure. I will handle it and send you a draft of the statement so you can go through it and edit before we send to the public rtions team," Harry said and Tom thanked him before hanging up.

    As Tom turned to walk out of the room so he could go find Lucy, the door opened and she walked in.

    Lucy''s heart skipped a beat when she saw him there and her heart ached merely at being in the same room with him so she didn''t look his way as she headed for the bed where she had been packing her clothes earlier and Tom watched her as she resumed packing.

    "Jewel, I''m sorry," Tom said quietly but Lucy said nothing as she zipped up her bag.

    Her silent treatment hurt him more than anything she else she could have said.

    "Baby," Tom called softly but Lucy remained silent.

    Despite all that Sonia had said, she didn''t want to be here. She needed space away from him and his family. She needed space away from all their family drama.

    Maybe she woulde backter when she was calm, but right now she didn''t want to face him or say anything to him.

    She carried her bag and headed for the door, but Tom grabbed the bag, "Lucy, please. I''m sorry. I was upset and I know I overreacted. I''m sorry," he said as he held her bag but Lucy still didn''t look at him as tears gathered in her eyes.

    She let go of the bag and headed for the door, but Tom gently dropped the bag and went to stop her, "Don''t leave, please," Tom said as he held her arm.

    This time Lucy shook her head, "Why not? What do you want me here for? What am I supposed to do here other than cause trouble for you and your family as you implied?" Lucy asked, her whole body trembling as she tried to hold back from breaking into a sob.

    "I didn''t mean that. I''m sorry I hurt you. Please, Lucy. I need you here," Tom pleaded and she shook her head.

    "I can''t. I don''t think I can breathe here. I don''t want to be here right now..."

    "Then if you must leave let''s leave together. We can go stay at the hotel together if..."

    "No. I don''t want to be with you right now! Being with you is too exhausting. I feel drained. I want to be alone," Lucy said still without looking at him as tears dropped from her eyes, and Tom pulled her to himself.

    "I was wrong and I''m sorry," Tom said as he held on while Lucy tried to push him away.

    "Leave me alone. I don''t want to do this," Lucy cried as as he patted her back.

    "Please don''t leave. If you want me to leave the bedroom, I will. But please don''t go."

    "It doesn''t matter. I don''t want to be here," Lucy said and Tom stepped away from her so he could look into her face.

    "You promised you wouldn''t leave me for anything," he reminded her and Lucy shook her head as tears rolled down her cheeks.

    "But I can''t deal with this. I can handle almost anything but not you turning against me that way and making me feel like I''m causing problems for you," Lucy said as she finally met his gaze, and Tom brushed her tears away.

    "That was never my intention. You know me, Lucy. You know I feel guilty enough about dragging you into all of this mess. Everything is messed up and it''s getting to me. I didn''t mean to take it out on you that way. I''m really sorry," Tom said as he kissed her face and carried her to the bed while Lucy cried softly.

    "If you''re notfortable here, we could stay at the hotel. I promise to make sure that what happened today never repeats itself," Tom said after she had calmed a bit.

    Lucy shook her head as she pulled away, "You can''t leave your family..."

    "Yes, I can. And I don''t see why not. Especially now that the kid might be here for some time," Tom said and Lucy looked at him with a slight frown.

    "What kid? Dawn? She would be here?" Lucy asked in confusion and Tom nodded as he exined all that Kimberly''s father had said.

    Lucy couldn''t help feeling sorry for Dawn. The innocent kid was suffering for the mess the adults had caused.

    "Did you see the news already?" Tom asked when Lucy didn''t say anything after he was done talking.

    Lucy nodded.

    "I guess you have seen thements too?" he asked, and she shrugged.

    "I''m sorry you had to see all that," Tom said as he took her hand and she sighed.

    "We are going to release an official statement soon. Harry is working on it already and I''m going to see what I can do from my end here. Hopefully the statement would clear up things quickly," Tom promised as he kissed her temple.

    Lucy wasn''t sure if she was doing the wise thing by staying or if she should leave as she wanted to.

    Maybe Sonia was right and she couldn''t just walk away because she cared too much and would be too worried about Tom to stay away.

    She sighed as she thought about Dawn and she couldn''t help but wonder how the kid would cope away from her mother.

    Away from there in Jade''s bedroom, she sighed as she thought about all she had overheard Sonia and Lucy discussing earlier.

    She went online to read the article in detail and see what was going on, and her frowned deepened when she saw all the negativements about Lucy in thement section.

    Without thinking she started responding to most of thements angrily in defense of Lucy.

    Why did things have to be soplicated? Why was everything such a mess? She wondered as she nced at Dawn who was busy with her iPad, totally ignorant of the drama her simple existence was causing.

    Although Dawn''s gaze was on her iPad, her thoughts were far from there since she was too busy trying to understand what was happening as she reyed some of the conversation she had overheard earlier before she was made to leave.

    She knew that somehow she was involved in what was happening but she couldn''t understand how.

    She couldn''t understand why her mom had brought her there, or why Tom had seemed so cold the previous night and mad even that morning.

    Who were all these people?

    Jade rose and went to answer the door when Bryan knocked on it, "What''s happening now?" Jade asked and Bryan sighed as he looked past Jade into the room where Dawn was still gazing at her iPad.

    "They agreed to let her leave the kid behind so she can go resolve things with her parents. Bring her downstairs so she can say goodbye to her mom," Bryan said and walked away before Jade could ask more questions.

    Was it a good idea to leave the kid behind considering how things were right now? Jade mused as after that I wille back for you," Kimberly said and Dawn looked at the faces of the adults gathered 09:50

    there.

    she took Dawn downstairs.

    Immediately Dawn got to where her mom was, Kimberly hugged her and kissed her cheek.

    "I''m sorry I have to leave you here for some time, honey. I need to take care of some business and after that I wille back for you," Kimberly said and Dawn looked at the faces of the adults gathered there.

    Although she was a kid, but she could tell from their faces that none of them seemed exactly pleased to have her there with them.

    "Can''t I go with you while you handle your business? I will be a good girl and not bother you," Dawn promised, but Kimberly sniffled as she tried to hold back her tears for daughter''s sake.

    "No, baby. Not this time. I promise to be quick ande get you before you miss me," Kimberly said and Dawn''s face fell.

    "How about you take me to grandpa and grandpa?" Dawn asked again, and Kimberly''s lips wobbled.

    "I want you to stay here, princess. Please don''t be stubborn about it. Do this for mummy, okay? I know you''re a big girl and can take care of yourself," Kimberly said and seeing the distress on her mother''s face Dawn gave her a nod.

    "I''m sorry for all the troubles I''ve caused your family. Please take care of her. I will try to handle things quickly so I cane get her. I will text you her daily schedule��"

    "She has a daily schedule?" Jade cut in with a raised brow.

    "Yes. If it''s okay with you, I can send her governess over��"

    "No. We don''t want any stranger under our roof. You can send the schedule and we will be sure to follow it," Evelyn assured her.

    "Alright. I will. Thanks. You might need to get her some clothes. I will leave her credit card behind," Kimberly said and Evelyn sighed impatiently.

    "We don''t need her credit card. We can take care of her ourselves and get her all she needs. All you need to do is hurry up and fix things so you cane get her," Desmond said before Evelyn could speak and Kimberly nodded as she straightened up.

    "Thanks. When I get back to the hotel I will send her stuff over before leaving," Kimberly said and looked down at Dawn who was holding on tightly unto her hand like she was scared to let go.

    "You will be fine sweetheart," Kimberly assured her as she handed her to Evelyn and headed for the door.

    Evelyn took Dawn''s hand and led her outside so they could watch Kimberly leave, and a tear dropped from Dawn''s eyes as she watched her mother get into her rented car and drive off without looking back.

    "Are you sure this is a good idea?" Jade asked no one in particr as Evelyn returned into the house.

    "Go ask one of the housekeepers to get the guest room set up for her," Evelyn said without answering Jade''s question.

    Desmond sighed as he walked away to go have some quiet time to himself in his study, while Bryan said nothing as he walked away to return to his bedroom.

    No one could say they were entirely sure they were doing the right thing, but Bryan knew for sure that he was in support of Tom''s decision.

    As Dawn watched everyone walk away, leaving her alone with Evelyn, she knew without a doubt that she wasn''t wee there.

 Chapter 704 Tolerance

    Chapter 704 Tolerance

    As Tom busied himself with editing the official statement which Harry had sent him, Lucy sat quietly on the other side of the bed with a slight frown edged between her brows as she kept thinking about everything.

    As much as she didn''t like what was happening, she couldn''t help feeling sorry for Kimberly who had gotten herself into all this mess, and Dawn who had been dragged into the mess of the adults.

    As far as she was concerned, Kimberly''s parents were irresponsible to have released such an information to the public without caring about the long term effect on both their daughter and granddaughter.

    She knew that brows would raise now that Tom was about to release a statement to prove he wasn''t the kid''s father and that Lawrence Hank was actually the kid''s father.

    Doing that would pass all sorts of message to the public and they would undoubtedlye to the conclusion that Kimberly had been sexually involved with both grandfather and grandson, and that wouldn''t be good for Kimberly''s reputation or for Dawn.

    It wasn''t like any of this was good for Tom''s reputation either or hers anyway, considering all that was being said about her on the inte by people who knew nothing about her.

    One truth she knew was that everyone was going to do what they could to fix things, but they would all be too busy doing only what worked best and suited them.

    She doubted that any of them would really put the kid into consideration. All their actions kept showing that they never put the kid first before making their decisions.

    That was was shown in the way neither Lawrence nor Kimberly had given much thought into dragging the kid into their prank, and even the way Kimberly''s parents had involved Dawn in the news they had released about Tom and Kimberly.

    She doubted that Kimberly had taken her time to exin what was going on to the kid. The kid would be thrown into a state of confusion. How would the kid feel when she grows up and possibly sees all of this?

    None of this was fair to the kid.

    Or maybe she was just overthinking and over worrying unnecessarily. It wasn''t like she cared about the child more than Kimberly or anyone else did. She wasn''t even rted to the kid in anyway so why was she worrying so much about it? She mused with sigh, drawing the attention of Tom who nced up from hisptop to look at her, "Are you okay?" He asked and she held his gaze for a moment as though contemting whether or not to say anything and after some time she gave him a nod.

    "Yeah," she said, wanting to stick to her decision of not getting involved in any way.

    Tom reached for her hand and kissed the back, "Don''t worry, I will do all I can to fix this, okay?" He promised and she nodded.

    Lucy reached for her phone when it started ringing and she raised a brow when she noticed it wasn''t a number she was familiar with, so she received the call.

    "Hello! Lucinda Perry on the line," she said in a formal tone, while Tom watched with interest, wondering who it was.

    "Hello! This is Doctor Julia, I hope I didn''t catch you at a bad time?" Lucy''s therapist asked, and immediately Lucy moved away from Tom making him raise a brow and she raised a finger, asking him to give her a moment.

    "No, you didn''t," Lucy said as she wondered why Julia was calling her.

    "That''s great. How are you doing today?" Julia asked and Lucy resisted the urge to sigh.

    "Please give me a moment," Lucy said before muting the call and turned to Tom.

    "It''s the therapist," she exined to Tom and before she could step out of the bedroom, wanting to find somewhere private where she could speak with the therapist in private, Tom rose.

    "Don''t worry. I will go to the study," Tom assured her as he picked up hisptop and walked out of the room.

    "Thanks," Lucy called after him before unmuting the call.

    "I''m sorry for the pause, I needed privacy," Lucy exined politely.

    "It''s fine. I understand," Doctor Julia assured her.

    "So, how are you doing?" She asked again since Lucy had not given her a response the first time.

    Lucy sighed, "I''m fine, I suppose," Lucy said as she waited to find out why Doctor Julia was calling.

    "You suppose?" Julia asked and Lucy sighed.

    "Yeah. I''m not letting you trick me into a phone therapy session," Lucy said dryly and Juliaughed softly.

    "I had no intention of doing that. As your therapist�� You n toe over for your next session, don''t you? I am your therapist, right?" Julia asked since that was part of the reason she had decided to give Lucy a call.

    "Yes, you are," Lucy said without hesitation, and Julia smiled.

    "But I won''t be there tomorrow. I am not in Ludus at the moment," Lucy said before Julia could say anything.

    "Well, distance doesn''t have to be a barrier. If you can make out the time, we can FaceTime," Julia assured her.

    "Really?" Lucy asked with interest.

    "Sure. Not all my patients are based in Ludus, you know? So, back to what we were saying, as your therapist, I''d like to know if you''re alright or not, and what''s going on with you. This is a midweek routine call I make to my patients, or clients as you prefer to be called. It''s totally free of charge, I promise," Julia said and Lucy smiled.

    "Well, this has nothing to do with what I''m receiving therapy for. I mean it isn''t rted to my past experience," she said, not sure if Julia would be interested in hearing about how she was having a hard time fitting into Tom''s family.

    "It''s my job to determine what is rted or unrted to your past experience. You never can tell how much influence your past has over your present. So, why not tell me what''s going on with you and we can both see how to help you feel better?" Julia suggested and Lucy sighed.

    "Are you sure you have the time for that? I mean, you might end up spending a lot of time talking to me when you need to check on your other clients," Lucy said and Julia smiled.

    "Do you want to talk about it or not?" Julia asked and Lucy drew in a deep breath.

    "I don''t know if it''s okay to talk about it or if there is anything to talk about in the first ce. It''s just that I feel sort of out of ce with my boyfriend''s family. They''re great people and I care about them the same way I know they also care about me," Lucy said and Julia raised a brow.

    "But?" Julia asked with interest.

    "But I''m not used to the way things are done in the family. It''s not my character to want to know what is going on in every one''s life or to want to interfere, but here everyone seems okay doing it and it not only makes me ufortable, it gets on my nerves too. I confronted them about it, but I don''t feel relieved. I feel like I''m messing things up and causing problems for everyone," Lucy exined.

    "Do they interfere in your personal business?" Julia asked and Lucy considered it for a moment before shaking her head.

    "No. Not exactly. But they interfere in our rtionship some times," Lucy exined, not wanting to go into details.

    "So, it''s not like they''re directly interfering in your life. It''s your partner''s life they''re interfering in, and you have a problem with that?" Julia asked reasonably.

    "Yes."

    "And what does your boyfriend think about them interfering in his life?"

    "Well, unless things get out of hand I don''t really think he minds. "What do you mean?"

    "I mean you admitted that it''s the way their family operates, but it''s I''m not sure it upsets him as much as it upsets me," Lucy admitted.

    "It sounds like a YOU problem," Julia pointed out and Lucy frowned.

    "What do you mean?"

    "I mean you admitted that it''s the way their family operates, but it''s not your style. What makes you think your way of doing things is the right way and theirs is the wrong way?" Julia asked and Lucy''s frown deepened.

    "Because it''s not normal to want to interfere in other people''s life! Even you should know that," Lucy said, not liking that Julia was also sounding like she was wrong to want them to change things.

    "Who determines what is normal or what is not? If the reverse was the case and his family was very reserved while you were the one who loved to know everything about everyone and interfere, don''t you think you''d still think your way was normal and you''d want them to adjust to suit you?" Julia asked and this time Lucy scowled.

    "Did you ask me to share my problem with you just so you can take sides?" Lucy asked irritated by Julia''s response.

    Julia didn''t even know that details of all that happened yet, so how could she be taking sides already? Besides, wasn''t she supposed to take her client''s side if at all? Lucy mused.

    "I''m not taking sides. I''m helping you address the problem from a neutral ground. I haven''t said anyone is right or wrong. All I''ve said is that this is a YOU problem that you need to deal with," Julia exined patiently.

    "I don''t have any problem! I''m the one minding my business here, don''t you get it?" Lucy asked with a frown.

    "Are you going to break up with your boyfriend because you can''t stand how things are done in his family?" Julia asked patiently.

    "No. That''s not exactly an option," Lucy said and Julia nodded.

    "Good. So, let''s say you were going on a trip with a group of people on a bus and they''re all noisy and loud, while you on the other hand prefer to sit quietly and maybe read a novel or see a movie during the trip. What do you do when the noise bes too much?" Julia asked and Lucy shrugged.

    "I will simply ask them to keep shut," Lucy said easily.

    "They are majority, remember? How can you, a single person ask everyone else to stay a certain way simply because you are not okay? Do you think they would be okay sitting quietly when it''s not really their thing? Don''t you think asking them to stay quiet would mean inconveniencing them too?" Julia asked reasonably.

    "So, what are you saying? That I let them inconvenience me and do nothing?" Lucy asked, wondering where all this was going.

    "No. We haven''t decided that yet. What other options do you have?" Julia asked and Lucy shrugged.

    "I could just get out of the car and get another ride��"

    "No, that''s not an option. You don''t want to get out," Julia said and Lucy sighed.

    "Well, if I have my earpiece with me, I could plug it on and listen to music until I sleep off or get to my destination or I could find a way to distract myself," Lucy said with a shrug.

    "Good. That''s your own form of adaptation, right?" Julia asked, pleased with her response.

    "I suppose so."

    "Do you know what I would do in such a situation?" Julia asked and Lucy raised a brow.

    "What?"

    "If I can''t beat them, I would join them and wear them out until they''re all begging me to take a break," Julia said with a grin and Lucy giggled.

    "That''s funny."

    "Yeah. But that''s also another way to adapt. Now imagine that bus as your rtionship and the upants are your boyfriend and his family. Breaking up is not an option the same way getting out of the bus isn''t. You have to find ways to adapt so that you wouldn''t be stressed out by whatever anyone does around you��"

    "I did think of that initially," Lucy admitted.

    "Good. You can''t juste into his family and expect things to change to suit you. You can''t expect everyone to do things as you like things to be done. It doesn''t matter whether you are right or wrong. What matters here is how you let what happens around you get to you. You can''t decide or determine how others would behave, but you should be inplete control of how you react to it. Things won''t always go your way, will you be upset every time it doesn''t go your way?" Julia asked and Lucy sighed.

    "So, are you asking me not to expect changes or are you advising me to join them if I can''t beat them?" Lucy asked curiously.

    "I''m simply saying since you have no intention of breaking up with your boyfriend over this, you should find a way to adjust to it whether or not they choose to change. It''s called tolerance. When you rte and interact with other people, you will always encounter characters, beliefs, and opinions that are in contrast to yours. When the rtionship is important to you, and as long as the behavior of the other person is not detrimental to you in any way, tolerancees to y. Tolerance requires a conscious effort from you. I''m saying this for your sake, not theirs since it is easier for one person to change than for a group of people to change," Julia said reasonably.

    "I will leave you to think about it. We can talk some more about this during your session tomorrow if you are up for it, and then maybe we can both discover how your past is influencing this character in you," Julia said when Lucy said nothing.

    Lucy raised a brow, "I told you this has nothing to do with my past."

    "And I told you it''s my job to determine whether or not it is rted. If you''re going to be avable for the virtual session tomorrow, do well to reach out to my secretary before tomorrow. I have to go now," Julia said before hanging up, and Lucy sighed.

    Tolerance. Was that really what she needed to do? To learn how to be more to tolerant to Tom''s family and their lifestyle? Lucy mused.

 Chapter 705 Friends

    Chapter 705 Friends

    After Lucy''s phone call with Doctor Julia, she picked up her journal and sat on the bed.

    She wrote out the word tolerance on her journal and bit her lower lip as she kept pondering on it.

    She liked to believe that she was very tolerant of other people''s choices as long as their choices didn''t interfere with her boundaries.

    Was she perhaps not tolerant enough? She mused and nced at her phone when it vibrated with an Instagram message notification.

    She was surprised to see that the message was from Kimberly, so she clicked on it immediately to see what it was.

    [I know you must think all sorts of things of me, and I''m sorry to barge in your dm this way again after what I did. But I''m desperately in need of a friend, and you''re the only one I can think of. Please, can I talk to you?]

    Lucy''s eyes teared up as she read the message and without thinking about it she clicked on the call icon.

    Kimberly who was on her way to the airport received the call immediately, "Lucy, thanks for calling. I''m sorry to be a bother but I just really needed to talk to someone and you were the only one I could think of," she said in a tearful voice.

    "It''s alright. You can talk. I will listen," Lucy offered quietly.

    "I''m sorry about the prank. I''m really very sorry. All of this mess is my fault. I know I should have said no when Lawrence suggested it, but I just couldn''t. I''m so sorry I made a mess of things for everyone. Lawrence died because of my stupidity and I don''t think I could ever forgive myself for it," Kimberly''s voice broke as she started sobbing, and the driver who was taking her in a cab to the airport looked at her with concern through the rearview mirror.

    "You shouldn''t beat yourself over his death. It wasn''t your fault," Lucy said but Kimberly wasn''t listening.

    "It''s all my fault. Hearing about his daughter must have shocked him so much. He was already feeling terrible over upsetting everyone because of the prank and I added to it. I still can''t believe he is gone," Kimberly wept and it urred to Lucy in that moment that Kimberly was both mourning Lawrence''s death and dealing with her family issue at the same time.

    She didn''t know what to say, so she kept quiet as she listened to Kimberly cry and talk about how she had made a mess of everything and didn''t even know how to fix it.

    Once Kimberly had calmed down a bit, she cleared her throat, "I''m sorry I called you this way. I know I have no right to," Kimberly said apologetically.

    "It''s okay. I don''t mind."

    "Can I ask a favor?" Kimberly asked and Lucy raised a brow.

    "What?"

    "I know it''s selfish of me to want to ask you for anything right now. You can say no if you''re notfortable with it. And I honestly don''t expect you to want to help me. But could you help me look after Dawn while you''re there. I know she''s going to feel lonely and sort of isted over there but it will help if she has at least one person on her side. I will understand if you say no," Kimberly said and Lucy sighed.

    "Is there anything in particr you want me to do for her?" Lucy asked thoughtfully.

    "She''s smart for her age and thinks deeply about things. I''m sure she is trying to figure out all that is going on right now. I don''t want her to think I abandoned her or anything. She might want to keep to herself and stay out of everyone''s way. Could you just be with her and help her feel better? I know I''m asking for a lot, but I can''t just leave her there and not at least ask someone I can trust to help me take care of her. I would have sent her governess down to be with her, but they don''t want a stranger under their roof," Kimberly exined.

    "Alright. I will check on her often and make sure she is okay. You do what you need to do ande get her as soon as you can," Lucy said and Kimberly let out a sigh of relief.

    "Thank you so much, Lucy. You have no idea how thankful I am."

    "It''s really not a big deal," Lucy said dismissively.

    "It is. And I''m grateful. For what it''s worth, Lawrence liked you and really admired you. Although he didn''t really appreciate how you threatened him to report himself to his son, he thought you were a good partner for Tom. He said every man needed a no nonsense woman like you by his side," Kimberly said and Lucy smiled ruefully.

    Too bad he had died before she could apologize to him.

    "Thanks for telling me that," Lucy said and turned to the door when a knock sounded on it.

    "I need to go now. I will try to update you on how she''s doing as often as I can," Lucy promised before hanging up.

    Lucy dropped her phone on the bed as she went to get the door, thinking it was Sonia, but when she opened it, it was Jade.

    "Hey! Is Tom inside?" Jade asked and Lucy shook her head.

    "No. He went downstairs a short while ago. He should be at the study," Lucy said and Jade sighed.

    "I see. Can I speak with you for a moment?" Jade asked, and Lucy shrugged as she stepped aside for Jade to go in.

    "Why don''t we go to my room instead? That way we won''t be interrupted," Jade said and Lucy returned inside to pick up her phone before following Jade to her bedroom.

    Lucy was very curious to hear what Jade wanted to talk to her about, and thankfully the moment they were seated, Jade didn''t beat around the bush.

    "I happened to overhear your conversation with Sonia earlier," Jade confessed and Lucy narrowed her eyes.

    "I didn''t eavesdrop. I overheard it while trying to find you both," Jade said when she noticed the way Lucy was looking her with suspicion.

    "Why were you trying to find us?" Lucy asked curiously.

    "I wanted to leave the kid with Sonia so I could be part of the discussions downstairs. I wasn''t sure you would be willing to keep watch over her considering everything. And then when I couldn''t find Sonia, I figured she was with you and went to Tom''s room, but when you weren''t there either I had to look around for you both," Jade exined and Lucy drew a deep breath.

    "So, where is the kid now?" Lucy asked curiously since she nned to go see the kid the moment she left Jade''s room.

    "In her room. That''s not what I wanted to talk about," Jade said and Lucy raised a brow.

    "What do you want to talk about?" Lucy asked and Jade looked at her for a moment.

    "I know it''s probably not my business, but I couldn''t pretend like I didn''t hear anything when I did. I hope you don''t see this as me meddling or prying in your business," Jade said and Lucy merely looked at her without saying a word.

    "I can''t say I know how you feel. I do not know about your family, but we have always been this way in our family. By this way, I mean getting involved in everyone''s business and giving unsolicited advise. Even if you want us to butt out of your business, I can''t assure you that will happen overnight. It''s going to be a gradual process for us all. Especially our mom. And there are times when we might forget and unconsciously slip back into the habit, so, maybe you could try to be more patient with us and Tom too. Thest thing any of us would want is for you to end things with Tom because of us. And none of us thinks you want to ruin Tom or tear our family apart either. We have just never had this sort of tension in the home before and everything is getting to everyone," Jade said and Lucy pursed her lips, as she thought about what to say.

    "Be honest with me, Jade. Do you think I''m doing too much? Maybe I''m overreacting and demanding too much?" Lucy asked and Jade held her gaze for a moment.

    "I believe it wouldn''t have gotten to the point where you had to speak to the whole family about it, had things not gotten out of hand. The situation of things prompted your reaction, and anyone would have reacted. So, I can''t say you''re overreacting or demanding too much," Jade said and Lucy sighed.

    "I didn''t mean to hurt your mom''s feelings."

    "I didn''t mean to hurt your mom''s feelings."

    "We all know that. We wish things didn''t have to be this way, but it can''t exactly be helped right now," Jade said and to Lucy''s surprise Jade took her hand.

    "You know, I sort of expected that we would be friends and get along easily simply because you were Tom''s girlfriend, but I was wrong. And I''ve always sort of had this notion that you were too uptight and tightlipped. I''m getting to understand you better now. I hope we can be friends and get along. Not because of Tom. But because I admire you," Jade said and Lucy smiled.

    "Sure. Thanks. I''d like us to be friends too."

    "You must have heard the kid is going to be here for a while, right?" Jade asked and Lucy gave her a nod.

    "I''m pretty sure you feel ufortable," Jade said and Lucy shook her head.

    "No, I don''t. If anyone would feel ufortable in this situation, it would be Dawn. I know enough about the situation of things to understand why she is here, but she doesn''t. Can you imagine how she must feel being in the midst of strangers?" Lucy asked and Jade''s brows pulled together.

    "Well, she''s a kid. Even if it was exined to her she wouldn''t understand. And I''m pretty sure she would miss her mom for a while but once she would adjust soon enough," Jade said easily.

    "You said she is in her bedroom?" Lucy asked and Jade nodded.

    "Yes. She seemed sleepy earlier."

    "Which of the bedrooms?" Lucy asked curiously, since she really wanted to see the kid.

    "Thest bedroom down the hall. It''s just after your room. Why do you ask?" Jade asked as Lucy rose.

    "I''d like to check in on her. I''m yet to see her," Lucy said and Jade nodded.

    "Alright. I should go see Tom," Jade said as she rose and they both walked out of the room together.

    Lucy headed down the hall for the visitor''s bedroom and when she got there she knocked lightly on the door.

    She waited to get a response, and when she didn''t, she turned the knob.

    Her heart broke the moment she stepped into the room and the first sight that greeted her was of Dawn curled in a fetal position as she wept silently.

    Without saying a word, Lucy shut the door behind her and went straight to the bed. She sat on the edge of the bed and pulled Dawn close to her.

    "Why are you crying, dearie?" Lucy asked as she patted Dawn''s back and brushed the tears from her face but Dawn said nothing as she kept sobbing quietly.

    "Don''t worry, Dawn. Everything will be alright, and mummy wille get you soon," Lucy assured her softly.

    Dawn looked up at her with teary eyes, and for the second time Lucy fell in love with the child.

    "Are you Lucy?" Dawn asked with a sniffle momentarily distracted, and Lucy looked at her in surprise.

    "Yes. How do you know that?" Lucy asked and Dawn pointed at her iPad.

    "My mom said you will be my friend," Dawn said and Lucy smiled.

    "That''s right. I''m going to be your friend so you don''t have to be worried or feel lonely. I will watch over you until your momes to get you, so you don''t have to cry anymore. Can you promise me you won''t cry and whenever you feel like crying you wille find me?" Lucy asked, and Dawn looked at her for a moment before giving her a nod.

    "I won''t cry."

    "Good girl. So we are friends now, right?" Lucy asked as she extended a hand to Dawn.

    "Yes, we are friends," Dawn said with a nod as she shook Lucy''s hand.

 Chapter 706 One Week

    Chapter 706 One Week

    Two days after Andy''sst encounter with Cassidy, she still had not been able to make up her mind on what to make of him.

    Was he good or bad? Should she forgive him or not? Should she call him Alex or Cassidy? Should she keep finding a way to leave or just rx and trust him to let her go when the time was right?

    Although, since they got to the Ind, she had seen a different part of him. There was no denying that the man on the Ind waspletely different from the drug lord who had forced himself on her. But that did not make it any easier to forgive him or understand him.

    It was true that hurting people hurt people, but that did not make what he did right. And no matter how much he apologized she doubted that she could ever truly forgive him for doing that to her.

    What she couldn''t understand now was the reason he had brought her to the Ind. He could easily have let her go and pretended to be dead, and no one would bother about her, so why did he bring her here? Although he had said it was because he wanted her to take care of his daughter, but she highly doubted that was it.

    Andy looked at her door when a knock sounded on it, and she smiled when it opened a crack and Maribel''s head appeared.

    "Can Ie in?" She asked hopefully.

    "Sure you can, doll," Andy said as she sat up and patted the side of her bed for Maribel to join her.

    walk further into the room and get on the bed.

    "I think you were right. Daddy said I look more beautiful," Maribel After her conversation with Susan the other day, they had both agreed that she would look after Maribel under Susan''s supervision, while Susan continued to take care of the home.

    "How was your beauty sleep?" Andy asked as she watched Maribel walk further into the room and get on the bed.

    "I think you were right. Daddy said I look more beautiful," Maribel said and Andy giggled.

    Because Maribel always struggled with sleeping whenever it was time for her nap, Andy had told her it was called beauty sleep not nap, and that if she wanted to look more beautiful like Cindere and sleeping beauty, she needed to sleep more during the day as that was when the beauty fairy moved around to make little girls more beautiful.

    "When did he say that?" Andy asked with interest.

    "Just now," Maribel said and Andy raised a brow.

    "Your father is back?" Andy asked and Maribel bobbed her head.

    She hardly ever saw Cassidy or crossed paths with him during the day, and from his routine, she already knew that the only thing she could see him if she wanted to speak with him was at night. And that was only if she decided to stay up and wait in the living room.

    It almost seemed like he was avoiding her. But that would be ridiculous, right? Why would he bring her here and then stay away from his own home just so he could avoid her?

    She couldn''t help wondering why he was home at this time of the day. Perhaps he wanted to take a nap like he had done the other day.

    "Are you listening?" Maribel asked to get Andy''s attention.

    "I''m sorry, doll. I got distracted for a moment. What did you say?" Andy asked as she focused her attention on the little girl.

    "I said I want you to spend the night with me in my room or I could sleep here if you let me," Maribel repeated.

    "Oh, why?" Andy asked with an amused smile.

    "Because it feels nice being next to you. And when the night beauty fairyes to visit you, she can see me too," Maribel said with a grin as she pushed her sses up her nose bridge and Andyughed out loud.

    They both looked at the door and a knock sounded on it, and seeing as the door didn''t open, Andy could tell it was Cassidy and not Susan.

    Susan usually poked her head in after knocking once whenever Maribel was in the room with her.

    "Give me a moment, doll," Andy said as she rose from the bed and went to answer the door.

    "Hi!" Cassidy said once the door opened and he stood face to face with her.

    "Hi! You want Maribel?" Andy asked, curious to know if he hade because he wanted to see her or his daughter.

    Cassidy cleared his throat and shifted on his feet, feeling slightly ufortable, "No. I wanted to find out if you''d like to step out. Maybe take a stroll. I know you haven''t been out of the house and you must want to take a look around," Cassidy said and Andy raised a brow.

    "You''re no longer scared I might try to escape?" She asked and he shrugged.

    "I already exined the situation of things to you. You''re not my prisoner. If you decide to leave without my knowledge, that''s up to you. But I''d rather you give me time to sort things out, and I will get you back home safely to your sister and nephew," Cassidy said, and although Andy wanted to argue, Maribel was now standing between them.

    "Alright. Let''s go," Andy said, but Cassidy''s gaze ran over her and he shook his head.

    "Do you mind changing what you''re wearing? And maybe putting on something suitable under?" He asked not wanting to expressly ask her to wear a bra since Maribel was standing there.

    Andy rolled her eyes, "Alright," She said and Cassidy took Maribel''s hand and led her away to give Andy privacy.

    After Andy had changed into a more suitable outfit, she went out to join Cassidy in the living room and raised a brow when she didn''t see Maribel with him.

    "Where is Maribel? Isn''t sheing with us?" Andy asked and he shook his head as he rose.

    "No. She stepped out with Susan to get some groceries," he said and Andy raised a brow.

    "So, we are taking a stroll together alone?" She asked and he looked at her with a nk expression.

    "Does that bother you?"

    "No. Just asking. Why did you suddenly offer to show me around?" She asked curiously.

    "It wasn''t a sudden offer. I was going to get around to it but I''ve been too busy taking care of stuff since we arrived and I didn''t want to ask you to go alone," Cassidy said easily.

    "Why? Because you are scared I might escape?" She asked and Cassidy sighed in exasperation.

    "Because you don''t know your way around and could easily lose your way around here. It would be dangerous," he said and Andy scoffed.

    "If that was the case you could have asked Susan and Maribel to show me around," she said, and this time Cassidy scowled.

    "Why can''t you just be thankful when I left all I had to do just to show you around?" He asked and she raised a brow as she crossed both arms in front of her.

    "Thankful?" She asked in disbelief.

    "Yes. Thankful. Why do you like to get on my nerves by arguing with me over everything and finding faults with all that I do?" Cassidy asked, and Andy''s face contorted with anger.

    "I can''t believe you are expecting me to be thankful. Thankful for what exactly? That you took me away from my family and brought me here? Or that you are showing me around the prison where you''ve kept me?" She asked and Cassidy sighed.

    "I thought we were over this already? I already exined why I had to bring you here and I told you this isn''t a prison. Why are you bringing it up again? Why do you keep making us go around in circles?" He asked in a slightly raised voice, feeling frustrated.

    "You have no right to lose your temper. If anyone is supposed to be mad here, it is I. So, don''t you dare raise your voice at me!" Andy snapped at him angrily, and Cassidy drew a deep breath to calm himself.

    He was thankful that they were alone in the house and weren''t having this conversation outside either.

    "Alright. I''m sorry for losing my temper. I don''t know what you want from me��"

    "I don''t want anything from you, Cassidy! I never asked you for anything. All I want is to be free from you. I don''t want to see you��"

    "Do you think I don''t know that already? Do you think I don''t see the look of disgust on your face every time our paths cross? Why do you think I stay away from my own home and do my best to stay out of your way?" Cassidy asked and Andy raised a brow.

    So, that was the reason she never saw him around? He was deliberately staying away from her path?

    "You tell me. I don''t know," she said and Cassidy took a deep breath as he rubbed his eyes.

    "What can I do, Andy? How can I earn your forgiveness? What do you expect me to do? I''m doing my best to make up for what I did to you. If there is something you need me to do, anything at all that I can do to make you less angry, please, I''m asking you to tell me," Cassidy said calmly.

    "You are doing your best to make up for what you did? What exactly is the best that you have done? And which of your crimes are you trying to make up for? Raping me? Or kidnapping me? Or was kidnapping me your way of making up for raping me?" Andy asked and Cassidy looked at her for a moment.

    "I don''t know how to make up for forcing myself on you. If you want me topensate you financially, I will. I don''t mind giving you every dime I have in my ount. I have no excuse for doing what I did, and I will always be sorry for that. I was wrong to have brought you here regardless of my reasons. I will arrange for you to be taken somewhere else far away from me. You can stay there and return to your family when it''s safe enough. I promise to stay out of your sight until I''ve put everything in ce for you to leave, and after that, you don''t have to ever see me again," Cassidy said quietly and he dipped his hands into his pockets as he headed for the door.

    "How long would that take?" Andy asked calmly before he could open the door.

    "What?"

    "How long would it take for you to put everything in ce for me to leave?" She asked, and Cassidy thought about it for a moment.

    "A week or less. I will do my best to make it as soon as possible," he assured her.

    "Alright. Let''s go then," she said jerking her head to the door for him to lead the way.

    Cassidy couldn''t help wondering why she had suddenly be calm and not baring her teeth anymore.

    He raised a brow when he saw her heading for the door, "Go where?"

    "You were going to take me on a stroll around the ind, weren''t you? Since I''m going to leave soon I should as well take a look around the prison where I was held captive for some time, shouldn''t I?" she asked, but Cassidy said nothing as he held the door open for her.

    As they both walked out together, Cassidy couldn''t help the feeling of sadness that overwhelmed him.

    All his ns to show her this side of him so he could earn her forgiveness and possibly her love had proved futile. Now she was going to leave him and Maribel too.

    Thinking about it now, it was stupid to have abducted her the way he had done and expect forgiveness and love in return. Thest thing he wanted was for her to develop Stockholm syndrome thinking it was love.

    It was best to let her go. Some things couldn''t be forced, and among those things were forgiveness and love.

    "Cassidy?" Andy called, and he turned to look at her.

    "Do you really think avoiding me is the best way to earn my forgiveness? I don''t care about you staying away from your home for my sake. I wish I could easily forgive you and forget what happened between us, but I can''t. So, if you truly want my forgiveness then you should do your best to earn it. I can''t tell you how to earn it, it''s up to you to figure out how. And I hope you keep your word about letting me go in a week. I will do my best to get along with you until then. We should at least path on good terms," Andy said quietly.

    "Thanks. I will do my best to earn your forgiveness. And I will put everything in ce so you can leave in a week," he promised and she nodded.

    "Then I will take your word for it, Alex."

 Chapter 707 Birthday Gifts

    Chapter 707 Birthday Gifts

    Although it was past midday already, Candacey on her bed staring up at the ceiling and feeling unmotivated to do anything else.

    She had gotten out of bed earlier to cater to Jamal and to prepare breakfast for her dad, but the moment she finished she had returned to her bedroom.

    She just wanted to be alone. She had been feeling a persistent dull ache in her heart since her fight with Matt on Monday night.

    At first she had wanted to simply ignore it all and move on as she had done thest time they had fallen apart after he found out she lied to him, but she couldn''t understand why she was feeling so heartbroken.

    What was the difference between now and thest time she had pushed him away? Why was she feeling so sad and scared at the thought of losing Matt? Was it just because of the great sex they had in thest couple of days?

    She had kept hoping that he would call or text to check on her and tell her how he was doing but with each passing hour she realized that he meant all he had said and was probably waiting for her to call him after making up her mind on what she wanted.

    Now she tried to go over their conversation again in her head so she could see what she could have said to hurt his feelings or get him so upset.

    She reyed their conversation at Tom''s dining in her head and she had to admit that she had been sort of harsh and curt with him. She had acted like a brat and he had every right to be upset. She would have felt and reacted almost the same way had she been in his shoes.

    She pursed when it urred to her that she did not apologize to him despite talking to him the way she had done. She also remembered exactly what he had said. He had not asked that they end anything. All he had said was that he wanted her to acknowledge his love and feelings for her when they were alone together.

    That wasn''t too much, was it? So, why was she here wasting time and waiting for him to give her a call when she could easily call him and apologize first? She mused.

    She quickly picked up her phone and dialed his line. It rang for some time but there was no response. She called two more times and her brows pulled together in a concerned frown when it didn''t connect.

    Was he too upset that he didn''t want to take her call, or was he just busy? She wondered and decided to send him a text.

    There was no way he would ignore her text even if he was ignoring her call, and if he was busy, she was sure seeing her missed calls and text would let him know how serious she was and he would give her a call.

    [I''m sorry for being such a bitch. I never should have spoken to you in that manner or showed up in your bedroom and acted like a spoilt brat after upsetting you. Give me a call as soon as you can talk.]

    Candace reread the text a couple of times before clicking on the send button.

    Just as she dropped her phone, a knock sounded on the door, and she sat up, "You cane in," she said, knowing it was her father.

    The door opened and Aaron walked in, looking at her with interest, "Are you okay?" He asked with concern, since he had noticed she had seemed upset since she got back from Tom''s ce the previous day.

    He had no doubt that her mood had more to do with Matt than it had to do with Lawrence Hank''s death.

    Harry had told him on Monday night that Matt was also spending the night at Tom''s ce, so he knew that Candace and Matt has been together.

    He had expected her toe back home in a cheerful mood, but she since her return she had been usually quiet and withdrawn.

    "Yeah. Sure," she said, and watched as Aaron sat on the edge of her bed.

    "So, what''s happening?" Aaron asked and Candace looked at him in confusion.

    "What''s happening with what?"

    "With you. You''ve not been yourself since you got back yesterday. Want to tell me what is on your mind?" He asked and she shook her head.

    "There is nothing to worry about. I''m just not feeling too well. I will be fine," she said, but Aaron did not budge.

    "What''s wrong? I could go get you drugs," Aaron offered even though he doubted whatever was wrong with her was rted to her health.

    "I don''t need drugs. Don''t worry about me," she assured him.

    "How would you feel if Jamal was unusually quiet and moody?" He asked and Candace raised a brow.

    "How am I supposed to feel? I will do all I can to find out what''s wrong and try to make sure he''s fine, of course," she said matter of factly.

    "Good. That''s what I''m doing. In the same manner Jamal is your little boy and you can''t stand to see him upset and moody, that''s the same way I feel about you being this way. I''m your father and you can''t ask me to not worry about you. You might be all grown up, but to me you''re my little girl. So, you can either tell me what''s wrong right now or I can just stay right here with you until you decide to tell me what the problem is," Aaron said, and as though to prove the point hey down on the bed, and Candace''s lips twitched in amusement as she watched his adjust the pillow.

    "I should go and keep an eye on Jamal," Candace said as she started to rise but Aaron turned to her.

    "He''s in my bedroom having his nap," Aaron said and Candace sat down again.

    "What if I don''t want to say anything?" She asked when Aaron shut his eyes.

    "You will, eventually, when you get tired of having me in your face," Aaron said without opening his eyes.

    Candace said nothing as she stared at him for a while and then shey down beside him, and Aaron reached for her and pulled her close so that her head was resting on his chest.

    Candace sighed as she snuggled closer to him, and Aaron patted her back but said nothing as theyy there infortable silence.

    After some minutes Candace let out a sigh, "You are really bent on staying here until I tell you what''s wrong?" She asked as she sat up so she could look into his face.

    "That''s right," Aaron said as he sat up as well and faced her, "So, are you ready to talk now?" He asked and she smiled.

    "It''s nothing serious, I assure you," Candace said and Aaron nodded.

    "Alright. So, how is Matt doing?" Aaron asked casually and Candace raised a brow.

    "Why are you suddenly asking me that?"

    "I just randomly thought about him. Why don''t we invite him over for dinner tonight?" Aaron suggested and Candace scowled.

    "He''s no longer in Ludus. He left yesterday," she said and Aaron chuckled.

    "Ah! I see," he said with a nod.

    "Why would you say that? I didn''t even know the man personally apart from the fact that he was one time president," Candace said "You see what?" Candace asked and Aaron grinned.

    "That exins why you''ve been moody and why you haven''t gone out as usual," Aaron said and she rolled her eyes.

    "That has nothing to do with my mood," she said and Aaron raised a brow.

    "Then I suppose you are mourning Lawrence Hank? You must have loved him a whole lot. What a great president he was," Aaron said dryly and Candace giggled unexpectedly.

    "Why would you say that? I didn''t even know the man personally apart from the fact that he was one time president," Candace said and Aaron shrugged.

    "I''ve been thinking about it. It''s got to be one or the other. You were fine when you left on Monday evening, and then you came back moody yesterday. I know Matt spent the night at Tom''s as well, don''t even think of denying it," Aaron said and Candace rose a brow.

    "How did you know��. Harry! That loudmouth!" She hissed and Aaron chuckled.

    "Well, if you must know, we got into an argument," Candace said with a shrug.

    "Want to tell your old man about it?" Aaron asked and she sighed.

    "All you need to know is that I was sort of rude to him and it upset him. He left without saying a word to me," Candace exined and he nodded, relieved that it wasn''t a very serious issue.

    "So, you admit you were rude? Have you apologized to him then? Is he refusing to forgive you?" He asked and she shook her head.

    "I sent him an apology text shortly before you came in. I guess he''s too busy to call back or respond," Candace said and Aaron nodded again.

    "Good. As long as you know you were wrong and you''re willing to apologize and make amends, I think everything will be okay. Is that all that is bothering you then?" He asked and she gave him a pointed look.

    "Telling you this doesn''t mean you can tease me or pester me with talks of Matt going forward. He''s just a great friend that I don''t want to lose and��"

    "I''m not interested. If that''s all that was bothering you, and you''re done sulkinge with me, I have something for you," Aaron said as he rose and Candace scowled.

    "I knew it was a bad idea telling you about it��"

    "h h h," Aaron said and Candace''s lips twitched in amusement as she rose to follow him.

    She paused when her phone started ringing and her heart skipped a beat when she saw it was Matt, "I will join you shortly. It''s Matt," she informed Aaron, and he gaze her a nod as he walked away and shut the door behind him.

    "Hey!" She said awkwardly without sitting down.

    "Hey, you!" Matt said easily as he waited for her to speak.

    Candace cleared her throat, "So, how are you?"

    "I''m good. You?"

    "I''m okay. I guess you were busy earlier? You got my text?"

    "Yeah. I saw it. I was in the middle of something when you called," Matt said and Candace drew in a shaky breath.

    "Can you talk now?" She asked and Matt''s lips curved in a smile when he heard the uncertainty in her tone.

    "Sure. Go on," he urged her, curious to hear what she had to say.

    "I''m sorry for speaking to you in that manner," she said and Matt nodded.

    "So, you said in your text."

    Candace took a deep breath, "I admit that I haven''t been fair to you. I''m going to try to do better if you let me," Candace said and Matt raised a brow.

    "Are you saying that you want me in your life and you will give me a chance to love you?" Matt asked and Candace''s lips twitched.

    "Do I have to spell it out?"

    "Yes. I want you to spell it out."

    Candace bit her lower lip, "I want you in my life. I will do my best to not shy away from your love going forward," she promised.

    "Alright. I guess we are good then," Matt said and Candace raised a brow.

    "We are?"

    "Yes. Do you mind if I call youter so we can talk some more? I''m still busy at the moment," Matt said and once Candace agreed, they hung up.

    Why hadn''t she thought of apologizing to him instead of waiting for his call since the previous day? Candace mused with a wide smile as she walked out of her bedroom.

    Once she got to the living room, she raised a brow when she saw arge brown box on the floor beside the table.

    "What''s that?" Candace asked as she joined Aaron who was watching the television.

    "That''s for you," Aaron said and Candace looked at him uncertainly.

    "For me? From who?"

    "From me," Aaron said and Candace immediately went to open the box.

    The first thing she saw inside was arge red teddy bear wearing a white ''Daddy loves you'' T-shirt.

    "What''s this?" Candace asked as she picked up the teddy bear.

    "That is a teddy bear."

    "I know what it is. Why are you giving me this?" She asked as she looked from the teddy bear to her father.

    "I never got to get you any dolls, and since you''re too grown up to y dollhouse now, I figured a teddy bear wouldn''t be a bad idea," he said and Candace looked at him in surprise.

    "Go on. Check out the rest stuff," Aaron urged her, and Candace looked into the box.

    Next she took a personalized diary and then a makeup set.

    "I showed them your picture and they assured me this product was very good and it would be suitable for your skin tone," Aaron said as Candace continued to check the box.

    Candace''s eyes began to tear up as she took out a cosmetic set and then a perfume set, and then a jewelry box.

    She looked up at Aaron, "What are all these for?" She asked as heartfelt tears rolled down her cheeks.

    "Some gifts for your birthdays which I missed. I couldn''t exactly fit in twenty eight years into such a little box, but I wanted to start from somewhere. I didn''t want to wait until we returned to Sogal," Aaron said with a small smile.

    Candace stared at him speechlessly, unable to bring herself to say anything.

    "Every chance I get I''m going to keep making it up to you, Candace," Aaron promised as he went to where she stood and brushed the tears from her cheeks.

    "When did you get all these?" She asked and Aaron smiled.

    "Jamal and I went out yesterday, and they had it delivered today because they needed to customize some of the items," Aaron said and Candace hugged him.

    "You really didn''t have to get me anything," she said quietly.

    "I needed to, Candace. I want to give you everything. I know I will never be able to make up for all the lost time, but I''m willing to do my best to catch up with it," Aaron said as he patted her back.

 Chapter 708 Fake Will

    Chapter 708 Fake Will

    Sara had a frown of displeasure on her face as she walked through the lobby of thew firm, heading for Amos''s office.

    The phone calls from him were bing increasingly irritating and she was beginning to seriously consider getting rid of him.

    He knew far too much about everything and she had no ns of letting a coward like him be a weak link for her.

    Why was he suddenly bing so cowardly and fearful? Sara mused as she got out of the elevator, and a momentter she was standing in Amos'' office.

    "I''m d you''re here," Amos said as he rose to greet her.

    "You disappoint me, Amos. I''m not impressed by your conducttely," Sara said in a scolding tone as she sat down without waiting for him to offer her a seat.

    "You don''t seem to understand the situation of things right now, Sara. I feel as though everything I''ve worked for is about to go down the drain. My blood pressure is over the roof, and I''m always looking over my back now. Do you know Rebekah Miller?" He asked and Sara resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

    "Is she someone I''m supposed to know?"

    "Yes. I believe you met her a couple of times in the past during your interactions with the Petersons. She is rted to them," Amos said and Sara nodded thoughtfully.

    "What about her? Can you be quick and tell me where this is getting to? I have a flight to catch out of the country, and I don''t intend to miss it because of you," Sara said impatiently.

    Amos picked up his phone and turned it to Sara as he yed a video of the live show and then he switched to another video as of Rebekah being surrounded by reporters who kept throwing questions at her while Rebekah kept yelling, "I''m innocent! Thomas Hank is behind this! He set me up!"

    Sara arched a brow, "So? What has this got to do with me?" Sara asked and Amos shook his head incredulously.

    "Didn''t you hear her? Thomas Hank is involved. First it was Wilson, and now it is Rebekah. Who do you think is next? Her cousin, Emilia, who is Wilson Peterson''s wife reached out to me to have mywyers represent her since no one is willing to take up her case in Ludus because the chief judge is involved. I had to find a way to reach Rebekah and I spoke with her over the phone so I could better understand the nature of the case and our chances before sending anywyers over there. Guess what she said? She said Jade Hank, my former employee and her brother was behind it all. She said they did that because of a simple misunderstanding��."

    "You still haven''t told me what this has got to do with me. I have no business with the Hanks," Sara cut in impatiently.

    "I''m trying to tell you that they will being for us! Thomas Hank and your son Harry, I have no doubt that they wille for us next," Amos said as he rose.

    "You''re just being paranoid, Amos. No one ising for anybody. I saw Harry the other day, and hepletely ignored me. Do you think he would do that if he knew anything or had any ns of doing anything to me?" Sara asked and Amos shook his head.

    "This has nothing to do with being paranoid. Jade Hank told me for sure before she left my office that they will stop at nothing to ruin you (chapter 457). Seeing how she was involved in bringing down Rebekah Miller, I don''t think that was an idle threat. They are dealing with everyone one after the other. First it was Wilson Peterson, next it was Rebekah Miller, and now it might just be your turn. Don''t you think they might do worse to you when they find out everything? How much longer do you think we have before they put all the pieces together?" Amos pleaded, wanting Sara to understand the severity of the situation.

    Although Sara had been worried about all of this initially, but after giving it a lot of thought she hade to the conclusion that she had nothing to fear as long as she yed her cards right.

    "Calm down, Amos. They can''t do anything to me. First they have no proof about anything. If Aaron and Harry decides toe out to tell the world I was married and had a kid, I will simply defend myself by saying Aaron was abusive and I had to flee for my life. I lost the other twin during childbirth and no one can prove otherwise. I will shed a couple of tears and win the sympathy of the public.," Sara said with a shrug.

    "I''ve been thinking about it, and they have no evidence against me. Besides, even if they were nning toe at me, the Hank family will be too busy mourning their grandfather right now. By the time they are done with that, I should have done away with the girl. They have nothing on me, Amos. Absolutely nothing," Sara said confidently.

    "But they know the girl is alive. Jade Hank knows that. You told me your sister''s daughter is also aware," Amos reminded her, and she shrugged.

    "Do they have any evidence to prove that? I could easily deny it and you could too. We will make Thomas Hank out to be a vengeful man, and say he is trying to destroy me simply because I abandoned his best friend. How else will you exin why the two people who im to know the other twin is alive are his sister and girlfriend? Trust me, Amos. I''ve given this a lot of thought. As long as I have the girl with me and I''m going to get rid of her, there will be no evidence against me. Trust me when I say I have everything under control," Sara assured him calmly.

    Although Amos wasn''t convinced, he gave her a nod as he returned to his seat. He knew better to argue with her when she was being so irritatingly arrogant.

    He had already made up his mind on what to do and was working on it already. He was just going to pack up and disappear with his family. He wasn''t going to wait to go down with such a foolish person. No he wasn''t.

    "So, have you fixed the stuff with Wilson? Have you found someone to y the role?" Sara asked, changing the subject.

    "Not yet. I''m still on it," he said and she nodded.

    "Let me know when you do. For the meantime I need you to do something for me," she said and he looked at her with a raised a brow as he wondered what it was she wanted this time.

    "What could that be?"

    "I need you to draft out a fake will and testament," she said and he raised a brow.

    "What for?"

    "I need the girl to stumble upon it. She is going to be more willing to cooperate with me if she believes I''m giving her all I have," Sara said and Amos raised a brow.

    "Why would she want to cooperate to keep you alive if she believes she stands to gain more from your death?" Amos asked, wondering if she had a fish brain.

    "Because I''m her mother. Despite knowing I was wealthy she didn''t ept me so easily when I told her I was her mother. She demanded a DNA test. What does that tell you? Sometimes money isn''t everything to some people. Go on and draft it out," Sara urged him and Amos shook his head.

    What was it to him if she decided to do something that foolish? He was just going to teach her a lesson before disappearing. He was going to make sure the Will wasn''t a fake, and if possible he would find a way to alert the innocent girl of it.

    Away from there, Bernice stood by Adam''s hospital bed with both their boys standing beside the bed.

    As she watched his unconscious form, her mind went back to the details of her visit to his parents the previous day after the live "You have a lot of nerve showing up in this ce after that disgraceful stunt you and your shameless family pulled in front of show.

    She had gotten involved in a serious row with her inws during her visit to them.

    "You have a lot of nerve showing up in this ce after that disgraceful stunt you and your shameless family pulled in front of everyone," Adam''s mother had said the moment she set eyes on her.

    "I''m not here to fight or argue with you. I want to see Adam," Bernice had said without flinching.

    "How could you utter such words about Adam without thinking about his reputation? Couldn''t you have at least considered our family and the kids?" Adam''s mother had asked as though Bernice had not spoken a word.

    "His reputation? How is protecting his reputation my responsibility? Why didn''t he think about that before getting involved with my mother?" Bernice had asked disdainfully.

    "What are you doing here?" The chief judge had asked in a gruff voice as he walked into the house and saw his wife and Bernice.

    "I want to see Adam," Bernice had said as she turned away from the woman to face her husband.

    "What for? You definitely don''t think we are going to let you stay married to him after all you did today, do you? You embarassed our family and��"

    "And who told you I want to remain married to your stupid abusive son or be a part of your corrupt family?" Bernice had cut in with a snap, surprising them.

    "What?" Adam''s mother had asked in disbelief.

    "You heard me right. I want a divorce. As a matter of fact, I''m demanding it. You should be ashamed of yourself as a mother and a woman. This whole time you knew your son was hitting me and you did nothing about it. Good thing I have all the evidence I need to prove it. And don''t you dare think of threatening to take my kids away from me or letting me go withoutpensating me. If you try it, I''m going to make sure your son''s sex video is the most searched video on the inte. You have no idea how low I can go just to bring you all down to my level," Bernice had said as she red at them both.

    "I me Adam for this. He should never have married you��"

    "Finally we agree on something. He should never have done that considering being my mother''s lover!" Bernice had said cutting off the chief judge once again before he could finish.

    "I''m not surprised that instead of focusing on your son''s immorality you''re more interested in protecting your stinky reputation. And just so you know, I have evidence of most of the corruption going on in thew firm. If you doubt it, don''t let me have my way, and we will see how much longer you both can hold your heads up in society. I expect you to text me the location of wherever Adam is being kept," Bernice had said, and without another word she walked out of the house.

    She had never felt more proud of herself as she did standing up to her inws who had treated her like trash from the very moment Adam had stated his intention to marry her.

    Looking down at Adam now, she smirked. She had wanted to see him because she wanted to see his state and confirm for herself that he was truly alive.

    It was a good thing he did not die. She liked that he would be alive to not only feel the pain of being betrayed by his lover who had almost killed him, but he was also going to see her walk out of their marriage with full custody of their kids and half of all he owned.

    Now that she was sure of it, she could go ahead with her ns to file for divorce.

    She took her phone out of her handbag when it rang, and she received the call when she saw that it was from Tiffany.

    "Hey! Are you with Adam now? Is he truly alive?" Tiffany asked as she sat in her car after moving her stuff out of Jackson''s house.

    She had discussed with Jackson the previous day and he had agreed to a peaceful divorce. He had offered that she take the house but she had turned him down saying she wanted a fresh start.

    He had offered to give her any amount of money she asked for and had promised to look into all that his father had stolen from her father and pay back every penny to her and her sisters.

    "Yes. He is still unconscious," Bernice said and Tiffany sighed.

    "What''s your n? I''m on my way to speak with the divorcewyer. Want toe along?" Tiffany asked and Bernice smiled.

    "Sure. But I need to drop the kids off at Lisa''s first, and then I will meet up with you," Bernice said and Tiffany nodded.

    Lisa had agreed to take care of Bernice''s kids so she could take a break from everything and travel with Tiffany.

    "Alright. I will be expecting you. I''m turning off my phone now," Tiffany said before hanging up.

    Despite the heavy bacsh following the live show, the sisters were finally on their way to bing happy.

    At first they had all been sad about Rebekah''s spiteful revtion concerning their paternity, but they had all agreed to not think about it or talk about Rebekah.

    The only thing that bothered them now was Anita''s silence. Despite all that was happening, they were yet to hear from her or know how she was doing.

 Chapter 709 Stubborn

    Chapter 709 Stubborn

    As Jade approached the Study, the door opened and Tom stepped out, "I was justing to find you," she said and he looked at her with a questioning expression.

    "Is something wrong?"

    "No. I just wanted to find out how you were doing and you know, chat with you," she said with a shrug and he sighed.

    "I''m okay. I have just sent Harry what I need him to put out there. I''m not going to let this affect me or my reputation," Tom said as he headed for the patio and Jade nodded as she followed him.

    "Thements online about Lucy were very unpleasant. I had to respond to a couple of them," Jade said and Tom scowled.

    "Maybe I need to find just one person who I would make an example of to serve as a deterrent to all others not to speak ill of Lucy," Tom said in annoyance.

    "If you want me to, I could find the most insultingment on thement thread and I could file a case against them," Jade offered but Tom shook his head.

    "Thanks. Lucy wouldn''t want us to do that. Besides, we already have enough going on," Tom said and Jade nodded as they both sat on the swings.

    "I''m d you didn''t agree to take responsibility for the child. Knowing you, if Lucy wasn''t in your life, you probably would have done that," Jade said and Tom raised a brow.

    "Why do you say that?"

    could argue.

    "Because some times you don''t know when to draw the line. The same way you weren''t going to do anything about all of this had Lucy not stepped up," Jade said and she raised a finger before Tom could argue.

    "That''s not to say you are incapable of doing anything. It''s just that you seem to have a weakness when ites to mom and you''d rather do nothing than hurt her feeling. It''s only changing right now because of Lucy. If Lucy wasn''t here and mom had asked you to im the kid, you most likely would have done that just to make her happy," Jade said and this time Tom said nothing until he thought about it.

    "If you''ve always thought this way, why did you have to wait until Lucy spoke up before speaking yourself?" Tom asked and Jade shrugged.

    "I never really gave it much thought until today. And even if I had, I probably wouldn''t have thought it was a big deal as long as you were doing you. I guess I thought about it from Lucy''s point of view today," she said with a shrug.

    "I see."

    "So, what happens if her parents refuse to ept the child and she has to remain here?" Jade asked, switching back to Dawn and Kimberly.

    Tom shrugged, "That has nothing to do with me. That''s left for dad and mom to handle. As soon as the funeral is over, I''m returning to my life in Ludus," Tom said and Jade nodded.

    Although Jade was feeling very tempted to ask Tom what had transpired between him and Lucy earlier that triggered her outburst, and to tell him what she had overheard Lucy say, she refrained from doing so.

    Instead, she reached out a hand and squeezed his shoulder, "Everything will be alright. Hang in there and try not to be mad at Lucy��"

    "Why would I be mad at Lucy?" He asked with a raised brow and she shrugged.

    "I don''t know. I''m just speaking generally. I figured you might be upset that she raised the subject that way during breakfast," Jade said casually.

    "I''m not mad at her," Tom said firmly and Jade nodded as she rose.

    "That''s fine then. I should get back inside to check on the kid and see if Lucy is with her," Jade said and Tom raised a brow.

    "Why would Lucy be with her?" He asked as he rose.

    "She said she wanted to check in on her since she was yet to see her," Jade exined and Tom frowned.

    "Why didn''t you tell me earlier? Where is the kid?" He asked and immediately Jade told him, he hurried away to go see what Lucy was up to.

    "What is the rush? The kid won''t bite her," Jade called after Tom but he had disappeared already.

    As Tom headed for the steps he stopped when he saw Lucy''s parents seated in the living room with his parents.

    "Tom, how are you doing?" Andrew asked as Tom went over to greet them and Jade joined them.

    "I''m alright. I didn''t realize you were here," he said wondering if they had also seen the news.

    "We only just got here. ept our condolences," J said as she embraced him.

    Tom gave them a nod, "Thanks. I will go get Lucy and we will join you shortly��"

    "I already sent for her. She should be down soon," Evelyn said and they all looked up at the staircase when they heard footsteps followed by a childish giggle.

    They were all surprised to see Lucying down with Dawn''s hand tucked in hers as the kidughed at something Lucy was saying.

    The moment Dawn realized they had an audience, she stoppedughing and looked down immediately as she tried to get behind Lucy.

    Seeing this, Jade raised a brow, wondering why the kid seemed so friendly with Lucy but had been silent the whole time when she was with her.

    "Hello, dad! Mom!" Lucy greeted as she ced a protective hand around Dawn''s shoulder and urged her on so they could join the others.

    "How are you doing, sweety?" J asked as she looked away from the kid to her daughter.

    "I''m alright, mom," Lucy said as she embraced her mom and then kissed her dad''s cheek before looking at Tom who had a frown between his brows as he watched her as though he was trying to figure out what was going on.

    She shed him a smile as she sat down, beside her parents and pulled Dawn down to sit beside her with her arm still around Dawn''s little shoulder.

    "I thought she was sleeping," Evelyn asked as her eyes remained on the kid.

    "No, she wasn''t. She was ufortable so she stayed back in the room to cry," Lucy responded honestly, wanting them to understand how their behaviour was affecting the child.

    Evelyn''s brows pulled together as she looked at Dawn, and then she looked at Desmond who looked totally clueless for the first time in a long time. He didn''t seem to know how to handle the kid.

    "She is such a pretty little one, isn''t she?" J asked with pleasant smile when she sensed the tension in the room.

    "Yes, she is," Andrew said with a nod.

    "She should be hungry by now. Why don''t I take her to the kitchen to find some snacks for her? Do you want cookies?" Jade asked wanting to take Dawn away so she could give them room to talk, but Dawn tightened her hold on Lucy''s finger as she shook her head.

    Lucy looked down at Dawn, "I''m pretty sure you are hungry, and I''m hungry myself. Let''s go get something to eat," Lucy suggested and to their amazement Dawn gave her a nod and let Lucy lead her away while Jade followed with a scowl.

    "Did you ask Lucy to do that?" Desmond asked Tom who had a confused frown on his face as he watched Lucy and the kid leave, while wondering when they became such close pals.

    "I didn''t. Did you?" Tom asked his mother and she shook her head.

    "I didn''t. I''m just as confused as you are," Evelyn said since thest thing she had expected was that Lucy would get close to the kid considering how mad she had been about the prank.

    "Lucy has always had a soft spot for kids, and kids are naturally drawn to her. She has always been that way since she was young so "I should go check on her," Tom said as he excused himself and 09:11

    I don''t think this kid is an exception," J said with a small smile.

    "I should go check on her," Tom said as he excused himself and went to the kitchen to meet them.

    "Let''s speak privately," Tom said, and Lucy looked down at Dawn.

    "Why don''t you stay here for a moment while I step out briefly? I will be right back," Lucy said, and although Dawn was hesitant to let go of her hand, she did and watched as Lucy walked away with Tom while Jade checked in the refrigerator for something they could eat.

    "What''s going on?" Tom asked Lucy the moment they were alone.

    "What do you mean?" Lucy asked in confusion.

    "One minute I leave you alone in the bedroom to receive a phone call, and the next you''re best friends with the kid? What is going on?" Tom asked again, and Lucy shrugged.

    "Nothing. Like you just said, she is a kid and none of all this mess is her fault. There is no reason for her be left to feel alone and confused," Lucy said and Tom looked at her for a moment.

    "Are you sure that call earlier was from your therapist or was it from Kimberly?" He asked suspiciously.

    "It was my therapist calling to know if I would be avable for tomorrow''s session," Lucy said, not wanting to tell him she had also heard from Kimberly.

    There was no point in doing so when she knew it would only annoy him and make him want her to stay away from Dawn.

    "You shouldn''t get too close to the kid. I don''t like it and I don''t want it," Tom said and Lucy raised a brow.

    "Why not?"

    "Because it makes me ufortable. You should feel so too," Tom said and Lucy raised a brow once again.

    "Why? Because she is not your kid? If she was, would you want me to stay away from her?" Lucy asked and Tom frowned, wondering what had gotten into her.

    "We both know that ispletely different. Why are you being stubborn over this?" Tom asked in confusion and Lucy went closer to him and ced both hands on his shoulders.

    "I''m not being stubborn, Tom. I''m just trying to say you all need to cut the kid some ck. None of this is her fault and she is having a hard enough time already being here in the midst of strangers without her mom. She didn''t n for any of this to happen, so why can''t you just treat her as you would treat any other normal visiting kid her age?" Lucy asked softly and Tom shook his head.

    "I don''t trust the kid��."

    "C''mon, Tom! How can you not trust her? What did she do to you?"

    "You heard me. I can''t trust her. She was in on the prank with her mom and my grandfather. She even called me dad, and let me take a sample for DNA without batting an eye. How do I know Kimberly didn''t put her up to this to make you love her and��"

    "And then ask you to adopt her?" Lucy cut in.

    "Yes. I don''t know what you''re thinking," Tom said and Lucy smiled.

    "Calm down, Tom. I will never make such a request. I understand that you have every reason to feel the way you do, but you can''t me the kid for that. She must have done whatever she did because her mom asked her to. It''s a shame on Kimberly for using her daughter that way. We can''t let that affect how we treat the innocent child. We are better than that," Lucy said as she took Tom''s hand and beseeched him with her eyes.

    Tom sighed, "I don''t like this, Lucy," he said and she hugged him.

    "All I''m asking is that we treat her as the kid she is and not ignore her simply because she is Kimberly''s daughter," Lucy said softly as she patted his back.

    "So, what? You want me to be best friends with her too?" Tom asked and Lucy smiled as she pulled away from him.

    "I believe the others would feel morefortable and be more epting of her if you take the lead. They are all probably holding back because of you," Lucy suggested, and Tom sighed.

    "I''m still not sure this is a good idea," Tom said and Lucy raised his hand to her lips as he usually did to her.

    "What harm coulde from being kind to such a pretty little girl?" She asked and he shrugged.

    "Alright. If that will make you happy. Let''s go back to her then," Tom suggested, and Lucy beamed a smile at him as she stood on her toes to kiss him.

    "Thanks. I love you," she said and before she could pull away he pulled her close and kissed her again.

    "I love you more."

    As they both returned to join them, Dawn who was already seated at the dining with Jade but waiting for Lucy''s return before she would eat, looked from Tom to Lucy, and then back again, and Tom shed her a smile when Lucy nudged his side.

    *********

    Hello Everyone!

    I weed my Babygirl on the 29th of September hence the break. We are both taking our time to recuperate. I can''t say I''m fully back but I can assure you that I will write whenever and as much as I can.

    Dearest privilege readers, you don''t have to purchase privilege chapters as I don''t want you to not get your money''s worth and I don''t want to have to feel guilty about you being cheated. I''m sorry if you''ve purchased some already as I''ve noticed some of you have done.

    I will do my best to release a minimum of two chapters weekly. It could be more. But won''t be less than two. Thanks for your understanding and patience. Much love from my baby and I.

 Chapter 710 Match Made In Heaven

    Chapter 710 Match Made In Heaven

    Later that evening after they had all had dinner together, Lucy saw her parents off to their car, leaving Dawn with Tom and the rest of the family.

    "How are you coping with everything?" Andrew asked referring to the rumors which had been circting all over the inte.

    "I''m okay. It has been taken care of already, remember?" Lucy said, since they had all followed the news and seen the public statement from I-Global addressing the rumors of Tom''s rtionship with Kimberly.

    They had issued a warning asking all sites and blogs who had posted the news to take it down immediately or be ready to face legal actions, and just like that, every news site had done so, since they didn''t want to have problems with I-Global, especially as Tom had brought out evidence.

    Although thement section of the sites and blogs which had carried the news of the I-Global''s public statement was still filled with spections about the rtionship between Kimberly, Tom, and his grandfather, nobody was talking about Lucy anymore.

    "It must not be easy dealing with all of this. By the way you mentioned going home with us when we spoke over the phone earlier. I assumed it was because of the rumors. Or did something else happen that we are not aware of?" J asked curiously.

    "Nothing serious. I sort of got Evelyn and everyone else upset earlier and thought I should leave, but everything is fine now," Lucy said and Andrew raised a brow.

    "What did you do?" he asked, since Lucy wasn''t the type to cause trouble for others.

    "I asked them all to butt out of Tom''s personal affairs," Lucy said without bothering to go into details and her parents frowned.

    "Why would you do something like that?" J asked with a disaaproving frown unable to imagine Lucas'' girlfriend or wife telling her something like that.

    Lucy shrugged, "I felt like they were meddling too much. You know how I like to keep my nose out of other people''s business and I like my business to be private. Over here everyone loves to be involved," she exined and Andrew shook his head.

    "I don''t see how that is wrong. And even if it was, I don''t think it was your ce to do so," J said before her husband could speak.

    "Yeah. I regret doing it already," Lucy said and her dad looked at her.

    "Every parent has their own parenting style. Before your mom and I had you and Lucas, we agreed to only guide and not to impose or interfere in your decisions. We wanted you both to be yourselves wholly. Has it ever urred to you that if we had not done that and had meddled in your business as much as we should have as your parents, none of what happened would have happened?" he asked, and Lucy''s brows pulled together.

    "You didn''t have to bring that up, Drew," J said with displeasure.

    "Yes, I had to. We can''t keep skirting around what happened. We should be able to talk about it. It''s time she knows that minding her business the way she does isn''t always the best, and she shouldn''t expect everyone else to be like her," Andrew said before facing Lucy.

    "As much as your mom and I me ourselves for not noticing all that was going on with you until it got to the point where you were abducted, it would have helped had you also been more open ande to us when you needed us. If only we had meddled enough in both your life and Lucas'' you both wouldn''t have had to deal with that psychopath and Rachel," Andrew said and J sighed.

    "I have often wished I was more like Evelyn. I don''t think you would have experienced any of that had I been like her. Evelyn is a good mother," J said and this time Lucy sighed.

    "All I''m saying is, Evenlyn and Desmond did such a great job raising their kids, hence they turned out the way they did. You shouldn''t make them feel like they are terrible parents simply because their style is different from ours," Andrew said softly and Lucy nodded.

    "I''ve heard you. Have you been hearing from Lucas?" she asked, wanting to change the subject. She was tired of it already and was now regretting bringing it up again.

    "Yes. He is doing well thanks to Tyler. I can''t wait for him toe back. I miss having him around already," J said and Lucy nodded.

    "Me too. He should be back in six months after his program," Lucy said and her father looked at her with interest.

    "How is your therapy going? You''ve started right?" He asked, and she nodded.

    "Yeah. It''s going much better than I thought. I like my therapist," she said and her parents smiled in relief.

    "That''s good to know," her father said as he ced an arm around her shoulder.

    "By the way, have you seen the news about Rachel''s dadtely?" J asked and Lucy gave her a nod.

    "Tom is behind it, isn''t he? He doesn''t n to reveal Candace''s identity, does he?" J asked with concern.

    "That''s not up to Tom. It''s up to Candace," Lucy said and they spent some time talking about it before her parents finally got into their car and drove off, and once they left, Lucy sighed as she returned inside the house.

    Away from there, as Harry walked into his apartment after work that evening, he felt all the stress of the day drain off him as he was greeted by the delicious smell of dinner andughtering from the kitchen.

    The thought that in a couple of days he would start returning to an empty apartment once again, made him feel unexpectedly sad. He had not imagined that he had gotten used to having them all in his apartment at such a short time.

    He would definitely miss them all when they returned to Sogal. The sadness which had enveloped him disappeared when Jamal sighted him at the dining and ran out of the kitchen to wee him.

    "Uncle Harry!" he screamed excitedly as he jumped on him as though they had not seen each other that morning.

    "If you keep weing this way, I might not let you go back with your mom and grandpa when it''s time to leave," Harry said as he picked Jamal up and spun him around, making Jamal chortle.

    "Is that your way of saying you don''t want me to leave, so you n to hold Jamal hostage to keep me?" Candace asked sweetly as her and Aaron stepped out of the kitchen to meet Harry and he scoffed as he set Jamal whose eyes were spinning on one of the dining chairs.

    "What you need is a wife and your own kids to wee you home, not your nephew," Aaron said and Harry shook his head.

    "I''ve had a long day. I don''t have the energy to banter with either of you tonight," Harry said as he looked from Candace to their father.

    "So, how was your day?"Harry asked Jamal as he took off his suit jacket and tie.

    "Great! Grandpa got mummy lots of gifts. He got some for me too," Jamal announced.

    "I don''t suppose you thought of getting any for me?" Harry asked his father and Candace shook her head.

    "I guess he forgot about you. Don''t worry, you''re wee to share my makeup and perfume set," Candace offered and Harry chuckled.

    "We saw the news about Tom. You must have had a busy day," Aaron observed.

    "I did. And I''m d the day is almost over. I can''t wait for weekend toe," Harry said and Candace raised a brow.

    "Why? You can''t wait for us to leave?" she asked and Harry chuckled.

    "Yeah. I can''t wait for you to leave," Harry said with a nod and before Candace could respond, Aaron stepped in.

    "Why don''t you go and freshen up ande back for dinner? The table should be set before you are done," Aaron suggested, knowing that if he didn''t interrupt them now they were going to continue going at each other.

    "Sure. I will join you shortly," Harry said as he walked away to his bedroom.

    Just as he walked into his bedroom he received a call from Jade and smiled as he took it, "Hey, baby!" he greeted and Jade grinned.

    "Not esquire?" she asked and Harry smiled.

    "I can call you whatever at any given time. Right now I''m just so happy to hear from my baby," he said and Jade felt her grin widen even more.

    "Are you home now?" she asked hopefully.

    "Yeah. I just got in a while ago," Harry said with a yawn.

    "You must have had a really long day," Jade said sympathetically.

    "Yes, I did. But let''s not talk about me. I would rather talk about you. How have you been? How did you spend your day?" he asked as he connected his phone to his airpod so he could take off his clothes without having to hang up.

    Jade shrugged, "As you already know, things have been crazy around here. So, there was nothing fun about my day. Not that I expected to have fun since we are here because of my grandpa. Still, it''s like we are not even mourning him and are too busy with trying to fix this mess he left us. Everyone else has someone to talk to, but I''m alone," Jade said with a sigh.

    "Is that your way of saying you''re missing me?" Harry asked so she would smile, and she did.

    "No, that''s not my way of saying it. There is no reason to be subtle about telling my boyfriend that I miss him. I miss you, Jonas. Very much. I wish you were here with me, or I was there with you," Jade said and Harry couldn''t help feeling bad at the loneliness which he could hear clearly in her voice.

    Perhaps he could sort out all he needed to do at the office and move his trip up so he could be with her tomorrow?

    Sure, he could push all his meetings for Friday to Thursday, but there was no way he could leave his family behind when they were leaving by weekend.

    He had to at least stay with them and see them off to the airport when it was time to leave, Harry thought with a sigh.

    "I miss you too, and I wish I could leave everything behind toe be with you. I''m sorry I''m not there for you the way you need me to right now," Harry said apologetically.

    "You don''t have to be sorry. It''s not deliberate after all. Besides, it''s enough that I''m able to call you and speak with you this way," Jade assured him.

    "How about we switch to video call?" she asked and Harry chuckled when he looked down at his naked body.

    "I''d rather not. I''m not properly covered," Harry said and Jade''s eyes lit up.

    "Really? Are you just not wearing a shirt or are you naked naked?" she asked and Harry shook his head in amusement when he heard spoke to you, I was naked," she said with a giggle.

    "Really? I wasn''t dressed either (chapter 153)," Harry said with a grin the excitekent in her voice.

    "I''m naked, naked. Why? You want me to send you my nudes and have phone sex with you?" he asked dryly and Jade giggled.

    "That would be wonderful," she said and Harry chuckled.

    "You know what I just remembered?" Jade asked and Harry raised a brow.

    "What?"

    "The first time you called me, I was undressing. The entire time I spoke to you, I was naked," she said with a giggle.

    "Really? I wasn''t dressed either (chapter 153)," Harry said with a grin and Jade giggled more.

    "For real?" she asked, her eyes gleaming excitedly at that piece of information.

    "Yeah. I just got out of the shower and when I saw the missed calls I decided to call back," Harry exined.

    "You see? We are a match made in heaven," Jade said and Harry chuckled.

    "So, why don''t we repeat history? I could just undress now and we can switch to video call. That way you don''t have to be embarrassed that you''re the only one who is undressed," Jade drawled suggestively and Harryughed.

    "God, I love you so much," he said, and Jade grinned.

    "Are you telling me that just to distract me from my request?" She asked, and Harry chuckled.

    "No, I''m telling you that because talking to you makes me very happy."

    "Good. Show me how happy I make you by switching to video call. I''m your girlfriend after all and you don''t have to be shy about letting me see your body. Soon it will be all mine and I have a right to see and make sure that everything is in order," Jade said and Harry chuckled.

    "As you said, soon it will be all yours. So, why not exercise patience? And you don''t have to worry, everything is in order," Harry assured her.

    "Talk is cheap, Jonas," Jade said and Harryughed again.

    "You''re not going to goad me into doing anything, esquire," Harry said and Jade grinned.

    "You can''t me a girl for trying. I love you. I know you''re exhausted so I will let you go freshen up and spend some time with your family. Call me before you go to bed, okay?" Jade said, and even though Harry was reluctant to hang up the call, he knew he had to since they were waiting for him to join them for dinner.

    "Sure. And I love you more. Talk to youter," Harry said before hanging up.

    Once he hung up her chuckled as he dropped his phone on the bed and walked into the bathroom.

    He was really looking forward to the day he would make love to her.

 Chapter 711 Settling Things

    Chapter 711 Settling Things

    The moment Lucy stepped inside the house, Sonia who had been waiting for her, took her hand and dragged her to the porch since everyone else had gone into the study to discuss their grandfather''s funeral arrangements, while one of the housekeepers was attending to Dawn and prepping her for bed.

    "What is wrong?" Lucy asked as she followed Sonia.

    "I should be asking you. I noticed how you were acting with Dawn during dinner earlier. Did something happen during the short nap I took?" Sonia asked as they walked through the door that led to the porch.

    "Does something need to happen in order for me to be nice to the kid?" Lucy asked and Sonia shook her head.

    "No. Not exactly. But it seemed like you were making so much effort to get everyone to talk to her," Sonia said as they sat on the swings and Lucy nodded.

    "Yes, I was. Earlier when I went to check in on her, she was crying silently in the guest room."

    "Aww. Poor kid," Sonia said softly.

    "I will need your help too. You should also be more friendly towards her. That way it would be easier for Bryan to ept her. I''m sure Desmond and Evelyn would rx better around her when they see she has been epted by their children," Lucy said and Sonia sighed.

    "Alright. You know I''m not as good with kids as you are, but I will try," Sonia said and Lucyughed softly.

    "You''re not as good with kids yet you are the one who is pregnant," Lucy pointed out and Sonia grinned.

    "One of the ironies of life. But that doesn''t mean I won''t be good with my kid," Sonia said and Lucy nodded.

    "That I am sure of," Lucy said and then after a second she sighed, "I spoke with Kimberly earlier," she said and Sonia raised a brow.

    "Who called? And why?" Sonia asked and Lucy exined the details of their conversation to her.

    Sonia sighed when Lucy was done, "She must have really loved the old man," Sonia said with a shake of her head.

    "Yeah. I feel sorry for her. I hope she is able to resolve things with her parents and show up in time for the funeral so she can take Dawn home," Lucy said and Sonia nodded.

    "Me too. Did you tell Tom about the call?" Sonia asked and Lucy raised a brow.

    "Do you expect me to? We both know he is going to freak out, and that''s thest thing I want. All I want is for everything to be over so we can return to our normal peaceful lives," Lucy said with a sigh.

    "I understand. By the way, Bryan wants me to apologize to Evelyn for what I said during breakfast. He said I came off as rude," Sonia said and Lucy nodded.

    "Yes, I think you should do so. Thest thing I want is for you both to be on bad terms because of me," Lucy said and Sonia scowled.

    "I was hoping you would say I wasn''t rude," Sonia said and Lucy grinned.

    "You were in a way. And I think I was too. As much as I appreciate you standing up for me, Sony, I''d prefer it if you don''t take my side me that way next time. It''s not me and you versus them," Lucy said and Sonia raised a brow.

    "What''s that supposed to mean? I shouldn''t do anything when you are standing alone? Had Tom defended you I wouldn''t have had to step in," Sonia pointed out.

    "Sony, I love you and I love how loyal you can be. But I don''t think it''s wise for you to have problems with Bryan or the rest of the family on my ount. I will make sure I never get involved in such a situation with the family next time. But if for whatever unavoidable reason it happens, don''t jump to my defense whether or not Tom takes my side. Allow me deal with it myself," Lucy said and Sonia raised a brow.

    "Are you saying if it were the other way around you wouldn''t have stepped in to have my back?"

    "I wouldn''t have had to because you wouldn''t have handled things the way I did," Lucy said but Sonia wasn''t having that.

    "That was a yes or no question, Lu," Sonia pressed testily.

    "I would have spoken up but not the way you did. All I''m trying to say is that I don''t want you fighting with Bryan or anyone else on my ount. How do you think that''s going to make you look after I might have resolved my issues with them?" Lucy asked and Sonia rolled her eyes.

    "Fine. Whatever. Suit yourself," Sonia said irritably and Lucy grinned.

    "I''m just going to tell Evelyn to me my action on her grand baby," Sonia said and Lucy giggled.

    "As if anyone is going to buy that. So, how are the pregnancy symptomsing?" She asked, wanting to change the subject and Sonia sighed as her hands moved to rub her t abdomen.

    "Apart from the fact that I feel tired and sleepy all the time, the nausea is terrible," Soniained.

    "That''s the same thing you say every time I ask. Let me know if you need my help in any way to make things easier," Lucy offered.

    "I''m going to need your help. I was hoping we could go over to my apartment to sort out my stuff. I have to do it before we return to Ludus. Since I''m getting married to Bryan and won''t being back here, this is the best time to bid the ce goodbye," Sonia said and Lucy sighed when a wave of nostalgia hit her.

    "I''m going to miss that ce," Lucy said and Sonia rolled her eyes.

    "As if you''ve given it any thought since you moved to Ludus," Sonia said dryly and Lucy giggled.

    "I''ve been too busy worrying about all the drama that came into my life since Tom to worry about anything else," Lucy said and Sonia nodded.

    "True. It all started from your first night in Ludus, didn''t it? First drama was hooking up with a stranger at the club, then finding out he is your next door neighbor, and then getting to know he is your driver, and then he turns out to be your boss, and the drama with Anita. It''s been from one drama to another, and here you are dealing with the family drama," Sonia said and Lucy shook her head in amusement.

    "It''s safe to say all the rtionship drama I''ve been avoiding by being single for years caught up with me in this one rtionship," Lucy said and both she and Soniaughed out loud.

    "Is the wedding still set to hold in a month?" Lucy asked and Sonia gave her a nod.

    "Sure. Maybe I could appease Evelyn by involving her in the ns. What do you think?" Sonia asked and Lucy grinned.

    "I''m sure she would love that. Let''s go in. They should be done with their meeting by now," Lucy said and they both headed inside.

    "Where have you two been? I have looked everywhere for you," Jade said and Sonia scoffed.

    "Liar. You obviously didn''t look everywhere if you didn''t check the porch," Sonia said making Lucy and Jadeugh.

    "Anyway, my mom is asking for you, Lucy. And Dawn was asking for you too."

    "What about me? Is nobody asking for me?" Sonia asked with a pout and Jade giggled.

    "I''m asking for you," Jade assured her as she ced an arm around Sonia''s shoulder.

    "I guess Dawn is in the guest room. Where is Evelyn?" Lucy asked Jade.

    "At the balcony," Jade informed her.

    "Alright. I should go see waht Evelyn wants before going to see Dawn," Lucy said but Sonia stopped her before she could leave.

    "Why don''t I go keep Evelynpany while you go attend to Dawn? You can join us when you''re done," Sonia said and understanding what she meant, Lucy gave her a nod as they all headed for the stairs.

    "Do you think she is mad at me?" Sonia asked Jade as they both approached the balcony.

    "I don''t know about being mad but I''m sure she must not have liked the way you spoke to her. Did she say anything to you?" Jade asked and Sonia sighed.

    "No, she didn''t. We haven''t said anything to each other since breakfast," Sonia said and Jadeughed softly.

    "Funny how she seems to be cool with Lucy, and here you are," Jade said in amusement and Sonia scowled.

    She guessed this was what Lucy had been saying earlier.

    "I guess I shouldn''t have interfered," Sonia said with a sigh.

    "Or you could have interfered without sounding so confrontational. It''s not a big deal, don''t worry. If you''re sorry, just tell her that and I''m sure she will be okay. Mom is not one to hold grudges. Do you want me to be there or should I leave you to go alone?" Jade asked as they got closer to the balcony.

    "Well, join us in five minutes. Don''t go too far away incase she decides to pull my hair to express her displeasure," Sonia said and Jadeughed.

    "Don''t be such a drama queen," Jade said and gave Sonia a nod to go ahead.

    Sonia couldn''t help feeling sort of nervous as she got closer to the balcony. She didn''t know what to expect. Perhaps she really shouldn''t have done that in the first ce.

    "Evelyn? Do you have a minute?" Sonia asked cautiously as she stopped a couple of few try away from Evelyn who was seated with her back to her.

    "Is something wrong?" Evelyn asked as she turned, surprised to see Sonia instead of Lucy who she had been waiting to see.

    "Not really. I just wanted to have a word with you if you don''t mind," Sonia said and Evelyn gestured to the chair beside her for Sonia to sit down.

    Sonia cleared her throat as she sat down, and she shifted ufortably when Evelyn merely stared at her without saying a word.

    "I''m sorry for speaking to you in such a manner this morning. I realize I was rude and it wasn''t my intention to disrespect you that way," Sonia said without meeting Evelyn''s gaze.

    Evelyn said nothing for some time as she stared at Sonia and after a while she sighed, "I must admit that your behavior was unexpected and it made me wonder if you had something against me before now," Evelyn admitted and this time Sonia met her gaze.

    "I was with Bryan when he called you the other night and you both talked about what transpired between Tom and you, and I heard all you said. I really didn''t like any of it, but that isn''t any excuse for my action. I could have found a better way to talk to you about it instead of being so confrontational," Sonia said and Evelyn nodded thoughtfully.

    "I see."

    "I''m really sorry. I didn''t mean to disrespect you. If it will make you less mad at me, you could me your grandfetus for my behavior. You know, pregnancy hormones and apanying mood swings," Sonia suggested with a shrug, and Evelyn let out a smallugh.

    "I''m not mad, and I don''t hold anything against you. I admit that I didn''t like all that happened during breakfast, but some times stuff like that is bound to happen when people from different background areing together and. It''s just a sign that the family is growing," Evelyn said and Sonia reached for her hand, surprising them both.

    "Thanks for not being mad. I promise to do better going forward. And if anyone, I repeat anyone, including and especially Lucy. If she dares to ever disrespect you I won''t let it slide. I will give her a good spanking," Sonia promised enthusiastically and Evelynughed softly.

    "Wow! I heard that, Sony," Lucy said dryly as she joined them at the balcony since Dawn had slept off already by the time she got to the guest room.

    "Well, I only said that because I''m sure you would never deliberately do anything to disrespect her," Sonia said defensively, and Evelyn smiled as Lucy came to stand in front of her.

    Lucy crouched down in front of Evelyn since only two seats were kept there and both were upied.

    "I know I''ve apologized to you already, but I still feel terrible. Is there a way we could put all that happened behind us? I don''t want things to be tense or awkward between us," Lucy said and Sonia jumped in.

    "Me too. Especially not when we need to put our heads together in making the wedding preparations," Sonia said, and Evelyn''s eyes lit up.

    "The wedding preparation?" Evelyn asked and Sonia bobbed her head.

    "You didn''t think we would go ahead without carrying you along, did you? We have a lot of ns to take care of, and since we are all here, I figured wedies get to it and leave the funeral arrangements to the men. What do you think?" Sonia suggested and Jade who joined them rolled her eyes, knowing that this was Sonia''s n to get back on Evelyn''s good book.

    Jade hugged her mother from behind, "It''s been a very long and awkward day around here. Feels like everyone has been tiptoeing around the other. So, why don''t we put it behind us and focus on more important things like the wedding preparation?" Jade asked and Evelyn nodded.

    "Yeah. Let''s do that. And just so you know, I heard everything you all said and I will work on not interfering unless when absolutely necessary or you ask for my help," Evelyn promised and Lucy smiled.

    "I will also work on not keeping to myself too much. That way I can meet you in the middle. I understand that I also need to make some personal adjustments," Lucy said and Evelyn smiled.

    "That will be nice," Evelyn said and Jade pped.

    "Great! Let''s have a group hug then," Jade suggested excitedly and they all rose to embrace each other.

    As they all left the balcony with Lucy and Sonia nking Evelyn at both sides, Evelyn turned to Lucy, "Thanks for taking care of Dawn despite the situation of things," Evelyn said since that had been the reason she asked for her earlier.

    "It''s the least I could do after all the trouble I caused��"

    "I thought we agreed to put all that behind us?" Jade cut in before Lucy could finish.

    "Yeah, we did. Sorry," Lucy said with an apologetic smile.

    "It''s been a long day. Why don''t we all get some rest, and tomorrow we can talk about the wedding ns?" Evelyn suggested and they all nodded.

    "Yes. And maybe go shopping? I''d like to get something to wear for the funeral," Jade suggested and they all agreed.

    "Let''s do that then," Evelyn said before bidding them goodnight.

    As Evelyn walked into her bedroom she let out a breath of relief, grateful that she had been able to resolve things with Lucy and Sonia, and the family was at peace once again.

    Although it might be difficult at first, she was going to do as they all had said. She knew she had done a good job raising them and as Desmond has said, it was time to step back and watch them live out their own lives.

    After everything was settled, she was going to focus on herself going forward and take Jade''s advise to travel to ces she had always wanted to see.

 Chapter 712 Playing Hard To Get

    Chapter 712 ying Hard To Get

    Once Harry was done freshening up, he returned to the living room to join his family for dinner at the dining.

    They all ate in silence for some time until Aaron spoke up, "So, how are things going with Tom and Lucy?"

    "I''m yet to speak with Lucy, but I know Tom is isn''t faring really well. Everything is getting to him," Harry said and Aaron nodded.

    "Something like that would get to anyone. Considering his grandfather''s reputation, I was quite surprised to read about him being the kid''s father. That was quite a twist."

    "It was an unexpected twist no doubt. But why should you be surprises the kid is his? Being an ex president doesn''t mean he isn''t human. Like every normal human he must have needs and feelings. Not everyone is like you, you know?" Candace said and Aaron''s brows shot up.

    "What do you mean not everyone is like me?" Aaron asked while Harry ate in silence, amused by the sudden turn the conversation had taken.

    "Well, you did say you''ve not been with anyone since Harry''s mom��" the rest of her words trailed off on a giggle when both Aaron and Harry red at her.

    "But grandpa has been here with us, why do you say he has not been with anyone? And why do you say uncle Harry''s mom when you both have the same mom?" Jamal asked curiously, and they all turned their attention to him.

    "Mind your table manners, Jam! How many times do I have to tell you it is bad manners to talk when eating?" Candace asked and Jamal frowned.

    "But you''re all talking too. It''s not fair that only I get to mind my table manners " he pointed out.

    "Well, we are adults and it is okay for us to talk," Candace said even though they have this same conversation every time they dine together.

    "Why is it okay for adults to talk and not for me?" Jamal asked with a frown.

    "Because we are adults and you are a kid. Our gullet is developed enough to eat and talk at the same time but yours isn''t. We don''t want you choking on your meal, do we?" Candace exined patiently.

    "So, when will my gullet be developed and how will I know?" Jamal asked while Harry listened to the familiar conversation with amusement.

    "When you be an adult," Candace said.

    "When will I be an adult?" Jamal asked and Candace sighed.

    "When you are eighteen," she said and Jamal did a quick calction.

    "That means I have to wait until eleven years more to��"

    "Eat!" Aaron ordered with a stern expression and Jamal shuddered as he immediately snapped his mouth shut and looked down at his te of food while Candace shook her head at her father before patting his back.

    Aaron frowned when he noticed the way Jamal''s lips trembled like he was going to cry.

    "What did I do?" Aaron asked, and Harry''s brows pulled together when he remembered what Tom had told him about Jamal''s reaction when he had yelled in the car.

    "He wasn''t going to hit you��"

    "Hit? I would never hit him. Why would you even say that?" Aaron asked feeling offended.

    Candace sent Aaron and apologetic look as she rose and took Jamal away with her.

    "What just happened?" Aaron asked Harry with a frown.

    "His father used to yell and hit him. He''s still traumatized," Harry said and Aaron scowled.

    "What?" He asked in disbelief.

    "Don''t worry about it. He''s dead now. If he wasn''t I would have gone after him and made sure of it myself," Harry assured his father.

    "I should go check on him," Aaron said and rose, leaving Harry alone.

    Once he got to Candace''s bedroom he knocked on the door before going in.

    "Dad��"

    "Please leave us. I want to be alone with Jamal," Aaron cut off whatever Candace wanted to say.

    "But he is upset and.��"

    "Jam, are you scared of me? Do you think I''m going to hit you?" He asked and Jamal shook his head without looking at him.

    "See? He''s not scared of good old grandpa. Go have dinner with your brother. I will stay with him and tuck him in when he sleeps off," Aaron said and Candace hesitantly rose and walked away.

    Harry said nothing as she returned to the dining and they ate in silence for some time until Candace spoke again, "I wonder who was crazy enough to release the news about the little girl being Tom''s. There should be aw against people who spread false information," Candace said with disapproval.

    "I agree with you," Harry said with a nod.

    "Has Tom and his family always been aware of the kid''s existence?" Candace asked curiously and Harry shook his head.

    "No. They only found out she was the old man''s kidst night," Harry said and Candace sighed.

    "That must havee as quite a shock to them all. I suppose all this came up because of the prank? And it''s the same kid?" Candace asked and Harry raised a brow.

    "How did you know about that?" He asked and she rolled her eyes.

    "I was there the other night, remember?" She asked and Harry sighed.

    "Yeah. It''s the same kid," Harry said and Candace shook her head.

    "I can''t imagine how they must all feel. Especially Desmond. Imagine finding out I have a kid brother or sister of that age at this point of my life," she said with a shake of her head.

    "You have no idea how happy I am that you are a bit grown up," Candace said and Harry arched a brow.

    "A bit?" He asked and she grinned at him.

    "Yes, baby. Why?" She asked sweetly, making Harry chuckle.

    "You do realize that we are exactly the same age and I''m older than your baby boyfriend, right?" Harry said earning him a re from Candace who picked a piece of chip from her te and threw it at him.

    Harry took a piece from his te and threw it right back at her, "Why? You think you''re the only one who knows how to be mouthy?" Harry asked as he resumed eating.

    "Whatever. Any news about the funeral arrangement yet?" She asked and Harry shook his head.

    "It''s still being deliberated on because of the people who have to be in attendance, but Tom says it wouldn''t beter than Tuesday," Harry said and Candace nodded thoughtfully.

    "Well, before you came back from work we were talking about stopping by Heden to pay the Hanks a condolence visit before leaving for Sogal," Candace said and Harry looked at her with interest.

    "Really? When?" Harry asked and Candace raised a brow when she heard the eagerness in his voice.

    "Why do you seem so excited to hear that?" Candace asked and he shook his head.

    "I''m not excited. I''m just curious," Harry said and Candace narrowed her eyes.

    "You definitely sound excited and curious. Why? You can''t wait for us to leave so you can go be with Jade?" She asked knowingly and Harry sighed in resignation.

    "I was thinking of traveling down to surprise her tomorrow after work, but I couldn''t bring it up because there''s no way I can leave you all here when I know you''re leaving over the weekend," he said honestly and she nodded.

    "I understand. And you don''t have to worry about us. We can arrange to leave together and then we can leave for Sogal from there. I''m sure Jade would love to have you there with her," Candace said and Harry sighed in relief.

    Now all he had to do was give his secretary a call to reorganize his schedule and tomorrow he would handle all that he needed to handle.

    His dad, Candace and Jamal could share the two bedroom suite at the hotel while he stayed back at the Hank home with Jade.

    All he had to do now was give Tom a call to let him know of his ns and to make sure his visit was kept a secret from Jade until he arrived.

    "How are things going with Matt?" Harry asked, and Candace narrowed her eyes.

    "Why are you bringing him up suddenly? Did dad say something to you?" She asked and he cocked his head to the side.

    "Is there something dad is supposed to say to me about Matt? Did he perhaps realize that you''re too much of a trouble and chose to dump you?" He asked with a sweet smile and she gave him a false sad face.

    "Something like that. He says he doesn''t want any dramas," Candace said with a shrug as she looked down at her te, wanting to see Harry''s reaction.

    Harry scowled and clenched his fists as he rose, "Did he really say that to you? That bastard! I''m going to teach him a lesson," Harry said in annoyance and unable to keep up the act, Candace giggled before she could stop herself.

    "Aww! You''re so protective of your big sister, aren''t you little one?" She asked sweetly and seeing that she had been pulling his legs he shook his head.

    "I should ask him to dump you for real," he said as he gathered the dishes while Candace grinned at him.

    "I will do the dishes," he said and she rose a brow.

    "You weren''t thinking I would offer to do them, were you?" She asked and Harry shook his head once again as he took the dishes to the kitchen.

    Candace still had a smile on her face when her phone started ringing and her smile widened when she saw it was Matt calling.

    He had been busy all day and had not been able to find time to call back as he had promised to do when they spoke earlier in the day.

    "Hey!" She said as she rose from her seat and moved away from the dining to the living room so that Harry wouldn''t overhear her.

    She would have preferred to go to the bedroom but she couldn''t since Aaron was there with Jamal and she needed privacy.

    "Hey, you! How are you doing?" Matt asked and Candace shrugged as she paced slowly around the living room while keeping her eyes out for Harry and Aaron.

    "I''m good. I guess you had a very busy day?" She asked as she bit her lower lip, not knowing why she was feeling sort of giddy with delight hearing from him.

    "Sort of. I was called to do a reshoot for an ad," he exined and Candace nodded.

    "I see," she said when she remembered he couldn''t see her nod.

    Neither of them said a word for some seconds, and the silence dragged on awkwardly until they both spoke up again at the same time.

    "So��"

    "About earlier��"

    They both stopped to let the other continue, "Go on," Matt urged her.

    "No, you go on," Candace said instead.

    Matt tried not to smile since he could sense that she was ufortable. He wasn''t going to feel sorry for her. She deserved that much for treating him the way she had done.

    "How is Jamal doing?" Matt asked and she scowled.

    Why was he asking about Jamal when they were yet to clear up the airpletely? She mused.

    "He is fine. He is in the bedroom with my dad," Candace said and Matt nodded.

    "What about you? Where are you?" He asked and she went to sit on the couch.

    "I just had dinner. I''m in the living room watching the television right now," she said just as Harry stepped out of the kitchen.

    Harry took one look at her and shook his head, since he could tell she was speaking with Matt. Instead of going to his bedroom, he sat down on the couch opposite her and grinned at her.

    "Hello, Matt!" Harry called out loud enough for Matt to hear as he picked up the television remote controller and increased the volume of the television.

    "Is Harry there with you?" Matt asked with interest.

    "He only just came here now but I''m leaving to find somewhere more private," Candace said as she rose while eyeing Harry with disapproval.

    "Do yourself a favor and end whatever you have with her," Harry called out to Matt as Candace walked away, and she giggled and raised her middle finger to him without turning back.

    She headed for down the passageway and walked into the guest room since no one was there.

    "You both must be really close," Matt said, amused at how rxed and easygoing Harry sounded in contrast with his formal self.

    Candace smiled, "We like to get on each other''s nerves. By the way, did you see the news about Bryan''s grandfather?" Candace asked, wondering if he would be at Heden, and hoping that they could meet.

    "Yes, I did. It''s sad."

    "Yes, it is. We n to pay the Hanks a condolence visit on Friday before proceeding to Sogal," she said as shey on the bed face up.

    Matt raised a brow, wondering why she was telling him that.

    "That''s nice," he said, waiting for her to get to what she really wanted to say.

    "Uhm�� so, will you be attending the funeral?" She asked, and Matt stifled the urge to chuckle.

    "Are you asking because you want to see me there? Or are you asking just so you can make sure not to run into me there?" He asked and Candace sighed.

    "Are you still mad at me? I thought you said we were cool now?" She reminded him.

    "Sure, we are cool," he assured her.

    "So? Will I be seeing you there?" She asked and Matt smirked.

    "Do you want to see me there?" He asked and she frowned.

    What sort of question was that? Was Bryan not his best friend? Shouldn''t he attend the funeral?

    "You will be attending the funeral, won''t you?"

    "Most likely. So?"

    "That means we can meet in Heden," she said and he shook his head.

    "If you want to see, you have to be explicit," he said and she rolled her eyes.

    "Alright. Fine. I want to see you. So?" She asked and he smirked once again.

    "I will be in Heden on Sunday. If you want to see me, you can handle the arrangement yourself and let me know where to meet you," he said and she raised a brow.

    Was he ying hard to get right now?

    "What?"

    "You heard me. Each time I wanted to see you, I asked, pleaded, and arranged to meet with you. Now you want to see me, you should do the same," Matt said with a shrug.

    "You said we are cool and you''re not mad," she reminded him.

    "I won''t be having this conversation with you if I was mad, would I?"

    "Alright. Fine. I will handle the details and let you know," she said with a scowl.

    "Good. Take care of yourself, then. Sweet dreams," Matt said, and hung up without waiting for her to say anything else.

    Candace frowned as she stared at her phone. Why did it feel like their situation had suddenly been reversed and she was now the one chasing him?

    ********

    Hello Everyone!

    I weed my Babygirl on the 29th of September hence the break. We are both taking our time to recuperate. I can''t say I''m fully back but I can assure you that I will write whenever and as much as I can.

    Dearest privilege readers, you don''t have to purchase privilege chapters as I don''t want you to not get your money''s worth and I don''t want to have to feel guilty about you being cheated. I''m sorry if you''ve purchased some already as I''ve noticed some of you have done.

    I will do my best to release a minimum of two chapters weekly. It could be more. But won''t be less than two. Thanks for your understanding and patience. Much love from my baby and I.

 Chapter 713 Pleasant Surprise

    Chapter 713 Pleasant Surprise

    By Friday, the Hank family had sort of adjusted to the idea of Dawn being Lawrence''s daughter, and were now back again to focusing on his death than on his misdeed.

    Of course they had no choice than to adjust to the idea of Dawn being a part of the family seeing how much ruckus Tom''s public statement had caused all over the inte.

    Just as Lucy had expected, Dawn had be one of the most searched topic on the inte from the moment the statement was released, and even though the Hank family didn''t like it, they had left it up to Kimberly and her parents to clean up the mess they had created for the kid.

    Although, they were still not all thatfortable with having Dawn around, but Evelyn and Jade had better adjusted to it, and Tom and Bryan had no choice since Lucy and Sonia kept bringing the kid to them.

    Desmond on the other handpletely kept his distance. Not necessarily because he had anything against the kid, but he just wasn''t himself.

    He was more quiet than usual and preferred to stay in his study alone when he wasn''t having a family discussion with them.

    Although it was not yet midday, he was in his study drinking from a snifter of brandy when Evelyn walked in and took the seat opposite him.

    "How are you feeling, Des?" She asked, feeling very concerned about him since she could tell he had a lot on his mind.

    Apart from the fact that each time she woke up in the middle of the night, she had seen him awake, and he had not been eating much, he was much too quiet and seemed uninterested in everything.

    "I''m fine," Desmond said but Evelyn shook her head in disagreement.

    "No, you''re not. I know you''re not, she said and he sighed.

    "I''m fine. I just have some stuff in my head I''m trying to work through," he assured her.

    "Is this about Dawn?" Evelyn asked and he shook his head.

    "No, it''s not. What are the kids up to?" Desmond asked, wanting to change the subject.

    "Tom and Lucy are in the Den watching cartoons with Dawn. Bryan and Sonia are in their bedroom, and Jade is taking a nap," Evelyn said and Desmond nodded.

    "Tom told me you were going to talk to your father before we got the news," Evelyn said as she cautiously broached the subject.

    Desmond shrugged, "Yeah."

    "Is that what has been bothering you? You haven''t been sleeping much and you''re always so quiet. Are you feeling guilty or regretful?" She asked knowingly and Desmond sighed deeply.

    "He wasn''t a great father, but I could have done better," Desmond said quietly as he rose from behind the desk to go stand by the window overlooking the garden.

    Evelyn didn''t move from her seat and she said nothing as she watched him, waiting patiently for him to tell her all that he was thinking.

    "I failed as a son as much as he did as a father. All my knowledge about people. All my wisdom was useless when it came to my own rtionship with my father," He said with a shake of his head as he continued to look outside.

    "Last night I remembered my conversation with Lucy (Chapter 339). Do you know what I told her then? I asked her to forgive her mom for being human. I asked her to forgive her mom for not being perfect and for not being there for her as she would have wanted her to. I said it with such boldness and passion. But I couldn''t even take my own advise and do the same for my father. I loved being bitter and judging him. What right do I have to advise anyone when I couldn''t even advise myself?" He asked incredulously and this time Evelyn rose when she felt his body tremble with emotion.

    "You are being too harsh on yourself," Evelyn said softly as she went to meet him and embraced him from behind.

    "I should be. I was just as harsh on him, and myst words to him were terrible. Words I can never take back now even if I wanted to." Desmond said sadly and a tear dropped from Evelyn''s eyes.

    "You don''t have to worry. Lawrence always loved you and he never med you for treating him so harshly," Evelyn assured him.

    "Maybe he should have. It''s funny howst night I remembered for the first time the couple of times he yed with me as a kid. Why didn''t I ever recall those memories all these years? Why am I only just having these thoughts now that he is gone? Of what use is all of this now?" Desmond asked and Evelyn sighed as she simply patted his chest.

    "I really don''t know what to say or how to make you feel better. I''m sorry this is so hard for you," she murmured softly.

    Neither of them said anything for some time as Evelyn simply held him close and they stood there until Desmond sighed.

    "I want you to be alright, Des. I don''t like you looking so sad," she said and Desmond smiled as he wrapped his arms around her.

    "Don''t worry. I will be fine," he assured her as he caressed her face.

    "How are you holding up?" He asked, and she sighed deeply.

    "Life has to go on," She said and he nodded as he led her back to the desk so they could both sit down.

    "How about we go on a trip after this is all over?" She asked, and Desmond raised a brow.

    "A trip? Where to?" He asked and she smiled.

    "I''ve made a list of countries and ces we should visit. Once the funeral is over and Dawn has gone back to her mom, we can leave," she said and Desmond looked at her with creased brows.

    "Why are we traveling all of a sudden?" He asked in confusion.

    "It''s not all of a sudden that''s why I''m telling you now. You said we should focus on ourselves, remember?" She asked and he nodded.

    "But Bryan''s wedding ising up soon," he reminded her.

    "We can fly in for their wedding from wherever we are," she said with a shrug.

    "I thought you were involved in the wedding preparations?" Desmond asked since she had spent the previous day with the girls making the wedding ns and shopping for their funeral outfits.

    "I already gave them my opinions. They don''t need me to be present to do anything," Evelyn said and Desmond noted from the look in "You really want to travel?" He asked and she nodded.

    "Yes. I do."

    "Alright. Let''s do that then. You said Harry ising over today?" He asked when he remembered she had mentioned it the previous day.

    "Yes. He should be here soon. But Jade isn''t aware. He called to inform me of his visit since he thought it might be rude to show up without notice," Evelyn exined and he smiled.

    "He is always so polite to a fault. Is Tom aware?" He asked and Evelyn nodded.

    "Yes. Tom and Lucy are aware," She said and he nodded.

    "And he will be staying here in Jade''s bedroom, I suppose?" Desmond asked thoughtfully.

    "Yes. Why? You don''t want him to?" She asked and he smiled.

    "Maybe I should have let you change the decor after all," he said and Evelyn giggled.

    "It would serve her right. Next time she would listen to me," Evelyn said and they both turned to the door when one of the housekeepers knocked on it.

    "You have a guest," she announced and they both exchanged a look.

    "It must be Harry," Evelyn said with a pleased smile as she headed for the door, leaving Desmond to follow her.

    As she walked into the living room, she beamed a happy smile when she saw Harry standing there with a duffle bag and before Harry could say a word she embraced him.

    "You''re wee, Harry! I''m d you were able to make it. I was beginning to feel bad for Jade," Evelyn said as she pulled away from Harry.

    "..."

    "Harry! You''re wee once again to our home. I remember the her eyes that she meant what she was saying.

    first andst time you were here," Desmond said with a weing smile as he joined them, not giving Harry room to say a word.

    "I''m sure he remembers it too," Evelyn said with a wide smile before turning to the two housekeepers who were standing with them and awaiting instruction.

    "Go get, Jade and Tom. Tell them Harry is here," Evelyn instructed before taking Harry''s hand.

    "Thanks for having me in your home. And I''m sorry for your loss," Harry finally said as he looked from Evelyn to Desmond.

    "You know you are always wee here. And thank you," Evelyn said and they turned when Tom stepped out of the Den.

    "You missed me so much you couldn''t stay at the office without me?" Tom asked as he joined them and Harry chuckled, d to see that Tom still had his sense of humour.

    "I wish I was here for your sake," he said as Tom hugged him and he pped Tom''s back yfully.

    "How are you holding up?" he asked as Tom stepped away.

    "I''m good. And it''s even better seeing you," Tom said and Harry smiled as he turned to Lucy who had just returned after taking Dawn upstairs for her nap.

    "I thought you wereing with Jamal and the others?" She asked, since she had been hoping to see Jamal but couldn''t see him around.

    "They had to settle in at the hotel. They will be here tomorrow," Harry exined as he held out his arms to her and she embraced him.

    "Good to see you, HaHa!" she said and he chuckled.

    "HARRY!!!" they heard Jade screech from somewhere upstairs seconds before she showed up on the staircase, and Harry grinned.

    "Lucy, get those hands off my man!" Jade yelled from the top of the stairs as she raced downstairs, and Harry chuckled as he stepped away from Lucy, who was alsoughing along with the others, so he could catch Jade.

    Jade threw herself at Harry once she got to the foot of the stairs and he caught her,ughing as she wrapped her legs around him and hugged him fiercely.

    "Doesn''t this remind you of his first time here?" Evelyn asked Desmond in amusement, and he chuckled.

    "I can''t believe you''re here. Why didn''t you tell me you wereing over?" she asked without making any move to get off him.

    "It was meant to be a surprise. I guess you''re happy to see me?" Harry asked with a grin as he carried her back to join the others.

    "Happy? That has to be an understatement," Jade said happily and tightened her grip around his neck as he attempted to set her on her feet.

    "Can you at least let him say hello to everyone first?" Tom asked in amusement.

    "No! He''s here to see me not everyone, so why does he need to say hello to you all? You''re here for my sake, right?" she asked Harry and he chuckled.

    "Of course," he said, and she kissed his lips soundly.

    "See? He came for me," Jade said excitedly as she looked at her audience.

    "Y''all have been with your partners, and now I''d like to be left alone with mine. The rest of you can talk to him after I''ve had my fill," Jade said as she got off him and took his hands.

    "Let''s go," she said, and Harry raised a brow.

    "Where to?"

    "My room," she said matter-of-factly.

    "Your room?" Evelyn asked, subtly reminding her of their conversation the other day.

    "I''m sure Harry wouldn''t mind a little pink," Jade said as she took his hand and led him away.

    "We will catch upter," Harry whispered to Tom as he followed Jade, and Tom shook his head.

    "Isn''t that your bag?" Tom asked and before Harry could turn around to go pick it up from where he had left it, Evelyn waved him off.

    "I will have someone bring it up now," she promised him as Jade pulled him on, uninterested in whatever they were saying.

    "Jade is so extra," Tom said with a shake of his head, and his parentsughed.

    "I''d be extra too if I was away from you and you surprised me this way," Lucy said with a grin.

    "Where is Dawn? I thought you were with her?" Evelyn asked Lucy since she had be Dawn''s self-appointed guardian.

    "It''s naptime, so she''s sleeping," Lucy said and Desmond looked at her.

    "I''m sorry we had to put you through this trouble. Thank you, Lucy," he said and she shed him a smile.

    "She is a little Angel, so it''s really no trouble taking care of her. I enjoy herpany," Lucy assured him.

    "Let''s go see a movie in the bedroom before she wakes up. I''ve hardly spent any alone time with you because she''s always around you like your shoulder," Tom said as he took Lucy''s hand and led her away, leaving Desmond and Evelyn.

    Evelyn smiled as she watched them leave, "Everything will be fine. They will all be just fine," she said more to herself than to Desmond, but he nodded in agreement as he ced an arm around her.

    He could guess what she was thinking. He could tell she was saying that to reassure herself that their kids had good partners and were doing okay and didn''t need her interference.

    "Why don''t we send someone to take Harry''s bag upstairs and then we can go see a movie too or do whatever you prefer?" He suggested and she smiled.

    "Sure. Let''s do that."

 Chapter 714 Bringing Plans Forward

    Chapter 714 Bringing ns Forward

    Harry raised a brow when Jade opened the door to her bedroom, and his vision was assaulted by the sheer pinkness of her bedroom.

    He said nothing as she pulled him into the room and once she shut the door behind them she turned to him once again and embraced him fiercely.

    As his gaze swept across the room, taking in the teenage decor as well as all the Barbie stickers and picture clips of her in dancing costumes decorating the walls, he couldn''t help wondering how she had managed to stay sane in such a pink environment, teenager or not.

    He felt like if he stepped out of her room now, he would need a moment for his vision to readjust to other colors.

    "I still can''t believe you''re here. I feel like I''m dreaming," Jade said, oblivious to his thoughts, and Harry chuckled as he broke the hug.

    "You''re not dreaming," he assured her as he lowered his lips to hers.

    He kissed her with deliberate slowness, savoring the taste of her lips and exploring every inch of her mouth with his tongue until her entire body tingled.

    "How can this be a dream? Does it feel like it?" he asked against her lips.

    "It doesn''t feel like a dream, unless it''s one hell of a wet dream," she said with a dazed look in her eyes and Harry chuckled as he pulled away from her.

    "So, how have you been?" Harry asked as he walked over to the bed and sat down.

    "You know how I''ve been. If you ask me how I''m doing right now, I can assure you I''m giddy with pleasure," she said with a happy smile as she joined him on the bed, but instead of sitting on the bed, she sat on his thigh.

    "I can''t believe you left work for me," she said happily as she cupped his face in both her hands and looked into his beautiful brown eyes.

    "I couldn''t stand thinking of you alone and lonely," he said and she kissed his lips softly.

    "Thanks, Jonas. You have no idea what this means to me. I mean having you here," she said and he ran his hand down her back.

    "You don''t have to thank me for doing something I ought to do as your partner. Showing up for you when you need me is a basic responsibility," Harry said as he took her hand and kissed her palm.

    "Also, I''m not entirely here just because I think you need me. I have my own selfish reasons too. Ludus was so boring without you," he said, and her eyes twinkled happily.

    "Hold on. What about your dad, Candace and Jamal?" She asked when she remembered that they were trouble to leave for Sogal the next day.

    "We all traveled down here together, but they will be staying at the hotel. They wille over tomorrow," Harry said, and she rxed.

    "That''s good. I guess you will be going to join them at the hotelter in the day," she asked, and he shook his head.

    "No. I will be staying here with you until we all leave for Ludus," he said and Jade''s eyes widened in surprise as she quickly looked all around her room as though realizing for the first time that she had brought him into her bedroom.

    "Shit!" She muttered, and Harry chuckled when she quickly got off hisps and hurried over to the wall to pull out all the stickers and picture clips.

    It was one thing for him to stay in her pink themed room, but entirely another thing for him to have to look at all those pictures.

    "What are you doing? I saw all that already," he said in amusement.

    Jade said nothing to him as she focused on the task before her.

    "I''d like to take a look at those pictures," Harry said referring to the pictures of her dressed in skimpy dance costumes as a teenager.

    Once she was done clearing the wall, she left the Barbie stickers on the floor and shoved her personal pictures into a drawer before turning to him.

    "Did my mom know you wereing over?" She asked, wondering if that was why her mother had kept insisting they change the room decor.

    "Not until yesterday. Why?" He asked and she shook her head.

    "It''s nothing. Are you sure you can stay in here? If you can''t stand the all pink decor we can move to the guest room," she offered as she stood in front of Harry and he shook his head.

    "I don''t mind a little pink," he said with a grin and they bothughed at the incredulity of the understatement.

    "We both know there is nothing little about all this pink. You know, I don''t know what I was thinking going for this," she said with a shake of her head as she looked around her bedroom as if seeing it for the first time.

    "You''ve had no problem staying in here since you got here, have you?" Harry asked reasonably and she shook her head.

    "Not exactly. As a matter of fact I loved the fact that it was just as I left it."

    "So, why do you have a problem with it now?" He asked and she shrugged.

    "Maybe because I''m looking at the room through your eyes right now. Plus you seem out of ce in the room. Too masculine," Jade said, remembering all her mom had said about Harry being too masculine for her bedroom.

    Although she had not agreed with her mom back then, but now she did. Harry was nothingpared to Todd. He was much more masculine and stood out in the feminine room.

    Harry nodded thoughtfully, "I suppose your room has always been this way, right? Not much has been changed in here since myst visit?" He asked, and Jade raised a brow as she looked at him.

    It was as though she could see into his head and guess what he was thinking. She could tell he was asking if anything had been changed in the bedroom since she shared it with Todd.

    "Everything is still the same," Jade said as she held his gaze squarely, letting him know she understood what he was asking her.

    "I see," Harry said as he looked down at the bed, wondering just how much she had done with Todd on the bed.

    "Like I said, we can use the guest room if it makes you ufortable to be in here," she offered sensing he wasn''t ufortable.

    "And why wouldn''t I befortable?" Harry asked and Jade rolled her eyes.

    "Maybe because you know I shared this room with him. This bed. It is totally understandable if it makes you ufortable, I get it. We can move," Jade said with a shrug.

    "I''m okay," Harry said, both surprised and amused.

    Surprised because he didn''t feel as jealous as he had thought he would feel being in the bedroom she had shared with her ex, and amused because Jade thought he was.

    "Harry��"

    "I''m serious, Jade. There is no reason for me to be jealous of your nonexistent ex. He''s not the one standing in here right now with you. I''m the one here. He''s not the one you''re so in love with right now either. And he''s not the one about to kiss you either," Harry said as his arm went around her waist to pull her against him.

    He lowered his head to hers once again and took her lips in a fiercely possessive and passionate kiss that left Jade shaken.

    "It would be my pleasure to wipe off every memory you have of him in here. Both pleasant and unpleasant," Harry said and Jade raised a brow.

    "Are you sure?" Jade asked in a husky voice and he gave her a nod.

    "Very sure. For now, I should start by making myself more at home so you can rx," he said as he rose and shrugged off his suit jacket.

    "Feel better?" He asked as he took off his tie and she smiled.

    They both turned to the door when a knock sounded on it and Jade scowled as she went to answer the door so she could see who was interrupting their moment.

    "Your mother said I should bring this up," one of the housekeepers said as she held out Harry''s duffel bag, and Jade took it from her.

    "Thanks," Jade said before shutting the door.

    "You''re really going to stay, right?" She asked, and Harry smiled as he took the bag from her and walked over to the bed to open it.

    "Yes, I am," Harry said as he took out his neatly folded clothes from the bag and Jade grinned at the thought that their weekend n was still in tact.

    They both spent some time organizing his stuff in the closet and on the dresser and once they were done, Harry looked at her, "I need to freshen up and change out of these clothes," he said as he unbuttoned his shirt.

    "You know I''m not going to excuse you even if you want to change your clothes, right?" She asked as she watched him and Harry chuckled.

    "I was prepared for that much before deciding toe here," he assured her as he took off his shirt.

    "Really?" Jade asked with a wide smile as she stepped closer to him and took the shirt from him while he unfastened his belt.

    "Really," Harry said as he stepped out of his trousers.

    "I wonder just how much more you''re prepared for," Jade said with a suggestive smile and Harry shook his head in amusement as he folded his trouser, but Jade took it from him and threw it into herundry basket.

    "Do you mind clearing up that mess you made on the floor before I get out of the shower?" Harry asked, pointing to the Barbie stickers on the floor.

    "I will take care of it," she assured him, and watched with a raised brow as he picked up his towel and his fresh clothes.

    "What are you doing? Won''t you take off the rest of your clothes?" She asked and he chuckled.

    "I will do that in the bathroom," he said with a wink and walked away before she could protest.

    Jade was still too happy at the thought of having him around to get upset over not seeing his body.

    It didn''t matter. She was eventually going to see the whole of him.

    If only she had known he would being, she would have bought the vibrator so he would see it ''identally''.

    Maybe it wasn''t toote. She could still order for it even now, she thought with a grin.

    The best part of this arrangement was that they would be sharing a bed tonight. She was going to be spending her first night with Harry on the same bed, she thought with a giggle.

    She was going to have to find something really sexy to wear to bed. Or maybe just go to bedpletely naked.

    There was no way even Harry was going to resist the allure of a naked feminine body beside him all through the night, Jade thought with a giggle as she went about cleaning the mess she had made on the floor.

    Inside the bathroom, unaware of Jade''s n for him, Harry had a grin on his face as he showered.

    Seeing her and being with her made him so much more happy than he thought possible and with each passing day he doubted that he would be able to wait until the six months to ask her to be his wife as he had told her.

    No. He wasn''t sure he could wait that long to have her living with him as his wife. He was going to have to bring his ns forward.

    All of his ns. He was already working on taking care of Sara. Once he was done with her, he would go on the nned vacation with Jade and ask her to marry him.

 Chapter 715 Movie Time

    Chapter 715 Movie Time

    As Lucy and Tomy on the bed watching a ro on hisptop, Lucy tapped on the pause button when it suddenly urred to her that this was the first time they were actually doing this.

    "What is wrong?" Tom asked as he turned to her when she paused the movie.

    "Do you realize that this is the first time we are seeing a movie together this way? I mean just lying down idly on the bed and seeing a movie on aptop?" She asked, and Tom considered it for a moment.

    "I guess it is," he said and she smiled.

    "There are a lot of things we haven''t done together, you know?" She said and he raised a brow.

    "Like?"

    "Taking selfies, going on normal dates, taking strolls together. We haven''t even swam together yet you have a pool," she said and Tom nodded.

    "Why don''t we make a list of everything we haven''t done together so we can tick them one after the other?" He asked, and Lucy nodded as she reached for her journal by the bedside.

    "What? Don''t tell me you want to do that now. C''mon, we can always do that after we are done with the movie," Tom said but she shook her head.

    "We might forget about it. Just give me a moment. It won''t take long," Lucy promised as she picked up her journal and pen, while he picked up his phone.

    As she quickly penned down all they had mentioned, her head snapped up when she heard the camera shutter sound of Tom''s phone, and she saw him grinning as he took pictures of her.

    "What are you doing?" She asked even though she knew he had just taken a photo.

    "Making memories," he said as he took some more pictures, and he chuckled when she covered her face with both hands.

    "I don''t think I look good enough right now. My hair is rough and my face is bare," sheined.

    "You always look great. And don''t think your hand is going to stop me from taking the pictures," Tom said as he continued snapping some more photos and heughed when Lucy picked up the pillow to cover her face.

    "Are you done writing?" He asked, and she bobbed her head.

    "Let''s take a couple of selfies before resuming the movie," Tom suggested, and grabbed her hand before she could get off the bed.

    "I need a minute to brush my hair," she said but he shook his head.

    "I don''t look my best either��."

    "It hardly matters. You''re a man," Lucy said matter of factly.

    "And that means I am not supposed to look my best?" He asked in amusement.

    "It means you look good whichever way you are. Take for instance, even though you haven''t shaved since we got here, you still look sexy with those 5 0''clock shadows," she said and he grinned.

    "Is that a subtle way of telling me I need to shave?" He asked and she giggled.

    "Not at all. If I could stand you with that awful moustache and beard disguise you wore back then, trust me, this is nothing," she said and he howled withughter.

    "Did you never find me sexy for a minute?" He asked and she shook her head.

    "Nope. You looked weird and hideous," she said and Tom nodded thoughtfully.

    "I guess that''s why you didn''t hesitate in turning me down," he said and she shook her head

    "Maybe one of the reasons. But it was more because I was in love with my driver and plumber," she said with a wink and Tom chuckled as he pulled her closer to himself and quickly took a picture of them both before she could resist.

    "Tom!" She hissed as she red at him, and he chuckled.

    "You look sexy, trust me," he assured her as he took some more shots not minding that she was ring.

    Lucy leaned closer and bit his ear, making him yelp, "That''s for having ears you don''t make use of," she snarled and he chuckled as he rubbed his ear.

    "Well, now that I''ve gotten a couple of natural shots, you can go fix your hair if you want to," Tom suggested and she scowled.

    "No, I''m not doing that anymore. I wanted to look my best for your phone, but now that you''ve captured those, who cares?" Lucy asked, and Tom grinned.

    "Exactly. You should know that I love you whichever way you look, you know? Be it in the morning when you are just waking up from sleep, or after you''re beautifully dressed for work, or when you look exhausted after a tiresome work day, orst thing at night before you go to bed," Tom said and she rolled her eyes.

    "Doesn''t mean I shouldn''t make an effort to look good all the type. If someone was to steal your phone or hack into your phone, I don''t want them seeing any unpleasant pictures of me," Lucy said and Tom chuckled.

    "I didn''t think you were so concerned about your appearance," he said and before she could respond her phone beeped with a message notification and she picked it up.

    Seeing it was an Instagram message notification she moved away from Tom, knowing it was Kimberly who had texted her.

    She wasn''t really a social media person so no one else could be sending her a DM on Instagram.

    "Give me a minute," she told Tom, and he gave her a nod as he directed his attention to the pictures he had just captured, while she responded to Kimberly''s message.

    [Hello, Lucy! I''m sorry it took so long to reach out to you. I''ve been busy since I arrived and the only time I could call waste due to the time difference.]

    Although Lucy had sent Kimberly a text the previous day to find out if she arrived safely and to assure her that Dawn was doing good and she didn''t have to worry herself, it was the first time she was hearing from Kimberly since thest time they talked when Kimberly asked her to watch over Dawn, and that was two days ago.

    [It''s fine. I figured you had a lot to handle. How are you doing?] Lucy texted back.

    [Great! You''re online. Can I call you right now?] Kimberly texted and Lucy nced at Tom.

    She knew it wouldn''t make sense to excuse herself to go talk to Kimberly outside since that would only make Tom suspicious, and if she kept chatting as well, Tom would also get suspicious since he knew very well that she wasn''t exactly the texting type and the only people she exchanged texts with were Sonia, Candace, and Jade.

    She didn''t want to have to lie to him. Perhaps she could tell him she was chatting with Kimberly?

    "Are you done?" Tom asked when he caught Lucy staring at him.

    "Not exactly," she said and he raised a brow.

    "Is there a problem?" He asked, and she shook her head.

    "Do you mind if I give Kimberly a call?" She asked, and his brow rose.

    "Why would you want to do that?" He asked, and she shrugged.

    "To let her know how Dawn is doing and also find out how she is doing," Lucy said and he shook his head.

    "Why would you concern yourself with that when she didn''t ask you to? It''s not like you''re both friends. It''s one thing for you to get close to the kid, but I don''t want you bing friendly with Kimberly," Tom said and Lucy sighed.

    Of course, that was the exact reaction she had been expecting from him, "Why don''t you call her then? Are you not curious to know if she has spoken with her parents��"

    "No, I''m not. Why should I be? That is their family business not mine," Tom cut in before she could finish.

    "Well, that family business determines how long Dawn will be here," Lucy pointed out.

    "And why should that be my problem? I wasn''t the one who offered to keep the child, my parents did. If anyone should be speaking with Kimberly, it should be them and not either of us. Lucy, please, do not get any more involved than you already are," Tom said with a very serious expression and she sighed.

    "What if I''m involved already?" Lucy asked, and he frowned.

    "What do you mean?" Tom asked and Lucy looked away guiltily as she set aside her phone.

    "I spoke with Kimberly after she left Dawn��"

    "If I remember correctly you said it was your therapist," Tom said in a controlled voice.

    "Yes. It was my therapist who called, and then Kimberly texted me and I called her," Lucy exined.

    "You lied to me," Tom said simply.

    "No, I didn''t lie. I just didn''t say the whole truth," Lucy said and Tom raised a brow.

    "Really? Is that what we do now?" He asked and she shook her head.

    "No, I''m sorry. I figured it was going to get you upset, and I didn''t want that. Not after we already had a misunderstanding. I''m sorry I didn''t tell you the truth," she said, and Tom held her gaze for a moment.

    "So, she asked you to take care of her daughter��"

    "Tom, please. I meant all I said about Dawn. Kimberly might have asked me to keep an eye on Dawn, but I''m not doing this for her sake. It''s for Dawn," Lucy said as she touched his arm.

    "I suppose she is the one you were chatting with just now?" Tom asked and Lucy sighed as she gave him a nod.

    "She wants to call," Lucy said and Tom shook his head.

    "Why can''t you just block her? You can take care of the kid until we leave if that''s what you want. But I don''t want you interacting with Kimberly in anyway. I don''t want you being friends or whatever with her. I''m notfortable with it," Tom insisted.

    "What if I let you listen in our calls whenever we talk and you go through our texts? It''s really not a big deal. She just needs a friend right now," Lucy pleaded.

    "And I don''t want you to be that friend. How would you feel about me being friends with a guy you''ve been involved with in the past and who yed such a prank on us?" Tom asked and Lucy nodded.

    "Yes, I understand where you''reing from. But shouldn''t I be the one feeling awkward about this?" Lucy asked, and Tom shook his head.

    "The fact that you''re not feeling that way is also making me worried," Tom said and Lucy sighed.

    "So, you want me to ignore her?" She asked and Tom nodded.

    "Yes, Lucy. Please do. Stop responding to her texts. Let her deal directly with my parents and leave us alone. I don''t want any form of connection to her, especially not through you," Tom said, and Lucy sighed when she remembered how he had also been adamant about her not being friends with Anita.

    "Alright. If that''s what you want, I will stop," Lucy said, thinking that maybe she could ask either Sonia or Jade to reach out to Kimberly instead.

    If she couldn''t be friends with her for Tom''s sake, the least she could was to at least offer her other friends while she kept taking care of Dawn. Even Kimberly could understand that.

    "Thanks," Tom said as he raised her hand to her his lips.

    "Anything for you. Let''s go back to seeing our movie then," Lucy said as she got back in position with Tom.

    Tom groaned when a knock sounded on the door followed by Dawn''s voice calling out to Lucy, "Lucy? I''m up!"

    "You see what you caused? We could have finished the movie had you not decided to jot stuff down," Tom said usingly, and Lucy giggled.

    "Don''t be so surly. We can always finish the movieter at night. But don''t worry, I will take her to Evelyn and Desmond. We should all take turns in spending time with her, especially Evelyn and Desmond since they will be the ones looking after her if Kimberly doesn''te for her soon," Lucy said catingly.

    "Lucy? Are you in there?" Dawn called again as she knocked on the door.

    "I''ming darling," Lucy called back to Dawn as she got off the bed.

    "Got to attend to the little Angel," Lucy said and Tom shook his head as he rested his head on the pillow and shut his eyes.

 Chapter 716 Red And Lacy

    Chapter 716 Red And Lacy

    By the time Harry stepped out of the bathroom some timeter, Jade had arranged the bedroom and not a thing was out of order.

    He smiled as he towel dried his hair and looked around the bedroom, "Good job, esquire," he said and she smiled.

    "I was beginning to think you were going to sleep in there. Why did you take so long?" Jade asked with a pout.

    "Because I love to take my time to clean up," Harry said and Jade rolled her eyes.

    "What''s there to spend so much time in cleaning up? It''s not like you''re ady, and even I don''t take that long in the bathroom. How are we going to share the bathroom use when we get married and we have to be somewhere?" She asked and Harry raised a brow.

    "Apart from the fact that there will be multiple bathrooms in the house, I don''t see why we need to shower separately," Harry said and Jade looked at him with an amused expression.

    "You would want to share the shower with me?" She asked and he gave her a nod.

    "I don''t se why not. Why? Don''t tell me you will be too shy to do that," he said and she giggled.

    "Well, I haven''t exactly done that before," she said with a shrug.

    "Really?" Harry asked with a pleased smile, d to know it would be a first for her.

    "Yeah."

    "Well, good thing I haven''t done it either, so we will do it together," Harry said and Jade grinned.

    Whether or not he knew it yet, she nned to do that with him before they returned to Ludus.

    "Are you feeling very tired?" She asked, and he raised a brow.

    "Not exactly. Why?"

    "Well, I figured we could take a stroll around the neighborhood if you''re not feeling too exhausted from the flight," she said and he grinned.

    "I guess you''re ready to fulfil your four years old promise now," he said and she nodded.

    "Yes, I am. It''s long overdue already," she said and Harry shrugged.

    "Let''s do it then," he said and she shed him a brilliant smile.

    "Great! So, about you have something to eat first and then we take the stroll?" She asked just as a knock sounded on the door.

    "That should be your lunch," she said as she went to get the door.

    Harry watched as she received a tray from the housekeeper and he raised a brow after she shut the door, "I could have gone downstairs for lunch," he said as he watched her take the tray to the bed.

    "So, that you can chat with Tom and the others? I don''t think so. After I''ve had you to myself today, you can do whatever else you want tomorrow," Jade said and Harry shook his head in amusement as he returned to the bathroom to hang the towel on the rail.

    After he returned to the bed and sat down, Jade sat with him and watched with interest as he ate, "By the way, how is Candace doing?" She asked and he raised a brow.

    "She''s okay. Why?" He asked as she shrugged.

    "She was pretty upset thest time. I wonder if she has resolved things with Matt," Jade said and Harry nodded.

    "Judging by the way she has been smilingtely, I believe they have," Harry said and Jade grinned.

    "That''s cool," she said and Harry looked at her with interest.

    "So, how has things really been around here with everyone? How is your dad doing? He didn''t look so good earlier," Harry asked and Jade sighed.

    "Well, I suppose it''s been an emotional whirlwind for him. Being on bad terms with his father, suddenly losing his father, learning his father was involved with a much youngerdy and he has a three years old kid sister. That''s a lot for anyone to take in," Jade said and Harry nodded.

    "Have you tried speaking with him privately? Comforting him?" He asked and Jade shook her head.

    "Not exactly. If he''s not with the whole family eating or having a meeting, he usually wants to be left alone," she said and Harry nodded.

    "That''s understandable. Still, you should try to spend some time with him. I think having you around will make him feel better exactly the same way you make me feel better," he said and she grinned.

    "Well, I have that effect on you because I''m your girlfriend. His wife is probably what he needs not me," she said and Harry smiled.

    "He needs you too. You are his daughter. You have a special ce in his heart," Harry said and Jade shrugged.

    "I guess I can''t help it that I''m so special to everyone," she said with a proud smile and Harryughed as he focused his attention on his food.

    Jade reached for her phone when it started ringing and she received the call when she saw it was from the store she had ced an online order.

    She listened for a moment and then smiled as she hung up, "Give me a moment, Jonas. I need to take care of something downstairs," Jade said as she quickly rose and headed for the door.

    Her orders had arrived and she needed to be as discreet as possible in picking it up. She didn''t want anyone else receiving it on her behalf and bringing it to her in the presence of Harry since she definitely didn''t want Harry seeing it yet.

    Thankfully, even though it was still afternoon, the house was quiet and it seemed like everyone was in their bedrooms, so she hurried down the stairs and went outside to receive her package.

    Immediately after receiving it, she went to the spare guest room downstairs and tore the box open. She grinned when she saw the vibrator as well as the sexy red lingerie set she had bought.

    She had made sure the lingerie was revealing enough and left nothing to the imagination. She intended to see just how much self control Harry had, and how he would manage with her body pressed against his all night.

    After contemting for a minute she dialed Sonia''s line, "Hey, Sony! Do you have a moment?" She asked immediately Sonia received the call.

    "Sure. What''s up?" Sonia asked, surprised that Jade was calling when they were under the same roof.

    "I need your help with something. Can you meet me in the guest room downstairs? It won''t take long," she promised.

    "Sure. Be right there," Sonia said as she hung up and then turned to Bryan who had been sleeping beside her before the call woke him up.

    "Jade wants to see me. I will be back soon," Sonia said as she kissed his cheek, and Bryan gave her a nod as he adjusted his pillow so he could go back to sleep as she left.

    Two minutester, Sonia knocked on the door and Jade opened it to let her in, and shut the door behind her.

    "What is��" Sonia grinned when her eyes fell on the items on the bed.

    "Don''t tell me you got me that to spice up my sex life with Bryan," Sonia said as she drew closer to the bed and Jade rolled her eyes.

    "It''s for me, not for you," Jade said as they both sat on the bed.

    "For you? Don''t tell me you''re nning to seduce Harry when hees for the funeral," Sonia said and Jade raised a brow.

    "You are not aware that Harry is here now? He arrived a while ago," Jade said, and Sonia looked at her with interest.

    "Really? We were taking a nap. I guess that''s why we didn''t know. So, you n to seduce him?" Sonia asked and Jade shrugged.

    "Yeah. I called you over because I can''t take this to the room. I''m going to go out with Harry soon, when we leave, I want you to help me nt this in my room," Jade said raising the vibrator.

    "Not in the box. I don''t want him to think it''s new. I want it to be lying around somewhere he can easily see it," Jade said and Sonia giggled.

    "Want to give him the impression you''ve been satisfying yourself?" She asked and Jade smiled.

    "I don''t see why not as long as it makes him jealous and causes him to take action. I just want to see his reaction," Jade said and Sonia nodded.

    "Alright. I got you. So, all you want me to do is nt this somewhere he can see it," she said and Jade nodded.

    "Yeah. And you can put the lingerie in my drawer," Jade said as she tore out the tag on it.

    "You must be desperate to get Harry''s D," Sonia said with a grin and Jade giggled.

    "Well, it''s not exactly about the sex. It''s more about getting him to want to do it. I don''t want him to have such a strong will when ites to me. I should be able to have that much control over his body as his girlfriend," Jade said reasonably, and Sonia nodded.

    "I get what you mean. You want to be irresistible to him. It makes sense," Sonia said and then Jade bit her lower lip when she recalled what Harry had said about her not divulging information about their bedroom activities to anyone.

    "You''ve got to keep this between us, okay?" She said and Sonia nodded as she made a zip gesture on her lips.

    "Sure. Give me a sh call ten minutes after you both leave the house so I can go do it," Sonia said as she picked up the items and ced them back in the box.

    "Wait, you can''t take it to your bedroom. Bryan is going to see it," Jade pointed out.

    "Don''t worry. He won''t. It''s safer I take it upstairs than I leave it here. Everyone is going to wonder what it is when they see me taking it from here to your roomter. So it''s best I take it upstairs now that everyone else seems upied," Sonia said and Jade paused her lips.

    "Why don''t you wait here while I go get Harry out of the room right now? Then you can just head directly for my bedroom from here?" Jade suggested, and Sonia shrugged.

    "That works too. Hurry up then before Bryan decides toe down to find me," Sonia said and Jade quickly left the room.

    Harry raised a brow when Jade returned to the room, "For someone who didn''t seem to want me out of her sight, I''m surprised you were away for so long," Harry said and she smiled.

    "Sorry, I had to take care of a little business with Sonia. She was so excited to know Candace came with you. Since you''re done eating, why don''t we step out now?" Jade suggested and Harry shrugged as he rose and picked up the tray.

    "Sure," he said and stepped aside when she reached for the tray.

    "I will take it down myself. I know my way around here," he said as he looked her over.

    "Why don''t you change your clothes," he suggested, reminding Jade that she was still wearing the oversized tshirt she had slept in earlier.

    "Oh, sure! Alright. I will be quick so I can meet you downstairs," Jade said and watched as he left with the tray.

    Immediately he left, she called Sonia toe upstairs with the box and she quickly changed out of her clothes as she waited for Sonia to show up.

    As Harry made his way down the stairs, Sonia who wasing up with the box, stopped and pretended to be surprised to see him, "Oh, my God! Harry! When did you get here?" Sonia asked and Harry raised a brow at her unusual excitement to see him since they weren''t that close.

    And why was she acting so surprised to see him when Jade had made it clear that Sonia was aware that he was around?

    "A while ago. How are you doing?" Harry asked as he looked at the box she was carrying and saw something red andcy hanging out at the side.

    "I''m great! It''s good to see you," Sonia said, and remained where she stood smiling at him while Harry wondered what he was supposed to say next.

    "Same here. I should get going. Need to take these to the kitchen," Harry said and Sonia shed him a smile as she watched him walk away before continuing up the stairs to go join Sonia.

    Harry narrowed his eyes as he headed for the kitchen and he couldn''t help wondering why Sonia had acted so suspiciously.

    "Harry, I was just thinking about you," Evelyn said as she stepped out of the kitchen carrying a bowl of cookies for Dawn who was in the Den with Desmond.

    "A pleasant thought I hope?" He said, and Evelyn smiled as she signalled to one of the housekeepers to take the tray from Harry.

    "Of course. I was just wondering why your family had to stay at the hotel when they''re here because of us. Why don''t you have theme over? There is room for them here," Evelyn suggested.

    "I don''t think they would want to put you through that stress��"

    "It''s no stress at all. I know the girls would be happy to have Candace here with them before she leaves for Sogal. And I''d love nothing more than to have my Jamal here. Besides, Dawn could use thepany of a kid like her, and your dad''spany might be just what Desmond needs right now," Evelyn said reasonably, and although Harry wanted to argue, he could understand her reason.

    And he knew very well that Jamal would be happy to spend some time with Tom and Lucy under the same roof before leaving since he had kept asking when he would get to see them.

    "Are you sure about that? They will have to be here until after the funeral," Harry exined and Evelyn smiled.

    "Your family is our family too. If it''s okay with you, please speak with them about it so they can get ready to move. I will have the driver go pick them. I suppose they''re at the reserved suite at the hotel?" Evelyn asked referring to I-Global hotel, since there was always a reserved suite for the family there.

    "Alright, I will discuss with them and have the hotel chauffeur bring them over," Harry said and Evelyn patted his arm fondly.

    "That''s good. You have no idea how happy I am that you''re here. I need to get back to the Den to see how Desmond and the kid are doing," Evelyn said before walking away, leaving Harry.

    Once she left, Harry dialed his father''s line to inform him of his discussion with Evelyn, and while Jamal was excited about the move, Candace wasn''t.

    She knew it was going to interfere with her ns with Matt.

 Chapter 717 I Forgive You

    Chapter 717 I Forgive You

    "Mind if I join you beautifuldies for dinner?" Cassidy asked when he walked into the house and saw Andy, Susan and Maribel seated for dinner.

    Although it sounded like a general question, his gaze was on Andy since he wanted to be sure she didn''t mind sharing the table with him.

    Despite their discussion two days ago about not staying away from his house on her ount, he still tried to minimize contact with her as much as he could.

    "I don''t know about the others, but we could use the presence of a handsome male around here," Andy said with a friendly smile since she had told him she would do her best to get along with him until she left.

    Although Cassidy was slightly taken aback by this unusual show of friendliness, he smiled as he nced at his daughter, "And you ma''am? Am I wee to stay?" He asked with mock politeness and Maribel giggled.

    "You are wee to stay," she said and he sat down.

    "It''s nice to have you with us during dinner for a change," Susan said as she dished some food into his te.

    "It''s nice to have dinner with y''all for a change," Cassidy said and Andy looked at him, noticing that he had shaved and gotten a haircut.

    "Your haircut looks good on you," she said and he looked up at her, surprised that she had noticed his haircut and had evenmented on it.

    "Thanks," he said, feeling a bit awkward since he really didn''t know how to act around her now that she was being so friendly.

    "You know, there''s a really nice hairdressing salon and spa in the ind where you could get your hair washed and done," Susan told Andy, and Andy involuntarily raised a hand to touch her hair.

    She couldn''t even remember thest time she had walked into a salon to get her hair done. That had been weeks ago with Candace.

    "Yeah, Alex pointed it out to me two days ago," she said as she returned her attention to her food.

    There was no need to worry about getting her hair made or her nails done here when she wasn''t even going anywhere. She could wait to do that after she left here in a couple of days.

    "Would you like to make use of their services?" Cassidy asked, and she shook her head.

    "No. I''m good," Andy said as she took a sip of water.

    "How is work going by the way?" She asked, wanting to know if he was still putting things in order for her freedom.

    "Everything is going smoothly. I would be leaving the ind the day after tomorrow. But I should be back in two days," he said for the benefit of everyone on the table.

    Although Andy was curious to know where he was going, she didn''t ask since she doubted it was something he would want to say in front of Susan and Maribel.

    "Will you get me pretty toys and books?" Maribel asked, and Cassidy smiled.

    "Sure, I will, honey."

    "I trust you to be safe," Susan said, knowing better than to ask him any questions about his trip.

    "Can we talk privately after dinner?" Cassidy asked Andy, and she shrugged.

    "Sure," she said and they all settled intofortable silence.

    A short whileter when they were done with dinner, they both offered to do the dishes while Susan went to prepare Maribel for bed.

    Neither of them said a word to each other as they stacked up the dishes and took them to the sink in the kitchen.

    The moment they stepped into the kitchen, Andy turned to Cassidy as he put on the dishwashing gloves, "What did you want to talk about? And where are you traveling to? Did something happen? Did they find out you''re life? Are we in danger?"

    Cassidy couldn''t help the smile that curved his lips when he heard the worry in her voice, "Calm down. Everything is okay. I''m traveling to secure a safe ce for you to stay," he said calmly.

    "Oh!"

    "Yeah. Although I trust my men to do a good job, I still have to see it myself and be sure," he said as he started washing the dishes.

    "Was that what you wanted to talk about?" She asked curiously and he shook his head.

    "It''s rted but not entirely it. And I don''t think it''s a discussion I want to have with you in here. So, do you mind waiting a bit for us to finish? And maybe we can talk over a nightcap?" He asked, hoping she was still very much in her friendly mode even though they no longer had an audience.

    "Alright," Andy said easily as she rinsed and dried the dishes.

    Once they were done, they both retired to the living room, "Why don''t you get us something to drink while I pick up something from my bedroom? I''d prefer whiskey," He said, and Andy nodded as she went to the wine cab while Cassidy headed for his bedroom.

    By the time he joined her a couple of minutester with two envelopes in hand, she had his ss of whiskey with ice in it chilling on the table, and was sipping from a ss of wine as she waited for him.

    "It''s a nice evening. Let''s sit by the terrace outside," he suggested as he picked up his ss of whiskey and she followed him outside with her drink in hand.

    "Why does it seem like you are stalling?" She asked the moment they were seated, before Cassidy could speak.

    "Stalling?" He repeated and she nodded.

    "Yes. First you didn''t want to talk in the kitchen while doing dishes, and then just now in the living room you suddenly realized it''s a nice evening and want to sit outside. Are you going to ask that we walk over to the waterside next?" She asked dryly, and Cassidyughed despite himself.

    Somehow hearing himugh, took Andy by surprise and she blinked as she gazed at him.

    "What?" Cassidy asked when he noticed the way she was staring at him as if he had sprouted another head.

    Andy shook her head. Although he smiled a lot, he wasn''t the type whoughed often. However, this wasn''t the first time she was seeing himugh since she knew him.

    She was taken aback mostly because it was the first time she was hearing himugh with no hint of bitterness or sarcasm in hisughter.

    "What did you want to say?" She asked, and Cassidy cleared his throat.

    "First of all, I wanted to give you this," Cassidy said as he handed one of the envelopes to her.

    Andy set her ss aside as she took it from him, and without wasting any time she opened it, and her lips curved in a wide smile when the first picture her eyes fell on was that of Jamal and Aaron.

    Cassidy watched as she ran her hands over hisughing face as if by doing that she could actually touch him, "He seems to have grown a bit taller," she said very softly as she pored over the picture taking in every detail.

    In the picture Jamal was standing in front of Harry''s building with Aaron and wasughing at something Aaron said as he looked up into his face.

    "He looks happy," she observed and Cassidy nodded as he waited for her to look at the other pictures so he could answer her questions.

    After spending over five minutes looking at Jamal, she moved to the next picture, and she saw Candace and Harry cing their bags in the trunk of a car, and in the next picture, Jamal and Aaron are getting into the same car with Harry and Candace standing by each door as they waited for to shut the doors.

    "Who is the elderly man with them?" Andy asked curiously as she looked up to look at Cassidy.

    "He is Harry''s father. He is also your sister''s father," Cassidy said as he watched her reaction, and Andy raised a brow.

    "Candace''s father? Did he adopt her?" She asked as she nced down at the picture again.

    "No. He is her biological father, and Harry is her twin brother," he said, and she frowned.

    "How is that possible? That doesn''t make any sense," she said as she looked at him.

    "Yeah, that''s what I thought too when my men first told me about it, but after they dug deeper they were able to confirm it. It also exins why her and her son has been living with them this whole time," Cassidy said, and Andy looked at him with a frown.

    "Are you very sure about this?" She asked, and he gave her a nod.

    "But I could also look into it when I leave here and find out exactly how it all happened," he said and her lips curved in a smile.

    "It would be nice if that''s true. I mean, Candace being with her family. They seem like really wonderful people, and both her and Jamal looks so happy," Andy said and Cassidy held her gaze.

    "Would you want me to help you find your family?" He offered, and she shook her head.

    "No. That''s not necessary. I''m not interested," she said without hesitation.

    "But Candace has her own family now," he pointed out and she smiled.

    "That''s where you''re wrong. Candace is my sister, and her family is mine. I''m sure she didn''t go searching for them. She met them because they must have been trying to find her. That makes them a worthy family. I''m not interested in finding a family that isn''t interested in finding me," Andy said and Cassidy sighed.

    "What if they are trying to find you?" He asked and she giggled.

    "Then they would have to try harder cause I''m not going to make any effort to find them," Andy said before returning her attention to the pictures.

    "Are they going back to Sogal?" She asked curiously.

    "They left for Heden. I''m guessing it''s because of Lawrence Hank''s death," he said and when Andy raised a brow making it clear she wasn''t following he exined who Lawrence Hank was and why they had to go there.

    "I''ve asked my men in Heden to keep an eye on them," he said and she raised a brow.

    "You seem to have men everywhere," she observed as she picked up her winess and sipped from it.

    "So it seems," he said without expanding on it.

    "Thanks for this. It''s good to know they are doing so well," Andy said and he gave her a nod.

    "Here," he said as he handed her the second envelope.

    "What''s this?" She asked as she took it from him and opened it.

    "I wanted to give you this now because this might be thest time we get to sit this way. I won''t be around for most of tomorrow and I will be leaving first time in the morning the day after tomorrow. By the time I get back to the ind, there might not be any time left to talk to you since you''d be leaving immediately," he said as he watched her look through the contents of the envelope.

    Andy''s eyes widened slightly when she realized what she was holding. They were bank documents with her name on it which contained more money than she could ever imagine owning in her lifetime.

    "What is this for?" She asked, looking up at him with disbelief.

    "I may not be able to correct the past or the role I yed in making it a night are for you, but I''m hoping your future will be better. You can do whatever you want with the money and be whoever you want to be. I hope you''d live a happier life and leave your past behind," he said, and tears gathered in her eyes.

    "Is this your way of earning my forgiveness? Are you trying to buy it?" She asked, and he shook his head.

    "Not at all. I thought about. I don''t think there is anything I could ever do to earn it. What can I do? Hang around all day trying to crack jokes to make youugh? Buy you stuff and take you out to fancy ces? Cook you nice meals? Would any of that take it all back? What could I ever really do to make up for my crime against you? It''s pointless.  I don''t think I deserve it either. So, I think it''s best I let you go and we part ways for good so you wouldn''t have to remember each time you see me. The money isn''t for buying your forgiveness. I''m giving you that because I genuinely wish that you''d have better life and that''s the least I can give to you. Please ept it. I assure you that there are no strings attached to it," he said and Andy looked down at the envelope.

    The amount of money there was enough to set her up for life and she wouldn''t need to  lift a finger to work for money ever again in her life if she didn''t want to.

    "Thanks for this," Andy said, knowing that she would need the money.

    Cassidy gave her a nod, "No. Thank you. I should let you get some rest now. Goodnight," he said as he rose abruptly to go inside.

    "Alex?" She called before he could leave, and he looked her.

    "It''s good enough for me that you understand that nothing you could do would ever make up for what you did. That''s all the apology I need. I forgive you," she said, and he smiled slightly.

    "Thanks," he said with a slight bow before walking into the house.

    *********

    Hello Everyone!

    I weed my Babygirl on the 29th of September hence the break. We are both taking our time to recuperate. I can''t say I''m fully back but I can assure you that I will write whenever and as much as I can.

    Dearest privilege readers, you don''t have to purchase privilege chapters as I don''t want you to not get your money''s worth and I don''t want to have to feel guilty about you being cheated. I''m sorry if you''ve purchased some already as I''ve noticed some of you have done.

    I will do my best to release a minimum of two chapters weekly. It could be more. But won''t be less than two. Thanks for your understanding and patience. Much love from my baby and I.

    Author''s Note.

    Thank you so much for the love and support thisst month. Thanks for your patience too. I''m back now and updates will resume as usual. You can purchase privilege chapters if you wish to. And for those asking, Nicole and I are doing great. Much love.

 Chapter 718 Fighting Over Harry

    Chapter 718 Fighting Over Harry

    After taking a stroll around the neighborhood as nned, Harry and Jade were now seated on the swings at the porch in the cool of the evening just before dinner.

    "You know, this reminds me of the first time we both sat down here," she said with a small smile as she nced at Harry.

    "Really? What do you remember about it?" Harry asked, and she grinned.

    "I remember our mugs of warm chocte, our conversations, and most importantly I remember thinking that you had the most gorgeous pair of brown eyes I''ve ever seen and I could look into them all night and not be satisfied," Jade said and Harry narrowed his eyes.

    "Now that we are at it, I suppose I can trust you not to go aboutplimenting other men''s eyes or spending long hours chatting with them and staring into their eyes in my absence, right?" Harry asked, and Jade red at him as she pped his arm.

    "What do you mean by that?" Jade asked, and he shrugged.

    "Just saying I wouldn''t want my girlfriend to be gazing into another guy''s eyes," Harry said and she scowled.

    "You didn''t seem to have a problem with me doing that to you when I had a boyfriend back then," Jade said and Harry nodded.

    "Of course. That''s because I know myself. If it were some other guy he could have taken advantage of you��"

    "Taken advantage of me? Like force himself on me under my father''s roof or what?" Jade asked irritably.

    "Maybe you don''t realize it yet, but we did a bit of flirting and it was mostly from your end��"

    "Harmless flirting. Nothing happened, remember?" She cut in.

    "Only because I kept trying to be a gentleman. Despite how I felt about you, I maintained my distance even though I wanted to kiss you each time you gazed into my eyes the way you did," Harry said and she smiled.

    "You wanted to kiss me?" She asked and Harry shook his head.

    "That isn''t the point," Harry said and she rolled her eyes.

    "It is, seeing how both ended up here together four yearster," Jade said with a shrug.

    "Esquire��."

    "And this right here is the spot where that pet name was birthed," Jade said with a grin, not wanting Harry to say anything that might ruin the mood and get her upset since she didn''t like what he was saying.

    "What I''m trying to say is, when I''m with you, I''m with you hundred per cent. You have all of me. I want it to be the same for you. You won''t see me sitting down and entertaining other females��."

    "For Christ''s sake, Jonas! For Christ''s sake, can you stop? Are you trying to say I''m not trustworthy simply because I sat up conversing with youte at night when I had a boyfriend? Are you judging me now?" She asked in annoyance.

    "If you''re going to be so annoying, maybe you should go hang out with Tom and the others," Jade said as she rose to leave, but Harry grabbed her hand and pulled her back, without leaving his seat.

    "I''m not judging you, and neither am I saying I don''t trust you��"

    "Then what are you saying?" Jade snapped angrily.

    "I''m saying I love you too damned much and I want to be the only one whose arms you fall into when you trip on the stairs, and I want my eyes to be the only ones you admire that way, and I want to be the only one you sit up withte at night talking about everything and nothing, and I am too damned possessive of you to want to even see you smiling at a guy who is not family," Harry said as he nuzzled her neck, and Jade found herself smiling involuntarily.

    "That''s not how you sounded," she said with a pout as she ced her arms around his neck.

    "Well, when ites to you, I find it difficult saying the right things the right way," Harry said as he also wrapped his arms around her waist.

    "So I guess if you were him you''d have reacted the same way he did that night?" Jade asked not wanting to mention Todd''s name.

    "I can''t be him. If I were your boyfriend you''d have no reason to enjoy thepany of another male in the first ce because I''d make you so happy every other guy would look like clowns to you," Harry said and Jade giggled.

    "Well, you''re doing a good job of that already," Jade said as she let out a deep sigh.

    "Well, I''m d he slipped. That''s the only way I could have gotten to spend that time with you anyway," Harry said and Jade grinned.

    "You''re a man of contradictions, Jonas. First you made me feel like I was a bitch for hanging out with you that night, and now you''re making me feel like you''re d I did," she said and Harry smiled.

    "I''m d you did. He never deserved you. I always knew I was the man for you even though you were too blinded by love to see it then," he said with a scowl and she smiled.

    "You almost got me really pissed, you know?" She asked, and he nodded.

    "How would you feel about meplimenting a randomdy about her pretty eyes or how beautiful she is?" Harry asked and she scowled.

    "You wouldn''t dare," she said, with her teeth bared and Harry chuckled.

    "That''s what I''m talking about. So, we only have one rule in our rtionship. Don''t do anything you wouldn''t want me to do. It''s cool that youplimented me that way since you felt drawn to me even if you didn''t realize it then. But that''s me. It should be a one off thing between us. You are the most beautifuldy in the world to me and that''s that," Harry said, and Jade kissed him.

    "And you are the most handsome man in the world to me, and you have the most beautiful pair of eyes I''ve ever seen," she said as she kissed his eyes, and Harry chuckled.

    "What an eyesore. Enough of that already," Tom said as he joined them and Jade rolled her eyes.

    "Shooo! Can you just leave us alone?" Jade asked with a scowl.

    "Nope, I can''t. You''ve had enough of Harry. It''s my turn," Tom said and Harry chuckled earning him a re from Jade.

    "It''s not funny. Tell him to leave," Jade said and Harry jerked his head towards the door.

    "You heard her. Leave," Harry said and Tom raised a hand to his chest dramatically.

    "You hurt my feelings Harry. I thought it was us both against the world," Tom asked and Harry chuckled while Jade scowled.

    "No, it''s not. You don''t see me cutting into your time with Lucy..."

    "Lucy isn''t your best friend, and you didn''t meet Lucy first. I''m the reason you ever got to know Harry," Tom said matter of factly.

    "I can''t believe you''re fighting with me over my boyfriend," Jade said with a scoff of disbelief as she fanned herself with her hands.

    "And I can''t believe you''re fighting with me over my best friend," Tom said, mimicking her gesture by fanning himself too, and Harry grinned as he watched them.

    "Are you just going to sit there and smile? Say something!" Jade said and Harry chuckled.

    "I feel like twodies are fighting over me," Harry said and Jade shook her head as she turned to Tom.

    "I hate you," she said, and he grinned.

    "The feeling is mutual, Jadey," Tom said as he ced his arm around her shoulder and she pushed him away.

    "Come find me after you are done with him," Jade said to Harry as she walked away, leaving them alone since Harry wasn''t being helpful or taking her side.

    Harry chuckled as he watched her leave, and once she disappeared he turned to see Tom watching him with a mocking expression and he chuckled.

    "What?" Harry asked innocently and Tom shook his head.

    "You''repletely gone. She has you wrapped around her fingers," Tom said and Harry grinned.

    "Very pretty fingers if you ask me. And you are one to talk," Harry said dryly.

    "What do you mean?"

    "Lucy has you wrapped around her toenails. The smallest one at that," Harry said with a smirk.

    "I never said it was a bad thing to be wrapped around her fingers, you know? Anyway, I came to get you both because your dad and co just arrived. And everyone else is in the Den apart from you two," Tom informed Harry.

    "Why didn''t you just say so then instead of getting her so worked up?" Harry asked, and Tom shrugged.

    "Because it''s more fun this way I guess. That''s what siblings are meant for."

    "You need to grow up, Tom," Harry said as he rose and Tom grinned.

    "Why should I? I don''t want to," Tom said as he ced his arm around Harry and they bothughed as they headed for the house.

 Chapter 719 Socks?

    Chapter 719 Socks?

    Earlier, after seeing a movie and chatting for some time, Tom and Lucy decided to go downstairs to see what the others were up to, and they met Evelyn, Desmond, Sonia, Bryan, and Dawn in the Den all ying a game of monopoly with Dawn managing the bank.

    No sooner had they sat down before one of the housekeepers came in to inform them that they had visitors, so they had all gone out to greet Aaron and co.

    "Lucy!" Jamal eximed excitedly the moment he sighted her, and ignored everyone else as he ran up to her.

    Dawn who had been clinging to Lucy''s hand as they walked into the living room, quickly took a step backward to get out of Jamal''s way as he embraced Lucy.

    Who was he? Dawn mused as she watched the interaction between Jamal and Lucy with a bit of jealousy.

    "My dearest Jam," Lucy said with a wide smile as she crouched in front of him to embrace him, neither of them paid attention to the other adults as they conversed.

    "I missed you. I''m happy I get to see you again," Jamal said and Lucy grinned.

    "Me too," Lucy said, and Jamal''s gaze shifted from Lucy to Dawn who was standing behind Lucy and staring at him.

    "Who is she? Do you have a daughter now?" Jamal asked, whispering into Lucy''s ears.

    The little girl looked really pretty, and if she was Lucy''s daughter, that meant she was going to be his girlfriend, Jamal thought.

    Lucy turned and smiled when she saw Dawn, "Oh, this Dawn," Lucy said as she brought forward with one arm so that she was holding them both with each of her arms.

    "Jamal, this is Dawn, my precious friend, and Dawn, meet Jamal, my darling cousin. I hope you both get along as my favorite little ones," Lucy said, introducing them both, and on hearing the introduction, the other adults looked down at the trio.

    Jamal stared at Dawn with undisguised curiosity, and she hid her face in the crook of Lucy''s neck shyly, amusing all the adults.

    "I guess you don''t want to say hello to me? You didn''t miss me, did you?" Tom asked, and Jamal shook his head.

    "Not at all. I only missed Lucy," Jamal said and everyoneughed while Tom scowled at him.

    "I didn''t miss you either," Tom said as he eyed Jamal with mock displeasure.

    "You missed only Lucy? What about me?" Evelyn asked, and Jamal beamed a smile at her as he moved away from Lucy to embrace her.

    "I missed you, grandma Evelyn, but not as much as I missed Lucy," he said as he embraced her and Dawn listened to them, feeling even more jealous now as she saw how well Jamal got along with everyone while she didn''t.

    "I can live with that. I missed you even more my darling. I''m so d you''re all here. Candace, if you don''t mind, you''d be sharing a room with Dawn, and Jamal can share a room with his grandfather," Evelyn informed Candace, so that the housekeepers could take their bags to their rooms.

    "Sure. Not a problem," Candace said with a nod and Evelyn signalled to the housekeepers to take the bags to the guest rooms.

    "Why don''t I see Harry and Jade anywhere around? Did they run off somewhere to mourn alone?" Aaron asked curiously and they allughed.

    "They''re at the porch," one of the housekeepers informed them.

    "I will go inform them you''re here," Tom excused himself, while the others headed for the Den, apart from Sonia who chose to remain with Lucy and the kids.

    "Why is she so shy?" Jamal asked Lucy when Dawn kept hiding her face away from him.

    Lucy and Sonia grinned, "Probably because she doesn''t know you so well yet," Lucy said and Jamal shook his head.

    "I don''t know her so well yet, but I''m not hiding. Maybe she is being that way because she is a kid," Jamal murmured making Lucy and Sonia giggle, and Dawn red at him.

    "Don''t call me that!" Dawn hissed at him, and Jamal raised a brow as he had watched Harry and Tom do a lot of times in the past.

    "Why not, kid?" Jamal asked, liking that she was no longer hiding and was talking to him now.

    "Because I''m not a kid," Dawn said stomping her foot in a rare show of temper, and Lucy stuck her tongue in her cheek as she exchanged a look with Sonia.

    "You are stomping you foot like a kid," Jamal pointed out with an amused shake of his head as he stuck his hand into his pocket, feeling like the adult between them.

    Seeing that Dawn was fast losing her temper and might pounce on Jamal if he continued trying to rile her up the way he was doing, Lucy decided to step in.

    "Jamal, you''re being mean to Dawn, and that''s not nice. I expect you both to get along," Lucy said and seeing the disapproval on her face, Jamal sighed.

    "I''m sorry," Jamal said and Lucy shook her head.

    "You should be apologizing to Dawn, not me," Lucy said, while Sonia continued to watch them all in amusement.

    She always found it funny how easily Lucy got along with kids. And even now, she was more amused by themunication between the kids. They both seemed really interesting.

    "Are you mad?" Jamal asked Dawn, and she eyed him with dislike.

    She had thought he was cute when she first saw him, but after hearing him talk about her that way she had no doubt that she was way smarter than him even if he looked older than she was. This was why she didn''t like associating with kids.

    "Jam��" Lucy stopped when Sonia shook her head to stop her from speaking. Sonia was more interested in seeing how Jamal would go about his apology and whether or not Dawn would ept it without Lucy''s interference.

    "I guess you''re mad. I''m sorry. I shouldn''t have called you a kid when you didn''t like it," Jamal said, looking genuinely remorseful, and Lucy nodded in approval.

    "Can we be friends?" Jamal offered with a smile and held out his hand when Dawn said nothing but merely stared at him after his apology.

    "Do you know about stocks?" Dawn asked, and Jamal looked at her with a confused expression while Sonia and Lucy also looked lost.

    "Socks?" Jamal asked, and Dawn rolled her eyes as she had often watched her mother do.

    "No. Stocks," she said, resisting the urge to call him a dummy.

    "No. What''s that?" Jamal asked and Dawn smiled as she folded her arms in front of her.

    "Do you know about cryptocurrency or forex?" She asked again, and Sonia raised a brow, impressed by how brilliant she sounded.

    Jamal frowned as he shook his head, "Are those cartoons? I''ve not seen them yet," Jamal said innocently, and both Sonia and Lucy pressed their lips together to stifle theirughter.

    "How manynguages can you speak?" Dawn asked and Jamal shook his head.

    "Why do I need to learn othernguages?" He asked cluelessly, and this time Dawn shook her head and gave him a look that said she thought he was dumb.

    "I can''t be friends with you. You don''t know much of anything. I might be younger than you but I''m smarter," Dawn said, and with her chin raised high, and her shoulders held up, she looked at Lucy.

    "Please excuse me," she said politely before walking away with the grace of ady while Jamal stared at her in stunned disbelief.

    "She''s a little vixen! A vengeful bitch! I love her," Sonia said with a loudugh and a p of approval and Lucy red at her to shut her up.

    "Jam��"

    "She said I''m not smart," Jamal told Lucy in disbelief.

    It was the first time he had even been spoken to in such a manner. He was often referred to as a genius, yet Dawn had just said he didn''t know much of anything. He didn''t know if his feelings were hurt or if he was angry. But he was somewhere between both.

    "I''m sure she doesn''t mean that. You hurt her feelings and she was probably just trying to get back at you," Lucy said softly and Sonia rolled her eyes.

    "But I apologized," Jamal said and Lucy nodded.

    "Yeah. And I will make sure she also apologizes to you, alright? Let''s go join the others," Lucy said as she took Jamal''s hand and led him to the Den, while Sonia giggled as she followed them.

    "I hope my daughter will be that vicious!" Sonia said, and Lucy turned to re at her, making her grin.

    She had been telling Bryan earlier that the house was too quiet, but she had no doubt that having the kids around was going to liven things up and make the house more fun for her now. She looked forward to watching them interact more often, Sonia thought with a grin.

    Author''s Note.

    Thank you so much for the love and support thisst month. Thanks for your patience too. I''m back now and updates will resume as usual. You can purchase privilege chapters if you wish to. And for those asking, Nicole and I are doing great. Much love.

 Chapter 720 Regular Vs Smart Kid

    Chapter 720 Regr Vs Smart Kid

    Inside the house, Jade was fuming as she headed for her bedroom, but she stopped abruptly when she heard the sound ofughtering from the Den and she headed there instead since she could tell Candace and the others had arrived.

    The frown on her face was quickly reced with a bright smile when she saw them, "You''re here," she said as she went to embrace Aaron first.

    "There''s no reason to ask how you''re doing. You look as fit as a fiddle," she said as she kissed his cheeks, and Aaron chuckled.

    "I''m d to see that you''re fine yourself."

    "Thanks for choosing toe here with Harry. I know that was the only way he could have left Ludus," Jade said and Aaron smiled but before he could speak, Candace speak.

    "I''m the one you should be thanking since I suggested it first. Your wuss of a boyfriend didn''t have the heart to say what he wanted and just went about carrying a long face��"

    "I believe you''re not talking about me," Harry cut in from the doorway, and they allughed.

    "Unless Jade has another boyfriend you know about," Candace said with a shrug.

    "Please you both shouldn''t start. Not now. Not here," Aaron said before Harry could speak again and Harry frowned.

    "Why do you always ask us to stop just when it''s my turn to respond? You make me feel like you''re more on Candace''s side than you''re on mine," Harryined

    "Now you''re whining. Are you sure this is what you want for yourself, Jade? Don''t you want to date a real man?" Candace asked and the othersughed.

    "Don''t talk about my boyfriend like that," Jade said with a scowl as she went to stand beside Harry, and he grinned at her as he ced an arm around her, but she shrugged it off.

    "I''m still mad at you for not sending Tom away," she hissed at him, and Harry looked at her incredulously.

    "Are you on my side or not?" He asked, and she shrugged.

    "It depends on whose side you take going forward," Jade said and then nced at Sonia who just walked in with Lucy and Jamal.

    The moment their gaze met, Jade raised a brow and Sonia gave her a nod, letting her know she had kept the items in the bedroom.

    "What''s wrong, Jam?" Candace asked when she noticed the frown on Jamal''s face as they all sat down.

    Sonia giggled, but before she could say anything Lucy shot her a look, and she rolled her eyes, "You''re no fun," she muttered to Lucy as she remained quiet, leaving Jamal to answer the question.

    Seeing that all eyes were on him now, Jamal sighed. He was at least thankful that Dawn wasn''t here right now. It would have been more embarrassing for him, "What is a socks and crypcuncy and forest?" Jamal asked, and this time both Lucy and Sonia giggled as the others looked at him with a lost expression on their faces.

    "What?" Harry and Candace asked in confusion.

    "He means, stocks, cryptocurrency and forex," Lucy exined and they allughed, making Jamal feel even worse seeing how it seemed like everyone else knew about it but him.

    "Why are you suddenly asking about stuff like that?" Candace asked, looking to Lucy for an exnation.

    "He had a little misunderstanding with Dawn��"

    "She called me stupid for not knowing what those words mean," Jamal said, feeling annoyed.

    "Dawn called you stupid?" Evelyn asked in disbelief and looked around for Dawn, but only then did she realize that Dawn wasn''t with them.

    "Where is Dawn?" Evelyn asked Lucy.

    "First of all, she didn''t exactly call him stupid��"

    "Yes, she did. She called him stupid in the most politest of ways. She said he didn''t know much of anything. And that is exactly what a stupid person is," Sonia cut in, and Lucy red at her.

    "So, where is Dawn?" Desmond asked with interest. For a kid who hardly said a word around them, she seemed to have said quite a lot to Jamal in the short time since he arrived.

    "She left after delivering the blow," Sonia announced with a wide smile.

    "She probably went to her bedroom because she didn''t want to be in the same space with Jamal. For what it''s worth, Jamal started it first by calling her a kid. She only returned the favor," Sonia quipped, making it clear she had enjoyed the show and whose side she was on.

    "After I apologized," Jamal said defensively.

    "I wish I was there," Jade said with a grin and Jamal looked from Sonia to Jade, taking note of his enemies.

    "You are not stupid, Jam. You know most of the things that kids your age should know, and I bet if you asked her about most of the stuff you know she wouldn''t know them either," Candace assured her son, seeing how hurt he was by Dawn''s words.

    "So, those things she asked me are adult stuff?" Jamal asked, and Candace nodded.

    "Why does she know adult stuff and I don''t when I''m older than her?" Jamal asked, and Candace looked at her father to step in.

    "That is because she was raised to y less and study more. Would you rather spend all your day studying and being taught about adult stuff, than watching cartoons and doing things that kids of your age should do?" Tom asked before Aaron could speak, and Jamal''s brows pulled together as he looked at Tom.

    "What did you spend your time doing?" He asked, and Tom shrugged.

    "I did everything. I studied when I should, and yed when I should. As a kid your age I listened to my parents and let them guide me," Tom said, and Candace shed him a smile of gratitude.

    "And you turned out so wealthy, right? You know what all those words mean, don''t you?" Jamal asked and Tom nodded.

    "Sure. And I know a lot more too. But I had no idea what those words meant at her age or yours," Tom said, and Jamal thought her about it for a moment and then he smiled.

    "Then I guess I''m not stupid for not knowing those things at my age. I want to be just like you when I grow up," Jamal said, and Tom grinned.

    "Not like your uncle Harry?" Tom asked pleasantly and everyoneughed while Jade rolled her eyes.

    "Say it, Jamal," Tom urged him with an eager smile, and Jamal smiled.

    "Well, I''d like to be like him too, but more like you. I want a house like yours and lots of cars like you have. And I want mypany to be as big as yours, and to have a girlfriend that is exactly like Lucy," Jamal said and everyoneughed.

    "Exactly like Lucy?" Jade asked with a raised brow.

    "Yes. Not like you and Sonia. Like Lucy," Jamal said in case they had missed what he meant. They had drawn the battle line after all by siding with his enemy.

    "Well, I don''t mind. I''d also want my son to have a girlfriend like Lucy," Sonia said with an agreeable smile that only annoyed Jamal even more.

    "I should go find Dawn and see what she is up to," Lucy said as she rose.

    "Can Ie with you?" Jamal asked, and Lucy smiled as she shook her head, knowing that with Jamal''s newfound confidence, it would be a mistake to let him meet Dawn. They would both argue again.

    "No, Jam. I need to speak with Dawn alone. We will join you shortly," Lucy promised.

    "Can Ie?" Sonia asked with a grin, and Lucy scowled at her.

    "No," Lucy said before walking away.

    Tom turned to Harry, "You heard what Jamal said, right? He wants to be more like me," Tom said and Harry chuckled.

    "Grow up, Tom," Harry said in amusement.

    "Never," Tom said as he ced his arm around Harry''s shoulder, while Jade scowled at them both.

    "You seem excited," Bryan said as he watched Sonia, and she grinned.

    "Dawn is exceptionally brilliant! And the interaction between her and Jamal was epic," Sonia confided, and Bryan chuckled.

    "You love seeing people argue and fight?" He asked and she shook her head.

    "Argue and fight? Nope. I don''t. What I love is witty arguments and conversations," Sonia said as she went on to give Bryan a detailed narration of what had happened between Jamal and Dawn, making sure to mimic their action and tone.

    Bryan grinned as he watched her speak and soon everyone else in the Den was drawn to Sonia''s story and were now listening to her, apart from Jamal who was too busy thinking about possible questions to ask Dawn when next he got the chance.

    He was determined to prove to her that she was the kid between them, and that he was smarter than her.

    So what if he didn''t know what socks and those other silly words meant? He could always learn them like Tom did. And what was the big deal about being able to speak multiplenguages? He could learn those too as long as he put his mind to it.

    Dawn wasn''t smarter and he was going to prove it to her!

    As if reading his mind, Candace looked at him, "Are you still upset by what she said?" Candace asked and Jamal shook his head.

    "No. I know I am smart. She is a kid and she knows nothing. I''m going to prove it to her," Jamal said with a determined expression, and Candace grinned.

    "I think having Jamal stay here was a good idea," Desmond whispered to Evelyn in amusement, and she giggled.

    After listening to Sonia''s narration, they were all curious and eager to watch more of the interactions between the two kids.

    Away from there, Lucy met Dawn upstairs in her bedroom arranging her stuff and Lucy raised a brow, "What are you doing?"

    "I''m making room for Jamal''s mother. Evelyn said we are sharing the room," Dawn exined without looking up at Lucy.

    "You don''t mind sharing the room with her, do you?" Lucy asked since Evelyn had not asked Dawn before making the arrangement.

    "I wish I was sharing the room with you instead," Dawn said honestly as she looked at Lucy this time, and Lucy giggled as she sat on the edge of the bed.

    "If I share the room with you there will be no room for Candace," Lucy said and Dawn shook her head.

    "She can share the other room with Tom," Dawn pointed out, and Lucy giggled at the thought of letting her boyfriend share a room with anotherdy. One as attractive as Candace whether or not they were cousins. No way.

    "Tom wouldn''t want that, and neither would I," Lucy said and Dawn pursed her lips.

    "How about I share the room with you both?" Dawn suggested, and Lucy grinned.

    "Is there a reason you don''t want to share the room with Candace?" Lucy asked and Dawn shrugged as she went to sit beside Lucy.

    "I don''t know her. And she is his mom. I don''t like him. He''s a mean jerk," Dawn said and Lucy smiled.

    "Why don''t you like him? He already apologized to you for being mean. Jamal is a nice kid," Lucy pointed out.

    "Nice people are not mean. He shouldn''t have been mean in the first ce if he was nice," Dawn said, and Lucy marveled at her intelligence.

    "You were mean too. You called him stupid," Lucy pointed out, and Dawn shrugged.

    "I never said I was nice, did I?" She asked, and this time Lucyughed.

    Lucy couldn''t help but wonder the kind of conversations Dawn had with her mom or people around her back at home to make her so witty and smart.

    "You should apologize to him," Lucy said and Dawn sighed.

    "Why? I didn''t insult him. I only stated facts. He doesn''t know much of anything," Dawn said matter of factly.

    "He also stated a fact��"

    "No. I''m not a kid," Dawn stated before Lucy could finish, and Lucy sighed.

    "You are smart, right?" Lucy asked and Dawn nodded.

    "What do you call people who are around your age grade?" Lucy asked and Dawn gave her a pointed look.

    "They can be called kids because they act like kids. I''m smarter than most of the people of my age grade so I''m not a kid. My mom always says I''m not a kid," Dawn said and Lucy nodded.

    "Alright. Fine. You''re not a kid. Still, you owe Jamal an apology. And I''d like you to be on your best behavior. No more arguing with him," Lucy said and Dawn raised her chin.

    "Fine. I will apologize but I won''t argue with him if he doesn''t argue with me," Dawn said and Lucy nodded.

    "That''s fair. Let''s go join the others now," Lucy said as she rose and took Dawn''s hand.

    "Why does everyone like him?" Dawn asked, since she had been thinking about it before Lucy came in.

    "Because he''s a good kid," Lucy said and Dawn nodded thoughtfully.

    "I see. Do you like him more than me?" Dawn asked and Lucy''s lips twitched.

    "I love you both the same. That''s why I''m hoping you''d both get along so I don''t have to pick sides," Lucy said, and Dawn sighed since she had been hoping Lucy would say she loved her more.

    Well, she was just going to make sure that everyone liked her too and even more than they liked Jamal.

    There was nothing special about him after all. He was just a regr kid, and she was smarter. She was going to show them all just how smart she was.

 Chapter 721 No Friends

    Chapter 721 No Friends

    By the time Lucy and Dawn joined the others downstairs, they were all gathered at the dining table already, and Dawn frowned when she noticed that Jamal was seated on her spot.

    Dawn usually sat down on the seat next to Lucy, since Lucy sat down next to Tom. And seeing how there was only one empty seat between Tom and Jamal, it was clear that he was seated in her spot.

    "You are in my seat," Dawn informed Jamal, and he raised a brow while the adults all watched with interest.

    "How is this your seat? I didn''t see your name on it," Jamal said matter of factly and Dawn looked up at Lucy.

    "You asked me to be nice, Lucy, but he''s being a jerk again," she told Lucy.

    Knowing she was being put in a difficult position between both kids, Lucy looked around the table hoping that someone would help her, but everyone merely watched in amusement to see how she was going to handle it.

    Lucy cleared her throat, "Well, Jamal got here before you��"

    "But that''s my seat. I''ve been living here before he got here and everyone knows this is where I sit," Dawn said, looking from Lucy to Tom, and then to Sonia, Bryan, Evelyn and Desmond, beseeching them to take her side.

    "There is another seat..."

    "I don''t want another seat. I want to sit right here next to you," Dawn said before Lucy could finish.

    "Jamal, why don''t you let her have that seat?" Candace suggested.

    "Because I want to sit next to Lucy," Jamal said matter of factly.

    "I guess Tom should move then," Bryan suggested with a grin and Tom chuckled.

    "I''m going no where. I want to sit beside Lucy as well," Tom said and Lucy looked from Jamal to Dawn.

    "Seeing how this is a difficult arrangement, how about we take our dinner to the patio?" Lucy suggested and Dawn raised a brow.

    "Just the both of us, right? I don''t think I can eat with him," Dawn said while Jamal shrugged.

    "I can eat anywhere and with anyone as long as you''re there," Jamal said and Lucy grinned while the others chuckled at his smooth line.

    "You need to learn some lines from him," Aaron told Harry.

    Seeing how it seemed like Jamal was winning the audience, Dawn raised her chin and straightened her shoulder, "I can do the same."

    "Good," Lucy said and then looked at the others on the table before focusing on Evelyn.

    "I''m sorry we have to eat separately," Lucy said but Evelyn was smiling.

    She liked how the kids were acting around Lucy and even though she had no intention of bringing it up ever again, she hoped they would stimte Lucy''s motherly instincts. She had no doubt that Lucy would be a wonderful mother seeing how well she got along with the kids and how they were drawn to her.

    "It''s fine. You can head there and I will ask them to serve you three��"

    "Four. I''m eating with Lucy too. Can''t let these kids take away my girlfriend," Tom said, and Dawn frowned.

    "I''m not a kid," she told Tom and he nodded.

    "Sure. Can''t let the kid Jamal and thisdy��"

    "If she isn''t a kid why are you referring to me as a kid when I''m older than her?" Jamal asked and while the othersughed, Harry nodded.

    "Good question," Harry said and Tom shook his head.

    "Let''s just go," Tom said as he took Lucy''s hand and Dawn quickly grabbed Lucy''s other hand before Jamal could go for it, leaving Jamal to take Tom''s hand instead.

    As all four of them walked away, the others at the table watched them and Aaron smiled, "They look like a family," Aaron said, echoing what was on everyone''s mind even if none was willing to say it because they all knew now that Lucy was not interested in marriage or kids.

    "Yeah, they do," Evelyn said with a small smile before excusing herself to go ask the housekeepers to serve Tom and Lucy at the patio.

    "I can''t believe I have to deal with something like this when they''re not even my kids," Tom muttered to Lucy, and she giggled.

    "Well, maybe you could start practicing," she said with a shrug, and Tom smiled, knowing she had not put much thought into her words.

    He liked how she kept unconsciously giving him hints by saying stuff like these that suggested she was opening up more and more to the idea of having kids with him.

    Once they got to the table at the patio, Tom took the seat opposite Lucy and let the kids sit at both her sides, with Dawn at her right hand side and Jamal on her left.

    to visit you whenever we get the chance," Lucy promised, and Jamal looked at Tom.

    "Really?" He asked and Tom raised a brow.

    "Why are you asking me that when you don''t even care about me?" Tom asked and Jamal grinned.

    "Lucy cares about you so I have to care about you because of her," Jamal said easily and Lucy giggled.

    "Will you visit me too when I go back home?" Dawn asked Lucy with hopeful eyes, and Tom tried not to frown.

    "Do you want me to visit you?" Lucy asked, and Dawn nodded.

    "Yes. And I can visit you too since you are my friend," Dawn said and Lucy nced at Tom who shook his head.

    "Do you live in Sogal?" Jamal asked Dawn, momentarily forgetting they were rivals.

    "Where I live is not your business," Dawn said to Jamal as she waited for Lucy to answer her question.

    "Well, why don''t we wait and see how that goes?" Lucy asked with a friendly smile and was grateful when they were interrupted by the housekeepers who brought their dinner.

    "No talking while you eat," Lucy announced wanting to make sure dinner was as silent as possible since she didn''t want the kids arguing any more than was necessary.

    Once they were done with dinner, they returned inside to join the others who were also done, and while the elders decided to sit at the Den to watch a television show, the girls decided to take the kids to bed while the guys chose to hang out at the patio.

    Lucy and Sonia took Dawn to the bedroom she was to share with Candace upstairs, while Candace and Jade took Jamal to the guestroom which he was sharing with Aaron downstairs.

    They all agreed to meet at the balcony after putting the kids to bed, "Lucy, I''m going to miss you a lot when I go back to Sogal," Jamal said after they were allfortably seated.

    "I''m going to miss you more. But you don''t have to worry, we n so they could discuss Sonia''s wedding details some more.

    After Dawn had fallen asleep, Sonia and Lucy left the room quietly, and Lucy sighed as they headed for the balcony, "I told Tom about my conversation with Kimberly," Lucy said and Sonia raised a brow.

    "You did? What did he say? Was he mad?" She asked, and Lucy shook her head.

    "He wasn''t exactly pleased, but he wasn''t very mad either. He doesn''t want me contacting ormunicating with Kimberly," Lucy exin and Sonia nodded.

    "I think I can understand where he ising from. So, what are you going to do now?" Sonia asked and Lucy shrugged.

    "I was hoping you couldmunicate with her instead," Lucy said and Sonia raised a brow.

    "You mean be a middleman between you both?" She asked and Lucy shook her head.

    "Not exactly. She needs a friend right now, and Tom doesn''t want me being friends with her. So, maybe you could be friends with her?" Lucy asked and Sonia shook her head.

    "I''m not sure Bryan would want me to do that. I don''t think I want to either. It''s easy to ept the kid but not Kimberly. I think friendship with her can only work after all of this has been resolved. Let''s first find out what she decides to do," Sonia said and Lucy sighed.

    "Who are you talking about?" Jade asked as she and Candace who wereing upstairs after putting Jamal to sleep joined them.

    "Kimberly," Lucy said and went on to tell Candace and Jade about her interaction with Kimberly and Tom''s stance on it.

    "It''s admirable that you have such arge heart, Lucy, but I agree with Tom and Sonia. We don''t even know if she can be trusted yet or if she is cooking up something with her parents. Considering all the problems she has caused for everyone, you can''t me us for being wary of her," Jade said and Lucy sighed.

    "I must say I''m surprised she left her daughter behind. Doing that already tells me she is not someone I would want to be friends with. What sort of mother does that? I wouldn''t do that regardless of whatever my parents say. And even if for any reason she had to keep her daughter away from her parents, what happened to traveling with her daughter and maybe lodging in an hotel or getting a ce where her daughter can be close to her? I don''t like judging people, but it was quite irresponsible of her to leave her daughter with strangers when it''s not even a life or death situation," Candace said and Lucy sighed while Jade and Sonia nodde in agreement.

    "I can''t even imagine doing that to my unborn baby," Sonia said as she rubbed her abdomen.

    "I guess you''re all saying you don''t want to be friends with her," Lucy said and all three nodded.

    "I can''t be friends with a person who slept with both my brother and grandfather. Eww," Jade said making a face of disgust.

    "I can''t be friends with a mother who would so easily leave her little daughter behind in another country," Candace said and Sonia shed Lucy an apologetic smile.

    "Sorry, Lu. I''d do anything for you, but I really don''t want to be her friend. All she has done so far screams selfishness to me," Sonia said and Lucy sighed.

    "And don''t think of going behind us or behind Tom to contact her. I know how softhearted you can be, Lu. But now is not the time. This whole situation is not about you, and it''s not for you to handle either. Leave it to Desmond and Evelyn," Sonia said firmly.

    "And who knows? She might just see your kindness as the encouragement she needs to leave her kid here seeing how she already suggested that Tom adopts Dawn," Jade said and Candace raised a brow.

    "She suggested that? Is she out of her mind?" Candace asked incredulously.

    "Harry didn''t tell you?" Jade asked and Candace rolled her eyes.

    "Since when did Harry ever discuss other people''s private business?" Candace asked dryly.

    "Well, tell me someone pped her hard to bring her back to her senses?" Candace said and Sonia shrugged.

    "I would have done that had I been present. But I heard about it from Bryan. I didn''t even see her."

    "I heard from Tom. I didn''t see her either," Lucy said and Jade shrugged.

    "I wasn''t there when she said it either. We heard from Tom and my dad," Jade said as they all got to the balcony and sat down.

    "Lucy, please listen to us and don''t get involved with her. I might not know her personally, but from all I''ve heard thus far, I don''t think she is someone you should be friends with. If she was such a great person, she wouldn''t be short of friends right now," Candace said and Lucy nodded.

    "Alright. I''ve heard you all. Now enough about that. Let''s talk about the wedding," Lucy said, changing the subject.

    As much as she felt sorry for Kimberly, she couldn''t let her emotions get the best of her. She knew she had to listen to Tom and the girls. It was good enough already that she was watching over Dawn. She hoped Kimberly would understand.

 Chapter 722 Snap Out Of It

    Chapter 722 Snap Out Of It

    Kimberly paced around her bedroom as she thought about what to do. Since she got back she was yet to see her parents because they were away on a short trip and from what she had been told by her father''s aide, they were already on their way back.

    What could she say or do to salvage the situation and pacify them? She knew without a doubt that they were both angry and disappointed in her for lying to them all this while, and she deserved it, but she wished she could find a way to make it all blow over quickly.

    She couldn''t afford to lose her ce with her parents or her daughter either. She needed to find a way to make them ept Dawn.

    She sighed as she nced at her phone, and picked it up to see if Lucy had left a text or called since theirst exchange but Lucy was yet to say anything.

    Was Lucy avoiding her? Was Dawn okay? What was going on? Did they find out what she did? She mused and looked up when her door was suddenly opened and her father walked in with her mom running behind him.

    The moment he stopped in front of her, he lifted his hand and before she could say a word he pped her hard on her face, making her stagger backwards as tears blinded her vision.

    "Dad," she whispered in disbelief as she raised a hand to her face since it was the first time ever her father was raising his hand on her that way.

    "Honey," her mother called her husband, surprised by his action.

    "How dare you make a fool of your mother and I? Do you have any idea what you have done?" he roared angrily and Kimberly immediately went on her knees.

    "I''m sorry..."

    "When has sorry ever fixed things?" he asked angrily.

    "You were responsible for the scandal that surfaced all over the inte, weren''t you? Do you have any idea how foolish that was and how you worsened a situation that would have otherwise remained hidden?" he asked as he red at her with displeasure.

    When he had first seen the news on the inte, both he and his wife had been happy thinking that Kimberly had resolved things with Tom and they had both put out the news.

    They had been happily talking about the wedding and future when Kimberly had called to inform them that Lawrence was responsible for her pregnancy and not Tom. And to make matters worse, Desmond had used them of being behind the scandal.

    Just what did the Hank family take him for? How important did they think they were that he would go to such low length to get Tom to marry his daughter? He had suspected his daughter was behind it, hence he had made no effort to deny the usation.

    "I thought Tom would reconsider..."

    "Reconsider what? Why would any man in his right senses want to marry someone like you who was shameless enough to have sex with both him and his grandfather and even go as far as having a child for his grandfather?" her father asked with disgust, unable to bring himself to imagine histe best friend having carnal knowledge of his daughter.

    The thought of that betrayal was too painful for him to bear.

    "Are you certain that Lawrence is Dawn''s biological father and not his grandson? Maybe you''re mistaken," her mother askedhopefully, and Kimberly cried.

    "Why are you still asking her that after seeing the press release issued by the Hanks with the DNA result as evidence?" he asked his wife angrily.

    "Honey, you need to calm down..."

    "How can I calm down when she has dragged us through the mud? Didn''t you notice how everyone was staring at us at the function?" he asked, his face red with anger.

    "I have no idea what to do to you right now. But I don''t want to see that kid anywhere..."

    "James! She is our granddaughter," his wife cried.

    "Does it make sense to you that Lawrence''s child is our granddaughter? I don''twant that kid anywhere near me! And as for you, stay out of my sight until I decide on what to do with you and this shame you''ve brought to the family..."

    "Dad, please! I''m sorry! Give me a chance to fix this," she pleaded.

    "Fix? Do you think this is something you can fix? Are you going to make an announcement that Lawrence isn''t the biological father? Or that you didn''t have intimate rtionship with both grandfather and grandson?" he asked, and without waiting for a response he walked away leaving Kimberly alone with her mother.

    "What is this that you have done?" her mother asked with a worried frown as she looked down at her with a worried expression.

    "Mom," Kimberly cried as her mother took her arm and lifted her from the floor.

    "Why did you lie to us this whole time? Why did you do all of that?" she asked as they both sat on the bed.

    "I''m sorry," Kimberly cried and her mother embraced her and patted her back tofort her.

    "Where did you leave Dawn?" she asked after Kimberly had settled down a bit.

    "I left her with the Hanks," Kimberly said, and her mother sighed.

    "On what terms?"

    "They are going to watch over her while I try to get dad toe around. Mom, I need you to help me talk to him, please," Kimberly pleaded.

    "Your father is very upset right now and you know how stubborn he can be when he is feeling this way. The best thing would be to let him cool off on his own. I''m sure he would ask for Dawn when he is calm," her mother assured her.

    "How long would that take? Do you think he will want to attend Lawrence''s funeral?" Kimberly asked, and her mother looked at her like she was crazy.

    "Do you honestly think your father would do that considering what happened between you and Lawrence? Your father feels very betrayed and if Lawrence was alive, I don''t want to imagine what your father would have done to him for touching you. If you don''t want to make your father anymore mad than he is already, stay put and don''t even think about attending the funeral..."

    "But I have to go to Dawn..."

    "I know. I understand how you feel, but you have to stay put until your fatheres around. He would only get more angry if you go against him. It''s best for both you and Dawn that you leave her with them until your father is ready to see her. They are also her family after all and will take care of her too. So you have nothing to worry about. Let''s think of it that she''s vacationing with them," her mother said and Kimberly sighed.

    "I guess you are right," Kimberly said and her mother nodded.

    "Of course I''m always right. Now tell me, what really happened between you and them? Did Lawrence force himself on you?" she asked and Kimberly shook her head immediately.

    She knew she dare not tell her mother that she had really liked Lawrence so instead she told her mother they had both been drunk, and she exined that she had a one-night stand with Tom long before she realized he was Lawrence''s grandson.

    When she finshed her mother sighed, "Why did you put out such news about your rtionship with Tom? Did you think we wouldn''t know you were behind it?" she asked and Kimberly looked away guiltily.

    "I thought it might make Tom more willing to adopt Dawn as his kid. I didn''t think he would go on to expose everything the way he did," she admitted.

    She has been both impressed and disappointed at the same time. Impressed by how Tom had insisted he wouldn''t do anything topromise his rtionship with Lucy and would clear the air. Disappointed because she had hoped her ns would work.

    "Why would you think he would be willing to do that? And why would you want him to adopt Dawn?" her mother asked in confusion.

    "To protect his grandfather''s reputation," she exined and her mother shook her head.

    "Why would he do something like that for a dead man when he has his own reputation to think about? I''m surprised someone as smart as you could think of something so shallow," her mother said with disapproval.

    "Maybe I wasn''t thinking right. I just didn''t want to have to tell you that Dawn was Lawrence''s kid. And I sort of like him," Kimberly said and her mother shook her head.

    "You like who?"

    "Thomas Hank. I like him, and I don''t know, I thought maybe if he agreed to adopt Dawn that might cause problems in his rtionship, and I might have a chance with him," she finally admitted, and her mother looked at her with disbelief.

    "If the young man is in a rtionship why are you trying to ruin it especially when he is not the father of your child?"

    "They are dating not married, so I''m allowed to give it a shot. And I suit him far more than she does. Even thements online said so. Lucy might be a nice girl, but she is naive and gullible..."

    "I really can''t understand you, Kim. And I have no idea what hase over you, but whatever it is, I suggest you snap out of it. You were raised better than this! I have no idea where this behavior ising from. Your father doesn''t want to have any more business with the Hanks, and I agree with him. Don''t pull anymore foolish stunts and stay put until your father makes a decision. And you better stay away from that young man and his rtionship. I''m even more disappointed in you now after hearing this nonsense," her mother snapped at her before walking away.

    Kimberly sighed when her mother shut the door behind her, and she bit her nails as she thought about everything.

    Her parents were not seeing the big picture which she was seeing. Or maybe they were, but were just thinking it was impossible now.

    From the moment she walked into that club that night and saw him seated there with her uncle, she had seen it.

    With her wealth and Tom''s wealth, they would make a formidable force. A power couple who could achieve everything and anything they set their mind on.

    She could even make him run for politics and with both their influence he could be president like his grandfather some day and she would be his First Lady. She could see it clearly, and she wished he could see it too.

    If only things had not gone out of hand with the prank when her parents got to know about it thanks to her uncle''s wide mouth, she would have found a way to remain by Tom''s side.

    Tom had been contemting letting her take care of his business over there after all. She would have done all of that to show him how capable she was and more suited for him than Lucy but with Lawrence''s death and everything it was all ruined.

    Now her only hope was Lucy. If she could keep Lucy as her friend, maybe Lucy could help her win Tom over and once she gained both their trusts, she would find a way to turn them against each other and win Tom''s heart.

    She wouldn''t have been so obvious as Anita had been. Thanks to Anita''s confession she had known exactly what not to do.

    She picked up her phone to send Lucy another message again, and then decided to give her a call on Instagram instead.

    Once she dialed the line, it didn''t ring but disconnected immediately and she raised a brow.

    What was going on? She mused as she went to check Lucy''s profile, and she frowned when she realized that Lucy seemed to have blocked her.

    Why would Lucy suddenly do that? What happened? Did they find out she had been behind the rumors? She mused as she threw her phone on the bed in frustration. It seemed like nothing was going her way.

    Maybe her mother was right, and it was pointless. If her parents were not going to be in support of her being with Tom anyway then maybe it was unnecessary to do any of this especially when Lucy had not really done anything to deserve that.

    She was just going to let it all be and focus on getting her father''s forgiveness and bringing Dawn back home.

    Author''s Note.

    Thank you so much for the love and support thisst month. Thanks for your patience too. I''m back now and updates will resume as usual. You can purchase privilege chapters if you wish to. And for those asking, Nicole and I are doing great. Much love.

 Chapter 723 Learning On The Job

    Chapter 723 Learning On The Job

    After spending some time with the girls, Jade nced at her phone to check the time and when she saw that it was gettingte she stuck her tongue in her cheek as she thought about the most unsuspicious way to excuse herself so she could go prepare for the night.

    She had been keeping her eyes on the passageway the whole time to make sure Harry hasn''t gone into the bedroom before her.

    She nned to have showered and changed into her sexy lingerie before Harry walks into the room. She wanted to be under the duvet so he wouldn''t know what wasing for him.

    Jade looked up to meet Sonia''s amused gaze and Sonia grinned knowingly as though she could read Jade''s mind, "I think we should call it a night, I''m exhausted," Sonia said with a false yawn as she rose to stretch, and Jade shed her a smile of gratitude.

    "Yeah, me too," Jade said as she also stood up.

    "Alright, I think we have covered enough for the night anyway. I will go through and organize all we have discussed and send the details to the group chat so we can all have them," Lucy said and Jade nodded.

    "If that''s all I beg to take my leave. Good nightdies. Talk to you tomorrow," Jade said as she hurried away.

    "Why is she in such a hurry?" Candace asked in confusion.

    "I have no idea," Sonia said with a shake of her head.

    "So, are you girls ready to go in now?" Sonia asked, looking at Lucy.

    "If you are not too tired I would love us to chat for a bit before you go in," Candace said to Lucy before she could respond to Sonia.

    "Sure. I guess I''m not going in now. You should get some rest," Lucy said and Sonia regretted lying that she had been tired.

    She would have loved to hangout some more with them before going inside since she knew that Bryan was still downstairs with the guys.

    Perhaps she could use the time alone to to work on her story, Sonia reasoned as she bid them goodnight and headed for her bedroom.

    "So, how are you?" Candace asked curiously, and Lucy shrugged.

    "I''m fine. How are you?" Lucy asked in return.

    "I''m alright. I''ve been wondering how you''ve been coping with this whole family drama. I saw thements online before they were taken down," Candace said and Lucy sighed deeply.

    "What can I do? I have to find a way to cope, right? It''s either that or walk away," She said and Candace nodded.

    "I guess so."

    "If you were so curious to know how I was doing why didn''t you call?" Lucy asked and Candace shrugged.

    "I find calls awkward. Especially as we are not all that close yet," she exined honestly.

    "What about a text?" Lucy asked and she shook her head.

    "I think I prefer seeing your face while talking to you. Texts can be too impersonal some times. And asking such questions over the phone might just sound like I''m being curious because I want to gossip and not because I actually care," Candace said and Lucyughed softly.

    "I guess you''re right."

    "I suppose you''ve been able to resolve the other issue with Evelyn?" Candace asked since she had been there at Tom''s house the night everything went crazy.

    "Yes. I guess we can say it ended in a sort of stalemate. For peace to reign we all decided to move past the meddling issue. Evelyn will try to meddle less, and I will try to be more understanding. My therapist said I have to learn to be more tolerant," Lucy exined and Candace smiled.

    "I suppose that''s fair. I hope I never have issues like this with Jamal''s girlfriend when the timees," Candace said and Lucy smiled.

    "What do you think about all of it?" She asked and Candace shook her head.

    "I don''t think I have enough information on the subject to have an opinion," Candace said even though Jade had told her what transpired that night.

    She knew that Jade had told her everything from her mother''s perspective and not exactly from Lucy''s perspective.

    Lucy went on to tell her about everything that happened both back in Ludus and since they got to the Hank family house and exactly how she had reacted and why she had reacted that way. By the time she was done, Candace sighed.

    "There are actually no rights or wrongs. It all depends on perspective. As a mother, I understand Evelyn, but I also understand you. While you can''t entirely stop a mother from meddling or interfering in her child''s life, you can call her to order when it bes too much or detrimental to your rtionship. If I were Evelyn, I would worry about Tom and want to talk to someone about him not wanting to get married when it''s something he has always wanted. I would talk to someone I think Tom might listen to. It''s just like me talking to my dad about Jamal. It''s pretty normal, isn''t? That''s what she did in this case. We can''t me her for the way her father-inw handled it," Candace said and Lucy nodded.

    "And the way I handled it?" Lucy asked and Candace shrugged.

    "I''m not saying her meddling or interfering is okay, but maybe next time you should let Tom handle stuff like that with his family while you stay neutral. It will save you a lot of unnecessary stress and drama," Candace advised and Lucy nodded.

    "Yeah. I learned that from experience already. Going forward, if Tom doesn''t handle an issue, I won''t let it bother me either," Lucy said and Candace smiled.

    "If I may ask, is there any particr reason you don''t want to marry him? I know it''s not my business so you don''t have to answer me if you don''t want to," Candace said and Lucy considered it for a moment.

    Well, maybe it wouldn''t be so bad talking to someone else other than Sonia about her life. Candace was her cousin after all.

    "Well, I never wanted to get married or even be in a rtionship long before I met Tom. So, the decision was not about Tom. It was about me," Lucy said with a shrug.

    "Well, if that''s the case, then don''t you think it''s possible you might be able to reconsider your decision? I mean, you made it before meeting him, don''t you love him enough to change your mind?" Candace asked and Lucy smiled.

    "I do, and to be honest with you, I have changed my mind on it. Although he doesn''t know about it yet. I''ve told only Sonia about it," Lucy said and Candace beamed a happy smile.

    "Really? You are going to marry him?" Candace asked in a whisper as though scared that someone else might hear them.

    Lucy giggled, "Why do you look so happy about it?"

    "Apart from the fact that you both look so good together and I think you''d be wonderful partners and parents? You two deserve to spend a lifetime of marital bliss together, and Jamal adores you both," Candace said and Lucy smiled.

    "Do you really think I''d be a good mom?" Lucy asked and Candace looked at her incredulously.

    "If anyone has what it takes to be a great mom between the both of us, I''d say it is you," Candace said and Lucy giggled.

    "That can''t be true. You''ve done such a wonderful job with Jamal. I can''t evenpare myself with you," she said and Candace looked at her with serious eyes.

    "I mean it, Lu. This isn''t me ttering you. I didn''t have a functional home like you. What am I saying? I didn''t have a home whether functional or dysfunctional. I was raised in the orphanage along with so many other kids. Motherly love isn''t something I experienced. If you think with such a background I did such a good job, don''t you think you''d do an even better job with your background? I chose to have a child with such a terrible man like Jero. A pathetic excuse for a father. You have Tom. A wonderful father figure. So far I''ve lived a life that would make Jamal ashamed. Being a stripper and all. Look at you. You''ve got a degree, a wonderful job and you''ve done so well for yourself��."

    "I don''t think those things count. I think being a motheres naturally. You know, like an instinct," Lucy said and Candace shook her head.

    "And I know you have it. I do not doubt that if you were in danger with Jamal you''d protect him with your life. It all counts, Lucy. Do you have any idea how traumatized Jamal is because of Jero? If I were such a great mother I would have thought of my child before getting involved with Jero. And that''s what you''re doing. Look how worried you are about being a good mother to a child you haven''t even conceived yet. That''s what motherhood is about. You constantly worry," Candace said, holding Lucy''s gaze.

    After a moment Lucy sighed, "Maybe you have a point. I met ady during my outing with Jamal and she said something simr. I don''t know, Candace. I''m scared," Lucy said and Candace took her hand.

    "What exactly are you scared of?" Candace asked and Lucy took a deep breath.

    "Even if I''m an adult now and I understand better that I didn''t handle things well as I should have and it led to my abduction, a part of me still mes my parents. I think they were not attentive enough. What if I don''t pay enough attention to my kids?" She asked and Candace smiled.

    "I think you will. You know why? Your experience has taught you to not take things for granted. There is nothing to be scared of. Yes, you''d probably make a couple of mistakes along the line, but that makes you human. You''d be fine. Ever heard the saying that it takes amunity to raise a child? You have a solidmunity behind you. You have all of us to support you, and most importantly you have a wonderful partner. I think you would do great," Candace said confidently as she squeezed her hand, and Lucy took a deep breath.

    "That is so reassuring. Thanks," Lucy said, making up her mind to go for it.

    Tom wanted kids, and she wanted to have Tom''s kids too. The only thing standing between her and doing it was her fear of not being a good mother, and after hearing from Sonia, Mary at the park, and Candace she was feeling more confident that maybe she had what it would take to do it. And most especially she had Tom.

    "There is no reason to thank me. I''m d you could talk to me about it," Candace said and Lucy smiled.

    "Me too."

    "By the way, about Dawn''s mom, I really think you shouldn''t get involved with her," Candace said and Lucy nodded.

    "I blocked her already after my conversation with Tom earlier. I only brought it up because I was hoping one of you girls would help me reach out to her. But since you all are wary of her, it''s cool. It''s not like I owe her friendship or anything anyway. I''m already doing my best looking out for Dawn after all," Lucy said and Candace nodded in approval.

    "Do you mind me asking how things are going with you and Matt?" Lucy asked and Candace smiled.

    "As long as I trust you to keep it between us, I actually don''t mind you asking," Candace said and went on to tell Lucy all about her rtionship with Matt, their misunderstanding and how Matt was acting now.

    "What do you think?" Candace asked when she was done.

    "I think it serves you right," Lucy said and Candace raised a brow.

    "Really?"

    "Yeah! He has been so sweet and all chasing you, and since you''ve shown him you don''t want or appreciate that, I think it''s okay for him to step back and let you set the pace as you deem fit," Lucy said with a shrug and Candace sighed.

    "But I apologized."

    "Well, apologies don''t always take back the hurt, does it?" Lucy asked and Candace sighed again.

    "To be honest, I really don''t know what I''m doing. A part of me thinks I''m not ready yet for a rtionship, but at the same time I don''t want to lose him," Candace said and Lucy smiled.

    "I understand that very well. I''ve felt that way about Tom too. I think you should do what makes you happy. If being with him makes you happy, go for it, and get ready while in it. As long as he doesn''t mind, I''m sure you can be with him while working on yourself. You don''t need to be perfect to be in a rtionship. It''s like learning on the job," Lucy said thinking about herself and Tom.

    She knew that was what she was doing with Tom. She was learning on the job, and she was thankful that Tom was so understanding and patient with her.

    "Learning on the job," Candace repeated with a small smile.

    "Yeah. Let''s not throw away something good because of our fear of the unknown," Lucy said and Candace nodded.

    "You are right. Well, if he wants to be chased, I''d just put on my running shoes," Candace said and Lucy giggled.

    "Yeah. You do that. Now all I have to do is figure out when, where, and how to tell Tom that I''d love to marry him and have his kids," Lucy said with resolve and Candace smiled happily.

    "I would love to see the joy on his face when you do that," Candace said and Lucy grinned as she tried to imagine Tom''s reaction.

    "Me too. I would love to see that too," Lucy said with a nod.

    "I''m d I had this conversation with you, Candace. It''s like you were the missing piece I needed toplete the puzzle on my mind ande to a decision," Lucy said and Candace smiled.

    "We should have such heart to heart talks more often," Candace suggested and Lucy nodded in agreement.

    "Absolutely. But how do we do that from the distance when you find calls to be awkward?" Lucy asked and Candace grinned.

    "I don''t think phone calls with you will be so awkward now," Candace said and they bothughed.

    "Wow! I can''t believe we have been talking for an hour already," Lucy said when she nced at the time on her phone.

    "I can believe it," Candace said with a small smile which Lucy returned.

    They both knew they had crossed a line in their rtionship and had bonded over thest hour.

 Chapter 724 Friendly Warning

    Chapter 724 Friendly Warning

    While thedies had retired to their bedrooms, and the elders to their rooms, Tom, Harry, and Bryan remained outside enjoying a nightcap as they conversed.

    "So, what is it like taking care of a pregnantdy? Share tips with us bachelors," Harry said and Bryan smiled smugly while Tom watched in amusement.

    Perhaps in the past he would have felt a bit jealous at the subject considering that both Bryan and Harry would be fathers while he wouldn''t because Lucy wasn''t willing to, but now that he knew Lucy was gradually changing her mind he felt more at ease.

    Bryan cleared his throat as though he was about to give an lecture important lecture and Tom shook his head as he waited to hear what Bryan had to say.

    "I read that pregnancy is different for every woman. So, it might not be the same experience for you. However, I can tell you how each symptom can be managed. I''ve read extensively on the subject," Bryan said and Harry shook his head.

    "When the timees, I will read up on it myself. Or maybe I should start now," he said thoughtfully.

    "Why now? It''s not like you are married yet or getting married any time soon. Or do you n to knock her up before marriage?" Bryan asked with narrowed eyes.

    "Harry isn''t like you. He is much more decent than you," Tom said and Harry chuckled.

    "I wouldn''t vouch for me if I were you," Harry said and Tom raised a brow.

    "More decent than me? That''s riching from the one who just recently got out of a DNA drama. I''m not the one who banged the same chick as grandfather," Bryan said and Tom red at him while Harryughed out loud.

    "If it makes you feel better, you hit it before your grandfather did," Harry said and both him and Bryanughed while Tom eyed them with displeasure.

    "It''s not funny," Tom said and Bryan shrugged.

    "Your sense of humour is faulty because the joke is on you," Bryan said and Harry chuckled.

    "Anyway, I''m thinking or proposing to Jade sooner thanter. I don''t think I can wait until six months as I wanted to," Harry said, and both brothers momentarily forgot their bankers and raised their brows.

    "I said it! She got you wrapped."

    "How soon?" Tom and Bryan spoke at the same time.

    "As soon as I clear up the mess with Sara, which I can assure you is pretty soon. It''s a matter of weeks. The moment I clear it up, we can go on the vacation and I n to propose to her while we are there, and hopefully we can have our wedding in three months or less if she is okay with it," Harry said and Tom grinned as he pped Harry on the back.

    "That''s great! I''m happy for you!" Tom said happily while Bryan grinned as he extended a hand to Harry for a handshake.

    "I suppose this is meant to be a secret?" he asked and Harry nodded.

    "Yes. I''m telling you because you are both her elder brothers. So, consider this as a sort of consent-seeking conversation," Harry said and Bryan smiled.

    "You are such a gentleman. I hope Tom turns out like you," Bryan said and Harry chuckled while Tom scowled.

    "Well, what sort of proposal are you aiming for? Do you want something private? Or would you want us to be there? We could fly over to join you on the said day and make it more surprising for her," Tom suggested and Harry grinned.

    "I think that would be wonderful. All I have to do now is make up my mind on where to spend the vacation," Harry said and then picked up his phone when it started ringing.

    Although it waste at night, he was curious to hear what the caller had to say since he had given him an assignment.

    "Excuse me for a minute," Harry said to both brothers as he walked away from them.

    "It''s good to see that you were right about Harry. He''s a great guy," Bryan said with a small smile.

    "You''re only just realizing it now? I''m never wrong about people," Tom said proudly.

    "Yeah. I guess that''s why you slept with grandfather''s girlfriend," Bryan said dryly.

    "Is there a particr reason you''re trying to provoke me by continuously bringing that up?" Tom asked as his patience gradually ran thin.

    Bryan shrugged as he picked up his ss, "Not exactly. I just find it really amusing the more I think of it," Bryan said with a grin as he raised his ss in a silent toast before taking a sip.

    "I see. I owe you one," Tom promised with a stiff smile as he also raised his ss to Bryan.

    Harry returned with a frown etched on his fae as he sat down.

    "Is everything alright?" Tom asked and Harry shrugged.

    "It depends on what you make of this. The source of the scandal has been traced. It was from Kimberly not her parents," Harry said and Tom nodded thoughtfully while Bryan looked at Harry in disbelief.

    "Kimberly? Are you sure about that? Why would she do that? Besides, she told us her parents were behind it," Bryan said and to both their surprise Tom smiled.

    "What is amusing you?" Bryan asked and Tom sighed.

    "I understand the game she is ying. I think she is an upgraded version of Anita," Tom said and Harry raised a brow.

    "What do you mean?"

    "Isn''t it obvious? Grandfather must have told her the reason for the prank, and I think they must have both figured out that it was Lucy who didn''t want to get married. Kimberly probably thinks she can get a chance with me, and by doing something like this she can push Lucy out and maybe force me into adopting Dawn and marrying her just to protect my grandfather''s reputation," Tom said thoughtfully.

    "Is she out of her mind or does she think you are stupid?" Harry asked with a frown.

    "Must be both," Bryan said with disgust.

    "Yeah. I''m d I''ve asked Lucy to stay away from her. I hope she listens," Tom said and Harry raised a brow.

    "Are they both in contact?"

    "Yeah. I only just found out earlier today. Apparently she asked Lucy to help her watch over Dawn. I think she probably did that so she can ckmail Lucy emotionally using the child."

    "And Lucy being Lucy felt sorry for her and was trying to be a friend?" Harry asked knowingly and Tom nodded.

    "So, what do we do now that we know she is behind this?" Harry asked Tom.

    "Start by telling Lucy what Kimberly is up to. I''m sure that would set her straight," Bryan suggested and Tom shook his head.

    "That would only make her begin to worry and feel anxious. The person I should talk to is Kimberly and her parents. I don''t want any prolonged drama like the case of Anita and her family. I''m going to need to handle this once and for all," Tom said and Harry nodded.

    "Yeah. I agree with you," Harry said as Tom picked up his phone to give Kimberly a call.

    The moment he dialed her line, Kimberly who was lying on her bed and thinking of what to do about the whole situation sat up immediately she saw the call from Tom, and her heart skipped a beat as she wondered why he was calling.

    After taking a deep breath she received the call, "Hey!" She said in a small voice meant to make Tom believe she was sad and having a hard time.

    "I have a question for you. Do you think I''m stupid or are you just delusional?" Tom asked and she raised a brow.

    "I beg your pardon?"

    "I warned you, didn''t I? I asked you to stay away from Lucy and not try to mess with her, right? (Chapter 647)"

    "When did I ever try to mess with her? Did she say I did something?" Kimberly asked innocently.

    "Then I suppose I was the one you were trying to mess with by putting up that false news then and trying to make us believe it was your parents?" Tom asked and Kimberly''s heart skipped a beat.

    "Thomas, I didn''t mean any harm..."

    "Really? You didn''t? Then you should be ashamed of yourself for using your own daughter that way and exposing her to the world for your selfish reasons. Lucy who isn''t even rted to her in any way has been trying to protect her from the media and make her feel epted and loved, while you who happens to be her mother is busyplicating things for everyone. Do you really think either Dawn or Lucy deserves anything you''re plotting right now? Do you have a conscience?" Tom asked in annoyance.

    "Thomas..."

    "I don''t want you mentioning my name. I made this call to give you onest warning. This is thest time I''m going to be civil towards you. Stay away from Lucy. You don''t deserve to be her friend. I don''t know what your n is and I honestly don''t care about it, but do not get Lucy involved in it. I won''t forgive you if you try one more nonsense. Ask those who havee before you, I can be ruthless when I have to be, and especially so if it involves Lucy. I''ve warned you twice now, and this will be myst warning to you," Tom said and without waiting for her to say anything else he hung up the call.

    Still fuming he dialed her father''s line, and waited for some time before the call finally connected.

    "What do you want?" Kimberly''s father asked in a gruff voice the moment he received the call.

    "I just confirmed your daughter was behind the scandal..."

    "Excuse me..."

    "I don''t know if you are involved in it or if she is doing it alone, but I want you to call her to order. I do not want any problems with your family, but if you insist on causing problems for me, I don''t mind ying dirty. This is a friendly warning. The next time something like this happens, there will be nothing friendly about my reaction. It''s a promise," Tom said without letting the man interrupt him, and he hung up without letting him put another word in.

    "You can be quite scary at times," Bryan said with a shudder as he watched Tom.

    Tom took a deep breath to calm himself, "Just to be on the safe side I will have Barry look into the Moore family for anything serious I can use against them if they try one more nonsense with me," Tom said and Harry nodded.

    "I''m sure it won''t get to that. Unlike Anita and her family, the Moores have a lot more to lose in such an unnecessary fight so I''m sure they will heed your warning," Harry said confidently.

    "I''m counting on that too," Tom said as he rose and downed the remaining content of his ss.

    "I think it''s time to call it a night," Tom said and both Bryan and Harry rose as they did the same to their drinks.

    "You both shouldn''t forget to keep the engaement business to yourselves. You can''t tell Sonia or Lucy about it," Harry warned as they headed inside.

    "Won''t you be needing their help to know what Jade prefers?" Bryan asked and Harry shook his head.

    "I have a really good idea of what she prefers. I don''t want anything ruining the surprise," Harry said and Bryan nodded but Tom said nothing.

    He was too busy thinking whether or not it was necessary to tell Lucy that Kimberly had been behind the scandal. He really didn''t want her to worry. She would probably overthink things as usual, Tom thought with a deep sigh and Harry ced a hand on his shoulder.

    "Don''t worry too much. And I think you should tell Lucy about it. So she doesn''t have to be in the dark," Harry said as though he could read Tom''s mind.

    "Yeah. I guess I should," Tom said and they called out their good nights to each other as they each headed for their rooms.

    As Harry approached Jade''s room it urred to him that as clingy as Jade could be, she had surprisingly not bothered toe find him after he had stayed out so long with the guys.

    What was she up to? He mused, and then his thought drifted to the suspicious incident with Sonia earlier and he narrowed his eyes.

    Was she perhaps nning a surprise from him? He mused with a grin. Knowing Jade and how mischievous she could be, he was certain that she was up to something naughty, and something told him the redcy stuff he had seen hanging out of the box Sonia was carrying earlier belonged t Jade, hence the knowing smile which had been on Sonia''s face.

    He was both excited and curious to find out what she was up to. Not that he had any ns of falling for it anyway.

 Chapter 725 Vibrator?

    Chapter 725 Vibrator?

    The moment Harry walked into the bedroom, he raised a brow when he observed that the only light which was on in the bedroom was the bedsidemp by him side of the bed and Jade who was under the duvet cover seemed to be sleeping already.

    That was weird. He had not expected her to sleep off just like that on their very first night sharing a bed, Harry mused, feeling slightly disappointed.

    Was she perhaps mad at him for taking so much time toe to her and had slept off while waiting?

    Not wanting to disturb her sleep, he tried to be as noiseless as possible as he shut the door behind him and prepared to join her in bed.

    Jade who was still very much awake but pretending to be asleep, tried to stay calm as she waited patiently for him to climb in beside her.

    She cracked her eyes open a bit so she could watch him as he undressed.

    Harry took off his shirt and undershirt, and just as he reached for his belt, he pursed and looked in Jade''s direction again.

    Immediately he did, Jade''s heart skipped a beat and she shut her eyes. She adjusted on the bed ''sleepily'' and made some convincing sounds to make Harry believe that she was sleeping and after watching her for some seconds, Harry went on to unfasten his belt.

    Jade opened her eyes a bit again but in time to see him strippletely naked. Her mouth wentpletely dry and her heart raced as she admired his gorgeous body with possessive eyes.

    Forgetting that she was pretending to sleep, her eyes opened fully as they traveled to his groin, and she almost swallowed her tongue when she saw the impressive size of his rod even in its rxed state.

    Sure, she had felt the size before, but seeing it had apletely different effect on her.

    Todd''s cock which was the only one she had ever had inside her was no where as impressive as Harry''s in sight, and she couldn''t help but imagine how it would feel buried inside her, she mused with a dreamy sigh.

    "Like what you see?" Harry asked in an amused voice, and without thinking Jade looked up from his cock into his face, and when she saw him staring directly at her, she raised the duvet over her head to cover her face, and Harry chuckled.

    "I just woke up," Jade said from under the duvet.

    He had suspected that she was pretending to be asleep. No matter how he thought about it, it just didn''t make sense to him that his Jade would sleep off just like that. And then when she adjusted a moment ago and he caught a glimpse of the red strap of her lingerie which was so identical to what he had seen Sonia carrying earlier, he had known she was up to something.

    This seemed like something her mischievous self would do, and he was both pleased and amused to see that he had been right.

    "I didn''t ask, perv," Harry said as he took out his pyjamas from the drawer she had assigned to him, and he put it on.

    "I''m trying to say I didn''t see everything," Jade said again.

    "I guess you would like a repeat show then," Harry said and Jade bit her lower lip, wondering why she felt so embarrassed when he should be feeling so since he was the one who had been naked.

    But then again, there was nothing for him to feel embarrassed about. Not with such a perfect body.

    Jade was slightly startled when Harry suddenly pulled the covers away firmly, and she gasped, "What are you doing?"

    "Joining you in bed," he said with an appreciative smile as his gaze swept over her lingerie.

    "You sure do look sexy," he said and Jade pressed her lips together.

    "I didn''t wear it to try to seduce you," she said defensively and Harry grinned.

    "I didn''t ask why you wore it, but thanks for telling me. And thanks for waiting up for me," he said as he got on the bed.

    "What took you so long anyway?" Jade asked as she snuggled closer to him.

    "We were talking and I didn''t realize the time was far gone. Besides, I thought you would call ore get me before going to bed," Harry exined and took a deep breath as he wrapped an arm around Jade while she rested her head on his other arm.

    "I''m trying not to be too clingy," Jade said and Harry grinned.

    "But I don''t mind you being clingy," Harry assured her.

    "Yet you took Tom''s side earlier," she said grudgingly.

    "I didn''t take his side. I just didn''t want to interfere because I thought you looked cute fighting your brother for my attention," Harry assured her as he kissed the side of her head.

    Jade ran her fingers down his chest, "You have a really good looking body you know?" Jade said and Harry smiled.

    "I guess that means you liked what you saw," he said and she looked up at him.

    "Yeah, I did. Very much," she said in a whisper as she held his gaze and Harry''s heart skipped a beat when he saw the desire and determination gleaming in her blue eyes, before she kissed him.

    Jade didn''t give him any moment to resist or think as she plunged her tongue past his lips into his mouth and kissed him passionately.

    She lifted herself on her elbow so that her boobs were pressed against his chest, and one leg was resting on his as she kissed him.

    Unlike the other times they had made out, Jade was obviously in charge this time around and she left him no room to do anything.

    Her hand went to his cock which had be hard already, and she squeezed it softly, making Harry groan.

    The sound that escaped his throat was like music to Jade''s ears and it intoxicated Jade so much so that she slid her hand into the waistband of his pyjamas so she could touch his bare skin.

    She felt very much aroused when she felt the precum on the tip of his cock, and she spread it over his cock as she gave him a handjob while she continued to kiss him.

    Harry had never had anyone touch him there that way, and even though he knew all about such sexual acts from his broad readings and movies, it made it hard for him to think while being touched that way.

    This was the reason he had always been careful to do the touching and not to let her touch him. Finding himself in this position was entirely foreign to him. He wanted her to stop before things progressed further, and at the same time he wanted her to continue and not stop.

    If he had thought he wanted to make love with her those previous times while making out with her, then he had been greatly mistaken. He felt now like he was going to explode if he didn''t make love to her. He just didn''t want to make love to her, he "Jade��" Harry groaned, his tone pleading.

    needed to do it.

    She broke the kiss and her lips moved to his nipples. She wanted to find out his erogenous zones so she could know where to focus on even as she kept giving him the handjob.

    Harry grabbed a fistful of her hair when her lips made contact with his nipple and he felt a jolt go through him.

    "Jade��" Harry groaned, his tone pleading.

    "Yes, sugar?" Jade asked in the same way he had done when theyst made out in his bedroom.

    Unable to restrain himself from just staying still anymore, Harry turned to her and let his hands explore her body while she kept driving him crazy with her lips on his nipple and hand on his cock as she kept pumping him hard.

    Harry''s heart raced when he realized the lingerie she was wearing was open at her slit. There was a slit between her lips to make pration easy, so his fingers effortlessly found their way to her wet core and Jade moaned when he rubbed on her engorged clitoris.

    As much as she craved for him touch, this was about him not her. She wanted to drive him crazy and make him release as he had done her. Not wanting to pull away and give him time to recover, Jade slid down the bed and before Harry could register what she was up to, she had his cock in her mouth.

    "Jade," he gasped in surprised pleasure as his cock twitched.

    Jade''s eyes met with his, "You don''t want to have sex with me until you''re ready, that''s okay. But you did this to me thest time and made me cum, I see no reason I shouldn''t do the same to you," Jade said softly before returning her lips to his cock which filled her mouth.

    This was a bad idea. They were under her parents roof, and her parents were in a room just down the hall. This was disrespectful to both her and her family and he shouldn''t be doing this, Harry told himself as he tried hard to battle with his overwhelming lust.

    "What am I supposed to be doing while you do that?" Harry asked, trying hard to keep his head.

    "Rx and enjoy yourself," Jade said patiently.

    "I can''t. Why don''t you turn around," Harry suggested without thinking and she raised a brow.

    "What?"

    "Sit on my face. Let''s do it together. I want to taste you too," Harry said, and Jade smiled triumphantly even as she felt her pussy clench at his request.

    Not wanting to be asked twice, she immediately adjusted her position so that her ass was on his face while her head was on his groin in a sixty-nine position.

    Before she could getfortable, Harry attacked her pussy with hungry vengeance and her legs trembled as a loud moan escaped her lips.

    She mped her lips down on his cock to shut herself up, and as Harry ate her up andpped away at her flowing juices she sucked his cock with equal with passion.

    As Jade got closer to her orgasm, she ground her clit against his tongue, and soon, they were both trembling as Harry felt for the first time in his life, the warm pressure building up in him which caused his testicles to tingle.

    "I''m about to cum. Move away," he announced with a groan just as the first spurt of sperm shot into Jade''s mouth.

    Instead of letting him push her off him, Jade kept sucking and swallowed every drop of sperm until he had nothing left to release, and they were both panting as she moved away from him.

    Harry sat up on the bed to adjust his pyjamas and they both gazed at each other for some time without saying a word until Jade grinned.

    "It wasn''t so bad was it?" She asked and Harry scratched the back of his head trying not to look as embarassed as he was feeling.

    He was trying to figure out how and why he had fallen for her advances so easily tonight. He knew if he had wanted to turn her down he could have done so from the very moment he was undressing and figured out she was pretending to be asleep.

    Allowing her see him naked had been some sort of indirect invitation, and then letting her kiss and touch him that way had undoubtedly let things go to that far.

    Perhaps one reason he had allowed things go so far was because he wanted to rece her memory of whatever she had done in this bedroom and on the bed with Todd, with fresh memories of us them both.

    "Our parents are under this roof," he said and she rolled her eyes.

    "So? We are adults. And we kept things down out of respect for them," she said matter of factly.

    "Why did you do that?" Harry asked curiously.

    "Because I wanted to. We don''t have to go all the way and have sex if you don''t want us to yet. But there is no reason making out has to be one sided like you did thest time," Jade said and Harry looked at her with interest.

    "Did you really swallow that?" He asked and she nodded.

    "Yes. Why?" She asked and he shook his head.

    "I just didn''t expect you to do that," he said and Jade smiled.

    "You can swallow mine, but I can''t swallow yours? And just so you know, it''s the first time I swallowed that or did a sixty-nine," Jade said and he raised a brow.

    "Really?"

    "Yes. Now I''m very horny. Don''t worry though, you don''t have to have sex with me. I will just use my vibrator," Jade said as she got off the bed.

    "Vibrator?" Harry asked, hoping he had heard wrongly.

    "Yeah. I will take it to the bathroom. You can go to sleep. I will join you when I''m done, unless you want to use the bathroom before I go in," Jade said casually as she went to her closet and dug around it for the vibrator which she had hidden there for this purpose.

    "You masturbate?" Harry asked as he watched with displeasure as Jade took out the vibratory and rubbed her hand down it as she had done his cock earlier.

    "I actually picked this up recently as I was bing increasingly sexually frustrated. I will be back," Jade said, shing him a wink as she headed for the bathroom but before she could go in, Harry stopped her.

    "Why go in there to do it? I want to watch," Harry said, and Jade''s mouth dropped open in disbelief.

    "What?"

    "I would love to watch you do it. Maybe I could assist you," Harry said and Jade shook her head.

    "No. I can''t let you do that," she said since she had only been teasing him with the vibrator to make him jealous and push him to make up his mind sooner on sex.

    "Why not? Couples use toys like these," Harry said and she frowned.

    "You''re not jealous that I use a vibrator?" She asked wanting to understand him.

    "Jealous? Why should I be jealous of an inanimate object that gives you pleasure? Besides, I doubt you will want to keep it after I''ve made love to you," Harry said with a shrug.

    "You think you''re that good?" Jade asked with a scowl.

    "I know I can do my best to be that good if it means pleasing you," Harry said and Jade sighed as she returned the vibrator to her closet.

    "What? You''re not using it again?" Harry asked and she shook her head.

    "No. I got it to make you jealous," she said and Harry grinned.

    "Doesn''t mean we can''t put it to use. I could use it on you," Harry offered.

    "What I want is you inside me, not some stupid vibrator," Jade said as she went into the bathroom to wash up.

    "Let''s go to bed," Jade said as she returned and joined him in the bed, and Harry pulled her close.

    "I know this is probably hard for you. I''m sorry," he said as he kissed her forehead.

    "Just make sure the wait is worth it when the timees," Jade said and Harry smiled.

    "Sure, I will," he promised and Jade turned her back to his so that they were in a spoon position.

    "I love you, esquire," Harry said as he kissed the back of her head and she smiled.

    "I love you, Jonas."

 Chapter 726 Following The Right Order

    726 Following The Right Order

    Inside Tom''s bedroom, hey on the bed with Lucy snuggled close to him. He had yet to say more than a handful of words to her since the moment he walked into the bedroom and joined her on the bed.

    He had thought she would be fast asleep by the time he returned, but she had only just settled into bed when he walked into the room.

    He was too busy thinking of the easiest way to tell Lucy about Kimberly without getting her worried.

    "Are you going to tell me what is on your mind?" Lucy asked when she finally got tired of waiting for him to willingly say what he was thinking about, and Tom sighed as he sat up.

    "You''ve blocked Kimberly from reaching you, right?" he asked, and she raised a brow.

    "Yeah. I thought we were done with that already. Why are you bringing it up again?" she asked in confusion as she also sat up.

    "We found out she was behind the scandal, not her parents," Tom said as he watched Lucy.

    "She posted that? Why would she do something like that?" Lucy asked, and Tom shrugged as he shared his theory with her which he had also shared with Bryan and Harry early about Kimberly doing it because she knew Lucy was the one who didn''t want to get married.

    "She must be stupid if she believes that just because I''m not interested in getting married I would just sit back and let her take my man," Lucy said and Tom smiled wryly.

    "It''s good to know that you''re willing to fight for me," Tom said and Lucy raised a brow.

    "Wouldn''t you fight to keep me if you had to?" She asked and he smiled.

    "You know I would. All I want is for you to stay away from her. I don''t need you fighting, Lu. I''m not an object that can be snatched or taken away by just anyone, okay? Just don''t be friends with her," Tom said, and Lucy sighed.

    "I can''t believe she went to such an extent though. How could she expose her daughter that way? She is worse than Anita," Lucy murmured thinking about how stupid she had been to feel sorry fo he Kimberly and want to offer her friendship in the first ce.

    "Don''t let it bother you. I won''t let her cause any more issues for us, I promise," Tom said and Lucy smiled.

    "You seem to have a knack for attracting troublesome women, you know?" She joked and Tom raised a brow.

    "And you''re not an exception. I attracted you after all," Tom said and she grinned.

    "Don''t worry about me. I won''t have anything to do with her anymore," Lucy promised.

    "And Dawn?" Tom asked and she shrugged.

    "She isn''t her mom. And whether or not you like it, she is rted to you, so you have to learn to see her as a separate entity from her mother. We will do our best for the kid until Kimberlyes to get her," Lucy said and Tom nodded.

    "Alright. Let''s do that," he said as hey down again and Lucy snuggled close to him.

    "Is that all that was bothering you?" Lucy asked after they had been quiet for some time.

    "I guess so," Tom said and she nodded.

    "You''ve never been to my home, have you?" Lucy asked and he raised a brow.

    "Where your parents live?" He asked wondering why she was bringing that up all of a sudden.

    "Yeah," Lucy said.

    "No, I haven''t. It''s our first time out here together since we started dating, remember? Thest time I came to surprise you here, you left before I showed up," Tom said and Lucy giggled.

    "That''s true. I forgot about that. How about we visit my parents tomorrow so you know where I grew up, and then we go on a date? We could see a movie or go y games. Whatever you want," Lucy suggested.

    "Really?" Tom asked excitedly.

    "Sure. I think you need a break," Lucy said and Tom sighed deeply.

    "Yeah, I do. That would be nice. Let''s do it," he said as he kissed the tip of her nose and she giggled.

    "That is ticklish," she said as she rubbed her nose and Tom kissed her nose again making herugh as she turned away from him to prevent him from doing it again.

    "By the way, our date tomorrow is on me, so don''t you dare think about splurging your money," she warned and he grinned.

    "Have I ever told you how much I love you?" He asked and she shrugged.

    "Not yet. But I think I have a fair idea," she said and he kissed her lips slowly and passionately for a moment.

    "I love you very much," Tom said with a yawn after he broke the kiss and she smiled.

    "And I love you too," Lucy said as she let him pull her closer.

    Tom wrapped his arms around her and it didn''t take long before he drifted off to sleep.

    Long after Tom slept, Lucy stayed away in his arms, listening to his heartbeat as she contemted what to do about her decision.

    Should she tell him directly about her change of heart? Should she do so indirectly? Or should she surprise him? Lucy mused thinking about the most dramatic way to go about it.

    Perhaps she could wait until a year''s time to raise the subject again as they had discussed? She mused and then shook her head.

    No. That wouldn''t be nice. She knew that keeping it for that long would only make Tom spend a long time worrying about her decision and she didn''t want that for him. Keeping such an information from Tom for that long wouldn''t be fair to him.

    It wasn''t like the were going to get married anytime soon even if she told him about it now, but then again knowing Tom he might want to get married to her immediately for fear that she might change her mind, Lucy thought with a giggle.

    "Are you okay?" Tom asked sleepily when he heard herugh.

    "Never been better," Lucy assured him as she patted his back so he would go back to sleep.

    She would rather surprise him. Perhaps with a proposal? Or maybe a pregnancy? She thought and then shook her head.

    No. Not a pregnancy. She would like them to go about it all the right way by following the right order.

    An engagement, a wedding, and then pregnancy.

    A proposal sounded better, she thought with a grin as she tried to imagine the surprised look on Tom''s face if she did something like that.

    He would be surprised no doubt, and she knew for sure that he would be happy. Ecstatic even.

    The mere thought of surprising him like that made her feel lightheaded with joy.

    Now all she had to do was figure out the right time and right ce to do it. She would need all the help she could get from Sonia and Candace in nning it. And maybe Harry as well.

    She trusted Harry to keep it a secret from Tom so she could pull it off perfectly. She couldn''t wait to do it, Lucy thought with a smile as she drifted off to sleep.

    All she dreamt about that night was her proposal to Tom.

    She woke up with a smile on her face the next morning, and her smile widened when she saw that Tom was still asleep.

    He looked so handsome even in his sleep, and the beard stubble on his chin only seemed to add to his sex appeal. The more time she spent watching him, the hotter she felt inside.

    She traced her finger over his lips, and smiled when his face twitched in reaction to the touch and he turned his face away.

    This man was going to be her husband and the father of their kids, Lucy thought as she watched him, and her heart skipped a beat when Tom murmured her name in his sleep.

    Lucy looked down when she felt his erection pressing against her waist, and she reached for it and squeezed it gently making Tom groan as he opened his eyes.

    "What are you doing?" Tom asked as he l focused on Lucy who was grinning at him as she kept massaging his cock through his boxers.

    "Waking you up," she said even though it was barely seven in the morning yet.

    "That''s quite a way to wake me up," he said and she smiled as leaned closer to him, and surprised him by kissing him.

    Tom was slightly taken aback since he knew very well that she didn''t like such morning kisses because of bad breath, and he was even more shocked when reached for the waistband of his boxers and motioned for him to take it off as she kept kissing him.

    Not being one to resist such temptations from Lucy, he took off his boxers without letting her break the kiss, and once he had done that he slid his hand under her flimsy night dress since she was fond of not wearing undies to bed now.

    "You''re wet already," he said in surprise when he touched her juicy slit.

    "What can I say? Watching you sleep turned me on," she said with a smile as she sat up and took off her night dress.

    Tom watched in fascination as she straddled him, and inserted his cock inside her.

    "I must have looked pretty hot," Tom said with a grin as he ced a hand on her waist while the other went to her boobs.

    "You have no idea," Lucy said with a wink as she rolled her hips slowly and Tom groaned.

    "Oh!" She gasped when Tom suddenly thrust into her from under.

    "You like that, yeah?" He asked and she moaned in response as he continued to thrust her from under.

    Once they were both sated andy gasping on the bed, Tom smiled at her, "Good morning sweetheart. Perhaps I should be letting you wake me up going forward," Tom said and she giggled as she rolled off the bed.

    "Let''s clean up. We have a lot to do today. You''re due for a haircut and a shave. I will take you out for that before we go visit my parents," Lucy said and Tom smiled as he took the hand she offered to help him get off the bed.

    "You sound like you''ve got the day all figured out," Tom said and she nodded.

 Chapter 727 Almost A Normal Couple

    Chapter 727 Almost A Normal Couple

    Inside Jade''s room, but Jade and Harryy on the bed, staring at each other with a smile on both their faces.

    Like Lucy, Jade had been the first to wake up thanks to Harry''s morning erection which had been pressing against her ass since they had slept in a spoon position, but just as she turned to face him, he also woke up, so now they were both staring at each other.

    "It feels surreal lying in bed with you this way," Jade said, breaking the silence.

    "You are so beautiful," Harry said and Jade raised a brow wondering where that hade from.

    "Huh?" She asked in confusion.

    "It''s my first time waking up beside you this way and seeing your morning face," Harry said and chuckled when Jade quickly rolled away.

    "Oh, shit!" She muttered as she hurried to look at her reflection in the mirror to be sure she looked okay.

    Seeing her still dressed in the sexy lingerie she had wornst night and remembering that there was a slit under, Harry''s cock twitched and he tried not to think about how having her lips wrapped around his cock had felt.

    "What''s the problem?" Harry asked, trying to distract himself from his indecent thought as he sat up to watch her.

    "I should know exactly what my face looks like before letting you see it," Jade said and he chuckled.

    "Why? Are you scared you drooled in your sleep?" He asked as he watched her brush her hair.

    "No, I''m not. I know I''m always pretty. Just want to look prettier," she said and Harry shook his head as he watched her apply lipgloss on her lips.

    "You haven''t even brushed your teeth or showered yet," Harry pointed out to her.

    "I will do thatter," she said with a shrug as she turned to look at him.

    "I''ve seen you looking terrible before��."

    "You seem to forget that I wasn''t your girlfriend then," Jade cut him off as she went back to join him on the bed.

    "So, how was your night?" Jade asked as shey down on her side beside him which her elbow propped up.

    "Very nice. I enjoyed cuddling you all night," Harry said and she smiled.

    "Really?" She asked, batting hershes flirtily at him as she pressed her boobs against him.

    "Yeah, I did," Harry said in a husky voice as he held her gaze, and then moved his hand to boobs and squeezed her nipple gently making her moan softly.

    "Harry," she whispered on a shaky breath as he bent his head forward and captured her lips.

    Harry moved his hand slowly down her boobs to her abdomen and then lower down until he got to the slit under her lingerie, and Jade''s legs quivered with excitement as his fingers connected with her wet slit.

    Harry fondled her clitoris and she moaned against his lips as she sought his cock with her hands.

    Harry groaned when she grabbed it and then massaged it in the same way as she had done the previous night.

    Harry''s thoughts was filled with the memory of the blow job she had given him the previous night, and the more she rubbed his cock, the harder he got.

    He wanted release. He wanted to feel it again like he had done the previous night. He wanted to get to that point. He wanted to feel that rush of pleasure.

    As if she could read his mind, Jade broke the kiss and positioned in a way that he could still finger fuck her while she sucked on his cock.

    Harry felt like he was going to explode when her lips came around his cock again, and needed to keep himself upied he turned her around so she was sitting on his face again, and feasted on her pussy.

    By the time they both climaxed, they were both panting really hard with Jade''s ass still resting on Harry''s chest, and her head on his crotch.

    Once they had caught their breath, Jade turned around so she could rest her head on Harry''s chest, "I could get used to doing this with you," Jade murmured and Harry smiled.

    "If we keep this up I''m not sure how much longer I can wait to really have you," Harry said and Jade nodded.

    "That''s good. We should keep it up. I don''t want you to wait much longer," Jade said and Harry chuckled as he raised her chin so could kiss her.

    Harry kissed her deeply until they were both gasping for air and he pulled away, "What''s your n for today?" He asked and Jade shrugged.

    "Staying in bed with you all day until you''re forced to make love to me," she said and Harryughed out loud.

    "Thanks for letting me know. Let''s freshen up and go down for breakfast," Harry said and Jade pouted.

    "What''s the rush? We can have breakfast aler," sheined.

    "If you don''t get out of that outfit and we don''t leave this room soon, I don''t know what I might do. And I really don''t want to do that here," Harry confessed as he rose.

    "Is that the problem? Doing it here? We could always go to the hotel," Jade suggested excitedly and Harry chuckled.

    "I love you, esquire," he said with an amused shake of his head before heading for the bathroom.

    Seeing that he was going to shower, Jade quickly slipped out of the lingerie and hurried after him, and Harry raised a brow when she walked into the little bathroom with him.

    "Jade," he groaned when she embraced him, and her hardened nipples poked against his chest.

    "What are you doing?" He asked.

    "You said let''s freshen up and go down for breakfast," she reminded him with a sweet smile as she looked up at him.

    "We both know I didn''t mean together," he pointed out.

    "No. We both don''t know. I''m awyer and you weren''t specific. Besides, you asked me to get naked, remember?" She said and he frowned.

    "No, I never said that."

    "Yes, you did. You said, and I quote ''If you don''t get out of that outfit and we don''t leave this room soon, I don''t know what I might do. And I really don''t want to do that here'' the key word was for me to get out of my outfit. Isn''t that what it means to ask someone to get naked? So, this is me doing what you want so you don''t have to do anything there," Jade said gesturing back to the room with a smile.

    Harry chuckled, "I''m not having such a groundless argument with you in the bathroom. Get out," Harry said pointing to the door.

    "No one would hear us in here," Jade said as she ran her hands down his body and she smiled when his cock twitched to life again.

    Harry groaned and chuckled at the same time, "Jade Hank get out of the bathroom," Harry repeated in a warning tone and she pouted.

    "I don''t like you. You''re not fun," she hissed.

    "I can live with that. Go," he said jerking his head to the door.

    "Well, we either shower together or I have to shower first," she said and he nodded.

    "Alright. Do so. I will wait," he said as he headed for the door and she scowled at his back as he shut the door behind him.

    Harry had a grin on his face as he looked back at the door after shutting it and he shook his head, "Christ! Such a handful," he mused as he went to sit by the dressing table to wait for her to finish.

    Once Jade got out of the bathroom naked after freshening up, Harry smiled at her and she scowled at him making him chuckle as he walked into the bathroom with his fresh undies.

    He quickly handled his business and stepped out a momentter to find Jade waiting for him. She was dressed in one of his polo shirts and her sweatpants.

    "Someone just came to get us for breakfast."

    "Now talking to me? You are no longer sulking?" He asked, and grinned when she shot him a warning re.

    "Alright. Forget I said that. You can go ahead of me. I will join you after dressing up," he said as he stepped into his clothes and went to the dressing table to tend to his hair and other stuff.

    "Are you going anywhere today?" She asked grudgingly and he rose a brow.

    "I n to spend the day with you and the rest of the family," he said and then he remembered the stuff about Kimberly being behind the scandal.

    "Kimberly was behind the scandal concerning her and Tom," Harry said and Jade who had been about to say something snapped her mouth shut as she looked at him in disbelief.

    "For real?" She asked and he nodded.

    "Is Tom aware of this?" Jade asked and Harry raised a brow.

    "Would I be telling you this if he wasn''t aware of it? I found outst night and informed both Tom and Bryan," Harry said and Jade frowned.

    "This isn''t good. I think Kimberly terrible," she said and Harry nodded.

    "Yeah. Let''s go join the others for breakfast," Harry said after he was done and Jade took the hand he extended to help her stand up.

    "Why did you decide to tell me about Kimberly being behind it? You never talk about stuff rted to Tom," Jade asked as they left the room together.

    "Because I know Bryan would likely tell Sonia about it, and Tom would tell Lucy. I don''t want you to be in the dark. And I don''t think it''s meant to be a secret. Tom already called her and her parents to warn them," Harry said and kept his voice down as he gave her the details as they walked downstairs together.

    "Thanks for sharing that with me. I finally feel like we are almost a normal couple," she said and he raised a brow.

    "Almost? Because I shared this with you?" He asked in disbelief and she grinned as she leaned closer to his ear.

    "Yes. And because we''ve taken our intimacy up a notch," she said with a wink and he chuckled as he ced his arm around her shoulder and she ced hers around his waist as they got to the dining.

    "Good morning, Harry. Good morning, Jade. You both look good together," Evelyn said with a bright smile.

    "Yes, we do. That''s because we were made for each other," Jade said matter of factly and everyone around the tableughed.

    "Good morning everyone. I''m sorry we arete," Harry said as he drew out a seat for Jade before taking his own.

    "It''s fine. I suppose you both slept well," Desmond said and the top of Harry''s ears burned a bright red making Tom and Aaron chuckle simultaneously since they could both see his ears and knew it only flushed that way when he was guilty of something and they could guess what.

    Harry shot them both a re, while the others looked at them in confusion.

    "Yes, we did. Where are the kids?" Jade asked when she noticed that neither Dawn nor Jamal were at the dining beside Lucy even though Lucy was there.

    Candace sighed, "They both got into a fight this morning, so they are both grounded from being anywhere near Lucy. They will also eat together until they learn to get along," Candace exined and Jade grinned.

    "I wish I was here to see that. Why did they fight this time?" Jade asked looking around for Sonia to narrate it as usual.

    "Where is Sony and Bryan?" Jade asked and Tom raised a brow.

    "You noticed the kids were absent before realizing that Bryan and Sonia are not here?" He asked in disbelief and she shrugged.

    "I wonder why myself," Jade said as she picked up a piece of toast and started eating.

    "That''s probably because they are the only kids here whereas Bryan and Sonia are not the only adults. It is natural to first notice the kids in a table full of adults," Harry said in Jade''s defense.

    "But there are no kids to notice here��"

    "More reason who she noticed it first," Harry countered before Candace could finish.

    "That''s right baby," Jade shed Harry a smile as she kissed his cheek, and he flushed in embarrassment making themugh.

    "They are having breakfast upstairs. Sonia was feeling nauseous," Lucy said since no one had answered Jade''s question about why Bryan and Sonia were not present.

    "Oh, dear! She must have it really bad. I hope my appetite stays the same when I get pregnant," Jade murmured.

    "I hope so too," Harry said and Jade grinned.

    "Want one on your lips this time?" She asked and Harry shook his head while the others watched them in amusement.

    After they were done with breakfast, Tom asked his parents and Jade to meet him in the study, while Lucy went upstairs to get ready to leave for their date.

    Candace went to check on the kids who were eating and had been silent thus far, while Harry and his father went to the Den to find something to watch or a game to y.

    Immediately after they were seated in the study, Tom informed them about what Kimberly had done and about his conversation with her and her parents.

    Jade said nothing as she looked at her parents and waited for their reaction.

    Neither Desmond nor Evelyn said a word for a moment, but when they exchanged a look and Desmond gave Evelyn a nod, she sighed.

    "Now that we are certain that she doesn''t have good intentions, the kid has to go whether or not she is Lawrence''s child. You don''t have to ever receive her call ormunicate with her again. Your father and I will take care of it since it involves Lawrence. We will have someonee over to take DNA samples from both your father and Dawn so we can bepletely certain that they are siblings, and while we are at it, your father and I will give her a call. She has toe get her kid at once. The kid won''t be allowed to stay here a moment more after Lawrence''s funeral. If she belongs to Lawrence, we can make provisions for her and that''s as far as we will go. If her grandparents who have been with her since she was born are callous enough to throw her out over this, then we can''t be med if we don''t want her here after what her mother has done," Evelyn said, and Desmond nodded while Tom and Jade sighed.

    "I feel really sorry that a sweet little girl like Dawn has such a mother and grandparents," Jade said with a shake of her head.

    "I will leave it to you to handle it then. I really do not want to be a part of any of this. I will be out with Lucy for most of the day," Tom informed them before leaving.

    After Tom left, Evelyn ced a call to someone toe over to the house to collect the DNA samples as she had said, and then Desmond dialed Kimberly''s line not caring about what time it was over there.

    Just before the call was about to disconnect, Kimberly received the call and the moment she said hello, Desmond cut her off.

    "You have until my father''s funeral toe pick up your daughter. If you fail to do that, we will assume you want us to send her down ourself and leave her at the airport for you to pick her," Desmond said and without another word or letting her put in a word he hung up.

    "Are you really going to do that?" Jade asked with concern.

    "Do what?" Desmond and Evelyn asked in unison.

    "Send her back alone if her mom fails to show up?" Jade asked and Desmond nodded.

    "Yes, I will. I''m fed up with this whole nonsense already, and if her and her parents are too irresponsible to do the right thing, they shouldn''t expect any different from me," Desmond said in a tone that weed no argument.

    ********

    Hello Everyone!

    I weed my Babygirl on the 29th of September hence the break. We are both taking our time to recuperate. I can''t say I''m fully back but I can assure you that I will write whenever and as much as I can.

    Dearest privilege readers, you don''t have to purchase privilege chapters as I don''t want you to not get your money''s worth and I don''t want to have to feel guilty about you being cheated. I''m sorry if you''ve purchased some already as I''ve noticed some of you have done.

    I will do my best to release a minimum of two chapters weekly. It could be more. But won''t be less than two. Thanks for your understanding and patience. Much love from my baby and I.

    Author''s Note.

    Thank you so much for the love and support thisst month. Thanks for your patience too. I''m back now and updates will resume as usual. You can purchase privilege chapters if you wish to. And for those asking, Nicole and I are doing great. Much love.

 Chapter 728 Couple Outfit

    Chapter 728 Couple Outfit

    Tom raised a brow in amusement when he saw the cab waiting outside to take them out on their date, "What''s going on?" He asked Lucy, and she smiled.

    "I figured, we have a normal day. You know? Do normal stuff like every normal couple," she said and he raised a brow again.

    "Going out in your own car isn''t normal?" He asked and she grinned.

    "Sure, It is. I just want to do something different with you. It''s my treat, remember?" She said and Tom nodded.

    "Good. So, get in. Today you''re going to be just Handy Tom," she said and he chuckled as he got into the car.

    Once they werefortably seated, Lucy told the cab driver where they headed, and Tom smiled when she linked her hand with his and rested her head on his shoulder.

    "So, may I know what inspired the idea for this date?" He asked, and she shrugged.

    "My love for you, of course," she said matter of factly and he chuckled.

    "I see."

    "What were your favorite ces in Heden? Tell me about your childhood and the fun ces and things you liked to do," Lucy asked and Tom considered it for a moment before going on to tell her all he could about his childhood.

    "That''s nice. Sounds like you had a bnced childhood," she said and he nodded.

    "I did. What about you? What did you like to do? Where did you like to go?" Tom asked and Lucy shrugged.

    "There was this cafe where we used to hang out a lot. I mean, before everything that happened. After that, I stopped stepping out much," Lucy said with a shrug.

    "Want to hangout at the cafe with me?" Tom asked and she shook her head.

    "It folded up some years ago. So, how did it go with your parents?" Lucy asked when she remembered she was yet to ask him that.

    Tom shrugged as he went on to tell her what his parents had said.

    "They certainly won''t send her back alone if she doesn''t show up, would they?" Lucy asked with a concerned frown.

    "They should. If her mother doesn''t mind, why should we?" Tom asked and Lucy shook her head.

    "Because you are not her mother. You''re better than her mother and her grandparents, and you''re supposed to do what is right regardless of what others are doing," Lucy said and he sighed.

    "What would you have me do? I''m not getting involved anymore in this, and I do not want you to either," Tom said and she nodded.

    "So, you''re telling me you''re going to let them send the little girl alone if she doesn''t show up? You have no problem with that?" Lucy asked and Tom looked at her pointedly.

    "Stay out of it, Lu," he warned.

    "I will stay out of you if you want me to, but I''d rather you don''t let that happen��."

    "Kimberly doesn''t deserve your kindness. Why are you doing this?" Tom asked and she shrugged.

    "Because this is about Dawn, not Kimberly. Kimberly might not deserve our kindness, but Dawn does. How will you sleep well at night if you let that kid travel across the country all by herself?" Lucy insisted.

    "Nothing is certain yet. For all we know, Kimberly might juste down here to get her. So, stop worrying about something that is yet to happen, and let''s focus on our date," Tom said reasonably.

    "Promise me you won''t let her travel alone if Kimberly fails to show up," Lucy insisted and Tom groaned.

    "Why are you so stubborn? Let it be, Lu," he pleaded.

    "Promise me, Tom. Even if it means we have to take her back ourselves, I don''t mind. I want us to do right by Dawn regardless of what everyone else chooses to do," Lucy insisted, and seeing that she was not going to let it go until he agreed to do as she wanted, he sighed.

    "I''m not taking her anywhere, but I won''t stop you if you decide to apany her," he said and she nodded.

    "That''s good enough for me," Lucy said , knowing that Tom would never let her travel alone. She was very certain that if it happened that she needed to take the kid back, Tom would go with her.

    Neither of them said anothe word until the cab came to a halt in front of the address she had given him.

    "We are here. Let''s get you cleaned up," Lucy announced as she paid the driver and they both got out of the cab.

    "My dad and Lucas gets their haircut here," Lucy exined as she led Tom inside therge building which was filled with different businesses.

    "I suppose the barber must be good, else you won''t bring me here," Tom said trying not to wince since he was very selective of the ces where he got his hair cut.

    "You suppose right. You won''t find a better one anywhere around," Lucy said confidently.

    "Let''s hope you''re right," Tom said as they both walked into the salon.

    "Look who we have here, it''s my Princess LuLu!" Arge man who seemed like he was in his early fifties eximed, and before Tom could say Jack, he enveloped Lucy in a warm hug while Lucy giggled like a little girl as she hugged him back.

    "It''s good to see you, uncle Brown," Lucy greeted as he broke the hug but still held on to both her arms so he could look her over.

    "See? I told y''all she was my little girl but you wouldn''t believe me," He said to no one in particr since his gaze was still on Lucy.

    "You''ve been gossiping about me?" Lucy asked with a raised brow.

    "Bragging would be a better word than gossip. You''ve been quite popr since you left here, you know?" He said and Lucy shrugged.

    "I guess so. How have you been?" Lucy asked as she looked him over.

    "As good as can be. You look radiantly beautiful and healthy too," he observed.

    "Yes, I am. I promised you I will take good care of myself, didn''t I?" Lucy said while Tom stood behind her wondering who the man was and why Lucy seemed so friendly.

    "Yes, you did. I thought the next time I was going to see you was at your brother''s wedding. You have no idea how happy I am that it was cancelled even though I still don''t know what exactly happened. I never really liked that girl you know? Whenever she came over with him she tried to dictate how everything should be and Lucas just let her," he said with a shake of his head and Lucy grinned.

    "I''m not going to gossip Lucas''s private business with you, uncle Brown," Lucy said and he grinned.

    "Can''t me me for trying. I thought you would have changed by now. Well, you can gossip your private business with me. I saw all that news about you circting the inte. You seemed to have gotten into a lot of trouble. And I saw you got yourself a rich boyfriend too," he said still too focused on Lucy to take note of Tom''s presence.

    "Yes. He is super rich," Lucy said with a grin.

    "Good girl! He treats you good, right?" He asked and Lucy nodded.

    "Yes. He''s such a great guy."

    "Perfect! I knew you didn''t stay single all this time to settle for just anyone. You should bring him by when next you are here so that I and my boys can scare him a bit, okay? We don''t want him messing with you just because he is filthy rich," He said and Lucy giggled.

    "I already did. You can scare him right now," Lucy said as she jerked her head towards Tom and his attention turned to Tom whose brow was now raised.

    "You could have introduced him the moment you both walked in," the barber said with a scowl at Lucy who was now grinning.

    "Why? Did I ruin your ns of scaring him?" Lucy asked and he red at her.

    "Hello! I am Brown. I''m Lucy''s nonbiological uncle," he said as he extended a hand to Tom, and Tom took his hand in a firm grip.

    "It''s good to meet Lucy''s boyfriend. You''re not just messing around with her, are you?" He asked in a voice that was meant to intimidate Tom.

    "Would I open up to you if that was what I was doing?" Tom asked with a raised brow and he nodded.

    "Well, don''t mess with her else you''d have me to contend with," he warned and Tom gave him a nod while Lucy grinned.

    "I brought him to the best barber I know for a haircut and a decent shave," Lucy said and Brown frowned.

    "Me?" He asked looking around his shop.

    "Yes. Why?" Lucy asked while Tom narrowed his eyes.

    "I''ve never cut the hair of someone so wealthy. He''s not going to sue me if I make a mistake, is he?" Brown asked looking from Lucy to Tom.

    "It depends. Do you n to make a mistake?" Tom asked, and Lucy giggled.

    "Stop fooling around and get it done. We don''t have all day," Lucy told Brown as she led Tom to one of the avable seats.

    "Are you sure he''s not going to make a mistake?" Tom asked uncertainly and Lucy shed him a confident smile.

    "I will kill him if he messes with your hairline," Lucy promised.

    "Well, you might have to wait a bit. I''ve got people waiting to be attended to," he said pointing at a couple of guys seated around.

    "Can''t you make an exception for a VIP client? Do you know how many other VIP clients this could get you? What do you think will happen to your shop if someone like Bryan Hankes in here for a haircut after seeing the wonderful job you did on his big brother?" Lucy asked with a sweet smile.

    "Did you bring me here to help grow your uncle''s business?" Tom asked and Lucy raised a brow.

    "No. But if that was the case, do you have a problem with it?" Lucy asked and Tom shook his head.

    "Lucy, you know how things are done here. No special treatments. Maybe if you had called to let me know before hand that you wereing over I would have reserved a spot for him," Brown said apologetically.

    "I don''t think we have the time to wait. How about I pay for everyone''s haircut and give you extra tip, and in return you attend to me first?" Tom said loud enough for everyone else to hear him.

    Lucy shook her head, "Tom��"

    Brown spoke at the same time, "No, I don''t think��"

    "I don''t mind going after you. I''m not in a haste," one of the guys waiting announced.

    "Me too," another called out, and Brown sighed when everyone else on the waiting list responded alike, and Lucy raised a brow at Tom.

    "You gentlemen can order for something to eat and drink while you wait. I will cover the bill," Tom said and they all cheered happily while Brown shook his head in disapproval as he led Tom to the seat for his haircut.

    "You shouldn''t throw money around that way," Brown said with displeasure.

    "I didn''t throw money around. It was a transaction. I saved my time and they saved their money. I don''t have time to spare but I have money to spare," Tom exined easily.

    "Please use your best clipper set. A new one," Tom said, and as Brown walked away to get it, Lucy stepped closer to Tom.

    "How am I supposed to pay for all of that? I told you today was my treat," Lucyined and Tom chuckled.

    "Don''t worry, you can pay for the new clipper and the haircut while I take care of the rest. Those aren''t part of our date. I was only saving time for our date," Tom assured her and she sighed.

    "It must feel good to have the kind of money you have," Lucy said and Tom smiled.

    "Why don''t you marry me and find out just how good it feels?" he said with a wink.

    "It''s still going to be your money not mine," Lucy said with a shrug.

    "But then you''d be my wife and have ess to all I own. It would be ours not mine," Tom said and Lucy pursed her lips as though she was considering it.

    "That''s a very tempting offer. I think I might take you up on it and do just that," Lucy said as she kissed his cheek, and Tom chuckled as he watched her step aside to give Brown, who had returned, room to attend to Tom.

    By the time they walked out of the salon an hourter, two amongst the men they had met there had pitched their business ideas to Tom, and he had agreed to review the business n of one of them and make an investment if he liked it.

    "So? Do you like your haircut?" Lucy asked as she led him into a unisex clothes shop.

    "What now? You want to get me clothes?" Tom asked and she bobbed her head.

    "Yes. I want to dress you up for our date. I''ve never really spent any money on you," Lucy said and Tom chuckled happily as he let her lead her down the clothes aisle.

    Although he doubted that the clothes being sold in the shop were to his taste since he preferred to wear limited-edition clothes and custom-made outfits, he let her do what she wanted.

    As far as he was concerned, as long as the clothes were gifts from Lucy, then they were perfect for him.

    "You can pick out what you want," Lucy offered as they stood in front of a designer clothesline.

    "Why don''t you help me? I''d love you to dress me up. You are the fashion design director after all," he said and she grinned as she went ahead to pick out some casual clothes for him while a shop attendant followed them around.

    "You should try out the clothes..."

    "No. Let''s just take them all," Tom cut in quickly.

    "No. We didn''te out with a car and it will be a hassle moving about with the bags..."

    "We can have them deliver it to the house, right?" Tom asked the shop attendant and she nodded eagerly.

    "What''s the fun in shopping with you if you don''t try out the clothes?" Lucy asked and Tom shook his head.

    "I don''t remember thest time I had to try clothes out this way. Must be when I was a kid and went shopping with my mom," Tom said and Lucy grinned.

    "Well, now you''re shopping with me. I think it''s best you try out the clothes so I can make up my mind on what looks best?" Lucy said and despite his objection, she sat down as she waited for him to go try out the clothes.

    "You are so stubborn," Tom muttered as he took the clothes and walked over to the changing room.

    "I would like to have an outfit to go with whatever he gets," Lucy told the shop attendant once they were alone.

    "That won''t be a problem," the shop attendant assured her.

    Lucyughed and took photos of Tom each time I came out and struck a pose for her, and thirty minutester after he had tried out the outfits, they settled for a red checkered shirt and ck trousers with a pair of white sneakers and ck sunsses.

    "I look sort of different," Tom murmured as he took in his reflection in the mirror.

    "Yeah. More like Handy Tom without the earrings and nose ring. Excuse me for a moment. I need to use thedies," Lucy said before walking away, after signaling to their attendant to bring in her matching pair.

    "Hey, babe!" Lucy called with a grin when she returned a momentter and saw Tom busy on his face.

    Tom raised his head to look at her, and his lips curved in a smile when he realized she had changed into a simr outfit as his.

    The sales attendant grinned as she watched the couple starting at each other with a wide smile on their faces.

    "I figured we start checking our list. What do you think?" Lucy asked, but Tom said nothing as he rose and walked over to where she stood.

    Without caring that they had an audience he kissed her deeply, until she started giggling, "I guess you like it?"

    "I love it. Now I can''t wait to see all you''ve got nned out for the rest of the day," Tom said and Lucy handed her phone to the shop attendant to take photos of them.

 Chapter 729 You Won’t Lose Me

    Chapter 729 You Won��t Lose Me

    Sara pasted a happy smile on her face as she watched Crystal eat while they were having lunch together.

    Sara couldn''t help feeling happy and pleased with herself, knowing that her ns were falling into ce perfectly.

    Her rtionship with Crystal had improved greatly in thest couple of days since they''d been together, and she was very certain that after ying her next card, she would gain the girl''splete love and trust, which was what she needed for her n to seed.

    Crystal noticed from the corner of her eyes that Sara was staring at her, and she met her gaze and smiled, "This still feels like a dream to me," Crystal said, and Sara arched her perfectly carved brows.

    "What?" Sara asked, and Crystal waved her hands in a gesture that said everything.

    "Me being here. You being my mom. I still can''t believe that you are my mom, and we''re finally reunited. I never imagined I would ever meet my mother," Crystal said, and Sara smiled.

    "I always believed I would find my precious daughter someday, no matter how long it takes. You have no idea how happy I am to have found you. At some point, I thought you would be found when it was toote��" Sara stopped abruptly as though she had said something she wasn''t supposed to say, and Crystal looked at her with a curious frown.

    "What do you mean toote?" Crystal asked, wondering if it had been a slip of the tongue or one of Sara''s tricks as usual.

    Sara shook her head and forced a smile, "That''s not important right now. I will tell you about it some other time. Let''s eat up. We are expecting a visitor soon. There''s someone important I would like you to meet," Sara said, and Crystal raised a brow.

    "Who? Did you perhaps hook me up with someone?" Crystal asked with a teasing smile, and Sara chuckled.

    "Would you want me to hook you up with someone?" Sara asked, and Crystal giggled.

    "I was just kidding. So, who is this person you want me to meet? A rtive?" Crystal asked, and Sara frowned.

    "No. No rtives. You are the only family I''ve got. And don''t worry, when he gets here, you will know who he is. For now, let''s enjoy our meal," Sara said, making Crystal even more curious to know what Sara was up to.

    She couldn''t wait to see the so-called guest Sara had invited. If Sara was being this secretive about who the guest was, she was sure the guest was indeed someone important, and perhaps this was one of her many attempts to gain her trust.

    "Alright. If you say so," Crystal said before returning her attention to her meal.

    After they were done with lunch and the housekeeper was clearing the table, Sara turned to Crystal, "Can you help me get my medication from my bedroom?" Sara said, and Crystal raised a brow.

    "What medication? Are you ill?" She asked with false concern.

    "It''s nothing serious. You don''t have to worry. Please help me get the medication. It''s on top of the nightstand," Sara said, and Crystal looked like she wanted to say something but gave her a nod before going away to get it.

    Knowing how cunny Sara was, Crystal had no doubt in mind about the reason Sara wanted her to get the medications but wouldn''t say what was wrong with her.

    Sara most likely wanted her to see the medication and check them out on Google to know what was ailing her. That way, she would naturally want to know more, and if she were a ''good'' daughter, she would want to offer to donate her liver.

    Well, she knew Sara''s type, and she knew this game all too well and was more than ready to y it. But Sara would never get what she wanted from her.

    Once inside Sara''s bedroom, Crystal looked around the room since it was her first time there, and although she was tempted to go into the closet to find any piece of jewelry that she could steal, she decided to give it time before doing any of that.

    It wouldn''t be wise to steal anything on her first day in the room. It would make her the prime suspect, and maybe this was a trap set by Sara to see if she would steal. She would find another day toe into the room to take what she wanted. Crystal thought as she looked around once more to make sure there were no cameras in the room.

    Once she was sure there weren''t any, she nced at the nightstands on both sides of the bed, and when she saw the bottles of medications on top of the right drawer, she headed there, and just as she got there, she saw that the top drawer of the nightstand was open and a document was hanging out of it.

    Curious, she looked behind her and listened attentively to make sure no one wasing before she took out the document to check what it was.

    She raised a brow when she realized that it was Sara''s Will and Testament.

    Was it a coincidence that it just happened to be here hanging out of the drawer, or did Sara n for her to see it, hence she asked her to get the medication? Crystal mused with narrowed eyes as she skimmed through the Will.

    Although her name wasn''t on it, it was written that if Sara was dead before her missing daughter was found, then all she owned should be given to her daughter.

    Crystal was still reading when she heard the sound of approaching footsteps, so she quickly returned the Will to the drawer and shut it, then picked up the medications and pretended to be observing it as Sara opened the door.

    "What is taking you so long?" Sara asked as she walked into the room.

    Sara tried not to frown when she saw that Crystal was busy observing the medications instead of looking at the Will as she had wanted her to.

    Crystal looked at Sara and observed as Sara''s gaze moved to the drawer.

    From the look on Sara''s face, Crystal was very certain that Sara had wanted her to see the document; hence, she kept it there that way and sent her to the room.

    What did Sara stand to gain by making her see this? Love? Trust? Loyalty? Crystal mused.

    While Crystal was thinking that, Sara was wondering if Crystal had read through the Will or not, seeing how she had shut the previously open drawer.

    If she had seen it, wouldn''t she say something about it? Or was she scared that she was going to scold her for going through her documents?

    Or perhaps she had not seen it? If she had seen it, she wouldn''t be wasting her time staring at her medications to know what was wrong with her, would she?

    "I thought you said it wasn''t anything serious. Why are there so many medications? And don''t lie to me. These don''t look like they are vitamins or for minor ailments," Crystal said with a worried frown.

    "Really, it''s nothing��"

    "Stop telling me it''s nothing serious!" Crystal cut in.

    "I need to know exactly what is wrong with you. Why do you have all these medications? What did the doctor say? I need to know that I''m not going to lose you so soon. Not when I only just met you," Crystal said with teary eyes, and Sara smiled as she stepped forward and embraced Crystal.

    "Don''t worry, darling. You won''t lose me. I promise," Sara assured her as she patted her back.

    Of course, Crystal was never going to lose her. If anyone were going to lose someone, she would be the one losing Crystal, Sara thought with a smirk.

    If Sara thought she knew how to y games, then she was going to teach her that she was the master of games, Crystal thought with a smirk of her own.

    "You still haven''t told me what is wrong with you," Crystal said after they had broken the hug.

    "If you insist, I will tell you all about itter. For now, I need to take my medication, and we have to return to the living room. Our guest has arrived. That was the reason I came in here to get you. And I wanted to get this for our guest," Sara said as she opened the drawer and took out the Will.

    Crystal pretended not to know what it was as she walked out of the room with Sara, carrying the medications.

    Sara was very pleased with the way everything was going. What she wanted was within her reach now, and soon, very soon, she wouldn''t have to put up with the girl anymore.

    Pretending to smile so much all the time was straining her facial muscles, and she was tired of that. She couldn''t wait to get rid of the girl and return to her normal lifestyle.

    Away from there, Amy, Miley, and Malone, Miley''s contracted husband-to-be, all got ready to leave her hotel apartment for her parents'' home.

    They had carried out the embryo transfer procedure within the week and were waiting for the imntation to take ce so they could confirm that Amy was now pregnant.

    Now that everything was almost set, what was left was for Miley to take Malone home to introduce him to her parents so they could get married quickly. It was for this reason that they flew from Ludus to Heden the previous day.

    She wanted to get married as quickly as possible because her health was deteriorating by the day, and it was getting more difficult hiding it from Amy, whom she knew would report everything to her parents the moment she found out the current state of her health.

    She would tell her parents about her health after getting married. She could manage until then.

    "Are you alright?" Amy asked when she noticed that Miley seemed to be sweating profusely despite how cold the living room was.

    "Am I ever alright? My head aches as usual, and I feel sort of ufortable," Miley said weakly, and Malone, who was seated beside her, took her hand and kissed it.

    "Sorry, baby. Maybe you need to rest for a bit," he suggested, and Amy resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

    An outsider watching them would think he was such a wonderful and dutiful husband, but she was never going to see his actions as genuine, whether or not he meant them, since she knew he was being paid to be with her.

    As much as she was d that Miley had finally got what she wanted, a man who was willing to marry her and y husband for the right amount as well as donate his sperm, Amy just couldn''t bring herself to respect him.

    Miley smiled, "Thanks. I think I should take my medication, and then we can leave. I already informed my parents we areing, and we can''t keep them waiting," Miley said, and immediately Amy took out Miley''s pain medication from her handbag and handed it to her before going to get her a ss of water.

    She watched as Miley swallowed the pill, and then Miley shed her a smile, "I feel better now. Let''s go," Miley said as she tried to rise, and Malone rose immediately and gently assisted her in rising up alongside Amy, who was holding her hand.

    "You both can''t treat me this way in front of my parents, okay?" Miley said, and even as she spoke, her vision blurred, and she staggered on her feet, but thankfully, they were still holding her.

    Amy frowned, "Are you sure you''re alright? You don''t look good," Amy said, feeling very worried.

    "I''m fine. Let''s go," Miley said, and just as she took the first step, she felt like the room was spinning.

    "Amy," she called breathlessly just as her eyes rolled to the back of her head, and both Amy and Malone caught her as she copsed.

    At that moment, it dawned on Amy that she was about to be in a lot of trouble.

 Chapter 730 Sole Beneficiary

    Chapter 730 Sole Beneficiary

    As Sara and Crystal walked into the living room after she had taken her medication, Amos set aside his ss of wine and rose.

    "I''m very sorry we kept you waiting," Sara said apologetically while Crystal eyed Amos curiously.

    From the look of him she could easily tell that he was an attorney, and the fact that Sara had left the room carrying the Will testified to that.

    She wondered if he was a crook or a decent person. As far as she was concerned, only a crook could act as Sara''swyer. Why would a shady person like Sara want to hire a decent person?

    She highly doubted that the Will she had seen was real. She was just going to keep her eyes and ears sharp to see what these two had nned.

    While Crystal was thinking that, Amos was also watching and weighing her. He had taken his time to look into her beforeing here and he seen that she had quite a record, and had been arrested a couple of times for stealing and conning people.

    If he ever had any doubt that she was Sara''s daughter, all of it had cleared. Only someone like Sara could give birth to a thief and a con artist. She was a daughter that befitted Sara.

    From the smug look on Sara''s face, Amos was sure her ns were working out or so she thought. He wasn''t going to worry about her and her stupid ns.

    The sole reason he hade was to tidy up all loose ends before going into hiding. His first order of business was to handle the Will stuff Sara wanted him to handle, and then he wanted to inform her that he had found a girl for the Wilsons.

    Thest business he would handle for the day before disappearing would be with Crystal.

    He didn''t want to be here when Thomas Hank and Harry Jonases for Sara as he knew they would.

    "It''s not a problem," Amos said as he waited for Sara to do the introductions.

    "Amos, this is my daughter, Crystal. The reason I invited you over today. Crystal, this is Amos, my attorney," Sara said and Amos extended a hand to Crystal for a handshake.

    "It''s nice to finally meet you," Amos said and Crystal smiled politely as she shook hands with him.

    After the small talk, all three of them sat down, and Sara handed the Will to Amos, "Here it is. I suppose you brought the revised Will with you?" Sara asked and Amos nodded as he opened his briefcase and took out a copy of Sara''s Will.

    "Yes. Here it is," he said as he extended it to her and Sara took it, while Crystal watched them, wondering what they were ying at this time.

    Sara nodded with approval as she read through it to see that he had amended the Will and put in Crystal''s name as she had asked him to. She knew this would make it more believable.

    At first she had simply wanted a Will with Crystal''s name on it but after thinking about it, it had urred to her that Crystal would believe her more if she first saw a backdated Will that mentioned her existence before they got reunited.

    "I suppose you are wondering why my attorney is here and why I wanted you to meet him," Sara said and Crystal nodded.

    "Well, I''m trying to put my estate in order��"

    "Your estate? What do you mean?" Crystal asked, pretending to be entirely clueless.

    "While I was still searching for you, I had my Will drawn up with you as my sole beneficiary, and now that I''ve found you I wanted changes to be done to that effect with your name on it," Sara exined and Crystal couldn''t help but wonder if this was a test.

    "Why are you drawing up your Will already? Is this about these medications you are taking?" Crystal asked with concern, while Amos watched her, wondering whether or not her concern was genuine.

    Thest thing he wanted was to try to help her and end up getting himself in more trouble than he already was if she decided to tell Sara everything.

    "Yes, it is rted to that, and I will tell you all about it after Amos leaves. I wanted you to meet with him and for him to know you so that the whole process would be easy when I''m no more��."

    "Please don''t talk about your death so casually," Crystal said, cutting Sara off with a sad face and Sara smiled.

    "Why don''t you go through the Will and see if there is anything you are not clear on before Amos leaves," Sara suggested since it seemed like Crystal wasn''t curious about it.

    Crystal reluctantly took the Will from Sara and as she read through the Will, both Sara and Amos watched her closely.

    No matter how hard Crystal thought about it, she just couldn''t figure out what Sara hoped to achieve by doing all of this. It all seemed really foolish to her that Sara would go to such unnecessary length to win her trust.

    Or was there any chance that the Will might actually be real? Crystal mused as she scanned the document wondering how best to know if it was real or not. Was Amos even a real attorney or a phony? Crystal wondered as she nced at Amos from the corners of her eye.

    "Sara," Crystal called with a stunned expression on her face and tears in her eyes as she looked at Sara.

    Sara smiled, "Do you have any questions?" Sara asked and Crystal nodded her head and swallowed as if she had a lump on her throat.

    "Why? I don''t understand why you are doing this��"

    "Let''s not keep Amos. I will answer your questionter," Sara said before turning to Amos.

    "Thanks for making out time toe do this, Amos. I really appreciate this. And I''m sorry for calling you out on a weekend when you should be rxing at home with your family," Sara said and Amos smiled at her politely.

    "It''s not a problem," Amos said as he rose and both Crystal and Sara rose as well.

    "Here. This is my card. You can give me a call if there is anything you need to know," Amos said as he handed Crystal his card and she held his gaze for a moment before taking it from him.

    "I will like to have a word with you alone before I leave," Amos said and Sara nodded.

    "Of course," Sara said and turned to Crystal.

    "Why don''t you hold on to this while I see Amos off?" She asked and Crystal gave her a nod and watched as they walked away.

    "So? What do you want to talk about?" Sara asked once they were out of earshot.

    "I got a girl to act as Wilson''s niece," he said and Sara smiled.

    "You did? Good job!" Sara said with approval, "So, what story are you people going by?" Sara asked with interest and Amos shrugged.

    "The girl in question is terminally ill, and her family is in debt due to her hospital expenses. I offered to take care of their debt and also take care of her medical expenses until her death. I figured that this way, he doesn''t have to worry about killing herter, and this also takes care of everything. He could easily say he helped her find her real family and has been taking care of her and her family all these years," Amos exined and Sara raised a brow.

    "Is her family in on this too?" She asked, and he nodded.

    "Of course," he said and she beamed a happy smile.

    "Brilliant! Perfect! You see? There is always a way," Sara said with a smirk.

    "Yeah. By the way, I will be going on a vacation with my family tomorrow so you might not be able to reach me for some time," Amos said casually so she wouldn''t suspect anything.

    "You deserve it after all the stress you have been throughtely. I will send some money to you. You should have fun while at it," she said and Amos smiled.

    "Thank you," he said as he unlocked his car and got into it.

    "By the way, what do you think about the girl?" She asked and Amos raised a brow.

    "Your daughter?" He asked, and she shuddered.

    "Christ! Don''t call her that. But yes, Crystal. What do you think about her?" Sara asked, as she thought about the incident in her bedroom once again wondering whether or not Crystal had seen the Will.

    Was it really possible that she shut the drawer without checking to see what was written on the document? If she had seen it, why act like she had not seen it? Was Crystal ying a game? Sara mused.

    Amos shrugged, "I think she is like you in a lot of ways. Why are you asking though? Have you changed your mind about getting rid of her?" Amos asked and Sara raised a brow.

    "Why would I change my mind about that? Before the end of the week I n to have the transnt and get rid of her," Sara said and then sighed, "There is just something about her I can''t seem to figure out," Sara said with furrowed brows.

    "I''m sure you will figure it out eventually. I wish you good luck with the transnt and everything else," Amos said as he started his car, and Sara stepped aside for him to leave.

    "Thanks. Have fun on your vacation. By the time you get back we will be celebrating," Sara said and Amos gave her a nod before driving off.

    As far as he was concerned, he was done with Sara. He was going to get the Hanks and Harry off his back by sending them a message containing all he knew regarding Sara, and he would tell Harry about his sister, and what his mother nned to do to her.

    After that he would disappear and hope the wouldn''t try to find him and his family. He had already asked his family to leave the country ahead of him while he concluded his unfinished businesses. He wanted a fresh start.

    Inside the house, Crystal kept staring at the card which Amos had left her after checking out hisw firm on the inte. So, he was a realwyer working in such a big firm.

    What was that she had seen in his eyes when he gave her the card? It had seemed like he was silently asking her to give him a call. Or was she mistaken? She mused.

    The moment she heard Sara''s approaching footsteps she wore a solemn expression as she looked up, "Sara," she called softly once Sara came into view.

    "Yes, darling?" Sara asked as she went to sit down on the couch beside her.

    "What is the matter with your health?" Crystal asked and Sara sighed.

    "I was hoping I wouldn''t have to burden you with this," Sara said and Crystal took her hand.

    "I''m your daughter, and you are my mother. It''s not a burden to tell me if something is wrong with you. That is why we have each other," Crystal said and Sara nodded.

    "I guess so," she said, and took a deep breath, wanting to give the impression that she was struggling to say it.

    "Go on," Crystal urged her.

    "It is my liver. It is damaged. I''ve been managing my condition for years, buttely my health is deteriorating and I am afraid we might not have much time left to be together," Sara said with tears in her eyes.

    "What? You''re dying? Please don''t tell me you''re dying when we only just reunited," Crystal cried.

    "I''m sorry my darling daughter. I''m so sorry I have to leave you so soon only when I just found you," Sara cried they embraced each other as they cried.

    "I''m grateful that I found you before I died," Sara said as she cried softly and Crystal rolled her eyes before pulling away.

    "Is there nothing that can be done? How about a transnt? Can''t you get a transnt?" Crystal asked as she looked at Sara.

    Sara''s heart leapt for joy but she maintained a hopeless expression, "I''ve given up all hope of having a transnt already. I have been on the waiting list for years and finding a match is not so easy with my blood type," Sara said and knowing her game Crystal took her hand.

    "Let''s not give up hope yet. I don''t care about being your sole beneficiary or anything. Your money is not as important to me as having you in my life. Having my mother in my life is what I need not money. Why don''t we find out if I am a match and I can donate a part of my liver to you? It is possible to donate a part of it, right?" Crystal asked and Sara shook her head.

    "Yes, it is possible, but I can''t let you do that. It''s too risky," Sara said, and Crystal rolled her eyes inwardly.

    She was only offering because first of all she knew she wasn''t a match and there was no way her liver was going to be useful to Sara. Secondly, she was trying to y along with Sara to see where this game was headed. And finally, she was making this offer voluntarily so that Sara won''t have to drug her or hurt her to take her to the hospital only to find out she wasn''t a match.

    Although Harry had assured her that something like that would never happen as they would always be watching Sara, but she couldn''t be too sure. She wouldn''t take such a risk with her life by trusting them. She had learned early in life never to trust anyone.

    "I don''t mind taking on any risks as long as it is for you. I never had any real family all my life, and now that you are here, you mean the world to me and I will do anything to keep you by my side for as long as I can," Crystal promised, and for some unknown reason, Sara was touched.

    She had expected that Crystal would be more interested in the Will now than in knowing about her health, but seeing how sincere her concern for her health was, she was touched to know that Crystal valued her over money. Not that it was going to change anything anyway.

    "That''s such a sweet thing to say. Thank you," Sara said and Crystal gave her a nod.

    "So, why don''t you book an appointment with your doctor and we can go see him together?" Crystal asked and Sara nodded.

    "Alright. I will do that. For now I need to take a nap. I''m feeling very exhausted," Sara said and Crystal rose with her.

    As Sara headed for her bedroom she smiled. She was d that Crystal had willingly offered to go to the hospital with her. She had been worried about how to get her there.

    All she had to do now was take Crystal there under the guise of getting tested, and the rest would be left up to the research doctors.

    She had sent some money to research institute to aid their research and also to show the doctor how serious she was about the transnt as he had offered to carry out the procedure if she had a donor.

    In a very short time now, it would be done. She will get a new liver to live by for the next couple of years while the research institute worked on getting a cure so that if ever the new liver gets damaged again, there would be a cure for her by then.

    Once she got to her bedroom, she sent some money to Amos'' ount as she had promised for his vacation.

    He deserved a reward. He had done such a good job thus far despite his initial mistake of getting Jade Hank involved.

    Thinking about Jade, she scoffed as she remembered what Amos had said about theming for her.

    If ever they decided toe for her, she would be long done with everything already and they wouldn''t have any evidence to use against her.

    What case did they have against her if Harry''s twin sister was nonexistent? Sara thought as she rxed on her bed with a smile on her face and she apuded herself for being so smart to use a single stone to kill two birds; Getting a liver and getting rid of the living proof of what happened twenty-eight years ago.

 Chapter 731 Reasonable Solution

    Chapter 731 Reasonable Solution

    Kimberly''s brows were pulled together in a worried frown as she paced around her bedroom while thinking about what to do about Desmond''s threat.

    She had no doubt that Desmond had made that call because Tom had told him she was behind the scandal.

    She had been unable to sleep all night until the early hours of the morning because she had been so worried about not knowing how Dawn was doing, especially now that her ns had been exposed and she didn''t know how Lucy would treat Dawn now that she knew what she had done.

    From all she had heard about Desmond from Lawrence, she knew that Desmond wasn''t the type to bluff, and that he would really send Dawn over alone if she didn''t go there to pick Dawn up herself.

    What was she going to do? She asked herself for what seemed like the hundredth time since she received the call from Desmond.

    If only she had not agreed to the prank when Lawrence suggested it. If only she had not pulled such a stupid stunt about her marriage to Tom, then none of this would have happened.

    What had she been thinking? How could she have done something so stupid? Now see what she had done to herself and her daughter.

    Just what could she do to get her father to ept Dawn so that she coulde back home to her? Kimberly mused as she paced.

    How was she to even bring up what Desmond had said to her before her parents when her father, who was the reason she had left Dawn at Heden, was still very mad at her and still didn''t want to speak of Dawn or hear her name.

    Could she afford to disobey her father and go get Dawn? She asked herself and then frowned.

    Dawn was her daughter and needed her protection.

    What if something happened to Dawn simply because she was scared of being disowned by her father? Could she stand that?

    No, she couldn''t. She could never live with herself if anything happened to her daughter simply because she was scared of being cut off by her father.

    She would not forgive her father either if anything happened to Dawn simply because he was being unreasonable. She agreed that she had been wrong to have lied to them, but Dawn did nothing wrong.

    Dawn was innocent and if there was anyone he should be saying he didn''t want to see, it should be her not Dawn.

    She knew how much her father adored Dawn, so maybe if she told him what Desmond had said, it would make him soften a bit and ask her to go get Dawn. She could even offer to stay away from his sight with Dawn until he was ready to forgive her and ept them both, but until then she didn''t want her daughter to be alone with people who didn''t care about her.

    If her father refused to let her go, then she was just going to damn the consequence and take responsibility for her child since there was no other way, Kimberly decided as she headed for the bathroom to freshen up.

    Immediately she was dressed, she walked out of her bedroom and headed for the living room, but only her mother was there sipping from a ss of fruit juice as she watched a soap opera, "Where is Dad?" Kimberly asked and when her mother saw her, she raised a brow.

    "He went out to y golf. Why didn''t youe down for breakfast?"

    "We agreed that I stay out of his sight until he calms down, didn''t we?" She asked and her mother looked at her with interest.

    "So why are you here now? And why are you asking for him?"

    "I need to talk to him. The both of you. Maybe it''s best I talk to you first before talking to him," Kimberly said as she sat down beside her mother.

    "What is wrong?" Her mother asked when she noticed the worry lines on her face.

    "It''s about Dawn."

    "What about her? Is she okay?" Her mother asked with concern.

    "I received a call from the Hanks. They found out I was behind the scandal. They want me toe get Dawn immediately and threatened that if I fail to show up on or before Lawrence''s funeral they would send her down alone...."

    "Is that why you look so worried? It''s just a threat. No one would do something like that. Besides, Dawn is part of their family so they should be able to take care of her with or without you," her mother said, not bothering to say anything about the scandal since she had already told Kimberly that it was foolish of her to do such a thing in the first ce.

    "I''m her mother, for crying out loud! And Dawn is part of this family too. I don''t see why they would want to take care of her if my own parents don''t even want to see her," Kimberly snapped angrily, and her mother raised a brow.

    "Watch your tone, youngdy! It''s no one''s fault but yours that all of this is happening!" Her mother hissed and Kimberly rose, feeling frustrated.

    "I ept that! I know that I''mpletely at fault here, but that doesn''t mean I should abandon my own child!" Kimberly cried as tears fell from her eyes.

    "No one is asking you to abandon Dawn. It''s just that your father is upset right now. I''m sure he would ask you to bring her back once he''s calm. Until then, shouldn''t the Hanks at least look after her while you handle your business? Isn''t this all happening because Lawrence chose to stick his manhood where it had no business being? They should be able to take responsibility for what Lawrence did," Kimberly''s mother said, and Kimberly sighed wearily.

    "They were doing that already. They were the ones who offered to look after Dawn while I handle my business. They are not bad people, Mom. They are only reacting this way because of what I did. And that''s why they don''t want anything to do with me or Dawn anymore. I have to go get Dawn, mom. I don''t want her to suffer any more than is necessary because of my thoughtless actions," Kimberly said, and her mother shook her head.

    "If they are not bad people as you im, then there is no way they will send a three years old kid alone. It''s just a threat and nothing more, believe me��."

    "I can''t take that chance, mom!" Kimberly cut in.

    "You will have to. We both know she can''t stay here and you can''t travel to go get her either. Right now the news is everywhere that you had a child for Lawrence and your father is feeling pretty embarassed and humiliated enough. Do you have any idea how all of this has affected thepany stocks? Why do you think he went to y golf? He is trying to do damage control by acting like everything is fine so that it will pass quickly. How is that going to happen if you''re spotted with the Hanks? Your father is still very upset, and if you so much as make this worse than it is already he won''t hesitate to cut you off. You know your father. I suggest you don''t go...."

    "Are you asking me to choose between my father and my daughter right now?" Kimberly cut in, looking at her mother incredulously.

    "Are you forgetting that you are my daughter? I''m looking out for you the same way you are looking out for Dawn��"

    "No, it''s not the same! If you love me as your daughter then you''d love Dawn as your granddaughter and you won''t be okay with her being so far away from us right now!" Kimberly cut her off angrily.

    "We can always find a way around this, but I won''t let you get disowned," her mother said, and Kimberly shook her head.

    "What other way can there be? You know what? I will just go take her and stay far away from you and Dad so that I won''t bring any more disgr...."

    "No. I can''t let you do that. Besides, how do you n to take care of yourself and Dawn if your father decides to cut you off and have your ounts frozen? Cause trust me, he will do that. Do you think you would be able take good care of Dawn if you get disowned?" her mother asked, and tears rolled down Kimberly''s face.

    "What then do you expect me to do? I can''t just abandon my daughter or have her travel down here alone like she''s an orphan. What if something happens or she gets kidnapped? What if...."

    "Nothing of such will happen. We will send someone over to get her..."

    "And then what? Dad doesn''t want her here," Kimberly cut in before her mother could finish, and her mother sighed.

    "I never said we would bring her here," She said, and Kimberly frowned.

    "What do you mean by that?" Kimberly asked, looking at her mother with a confused frown.

    "Come sit down," her mother said, patting the space beside her, and Kimberly went to sit down near her.

    "We can send someone over there to get her and then send her over to a boarding school or...."

    "Mom! Dawn is only three! She hasn''t even been to a regr school yet, so how can you talk about a boarding school?" Kimberly asked with a shake of her head as she rose again.

    There was absolutely no way she was going to send her baby to a boarding school.

    "Listen to me, Kim. I understand you''re worried about her, I am too, but I can''t let you make any decision that you would end up regretting. As much as I understand you, I don''t want you getting disowned, so I''m also looking out for my daughter the same way you''re looking out for yours. This is the best way we can all be fine; you, Dawn, your father, and I. Sending her to a boarding school is the best option for you and her right now until everything settles..."

    "But mom..."

    "I will keep trying to talk to your father, I promise. The moment your dad calms down we can bring her back home. Think about it, Kim, there is no reason to go against your father when there is a way. You get to visit her as often as you can too. We won''t take her somewhere too far away. That way I can see her too," Her mother said, and Kimberly paused as another idea hit her and she sat down once again.

    "What if I get an apartment for her instead? Her governess could live with her and I will employ a couple of housekeepers to also watch over her. That way I can spend quality time with her whenever I visit and some times spend the night with her too," Kimberly said thinking that by the time her father finally forgave her and epted Dawn back, she would move out of her parents house and she and Dawn would live alone then.

    "That could work too. But I chose a boarding school because I think it''s time for her to start socializing with kids her age."

    "She can go to a regr school from the apartment. I can get a driver to take her to and back from school. It doesn''t have to be a boarding school," Kimberly said and her mother nodded.

    "True. I can ask your father to let you do that," Her mother said, and Kimberly looked at her hopefully.

    "You think he would agree to that?" She asked and her mother smiled.

    "I will have to make him agree to that much. If he doesn''t want to see Dawn yet, that is fine. But he shouldn''t stop you or me from seeing her," she said confidently and Kimberly embraced her.

    "Thank you, mom. And I''m sorry for causing all this trouble. I really am," Kimberly said and her mother smiled as she pulled away to hold her gaze.

    "You never caused any problems growing up so I guess you decided to cause enough problem now to make up for all of it," she joked, and Kimberlyughed.

    "How can you joke about this?" Kimberly asked and her mother smiled.

    "Because I want to see a smile on my daughter''s face. You messed up, but it''s not the end of the world. Don''t worry, everything will be okay. And I will give the Hanks a call to apologize on your behalf and I will let them know we will be sending someone over to get Dawn. I don''t want youmunicating with them anymore. You''ve caused enough trouble already," her mother said and Kimberly sighed.

    "I doubt they would want to hear from me anyway. You can handle things with them while I take care of getting a suitable ce for Dawn to stay. Let''s send her governess over to get her," Kimberly said as she rose, relieved by this solution.

    She was going to find a way to get her apology across to Lucy and then she would move on and forget all about the Hanks. She didn''t need them or their money to help her take care of Dawn.

 Chapter 732 The Will Is Real

    Chapter 732 The Will Is Real

    Crystal paced around her bedroom as she contemted whether or not she could trust Sara''swyer and give him a call to confirm if the Will was legit.

    He has looked like be wanted her to call him, or was it Sara''s n? She mused as she bit the fingernail on her left thumb.

    Call or not call? She mused, and after a moment she decided that life was all about taking risks, and the bigger the risk, the greater the reward.

    Although she hadn''t anticipated this when she took up the job, but if it was true that Sara had made her the sole beneficiary of her Will, then she had toe up with a n to secure it.

    Harry didn''t have to know about this. If she confirmed that she truly stood a chance to inherit Sara''s wealth, she could easily get rid of Sara, get her remaining money from Harry, and then transfer all of Sara''s assets to herself before absconding, Crystal thought with a smirk.

    Without wasting more time thinking about it, Crystal picked up her phone and dialed Amos'' line.

    "Hello! This is..."

    "This is Sara''s daughter, Crystal," Crystal interrupted.

    "Oh!" Amos eximed, d that she had called as he had hoped she would.

    "Yeah. I figured I should give you a call so you would have my number too, since you didn''t ask for it," Crystal said easily.

    "That is nice of you," Amos said, and waited to see if she would say anything else while Crystal also waited to see if he would speak.

    After some seconds, Crystal cleared her throat, "Uhm, if you don''t mind me asking, how long have you been working for Sara?" Crystal asked as she resumed pacing.

    She needed to determine how loyal he was to Sara before saying anything that might give her away.

    "It has been years. I''ve known her for twenty-eight years. I met her while she was pregnant. But I only started working for her recently while she was trying to find you," Amos exined since the first time he had met Sara, he wasn''t herwyer and then she had left the country and had only returned now to find her daughter.

    "Oh, I see," Crystal said, thinking that if he had only recently just started working for Sara then he might not be all that loyal to her after all.

    "If you don''t mind me asking, don''t you think she has another attorney? I mean someone like her can''t possibly have not had an attorney all these years. I''m just curious to know why you are the one who drafted her Will when you haven''t been her Lawyer all these years and you possibly don''t know about the other properties she owns over there," Crystal said easily and Amos'' lips twitched in amusement.

    Sara had definitely given birth to her own kind. He could hear the greed in her voice despite her attempt to hide it.

    "The Will is real," Amos said, knowing that was what she really wanted to know.

    "I don''t care about her money��"

    "Are you sure you don''t?" Amos asked, and Crystal narrowed her eyes.

    "What do you mean?" She asked and Amos nced at his wristwatch since he was pressed for time.

    He had a ne to catch in an hour and he needed to make a couple of calls before disappearing.

    "Don''t y games with me, Crystal. I want to help you, but if you''re going to waste my time by ying games, then we shouldn''t be talking," Amos said firmly since he had nothing to lose whether or not she chose to tell Sara what he had said.

    He would be long gone before Sara would find him, since she had no idea where he was going with his family.

    Crystal paused her lips, should she trust him or not? Was this a trap?

    "Help me? What do you mean?" Crystal asked with interest.

    "Your mother isn''t who she ims to be. She wanted me to draft out a fake Will but she doesn''t know that Will is real. She ns to kill you after harvesting your liver��."

    "Wait! What?" Crystal eximed, acting like she didn''t already know it.

    "How can you say that about your own client?" Crystal asked and Amos shook her head.

    "I guess we have no business together. Have a nice da��"

    "Wait! What do you want? Why are you telling me this?" Crystal cut in before he could hang up, wanting to know if he was telling her this because he wanted something from her.

    "Because I would hate to see Sara do that. I might be corrupt in my own way, but I don''t want any blood on my hands. I don''t want to be a part of her crimes. You have the Will already, so you can do with it what you want. Also I don''t know what she might have told you, but you should know that your father is alive and you have a twin brother. Your father''s name is Aaron Jonas, and your brother''s name is Harry Jonas. I will send you someone''s number and she will help you get in touch with them��."

    "What am I to do with all these information?" Crystal asked with false confusion.

    "Do with it what you want. If you want to be safe, I suggest you reach out to your father and brother. And no matter what you do, do not trust Sara. She doesn''t have good intentions for you. This might be thest time you hear from me. I''ve told you all I know. Do well to tell your twin brother that I saved your life by telling you all this," Amos said, hoping that would be enough reason for them not toe after him.

    "Why thest time? Are you going somewhere? How do I get to own all these if something happens to Sara and you''re not here? Where are you going?" Crystal asked with a frown.

    "Take myplimentary card to thew firm, and you will be directed to someone why will handle it," Amos assured her.

    "Aren''t you scared that I might tell Sara all you have told me?" Crystal asked with interest.

    "Do what you want with the information I have given you. I have nothing to lose, but I can''t say the same for you."

    "I don''t know what to say. Thanks for telling me all this. I''m very grateful," Crystal said and Amos nodded.

    "If you are grateful, then make sure you stay alive and don''t die by Sara''s hands," Amos said, thinking about how much mess he would be in if Sara killed Crystal and Harry and Thomas Hank decided to find him because they believed he was part of it.

    Amos nced at his phone when it beeped with an awaiting call notification from Wilson Peterson.

    "I wish you goodluck. I hope you don''t forget what I''ve done for you. Put in a good word for me when you meet your brother," Amos said before hanging up to receive Wilson''s call.

    Once the call ended, Crystal smiled. From the sound of things, Amos was really being honest with her. It didn''t seem like he was on Sara''s side one bit.

    If the Will was real, then all she had to do now was kill Sara. She didn''t have to report any of this to Harry.

    Harry was wealthy after all, and she was certain that neither Harry nor his sister needed Sara''s money. She needed it more than them, and since she was taking so much risk by doing this job for them, it was only right that she reaped the benefit too.

    All she had to do now was find a very natural way to kill Sara. She would take out Sara before Sara had a chance to do anything to her, Crystal decided.

 Chapter 733 Who Are You?

    Chapter 733 Who Are You?

    After the phone call with Crystal, Amos decided to return Wilson''s call.

    "Amos, where are you? Are you not joining us for the interview?" Wilson asked as he tugged on his tie anxiously.

    Ever since the rumors of him murdering his brother and sister-inw, and taking away everything from their adopted daughter and abandoning her hit the inte, he had been on heat from all sides, most especially his political party members who were asking him to withdraw from the race.

    Now that they had gotten the sick girl to act as his niece, they had less than thirty minutes before the interview at the hospital, and he expected Amos to be with them and testify as thewyer who was in charge of his brother''s property, who could prove that the girl had been well taken care of all these years.

    "Joining you for the interview? Am I supposed to?" Amos asked with a raised brow.

    "What do you mean? I thought we agreed��"

    "No, I didn''t agree to do anything with you. I''m on my way out of the country on a vacation with my family," Amos said and Wilson frowned.

    "We agreed that you would join us for the interview. That was the reason we allowed you find a girl over there in Varis instead of Heden where we live. I and my family flew down to Varis from Heden for this interview, and you''re telling me you won''t be with us?" Wilson asked incredulously.

    "All these years when you were swimming in wealth not once did you think of me or call me, but the moment trouble came knocking, you remembered me. I have done my best for you, so please leave me out of this now," Amos said, and hung up the call before Wilson could say anything else.

    He took a deep breath as he contemted whether or not to give Jade a call and after a moment he decided to call her and clear the air with her before getting rid of his phone and disappearing.

    Away from there, Wilson turned to face his wife and daughter who were waiting for him to give the go ahead so they could all head to the girl''s hospital room.

    "What is wrong?" His wife, Emilia, asked when she noticed the worry in his eyes.

    "Amos is not joining us," he said and her brows drew together.

    "Did he say why?" She asked while Rachel sped her hands together.

    "I knew this was a bad idea. I knew this��"

    "Will you shut your filthy mouth! We are in this mess because of you! If only you didn''t act like a stupid brat, the Hanks wouldn''t have targeted me," Wilson roared at her angrily, not minding that they were standing in the car park and anyone could hear them.

    "You can''t be so sure that it''s the Hanks or that this is happening because of something I did. It could be your political opponents targeting you. And I''m not the one who asked you to abandon your niece," Rachel retorted and immediately her father raised his hand to hit her, but her mother quickly held him back.

    "You can''t lose your temper right now. We are in public. Don''t add more to this mess. And you, shut your mouth!" Emilia hissed at Rachel while patting her husband''s arm.

    "It is almost time. We should go in now," Wilson''s political aide advised, ignoring the family''s drama.

    Wilson took a deep breath, "I think we should pull the plug on this. I have a bad feeling about this. Why did Amos suddenly decide to not show up?" Wilson asked and his aide shook his head.

    "I don''t think we should do that. The reporters we invited are here already. Besides, I already confirmed that thewyer spoke with the girl and her family and has taken care of her hospital bills as agreed," his political aide said.

    "Let''s not overthink this and go ahead with our n. Amos probably doesn''t want to get involved in this scandal for his reputation sake," Emilia said and Wilson sighed.

    "That makes sense. Are the reporters on standby?" Wilson asked and his aide gave him a nod.

    "Let''s go in then. The sooner we resolve this scandal, the better for us," he said as he adjusted his suit jacket and then led the way to the hospital.

    There was a swarm of reporters at the lobby of the hospital and the moment they saw Wilson and his family they rushed to them.

    Because of how confident Wilson had been in his n, he had randomly invited reporters from the different news stations which had most published news about the rumors so that the same papers would prove his innocence.

    "Why are you here?" One of the reporters asked, since Wilson''s aide had told them if they wanted to know the truth about the rumors they shoulde to the hospital by noon.

    Wilson stopped in front of them to address the reporters, "I have been silent concerning the rumors all this while because of how devastated and traumatized it made it. It''s appalling to know that someone somewhere cooked up such a malicious rumor about me murdering my own brother and sister-inw. And it didn''t stop at that. I was used of abandoning their adopted daughter and taking all that belonged to her," Wilson said with a downcast expression, and his wife patted his shoulder in silent support.

    "I didn''t want to do this. I didn''t want to expose my niece and her family to the public but now that I have the go ahead from them, I have decided to prove to everyone that I am innocent of the allegations and that someone out there is trying to tarnish my image," Wilson finished and his wife nodded.

    "Contrary to what the rumors said, I didn''t abandon my niece. After the demise of my brother and his wife, I did all that was in my power to help her find her biological parents and I reunited them. I gave her all that was meant for her ording to myte brother''s Will, and she has been with her family ever since. We have also been in closemunication over the years. Unfortunately, some years ago she fell ill and I''ve been taking care of medical expenses since then," Wilson said and then let his aide lead the way to the girl''s private ward which he had asked she be moved to.

    A short whileter they all walked into the hospital room where a pale youngdy was lying down on the bed with an oxygen mask on her face, and her parents standing beside her bed.

    The reporters all gathered on one side of the room, with their cameras, ready to capture everything.

    "How is my darling girl doing today?" Emilia cooed as she hurried to the bed, acting like she was familiar with the family.

    "Hey, cousin! Missed me?" Rachel asked, ying her part as she also joined her mother.

    "Cousin? Who are you?" The sick girl''s mother asked, startling them.

    Wilson nced at his aide immediately wondering if they were in the wrong room.

    "Don''t you know who he is?"

    "Isn''t he your daughter''s uncle?" The reporters asked, each throwing a series of question at a time.

    "No, we don''t know him. We have never met him," the girl''s father said and Wilson frowned as he looked at his aide again, wondering if they were in the wrong ce.

    Wilson''s aide stepped forward with a stiff smile, "There seems to be a misunderstanding here. I will sort it out," Wilson''s aide said to the reporters as he turned to thedy.

    "Ma''am, is there a problem? I met with you earlier, remember?" He asked as though he was talking to a child.

    "Yes, you met with us earlier after sending the other man to ask us to act like our daughter is your boss'' niece and in exchange you would take care of our debts and settle our hospital bill. We decided that we don''t need your help after all," thedy said as she took a bag out from under the bed which contained some money.

    "What are you talking about?" Emilia asked in dismay while Rachel hid her face from the cameras as she slowly moved out of view.

    Ignoring Emilia, the woman turned to a stunned Wilson, "This is the money the other man you sent paid to the hospital. We don''t need it. Someone else took care of our hospital bill and debts already, and he said we should tell you that he knows where your niece is and soon she wille to get all that belongs to her," the woman said.

    "No! It''s all a lie! It''s not true! They are trying to tarnish my husband''s image. They''ve been paid to turn against us!" Emilia cried even as her husband staggered back on his feet.

    "He said you would say that, and to prove to you how much he knows about your niece, we should ask if you know who Sara Walker is," the girl''s father said, and on hearing that, Wilson slumped and all the cameras focused on him while Rachel immediately snuck out of the ce, leaving her mother and her father''s aide to deal with the situation.

    It was obvious that this was the end for her father, and she didn''t want to wait around to see what would happen next.

    His political career was over already, and after all the shame she had been enduring in thest couple of days since the rumors began to circte, she couldn''t afford to hang around anymore now that things were this way, especially when she knew he was going to keep ming her for it because he believed the Hanks were behind it.

    Had she known she wouldn''t havee here with her parents to do this nonsense. Now her face would also be all over the news. How embarrassing!

    It was the end for her father, but it didn''t have to be the end for her too. She would just do what Anita did, and disappear as well.

 Chapter 734 Tom’s Queen

    Chapter 734 Tom��s Queen

    Instead of taking a cab, Lucy decided that they walk down to her home since it was only a short distance away from the mall, and since they were both wearingfortable shoes, there was no need for a cab.

    While Tom carried the bag containing the clothes they had taken off at the clothes shop with his right hand, he held Lucy''s right hand in his left as they walked together.

    "Do you realize we''ve never really taken a stroll together?" Lucy asked, and Tom thought about it for a moment.

    "You are right. Well, there is hardly time to take strolls with all that has been happening," Tom said, and Lucy nodded.

    "I hope things change in the near future and we have more time to do such little things," Lucy said, and Tom smiled.

    "Sure. Don''t worry, soon we will have all the time we need to do whatever we want. And if you want us to jog to the office from either of our ces, we will do it," Tom joked, and Lucy giggled.

    "See that bookstore over there? A bakery used to be attached to it. You could read books for free while dining there. An old couple used to run the ce. It was called the Perkins Store. Mrs Perkins made the absolute best muffins," Lucy said, pointing to the building.

    "Really?" Tom asked conversationally to encourage her chattiness.

    "Yeah. We used to go there a lot. The three of us. Sonia, Lucas, and me. Sonia had always been a fan of novels. She sort of made me start reading novels. We would go there on our way back from school and hide in a corner to read romance novels when we didn''t have enough money to buy any snacks, and each time Mrs Perkins caught us, she would give us muffins. She always made some extras for us," Lucy said with a grin.

    "I guess that was before the incident?" Tom asked, and Lucy nodded.

    "Yeah. Why?"

    "I thought your family moved away from this neighborhood after the incident?" Tom asked, and she smiled.

    "It''s not the same house. The ce we lived before was not that far from here, so we often passed through this route on our way from school. Uncle Brown helped us find this house," Lucy exined, and Tom nodded.

    "So what happened to the old couple? Did they relocate, or did the business crash because Mrs Perkins was giving too many freebies?" Tom asked, returning to the subject.

    Lucy shook her head, "No. Mr Perkins died, and Mrs Perkins just couldn''t stand it, so she packed up and left," Lucy exined sadly.

    "We were all so sad when she moved away. We helped her pack. She even gifted us some books before selling off the others," Lucy said with a nostalgic sigh.

    "Did Lucas read romance novels too?" Tom asked, and Lucy giggled as she shook her head.

    "Nah. He readics and books like Harry Porter, Star Wars, and stuff," she said, and Tom nodded.

    "That''s more like it," he said, and she raised a brow.

    "Why? What''s wrong with him reading romance novels?" Lucy asked, and Tom shrugged.

    "I don''t know. It''s not like anything is wrong with it. It''s just that it''s more of a feminine thing," Tom said, and Lucy shook her head.

    "Guys."

    "So, what else did you like to do?" Tom asked not only because he wanted to continue the conversation but because he was curious to know more about her childhood that didn''t revolve around her trauma.

    He wanted her to remember the pleasant aspects of growing up and to also enjoy those memories with her.

    Lucy smiled as she thought about it, "I loved skipping and skating. Did I tell you I was a cheerleader in high school? Sonia and I," Lucy asked, and Tom stopped in his tracks to look at her.

    "You?" He asked in disbelief, and she giggled.

    "Why do you look so surprised? Because I''m not blonde or brte?" Lucy asked, and Tom shook his head.

    "We both know that''s not it. You just don''t seem like the type," Tom said, and Lucy smiled as she pulled his hand so they would resume walking.

    "What type do I seem like? Shy and introverted?" Lucy asked, and Tom shrugged.

    "I told you I wasn''t always this way," she said with a sigh.

    "I wasn''t exactly the partying type, and I wasn''t crazy either. But I was like any other teenage girl you can think of. I liked to get the attention of the guys a lot," she admitted with a grin.

    "I had a crush on a couple of guys, too. I wanted to be Prom Queen," Lucy said, and Tom raised her hand to his lips even though they were still walking.

    "You are a queen, prom or not," Tom assured her.

    "Queen of what?"

    "Queen of the my empire, baby. Want me to get you a crown and that stuff you wear across your shoulder?" Tom asked, and Lucyughed.

    "You mean a sash?" Lucy asked, and Tom smiled.

    "Whatever you call it," Tom said, and Lucy grinned.

    "And what would you write on it?" she asked, and he grinned.

    "Tom''s Queen? Or Queen of Tom''s Empire? Depends on how much space there is," Tom said, and Lucy giggled as she led him through an alley.

    "You seem to be in a really good mood today. What''s up?" Tom asked, and she shrugged.

    "I''m merely enjoying my man''spany," Lucy said and then waved at ady who called out to her when they got to the other side of the alley.

    "That''s my home," Lucy said as she pointed to a house with a picket fence.

    Once they arrived at the house, the door opened before Lucy could ring the doorbell, and J stepped out with a wide smile.

    "Before you ask, I saw you through the window," J said as she embraced Lucy and then Tom.

    "Your dad is in the garage. Come in, and I will go get him," J said as she walked away to go get Andrew.

    "You''re wee to our home," Lucy said to Tom as she shut the door behind them.

    "Wow! It feels like ages since I wasst here. It''s kind of different being here now," Lucy said as she looked around the living room.

    As much as she loved the ce and cherished every memory there, it didn''t give her the homely feeling anymore. This was no longer her ce.

    "To what do we owe this unexpected pleasure?" Andrew asked as he joined them, and then he paused when he noticed they were both wearing matching outfits.

    "I wanted Tom to know where you live. We won''t be staying for long since we are on a date," Lucy exined.

    "Nice outfit," Andrew said with a grin, and J giggled when she realized for the first time that they were wearing simr clothes.

    "Thanks," Tom said with a grin.

    "Oh, my! I didn''t notice that before. I was just too excited to see you both," J said in amusement as she admired their outfit.

    "You are wee to our home, Tom. Please make yourselffortable," Andrew said, very pleased to see that Lucy had brought him home.

    After exchanging pleasantries and conversing for a while about their time at Brown''s Salon, they all turned to the television when they heard Wilson Peterson''s name being mentioned on the television.

    "Oh, my!" J eximed as they watched him copse.

    "Looks like something out of a movie," Andrew said with approval.

    "I take it you are behind this?" Lucy asked as she turned from the television to look at Tom.

    "Not exactly. I was aware of the n, but Harry handled it," Tom said, and Lucy nodded.

    "I almost feel sorry for them," Lucy said as she returned her gaze to the television.

    "You shouldn''t. They deserve this and more," J said with delight, and she felt even happier that her sister, Sara, had been mentioned in this mess, and the reporters were wondering about her connection to the case.

    "Lucas is calling. I guess he sensed that you''re here," Andrew said with a grin as he received Lucas'' video call.

    "Your sister is here with Thomas," Andrew informed him the moment he received the call and turned the camera so that Lucas would see Tom and Lucy.

    "Matching wears? Sweet!" Lucas said, and Lucy giggled as she rose to take the phone from her father.

    "How are you doing?"

    "I want to say hello to Tom," Lucas said, and Lucy passed the phone to Tom.

    "I heard about your grandfather''s death. ept my condolence," Lucas said, and Tom gave him a nod.

    "Thanks. How are you doing? Are youing back soon?"

    "I just started a six-month program, so I should be back by the end of the year for Christmas. Why? Are you getting married soon?" Lucas joked, and Tom chuckled, but before he could respond, Lucy spoke.

    "Talk to dad and mom. Our time here is limited. If you want to talk to Tom, call me or call him," Lucy said as she took the phone from Tom and returned it to her dad.

    "Would you like to see my bedroom?" Lucy asked Tom since she wanted them to hurry so they could continue on their date.

    "Sure," Tom said as he rose to follow her while her parents conversed with Lucas.

    As Lucy led him away from the living room, she made a mental note to give Lucas a callter at night so she could tell him about her change of mind.

 Chapter 735 You Wouldn’t Dare

    Chapter 735 You Wouldn��t Dare

    The moment they stepped into Lucy''s room, the first thing Tom noticed was the fact that the room had a simr arrangement and furniture to her bedroom in Ludus. And it was just as organized, too.

    He also noticed that unlike Jade''s bedroom, which looked like that of a high school student, Lucy''s bedroom looked more like that of an adult. He could attribute that to the fact that she had lived there as an adult until a few weeks ago.

    "Aww!" Lucy eximed, and Tom looked at her curiously.

    "What?"

    Lucy smiled as she sat on the bed, "Because of the short notice, I moved to Ludus with most of the stuff in my bedroom. My bed, dressing table, and some other stuff," Lucy exined and waited to see if Tom would get the message.

    "Your parents reced them," Tom guessed since he could see that there was a bed and dressing table in the room.

    "Yeah. And they''re all simr to what I had. Notice the simrity to the furniture in my bedroom?" She asked, and Tom nodded.

    "Why are there no pictures of you?" Tom asked when he couldn''t find any photos on the wall.

    "I guess they didn''t remember to help me rece them," Lucy said with a grin.

    "I''ve seen all the pictures in your apartment. They are mostly family portraits. I mean your childhood photos," Tom said, and Lucy walked over to the shelf and pulled out a small photo album.

    Tom sat on the bed as Lucy joined him with the album, "These are my high school pictures," Lucy said as she opened the album.

    Tom grinned when he opened the album, and the first picture on it was Lucy dressed in a cheerleader outfit. Her hair was tied in a pigtail with a lollipop between her lips.

    "You do look like a cheerleader here," Tom said, and Lucy grinned back at him.

    "Told you. Want to see one of our routines?" She asked, and when Tom nodded eagerly, she rose, but before she could perform, J knocked on the door.

    "Everyone dressed?" J asked, and Lucy rolled her eyes.

    "For goodness sake, mom! Come in already," she muttered, and J walked in carrying their family photo album.

    "Here. I thought you''d like to see some of her pictures growing up," J said as he handed the album to Tom, and Lucy tried not to look too embarrassed at the thought of Tom seeing her pictures right from when she was a newborn.

    "Another album?" Tom asked with delight.

    "Oh, that album contains just her high school pictures. This one has everything. You''d even see her in diapers and with missing tooth," J said with a wink.

    Tom grinned as he took the album from J, "Exactly what I would love to see. Thank you," Tom said as he pecked J''s cheek, and she giggled as she excused herself while Lucy scowled at her mother.

    "Are you a pervert? Why would you love to see me in diapers?" Lucy asked, and Tom chuckled.

    "Don''t tell me you''re embarrassed," Tom asked in amusement, and Lucy red at him, causing him to chuckle.

    "Last I remember, you wereughing happily while you were going through my childhood photos," Tom reminded her, and she rolled her eyes.

    "Whatever," Lucy said as she joined him on the bed, and they decided to start with the childhood album before looking through her high school album.

    Tom had a wide smile on his face as he looked down at the picture of two babies who he knew were Lucy and Lucas. They looked so adorable that seeing them made him crave for kids of his own.

    "Flip!" Lucy said when she noticed he was staring at the picture for too long.

    "Why?"

    "Because we don''t have all day. We have to leave soon unless you don''t want to see all the pictures today. Not that I mind," Lucy said, and Tom grinned as he took out his phone and snapped the page.

    "What are you doing?" Lucy asked with a frown.

    "Saving it so I can study it some more at a more convenient time. I can do that, right?" He asked, and she shrugged.

    "I suppose."

    Since he had the picture on his phone now, Tom resumed flipping through the pages of the album and taking some more snapshots while Lucy told him the backstory for each photo as told by her mom.

    "Can I have this?" Tom asked, pointing to a picture of her when she was six years old.

    She was dressed in a pink dress for a school recitation. Her hair was tied in a pigtail, and she wasn''t wearing sses.

    "Why? You already snapped it," she pointed out.

    "I''d like to have it in my wallet," he said, and she shook her head.

    "Then you should have my adult photo. You don''t want someone seeing it in your wallet and thinking I''m your daughter or that you''re dating an underage like a pedophile," Lucy said, and Tom chuckled.

    "Let me worry about that. I just want to be able to look at your younger self so I can at least feel like I was a part of your childhood," Tom said, and Lucy narrowed her eyes.

    "But why this one and not any of the others?" She asked in confusion.

    "I would love to have a little girl that looks just like this. That''s IF we ever have a kid together. If not, I guess I will just settle for these pictures," Tom said, emphasizing the ''if'' and Lucy smiled.

    "Why not a boy that looks just like you? That''s what most guys would want," Lucy said, and Tom shook his head.

    "I want a girl that looks just like you because watching her grow would be like watching you grow and enjoying all the moments I missed out on before I found you," Tom said, and Lucy smiled.

    "Then let''s hope that IF we ever have kids, we should have a girl and boy or maybe twins. A boy that looks like you and a girl that looks just like me. That way, we can both watch and enjoy the moments we''ve missed before we crossed paths," Lucy suggested, and Tom smiled.

    Although he had just randomly brought up the conversation since he had decided not to ask her about what he heard her saying to Sonia, he had just confirmed from her tone and how she had effortlessly discussed it with him without any form of difort that she was now open to the idea of having his kids as she was to the idea of being his wife.

    "I would love that. So?" Tom asked, switching back to the topic again.

    "You can have it if you give me one of yours when we get back to Ludus."

    "You can have any of your choice," He said as he took the picture and ced it inside his wallet.

    "Any? Even one of you in diapers?" She joked, and heughed.

    "It''s not like anyone would know I''m the one," he said, and Lucy nced at her wristwatch.

    "We should get going," Lucy said as she got off the bed.

    "Already? Why can''t we just stay here? It can be a date, too," Tom said, and Lucy giggled as she pulled him up.

    "I won''t let you ruin my ns. I didn''t get us matching clothes to spend the day in my old room," Lucy said, and Tom rose.

    "Fine. Let''s leave," he said as he followed her out.

    "So where are we going now?" Tom asked once they had gotten into a cab after saying goodbye to Lucy''s parents.

    "You will see," She said and then handed a written address to the cab driver before returning her attention to Tom, who was staring at her with an unreadable expression.

    "What?" Lucy asked as she met his gaze.

    "What do you mean what?" He asked with an innocent expression.

    "Why are you staring at me that way?" She asked, and he raised a brow.

    "What''s wrong with staring at my girlfriend? Or would you rather I stare at otherdies?" He asked, and she red at him.

    "You wouldn''t dare," she said as she shifted her face closer to his, "Stare at me all you want," she said as she fluttered hershes at him, and Tom chuckled.

    "You owe me something, you know?" He asked, and she raised a brow.

    "I thought it was you who owed me a photo?" Lucy asked, and he smiled.

    "You never did that cheer routine after your mom interrupted you," Tom said, and Lucy grinned.

    "Sure. It''s not a big deal," Lucy said easily.

    "Do you want me to get you a Pom Pom or something?" Tom asked, and she giggled.

    "Nah! I don''t need that. And you should know it''s not ap dance. It''s just a simple routine, so don''t expect anything stirring," she said, giving him a pointed look, and Tom grinned.

    "You know me too much."

    "Yeah. I do."

    A momentter, the cab stopped them in front of the mall where Tom and Bryan had shown up to surprise her and Sonia some time ago, and the moment Tom recognized the ce, he chuckled, and she grinned.

    "You are something else," Tom said after Lucy had paid the cab fare.

    "I know, right?" She said as she linked her hands with his, and they both walked into the mall.

    "You want us to y games?" He asked when she led him to an arcade game lounge.

    "Yes. I don''t know how to y the games, so I''d like you to teach me before we go see a movie."

    An hourter, Tom was ring at Lucy, who was smiling smugly, as she made the fourth win in a row in all three games they had yed while he had only won one.

    "You lied to me," He said usingly, and she giggled.

    He had to admit that watching her enjoy herself like that brought peace to his soul. She looked even more beautiful now that she was so rxed and wasn''t thinking of anything else.

    "I''m tired of losing to you. Let''s just go see the movie," Tom said, and Lucy grinned as they both headed for the cinema.

    While they were standing in the queue to purchase their movie ticket, Lucy noticed ady staring at Tom seductively, and even though Tom wasn''t looking at thedy, Lucy scowled and turned to Tom with a sweet smile.

    Since their matching outfits weren''t enough to let them know he was taken, she decided to pass the message more clearly, so she pulled Tom closer to her and then pretended like she was removing something from his hair, causing Tom to raise a brow.

    "I guess you''re trying to mark your territory?" Tom whispered, and she smiled at him.

    Without responding, she grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him down so that their lips met. She made sure they were facing the direction of thedy who had been checking Tom out earlier.

    Tom chuckled as he kissed her, "You''re quite possessive," Tom said with an amused smile.

    "You have no idea," Lucy said as she pulled away from him to purchase their ticket.

    Tom was grinning from ear to ear as they walked into the movie hall with Lucy hanging on to him possessively.

    Even though he could guess what had prompted her action, he knew that he liked seeing her that way, and he hoped she would act more like that going forward.

 Chapter 736 Evil Genius

    Chapter 736 Evil Genius

    At the Hank residence, while Tom and Lucy were still out on their date, Harry and Jade sat on the balcony upstairs, watching the video of Wilson''s public disgrace.

    "I have to admit this was a perfect idea. He dug his own grave," Jade said with delight as she raised her wine ss in a silent toast to Harry.

    "Thanks. You know, I thought long and hard about whether or not they should mention Sara''s name. When Barry suggested it at first (chapter 674), I was skeptical, but after much thought, I decided to go along with it. This might put heat on Sara to act fast. I want to be done with her quickly," Harry said, and Jade nodded with understanding.

    "It was a good idea to not give the media too many details. Just mentioning her name was perfect. Now, she will be anxious. She will begin to wonder if you are behind it and how much you know since you''ve made the connection between her and Wilson, and then she would start trying toe up with a n B to save herself," Jade said thoughtfully.

    "Exactly. I''m hoping this makes her proceed with her ns faster. Fear will make her make mistakes. Knowing how she loves to be in the spotlight and how she likes to protect her public image, she might want to grant a couple of interviews to reporters who would reach out to her with questions. When she does that��" Harry stopped when Jade''s phone started to ring.

    "Give me a moment," Jade said as she picked up the phone, and then she raised a brow when she saw it was Amos.

    "It''s my former boss. I wonder why he is calling," Jade told Harry as she received the call and ced it on speaker.

    "What do you want?" Jade asked the moment she received the call, but her eyes remained on Harry who had a smug smile on his face as he sipped from his wine ss.

    "I just want to inform you that I found Sara''s daughter," Amos said very quickly to get her attention before she would end the call.

    Jade raised a brow, "What?" She asked in confusion.

    "I''m sorry I disappointed you. I know how much you used to look up to me. I��"

    "I don''t care about any of that shit, Amos. What do you mean you found her?" Jade asked, and Amos sighed as he rubbed the bridge of his nose.

    Amos had wanted to disappear without talking to Jade, but after seeing what had been done to Wilson and how Sara had been mentioned in it, he had a feeling that they were watching them and already knew everything, so after much thought, he had decided to give them a call.

    "I found the girl. Her name is Crystal, and she is currently with Sara. Sara doesn''t have good intentions for the girl. She ns to get rid of the girl after harvesting her liver," Amos said, and Jade raised a brow.

    "And you''re telling me this because?"

    "Because I realized I made a mistake, and I want to correct my mistake. I''ve told the girl everything already, and I''ve asked her to contact her father and brother," Amos said and went on to tell Jade about the Will.

    Jade exchanged a look with Harry, who suddenly seemed pretty interested at the mention of the Will.

    "Please, I''m sorry for everything. I hope this makes up for my role in everything. I wasn''t thewyer in charge of this from the beginning. It was my boss and mentor. I only got involved because I was part of the entire process," Amos pleaded, and Jade raised a brow at Harry, asking him what he wanted her to say.

    "Tell him it''s toote for an apology, and nothing he says can make up for what he did. He can''t jump ship now," Harry said loud enough for Amos to hear him.

    "I trust you heard that," Jade said to Amos, who was already sweating now.

    "Aaahh! And tell him if I were him, I would ask the cab to take me back home. And I wouldn''t get on that ne. It would be a waste since he won''t find his family where he sent them," Harry said, and Jade raised a brow.

    "What?" Amos eximed, his heart beating rapidly now as he looked out the window of the cab to see if someone was following him.

    How did they know he was taking a flight or that he sent his family somewhere? Had they been watching him this whole time? Amos mused as he broke out in a cold sweat.

    "What did you do you to my wife and kids? Please don''t hurt my family. They are innocent. I will do whatever you want, please," Amos pleaded.

    "Tell him to go back home and sit tight. His wife and kids are on their way back to join him at home. He can''t escape what ising. Too bad he resigned already," Harry said, and Jade grinned.

    "You heard that, right? Remember what I told you when I quit? You''re going down with Sara," Jade said before hanging up.

    "You''re such an evil genius, Jonas," Jade said as she rose from her seat, and Harry chuckled as she sat on his thigh and kissed him deeply.

    "Have I ever told you I have a thing for evil geniuses?" She asked as she broke the kiss, and he grinned.

    "You just showed me," Harry said with a grin.

    "How did you know he''s leaving and that he sent his family away?" Jade asked, and Harry raised a brow.

    "Did you really think I wouldn''t have someone keeping an eye on him when he is such an important part of all this?" Harry asked, and Jade smiled.

    "You would have made a really goodwyer, Harry. Too bad you chose the wrong profession," Jade said, and Harry snorted.

    "My profession is the reason I can afford to live this way and pay those who work for me," Harry said, and she grinned.

    "True. That''s true. Good thing I''m going to get married to you," she said, and Harry chuckled.

    "You n to use me?" He asked, and she bobbed her head.

    "Yes. I n to use both you and your resources," she said, and Harry raised a brow.

    "And what do I get in return?"

    "Me, of course. I''m everything you need. And my undying loyalty to you. I will defend you in court if you ever get in trouble," Jade said, and Harry chuckled.

    "I see," he said with an amused smile.

    "Can you both behave? I''m here with kids," Candace said with a roll of her eyes as she approached the balcony with Jamal and Dawn.

    They had been in the Den with the elders watching television, and she hade in search of Harry the moment she saw the news about Wilson.

    "Why bring them here? Don''t interrupt our private moment. Go away," Jade said and snuggled closer to Harry, who was trying to push her away.

    Candace shook her head as she sat on one of the seats there while Jamal and Dawn also sat down.

    "I just saw the news. So, what is next?" Candace asked Harry curiously.

    While Harry, Jade, and Candace conversed, Dawn and Jamal were busy stealing nces at each other.

    Aside from being grounded from going anywhere near Lucy for the whole day, they had both been asked to spend the rest of the day in each other''spany and reflect on what they had done until they learned to get along with each other.

    Although Jamal was still furious at Dawn for scratching his face, he was thinking of how to apologize to Dawn. Not because he thought he was wrong but because he wanted to be able to spend time with Lucy. He had limited time to be here, and he wouldn''t be seeing Lucy in a long time, so he didn''t want to waste this time.

    Dawn, on the other hand, was waiting for an apology from Jamal. Even though she was sorry for scratching his face, she still very much believed that he deserved it and that all of this was his fault. They didn''t get along in the first ce because he had been a jerk from the beginning.

    What exactly happened that morning?

    Dawn, who had been sleeping soundly, had opened her eyes when she felt someone breathing down her face, and she was shocked to see Jamal standing by her side of the bed and staring down at her.

    rmed by his closeness and thinking he wanted to harm her, she shrieked as her reflex took over, and without thinking, she reached out and pulled his hair with one hand and scratched his face with the other.

    Jamal cried out in pain as he hit her and pulled her hair, too. Jamal pulled her hair as he tried to get her to let go of his hair, and they both cried as they fought with each other.

    Candace, who had been in the bathroom having her shower, quickly rushed out in her bathrobe to see what was going on even though she still had soapsuds on her body.

    "What is wrong?" She asked, and they both pointed at each other while still crying.

    Seeing the spots of blood on the scratch, Candace quickly rushed back into the bathroom to check the first aid cab for something to clean his wound.

    Evelyn and Desmond, who had been on their way downstairs, heard the ruckus and went to see what was going on.

    "What is going on?" Desmond asked Candace when he saw the two kids crying.

    "What happened to your face?" Evelyn asked with a frown when she saw the scratch on Jamal''s face.

    "She scratched my face," Jamal said while Dawn kept crying loudly.

    Seeing how Dawn was crying, Candace looked to Evelyn for help, and while Evelyn attended to Jamal, Candace drew Dawn to herself.

    "Ssh. Stop crying, darling," Candace said softly as she consoled Dawn while Desmond walked away, leaving thedies to handle whatever was going on.

    "Why did you do that to Jamal?" Candace asked when both kids had settled down.

    "He was going to hurt me," Dawn said, and Jamal red at her.

    "That is a lie!" Jamal denied immediately.

    "Why would you think that?" Evelyn asked Dawn with a frown.

    "He was standing very close to my bed��"

    "But I didn''t do anything to you! I only wanted to adjust your nket!" Jamal snapped at her.

    Seeing that Candace and Evelyn looked like they were believing Jamal over her and knowing she might have reacted wrongly, Dawn began to cry.

    "He hit me and pulled my hair," Dawn cried.

    "That was only after you scratched my face and pulled my hair!" Jamal said angrily, and Candace shut him up with a look.

    "What did I tell you about not hitting girls?" Candace asked with a stern expression.

    "She scratched my face and pulled my hair while I was just trying to help," Jamal said defensively while Dawn continued to cry hysterically.

    "What were you doing here?" Candace asked since Jamal had slept downstairs with Aaron and had no business being in their bedroom.

    "Grandpa asked me to get my toothbrush from you," he said, feeling hurt that his mother was taking Dawn''s side.

    "And you decided to do something else instead of asking me for it?"

    "You were not here," Jamal pointed out.

    "Then you should have left," Candace insisted, and Evelyn patted Jamal''s back when she saw how upset he was.

 Chapter 737 Less Than A Month

    Chapter 737 Less Than A Month

    Seeing how Candace continued to side with Dawn without addressing what she had done, Evelyn figured that Candace wanted her to handle that, so she turned to Dawn.

    "Dawn, you were wrong to do that to Jamal when you weren''t sure he wanted to hurt you," Evelyn said sternly, not minding that Dawn was still crying, and buried her face in Candace''s bosom as she cried.

    "For hitting her, you are going to be disciplined," Candace said to Jamal.

    "They should both be disciplined. Jamal would never have done anything to her had she not hurt him first. If we are teaching the boys not to hit girls, we should also teach the girls not to provoke boys," Evelyn said, and Candace nodded in agreement.

    "You both should apologize to each other," Candace said, and they both turned away from her and looked in opposite directions.

    "What can we do to them?" Candace asked Evelyn, and they both thought about it for a while before each brought up their ideas.

    "They fought because they do not get along, so I think they should spend the entire day together until they are willing to apologize to each other and be friends," Candace suggested.

    "That is a good idea. But I don''t think that would be enough. Seeing as they both like Lucy so much, they are not allowed to go anywhere near Lucy for the rest of the day. They will have their meals together and spend the day together," Evelyn said, and immediately they both frowned.

    "But it was all her fault," Jamalined.

    "Two wrongs don''t make a right. You could have handled the situation better. You are older than her, so you should know better," Candace said, and just like that, they had been sentenced to an entire day in each other''spany.

    As his mother had said, he was older than Dawn, and he was wiser, too, Jamal thought as he took a deep breath. Apologizing to Dawn was a small price to pay to be with Lucy.

    "I''m sorry. I really wasn''t going to hurt you," He murmured, and even though the adults had heard him, they all pretended not to as they continued with their conversation while waiting to hear Dawn''s response.

    Dawn looked at Jamal for a moment, and she gave him a nod, "I''m sorry too," she murmured.

    "Let''s be friends," Jamal said as he stretched out his hand to her, and Dawn eyed his hand.

    "For Lucy''s sake," Jamal said, and Dawn reluctantly shook hands with him.

    Having gotten the apology out of the way, Jamal looked at his mother, "We are now friends. Can I see Lucy now?" Jamal asked, and Dawn looked at Candace with hopeful eyes since she was also interested in the response.

    "Your punishment stands for the rest of the day," Candace said, and both their faces fell.

    "Since you''re both friends now, you should go y at the porch. Run along. And make sure I don''t hear you fighting, else you won''t get to see Lucy tomorrow either," Candace warned, and both Jade and Harry watched in amusement as the kids walked away in disappointment.

    "Do you think they''re going to really be friends? Can you leave those two alone together?" Jade asked after the kids disappeared from view.

    "It is obvious they made up for Lucy''s sake. This is the ultimate test to see if they really made up. If they did, then we will just have to let them see Lucy," Candace said as she faced Harry again.

    "So, about what we were discussing. Shouldn''t Crystal have called you by now to inform you about Sara''s Will?" Candace asked, but before Harry could respond, his phone beeped with a text notification, and he picked it up from the table.

    "Excuse me," he said, and Jade got off his thigh and went to sit on another seat as he clicked on the text to see what it was and who had sent it.

    Harry''s brows pulled together when he saw that the text was from a strange number.

    The number was iplete, which meant that he wouldn''t be able to call back the number or trace the call even if he wanted to.

    He wanted to discard it, but the first line of the text caught his attention, so he opened it.

    [I know you''re in Heden. Meet me in your hotel suite by 3 p.m. tomorrow. It''s about Andy. Come alone, and keep this information to yourself. Cassidy.]

    How did Cassidy know he was in Heden, and why did he ask him to meet him in his hotel suite? Did he have a key to the suite? Harry mused.

    Why did he want him toe alone? Did something happen to Andy, or was Andy going to be there too?

    "Is something wrong?" Jade asked when she saw the frown on Harry''s face, and he shed her a smile.

    "I hope not. I was just thinking about something. So, what were we talking about?" Harry asked, wanting to change the subject so he wouldn''t have to lie.

    "I asked if you have heard from Crystal. She should have called to inform you about Sara''s Will by now," Candace said, and Harry nodded.

    "True. Let''s wait and see if she will call," Harry said casually.

    "What if she doesn''t call and ns to double-cross us?" Jade asked, and Harry smiled.

    "She can n all she wants. She won''t be able to outsmart us. We will always be a step ahead. And don''t forget the best part of it," Harry said with a grin.

    "What?"

    "Which is?" Candace and Jade asked in unison.

    "C''mon, you''re both smartwyers. Tell me what her crime would be," Harry said, and Candace shook her head.

    "I''m not awyer yet. Jade, go on," Candace urged her, and Harry shook his head at Candace.

    Jade narrowed her eyes for a bit as she thought about it, "She is an impostor," Jade said with a smile.

    "Exactly! She could be arrested for impersonation!" Harry said with a finger flick.

    "Can we really do that? Won''t we be affected? I mean, we are the ones who asked her to do it after all, and we even gave her my hair strand and stuff," Candace said, and Harry smiled.

    "It''s her word against ours. Who do you think would be believed between an honest businessman like myself and a known con artist? And why would anyone believe you would want her to take your ce in your mother''s life when you can inherit all that Sara owns?" Harry asked, and Jade smiled proudly at him.

    "What if she has evidence? Something like a recording of your conversations?" Candace pointed out.

    "She doesn''t. Her phone is being monitored, remember? Don''t worry. I''ve got all the edges covered. If she tries to y smart, she will be taken out of the game," Harry promised, and Candace rxed.

    Away from there, Amy''s hands were sped together as she paced around outside the emergency ward of the hospital, and Malone sat by the chair there, tapping his feet while they waited for the doctor to tell them how Miley was doing.

    It was Miley''s family hospital. The same ce where Lucas had been working before his resignation.

    "Amy! Oh, my God! Amy, what happened to my baby?" Miley''s mother cried as she arrived with her husband, and immediately Malone rose as Amy rushed to meet Miley''s parents.

    Miley''s mother grabbed both of Amy''s hands as she looked at her with worried eyes, "What happened to her? Was it an ident? What exactly happened? Why is our baby in there?" She asked with eyes that begged for an answer.

    Tears gathered in Amy''s eyes as she couldn''t bring herself to speak.

    "Speak, Amy! What happened to Miley?" Miley''s father asked authoritatively.

    "Well, she��"

    "And who are you?" Miley''s father asked, cutting Malone off.

    "I''m Malone. Malone Matthews. Miley''s fianc��. We wereing to see you," Malone said before Amy could shut him up, and Miley''s parents looked at him with a frown before turning to Amy.

    "What is he talking about?" Miley''s father asked Amy, but before she could say anything, the door opened, and the doctor joined them.

    "What is going on? What is wrong with my daughter?" Miley''s father asked, and the doctor paused.

    "Miley didn''t tell you?" He asked, and her parents exchanged a look.

    "Tell us what?" Her mother asked with a frown, thinking that Miley was probably pregnant; hence, she wasing home with a man.

    "Oh, dear!" The doctor said, making the couple even more worried.

    "Can you tell me exactly what is going on?" Miley''s father asked impatiently.

    "Let''s speak privately in my office," the doctor said and then turned to Amy, who was still standing there and was yet to utter a word.

    "You should probably join us," he said and led the way to his office while Miley''s parents and Amy followed, leaving Malone alone.

    Inside the doctor''s office, Miley''s parents sat opposite the doctor while Amy stood behind them as there was no seat for her, and she really didn''t need one.

    She wasn''t sure she could sit still at the moment. She was too nervous to do that.

    The doctor cleared his throat, "A couple of weeks ago, Miley came in for a check-up. ording to her, she already had some tests carried out abroad, but she didn''t want to believe the diagnosis, so she came in for the tests to be carried out on her��."

    "What tests? And why am I just hearing of this?" Miley''s father asked.

    "Is Miley ill?" Her mother asked anxiously, and the doctor looked at her with pitiful eyes.

    "Yes. Unfortunately, after the tests, we found out she had gliostoma��."

    "What is that?" Her father asked with a frown, not liking the sound of that.

    "It''s cancer. In her brain," he said, and her mother rose in disbelief.

    "You can''t be serious. That can''t be true. If it were true, Miley would have told us," she said, not wanting to believe such a thing.

    Her father remained calm, "She was here a couple of weeks ago? You diagnosed her and didn''t tell me?"

    "It wasn''t my ce to do so. She is my patient, and I had to keep it confidential. She told me she was going to tell you herself," the doctor said unapologetically.

    "Alright. How bad is it? What can we do? What are the treatment options? Can it be treated here? Is there any clinic you rmend where it can be cured?" Miley''s father asked, still trying to be calm.

    "Unfortunately, there is no known cure for it yet. And I''m afraid her condition has gotten much worse since thest time she was here. There is no better way to say this, but from the look of things, she has less than a month left��."

    "What? What do you mean less than a month? How is that possible? She must have been receiving treatment this whole time, right?" He asked, and the doctor shook his head.

    "She hasn''t been here since I confirmed her diagnosis, and from the look of things, I don''t think her condition would have deteriorated this much had she been receiving treatment as I advised her to. That''s the reason I wanted you to join us. It appears you know about her condition. What has she done about it?" The doctor asked as he looked at Amy, who was crying silently.

    Miley''s mother turned to Amy, who had been quiet the whole time, "Did you know about this? Did you know that Miley was ill?" Miley''s mother asked, wanting to believe that Amy knew nothing about it.

    Seeing how Amy was crying, Miley''s mother moved closer to her, "Were you aware of this?" She asked again, and the moment Amy bobbed her head, Miley''s mother pped her hard across her face.

    Immediately, the doctor and Miley''s father rose, while Amy went on her knees as she cried.

    "I''m sorry��"

    "Sorry? You are sorry? What sort of a person are you? How could you keep such a thing to yourself after all Miley had done for you? After all we have done for you and your mother, how could you let her do this to herself? HOW?" Miley''s mother barked angrily as her husband tried to hold her back.

    "Calm down��"

    "Calm down? You heard the doctor! He just said our daughter is dying! Our only child! How do you expect me to calm down? How can I calm down when my baby has been going through something like this, and I had no idea?" She yelled at her husband, and her voice broke as she broke into a sob.

    Amy remained where she knelt, weeping profusely as Miley''s fatherforted his wife while the doctor stood there looking at them all helplessly.

    After Miley''s mom had calmed down, she looked at Amy, "Pray that a miracle happens and my baby survives this, else I am never going to forgive you for this. Leave this ce immediately and take that man with you. We do not know him, and we will never allow our daughter to get married to a man who couldn''t convince her to receive treatment or talk to her parents about her health," Miley''s mother said, and her husband nodded in agreement.

    "Leave. And we don''t want to see you anywhere near our home either. You are no longer a part of us. You and your mother," Miley''s father said, and Amy wept as she walked out of the office, leaving Miley''s parents to discuss possible solutions with the doctor.

    She couldn''t me anybody but herself. Despite the fact that she had known that Miley had made a wrong choice, she had supported Miley and even encouraged her.

    She deserved all of this, and if Miley died way sooner than she was supposed to, it was her fault, too, for being a stupid friend who was too weak to push her friend to do the right thing for herself and her family.

    Author''s Note.

    Thank you so much for the love and support thisst month. Thanks for your patience, too. I''m back now, and updates will resume as usual. You can purchase privilege chapters if you wish to. And for those asking, Nicole and I are doing great. Much love.

 Chapter 738 Excited

    Chapter 738 Excited

    After seeing a movie at the cinema, Lucy decided that they have dinner before going home, so they stopped by a restaurant within the mall for dinner.

    "I thought you were going to sleep off halfway into the movie. I was looking forward to carrying you out of the mall," Tom said with a grin after they were seated.

    Lucy raised a brow, "Carrying me out?" She asked and he chuckled.

    "Do you remember our first movie date when we were in a temporary rtionship? (Chapter 105)" He asked and Lucy giggled.

    "The fake rtionship you tricked me into, you mean?" She asked in amusement as she recalled their early days together.

    "You''ve changed a lot since then, you know?" Tom asked and she raised a brow.

    "What do you mean?" She asked and before Tom could respond a waiter came to attend to them, and they both focused on the menu and after giving their orders and the waiter had left, Lucy looked at Tom again.

    "What do you mean I''ve changed a lot since then?" She asked curiously even though she knew it was true that she had. She just wanted to know why he said that.

    "That night you said you didn''t like public disys of affection and clingy people, remember?" Tom asked and she grinned.

    "Well, I didn''t like it then," she said with a shrug.

    "Remember what you said when I said you can''t say you don''t like something when you''ve never tried it?"

    "Yeah. I don''t have to experience something to know how I feel about it," Lucy said with a giggle.

    "See you now," Tom said with a smug smile and she scowled.

    "Did you bring this up just so you could feel smug?" Lucy asked and Tom grinned.

    "Yeah. I can remind you of a couple of things I said which has nowe true," Tom said and she raised a brow.

    "Like what?"

    "Breaking down all your walls and being in your space until you want to spend every time you have with me (chapter 24)," Tom said and Lucy rolled her eyes.

    "Who said you''ve broken down all my walls? And who said I want to spend all my spare time with you?" Lucy asked and Tom chuckled.

    "We both know I have," he said and she shook her head.

    "You are feeling proud for no reason," Lucy said as a waiter came with their wine.

    "You just don''t want to admit it. No problem. I''m sure you will admit it some day. Mark my words," Tom said confidently and Lucy shook her head in amusement.

    "Even if it were true, seeing how proud you are right now, I''m never going to admit it," she said as she sipped from her ss after the waiter had left.

    "You just did. I''m content, knowing that you feel too shy to admit it," Tom said as he picked up his winess and raised it in a toast.

    "Cheers to me for breaking down your walls," Tom said and Lucy giggled.

    "You are so full of yourself."

    "And full of love for you too," he said as he blew her a case and sheughed softly.

    "So, does this ce hold any special memories for you?" Tom asked curiously as they waited for their meal to be served.

    "Back then when I didn''t want to leave the house or go anywhere, Sonia used to force me to this mall with her. Sometimes we would see a movie or window shop or get our hair and nails done before eating here."

    "See what I was saying? Sonia used to force you here, but you brought me here," Tom said with a smug smile and she shook her head.

    "You are not going to get any more word out of me," Lucy promised and be grinned.

    Neither of them said a word as the Waiter arrived with their orders and afte he left, Tom helped Lucy chop her steak into smaller sizes before doing the same for himself.

    "It''s been a while since we ate together this way, just the both of us," Lucy said after they had eaten in silence for a while.

    "We ate togetherst weekend at your ce, and we also ate together on Monday before the whole dispute started," Tom pointed out and Lucy scowled at him.

    "That doesn''t mean it hasn''t been a while. That was on Monday and today is Saturday," she said and Tom chuckled.

    "I see. Yeah. It''s been a while," Tom said with a grin, resisting the urge to tell her this was an example of her wanting to spend every time she could with him.

    "And we''ve never eaten out like this either," Lucy said and Tom raised a brow.

    "We have..."

    "No, we haven''t eaten out alone. The only times we''ve been to a restaurant was to have dinner with Harry and Aaron. And the other time was dinner with your grandfather. The other times we were out alone was at the bar. The first time we met, the other time you took me to a bar while we were getting to be friends, and thest time was when you wanted us to switch roles at the club. And finally our ice cream date on Monday," Lucy said and Tom chuckled.

    "You seem to have given this a lot of thought," he observed with much amusement since she was missing something.

    "Of course, I have. Since you won''t take me out on a date I chose to take you out on one," Lucy said with disapproval.

    "I see you conveniently forgot that I took you out on a date some time ago. We had dinner together in a fancy restaurant," Tom reminded her.

    "That date doesn''t count. I don''t even remember it because you annoyed me by tricking me to the spa when you knew Anita would be there," Lucy said dismissively.

    "You were annoyed yet I remember you not leaving a crumb on any of the dishes served, and you drank so much that you got drunk," Tom said and Lucy scowled.

    "Tipsy, not drunk. And what does that have to do with anything? You are the one who ruined the day by making your ex-girlfriend a part of it," Lucy said and Tom snorted.

    "And you don''t think you ruined the day by bringing up that discussion about adopting kids earlier that morning? (chapter 528)" Tom asked and Lucy red at him.

    "Why are you bringing up the past?" she asked and Tom chuckled.

    "Really? You can bring it up, but I can''t?" he asked and she sighed.

    "Alright, lets say we are even. So you took me out on a fancy date once before, so what? You should do that more often," Lucy said and Tom grinned.

    "Would you like me to take you out on a date every spare time you have?" Tom asked and without thinking she nodded.

    "Definitely. Shit! You bastard!" Lucy cussed when Tom roared withughter and she realized she had fallen into his trap.

    "See? You do want to spend all your spare time with me," Tom said with a cheeky smile.

    "You also want to spend all your spare time with me," Lucy said defensively.

    "True. I never denied that," Tom said casually.

    "Whatever," Lucy hissed as she resumed eating and Tom grinned.

    "Would you say you''re the jealous type?" Tom asked after they had eaten in silence for some time.

    "You know I am. My action on the queue earlier should be enough proof of that. Why?" Lucy asked as she sipped from her winess.

    "What action? Kissing me like you are supposed to, as my girlfriend?" Tom asked, feigning ignorance and Lucy narrowed her eyes.

    "You saw her, didn''t you? I know you did. You enjoy watching me get jealous, don''t you?" Lucy asked with a scowl, and Tom chuckled.

    "I enjoy watching you act so possessive. If the situation was reversed I know I would do what you did or even more," Tom said with a shrug.

    "What more could you possibly do? Make love to me in public?" Lucy joked.

    "Announce to everyone present that you are mine and they should stop staring?" Tom asked and Lucyughed.

    "That would be too much," she said with a shake of her head as she imagined him doing that.

    "That''s because my love for you is clearly too much," Tom said and Lucy grinned.

    "Why did you ask if I was the jealous type?" Lucy asked, and Tom shrugged.

    "You keep giving me mixed signals. I can''t really tell if you''re jealous or not," Tom said and she raised a brow.

    "What do you mean?"

    "I wouldn''t allow any of your ex or their friends or even family memberse an inch close to you," Tom said and Lucy rolled her eyes.

    "Lucky you, I don''t have any exes then. I guess this is about Kimberly and Dawn again?" She said and Tom shrugged.

    "Why should I be jealous of Kimberly because she had you, no. She didn''t even have you. You both only had sex once as strangers. I''m the one with you. I have you all to myself so why do I have to be jealous of her? She isn''t even an ex. Well, truth be told, I was a bit jealous when I thought Dawn was yours. But that was as far as it went," Lucy said as she picked up her cutlery to eat.

    "Why were you jealous of her then?" Tom asked with interest and she shrugged.

    "Because having a child together means you both share something special whether or not you think so. And it means you will both be a permanent part of each other''s life whether you want it or not. And I don''t like to share," Lucy said and Tom smiled.

    "You must have been very happy to know Dawn wasn''t mine," Tom said and Lucy bobbed her head.

    "Yes, I was. I still am," Lucy admitted and Tom smiled.

    "Is that why you wanted to be friends with her?" Tom asked and Lucy rolled her eyes.

    "Why do you keep bringing that up even after I''ve cut her off? You seem to like talking about her a lot. Do you perhaps want to go back to her and have kids with her?" Lucy asked with a scowl and Tom chuckled.

    "Will you let me do that?" He asked sweetly and she pointed her fork and knife at him.

    "Do you know how much damage these can do to a man?" She threatened and heughed.

    "I don''t think I want to know," Tom said as he sipped from his winess.

    "Good," Lucy said as she returned her attention to her meal.

    "Ace?" Lucy called when she remembered something she wanted to discuss with him.

    Tom raised a brow as he met her gaze since he was chewing.

    "Remember what I said about hosting parties at your ce?" She asked, and Tom nodded as he swallowed the morsel of meat in his mouth.

    "Yes. What about it?" He asked curiously.

    "How about we host a Christmas party this year?" Lucy asked, and Tom looked at her thoughtfully.

    "A Christmas party? That is five months away," Tom said and Lucy nodded.

    "It would be a themed party. Although I haven''t decided on the theme yet, I just wanted to run the idea by you first," Lucy said and Tom smiled.

    "That is fine. You would need an event nning agency to work with you on it so you''re not stressed out. You can employ the service of thepany who handled our anniversary event. They''re rated as the best in the country," Tom suggested.

    "I take it you would need a list of people to invite since you would need to send out the invitation early," he said and Lucy nodded.

    "Yes. I would need a list of your major shareholders and top business partners. Also, a couple of very important personalities would be invited. And the press of course," Lucy said, her eyes gleaming with excitement.

    "You seem pretty excited about this," Tom observed with a smile.

    "I am," Lucy said with a nod. Who wouldn''t be excited at the thought of nning her own engagement party?

    "When we get home I will give you one of my ck cards. You can use it to take care of the expenses," Tom said and Lucy smiled.

    It was funny that she was going to be using his own money to organize their engagement party. She hoped he would like what she had nned for him. For them.

 Chapter 739 Stuffed Panda

    Chapter 739 Stuffed Panda

    As Tom and Lucy walked out of the restaurant after their dinner, Tom noticed the way Lucy was looking around as if she was trying to find something, and he raised a brow.

    "What are you searching for?" He asked curiously.

    "Uhm, I''m trying to see if I can find a shop to get something for the kids," Lucy said and Tom raised a brow.

    "Jamal and Dawn?"

    "Of course. Or do you know any other kids I don''t know about? Sonia''s bump isn''t even out yet," Lucy said distractedly as she continued looking around and Tom watched in amusement.

    "Should you be buying them stuff when they are grounded from seeing you?" Tom asked and Lucy shrugged.

    "They won''t be grounded forever. Let''s go to the first floor. I think I caught glimpse of a kiddies shop there when we wereing in," Lucy said and Tom followed without saying anything seeing how determined she was.

    They didn''t need to look around much before finding a shop where they could get toys for the kids, and as Lucy moved around the shop after buying a transformer toy car for Jamal, Tom raised a brow.

    "What exactly are you searching for?" He asked curiously.

    "A suitable gift for Dawn," she said with a thoughtful expression on her face.

    Seeing how devoted she was to her self assigned task, Tom couldn''t help but wonder if she was going to pay any attention to him when they had kids.

    "I noticed that she doesn''t have toys. A kid her age should travel with teddies and dolls and not just a tablet or an iPad to monitor stocks��"

    "You are not her mom," Tom reminded her softly.

    "I know. I''m her friend, and that''s why I want to get her a suitable gift. Little girls like her love things like this," Lucy said as she finally settled for a stuffed pink and white colored panda.

    "What do you think?" Lucy asked with a grin as she picked the panda from the shelf and held it up for Tom to see.

    "It''s pretty," Tom said and she shed him a smile.

    "I thought so too," Lucy said as she took the toys to the counter to make the payment.

    Twenty minutester they both stepped out of the mall, and while Tom carried the bag which contained the clothes they had worn when leaving the house, Lucy carried the bag that contained the gifts and lollipops for the kids.

    Seated in a cab on their way home, Tom turned to Lucy with a loving smile as he took her hands, "Thank you so much for today, Jewel," Tom said and Lucy waved his gratitude off with a smile.

    "We both know you deserve more than this. You''ve been such a wonderful boyfriend, and even though I don''t like the means by which you came into my life, I''m very d you did. You''ve exposed me to a whole new world. One I didn''t think I needed. I''ve been happier since I met you than I''ve been in a really long time. So, thank you for today, and everyday," Lucy said and Tom smiled as he kissed her forehead and she rested her head on his shoulder while their hands remained linked.

    A couple of minutester, they walked into the house and when they didn''t see anyone in the living room, but could hear voicesing from the Den, they headed for the Den.

    "Look who finally decided toe back from their date," Jade said the moment Lucy and Tom walked into the Den, and everyone turned to them.

    "Lucy!" Jamal and Dawn called in unison as they ran to her.

    Tom scowled, "I thought they were grounded?" He asked as he watched Lucy crouch down to embrace them.

    "They made up, so we forgave them," Evelyn said and Tom looked at her with disapproval.

    "I don''t remember you being so forgiving with us when we were young," he said and Jade and Bryan nodded in agreement.

    "I said the same thing," Bryan said, and then grinned when he noticed their outfit.

    "You''re now wearing matching outfits?" Bryan asked in amusement, and Desmond, who first noticed that Lucy and Tom were dressed in matching outfits, chuckled when Tom scowled at Bryan.

    "Couple goals. You both look good together," Sonia said with a grin as she gave Lucy a thumbs up.

    "How did your date go?" Evelyn asked and Tom smiled.

    "It was perfect," Tom said, and seeing the happy smile on his face, Evelyn smiled too.

    "Harry, when are you going to dress this way with Jade?" Aaron asked and Jade shook her head.

    "Like high school students?" Harry asked in a mocking tone as he eyed Tom, and Tom red at him while Jade giggled.

    "You''re just jealous because you can''t pull of such a look," Tom sneered at him.

    "Did you get a haircut?" Desmond asked and Tom nodded.

    "It looks good. Where did you get this haircut? I need a haircut myself," Bryan asked with interest.

    "Uncle Brown?" Sonia asked Lucy and she nodded.

    "I guess your non-biological uncle Brown just got himself a celebrity client," Tom said to Lucy, who was grinning at him.

    "I told you he was that good," she said before looking down at the kids.

    "I guess since you are no longer grounded, I can give you the gifts I got you," Lucy said and they both looked at her with expectant eyes.

    "You got me a gift?" Dawn asked with a awe-filled expression as she was both surprised and pleased to hear that.

    "What did you get me?" Jamal asked happily as he tried to look through the bag she was holding to see if could see the gift.

    "Am I allowed to give them the gifts?" Lucy asked Evelyn and Candace.

    "You already got the gifts so what is the point of asking?" Sonia asked dryly.

    "You are trying to make the rest of us adults here look bad by trying so hard to be the best adult, right?" Jade asked and Lucy giggled.

    "I''m not trying at all. Ites naturally to me. Who is your favorite adult between Jade, Sonia, and I?" Lucy asked, looking from Dawn to Jamal.

    "You!" They said in unison and Lucy shed Jade a smug smile while the othersughed.

    "Why just the females? Why didn''t you include the guys? I''m sure Ie a close second," Jade said but Jamal shook his head.

    "Not for me," he said, not forgetting how she and Sonia had taken Dawn''s side.

    "I didn''t ask you," Jade said with a scowl while everyoneughed.

    "The gift, please?" Dawn asked with eyes gleaming with excitement and Lucy smiled at her as she opened the bag while everyone watched.

    "This is for you, Jam," Lucy said giving him the car, and Jamal screeched happily as he ran to his mother with the car before running back to embrace Lucy and thank her.

    "This is for you, Dawn," Lucy said as she took out the stuffed panda.

    "For me?" She asked as she took it from Lucy with her gaze fixed on it.

    "Yeah," Lucy said and her heart melted when Dawn embraced her.

    "Thank you, Lucy. I will take good care of her," Dawn promised, figuring the panda was female because of the color.

    "I''m sure you will," Lucy said as she straightened up.

    "Rachel and her dad were on the news today," Sonia informed Lucy.

    "Yeah, we saw that," Lucy said and Jade raised a brow.

    "How? Don''t tell me your date was so boring you decided to check for news on the inte so you could find something to talk about?" Jade asked and everyoneughed.

    "We stopped by to see my parents and we saw the news while we were there," Lucy exined.

    "Oh! That''s nice. How are they doing?" Evelyn asked with a smile and before Lucy could respond, Desmond''s phone began to ring and Evelyn who was closest to the table picked it up and she exchanged a look with Desmond as she handed the phone to him.

    "It''s Kimberly," Evelyn said and Candace rose.

    "It''s time for the kids to go to bed," Candace said and Dawn looked up at Lucy.

    "Will you tuck me in?" She asked and Lucy nodded.

    Although she wanted to know what Kimberly was calling to say since she knew it had to do with the ultimatum which Desmond had given her, but she didn''t want Dawn to hear any of it.

    "Sure. Let''s go," Lucy said as she took Dawn''s hand and then kissed Jamal''s temple.

    "Good night, Jam," Lucy said as Candace took Jamal to his room.

    Tom who didn''t want to have anything to do with his father''s conversation with Kimberly turned to leave with Lucy, but Harry stopped him.

    "Tom, let''s have a word before you go in," Harry said and Tom gave him a nod as they walked out of the Den together.

    "Hello! This is Kimberly''s mom," she said the moment Desmond received the call.

    "Oh!" Desmond said as he waited to hear what she had to say.

    "First of all, I want to apologize on my daughter''s behalf for everything that has happened these past couple of days. Please forgive her," she pleaded.

    "I have nothing against her. All I want is for her toe pick up her daughter��"

    "Yes. That is the second reason I called. Dawn''s governess will being to pick Dawn up tomorrow. She left here already so she should be there before noon tomorrow," Kimberly''s mom said and Desmond frowned.

    Why were they sending a governess over to pick Dawn instead of Kimberly?

    "Why a governess? Is your husband still bent on not epting Dawn?" Desmond asked curiously.

    "I don''t think you should concern yourself with our business. Thanks for taking care of her. Please she should be ready before her governess arrives," Kimberly''s mom said and Desmond nodded.

    "She doesn''t have to leave tomorrow. She can leave on Monday after attending her father''s funeral," Desmond said reasonably.

    "There won''t be any need for that. You do not acknowledge her as a part of your family. If you did, you wouldn''t have made such a threat about sending her down alone��"

    "And you consider her family when you allowed your daughter abandon her here with strangers?" Evelyn cut in since she was seated close enough to Desmond to hear the conversation.

    "I won''t exchange words with you. I have apologized for my daughter''s behavior and all the mess she had caused. Thank you for having Dawn these past few days. Her governess will be there to get her tomorrow," Kimberly''s mom said before hanging up.

    "What was that about?" Jade asked curiously and Evelyn told them what Kimberly''s mom had said.

    "I should probably go let Lucy know that Dawn is leaving tomorrow," Sonia said as she excused herself from there.

    Sonia stood by Dawn''s half-open door, and watched as Lucy read Dawn a bedtime story.

    "Lucy?" Dawn called, interrupting Lucy.

    "Can I call her Lucy?" Dawn asked as she cuddled her stuffed panda.

    Lucy giggled, "Why Lucy? Do we look alike?" Lucy joked and Dawn smiled.

    "Because you are my best friend and I like your name. She will be my second best friend," Dawn said and Lucy smiled.

    "Alright. That''s fine. I know you must miss your mom. You might be going back soon," Lucy said, and Dawn nodded.

    "Will youe to visit me?" Dawn asked hopefully.

    "If I travel down there for any reason, I will definitely see you," Lucy promised and Dawn smiled.

    "Can I visit you?" She asked sleepily.

    "Sure, you can. Best friends should always keep in touch no matter what," Lucy said as she patted Dawn''s hair, and Dawn smiled as she slowly drifted off to sleep.

    Lucy remained where she sat, patting Dawn''s hair and watching the kid as she slept, until Sonia cleared her throat.

    "Feeling motherly towards her?" Sonia asked as Lucy turned to her.

    "How long have you been standing there?" Lucy asked as she kept patting Dawn''s hair.

    "Long enough to know that you''re cheating on me with a three years old," Sonia said and Lucy grinned.

    "Good thing she is leaving soon. Her governess ising to get her tomorrow," Sonia said and Lucy raised a brow but said nothing as she tucked Dawn in properly before walking out of the room with Sonia.

    As much as she was d that someone wasing down to pick the child, she wanted to know why Kimberly wasn''ting down herself.

 Chapter 740 That Makes Sense

    Chapter 740 That Makes Sense

    "What''s up?" Tom asked Harry once they were out of earshot and now seated at the patio.

    "Barry called a short while ago. I''m exhausted and can''t think right now, so I need you to help me out."

    "Okay. Lay it out. What did Barry say?"

    "He said a couple of things. After having her name on the news, Sara is trying to bring all her ns forward and get rid of Crystal quickly. She called our ''doctor'' asking that they meet on Monday for the transnt. She even sent a huge sum of money to show how serious she is," Harry said and Tom smiled.

    "This was what you wanted," Tom said and Harry nodded.

    "Yeah. But right now I can''t figure out what she''s thinking��"

    "What she is thinking about what? You just clearly said she wants to proceed with her ns quickly. That''s what she is thinking," Tom said and Harry shook his head.

    "Yeah. There is that. But shouldn''t she be more worried that someone made a connection between her and Wilson''s niece? Isn''t she scared that I have figured out what she did and that I might already know about Crystal? What does she n to do?" Harry asked and Tom shrugged.

    "She ns to get rid of the girl. By the time you show up the girl is gone. No body, no evidence of anything," Tom said matter of factly.

    "Speaking about the girl, she is up to no good," Harry said, and Tom raised a brow.

    "Did she do or say something?" Tom asked curiously.

    "First you should listen to this," Harry said as he yed the conversation between Amos and Crystal.

    "I suppose she hasn''t made mention of this to you?" Tom asked knowingly.

    Although Tom had never met Crystal, he didn''t trust her. From the moment he heard she was a con artist, he didn''t trust her.

    "How did you know?" Harry asked and Tom shrugged.

    "A thief is always a thief."

    "Apart from the fact that she is yet to tell me about the Will, we have reasons to believe she is nning to kill Sara. Her search record on the inte shows that she has been searching for ways to kill someone without having it look like murder," Harry said and Tom chuckled.

    "It''s not funny," Harry said and Tom grinned.

    "Now you''re the one who has lost your sense of humor. Maybe there is justice in this world after all. Imagine being murdered by someone you want to murder," Tom said with an amused smile.

    "Maybe you should let the girl get rid of Sara, and then we can punish her greed by having her arrested," Tom said with a shrug.

    "Death is too good for Sara. I prefer she goes to jail and suffer the shame and disgrace of her fall," Harry said and Tom nodded in agreement.

    "Yeah. Sure. That''s a much better option. This new development means we have to act even faster or make some adjustments to the ns. The girl could murder her before Monday seeing as she has the Will in her name," Tom said and Harry nodded.

    Tom thought about it for a moment while Harry waited patiently to hear his suggestion.

    "Jade''s corrupt boss��"

    "That would be you, right?" Harry asked, cutting Tom off, and Tom paused for a bit and chuckled when he got Harry''s joke.

    "I mean her former boss, of course. And seeing as you are the one who offered her a job, you''re her boss," Tom said and Harry grinned.

    "Let''s get him to work for us. He should be willing to do anything now that he knows we are on to him. Have him give Sara a call. That way he can find out exactly what she is nning," Tom suggested.

    "Does that mean we are going to let him off the hook?" Harry asked and Tom sighed.

    "He is awyer, so I''m sure he knows best how it works when a criminal turns himself in and helps the police apprehend others. We will let him off the hook if he does everything we ask him to. First he should give Sara a call to find out what she is up to. He has to do that tonight. Then he should release a video with evidence, confessing to every crime Sara hasmitted and is nning to do. We can pardon him if he does that," Tom said and Harry raised a brow.

    "What do we hope to achieve by doing that?" Harry asked thoughtfully.

    "More evidence of even crimes we don''t know. For now the only evidence we have are those of Sara''smunication with our doctor and herwyer," Tom said and Harry nodded.

    "And the girl?" Harry asked since that was one problem they had to solve.

    "That''s the easiest part. Let her know you are a step ahead of her, and if she jeopardizes your n because of her greed and foolishness, you will crush her. That should set her back on track. It''s as simple as that," Tom advised.

    "You don''t think she might be even more careful if she finds out I know her ns?" Harry asked since he had thought of giving Crystal a call but didn''t want her to know he was on to her.

    "You don''t need to tell her how much you know or how you know what you know. You can tell her thewyer guy works for you and you asked him to test her. Tell her the Will is not real," Tom said and Harry smiled.

    "That makes sense."

    "Of course, it does. You''d have figured this out yourself if you were not too busy being a lover boy. I guess you are no longer as smart as you were because your attention is now divided," Tom said with a tsk.

    "Or maybe I''m just giving you a chance to use your brain which you haven''t made use of in a long time," Harry fired back and they both chuckled.

    "I have an idea. On Monday when Sara goes for the transnt with Crystal, we will release the confessional video from thewyer. We will have him mention the address where she is having the illegal transnt, so that reporters can go there. We will also inform our police friends about it. What do you think?" Harry asked and Tom smirked.

    "That was the exact purpose of the video. You caught on so fast," Tom said dryly.

    "I hope it goes ording to n. I n to visit her in jail with Candace," Harry said and Tom chuckled.

    "That would be a really nice reunion," Tom said and they bothughed.

    "I should probably leave you to go get out of your uniform then," Harry said and Tom chuckled.

    "Guess what?" Tom said as he looked behind him to make sure no one wasing.

    "Anotherdy showed up with a kid for you?" Harry asked andughed out loud when Tom red at him.

    "I think Lucy might have changed her mind about marriage and kids," Tom said, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

    "Really? Did she say something?" Harry asked looking genuinely interested, and Tom grinned.

    "I overheard her talking with Sonia��."

    "Overheard or eavesdropped?" Harry asked and Tom scowled.

    "What is the difference? Are you interested in hearing me out or should I just go change out of my high school uniform?" Tom asked and Harry grinned.

    "Alright. Tell me," Harry said and Tom smiled, happy to share his good news with Harry.

    Harry listened as Tom told him all that Lucy had said and done in thest couple of days that made him believe that she had finally changed her mind.

    "So, what do you think?" Tom asked when he was done.

    Although Harry believed that it was possible that she had changed her mind, he shook his head, "While I unrest all that you''ve said, I think you shouldn''t get your hopes up just yet. At least until you hear it directly from her. What could be the reason she hasn''t told you yet? Could she hesitating?" Harry said logically.

    "Maybe she doesn''t know how to bring it up," Tom said with a shrug.

    "From all you''ve said, you''ve given her openings to say it a couple of times now, but she didn''t," Harry pointed out and Tom sighed.

    "Maybe she is waiting for all of this to end and for us to get back to Ludus first," he said and seeing that the excitement was quickly fading from Tom''s eyes, Harry nodded.

    "I think that is it. She is likely waiting," Harry said and he chuckled when Tom grinned again.

    "I''m happy to know I still stand a chance of being your best man after all. I was worried I might never have the opportunity to give the speech at your wedding," Harry said and Tom chuckled as he ced a hand on Harry''s shoulder.

    "If Lucy gets married to me, you can give whatever speech you like, I won''t care. Know why? Cause I''m going to be too busy gazing at MY WIFE to hear you," Tom asked with a grin and Harry chuckled happily.

    Harry prayed that Lucy had really changed her mind. That would be so wonderful.

    "Go get out of your uniform while I make the calls to everyone. Are you going toe back down, or are you going to conclude your date in your bedroom?" Harry asked with a wink.

    "Depends on what Lucy wants," Tom said with a grin and Harry shook his head.

    "You''re gone man. Totally andpletely gone," Harry said as they both chuckled.

 Chapter 741 Stay Out Of It!

    Chapter 741 Stay Out Of It!

    "Why is Dawn''s governessing and not Kimberly?" Lucy asked Sonia after they had left Dawn''s bedroom.

    She had been hoping that Kimberly woulde so that she could see her physically for the first time and also give her a piece of her mind.

    "Desmond asked but Kimberly''s mom didn''t respond. Kimberly is probably grounded," Sonia said uninterestedly and Lucy shook her head.

    "I can''t believe an adult like her can act so irresponsibly when ites to her own kid. How can she not go against her parents and protect her daughter? The kid is three for crying out loud," Lucy said with a shake of her head.

    "Lucy, I love you but I really don''t care about that subject. I''d rather hear all about your date. How did it go?" Sonia asked and Lucy smiled.

    "It was nice. Do you have a moment to spare?" Lucy asked hopefully and Sonia looked at her incredulously.

    "Of course I always have a moment to spare for you. Why do you think I left the others in the Den toe up here to meet you?" Sonia asked and Lucy grinned.

    "Let''s go talk at the balcony. That way we won''t be interrupted by Tom," Lucy suggested, and Sonia eagerly followed her.

    "What do you want to talk about? I hope this isn''t about Kimberly and Dawn again," Sonia said as they headed for the balcony.

    Lucy sighed, "No, it''s not. Although I''m curious about that, I will take it up with Tom and Desmondter. Let''s talk first," Lucy said and Sonia raised a brow.

    "Curious about what? I suggest you stay out of it. Tom told you Kimberly was being the scandal, right? I wish I could scratch out her eyes for trying to fool you. Lucy, Kimberly is bad news. I understand your feelings for the kid, but don''t get yourself involved any further," Sonia said and Lucy smiled.

    "That''s not what I want us to talk about," Lucy said, changing the subject as they both sat down.

    "What do you want to talk about?" Sonia asked curiously when she noticed the smile on Lucy''s face.

    "Guess," Lucy said and Sonia narrowed her eyes.

    "You are pregnant?" Sonia asked and Lucy rolled her eyes.

    "Why would you think that?" She asked with a frown.

    Sonia shrugged, "Well, seeing how much you''ve been changing your mind on the subjecttely, I wouldn''t be surprised if you decide to surprise Tom with a baby," Sonia said and Lucy giggled.

    "Well, you are right in a way��."

    "You''re pregnant for real?" Sonia cut in excitedly.

    Lucy sighed loudly, "No! That''s now what I mean! I mean you''re right in a way because it''s about Tom."

    "What about him then? Did he propose to you?" Sonia asked impatiently and then she gasped when something hit her.

    "No, wait! He wouldn''t propose unless you told him about your change of mind," Sonia said before Lucy could speak.

    "You told him, right?" Sonia asked and Lucy giggled.

    "No. I didn''t," Lucy said and Sonia sighed.

    "You know what? I''m done guessing. Just go on and tell me," Sonia said as she rxed on her seat with her curious eyes on Lucy.

    "After you and Jade leftst night, I had a long talk with Candace."

    "And?" Sonia asked impatiently when it seemed like Lucy was taking too long to speak.

    "I don''t think I need to wait until my therapy ends to make up my mind. I''m going to get married to Tom and have kids together," Lucy said with a grin.

    "Lucy!" Sonia eximed happily as she rose from her seat to embrace Lucy who was now giggling.

    Although Lucy had told her she was reconsidering her decision to not get married, marriage, she was still very excited to hear that her best friend and soul sister was finally ready to get married and have kids with the love of her life.

    It felt like everything was finally falling in ce with Lucy and she was really now getting over her trauma and living normally now.

    Thinking about Lucy and Tom, Sonia couldn''t help feeling very happy on behalf of Tom since she knew just how much Tom wanted this. She was so happy that finally, a good man like Tom was now going to get what he wanted and deserved.

    "I''m so happy for you, Lucy. You deserve all the happiness in life. And now I won''t have to be the only Mrs. Hank between us," Sonia said, and Lucy giggled.

    "Tom is going to be so so happy. Have you told him yet? Was that why you took him out today?" Sonia asked, and Lucy shook her head.

    "No."

    "No? Why not? What are you waiting for? I guess you want to tell him in a grand and surprising way," Sonia asked with a raised brow, and Lucy nodded.

    "Okay. So, what''s the n? I guess you have a n in mind already?" Sonia asked, and Lucy smiled.

    "We are hosting a Christmas party at his house. I n to propose to him at the party," Lucy said, and Sonia giggled.

    "I can''t believe my Lucy is now hosting parties and proposing to men," Sonia said with a teasing smile.

    "Not men. Tom," Lucy corrected with a giggle and Sonia paused when something else came to mind.

    "Wait. Didn''t we all agree to go on a Christmas vacation? How are you going to host a party then?" Sonia asked, and Lucy frowned.

    "That''s true. I totally forgot about that. Do you think it will be possible to convince them to postpone the vacation? It''s sort of my Christmas gift to Tom," Lucy said, and Sonia sighed.

    "I don''t think the vacation changes anything apart from the Christmas party you want to host. You can easily propose to him anywhere you are," Sonia pointed out reasonably.

    Lucy sighed, "But the party is also for him. It''s like a party to celebrate himing out to society," Lucy said with a frown.

    "How do you n to convince the whole family to change their ns? Especially Evelyn? This is going to be like you as challenging her, and we can''t have that. Maybe you can tell her about the n. That will make things easier," Sonia suggested thoughtfully.

    "No. I also want to surprise her as well. She has been so worried about Tom not getting married and it caused all these issues for us. It will be my gift to her as well," Lucy said and both her and Sonia smiled.

    "That''s sweet. So, how are you going to get them to drop the vacation ns? Should I tell them I won''t be able to travel by then because I would be in my third trimester by then? And so we should just have a Christmas party?" Sonia asked and Lucy shook her head.

    "No, thanks. The party is just one day. I will want us to still go on a vacation. I will discuss it with Tom first, since I guess he must have forgotten about the vacation as well. If he is okay with it, I will then talk to Evelyn. I will tell her I want to host a Christmas party for Tom and his major shareholders and also future investors. Our families will all be present, and we can all go on a vacation after the party. I''m sure she won''t mind. A Christmas party and a New Year''s vacation," Lucy said, and Sonia beamed a happy smile.

    "I think that is perfect! I can''t wait to write about it," Sonia said, and Lucyughed.

    "Wait, what about Harry and Jade? I thought she said Harry ns to propose to her in six months time? Does that mean you and Harry would be proposing at the same time?" Sonia asked and Lucy shook her head.

    "I don''t know about that. Besides, he told her that weeks ago. So, it can''t be exactly six months from now," Lucy said.

    "That''s true. So, how can I help? And who else are you telling about this? Harry I suppose? Since you would need his help as Tom''s best friend," Sonia said but Lucy shook her head.

    "No. It''s going to be just you and Candace."

    "What about Harry? Are you scared he might slip to Tom?" Sonia asked, and Lucy shook her head.

    "No. I trust him to keep it to himself even if I told him, but I just want to be extra careful. I don''t want Tom suspecting anything," Lucy exined, and Sonia nodded.

    They both turned to the door when they heard voices and approaching footsteps, and they both smiled when they saw that it was Tom and Bryan.

    "I checked Dawn''s bedroom and ours, and when I didn''t see you, I decided toe check here just to be sure you''ve not been abducted. I didn''t want to freshen up without you," Tom said and Lucy giggled.

    "Sorry. I thought you''d still be busy with Harry," Lucy said apologetically as she rose.

    "It''s time for my babies to go to bed. You need to rest after such a busy day," Bryan said as he approached Sonia and she giggled when he swept her off her feet and carried her in a princess style.

    "Good night, Lucy, Tom," Sonia called as Bryan carried her away while Tom and Lucy watched them leave with a smile on their faces.

    "I don''t know about you, but I''m ready to call it a night," Tom said and Lucy looked at him curiously.

    "Sonia said Dawn is leaving tomorrow," Lucy said and Tom shrugged.

    "Really? That''s nice," Tom said and Lucy sighed.

    "Can you believe that they are sending her governess toe get her?" Lucy asked with a frown.

    "Yes, I can believe it. At least they sent someone. That''s good. Now you don''t have to worry about her traveling alone anymore Tom said and Lucy''s frown deepened.

    "Don''t you think they sent a governess because maybe Kimberly is grounded or something?" Lucy asked and Tom sighed.

    "Do I look like I care? Kimberly can be locked up in a dungeon for all I care. As long as theye get the kid, I''m cool," Tom said and Lucy bit her lower lip.

    "But I care. It won''t be nice if Dawn leaves here only to go face hostility at home," Lucy said and Tom closed his eyes as he prayed for patience.

    "That is not our business, Lucy. They are her family. Kimberly is her mom. If she believes sending a governess down to get her child is what is best for the kid, then so be it. We are not getting involved or convening ourselves with their business. I don''t want to talk about Dawn or Kimberly," Tom said and Lucy nodded before walking away.

    "Where are you going?" Tom asked with a frown as he watched her.

    "It''s fine if you don''t want to talk. But I want to, so I will take it up with someone who would be willing to talk to me and listen," Lucy said without turning back and Tom hurried after her.

    "You said you won''t talk to Kimberly," Tom reminded her.

    "I''m going to talk to your parents not Kimberly. You can freshen up without me. I will join you soon," Lucy said as she kept walking.

    "For Christ''s sake, Lucy! Lucy, we had a nice day. Let''s not ruin it by fighting over this," Tom yelled in frustration but Lucy didn''t stop.

    He had never known Lucy to be so stubborn until it came to dealing with Dawn. It seemed like she was always willing to fight him as long as it had to do with caring for the kid.

    Sonia and Bryan who had just gone into their bedroom stepped out when they heard Tom''s voice, and seeing that he was going downstairs again, they followed suit, wanting to find out what the issue was.

    "Slow down, babe," Bryan called with a frown as Sonia ran ahead of him wanting to stop Lucy before she would do or say something she would need to apologize forter since they had only just moved on from thest drama.

    Tom quickly caught up with Lucy at the foot of the stairs and grabbed her arm, "Lucy, stop!"

    "I only want to understand what is going on that''s all," Lucy said and Tom shook his head.

    "It''s not your business��"

    "Dawn is my friend��"

    "That still doesn''t make it your business. Stay out of it!"

    "What is the problem?" Desmond asked as he and the others who were retiring to bed joined them.

 Chapter 742 Meddling

    Chapter 742 Meddling

    Lucy looked at Desmond, d that he was here now, while Desmond and the others looked from Lucy to Tom, wondering what the problem was this time.

    "It''s nothing��"

    "I wanted to��"

    Tom and Lucy spoke at the same time, and Tom red at Lucy, "It''s nothing," he insisted.

    "I really don''t get why you''re making a big deal out of this. I just want to ask a simple question," Lucy said, and Tom shook his head.

    "And I know you well enough to know it won''t end there," Tom insisted.

    "What question?" Evelyn asked since they were all now curious to know the big question that was causing the two uniformed lovebirds to argue.

    "It''s just that I wanted to know if you found out why they are sending Dawn''s governess to get her. Why is Kimberly noting to get Dawn herself?" Lucy asked, ignoring Sonia, who was shaking her head for her to stop, and Tom shook his head in disapproval.

    He didn''t like that Lucy didn''t listen to him when he told her to stop concerning herself with Kimberly''s issue. Why was she so concerned about their affairs anyway?

    Wasn''t she the type that didn''t like to concern herself with other people''s business? Why was she so interested in Dawn and how Kimberly was handling things? What was so special about Dawn that Lucy would go against even her own principles this way?

    Since she didn''t want to listen to him and stay away from it as he had asked her, she should go ahead and ask all she wanted to know and even call Kimberly if she wanted. He wasn''t going to concern himself with it. He was just going to make sure to stay out of it, he decided as he walked away, leaving them all to talk about it.

    "Let''s go to bed," Jade said as she pulled Harry with her, uninterested in whatever drama Lucy was about to start.

    "You can go in. I will join you," Harry said, not wanting to leave Lucy now since Tom had left.

    Seeing that Harry was not willing to leave, Jade sighed as she decided to stay put.

    "I asked, but Kimberly''s mother didn''t give me any information, so I can''t say. But from all indications, I don''t think they have agreed to let her go home, or rather, I don''t think Kimberly''s father is ready to set eyes on Dawn yet since it was his wife who called," Desmond said, and Lucy''s brows pulled together thoughtfully.

    What were Kimberly and her mom nning to do with Dawn when she got there? Was Kimberly going to risk being disowned for her child''s safety? She doubted that. If that was the case, she would have been the one to pick Dawn up or wouldn''t have left her here in the first ce.

    "Since you are aware of that, are you going to just let her go back home to them?" Lucy asked, and everyone frowned.

    What was Kimberly nning to do? Had Kimberly probably tried reaching her to exin things to her but couldn''t because she had blocked her? Lucy mused.

    "What do you mean?" Evelyn asked, trying not to sound annoyed.

    Perhaps she should call Kimberly to ask what the n was for Dawn just to be sure that she was going back to somewhere safe.

    "Maybe I should call Kimberly and ask her what is going on and what she ns to do when Dawn gets there....."

    "No, you will not call her. What are you thinking?" Sonia asked, cutting Lucy off irritably. As much as she loved Lucy and Lucy was her best friend, she couldn''t allow her to act so foolishly.

    What Lucy was saying was wrong, and she had to stop her before anyone else did. She wouldn''t just stand there and watch Lucy fight with everyone because of Dawn or Kimberly.

    "What? You want to call her?" Evelyn asked while everyone else watched Lucy.

    "Why would you call her after everything that she has done? Didn''t you hear that she was behind the scandal?" Jade asked with displeasure.

    "I thought you said you wouldn''t reach her again," Candace asked with a frown, and Lucy sighed.

    "I wouldn''t if it were not important, and this is important. Dawn is my friend...."

    "And so what? You are her friend, not her mother! If her mom and grandparents want her, she will go home to them. I advise that you don''t call her and you should stay out of it. Whatever they n to do with her after she arrives, there isn''t your business," Evelyn said, but Lucy shook her head.

    "I promised to always look out for her," Lucy countered.

    "Since when did you begin to meddle in other people''s business?" Desmond asked with disapproval.

    Lucy shook her head. "I''m not meddling. I''m just trying to look out for Dawn, seeing how her mom and grandparents are behaving. She is just a kid, and I''m concerned about her. Shouldn''t you all be too?" Lucy asked, looking at Evelyn.

    "And what do you think they are going to do to her when she gets there? Murder her? Throw her out of the house? No matter how angry they are, she is their family, and they have known and loved her for much longer than you. You don''t care about the kid more than they do, so I don''t think your concern is necessary," Evelyn said firmly.

    "I agree with her. You shouldn''t concern yourself with Kimberly anymore," Harry said, and Lucy looked at him with a slight frown.

    "I can understand how worried and concerned you are about the kid''s wellbeing, but calling Kimberly and asking her what she ns to do with her own child is really not what you should do," Candace said, and Lucy sighed.

    "Let''s assume that you call and Kimberly tells you that Dawn is not wee home, but she is hoping her father will change her mind when he sees Dawn. What will you do?" Desmond asked, and Lucy frowned.

    "I don''t know. I guess it will be up to you. I will have to plead with you to let her stay a bit longer with you until her grandfather is willing to have her," Lucy said, and Sonia shook her head.

    "Lucy, this is not your business. What happens when we all go back after the funeral, and she has to stay here alone with Desmond and Evelyn? Or do you think Tom would let you bring her along to Ludus when he doesn''t even want to talk about her? Do you think Dawn would not rather tiptoe around the grandparents she knows than stay here?" Sonia asked angrily.

    "It''s not like I''m interested in this because I am being nosy or just want to interfere in their business. I just want to be sure that Dawn will be fine," Lucy said, making Evelynugh dryly, and everyone turned to her with a frown, wondering what she was finding amusing about the situation.

    "Do you remember what you said about me interfering in Tom''s life and in your rtionship?" Evelyn asked, and Lucy frowned, wondering why Evelyn was bringing that up and what was its connection to the issue at hand.

    "What did I say? And what does it have to do with this?" Lucy asked with a frown.

    "You asked me not to interfere if my opinion was not sought, didn''t you?" Evelyn said, and Lucy nodded.

    "Yes. But this is entirely different, and that doesn''t have anything to do with this...."

    "It has everything to do with it. Kimberly didn''t call you to tell you about this��."

    "She could have been trying to reach me but haven''t been able to because I blocked her. That is why I want to call her," Lucy cut in.

    "Let''s assume that you are right. What business do you have with her and Dawn? You know them only because of their association with Tom and us. And if we have all said you shouldn''t get involved, what right do you have to keep wanting to interfere in this when it isn''t your business? Isn''t this what you call meddling?" Evelyn pointed out, and Lucy sighed, beginning to see reasons with what everyone was saying.

    "But Dawn is only a kid," Lucy said weakly.

    "Tom is my son, yet you asked me not to interfere in his life. Now, we are all asking you to stay out of this. There is no reason for you to have problems with Tom for something that isn''t really your business," Evelyn said, giving her a pointed look.

    "I guess you''re right. I will just let it be and not bother about it anymore," Lucy said, and Evelyn shed her a smile as she patted her shoulder.

    "It''s fine. I''m d we understand each other better," Evelyn said, and everyone nodded.

    Evelyn was right. She was going too far with her concern for Dawn. She wasn''t even rted to her. What was she thinking? That she cared more for Dawn than Kimberly, who is her mother?

    Because Tom had left even before the conversation started, she knew he wasn''t happy with her. She would have to apologize to him for not listening to him and promise him that she wouldn''t concern herself with Dawn anymore.

    "I''m sorry for fussing over it and keeping you all here," Lucy said, looking at everyone.

    "It''s Tom you should be apologizing to, not us. Since we are done here, good night," Desmond said before heading to his room, and everyone else did the same except for Sonia, who remained there with Lucy and Bryan.

    "Babe? You should head to the bedroom. I''ll join you soon," Sonia said, and Bryan nodded as he excused them.

 Chapter 743 Everyone Needs A Friend

    Chapter 743 Everyone Needs A Friend

    Standing there alone with Sonia, Lucy could tell that Sonia was really pissed, "Before you say anything, I know you are pissed��."

    "I''m mad at you, not just pissed. You messed up, Lu. And I''m not pleased with you," Sonia said the moment Bryan left, and Lucy sighed.

    "I know. I was just really worried about Dawn. I''m sorry," Lucy said apologetically.

    "And you weren''t worried about Tom? I suppose Dawn is more important to you than Tom. He asked you to let it go, yet you chose not to listen to him, especially in the presence of everyone. I hope Tom doesn''t let you off easily."

    "You know Tom is more important to me than that. I admit that I was wrong. I should have listened to him. I''m not sure how to face him. I was just too worried about Dawn to even see reason with him."

    "And you think he was saying that for himself and not your sake? Isn''t he refusing to let you contact or concern yourself with Kimberly because he is worried about you? He was trying to protect you from having everyone in his family talk to you harshly, yet you ignored him that way! How can you not learn? Was Anita''s episode not enough to teach you? If Tom ignored you the way you just did to him, would you be pleased? Quit embarrassing him in front of his family! What is wrong with you?" Sonia asked in a slightly raised voice, letting Lucy know that she was really pissed.

    "What do you mean quit embarrassing him? When have I ever embarrassed him? Today was an error," Lucy said with a frown.

    "The other day at breakfast, when you raised the issue there, I was mad that Tom didn''t take your side, butter, I realized you brought the subject up without first discussing it with him. This is his family. You should do better!"

    "I will apologize to him. I probably should do so now," Lucy said, and Sonia scowled.

    "Yes, you should. I will forgive you only after Tom does," Sonia said before walking away, leaving Lucy with no option but to go face Tom.

    Lucy walked into the bedroom just as Tom was heading to bed after his shower, and Lucy sighed, grateful that he was yet to go to bed.

    Not minding that he was naked, she made her way to him and hugged him from behind just before he could get on the bed.

    "It''s over five minutes already," Lucy said, and Tom raised a brow.

    "Five minutes?" He asked, and she nodded.

    "Remember, we can''t stay mad for longer than that," Lucy said, and Tom nodded.

    "Yeah. You always conveniently bring that up when you do something wrong. And who said I was mad at you? You asked me toe freshen up without you, and that is exactly what I did," Tom said as he removed her hands, which were wrapped around him.

    Even though he was acting so calmly, she knew he was mad at her. "I''m sorry. I''m sorry I didn''t listen to you. I was wrong. I shouldn''t have argued with you about it that way, and I shouldn''t have ignored you in the presence of everyone," Lucy said, and Tom sighed as he turned to look at her.

    "I''m exhausted, and I need to go to bed��."

    "Let''s resolve it, please��."

    "I''m tired, Lucy. We had a beautiful day. Everything was going so perfectly well, but you just had to ruin it. Why? Why do we both always have to have something to apologize for? It''s either I''m the one apologizing for something, or it''s you. Isn''t it exhausting? This was supposed to be a perfectly normal day for us. I was trying my best to prevent this from happening tonight, but you didn''t listen��."

    "And I''m sorry," Lucy pleaded.

    "Sorry? Don''t you think you are sorry only because things didn''t go your way? I''m sure my parents didn''t respond the way you expected them to, else you wouldn''t be here apologizing to me. You promised me you would stay out of it just this morning, but what did you do? The exact opposite," Tom said, and Lucy nodded as tears gathered in her eyes.

    "You are right, and maybe I needed to hear it from them all to get my head straight. I was just so worried about Dawn��"

    "That is what I don''t understand! Why are you always so stubborn when ites to issues that concern Dawn? Why do you keep fighting with me over her?" Tom asked in a controlled voice.

    "I''m sorry. I really am. I promise we won''t fight over Dawn or Kimberly ever again," Lucy promised, and Tom sighed.

    "That was what you promised me the other time. I can''t even trust you to keep to your words anymore," Tom said with a shake of his head, and then he took a deep breath as he held her shoulders and looked into her eyes.

    "Please, Lucy, you really should stop concerning yourself so much with this. You really have to stop. I don''t like any of this," Tom pleaded, and she nodded.

    "I will stop. As a matter of fact, I have stopped. She is leaving tomorrow after all��."

    "You''re not going to try to stop the governess or ask her questions, are you?" Tom asked, and she shook her head.

    "I won''t. It''s their family business. I shouldn''t interfere or meddle," Lucy said, and Tom looked at her for some time, wondering whether or not he should believe her.

    "C''mon! I''m serious. I won''t interfere anymore," Lucy said, and Tom sighed.

    "Alright."

    "That doesn''t mean I can''t keep being friends with Dawn anymore, right?" Lucy asked, and Tom groaned.

    "It''s a harmless friendship. Everyone needs a friend," Lucy said, and Tom sighed.

    "I need you to understand that I''m not doing this for myself or because I want to control you��."

    "I know. I know," Lucy assured him.

    "If you know, then please listen to me. After Dawn leaves tomorrow, you shouldn''t call Kimberly or try to reach her," Tom said, and Lucy nodded.

    "Alright. That''s fine, but that doesn''t mean if Dawn tries to reach me, I won''t speak with her," Lucy said, and Tom sighed.

    "Why do you care about her so damn much?" Tom asked, and Lucy smiled.

    "Maybe it''s because she looks so much like you and reminds me of you, I don''t know. Or maybe it''s because I started caring about her from the moment I thought she was yours. But she is a really sweet kid, and I love her," Lucy said, and Tom scoffed.

    "She isn''t all that sweet. Jamal is sweet. She isn''t," Tom said, and Lucy nodded.

    "That''s because of how she was brought up. It''s not on her. That is more reason I''m worried about her," Lucy said, and Tom sighed.

    "I''m tired. You should go have your bath and join me on the bed," Tom said, and Lucy looked at him hopefully.

    "Does that mean you''ve forgiven me?" Lucy asked, and he shrugged.

    "Have I ever stayed mad at you for long? You''re the one who stays mad for long," Tom said, and Lucy embraced him and kissed both his cheeks and lips.

    "Thank you. So, why don''t we shower together and wash away the bad tension?" Lucy asked suggestively, and Tom grinned as he followed her back into the shower.

    "Now I''m ready to call it a night," Tom said with satisfaction some minutester after they stepped out of the shower, and Lucy nodded.

    "Me too," She said as they got on the bed. Lucy snuggled closer to Tom, and he wrapped his hands around her waist.

    "Tom?" Lucy called after some time, and Tom, who had been about to doze off, opened his eyes.

    "Yes?"

    "About the Christmas party, I told you about earlier today."

    "What about it? Have you perhaps changed your mind?" Tom asked with a yawn.

    "No. I remembered that your mom talked about a family vacation for Christmas. Do you think it''s okay if I suggest to her that the family go on a vacation during New Year instead so that we can host the Christmas party?" She asked, and Tom nodded.

    "I think everyone would like the idea of hosting a party for Christmas and a vacation by New Year," Tom said, and Lucy raised her head to look at him.

    "You think so?"

    "Yes. How about we tell them about it tomorrow? I''m sure no one would object if I raise the subject," Tom suggested, and Lucy beamed a smile at him.

    "That''s so sweet of you. Thanks," Lucy said, and Tom smiled.

    "Anything for my Queen," Tom said with a yawn.

    "We can sleep now," Lucy said before adjusting to give Tom a kiss on his forehead.

    "I love you," She said, and Tom kissed her forehead as well.

    "I love you more, my Jewel. Goodnight," Tom said as he cuddled her, and Lucy smiled as she slowly drifted off to sleep.

 Chapter 744 Criminals!

    Chapter 744 Criminals!

    Amy walked around Miley''s hotel room restlessly as she silently prayed that Miley would recover from this quickly and exin everything to her parents.

    She wished there was a way she could at least find out how Miley was doing and if she had regained consciousness, but there was no one she could call.

    She was with Miley''s phone, and it wasn''t like Miley''s parents would be willing to take her call or give her any information. Not when she had withheld important information from them.

    Perhaps she should sneak over to the hospital and have one of the nurses help her check on Miley and tell her how Miley was doing. Amy mused and drew in a deep breath as she headed for the living room of the suite.

    As she walked into the living room, a memory hit her, and she shut her eyes as she remembered sitting right there in the living room with Lucas, who advised her not to indulge Miley.

    If only she had listened to Lucas and talked Miley into receiving treatment.

    She didn''t regret offering to be Miley''s surrogate. What she really regretted was not pushing Miley to inform her family and forcing her to receive treatment even if she didn''t want to inform her family.

    If she had known that Miley''s health was fast deteriorating, she wouldn''t have let Miley carry on the way she did.

    Amy sighed as she nced at her phone, which was on top of the center table. She had switched off her phone because she knew her mother would try to call her and find out what was happening since she was very sure that Miley''s parents must have informed her mother about everything that was happening by now.

    She was not ready to face her mother yet. She had not considered the fact that her action would put her mother in a difficult position with people who considered them as family.

    Amy turned to the door when someone knocked on it, and her heart skipped a beat, thinking it was probably Miley''s parentsing to throw her out of their daughter''s hotel apartment.

    She fearfully opened the door, and she frowned when she saw Malone standing there, "What are you doing here?" Amy asked since she expected him to have left, seeing as the n had changed following Miley''s condition.

    "What do you mean by that?" Malone asked as he walked past her into the apartment.

    Amy frowned as she shut the door and turned to face him, "Miley is not here��."

    "But you are here," he said, cutting her off.

    "Sit down, let''s talk," he said, pointing to a couch as he sat down.

    What did he want to talk about? She hoped he was not going to cause any trouble, considering the present situation of things.

    "What do you want to talk about?" Amy asked as she reluctantly sat down opposite him.

    "Why was your phone off? I''ve been trying to reach you all day," Malone said, and Amy shrugged but didn''t respond.

    "Have you been able to resolve your misunderstanding with Miley''s parents? Do you have any idea how Miley is doing?" Malone asked, and Amy shook her head.

    "No. I''m hoping that Miley will clear the air when she regains consciousness," Amy said with a sigh.

    "And how are you going to know when she regains consciousness if you leave your phone off? Or do you expect her to show up here and tell you she is awake?" Malone asked, eyeing Amy like he thought she was stupid.

    Knowing that he had a point, Amy didn''t respond to that. Instead, she cleared her throat, "You should probably leave for now. Miley''s health condition is critical, and I can assure you that even though Miley wakes up and insists on going ahead with the marriage, her parents would never agree to it," Amy said honestly, and Malone looked at her like she had lost her mind.

    Malone rose from his seat, and Amy did the same since she didn''t like the idea of him towering above her.

    "Leave? What do you mean leave? What about my money? How do I get my mo...."

    "What money? Didn''t Miley pay you even before all these?" Amy reminded him, and he raised a brow at her.

    "What do you mean paid me? Was that the whole amount she promised to pay me at the end of the arrangement?" Malone asked with a slightly raised voice, and Amy looked at him incredulously.

    "You just said it yourself. At the END of the arrangement! She has already paid you more than enough even though your services might not be needed anymore. I''d even ask for a refund��."

    "A refund? You must be out of your fucking mind," Malone cut in angrily as they faced each other.

    Amy took a deep breath, "Why are you being unreasonable? Can''t you see that she is in a critical condition now and..."

    "Do I look like I care? We had an agreement, and I upheld my end of the deal. I did my part! If the arrangement did not pull through, it''s your fault, not mine, so there is no reason I shouldn''t get my money in full," Malone said, and Amy massaged her temple.

    She had always known that Malone was scum, no matter how decent he seemed outwardly. After seeing how Lucas had reacted so angrily to the idea and had cut them off for even suggesting he do such a thing, she had begun to think that any guy who would ept such a deal wasn''t a decent guy. And this just proved it now.

    "Malone, listen��."

    "No, you listen! I don''t know how you''re going to do it, and I honestly don''t care, but I want my money in full. I not only gave my sperm��."

    "You were paid for doing that! You were paid way more than even sperm banks pay donors!" Amy cut in.

    "I never went to a sperm bank to donate my precious sperm, did I? I sold it to you sickos! I have wasted my precious time on that dying girl! And I deserve to..." The rest of his words were lost when Amy pped him hard across the face.

    "How dare you...." Before Amy could finish speaking, Malone returned the p.

    Amy staggered back on her feet, and before she could regain her bnce, Malone shoved her onto the couch and raised his hand, which was balled in a fist, ready to hit her.

    When Amy saw this, she instinctively raised both her hands to cover her face as a form of protection from the blow, but Malone dropped his hand as he stepped away from her.

    "I don''t think I should waste my time talking to you after all. I will go to the hospital and see how she is doing for myself and get her parents to pay me what she owes if I have to," Malone said, and Amy shook her head quickly.

    "No! You can''t do that. You can''t tell them about that. Please. Everything will be even worse if they find out you were paid to act as her lover," Amy pleaded.

    "How does that affect me? All I care about is my money," Malone said before heading for the bedroom to pick up his bag.

    Amy followed him, "You can''t��."

    "Try to stop me," Malone said as he walked out of the apartment with his backpack.

    Tears ran down Amy''s face as she watched Malone leave. Even though she had always known Malone had only been ying nice because of the amount of money he was offered, she never knew he could be that heartless. How could he be so unbothered about Miley, who was in a critical condition?

    She picked up her phone and turned it on so that she could try to talk to Miley''s parents about Malone before he got to the hospital.

    She hesitated when she wanted to dial their number since she wasn''t sure how to go about telling them that. What if Malone changed his mind, and she let it out already? Won''t Miley''s parents think the worst of her if she told them about this and that she had allowed Miley to do such a stupid thing? Amy sighed as she dropped the phone.

    Just as she dropped the phone, it started ringing, and she picked it up, hoping it would be either of Miley''s parents, but her heart skipped a beat when she saw that it was her mother.

    She couldn''t avoid her mother forever, Amy thought as she received the call, "Mo..."

    "Where are you?" Her mother asked in a stern tone, and Amy reluctantly told her where she was.

    "Stay put. I will meet you there in the morning," Amy''s mother said before hanging up.

    Away from there, Malone arrived at the hospital and went straight to Miley''s father, who was just outside her ward making a phone call while her mom was inside the room.

    "Hello, sir," Malone greeted, grateful that he didn''t have to look for him.

    Miley''s father turned to see who was greeting him, and he frowned when he recognized him.

    It was the young man who had said he was Miley''s fianc��. What was he doing here? Didn''t he make it clear enough that he did not want to see neither him nor Amy around the hospital premises? He mused as he quickly hung up his call to face Malone.

    "Why are you here? Did we not make it clear enough that you are not wee here? We won''t let you marry our daughter," Miley''s father said, and Malone nodded.

    At least he wasn''t there to convince them to marry Miley, "I''m not here to convince you to let me marry her. To be honest with you, I don''t want to marry her either," Malone said, and Miley''s father frowned.

    "What do you mean? Why are you here?"

    "I''m here to get my money. Your daughter owes me, and Amy can testify to that," Malone said easily.

    "I beg your pardon?"

    Without saying a word, Malone opened his backpack and took out his copy of their signed contract, and handed it to Miley''s father.

    "That is our agreement. Miley promised to pay me if I donated my sperm and get married to her. I''ve donated my sperm as they requested, and I would have gotten married to her, but since you are the one calling things off, you should pay me for breaching the contract," Malone said reasonably, and Miley''s father frowned as he looked down at the document in disbelief.

    "Are you crazy?" Miley''s father asked angrily just as his wife came out to check on him.

    "What is going on here? What is this man doing here?" She asked her husband, who was ring at Malone.

    "I was just telling your husband that your family owes me," Malone said and exined the situation to her, including the fact that Amy was Miley''s surrogate.

    "What? You even have the guts to show your face here and tell us how you connived with Amy to dupe our daughter? How dare you?" Miley''s mother asked as she raised her hand to hit him, but her husband stopped her.

    "Get out of here before I get you arrested," Miley''s father said angrily, and Malone sneered at them.

    "I didn''tmit any crime. I only helped your daughter, and this document proves it. I''m not looking for any trouble. All I want is the money that was promised," Malone said, and Miley''s father shook his head.

    "You are a criminal, and you won''t get a dime from us!"

    "If you don''t give me my money, I will go to the press," Malone threatened.

    "Now the criminal wants to resort to ckmail?" Miley''s father said to his wife.

    "Go ahead and do just that. Go to the press, but let this be thest time you show your face here, or else we will have you arrested," Miley''s mother threatened, and Malone stormed off angrily.

    "A contract marriage and a surrogate? Can you imagine the nonsense? Criminals!" Miley''s father said as they returned inside Miley''s ward.

    "I still can''t believe Amy could do this to us despite all we have done for her and her mother. This must be the reason she didn''t bother to tell us about Miley''s condition," Miley''s mother said, and they both hurried to Miley''s side when they saw a slight movement.

    "We won''t let her have her way. I don''t care whether or not Miley made such arrangements with them. We will have nothing to do with them and their contract," Miley''s father said, and his wife nodded in agreement.

 Chapter 745 Once A Thief….

    Chapter 745 Once A Thief��.

    "I can''t believe that despite knowing what Kimberly did, Lucy is still so concerned about Dawn. I just can''t understand her. Poor Tom," Jade said as they bothy on the bed after they had showered.

    "Dawn is not Kimberly. There is nothing wrong with Lucy''s concern for the kid. It''s just her approach that is wrong," Harry pointed out, and Jade eyed him.

    "Of course, you would always support her. If I was the one who did that, you''d be nagging about how I don''t mind my business," Jade said, and Harry chuckled.

    "What is amusing you?" Jade asked with a scowl.

    "I did say her approach was wrong, didn''t I? I guess she is beginning to get influenced by you, Hanks. Now that she is starting to meddle this way, I wonder how long it would take before I start meddling, too," Harry said, and Jade scoffed.

    "Like that is ever going to happen. You''ve been a part of us for years, yet you are still this way," Jade said, and Harry chuckled.

    "So, you do admit that your family meddles," Harry said with a grin, and Jade pped his arm when she realized what he had done.

    "You are so annoying!"

    "I know. And as to what you said, no. I''ve not really been a part of your family. Not this way. I''ve known you all over the years, but our rtionship is different now. A lot of things have changed," Harry said, and Jade smiled.

    "Really? What has changed? Tell me," she asked, and he shrugged.

    "Thest time I was here, I slept in the guest bedroom, which Dawn is upying right now," Harry said with a grin, knowing that wasn''t what Jade wanted to hear, and she hissed at him.

    "You are so annoying," she said, and he grinned.

    "It won''t be the first time you''ve said that this evening. Lest I forget, I need to give your former boss a call. And Crystal, too," Harry said, and Jade raised a brow.

    "What for?" She asked, and Harry exined the new n to her, and she nodded.

    "It makes sense. I''m sure Amos would be willing to do your bidding, seeing that you have him by the balls now. So, should I give Amos a call, or would you rather call him yourself?" Jade asked, and Harry shook his head.

    "I don''t want him to have my call line. You should call him," Harry said, and Jade did as she was told and then handed Harry the phone.

    "Jade?" Amos asked anxiously the moment he received the call.

    He had been anxious all day since his earlier phone call with Harry and had been ignoring Sara''s call all day since he didn''t know what to say to her, and he didn''t want them to keep associating him with Sara.

    "This is Harry Jonas. I trust that you have reunited with your family, right?" Harry asked, even though he was aware of that already.

    "Yes, sir. Thank you for bringing them to me in one piece," Amos said, swallowing past the lodge in his throat as he wondered what they had in store for him now.

    "Good. Now I''m going to give you a chance to save yourself. Are you ready to do as I say, or would you rather go down with Sara?" Harry asked, and Amos nodded eagerly even though Harry could not see him.

    "I''m willing to do anything you say. Anything at all," Amos promised.

    "Good. Now, I want you to speak with Sara. I want to know what she is thinking and nning to do," Harry said, and Amos frowned.

    That sounded just too simple. Why would Harry pardon him for doing such a simple task? Was this some sort of trick?

    "You will pardon me if I do just that?" Amos asked tentatively, and Harry raised a brow.

    "Why do you ask?"

    "That doesn''t seem like a good enough reason for you to spare me," Amos said reasonably, and the corners of Harry''s lips pulled in a smirk.

    "True. It''s good to know you know that. That is not the only task I have for you," Harry said, and Amos nodded.

    "What else should I do?"

    "The Will you gave to Crystal, I want you to annul it..."

    "What? But why? She is your sister, and she..."

    "Annul it!" Harry cut him off harshly.

    "Yes, sir! I will do so immediately," Amos rushed to say, scared that if he continued asking questions, he might provoke Harry and make him change his mind.

    "I''m going to inform Crystal that you work for me and the Will you handed her, and all you told her was a prank. You have to y along," Harry said, and Amos nodded.

    "I will do exactly that," Amos assured him.

    "Finally, I want a video of you confessing to all the crimes Sara hasmitted and is nning tomit. You have to include the venue of where the transnt is to be done as well as the time...."

    "But that would implicate me...."

    "You know all about thew, so tell me, would you rather confess yourself or have me expose you in my own way?" Harry asked, and Amos sighed.

    "I don''t know the venue or time for the transnt," he said, and Harry nodded.

    "I will text you the details," Harry said, and Amos narrowed his eyes, wondering how Harry knew so much.

    "I will do it. I will do all you have said," Amos said, and Harry nodded.

    "Good��."

    "Can I make a request?" Amos asked, and Harry raised a brow.

    "What?" He asked, even though he had no desire to grant Amos any favor.

    "I understand that regardless of what I do, I will have to pay for my crimes. I''m willing to do that. But I don''t want my family to be here to see that. Can you please let my family leave? I will stay back and face all I have to face. But let them leave so that they can start afresh somewhere else, please," Amos pleaded.

    "They can leave after you''ve done as I asked you to. So, get started," Harry said before hanging up.

    "You are so sexy when you sound that way," Jade said with a grin, and Harry raised a brow.

    "When I sound what way?" Harry asked in amusement.

    "In charge. Authoritative and cool," Jade said, and Harry shook his head.

    "First, you have a thing for evil geniuses, and now you have a thing for authoritative and cool. Tell me, esquire, are you into masochism?" Harry asked, wriggling his brows suggestively, and Jade frowned.

    "What''s that?" Jade asked, and Harry shrugged.

    "If you don''t know what it means, then forget about it," Harry said as he picked up his phone to give Crustal a call while Jade quickly picked up her phone to check for the meaning of the word.

    Away from there, Crystal was seated on her bed, still contemting the best way to get rid of Sara, when her phone started ringing.

    Crystal raised a brow when she saw the caller''s ID. Why was Harry calling her sote in the evening? She usually did the calling, so why was he calling? She mused as she received the call.

    "Hello, sir!" Crystal greeted politely as she tried toe up with something to report since thest thing she wanted was for Harry to find out about the Will or her ns.

    "How are you? And how is our ning up?" Harry asked, wanting to see if she would mention the Will.

    "I''m fine, and everything is going perfectly ording to n. She almost freaked out earlier when her name was mentioned on the television," Crystal said in amusement, remembering how rmed Sara had been when she showed her the clip.

    Although Sara had not bothered to exin her rtionship with Wilson to her, and even though Harry had not told her anything about Wilson Peterson, she had figured out what was going on.

    After watching the news earlier, she had concluded that Candace was one very lucky bitch, and it wouldn''t hurt anyone if she kept Sara''s wealth for herself, seeing as Candace still stood a chance to get all she inherited from her adoptive parents, and she was also with her brother and father who were very wealthy.

    Yes, she had tried to get some information on who Harry was and had found out that apart from being a billionaire co-CEO at I-Global, his father was also the owner of HAJ studios. That meant that they really didn''t need Sara''s money.

    "I see. Is that all you have to report to me?" Harry asked, and Crystal nodded.

    "Yes. Nothing much has been happening here apart from Sara trying to get to know me and win my trust. And oh, I forgot to mention that she told me about her illness today," Crystal said chattily.

    "Is that all that happened today?" Harry asked again, and this time Crystal frowned.

    Why did it sound like Harry knew about the Will? She mused, "What do you mean?" Crystal asked, and Harry shook his head.

    "Is there a reason you do not want to tell me about Sara''s Will?" Harry asked, and Crystal''s heart skipped a beat.

    Harry knew about the Will? How?

    "You can''t find your voice anymore?" Harry asked when Crystal remained silent, and she cleared her throat.

    "Oh! Yes! The Will. That totally skipped my mind. I was going to tell you about it..."

    "Did you really forget? Or did you n to double-cross me?" Harry asked, and Crystal swallowed nervously.

    "No, sir. I could never think of that," Crystal rushed to say.

    "Really? Why do I not believe you? You had all day to tell me about it, yet you didn''t. I imagine you must have been too busy thinking of how to get rid of Sara so you can take over all she owns. Tell me, am I wrong?" Harry asked, and Crystal shut her eyes in consternation.

    "You failed a simple test. The Will isn''t even real. I had my doubts about you but wanted to test you, so I sent Amos to you. Now I know it''s true what they say, once a thief, always a thief," Harry said, and Crystal looked down at her hand.

    "I''m sorry. I got carried away. It won''t happen again," Crystal said since she didn''t know what else to say.

    "I do not care for your apology. It will be in your best interest to stick to the n. If you give me any reason to doubt you one more time, I will make sure you disappear without a trace," Harry promised in a cool voice.

    Something about the calm in Harry''s tone terrified her and sent chills down her spine, "I promise it won''t happen again."

    "I believe I''ve made myself clear," Harry said, and without waiting for her to say another word, he hung up on a very flustered Crystal.

    While that was going on in Crystal''s room, down the hall from there, Sara was also on the phone with Amos.

    "Why have you been ignoring my calls all day? Did you see the news? Are you behind it?" Sara asked the moment she received his call.

    "Behind what? I just saw the news, hence I''m calling. What are you talking about?" Amos asked, wondering why Sara was so stupid that she couldn''t read the handwriting on the wall despite all his warnings.

    "You told them about Crystal, didn''t you? You are the only one who knows the connection between me and the Petersons. Only you could have done this!" Sara snapped.

    "Why would I do such a thing when I''m also involved in this? And why would I return your call now if I were behind it?" Amos asked irritably, and Sara frowned.

    If Amos wasn''t behind it, then who could it be? Was it perhaps the Hanks and Harry? She shook her head. If it were Harry and the Hanks, they would havee for Crystal by now. There was no way Aaron would let her be with his daughter if he knew where she was.

    "If you are not behind it, then who could it be? How could anyone else have made the connection?" Sara asked with a confused frown as she paced around the room, still not wanting to believe that Harry had made the connection.

    Oh, now she wanted his opinion? Too bad he wasn''t giving it anymore. "I don''t know. I called to find out what your n is. What do you n to do about it now? We need to take care of this as soon as possible. That is more important at the moment," Amos said, and Sara sighed.

    He was right. It didn''t matter who it was. What mattered was taking care of things quickly and getting rid of Crystal as soon as possible before things became messy.

    "I already talked to the doctor, and he has agreed to have the transnt done on Monday. I have to get it done and get rid of the girl quickly before theye looking for her, else all our efforts would have been for nothing," Sara said, and Amos nodded.

    "I think that is a good idea��."

    "Of course it is! By the way, where are you spending your vacation?" Sara asked when she remembered that he had said he was traveling earlier.

    "I couldn''t leave as nned. Something came up, and I had to take care of it. Perhaps I will leave after your issue has been resolved," Amos said, and Sara raised a brow.

    "My issue?"

    "Yes. I mean when everything has settled. I can''t travel right now until I''m sure you are okay," Amos said, and Sara smiled.

    "That''s right. You should stay put. Let''s celebrate after this is over," Sara said before hanging up the call.

    After the phone call, Amos forwarded their conversation to Harry, and when he saw that Harry had sent him the location and time for the transnt, he sighed.

    Seeing how Harry had all the details of the transnt, he figured that Sara''s transnt wouldn''t take ce, and she would most likely be exposed publicly on Monday, just like they had done to Rebekah and Wilson.

    He knew that if Sara went down, so would he, so he had made up his mind to go report himself at the police station first thing in the morning. Hopefully, that would reduce his sentence, and he would save himself and his family any further embarrassment.

    Amos went on to make the video as instructed by Harry, giving detailed information on all of Sara''s crimes, right from when she sold her daughter to how she had set the hospital on fire to get rid of the birth record as well as her ns to harvest Crystal''s liver. He ended the video by mentioning the venue, date, and time for the transnt.

    After making the video, he sent it to Harry and prayed that Harry would keep his end of the bargain. He was exhausted already and wanted it all to end.

 Chapter 746 Forex Market

    746 Forex Market

    Jade''s eyes widened when she saw the meaning of masochism, and she looked at Harry with a perplexed expression.

    "How did you know about stuff like this?" She asked, and Harry, who had just ended his call with Crystal, raised a brow.

    "Stuff like what?" He asked,pletely lost as to what she was talking about.

    "Masochism?" Jade asked, reminding him of what they had been talking about before his phone call to Crystal.

    "How do people know about anything? You read up on it, watch movies on it, or hear it from someone," Harry said with a shrug.

    "How did YOU know about it?" Jade asked curiously.

    "I have read up almost everything about sex. There is little or nothing sexual that I haven''t read on. I may not have practical experience, but I have plenty of theoretical experience," Harry said, and Jade nodded thoughtfully.

    "So, it''s not because you''re interested in it. You have only just read up on it," Jade said, sounding relieved.

    "Why do you sound so relieved? What if I say I''m interested in it?" Harry asked, and Jade frowned.

    "Are you?"

    "What if I am? What would you do?" Harry asked, watching her with interest as her frown deepened.

    "Why would you be interested in something so weird and ufortable?" She asked, and Harry shrugged.

    "Judging by the way you keep avoiding the question, I take it you won''t be willing to do it with me," Harry said as he watched her.

    Jade looked at him silently for a moment as she contemted it, and then she sighed, "I suppose if you''re into it, I could give it a try. I might have to read up on it, though," Jade said, and Harry resisted the urge to grin.

    "Really? Why would you change your mind?" Harry asked with interest.

    "So, you don''t eventually go get it elsewhere," Jade said, and he scowled.

    "Why would you think me capable of such a thing?" He asked with displeasure, and she shrugged.

    "It''s not like I think you are capable of that. But then again, you might not know what you''re capable of until you''ve experienced the pleasures of sex��."

    "Please stop," Harry said before she could finish.

    "I''m only being logical," Jade said as she looked away from him.

    "Seeing me in your room and on your bed right now, you must be confusing me with your ex. My name is Harry, not Todd. And I feel offended that you could indirectly suggest that I am capable of being a cheat," Harry said, and Jade sighed.

    "I''m not confusing you with anyone. I was only stating a fact, and you didn''t have to bring him into this. It''s a natural tendency for men to go outside their rtionship to get what they arecking in their partners," Jade said, and Harry raised a brow.

    "I suppose that was what you used to reassure yourself after you heard that he was cheating?" Harry asked in a mild tone this time, sensing that even though she seemed okay, a part of her was still scared of being cheated on.

    Before Jade could respond, he took her hand and brought it to his lips, "I''ve told you before, esquire, you are the only one for me. My heart and body arepletely yours. Why would I want someone else when I have everything in you?" Harry asked as he kissed her palm.

    "You''re more than enough for me, esquire. And don''t associate me with your undisciplined ex next time. I don''t appreciate it. I''m Harry Jonas, and I know what I want," Harry said, and Jade smiled.

    "And what do you want?"

    "You. Every part of you," Harry said, holding her gaze.

    "Shall I take off my clothes then?" She asked with a suggestive smile, and Harry chuckled.

    "You know I didn''t mean that in a sexual way. We agreed that since I conceded to youst night and this morning, you will concede to me, too," he reminded her, and she nodded.

    "Alright. Until then, I will go read up more on the whole BDSM shit. And just so you know, I''m going to be the one inflicting the pain since I don''t derive pleasure from receiving pain. Who knows? Maybe by the time I''m done with you, you will swear off such desires for life," Jade joked, and Harry chuckled.

    "You don''t have to worry. I''m not into it. I was only kidding," Harry assured her as hey down to sleep, and Jade snuggled up to him.

    "Thank goodness!" Jade said, and Harry grinned as he cuddled her.

    They both were silent for a moment, and just when Harry was beginning to think that Jade had gone to bed, she spoke again.

    "Harry? Are you still awake?"

    "Yes."

    "What is in your head?" She asked, and Harry''s lips twitched.

    "My brain and some bones, I suppose," he joked, and she pinched his arm.

    "You know that wasn''t what I was asking," she hissed, and Harry grinned.

    "You''ve got to be specific with your questions, esquire," Harry said, and Jade giggled.

    "What are you thinking about?" Jade asked again.

    "Forex market," Harry said simply, and Jade scowled as she sat up to look at him.

    "Seriously? You are in bed with your beautiful girlfriend, and that is what you are thinking about? You couldn''t even lie and im you were thinking about me?" She asked, and Harry raised a brow.

    "Would you prefer I lie to you? You know it won''t stop here, right? Once I begin lying about little unnecessary things as these, before you know it, I will start lying about bigger things, and that could cause a problem for us. What''s wrong with thinking about Forex anyway?" Harry asked, and Jade shook her head as shey down again.

    "Never mind. Think about forex all you like. I will just think about something else other than you, too. Goodnight," Jade said, and Harry grinned as he kissed her temple.

    "Goodnight, sugar. I love you," Harry said and, but Jade said nothing as she slept off.

    Harry sighed, feeling guilty that he had actually lied to her. He had been thinking about his meeting with Cassidy the next day and what to expect.

    He wasn''t sure what to expect, but he decided to tell Tom about it before leaving for the hotel.

    Thinking about Tom, his lips curved when he remembered how excited Tom had been earlier, talking about how he believed that Lucy might be changing her mind.

    He decided to let Lucy in on his surprise engagement n for Jade and see if she would tell him anything.

    Not that he was nning to tell Tom whatever she would tell him. He couldn''t betray her confidence. And he wouldn''t tell her either that Tom was suspicious.

    He just wanted to be certain that Tom wasn''t getting his hopes up for nothing.

    If it were true that her mind was changing, he would support and encourage her to talk to Tom about it, and if it was false he would try his best to make Tom stop getting his hope up.

    He nced at his phone when it vibrated, and the light came on, and he reached for it slowly so as not to rouse Jade, who was cuddled against him.

    He nodded in approval when he saw that the message was from Amos and he had sent all he asked him to.

    Harry smiled at the thought that Sara would be punished soon enough, and there would be bnce in his world once again.

    The smile remained on Harry''s face as he drifted off to sleep.

    The next morning, as they freshened up and got ready to go downstairs for breakfast, Harry remembered that he was yet to tell Jade that he was going out, so he looked at her.

    "Jade?" He called, and she raised a brow.

    "Yes, Harry?"

    "I will be stepping outter in the day. There''s a business I need to see to..."

    "I thought you handled all your business beforeing. Didn''t you say you came here for me," Jade cut in with a pout before he could finish, and he chuckled.

    "Yes, I came here for you. And this business wasn''t exactly nned. My attention is needed at the hotel," Harry said, and she shrugged.

    "Then I wille with you," she said, but he shook his head.

    "No, you can''te with me," he said, and Jade frowned.

    "Why not?"

    "Because I have to go alone," Harry said, knowing that she wouldn''t like that.

    "And why do you have to go alone? It''s not like you''re being ckmailed or someone was abducted, and you''re taking a ransom there. I could just go with you to the hotel and wait in the suite until you''re done," Jade said, and Harry regretted telling her anything about the Hotel.

    Now, he could picture a clear scenario of Jade stubbornly going to the hotel after he had left only to be stopped from going into the suite by the hotel management because Mr Jonas was in there with someone.

    He could very well imagine how tough it would be to convince her otherwise that he had been meeting with Cassidy in the suite and not ady as she would think. She had enough trust issues already.

    "No, esquire. You can''te with me. I promise I won''t be gone for too long. When Ie back, we can do whatever you want us to do," Harry said, wanting to distract her, and luckily, it worked.

    "Whatever I want?" She asked with a raised brow.

    Harry raised a brow at the mischief he could clearly see in her blue eyes, "Anything that isn''t sexual, that is," he corrected as he waited for her to say whatever she was nning.

    "What do you take me for? Sex is not the only thing I want from you," she said with a scowl.

    "Yeah. Sure. So, what would you want us to do when I get back?" Harry asked, and she smiled.

    "Let''s go out on a date," Jade said, and Harry nodded.

    "That works fine for me."

    "We will get matching outfits like Tom and Lucy did yesterday," Jade said with a sweet smile, and Harry chuckled.

    Jade never ceased to amuse him. "I didn''t know you liked wearing matching outfits. Perhaps you intentionally dressed in the same outfits as me the other time," Harry said, and Jade rolled her.

    "How was I supposed to know you would be wearing the same colors as me? That was purely coincidental. Come to think of it, I guess it was the universe telling us we were meant to be, but I guess we were just too blind to see it," Jade said, and Harry raised a brow.

    "I wasn''t. You were the blind one. I guess that''s why you tried to hook me up with someone even when I insisted I wasn''t inte..." The rest of Harry''s words were cut off when Jade kicked his leg.

    "I''m going downstairs," she hissed at him as she headed for the door, but Harry quickly held her back.

    "We can wear matching outfits if you want, but why note up with an original idea for us instead of copying them so soon?" Harry said, and Jade nodded.

    "I agree. Let''s do something else. I don''t want anyone calling us copycats," Jade said, and Harry smiled.

    "That''s better. You can let me know what you came up with after I get back. Agreed?"

    "When are you leaving? And when are youing back?" Jade asked curiously.

    "I''m leaving by 3 P.M, and I can''t say when I''ming back. It depends on the nature of the meeting," Harry said, and she sighed.

    "At least I have you from now until 3 P.M. In return for not going with you, how about I spend the rest of the week and weekend with you after we get back to Ludus?" Jade asked hopefully, and Harry chuckled.

    "Alright. Deal," Harry said since he equally wanted her under his roof.

    "Deal!" Jade said excitedly as she shook hands with Harry, and after that, they left the room to go join the others for breakfast.

 Chapter 747 A Christmas Party?

    747 A Christmas Party?

    While the others were already seated downstairs for breakfast, Lucy was busy entertaining Tom in the bedroom.

    Lucy woke Tom up, wanting to start his day by putting a smile on his face after how she had offended him the previous night, even though he had forgiven her already.

    Tom smiled when he opened his eyes to see Lucy dressed in a skirt and shirt which she tied at the waist to reveal her bellybutton.

    She had unpacked her hair and left it flowing down her back and she had her pair of contacts on instead of her sses.

    "Good morning, handsome," Lucy greeted with a pleasant smile as she kissed him, and Tom raised a brow when he perceived her fresh breath.

    "You freshened up without me?" He asked and she nodded.

    "Yep. I wanted to be ready before waking you up," she said as he sat up.

    "Ready for what?"

    "I promised to show you my cheerleading routine, remember?" She asked and this time Tom grinned.

    "Did you wear your sses or contacts then?" He asked curiously and she shook her head.

    "I wore contacts for the first time that night we met. I''ve always been scared of putting anything in my eyes. And to answer your questions I didn''t wear either. My sight was bad then but not bad enough that I couldn''t do the routine without the sses. Now enough talking. Are you ready?" She asked and Tom bobbed his head.

    "Very ready. The floor is yours," Tom said and watched happily as Lucy did her routine while repeating the chant and cheers.

    Tom rose from the bed to p for her by the time she finished, and Lucy grinned as she looked down at his morning erection which was pointing at her since he was nude.

    "What a standing ovation," Lucy joked and Tom chuckled.

    "Such a beautiful performance deserves that and more," Tom said and they bothughed.

    "Now that you''re smiling, freshen up and let''s go join the others for breakfast," Lucy said and Tom nodded as he headed for the bathroom.

    A couple of minutester, they joined the others at the dining table and Lucy felt a pang in her heart as she took her seat next to Dawn after greeting everyone.

    "Did you know that my governess ising to take me home today?" Dawn asked Lucy in a whisper and she felt a lump in a throat as she nodded.

    "Yeah. You must be excited to go home," Lucy said and Dawn nodded.

    "I miss my mom and my grandparents. But I will miss you too. And everybody," Dawn added and Lucy nodded.

    "And me too?" Jamal who was seated beside Dawn asked and she shrugged.

    "I suppose I might. But just a little," Dawn said and Jamal nodded.

    "That''s fine. I might miss you too. I''m not so sure yet. But I''m d I get to seat beside Lucy after you leave. And I will have her all to myself," Jamal said happily, hoping that would make Dawn change her mind about leaving.

    Dawn scowled at him but said nothing since she didn''t want to argue with him and be grounded from seeing Lucy on herst day there.

    Lucy cleared her throat to get the attention of the others and Tom raised a brow as he wondered what she wanted to say this time.

    "I want to apologize once again to everyone for my behaviorst night. I''m sorry for acting in such an hypocritical way, and most especially I want to apologize to Tom in front of everyone for embarrassing him the way I did," Lucy said apologetically, leaving Aaron who had not been there to wonder what she was apologizing for.

    "I forgive you. But what did you do?" Jamal asked in confusion and the adultsughed.

    "She wasn''t talking to you, Jam," Candace said and Jamal frowned.

    "She said everyone. I''m a part of everyone. Am I not, Lucy?" Jamal asked and Lucy grinned as she nodded.

    "No. Everyone here means everyone who knows what I did wrong. There is no reason for me to apologize to you when you don''t know what I did wrong, is there?" Lucy asked reasonably.

    "I guess so," Jamal said and returned his attention to the food.

    "You already apologizedst night, and we have all moved past that," Evelyn assured her.

    "I know. I just thought I needed to apologize again��."

    "No, you don''t need to. You should stop being so critical of yourself," Desmond advised.

    "I didn''t actually mind. I liked seeing you do something you condemned. It was sort of nice to see that you are not so perfect," Jade said with a grin.

    "Who says she isn''t perfect because of that?" Tom asked Jade with a slightly raised brow and she rolled her eyes.

    "Your opinion doesn''t count. You are obviously blinded by love," Jade said and Tom looked at Harry.

    "Harry, do you think Jade is perfect?" Tom asked but Harry shook his head.

    "Leave me out of your squabble," Harry said and Jade raised a brow.

    "Why can''t you answer that? You don''t think I''m perfect?" Jade asked with a pout and everyoneughed.

    "I suppose he is not so blinded by love yet," Bryan said and they allughed while Jade scowled at Harry.

    "By the way, Matt would being over today," Bryan announced, and Candace''s heart skipped a beat at the mention of Matt''s name.

    Although he had told her he would being to Heden on Sunday and would be around for the funeral, it had not crossed her mind to tell him she was at the Hanks family house.

    Was he aware that she there? She mused as she nced at Sonia. And as if Sonia could read her mind, she shook her head, letting Candace know that Bryan didn''t tell Matt that she was there.

    "Matt ising? I can''t wait to see him!" Jamal said excitedly.

    "Me too," Aaron said with a grin as he looked at Candace.

    "Candace too," Harry said and Candace scowled at him while the othersughed.

    "Can''t you stay out of my business for a day?" Candace asked and Harry shook his head.

    "No, I can''t. I don''t want to either," Harry said with a sweet smile, "I can''t wait to see Matt, and let him know what a mistake he will be making by having anything to do with you," Harry said and Candace shook her head.

    "You are so childish."

    "It''s like watching teenagers," Evelyn said with a grin and both Aaron and Desmond chuckled.

    "Yes. Bryan and Jade were always bickering this way," Desmond said with an amused smile.

    "What about Tom?" Lucy asked with interest.

    "He skipped that stage and chose to act as a kid now," Jade said and Tom chuckled.

    "By the way, Lucy and I are thinking of hosting a Christmas party," Tom said, and Lucy beamed a smile at him.

    "A Christmas party? I thought we all agreed on a Christmas vacation?" Sonia asked, pretending to be surprised.

    "Yeah, Lucy mentioned the party but I would like to grow a Christmas party. We can always go on a vacation after the party," Tom said, and everyone considered it for a moment.

    "Is the party going to be just for the family?" Jade asked curiously.

    "No. Since Tom has revealed his identity now, I was thinking the party would be a good way to meet and mix up with important people in the society. Thepany anniversary party was a formal event. But this Christmas party would be a themed informal party. We can invite the major shareholders of thepany, a couple of celebrities, and some very top people in the country. What do you think?" Lucy asked and from the excitement in her voice and on her face, it was clear to everyone that the party was her idea.

    "I don''t think it''s a bad idea. Tom''s house would be perfect for such a party," Harry said with a nod.

    "It''s a lovely idea, but I''m not sure we will be around for that. I forgot about the vacation. Desmond and I already have ns for Christmas," Evelyn said surprising everyone.

    "What ns?" Bryan and Jade asked in unison.

    "We will be traveling after the funeral. We wille down for Bryan''s wedding but will leave after it," Desmond said and Lucy frowned.

    "Is this because of me and all I said?" she asked sadly and Evelyn shook her head.

    "No. It''s not about you. You may have yed a role in it, but I think it''s time to focus on myself. I have spent all these years being a mother that I don''t know how to be anything else. Seeing how you all have wonderful partners now, I think it''s time I learned to focus on myself and rediscover those things I loved to do before you all came along," Evelyn said and Lucy sighed.

    "This is my fault," Lucy said sadly.

    "No, it''s not. I was the one who advised her to focus on herself and tour the world," Jade said, smiling at her mother with approval.

    "Focusing on herself doesn''t mean we can''t all spend Christmas together as a family. When was thest time we did that?" Tom asked and Desmond nodded.

    "Tom is right, Eve. Let''s spend Christmas as a family," Desmond said and Evelyn sighed.

    "Alright. Let''s do that," Evelyn said with a happy smile since she also wanted to spend Christmas with them.

    "I guess that settles it then," Tom said, and Sonia shed Lucy a smile.

    "So, what is the n for the theme for the party? You know I''ve always wanted to throw a Christmas party and..."

    "You are about to over do it now, mom," Jade cautioned Evelyn and they bothughed.

    "Hopefully, your brother would join us by then," Evelyn said and Lucy nodded.

    "Yes, hopefully," Lucy said as they all focused on their meal again.

    "Lucy?" Jamal called, and everyone turned their curious gaze at him.

    "Yes, Jam?"

    "Are we invited to the party?" He asked, and Lucy nodded.

    "Of course. Everyone gets to be there. You are part of the family too, are you not?" Lucy asked, and Dawn sighed.

    "What about me? Can Ie with my mom?" Dawn asked, and an awkward air filled the room as everyone waited to hear Lucy''s response to that.

    Lucy cleared her throat, "I''m not so sure about that darling."

    "Why not?" Dawn asked with a frown.

    "I think your mom will exin that better when you get home," Lucy said and Dawn''s face fell as she looked at her food, while Lucy nced at Tom who patted her hand.

    "Why don''t I help you pack your bag before your governess gets here?" Lucy offered after breakfast and Dawn gave her a nod as they both rose to go pack her bag.

    As Lucy walked away with Dawn, Harry called Tom aside so they could speak privately.

    "Have you spoken with the girl and thewyer yet?" Tom asked curiously as they both sat at the terrace.

    "Yeah," Harry said and went on to give him the details of the conversation and also showed him the confessional video which Amos had sent him.

    "Nice. We should be able to wrap this up by tomorrow then," Tom said and Harry nodded.

    "I''m going to the hotel by 3 P.M.," Harry said and Tom raised a brow.

    "What for?" Tom asked and Harry showed him the text from Cassidy.

    "Who is Cassidy? The cartel guy who left with Candace''s sister?" Tom asked and Harry nodded.

    "Yeah. What do you think?" Harry asked and Tom shrugged.

    "I''ming with you," Tom said easily.

    "He said I shoulde alone and keep it to myself," Harry pointed out.

    "That is assuming he is the one that sent it and it''s not some sort of set up. I won''t let you walk into a trap. Besides, if I get to the suite before either of you gets there, it would be a coincident," Tom said and Harry considered it for a moment.

    "Do you think that would work? What if he is there already and finds out you are there?" Harry asked thoughtfully.

    "Then he will change the venue of the meeting and we will also know if someone at the hotel is working for him. I just think we need to be careful so you don''t walk into a trap," Tom said and Harry nodded.

    "Alright. That means you have to be discreet about being there so that only a selected few of the staff would see you," Harry said and Tom nodded.

    "Exactly. I will leave by noon after the kid leaves," Tom said as he nced at his wristwatch.

    "Lucy is really attached to the kid," Harry said and Tom sighed.

    "Yeah. It makes me wish she wasn''t Kimberly''s kid. That way Lucy wouldn''t have to stay away from her," Tom said feeling sorry for Lucy.

    "You don''t have to keep her away from the kidpletely. Kimberly might be irresponsible but Dawn is still your grandfather''s kid and for his sake you have to care for the child," Harry said and Tom sighed.

    "Perhaps I will do so eventually, but I don''t see myself doing so now."

    "Alright. Let''s go in then. I have to spend enough time with Jade so she doesn''t feel too bad when I leave," Harry said and Tom shook his head.

    "Loverboy," Tom teased.

    "I wasn''t the one wearing a uniform yesterday and parading around the ce," Harry said dryly and they both chuckled as they headed back inside.

    "I know you''re jealous," Tom said and Harry scoffed.

    "You wish."

 Chapter 748 You Offered?

    <h4>Chapter 748 You Offered?</h4>

    Amy had not been able to sleep for most of the night because she had been too worried about Miley''s health and the fact that Malone had threatened to go to Miley''s parents for payment.

    Did Malone go to them? Or did he possibly change his mind? She mused as she picked up her phone for the umpteenth time that morning to check if there was any text or missed call from Miley''s parents, even though she doubted that they would call.

    She knew that after what she had done, she had no right to hope for their call whatsoever, but somehow, she still wished they would call.

    She was only hoping that Miley would have regained consciousness and exined things to her parents.

    She sighed as she slumped on the couch in the living room. Maybe it was time she sneaked into the hospital to check on Miley through any of the nurses or perhaps the doctor.

    Who knows? Maybe she could get the doctor to tell her about Miley''s health. She didn''t want to have to sit there doing nothing and just worrying about Miley.

    She nced at the time, wondering why her mother wasn''t there yet. She couldn''t go to the hospital until her mother arrived since she had asked her to stay put.

    Thinking about her mother arriving there anytime soon, her heart skipped a beat since it meant her having to face her mother''s anger.

    She had always been the perfect daughter to her mother and had tried all her life to not give her mother any reason to worry, especially after they lost her elder sister, but now she was afraid that her mother would be furious. She had disappointed her mother.

    Amy was startled when a knock sounded on the door. Even though she was expecting her mother, she was still somehow scared that it might be Miley''s parents, especially if Malone had seeded in going to the hospital. Or it could be Malone wanting to threaten her some more.

    She walked to the door and peeped through the doorhole, and when she saw that it was her mom, whom she was expecting, she rxed a bit as she opened the door. Better her mom than the others.

    "What is this nonsense I''m hearing? Is it true that you kept Miley''s health issues away from her parents?" Amy''s mother asked sternly the moment she walked through the door into the house.

    Amy swallowed, "It''s true."

    "Why did you do such a thing? How could you keep Miley''s health condition away from her parents? What right did you have to keep such a secret from her parents? What sort of a friend are you?" Amy''s mother yelled at her, and Amy blinked rapidly to stop the tears that burned her eyes from flowing.

    "She didn''t tell me about her health either. I found out by chance."

    "Finding out by chance is more reason you should have told her parents about it!"

    "She didn''t want them to know until she checked her bucket list. She asked me not to tell them��"

    "And you listened to her? Can you listen to yourself? Can you really hear yourself? What kind of a friend are you?" Her mother yelled angrily, cutting her off.

    "I thought I was helping her live out her bestst months..."

    "Helping her live out her bestst months? Who are you to do that? Do you think you love and care for her more than her parents do? Don''t you know they would have gone to every length possible to get help for their only child? Wouldn''t it be best to exhaust all treatment options and know they did all they could but couldn''t save her, rather than being faced with a dying daughter because you wanted to help her? If you loved her and really wanted to help, you could have convinced her to receive treatment, even if it meant fighting with her! That is what real friends do!" Amy''s mother yelled, unable to contain her anger, and Amy broke into a sob.

    "I don''t know what I was thinking, Mom. I''m sorry I caused such a mess," Amy cried as her mother began to pace the room.

    "Sorry doesn''t fix this, Amy. It doesn''t fix anything. Do you know how much hurt you have caused them by keeping this away? Can you begin to understand how pained they are that they have less than a month to live with their only child?" Amy''s mother asked as Amy wept.

    If her mom was this mad over her not informing Miley''s parents about her health, then she would definitely go crazy with anger when she heard what she had truly done.

    Could she possibly bring herself to tell her mom that she had not only encouraged Miley by keeping her health away from her parents but had also encouraged her to get involved with a stranger and even offered to be her surrogate? How was she supposed to tell her mother that she was possibly carrying Miley''s child right now?

    Perhaps she should tell her mom first before she hears it from Miley''s parents or Malone. That would make her even more angry.

    "..." She opened her mouth to tell her mother about it, but no sound came out. She just couldn''t bring herself to do it.

    "Let''s pray she recovers, else her parents will never forgive us," her mother said, and Amy looked down at her hands.

    "If she dies, it''s on me..." Amy said tearfully, and her mother sighed as she went to embrace her.

    "It was foolish of you to do what you did, but I know you thought you were helping her. I know that this must be hard for you. Stay strong, and let''s hope for a miracle," her mother said as she patted her back while Amy cried.

    After Amy stopped crying, they both sat down, "Have you heard from them again? Do you know if Miley is awake now?" Amy asked her mom.

    "I heard from the cleaner that she is awake but in a critical condition. She is having a hard time speaking," her mother said, and Amy''s heart skipped a beat.

    "But yesterday, she was speaking just fine," Amy said in rm, and her mother looked at her like she was silly.

    "If she had died, would you say, but yesterday she was alive? Her condition worsened, obviously. I don''t think that''s the only problem she is having," Amy''s mother said, and Amy began to cry again.

    "Do you think they would take your call if you called? I''m really worried about Miley," Amy said, and her mother sighed.

    Even though she knew it was probably a bad idea to reach out to Miley''s parents when they were still so upset, she was also very worried about Miley and wanted to know how she was doing now.

    "I should call Miley''s mom and see if she will speak to me," Amy''s mom said before dialing her line and cing it on speaker.

    Miley''s mom, who was seated beside Miley, scowled when she saw that Amy''s mom was calling her.

    She had wanted to call Amy''s mom the previous night after Malone left, but her husband had advised that they let her be andpletely cut off any business with that family.

    "Hello..."

    "What more do you want? Haven''t your daughter done enough already?" Miley''s mother asked, cutting Amy''s mom off.

    "I understand how you feel, and I''m very sorry. I just want to know how Miley is doing?" Amy''s mother said while Amy listened with a sad expression on her face.

    Amy didn''t like that her mother was being spoken to that way because of her. Miley''s mom had been very good to her mom in all the years she had worked for them, and it hurt to hear the coldness in her tone now as she addressed her mom.

    "Why do you want to know how Miley is doing? So that your criminal of a daughter... That thief, cane ask for more money from us too?" Miley''s mom asked, and this time, Amy''s mom became annoyed.

    On hearing that, Amy''s heart skipped a beat as it confirmed what she had feared; Malone had made good his threat of going to Miley''s parents.

    "I take exception to that! You can be angry at Amy. She deserves that. I am angry she acted so foolishly, but never you refer to my daughter as a criminal! She has never stolen a penny from you or anyone! All her life, she has worked hard to earn every penny, so don''t you dare call her a thief!" Amy''s mother snapped angrily.

    "Or what, you low life? I didn''t expect anything less from you. She is your daughter, after all, and I''m sure you are in on their ns, too. Well, tell that daughter of yours that she and that thief she connived with to dupe my daughter won''t be getting so much as a penny from us, and she shouldn''t dare think ofing to us with any pregnancy or a bullshit surrogacy story either. She won''t get a dime from us or Miley," Miley''s mother warned before hanging up.

    Amy''s mother turned to Amy with a dumbfounded look on her face, "What is she talking about?" Amy''s mother asked as she looked Amy over.

    "Are you pregnant? What surrogacy is she talking about?" Amy''s mother asked Amy, who looked away guiltily as she rose from her seat.

    "Why are you not saying anything? Answer my question!" Amy''s mother yelled, startling Amy.

    "I guess it''s true then, seeing as you are not saying anything," Amy''s mother said as she rose, and Amy sighed.

    What was the point in keeping it away from her mother now? There was none whatsoever.

    "Miley wanted to get married and have a child. She paid someone to marry her, and I offered to be her surrogate��." Her mother pped her before she could finish speaking, shocking her.

    "You offered? You offered to throw your life away for something so foolish? ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?" Her mother yelled.

    "I��"

    "You what? What excuse do you have for all of this nonsense?" She asked angrily.

    "It''s not confirmed yet if I''m pregnant��"

    "Not confirmed yet? Is that even the point? How could you even think of ever being a surrogate for anyone? Whether or not it''s confirmed yet, does that change the fact that you''re about to destroy your life because of your foolishness? What is wrong with you, Amy?" Amy''s mom yelled angrily.

    "If I didn''t do it, she would have paid someone else to do it. And after all she has done for me, I figured I could do this much for her. What is so wrong about wanting to be there for my friend?" Amy asked as tears rolled down her cheeks.

    "At the expense of your life and future? You know what? Get dressed. We''re going to the hospital," Amy''s mother said, and Amy frowned.

    "But Miley''s parents won''t let us anywhere around them," Amy pointed out, and her mother raised a brow at her.

    "And who said we are going to see Miley? I''m taking you to the hospital to see if you''re pregnant or not and to flush it out if you are pregnant. I can''t stay still and watch you ruin your life this way," Amy''s mother said, but Amy shook her head.

    "An abortion? I can''t. I won''t do that to Miley. I promised her I would do this for her, and I intend to see it through whether or not she is here," Amy said firmly.

    She knew she was probably making a mistake, but the deed was done already, and even if Miley''s parents went on to cut her off from ever seeing Miley or being close to the family, she wanted to have this piece of Miley with her.

    "I won''t be your mother and watch you embark on such a stupid venture. If you wanted to prove such loyalty and devotion to her, the best way to go about it would have been to force her to live and not to let her die and offer to be her surrogate. You should have forced her to receive treatment so she will live long enough to carry her own child! Amy, if you go ahead and do this, I''m going to disown you," Amy''s mother threatened, and tears stung Amy''s eyes.

    "I''m sorry, Mom, but I won''t change my mind, and I hope you understand. Even if not now, I hope you understand in the future," Amy said, and tears stung her mother''s eyes as she stared at Amy unbelievably.

    Without uttering another word, her mother picked up her bag and walked out of the house.

    The moment the door shut behind her mother, Amy copsed on the couch and broke into a sob.

    Considering the situation of things, she was going to need to figure out a way to care for herself and the baby if it happened that she was pregnant.

    Perhaps it was time to go back to work while she waited to hear from Miley and her family.

 Chapter 749 Everyone Likes You

    <h4>Chapter 749 Everyone Likes You</h4>

    "Lucy?" Dawn called as they both organized her stuff into her luggage.

    "Yes?" Lucy asked, pausing to look at Dawn.

    "Are you going to miss me?" Dawn said, and Lucy smiled.

    "Of course. Why do you ask?" Lucy asked, and Dawn shrugged.

    "You have Jamal," Dawn pointed out, and Lucy raised a brow.

    "Why can''t I miss you if I have Jamal?" She asked, and Dawn sighed.

    "I wish he was leaving too," she said, and Lucy giggled.

    "Don''t tell me you are jealous of Jamal?" Lucy asked, and she shrugged.

    "He gets to be here with you, and I don''t," she said sadly.

    "Yeah. And you get to be home with your mom and grandparents," Lucy said easily.

    "Why does everyone like Jamal, but nobody likes me?" Dawn asked, and Lucy raised a brow.

    "I like you," she said, and Dawn sighed.

    "I know you do, but it''s just you. Everyone else likes Jamal, but they don''t like me," Dawn said, and Lucy smiled.

    "Everyone likes you," Lucy said since she knew that was true. Everyone liked her but were acting distant because of her mother and the circumstances surrounding her birth.

    "Listen, when Jamal came the first time, everyone wasn''t as friendly to him. Even Tom had a really mean look on his face when he first spoke with Jamal. It took some time before he won their hearts," Lucy assured Dawn while the kid eyed her doubtfully.

    "Really?" She asked, and Lucy nodded.

    "How long did it take? Maybe I''m leaving too soon? If I stay longer, will they like me more and miss me when I leave?" Dawn asked, and Lucy smiled sadly.

    Thankfully, before she could respond, a knock sounded on the door, and they both looked up as Desmond walked into the room.

    Lucy''s brows pulled together as she looked at Desmond, wondering what he was doing there.

    "I want to speak with Dawn," Desmond said as if reading her mind, and Lucy gave him a nod as she rose to excuse them.

    "I will be in my bedroom. You cane get me when you''re done," Lucy told Dawn before walking away.

    Seeing Desmond in her bedroom left Dawn disconcerted, and she didn''t know exactly what to do as she looked at everywhere else but at him.

    Watching the kid, Desmond didn''t know what to do either. He wished she was older. Maybe if she was, he could have a genuine conversation with her.

    They had received the result from theb a moment ago, confirming that Dawn was his half-sister, even though they already believed it.

    "Can I sit with you?" Desmond asked, and Dawn looked at him briefly and gave him a nod before looking down at her hands.

    Desmond walked over to the bed and sat beside her. He remained quiet for some time, saying nothing as he thought of the best possible way to convey his message to the kid.

    He doubted that she would remember this conversation in years toe, but he had to at least try.

    He wasn''t sure how much he was supposed to say to her or how much Kimberly and her parents would appreciate him telling her, but he knew that he didn''t owe them anything. If anything, he expected them to tell the child the truth.

    As much as he didn''t like the situation of things, Dawn was a Hank. She was his father''s daughter. His half-sister. He was not going to be a shitty older brother to her because of the circumstance surrounding her birth and because of the kind of person her mother was.

    "I haven''t been very weing, have I?" Desmond asked, deciding to start from there.

    Dawn shook her head.

    "I''m sorry about that. I lost my father, and things have been sort of roughtely," Desmond said, and Dawn looked at him.

    "Sorry," Dawn said, not sure what she was expected to say.

    Desmond looked at her for a moment, wondering what age she would be, when she realized she had also lost her father, and that was the person he was referring to.

    "I wish things didn''t happen this way. And I wish we met under different circumstances. Maybe then I would have been a lot nicer," Desmond said, even though he knew she wouldn''t understand what he meant.

    "Are you going to miss me?" Dawn asked, and this time, Desmond smiled.

    "Yes, I will," he said after a moment, and she smiled.

    "Do you want me to stay longer?" She asked hopefully, and Desmond sighed.

    "Your mom needs you back now. But hopefully, when you are older and can make decisions for yourself, you cane over and stay for as long as you want to. My home will always be open to you then. You are family, after all," Desmond said, and Dawn nodded.

    That was good enough for her.

    They both turned to the door when it opened, and Evelyn looked in, "I didn''t realize you were here," Evelyn said as Desmond rose.

    "I''m done. Why are you here?" He asked, and she shrugged.

    "I wanted to check on Dawn," she said as her gaze moved from Desmond to Dawn.

    "I will leave you to it then," Desmond said as he left the room, and Evelyn walked in.

    Dawn watched Evelyn as she sat on the spot which Desmond had just vacated.

    Seeing Evelyn here, she figured that maybe Lucy was right. Maybe they all needed time to get to know her and like her like they liked Jamal.

    Looking at Dawn, Evelyn sighed. This wasn''t the sort of rtionship she expected to have with Lawrence''s daughter.

    Lawrence had been like a father to her, and she knew she was supposed to be more amodating of the kid. She was very much worried about Dawn but couldn''t show it because she also had to consider her husband''s feelings as well as Tom''s because of what Kimberly had done, and even though she had chastised Lucy for interfering the way she did, she had been very much thankful that Lucy cared about the kid.

    "What did Desmond say to you?" Evelyn asked curiously when she had been silent for some time, and it was obvious that her silence was making the kid ufortable.

    "He said he was sorry and that he was going to miss me, and when I grow up, I cane and stay here for as long as I want," Dawn said since that was what was most important to her in all that Desmond had said.

    "He said that?" Evelyn asked in surprise, and she nodded.

    "That''s nice," Evelyn said, and Dawn nodded.

    "Do you know how to make phone calls?" Evelyn asked, and Dawn bobbed her head.

    "I do."

    "If I give you my phone number, will you call me from time to time to let me know how you are doing?" Evelyn asked, and Dawn looked at her in surprise.

    "You want me to call you?" She asked, and Evelyn nodded.

    "Of course. I care about you and would want to know that you are fine," Evelyn said, thinking that she owed Lawrence that much, and she also knew that once Desmond recovered fully from the loss of his father and the surprise of this, he would want to have a better rtionship with Dawn too.

    "Will you miss me?" Dawn asked, and Evelynughed softly.

    "Of course I will."

    Dawn beamed a happy smile since she could see that now that they realized she was leaving soon, they were all showing her that they actually liked her and cared about her.

    Away from there, in Tom''s bedroom, Lucy raised a brow when she walked in and saw Tom dressing up.

    "Are you going somewhere?" She asked since she didn''t remember him mentioning anything of the sort to her.

    "Yeah."

    "But you didn''t mention having any ns of us going out. Or am I noting with you?" Lucy asked with a slight frown.

    "Nah. I''m going alone. I''m going out to the hotel to handle something that just came up," he said distractedly as he put on his tie, and she pressed her lips together and folded both hands in front of her.

    Tom caught her expression in the mirror and turned to look at her, "What is the problem?" He asked with concern as he approached her.

    "Why can''t Ie with you?" She asked, and his lips twitched in amusement.

    "Don''t you want to be here to see your little best friend off when she leaves?" Tom asked, and Lucy scowled.

    That was true. She had to be at home when Dawn leaves, but that didn''t mean she liked the idea of being at home without Tom. It wasn''t like she wanted to do anything with him. He could stay in the Den with the guys all day while she chatted with thedies or did anything else, but she just didn''t like the thought of him being out of the house.

    "How long will you be gone?" She asked, and Tom shrugged.

    "A couple of hours. Hopefully, I will be back in time for dinner," he said, and her scowl deepened.

    "That''s a long time," she said, and this time, Tom grinned.

    "Why? Missing me already? I thought you''d be happy to have some time to yourself. You like to have your space, remember? And you...."

    "Shut up!" Lucy snarled at him, and he chuckled as his arm went around her waist and he pulled her close.

    "Make me," he said as he kissed her, and Lucy bit his lower lip mildly.

    "Can''t it wait?" She asked with a pout.

    "Tomorrow is the funeral, remember? And we will be leaving the day after tomorrow. Will you rather I travel down here alone after we return to Ludus?" He asked, even though he knew that wasn''t going to happen.

    "How about you goter in the day?" She asked, and he raised a brow.

    "Would it make a difference whether I go now or in two hours time?" He asked with a knowing smile.

    "I suppose not. Whatever. Leave if you want to leave," she said as she walked past him and went to sit on the bed so she could watch him dress up.

    Tom returned to the dressing table, and he stifled a chuckle when he caught a glimpse of her face in the mirror.

    "I will try to be back as soon as I can," Tom promised.

    "You can spend the night there for all I care," she hissed, and he grinned.

    "Really? I can? It''s been a long time since Ist spent the night there," Tom said, and Lucy red at him.

    "Thomas Hank," she called in a warning tone.

    "Yes, Lucinda Perry?" He responded, and this time, he chuckled when she got off the bed and approached him with a pillow.

    "You know you can just say you are going to miss me, right? You don''t have to be so dramatic about it," Tom said as she hit him with the pillow.

    "I''m not traveling, Lu. It''s just the hotel. And I will be back before you know it," he said, and she raised a brow.

    "I know it. So, I guess you are back now," she said, and Tom looked lost for a moment before he caught the joke, and then heughed out loud.

    Before Tom could respond to that, Lucy''s phone started ringing, and she went to pick it up.

    She smiled when she saw that the call was from Amy, so she received it, "Hey, Amy!" Lucy greeted cheerfully.

    "Is this a good time? I''m sorry to bother you...."

    "Sure. And it''s not a bother. Are you alright?" Lucy asked when she heard the distress in her tone.

    "I''m fine. I wanted to find out if you have gotten a recement at the office yet or..."

    "No, I haven''t. Why?" Lucy cut in.

    "I was hoping I could resume work tomorrow," Amy said, and Lucy gasped when it urred to her that Miley was dead; hence, Amy wanted to return to work.

    "Oh, Amy! I''m so sorry for the loss. You don''t have to get back to work so soon. Take your time to process your loss and..."

    Amy shook her head quickly when she realized what Lucy was thinking, "Oh, no! God, no. She is not dead. Miley is still alive. Her family is taking care of her now, and I just need to get back to work," Amy said, not wanting to give Lucy the details.

    Perhaps it was because she didn''t want Lucy to tell Lucas about it. She could bet that Lucas was most likely going to gloat if he heard how everything had gone south.

    "That''s a relief. You can resume then. The HR hasn''t been able to find anyone good enough to fill your shoes. I''m so d you''reing back. And I wish your bestie a smooth recovery," Lucy said, and Amy thanked her before hanging up.

    "That was Amy. She wants toe back to work tomorrow," Lucy said, and Tom nodded.

    "I heard that much. But why? Didn''t you say she wanted to stay with her best friend, who is terminally ill?" Tom asked, and Lucy nodded.

    "Yeah. She said her bestie is with her family now, so she has to get back to work," Lucy said easily.

    "Why would the bestie being with her family stop her from staying with her?" Tom asked, and Lucy''s brows pulled together thoughtfully.

    "You have a point," Lucy said and then nced at her phone when it began to ring again. This time, it was Lucas.

    "It''s Lucas," Lucy said, and Tom nced at his watch.

    "I have to leave now. I love you," Tom said and headed for the door, but Lucy said nothing, so he turned to look at her.

    "Not even a kiss? Are you going to the hotel to meet anotherdy?" She asked, and Tom chuckled as he went over to where she sat and rained kisses on her face.

    "I will say hello to the other woman when I get to the hotel," Tom said as he straightened up and headed for the door once again.

    "Ask her to make sure I never find her," Lucy called after him, and he chuckled as he shut the door behind him.

 Chapter 750 No More Playing Safe

    <h4>Chapter 750 No More ying Safe</h4>

    Lucy had a smile on her face as she returned Lucas'' video call since she had missed it because she wanted Tom to give her a see-youter kiss before leaving.

    "Hey, Luke! Sorry, I missed your call," she said the moment the call connected.

    "You mean like you miss my presence?" He asked, and she rolled her eyes.

    "Word of advice, only share such dry and boring lines with me. I''m your twin, so I can easily forgive you and overlook your ws," Lucy said, and Lucas chuckled.

    "I''m so lucky to have a twin with your sense of humor," Lucas said, and this time, Lucy giggled.

    "What''s up? I thought you didn''t want to talk to me yesterday. Why are you calling me now?" She asked with a scowl, and Lucas grinned.

    "I never said I didn''t want to talk to you. I wanted to say hello to your boyfriend first," He said, and she rolled her eyes.

    "Whatever. How is your program going?"

    "I just got started. Things are not very serious yet."

    "And Tyler? What''s up with him?"

    "Tyler is fine. Just really busy. Although I would say, it''s worth it since he is raking in a lot of cash working as a cosmetic surgeon. But then again, he barely has time to enjoy all his money," Lucas said with a shake of his head.

    "Don''t tell me you''re considering starting your own practice like him," Lucy said, and Lucas shook his head.

    "Nope. Some of us aren''t that ambitious. I love to live easy. Besides, I might be taking up Tom''s offer toe work at thepany clinic," Lucas said, and Lucy raised a brow.

    "Tom offered you a job? When?" She asked in confusion.

    "The first night we visited��"

    "Why am I just hearing about it now? He didn''t say anything to me about it," Lucy said with a frown.

    "That''s because I asked him not to say anything to you (chapter 269). I''m yet to give him a response, but I''m thinking of taking up the job. Do you think you will befortable with me working for your boyfriend in the samepany as you?" Lucas asked, and she considered it for a moment and shrugged.

    "It''s not about me. It''s about you and what you want. And if this is what you want, then you should go for it. Besides, I will be d to have you so close to me," Lucy said, and Lucas grinned.

    "That is settled then. So, couple outfit, huh?" Lucas asked with a wink, and Lucy giggled.

    "Why didn''t I guess you were going to bring this up?" She asked, and Lucas chuckled.

    "Whose idea was it?" Lucas asked, and she smiled.

    "Would you be very surprised if I said it was mine?" She asked, and Lucas grinned.

    "I suppose I would be. So, was it?" He asked, and when she nodded, heughed out loud.

    "You''re an idiot," she hissed at him but joined in hisughter.

    "Well, who knew you could be so romantic? It''s good to see all these changes in you," Lucas said, and Lucy smiled.

    "Speaking about being romantic. I want to tell you something," Lucy said, and Lucas raised a brow.

    "What?"

    "Well, you said you would be back in time for Christmas, right?" She asked, and Lucas gave her a nod.

    "Yes. Why?"

    "We are throwing a Christmas party��."

    "Who do you mean when you say ''we''?" Lucas cut in.

    "Tom and I. The party will be at the house, and all our family and friends will be in attendance, as well as some other selected important guests," Lucy said, and Lucas grinned.

    "That sounds like a couple of things. Why does it seem like all that is left for you to do now is walk down the aisle with him? You''ve made up your mind to get married to him, haven''t you?" Lucas asked, and Lucy raised a brow.

    "Why do you think so?"

    "Because I know you, Lu. And you won''t do any of these if you haven''t made up your mind to go all the way with him. You prefer to y safe, but you are not ying safe right now. Am I wrong?" Lucas asked, and Lucy shook her head.

    "You are right. But no more ying safe now. And what I wanted to tell you is that I''m thinking of proposing to him at the party," Lucy said, and this time Lucas'' eyes widened in disbelief.

    "A proposal? You? You want to propose to Tom? If this is a dream, I don''t want to wake up from it," Lucas said dreamily, and Lucy giggled.

    "Stop being so dramatic. What do you think? Good idea or not?" She asked, and Lucas grinned.

    "You better don''t do it without me. I want to see Tom''s face when you pop the question. If he says no, I''m going to punch him in the face," Lucas said, and the smile on Lucy''s face faltered.

    "Do you think he might say no?" She asked uncertainly.

    "For Christ''s sake, Lu, I was just kidding. You know Tom better. Do you really think he would turn you down? I know he won''t, and we both know you wouldn''t be nning such a thing if you thought there was a possibility that he might turn you down," Lucas said, and Lucy sighed.

    "You''re right," She said, and Lucas smiled.

    "He''s so good for you, Lu. And I''m very happy for you."

    "Thanks. And I''m good for him, too," Lucy said with an eye roll.

    "Are you? I''m not so sure," Lucas said and chuckled when Lucy red at him.

    "What about Mom and Dad? Have you told them yet?"

    "No. I n to surprise them with it, too," Lucy said, and Lucas chuckled.

    "I can imagine the joy on mom''s face. She will be over the moon for sure," Lucas said, and Lucy smiled.

    "Yeah. So, enough about me. Let''s talk about you," Lucy said, and Lucas raised a brow.

    "What about me? We already talked about me. I''m fine, and the training just started," Lucas said dismissively.

    "I know you saw the news or heard about it. How do you feel?" Lucy asked, and Lucas shook his head.

    "Let''s not talk about that," He said, and Lucy looked at him with concern.

    "Are you sure you don''t want to talk about it?" She asked, and he nodded.

    "Don''t worry about me, Lu. I''m okay, for real," He assured her, and she sighed.

    "I guess tomorrow is the funeral, right? I must say I''m surprised you both decided to go on a date in spite of the scandal, and all that is going on at the moment," Lucas said, changing the subject again.

    "I didn''t think about any of that. Tom needed a break, and I wanted him to have it. Besides, being seen together would have been a good thing considering the rumors," Lucy said, and Lucas nodded.

    "True. By the way, who is she? Is it true that the kid belongs to Tom''s grandfather?" Lucas asked curiously, and Lucy told him all about it and all that had happened.

    "Wow! You keep attracting troublesome people," Lucas said, and Lucy scowled at him.

    "That''s not on me. Tom is the one who was involved with them," Lucy said defensively.

    "And you''re the one who is always gullible enough to befriend them," Lucas pointed out, and she red at him.

    "The truth is bitter. You need to be more careful, Lu. And wiser, too," Lucas advised, and she sighed.

    "Well, I''ve learned my lesson. I suppose the next time anydy smiles at me, I''m going to find out if she has slept with Tom before or if she is his ex or has ns of being in his future," She said dryly, and Lucas chuckled.

    "Maybe you should do that. So, when do you guys n to travel back to Ludus? Or do you n to spend the rest of the week in Heden and return to work next week?" He asked with interest.

    "No. We are going back on Tuesday. And I will resume at the office on Wednesday. I was worried about going back to sort out things at the office, but thankfully, Amy is resuming work tomorrow," Lucy said, and Lucas raised a brow.

    Even though he didn''t want to be curious, he couldn''t help the questions that ran through his mind.

    Did she perhaps change her mind and fall out with Miley? Or did something happen to Miley? Was she dead?

    "Why is she resuming work already?" Lucas asked as Lucy had known he would.

    "She said Miley was back with her family, and they were caring for her, so she wanted to get back to work," Lucy said, and Lucas tried not to frown.

    "I see," He said, not wanting to seem too interested in whatever was going on in both their lives.

    Before Lucy could say anything, Sonia knocked on the door, "Lu, Dawn''s governess is here," Sonia announced.

    "I have to go now, Lucas. Be good," Lucy said before hanging up.

    Lucas sighed as he dropped his phone. Even though it wasn''t his business, and he shouldn''t be worrying about either Miley or Amy, he couldn''t help it.

    Although he didn''t know Amy much but, from what little he had gotten from his interactions with her, he knew that Amy would not just leave Miley to her family. It just didn''t sound like her.

    He knew that if she had her way, she would stay beside Miley until she drew herst breath. That was the kind of friendship he knew existed between those two.

    So, why then was she going back to work when Miley was still alive and had limited time? Lucas mused.

    Without wasting any time dwelling on it, he picked up his phone to call his former employer since he remembered that Miley had mentioned that he was her family''s doctor.

    If anyone would have information on Miley''s situation, then he believed it would be Dr. Drew.

    "Hello, Doctor Drew. It''s Lucas," Lucas said the moment the call connected since he was using a different line.

    "Hey, Doctor Lucas! How have you been?" Dr Drew asked, happy to hear from him.

    "I''m alright. How are you? And how are my patients doing?" Lucas asked, and they both talked a bit about the patients before Lucas decided to ask about Miley.

    "I was worried about one of your patients. Miley Garwood��."

    "You know Miley? How?" Dr Drew cut in.

    "Well, let''s say she is an acquaintance of mine. I just wanted to find out if she is receiving treatment now. Thest time we spoke, she was adamant about not getting treatment," Lucas exined, and Dr Drew sighed.

    "Well, she was brought in yesterday, and she is in a critical condition now. Her body is gradually shutting down. It''s painful to watch her," He said, and Lucas frowned.

    "Her parents brought her in? I guess she finally told them," Lucas said, and Dr Drew raised a brow.

    "You seem to know a lot about her. You both must have been really close," He observed.

    "Not exactly. We met by chance, and she told me a lot about herself. I was just worried about her and wanted to check with you since she told me you were her family doctor after I told her I used to work for you," Lucas exined, even though that wasn''t exactly how it happened.

    "She didn''t happen to tell you why she didn''t want to receive treatment, did she?" Dr Drew asked curiously.

    "Well, she didn''t want to wither slowly on a hospital bed. She wanted to be able to tick the items on her bucket list before dying since she knew there was no cure for her," Lucas exined, and Dr Drew sighed once again.

    "Well, now it''s toote to tick the items on her bucket list, and she won''t wither slowly either since the cancer is progressing rapidly. Her parents are devastated and doing all they can to save her life," He said, and Lucas decided to ask about Amy.

    "And her best friend, Amy?"

    "You know her too?"

    "Yeah. I met them both," Lucas said, seeing no reason to mention that Amy worked under his sister.

    "Well, Miley''s parents are furious and wouldn''t let her anywhere Miley. She kept the truth from them, and I don''t think they can forgive her for that," He exined, and Lucas sighed.

    So that was what happened, Lucas mused. Although a part of him wanted to rush to her defense, but he chose not to.

    "That''s too bad," Lucas said, and after that, he switched the topic again before hanging up.

    Lucas shook his head as he thought of Amy. As much as he wanted to feel sorry for her, he didn''t.

    He warned her against indulging Miley, but she had refused to listen to him, so she should bear the consequences of her action. Maybe next time, she would learn that loyalty to a friend went beyond enabling bad decisions.

    He hoped for her sake that Miley had not gone ahead with the whole marriage and surrogacy stuff, or else things would be a lot more difficult for her.

    Lucas shook his head to get rid of the thoughts. It wasn''t his business what happened to Amy. He shouldn''t worry about her. He wasn''t in any position to worry about anyone.

 Chapter 751 Love Is A Lot Of Things

    <h4>Chapter 751 Love Is A Lot Of Things</h4>

    As Lucy walked out of her bedroom, she saw Dawning out of her bedroom with Evelyn and Jade, who was carrying Dawn''s luggage.

    Lucy blinked back the tears that had gathered in her eyes and forced a smile as Dawn came to take her hand.

    "You were right. Everyone likes me," Dawn said, and this time, Lucy''s smile was genuine, and everyone else smiled.

    "Of course, we all do. Oh, Dawn! I''m going to miss you so much," Lucy said as she squatted in front of Dawn and embraced her while Sonia, Evelyn, and Jade watched them.

    "I''m going to miss you too. I''m going to call you every chance I get. I promise," Dawn said, and Lucy nodded.

    "We shouldn''t keep thedy waiting," Evelyn said softly, and Lucy nodded as she straightened, and then she took Dawn''s hand, and they all continued downstairs to join the rest of the family who were in the living room with the governess.

    "Why didn''t mome with you?" Dawn asked her governess when she got to her.

    "She was busy with work, hence she sent me. But don''t you worry, she will be waiting to wee you when we arrive," Dawn''s governess said, and Dawn nodded before turning to Evelyn and Desmond.

    "Thank you for having me. I won''t forget to give you a call, Grandma Evelyn," Dawn said, and Evelyn patted her shoulder.

    Jade turned to her mother, "Your sister-inw just referred to you as grandma," Jade whispered, and Evelyn red at her while Harry, who was standing next to Jade, chuckled.

    "Take good care of yourself, Dawn. I hope to see you again," Jade said, and Dawn smiled.

    "You can tell all your friends that you are rted to Bryan Hank. How about I give you an autograph?" Bryan said, and his parents red at him.

    "Am I? How?" Dawn asked, and Desmond smiled at her.

    "Your mom will tell you about it," Desmond said, and she nodded.

    "We have to leave now," the governess said stiffly as she took Dawn''s hand.

    They all escorted her outside, and as she was about to get into the car, Jamal, who had been silent the whole time, ran over to her and whispered something into her ear.

    Dawn blinked at him in surprise, but he simply waved at her as he returned to join his family while she got into the car with her governess.

    Dawn looked out the window and waved at them until she could no longer see them, and Lucy brushed the tears from her eyes as she returned inside without saying a word to anyone.

    "What did you say to Dawn?" Candace asked Jamal curiously.

    "It''s a secret between us," Jamal said, and Candace raised a brow.

    "Really? A secret?" Aaron asked, and Jamal shrugged.

    "If I wanted you to know, I would have said it loud enough for you to hear it, right?" Jamal asked, and everyoneughed at his witty remark while Candace looked at him in surprise beforeughing out loud since she knew very well that he had learned that line from her.

    That was something she always told him whenever he wanted to know what she was whispering about with Andy.

    "Remind me to be more mindful of the things I say to you and around you," Candace said, and Jamal grinned at her since he had been wanting to use that line back at her for a very long time.

    Sonia caught up with Lucy, "Why are you so sad? It''s not like she is dying," Sonia said, and Lucy sniffled.

    "I know. It''s just that I really like her, and I don''t know when or if I''m ever going to see her again," Lucy said, and Sonia embraced her.

    Sonia believed that Lucy held a soft spot in her heart for Dawn, probably because it was the kid''s appearance in their life that made her begin to think about having a child with Tom.

    "LuLu? Are you alright?" Harry asked as they rest of them got to where she stood with Sonia, and Lucy pulled away from Sonia''s embrace and forced a smile.

    "Yeah. Sure," she said, and Desmond smiled at her.

    "Thanks for stepping up and taking care of Dawn despite the circumstances. I appreciate it," Desmond said, and Evelyn nodded.

    "Me too. Thanks to you, her stay here was quite pleasant. I don''t think she would have been happy here had you not been here," Evelyn said with a heartfelt smile, and Lucy swallowed hard as she nodded.

    "Things have been tough for everyely, but I know you would have done it had I not been here to take her under my wings," Lucy said confidently, and Evelyn smiled as she patted Lucy''s arm before walking away with Desmond to their bedroom, while Aaron led Jamal to the room for his nap as the others headed for the Den.

    "I saw Tom leaving earlier. Where did he go?" Jade asked Lucy curiously as they walked into the Den.

    "He said he had business to handle at the hotel," Lucy said, and Jade turned to Harry with a raised brow.

    "I guess you are not leaving anymore since Tom already left to take care of the business?" Jade asked, and Harry shook his head as they all sat down.

    "Tom is handling a different business from the one I''m handling. I''m supposed to be there by 3 P.M.," he said simply, and both Lucy and Jade frowned.

    "A different business? What do you mean?" Jade asked while Lucy raised a brow.

    "Does this business require that you both work shifts?" Candace asked curiously.

    "Do CEOs do that?" Sonia asked Bryan.

    "Why does this sound like you both are making up excuses to go hang out together?" Lucy asked, and Harry groaned inwardly as he looked to Bryan for help.

    "Is that it? Are you both going to hang out? Why didn''t I get an invite?" Bryan asked, and Sonia red at him.

    "Just kidding. My favorite hangout spot is by your side, and you know that," Bryan said, and Jade rolled her eyes while Candace and Lucy giggled as Sonia kissed his cheek.

    "The same goes for me, too. My favorite ce is by your side," Harry told Jade with a wink, and she exchanged a look of disbelief with Lucy and Candace, making themugh.

    "Babe, we should leave for your apartment now. We might not be able to go pack up your stuff after now," Bryan said to Sonia.

    "I thought we were doing that together?" Lucy asked Sonia, and Bryan shook his head.

    "Nope. I''m going with her. Thest time we were there, we didn''t exactly create good memories, and I would like to correct that," Bryan said, and Sonia grinned.

    "Yeah. I almost stabbed him thest time, thinking he was Derek. That bastard," Sonia said and wrinkled her nose with distaste at the thought of her ex.

    "I wonder what happened to him," Jade said, and Bryan shrugged.

    "He got the fame he wanted but not the way he expected it. Now he is hiding from furious ship BrySon fans," Bryan said, and they allughed.

    "Shouldn''t we wait for Matt to arrive before leaving?" Sonia asked when Bryan started rising, and just as the words left her lips, the doorbell rang.

    "That should be Matt," Bryan said as he rose to go confirm it.

    Candace''s heart raced with anticipation since she had been expecting him all morning from the moment Bryan announced during breakfast that he would being over. Although she was tempted to go see if it was Matt, she stayed put.

    "Someone is excited to see their boyfriend," Harry said in a teasing tone, and Candace scowled at him while the others giggled.

    "It''s Matt. I told you," Bryan announced as he returned with Matt.

    "Hello, Matt! Someone has been expecting you all day," Harry greeted with a grin.

    "Shut up, Harry," Candace hissed.

    "Why? Bryan has been expecting him all day. What were you thinking?" Harry asked with a chuckle.

    "Oh! You thought I meant you? How could I ever think so?" Harry asked sweetly, and Jade giggled while Candace eyed him with displeasure.

    Matt chuckled, "Hello, Harry," Matt greeted as he shook hands with Harry and exchanged pleasantries with everyone else while trying not to look in Candace''s direction.

    Thest thing he wanted was a repeat of what happened thest time at Tom''s ce. If he had known she was here, he wouldn''t havee over. He didn''t want her thinking he hade because she was there.

    "You are going to say hello to everyone else but not your girlfriend?" Candace asked with a raised brow as she rose to meet him, surprising everyone apart from Lucy.

    "What?" Matt asked, taken aback by her question.

    "Girlfriend?" Jade and Sonia asked in unison while Lucy grinned since she could see that Candace had really made up her mind after theirst conversation.

    "You heard me," Candace said as she stopped in front of him.

    "Hello, Candace," Matt said forck of what to say since he was still too confused by her action to know what to say.

    Bryan grinned as he looked at Sonia and signaled to her to leave with him. Since it seemed like Matt and Candace would be needing some time to themselves to talk.

    "Let''s catch upter, Matt. I need to head out with Sonia," Bryan called out before leading Sonia away.

    As they left, Lucy, Jade, and Harry rose to excuse them, too, since it was obvious to all that the couple needed to talk.

    As Harry walked past them, he said, "If you need reasons not to date her, ask me, and I will give you a dozen. One of them is that she is a lousy cook��."

    "That''s not true. I''ve tasted her meal before," Matt cut Harry off without taking his gaze away from Candace, who was in front of him.

    "Too bad for you. Love is indeed tasteless," Harry said as he walked away with Jade and Lucy.

    "What do you mean by love is tasteless?" Jade asked curiously as they headed for the stairs.

    "Like love is blind, right? But only this time, it is tasteless because he is too in love that he can''t tell if the food is good or bad?" Lucy guessed, and they allughed when Harry nodded.

    "You made that up, didn''t you?" Jade asked, and Harry winked.

    "Someone made up love is blind, so why can''t I make up mine?" He asked, and they allughed.

    "Love is deaf. When you are in love, you don''t listen to anything negative about your partner. I just made up mine," Lucy said, and theyughed.

    "Love is dumb. When you are in love, you don''t speak ill of your partner. Love is a lot of things. We should write a book on love together. All three of us, or maybe just the two of us. The sage couple," Jade said excitedly, and they allughed.

    "Maybe we should," Harry said in amusement.

    "I should leave you two sages to go work on your future bestseller," Lucy said with a grin, and theyughed.

    "I guess you are going to be bored by yourself now that Tom isn''t here. Don''t worry. When Harry leaves, we can chill together and gossip about them," Jade said, and Harry cleared his throat, knowing he was about to annoy her.

    "Uhm, I was actually hoping I could speak with Lucy for a moment," Harry said, and Jade scowled.

    "You are joking, right?" Jade asked, and Harry kissed her forehead.

    "No, I''m not. It won''t take long, I promise. I haven''t had the time to chat with her since I got here. I will join you in the room before you miss me," Harry promised.

    "Five minutes, Jonas. You both have five minutes, and it starts counting now," Jade said before storming off while Lucy and Harry watched her in amusement.

    "I love you, esquire," Harry called after her.

    "Go to hell, Jonas."

    "That means I might take longering to join you in the bedroom," Harry called back.

    "Try me!"

    "Jade can be so dramatic at times," Lucy said with a grin, and Harry chuckled.

    "I wouldn''t have her any other way. Let''s go sit on the balcony," Harry suggested.

    "She gave you five minutes, and I believe two minutes is up already," Lucy reminded him.

    "I''d rather shee to get me when she is tired of waiting. I love watching her in action," Harry said with a grin, and Lucy giggled as they both headed for the balcony.

 Chapter 752 Another Woman

    <h4>Chapter 752 Another Woman</h4>

    Still standing in the Den, Matt looked at Candace as several questions swirled through his confused mind.

    "Are you going to just keep staring at me or will you say something?" Candace asked, feeling slightly nervous.

    She knew she had taken a big step by acting so boldly, but all that had been on her mind when she saw him was wanting to show him that she was ready to give their rtionship a try if he was willing to ept her as she was.

    "What are you doing?" Matt asked the first question that came to his mind.

    "What do you mean?" Candace asked in confusion.

    "You know what I mean, Candace. Last time at Tom''s ce you didn''t want me there. Now I show up here only to find out you are here and you are calling yourself my girlfriend in the presence of everyone. I''m lost. What is going on?" Matt asked and Candace sighed.

    "I apologized for the incident at Tom''s ce, didn''t I?" She asked and he nodded.

    "Yes, you did. But��."

    "And I promised to do better. This is me trying to do better by acknowledging that we are in a rtionship. Isn''t that what you wanted?" She asked and he nodded.

    "Yes. That is what I wanted. But��."

    "You no longer want it?" Candace asked and this time Matt frowned at being interrupted again.

    "Can you let me finish my sentence?" He asked and she nodded.

    "Okay. Sure. Go ahead," Candace said with an awkward smile.

    "I don''t want this to be some sort of show on your end simply because you are bored��"

    "What do you mean?" Candace asked with a frown.

    "Well, it''s possible that you''re suddenly acting this way because everyone else has their partner with them and you''re alone," Matt pointed out and she red at him.

    "Am I that shallow to you?" She asked with displeasure.

    "This has nothing to do with you being shallow. I''m just saying I hope you have thought this through and didn''t just do this impulsively. You just took a major step in front of everyone without talking with me about it first. You can''t act this way now and act a different wayter. I won''t let you back out. You''ve made us public now," Matt said and she nodded.

    "I know. I''m not going to change my mindter," she assured him.

    "Why? What changed? I thought you weren''t ready?" Matt asked curiously.

    Was it perhaps because he had tried to y a little hard to get? If he had known this was what it would take for her to acknowledge him and their rtionship in front of everyone, then he would have done it a long time ago.

    "I figured I could learn on the job. I can do that, right? I don''t want to lose what we have because I''m too scared to give it a try. You don''t mind dating a retired stripper with zero self-esteem, do you?" She asked, and Matt shook his head.

    "Your past doesn''t define you, Candace. And God knows you don''t have a bad past," Matt said and Candace snorted.

    "I mean it. You are a lot more than what you see yourself," he said solemnly and she smiled wryly.

    "Really? What else am I?" She asked and he smiled.

    "You are a super mom to the most amazing little boy I have met. You are a brilliantw student. You are the most beautiful and sexy woman to have walked on this earth''s surface. You are the woman I love. Is that enough?" He asked as he brushed his thumb over her lips.

    "And just so you know, I''ve never thought of you as a stripper. To me you are a very hardworking mother who would do anything legally possible to cater for her child and to give herself a better life even if it means dancing naked. Do you know how proud I was when I found out you were studyingw? I see a courageous woman when I look at you, Candace. And it''s a damned shame that you are not walking about with your sexy chin in the air," Matt said and Candace smiled as he lowered his lips to her.

    "So, I can learn on the job, right?" Candace asked and he smiled.

    "I will be your employer and coach," Matt said and she giggled.

    Away from there in the bedroom upstairs, Sonia had a smile on her face as she dressed up to head out with Bryan and he raised a brow when he noticed the smile, "What are you so happy about?" He asked and she grinned.

    "Didn''t you see that out there? It seems like Candace is finally ready to pursue a rtionship with Matt," Sonia said and Bryan nodded.

    "Yeah. Now we don''t have to work on eggshells around them both anymore. It''s tiring being around two people that care for each other but prefer to act like they don''t," Bryan said and Sonia nodded.

    "But that was Candace''s doing, not Matt''s," Sonia pointed out.

    "That''s true. He has always been open about his feeling for her. I wonder what made her change her mind now," Bryan said thoughtfully.

    "Whatever it is, I''m d. You know what''s funny?" Sonia asked and Bryan raised a brow.

    "What?"

    "They hit things off before us, yet here we are nning to get married and we are happy she just acknowledged him as her boyfriend," Sonia said and Bryan chuckled.

    "That''s true. I remember how surprised I was to see her with Matt in my house." (chapter 84)

    "And you were all judgmental because she was a stripper," Sonia said with disapproval.

    "No, I wasn''t."

    "Yes, you were."

    "No, I wasn''t. I didn''t judge her. I was only going to tell Matt about it in case she didn''t already do so. That is different from judging," Bryan said reasonably.

    "Why did you feel the need to tell him about it if you didn''t think it was something bad?" Sonia asked and Bryan frowned.

    "I don''t get what you''re saying but��."

    "Let''s say she was a medical doctor. You met her in the hospital, and then you saw her with Matt. Would you see the need to let him know about her profession that same way?" Sonia asked and when Bryan scowled she giggled.

    "I see you''ve gotten my point now. So we can both agree that you were judgmental," Sonia said, happy to have won the argument.

    "Was that why you broke my leg that night?" Bryan asked and she grinned at the memory.

    "You didn''t break your leg. Your ankle got dislocated. And it was an ident. But we both can agree that that moment led us to where we are now," Sonia said and in that moment they both smiled as they remembered all that had led them to this point.

    "I still can''t believe you locked me inside my own bedroom just to keep me from going to tell Matt about her (chapter 85)," Bryan said and they bothughed.

    "It feels like such a long time ago," Sonia said as she held his gaze and then Bryan walked over to embrace her.

    "Remember how you thought you flushed the key in the toilet and almost broke down my bedroom door?" Bryan asked and they both doubled over withughter at the memory.

    They both continued tough as they remembered and reminded each other of how they started.

    "God! I love you, Sony," Bryan said as he brushed away tears ofughter from his eyes.

    "I love you even more," Sonia said as she kissed his cheek.

    Away from there, Harry and Lucy were seated at the balcony and Lucy was looking at Harry with interest, "So, what is it you want us to talk about?" Lucy asked when Harry remained silent.

    "I''m surprised you got so attached to the kid when I remember how you were crying the first time Tom told she might be his," Harry said and Lucy smiled.

    "But she is not his," Lucy pointed out.

    "Do you think you would have loved her the same had she been his?" Harry asked and Lucy sighed.

    "I think so. I actually started loving her when we thought she was his," Lucy confessed.

    "I see. You''re not going to contact Kimberly secretly, are you?" Harry asked and she shook her head.

    "Nah. I already made up my mind on that. You don''t have to worry," Lucy said, and Harry nodded in approval.

    "I wanted to discuss something else with you," Harry said and Lucy looked at him curiously.

    "What?"

    "Although I wanted only Tom and Bryan to be aware of my ns, but I don''t think I want to keep it from you. You have to promise not to tell Sonia about it. I don''t think she is very good at keeping secrets," Harry said, thinking about how Sonia had acted when he arrived.

    "Sonia keeps secrets when it is important, but I promise not to tell her if you don''t want me to," Lucy assured him.

    "I''m going to propose to Jade soon," Harry said and Lucy smiled.

    "Yeah. So I heard. That should be sometime before Christmas, right?" Lucy asked since she had heard he was proposing in six months time.

    "No. I don''t think I can wait that long. I''d rather be marrying her in six months or less. By Monday we should have taken care of Sara, and after that I''m going on a vacation with Jade. I''m going to propose to her while we are there," Harry said, and Lucy smiled.

    "That is good news. Congrattions. You must be crazy about her," she said and Harry grinned.

    "You have no idea how crazy," Harry said and Lucy giggled.

    "You know, sometimes I still can''t believe you are the same Mr. Jonas who I was scared of. Back then before I moved to the head office, whenever we heard that Mr Jonas wasing for supervision, everyone was always so tense," Lucy said and Harry chuckled.

    "You can''t get too friendly with the staff else they will begin to ck in their duties. I have to keep everyone on their toes," Harry said and Lucy nodded.

    "By the way, is there anyway I can help with the arrangements? Anything you need me to do?" Lucy asked and Harry shook his head.

    "I''m not sure. I will let you know if anythinges to mind. But I''m hoping you will be there. You know Jade. She will need to unt her ring and show off to youdies," Harry said with a grin and Lucyughed softly.

    "You really do know her so well."

    "Of course, I do. How is your therapy going? And are you still reading the books I borrowed you?" Harry asked curiously, and Lucy smiled.

    "Yeah. Therapy has been more helpful than I imagined it will be. Or maybe my therapist is just really good," Lucy said and Harry smiled.

    "So? Any major changes yet?" Harry asked and Lucy could guess what he was asking so she considered it for a moment before leaning forward.

    "Well, yeah. But you can''t tell anyone. Especially not Tom," Lucy said and Harry raised a brow.

    "What is it?" He asked even though he suspected she was about to tell him what Tom had said.

    "Well, the Christmas party is actually going to be our engagement party," Lucy said, her eyes gleaming with excitement and Harry blinked, genuinely surprised.

    "What?" He asked in shock.

    It was true that he had suspected that she was up to something when she brought up the idea of a Christmas party, and he had also heard from Tom, but he had not expected that she would want to get engaged so soon.

    "Don''t look too surprised," Lucy said with a grin happy to have shocked him.

    "I want to propose to him. You don''t mind taking part in nning your best friend''s engagement party, do you?" she asked since she knew she had not liked not being involved in nning Sonia''s engagement.

    "Say something. What do you think? Will he like it?" She asked when Harry remained quiet.

    Without saying a word Harry rose and pulled Lucy out of her seat surprising her. He surprised her even more by pulling her in for a hug. Harry was unable to contain the joy he was feeling at that moment.

    "Are you that happy?" Lucy asked with a grin as she pulled away to look into his face.

    "If I''m this happy about it, do you have any idea how happy he will be?" Harry asked with a wide smile.

    Just the thought of having Tom''s dreamse true brought too much joy to him, and it made him wonder how Tom would feel if he could feel this much joy.

    "Tom is going to be overjoyed, Lu. You are going to make him the happiest man ever," Harry said again, and Lucy smiled happily.

    "You can''t breathe a word of this to Tom. And not to Jade either. Not even through your actions," Lucy warned, and Harry made the zip gesture on his lips.

    "I guess you''re keeping it away from your family too?"

    "I told Lucas about it. So, it''s going to be just Lucas, Sonia, my favorite male cousin��."

    "Favorite male cousin?" Harry asked with a raised brow.

    "Yes. You are my favorite male cousin, and Candace is my favorite female cousin. You are both my only cousins," she said with a grin and Harry chuckled.

    "Are you telling Candace too?" Harry asked and she nodded.

    "Yes. It''s going to be between just the five of us," Lucy said and Harry grinned again as he embraced her.

    "Harry Jonas! What do you think you are still doing here?" Jade asked, ring AG both Harry and Lucy as they broke the hug.

    "I was just about toe in," Harry assured her with a grin.

    "It didn''t look like it. And why are you hugging another woman?" She asked and Lucy giggled in amusement while Harry chuckled.

    "Lucy is my cousin. Your brother''s girlfriend. Not another woman," Harry pointed out.

    "Is she male or female?" Jade asked with her hands folded in front of her.

    "Female."

    "Are adult females called men or women?" She asked again and Harry grinned.

    "Women," Harry answered, humoring her.

    "Is her name Jade Hank?" Jade asked and Lucy stuck her tongue in her cheek as she walked away, leaving them to continue this on their own.

    "No. Her name is Lucinda Perry," Harry answered dutifully.

    "So, how is she not another woman when she is not your woman?" Jade asked and Harry pulled her to himself by the waist and kissed her.

    "I love you. So, how about we leave for our vacation immediately after Bryan''s wedding? I would have preferred us to leave immediately after Sara gets arrested, but we can''t be absent from Bryan''s wedding. I can''t wait to have my beautiful woman all to myself," He said, wanting to

    distract her.

    Jade''s eyes lit up, "Really?" She asked, forgetting all about her false annoyance and Harry chuckled since she had fallen for it.

    "Yeah. You can wrap up Rebekah''s case before then, right?" He asked and she nodded.

    "Sure. The chief judge would want that," Jade said and Harry nodded.

    "Good. While I''m away you can spend the time looking up romantic vacation spots you would like and when I get back we can discuss the details. How about that?" He asked and she bobbed her head happily, not seeing the need to tell him that she had done that since the first day they talked about going on a vacation.

 Chapter 753 Uninteresting Questions

    <h4>Chapter 753 Uninteresting Questions</h4>

    Harry had different thoughts running through his mind as he got out of the car, which had been sent from the hotel to pick him up, and headed inside the hotel for his meeting with Cassidy.

    He still could not figure out how Cassidy knew about the private suite at the hotel. Who was the insider working for him? And was it possible that Cassidy would be inside the suite waiting for him?

    He doubted it. If that was the case, Cassidy would have met Tom by now, waiting inside the suite, and Tom would have called or texted to let him know.

    What did Cassidy want to discuss with him that made hime out of his hiding? Cassidy was a dead man to the world, after all, so what could he possibly want to say that would make him risk exposure?

    Harry nodded at the employees who greeted them as he walked past them, but he didn''t stop to say anything to them as he got into the elevator.

    Inside the elevator, he quickly dialed Tom''s line, "Is he there now?" Harry asked immediately, and the call connected.

    "He isn''t. You know I would have called to inform you if he was here," Tom said, and Harry sighed.

    "Yeah. I just wanted to be sure you were not tied up and gagged. Or even killed, else I called," Harry said, and Tom chuckled.

    "Haven''t you heard from him again?" Tom asked as Harry stepped out of the elevator.

    "I would have told you if I heard from him. Got to go. I''m close to the suite now," Harry said as he hung up.

    A few feet away from the suite, the door of another suite opened, and a man dressed in a ck suit called out to Harry, "Harry Jonas?"

    Harry turned to look at him with a slight frown, "My boss is waiting for you," he said as he jerked his head in the direction of the suite, and it dawned on Harry what Cassidy had done.

    He had not nned for the meeting to be held in his suite. It had been both a test and a diversion so that Harry wouldn''t know exactly where he was in case he nned to expose him. That made sense, Harry thought with both respect and admiration for Cassidy as he walked into the suite.

    Cassidy rose and set aside his ss of wine as Harry walked into the room, and both men sized up each other.

    While Harry was fully dressed in a suit, Cassidy was dressed in very casual clothes and was putting on gold rim spectacles and a wig for disguise.

    "Harry Jonas," Cassidy said as he extended a hand for a handshake.

    "Cassidy Bank," Harry said as they shook hands.

    "I must say, I was surprised to hear from you," Harry said, and Cassidy nodded.

    "And I''m surprised you told your best friend about our meeting," he said, and even though Harry wanted to deny it, he didn''t see any need to.

    Harry raised a brow, "How did you know I told Tom about it?"

    "I''m impressed that you didn''t deny telling your best friend about our meeting," Cassidy said without answering his question as he gestured to Harry to sit.

    "I''m here now. What''s the point in denying anything?" Harry asked as they both sat.

    "Did you also tell your sister about our meeting?" Cassidy asked, and Harry''s brows pulled together.

    "My sister? Who are you talking about?" Harry asked since the news of his rtionship with Candace wasn''t public yet, so he couldn''t understand how Cassidy could have known about it.

    "Candace, of course. How many other sisters do you have?" Cassidy asked, and Harry angled his head.

    "How do you know about my rtionship with Candace? How did you know about the private suite? And how did you get my contact line?" Harry asked, and Cassidy smiled.

    "You seem to have a lot of questions, and I must say that you disappoint me with your uninteresting questions. I see you as a very intelligent man, Harry Jonas. I''m surprised you are asking such questions," Cassidy said, sounding a bit disappointed.

    Harry nodded. He wouldn''t also answer those questions if asked, so he understood what Cassidy meant.

    "I have my ways. I make it my business to know more about people than they do about me. I like to stay several steps ahead," Cassidy said, and Harry nodded.

    Hadn''t he seen that firsthand in the way Cassidy had escaped with Andy? He had been ahead of them, and as much as Harry didn''t like being in a situation where he didn''t know much, he was filled with admiration for Cassidy.

    "What did you want to talk about? Is Andy okay? Why did you reach out to me and not Candace? Or Jade?" Harry asked, going straight to the point since he believed they had spent enough time on the small talk.

    "Andy is fine. And I would rather speak with you than either of them since you have the answers I want. First, I want to hear directly from you if you will also ept and protect Andy like she''s part of your family, like Candace," Cassidy said, and Harry raised a brow.

    "What do you mean by like she is part of my family? She is Candace''s sister and Jamal''s aunt. Hence, she is a member of our family and will be treated as such," Harry said, and Cassidy nodded, feeling quite pleased by Harry''s response since he knew firsthand that Andy already considered Candace''s family as her family.

    "You can''t me me for wanting to be sure. I''m d you feel that way," Cassidy said with approval.

    "Why are you asking that?" Harry asked, and Cassidy shrugged.

    "I don''t want her to feel alone when she returns. That brings me to the second reason why I wanted to see you. Since you consider her as part of your family, then I''m sure you would like to have a say in where she lives as her brother. Are Candace and Jamal going to be living in Ludus now? I want to know where I should buy her house. I want somewhere safe and close to her family," Cassidy said, surprising Harry, who hadn''t expected that.

    "Don''t you think she will want to live with Candace and Jamal as they were doing before?" Harry asked, and Cassidy nodded.

    "Does that mean Candace and Jamal are going back to their apartment in Sogal?" Cassidy asked, and Harry shook his head.

    "No. Candace is moving in with our dad...."

    "You expect Andy to live there with them?" Cassidy asked, and Harry nodded.

    "Yes. She is my father''s daughter too, is she not? Unless she doesn''t want to, I don''t see how it''s a problem," Harry said, and Cassidy thought about it for a moment.

    "I would prefer I get a ce of her own for her. I''m sure she''d also be morefortable there," Cassidy said, and Harry conceded.

    Cassidy had a point. If Andy was anything like Candace, then she would most definitely want to live alone until she was familiar with the rest of the family.

    "Okay. It''s probably best you get her a ce here in Ludus. That way, I can keep an eye on her until we are sure it''s safe. She can stay with them when she visits Sogal, and they can stay with her when they visit Ludus," Harry said, and after giving it a thought, Cassidy nodded in agreement.

    "That is good enough. I will do just that," Cassidy said, and Harry looked at him with interest.

    "If I may ask, why didn''t you discuss all of this with her? Isn''t she in a better position to decide on what she wants?" Harry asked, and Cassidy sighed.

    "She is. But I told her I was going to find somewhere safe and secure for her. And I wanted to be sure she would be safe, hence I came to you. And I want her meeting her sister and nephew to be a surprise," Cassidy exined.

    "I see. So, when is sheing?" Harry asked curiously.

    "In two days. Will you all still be here or back to Ludus?" he asked since it was important to know where he was taking Andy.

    "They will be returning to Sogal on Tuesday, and I will be going back to Ludus," Harry exined.

    "What do you suggest we do then?" Cassidy asked, and Harry sighed as he thought about it.

    "She will have to go to Sogal. I''m sure she will be dying to see Candace and Jamal as much as they are dying to see her��."

    "What about you? Don''t you want to meet her? Your sister?" Cassidy asked, and Harry raised a brow.

    "You just said you were going back to Ludus," Cassidy answered his unspoken question.

    "So?" Harry asked, even though he clearly understood what Cassidy meant, but wanted to put Cassidy in his ce.

    "So, shouldn''t you change your ns so you can also see your sister in Sogal?" Cassidy asked, and Harry shook his head.

    "That is for me to decide. I don''t think you should be concerned about that," Harry said as politely as he could.

    "I understand that I might be asking too much, but I won''t being with her, so I would need you to handle things," Cassidy said, and Harry sighed.

    "Alright. Let me know what needs to be done, and I will handle it," Harry assured him.

    Twenty minutester, Harry walked out of Cassidy''s suite, and walked into the private suite where Tom was waiting.

    He raised a brow when he saw Tom was busy on hisptop, "What are you doing? Why didn''t you call to find out where I was?" Harry asked, and Tom shrugged.

    "Because I didn''t need to. I know you were in the suite some feet away from here," Tom said without looking up from hisptop.

    "How did you know that?" Harry asked, and Tom raised a brow as he looked at him.

    "Did you really think I came here three hours before your meeting just to sit around and do nothing?" Tom asked, and Harry grinned, pleased that Tom was looking out for him as he would also do for Tom.

    "Yes. I thought you would be here daydreaming about Lucy," Harry said as he moved closer to see what Tom was staring at in hisptop.

    "Sure. I did that for most of the time. Wouldn''t miss any opportunity to think about my darling," Tom said dryly.

    "He knew I told you about the meeting," Harry said, and Tom grunted.

    Harry raised a brow when he saw that Tom was checking the forex charts, "I thought we left our forex trading to our team?" He asked, and Tom shrugged.

    "Doesn''t mean I don''t like to make some extra money for myself when I''m not very busy. So, how did your meeting go?" Tom asked as he closed his trade and shut hisptop.

    "It was okay," Harry said and went ahead to tell Tom what Cassidy had said.

    "That means you won''t be returning to Ludus with us," Tom said when Harry was done, and he sighed.

    "Jade is going to be pissed. She was supposed to spend the rest of the week at my ce with me. If she finds out I''m not returning to Ludus with you, she won''t be happy," Harry said with a frown, and Tom grinned.

    "You sound like you''re scared," Tom said, and Harry nodded.

    "I am. As much as I like pissing her off deliberately to see her in action most times, I don''t like disappointing her," Harry said, and Tom shrugged.

    "I don''t see how it is a problem. I''m sure she would want to see Candace''s sister as well. She can travel with you, and you both can return to Ludus together," Tom said easily.

    "And I''m sure she will be happy to see the home you were raised in and check out pictures of you as a kid," Tom said with a chuckle, and Harry smiled.

    "I guess I will have to ask her," Harry said as he thought about sharing his bedroom with Jade. He had not been there in quite some time.

    "And you have to make up a truthful story for her unless you n to tell her why you''re going to Sogal," Tom said, knowing that Harry wouldn''t want to tell a lie.

    "I could say I want to see them settle in, right?" Harry asked, and Tom nodded.

    "That works."

    "By the way, I told Lucy about my ns to propose to Jade," Harry said, and Tom raised a brow.

    "I thought you didn''t want anyone else to know?"

    "Lucy is my cousin, and she is good at keeping secrets," Harry said, and Tom scowled.

    "I already forgot all about your rtionship with her."

    "That''s why I''m here to always remind you of it. Let''s go home. Lucy and Jade will be waiting," Harry said, and Tom rose.

    "Howe you are not asking if Dawn left already?" Harry asked as they walked out together.

    "Because I don''t want to know."

    "Lucy shed tears," Harry said, and Tom sighed.

    "Good thing she is gone. Everything can return to the way it was before now," Tom said, and Harry raised a brow.

    "Why don''t you care about the kid?"

    "I care about her as my grandfather''s daughter. It''s just that each time I see her, I remember how Kimberly brought her to the hotel to make a fool of me, and it gets me really angry. And because she is so smart, I can''t help feeling suspicious that Kimberly is using her to get to Lucy," Tom said, and Harry sighed.

    "Well, she is gone now. Let''s hope we don''t hear from Kimberly again," Harry said, and Tom nodded.

    "For the sake of Dawn, I hope she stays away."

    "By the way, I figured out who is working for Cassidy and how he might have gotten all that information," Tom said as they walked out of the hotel.

    "You did? How? Who is it?" Harry asked curiously.

    "It''s Eric. My assistant."

    "Eric? How?" Harry asked with a confused frown.

    "I asked the security at the control room to observe the staff when I walk in and take note of whoever acts weird, and I asked them to do the same when youe in. One of the female receptionists was caught making calls at both times. I questioned her and found out Eric asked her to look out for us and let him know when we arrived, and in exchange, he would assist in helping her get a promotion and transfer to the headquarters.

    "Damn! I should have known. We did a background check on him," Harry said, not pleased that once again Cassidy had outsmarted him.

    "You can''t always know everything, Harry. I don''t think I want anyone new working as my assistant anymore," Tom said, and Harry sighed.

    "I understand," he said as they both got into the car, and the hotel executive chauffeur drove them home.

 Chapter 754 Room Arrangement

    <h4>Chapter 754 Room Arrangement</h4>

    Tom and Harry returned in time to join the rest of the family at the dining for dinner, and once they were seated, Evelyn looked at them with concern.

    "Is there any problem at the hotel? Why did you both go there?" Evelyn asked as they ate.

    "There is no problem. Since we are here, I decided to have a brief meeting with some of the staff, and Harry had a meeting with an important guest," Tom exined so that Harry would not have to lie more than he had done already.

    "I hope this important guest wasn''t ady," Jade said, narrowing her eyes at Harry.

    "What if it was?" Tom asked before Harry could respond.

    "I hope you delivered my message to her?" Lucy asked, and Tom grinned as he kissed her cheek.

    "What message to whom?" Jade asked with interest.

    "Not your business. I see you got a haircut. I suppose Lucy took you to her uncle''s shop?" Tom asked as he observed Bryan.

    "Sonia took me there. And we heard all about how you unted your money there," Bryan said, and Tom shrugged.

    "I can''t help that I''m so wealthy," he said, and everyone chuckled.

    "What did he do?" Jade asked curiously, and both Bryan and Sonia told them what they had heard about Tom paying for everyone''s haircut just to cut the line and how he had also bought them food and drinks.

    "I suppose you did the same, too," Jade said knowingly, and Bryan grinned.

    "Tom already set the precedent. I couldn''t disappoint them. By the way, now that Matt is here, what are we going to do about the sleeping arrangement?" Bryan asked since they were yet to talk about it.

    "Oh! That''s true. Both guest rooms are upied. How about Sonia shares a room with Candace, and Matt can join you in your room?" Evelyn suggested, and Bryan scowled.

    "There is no way I''m sleeping away from Sony," Bryan said, and Matt grinned.

    "How about I join you both then? It can be the three of us��."

    "You must be out of your mind," Bryan said, and they allughed.

    "So much for visiting my best friend," Matt said with a shake of his head.

    "Don''t pretend to be a stranger here. You are here as family, not my best friend," Bryan retorted.

    "I guess I will crash in the Den then," Matt said, even though his backpack was already in Candace''s room upstairs.

    "You can share our room with me and Grandpa," Jamal, who had been unusually silent since Dawn''s departure, offered.

    "That is so kind of you to offer, Jam, but I don''t think the room will be conducive for all three of us. The bed will hardly take us three," Matt said, and Candace cleared her throat.

    "Why don''t you join me? I mean, now that Dawn isn''t here, it''s just me in the room. I don''t mind sharing the room with you," Candace said, and Matt smiled at her, happy to see that she had really made up her mind about taking things seriously with him.

    "Can I join you and Matt?" Jamal asked, looking at Candace hopefully, and Harry chuckled, earning him a re from Candace.

    "What about me? Are you leaving me to sleep alone?" Aaron asked before Candace could say anything, and Jamal shrugged.

    "I can always share your room with you, but I can''t do so with Matt because I don''t know when next I''m going to see him," Jamal exined and then turned to Lucy and Tom when another idea hit him.

    "But I won''t bother about sharing a room with Matt if Lucy and Tom let''s me sleep in their bedroom," Jamal said, and everyoneughed, apart from Matt.

    "Really? I mean that little to you, pal?" Matt asked with mock annoyance.

    "Man to man, Jamal, I will advise you not to piss Matt off so he can let you join them since there is no way I''m letting you join us in my bedroom," Tom said, and Jamal turned to Matt with an apologetic smile.

    "What if I say I like you a lot more than I like Tom? Will you let me join you?" Jamal asked sweetly, and they allughed.

    "You ought to like me more since you met me and became friends with me before you met Tom," Matt pointed out.

    "Are you as rich as Tom?" Jamal asked curiously.

    "Are you a gold-digger?" Matt asked, and Jamal''s brows pulled together.

    "Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Am I a gold-digger?" Jamal asked his mom since he had no idea what that meant, and everyoneughed.

    "It''s not a good thing. And no, you''re not," Candace said, and Jamal nodded as he returned his attention to Matt.

    "You can''t join us. You have to remain with your grandfather. Besides, you will most likely be seeing me around more often now, so you don''t have to worry," Matt said, and the elders who had missed Candace''s surprising behavior earlier looked at Matt and Candace with interest.

    "Is that so?" Aaron asked with a grin as he looked at Candace, who avoided his gaze.

    Jamal''s eyes lit up, "Are you my mummy''s boyfriend now?" Jamal asked excitedly, and all eyes turned to Candace.

    "I think your mummy should be the one to answer that question," Matt said, and Candace''s face burned with embarrassment as she did her best to avoid both Harry''s and Aaron''s gaze.

    "Tell us, Candace," Harry drawled with a teasing grin, and the others tried not tough when Candace scowled at him.

    "Yes, Jamal. Matt is my boyfriend now," Candace said, and Jamal pped happily while everyone else smiled.

    "I feel so sorry for you, Matt. You have no idea what you''ve gotten yourself into," Harry said with a shake of his head, and Jade giggled.

    "The same way we all feel sorry for you," Bryan quipped, and this time, Jade red at him while everyone elseughed.

    "Now, can you focus on your meal and stop talking?" Candace asked, and Jamal nodded as he focused on his meal.

    "So, it''s settled then. Matt will share the room with you," Evelyn said, relieved they had resolved it.

    "I guess we both will be taking a stroll after dinner," Harry told Matt with a sweet smile.

    "Can Ie with you?" Jamal asked excitedly.

    "I shoulde too," Aaron said, and Candace giggled. It was obvious that they wanted to pull the whole father, brother, and son act on Matt.

    "We didn''t do that to you," Bryan reminded Harry.

    "It''s not toote to do it now. Let''s go on a stroll after my stroll with Matt," Harry suggested, and Bryan scowled at him while the othersughed.

    After dinner, Matt, Harry, and Aaron took a stroll while Desmond, Evelyn, and their kids went to speak privately in the study since the next day was Lawrence''s funeral, leaving Lucy, Sonia, and Candace who headed for the Balcony after putting Jamal to sleep.

    "It''s good to see that you finally made up your mind to do this with Matt," Sonia said to Candace as they all sat on the balcony upstairs.

    "I figured if I''m going to do it eventually, why not start now? Besides, my wise cousin said I can always learn on the job," Candace said, raising her winess in a silent toast to Lucy, and Lucy smiled.

    "Well, whatever your reasons, I''m d you both have sorted things out," Sonia said, and Candace smiled.

    "You know who else will be d? Andy. She liked Matt a lot and really wanted me to go out with him. I wish there was a way I could reach her to let her know all that has happened in her absence," Candace said with a sigh as she thought about Andy and remembered how they had argued the first time Matt visited.

    "Well, you can keep all the tales. There will be a lot to talk about when shees back," Sonia said with a small smile.

    "You can start by telling her about your wise cousin," Lucy said jokingly as she squeezed Candace''s hand, and Candace smiled.

    "What is she like?" Lucy asked, and Candace''s smile widened as she thought of Andy.

    "She is carefree. Fun to be with. She is very confident and bold. Sometimes, she can be reckless. She is so loyal. Andy would take a bullet for me if she had to. She is my sister. My soul sister," Candace said as she brushed away the tears that had dropped from her eyes as she talked about Andy.

    "If she is your soul sister, what is she to me? My soul cousin?" Lucy asked and Candaceughed as she wanted her to.

    "I suppose so. Do you think they will ept her like they have epted me, even though she is not directly rted to Aaron?" Candace asked Lucy with a slight frown etched on her brow since she had been thinking about it for some time, and she didn''t want Andy to feel left out when she returns.

    "I''m sure they will. As long as she is your sister, she is connected to us all as well. I guess I have two female cousins," Lucy said, and Candace shed her a smile of gratitude.

    "It''s weird how we are all connected in funny ways. You are my best friend''s cousin, and you are dating my boyfriend''s best friend," Sonia said to Candace with a grin.

    "Why do I feel like you''ve been waiting a long time to say this?" Candace asked dryly.

    "Because she has. Remember she mentioned it before (chapter 519), but you denied having anything with Matt," Lucy said, and Candaceughed.

    "How did you remember that? I forgot about it until you mentioned it," Candace said in amusement while Sonia narrowed her eyes thoughtfully as an idea came to her.

    "Perhaps I should include you in my novel, too. What do you think, Lu?" Sonia asked, and Lucy shrugged.

    "If Harry gives you the go-ahead to write about him and Jade, then you will have to mention his twin sister. With her permission, of course. But don''t you think the book is going to get longer? And I thought it was about the Hank siblings? Or do you want to make it about the Hanks and the Jonas?" Lucy asked while Candace simply listened to them with interest.

    Sonia sighed, "You are right. It''s not going to work if I''m doing a Hank trilogy."

    "By the way, I told Harry about my n," Lucy said, and both Sonia and Candace raised their brows for entirely two different reasons.

    "I thought you didn''t want to tell him about it?"

    "What n?" Sonia and Candace asked at the same time.

    "I want to propose to Tom on Christmas Eve," Lucy whispered to Candace, whose eyes lit up with excitement, and she burst intoughter.

    "That sounds sweet. But I hope Tom won''t mind. You know, some guys can''t stand ady doing something like that," Candace said, and Sonia waved it off.

    "He will be too happy that Lucy finally changed her mind to worry about not having the chance to do it himself. And if Tom is the kind of person I believe he is, that won''t stop him from proposing to her, too," Sonia said, and Lucy grinned.

    "Yeah. That''s true," Lucy nodded in agreement.

    "I guess you n to do it at the Christmas party?" Candace asked, and Lucy bobbed her head.

    "So? Why did you change your mind about telling Harry?" Sonia asked curiously, and Lucy shrugged.

    "We were talking about stuff, and it just came up," Lucy said, not wanting to tell Sonia about Harry''s n to engage Jade.

    "What did he say?" Sonia asked, and Lucy told them how happy he had been and what he had said.

    "How can I help?" Candace asked excitedly.

    "It has to stay between us. I don''t want anyone else to find out about it. When it''s time, I will tell you how you can help," Lucy said, and Candace nodded.

    "I wonder what Harry ns to say to Matt. Are you not nervous that Matt is with Harry and your dad?" Sonia asked, and Candace grinned.

    "Honestly? I like that they are doing it. It makes me feel like I have them watching over me. Protecting me. I wish they were there to do this to Jero, too," She said with a sigh.

    "If they were there, you wouldn''t have been with Jero in the first ce," Lucy pointed out, and she nodded.

    "Yeah. That''s true. Still, the point is that I''m thankful I have them in my life now," Candace said with a small smile as she tried to imagine what the Jonas men would be saying to Matt.

 Chapter 755 Strolling

    <h4>Chapter 755 Strolling</h4>

    As much as Matt tried not to, he couldn''t help feeling a bit anxious due to their silence as they strolled around the building. The silence made him feel uneasy.

    This wasn''t a big deal. He had yed too many of these roles to know what the stroll was about. It wasn''t like they were going to say anything other than ask him to be good to Candace, so what was the big deal?

    Why was a grown man like him feeling so anxious? Matt mused as he decided to take the bull by the horns and break the silence himself.

    Matt cleared his throat, "I know you are worried about Candace. I promise to take good care of her," he said, and both Harry and Aaron exchanged an amused look.

    "Of course, you will. We don''t expect anything less," Aaron said, and they continued walking in silence, making Matt frown.

    "Isn''t that what you both wanted to talk to me about?" Matt asked Harry in confusion.

    Harry raised a brow, "Did I say anything about talking to you? I said we were going for a stroll, and that is what we are doing," Harry said simply, and Aaron chuckled.

    "So, you are not going to ask me any questions or say anything to me?" Matt asked, and Harry smiled.

    "Candace is most likely going to be wondering what we are talking about. That is more reason the stroll is fun," Harry said, and this time, it dawned on Matt that Harry had asked him to stroll with him just to make Candace ufortable.

    "So, what do I say when she asks to know what we discussed? There is no way she is going to believe that it was just a stroll," Matt said, and both Aaron and Harryughed.

    "That is left for you to figure out," Harry said with a shrug.

    "So, I can go in now if you have nothing else to say to me, right?" Matt asked, and Harry shook his head.

    "No. Not yet. I have something to say to you," Aaron said, and Matt frowned.

    "But you said you only wanted us to take a stroll," Matt reminded him.

    "Harry said that, not me," Aaron said, and Matt drew a deep breath, which made both Harry and Aaronugh since they were both enjoying messing with him.

    "I''m curious about something, though. How did you manage to convince her to give in to you? I kept trying to encourage her to open up to her feelings, but she just wouldn''t listen. So, how did you do it?" Aaron asked, surprising Matt, who hadn''t expected that question.

    Matt smiled, "I don''t know. Maybe it''s because I stopped trying too hard and decided to let her meet me halfway when she is ready," Matt said, and Aaron smiled in approval.

    "That''s good. I''m d she finally decided to do this with you," Aaron said happily.

    "Thank you," Matt said, happy that he had both Aaron''s and Harry''s approval.

    "You do know that Candace has a lot of insecurities, don''t you?" Aaron asked as he stopped walking so he could look at Matt as they spoke.

    "I''m aware of that," Matt said as both he and Harry also stopped walking.

    "I hope you won''t add to them. Even though a part of me believes I should trust you and not say anything, I believe some things need to be said between us. When you met her, I wasn''t present in her life, but now Harry and I are here. If you have any ns of hurting her or misbehaving in the future, I will suggest you don''t take things further cause I won''t let you be if you hurt her," Aaron said, and Harry gave Matt a dark look.

    "I''m sure I don''t need to tell you that I won''t let you be either. She has had one bad rtionship in the past. We don''t want a repeat of it. I know you had a reputation for being a yboy. I''m hoping all of that is in the past, and you won''t mess with her," Harry said, and Matt nodded.

    "You have my word. I don''t intend to mess with her," Matt promised.

    "I''m saying all this because we all know about her past. As her father, I love her and ept her whichever way she is. The same goes for Harry. But you, we can''t totally tell. You are a celebrity, and you might not want her past to affect you��."

    "I''m sorry to cut in, but I need to make something clear to you. You are speaking of it as her past now, forgetting that I was with her even when it was her present. If I wanted to be with her while she was a stripper, why do you think I would have any problem with what people think when she is no longer a stripper? In case you don''t know, she once performed for Bryan and Sonia at the club. The knowledge of her performing for my best friend didn''t stop me from wanting her, so you should know that regardless of what anyone thinks or says, I remain unaffected. I already told her how I feel about her job as a stripper. She is the one who is ashamed of it, not me. I love her the way she is," Matt said, and Aaron sighed.

    "I hope so," Aaron said, and Harry nodded.

    "Since we are on the subject, as her boyfriend, you should know that we n to go public soon��."

    As soon as the words left his lips, Harry realized that apart from the fact that he was yet to tell Aaron and Candace about the recent developments and how Sara would be going down on Monday, there was a w in his ns.

    He had nned that after Sara''s arrest, he and Candace would go see her so that she would at least see her biological daughter and so that Candace could see her in person, too. And then Alicia would interview him and Candace, but now things wouldn''t be able to go as nned because he had pushed Sara''s arrest forward, Candace was going back to Sogal, and Andy would be headed for Sogal too.

    "What is wrong?" Aaron asked when he saw the frown on Harry''s brow.

    "I just remembered something," Harry said and then looked at Matt.

    "I''m sure you are dying to go back to your girlfriend. You can go in while I continue the stroll with my dad," Harry said, and Matt gave them both a nod before walking away.

    Although Matt had wanted to ask Harry what he meant by saying they were going public soon, but he decided to ask Candace instead since he could tell that Harry wanted to discuss something with his father.

    The moment Matt left, Harry looked at his father, who was looking at him curiously and waiting for him to speak.

    "Let''s go sit on the patio," Harry suggested since he didn''t want his father to over-exert himself.

    Once they were seated, Harry told Aaron about his ns for Sara to be arrested on Monday since he wanted to get it done with quickly so that they could move on to other things.

    "Won''t you say anything?" Harry asked when Aaron remained silent.

    "I already told you I have no interest in any of this. Do with her as you see fit," Aaron said, and Harry nodded.

    "There is something else I want us to discuss," Harry said, and Aaron looked at him as he waited for him to speak.

    "It''s about Andy. Candace''s sister," Harry said, and Aaron nodded.

    "What about her?"

    "What happens when she returns? Will you be willing to adopt her as your daughter as well since she is Candace''s sister?" Harry asked, and Aaron smiled.

    "If she lets me do that, why not? As long as she is Candace''s sister, she is my daughter, too. Besides, she risked her life to keep Candace and Jamal safe, so she is family whether or not we are rted by blood," Aaron said, and Harry smiled, d to see that his father shared his sentiment, too.

    "Why did you ask?" Aaron asked, and Harry shrugged.

    "I just wanted to be sure you wouldn''t mind. Also, because she will being soon," Harry said since he believed that Aaron needed to know in advance and not be taken unaware like Candace and Jamal.

    "Soon? How soon? And how did you know? Did she contact Candace again? She didn''t mention it to me," Aaron said with a frown.

    "The meeting I went for earlier? It was to meet with the man who took her," Harry said and went on to exin the detail of their discussion.

    "Why would she need to rent her own ce when my house is big enough for all of us? You know she is wee to stay with us, right?" Aaron asked, and Harry gave him a nod.

    "Yes. But we don''t know if she would befortable��."

    "What do you mean by that? It''s our duty to make herfortable. Candace wasn''t veryfortable when she came either. Don''t worry about it. I will make her stay," Aaron said with a confident smile, eager to see the youngdy whom Candace and Jamal always talked about.

    "Don''t forget that it''s a surprise. You can''t tell Candace or Jamal about it," Harry reminded him.

    "Sure. So, you will being with us to Sogal?" Aaron asked, and Harry nodded.

    "Yeah. Jade would likely being too," Harry said, and Aaron grinned.

    "That is nice. I''m going to have a full house. I bought a house with too many bedrooms even when I had a son who never liked to stay home. It''s good to know that I now have arge family to fill the ce," Aaron said happily.

    "And all that is left is a wife," Harry said, and Aaron nodded.

    "Yes. The moment you get married��."

    "I was talking about you, not me. You should get married," Harry said, and Aaron shook his head.

    "I''m not interested in women anymore," he said, and Harry raised a brow.

    "What? You''re interested in men now?" Harry asked, and Aaronughed out loud.

    "Don''t worry, dad. I''m okay with any partner of your choice as long as it''s not an animal," Harry said with a grin, and Aaronughed harder.

    "What? Is this some sort of payback?" Aaron asked since he knew that Harry was only repeating what he had told him some time ago before he started dating Jade (chapter 186).

    "You deserve to be happy, Dad," Harry said, and Aaron smiled.

    "You have no idea how happy I am, Harry. I am very happy," Aaron assured him.

    "You know what I mean, Dad. You should find love again," Harry said, and Aaron shook his head.

    "Love doesn''te easy to everyone. I''ve used up all the love I have. No, I''m content in watching my kids."

    "What aboutpanionship? Even if you won''t do it for love, do it so you will have apanion. I don''t want you to be lonely." Harry insisted.

    "I''m not lonely. Right now, I think it is impossible for me to be lonely. I have you, Candace, Jamal, and Andy. And once you get married to Jade, I will have Jade and more grandkids. And if Matt gets married to Candace, I will have Matt and more grandkids. And not to talk about the Hanks as well as Lucy''s family too. See?" Aaron asked with a happy smile.

    "And just so you know, it is wrong to marry someone just because you don''t want to be lonely. It''s the same as using a person. No one deserves that," Aaron said, and Harry sighed in resignation.

    "I didn''t say you should use anyone. You can easily find someone who feels the same way, and you can both use each other," Harry muttered, and Aaron chuckled.

    "Thanks for being so concerned about your old man, but you don''t have to worry. I''m okay. I''m going to be too busy caring for my daughters and grandson to feel bored or lonely," Aaron assured him.

    "What about me?" Harry asked with a frown.

    "What about you?" Aaron asked with an amused smile.

    "You no longer care about me because the family has increased?" Harry asked, and Aaron nodded.

    "Yes. Now I can finally pay you back for all those years you refused to make out time to visit me," Aaron said with a chuckle, and Harry chuckled, too.

    "Tomorrow is going to be a long day. Let''s go in," Harry said, and they both rose and headed inside.

    Harry walked into the bedroom and chuckled when Jade jumped out from behind the door to scare him.

    "You can''t even act like you''re scared?" Jade asked with a scowl.

    "If your man, who is supposed to protect you, jumps back in fear, will you love me the same?" Harry asked, and Jade rolled her eyes.

    "What took you so long, anyway? Do you have any idea how long I''ve been standing behind that door to scare you? I''ve been here since Matt came in, and I thought you woulde in soon," she said as she went to sit on the bed.

    "Sorry, had to tell me dad about tomorrow. You know, Sara''a''s arrest," he exined as he walked over to her.

    "Shouldn''t you be happy to see me?" Harry asked as he kissed the crook of her neck, and Jade pressed her lips together to stop herself from smiling orughing as she turned her face away from him.

    "I know you''re only pretending to be mad," Harry said as he nibbled on her ear. and this time, Jade giggled as her arms quickly went around him, and she pulled him on top of her so that hey on her as she fell back on the bed.

    Harry chuckled as he tried not to let his entire weight rest on her, "Did you miss me?"

    "You know I did. I can''t wait for us to go back and I spend the rest of the week alone with you in your ce. Uninterrupted," She said, and Harry winced.

    "What?" Jade asked with a frown when she noticed the awkward smile on his face.

    "About that��."

    "You better not tell me you changed your mind. I won''t ept it, Jonas," Jade said as he got off her, and she sat up.

    "I was hoping we could go to Sogal with my Dad and Candace. That way, you get to also see my bedroom and my childhood pictures," Harry suggested.

    "And before you decline, you should know that we will only be spending one or two nights there. I just want to see everyone settle in," Harry said, and Jade looked at him for a moment.

    "Alright. Let''s do that," She said, and Harry raised a brow.

    "Just like that?" He asked, surprised that she had agreed so easily.

    "What do you mean? Am I supposed to argue with you over it? I''m not illogical, Jonas. They are your family, so it''s okay if you want to travel with them and make sure they settle in since Candace and Jamal will be moving in with your dad," she said, and Harry smiled.

    "Thanks for being so understanding. I was worried you might be upset," he admitted, and she gave him a pointed look.

    "Just so you know, I''m not going to count the two days in Sogal as part of the time I was to spend with you in your apartment. This means I''m going to stay longer at your apartment," she said, and Harry chuckled.

    "You can stay for a week. But you''re not moving in with me fully," he said, and she smirked.

    "Yet," she enunciated, and he grinned

    "Yeah. Yet. I love you, esquire," Harry said, and Jade grinned.

    "You have no choice. Not when I''m so sweet and lovable," she said, making Harry chuckle.

    As he watched Jade, he hoped she would not be broken afresh by Lawrence''s death during the funeral since he knew very well that she had been distracted from the pain of the loss only because of all the drama that had taken ce.

    "What?" Jade asked when she noticed the way he was staring at her with concern.

    "Tomorrow is the funeral. Will you be fine?" He asked, and she sighed.

    "It''s not like I have a choice. Although it is still hard to ept that he is gone, but nothing can be done about it," Jade said, and Harry kissed her forehead.

    "I''m here for you. So you can cry all you want. My shoulder is here, and I will have spare hankies for you," he promised.

 Chapter 756 I Didn’t Cheat

    <h4>Chapter 756 I Didn��t Cheat</h4>

    Candace raised a brow when she walked inside the bedroom and saw Matt on the bed busy with his phone.

    "You are back already?" She asked since she had been expecting his conversation with Harry and her father to be lengthy.

    She had onlye inside because Tom and Bryan hade to get Lucy and Sonia so she had decided to go rx in her room while she waited for him to join her.

    "Yes, I am. Why?" Matt asked and Candace shook her head.

    "Nothing. Just surprised it didn''t take long. I expected them to drill you for a bit," she said and Matt raised a brow.

    "You would like that, won''t you?" Matt asked and she grinned.

    "Sure. What did they say to you?" Candace asked as she joined him on the bed.

    "Nothing much. We did more of strolling than talking. Harry wanted to make you uneasy hence he suggested the stroll," Matt said and Candace giggled.

    "That sounds like something he would do," she said with a shake of her head.

    "What?" Candace asked when Matt stared at her without saying anything.

    "Thanks for not wasting both our times any more than was necessary and for deciding to take this step with me," Matt said and Candace snorted.

    "Like you left me any choice when you chose to y hard to get," Candace said and Matt grinned.

    "If I had known that was what it would take to get you to make up your mind, I would have done it sooner. And I wasn''t exactly ying hard to get. I was returning the energy you''ve been giving me this whole time. See that you couldn''t even stand it?" Matt asked and Candace sighed.

    "Yeah. I guess I should thank you for being so patient with me and not just moving on with your model girlfriend," Candace said and Matt scowled at her.

    "I told you she isn''t my girlfriend."

    "You dated her once. And not only that, you cheated with her��."

    "I didn''t cheat. You said you didn''t want me and I was only trying to move on," Matt said defensively.

    "So, why are you back now?" she asked with a scowl and Matt chuckled.

    "Because I obviously couldn''t survive without you in my life. You are the air I breathe," Matt said and she rolled her eyes even though her lips were twitching with a smile.

    "What if I say I was with another guy while trying to move on from you?" Candace asked and Matt narrowed his eyes.

    "Were you? Who is he? How did you meet him?" Matt asked unable to hide his jealousy and she grinned.

    "I was just messing with you. I need to shower and get ready for bed," Candace said as she rose, but Matt caught her hand before she could leave.

    "Being here with you this way still feels surreal. I''m afraid that I might wake up and find out it was all a dream and you''re still hardheaded and bent on not dating me," Matt said and Candace smiled.

    "Maybe it is a dream. So you should enjoy it while itsts," Candace said as she tried to pull him up but he pulled her down so that she fell on his body.

    "Let''s stay this way for a while. Let''s just rx," Matt said and she raised a brow.

    "We have the whole of the night to sleep��."

    "Then let''s just talk then," Matt said, enjoying the feeling of just being that way with her. Each time she visited him she had only just wanted to have sex and leave. They had never really justin together infortable silence or think of having a proper conversation.

    "What do you want to talk about?" Candace asked and Matt smiled.

    "Anything. Tell me whatever you are thinking and I will listen," Matt said and Candace sighed.

    "I wish Andy was here��."

    "Here? You mean here in bed with us?" Matt joked and Candaceughed.

    "Don''t be silly. You know what I mean. She would be so happy to know I''m dating you. She always liked you," Candace said and Matt smiled.

    "Your sister is pretty cool. I like her," Matt said and Candace smiled.

    "So, you''re my girlfriend now," Matt said and Candace nodded.

    "Yes, I am. So, what next?" She asked and he pulled her closer so that her head was resting on his chest.

    "So, I love you and you love me back," he said and sheughed softly.

    "By the way, Harry mentioned something about going public soon. What did he mean?" Matt asked curiously.

    "He wants to officially introduce me as his sister and also have me talk about being a stripper. That way nobody can bring it up like some dirty secretter," Candace exined, and Matt sat up and looked at her closely.

    "Is that what you want? Is it okay by you?" Matt asked and she smiled.

    "Why? You don''t want me to do it? Are you feeling scared now��."

    "Shut up, Candace. It''s not about what I want or what Harry and your dad wants. It''s about what you want. Are youfortable with the idea of putting yourself out there like that? One of the reasons you gave up not wanting to get involved with me was because you said you didn''t want your business out there and you didn''t want Jamal finding out about your past. Doing this is going to expose you and Jamal," Matt pointed out and Candace smiled, d to see how much he cared about her and her son even though she had always known he cared.

    "I''m dating you now, am I not? Doesn''t that put me in the spotlight already? Besides, by being so closely associated with Harry and the Hanks, I''m already in public light. In case you didn''t notice, I trended quite a bit the morning after the anniversary party since everyone was curious to know who the mysterydy is. Sooner orter someone who knows me wille up to talk about me being a stripper so it''s best I put it out there first. And who knows? I might just announce that Matt is my lover while on the show," Candace said and Matt smiled.

    "I don''t mind. As long as you let me talk about you on my interviews too," Matt said with a grin.

    "I told you I''m going to be moving in with my dad, right? And when I''m done withw school I''m going to join I-Global legal team. Then you will be free to tell everyone that your girlfriend is now awyer and no longer a stripper," Candace said, and Matt smiled as he kissed the side of her head.

    "I''m so proud of you, Candace. I''m proud of you and everything you represent," Matt said and tears gathered in Candace''s eyes.

    "That means a loting from you," Candace said with a wobbly smile and Matt used his thumb to brush a teardrop that rolled down her cheek.

    "And you should know I mean it. Now I''m curious about a lot of things. I want to know all that happened during our break and how you got to know that Harry is your twin brother as well as how you reunited with them and all," Matt said and Candace raised a brow.

    "That''s a long story," Candace said and Matt shrugged.

    "We have all night. You can start now," Matt said as he adjusted on the bed so that he could see Candace''s face as she spoke.

    Away from there in Tom''s room, after they had showered together and climbed on the bed, Tom looked at Lucy.

    "How do you feel?" He asked, and she raised a brow.

    "How do I feel about what?"

    "Now that Dawn has left. Are you okay?" He asked and she snorted.

    "Like you care."

    "You know I do. I was told you cried after she left," Tom said and she waved it off.

    "Don''t worry about it. It doesn''t matter. I''m sure her family will take good care of her," she said hopefully.

    "They definitely will. Lest I forget, I brought this for you since I love being a man of my word," Tom said as he reached for a photo album which was on top of the drawer at his side of the bed.

    "What? Oh!" A smile curved her lips when he handed it to her and she realized it was his family photo album.

    "When did you get it? I didn''t see it earlier," She said as she reached for her sses which was on the drawer by her side of the bed and put it on.

    "I dropped it here beforeing to find you at the balcony and you just didn''t notice it because you were distracted by my handsome looks," Tom said with a wink and Lucyughed as she opened the album.

    "Yeah. Right," she said as she focused her gaze on the album wanting to find a suitable picture she could take.

    Tom watched her with amusement as she looked through the album meticulously and took her phone to snap each page same way he had done to hers.

    When she was done snapping, she took out a photo of him when he was seven years old with some tooth missing, and Tom chuckled.

    "Really? Of all the cute pictures you saw there, you want that?" Tom asked and Lucy grinned.

    "This is cute too," she said as she tucked it into her journal.

    "Just don''t let anyone else see it. It''s scandalous for anyone to know the great Thomas Hank ever looked like that," Tom said and Lucy giggled.

    "It''s not like anyone would know that you''re the one. By the way, what business did you go to handle at the hotel?" She asked conversationally.

    "I thought we already agreed that I went to meet with ady?" He asked with a sweet smile and she rolled her eyes.

    "Be serious."

    "Why? Are you scared your rich boyfriend might be going bankrupt?" Tom joked when she kept staring at him and waiting for a response.

    "I''m being serious," she said with a slight frown and Tom sighed.

    "You don''t have to be so serious. It was nothing serious. Nothing for you to be worried about," Tom said dismissively.

    "Should I take it that it''s something you can''t or don''t want to share with me?" Lucy asked since she could tell now that he didn''t want to talk.

    "Yeah. At least for now. I can''t tell you about it now, but trust me it''s not something that should worry you," Tom said and Lucy nodded.

    "Alright. If you say so," Lucy said as she set aside the photo album so she could go to sleep.

    "But I can tell you something interesting I found out today," Tom said and Lucy raised a brow.

    "What?"

    "My assistant, Eric, was nted as a spy in my office," Tom said and Lucy sat up with a frown on her face.

    "What are you talking about?" Lucy asked and Tom rubbed his eyes.

    "I found out about it while at the hotel. I''m sure he won''t be at the office by the time we get back."

    "Who is he working for? How did you find out about it?" Lucy asked and Tom yawned.

    "Can I give you the detailster?" Tom asked and Lucy looked at him for a moment before giving him a nod.

    "Sure," she said, knowing it probably had something to do with the reason he had been at the hotel which he had said he couldn''t tell her about yet.

    "Thanks," Tom said as he kissed her cheek.

    "Tomorrow is going to be a long day, we should go to bed," Lucy said as she turned off the light by her side of the bed and snuggled closer to Tom.

    "Yeah. Sweet dreams, Jewel. I love you."

    "I love you more," Lucy said before dozing off shortly after.

    Tom smiled as he listened to the soft whistling sound she made as she slept.

    If Lucy was changing her mind on getting married and having kids with him, then perhaps it would be wise to speak with Sonia and get her help in finding out from Lucy if she would ept his proposal were he to propose to her.

    Yes. He was going to do just that. He was going to ask Sonia to convince Lucy to tell him she had changed her mind so that he could start nning how to propose to her soon, Tom decided with a wide smile.

 Chapter 757 Transplant/Funeral Day

    <h4>Chapter 757 Transnt/Funeral Day</h4>

    Very early on Monday morning Sara prepared to leave for her transnt. She couldn''t help feeling giddy with delight that things were going her way and she was finally getting a new liver.

    She was also feeling very happy because she would finally be getting rid of Crystal. As long as Crystal was dead, no one would be able to point using fingers at her.

    She hummed a happy tune as she gazed at her reflection in the full-length mirror which covered one of the four walls of her bedroom.

    The fact that the procedure had been scheduled to take ce in Ludus didn''t make her anxious or affect her joy as it would have done ordinarily since she knew that neither Harry nor Thomas were in Ludus at the moment.

    She had agreed to have it done that Monday mostly because she knew they would all be away for the funeral of Lawrence Hank, so she could do what she needed to do and get rid of the girl before they returned.

    She was Sara Walker. The ever-beautiful, ever-young, and intelligent Sara. She would always get what she wanted and would always go scot-free no matter what she did or whoever was involved. That was because she was smart. She knew just how to handle her stuff and take care of her business.

    Rebekah and Wilson weren''t as smart as she was, hence the reason they fell the way they did. She could never fall that way. She told herself as she walked out of her bedroom to go find Crystal.

    While Sara was feeling very excited, Crystal on the other hand was feeling very tensed about going with Sara since she had no idea what Sara could do.

    Although Harry had assured her the first time they met that the transnt wouldn''t hold and it was just a trap for Sara, she couldn''t trust Sara to y by Harry''s book.

    The thought that she could lose her life if Harry was evente for a second sent shivers down her spine. This was one of the reasons she had wanted contemted killing Sara before Harry''s call.

    Although she was scared of going with Sara, but it was nothingpared to what she had felt when Harry called to warn her about ruining his ns.

    Thinking about it again, it urred to her that if Harry could know about her ns and everything going on between her and Sara, then Harry had his eyes on her and Sara and would definitely not be toote, Crystal assured herself as she quickly sent Harry a text letting him know they would be leaving soon.

    Crystal took a deep breath to calm herself before walking out of the room. She met Sara just outside her bedroom door, and she put on her poker face.

    "Good morning, Sara. You look beautiful as always," Crystal said with a pleasant smile since she knew how vain Sara was when it came to her physical appearance.

    "Thanks, Crystal. I can see you are ready to leave," Sara said as she looked Crystal over, and she couldn''t help the little pang of sadness she felt.

    If only things weren''t as they were, she wouldn''t mind having Crystal around a little longer. Unfortunately she was in need of the girl''s liver and she had to get rid of the girl so that anyone wouldn''t find anything to use against her that would tarnish her image.

    "Yes. I am ready," Crystal said sounding more confident than she felt.

    "Alright. We should leave for the airport now. We don''t want to miss our appointment," Sara said as she led the way out of the house.

    Emma, Sara''s assistant, looked at Crystal pitifully as she held out the door for Sara and Crystal to get into the car.

    "Sara?" Crystal called after they had driven in silence for a while.

    Sara turned to her with a raised brow, "Yes, dear?"

    "What if I get tested and I''m not a match?" Crystal asked, surprising Sara, who had not expected such a question.

    "Then we will know we exhausted every possible option and I can die peacefully," Sara said with a forced smile and Emma who was driving rolled her eyes, while Crystal resisted the urge to smirk.

    "I hope this works. I can''t afford to lose you," Crystal said as she squeezed Sara''s hand gently and Sara smiled at her.

    "I hope it works too."

    Away from there, in the Hank family residence, everyone was unusually quiet and solemn as they got ready to leave for the graveside, and even Jamal could read the room and tell that he couldn''t chatter endlessly.

    Lawrence''s funeral had once again reminded them all of their loss.

    For Evelyn, she had lost her former employer, her friend, and father-inw.

    For Desmond he had lost a father no matter how distant and awkward their rtionship had been.

    For Tom, he had lost his grandfather and the very first person who had believed in him enough to have invested the bulk amount in hispany when it had only been a startup venture. And it was thanks to his grandfather that he had the caliber of investors and business partners he had now.

    For Bryan and Jade they had lost their grandfather who had showered them with love as much as he could even though he wasn''t always present.

    Regardless of the rumors that had sprung up after his death, his funeral was like a royal event as people from the different countries he had been to and advocated for traveled down to pay their final respects.

    Throughout the presidential procession and all that was done at the funeral to honor the man he was, Evelyn and Jade wept sorrowfully, while Tom and Bryan consoled them, and Desmond stood where he was just staring into space.

    Their sadness seemed to rub off on their partners, especially Lucy who still wished now more than ever before that she had not spoken to Lawrence so harshly thest time they spoke, and she also wished she had called earlier to apologize before the old man died.

    Sonia on the other hand couldn''t control her emotions as she bawled when she remembered how Lawrence hadplimented her writing skills and had even offered to give her a copy of histest book in exchange for her autograph.

    Maybe it was pregnancy hormones or the tangible sadness in the atmosphere, but whatever it was, Sonia couldn''t control how it made her feel.

    The more she tried to stop herself from weeping, the more she cried gaining the attention of some of the audience who couldn''t understand why she was weeping so much when she wasn''t even directly rted to him.

    Harry watched Jade with a feeling of helplessness as Bryanforted her, since Lawrence''s immediate family were standing in front and the rest of them were standing behind, so he couldn''t be there with her tofort her as she wept.

    After the ceremony, Desmond stood still as most of the people came to him to tell him how wonderful his father was, and how they were sorry that such a great man was no more.

    Desmond didn''t say a single word to anyone in response. Instead he merely nodded to acknowledge them. Desmond wished he was anywhere else but there in that moment.

    He wished he didn''t have to stand here and listen to everyone sing praises of his father when he had spent almost all his life hating his father for living the way he did.

    Evelyn and Tom who stood beside Desmond, did the talking on his behalf since they all knew that Lawrence''s death had hit Desmond the hardest.

    Even when they had all briefly forgotten and had moved on in thest couple of days due to all the drama, Desmond had never stopped grieving the loss of the father he never made peace with.

    Some of the guests tried to subtly enquire if the rumors concerning Lawrence was true, and if truly he had a daughter.

    Instead of denying it, Evelyn and Tom admitted, as they had all agreed to do, that Lawrence did have a daughter, but it was no one''s business so they should stay out of the Hank family business.

    When they got home a couple of hourster, the Hank family went into the study with Henry, Lawrence''s assistant, and Lawrence''s attorney, who hade to read the Will.

    "I must apologize for taking your time this way," the attorney said apologetically but none of them responded as they waited for him to go on.

    "Before I go on with reading the Will, Henry has a letter from Lawrence, which we first have to read. Lawrence wanted an adjustment made to the Will but he died before he could reach me," thewyer exined but they could all guess what changes Lawrence had wanted to make.

    "I found two letters in his drawer at his hotel suite when I went to pick up his belongings after he passed on. One of it was addressed to his attorney, and the other to his family," Henry exined as he handed an envelope to Desmond, but Tom took it from him instead.

    "We will be reading the one addressed to me, as I''m sure you will prefer to read the one for the family in private," the attorney said and Desmond sighed.

    "Can you skip the formalities and tell us what he said in simple terms?" Desmond asked in a tired voice since he couldn''t wait to be done with all of it.

    "He bequeathed all hisnded property to you, Desmond. Evelyn, he left you all the books in his library. He also left forty per cent of his cash to Evelyn and his only granddaughter, twenty percent each. He left fifty percent to charity, five to his assistant, Henry, and the remaining five he left to you, Desmond to do as you please. He left all his shares in I-Global to Thomas. And his cars and private jet he left to Bryan. His shares in otherpanies is to be split between Jade and Bryan, with Jade having sixty per cent of it. This was the original will," The attorney said, and they all looked at him.

    "What changes did he want to be effected?" Evelyn asked before anyone else could ask.

    "He wants his granddaughters-inw��."

    "Granddaughters-inw?" Tom cut in.

    "Yes. He mentioned their names. Sonia and Lucy. He wants them both to receive 20 per cent each from the royalty of his books upon their weddings to his grandsons, and the rest of it should be put in trust-fund for his daughter, Dawn. Also, he wants his other shares which were formerly to be shared between Jade and Bryan to be split in three, with Dawn getting forty per cent of his shares, and Jade having thirty-five per cent, and Bryan twenty-five," he concluded and then looked around the room at each of them.

    "I understand if you want to contest the Will," he said and they all looked at him with nk expressions.

    "Why would we want to contest the Will? And why would you think we will want to do that?" Tom asked and he shrugged.

    "It''s natural if you don''t consider the kid part of yo��."

    "She is one of us and she will get all her father left for her. If that''s all, let''s call it a day," Desmond said and the attorney gave him a nod and rose to leave.

    Once the attorney and Henry had left, Tom handed the letter to Desmond, "You should read it," Tom suggested and Desmond nodded as he took it from him.

    They all watched as Desmond opened the envelop and took out the letter from it. He was as curious as they all were to see the final words of his father to him. He wanted to see what his father had to say to them all.

 Chapter 758 Ruthless Man

    <h4>Chapter 758 Ruthless Man</h4>

    Sara tried her best not to look as excited as she felt when they arrived at the location which the doctor had said her transnt will be taking ce.

    Finally, it was about to happen! She was about to buy herself some more healthy years. At longst. The embarrassment she received in the hands of J, and the humiliation she received from Lucy and Harry werepletely irrelevant now. This moment was all that mattered.

    As Sara and Crystal walked into the building, Sara couldn''t help but be impressed by the sight of the ce. It looked really sophisticated and neat and being a research center, it was not very filled with people.

    The only people she could see were all dressed in white coats like they were doctors or scientists, and others were dressed in medical scrubs.

    She felt a bit rxed, knowing that she would be in such good and professional hands. The head doctor had assured her that they usually carried out such illegal transnts there, and no one would spill a word of it out of the building.

    "Is this a hospital? Why are there so many doctors and no patients?" Crystal asked as she looked around.

    "It''s a special clinic for people with rare conditions as me," Sara exined away as she stopped at the reception desk.

    "Hello! I''m here to see Doctor James," Sara said and the two nurses who sat there, looked at her with interest.

    "Sara Walker?" One of the nurses asked as she tapped on herputer as though looking for Sara''s details.

    "Yes."

    "Pleasee with me," the other nurse said as she rose.

    Just as Crystal began to follow Sara, she stopped her, "Wait here while I speak with the doctor and exin things to him," Sara said with a harmless smile, and Crystal nodded as she stayed put and watched as Sara walked away.

    "It was nice of you to offer to be her organ donor," the nurse, who was left at the reception stand, said to Crystal before she could walk away.

    "Organ donor? What do you mean?" Crystal asked, pretending not to know what was going on.

    "Aren''t you here for the transnt?" Thedy asked, and Crystal shook her head.

    "No! No! Why would I want to do something like that? I''m here because Sara is my friend and I want to find out what is wrong with her health," Crystal said and the nurse looked at her with interest.

    "Really? She didn''t tell you she was bringing you here for a transnt?" She asked again and Crystal shook her head vigorously.

    "No! Never. She never mentioned anything of the sort," Crystal said and thedy nodded.

    "I see. You can sit over there and wait while I go see what is going on inside," she said as she rose and walked away from the reception stand.

    Crystal frowned as she watched the nurse leave, and she couldn''t help but wonder if the nurse was part of Harry''s n or if she was acting on her own stead. And why would she leave her seat that way? Crystal mused as she sat there looking all around her anxiously.

    Away from there, Sara had a smile on her face as walked into the doctor''s office, "Doctor James," Sara greeted pleasantly.

    "You are wee. I trust you came with your donor?" The doctor asked, and Sara nodded.

    "Yes. I did. She is waiting outside," Sara said, and then nced at the nurse who was standing in the office with her.

    "We will have to carry out a series of tests to be sure you are bothpatible��."

    "We arepatible," Sara cut confidently.

    "I don''t know how you know it, but this is routine. I still have to do my own tests to be sure," the doctor insisted.

    "But that would only be a waste of valuable time, trust me when I say we arepatible," Sara said, and the doctor raised a brow.

    "Is there a reason you are so sure of yourpatibility?" He asked and Sara shook her head.

    "Yes. Because she is my daughter," Sara said impatiently, knowing that was the only way she could get them to skip all the routine checks and carry on with the surgery.

    "Your daughter? Why are you epting a whole liver from your daughter when you can take a love and it will regenerate, and you both can live? Do you realize she might die if we harvest her whole liver?" The doctor asked and Sara red at him.

    "What is the meaning of this interrogation? I thought we had an agreement hence I paid you so much money? I paid you to get this done not to question me!" Sara snapped at him, and he raised both hands.

    "You are right. I''m sorry," the doctor said just as the other nurse walked into the office.

    "Let''s just sign the papers and then we can go get you both ready for surgery," he said and Sara nodded with approval.

    "Go get the donor to sign the papers," the doctor said and Sara shook her head.

    "I will sign this for her, don''t worry," Sara said and the doctor nodded.

    "If you say so," he said as he gave the papers to her and Sara quickly signed on them.

    "Take her to the theater and prepare for her transnt. You can go get the donor ready as well," The doctor said to the nurses and they both gave him a nod before walking out.

    As the nurses walked out of the office with Sara, she stopped them, "Don''t say anything to her," Sara warned, and they both gave her a nod.

    Once Crystal saw them returning she rose to go meet Sara while the nurse who had spoken to her earlier, shook her head, subtly asking Crystal to not say anything to Sara.

    "Can I go see the doctor now?" Crystal asked Sara once she got to her.

    "Oh, dear, that won''t be necessary," Sara said as she looked at the nurses to excuse them and took Crystal to the side.

    "He said I won''t live past this week if I don''t get a transnt at once. Are you still willing to donate the liver?" Sara asked even though she nned to get the liver from her whether or not she was willing to do it voluntarily.

    "Of course. Let''s do it right away," Crystal said and Sara rubbed her arms.

    "After this, let''s go on a vacation together," Sara said and Crystal smiled at her and they both turned to the nurses.

    "We are ready," Sara said and the nurses led the way to the theater.

    Sara froze when they walked into the room and she was greeted by a crowd of reporters who seemed to be waiting for her to join them.

    "W�C�Chat is going on here?" Sara stuttered as she asked the nurses.

    Seeing what was happening, Crystal couldn''t help feeling relieved now that she could see that Sara had actually walked into Harry''s trap.

    Sara couldn''t help the fear that gripped her heart at the sight before her. Did the doctor trick her? Was this Harry''s doing? Had they been keeping an eye on her? What was she going to do in this situation? Sara mused as she tried to look away from the cameras which were shing in her direction.

    She turned to leave, but realized that the nurses had shut the door through which they had entered.

    "Sara Walker, what do you have to say about the video which was released about you earlier today?" One of the reporters asked and she frowned.

    "What video?" She asked before she could stop herself.

    "Who is the youngdy with you?" Another reporter asked.

    "Did you really n to have her whole liver harvested without her knowledge?" Another asked and Sara felt the blood drain from her face as they threw various questions at her.

    How did this happen? How was she going to salvage the situation?

    "No, I didn''t. She came here voluntarily to��."

    "No, I didn''te here to have my liver harvested! I don''t know what she is talking about," Crystal eximed, shocking Sara who turned to her with wide eyes.

    "Crystal?" Sara called in a shaky voice as beads of sweat began to form on her forehead.

    "Was that your n? To murder me and take my liver?" Crystal asked with a horrified expression on her face.

    "Crystal!" Sara cried, wondering what Crystal was trying to do to her.

    "Why would I ever want to murder my own daughter?" Sara screamed, seeing as that was the only card she had left.

    "Your daughter?"

    "You mean she is your daughter?"

    "Didn''t you say you had no kid and no family?"

    "What do you mean I am your daughter? I am not her daughter," Crystal yelled, looking Sara as though she had lost her mind.

    Was this Harry''s doing as Amos had warned? How had she fallen into their trap? How did this happen? How had she not known?

    "Crystal...."

    "I am not your daughter. I don''t know what you are talking about, Sara," Crystal said with a straight face.

    "I am your mother! The DNA! We did a DNA test, remember?" Sara asked, clinging on to Crystal''s hand desperately and hoping she would save her.

    "No! I don''t remember any such thing! You are not my mother and we can conduct a DNA test to prove it!" Crystal insisted and it dawned on Sara that Crystal wasn''t who she thought she was.

    This was obviously Harry''s doing. The doctor was probably in on it as well. She needed to think fast on her feet to save herself.

    Maybe it was best if she faints, at least that way she wouldn''t have to answer any more questions and she would save herself further embarrassment.

    Before she could pretend to swoon, the doctor joined them and brought out his badge, "Sara Walker, you are under arrest��."

    "Under arrest? Aren''t you a doctor?" Sara asked in horror.

    "No, I''m not. I am detective Larry Winter, and this is my partner, Detective Joyce Woods," he said, pointing to the nurse who had spoken with Crystal and joined them in the office after.

    "And I am a reporter," the other nurse, who had been in the office with her and the male detective, introduced herself.

    Sara felt sweat drip down her back and her temple began to ache as it dawned on her that she had messed up by being overly confident. She should have listened to Amos when he kept trying to warn her.

    "I paid you! I paid you so much money for your research!" Sara said usingly.

    "No, you bribed me to carry out an illegal transnt. And all that money will be taken in as evidence," he said and even though Sara felt like screaming and tearing out her hair in frustration, she refused to do so. She wasn''t going to behave like Rebekah Miller.

    She had watched that video with a look of disgust as she beheld how ssless Rebekah had acted. She wasn''t going to give Harry that satisfaction. Never.

    "I have to call mywyer," she said in a firm voice and he nodded.

    "Mr Amos cksmith, I guess?" The female detective asked and Sara frowned.

    "How did you know that?" She asked and the female detective smirked.

    "He turned himself in earlier today and he has exposed all your crimes. So it''s best you cooperate with us as we also have evidence against you both in written form and recorded speech," The male detective said, and this time, Sara didn''t need to pretend to faint, her eyes naturally rolled back and she fainted.

    Crystal felt a chill run down her spine as she watched them take Sara away, and even when the reporters gathered around her to ask her questions, she couldn''t utter a word.

    Who would have known that everyone dressed as doctors and nurses around the ce were actually cops and reporters?

    What kind of a man was Harry Jonas? She couldn''t believe how cold he must be to have pulled a stunt like this on his own mother.

    He was a very ruthless and scary man, and now she was both d and grateful that he had called to warn her to desist from double crossing him.

    As far as she was concerned, her job was done now and all that was left was for her to take what was left of her payment and she would go as far away from all of this as was possible.

 Chapter 759 Lawrence’s Letter

    <h4>Chapter 759 Lawrence��s Letter</h4>

    Lawrence''s letter read,

    [To the family I can call my own, thanks to my son;

    If you are reading this now, it could only mean that I am dead. I know it''s going to be too sudden for you all to take in, but I hope you don''t feel sad or guilty over my death. I don''t want any of that for you. I''m sorry I didn''t tell you all about the state of my health. I just couldn''t bring myself to do that. I do not know if my heart will make it through the night, but if it does, then I wille to see you all onest time after my speech in the morning. But again, if you''re reading this, it means I didn''t make it. I am as disappointed in myself as I know you will all be when you hear that Dawn is my daughter. Forgive me.

    To my dear son, Desmond:

    I''m sorry for not being a good enough father for you. I''m sorry I wasn''t there for you in the way you wanted me to be there, and I''m sorry for being too proud to admit my regrets all this time. There has never been a moment that I didn''t love you, nor one in which I wasn''t proud of you. You are a far more better father than I am, and I can only hope that you can find it in you to forgive your foolish father, and remember me for the times when I was present and there for you, if any. I love you.

    To my lovely Evelyn:

    Thank you. Thank you for being the daughter I never had. Thank you for being a good friend to this foolish old man all these years. Thank you for being there for Desmond in ways I never was. It is thanks to you that he built this beautiful family which I cherish. I love you, Evelyn.

    To my first grandson, Tom:

    I''m sorry once again for pulling such an expensive prank on you. I never even knew she was my child until after the prank. If I had known Dawn was my child, I would never have thought of pranking you that way using her. I''m sorry. I hope you do not hold my mistake against her. I also hope that things work out between you and Lucy and that you both end up getting married. I''m so proud of you, Tom. And I''m proud of the empire you''ve built for yourself.

    To my second grandson, Bryan:

    I''m happy you finally decided to stop being a rascal and chose to settle down. I''m grateful that I was alive to learn about your engagement and the fact that you are already on the path to fatherhood. I''m sorry I won''t be there for your wedding or get the chance to hold your child.

    To my precious granddaughter, Jade:

    I''m sorry I couldn''t hang around long enough for you to proudly introduce your boyfriend to me. Harry is a loyal gentleman and he has such a brilliant mind. I have no doubt that he would be a wonderful partner. Yes, I am aware that Harry is your boyfriend. And I''m happy to give you my approval even in death.

    I know it''s selfish of me to ask this from you all, especially Desmond, but I still have to ask. Please, do not let Dawn suffer for my sin. I beg of you to look past my shorings and ept her wholeheartedly.

    Your unworthy father, grateful father-inw, and proud grandfather, Lawrence.]

    The study was silent as Desmond read the letter. Desmond rose and turned his back to his family as a tear dropped from his eyes.

    He didn''t know how to feel now that his father had actually apologized to him. Why did he have to wait until he was dead to apologize to him? Why didn''t he do so during theirst dinner together if he truly felt that way? Desmond mused sadly.

    "What does it say?" Evelyn asked, cutting through Desmond''s thought, and he passed the letter to her, which she in turn passed to Tom after reading, and Tom passed it to Bryan until all of them read directly from the letter.

    Evelyn ced a hand on her husband''s shoulders in silentfort since she knew he might be feeling quite overwhelmed after reading the letter.

    "You told him about me and Harry?" Jade asked Evelyn curiously.

    "Is that what is important right now?" Bryan asked her with disapproval.

    "I don''t mind if she told him. I''m just d that he knew," Jade said with a sigh.

    "So what are we going to do about Dawn now?" Jade asked when no one said anything after some time.

    Everyone looked at Desmond since this was his decision to make. Dawn was after all his kid sister, whether or not he liked it, and as such, he was responsible for her.

    "There is nothing we can do about her right now. We can''t take her away from her family, and we can''t bring her close right now, else her mother would be a part of our lives, and we don''t want that either, considering what she had done. We will have to do keep an eye on her from afar and wait until she is old enough to make decisions for herself before approaching her. Her inheritance will be kept in trust for her pending when she turns eighteen."

    "We don''t have to bring her close. Checking on her asionally should be enough to establish our presence in her life. I don''t think she would want to have anything to do with us if we only watch from afar until she turns eighteen," Evelyn said and Jade nodded in agreement.

    "That is a valid point. Tom you don''t have to be involved. Your mom and I will visit as often as we can and call them to check on her. The rest of you can reconnect with her when she grows older," Desmond said and they all nodded in agreement this time.

    "I guess you are all leaving for Ludus tomorrow, right?" Evelyn asked and Jade shook her head.

    "I''m leaving tomorrow, but not to Ludus. Harry and I are going to Sogal with his family," Jade exined, and Evelyn raised a brow.

    "Is something happening there?" Desmond asked and Jade shook her head.

    "Harry wants to help them settle in, and I want to go with him. We will go back to Ludus in a day or two," Jade said and her parents nodded in approval.

    "Sonia and I won''t be going back to Ludus yet either," Bryan announced and they all turned their curious gaze to Bryan.

    "Why not?" Evelyn asked curiously.

    "I promised to go with her to visit her parents gravesite before our wedding," Bryan exined.

    "I guess that means Lucy and I will be traveling alone together tomorrow," Tom said and they all nodded.

    "Let''s go join the others so we can retire for the night. It has been a long day," Desmond said as he rose, and they all did the same.

    While the Hanks were in the study, Lucy, Sonia, Harry, Candace, and Matt, were all seated in the Den watching the video of Sara''s disgrace which had been sent to Harry.

    Aaron had left earlier with Jamal, saying he wanted to get some rest, but Harry and Candace could tell that he had left because he didn''t want to see the video of Sara.

    As they watched it, Lucy called her mom to inform her of what had happened and to ask her to look out for it on the evening news.

    "This was so satisfying to watch," Lucy said with approval as they watched Sara copse on the screen.

    "For someone who wanted to double cross you, Crystal looks quite shaken," Candace observed in amusement.

    "She was going to double-cross you?" Lucy asked and Harry nodded as he told her what happened and how he handled it.

    "It''s no wonder she looks so shaken. She is probably thinking about what you would have done to her had she double crossed you, seeing what you did to your own mother," Candace said and Harry raised a brow.

    "Your mother, you mean?" he asked and she shook her head.

    "No. I meant your mom," Candace said with a sweet smile and the rest of themughed.

    "How did youe up with the idea to have police detectives and reporters disguised as hospital staff?" Sonia asked as she looked at Harry with newfound respect.

    "That wasn''t part of my n. I nned for her to walk into the theater and be greeted by the reporters. I think Tom is the one who arranged for that," Harry said and Lucy looked at him with interest.

    "Really?"

    "Yeah. I didn''t want any mistakes. I hope you liked my surprise, Harry?" Tom asked Harry as he walked into the Den with Jade and Bryan.

    "I loved it," Harry said, giving him a thumbs up.

    "I''m d she finally got what she deserves," Candace said and they all nodded in agreement.

    "You shoulde and see the videos, Jade," Candace said but Jade shook her head.

    "I will do that tomorrow. I''m going upstairs now. I''m exhausted," Jade said, and Harry rose to follow her.

    "Let''s call it a night then," Harry said as he extended a hand to Jade and she took it.

    "Let''s talk in the morning, Tom," Harry said to Tom and he gave him a nod.

    "Babe, let''s go to the bedroom so you can get some rest. You must be exhausted from all that bawling earlier," Bryan said and Sonia red at him.

    "I didn''t bawl," she hissed as she rose to go with him.

    "Yes, you did. Go to bed," Lucy said and both Bryan and Sonia red at her.

    "Don''t talk to my fiance�� that way," Bryan said to Lucy.

    "Don''t talk to my best friend that way."

    "Don''t talk to my girlfriend in that manner," Sonia and Tom said simultaneously, and Jade rolled her eyes as she pulled Harry away with her.

    "I can''t stand this. Let''s go," she said to Harry who was chuckling.

    "Don''t talk to my cousin that way," Harry called out as he walked away with Jade, and they allughed, while Jade rammed her elbow against his side yfully.

    "My feelings are hurt. The world has turned against me," Bryan said dramatically and Sonia kissed his cheek.

    "I''m your world, and I can''t turn against you. Let''s go to bed," Sonia said and bid the others goodnight as she left with Bryan.

    "We should also call it a night, Jewel," Tom said, and they both left.

    Matt who had been silent the whole time turned to Candace. "It''s just the two of us now," he said and Candace smiled.

    "Yeah."

    "So, are you alright?" Matt asked, and Candace raised a brow.

    "Sure. Why?" Candace asked and he shrugged.

    "I was just thinking that your feelings might be hurt. I mean, watching your moth...."

    "Sara. Call her Sara, Matt. She isn''t my mother," Candace cut in.

    "There is no reason for my feelings to be hurt. She doesn''t know me, and neither do I know her. I like things the way they are," Candace said dismissively.

    Even though Matt didn''t entirely believe her, he didn''t argue with her. Instead he took her hand and raised it to his lips.

    "I''m relieved you are unaffected by her. For a minute there I was worried that you might be upset at the thought that she would have wanted to do something like that to you had she gotten to you first before Harry," Matt said but Candace said nothing to that.

    The thought had actually crossed her mind while watching the video but she had refused to dwell on it. It didn''t matter. There was no point dwelling on what could or might have happened.

    What was important was that Sara had been exposed and would most likely be spending the rest of her life in jail by the time all her crimes as exposed by Amos would be brought up in court.

    "Let''s go to bed," Candace said but before she could rise Matt stopped her.

    "I want to travel with you tomorrow. Can Ie?" He asked and she raised a brow.

    "Why? I thought you had other ns?"

    "I did before you became my girlfriend. Now I have to go with you to help you move from your former home to your new home. And I also want to know where you will be living now," Matt said and Candace smiled.

    "Alright. You cane with us," she said, happy that she wouldn''t have to say goodbye to him the next day as she had thought she would.

    Right now, Candace was happy with the direction her life was going. It seemed like Lady Luck was smiling at her. She now had a wonderful family, a doting boyfriend, and she knew she was never going to have financial issues ever again. All that was left to make everything perfect for her, was Andy''s presence.

 Chapter 760 Stockholm Syndrome

    <h4>Chapter 760 Stockholm Syndrome</h4>

    Cassidy was feeling pretty exhausted as he headed to his daughter''s bedroom to kiss her goodnight after a long day.

    After he returned from his trip to Heden to meet with Harry, he had deliberately stayed away from the house because he didn''t want to face Andy.

    She was leaving the next day, and seeing her was only going to make him reluctant about letting her go, and he didn''t want that, especially now that she had forgiven him.

    So he had waited until nighttime when he was certain she would be asleep to sneak back into the house. That way, the next morning she would leave and that would be it for them.

    Cassidy smiled as he watched his little Angel sleeping peacefully, and after staring at her for some time, he kissed her forehead before walking out of her bedroom.

    He had hoped that Andy would take care of his daughter and be the mother she never had, but none of that was going to happen. And he couldn''t me her for not wanting to stay by his side.

    Cassidy stopped by the bar to pick up a bottle of whiskey and a ss before he headed straight to his room so he could freshen up and sleep. He was feeling very exhausted and he needed the drink to knock him out and keep his demons away.

    As he walked into his room, his gaze darted to the interconnecting door between his room and Andy''s, and his gaze lingered there for a moment as he wondered if she was asleep yet or not.

    His legs guided them to the door and he stood there with his hands on the knob for a minute thinking whether or not he should go in and just watch her sleep since this was thest time he would be having her in such close proximity.

    After contemting it for a minute he shook his head. If Andy woke up and caught him staring he would have a hard time exining what he was doing in her bedroom, he mused as he let go of the doorknob and headed for his bathroom instead.

    Cassidy stepped out of his bathroom some minutester with his white towel wrapped around his waist and was shocked to see Andy lying on his bed.

    He must be feeling so terrible about her departure to be hallucinating about her, Cassidy decided as he shut his eyes to clear his vision, but when he opened his eyes again, Andy was still there.

    Was he going crazy with longing for her?Cassidy mused with a frown since he knew that there was no way Andy would be in his room at this time of the night, talk more of being on his bed, dressed in such flimsy nightwear.

    "Why do you look like you are seeing a ghost?" Andy said, proving to Cassidy that he wasn''t hallucinating and she was really there on his bed.

    Since the night she told him she had forgive him, and he told her he was traveling out of the ind, she had not set eyes on him even though Maribel and Susan had said he was back.

    She wanted to see him to find out if and why he was avoiding her. She couldn''t understand why he seemed to be avoiding her despite the fact that she had told him he was forgiven.

    Or was he doing it because he had changed his mind about letting her go and was stalling?

    She had decided to stay in her bedroom to wait up for him because something told her he would show up in the middle of the night and probably leave very early in the morning before she came out. Like he has always done.

    She had almost dozed off when she heard him open the door, and had decided to go into his room to speak with him. She had stepped into the room just as he went into his bathroom and turned the shower on, so she had been waiting for him on his bed.

    Seeing the disbelief and now confusion on his face, her lips twitched in amusement, "I have been waiting up for you. Is there a particr reason you have been avoiding me?" She asked as she remained on his bed while watching him and waiting for a response.

    Cassidy observed Andy as he tried to figure out why she was sofortably spread on his bed in such an outfit at that time of the night.

    He didn''t need to ask her how she had gotten into his bedroom since the interconnecting door between their rooms was standing open.

    "Why are you on my bed, Andy?" Cassidy asked, notfortable with the fact that he was standing naked, merely covered by his towel, and she was dressed in such a revealing nightwear on his bed. It evoked images he didn''t want to dwell on.

    "I told you I was waiting up for you," Andy said, and Cassidy nodded.

    "Why?" He asked as he casually poured whiskey into his ss and tried to act like he was not bothered by her presence.

    "Three reasons. First, I want to know why you are still avoiding me even after I told you I have forgiven you."

    "I am not avoiding you. I have been busy with work," Cassidy said as he went to stand by his window with the ss of whiskey in hand, backing Andy as he drank from it.

    She had anticipated that response. She knew that was what he would say even before she even asked the question.

    "Why are you here, Andy? I thought we both agreed not to use the interconnecting door this way? Especially not in the middle of the night like this or with you dressed this way on my bed," Cassidy said as he turned to look at her with a prating gaze.

    "This was the only way and time I could see you��."

    "You could have knocked on the door and asked to see me. I would havee out to talk to you," Cassidy pointed out.

    "Would you, really?"

    "And you definitely could have covered up properly," he added as his gaze skimmed over her body.

    "You say it as though this is your first time seeing me dressed this way or even naked," Andy said with a smirk, and Cassidy sighed.

    "Andy��."

    "The second reason I''m here. It''s a week already. Am I still leaving? Or have you changed your mind? Is that the reason you are avoiding me?" Andy asked, and Cassidy shook his head.

    "I gave you my word, Andy. I have made the necessary arrangements and put everything in ce for you to leave tomorrow," Cassidy said, and Andy narrowed her eyes.

    "Are you serious? I can really leave tomorrow?" She asked, wanting to see if he was being serious or messing with her.

    "Yeah."

    "When were you going to tell me?" Andy asked and he shrugged.

    "You would have been told in the morning," Cassidy said as he took another gulp from his ss, and she raised a brow.

    "I would have been told in the morning? Not by you, I suppose?" She asked, and he nodded.

    "Yes. Not by me. Does it make any difference whether I''m the one to tell you or not? The most important thing is that you are leaving as you wanted��."

    "You can''t even tell me to my face that I''m leaving tomorrow yet you say you weren''t avoiding me?" Andy cut in with a snort.

    "Shouldn''t you be happy that you are finally leaving? Isn''t that good enough?" He asked and she looked at him with an expression that said he was being ridiculous.

    "You brought me here against my will, Cassidy. And you were nning to send me off without even talking to me?" She asked in displeasure and Cassidy groaned.

    "What more do you want from me, Andy? What do you really want?" He asked in a weary voice as he set down his ss of whiskey by the table in his bedroom.

    "Good thing you asked. Now that we have gotten the first two reasons I''m here out of the way, I want to have sex with you," Andy said and sheughed softly when Cassidy''s eyes grew saucer wide.

    It was the first time she was seeing him look that shocked and she had to admit that it was satisfying. He wasn''t an easy man to shock after all.

    While Cassidy was still staring at her speechlessly, Andy slowly slid out of her nightdress to show him how serious she was, and Cassidy took a step back, since he couldn''t understand what she was up to.

    There was no way Andy who hated him so much for forcefully having sex with her would so willingly offer herself to him this way.

    This had to be some sort of prank or test. Or maybe he was dreaming.

    "Come to bed, Alex," Andy said as she patted the space next to her.

    Cassidy shook his head. "What are you doing?" Cassidy asked and she raised a brow.

    "What does it look like I''m doing?"

    "You can''t be joking about things like..."

    "And who said I was joking? I want to have sex with you, Alex." Andy cut in.

    "No, Andy. I can''t do that��."

    "Why not? Don''t tell me you have a problem with having sex with me now because I want it? You prefer to forcefully have me? Is that your kink?" Andy asked dryly.

    "Why are you doing this to me? I have apologized for what happened in the past��."

    "And I epted your apology, didn''t I? Would I be wanting to have sex with you if I haven''t forgiven you?" Andy asked and Cassidy took a deep breath.

    "I can''t have sex with you��"

    "Why not?" Andy asked, cutting him off.

    "Why do you want to have sex with me?" Cassidy asked in return.

    "Do I need to have any reason other than being horny for wanting to have sex with you? What was your reason for having sex with me? Wasn''t it because you were horny?" She asked and Cassidy frowned.

    "I don''t want to do anything that would make you hate me any more than you already do. You are leaving this ce tomorrow so I''m sure you''d find more suitable men to your taste��."

    "It is you I want to pleasure me," Andy cut him off once more.

    "You are feeling this way right now because I''m the closest male around and you''ve been in close proximity with me for some time and has probably grown attached to me. It is called Stockholm syndrome��."

    "I know what Stockholm syndrome is, and this is not it. In the past you used me whenever you wanted and however you wanted. I want to do the same to you. At least tonight. I''m leaving tomorrow anyway, and we wouldn''t have to see each other again. This could be a goodbye sex," She suggested with a shrug.

    "Andy, please stop. This does not make sense. I can''t do...."

    "Yes, you can. All you have to do is get naked, get on the bed and do whatever I ask you to do like you did to me. You can do that much for me, can''t you?" Andy asked, and Cassidy shook his head.

    "If we do this, you are going to hate mee morning," Cassidy said and Andy shook her head.

    "I won''t. I''m the one asking you to do this. For the pain you caused me, I want you to pleasure me. Is that too much to ask?"

    "I don''t want to give you one more thing to hold against me, Andy. Things are awkward enough between us already," Cassidy pleaded.

    "I won''t hold this against you. I''m not drunk, Alex. I''m sober, and I''m the one asking for this. We are most likely never going to cross paths again so you don''t have to worry about things bing awkward between us," Andy said as she rose to face him, not caring that she waspletely nude.

    "And what if we cross paths?" He asked and she shrugged.

    "Then we will meet as friends next time. There will be no ill feelings between us then," she said as she approached him.

    "Tell me you don''t want me, and I will leave. Look at me and tell me you don''t desire me," Andy said as she stopped in front of him and ced a hand on his chest to feel his racing heartbeat.

    Cassidy swallowed as he looked into her eyes, not sure of whether or not to give in to her, even though he was yearning to do so.

    "Tell me," Andy said as she let her nipples brush his chest.

    "There has never been a time that I didn''t want you. Wanting you is not the problem��."

    "Then there is no problem," Andy said as she leaned closer to him and brushed her lips against his.

    "I want to have sex with Alex, not Cassidy," she said as she bit on his lower lip sensually.

    "Are you sure about this?" He asked in a husky voice, and she nodded.

    "Yes, Alex. I am very sure," she assured him.

    "And you promise not to hold my desire for you against me or hate me for doing this afterward?" He asked and she smiled.

    "I will hate you more if you turn me down," she assured him.

    "You are free to do with me as you please," Cassidy said, and Andy tugged on his towel, letting it fall to the ground.

    "Pleasure me, Alex. I want you to worship every inch of my body. I want to experience pleasure like I''ve never felt before," Andy said as she turned away from him to goy on the bed.

    "Your wish is mymand," Cassidy said as he gulped down what was left in his ss of whiskey and joined her in bed.

    He was probably going to regret thise morning, or maybe not. He was not going to dwell on it.

    All he wanted for now was to have her onest time. To pleasure her as much as she would let him.

    Come morning, he would say goodbye to her and console himself with the memories of tonight.

 Chapter 761 Goodbye

    <h4>Chapter 761 Goodbye</h4>

    Although Cassidy was feeling exhausted, and his eyelids were heavy with sleep, he willed himself to stay awake so he could watch Andy, who was now sleeping peacefully beside him after their very passionate sex.

    He didn''t want to take his eyes off her. Not even for a second. Not when he knew that this was most likely going to be thest time she would ever sleep beside him like this.

    As a matter of fact, despite the fact that they had sex and she was still lying beside him, he was still very shocked that she had asked him to pleasure her.

    A smile twitched on his lips as he thought about all she had said and done earlier just to convince him to have sex with her. Thinking about it now, it was sort of funny.

    Even though a part of him wanted a lot more from her than just sex, and what he wished was to watch her sleep like this every day, he knew better than to say that to her.

    He knew that even though she imed to have forgiven him, he would be a constant reminder of her painful past if he so much as tried to cling to her.

    She was better off without him, and it was better he stayed off her path so that she could fully heal and move on from her past, Cassidy thought with a sigh, and decided that instead of watching her sleep and torturing himself further with his painful longing, he should let her go.

    "Andy," Cassidy called softly as he rubbed her arm so she could wake up.

    Andy murmured in her sleep as she snuggled closer to him and buried her face in his chest.

    Cassidy couldn''t hold back himself as he leaned forward and kissed her forehead, and he decided to let her sleep for a bit before waking her up again.

    He cuddled her and buried his nose in her hair. He wanted to cherish this moment. He wanted to remember how it felt to hold her in his arms, how she smelt, how she tasted��

    "Alex?" Andy asked in confusion since the room was dark.

    He quickly let go of her and got off the bed, "I''m sorry I disturbed your sleep," Cassidy said apologetically, and she sat up to look at him, not minding the fact that she waspletely naked.

    She had woken up because she had felt him cuddling her. She had felt his tender kiss on her forehead and had heard his rapid heartbeat. She just couldn''t understand him.

    "It''s okay. Why are you still up?" Andy asked with a yawn as Cassidy went to stand by the window with his back to her.

    "You should return to your bedroom," Cassidy said, feeling ufortable with the sight of her naked body on his bed now that she was awake. It made him want to make love to her again.

    Andy raised a brow, "Why? You can''t sleep because I''m here? Don''t tell me you are scared that I might murder you in your sleep?" Andy said, and Cassidy''s lips twitched in amusement.

    It was true that he couldn''t sleep because she was there. As much as he loved to watch her sleep, it was making his eptance of the fact that she was leaving harder than it already was.

    It was funny that she would think that someone like him would be scared of her. It wasn''t like she could leave here alive even if she seeded in killing him anyway.

    "Yes. I''m scared you came in here to take your revenge and might murder me in my sleep," Cassidy said with a nod.

    "You really do have trust issues. Have you always been deceived your whole life? Trust me when I say I''ve forgiven you. I don''t have any intentions of killing you," Andy assured him.

    "Thanks. Now I can sleep easy," Cassidy said with a scoff, and she narrowed her eyes.

    "Are you being sarcastic?" She asked, and he sighed.

    "Go sleep in your own bed, Andy," Cassidy said, and she raised a brow.

    "Will you be there to see me off when I leave?" Andy asked curiously, and Cassidy shook his head.

    "No," Cassidy said, and Andy frowned.

    "Why not? Why won''t you see me off? And why do you keep avoiding me when I''m the one offering my friendship?" She asked in confusion.

    "Do you really want to know?" Cassidy asked, and she nodded.

    "I wouldn''t be asking if I didn''t want an honest response."

    "I''m avoiding you because I don''t have to go back on my word of letting you leave," Cassidy said, still without looking back at her, and Andy raised a brow.

    "How?" She asked, and Cassidy turned to look at her.

    "I don''t want you to leave, but since you insist that you must leave, I can''t hold you back. It''s one thing to let you go. It''s another to watch you go. I''m afraid that I might disregard my promise to you and go on my knees to beg you not to leave if I''m there to see you off. The only way I can truly let you go is if I''m not there to watch you leave. Does that answer your question?" Cassidy asked Andy, who was staring at him while feeling both surprised and confused by his confession.

    Andy gave him a nod since she was too speechless to utter a word.

    Cassidy watched her as she rose from the bed and picked up her sleeping gown, which she had worn earlier.

    "You should be ready to leave by 8 A.M.," Cassidy said, and she nodded.

    "Thanks for not forcing me to stay against my will," She said, and Cassidy gave her a nod and watched as she headed for the interconnecting door.

    As she opened the door, she turned to him, "Alex?"

    "Yes?"

    "I wish we had met under different circumstances. I hope you''lle say goodbye to me when I leave," Andy said hopefully.

    "Goodbye, Andy. I hope you find all the happiness you deserve."

    "I hope so for you, too," She said before walking through the door and shutting it behind her.

    As she showered, she tried to imagine how things would have been had she met Cassidy under different circumstances. For a moment there, she had thought about what it would be like to stay there with him, but she couldn''t.

    That wasn''t the kind of life she wanted for herself. She didn''t want to live in seclusion away from the people who mattered most to her in life.

    Thinking about Candace and Jamal now, she smiled as she thought about meeting them again. She wondered how soon before she could see them again. Where was Cassidy sending her? Would it be somewhere close to Candace and Jamal? Or far away?

    She wondered if Candace missed her as much as she had missed her or if she had forgotten all about her now because she now had her biological family. A family which was far more prestigious, unlike her stripper adoptive sister.

    Andy shook her head. No, that wasn''t true. If she thought Candace was that sort of person, she wouldn''t even be thinking of going back to her and Jamal. She knew that Candace and Jamal loved her almost as much as she loved them, and she knew they would be happy to have her back. However, she couldn''t be so sure about Candace''s family. It was one thing for them to ept Candace since she was theirs. But would they want Candace to remain family with her?

    Andy scowled at that. They had better be ready to ept her as well, or else she was going to take Candace and Jamal from them. They were all a package, and it was a buy two and get one free package.

    Andy sighed as she got on her bed, but she couldn''t sleep. How could she when her freedom was so close? She looked around her bedroom, and her gaze paused at the interconnecting door, and she remembered what Cassidy had said again about the reason he didn''t want to see her off.

    He had sounded like a man in love. She shook her head to get rid of the thought. She needed to sleep now so she could wake up early to leave.

    She closed her eyes to sleep but only turned and tossed for hours until it was morning, and she quickly showered and dressed up before going to find Maribel since she needed to bid the kid farewell.

    Andy walked into the living room to see Maribel crying in Susan''s embrace, and the moment Maribel saw Andy, she ran to her, and Andy knelt on one knee to embrace her.

    "Don''t leave me, please," Maribel cried as she held on tightly to Andy.

    She had wanted to go to Andy''s room to beg her not to go, but Susan had stopped her from doing that. Cassidy had informed them that morning that Andy would be leaving.

    Andy caressed Maribel''s hair and pulled away to look at her. "I''m sorry, doll, but I have to go home," Andy said with a sad smile as she brushed away the tears from Maribel''s face.

    "I don''t want you to leave. Please stay here with us. I promise to be good to you if you stay. Daddy will be good to you, too. Susan will also be good, right Susan?" Maribel pleaded as she continued to weep, and Andy embraced her again as she tried to calm her.

    As Andy tried to calm Maribel, Susan, who was standing a few feet away, couldn''t help but feel sad as she watched the scene before her.

    Although she had not liked Andy when she first got there because because of how disrespectful she was to Alex, she had to admit that she had been good to Maribel and her presence in the house had made a difference in the kid.

    They all turned to the door when one of Cassidy''s men walked in, and Andy knew it was time for her to leave.

    "I''ve been assigned to escort you," the man informed Andy, and she turned to Maribel.

    "I have to go now, doll," Andy said, and Maribel cried even more.

    "If you keep crying this way, I won''t visit you ever again," Andy said, and Maribel quickly wiped get eyes.

    "You will visit me?" She asked hopefully, and Andy pretended to think about it.

    "I might if you promise to be a good girl and to not cry," Andy said with a soft smile, and Maribel sniffled.

    "I promise to be a good girl."

    "That''s good."

    "Will you be my mommy when youe to visit again?" Maribel asked hopefully, and Andy looked at her in surprise.

    "Why?"

    "Because if you be my mommy, you wouldn''t want to leave me again," Maribel said, and Andy nced up at Susan before returning her gaze to Maribel.

    "I see. I suppose we will see what the future holds for us all," Andy said as she kissed Maribel''s forehead before rising to leave.

    She couldn''t tell the kid that there was a possibility that they weren''t going to see or meet ever again.

    Although Maribel wanted to cry some more, she held herself from crying because of what Andy had said about not crying.

    As Andy followed the man out of the house, she looked around to see if Cassidy was somewhere around, but she didn''t see any sign of him.

    "You''re not carrying any bags?" Her escort asked, and she shook her head.

    "No. I have nothing to take with me. I came here with nothing," Andy said quietly as she walked with him.

    Neither Andy nor the man said another word as they continued moving. As they walked, Andy kept looking around, and she tried to walk slowly so that they wouldn''t get there too soon. She wanted Cassidy to be able to meet them if he changed his mind about seeing her off.

    "Where is Alex?" Andy asked the man, who had been leading her in silence, as they approached the jet, and she still didn''t see him waiting by the jet.

    "He is busy with work and asked me to say goodbye to you on his behalf," he said, and Andy sighed deeply when it dawned on her that he really wasn''ting.

    She looked around one more time and when she didn''t see any sign of him she got into the jet.

    Cassidy, who was watching her from a safe distance, sighed when she disappeared inside the jet, and he dropped his binocrs.

    He knew she must be feeling pretty disappointed that he didn''t show up, but it was better for everyone this way.

    "Goodbye, Andy," Cassidy murmured as he headed back to the house to console his heartbroken daughter.

 Chapter 762 Christmas Plans

    <h4>Chapter 762 Christmas ns</h4>

    On Tuesday morning, the Hank family and their visitors gathered together for breakfast as usual.

    "I guess the next time we will be gathering this way again with everyone in attendance will be at the wedding," Evelyn said as they all ate, and both Bryan and Sonia smiled.

    "Yes. And after that, we will all be gathered again for the Christmas party at Tom''s ce and then the family vacation," Sonia said with a bright smile.

    "Yeah. That''s right. I hope that everything will settle down now and there won''t be any more dramas," Evelyn said, and they all nodded.

    After breakfast, as they all left for their various rooms to prepare for their trips to their various destinations, Harry and Candace followed Aaron and Jamal to their bedroom.

    "Why are you both following me?" Aaron asked as they walked together.

    "I want to talk to you," they both said in unison and then scowled at each other.

    "You both just said the same thing," Jamal pointed out in excitement.

    "Yeah, we did. And that''s because your mom is a copycat," Harry said, and before Candace could fire back at him, Aaron cut in.

    "Are you both here to fight, or do you want to talk to me?" Aaron asked, and Candace scowled at Harry, who stuck his tongue out at her.

    "So childish," Candace muttered with a shake of her head, and as though realizing what he was doing, he shut his mouth and scowled back at her since she seemed to be so talented in making him do childish stuff.

    "Can I go meet Lucy?" Jamal asked, not interested in what was going on there since he knew he had little time left to be with Lucy.

    "Sure," Aaron said, and Jamal ran off.

    "So?" Aaron asked as they walked into the bedroom.

    "I''m here to talk. I don''t know about your immature son," Candace said, and Aaron shook his head.

    "So, what do you want to talk about? Do either of you need privacy to speak?" Aaron asked since it was possible that either of them wouldn''t want the other to know what they wanted to talk about.

    Candace and Harry nced at each other before shaking their heads, and because Harry was curious to know whatever Candace wanted to say, he gestured for her to go ahead, "Ladies first."

    "Matt wants toe with us. I hope you don''t mind. He wants to know where I will be living now," Candace exined, and both Harry and their father exchanged a look.

    "That is very thoughtful of him," Aaron said, and Harry nodded.

    "Jade will being with us as well," Harry announced, and Candace raised a brow.

    "Are youing with us?" She asked since Harry had not mentioned that to her before.

    "Yes," Harry said simply without giving any further exnation.

    "Don''t tell me you miss me so much already that you decided to follow us," Candace said with a teasing smile.

    "If that''s all you both have to tell me, I suggest you take your bickering outside. I have to get ready to leave. You both should get ready too," Aaron said with dismissal, and they both exchanged a look before walking out of the room.

    "Why does he seem so irritable?" Candace asked as she looked back at the door, which was now closed.

    "I don''t know. Maybe it has something to do with Sara''s arrest," Harry said, and Candace scowled as they both headed for the stairs.

    "I hope not. I see no reason he should be feeling upset because she got what she deserved," Candace said, and Harry nodded in agreement.

    "Do you have a moment to talk?" Harry asked, and Candace raised a questioning brow.

    "What have we been doing? Running?" She asked dryly, and Harry chuckled.

    "Well, about the interview we were supposed to do after Sara''s arrest��."

    "Sara has been arrested now. Do you want us to do it now before I return to Sogal?" She asked, and Harry shook his head.

    "No. I was thinking we should do it when youe for Bryan''s wedding, and after that, you and I can go visit your mother in prison," Harry said with a mischievous grin, and Candace nodded.

    "Is there a reason I have to show my face to your mother? I mean, wouldn''t it be better if she never saw me? I''d rather she keeps wondering if I''m alive or not and be tormented by the thought. Don''t you think so?" Candace asked, returning the favor, and Harry raised a brow.

    "You don''t want to meet her?" Harry asked with concern, and Candace sighed.

    "On second thoughts, I think I should go see her. I''m sure she will be even more miserable knowing you and Dad got to me first," Candace said with a malicious smile, and Harry nodded.

    "I''m sure by now she knows that we sent Crystal to her. Let''s hope she doesn''tmit suicide when she finds out herwyer has listed you as the sole beneficiary to all that she owns," Harry said, and Candace frowned.

    "What are you talking about?" Candace asked, and Harry shrugged.

    "Since she wanted her daughter''s name on her fake Will, I asked him to put your name on the legitimate Will. Don''t you think you deserve somepensation for what she did to you? She sold you to get all she has now, so it''s only right that everything she owns belongs to you. We also spoke about the inheritance yourte adoptive parents left you, which Wilson stole from you. It is all being transferred back to you legally," Harry said, and Candace shook her head as tears gathered in her eyes.

    "I don''t need it. What am I going to do with all of that?" She asked, and Harry smiled.

    "I''m sure you will figure out what to do. Besides, I want you to be wealthier than your baby boyfriend if you''re going to be his sugar momma," Harry said and chuckled as he walked away before Candace could respond.

    Away from there, Tom watched as Lucy and Jamal chattered while Lucy organized their luggage.

    Even though he was looking at them, his thoughts were far from there. He was thinking about the conversation he nned to have with Sonia.

    He didn''t want to wait until Sonia and Bryan returned to Ludus before speaking with her. He wanted to know where he stood and to be sure he wasn''t mistaken about what he had heard that night.

    "What are you thinking about?" Lucy asked since he had been unusually quiet since they returned to the bedroom after breakfast.

    "A couple of things. Please excuse me. I need to take care of something," Tom said as he rose from the bed.

    "I hope there is no problem?" Lucy asked, and he shed her a smile.

    "Not at all," He assured her before stepping out.

    He stopped by Bryan''s bedroom and knocked on the door. It didn''t take long before Sonia answered the door.

    "Is Bryan in?" Tom asked as he looked ahead of Sonia into the room, and Sonia shook her head.

    "No. He is downstairs with Matt," Sonia said, and he nodded.

    "Can I talk to you for a moment?" Tom said, and Sonia looked at him with interest.

    "Me? Is everything okay? Did Lucy cause any trouble again?" Sonia asked as she wondered if he had fought with Lucy.

    "Again? Why do you sound like she is always causing trouble?" He asked with a frown, not liking Sonia''s question.

    Sonia smiled, "I guess everything is fine. You can talk to me," Sonia said as she walked out of the room and shut the door behind her.

    "Let''s go to the patio," Tom suggested since he doubted that anyone would be there, and Sonia followed him.

    "I''m curious to know what you want to talk about. It''s about Lucy, isn''t it?" Sonia asked as they descended the stairs, and Tom nodded.

    "Yes. But it''s not because she did anything wrong," He said in Lucy''s defense, and Sonia raised a brow.

    "Is there something you want me to talk to her about? Or you want to know something about her?" Sonia asked since she couldn''t think of anything else Tom would want to talk about.

    "Yeah," Tom said, and Sonia frowned, not sure which he wanted.

    Seeing that Tom wasn''t in a hurry to speak yet, she quietly followed him until they got to the patio and were seated.

    "Lucy has been acting a bit differently ofte," Tom started, and Sonia raised a brow.

    "Different? What do you mean? Is it good different or bad different?" Sonia asked in puzzlement.

    "Not bad, different. It''s good. Very good, actually. But her recent behavior is giving me reasons to believe she is changing her mind about marrying me and having kids. I want to know if I am right. You are her best friend, so I''m very sure you would know if she had changed her mind. Am I wrong?" Tom asked, and Sonia shook her head.

    "I am not sure. We haven''t had that conversation, so I wouldn''t know. But..."

    "Please, Sonia. Don''t y dumb with me. This is important to me. I told you so before now. And before you think of denying anything, I overheard your conversation with her the other night in my bedroom," Tom said, and Sonia raised a brow.

    "What exactly did you hear?"

    "I heard what you said about her bing more open to the idea of marriage. And what she said about not saying anything to me until she was done with therapy," Tom said, and Sonia pressed her lips together.

    So, Lucy''s secret wasn''t really a secret after all, she thought with a sigh.

    "If you overheard our conversation, and her recent behavior is also making you think that way, why are you asking me for confirmation?"

    "I want to be sure I''m not giving myself false hope. And I also need your advice to know how best to proceed," Tom said easily.

    Sonia sighed as she thought about it. Tom was her best friend''s man and her soon-to-be brother-inw, so telling him what he wanted to know wouldn''t be like she was snitching on Lucy.

    After all, Tom had overheard them himself. That wasn''t her fault. It wasn''t like what she was going to say would hurt anyone, either. If anything, it would make Tom happy. And a happy Tom equaled a happy Lucy, even though Lucy wouldn''t know the exact reason for Tom''s happiness.

    "Please, Sonia," Tom said when Sonia remained quiet as though she was contemting her response.

    "You heard right," Sonia said simply, and Tom beamed a happy smile.

    "Really?" He asked, and Sonia smiled back as she bobbed her head.

    "Yeah."

    "Is she really going to wait until after her therapy to tell me about it?" Tom asked, and Sonia shrugged.

    "I guess she wants to be entirely certain before saying anything to you," Sonia said since she didn''t have any intention of telling Tom about Lucy''s Christmas surprise for him.

    "What changed her mind? I guess it''s the therapy? I suppose the therapist is doing a good job. I should give her more incentives," Tom said excitedly, and Sonia giggled.

    "I don''t think it totally has to do with the therapist. ording to her, her therapist is good. But I think it is mostly because she loves you and is bing less scared of the idea of spending the rest of her life with you," Sonia said, and Tom smiled.

    "Thanks, Sonia. I have a favor to ask. Do you think you can convince her to tell me about it sooner? I thought I could stay quiet and wait until she was ready to talk to me about it, but I''m not so sure I can. I feel like if I keep this to myself much longer, I''m going to burst," Tom said, and Sonia giggled.

    "What''s the difference? Whether she tells you or not, you already know how she feels now," Sonia pointed out.

    "Well, it''s different. The moment she tells me how she feels, our rtionship can go to the next level. Perhaps I should propose to her? Do you think she will ept my proposal?" Tom asked thoughtfully.

    "Proposal?" Sonia asked, and Tom nodded.

    "Even if we won''t get married immediately, I would love her to be more to me than just my girlfriend. I want to see my ring on her finger at the very least," Tom said, and Sonia tried to hide her amusement.

    It was funny that Tom was eager to propose to Lucy, who was also nning to propose to Tom. Maybe she could get him to propose during the Christmas party, too. That would be fun to watch.

    The more she thought about it, the more she liked the idea. She couldn''t wait to see who would be the first to propose since one of them was going to have to beat the other and propose first.

    While a part of her hoped it would be Lucy so that Tom would be pleasantly surprised, she also hoped it would be Tom so that Lucy wouldn''t deny him the joy of proposing to her, and so that Lucy would also experience the joy of being proposed to by her man.

    "Well, if you ask me, I think you should propose to her," Sonia suggested, and Tom smiled.

    "Really? You think so?" He asked, and she gave him a nod.

    "Yes. You know what I think? The Christmas party would be the perfect time and ce for it. Everyone would be there, and it would be a party she organized herself," Sonia said, and Tom grinned, liking the idea.

    "I think it is a brilliant idea," Tom said happily and then paused.

    "But do you think she will ept my proposal? What if she gets upset that I ignored her wish and did something like that? What if she turns me down?" Tom asked uncertainly, and Sonia smiled.

    "Trust me, Tom. She is going to ept your proposal happily," Sonia said confidently.

    "Thank you, Sonia. You don''t know how happy you just made me," Tom said, and Sonia waved it off.

    "You shouldn''t thank me for that. It''s nothing."

    "I hope you don''t mind helping me with the ns," Tom asked, and Sonia grinned.

    "I would love nothing more than to help in any way I can. You have no idea how long I''ve been waiting to see Lucy take this step," She said with a smile, and Tom nodded happily.

    "Can I trust you to keep this to yourself? I don''t want anyone else to know of this. Not even Bryan," Tom said, and Sonia made a zipping gesture on her lips as they both rose to return inside.

    Sonia had a mischievous smile on her face as she returned to her bedroom. Christmas was going to be so much fun. She couldn''t wait.

 Chapter 763 Just A Little

    <h4>Chapter 763 Just A Little</h4>

    As Tom headed for the stairs, his phone started ringing, and just as he was about to receive Harry''s call, he saw Harrying from the opposite direction.

    "Where were you? I''ve been searching all over for you," Harry said, and Tom grinned.

    "Were you missing me?" Tom asked, and Harry chuckled.

    "Yes. I wanted to have my fill of your face and presence before we all leave," Harry said, and Tom chuckled.

    "Let''s go talk at the bar. I have good news to share," Tom said, and Harry raised a brow as they headed for the bar.

    "What good news?" Harry asked, and Tom ced his arm around Harry''s shoulder.

    "Patience, Harry. Patience. By the way, we need to celebrate Sara''s arrest," Tom said as they walked into the bar.

    "Yeah. I''m d that is out of the way now," Harry said as he watched Tom pour champagne into two sses.

    "So, what is the good news?" Harry asked as he took one of the sses from Tom.

    "Let''s make a toast first. To defeating our enemies," Tom said as he raised his ss, and Harry clinked sses with him.

    "To defeating our enemies," Harry repeated.

    "You know, I was thinking of something," Tom said, and Harry raised a brow.

    "What?"

    "Why don''t we arrange for Rebekah Miller and Sara to be roommates in prison? I don''t want them to be bored. They should at least be able to have fun talking about how we ruined their lives," Tom said with a wink, and Harry chuckled.

    "Or they will have fun plotting a revenge. Either way, I''m not interested in them. What is the good news?" Harry asked curiously.

    "Take a guess," Tom said, and Harry narrowed his eyes.

    "Lucy is pregnant?" Harry guessed since he could see the gleam in Tom''s eyes, and he knew only something that had to do with Lucy could put that light in his eyes.

    "No, she isn''t. Not yet. But she will be by the time this is all over," Tom announced happily, and Harry looked at him in confusion.

    "What do you mean?" He asked, wondering if Lucy had said or done something to give her ns away.

    "Lucy has truly changed her mind about getting married to me. I confirmed it."

    "Really? How? Did you ask her?"

    Tom shook his head as he took a sip from his ss. "No. I asked Sonia, and she confirmed it," Tom said happily, and Harry smiled.

    He had always thought Sonia wasn''t very good at keeping secrets, and now he was very d he didn''t include her in his n to propose to Jade.

    "Wow! I''m so happy for you, man. So what are you going to do? Ask Lucy or wait it out until she decides to tell you herself?" Harry asked, trying his best to look happy as though it was his first time hearing about it.

    "I n to propose to her during the Christmas party," Tom said, and this time, Harry didn''t need to pretend to be shocked.

    "What? Why? What if she turns you down? I mean, shouldn''t you like have a conversation with her first to know if she will ept your proposal or not?" Harry asked, wondering what Tom was thinking.

    "Why? Do you think it is a bad idea? Sonia thinks it''s a good idea. She actually suggested I do it at the Christmas party," Tom said, and Harry frowned, wondering what Sonia was thinking when she knew fully well what Lucy nned to do.

    "Sonia suggested that?" Harry asked, and Tom nodded.

    "Only after I suggested that I propose to her, though. She said the Christmas party would be the perfect time to do so," Tom said, and Harry chuckled at the incredulity of it all.

    Sonia was aware of Lucy''s n, yet she was encouraging Tom. He couldn''t help but wonder what she was thinking and plotting. He wondered if she was going to inform Lucy of Tom''s n. He hoped not.

    "So? What do you think?" Tom asked, and Harry shook his head.

    "I''m not sure yet. I wouldn''t want you to make any mistakes," Harry said, and Tom nodded.

    "You can speak with Lucy. You know, try to confirm her change of heart and also indirectly prepare her mind for my proposal," Tom suggested.

    "I''m not promising you anything, but I will see what I can do," Harry said, and Tom nodded as he raised his ss to his lips.

    "That''s good enough. I should go back in to join my future fiancee," Tom said with a grin as he drank the remaining content of his ss.

    Harry shook his head and chuckled before doing the same to his drink so they could leave.

    "Don''t miss me too much in Ludus," Harry said as they both headed for the stairs.

    "I will miss you with every passing second. Don''t be in haste toe back, though. I will handle things," Tom said, and Harry smiled.

    "I hope you don''t run down thepany before I get back," Harry joked, and Tom chuckled as he walked into his bedroom while Harry continued to Jade''s room.

    An hourter, Tom and Lucy bid the others goodbye and got on the jet to return home to Ludus.

    "So, it''s just the both of us now," Lucy said with a happy smile, and Tom grinned.

    "Yeah. It''s just the both of us."

    "You know, it''s our first time traveling together alone this way. Why don''t we do something special?" Lucy suggested.

    "I agree. I was going to suggest that we divert to somewhere beautiful for a quick date before we go home. What do you think?" Tom suggested, and Lucy grinned.

    "That is a wonderful idea. Being alone with you like this is already giving me a date kinda vibe. Let''s go on a date," Lucy said, and Tom grinned since he had nned for it already from the moment he realized they were driving alone.

    He wasn''t the kind of man to miss opportunities like these when they were presented to him on a tter.

    "So, where will we be going?" Lucy asked excitedly.

    "Why don''t you wait and see," Tom said, and she grinned.

    "How many people are on this jet with us?" Lucy asked curiously.

    "Three. Why?"

    "Do you think any of them will being this way soon?" Lucy asked, and he raised a brow.

    "Why? Do you want something?" He asked, and she smiled suggestively.

    "I was wondering what it would be like to make love in the air," she said, and Tom threw his head back andughed.

    "What did you do to my sweet, innocent Lucy?" Tom asked teasingly, and she giggled.

    "You should be asking yourself that. Not me. So? Are you in or not?" She asked, and Tom grinned.

    "Can I ever say no to you? I should probably ask them to give us privacy. We don''t want any of them catching us pants down," Tom said, and Lucy giggled.

    "No one will catch me with my pants down since I''m not wearing one. Why do you think I chose to wear a gown?" She asked with a wink, and Tom looked at her in surprise for a moment before chuckling.

    "You are so naughty and spoilt, Lucinda Perry. And I love it," Tom said as he held out a hand to her, and once she took it, he pulled her onto hisp to have his way with her.

    As Tom made love to her, Lucy moaned so loudly that no one needed to walk in on them to know what they were doing.

    "You have given the crew members something to talk about," Tom said with a grin when they were done, and Lucy pped his arm.

    "And whose fault is that? Couldn''t you shut my mouth or something when you know how I can be?" Lucy asked with a scowl, and Tom chuckled.

    "I like how you can be. I don''t care about anyone else," Tom assured her.

    "Yeah. Easy for you to say since they will all be talking about your sexual prowess and how I kept screaming like a fox in heat," Lucy said grudgingly, and Tomughed softly.

    "So, are you saying you approve of my sexual prowess?" He asked yfully, and Lucy shook her head in amusement.

    "That''s all you heard me say? Men," she said as she looked out of the window while Tom grinned as he watched her.

    A few hourster, the pilot announced that they were at their destination and advised that they prepare fornding.

    "Where are we?" Lucy asked as she looked outside the window.

    "Take a wild guess," he said, and she shook her head when she couldn''t figure it out from the height.

    After they got out of the jet, she looked around the ce and Tom watched her with a grin on his face as her eyes widened slightly in surprise when she realized where they hadnded, and then she broke into a peal ofughter.

    "This brings back a nice memory, huh?" Tom asked with a teasing smile, and sheughed even more.

    He had brought her to the mountain side where he had brought her long ago before she knew his identity (Chapter 157).

    Then he had said he nned to build a resort there, and judging by the buildings she could see around, she could tell things were going very much ording to his n even though they had not discussed this since then.

    "Do you remember what you told me when I first brought you here?" he asked, and she raised a brow.

    "What did I say?" Lucy asked in amusement, even though she knew what he was asking.

    "You called me your big brother. Not even your friend, but a freaking big brother," Tom said, and Lucyughed harder.

    "I didn''t exactly find it funny," Tom said with a scowl.

    "Well, you deserved that and even worse than that. You bully! Now that I think about it, I''m feeling offended now. Do you realize that what you did could be considered as workce harassment?" Lucy asked, and Tom raised both hands.

    "Okay. You win. This isn''t how I imagined the conversation would go. It was supposed to be romantic, not make you angry," Tom said, and even though Lucy was amused, she raised a brow.

    "How did you imagine that it would go?" she asked, and he shrugged.

    "I imagined you would be thrilled that I brought you here, and you would ask why I chose here for our date, and I will tell you it''s because I want us to have the first date here before it is open to the public, and then you will be very touched and want to reward me for being such a thoughtful boyfriend," Tom said, and Lucy giggled.

    "Very funny," Lucy said as she took the arm that Tom offered, and she let him lead her close to the waterfall.

    "How are we going to get home now that the jet has left and there is no car?" Lucy asked with concern since the sun was beginning to set.

    "I could carry you on my back," Tom joked as they drew closer to the waterfall.

    Lucy rolled her eyes, but before she could say anything, she stopped when she heard the sound of a violin, which had been hidden because of the sound from the waterfall.

    "Can you hear that?" She asked as she turned to look at Tom.

    "Let''s see what is going on," Tom said as he led her around the waterfall to the other side of it, and Lucy gasped in surprise when she saw a beautiful yacht that had been hidden from view by the mountains.

    A man stood on the deck ying the violin, and a table for two was set out there with a bottle of champagne chilling in an ice bucket and two sses of wine on the table.

    It was arranged in a way that they could watch the sunset as well as the waterfall.

    "Oh, my God, Tom. This is so breathtakingly beautiful and romantic. When did you arrange this?" Lucy asked, and Tom shrugged.

    "Last night, after Jade and Bryan said they were noting with us. I figured we do something special," Tom said with a pleased smile as he led her to the yacht, and they both got on it.

    "This makes me think of Titanic," Lucy said, and Tom shook his head.

    "No, please. No. No drowning," he said as he held out her seat, and she giggled as she sat down.

    "I thought you said you didn''t own a yacht? (Chapter 197)"

    "Yeah. I didn''t own one because I wasn''t a fan of it, but you sounded like you wanted me to own one, so I decided to get one for you," Tom said easily, and she raised a brow.

    "What do you mean?" She asked, and he smiled.

    "I mean exactly what you think. I got this for you. You never told me what you wanted for your birthday. So, after thinking about it, I decided that this would be a perfect gift. This is just to remind you that your boyfriend is super rich," Tom said, and Lucy opened her mouth to speak but shut it when no word came out.

    "So, are you touched enough to want to reward your romantic boyfriend?" He asked hopefully.

    "This is for me?" She asked, and when Tom nodded, she shut her eyes and took a deep breath.

    "This is too much, Ace," she said, and he shook his head.

    "No. Nothing is too much to give to you, Jewel. It was your birthday, but I was the one who received the best gift of meeting you. This is my way of saying happy birthday to you and thank you once more foring into my life and being a part of my life," Tom said as he took her hand and kissed her palm.

    "I should be thanking you, too, for being part of my life. I know I don''t make things easy for you," Lucy said, and Tom smiled.

    "I won''t have you any other way," Tom said, and Lucy raised a brow.

    "Really? Are you sure about that?" Lucy asked, and Tom chuckled.

    "Maybe I will change a thing or two. Just a little," he assured her, and they bothughed happily, grateful for the gift of the love they shared.

 Chapter 764 Andy?

    764 Andy?

    Although Aaron Jonas was a very wealthy man, he was never one to show off his wealth. But for the purpose of his newfound family who wereing home with him, he pulled out all stops to make sure they werefortable.

    Harry was surprised to see a stretch limousine waiting for them when they arrived at the airport, and he turned to his father with a raised brow.

    Harry had wanted to arrange for cars to pick them up from the airport but Aaron had asked him not to bother since he had it under control.

    Aaron merely grinned without saying a word as he ushered Candace and Jamal into the car where the chauffeur was standing and holding out the door.

    "A limo? What a princess-like wee," Jade told Harry in a whisper.

    "She is a princess. Just don''t tell her I said so," Harry said and Jade giggled as they both got into the car since the others had gone in already.

    "Is this your car?" Jamal asked excitedly as he looked around the car in awe, since he had never been in a limo.

    "No, it''s not, Jamal. I don''t have any need for such a car. I''ve been living alone for a long time and I don''t even like to drive. I arranged for this because I didn''t want us to go home in different cars, and this could amodate us all," Aaron exined patiently.

    "You don''t have any cars?" Jamal asked with a curious frown.

    "I do have two cars," Aaron said simply.

    Jamal continued to ask questions and chatter endlessly as they drove to the house.

    Candace, who had been quiet the whole time as she thought about this new world she was throwing herself into, and how ready she was for it, sat up and looked though the tinted window when she heard Aaron say they were close to the house now.

    Although she knew that Aaron was wealthy since he was the owner of the popr HAJ studios, but she hadn''t really expected that he would be living in such an opulent neighborhood.

    She never imagined she would ever live in such a neighborhood oozing of wealth where manicuredwns met the gaze of stately mansions.

    Her gaze was drawn to the towering oak trees which lined the streets, with their branches creating a canopy of shade that whispered tales of affluence.

    As they approached Aaron''s residence, a sprawling estate bathed in the warm hues of the setting sun, Candace marveled at the beauty of the house which was now to be her home.

    The house was an architectural masterpiece thatbined ssic charm with modern luxury. The lush green gardens surrounding the property exuded tranquility, and their vibrant blooms and rioting colors were a wee sight to behold.

    "Wow!" Jamal eximed with excitement as he bounced in his seat while looking out the window. He couldn''t wait for the car to stop so he could get down and look around his new home.

    "You grew up here?" Jade asked Harry as they got out of the car, and he nodded.

    "Yeah. My dad bought this property when I was about Jamal''s age," Harry said, since he could remember that he had been just as excited as Jamal was at the moment, when they moved there for the first time.

    "If your dad was this wealthy, why did you bother working for Tom?" Jade asked in confusion.

    "Because I''m not my dad, and I''m not interested in photography," Harry said like it was the most obvious thing in the world and she scowled at him.

    Matt watched Candace as she took in the view of the house, "It''s beautiful," she whispered.

    "Yes, it is," he said without taking his eyes off her.

    "You''re wee home," Aaron said to Candace as he held out a hand to her and when she took it, he led her inside the house while Jamal held on to her hand.

    Upon walking through the door, Jamal let go for Candace''s hand and ran ahead of them to look around the ce.

    Jamal marveled at the soaring ceiling which was adorned with crystal chandeliers that sparkled like constetions.

    In the heart of the house, a sweeping staircase led to the upper levels, its hand-carved railings guiding the eye upward.

    "Am I really going to be living here?" Jamal asked in awe, and Aaron gave him a nod.

    "Do you like it?"

    "I love it," Jamal said happily, and they all smiled as they watched him climb the staircase.

    "You have a wonderful home," Jade said with a smile, and Matt nodded.

    "I totally agree with Jade," Matt said, and Aaron smiled.

    "Why don''t I show you around?" Aaron offered, and Matt and Candace followed him, while Jade chose to remain with Harry.

    "Are you not going with them?" Harry asked and Jade raised a brow.

    "You said you were going to show me around your house, not your dad," she reminded him.

    "Alright,e with me then," Harry said as he took her hand and led her to his bedroom so they could start with that.

    "Are there no domestic staff?" Jade asked curiously.

    "He has people whoe in a couple of times during the week to clean the ce and doundry. He prefers to cook his own meals and he tends his garden himself," Harry said and Jade smiled.

    "Despite his wealth, he is a very simple man," Jade said with admiration.

    "Yeah. That''s where I got my simplicity from," Harry said and Jade paused and raised a brow.

    "Who ever told you, you were simple? Don''t kid yourself, Jonas, you''re the mostplicated man I''ve ever met," Jade said and Harry smiled.

    "I would have argued, but since you say I''m different from all the men you''ve ever met and you love me so much that way, I think I will let it be," Harry said and Jade shook her head.

    "That wasn''t what I said. I said��."

    "That was what I heard, and it''s good enough for me. I don''t need any further exnation," Harry said and Jade giggled.

    "So, you would rather hear what you want and not what I''m saying?" She asked with a raised a brow.

    "Let me ask you, am I the same with the men you''ve met before?" Harry asked and she shook her head.

    "No. Not exact��."

    "Do you love me very much?" He asked and she grinned when she realized what he was doing.

    "You know, I do. But��."

    "You''ve answered my question. That''s all I need. Thanks," Harry said as he brushed his lips against hers and pulled her forward so they could continue walking, while Jade giggled as she followed him.

    As they walked into Harry''s room, Jade couldn''t help but marvel at how masculine and organized Harry''s room looked, more like his bedroom back in Ludus.

    The stark difference between their tastes and personality was very evident when their houses and bedrooms werepared.

    "When was thest time you visited this ce?" Jade asked, and Harry chuckled since he could guess what Jade was thinking.

    "If you are asking because you want to know if I had my room redecorated from the way it was when I was a kid, then I will tell you for free that thest time it was redecorated to this, was when I was in high school. I''ve always been this mature," Harry said, and Jade scowled at him.

    "Are you indirectly calling me immature?" Jade asked, and Harry chuckled.

    "Why will I call you that? I didn''t even mention your name...."

    "You didn''t have to mention it. I know you were thinking it," Jade said and Harry shook his head.

    "No, I wasn''t. I think you''re being so defensive because you are embarrassed about your room...."

    "See what I mean? Who said I am embarrassed?" Jade asked and Harry resisted the urge tough.

    "You did ask if we should move to the guestroom if I wasn''tfortable with your bedroom. And you tore out those pictures from the wall because you were embarrassed," Harry pointed out reasonably.

    "This is why I don''t like you," Jade said irritably.

    "You don''t like me? Why?" Harry asked sweetly.

    "Because you are so annoying. This whole argument could have ended earlier had you simply said something nice and sweet," Jade said and Harry nodded.

    "I see. Well, the good news is that I''m okay with you not liking me as long as you love me," Harry said and when Jade opened her mouth to argue some more he raised a brow.

    "Do you want to fight or should we continue with the tour?" he asked and she pouted.

    "Lead the way," she said grudgingly.

    Harry smirked as he walked ahead of her, and he chuckled when she walked quickly to catch up with him and hooked her arm with his so they could walk side by side.

    "You are so so mature, esquire" he joked.

    "Shut up, Jonas!" Jade hissed.

    Two hourster, after they had all settled down and were about to go have dinner which they ordered, the doorbell rang, and Harry turned to Aaron.

    "Are you expecting someone?" he asked, and Aaron shook his head.

    "I''m not expecting anyone. Why don''t you go see who is at the door?" Aaron asked Candace and she frowned.

    "Me? But I''m new here. How would I know if the visitor is a weed guest?" Candace asked, and Aaron shrugged.

    "Whoever the visitor is, send them away if you don''t want them to join us. This is your house now, so you are free to make such decisions. Go," Aaron said and Candace roller he eyes as she stood up to go get the door.

    Candace opened the door, ready to tell whoever was there that Aaron was busy and couldn''t see them, but her jaw dropped and her eyes widened in surprise when she saw Andy starting there with a simr expression on her face.

    Andy, who had been wondering why Cassidy had asked them to bring her to this address, was more than shocked to see Candace standing there.

    At first she had thought it was the wrong address when they dropped her there, and she had been reluctant to press the doorbell, but seeing Candace there made her realize this was Cassidy''s surprise for her.

    Why didn''t Cassidy tell her or give her a hint of what he had done? Although he had been the one who had taken her away from her family in the first ce, she was thankful and happy that he sent her back and not to some other prison with the excuse of keeping her safe.

    22:53

    "Andy?"

    "Candy?" they called simultaneously as they embraced each other fiercely.

    Why didn''t Cassidy tell her or give her a hint of what he had done? Although he had been the one who had taken her away from her family in the first ce, she was thankful and happy that he sent her back and not to some other prison with the excuse of keeping her safe.

    Seeing the surprise on Candace''s face, Andy could tell that Candace had not known that she wasing. So how did Cassidy n this and pull it off so sessfully? Didn''t he say they were in Heden? Why was Candace in Sogal?

    Different thoughts ran through Andy''s head as she hugged Candace, and then she pulled back to look at Candace again, and this time she touched Candace''s face to be sure she wasn''t dreaming, since this wouldn''t be the first time and had dreamt of reuniting with her sister.

    Candace couldn''t contain her joy as she looked Andy over in the same manner that Andy was looking her over.

    Just the previous night, she had thought her life was going smoothly, and all that was left was for Andy to show, and here was Andy, standing right in front of her. What more could she ask for?

    "Where is Jamal? What are you doing here? I thought you were in Heden?" Andy asked and before Candace could respond, the others came out, and Jamal shrieked happily and jumped on Andy the moment he sighted her.

    "Andy? Howe she is here?" Matt asked in surprise while Jade narrowed her eyes and turned to Harry.

    "You knew about this, didn''t you?" Jade asked suspiciously.

    "Why don''t we focus on weing my second sister?" Harry asked with a pleasant smile.

 Chapter 765 Sweet And Funny

    765 Sweet And Funny

    Harry and Aaron stood aside as they watched the reunion between Candace, Andy, and Jamal.

    While Candace wept happily, Andy and Jamalughed as Jamal tried to bring Andy up to speed with all that had happened in her absence.

    "This is grandpa''s house, and we will all be living here. Do you like it? Although it''s not as big as Tom''s house, it is also beautiful...."

    "Jamal, why don''t you let us introduce ourselves to her, and allow her to settle in before telling her everything?" Aaron suggested and Jamal nodded.

    "Alright," Jamal said, and Andy nced from Jamal to Aaron.

    Although she had noticed their presence from the moment they all stepped outside, she had focused on Jamal and Candace mostly because she wasn''t sure what to expect.

    "I''m sorry. I should do the introductions," Candace said as she brushed off her tears and turned to face them.

    "Andy, don''t be surprised, okay? As soon as I get the chance I''m going to give you all the details. This is Aaron, my biological father, and this is Harry my twin brother. Dad, Harry, this is Andy, my sister," Candace said and before Andy could say anything, Aaron embraced her.

    "You are wee home. I''ve heard so much about you. Thanks for taking good care of your sister and Jamal. I''m d that I get to have two beautiful daughters," Aaron said, surprising Andy.

    Andy opened her mouth to speak but no word came out. Although she had told herself that Candace''s family had no choice but to ept her as one of them, a part of her had been scared that they wouldn''t be weing but standing in Aaron''s embrace now, she felt at home.

    "You are wee to the family, Andy. I hope you will be a better sister than Candace," Harry said when Aaron finally let go of Andy, and Andy giggled as she embraced Harry while Candace rolled her eyes.

    "Thanks for the warm wee," Andy said looking from Harry to Aaron.

    "You know Jade, she is Harry''s girlfriend. And I''m sure you remember Matt," Candace said and Andy raised a brow before shifting her gaze to Jade.

    "Jade Hank. Who would have thought you would turn out to be our brother''s girlfriend?" Andy asked with a grin as she went to embrace Jade, and both Aaron and Harry exchanged a pleased look.

    It was obvious that unlike Candace, Andy seemed to be more easygoing and open minded to change and it would make it easier to get her to feel at home.

    "I saved you forst," Andy told Matt with a grin and he chuckled as he embraced her.

    "I''m d you''re fine and came back in one piece," Matt said as he hugged her.

    "I''m stronger than you think, didn''t Candace tell you that?" Andy asked as she touched his cheek.

    "You still look as handsome as I thought when I first saw you. I hope she isn''t giving you a hard time anymore? She can be too much to handle sometimes," Andy whispered loudly.

    "I can hear you, Andy. We all can," Candace hissed and they allughed.

    "I now have a favorite sister," Harry announced as he ced an arm on Andy''s shoulder yfully and Andy giggled while Candace snorted.

    "Let''s go in," Aaron suggested and led the way inside, while Jamal held on to Andy''s hand as though he was scared she might disappear again if he didn''t hold on to her tightly.

    "How did you find us? How did you escape from Cassidy? What happened?" Candace asked Andy now as they walked inside, since she had not been able to do that earlier because Jamal and the others had joined them before she could ask.

    "Why don''t we talk about itter when we are alone and you can also tell me all that has happened in my absence?" Andy suggested and Candace nodded even though she wasn''t sure she could wait until then.

    "Why don''t you show her to her bedroom so she can freshen up...."

    "Her bedroom? Which room?" Candace asked in confusion and Aaron smiled.

    "The room opposite yours," Aaron said.

    "The one you said was for someone special?" Candace asked and then it dawned on her that her father and Harry had known that Andy wasing hence she was asked to get the door.

    "You knew she wasing? How?" Candace asked in surprise.

    "Yes, Harry, tell us how," Jade said as she looked at him, and he shrugged.

    "Cassidy texted me. He wanted us to meet..."

    "You met with him? Was that the reason you decided to travel down with us? Why didn''t you say anything to me?" Candace asked with a frown.

    "He asked me not to tell anyone. Besides, it''s a pleasant surprise for you, is it not?" Harry asked Candace.

    "Hold on, was that the reason you went to the hotel? You lied to me?" Jade asked in disbelief.

    "I didn''t lie. It was business with Cassidy. I just didn''t tell you who I was meeting because he asked me not to tell anyone," Harry said defensively.

    "But you told Tom, didn''t you?" Jade asked with a scowl, and Candace rolled her eyes.

    "I can''t deal with those two," Candace said as she pulled Andy with her towards the stairs so that the lovers would have all the privacy they needed to argue.

    "Come with us, Jamal. Men should stick together," Matt said before Jamal could follow Andy and Candace, and he followed Matt and Aaron to the living room.

    "Jade is a drama queen. Don''t be surprised to see her hanging on his arm when they are done," Candace said and they bothughed.

    Candace stopped when something urred to her and she looked at Andy, "You don''t have any luggage?" she asked since Andy was carrying just a handbag.

    "Did he kidnap me with my luggage?" Andy asked dryly and they bothughed.

    "You know what I mean. Besides, how can you joke about being kidnapped?" Candace asked as they both continued up the stairs.

    "Why is Matt here if he isn''t part of my wee party? Don''t tell me he is our distant cousin? He isn''t, right?" Andy joked and Candace giggled.

    "God, I can''t believe how much I missed you," Candace said as she stopped to look at Andy''s grinning face once again.

    "For a moment I thought you might have forgotten all about me since you now have your family," Andy confessed with an awkward smile.

    "How could you ever think such a thing? And it is OUR family not just mine. I can''t forget you, Andy. Never ever," Candace said and Andy smiled.

    "Yeah. You dare not," Andy said as she embraced Candace again.

    "This is your bedroom...."

    "I can''t believe he reserved a bedroom for me," Andy said, feeling very touched by the thoughtful gesture.

    Candace smiled, "I know, right? Well, this is my bedroom. That is Jamal''s bedroom. The one next to yours is Harry''s, and that is Dad''s," Candace said and Andy grinned.

    "Dad''s," Andy repeated with a giggle.

    "That sounds so foreigning from you. Am I dreaming, Candace, or do we really have a family now? A father and a brother?" Andy asked as they both walked into the bedroom.

    "We have always had a family. You, me and Jamal. But now we have a dad and a brother. And no, you are not dreaming," Candace said as she watched Andy look around the bedroom.

    "Are we going to be living here? What about our apartment?" Andy asked curiously.

    "You don''t mind living here, do you?" Candace asked and Andy shrugged.

    "Where else will I want to live when my family is here? As long as I''m wee here, I will stay. We have so much to talk about, Candy. I have so much to tell you, and so much I want to ask you," Andy said and Candace grinned.

    "Me too. I will go get you some clothes and you can freshen up so we join the others for dinner. Let''s stay up all night to chat," Candace suggested as she headed for the door.

    "Wait," Andy called when something urred to her and she narrowed her eyes.

    "You didn''t answer my question earlier, and I noticed you didn''t say anything about Matt''s bedroom just now. Is it what I''m thinking?" she asked, wriggling her brows yfully and Candace giggled.

    "If you''re asking if I''m dating him now, the answer is yes," Candace said and quickly walked out of the door, but not fast enough to miss Andy''s shriek of delight at the news.

    Candace giggled as she unpacked her bag to take out some clothes for Andy. They were both going to have to find a way to go get the rest of their clothes from their former ce.

    "You look really happy," Aaron observed with a happy smile.

    He hade to find out if Andy needed anything but had stopped by Candace''s door when he saw that it was open and Candace was unpacking, he decided to check with her instead.

    "I am. I am actually very happy," Candace admitted happily.

    "Thanks for weing her that way and for preparing a room for her. It means a lot to me," Candace said as she stopped what she was doing to look at Aaron.

    "She is your sister, and as such, my daughter too. You don''t need to thank me for that. I wanted to see if she needed anything," Aaron said and Candace smiled.

    "She is fine. I will give her some of my clothes and maybe tomorrow or next we can go to our ce to get some of our stuff," Candace said and Aaron was silent for a moment.

    "Do you really have to go back there? Can''t you just get new things? Or is there something very valuable there that you can''t let go of?" he asked carefully, not wanting to offend her.

    Candace thought about it for a moment, "Not exactly valuable. It''s just that I''m attached to lots of my stuff," Candace exined and he nodded.

    "I still don''t want you girls going back there. I don''t think it''s safe. So, why don''t I have some people go over there and move all your stuff to a warehouse. And then at ater time you can go pick up your valuables? Until then you both can get new clothes and whatever you need. Don''t bother searching for a job. I will take care of your school and Jamal. And I will take care of whatever Andy wants to do. What do you think she might want to do? Would she want to go to school too? Or has she graduated? Or do you think she might want to work? I can get...."

    "Calm down, dad," Candace said with an amused smile.

    Andy, who was dressed in a bathrobe and hade to ask Candace for a hair brush, stood by the open door with a grin on her face as she listened to Aaron who had his back to her.

    "I''m calm," Aaron said and then turned when he saw the way Candace was grinning as she looked behind him.

    "You''re here," he said as his cheeks burned with mild embarrassment.

    "Yes, I am. I came to get a brush for my hair," Andy said with a grin.

    Even though she had only just met Aaron, she loved him already and had no doubt that they were going to get along really well.

    "Oh, I didn''t remember to ask them to get that. I''m sorry. I didn''t know what beauty products you use, and since I couldn''t ask Candace, I asked them to get the same ones Candace use. I hope it''s to your liking?" Aaron asked hopefully.

    "Yes. It is fine. Thanks for going through so much trouble for my sake," Andy said and Aaron gave her a nod.

    "I will leave you two now. We will be waiting downstairs for you both to join us for dinner," Aaron said as he walked away, and both Candace and Andy giggled.

    "What do you think about them?" Candace asked curiously.

    "You mean our dad and brother?" Andy asked and Candace nodded.

    "Aaron is sweet, and Harry is funny. I thought things were supposed to be awkward between us in this situation, but I don''t feel awkward at all," Andy said and Candace smiled.

    "Yeah, I felt so too. I''m d. Here is the hairbrush and some clothes. Go get dressed let''s join the others. The earlier we get done with dinner, the sooner we can talk," Candace said and followed Andy as she returned to her bedroom to get dressed.

 Chapter 766 Sleepover

    766 Sleepover

    Candace and Andy didn''t take too long before joining the rest of the family members downstairs for dinner.

    As curious as they all were, nobody asked Andy any questions about what happened between her and Cassidy or where he had taken her because Jamal was present at the dining, and they didn''t want to talk about what had happened in front of him. As a result of that, Jamal did most of the talking.

    Jamal told Andy all about Tom and Lucy, and then he went on to tell her about Tom''s parents and Lucy''s parents, especially his two grandmothers, and then about his fight with Dawn and how they had made up.

    Because they all understood just how excited he was to see his aunt, and they knew that he would be going to bed after dinner, no one bothered to remind him that it was bad table manners to talk while eating.

    Andy listened with delight and even asked him questions, eager to hear all he had to say since she had missed him so much, and Jamal was more than happy to supply her with all the information in his head which he had been storing for her.

    He even told her how he had held Grandpa Aaron''s hand at the hospital when he was sad, and how that had helped heal him.

    "Wow, you really do have healing hands," Andy said and Jamal nodded.

    "I do. Have I told you I went on a date with Lucy?" Jamal asked when he remembered that he was yet to mention that.

    "Jam, if you feed your aunt with all this information today, what are you going to tell her tomorrow? Won''t you run out of things to say?" Candace asked and Jamal paused for a moment.

    He shook his head, "I don''t think so. There will always be something to talk about," he said with a shrug and the othersughed.

    Immediately after eating, Harry offered to do the dishes and signaled Jade to join him so that Andy and Candace could have some time alone together.

    Matt offered to read Jamal a bedtime story and tuck him in, so that Andy could get some rest, and Andy promised to tuck him in the next day.

    As Andy and Candace rose to retire to her bedroom, Andy looked at Aaron, "Thank you for being so warm and weing��."

    "You don''t have to thank me for that, Andy. I''m happy to have you. I had too many empty bedrooms, and now everywhere is filled. What more can I ask for?" Aaron asked and Andy smiled.

    "Thank you," Andy said once again before walking away with Candace.

    "I never would have thought that our little Jam had a thing for older women," Andy said, and they bothughed.

    "I could hardly believe it myself, but Lucy is a wonderful person after all. Talking about Lucy, I should call her to let her know you are back. I can''t believe we were just talking about you two nights ago, and here you are. Lucy and Sonia are going to be happy to know you''re back. You remember Sonia, right?" Candace asked and Andy smiled.

    "How can I forget her? She touched my boobs, remember? And asked us to make Bryan feel better," Andy said, and Candaceughed as they walked into the bedroom.

    "Yeah, she did."

    "By the way, I didn''t want to ask any questions while Jamal was speaking, but Jamal said something about Lucy being your cousin. Is that so?" Andy asked curiously.

    Although Cassidy had exined the rtionship between Candace and everyone in the pictures he brought her, he had not mentioned Lucy being cousins with Candace and Harry.

    "Yes. She has a twin brother too. Lucas," Candace said as they both got on the bed.

    "We have a whole family, Candace. What about your mom? Is shete? And how did you end up at the orphanage if you have such arge family?" Andy asked, and Candace sighed.

    "It''s a really long story. You know what? Let''s give Lucy and Sonia a call to inform them you''re here now, and after that, we can spend the rest of the night talking," Candace suggested as she picked up her phone to call Lucy and Sonia.

    Before she could dial their lines, a knock sounded on the door and Jade poked her head in.

    "Sorry, girls. I know you''re dying to catch up on each other''s lives, but I''m also dying to know what happened to you, Andy. I can''t wait until tomorrow," Jade said and Candace rolled her eyes.

    "You never mind your business, do you?" Candace asked and Jade nodded.

    "My business is to mind other people''s business. Have you forgotten that already? Besides, I was involved in all that happened and knew about her abduction before you. And how dare you talk to me that way because Andy is back? I was your best friend in her absence, remember?" Jade asked with a scowl as she got on the bed.

    Andy giggled, "I thought you were doing the dishes with your boyfriend?"

    "He is doing the dishes alone. He volunteered to do it, but I didn''t. Besides, I''m just here for a quick chat so I can join him in the bedroom when he is done with the dishes. So? What happened?" Jade asked excitedly.

    "We were going to call Lucy and Sonia first to let them know she is back before talking about it," Candace said and Jade shrugged.

    "Let''s do that then. I have some time to spare," she said with a wide smile and Andy giggled.

    "I wouldn''t have thought you were this fun. You always looked stiff and unfriendly," Andy said and Jade shrugged.

    "I think I preferred her back then to now. Now she is so noisy and annoying," Candace said and Jade scowled.

    "You don''t mean that. We both know you don''t mean it. I know you love me," Jade said as she ced her arm around Candace''s shoulders and pecked her, and Candace giggled as she pushed her away, while Andy grinned as she watched them.

    Watching them, Andy was d to see that Candace had been happy in her absence. She had always worried about her and Jamal, but seeing how she was surrounded by these wonderful people, she was d to know she had been worried for nothing.

    Candace and Jamal had been in good hands, and even if she had not returned, they would have been alright.

    "It''s gettingte, if you''re going to call them you should do so now. Or we can just chill and call them tomorrow," Jade suggested.

    "I''d rather share the good news with them right now," Candace said as she did a group call.

    "Andy, hide behind us so that we can surprise them," Jade said as she and Candace covered Andy from view.

    Lucy who had just finished having dinner with Tom and was now taking a tour around the yacht with him, paused when her phone started ringing with a video call and she took it out of her handbag.

    "It''s Candace," she said, looking at Tom.

    Hearing that it was Candace, Tom could guess what she wanted to tell Lucy, so he nodded, "It might take a while, so you can go take the call in the cabin. I will be at the deck," he said and Lucy kissed him lightly on the lips before walking away.

    "Hey! Guess what, girls," Lucy said excitedly since she could see that Sonia had joined the call as well.

    Candace and Jade exchanged a look at Lucy''s excitement since she had taken the question out of Candace''s mouth.

    "What?"

    "Tell us," Jade and Sonia said at the same time while Candace decided to wait to hear Lucy''s news before sharing hers.

    "Tom got me a yacht," Lucy announced in a giddy singsong voice, and they all looked at her in surprise while Sonia screeched happily.

    "A yacht? That''s huge, girl! Congrats baby!" Sonia said happily and Lucy smiled happily as she turned the camera around so they could see the cabin view.

    "Thanks, love. Take a look," she said as she showed them the interior of the cabin and as she moved around her voice bubbled with excitement as she told them how the jet had brought them to this ce and how Tom had led her to the yacht and what he had said as he presented the gift to her.

    "Aww!" They all echoed as they listened.

    "Your boyfriend is so romantic," Andy said, forgetting that she was hidden from view and both Lucy and Sonia noticed her presence for the first time and Lucy quickly switched back her phone so she could see who had spoken.

    "Who is that?" Lucy asked curiously.

    "Brandy?" Sonia asked doubtfully.

    "The only one and original," Brandy said with a wink as Jade and Candace moved to the side to reveal her, and Sonia screamed happily, shocking Bryan who had been busy going through a script beside her.

    "It''s Brandy. Candace''s sister. Remember her? She is back," Sonia quickly exined to Bryan before returning her attention to the group call.

    "Oh, my! That was the reason you called and here I was going on and on about myself when you were the one who called. Sorry, I hijacked the conversation��."

    "It''s fine, Lucy. Your news was just as important," Candace assured her.

    "It is nowhere close to this. Wee home, cousin. I''ve heard a lot about you and I''m d you''ve finallye home," Lucy said to Andy with a happy smile.

    Cousin, Andy mused with a happy smile. Candace''s family never ceased to surprise her with how warm and weing they could be.

    "And I''ve heard so much about you from Jamal," Andy said with a grin and Lucy giggled.

    "He must have been very excited to see you," Lucy said and Andy nodded.

    "He sure was," Andy said with a grin.

    "What happened? How are you here? Did you escape or something?" Sonia asked curiously.

    "Remember the business Harry and Tom imed to have at the hotel? Apparently, it was a meeting with Cassidy, the guy who kidnapped her," Jade supplied and both Sonia and Lucy looked at her surprised.

    "Really?" Sonia asked and both Jade and Candace nodded.

    "Why were they so secretive about it then?" Lucy asked and Candace shrugged.

    "Harry said Cassidy asked him not to tell anyone, and they wanted it to be a surprise to us. Andy didn''t know she was being sent to us either," Candace exined happily.

    "And to be honest with you, I don''t really mind. I absolutely loved the surprise. Imagine going to get the door and seeing Andy standing there. At first I thought it was a dream and I couldn''t believe it," Candace said happily and Andy giggled.

    "I thought so too. I''m happy to be back," Andy said happily.

    "So, tell us what happened," Jade said eagerly.

    "Well, that night he took me, we jumped into the water and had to swim a long distance to where a cargo ship was waiting��."

    "Swim? But you can''t swim," Candace cut in with a worried frown.

    "Yeah. I almost drowned before the idiot realized the w in his n. But somehow he managed to get me there," Andy said before going on to give them the rest of the details.

    22:55

    Sonia grinned, "This means I just got an extra wedding nner and bridesmaid," she said happily and they allughed.

    "You''re getting married to Bryan?" Andy asked and Sonia lifted her hand to show her the engagement ring.

    "Yep. And I''m pregnant for him too," Sonia said happily and Andy smiled.

    "After getting married to him, will you still take him to clubs and askdies to make him feel better?" Andy asked curiously.

    "That''s something I can still do," Sonia said with a wink and Lucy shook her head while the othersughed.

    "I can''t wait to see you when youe for my wedding, Andy," Sonia said happily.

    "And maybe we can have your bachelorette party in my yacht," Lucy suggested and they all happily gave their consents.

    They discussed for a couple of minutes again before Candace decided it was time to hang up.

    "As much as it''s fun catching up with you girls, we''ve got to go now. I have a lot to talk about with Andy," Candace said and they all nodded in understanding.

    "I need to get back to my man, anyway," Jade said as she rose, satisfied since she had gotten all the information she came for.

    "And me to mine," Lucy said with a grin.

    "And I to my fianc��," Sonia drawled and Candace rolled her eyes while Andy giggled at the silliness of them all.

    "Go to your men then, goodnight everyone," Candace said before hanging up.

    "You''ve made yourself some really funny friends. I didn''t expect to return back to so much fun," Andy said after Jade had left.

    "I''m so d you feel at home," Candace said happily and they both turned when a knock sounded on the door.

    Candace went to get the door and smiled when she saw Aaron standing there with a bag of snacks and another containing can drinks.

    "I wasn''t sure what you girls would want. But I read somewhere that girls like to have snacks when they have a sleepover. This qualifies as a sleepover even though it''s your home, right?" Aaron asked and both Candace and Andy, who hade to join them at the door on hearing Aaron''s voice,ughed.

    "You''re doing too much, Dad. You don''t have to go through so much trouble," Candace said as she took the things from him.

    "I want to. If you prefer to have wine��."

    "I know where to get it," Candace assured him.

    "Alright. Goodnight then. Have fun," Aaron said before walking away, while the sisters stood there looking at him as he left.

    "Is it too soon to say I have fallen in love with him?" Andy asked and Candace giggled as they shut the door and returned inside to begin their ''sleepover''.

 Chapter 767 Payment In Kind

    <h4>Chapter 767 Payment In Kind</h4>

    767 Payment In Kind

    Before Lucy could leave the cabin in search of Tom after the conference call with the girls ended, her phone started ringing and she smiled when she saw the call was from Sonia.

    She wasn''t very surprised to see that it was Sonia. She knew that Sonia wouldn''t go to sleep until she had given her all the exclusive details about her trip and date with Tom.

    "Shouldn''t you be sleeping by now? What is Bryan doing, allowing you to stay on your phone for so long?" Lucy asked with false displeasure, and Sonia rolled her eyes.

    "I''m pregnant, not bedridden. So, are you going to tell me about your date or do I have to grovel first?" She asked curiously, and Lucy giggled.

    "I can''t say the date is over since we are still out here, right?" Lucy said with a grin as she sat on the bed.

    "Where is your date, then?" Sonia asked curiously.

    "He is waiting on the deck. I guess he knew the reason Candace called, so he wanted me to take my time with the phone call," Lucy exined and Sonia smiled.

    "Tom is a really cool guy," Sonia said with approval.

    "That he is. The very love of my life," Lucy said and Sonia giggled.

    She wondered if Tom had gotten her the yacht because he now knew she had changed her mind about marrying him.

    There was no need to tell Lucy that Tom had overheard their conversation that night. She couldn''t wait to see the surprise on Lucy''s face when Tom hijacks her proposal.

    "So? How do you feel being the owner of a yacht?" Sonia asked with a grin and Lucy sighed.

    "I''m not sure I can exin it, but I think my happiness is mostly from the giver of the gift than from the gift," Lucy said and Sonia mulled on it for a moment.

    "You mean you''re more happy it''s a gift from Tom," Sonia said and Lucy nodded.

    "Yeah. Something like that."

    "So, how did it feel, flying alone with Tom? Did you do it?" Sonia asked with a wink since she had known of Lucy''s n to have sex with Tom during the flight.

    "Is Bryan not there with you?" Lucy asked with a raised brow.

    "No. He just stepped into the restroom, hence I''m asking now," Sonia assured her.

    "Well, if you must know, I did it," Lucy said with a grin and Sonia giggled.

    "That''s my girl. I''m so proud of you," Sonia said, feeling like a proud mother.

    "Well, now I have one more thing I want to try. Let''s see how it feels on a yacht," Lucy said with a wink and Sonia looked at Lucy with amused disbelief.

    "You are bing so wild, Lu. Even I, have never tried all of that before," Sonia said and Lucy giggled.

    "Well then, we can say the student is going to be the master soon," Lucy said and Soniaughed happily.

    "You''re bing something else, Lu," Sonia said and she shrugged.

    "I can''t help it. Andy is so beautiful by the way," Lucy said, changing the subject.

    "That she is. Did I tell you how I touched her boobs at the club?" Sonia asked with twinkling eyes, and Bryan came out in time to hear her, and he shook his head making her grin.

    "Yeah, you did. I should show you a view of the deck," Lucy said as she rose from the bed and walked out of the cabin to go outside.

    Once she stepped onto the deck, she turned the camera towards the waterfall, and Sonia gasped softly when she saw it, thanks to the light from the resort.

    "What is that?" Sonia asked in awe.

    "The natural waterfall at the resort. It''s beautiful, isn''t it? It still takes away my breath away no matter how many times I''ve seen it in thest couple of hours since we got here," Lucy said and waved at Tom, who was also receiving a call when he turned to look at her.

    "Tom owns that ce?" Sonia asked curiously.

    "Yep."

    "Hold on, isn''t that the ce you told me he took you to when you didn''t know his identity?" Sonia asked and Lucy nodded.

    "Yes. Here is that ce."

    "He ended up having you as he told you he would," Sonia said with a giggle.

    "And I have him too," Lucy said as she turned away from the waterfall to show her around the deck and other parts of the water.

    "Tom is so romantic and thoughtful. When did he n all these? Or did he perhaps want us all there had we not changed our ns?" Sonia asked and Lucy giggled.

    "You wish. He said he nned everything after Bryan and Jade said they weren''ting to Ludus," Lucy said, and Sonia smiled.

    She had always known Tom was just the perfect man for Lucy and she was d Lucy had decided to also make him the happiest man by marrying him.

    "He is so good to you, Lu," Sonia said and Lucy nodded.

    "He is. What about you? How was your trip? Were you guys able to visit your parent''s gravesite today?" Lucy asked, and Sonia shook her head.

    "No. We are at the hotel. We will do so tomorrow, and then fly back to Heden to get my stuff beforeing back to Ludus," Sonia said and Lucy nodded.

    "Just don''t stress our baby too much, okay?" Lucy said and Sonia raised a brow.

    "You care about the baby more than you do for me?" She asked and Lucy bobbed her head.

    "Yes, I do. So don''t stress my godbaby too much," Lucy said and Sonia scowled.

    "Let it be known and recorded that you chose my baby over me. "I''m off to bed now, ex-best friend," Sonia said dramatically and Lucy giggled.

    "You''re so dramatic. Goodnight to you and say hello to Bryan."

    "Whatever. Bye. Wait, say hello to Tom. Bye," Sonia said before hanging up, and Lucy giggled.

    Before Lucy could turn back to meet Tom, he sneaked up behind her and hugged her from behind as he kissed the crook of her neck, and she sighed softly as she turned around to look at him.

    "My love," she called as she kissed him.

    "Maybe I should bring you to the resort often considering how much you seem to like the waterfall. We can make here our favorite spot, what do you think?" Tom asked and Lucy nodded.

    "Yes. It could be our getaway spot," Lucy said and Tom nodded.

    "Yes. That''s a good idea. Let''s go inside," he said as he led her back to their cabin.

    "I told the girls that we can use the yacht for Sonia''s bachelorette party. You don''t mind, right?" Lucy asked and Tom raised a brow.

    "Why should I? The yacht is yours, so you can do with it as you please," Tom said and Lucy smiled.

    "I guess I can now tell you about the business I had to handle at the hotel," Tom said and Lucy smiled.

    "You went there because Harry was meeting Cassidy there. What I don''t get is why you left earlier than Harry and came back at the same time with him," Lucy said as they walked into the cabin.

    "I went to make sure the ce was safe for Harry and it wasn''t a trap," he exined and something clicked in Lucy''s brain.

    "Is that the person your assistant was working for?" She asked as she turned to face him.

    "Yeah. Sorry, I couldn''t tell you about it��."

    "It''s fine. You don''t have to apologize. I like how you said you couldn''t tell me yet. I prefer it to being lied to," Lucy said, and Tom nodded.

    "Thanks. So, did you talk to her?" Tom asked, and Lucy smiled.

    "Yeah, I did. She is beautiful, and I think she will blend in just fine," Lucy said as she turned her back to him to unzip her dress.

    "That is good to know. I was on the phone with Harry earlier. He likes her," Tom said and Lucy smiled.

    "Harry. You both have a really special friendship. So, what if it had been a trap? Would you have walked into it on his behalf?" She asked and Tom nodded.

    "Why not? Do you have any idea the number of risks Harry has taken on my behalf?" Tom asked and Lucy smiled.

    "No, I don''t. But I can tell you that your bromance is inspiring," Lucy said as she stepped out of her dress.

    "I wonder how much information your secretary gave him. Didn''t you guys carry out a background check on him before employing him?" Lucy asked, and Tom shrugged.

    "We did. Cassidy must have done a thorough job on him," Tom said, and Lucy nodded as she unbuttoned his shirt since he was still dressed.

    "So, what now? Do you want to employ a new secretary?" Lucy asked curiously, and Tom shook his head.

    "Nah. I think I''m done having secretaries. I don''t think I can trust anyone else," Tom said dismissively, and Lucy looked at him with a mischievous grin.

    "You know, I can be a director and your secretary. Part-time secretary, but you can only pay me in kind," Lucy said with a wink and Tom chuckled as he took off his shirt.

    "I am beginning to think I''ve spoilt you so bad that you want to take advantage of me at every opportunity you get," Tom said with an amused smile.

    "I guess you''re not interested in my offer then," Lucy said with a shrug as she unfastened his belt.

    "Can I ever say no to my queen? How do you intend to get paid?" Tom asked with mock seriousness.

    "You know how," she said with a naughty smile and he chuckled.

    "How about I pay you three times a day then? Once before we start work, another during lunch break, and thest at the close of work. What do you say?" Tom said, and Lucy giggled.

    "I don''t think I can keep up with your energy so I''m going to have to take my offer back," Lucy said, and Tomughed.

    "You can''t do that to me," he said as he ran his hands down her naked body and kissed the crook of her neck.

    Lucy sighed with pleasure, "How about we find out what it''s like to make love on water since we''ve tried it in the air?" Lucy asked and Tom chuckled.

    "I think you are going to keep up with my energy just fine," he said as he stepped out of his pants.

    "We will see about that," Lucy said as she took his hands and led him to the bathroom so they could freshen up first before having their way with each other.

 Chapter 768 As Equals

    <h4>Chapter 768 As Equals</h4>

    768 As Equals

    Candace and Andyy on the bed as Candace told Andy all that had happened after she left.

    She started by telling her how she had traveled to Varis to see Jero and about Jero''s package and how that had led to her finding out about how she had ended up at the orphanage.

    "You mean your own biological mother did something like that? Where is that bitch? She had better be dead, else I''m going to fuck her up," Andy hissed angrily and Candace found herselfughing.

    "Save your anger. Harry and Tom fucked her up already. And trust me, they did a good job of it. Better than anything you could have ever done," Candace assured her, and Andy raised a brow.

    "Are you underestimating me now?"

    "We don''t have the means to fuck up someone like Sara��."

    "I haven''t told you yet. Give me a moment," Andy said as she rose to get her handbag from the dressing table and she brought out three envelopes.

    "What are those?" Candace asked and Andy poured out the contents of the envelopes and Candace gasped when she saw pictures of her and Jamal as well as all the others.

    "How did you get all these?" Candace asked and Andy shrugged.

    "Cassidy wanted me to know you were safe and doing fine so he had his men keep an eye on you and he sent me your pictures," Andy said and Candace shivered.

    "It is scary to know he had his eyes on us this whole time. Imagine if he wanted to hurt me," Candace said and Andy nodded.

    "Yeah. I understand. But he did it for my sake because I was very worried," Andy said apologetically.

    "He must really care about you. That reminds me, why did you sound that way earlier when you talked about how he didn''t say goodbye? Do you have feelings for him?" Candace asked and Andy sighed.

    "I don''t know. Maybe I like him. I had sex with himst night. And before you ask or make any assumptions, he didn''t force me or make any advances at me. It was all me. I should say I ckmailed him emotionally into doing it," Andy said and Candace raised a brow.

    "Ever heard of Stockholm syndrome?" She asked and Andy rolled her eyes.

    "You can''t call it that if my captor happens to be the one who deflowered me years ago and the best lover I''ve ever had even though it wasn''t done with my consent," Andy said and Candace sighed.

    "You can''t refer to those men Jero forced on you as lovers," Candace said and Andy shrugged.

    "Maybe not. But you get what I mean. It''s been a long time since I had sex and I wanted it with him. And it was really good. I didn''t feel like washing off my flesh afterward. As a matter of fact, I slept off on his bed," Andy said and Candace raised a brow.

    "So, what now? Are you in love with him?" Candace asked and Andy shook her head.

    "I don''t think I am. Or maybe I''m not sure. He was just so different from the Cassidy I know. If I had met him under different circumstances, I would have fallen for him. Too bad things happened the way they did. Anyway, so about the bitch that gave birth to you, what was done to her?" Andy asked, returning to the subject.

    "I wasn''t done with the story," Candace said and Andy raised a brow.

    "Wait. What? You mean she did more after selling you off for fame and breaking that sweet man''s heart by running off with his money and abandoning a week-old baby?" Andy asked in disbelief.

    "Shocking isn''t it?" Candace asked before going ahead to tell her how she hade back wanting to meet Harry because she wanted a transnt and how Lucy had confronted her.

    "I didn''t tell you yet how I''m rted to Lucy, did I?" Candace asked and then digressed a bit to tell her about Sara''s rtionship with Lucy''s mom and what she had done to her own family.

    The more Candace spoke, the more Andy''s eyes widened in disbelief and she gasped and hissed in outrage at the despicable things Sara had done.

    By the time Candace was done telling her everything, Andy had concluded that Sara was the most evil bitch to walk the face of the earth.

    Andy pped as Candace told her how Harry and Tom had set Sara up, and when Candace showed her the video, Andyughed happily, "Those two deserve ap dance," Andy said and Candaceughed.

    "Jade and Lucy would kill you if you dare go near their men," Candace said and Andy shook her head.

    "Not me. I''m done with that, but I can pay for it, but I won''t since I don''t want to get on anyone''s bad side," Andy said with a grin, and before Candace could ask her any question she raised the bank documents on the bed which Candace had failed to check.

    Candace gasped when she saw the amount of money the ount held, "How did you get this?"

    "Cassidy gave it to me. He said he wants me to have a better life," Andy said with a shrug.

    "Do you know what this means? Even if you didn''t end up being part of such a wealthy family, we would have also been wealthy. We are stinky rich, Candy," Andy said happily.

    "Do you think I should ept Sara''s and all that my adoptive parents left me?" Candace asked and Andy frowned.

    "You weren''t going to? Are you kidding me? If anyone deserves it, it is you. Sara would never have had all of that if she didn''t sell you. And your adoptive parents left all of that for you so it is all yours. Why will you want to reject it?" Andy asked and Candace sighed.

    12:27

    "You weren''t going to? Are you kidding me? If anyone deserves it, it is you. Sara would never have had all of that if she didn''t sell you. And your adoptive parents left all of that for you so it is all yours. Why will you want to reject it?" Andy asked and Candace sighed.

    "Maybe because I am scared and I don''t know what to do with all of it. How do I manage Sara''spany or that of my adoptive parents?" Candace asked and Andy rolled her eyes.

    "That''s the simplest part. You get capable people to manage them for you. All you have to do is sit back and enjoy your money. We have worked so hard, Candy. We deserve this break," Andy said and Candace nodded.

    "I suppose you''re right. Let me ask you a question. How do you feel about being surrounded by all these aplished people? Sonia is a famous writer, Lucy is a director at I-Global, and Jade is a big-shotwyer at her young age. How do you feel?" Candace asked and Andy shrugged.

    "Proud, of course. Finally, I get to be around people who can motivate me to be better and not just other strippers like me trying to make ends meet. Why do you ask?" Andy asked and Candace shrugged.

    "Sometimes I feel like an impostor. I know they love me, but I feel like I don''t fit into their cycle. I feel small and inferior," Candace said and Andy ced a finger under her chin and raised it.

    "I ought to p that thought out of your head. Are you out of your mind? You are amazing, and you shouldn''t feel less than that. They are amazingdies, and we too are amazing. We did what we had to do, and if anyone dares to judge us for it, I''m going to punch them in the face," Andy said, and Candaceughed.

    "Alright. I''ve heard you."

    "You had better else I''m going to start by punching your face in for looking down at us. Stripping is an honorable profession too, you know? Do you know how many people we''ve entertained or spiced up their rtionships? So what if they arewyers and writers and directors? We also were professional strippers. Professionals, Candy! People begged to have us entertain them. We were the fucking best! Don''t you ever forget that!" Andy said and Candace rolled her eyes.

    "Yeah. Whatever. Harry wants us to have an interview together to reveal everything. He says that way no one would be able to dig it up like some dirty secretter," Candace said and Andy nodded.

    "I approve. When you do the interview, your chin should be up and your spine straight. Better don''t act like you''re embarrassed. Why am I telling you that now when I will be in the background cheering you? You don''t have to worry about a thing," Andy said and Candace grinned.

    "I''m so happy to have you back," Candace said and Andy smiled.

    "Me too. I''m happy to have myself back," Andy said and they both giggled.

    "So, what do you n to do with all that money?" Candace asked and Andy shrugged.

    "I will wait for you to take over thosepanies and then I will buy shares. I will buy shares in all yourpanies. In Dad''spany as well as I-Global. And then I will look for a good recordbel to sign me and start-up music as I always nned to do," Andy said with a shrug.

    "A recordbel? I think I-Global should be into that since they just started an entertainment subsidiary. Bryan and Matt are signed with them. And I''m sure you can use Dad''s studio for your shoots," Candace said and Andy spread her hands.

    "Perfect! Everything has fallen into ce for us, Candy. We''ve got lots of money tost us a lifetime, and now we can do whatever we want to do for fun and not work our ass t for money," Andy said happily.

    "Yeah. It has. All of this feels too good to be true. Sometimes I''m scared I might wake up and find out I''m dreaming," Candace said with a sigh.

    "Well, even if it is a dream you better make the best use of it and enjoy it while itsts. If I can only have all these in a dream and not reality, then I will make sure to make the dream count," Andy said and Candace smiled.

    "I''ve almost forgotten how positive you can be," Candace said and Andy shrugged.

    "The world is full of negative energy already, why add mine to it? So, let''s talk about you and Matt now," Andy said with a wink and they both giggled.

    "It''s past 3 A.M. already. We should get some rest," Candace said and Andy raised a brow.

    "Is that your way of avoiding the subject?" Andy asked and Candace rolled her eyes.

    "What is there to avoid? I already told you we are dating now. What else is there to tell?" She asked and Andy grinned as she bit into a cookie.

    "The details. Every juicy detail of how you both finally got here to the extent that he is here, sharing a bedroom with you, and after that, you can give me details on everyone else and their rtionships so I know how to rte with them," Andy said as she adjusted on the bed, letting Candace know that she had no intention of sleeping now or letting her go to sleep either.

    Candace sighed, "Alright. Fine. If that''s what you want, let''s do it talk till Dawn then."

    By the time they were done talking, it was almost 5 A.M. and they were both exhausted and yawning consecutively.

    "I can''t believe I spent all night chatting with you after my long flight," Candaceined with a yawn as shey on the bed.

    "Are youining? Do you want me to go back to the Ind?" Andy threatened with a yawn.

    "Instead of threatening me with that, you should just say you are missing Cassidy and want to go back to have sex with him," Candace said sleepily and Andy giggled as she watched her.

    "Shouldn''t you go to your bedroom to spend the night with Matt?" Andy asked as shey beside Candace.

    "Are you sleeping already?" Andy asked when Candace didn''t respond, and she smiled when she realized that Candace had dozed off.

    Andy looked at Candace''s face as she slept and she sighed softly. Even though she was exhausted and wanted to sleep, she was still too excited about being here with Candace.

    Her mind was still very active even though her body was exhausted, so as shey beside Candace staring at her, she thought about all that had happened since she arrived and she smiled as her thoughts drifted to Harry and Aaron.

    Thest thought on her mind as she finally drifted off to sleep was of Cassidy. She wondered if he would keep an eye on her as he had done to her family. Would he reach out to her? A part of her hoped he would.

    Maybe it was silly of her, but she hoped thest time she saw him wouldn''t be thest time she would get to see him.

    She hoped that sometime in the future, they would be able to meet again on friendly terms. Not as abused and abuser, or abductor and abductee, but as equals.

    She hoped that by then they would have both fully healed from their past and he would have been free from his demons.

 Chapter 769 Three Dates A Week

    769 Three Dates A Week

    The next morning, Tom was the first to wake up, and as usual, hey on the bed staring at Lucy.

    The knowledge that she would soon be more to him than just his girlfriend brought so much joy and fulfillment to him that he was so tempted to ask her there and then to marry him.

    Although a part of him was still scared that Lucy might reject him, but he didn''t want to dwell on it.

    He hoped that therapy, Harry, and Sonia should have been able to influence her answer positively before then.

    After watching Lucy sleep for some time, he decided to wake her so they could watch the sunrise together since they were still on the yacht, and it would be a first for them.

    Lucy opened her eyes when he called her name softly and kissed her. She smiled as she met his gaze, and from how clear his eyes were, she could tell he had been awake for quite some time now.

    "Good morning, my love," Lucy greeted, and Tom smiled.

    "Is that what you n to be calling me now? You''ve been calling me that since yesterday," Tom said, and she smiled.

    "Maybe that''s because my heart is full of so much love for you, and calling you Ace isn''t satisfactory anymore," Lucy said, and Tom''s heart fluttered.

    "Why do you look so touched?" Lucy asked in amusement as she watched him.

    "Because I am. Did you sleep well?" He asked as she nodded.

    "Of course. How can I not when I slept beside the love of my life?" Lucy asked as she sat up, and Tom gave her a pointed look.

    "If you keep doing that, I might get you another yacht or maybe something bigger," Tom said, and she giggled.

    "If I keep doing what?" She asked in amusement.

    "If you keep making my heart flutter this way," Tom said, and she giggled.

    "I woke you up so we can go to the deck to watch the sunrise together. Would you like to join me?" He asked, and she nodded as she got off the bed.

    Without wearing anything else, Lucy put on Tom''s shirt, which was lying on the dressing stool, while Tom took a short from his luggage and put it on before they walked out of the cabin.

    Barefooted, they stood on the deck of the luxury yacht, the gentle lull of the water beneath them.

    The air was crisp, carrying the scent of salt and the promise of a new day. They were there in time to watch as the sky began to blush with hues of pink and gold as the sun made its ascent, casting a warm glow on the horizon.

    The rhythmicpping of the waves provided a soothing backdrop to the canvas of colors painting the sky.

    Tom stood behind Lucy with his arms around her as they marveled at the spectacle unfolding before them, the shared moment silently affirming the depth of their connection.

    "This is so beautiful and peaceful," Lucy whispered softly as though scared that if she spoke too loud, she would break the magic of the moment.

    "Yeah. I wish I could capture this moment in painting. Though the focus would be on you because you''re more beautiful and peaceful than the sunrise to me," Tom said as he pressed a tender kiss to Lucy''s nape, causing a shiver to run down her spine.

    As the sun emerged, casting its radiant tendrils across the water, Lucy turned to Tom and kissed him deeply as the morning sun bathed them in a warmth that mirrored the love they shared.

    After they broke the kiss, they stood there looking into each other''s eyes. Although their hearts were filled with love for each other, words were unnecessary as their connection surpassed the need for spoken derations.

    The sunrise had witnessed not just the birth of a new day but the reassertion of a love that, like the endless expanse of the sea, stretched boundlessly into the horizon.

    "The next time wee here, we should bring coffee along. It would be nice to do this with a hot cup of coffee," Lucy said, breaking the silence between them.

    "You do know that coffee is bad for ulcers, right?" He asked, and she rolled her eyes.

    "Do you have to bring that up?"

    "Yes, I do. You shouldn''t do things that are detrimental to your health," he said, and she scowled.

    "Even cigarette smokers smoke despite the warning��."

    "I don''t care about cigarette smokers. It''s you I care about. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, and I can''t stand seeing you in pain," Tom said, and butterflies fluttered in Lucy''s belly.

    "The rest of your life?" She asked, and he cocked an eyebrow.

    "Yes. Or do you n to break up with me somewhere along the line?" He asked, and she grinned.

    "I don''t think so."

    "Good. So you should take better care of your health and��."

    "You should have stopped at that romantic line. Don''t ruin it by nagging," Lucy said with a scowl, and Tom chuckled.

    "We should go back inside. The thought that you''re not wearing anything under this is making me want to do something to you," Tom said in a husky voice, and Lucy automatically looked down at his groin.

    When she saw the small tent that was beginning to form there, she ran for the Cabin without saying another word to him, and Tom chuckled as he followed her.

    "We should get ready to leave. Have you called Adolf toe pick us up? We might bete to the office," Lucy said as she took off his shirt and headed for the bathroom, but Tom held her to stop her.

    "I was thinking. Since it''s Wednesday already and we will be the only ones around the house once we get there, don''t you think it will be a nice idea if we stay home for the remaining days of this week and just be in each other''spany? I can''t remember thest time I had you to myself alone in my house," Tom said, and Lucy pressed her lips together as she considered it.

    "Hmmm. Stay home and enjoy each other''spany. That sounds like a pretty good idea to me. We don''t have to be in a hurry to leave here then. Let''s spend some time looking around the resort, and then we can go home," Lucy said, and Tom drew back in surprise to look at her.

    Before now, Lucy would never agree to stay back at home on a work day for even a day, how much more a couple of days. Lucy just seemed to surprise him more with her actions each day that he was now looking forward to her shocking him more.

    "What?" Lucy asked when she saw how Tom was looking at her in surprise.

    Tom shook his head since he didn''t want to risk telling her what he was thinking and have her change her mind.

    "It''s nothing."

    "It''s something. Tell me," She insisted, and he shook his head.

    "No."

    "Why not?" She asked with a slight frown.

    "Because I don''t want to say it," Tom said, and she raised a brow.

    "Should I make you say it?" She asked, and Tom chuckled.

    "Please do," He said, and when she saw the naughty glint in his eyes, She shook her head.

    "You know what? Don''t say it," she said with a shrug as she headed for the bathroom, but Tom caught her hand and pulled her with him as he fell to the bed.

    "Why the hurry? We''ve got all day, remember?" He asked as he lowered his head to her nipple, and even before his lips got there, her nipples hardened.

    "You''ve changed a lot, and I love you more each day," Tom said as he kissed her nipple.

    "In what way?" She asked with her eyes closed as she enjoyed the sensation of his hands on her body.

    "In the past, you never would have agreed to skip work," Tom said, and she opened her eyes.

    "True," She said simply since she knew why that had changed.

    In the past, she had ced her job above him and was still treading very carefully when it came to their rtionship, but now she had opened her heartpletely to him and didn''t mind missing work for a couple of days to be with her man.

    "What has changed?" Tom asked as he continued to kiss her body while he caressed her with his fingers.

    "Me," Lucy said, and Tom chuckled.

    "I know. What changed in you?" He asked curiously since he suspected it had to do with her decision to now marry him, and he hoped she would open up to him.

    "My love for you," Lucy said easily.

    "You love me more, I suppose?" He asked as he looked at her now, and she nodded as she held his gaze.

    "Yeah. More than I ever thought possible," She said, and Tom kissed her deeply before going on to make love to her.

    After they were done freshening up, Tom gave Adolf a call to let him know he could be on his way to pick them up, and then they both left the yacht.

    Tom took her around the resort, which was still being constructed, pointing out various buildings to her and what they were meant for.

    "I want it to be like a country club. People can only get in here strictly by membership��."

    "I''m sure not many people can afford it," Lucy cut in, and Tom nodded.

    "Exactly. That is why it has to be that way. People naturally love to have something that not everyone can have. Wealthy people are especially drawn to the exclusive. It makes them feel powerful and affluential," Tom said, and Lucy raised a brow.

    "I suppose that applies to you, too?" She asked with interest.

    "You should tell me. Does it?" He asked, and she nodded.

    "Yes. I believe you''re like that in a way, and maybe I am too, even though I''m not wealthy," she said, and he smiled.

    "You''re the most exclusive entity I''ve been drawn to," Tom said, and Lucy raised a brow.

    "What do you mean?"

    "You are exclusively mine," Tom said with a wink, and she giggled.

    "Who says you have me now?"

    "I know I do. Your actions are louder than words," he said, and she smiled as they continued down their path.

    "Perhaps I could put the yacht up for hire to those whoe to the resort. What do you think?" She asked, and Tom chuckled.

    "Why?"

    "Well, it would be a shame for it to just be sitting here waiting to be used. It should be an asset, not a liability. I''m sure it will earn me a lot of money, especially if the members of the resort club are wealthy. Besides, there should be a service like that since most people would want to cruise on the water when they''re spending time at the resort," she said reasonably, and Tom nodded in approval.

    08:47

    "You''re thinking like a business person," he said, and she arched a brow.

    "The love of my life is a businessman, so what do you expect?" She asked, and heughed softly.

    "Are you sure you want to put the yacht up for hire?" He asked, and she nodded.

    "Yes. Why? You do not want me to?" She asked, and he shook his head.

    "I told you already. It''s yours. You can do whatever you want with it. Besides, it''s a lovely idea. But I hope you realize that you would need workers to be on standby to attend to those who would hire it," Tom pointed out, and Lucy''s eyes widened as she stopped walking.

    "I didn''t think of that. I would be an employer?" She asked excitedly, and Tom chuckled.

    "Are you that happy to be an employer ofbor?" He asked, and she nodded.

    "Yes, I am. But it might be expensive to maintain," She said thoughtfully as she reached into her handbag and whipped out her journal.

    Tom watched her in amusement as she jotted down something, a frown of concentration between her brows as she murmured to herself as though she was making some mathematical calctions.

    She stopped when Tom began to chuckle and looked at him in confusion, "What?"

    "We are standing in the middle of this ce under the morning sun, darling. Can''t your budgeting wait until we get home?" He asked, and she looked around them for a minute before looking at him with a grin.

    "Sorry. I got carried away," She said as she returned her journal to her handbag while Tom simply shook his head in amusement as he continued walking.

    An hourter, Adolf arrived, and they got into the car to go home.

    "Jewel?" Tom called, and Lucy, resting her head on his shoulder, raised her head to look at him.

    "Yes?"

    "Let''s go on a dinner date," Tom said, and Lucy raised an amused brow.

    "When?"

    "Today."

    "Another date? Why? You want to be taking me out on dates every day?" Lucy asked, and Tom smiled.

    "Now that you just mentioned it, I think it''s not a bad idea at all. Let''s go out on dates every day, and when we resume work next week, it''ll be after the close of work," Tom said, and Lucy giggled.

    "You can''t be serious," She said with a shake of her head.

    "Why not? It doesn''t have to be a formal date all the time. We went for an ice cream date the other time, didn''t we? We can go on other types of dates. I''m sure we will never run out of dates," He said, and Lucyughed softly while Adolf smiled as he looked at them through the rearview mirror.

    "Okay, how about we make it three times a week? We''ve had one yesterday, and we will have er today. That leaves us with another one before the week runs out. And maybeter we can discuss a proper schedule for our dates. Maybe twice within the week and once on weekends," Lucy suggested, and Tom nodded.

    "I think that is a perfect arrangement. Let''s leave it at that. Three dates a week, it is then. It has to be this way forever, okay? You can''t change your mindter," Tom said, and when Lucy nodded in affirmation, he grinned, thinking that this way, he had secured his time with her in the future, even if they had kids together.

 Chapter 770 Sharing The Shower

    770 Sharing The Shower

    Instead of spending a day or two in Sogal as Harry had said they would, Harry and Jade ended up staying there until the end of the week after Matt had left.

    After spending a couple of days with Andy, Harry had grown to like her even more than he had the first day she came.

    Andy''s presence seemed to have made Candace happier and even more confident, too. And he liked seeing how she also made their father happy. From the way she treated and rted to Aaron, no one would ever guess that she wasn''t Aaron''s biological daughter.

    Harry was d that he had spent thest couple of days with his family, and he looked forward to spending more time with them in the future.

    Jade, on the other hand, couldn''t wait for them to go back already. She had had enough fun and had satisfied her curiosity, and now, all she wanted was to be alone with her man.

    After packing their luggage on Sunday morning, Jade looked around Harry''s bedroom, "As much as I enjoyed my time here, I can''t wait for us to get back to Ludus," Jade said as Harry picked up their luggage.

    "Is there a special reason why you can''t wait to get to Ludus? By the way, is Tom sending someone to pick you up and take you home?" He asked with a straight face as they walked out of his bedroom.

    Jade looked at him in disbelief, "Jonas��." The rest of her words were forgotten when he broke into a chuckle, and she realized he had been messing with her.

    "One of these days, I''m going to make you pay for always messing with me," she threatened.

    "I don''t mind paying. The look on your face was priceless just now. Don''t worry. I''m not going to go back on my word. You can spend a week with me as nned," he said, and she raised a brow.

    "Who said I was going to let you go back on your word? I will pull down your door if I have to," she threatened, and Harryughed out loud as they got to the living room where the others were waiting.

    "Finally, you are ready to leave. I''ve been waiting for so long to be rid of you," Candace said the moment she saw them, and Harry chuckled.

    "I know you are going to miss me more than anyone else," Harry said confidently.

    "I won''t. I doubt I will even notice that you''ve gone," Candace said flippantly.

    "Didn''t you say it is wrong to tell lies? Why are you lying to Uncle Harry?" Jamal asked, and Harry, Aaron, and Andy chuckled while Candace raised a brow.

    "What is your mom lying about, Jam?" Harry asked sweetly.

    "I heard her and Aunt Andy talking about how they miss Matt and will miss you very much when you leave," Jamal said, and the othersughed while Candace scowled.

    "You were eavesdropping��."

    "I wasn''t. I heard you talking about it when I came to the kitchen to get a bottle of water for Grandpa," Jamal said defensively.

    "So, you are going to miss me. You don''t have to be shy about it. Admit it, baby sis," Harry said as he yfully ced an arm around Candace''s shoulders, and she pushed him away.

    "Be on your way already. I don''t want you to miss your flight and have to stay an extra day," Candace said with a scowl.

    "If you insist. But before I leave, there is something I need to do," Harry said, and just then, he received a call.

    "Yeah. You''re outside? I will be right out," Harry said before hanging up.

    "I can leave now. Let''s go," Harry said, and Jade raised a brow.

    "What do you need to do?" She asked, and he jerked his head outside.

    "You will see," he said as he led the way outside.

    Once they got outside, they saw two cars parked outside. One of them was a brand new convertible, and immediately the drivers saw them, they stepped out of the cars.

    The driver who drove the BMW approached Harry with the car key and handed it to him, "It''s not mine. It''s hers," Harry said, jerking his head to Candace.

    Candace''s eyes widened as she took the car key from the driver, "What? Mine? How?" She asked in confusion.

    "Jamal asked Tom to get you a car, remember? It''s a gift from Tom. We''ve got to go now," Harry said while Jamal screeched happily as he ran to the car, tugging Andy''s hand toe with him.

    Andy snatched the key from Candace and ran with Jamal to check out the car while Aaron smiled as he watched the stunned look on Candace''s face.

    Too bad that Tom had beat him to getting Candace a car.

    "Be good," Harry said to Candace and his dad, but before he could turn around, Candace embraced him.

    "Take care of yourself," she said and pulled away to look at Jade.

    "Between the both of you, I don''t know who annoys me most. Make sure you take care of him," Candace said before pulling her in for a hug.

    "And who is going to take care of me? Will you tell him to take care of me?" Jade asked, and Harry raised a brow.

    "Do I need to be told to do that? We should leave now," Harry said, and both men who had brought the cars carried their luggage into the other car to drive them to the airport, where their jet was waiting.

    "Take care of yourself, my soon-to-be father-inw," Jade said as she embraced Aaron, and he chuckled as he hugged her back while Harry shook his head.

    "He hasn''t even asked you to marry him yet. Do you know if he is going to change his mind and��."

    "I will kill him if he does. If you don''t want to be twin brotherless, advise him not to mess with me," Jade threatened.

    "For awyer, you sure make a lot of uwyerly threats," Harry said as he took her hand and pulled her with him so they could leave.

    Candace shook her head as she watched them leave, "She is always so needy and clingy."

    "That''s exactly the kind of partner your brother deserves. And I didn''t hear youin when Matt was over you all through his time here. You seemed to enjoy it a lot," Aaron said with a teasing smile, and Candace scowled at him, making him chuckle.

    "Take care of yourself, favorite sister. See you in Ludus soon," Harry called to Andy, who was busy checking out Candace''s new car.

    "I''m going to miss you, Harry. And you too, Jade," Andy said before they could get into the car, and they both waved at her.

    "Same here," Jade called back.

    "Tell Tom and Lucy that I love them," Jamal called out to Harry.

    "You will have to tell them that yourself, Buddy. Have your mom call them," Harry called back before getting into the backseat of the car with Jade while the other man sat in the front passenger seat.

    As the driver drove off, Jade rested her head on Harry''s shoulder, "Finally," she whispered, and Harry smiled.

    By the time they arrived at Harry''s apartment in Ludus some hourster, it was already evening, so they decided to order dinner.

    The anticipation hung thick in the air as Harry and Jade stepped into Harry''s apartment. The cozy familiarity of his space brought a sense of joy and relief, and Jade couldn''t help but feel a flutter of excitement about the prospect of spending their first night alone together.

    The moment they stepped into Harry''s bedroom, Harry set down their luggage while Jade dropped her handbag on the bed and fell face down on the bed.

    Harry watched in amusement as she sniffed his sheets.

    "It''s so wonderful to finally be alone with you in here without the fear of anyone hearing us," Jade said after she sat up to look at him, and Harry chuckled.

    He found it amusing that that was the first thought on her mind.

    "Is that all you ever think about?" Harry asked, and Jade raised a brow.

    "Is what all I ever think about?" Jade asked innocently.

    "Having sex with me?"

    "It''s not sex. It''s lovemaking. And no, that''s not all I think about. I also think about getting married to you and having your kids. And you know I can''t have your kids if you don''t make love to me, so that makes me think of making love to you so much," Jade said, and Harryughed out loud.

    "You''re too cute for your own good, esquire," Harry said, and Jade smiled.

    "Am I?"

    "Yes, you are. You effortlessly make me smile, and I find you very sexy," Harry said, and Jade rose from the bed and catwalked slowly to meet him.

    "Really?" She drawled as she tried to strike a sexy pose, and Harry grinned.

    "Really. Now, before you think about anything else, let''s go freshen up," Harry said, cing his forefinger on the top of her head to turn her around before she could kiss him.

    "Didn''t you just say I''m sexy?" She asked with a pout.

    "Yes, I did. But that doesn''t mean I''m going to let you have your way with me so easily," Harry said, and Jade snorted.

    "You won''t let me have my way with you? I''m going to make you pay for all of this," Jade promised.

    "I will be looking forward to it. For now, why don''t you go shower?" He asked, and she frowned.

    "Alone? Why? We have been showering together this whole time when we were at my family''s house and yours, so why do we have to do so separately now that we have all the privacy in the world?" Jade asked with displeasure.

    "Because someone needs to be in the living room to get the door when our dinner is delivered, and I need to quickly take care of something," Harry exined easily.

    "Well, there is no hurry, is there? We can wait together and shower together after dinner has been delivered. Or you can handle whatever you need to handle while I wait to get the dinner," she said, and the doorbell rang.

    "See? I will get the door while you handle your business," She said, shing him a bright smile as she went to get the door.

    Harry rubbed his chin as a thought urred to him, and he walked into the bathroom.

    "So, are you��." Jade paused mid-sentence when she returned to the bedroom and didn''t see Harry, and her eyes narrowed when she heard water running in the bathroom.

    "Harry, you are not having your shower without me, are��. Oh, wow!" she whispered softly, forgetting the rest of her earlier statement when she saw Harry running them a bath, and the only source of light in the bathroom was a couple of lit scented candles.

    Candles flickered, casting a soft glow over the room, and the scent ofvender bath salts lingered in the air. The bathtub, brimming with warm water, awaited them.

    "You got our dinner?" Harry asked, and Jade bobbed her head, unable to get her lips to work.

    "I take it you would like a warm bath with me instead of a shower?" He asked when he saw how speechless she was, and once again, she bobbed her head.

    "Say something," Harry said, and Jade smiled.

    "I''m so happy my throat stopped working," she said, and Harry chuckled.

    "You''re always too easy to impress, esquire. Little things touch you so much," he said, and she nodded.

    "I guess I should make it harder for you to impress me. That water is calling to me," Jade said as she stepped out of her clothes, and Harry shook his head as he straightened and picked up her clothes.

    Harry neatly folded her clothes and ced them in theundry basket before easing out of his and doing the same.

    Together, they eased into the soothing embrace of the bath, the water creating a cocoon of tranquility around them.

    Jade sighed softly as she leaned back against Harry, captivated by the intimacy of the moment. She couldn''t help but marvel at the simple joy of sharing a quiet bath with someone special.

    They both sat there in silence, enjoying the warmth of the water, and as the water began to cook, Harry kissed Jade''s nape softly, and her eyelids drifted shut as she arched her neck.

    "Want a massage?" He asked as he raised his hand to massage her shoulders, and she moaned.

    "Oh, that feels so good," Jade groaned.

    "Really? Wait till I give you a full body massage," Harry said, and Jade turned.

    "Will you?"

    "Yeah. We have the house to ourselves, remember?" He asked, and she grinned.

    "Harry," she called breathlessly when she felt his hand go around her to the spot between her thighs.

    "I''ve always wondered what it would be like to do this with you," Harry said in a husky voice as he slowly fingered her while kissing her ear.

    "Do what?" Jade asked, unable to think clearly.

    "Finger love you in a bathtub. You know I would have said finger fuck, but that''s too crude a word for my preciousdy," Harry said as he slid a finger into her, and she gasped softly as she adjusted against him.

    "Tell me, how does this feel? How do you feel?" Harry whispered into her ear as he continued to use his finger on her, and Jade trembled.

    "Harry, I��." Her voice cracked.

    "Go on," Harry urged her.

    She cleared her throat, "I can''t. Not when your hand is in there, and I can feel your erection. And you better not get me started tonight if you''re not going to go all the way," Jade warned as she pulled away from him and moved to the other side to sit opposite him.

    "Who said I won''t go all the way?"

    "Don''t mess with me, Harry," she said, and Harry smiled as he watched her.

    "Alright," He said as he stepped out of the bathtub.

    He picked up a towel before offering his hand to Jade to help her get out, too, and once she did, he handed her the towel.

    They both dried their bodies as they returned to the bedroom, and Harry walked into his closet to get something to wear.

    Harry stepped out a momentter wearing boxer briefs, and Jade, who was busy applying her night face cream, felt her heart skip several beats when she realized he was holding her whitece thong in his hand.

    "Harry?" She asked, and he grinned.

    "Remember what I told you? (chapter 499)," he asked, and she nodded.

    "Will you let me put it on for you?" He asked, and she nodded eagerly again, with a wide smile on her face.

 Chapter 771 Very Impressed

    771 Very Impressed

    As Harry stooped in front of Jade to put on her panties, she stopped him, "Wait," she said, and Harry gave her a questioning look.

    "Are you sure you''re not doing this because I''ve put too much pressure on you? Is this really what you want? Now?" She asked, and Harry nodded.

    "Yes. I don''t think I can wait any longer to have you," Harry confessed, and Jade grinned as she stepped away from him.

    "When I said I was going to make you pay for all of that, I didn''t realize it was going to be so soon," Jade said, and Harry raised a brow.

    "I won''t let you have your way with me. Let''s go have dinner. I''m famished," Jade said as she walked over to her luggage to get something to wear.

    "Really, Jade? We both know you want me as much as I want you��."

    "That didn''t stop you from ying hard to get this whole time, so why should it stop me? I think I would prefer to wait until our wedding night," Jade called back at him.

    "You can''t be serious," Harry said incredulously as he followed her.

    "I am dead serious," Jade assured him with a bright smile, "So you can keep it. Sniff it and use it to jerk off or do whatever you want until then," Jade said, and Harry stared at her in disbelief as she put on a ckce thong and an oversized tank top over it.

    "Let''s go have dinner," Jade said as she walked past Harry.

    She hummed a happy tune as she headed for the living room, feeling really pleased with herself for turning Harry down. He should have a taste of his own medicine.

    As much as she wanted him and was happy that he was ready now, she didn''t want him to think she would always let him call all the shots in their rtionship. He just couldn''t say he didn''t want sex this whole time and then change his mind now and expect her to jump for joy.

    Harry shook his head as he watched her leave. If that was how she wanted to y it, then it was fine by him, Harry decided as he dropped it on the bed, put on a polo shirt, and followed her.

    "Let''s see a movie as we eat," Jade suggested, and Harry agreed.

    They both settled for a ro on Netflix, and they ate inpanionable silence.

    Jade wondered what was going on in Harry''s mind as they ate, and oftentimes, she would steal a nce at him, but each time she did that, Harry''s gaze was fixed on the television.

    Was he mad or disappointed that she had turned him down? She mused as she kept stealing nces at him.

    "Is there a reason you keep staring at me?" Harry asked without turning to look at her.

    "Who says I''m staring at you?" She asked, and Harry turned to look at her.

    08:49

    "Is there a reason you can''t admit that you are staring at your boyfriend?"

    "Okay, fine, I was staring. What''s going on in your head?" She asked, and he shrugged.

    "Nothing, really. I''m just focused on the movie," Harry said as he rose to go dispose the takeout packs.

    "Be right back," he said as he walked away.

    "Are you mad at me?" Jade asked when he returned a momentter, and he turned to look at her incredulously.

    "Why would I be mad?" He asked, and she shrugged.

    "Maybe you''re disappointed��."

    "Come here," Harry said, and she scooted closer to him.

    "I can''t be mad at you over such a minute and insignificant thing. I''m actually amused and impressed. I''d like to see how long you''re able to hold out," Harry said as he cuddled her close so they could resume the movie.

    "You are not going to beg me or try to convince me to change my mind?" Jade asked with a slight frown.

    "Is that what you want me to do?" he asked, and when she shrugged, he chuckled.

    "Well, I won''t," he said, and she pulled away.

    "Why not? I thought you wanted it?"

    "I do, but that doesn''t mean I''m going to beg you for it," he said easily, and Jade pouted.

    "That''s what I get for loving you more than you love me."

    "Do you really think you love me more than I love you?" Harry asked incredulously.

    "Yes, I do. I''m the one who is always clingy and looking for ways to spend more time with you. You don''t really care whether or not we spend more time together," Jade said, and Harry raised a brow.

    "Do you honestly think so?" he asked again, and she shrugged without meeting his gaze.

    "Why do you think I traveled down to Heden to spend time with you before the funeral?" Harry asked as he ced a finger under her chin to raise her head so she would look at him.

    "You tell me," she said, and Harry nodded.

    "I did that because even though I was with my family while you were away, it didn''t feel like home without you. I didn''t want to spend any more time away from you, and that was why I flew down there to meet you ahead of my schedule. I might not be as vocal as you when ites to expressing my feelings, but take it from me when I say you do not want or desire me more than I long for you. This whole time, I''ve never had a problem with controlling my emotions and standing by my principles, but when I''m with you, the lines between what I want and what I should not do blur until all that is left is my desire for you," Harry said as he held her gaze.

    "If what you want now is for us to wait, then I don''t mind waiting," Harry said, and this time, Jade shook her head.

    "No. I just wanted you to feel bad a little and beg me," she said, and Harry smiled.

    "I don''t feel bad, and I won''t beg you. Not because I don''t want you, but because I know that you will eventually be mine. I don''t mind waiting, no matter how difficult it is to wait," he said, and she sighed.

    "Alright. Fine. Give me a moment. I need to ease myself," Jade said as she rose to leave.

    Less than five minutester, she returned, wearing just the whitece pants, "You didn''t get to put it on me, but you can take it off me," she said, and Harry smiled as he looked her over.

    She didn''t seem embarrassed at all to be standing in front of him, blocking his view of the television with her und body.

    His gaze lingered on her boobs, and slowly it moved down to her abdomen and then her pelvis before going down her legs.

    "Are you just going to sit there and stare?" She asked, feeling a bit self-conscious.

    "Pardon me. I want to do more than stare, but you are so beautiful and sexy that I can''t help but stare. I want to memorize every inch of it," he said, and Jade bit her lower lip.

    "Need me to turn around then? So you can memorize my backside as well?" She asked, and Harry grinned.

    "Would you do that?" He asked, and she shrugged.

    "I don''t see why not. We have all night. And maybe when I''m done, you will do the same and let me memorize every inch of you," she said with a wink, and Harry chuckled.

    "I think we need music and wine for this," Harry said, and Jade smiled.

    "That sounds romantic. I will put on the music. You can get us something to drink," Jade said, and as Harry rose to go do that, she stopped him.

    "Jonas?" She called, and Harry raised a brow.

    "Have I ever told you that alcohol makes me extra horny?" She asked with a naughty smile, and he grinned.

    "I can''t wait to find out for myself," he said as he headed to the bar to bring them a bottle of wine and two sses.

    "Let''s get wasted," Jade said in a singsong voice as Harry returned, and he shook his head.

    "You know I can''t get wasted. I''m resuming work tomorrow. You can since you don''t have to resume yet until after our vacation," Harry said as he poured some wine into their sses.

    "Too bad. I wish we hade back yesterday. I would love to see you get wasted. Have you ever been drunk?" She asked as she received the ss he handed her while he returned to his seat with his ss.

    "Once," Harry said, and Jade raised a brow.

    "Really? What did you do?" She asked in surprise since she couldn''t imagine someone like him to be drunk.

    "I''m still drunk as we speak. Drunk in love with you," he said with a wink, and Jade giggled.

    "I thought you were being serious. You''re so silly," she said as she drank from her wine.

    "I''m being serious," Harry said as he did the same.

    "Now you just gave me an idea," Jade said, and then she drank all the content of her ss and set it aside before picking up her phone to change the song she had chosen.

    Harry chuckled when he heard the first lyrics of the song;

    I''ve been drinking, I''ve been drinking

    I get filthy when that liquor get into me

    I''ve been thinking, I''ve been thinking

    Why can''t I keep my fingers off it?

    Baby, I want you, na-na

    Why can''t I keep my fingers off it?

    Baby, I want you, na-na

    "Drunk in love, huh? Like it?" Jade asked with a wink as she turned her back to him and wiggled her ass.

    "God, I love you," Harry said as he watched her perform for him.

    Jade danced over to where he was seated, and she took his ss from him. Harry watched as she gulped down the entire content of his ss, too, and she set it on the stool beside the couch before returning to Harry.

    Harry smiled as she reached for the helm of his polo shirt and raised it. He raised his arms to let her take it off, and she threw it on the other couch.

    "Do you want us to do it here?" He asked, and she nodded.

    "Unless you don''t want your first time to be here. If you want it to be special, we can go to the bedroom," Jade suggested, and Harry shook his head.

    "It''s already special because I''m doing it with you," Harry assured her as he ran his hand down her back.

    "Aww. That''s��." Harry shut her up with a kiss, making it clear the time for talking was over.

    Jade returned his kiss without hesitation, and they both kissed passionately, sucking out the taste of the wine on each other''s lips and tongues.

    Their breathing was rugged as Harry rose with her still straddled on hisp, and he made her sit on the couch before breaking the kiss.

    Jade watched with questioning eyes as he knelt in front of her and lifted her right leg. She shut her eyes when he kissed her toes one after the other, making her entire body buzz with heat.

    Even though Harry wanted nothing more than to tear off herce thong and bury himself inside her so he could feel her moist heat, he chose to take his time.

    It might not be her first time, but it was her first time with him, and he wanted to make it worth it for her since he didn''t know if she had enjoyed her first time, and really, he didn''t care to ask. He hoped she didn''t. He wanted to give her a memorable first time with him.

    Harry slowly kissed his way up her thighs, eliciting moans from her as he moved further up with his hands caressing her legs.

    Although Jade felt useless since she could do nothing but sit still and let him do his thing, she couldn''t deny that she enjoyed what he was doing and how he was focused on pleasuring her and not on receiving pleasure like Todd used to do.

    Harry kissed his way up to the point where her legs joined, and Jade''s clits throbbed expectantly as it waited to receive the same attention her toes had gotten, but Harry only kissed her folds and moved to the second thigh, making Jade swear, while Harry chuckled as he continued, undeterred by her impatience.

    "For Christ''s sake, Harry!" Jadeined.

    "What''s the hurry? I have to worship your body, my goddess," Harry said as he looked up at her, and Jade almost swallowed her tongue when she saw the undisguised desire in his eyes.

    His lids were heavy with lust, and his brown eyes now looked like melted chocte. He was looking at her with bedroom eyes, and it made her ovary clench in anticipation.

    Harry returned his attention to her other leg, and he took his time kissing every part of it and marking it as his own.

    Once he was done, he kissed her leg back up again and hesitated over her slit. He kissed it once again and moved up to her abdomen while letting his fingers attend to her pussy through the covering of her undies.

    By now, Jade was a horny mess, and with how wet she was, she knew that if she rose, the outline of her Vijay would be seen on the couch, thanks to her overflowing juices.

    Harry kissed her navel and rained kisses all over her abdomen as he slowly made his way to her boobs.

    Jade gasped loudly when his lips covered her left nipple, sending shock waves over her body.

    As Harry licked and nibbled on her nipple while still pleasuring her with his fingers, she felt the first wave of orgasm hit her, and this time, she didn''t need to worry about being heard as she cried out loudly.

    Harry didn''t bother shutting her up. Instead, he stopped sucking her nipple and just gazed at her with a wide smile as he watched her writhing in pleasure.

    "What are you grinning about?" She asked in amusement.

    "You. I told you, I love how you look when you orgasm. I could get addicted to making you orgasm just to watch you," he said as he pulled back to take off her undies.

    "You are sure you want to do this on the couch?" She asked, and Harry grinned.

    "I actually want it against the wall," he said with a wink, and her ovaries throbbed again as heat surged over her again.

    "You''re so damn sexy," she said lustfully, and he smiled as he rose to take off his boxer briefs.

    Jade swallowed as she admired his body, but he didn''t let her watch for too long as he picked her up again, and she wrapped her legs around him as he possessed her lips once again.

    Although she wanted to ask him to let her have a good look at him, she decided there would always be time for that. Right now, she just really wanted him to scratch her itch. It has been too long already.

    They continued to kiss as Harry carried her to the closest wall in the living room, and with her back pressed against the wall, Harry slowly thrust in, and they both moaned as he filled her up with his entire length.

    "Are you okay? Is it okay?" He asked as he broke the kiss to look at Jade''s face, and her heart melted once again.

    Todd had never paid such attention to her. He had never spent time on forey. And no matter how dry she was, she neverined as she let him have his way with her even though sometimes she ended up having bruises.

    "Sugar?" Harry called softly when he noticed she seemed to be thinking about something, and Jade swallowed as she focused on him and shed him a smile before nodding.

    This was the wettest she had ever been before sex, and even though she felt tempted to divulge that information to him, she knew it wouldn''t be cool to let him know she was thinking about her past experience and makingparisons. It didn''t matter that he was a better lover.

    "Go on," Jade urged Harry as she buried her face in the crook of his neck and kissed his body.

    With every thrust that Harry made, Jade moaned in pleasure, and she kissed and bit his neck as he increased his pace.

    Even though Harry wanted to spend all night making love to her and giving her countless orgasms, it didn''t take long before he ejacted, and he quickly pulled out of her and let her down as he let his sperm spurt on the floor.

    "So, you''re officially no longer a virgin, huh? I took your virginity," Jade said with a proud smile as she watched him.

    "Sorry, I came so soon without satisfying you��."

    "You have all night to make it up to me. Do you think you''re up to the task?" Jade asked with a wink, and Harry smiled.

    "Why don''t we find out?" He asked as he turned her around so that she was facing the wall, and he held both her hands up against the wall with his left hand while his right hand held her waist.

    "I''m impressed. Very impressed," Jade said in a breathy voice, turned on by the mere position.

    Harry thrust into her from behind, and it didn''t take long before he threw her over the apex of pleasure. From there, he made love to her on the floor and the bed and in the shower until they were both totally spent before calling it a night.

    I��m sorry for the inconsistent updates. I��m back to daily uploads now. I was trying to join the new contest with mytest story as this one is graduallying to an end.

    Also, I have a little question for y��all. Would you like to read Jamal and Dawn��s story as a stand-alone book, or would you prefer I continue it here as a new volume?

    If you��re interested in a Body swap romance story, then I suggest you add up my new book.

    Soul Swap: Ex With Benefits

    Miss_Behaviour

 Chapter 772 Back To Work

    <h4>Chapter 772 Back To Work</h4>

    772 Back To Work

    After spending thest couple of days alone with Tom in his house, having fun and being naughty together, Lucy was feeling very satisfied and well-rested when they arrived at the office on Monday morning.

    "Feeling reluctant to get down? Want to go back home with me so we can spend some more time together alone?" Tom teased when Lucy remained seated in the car minutes after he had parked in his private parking lot.

    Lucy giggled, "Can we do that?" Lucy asked, and Tom chuckled.

    "I thought you would protest," Tom said, and Lucy sighed.

    "I think I spent so much time with you that I''m not so enthusiastic to get back to work. I''d rather spend every second with you than sit behind a desk thinking of you. What have you done to me, Thomas Hank?" She asked, and Tom chuckled.

    "The feeling is mutual," Tom said, and Lucy shook her head.

    "We better get back to work mode, Mr. CEO. I love having a wealthy boyfriend," Lucy said, and Tom arched a brow.

    "I thought you loved me better when I was just your broke driver?" He asked, and she shrugged.

    "I thought so, too, but I''vee to realize that I love the real you more. It''s not my fault that the real you is so wealthy, is it?" She asked with a grin, and heughed.

    "We better get out of the car now before I''m forced to reverse it," she threatened.

    "You''re not the one driving. You can''t put it on reverse," Tom pointed out.

    "But I can put the driver on reverse, can''t I?" Lucy asked with a wink, and Tom chuckled as he unlocked the doors.

    "You can, but since I have a lot to do today, I''d better take your advise and get going since I don''t want you to have a broke boyfriend," Tom said before getting out of the car, and Lucyughed as she did the same.

    "So, we are going on a date after work today, remember?" Tom asked since they had both settled for their weekly dates to be on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

    "Sure. Where are we going today?" She asked as they got into his private elevator.

    "Do you have somewhere in mind you''d love me to take you?" He asked, and she shook her head.

    "I''m not sure. You know what? Surprise me," she said, and Tom smiled.

    "I like the sound of that," he said as they got into his office.

    "Alright. I should head to my office now. If you need your part-time secretary, let me know," she said with a wink.

    "You can just work from here as a director, you know?" He asked, and she smiled.

    "If I do that now that everyone knows the nature of our rtionship, they will all assume that I''m just here to warm your desk and get promoted, not work," Lucy said, and Tom chuckled at her use of desk instead of bed.

    "I could resign and give you my position if you do a good job warming my desk," Tom joked, and they bothughed.

    "I guess I will see you during lunch break. I love you," Lucy said as she stepped forward to kiss him.

    She broke the kiss and stepped back quickly before Tom could deepen the kiss, "Bye," she said as she headed for the door.

    "I love you more," Tom called to her.

    As Lucy walked into her office, she saw Amy organizing some files on her desk, and she smiled, happy to have her back.

    "It''s good to have you back," Lucy said, and Amy turned to her.

    "Good morning, Director Perry," Amy greeted politely.

    "It''s Lucy, Amy. Good morning. How are you?" Lucy asked, remembering what Tom had said about it being strange that Amy would leave her best friend''s side just because she had her family with her.

    "I''m fine. You look rxed and happy," Amy observed since she had never seen Lucy looking that way before.

    "That''s because I am rxed and happy," Lucy said as she took off her zer and hung it on the coat rack before taking her seat behind her desk.

    "I took the liberty to look through all the documents and highlighted the important parts and attached notes at the side so you wouldn''t have to go through it all. All that is required is your approval and feedback," Amy said while Lucy watched her face.

    "It''s good to have you back," Lucy said again as she watched Amy, and even though Amy had a smile pasted on her face, Lucy didn''t miss the sadness in her eyes.

    "Is something wrong?" Lucy asked, and Amy''s brows pulled together in confusion.

    "What?" She asked, not understanding what Lucy was asking her.

    "Please sit down for a moment," Lucy said, and Amy did as she requested.

    She couldn''t help wondering what Lucy wanted to discuss.

    "How is your best friend doing?" Lucy asked, and Amy''s heart skipped a beat.

    Her first instinct was to lie and say Miley was fine, but she couldn''t lie about something like that, so she sighed, "Not good," Amy confessed without meeting Lucy''s gaze.

    She wondered how much Lucy knew and how much Lucas must have told his sister.

    "Then why are you here right now? Didn''t you say you wanted to be with her until the end?" Lucy asked in concern, and Amy nodded.

    "She has her family with her. She needs them more now, not me," Amy managed to say.

    Lucy frowned, unable to understand the logic, "How does her family being with her stop you from staying beside her? They are her family, and you are her best friend. You all have different roles. Are they here in Ludus?" She asked, thinking that her action would make more sense if her best friend was admitted in a hospital here, and while her family spent the day with her, Amy spent time with her after work.

    "No. They are in Heden," Amy said, and Lucy shook her head.

    "I''m sorry for asking so many questions. But why are you really here? Did you think that I would give your job away if you are away for too long? I remember how upset you were when you found out about her condition, so I can''t understand why you would choose toe back to work when she is still fighting for her life," Lucy said, and Amy looked down at her hands which were now sped on her thigh as she tried to fight back her tears.

    "I don''t have a choice," she managed to say.

    "Why do you mean? Why don''t you have a choice? Did something happen?" Lucy asked with a concerned frown, and Amy, who had been trying hard not to give in to her tears, broke into a sob, startling Lucy, who had not expected that.

    Immediately, Lucy rose from her seat and went around her desk to console her, "I''m sorry. I really didn''t mean to pry. You just looked so sad, and I couldn''t help but ask," Lucy said as she gently patted her shoulder.

    "You don''t have to say anything if it''s a painful topic," Lucy assured her as she reached for the box of tissues on her desk and handed it to Amy.

    After Amy had exhausted her tears, she looked at Lucy, who was still seated beside her, "I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to��."

    "You don''t have to apologize for your tears, Amy. It''s okay to cry. Tears are a healthy way to reduce the pressure on the heart," Lucy said with a kind smile.

    "I came back because her parents won''t let me go anywhere close to her. They are mad that I kept Miley''s health a secret from them. They think I didn''t tell them about Miley''s condition because I wanted to dupe Miley," Amy said, and Lucy frowned.

    "What about Miley? Can''t she tell them the truth?" Lucy asked, and Amy looked up to blink back the fresh tears that had formed once again.

    Even though Amy wasn''t the type to share her problem with others, she was dying instead and needed to confide in someone about what was going on with her.

    "I don''t think she can do that. She is in a critical condition now and can''t even speak," Amy said and went on to tell Lucy all that had happened and, how Miley had copsed before they could go see her parents and how Malone had told Miley''s parents about everything so they would give him money.

    "Oh, dear! You didn''t have toe back to work in this state! How can you even concentrate on anything here with all that is going on with you?" Lucy asked, and Amy shook her head.

    "I need the distraction, else I''m afraid I might go crazy," Amy said, and Lucy sighed.

    "The pregnancy is not confirmed yet, right? Don''t you think you should consider an abortion like your mother suggested? The odds do not favor you. Apart from the fact that the baby''s father turned out to be such an asshole, and he''s not someone I think you will want to be tied to through a kid forever, I don''t think you should ruin your rtionship with your mom over this. Miley''s family has made it clear that they want no part in this. Do you think you''d be content with being a single mom? Carrying a baby that isn''t rted to you biologically?" Lucy asked with a concerned frown.

    "But the baby would be biologically rted to Miley. I made a promise to her. I don''t want to break it simply because the odds do not favor me. And who knows? Maybe after the childes, Miley''s parents might want to meet him or her since it would be all that is left of Miley apart from her memories," Amy said with a sniffle, and Lucy sighed.

    "It''s a tough decision, though. But if that is what you really want, then I guess you should go for it. If you need someone to talk to or you need anything. Anything at all, don''t hesitate toe to me, okay?" Lucy said, and Amy''s eyes swelled up with tears again.

    "Thank you so much, Lucy. This means a lot to me," She said, and Lucy waved it off.

    "It''s the least I can do. You were here for me twice when I had no one else on my side," Lucy said, remembering how Amy had been the only one in her team to give her the benefit of the doubt over the scandal thest time.

    Amy had also been the one who had picked her up from the hospital and taken her home to fix breakfast for her after Tom abandoned her at the hospital the first time she told him about her experience with Jamie.

    As Amy rose to leave, Lucy looked at her and could tell she had something to say, "Do you need me to do something?" Lucy asked, and Amy hesitated for a moment.

    "If it''s not too much to ask, can you please keep our conversation away from Lucas? I don''t want him to know about my situation and how things turned out," Amy said, and Lucy nodded.

    "Sure. But speaking of Lucas, wouldn''t it be helpful if he knew about this development? He could help you speak with Miley''s parents and exin things to them since he knows��." Lucy stopped when Amy shook her head.

    "No. I don''t want him to know anything about this," Amy said quickly, and Lucy raised a brow.

    "Are you saying that because you think he must still be mad at you? If he knows about your situation, he won''t hesitate to help you straighten things out," Lucy said, but Amy shook her head.

    "I don''t want his help. Please do not tell him anything about this," Amy pleaded, and Lucy sighed.

    "Alright then. If that''s what you want, my lips are sealed," she promised, and Amy gave her a nod before walking away.

 Chapter 773 A Vampire’s Bite

    <h4>Chapter 773 A Vampire��s Bite</h4>

    773 A Vampire��s Bite

    Tom raised a brow when his office door opened, and Harry walked in wearing a muffler around his neck.

    "Is this the new fashion trend, or am I missing something?" Tom asked, and Harry shrugged.

    "I''m feeling cold," Harry said as he strode in and took the seat opposite Tom.

    "You don''t look cold to me. Why do I feel like you''re trying to hide something?" Tom asked with narrowed eyes.

    Harry shrugged, "I wonder why. Jamal loved the car. He asked me to tell you that he loves you," Harry said, changing the subject.

    "Yeah. I heard from them yesterday. I love him, too, but why does that sound like you''re changing the subject? Harry Jonas, what are you covering under that muffler?" Tom asked with amused interest.

    "I''m not covering anything," Harry said as he involuntarily adjusted the muffler on his neck.

    Tom chuckled, "Is it what I think it is?" He asked, and Harry raised a brow.

    "And what do you think it is?"

    "A vampire''s bite. I guess you were bitten by a vampire. No wonder you look so exhausted. Are you transitioning? Do I need to be worried?" Tom asked, licking his teeth dramatically as he rubbed his own neck.

    Harry resisted the urge tough, "You''re an idiot. Vampires don''t exist."

    "Oh, but they do! How else do you exin why you''re covering your neck by wearing that hideous muffler? Or is it something else? Perhaps a feisty female��."

    "Shut up," Harry hissed as his ears burned, and Tom chuckled.

    "I take it you finally did it," Tom said excitedly, and even though Harry wanted to talk about it deep down, he shook his head.

    "You are weird. How can you be wanting to have such a conversation with your younger sister''s boyfriend?" Harry asked, and Tom shook his head.

    "Don''t you dare do that! I''m having a conversation with my best friend! Do you have any idea how long I''ve been waiting to hear about your first experience and what you think about sex? I''m not going to let you deprive me of the pleasure. Let''s forget for a moment that she is my sister��."

    "I can''t forget that she is your sister. If you wanted so much to hear about my sexual experience, you shouldn''t have let me be with your sister," Harry said, and Tom red at him.

    "I''m not asking for details, for crying out loud! I told you my experience, remember?" Tom said, and Harry shrugged.

    "You didn''t have sex with my sister, so that doesn''t count," Harry said, and Tom scowled.

    "You didn''t even have a sister then��."

    "So, would you have had sex with my sister if I had one before you met Lucy?" Harry asked, and Tom chuckled.

    "I know what you''re trying to do. You are trying to distract me from the subject by asking me ridiculous questions. Lucy is your cousin��."

    "We''ve never discussed your sexual life with her. And now that I think about it, you didn''t even tell me you took her home from the club when you first met," Harry said, and Tom sighed.

    "I''m not asking you to discuss your sexual life. I just want to know about your first experience��."

    "Why are you so sure that I did anything anyway?" Harry asked, and Tom sighed.

    "I''m beginning to believe I made a mistake by allowing you to date my sister. Maybe I need to get a new best friend. This friendship is boring now that you''re with my sister," Tom said, and Harry spread his hands.

    "Be my guest. I think I need a new best friend, too," Harry said easily.

    "Good luck with that. Let me know how it goes when you find one," Tom said, and Harry raised a brow.

    "Why would I do that?"

    "Because I have to interview him and make sure he is a good enough best friend for you. That''s the least I can do as your best friend before handing you over to someone else," Tom said, and they both chuckled.

    "So? Was it worth the wait?" Tom asked, and Harry grinned.

    "Sure it was. Let''s talk about business now. We have to transfer your grandfather''s shares to you now," Harry said, wanting to change the subject, and Tom let him.

    Just like that, they both got into business mode.

    Away from there, in Lucy''s office, she couldn''t help but be thankful for the summaries that Amy had made on the documents that needed her approval.

    It made her work much easier, and even as she was d that Amy was back, a part of her felt guilty for being d that Amy was back now that she knew why Amy had returned earlier than nned.

    Since she was done with the bulk of work on her desk, she decided to give Sonia a call and find out how she was doing, but just as she picked up her phone, it started ringing, and she smiled when she saw that the call was from Lucas.

    "Hey, Lukey!" Lucy greeted pleasantly once she received the call.

    "Hey, LuLu! How are you and my soon-to-be brother-inw?" Lucas asked, and Lucyughed.

    "You can''t call him that until after I''ve proposed to him, and he has epted," Lucy pointed out.

    "What I choose to call him, and when I choose to, is my business," Lucas said, and Lucy rolled her eyes.

    "Whatever. Just don''t ruin my surprise by letting him hear you."

    "He won''t hear me unless you ce our call on speaker when he is with you," Lucas said reasonably.

    "Whatever. So, what''s up? I know you didn''t call me just to know how we are doing," Lucy asked, and Lucas didn''t bother denying it.

    "True. Are you in your office now?" Lucas asked hesitantly.

    "Yes. Why?" Lucy asked curiously, and Lucas cleared his throat.

    "Well,st time we spoke, you mentioned something about Amying back to work, so I wanted to know if she had resumed," Lucas said ufortably, and Lucy smiled when she heard the concern in his voice.

    She had known he would be concerned regardless of what happened between them or how mad he had been. Lucas had a heart of gold, after all.

    "Yes, she has resumed," Lucy said easily.

    "How is she doing? Is she okay? Did she tell you why she came back so soon?" Lucas asked curiously, even though he had heard from Doctor Drew already and knew what had transpired between her and Miley''s parents.

    "Why don''t you call her and ask her about it if you''re so concerned about her?" Lucy suggested, and Lucas scowled.

    "I''m not concerned about her. And it was a simple yes or no question," Lucas said, and Lucy smiled.

    "And I choose not to answer. If you are so interested in their well-being, give Amy a call. It''s as simple as that," She said, and Lucas shook his head.

    "Thest time I took your advice and met with them, it didn''t end well, so I won''t be listening to you. Also, I''m not interested in their well-being or anything. I was merely asking, you know, for humanity''s sake," Lucas said, and Lucy snorted.

    "Yeah, right," Lucy said dryly.

    "I''m serious. I have my own baggage, and I definitely can''t add theirs to it. I was only asking because I can''t turn a blind eye when I know how close those two are. And as a medical doctor, I��."

    "h h h. Whatever you say, Lucas. You are not interested. You''re only asking for humanity''s sake. That''s all fine and good. If you won''t call them, don''t ask me about it," Lucy cut him off.

    Even though Lucas wanted to say more in his defense, he decided not to since he knew Lucy would not buy whatever he would say.

    "Fine then. Don''t say anything. I will leave you to get back to work," Lucas said and hung up before Lucy could say anything else.

    As he dropped his phone, he sighed. He was just going to put them out of his mind. He didn''t like that he felt sorry for Amy and was very worried about Miley.

    As much as he didn''t like their request and how Miley had chosen to die on her own terms rather than receive treatment, he had admired their friendship and how Amy had foolishly chosen to stand by Miley''s decision even though it was stupid.

    Ever since he spoke with Dr Drew about Miley''s condition, he had been feeling really sad. Even though he had known that she wasn''t going to survive for long without treatment, he still felt really terrible knowing that she was slowly dying.

    He had met her only for a short while, yet whenever he thought about the little time he had spent in herpany, he felt terrible. And for that reason, he couldn''t imagine how Amy would be feeling about Miley''s condition and about the misunderstanding with Miley''s family.

    Once again, he hoped for Amy''s sake that Miley had broken down before they went ahead with their silly surrogacy n, else things were going to be a lot tougher for Amy with having to deal with Miley''s death, falling out with Miley''s family, and doing the whole pregnancy thing alone.

 Chapter 774 I’m Waiting

    <h4>Chapter 774 I��m Waiting</h4>

    774 I��m Waiting

    Jade, who had still been soundly asleep when Harry left for work, woke up, and she smiled when she saw that Harry had left a note on his side of the bed.

    [Good morning, goddess. Last night was perfect with you. You looked so beautiful in your sleep, and I just couldn''t bring myself to wake you up. I can''t wait toe back home to you. I love you. Try not to miss me too much. I will spend the day thinking about you. I love you again.]

    Jade giggled as she read the note, and then she shook her head. There was no way she was going to be able to wait until he got back from work to see him.

    She had to see him no matter how briefly, Jade decided as she got off the bed and headed straight to the bathroom to freshen up.

    Just as she got to the bathroom, an idea hit her, so she quickly threw on a shirt and headed for the living room.

    There was no need to go there empty-handed when she could take lunch to the office and enjoy it with him.

    Once she got to the dining, she paused and smiled when she saw that Harry had left breakfast for her on the table. There was a note beside it, too.

    [I will get you flowerster. For now, you should eat to regain all the energy you lost. I don''t want you fainting on me tonight. Winks. Lest I forget, I love you.]

    Jade giggled as she read the note and shook her head as she sat down to eat, even though she hade out to prepare lunch for him.

    He wasn''t even here with her, yet he was making her smile andugh so much, Jade thought with a sigh as she picked up her phone to give him a call.

    Her brows pulled together when she dialed his line, and it rang, but there was no response. She sighed when she called again, and there was still no response.

    "I guess you are busy," Jade murmured as she focused on the breakfast he had left her, even though it was cold already.

    She was sure he had left it because he had not expected her to wake up sote.

    After she was done eating, she took the tes to the kitchen and dumped the tes on the sink out of habit, and just as she turned to go check his refrigerator for whatever she could use to prepare his lunch, she saw another note on the kitchen ind.

    [I trust you did the dishes after eating. Good girl. I love you.]

    Jade scowled at the note as she returned to do the dishes. She knew very well that he had left the note cause he knew she wouldn''t do the dishes, so why was he patronizing her?

    By the time Jade was done preparing the meal and was ready to leave for thepany in one of Harry''s cars, it was almost time for lunch break.

    She knew without a doubt that Harry would be happy to see her, but she also knew that he might be too busy to spare her a moment, seeing how he was yet to return her call even after two hours.

    Away from there, after her phone call with Lucas, Lucy sighed. She didn''t know what to make of Lucas''s concern for Amy, and she didn''t understand why Amy didn''t want Lucas to know what was going on with her either.

    Whatever it was, she decided that she was not going to get in the middle of it. She trusted Lucas to do what was best for himself.

    Not wanting to dwell much longer on it, she dialed Sonia''s line to check on her, and she waited for some seconds before Sonia received the call.

    "Hey!" Sonia said unenthusiastically, and Lucy frowned.

    "Are you okay? Not in the mood to talk?" She asked with concern.

    "I''d rather we chat on WhatsApp. I can''t talk. I don''t want to," Sonia managed to say.

    "Alright. I will hang up and text you now," Lucy said before she disconnected the call.

    [What''s up? Are you alright?] Lucy texted Sonia.

    [I''m just spitting so much. Excess saliva. Pregnancy symptoms. It''s so annoying and stressful to talk.] Sonia texted back, and Lucy winced.

    [Isn''t there something you can take to reduce it?]

    [If there was, would I be hereining?] Sonia responded with a rolling eye emoji.

    [Someone is obviously in a foul mood.] Lucy texted back, amused by Sonia''s response.

    [You would be in a foul mood, too, if you were experiencing this. I will wait patiently for you to get pregnant, and then I will see how you n to deal with the symptoms pleasantly. Speaking of you getting pregnant, are you getting an engagement ring for Tom or yourself? What''s the n?] Sonia asked since she needed to know how to go about nning the engagement for them both.

    [I should probably get a ring. I''m going to have to use up all the money I have to buy a suitable ring for Tom. I can''t buy something cheap.]

    [I suggest you don''t bother with buying a ring. If he epts your proposal, he will want to get you a ring. So I think you should leave that to him. He should at least have the pleasure of buying you a ring.] Sonia suggested since it wouldn''t be nice for Tom and Lucy to get rings.

    She could easily advise Lucy not to bother with getting rings, but there was no way she could ask Tom not to get rings. It wouldn''t make sense. And since Tom would be getting the rings, she knew he would get something perfect for Lucy.

    [I think you have a point. I won''t get a ring then. Are you back to Ludus yet? Will you both be at Tom''s ce?] Lucy asked curiously.

    [We are back to Ludus, but we won''t be at Tom''s. We went directly to our house. The house is ready now, and since we have just three weeks before the wedding, we decided to move in now.] Sonia exined.

    [Alright then. I wille over to see you by the weekend then. Be good. Love you loads, and love my baby more.] Lucy texted when she saw it was almost time for lunch break.

    Done with checking on Sonia now, Lucy rose and put on her zer before leaving for Tom''s office.

    Just as she got to his office, she met some of the directorsing out of the office, and she greeted them politely before walking inside to see Tom and Harry.

    "Hey, LuLu!" Harry greeted pleasantly.

    "Hello, HaHa! You look different. What''s with the muffler?"Lucy asked when she noticed his covered neck.

    "He got bitten by a vampire," Tom said, and Harry shot him a re.

    "It''s nothing serious. I''m just making a fashion statement," Harry told Lucy, and before she could say anything else, he rose as he nced at his watch.

    "Got to go. I have a meeting to attend at the conference hall," Harry said as he headed for the door.

    He paused when he remembered something, "Tom said you volunteered to be his part-time assistant. I will have my secretary hand over his stuff to you. Let''s catch upter, without your annoying boyfriend," Harry said before walking away, leaving Tom, who was grinning as he watched him leave.

    "What was that about?" Lucy asked, and Tom chuckled.

    "It''s nothing. I was just messing with him. So, now that you will be working as my assistant, would you like me to pay you in advance?" He asked, and she giggled.

    "Stop being silly. Let''s have lunch already. I''m famished," Lucy said as she headed for his office bedroom, and Tom rose to follow her.

    "Have you heard from Sonia? Bryan called to say they have moved to their house. He went home earlier to pick up their stuff," Tom said, and Lucy nodded.

    "Yeah. Sonia said so. She seems to be having a hard time with the pregnancy symptoms. She wouldn''t even talk to me. I wonder how Bryan is coping," Lucy said as she set up their lunch on the table.

    "I''m sure he is coping well. If I were in his shoes, I wouldn''t have a singleint," Tom said easily.

    "So you would think until you''re actually in his shoes," Lucy said dryly.

    "Why not try me?" He asked with a wink.

    "Let''s wait and see," she said, and Tom grinned.

    "Sure. I''m waiting."

    After having lunch with Tom, Lucy left so that Tom could attend to his next appointment for the day.

    As she approached the elevator, the elevator opened, and Jade walked out of it.

    "Hello, Jade! I see you brought lunch for Harry," Lucy greeted with a pleasant smile, and Jade smiled back as she stopped in her strides.

    "Hello, Lucy! You''re justing from Tom''s office, right? Was Harry there? Or do you know if he is in his office? I''ve been trying to reach him, but he isn''t taking his call," Jade said, and Lucy nodded.

    "He left for the conference hall a while ago. Said he has a meeting there," Lucy said, and Jade raised a brow.

    "A while ago? I called two hours ago," Jade said, and Lucy shrugged.

    "He must have been busy. They had just ended a meeting in Tom''s office when I got here. And he left for the conference hall almost immediately. I don''t think he had the time to check his phone," Lucy exined, and Jade scowled.

    "I need to have a word with your boyfriend. He is overworking my man," Jade said, and Lucy giggled.

    "You will have to book an appointment to do that during work hours. My boyfriend is having a meeting in his office at the moment. I have to get back to work, too. See youter," Lucy said with a wave as she hurried off.

    "If you run into my man, let him know his goddess is waiting in his office with homemade lunch for him," Jade called after Lucy, and Lucy giggled without turning back.

 Chapter 775 Goddess

    <h4>Chapter 775 Goddess</h4>

    The moment Jade walked into Harry''s office, his secretary recognized her as his girlfriend and Tom''s sister, so she let him wait inside the office.

    Jade grinned as she looked around his office, remembering thest time she hade in here to wait for him this way.

    It had been after she had pretended to be drunk and had made him kiss her. She hade to mess with him and had seeded.

    Thinking about it now, she giggled as she went to sit behind Harry''s desk. They hade quite a long way, and she was d he now belonged to her.

    She bit her lower lip as she remembered the events of the previous night, and she sighed in pleasure. Harry was such an amazing lover, and merely thinking about all the sweet and wicked things he had done to her made her toes tingle.

    Jade didn''t have to wait for too long before Harry walked into the office. Jade swirled her seat around to face him, and she smiled when she saw the smile on Harry''s face the moment he saw her sitting pretty in his seat.

    "Will you believe me if I tell you I was in a hurry to leave my meeting just toe have lunch with you at home?" Harry asked as he went to her, and Jade grinned.

    "Well, thankfully, you don''t have to do that. I had the same thought in mind, so I brought lunch to you," Jade said as she rose to embrace him.

    "You did?" He asked, sounding genuinely pleased.

    "Yes. I couldn''t wait until you got home in the evening to see you, so I decided toe see you with the excuse of bringing you lunch," Jade said with a pout.

    "You don''t need an excuse toe see me. Wanting to see me is enough. Besides, I''m happy you came. I''ve been thinking of you and missing you all day," Harry said before kissing her.

    "Should I just quit my job ande stay home with you?" Harry asked, and Jade giggled.

    "And what will you do when I have to resume work?" She asked, and he frowned.

    "You will quit, too. I have enough money to take care of us both and our future kids, and I''m sure if I run out of money, Tom will be more than willing to sponsor my lifestyle," he said with a grin, and she giggled.

    "I almost believed you until I remembered what a workaholic you are. I think it will get better when I start working here, and I cane to steal a nce at you from time to time in the middle of the day," Jade said, and Harry nodded.

    "I could tell them I want a legal representative working with me in my office," Harry said thoughtfully, and Jade giggled.

    "Yeah, right. By the way, I saw the notes you left me. Thanks for breakfast," she said, and Harry grinned.

    "You did the dishes, didn''t you?" He asked with a knowing smile.

    "You know me too well. It''s so annoying," she said, and he chuckled.

    "And I got to know your body even better," he said andughed softly when she blushed.

    "When is your next meeting? Can we have lunch before you leave?" She asked, and he nodded.

    "Lunch?" He asked, wriggling his brows suggestively, and Jade giggled.

    "You''ve got a really dirty mind, Jonas. Can we use that table?" She asked, referring to the conference table in his office, and he grinned.

    "Yep. It''s strong enough to take any weight," Harry said with a wink, and sheughed out loud.

    "I''ve ruined you," she said with a shake of her head.

    "I like being ruined by you. How about you ruin me some more?" He asked, and she giggled.

    "I can''t with you. Juste here and eat," she said as she took the food pack to the conference table.

    "You know what? I would love to eat more than that?" He asked with a serious expression as he watched her arrange the food on the table.

    She raised a brow, "What?"

    "You," he said with a grin, and sheughed.

    "Can you just stop?" She asked, and he shook his head.

    "Nope. I can''t. Why haven''t youmented on my muffler?" He asked, and she smiled shyly.

    "Sorry. I know I''m the reason you''re wearing that," she said, and he chuckled.

    "Your brother says I was bitten by a vampire," Harry said, and Jade giggled.

    "I must be Rebekah Mikaelson, and he is us. Bryan would be Elijah," Jade said, and Harry raised a brow as they both sat to eat.

    "Don''t tell me you haven''t seen The Originals," She asked, and he shrugged.

    "I know it, but I didn''t really watch it. I still can''t believe you brought me lunch. I feel like a married man," Harry said with a grin as he ate.

    "This is how I n to keep bringing you food every day after we get married, so if you want this again soon, I suggest you marry me quickly," Jade said, and Harryughed.

    "Why didn''t you wait until after we got married before doing this then?" Harry asked, and Jade shrugged as she swallowed the food in her mouth.

    "That''s because I wanted you to have a taste of all the benefits you''d be getting once we get married. I''m sure by the time I''m done, you''d want to marry me right away and not wait any more," Jade said, and Harry chuckled.

    "And how do you intend to bring me lunch when you will also be working here?" He asked, and she smiled.

    "That''s easy. I will prepare the meal before leaving for the office with you and have one of our housekeepers deliver it to me before lunch, like Adolf does for Tom. Then I will bring it to your office," she said with a shrug.

    "I don''t want live in housekeepers," Harry said, and Jade frowned.

    "Why not?"

    "I don''t like the idea of my workers living with me. Only family should live with me, not the people I''m paying. I can''t trust them," Harry said, and Jade raised a brow.

    "Is this about what Bryan''s housekeeper did?" She asked, and he shook his head.

    "That''s just one of the examples to buttress my point. But I''ve never liked live-in help. They cane and go, but I don''t want them living with me. Is that going to be a problem for you?" Harry asked, and Jade shook her head.

    "As long as we have housekeepers to keep the house in order, I don''t care whether they stay or go. I guess I will have to buy good lunch packs that can retain heat for hours. That way, I can bring our lunch with me in the morning," Jade said, and Harry smiled.

    "Have I told you that you look beautiful?" Harry asked, and Jade smiled.

    "You mentioned it in one of your notes, but I don''t mind hearing it again," she said, and Harry grinned.

    "You look beautiful, goddess," he said, and she raised a brow.

    "Goddess?" She asked curiously since this was the third time he had called her that, and she loved it but wanted to know why he settled for it.

    "Yeah. You''re my goddess. And I love to worship your body," he said with a wink, and Jade giggled.

    "I see," Jade said with an amused smile as she watched him eat.

    Away from there, as Candace and Andy prepared lunch, Jamal ran into the kitchen, screaming happily.

    "Mom,e and see! Aunt Andy, you too. Hurry!" He screamed excitedly.

    "What is making you so excited?" Candace asked with a curious smile.

    "Grandpa got me a bike!" He screamed as he grabbed her hand and ran out of the kitchen to go back outside where the bike was parked.

    Candace exchanged an amused smile with Andy as she let Jamal lead her away, and Andy turned off the cooker and went out with them to see what was going on.

    They knew that Jamal had always wanted a bike, but they didn''t have the money to get him or the time to teach him how to ride one. How could they afford it when they had too many bills to take care of?

    Aaron stood outside, not sure whether tough or to cry because of Jamal''s excitement. He couldn''t believe that his grandson was that happy to have his first bike at his age when he had been buying dozens of bikes yearly for various orphanage homes.

    If Jamal was this happy about it, what about Candace and Andy? Did they ever get to learn how to ride bikes? It broke his heart to think about it.

    Whenever he was beginning to think he had gotten over the loss of thest twenty-seven years with his daughter, something like this woulde to mind, and he would be heartbroken all over again.

    "Sorry, I didn''t ask you first. When we were at Harry''s, he told me how much he wanted a bike and wished he could learn to ride one," Aaron said when Candace came to stand beside him after celebrating with Jamal.

    "You''ve made him so happy," Andy said as she stood at his other side while they all watched Jamal dance around his bike.

    "Did either of you own a bike?" Aaron asked, and Candace came to stand in front of him since she heard the turmoil in his voice.

    "Why do you like to upset yourself with thoughts like that?" She asked as she embraced him.

    "I''m sorry, I wasn''t there for you," Aaron said with tears in his eyes, and Andy looked up as she blinked back the tears that had gathered in her eyes too.

    "You are here now. That''s all that matters. Betterte than never, remember? Besides, I''m d Jamal is receiving all of this now from you. That should be your constion," Candace said, her voice thick with emotions as she pulled back to look at him.

    "Would you like to teach him how to ride the bike, or can I do it?" He asked, and Candace smiled.

    "Please wear yourself out," Candace said easily.

    "We should go in for lunch now," Andy suggested.

    "Can''t I ride my bike first?" Jamal asked hopefully.

    "I will teach you how to do it after lunch," Aaron promised, and they went inside for lunch.

    "Grandpa?" Jamal called as they ate.

    "Yes?"

    "When will you take me to see yourpany?" He asked curiously.

    "I was waiting for you to settle in first. Would you like to go see it tomorrow?" Aaron asked, looking from him to Candace and Andy.

    "Why tomorrow? What is stopping us from going there today?" Andy asked excitedly.

    "Yes! Let''s go today!" Jamal said happily.

    "What about your bike lessons?" Candace asked Jamal.

    "It can wait until we get back. Right, Grandpa?" Jamal asked eagerly, and Aaron smiled, happy that Jamal was enthusiastic to see thepany.

    "Sure. Let''s go there after lunch then," Aaron said, and Andy gave Jamal a high five.

    After lunch, they all went upstairs to dress up. Candace settled for a two-piece trouser and top, wanting to look ssy and dignified, while Andy settled for a ck high-waist ripped boyfriend jeans with a crop top and heeled sandals.

    "Don''t you think you should wear something corporate since we are going to a corporate environment?" Candace asked when they met outside their bedrooms.

    "Nope. I''m only going sightseeing, not for a business meeting. Besides, we both know I''m not cut out for the corporate lifestyle. This is my style, Candy. I''m not trying to look like what I''m not. I''m morefortable this way. I''m into showbiz, remember?" She asked, and Candace rolled her eyes.

    "Yeah."

    "Good. Now, don''t forget that and start trying to change my style, okay?" Andy said as she led the way out of the room.

    "You both look beautiful," Aaron said with a smile of approval when they both joined him and Jamal downstairs.

    "I hope you don''t mind my outfit?" Andy asked curiously.

    "What is wrong with your outfit?" Aaron asked in confusion, and Andy shed Candace a smile.

    "I just wanted to be sure I didn''t look too casual," Andy said, and Candace scowled at her, making her giggle.

    "We should take your car," Aaron suggested as they all headed outside, and Candace grinned.

    "I thought so too," she said as she took the car key out of her handbag.

 Chapter 776 Legal Adoption

    <h4>Chapter 776 Legal Adoption</h4>

    Because Candace was familiar with Sogal, she didn''t have to ask her father for directions since she knew her way around the city.

    As she got closer to thepany, it suddenly urred to her that this was Sogal, and unlike Ludus, there were more people here who would easily recognize her and Andy from the club.

    If they were to see her alone, they might not be able to ce why she looks so familiar, but with Andy beside her, it would be easier for them to recognize them.

    While Jamal chattered endlessly with his grandfather in the backseat, Candace tried to calm herself by reminding herself that Aaron knew all about her past and wouldn''t be too embarrassed if they were to run into anyone.

    "WOW! Grandpa, is this yourpany?" Jamal asked in awe as he looked through the window after his mom drove into thepany''s premises.

    "Yes, it is," Aaron said proudly, happy to see how impressed Jamal was.

    "Do you like it?" Aaron asked, and Jamal bobbed his head.

    "It''s so big! It''s bigger than Tom''spany," Jamal said, and Aaron chuckled.

    "That''s because it is a studio, and lots of stuff is done here. Movies and musical videos are also shot here," Aaron exined as Candace parked the car in the general parking lot.

    "Grandpa, don''t you have a secret car park like Tom?" He asked, and Aaron shook his head.

    "There are several parking lots here. Maybe when next wee we can use one of those. But for today, we have to begin our tour from here," Aaron said as they all got out of the car.

    "Dad?" Candace called hesitantly, and Aaron looked at her with concern.

    "Is everything alright?" Aaron asked when he saw the slight frown between her brows, and Andy also looked at her curiously.

    "This is Sogal. The chances of bumping into someone we know is higher. What if we run into someone we know from the past?" She asked, looking from Aaron to Andy.

    "Then we can all say hello to them and move on. Let''s get going," Aaron said firmly and led Jamal away, leaving Candace and Andy to follow behind.

    "I thought we were over this already?" Andy asked Candace with a frown.

    "This is hispany. I do not want him being embarrassed here��."

    "The only person feeling embarrassed here is you, and the earlier you get over yourself, the better for you. You are really beginning to piss me off. He is your father. He knows about your past, and he is okay with it. He has epted you fully, and now you need to learn to ept yourself, too. Quit whining about this every damn time. It is annoying. How do you expect him to feel if you keep reminding him of it?" Andy asked before walking away to join Aaron and Jamal.

    Candace sighed before going to join them. It wasn''t like she liked feeling this way. She just couldn''t help it. Her concern was for them and not for herself alone. She just didn''t want her father''s reputation to suffer because of her.

    "I didn''t realize this ce was this big. It always looked normal from a distance," Andy was saying as Candace joined them, and Candace had to agree with her.

    Candace felt overwhelmed knowing that her father owned such a huge ce when she had been seeing it for the past two years since she moved to Sogal.

    The moment they approached the entrance of the building, the president, as well as some of the directors, hurried out to wee Aaron since the security at the gate had alerted the directors of his presence.

    "You''re wee, sir. We didn''t know you wereing in today��."

    "I''m not here for an official visit. I''m just here to show my daughters and grandson around the ce," Aaron said dismissively, and they all turned to Candace and Andy since they had never heard of the Chairman having any daughters. They all knew about his son, Harry, but none of them had heard of his daughters.

    "I never knew you had any child aside, Harry," one of the directors said.

    "Now you know. This is my first daughter, Candace, and this is my youngest, Andrea. And the charming young man is my grandson, Jamal," Aaron introduced, and Candace and Andy smiled politely at the group.

    "You are all wee," the president said as he looked from Candace to Andy with admiration.

    "Thank you," Candace and Andy said in unison.

    "I will escort you," the president offered, but Aaron shook his head.

    "You can get back to work. I want to show them around myself," Aaron said, and they all bowed politely before walking away.

    "You seem different around here," Candace observed after they had moved around for some time, and she had seen the way most of the staff seemed to fear and worship Aaron and how he addressed them.

    "How different?" Aaron asked as he led them around.

    "You seem fully in charge here," Andy said, and Candace nodded.

    "Yeah. You don''t sound like a fragile old man here," Candace joked, and Aaron chuckled.

    "That is because I''m not a fragile old man here. Jamal, what do you think about this ce? Do you like it? Would you like to own here someday?" He asked, and Jamal bobbed his head.

    "Yes! Yes! I love it!" Jamal said happily.

    "Good. You have to start learning early," Aaron said, making a mental note to bring Jamal over to thepany every chance he got.

    "Do you know major music artists?" Andy asked, and Aaron smiled.

    "Sure. Why? You want me to introduce you to some? Jamal told me that you want to be a singer," Aaron said, and Andy nodded.

    "Yes. I would like to coborate with someone famous and have the music hit before asking Harry if hispany can sign me," Andy said, and Aaron considered it for a moment.

    "That''s a good idea. Let''s discuss it further to know which artiste you would prefer, and you can do it all here," Aaron said, and Andy pped her hands happily.

    "Hey! I know you," a young man said when he saw Candace and her heart skipped a beat as she froze immediately.

    "Really? Do you know me too?" Andy asked, stepping forward and shing him a smile.

    "No. I don''t think so," he said to Andy before returning his gaze to Candace.

    "You were on the front page of the Business Daily paper with the CEOs of I-Global during their anniversary party, weren''t you?" He asked, and Candace rxed when she realized that was where he had seen her.

    "Yes, she was. Do you want to know some fun facts about her?" Andy asked, and Candace frowned at Andy.

    "Harry Jonas is her twin brother. This right here is her dad. Do you know him? He owns this building. See this sweet little boy right here? He is her son. And her boyfriend! You won''t believe who he is! Matt Swift," Andy said in a dramatic whisper.

    "You know him, right? The actor. She is quite popr and going forward, you might be seeing more news of her even if she likes to stay hidden. Would you like to get her autograph before she bes too popr?" Andy asked, and the young man smiled.

    "Yeah. Why not? What about you? Who are you, though?" He asked curiously.

    Aaron, who had been watching Andy with an amused smile as she tried to boost Candace''s esteem, responded before Andy could say anything, "She is my daughter, too. An aspiring singer. You should get her autograph as well before she bes famous. This one is going to go ces," Aaron said, and Andy exchanged an amused look with Candace, who had now rxed.

    "I suppose I should get your autograph as well," he said, and Andy smiled.

    "What about me? I''m going to be an actor and own this ce, too," Jamal said, and they allughed.

    The young man gave all three of them a book to put down their autographs, and then he took pictures with them.

    By the time he walked away, they were allughing happily and talking about what it felt like to be treated as celebrities.

    "Thank you, Andy," Candace said, and Andy waved it off.

    "That was nothing. Besides, thanks to you, I got myself my first fan. I''m pretty sure he''s going to be the first to buy my music when it gets out. If for nothing, but to show his friends and family that he knows a hot shot like me," Andy said with a grin, and they allughed.

    "I want to go to the restroom," Jamal announced.

    "Major or minor?" Candace and Andy asked in unison.

    "Minor," Jamal said, and Candace turned to Aaron.

    "Let''s go to my office so he can use the restroom there," Aaron said since he had not taken them there yet, even though they''d been touring the ce for over an hour.

    "I''m d Candace has you," Aaron said to Andy some minutester after Candace had left for the restroom with Jamal.

    "And I''m d we both have you," Andy said with a happy smile.

    "I have been meaning to ask you something," Aaron said, and Andy looked at him with interest.

    "I would like to adopt you legally and officially. Would you like to take my name?" He asked, and she beamed a happy smile at him.

    "For real? Are you serious?" She asked with tears in her eyes, and he nodded.

    "Yes. I want you to really be my daughter and a real part of the family," he said, and Andy embraced him.

    "I would really love that too. Thank you," she cried.

    Candace, who had just stepped out of the restroom with Jamal, paused when she saw Andy crying in Aaron''s arms.

    "What is wrong?" She asked with a slight frown, and Andy turned to look at her.

    "He wants to adopt me legally," she said tearily, and tears gathered in Candace''s eyes upon hearing that.

    "Oh, Dad!" She cried as she also went to embrace him.

    "Let''s also work on changing yourst name now, Candace," he said, and she nodded.

    Roberts was a surname she and Andy had randomly chosen at the orphanage home, and it didn''t make sense that they would keep it now that they had a real father.

    "I will start working on it immediately. I want it done before your interview with Harry," Aaron said, d that they had easily agreed.

    "Have you emptied your dder? Can we continue our tour now?" Aaron asked Jamal, who was too busy looking around his office to care about what the adults were discussing.

    "Yes," Jamal said as he returned to Aaron''s side and took his hand.

    Jamal was very impressed by all his grandfather owned, and he was happy to know they would be his in the future. He was going to be as wealthy as Tom, and he would have a beautiful girlfriend like Lucy.

 Chapter 777 Three Weeks Later

    <h4>Chapter 777 Three Weeks Later</h4>

    It was Thursday, and few days before Bryan and Sonia''s wedding. Everyone was excited about it, especially Lucy who was Sonia''s maid of honor.

    It was easy for anyone to tell that Lucy was bubbling with excitement at the office because of how she kept humming and smiling all day.

    When it was time for Lunch, she headed for Tom''s office as usual, and the moment she walked inside his office she went to him and gave him a smacking kiss on his lip.

    "How has your day been, my love?" She asked and Tom grinned.

    "I still don''t get why you are more excited than the bride. I just got off the phone with Bryan, and he says Sonia is still sullen," Tom said and Lucy nodded.

    "Yep, I know. I spoke with her earlier. It''s just her pregnancy hormones making her feel down. That''s more reason I have to be excited on her behalf. It''s not every weekend my best friend gets to walk down the aisle. And since she can''t work up the energy to feel excited about it, I am doing a good job of it for the both of us," Lucy said and then looked at Tom with a serious expression.

    "And while we are on the subject, I''m thinking of moving in with them today until after the wedding," Lucy said and Tom shook his head immediately.

    "No way. I can''t live without you," he said and Lucy giggled.

    "I''m not asking you to. You dare not live without me. But it''s not like I''m leaving you. It''s only for two days. Today is Thursday. Tomorrow is Friday, and their wedding is on Saturday. I think she needs my presence to liven her up. We can''t afford to have a sad bride," Lucy said and Tom scowled.

    "Even Bryan who is her lover couldn''t help brighten her��."

    "I''m not Bryan. Bryan has his role and I have mine. And don''t you think it''s natural for her to be that irritated with Bryan since he is the one who put her in that condition? I didn''t get her pregnant, Bryan did. Besides, this is thest weekend of my best friend being single. I would love to spend it with her and do all I can to get her all excited about her big day," Lucy said and Tom sighed.

    "Alright. But I''ming with��."

    "No. You can''t. If youe my attention will be divided and I won''t be able to spend all the time with her," Lucy said and he frowned.

    "You don''t n to spend the night with her on the same bed, do you?"

    "I do. Why? Do you have a problem with that? And why are we not eating yet? Let''s talk while we eat," Lucy suggested as she headed for the room in his office.

    "I don''t want to eat. I''ve lost my appetite," Tom said and she turned to look at him.

    "It''s not a big deal��."

    "Maybe not to you, but it is to me. How do you expect me to sleep without you by my side?" He asked and she winked.

    "With your eyes closed, just like this. I already told Sonia I''ming after the close of work, so you can''t change my mind," Lucy said and Tom frowned.

    "Really? You made such a decision without consulting me first? My opinion doesn''t matter to you?" He asked and she walked over to his desk where he was still seated.

    "Yes, I made such a decision without consulting you first. But not because your opinion doesn''t matter to me. I made it because I know I''m dating the best man with the kindest of heart. The same man who put me on a ne to go be with Sonia when she was having a fight with Bryan. I know my boyfriend well enough that he can manage two days without me if it means making my best friend happy and getting her in the right mood for her wedding to his brother," Lucy said and Tom scowled.

    "I only asked you to go then because I didn''t love you as much as I do now," Tomined and Lucy giggled.

    "That''s not true, and we both know it. And you won''t be lonely. Your parents are flying in tomorrow, so you will have them at home with you."

    "It won''t be the same. What about our date tomorrow? Tomorrow is Friday, you know?" Tom reminded her since they had made a habit of going out on dates every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

    "You know very well that it won''t be possible. Besides, don''t you guys have something nned for Bryan''s bachelor eve? Remember we are having Sonia''s bachelorette party on the yacht?" Lucy said and Tom sighed deeply.

    "How can I forget when you have been singing it in my ears all week? I was just hoping we could at least go on our date during the day," he said with a shrug.

    "Let''s do the date on Sunday instead. That way we can have the whole day to ourselves," Lucy said, and then nced at her wristwatch.

    "Let''s have lunch. You know I''m leaving soon for my therapy session and I won''t be returning to the office. I will be going home to pick up some clothes and going to Sonia''s from there," Lucy said and Tom groaned, making her giggle as she brushed her lips against his.

    "Don''t be such a baby, baby," she said, wanting to make him smile.

    "How about I go with you to see your therapist and then we can go home together to get your stuff and I will drop you off at Bryan''s?" Tom suggested, wanting to spend as much time as he could with her.

    "I don''t think you can. I noticed you have a lot of activities on your schedule for today," Lucy reminded him.

    "I can just ask Harry to cover for me," Tom said, and they both turned to the door when it opened and Harry walked in.

    "Don''t you knock? What if we were in the middle of something?" Tom asked with displeasure.

    "Have you ever knocked before walking into my office? Besides, what would you be in the middle of during work hours that I can''t walk in on? If I ever walk in on the both of you acting inappropriately, Lucy will be disciplined since it''s against thepany''s ethics," Harry threatened and Lucy nodded in agreement.

    "Really? I can''t wait for Jade to resume work here," Tom said and Harry shrugged.

    "I can''t wait either. But I doubt you will ever catch me in any inappropriate act since I have themon sense to always lock my doors," Harry said with a pleasant smile and Lucy giggled.

    "I''m sure there is a rule that says office doors shouldn''t be locked," Tom said and Harry shook his head.

    "That rule doesn''t apply to the CEOs. Hey, LuLu. How are you doing?" Harry asked and she smiled.

    "I''m alright. I heard from Candace that Aaron and Jamal are noting," she said and Harry nodded.

    "Yeah. Jamal has been away from school for too long, and we don''t want him to miss any more lessons. But they will surely be here for your Christmas party," Harry said and both Tom and Lucy smiled at the mention of the party while Harry hid his amusement.

    "Anyway, I came to let you know I''m leaving. I need to go pick up Candace and Andy from the airport. I will likely note back to the office unless somethinges up. I''m done with my meetings for the day," Harry said and Lucy stuck her tongue in her cheek while Tom raised a brow.

    "But their flight is not arriving anytime soon," Lucy said since they had told her their time of arrival.

    "Sure. I''m going to hang out with my girlfriend before going to pick them up," Harry said with a wink and Tom frowned.

    "How are you done with work and I''m not done?" He asked and Harry smiled.

    "Because I pushed most of my work to you. That''s one of the benefits of handling your schedule. I can easily push my work to you. I trust you to cover for me. See youter," Harry said with a wave and swaggered out of the office before Tom, who was shooting daggers at him with his eyes, could say anything.

    "Lately, he is cking off in his duties a lot, and it is all because of Jade," Tom said with a scowl and Lucy grinned.

    "You did the same because of me while Harry took on all your work. So, it''s your turn to return the favor. Love is indeed the death of duty," Lucy said with a smallugh as she rose again.

    "If you''re not going to have lunch with me, I''m just going to take a few bites and leave. I do not want to bete for my session," Lucy said as she headed for the room and Tom rose to follow her since he didn''t see any reason to sit there and sulk when he could spend the little time left with her until Sunday.

    As they sat down to eat, Lucy''s phone beeped with an Instagram notification and she smiled as she picked it up to see that it was a post notification from Dawn''s Instagram ount.

    "They finally posted a picture," Lucy told Tom as she held up the phone to Tom so he could see the screen.

    Dawn was smiling at the camera with her stuffed panda in her arms. The caption read, [Sorry I''ve been away for so long. I''m back now. Meet my Panda. Her name is Lucy. She is a gift from my best friend, Lucy.]

    "You do know she didn''t write that, right?" Tom asked and Lucy nodded.

    "Sure. I know she has someone managing the ount. I''m just relieved to finally see her picture and know she is fine," Lucy said as they started eating.

    In thest three weeks, a lot had happened. Kimberly had reached out to Lucy through Dawn''s Instagram ount to apologize for what she had done and to thank Lucy for keeping to her word and taking care of Dawn as she had said she would.

    In her bid to apologize to Tom, Kimberly had also gone as far as reaching out to people and calling in favors to help Tom take care of the business that had made him travel out thest time.

    Even though she had helped Tom''s business, he refused to reach out to her and maintained his stance on not having anything to do with her.

    Also, within thest three weeks, Sara Walker and Rebekah Miller had been charged in court. While Sara Walker had been sentenced to life imprisonment, Rebekah Miller was given the death penalty, with none of her daughters present in court to offer her moral support.

 Chapter 778 Andy’s Place

    <h4>Chapter 778 Andy��s ce</h4>

    The moment Harry opened the door of his apartment and walked in, Jade who had been standing behind the door, jumped on him, and Harry chuckled as he let his briefcase fall to the floor so he could hold her.

    Jade covered his lips with hers in a heated kiss, and Harry passionately returned it as he carried her to the couch.

    "Wee home. I missed you," Jade said as Harry sat down still carrying her in such a way that she was straddling him.

    Ever since their first sex together, they had been unable to keep their hands off from each other whenever they were alone in the house.

    And because Harry had said Jade could only spend a week with him, she had been spending every weekend with him ever since they returned from Sogal, while shuttling between Tom''s and Bryan''s ce during the week.

    "I missed you too. You know we don''t have much time left before I go pick them up from the airport," Harry said and Jade nodded.

    "Yeah. I wille with you to the airport. I can''t wait for the wedding toe and go so we can leave for our vacation. I want to be alone with you all day long and all night," Jade said and Harry smiled.

    "Yeah. Me too," he said, looking forward to proposing to her and making her fully his.

    He was tired of having her go ande. He wanted her to stay with him and not have to leave at all.

    "So, what have you been doing all morning?" Harry asked and she pointed to a jotter and pen.

    "I was making a list of all I would need to get to travel for our vacation. How was work? And how were you able to leave by this time?" She asked curiously.

    "I pushed all my work to Tom," he said and Jade grinned.

    "I like that. That''s good. Very good," she said with approval.

    "So, what do you want us to do before we leave to pick them up?" Harry asked and Jade smiled.

    "Let''s get you out of these stiff office clothes, and then we can go out to do something fun. I would like us to go shoppingter. I want to pick out an outfit for tomorrow''s bachelorette party, and sandals for the wedding," Jade said and Harry nodded.

    "Alright. Let''s do that then," he said and raised a brow when Jade did not make any attempt to get off him.

    "I can''t get out of my stiff work clothes if you remain in this position," he pointed out.

    "Carry me to the room, and after you ce me on the bed I will help you get out of your clothes," she said, batting hershes at him and Harry chuckled as he did as she requested.

    Once he carried her into the bedroom, she got on her feet and helped him take off his office clothes, "Would you like a cold shower?" She asked and shook his head.

    "No. If we do that, I would want to do other things and we won''t leave in time to pick them up from the airport," Harry said and Jade nodded.

    "You are right. And I don''t want things to be rushed. I know how much you love to take your time," she said with a yful smile and Harryughed.

    "Yeah," Harry said as they both walked into the closet to find something to wear.

    Once they had settled for casual outfits, they left the house and an hourter, they arrived at the airport in time to receive Candace and Andy.

    "HARRY! JADE!" Andy called out excitedly when she saw them, and they both grinned while Candace rolled her eyes.

    "Andy is quite expressive," Jade said with a wide smile as Andy ran over to embrace them.

    "We weren''t expecting you toe get us. Thanks. I missed you both," Andy said after she had embraced them.

    "I missed you too. How are you?" Harry asked as Candace joined them.

    "You were missing us too much and couldn''t wait for us toe so you had to wait here for us?" Candace asked and this time both Andy and Jade rolled their eyes.

    "You know you won''t die if you admit that you missed him, right?" Andy asked since she knew very well that Candace had missed Harry.

    "Says who? I could die of embarrassment if those words proceed from my lips," Candace said, and Harry chuckled as he pulled Candace in for a hug.

    "Maybe I missed you a little bit. Or maybe what I missed was having someone around to banter with," Candace said as she embraced him back.

    "I don''t care what you miss. I missed you," Harry said and she raised a brow as she looked up at him.

    "Really? You admit it?" She asked and he nodded.

    "Alright. I guess I missed you too," she said with a grin and they allughed.

    Andy had been so excited abouting to Ludus because she couldn''t wait to meet the rest of their nowrge family.

    Aaron had made good his words, and just the previous day, their name change had been approved and now both she and Candace were legally members of the Jonas family.

    "So, how was your flight?" Jade asked them as Harry took their luggage and led them out of the airport to the ce where he had parked the car.

    "I''m not going to stay at your ce. I am spending tonight with Matt. So, I''m just going to go there with you now and leave for Matt''ster," Candace informed Harry while Andy chatted with Jade.

    "What about Andy? Is she going there with you?" Harry asked curiously.

    "She said she wants to stay at her big brother''s ce and leave me alone with my boo," Candace said and Harry nodded.

    "You seem to have be veryfortable with the idea of having a boyfriend. You no longer look embarrassed," he said and she shrugged.

    "What''s there to be embarrassed about? When are we having the interview? And when are we going to see your mother?" Candace asked as they got to the car.

    "We will have the interview on Monday and go see her afterward," Harry said as he unlocked the car and ced their luggage in the trunk.

    Once they were all seatedfortably in the car, with Jade seated in front with Harry, he drove out of the airport and as he drove, thedies talked about the n for Sonia''s bachelorette party.

    After driving for forty minutes, Candace turned to Harry when it suddenly urred to her that Harry wasn''t driving in the direction of his home.

    "Where are we going?" Candace asked, and Jade who had turned in her seat so she could talk with the sisters turned around to see that Harry was on a different route from his ce.

    "I need to make a quick stop somewhere," He said simply, and Jade raised a brow.

    "Where? You didn''t tell me we were going anywhere," Jade said and Harry nodded.

    "We will be there soon," He said, and they resumed their conversation even though they were curious to know where he was taking them.

    A couple of minutester, Candace looked out the window again and noted that they were somewhere not too far away from Matt''s ce.

    Harry stopped by the security post of an estate and reached into the pigeonholepartment of his car for a card to show them.

    Once he had done that, they opened the gates and let him drive in. The car glided through the gated entrance of the exclusive estate. Tall, manicured hedges lined the cobblestone drive, guiding the car toward Harry''s destination.

    The estate exuded an air of opulence, with grandeur evident in every detail.

    Harry parked the car in front of a sophisticated structure. The building, a modern masterpiece, rose from the ground with a seamless blend of ss and steel.

    Harry took an envelope from his pigeonholepartment before getting out of the car, and the others did the same.

    "Harry, where is this ce?" Jade asked curiously while Candace and Andy looked around them with interest as they got out of the car.

    "It is Andy''s ce," Harry said and Andy who had been looking around spun around to look at him.

    "Andy? Which Andy?" She asked in confusion and Harry chuckled.

    "You, of course. The house and that car belongs to you," Harry said pointing to the curb.

    Parked at the curb was a dazzling sports car �C sleek, ck, and glistening in the sunlight.

    "Me? How?" Andy asked again in disbelief and confusion.

    "Cassidy got them for you," Harry exined, and Andy gasped and raised both hands to cover her mouth as tears sprang to her eyes.

    Cassidy bought her a car and a house. Why did he do that after giving her so much money?

    "Aww," Jade said softly, while Candaceughed happily at Andy''s reaction.

    Harry went to her and wrapped both arms around her, "Don''t cry," Harry said and pulled away to brush off the tears that had dropped from her eyes.

    "Is this really mine?" She asked and Harry nodded as he handed her the envelope he had taken out of his car.

    "I didn''t want to tell you about it in Sogal ''cause I wanted you to see for yourself. He chose this ce himself. He wanted this neighborhood for you to be safe," Harry exined as she took the envelope from him.

    "Don''t just stand there and cry. Come show us around your house," Candace urged her.

    "Our house," Andy said and Candace smiled.

    "Yeah. Whatever. Let''s look around," Candace said happily and Andy bobbed her head as she ran ahead of them to the door and Candace ran after her.

    "Use one of the cards in the envelope to unlock the door," Harry called after them in amusement as he watched their childlike excitement.

    "Why didn''t you tell me about it?" Jade asked as she walked beside Harry.

    "Because it''s a surprise," Harry said and she sighed.

    "It''s not like I''m asking for too much. Are you going to keep secrets from me when we are married?" She asked and Harry''s brows pulled together as though he was considering it.

    "I can''t believe you are thinking about it," she hissed and he chuckled.

    "I won''t keep important secrets from you," Harry assured her.

    "Important secrets?"

    "Yeah. You know me. Let''s not argue about this. And you shouldn''t make this about yourself. It has nothing to do with you," Harry said and Jade opened her mouth to argue further but shut it.

    He had a point. Andy who was concerned wasn''t bugging him about why he kept it from her this whole time, and even Candace wasn''t upset. It had little or nothing to do with her.

    "Whatever," she hissed and walked ahead of him to go join Andy and Candace, and Harry chuckled, knowing she had left that way because she knew he was right.

    The door swung open to reveal a tastefully decorated living space, and the scent of fresh flowers and polished wood filled the air.

    Expansive windows framed a skyline that seemed almost within arm''s reach. Plush furnishings adorned the open-concept interior, and the walls boasted an array of artwork. A state-of-the-art kitchen beckoned,plete with gleaming appliances and marble countertops.

    As they looked around the house, they got to the master bedroom, where a king-sized bed took center stage beneath a stunning chandelier. The ensuite bathroom featured a spa-like atmosphere,plete with a deep soaking tub and a ss-enclosed shower.

    It was clear to thedies that Cassidy had spared no expense in his attempt to make it up to Andy.

    "Congrats, Andy. You''re now a house and now a car owner," Candace said happily and Andy smiled.

    Although Andy had no ns of living separately from her family, she appreciated the gesture.

    Perhaps he had ns to visit her here sometime in the future. She would do her best to visit here from time to time so that if or when he chose to visit, she would be avable.

 Chapter 779 Sad, Relieved, and Guilty

    <h4>Chapter 779 Sad, Relieved, and Guilty</h4>

    As Lucy cleared up her desk to leave for her therapy session, Amy walked into her office.

    "Can I have five minutes of your time?" Amy asked hopefully, and Lucy resisted the urge to nce at her wristwatch as she gave Amy a nod.

    "Sure," Lucy said and gestured to Amy to sit.

    "I''m sorry to bother you. I just don''t have anyone else to talk to, and since you said I coulde to you��."

    "You don''t have to apologize for anything and you''re not bothering me either," Lucy assured her with a friendly smile.

    "The pregnancy test came back negative. The procedure failed," Amy said and Lucy wasn''t sure whether to express her joy openly or not, so she kept a neutral face.

    "I was going to ask if you had confirmed yet, but I wasn''t sure how to bring up the subject without sounding intrusive. How do you feel about it?" Lucy asked and Amy shook her head.

    "I don''t know. A part of me feels sad that it failed and now I won''t have any part of Miley to hold on to after she leaves, another parts of me feels relieved and then I feel guilty that a part of me is relieved that it didn''t work out. I feel so confused and sad," Amy said with tears in her eyes.

    Lucy sighed as she rose to go sit beside Amy, "All your emotions are valid. It''s normal to feel sad, relieved and guilty. And if you ask me, I''m d that you''re not pregnant," Lucy said as she patted Amy''s back.

    "Have you spoken with your mom yet? And have you heard from Miley?" Lucy asked and Amy shook her head.

    "After I found out I wasn''t pregnant, I called my mom to inform her about it and we are good now. She told me Miley''s parents flew her out of the country. They are trying to get her all the help they can, but she is still in a critical situation and can neither talk nor move." Amy''s lips wobbled as she spoke, and Lucy could tell she was trying hard not to cry.

    "You don''t have any other friends, do you? What are your ns for the weekend?" Lucy asked, Amy shook her head.

    "I''m hoping there will be enough work to keep me upied," she confessed and Lucy shook her head.

    "How about you hang out with me and my friends? As I''m sure you already know, Sonia is getting married this weekend. Tomorrow is her bachelorette party. You can join us for it ande for the wedding as well," Lucy suggested but Amy shook her head.

    "That''s an event for close family and friends. I can''t intrude," Amy said but Lucy smiled.

    "You won''t be intruding. Sonia is my sister and best friend, so you are wee as my plus one," Lucy assured her.

    "I wouldn''t want to ruin the mood of the party with��."

    "You can''t ruin the mood even if you tried, trust me. I will text you the time and venue. Make sure youe, alright?" Lucy said as she nced at her wristwatch, and Amy nodded.

    "I really need to go now," Lucy said as she rose and Amy rose as well.

    "Thanks for your time," Amy said, and Lucy embraced her.

    "Make sure you show up tomorrow, okay?" Lucy said as she pulled away and Amy nodded before walking out of the office.

    Three hourster, after she was done with her therapy session and had stopped by her apartment to pick up the stuff she needed for the weekend at Sonia''s, Lucy arrived at Sonia''s house.

    The moment she pressed the doorbell, Sonia who had been waiting all day for her, quickly opened the door and embraced Lucy.

    "I''m so d you''re here now," Sonia said and Lucy pulled away to look at Sonia with a concerned frown.

    Seeing Sonia''s attitude, one would think they were seeing for the first time in a long time, but they had been together thest weekend to go over the ns for the wedding, and Lucy had apanied Sonia to the baker''s shop for the cake testing and selection as well as to the bridal shop where she tried out her dress.

    "Are you alright?" Lucy asked and Sonia shook her head.

    "No, I''m not. I just don''t feel very much like myself," Sonia said as she led Lucy inside.

    Mia who was seated in the living room, smiled at Lucy when she walked in, "Hey, Lucy!"

    "Hello, Mia! I didn''t know you hadpany," Lucy said to Sonia.

    "Bryan has had Miaing over daily to keep mepany while he is busy with Jeff. I''m sure Mia is tired of my temper tantrums by now," Sonia said as they sat down and Mia smiled.

    "No, I''m not. Besides, it''s nice toze around with you all day," Mia assured her.

    "You are just being your sweet self," Sonia said and Mia smiled.

    "Thanks for being here for her, Mia," Lucy said before turning to Sonia.

    "So, as promised, I will be with you until your wedding night," Lucy said and Sonia pouted.

    "Why until then? Can''t you just stay with me until the babyes?" Sonia asked and Lucy giggled.

    "Why would I do that? You have to be with your husband��."

    "Oh, please don''t mention Bryan. I can''t stand him right now," she said with a look of disgust and Lucy giggled.

    "You should do your best to stand him now so you don''t entirely push him away," Lucy advised.

    "If I could stand him, I would. The mere sight of him repulses me. I think it was a bad idea to fix the wedding now. We should have waited until after the babyes. I can''t get married to Bryan while I''m feeling this way about him. I didn''t expect I would feel so repulsed by him," Sonia said as she unwrapped a sweet and threw it into her mouth.

    "Hopefully you will stop feeling this way as time goes on. I need to get out of these clothes. I will be right back," Lucy said as she rose and headed for the guest room, which had been reserved for her, with her bag.

    Sonia followed her as she walked into the bedroom, "So, how was your therapy session today?" Sonia asked, and Lucy shrugged.

    "It was good as usual. By the way, I invited Amy to join us tomorrow and next. I hope you don''t mind?" Lucy asked and Sonia shook her head.

    "How can I mind when she was such a sweetheart to you? How is she doing? Is she back to work?" Sonia asked, remembering that Lucy had told her that Amy had taken a break from work.

    "Yeah. I guess you''ve not been to my office in a long time else you would have known she resumed while we were in Heden," Lucy said as she took off her clothes, and Sonia raised a brow.

    "Her best friend died already?" Sonia asked and Lucy shook her head.

    "It''s moreplicated than that," Lucy said as she exined everything to Sonia.

    "That''s sad. But you are right. It''s a good thing she isn''t pregnant. Her life would have been aplicated mess between her best friend''s angry parents, and the irresponsible jerk whose sperm they bought," Sonia said with a shake of her head.

    Just as Lucy finished dressing up, they heard the doorbell ring and headed back to the living room in time to see Mia usher Candace and Andy into the house.

    "Hey! You didn''t say you wereing over to see me immediately after you arrived," Sonia called out, pleasantly surprised as she hurried over to embrace Candace.

    "Andy!" Lucy called out happily as she went to embrace her.

    "We wanted to surprise the bride since you are the reason we flew in today, and we needed an excuse to drive in Andy''s new car," Candace said with a happy smile.

    "Andy, you got a new car?" Sonia asked excitedly.

    "We thought you would be at the office. We didn''t know you would be here," Andy was saying to Lucy before Sonia spoke to her.

    "Well, I''m d I''m here to see you," Lucy said before turning to embrace Candace.

    "Cassidy got me a house and a car. You need to see the ce. I couldn''t believe it when Harry told me it was mine," Andy said excitedly.

    "Aww! That''s good news. Let''s go check out your car," Sonia said as she led the way outside.

    Mia had an amused smile on her face as she watched them all talking at the same time as they headed outside to go see the car and she couldn''t help but admire their friendship and sisterhood.

    "Why are you just standing there and smiling? Come along," Andy called to Mia even though she had no idea who Mia was, and Mia followed them outside.

    After they were done checking out the car, they all returned inside, "It''s so good to have you all here this way. Only Jade is missing. I guess she is busy," Sonia said and Candace scoffed.

    "Yeah, busy hanging out with Harry. She said she has seen you enough for the week and will see you tomorrow, so she would rather spend the time with Harry," Candace said and they all giggled.

    "Typical of Jade," Lucy said and they all agreed.

    "So, I guess you will both be staying at your new house?" Sonia asked but Andy shook her head.

    "Nope. I will be at Harry''s with him and Jade. Candace wants to spend some time alone with Matt," Andy said and Sonia raised a brow.

    "Did you discuss that with Matt?" Sonia asked and Candace shook her head.

    "Nope. I want to surprise him. Why?" Candace asked and Sonia giggled.

    "You would have ended up being surprised and spending the night at his ce alone. He''s spending the night here," Sonia said and Candace frowned.

    "Really?"

    "Yeah."

    "You''re lucky you mentioned it. I would have liked you to spend the night alone at Matt''s though," Andy joked and they allughed.

    "You don''t mind me staying with him here then?" Candace asked Sonia and she shook her head.

    "I don''t mind you all moving in here as long as you don''t kiss or make out in front of me, though," she said with a look of disgust.

    "Watching other people kiss disgusts you too?" Lucy asked and she raised a brow.

    "With this much saliva in my mouth, you think I''m interested in seeing anyone else exchanging salivas?" She asked and Candace giggled.

    "I had this the same feeling when I was pregnant too. How do you n to kiss Bryan on your wedding day?" Candace asked and Sonia shrugged.

    "It''s going to be a peck on the lips. I''ve warned him not to go beyond that else I might have to barf all over his face," Sonia said and they allughed.

    "I feel sorry for Bryan. The poor guy must be having a hard time coping with you," Andy said and Sonia nodded.

    "I feel sorry for him too, but I feel more sorry for myself. He''s not the one spitting like a snake or having to pop sweets into his mouth every couple of minutes, after putting me in this condition," Sonia said with a sigh.

    "You both put yourself in that condition. I''m sure he didn''t force himself on you. You enjoyed the act, so you shouldn''t me him," Andy said and Sonia scowled.

    "He enjoyed the act too, so why do I have to suffer alone? He should suffer too. The world is so unfair todies," Soniained and they allughed.

    "Why are you so quiet? Sonia, who is your friend?" Andy asked curiously, as she looked at Mia.

    "Oh, sorry. I assumed you knew her because Lucy and Candace are familiar with her. Andy meet Mia. She is my friend and Bryan''s assistant. Mia, meet Andy, Candace''s sister," Sonia said and Andy held out a hand to her.

    "It''s nice to meet you," Andy said and Mia nodded as she shook hands with her.

    "Same here. And I''m quiet because I enjoy listening to you all," Mia said with a friendly smile.

    "You don''t have a boyfriend, do you?" Andy asked, and Candace looked at her in dismay.

    "Andy! Why would you ask someone you only just met such a personal question?" Candace asked in disapproval.

    "It''s not a big deal. It''s not like I asked to know thest time she had sex. That would be a personal question. I was just asking to know her rtionship status. That''s something that even employers ask," Andy said defensively.

    "Well, you are not her employer," Candace said while Sonia and Lucy exchanged an amused look since it sounded like a discussion they could both have with Lucy being Candace and Sonia, Andy.

    "You don''t mind my asking, do you?" Andy asked Mia who was grinning at her.

    "I don''t. But why do you ask? Are you into girls? Cause I''m not," Mia said making Andy and the othersugh.

    "Nah. I love Ds too much to be into girls. I asked because I figured that since you are Sonia''s friend, you will be at the bachelorette party and stuff. I don''t want to be the only single one amongst them," Andy said and Mia grinned.

    "Well, you won''t be the only single one there," Mia assured her.

    "There will be three of you. Amy, my secretary will be there too," Lucy informed them.

    "Cool then. Cause I don''t want to hang out withdies who will keep going on and on about their men. You girls do that often over the phone and it gets tiring. By the way, when do I get to meet your boyfriend? Is heing to pick you up?" Andy asked Lucy, who shook her head.

    "No. I will be here with Sonia until after the wedding. Maybe you will meet him tomorrow or at the wedding," Lucy said and Candace raised a brow.

    "Tom agreed for you to stay here with Sonia, away from him? I always used to think all the Hank siblings are a clingy lot, but I guess Tom is different," Candace said and Lucyughed, choosing not to tell them how Tom had reacted when she told him her ns.

    "By the way, where are our dresses? We need to try ours out. That''s another reason we came. I loved seeing Jade''s and Lucy''s," Andy said and Sonia rose to go get the dresses.

    "Are you part of the bridal train?" Candace asked and Mia shook her head.

    "No. I''m not cut out for all of that," Mia said with a small smile.

    Thest thing she wanted was for her pictures to be all over the inte and for someone to recognize her.

    She had wanted to avoid the bachelorette party altogether but Sonia had insisted she join them for it. She nned to avoid taking pictures with them by any means necessary.

 Chapter 780 Hypothetical Question

    <h4>Chapter 780 Hypothetical Question</h4>

    After the close of work, Tom was very reluctant to go back home, knowing that Lucy wouldn''t be there waiting for him.

    He sat in his car for a couple of minutes trying to make up his mind on how best to while away his time before going home to sleep, and after thinking for a moment, he headed for Harry''s ce, trusting that Harry would be home since he had gone to pick up Candace and Andy, and if they weren''t home, he would make himself at home until Harry gets back from wherever he went.

    As he drove, he dialed Bryan''s line, "Why can''t you keep your woman happy? Why do I have to be the one paying for your inability to keep your fiancee happy?" Tom asked with a scowl the moment the call connected.

    "What are you talking about? What did she do to you? And who says I can''t keep her happy?" Bryan asked with a slight frown.

    "Don''t tell me you don''t know that Lucy will be spending the next couple of days at your ce," Tom said, and Bryan shook his head.

    "I don''t know. I actually don''t know anything. I told you already that she doesn''t talk to me. If I had known that being pregnant would make her despise me so much, I would have thought twice before getting her pregnant," Bryan said, and Tom''s lips curved in a smile.

    "She doesn''t despise you. It''s the pregnancy hormone. You told me that yourself," Tom reminded him.

    "Yeah. I know. I''m d that Lucy will be there with her, though. Thanks for sharing her with us. Bear with me for the time being, or you can just move in with us as well," Bryan suggested, and Tom sighed.

    "That won''t be necessary. I just wanted to rant. I''m good now. Bye," Tom said and hung up.

    Once he arrived at Harry''s residence a short whileter, he didn''t bother to ring the doorbell as he usually did. He unlocked the door and walked in.

    "Wow! It must feel good to be you two. I almost feel jealous," Tom said as he walked in quietly, and Jade, who was cuddled against Harry as they watched a movie, jumped in surprise.

    "For Christ''s sake, Tom! Why are you sneaking up on us? Can''t you use the doorbell?" She hissed at him.

    "I use the doorbell, the owner of the ceins, I don''t, his girlfriendins. There is no pleasing you two, is there?" Tom asked as he sat down, pleased that they were home.

    "Where are the Jonas sisters? Or were you so carried away by what you were doing that you didn''t remember to pick them up from the airport?" Tom asked when he saw no sign of Candace or Andy.

    "Where is Lucy? I can see you are bored," Harry observed, and Tom nodded.

    "I''m bored out of my mind. She decided to go spend some time with Sonia. She wants to be there cheering her up until after the wedding. Can you believe it?" Tom asked, and Jade rolled her eyes.

    "So, because you can''t be with Lucy, you came to interrupt my time with my boyfriend?" She asked with a scowl.

    "Yes. And I''m sure I don''t need to remind you that he wouldn''t be your boyfriend if he hadn''t been my best friend. And I hope you realize that Harry wouldn''t have had anything to do with you had I not given him the go-ahead? So, you see, I don''t need your permission to see my best friend when I want to. This ce is my second home, and I cane and go as I please," Tom said, and Harry nodded in agreement.

    "What? Why are you nodding? Don''t tell me you are taking his side?" Jade asked in disbelief.

    "I''d rather sit this argument out. Why don''t you go over there and be with Lucy if she must be there?" Harry asked Tom.

    "She says if I''m there, I will distract her from focusing on Sonia. I can''t go back home yet. I don''t want to go there when she is not there," Tom said, and Jade scowled.

    "Are you going to be barging in on us this way until Lucy gets back? If you''re going to be doing this, I should as well go join them at Sonia''s," Jade said, and Tom shrugged.

    "You have a point. Maybe you should," Tom suggested, and Harry chuckled.

    Jade shook her head as she rose, "I can''t do this. I will be in the bedroom. Let me know when he leaves after you are both done. Unless he decides to move in and stay here with you since he doesn''t want to go back to a house without Lucy," Jade said, and Harry pulled her back before she could leave and kissed her.

    "Try not to be too mad. You know we owe Tom for not only being the reason we met and fell in love but also for allowing me to date his gorgeous sister. How could I ever repay him for the gift of a priceless treasure like you?" He asked, and Tom shook his head as he watched Jade''s annoyance transform into a happy smile.

    "I guess so. Should I get you guys something to drink?" She asked, and Tom chuckled.

    "I''d rather get my drink myself. Thanks," Tom said, and Jade kissed Harry before walking away.

    "I can''t believe she is my sister. She is too easy," Tom said with a shake of his head, and Harry chuckled.

    "She isn''t easy. She loves pretending to be mad so I can sweet talk her," Harry said, and Tomughed again.

    "You''re both a good fit," he said, and Harry nodded.

    "Don''t I just know it? Thanks for covering for me at the office so I could fool around with your sister," Harry said, and Tom smiled.

    "As long as you are willing to do the same for me, it''s not a problem. So? Where are your sisters?" Tom asked curiously.

    "They are at Bryan''s. They wanted to say hello to Sonia," Harry said, and Tom sat up.

    "Really? We should go pick them up, then," he offered, and Harry chuckled.

    "Candace knows the way here, so she will bring Andy over. Besides, they have their own car. Why are you looking for an excuse to go over to your own brother''s ce? You can just stop by iming you want to check on Bryan and Sonia," Harry suggested, and Tom nodded thoughtfully.

    "You have a point. How about we go together? You can say it was your idea," Tom suggested, and Harry shook his head.

    "I don''t want to go there."

    "C''mon, Harry. Do this one for me, please," Tom said, and Harry chuckled.

    "I really don''t want to��." Before Harry couldplete his sentence, his phone started ringing, and he picked it up, "It''s Candace," he informed Tom before receiving the call.

    "Did you forget the way back here?" Harry asked the moment the call connected.

    "Hello to you too. I was hoping you coulde pick up your favorite sister since I won''t be going over to Matt''s anymore. Matt is staying here with Bryan until the wedding, so I''m going to be here. And I don''t want to have to drive her down to your ce and drive back alone to Sonia''s," Candace exined.

    "And the car? Are we leaving it there with you or taking it?" Harry asked since, unlike Candace, Andy wasn''t a good driver.

    "You should take it," Candace said, and Harry turned to Tom.

    "I think your prayers have just been answered," he told Tom before returning his attention to Candace.

    "Alright. We will be there soon," Harry said before hanging up.

    "What did she want?" Tom asked curiously.

    "She wants me to pick up Andy since she will be staying over there with Matt. We will go in your car so I can bring Andy''s car back here. Give me a moment to inform Jade that we are stepping out," Harry said before walking away, leaving a very happy Tom.

    A couple of minutester, they got into Tom''s car and were on their way to Bryan''s, with Harry seated in the front seat with Tom and a sulking Jade seated behind since she wanted Harry to be with her in the backseat.

    "Tom?" Jade called, and Tom, who was driving, met her gaze through the rearview mirror.

    "What?"

    "If Harry and Lucy are in a life-and-death situation and you can only save one of them, who would you save?" Jade asked, and Tom raised a brow.

    "Why would they both be in a life-and-death situation at the same time? And why would I have to save one and leave the other?" Tom asked, and Jade rolled her eyes.

    "It''s a hypothetical question. Just answer it," Jade said, and Tom shrugged.

    "I love them both. I can''t live without either of them, so I can''t answer your question," Tom said, and Harry grinned.

    "I always knew you couldn''t live without me," Harry said as he pped Tom''s back, ignoring the fact that Tom was driving.

    "I only said that because you''re here, and I don''t want to hurt your feelings. If you weren''t here, you know I wouldn''t hesitate to say, Lucy," Tom said, and Harry chuckled.

    "You don''t have to feel embarrassed about expressing your love for me. I love you too��."

    "I didn''t ask the question just to give you both something to bond over or an avenue to express your love for each other," Jade hissed at them both in annoyance.

    "I don''t know how Harry puts up with your unreasonable jealousy. And just so you know, if I had to save someone between you and Harry, I would save Harry," Tom said, and Harry frowned.

    "Don''t say that to her, Tom," Harry said with disapproval.

    "I would save Harry over you, too!" Jade snapped at Tom.

    "Babe, calm down. Stop getting worked up over this," Harry said softly as he extended a hand to the back for her to hold him, and Jade sighed as she reluctantly took his hand, and Harry raised her hand to his lips and kissed her palm.

    "You are the reason she is so spoilt. You keep encouraging her��."

    "Tom!" Harry called sternly, like a father scolding his son, when Jade gasped in outrage.

    "Tom doesn''t mean any of that," Harry said before Jade could respond, and he shot Tom a look to agree with him.

    "Whatever," Tom muttered.

    "Tom?" Harry called when Tom said nothing.

    "If Harry says I didn''t mean it, then I guess I didn''t," Tom said with a shrug as he met Jade''s gaze in the rearview mirror.

    "You had better not," Jade said grudgingly.

    As Harry rxed back against his seat after appeasing Jade, Tom nced at him and he mouthed a silent ''thanks'' to Tom for ying along.

 Chapter 781 Just Us Girls

    <h4>Chapter 781 Just Us Girls</h4>

    The moment Tom, Harry, and Jade arrived at Bryan''s ce, Jade got out of the car and headed for the house ahead of Tom and Harry.

    "Lucy, I think you should go back home to Tom. I don''t want him interrupting every moment I have with Harry simply because you''re not there to keep him upied," Jade said with a scowl.

    "He is at Harry''s ce?" Lucy asked curiously, since she was somewhat surprised that he had not called her yet.

    "No, he is outside. We came to pick Andy, but I''m sure he is here more because he wants to see you than because of Andy," Jade said, and Tom who had just walked into the ce with Harry scowled.

    "I still don''t get why our parents adopted a brat like you out of all the kids in the world," Tom said, and Jade rolled her eyes.

    "If anyone was adopted, it must be you. It''s almost always the first kid who is adopted," she said and the rest of themughed.

    "Mom said she needed a girl. They got two boys already and she didn''t want to get pregnant again, so she settled for an adoption. You should ask them when they get here tomorrow. You need to go find your real parents," Tom said with an apologetic look, and Jade red at him.

    "You are a bastard!" She said, while Andy turned to Candace.

    "Are they always like this?" She asked the same question on Mia''s mind and Candace giggled and waved it off.

    "Don''t take them seriously," Candace assured Andy and Mia who seemed to be taking the exchange to heart.

    "Tom, stop being mean to Jade. Are you here to see me or Andy?" Lucy asked and Tom shook his head.

    "I''m here to see how my soon to be sister-inw is doing, and to see the newest Jonas sister. Hey, Sony, how are you feeling?" Tom asked as he went to meet Sonia and kissed her cheek.

    "I feel like shit. Thanks for releasing Lucy," Sonia said and Tom nodded.

    "Sure. Anything for you and the little one. You can keep her here with you for as long as you want, I don''t mind," Tom said and Lucy raised a brow.

    "Really?" Lucy asked and Tom nodded.

    "Don''t listen to him, Sony. He doesn''t mean it," Jade said and Sonia smiled at Tom.

    "Thanks. Before you got here I was telling Lucy that I wish she would stay with me until the babyes��." Sonia and the others burst intoughter when Tom''s expression changed into a frown.

    "I told her I wasn''t going to do that, but since you are kind enough to offer me to her for as long as she wants, I''m going to move in here," Lucy said and Tom tried not to scowl.

    As if choosing not toment on that, he turned to Andy with a pleasant smile, "Hello, Andy," Tom said as he looked at Andy, and she grinned at him.

    "I finally get to see you. I''ve heard so so much about you," she said and he cocked a brow.

    "I hope you liked everything you heard," he asked and she shrugged.

    "Unless they are all scared of you, no one had anything bad to say about you.," Andy said and Tom smiled.

    "I like you. Wee to the family, Andy," he said with arms opened and Andy grinned as she went to embrace him.

    "Why are you so quiet? That''s unlike you," Candace said, focusing on Harry who was yet to say a word since he walked in with Tom.

    "We''re you missing my voice so badly?" Harry asked and Candace giggled.

    "Can I have a word with you in private, Mia?" Harry asked, since his gaze had been on Mia the whole time.

    "Sure," Mia said as she rose to go talk to him while Jade frowned and raised a brow.

    "Can Ie?" She asked, but Harry shook his head.

    "I said in private. If I wanted you to hear I would say it in front of everyone," Harry said and Jade scowled at his back as he walked outside with Mia.

    "Why is he always so interested in Mia anyway?" Jade asked irritably as she went to sit beside Candace.

    "Are you scared he might dump you for her?" Candace asked and Jade rolled her eyes.

    "No. Tom, why is Harry so interested in Mia?" Jade asked and Tom raised a brow.

    "Back to talking to me? I thought I was a bastard?" He asked and she shrugged.

    "Being a bastard doesn''t stop me from talking to you. You started it first by saying I was adopted," Jade reminded him.

    "I don''t have time for this," Tom said as he turned to Lucy.

    "Can I have a word with you?" He asked and she raised a brow.

    "I thought you were here to see your sister-inw and the Jonas sister, not me?" She asked and he grinned.

    "There is no harm in saying hello to my girlfriend when I meet her at my sister-inw''s ce, is there? I didn''t want toe to see you because I didn''t want to distract you from attending to Sony," Tom said and Lucy giggled.

    "Like I buy that nonsense," Lucy said as she rose to go talk with him at the bar.

    "Tom is just as clingy as you after all," Candace said in amusement.

    "You are just realizing? You should see how pathetic he looked when he came over to Harry''s. ''I don''t want to go home when she is not there''" Jade said, mimicking Tom''s tone and expression, and all four of themughed.

    "That''s so sweet," Andy said and both Candace and Sonia agreed with her.

    Some feet away from there, Harry and Mia stood outside, "How are you doing?" Harry asked Mia with concern and she shrugged.

    "I''m fine. You?" She asked, no longer feeling ufortable now that Harry knew the truth about her.

    "I''m okay. I have been thinking about ourst discussion for some time now," Harry said and Mia raised a brow.

    "And?"

    "And I don''t like that you are living in hiding when you did nothing wrong," Harry said and Mia shook her head.

    "I don''t mind. I prefer��."

    "Can you trust me to protect you?" Harry asked and she shook her head.

    "No. I don''t know what this is about, but no. I don''t want you getting involved or��."

    "Do you think you will be able to live in hiding forever? It is only a matter of time before your family finds out that you are alive. Why don''t youe out of hiding before they find you? I''m not asking you to go back to them. I''m asking you to cut ties with them the right way if you must. That way you can retain your identity and be free to live a normal life without having to shy away from cameras," Harry said but Mia shook her head.

    "I don''t want to. I can''t face them��."

    "Why don''t you think about it and get back to me?" Harry asked and Mia looked at him with a confused frown.

    "Why? Why would you want to get involved in my business or do that for me?" She asked and Harry sighed.

    "Because I have two sisters who have gone through their fair share of emotional abuse and have also lived in hiding and I wish someone could have helped them. I wasn''t there for them, but I can be here for you if you let me. I''m not asking for anything in return. All I want is a chance to help you so that you never have to live in fear or hiding again," Harry said and Mia drew in a shaky breath.

    "I don''t know. I will think about it," she said, and Harry nodded.

    "That''s good enough. Can I have your number? That way I can talk to you over the phone instead of excusing you from everyone else and making them curious," Harry exined and Mia nodded.

    "Sure," she said as she took Harry''s phone and typed in her number.

    Harry dialed her number and when it rang, he saved it, "That''s my number. You can call me if you need my help," Harry said before they both returned inside to join the others.

    The moment Mia returned inside, she ordered for a cab and bid the others goodbye as she left, leaving them to wonder what she and Harry had discussed.

    Away from there, at the bar, the moment Tom and Lucy were alone, Tom pulled Lucy to himself and embraced her tightly.

    "I''ve been missing you like crazy since you left the office," Tom confessed, and Lucy sighed deeply as she hugged him back.

    "Yet you offered me to Sonia on a tter," she said and he pulled back.

    "It''s the least I can do for my sister-inw even if I don''t like it," he said and she smiled.

    "How was therapy?" He asked as he sat on one of the barstools and pulled her close to himself.

    "It was nice as usual. I''m d you came around," Lucy said and Tom raised a brow.

    "Really? I thought you didn''t want me to because I would distract you from focusing on Sonia?" He asked and she shrugged.

    "That doesn''t mean I won''t be happy to see my man. Besides, I was missing you too," Lucy said and Tom grinned.

    "Then I should have juste straight here instead of going to Harry''s and looking for an excuse toe see you," Tom said and Lucy smiled.

    "The only excuse you need toe see me, is missing me. And we can talk over the phone at night before going to bed," Lucy said and Tom nodded.

    "Alright. It''s just going to be tonight and tomorrow. I will survive, and if I don''t, know I love you," Tom said dramatically and Lucy giggled.

    "Please do. You know I can''t live without you," Lucy said and Tom grinned.

    "I guess I have to do all I can to survive. Your parents will be at my ce, right?" He asked since both their parents wereing in together the next day.

    "Right," Lucy said and Tom smiled, pleased that she wasn''t insisting on them going to stay at her ce as she had done thest time.

    "Alright then. I should get going, since I''m leaving alone," Tom said with a pitiful face.

    "Don''t look so sad, my love," Lucy said as she kissed him.

    As Tom rose to leave, he looked at her again, "Sonia was joking about you staying with her until the babyes, right?" Tom asked and Lucy giggled.

    "She wasn''t. But don''t worry, I have no ns of being away from you for that long. I can visit her often but I definitely won''t move in with her unless we are doing so together or she is moving in with us," Lucy said and Tom nodded in approval.

    "That''s good enough for me then," Tom said as they both returned to the living room to join the others.

    They got there in time to hear Jade say, "I have changed my mind about going back with you. I''m just going to stay here with Sonia and the others."

    "Are you serious?" Harry asked and Jade nodded.

    "Yes. It''s not like we are going to have the house to ourselves anyway. Andy will be there, and I know Tom will be a nuisance for as long as Lucy remains here. I''d rather have fun with the girls here, so you both should have fun," Jade said with a shrug.

    "Alright. Enjoy yourself. What about you, Andy?" Harry asked and she shed him an awkward smile.

    "If Jade and Candace are staying then I should stay here too. I don''t want to miss out on all the fun. I cane over to know your ce before we go back to Sogal," Andy said and Harry nodded.

    "Alright then. Since you''re all here, I will leave the car. Tom, do you mind dropping me off?" Harry asked and Tom grinned.

    "You know I don''t. Let''s go have some fun too," Tom said and kissed Lucy goodnight before heading for the door.

    "Are you sure you won''t regret thatter?" Candace asked Jade as they watched Harry and Tom leave.

    "No. They should go have fun," Jade said dismissively and then grinned.

    "Now it''s just us girls! Speaking of which, did I tell you girls that Philip proposed to Aurora?" Jade asked, surprising Lucy, Sonia, and Candace and leaving Andy lost.

    "Already?"

    "Are you serious?" Candace and Sonia asked, and Jade bobbed her head.

    "I was equally shocked when she called to inform me earlier. In her own words, they both tick each other''s boxes and see no reason to waste any more time apart, when they have been searching for each other their whole life," Jade said and they all awwed.

    "That is so beautiful," Lucy said and Jade nodded.

    "She wants me to be her maid of honor since I yed a role in their getting together," Jade said with a giggle, and Andy raised a brow.

    "I suppose Aurora is thedy she tried to make Harry date?" She asked Candace when she finally figured it out since she had heard how Jade had tried to make Harry date someone else before she fell for him.

    "Yeah," Candace said with a nod.

    "I wonder how they went from not defining their rtionship to being engaged in such a short time," Lucy said with an amused smile.

    "It''s the same way Candace went from tiptoeing around us and not wanting to date Matt to moving into my house just to spend time with Matt," Sonia said and Candace scowled at her while the others giggled.

    "Why didn''t you use Lucy as an example?" Candace asked and Jade raised a brow.

    "Because using you is more fun," Sonia said with a shrug.

    "What about Lucy could she have used?" Jade asked at a loss.

    Candace smiled, "She told me��."

    "Candace," Lucy called with disapproval and Sonia frowned at Candace.

    "Lucy told me she never wanted to date anyone until she met Tom, and now see her living with him. If that isn''t change, what is?" Candace asked, and grinned at Lucy, knowing that Lucy had thought she was about to expose her secret to Jade and d that she had been able to mess with her.

    "That''smon knowledge," Jade said easily.

    "Aurora ising to my bachelorette party tomorrow, right?" Sonia asked, returning the subject to Aurora and Jade nodded.

    "Definitely! You know she won''t miss any opportunity to spend time with us," Jade said and Sonia pped happily.

    "I''m so happy you''re all going to be here with me. I''m beginning to feel excited about my wedding," Sonia said happily, and they all smiled.

    They couldn''t wait for her to go to bed so they could meet and make more ns for the bachelorette party.

 Chapter 782 Very Offended

    <h4>Chapter 782 Very Offended</h4>

    After spending some time talking andughing, thedies decided to fix dinner together and they were still in the middle of that when Bryan and Matt got back.

    "Babe?" Matt called in pleasant surprise when they traced the sound ofughter to the kitchen and found thedies there.

    "Hi!" Candace greeted with a grin, and Mattughed happily as he went over to where she was and swept her off her feet.

    "Why didn''t you tell me you were here?" He asked happily, not paying attention to anyone else as he carried a giggling Candace out of the kitchen.

    "Hello to you too, Matt! It''s so good to see you," Andy called after him dryly, making Lucy, Jade and Sonia giggle.

    "Hey!" Bryan said, shing Andy an awkward smile since thest time they met, she had given him ap dance now here she was standing in his kitchen.

    "Small world, isn''t it?" She asked as though she could read his mind.

    "Indeed," Bryan agreed before shifting his gaze to Sonia.

    "I suppose I don''t get a wee back home hug or kiss?" Bryan asked from the kitchen door, not wanting to get too close to Sonia.

    "Aww, this must be tough on you. Should I give you a hug?" Jade offered, feeling sorry for Bryan, while Lucy and Andy stared at Sonia, willing her with their eyes to go to him.

    "Aww, this must be tough on you. Should I give you a hug?" Jade offered, feeling sorry for Bryan, while Lucy and Andy stared at Sonia, willing her with their eyes to go to him.

    Without responding to Jade, or waiting for Sonia to respond, Bryan walked away and all threedies turned to Sonia.

    "What is wrong with you? Why are you treating him like he infected you with some disease?" Lucy asked with a frown.

    "That''s not how I''m treating him. It''s just that I can''t really stand him right now and he understands," Sonia said defensively.

    "He understands, maybe, but you are hurting his feelings. He looks hurt," Jade said and Andy nodded in agreement.

    "Go to him, Sony," Lucy advised, jerking her head to the door for Sonia to leave.

    "Really, you girls are making a big deal over nothing. You''re all taking things personally on his behalf when he clearly understands that it''s not about him," Sonia said and Jade pointed to the door.

    "Stop making my brother sad. Go to him, else on your wedding day I''m going to object your union," Jade threatened and Sonia rolled her eyes.

    "Go!" Andy said as she got off the counter and pushed Sonia towards the door.

    "You''re all so dramatic, she said before going in search of Bryan.

    Once she walked into their bedroom, she saw Bryan taking off his clothes, "You won''t believe they sent me out of the kitchen, asking me toe to you because they think you are upset," Sonia said as she sat on the bed.

    "You don''t have to bother about me, you can go back to join them," Bryan said without looking at her.

    "Are you?"

    "Am I what?" Bryan asked in confusion.

    "Are you hurt?" Sonia asked, and this time Bryan turned to face her.

    "How can I not be hurt even though I''m trying hard not to be? Do you have any idea how much I''ve been regretting this pregnancytely?" Bryan asked, trying not to raise his voice.

    "What? You are upset? But I exined to you��."

    "Yes! Yes, you told me it''s the pregnancy that''s making you feel this way about me. How is that supposed to make me feel? If the table was turned, how would you feel? You are not making even any effort. I try my best to stay out of your way all day, yet you are not making any effort toe close to me. Will embracing me with a smile on your face when I return to the house after being away all day, make you sick? If I was the one who said I was repulsed by you because of your pregnancy, how would you feel? So far I''ve been putting myself in your shoes and doing the best I can for you, but you''re not doing the same for me. After this baby, I don''t want any more babies," Bryan said while Sonia watched him vent silently.

    "I didn''t know you felt that way. You should have told me so," she said quietly.

    "You would have known I felt that way if you bothered to spare me a nce. Don''t worry. After our wedding I will move back to Tom''s and you can have the house to yourself since you can''t stand my presence," Bryan said and Sonia sighed as she went to him.

    She had forgotten for a moment just how sensitive Bryan could be, and she had let herself get carried away by the changes brought about by her pregnancy.

    "You know you can''t move back to Tom''s. I can''t do this without you," Sonia said as she stopped in front of him.

    "You''ve shown me so far that you don''t need me and you want to do the whole pregnancy thing alone. I''m trying. I want to be here for you but you won''t even let me. You keep pushing me away and��."

    "I''m sorry," Sonia said, cutting him off because she could see that the more he talked about it the more upset he got.

    "It''s just that this whole pregnancy thing is harder than I envisioned. Whenever I thought of pregnancy, I pictured having the perfect baby bump and the cute feeling of having the baby move in my abdomen. I didn''t really bargain for all these other symptoms. And maybe a part of me feels sort of resentful that I''m the only one going through all of these changes. You can eat whatever you want and you feel perfectly okay but it''s not the same for me. I feel ill merely thinking about food," Sonia said and Bryan frowned.

    "Is that what you think? Didn''t you notice that I don''t eat whatever you can''t eat?" Bryan asked calmly.

    "I know that, yet I can''t help it! It''s not like it''s deliberate. It''s just the way I feel, and even though I know it doesn''t make sense, I can''t help it. So, I''m sorry if it feels like I''m pushing you away," Sonia said and Bryan sighed.

    "This phase will pass, babe. I understand that it''s not easy on you, but you are not making it easy on me either. Let''s not allow this phase toe between us. We still have a really long way to go. How do you intend to get married to me in two days if you can push me away because of your hormonal emotions?" Bryan asked and Sonia shrugged.

    "Maybe we should cancel the wedding," she said and burst intoughter when Bryan''s jaw dropped in surprise and his eyes grew wide.

    "I''m just kidding," she rushed to assure him.

    "You had better be kidding. I will blindfold and dumbfold you if I have to get you to the venue," Bryan said and she giggled.

    "Dumbfold?"

    "Yeah. If blindfold is to cover your eyes so you don''t see, then dumbfold will be to cover your mouth so you can''t speak," Bryan said and she giggled.

    "That''s not an English world," she said and he nodded.

    "You make up words all the time, so I guess it rubbed off on me," Bryan said with a grin, d that he could make herugh once again.

    Sonia embraced him, "I''m sorry. I will make a conscious effort to not pull away from you, even if it means puking on you," she promised and made a gag sound.

    Bryan quickly pulled back from her thinking she wanted to throw up, and she giggled, "What? I thought we were in this together?" She asked as she approached him again, while making the gag sound, and Bryan moved away from her.

    "Keep your distance��."

    "No way! You wanted my attention, now you got it. We can''t allow this phase to get between us," Sonia said and they bothughed as she chased him around the bedroom.

    Down the hall, Matty on the bed with Candace, feeling really happy to have her there with him.

    "So, you were going to go wait at my ce had Sony not to told you I was here?" He asked and she nodded.

    "That would have been a bummer," Candace said and Matt shrugged.

    "I would havee over to get you regardless of the hour. But I''m d you''re here. I''ve missed you so much," Matt said with a grin as he looked at her.

    "So, tell me all that has happened in my absence. Anything new?" He asked and Candace grinned.

    "You won''t believe that Cassidy got Andy a house and a car. The house is in one of the estates close to yours," Candace said and Matt raised a brow.

    "That''s nice of him. How did Andy react?" He asked, and Candace grinned as she told him all about it.

    "So, what about you? How is the new movieing? You never told me about your role," She asked curiously.

    "It''s fun. I''m acting as Bryan''s best friend in the movie. How do you feel about seeing me kiss otherdies on screen?" Matt asked and Candace frowned.

    "You are acting a romantic role?" She asked as she sat up and he nodded.

    "Yeah."

    "Who are you kissing? How deep is the kiss? And how pretty is the actress? Who is she?" Candace asked and Matt chuckled.

    "Rx, babes. You are getting worked up," he said and she scowled at him.

    "Don''t ask me to rx! You are not the one whose boyfriend is going about kissingdies in the name of being an actor," she hissed and he grinned.

    "But I''m the boyfriend in question, and I''m saying it''s not a big deal," Matt assured her.

    "Maybe I should go into the entertainment industry too. I''m sure you won''t find it so amusing to watch me kissing other people," she said and he smiled.

    "But I didn''t mind my girlfriend giving other guys ap dance," Matt pointed out and red at him.

    "You''re so cute when you are jealous." Matt said and she scowled again.

    "That won''t work on me," she said and he grinned.

    "What will work? Tell me so I do it," Matt said and she pursed her lips.

    "What''s the name of the actress?" Candace asked again.

    "Why?"

    "I want to see if she is hotter than I am," Candace said and Matt chuckled.

    "Is that youplimenting yourself?" He asked and she rolled her eyes.

    "I''m hot. I know it, everyone knows it, duh!" She said, and Matt smiled.

    "Good. I''m d you know it. You should know that no one is as hot as you. All those actresses will have toe take hotness lessons from you if they are ever going to get my attention," Matt said and Candace grinned.

    "I know, right? They don''t stand a chance," Candace said and Mattughed again.

    "No one does," Matt said, and Candace rxed against him again.

    "So, how is my Jam doing?" Matt asked and Candace sighed.

    "He is fine. He really wanted toe with us. We had to ask him to choose betweening for Sonia''s wedding and Lucy''s Christmas party," Candace said and Matt chuckled.

    "I''m sure he chose Lucy''s Christmas party without hesitation," Matt said and Candace smiled.

    "Yeah."

    "So, how has it been, settling in with your dad?" Matt asked since he had been wanting to ask her that but did not want to do so over the phone.

    "Some times it is weird, but it has mostly been wonderful. I don''t think any of us realized how much we needed a male presence in our lives until now. And my dad is so understanding and loving. He has been teaching Jamal how to ride a bike and taking him to the studio once a week to see how things are done there. Jamal loves it there. He keeps talking about how he is going to be richer than all of youbined," Candace said and Matt chuckled.

    "I don''t doubt it," Matt said easily.

    "What''s the n for the bachelor''s eve? I know you are the one nning it," Candace said and Matt shook his head.

    "I''m not telling you��."

    "Why not? Are you bringing in strippers for Bryan?" Candace asked and Matt raised an eyebrow.

    "Why? Do you want me to give you the gig?" He asked andughed hard when she pulled away from him with a gasp of dismay.

    "No, you didn''t just say that!" She said and when Matt onlyughed harder she picked up one of the pillows to hit him.

    "I feel very offended! How can you joke about something like that?" Candace asked with a frown.

    "Because it''s not a big deal, and I want to be able to joke about that with you until you loosen up and stop thinking of it like some dirty topic you don''t want to talk about. So? Do you want the gig?" He asked again.

    "You are unbelievably annoying," Candace hissed as she walked out of the room angrily while Matt merely grinned as he watched her leave.

    He knew she woulde around. She still needed some time, but he would keep teasing her with it until she stopped being so ufortable about it.

    He raised a brow when the door opened again, and Candace stood by the door, "Did you think I won''t remember that you didn''t tell me the name of the actress? What is her name?" she asked with a frown.

    "I thought you were mad at me?"

    "I was mad. I''m still very mad. Just say her name and I will be on my way," Candace said and Matt sighed.

    "It''s Gemima��."

    "What? I thought she was just a model?" Candace asked in disbelief.

    "She models more than she acts, but she does act in movies too. And you know you are way hotter than her. She doesn''t stand a chance with me��."

    "Fuck you," she hissed as she mmed the door making Matt wince.

    That definitely went much better than he had expected. He had deliberately not mentioned it to her until they met because he wanted to be able to gauge and manage her reaction in person. It wasn''t so bad.

 Chapter 783 Quit Being Sorry

    <h4>Chapter 783 Quit Being Sorry</h4>

    An angry Candace stormed into the kitchen where Lucy, Jade, and Andy wereughing over something Andy had said and they all looked at her with curious expressions.

    "What is wrong? Don''t tell me your honeymoon phase has ended already after he whisked you away so romantically earlier," Andy said dryly and both Lucy and Jadeughed.

    "Can you believe Matt? Can you girls believe that he agreed to shoot a kissing scene with Gemima?" Candace asked incredulously, and both Lucy and Jade looked at her with a frown while Andy raised a brow.

    "I''m lost. Who is Gemima? And why are you so worked up about it when you know roles like thate with acting?" Andy asked and Candace red at her.

    "Gemima! The model I told you has a thing for him," Candace snapped at her.

    "Oh, that! Good thing you know she has a thing for him, and it''s not the other way around. You should have no problem letting her have a taste of what she can''t have. I don''t see why it is a big deal. You are dating an actor. Deal with it," Andy said with a shrug and Candace red at her.

    "Calm down, Candace. Did Matt tell you about it? What did he say? How did he say it?" Jade asked, and Lucy nodded, since she was going to ask the same question.

    "He wasn''t going to tell me she was the one. He asked if I had a problem with him kissing otherdies while on set, and I demanded to know who she was," Candace said and Jade nodded.

    "And then what did you say? And what did he say again after what you said?" Jade asked, and Candace frowned.

    "Are you interested in calming me or are you more concerned about knowing the details of our conversation?" Candace asked making Andy, Jade, and Lucy to giggle.

    "Andy already tried to calm you, but it didn''t work, so I''m guessing you just need to vent. Besides, how do you expect me to calm you if I don''t get the whole picture of why you are upset?" Jade asked with a grin.

    "I''m awyer. I work better with details. It will be better if you can also describe the expression on both your faces so I can picture it better," Jade added, and this time Candaceughed.

    "You are not helping, Jade! I''m upset," Candace said and Lucy shrugged.

    "I think Sonia might be the best person to calm you. Ask her how she deals with Bryan kissing on set, since we all know he has been involved in one scandal or the other with most of thedies he pairs with in movies," Lucy said, and Candace nodded.

    "You know I''m nothing like Sonia. Sonia is crazy," Candace said, and Sonia who just returned to join them grinned at her.

    "Thanks for thepliment. For a moment I was beginning to think I lost it," Sonia said pleasantly and they allughed.

    "What were you girls talking about?" Sonia asked since she had only joined them in time to hear what Candace had said.

    Candace exined the situation to her and she shrugged, "I don''t think you should worry about her. Matt is yours, and kissing someone on stage isn''t going to change that, whether or not she is Gemima. Besides, you have met her before and you know their history. They''ve kissed and banged before, yet here he is with you, Isn''t that better than him kissing someone you don''t know at all?" Sonia asked and Candace sighed.

    "I suppose you have a point. But that is not the only reason I''m upset," Candace said as she sat by the ind, and Andy raised a brow.

    "What else did he do? Don''t tell me they are also going to have sex?" Andy asked and Candace eyed her with displeasure.

    "I asked him what the guys were doing for Bryan''s bachelor''s Eve and if they were getting strippers. Guess what he said?" Candace asked with a scowl.

    "Why would they need strippers when they have us to perform for them?" Andy guessed with an amused smile.

    "He asked if I wanted the gig!" Candace said, and they all burst into a giggle.

    "It''s not funny," Candace said as she red at them all.

    "I can''t believe he said that!" Lucy said in amusement.

    "That''s my point! How can he say that to me? Not once, but twice!" Candace said, infuriated by the thought of it.

    "I hope you told him you want the gig?" Sonia asked, and Candace scowled at her.

    "Are you deliberately trying to annoy me?" She asked and Andy sighed.

    "You are overreacting. We both know he was teasing you. It''s not a big deal. Stop being so touchy," Andy said and before Candace could respond, Lucy pped her hands.

    "Time out. I don''t want my darling cousins fighting," Lucy said and Jade rolled her eyes.

    "You''re no fun, Lucinda. Let them be. Their bickering is distracting me from thinking about what Harry might have talked to Mia about," Jade said and they all looked at Jade.

    "Why are you still thinking about that?" Lucy asked in confusion, and Jade shrugged.

    "Because I''m an overthinker and my brain just won''t stop analyzing things. I can''t let it go until I know why Harry is always so curious about her...."

    "I''m very curious about her too. She seems like a very interesting person. I want to be friends with her," Andy said and Jade raised a brow.

    "More interesting than I am?" She asked and Andy rolled her eyes.

    "I''m not Harry. You shouldn''t ask me that," Andy said and Jade pouted.

    "Is it a bad idea if I...."

    "Yes!" Candace and Andy said in unison and Jade scowled.

    "You didn''t even hear what I had to say yet," she said with a frown.

    "If you have to ask if it is a bad idea, then it most likely is a bad idea," Candace exined and Jade sighed.

    "What bad idea were youing up with?" L Sonia asked with interest.

    "I was thinking that I should give Mia a call to...."

    "Definitely a bad idea. Let it go," Lucy said and Jade looked at Sonia hopefully.

    "I agree with them. It''s not a good idea," Sonia said and Jade frowned.

    "The Sonia I knew would be on my side. What has happened to you, my sweet Sony?" Jade asked and Sonia grinned.

    "I''m more surprised that you have been dating Harry for a while now and you still don''t seem to know that doing something like that would rub him the wrong way. I''m sure you don''t want any dramas before your vacation," Sonia said and Jade sighed.

    "You''re right. Fine. I will let it go," Jade said, pping her temple dramatically to get rid of the thought.

    "So? Did you resolve things with Bryan?" Lucy asked Sonia curiously.

    "What? Was she fighting with Bryan?" Candace asked and Sonia sighed.

    "No, we were not fighting. I hate to say that you girls were right. He was feeling upset. Thanks for insisting that I go talk to him," Sonia said and they all nodded.

    "Sure. We are all literally here for you after all," Lucy said and Andyughed.

    "It''s funny that you all seem to have one rtionship drama or the other today��."

    "I don''t have any rtionship drama. Tom and I are cool," Lucy said proudly.

    "That''s only because you both have had enough drama tost a lifetime," Sonia said and they allughed.

    "I can''t wait to leave for my vacation with Harry next weekend," Jade said happily.

    "Have you gotten all you need yet?" Sonia asked, since Jade had consulted them while trying toe up with a list of items she needed to take along with her on the vacation.

    "No. Not yet. I will do that during the week. Which of youdies is going to volunteer to go shopping with me?" Jade asked, looking at each of them.

    "I would have offered, but I will be away on my honeymoon," Sonia said, and Jade nodded.

    "Yeah. I know that. I was asking the others. By others I mean Candace and Andy, since I know Lucy can''t leave the office during work hours to do that with me," Jade said, looking from Candace to Andy.

    "Andy?" Jade asked hopefully and Andy giggled.

    "If you were going to ask me all along why did you have to make it seem like I had a choice?" Andy asked and Jade grinned.

    "Just to see if Candace will be willing to volunteer so I can turn her down," Jade said and Candace rolled her eyes while the othersughed.

    "Let''s finish up here and set the table. My soon-to-be husband is hungry," Sonia said and Jade mimicked her making everyoneugh as they rose to set the table.

    Away from there, Amy who was busy trying to get her mind engaged on the movie she was seeing on herptop, looked up when she heard a sound outside her door.

    She frowned when she realized that someone was trying to open the door, and it didn''t take long for her to figure out who it was.

    "Amy! Amy! I know you are in there, open the door!" Malone called out angrily, and immediately Amy rose from her seat and drew back instinctively.

    "AMY!" He yelled as he banged on the door while Amy picked up her phone as she contemted calling the police.

    "If you don''t open this door I''m going to show up at your ce of work tomorrow and you won''t like what I''m going to do there," he threatened, and almost immediately Amy went to open the door.

    "Did you really think you can hide from me? Where is my money? I know you have the money! Did you think I wouldn''t figure out that Miley would have given you what was left of my money in case she died before the end of our deal? Do you think I''m going to let you steal my money?" He asked as he stepped into the house while Amy remained by the door as she shook her head.

    "I don''t know how you came about that idea, but Miley didn''t give any money to me��."

    "Why should I believe any word thates from your lying mouth, you bitch!" Malone snapped at her.

    "Malone, I have no business with you. Your business was with Miley and now that she is not here I suggest you stop bothering me, else I''m going to have to involve the police," Amy threatened indignantly and Maloneughter humorlessly.

    "And tell them what when we both know you are carrying my baby��."

    "No, I''m not. Thankfully the procedure didn''t work, so I''m not carrying the child of a bastard like you. Now that you know we have nothing inmon, can you please leave?" Amy asked angrily and Malone sneered at her.

    "Perhaps it''s for the best that you didn''t get pregnant with a child carrying your friend''s sick gene. I heard your friend say that you''ve never been with a man. I should do you the honor of nting my seed directly inside��."

    Amy felt her skin crawl as he advanced, and without thinking about what she was doing, she ran out of the house and shut the door behind her.

    "I''m not going to chase after you. I will be here waiting for you," Malone called after her loudly as he made himself at home.

    Amy''s heart raced as she ran as fast as her feet could carry her, not caring that Malone wasn''t chasing after her. She just wanted to put as much distance as she could between them until she was able to figure out how to handle him.

    Seeing as she had not heard from him since thest time he left her at the hotel to confront Miley''s parents, she had thought he had forgotten about her and moved on, but it seemed like that was not the case and he was bent on being unreasonable.

    After running for some time she came to a stop in front of a convenience and sat down by the seats in front of it to catch her breath.

    Apart from Miley, the only other friend she had, lived too close to her apartment forfort, and she didn''t really want to tell her friend about what was going on with her. There was also every possibility that Miley might have mentioned her friend to Malone.

    Seeing as she had left the house without money or her purse, she needed a ce to spend the night before thinking of the next course of action to take since it was obvious that Malone was insane.

    As she thought about it, the first name that came to mind was Lucy''s, so she quickly dialed Lucy''s line.

    Lucy, who had just finished having dinner and was getting ready to retire to her bedroom so she could give Tom a call before Jade, Candace, and Andy would join her in her bedroom, picked up her phone when she saw she had a call.

    She smiled thinking it was Tom, but raised a brow when she saw that it was Amy, and she quickly excused herself from the dining.

    "Hey, Amy! Are you alright?" She asked, surprised to hear from Amy at that time of the night.

    "No, I''m not. I''m really sorry to bother you, but Malone showed up at my ce and I ran out because I was scared he was going to rape me. I can''t think of anywhere else to go. Are you home? Can Ie spend the night at your ce, please?" Amy asked hopefully.

    "Oh, dear! I''m not home, but you can go over to my ce. I don''t suppose you left the house with any cash for transport, did you?" Lucy asked with concern.

    Although Lucy was curious to know what had happened and why Amy fled her own apartment thinking Malone wanted to rape her without bothering to call the police, she chose not to ask any questions until she got her to safety.

    "No, I didn''t. I''m sorry��."

    "Quit being sorry. Give me a minute," Lucy said and returned to the dining, "Sonia, please I need you for a minute," Lucy called and Sonia excused herself from the others to join her.

    "Do you think you could get across to Mia and Jeff and find out if she is with enough cash to help sort out Amy''s cab fare? I will reimburse her tomorrow," Lucy said and even though Sonia wanted to ask what was going on, she nodded.

    "Sure," Sonia said and went to get her phone to call Mia since she could tell from Lucy''s tone that it was sort of urgent.

    "You can head over to my apartment now. You will find the key on top of the right tyre of my car. Call me when you get there. I will make sure someone is waiting with money to pay." Lucy promised, thinking that if Mia and Jeff didn''t have enough money on them, then she would give Alicia and Jasmine a call.

    "Thank you so much, Lucy. I''m sorry��."

    "Just get on a cab already," Lucy said and hung up.

    "Mia says she has enough cash to pay for the cab," Sonia returned to say, and Lucy nodded, relieved that she wouldn''t have to involve Alicia and Jasmine.

 Chapter 784 Don’t Scare Her

    <h4>Chapter 784 Don��t Scare Her</h4>

    Instead of going back to Harry''s, Tom drove them to their favorite lounge so they would hang out like they usually did in the past.

    "So? What did Mia say?" Tom asked, wanting to know the oue of Harry''s discussion with Mia, since it had been their joint decision to help her.

    "She is very scared. I think she would rather remain in hiding than face her husband and family again," Harry said and Tom sighed.

    "Maybe she needs time. Until then we will wait. We can''t help someone who isn''t willing to be helped, can we?" Tom asked and Harry nodded as a waiter came to attend to them.

    "While we wait, I will have someone look into her husband in the mean time to find any speck of dirt on him. We will need all the dirt we can find to make a mess of him," Harry said after the waiter had left with their order

    "That''s your area of expertise so I will leave it to you. But I have no doubt that finding dirt on him would be easy. Any man that can assault his wife to the point that she has to fake her own death in order to escape him, is trash," Tom said with disgust.

    "You are right about that. By the way, did you hear from Philip?" Harry asked and Tom chuckled.

    "I did. He called to inform me about his proposal. I can''t believe he proposed to her already," Tom said and Harry grinned.

    "He wants me to be his best men, since he met her thanks to me," Harry said and Tom nodded.

    "Yeah. He asked me first to be sure it would be okay to ask you. Said he didn''t want me to feel like you were cheating on me. I also agreed to be one of his groomsmen," Tom said and Harryughed.

    "That''s cool. I''m proud of him. He reminded me that we were yet to hang out together as promised, and he suggested we do so before his wedding. I owe him that," Harry said and Tom shrugged.

    "We can do that after you return from your vacation. Speaking of which��." Tom said and nced at his phone when it started ringing.

    He picked up his phone from the table and raised a brow when he couldn''t recognize the number which was calling.

    "Hel��."

    "Hey, Tom! It''s Lucas. Don''t say anything yet. Lucy isn''t close to you, is she?" Lucas said before Tom could say anything.

    "Oh, Hey! No, she isn''t. Why? And why are you calling from a local line? Are you in the country?" Tom asked curiously since the number which had called him wasn''t a foreign line.

    "You are quite observant. I just came in for Sony''s wedding. I didn''t tell them I would being. I wanted to surprise them all, so please keep it to yourself until they see me. I called to know if Lucy''s apartment is avable or if she is there at the moment. I wanted to be sure whether I should go to the hotel or go stay at her ce," Lucas asked first, since he didn''t want to ruin the surprise.

    "No, no one is there. Lucy isn''t here either. She is at Bryan''s with Sonia. Why don''t youe over to my ce instead? I will have them prepare a room for you��."

    "My parents mentioned that they will be at your ce when they arrive tomorrow. In as much as I''m here to surprise them, I don''t want to be around them all the time. I need my space. Also, I''m not alone," Lucas said and Tom raised a brow.

    Even though he wanted to ask Lucas who hispanion was, he didn''t since it wasn''t exactly his business and he could wait to see whoever it was the next day.

    "Alright. You know where to find the spare key, right?" He asked and Lucas nodded.

    "Sure. Thanks. Don''t forget to keep this a secret," Lucas reminded him before hanging up.

    "That was Lucas, Lucy''s twin brother. He just came in for the wedding but doesn''t want Lucy and the others to know he is around. He wants to surprise them," Tom informed Harry who was sipping on his ss of wine which had been served while Tom was on the phone.

    "Oh, great! For a moment I thought it was one of your exes. You know, they just keep popping up," Harry joked, and chuckled when Tom red at him.

    "That''s not funny," Tom said irritably as he picked up his own ss.

    "Really? I thought it was," Harry said, still chuckling.

    "I guess I will be meeting my second cousin soon. Interesting," Harry said and Tom sighed.

    "Once again, I''ve forgotten that you''re both rted. Why do I keep forgetting?" Tom asked and Harry shrugged.

    "Don''t worry. I don''t mind. I n to keep reminding you that your girlfriend is my cousin," Harry said with a grin.

    "It''s not a big deal. Your girlfriend is my sister. And that reminds me of what ai was going to say before the call came in. How are you preparing for your vacation? You are still leaving next weekend, right? Have you settled on the day for the engagement? And how do you n to propose?" Tom asked and Harry raised a brow.

    "Why do you want to know my proposal n? Do you want to steal it while I''m away and propose to Lucy?" He asked with mock suspicion and Tomughed.

    "As if you are more romantic than I am. I have a few proposal ideas I could share with you��."

    "That''s very kind of you. Save them for Lucy," Harry said and Tom smiled.

    "Sure. I saved my best idea for Lucy. I''m still thinking about how to make it work at the Christmas party though," Tom said and Harry raised a brow.

    "What is your n? I''m always weary of your ideas because half the time they are crazy," Harry said and Tom chuckled.

    "But you can''t argue that my ns always work, can you? Crazy but effective," Tom said and Harry shook his head.

    He really wished he could argue that, but unfortunately Tom was was right.

    Tom picked up his phone when it started ringing again, "It''s your cousin. My girlfriend," he said with a sweet smile before receiving the call.

    "Hey, Jewel! I''m not home yet. I''m hanging out with Harry," Tom said immediately he received the call.

    "That''s not true. He''s hanging out with anotherdy. My name is Harrie," Harry called in a tiny voice and Tom chuckled.

    "You''re such an idiot," Tom said while Lucy who had heard Harry alsoughed.

    "I guess I shouldn''t bother you then. Let''s talk when you get home," Lucy said, choosing to tell him about Amy being at her ceter, since she didn''t think it was a discussion to have with him when he was hanging out with Harry.

    "I will call you when I get home. I love you," Tom said and Harry snorted when he blew her a kiss.

    "I love you twice as much and more," Lucy said and kissed him back before hanging up, leaving Tom grinning from ear to ear.

    "She just said she loves me twice as much and more," Tom said and Harry shook his head.

    "And that''s why you are blushing? What a fool she has turned you into," Harry said in amusement and Tom chuckled.

    "A fool for love, full with love for my darling��."

    "Oh, shut up!" Harry said with a chuckle.

    Away from there, Amy who had just walked inside Lucy''s apartment, turned on the lights and sighed as she shut the door behind her.

    She was grateful that Mia who hade out to pay for the cab had not asked her any questions, especially why she was outside in a pajamas and fluffy indoor slippers like she had just stepped out of her bedroom for a sleepover next door.

    Amy dialed Lucy''s line to inform her that she was inside now, since Lucy had asked her to call back once again after she got inside the house.

    "Are you inside now?" Lucy asked the moment she received the call.

    "Yes, I am. I''m so sorry for the inconvenience��."

    "You could take a shower or maybe a warm bath to calm yourself. You can check the right side of my closet for something to wear if you need to change out of your clothes. You will find something to eat in the refrigerator. Call me when you are settled," Lucy said since she was doing all these check ins to make sure Amy was fine and rxed before asking her exactly what had happened and why she had not called the police.

    "No, I''m alright. I had dinner already. I just need to go to bed now," Amy assured her.

    "Are you sure? Do you want to tell me what happened now?" Lucy asked and Amy sighed as she went on to tell Lucy everything.

    "I know it''s toote to say this, but you shouldn''t have opened the door to him. You should have let hime to thepany to create a scene so he would be arrested! And you shouldn''t have left your apartment to a lunatic like him. What if he carts off all you own? You should have called the police immediately. You should call the police right now," Lucy said and Amy sighed.

    "I don''t know what he might say if hees to thepany and I really don''t want any dramas at my workce��."

    "I would have handled it for you. It''s not toote to call the police now. You know what? I will do it if you can''t. I will make an anonymous call to the police. I will inform them that you are my neigbor and I just saw someone strange breaking into your apartment when you''re not there. That way, if anything goes missing, he will pay for it," Lucy said and Amy bit the nail of her right tiny finger as she thought about it.

    "Are you sure that is a good idea? Do you think that is going to work?" Amy asked, unable to think straight at the moment since she was at her wit''a end already.

    "Yes. If the police calls you, you can tell them what happened and have them protect you from him. Also, you can stay at my ce until he has been taken care of," Lucy said and Amy sighed.

    "Alright. Thank you. Thank you very much, Lucy," Amy said, feeling really grateful that she had Lucy to rely on at the moment.

    "I''m going to hang up now, and do the anonymous call. Call me if you need anything else," Lucy said before hanging up.

    Amy sighed as she looked around the apartment which she had been to twice, yet she felt sopletely lost standing there in that moment.

    Tears gathered in her eyes as she went to sit on the couch, and she drew up her knees and hugged them to herself as she cried, seekingfort even if it meant drawing it from herself.

    She couldn''t believe that her once perfectly calm life had been thrown into disarray all because she had been trying to be a good friend to her dying best friend.

    Everything was a mess and she had no idea where or how to begin to fix it. Maybe she should have listened to Lucas and did all she could to dissuade Miley from her ns instead of encouraging her as she had done only to mess up her own life.

    She knew she probably shouldn''t be feeling so regretful when she had done everything with good intention for Miley, but of what use was her good intentions now when she was the one suffering the consequence of their wrong decision all alone. She knew that even Miley would feel sorry and regretful if she knew all that was going on.

    She didn''t know how long she sat there, but she raised her head when she heard a sound outside the door as though someone was trying to open the door with a key, and her first thought was that Malone had followed her there, but she shook her head.

    It wasn''t Malone. She knew he had not chased after her and he definitely wouldn''t know she was at Lucy''s ce.

    Perhaps it was Lucying to check on her? She mused as she rose and quietly listened since she could hear voices. Male voices.

    "I thought you said he said she isn''t here? Why does it seem like someone is inside? The light is on inside and it seems like the door is locked from inside," Amy heard someone say, and her heart skipped a beat.

    Burrs? Did shee to Lucy''s house on the night her house was to be broken into? Amy mused, cussing her bad luck, and without thinking she switched off the light.

    "Let''s leave then," Amy heard the other person say.

    "Leave? No way! We are here already. Let''s just make our presence known and go in before she goes to bed. She just turned off the lights," the first person said, and by now Amy''s heart was beating loud enough for her to ear.

    It seemed like the burrs were determined to break in. Well, it wasn''t going to be on her watch. She might have run away from Malone leaving her house unprotected, she couldn''t do the same to Lucy''s house.

    Amy quickly dimmed her eyes as she tried to find her way to the kitchen in the darkness since she remembered her way around the apartment from the time she had brought Lucy home and prepared breakfast for her.

    Her heart was beating very first as she turned on the front torchlight of her phone and used her hands to cover it so they wouldn''t see the light but it would be enough for her to look around the kitchen.

    The first weapon she saw was Lucy''s nonstick frying pan and she picked it up and turned off the shlight as she returned to the living room.

    She almost jumped out of her skin when they men standing outside suddenly began to knock violently.

    "Who is in there? Open up!" The first burr said, and Amy rolled her eyes as she held the pan up.

    Why would a burr in his right senses expect her to open up? If he couldn''t break in, shouldn''t he just leave? She mused.

    "Don''t scare her. Lucy, we know you are in there, open up," the second burr said and Amy cocked her head to the side at the familiar voice.

    "Now you are ruining the surprise. You are no fun," the first burr said and Amy frowned.

    Surprise? What was going on.

    "Maybe she has gone to bed. We should call her," Lucas suggested, and this time Amy realized whose voice it was and her heart skipped a beat.

    Lucas?

 Chapter chapter 785 Bothersome

    <h4>Chapter?chapter 785 Bothersome</h4>

    785 Bothersome

    Amy''s mouth went dry at the realization that Lucas was standing outside.

    Why? Why did he have to be here tonight of all nights? Amy mused, hating that Lucas would see her there.

    Lucy didn''t tell him anything about what was going on, did she? Amy mused, and then shook her head. Lucy had promised not to tell, and somehow she trusted Lucy.

    Even though she would rather not open the door, after putting together the pieces of the conversation she had just heard, she could tell this was meant to be a surprise for Lucy, and she didn''t want to ruin it, so she turned on the light and unlocked the door.

    Lucas and Tyler who were just about to dial Lucy''s line, looked up when the door suddenly opened.

    "Lu��. Amy?" Lucas asked, shocked to see Amy standing there.

    "Surpr��. That''s not Lucy," Tyler said at the same time as Lucas.

    "Hi! No, I''m not Lucy. Lucy is not here, but she was kind enough to let me spend the night at her ce," Amy said, looking at Tyler without meeting Lucas'' gaze.

    "Oh, hello! I''m Tyler. Lucy''s friend and Lucas'' best friend," Tyler said and Amy nodded.

    "You''re wee. Do you want toe in?" Amy asked, still not looking at Lucas who was staring at her with a frown.

    "I don''t know about you Luke, but I want to go in. Thanks," Tyler said to Amy as she stepped aside to let him in.

    "Our surprise isn''t ruined after all," Tyler said to Lucas who said nothing to Amy as he walked in.

    "So it seems," Lucas said even though he seemed to be the one who had been surprised.

    Amy was thest person he expected to see even though he had thought a lot about her in thest couple of weeks and had been curious to know how she was coping with the ill treatment from Miley''s family and if her and Miley had gone ahead with the surrogacy n and if she was pregnant.

    "We seem to have interrupted you in the process of making dinner," Tyler said, eyeing the frying pan in her hand and wondering why he wasn''t perceiving anything.

    "No, I wasn''t making dinner. I was going to hit you with this. I thought you were burrs," Amy blurted out, and then couldn''t help feeling foolish as the words left her mouth.

    "Burrs?" Tyler asked with a chuckle as he nced at Lucas, and then it urred to him that Lucas was yet to say anything, and thedy was yet to talk to Lucas either, even though it seemed like they knew each other.

    "Sorry, I just realized that I didn''t catch your name," Tyler said, since he had not caught the name Lucas mentioned earlier.

    "Amy. I''m Amy. Amy Grant. Lucy''s friend. I''m her secretary too, but it''s easier to say her friend so you wouldn''t start wondering why she let her secretary sleep over at her ce," Amy bbered, feeling ufortable because of Lucas'' presence.

    "I think I need to use the restroom. Can you direct me?" Tyler said, feeling the need to leave those two alone now that he realized who Amy was.

    Lucas had told him about Amy and Miley, but he only just remembered her because she said she was Lucy''s secretary. He knew just how worried and conflicted Lucas had been in thest couple of weeks thinking whether or not he should get involved and speak up on behalf of Amy to Miley''s family.

    Amy directed Tyler to the restroom she had used the first time she was there, and once he left, Amy remained where she stood as did Lucas.

    Neither of them said a word for some time and when the silence was bing too awkward, Amy decided to speak.

    "I''m sorry aboutst time��."

    "How are you?" Amy and Lucas asked at the same time, and Amy looked at Lucas, surprised and confused by his question.

    "What?" She asked with a frown.

    "You seem like you were crying," Lucas said, since that was the second thing he observed when he looked at her.

    "Oh! I''m fine. I was just watching an emotional clip on my phone. I''m alright. I''m here because my apartment sort of got flooded. I unknowingly left the tap on in the morning and the whole ce got flooded. I had no ce to go so I came here," Amy lied, thinking fast on her feet.

    Lucas did not believe a word she had. He did not believe her one bit, but he was willing to let her get away with her lie, "Next time if you think burrs are breaking in, you should call the police first," Lucas said, eyeing the pan in her hands, she seemed to have a violent streak, Lucas mused as he remembered how she had attacked him on the road thest time too.

    Lucas couldn''t help but feel grateful that the door had been locked from inside. He couldn''t imagine the kind of damage the pan could have done had they walked into the house not knowing she was waiting for them with something like that. To think that Tyler had even suggested they pretend to be burrs to scare Lucy.

    "I wouldn''t have hit you with it had I known it was you," Amy said, as though she could read his mind, seeing how he was still staring at the pan.

    "Of course, you wouldn''t," Lucas murmured dryly.

    "I''m sorry about what happened thest time," Amy said and Lucas raised a brow.

    "What exactly are you sorry for?" He asked since he was no longer feeling as mad now as he had been then.

    "For making such a selfish request. I should never have done that. I have no excuse for it. I''m sorry," Amy said and when Lucas merely stared at her without saying a word, she cleared her throat.

    "Uhm, I should probably go drop this," Amy said and turned around to return to the kitchen while Lucas watched her, wondering what was really going on with her.

    Did they chase her away from her house? And why did Lucy have to be so goddamned tightlipped about things? Why wouldn''t she tell him if something was going on with Amy? Lucas mused, feeling frustrated by his concern for her and Miley.

    Lucas stood in the parlor with his hands tucked in his pocket as he tried to make up his mind whether to ask her about Miley and see if she would confide in him about the situation or not.

    Amy on the other hand stood in the kitchen after dropping the pan, and cussed herself for having the bad luck of getting into trouble with Malone just when Lucas was around.

    Why couldn''t they have met at a better time when she didn''t have to lie and be such a bbering fool?

    And how did he notice that she had been crying anyway? She mused as she clicked on her phone''s camera and raised her phone to her face to see how she looked so she could know exactly what Lucas had seen.

    "I don''t look so bad. How did he know I was crying?" She muttered to herself.

    "You don''t look bad at all," Tyler said from the doorway, making her jump since she had not noticed his presence.

    "Do you know if there is any food in this ce? I''m famished and I fear that I might die before any delivery person gets here with food," Tyler said, and Amy raised a brow.

    "Are you indirectly asking me to fix you dinner?" She asked, and Tyler grinned.

    "You caught me. I thought it would be best to ask indirectly so you don''t wack my head with that. And just so you don''t misunderstand me, I''m not asking for dinner because I think you are ady and you should do the cooking. I don''t mind cooking, but I''m really exhausted from the endless flight, and it''s a miracle I''m still standing right now when I haven''t had a decent sleep for over forty eight hours," Tyler said chattily while he used the time to look her over.

    "Go get some rest. I will fix us something to eat and then we can leave for the hotel," Lucas said as he joined them.

    Tyler opened his mouth to argue and remind Lucas that he was just as exhausted too and should get some rest, but on second thought decided to let Lucas do whatever he wanted.

    "I''m not going to any hotel. We can move to the hotel tomorrow, but I''m not leaving the ce this night. I''m dead on my feet already. You are going to have to drag my unconscious body out of here. I don''t mind sleeping on the floor if I have to," Tyler said and returned to the living room, leaving Lucas and Amy alone.

    "I will fix you both something to eat. You can go get some rest too," Amy suggested but Lucas said nothing as he looked at her.

    "What?" Amy asked with a frown, wondering why he kept looking at her like he had something to say yet remained silent.

    "Are you pregnant?" Lucas asked before he could stop himself.

    Amy opened her mouth and then shut it, opened it again and then shut it so she could consider her response carefully.

    "Why are you asking me that?" She asked with a frown.

    "You look pale, you have circles under your eyes, you seem to have lost a lot of weight, and I''m curious if it''s because you are pregnant or something else is responsible for it," Lucas said and Amy''s frown deepened.

    "Something else like what? And why are you curious about me?" Amy asked, choosing to avoid responding to his question.

    "I don''t know. You tell me," Lucas said and she frowned on confusion.

    "Tell you what? Why you are curious about me or what?" She asked and Lucas couldn''t help but be amused by her confusion.

    "Well, if you have the answer to that, I would definitely like to know it," he said and she frowned, not getting what Lucas was up to or why he was suddenly being sort of friendly.

    "How is Miley?" Lucas asked, changing the subject.

    "Her health deteriorated so her parents flew her out of the country for treatment," Amy said easily.

    "Oh, that''s sad. Then I suppose you didn''t go ahead with the surrogacy or getting her married as nned?" Lucas asked casually.

    "No, we didn''t. We decided to take your advise after all," Amy lied, and prayed that Lucy would never tell Lucas about Malone and everything else.

    All she had to do was lie through this night, and by morning she will leave here and wouldn''t have to face Lucas again after now.

    "That''s good. That means you are not pregnant," Lucas said and Amy frowned.

    "We are back to that? Why do you seem concerned about that?" Amy asked, not understanding Lucas'' sudden interest.

    "Maybe it''s the doctor in me. I don''t like to see people looking so unhealthy. You look like you need to eat and you look ill," Lucas said and Amy resisted the urge to scowl at him.

    "Thanks for your concern. Now will you let me fix you both something to eat, or do you want to do it yourself?" She asked, wanting to be left alone since he was making her feel ufortable.

    "I will do it myself," Lucas said and she shrugged.

    "Suit yourself then. I''m going to bed. Goodnight," Amy said and quickly headed for the door.

    "Don''t let Lucy know that I''m here," Lucas called after her as she left, and once she shut the bedroom door, Tyler who had heard their conversation from the living room went to join Lucas in the kitchen.

    "Now that you know they didn''t go along with their surrogacy n, you can stop being worried about her," Tyler said from the doorway.

    "I didn''t believe anything else she said apart from the fact that Miley was flown out of the country, and that''s only because we rmended the hospital to her family doctor," Lucas said and Tyler raised a brow.

    "Why not?"

    "I could tell she was lying. And the only reason she would lie is because she embarrassed. If they really took my advise as she said, she would have nothing to be embarrassed about," Lucas said reasonably.

    "Do you still n to see Miley''s father before we return?" Tyler asked and he nodded.

    "Yeah. I should clear the air with them on her behalf so I don''t have to keep worrying about her. It''s very bothersome and annoying," Lucas said before walking over to the refrigerator to find what he could use to fix dinner or maybe some leftovers he could heat up.

 Chapter 786 Cousin?

    <h4>Chapter 786 Cousin?</h4>

    786 Cousin?

    After everyone retired to their bedrooms, with Candace sharing the bedroom with Matt, and Andy sharing a bedroom with Jade, who had insisted that Andy stay with her instead of with Lucy since they were going to be sisters-inw soon and needed to get to know each other better.

    Alone in her bedroom, Lucy decided to surf the while waiting for Tom to get home and call her.

    She searched for fun games they could y at the joint bachelor bachelorette party they had all agreed on during dinner.

    She raised a brow when her phone started ringing with a call from Alicia, and she couldn''t help wondering why Alicia was calling her by that time of the night.

    She received the call immediately, "Hello, Alicia!" She greeted pleasantly.

    "Hey, Lucy! I''m sorry to bother you at this hour, but I thought I should let you know that there are some people in your house," Alicia said, while Jasmine rolled her eyes in exasperation, wondering why Alicia always loved to do such embarrassing things.

    "People? Amy is the only one in my apartment. I let her stay there for the night��."

    "I suppose that''s thedy I saw earlier. But she isn''t the only one there. I saw two men go in a while ago."

    Lucy''s heart skipped at that, "Two men?" She asked with a frown.

    Was it possible that Malone had followed her there and was causing trouble for her? Although Lucy had ced an anonymous call to the police, she didn''t know if they had gone over to Amy''s to handle the situation.

    "Yes. And they are yet toe out. I wasn''t sure what was going on so I thought I should give you a call to let you know," Alicia exined.

    "Alright. Thanks for the information. I will give Amy a call to find out if everything is alright," Lucy said before hanging up.

    Immediately, Lucy dialed Amy''s line, and Amy who had been in the kitchen conversing with Lucas, walked away to receive her call.

    "Amy? Is everything alright over there?" Lucy asked with concern even though she was quite relieved that Amy had received her call.

    She had nned to have Mia and Jeff go over to her ce to check on Amy if she didn''t get any response.

    "Yes. Sure. I was just about to go to bed," Amy said, and Lucy raised a brow.

    "Did you receive any visitors?" She asked, and Amy opened her mouth to say no, but thought better of it since she could tell that Lucy had a reason for asking and she didn''t want to be caught lying to Lucy who was only trying to help her.

    Did someone notify Lucy of the presence of Lucas and his best friend? How could she exin the presence of strange men in Lucy''s house without giving away Lucas'' surprise n?

    Seeing how she was silent, Lucy could tell it was true but that Amy didn''t want to talk about. Was she being silent because Malone was probably threatening her to not say anything, or was it because she just didn''t want to tell her who the visitors were? Lucy mused.

    "Is someone there with you? Probably threatening to hurt you if you say anything? Should I send for help?" Lucy asked, worried by Amy''s silence.

    Amy giggled involuntarily at Lucy''s overactive imagination, "No. Not at all. I''m fine. That''s not the reason I''m not saying anything. Yes, I have some guests but no one is threatening me," Amy managed to say.

    "I''m not sure I believe you. I''m going to send Jeff and Mia over��."

    "Trust me, Lucy. None of that is necessary," Amy assured her.

    "Listen, as long you are sure it''s not Malone and you are safe, you don''t have to tell me who your guests are if you don''t want to. I only wanted to be sure you are fine. And in case it''s Malone, you should let him know that my neighbors saw him and his pal going in and can easily identify them if the need arises. So, they had better not try anything silly," Lucy threatened and Amy smiled.

    "Thanks, Lucy. I assure you there is nothing for you to worry about. I''m perfectly safe and going to bed now," Amy said and Lucy raised a brow.

    "Does that mean they are spending the night there? Or are they leaving now?" Lucy asked feeling even more suspicious now.

    "Yes, they will be spending the night, but they will be in the living room. I think I will sleep better with them in the house with me," Amy said and Lucy sighed even though she still wasn''t exactly convinced yet,

    "Alright then. Try to get some rest. By the way, I called the police as I said I would. Have you heard from them yet?" Lucy asked hopefully.

    "No. But I n to go to the police station to make a report before going to the office in the morning," Amy said and Lucy nodded.

    "Alright then. Let''s talk in the morning. Have a good night''s rest," Lucy said, deciding to ask Sonia to send Mia or Jeff over to find out if Amy was truly fine and safe as she ims.

    "You won''t tell Lucas about any of this, right? I mean about Malone," Amy asked before Lucy could hang up, since she knew that Lucas would most likely ask Lucy about it when they meet, Lucy might be tempted to tell him.

    "For as long as you want me to keep it to myself, your secret is safe with me," Lucy promised before ending the call.

    Amy could tell that Lucy still wasn''t convinced about her safety, so she decided to go inform the visiting duo that Lucy was aware of their presence in the house.

    As she stepped out of the bedroom, she heard Tyler and Lucas discussing in the kitchen and she paused so she could listen in on their conversation to see if they were talking about her before making her presence known to them.

    She smiled when she heard Tyler talking about how he couldn''t wait to see the surprise on Lucy''s face when she sees him at the wedding.

    "I''m afraid your surprise may be at jeopardy," Amy said as she joined them, and Lucas raised a brow.

    "You didn''t tell Lucy that we are here, did you?" He asked with a frown since he had clearly asked her not to mention it.

    "Seeing the scowl on your face, I wish I did," Amy said with a scowl of her own before directing her attention away from Lucas to Tyler.

    "I suspect one of the neighbors saw youe in, and called to report your presence to Lucy. I couldn''t give her any exnation so I believe she is worried I''m in danger and might send someone to check on me soon," Amy said and before Lucas could ask her why Lucy might think she was in danger, the doorbell rang and she shrugged.

    "Told you. One of you will have to get the door. You preferably," Amy said referring to Tyler.

    "Apart from the fact that no one might know who you are, you seem much more pleasant," Amy said, and Tyler chuckled while Lucas scoffed.

    "Weren''t you seeking my forgiveness a moment ago? Is it always in your character to apologize one minute and seek to annoy me the next?" Lucas asked, since she had done the same thing thest time at her apartment.

    "I wasn''t trying to annoy you. I was merely stating a fact. Now will either of youe with me to the door or will you rather Lucy calls the police?" She asked pleasantly, and Tyler grinned at Lucas before gesturing to Amy to lead the way.

    "Facts indeed," Lucas muttered as he returned his attention to preparing dinner.

    Amy opened the door with a pleasant smile on her face to see Jeff and Mia standing outside together, "Sorry to bother you, we thought you might be in need ofpany and decided toe over," Mia said with a pleasant smile as she raised a bottle of wine which she had brought with her as a weapon in case Amy was in danger.

    As much as Amy would have loved to send them away so she could retire for the night, she knew that they would be even more suspicious if she did that.

    "Oh! I didn''t realize you hadpany," Mia said as she sent Tyler a pleasant smile, and he smiled back at her.

    "Oh, yes! My cousin. He just came into the country tonight and since I was crashing here, I asked him and his best friend toe over," Amy said, not bothering to say Tyler''s name.

    Cousin? Mia mused as she gave him a once-over. He didn''t seem like a dangerous person, but then again, she knew how deceptive looks could be. Her abusive husband also looked very gentlemanly but was a beast behind closed doors.

    "Hi! I''m Mia, and this is my boyfriend, Jeff," Mia said, and Jeff frowned as he looked at her, wondering where that hade from.

    She was doing too much. What did she think this was? An action movie? Jeff mused.

    Seeing how Jeff wasn''t saying anything, Mia pinched him as she passed her arm around him to hold his waist, "You don''t mind using in, do you?" Mia asked hopefully since she was yet to see the other guy Sonia had mentioned was in the house. He might be the dangerous one for all she knew.

    "Not at all. Pleasee in," Amy said as she held out the door to them.

    She knew Lucy had most likely sent them, and to put Lucy''s mind at ease, she was going to let them in and leave it up to Lucas to figure out a way to keep his presence a secret from Lucy.

    While they were talking, Tyler struggled not to stare too hard at Mia even though he was quite amazed by how familiar she looked.

    As Mia and Jeff walked in, they looked around the apartment and noticed that nothing seemed out of order and then they perceived the aromaing from the kitchen and heard Lucas moving about.

    This definitely didn''t seem like anyone was in danger, unless they nned to have dinner before harming Amy. Maybe something like the biblicalst supper, Mia thought.

    "I''m sorry we intruded this way. We didn''t realize you were fixing dinner," Jeff said not missing the fact that Amy seemed very rxed and in control.

    "I was actually on my way to bed. The guys were fixing dinner for themselves since they just arrived," Amy exined calmly while Tyler sat on the couch and picked up his backpack.

    Following his movement, Mia''s gaze fell on the duffle bags beside the couch and she decided that it was either Amy was telling the truth about her cousin and his friend just getting into the county anding to spend the night with her, or the guys had brought the bags to take away pieces of her body after butchering her up.

    She decided it was the former when Tyler took out his towel and some clothes from his bag, "I''m sorry, I''m sort of ufortable. I need to pop into the shower," Tyler said and walked away.

    Of course, if Amy was in trouble there was no way the guys would let her be alone with them this way, Jeff and Mia reasoned.

    "I guess you''re fine?" Mia whispered and Amy smiled.

    "You can let Lucy know that there is nothing to worry about," Amy assured them and they nodded.

    "I guess we can leave you then. You can have this. I brought it with me in case I needed to smash their head," Mia said, making a gesture with the bottle of wine as though she wanted to hit someone.

    "Thanks," Amy said with a smile of gratitude as she took the bottle from Mia and led the to the door.

    The moment the door closed behind them, Amy sighed, d that she hadn''t ruined Tyler''s surprise.

    "Did something happen to you? Why is Lucy so concerned about you? And why are you really here instead of your apartment?" Lucas asked curiously from the doorway of the kitchen.

    "What you meant to say was ''thank you for covering for us'' right? You''re wee," Amy said with a sweet smile as she headed for the bedroom.

    Lucas didn''t bother to stop her as she left. He could tell she was acting that way only to avoid his questions. What was it to him if she didn''t want to share her personal problems with him? She was free to do whatever she liked, Lucas thought as he returned to the kitchen.

    Amy on the other hand sighed as she walked into the bedroom and shut the door. She knew she was being unnecessarily rude to him, but she couldn''t help it.

    If she so much as acted in a polite or friendly manner towards him, she would have to answer his questions and she didn''t want to. Her pride wouldn''t let her tell him that she was in a mess because she had failed to heed his advise.

 Chapter 787 You Should Come

    <h4>Chapter 787 You Should Come</h4>

    787 You Should Come

    Lucy was already beginning to doze off when Sonia texted to let her know that Mia and Jeff had checked on Amy, and the guys with her were her cousin and his friend who just came into the country.

    Why didn''t Amy simply tell her that? Lucy mused. But then again, had Amy said so, she probably wouldn''t have believed her. Having been abducted once herself, she had been scared that Amy might be in that situation but too scared for her life toe out straight and ask for help.

    Before she could spend more time dwelling on it, Tom''s video call came in and she smiled as she received it, "You finally called. I had almost given up and was about to go to sleep," Lucy said with a yawn.

    "I''m sorry. I sort of lost track of time. So? What''s going on over there?" Tom asked curiously.

    "Nothing much. Everyone else retired to their bedrooms a while ago and I was alone in mine waiting for my boyfriend to call but apparently he was having too much fun with his best friend to call me," Lucy said and Tom grinned.

    "That''s what happens when you choose to stay with your best friend over staying with your boyfriend," he said and she scowled.

    "Need I remind you that that best friend happens to be your soon-to-be sister inw?"

    "Need I remind you that that best friend happens to be your cousin?" Tom retorted and Lucy grinned.

    "Alright. Fine. Let''s call a truce," she said and Tom chuckled..

    "That''s my smart girlfriend. She knows when to give up...."

    "I didn''t give up," Lucy cut in, and Tom chuckled.

    "Alright. I give up on your behalf," he said with a wink and she giggled.

    "By the way, I called earlier to let you know that Amy is sleeping over at my apartment," Lucy said and Tom raised a brow.

    "Amy? Why?" He asked with a frown, wondering if Lucas had gotten there already and met her there.

    "She got attacked at her ce," Lucy said and went on to exin the situation with Malone to Tom.

    "And then Alicia called to inform me that two guys showed up there," Lucy said and Tom resisted the urge to scowl since he knew the two guys were most likely Lucas and thepanion he spoke about.

    It seemed like Alicia was the neighborhood''s watchdog. Nothing seemed to get past her. As much as he liked that she looked out for Lucy, he wished she could mind her business at times.

    "I was really worried about it thinking he followed her there, but Mia and Jeff went over to confirm and it turned out they were Amy''s cousin and friend who just got into the country," Lucy exined.

    Amy''s cousin indeed, Tom thought with a chuckle which he concealed behind a cough.

    "Well, I''m d she is safe. It''s a good thing she ns to go to the police tomorrow. Ask her for his photograph if she has any, and I will ask the security at thepany to have him arrested if he shows his face anywhere around thepany," Tom said and Lucy smiled.

    "Sure. I will do that in the morning. Thanks. Also, during dinner we all agreed to have a joint bachelor bachelorette party. I''m sure Bryan will tell you about it tomorrow," Lucy said with a yawn and Tom smiled, pleased with the idea of spending the night with Lucy.

    "Does that mean the party won''t hold on the yacht as nned?" Tom asked thoughtfully.

    "It will. But it won''t bete in the night since there won''t be enough room for everyone and Sonia needs to get a good night''s rest for Saturday," Lucy said and Tom scowled, when he realized he was still not going to spend the night with her.

    "What was the reason for the change of ns?"

    "We figured it would be more fun that way. We can all throw our questions at the couple and also y fun games together. It should help Sonia be more excited about her big day and remind her of her love for Bryan," Lucy said and yawned again.

    "It''s a good idea. I like it," Tom said with approval.

    "I guess we should go to bed now," Tom said since he could see that Lucy was struggling to keep her eyes open.

    "Did I wait up for this long just so we can speak for two minutes?" She asked with a scowl and Tom chuckled when she tried unsessfully to stifle yet another yawn.

    "I thought you were exhausted and would want to rest your head. Tomorrow and the day after is going to be very busy for you," Tom reminded her.

    "I guess you are right. Still, I don''t want to hang up just yet. So, how about you tell me how your hangout with Harry went," Lucy said, and Tom smiled as he told her about it.

    "Were theredies there? Did any look at you funny?" Lucy asked and Tom grinned.

    "I didn''t notice cause I wasn''t looking at anyone," Tom said and Lucy smiled, pleased with his response.

    "That''s a very brilliant response. That''s how it ought to be," she said with a yawn.

    "You should go to bed now, love. You''re exhausted," Tom said and Lucy shook her head.

    "Tell me a story or sing me a song to put me to sleep if you want me to go to bed," Lucy said as she adjusted her pillow.

    "Alright. I will sing for you," Tom said and went ahead to sing her a luby.

    Halfway into it, Lucy slept off and Tom smiled as he hung up the call.

    He decided to give Lucas a call to find out if he was still at Lucy''s, and to exin that he had no idea that Amy was there.

    Lucas, who was having dinner with Tyler, received Tom''s call the moment it came in, "Hey! I guess you just found out Lucy was housing her secretary here," Lucas said, guessing that was why he called.

    "Yes. I''m sorry about that. I guess you''re passing the night over there?" He asked since Lucy had mentioned that Amy said they would be sleeping in the living room.

    "Yes. Do you know how long Amy will be here? Or why she is here?" Lucas asked curiously.

    "She got into trouble with some guy she had an unfortunate business with, so she needed a ce to spend the night since he showed up at her apartment to harass her," Tom exined innocently, not realizing that Amy had asked Lucy to keep that information away from Lucas.

    "What sort of business? This has nothing to do with her best friend, does it?" Lucas asked curiously.

    "Oh, yes! Lucy did mention that they asked you to be the sperm donor. I guess she didn''t give you the follow up story. Well, the guy in question happens to be the one they got for the job. But since everything fell through due to the best friend''s condition, he keeps harassing her," Tom said and Lucas frowned.

    What sort of psycho did they get involved with? And why wasn''t Amy involving the police already? He mused.

    "Say hello to Lucy''s soon-to-be ex boyfriend on my behalf," Tyler said with a wink at Lucas who grinned.

    "That''s the guy that never seeded in breaking out of Lucy''s friendzone, I suppose," Tom asked and Lucas chuckled.

    "Yeah. The friend-zone guy says hello," Lucas said for Tyler''s benefit since it was obvious Tom had heard Tyler in the background.

    "Say hello to him too. You should advise him to tread carefully in my territory and I don''t want to see his shadow anywhere close to Lucy," Tom warned and Lucas chuckled.

    "I''m afraid you will have to tell him that yourself when you see him at the wedding."

    "By the way, what are your ns for tomorrow? You don''t intend to wait until the wedding day to make your presence known, do you? Tomorrow night is the bachelor and bachelorette party. You shoulde," Tom said and Lucas raised a brow.

    "Are they having both parties together?"

    "Yes. I will text you the details and you both can show up there," Tom said and they hung up the call after Lucas agreed to show up at the party.

    "Do you know anything about Lucy''s neighbor? I mean thedy," Tyler asked the question he had been wanting to ask Lucas before Tom''s call came in.

    "No. I don''t know the ones that came in earlier. Although their names sounded very familiar. I think they work for Bryan," Lucas said, since he remembered their names being mentioned during Bryan and Sonia''s scandal thest time he was around.

    "Why do you ask?" Lucas asked and Tyler shrugged.

    "She looks very much like someone I used to know. I didn''t exactly know her directly, but she was close to a colleague of mine and I used to see her at the hospital often until I heard of her death," Tyler said and Lucas shrugged.

    "Well, people have doppelg?ngers all the time," Lucas said and Tyler nodded.

    "That''s true. So, what did Tom say anyway?" Tyler asked, changing the subject.

    The next morning, Amy tried to move around the house as stealthily as she could so as not to rouse Lucas and Tyler who were fast asleep in the living room. She wanted to be long gone before they wake up.

    As she stepped out of the bedroom, ready to return to her apartment so she could go get ready for work, she was startled to see Lucas seated on the couch like he was waiting for her.

    "Good morning. Did you rest well?" Lucas asked and she tried to hide her displeasure as she shed him a smile.

    "Good morning. Why are you up already?" She asked and he shrugged.

    "I was waiting up for you. I thought you might want to leave very early in the morning so I wanted us to talk first," Lucas said and her frown deepened.

    She had not expected him to admit that and neither had she expected him to wait up for her.

    "What do you want to talk about?" She asked, and he shrugged.

    "A number of things. But first, why don''t I drive you home?" He offered and she shook her head.

    "No, you don''t have to��."

    "If Lucy knew I were here, she would have wanted me to do that considering how worried she must have been to send the neighbors over," Lucas said but Amy shook her head.

    "You should get some rest. You really don''t have to go to such lengths for my sake," she assured him.

    "I''m aware that I don''t have to. But I want to. And I will give you my reasons. One, I want us to talk on the way so I can save your time. I''m sure you don''t want to bete for work. Two, you are not properly dressed to step out and I doubt you have any money on you for a cab. I don''t believe that anyone who would leave their apartment dressed this way remembered to take money along. And finally, I don''t buy your story about a flood or whatever you said it was. My conscience won''t let me be if I don''t go with you and make sure it''s safe. I tend to worry about others a lot. It''s my major w," Lucas exined and even though Amy wanted to argue some more, she decided not to.

    She had nned to go ask Mia to lend her some money to take a cab, but having Lucas offer to drive, seemed like a better option even though she didn''t want to be alone with him.

    "Alright. Let''s go," Amy said after staring at him on silence for some time.

    "I will get the car key and then we can leave," Lucas said as he went into Lucy''s bedroom to get the key from the spot he knew she usually kept it.

    Lucas didn''t bother to disturb Tyler''s sleep since he had a fair idea on how exhausted Tyler was.

 Chapter 788 Brat

    <h4>Chapter 788 Brat</h4>

    788 Brat

    Once Lucas and Amy got into the car, Amy was silent as she tried to figure out what Lucas wanted to say to her and why he was going through that much trouble for her sake.

    Although she had initially nned to go directly to the police station so they would apany back home in case Malone was still there, but now that Lucas was going with her, her n had changed.

    She didn''t want Lucas finding out about her trouble with Malone.

    Lucas on the other hand didn''t say anything immediately and just drove in silence. He wanted to arouse her curiosity enough for her to ask him to speak.

    From his experience as a medical doctor, he knew very well how much people hated the suspense that grating silence brought.

    Impressively, Amy was able to hold out for fifteen minutes before she finally gave in to her curiosity, "I thought you said you had something to say. Are you going to speak or not?" She asked, making his lips twitch in amusement.

    "I thought you''d never ask," Lucas said and she frowned.

    "Is this some sort of game or what?"

    "No. It''s not a game. I''m just trying to make sure you will be interested enough in whatever I have to say to listen. You didn''t seem like you were willing to listenst night," Lucas said and she rolled her eyes.

    "I listened quite alright, and if you want to talk about the same thing��."

    "I know the truth about Miley''s condition and what her parents think of you," Lucas stated, cutting off whatever else she wanted to say, since he knew that if he didn''t make that clear she was going to resume with her lies.

    Amy frowned, "Did Lucy��."

    "No. It wasn''t Lucy. I knew about it even before traveling down. I can''t tell if Miley mentioned it to you, but I used to be a doctor at her family hospital, so I''m very well acquainted with Doctor Drew," Lucas said easily.

    "If you were aware of the situation of things, why did you ask me those questions?" She asked in a tight voice, annoyed that he had known she was lying.

    "Because I wanted to hear from you directly��."

    "Hear what? Are you trying to find out if truly I tried to scam Miley? After all you once used me of something simr (chapter 429)" Amy said, and Lucas raised a brow.

    "Don''t tell me you are still pissed about that after everything? Need I remind you that after I said that you not only emptied your ss of water on me, you attacked me violently when I came to apologize to you and then made your ridiculous proposition��."

    "Is that the point right now? Do you really have to bring all of that up? I merely asked a question," Amy cut in.

    "You brought up the past not me. If you didn''t want us talking about it, you shouldn''t have brought it up. My point is, if I could forgive all you did and not dwell on it, you have no right to bring up something I already apologized for," Lucas said simply and Amy sighed.

    "You''re right. I''m sorry," she said and Lucas raised a brow since he hadn''t expected the admission or apology.

    "Apology epted. Listen, I know it''s probably none of my business, but can you tell me exactly what happened?" Lucas asked, since he needed to know the details if he was going to talk to Miley''s family.

    "You know what happened already. We interviewed a couple of guys. Miley chose one of them. We went on with the whole medical procedure��."

    "Medical procedure? Does that mean you are pregnant?" Lucas asked with a frown and Amy scowled at him.

    "Why do you keep asking me that when I already told you I''m not?" She asked irritably.

    As tempted as he was to tell her how foolish it had been to run out of her apartment leaving a person of questionable character alone in her home, Lucas chose not to hurt her pride any more than was necessary.

    "��.Although I never really like him personally, I never would have guessed that he was this sort of person," Amy finished.

    "You guys did a good job of picking a scum. If I may ask, what was the criteria for the selection?"

    Amy shrugged, "Miley said he looked handsome and decent and his r��sum�� looked good too."

    "People date their partners for years and can''t guess what they are capable of, yet you both thought you could pick someone to y fianc�� and tell the sort of person they are by looking at their appearance and r��sum��?" Lucas asked incredulously, and as much as Amy was tempted to pick offense, she knew he was right.

    And she could also not help but wonder if he was referring to himself and his past rtionship since Miley had told her about Rachel.

    "Well, we learn everyday, and now I guess I''m paying for my ignorance," Amy said as she eyed her apartment door, wondering whether or not Malone was still inside.

    "Why haven''t you reported him to the police yet?" Lucas asked curiously.

    "I n to do so this morning before leaving for the office," Amy said and Lucas nodded.

    "Good. I''m sure you don''t want to bete for work. Go inside and get dressed. I will apany you and then drop you off at the office," he offered but Amy shook her head.

    "��."

    "I know I don''t have to," he said the moment she opened her mouth to speak, knowing that was what she wanted to say.

    "Let''s not argue about it. Save my time and yours," Lucas said, and Amy frowned.

    "Why are you doing this?" She asked, and he shrugged.

    "I will answer your question after you get back," Lucas said, and Amy eyed her door, reluctant to go in.

    As if sensing her fear, Lucas got out of the car and headed for the door, leaving her to go after him since she had no idea what he was up to.

    Lucas tried to unlock her door, and when it didn''t open, Amy checked under the doormat for her spare key and she took it out and handed it to Lucas who held out a hand to her.

    Lucas opened the door and stepped in before Amy to be sure the apartment was empty, and as he walked in, he remembered thest time he had been there and how angry he had been when he left.

    He never would have thought he woulde back here for any reason, yet here he was no thanks to his folly and inability to stay out of the problem of other people.

    "The ce is empty," Lucas announced to Amy, who was already picking up a note which was left on her table.

    [I will be back. For your sake I hope you will have my money ready when I get back, else there will be hell to pay.]

    "Let me see that," Lucas said when he saw the frown on Amy''s face, and he took it from her.

    Lucas read through the short note before looking at Amy, "Go get dressed. We will take the note with us to the police station, and a copy of the contract Miley signed with him, if you have it. You will have to change the lock to your apartment. And maybe you can pick a few of your things and keep staying at Lucy''s for the time being. Tyler and I will move to the hotel so you can have the ce to yourself," Lucas said, and Amy frowned.

    "Thanks, but��."

    "We can argue about it in the car. Go get dressed. I will be waiting in the car. Unlike me, the time isn''t waiting for you," Lucas said before walking out of the apartment with the note.

 Chapter 789 Very Likeable

    <h4>Chapter 789 Very Likeable</h4>

    789 Very Likeable

    It wasn''t every time that Amy had a hard time picking out what to wear to the office, but this morning, she had a hard time doing so.

    No matter what she picked out, it wasn''t good enough, and she didn''t want to admit that her inability to pick out the right office wear might be tied to a certain young man who was waiting in the car outside.

    After going at it for over twenty minutes, she finally settled for a blue two pieces pencil skirt suit which she had never worn to the office. Miley had forced her into getting it during one of their vacations together, so it was only right that she wore it now.

    The pencil skirt which was slightly above her knees had two tiny slits in front of both thighs, and the jacket had a little V-neck, exposing a little cleavage.

    As she looked at her reflection in the mirror, she wondered if she wasn''t a bit overdressed. She didn''t want Lucas to think she was dressed this way to impress him.

    She wasn''t. She was just seizing this opportunity to wear something nice to the office.

    "Amy, you''re overthinking and wasting time," Amy told herself.

    It wasn''t like Lucas would know that she usually didn''t dress this way to the office. He had never seen her at the office after all, Amy reminded herself.

    She couldn''t help but wonder what Miley would think or say if she found out that she was with Lucas right now and was wearing the sexy suit she had pressured her into buying.

    Miley would probablyugh happily and say something silly, Amy thought with a sad smile as she remembered how Miley had kept pestering her to seduce Lucas.

    she walked over to her closet to pick out a pair of heeled sandals.

    As she put on her sandals, her phone rang and she paused to receive the call when she saw that it was from Lucy.

    "Good morning, Lucy," Amy greeted the moment she received the call.

    "Good morning, Amy. I hope you rested well. You don''t have to go to the office today��."

    "I''m getting prepared to leave for the police station, and I will be going to the office from there. You don''t have to worry about me. I''m fine," Amy said, cutting her off.

    "You can pick out something from my closet. I''m sure my clothes would fit," Lucy said, and Amy winced when she realized that she was yet to tell Lucy that she had left the apartment already and was now at her ce.

    How was she going to exin to Lucy that she had left with her car without her permission? And she had left ''strangers'' at her apartment? She couldn''t possibly lie to Lucy that her ''friends'' had left since she was pretty sure the neigbor who had alerted her of their presence might also inform her that her car was missing.

    "Amy? Are you there?" Lucy asked when Amy went silent.

    "Yeah. The thing is, I left your ce already. And I took your car. I didn''t want to bother Mia and I didn''t want to borrow your clothes to the office. I''m sorry I didn''t call to pre-inform you," Amy said and Lucy''s brows pulled together.

    If it were her cousins that visited as Mia had said, why didn''t she take money from them? And how did she know where to find the car key? Why was the whole thing not adding up? And just how was Amy able to find her car key? She never left them out in the open. Did Amy search through her stuff? Lucy mused.

    "I see. What about your guests? Did they leave with you?" Lucy asked curiously.

    "Yes. Yes, they did," Any lied when she remembered that Lucas had said he would move to the hotel with Tyler.

    "Alright. That''s fine then. I guess he left your ce already," Lucy asked referring to Malone.

    She wasn''t going to bother asking Amy any further questions. She was just going to stop by her apartmentter to be sure that everything was intact.

    "Yes, he did. He left a note saying he would be back, but I''m taking it to the station," Amy said and Lucy nodded.

    "Good. The CEO wants a picture of him. Something clear that can be left with the security at thepany so they can easily identify him if he dares to show his face at thepany," Lucy said, not seeing the need to refer to Tom as Tom to Amy since she didn''t want Amy to address Tom casually.

    She might be friends with Amy, but Tom was still Amy''s boss until Tom chooses otherwise. And referring to him as my boyfriend to Amy, would sound somehow, so she preferred to use his title.

    "You told him about it?" Amy asked with a slight frown.

    "I told her I borrowed her car and she asked if my visitors left with me," Amy exined and Lucas turned to look at her.

    "Did she ask how you got her car key?" Lucas asked, since he knew where Lucy kept it only because Lucy had told him where to keep it during hisst visit there.

    "No. Why?" She asked and Lucas sighed.

    "You shouldn''t ordinarily be able to find her car key unless you searched through her stuff. She is most likely going to want to stop over at her ce to see if anything is out of ce," Lucas said and Amy frowned.

    "I don''t like that. I don''t want her to think I''m the sort of person to go through someone''s stuff. I didn''t even open a single drawer or touch anything. I only slept on the bed." Amy said and Lucas sighed.

    "I''m sorry. It will all be resolved today. I''m sure when she sees me she will understand better," Lucas said softly.

    "You haven''t told me why you are doing this," Amy reminded him.

    Lucas shrugged, "Two reasons. First, it is in my nature to want to help others. That''s why I studied medicine. Secondly, although I don''t like or support what you chose to do, I admire your loyalty to Miley, and I don''t think you deserve to suffer this way for trying to be a good friend. Even though��."

    "I''m not sure I want to hear the next part of your statement. I''m okay with the first part. Thanks," Amy said, cutting him off.

    "Why not?" Lucas asked and she gave him a stiff smile.

    "Cause I''m pretty sure you''re about to go on and on about how you think my loyalty was misguided and my action illogical. And how you think I should have convinced her otherwise, am I wrong?" Amy asked and Lucas scowled, hating that she had predicted correctly.

    Amy smiled when he didn''t say anything, "Miley really liked you a lot, you know? Although I can''t understand why��."

    "What do you mean by that? I''ve been told that I''m a very likable person," Lucas cut in defensively.

    "I was going to say I can''t understand why she had to meet you at that point of her life, but thanks for letting me know you are likable. I really had no idea," Amy said dryly.

    "I''m sure you do. You said it yourself that you thought I was cute and calm," Lucas said and Amy sighed deeply at the realization that they were back to that.

    "What was that name you called me? Let''s see," Lucas said with a thoughtful expression as he tried to recall it, "Dr Hottie, right?" He asked, and Amy resisted the urge to scowl.

    "I was upset. I didn''t mean anything I said," Amy said and Lucas nodded.

    He was sure she didn''t realize that saying she didn''t mean anything she said, was the same as admitting that she didn''t mean what she said about him not being as cute and calm as she had thought.

    That definitely meant she thought he was cute and calm, Lucas thought with a chuckle.

    "I agree," Lucas said making Amy frowned as she wondered what he was finding amusing.

    "If I may ask, Why are you always so violent?" Lucas asked curiously.

    "I''m not violent��."

    "Yes, you are. You seem to always be in fight mode and I''m surprised that you went into flight mode when it mattered most. You should have fought the intruder out of your apartment instead of running away. Do you only have the impulse to attack innocent and unsuspecting people?" He asked, since he had been wondering why she had been quick to attack him yet had run away from her own apartment.

    "I didn''t think I could win against him��."

    "And you thought you could win against me?" Lucas asked as he turned to spare her a nce.

    "You can''tpare both incidents. In your case, I was out in the open and it was attack or be attacked. What was I supposed to do? Scream and then wait to be robbed? I had to attack first before thinking of yelling for help since that would alert you to the fact that I know I was being followed had you been an actual thief. I had to defend myself. Malone''s case was different. Growing up, my mom always used to say it is good to defend yourself and get justiceter, than to get justice after you''re dead. But it is better to know when to try to defend yourself and when to flee. I didn''t want to risk getting raped," Amy said as Lucas pulled the car to a stop in front of the police station.

    "I see. We are here now," Lucas said as he parked the car and they both got out of the car.

    He hoped he would be able to wrap up things with her and here and wouldn''t have to see her again before leaving. Somehow conversing with her made him feel like he was a fish being slowly reeled and whether he liked it or not he was getting more and more involved.

 Chapter 790 Common Face

    <h4>Chapter 790 Common Face</h4>

    790 Common Face

    After dropping Amy off at the office, Lucas hurried back to Lucy''s apartment so that he and Tyler would leave before Lucy shows up there, but just as he got out of the car after parking it, a sleek car also pulled up in front of the apartment.

    "Lucas? Oh, my God, Lucas?" Lucy yelled from inside the car as she quickly opened the door and ran out happily.

    "Shit!" Lucas swore but had a grin on his face as he held out his arms to catch Lucy who was already jumping at him.

    They bothughed happily as he caught her and swirled around with her before setting her down, "So much for not missing me," Lucas said with a grin.

    "When did you get here��. Wait, you were Amy''s supposed cousin who got into the countryst night?" She asked in disbelief as it all clicked in her brain.

    "Sorry, I wanted to surprise you girls, but you didn''t make it easy," Lucas said, and looked up from Lucy to look at herpanions- Sonia, Jade, Candace and Andy.

    "Sony, you didn''t think I would miss your wedding, did you?" Lucas asked as he met Sonia''s gaze.

    Sonia grinned as she stepped forward to embrace him, "I would have understood if you couldn''t show up, but thanks for making it," she said as she kissed his cheeks.

    "How are you doing, Luca?" She asked as she looked at his face as though searching any sign that he wasn''t fine.

    "Wait, if you came with someone else, then it has to be Tyler, right? Tyler is here?" Lucy asked with wide eyes, and when Lucas nodded, Lucy ran into the house without bothering to introduce the others to Lucas, leaving Sonia with the task.

    "TYLER!" Lucy yelled as she jumped on Tyler who was still fast asleep on the couch, and Tyler groaned as he opened his eyes.

    The displeased frown that etched his brows at being roused from sleep slowly transformed into a grin as he realized it was Lucy.

    "Hey, princess Lu," Tyler greeted with a yawn before Lucy enveloped him in a hug.

    "It''s so good to see you, Ty! You look great!" Lucy said and they both looked up when they heard the capture sound of a camera.

    "I''m going to send these to Tom," Jade said, shing them both a smile, and Candace rolled her eyes.

    "Tom knows Tyler," Lucy said with a roll of her eyes as she stepped away from Tyler.

    "Yetst night he said he doesn''t want to see Tyler''s shadow anywhere close to you," Lucas said and Lucy rose a brow.

    "Tom knows you''re here?" She asked with narrowed eyes not wanting to believe that Tom had known Lucas was the person with Amy but had pretended not to know anything.

    "I called him immediately I got in to find out if your apartment was avable. He didn''t know Amy was here so he assured me the ce was empty. I asked him not to tell you. . So be cool, okay?" Lucas said and they turned to Tyler when he whistled.

    "Did I die and go to heaven? Who are these beautiful creatures? Sony? Is that you? I guess I''m not in Heaven. You can''t be an Angel," Tyler said and Sonia giggled as she stepped forward to embrace him.

    "I see you''re still an ass after all these years," she said fondly.

    "You will agree I''m a cute ass, though," Tyler said with a grin.

    "I should probably do the introductions," Lucy said and faced the others.

    "Ladies, this is Doctor Lucas, my kid twin brother, and this is Doctor Tyler, our best friend��."

    "Really, Lu? Kid twin brother? We are doing that in public now?"

    "Nope. Tyler is Lucas'' best friend. I''m your only best friend," Sonia said at the same time with Lucas, and they allughed.

    "Yes, Lucas, you''re my kid brother and I want them all to know��."

    "It wasn''t even up to five minutes for crying out loud," Lucas said and Lucy shrugged.

    "It doesn''t change anything. Now shush, I need to finish the introductions. Gentlemen, as you might have already guessed by her behavior, this is Jade Hank��."

    "What do you mean guessed by my behavior? What have I done other than capture a photo to show Tom what his girlfriend is doing in his absence?" She asked with a scowl.

    "You can only do that if you''re Tom''s best friend, or ex-girlfriend wanting toe back, or admirer wanting to be with him, or an annoying sister, and since you''re neither of the others since Lucy is hanging out with you, annoying sister is more befitting," Candace exined sweetly and Jade eyed her with displeasure while the othersughed.

    "I actually meant from her resemnce to Tom and Bryan, but Candace''s exnation is good too," Lucy said with a grin.

    "It''s nice to meet you, Jade," Lucas said with a pleasant smile as he shook a hands with her.

    "Don''t be so dramatic. Tom is all talk," Lucy assured him.

    "I don''t want to stay at Tom''s. Mom and dad will be there. And I don''t want them to fuss over me. I''d rather they don''t know I''m around until they see me at the wedding. So, keep it to yourself," Lucas said and Lucy made a zip gesture on her lips.

    "My lips are sealed," Lucy promised.

    "You both shoulde for the party tonight," Sonia said and Lucas nodded.

    "We nned to. Tom already invited us," Lucas said and Lucy smiled as she looked at him.

    "You look so much better, Luke," she said as she touched his face happily.

    "And you too," Lucas said, cing a hand over her hand which was on his face, and they embraced.

    Candace watched them, wondering if she would ever get to this stage in her rtionship with Harry. She found it easier to banter with him since she didn''t know how to be all mushy.

    "Ty, thanks for taking good care of him," Lucy said after they broke the hug.

    "I will take better care of him if he would join me fully��."

    "No," Lucy said before he could finish, "We want him back here with us. Luke, you''reing back, right?" She asked and he nodded.

    "Sure. Don''t want to be so far away from you," Lucas said and Lucy smiled as she embraced him again.

    "You guys are not leaving immediately after the wedding, right? We have so much to talk about," Lucy said to Lucas.

    "We will be leaving on Monday," Lucas said and Lucy nodded.

    "That''s good enough then. Have you guys had breakfast? Do you want me to fix you something before leaving?" She offered and Lucas shook his head.

    "No. We will order something to eat. You girls can go have fun," Lucas said and thedies rose since they had a lot to do for the day.

    "I hope to catch up with you twoter tonight," Lucas said to Candace and Andy as he followed them outside and they smiled at him.

    "Hey, Lucy!" Alicia greeted from across the street as she went to join them.

    "Alicia, this is my brother Lucas and his friend. I''m surprised you didn''t recognize himst night," Lucy said and Alicia smiled apologetically.

    "It was dark and I saw them from a distance," Alicia exined.

    "Give me a minute to say hello to Mia," Sonia said as she headed for Tom''s apartment, and Tyler watched her go.

    "Don''t you beautifuldies need bodyguards? We cane with you to make sure you''re safe," Tyler offered.

    "Not me. I need to sleep. Here is your car key," Lucas said as he handed the key.

    "Yes, you should definitely sleep. Thanks for looking out for Amy. And you should hold on to the car key while you''re here," Lucy said without taking the key from him.

    "Are you all going somewhere?" Alicia asked with interest.

    "Yeah. We are going shopping," Lucy said just as Sonia and Mia joined them.

    "Thanks forst night, Mia. This is my twin brother, Lucas, and his best friend, Tyler," Lucy exined.

    "I guess that''s why he didn''t step out of the kitchen. I would have guessed had I seen his face," Mia said as she shook hands with Lucas before looking at Tyler.

    Looking at Tyler in the light of day, she sensed that there was something familiar about him but she couldn''t ce it, so she shrugged it off as she shook hands with them.

    "You look very much like someone I used to know," Tyler said and Mia froze.

    "You must have a verymon face like you said," Jade said, referring to what she had said when Harry said she looked familiar too (chapter 503).

    "Yeah, I do have amon face," Mia said with a stiff smile but something about her initial reaction already set Tyler''s suspicion off.

    "I should go back inside. See you girlster tonight," Mia said with a wave before walking away even though she had no intention of attending the party now that she had met Tyler.

 Chapter 791 Leave It Alone

    <h4>Chapter 791 Leave It Alone</h4>

    The moment Mia walked into the apartment she shared with Jeff, she paced around the living room with a worried frown etched between her brows as she tried to figure out who Tyler was and where she knew him from.

    Was she at a risk of being discovered now? Was she going to have to disappear from here before her family finds her? She mused as she bit her nails.

    Although choosing to work as an assistant for such a high profile celebrity as Bryan Hank had been risky, she had taken the job because it was something she had always wanted to do�� to work closely with celebrities, and she had figured that there was no point of leaving home if she left and still couldn''t do what she wanted to do with her life.

    She had epted it with the mindset that she could do her job without necessarily getting in the middle. All she had to do was disguise herself well enough when stepping out with Bryan, and to keep herself at a reasonable distance from Bryan in public so she would never have to be in the pictures any crazy fan decides to capture from a distance.

    So, far it had worked perfectly well untiltely. First, Harry had recognized her in spite of her horrendous makeup and clothes, or maybe he hadn''t really recognized her seeing as he couldn''t ce where he knew her even though he thought she was familiar.

    But this person. This guy, Tyler had seen her face without makeup or any of those crazy clothes and she was very certain that if he knew her from home, then it wouldn''t take long for him to ce her face and know exactly who she was.

    She loved her life here, and she loved being with these people. She didn''t want to have to run away from here too and start afresh somewhere else����

    "Are you okay?" Jeff asked, breaking into her thoughts when he stepped out of his bedroom to see her pacing around the living room.

    "You''re still here?" She asked with a frown, since she had thought he had gone out.

    "Did I say anything about leaving the house today? Bryan is hanging out with Matt so I get the day off. Why were you pacing around?" Jeff asked, returning to the subject.

    "It''s nothing. I was just trying to figure out something," Mia said dismissively.

    "Let''s have breakfast, and then we can discuss Bryan''s schedule and all we have to do in his absence while he is away on his honeymoon," Jeff suggested as he headed for the kitchen.

    "Thanks. I''m not hungry," Mia said, and Jeff turned to look at her.

    "I''m hungry. Let''s talk while I fix myself something to eat," Jeff said in a tone that told her he didn''t want them to argue over it, so she reluctantly followed him into the kitchen.

    "I noticed you haven''t gone on any blind dates in a while now. Is everything okay?" Jeff asked, and Mia raised a brow.

    "I thought we were going to talk about work not my private life? And why do you keep asking me personal questions but you never say anything about yourself?" Mia asked with a frown.

    "I ask because I want to know. If you wanted to know about me, you would have asked. That''s how it works. I can''t just tell you anything about myself if you don''t ask," Jeff said easily.

    "Really? How old are you then?" Mia asked, and Jeff''s lips twitched in amusement.

    "I''m thirty-four," Jeff said without looking at her as he took out some eggs from the refrigerator.

    "Really? Thirty-four? I thought you were older," Mia said and Jeff turned to re at her.

    "Why would you think that?" He asked with a frown and she grinned when she saw the annoyance on his face.

    "Maybe it''s because you act like you''re old or probably all those beards all over your face," she said with a shrug and Jeff raised a hand to touch his beards.

    "What''s wrong with my beards? In most cultures beards are seen as a symbol of virility and masculinity, you know?" He asked and she raised a brow.

    "Really? Is that why you keep them? To be seen as a masculine and virile man?" She asked in amusement.

    "You know what? Let''s just talk about work," Jeff said, wanting to change the subject, and this made Mia grin.

    "I was just teasing you. You don''t look too old," Mia assured him, "maybe only a little," she added with a wink and this time Jeff chuckled.

    "Here, help me whisk this," Jeff said as he handed her the bowl containing the eggs.

    "Whisk?" Mia asked, not understanding what he meant.

    Jeff looked at her for a moment before taking the bowl from her to show her what he meant, "Do it this way," he said, and she nodded as she took the bowl from him to do as he had requested.

    "So?" Jeff asked as he went to slice some tomatoes, and Mia''s brows pulled together in confusion.

    "So, what?" She asked, wondering what he was asking her.

    "The CEO actually told him, so I couldn''t��."

    "The CEO? Tom?" Lucy cut her off with a frown.

    "That was what Lucas said," Amy said and Lucy frowned.

    Why would Tom tell Lucas something she told him in confidence? She mused.

    "I''m very sorry about that. I didn''t think Lucas would ask him, and I didn''t ask him not to tell Lucas either," Lucy exined apologetically.

    "It''s alright. Now I don''t have to worry about him finding out anymore," Amy said and Lucy raised a brow.

    "If I may ask, why didn''t you want to let Lucas know about it?" Lucy asked and Amy shrugged.

    "I was feeling very embarrassed by the turn of things. All of this would have been avoided had I listened to him. So, I didn''t want him to know I went on with my n and things got so messed up," she exined and Lucy smiled.

    "Lucas is not the type to gloat over one''s misfortune," Lucy assured her.

    "Yeah, I figured that out today. Thanks. And help me extend my gratitude to him once again," Amy said and Lucy nodded.

    "Sure. I suppose you''re at the office now. I should let you get back to work. By the way, Lucas said it''s best you stay at my apartment for some time, so feel free to go over there after work. I hope to see you at the party tonight," Lucy said before hanging up the call.

    "It''s so funny thatst night you were worried about having strangers in your space, not knowing it was your own twin brother," Andy said in amusement after they had left Lucas and Tyler.

    "I know, right?" Lucy responded and Sonia nced at her.

    "Do you think Lucas might have a thing for Amy? He sounded very concerned about her earlier. I mean, taking her to her apartment, the station and dropping her off at work?" Sonia asked and Lucy shook her head.

    "Nah. I don''t think so. You know Lucas. That is just the sort of person he is. He goes the extra mile for anyone and everyone. Besides, I don''t think he is ready for a rtionship yet. And if he was, I doubt he would want to get involved with Amy," Lucy said with a shrug.

    "Why not?" Candace, who was driving, asked with a slightly raised brow.

    "He doesn''t seem to want any more dramas in his life, and Amy seems to have a bit of drama," she said and Sonia shook her head.

    "People like Lucas are drawn to people like Amy. Lucas likes to help people, and Amy seems like she in need of help. What do you think happens when knight in shining armor meets damsel in distress?" Sonia asked and Andy grinned as she turned to look at Sonia who was in the back seat with Lucy and Jade.

    "Love happens," she said and Sonia gave her a high-five.

    "Exactly. I won''t be surprised if those two fall in love," Sonia said and Lucy shrugged.

    "Whatever happens between them is their business. All I want is for Lucas to be happy," Lucy said with a sigh.

    "Did anyone else notice that Mia was weird earlier?" Jade asked after being silent for a long time.

    "Weird? What do you mean weird? She wasn''t weird at all," Sonia said in Mia''s defense.

    "Yes, she was when she was talking to Tyler. Didn''t you see the way she ran away? It''s not the first time she is acting that way. The first time Harry said she looked familiar, she avoided Harry. And you all saw how Harry excused her to speak with her in private yesterday. The same thing happened at Sony''s engagement party. I think Mia is hiding something and Harry knows about it," Jade said thoughtfully.

    "Or maybe you''re just jealous because Harry spoke with her in private yesterday, so you''re looking for trouble where there is none," Candace said and Jade scowled at her.

    "How are you even inw school when you can''t read a person''s bodynguage? Trust me, Mia is hiding something. Where is Tyler based?" Jade asked Lucy curiously.

    "Hu," Lucy said and Jade nodded thoughtfully.

    "How much do you know about Mia?" Jade asked Sonia.

    "Enough to know that whatever she is hiding is not your business. Leave it alone, Jade. Stay out of Mia''s business. Whether or not she is hiding something is not your business. She hasn''t caused any trouble for Bryan or you, so stay out of her business. I can assure you she isn''t interested in Harry. So, leave her alone," Sonia said sternly and Lucy nodded with approval.

    "This isn''t about her being interested in Harry��."

    "I agree with Sony. Whether or not she is hiding something shouldn''t be your problem. And if Harry knows it as you im, and is not doing anything about it, it must mean she doesn''t mean any harm. So let it go," Candace said, giving Jade a pointed look through the rearview mirror and she sighed.

    "Fine. Whatever," Jade muttered under her breath.

 Chapter 792 Friends

    <h4>Chapter 792 Friends</h4>

    After he was done making breakfast, Jeff took a tray with him to Mia''s bedroom and knocked on the door.

    Mia, who was inside thinking about what to do and whether or not she should quit her job and leave immediately, looked at the door and went to answer it.

    "You want to have breakfast in my room?" She asked with a teasing smile.

    "This is for you. We made the meal together so you should have a taste of it," Jeff said as he thrust the tray at her.

    "I didn''t do anything. I only helped you mix the egg��."

    "Whisk," Jeff corrected.

    "Yeah. That. Whatever."

    "This is yours," Jeff said and Mia hesitantly took it from him.

    "Thanks," she said and turned to return inside.

    "Did I say something earlier? You seemed peeved by something," Jeff said and she turned to sh him a smile.

    "Nah, you didn''t. I sort of remembered I needed to do something," Mia said, since it was true that his statement about marriage and kids had reminded her that she had more important things to worry about than standing in the kitchen and watching him cook.

    "If that''s the case, how about you join me at the dining?" He asked and she grinned.

    "Are you asking me to have breakfast with you?" She asked with a teasing smile.

    "Yes. Why?" Jeff asked in confusion and Miaughed softly.

    "You are so clueless and it''s cute," she said as she stepped out of the bedroom and followed him to the dining.

    Once they were seated at the dining, Jeff looked at her, "Do you think I should get a hair cut? I mean, take down my beards?" He asked, and she raised a brow.

    "Why are you asking me that? It''s your call to make. If you like it there is no reason you should take it down," Mia said nonchntly.

    "Hm. This is good," she said with a nod of appreciation.

    "You''ve really never cooked before?" Jeff asked, and she shrugged indifferently.

    "Before working for Bryan what did you do to earn a living?" Jeff asked and Mia raised a brow.

    "You seem awfully curious about me. If I didn''t know better I would think you were interested in me," she said without looking at him.

    When Jeff didn''t say anything or deny it quickly as she had expected him to do, she raised her head to look at him, "What? Don''t tell me you are interested in me," she asked in disbelief.

    "What if I am?" Jeff asked, holding her gaze.

    Miaughed awkwardly, suddenly feeling ufortable, "Don''t be, Jeff. Really, don''t be. You are a sweet guy and all, but just not for me," Mia said and Jeff smiled.

    "How do you know something is not for you until you give it a try?" Jeff asked, and Mia frowned.

    "You''re making me ufortable, Jeff. We work together, we share the same living space. It is awkward to be having such a conversation, don''t think you think?" She asked and he nodded.

    "Sure. But I never said I was interested in you romantically. I don''t need to want to have a romantic rtionship with you to be interested in you. Besides, you brought up the subject. I was only trying to pick your brain," he said with a shrug and she scowled.

    "I already told you I want to go alone," J insisted.

    "I promise to stay back in the cab," Andrew said and Desmond and Evelyn looked at J.

    "You should let him go with you," Evelyn said and J sighed.

    "We will all feel better if he goes with you. Don''t worry. We will have the helps leave your luggage in your bedroom," Desmond assured her as Adolf parked the car by the roadside.

    "Let''s go then," J said and they both got out of the car and gged down a cab.

    A short whileter, the cab pulled to a stop in front of the correctional facility where Sara was being held.

    J took a deep breath as she went in, while Andrew stayed back in the cab, waiting for her.

    A couple of minutes after filling in the visitation details, J sat still as she waited for Sara to be brought to her.

    Sara, who had been surprised to hear that she had a visitor, frowned when she saw J, "I guess you came to gloat," Sara said as she took the seat opposite J.

    "Gloat? What am I supposed to gloat over? That my younger sister is a criminal?" J asked and Sara snorted.

    "Sister? I thought you disowned me a long time ago," Sara said and J nodded.

    "My sister is you, the criminal locked behind bars and paying for her crimes, not the hypocritical model you were. I came to see how you are doing, and to find out if you are feeling remorseful yet, but apparently you are not��."

    "I was set up," Sara cut in.

    "Indeed! What were you thinking? How can you be so evil to the point that you wanted to harvest your own daughter''s liver illegally?" J asked and Sara red at her.

    "Didn''t you hear me? I was set up! That bitch isn''t my daughter! And��."

    "Good thing she wasn''t! I can''t imagine what would have happened had it been Candace and you found her firs��."

    "Candace?" Sara asked with a frown.

    "Yes. Candace. Your biological daughter��."

    "You know my biological daughter? You know where she is?" Sara asked in disbelief.

    "Yes, I do. She is with her father, where she belongs. Why aren''t you ashamed of yourself? Why don''t you feel sorry that you almost ruined that poor girl''s life? Do you know what she has been through? Do you have any idea how much she suffered because of you? Was it not enough that you sold her off at birth? How could you be nning to murder her?" J asked angrily.

    "So, you all nned this together? You all decided to frame me?" Sara asked and J shook her head.

    "No, we didn''t. Your kids did. Your kids did what Aaron and I couldn''t do, because we cared too much about you to expose you. I''m d that you gave birth to kids who outsmarts you in every way, and they were able to put you where a criminal like you belongs. Now you will rot here in jail paying for your crimes. All your money and fame is nothing now. Now you will have nothing and no one by your side," J said and Sara smiled stiffly.

    "I knew it. I knew you came to gloat. But guess what? This changes nothing. I lived my best life. I got to heights you could never dream to climb, and if I had to go back in time, I would do it all over again, but this time I would make sure I sell them both. That was my shoring���� leaving Harry with Aaron. That was my undoing," Sara said and J nodded.

    "Sure. Good thing you will have enough memories of your good days to keep youpany here. You will need those memories with you when your health fails and you have no family to stay by your side. When you feel lonely on your deathbed, you should remind yourself that you traded everyone for fame which is fleeting. You won''t have your husband or kids, or grandson or even your fans beside you. It''s your loss. Your grandson, Jamal, is such a pleasant boy��."

    "Grandson?" Sara asked in surprise, and J smiled as she took her phone and opened the pictures of Jamal and Candace which Lucy had sent her some weeks ago to show Sara.

    "Yes. That is your daughter and grandson. Take a good look at them," J said and Sara blinked as she looked at J''s phone screen.

    "You are a grandmother, Sara. You know what irks me the most? You probably could have gotten everything. Both family and fame, had you followed the right path. But you gave up all that was most important. Your life is a series of bad decisions and choices, and I''m d you will be spending what is left of it in jail, reflecting on your choices," J said as she rose.

    "I won''t being to see you ever again. I thought seeing you here would make me feel sorry for you, but seeing how unrepentant you are, I feel even more grateful to your kids for pulling this off. You''re a vile animal that should only live behind bars and in chains," J said before walking away.

 Chapter 793 I’m A Mess

    793 I��m A Mess

    As the time drew closer to closing hour, Amy became more and more anxious about going home.

    If she was going to move to Lucy''s ce for the time being, she was going to have to go back home to pack some stuff, but she dreaded going back there alone.

    Even though she had acted all cool that morning wanting to sneak out of Lucy''s apartment to avoid Lucas, the truth was that she had been confident enough to go into her apartment only because Lucas was there.

    Although, she had reported to the police already, she very much doubted that she would be able to shake Malone off so easily. What if he was waiting in her apartment? Amy mused.

    As she sat there thinking about what to do, her phone rang.

    Amy stared at her phone, her heart pounding as the familiar ringtone echoed through the office.

    The caller ID disyed "Mom," but her mother rarely called during work hours. She hesitated, then answered with a cautious "Hello, mo��."

    "I just received a call from the chef. Miley is dead," her mother said in a trembling voice.

    Amy froze, transfixed by the announcement. A rush of disbelief and grief enveloped her, causing her to drop the phone.

    She had known that Miley was very close to the end, but she had been hoping that she would at least get to hear Miley''s voice onest time, or see her face, or hug her or argue over unnecessary stuff just one final time.

    Dead? How could she be dead just like that? How could she leave just like that without another word? Not even goodbye.

    A part of her had hoped that Miley would recover and then exin things to her parents so that all the misunderstandings would be resolved, but now she was no more.

    "Amy? Are you there?" Her mom asked but Amy wasn''t listening. She picked up her handbag and rose.

    Colleagues turned with concerned nces,"Amy? Are you alright?" One of her female colleagues asked, but the world seemed to blur as she stumbled out of her cubicle, desperate for solitude.

    The news had hit her like a tidal wave, sweeping away the stability of her emotions. She needed to be alone, to process the enormity of the loss in solitude.

    Amy ran through the office corridors, not caring about the curious stares she attracted.

    She wasn''t sure where she was going but she knew she needed to be alone. She just had to be alone.

    As the ss doors swung shut behind her, the world outside greeted her with a torrential downpour. It seemed as if the heavens themselves were mourning Miley''s departure.

    Amy hesitated only for a moment, ncing back at the safety of the office building. But grief urged her forward, pushing her into the relentless rain.

    The raindrops mingled with her tears, providing an oddlyforting cover to her anguish.

    Amy''s sobs became indistinguishable from the rhythmic sound of the rain. Every step felt like a painful reminder of the void left by Miley''s absence. She didn''t know where she was going; she just needed the release that the rain offered, a cathartic cleansing of her soul.

    Half-soaked and emotionally drained, Amy continued her tearful sprint through the city streets.

    The rain had transformed into a tempest, drenching herpletely. Her clothes clung to her skin, reflecting the weight of sorrow that clung to her heart.

    As she rounded a corner, a car pulled over in front of her. The sudden interruption brought her back to the present, and she looked up through the curtain of rain to find Lucas, the person she least expected at that moment, behind the wheel.

    Lucas had received a call from Dr Drew, informing him that Miley had passed away, so he had decided to stop by the office, since it was almost closing hour and it was raining, to pick Amy and to see if she had heard the news and how she was doing.

    He had just driven into thepany premise when he saw her run into the rain, so he had reversed the car to go after her.

    Seeing her standing there in the rain soaked and shattered as she gazed at him, he took off his jacket and got out of the car to meet her.

    Without a word, he pulled her into a warm,forting embrace, offering the sce that words failed to convey, not minding that he was going to get soaked in the rain.

    Amy''s tears mixed with raindrops, and she clung to Lucas as grief overwhelmed her. He didn''t utter titudes or empty constions; he simply held her, letting her mourn in the midst of the storm. The world seemed to fade away, leaving only the two of them in the downpour.

    Eventually, Amy''s sobs subsided, reced by a quiet numbness, and Lucas guided her into the car and handed her his jacket which he had taken off earlier.

    The interior of the car was a sanctuary from the relentless rain pouring outside. Lucas started the engine, driving through the wet streets as the city lights blurred into streaks of color.

    In the cocoon of the car, Amy found a momentary respite from the agony of loss.

    Lucas, understanding the inadequacy of words, remained a steady presence beside her.

    And the rain, now reduced to a gentle drizzle, painted a mncholic tableau on the windowpane.

    "I''m sorry," Amy said quietly after some time, but didn''t look at him.

    "What for?" Lucas asked, turning to spare her a nce.

    "I made you get drenched��."

    "It''s either you are the rain, you caused the rain to fall, or I was too blind to see it was raining. Which is it?" Lucas asked and Amy sighed.

    "Mile-- Miley is��."

    "I know. I heard," Lucas said, and Amy nodded, unable to say anything as fresh tears gathered in her eyes again.

    "How did you find out? How did you find me?" Amy asked, struggling for some semnce of control over her emotions since she didn''t want to cry in Lucas'' presence again. She had done that twice already.

    "Her family doctor called to let me know. And I stopped by thepany to pick you up but saw you leaving so I followed you," Lucas exined, and Amy nodded once again.

    "Thanks. Where are we going?" Amy asked as she looked out of the window unable to look at him.

    "Your apartment. I figured you would want to be alone," he said and she nodded.

    "Thanks," she said, and neither of them said anything else.

    Lucas wasn''t sure what he was doing or why he had decided toe pick Amy andfort her, but when he heard the news of Miley''s death, all he could think about was that night at Miley''s hotel apartment after Amy arrived and how she had cried her eyes out.

    Maybe he was letting himself get this involved because somehow he understood everything and had been there from the beginning when Amy joined Miley after finding out about her condition.

    He was after all the first person Miley shared her crazy ns with and he had been the one who told Amy about everything.

    He had seen their friendship and the love they shared, and that had inspired him to live and get over his heartbreak faster. So, maybe a part of him felt like he owed this much to them.

    "I can''t believe it. I can''t wrap my head around the fact that Miley is no more. It just doesn''t make sense that she isn''t existing in this world anymore. I know I should have been better prepared to receive the news after all this while, still, it is so shocking. I just can''t ept it," Amy said with quavering lips and her voice broke as she broke into a sob again, and she raised both hands to cover her face as she cried.

    As much as Lucas wanted tofort her, he didn''t know what to say. He didn''t have the right words. He had never been confronted by the lose of a very dear one before.

    He had lost patients and he had felt the lose of every single one of his patients, but that was different from Amy''s loss and he knew it the same way he knew that there was nothing that he could say to cheer her up.

    "I know there is no bright side to this, but maybe it would help if you think of it this way, Miley won''t be in pain anymore," Lucas said after some time since that was something he usually told the family of his deceased patients. It was better than saying nothing.

    "It''s my fault. She would have lived longer had I convinced her to receive treatment," Amy cried.

    "Remember what you told me when I asked you to convince her otherwise?" Lucas asked, and Amy looked at him, unable to believe that he was about to also ce the me on her and say ''I told you so''.

    "I said I will do whatever I can to make whatever she wants to do happen. I know what you want to say. I know it''s all my fault��."

    "You obviously don''t know what I want to say. So, shut up and listen. You said, Miley wasn''t the type to be convinced otherwise after making up her mind. You said Miley was the type to go ahead to do whatever she wants to do and leave you to decide whether or not you want to be a part of it (chapter 378). You didn''t want to miss out on spending some of herst moments with her, hence you went along with all her ns even though I''m sure you would have wanted her to receive treatment. I am also very certain that if for a moment you thought you could change her mind, you would have tried to do so. So, you shouldn''t me yourself for anything," Lucas said softly as he parked the car in front of her apartment.

    Amy bit her lower lip to keep herself from crying more as she brushed away the tears on her face. She knew that her makeup was ruined already and her face was probably a mess but looking good in front of Lucas was thest thing on her mind at the moment.

    "Thanks. That means a lot," Amy said as she risked a nce at Lucas.

    "Tyler and I have moved to the hotel. You can be alone at Lucy''s ce. I''m sure you will feel safer there. So, why don''t you go in, get out of those wet clothes so you don''t catch a cold, and then pack up what you need and I will drop you off at Lucy''s?" Lucas suggested and Amy nodded.

    "Will youe in?" She asked, maybe I can brew some coffee for you to warm you up while I pack up, so you don''t catch a cold," she offered.

    "Alright. Let''s go in," Lucas said as he turned off the engine and unfastened his seatbelt, and they both got out of the car.

    Once they got inside the house, Lucas looked around once again, since he could tell that Amy had invited him in partly because she was scared that Malone might be inside the house.

    "It''s clear," he said to Amy after he was sure that no one was lurking in any corner of the house.

    "Thanks. You can make yourselffortable while I get you the coffee," Amy said as she handed him the jacket he had given her earlier.

    As Amy walked into the kitchen and took out the pack of coffee, she broke into a sob when she remembered that her and Miley had shopped for it together some days before their trip to Heden and that was Miley''s favorite brand.

    Lucas who was seated in the living room, looked in the direction of the kitchen when he heard her cry, and he contemted between leaving her to cry or going to offer her somefort.

    After a moment, he decided to check on her and when he walked into the kitchen, he saw her holding a coffee pack to herself as she cried, and he took a deep breath.

    "You know what? Let''s forget about coffee," Lucas said as he walked over to where she stood and pulled the coffee pack from her grip.

    "I''m sorry," Amy cried as Lucas gathered her into his arms.

    "What are you sorry for this time?" He asked quietly.

    "I''m a mess," she said and Lucas nodded as he patted her back gently.

    "You have every right to be. You lost someone important to you. Anyone would be a mess in such a situation. So, don''t apologize for it," he assured her.

    "I don''t know what to do now," she murmured tearfully, thinking nothing of the fact that she was still standing there in Lucas'' embrace.

    "You should get out of those wet clothes and pack your stuff. I''m sure there are lots of memories of Miley here, so I''m determined now more than ever to take you out of here for the time being. At least until you pull yourself together," Lucas said and kissed the top of her head, causing them both to freeze.

 Chapter 794 Luca?

    794 Luca?

    Kissing Amy''s forehead was an instinctual gesture, an expression offort he had offered to friends and family countless times.

    That was the way heforted the females in his life generally. Kissing the top of the head was something he did with his mother whenforting her. He did it with Lucy, he had done it too with Rachel.

    So, it wasn''t like there was any romantic meaning attached to it. There was none whatsoever. Yet, the atmosphere in the kitchen shifted instantly.

    Amy pulled away, her eyes widening with surprise. Lucas felt a twinge of awkwardness settle between them, understanding the unintended gravity of his action.

    Lucas knew that he had acted more out of habit than desire or anything of the kind. His action had been borne out of habit.

    But was he supposed to exin that to Amy without sounding like a pervert who was trying to take advantage of her vulnerable state? Lucas mused as he stepped away from Amy.

    "I��I''m sorry," he stammered, as he awkwardly took several steps back and raised both hands.

    "I didn''t mean to do that. It''s just something I do tofort people, and I didn''t think..."

    Amy''s expression was a mix of confusion and vulnerability. She wiped away a tear, her gaze fixed on Lucas. "No, it''s okay," she murmured, her voice soft. "It''s just...unexpected, I guess."

    Lucas fumbled for words, attempting to exin the innocent intention behind the impulsive gesture. "I didn''t mean it in any other way. It''s just, when people, by people I meandies, including my mom and sister. When they are hurting, I''ve always done that. It''s a gesture offort, like telling someone, ''Hey, you''re not alone in this.'' I''ve done it with friends, family, and it''s never meant to be anything more than that. I assure you," Lucas rambled.

    He paused, searching for the right words to alleviate the awkwardness that lingered in the air since Amy was still just staring without saying anything.

    "I am here as a friend. Your friend. I don''t want to add any more pain or confusion during an already difficult time," Lucas added, wishing he could kick himself and just shut up.

    Amy nodded slowly, a mix of emotions ying across her face. "I know you mean well. It just caught me off guard, that''s all." She managed a small smile, a fragile attempt to reassure him.

    Lucas sighed, relieved that Amy seemed to understand, yet an underlying tension lingered.

    "There was nothing sexual about the gesture��."

    20:00

    "I didn''t think there was. I will go pack up my stuff," Amy said, and quickly walked past him to avoid any further awkwardness.

    "It really didn''t mean anything," Lucas called after her defensively, not sure she believed him since she had epted his exnation too easily.

    Not knowing what to do with himself, Lucas decided to make the coffee himself as he waited for her, so he went about making the coffee.

    Inside her bedroom, Amy looked back in the direction of the kitchen and touched the top of her head where he had kissed her before cing a hand over her heart which had been racing earlier.

    She might be inexperienced when it came to men, but she knew enough to know that it wasn''t a sexual gesture, although that wasn''t something you did with people with whom you didn''t have a close rtionship.

    What was the deal with Lucas? Why was he here? Why was he helping her? They weren''t even friends so why did he keep going out of his way to help her? Amy mused and then paused when she remembered he had just said he was there as her friend.

    When did they be friends? She mused and then sighed. That wasn''t what was important at the moment. She had just lost Miley, she reminded herself as she looked around her bedroom which she had shared with Miley all through her stay in Ludus.

    She wasn''t going to cry again. She had cried enough in front of Lucas. She was just going to hold it all in and wait for Lucas to drop her off at Lucy''s and leave. Then once she was alone, she could cry and mourn to her heart''s content.

    Who knew what would happen if Lucas heard her crying in here? Thest thing she wanted was for him toe into her bedroom to console her. Especially not after what just happened a moment ago.

    Choosing to focus, Amy started to take off her clothes, and then she paused when she remembered that just that morning when she picked the outfit she had been thinking of Miley, and now Miley was no more.

    Tears gathered in her eyes, but she quickly brushed them off and took off her clothes. She changed into a sweatshirt and pant and when she turned to look at her reflection in the mirror, she was horrified to see how terrible she looked.

    Her hair and makeup was a mess.

    She knew she had thought she didn''t care about how she looked in front of Lucas, but this was terrible for crying out loud!

    She quickly washed off what was left of her makeup and dried her hair before going on to pack her bags.

    It took her a while to decide on what to take with her and when she was done packing, she returned to the living room with her bags to meet Lucas.

    She perceived the aroma of freshly brewed coffee even before she walked into the living room and saw him standing by the window with his back to her and a cup of coffee in one hand and his phone in the other hand raised to his ear.

    "I''m not sure yet. I will let you know. Sure. Be good," Lucas said before hanging up.

    "I''m ready," Amy said and he turned to see Amy standing awkwardly by the doorway.

    He was relieved to see that she looked better now than she had been earlier, and she no longer looked like she would fall apart if he looked away for a moment.

    "That was Lucy on the phone. I took the liberty to make coffee. Do you want a cup?" He offered as though she had imagined the awkward situation between them earlier.

    "It''s raining again," Amy noticed as she looked past him to the window.

    "Yeah," Lucas said and Amy excused herself as she walked into the kitchen to pour herself a cup of coffee.

    She returned to see that Lucas was seated now, so she sat on the couch opposite him, feeling like she was the visitor in her own home.

    Amy clutched the mug tightly as she raised it to her lips, and Lucas watched as her hands trembled as she drank from it.

    Amy looked up to meet his gaze, her eyes puffy and red from crying. The sight tugged at Lucas''s heart, awakening a protective instinct.

    "She loved this coffee," Amy finally whispered, her voice trembling. She gestured towards the mug.

    "We used to sit here,ugh, and share stories over a cup. Now she''s gone, and all I''m left with are memories of her in an empty apartment."

    Lucas listened attentively, and although his heart ached for her pain, Lucas didn''t move or say a word.

    They sat in silence for a while, the only sounds the soft hum of the refrigerator and the asional sniffle from Amy.

    Lucas contemted theplexities of loss, the way it lingered in the air like an unwee guest.

    As they sat there, the rain outside intensified, its rhythmic patter echoing the subdued atmosphere within.

    "What can I do?" Lucas asked after a moment and Amy looked at him in confusion.

    "What?"

    "What can I do to help? Would you prefer I listen silently, or do you want me to say something? Should I try to cheer you up or leave you to mourn?" He asked, since he needed to know what she wanted in order to know what to do.

    "I don''t know," Amy said with a shake of her head.

    "I''ve never lost anyone very close to me. I''ve lost patients and mourned some who were dear to me, but they were only patients, not friends. So, I''m not exactly sure what to do in this situation especially as I understand to an extent the depth of your friendship," Lucas exined.

    "You''ve done more than enough already by being here. Thanks for being here with me right now when we both know you don''t have to," Amy said softly.

    "You''re wee. Will it help to talk about her? Perhaps I could tell you about how I met her and all I thought about her, and you can talk about her too and dwell on happy memories," Lucas offered, and Amy nodded.

    Lucas tried to steer their interaction back to a sense of normalcy, and they shared stories about Miley that brought bothughter and tears especially when they talked about the dinner date. Amy''sughter, though tinged with sorrow, made Lucas smile as he watched her.

    Eventually, the awkwardness between them began to dissipate, reced by a shared understanding of grief and the unpredictable ways people navigate it.

    Lucas provided herfort without any gestures that might be misconstrued and listened as Amy spoke of Miley, remembering her quirks, her infectiousughter, and the moments that had bound them together.

    As the evening wore on, the rain outside started to relent, leaving behind a cleansed, glistening city.

    Lucas and Amy found sce in each other''spany, the shared pain gradually transforming into a poignant connection that deepened their new friendship.

    "Can we leave now?" Lucas asked as he nced at his wristwatch.

    He had to leave soon for Sonia''s party since that was the major reason he had travelled down, and Tyler was waiting for them to leave together.

    "Yes. Sure," she said as she quickly rose and Lucas did the same.

    Lucas drank what was now left of his cold coffee and reached for her mug since she it didn''t seem like she wanted to drink it, and she quickly drank it and held out her hand for his mug instead.

    "I will rinse��."

    "Hand it over," Lucas ordered calmly and she reluctantly handed him the mug and she followed him as he took it to the kitchen.

    She watched him as he rinsed the mug and hung it to dry on her mug rack.

    "Thank you, Luca," Amy said as she watched him dry his hands.

    "Luca?" He asked with a raised brow, ignoring her gratitude since it seemed like she was either always apologizing for something or thanking him.

    "You said you don''t want me calling you Lucas," she reminded him and his lips twitched a bit.

    "Luca. Not bad," he murmured in amusement as he walked past her to go pick up her bags so they could leave.

    As he picked up the bag and headed for the door, he paused and returned to the table. He ced the television controller on the center of the table and organized somethings making her look at him with questioning eyes.

    "Can I have your phone?" He asked, and she unlocked it and handed it to him.

    Lucas took a picture of everything the way he had set them, "When youe here, confirm that nothing is out of ce before you settle in. But it will be best if you change your locks," Lucas said and Amy nodded.

    "I will have them changed," she said and he nodded in approval.

    "Let''s leave then," he said and they headed for the car.

    Once they were seated in the car, Amy turned to Lucas as she fastened her seatbelt, "Luca?" She called, and he turned to look at her.

    "Yeah?" He asked as he started the engine.

    "Are we friends?" She asked and he raised a brow.

    "I will leave you to decide that. Are we?" He asked and she paused for a moment before giving him a nod.

    "Yes."

    "Then we are," he said and she smiled before looking ahead of her again as he drove off.

    On their way, Lucas stopped by a pharmacist, and she frowned in concern when he asked her to wait in the car while he dashed in to get some medicine.

    Was he ill? Did she make him stand in the rain when he was ill? She mused.

    A short momentter Lucas returned and got into the car, "Here. I''m not sure if Lucy has any medicine at home. You were in the rain for a while, you might catch a cold, so take this if you feel ill, and take that for a headache since you might have one after crying the way you did and the way you might doter," Lucas said, and Amy blinked as she looked at him without taking them from him.

    "What?" Lucas asked when she just sat there staring

    Amy shook her head, "Thank you," she said in a thick voice,ced with emotion as she took the medicine from him.

    She really wasn''t sure what to think about Lucas, or how to feel about his kindness which was beginning to make her heart flutter in an unexpected way.

 Chapter 795 All-White Party

    795 All-White Party

    Lucy''s bedroom buzzed withughter and excitement as thedies all prepared for the all-white themed bachelor/bachelorette party.

    They had all chosen to dress up in Lucy''s bedroom since that was where Sonia was dressing up away from Bryan and they wanted to be with the soon-to-be bride, and also because they wanted the makeup artists and hair stylists to attend to them in the same space.

    The room was filled with the intoxicating scent of perfumes, the rustle of fabrics, and the clinking of essories. The atmosphere crackled with anticipation.

    "No one is permitted to look more beautiful than Miss almost-Mrs-Hank this weekend," Lucy warned the makeup artists and stylists, and everyoneughed.

    "Almost-Mrs-Hank, huh? I like that. That''s what y''all should call me for the rest of the evening. Also Lu, you should know that no one could look more beautiful than me even if y''all tried. And it''s not just this weekend��."

    "Please shut up, Almost-Mrs-Hank," Jade said and Sonia grinned.

    "You''re just jealous because I''m about to take your ce in the Hank family," Sonia said and Jade rolled her eyes.

    "Like you can. I will always be a Hank��."

    "When you get married to Harry, you will be Mrs Jonas," Andy reminded her.

    "Shouldn''t that be IF? If she gets married to Harry," Candace corrected with a sweet smile directed at Jade and they allughed, including Jade.

    "I know you can''t wait for me to be your twin sister-inw. Don''t worry, in less than a year it will happen," Jade promised and theyughed.

    "Twin sister-inw?" Andy asked and Jade nodded.

    "You will be my sister-inw, but Candace will be my twin sister-inw since she is Harry''s twin," Jade exined and theyughed.

    "Does that even make sense grammatically?" Candace asked and Jade shrugged.

    "It doesn''t have to make sense grammatically as long as it makes sense to me. And back to the subject matter, Sony, I will always be an Hank��."

    "God! Are we still on that? I moved on already. And it was meant to be a joke," Sonia said and Jade smirked.

    "Better. So, in less than twenty-four hours, you''re going to officially be a part of the Hank family," Jade said excitedly and Sonia giggled.

    "Yeah. It''s so wonderful to have you girls here. Two days ago I wasn''t feeling so excited about this weekend, and now I just can''t wait for it to happen. The only downside of it is that you girls will all leave after the wedding, and I have no idea when we will be together again this way," Sonia said, feeling a bit sad.

    "Aww, don''t worry. I will visit you as often as I can," Lucy promised.

    "I will too," Jade assured her.

    "We will stop by whenever we are in Ludus," Andy promised.

    "And will we have sleepovers like this?" Sonia asked hopefully.

    "Only if Matt is sleeping here," Candace said and Andy rolled her eyes.

    "Clingy much?" Jade asked dryly since Candace always used her of being clingy.

    "No. It''s not about being clingy. We dont live in the same city, so visiting Ludus means I want to see you all but spend what little time I can with Matt when he isn''t out of town. I won''t leave my boyfriend ande for a girls sleepover withdies who see their men every day," Candace said and Andy pouted.

    "But I don''t see my man every day," she said dramatically and they all giggled.

    "You don''t even have a man and you don''t count since I see you every day," Candace said and she scowled.

    "Wait until I get a man, and then I''m going to oppress the hell out of you all for all you''ve been doing to me," Andy promised.

    "If we keep talking, they are never going to be able to finish the makeup," Lucy admonished everyone since they kept interrupting the makeup artists each time they talked.

    "You sound like some ss captain," Jade said with an eye roll.

    "She is my maid of honor, so she is the ss captain. So, sit still," Sonia said firmly.

    "You are the one who has been doing most of the��."

    "Shut up," Lucy and Candace said in unison and Jade red at them.

    "I don''t like how you all keep asking me to shut up," Jade said in annoyance.

    "Apart from the fact that you''re the youngest amongst us, you also are the one who keeps speaking when you shouldn''t. And yes, I know I''m still talking so I will shut up now," Sonia said, and Jade scowled as she mped her mouth shut.

    They all stayed silent for the next couple of minutes, to the relief of the makeup artists, and once they were done with their makeups and hair, they left thedies to dress up with the promise ofing in time to prepare them for the wedding the next day.

    "Now this is what I''m talking about. We all look beautiful," Sonia said, impressed by their appearance when they were all dressed.

    Lucy, the fashionista of the group, wore an elegant jumpsuit designed with intricatece. The daring plunge neckline of the jumpsuit was tied behind the neck in a halter style, adding sophistication and allure. And the beautiful waist tie of the jumpsuit ensured it was a ttering and customized fit, cinching the silhouette gracefully. The wide legs of the floor length pants had sultry splits up each side for a captivating sense of movement and style. Shepleted the look with silver stilettos that glinted like moonlight against the ivory fabric.

    Sonia, the bride-to-be, was the only one allowed to wear a dress, so she donned a flowing white mini dress with delicatece sleeves and a plunging neckline adorned by intricatece. The dress entuated her elegance and femininity, while a thin silver belt cinched at her waist added a hint of mour. The dress, adorned with subtle sequins, shimmered as she twirled with infectious joy. Her heels were adorned with crystal embellishments that sparkled like stars.

    20:01

    Sonia, the bride-to-be, was the only one allowed to wear a dress, so she donned a flowing white mini dress with delicatece sleeves and a plunging neckline adorned by intricatece. The dress entuated her elegance and femininity, while a thin silver belt cinched at her waist added a hint of mour. The dress, adorned with subtle sequins, shimmered as she twirled with infectious joy. Her heels were adorned with crystal embellishments that sparkled like stars.

    Jade opted for a chic white pantsuit, the wide-leg trousers flowing gracefully with every step. Acy bralette peeked out from the tailored zer, adding a dash of boldness to her ensemble. A silver statement ne adorned her neck, catching the light with every movement.

    Candace, opted for an off-shoulder jumpsuit that hugged her figure in all the right ces with confidence. And the wide legs of the pant cascaded gracefully, giving an illusion of a flowing gown and adding a touch of allure. She paired it with strappy heels and essorized with a yful flower crown.

    Andy, the lone singledy the vivacious spirit of the group, chose a beyond sultry white long sleeved plunge bodysuit, and paired it with white high waist jean trousers. Her choice of a bold red lip added a pop of color to her pristine white outfit.

    "Hold on,dies. There''s a little detail left," Lucy said with a grin as she opened the closet to take out the sashes she had prepared for each of them.

    "What? We even have sashes?" Sonia asked with a happyugh as Lucy brought out the bride to be sash and helped her wear it.

    Lucy put on the maid of honor sash, Jade put on the sister-inw to be sash, Candace and Andy put on the bridesmaid sash.

    "And finally, we have to crown you," Lucy said as she stepped forward with a tiara for Sonia.

    "Aww, I can''t believe you found the time to put this together, Lu," Sonia said, feeling emotional.

    "It''s not every day my best girl gets married. I have to do it right," Lucy said as she ced the tiara on Sonia''s head.

    "Now you look like a Disney princess with your blonde hair and tiara," Candace said and Sonia giggled.

    "I do, don''t I?" Sonia said as she looked at herself in the mirror.

    "Let''s take a group picture before we go downstairs," Lucy suggested after they had all exchangedpliments.

    "That''s a good idea. But the guys are waiting��."

    "Let them wait, Sony. Tonight is your night and the party won''t start without you. We are the party," Jade said with a grin and they allughed as they agreed with her.

    They all gathered together to snap a few group photos to capture the pre-celebration excitement.

    Each of them took personal photos, and each took a photo with Sonia and then just like that they all ended up spending over thirty minutes snapping photos. The room was a symphony of beauty and friendship, a testament to the bonds they shared.

    After they were done, they stepped out of the room, entering the living area where the men awaited.

    The moment thedies stepped into the living room, the men who had been conversing all rose.

    Since the women had decided on an all white party, the men had no choice but to be dressed in white.

    Tom settled for a stylish white linen button-down shirt paired with well-fitted white trousers and loafers, adding a touch of sophistication.

    Bryan donned a ssic all-white tuxedo,plete with a white silk bowtie, exuding elegance for his special celebration.

    Harry opted for a crisp, tailored white suit with a ck silkpel, paired with a white dress shirt and a sleek ck tie.

    Matt chose a more casual yet polished look, sporting white chinos paired with a tailored white dress shirt, rolled-up sleeves, and white sneakers for aid-back vibe.

    The men, suited up in crisp white attire, exuded charm and enthusiasm. The contrast of thedies'' all-white elegance against the men''s sharp white shirts and tailored trousers created a visually stunning picture.

    The men couldn''t help but be captivated by the stunning elegance of their partners. The air was filled with admiration as each of thedies stopped in front of their men with beaming and eager smiles as they waited to hear what their men had to say about their appearance.

    Tom, mesmerized by Lucy''s ethereal beauty, remarked, "Lucy, you look absolutely radiant and too beautiful to be true. It''s as if you stepped out of a dream."

    Lucy blushed, "Your dream, maybe. And you look too handsome for your own good," she said and Tom chuckled.

    Away from them, Bryan couldn''t take his eyes off Sonia, who looked effortlessly chic in her white ensemble. You are the most stunning bride-to-be, and I''m the luckiest guy to have you," he said with a smile.

    Sonia grinned, "Yes, you are. And you better don''t forget that. And you don''t look so bad yourself, groom-to-be," she joked and heughed as he took her hand and raised it to his lips.

    "You look absolutely enchanting, goddess, and you just made white my favorite color," Harry said to Jade and she grinned at the look of awe in his eyes.

    "If you look this awestruck now, how are you going to look when you see me in a wedding dress on our wedding day?" She asked with a wink and Harry chuckled.

    "I just might burst into tears," Harry said and Jade giggled.

    "Who is this absolutely gorgeous damsel?" Matt asked in utter admiration and Candace grinned.

    "She is your girlfriend. You clean up nice," Candace said as she removed an imaginary flint from his shirt and Matt chuckled.

    As thepliments flowed, Andy, stood back with a wide grin on her face as she looked at each of them.

    Harry, being the caring big brother turned to Andy, "Andy, you look absolutely lovely," Harry said and Andy grinned.

    "Thanks, Harry. Here I was thinking I wasn''t going to get anypliment after all my effort to look this good," she said and Matt looked at her.

    "I''m d the invitation is limited to only a few of us, else it would have been hard to keep the guys away from you," Matt said and Andyughed softly.

    "I will appreciate it if you don''t keep them away," she said with a wink that made everyoneugh.

    "Can we leave now?" Bryan asked and they nodded.

    "How are we going?" Andy asked, since she wasn''t sure who she was going with seeing how they were all evenly paired and she seemed to be the odd one out.

    "We came with our cars. You can join us," Matt said, holding out his spare arm to her since he was holding Candace with the other.

    "Sorry, Matt, but familyes first. Andy, you''re with Jade and me," Harry said and Candace raised a brow.

    "I''m family too," she reminded Harry.

    "You''ve had her to yourself all this while. Stick with your boyfriend. I''m responsible for Andy. Andy? Come with us," Harry said and Andy grinned as she went to take Harry''s arm.

    Jade winked at Andy. "Looks like you''re stuck with us, Andy. Let''s make it a memorable night!" Jade said excitedly, surprising Harry and the others who had expected her toin about the intrusion.

    Andy chuckled, feeling the warmth of friendship and familial protectiveness.

    As they all stepped out of the house, the group radiated an aura of elegance and camaraderie, ready to embark on a night of celebration for Bryan and Sonia''s impending journey into marriage.

    "I''m so d it finally stopped raining," Lucy said as Tom led her to the car.

    "I have a white zer inside the car. You can wear it when you start feeling cold," Tom said since her jumpsuit had no sleeves and the weather was a bit cold.

    "Thanks. I was sort of worried about catching a cold. I didn''t foresee the cold weather," she said and he nodded with understanding.

    "I brought the zer because of you, a gentleman has to make sure hisdy is never cold. And don''t worry. If the zer doesn''t do the job, I will. I can make you sweat really fast if we have a moment alone," he promised and Lucy giggled as they got into the car.

    The moment Tom started the car, Lucy turned to him, "Lucas is here," Lucy said, wanting to see Tom''s reaction.

    "Really? When did he get in?" He asked innocently and Lucy giggled.

    "I was going to forgive you for not telling me about itst night, but now you''ve made it impossible," Lucy said and Tom pped his forehead.

    "Shit! I thought you meant he is right here. I didn''t know you meant Ludus��."

    "Keep lying, Tom. You''re increasing the list of your offenses," Lucy cut in.

    "Alright, I''m going to shut up."

    "Also you told Lucas all about Amy. Stuff I told you in confidence. Do you know how embarrassing it was? After I assured Amy that you would keep everything to yourself?" Lucy asked and Tom shook his head.

    "I''m sorry. It wasn''t intentional. And you didn''t ask me not to tell Lucas. I remembered that he had been involved with Amy and her friend in the past so I didn''t think it was meant to be a secret from him. I will apologize to Amy if you want me to," he said and she shook her head.

    "No. You don''t have to apologize to her, I already did. But I''m going to punish you myself," She said and Tom nced at her.

    "What''s the punishment? I don''t mind being chained or tied to the bed post and you having your way mercilessly with me. I know I deserve that. I''ve been a very bad boy," Tom drawled and Lucyughed.

    "Let''s just focus tonight. Tomorrow we will decide on a suitable punishment after the wedding," Lucy said and Tom grinned.

    "You realize I didn''t mean to keep secrets from you about Lucas, right? I only did because it was meant to be a surprise," he said apologetically.

    "Well, it was. I got to my apartment and saw Lucas��."

    "What is it with you and ruining surprises?" Tom asked and she raised a brow.

    "What do you mean?"

    "I flew down to Heden to surprise you, and you chose that time to fly back to Ludus, and now it''s Lucas whose surprise you ruined," Tom said and Lucy giggled.

    "What you mean is that I love surprising my surprisers," she said with a wink and Tom chuckled, hoping inwardly that she wouldn''t ruin his engagement surprise too.

    B��nh lu?n

    36

    Xem t?t c?

    ?ng b��nh lu?n ??u ti��n c?a b?n!

    18

    Bi?u quy?t

    G?I QU�� T?NG

    L??t xu?ng ?? xem th��m

    20:02795 All-White Party

    Lucy''s bedroom buzzed withughter and excitement as thedies all prepared for the all-white themed bachelor/bachelorette party.

    They had all chosen to dress up in Lucy''s bedroom since that was where Sonia was dressing up away from Bryan and they wanted to be with the soon-to-be bride, and also because they wanted the makeup artists and hair stylists to attend to them in the same space.

    The room was filled with the intoxicating scent of perfumes, the rustle of fabrics, and the clinking of essories. The atmosphere crackled with anticipation.

    "No one is permitted to look more beautiful than Miss almost-Mrs-Hank this weekend," Lucy warned the makeup artists and stylists, and everyoneughed.

    "Almost-Mrs-Hank, huh? I like that. That''s what y''all should call me for the rest of the evening. Also Lu, you should know that no one could look more beautiful than me even if y''all tried. And it''s not just this weekend��."

    "Please shut up, Almost-Mrs-Hank," Jade said and Sonia grinned.

    "You''re just jealous because I''m about to take your ce in the Hank family," Sonia said and Jade rolled her eyes.

    "Like you can. I will always be a Hank��."

    "When you get married to Harry, you will be Mrs Jonas," Andy reminded her.

    "Shouldn''t that be IF? If she gets married to Harry," Candace corrected with a sweet smile directed at Jade and they allughed, including Jade.

    "I know you can''t wait for me to be your twin sister-inw. Don''t worry, in less than a year it will happen," Jade promised and theyughed.

    "Twin sister-inw?" Andy asked and Jade nodded.

    "You will be my sister-inw, but Candace will be my twin sister-inw since she is Harry''s twin," Jade exined and theyughed.

    "Does that even make sense grammatically?" Candace asked and Jade shrugged.

    "It doesn''t have to make sense grammatically as long as it makes sense to me. And back to the subject matter, Sony, I will always be an Hank��."

    "God! Are we still on that? I moved on already. And it was meant to be a joke," Sonia said and Jade smirked.

    "Better. So, in less than twenty-four hours, you''re going to officially be a part of the Hank family," Jade said excitedly and Sonia giggled.

    "Yeah. It''s so wonderful to have you girls here. Two days ago I wasn''t feeling so excited about this weekend, and now I just can''t wait for it to happen. The only downside of it is that you girls will all leave after the wedding, and I have no idea when we will be together again this way," Sonia said, feeling a bit sad.

    "Aww, don''t worry. I will visit you as often as I can," Lucy promised.

    "I will too," Jade assured her.

    "We will stop by whenever we are in Ludus," Andy promised.

    "And will we have sleepovers like this?" Sonia asked hopefully.

    "Only if Matt is sleeping here," Candace said and Andy rolled her eyes.

    "Clingy much?" Jade asked dryly since Candace always used her of being clingy.

    "No. It''s not about being clingy. We dont live in the same city, so visiting Ludus means I want to see you all but spend what little time I can with Matt when he isn''t out of town. I won''t leave my boyfriend ande for a girls sleepover withdies who see their men every day," Candace said and Andy pouted.

    "But I don''t see my man every day," she said dramatically and they all giggled.

    "You don''t even have a man and you don''t count since I see you every day," Candace said and she scowled.

    "Wait until I get a man, and then I''m going to oppress the hell out of you all for all you''ve been doing to me," Andy promised.

    "If we keep talking, they are never going to be able to finish the makeup," Lucy admonished everyone since they kept interrupting the makeup artists each time they talked.

    "You sound like some ss captain," Jade said with an eye roll.

    "She is my maid of honor, so she is the ss captain. So, sit still," Sonia said firmly.

    "You are the one who has been doing most of the��."

    "Shut up," Lucy and Candace said in unison and Jade red at them.

    "I don''t like how you all keep asking me to shut up," Jade said in annoyance.

    "Apart from the fact that you''re the youngest amongst us, you also are the one who keeps speaking when you shouldn''t. And yes, I know I''m still talking so I will shut up now," Sonia said, and Jade scowled as she mped her mouth shut.

    They all stayed silent for the next couple of minutes, to the relief of the makeup artists, and once they were done with their makeups and hair, they left thedies to dress up with the promise ofing in time to prepare them for the wedding the next day.

    "Now this is what I''m talking about. We all look beautiful," Sonia said, impressed by their appearance when they were all dressed.

    Lucy, the fashionista of the group, wore an elegant jumpsuit designed with intricatece. The daring plunge neckline of the jumpsuit was tied behind the neck in a halter style, adding sophistication and allure. And the beautiful waist tie of the jumpsuit ensured it was a ttering and customized fit, cinching the silhouette gracefully. The wide legs of the floor length pants had sultry splits up each side for a captivating sense of movement and style. Shepleted the look with silver stilettos that glinted like moonlight against the ivory fabric.

    Sonia, the bride-to-be, was the only one allowed to wear a dress, so she donned a flowing white mini dress with delicatece sleeves and a plunging neckline adorned by intricatece. The dress entuated her elegance and femininity, while a thin silver belt cinched at her waist added a hint of mour. The dress, adorned with subtle sequins, shimmered as she twirled with infectious joy. Her heels were adorned with crystal embellishments that sparkled like stars.

    20:01

    Sonia, the bride-to-be, was the only one allowed to wear a dress, so she donned a flowing white mini dress with delicatece sleeves and a plunging neckline adorned by intricatece. The dress entuated her elegance and femininity, while a thin silver belt cinched at her waist added a hint of mour. The dress, adorned with subtle sequins, shimmered as she twirled with infectious joy. Her heels were adorned with crystal embellishments that sparkled like stars.

    Jade opted for a chic white pantsuit, the wide-leg trousers flowing gracefully with every step. Acy bralette peeked out from the tailored zer, adding a dash of boldness to her ensemble. A silver statement ne adorned her neck, catching the light with every movement.

    Candace, opted for an off-shoulder jumpsuit that hugged her figure in all the right ces with confidence. And the wide legs of the pant cascaded gracefully, giving an illusion of a flowing gown and adding a touch of allure. She paired it with strappy heels and essorized with a yful flower crown.

    Andy, the lone singledy the vivacious spirit of the group, chose a beyond sultry white long sleeved plunge bodysuit, and paired it with white high waist jean trousers. Her choice of a bold red lip added a pop of color to her pristine white outfit.

    "Hold on,dies. There''s a little detail left," Lucy said with a grin as she opened the closet to take out the sashes she had prepared for each of them.

    "What? We even have sashes?" Sonia asked with a happyugh as Lucy brought out the bride to be sash and helped her wear it.

    Lucy put on the maid of honor sash, Jade put on the sister-inw to be sash, Candace and Andy put on the bridesmaid sash.

    "And finally, we have to crown you," Lucy said as she stepped forward with a tiara for Sonia.

    "Aww, I can''t believe you found the time to put this together, Lu," Sonia said, feeling emotional.

    "It''s not every day my best girl gets married. I have to do it right," Lucy said as she ced the tiara on Sonia''s head.

    "Now you look like a Disney princess with your blonde hair and tiara," Candace said and Sonia giggled.

    "I do, don''t I?" Sonia said as she looked at herself in the mirror.

    "Let''s take a group picture before we go downstairs," Lucy suggested after they had all exchangedpliments.

    "That''s a good idea. But the guys are waiting��."

    "Let them wait, Sony. Tonight is your night and the party won''t start without you. We are the party," Jade said with a grin and they allughed as they agreed with her.

    They all gathered together to snap a few group photos to capture the pre-celebration excitement.

    Each of them took personal photos, and each took a photo with Sonia and then just like that they all ended up spending over thirty minutes snapping photos. The room was a symphony of beauty and friendship, a testament to the bonds they shared.

    After they were done, they stepped out of the room, entering the living area where the men awaited.

    The moment thedies stepped into the living room, the men who had been conversing all rose.

    Since the women had decided on an all white party, the men had no choice but to be dressed in white.

    Tom settled for a stylish white linen button-down shirt paired with well-fitted white trousers and loafers, adding a touch of sophistication.

    Bryan donned a ssic all-white tuxedo,plete with a white silk bowtie, exuding elegance for his special celebration.

    Harry opted for a crisp, tailored white suit with a ck silkpel, paired with a white dress shirt and a sleek ck tie.

    Matt chose a more casual yet polished look, sporting white chinos paired with a tailored white dress shirt, rolled-up sleeves, and white sneakers for aid-back vibe.

    The men, suited up in crisp white attire, exuded charm and enthusiasm. The contrast of thedies'' all-white elegance against the men''s sharp white shirts and tailored trousers created a visually stunning picture.

    The men couldn''t help but be captivated by the stunning elegance of their partners. The air was filled with admiration as each of thedies stopped in front of their men with beaming and eager smiles as they waited to hear what their men had to say about their appearance.

    Tom, mesmerized by Lucy''s ethereal beauty, remarked, "Lucy, you look absolutely radiant and too beautiful to be true. It''s as if you stepped out of a dream."

    Lucy blushed, "Your dream, maybe. And you look too handsome for your own good," she said and Tom chuckled.

    Away from them, Bryan couldn''t take his eyes off Sonia, who looked effortlessly chic in her white ensemble. You are the most stunning bride-to-be, and I''m the luckiest guy to have you," he said with a smile.

    Sonia grinned, "Yes, you are. And you better don''t forget that. And you don''t look so bad yourself, groom-to-be," she joked and heughed as he took her hand and raised it to his lips.

    "You look absolutely enchanting, goddess, and you just made white my favorite color," Harry said to Jade and she grinned at the look of awe in his eyes.

    "If you look this awestruck now, how are you going to look when you see me in a wedding dress on our wedding day?" She asked with a wink and Harry chuckled.

    "I just might burst into tears," Harry said and Jade giggled.

    "Who is this absolutely gorgeous damsel?" Matt asked in utter admiration and Candace grinned.

    "She is your girlfriend. You clean up nice," Candace said as she removed an imaginary flint from his shirt and Matt chuckled.

    As thepliments flowed, Andy, stood back with a wide grin on her face as she looked at each of them.

    Harry, being the caring big brother turned to Andy, "Andy, you look absolutely lovely," Harry said and Andy grinned.

    "Thanks, Harry. Here I was thinking I wasn''t going to get anypliment after all my effort to look this good," she said and Matt looked at her.

    "I''m d the invitation is limited to only a few of us, else it would have been hard to keep the guys away from you," Matt said and Andyughed softly.

    "I will appreciate it if you don''t keep them away," she said with a wink that made everyoneugh.

    "Can we leave now?" Bryan asked and they nodded.

    "How are we going?" Andy asked, since she wasn''t sure who she was going with seeing how they were all evenly paired and she seemed to be the odd one out.

    "We came with our cars. You can join us," Matt said, holding out his spare arm to her since he was holding Candace with the other.

    "Sorry, Matt, but familyes first. Andy, you''re with Jade and me," Harry said and Candace raised a brow.

    "I''m family too," she reminded Harry.

    "You''ve had her to yourself all this while. Stick with your boyfriend. I''m responsible for Andy. Andy? Come with us," Harry said and Andy grinned as she went to take Harry''s arm.

    Jade winked at Andy. "Looks like you''re stuck with us, Andy. Let''s make it a memorable night!" Jade said excitedly, surprising Harry and the others who had expected her toin about the intrusion.

    Andy chuckled, feeling the warmth of friendship and familial protectiveness.

    As they all stepped out of the house, the group radiated an aura of elegance and camaraderie, ready to embark on a night of celebration for Bryan and Sonia''s impending journey into marriage.

    "I''m so d it finally stopped raining," Lucy said as Tom led her to the car.

    "I have a white zer inside the car. You can wear it when you start feeling cold," Tom said since her jumpsuit had no sleeves and the weather was a bit cold.

    "Thanks. I was sort of worried about catching a cold. I didn''t foresee the cold weather," she said and he nodded with understanding.

    "I brought the zer because of you, a gentleman has to make sure hisdy is never cold. And don''t worry. If the zer doesn''t do the job, I will. I can make you sweat really fast if we have a moment alone," he promised and Lucy giggled as they got into the car.

    The moment Tom started the car, Lucy turned to him, "Lucas is here," Lucy said, wanting to see Tom''s reaction.

    "Really? When did he get in?" He asked innocently and Lucy giggled.

    "I was going to forgive you for not telling me about itst night, but now you''ve made it impossible," Lucy said and Tom pped his forehead.

    "Shit! I thought you meant he is right here. I didn''t know you meant Ludus��."

    "Keep lying, Tom. You''re increasing the list of your offenses," Lucy cut in.

    "Alright, I''m going to shut up."

    "Also you told Lucas all about Amy. Stuff I told you in confidence. Do you know how embarrassing it was? After I assured Amy that you would keep everything to yourself?" Lucy asked and Tom shook his head.

    "I''m sorry. It wasn''t intentional. And you didn''t ask me not to tell Lucas. I remembered that he had been involved with Amy and her friend in the past so I didn''t think it was meant to be a secret from him. I will apologize to Amy if you want me to," he said and she shook her head.

    "No. You don''t have to apologize to her, I already did. But I''m going to punish you myself," She said and Tom nced at her.

    "What''s the punishment? I don''t mind being chained or tied to the bed post and you having your way mercilessly with me. I know I deserve that. I''ve been a very bad boy," Tom drawled and Lucyughed.

    "Let''s just focus tonight. Tomorrow we will decide on a suitable punishment after the wedding," Lucy said and Tom grinned.

    "You realize I didn''t mean to keep secrets from you about Lucas, right? I only did because it was meant to be a surprise," he said apologetically.

    "Well, it was. I got to my apartment and saw Lucas��."

    "What is it with you and ruining surprises?" Tom asked and she raised a brow.

    "What do you mean?"

    "I flew down to Heden to surprise you, and you chose that time to fly back to Ludus, and now it''s Lucas whose surprise you ruined," Tom said and Lucy giggled.

    "What you mean is that I love surprising my surprisers," she said with a wink and Tom chuckled, hoping inwardly that she wouldn''t ruin his engagement surprise too.

 Chapter 796 Vanessa Rosewood

    796 Vanessa Rosewood

    After spending most of the day out, getting a makeover, Jeff stepped inside the apartment, freshly transformed from a rugged individual to a suave, clean-shaven man.

    His usually untamed beard was gone, reced by a meticulously groomed appearance. And his outfit, an all-white loose shirt with free flowing pants and a white hat, more for aesthetic than protection from the sun,pleted the transformation.

    "Mia? Are you in?" Jeff called, eager to show off his appearance to Mia who had aroused his desire for a makeover.

    As he walked further into the apartment, he noticed that Mia''s bedroom door was slightly ajar, a soft light seeping through the crack.

    He could see her seated on the floor, engrossed in herptop, a few papers scattered around her.

    Jeff hesitated for a moment, a yful smile on his face as he contemted surprising Mia with his new look. He knocked on the door gently before pushing it open.

    "Hey there, Mia," Jeff announced, his tone a mix of excitement and mischief.

    Mia looked up, her eyes widening as they fell upon Jeff''s transformed appearance. She blinked in disbelief, then broke into a wide grin. "Jeff? Is that really you?" she eximed, as she rose up.

    Jeff took off his hat and did a dramatic twirl, showcasing his outfit. "Ta-da! What do you think? Bryan''s wedding calls for a change, doesn''t it? And as his manager and one of his groomsmen, it''s only right that I look good," Jeff said with a grin which showed off dimples that Mia had never noticed.

    Miaughed, genuinely impressed. "You look amazing! I didn''t recognize you at first. Bryan is going to be shocked."

    "That''s the n!" Jeff winked, then his brows pulled together when something urred to him.

    "Why aren''t you getting ready? Bryan called to say they were on their way already and that we could join Lucy''s twin. The party starts soon, and you need to look as stunning as me," he said and Mia''s smile faded a bit.

    "I''m not feeling too well. I think I will skip the party tonight," Mia said and Jeff narrowed his eyes.

    "You don''t look ill to me," he said and she gave him a pointed look.

    "I don''t have to look ill to be ill. I don''t feel well, so I''d rather stay back. Let them know I''m not feeling okay and I''m sorry to miss the party," Mia said and this time concern creased Jeff''s forehead as he leaned forward.

    He knew how much Mia loved Sonia, so he doubted that she would lie or pretend to be ill to miss Sonia''s bachelorette party for no reason.

    "Are you okay? Do you need anything? I can stay here with you if you want?" Jeff offered.

    Mia appreciated the genuine concern in Jeff''s eyes. "I will be fine, really. It''s probably just a headache. You go and enjoy the party. Bryan will need his trusty manager by his side."

    Jeff hesitated for a moment, torn between hismitment to the party and his concern for Mia. "I can''t leave you here alone if you''re not feeling well. I don''t mind missing the party," he said and Mia shook her head, offering a reassuring smile.

    "Jeff, I appreciate it, but you can''t miss Bryan''s bachelor party because of me. It wouldn''t make sense for the two of us who work for him to miss his party. I''m a big girl. I will be fine. Besides, I could use some quiet time," she said and reluctantly, Jeff sighed, ncing at Mia with a lingering worry.

    "Promise me you will take care of yourself. And if you need anything, just call or text me, okay?" He said and Mia nodded, appreciating Jeff''s caring nature.

    "Of course, I will take care of myself. I think you should let open some of the buttons. It would give you a sexier look," Mia said and without thinking anything of her action she stepped forward and unbuttoned the first two buttons.

    As she did that, Jeff gazed at her delicate hands, "Your hands are pretty," he said and she smiled.

    "Thanks. I think you''re good now," Mia said with a pleased smile as she stepped back to look at him.

    "Now, go and have fun. Bryan is counting on you," she said, pointing to the door for him to leave.

    As Jeff left Mia''s bedroom, he couldn''t shake off the lingering concern for her. Although he knew she was hiding something, he couldn''t tell what she was hiding.

    He wished she would be honest with him so he could help her in whatever way he could, Jeff thought as he made his way to his bedroom, where his reflection in the mirror reminded him of the stark contrast between his usual appearance and the polished version he now presented.

    The transformation had been more than just physical�C it was as if something inside him had been transformed too and with this new look of his, he was open to meetingdies now. He made a mental note to ask Mia to sign him up on one of her dating sites as she had offered to do some weeks ago.

    Outside the apartment, Lucas parked the car to let Amy out so he could hurry back to the hotel to pick Tyler and get ready for them to leave for the party.

    "Thank you so much," Amy said for what was beginning to seem to Lucas like the one millionth time.

    Without responding, Lucas got out of the car and took out her luggage from the backseat, and she got out of the car to join him.

    "I can take it insi��." Before she could finish Lucas walked past her to go get the door and once he dropped the bag inside the bedroom, he turned to Amy who was standing in the living room and staring at him.

    20:02

    "Here is the key. I will be off now. Be good," Lucas said as he set the key on table before heading for the door.

    "Wait!" Amy called before Lucas could leave.

    "Yeah?" Lucas asked, and Amy gazed at him, unable to say what she wanted to say.

    "Uhm, never mind," she said with a shake of her head even though she had wanted to ask him if he woulde back to the apartment and if he was leaving Ludus soon.

    "Alright then," Lucas said as he walked out of the house and shut the door behind him.

    He was aware that she wanted to say something to him but he just wasn''t curious enough to want to make her say it. And neither did he have the time. He had othermitments and as far as he was concerned he had given Amy enough of his time for the day.

    Lucas walked over to the apartment which Mia and Jeff shared and he pressed the doorbell.

    Jeff answered the door, "You are Lucas, right?" Jeff asked and Lucas nodded.

    "Yes. We can leave now, but if you don''t mind we would have to stop at the hotel for me to pick Tyler and also change into my outfit. I don''t think it makes sense for me to drop Amy over and then go back to the hotel to get dressed and thene back here to pick you," Lucas said and Jeff nodded in agreement.

    "I agree with you. We can leave now since I''m ready. I will wait in the car," Jeff said and Lucas raised a brow.

    "What about your girlfriend? Is she ready?" He asked and Jeff frowned.

    "Mia? She isn''t my girlfriend. And no, she is noting with us. She isn''t feeling well," Jeff said and Lucas nodded.

    "Alright. Let''s leave then," Lucas said as he returned to the car, and Jeff called out to Mia that he was leaving before following after Lucas.

    "I suppose you know the venue?" Lucas asked hopefully after he started driving.

    "No, I don''t. I thought you did," Jeff said and Lucas sighed.

    "I thought you would know it. Tom offered to send his driver to get us but I said we would find our way," Lucas said and Jeff chuckled.

    "Then we will just have to hope we don''t get lost," Jeff said and Lucasughed too.

    "We can use google map��."

    "No way! I''d rather get lost on my own than let google map do that to me. Thest time I did that, I had my regrets. I''m sure we will find our way. And we can call Tom or Lucy and ask for directions as we go. I wonder why they chose to throw a party outside the city," Lucas said thest part more to himself than to Jeff.

    A short whileter after they had picked Tyler and Lucas had changed into his outfit which Tyler had gotten for them both, Tyler looked at Jeff.

    "I thought your girlfriend wasing with us?" He asked Jeff curiously.

    "He said she is not feeling too well so she isn''ting with us," Lucas informed Tyler.

    Tyler could bet hisst cash that she wasn''t ill and was not joining them because she was avoiding him. Of that he was very sure.

    But why? Was it possible that she was Vanessa Rosewood? If she was, why was she here when she was supposedly dead and buried? Tyler mused.

    "And she is not my girlfriend. We only work together," Jeff said and Tyler raised a brow.

    "Really? How long has she been working with you?" Tyler asked curiously, wanting to get as much information as he could on her.

    "Close to two years now. If you''re asking because we live together, it''s just a temporary arrangement because we moved here on short notice," Jeff rified.

    "No. That isn''t why I was asking. She just looks very much like someone I used to know. It''s almost like she came back from the dead," Tyler said and Lucas sighed.

    "I can''t believe you''re still on that. She is most likely not the one. Doppelg?ngers exist," Lucas said but Jeff''s interest was piqued.

    "That''s highly unlikely. Did she have a reference? Maybe somewhere she worked before joining you. Of where she is from? Do you know her family?" Tyler asked, and this further aroused Jeff''s interest.

    "Did you tell her she looks familiar?" Jeff asked ignoring Tyler''s question.

    "Yes. Earlier. But she imed she had amon face," Tyler said, and that made Jeff remember what Harry had said as well when he met Mia for the first time and how she seemed to have avoided every gathering where Harry was present including the anniversary dinner party.

    He remembered she had imed she was ill then as well, and he also remembered how flustered she had been to see Harry at Bryan''s engagement party.

    Jeff also remembered how ufortable she seemed each time he asked about her family or anything personal.

    "Can I see a picture of this person you think she looks like? What''s her name?" Jeff asked, wanting to see if it was truly Mia since it made sense that Mia was possibly avoiding this party because of Tyler.

    "Vanessa Rosewood. At first I thought I was mistaken but then I asked a friend and colleague of mine who was close to her for her picture and name, and he sent this today," Tyler said as he passed the phone from the back to Jeff who was seated in front.

    The moment Jeff saw the photo of Vanessa Rosewood, he knew without a doubt that it was Mia, only that her eyes seemed sadder than they already were, but there was a forced smile on her lips, and she was dressed very elegantly in stylish and expensive clothes.

    "Thisdy is dead?" Jeff asked as he gazed at the face which he knew very well was Mia''s.

    "Yes. She supposedly died in an ident. Don''t you think she looks like your colleague?" Tyler asked and Jeff shook his head.

    "There is a resemnce, but I''m sure she isn''t the one," Jeff lied, determined to protect Mia from whatever it was she was running from.

    Although he didn''t know her story, he didn''t need to know the details to know that she wasn''t a criminal and whatever she was running from must have made her really sad seeing how she looked so sad even in the picture and kept crying till date.

    "You didn''t tell your friend that you saw someone who looked like her, did you? It would be mean to give false hope to someone after they had grieved," Jeff said, wanting to be sure Tyler wouldn''t cause any problems for Mia.

    "I didn''t," Tyler lied, "Did I mention that they never saw her body after the ident?"

    "Too bad she isn''t the one. They will have to keep looking for the body elsewhere," Jeff said stiffly.

 Chapter 797 Kiss Or Snap

    797 Kiss Or Snap

    As the cars stopped at the mountainside resort, the others who had never been there gushed softly at the beautiful sight of the mountains and waterfall.

    "This is so much more beautiful than I expected. Thanks for sharing this with us," Bryan said to Tom when he saw how speechless Sonia was as she looked around.

    "You don''t have to thank me for anything," Tom said, while Lucy eagerly ushered them in the direction of the yacht since she was very excited to show it off.

    She stopped and gasped in belief when she saw the yacht which was once a in white now had colors on it. Not just colors, letters.

    The words "QUEEN LUCY" were boldly disyed in red.

    She turned to look at Tom who was now grinning at her, "I thought I should name her on your behalf since you didn''t seem to know you were supposed to name her," he said and Lucy smiled as she walked back to him and kissed him.

    "Aww, that''s so lovely," Andy said, while the others smiled as they continued to the yacht, leaving Lucy and Tom behind.

    A glittering white sash at the entrance of the yacht weed the guests to Sonia and Bryan''s bachelor bachelorette party.

    Sonia was weed by a young man who handed her a bouquet of flowers, "This looks like a romantic dinner for many," Sonia said with a pleased smile when they got on the deck of Queen Lucy and met the men ying the violin on the deck with a wide ss banquet table at the center, filled with winesses in front of each seat, and there were candles at the center of the table.

    "It looks more like a scene plucked out of titanic," Andy said.

    "Thankfully there are no silly teenagers running around here, so I believe we are safe," Jade said and Candace snorted.

    "Not with you and Harry here," Candace said and Harry chuckled.

    "Do you really want to do that with me here? In the presence of your sugar boy?" Harry asked and Candace red at him while Matt raised a brow.

    "Good. I didn''t think so," Harry said while Matt turned to Candace.

    "Sugar boy?"

    "He calls you that because I''m older than you," Candace exined and Matt scowled at Harry''s back since he had walked past them.

    "He is one to talk when he is dating the youngest amongst us here," Matt said and Candace giggled.

    "The most childish too, if you ask me," Candace said and Matt chuckled liking that they were gossiping Harry together.

    "Are you sure Lucas and the others would be able to locate this ce easily?" Lucy asked and Tom nodded.

    "Sure. I wouldn''t build a resort in a ce that isn''t easily locatable, would I? As long as he follows the direction I sent him, he will find his way," Tom said as they joined the others.

    "Let''s wait to see if the others will join us within the next thirty minutes before we begin. So, until then, you can look around," Lucy said and everyone else went to take a look at the interior of the yacht while Lucy and Tom hung out at the deck.

    Thirty minutester, everyone returned to the deck, and no sooner had they settled down and were about to begin before Aurora and Philip arrived and joined them.

    "Congrats on your engagement," Sonia, Lucy and Candace told her, and Aurora raised a brow when she noticed the way Matt was seated closely to Candace and holding her hand.

    "Thanks. Don''t tell me you are both officially an item now," Aurora asked with a grin, remembering all the drama at the anniversary party.

    "Alright. I won''t tell you," Candace said, and Aurora giggled.

    "Aww. This is so cute. I guess we all are here with our partners," she said and Andy scowled.

    "I suppose as the only singledy in your midst I should excuse you all then," she said and they allughed.

    "Aurora, meet Andy, my favorite sister-inw to be. Andy, meet Aurora, thedy who almost snatched your brother from me and asked me to be her maid of honor when she marries my boyfriend," Jade said and they allughed.

    "I didn''t almost snatch him. You hooked me up with him saying he was your old boring uncle, and he wasn''t even your boyfriend," Aurora said and Philip scowled yfully.

    "Don''t talk about another man in front of me, baby," Philip said and Candace shook her head.

    "Another clingy man spotted. It''s like clinginess and possessiveness is a thing with the males in your group," Candace said to Harry.

    "Says the one who couldn''t stand her actor boyfriend kissing on a movie set," Harry said and Candace looked at Jade incredulously.

    "I can''t believe you told him that, you snitch!" She hissed and Jade raised a brow.

    "And what makes you think I told him and not Andy?"

    Before Candace could respond, Lucy used a spoon to hit her ss, "Ladies and gentlemen, I need your attention. Tonight is not about any of you. It''s all about Sony���� soon-to-be Mrs Hank rather��" Lucy corrected and Sonia raised her winess to Lucy, making themugh, "And Bryan. Tonight is a celebration of them both and their love, so I will appreciate it if we don''t get distracted or make it about ourselves����"

    "Why are you staring at me while saying that?" Jade interrupted with a frown when Lucy looked at her.

    "Because of that exactly. She looked at everyone before looking at you, yet you''re the only one interrupting her to ask her that," Candace said and Jade frowned.

    "Why did she have to look at me at the exact time she made that statement?" Jade asked and almost everyone looked at Harry.

    "Esquire��."

    "They all keep picking on me," sheined to Harry.

    "I wasn''t picking on you. I was only addressing everyone. I''m sorry if you misunderstood me," Lucy said and Sonia looked at Jade.

    "The beautiful thing about tonight is that I''m the first in this group to be getting married. That means whatever you do tonight is what I''m going to be doing at your bachelorette party too. So, everyone should act wisely," Sonia promised with a rxed smile and Jade scowled at her.

    "Can I go on?" Lucy asked, looking at Jade directly this time.

    "Sure. I won''t utter a word for the rest of the evening," Jade promised and Harry turned to her as he rose.

    "Come with me, babe," he said, extending his hand to her and she took it.

    "Please excuse us," Harry told the others before leading her away.

    "What? Do you want to scold me for embarrassing you?" She asked as she followed him.

    "You didn''t embarrass me, and no I don''t want to scold you," he said and she frowned.

    "Then why did we leave the others?" She asked as he led her to one of the cabins.

    "Because I thought you were upset and needed timeout," Harry said and Jade sighed as they walked into the cabin and Harry shut the door behind them.

    "Lucy gave me a pointed look when she made that statement. Howe she was looking at everyone else but chose to look at me at that point if she wasn''t referring to me?" Jade asked and Harry faced her and ced both hands on her shoulders.

    "Do you think you make things about yourself?" Harry asked and she frowned.

    "Of course, not!"

    "Don''t you think responding the way you did sort of made it seem like you just made all of that about yourself?" Harry asked and she frowned.

    "Do you think so?"

    "Do I think what?" Harry asked and Jade shrugged.

    "That I made that about myself?"

    "I think you shouldn''t have responded to what Lucy said since she didn''t make any direct reference to you. So, what if it was a public gathering and not an intimate one like this, and the speaker looked at you after saying something unttering? Would you interrupt that way?" Harry asked and Jade scowled.

    "So, you brought me in to scold me after all. And you agree with them that I made that about myself. Couldn''t you have taken my side and��. Ouch!" She hissed in annoyance when Harry finger flicked her forehead.

    "Pay attention. I will always have your back. What happened out there was a girl thing between you and your friends hence I couldn''t interfere. And it''s not like anyone was outrightly rude to you��."

    "Candace was," she hissed.

    "You''ve known Candace longer than I have even though she is my sister. That is between the both of you. I won''t get in the middle of that. And I''m not scolding you. You asked for my opinion and I''m only letting you know as the brilliantdy you are, you could have handled it better. Don''t make any conversation be centered around you tonight. It''s all about Bryan and Sonia unless you are asked a personal question. Can we stick to that?" He asked and she grudgingly gave him a nod.

    "Good. I brought you here because I realized we haven''t taken a photo together yet," he said and she raised a brow doubtfully.

    "Really?" She asked and he nodded.

    "Yes. That and also because I wanted to kiss you so badly. You look too beautiful tonight," he said and she giggled.

    "Which should we do first? Kiss or snap?" She asked, and Harry grinned, satisfied that she was no longer sulking.

    "Let''s snap first. I don''t want to ruin your lips," he said and she fluttered hershes.

    "I don''t mind my lips or body being ruined by you," she said making him chuckle as he took his phone to takes selfies with her.

    By the time they returned outside to join the others, Lucas, Jeff and Tyler had just arrived and Lucy was introducing Lucas and Tyler to Philip and Aurora since they were the only ones who didn''t know them.

    "And there is Harry, your very male cousin," Lucy said and thedies giggled when they remembered how Lucas had mistaken Andy for Harry.

    "Very male cousin?" Harry asked, wondering why he was being described that way and Andy exined it to him making everyone else who had not gotten the joke tough.

    "It''s nice to finally meet you," Lucas told Harry as he shook hands with him.

    "Same here. I do hope we can hangout after the wedding," Harry said and Lucas nodded.

    "Sure," he said with a grin.

    "Why is Mia not with you?" Sonia asked Jeff after the guys were seated.

    "And Amy. I thought you would all being together," Lucy said, looking at Lucas.

    "Mia wasn''t feeling well thanks to the rain. I even had to get her some medicine before leaving," Jeff lied, wanting to make sure it was believable to everyone especially Tyler.

    Harry looked at Jeff, wondering if Mia was really ill or she was avoiding the party because she was made ufortable by their discussion the previous day.

    "Oh, that''s so sad. I was looking forward to spending the evening with her as the singledies in the group," Andy said with a sigh.

    "You don''t have to be single if you don''t want to be. I''m right here," Tyler said with a yful wriggle of his brow, and Andy giggled.

    "I suppose it won''t hurt to have you as my partner for the night. But only for tonight," she said and Tyler nodded eagerly as he took the seat beside her.

    "And Amy?" Lucy asked Lucas again since he was yet to respond.

    "Miley passed," Lucas said simply and understanding dawned on Lucy.

    "Oh, dear!" Lucy murmured, feeling sorry for Amy.

    "Let''s talk about itter," she told Lucas, not wanting to ruin the mood of the party.

    "Now that we are all here, let''s get the party started. Soon-to-be Mrs Hank, and Bryan, I hope you both are ready to answer all our questions," Lucy said with a grin as she gave a nod to Matt to take over as the master of ceremony.

 Chapter 798 Game Night

    798 Game Night

    Matt, the emcee for the evening, took center stage, microphone in hand, ready to orchestrate the festivities.

    "Alright,dies and gentlemen, let''s get this party started!" Matt announced, his voice echoing over the sound ofughter and music.

    "But before we dive into the fun, let''s take a moment to celebrate the love between our bride and groom-to-be," Matt said and everyone cheered as the champagne flowed, and they raised their sses in a toast to Sonia and Bryan.

    "I''m very excited about these two. I still remember clearly how Bryan invited me over to his house in Sogal to help him get rid of Sony," Matt said and everyoneughed.

    "Really? Bryan did that?" Andy asked in disbelief.

    "You shouldn''t talk about that here or now," Bryan said, ring at him while Sonia giggled.

    "The moment I saw you, I knew that was why you visited. He thought he could get rid of me so easily," Sonia said with a smug smile.

    "So, what did you do?" Aurora asked Matt with interest, curious to hear the story.

    "I went and fell in love with Sonia," Matt said with a chuckle, and everyoneughed.

    "I fell for her first before Bryan did. She won my heart with a beautiful nature, so it was us both against Bryan," Matt said and Sonia giggled.

    "I love you, Matt," Sonia said as she blew him a kiss, while Bryan scowled dramatically.

    "I love you more my dearest, Sony. Not every man is lucky to have his best friend marry a woman he also loves. I think I should also mention here that Bryan said he would rather cut off his dick than��."

    "MATT!" Bryan growled, red faced, and Matt grinned as everyone elseughed at Bryan''s obvious embarrassment.

    "Let''s move to the next item on the list. Tonight, we''re going to put Sonia and Bryan''s love to the test," Matt dered with a mischievous grin.

    "Each of you will have the chance to ask them a question about their rtionship. How did they know they were meant for each other? What made them take the leap into forever? Let''s find out!" Matt said and everyone pped.

    "Who is going first?" Matt asked, and Lucy raised her hand

    With a twinkle in her eye, Lucy asked Sonia, "What was the moment you knew Bryan was the one for you?"

    Sonia''s smile was radiant as she recounted the memory. "I believe it was during your scandal. When I broke up with him and left to be with you. I thought I was going to die from the heartache," Sonia said, her eyes shining with tears.

    "Aww," thedies echoed.

    "Really?" Bryan asked with a grin.

    "Of course. And then I came to find you at Tom''s apartment but you chose to hide," she said, pping his hand at the memory.

    "You didn''t exactlye to find me. You just wanted to ask if he had heard from me��."

    "And you were hiding like a little girl and eavesdropping on our conversation," Tom cut in and everyoneughed when Bryan red at him.

    "Why are you all doing this to me? This is supposed to be a night to celebrate my fianc��e and I not embarrass me!" Bryanined.

    "Okay, no one is permitted to embarrass the group anymore! Next question? That should be the person seated next to Lucy," Matt said and Tom smiled.

    "Bryan, when did you realize you were in love with her?" Tom asked, since he was seated next to Lucy.

    Bryan grinned, "It''s so funny that now that you ask I can remember the moments when I started falling for her. But I realized it was over for me during our first interview together at my house while we were still doing the reality show (chapter 137). As I responded to the interviewer''s question about how she captured my heart, I realized I wasn''t acting but meant every word I was saying," Bryan said and Sonia turned to him, her love for him shining brightly in her eyes.

    "For real? You meant all of that?" She asked when she remembered how she had been hoping the words would be real.

    Bryan nodded as he beamed at her, "I meant every word of it. I''ve not given a single moment of thought to anotherdy since I crossed path with you. Everyone else pales inparison to you," Bryan said as he held her gaze and raised her hand to his lips.

    Lucy sniffled. When she had suggested they do this in order to remind Sonia how much she loved Bryan and wanted to be with him, she had not expected to be so much affected by their affection for one another.

    "You''re both going to make me teary," she said with a wobbly smile and was pleased to see she wasn''t the only one affected, the otherdies were too.

    "It''s your turn to ask a question," Jade nudged Harry''s side when he remained silent.

    Harry cleared his throat and then nced at Bryan, "How could you just propose to a random stranger? What were you thinking?" He asked incredulously, like he had been dying to ask Bryan that question, and everyoneughed.

    "I wasn''t thinking. My feet led me to her. Or I suppose it was the universe that led me to her. I was destined to be with her and fated to love her," Bryan said and sounds of ''aww'' rented the air and Sonia giggled

    "I''m the writer yet you have the best lines," she said as she leaned over and kissed him on the lips, surprising Bryan since she had not kissed him ever since her spitting episode started.

    "What about you, Sony? Why did you say yes?" Jade asked since it was her turn, and Sonia giggled.

    "Maybe because I''m crazy. He was my celebrity crush, I was single and bored, and there he was asking me to marry him. What did you expect me to say? I didn''t honestly care why he did that," Sonia said with a grin and everyoneughed, enjoying the story.

    20:04

    "I was beyond shocked when she epted. And then she gave me the craziest kiss of my life," Bryan said with a chuckle as he remembered that night (chapter 13).

    "You kissed him right there?" Andy asked in amusement, jumping everyone else to ask.

    "Yes. In case it was a prank I wanted to know what his lips tasted like before the prank would be over," Sonia said with a wink and they allughed.

    "You''re indeed, crazy. But then again, you''ve always been crazy," Tyler said with a grin as he raised his ss to his lips.

    "Between the both of you, who said I love you first?" Candace asked, and the questions and answers continued, each one revealing a newyer of their love story. From the moment they met to the challenges they''ve ovee together, Sonia and Bryan''s bond only grew stronger with each shared memory.

    As the questions and answers continued round the table, Jeff couldn''t help missing Mia''s presence as they spoke, since he believed that Mia had yed a huge role in all of this. The reality show and living together had been her idea after all. And she had called it from the beginning that Sonia had what it would take to tame Bryan.

    As the night unfolded, amidst theughter and music, Matt suggested they y a game of "Couple Trivia" to test their knowledge of Sonia and Bryan''s rtionship.

    "Alright, everyone, listen up!" Matt called out over the chatter of the group.

    "We''re about to put your knowledge of Sonia and Bryan''s love story to the test. I''ll ask a series of questions, and the team with the most correct answers wins bragging rights for the rest of the night!" Matt said, with a grin stered on his face as he exined the rules, while the teams were formed.

    Everyone wanted to be on Lucy''s team because she was Sonia''s best friend and they believed she would know more exclusive details about Sonia and Bryan''s rtionship, so Matt exempted Lucy from the game, asking her to be the judge instead.

    Tom and Jade, being Bryan''s siblings were asked to head the two teams and choose their teammates.

    Immediately, Jade chose, Harry, Jeff, Andy, and Lucas.

    "No way, you can''t choose Harry and then choose Lucas too. Lucas should be on my side since he is my girlfriend''s twin brother," Tom protested.

    "Alright. I will take Tyler. You can have the rest of them," Jade said with a grin since apart from Harry, she had taken the other three people who knew Bryan and Sonia unlike the others.

    Tyler knew Sonia from childhood, Andy was close to Sonia like she was, and Jeff worked closely with Bryan.

    "Wow. You didn''t choose me," Candace said and Jade shrugged.

    "You''ve been too annoyingtely and I want your team to lose," Jade said and Candace giggled.

    "Alright then. So, I have Lucas, Philip, Aurora, and Candace. That''s fair. The game can begin," Tom said and Matt began to ask the questions.

    Tom and his team huddled together, whispering strategies, while Jade and her team exchanged yful banter, determined to outsmart thepetition.

    With the teams in ce, Matt cleared his throat and began firing off questions with gusto. "First question: Where did Sonia and Bryan share their first kiss?"

    The teams buzzed with excitement, frantically scribbling down their answers on slips of paper. After a flurry of whispered debates and quick calctions, they submitted their responses to Matt, who eagerly tallied up the scores.

    "Let''s see how you did!" Matt announced, a twinkle of mischief in his eye. "The correct answer is��at the lobby of the hotel where they first met and Bryan proposed!"

    Cheers erupted from the Tom''s team as they celebrated their victory, while the other teams groaned in good-natured defeat. But there was no time to dwell on losses as Matt dove into the next question, keeping the energy high and thepetition fierce.

    Laughter filled the air as friendspeted in the ultimate test of love and friendship to see who knew Sonia and Bryan best.

    As the game progressed, the questions delved deeper into Sonia and Bryan''s shared history, from their favorite date spots to the nicknames they had for each other. Each correct answer was met with cheers and high-fives, while incorrect guesses sparked yful ribbing andughter.

    Amidst the friendly rivalry, the true spirit of the game shone through��the bonds of friendship and love that united everyone on board. Even as the teams vied for victory, there was a sense of camaraderie and joy that filled the air, reminding Sonia and Bryan of the incredible support system they had surrounding them.

    As the final question was announced, the tension mounted, with the fate of the game hanging in the bnce. With bated breath, the teams waited for Matt to reveal the ultimate challenge that would determine the winner.

    "And now, for thest question," Matt dered, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. "What does Bryan love most about Sony?"

    The teams exchanged knowing nces, their minds racing as they wracked their brains for the answer. With a triumphant shout, Jade''s team proudly scribbled down their response, confident in their victory.

    After a suspenseful pause, Matt announced the correct answer, "Sonia''s craziness!"

    Cheers erupted as Lucy announced Jade''s team to be the winning team, and they celebrated their hard-earned triumph.

    But in the end, it wasn''t about who won or lost��it was about the memories made, theughter shared, and the love that filled the air on this unforgettable night aboard Queen Lucy.

    As the game came to a close, Sonia and Bryan looked around at their friends and family, their hearts overflowing with gratitude for each and every one of them. In that moment, surrounded by the people they cherished most, they knew that this night would be etched in their memories forever��a testament to the enduring power of love,ughter, and the bonds that bind them together.

    After the couple trivia, they yed some other games, having Bryan and Sonia sit with their backs to each other while Matt asked them both questions to test how well they know each other.

    As the night wore on, the music pulsed through the yacht, and the stars glittered overhead, casting a magical glow over the festivities. They danced and sangte into the night, celebrating the love that brought them all together.

    While everyone mingled after the party, Harry sought Sonia out, "I have been meaning to speak with you alone. Tom said you asked him to propose to Lucy at the Christmas party," Harry asked and Sonia grinned.

    "Don''t you think it''s a good idea?" She asked and Harry shook his head.

    "I would rather Lucy proposes first," Harry said and Sonia nodded.

    "Sure. We can make that happen. It''s left for us to n the engagement to make sure it happens," Sonia said just as Bryan approached them.

    "Let''s find time to discuss the details," Sonia said as she let Bryan lead her away so she could go get some rest for their big day tomorrow.

 Chapter 799 Scars

    <h4>Chapter 799 Scars</h4>

    All through the night, Mia had contemted packing up and running off to go start afresh somewhere else before Tyler blows her cover, but she hadn''t been able to bring herself to do that.

    She owed it to Bryan and Sonia to be present for their wedding. Maybe after the wedding, she could run off to go start over somewhere else, but for now, she had to be present and be there for them.

    Knowing that Jeff would most likely be back soon since they had spent the night on the yacht, she decided to go freshen up so she would leave for Bryan''s ce and spend time with Sonia and the rest of thedies before it was time for the wedding.

    The wedding had been fixed for evening because of Sonia, so she could get enough rest before the wedding, and also because she had said she preferred an evening wedding party.

    As Mia showered, Tyler''s face shed before her, his knowing smirk a silent usation. Run, a voice whispered in her mind. Run before they tear off your carefully constructed mask, and expose the scars beneath.

    She was startled out of her thought by she the sound of the persistent sound of the doorbell, and only then did she remember that she had locked the door from within because Jeff had spent the night out.

    She quickly rinsed the soapsuds off her body and tied her towel over her chest as she hurried out to confirm if it was Jeff and to open the door.

    She looked through the peephole and when she saw that it was Jeff, she opened the door.

    "Sorry. I was in the shower," Mia said the moment Jeff stepped in.

    "I guess you are feeling better now, that''s good," he said and she shed him a smile.

    "Yes, thanks. Give me a minute to finish up in the bathroom, and then you can tell me all about the party before I leave to go get ready with Sonia and the others," Mia said before walking past Jeff to return inside.

    The moment she turned her back to him, Jeff frowned when he saw some jagged scars etched across her back, barely concealed by the towel wrapped around her.

    His breath caught in his throat as he realized the depth of the secrets she harbored beneath her calm exterior.

    The scars spoke volumes, telling a story of pain, fear, and resilience that Mia had kept hidden from the world.

    He hesitated, torn between respecting her privacy and confronting the truth thaty just beneath the surface. But the sight of those scars, stark against the pale canvas of her skin, gnawed at his conscience. He couldn''t ignore them, couldn''t pretend he hadn''t seen the evidence of her suffering.

    "Mia," he began, his voice soft but tinged with concern and Mia turned to look at him, wondering what was wrong.

    It wasn''t until she saw the look on his face and his eyes that she realized what was wrong.

    "What... what happened?"

    Mia''s shoulders tensed at the question, and her grip on the towel tightened as she realized that she had momentarily forgotten about her scars in her hurry to answer the door.

    Her expression was guarded as she avoided his gaze, "I... I don''t want to talk about it," she murmured, her voice barely audible over the pounding of her heart.

    With that she turned away from him, retreating into the sanctuary of her bedroom. Her movements were stiff.

    Jeff''s heart ached at the pain evident in her every movement, in the haunted look that shadowed her eyes. He wanted to reach out, to offerfort and support, but he knew he had to tread carefully. Whatever had caused those scars was a wound that ran deep, one that Mia obviously wasn''t ready to confront.

    He stood there helplessly as Mia closed the door to her bedroom, shutting him out along with her secrets.

    The silence that followed was heavy with unspoken truths, with the weight of the past that lingered between them.

    Did her scars have anything to do with the reason she had run away from home and pretended to be dead, or were they a result of the ident that was imed to take her life?

    Did the scars have any reason to do with the reasons she cried almost every night and why she always looked sad to him no matter how much she smiled orughed?

    Jeff stood outside Mia''s door, his mind swirling with questions and emotions he couldn''t begin to unravel.

    He wished he could erase the pain etched into Mia''s skin, wished he could shield her from whatever memories that haunted her every waking moment, but he knew that healing was a journey Mia had to embark on herself.

    All he could do was offer his unwavering support, his steadfast presence in the face of her darkest moments.

    As he turned away from Mia''s closed door, a resolve settled over him. He may not have all the answers, may not be able to erase the scars of her past, but he would stand by her side, a silent guardian in the storm that raged within her.

    And together, they would navigate the tumultuous waters of healing, one step at a time, until Mia found the peace and sce she so desperately deserved.

    Inside her bedroom, Mia trembled as she sank onto the edge of her bed, her heart pounding in her chest.

    The memories she had fought so hard to suppress came rushing back with a vengeance, threatening to overwhelm her fragile defenses.

    The sight of Jeff''s concerned expression, the way he had hesitated before asking about the scars, stirred a whirlwind of emotions within her.

    She had spent thest three years burying the pain, the fear, the shame, deep beneath a facade of strength andposure. But now, faced with Jeff''s knowledge of her scars and his unspoken questions, the walls she had built around her crumbled like sandcastles against the tide.

    Talking to Harry about her past had been different. Harry didn''t see her scars, and Harry wasn''t as close to her as Jeff was. Harry had not asked the question because he had any idea about anything or because he cared.

    She had told him the summary of it all and had been able to detach herself from it as much as she could without giving in to the humiliating details of the abuse she had suffered.

    But she knew it wasn''t the same for Jeff. His question hade from a ce of suspicion and genuine concern, and after catching a glimpse of her ugly scars, she could only imagine what he must be thinking.

    Her mind drifted back to Henry, the man who had once been her husband. His cruelty and brutality, were etched into every scar that marred her skin, a constant reminder of the nightmare she had endured.

    But Mia had fought back, had wed her way out of the darkness, determined to reim her life from the clutches of her tormentor. Faking her own death had been her only escape, her only chance at a future free from Henry''s suffocating grip.

    And yet, the past had a way of resurfacing when least expected, of wing its way back into the present like a relentless specter haunting her every move.

    Jeff''s question, had dredged up memories she had long buried, forcing her to confront the demons she had fought so hard to outrun.

    Tears welled in Mia''s eyes as she rose from the bed to stand in front of the mirror, and the tears dropped as she let down the towel and stared at her reflection in the mirror, the scars on her body a roadmap of pain and suffering she could never forget.

    She wished she could confide in Jeff, and unburden herself of the weight she had carried for so long, but her shame and fear held her back. The shame of exposing her vulnerabilities, and the fear of reliving the horrors of her past.

    With a shaky breath, Mia wiped away her tears, steeling herself against the tide of emotions threatening to engulf her.

    She couldn''t afford to unravel now, not when the stakes were higher than ever. She had promised to be there for Bryan and Sonia, to celebrate their love despite the shadows that lingered in her own heart, and she was going to do just that today, Mia resolved as she dressed up.

    She had a wedding to attend, a celebration of love and new beginnings that she refused to let her past overshadow.

    Determined to push aside the memories that threatened to consume her and cast aside the shadows that lingered within, Mia took a deep breath as she opened her bedroom door.

    Slightly taken aback by the sight of Jeff seated in the living room like he was waiting for her, Mia squared her shoulders and forced a smile onto her lips as she joined him, masking the turmoil churning beneath the surface.

    Jeff, who had been busy checking the inte for news of Vanessa Rosewood, looked up when he heard hering, and she read his expression which was a mix of concern and sympathy.

    "Hey, Jeff! Sorry about earlier. I was just caught up in getting ready for the wedding," she said, her voice bright and cheerful, though it rang hollow in her own ears.

    Jeff nodded in understanding, his gaze lingering on her for a moment longer than usual. Mia''s heart raced at the thought that he might press her further about the scars, but to her relief, he simply returned her smile.

    "It''s okay, Mia. I understand," he replied, his tone gentle but tinged with a hint of concern.

    Mia breathed a silent sigh of relief, grateful for Jeff''s willingness to steer the conversation away from the topic she dreaded discussing.

    Relieved, Mia took the seat opposite him, "So, how did the party gost night? I still feel sorry that I couldn''t make it," she said, her voice light and friendly, a stark contrast to the heaviness weighing on her heart.

    Jeff''s gaze softened as he regarded her, his eyes reflecting a depth of understanding that sent a shiver down her spine.

    "It was... eventful," he replied, choosing his words carefully.

    "The party was great. Bryan and Sonia had a st, and everyone had a good time. But we missed having you there. I particrly missed having you there since I remembered clearly how you rooted for Sonia from the beginning," he said, and Mia''s heart clenched at the sincerity in Jeff''s voice, at the warmth that radiated from him despite the distance she had ced between them.

    Seeing how he had respected her wish to not talk about her scars, she wished she could open up to him, but the fear of exposing her vulnerabilities held her back, tethering her to the safety of silence.

    "I''m sure it must have been fun," she murmured, her gaze flickering away from his. "I just... wasn''t feeling up to it."

    Jeff nodded understandingly, though a hint of concern lingered in his eyes. "That''s okay. We all have our off days. Here are some pictures and videos fromst night. I tried to capture as much as I could for you," he said as he passed his phone to her, and Mia took it from him thankfully.

    He watched as she smiled and giggled as she watched the videos of the games and conversations and he contemted whether or not he should tell her that he had talked to Tylerst night and now knew her real identity.

    After all he had seen about her and her husband online, he couldn''t help but wonder what her story was.

    Her husband seemed like a pretty good man. He was a wealthy phnthropist, given to charity and her parents were prominent business people.

    Mia savored the fleeting moment of normalcy as she watched the videos. She was grateful for the chance to pretend, if only for a moment, that her past didn''t exist between them.

    "I see it was fun. Thanks for capturing these beautiful moments. Thanks to this, I feel like I was there," Mia said as she returned the phone to Jeff.

    "I need to leave now," Mia said as she rose, but Jeff''s voice stopped her in her tracks.

    "Mia," he began, his tone gentle but firm. "I know you''re going through something, and I want you to know that you don''t have to face it alone. Whenever you''re ready to talk, I''m here. I hope you know that you can trust me with whatever it is that''s bothering you. If you ever need someone to talk to, I''m here for you. You know that, right? Friends, remember?"

    As he spoke, Mia couldn''t shake the feeling of his piercing gaze, as if he could see straight through the mask she wore to the vulnerability hidden beneath. She fought the urge to look away, to retreat back into the safety of her own thoughts, but Jeff''s presence anchored her to the present, a reminder that she couldn''t keep running forever.

    She swallowed hard, forcing herself to meet his gaze. "Thank you, Jeff," she whispered, the weight of her gratitude heavy upon her tongue. "I appreciate that."

    "I hope you will stop running from your past and fears whatever they are. You don''t have to face them alone. Whenever you''re ready to talk, Mia, I will be here. I promise," he said, his voice a soothing balm to her wounded soul.

    Mia''s throat tightened at his words, the lump of emotion threatening to choke her. She forced a smile onto her lips. "Thanks, Jeff," she replied, her voice barely above a whisper. "I''ll keep that in mind."

    With a final nod, Mia left the house, the weight of Jeff''s promise lingering not only in the air but in her heart.

 Chapter 800 It’s Okay Not To Be Okay

    <h4>Chapter 800 It��s Okay Not To Be Okay</h4>

    After dropping off Jeff, Lucas hesitated as he contemted whether or not he should go check on Amy or just drive back to the hotel so they could get some rest before it was time for the wedding.

    "You know you want to check on her, so why not just do it and be quick about it? I''m exhausted," Tylerined, seeing how Lucas remained seated in the car without driving.

    "Should I just leave her alone?" Lucas asked Tyler, unsure.

    "What do you want with her?" Tyler asked and Lucas shook his head.

    "Nothing. Yet, I''m worried about her," he confessed.

    He had been worried for most of the night during the party and had wondered how she was doing both emotionally as she mourned the loss of Miley, and physically as a result of being under the rain for a while. A couple of times he had almost been tempted to ask Lucy for her number so he would reach out to her to check on her.

    Seeing that Lucas was still not making any move to go check on Amy or take them to the hotel, Tyler sighed dramatically as he unfastened his seatbelt and got out of the car.

    "Where are going?" Lucas asked as he did the same.

    "If you won''t check in on her, I should check on her so you can take me to the hotel. I need to get some rest," Tyler said as he walked over to Lucy''s door and before Lucas could stop him, he pressed the doorbell.

    Inside the house, the weight of grief hung heavy in the air as Amyy in Lucy''s bed, her body wracked with sobs that seemed to have no end.

    All through the night, her tears flowed freely, unchecked by the passage of time, as memories of Miley flooded her mind like a torrential downpour.

    She had slept for only a moment, and tormented with dreams of Miley, she had woken up to resume crying.

    What pained her the most was that because of the state of things between her and Miley''s parents, she would most likely not be able to attend Miley''s funeral and bid her best friend goodbye.

    Amy clutched at the nkets, her heart aching with the emptiness of loss, and she closed her eyes, willing herself to find peace in the beautiful memories they had shared, amidst the storm of grief that threatened to consume her.

    Amy''s reverie was interrupted by the sound of the doorbell, and her heart skipped a beat. Lucas. It had to be Lucas, she mused, since he was the only one she knew who would check on her. She didn''t expect Lucy to send Mia or Jeff, to check on her again.

    She hesitated, unsure whether she had the strength to face him, to confront the rawness of her emotions in his presence.

    Reluctantly, Amy pushed herself out of bed, her footsteps heavy as she made her way to the door.

    As she walked past the mirror she paused, and her breath caught in her throat when she saw her reflection.

    Her eyes were swollen and red, her cheeks flushed with the remnants of her anguish. She looked a mess, a shadow of the vibrant woman she had been just the previous morning.

    She didn''t want Lucas to see her like this, didn''t want him to witness the devastation etched into every line of her face. Seeing her that way yesterday was enough.

    But the ringing of the doorbell persisted, a gentle reminder of the concern thaty beyond the closed door.

    What could she do? Ignore the door? Wouldn''t that only make him more determined to see her? Amy thought with a resigned sigh as she continued to the door.

    She discreetly looked through the window to confirm that it was Lucas, and when she saw him standing there with Tyler, she sighed inwardly.

    Seeing that Tyler was there too, she figured they were probably there to pick something and she couldn''t lock them out of Lucy''s apartment. This wasn''t her ce after all.

    Amy braced herself and opened the door just a crack, her swollen eyes downcast.

    "Hello, Amy. We wanted to see how you are doing," Tyler greeted softly, his voice tinged with sympathy.

    While Lucas stood at his side, his gaze warm andpassionate as he took in her disheveled appearance.

    "Sorry to intrude. We just dropped off Jeff and decided to check on you before leaving and see how you''re holding up," Lucas said apologetically.

    Amy forced a small smile onto her lips, though it faltered under the weight of her grief. "I''m... I''m okay," she lied, her voice barely above a whisper. "Just... just tired, I guess," she said without looking up.

    "Amy, it''s okay not to be okay. You''ve been through a lot, and it''s okay to take some time to grieve," Lucas said gently, while Tyler stepped aside for them to talk.

    Amy swallowed back a sob, the lump in her throat threatening to choke her. "I know," she whispered, her voice barely audible over the pounding of her heart. "I''m just... struggling, I guess."

    Lucas looked at her, not sure what to do. This was the exact reason he had been reluctant to check on her, cause he knew even if he did speak with her, he wouldn''t know how best tofort her.

    Maybe if it were someone else he would embrace them, but with Amy, he was being extra cautious and he didn''t even want to figure out why. Perhaps it was because of that awkward moment in her kitchen the previous day.

    "Do you want toe in?" Amy asked still without meeting his gaze.

    Seeing how she was avoiding his gaze, Lucas could tell that she didn''t really want him in. Or maybe she did but was just too embarrassed to let him see her in that state.

    "No. We just wanted to check in and be sure you weren''t sick or anything. Be good, okay?" Lucas said and tears welled in Amy''s eyes at his words.

    "Thank you, Lucas. I... I appreciate it," she whispered.

    With a final nod, Lucas stepped back, "I will get going now. See you when I see you," he said, knowing that he was most likely not going to see her again, since he wouldn''t being back here anytime soon.

    "Why did you excuse us?" Lucas asked when he got into the car and joined Tyler.

    "You''re the one who wanted to see her. I already said hello," Tyler said, and Lucas shook his head as he started the car.

    "About the otherdy, Mia��."

    "Give it a rest, Ty," Lucas muttered.

    "Yeah, I know. It''s just that I already mentioned to my colleague that I saw someone who looked like Vanessa Rosewood," Tyler said and Lucas frowned.

    "I thought you said you didn''t?" Lucas asked and Tyler sighed.

    "I did but I felt sort of embarassed to admit it to Jeff. I know what I was talking about. I really believe she is the same person," Tyler said and Lucas shook his head.

    "Even if she is, it shouldn''t be your problem. Did shemit a crime and is wanted? If she faked her death and ran away from her life over there, then don''t you think she might have a good reason to not want that life?" Lucas asked and Tyler nodded.

    "Yeah, that was what I was thinking. And that''s why I''m sort of worried that I mentioned it to my colleague," Tyler said and Lucas raised a brow.

    "Do you think your colleague might tell her family about it?" Lucas asked and Tyler shrugged.

    "Maybe. I don''t know."

    "Then you should inform thedy that you blew her cover��."

    "How can I tell her that when she won''t even admit who she is?" Tyler asked with a frown.

    "Well, tell her anyway, whether or not she admits it," Lucas said impatiently.

    "Alright. If she doesn''t avoid me and shows up at the wedding, I will approach her and tell her," Tyler said and Lucas sighed.

    "I don''t think I can hang around Ludus till Monday as I nned," Lucas said and Tyler raised a brow.

    "Why not?"

    "I would like to go to Heden earlier than nned and sort out my business there. So, maybe we can leave for Heden tomorrow," Lucas said and Tyler nodded thoughtfully.

    "That''s fine by me. My family will definitely be happy to see me a day earlier," Tyler said and Lucas nodded.

    "I guess you told your girlfriend that you''re leaving tomorrow? Or do you n toe see her after the wedding?" Tyler asked and Lucas scowled.

    "She isn''t my girlfriend, and I didn''t tell her anything," Lucas said and Tyler chuckled.

    "She isn''t your girlfriend yet you worry about her more than��."

    "Shut up. If you knew Miley or saw them both together, you''d worry about her too," Lucas said and Tyler nodded.

    "I hear you," Tyler said and Lucas eyed him irritably not trusting his response.

    "I''m serious," Lucas said defensively.

    "And I said I''ve heard you. If you ask me, I don''t mind you liking her. She ispletely different from you know who," Tyler said, referring to Rachel.

    "It''s not your ce to mind whether I like her or not��."

    "It is. I didn''t give my opinion on Rachael, but I n to give it every step of the way for whoever else you choose to date," Tyler said and Lucas sighed.

    "I''m not interested in a rtionship yet. I''m not even sure I want to date anyone seriously or get married. When I''m ready to get involved again, it''s not going to be anything serious. Maybe I''d get a friend with benefits," Lucas said and Tyler chuckled.

    "What''s funny?"

    "Apart from the fact that you''re not the friend with benefit type, you do not even have female friends, so why are you going into such a rtionship with? Me?" Tyler asked and Lucas nced at him with disgust.

    "I can easily make female friends if I want to. Do you have any idea how manydies flirt with me on a daily basis?" Lucas asked and Tyler grinned.

    "I do have an idea. But I can bet myst dime that you''re going to end up going into another serious rtionship with your friend with benefit. That''s the kind of person you are," Tyler said and Lucas shrugged.

    "Bet it then. I''m not the same Lucas you used to know."

    "Listen, you''re not the type of person you''re portraying yourself to be right now. And if for any reason you are trying to make yourself into who you are not because of what happened with Rachel, then I suggest you sign up for therapy," Tyler said with a serious expression.

    "It''s not about what happened with her. Do you realize that she is the onlydy I''ve been with all my life? I should have fun��."

    "That''s not Lucas talking. I''m going to sign you up for therapy immediately we get back," Tyler said and Lucas chuckled.

    "Alright. I was just kidding. But I''m really not ready for a rtionship anytime soon," Lucas said and Tyler nodded.

    "I understand," Tyler said quietly.

    "What about you, though? I heard you asking Andy for her numberst night. Don''t tell me you are interested in her," Lucas asked and Tylerughed.

    "If you heard me asking for her number then howe you didn''t hear what she said?"

    "I was seated close to you, not her. What did she say?" Lucas asked curiously.

    "She said doctors are boring, and she doesn''t do doctors," Tyler said and Lucas chuckled.

    "She really said that?" Lucas asked and Tylerughed.

    "I told her we are wealthy, and she said she was wealthy too," Tyler said with a grin.

    "Are you interested in her?" Lucas asked and he shook his head.

    "Not exactly. She is blunt and I like it. And she is pretty too," Tyler said with an amused smile, as he remembered the kiss he had shared with Andy.

 Chapter 801 Tone It Down

    <h4>Chapter 801 Tone It Down</h4>

    Candace who was getting ready to take a quick nap after they just got home that morning, nced at the door when Andy knocked.

    "Can Ie in?" Andy asked, knowing that Candace was alone in the bedroom since she had seen Matt and Lucy going downstairs a short while ago.

    Being the best friends of the couple, they were both working together to ensure that everything went perfectly, so they were going to oversee what the event nners were doing.

    "There goes my nap," Candace muttered to herself before calling out to Andy toe in.

    "I thought we agreed on taking a quick nap?" Candace asked and Andy sighed deeply.

    "How can I go to sleep when Jade chose to talk to Harry? I mean we all spent the night together and he just dropped us off, yet she is talking to him over the phone like she hasn''t seen him in forever," Andyined, and Candaceughed softly.

    "She is quite clingy."

    "Clingy? I think that''s an understatement. I would be irritated if I was Harry. I honestly don''t know how he can be so patient. Takest night for instance, her behaviour made me cringe," Andy said and Candace sighed.

    "Do you want to talk to her about it?" Candace asked and Andy narrowed her eyes.

    "The question is, why haven''t you talked to her about it? I''m sure you''ve noticed it before now," Andy said and Candace shrugged.

    "I try to tell her jokingly. Also I figured it''s just her person, and maybe I don''t understand that because I was not raised or given the princess treatment like she was. Besides, Harry isn''tining. You see how he dotes on her," she said and Andy shook her head.

    "I get that she is crazily in love with him and Harry is notining right now, but if we don''t advice her to tone it down, she is just going to get worse until Harry can''t stand it again. You saw how Harry asked to speak with Mia in private and she wanted to join them, and she went on and on about how she feels like Mia is hiding something. You also heard her talk about how annoyed she was that her own brother was spending time with Harry. I don''t know, I think someone needs to ask her to tone it down," Andy said and Candace sighed.

    "You can give it a shot then," Candace said and Andy nodded.

    "Sure. I will. By the way, I kissed Tylerst night," Andy announced as shey face up on the bed.

    "You kissed who?" Candace asked, her disbelief hanging heavily in the air.

    "Why are you acting so shocked like you didn''t know I was capable of that? Stop overreacting," Andy retorted, her toneced with a hint of defensiveness as she rolled her eyes at Candace''s incredulity.

    Candace''s concern deepened as she struggled toprehend Andy''s impulsive actions. "I just didn''t expect you to do something like that. Why did you kiss him? Do you have a thing for him?" she questioned, her brows furrowing in confusion.

    Andy''s expression turned incredulous at the suggestion. "Of course, not! Why would I have a thing for him? He was hitting on me, I wasn''t interested but I did want to see if I would at least enjoy kissing him, so I kissed him, and I didn''t feel a thing," she exined nonchntly.

    Candace''s initial shock transformed into a mixture of frustration and concern as she struggled to find the right words to express her thoughts. "What kind of idiot goes about kissing people to..."

    "Idiots called, Andy. Satisfied?" Andy interjected with a wry smile, the tension momentarily broken as Candace''s lips twitched in reluctant amusement.

    But Candace''s amusement quickly faded, reced by a somber reminder of the life they had left behind. "Quit acting recklessly, Andy. We are not the same people we were," she urged softly, her words a gentle yet firm reminder of the stakes involved in their new life.

    Andy''s gaze bore into Candace''s, a sudden vulnerability shining through her usually confident facade. "Let me ask you something, Candace. Do I embarrass you?" she questioned, catching Candace off guard with the unexpected inquiry.

    "What? What do you mean by that?" Candace asked, her confusion evident as she struggled to make sense of Andy''s words.

    "You heard me right."

    As the weight of Andy''s question hung in the air, Candace''s mind raced, searching for the right words to reassure her sister. She could see the vulnerability in Andy''s eyes, a vulnerability she rarely showed, and it tugged at her heartstrings.

    "Candace, answer me," Andy pressed, her voice tinged with uncertainty.

    Candace took a moment to gather her thoughts, realizing the significance of Andy''s question. "Andy, of course you don''t embarrass me. Why would you even think something like that? You''re my sister, and I love you. Nothing could ever change that," she replied earnestly, reaching out to gently grasp Andy''s hand.

    "Are you sure about that? You''ve been acting differentlytely. Ever since you found your biological family and met all these wonderful people, it''s like you''re always trying to change me into someone I''m not. This is me, Candace. I''m not you. I''m not like any one of those outstandingdies we now have in our lives. I love every one of them and admire what they made of themselves, but I''m not going to try to be either of them. You can do that, but don''t try to make me into someone I''m not. It makes me ufortable. I understand that I''m a stark reminder of your past which you are so desperately trying to live behind��."

    Candace''s heart clenched at the raw honesty in Andy''s words, realizing the impact of her own actions on her sister.

    "Can you please, shut up and let me talk?" Candace cut in, tears gleaming in her eyes.

    Andy blinked away the tears which were already pooling in her eyes as she stopped talking.

    "Andy, I''m so sorry if it''s seemed that way. It''s not because I feel embarrassed or ashamed. I just want us to fit in. Maybe a part of me still feels like we are undergoing a test or something, and if we make any mistakes we might lose all of these. It''s not about you. It''s me. I''m sorry," Candace said, her voice filled with sincerity.

    "I don''t want to fit in. I don''t care about fitting in. I know it''s important to you, but honestly, that''s not my thing. I love being myself. I don''t want to lose my individuality. If you think I''m going to make things awkward for you here, I could leave. I really want you to be happy," Andy said, her voice softening as she met Candace''s gaze.

    Candace shook her head, "No. Not at all. I love you the way you are. I love having you here. I would rather give up all of these than lose you. You''re more family to me than anyone else here. I''m sorry. I really am," Candace said and a wave of relief washed over Andy''s features, the tension in her shoulders easing slightly at Candace''s words.

    Andy nodded, a flicker of understanding passing between them. "You''re my family too. And we are not giving up anything or anyone. I want all of it. Aaron, Harry, and all of these. We''re in this together, Candace. We always have been, and we always will be," Andy said, and Candace squeezed Andy''s hand reassuringly, a silent promise passing between them.

    "You''re right, Andy. We''re stronger together. No matter what challengese our way, we''ll face them together, as sisters," she affirmed, a newfound determination shining in her eyes.

    "No. No more challenges. I''m tired of facing challenges, all I want to face now is money and handsome men," Andy said with a grin, and Candace giggled.

    "What are you bothughing about," Jade asked from behind the closed door as she knocked on it.

    "Are you done with your phone call with Harry?" Andy asked, since she had excused Jade in the bedroom when she was talking to Harry.

    "Yeah. I like spending time with the Jonas. So, when I''m not talking with my man, I like to be with his sisters," Jade said as she walked into the bedroom and joined them on the bed.

    "Jade, can I talk to you about something?" Andy asked and Jade nodded.

    "Sure. Anything."

    Andy exchanged a quick nce with Candace before speaking. "We''ve noticed some thingstely, and we think it''s important to talk about them."

    Jade furrowed her brows, a hint of concern crossing her features. "What things?"

    Andy nced at Candace again, and Candace gave her a nod to go ahead.

    "It''s about your behavior, Jade. We''ve noticed that sometimes youe across as a bit... well, spoiled."

    Jade''s eyes widened in surprise, a hint of defensiveness creeping into her voice. "What do you mean by that?"

    Candace jumped in, her tone reassuring yet honest. "What she means is that sometimes you can be a bit too clingy and excessively jealous when ites to Harry."

    "Well, that and the fact that you act childish sometimes. Takest night for example. You really didn''t have to act that way. If you thought Lucy''s statement was directed at you, you could have brought it up with herter. You didn''t have to act that way at the party and make things awkward. You almost ruined the atmosphere of the party," Andy said bluntly.

    Jade''s cheeks flushed with embarrassment as she realized the gravity of their words. "I-I''m sorry. I didn''t realize it was that bad."

    "It was. What you did was cringeworthy," Andy said and Candace winced.

    "What did you mean by I''m too clingy and excessively jealous? Did Harry say something to you?" Jade asked Candace, wondering where that wasing from.

    Candace shook her head immediately. "No, he didn''t. We both know Harry wouldn''t discuss something like that with anyone but you. It''s just that we''ve been observing you. We know you care about him, Jade. And that''s wonderful. But sometimes, being too clingy or jealous can put strain on a rtionship. It''s important to trust each other and give each other space. Trust me, I know what I''m talking about," Candace said, thinking about how clingy and jealous Jero had been too.

    Andy added, "Harry might be willing to put up with it now, but it could be tiring for himter on. We just want what''s best for both of you. I hope you understand that I am not saying this to offend you. I''m only telling you this because I care about you. I think you''re a wonderful person, but you just need to tone down your clinginess and jealousy a bit," Andy said, sensing that Jade''s feelings were hurt.

    Jade''s shoulders sagged with the weight of their words, "Can you give me instances? Like tell me when you observed these so I can better understand what you mean?" She asked, and seeing the sad look on her face, Candace felt slightly guilty.

    "You don''t have to feel so bad, Jade. We are not trying to hurt your feelings. We just want your rtionship to be better. I''m sorry if we overstepped," Candace said and Jade shook her head.

    "No. It''s alright. I appreciate it. I-I just didn''t realize I was doing too much. And thest thing I want is for Harry to get tired of me. So, tell me all you observed so I can know what areas I need to tone it down and give Harry more space," she said and Andy told her all she had observed from Sogal till now.

    Jade took a deep breath when Andy was done, "How can I help it? Do you have any suggestions?" She asked, looking from Andy to Candace.

    "Let Harry have a life outside you. Everything he does shouldn''t revolve around you. Give him space to do his own stuff and let him be the one to decide if he wants you to be involved in them. Do the same for yourself. And about your conduct outside Harry, we can work on it together. I''d rather Candace or the others don''t shut you up in the presence of others like they did yesterday in front of Lucas and Tyler," Andy said and Jade nodded.

    "Thank you, Andy. I''ve heard all you said. I will do my best to work on it," Jade said as she rose and Candace raised a brow.

    "Where are you going?"

    "To my room. I need to do something," Jade said and they watched as she walked away.

    "I think we hurt her feelings," Candace said with a concerned frown.

    "She will be fine. It''s for her own good," Andy said and Candace sighed deeply not liking the thought that Jade was probably going to her bedroom to sulk.

    "Don''t you think it''s her individuality and we are trying to change her like you used me of doing to you?" Candace asked and Andy shook her head.

    "That is different from what you were trying to do with me. I''m not trying to change her. I''m advising her to tone it down so it doesn''t affect her rtionship. Even though Harry is our brother, we knew Jade before him, and that means we have to look out for her, and them both. If she was dating someone else and not Harry, I will advise her the same," Andy said simply and then yawned.

    "I guess you''re right," Candace said with a thoughtful nod.

    "Of course, I am. Since she is done with the phone call, I should go back to the room to nap now and maybe cheer her up too. If you wake up before me, wake me up so we can get ready in time for the wedding," Andy said as she rose to leave.

 Chapter 802 I’ve Got Your Back

    <h4>Chapter 802 I��ve Got Your Back</h4>

    The soft morning light filtered through the sheer curtains, casting a warm glow across the bedroom where Bryan and Soniay on the bed.

    The air was filled with a sense of anticipation, a palpable excitement that seemed to dance between them as they savored the quiet moments before the whirlwind of their wedding day.

    "What?" Sonia asked Bryan whoy beside her on the bed, grinning as he watched her face while she tried unsessfully to sleep.

    Bryan pressed a tender kiss to Sonia''s forehead, his fingers tracing gentle circles on her belly. "Can you believe it, babe?" he murmured, his voice filled with wonder.

    "In just a few hours, we''ll be husband and wife, and you are going to be mine forever," he said, and Sonia giggled.

    "I thought I was yours already," she said and he grinned.

    "Officially mine," Bryan said as he held her hand in his.

    "How do you feel about walking down the aisle with me today?" He asked and Sonia smiled widely.

    "Excited. I feel very excited. I''m looking forward to the future with you," Sonia said as she smiled up at him, her eyes sparkling with happiness.

    "Me too. I can''t wait toe home to you and our little Ryso," he said and she rested her hand over his on her belly.

    "All of this is still a little hard to believe, but I couldn''t be more excited to start this new chapter with you, Bryan. To build a life together, to raise our little one... it''s everything I''ve ever dreamed of," she said, her eyes filling up with tears.

    Bryan''s heart swelled with love as he looked at Sonia, marveling at the strength and resilience she had shown throughout their journey together.

    "Last night as we answered those questions, it urred to me that I''ve always been in awe of you from the moment we met. And even now as the time draws nearer to the moment when we will exchange our vows, I''m more convinced of my love for you now more than ever," Bryan said and Sonia smiled softly.

    From the moment they had met, she had known that he was the one she wanted to spend the rest of her life with, and now, as they stood on the precipice of matrimony, that conviction burned brighter than ever as she held his gaze.

    Bryan brushed a strand of hair away from Sonia''s face, his touch gentle and tender. "You''re going to be the most beautiful bride in the world," he whispered, his voice filled with awe. "I can''t wait to see you walking down the aisle, to say ''I do'' and make you my wife," he said as he lowered his head to kiss her belly.

    Sonia''s cheeks flushed with color at his words, her heart fluttering with excitement. "And I can''t wait to be your wife, Bryan," she replied, her voice filled with emotion. "To stand by your side, to love and support you in all that we do... it''s a dreame true."

    "I know I''ve told you this a couple of times already, but I want to keep pledging my undying love to you. I promise to love and cherish you every single day, Sony. I promise to be with you through every step of our life together. I promise not to put anyone above you. No matter how cute our daughter might be, you will always be my number one baby," Bryan promised and Sonia giggled.

    "We don''t know the gender yet," she said and he shrugged.

    "I''m sure it''s a girl. A girl who looks as beautiful as you. But she would take after me in being calm. I don''t think I can handle two crazydies at a time," he said and she giggled.

    "You fell in love with me because I''m crazy," she reminded him.

    "Would you want a daughter like you? Would you be able to handle her?" He asked, and she thought about it for a moment before giggling and shaking her head.

    "I don''t think so," she said, and Bryan chuckled.

    "Exactly what I thought," he said, and Sonia sighed deeply.

    "You know,st night I was just thinking. This is where our story ends, you know?" She asked, and he cocked a brow.

    "What do you mean?"

    "Our wedding. It ends with, and they lived happily ever after. That''s how romance novels end," she said with a shrug.

    "Well, you''re the author. You don''t have to end it here if you don''t want to," he pointed out.

    "I want to. I''m satisfied. It makes sense that our story ended first even though we were thest to meet amongst everyone else," she said and Bryan looked at her with questioning eyes.

    "How were we thest to meet? We started before everyone else," he pointed out.

    "Tom and Lucy met before we did. Harry and Jade has known each other for years. Matt and Candace has been chatting on the dating app for months before we met," she said, and Bryan nodded.

    "You''re right. But we started dating before them all," he said and she grinned.

    "Yep. And we are getting married before them too. That''s all thanks to me for knowing what I wanted and pursuing it stubbornly," Sonia said and Bryan chuckled.

    "True. Thanks for forcing your way into my life," he said and she grinned.

    "You''re wee, baby," she said as she leaned forward and kissed him.

    "It''s been a while since we spent time together this way. I''m so happy that we get to do it on the morning of the first day of the rest of our lives together," Bryan said and she smiled.

    "Me too. I''m d that the girls came around. Having time here really helped uplift my mood. Andst night was lovely," she said and Bryan smiled.

    "Lucy has been great. I should take her out on a date one of these days. Just the two of us. What do you think?" Bryan suggested and Sonia giggled.

    "I can''t imagine just the two of you alone together, but it would be cute," she said with a wide smile, pleased that Bryan was thinking of ways to get closer to Lucy.

    "So, now that you''re feeling better, are you up for a honeymoon trip?" Bryan asked and Sonia looked at him incredulously as she sat up.

    "Even if I wasn''t feeling better, we still would have had to go on a honeymoon trip. The only reason I didn''t ask you about it this whole time was because I wanted you to surprise me. Don''t tell me you weren''t making any ns," Sonia said and Bryan shrugged.

    "I thought you wouldn''t want to be alone with me," he said and she frowned.

    "So, what are you saying? Are we not going somewhere far away for our honeymoon?" She asked and Bryan grinned.

    "We are. Tom offered to cover for all our honeymoon expenses," Bryan said and Sonia''s eyes lit up.

    "He did? Aww, that''s so lovely," Sonia said and Bryan nodded.

    "Yeah. So, we can leave tomorrow after you get some rest today. I don''t want you being stressed out," he said and before Sonia could respond, her phone rang with a call from Mia, informing her she was downstairs.

    "Why is she disturbing you when you should be resting? Don''t worry. Stay here. I will go meet her myself," Bryan said, and Sonia rolled her eyes.

    "Don''t bother. I want to talk to her," Sonia said as she rose.

    "About what?" Bryan asked, and Sonia shrugged.

    "I want her to help me interview the housekeepers and cleaners who would being while we are away. I need them to be here by the time we get back from our honeymoon," Sonia exined and Bryan nodded.

    "Alright."

    "By the way, have you noticed anything weird about Mia? How much do you know her?" Sonia asked casually.

    "Weird? Everything about Mia is weird," Bryan said in amusement.

    "Like what?" Sonia asked, not wanting to sound serious since she didn''t want Bryan to ask her why she was asking.

    Like Jade she had also noticed Mia''s reaction to Tyler''s question, and she suspected that Tyler was the reason Mia hadn''t shown up at the partyst night, despite what Jeff had said about being ill.

    After hearing Jade say that Harry had said Mia looked familiar too, and everything else that Jade had said, Sonia was convinced that Mia was probably hiding something just like Jade had said.

    But because she loved Mia like a sister, she had not wanted Jade to dig deeper into Mia''s business because she knew very well that Jade would be doing that only to satisfy her curiosity and not because she cared about Mia. She didn''t want whatever Mia was hiding to be public business.

    "Her dress sense. the way she speaks and acts. Just about everything. Before she started working for me I used to change assistants every couple of months, but look at her. She has been working for me almost two years now. That in itself is weird," Bryan said and Sonia nodded.

    "Why do you ask?" Bryan asked and she shook her head.

    "I''m just curious about her. That''s all. I''m going down now. Don''t want to keep her waiting," Sonia said as she headed for the door.

    The moment she walked into the living room, Mia rose with an apologetic smile on her face, "I''m so sorry I couldn''t make itst night," Mia said apologetically, and Sonia smiled.

    "Although I missed you, I''m sure you had your reason for being absent. Let''s take a walk around the garden, Mia. I''m feeling too restless to sit still and I need the fresh air," Sonia said, and Mia walked outside with her.

    "Do you feel better now? Jeff said you were feeling illst night," Sonia said after she was sure they were alone and Mia nodded.

    "I feel much better now," Mia assured her.

    "Does that mean you will be at the wedding and won''t fall ill before then? Tyler will be at the wedding, you know? Aren''t you avoiding him?" Sonia asked, and Mia stopped walking abruptly.

    Sonia turned to look at her and her heart broke when she saw how pale Mia looked, "No, Mia. He didn''t say anything to me," Sonia rushed to assure her when she saw the fear in Mia''s eyes.

    "Then how did you know?"

    "How did I know you were avoiding him?" Sonia asked and Mia nodded.

    "I''m a writer, Mia. It''s my job to read between the lines and notice things. You were weird yesterday when Tyler said you looked familiar, and it got me thinking. And when you didn''t show up at the party, I figured it was because you knew he would be there," Sonia said and Mia sighed.

    "I''m sorry, Sonia��."

    "You have nothing to be sorry for, Mia. Absolutely nothing. Let''s keep walking," Sonia said, and without thinking she took Mia''s hand and intertwined both their hands as they walked.

    "You know, I loved you from the moment we met. Remember when we first met?" Sonia asked, and Mia''s stiff lips curved with a smile.

    "I saw you on the night Bryan proposed to you, but we met at the airport when we picked you up during your surprise visit (chapter 56)," Mia said and Sonia giggled.

    "Yeah. At first I thought you would be one of those stiff assistants who are silently in love with their bosses and wouldn''t want any otherdiesing around him," Sonia said and Miaughed out loud.

    "In love with Bryan? Why would I ever be in love with someone as annoying as him? I was rooting for you from the very day," Mia assured her and Sonia nodded.

    "Yeah. I quickly realized that when we met. Mia, I want you to know that I don''t just see you as Bryan''s assistant. I see you as a friend and a sister. And if you ever need to talk, I''m here. Whatever it is that you are hiding will stay hidden, I promise. I will talk to Tyler to make sure he keeps whatever he knows to himself," Sonia promised, and tears gathered in Mia''s eyes as her lips wobbled, surprised by the warmth and love in Sonia''s tone.

    "I just want you to promise me one thing," Sonia said, and Mia stopped to look at her, wondering what it was.

    "I want you to promise me that you will still be here when I get back from my honeymoon. Don''t run away, Mia. You are safe here," Sonia said knowingly, and this time, Mia broke into a sob and Sonia embraced her.

    "Whatever it is, Mia. Whatever it is I will help you. I''ve got your back, I promise," Sonia murmured softly as she patted her back.

 Chapter 803 Spoilt. Clingy. Jealous

    <h4>Chapter 803 Spoilt. Clingy. Jealous</h4>

    Jadey stomach down on the bed, with her head turned to the side on the pillow and let out a deep sigh as she thought about what Candace and Andy had just told her.

    The words Andy and Candace had said to her earlier echoed in her mind, their gentle admonishments cutting deeper than she cared to admit.

    She knew they meant well, and knew that their concern stemmed from a ce of love, but still, her feelings were bruised.

    "Spoilt��. Clingy��. Jealous...." The words hung in the air, weighing heavily on her heart.

    She couldn''t deny the truth in their words, couldn''t ignore the nagging feeling that perhaps they were right.

    She loved Harry more than anything, wanted nothing more than to spend every waking moment by his side, but she couldn''t shake the feeling of insecurity that gnawed at her insides.

    What if they were right and Harry was probably getting tired of her clinginess already but wasn''t saying anything about it because he didn''t want to hurt her feelings?

    As shey there, lost in thought, Jade couldn''t help but think that maybe she was being this clingy right now because she wasn''t working yet and didn''t have a job to upy her mind and time.

    When she was busy with Rebekah''s case, she had barely had time for Harry and wouldn''t have concerned herself too much with whatever he was doing since she was too busy herself to care.

    And maybe it was because she didn''t have her own ce yet, her own space to call home.

    The thought of getting her own ce had crossed her mind countless times, but she always pushed it aside, dismissing it as an unnecessary expense when she already had a room in both her brothers'' houses.

    She couldn''t justify spending money on rent when she knew she would soon be moving in with Harry after they got married.

    But now, as shey on her bed, she couldn''t help but wonder if having her own space would help her give Harry and everyone else the space they seemed to need from her.

    They were all beginning to make her feel like she was a nuisance and as much as she always tried to dismiss it yfully, it was beginning to get to her.

    But even as the idea of getting her own ce lingered in her mind, doubts crept in.

    What if getting her own ce didn''t solve anything? What if her clinginess was rooted in something deeper, something she couldn''t simply escape by moving out? The uncertainty gnawed at her, chipping away at her resolve.

    Lost in her thoughts, Jade was startled when Andy walked into the room, concern etched into her features. "Are you okay?" she asked softly, her voice filled with genuine concern.

    Jade forced a smile onto her lips, not wanting her to know how much she had been affected by their words.

    "Yeah, I''m fine," she replied, her voice betraying none of the turmoil churning inside her. "Just... thinking," she said as she sat up on the bed.

    Andy approached her cautiously, her brow furrowed with worry. "I''m sorry if I hurt your feelings earlier," she said, her voiceced with regret. "I didn''t mean to upset you. I just thought I should look out for you by telling you that," Andy said softly.

    "No, it''s okay," Jade replied, her voice barely above a whisper.

    "You were right. I''ve been... I''ve been too clingy, too possessive. And I know it''s not healthy for me or for Harry. It was just sort of hard hearing that," Jade said with a shrug.

    Andy nodded understandingly, her expression softening with empathy. "It''s okay to feel that way. I would feel the same if I was told any of that," she reassured her as she sat down on the bed.

    "If you don''t mind me asking, Is Harry your first boyfriend?" Andy asked after they were both silent for some time.

    Jade shook her head, "No," she said, and after a moment''s hesitation she told Andy all about Todd and how their rtionship had been.

    "I see. I think maybe you need to remember that you are worthy of love and respect, and you don''t need to cling to someone to feel validated," Andy said softly.

    "You sound just like my dad," Jade said with a tender smile.

    "I do?" Andy asked with a grin and Jade nodded.

    "Although, I don''t think I''m clinging to Harry to feel validated. It''s just that everyone around here has their own person. Sonia has Lucy, Candace has got you, and she has Matt too. Tom has Lucy. Bryan has Sonia. Harry is my own person. I enjoy hispany. I enjoy being with him all the time. I''m just so interested in him that I want to know all that is going on in his life at all times. And I understand that this might not be healthy like you and Candace said," she exined with a sigh.

    "How did you cope before Harry?" Andy asked curiously and she shrugged.

    "Work. I buried myself in work. I was all about my work. When I work I don''t think about anything else. So, maybe I''m just being this way because I''m bored, I don''t know. Perhaps I should get my own ce and make new friends and stuff," Jade said, and even as the words left her lips, Andy could tell she didn''t like the idea.

    "I just don''t know what to do or where to start," Jade said and Andy pursed her lips as she thought about it.

    As Jade and Andy sat on the edge of the bed, they delved into a heartfelt conversation about practical ways Jade could work on herself.

    "First of all, you should know that you are doing the right thing by acknowledging it and wanting to change. Now to the practical part of what to do, let''s break it down," Andy began, her voice gentle yet firm.

    "First things first, setting boundaries. You need to establish clear boundaries in your rtionship with Harry to give both of you the space you need to grow individually."

    Jade nodded, the idea resonating with her. "Yeah, you''re right. Lately I''ve been so focused on being with Harry all the time that I haven''t given either of us the chance to breathe."

    Andy smiled encouragingly. "Exactly. So, start by carving out some ''me'' time for yourself. Find activities or hobbies that you enjoy and dedicate some time each day to pursue them. At least you can do this until you start working again. When do you n to start working?"

    "After our vacation," Jade exined and Andy nodded.

    "Good. So, apart from your job, I still think you should pick out hobbies. It could be anything from painting to yoga to going for a walk in the park to joining a reading club. The key is to focus on yourself and your own happiness. Not just while you''re dating but even after you get married," Andy said and Jade''s eyes brightened at the suggestion.

    "That sounds like a good idea. I used to love dancing when I was younger. Perhaps I can find a hobby rted to dancing," she said and Andy nodded in approval.

    "That''s perfect. And while you''re at it, make sure tomunicate your needs and boundaries to Harry. Let him know that you love spending time with him, but you both also need time to recharge and pursue your own interests. Ask him to help you in anyway he can so you can stop being so clingy. I''m sure he will be willing to help," Andy said and Jade nodded.

    "I can do that. I''m sure he will want to help," Jade said thoughtfully.

    Andy gave her a reassuring smile. "Sure. And remember,munication is key. If you''re feeling insecure or anxious about something, don''t hesitate to talk to Harry about it. Keeping things bottled up will only make matters worse."

    "I suppose you''re talking about the stuff with Mia?" Jade asked, and Andy nodded.

    "I''m not asking you to ask him any personal or direct questions. I''m just saying you shouldmunicate your feelings," Andy said and Jade nodded with understanding, making a mental note to be more open and honest with Harry about her feelings.

    "And finally, I don''t think it''s okay that you think everyone has everyone and you only have Harry. You do have your brothers, and you have us all. Harry is not all you have. We are your friends," Andy said and Jade smiled.

    "I know. It''s just that I feel different when I''m with Harry. The way he loves me and treats me. He is my own person��."

    "Wow! Too bad for me cause I don''t have my own person," Andy cut in and Jade smiled.

    "That''s not what I mean," Jade said and Andy nodded.

    "I know. And I understand that Harry dotes on you. I want it to remain this way hence I''m saying all I''m saying. But you know what? Different strokes for different folks. Who knows? Maybe Harry actually does love all that clinginess and possessiveness of yours, so maybe you should ask him. If he says he wants you to make some adjustments, you go ahead and do it. If he says he is cool with you this way, disregard all we said��."

    "No. I''m going to change. I know I need to work on this, for my own sake and for Harry''s too. Harry is not the only one in my life and all I do shouldn''t revolve around him. Y''all are my friends and if you think my behavior needs some adjustments, I should work on it. As you said, even though Harry might find it cute right now, there is no guaranty that he won''t be irritated by itter. I''d rather work on being my own person and being happy on my own. I can''t rely on Harry for all the happiness and fun in my life. It would put too much pressure on him and strain on our rtionship," Jade said and Andy gave her a proud smile.

    "I''m d you''re being a big girl about this. Thanks," Andy said and Jade shook her head.

    "No. Thank you, Andy. I should be thanking you for being honest with me," Jade said, her voice filled with gratitude. "I really appreciate you talking to me about this. I know that my behavior won''t change overnight, but I do know that thanks to your advise, I''m going to build a healthier and happier rtionship with Harry," Jade said and Andy gave her a warm hug.

    "Anytime, Jade. I''m always here for you. And remember, you''re stronger than you think. You''ve got this," Andy assured her.

    After their conversation, Jade felt lighter, as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She knew she still had work to do, but she also knew that she could ovee her insecurities or whatever it was that was making her so clingy and build a healthier, happier rtionship with Harry.

    "I believe I owe Sony and Lucy an apology for acting the way I didst night," Jade said and Andy smiled with approval.

    "Yes, you do. I need to sleep," Andy said with a yawn as shey on the bed.

    "Me too. I will apologize to them while we dress upter," Jade said as she joined Andy on the bed.

    "How many romantic rtionships have you been in, Andy?" Jade asked after they were silent for a while.

    "None. I haven''t gotten the butterflies for anyone yet," Andy said without opening her eyes.

    "So, how did you get to know so much about rtionships?" Jade asked and Andy yawned.

    "It''s not rtionships that I know about. It''s people I know about, and trust me, I''ve mixed up with all kinds of people, especially men, to know how they think,"Andy said as she adjusted her pillow.

    "If you''ve not been in rtionship how have you mixed up with men?"

    Andy opened her eyes to look at Jade, "I was a stripper, remember? Guess the gender who patronized me most?" She asked dryly and Jadeughed.

    "Jade, I don''t know about you, but I need to sleep. Let''s talk when I wake up," Andy said and just like that she dozed off leaving Jade to think about all that they had discussed.

 Chapter 804 Wedding Preparations

    <h4>Chapter 804 Wedding Preparations</h4>

    Desmond walked into the bedroom he shared with his wife to see if she was ready for them to leave, and just as he opened his mouth toin about her dying them, he paused when he noticed that she was wiping her eyes.

    "Are you alright, Eve?" He asked as he drew closer to her, and she sniffled as she bobbed her head.

    "I''m fine. I''m just very happy. I just can''t get over the fact that one of our babies are getting married," she said with a shaky smile and Desmond smiled.

    "Well, the man you''re referring to as your baby is about to give you a grandbaby, so he isn''t much of a baby anymore," he said and sheughed softly.

    "I know that, silly. But where did all the time go, Des? It feels like just yesterday when he wouldn''t go to bed without being cuddled, and now he is about to start his own family," she said and he shrugged.

    "I guess time does fly when you''re doing something you love, and you did love raising them. And I think the time went to you monitoring their lives and trying to make sure they all lived decently, even though you failed woefully with Bryan until Sonia showed up and made a decent man out of him," Desmond said with a chuckle when Evelyn scowled at him yfully.

    Evelyn was d that despite how sad Desmond had been following the death of his father, he was better now and hisughter touched his eyes without the sadness hovering around it.

    Spending thest couple of weeks alone with him on a vacation had been wonderful and it had felt like they were on a honeymoon and not just an old couple traveling the world for fun.

    It seemed like once she had removed her children from the top ce in her mind, and set herself and her husband there, she had rediscovered her youth and passion for life.

    "Are you ready to leave now? Andrew and J are waiting downstairs," Desmond said and she nodded as she rose.

    "Yes, I''m ready. What about Tom?"

    "He left a short while ago. Adolf is driving us."

    "Alright. Let''s go officially wee another daughter," she said, and he smiled.

    "That''s the spirit," he said as he held out an arm to her, but instead of taking his hand, Evelyn looked him over.

    "By the wa did, you look dashing, Des," she said and he grinned.

    "I do, don''t I?" He asked as he gazed down at the navy blue tuxedo.

    "You sure do," she said as she drew closer to him and adjusted the cor of his shirt.

    "You look beautiful. I fear you might outshine the bride and all the youngdies there. I''m d our son is the groom, else I would have feared he might abandon his bride and propose to you," he said, admiring his wife''s radiant beauty, he couldn''t help but feel a surge of pride and admiration.

    Evelyn, an epitome of grace and elegance in her ensemble, giggled.

    She wore a floor-length gown in a rich shade of midnight blue, its flowing silhouette entuating her figure and graceful curves.

    "Let''s act like I believe you. Thanks," she said as he brushed his lips against hers.

    "Let''s not keep J and Andrew waiting," Evelyn said and with a final adjustment to his tie and a loving nce exchanged between them, Desmond offered Evelyn his arm, and together they made their way downstairs.

    Away from there, in Bryan and Sonia''s house, the atmosphere was no less electric as the bridal party prepared for the momentous asion.

    Sonia was surrounded by Lucy, Mia, and the rest of the girls as they helped her with the finishing touches of her bridal ensemble since they were all dressed themselves.

    They all bustled around her, theirughter filling the room as they prepared for the momentous asion ahead.

    The strands of Sonia''s golden blonde hair, was deftly woven into an intricate braided crown that cascaded down her back in a waterfall of curls.

    The makeup artist outdid herself by making Sonia''s makeup very subtle yet made sure she entuated Sonia''s striking green eyes with a touch of shimmering eyeshadow and adding a hint of rosy blush to her cheeks.

    Andy and Candace helped Sonia into her gown of delicate ivoryce, its flowing silhouette entuating Sonia''s slender frame and graceful curves.

    As Sonia slipped into the gown, she felt a surge of emotion wash over her, the weight of the moment finally sinking in.

    Lucy, ever the voice of reason, stepped back to admire the finished look, her eyes sparkling with admiration. "You look absolutely stunning, Sony. You are the most beautiful bride I''ve ever set eyes on," she eximed, her voice filled with genuine admiration.

    "Bryan won''t know what hit him when he sees you walking down the aisle," Andy said and Sonia smiled, her heart swelling with gratitude for her friends'' unwavering support.

    "Thank you, everyone," she said, her voice choked with emotion. "I couldn''t have asked for a better group of friends to share this day with."

    "No, no. No tears. You can''t ruin your makeup. Look upwards and blink," Candace ordered, and Soniaughed as she did as Candace instructed.

    "Is my bump obvious?" Sonia asked and they all shook their heads after looking her over.

    "Not at all. You don''t look pregnant. As long as you''re able to manage the spits, you''re good," Lucy assured her.

    "Jade? You''ve been awfully quiet, are you alright?" Sonia asked and Jade nodded.

    "Sure," she said, and then nced at Andy before looking at Sonia and Lucy.

    "I''m sorry aboutst night," she said and Sonia frowned.

    "Is that why you seem moody? I already forgot about that," Sonia assured her.

    "I''m sorry you felt I was picking on you," Lucy said and Jade nodded.

    "Thanks. I should probably go check on Bryan since we are done here," Jade said and excused herself.

    "She is not okay, is she?" Sonia asked with a concerned frown.

    "She is okay," Andy assured her.

    "I should go check on her," Candace said and Andy gave her a pointed look.

    "Let her be. If she says she is okay, then she is fine. If you don''t want her acting like a baby, stop treating her like one," Andy said firmly and Sonia raised a brow.

    "Did something happen?"

    "Yes. Love happened to Sonia and Bryan, and that''s why we are all here today," Andy said with a sweet smile making everyoneugh.

    "Good. Let''s focus on the reason we are here," she said taking the attention away from Jade back to Sonia.

    They turned to the door when a knock sounded on it, and Lucy answered it, "Evelyn! Mom!" Lucy eximed happily as she embraced Evelyn and then her mom.

    "Where is my soon-to-be daughter inw?" Evelyn asked, and Sonia smiled brightly as she rose to face Evelyn.

    "Oh, my darling! You look exquisite, Sony," Evelyn said with a wide smile as she embraced Sonia.

    "Thanks, Evelyn. I thought you''d bothe over yesterday," she said and Evelyn smiled.

    "Well, yesterday was for you young ones to have fun. We had our own fun. How are you doing? And how is my grand baby?" Evelyn asked and Sonia smiled.

    "We are fine. I''ve missed you. Where is Desmond?" She asked, and Evelyn jerked her head outside.

    "He''s checking on Bryan. I came to see how you''re doing," Evelyn said and while she was talking to Sonia, J and Lucy were talking until J nced at Candace and she held out her hand to Candace.

    "How are you doing? How is my Jamal?" J asked as she embraced Candace.

    "I''m fine, and Jamal is okay. We left him behind with his grandfather," Candace exined and Lucy took Andy''s hand and pulled her over.

    "Mom, meet Andy, your other niece," Lucy said and J''s eyes lit up.

    "Andy? I''ve heard a lot about you from Lucy," J said as she embraced Andy.

    "Really? What did she say?" Andy asked curiously and Jughed.

    "She said I was going to love you when I meet you, and I do love you already," J said and Andy smiled.

    "I love you too, aunt," Andy said while Candace watched, amused by how easy it was for Andy to bond with everyone.

    Here she was, still feeling awkward and struggling with all the new rtionships but Andy was already calling J, aunt, when she was till having a hard time doing that.

    Perhaps it was so easy for Andy because she wasn''t directly rted to them, Candace thought.

    After they had exchanged pleasantries with everyone in the room, Evelyn and J excused them, and just as they stepped into the living room, Lucas walked in with Tyler and Jeff, and J screeched happily.

    "LUCAS!" She cried as she hurried over to embrace Lucas who wasughing.

    "When did you get here? Why didn''t you tell me you wereing? Tyler? You look all grown now," J said, looking from Lucas to Tyler happily.

    "Lucas is grown too," Tyler said and they allughed just as Andrew and Desmond stepped into the living room and saw him.

    "Lucas?" Andrew called in surprise.

    "Why do you both look so surprised. You don''t expect me to miss Sony''s wedding, do you? She is my second sister after all," Lucas said as he embraced his father.

    "Lucas, you look much better now than you were thest time," Evelyn said as she embraced him.

    While they were all talking to Lucas, Jeff left to go meet Bryan while Tyler decided to look around if he would see Mia.

    He met Jade who wasing out of Bryan''s bedroom, and when he asked of Mia, she directed him to Sonia''s bedroom, and Tyler headed there.

    He knocked on the door, and Lucy opened, "Hey, Tyler!" She said, and immediately Mia and Sonia heard her, they exchanged a look when they heard him ask for Mia.

    "Why is he asking for Mia when you''re the one he kissed?" Candace whispered Andy and she rolled her eyes.

    "We only kissed, not exchange vows," Andy whispered back.

    "Lu, let hime in," Sonia said, and Lucy held out the door to let him in.

    "Can you girls excuse us, please?" Sonia asked, and without asking her what was going on, Lucy, Candace and Andy left the room, leaving her alone with Mia and Tyler.

    "Sony, I want to speak with her alone," Tyler said and Sonia shook her head.

    "No, Ty. Say whatever you want to say to her in front of me, and then when you''re done I have something to say to you," Sonia said and Tyler sighed.

    "I know who you are��."

    "Who you thought I was. Not who I am. You don''t know anything about me," Mia cut in quietly.

    "Ty, Mia is a very close friend of mine. As a matter of fact, I consider her my sister. I don''t know what you think you know about her, but I will appreciate it if you keep it to yourself," Sonia said and Tyler sighed.

    "That is the reason I wanted to talk to her. I may have mentioned to my colleague that I saw someone like her��."

    "You may have or you did?" Sonia asked when Mia went pale.

    "I did. I''m not sure if he took me seriously or not. But I thought I should let her know. I''m sorry. I don''t mean to cause any problems for you, and maybe because of my curiosity I might have made you ufortable. I apologize," Tyler said to Mia.

    "How much did you tell your colleague?" Sonia asked, seeing as Mia was frozen and not saying anything.

    "Just that I saw someone that really looked like her in Ludus working for Bryan Hank," Tyler said and Sonia sighed deeply.

    That was more than enough information as far as Sonia was concerned.

 Chapter 805 Flaws And All

    <h4>Chapter 805 ws And All</h4>

    Tyler''s admission hung in the air like a dark cloud, suffocating Mia with its implications.

    Mia''s breath caught in her throat, her mind reeling with the implications of Tyler''s words. If her husband knew she was alive, if he knew where to find her, there was no telling what he might do. The thought sent a bolt of terror coursing through her veins, paralyzing her with fear.

    She felt a wave of nausea wash over her as she realized the gravity of the situation, the very real danger that now threatened to engulf her.

    Her thoughts spiraled out of control, each one more terrifying than thest. What if her abusive husband had found her? What if he was already on his way to Ludus, his anger and violence simmering just beneath the surface? The mere thought sent a wave of panic crashing over her, her heart hammering in her chest like a jackhammer.

    "I need to leave. I need to go away. He is going to find me. He is going to find me. I need to run far away," Mia said as she rose, her eyes shining dull with fear.

    "Mia, stop," Sonia said, reaching out a hand to stop her, but Mia shook her head.

    She could hear Sonia, but in that moment she couldn''t see Sonia. Her mind was consumed with visions of the nightmare she had fought so hard to leave behind.

    Sonia''s hand on her shoulder brought her back to the present, grounding her in the reality of the moment. "Mia, listen to me. We''ll figure this out. We''ll keep you safe, I promise," Sonia said in a calm and steady voice.

    "I''m sorry. I''m very sorry. I didn''t mean to cause any problems for you," Tyler said apologetically but his voice sounded distant, his words lost in the whirlwind of Mia''s thoughts.

    Mia couldn''t find it in herself to respond, her throat constricted with a knot of fear that threatened to choke her. Every nerve in her body screamed at her to run, to flee to safety before it was toote. But where could she go?

    Mia''s chest tightened with every breath, her heart pounding in her ears like a drumbeat of dread. The walls seemed to close in around her, suffocating her with the weight of her fear. She couldn''t shake the image of her abusive husband''s face, twisted with rage and fueled by a thirst for vengeance.

    Unable to stay in the room anymore, Mia blindly stumbled out of it, while Sonia watched her helplessly.

    Tyler wanted to go after her but Sonia stopped him, "Let her be, Ty. I believe you''ve done enough," Sonia said, sounding harsher than she had nned.

    "It wasn''t intentional, Sony. I didn''t mean to cause any trouble��."

    "But you did. Tell me something, Ty, is she a wanted criminal?" Sonia asked and Tyler shook his head.

    "No, she isn''t."

    "Then why couldn''t you let her be? What do you think could be the reason a grown updy like herself would be hiding?" She asked and Tyler shook his head.

    "I have no idea. From what little I know about her, she is from a very influential family and her husband is a wonderful man��."

    "She is married?" Sonia cut in, surprised by that piece of information and Tyler nodded.

    "If he is as wonderful as you im, do you think she will be here away from him? What woman would run away from a wonderful husband? Did you see her reaction just now? That was fear, Tyler. She was terrified. What does that tell you?" She asked and Tyler looked at her for a moment.

    "You don''t think her husband was hitting her, do you?" He asked, horrified at the thought that he might just have exposed her to the abusive husband she was hiding from.

    "Fix it. Give your colleague a call and let him or her know that you were wrong about thedy you saw, and she is Bryan''s fianc��e''s sister��."

    "You both don''t answer the same surname," Tyler pointed out.

    "Then make it half sister��."

    "That won''t work, Sony. You had an interview and talked about your family. You didn''t mention a sister then," Tyler pointed out.

    "Then find a way to fix this mess, Tyler! I can''t deal with it right now. So, fix it!" Sonia snapped at him, unable to hide her irritation.

    Away from there, Jeff who had just stepped out of Bryan''s bedroom, quickly ran to Mia when he saw her staggering down the hallway.

    "Mia? Are you okay?" He asked when he noticed that she was gasping for air, and he ced an arm around her shoulder and led her to the patio, away from the bustle of the wedding.

    Jeff couldn''t help but notice that her entire body was trembling violently as he held her and he couldn''t help but wonder what could have triggered such a reaction.

    After he made her sit, he squatted in front of her so he could look into her face, "Breathe, Mia. Breathe slowly. In and out," Jeff urged softly, holding her hand and massaging her palm gently.

    Mia was silent for sometime, her chest heaving as she struggled to regain control of her breathing. She clutched Jeff''s hand tightly, drawing strength from his reassuring presence as she fought against the tide of panic threatening to overwhelm her.

    Mia forced herself to focus on the rhythm of her breath, inhaling deeply through her nose and exhaling slowly through her mouth. Gradually, the tightness in her chest began to loosen, the rapid beat of her heart slowing to a more manageable pace.

    "Everything is going to be alright. You''re going to be just fine. I''m right here. I will make sure of it," Jeff murmured softly, his soothing words washing over her.

    As she settled down, she realized she was holding on to Jeff''s hand and she slowly let go of it as she focused her gaze on his face.

    "Do you want to leave before the wedding starts? I can take you back home," Jeff offered and tears gathered in Mia''s eyes at the gentleness in his tone and the kindness she could see in his eyes.

    She shook her head, "I have to be here for Sonia," she said in a cracked voice and then cleared her throat.

    "Thanks. I''m fine now," she said, and Jeff gave her a nod despite the worry in his eyes.

    Jeff straightened and took the seat opposite her, "Did Tyler say anything to you?" He asked in concern.

    Mia said nothing and neither did she look at him, knowing that there was no way she could tell him what Tyler had said without having to give him some personal details of her life.

    Sensing that she didn''t want to talk about it, Jeff sighed, "I spoke with Tylerst night. I know who he thinks you are," he said, wanting to let her know that he wasn''t totally oblivious to what was going on with her.

    Mia''s head snapped up as she looked at him. Just how many people did Tyler talk to about her? Mia mused, feeling a surge of anger rise within her, hot and fierce, but she pushed it down, knowing that now was not the time for that.

    "Let''s talk about itter. I have to go back inside. The wedding is about to start," she said and Jeff gave her a nod as he watched her walk away.

    He had been thinking about it all morning and had been contemting whether or not to tell Bryan what he now knew, since Bryan was their employer, but he had decided not to do it.

    He had figured that if Bryan was going to hear about it from anyone, it was best he heard it directly from Mia.

    Away from there, as Harry arrived at Bryan''s house for the wedding, he couldn''t help but notice how the atmosphere was buzzing with excitement, guests milling about in their finest attire,ughter and chatter filling the air.

    Although the bachelor bachelorette party had been an intimate affair, the wedding wasn''t entirely so. Some of Bryan''s colleagues in the entertainment industry and a couple of his old time friends graced the asion as well as some friends of Evelyn and Desmond, and Sonia''s editor.

    Amidst the celebration, Harry''s eyes searched for one person in particr: Jade.

    Spotting her across the garden talking to someone, Harry smiled, but as he approached her, he couldn''t shake the feeling that something was amiss.

    He was very much aware that Jade had seen him, but she had acted like she didn''t. And her usual vibrant demeanor was reced by a tense expression, her eyes downcast, her movements guarded.

    Concern gnawed at Harry''s insides as he drew closer to her. He had been worried about her during his drive down when it urred to him that she had failed to call to nag him about missing him and hurrying him to be on his way.

    He had figured that maybe she was too busy with the preparations hence she didn''t call him, but seeing her like this now, he realized that something was wrong.

    Harry made his way over to Jade, determination shining in his eyes. He needed to know what was wrong, needed to make sure she was okay.

    Jade, who had seen Harry arrive earlier but had carried on with her conversation with one of Bryan''s old friends, tried not to look in Harry''s direction as he made his way to her.

    "Hey, goddess," Harry greeted as he stopped beside her.

    "Hi! You''re here," she said with a stiff smile and the person she had been talking to turned to talk to someone else''s .

    "You okay?" he asked softly, reaching out to gently touch her arm.

    Jade forced a smile onto her lips, but it didn''t reach her eyes. "Yeah, I''m fine," she replied, her voice tight with forced cheerfulness.

    But Harry wasn''t convinced. He could see through her facade. "You don''t seem fine to me," he pressed, his voice gentle yet firm.

    "What''s wrong, esquire?" He asked, his brow furrowed with worry.

    He knew he had not done anything wrong. They had ended their phone call earlier that morning on a cheerful note with her telling him how much she missed him and couldn''t wait for the wedding to be over so that Lucy could return to Tom and she would have him all to herself again.

    So, where was the attitudeing from?

    Jade hesitated for a moment, her gaze flickering away from his. "It''s nothing, really," she murmured, but Harry could hear the tremor in her voice.

    Harry''s heart clenched at the sight of her struggling to keep up her fa?ade. He knew Jade well enough to recognize when something was bothering her, and he wasn''t about to let her brush it off so easily.

    Knowing that this was going to be a private conversation, Harry took her hand firmly and led her into the house, "Lead the way to your bedroom," he said and Jade took him there.

    Harry ignored everyone else as he followed her inside, making a mental note to go say hello to her parents and Lucy''s parents after they were done.

    The moment they shut the door behind them, Harry faces her, "Now tell me what the problem is. Did someone get you upset?" He asked, his voice soft with concern, but Jade said nothing as her fingers twisted nervously in the fabric of her dress.

    "Tell me, else we are not leaving here. You''re going to miss your brother''s wedding," Harry said firmly.

    Jade hesitated, her eyes flickering with uncertainty. She knew she couldn''t keep up the pretense.

    Finally, she let out a shaky breath, her walls crumbling under Harry''s unwavering gaze. "Okay, fine," she relented, her voice barely above a whisper. "I just... I''m trying to give you some space. I feel like I''m too jealous, too clingy."

    Harry''s heart ached at her confession, a pang of guilt washing over him. He had never wanted Jade to feel this way in their rtionship, and the thought that he might have inadvertently contributed to her distress weighed heavily on his conscience.

    "Too jealous? Clingy? What put the idea in your head? Did I say or do anything to make you feel that way?" Harry asked with a slight frown.

    "No. It''s not you. I was just thinking about us. You might not feel that way orin now but eventually you might be irritated by it," Jade said, not wanting to mention anything about her conversation with Andy and Candace.

    "Esquire, listen to me," Harry said firmly, cupping her face in his hands and forcing her to meet his gaze.

    "You are not too clingy, and you have absolutely nothing to be jealous about. I love you just the way you are, and I wouldn''t change a single thing about you."

    Jade''s eyes welled with tears at his words, her heart overflowing with emotion. "But Harry, I just... I don''t want to be like this," she admitted, her voice trembling with vulnerability.

    "You don''t want to be like what?"

    "Too clingy. I want to be able to give you space and let you have fun. I want us both to be able to exist separately. I don''t want to feel insecure or jealous," she said and Harry''s heart broke at the raw honesty in her words.

    He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close and pressing a tender kiss to her forehead. "Look at me, sugar," he murmured, his voice filled with love and sincerity.

    "You are a work in progress. Remember we talked about your feeling of insecurity before we started our rtionship. I told you then and I will remind you now that you are more than enough for me. You are everything I''ve ever wanted and more. I love you, not in spite of your clinginess, but because of it. It shows me how much you care and how deeply you love me, and I wouldn''t trade that for anything in the world. I understand that you would rather spend all of your time with me, and I assure you I feel the same way too. But we can work on being able to spend some time apart if it will help you feel better about yourself. For now, let''s go attend the wedding, we can talk more about itter," Harry said as he kissed the top of her nose.

    In that moment, Jade felt a weight lift off her shoulders, and a sense of relief washed over her as she realized once again that she didn''t have to be perfect, and that Harry loved her ws and all.

 Chapter 806 BrySon Wedding.

    <h4>Chapter 806 BrySon Wedding.</h4>

    Despite all of the drama that had been going on with everyone else, once it was time for the wedding, they all made their way to the garden at Sonia''s backyard, where love was about to bloom.

    The setting sun cast a warm glow on the blooms, and their fragrance mingled with the hushed anticipation buzzing through the air.

    Holding on to Andrew''s arm, Sonia, the radiant bride, glided down the makeshift aisle, formed by the bridal party and groomsmen who stood on opposite sides, facing each other.

    Despite the asional grimace from morning sickness, Sonia''s eyes sparkled with love as they locked on Bryan, who stood at the altar, handsome and nervous, ready to embark on this journey with her.

    Almost all eyes were on Sonia, Lucy''s especially, and her cheeks hurt from smiling so much as she watched her best friend, while Tom watched her.

    Harry, who was seated in amongst the audience, focused his gaze on Jade as well while he kept wondering who could have triggered Jade, since he knew her well enough to know those thoughts didn''t juste to her. Someone had said something and he wondered who it was.

    Neither Sonia nor Bryan heard the opening speech of the officiant as they gazed at each other with smiling faces.

    "Are you alright, babe?" Bryan asked, his voiceced with concern when he saw the trickle of sweat on her forehead and noticed she was a bit breathless as a wave of nausea swept over her.

    Sonia shed him a smile, "I guess Ryso is trying to make his presence known," she whispered quietly and he smiled at her.

    "Don''t worry, I asked the officiant to be quick with everything. We will be done with the official part soon, and then we can sneak away and have some peace and quiet, just you, me, and our little Angel," Bryan whispered his promise.

    "No, way. We have to be here for our wedding reception. We can leave after the toast," Sonia said, and they both looked up when the officiant cleared his throat.

    "Are you both done now? Can we continue?" He asked and everyoneughed, including Bryan and Sonia who seemed to have forgotten about everyone else.

    As theughter subsided, the officiant continued, his voice warm and inviting.

    "You have both chosen to write your vows, and it is with these words you express your binding promises to love, honor, and cherish one another. If you are ready to make these promises to each other I invite you now to face each other and dere your intentions."

    Turning to Bryan, the officiant spoke, "When you''re ready you may begin."

    "Sonia, from the moment you said yes to my fake proposal, I knew I was doomed. But what I didn''t realize back then was that I was doomed to spend the rest of my life loving you andughing with you, my green eyes witch. When I first gazed into your green eyes, I knew I was in trouble, but little did I know it was the kind of trouble you willingly face, the kind that makes your heart sing and your stomach do somersaults."

    The crowd chuckled, Sonia''s smile widening. He grinned back, his love for her sparkling in his eyes.

    "You''re my muse, my partner in crime, and the most stubborn woman I know, a quality I find strangely endearing. I promise to always trust you whether or not the facts add up. I promise to always protect you. I promise to honor you with my body and with my heart. I promise to face every adventure with you, from exploring new ces to navigating the uncharted territory of parenthood. I promise to face every challenge, and to be by your side at every midnight diaper change. I promise to be your rock, your anchor, your shoulder to cry on. I promise to make youugh, even when you think you can''t. Most importantly, babe, I promise to love you with every fiber of my being, through morning sickness and sleepless nights, throughughter and mood swings, through weight gain and every thing else. You are my best friend, my confidante, and the love of my life. Thank you for choosing me, for making me a better man, and for letting me share this crazy, messy, wonderful journey with you," Bryan said and tears welled up in Sonia''s eyes, blurring the faces around her. She squeezed Bryan''s hand, her heart overflowing with love as she smiled at him through the tears in her eyes.

    Lucy leaned forward to dab at her tears even though she had tears of her own in her eyes.

    Sonia sniffled as she took a sheet of paper from Lucy, "Being a romance author one would think I would have the best and most romantic of words to express how I feel about you, but I don''t. I''ve given all of them to the characters in my stories," Sonia said, and everyoneughed.

    "Or maybe it''s just my pregnancy brain. So, forgive in advance cause this is going to be a simple onepared to your beautiful piece. Maybe we should have stuck to the traditional vows," Sonia murmured and everyoneughed.

    "Sorry, I have to read from here. My pregnancy brain won''t let me remember it all, and I don''t want to have it mixed up," Sonia said as she unfolded the sheet.

    "I love you, Bryan Hank, by the old gods and new. I promise not to watch movies we started together without you. Or at least pretend it''s the first time I''ve watched it when we watch it again. I promise to remind you of important dates, unless it''s your ex-girlfriend''s birthday�C no promises there," Sonia said and everyoneughed.

    "I promise to be your biggest fan, your loudest cheerleader and supporter, and your peace. I promise to be your home. Most importantly, Bryan, I promise to love you fiercely, unconditionally, and with every beat of my ever-growing heart. Thank you for being my home, for giving me a family, for making me feel safe, and for showing me what true love really is. I will love you for as long as I breathe, and with you, I''m ready to build a lifetime ofughter, and love," Sonia promised.

    After the exchange of vows, they exchanged rings, and as they kissed, fireworks lit up the night sky.

    Once they were done with the official part of the wedding, soft music filled the air as everyone took their seats, eagerly anticipating the festivities toe.

    As the guests ate and drank, Lucy, stood up from her seat at the head table, a ss of champagne in hand. She cleared her throat, her eyes shining with emotion as she prepared to make her toast.

    "Good evening, everyone," Lucy began, her voice clear and confident. "Today, we celebrate not only the union of two wonderful people, but also the beginning of a beautiful journey filled with love,ughter, and endless joy."

    She raised her ss, the crystal catching the light as she continued, "To Sonia and Bryan, may your marriage be as strong and resilient as the love that brought you together. May you always findughter in the midst of challenges, strength in each other''s arms, andfort in the quiet moments. May you weather every storm hand-in-hand, emerge stronger, and always remember the spark that ignited your love today."

    Lucy paused, her gaze finding Sonia, their eyes locked in a silent conversation. A warm smile bloomed on her face, filled with memories ofte-night talks, shared secrets, and unwavering support.

    "Sonia," she continued, her voice catching slightly, "you''ve been my rock, my confidante, and my sister in all but blood. Watching you find love as genuine and vibrant as yours fills my heart with immense joy. And Bryan," she turned to him, her smile widening, "youplement her perfectly. You bring out the best in her, make herugh, and love her fiercely. You''re both lucky to have found each other."

    Her eyes swept over the assembled guests, faces filled with happiness and admiration. "But I know I''m not alone in this. Almost here has witnessed your journey, the ups and downs, theughter and tears, and the unwavering love that shines brighter than any diamond. Tonight, we celebrate not just your wedding, but the beautiful story you''ve already built together."

    Raising her ss once more, her voice resonated with warmth. "To Sonia and Bryan, may your life together be a tapestry woven with love,ughter, and countless adventures. May every thread strengthen your bond, and every color brighten your journey. Cheers to the newlyweds!"

    An eruption of apuse filled the room, echoing Lucy''s heartfelt sentiments. Sonia and Bryan beamed, Sonia''s eyes glistening with tears and gratitude as she blew Lucy a kiss.

    "That was such a beautiful speech, babe," Tom said to Lucy and she grinned at him.

    "Thanks. You have no idea how long it took me toe up with that," she said with a grin.

    "You just had to include tapestry and fashion stuff to tell everyone you are into fashion, didn''t you?" Lucas teased and Lucy giggled.

    While everyone was having fun, Tyler couldn''t help casting guilty nces at Mia who stood at the edge of the crowd, her expression unreadable. He knew he had caused her undue stress and anxiety, and he silently berated himself for his thoughtlessness.

    Mia, for her part, was annoyed at Tyler''s persistent nces, her patience wearing thin. She couldn''t understand why he couldn''t just leave her alone, especially on a day as important as this.

    Determined to enjoy the moment, she ignored him, pushing thoughts of Tyler and her past aside.

    "May I have this dance?" Jeff asked from behind her, startling her.

    "What?" She asked, surprised.

    "I want to dance with you. You shouldn''t be a mere spectator," Jeff said and Mia shook her head.

    "No. I don''t want to dance," even as she objected, Jeff took her hand and pulled her with him to dancefloor where everyone were now dancing with the Sonia and Bryan.

    "Are you okay?" Andy asked Tyler and he turned to her.

    "Yeah. Just a bit distracted," he said and she nodded as she looked at Lucas.

    "Hey, cuz! Care to dance with me?" She asked, and Lucas grinned as he rose.

    "How can I say no to such a beautifuldy?" He asked as he extended his arm to her, and she took it and let him lead them to the dancefloor.

    "My heart is filled with so much joy right now, it feels like I''m the one who just got married," Lucy said to Tom as they danced.

    "To who?" Tom asked, and Lucy giggled.

    "Who else would I get married to if not you?" She asked with a grin.

    "Good to know. So, now you''reing back home with me tonight, right?" Tom asked and Lucy grinned.

    "Of course. I''ve missed you so much," she said with a deep sigh.

    "Well, I missed you much more. If you were to get married, what sort of wedding would you want?" Tom asked and Lucy smiled.

    "A traditional wedding. I''d love to get married in a church and have a big reception," she said and Tom raised a brow.

    "But you don''t go to church."

    "It''s what I want. I want it to look like a royal wedding," she said and Tom nodded thoughtfully.

    "I can make that happen if you agree to marry me," he said and she giggled.

    "I know you can. Go dance with your mom," Lucy said, pushing him in the direction of Evelyn, as she went to dance with Desmond.

    Some feet from them, Jade and Harry danced slowly with Jade resting her head on Harry''s chest.

    "Will youe home with me tonight?" Harry asked, and Jade looked up at him, unsure.

    "You''re not going to say no to clingy boyfriend, are you?" Harry asked and Jade''s lips twitched in amusement.

    "I want us to talk," Harry said and Jade sighed.

    "What about Candace and Andy?" She asked, and he raised a brow.

    "What about them?"

    "Won''t you want to spend some time alone with them?" She asked and he held her gaze.

    "Is there a reason I can''t spend time with them and you? Besides, they won''t be sharing my bed with me, will they?" He said and she sighed.

    "Alright. I will go with you tonight," she said and Harry kissed her forehead.

    He was going to have a talk with Candace and Andy. After thinking about it, he knew that Lucy wouldn''t have said anything to Jade. It had to be either Sonia, Candace, or Andy, and he doubted that Sonia would have the time for that when she was preparing for her wedding.

    "Harry? Can I talk to you?" Mia asked, causing Harry to pull away from Jade to look at her.

 Chapter 807 I Need Your Help

    <h4>Chapter 807 I Need Your Help</h4>

    As the music yed softly in the background, Mia and Jeff swayed gently on the dance floor, caught up in the moment.

    Mia''s heart was heavy with the weight of everything that had happened, and she couldn''t shake the feeling that Jeff had asked her to dance cause he wanted to ask some questions or tell her something.

    "Did you bring me out here to dance because you wanted to say something?" Mia asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

    Jeff looked down at her, his eyes soft and understanding. "No. We already agreed to talk after the party. I just want you to have fun. So, let''s say this is me trying to distract you from whatever you were thinking."

    Mia studied his face for a moment, as though she was searching for any hint of deceit. "Why are you doing all of this?" she asked, her voice tinged with suspicion.

    "Doing all of what?" Jeff asked innocently even though he knew what she was asking.

    "Why are you being so kind to me?"

    Jeff sighed, his gaze never wavering from hers. "I don''t need a reason to be kind to you or anyone. And in case you forgot, you''re my subordinate at work, my housemate, and my friend, so I care about you."

    "How much do you think you know about me?" she asked quietly, her eyes searching his for answers.

    "I don''t know anything about you other than what you''ve shown me all these while��."

    "You know what I mean. How much did Tyler tell you?" She asked and Jeff shook his head.

    "He didn''t say much other than the fact that you look like someone he used to know. Vanessa Rosewood. But after what I saw this morning, I know something for a fact. You need help, and I''m going to help you however I can if you let me," Jeff said and Mia felt a lump form in her throat at his words.

    She had spent so long pushing people away, building walls around herself to protect her herself since the people she had loved had been the ones who hurt her most and exposed her to abuse.

    Until now, she had been living without getting attached to anyone so that if she had to run away again, she wouldn''t be held back by anything or anyone, but in thest two days she hade to realize that the people around her now were people who genuinely cared about her, even more than her own parents and family did, and she didn''t know how to react.

    Mia felt her eyes welling up with tears, overwhelmed by the kindness and understanding being shown her by Jeff, Sonia and Harry.

    She didn''t want to leave these people and go start afresh somewhere else. She didn''t want to lose what she had here. She couldn''t keep running forever.

    If she was going to ever have to face her abusive husband, she wanted to do it with these people beside her. These people who had taught her that family didn''t always have to be rted to you by blood. These people who now seemed like her family.

    "Thank you, Jeff," she whispered, her voice barely audible over the music. "Thank you for being here for me."

    "Anytime, Mia. Anytime," Jeff said as Mia stepped away from him.

    "Excuse me. I need to speak to Harry," Mia said as she gazed around the dancefloor and once her eyes settled on Harry, she headed in his direction, leaving Jeff to wonder why she suddenly wanted to talk to Harry.

    "Harry? Can I talk to you?" Mia asked once she stopped beside Jade and Harry who were dancing.

    Harry looked from Mia to Jade, "This is important. Can you give me a moment alone with her?" Harry asked and Jade swallowed past the lump of jealousy in her throat as she bobbed her head.

    Harry kissed her lips before walking away with Mia, while Jade returned to the table to sit down since she didn''t want to stand alone on the dancefloor.

    "Is everything alright?" Harry asked Mia as they found a quiet spot to talk.

    "I need your help," Mia said, and Harry raised a brow when he heard the desperation in her tone.

    "Did something happen?" He asked, and she nodded as she told him about Tyler and what he had done.

    "I see. Well, it was expected. They were bound to find out about you sooner orter, so it''s best youe out now instead of hiding," Harry said and watched as Mia scratched her left hand with her right nails.

    "You don''t have to be scared, Mia, if he makes any attempt to hurt you, he will have us to contend with��."

    "Us?" She asked and Harry nodded.

    "Yes. You have Tom''s full support too," Harry said and Mia took a deep breath.

    "What should I do?" She asked, and Harry held her gaze.

    "Send your husband a divorce letter. Don''t worry, I will make sure he signs it without drama and I will ensure the process goes smoothly and quietly. You can reach out to your family if you want to let them know you''re alive and want nothing to do with them. Also, if you want, you can retain your original name or legally change your name. This way you no longer have to live as a dead person. You can be free," Harry said and Mia frowned.

    "I don''t think it''s going to be that easy," she said, doubting that her abusive ex-husband would let her go just like that when he finds out how she had made a fool of him in order to be free from him.

    "That''s for me to handle. y your part and I will handle everything else," Harry said and Mia nodded.

    "Alright. I will do it," Mia said and Harry smiled in approval.

    "You made the right decision," Harry said, d that she was finally letting them help her.

    Back at the dancefloor, as Lucy released Desmond so she could go catch her breath, Desmond went after Jade, while Lucy went to sit down beside Tyler.

    "What''s up? I noticed you''ve been unusually quiet all evening," Lucy said and Tyler shook his head.

    "It''s nothing," he said and she raised a brow.

    "Really?" Lucy asked and Tyler sighed.

    "I shouldn''t havee here. I think my being here is making a mess of things," Tyler said and Lucy frowned.

    "Why would you think that? Sony is very happy to have you at her wedding, you know? And I''m happy to see you after such a long time," Lucy said and Tyler shrugged as he looked at his hand.

    "Sonia is mad. I''m sure she wishes I didn''te. Mia is mad too. I made a mistake," Tyler said with a deep frown.

    "Want to talk about it?" Lucy asked and Tyler shrugged, seeing no reason why he couldn''t tell Lucy about it especially since he knew how good Lucy was at keeping secrets.

    "Mia looks like someone I used to know. A colleague of mine had a friend who always showed up at the hospital. The friend died some years ago, and when I saw Mia, she looked exactly like the deaddy," Tyler said and Lucy nodded thoughtfully.

    "I guess that was why you told her she looked like someone you used to know," Lucy said and Tyler nodded.

    "I don''t know the details, but it seems like she faked her death to hide from someone, probably an abusive husband and I may have blown her cover by telling my colleague about her. Now Sonia is mad and Mia is upset," Tyler said and Lucy pursed her lips.

    "Are you very close to your colleague?" She asked and Tyler nodded.

    "Yes. We hangout weekly. Why?" He asked and she sighed.

    "You didn''t know the situation. I''m sure you wouldn''t have said anything had you known the situation. Sonia and Mia has every right to be upset, but you shouldn''t beat yourself over it. It wasn''t intentional. I would tell Sonia about it too if I saw someone everyone thought was dead," Lucy said and Tyler frowned.

    "Are you saying that to make me feel better?" He asked and she nodded.

    "Is it working?" She asked and Tyler smiled.

    "Why are you smiling? What are you saying to him to make him smile?" Tom asked with a scowl as he joined them, and both Lucy and Tylerughed.

    "She said if I hade earlier, she wouldn''t have been with you," Tyler said and Tom chuckled wickedly.

    "You don''t sound like you want to make it back to your home in one piece," Tom said and Lucy grinned.

    "Is that a threat?" Tyler asked with a frown.

    "I would have said, ask thest guy I told that, but he is nowhere to be found," Tom said with a shake of his head.

    "Tyler is a guest, you shouldn''t be threatening your guests," Lucy chided him, "Let''s take a spin, Ty," Lucy said, extending a hand to Tyler, and Tom frowned.

    "Why do you want to dance with another man?" He asked with displeasure.

    "Because Tyler looks lonely. If you offer to dance with him, I will sit back," Lucy said with a grin and Tom nodded at the same time as Tyler shook his head.

    "Sure, I will dance with him," Tom said and Lucy tittered withughter while Tyler scowled at Tom.

    "Why would I want to dance with you?"

    "Because I don''t want you dancing with my girlfriend," Tom said and while they were still arguing, Andrew came and took Lucy with him to the dancefloor leaving a satisfied Tom and Tyler behind.

    "Who would have thought that a big shot CEO like you would be so insecure or feel threatened by me?" Tyler taunted and Tom chuckled.

    "Insecure? Nah. I''m far from insecure. I just don''t like to see my girl on the arms of another guy who isn''t her brother or father," Tom saidzily as he sat down.

    "I''m like a brother to her," Tyler said and Tom chuckled.

    "Yeah. That''s all you''re going to remain. Like a brother. Forever trapped in the zone between brother and friend," Tom said and Tyler red at him making Tom chuckle more.

    "It''s your turn, Tyler. Let''s go dance," Andy said as her and Lucas returned to the table.

    "Lucky you," Tom said with a grin as Andy pulled Tyler away.

    "How is it going, Tom?!" Lucas asked as he sat down.

    "Everything is great. How are things going with you? My offer is still standing, remember?" Tom said and Lucas smiled.

    "Yeah, about that, I ept your offer. I have Lucy''s permission," Lucas said and Tom cocked his brow.

    "You told her?"

    "Yes. I had to make sure she was okay with me working for her boyfriend," Lucas said and Tom nodded.

    "When did you tell her about it? I hope you also exined to her that I didn''t tell her about it because you asked me not to?" Tom said and Lucas chuckled.

    "Why do you sound like you''re scared?"

    "Because I don''t want her to think I''m keep secrets from her. I promised not to," Tom said and Lucas grinned.

    "Don''t worry, I told her and she understands."

    "Will you be free tomorrow? Let''s hangout. Just me, you, Tyler and Harry," Tom said and Lucas smiled.

    "I thought you don''t like Tyler?"

    "Why wouldn''t I like him? I''m cool with him, I just like to make him think I''m not," Tom said and Lucas chuckled.

    "Really?"

    "Yes. Lucy told me about him before we started dating. If he''s important to her, he is important to me. I''m cool," Tom said and Lucas shook his head in amazement.

    "You''re so cool," Lucas said giving Tom a thumbs up and Tomughed.

    "So? Will you be avable?" Tom asked and Lucas shook his head.

    "Nah. I need to leave for Heden in the morning," Lucas said and Tom frowned.

    "Why? What''s happening there?" He asked, hoping Lucas wasn''t making that trip because of Rachael.

    "It''s about Amy''s misunderstanding with her best friend''s family. I figured I stop over and try to clear the air since I don''t know when they might hold the funeral. Hopefully they will forgive her and let her attend the funeral so she can say a proper goodbye to her friend," Lucas said and Tom smiled.

    "Now who is the cool one?" Tom asked and Lucas chuckled.

    "Hey, cousin!" Harry said as he joined them.

    "His name is Lucas," Tom said and Harry shrugged.

    "I''m aware."

    "Oh, you are? I thought you called him that only because you forgot his name," Tom said and both Harry and Lucas chuckled.

    "Nah. I called him that to get on your nerves since you keep forgetting that Lucy is my cousin," Harry said as his gaze moved over the dancefloor.

    "I saw you leaving with Mia earlier," Tom said and Harry nodded as he nced at Lucas.

    "She decided she needs our help, thanks to Lucas'' friend," Harry said and Lucas looked at him in confusion.

    "Tyler? What did he do?" Lucas asked with a worried frown.

    Before Harry could say anything, Jeff joined them at the table, since he was curious to know why Mia had wanted to speak to Harry.

    If Harry knew about her problem and was helping her out, he wanted to be part of it.

 Chapter 808 Deep Scars

    <h4>Chapter 808 Deep Scars</h4>

    The moment Jeff joined them, neither of them said a word as all three of them looked at Jeff, wanting to know what he wanted.

    "Harry, I would like to have a word with you in private," Jeff said and Harry frowned.

    "Why? Is there is a huge Bryan scandal I need to know about right now?" Harry asked and Jeff shook his head.

    "Then I''m sure anything else can wait, especially if it''s about work. I''m off working hours right now. So let''s talk��."

    "It''s about Mia," Jeff said and Harry cocked a brow.

    "What about her?" Harry asked as his gaze shifted from Jeff to the spot he had left Mia, and he rxed when he saw her seated there.

    "I saw her with you a moment ago. What were you both talking about?" Jeff asked since he could see that Harry had no ns of giving him a private audience.

    Perhaps if he asked openly and Harry wanted it to be their private discussion, Harry would give him the private audience he needed.

    "Is this a joke? Do you really expect me to tell you what I was discussing with her in private?" Harry asked incredulously while Tom and Lucas said nothing as they listened to the exchange.

    "No, it''s not a joke. I want to know what you were both talking about," Jeff said, his expression and tone serious and unyielding.

    "Why do you want to know? Is she your girlfriend and you''re jealous that Harry talked to her privately? Or is there something you don''t want her to report to Harry?" Tom asked, curious to know why Jeff seemed so serious.

    "No, she is not my girlfriend, but I''ve known her longer than either of you, so I believe I have a right to know what''s going on. You know who she is, don''t you? Her true identity?" Jeff asked, not caring that he was speaking so informally with his new employers.

    He had thought about it before approaching them and he figured that Harry knew what Mia was hiding.

    He had after all been there when Harry met Mia for the first time and told her she looked familiar. He had been there at Sonia''s engagement party when Harry excused Mia before they could leave to talk to her. And now, in the middle of their conversation she had left him to go talk to Harry. All of that had to mean that Harry was aware of what was going on.

    "What about it?" Harry asked calmly after exchanging a look with Tom.

    Lucas on the other hand couldn''t help but wonder what Jeff was talking about since just the other night in the car he had denied what Tyler had said about Mia looking like Vanessa Rosewood.

    "Did she ask for your help? I want to help too," Jeff said and Harry frowned.

    "You''re making all this fuss because you want to help? Why are you telling me that? Tell her you want to help," Harry said and Jeff frowned.

    "I already did.��"

    "Then go ahead and help her. Why do you need to know what we talked about before you help her?" Harry said and Tom chuckled when Jeff red at Harry.

    "What? You want to fight me?" Harry asked making Lucas alsough.

    "Quit annoying him, Harry, else he might really punch you," Tom said and Harry snorted.

    "I''d like to see him try," Harry said and then sighed when Jeff kept looking at him and waiting for a response.

    "Don''t worry, we will handle it. There is nothing for you to do��."

    "I want to do something. How about I go beat up the beast that gave her such hideous marks on her body? Do you know how I feel every night when I hear her crying?" Jeff asked angrily, and the humor disappeared from Tom and Lucas''s face as they all frowned.

    "There are marks on her body? And she cries every night?" He asked in a low voice not wanting to believe that her husband had not just hit her but had left actual scars on her body.

    "Deep scars on the upper part of her back. I didn''t see the whole of her back. It''s the first time I''m seeing them. She was in the shower when I got home this morning so she had to get the door. I guess she forgot about it cause she answered the door wrapped in her towel and I saw her back. I was sick to the stomach when I saw it. Those were no ordinary scars. It was like there were scars upon already formed scars. Those were deliberately inflicted marks. They looked like torture marks. It made me sick to think about how anyone could have done that to someone else," Jeff''s hands were balled in a fist as he spoke, and each word that left his lips left a murderous glint in the eyes of the men he were talking to.

    Perhaps it was because they all had sisters, each felt deeply affected by the kind of picture he had just painted and they all nced in Mia''s direction and saw her just staring at the dancefloor with a nk expression.

    Although Jeff knew that he was divulging too much information to them, he needed them to understand just how bad Mia''s abuse had been so that they would put more effort into whatever they nned to do to help her.

    Harry clenched his teeth as he looked at Mia, understanding better all she had told him that day at his office (chapter 664) and why she had said she didn''t think the n was going to be that easy.

    Any man who would beat his wife and leave scars on her that way, was an animal who wouldn''t want to let go of his prey so easily.

    Getting him to sign the divorce papers wouldn''t be enough. They needed to teach him a lesson and make him pay for his brutality.

    Harry held Tom''s gaze, each thinking about how to repay the violence despite the fact that the man in question was one of their foreign investors.

    "We will take care of him," Tom said, answering answering Harry''s silent question, and Harry nodded in agreement.

    "If you want to help, you can keep an eye on Mia. Make sure she doesn''t suddenly decide to bolt out of fear. And also just keep an eye on her in case he sends someone to her before we execute our ns," Harry told Jeff and he nodded.

    "I won''t let her out of my sight. Thank you. I will excuse you now," Jeff said before leaving them to go join Mia again.

    After Jeff left, Tom turned to Harry, "What did Tyler do?" He asked curiously, wanting to know what Tyler had to do with Mia.

    After Harry was done, Lucas sighed, "I''m sorry Tyler caused all this trouble. I''m sure he didn''t mean to. He was very surprised to see her and wanted to confirm from his colleague whom she used to visit often at the hospital," Lucas said apologetically, knowing that Tyler must be feeling pretty bad about everything.

    "Don''t worry about it. He didn''t cause any trouble. Thanks to him, Mia is more willing to act now. So it''s okay," Harry assured Lucas.

    "Why was she always visiting his colleague? Was he the one treating her wounds? Does that mean his colleague was aware of the abuse but said nothing? Was the colleague her friend or her husband''s friend?" Tom asked Lucas and he shook his head.

    "I have no idea," Lucas said, thinking about what Tom had just said.

    "We will get details of this colleague from Tyler and find out for ourselves. For now, I''m going to dance with my sisters," Harry said and rose to go find Candace on the dance-floor.

    "You''ve danced with her long enough. It''s my turn," Harry told Matt, and he stepped aside without argument to let Harry dance with Candace.

    "I take it you want to scold me for talking to Jade," Candace said knowingly since she had seen them both earlier going into Jade''s bedroom.

    "So, it was you," Harry said quietly as they danced slowly.

    "We didn''t mean to cause any trouble," Candace said defensively, not sure she wanted to face Harry''s anger since she had not seen him angry before.

    "We? Andy? Was Lucy and Sonia involved too?" He asked and she shook her head.

    "No. It was just Andy and I. We were only looking out for her," Candace said and Harry sighed.

    "What exactly did you say to her?" He asked, and Candace exined all that they had said.

    "We told her that mostly for her sake��."

    "I understand that you told her that with good intentions, but you shouldn''t have said anything about the possibility of getting tired of her. She is dealing with enough feelings of insecurity already, and you both didn''t have to add to that. I know Jade. I know her more than you both do or could ever do. You see that brat attitude? I have always been aware of it even before I fell in love with her. The clinginess and jealousy, I don''t mind it one bit. I know her and I know her ws and I''m helping her work on them. I understand that she is your friend, and you have every right to advise her, just do not make her feel I have an issue with who she is," Harry cut in firmly.

    "I''m sorry," Candace murmured without looking into his face.

    "It''s fine. I just wanted to clear that up with you. That''s all," Harry said as he continued dancing with her.

    "So, are you still hanging out with your baby boyfriend or are youing home tonight with your big brother?" He asked in a yful tone, surprising Candace by the sudden switch in the tone of their conversation.

    "Why do you seem surprised? I''m not mad. I was just trashing the issue with you, big brother to little sister," he said and this time sheughed.

    "I wille home with you. We need to talk about the details of the interview," she said and he nodded.

    "Alright. Go back to dancing with your baby boyfriend. I should go dance with Andy too. No partiality," he said and Candaceughed softly as she watched him go take Andy from Tyler.

    After dancing, the elders were the first to leave since it waste in the night already, and after the party ended and it was time to leave Lucas looked at Tom and Lucy.

    "Why don''t Tyler and Ie with you, so that Jeff and Mia can take the car home? I''m not looking forward to driving that distance tonight," Lucas said even though his actual reason for doing that was because he didn''t want Tyler and Mia in the same car knowing that it would make them all ufortable.

    "Sure. You can ask Jeff to give the key to Amy. She can use the car for the time being," Lucy said and Lucas nodded as he went to do as she said.

    Lucas didn''t miss the relief on Mia''s face as he handed the car key to Jeff after telling them he and Tyler would be going with Lucy and Tom.

    Although, Lucas was tempted to ask them to check on Amy and find out how she was doing, he refrained from doing so.

    They had their own problems to deal with and he couldn''t add Amy to that. And he also didn''t want to seem more concerned or involved in Amy''s business than was necessary. He had done what he could for her and was still going the extra mile to help her resolve things in Heden. That was good enough to satisfy his conscience. He wouldn''t have any reason to worry about Amy anymore after he returned to Hu.

    "I''m so d the wedding is over. I can l rx now," Lucy said with a deep sigh, feeling very happy as they got into the car.

    "And I can have you to myself again," Tom said and she giggled.

    "No mushy talk please. Y''all need to respect my feelings," Tyler said and they allughed as Tom drove off.

 Chapter 809 Beautiful Scars

    809 Beautiful Scars

    As Jeff and Mia arrived home, the clock striking past midnight, the house was enveloped in a serene silence, a stark contrast to the bustling energy of the wedding they had just left.

    Mia lingered by the door, her thoughts swirling in her mind, unsure of how to broach the subject that had been weighing heavily on her heart since she had told Jeff that they could talk about everythingter.

    "Goodnight, Mia," Jeff said softly, breaking the silence as he moved to head to his room.

    Mia hesitated for a moment before stopping him. "Wait, Jeff. Can we talk?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

    Jeff turned back, concern etched on his face. "Is everything okay?" he asked, his tone filled with genuine worry.

    Mia nodded slowly. "I just... I think we should talk now," she said, her voice wavering slightly.

    "We don''t have to talk about it right now. It''s past midnight��."

    "I''d rather talk about it now and get it over with," Mia said and Jeff studied her for a moment before sighing resignedly.

    Although he was exhausted and wished it could wait, he was also curious to hear what she had to say.

    "Alright, give me a moment to get a ss of water," he said as he headed for the kitchen.

    Mia took a deep breath as she watched him walk away, and she tried to organize all she had to say to him.

    Deciding that she needed a ss of water too, Mia went after him, her heart pounding in her chest.

    Jeff, who had poured some water into two sses and had just finished drinking his, looked at her when she walked in and handed one of the sses to her.

    Her hand trembled ever so slightly as she took the ss from him, but Jeff noticed and said nothing as they both went to sit at the dining.

    Jeff sat across from her, his expression calm and attentive as he watched her sip from her ss of water.

    "What did you want to talk about?" Jeff asked, his voice gentle.

    Mia took a deep breath, gathering her thoughts. "I... I''ve been thinking a lot about what you said earlier, about how you don''t need a reason to be supportive of me. And... I realize that I''ve been pushing you away despite all your attempts to show me that you care, and I don''t want to do that anymore," she said, her voice filled with emotion.

    The tremor in Mia''s voice was barely a whisper, yet it crackled with raw honesty, slicing through the room like a fragile shard of ss. Each word she uttered was a confession, a tear in the carefully constructed facade she''d worn for so long.

    "I''ve never had anyone�� truly care," she choked out, the words catching in her throat like a sob. Her eyes, usually veiled with a practiced indifference, welled up, mirroring the storm brewing within.

    Jeff said nothing as he watched her, and listened to her speak, since he could tell that she wasn''t done yet.

    Unable to sit still, Mia rose from her seat, "I''ve never been able to rely on anyone, so it''s sort of a new experience for me. Usually when I''m asked how I''m doing, the only response expected from me is a positive one, regardless of how I am feeling. I could be bleeding to death, but all that would be expected from me is a smile on my face and a simple I''m fine."

    The words tumbled out of Mia like a dam bursting. Each syble held the weight of years spent carrying silent burdens, masking wounds with practiced smiles. Her voice, usually guarded, cracked with every sentence, raw and exposed. Tears threatened to spill, shimmering on the edge of hershes like unshed rain as she let herself remember all the times she had actually been bleeding inside and had wanted someone to ask how she was doing and mean it but no one, not even her parents had bothered enough to look past the fake smiles. They had in fact expected her to wear a smile regardless of how she was feeling.

    "I''ve always kept to myself. I''ve always tried to maintain an emotional distance from everyone believing that no one truly cares, but being here and having you all care about me this way�� It''s a new experience. It''s strange and overwhelming." she admitted, her voice barely audible.

    "It''s�� scary, opening myself up, letting someone in. This feeling of being seen, of being cared for... It''s unfamiliar, terrifying even, but it''s also... beautiful, and for the first time, I don''t want to be alone anymore. I don''t want to fight alone or run. I want to believe that maybe, just maybe, care isn''t just a mirage, that connection is possible. I want to believe that I truly have people who care about me and are willing to stand by me," she said as tears spilled down her cheeks, each one a testament to the dam finally breaking.

    The pain, though raw and agonizing, wasced with a newfound vulnerability, a tentative step towards connection.

    Jeff listened quietly, his eyes never leaving her face. "Mia, you should believe it. I''m here for you, no matter what. I care about you, and I want to help you through whatever you''re going through," he said, his words sincere.

    Mia nodded, unable to say anything past the lump in her throat. She had thought about it and even though Jeff wasn''t the type to pry or ask too many questions, he had shown her on different asions that he cared about her, and as such he deserved to know her.

    "You can ask me whatever you want to know about me," Mia offered after a short moment of silence since she knew he had questions.

    Jeff met her gaze, the raw emotion in her eyes etching itself onto his memory. He could ask about her family, her dreams, the pain etched on her scars, but something held him back. Instead, he chose a question that had gnawed at him since they moved in together and he noticed her lifestyle.

    "Why the endless string of blind dates? Why spend your nights with strangers?" He asked, and although his words were blunt, they held no judgment.

    His gaze held a genuine curiosity, seeking to understand the woman beneath the guarded exterior.

    Mia looked at him, surprised by the unexpected question. She had expected him to ask about the scars, or about whatever Tyler had told him, not about how she spent her nights.

    "It''s not always like that," she rified as she sat back down, her voice barely above a whisper.

    "I don''t go home with them. And most times I hang out at the club. It''s just..." She paused, searching for the right words. "I find it hard to sleep at night. I always have nightmares, so it''s usually easier to fall asleep after getting wasted."

    "So you just hangout with random men and don''t go home with them? Just to kill time?" He asked and she nodded.

    Silence bloomed again, thicker this time, heavier with unspoken truths. Jeff''s brows furrowed, concern etching lines on his forehead.

    "What about sleeping pills?" he asked gently.

    Mia shook her head, "Not for the nightmares."

    The weight of her confession settled between them and Jeff reached out, his hand hovering hesitantly over hers. Mia met his touch, her fingers intertwining with his, seeking sce in the warmth.

    "Is that why you I hear you crying most times at night?" He asked, and she nodded.

    "You''ve never gone home with any of those men? What about the asions you didn''te back home?" He asked softly.

    "How can you expect me to be intimate with anyone? You saw the hideous scars. What man in his right senses would desire me when they see those scars?" She asked as she pulled her hand away, retreating into herself.

    Shame burned in her chest, a familiar heat that threatened to consume her, as she looked away from him, waiting for his reaction.

    "Maybe that was the point of those scars. To make sure I''m never able to be with anyone else if ever I escaped. So, to answer your question, no. I didn''t go home with anyone. I spent those nights at the club because I realized that the noise and music drowns out my fear."

    The despair in her voice hung heavy in the air. Jeff saw the pain in her eyes, the fear of rejection, of being seen as broken, wed. He knew then that he couldn''t offer titudes, empty promises. He needed to understand, to see her scars not as ws, but as a testament to her strength, her resilience.

    He reached for her hand again, this time meeting her gaze head-on. "Mia," he said, his voice firm yet gentle, "show me your scars."

    Mia recoiled, a gasp escaping her lips. "No, you don''t understand-"

    "Please," he persisted, his eyes filled with an unwavering sincerity. "Let me see them, not as a burden, but as a part of you, a story you deserve to tell."

    Mia shook her head. Even though Jeff had caught a glimpse of it earlier that day, the thought of letting him see it all filled her with horror.

    "I don''t think seeing your scars would change the way I see you or what I think about you. Your scars don''t define you, Mia. They tell a part of your story, but they are not you. Let me see it," Jeff pressed.

    Mia hesitated, her heart hammering against her ribs. But something in Jeff''s gaze, a flicker of understanding, a hint of eptance, gave her the courage to nod.

    Slowly, she rose and turned her back to him, and Jeff rose as well to stand behind her.

    She lifted her hair and Jeff reached for the zipper of her dress and she stiffened, her breath catching in her throat as Jeff undid her zip, exposing the hidden map of her past.

    The silence that followed wasn''t one of shock or pity, but of quiet respect.

    "Can I touch them?" Jeff asked softly and Mia shut her eyes as she gave him a nod.

    She knew that by doing this they were both crossing a line in their rtionship. If she could reveal her scars to him and let him touch them, then there was no way she could keep anything else from him, since her scars were her biggest secrets.

    Although Mia couldn''t see Jeff''s face, she felt the tenderness in his touch as he traced her scars with his finger.

    Tears streamed down her face and she trembled as Jeff came to stand in front of her, his eyes filled with an emotion she couldn''t quite decipher.

    "They''re beautiful," he said, his voice thick with emotion. "They tell a story of strength, of survival. And you, Mia, you are beautiful too, scars and all. And any man in his right senses would find you desirable in spite of your beautiful scars, of which I''m not an exception," Jeff said softly, as he brushed her tears away.

    Although Jeff wanted to ask her about each of the scars and about how she ended up being married to such an animal, he knew that he would get those answers in time. For now, all he wanted was to offerfort.

 Chapter 810 Two Whole Days

    810 Two Whole Days

    The moment Lucy and Tom walked into their bedroom, a grin stretched across Tom''s face as he dropped her luggage on the rug beside the bed, before pulling her into a tight embrace.

    Two days. Just two days separated from Lucy, but it felt like an eternity. Even though he''d seen her every day, it wasn''t the same as having her right here in the sanctuary of their bedroom.

    "I missed you so damned much, my homing queen," he whispered and Lucy smiled, her eyes twinkling with amusement at his obvious joy.

    Lucy giggled, yfully pushing him away. "Slow down, Romeo, I was only gone for two days."

    He feigned hurt, clutching his chest dramatically. "Two days, Juliet," he dered, his voice mock-serious. "Two whole days without your sunshine gracing this bedroom."

    Her smile softened, a touch of warmth recing the amusement. "You make it sound like I was gone for years, not just a couple of days."

    "It might as well have been," he confessed, his voice sincere. "The house felt�� empty without you. And the bedroom was cold without your smile. You know your smile warms the room more than anymp."

    She swatted his arm yfully. "Exaggerator."

    "Maybe," he conceded, pulling her closer. "But it''s true. You light up this ce, babe. Having you here feels�� right. It hasn''t felt like home without you these past two days," He said as he brushed a strand of hair from her face, his gaze lingering on the hint of exhaustion in her eyes.

    "I missed you too even though I knew I would be back soon, it felt like a part of me was missing while we were apart," she admitted, her voice dropping to a whisper as she leaned into his touch.

    "Wee home, Lucy," he murmured as he buried his face in her hair, inhaling the sweet scent of perfume and sunshine that was uniquely hers.

    "Home," Lucy echoed as her arms went around his waist.

    In that simple word, spoken in the familiar haven of their bedroom was the feeling of belonging, of two pieces finally clicking into ce, and they both knew, with a certainty that settled deep in both their hearts, that this was where they truly belonged, together.

    "You look pretty exhausted, babe. I will run you a bath so you can rx and go to bed while I go share a nightcap with Lucas and Tyler," Tom said as he pulled away from her.

    "Really? Just a moment ago you sounded like you couldn''t afford to let me out of your sight again, now you''re leaving me?" She asked dryly and he chuckled.

    "Yeah, so you can light up the bedroom with your presence," he joked, and she giggled.

    16:53

    Lucy frowned, "He is leaving in the morning? Where to? He told me he would be around until Monday," Lucy said and Tom nodded.

    "I guess his original n changed because of the turn of things with Amy," Tom said and Lucy''s frown deepened.

    "Why is he leaving because of Amy when he can stay here?" Lucy asked and Tom smiled at her misunderstanding.

    "He is not leaving because Amy is at your apartment. He is leaving because he wants to go help Amy resolve things with Miley''s family," Tom exined.

    "Oh! I see. That makes sense," Lucy said thoughtfully.

    "Do you think that maybe Lucas likes Amy?" Tom asked and Lucy shook her head.

    "No. Why?" She asked, wondering why Tom was saying the same thing that Sonia had said.

    Tom shrugged, "Nothing. I''m just wondering why he is doing what he is doing," Tom said and Lucy nodded.

    "Well, since Lucas is leaving tomorrow, I need to talk to him too. So, why don''t we do it this way. You freshen up while I go have a word with him, and when you''re done you can have your nightcap with him while I retire for the night?" She asked and Tom nodded.

    "Alright then. By the way, Lucas told me that you now know about my job offer to him," he said and she looked at him.

    "Yeah. Why didn''t you ask me before asking him?"

    "Because I know my girlfriend well enough to know that she wouldn''t mind," he said and she giggled.

    "Are you trying to y that card right now?" She asked, knowing he responded that way because of how she responded when he asked her why she didn''t seek his opinion before promising to move in with Sonia.

    Tom grinned, "I see you caught on. My baby is super smart," Tom said and she shook her head.

    "I''m done with you," she said as she headed for the door.

    "How can you leave without kissing me?" Tom asked and Lucy rolled her eyes as she returned to kiss him.

    She brushed her lips against his but Tom held her and deepened the kiss until she moaned and leaned into him, and then he pulled away.

    "That''s more like it," he said with a grin.

    "Would you like to shower twice? Now and thenter?" She asked with a wink making his chuckle.

    "You look exhausted," he reminded her.

    "Yes, I am. I''m in need of a deep tissue massage," she said with a coy smile.

    "You hear me? A really deep massage. You will use your hands for some areas, and some other organ for other areas. I believe we can call it a happy ending massage at the end of the night," she said with a suggestive smile and Tomughed out loud.

    "You''re so naughty," he said, and she grinned.

    "And I know you love me that way," she said as she headed for the door.

    "Do you want to discuss something private with him or can I join you? Maybe I could talk with Tyler while you talk with Lucas. That way we cane back up together. I don''t want you to sleep off before I get back," Tom said and Lucy thought about it for a second.

    "Why don''t we get out of these clothes first?" She asked when she realized she was still wearing her bridesmaid dress and Tom was still wearing his suit.

    "Good idea. Let''s do that," Tom said and they spent the next couple of minutes changing into morefortable clothes.

    After they were done, they returned downstairs to join Lucas and Tyler who were at the bar chilling and talking, since Tom had said he would join them there shortly.

    "Tom just informed me you are leaving tomorrow. Why didn''t you say anything?" Lucy asked as she sat down.

    ""Maybe because I knew he was going to tell you?" Lucas said with a chuckle.

    "What if he didn''t?" She hissed and he smiled.

    "It escaped me. Besides, I didn''t think you would think it''s a big deal. Unless you are saying you miss me so much and would want to spend more time with me," Lucas teased.

    "I was actually looking forward to that. Tom said you''re leaving because you want to help Amy resolve her issue with Miley''s family. Is that right?" She asked and Lucas raised a brow.

    "Why are you asking me that? Would Tom lie to you?" Lucas asked and Lucy red at him, while Tom and Tyler chuckled.

    "Tyler, let''s speak in private for a moment," Tom said, and led Tyler away since he and Harry had agreed that he would be the one to get the details of Tyler''s colleague from him so they could leave Lucas out of whatever they were doing.

    After Tom and Tyler left, Lucy looked at Lucas, "Do you like Amy?" She asked, and he frowned.

    "Where is thating from?" Lucas asked in confusion, wondering if Amy told Lucy about the forehead kiss.

    "It''s just a question. Are you interested in her?" Lucy asked again, wanting to be sure of his feelings for her.

    "No. I''m not," Lucas said without thinking twice.

    "Are you sure?"

    "Why are you asking? Did she say something to you?" He asked, and when Lucy shook her head, he sighed.

    "Listen, Amy is cool. She is pretty and stuff, but I''m not cut out for any of that right now. I''m doing all I can for her for two main reasons. One, because I knew her and Miley, and I admired their friendship. It would be wrong to sit back and do nothing when she is being treated this way by Miley''s parents when I know she only respected their daughter''s wish. Secondly, I''m doing this because I know she is a good person. She stood up for you when you were in the middle of that scandal, so it''s only right that I stand up for her too," Lucas said and Lucy nodded in agreement.

    "Alright. I wasn''t asking because I''m against it or anything. I just wanted to know how you feel, that''s all. You know I like Amy," Lucy said and Lucas nodded.

    "Yeah. You should check on her tomorrow. She was in a pretty bad shape when we saw her earlier today. And please, don''t tell her anything about me going to meet with Miley''s parents," Lucas said and Lucy arched a brow.

    "Why not?"

    "Because I just don''t want her to know about it," he said with a shrug.

    "Alright. If you say so. How do you feel about Miley''s death though? Are you okay? I know you liked her," Lucy said and a smile touched Lucas'' lips as he thought of her.

    "I''m fine. It wasn''t unexpected after all," he said and then Lucy looked at him with a serious expression.

    "I saw you, Harry, Tom, and Jeff talking earlier. It looked pretty serious. Does it have anything to do with Mia and Tyler recognizing her? Is that the reason Tom wants to talk with Tyler?" She asked and Lucas nodded.

    "I think so. Tyler feels pretty bad about it even though I''ve assured him that Harry said it wasn''t a problem," Lucas said and Lucy pursed her lips thoughtfully.

    "I would feel bad too if I were in his shoes. He let his curiosity get the best of him and now he has presented a wrong first impression. They''re all going to think he has loose lips," Lucy said with a sigh.

    "Let''s talk about something else," Lucas said with a grin and Lucy raised a brow.

    "What do you want to talk about? And why are you grinning like an idiot?" She asked with an amused smile.

    "Your engagement. What''s the n? Are you going down on one knee with a ring?" He asked and she giggled.

    "Or are you just going to ask? What''s an engagement without a ring?" Lucas asked and Lucy nodded in agreement.

    "Sonia suggested I don''t get a ring for myself, so that Tom would have the opportunity to wear me a ring of his choice. But I n on getting him a ring," she said and Lucas chuckled.

    "And going down on a knee?" He asked, mirth dancing in his eyes at the prospect of seeing his sister do such a thing. He was certain he was going to die fromughter that day.

    "What''s with you and going down on a knee? No, I''m not doing that. And there is no way I''m telling you my n," Lucy said and Lucasughed out loud.

    "I can''t wait to see what you have up your sleeves for my beloved brother inw. And in case you haven''t figured it out already, I totally approve of him," Lucas said and Lucy giggled.

    "You''re good, right? How are you feeling up here?" Lucy asked, touching her head.

    Lucas smiled, "I''m very fine," Lucas assured her.

    "Sure?" She asked, and he nodded.

    "Sure. I can''t wait to move down here. A lot seem to be going on around here, and everyone seems to be dating everyone. It''s hard to keep up," Lucas said and Lucy giggled.

    "Yeah, there is no dull moment around here. And our cousins? What do you think about them?" Lucy asked and Lucas smiled.

    "Harry is pretty cool. I can see why he is Tom''s best friend. Andy is fun to be around, and Candace�� she is�� I don''t know how to ce her, she seems a bit reserved. She reminds me of you in a way. You before you met Tom," Lucas said and Lucy smiled.

    "The more time you spend around her, the more open she bes," Lucy said and Lucas nodded.

    "I''m sure. So, tell me more about Andy. I was expecting two cousins. How did I end up with three?" He asked, and Lucy went on to tell him about Andy and Candace.

 Chapter 811 We All Have Masks

    811 We All Have Masks

    While Lucy and Lucas were busy conversing, Tom was also busy with Tyler at the balcony.

    Tom had a frown on his face as he looked at Tyler, "So, you''re saying she visited the clinic three times a week, just to talk to your colleague?"

    "Yeah, that''s what he said when I asked why she was always visiting him," Tyler confirmed, his brow furrowed in response to Tom''s skeptical expression. "Apparently, they were close family friends."

    Tom''s skepticism intensified. "Close family friends? Did he specify if they were from her side or her husband''s? And what kind of conversations would warrant three visits a week? Is he a therapist?"

    "No, I didn''t ask the details of their friendship or conversations. And no, he isn''t a therapist," Tyler said, wondering why Tom was asking all that question.

    "Didn''t you ever suspect anything?" Tom asked and Tyler hesitated, considering the implications of Tom''s questions.

    "Are you thinking that maybe they were not just chatting?" Tyler asked when he realized where Tom was going with his questions.

    "Didn''t it cross your mind even once that there might be more to the visits?" Tom asked and Tyler shook his head.

    "Dr Evans would never do such a thing. He loves his wife too much to ever want to have an affair," Tyler said and Tom scowled.

    "Is that the best you can think of?" Tom asked in disbelief. "Did you ever notice anything unusual about Mia before or after these visits? Anything at all?" Tom asked again, and this time Tyler''s heart skipped a beat.

    He hadn''t wanted to believe that Sonia was right about the possibility of Mia being on the run from her abusive husband, but now, doubt gnawed at him.

    If that was true as Tom''s question was making him believe, he didn''t want to imagine that Mia had been visiting the hospital that often just to receive treatments, or that Dr Evans had been aware of the fact that she was being abused but had done nothing to help her.

    "There was one time I saw her wince as though she were in pain when settling into a seat in his office. But I dismissed it as a harmless ache," he said and Tom nodded.

    They were getting somewhere now, Tom thought, "So, do you think it''s possible that your colleague was treating the wounds inflicted on her by her husband?" Tom asked and Tyler nodded hesitantly.

    "It''s possible," Tyler said and Tom sighed deeply.

    "Can you tell me more about your colleague?" Tom asked and Tyler went on to tell him all he needed to know about Dr Evans.

    Once they were done they returned to join Lucy and Lucas who wereughing over something Lucas had said.

    "Do it, let''s see how he reacts," Lucy whispered to Lucas just as Tom got to where they were seated.

    "By the way, Tom, did Jade send you the pictures she captured of Lucy lying on Tyler''s body?" Lucas asked, and Lucy stuck her tongue in her cheek as they watched Tom turn to Tyler.

    "Is that true?"

    "You heard Lucas. Lucy was lying on me not the other way around. I didn''t initiate the contact," Tyler said defensively.

    "Why did you let her lie on you?" Tom asked and Tyler looked from Tom to Lucy and Lucas incredulously.

    "What do you mean why did I let her lie on me? I was sleeping and I woke up to her lying on my body and hugging me��."

    "She hugged you? You hugged another guy?" Tom asked and turned to re at Lucy who was grinning at him.

    "It wasn''t a big deal. Are you going to talk to Lucas or can we go up now? I''m exhausted," she said with a pout as she stretched, and Lucas chuckled when Tom''s re transformed into a concerned expression.

    "Want me to carry you upstairs?" He asked in a soft voice and Tyler looked from Tom to Lucas who was grinning as he watched Tom and Lucy.

    Lucy bobbed her head as she held out both hands to Tom like a baby, and Tom swept her off her feet before turning to Lucas, "I thought I could hangout with you tonight, but as you can see, she needs to go to bed, so let''s hangout when next youe around. Make sure to leave Tyler where you found him ande alone," Tom said before taking her away, and Lucy winked at Lucas as they left.

    "Is he really that crazy about her or is he putting up a show for my sake?" Tyler asked and Lucas chuckled.

    "Does Tom look like he cares about anything other than Lucy? Why would he put up a show for your sake?" Lucas asked and Tyler smiled.

    "Well then, I''m happy for Lucy. I don''t think I could ever have given her that," Tyler said and Lucas nodded in agreement.

    "Yeah. So, what did Tom want to talk about? Did he pay you off to stay away from Lucy for life?" Lucas asked and Tyler chuckled.

    "That wouldn''t have been such a bad idea," Tyler said and then sighed before going on to tell Lucas what they had discussed.

    As Tom carried Lucy up the stairs, she grinned as she looked into his face, "Were you really mad that I hugged Tyler?" She asked and he shook his head.

    "Not mad. I wasn''t mad, but at the same time I don''t like the idea of you being that close to any guy. Does that make sense to you?" He asked, and she nodded.

    "Yep. I definitely wouldn''t like it if a random girl from your childhood showed up and started hugging and throwing herself at you," Lucy said and Tom arched a brow.

    "Then why did you do it then?" He asked and she smiled.

    "Because I didn''t think of it like this at the time. And also maybe because I trust myself enough to know that nothing would happen between us," Lucy said thoughtfully as she helped Tom open their bedroom door and he carried her in.

    "But if the situation was reversed you wouldn''t trust me enough?" He asked and she grinned.

    "Well, I''m working on that," she said andughed out loud when Tom threw her on the bed.

    "Seriously?" He asked and she grinned.

    "Of course, you know I trust you too. To an extent," she added with a giggle and Tom scowled.

    "To an extent?" He asked as slowly as he advanced towards her on the bed with a challenging glint in his eyes and sheughed.

    "Fully. How can I not trust you fully after all we''ve been through together in such a short while?" She asked looking into his face withughing eyes and Tom lowered his lips to hers.

    "I was wondering the same thing," he said as he kissed her slowly, causing her toes to tingle.

    "I don''t know if it''s because I was away for two days, but kissing you is making me tingle all over," she said and Tom chuckled as he pulled away.

    "Rx, while I will run us a bath," Tom said before walking away.

    Lucy had a smile on her face as she stretched out on the bed and then reached for her handbag and took out her phone.

    She raised a brow when she saw some missed calls from Sonia and a text asking her to call immediately she sees the text.

    Lucy raised a brow as she dialed Sonia''s line and almost immediately Sonia received the call.

    "What are you doing with your phone when you should be busy honeymooning? And why are you still up till now?" Lucy asked the moment the call connected.

    "Where have you been? And where did you leave your phone?" Sonia hissed irritably.

    "I was hanging out with Lucas and Tyler downstairs. What''s the problem?" Lucy asked with a worried frown and Sonia sighed.

    "It''s not exactly a problem per se. I need you to help me keep an eye on Mia while I''m away. Do you think you can do that? Maybe just check on her and hangout with her when you can. I''m worried about her, and since I won''t be around to do it myself I was hoping you could help me, just until I get back," Sonia exined and Lucy nodded.

    "Sure. Of course, I can. I will be stopping over there tomorrow to see Amy. I will check on her while I''m there," Lucy promised and Sonia smiled.

    "Thank you so much," Sonia said, d that Lucy did not bother asking her any questions she didn''t have answers to.

    "But you shouldn''t worry too much. Lucas told me Jeff would be keeping an eye on her too," Lucy said wanting to put Sonia''s mind at ease.

    "Jeff? Lucas? What''s going on?" Sonia asked in confusion.

    "Tyler told me about what happened earlier when you asked us to excuse the three of you today. Harry knows about Mia and both Harry and Tom are helping her. Jeff is also involved," Lucy said and Sonia frowned wondering why it seemed like everyone else was aware of what was going on with Mia and she and Bryan were thest to know.

    "Babe, the water is ready," Tom said as he stepped out of the bedroom and Lucy lifted a finger to let him know she needed a minute.

    "I don''t know the details, do you?" Sonia asked and Lucy shook her head.

    "Not exactly. Everything I know, I heard from Lucas. But from what he said her husband was abusive and she has lots of scars on her back. Jeff told them that," Lucy said and Sonia''s hand clenched in a fist.

    "I will call you in the morning before we fly out," Sonia said and after that they hung up.

    "Who was that?" Tom asked as Lucy as she kept her phone and got off the bed.

    "Sonia. She wanted me to help her keep an eye on Mia until she gets back," Lucy exined as she took off the dress she was wearing.

    "Did she tell you why?" Tom asked as he watched her and she shook her head.

    "No. But I heard about it from Tyler and Lucas, and I think it''s very nice that you and Harry want to help," Lucy said as she took the hand which Tom offered and followed him into the bathroom.

    Lucy smiled when she saw what Tom had done. Lavender candles flickered, casting a gentle glow on the steam-filled room.

    "It smells rxing," she said and he smiled.

    "I noticed some scented candles at your ce thest time, so I figured you like them and got some," he said and she sighed dramatically.

    "Tell me something. How did I survive all these years without your love?" She asked, and he chuckled as he took off his clothes.

    Lucy couldn''t help but feel grateful for this moment, and for the life they were building together.

    She stepped closer to Tom and wrapped her arms around him from behind, resting her head against his back.

    "Thank you for doing this," she whispered, pressing a gentle kiss to his shoulder.

    Tom turned around, his eyes soft as he looked down at her. "Anything for you," he said, leaning down to kiss her forehead.

    They stepped into the tub together, the warm water soothing their tired muscles. And as the hot water enveloped them, Lucy sighed, the tension slowly melting away.

    They sat infortable silence for a while, just enjoying each other''s presence.

    "I love you," Lucy said suddenly, breaking the silence. Tom smiled at her, feeling his heart swell with love.

    "I love you more," he replied, as she reached up to cup his cheek.

    She kissed him, a sweet, tender kiss that spoke of her love and devotion to him, and even though Tom was very much aroused, he held himself from making love to her since he knew that she was very exhausted.

    After they were done, they returned to the bedroom, and Tom made her lie on her stomach so he could massage her body.

    Lucy sighed as he massaged her, "You know, it''s hard to imagine that someone like Mia went through something like that. She always looked so vibrant and strong whenever I saw her. I mean, she doesn''t look like someone who would let anyone treat her that way," Lucy said thoughtfully.

    "Strengthes in many forms, love. And it takes immense courage to leave an abusive rtionship, especially when wealth and power are involved. So, you''re right about her being strong. You never can tell how long it took her toe up with this persona," Tom said and Lucy nodded.

    "I know. And I admire Mia''s bravely. I''m sure it was not easy to start over this way. But it makes me wonder what else is hidden beneath the surface. No one wants other people to see their vulnerability. We all have masks," Lucy said with a yawn and Tom smiled.

    "Don''t you think that goes to tell you that people only let you see what they want you to see? And in turn reminds us to look deeper, to offer support when we can. We should be grateful that we can be there for her," Tom said and Lucy nodded.

    "You''re right," Lucy said, findingfort in his warmth and understanding. "Thank you, love."

    "What for?" Tom asked and she shrugged.

    "For everything. For being here for me and for how you are always willing to offer a helping hand to anyone that needs it. It was thanks to you that I could take off my mask," Lucy said with another yawn and Tom leaned forward and kissed her forehead.

    "You don''t have to thank me for anything. Besides, you helped me take mine off too," he said and she rolled her eyes.

    "That doesn''t count as a mask," she said and he smiled.

    "That''s where you''re mistaken. It counts. Everything with you counts," he assured her.

    "Everything with me counts as a mask?" Lucy asked with a sleepy yawn and Tom chuckled.

    "I think you need to go to sleep now," he said, knowing that she would sleep off in any moment.

    "Yeah. So much for the deep tissue massage I dreamt about," she said and Tom chuckled.

    "We can always do that some other time after you''re well rested," he said and she nodded.

    "Yeah. Sure. I love you. Thanks," she said as her eyes closed and Tom grinned as he moved away from her so she could sleep.

    "I love you too, Jewel. Sweet dreams."

 Chapter 812 Chef Jeff

    <h4>Chapter 812 Chef Jeff</h4>

    A relentless thrumming bass line vibrated through Mia''s skull, pulling her from the depths of sleep with a groan. Blinking away thest cobwebs of slumber, she focused on the swirling patterns of sunlight on her bedroom ceiling.

    The music, thundering from somewhere below, vibrated through the floorboards. Why was it so loud like she was at a club? She mused.

    Confused, Mia sat up, hair a tangled mess around her face. Her gaze shot to the source of the music �C a portable speaker perched precariously on her desk, shing like a miniature strobe light.

    A movement at the foot of her bed caught her eye and panic red in her chest, reced by a surge of cold air as she finally took in the figure sprawled on the floor beside her bed.

    Jeff.

    There, sprawled across the floor,y Jeff. His hair was a tousled mess, his face peaceful in slumber, and a faint snore escaped his lips.

    Confusion washed over Mia. What was Jeff doing on the floor of her room? She mused.

    She shut her eyes tightly when the details of the night before came back to her.

    She pressed her lips together and wished the earth would open up and swallow her as she recalled showing Jeff the scars on her back and how he had touched them and she had almost kissed him when he told her that she was beautiful.

    After Jeff''s deration, she had wanted to kiss him, but instead had quickly walked away from him, saying she was exhausted and needed to go to bed, so how did he end up in her bedroom? She mused.

    While Mia was still seated on her bed willing the ground to open up and swallow her cause she couldn''t bear to look Jeff in the face, Jeff stirred, his eyes fluttering open.

    He blinked at her when he saw the way she was seated on her bed with eyes shut tightly and lips pressed together, his face creased in confusion. "Mia?" he mumbled, his voice husky with sleep.

    Mia''s heart skipped a beat when she heard his voice and her eyes flew open as she met his gaze.

    "Hey! Good morning," she greeted, a nervousugh escaping her lips. "Enjoying the floor?"

    Jeff chuckled as he sat up, stretching his arms above his head. "Yeah. Good morning," he said rubbing his eyes.

    "What are you doing here? And why is the music so loud?" She asked and Jeff met her gaze.

    "I guess you don''t remember," Jeff said as he rose to turn off the speaker.

    "Remember what?" She asked, and Jeff pointed to the bottle of empty whiskey on her bedside.

    Immediately she saw the bottle, she winced when she realized that she had been drinking as she usually did at night before going to bed.

    She could remember him knocking on her door and asking if he coulde in, and she asked him in, but that was as much as she could remember. She really hoped she had not made any blunders.

    Seeing that she didn''t seem to remember it all, Jeff decided to exin, "I brought the speaker because you said noise and music helps you drown out your fears. I told you I was bringing the club to you since you couldn''t go out to the club," he said and she frowned.

    "You did? What did I say when you said that?" She asked, twisting her hair around her finger awkwardly.

    Jeff chuckled, "You chose to connect your phone to the speaker and be the ''dj of this club'' in your own words," he said and she winced.

    A memory surfaced - her drunken giggle, the way she had asked him to dance with her. Shame mingled with amusement. "I did, huh?" She asked, looking away from him.

    "Yup," he said, his grin widening as he realized she was slowly getting back her memory. "And then you proceeded to tell me all about your childhood fear of clowns."

    Mia groaned, burying her face in her hands. "Please tell me I didn''t."

    "Unfortunately, you did," he confirmed, his voice teasing.

    "Anything else I need to know before I take my life?" She asked, and he chuckled.

    "Nah. You were pretty much well behaved until you slept off," he said and then she sighed as she looked at him with a serious expression.

    "So, why did you sleep on the floor? I mean, you could have left after I slept off," She said, and he held her gaze.

    "I didn''t want you to be alone now that I know why you always go out at night," he said and she looked away.

    The warmth in his voice sent a flutter through her stomach. "You didn''t have to stay," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

    "I thought you said you weren''t going to push me away anymore?" He asked and her gaze shifted back to him.

    "I''m not pushing you away. I''m just saying you didn''t have to," she said quietly.

    "I wanted to stay here and watch over you because I care about you," Jeff confessed, his gaze locking with hers.

    His words hung in the air, charged with unspoken meaning. Mia felt her cheeks flush as heat spread through her. Why was he always sofortable with throwing the word ''care'' around so easily?

    The awkward silence stretched between them, filled only by the soundsing from outside. Then, Mia broke into augh.

    "This is weird, isn''t it?"

    Jeff couldn''t help but smile, "Is it?"

    "Yeah. A little," she admitted, her voice lighter now. "But maybe not in a bad way."

    "I guess not, cause I don''t feel weird at all," he said and then looked at her for a moment, "You don''t seem hungover."

    "Nah. I''m good. Apart from my poor memory, I usually don''t suffer hangovers," she said and he nodded.

    "Coffee?"

    Mia nodded, "Yes, please. And thanks," she said, making him cock a brow.

    "What for?" Jeff asked and she shrugged.

    "Forst night," she said, leaving Jeff to wonder if she was talking about their conversation or their private party.

    "You''re wee. Why don''t you freshen up while I fix us something for breakfast?" Jeff offered, and she nodded.

    As Jeff headed for the door, she stopped him, "Jeff?"

    "Yeah?"

    "Is your cooking lesson offer still standing?" She asked and Jeff grinned.

    "Sure. Whenever you are ready," he said before walking away.

    Once he left, Mia sighed as she looked at the door with a little smile ying on her lips.

    She was d that he did not bring up anything about their discussion or the scars. And thanks to his humor, he had made an ordinarily awkward situation less awkward for her.

    She was d that she had epted his offer of friendship. If she was going to hang around here as she nned to, she was going to need the friendship, Mia thought as she rose to go freshen up.

    The aroma of freshly brewed coffee lured Mia out of the bathroom, and she stumbled into the kitchen, hair damp and face scrubbed, dressed in an oversized tshirt and shorts.

    She found Jeff standing by the counter taking out all he needed to fix breakfast, and instead of saying anything she stood back and took a moment to look him over.

    She smiled as she took in his new appearance once again. Not bad looking at all. Maybe now he would be able to get a girlfriend if he put his mind to it, Mia mused.

    As though he could sense her presence, Jeff turned to look at her with a grin.

    "Are you ready for your first lesson?" he asked, his voice warm and teasing.

    "So soon?" Mia asked as she grabbed a mug and poured herself a generous dose of caffeine.

    "No better time to start than now. But if you''re not ready, we can do so some other time," Jeff said and Mia sighed.

    "Let''s start now. What are you preparing today?" She asked as she set aside the mug.

    "Scrambled eggs and toast are the simplest things in the world. Today, you will be a master of the basics," he said as he gestured to a bowl.

    "Now, crack those eggs into the bowl. Careful not to get shell in," he ordered pointing to the eggs.

    Mia hesitantly cracked the eggs, flinching as a bit of yolk dripped onto her hand. Jeffughed as he grabbed her hand and wiped it clean with a damp cloth.

    "See, easy," he said, his touch sending a jolt through her. "Now, whisk them together, like you did thest time," he said as he handed her the whisk.

    Although she had done it just two days ago, now she didn''t seem to remember what she was doing as she clumsily whisked it.

    Jeff chuckled as he held her hand and showed her how to whisk it, "Do it like you''re conducting an orchestra," he said, guiding her hand gently.

    "Slow and steady. Imagine you''re creating fluffy clouds," he murmured, his voice close to her ear.

    His warmth sent a blush creeping up her neck, and Mia tried to focus on the eggs and not on the closeness, "I think I get it now," she said when she couldn''t bear it anymore, and Jeff stepped aside to let her continue.

    Mia focused her attention on the eggs under Jeff''a watchful gaze and soon, the eggs were whisked into a smooth, golden mixture.

    "Now, the toast," Jeff announced, putting a slice in the toaster. "It''s the crispy foundation for our eggy kingdom."

    Jeff showed her how to prepare the toast, thering it with butter and jam. The aroma of warm bread filled the air.

    "Perfect," Jeff said when she was done with the toast, and he led her to the stove. He poured butter into the pan, the sizzling sound making Mia jump.

    "Don''t be scared," he said, his voice calm and reassuring.

    "Now, the heat," he said, adjusting the me. "Too high, and they''ll turn into rubber. Too low, and they''ll be forever gooey."

    "Just pour the eggs in slowly, like pouring sunshine onto a canvas."

    "How do youe up with all these descriptions?" She asked, her eyes gleaming with amusement.

    "I don''t know. I''m not thinking about it. Just trying to make the ss fun for you. Now focus," Jeff said and following his instructions, Mia poured the eggs into the pan.

    They spread unevenly, clinging stubbornly to the bottom. Panic welled up, threatening to drown her newfound confidence. But Jeff was there, his calm voice guiding her. He taught her how to gently nudge the eggs with a spat without overcooking them, coaxing them into fluffy curds. He showed her how to fold them over, creating a soft, eggy delight.

    "See? You''re a natural. Just a few more seconds, and breakfast will be ready," Jeff said and Mia smiled.

    Finally, they ted the eggs onto the toast, adding salt with a flourish. The aroma of breakfast filled the air as they sat at the dining to eat.

    Mia stared at her te, a sense of aplishment washing over her.

    "I did that," she whispered, surprised by the pride in her voice.

    Jeff took a bite, his eyes twinkling. "You most certainly did," he agreed, "and it''s delicious. Not bad for a first attempt, I must say."

    Mia took a bite, surprised by the deliciousness. The eggs were fluffy and vorful, the toast perfectly crisp. It wasn''t Michelin-starred cuisine, but it was hers, made with Jeff''s patient guidance.

    "See?" Jeff said, a proud smile on his face as he watched the surprised smile on her face.

    "Just follow my lead, Mia, and you''ll be a kitchen wizard in no time," Jeff said and Mia smiled back, a warmth spreading through her chest that had nothing to do with the scrambled eggs.

    "You like to brag a lot, don''t you?" Mia asked and he shook his head.

    "I''m actually being very modest right now," he said and she giggled.

    They ate infortable silence, the simple meal tasting like a victory. Mia couldn''t remember thest time she''d enjoyed food so much, not just for its taste, but for the shared experience of creating it.

    "Thank you, Jeff," she said, her voice thick with emotion. "For the breakfast, and for teaching me," Mia said when they were done eating.

    Jeff smiled, his eyes warm. "Anytime," he said. "Now, the real question is �C are you ready to take on lunch?"

    Miaughed, a genuine, carefree sound. "Maybe tomorrow, chef. Let''s savor this victory first," she said as they cleared the table and Jeff chuckled.

    "Notice how your name sounds like Chef? Chef Jeff?" She joked and Jeffughed.

    After they were done with the dishes, Mia looked at Jeff as she dried her hands, "You know," she said, a spark of excitement igniting in her eyes, "this breakfast thing was fun. Maybe next time, we can try something a little plex?"

    "Complex, huh? We haven''t even started yet and you''re sounding this cocky," Jeff said a yful smile on his lips as he watched herugh.

    Jeff wasn''t sure if Mia realized that she was a lot more open now than she had ever been around him, and not only were her eyes which were usually guarded and dull, sparkling now, but herughter sounded more true and beautiful too.

    Perhaps she was this way now because she didn''t have the weight of her pasts weighing her down anymore now that she had shared part of it, and she didn''t need to worry about hiding anything from him anymore.

    Whatever her reason was for being this way, he hoped that she would keep being this happy. He was going to do all he could to keep her this way.

 Chapter 813 New Keys

    <h4>Chapter 813 New Keys</h4>

    Amyy sprawled on Lucy''s bed, her thoughts swirling in a murky haze of grief and numbness. The tears that had poured freely earlier had dried, leaving behind a dull ache, an emptiness that echoed with the absence of Miley''sughter. The world felt muted without her.

    A chime of the doorbell pierced the silence, jolting Amy from her grief-stricken reverie.

    For a brief moment, a spark of hope flickered in her chest, Maybe it was Lucas,ing to check on her, hisforting presence a balm to her raw emotions.

    She hurried to answer it, half-expecting to see Lucas standing on the other side. But when she opened the door and saw Mia, her heart sank.

    "Good morning, Amy!" Mia greeted cheerfully and then her smile waned when she saw Amy''s physical state.

    "Are you alright?" Mia asked with a concerned frown.

    Amy tried to sh her a smile, but her face refused to cooperate with the pretense, "Yeah," Amy said in a cracked voice and then cleared her throat.

    "You don''t look okay. Are you ill? Is something wrong?" Mia asked, forgetting that she had onlye to deliver Lucy''s car key to Amy, since they had returned past midnight and had been unable to give it to her then.

    And she had volunteered to deliver the key to Amy when she saw how reluctant Jeff had been to do it himself.

    Amy shook her head, "I''m not ill. It''s here," she said touching her chest as tears pooled in her eyes.

    "I lost my best friend," she exined andpassion shone in Mia''s eyes.

    "Oh, dear! I''m so sorry," Mia said as she reached for Amy''s hand without thinking.

    "Do you needpany? Perhaps you''d like me to listen while you talk about her or hand you tissues and hold you while you cry?" Mia asked and even though Amy appreciated her offer, she shook her head.

    "No, thanks. I''m sure you have better things to do with your time," Amy said and Mia shook her head.

    "No, I don''t," she said, since the only thing she had nned on doing was ying a game of scrabble with Jeff, and she was sure he wouldn''t mind postponing it.

    "Thanks, Mia. I appreciate it, but I think I will rather be alone right now," Amy said, and Mia nodded.

    "Alright then. If you needpany, you can let me know. I have nothing much to do since Bryan and Sonia are away on their honeymoon," Mia said, reminding Amy about the wedding which she had been invited to but had been unable to attend. The same wedding that had brought Lucas into the country.

    "Speaking about Bryan, here. Lucy asked us to give you the car key. She said you can use it to move around while you''re here," Mia said and Amy took the key from her.

    "Thanks," Amy said and Mia shed her smile.

    "If you needpany, all you need to do is ring the door bell, okay?" Mia said and Amy nodded.

    "Sure. Thank you," Amy said once again, and Mia gave her a nod before walking away.

    Amy sighed as she shut the door and returned to the bedroom. She couldn''t help wondering how much longer Lucas would hang around now that the wedding was over.

    No sooner had she gotten back on the bed before the doorbell rang and as she rose to get the door this time she couldn''t help wondering if it was Miaing back because she forgot to deliver a message or perhaps Lucas.

    When Amy opened the door this time, she saw Lucy standing at the doorstep with a strained smile on her face and a lunch pack in hand.

    "Hey, Amy. I hope I''m not interrupting anything. Is it okay if Ie in?" Lucy asked and Amy held the door open.

    "Of course," Amy said, wondering why Lucy was asking her that in her own apartment.

    "Are you sure? It''s okay if you don''t wantpany," Lucy said, just in case Amy was letting her in simply because it was her apartment.

    "It''s fine," Amy said, forcing a weak smile as she gestured for Lucy to enter

    As they settled into the living room, Lucy''s eyes scanned Amy''s face, taking in the telltale signs of grief that lingered there.

    "I heard from Lucas. I''m sorry I didn''t call to check on you. I just didn''t know what to say to you over the phone or how to console you. How are you holding up?" she asked softly, reaching out to squeeze Amy''s hand.

    Tears welled up in Amy''s eyes, and she buried her face in her hands, unable to hold back the flood of emotion. Lucy moved closer, wrapping her arms around Amy in aforting embrace.

    The dam within Amy broke again and the tears which had stopped flowing came back, streaming down her face, hot and raw. "Miley''s gone, Lucy," she choked out, her voice thick with grief. "My best friend... she is gone. I miss her so much, Lucy. I know she was dying, but I can''t believe she is gone. I feel so empty and lost."

    Tears gathered in Lucy''s eyes as she tried to offer herfort. Lucy couldn''t imagine how she would feel if she ever lost Sonia. She didn''t want to ever imagine it.

    "It''s okay to grieve, Amy," Lucy said, her voice soothing. "Miley was a huge part of your life, and it''s natural to feel lost without her."

    Amy clung to Lucy as she cried, her shoulders shaking with silent sobs, the pain pouring out in ragged breaths, each tear a desperate plea for the impossible.

    Lucy held her tighter, tears dropping from her eyes as she offered silent support while Amy let out her grief. After a few moments, Amy''s sobs began to subside, and she lifted her head, wiping away her tears with the back of her hand.

    "I keep thinking about ourst time together and I really wish I knew it would be thest time I see her, or talk to her, or hold her. I just wish... I wish I could have said goodbye," she whispered with a sniffle.

    Hearing that, Lucy could understand better why Lucas had decided to embark on that trip to talk to Miley''s family, and she hoped for Amy''s sake that Miley''s parents would give him listening ears.

    Not knowing what to say to that, Lucy squeezed Amy''s hands gently, and just remained quiet as she listened to Amy pour out her heart.

    "Thank you, Lucy. You and Lucas have been so helpful and I don''t know how I could ever repay the kindness."

    "You don''t have to thank me, Amy. We are happy to help. And I''m d Lucas could be here for you when I wasn''t," Lucy said and as they sat together in quietpanionship, Amy''s thoughts drifted to Lucas, and she couldn''t help but feel a pang of sadness at his absence.

    "Speaking of which, how is Lucas doing? I hope he didn''t get sick from being under the rain with me," she asked, trying to sound casual even though what she really wanted to know was why Lucas had not stopped over to check on her since the previous morning.

    "He is fine. I came over after seeing him off to the airport," Lucy said and Amy''s heart skipped a beat.

    "The airport? He left already?" She asked, trying to keep her voice steady.

    "Yeah, he had to take care of some business urgently," Lucy said and Amy felt a knot form in her stomach at Lucy''s words, an unexpected wave of hurt washing over her at the knowledge that Lucas left without a word to her.

    "I see," Amy said, trying not to look or sound hurt.

    She tried to remind herself that he traveled down for something, and she wasn''t part of the reason he made the trip. Meeting her here had been by chance and he had been a gentleman enough to offer her as much help as he could during his short stay here.

    It was wrong of her to expect anything more from him than he had already done, when she should be feeling grateful for all he did despite their difference.

    It was also wrong for her to feel hurt that he left without a word. He didn''t owe her anything.

    He might have said they were friends, but she knew that had only been a thing of the moment. Lucas had no reason to want to be friends with her considering their past interaction and how she had acted like an idiot and had been rude to him because she was too embarrassed and proud to admit that her choice to support Miley''s decision had been wrong.

    "Are you okay?" Lucy asked since even though Amy tried to maintain a neutral expression, she had caught the flicker of disappointment that crossed Amy''s face.

    "Yeah. Sure," Amy said and Lucy smiled.

    "You know," she said gently, "you don''t have to pretend around me. If you''re disappointed about Lucas leaving without a word to you, it''s okay to say so. I would be upset too. As a matter of fact, I didn''t even know he was leaving so soon until I heard it from Tom after we got home from the partyst night," Lucy said and Amy shook her head.

    "I don''t have any reason to be upset. We are not that close. He was just so helpful and I wish I had the chance to thank him, that''s all," Amy said and Lucy nodded.

    "Don''t worry, I will extend your gratitude to him if that''s what you want. Here. I brought you something to eat. I will get out of your hair now since I''m sure you would want to be alone," Lucy said as she rose since she still had to drop by Mia''s apartment and go get ready for her date with Tom.

    "Thank you again, Lucy," Amy said, rising as well. "For everything."

    Lucy squeezed her hand warmly. "Anytime. Call me if you need anything."

    "I will. Thanks," Amy said as she walked Lucy to the door and waved goodbye as she watched her go over to the apartment next door.

    Turning back into the apartment, Amy''s thoughts drifted back to Lucas. She wondered why he hadn''t said anything to her about leaving, why he hadn''t even stopped by to say goodbye.

    As shey on the bed pondering this, the doorbell rang, interrupting her thoughts. This time around she didn''t bother wondering if it was Lucas since she knew he wasn''t in Ludus.

    She went to get the door and was surprised to find a delivery man standing there with a package.

    "Delivery for Amy Grant," he said, and Amy''s heart skipped a beat.

    Who could be sending her a package, especially here, at Lucy''s ce? A wave of suspicion washed over her. Did Malone find out about her being here?

    "I''m Amy Grant. May I know who sent the package?" Amy asked cautiously and watched as she delivery man turned the package so she could see what was written on it.

    Confusion battled with a flicker of warmth when she saw the sender''s name on it: Lucas Perry.

    What could Lucas have sent her? Why would he send her something now, after leaving without a word? Taking a deep breath, she signed for the package and thanked the delivery man.

    Her curiosity piqued, she returned inside with the package, eager to open it and see what it was.

    Inside, nestled in tissue paper, was a set of shiny new keys. A small notey beside them. It read,

    [Amy,

    I know things are incredibly tough right now, and I worried you might not have the energy or remember to change the locks as we talked about. I hope you don''t mind that I got it done. Those are the new keys to your apartment.

    I understand the pain you''re carrying, but please know that this hurt won''t stay forever. One day, when you think of Miley, I hope it brings a smile and a warmth to your heart, knowing you were blessed to have such an angel in your life.

    Remember, Miley''s love for you isn''t gone. It lives on in every shared memory, every lesson learned, everyugh you shared. Hold onto those precious moments, let them be yourfort and strength.

    Grief is a journey, not a destination. Take each day as ites, be gentle with yourself, and feel whatever you need to feel. Most importantly, take care of yourself, Amy. - Luca]

    Tears welled up in Amy''s eyes as she finished the letter. Lucas''s words, though simple, resonated deep within her. The weight of his thoughtfulness, especially with everything he was likely dealing with himself, touched her deeply.

    She clutched the keys, the cool metal grounding her in the present as her lips curved in a small smile at his reference to himself as Luca.

    Lucas was the most thoughtful man she had ever met and she hoped that she would get a chance to express her gratitude to him and maybe repay his kindness some time in the future.

 Chapter 814 Breakfast In Bed

    Chapter 814 Breakfast In Bed

    Sunlight, filtered through the sheer curtains, danced across Jade''s eyelids, coaxing them open.

    Fatigue clung to her limbs, a souvenir of the festivities of thest two nights. The wedding had been a whirlwind ofughter, dancing, and maybe a few too many celebratory drinks.

    Yet, amidst the exhaustion, a delightful aroma tickled her nose. Bacon? Pancakes? The scent of breakfast in bed was practically a love song on a Sunday morning.

    Jade propped herself up on her elbows, a smile already tugging at her lips. Her gazended on a tray adorned with a te piled high with fluffy pancakes, crispy bacon, and perfectly scrambled eggs. Beside it, a steaming mug promised freshly brewed coffee. In the chair next to the bed, Harry, sat nursing his own mug, azy smile gracing his face as he watched her wake up.

    "Good morning, sleepy goddess," he said, his voice low and warm. "Sleep well?"

    "Like a log, knowing you were next to me. Breakfast in bed, huh?" She asked and Harry nodded.

    "Yup. Figured you might need a little coaxing to wake up."

    Jade''s smile bloomed into a grin. "You are a lifesaver. I swear, my feet still haven''t forgiven me for those heels and the dance moves."

    She reached for the coffee as she sat up and took a grateful sip. "Did Candace and Andy prepare these?"

    He shook his head, a yful glint in his eyes. "Nope, I did. I decided to make breakfast for the beautifuldies in my life. But don''t worry, yours tastes much sweeter. I made sure to save the best for you," he said with a wink, and she giggled as she reached for a pancake.

    "Nope. No. Go wash your hands first," he ordered and she frowned.

    "What''s the point of breakfast in bed if I have to stand up to go wash anything?" She asked with a pout.

    "I can''t believe I have to educate you on hygiene��."

    "Fine. Okay. I will go wash my hands and my teeth while at it. Geez!" Jade said as she got off the bed, and Harry grinned as he watched her leave.

    Harry remained where he sat, sipping from his coffee and thinking about what he wanted to say to her. N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "I''m back. See?" Jade asked, showing him her wet hands, "I deliberately chose not to dry them just so you see that I washed them. What else should I do? Shower before eating?" She asked, and Harry chuckled.

    "Kiss me," he said and she scowled at him as she leaned forward to kiss him.

    "Now go dry your hands," he said, andughed out when she raised her hands to show him she had dried her hands on his shirt.

    "Are you not eating?" Jade asked as she set the tray on the middle of the bed and sat down.

    "I am," Harry said as he joined her on the bed.

    Between bites, Jade chatted about snippets of the wedding. Harry listened patiently, his gaze soft and attentive.

    As they finished their breakfast, afortable silence settled between them, punctuated only by the clinking of cutlery.

    Jade sighed in satisfaction after she was done eating. "You deserve a medal. This was delicious," Jade said and Harry smiled.

    "Thanks."

    "See? That''s the way you shouldpliment a person when they prepare a meal for you," Jade said, and Harry looked at her, lost for a moment.

    "I thought you always bragged about how you were cursed with an excellent memory? Howe you don''t know what I''m talking about?" Jade asked incredulously.

    "What are you talking about?" Harry asked and she rolled her eyes.

    "Remember not saying anything when you tasted my meal for the first time? (Chapter 470)" She asked and a smile tugged on Harry''s lips.

    "Your meal? I remember wanting to say a lot when I tasted it but you were too shy and even covered your face with a pillow(chapter 648)," he said with a suggestive smile, and Jade blushed.

    "Don''t be naughty, you know the meal I''m talking about," she said and Harry chuckled.

    "No, I don''t. I can only think of one meal right now, and it is found��." Jade giggled as she stuffed thest piece of pancake into his mouth to shut him up.

    "For Christ''s sake, Harry!" She snapped, and heughed as she chewed.

    "Okay. Alright. Fine. Your presence made me ufortable so I wanted to make you ufortable too when I noticed you seemed to be waiting for a feedback. But it was nice. Very nice," Harry said and Jade smiled.

    "Thinking about it, I think visiting you then was what changed things between us," Jade said as she remembered all about that day.

    "You think? That was when you confessed your feelings to me after wasting our time with all your games (chapter 472)," Harry said and she grinned.

    "I wasn''t ying games. I wasn''t sure how toe right out and talk to you. Tom said you were old fashioned and wouldn''t want me to ask you out directly. And have you considered that I wouldn''t have had to y all that game had you simply told me how you felt from the beginning?" Jade asked and he snorted.

    "You were so hot that day. Thinking about it now, I remember how wet I was," Jade said and Harry grinned.

    "Really? You like me being a bad boy that much? Turns you on, huh?" He asked, wiggling his brows and she giggled.

    "I can''t help being turned on by every version of you. Whether you''re being a bad boy, or a gentleman, or a strict CEO, I love all that parts that make up Harry Jonas," she said and Harry smiled at her.

    "As I love all the parts that make up Jade Hank. The clingy, jealous, spoilt brat and all of that. The only part I''m willing to touch is the insecure part seeing how much it bothers you and affects you. And as you know, if my baby is not happy, I''m not happy. So, can we continue that conversation from where we stopped?" Harry asked, a serious expression recing his yful one.

    "Why don''t I take care of the dishes first?" Jade suggested, wanting to rise but Harry stopped her.

    "I will take care of it while you freshen up," Harry said as he rose.

    "I still want to see Candace and Andy��."

    "They are not in. They went out over an hour ago. Candace left to see Matt, and Andy decided to explore the city and also spend some time at her own ce," Harry said and Jade narrowed her eyes.

    "Did you talk to them about this?" She asked and Harry nodded.

    "Yes, I did. Don''t worry, I wasn''t harsh. I just asked them to advise you without dragging me and our rtionship into it. Every rtionship is peculiar and special in its own way, and what works for one couple wouldn''t work for the next. And sugar, I would really appreciate it if you let it sink into your pretty little head��"

    "My head isn''t little," Jade cut in.

    "Your pretty enormous head then," Harry corrected and Jade giggled.

    "Let it sink into your head that when ites to you, no one knows or understands how much I adore you. So, listening to what others have to say about our rtionship might actually not be favorable to us," Harry said and Jade nodded.

    "Alright. I will go freshen up and you can do the dishes. I never really like doing dishes anyway, with or without dishwashers," Jade said and Harry chuckled as he picked up the tray.

    "Lucky us that I don''t mind doing the dishes," Harry said as he walked away while Jade went in to freshen up.

    Thirty minutester, Jadey nestled against Harry''s chest on the bed. Harry trailed a finger down her arm, sending shivers dancing across her skin as theyy infortable silence for a while, simply enjoying each other''s presence.

    However, the unspoken conversation hung in the air, a weight they both acknowledged.

    So," Harry began, his voice soft but determined, "where were we?"

    Jade took a deep breath, the warmth of his arm wrapped around her body a grounding anchor. "We were talking about working on being able to spend some time apart," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

    "Right," he nodded, as he ran a hand down her arm. "And how you feel like you might be��too much."

    "Clingy, insecure," Jade supplied, the words tasting bitter on her tongue.

    Harry sat up and adjusted so that they could look at each other.

    "Listen, Sugar," Harry said, his gaze meeting hers, "I love your passionate nature. It''s one of the things that drew me to you in the first ce. But I also understand your concerns. We both need space to grow as individuals, to pursue our own passions and interests."

    Jade nodded, her heart clenching at the thought of being apart, even for a short while.

    "But being apart doesn''t mean being disconnected," Harry continued, his voice gentle. "Maybe we could set aside specific times for just us, phone calls or dates, and then have separate time for our own hobbies and friends."

    The idea resonated with Jade. It offered a structure, a way to bnce her desire for closeness with the need for individual space. "That could work," she admitted, thinking about signing up for dance lessons and maybe yoga. Anything that would give her less time to be in other people''s business and also let her give Harry a bit of space.

    "Good. We will make it work in a way that when I''m doing something else that doesn''t involve you, you can be doing something else that doesn''t involve me as well. That way you won''t be bored, and when we talk or see we can have other things to talk about. I also think all of this is temporary, anyway. I know how you can be when you''re working on a case. You are usually too busy to worry about me," Harry said and Jade nodded.

    "True," she said, thinking about how busy she had been before her grandfather died and even when they returned from their trip recently and she had to conclude Rebekah''s case.

    She had stayed away from Sara''s case since she had decided that no matter how terrible Sara might be, she didn''t want to be directly responsible for locking her boyfriend''s mother away. Harry could do that himself.

    "Alsomunication," Harry said, taking her hand, "open and honestmunication is key. If you''re feeling insecure, don''t bottle it up. Talk to me, and we can work through it together."

    "What if what happensst time happens again? I mean, what if Tom decides that he wants to spend time with you during the little time we schedule for ourselves?" She asked and Harry smiled.

    "I''m not jealous of Tom. I''m not asking that cause I''m jealous. He is my brother and I love him. It''s just that I don''t like you choosing to spend time with him over me," Jade said honestly and Harry nodded.

    "That was a one time thing. I assure you that it won''t happen again. Also, Tom and I already agreed to resume our weekly hangouts. That way, he won''t intrude on our time together. And if for any reason he shows up randomly like he did thest time, I will let you chase him away, after all, he is your brother and won''t hate you for it," Harry said with a reassuring smile.

    "What if he doesn''t leave?"

    "Then we will just have to pay him back in his own coin until he gets the message," Harry said with a grin and Jadeughed.

    "I think I like that idea," she said, thinking of all the ways she could frustrate Tom knowing how much he loved to spend time alone with Lucy.

    "But I don''t think it will get to that. Tom didn''t do it to piss you off. And I know very well that after seeing how much you didn''t like it, he won''t repeat it," Harry said, since he knew Tom that much.

    "If you say so."

    From there, the conversation flowed, easy and honest, as they explored their individual needs and expectations.

    They discussed their lovenguages, realizing that quality time together, even if it was just a shared walk or a movie night, held more value to them both than constant texting or phone calls. They acknowledged the importance of supporting each other''s passions, even if they didn''t always share them.

    "Is there anything else you want to tell me or ask me?" Harry asked and Jade pursed her lips thoughtfully.

    "I''m not asking this because I''m jealous or because I don''t trust you. And it''s okay if you choose not to answer my question. I''m only asking cause I''m curious," Jade said without meeting his gaze and Harry raised a brow.

    "Go on," he said and Jade spared him a nce.

    "What''s going on between you and Mia?" She asked, looking away from him again.

    Harry looked at her for a moment, "Mia used to be the wife of one of our business partners," Harry said, and Jade blinked in surprise.

    "What?" Of all things she had expected him to say, that was not in the list.

    "Remember how I said she looked familiar the first time I saw her?" Harry asked and Jade nodded.

    "Is this business partner based in Hu?" She asked and Harry raised a brow.

    "How did you know that?" He asked and Jade shrugged.

    "She was being weird when Tyler said she looked familiar, so I figured it had to be in Hu since that is where he is based," Jade said and Harry smiled.

    "I''m always in awe of how brilliant you are," he said and she beamed a smile at him.

    "Thank you. So, why does she keep denying her identity?" Jade asked and tears filled her eyes as Harry exined the situation to her.

    "That''s so terrible," Jade said and Harry nodded.

    "We are going to do all we can to help her, and break a couple ofws if need be," Harry said and Jade held his gaze for a moment and sighed.

    "Just be careful while at it. Is suppose this is going to affect our vacation?" She asked, and Harry shook his head.

    "No, it won''t. I promise," he said and she rolled her eyes.

    "I won''t mind even if it does. Her safety shoulde first. We can always go on our vacation when you don''t have to worry about other things," she said and Harry smiled at her with pride in his eyes.

    "That''s so thoughtful of you. But you don''t have to worry. Tom is here, and Jeff is living with her, so she will be safe. We will go on our vacation as nned," Harry said and Jade met his gaze, her eyes filled with love and gratitude.

    "I love you, Jonas," she said and Harry grinned.

    "I can bet not as much as I love you," he said and she shook her head.

    "Don''t bet on that."

 Chapter 815 Sexual Sadism

    Chapter 815 Sexual Sadism

    After Mia returned from Lucy''s apartment earlier, she had met Jeff waiting for her in the living room with hisptop which they were to use to y the game of Scrabble.

    Now as they yed, a yful smirk tugged at her lips as she maneuvered the virtual tiles, forming a word that would earn her triple word score and likely leave Jeff scrambling, while Jeff''s gaze lingered on the elegant way her delicate fingers moved.

    "You have really pretty hands," Jeff said and Mia shed him a smile.

    "Thanks. You said the same thing the other day," Mia said as she leaned back in her chair, stretching as the satisfying snap of a triple word score echoed through the room.

    "Triple word score, Jeff. Looks like you''re about to go down." She dered, her voiceced with yful challenge.

    Jeff chuckled, leaning forward to admire the word she had yed.

    "Don''t be so cocky, Mia. It''s too soon," he countered, his voice low and yful. "I still have a few hidden gems left up my sleeve."

    "Sure. Give it your best shot," Mia said as she watched him, waiting to see how he would outy her.

    Jeff''s brow furrowed in concentration as he watched the screen trying to strategize his next move.

    "It''s okay to give up, Jeff," Mia said with a sweet smile.

    "Never. I never give up on anything. I''ve never given up on anything in my life and I''m not about to start now," Jeff said and sheughed.

    "Well, I guess that''s why I''m here to teach you that sometimes it''s good to know when to give up. You know, save yourself the stress and save my time," Mia said and Jeff looked at her.

    "And maybe I''m here to teach you that you should never give up, don''t you think?" Jeff asked, his tone serious.

    "Teach me then," Mia said, her tone challenging as she held his gaze and jerked her head to theptop screen, "show me."

    "What''s in it for me if I do so?" He asked and she raised a brow.

    "Then you would have thought me not to give up, isn''t that the point?" She asked, and he looked at her for a moment before giving her a nod.

    "Alright, let''s go with that," he said as he returned his gaze to theptop screen, giving it the whole of his attention.

    When the doorbell rang, Mia rose to go get the door, leaving Jeff who was still brainstorming on all the possible ways he could beat Mia and prove to her that giving up wasn''t always the best.

    "Hey, Lucy!" Mia greeted with a warm smile when she opened the door and saw Lucy standing there.

    "Hi, Mia! Good morning! How are you doing?" Lucy asked as she looked at Mia, trying not to let her face give away the sympathy she was feeling.

    "I''m fine. Were you visiting Amy? She looked so devastated when I stopped by earlier to drop off the car key," Mia said and Lucy nodded.

    "Yeah. I wanted to stop by and see how you''re doing, and also to thank you once again for helping me look out for Amy the other night," Lucy said and Mia waved it off with a smile.

    "That''s nothing. I''m d I could help," Mia said, and then they both fell into an awkward silence as Lucy looked at her not knowing what to say or do.

    "Uhm, what about Jeff?" Lucy asked as she picked her brain, trying to find something to say.

    "Jeff is okay," Mia said, looking at Lucy and wondering why it seemed like Lucy was struggling to hold a conversation with her.

    "And you? How are you doing, Mia?" Lucy asked and Mia smiled.

    "I''m fine. You asked already, and I told you I''m fine. Did Sonia send you over to check on me?" Mia asked and Lucy buried her face in her hands, making Miaugh.

    "Yes. She did. She is worried about you, and I am too," Lucy admitted.

    "You don''t have to worry. And she doesn''t have to worry either, I''m okay. I was ying a game of scrabble with Jeff before you stopped ove��."

    "YES! I did it!" Jeff screamed from inside making Mia''s lips twitch as Lucy jumped in surprise.

    "Do you want toe in?" Mia asked, since it seemed like Lucy wasn''t done yet.

    "Can I? Maybe just briefly. I promise not to take up too much of your time," Lucy said and Mia smiled. N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "It''s okay even if you do. Come in," Mia said, and Lucy walked in with her.

    The moment Lucy walked into the living room, her lips curved in a smile when she was flooded by memories of her and Tom in this apartment.

    Her first romantic dinner with Tom when he asked her to be his fake girlfriend and she asked him if they were going to have sex that night (chapter 98-100).

    Thinking about that date gave her an idea of what to wear for her date with Tom tonight.

    "Why are you blushing so furiously?" Mia asked when Lucy remained standing after she was seated.

    Lucy smiled as she focused on Mia and Jeff who were staring at her, "I guess I forgot the fond memories this apartment holds for Tom and I," she said and Mia narrowed her eyes.

    "You didn''t do anything on the couch, right? Which was Tom''s bedroom? Do we need to change the beds? And maybe the chairs?" Mia asked suspiciously, making both Lucy and Jeffugh.

    "Why would you change anything? Don''t you stay at hotels? Do you change stuff there?" Jeff asked before Lucy could respond.

    "I don''t know the identity or faces of those who stayed there before me. I don''t want to start imagining stuff about them in my head," Mia said and Lucyughed softly.

    "You don''t have to worry about changing anything. I can assure you that nothing happened," Lucy said as she sat down.

    "Hello, Jeff," Lucy greeted as Mia went to sit beside Jeff to see the word he had yed.

    "Hello. Ms Perry," Jeff greeted and Lucy''s brow arched at the formality.

    "Lucy is just fine," she said and Jeff nodded.

    "I wasn''t sure whether or not I should refer to you casually," Jeff exined and Mia shook her head.

    "You''re always such a gentleman, Jeff," Mia said and Jeff looked at her.

    "Why do you sound like it''s a bad thing?" He asked and she shook her head.

    "It''s not like it''s a bad thing��."

    "It''s not a bad thing. It would have been presumptuous of me to assume that I am close enough to her to address her by her first name. It''s basic manners," Jeff said and Lucy nodded.

    "Then I guess I should apologize for being so mannerless as to refer to you as Jeff," Lucy said and Mia turned to Jeff with a raised brow, waiting for his response.

    "Well, it''s different. You are my employer''s girlfriend��."

    "Give it a rest, Jeff. The point is, she called you by your first name first, so you should have been a gentleman and addressed her by her first name as well so she doesn''t have to feel bad and mannerless as she is feeling now. Right, Lucy?" Mia asked and Lucyughed.

    "There is no reason to make him feel bad. He was right and I was wrong," Lucy said easily.

    "I apologize for that, Mister?" Lucy asked, since she didn''t known Jeff''sst name.

    "Winfrey. But Jeff is good," Jeff said and Lucy nodded.

    "So, I guess now I can call you Jeff, and you can call me Lucy, right?" She asked and he nodded.

    "I''m sorry I interrupted your game. I just stopped by to see how Mia was doing," Lucy said and Jeff nced at Mia, wondering if she had told Lucy about everything.

    "Sonia asked her to check on me," Mia exined.

    "Yes. And, I''m very sorry about Tyler''s actions. I know you must feel very offended. He''s usually not the type to be a bbermouth," Lucy said apologetically.

    "You don''t have to apologize on his behalf. I''m not mad at him anymore, but I just really I don''t get to see him anymore, that''s all," Mia said honestly.

    "That''s fine. I promised not to take up too much of your time. I should leave now and let you continue your game. Will you let me know if you need anything?" Lucy asked and Mia smiled.

    "What could I possibly need? I''m fine. Don''t worry about me, and ask Sonia not to worry too. I''m okay as you can see," Mia said and Lucy nodded as she rose.

    As Mia escorted her to the door, Lucy remembered what Tom had asked her to find out from Mia, and she hesitated.

    "Go on," Mia said, sensing that Lucy wanted to say something to her.

    "Tyler said you used to visit his colleague��."

    "Who is his colleague?" Mia cut in, since she still didn''t know exactly who Tyler was.

    "A doctor back in Hu. You used to visit the doctor about three times a week," Lucy said and Mia nodded.

    "Yeah. What about it?"

    "The guys wanted to know if the doctor was working for you or your husband," Lucy said and Mia raised a brow.

    "By guys you mean Tom and Harry?" Mia asked and Lucy nodded.

    "I visited him because he was on my husband''s payroll and so was the only person he allowed to treat me," Mia exined.

    "And he didn''t attempt to find out what was wrong? Or help you?" Lucy asked, her gaze full of pity.

    "No, he didn''t help. I''m sure he knew what was wrong. Don''t look at me that way, Lucy. I really do not like it," Mia said and Lucy nodded.

    "Alright. I''m sorry. I just feel really terrible thinking about what you must have experienced. Can I hug you?" Lucy asked and Mia shrugged.

    "I guess. If it will make you feel better," Mia said and Lucy embraced her.

    "Hang in there, Mia. I trust the guys to take care of all of it. And I hope you won''t be mad if I ask this, have you gone for therapy yet?" Lucy asked as she pulled away and Mia''s brows pulled together.

    "I can''t believe I''m saying this to someone else, and I''m sorry if it sounds offensive. But if you haven''t, I could rmend my therapist. She is pretty good," Lucy said and Mia sighed.

    "I tried a couple of therapists but I really couldn''t open up about my problem so they couldn''t exactly help me. I will consider it again after everything is taken care of," Mia said and Lucy nodded.

    "That''s fine. I should get going now. Thanks," Lucy said as she stepped out of the apartment and Mia shut the door behind her.

    "So, you did y a good game," Mia said as she returned to the living room to continue her game with Jeff, but she saw him seated there with a serious expression on his face.

    "Can we talk, Mia?" Jeff asked and she sat down.

    "What do you want to talk about?" She asked, guessing that he wanted to ask her more questions about her past.

    "Why did you look like you were having a panic attack yesterday? And what did you talk to Harry about?" Jeff asked curiously.

    Not seeing any reason to hide anything from him anymore, Mia went on to answer his questions honestly.

    "What did Harry say? Does he have a n?" Jeff asked, since Harry had not told him anything about the n.

    Jeff listened patiently as Mia told him what Harry had said and when she was done, he nodded, satisfied by Harry''s n.

    "Can I ask how you got those scars?" He asked and she sighed since the scars were the least of what her husband had done even though the experience had always left her feeling like an animal.

    "Inflicting pain gives him pleasure. I mean sexual pleasure. He suffers from sexual sadism disorder. So, he whips me most times or cuts into my back in order to get off," Mia said without meeting Jeff''s gaze.

 Chapter 816 Art Gallery Date

    Chapter 816 Art Gallery Date

    Alone in her house, since Candace had dropped her off before going to visit Matt, Andy sat at the balcony, staring at the bottle of wine she had picked from the wine cer and wondering if Cassidy had deliberately ced it there.

    She remembered the brand all so well. That had been the wine Cassidy had been drinking when she was led to him the very first night of their encounter.

    She still remembered how Jero had walked into the living room while she was seeing a soap opera with Candace and had thrown a skimpy dress at her, asking her to change into it and follow him.

    "Why? Where are you taking her?" Candace had asked with a frown as she picked up the dress.

    "Stay out of it, pea," Jero had said before turning to Andy.

    "Hurry up. I don''t have all evening," he ordered.

    "No, Jero. She is not going anywhere with you if you don''t tell me where you''re taking her, and why she has to wear such a dress," Candace insisted stubbornly.

    "Fine. If you must know, I want to introduce her to someone. He''s going to give her a job in hispany. He likesdies to dress up nice, that''s why I want her to wear that," Jero said to Candace before turning to re at Andy who was still standing there.

    "A job? What kind of job? What''s the name of thepany?" Candace asked as Andy reluctantly went in to change.

    "You ask too many questions, and you know I don''t like it," Jero snapped irritably, startling two years old Jamal who was asleep on the couch beside Candace.

    Candace quickly picked up Jamal who was crying to pacify him, while Jero walked over to the refrigerator to take a can of beer.

    The moment Andy stepped out dressed in the mini dress and a heeled sandals, Jero nodded in approval as he looked her over, "Let''s go."

    "Take care of yourself, Andy," Candace called to Andy as she walked out with Jero.

    "The man you are going to be working for, his name is Cassidy Bank. Make sure you''re on your best behavior and you do whatever he asks you to do, okay? Do not do anything to embarrass me, else there will be hell to pay. You can''t keep leeching off me. You should at least bring something to the table," Jero said as he parked the car in front of a club.

    "Are we meeting him here? In a club?" Andy asked with a frown.

    "Do you have a problem with it?" Jero asked harshly, making her press her lips together as she followed him.

    Jero led her around the club to the private and secluded rooms reserved for the VIP guests.

    Jero rang the doorbell on one of the rooms and the door was opened by a huge man dressed in ck suit.

    The moment the man saw Jero, and saw Andy beside him, he shut the door and returned inside. He came back a short whileter.

    "The boss said you can leave, and only her cane inside," he informed Jero, and with a nod Jero stepped back.

    "I''m sure you can find your way back after your meeting. Be on your best behavior," Jero warned and walked away before Andy could say anything.

    "Come with me," the huge man in ck suit said as he held the door wider for her to go in.

    Twenty-two years old Andy walked into the room, and there he was, dressed in a white button down shirt and white trousers. His shirt was halfway undone and the belt of his trousers was loose.

    Cassidy was seated on the bed with a bottle of wine in his left hand and a cigar in his right hand.

    "Leave us alone," Cassidy said, dismissing the man.

    "Hi-��"

    "Strip," Cassidy ordered, cutting off whatever Andy had to say.

    "What?" Andy asked, taken aback by his order.

    Cassidy looked at her, his expression bored and annoyed, "You heard me the first time. Take off your dress," he growled and she frowned, wondering what sort of job required her to strip.

    "Shouldn''t I introduce myself��." Andy gasped and jumped back in shock when Cassidy threw the bottle of wine and smashed it against the wall behind her.

    "I don''t care who or what you are. Take off your damned clothes!" Cassidy yelled.

    Andy shook her head to shake off the memory. She didn''t want to think about it, she decided with a sigh as she rose from her seat.

    She doubted that Cassidy would have added that wine to the cer deliberately when he knew the kind of memory the wine would bring back.

    She picked up the bottle of wine and took it back to the cer. Maybe he liked the brand and had kept it there for himself not her sake, she decided.

    As much as she didn''t like to remember that experience,tely she had been thinking about it a lot.

    She had been thinking a lot about her past with Cassidy, and she wasn''t sure if it was because she missed him or it was because she had forgiven him or maybe it was her mind''s way of reminding her of all that had happened so she would realize that getting over whatever she was feeling was best for her.

    Perhaps Candace was right, and she was feeling the way she was because of the Stockholm effect.

    Was it normal for her to have feelings for someone who had sexually vited her regardless of his reasons? Someone who paid to have sex with her?

    Was it normal that she was desperately hoping that he would visit or that they would meet again? Andy mused as she moved around the house.

    Maybe she needed to get her head checked. There was probably something wrong with her.

    Over the course of the celebrations she had taken her time to study everyone and the dynamics of their rtionships.

    Sonia, Lucy, Jade, Aurora, and even Candace were involved with cool and calm headed men. Men who adored them and had real stuff going for them, so why was she interested in a man with such a dark past?

    One who was hiding from both thew and ouws?

    Even if there was the possibility of anything happening between them of they ever crossed paths, she was going to have to go back to that ind to live in hiding with him, and she wasn''t cut out for that kind of life.

    Liking or wanting him was an exercise in futility.

    If for anything they crossed paths in the future, then maybe they could be friends.

    She would keep the house since it was a gift, but she wouldn''t wait for him to show up or hope to see him. She was just going to go about living her life and hope that some day she would find the kind of love she deserved.

    Away from there, Amy sighed deeply when her doorbell rang again, and she rose to go answer the door, wondering why everyone wouldn''t leave her alone.

    She was surprised to see Lucy standing there with an awkward smile, "I''m very very sorry to bother you, Amy. You have no idea how sorry I am. But if you don''t mind sharing your space for a little mind, can Ie in to get ready for my date?" She asked and Amy looked at her incredulously.

    "Of course, you can. This is your apartment and I''m the one in your space��."

    "Well, it''s your space at the moment," Lucy said as she walked inside the bedroom.

    "Do you want me to help you get ready?" Amy offered.

    "Oh, no. You don''t have to worry about me. You can go do whatever you were doing before I bothered you," Lucy said and Amy walked out of the bedroom to give her the privacy she needed.

    Lucy had a grin on her face as she looked through her closet to take out the clothes she had worn on their first date.

    She dialed Tom''s line once she brought out the clothes and set them on the bed.

    "Change of n, love," Lucy announced the moment Tom received the call.

    "You''re not cancelling our date, are you?" He asked with a frown.

    "Not at all. But I was thinking. Instead of going to the gallery together, how about I meet you there?" She asked and Tom raised a brow.

    "Why? Are you going somewhere else?"

    "Not exactly. I want you to go ahead. I will join you in a bit. Adolf can drive me to the gallery," Lucy said since it was almost time for their date already.

    "And your clothes? Won''t you have toe home to dress up?" Tom asked curiously.

    "Don''t worry about me. I will dress up from my ce. I just want us to do something different. I will tell you about it when we meet," Lucy said and Tom sighed.

    "Alright. I will be waiting for you at the gallery," Tom said before hanging up, wondering what she was up to. N?v(el)B\\jnn

    An hourter, The air hung heavy with the scent of old paper and oil paints as Lucy walked into the gallery, her heart pounding a familiar rhythm against her ribs.

    Lucy scanned the sun-dappled hallway, searching for the familiar form of Tom since he wasn''t by the entrance.

    Suddenly, she spotted him. He stood before arge M water lily painting, his back turned to her.

    The sunlight streamed through the high window, casting a warm glow on his broad shoulders. He seemed lost in the brushstrokes, a rare calmness radiating from him.

    With a yful smile, Lucy decided to surprise him. She walked stealthily across the polished marble floor, her sequin blue dress whispering against her thighs�C the same dress she''d worn on their very first, awkward dinner date at his apartment.

    "Guess who?" Lucy asked in a false deep voice as she stood behind Tom and covered his eyes with her hands.

    Tom chuckled, "I already caught a whiff of your perfume," he said as he turned to look at her.

    "You look..." he began, his voice trailing off as he took in the dress. "It''s... that dress."

    Lucy grinned. "You remembered," she said with a bright smile.

    He nodded, a hint of amusement in his eyes. "Of course I did. Why would I forget a dress of such importance?" He asked and then leaned closer to her.

    "The good thing about wearing it now is that you won''t have to wonder whether or not I will make love to you tonight," he said with a teasing smile, making Lucy giggle.

    "Well, I wore the same set of undies I wore that night. This is your second chance," she said and Tom grinned.

    "By the way, I''m sorry I kept you waiting," Lucy said, changing the subject.

    "I don''t mind waiting, as long as it''s for you," he said, and then gestured towards the painting. "I got lost in the lilies. M always had a way of transporting me��" He trailed off, his gaze lingering on her.

    "Who needs to get lost in artworks, when there is you? You''re so beautiful, Jewel. I need to have a painting of you. One in my office, and another in the bedroom at home," he said softly and Lucy grinned.

    "Go easy with the ttery, love. You''re going to get some tonight whether or not you tter me," she said and he chuckled.

    "I''m being serious. What was I thinking not making love to you that night?" He asked and she grinned.

    "You were thinking about tricking me into bing your fake girlfriend. Let''s take a look around. Impress me with your knowledge of art," Lucy suggested, and Tom extended an arm to her and she hooked her arm with his.

    As they navigated the gallery, Tom surprised Lucy by effortlessly weaving tales about the art. He pointed out details in a M, the way the light danced on the water lilies, the hidden symbolism in a Chagall, and exined the symbolism hidden within a Bruegelndscape.

    Lucy equally surprised and delighted him with her insightful observations and genuine enthusiasm.

    "This ce is captivating," she whispered, turning to Tom.

    He smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "It suits you, doesn''t it? Full of hidden depths and unexpected beauty," he said and she raised a brow.

    "Unexpected beauty? Why is my beauty unexpected?" She asked and he chuckled.

    "I thought we were talking about the gallery and the paintings?"

    "We were, until you said that making it sound like you were referring to me," Lucy said with a pout and Tomughed softly.

    "Your beauty is actually beyond expectation," he assured her as he urged her along with his hand on her lower back.

    "And what I meant to say was that this ce reminds me of you. Beautiful, full of hidden depths, and always leaving me wanting more," Tom said and Lucy grinned as she stopped to look at him.

    "I leave you wanting more, huh? More of what?"

    "More of everything. I don''t think I could ever get enough of you," he said and she smiled.

    "My jaw is going to hurt so much from smiling because of all these sweetpliments from you," Lucy said as they continued moving.

    They paused before a vibrant Picasso. Lucy traced the bold lines with her finger, a thoughtful look creasing her brow.

    "It''s chaotic," she said, "but somehow, it works."

    "Perhaps that''s the beauty of it," Tom replied, his voice softer than usual.

    "Life is chaotic, Lucy, full of unexpected strokes and surprising twists. But sometimes, the chaos creates something beautiful, something unique," Tom said and Lucy mulled on it for a moment.

    "I guess you are right in a way," Lucy said and then looked at him seriously.

    "Howe I never knew you were such an art aficionado?" She asked and Tom shrugged.

    "I guess there is a lot we still don''t know about each other, seeing as I didn''t know you knew so much about art either," Tom said and Lucy smiled.

    "Isn''t that the beauty of all this? We can slowly discover it all. I''m not in haste to know everything about you. Are you?" She asked, and Tom shook his head.

    "Not at all. Hopefully, we have forever to do that. By the way, I got you a little present," Tom said as he pulled out a small velvet box and presented her with a delicate silver pendant, shaped like a blooming sunflower, the flower''s center adorned with a single sparkling diamond.

    "This reminded me of you," he said, his voice soft. "Bright, vibrant, and full of warmth."

    Tears welled up in Lucy''s eyes as she touched the pendant, the cool metal a stark contrast to the heat rising in her cheeks.

    "You know I''m all of that because you showed up in my life, right? You are the diamond at the center of my life," Lucy said and Tom leaned in and kissed her.

    "I was actually going to say that to you," Tom said as he tried to pull away but Lucy''s arm went around his neck to keep him in ce.

    "Hello, everyone! This absolutely gorgeous man here is the love of my life," Lucy announced loudly, surprising Tom, and the patrons around pped for them while Lucy grinned up at a flustered Tom.

    "Did you think I could only do that when I''m drunk?" She asked and he grinned.

 Chapter 817 Tampering With Time

    Chapter 817 Tampering With Time

    As Harry and Jadey on his bed seeing a movie, Harry''s eyes drifted to the wall clock and when he saw that it was almost 4 PM, it urred to him that Jade would be wanting to leave soon.

    She had said she would be going back to Tom''s ce by 5 PM, but he didn''t want her to leave. He didn''t want to spend a moment without her in the house with him.

    "I''m hungry. How about we go make lunch," he suggested, wanting to distract her so she wouldn''t know what time it was until it would be toote for her to go home.

    "I''m not hungry yet. Besides the movie has not ended yet. What time is it?" Jade asked and before she could nce at the clock, Harry kissed her.

    "We can continue the movie while we eat. You know, I read somewhere that cooking together is one of the best ways for couples to bond," Harry said distracting her from her question.

    "I see you''ve been doing your research on how couples bond. Are you trying to say you want to bond deeper with me?" Jade asked with a teasing smile, and Harry nodded.

    "You caught me. Let''s go bond over lunch," Harry said as he rose from the bed and pulled her up with him.

    "I need to ease myself first. I''ve been holding it in because I didn''t want to pause the movie," Jade said as she hurried to the bathroom, and immediately she left, Harry took down the wall clock and reset time.

    Done with that, he picked up her phone and ced it inside the drawer with his own, before going to the living room to also reset the wall clock there.

    He knew he could easily ask her to stay, and she would love to stay, but knowing her, he knew very well that even though she would want to stay, she would be reluctant to do so because she wouldn''t want it to seem like she was not actively trying to work on her supposed clinginess, and then she would worry about what Andy and Candace might think when theye back to see her in the house after she had said she would be leaving.

    He would prefer to act like the clingy one who tricked her into staying than make her worry about not actively working on giving him space�� space that he didn''t even ask for or need. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    As Jade walked out of the bathroom, she nced at the clock in his bedroom and she frowned when she saw it was past one.

    Did the clock stop working? She mused and then her lips twitched in amusement when it urred to her that it didn''t make sense that the clock stopped walking.

    Thest time she checked the time it had been past two, so why would it be past one now? Was the clock working backwards? She mused in amusement as she walked over to the bed to pick up her phone.

    When she didn''t find her phone, she narrowed her eyes as she looked at the door. Did Harry hide her phone? She mused as she walked over to the drawer and opened it.

    She grinned when she saw both their phones in the drawer. She checked the time and when she saw that it was past almost 4 PM, it urred to her that Harry didn''t want her to leave hence he had adjusted the clock and hid her phone.

    Jade giggled as she shut the drawer. Why didn''t he just say he didn''t want her to leave instead of going through all that stress? Wasn''t he the one that talked about propermunication earlier? She mused as she headed for the living room.

    As she walked into the living room, she could hear Harry moving around in the kitchen, so she decided to first check the clock in the living room to see if he had tampered with it too before joining him in the kitchen.

    She shook her head in amusement when she saw that he had also adjusted it as he had done the one in the bedroom.

    As she headed for the kitchen, she decided that she was just going to act like she didn''t know what he was doing, and y along with him so she could see how far he was willing to go just to keep her there with him.

    Jade leaned against the doorway, watching Harry bustling around the kitchen, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "What are we making, Jonas?" she asked, her tone teasing.

    Harry turned to her with a grin, holding up a couple of recipe books. "Just a simple pasta dish with a secret ingredient," he winked, then added a dramatic flourish, "Love!"

    Jade giggled, "Pasta, huh? Sounds�� adventurous." Her voice dripped with mock seriousness.

    Harry cleared his throat, "Hey! Sometimes simple works."

    "We don''t have all day, Jonas. Why don''t we just order takeout instead?" She asked and Harry looked at her with disapproval.

    "Take-out?" He repeated as if the concept was foreign to him, "Where is the fun in that? Cooking together is part of the experience. Plus, we can''t bond over takeouts. But hey, if that''s what you''re craving, I''m all for it," Harry said, feigning nonchnce.

    Jade couldn''t help but let out a smallugh, "Alright. Let''s bond over your secret ingredient pasta creation. What''s the time anyway?" She asked, wanting to see if he would lie to her.

    Harry nced at his wristwatch, "It''s lunch o''clock. Time to cook," he said with a grin and Jade burst intoughter, delighted by his response.

    "You can chop the vegetables and I''ll handle the pasta," Harry said and she readily agreed, her amusement bubbling beneath the surface.

    Soon they both fell into afortable rhythm of chopping, stirring, andughing. As they worked, Harry subtly nced at his wristwatch and saw that it was almost 5 PM.

    He knew he couldn''t keep the charade up forever but now he was content to enjoy yhis stolen time with her even if it meant resorting to such silly tactics.

    Once they were done preparing the meal and sat down to eat at the dining, Jade arched a brow, "So, what other bonding experiences do you have nned for us, Mr. ''Cooking-is-the-new-romance''?" Jade asked as they ate.

    Harry chuckled, "I have some games in mind. But first, let''s eat," he said, and Jade frowned.

    "What''s the time?" She asked, and Harry nced at his watch.

    "Why do you keep checking the time as though you''re in a hurry to leave me? It''s time to eat. Focus on your meal," he said with a grin as he raised a forkful of pasta to her lips and she giggled as she ate.

    Jade stole nces at Harry as they ate, her heart filled with warmth and love for him. He might have gone to some absurd lengths to keep her there, but it was the effort and genuine desire for connection that truly touched her.

    After eating, they did the dishes together and Jade sighed, "I should go get ready to leave," Jade said as she dried her hands and Harry frowned.

    "We didn''t finish seeing the movie earlier, did we? Let''s goplete it before you leave," Harry said, and Jade giggled as he lifted her and took her to the bedroom.

    "Have you seen my phone?" Jade asked, pretending to look for it on the bed.

    "I''m sure it''s around here somewhere. Don''t worry, I will help you find it when we are done," Harry said, and Jade giggled as Harry pulled her close so that her head was resting on his shoulder and patted her back as they continued the movie.

    As the credits rolled, Jade stretched, her gaze lingering on the screen for a moment before she turned to Harry with a smile. "That was a good movie," she said, and Harry nodded.

    "Let''s see another movie," Harry suggested and Jade pointed to the wall clock.

    "I think there is something wrong with the time. It should beter than that," Jade said wanting to see what Harry would say.

    Harry''s brows pulled together. "Really?" He asked without meeting her gaze and she grinned.

    "I should get going now," she said as she started to rise but Harry pulled her back down.

    "The elevator is sort of faulty��."

    "No, it''s not. You''re a terrible liar, Jonas," Jade said a yful smirk tugging at the corners of her lips.

    "Alright. Fine. You caught me. The elevator is not faulty. I just don''t want you to leave yet," he said, and she raised a brow.

    "Yet?"

    "Tonight. I don''t want you to leave ever. The house is unbearably empty without you," he confessed and she smiled.

    "But you won''t be alone. Candace and Andy will be here soon," she pointed out.

    "They are not you, are they?" He asked and her smile widened.

    "So, is that the reason you tampered with the clocks and hid my phone in the drawer?" She asked as her lips curved into a knowing smile.

    Harry cleared his throat, feeling his cheeks flush. "How did you know I tampered with the clocks?" Harry asked and Jade giggled.

    "Your ears are burning red. Don''t you think you''re forgetting that your girlfriend is a brilliantwyer?" Jade asked and Harry rubbed the bridge of his nose.

    "I didn''t forget. I was only hoping you''d be too distracted to notice. If you knew I tampered with the clocks and hid your phone, why didn''t you say anything? And why did you keep asking what the time was?" He asked with a scowl and she grinned.

    "What fun would it be to know the truth and not tease you?" Jade asked as she kissed the tip of his nose and before Harry could respond the doorbell rang.

    "I guess Candace and Andy are back," Jade said as she rose to go say hello to them since she had not seen them all day.

    Harry held her hand before she could leave, "You''re staying, right?" He asked, and her smile softened.

    "Seeing how much effort you put into getting me to stay, it wouldn''t be nice of me to leave my clingy boyfriend, would it?" Jade asked with a wink and Harry chuckled.

    "What''s the time now?" She asked and he nced at his watch.

    "It''s past seven," he said and she nodded.

    "Fix the clock, Jonas, and don''te out yet. Stay in there and reflect on your behavior," she said with a wink and Harryughed.

    "I want to talk to Candace," she exined before walking out of the room, leaving Harry who was shaking his head at himself stuck somewhere between amusement and embarrassment.

    "Hey, Jade! The house smells foody." Andy sniffed the air as they walked in and shut the door behind them.

    "Harry and I made pasta. We left some for you both. How was your day?" Jade asked looking from one to the other.

    "Candace had dinner with Matt already, so I guess what''s left is all mine," Andy said as she kicked off her shoes and followed the foody aroma to the kitchen.

    "Mine was good. I''m d you haven''t left yet. I was hoping to talk to you," Candace said as she picked up Andy''s shoes.

    "I wanted to talk to you too. Do you want to freshen up first and talkter?" Jade asked and Candace shrugged.

    "Give me ten minutes to get out of these clothes and join you. Where is Harry?" Candace asked as she headed down to their bedroom.

    "He''s in the bedroom. I will be waiting at the dining," Jade called after Candace as she went to meet Andy in the kitchen.

    Andy who was serving some of the food on to a dish turned when Jade walked in.

    "I got an earful from Harryst night. I''m sorry for my unsolicited advise��."

    "Don''t do that, Andy. I did appreciate it," Jade cut in.

    "I''m sure you did. But Harry was also right. All rtionships are not the same. What works for one may not work for the other, and everyone can''t be the same either. Advising you to be a certain way is somewhat arrogant if you think about it, cause that''s like saying I''m better and know better or my way is better. You should be yourself and not mind people like us," Andy said and Jade frowned.

    "Are you upset?"

    "No, I''m not. Just being my usual honest self. What do I know to be advising anyone? Do I even know enough to give advise to anyone? My life is pretty messed up and instead of focusing on fixing myself I''m here giving my unsolicited advise to someone who has her life in order," Andy said and Jade shook her head.

    "What''s wrong? Do you want to talk about it?" She asked and Andy sighed deeply and shook her head.

    "No. I''m okay. Nothing to talk about. Just ranting. I''m sorry," Andy said and Jade nodded as Andy walked past her with the te of food and headed for the bedroom.

 Chapter 818 Big Bro

    Chapter 818 Big Bro

    Jade was still seated in the dining with a frown etched between her brows as she tried to figure out what was up with Andy when Candace returned.

    "I''m back. I hope I didn''t keep you waiting for too long," Candace announced as she took the seat opposite Jade.

    Jade nced up at her, "You didn''t. Is Andy okay? She didn''t seem fine," Jade asked, concern coloring her tone.

    Candace nodded, a hint of worry in her eyes. "She''s a bit tipsy. I guess she had a little too much to drink at her ce," Candace said and Jade sighed.

    "I see. So, what did you want to talk about?" Jade asked, her voice tinged with weariness.

    Candace hesitated, her gaze searching Jade''s face. "You know how Andy and I were talking to you yesterday?" she began tentatively, and Jade gave her a nod.

    "Well, she mentioned something about me shutting you up in front of Lucas and Tyler. So, today we got talking and I wanted to know why she said that, and she sort of implied that I''ve been talking to you rudely. I was wondering if you think so too?" she asked, her tone tinged with apprehension.

    Jade''s eyebrow shot up, "Why are you asking me that? Shouldn''t you be able to answer the question yourself? Think about the way you talk to me, especially in public, if I did the same to you, would you appreciate it or not?" Jade asked since that was what she had wanted to talk to Candace about.

    Candace''s brow furrowed, her confusion evident as she wondered why Jade sounded so upset. "Is that a yes?" She pressed, seeking rification.

    "Yes, Candace. It is a yes. I don''t like the way you talk to me in public," Jade said, her tone tinged with hurt.

    "Why didn''t you say anything?" Candace asked in confusion.

    "At first it was fun. I assumed it was like the banters between you and Harry, but it has be increasingly embarrassing and annoying. Now it feels like you are always wanting to oppose me at every turn whether we are alone or in public and it hurts my feelings. That is what I wanted to talk to you about." Jade''s eyes glistened with unshed tears as she struggled topose herself.

    Candace hadn''t realized the impact her behavior was having on Jade, and it weighed heavily on her conscience.

    "I��."

    "Please let me finish. I was going to talk to you about it before you brought it up. So kindly let me exhaust all I want to say," Jade said and Candace gave her a nod to continue.

    "I know I do not have the best of behavior, and I might act childish and immature a times, but I don''t think it is okay for you all, especially you, Candace, to shut me up in front of others. If you all think I''m too childish and immature to hang out with you, then I will have to stop being friends with you. I don''t want to be around people who act like I''m a nuisance or make me feel so bad about myself. Maybe it''s best I rte with you going forward as just Harry''s sister," Jade said, wiping off the tears that had rolled down her cheeks.

    "You shouldn''t say that, Jade. We''vee a long way. You know your friendship means a lot to me," Candace said, her voice filled with sincerity.

    "I don''t think it does. If it did, you would treat me with more respect. Isn''t friendship supposed to be about having each other''s back and covering each other''s ws in public and dealing with them in private? Andy seems to be my only friend among all of you. She has never shut me up in public yet she is the one who brought up the subject yesterday��."

    Candace shook her head to stop her, "I didn''t know how to go about it. I wasn''t sure if I should talk to you, and that was why I always tried to jokingly tell you the truth bluntly," Candace said even though she wasn''t sure jokingly and bluntly made sense together.

    "Jokingly tell me the truth bluntly? What truth have you told me, Candace? That I make everything about myself? Like you did on the yacht in front of everyone? Do you think I just show up and choose to make everything myself? Is that the way you would want me to tell you about yourself in public?"

    Candace''s heart ached at Jade''s words, and a pang of guilt coursed through her. "Jade, I swear to you, I didn''t mean to disrespect you. I love you too much to ever want to do that. I admit that most times I like to get on your nerves by taunting you just for fun, but not once have I thought of disrespecting you. I love and respect you too much to want to do that. I''ve told you several times before how much I look up to you and how you''re part of the reason I chose to studyw��."

    "Yes, that was before you got close to me. And as the saying goes, familiarity breeds contempt. Maybe I should have kept our rtionship at a professional level. I know I''m not perfect and I still have a lot to work on, but I''d rather do it beside people who genuinely love me," Jade cut her off, her heart burning more and more as she spoke.

    "C''mon, Jade. You know very much that I love you. We all do. I had no idea I was hurting you, Jade. I''m truly sorry I made you feel this way. Believe me, I never meant to hurt you. I only talk to you that way because of our closeness. I wouldn''t speak that way to a stranger or someone I''m not close to, would I? I never thought you''d take it so personally. I''m sure Sonia and Lucy didn''t mean to be rude to you either," Candace said, her voice filled with regret as she reached out to hold Jade''s hand.

    Jade sat silently, her emotions swirling inside her. She wanted to believe Candace''s words, but the hurt ran deep. She valued their friendship, but recent events had left her feeling isted and unappreciated.

    She needed to clear this up because they were beginning to make her feel like it was best to shut up around them rather than have them shut her up, and if that was the case, then she would rather not spend time with them anymore. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "It will never happen again, I promise, twin sister-inw," Candace said, tugging on Jade''s arm yfully.

    A hesitant smile tugged on Jade''s lips, "Are you sure?"

    "Of course. There is no reason for you to make all that threat about treating me as Harry''s sister. You hurt my feelings, you know? I wouldn''t be here or have any of these without your help," Candace said and Jade sighed.

    "Alright. Maybe I overreacted," Jade said, her voice softening. "I appreciate your apology, and I know you didn''t mean to hurt me. I just needed to let you know how I felt about the way you talk to me," Jade said and Candace nodded, her expression filled with remorse.

    "I understand, Jade. Just know that I value our friendship more than you think, and I promise to do better going forward."

    Jade managed a small smile, touched by Candace''s sincerity. "Thank you, Candace. I value our friendship too."

    "By this, I''m not saying you can''t correct me when I''m wrong. I''d just rather you do it when we are alone, and also you shouldn''t always taunt me or oppose everything I say for fun. It''s not fun for me," Jade said and Candace nodded.

    "Noted. I promise to be a better friend going forward," she said and Jade sighed, relieved to have poured it all out.

    "Are you both done? This is so boring," Harry said with a yawn from where he stood watching them and they both turned to scowl at him.

    "I thought I asked you to stay out and reflect on your behavior?" She asked and he grinned.

    "I''m done reflecting. Plus, I came out to fix the clock in the living room," Harry said as he walked over to where they sat.

    "Did something happen to the clock?" Candace asked as she rose.

    "Nothing that should bother you. Are you up for a chat? Let''s go over the details of our interview," Harry said and Candace nodded.

    "Yes, but I don''t think Andy might be up for it. She is a bit down," Candace said and Harry frowned.

    "Down? Why? Did something happen?" Harry asked in concern.

    "None that I know of. She was in a good mood when I dropped her off earlier, but by the time I went to pick her up, she was a bit tipsy and sullen," Candace said and Jade nodded.

    "Yeah. I noticed too," Jade said and Harry sighed.

    "Do you think I should check on her?" He asked Candace, and she shrugged.

    "Go check on her. Maybe she might tell you what''s wrong," Jade suggested since she was very concerned about Andy.

    Harry nodded and walked over to Andy''s bedroom. He knocked on the door gently and opened it when he heard Andy''s grunt.

    "What''s up with my sweetest baby sister," he greeted as he walked in and Andy smiled involuntarily.

    "Hey!" Andy greeted as she set aside her empty te.

    "The pasta was pretty nice. Thanks," Andy said and Harry gestured towards the bed.

    "Can I sit?"

    "Of course. Sure," Andy said with a nod and Harry sat down.

    "Are you okay?" Harry asked, and Andy smiled.

    "I''m okay. I suppose I''m just having a mood swing," Andy said and Harry nodded.

    "Do you want to tell your big brother what triggered it?" Harry asked and she sighed deeply.

    "A bottle of wine," she said and Harry cocked a brow.

    "You want a bottle of wine?" He asked and she giggled.

    "No. That''s not what I mean. The wine back at my ce reminded me of Cassidy. It''s stupid. I probably shouldn''t be telling you this, but then again, why the hell not?" Andy said and Harry nodded.

    "The wine? I suppose it''s a particr brand you both shared? Did it make you miss him?" He asked as he adjusted on the bed so that his back was resting on the backrest.

    "Yes. A particr brand. It led me to think about a bunch of other stuff."

    Harry listened quietly as she told him all that she had been thinking and as she told him about how she had met Cassidy and everything about their rtionship, tears fell from her eyes.

    Sensing that she didn''t need him tofort her but wanted him to listen to what she was saying, Harry simply took her hand in his in silentfort and let her keep talking.

    Once she was done, she looked at him, "Do you also think it''s Stockholm syndrome?" She asked and Harry shrugged.

    "What do you think? It''s your feelings. You know what you feel better than I do. Do you think it''s Stockholm syndrome?" Harry asked and she shook her head.

    "I checked it out on the inte. What I feel isn''t the same as the symptoms I saw online. But it doesn''t make sense that I have feelings for someone like Cassidy despite all that happened between us, does it?" She asked and Harry smiled.

    "You know, when ites to emotions like love, it doesn''t always make sense. The heart wants what it wants. And it would be foolish to beat yourself over it. And you my dearest Andy, is no fool. Leave it to time and chance. Want to know what I have learned from my rtionship with Jade? What will be will be. If it isn''t love, the feeling will go over time or you will meet someone else and get over him. If it is love, and he feels the same way as I know he does, I don''t think you should hold him on to his past. I would burn down the world if anyone so much asy a finger on Jade, so don''t judge him by what he did when he was in pain. Sometimes our pain is capable of blinding us to the pain of others. And hurting people hurts people and bleeds on others. If it''s meant to be, I''m sure you both will find a way to meet again. Until then, don''t spend what little time I have with you pining over another man. It makes me jealous," Harry finished with a mock scowl, and Andy grinned.

    "Geez, Harry! I really didn''t want to talk about this, but I''m d I talked to you. I feel much lighter. I didn''t want to talk to Candace ''cause she believes whatever I''m feeling is Stockholm syndrome, and I didn''t think she would understand or approve my feelings," Andy confessed.

    "Well, good thing you talked to me. So, is that all that was bothering you?" Harry asked, and she nodded.

    "Do you want to go to bed now or are you up for a chat and maybe a group movie night?" He asked and she smiled.

    "The chat and group movie sounds like a better alternative to sleeping," she said and Harry rose and held out a hand to her.

    "I have to freshen up first. I will join you guys when I''m done," she said and Harry picked up the te she had used in eating.

    "I will be waiting for you then," Harry said as he headed for the door.

    "Big bro?" Andy called, and Harry smiled as he turned to look at her.

    "I love you," she said, and Harry grinned.

    "I love you too. Don''t keep us waiting," Harry said before walking out.

    Once he shut the door behind him, Harry sighed. It seemed like all thedies in his life were in need of therapy. He might just have to employ one therapist to attend to all of them and heal them from their various traumas.

    He returned to the living room to see Jade and Candace chatting about Sonia''s wedding, and he smiled when he saw how excited Jade was about their conversation.

    Seeing them that way, no one would believe that they had both just had such a heated conversation a while ago with most of the heating from Jade''s end.

    That was one of the things he loved about Jade. How she was a baby heart and never seemed to hold grudges.

    And he liked that Jade had been able to express her feelings and both of them had been able to resolve things. Thest thing he wanted was for thedy he wanted to be his partner for life to not get along with his twin sister.

    "Have you talked to Andy? How is she?" Jade asked when she noticed Harry''s presence.

    "She is fine. Was just having a mood swing," Harry said as he took the te to the kitchen and Jade followed him.

    As Harry washed the te, Jade pecked his cheek and he turned to smile at her, "What did I do to deserve that?"

    "It''s a thank you," Jade said with a grin.

    "What for?"

    "For doing what you did. I know you well enough to do that for my sake," Jade said and he shook his head as he dried his hand.

    "It was for my sake too. I want you here. I love having you here," Harry said and Jade''s smile softened.

    "You know, you''ve changed a whole lot," she said, her voice teasing yet gentle.

    "How?" He asked as he carried her and made her sit on the kitchen ind while he stood between her wide legs.

    "You know, you and your principles. The old Harry wouldn''t be caught dead tampering with clocks and lying to keep me here," she said with a teasing smile.

    He winced internally, the memory of his past self still fresh. The thought of sharing his living space, especially with a woman he wasn''t married to, had felt like a vition of his personal code. His principles, once so rigid, now felt archaic and restrictive in light of how he felt about Jade.

    "You are right," he admitted, his voiceced with introspection.

    He met her gaze, his eyes sincere. "I wouldn''t have believed it three months ago. I used to think I knew exactly what I wanted, and what I believed in. But being with you has challenged those beliefs in the best way possible. It''s made me realize that sometimes, our principles are tested by the people we love, and we learn that life isn''t always ck and white, that sometimes the best choices are the ones that make our hearts happy, even if they don''t always fit neatly into our pre-defined boxes. So, maybe what I needed was someone to challenge my rigid ways, to show me that happiness sometimes lies outside of ourfort zones."

    Jade''s smile bloomed as she reached out, her hand gently brushing his chin. "Well, I''m d I got to be the one to challenge your rigid ways, Mr. Not-So-Principled-Anymore," she said and Harry chuckled as he kissed her while she wrapped both arms around him.

 Chapter 819 Reunion

    Chapter 819 Reunion

    After their date at the gallery, Lucy and Tom had decided to see a movie together at the cinema within the mall where the gallery was located, before going to have dinner.

    Seated in the cinema, the dim glow of the movie screen faded to ck, and the credits rolled.

    As everyone trooped out, Lucy leaned against Tom''s shoulder with one hand covering her face so that no one would see her.

    Tom chuckled, his hand finding hers under the armrest. The popcorn bucket sat between them, half-empty, a testament to their stolen moments of sneak-kisses and whispered jokes during the film.

    "Everyone has left. We should go now, unless you want to see another movie," Tom said and Lucy looked around before smiling at him.

    "Should we see it again? I loved every bit of it," Lucy said, her eyes gleaming with excitement.

    "I guess that was why you kept jumping and yelling at the characters? So unlike you to exhibit such behavior," Tom said in amusement as he rose and pulled her up.

    "No one knew it was me. The hall was dark and no one could see my face. And just to be extra sure I covered my face," she said with a grin.

    "But everyone saw my face. So, they know I''m dating a louddy. Whenever they see me again and you''re with me, they will know you are the one," he pointed out.

    "Or they will assume you dumped that louddy for this dignified me," she said and Tom chuckled.

    "So, this is the way you act when no one is watching?" He asked, his tone teasing.

    "Only in front of you," she assured him with a wink and they bothughed as they exited the cinema.

    The cool night air washed over them as they stepped out of the mall. Streetlights cast a warm glow, illuminating the bustling city life.

    "So? Where are we having dinner?" Lucy asked, and Tom pointed ahead of them.

    "There is a nice Italian restaurant up front. Let''s go have dinner there," Tom said and hand in hand, they walked, their steps in sync as they talked about their favorite parts of the movie while Tom teased Lucy about her jump at the unexpected plot twist.

    They reached the cozy Italian restaurant tucked away on a side street. The aroma of garlic and basil teased their senses, inviting them in.

    Inside the restaurant, the atmosphere was a soothing symphony of low murmurs, clinking cutlery, and the soft jazz ying in the background. The red-checkered tablecloths and candlelit ambiance created an intimate atmosphere. Lucy and Tom took the seat by a window, overlooking the bustling street.

    "How did you know of a homely ce like this?" Lucy asked as she picked up the menu.

    "Don''t tell me you brought ady here in the past," she said with narrowed eyes before Tom could respond.

    Tom chuckled, "Is that the best you can think of?" He asked with a shake of his head.

    "This used to be one of my favorite spots before I-Global became what it is now. Harry and I lived not far from here," Tom said and Lucy looked at him with interest.

    "You know, I''ve never really thought of you as not this wealthy CEO. I mean, I''ve thought of you as my driver and stuff," she said with a grin, "but I mean I''ve never thought about your life before I-Global became what it is now," Lucy said thoughtfully.

    "I guess that''s one of the reasons I wanted us toe here. I wanted to show you this part of my life. Although a lot has changed around here now," Tom said and Lucy raised a brow.

    "One of the reasons?"

    "Of course. There are many reasons. I wanted you to have fun. I wanted you to rx. The list goes on," Tom said and Lucy nodded as she nced at the menu.

    As she perused the menu, Lucy nced at Tom and noticed the smile ying on his lips as he watched her and she arched a brow, "What''s making you smile?" She asked, her lips curving in a smile.

    "Did you really have to say that earlier?" Tom asked with a chuckle.

    "Say what?" she asked yfully, though she knew exactly what he was referring to.

    "Say I''m the love of your life in front of everyone," Tom said with a somewhat shy smile that amused her.

    "Well, you are, aren''t you?" Lucy countered, a mischievous grin spreading across her face, and her eyes twinkling with amusement.

    "Yes, I am. But��."

    "There are no buts, love. You are mine and I wanted everyone to know. I thought we were done with that. If you keep talking about it, I just might make the announcement here too," she threatened with a grin and Tom chuckled.

    "What if I beat you to it? Are you sure you want to keep this up?" Tom asked and Lucy giggled.

    "Why did you look so flustered back there anyway? That was so unlike you," Lucy said and Tomughed.

    "What you did was totally unexpected," Tom said as he signalled to a waiter to serve them.

    "Well, you should start getting used to it," Lucy said and Tom smiled before turning to the waiter.

    While they waited for their orders, they conversed. Lucy told Tom about the visit to Mia and what Mia had said about the doctor being on her husband''s payroll and she talked about how the apartment had brought back memories.

    Their orders were served and as they ate, they shared stories from their past, their conversation flowing effortlessly.

    Theirughter mingled with the soft clinking of sses as they toasted to their unexpected turn of events and all that had brought them to this point.

    Halfway through their meal a voice cut through their intimate conversation. "Lucy? Is that really you?"

    Startled, Lucy turned around to see a blondedy with a familiar smile and her eyes widened in surprise.

    There, standing beside their table, was Chloe, her high school ssmate, a vibrant smile etching her face.

    "Chloe! Oh my god, it''s been ages!" Lucy eximed, genuine surprise tinged with warmth as she jumped up to hug her former ss mate.

    Years seemed to melt away as they embraced, exchanging excited greetings.

    "We were just about to leave and I saw you," Chloe said excitedly. "It''s been, what, six years?"

    "Seven," Lucy corrected, and time seemed to rewind, bringing a flood of memories.

    Lucy remembered Chloe as the witty, popr girl who always had a mischievous twinkle in her eye. They weren''t very close friends since Sonia was more than enough friend for one person to handle, but they had all been cheerleaders and Chloe had been the captain.

    "What are you doing here?" Chloe asked and Lucy raised a brow.

    "Does it look like I''m grocery shopping? Of course I''m having dinner," Lucy said and they bothughed.

    "Wow! You look gorgeous, Lu! You''ve always been a looker after all," Chloe said and Lucy grinned.

    "You''re one to talk. Did you take a look at yourself before stepping out? You look stunning," Lucy said dramatically.

    "By the way, I saw the news about you some time ago. I was going to reach out but I didn''t know how to. And I didn''t want it to feel like I was doing so for gossip. How are you?" Chloe asked, concern coloring her wide brown eyes.

    "Thanks. I''m very fine now," Lucy said with a bright smile, while Tom watched Lucy, loving how confident she looked and sounded.

    "By the way, I saw news of Sony''s wedding to Bryan Hank. I was over the moon. Kept telling my husband how we were all ss mates. Speaking of my husband," she said, turning to look at the tall man with a friendly smile, who was standing behind her.

    "Lucy, meet my husband, Noah Templeton. Noah, This is Lucinda Perry. I''ve mentioned her a couple of times, remember?" She asked and Lucy narrowed her eyes.

    "I didn''t know you were married. Congrats," Lucy said to her before looking at her husband, "What did she mention me for? Nothing bad I hope?" Lucy asked Noah who smiled at her.

    "She has mentioned everyone from her high to me, and I don''t even know who is who anymore. Are you the one that snatched your best friend''s boyfriend?" He asked and Lucy shook her head immediately making Noah and Chloeugh.

    "Don''t tease her," Chloe said as she elbowed his side.

    "Then you''re one of the good ones I guess," he said making Lucyugh.

    "It''s such a relief to know that. It''s nice meeting you," Lucy said and then turned to Tom.

    "Meet the absolute love of my life, Thomas Hank. Babe, meet Chloe, our cheerleading captain," Lucy introduced with a proud smile and Tom rose.

    "It''s a delight to meet you," Chloe said as she shook Tom''s hand and Noah did the same. N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "I''m so sorry to interrupt your date this way. How about we exchange phone numbers so we can catch upter? I would totally love to catch up with you and Sony. And talking about catching up. Have you heard about the reunioning up soon?" Chloe asked, and Lucy''s stomach lurched.

    "I haven''t heard anything about it," she admitted hesitantly.

    "Oh, well, you have toe. You haven''t joined us in years, and it''s been way too long. And guess what the theme is for this year''s reunion? PROM!" Chloe eximed, her enthusiasm infectious.

    Lucy hesitated, a flicker of difort crossing her face. "Actually, I don''t think I��" she began, searching for the right words.

    Before she could finish, Chloe cut in, her voice bubbling with excitement. "Oh, Lucy, you absolutely have toe! It''s the perfect opportunity to reminisce about the good old days. You can bring the absolute love of your life with you as your official plus one. The more, the merrier, right?"

    Seeing how Lucy''s mood had changed, Tom''s hand unconsciously reached for Lucy''s in a silent gesture of support. Lucy, however, remained silent, caught in a web of conflicting emotions.

    The thought of prom in her high school held a tinge of anxiety, yet Tom''s encouraging hold on her hand offered a sense of grounding.

    Seeing Lucy''s hesitation, Chloe continued, "Come on, Lucy! We haven''t seen you in ages. Sony has toe too. It will be so much fun with you both. And this time, no one has to hide to take alcohol since we are all of age. And maybe we can don our cheerleading uniform once again for old time sake," she said with a wink.

    Lucy nced at Tom, seeking his opinion. His expression was a mix of curiosity and understanding. He squeezed her hand gently, as if to say, "The decision is yours."

    Taking a deep breath, Lucy knew she couldn''t ignore the invitation entirely. "I''ll�� I''ll think about it and see what I can do," she finally said, a hint of uncertaintycing her voice.

    Chloe beamed, her eyes sparkling with joy. "That''s great! We will see you there then! I should have your number so I can add you to the ss group and send you the details. And guess what? We will be voting for prom queen too. I totally think you should contest for it."

    With that they exchanged phone numbers, and Chloe left with Noah, leaving Lucy and Tom alone at their table.

    Tom watched Lucy closely as she picked up her winess and drank from it with a small frown between her brows and he reached for her hand.

    "Does the idea of a reunion make you that nervous?" He asked as he intertwined their fingers.

    Lucy shrugged, "Sort of."

    "Even when you will be having a prom date as handsome as me?" He asked with a teasing smile and her lips twitched.

    "It just brings back lots of bad memories," she said, remembering how Jamie had threatened all the guys who had asked her to go to prom with them and how she had been unable to make it to prom herself.

    "Am I not hot enough to distract your mind from those bad memories? I mean, the major thing on your mind should be getting me out of my clothes as your prom date, shouldn''t it?" Tom asked and Lucy grinned.

    "I''m being serious," she said and Tom nodded.

    "Me too," he said as he resumed eating even though the food was cool now.

    As they ate in silence, Lucy thought about how funny it was that they met someone she knew in a ce like this coincidentally and then she narrowed her eyes when something clicked in her brain.

    Just few weeks ago she had been telling Tom how she had wanted to be prom queen, and all of a sudden her former ssmate was showing up in a restaurant he had chosen, at the same time they were here, to tell her about a prom reunion.

    "Tom?" Lucy called, and he smiled at her.

    "Yes, baby," he said and Lucy giggled.

    "I''m not dense, you know?" She asked and he looked at her innocently.

    "What are you talking about?"

    "Do you really expect me to believe that all of this is coincidence?" She asked, since she knew very well how he had yed this same coincidence card the first time making her believe he was her neighbor and driver by coincidence.

    "I don''t understand what you''re saying," he said and Lucyughed softly.

    "What did you do? Just how far did you go to pull this off? Why?" She asked, forgetting all about her anxiety about the reunion.

    "I still don''t know��." Tomughed when she picked a vegetable from a te and threw it at him.

    "Alright. Fine. I will tell you," he saidughing and she looked at him with a soft smile.

    "I just don''t want you to ever miss out on anything. And I don''t want you to only have bad memories about prom. Did you see the way you looked and sounded before she brought up the reunion? You were happy to see her. I''ve never seen you look that way. And you didn''t seem like an introvert in any way. It was easier picturing the Lucy you told me about thest time on our way to your ce in Heden. I''m sure you will be happy to see all your other ssmates as well. I want to see you in your element. I want you to remember what you were like before it all happened. Do you think you can do that for me?" Tom asked and tears gathered in Lucy''s eyes.

    "How far did you go to arrange this? And just how many people did you pay? Did Sonia help?" She asked and Tom shook his head.

    "No. I wanted to do it myself. I didn''t do much. I only made a couple of phone calls. And trust me, there is no length I won''t go and no amount of money I won''t spend to make you happy. So? Will you go to the reunion and take me with you as your prom date?" He asked and she brushed her tear away as she bobbed her head.

    "I can''t let you go through all this stress and not go for it, can I?" She asked with a sniffle.

    "You can. But I''m hoping you won''t," Tom said and she smiled, her eyes sparkling with love for him.

    "As long as you''re going to be by my side, I will do it," she said and to Tom''s surprise she rose and went around the table to his side and kissed him.

    "You seem to love public disys of affection more than me these days," Tom said with a chuckle.

    "What can I do when you keep sweeping me off my feet this way? Let''s leave now before I''m tempted to make another announcement here," Lucy said and Tom chuckled as he rose.

    "So, did you make up that story about frequenting here and living somewhere nearby in the good old days," she asked after Tom took care of the bills and they walked out.

    "No. I didn''t. I told you it was one of the reasons I brought you here, didn''t I?" Tom asked as they walked down back to the mall where their car was parked.

    "And meeting Chloe by coincidence was another?" She asked and Tom chuckled.

    "I guess."

    "I don''t know what to do with you, Tom."

    "Love me," Tom said and she grinned.

    "If I love you any more than I already do, then my heart is going to burst or I''m going to go crazy and just keep screaming ''I love Thomas Hank'' wherever I go. Is that what you want?" Lucy asked and Tom chuckled.

    "I actually think you''re crazy already," he said and sheughed.

    "Yeah. I think so to."

 Chapter 820 Early Morning Chat

    Chapter 820 Early Morning Chat

    Tom had a smile on his face as he woke up on Monday morning to kisses on his face.

    "What are you doing?" He asked Lucy as he tried to open his eyes but she kept kissing both eyes one after the other.

    "Waking you up," Lucy said as she pulled away from him and Tom chuckled.

    "You seem to have woken up with lots of energy," Tom observed as he looked into her smiling face.

    "Lots of love you mean," she corrected and Tomughed as he nced at the rm clock by the bed.

    "It''s not even six yet," heined.

    "Yeah. That''s because I woke up early and wanted us to spend some time together before we get ready for work. Are youining?" She asked and Tom chuckled as he rubbed his eyes.

    "Isn''t that usually my thing?" He asked, amused by her excesssive show of love.

    "Well, it''s now my thing. I''m hungry," sheined and Tom sat up.

    "Let''s go find something for you to eat then," he said and she grinned.

    "What I want to eat is right here," she said with a naughty smile and Tomughed out loud.

    "For Christ''s sake, Jewel, what has gotten into you?" Tom asked and she grinned.

    "Nothing yet, but I''m hoping you will get into me soon or inside me preferably," she said with a wink making himugh harder.

    "It''s too early for all theseughter," Tom said and Lucy smiled.

    "Well, I want you to start your day with a healthy dose ofughter," she said and Tom pulled her close and hugged her as he let out a deep sigh.

    "Thank you, Jewel. You make me so happy," he said and she wrapped her arms around him and patted the back of his head. N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "You make me happy too," she said as she pulled back to look into his face.

    "Are you really hungry?" He asked and she grinned.

    "Nah. I woke up really hungry. Just wanted to make youugh. Today is going to be a busy day for you since Harry isn''ting to the office, right?" Lucy asked and he groaned.

    "Please don''t remind me. And it''s not just going to be today. He will only being in on Wednesday to wrap up some loose ends before leaving for his vacation," Tom said and Lucy smiled.

    "I guess we won''t be able to have our dates anymore after work," she said and Tom frowned.

    "Why not?"

    "Because you might have to leave workter than usual because of your meetings and stuff, and you will definitely have more work to do," she pointed out.

    "Well, we still have to keep up with our dates even if it''s for only thirty minutes or an hour," he said and she raised a brow.

    "Are you sure about that?" She asked and he nodded.

    "Yeah. Let''s go find you something to eat," Tom said as he tried to get off the bed but Lucy pushed him back on.

    "Don''t worry. I can get myself something. Do you need anything?" She asked as she rose from the bed.

    "A cup of coffee will be appreciated. I should spend some time looking over some documents before we get ready for work," Tom said and Lucy arched a brow.

    "Who is the workaholic now? I woke you to spend time with me but you''d rather spend it looking over some documents. Don''t tell me your love for me is going down now because my love for you increased?" Lucy asked with narrowed eyes and Tom chuckled.

    "As if that could happen. You could never love me more than I love you, but let''s leave that argument for another day. Take your time to eat while I work and when you get back you will have my full attention," Tom promised and smacked her ass as she walked away.

    As Lucy arrived downstairs and headed for the kitchen, she noticed that the light at the dining was on, and she paused when she saw Desmond seated there with a distant look on his face.

    "Good morning, Desmond," she greeted when she noticed that he was lost in thought and was yet to notice her presence.

    "Lucy. Good morning, Lucy. Why are you up so early?" Desmond asked, surprised by thepany.

    "I should be asking you that. I will be getting ready to leave for work soon, but your flight doesn''t leave until noon, so why are you seated here alone?" Lucy asked curiously as she moved closer to him.

    "I couldn''t sleep and I didn''t want to disturb Eve, so I came down to have a quiet moment to myself. And a cup of coffee," he said and she looked at him with a concerned expression.

    "Are you okay? Do you want to talk? Or should I leave you to your quiet moment?" She asked, and Desmond looked at her for a moment and sighed.

    "Why are you down here?" He asked curiously.

    "I woke up hungry. Wanted to get something to eat," she said and Desmond nodded.

    "Get to it then. Maybe I can keep youpany while you eat," he said and she shed him a smile before going into the kitchen.

    Lucy returned a couple of minutester with some sandwiches and a ss of juice.

    "So, why couldn''t you sleep? Are you okay?" Lucy asked and Desmond smiled as he watched her bite into her sandwich.

    "You''ve changed a lot," Desmond observed.

    "I have?" Lucy asked with a grin and Desmond smiled back.

    "You know you have," Desmond said as he watched her eat.

    "It depends on what you mean. What kind of change are you talking about?" Lucy asked as she watched Desmond, her eyes gleaming.

    "You look happier and more easygoing," Desmond said and Lucy giggled.

    "I am happier thanks to your son. But don''t think I didn''t notice that you didn''t answer my question. Why couldn''t you sleep?" Lucy asked and Desmond chuckled.

    "You''ve be nosy too," Desmond said and Lucyughed.

    "Your family taught me that. I take it you don''t want to tell me what''s wrong," Lucy said and Desmond sighed deeply.

    "It''s nothing serious. I''ve just been having a hard time sleepingtely," he said and Lucy nodded.

    "You must be getting old," she joked and heughed.

    "I suppose so. You''ve changed your mind about getting married to Tom, haven''t you?" Desmond asked, and Lucy raised a brow.

    "How did youe to that conclusion? And why are we back to talking about me when you refused to talk about you?" Lucy asked and Desmondughed.

    "There is nothing to talk about me. I''m just a boring old man. Nothing fun is going on in my life," Desmond said and Lucy snorted.

    "Apart from traveling around the world with the love of your life. I wish I was you," she said and he chuckled.

    "Did I tell you, you''re more fun now too?" Desmond asked and Lucy pouted.

    "So, I wasn''t fun before now? You are hurting my feelings."

    "I said more fun, Lucy. More fun," Desmond said and she shed him a smile.

    "Have I told you, you''re my favorite Hank apart from Tom?" She asked and Desmondughed.

    "I thought it was Sonia?" Desmond said and Lucy gasped.

    "How did I forget she is a Hank now? I guess youe after her," she said and Desmondughed, feeling genuinely amused by this new Lucy.

    "I can settle for that. Thanks for making meugh, Lucy," Desmond said and she smiled.

    "You can keep a secret, right?" Lucy asked, and Desmond shrugged.

    "If you want me to," he said and she leaned closer to him.

    "I n to propose to Tom at the Christmas party. He doesn''t know I''ve changed my mind yet. I n to surprise him," she said with a mischievous smile and Desmond grinned.

    He had always known that Lucy was going to eventually change her mind about getting married after she settledfortably into her rtionship with Tom, and he was pleased to see that he had not been wrong.

    "I thought as much. I''m happy for you, Lucy. You''vee such a long way in such a short time. I''m proud of you," he said and Lucy raised a brow.

    "Why do you sound like my dad? You should be happy for Tom," she said and he chuckled.

    "I''m happy for you both, but I''m happier for you. This tells me you''re oveing your trauma and you''re in a good ce in your head. That is why I''m proud of you, he said and Lucy sighed deeply.

    "You''re right. And once again, it''s mostly thanks to Tom. You raised a perfect man for me, Desmond. Thank you so much," she said and he nodded.

    "I guess the next time we see will be at the Christmas party where you will be proposing to him," he said with a pleased smile.

    "Evelyn will be over the moon with joy. Thank you for changing your mind, Lucy," Desmond said and they both turned when they heard footsteps.

    "Seriously? You woke me up to spend time with me but you''re here with my dad while I''m waiting for you?" Tom asked incredulously.

    "Sorry, love. I saw him sitting here alone so I decided to keep himpany," Lucy said as Tom took the seat opposite her.

    "I will leave you both then. I have to go back to bed before Eve wakes up," Desmond said as he rose.

    "Thank you, Lucy. You''ve made my morning," Desmond said and leaned down to peck her before walking away.

 Chapter 821 Regrets

    Chapter 821 Regrets

    As Harry drove the car to the penitentiary where Sara was being held, his eyes caught Candace''s hands and how she kept rubbing them together anxiously.

    "If you don''t feel up to it, I can go inside alone when we get there. You don''t have to face her if you don''t want to," Harry said softly.

    "I have to face her. I need to," Candace said as she looked out of the window.

    She had been thinking all about this visit since she woke up that morning. She had been wondering how she was going to feel when she came face to face with Sara.

    Would she feel sorry for the woman? Would she feel angry? Would it be hatred? What was she going to say to her? Would she ask her why she did all of that?

    "I need to see the face of the woman who had the nerve to sell and abandon her own children for fame. I have to see the face of the woman who was shameless and cruel enough to want to harvest her daughter''s organ illegally," Candace said, her voice thick with emotion.

    Seeing that she was determined to go on with it, Harry decided to leave her to her thoughts while he focused on his.

    A single question lingered in Harry''s mind, a curiosity that had gnawed at him ever since he had discovered he had a twin. As they got out of the car, he finally voiced it.

    "Candace," he began hesitantly, "I want to know who is older."

    Candace stopped, a ghost of a smile ying on her lips. "Does it really matter, Harry?"

    He shrugged, a wry smile tugging at the corner of his own mouth. "Maybe not. But it would be nice to know who had the misfortune of being stuck with her a little longer."

    A flicker of warmth, a spark of shared experience, ignited in Candace''s eyes. For the first time that day, the anger softened, reced by a flicker of something akin to kinship.

    "That would be you. She sold me at birth, remember? You are the one who had the misfortune of being nurtured by her for a week. Maybe that''s why you are so mean, you unlucky bastard," Candace said and Harry chuckled as they headed for the building.

    The cold, gray walls of the prison stretched high above Harry and Candace as they made their way through the dimly lit corridors. The sterile interior, devoid of warmth or character, smelled faintly of disinfectant and a deeper, more unsettling aroma of regret.

    Candace''s heart raced with a mixture of anger and apprehension as they approached the visitor''s area.

    Harry, alwaysposed, walked beside her with a determined stride. They had rehearsed this meeting countless times, but nothing could prepare them for the emotions that would surface when they faced their mother.

    They were ushered into a brightly lit room, its white walls reflecting the harsh fluorescent lights with an almost clinical sterility.

    As they entered the visitor''s room, Sara sat alone at a small table, her eyes downcast. She looked older, wearier, but there was still a hint of the beauty that had once captivated so many.

    "Sara," Harry began, his voice low and devoid of warmth.

    It was a deliberate choice, a clear distinction from the term "Mom" that would have reeked of a connection he wasn''t willing to acknowledge.

    Sara flinched at the sound as she looked up, her gaze darting between the twins. But it was the flicker of recognition in her eyes that sent a jolt through Candace as her gaze finally settled on Candace.

    Candace felt a primal urge to turn away, to shield herself from the eyes of the callous woman who had birthed her and then ripped a gaping hole in her life, leaving her to navigate a childhood marked by instability and hardship.

    "This is my twin sister, Candace. Candace, this is the almighty Sara Walker that chose to decide our fates," Harry said in a form of introduction and sat back to see how Sara would react and how the interaction would go between Sara and Candace.

    When Sara had been informed that she had visitors and had been brought here, she had somehow known it would be Harry. She had thought Aaron would be there too, but seeing Candace, she sighed deeply.

    Looking at Candace, Sara was sure she would have known that Candace was her daughter even though J hadn''t shown her Candace''s pictures. She didn''t need anyone to tell her that. She could see her younger self in Candace. Something she had not seen in Crystal.

    Ever since J visited her and told her about her biological daughter and grandson, all she could think about Candace and Jamal and all that J had said to her.

    A shaky breath escaped Sara''s lips."I wondered if you woulde to see me," Sara rasped, her voice unfamiliar to Candace.

    "Of course, I had to. What''s the point of having you locked up in here if I don''te to see how you look in your new home? The prison uniform bes you," Harry said as he looked her over.

    Sara took a deep breath, "I figured you were behind it all. You had your sister all along. How did you find her?" Her voice had lost all traces of the arrogance and pride that usually tinged it.

    "That''s for me to know, and for you to wonder. You see, life has a way of bncing things out. Evil doesn''t win forever. And I''m d to know I was able to bring you here. This is where a person like you should rot," Harry said and Sara nodded, while Candace merely watched them, listening to the exchange.

    "You must be happy to have me locked up here," Sara said, her voice devoid of emotion.

    "You have no idea how happy I am. It''s like locking up a rabid dog that was on the loose. You''d do all you can to protect people from it. Someone like you shouldn''t be an idol that other people should be looking up to. Have you seen what your fans say about you? The people you so wanted to love and worship you that made you abandon your family, they have forgotten all about you in a matter of weeks. Right now, you are a nobody. But guess who is going to remember you forever? And I''m pretty sure you can guess what we are going to think each time we remember you?" Harry said and Sara nodded.

    "I did what I believed was best for me��."

    Candace scoffed, a harsh, humorless sound. "Without stopping to consider the children that you birthed? What about the security, the love, the childhood that we deserved? That I deserved? Do you have any idea how hard my life has been? Do you know all I''ve been through?" Candace asked angrily.

    The question hung in the air, a painful usation. Sara''s shoulders slumped, the facade of nonchnce crumbling under the sheer force of Candace''s quiet fury. N?v(el)B\\jnn

    A single tear escaped her eye, tracing a glistening path down her stic cheeks. It wasn''t a performance, Harry could tell. It was raw, unadulterated regret.

    "Candace��"

    "Don''t," Candace cut her off, venomcing every word. "Don''t you dare say my name. You don''t deserve the right. All those years, you lived your high life, while I scraped by. You had the guts to want to harvest my organ and get rid of me. And now you think a few pathetic words will erase that?" Candace snapped, her voice sharp.

    Sara''s gaze flickered away, shame creeping into her eyes. "I''m not asking you to forgive me. I don''t expect you to forgive me or to understand," she whispered, her voice barely audible as tears rolled down her cheeks.

    A torrent of emotions she''d spent years suppressing threatened to suffocate her. She longed to reach out, to apologize for ever giving her up in the first ce, to exin to Candace that she had tried to find her after she heard of the death of her adoptive parents, but the words wouldn''te. They were choked by the years of silence, the self-serving justifications she''d built to shield herself from the truth.

    Candace remained unmoved by the tears that rolled down Sarah''s cheeks. The years of anger, the feeling of abandonment, bubbled up within her, threatening to spill over.

    "You shouldn''t expect anything from me. But you know what," Candace leaned forward, her voice a low growl, "I pity you. You have nothing left. No freedom, no family, not even self-respect. This is all you have: a glimpse of the life you destroyed."

    "I deserve that. You can hate me��."

    Hate? The concept was alien to Harry. It was an emotion for the weak, for those who couldn''t move on. He felt a cold, calcting detachment, a sense of satisfaction at seeing the woman who had abandoned them reduced to this.

    "Hate?" Candace repeated, the word a foreign taste on her tongue. "You don''t deserve even that from me. Hate takes too much energy, Sara. I�� I don''t have anything to give you. All I have is this," she gestured towards herself, "a life I built myself, a life far removed from yours. And that is why I came. I wanted you to see the face of the daughter you discarded for your selfish schemes. I hope it was worth it. I hope the years of luxury, affluence and fame was worth all you threw away."

    Candace''s words, harsh as they were, carried a weight of truth, Sara mused. Candace had built a life, a life far removed from hers. Perhaps, just perhaps, there was still a chance for redemption, not for forgiveness, but for a semnce of peace. Perhaps, by facing the consequences of her actions, she could finally begin to heal the wounds she had inflicted.

    Candace stood up abruptly, the chair scraping harshly against the floor with a screech. She met Sara''s gaze, her eyes devoid of warmth. "This is over, Sara. This visit, this�� whatever this is, it ends now."

    "Before we leave, you should know that I had yourwyer draw up your Will with Candace''s name on it. She deserves all you own seeing as you sold her in order to get them in the first ce," Harry said before Candace could leave and Sara nodded.

    None of those things mattered to her anymore. It wasn''t like she was going to be released to go back to them. It was best Candace had them than anyone else.

    As Harry and Candace headed for the door, Harry hesitated and turned to look at Sara, "I have a question for you, though," Harry said and Sara nodded.

    "Anything. You can ask," she said and Candace looked at Harry.

    "Who came first. Me or Candace?" Harry asked surprising Sara who hadn''t expected such an ordinary question.

    "Your sister came first," Sara said and Harry scowled.

    "I hope you rot in here," Harry muttered irritably and Candace resisted the urge tough as they both walked out of the hall leaving Sara.

    Watching them leave, Sara felt crushing weight descend upon her. The anger in Candace''s voice, the coldness in Harry''s, both echoed the hollowness within her own chest.

    The life she''d built, the life she''d believed was so necessary for her happiness, now seemed utterly meaningless. Gone were the cheering crowds, the adoring fans, the luxurious lifestyle. All she had left were the ghosts of the children she''d abandoned, the gaping hole in her heart where a mother''s love should have resided.

    As the heavy door nged shut behind them, a single thought echoed in the sterile room: she was truly alone.

    She had thought the affluence and fame were all important, and she had thought that she would be satisfied with the knowledge that she had tasted such a life. But it wasn''t so.

    Her conversation with J had broken down some of the walls she had put up around her heart to stop herself from feeling guilty.

    Something had shifted within her after J left. The anger and defiance that had been a shield for so long had begun to crumble. Seeing Candace now hadpletely shattered what was left of the shield.

    Years of denial cracked, revealing a raw truth. She hadn''t just abandoned children; she''d abandoned a part of herself. Candace''s words, "the glimpse of the life you destroyed," resonated deeply. The life she had built, the career, the fame �C it all seemed hollow nowpared to the family she had cast aside.

    Ever since J''s visit, she had been wondering what could have been. How would her life had turned out had she not done all that she did?

    What would her life had been as sister, a mother, a grandmother, and a wife?

    Aaron had loved her selflessly and after him no other man hade close to showing her half the love he had shown her. Aaron would have no doubt been willing to help her build her career had she been patient.

    Couldn''t she have had it all? Both the family and career? Couldn''t she have set aside her greed and selfishness and thought about other people other than herself for a change?

    The life she''d craved, the life she''d sacrificed everything for, had been built on a foundation of sand. Now, the tide of reality had washed it all away, leaving her exposed and vulnerable.

    Why did she go so far only toe this low? To end up as a nobody? A criminal with no one beside her. Not even one of those fans who had idolized her.

    Her whole life had been in vain. Everything had been for nothing, Sara thought sorrowfully as she was led back to her cell.

 Chapter 822 Upset

    Chapter 822 Upset

    The moment Harry and Candace got into the car, Candace burst into a fit ofughter and Harry turned to look at her, knowing why she wasughing.

    He wasn''t exactly surprised; he had known she would find the humor in it, even in a situation like this.

    "I didn''t expect you to be in such a good mood after seeing her," he said, his voiceced with a hint of concern despite his annoyance.

    Candace, still struggling to catch her breath, wiped a tear from her eye.

    "I didn''t expect to be in a good mood either, but thanks to you I''m fine, kid bro," Candace said with a mischievous grin. Harry wrinkled his nose in mock disgust.

    He cleared his throat, "I think we should keep that to ourselves," he mumbled, already knowing it was a lost cause.

    "Never. I''m not keeping it to myself," Candace retorted, her smile widening.

    Harry scowled. "In case you forgot, we had an agreement," Harry said and Candace''s brow arched.

    "We did? About what? When?" Candace asked, as her brow furrowed in mock confusion.

    Harry gave her a pointed look. "At the hospital where dad was admitted when you first came. We agreed that I was the older twin (chapter 478)," Harry said, trying to jog her memory.

    "Oh, that? Please, Harry," she scoffed. "I remember very well that you made the agreement, not me. I never agreed to be the younger one," Candace said and Harry narrowed his eyes.

    "Are you trying to go back on your word right now because of some nonsense that the witch spouted? Do we even believe her? She could be lying to us about it just to cause some misunderstanding between us," Harry said and Candace''sughter bubbled up again.

    "First of all, I''m not going back on any word cause I didn''t give it in the first ce. Not in the verbal or written form. Secondly, there is no misunderstanding here, Harry. I''m pretty sure you wouldn''t have a problem believing her had she said you were older than me. Suck it up, Harry. You''re the youngest in the family. Thest born of the house��."

    "Don''t say that!" Harry interrupted, his cheeks flushing slightly. "Besides, you are older than Andy, right?"

    "Nope," Candace said, popping the ''p''. "I''m not. Andy is actually a couple of months older than me," Candace said with a grin and Harry shook his head.

    "I don''t care about any of that. I''m older than the both of you," Harry said stubbornly and Candace giggled.

    "Aww. How cute. Now you''re actually acting like the baby of the house. Want to throw a tantrum? Need a bottle and a rattle?"

    Harry red at her, but itcked conviction. Candace''sughter filled the car, a sound that Harry was fast bing to find familiar andforting.

    "It''s obvious you are enjoying yourself," Harry said and Candace shrugged.

    "It not every day I get to see you worked up this way over nothing," she said with a grin.

    "You know what''s cute? The baby of the house is going to get married to the baby of the Hank family. You are both a match made in Heaven," Candace said and Harry red at her.

    "Are you really going to be like this?" Harry asked and she grinned.

    "Why is it so important to you that you be older than I am?" Candace asked and Harry shrugged.

    "I just want to be your big brother," he said and Candace giggled, wondering what it was with guys and not wanting to admit they were younger.

    She remembered how Lucas had reacted when Lucy introduced him to them as her kid brother.

    "Let''s do it this way. I''m still not going to call you my big brother. You can keep acting like it if you want. Even if it''s just pretend. I won''t tell anyone about it," Candace said and Harry narrowed his eyes.

    "For real? Can I trust you?" He asked, and she shrugged.

    "Why did you ask her that in front of me, anyway? Were you really thinking you''d be older than me? She gave me a way first. That should be because I came out first," Candace said and Harry sighed.

    "Seeing you seemed to break her a bit," Harry said and Candace snorted.

    "Don''t tell me you fell for those tears? I''m sure she shed those tears only because she was in pain that she didn''t get to me before you," Candace said and Harry chuckled.

    "Nah. I don''t think so," Harry said and Candace rolled her eyes.

    "What now? Feeling sorry for your mommy?" Candace asked in a taunting tone and Harry chuckled as he started the car and drove off.

    Afortable silence settled between them for a moment, broken only by the rhythmic hum of the engine. Harry stole a nce at Candace, her profile softened by the sunlight filtering through the window. Despite the revtion about their birth order and the painful visit with their mother, there was a lightness in her eyes that hadn''t been there before.

    "Are you really okay, though?" Harry asked, genuine concern tinging his voice.

    Candace turned to him, her expression turning serious. "Yeah, I am. I meant every word I said to her. I''m not going to waste any more energy being mad at her or hating her. All I wanted was for her to see me, and she saw me. I also wanted to see what she looked like and I''ve done that. That''s closure for me. I have no more business with her. Now, as far as I''m concerned, my mother died when I was born."

    Harry nodded, absorbing her words. He understood her perspective but he only wished he felt the same, "Where are you headed now? Home to Andy? Or to see your sugar boy?" Harry asked, changing the subject.

    "You can''t call him sugar boy anymore, kid brother," Candace said as she nced at her wrist watch, "And yes, I''m going to see Matt."

    After dropping her off at a ce where she could get a cab to Matt''s ce, Harry decided to go to thepany since Jade wouldn''t be at his ce and he didn''t want to stay at home alone doing nothing.

    The moment Harry arrived at thepany he headed directly for Tom''s office, and although he knew that Tom was in the middle of a meeting with some executives, he walked into the office.

    The door creaked open, momentarily distracting Tom from the mind-numbing presentation on projected quarterly sales figures.

    Tom raised a brow as his eyes met Harry''s, wondering why Harry had bothered to stop by the office. Sensing that Harry wanted to talk, and he needed a break, Tom sighed, dismissing the executives with a practiced smile.

    "Gentlemen," he said, his voiceced with a hint of forced cheer, "let''s pick this upter, shall we? Some urgent matters require my immediate attention," Tom said and immediately everyone rose to excuse them.

    As the door clicked shut behind thest departing executive, Tom leaned back in his chair, a furrow appearing between his brows. "Alright, Harry, spill it. What''s going on? How was the visit to the prison?" Tom asked and Harry scowled.

    "Can you believe that Candace came out first?" Harry asked, and Tom looked at him,pletely lost for a moment before he burst into a peal ofughter when he got what Harry had just said.

    "Really?" Tom asked in amusement. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "I just can''t believe that she is older than me," Harry said and Tom grinned.

    "Why not?" Tom asked, amused by Harry''s displeasure.

    "No specific reason. I should prefer to be older," Harry said and Tom chuckled.

    "Well, if it makes you feel better you can look at it from this perspective; she might havee out first, but you are older in the family. She might be Sara''s first born, but she is your dad''sst born," Tom said and Harry grinned, liking the analogy.

    "That''s right! You are correct," Harry said and Tomughed.

    "I can''t believe something as minor as that actually got you upset. What is wrong with you, Harry?" Tom asked and Harry sighed but said nothing.

    Tom looked at Harry closely and then narrowed his eyes, "Were you that affected by the visit? Do you feel sorry for Sara?" He asked suspiciously.

    "No, I don''t," Harry said and Tom shook his head.

    "You do. That''s the reason you are upset. You wouldn''te to the office just to tell me that Candace is older than you. You came because you''re upset," Tom said and Harry scowled.

    "I''m not," Harry denied.

    "It''s okay to admit it, Harry. You know very well that I''m not going to judge you for it. She might have not been the best of mothers, but she was still your mother, so it''s only normal that you will feel a little upset over seeing her locked up there and knowing you put her there yourself," Tom said knowingly since he had known from the onset that all of this would be tough on Harry.

    Tears gathered in Harry''s eyes, but he said nothing as he walked over to the window and stood there with his back to Tom.

    "I don''t regret putting her there," Harry said after some minutes of silence.

    "I know you don''t," Tom said and Harry turned to look at him.

    "I know it''s useless but I feel sad and I''m mad at myself for feeling that way," Harry confessed.

    Tom rose from his seat and walked into his office bedroom to pour Harry some whisky. He returned to Harry''s side and handed it to him.

    "I would have drank with you, but I still have a couple of meetings," he said as he ced a hand on Harry''s shoulder.

    "All these years I had her picture by my bedside. I talked to her nearly every night. I would dream of her. I would imagine what sort of mother she was. I loved her. I didn''t know her but I loved her. I understand that my dad did it with the best of intentions, but I me him for making me love someone that doesn''t exist. I hate her for being this kind of person and not meeting my expectations. Had she abandoned us and lived a good life it wouldn''t have been so disappointing. Had she remained where she was and not shown up. Or maybe shown up just to check on us and say hello, it would have better thaning here with ulterior motives and wanting to get rid of Candace. I hate that she gave me so many things to use against her. I hate that she looked so pitiful today when it has be toote. I thought I would get some satisfaction from seeing her there, but I didn''t. Candace said she got closure, but I didn''t," Harry said and clenched his jaw when tears gathered in his eyes again.

    Tom watched Harry, a well of emotions swirling within his friend. He understood the turmoil �C the years spent building a fantasy of a mother shattered by harsh reality.

    "It''s okay to grieve the mother you never had, Harry," Tom said gently.

    "Your feelings are valid. But remember, you don''t owe her your forgiveness. She made her choices, and now she has to face the consequences."

    Harry took a long sip of the whiskey, the amber liquid burning aforting path down his throat. He looked at Tom, a flicker of gratitude in his eyes.

    "You''re right," Harry admitted, his voice raspy as he wiped a stray tear from his cheek. "I don''t have to forgive her. But this whole thing just�� messes with you, you know?"

    Tom nodded. "It does. But you''re not alone, Harry. You have Jade and me and your two sisters and your dad and Jamal. Maybe you need Jamal to hold your hand so he can heal your heart," Tom said and a ghost of a smile touched Harry''s lips.

    "Do you think that maybe Candace is sad too but doesn''t want to tell me about it? She went to see Matt," Harry said and Tom raised an eye brow.

    "Matt, huh? Well, at least she has him for support if she is sad. He''s a good guy, Harry. You should be d she has him."

    Harry nodded, a touch of relief washing over him. "Yeah, you''re right. Matt''s great. He''s been a rock for her long before we came into the picture," Harry said in agreement.

    "Then maybe that''s all she needs right now. Someone to be there for her, to listen and support her." Tom said, a hint of a smile ying on his lips.

    "And you need Jade too. Seeing Sara might not be the closure you needed, but maybe seeing Jade will be thefort you crave," Tom said and Harry raised a brow.

    "Is this your polite way of sending me out of your office?" He asked and Tom chuckled.

    "Yes. I need to get back to work. Some of us are busy. Unless of course you need me to give you a hug and aforting kiss," Tom said with a pucker of his lips and Harry chuckled.

    "Thanks. I will pass. Thank you for listening��"

    "Get lost," Tom said and Harry grinned as he dropped the empty ss on the table before taking the private elevator.

    Alone in his office, Tom picked up his phone and called Jade, "Go to Harry," he said the moment she received the call and hung up.

    As he gazed out the window at the bustling city below, he couldn''t help being worried for Harry. He prayed and hoped that Harry would feel better.

 Chapter 823 Shopping

    Chapter 823 Shopping

    As Harry headed to his car, he contemted whether to call Jade or go home and find something to upy his time. Maybe y a game and chat with Andy. Although that wouldn''t be the same as having Jade.

    Just having Jade sit next to him and hearing her chatter or seeing her smile would be more than enough for him.

    Jade had said she was going to spend the day having fun alone and finding things of interest to do, and he really didn''t want to interfere with her program or bother her-- not that he was going to tell her he was upset, anyway. There was no need getting her worried about him.

    Before he could make up his mind, his phone buzzed, startling him out of his thoughts. Harry smiled when he saw it was Jade. She was calling him first.

    "Hey, goddess. I was just thinking of giving you a call," Harry answered, trying to keep the weariness out of his voice.

    "Hey, boo! While you were busy thinking about it, I was busy doing it! Next time, try to beat me to it," She sounded cheerful, a stark contrast to the heaviness weighing on his own heart.

    "Yes, ma''am."

    "Where are you, pa''ap? Are you back from the visit yet?" Jade asked, her voice brimming with a yful energy that instantly lifted his spirits.

    "Yeah. I dropped by the office briefly. But I''m on my way out now. You?"

    "Out where? Don''t tell me you went to find work to do at the office," Jade said and Harry chuckled.

    "Nah. It was nothing like that. I''m heading home now."

    "Perfect! You don''t have any ns, do you?" Jade asked without answering his question.

    "It depends. Do you have something nned out for me?" He asked, hoping she did, since he needed herpany.

    "I was wondering if you coulde shopping with me. It''s boring doing it alone. I''m at Ace mall. Can youe over?" She asked hopefully.

    The mention of a shopping spree filled Harry with a mix of amusement and apprehension. He wasn''t much of a clothes horse, and the thought of navigating aisles of garments sent a low groan through him. But the prospect of spending time with Jade, even if it meant battling shopping bags, was too enticing to resist.

    "Sure. Anything for you. I will be there in," Harry checked his wristwatch, "twenty minutes," Harry said and Jade screeched happily before hanging up.

    Jade sighed as she returned her phone into her handbag. She was certain that Tom asked her to go to Harry because he was feeling down. And knowing that he had visited his mother in prison earlier, she suspected his mood had a lot to do with that.

    She hoped that she would be able to cheer andfort him now as he always did for her. She couldn''t help but think about Candace and wonder how she was doing. She remembered the way Candace had wept when she first found out her biological mother had sold her (chapter 455). She couldn''t imagine how Candace must have felting face to face with Sara.

    Deciding to put her time to good use while she wait for Harry, she dialed Candace''s line.

    Candace, who was lying on the bed with Matt, with her head resting on his chest sat up when her phone rang.

    "It''s Jade," she informed Matt as she received the call, "Hey!"

    "Hey, you. Are you okay?" Jade asked with concern.

    "Why wouldn''t I be okay? And why do you sound like we didn''t see this morning? You know I''m okay," Candace said with an amused smile.

    "Are you sure? How did the visit go?" Jade asked and Candace shrugged.

    "It was uneventful. Nothing memorable about it," Candace said dismissively.

    Knowing Candace and how she liked to pretend like everything was right even when she was dying inside, Jade sighed. "Where are you?"

    "I''m with Matt. Trust me, I''m okay," Candace said when she realized that Jade had called because she was worried about her.

    "If you say so. Have fun then," Jade said, but before she could hang up, Candace stopped her.

    "Jade?"

    "Yeah?"

    "Thanks for checking on me. Maybe you should check on Harry. I think he is sort of sad," Candace said and Jade raised a brow.

    "You think? Or he is sad? Which is it?" She asked, wanting to know if Harry had said so or she had only suspected it, and just how sad he was.

    "It''s just a feeling. I don''t know. I might be wrong. Just check on him. Okay?" Candace said and Jade sighed.

    "Alright. Thanks. Give my regards to Matt," Jade said before hanging up.

    As Candace dropped her phone, Matt sighed, "Are you really okay?" He asked, since she had not said much since she got to his ce. N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "Yeah."

    "So, why won''t you tell me about the meeting? How did it go?" He asked and she shrugged.

    "There is nothing to tell. It was pretty ordinary. She shed a few crocodile tears and I told her my piece," Candace said dismissively.

    "So, why can''t you meet my gaze? Look into my eyes," Matt urged her softly, running a hand down her arm.

    "Why do you all keep sounding like I''m expected to feel a certain way because I met her? Yes, I saw her for the first time today, so what? Why should that affect me or my day? It wasn''t a pleasant meeting. I thought I was going to ask her why she did that and how she could do such a thing, but when I saw her I realized there was no point. What is done is done, and her answers won''t change anything. They will only be excused to me. I don''t hate her. I don''t like. I''m not mad at her either. I just don''t care about her one way or the other and I can''t be bothered. I just want to continue my day like that visit didn''t happen. So, can we stop talking about it?" Candace asked and Matt bobbed his head since he had gotten the reaction he wanted from her.

    He had been a bit worried when she walked in earlier and went straight to the bedroom to lie down on the bed.

    Back at the Mall, Jade checked the time again and when she saw that ten minutes had passed, she decided to go wait for Harry in front of the mall.

    Arriving at the mall, Harry spotted Jade waiting by the entrance, looking radiant in a sundress that danced around her knees as she waved him over.

    "Hey, baby!" she said, excitement dancing in her eyes as Harry got to where she stood after entrusting the parking of his car to the valet.

    "Did I keep you waiting for long?" Harry asked as he looked her over, the mere sight of her casting away the remnant of gloom.

    "Not at all. Let''s go in. I want to splurge a little," she said with an infectious smile that had Harry smiling back at her.

    He couldn''t help but notice how the afternoon light caught the highlights of her hair, how her eyes sparkled with delight, how her voice carried an unspoken concern beneath the surface.

    Jade raised a brow when Harry took out his wallet. "What is that for?" She asked and shook her head as she watched him take out a ck card.

    "No. Not your money. I''m not exactly poor, you know? I might not be as wealthy as you, but I am wealthy too. I have my untouched trust fund, monthly allowance sent by my grandfather and Tom. My fat sry, etcetera," Jade said as she pulled out her own ck card and shed it in front of him.

    "Point noted. I''m so lucky to have a wealthy girlfriend," Harry said with a grin as he returned his card into his wallet.

    "Yes, you are. Now let''s go in," she said as she took Harry''s hand and pulled him with her excitedly.

    "So, what are you splurging on?" Harry asked and Jade winked.

    "You will see," she said, not giving her n away.

    Harry smiled as he let her lead him, curious to see what she termed splurging and what she wanted to get.

    Instead of heading towards the usual women''s clothing stores, she took a sharp turn towards a different section. He raised an eyebrow in question.

    "Where are we going?" he asked.

    "Ah, you''ll see," she winked again, an air of mischievous secrecy surrounding her.

    Harry''s heart warmed at her thoughtfulness when he realized the shopping was for him. He had almost forgotten that he needed to get some stuff for their trip.

    "You don''t have to do this��."

    "I want to," Jade said cutting him off.

    "What about your clothes?" Harry asked and she shook her head.

    "I already got all I need. The girls joined me in shopping. It was so much fun. Now hush and follow me," Jade ordered and Harry shook his head as he did as she asked.

    He followed her through the mall, watching as she picked out outdoor outfits he would need for their vacation, her eyes lighting up with each new find.

    The next few hours were a whirlwind. Jade, seemingly possessed by an uncharacteristic shopping frenzy, dragged him from store to store, pulling clothes from racks, insisting he try them on, refusing to let him escape with anything resembling his usual attire.

    He found himself bewilderedly holding out floral patterned and vintage shirts, trying on pants and shorts he wasn''t sure he would ever buy for himself, and debating the merits of different sunsses and hats. Every time he tried to voice his hesitation, Jade would yfully shut him down.

    And what struck him the most was how she seemed to know his brands of choice. That told him how observant she was and how much she paid attention to his wardrobe.

    The initial bewilderment gradually gave way to amusement. He found himselfughing as she critiqued his fashion choices, her yfulmentary chasing away the shadows lurking at the back of his mind. The yful banter and her infectious enthusiasm gradually brightened him and he found himselfughing more easily now.

 Chapter 824 Just Trust Me

    Chapter 824 Just Trust Me

    After a few hours of shopping, exhaustion finally caught up with Harry and Jade. Emerging from a sporting goods store, both loaded down with bags, Jade linked her arm with his.

    "Whoa," Harry eximed, leaning against a nearby wall, "that was��a lot."

    "But it was more satisfying and fun than having someone else shop for you, was it not?" Jade asked with a grin.

    "It was only satisfying and fun because I did it with you," Harry he admitted, a grin tugging at the corners of his lips and her smile widened.

    "Excellent response!" she dered, pping her hands with the enthusiasm of a child. "Now, how about a reward? You look like you could use a very expensive meal."

    Harry couldn''t argue with that. His stomach rumbled in agreement. He did not have breakfast before leaving the house that morning and it was evening already.

    "Let''s do that then," Harry said and they both took the bags to the car and Harry drove them to Philip''s restaurant.

    As they settled down on their table, a waiter approached to take their order and Jade smiled as she looked up from the menu, "I want the most delicious and expensive dish here. Same goes for the wine," Jade ordered and Harry shook his head in amusement as he watched her.

    After the waiter left he cocked a brow, "Why are you spending so much today?" He asked and she shrugged.

    "Just want to appreciate and spoil my man," she said with a wink and Harry chuckled.

    "Tom called you, didn''t he?" He asked knowingly.

    "Tom? Yeah. Why?" Jade asked with a nk expression.

    "He asked you to do all this?" Harry asked and Jade rolled her eyes.

    "Why would he be the one to tell me how to treat my man?" Jade asked and when Harry continued to stare at her she sighed.

    "Just so you know, I was at the mall to shop for you. But when Tom called and asked me to go to you, I figured, why not make youe to me instead? So, this wasn''t Tom''s idea. It was mine," Jade said and Harry sighed.

    "I''m fine," Harry said, and she nodded.

    "Of course. How can you not be fine after spending over four hours in thepany of your beautiful goddess? I''d be offended if you said you were not fine," She said with a soft smile and Harry chuckled.

    "You are right. I was sort of downcast but you brightened my mood," Harry said and Jade watched him in silence for a moment.

    "I wasn''t going to ask you about it. I was just going to do my best to cheer you up, but I think should. How did the visit go?" Jade asked and Harry shrugged.

    "Nothing special about it," Harry said and Jade raised a brow.

    "If so, why were you downcast?" Jade asked and Harry sighed.

    "It''s nothing��."

    "Harry Jonas!" Jade snapped, "Don''t get on my nerves. Don''t you dare," she warned, and Harry''s lips curved in a smile.

    "Why are you getting upset?" Harry asked in amusement and she scowled.

    "Why won''t I get upset? You admitted you weren''t okay before you got here, and now I''m asking you what was wrong and you''re telling me it''s nothing. Does that make sense to you? Didn''t we agree to be more open with each other and to have honest conversations?" She asked heatedly and Harry chuckled.

    "Was this the manner I convinced you to tell me what was wrong at Bryan''s ce?" He asked and she considered him for a moment.

    "You can''t talk here? Should I lead you to thedies'' room and threaten not to leave there until you spill it?" She asked and heughed again.

    "I''m d I can crack you up. Now are you going to tell me why you were upset or do I have to��." The rest of her words trailed off when the waiter returned with their order.

    "So?" Jade asked after the order left.

    "Let''s talk about it after dinner," he said and she nodded.

    "Alright then. Let''s do that," Jade said and went on to tell him all that she had been doing since she left the house.

    Once they got to the car after dinner, Jade looked at him, "Dinner is over now," she said and Harry nodded.

    He was silent for a moment and after a while he sighed as he went on to tell her all about the visit and the pang of unexpected sadness he had felt for Sara.

    As he spoke, Jade listened intently, her face a canvas of emotions reflecting his own as her hand reached out to rest on his arm in a silent gesture of support. She didn''t interrupt, just offered a silent space for him to release his turmoil. He talked until his voice grew hoarse, the raw emotions finally finding their way out.

    When he finished, a heavy silence settled between them. He braced himself for questions or for her to tell him he wasn''t supposed to feel that way, but Jade said nothing. Instead, Jade simply pulled him close, wrapping her arms around him in a tight embrace.

    Harry didn''t realize how much he had wanted a hug until he leaned into her warmth, the familiar scent of her hair a soothing balm to his frayed nerves.

    He buried his face in her shoulder, letting out a shaky breath. The dam finally broke, and a single tear escaped, rolling down his cheek. He felt her hand gently stroking his hair, a silent reassurance that he wasn''t alone. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    He didn''t know how long they sat there, lost in theforting silence of their embrace. But slowly, the tension began to ease from his shoulders, reced by a sense of quiet eptance.

    When he finally pulled back, his eyes met hers. They were filled with understanding and unwavering love as she brushed the tears away from his face.

    "What am I going to do about you, Jonas? You look even hot when you cry," Jade joked unexpectedly and Harry chuckled,

    "I''m sure there is nothing I''m going to say that you don''t know already. So, I won''t bore either of us with unnecessary talk. She made her choices and now she is suffering the consequence. Bad or good, she is still your mother. You are human to feel the way you do. You can decide whether to forgive her or not, it is entirely up to you. Make the choice that makes you happy and everyone else will adjust," Jade said and Harry nodded.

    "Thank you," he whispered, his voice thick with emotion. "For everything."

    Without responding Jade pulled him close for a kiss, "I''m happy I could be here for you. Now take me to Tom''s," Jade said since she had nned to go back home that day.

    "How about you spend the night at Tom''s ce too? I don''t want you to be alone. You can chat with Tom and then spend the night with me," Jade suggested since she was hesitant to leave him when he wasn''t really in a good mood and she didn''t want to return to his ce either.

    "Candace and Andy��."

    "They cane too. There is enough room for everyone. And Andy has never been to Tom''s house. She should see it before she leaves," Jade said and Harry shook his head.

    "It''s not your invitation to give, love. Would you like someone else to do that to you?" He asked and she shook her head.

    "No. You''re right. Should I ask Tom and Lucy then? I''m sure they won''t mind," She asked and Harry shook his head.

    "Don''t worry. I am fine already. I feel better after spending time with you. And we can talk some more over the phone until either of us goes to bed," Harry said and Jade sighed deeply.

    "This is one of the reasons I need to get my own ce. I think I should move out of Tom''s��."

    "No," Harry said before she could finish, even though he understood her need for her own space.

    Jade arched a brow. "Why not?" She asked, and he shrugged.

    "It will be a waste when you have so many ces avable to you. You''re going to be spending more time at my ce than his anyway," he said, not wanting to tell her he intended to get married to her in a couple of months.

    "But I need my own space too��."

    "I know, and I understand. I''m not trying to impose my decision on you. Just trust me," Harry said and she sighed.

    "Alright then. If that''s what you want I will keep shuttling between your ce, Tom''s and Bryan''s and being a nuisance to everyone," she said and shook his head.

    "You''re not a nuisance to anyone," he assured her, "And stop speaking so poorly of the love of my life. I don''t like it," he chided and her lips twitched.

    "Whatever," she muttered as she turned away from him even though she was pleased with what he had just said.

    Away from there, after Tom was done with hisst meeting of the day, he walked into the bedroom in his office where Lucy had been waiting, and found her fast asleep on the bed.

    He sat by the edge of the bed and watched her as she slept with a peaceful smile on her face.

    He reached out and brushed a tendril of hair from her face. And Lucy''s eyes fluttered open at the touch.

    "Are you done?" She asked with a yawn as she sat up.

    "Yes. I''m sorry I kept you waiting," he said and she shook her head.

    "It''s alright. I guess that''s one of the things I signed up for when I agreed to date a man of your status," she said and Tom smiled.

    "Samantha called earlier to ask if we had anything special in mind for dinner," Lucy said and Tom arched a brow.

    "That''s unlike her to ask. What did you tell her?" Tom asked, wondering why his cook had done that.

    "I told her she has been doing a great job so far, and she doesn''t have to ask me that," Lucy said and Tom smiled.

    "Go on," he said, knowing the conversation wasn''t over.

    "She said she thought as thedy of the house I would like to have more say on how the home was being run. And I told her if there was anything I didn''t like, I would let her know, but so far, I trust her judgement," Lucy said and Tom smiled.

    He was pleased that she epted her role easily and that she was getting along with his domestic workers.

    "Do you really trust her judgement?" Tom asked and she nodded.

    "She has been doing a good job taking care of you and running the house all this while before I appeared. I don''t think that should change. You haven''t made anyint about her meals. And you know how much I love them too. I''m not much of a cook, and I can''t really be bothered about trying to figure out what to prepare for breakfast, lunch and dinner. In summary, let her keep doing her thing. I love her," Lucy said and Tom chuckled.

    "Alright then. Ready to leave?" He asked and she nodded.

    "Give me a minute to fix my makeup," Lucy said and quickly did that, "I''m ready to go," she said when she was done.

    "So, today''s date is a stroll?" He asked as they left the office.

    "Yeah. I should probably give Lucas a call to find out if he was able to do as he nned," Lucy said, thinking of how dull Amy had been at the office all day.

    Once they got into the car, Lucy dialed Lucas'' line and after the fourth ring he received the call.

    "Hey! What''s up?" Lucas who had just stepped out of the shower asked.

    "That''s what I called to ask you. What''s up? Were you able to meet with Miley''s parents?" Lucy asked without beating around the bush.

    "Yeah, I did," Lucas said, thinking about his meeting with Miley''s parents.

 Chapter 825 Wednesday

    Chapter 825 Wednesday

    Lucas'' fingers drummed nervously on the steering wheel as he pulled up to the imposing iron gates of the Garwood estate. The house loomed ahead, a sprawling Georgian mansion that spoke of old money and quiet prestige. Its manicuredwns stretched out like a green velvet carpet, and a fountain sshed merrily in the center of a circr driveway.

    Although he couldn''t help but dread meeting Miley''s parents, who he had never met, in their time of grief, he feltpelled to pay his respects and to intercede on Amy''s behalf.

    Amy, consumed by guilt and ostracized by the very people she cared about, desperately needed someone to advocate for her. Taking a deep breath, Lucas adjusted his tie and stepped out of the car. The air hung heavy with the scent of freshly cut grass and blooming roses.

    Although nervousness gnawed at his stomach, Lucas steeled himself for the task ahead.

    A uniformed maid, her eyes echoing the sorrow that clung to the house like a shroud, answered the heavy oak door. "Dr Perry?" she inquired, her voice a gentle murmur.

    "Yes, that''s me."

    "They have been expecting you since Dr Drew called to inform them that a friend of Miley ising over. Please,e in." She ushered him into a grand foyer.

    Sunlight streamed through a high arched window, illuminating a space that was opulent yet tastefully decorated. Crystal chandeliers glittered overhead, casting rainbows on the polished marble floor. Expensive paintings adorned the walls, and a grand staircase curved gracefully towards the upper floor.

    Lucas shifted ufortably in the plush velvet upholstery he had been offered as he waited for Miley''s parents to join him.

    A knot of tension tightened in his stomach as the heavy oak door creaked open. Mrs. Garwood stood behind it, her face etched with sadness.

    Lucas saw a faint echo of Miley in the woman''s blue eyes, a color that stood out amidst the sea of familiar brown hair that ran in the Garwood family.

    "Dr Perry?" she inquired, her voice a strained murmur.

    Lucas rose, smoothing down his tie. "Mrs. Garwood," he said, his voice sincere. "I''m so sorry for your loss. Miley was a wonderful person."

    Her eyes welled up, a flicker of appreciation battling the storm of emotions on her face. "Thank you, Doctor. Please,e in."

    He followed her into a richly furnished sitting room, the air thick with a potent mix of grief.

    Family photos adorned the mantelpiece, showcasing a younger Miley with her parents, a radiant smile mirroring the one he remembered.

    There, in the younger Mrs. Garwood''s bright smile and Mr. Garwood''s crinkled blue eyes, Lucas saw the undeniable source of Miley''s captivating grin and sparkling azure eyes, a stark contrast to the dominant brown hair that framed both parents'' faces.

    A pang of loss shot through him, and he cleared his throat awkwardly.

    "I didn''t know Miley had any friends here, so we were surprised when Dr Drew mentioned that you wereing over. And I''m surprised it is you. Surely, you remember me, don''t you?"

    Lucas blinked, momentarily thrown off guard. He had treated countless patients over the years, and while he faintly recognized Mrs. Garwood, the memory wasn''t strong enough to connect it to Miley.

    My apologies, Mrs. Garwood," he admitted, a touch of embarrassment coloring his voice. "I see many patients, and unfortunately, faces sometimes��"

    A gruff voice cut him off. "Doctor Perry, surely you remember us," Mr. Garwood entered the room then, his face grim.

    "Dr Drew was out of town on the day of our routine check up and we were assigned to you. I said you were too young to know anything."

    A spark of recognition ignited in Lucas''s mind. It had been the same day he met Tom''s parents for the first time.

    Shame washed over him as he realized he''d never connected the dots between the Garwoods from the clinic and Miley, the vibrant friend he''d met by chance.

    "Of course," Lucas said, forcing a smile, "Mr. and Mrs. Garwood. I apologize, it''s been a while. I should have recognized you both sooner."

    "It''s alright. Please sit. I had no idea you knew our daughter. If I may ask, how long have you known her?" Mr Garwood asked with interest.

    "I met her during a dark time in my life. I had just resigned from the hospital that day. I was drunk and passed out in a bar and she took me home. I''m embarassed to admit that to you," Lucas added when both Miley''s parents exchanged a look.

    "She was like an Angel. Bright and cheerful," Lucas continued, reminiscing on what little time he had spent with her.

    "That''s our Miley. She was so full of life. Until she wasn''t," her mother said with a sniffle.

    "Did you know about her condition?" Her dad asked, and Lucas nodded.

    "Yes, I did. She told me she found out about it three weeks prior our meeting," Lucas said and they looked at him closely.

    "And?"

    "And she didn''t want anyone to feel sorry for her. She wanted to tick the items on her bucket list and have fun, not stay stuck on any hospital bed receiving useless treatment and wasting valuable time as she knew she would if her parents found out about her condition," Lucas said since he had decided not to directly tell them he was here in Amy''s defense.

    He had thought about it long and hard and decided that the best way to show them Amy was innocent of whatever they thought she did wrong, was to show them that Amy''s only crime had been that she was too weak to say no to their very stubborn daughter.

    "What bucket list?" Her mom asked with a frown, wanting to know what Miley had wanted to do so badly that she would keep her condition away from them and not receive treatment.

    "She wanted to get married and have a kid. I believe she mostly wanted a kid because she didn''t want you both to feel lonely after she was gone. She wanted to leave you a grandchild," Lucas said, and Mrs Garwood''s eyes teared up as she looked at her husband and he extended a hand which she took as tears rolled down her cheeks.

    "She told you that?" Mr Garwood asked, and Lucas nodded.

    "Yeah. I suppose I came here because I feel sort of bad. We were not in best of terms as at the time we parted ways," He said and they looked at him in confusion.

    "Why? What happened?" Mrs Garwood asked.

    "I thought her n was stupid and I told her so. I mean, she was dying. She didn''t even tell anyone about it. Not her parents, not even her best friend��."

    Mrs. Garwood''s eyes narrowed. "You know Amy?" she spat, the nameced with bitterness. "The one who let our daughter suffer while she kept quiet?"

    Lucas winced inwardly. "I met her through Miley. That was when she flew over to Heden upon hearing of Miley''s condition. She was distraught and wouldn''t stop crying��."

    "You were talking about why you fell out with our daughter," Miley''s father reminded Lucas, not wanting to hear anything about Amy.

    "Oh, yeah. Well, she wanted me to marry her��."

    "What?" Miley''s mother asked in disbelief.

    Although Lucas was the type of son-inw they would have loved her to bring home to them, she couldn''t believe that Miley would actuallye up with such a ridiculous n.

    "That was my exact reaction too. I felt even more insulted because she offered to pay me for it. I was to get married to her and help her have a baby. I was too offended by her suggestion I left. I cut her off and I left," Lucas finished.

    "I don''t understand. How did she n to have a baby when she had barely six months left?" Miley''s father asked as Lucas had hoped he would.

    "That was where Amy came in. I was annoyed by her illogical and blind loyalty to Miley. I get that Miley threatened to cut her off and run off on her own if she decides to tell you both about her condition, but how could she keep it to herself? Why would she take a break from work just to watch over Miley and ensure that Miley was fine? Why would she offer to be Miley''s surrogate just so she can hold on to a part of Miley? She is a youngdy who should worry about what men might think when they find out she has had a baby, but she got mad when I told her all of that. Her love and loyalty for Miley is irrational. If she was doing it because she wanted to get paid, it would have been better, but she made it clear she didn''t want anything other than to have a part of Miley with her forever. She even yelled at me and embarrassed me in public. She kept insisting that Miley was stubborn and once she had her mind made up, nothing could be done to change it and she would rather be by Miley''s side and make all her wishese true than have Miley cut her off. Does that make sense?" Lucas asked with righteous indignation.

    A flicker of understanding softened Mrs. Garwood''s expression as she listened to Lucas, his tone gentle but firm.

    "It was all Miley''s idea and Amy went along with it?" Miley''s dad asked, exchanging a look with his wife, while Lucas pretended not to know why he was asking her that.

    "Totally. Miley was fiercely independent, and she didn''t want to burden you with the worry. She��" he hesitated, searching for the right words, "she wanted to fight it on her own terms. Amy heard about the bucket list first from me before she heard it from Miley. Why do you ask?" Lucas asked and Miley''s dad shook his head without saying a word. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    He didn''t see the need in telling Lucas that Miley had gone ahead with her n and in the end had settled for a bastard who dared to threaten them for money.

    The conversation flowed,ced with tears and raw emotions. Lucas talked about the fear and frustration he knew Amy must have felt, caught between her loyalty to Miley and the desperate wish to intervene.

    By the end, the anger in Mr Garwood''s eyes had softened, reced by a profound sadness and eptance.

    "We just wanted to know," Mr. Garwood finally spoke, his voice hoarse. "We just wanted to be there for our little girl."

    Lucas nodded, his heart heavy. He knew there were no easy answers, no way to rewind time and rewrite the tragic story. But he hoped, with a sliver of optimism, that his visit had shed a light on Amy''s actions, mending a fractured friendship in the face of an unimaginable loss.

    "Believe me when I say I have never seen such love and loyalty between friends. I might have left because I was mad at them, but I admired what they shared. Miley was so lucky to have had such a good friend as Amy by her side. I can''t imagine how Miley would have fared had Amy not known about her condition and stayed by her side. I''m sure Amy must be so distraught right now. Is she here right now? Can I say hello to her?" Lucas asked, pretending not to know that Amy was not there.

    "No. She is not here at the moment," Miley''s mom said with tears in her eyes.

    "When is the funeral? Maybe I can see Amy at the funeral," Lucas said hopefully.

    "On Wednesday. Amy should be here by then," Miley''s mother said after exchanging a look with her husband.

    "That''s too bad. I doubt I would be able to see her before leaving for Hu again. I came in on Friday for a friend''s wedding and I have to leave tomorrow," Lucas said regretfully, d that there was a possibility of Amy being allowed to attend the funeral.

    As Lucas rose to leave, Mrs. Garwood reached out and grasped his hand, a tremor in her voice. "Thank you, Doctor," she said, the title a formality they both understood. "Thank you foring over and for telling us all these. I kept wondering why she would keep her condition away from us and all of that, but you''ve answered all my questions."

    Lucas squeezed her hand gently. "There are no words, Mrs. Garwood. But please know, Miley loved you both very much."

    Leaving the opulent mansion behind, the weight of the conversation lingered, but there was a lightness in his heart. He couldn''t bring Miley back, but he had helped bridge a gap, a small act offort in the face of overwhelming grief. He hoped that somehow, somewhere, Miley would be at peace knowing that her family and the friend she cherished were no longer divided.

    "So? How did it go?" Lucy asked, bringing Lucas back to the present.

    "I believe it went well. You should give her some days off to attend the funeral. It''s on Wednesday," Lucas said and Lucy sighed.

    "Sure. I will. Thank you, Lucas. Thanks for helping her clear the air," Lucy said before hanging up.

 Chapter 826 Clearing The Air

    Chapter 826 Clearing The Air

    As Tom and Lucy pulled into thepound after their stroll that evening, they found Harry''s car parked in front of the house, with Harry and Jade standing beside it.

    Tom pulled over beside them. "What are you doing here?" Tom asked Harry as he got out of the car to join them.

    "What? You''re not happy to see me?" Harry asked dryly.

    "I''m always happy to see you. The question is why are you here," Tom said, giving Jade a questioning look as he wondered if Harry was there because she had not gone to meet him as he asked her to.

    "He brought me home. We were out all day, so he came to drop me off," Jade exined just as Lucy joined them.

    "Hello, HaHa! Hey, Jade!" Lucy greeted with a pleasant smile, "How did the visit go?" Lucy asked Harry and he shrugged.

    "She shed tears��."

    "Tears?" Lucy echoed in disbelief.

    "It was unexpected. She seemed sort of regretful after seeing Candace," Harry said and Lucy snorted.

    "She was probably feeling regretful that she lost her opportunity to find Candace before you did," Lucy said and Harry chuckled.

    "Candace said the same thing," Harry said, while Tom looked at Jade with a frown.

    "Are you both just getting back from the office or did you go somewhere?" Harry asked curiously.

    "Tom finishedte, and we both went on a stroll afterward," Lucy said while Tom kept his gaze on Jade.

    "What I don''t get is why Harry is dropping you off here. I mean, you''ve been at his ce for a while now, so howe you areing back here now when you should be with him? Or did Harry ask to be left alone?" Tom asked, looking from Jade to Harry.

    Jade looked at Harry, unable to exin what had prompted her decision to Tom, and Harry shook his head at Tom, "I''m fine. She did more than enough already and I''m feeling much better," Harry assured Tom.

    "Take a look at all those shopping bags in the backseat. She got me all of that. I never knew shopping could make someone feel better," Harry said and Jade grinned.

    "Wee to the world of therapeutic shopping," Jade said and Lucy giggled.

    "Or maybe you''re just too exhausted from the experience to feel anything else," Tom pointed out jokingly, earningughs from Harry and Lucy. Jade scowled at him yfully.

    "No. It was actually thepany. Being with her always makes me feel better. Thanks for asking her to cheer me up," Harry assured Tom.

    "I didn''t need to be asked. If you hade to me first instead of Tom, I would have cheered you up right away. But it''s fine you went to him first. At least I got to show you I can cheer you up faster than Tom," Jade said with a wink and they allughed.

    "Why don''t I go in and leave you guys to talk? You will call me when you get home, right?" Jade asked, and Harry smiled at her, impressed by how much effort he could see she was putting into being less clingy.

    "How about I call you as I drive out so you can keep mepany all the way till I get home?" he asked and she smiled happily.

    "That''s fine too. I love you," Jade said as she leaned forward and kissed him.

    "I love you much more," Harry said as Jade stepped away from him.

    "I should leave you guys to talk as well. Give my regards to Candace and Andy. I will be looking forward to seeing the interview tomorrow," Lucy said to Harry before turning to Tom, "I will be in the bedroom," Lucy told Tom.

    "Don''t freshen up without me," he said with a wink and she grinned.

    "That was too much information," he said and Tom raised a brow.

    "I didn''t say anything��"

    "You said a lot without saying nothing," Harry said and Tom snorted.

    "I wasn''t talking even to you," Tom pointed out and Lucy giggled as she walked away with Jade while Harry shook his head.

    "How are you getting ready for your vacation?" Lucy asked Jade excitedly as they both walked inside the house.

    Jade shrugged. "Everything is in ce. All that is left is for Harry to wrap up all that he is doing," Jade said but she didn''t sound as excited as Lucy expected so Lucy turned to her.

    "Are you okay?" She asked with a slight frown.

    "Yeah," Jade said as she continued walking.

    "Are you sure? You don''t sound like yourself," Lucy said and Jade arched a brow.

    "And how do myself sound? Childish, immature? Making everything about myself?" Jade asked, her voice tinged with irritation.

    Lucy frowned as she stopped walking. "I only meant you don''t sound excited as usual. Where is thating from?" Lucy asked,pletely taken aback by Jade''s outburst.

    "Isn''t that what you think of me?" Jade asked as she stopped walking and turned to look at Lucy.

    Lucy raised a brow, "Why would I think that of you? If this is about what happened on the yacht, I already apologized and made it clear to you that I wasn''t referring to you. Looking at you when I made the statement was a coincidence. I really don''t know what else you want me to say," Lucy said, irritated by Jade''s insistence to hold on to an offense she didn''tmit.

    "Really? Was it a coincidence? Why do I feel like you all must have discussed about how Jade likes to make everything about herself and your subconscious made you look at me at that exact time because it was embedded in your mind?" Jade asked and Lucy took a deep breath.

    "I see no reason you''d think I have nothing better to do with my time than to gossip about you. And who are the people you think would sit down to discuss you? I will take it that you had a rough day and you''re taking it out on me," Lucy said in a tight voice and without waiting for Jade to respond, she resumed walking and climbed up the stairs.

    Jade sighed as she watched Lucy go, and then she hurried after her, "Lucy��"

    Lucy took a deep breath as she turned to face Jade, "Jade, I really don''t want to argue or fight with you. Maybe you haven''t noticed it, but I don''t particrly like being on bad terms with people close to me. So, please, whatever this is, leave me out of it. I didn''t discuss about you with anyone. I didn''t direct my statement to you. If it were your party, I would say the same thing to all the guests present. I thought you would be excited about your vacation and when I noticed you didn''t seem excited I wanted to know if you were fine. It''s not my business. I shouldn''t have asked. I''m sorry��"

    "I''m sorry," Jade said, cutting off her diatribe.

    "I was upset. I just don''t like the way you''ve all been treating me��."

    "And how have I been treating you?" Lucy asked, giving her a pointed look.

    "You shut me up in front of strangers when we were getting ready for the all white party," she reminded Lucy.

    "I didn''t do it because I disrespect you. I shut you up because we were all talking too much and even though you all didn''t notice, the makeup artists and stylists were not exactly pleased that we were slowing down their work. I''m sorry if that offended you. It was nothing personal. I would have shut up any of the others too had they spoken when you did. And I remember very well that you shut Sonia up too," Lucy said and Jade looked at her for a moment.

    Jade sighed. "Can we talk for a moment? In my bedroom?" Jade asked and Lucy shrugged.

    Lucy followed Jade as she led the way to her bedroom, and after they were inside and seated, Jade looked at Lucy.

    "I want to ask you a question. I want a sincere response," she said and Lucy gave her a nod.

    "Do you think I''m spoilt? Clingy?" She asked and Lucy couldn''t help but wonder who could have spoken to her. She doubted that Harry could have said all that to her. N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "What do you mean by spoilt?" Lucy asked, wanting to understand where she wasing from in order to answer her question.

    "I don''t know. Maybe I always make things about myself�� no, I''m not referring to the statement you made," Jade corrected quickly when Lucy rolled her eyes.

    "I honestly don''t know what you mean by that. But I don''t think you make things about yourself. I think you are cool. I love how you are always excited," Lucy said but Jade eyed her doubtfully.

    "I''m not saying there aren''t times that it would be best you calm down, but overall, you''re not bad. You''re cool," Lucy said, giving her a thumbs up.

    "And clingy? Do you think I''m too clingy and jealous when ites to Harry? Like how I asked to join him and Mia?" Jade asked and Lucyughed.

    "I''m pretty sure I would do the same if I were in your shoes. Maybe I''m clingy too, who knows? But if Harry isn''tining why are you worried? Or did hein?" Lucy asked and Jade shook her head.

    "No. He didn''t. I was just thinking about it. I want to tone it down," Jade said with a shrug.

    "Honestly, Jade, if you ask me, I think you are doing fine and shouldn''t tone down anything unless Harry wants you to. You are more expressive of your feelings than the rest of us, and if you ask me, I think it''s a good thing," Lucy said and Jade looked at her hopefully.

    "Do you really think so?" She asked, and Lucy gave her a nod.

    "Of course. I wouldn''t say what I don''t mean to you. But I have one advise though. Or you can call it a suggestion," Lucy said and Jade nodded.

    "Go on."

    "You know how Harry is. Don''t give him reasons to speak to you harshly in public," Lucy said and Jade nodded thoughtfully.

    "You mean like how I asked to join him when he wanted to speak with Mia alone, right?" She asked and Lucy nodded.

    "Yes. I think as long as you understand your partner, you''d know how to handle your rtionship. But other than that, I don''t think you''re spoilt or clingy," Lucy said and Jade smiled.

    "I''m sorry I assumed you thought of me that way," Jade said, meaning it.

    "Can I ask why you thought so?"

    "Andy and Candace talked to me on Saturday. Although, I already trashed things out with Candace. I assumed that you and Sonia might also think I''m immature��"

    "They said you were immature?" Lucy asked with a slight frown, unable to imagine why they would say that to her.

    "Spoilt was the word used," Jade said and went on to tell her all they had said.

    When she was done, Lucy reached out a hand to pat her hand.

    "That must have stung a little. I''m sorry. I''m sure they didn''t mean to hurt your feelings," Lucy said and Jade shrugged.

    "It'' stung more than a little. I was just going to withdraw from you all and keep to myself since I''m too immature to hangout with you guys," Jade said and Lucy nodded.

    "I can understand why you''d make such a decision. But we all can''t be expected to act the same way. Can I ask you a question?" Lucy asked and Jade nodded.

    "Why did you confront me that way in front of others during the party on the yacht?"

    "Well, I thought you were picking on me," Jade said and Lucy nodded.

    "Why did it have to be right there, at that time in front of the others? Why didn''t you do itter in private?" Lucy asked and Jade frowned.

    "If you could pick on me right there in front of them at that time, why do I have to wait untilter to confront you in private? I should do so in front of everyone too so they know it''s not okay to pick on me. I won''t let anyone walk over me," Jade said and Lucy nodded.

    "I thought as much. You''re a reasonable person, Jade. As much as I didn''t like it because I really wasn''t picking on you and the argument was sort of affecting the mood of the party, your reason for doing what you did is valid too. You are not immature or spoilt," Lucy said and Jade smiled.

    "Thanks, Lucy. I feel much better. Although I''m still going to work on myself, but I''m d to know I''m not as unreasonable or silly as I''ve been feeling for some days now. Although Harry tried to reassure me, but he''s my boyfriend. It''s only normal that he would try to make me feel better. But hearing this from you also helps," Jade said and Lucy squeezed her hand.

    "I''m d I could help. And I can assure you that Sonia doesn''t think you are spoilt either. And now that I know how you feel, I promise to be more mindful of my words to you and to not shut you up in public ever again," Lucy said and Jade smiled.

    "I will appreciate that. Thanks," Jade said and Lucy rose to leave.

    "And, I''m very much excited about the vacation," Jade said with a wide smile before Lucy could leave.

    Lucy grinned, "I''m sure you are. Good night, Jade," Lucy said before walking out of the bedroom.

 Chapter 827 Human CCTV

    Chapter 827 Human CCTV

    As Jeff and Mia stepped out of the cab, the glow of the streetlights illuminated the contentment andughter on their faces.

    They had just enjoyed a delightful dinner, the kind that leaves you feeling warm and satisfied, both from the food and thepany.

    As they walked to the door, Jeff nced at Mia beside him, her face flushed from the wine and the warmth of their shared meal. Her brown eyes sparkled with amusement, her lips still curved in a smile.

    "Did you see the look on that poor waiter''s face when you ordered the chocteva cake for an appetizer?" Jeff asked his own smile wide enough to show off the dimple in his cheek.

    Mia giggled as she handed the key to Jeff to unlock the door. The rich, decadent chocte lingered on Mia''s tongue, a sweet counterpoint to the tangy red wine.

    "He looked like I''d personally insulted his Nonna''s recipe."

    "But seriously, Mia, molten chocte for an appetizer? Genius!" Jeff said, giving her a thumbs up before proceeding to open the door.

    Mia swatted him yfully on the arm. "I told you to trust me," she winked, "Besides, it made up for the disaster that was your attempt at pronouncing that French dish."

    Jeff, a blush creeping up his neck, feigned offense. "Hey! I me the ent wall at the restaurant. It was distracting."

    Mia''sughter echoed into the quiet night, the sound like wind chimes dancing in a breeze.

    As sheughed, Jeff brushed a stray curl from Mia''s forehead, the gesture surprisingly tender. Mia blinked, surprised by the warmth that spread through her chest. Had he always been this��touchy? She mused.

    Neither of them noticed the dark figure lurking in the shadows across the street, a single glint of light reflecting off a camera lens.

    The door closed behind them as they walked into the apartment, and Jeff leaned in to switch on the light, casting long shadows that danced on the worn floral wallpaper.

    "Alright," Mia announced, stretching her arms above her head with a satisfied sigh. "It''s time to retire to bed."

    They had been busy all morning because she had to interview some of the domestic staff sent to work for Sonia and Bryan. Jeff had offered to assist her and they had spent hours doing that, hence she had offered to treat Jeff to a fancy dinner.

    "Let me know when you''re done freshening up," Jeff said before Mia could head for her bedroom and she paused to look at him. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "Seriously, Jeff, how long are you going to keep sleeping in my bedroom?" She asked, since she had woken up that morning to find him on the floor once again.

    "I don''t know. Maybe as long as it takes to chase away your nightmares," Jeff said with a shrug.

    Mia snorted, "And if it takes a lifetime?" She asked in amusement.

    "Then you''re stuck with me for that long," Jeff said with a wink that made butterflies flutter in her belly.

    They were both saved from the further awkward conversation by the sound of the doorbell, and they both turned to the door.

    "Did you order anything? I didn''t," Mia asked Jeff with a slight frown.

    "Probably your nosy neighbor friend. I will check," Jeff said as he went to answer the door, while Mia remained where she stood with a guarded expression.

    "Hello there!" Alicia said once Jeff opened the door, and Jeff turned to give Mia and I told you so look.

    "I''m sorry to be a bother. I brought you some freshly baked apple pies, and I have something important to tell you. It won''t take long I promise," she said, since she needed to go prepare for Harry''s interview.

    Jeff looked at Mia, and she shrugged, so he let Alicia in. "Did something happen?" Mia asked as she went to sit with Alicia while Jeff took the tray of apple pies to put it away.

    "Do you have plumbing issues? Did you send for a plumber?" Alicia asked and Mia frowned.

    "No, we didn''t," Mia said, and Jeff raised a brow when he heard the question.

    "Why do you ask?" Jeff asked as he also sat down.

    "Earlier today while you were away, someone came around. A tall looking man dressed in overalls. I noticed him looking around like he was trying to find a spare key and when he didn''t, he wanted to pick the door or something, I can''t tell. But I confronted him. He said thedy living here sent for him to take care of some plumbing problem, so I asked him to leave ande back when you''re home or to give you a call so I speak to you. And then he received a call and said it was a wrong address. He got into a waiting car and left," Alicia said, and Mia''s heart raced as she heard the words, and she exchanged a look with Jeff.

    "You don''t believe him?" Jeff asked, and Alicia nodded.

    "I watched him for a while before confronting him. When he got here at first he was taking pictures of the house. And I decided to bring this to your attention now because I saw the same car drive past a couple of minutes ago. This is the te number," Alicia said as she showed them her phone''s screen, to reveal she had captured the car and te number.

    Although Jeff wasn''t really a fan of Alicia''s nosiness, it was proving useful to them at the moment and he appreciated it.

    Jeff took his phone and took a picture of Alicia''s screen so he could send it to Harry. He was sure Harry would be able to use his connection to find out who the person was.

    "Thanks," Jeff said, and Alicia nodded as she rose to leave.

    "I''m curious about something though. Howe you''re always observing everyone and everything going on in the neigborhood?" Jeff asked and Alicia giggled.

    "I grew up with my grandmother. She used to do that a lot. I mean stand by the window. She called it keeping watch over her neighbors. Once she saved someone from robbery, and another from a violent partner. I liked it. I wanted to be more like her," she said with a shrug.

    "I see. Thanks for the information," Jeff said, and Alicia nodded before ncing at Mia who was unusually quiet.

    "Mia? Are you alright?" Alicia asked and Mia nodded even though she was trembling inside.

    "Yes. Thanks." She forced a smile but didn''t rise.

    Jeff saw Alicia to the door, and after she left he returned to Mia''s side and ced a hand over hers.

    "It is Henry. I know it. He sent someone to keep an eye on me. Probably to confirm if what I''m sure he has heard is true," Mia said in a shaky voice.

    "Calm down," he said softly.

    "He knows where I am. It''s only a matter of time before he shows up," Mia said and Jeff crouched down in front of her and held her chin so that she would look into his face.

    "It doesn''t matter whether or not he knows where you are. I won''t let him hurt you. You have my word, Mia. He won''t hurt even a strand of your hair. I will keep you safe," Jeff promised as he held Mia''s gaze with his brown eyes.

    "You don''t know him, Jeff��"

    "I know more than enough already. You are tired. Go freshen up and go to bed. I will join you after I freshen up," Jeff said and Mia nced at the door hesitantly.

    "Tomorrow we will change the lock and set up a burry rm system. We can have security cameras in the house too," he said, wanting to make her rx.

    "Can we really do that?" She asked hopefully, and Jeff nodded.

    "Although I think we have a more reliable human burry rm and CCTV in Alicia," Jeff said to make herugh, and she rewarded him with a giggle.

    "Don''t worry, Mia. You will be okay," Jeff promised, and when she nodded he rose, and she did the same.

    "Thanks, Jeff," she said before walking away to her bedroom.

    After watching her leave, Jeff waited until he heard her bedroom door close before dialing Harry''s line.

    After telling Harry what Alicia had said, and sending the te number of the car to Harry, Jeff went into his bedroom to freshen up.

    After he was done, he went to Mia''s bedroom and knocked on the door, "Mia? Can Ie in?" He asked, and Mia opened the door.

    "Again with the loud music?" She asked when she saw he was carrying the speaker again along with a nket and pillow.

    "Anything to make you sleep well," Jeff said with a wink as he walked past her into the bedroom.

    Mia watched Jeff as he spread the nket on the floor, and she cleared her throat, "How about you join me on the bed instead?" she asked, and Jeff looked at her, taken aback by her offer.

    "I mean, I''m notfortable that you have to sleep on the hard floor this way simply because you''re watching over me. Or maybe I could sleep on the floor while you take the bed," she quickly exined, not wanting him to misunderstand her offer.

    "I neverined. The floor is fine," Jeff assured her.

    "Not to me. It makes me ufortable. I''d rather you join me in bed," she insisted.

    Jeff stared at her for a moment before letting out a deep breath. "If you insist. Just don''t me me for whatever happens," Jeff said and she raised a brow.

    "Whatever happens like what?" Mia asked in confusion.

    "I''m not saying anything would happen. I''m just saying don''t me me if anything happens," Jeff rephrased.

    "And I''m asking, anything like what?" Mia repeated.

    Jeff looked at her directly, "It''s been long I shared a bed with ady. I could cuddle you or stuff. I''m not saying I will. I''m saying I could," Jeff said as honestly as he could muster and Mia''s heart fluttered.

    "You know what I think? I think I should stay on the floor," Jeff said awkwardly when she remained quiet.

    Mia swallowed, her heart racing, "I still think you should join me on the bed."

 Chapter 828 Paris

    Chapter 828 Paris

    Mia''s offer hung in the air, a question mark defying the usual boundaries of their friendship. Jeff, ever the pragmatist, blinked a few times, processing the unexpected turn of events.

    The sudden shift in Mia''s tone sent a jolt through Jeff. Her earlier vulnerability had transformed into a quiet confidence that left him flustered.

    The air in the room crackled with a tension that had nothing to do with the threat of Henry as Mia stood by the bed with her gaze fixed on Jeff.

    Jeff ran his fingers through his hair, torn between wanting to protect her and wanting to explore whatever feeling bubbled within him.

    "Mia," he began, his voice a husky murmur, "are you sure? I wouldn''t want to make things�� ufortable."

    Part of her, the cautious side honed by years with Henry, wanted to take back her offer and retreat. But another, more daring part, the one awakened byughter and shared moments together, felt a tug towards the shared warmth of the bed.

    Mia bit her lip, her gaze flickering between Jeff and the inviting expanse of her bed. Fear of Henry gnawed at her, but a new, unfamiliar warmth bloomed in her chest whenever Jeff''s hand brushed against hers. The thought of him sleeping on the cold floor fueled a strange protectiveness within her.

    Her gaze held his, a silent challenge that both scared and exhrated her. "Positive," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "Unless you''re afraid?" N?v(el)B\\jnn

    The yful jab sent a spark down Jeff''s spine. Afraid? The only thing he was terrified of was letting her down.

    "I''m not afraid of anything," Jeff assured her.

    "Good, then it shouldn''t be a problem," she said, and then shrugged, "besides, you know, with Henry lurking around, maybe a little extra security measure wouldn''t hurt."

    Jeff chuckled, the sound surprisingly warm. "Security, huh? Alright, security it is. But just so you know, as I warned, I might take advantage of that close proximity."

    Mia''s cheeks burned a familiar shade of red. "I can handle it," she retorted, trying to sound braver than she felt.

    He raised an eyebrow, a yful smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "We''ll see about that," he said as he ced his pillow on the bed.

    Mia''s eyes followed his movements but she didn''t budge from where she stood.

    Taking a deep breath, Jeff offered a lopsided grin. "Do not worry. We each get half the bed. No cuddling, no funny business," he assured her as he set the speaker on the nightstand and turned on the music, the low hum of music recing the pounding in his chest.

    Mia nodded, biting her lip nervously. The air crackled with unspoken tension, a silent dance neither of them seemed willing to break.

    Finally, Jeff made the first move. He gestured towards the bed. "Ladies first."

    Mia smiled as she got on the bed and slipped under the covers, leaving just enough space for him to join her.

    He joined her on the bed, the mattress dipping slightly with his weight. It was a small movement, yet it felt monumental in the charged atmosphere.

    Jeff took a deep breath, his heart hammering against his ribs as the scent of her shampoo washed over him. As he settled beside her, their bodies brushed, sending a jolt of electricity through him.

    Theyy there in a tense silence, neither daring to move due to the intimacy of the situation.

    Mia''s gaze darted towards Jeff, then quickly flicked away. Her cheeks burned a shade hotter than the apple pie cooling on the counter in the kitchen.

    Jeff could feel the heat radiating off her body, a tangible reminder of the woman beside him.

    "You know," she said, her voice barely a whisper, "I don''t mind the cuddling," she said, a nervous tremor in her voice.

    The statement hung heavy in the air as Jeff nced at her. "Are you sure about that?" he asked, his own voice thick with unspoken desire.

    Mia swallowed, Her cheeks were flushed and her heart pounded a frantic rhythm against her ribs as she gave him a nod.

    Jeff, sensing her apprehension, offered a reassuring smile. "We don''t have to do anything we are notfortable with," he said softly as he looked into her Hazel eyes.

    As she gazed back into his eyes in that moment, the fear of Henry seemed to recede, reced by a different kind of anticipation.

    "I''mfortable with it if you are," she said quietly, and with a slow nod, Jeff pulled her into his arms, the embrace strong yet gentle as she molded her body willingly to his.

    Mia could feel the heat radiating from Jeff''s body, aforting presence that chased away the lingering chill of fear.

    The air buzzed with unspoken words and unspoken desires. Jeff cleared his throat, breaking the silence between them.

    "So," he finally managed, his voice rough with suppressed tension, "what kind of nightmares are we chasing away tonight?"

    Mia hesitated for a moment, "More like a stalker," she murmured, a hint of fear creeping back into her voice.

    Jeff''s hand hovered over hers. Her fingers twitched, then hesitantly intertwined with his. The warmth of his touch sent a shiver down her spine.

    "Don''t worry," he said, his voice low and reassuring. "You are safe with me."

    Mia squeezed his hand, her eyes welling up with unshed tears. In that moment, nestled beside him, the threat of Henry felt distant. All that mattered was the warmth of his touch and the promise of safety etched in his gaze.

    "What did you think of the script Donald sent for Bryan?" Jeff asked, wanting to distract himself from all he was thinking.

    Mia couldn''t help but let out a surprisedugh. The question, so mundane in the face of the situation, was a wee distraction. "Honestly? It was terrible," she confessed, a smile ying on her lips.

    Jeff feigned shock. "Terrible? But it had explosions and a talking dog!"

    Mia rolled her eyes, a genuine smile gracing her features for the first time since they''d discovered the unwee visitor.

    "We both know Bryan would never read that script past the first page. He won''t take the role," Mia said confidently.

    "I wonder what the screenwriter was thinking," Jeff said in amusement.

    "I don''t think the writer was thinking," Mia said and Jeff chuckled, a sound that sent a thrill of warmth down Mia''s spine.

    Maybe, just maybe, amidst the fear and uncertainty, there was space for a little normalcy, a sliver ofughter to push back the darkness.

    Mia looked forward to a future whereughter and shared meals weren''t overshadowed by fear. One where a man with kind eyes and a teasing smile offered not just protection, but maybe, just maybe, something more.

    Away from there, while Lucy was waiting for Tom to join her in the bedroom, her phone buzzed with a video call. A smile bloomed on her face as she saw Sonia''s name pop up.

    Lucy''s smile widened as she received the call saw Sonia''s face glowing on the screen. "Hey, best girl!" Sonia greeted, her voice tinged with a tropical lilt.

    Happy to see Sonia so excited, Lucy giggled, the sound echoing in the quiet room. "I''ve been waiting for your call all day," she admitted.

    "Sorry, baby," Sonia apologized, her background a blur of palm trees and turquoise water. "We were too busy getting lost in paradise. Besides, I knew you''d be swamped at the office and didn''t want to disturb you. How are you? Did you manage to see Mia?"

    "Yeah. I was there yesterday. But I think she is doing just fine with Jeff by her side," Lucy said and Sonia arched a brow.

    "Jeff?"

    "Yeah. They seemed to be having fun and I interrupted their game. I didn''t realize they were very close," Lucy said and Sonia narrowed her eyes.

    Lucy wasn''t the type to notice such things, and if she did, it meant Mia and Jeff had seemed closer than usual.

    "They seemed very close?" Sonia asked and Lucy nodded.

    "Yep. I just got that vibe from them. Especially Jeff. Anyway, Mia is fine. How are you? And how''s our bun in the oven doing? Tell me about Paris!" Lucy''s excitement bubbled over, eager to hear about Sonia''s honeymoon adventures.

    Sonia chuckled, "Alright, alright, settle down, you spinster!" she teased.

    "Spinster? Seriously, Sony?" Lucy asked with a giggle.

    "Well, isn''t that what you are? Are you married?" Sonia asked with a grin, shing her ring in front of the camera and Lucyughed some more.

    "Whatever. Just tell me about Paris," Lucy said and Sonia sighed dreamily.

    "Paris is magical, Lu. The food, the sights, the people�� everything is just so perfect. The only little challenge at first wasmunication, but we got someone to escort us. You know, like a trantor. Makes things easier. And the little one seems to be enjoying the Parisian air too. No morning sickness yet, thank goodness!" Sonia said and Lucyughed happily.

    "Little wonder you seem so excited," Lucy said and Sonia tilted the phone to reveal Bryan, standing a couple of feet away from her with a ss of wine in hand.

    "Say hello to my beloved husband," Sonia said and Bryan grinned at Lucy, waving enthusiastically. "Hey, Lucy! How''s the fort holding up?"

    Lucy waved back, a warm smile gracing her lips. "Holding strong, Bryan. Thanks for taking such good care of her."

    "Just doing my duty," he winked.

    "Well, you should bemended for taking your duty so seriously and doing a good job of it," Lucy said and Bryan grinned.

    "I agree. Bryan has been absolutely amazing," Sonia said and blew Bryan a kiss, making him chuckle, while Lucy grinned.

    "Enough of your romance. Do it in my absence. Are you going to tell me about the adventures or not?" She asked and Sonia grinned.

    "You know I will. I have been making videos just for you," Sonia said and the couple of minutes melted away as Lucy listened to Sonia''s detailed tales of their honeymoon adventures.

    Sonia talked about the Eiffel Tower shimmering in the moonlight, the romantic walks along the Seine, and the mouthwatering culinary discoveries.

    "I think that''s enough for today. I need to go back to my husband. I will check in again tomorrow," Sonia said with a wink and Lucyughed as she hung up.

    Lucy felt a surge of happiness for Sonia. The glow in her friend''s eyes spoke volumes, and Lucy knew this trip was exactly what Sonia needed.

    Suddenly, the bedroom door creaked open, and Tom walked in, a tired sigh escaping his lips.

    He had just finished chatting with Harry and was about to go in when Harry received Jeff''s call, and so he had to stay back so they could discuss the way forward, since he would be the one handling Mia''s case in Harry''s absence.

    "For a moment there, I thought you decided to leave with Harry," she said with a grin and Tom chuckled.

    "I''m sorry I kept you waiting for this long," Tom said and Lucy nodded as she got off the bed.

    "I''m sure if it wasn''t important you would havee in a long time ago. Plus I''ve been busy myself, so I wasn''t idle. I''m very hungry. Let''s freshen up and go have dinner," Lucy said and together they took off their clothes and headed for the bathroom.

 Chapter 829 Yoga

    Chapter 829 Yoga

    A wave of worry washed over Harry as he pulled out of Tom''s driveway. He had a lot swirling in his head, thanks to the conversation with Tom which had taken much longer than expected because of Jeff''s call.

    Guilt gnawed at him for keeping Jade waiting for so long, and with a quick tap on his phone, her voice filled the car, a wee distraction.

    "Don''t tell me you''re just leaving now. Or did you forget to call and you''re home now?" Jade asked with a pout when she received the call.

    Although she had wanted to call to find out if he had forgotten to call her, she had held back, wanting to wait to see if and when he would call.

    He could practically hear the pout in her voice, even though he couldn''t see her."The conversation with Tom took longer than nned. I''m sorry," Harry said thinking she was upset because he had kept her waiting for long.

    "So, you are really just leaving now? It''s been over an hour already, and you must be exhausted," she said, worried about him still being out when he had looked so tired earlier.

    His heart squeezed at her worry and he smiled, "Don''t fret, esquire," he assured her, his voice softening, "I''m okay. I will get home in no time. What have you been up to?" He asked curiously.

    "Nothing much. I had a nice chat with Lucy for a while and then after freshening up I got busy checking out some Yoga and dance sses online." A tired yawn escaped her lips.

    "Yoga, huh? Want to be more flexible?" Harry teased, a yful grin evident even through the phone.

    "Oh, you rascal. Get your dirty mind out of the gutter!" she said, a giggle bubbling up in her throat.

    "What dirty mind? I only asked an innocent question," he defended himself with a chuckle.

    "Like I don''t know you and your mischievous ways. Don''t even try to y innocent. We both know what you mean," she said dryly.

    "Really? Alright. Why don''t you tell me what you think I mean? Tell me let''s see if that''s what I really mean. I''d like to know the kind of dirty thoughts swirling around that brilliant mind of yours," Harry said, his voice dipping into a husky whisper.

    "You''re not going to be hearing it from me, you pervert," she said and Harry chuckled.

    "It takes one to know one. Besides, what do you call the lover of a pervert? A pervertess, I presume?" He asked and Jade''sughter bubbled over the phone, warning him inside out.

    "I wouldn''t call myself that. Anyway, I''m thinking of registering at a Yoga school after we get back from our vacation. I would have done so now, but since we are leaving this weekend I thought it would be a waste," Jade said and a smile yed on Harry''s lips as he envisioned Jade in a yoga ss.

    "Have you decided on the yoga school to attend?" Harry asked, wanting to know if she was settling for a ce closer to his or Tom''s.

    "Not yet. I would need to go check them out in person first. But I have my eyes on two," she said and Harry sighed. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "You don''t have to make up your mind yet. You can just do that after we get back from our vacation," he suggested, since he believed that having engaged her, and with their wedding ns in view, she would choose a yoga school closer to their home.

    "That''s called procrastination, Jonas. I didn''t figure you out to be a procrastinator," she said, her voiceced with amusement.

    "Thinking again, I think maybe you should start the sses before we leave for the vacation. All those fancy stretches coulde in handy, you know?" Harry said and Jadeughed out loud

    "There you go again with your dirty thoughts, Jonas," she said, her voiceced with mock-seriousness.

    "There is no pleasing you, is there? I wonder why you keep misunderstanding me," He asked with a chuckle.

    "Misunderstanding you? Really? Tell me how the fancy stretches woulde in handy during the vacation then," Jade said in amusement.

    "I only meant that maybe you could teach me a pose or two. Practice your stretches together," he said with a grin.

    "Yeah, right," Jade countered with augh.

    The conversation flowed easily, filled with lighthearted banter and a shared excitement about their uing vacation.

    The thought of their getaway sent a thrill through Harry. He couldn''t wait to whisk Jade away to a beautiful seaside resort, far from Ludus and all the work and drama. He could almost picture the white sand beaches, the turquoise water, and the look of surprise on Jade''s face when he pops the question.

    The image was so idyllic, it almost felt surreal. Harry knew he had responsibilities, but for now, he allowed himself to revel in the anticipation.

    "Hey, I just pulled up to my ce," Harry said as he pulled into the parking lot of his apartment building.

    "That''s such a relief. I suppose my job is done," Jade said and Harry raised a brow as he got out of his car.

    "Not so fast, girlfriend. Why do you sound like you''re in a hurry to hang up? You have to stay on the phone until I walk through the door," Harry said and Jade smiled.

    "Jeez! You''re so clingy," she joked, and Harry chuckled.

    "I can''t help it. I love my girlfriend too much," Harry said and they continued chatting until he got to his door.

    The moment walked into his apartment, Candace and Andy who were in the living room turned to look at him, and realizing that they were waiting for him, he sighed.

    "I''m in now. Thanks for keeping mepany. I love you," Harry said before hanging up.

    "Hey, you two," he said, his voice warm. "What are you doing up sote? Everything alright?" He asked as he sat beside Andy.

    "Everything''s alright now that you''re here. We were getting worried sick! Why are you sote?" Andy asked, her voiceced with concern.

    Harry looked from Andy to Candace whose eyes was also filled with a simr mix of worry and relief.

    Harry''s smile faltered slightly. He hadn''t expected them to be waiting for him, and a flicker of guilt crossed his mind for not letting them know about his movement.

    "I''m sorry. I didn''t expect you both to be worried. I was busy. What did you think would happen?" Harry asked in amusement.

    "I thought you''d probably be hiding somewhere crying your eyes out," Candace said and Harry chuckled, the warmth of their concern washing over him.

    "Well, I was busy doing other things. After dropping you off, I went to thepany and then after that I went shopping with Jade�� Oh, no!" Harry eximed when he suddenly remembered that he had left all the shopping bags in the car.

    "What''s wrong?" Andy asked, startled.

    "I left the shopping bags in the car," heined, not looking forward to going down to get them.

    "We can go get them for you," Candace offered, surprising Harry who narrowed his eyes at her.

    "Why are you suddenly being so nice to me?" He asked suspiciously since it was unlike Candace to show that she was worried about him or anything like that.

    "You know why," Candace said with a wink and Harry looked at her for a moment before remembering why.

    "Why?" Andy asked, looking from Candace to Harry.

    "Because Sara said Candace is the older twin. It''s out in the open now," Harry said and Andy raised a brow.

    "For real? So, you''re like our baby brother? Aww," Andy cooed and Harry chuckled.

    "I guess so," he said, amused when Andy patted his back.

    "Why did you have to say it so easily when I already promised to keep it to myself?" Candace scowled.

    "Because I don''t like anyone having any hold over me," Harry said and she rolled her eyes.

    "If you knew that, why did you act so worried about it earlier?" She asked and Harry shrugged.

    "I wanted to make you feel special," he said and she scowled at him.

    "So, you''ve been shopping all evening?" Andy asked and Harry shook his head.

    "Had dinner and then dropped her off at Tom''s, and spent some time chatting with Tom," Harry said and they nodded.

    "Well, dad called. He asked after you, and I told him I haven''t seen you since we got back from there," Candace said and Harry nodded.

    "But I like you being my big brother more, you know? I like the way you always throw the word around. Talk to your big brother. Tell big brother what you want and stuff," Andy said mimicking Harry''s voice and both Harry and Candace chuckled.

    "I''m exhausted. It''s been a long day. I''m going to go in and freshen up," Harry said as he rose.

    Andy held out a hand to him, "Hand over your car keys. Your big sisters will help you get the shopping bags," Andy said with a sweet smile as she rose too and Harry chuckled.

    "As long as you don''t ruffle my hair, I don''t mind anything else you do," Harry said as he ced the car key in Andy''s outstretched hand.

    As he headed for his bedroom, Candace reached out a hand and ruffled his hair, "Sleep well, pumpkin. Your big sisters love you," She said with a wink, and Andy giggled while Harry red at her yfully.

    "I''m not going to bed yet. We have to discuss about the interview and go over the possible questions once again before going to bed," Harry said but Candace shook her head.

    "You look really exhausted. Don''t worry about the interview, Andy and I have been going over the questions Alicia sent all evening. Go to bed. We will leave your shopping bags in the living room," Candace said and Harry thanked them as he headed for his bedroom.

    Harry smiled to himself when he heard Candace and Andyughing as Candace told Andy how he had reacted when Sara told them she came first.

    He was d that Candace was alright. He had been worried that she would be down after the visit, but it was good to see that she was okay.

 Chapter 830 Lonely Dinner

    830 Lonely Dinner

    Dawn stood by the dining, tears rolling down her eyes as she refused to sit down for her lone dinner.

    It was over a month already since she was brought back to the country by her governess and she had only seen her mom once and was yet to set her eyes on either of her grandparents.

    "I want my mom," she cried to her governess, who had been put in charge of her.

    "Miss Dawn, we have been over this already. Your mother can''te to you now. Next week she will visit you. Until then, you have to be a nice youngdy and dine alone, else you won''t see her," Her governess said but that only made Dawn to cry harder.

    "I want to go home. I miss my mom. I miss my grandfather and grandmother. I want to see them," Dawn cried, and the housekeeper who stood by the dining table snifled, earning her a warning re from the governess.

    "And I told you that sometimes in life you can''t get everything you want. I will put a video call across to your mother now, and she will keep youpany while you eat. Is that good enough?" She asked, and Dawn bobbed her head.

    "Now wipe your tears and sit down," the governess ordered and Dawn did as she was told.

    "No. No. Not with your hands. You are not a baby," she chided when Dawn used the back of her hand to swipe at her tears.

    The housekeeper quickly picked up the tissue box on the table and handed it to Dawn and she carefully took a piece from it and wiped her tears.

    The governess walked away from Dawn before dialing Kimberly''s line, and Kimberly who was in the middle of dinner with her parents and some business partners rose, "Please excuse me," she said politely as she walked away to receive the call.

    "What''s wrong? Is Dawn okay?" Kimberly asked with a worried frown.

    "She is refusing to eat again and is crying. She wants to see you," the governess exined and Kimberly''s heart broke at the thought of Dawn crying.

    She wished the situation could be helped but she couldn''t do anything yet. There would be no point in getting cut off and going to suffer with Dawn.

    The only way she could take care of Dawn and give her the kind of life she deserved, was to patiently try to get her father to forgive her and ept Dawn.

    "You can''t keep calling me each time she cries this way. This arrangement is going to remain this way for some time so she has to get used to not seeing me for the time being," Kimberly said and the governess nodded.

    "I understand, but she doesn''t. Maybe you should exin to her��"

    "Tell her I''m busy with work and I can''t talk to her now. I will call her before she goes to bed��"

    "Can she just see your fac��" before the governess could finish, Kimberly hung up the call.

    The governess heaved a deep sigh before returning to meet Dawn who was waiting eagerly to speak to her mom.

    "I''m sorry, Miss Dawn, your mom is busy with work and can''t talk to you now. But she says if you''re a good girl and you eat your dinner, she will call before you go to bed," the governess said, and Dawn''s shoulders slumped as she bowed her head, her eyes downcast.

    "Do you want me to eat with you?" The governess offered when she saw that Dawn''s tears were dropping again.

    Dawn shook her head as she picked up her cutlery. Although she didn''t feel like eating, she had to be a big girl and eat so that her mom would call.

    Now she wished she had remained with Lucy and everyone else. Even though they had been unfriendly towards her at first, they had all eaten together.

    She wished Jamal was there with her to fight with her over the sitting arrangement or over anything else.

    "I want Lucy," Dawn said, and the governess nced at the housekeeper who hurried away to get Dawn''s stuffed panda.

    Once she brought it, Dawn rose from her seat and ced it there and went to sit at the right side of it picturing it to be Lucy.

    Jamal could sit at the left hand side of Lucy while she stayed at the right. Her lips curved in a smile as she imagined Lucy and Jamal eating with her, while the housekeeper and governess watched her, wondering what she was thinking.

    Away from there, no sooner had Harry walked into his bedroom and taken off his clothes before his phone rang with a phone call from his father.

    "Hey, dad!" Harry greeted as he sat on the edge of him bed wearing only his underpants.

    "How are you, Harry?" Aaron asked quietly.

    "Uncle Harry, I miss you," Jamal called from behind Aaron, surprising Aaron who had left him in bed just some minutes ago.

    "You should be sleeping, child," Harry heard Aaron chide him.

    "I can''t sleep. You left before I fell asleep properly," he heard Jamalin and smiled.

    "You''ve slept too much beside your mother that you can''t sleep in your own bed alone," Aaron said with a shake of his head as he let Jamal join him on the couch before returning his attention to the phone call.

    "Say hello to Jamal so he can return to his bedroom. He''s been wanting to talk to you," Aaron said before handing the phone Jamal.

    "Hello, Jam. How''s my favorite nephew doing?" Harry asked with a wide smile, happy to talk to Jamal.

    "When mom and aunt Andy have other kids, will I remain your favorite?" Jamal asked making Aaron and Harryugh.

    "Of course," Harry assured him.

    "Alright. How are you doing? How is Lucy and Tom and everyone?" Jamal asked and Harry smiled.

    "They are very fine. We all miss you a lot," Harry said and Jamal nodded.

    "I miss you all too. How is Dawn?" Jamal asked, and Harry raised a brow.

    "Dawn?"

    "Yes."

    "I suppose she is fine. Why are you asking? Do you miss her? I thought you both were always fighting over Lucy''s attention?" Harry asked with interest.

    "We made up. She is my friend now. I will like to talk to her," Jamal said and Harry sighed.

    "I don''t think that will be possible, Jam. She is very far away and we can''t get ess to her," Harry said apologetically.

    "Lucy told you the same thing. Why are you asking Harry?" Aaron asked with a shake of his head.

    Jamal frowned, "Does that mean I won''t see her or speak to her again?"

    "That might be possible in the future, but not anytime soon," Harry said and Jamal sighed.

    "How near is the future?" He asked, making Aaronugh, and Harry who had been trying to hold back his amusement at the question couldn''t help butugh too.

    "Even tomorrow is the future," Harry said, and Jamal frowned.

    "How can tomorrow be the future when tomorrow is soon and you said not anytime soon but in the future?" Jamal asked and Harry massaged his temple.

    "You''ve asked enough questions, boy. Now go back to bed, else I won''t let you y with your bike tomorrow," Aaron said to Harry''s relief.

    "Will youe to my room? Or should I go to your room?" Jamal asked grudgingly as he rose.

    "Go to my room. I will join you after my phone call," Aaron said and with that Jamal left.

    "He has been talking about Dawn a lot. I think Dawn is his second Lucy," Aaron told Harry.

    "At least he has moved from crushing on someone old enough to be his mom to crushing on someone younger than him. We don''t have to be worried about him dating older women," Harry said and Aaron chuckled.

    "How are you?" Aaron asked, sounding serious again.

    "I''m fine. And you? How are you?"

    "I''m okay. How did the meeting go? How is she?" Aaron asked and if it was before, Harry would have been mad at the note of concern he heard in his father''s voice, but now he was just tired.

    "The meeting went well. She said Candace is older than me," Harry said, and Aaron nodded.

    "I figured. How is her health?" Aaron asked and Harry scowled.

    "Was I supposed to ask her? I don''t care about her enough to want to know about that. And you shouldn''t either," Harry said and Aaron sighed.

    "She is my wife," Aaron reminded him quietly.

    "WAS!" Harry corrected angrily.

    "Is. Maybe it hasn''t urred to you yet that we never got divorced," Aaron said and Harry frowned.

    "That''s because it wasn''t even a real marriage in the first ce��"

    "I married her for better or worse, Harry. It might have been a bad decision, but I did. And she gave me two wonderful kids regardless of everything else she did. I understand you both can''t forgive her. I haven''t forgiven her either. I won''t. But I can''t bring myself hate her. Don''t me me for still caring about her. I know she doesn''t deserve it��"

    "Is that why you never remarried? Because you didn''t divorce her?" Harry asked, cutting him off.

    "I didn''t divorce her because I didn''t want to. And I didn''t remarry because I didn''t want to either. After Candace and Andy returns, I''m going to fly down to see her," Aaron said and Harry frowned.

    "I don''t want you to see her. Thest time you were in contact with her it affected your heart," Harry said and Aaron shook his head. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "The only thing that affected my heart was my worry about her contacting you and how you would react to it. Its different now. I want to see her. I want to talk to her and ask her some questions so I can have my closure," Aaron said and Harry raised a brow.

    "Closure?"

    "Yes. And I''m going to divorce her now," Aaron said and Harry rxed.

    "Do you need me to..."

    "No. I don''t need your help. I can handle my business myself," Aaron cut him off, and Harry smiled.

    "Alright. Maybe after you get divorced I can take you to a club and get you a girlfriend," Harry suggested and Aaron chuckled.

    "I can get myself a girlfriend if I need one. Mind your business," Aaron said and Harry raised a brow.

    "I don''t remember you minding your business when you kept interfering in my personal life��"

    "You''re my son, so you''re business��"

    "And you''re my father, so you''re my business. And maybe this time you should leave it up to me to choose the right woman for you, seeing as you made such a shitty first choice," Harry said and Aaron chuckled.

    "Well, that shitty first choice birthed you, and maybe that''s why you''re so full of shit," Aaron fired back making Harryugh.

    "So, would you want to remarry? Just so you know, I''m not interested in having younger siblings at my age," Harry said, making Aaronugh.

    "You want to remain the youngest in the family. You like being thest born, huh?" Aaron taunted.

    "Bye," Harry said, and hung up the call before his father could say anything else.

    The thought of his father finally being free from his feelings for Sara and moving on made his lips curve in a smile. He wondered what his father''s ideal type of woman would be and if he would ever remarry. He hoped so.

 Chapter 831 Henry Rosewood

    831 Henry Rosewood

    Mia jolted awake, gasping for breath. Her heart hammered against her ribs, a frantic drumbeat echoing the terror of the nightmare that had just ripped her from sleep.

    Sweat clung to her skin, the sheets twisted tangled around her legs. Disoriented for a moment, she scanned the room, the familiar cozy glow of their bedsidemp a beacon in the darkness and the familiar outline of Jeff''s sleeping form beside her aforting presence.

    A tremor ran through her body as the remnants of the nightmare clung to her. It had been vivid, a suffocating dream where Henry loomed over her bed, his face twisted in a cruel smile. It felt so real, like his cold breath was tickling her cheek, his mocking voice echoing in her ears.

    "Mia?" Jeff stirred beside her, his voice gravelly with sleep, was a soothing balm to her racing pulse.

    "Are you alright?" He asked as he sat up, his brow furrowed with worry. In the warm light, his face was etched with concern, his brown eyes gentle and caring.

    Mia took a shuddering breath, willing the phantom sensation of his icy grip on her wrist to fade.

    "Y-yeah," she stammered, her voice trembling. Relief washed over her as his warm hand coverer hers, a solid anchor in the storm of her fear.

    "Did you have a nightmare?" he asked as he watched her face.

    Tears welled up in Mia''s eyes. How could she describe the terror that had gripped her, the feeling of being watched, trapped? "Yes," she confessed, her voice barely a whisper.

    "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked, his voice soft.

    Mia hesitated. Talking about Henry always felt like opening a fresh wound, a constant reminder of the darkness she''d escaped. But something about the lingering raw terror and the unsettling details of the dream, made her yearn for sce.

    Mia nodded, wrapping her arms around herself, "It was�� him again," she whispered, her voice thick with dread.

    Jeff knew exactly who "him" referred to. He''d heard bits and pieces of Mia''s past, and knew too well the physical and emotional scars Henry had left etched on her body and soul.

    Taking a deep, shuddering breath, she spoke. "I��I dreamt he was standing here, right beside the bed. Just watching me sleep. It felt so real, like he could reach out and touch me."

    Jeff''s jaw clenched. He hated the thought of that man ever having had any power over Mia. He squeezed her hand, his voice reassuring. "It was just a dream. A bad one, but it wasn''t real. And you don''t have to worry. Whatever nightmares you have, I will be here when you wake up."

    Part of Mia knew he was right. Henry was miles away, likely living his luxurious life with no thought of her. But the unsettling conversation with Alicia had nted a seed of doubt. What if there was a connection?

    "But what if it wasn''t?" Mia whispered, the fear creeping back into her voice. "What if Alicia was right? What if someone��"

    "Hey, hey. Calm down," Jeff cut her off, his voice firm yet gentle. "We will figure this out, alright? I won''t let him get to you, I promise," Jeff said confidently.

    "Okay," she agreed, her voice calmer now. "But I need the te number Alicia sent. I need to send it to��"

    "Harry? I sent it to Harry already," Jeff said and Mia frowned.

    "Why would you do that?" She asked as she drew back from him.

    "I know he is involved in this. I told him I wanted to help too��."

    "That doesn''t mean you should go behind me and handle MY business. I could have reached out to him and talked to him about this myself. I am the one who asked for his help. I didn''t ask you to step in and y middle man," Mia snapped irritably and Jeff watched her silently.

    "I''m not trying to take control of your life, Mia. I''m here to help," he said calmly, knowing the root of her anger.

    "Well, it seems to me like you are taking control. First youe in here every damn night acting like some damn man of the house, and then you''re making me cook and now you go behind me and handle my business," Mia hissed, and Jeff sighed deeply.

    "I''m not making you do anything, Mia. I''m not your father and neither am I your husband��"

    "You are a man just like them and you all act the same. You go about acting like a woman needs you to tell them what to do and fix their life," Mia continued and Jeff shook his head as he got off the bed.

    "Alright. Stop it. Stop right there. Talking to you in this state won''t work. I understand that you''re not in the best frame of mind right now and you''re onlyshing out because you are scared. I''m trying to be patient with you right now. I''m trying my best to be an understanding friend, but I won''t stay up by this time of the night to have a fight with you. Nah. I won''t do that. If you won''t stay calm and have a reasonable conversation without throwing such insulting usations at me, you''d have to fight yourself, not me. When you are calm, I will be in the living room," Jeff said and without waiting for her to respond, he picked up a pillow and headed for the door.

    Mia wanted to stop him from leaving but she held back as she watched him walk away. He was right. He didn''t deserve any of those unkind things she had said. He was different from her father and Henry, andparing him to them was very insulting.

    With a sigh she got off the bed and went to meet him in the living room.

    Jeff wasn''t surprised to hear hering to find him so soon when he heard the door open. If there was one thing he liked about her, it was how quickly she calmed down.

    He remembered how she had gone off at him in the same manner some time ago when she was drunk (chapter 675) and it had been because she also assumed then that he was trying to control her.

    "You didn''t deserve that. I''m sorry," Mia said without meeting his gaze when she stopped in front of him.

    "Which part?" Jeff asked with a raised brow.

    "All of it," she said, and he nodded.

    "Let''s be clear on something. If you don''t want meing to your bedroom��" N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "I do want youing. I appreciate it. I''m sorry I went off that way. I didn''t mean that. I shouldn''t have said any of that," Mia cut in.

    "I''m not making you cook��"

    "Yes. I know. I know. It''s just that I really don''t want you handling my business without my knowledge. This is my life. It''s my problem. I want to not only feel in control, I also need to be in control," Mia said, searching his face to see if he understood her.

    "I''m sorry I got you mad," Mia said and Jeff sighed as he held out a hand to her and she took it.

    Jeff pulled her close so that she was sitting beside him on the couch, "I''m not mad. At least not yet. I understand that what happened was horrible, Mia. It takes time to move on from something like that. But try not to say stuff like that to me. You might say you don''t mean it, and even if I know you don''t mean it, that doesn''t make it less hurtful. I''m a human, not a robot. Words get to me too. I''m only trying to help. I won''t talk to Harry about you behind you or without your knowledge next time," Jeff said and Mia nodded.

    "Thanks," she said, and Jeff nodded.

    They both sat there in silence for some time until Mia rose, "I''m going back in," she said, and Jeff nodded.

    When she saw that Jeff wasn''t making any move to follow her back to her bedroom, she cleared her throat.

    "Are you noting?" She asked cautiously.

    "I didn''t want to just follow you back acting like some damn man of the house," Jeff said with an easy smile.

    "I apologized and told you I didn''t mean it," she reminded him.

    "Yeah. You did. But now I''m not going to do anything you don''t ask me to do. You want control? You have control," Jeff said and Mia sighed deeply.

    "So, what do you want me to do now?" she asked and Jeff shook his head.

    "You don''t need any man to tell you what to do," Jeff said with a grin and Mia scowled.

    "I never figured you to be so petty," she said and he chuckled.

    "Now you know I''m petty. Before you say anything to me next time, you should think twice," Jeff said and she rolled her eyes.

    "You know what? Suit yourself," she hissed as she headed back to her bedroom, and Jeff shook his head in amusement as he watched her go.

    Away from there, the burnished mahogany gleamed beneath Henry Rosewood''s polished shoes as he stood gazing out of his expansive office window.

    The cityscape stretched before him, a concrete jungle teeming with life, yet none of it seemed to prate the fog of his thoughts.

    It has been three long years since Vanessa, his wife, had vanished in that car crash.

    He winced at the memory. It wasn''t the crash itself that had haunted him, but the events leading up to it. The cruel words, the barbed taunts, the emotional maniption - a toxic cocktail he''d force-fed their marriage. When the news of her ident and death arrived, a part of him had been devastated, another part...strangely relieved.

    Then, two days ago, Dr. Evans, his trusted friend, had dropped a bombshell during their hangout. A woman bearing an uncanny resemnce to Vanessa had been spotted in Ludus.

    At first he had dismissed it and thought nothing of it since his wife was long dead, but when he remembered that her body had not been found till date, he had immediately contacted Discreet Investigations, one of Ludus''s most prestigious private investigator firm.

    Now, the initial report sat nestled amidst a pile of unopened emails on his desk. Apprehension gnawed at him. What if it wasn''t Vanessa? What if it was just a cruel twist of fate, a figment of someone''s imagination?

    With a shaky hand, Henry clicked on the email. A flurry of photos popted the screen. The first one he clicked on stopped his breath.

    There she was, seated in a fancy restaurant, a shock of a auburn hair framing a face that mirrored Vanessa''s in its youthful vibrance.

    Although Vanessa''s hair had been ck, there was no denying that this was his wife. He didn''t need anyone to tell him. He knew her as much as he knew the back of his hand.

    A closer look at the face revealed subtle differences �C a softer set to the hazel eyes, a smile that wasn''t guarded by the faintest hint of fear.

    This woman, this Mia as the caption identified her, exuded a quiet confidence Vanessa had never possessed.

    Had she yed him for a fool all along? Had the meek, timid woman he had married been an borate act?

    The photos certainly hinted at a different Vanessa, a woman with a spark in her eyes, a woman who wasn''t perpetually flinching under his gaze.

    The image of her submissive form, the way she would shrink under his booming voice, sent a fresh wave of fury crashing over him.

    He gritted his teeth as he scrolled through the pictures, each image chipped away at the carefully constructed image of grief he had presented to the world.

    Vanessa, or should he say Mia, the woman who had dared to y him for a fool, was alive and seemingly thriving.

    Anger burned a hot ember in his gut. His wife had chosen to disappear, to rebuild her life under a new identity. A life far from the gilded cage he had built for her.

    Henry gripped the armrest of his mahogany chair, knuckles turning white when he came upon a photo of Mia standing by the roadsideughing with with somenky nobody named Jeff, presumably her housemate and colleague.

    The next photo was of them both standing in front of a door and Jeff her supposed housemate tucking her hair behind her ear. The very thought of her living with another man and of him touching her, made Henry clench his jaw.

    He walked away from theputer to stand by the window since the photos continued to mock him, each one a fresh barb to his already fuming ego.

    The view outside his window blurred as a cold fury ignited within him. "Three years," he growled, the words a low rumble in his chest.

    Three years of mourning, of carefully cultivated grief, of ying the part of the bereaved husband to a tee. All a sham, it seemed.

    The woman who had sworn to stand by him, to be his trophy wife, had vanished, leaving him to shoulder the charade alone.

    For all he knew, Jeff could be her lover and she had fled with him to start up a new life else where. The whore!

    The thought of herughter in those photos, the carefree way she leaned against the nobody, sent a tremor of rage through him.

    "Mia," he spat the name, the unfamiliar moniker a further insult. The name itself was a cheap disguise for the woman who dared to be Vanessa Rosewood.

    Reinventing herself? He scoffed as he walked back to stand by his desk.

    Vanessa had always possessed a ir for the dramatic, a thirst for attention. This borate escape was just another one of her games.

    But Henry Rosewood wasn''t a man to be yed. He had built his financial empire from the ground up, regardless of his family''s fortune. He was a ruthless titan in a world that respected power and Vanessa had made a fool of him.

    He mmed his fist on the polished mahogany desk, the sound echoing through the opulent office and sending a tremor through the crystal decanter perched precariously on the edge. The amber liquid sloshed but held. Unlike his carefully constructedposure.

    This wasn''t about guilt or shame. This was about control. He had built her. He had molded her, shaped her into the perfect wife, the perfect public image for Henry Rosewood. And she had thrown it all away for a life with some scruffy nobody in a far-flung country?

    This escape, this pathetic attempt at a new life, was a betrayal he wouldn''t tolerate. He wouldn''t have it. Vanessa wouldn''t get away with this. She would return to her gilded cage, a reminder of who she belonged to.

    Vanessa Rosewood belonged by his side. Not as some cowering ghost, but as a reminder of who held the power, who called the shots. He had built an empire, and she, his wife, would y her part within it.

    Henry Rosewood wouldn''t be mocked. He would have his revenge.

 Chapter 832 Team Meeting

    832 Team Meeting

    The insistent trill of the phone sliced through Amy''s restless sleep and dream. It wasn''t a dream filled withughter and sunshine, but a restless one haunted by the echoing silence of Miley''s absence. She fumbled for the phone, blinking away the remnants of the dream and the dull ache in her chest that had be a constantpanion these past four days.

    "Hello?" she rasped, her voice thick with sleep and grief.

    "Amy, it''s Mom," came her mother''s voice,ced with a tremor that mirrored the unease blooming in Amy''s stomach.

    Amy sat up, fully awake now. "Hey, Mom. Everything alright? Why the early call?" She asked as she squinted at the rm clock on the nightstand. It was barely six on a Tuesday morning.

    There was a beat of silence on the other end of the line, then a sigh. "I just received an unexpected text."

    Amy''s stomach clenched. "Unexpected? From who?"

    "Mrs. Garwood," her mother confessed.

    Amy''s breath hitched. Ever since the incident with Miley, allmunication between them and the Garwoods had ceased. They were persona non grata, banished from Miley''s life and, it seemed, from her death as well.

    "What did she want?" Amy asked, bracing herself for the worst.

    "She�� she asked me to tell you," her mother fumbled, "that Miley''s funeral is tomorrow, Wednesday. And that we are wee to attend."

    Amy''s numb heart lurched. A funeral? Miley? This couldn''t be real. "But�� I thought they didn''t��" Her voice trailed off, unable to voice the usation.

    "I know, dear," her mother interrupted gently. "I was just as surprised. Apparently, Mrs. Garwood�� well, something changed her mind."

    Intrigue wed at the edges Amy''s grief. What could have possibly caused such a turnabout? The Garwoods had been adamant about cutting all ties.

    "Did you find out why?" Amy pressed.

    There was another pause, longer this time. "I couldn''t ask her. I mean, she was kind enough to invite us, so it wouldn''t be logical to ask her that. But I asked the cook. She mentioned something about a visit from a Dr. Perry. I guess something he said changed their mind about you."

    Amy''s heart stuttered in her chest. Lucas? He wouldn''t. He couldn''t have��

    "Dr. Lucas Perry?" Amy mumbled.

    "Do you know him, Amy?" Her mother asked curiously.

    A wave of warmth washed over Amy. Lucas wouldn''t have told her, wouldn''t have wanted to take credit. But the thought of him intervening, of using his influence to give her a chance to say goodbye to Miley�� it was overwhelming.

    "Yes. He''s a friend, Mom," Amy managed, her voice thick with unshed tears.

    "A very good one I see," her mother said, "Well, we owe him a huge debt of gratitude," her mother said firmly. "Let''s talk about it when we meet. You will be able to make it for the funeral, right?"

    The question grounded Amy. "The funeral is tomorrow, right? I should be there."

    "Absolutely," her mother agreed. "Can you get on a flight soon?"

    "I will have to stop by the office first, clear some things up," Amy said, already leaping out of bed. "Don''t worry, Mom, I''ll be there."

    "I will be expecting you," her mother responded before hanging up.

    Hanging up, Amy felt a surge of emotions. Sadness for Miley, a bittersweet gratitude for Lucas. He may have left without saying goodbye to her, but it was obvious that he had thought about her and gone out of his way to help her andfort her.

    It wouldn''t be out of ce for her to ask Lucy for Lucas'' number so she would express her gratitude to him. She would like to thank him for his help.

    Knowing that she didn''t have much tome to dally about it she was going to handle her backlog at the office before traveling, Amy hurriedly got ready for the work.

    She felt sort of ashamed and shameless at the same time to be thinking of asking Lucy for some time off to attend Miley''s funeral.

    She felt ashamed because she knew it would look like she was taking advantage of Lucy''s kindness, and shameless because even though she knew that, she still wanted to do it. She couldn''t afford to miss Miley''s funeral.

    Amy forced herself through the morning routine at work. Her fingers flew across the keyboard, clearing emails and scheduling appointments, but her mind was a whirlpool of grief and a nascent hope. Everypleted task felt like a small victory, a step closer to getting on the ne and to Miley.

    The office door swung open, announcing Lucy''s. Amy rose, a practiced smile gracing her lips as she followed Lucy into her office, "Good morning, Lucy."

    "Good morning, Amy. How are you?" Lucy asked pleasantly as she took off her zer and hung it on her coat rack beside her desk.

    "I''m fine. Thank you," Amy said and before she could say anything, Lucy nced at the clock.

    "Alright. Tell me what I have on my schedule for today, and then you can go get everyone. I''d like to address the team," she said, and although Amy wanted to ask her permission to leave, Amy decided to wait and do so after the team meeting.

    Amy went on to rattle off the day''s agenda, her voice oddly steady. "A visit to the factory at 11 AM, conference call at 2 PM, reports due by the end of the day," she finished, and Lucy nodded, making a mental note to inform Tom that she wouldn''t be avable for lunch since she would be out inspecting the factory and having a meeting with the workers.

    "Alright. Thanks. You can ask everyone toe in now," Lucy said as she took herptop to the conference table which was now in her office.

    Five minutester, Lucy sat at the head of the conference table, herptop open in front of her. Around her, her team members gathered, each with their own notes and ideas to contribute.

    "Alright, everyone," Lucy began, her voice clear and authoritative. "Let''s get started. First, I want to thank you all for your hard work and dedication. We''ve had a sessful quarter, and from the reports thus far, our summer collection has been a massive sess, exceeding our expectation. Good job, everyone," Lucy said and they all pped.

    "Having said that, I will go straight to today''s agenda. As you know, the Paris fashion week for the spring/summer collections is just two months away. I know we have never participated in it before now," Lucy said, and they all turned to the door when Tom walked in. N?v(el)B\\jnn

    Lucy raised a brow, wanting to excuse herself to go attend to him, but he shook his head, signaling her to go ahead, while he went to sit behind her desk to watch her do her thing.

    "Back when I was in Heden, I always wondered why we never took part in those events, and now that I''m here, I''m hoping I can make it happen. I want to make it happen. However, two months is not enough time to prepare and submit an application. So, I''m going to be submitting an application for us to participate in the Fall/Winter collection fashion week. That gives us enough time to prepare," Lucy said and paused to meet each team member''s gaze.

    The team members nodded, some jotting down notes as Lucy spoke. Seeing that they were following, she flipped a digital presentation onto the screen, each page showcasing a mood board bursting with vibrant colors and innovative silhouettes.

    "We will be aiming for boldness," Lucy dered, her voice ringing with authority.

    "Forget safe and predictable. We want to push boundaries, create a collection that makes a statement. I want us to think outside the box with this collection. Let''s explore new fabrics, new colors, new silhouettes. I want our designs to be bold, innovative, and most importantly, marketable."

    A murmur of excitement rippled through the room. Amy, leaned forward, a thoughtful frown on her usually serene face. "Lucy, the concept is phenomenal," she said, "but the fabric sourcing for these experimental materials might be a challenge."

    Lucy acknowledged the concern with a curt nod. "I understand, Amy. And I want you to head up a task force specifically dedicated to sourcing. We will explore alternative vendors, even consider partnerships with emerging textilepanies if necessary. I also want us to prioritize sustainability in our designs. I-Global ismitted to reducing our environmental impact, and our fashion line should reflect thatmitment."

    She paused, allowing her words to sink in before continuing. "Lastly, I want each of you toe to our next meeting with three new design concepts. I want to see your creativity at work, so don''t be afraid to take risks."

    "And what if after all this work we do not receive an invitation?" One of the guys in the team asked.

    "We will be invited. And if for any reason we do not receive an invitation, we will host our own fashion week," Lucy said and they all pped happily while Tom who was watching, smiled.

    A young intern, Emily, piped up, her voice barely a whisper. "What about the marketing campaign, Ms. Perry?"

    Lucy''s smile was sharp. "Excellent question, Emily. We''re going all out with social media. We need a viral campaign that generates buzz long before the fashion week. Think influencer marketing, interactive content, something that captures the essence of the collection''s audacity. We are going to make them notice us. They are going to want us on their stage," Lucy said with determination.

    "Now, I will split you up into departments and assign specific roles to each department. I expect daily progress reports from each department, no exceptions."

    The next couple of minutes flew by in a flurry of ideas and challenges. Lucy fielded questions, offered solutions, and kept the energy high. It was a masterss in leadership, a disy of both vision and meticulous nning.

    "I haveplete faith that we are going to make a huge ssh in Paris. Remember, we won''t just be showcasing clothes, we will be showcasing a story. Let''s tell the world what I-G clothing line is all about: bold designs, impable quality, and amitment to innovation."

    As everyone trooped out of her office, Tom rose up to p for her, "Bravo, mydy! Bravo!" He said, and sheughed as she closed herptop.

    "You know, if I wasn''t already crazy about you, watching you do your thing just now was a huge turn on," Tom said and Lucy grinned.

    "Thanks. I feel the same way when I watch you do your thing," Lucy said with a wink as she joined him and Tom chuckled.

    "What are you doing here anyway? I thought you were supposed to be busy?" She asked, and her gaze drifted to the door where Amy was standing.

    "Excuse me for a moment," Lucy said before Tom could respond, and she went out to meet Amy, who was circling outside her door.

    "Amy, is everything alright?" she asked, her voiceced with concern.

    Amy hesitated, "I''m very sorry for what I''m about to say, Lucy," Amy said without meeting Lucy''s gaze.

    Sensing that she knew what Amy wanted to say, Lucy raised an eyebrow, a gentle amusement recing the concern. "Apology epted. Now, say it."

    Taking a deep breath, Amy exined the unexpected call from her mother, the news of Miley''s funeral, and the even more unexpected invitation from Mrs. Garwood. Finally, she confessed, "I know it''s a lot to ask, especially considering that you let me take some time off before and I don''t want it to seem like I''m taking advantage of your kindness, but would it be possible�� could I take three days off? I need to go to Miley''s funeral tomorrow. I promise not to take any more breaks from work even if I''m ill and dying I will show up. Please, Lucy. I really need to say goodbye to her," Amy pleaded.

    To Amy''s surprise, Lucy''s expression softened, a flicker of understanding passing through her eyes, "Amy, there''s no need to apologize," she said gently. "Of course you can go. Miley was your best friend. I''m d that you''ve been able to resolve things with her family and you can attend the funeral."

    A wave of relief washed over Amy. "Thank you, Lucy. Thank you so much," Amy said and Lucy smiled.

    "It''s fine, Amy. Really," Lucy said and turned around to return to her office but Amy stopped her.

    "Lucy," Amy started hesitantly, "Did Lucas tell you he visited Miley''s family and talked to them on my behalf?"

    Lucy''s gaze flickered for a moment, a barely perceptible flicker of emotion crossing her face. She seemed on the verge of denial, then she simply shrugged.

    "Lucas has a way of�� helping people."

    "I need to thank him," Amy said, her voice filled with determination. "Can I have his contact number?"

    "Actually, Lucas doesn''t have a phone. Hemunicates with us using Tyler''s phone, and I will have to ask him first before giving that to you," Lucy said apologetically.

    "I understand. Please thank him on my behalf, and let him know I will appreciate it if he lets me give him a call," Amy said and Lucy nodded.

    "I will tell him just that. You should be on your way, Amy," Lucy said and Amy nodded as she hurried away, while Lucy went back to meet Tom.

    As Amy hurried out of thepany, a familiar figure brushed past her, and she frowned as she looked back.

    What was Rachel doing at thepany?

    Some chapters ago when I mentioned about Lucy being the fashionista of the group and being a designer, some readers seemed surprised by it. It made me realize I haven��t really shown her doing her thing, and that is the reason for this chapter.

    Miss_Behaviour

 Chapter 833 I Was Desperate

    833 I Was Desperate

    After Lucy''s conversation with Amy, she returned to the office to join Tom. "So, where were we, Mr CEO?" Lucy asked with a grin.

    Tom, who had been engrossed in his phone, looked up at her approach and jerked his head towards the door.

    "I guess she has been informed of the funeral," Tom said and Lucy nodded as she sat on the edge of the desk close to Tom.

    "Yeah. She is leaving now. By the way, I will be leaving the office by eleven. I need to pay a visit to the factory. I want to see what they are working on and have a meeting with them," Lucy said and Tom leaned back in his chair, a thoughtful look in his eyes.

    "Everything alright? You didn''t mention anything about the factory visit earlier. What prompted the sudden need?" He asked curiously.

    "It''s not exactly sudden. It has been scheduled since myst visit there and to be honest, I forgot about it until Amy talked about it earlier. We''reunching Fall/Winter soon, and you know how critical this season is. I have to make sure everything is in ce," Lucy said and Tom smiled.

    "Always the perfectionist, Jewel. Makes the rest of us look bad," he joked.

    A smile tugged at Lucy''s lips. "Gotta earn my man more money to splurge on me," Lucy said with a wink making Tomugh.

    "So, are you driving? Who else is going with you?" Tom asked curiously.

    "Trina and Ron. Ron will be driving. You know you haven''t told me why you are in my office yet," Lucy reminded him.

    "I called but you weren''t taking your call," Tom began, a yful glint in his eyes. "Stuck in a meeting, phone on vibrate in your purse �C the ssic executive excuse, eh?"

    Lucy chuckled, "Guilty as charged," Lucy confirmed, reaching for her handbag and retrieving her phone. "Sorry about that."

    "No worries. I figured," Tom said, ncing at his wristwatch. "My first meeting ended early. And I want us to watch Harry''s interview together if you are not too busy. It''s starting soon."

    Lucy groaned. "Shoot! Ipletely forgot about that. I have to leave for the meeting at the factory by eleven," Lucy said and Tom smiled.

    "That means we still have an hour before you leave. Do you have any meeting before then?" He asked and she shook her head.

    "Nope," Lucy said, relief washing over her. The prospect of spending some time with Tom, watching the interview they had all been looking forward to for weeks, was a wee respite.

    "Good. Let''s go to my office��" Tom began, before a sharp buzz cut him short. The inte on Lucy''s desk crackled to life.

    Lucy raised an eyebrow, then reached for the receiver. Tom watched her intently as her brow furrowed in a frown as she listened to what was being said.

    "I see," Lucy said, her voice clipped. "Ask one of the security men to escort her up." Lucy said before recing the receiver.

    "That was reception. Ady is here to see me but she wouldn''t give her name," Lucy exined.

    A flicker of unease crossed Tom''s face. "Then why did you ask them to let her in if you don''t know who she is?" Tom asked in confusion.

    "That''s why I asked them to escort her up. Besides, you''re here," she said and Tom shook his head, his lips pursed.

    "I''m pretty sure you would have done the same had I not been here. You should be more careful, Jewel. The fact that she refused to give her name alone should make you turn her away. Anonymity is a red g," he said with disapproval.

    Lucy dismissed his concern with a wave of her hand. "Let''s just wait and see who it is," Lucy said as she settled down behind her desk.

    Lucy nced at her phone when it buzzed with an iing call and she raised a brow when she saw that Amy was calling.

    "It''s Amy," Lucy told Tom before receiving the call, "Did you forget something?" Lucy asked curiously.

    "Actually, yes," Amy replied hesitantly. "I forgot to mention that I left your apartment key under the doormat. Thank you so much for letting me stay at your apartment. I will be returning to my ce when I get back. Lucas helped me changed the locks," Amy said and Lucy''s brow shot up.

    Lucas helping Amy change locks? Lucas seemed to be doing quite a lot for Amy. It seemed her brother was more involved in Amy''s life than she realized.

    "I see. That''s fine. As long as you''re alright," Lucy said and before she could hang up, Amy spoke again.

    "Uhm, I wasn''t sure if I should mention this, but I saw someone familiar on my way out. Rachel."

    A jolt of electricity seemed to crackle through the air at the mention of that name. Lucy''s face hardened, her jaw clenching involuntarily. Tom watched the shift in her demeanor with a mixture of concern and curiosity.

    "Rachel?" Lucy hissed, her voiceced with a dangerous edge.

    Tom''s brow shot up in surprise. "Rachel?" he echoed, his gaze flitting between Lucy and the phone.

    What was she doing here? Tom mused as his expression hardened.

    "Yes." Amy said hesitantly on the other end of the line. "I thought you should know. I don''t know if she is there to see you or not," Amy said since she remembered Miley telling her about Rachel''s rtionship with Lucas and all that Rachel had done.

    A beat of silence followed as Lucy seemed to process the information. How dare Rachel show up there after all she had put their family through? Lucy mused.

    The silence stretched, heavy with the weight of the past and the betrayal that still festered. Finally, Lucy spoke, her voice low and dangerous. "Thanks for letting me know. I''m pretty sure she is here to see me," Lucy said and after the call ended she looked at Tom.

    "I guess now we know the identity of your visitor and the reason she refused to give her name," Tom said and before she could respond a knock sounded on her door and they both turned to see a security guard usher Rachel into the office.

    The once vibrant, self-assured Rachel stood before them a crumpled mess. Her designer clothes, usually impably styled, were wrinkled and stained. Her face, usually meticulously made-up, was pale and streaked with tears. The moment the guard saw Tom, he bowed his head politely, his eyes filled with a flicker of recognition.

    But it was Rachel who stole the show. In a dramatic flourish, she went straight to her knees,nding with a soft thud on the plush carpet of Lucy''s office. Her mascara-rimmed eyes darted between Lucy and Tom, a flicker of desperation battling with the remnants of her former arrogance.

    "Lucy! Oh, I''m so d Mr. Hank is here too," Rachel cried, her voice cracking with emotion. The practiced confidence that had once flowed from her was reced by a raw vulnerability that was as shocking as it was unexpected.

    Lucy, however, remained unmoved. Her gaze was a cial blue, her posture rigid with suppressed anger. "What are you doing here, Rachel?" she asked, her voice devoid of warmth, each word a carefully aimed ice pick.

    "Please help me," Rachel pleaded, her voice trembling. "I''m sorry for everything. Please help me��"

    Lucy''s lips formed a thin, humorless line. Help you?" Lucy cut in, her voiceced with a dangerous edge. "After everything you''ve done? After the lies, the betrayal? You expect me to simply forget?"

    "What lies? I never lied or betrayed you. I''ve only ever loved Lucas. My only crime was asking him to choose between us and I''m very sorry��."

    "Seriously? That''s your only offense?" Lucy cut in with a humorlessugh as she turned to Tom, "Can you believe her right now?"

    "If that''s your only crime, why are you here then? You want her to help you get back with Lucas?" Tom asked when it dawned on him that Rachel was not yet aware that they were aware of the role she had yed in Lucy''s abduction and scandal.

    Rachel bobbed her head as tears stream down her cheeks. "Yes. I''m so sorry. I miss Lucas. I can''t live without him. I need him," Rachel cried.

    "Lucas is what is important to you right now? You are not worried about your dad going to jail and your family losing everything? Lucas is your problem?" Lucy asked with a shake of her head.

    "Please, Lucy. I know he is here. I saw Sonia''s wedding pictures. Please help me," Rachel pleaded.

    15:30

    Tom, ever the silent observer, watched the exchange with a keen eye. Though a part of him wanted to ask the security guard to take Rachel away, but he knew it was best to leave it up to Lucy.

    "Do you really expect me to help you after all you put me and my family through? Did you think we will never find out what you did? How you gave Jamie the information he needed to abduct me?" Lucy asked and watched as color drained from Rachel''s face and her eyes widened.

    "You are surprised, aren''t you? Yes. I was just as surprised. I was even more surprised to know you told your cousin, Anita, about my past so she could use it against me," Lucy said and Rachel shook her head in denial.

    "No. No, Lucy. That''s not true. Whoever told you that is lying against me. I didn''t do any of that. No. No, Lucy. Please listen to me. I didn''t know Anita wanted to use that information against you. I didn''t expect her to twist it that way either. I''m sorry, Lucy. Please believe me. I know there is nothing I can say to make it right. But please, Lucy, you have to believe me I didn''t know Jamie wanted to abduct you either. I never knew his n. I swear on my life. He only told me he was interested in you and would like me to help him get to you by giving him information about you. I agreed because I thought he wanted you to be his girlfriend and if you had a boyfriend you would spend less time with Lucas. I never knew he had other ns. I swear, Lucy, I never knew he was going to do that. I was desperate. I didn''t know what else to do," Rachel cried.

    A humorless scoff escaped Lucy''s lips. "Desperate? Desperate toe between my twin brother and I? Exin yourself, Rachel," she said, her voice as cold as the arctic wind. "Why should I help you, after everything you''ve done? You even got my mom arrested. What makes you think anyone in my family is ever going to forgive you and ept you? Give it up, Rachel. The ship with Lucas in it has long sailed. You won''t be receiving help from me," Lucy said and Rachel broke into a sob.

    The sight of Rachel crying, however, did little to soften Lucy''s resolve. She had learned the hard way not to be swayed by such theatrics.

    "I have to get back to work. See her out, and make sure she never shows up around here again. Have a good life, Rachel," Lucy said, and watched as the security guard led a weeping Rachel away.

    Lucy drew in a deep breath as the door closed behind them, and Tom looked at her with concern, "Are you okay?" He asked, and she gave him a nod.

    "Better than I thought I would be when I see her. I don''t think I''m as upset now as I was weeks ago," Lucy said and Tom raised a brow. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "Really? Why not?" He asked, and she shrugged.

    "I don''t know. Maybe I''ve healed a great deal and I''ve epted what happened as my past and I''ve moved past it. Or maybe I''m still moving past it," she said and Tom smiled.

    "That''s good to know," Tom said as he nced at his watch. "Let''s go to my office. The interview has started."

 Chapter 834 The Talk Show (1)

    834 The Talk Show (1)

    The plush velvet armchairs sat empty under the stark re of the studio lights. Anticipation crackled in the air as a hush fell over the audience.

    The morning''s episode of the prestigious Eric Howell Live promised an exclusive.

    As the cameras rolled, Harry strode onto the stage oozing a confident aura. nked by Candace, herposure a stark contrast to the tremor in her hands, and Andy, whose fierce determination masked a vulnerability, the trio presented a portrait of a beautiful family.

    "Wee back, everyone," Eric Howell''s booming voice filled the studio. "Today, we have a special episode in store for you. Joining us are Harry Jonas, Co-CEO of I-Global Group, along with two beautifuldies, Candace Jonas, and Andy Jonas. Harry, thank you for choosing our show to share this very personal journey."

    "Thank you, Eric," Harry replied, his voice steady and confident. "It is a pleasure to be here."

    Alicia, the co-host known for her disarming warmth, turned to the sisters. "Thank you both for joining us. It takes courage to share your story, and we appreciate you being here. It''s a gift to your viewers," she said, her voice warm and inviting.

    Candace offered an hesitant smile, her gaze flitting between the audience where Matt was seated, and the cameras. Andy, however, held Alicia''s eyes, a flicker of defiance sparking within them.

    Jade, who was seated beside Matt in the audience, held her breath as she looked at them, feeling very nervous even though she wasn''t the one on the stage. Thest time she had been here was to witness Rebekah''s downfall, and she hade along with a bowl of popcorn to entertain herself, but this time she hadn''t even been able to touch her breakfast.

    Everyone seated there meant a lot to her, and she was specially worried about Candace since she knew how nervous Candace was.

    "Let''s start from the beginning," Alicia began, her gaze soft yet probing. "Mr. Jonas��"

    "Just Harry is fine," Harry cut her or ex

    "Just Harry then," Alicia joked, and everyoneughed.

    "In recent times there has been rumors about your rtionship with the recently convicted Sara Walker. Some im she is your biological mother, others im she is your older lover, and there are some who say she was yourte mother''s friend. Can you clear the air and tell us the nature of your rtionship with her?" Alicia asked with a curious smile.

    Harry gave her a nod as he leaned back in his seat, "Sara walker is my biological mother," Harry said, and both Eric Howell and Alicia exchanged a surprised look.

    "Sara Walker is your mother? For real? She denied that rumor when it first came up, and if I remember correctly, you always said your mother waste and you were raised by only your father, who never remarried. Am I wrong?" Eric inquired.

    "No, you are not wrong. That was exactly what I thought all these years. My father made me believe she was dead. I only found out the truth some time ago," Harry said quietly.

    "That must havee as a shock to you," Alicia said with a thoughtful expression, and Harry smiled wryly.

    "That is quite an understatement. The discovery was earth-shattering," he admitted with a sigh, "But thanks to having the best quality of people around me, I was able to find my bnce," Harry said, and his eyes sought Jade''s in the audience.

    "Before we delve further into your rtionship with Sara Walker, we would like to know your rtionship with these beautifuldies. Some time ago, Ms Candace Jonas was seen walking down the red carpet by your side and it caused quite the buzz in the media since everyone was curious to know who she was. Can you tell us about your rtionship with them?" Alicia asked and Harry turned to smile at Candace and Andy.

    "They are both my elder sisters," Harry said, and everyone looked at them in surprise, including Jade whose jaw dropped.

    Elder? She mused, and met Harry''s amused gaze, while Candace and Andy who had been a bit tense looked at Harry.

    Forgetting the cameras as Harry had wanted her to, Candace scowled at him, "I thought that was meant to be a family top secret?" She asked, and Harry grinned.

    "He did say he didn''t want you to have anything over him," Andy reminded Candace and the three of themughed.

    "Did you say sisters? Elder sisters?" Eric asked in disbelief, and Harry smiled.

    "As a matter of fact, Candace is my twin sister," Harry rified.

    "Oh, my God! This is huge!" Alicia said excitedly as she looked from Candace to Harry and back again.

    "I think I can see the resemnce now. Can you see it, Eric?" She asked, and Eric looked from Harry to Candace who were smiling.

    "I think so," Eric said, and then shook his head.

    "Are you messing with us, Harry? Or is this for real?" Eric asked suspiciously and Harry chuckled.

    "Don''t I have better things to do with my time than toe on your show to mess with you?" Harry asked, and Eric nodded.

    "You are right. I believe you," Eric said and then Alicia''s jaw dropped dramatically as of something just hit her.

    "If you are twins, does that mean Sara Walker is your mom too?" Alicia asked Candace, and feeling rxed by all the jokes already, Candace nodded.

    "And you?" Alicia asked Andy, and she shook her head.

    "No. Sara Walker is not my mother. Candace and I have been together since our childhood days at the orphanage. I was recently adopted by Aaron Jonas," Andy exined, and Alicia frowned.

    "Did you just say, orphanage? Why would Candace be at the orphanage when both her parents are alive and doing quite well?" Alicia asked, and Harry gave Candace a nod to speak.

    "And if you don''t mind me asking, if you are Sara''s daughter, does that mean you are the daughter whose organ she intended to harvest illegally that ended in her arrest?" Eric asked, and Candace nodded as Andy reached for her hand.

    "Yes, I was the one whose organ she tried unsessfully to harvest. And up until a couple of months ago, I never knew anything about my biological family. I was just an orphan and the only family I had was my brilliant seven year old son and my sister, Andy," Candace said quietly.

    "If it''s not too much to ask, can you tell us how you got to know about your biological family? And how got reunited with them?" Alicia asked in a soft voice.

    "I would also like to know how you ended up at the orphanage," Eric added.

    "It''s a long story��"

    "I''m pretty sure it''s an interesting one, and I''m here for it. We are all here for it. Right, Eric?" Alicia asked, and Eric nodded.

    "Yes, Candace. We would love to hear all about it," Eric said and Candace drew a deep breath.

    "Like I already said, until some weeks ago, I knew nothing about my biological family. It all started when I met my boyfriend, Matt Swift��" as soon as the words left her lips, her eyes widened in surprise when she realized what she had just publicly announced, and her gaze went to Matt who was grinning from the audience, and she shook her head and pressed her lips together.

    "Matt Swift? The actor, Matt Swift, is your boyfriend?" Eric asked in surprise.

    "I guess that exins why he is in the audience," Alicia said with a grin.

    "I guess you just took your rtionship to the next level," Andy whispered to Candace and Harry chuckled.

    "There is a lot to unpack in this morning''s episode. I''m beginning to feel like it should be a series," Eric said and they allughed.

    "I agree with you. There is so much to talk about," Alicia said with a nod.

    "That was a slip��"

    "Are you saying he isn''t your boyfriend?" Eric asked, and Candace shook her head.

    "No. That''s not what I mean. I''m just saying I�� that is not part of this interview," Candace said, feeling flustered.

    "Alright. Maybe we can have you both as guests some time in the nearest future," Eric said and Candace shook her head.

    "Don''t count on it," Candace muttered to Harry''s amusement.

    "Please go on with what you were saying before that very significant slip," Alicia said, steering the conversation back to the discussion.

    "I�� we were on the run. Or perhaps I should say, we were in hiding, Andy and I. Not from thew, but from my son''s father��"

    "You should probably exin why we were in hiding," Andy cut in, still holding onto Candace''s hand in silent support.

    "True. I was going to ask that. Also, you started earlier by saying it all started when you met Matt Swift. I''m a little confused," Alicia said and Candace nodded.

    "I think it would be better to start from the beginning as Andy suggested. That way it''s easier to exin the role Matt yed in helping me find my family," Candace said and went on to talk about how they left the orphanage home and took up a waitressing job at a bar where she met Jero (chapter 183).

    She exined the kind of life Jero led, without making any reference to the Legion Cartel. She talked about how they ran away after testifying against Jero and having him locked up.

    When it was time to talk about being a stripper, Candace''s breath hitched. Her grip on Andy''s hand tightened.

    "In order to take care of bills, we��"

    "It''s okay, Candace. I''m sure it must have been hard on you. You don''t have to give us the details of all you had to do," Alicia said as she leaned forward in her seat and took Candace''s second hand.

    Tears gathered in Candace''s eyes, and surprisingly there were tears in Andy''s eyes too as she reached out and brushed Candace''s tears away.

    "I want to say it. I need to say it and get it out," Candace said, and Harry smiled at her proudly and Matt also smiled from where he sat.

    Candace took a deep breath, "We worked as exotic dancers. I was a stripper."

    "An exotic dancer? For real? And here I was thinking you were going to say something terrible. Not to trivialize how you feel about it, but I think exotic dancing is a beautiful art."

    "Right?" Andy asked enthusiastically.

    "Right. And it isn''t illegal. I mean, you''re an entertainer. I really don''t see anything wrong in having a beautiful body and having people pay to see you dance in your own skin. I mean, you have a son, right? Yet your body is still so beautiful that you can work as an exotic dancer? You should be proud! I go to the beach and people see me in my bikini but no one is paying for it. But an exotic dancer gets on the stage in a bikini or whatever costume and money falls from every angle. It''s really not fair," Alicia said incredulously.

    "You never can tell. Maybe if you do some dance moves in your bikini money will fall," Andy suggested and Aliciaughed.

    "I will need to learn some sexy moves from you then," Alicia said and Andy pursed her lips as though considering it.

    "I will have to charge you for it," she said and Aliciaughed.

    "Unlike Candace, you don''t seem troubled by the upation," Eric observed, and Andy nodded.

    "Am I supposed to be worried? Contrary to the negative stereotype that has stigmatized the career, exotic dancing is not the same as prostitution. And exotic dancers are not drug addicts or uneducated. Most of thedies I''ve worked with are either doing it because it is their passion and for others like Candace it is to earn good money to take care of themselves and pursue a degree," Andy said and Eric nodded, looking at her with interest.

    "What about you? Why did you do it?" He asked, and Andy smiled.

    "For the fun of it and the money. I started the job first and convinced Candace to do the same since the pay was good and it would enable us take care of our little boy and Candace''s college expenses," Andy said, and Alicia looked at Candace with interest.

    "You are in college?" She asked, and Candace nodded.

    "Yeah." n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "She is studyingw," Andy said proudly while Harry simply sat back, and listened to the interactions with a smile.

    "Wow! Law? That''s impressive," Alicia said and Candace smiled shyly.

    "Thanks."

    "What about you?" Eric asked Andy.

    "What about me?" Andy asked lost.

    "Are you in college too?" He asked and she shook her head.

    "No, I''m not. I''ve been saving up to go into music," Andy said and Eric''s brow shot up.

    "Music?" He asked with interest, "Want to be the next Cardi B?" He asked and sheughed.

    "Nah. Cardi B is Cardi B, and Andy is Andy. I don''t want to be anyone. I want to be me," Andy said and Eric smiled.

    "Andy has the best vocals I''ve heard. I get goosebumps listening to her sing some times, and I can''t wait for the world to enjoy what she has to offer," Candace said with a proud smile.

    "Aww. Now you make me really want to hear her sing," Alicia said and turned to Andy.

    "What kind of music would you like to do? Want to give us a glimpse of what we should be expecting from you?" Alicia asked and Andy grinned.

    "For real? You want me sing?" She asked, and Eric nodded.

    "Yes. We would love our stage to be the first to witness what you''ve got," Eric said and Andy grinned.

    "Why don''t I do that when we are done? I think we are getting sidetracked from the whole subject of the interview," Andy suggested, and they nodded.

    "That''s right. There is just so much to talk about. Harry, your sisters are as interesting as they are beautiful," Eric said, and Harry chuckled.

    "You can say that again," Harry said with a proud smile.

    "Let''s take a little break, and when we get back, Candace can tell us how she ended up at the orphanage and got reunited with her biological family. I can''t wait!" Alicia said excitedly.

 Chapter 835 The Talk Show (2)

    835 The Talk Show (2)

    "Oh, my God! I can''t believe I just told the whole world I was a stripper," she whispered, her voice thick with emotion.

    Candace considered this, a flicker of hope rekindled in her eyes. Perhaps the shame she''d carried for so long was misced.

    "And they didn''t judge you," Andy pointed out, "In fact, Alicia seemed to think it was empowering."

    Candace considered this, a flicker of hope rekindled in her eyes. Perhaps the shame she''d carried for so long was misced.

    "You both did so well," Harry said warmly, "You were amazing."

    Candace offered him a watery smile. "Thanks. I never thought I''d be telling my whole life story on national television."

    "Neither did I," Andy admitted, "But here we are," Andy said and she rose when Alicia signalled her over to join her and Eric.

    Matt, who had been grinning from ear to ear throughout the interview, came forward took Candace''s other hand. "You were absolutely incredible. I''m so proud of you."

    Candace''s cheeks flushed a rosy pink. Despite the audience, Matt''s words sent a shiver down her spine. Maybe, just maybe, going public with their rtionship wasn''t such a bad idea after all.

    "Why? Because she just told the world about your rtionship?" Harry asked dryly.

    "That. And because she is incredible," Matt said without taking his gaze away from Candace, while Harry shifted his attention to Jade.

    "Enjoying the show?" He asked and she shook her head.

    "I''m feeling too anxious to enjoy it. I can''t imagine how you must all feel if I''m this strung out. I''m going to give you a massageter, okay?"

    "Alright lovebirds," Andy teased, nudging them yfully as she joined them again. "Save the mush forter. We have a show to finish," Andy said to Jade and Matt as she sat down.

    A fresh wave of nervous energy surged through Candace as themercial break ended, but this time it was different. It was a nervous excitement, a thrill of anticipation. She was ready to tell her story, the whole unfiltered truth, no matter how messy or painful it might be.

    Eric and Alicia reappeared, their smiles wider than ever as the red light flickered back on.

    "Alright folks, Wee back! We are still here with the Jonas siblings." Boomed Eric.

    "We have a lot more to unpack here. Candace, before the break, you were about to tell us how you ended up at the orphanage. We''re all eager to hear your story," Alicia said, wasting no time in steering the conversation back to Candace''s story.

    Candace took a deep breath, stealing a nce at Matt''s encouraging smile. She straightened her shoulders and met Alicia''s gaze. "As I was saying before," she began, "I met Matt. Don''t ask me how. It''s not part of the story," Candace said before either Eric or Alicia could ask her, and they both smiled and gave her a nod to go on.

    "I told Matt about our situation, and because he wanted to keep us safe, he reached out to his best friend''s sister who is a brilliantwyer, Jade Hank. She coincidentally happened to be thewyer who handled the case that sent my baby daddy to jail," Candace said and Alicia looked stunned by the revtion.

    "Oh, my! What a coincidence," Alicia said and Eric nodded.

    "And that''s not the best part of it. Jade Hank also happens to be the sister to Thomas Hank who is Harry''s best friend," Candace added, stunning them even more since they were yet to make the connection.

    "Things like this makes us believe it''s a small world," Eric said in amazement.

    Candace spent the next couple of minutes recounting the details of how Harry had joined Jade in helping her even without knowing she was his sister.

    How her and her son had ended up staying with Tom and how her baby daddy had sent her a package containing details about her past.

    "Wait! Wasn''t he in jail? Did he get released?" Alicia asked and Candace smiled.

    "I''m not sure about that. It was a gift. He had it delivered. Said he had been working on it before he got arrested,"Candace said since they had agreed not to give out details of Jero and the cartel since giving out too many details would make the remaining members of the cartel think they were a threat.

    "You mean he helped you find your family?" Alicia asked and Candace nodded.

    "In a way. But it seemed my family already found me before I found them," Candace said, and Eric turned to Harry.

    "Before she tells us how she ended up at the orphanage, how about you tell us how you found her?" Eric asked with interest.

    "It''s simple. Sara showed up wanting to meet me. On hearing that my biological mother was alive. I asked my dad why he lied, and he confessed that she abandoned me when I was a week old. I also got to learn I had a twin sister who supposedly died at birth. Upon further investigation we realized she didn''t die as our father was made to believe, but she was actually sold at birth," Harry said, earning him a gasp from both Alicia and the crowd.

    "Sold? Sara Walker sold her daughter? Candace?" Alicia asked, turning to look at Candace with sad eyes. N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "If you followed the news of what happened to Wilson Peterson a couple of weeks ago, you would better understand how I ended up at the orphanage. The couple who bought me from Sara was Gregory Peterson and his wife," Candace said stunning everyone once again.

    "What? It''s all rted? This leaves me to wonder, if everything that has happened in thest couple of weeks is rted or purely coincidence," Eric said and Harry shrugged.

    "Maybe it''s just karma doing its thing at the right time," Harry said with a grin.

    "Oh, Candace. All of these must have been so tough on you," Alicia said, and Candace forced a smile.

    "Well, it wasn''t exactly easy getting to know that I was sold by my biological mother, lost my supposed adoptive parents and got abandoned at the orphanage," Candace admitted, her voice thick with emotion. "And finding out Sara was searching for me, not because she was remorseful and wanted a reunion, but because she needed a piece of my liver, that was sort of hard to swallow," Candace said, and Alicia extended a hand to her.

    "Of course. I can only imagine how that must have made you feel. You are such a strong woman, Candace. And I''m sorry you''ve been through so much struggle," Alicia said softly as Candace struggled not to cry.

    "How did all of these make you feel, Andy? How did you feel about Candace finding her biological family?" Eric asked so that Candace would be able topose herself.

    Andy smiled, "I''m still reeling from the surprise and joy of it. At first I was a bit skeptical, you know? I was like, what if they don''t ept me? What if they don''t have room for me? But after meeting Harry and our dad, I don''t see it as Candace finding her biological family. I think it''s our family. It feels as though I found where I belong too. And maybe my own biological family might have left me at the orphanage for me to find my true family. Oh, fuck! I think I''m going to cry," Andy said as her voice hitched, and they allughed, while Candace squeezed her hand.

    "Why were you not present at I-Global''s anniversary dinner party? Or were you there but just didn''t feature in the photos?" Eric asked and Andy smiled.

    "Nah. I wasn''t there. Someone had to stay back at home with our dad and Jamal. I offered to do so. You know, I''m trying to win brownie points with the old man so I can be his favorite," Andy joked and they allughed.

    They had all agreed not to say anything about Andy being abducted and being away during the initial reunion, in order to simply things and to not expose Cassidy to whoever was possibly looking.

    "Harry, what about you? How do you feel having two older sisters?" Alicia asked and Harry grinned.

    "You know how you don''t have something and you''re fine? And then you suddenly have it and you begin to wonder how you''ve lived without it your whole life? That''s how I feel. I feel incredibly lucky to have these two exceptionally beautiful and strong women in my life as my sisters. And I got the most brilliant and handsome seven year old in the world as my nephew. It''s amazing, really," Harry said with a heartfelt smile.

    "I have to ask, how did you feel knowing about their past? I mean, seeing how well you''ve lived and how they had to go through so much?" Eric asked, and Harry drew a deep breath.

    "I felt sad that they had to pass through so much struggle, and proud of them for staying strong. I believe they did what they had to do to survive and take care of each other, and they did a damn good job. I''m proud of them. I''m proud of the women they are and I''m proud to call them my sisters," Harry said and this time both Candace and Andy became teary.

    "Candace and Andy, what has been the best part of being part of the Jonas family for you individually?" Eric asked and Candace smiled.

    "The quality of people I''vee to be connected to. Before now, Jade Hank was mostly awyer but now she is a friend and sister to me. And I value her friendship so much," Candace said, meeting Jade''s gaze, and Jade blew her a kiss, "And then there is my cousin, Lucy Perry��."

    "Lucy Perry? As in Lucinda Perry? Thomas Hank''s girlfriend? How? I had no idea she was rted to you, Harry," Eric asked in disbelief and Candace closed her eyes when she realized she had made yet another revtion that wasn''t part of their n.

    "Well, that''s not part of this interview," Harry said with a small smile since he knew very well that Lucy wouldn''t want to draw such attention to herself.

    "We did say this interview is supposed to be in series. Maybe we can bring back Candace and Matt for another episode, and maybe convince Thomas Hank and Lucinda Perry to be our guests here," Eric said with a resigned smile.

    "I wish you good luck with that," Harry said and Eric grinned.

    "We will talk about that off camera. I''m sure you can convince them all on my behalf," Eric said and Harry chuckled.

    "As interesting as this episode has been, it''s time to call it a wrap. That was an incredible journey, Candace," Eric said, his booming voice softened with empathy. "You both are truly remarkable young women."

    Candace''s eyes welled up with tears, a mixture of relief, joy, and gratitude. She had finally found her voice, and the world had listened.

    "Thank you, Eric," Candace replied, her voice trembling slightly as she wiped a stray tear from her cheek. "It means a lot to hear that."

    "Thank you for having us," Andy said with a polite smile.

    Alicia leaned forward, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. "There''s still so much we don''t know! What''s your rtionship with Sara Walker like now? And I''m sure everyone wants to hear the juicy details about you and Matt Swift! I''m hoping we can convince you toe again. Until then, we will close today''s show with Andy''s performance. Andy, what''s your music name?"

    Andy grinned, "Brandy," she said excitedly, happy that they were giving her the tform to advertise herself to their millions of viewers.

    "Ladies and gentlemen, we present to you, thetest superstar in the country, Brandy. Do not forget to tune in same time next week," Eric said before letting Andy take over the stage.

 Chapter 836 Awkward Morning

    836 Awkward Morning

    After the interview ended, and they were done chitchatting with Eric and Alicia, they all trooped outside and were surprised to see a swarm of reporters vying for their attention with cameras shing in their faces.

    Not new to this, Harry and Matt covered thedies, allowing them to get into the car since they had done enough talking for the day, and once they were safely inside, Harry turned to address the reporters who were throwing questions at him and Matt. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "Mr Jonas, what is your rtionship with Sara now?"

    "Mr Jonas, have you been to the prison to visit your mother?"

    "Matt, is Candace Jonas really your girlfriend?"

    "Matt, how serious is your rtionship with her?"

    "Mr Jonas were you responsible for your mother''s arrest?"

    "Mr Jonas, are you behind what happened to Wilson Peterson? Are you the man that was mentioned in his interview?"

    "I thought we said everything already. Why are reporters here?" Candace asked as they all looked out the window of the car.

    "You find reporters anywhere there is news, and you my darling made a lot of shocking revtions today. I wouldn''t be surprised if reporters hound you for the next couple of days. And speaking of the revtions you made, are you surew is the right discipline for you? For a prospectivewyer, you sure do make a lot of slips," Jade said as she looked back at Candace from the front seat.

    "I was going to say the same thing," Andy said with a giggle when Candace cringed.

    "Don''t even remind me of any of that. I know I messed up," she said Andy rolled her eyes.

    "Don''t be silly, Candace.m," Andy scoffed yfully, though a hint of pride glinted in her eyes. "You did beautifully in spite of the slips."

    "Thanks. I''m just d I didn''t reveal any major secret. Although, I hope Lucy forgives me for dragging her into this mess," Candace said and Andy raised a brow.

    "And Matt?" Andy asked and Candace sighed.

    "Matt doesn''t mind. He has always wanted to go public with our rtionship. I was the one holding back," Candace said with a shrug.

    "You were both incredible. You had everyone in the audienceughing and sniffing," Jade said, her voice filled with admiration.

    "For a moment there, I thought Candace was going to break down in tears, but she held her own. You did really good, Candace," Andy said in agreement to what Jade had said.

    Candace smiled, "I was able to do it because you were there with me, Andy. And thank you, Jade. You know very well that all of these wouldn''t have been possible without your quick wit."

    "Yes. I yed one of the major roles in this reunion. I deserve my own interview," Jade said yfully and they allughed.

    "By the way, Andy. You were wonderful! I''m sure everyone who watched the show can''t wait to stream your music," Candace said and Andy grinned.

    "Yes! I was going toment on that before I was distracted by the reporters. Andy, I never knew you were so talented. You are going to have to employ me to be your legal representative when you be a star," Jade said and Andyughed.

    "I am going to have to? Are you asking or telling me? And why does it have to be when I be a star?" Andy asked in amusement.

    "Because I''m a gold digger and I love associating with very sessful people," Jade said with a wink and they allughed.

    "By the way, are you ready for your vacation? Want us to teach you a couple of sexy moves?" Andy asked and Jade grinned.

    "I would absolutely love that. You know I got all that sexy stuff already," she said with a grin and theyughed.

    "Because you''ve been so wonderful, I will teach you for free," Andy said and Jade pped happily.

    "I''m d you are all having fun," Harry said as he got into the car and Jade turned to him.

    "You looked so hot up there," Jade said and Harry chuckled.

    "I think I''m always going to look hot to you regardless of what I do," Harry said as he leaned forward to kiss her, and Andy and Candace covered their eyes making Harry and Jadeugh.

    "You shouldn''t be making out in front of your big sisters," Andy said yfully.

    "We were not making out��"

    "That!" Jade eximed before Harry could finish speaking, "They are both older than you? When did you find out? And why didn''t you tell me?" Jade asked, and Harry''s ears burned red.

    "We found out yesterday. He asked Sara. I guess he was too embarrassed to tell his girlfriend that he is the youngest in the family," Candace said with a giggle.

    "Aww. There''s nothing to be embarrassed about, baby. That just makes us have one more thing inmon, and I think it''s hot," Jade said with a grin as she yfully poked Harry''s chest and he chuckled while Candace and Andy shook their heads.

    "Let''s go home," Harry said as he started the car, and Candace looked at him.

    "Where is Matt?"

    "He didn''te with us, did he? He brought his own car and is leaving��"

    "Leaving? He left without saying anything to me?" Candace asked in disbelief.

    "He will meet us at home," Harry said and Candace''s frown deepened.

    "He is driving alone. Why didn''t he ask me to join him if he''s going in the same direction?"

    "Probably because the reporters surrounded us before he could say anything, and keeping you away from them is more important to him than having you ride with him," Andy suggested.

    "And you know you can just dial his line and ask him instead of asking me?" Harry asked and Candace scowled.

    "Since we will see him at home, let''s just go," she said and Harry gave her a nod.

    "Yes, ma''am," he said as he drove out of there.

    The ride was filled with a buzz of energy. Candace and Andy recounted their favorite moments from the interview, and Jade talked about how anxious she had been on their behalf.

    As they pulled into the parking lot of Harry''s residence a short whileter, Harry reached for his phone, checking for missed calls. A single notification stood out�C a missed call from one of his men.

    A peculiar feeling settled in his gut as he turned to Jade who was still in the car while Candace and Andy were getting out.

    "Everything alright?" Jade asked, sensing his sudden shift in mood.

    "I need to make an important call. And I may have to go out for a bit. There has been a development regarding Mia," he exined.

    Anxiety flickered in Jade''s eyes. "Is she alright?"

    "For now she is. But I have to make sure she remains so. Will you wait for me?" Harry asked and Jade nodded.

    "Sure."

    "Will you spend the night?" He asked hopefully.

    "Maybe if you tamper with the clocks, I will," she said and he chuckled.

    "I think I''m just going to get rid of the clocks and make a no wristwatch or phones policy when you''re around," he said, and Jade giggled as she kissed him.

    "Be good," she said before getting out of the car, and Harry let out a deep breath as he watched them all head for the elevator.

    Alone in his car now, he returned the call, and a gruff voice answered on the other end.

    "Mr. Jonas?" the voice inquired.

    "That''s right," Harry replied, "What did you find?" Harry asked, his voice cautious.

    "The te number you sent belongs to Discreet Investigations. A private security firm," he said, confirming what Harry already suspected.

    Henry Rosewood had heard of Mia and he had hired a private investigator to track her down to confirm if she was indeed his wife.

    "Alright. I will let you know if I need your help again," Harry said before hanging up, and he dialed Tom''s line, hoping his phone was close to him, since they both had a habit of leaving their phone in a drawer when they were in a meeting to avoid distractions.

    Tom, who was in the middle of a meeting but had left his phone close to him because Lucy had left thepany premises for the factory, and he wanted to be avable if she tried to reach him for anything, looked at his phone when it buzzed.

    He raised a brow when he saw the call was from Harry and he rose, "Please give me a moment. This is important," he said as he picked up his phone and received the call.

    "Is it urgent? I''m in the middle of a meeting," he said the moment the call connected.

    "It''s just as we suspected. The car Alicia spotted belongs to a private investigation firm," Harry announced.

    "We will proceed as nned but we will have to bring all ns forward. Go see her as we discussedst night. I will take it up from there after you leave," Tom said and without another word Harry hung up.

    Away from there, Jeff and Mia were in their respective bedrooms, both feeling awkward about the event of that morning.

    That morning, Mia had woken up with Jeff''s morning erection firmly pressed against her backside, and his hand cupping one of her boobs.

    She hadid very still, trying to fight back her arousal as she waited for him to wake up and leave for his bedroom.

    Not long after she woke up, Jeff had woken up and the moment he realized where his hand was resting on and how his erection was pressing against Mia, his breath caught and his heart beat quickened.

    Knowing that he was fully awake, Mia stayed still, although his breath that fanned her neck made it increasingly difficult for her to remain that way.

    Jeff held his breath as he very slowly raised his hand and shifted away from her, and without meaning to, Mia let out a sigh of relief that took Jeff by surprise.

    "Are you up?" Jeff asked as he sat up, mortified by the thought that she had been awake the whole time and knew what had happened.

    "Yes. I just woke up. Why?" Mia asked, pretending to yawn as she sat up.

    Jeff looked at her, not sure whether to believe her or not, and true to his suspicions, her blushed.

    "I''m sorry. I didn''t mean to do that," he said and she nodded.

    "It''s fine. After all you did warn me that something like this could happen," Mia said without meeting his gaze.

    "I wasn''t taking advantage of the proximity��"

    "It''s fine. I understand. Don''t make it anymore awkward than it already is," Mia pleaded, and Jeff nodded.

    "I''m sorry. I will be in my bedroom," Jeff said, and without waiting for her to say a word, he picked up his pillow and left.

    Since then, he had been in his bedroom, and she in hers. Neither of them had bothered to ask the other about breakfast.

    The shrill sound of the doorbell interrupted the awkward tension filled silence in the house as both Mia and Jeff stepped out of their bedrooms to see who was at the door.

    They both exchanged a nce, "Did you order for something?" Jeff asked, since Mia was fond of doing that.

    "No. Maybe it''s Alicia again," Mia offered, a tremor in her voice betraying the hope she didn''t quite believe in.

    Jeff shook his head, a grim line forming around his mouth. "I saw her leave for work through my bedroom window."

    "Oh, you''re now spying on neighbors too. I suppose you took over from her to keep watch on the neighborhood in her absence," Mia joked and Jeff chuckled.

    When the doorbell rang again, Jeff looked at Mia, "Wait here. I will see who is at the door," he said as he went to answer the door.

    He looked through peephole and was both relieved and surprised to see Harry standing there.

    "It''s Harry," Jeff called to Mia as he unlocked the door, and a wave of relief washed over her.

 Chapter 837 Making The Call

    Chapter 837 Making The Call

    Even though Harry was there for serious business, he couldn''t help but look around at the apartment he had gotten Tom on short notice for his crazy pursuit of Lucy.

    Now it seemed like all of that had happened such a long time ago, when it was only three months ago.

    "I''m sorry to bother you in the middle of the day," Harry said as he focused on Mia, and then shifted his gaze to Jeff as he wondered why they had not answered the call immediately, and why it seemed like there was some sort of tension between the two.

    "It''s not a bother. I''m d you''re here. I was going to inform you about what Alicia told us, but Jeff said he told you about it already," Mia said as she gestured for him to sit.

    "What can I offer you? Wine? Tea? Coffee?" She asked, standing there like a proper hostess.

    "Your time," Harry said as he gestured to Mia to sit down.

    Mia exchanged a worried nce with Jeff before prep wedding to take the seat opposite Harry, and Harry didn''t miss how Jeff sat beside her like a supportive partner.

    "We looked into the te number that was sentst night. The car belongs to a private investigator firm called Discreet Investigations," Harry said and held Mia''s gaze, allowing the implication of his words to sink in.

    Although she had suspected it, that didn''t stop the cold dread that coiled in her stomach or the fear that washed over her at the thought of Henry knowing exactly where she was and that she had fooled him.

    Feeling vulnerable and exposed, she wrapped her arms around herself, and Jeff ced aforting hand on her shoulder.

    "It''s Henry. I know it. He sent them. What do we do now?" Mia whispered, fearcing her voice.

    "We will move on with our ns. Now that he knows you are alive, or is probably still just suspecting it, you should take the bold step of giving him a call and asking for a divorce," Harry said and Mia''s eyes bulged.

    "A call?" She asked, recoiling at the thought of talking to her husband.

    "Yes, Mia. I am here. Jeff is here too��."

    "No. You don''t understand. You can''t understand. I can''t talk to him. I don''t want to talk to him," Mia protested, at the verge of tears.

    Jeff felt her body tremble under his hand which was resting on her shoulders, and he sighed, "Can''t her just send him the divorce papers? Does she really need to speak to him?" Jeff asked with a concerned frown.

    "She has to. There is no easy way around this," Harry said to Jeff before facing Mia again, "I''m not asking you to meet with him. But if you want to be free from him, you''d have to face him sooner orter. If he senses that he still has an iota of power or control over you, despite the distance and despite all the time you''ve spent away from him, he would use it against you," Harry said reasonably.

    "He''s going to kill me. You won''t be able to save me from him," Mia said fearfully.

    "If you truly believe that, why did you ask for my help? Why didn''t you just run off to start over somewhere else?" Harry asked and Mia took a deep breath.

    "Because I have so many wonderful people around me and I don''t want to leave. I would rather stay here and fight than run away," Mia said, and Harry nodded.

    "Good. Then fight. How can you say you are fighting if you won''t even talk to him? If you can''t even talk to him over the phone, what would you do if he shows up here to confirm for sure that you''re alive?" Harry asked and Jeff nodded.

    "Harry is right, Mia. You should summon the courage to face him. I know you. You are brave and strong. You can talk to him. You can yell at him the way you do to Bryan and I when we screw up," Jeff said and Mia frowned.

    "That''s different��"

    "It''s not. You are going to have to face him now orter. The sooner you do, the better. Someone like him won''t sign any divorce papers you send unless he sees you or talks to you. Why? He would want to confirm that the power differential between you both is still in ce. Our role is to protect you from him to make sure any physical harm doesn''te to you. But only YOU can end things with him properly. You only need to find the courage," Harry said, and Mia took a deep breath.

    "Alright. I will," Mia said, and Harry nodded with approval.

    "Good. I will call him now��"

    "NOW? Like right NOW?" She asked, and Harry nodded.

    "Yes, Mia. Right now. I told you we are acting fast. Before he confirms your existence for himself, you need to reveal it yourself. Else, he can change the narrative," Harry said, and Mia nodded.

    "Okay. Let''s do it. Let''s call him then. I will get my phone��"

    "No. Let''s use my phone," Harry suggested.

    "Your phone?"

    "Yes. That way he knows I''m involved and he can''t just reach you��"

    Mia shook her head. "I don''t think he should know you are involved yet. I will call him myself. Listen in on the call so you can better understand the kind of person he is," Mia said and Harry nodded.

    "If that''s what you want. Let''s do it," Harry said but Jeff shook his head.

    "Why not use my phone? He won''t know it isn''t Mia''s phone. And��"

    "Stay out of it, Jeff. I don''t want you to get involved directly. If a private investigator was snooping around here, chances are, he already knows of your existence. And trust me, Henry is a very jealous and dangerous man. He is terrifying," Mia said and Jeff nodded. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "You''ve made that quite clear. But that doesn''t mean I''m going to be afraid of him. He''s a man just like me��"

    "No. He''s nothing like you. And he''s not a man. Henry is a beast. A wild one that hides behind his charitable deeds. If you want to help me, help me on my terms. I will go get my phone," Mia said, and with that she walked away to go get her phone.

    "Do you think it''s okay for her to contact him with her own phone?" Jeff asked and Harry nodded.

    "She might be terrified of him, but she is smart. I expected her to offer to call him directly. It''s best he doesn''t know anyone else is involved right now," Harry said and Jeff''s brows pulled together.

    "Then how will you be helping her? Will she really be alright? Will you be able to protect her from him?" Jeff asked, and Harry arched a brow.

    "Will you be able to protect her from him?" Harry retorted.

    "I will do whatever it takes to keep her safe," Jeff said and Harry nodded.

    "Then I suppose we should be d we have you to protect her from him then," Harry said and Jeff scowled at Harry who in turn grinned at him.

    Mia returned with her phone and as she sat down, she looked at Harry, "I think I should let you know for thest time that Henry is dangerous, and things can get very dangerous andplicated for you��"

    "You don''t know me, Mia," Harry said simply.

    "Can you not get involved? I mean, not directly. I don''t want Henry to know I have anyone with me on this. I won''t be able to live with myself if anyone of you gets hurt because of me. And I also think it will be better for him to deal with hidden enemies he doesn''t know who are just as powerful as he is. I will rather have you behind me as a hidden card," Mia said, and Harry looked at Jeff.

    "I told you she''s smart, didn''t I?" Harry asked and Jeff frowned.

    "Mia, no one is going to get hurt��"

    "I was married to him for years. I know Henry. You don''t. If I''m going to fight, I will rather fight my own way. I''m d to know I have you all behind me. That alone gives me the courage I need. I will give him a call now," Mia said, and even though she was trembling inside, she dialed the number that was still very much etched on her memory and ced the call on speaker so that Harry and Jeff could listen in on the phone call.

    It didn''t take long before the familiar voice came up, sending a shudder down her spine, "Henry Rosewood speaking," he said in his usual arrogant tone.

    Mia swallowed past the lump that had formed in her throat as her heart thudded really fast against the walls of her chest, "It''s Mi�� Vanessa," she said in a shaky voice that was unfamiliar to both Jeff and Harry.

 Chapter 838 For Better Or Worse

    Chapter 838 For Better Or Worse

    The tension in the room was thick enough to choke on. Mia''s voice, barely a whisper, hung in the air as the phone speaker crackled on the other end.

    The weight of the past and the uncertainty of the future pressed down on her, each heartbeat a drumbeat of anticipation.

    Jeff, his hand tight on Mia''s shoulder, exchanged a worried nce with Harry.

    A beat of silence stretched into an eternity, punctuated only by Mia''s ragged breathing. Then, a voice, colder than the winter wind, cut through the tense silence.

    "Vanessa?" Henry''s voice boomed through the speaker, disbelief tinged with a flicker of something that might have been anger. "Is that really you?" n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    Mia flinched at the sound, squeezing her eyes shut. "Yes," she croaked, her voice gaining a sliver of strength with each syble. "It''s me."

    There was another pause, this one filled with a tangible shift in the air pressure. When Henry spoke again, his voice wasced with a dangerous calm. "When did you return from the dead?"

    "That is not important," Mia countered, her voice surprisingly steady. "What matters is that I''m alive."

    "Not important?" His voice rose, a hint of his true nature peeking through. "You disappear for three years, presumed dead, and now you think you can just call me without an exnation?"

    "There is nothing to exin," Mia countered, her voice gaining strength with each word. "But that''s not why I called."

    "Then why did you call?" Henry demanded, the phone rattling on his end. "Better still, where are you? You can tell me whatever you have to say when we meet," Henry said, not wanting to hear what she had to say until she answered his questions.

    The question hung heavy in the air. Jeff''s grip on Mia''s shoulder tightened, and Harry leaned forward, his eyes fixed on her face. This was the pivotal point, the moment where the fragile peace she had built could crumble.

    "I don''t want to meet. Where I am isn''t your business, Henry��"

    "Not my business? Don''t I, your husband, deserve to know what happened? Shouldn''t you at least tell me where you have been and what you have been doing for the past three years while I mourned your loss?" Henry asked, and Mia scoffed.

    "No, Henry. You don''t deserve shit from me! And if I wanted you to know where I was, I wouldn''t have disappeared in the first ce or taken so long to reach out to you," Mia said, surprising everyone in the room, even herself.

    The tremor in her voice was still present, but it was overshadowed by a newfound determination. "What matters right now and the reason I called is that I want a divorce."

    Jeff, unable to contain his surprise, let out a low whistle. Even Harry, who had prepared himself for a vtile reaction, raised an eyebrow. This approach, defying Henry''s expectations, seemed to throw him off bnce.

    The silence that followed this deration was deafening. It stretched on for what felt like an eternity, each tick of the clock a nail being hammered into the coffin of their past. Finally, a coldugh sent shivers down Mia''s spine.

    "A divorce?" Henry''s voice dripped with icy sarcasm. "Don''t you think it''s a littlete for that, Vanessa? After all this time, you think you can just waltz back in and demand something like that?"

    Mia gritted her teeth, her anger rising to counter the fear. "I wasn''t waltzing in," she retorted, her voice gaining strength. "I was simply making a request. Or should I say, a demand. I refuse to remain tied to you."

    "Don''t be ridiculous, Vanessa. You can''t just call and��"

    "Yes, I can, Henry," Mia interrupted, her voice firm. "You and I are done. I want out."

    Another silence, this timeced with a barely concealed threat. "Do you think this is a game, Vanessa? You can''t just disappear and then reappear to ask for a divorce after three years."

    Mia''s jaw clenched. "Disappeared?" she echoed, her voice sharp with anger. "Don''t you dare rewrite history. You were the reason I left. If I knew of a better way to escape from the torment that was marriage to you, I would have done it much earlier and not waited that long."

    A flicker of surprise crossed Harry''s face. This wasn''t just Mia making a clean break. She was taking back the narrative, challenging the image Henry had constructed.

    "Don''t be dramatic, Vanessa," Henry scoffed. "We will discuss this when I see you."

    "You won''t be seeing me. And there is nothing to discuss," Mia countered, her voice unwavering. "I will send you the papers."

    "Papers? You think a piece of paper will change anything between us?" Henry spat.

    "It will be the legal end of our marriage," Mia said, her voice betraying a hint of the fear that still gripped her. "That''s all I need. Isn''t it better for you this way? Everyone already thinks I''m dead already anyway, so it won''t be a big deal. All you have to do is sign the papers quietly. I don''t care about your money. I won''t be asking for a dime. All I need is your signature on the papers."

    Another tense silence followed. Then, Henry spoke, his voice a low growl. "I''m never going to divorce you, Vanessa. Never. I married you for better or worse, and it''s going to remain that way. I''ve told you this countless times in the time we were together, Ie from a lineage of people who stuck together. There has never been a history of divorce in my family, and it won''t begin with me. No one might know, but I will know. Henry Rosewood is not a failure. For the love I have for you, I will forgive your foolery and give you one chance, just one chance. Drop whatever you are doing over there and whoever you''re doing it with, ande back home to me. I will tell everyone you didn''t die as we thought. You lost your memory for years but only just regained it and that is why you have found your way back home now. All will be forgiven and you can take your ce by my side once again. You have twenty-four hours to make up your mind. If you don''t take this chance and you make mee get you myself, you will be punished for ever thinking of making a fool of me. I guess you must have forgotten who I am because you''ve been away from me for so long. I am Henry Rosewood, and no one- not even you my darling wife will get away with publicly humiliating me."

    The phone call ended abruptly, leaving them in a stunned silence.

    The threat hung heavy in the air, a poisonous cloud threatening to engulf them. Mia let out a shaky breath, her body slumping against Jeff''s side. He wrapped his arm around her, his touch a source offort in the aftermath of the emotional storm.

    Harry, his jaw clenched tight, stared at the wall. There was no doubt in his mind �C Henry was far from finished. But for the first time, he saw a glimmer of hope in Mia''s eyes. She had faced her past, and while the journey ahead would be far from easy, she had taken the first step towards reiming her life.

    "You were right. He is not going to let go of you easily," Harry finally said, his voice low.

    Mia raised her head, a steely glint in her eyes. "I am willing to do whatever it takes to be free of him." Mia said, her voice sharp with determination.

    "Good," Harry said and Mia sighed as she looked from Harry to Jeff, a flicker of gratitude crossing her face.

    "Thank you Harry. And you too, Jeff."

    Jeff squeezed her shoulder. "Always."

    They sat in silence for a moment longer, the weight of the phone call settling upon them. But beneath the fear and uncertainty, there was a newfound resolve �C she wasn''t fighting Henry alone, and she wouldn''t back down.

    "Alright," Harry finally said, breaking the silence. "Let''s get to work. We need a n, a way to ensure your safety and expedite this divorce."

    "Yes. Let''s get this done," Mia said with a nod.

    The battle lines had been drawn. And while the path ahead remained shrouded in uncertainty, with the support of Harry and Jeff and everyone else, she was finally ready to fight for her future.

    Before Harry could say another word, Mia''s phone buzzed with a phone call, and she stiffened when she recognized the number disyed on the screen.

    "My father is calling," Mia informed them.

    "Do you want to talk to him?" Harry asked and Mia took a deep breath before giving him a nod.

    "I should. I''m sure Henry must have asked him to talk some sense into me," Mia said and then angling her chin defiantly, she received the call and once again ced it on speaker.

    "Vanessa? Is that really you?" A male voice asked from the other end of the line.

    "I''m Mia now. I''m not Vanessa anymore," Mia said tly.

    "What madness hase over you! You mean to tell me your husband was right? You faked your death and ran away? How could you do something so shameful and disgraceful? Do you have any idea how heartbroken your mother have been? How do you expect us to look at Henry��."

    "Why am I not surprised? Three years, and you still haven''t changed. I received your call hoping that maybe, just maybe, you might have felt sorry that I died that way and are happy that I''m alive and you have a second chance to correct your mistakes, but it''s obvious that you are still exactly the same. You care more about yourself than you have ever cared for me. You haven''t heard or seen me in three years and the first thing you do is scold me. Since that is the case, I have no business with you. Your daughter, Vanessa, is dead," Mia said, and without waiting to hear another word from him, she ended the call and switched off her phone.

    "I was going to ask you to do that. They might want toe get you. I think you need to disappear," Harry said and held up a finger to stop her from interrupting him.

    "I am not saying you should leave like you nned to. You just can''t stay here now that he knows you are here. Your safety is important. How about you move to Tom''s ce? His ce is secure and no one will think to look for you there. You can stay there for sometime until we have gotten him to sign the papers and we will make sure he gets a restraining order to stay away from you," Harry said, and Mia nodded.

    "I will like that. I don''t think I will be able to sleepfortably here anymore, now that I know that he knows where to find me," Mia said and Harry nodded.

    "Good. Your phone has to stay off so it can''t be tracked. Matter of fact, you should leave it here. We will proceed with sending him the divorce papers. I will have someone keep an eye on his movements," Harry said and Mia nodded.

    "I will be leaving for my vacation this weekend, but Tom will take care of everything. Living at his ce makes it easier. I will keep in touch with you and him," Harry said and Jeff looked at him curiously.

    "When can she go there? I mean, if she leaves during the day, isn''t there a chance to whoever is keeping an eye on her might see her go there?" Jeff asked with concern.

    "Can Jeffe with me? I just can''t leave him here. I don''t want to think of what he might do to Jeff if he finds him here and doesn''t see me," Mia said and Jeff shook his head.

    "He can''t do anything to me��"

    "She is right. You can be an Achilles heel for her. You should go with her," Harry said, and Jeff shook his head.

    "He can''t hurt me��"

    "He can. Listen to me, ande away with me," Mia said, her eyes pleading with him to listen to her.

    Jeff sighed. "Alright then. But my question has not been answered yet. When do we leave?" Jeff asked and Harry picked up his phone and dialed a number.

    "Is everywhere clear?" He asked, and listened for a moment before hanging up.

    "Now. Get what you need and I will drop you off."

 Chapter 839 Journal And Flash Drive

    Chapter 839 Journal And sh Drive

    The moment Amy arrived at the airport in Heden, she didn''t bother going home to her mother, instead she took a cab and headed straight to the Garwood estate.

    Although she was still feeling very anxious about facing Miley''s parents considering herst experience with them, but she wanted to see them first and find out if she could help out with the funeral arrangements.

    As the cab pulled up to the imposing iron gates, she sped both her hands together as though that would calm her.

    As the Georgian mansion came into view and she beheld the manicuredwn and fountain, she couldn''t help but remember all the times she had ran about this ce with Miley or even taken evening strolls together.

    Tears blurred her eyes, and she quickly brushed the tear that rolled down her cheeks away, not wanting to be seen in such an emotional state.

    She was sure that everyone inside was in a state of mourning. There was no need for her to go in there and show them how sad she was. She had to pull herself together for Miley''s sake.

    "Are you not getting down?" The cab driver asked, breaking into her thoughts, and immediately she dipped her hand into her handbag and paid him before getting down.

    As she walked to the door with her little luggage box, she couldn''t help but wonder what Lucas must have thought of the ce when he visited.

    She shook her head to get rid of thoughts of Lucas. She didn''t want to think of him right now. She took a deep breath as she knocked on the door.

    Formerly she wouldn''t need to knock and would just open the door and walk in because they were like one big family. But now, she was reluctant to do so.

    "Amy! You are here. I''m so d you could make it. How have you been?" A uniformed maid greeted as she opened the door and Amy forced a smile. N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "I''m fine. Are they in?" Amy asked, not wanting to chit chat since she knew the maid would want to gossip.

    "Yes. Mr Garwood is in his study, and Mrs Garwood is upstairs. Come in," she said, and Amy followed her in.

    "You know, when we heard about what happened, I kept telling everyone that there was no way you would try to cheat the young mistress. She loved you like a sister and I know you loved her too��"

    "Can we please not talk about that? Let them know I''m here. Please," Amy said politely, and although the maid wasn''t pleased, she gave Amy a nod and left to do as Amy had requested.

    Amy did not sit down or go beyond the foyer even though she knew every nook and cranny of the house like she knew the back of her hands. She stood right there like a visitor, waiting to know if she was fully forgiven and understood or if she had merely been invited based on formality.

    As she stood there, she remembered all the times her and Miley had stood here together. She remembered the first time her mother brought her to the house and how she had met Miley.

    "Amy," Mrs Garwood called softly in a voice that threatened to break into a sob at the slightest provocation.

    Amy turned to look at Mrs Garwood, and one look into the woman''s grief stricken face, tears gathered in Amy''s eyes and she went on her knees.

    "I''m sorry. I''m so sorry for causing you so much heartache and pain," Amy cried and immediately Mrs Garwood went to her, tears dropping from her eyes as she ced both hands on her shoulders to pull her up.

    A choked sob escaped Mrs. Garwood''s lips, but she held firm. "Amy, honey, get up. This isn''t your fault," She said as she pulled Amy up.

    Amy shook her head, tears streaming down her face. "Yes, it is! I should have told you. Miley made me promise not to, but I should have known better. I should have fought harder for her."

    Grief and a flicker of anger clouded Mrs. Garwood''s eyes. "Miley was a stubborn child, Amy. We both know that. But you loved her, and she loved you. ming yourself won''t bring her back," she said as she embraced her.

    The embrace was long and tight, a silent understanding passing between them that transcended words. Amy could feel the raw grief radiating from the older woman, a grief that mirrored her own.

    When they finally pulled apart, Mrs. Garwood''s eyes, red-rimmed and swollen, held a glimmer of the forgiveness Amy had desperately craved, as she led Amy into the sitting room.

    "Miley''s friend, Dr Lucas, told us everything," she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. "About Miley''s wishes, and how you honored them."

    Relief washed over Amy, momentarily easing the suffocating weight of guilt. "He did?"

    "Yes," Mrs. Garwood confirmed, her grip tightening on Amy''s shoulders. "He told us about Miley''s wishes and how strongly she felt about keeping her condition away from us. We were angry, Amy, so very angry. But Lucas... he made us understand. It doesn''t make it any easier, but we understand better now."

    Shame prickled at Amy''s skin. "I should have told you. I know that. I''m sorry I couldn''t tell you..."

    "We know, darling," Mrs. Garwood said, her voice softening further. "We know. And honestly, a part of us understands. It must have been incredibly difficult for her, and for you too."

    A shaky breath escaped Amy. "It was. It was the hardest secret I''ve ever kept. She didn''t want you to worry, and she didn''t want you to hold her back from doing all she wanted either."

    A tear escaped Mrs. Garwood''s eye and traced a path down her cheek. She wiped it away with the back of her hand. "We miss her terribly, Amy. Although she hasn''t been here in months, the house feels so empty knowing we will never hear herughter in it again."

    "I miss her too, Mrs. Garwood," Amy choked out, tears finally spilling down her own face. "More than you can ever know."

    Mrs. Garwood pulled Amy into a tight embrace, the scent of her perfume and regret filling Amy''s senses. They stood there for a long moment, clinging to each other, the shared grief forging a fragile bridge of understanding between them.

    Finally, Mrs. Garwood stepped back, wiping at her eyes. "Would you like some tea, Amy? And perhaps something to eat? You must be exhausted from your trip."

    "A ss of water will do," Amy replied, her voice hoarse. "Thank you, Mrs. Garwood."

    A flicker of a sad smile touched Mrs. Garwood''s lips. "There is no need for formalities, dear. We''ve always loved you like a daughter and you are still family. And I''m sorry that I let my pain and anger get the best of me. I should have trusted you enough to not doubt your love and loyalty to Miley."

    The weight of their unspoken bond settled on Amy. Tears streamed down her face, a mixture of grief and relief. The dam had broken, and the pent-up emotions of the past couple of weeks since Miley copsed in her arms came flooding out.

    Mrs. Garwood led her to a nearby armchair, offering aforting hand on her shoulder. As Amy sobbed, the years of sharedughter and memories with Miley yed in her mind. The house, once a symbol of joy, now echoed with the absence of her friend.

    "What can I do?" Amy finally managed to choke out, wiping her tears with a shaky hand.

    "Pull yourself together while I get you a ss of water," Mrs Garwood said before walking away.

    By the time she returned a short momentter with a ss of water, Amy stood looking at the framed photos on the wall, each one a snapshot of a happier time, a time whenughter filled the house and Miley''s smile was a constant feature.

    A fresh wave of grief threatened to engulf her, but she forced it down, determined to be strong for Mrs. Garwood and for Miley''s memory.

    "Here," Mrs Garwood said, and Amy took the ss from her thankfully.

    "Let''s go to the study to meet my husband," she said after Amy was done drinking, and together they headed there.

    Entering the study, Amy found Mr. Garwood seated behind his desk, his face etched with grief. He looked older, his shoulders slumped in defeat. Seeing him like this, Amy''s heart ached.

    "Honey," Mrs. Garwood announced softly, "Amy''s here."

    Mr. Garwood looked up, his eyes filled with a mixture of sadness and anger. But as his gaze met Amy''s, a flicker of understanding reced the anger. He rose from his chair, his movements slow and stiff.

    "Amy," he said, his voice hoarse. "Thank you foring."

    "Thanks for letting mee despite what I did," Amy said shamefacedly.

    "Come. Sit down and tell me all that my baby did and how she spent herst active moments," he said, gesturing to her to sit down, and both Amy and Mrs Garwood sat down.

    "I don''t know where to start��"

    "You can start from the moment you found out about her health," Mrs Garwood suggested and Amy went on to tell them everything without sparing any details.

    The Garwoodsughed and cried as they listened to Amy''s story. She told them how Miley had wanted Lucas and how she had tried to matchmake her with Lucas.

    By the time Amy was done with her story, Miley''s mom was sobbing while her husband wrapped his arms around her as heforted her while also battling with his own tears.

    "Thank you, Amy. Thank you for being with her all through," Mr Garwood said, and Amy sniffled as she reached into her handbag for Miley''s journal and a sh drive.

    "You should have this," Amy said, and they looked at her in confusion.

    "I came upon it as I was packing her stuff at my ce. It belongs to Miley. It seems she started keeping a journal from the moment she found out about her health. I haven''t read through it. I couldn''t bring myself to do that. I believe it''s more for you than it is for me. And the sh drive contains all the pictures and videos of her I was able to capture in the time I spent with her," Amy said and tears fell from Mrs Garwood''s eyes as she took the journal and sh drive from Amy.

    "Thank you so much, Amy. This means a lot to me," she said and Amy nodded.

    "Forgive me for asking. But about the surrogacy��"

    Amy shook her head, "I''m not pregnant. It didn''t work out," she said without meeting their gaze, "And I''m sorry I��"

    "We are the ones who are sorry. Your only offense was selflessly going along with all our princess wanted. We are sorry for being so harsh and unfair," Mr Garwood said and Amy nodded without saying anything.

    "What about the jerk that wanted to marry her for money? I hope he is not bothering you?" Mr Garwood asked, and Amy shook her head, not wanting to bother them.

    "He is bothering you, is he not?" Mrs Garwood asked suspiciously.

    "You don''t have to worry about it. I reported him to the police already," Amy said and the couple exchanged a look.

    "Don''t worry. I will take care of it and make sure he never bothers you again. Miley put you in this mess and it''s only fitting that we get you out of it," Mr Garwood said and Amy sighed deeply, grateful for their forgiveness and kindness.

    "Thank you. Can I know the ns for the funeral? Is there something I can do," Amy asked and they went on to tell her about the funeral arrangements.

    "You will be staying here for the duration of your stay, right?" Mrs Garwood asked, and even though Amy had nned to go home to her mother initially, she nodded.

    "Good. You can use your usual bedroom. Go in to have some rest. You can go up to see her bedroom when you''re ready. I''ve been in there every day since she passed on," Mrs Garwood said sadly.

    "I will do that. Thank you," Amy said as she rose to leave.

    As Amy walked away, she couldn''t help but feel even more grateful to Lucas for helping her sort things out without being asked.

    As the door shut behind Amy, the Garwoods settled down to take a look at the content of the sh drive, desperate for whatever would connect them to their daughter.

 Chapter 840 Mia’s Plan

    Chapter 840 Mia��s n

    The car was silent as Harry drove Mia and Jeff to Tom''s residence. Each of them was upied by their own thoughts.

    While Harry was thinking about Henry Rosewood and how to help Mia make sure he signed the divorce documents without drama, Mia was thinking about her phone call with Henry and her father, and wondering what they nned to do next now that they knew she was alive.

    Jeff on the other hand was wondering if moving with Mia was the right thing to do. As much as he understood that Henry would want to hold him responsible for Mia''s absence if he came to find Mia and she was missing, he also thought going into hiding with her would give them the idea that he was Mia''s lover or something and he wasn''t sure that was good.

    Not because he didn''t want to be Mia''s lover but because Henry could easily change the narrative and make it seem like she was asking for a divorce because of him and not because he had been abusing her.

    "Is Tom aware that I will be staying at his ce?" Mia asked thoughtfully after a while and Harry met her gaze through the rearview mirror since she was seated at the back while Jeff was seated in front with Harry.

    "Of course. It was his idea," Harry said and Mia nodded.

    "How do you n to convince Henry to sign the divorce papers?" Mia asked curiously.

    "We have some men digging up dirts��" Harry''s voice trailed off when Mia suddenly burst into a humorlessughter.

    "Dirts? Seriously?" She asked,ughing so hard that Harry frowned while Jeff turned in his seat to look at her, wondering what was amusing her.

    "What''s funny?" Harry asked in confusion.

    "I''m sorry I''mughing, Harry. But you must be dreaming if you think Henry is the kind of man ckmails work on. Do you think I don''t have dirts on him? Do you even have any idea how much dirts I have on him? Yet here I am," Mia said with a shake of her head.

    "Listen," she said before Harry could speak again. "I know you mean well, and I appreciate it, but your way won''t work this time. Trust me, I know Henry. Henry doesn''t give in to ckmail. You heard him, he doesn''t give in to failure��"

    "Don''t you think your fear of him is making you overestimate him? He might not be as powerful as you think he is," Jeff said and Mia shook her head.

    "How much dirt do you have on him? Do you have evidence?" Harry asked before Mia could respond to what Jeff had said.

    "That''s the point, Harry. It''s not just dirt, it''s evidence. Financial crimes, tax evasion, and lots more, enough to bury him. But what good would it do? Henry''s a master maniptor. He covers his tracks well. He thrives on scandal. He''d spin it, make himself the victim and somehow anything I have could be spun as hearsay. He has all the major news outlets in his palms. That''s why a clean divorce is the only way. No mudslinging, no public spectacle. Just a clean break, but he won''t give me that. And that is the exact reason I had to go to that extent to run away in spite of all I had against him. So, no, Jeff. I''m not overestimating him. I fear him because I know exactly who and what he is, and if you knew half of what I know, you''d think twice about crossing paths with him," Mia said with a confidence that left no doubt that she knew what she was saying.

    A tense silence settled in the car again. broken only by the rhythmic hum of the engine as they neared Tom''s residence.

    Jeff, feeling helpless, turned back around, his gaze fixed out the window. Harry, however, tapped his fingers thoughtfully on the steering wheel.

    Judging by what he had heard in Henry''s tone and what Mia had said, it seemed like their usual tactics won''t work on Henry and they would have to apply caution both for their sake and Mia''s sake.

    "So, what do you suggest?" Harry finally asked. "You''ve made it clear you don''t want him to know we are directly involved, and you don''t think ckmailing him will work either. We can''t just walk in there and ask him nicely, can we? N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "Don''t you think we that maybe we can use a bit of force to make him sign it? I would love to punch him in the face," Jeff said and Mia tilted her head, considering.

    "There might be another way. A way that doesn''t involve force, threats or digging up dirt," she said quietly.

    "What is it?" Harry and Jeff asked in unison, both eager for a different approach.

    Mia pursed her lips, a glimmer of determination in her eyes. "It''s a gamble, but it might just work. It involves appealing to his ego, not threatening it." She paused, letting the suspense build. "We need to make him think this divorce is his idea."

    Jeff''s brows furrowed. "His idea? But why would he agree to that?"

    "Because," Mia said, a steely glint entering her eyes, "we''re going to give him a reason to think he''s better off without me."

    "How? What are you thinking?" Harry asked, and this time she smiled as the idea began to take form in her head.

    Maybe, just maybe she finally had what it would take to face him. It might cost her life or give her her freedom. What was life without risks? This was a risk she was willing to take for her freedom.

    "Mia? Say something," Jeff urged her.

    "Now that I have you behind me, I''m going to let hime get him��"

    "What are you talking about?" Jeff asked in disbelief.

    "You heard me right. I''m going to let him find me and take me back��"

    "You couldn''t even talk to him over the phone a moment ago. How are you going to live with him? Mia, I don''t think��"

    "I can''t live this way forever, Jeff. This is my life. I need to take control of it. I tried running from him, but it didn''t work. Now I have to run back the same way I came and do the chasing. But first, let''s see what he would do next. Knowing Henry, he would first try to get the attention of the public by publicizing the news of my survival. He most likely wouldn''t say I ran away. You heard what he said. He would say I lost my memory. His ego wouldn''t let him admit that I ran away from him. Harry, that is where you and Tom will have toe in. Make him believe that you are on his side by letting him know I''m hiding out at Tom''s ce. You are his business partners after all," Mia said and Harry frowned.

    "Why would you want to be exposed to him again? He could kill you. The public might not know what you did, but he knows you tried to run from him. What if he kills you this time?" Harry asked and she shrugged.

    "Then maybe I''m better off dead��"

    "Mia!" Jeff growled angrily, "How can you say that? After all you''ve been through shouldn''t you be fighting to live now? What about those of us that are now involved in this with you? How do you expect us to feel knowing we couldn''t protect you after all?" Jeff asked heatedly.

    "Rx, Jeff. No one would be dying. I''m a lot stronger now than I was before I left Henry, and I have you all. Things are way different now. But it''s the only way," Mia said while Harry remained silent as he thought about what Mia had proposed they do.

    Mia''s words hung heavy in the air, the tension in the car amping up by the second. Jeff''s anger was understandable, but Harry, ever the pragmatist, saw the potential in her n.

    "Why aren''t you saying anything?" Jeff asked Harry under his breath.

    "Is there something in particr that you want me to say?" Harry asked while Mia rxed in her seat as she listened to them whispering.

    "You said you were going to help her. It isn''t helping her if you let her walk back into the lion''s den. You should discourage her from this crazy n," Jeff pointed out.

    "She wasn''t asking for my permission. She asked me to help her and she has just told us how she thinks we can help her. You haven''t heard all she has to say about her n yet you assume you know better��"

    "It''s not about knowing better! It''s about keeping her safe!" Jeff interjected and Harry turned to spare him a nce.

    "And do you think you care about her safety more than she does?" Harry asked and Mia''s lips twitched as she watched Jeff frown.

    "I''m just saying��"

    "Rx, Jeff, I know what I''m doing," Mia said softly, touched by his genuine concern for her, "If Henry is going to have to hurt anyone for me to get my freedom, I''d rather it is me."

    "Let''s hear the rest of your n, Mia," Harry said as he drove through Tom''s gate.

    Mia went on to tell them about her n, and even after Harry had parked the car, neither of them got out of the car as they Mia continued to speak.

    "But what if he sees through it?" Jeff interjected, his voiceced with worry. "He''s not stupid, Mia."

    "He is arrogant," Mia corrected, "and blinded by his ego. He will see what he wants to see, especially if we present everything with a perfect bow," Mia said confidently.

    The n was risky, a high-stakes poker game where they were betting Mia''s safety for her freedom. Yet, amidst the trepidation, a flicker of hope flickered in the car. It was a long shot, but it was a chance. A chance to finally outsmart Henry and reim Mia''s life.

    Jeff remained silent for a moment, then let out a deep breath. Although he didn''t like the n, he could see it working.

    "Alright, Mia," Harry said, his voice firm. "We are in. We will do everything we can to keep you safe and get you the clean break you deserve," he promised.

    "I''m still worried, Mia. But if this is what you want, I''m with you," Jeff said, and they all got out of the car.

    As Harry opened the trunk of his car for them to get out their luggage, Jeff hesitated in taking out his bag, "If you are going to let him take you back, don''t you think it''s best I go back to the apartment while you stay here? It won''t be good for him to think there is something going on between us. I mean, he could hurt you more if he thinks you cheated on him. And maybe if he shows up at the apartment, I can point him in your direction too," Jeff suggested.

    Although Mia didn''t exactly like the idea since she wanted Jeff there with her and possibly sharing a room with her, gave him a nod. "Okay. But you don''t have to leave right away, right?" She asked, and he gave her a nod while Harry watched them both, wondering once again what was going on between them.

    After leading them into the house and having the housekeeper show Mia to the guestroom that had been prepared for her on Lucy''s instruction, Harry left them and headed for Tom''s office so he could discuss the change of n with Tom.

    He knew that Tom had wanted nothing more than for them to mess Henry up both physically and reputation wise, but that would have to wait. The most important thing was for Mia to first get her freedom. Every other thing could follow after that.

 Chapter 841 Lack Of Communication

    Chapter 841 Lack Of Communication

    By the time Lucy was done with her work for the day and it was closing hour, she dialed Tom''s line to know if he was still very busy and how much longer she would have to wait for him since she could hardly go into his office now when he was most likely in the middle of a meeting.

    He had mentioned something about having an important meeting with investors at around closing hour, so she knew she would have to wait for a bit. But she wanted to know how long she was going to wait so she could look for ways to fill her time.

    She frowned when the phone rang once, twice, then went to voicemail. Even though she knew that Tom was very busy this period and had a lot on his ce, she couldn''t help the pang of disappointment that shot through her.

    Figuring that he probably couldn''t take a phone call in the middle of his meeting, she decided to send him a text to see if he would respond to that.

    Typing a message, she forced a chipper tone, [Hey Ace. Finished work. Where are you? Miss you already.] Adding a yful emoji at the end, she hit send, hoping it would nudge him to respond.

    Lucy''s eyes were fixed on the sceeen and she bit her lower lip as she waited for him to respond.

    Frustration bubbled up inside her. Couldn''t he at least answer his phone and let her know what was going on? She mused, a crease appearing between her brows.

    A niggling worry began to gnaw at her when there was no response after ten minutes. This wasn''t like Tom. He usually kept her updated on his schedule, especially when it meant them going home together. She tried calling again but still it didn''t connect.

    Deciding not to jump to conclusions, Lucy gathered her things. She picked up her zer and slid into it before walking out of the office with her handbag.

    She headed for Tom''s office, wanting to check on him and see why he wasn''t taking her call. The once-bustling office was now deserted, the silence amplifying her growing unease.

    Lucy frowned when she turned the doorknob and the door didn''t open.

    Tom wouldn''t lock his door this way when he had a meeting going on, would he? She mused as she turned the knob once again, but the door was locked.

    Instead of calling Tom again, she dialed Harry''s line this time, "Hey, sorry to bother you. Have you heard from Tom? I can''t seem to reach him," she said the moment Harry received the call.

    Harry didn''t miss the worry in her tone, "I guess he''s still busy with the investors��"

    "His office door is locked," she interjected.

    "Tom had to take them to see the resort earlier," Harry exined.

    "Oh," Lucy murmured, displeased that Tom had left thepany without bothering to inform her of his movement.

    "Yeah. And you know thework isn''t very stable over there yet," Harry said and Lucy sighed.

    "I see. By the way, I saw the interview earlier. You guys did great," Lucy said as she headed for the elevator so she could leave now since it was obvious that Tom wouldn''t be going home with her.

    "Thanks. I''m sorry about Candace''s slip," he said apologetically.

    "Well, it was bound toe out sooner orter. Although, I tell you I''ve been receiving curious nces all day. And I''m sure some people are going to want to suggest that I got to where I am because of you or bring back the rumors about you hooking me up with Tom so I can convince him to promote you," Lucy said and Harry raised an eyebrow.

    "Does that bother you?"

    "Maybe it would have bothered me in the past, but not now. What can they do other than talk behind me? Besides, I''m sure as long as I keep delivering and doing my best here, everyone would get to agree that I deserve my position sooner orter," Lucy said and Harry smiled.

    "I''m d we share the same sentiment," Harry said, and after talking for sometime they hung up just as Lucy exited the building.

    Lucy debated whether to try calling Tom again or just head home herself. The thought of navigating the city traffic alone after a long day wasn''t appealing, but the alternative �C sitting here waiting indefinitely �C wasn''t much better.

    With a sigh, she decided to bite the bullet and hail a cab. Just then, her phone buzzed with a text. It was Tom. Relief washed over her mixed with a healthy dose of annoyance as she read his text.

    [Hey, Jewel. I''m so sorry I missed your calls and can''t call you back right now. I''m at the resort. Don''t get pissed that I didn''t mention it. It wasn''t nned. It just sort of came up. And now these investors are taking forever to make a decision and I''m stuck here with them for longer than I nned. You can ask Adolf to pick you up. I''m so sorry, love.]

    Lucy sighed since she could hear the hint of apologyced with fatigue in his text. [No problem. I''m taking a cab home.] she texted back.

    Another text arrived from Tom. [Please don''t take a cab. Use one of the cars in the private lot if you can''t wait for Adolf. It''s safer.]

    Lucy appreciated his concern, but the thought of driving one of Tom''s luxurious cars home alone didn''t appeal to her. [Thanks, but I would rather take a cab. Just meet me at home when you''re done, okay?]

    [Please take one of the cars. It''s not safe for you to be out alone at night.] Tom texted back. N?v(el)B\\jnn

    Lucy rolled her eyes. If he could text for this long why didn''t he call?

    [I will be fine. I''m a grown woman. I can handle a cab ride.] she texted back, and without waiting to receive another text from Tom, she hailed a waiting cab and got in.

    She ignored her phone when it buzzed with another text notification and told the cab driver where she was going.

    After a moment, she nced at the message, [Alright, my grown woman. Be safe. And just so you know, Mia has moved in as discussed. There was a change of n. I will tell you about it when I get home. Need to focus now. Love you and the scowl on your face.]

    Lucy rolled her eyes when she saw thest line even though a smile was now ying on her lips.

    So, he knew she was displeased. Alright. She would be waiting for him at home, Lucy thought with a sigh as she shoved her phone into her handbag.

    The cab ride home was a blur of city lights and honking horns. Lucy leaned back in the seat, a mix of emotions swirling within her. A flicker of annoyance at Tom''sck ofmunication, and a spark of curiosity about the change of ns regarding Mia''s presence in the house.

    Even though Tom had said it was impromptu and apologized for it, she couldn''t help being annoyed that he had waited until she reached out to him before telling her about it, when he knew very well that she would be waiting for him.

    As much as she understood that things like this were bound to happen, that didn''t stop her from being peeved.

    As the cab pulled up to their familiar gate, Lucy paid the fare and stepped out, the cool night air a wee change from the stale air conditioning.

    The mansion loomed ahead, bright and magnificent. It felt strange, approaching it alone, without Tom''s usual presence beside her.

    Taking a deep breath, she did the facial recognition identification at the gate and stepped inside.

    Although she could have let the cab take her in, but she was in the mood for a little stroll to regte her emotions before going inside to see Mia and maybe she needed a little exercise since it''s been a while she did any.

    As she strolled up to the front door, she wondered what could have possibly changed in the ns, since Mia was not expected to move in so soon.

    Just as she got to the door, her phone buzzed with a phone call and she pulled it out from her handbag to take the call.

    She rolled her eyes when she saw that it was Tom, before receiving the call.

    "Before you say anything, I know that you''re mad," Tom said before she could speak and she snapped her mouth shut.

    "I''m sorry for notmunicating my movement to you. I should have called you while I was leaving the office even though it was impromptu, and I shouldn''t have waited until after you called to reach out to you. I was carried away. What can I do to make you feel better?" Tom asked and she sighed.

    "Why are you calling now? And why were you only texting before?"

    "I was still with them. Told them I had to respond to an important email. And now, I''m on my way home to you. Tell me you are home now," Tom said and she shrugged.

    "I''m standing outside the front door about to go in," she said, letting go of her annoyance, "So? How did it go? Are they interested in investing?"

    "I will give you the details when I get home. Do you want me to get you anything on my way?" Tom asked and Lucy raised a brow.

    "Anything?"

    "Absolutely anything."

    "A bowl of ice cream will be fine. Preferably cookies and cream vor."

    "Got it. Anything else?" Tom asked, wanting to make it up to her for upsetting her.

    "No. I''m not letting you off the hook so easily by making you believe you can appease me by spending some money..."

    "Bounty chocte and Danish cookies?"

    "Forgiveness is my religion," Lucy said with a grin and Tom chuckled.

    "I will get them all, I promise. I want you to be in a better mood by the time I get home," Tom pleaded, and she smiled.

    "Alright. I''m not mad anymore but I will try to be in a better mood. Just don''t keep me waiting for too long."

    "I won''t. Do you mind checking on Mia? See how she is settling in?" Tom asked and Lucy rolled her eyes.

    "Like you need to ask me to do that before I do it. Bye. Get here soon," she said before hanging up.

    As she walked into the house, she headed straight for the guest room which she had asked them to prepare for Mia beforehand.

    Before she could knock on the door, it opened and Mia smiled when she saw her, "Hello, Lucy. Thanks for letting me stay here. I''m sorry for any inconvenience my being here might cause," Mia said and Lucy waved it off.

    "There is no inconvenience. How are you doing? Have you settled in? Is there something you need or want me to get you?" Lucy asked with a friendly smile and Mia shook her head.

    "Nah. I''m fine. Thanks. I was just going to get a bottle of water. I see you just got back from work. You don''t have to worry about me," Mia assured her.

    "Would you like to have dinner alone in your room or will you join us at the dining?" Lucy asked and Mia paused for a moment.

    "I wouldn''t want to intrude. It''s bad enough that I''m here..."

    "It won''t be intrusion, trust me. Besides, you are yet to talk with Tom. You have to start getting familiar with him since he would be the one taking care of things when Harry leaves for his vacation in a couple of days," Lucy said and Mia nodded.

    "Alright then. I will join you for dinner. Thanks for having me here," Mia said and Lucy smiled.

    "I will have one of the domestic staffe get you when dinner is served. I should freshen up now. If you need anything you can let me know," Lucy said before turning to leave.

    "Uhm, have you heard from Sonia?" Mia asked, stopping Lucy.

    "Oh! Yes. I did speak with herst night," Lucy said and Mia nodded.

    "I suppose you told her everything that''s going on and asked her not to worry?" Mia asked, and Lucy nodded.

    "When next she calls, can I talk to Bryan? I don''t know if she''s going to tell him or not, but I think he should hear it all directly from me. I can''t use my phone right now," Mia said and Lucy nodded.

    "Sure. Maybe after dinner I will give her a call and then you can talk to her," Lucy said and Mia smiled.

    "I will appreciate that very much. Thank you," Mia said and Lucy walked away.

    As Mia watched Lucy leave, she couldn''t help but think about how lucky she was to be surrounded by such nice and kindhearted people.

    She sighed as she thought about how to go about telling Bryan everything. Although she hoped that Sonia had told him about it already but she doubted it. She knew very well that Bryan would have called to hear from her had he heard from Sonia.

 Chapter 842 Stay Safe

    Chapter 842 Stay Safe

    After freshening up, Lucy put on one of Tom''s tshirts and went to sit at the balcony as she dialed Candace''s line.

    It didn''t take long before Candace received the call, "Hey, Lucy!"

    "I never knew you were so proud to have me as your cousin that you couldn''t wait to announce me to the world," Lucy teased and Candace closed her eyes as she giggled.

    "I''m so sorry about that. It was a slip...."

    "There is no need to apologize. I''m fine. I just wanted to know how you were doing. I figured since I didn''t call to check on you and know how you were after the visit to the prison, I should call now. So, how are you doing? Still going back tomorrow?"

    "I''m fine. And yes, I''m still going back tomorrow. How are you doing? Have any ns to go see your favorite aunt in jail?" Candace asked and Lucy giggled.

    "I have no reason to do that. We have no business together. How is Andy doing? You both looked great on TV. And Andy, tell her I absolutely love her voice and she''s going to have to entertain us at my Christmas party," Lucy said and Candace giggled.

    "She''s going to love that. Give me a minute to get her here," Candace said since she was in the living room alone with Matt. Andy and Jade had chosen to give them privacy they didn''t ask for and were in the room chatting.

    "Andy, Lucy is on the phone. She says you have to entertain the guests at her Christmas party," Candace called out to Andy as she opened the bedroom door.

    "How much is she paying? I need to get a manager soon," Andy said, and both Jade and Candaceughed.

    "Did you hear her?" Candace asked Lucy who was alsoughing.

    "You don''t need to get a manager. I told you I will do that already. In exchange I get sixty per cent of all you earn," Jade said and both Candace and Andy looked at her incredulously.

    "Sixty per cent? Here is your gun, Jade? I''m think you are an armed robber in training," Andy said and they all hollered withughter.

    "Hey, Lucy," Andy greeted as she took the phone from Candace.

    "Hey, Andy. You are not a star yet simply because you were featured on television. And you shouldn''t charge your family. We are family remember?" Lucy said and Andy rolled her eyes. 2

    "Alright. Alright. I will give you a discount. Family should support my craft after all..."

    "It''s not a craft, Andy. It''s your talent," Jade corrected.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "Whatever you call it, family should support it," Andy said and theyughed.

    "Anyway, I''m just calling to check on you girls. I take it everyone is fine, so I will leave you to get back to whatever you were doing," Lucy said and Candace took the phone back from Andy.

    "By the way, Jade, are you spending the night there?" Lucy asked since it was getting dark already.

    "I guess so. Harry is not home yet and he asked me to wait for him," Jade said with a sigh as she nced at her watch.

    "Alright. Have fun," Lucy said to Jade and nced at her phone when she received an iing call notification from Lucas.

    "Have a safe trip when you leave tomorrow. And give me love to Aaron and Jamal," Lucy told Candace hanging up.

    "You guys haven''t left yet?" Lucy asked immediately she received Lucas''s call.

    "We are at the airport, about to leave now. Did Amy receive an invite to the funeral?" Lucas asked, going straight to the reason be had called.

    "Yes. She should have gotten to Heden by now. She left in the morning," Lucy said and then pursed her lips.

    "Lucas..."

    This content is taken from |n|o|v|e|l|n|e|x|t|

    "Don''t ask me any silly questions. I didn''t call to be interrogated," Lucas cut in.

    "You don''t even know what I was going to say yet," Lucy protested with a scowl.

    "You were going to ask if I''m sure I don''t have feelings for her. Am I wrong?" He asked and she rolled her eyes.

    "Yes, you are wrong," Lucy said but Lucas wasn''t listening to her.

    "You''ve asked me before and I''ve given you a response. I see no reason why you are asking again. Perhaps you think if you ask me again and again my response might change. Well, it''s not going to change...

    "Rachel was in my office today," Lucy interjected, seeing as he wasn''t ready to listen.

    "What? To do what?" Lucas asked in disbelief.

    "Yeah. She came crying and begging, wanting me to help her get back with you," Lucy said and Lucas snorted.

    "And what did you tell her? Why did you even let her into your office?" Lucas asked and Lucy exined what had happened.

    "Amy saw her?" Lucas asked and Lucy raised an eyebrow.

    "I just said a lot of things and that''s the part you choose toment on? Yet a couple of minutes ago you went on a long tirade about how you don''t like her and stuff when I didn''t even ask. You change her locks, go visit Miley''s family as her defensewyer, and drive her around everywhere, and you im you don''t care. Not that I care whether or not you are interested in her. I don''t care what you do with your time either. That''s your personal business. I know you are a dogooder but it would be in your best interest not to keep doing things that would give Amy the impression that you''re interested in her. I''m sure if we all think that way, she would be feeling so too. And most importantly, you shouldn''t lie to yourself about how you feel," Lucy said and Lucas frowned.

    "You think she might think I''m interested in her because of all I''m doing? I mean, are these not basic stuff that a decent human would do?" Lucas asked and Lucy rolled her eyes.

    "Basic? What will you do if she starts developing feelings for you?" Lucy asked, and before Lucas could respond, his flight was announced.

    "I have to go now. I will call you when we arrive," Lucas said and Lucy sighed.

    "Alright. She asked for your number. Can I give this to her?"

    "No. Tell her I don''t have a phone. Bye," Lucas said and hung up.

    Lucy shook her head as she kept her phone on the table and looked ahead of her.

    She really hoped Lucas knew what he was doing, both for his sake and for Amy''s. Amy was a nice girl and thest thing she wanted was for him to lead her on unintentionally and break her heart by being emotionally unavable.

    Lucy turned to look into the bedroom when she heard the door open, and her lips curved in a smile when she saw

    Tom walk in and her brows shot up when she saw he was carrying a basket.

    "Mr Thomas Hank, what is that basket?" She asked from the balcony and Tom smiled as he went to meet her there.

    "I went to get the Danish cookies and bounty chocte, but saw this cute apology gift basket there," Tom said and she shook her head in amusement as she rose to kiss him.

    "You do too much some times," she said and he shrugged. "Probably because I love you too much," he said and she smiled as she took the basket from him and set it on the balcony table.

    "I think it''s because you have too much money to spend. Did you get the ice cream?" Lucy asked without bothering to take a nce at the contents of the basket.

    "Wouldn''t dare to forget that. It''s in the freezer downstairs. You can get it when we go down for dinner."

    "Alright. Apology epted. You must be pretty exhausted. Long day, huh?" She asked and he nodded as he pulled her close and embraced her.

    "I missed you. And it was so boring driving solo," he said and she smiled.

    "Yeah. I felt the same. Why don''t you go in and freshen up? I will have them set the table for dinner, and after we are done, you can tell me about the change in n regarding Mia, and how it went with the investors. We are having dinner with Mia," Lucy said and Tom sighed.

    "I''m exhausted. I''m not in the mood forpany apart from yours," he said and she smiled apologetically.

    "Sorry, about that. But she''s a guest in your home and it''s only fitting that you have dinner with her even if it''s just for tonight. Or would you rather go to the guest room to wee her and talk to her?" Lucy asked and Tom chuckled.

    "Like you would let me do something like that," Tom said with a yawn.

    "What do you mean? I''m not that jealous. You can do that if you want," Lucy said and Tom chuckled.

    "Thanks for the permission. By the way, i really wasn''t okay with the idea of you taking a cab. No, before you argue, hear me out," Tom said as he ced both hands on her shoulders, and Lucy pressed her lips together.

    "I know you still think you are just Lucinda Perry. While it is true that you are you, you are also my girlfriend. You are not dating just anyone, Lucy. You are dating Thomas Hank. You could easily be a target for anybody. Kidnappers or any irate staff or displeased business rivals. I don''t think you should rx and let down your guard simply because we no longer have to worry about the Miller family. You need to be more careful. Next time if I''m runningte, I''m going to have Adolf pick you up. No argument, please. Your safety is important to me. You can choose to express your displeasure any other way, but don''t put yourself at risk ever," Tom said and Lucy nodded. 2

    "Alright. I admit that I didn''t think of it that way. I''m sorry for not listening to you," she said and he nodded.

    "It''s fine as long as you are safe. I will go freshen up now," Tom said as he brushed his lips against her forehead before walking away.

    Lucy picked up the apology gift basket and followed him inside. She ced it on the table in the room and sat on the couch as she watched Tom undress.

    "You should go slowly," she said with a grin and Tom chuckled.

    "I''m not giving you a show," he said as he headed for the bathroom stark naked.

    "Nice butt, boss," she called after him and he used both palms to cover his butt making herugh as he disappeared from view.

    Once he left, she smiled as she took out the contents of the apology gift basket and shook her head as she read the card tucked inside with a handwritten note from Tom.

    [I really don''t like to upset you. Forgive me.]

    "As if it''s the first time he''s upsetting me," she thought with an amused smile as she opened the tin of Danish cookies and nibbled on one before going downstairs to supervise the setting of the table so they would include Mia.

    Thirty minutester, Lucy and Mia were seated at the table, and Tom joined them, "I hope I didn''t keep you both waiting," Tom said as he sat down.

    "No, you didn''t. I only just got here," Mia assured him.

    "Wouldn''t be the first time you kept me waiting today," Lucy said and Tom chuckled.

    "I apologize once again for the hundredth time," Tom said and she grinned.

    "Apology epted again. Let''s dig in," Lucy said and they all began to eat.

    "So, Harry informed me you changed the ns," Tom said halfway into the meal.

    "Yes, I did. There''s no need to put you all on danger because of me," Mia said and Tom arched a brow.

    "You think Henry can hurt us?" Tom asked, while Lucy listened silently.

    "I don''t think, I know so. I know you''re a big shot and all, but Henryes from a line of big shots and he is a big shot himself. You have no idea how connected he is or how dangerous he is. I know him better than anyone else. I know what he is capable of," Mia said, and Lucy felt a chill run down her spine. ?

    "So, don''t you think it''s going to be just the same when he finds out we all made a fool out of him?" Tom asked even though he felt a bit put off by the way she was underestimating them.

    Mia shook her head, "I will make sure he never finds out about your involvement," Mia said and Tom shrugged.

    "Let''s have it your way then. We will all discuss the details further tomorrow. Let''s enjoy our meal," Tom said and they all returned their attention to their meal even though each of them were distracted by their thoughts.

    While Mia wondered what Jeff was doing and what he was having for dinner, Tom thought about the pros and cons of Mia''s n, while Lucy couldn''t help but worry and wonder.

    She wondered what Mia''s new n was and worried about the safety of everyone now that she had heard what Mia said about her husband hurting them.

    She could only hope and pray that they would be able to rescue Mia safely from the monster she had married, and everyone would go unscathed.

    As Tom and Lucy settled down on the bed a short whileter, Lucy had a frown on her face as Tom told her all about Mia''s new n.

    "Is that safe? He could kill her," Lucy said and Tom nodded.

    "Yeah. I think so too. But if it''s what she wants, there is little or nothing we can do about it other than make sure she gets justice," Tom said and Lucy frowned. 2

    "If you are willing to go against him to get justice after she dies, why not just do so now and save her further torture?" Lucy asked and Tom nodded.

    "That''s what I think too. But we can''t act rashly. We have to apply wisdom and tread with caution here," Tom said and Lucy sighed as she snuggled closer to him.

    "Whatever you do, make sure you stay safe," Lucy said and Tom nodded.

    "Sure. Nothing is going to happen to me, I promise."

    "Now tell me about the investors," Lucy said and they chatted for a bit until Tom finally gave in to his exhaustion and slept off, halfway into Lucy''s story of her visit to the factory.

 Chapter 843 Honeymoon Over

    Chapter 843 Honeymoon Over

    After Tom had slept off, Lucy remembered that she has promised Mia that they could give Sonia and Bryan a call after dinner, so she quietly got out of bed and picked up her phone.

    She moved silently as she walked out of the bedroom, careful not to disturb Tom''s sleep since she knew he was feeling pretty exhausted.

    Once she got into the hallway, she called Sonia on Whatsapp and waited patiently for her to receive the call.

    "Hey! Shouldn''t you be sleeping?" Sonia asked the moment the call connected.

    "I should. How are you?" Lucy asked curiously.

    "Hm. I''m fine. Just that Bryan insists on no phones and stuff. I can''t even write. And he is scowling at me right now as I''m talking to you," Sonia said and Lucy sighed.

    "I understand. And let him know I apologize for intruding on your personal time. I won''t call again after now. But it''s about Mia..."

    "What happened to Mia?" Sonia asked in rm as she sat up.

    She would have called Mia by now to check on you, just that she submitted her other phone to Bryan and only this one which Lucy and her editor could reach were on.

    "Calm down. Nothing happened to her. At least not yet. And hopefully nothing will happen to her. She moved in with us. She wants to talk to Bryan. You know, like tell him everything. Did you tell him about it already?" Lucy asked and Sonia nced at Bryan who had been staring at her with a worried frown since she mentioned Mia.

    "No. Let me ask him if he can talk to her. I will call you back in five," Sonia said before hanging up.

    "What happened to Mia?" Bryan asked watching her.

    "She moved in with Tom and Lucy," Sonia said and Bryan frowned.

    "Why? What for? Did something happen at their apartment? What about Jeff?" He asked, different thoughts running through his head.

    "She wants to talk to you. I think she wants to tell you what''s going on. I know you said no calls and all, but I think we should call Lucy back so you talk to her," Sonia said and a worried line formed on Bryan''s forehead.

    "Okay. But why don''t we call her instead? Why Lucy?" Bryan asked and Sonia shrugged.

    "That way you don''t have to turn on your phone or break thew. See how my emergency phonees in handy?" She asked with a grin and he scowled.

    "Call her then," he said and Sonia dialed Lucy''s line.

    "He will talk to her," Sonia said and Lucy who was already downstairs and standing in front of the guest room knocked on the door.

    "Mia, it''s Lucy," she announced so that Mia wouldn''t be too startled that someone was at her door by that time of the night.

    "Lucy?" Mia asked as she opened the door, "Is everything okay?"

    "You wanted to talk to Bryan. He is on the phone," Lucy said as she handed the phone to Mia.

    "I will be waiting at the dining," Lucy said before walking away to give Mia the much needed privacy.

    "Bryan?" Mia called as she returned inside the bedroom and shut the door behind her.

    "Yes, Mia. I''m here. What is this I''m hearing about you moving in with Tom? Did something happen between you and Jeff? Why did you leave the apartment?" Bryan asked curiously.

    "No. Nothing happened. Everything is fine," Mia rushed to assure him.

    "Then why are you there?" Bryan asked while Sonia tried to act like she didn''t know what was going on.

    "Uhm, I don''t know how to exin it. It''s sort ofplicated and a long story. But I called to let you know that I might not be here when you get back," Mia said and Sonia frowned.

    "What are you talking about, Mia? I thought we agreed that you wouldn''t run away and you will stay there until we get back?" Sonia asked and Bryan turned to her.

    "What are you talking about? Why is she running away? Why did you both have such a conversation in the first ce and I know nothing of it?" Bryan asked and Sonia shook her head.

    "Let''s just talk to Mia first," Sonia said when she realized she had slipped.

    "Where are you going, Mia?" Bryan asked with a frown.

    "I''m going home with my husband..."

    "What husband? When did you get married? Last I remember you didn''t even have a boyfriend," Bryan said,pletely confused.

    "What? Don''t tell me he found you!" Sonia said in rm and once again Bryan turned to her.

    "You know what is going on?" Bryan asked with a frown but instead of responding to his question, Sonia rose.

    "I think Mia wants to talk to you and I''m distracting you. I will be outside. When you''re both done we can talk," Sonia said and excused herself from the room even though she really wanted to know what Mia was thinking and why she would be going home to her husband.

    Bryan watched Sonia with a frown as she walked away, and returned his attention back to the phone in his hand when he heard Mia''s voice.

    "Bryan, I''m sorry I didn''t tell you before now. It''s not like I directly told anyone anyway. I''m married. I ran away from my abusive husband by faking my death, and now he knows I''m still alive and ising to get me. I''m at your brother''s ce because I asked Harry for help..."

    "When? How long has all this been going on? Why am I just hearing of it now?" Bryan asked, hurt that Mia had asked Harry for help and not him who was her boss. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Bryan listened as Mia exined everything to him from the moment Harry began to suspect her of hiding something to when she confirmed his suspicions, to Tyler recognizing her and blowing her cover, down to her moving to Tom''s ce earlier that day.

    By the time Mia was done, Bryan was feeling a plethora of emotions. He was shocked and feeling both angry, sad, and disappointed.

    Shocked by the discovery that Mia wasn''t even her real name, but Vanessa. Angry that a monster like Henry Rosewood existed on the same earth as them. Sad that Mia had to go through all of that and live in such fear of someone who was supposed to be her protector. Disappointed that Mia didn''t trust him enough to tell him all of this and that he was thest to find out what was going on with his own assistant.

    "Why? Why didn''t you tell me all this time? I thought we were friends?"

    "Friends? We aren''t exactly friends. You are my boss," Mia reminded him.

    "But we were close," Bryan pointed out.

    "Were we?"

    "Yes. You scold me and speak to me rudely a lot of the time and I never fired you. All my past assistants were fired for less," Bryan said, annoyed that she didn''t think they were close.

    "Well, we did be sort of close after Sonia came into the picture, but you are not the type to concern yourself with the personal business of this who work for you, so I couldn''t bring my problem to you. I asked Harry for help because he first offered to help. And Harry is the one who brought your brother into the picture," Mia exined and Bryan sighed.

    "What can I do to help? I want to help too. Damn it, Mia! I have to," he said and Mia went on to tell him her n to go back with Henry when hees to get her.

    "Is there no other way? Do you have to go back with him? What''s the point of running away all these years if you''re going to meekly go back with him? Did you just want to get a taste of freedom and now you are ready to return to the prison?" Bryan asked, not understanding the reason for Mia''s decision.

    "Sometimes the only way to win is to give the impression that you have failed. I have to stoop to conquer, Bryan. And I have an advantage now that I didn''t have three years ago," Mia said and Bryan raised a brow.

    "What''s that?"

    "I have you all in my corner. I had no one three years ago, but now I do, and he doesn''t know it. I know Henry Rosewood but he doesn''t know me. He knew Vanessa, but he doesn''t know anything about Mia. I am confident that things will be different this time. I am ying to win," Mia said and Bryan frowned.

    "You never can tell how much he has also changed in thest three years. You shouldn''t be so confident that you know what you are getting into," Bryan warned.

    "Some things never change, Bryan. I didn''t call so you can change my mind. I wanted to let you know I might not be here when you get back and the reason. And to also bid you and Sonia goodbye," Mia said and Bryan scowled.

    "Why are you saying goodbye? If you n to win against your ex-husband, don''t you n toe back here? We will be waiting, so it shouldn''t be goodbye," Bryan said and Mia smiled.

    "I may not have to work for you when Ie back. Working for you has been frustrating," Mia said and Bryan smiled.

    "I have enjoyed working with you and I hope you work with me again when you get back. I promise to cause you less headache. I''m sure it will be easier to keep the promise now that I''m married," Bryan said and Mia rolled her eyes.

    "If you were married to someone else, I would have believed you, but Sonia is even more crazy than you. Where is Sony? I need to talk to her so I can give the phone back to Lucy. It''s prettyte over here and not all of us are honeymooning," Mia said and Bryan chuckled as he rose to go get Sonia.

    "So, what if he doesn''te to get you, Mia? Or should I call you Vanessa?" Bryan asked as he walked out of the bedroom.

    "No. Vanessa is dead. I''m Mia. And I know he wille," Mia said confidently.

    "Babe, Mia wants to talk to you," Bryan said when he saw Sonia pacing at the balcony of their suite.

    Sonia quickly took the phone from him, "What''s going on, Mia? Why are you going back to him? Did he threaten you?" Sonia asked, worry coloring her voice.

    "No. It''s my own decision. Thank you, Sonia. Thank you for being a sister I didn''t know I needed, and for being a good friend..."

    "Don''t do that, Mia," Sonia hissed.

    "Don''t do what?"

    "Stop sounding like you are saying goodbye and I''m not going to see you again," Sonia said and Mia sighed.

    "I won''t be here when you get back..."

    "So, you said. I want to know what you n to do, Mia. Tell me," Sonia said and Mia went on to tell her what she nned.

    The writer in Sonia didn''t take too long to process the wisdom in her n, "I think it''s a genius idea," Sonia said and Bryan frowned while Mia smiled.

    "I guess reading so many crime novels is paying off after all," Mia said and Sonia sighed.

    "I''m going to think more on your n and see a way to make sure it works perfectly, okay? But promise me you will be fine. You know you are my sister," Sonia said, and Mia nodded as tears of gratitude gathered in her eyes.

    "I promise," Mia said and Sonia sighed as she hung up.

    "Before you get mad and say..."

    "I think we should go home," Bryan said, and Sonia frowned.

    "Why? You are cutting short our honeymoon because you are mad at me for keeping this away from you? I only knew about it on our wedding day and I didn''t know how to bring it up. We said we were going to focus on us and not talk about anything else..."

    "Quit rambling. I''m not mad. Disappointed, yes. But not mad. I want us to send her off properly if she is leaving with him. I consider Mia a friend to me, and I know she is a friend to you too. I haven''t been a good friend to her, but I want to at least see her off when she leaves. Is that okay?" Bryan asked and Sonia nodded.

    "Totally. She needs us too. I would like for us to see her off. We can always go on a vacation some other time, but we don''t know when next we might see her," Sonia said and Bryan smiled.

    "Rx while I pack our bags."

 Chapter 844 Bipolar Disorder

    Chapter 844 Bipr Disorder

    The Wednesday morning sun peeked through the blinds, casting a warm ray of light across the bedroom as Jade slumbered peacefully.

    Harry, ever the early riser, decided to use the quiet time to have a quick chat with Candace and Andy before they left for the airport. He found them chatting in the kitchen as they prepared breakfast.

    "Good morning, big sisters," Harry greeted them, a smile ying on his lips.

    "Good morning, little brother. Want coffee?" Candace asked and when Harry nodded, she went to pour him a mug.

    "Thanks," Harry said as he took it from her and then cleared his throat, "Actually, there''s something I wanted to talk to you both about before you leave."

    Candace and Andy exchanged a curious nce. The smile on their face disappeared, reced by a shared look of concern.

    "Is everything alright, Harry?" Candace asked, wondering why he suddenly seemed so serious.

    Harry nodded. "Everything is great, actually. Better than ever, in fact. There''s just... something I''ve been nning, and I figured it''s only right that I let you two in on it since you are my siblings."

    Intrigue flickered in Andy''s eyes. "nning, huh?"

    "Are you nning to ask Jade to marry you?" Candace guessed and Harry raised raised a brow.

    He hadn''t intended for it to be so blunt, but now that it was out there, there was no turning back. "How did you guess?" He asked and seeing that Candace''s guess was right, Andy let out a squeal of delight.

    She threw her arms around him in a hug. "Oh my god, Harry! That is amazing news!"

    "Jade has been spending a lot of time with you. And when she first told me about you, she said you were very old-fashioned and stuff. So I figured the reason you''ve been doing it all is because you''ve made up your mind to propose soon," Candace said with a shrug, and pped him enthusiastically on the back.

    "Congrats! Jade is going to be so happy. You''re both very lucky to have each other," Candace said, not sure who was more lucky since she knew they were both wonderful people.

    He had known they would be happy for him and Jade, still their genuine excitement warmed his heart.

    A grin spread across his face, "Thank you. So, the n is to propose to her while we''re on our vacation," Harry exined, "I was hoping you might want to be there when I pop the question."

    Candace''s eyes sparkled. "Are you kidding? We wouldn''t miss it for the world! This is going to be epic!"

    Andy winked. "I can''t wait to see the surprise on Jade''s face. Consider us your official proposal cheerleaders. We will make sure it''s a moment she will never forget."

    "Our little brother''s all grown up," Candace said, nudging him yfully, and they allughed.

    "Is dad aware?" Andy asked, knowing that the news would bring joy to Aaron.

    "Yeah. He is," Harry said and Candace grinned. N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "But seriously, congrattions, Harry. We are so happy for you both," Candace said and the next few minutes were filled with excited chatter as they discussed the details of the proposal and when to travel over for it.

    Two hourster, Matt came over and drove them to the airport, leaving Harry and Jade alone in the house once again.

    "So, are you ready to leave? Two days to go," Harry said as hey on the bed with Jade and she grinned.

    "Having you on the bed with me this way during office hours on a work day already feels like the vacation has started," Jade said and Harryughed.

    "So, you came backte yesterday, and we couldn''t talk. Want to tell me what is going on?" She asked and Harry sighed deeply.

    "I think Mia''s husband might be a bit difficult to handle," he confessed.

    "Hmm. You think so? Why?" Jade asked, surprised to hear that from a capable man like Harry.

    "He won''t let her go so easily," Harry said, and went on to exin the phone call to him and all he had said.

    "Did you ask Mia how they met? I mean, how he got to marry her?" Jade asked, and Harry frowned.

    "No. Why? What has that got to do with anything?" Harry asked, and Jade sighed as she sat up.

    "Everything. It has everything to do with it. You first need to know why he married her. Was it an arranged marriage by their families? Was she in love with him? Or did he see her and choose to marry her? Is her family indebted to him, hence they are on his side? What was the dynamics of their rtionship? You need to know if it''s just a case of an egoistical husband too proud to admit that he has lost his wife because of his wickedness, or if it''s a case of an obsessed crazy husband. That would better help you know how to deal with him. It''s like profiling him," Jade said and Harry considered it for a moment.

    "I could help..."

    "No," Harry shook his head before she could finish.

    "No what?"

    "I don''t want you involved in this in any way..."

    "Why not? I''m awyer and..."

    "And you are my girl friend and your safety is my utmost concern," Harry said and Jade rolled her eyes.

    "Do you have any idea the kind of cases I''ve handled and how dangerous they are? This isn''t a big deal. I can take care of myself," she said but Harry shook his head.

    "If you want to help, do so by talking to just me this way when I update you on what''s going on. I don''t want you to be directly involved. Stay out of it, okay?" Harry said she and scowled.

    "So it''s okay for you to do dangerous stuff, but not me?" She asked, and he nodded.

    "Yes. I''m the man..."

    "And it''s my duty to protect you," Jadepleted with a roll of her eyes.

    "So, who would protect you when you''re so busy protecting me and doing dangerous stuff?" Jade asked, eyeing him with disapproval.

    "I can protect myself," Harry said and she raised a brow.

    "And I can''t protect myself? Do you really think so? I can handle a gun better than most men, you know?" Jade asked and Harry sighed.

    This wasn''t the sort of discussion or argument he expected them to have when they were alone and had the house all to themselves.

    "I''m sure you can, but I''d rather you don''t have to. Let me handle the guns if there is need for it, and you can get me out of jail with that smart brain of yours if ever I have to use the gun," Harry said and Jade rolled her eyes.

    "You know, this is the reason men don''t live as long as women. You lot seem to think women can handle anything, and then you end up carrying too many burdens..."

    "I don''t want to outlive you. I''d rather die before you," Harry said and Jade red at him as she hit his arm.

    "Don''t say stuff like that. I don''t find it romantic," Jade said and Harry grinned.

    "Why? Death is inevitable. I don''t want to have to live without you..."

    "I don''t want to live without you either. But let''s not talk about death. I will keep you safe, and you can also keep me safe, okay?" Jade said, and seeing the stubborn set of her lips, Harry knew he was in for another long round of argument if he didn''t respond as she expected.

    "Okay, ma''am," he said and she smiled, "But you''re still not getting involved in Mia''s case. Stay out of it. Tom and I will handle it," Harry said and she sighed.

    "If you insist. So, what''s the n for today?" Jade asked, changing the subject.

    "I will be stopping by thepany. We have a meeting..."

    "I thought you said you do not have any business at the office until after our vacation?" Jade cut in.

    "It''s not official business. Mia and Jeff areing to thepany so we can all put her n into motion," Harry exined.

    "I wille with you..."

    "Esquire..."

    "I don''t want to be home alone. I will wait in Lucy''s office," she cut him off and he nodded.

    "That''s fine then. Let''s get ready," Harry said, and just as he rose from the bed, his phone buzzed with a phone call.

    He raised a brow when he saw that it was Jeff and he received the call, "Did something... Really?" Harry asked with a frown and Jade raised a brow as she watched him.

    "Alright. See you soon," Harry said before hanging up.

    "What happened?" Jade asked curiously as she watched Harry look at his phone''s screen.

    "Mia''s husband decided not to wait until twenty-four hours to make his move. Get dressed let''s get going. I will tell you the details on our way," Harry said and quickly they both got ready and left the house.

    "So? What did he do?" Jade asked after they were settled in the car and were on their way to thepany.

    "He sent some men to the apartment early this morning to get Mia. But Jeff told them that Mia went out without informing him and he is yet to hear from her or see her since then, and all attempts to reach her on phone has yielded nothing. Then they left a number asking him to reach them if he saw or heard from her. And then there has been rumors on different blogs about Vanessa Rosewood, supposedte wife of Henry Rosewood, being spotted somewhere in Ludus. Released by Henry of course," Harry said and Jade pursed her lips.

    "Interesting," Jade said thoughtfully, "I believe this is the first of his many moves. He has only just started," Jade said and Harry nodded.

    By the time Harry walked into Tom''s office a couple of minutester, Mia and Jeff were already seated there and the moment he walked in, they all turned to him.

    "Henry just gave an interview," Mia announced and Harry raised an eyebrow at Tom.

    "What did he say?" Harry asked no one in particr.

    "It wasn''t just him. He was with my father. They confirmed the rumors in quote. Henry shed a few tears of joy. He said I contacted him..." Before she could finish, Tom handed Harry his phone so that he would see it for himself.

    On the screen was Henry, looking dignified as ever, and beside him was an older man who Harry believed was Mia''s father.

    "My attention has been drawn to the rumors making rounds on the inte. I''m surprised that the news is out already. We are happy to announce to the public that my believed wife, Vanessa, whom we thought three years ago, is alive," Henry said, and paused as though to blink back his tears.

    "I''m sorry. I''ve just been so overwhelmed since I heard from her," Henry said, and his assistant handed him a handkerchief which he used to dab at his eyes.

    "For three years I thought my wife was dead. I mourned and wept every night, devastated by the death of my precious wife. You can''t imagine what joy I feel knowing that she survived that terrible ident," he said and then paused again.

    "Although she lost her memory, hence she couldn''t reach out to us all this time, but I''m d she finally regained her memory and called me. I thank you all for mourning with me when I mourned, and for rejoicing with me now that I''m rejoicing. I can''t imagine the magnitude of suffering my dearest wife must have endured in thest couple of years away from us, especially considering her mental health challenge," he paused again to let it sink in.

    "For years we have been managing her bipr disorder..."

    "Bipr?" Harry asked, looking at Mia.

    "He is trying to make me out to be the crazy wife that way even if Ie out to defend myself or say anything, no one would listen to the crazy wife who is lucky enough to be married to such a powerful man who dotes on her in spite of her mental condition," Mia said, amazed by how Henry had managed to use the media again.

    Harry returned his attention to the phone again, "I can only imagine how bad it must have gotten now. I don''t say this to shame my wife or to expose our dirty linens. I''m saying this so that everyone would understand and sympathize with my beloved wife. I will be going to get her and soon she will get all the medical help she needs and take her ce beside me again," he said and Mia''s father nodded.

    "You have been such a wonderful husband to my daughter and an amazing son-inw. Thank you for the patience and love you''ve shown my daughter. Even on days when her condition is so bad that she bes violent and uses you of all sorts of things, not once have you been ashamed nor thought of divorcing her. Thank you, Henry. I hope you are able to bring her home to us. Vanessa, I hope youe back home to us. We love you and can''t wait to have you back with us," Mia''s father said, looking directly at the camera and Mia closed her eyes.

    Harry sighed as he returned the phone to Tom, "Well, I don''t think this changes much," Harry said as he sat down on the sofa.

    "It doesn''t affect my n. I expected this, I just didn''t expect the bipr part," Mia said, and Jeff reached out a hand to squeeze hers.

    Before Tom could speak, his phone buzzed with a call notification and he looked at Mia, and then at Harry, "It''s Henry," Tom announced, and they all looked at him with interest.

 Chapter 845 Three Months

    Chapter 845 Three Months

    The tension in the office was thick enough to cut with a knife following Tom''s announcement.

    "Why is he calling you? Did he find out about your involvement already?" Jeff asked, trying to figure out what was going on.

    "I won''t know if I don''t take the call. Everyone, be silent," Tom ordered as he received the call.

    Tom, ever the professional, answered the call with a neutral, "Mr. Rosewood? To what do I owe this unexpected pleasure?"

    A booming voice filled the speaker. "Mr Hank, it''s good to hear from you. I understand my wife works at yourpany..."

    Tom cut in, "Your wife? I''m sure you are mistaken..."

    "I am never mistaken, Mr Hank. I wouldn''t call you if I wasn''t certain," Henry said stiffly, irritated at being interupted.

    "My apologies then. Let''s assume you are right. I''m not very familiar with my staff. As I''m sure you know now, Mr Harry Jonas is in a better position to help..."

    "I don''t need the help of your underling," Henry cut in, annoyed that Tom was referring him to someone else when he had personally chosen him for the task.

    "He is co-CEO and has equal authority as I do. He is not an underling," Tom said through gritted teeth, annoyed at the insult to Harry. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Harry on the other hand, shook his head at Tom, gesturing for him to be cool and keep his head in the game.

    Henry''s voice grew colder. "I didn''t call to be lectured about the hierarchy at your organization, Mr Hank. I have zero care for it. My wife has been working as your brother''s assistant for some time now, under a false identity. I believe you know her as Mia Johnson, but her true name is Vanessa Rosewood. I''m on my way down to Ludus, and I want you to keep her in your custody until I get there. She is not mentally sound and might spew a lot of gibberish. I urge you to pay no heed to her words. Can I trust you to assure her safety until I get there?"

    "If I may ask, why is she here under false identity? And she hasn''t given us any reasons to doubt her mental capacity. To the best of my knowledge, Mia is very sound mentally," Tom said and a beat of silence followed.

    Henry clearly hadn''t expected him to question him. "I didn''t call to be questioned by you. All I expect is for you to find her and keep her safe until I arrive. That shouldn''t be too difficult, should it?" Henry asked and Tom exchanged a nce with Harry and Mia.

    The man''s audacity was astounding, and if they had not already agreed to go along with Mia''s n, he would have preferred to rough him up a little.

    "Not at all. We are happy to help in any way we can, Mr. Rosewood," Tom said, his voice steady.

    "I will count on you," Henry said, and the call ended abruptly.

    "You almost lost your temper," Harry noted.

    "Didn''t you hear him sounding like I''m his errand boy or something," Tom said and Harry chuckled.

    "That''s how he talks to everyone," Mia said apologetically.

    "He called me your underling, didn''t he, boss?" Harry asked and Tom scowled.

    "I would like to lose my fist in his face when all this is over," Tom said and they focused on Mia.

    "How did you get to be business partners with a person like that?" Jeff asked the question that had been on his mind all this time.

    "That is not important right now. Mia, how did you meet him? I mean, was it an arranged marriage or was it love?" Harry asked and they all frowned.

    "What has that got to do with anything?" Mia asked in confusion.

    "Maybe nothing. Maybe everything. Indulge me,"

    Mia fidgeted under thebined scrutiny of them all. "Well," she began hesitantly, "it wasn''t exactly love at first sight. My family�� they were having financial problems and at thepany was at the brink of copse. Henry, on the other hand��"

    She trailed off, a bitter edge creeping into her voice. Harry leaned forward, his gaze encouraging. "He had money, influence. He offered a way out for you and your family, didn''t he?"

    Mia nodded, a flicker of shame in her eyes. "It wasn''t as simple as that. There were�� conditions. He offered them a loan, a lifeline, on one condition �C I would marry him."

    "So, it was a business arrangement?" Tom asked, his voice devoid of judgment.

    Mia gave a small, humorlessugh. "Business? More like a hostage situation. My family practically owed themselves to him. I didn''t want to be part of it, but my parents would rather sell me to him than dere bankruptcy."

    "Did you ever love him?" Harry pressed gently.

    Mia''s silence spoke volumes. Finally, she sighed, "There was a time when I thought I did. But love shouldn''t feel like suffocation. Love shouldn''t make you question your own sanity. On second thought, I don''t think there was ever any love between us. At least not from my end. I wasn''t in love with him. But I did respect him. At first he was charming, attentive. Everything I thought I wanted. But it didn''t take long for the facade to crumble. He became controlling, possessive. Any friends I had, any interests I pursued �C he disapproved of them all. He wouldn''t let me work, wouldn''t let me have any friends. I felt like a gilded cage bird. He would punish me for the slightest offence. He abused me in every way." Mia shook her head.

    "When I couldn''t take it anymore. I had to escape. I knew I couldn''t go back to my family, not with the way they worshiped Henry. So, I took a chance and fled, hoping to never set eyes on him again," she finished.

    "Before Henry''s proposal to save your family from their financial crisis, did you know him personally? I mean, had he ever shown any interest in you before then?" Harry asked and Mia shook her head.

    "Think carefully," Harry said and she frowned as she thought about it.

    "Now that I think about it, I think I first met him two years before my family had financial crisis," Mia said with a nod.

    "Yes?" Jeff asked and Mia nodded.

    "We met at a party years ago when I was still in college, and he tried to talk to me but I blew him off," Mia said with a frown.

    "You blew him off? You blew Henry Rosewood off?" Harry asked, to see if she was beginning to get a clear picture of what happened.

    "I didn''t know who he was then. And I really didn''t care to know. I wasn''t interested in him or anyone else. I was forced to the party. I had a boyfriend then," Mia said and then looked at Harry.

    "We''ve never talked about that and I really didn''t remember that," Mia said and Harry nodded.

    "Do you think he might have had something to do with what happened with your family just so he could have control over them, and you?" Harry asked and Mia narrowed her eyes thoughtfully.

    "I wouldn''t put that past him. He is exactly that kind of person," Mia said, and she rose from her seat.

    "I don''t want to believe that Henry was responsible for that. I don''t want to believe that my family went through such financial problems and I was made to marry him just because I blew him off when I was a teenager," Mia said as she began to pace around the office.

    "Is that what you think happened? Is that why you asked her about how they met?" Tom asked Harry, and he shook his head.

    "I had no idea something like that happened. I never would have suspected it nor thought of it. It was Jade''s suggestion. She said knowing the dynamics of their rtionship and profiling him would help us know better how to deal with him. So, at least now we can see that there was more to the reason he married her," Harry said and they l looked at Mia when sheughed humorlessly.

    "If there is something learned about him, it''s the fact that no one says no to Henry Rosewood. No one rejects him. Often times I would watch him destroy things in blind rage when something didn''t go his way. I would listen to him plot on how to take revenge, yet I didn''t even know he was taking his revenge on me," Miaughed humorlessly.

    "Can you believe it? All this while I kept wondering how he could treat me so badly. I kept asking myself what I did to deserve such torture�� such hatred. I didn''t realize he was punishing me for something I don''t even remember. How would I have ever guessed that I lived such a pathetic life for the past ten years simply because I refused to talk to a stranger at a party when I was neen? Maybe that''s why he kept tormenting me�� because I failed to remember," Mia said, and her body shook as she broke into a sob.

    Jeff looked at Tom and Harry, and when they stared right back at him, he rose to gofort Mia. He wrapped his arms around her and held her as she cried.

    Neither of them said a word as Mia cried, and they waited until she hadposed herself, and then she looked from Harry to Tom.

    "So, now that we know that, what now?" She asked, and Harry shrugged.

    "You tell us. Apart from destroying things in blind rage, what did he do each time he was refused something or rejected?" Harry asked and Mia sighed deeply.

    "He ruined it to make sure no one else used it. And even when it was offered back to him, he destroyed it. He makes sure it is useless both to him and to everyone else," Mia said and smiled sadly, "Just like me. That''s what he has been doing all these years, and like a fool I didn''t even see it. All those miscarriages. It wasn''t a mistake. He didn''t want me to have his baby." Mia shut her eyes, and for the first time since she miscarried her babies, she was genuinely d that she had not birthed any child for a person like that.

    "You rejected him once again yesterday when you asked for a divorce," Harry reminded her.

    "Mia, I don''t think we should go with your idea. He might really kill you this time," Jeff said with a frown.

    "Not if I kill him first. I won''t die by Henry''s hand. Never. I know he won''t stop until he does what he wants, and now that I know exactly why he did that to me and is after me, I am more determined to win. Tom, when he gets here, deliver me to him. Please," Mia said, and Tom gave her a nod.

    "He won''t be letting me step out of the house or use any electronic devices, so I will give you a list of thepanies he uses for everything regarding the house, including his domestic staff. You can try to buy over whichever of thepanies you can, and those you can''t buy, you can ce some reliable people in them. I will make sure there is always need for a new staff and repairs around the house. Let''s have them sent to the house. That way we canmunicate through them and I won''t be surrounded only by Henry''s people. Slowly, I want to take over all he has until he is left with nothing and then I will make him face legal consequences for all he did to me," Mia said with a determined set of her jaw.

    "Let''s do that. We can start by getting the doctor to be on your side since he is such a trusted friend," Harry said and Mia nodded.

    "I promise to make it worth your time and worth every money you spend," Mia promised.

    "You don''t have to. Buying thepanies is business too," Tom said and Mia took a deep breath.

    "I don''t mind working as one of the staff in the house. That way I can keep an eye on you," Jeff offered and Mia shook her head.

    "No. That''s too risky. And I''m sure he knows your face. If he recognizes you, it is game over," Mia said and Jeff shook his head.

    "He won''t recognize me. Not if I disguise myself. I''ve worked in the entertainment industry long enough to know how to disguise myself," Jeff said and Tom and Harry exchanged a look.

    "I don''t think that''s a bad idea," Harry said and Tom nodded, but Mia shook her head.

    "I want to do it. Besides, does he interact with all the staff in the house? I''m sure the ce isrge enough for him not to notice me at all," Jeff said and Mia frowned.

    "What about Bryan? We both can''t leave. You are his manager..."

    "I''m sure Bryan can manage without me. This is a matter of life and death, so I trust he will understand," Jeff said while Tom and Harry watched them both as they argued back and forth.

    "That''s the only way I can befortable with you doing this," Jeff said and Mia sighed.

    "Okay. But you had better make sure the disguise is good and you don''t get caught, else I''m going to kill you myself," Mia threatened.

    "I will rather kill myself than put you in danger," Jeff said and Tom made a face at Harry, making him chuckle at the mushiness being exhibited by the two.

    "Alright. So, what''s the time frame for all of this? How long will you need to pull it off?" Harry asked, and Mia smiled, but it didn''t touch her eyes.

    "Three months."

 Chapter 846 Fine Gentleman.

    Chapter 846 Fine Gentleman.

    The rainshed against the funeral home windows, a relentless drumbeat that mirrored the rhythm of Amy''s pounding heart. Each drop felt like a tiny hammer blow, chipping away at the fragile dam of herposure.

    Inside, the air was thick with the scent of lilies and subdued grief. Amy sat stiffly in the second pew, her ck dress clinging ufortably to her damp skin.

    Amy looked across the aisle, her gazending on the simple golden casket adorned with a single spray of white roses.

    It was absurd, unthinkable, that vibrant, life-loving Miley was in there. A couple of weeks ago, they''d been giggling over coffee, nning weekend adventures. Now, all that remained was a cold, unfeeling box.

    Her gaze darted from the casket to Miley''s tear-streaked parents who were seated in the first pew, their faces etched with a grief so raw it seemed to have leached the color from their skin.

    A lump formed in Amy''s throat, threatening to choke back the torrent of emotions churning within her. Beside her, her mother ever the pir of strength, had tears glistening in her own eyes, the lines around her eyes deepening with each silent sob.

    Amy''s mother had practically raised Miley and she had been like a daughter to her. So, being in Miley''s funeral, was like attending the funeral of another daughter. Having lost one in the past, this was a painful reminder of her loss as well as a fresh loss.

    Amy squeezed her mother''s hand and a choked sob escaped her lips. Amy, unable to bear it any longer, pulled her into a tight embrace.

    The officiant, a kind-faced priest with a gentle voice, spoke in hushed tones about the brevity and fleeting nature of life. He talked about the importance of cherishing loved ones and the enduring power of memories. His words were a balm to some, a source of irritation to others.

    Lost in the whirlpool of her own sorrow, Amy barely registered the eulogy he delivered, a generic recitation of life and loss. The only reality for her was the gold casket a few feet away, the final, cruel container that held her vibrant, funny, exasperating best friend.

    Finally, the priest concluded his remarks. A hush fell over the gathering as the rain seemed to pause for breath.

    As the eulogy approached, a wave of nausea washed over Amy. Public speaking had never been her forte, but how could she not deliver onest tribute to her best friend? How could she not honor Miley''s wish?

    A hush fell over the gathering and all eyes turned towards Amy as she was called forward.

    "Are you ready, Amy?" The priest asked softly.

    Miley had left a will in her journal stating that she didn''t want halfhearted tributes. She wanted only Amy to talk about her, since Amy was the only one, apart from her parents who knew her best and had loved her so fiercely�� the sister she never had.

    Taking a deep, shaky breath, Amy rose from the chair, her legs trembling slightly. Amy stepped forward, her legs shaky despite the short distance towards the podium.

    Standing at the podium, she took a deep breath as she surveyed the faces before her, a sea of grief-stricken faces, most of them strangers, some neighbors, a handful of ssmates who, like her, were grappling with the sudden loss of a friend, some of the domestic staff at the Garwood mansion both retired and current ones, and a few distant rtives, all whose lives were touched in one way or another by Miley.

    Her gaze met Mrs. Garwood''s her eyes filled with a desperate plea. Amy knew what she needed �C a glimpse of Miley, the girl they both loved, in the midst of their grief.

    Amy picked up the microphone. It microphone felt cold and foreign in her damp hand. "Everyone," she began, her voice surprisingly steady. "Thank you all foring today to celebrate the life of Miley Garwood."

    "Miley�� My Miley," she began, her voice wavering. A beat of silence stretched before her, and then, the words began to flow.

    "Miley wasn''t just my best friend," Amy began, her voice cracking slightly. "She was my sister. My confidant. The other half of my heart. My soul mate. My sunshine on a cloudy day. The missing puzzle piece that made my worldplete."

    A choked sob rippled through the crowd and tears welled in Amy''s eyes again, blurring her vision. But Amy refused to falter. She waited for the wave of emotion to pass before continuing.

    "Miley wasn''t afraid to be herself," Amy continued, her voice regaining its strength. "She embraced life with a contagious enthusiasm, herughter echoing through every room she entered. She had this incredible ability to find the joy in anything and an uncanny ability to see the good in everyone. Her kindness knew no bounds."

    A choked sob escaped her lips, but she pressed on, the memories of her time with Miley lending her strength.

    A flicker of a smile touched Mr. Garwood''s lips as Amy painted a vivid picture of their friendship. From whispered secrets under the covers tote-night adventures, from karaoke nights butchering pop songs to sharing dreams and anxieties. Each story she shared elicited a chuckle or a sniffle from the crowd, a testament to the life they were mourning.

    A watery smile touched Amy''s lips as she recalled a particrly embarrassing incident from their teenage years. A poorly nned attempt at dyeing their hair blonde had resulted in a disastrous shade of orange, a secret they''d only shared with each other. A ripple of softughter passed through the crowd, a wee break from the suffocating grief.

    Tears welled up in Amy''s eyes as she spoke of Miley''s unwavering support, her fierce loyalty, and the unwavering belief she had instilled in Amy to chase her dreams, no matter how crazy they seemed.

    "She wasn''t perfect," Amy admitted, a ghost of a smile ying on her own lips. "She wouldn''t be human if she was. But then again, I don''t think she was human. Miley was an angel, howbeit a pigheaded angel. She was the most stubborn person I ever knew, but also the sweetest."

    A sob wracked Mrs. Garwood''s body, and her husband reached out tofort her. Tears welled up in his own eyes.

    "Miley had this incredible strength, a determination to live life to the fullest. And even when death stared her in the face, she still chose to live her life to the fullest. She taught me to embrace the unexpected, to chase after my dreams no matter how crazy they seemed. And most importantly, she taught me the true meaning of love and friendship. She taught me the importance of seizing every moment. And for that, I will be eternally grateful," Amy paused, tears blurring her vision.

    "She may be gone," Amy continued, "but her spirit lives on in all of us. In the kindness we show, theughter we share, and the courage we find to chase our dreams, a little piece of Miley will always be with us."

    A collective sniffle filled the air, and taking a deep breath, Amy concluded, "Miley," she choked out, her voice thick with emotion, "you left a gaping hole in my life. In all our lives. A void that can never be filled. But your spirit, yourughter, your zest for life and wavering love�C those will stay with us forever and be forever etched in my heart. I will carry you in my heart, a constant reminder to live life to the fullest, just like you did."

    Amy''s gaze lingered at the lifeless casket. "I miss you, my dearest friend." she whispered, "This isn''t goodbye. It''s a see youter. Until we meet again, you will forever be the brightest star in my sky."

    As thest words left her lips, a wave of emotion washed over her, and the crowd erupted in apuse. Tears streamed down Amy''s face, a mixture of grief and love.

    With a final, shaky breath, she stepped away from the podium, and as she made her way back to her seat, she caught a glimpse of someone who looked like Lucas walking out of the hall.

    Before she could go after him, Miley''s mom rose from her seat and embraced her, "Thank you, Amy. Thank you for sending her off so beautifully. No one could have done it better than you did," she cried.

    Amy cast onest nce in the direction Lucas had taken, and she hugged Miley''s mother back, hoping that Lucas would hang around long enough for her to express her gratitude to him.

    A couple of hourster after Miley had been buried, the crowd filed out slowly, a somber procession of ck umbres battling the relentless rain.

    Amy lingered, helping Mrs. Garwood sort out some thank you cards for the attendees. Her heart ached for the grieving parents, the raw pain etched on their faces a constant reminder of her own loss.

    As thest guest departed, Amy noticed a lone figure standing at the Lobby, and her heart skipped a beat.

    Lucas.

    Relief and surprise washed over her in equal measure when she saw him. She had kept looking around for him since she saw him earlier, but thought he had left when she didn''t see him. She had even thought she probably imagined him being there, but seeing him standing there, she was happy.

    She hurried towards him, hoping to catch him before he disappeared again.

    "Luca," Amy said, her voice hoarse. "I didn''t expect to see you here."

    He straightened, offering a smile as his gaze swept over her face. "Your eulogy was beautiful. Miley would have loved it."

    "Thank you," Amy replied, her heart swelling with gratitude. "I couldn''t have done it without you. Thanks for going out of your way to help me."

    "It was just the right thing to do," he said and Amy smiled.

    "And thanks for helping me change the locks. You can let me know how much it cost..."

    Lucas smiled. "I won''t do that. It wasn''t much," Lucas said and Amy looked at him.

    "How can I repay your kindness?"

    "There is nothing to repay. It''s the human thing to do. When someone is down, and you can help, you should lift them up. But if you really want to repay me, extend the same kindness to someone else when you see they need it," Lucas said, and Amy smiled this time, touched by Lucas'' kind nature.

    There was a pause, a charged silence that hung heavy in the air. Amy tilted her head, studying him. "I thought you left the country already," she finally ventured.

    "I was supposed to leavest night," Lucas admitted, his gaze flickering away. "But��"

    "But?" Amy prompted, a hint of curiosity creeping into her voice.

    He hesitated, then took a deep breath. "Lucy spoke to me. She suggested that you know, maybe I was leading you on by being so nice."

    Amy blinked. "Leading me on?"

    Well, she had not thought he was leading her on. She has figured he was being himself. And if her heart had fluttered because of his gestures, it had fluttered of its own ord.

    "Yeah," Lucas rubbed the back of his neck, his cheeks flushing slightly. "She thought I might be giving you the wrong impression."

    Amy''s amusement bubbled over into a softugh. "So you canceled your flight just to tell me you were being�� nice?"

    Lucas winced. "Well, not exactly. I came to pay myst respect to Miley and to clear the air. Let you know I don''t have any�� romantic interest in you. I was just being myself, being helpful."

    Amy raised an eyebrow, a yful smile tugging at her lips. "Helpful? Bying to my best friend''s funeral just to�� tell me you''re not interested in me? You couldn''t send it as a text or call when you arrived? Or even an email?"

    Lucas flushed a deeper shade of red. "Look, it might sound stupid, but I didn''t want you to get the wrong idea. I wanted to tell you in person."

    "Is it that important to you that I don''t get the wrong idea? What if I already got the wrong idea and I''m interested in you? Or what if doing this just made me be even more interested in you?" Amy asked, and Lucas blinked at her, taken aback by her questions.

    "Amy�� I�� I''m sorry if you feel that way, but I''m not ready for any of that," Lucas said honestly.

    Amy''s smile softened. "So, you''re not interested in me not because you don''t like me, but because you''re not ready?" She asked, and Lucas couldn''t help being flustered by her bluntness.

    "Amy..."

    "It''s okay. I understand. I''m not exactly ready at the moment either. And for the record, I appreciate your help more than you know. Thanks for being there for me when I really needed someone," Amy said,

    A hint of relief flickered in Lucas''s eyes. "So�� we''re good?"

    "Of course, we are good," Amy confirmed, extending her hand. "Thanks again, for everything."

    Lucas took her hand, his fingers warm and surprisingly strong. "Sure."

    "I should get going now. Tyler is waiting at the airport," Lucas said, and Amy nodded.

    They stood infortable silence for a moment longer, staring at each other.

    "Can I maybe call you some time? Or text? Or email?" Amy asked breaking the silence, and Lucas hesitated.

    "You said we were friends. Friends do that much," Amy reminded him.

    "Emails," Lucas decided, and Amy smiled.

    "Less personal, huh? Why don''t we do it this way, I will give you my email address and leave it up to you to decide if you want to send me an email or not?" Amy asked and before Lucas could respond, she quickly scribbled her email address on one of the thank you cards and tucked it in the pocket of his jacket.

    A hesitant smile graced her lips, "And maybe when next you visit your sister, you could let me buy you a drink or coffee. Whichever you want. Just as friends, of course. My way of saying thank you. And maybe then you can tell me what you said to them, to make them change their mind about me," Amy said, even though deep down she knew she was asking that because she wanted to be able to hangout with him again.

    Lucas held her gaze, not sure why he felt once again like she was subtly reeling him in.

    "I will think about it," Lucas said, and with a final nod, he walked away.

    As Amy watched him leave, she felt a warmth bloom in her chest amidst the grief.

    How did such a sweet guy ever get involved with someone like Rachel? She mused as she turned around to return inside.

    "Amy? Who was that fine gentleman?" Her mother asked, startling her.

    "That was Lu... Dr Perry," she said, and her mother raised a brow.

    "Dr Perry? Why didn''t you bring him in? I would have loved to thank him," her mother said, Mrs Garwood who hade out in search of Amy heard her.

    "Lucas Perry was here?" She asked, and Amy nodded. N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "He left in a haste to catch his flight," Amy exined, and Mrs Garwood nodded.

    "I see. He did say he wouldn''t be able to make it to the funeral because he had to travel back. I guess he wanted to see you," she said thoughtfully but Amy said nothing.

    Miley had written so much about Lucas in her journal, and she had expressed her regret at how things ended between them and Lucas and how she wished Amy would be able to resolve things with him or at least end up with a man like Lucas if not Lucas himself. Miley had implied that there was chemistry between the two.

    "He is such a fine young man," Amy''s mother said and Mrs Garwood nodded in agreement.

    "I learned from Miley''s journal that she tried to matchmake you both," Mrs Garwood said and Amy blushed.

    "She really liked him," Amy said simply.

    "I''m sure she did. It is quite easy to see why," Mrs Garwood said with a small smile.

    "I guess this is the first time you''re seeing him since your misunderstanding?" She asked, and Amy shook her head.

    "I work as his twin sister''s secretary. We metst weekend when he visited. He was very helpful," Amy said and Mrs Garwood smiled.

    This just confirmed what her and her husband had thought about Lucas'' visit. After thinking about all he had said, they had concluded that Lucas had not onlye to pay condolence but he had also subtly tried to convince them of Amy''s innocence without revealing his intent.

    He had acted like he had not seen Amy for a long time, yet Amy had confirmed she saw him thest weekend. That meant Amy wasn''t even aware of all he had told them, cause if she was, she wouldn''t have said she metst weekend.

    As they all returned inside, she silently prayed that Miley''s wish woulde through for Amy.

    A good person like Amy deserved a kind and thoughtful gentleman like Lucas. Like Miley had said, they would be a perfect fit.

 Chapter 847 Pre-Vacation Treat

    Chapter 847 Pre-Vacation Treat

    Lucy''s gaze was fixed on herptop screen as she read the progress report from each department in her team, while she also tried to give Jade her attention.

    Across from her desk, Jade was perched on the visitor''s chair, her brow furrowed as she scrolled through her phone while she waited for Harry to be done with the meeting in Tom''s office.

    "You know you can''t leave anyments, right?" Lucy asked when it seemed like Jade was fighting the urge to notment.

    Since Jade got to her office, she had been busy going through thements on every blog post that carried the press statement of Mia''s husband.

    "I''m honestly contemting opening an anonymous ount just to respond. How can he say she is crazy? How can her own father say such words?" Jade asked as she met Lucy''s gaze, her eyes filled with tears.

    It amazed Lucy how Jade could be so angry and fiercely loyal to Mia whom she didn''t seem very close to.

    Without waiting for Lucy to respond Jade continued, "I can''t even imagine how she must feel. It''s one thing for her husband to do this, but her dad? What kind of father does this to their own child? Isn''t he supposed to love and protect her? If he being her dad is like this, why won''t her husband treat her like shit? No one deserves this, Lu," Jade said as she swiped at her tears, and Lucy looked away from Jade.

    She was a sympathetic crier and she knew that soon she would begin to cry as well so she looked at herputer monitor.

    "Maybe her husband has something over her father and made him say all of that," Lucy said logically.

    "I know that might be the case. But shouldn''t a father be willing to lose everything to protect their daughter regardless of what is at stake? Shouldn''t he be willing to lose even his life if that is what it would take to keep his daughter safe?" Jade asked and Lucy looked at Jade.

    "I don''t mean to lecture you, Jade, since you''re thewyer here. But I mean, by now you should know that the world is not a bed of roses. Every father isn''t like your dad or mine. There are some who would rather use their kids as a shield than protect them," Lucy said logically.

    "Yes, I am aware. I know all of that. This isn''t a case I''m handling, so I don''t have to be logical right now. I can afford to be emotional. And even if it was a case I was handling, I would feel this way too. God knows how many times I cried myself to sleep after going through some cases. The world is such a mean ce," Jade said and Lucy nodded in agreement.

    "You are right," Lucy said, and for a moment she couldn''t help but think about what Mia''s life must have been like before now if her dad and husband were this way and going to such length to make here back.

    "You okay, Luce?" Jade''s voice cut through the fog of her thoughts.

    "Yeah. Just thinking," Lucy admitted. "About Mia''s husband. He seems very determined to get her back. And I think he is really dangerous. The whole situation gives me the creeps."

    Jade nodded, "When Harry first told me about him, I thought it was just a case of an abusive husband, but after he told me about the phone call, and after seeing this clip, I don''t think so. His eyes are dead cold. He is soulless."

    Lucy shuddered, "Let''s talk about something else. By the way, I was thinking about our conversation the other night," Lucy said and Jade arched an eyebrow.

    "Which?"

    "The one about being clingy and exercising boundaries," Lucy said and Jade sighed.

    "That. What about it?" She asked curiously.

    "I think I need to get a hobby too," Lucy said and Jade looked at her, surprised since that wasn''t what she had been expecting Lucy to say.

    "Why? Did anyonein about you being clingy?" Jade asked and Lucy giggled.

    "You don''t only need to have boundaries because of clinginess or anything. It is important for every rtionship to have healthy boundaries. Besides, before now I was sort of shut out from the rest of the world and all I did was work and stay locked up indoors. Now I want to be able to do more. And thanks to our conversation, I realized I needed a hobby aside reading novels," Lucy said and Jade pursed her lips.

    "Have you figured out what you want to do now?" She asked, and Lucy grinned as she nodded.

    "Yes. I want to take cooking sses," Lucy said, thinking that she would like to learn how to prepare all of Tom''s favorite dishes and add some news ones to it, and also be able to make really nice meals for the kids she wanted to have with Tom.

    She really liked how Evelyn had given the helps a leave, and taken to the kitchen to prepare all their meals during their stay at the family house. She would like to be able to do that in the future too.

    "Cooking? You can''t cook?" Jade asked, taken aback.

    Lucyughed, "I can make edible meal. But it can''t hold a candle to the meals Samantha makes. I can''t subject Tom to such barely tolerable meals," Lucy exined and Jade smiled.

    "So, you''re doing it for Tom?" She asked, and Lucy shrugged.

    "And for myself too. For fun. After that I''m going to take up other sses too," Lucy said, and Jade smiled, impressed.

    "I''m d I was able to inspire you," Jade said and Lucy giggled.

    "Thanks. And you can''t tell Tom about it though. I want it to be a surprise when I prepare his meal," Lucy said and Jade grinned.

    "My lips are sealed then," Jade promised, "By the way, have you heard from Sonia?" Jade asked and Lucy nodded.

    "She''s having the time of her life, and our little Ryso in the oven seems to be having fun too. Sony said she hasn''t been experiencing any nausea," Lucy said and Jade giggled.

    "I suppose the baby wanted them to tie the knot," Jade said and Lucyughed too.

    Their conversation was interrupted by the sharp trill of Jade''s phone. She nced at the screen, and a surprised smile lit up her face. "It''s Aurora!"

    Jade tapped the answer button on her phone. "Hey Aura, what''s up?"

    Lucy leaned back in her chair, listening as Jade''s voice filled the room.

    "Hey Jades! How is your day going?" Aurora''s voice crackled through the phone, a hint of mischiefcing her tone.

    "The usual. Nothing much to do," Jade replied, rolling her eyes yfully.

    "You home? At Harry''s or Tom''s?" Aurora asked, her tone curious.

    "I''m at Lucy''s office whiling away my time while I wait for Harry to finish up with a meeting. Why? Wanna pay me a visit?"

    Aurora chuckled. "Was wondering if you''d be interested in a little pampering session this afternoon?"

    Jade''s eyebrows shot up. "A spa day? Seriously?"

    "Absolutely! Consider it a pre-vacation treat. You know, before you jet off with Harry to exotic locations." Aurora''s voice held a teasing edge.

    "Pre-vacation?" Jade echoed. "I like the sound of that," she said and Auroraughed.

    "You didn''t think I''d forget you mentioned you''d be leaving this weekend, did you?" She asked, and a sheepish grin spread across Jade''s face.

    "It''s not that I thought you''d forget, I just didn''t think you''d make a big deal out of it," Jade admitted.

    "My girlfriend is going on a vacation with the guy she hooked me with that helped me meet my fianc��. It''s a super big deal," Aurora said and Jade giggled.

    "You can also consider it an official Maid of Honor pampering session," Aurora said and Jade grinned.

    "Maid of Honor pampering, huh? Wouldn''t miss it for the world," Jade dered.

    "Excellent! You cane over now. And maybe when Harry is done with his meeting and if he''s interested, he can join you," Aurora said and Jade grinned.

    "Thanks for including him. When can Ie over?" Jade asked as she nced over at Lucy, who was watching the exchange with a knowing smile.

    "Right away if you''re avable. Need me toe get you?" Aurora offered and a warmth bloomed in Jade''s chest.

    "Nah, don''t bother yourself on my ount. I will be on my way now."

    "See you soon, Jades!" Aurora said as she hung up.

    Jade''s smile widened, her eyes sparkling with excitement and a giddy smile stered across her face. "Looks like I''m out of here, Lu. Spa day beckons! She wants to give me a pre-vacation pampering session."

    "Pre-vacation, huh? Sounds amazing," Lucy said with a smile. "But are you just going to ditch Harry like that?"

    Jade shrugged as she gathered her things, "I will let him know my ns changed. He will understand. Besides, the offer includes him too. A couple bonding experience," She said with a wink as she stood up.

    "Thanks for thepany, even with all the work you are drowning in," Jade said gesturing at Lucy''s desk andptop.

    "Anytime," Lucy replied. "Have loads of fun."

    "Will do." With a wave, Jade sashayed out of the office.

    Leaving Lucy''s office, Jade practically skipped down the hallway, a spring in her step brought on by the unexpected spa day invitation. Reaching for her phone, she dialed Harry''s number. It rang twice before his voice filled her ear.

    "Hey, busy boo," she chirped.

    "Hey yourself," Harry replied, his voiceced with a hint of amusement as he walked away from the others.

    "Everything okay? Tired of waiting?"

    "Not really," Jade admitted. "Actually, ns have changed a little. Aurora just called and invited me to a spa day this afternoon. A pre-vacation treat, she called it. And the offer extends to you too if you''re interested."

    A chuckle escaped Harry''s lips. "A spa day, huh? Sounds pretty darn good to me. Consider me in. Give me ten minutes and we will be out," Harry said and Jade pursed her lips.

    "I was going to take a cab..."

    "You don''t have to. We are done here. Ten minutes, esquire," Harry said and she sighed.

    "Can I wait in your office?" She asked as she retraced her steps.

    "Sure," he said and she hung up and went to his office to wait.

    "I don''t remember thest time I had a good massage," Harry said fifteen minutester as they drove out of thepany premises.

    "A massage? Well, I''m sure you won''t mind being massaged by a masseur, ''cause there''s no way I''m letting ady touch you," she said and Harry chuckled.

    "Why not? What are you scared of? Besides, you will be there," Harry said and Jade looked at him with a frown.

    "I''m not scared of anything. I just don''t want anyone touching my man," she said and Harry chuckled.

    "Really?"

    "Yes, Jonas. Yes," she said and heughed.

    "How do I get a massage then?" He asked and she shrugged.

    "I will buy you a good body massage chair if you want," she said and he grinned as he turned to spare her a nce.

    "And you think I can''t afford to get one myself? Nothing beats the human hands. It touches spots that the massage chair can''t touch."

    "The masseurs do have human hands," Jade pointed out.

    "There is no way I''m letting a man touch me. I prefer female human hands..."

    "Well, good news, your girlfriend is both female and human and she has two hands," Jade said raising her hands for his inspection and Harry chuckled.

    "Alright. So, can I get a massage from my female human girlfriend with two hands today?" He asked with a suggestive wink and sheughed.

    "So, that was where you were headed. Well, I will think about it after we enjoy our couple bonding spa day," she said with a happy smile.

    Twenty minutester, they walked through the doors of Aurora''s spa.

    The receptionist, a youngdy with a warm smile and knowing eyes, greeted them.

    "Jade? Wee! Aurora''s been expecting you. She''s just finishing up with a client, but why don''t you take a seat in the waiting area and have some herbal tea?" She suggested.

    Settling into a plush couch, Jade received a mug of fragrant tea, but Harry politely declined. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Momentster, Aurora emerged, a radiant smile lighting up her face and Jade handed Harry her mug as she rose to greet Aurora.

    "Jades!" she eximed, pulling Jade into a tight hug. "So d you could make it! I thought Harry wasn''ting untilter. You''re wee Harry," Aurora said as she smiled at Harry.

    "Thanks. You have a lovely ce here. I take it you''ve purchased the ce," Harry said and she nodded.

    "Yeah. And I''ve movedpletely too," Aurora said and Jade looked at her in surprise.

    "Really? When? Why didn''t you say anything?" Jade asked excitedly.

    "Come let me show you around," Aurora said to Jade and then turned to Harry, "We will be back shortly, Harry," Aurora said and when he gave them a nod she led Jade away.

    "So? When?" Jade asked as she followed Aurora.

    "Thursday."

    "What? That is almost a week ago and you didn''t even say anything to me!" Jade said and Aurora smiled.

    "I was going to tell you when we met at the yacht party but there was no time. Same with the wedding. And I''ve been busy setting up this ce to my own taste, so I invited you over to break the news to you today," Aurora exined and Jade embraced her happily.

    "I''m so happy for you, Aura. The ce looks fabulous already. And I''m happy to finally have a friend here," Jade said and Aurora arched a brow.

    "Shouldn''t that be my line? You have Sonia, Lucy, Candace and now Andy," she pointed out.

    "Candace and Andy are not based here. They live in Sogal. And that aside, they are all more like my sisters-inw,pared to you who is a friend. And I''ve known you longer than them too," Jade said and Aurora smiled.

    "Still, you all have a special rtionship. One I love and admire," Aurora said and Jade smiled.

    "I guess. Still, it would also be nice to have you here. Sony and Lucy are best friends, and same goes for Candace and Andy. I want my own friend too. And now I have you here," Jade said and Aurora giggled.

    "Well, I''m d you think of me that way. The feeling is mutual," Aurora said and they continued their tour around before going back to join Harry.

    "Let''s get you both intofy robes. We have a whole afternoon of pampering ahead of us," Aurora said as she ushered them into a luxurious couples'' treatment room.

    "No massages for Harry. I don''t want anydy touching my man or seeing his perfect body," Jade whispered to Aurora and sheughed softly as Harry chuckled.

    "Whatever you want, Jades. Whatever you want."

 Chapter 848 Chef

    Chapter 848 Chef

    The humid Ludus air hit Sonia like a warm p as she stepped out of the airport. Beside her, Bryan wrestled with their luggage, a bemused smile tugging at his lips.

    "Wee back to reality," Bryan said and Sonia forced a smile.

    Reality felt a little heavier than usual. The decision to cut their honeymoon short had gnawed at her, but the image of Mia''s tear-streaked face during theirst time together at her wedding, wouldn''t let her rx. She needed to see her friend, offer whatever support she could and say goodbye before she leaves.

    "Alright," Sonia straightened her shoulders, a flicker of determination in her eyes. "First things first. I need to call Lucy."

    Bryan raised an eyebrow. "Lucy? What for?"

    "We need to find out if Mia is at Tom''s��"

    "Aren''t you forgetting that she will be at work by now? Why not call Mia directly?" Bryan asked and Sonia shook her head.

    "I''m not calling to ask if Lucy is at home. I just want to know if Mia is still at Tom''s. Mia''s phone is off, remember?" Sonia said and Bryan pped his forehead.

    "Yeah. I forgot," he said as he hailed a cab.

    "So, where are we headed? Home or to Tom''s ce?" Bryan asked as the cab approached them.

    "Let''s head to Tom''s. I will give Lucy a call when we get into the cab, and if she says that Mia isn''t there, we can just change our direction," Sonia said as the cab stopped in front of them and they got in.

    As they weaved through the chaotic Ludus traffic, Sonia pulled out her phone and dialed Lucy''s number.

    "Hey baby," she greeted when Lucy picked up.

    "Why are you calling me now? Isn''t it nighttime over there?" Lucy asked as she nced at the wall clock in her office.

    "In Paris, yes. But not over here. We are back in Ludus," Sonia exined.

    A beat of silence followed before Lucy replied, a hint of surprise in her voice. "Is everything alright? Weren''t you supposed to spend three weeks in Paris for your honeymoon?"

    "We decided to cut it short," she mumbled.

    "Because of the issue with to Mia, I suppose? You really didn''t have to cut short your honeymoon. Tom, Harry and Jeff are handling everything. This is your honeymoon. You should make the best of it. And before you say you can always do it next time, I beg to defer. A honeymoon is different from a vacation. You only do it once," Lucy said and Sonia rolled her eyes.

    "I didn''t call to be lectured, Lu. Mia is important to me, and you know it. And she is important to Bryan too. If she is not going to be there when we get back, then it''s only right that we cut our trip short and see her off properly. How do you think I''m going to be able to enjoy my honeymoon if I''m worried about her?" Sonia asked and Lucy nodded.

    "I guess you are right. You have every reason to be worried. Even I am worried after seeing her husband''s press release," Lucy said and Sonia frowned.

    "Her husband?" Sonia asked and turned when Bryan whispered to her.

    "You haven''t asked her where Mia is," Bryan reminded her. "We were wondering, is Mia still at Tom''s ce?" Sonia asked curiously.

    "I think so. She was at Tom''s office earlier, but she has left with Jeff, so I guess they went back to the house," Lucy said and Sonia nodded. .

    "Cool. So, what were you saying about Mia''s husband? Did something happen?" Sonia asked with interest while Bryan tried not to look too curious as he waited for Sonia to finish the call and tell him what Lucy had said.

    They couldn''t exactly put the phone on speaker and let the driver hear whatever Lucy was saying. Somethings were meant to be private.

    "Uhm, I can''t get into it right now," Lucy said when one of her team members knocked on the ss door and walked into her office.

    "But maybe you can watch it. It''s one of the hot topics online. He basically painted Mia as a crazydy. He called her bipr and her dad was there to support his im," Lucy said and Sonia sighed.

    "Alright. I should let you get back to work now," Sonia said before hanging up.

    "What did she say?" Bryan asked after the call ended.

    He listened as Sonia halfheartedly told him what little Lucy had said while she busied with trying to find the press release on the inte.

    Once she found it, she yed the video and she and Bryan watched it. As they watched it, fury bubbled up inside Sonia and the weight of the situation settled heavily on her shoulders.

    Cutting their honeymoon short had been a difficult decision, but after seeing the video, she knew it had been the right one. Mia needed her friends now more than ever.

    Sending her anger, Bryan reached for her hand and squeezed it, "Don''t worry. Mia will be okay. We will all make sure of it," he said and Sonia nodded.

    Away from there in Tom''s house, Jeff and Mia walked into the guest bedroom, and the door clicked shut behind them, leaving a heavy silence in its wake.

    Mia set her purse down on the nightstand, and sat on the bed. Jeff, ever the attentive friend, hovered by the door.

    "Are youfortable here, Mia? Were you able to sleepst night?" he asked, his voiceced with concern as he sat on the vanity stool.

    He had been dying to ask her how she was doing and if she had slept well- if she had missed him, but he had been unable to do so earlier until now.

    Mia forced a smile. "Asfortable as one can be under the circumstances," she replied. "And I managed to get some sleep�� eventually. Had to learn to sleep with the sound of my own thoughts again. It took quite a long time before I slept off," Mia confessed.

    Jeff''s brow furrowed. "Do you want me to spend the night?"

    Mia nodded, "Yeah. But not because I''m scared or because I can''t go to sleep."

    "Why then?" Jeff asked curiously.

    "Because I don''t know when next I may be able to lie beside you or if I might be able to. So, I want to do so tonight," she said and Jeff''s gaze softened as a brief silence settled between them.

    "This whole thing�� it must be incredibly difficult for you. Coupled with today''s revtion," Jeff said after some time.

    She nodded, a flicker of despair crossing her face. "But it has to be done. I''m taking back my life."

    "I agree. But are you very sure about this n, Mia?" His voice wasced with concern. "Going back to his house? Will you ever be able to go to sleep at night?"

    A steely glint entered her eyes. "Absolutely. I refuse to lose sleep over this bully anymore. I absolutely refuse. This is what he wants. A life where I live in abject fear of him. It won''t happen anymore," she said with stubborn determination. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Jeff tilted his head. "And you believe you can win over his loyalists? Get them on your side? Can you trust his people? Can you be sure they will turn on him?"

    Mia shook her head. A small, humorless smile yed on her lips. "Henry doesn''t inspire loyalty, Jeff. He inspires fear. There''s a difference. He doesn''t have loyalists, just terrified pawns. That''s what I n to use. I will make them see him for the monster he is. I will make them realize it''s only a matter of time before he would turn on them if the situation serves him," Mia said and Jeff looked at her skeptically.

    "And three months? Isn''t that too much time to spend with him?" He asked and her eyes narrowed.

    "It could be less," she said, her voice low and dangerous. "But it mustn''t be more. Three months is what it might take. He needs to feel secure, let down his guard. Then, and only then, can I make my move."

    Jeff remained silent for a moment, his gaze holding a mixture of worry and admiration. "I know I''ve said this before, but I''m going to ask again just to be sure," he began, his voice gentle, "are you sure you''re strong enough for this? This is a dangerous game you''re wanting to y, and you can''t change your mind once hees to get you tomorrow," Jeff said and Mia met his gaze, her eyes zing with a steely resolve.

    "Stronger than you think, Jeff. And frankly, I don''t have much of a choice, do I? I''m going to do this, Jeff. And I do not intend to change my mind," she said confidently.

    "Alright. I''m all in with you then. If we win, we win together. If we lose, we lose together," he said, and Mia held his gaze.

    "Are you sure about that?" Mia asked, and Jeff nodded.

    "Totally. I''m thinking, do you have male chefs in the house? I coulde in as a chef. That way I can keep making sure you are well fed," Jeff said and Mia''s lips curved in a smile.

    "What is it with you and feeding me?" She asked, and he shrugged.

    "I love to know you are feeding well. A healthy diet is important for a healthy body and mind. I want you to always be healthy. Also, you need all the energy you can get right now," he said and she sighed.

    "So?" He asked, and she frowned in confusion.

    "So what?"

    "Do you think I can get a job as a chef?" He asked hopefully.

    "I don''t know how much things might have changed around there. But Henry is a very cautious person and he is particr about the people that prepare and serve his meal. No random person can work as his chef. But I think it would be nice if you worked as a chef in the house. It would be easier tomunicate with you that way," Mia said and Jeff nodded in agreement.

    "I thought so too."

    "So�� will you spend the night?" Mia asked, and before he could respond, a knock sounded on the door and Mia went to open it.

    She was delightfully shocked to see Sonia standing there.

 Chapter 849 Threesome

    Chapter 849 Threesome

    "Sonia? What are you doing here when you should be honeymooning?" Mia asked, surprisecing her voice.

    On hearing Sonia''s name, Jeff, who had been hovering by the doorway, materialized beside them.

    "That is not important right now," Sonia said, her voice firm butced with a tremor of emotion.

    She reached out and pulled Mia into a tight hug, her embrace a silent reassurance in the face of the unexpected turn of events.

    "Sonia? Did Bryane with you? Or did you both have a fight?" Jeff asked, a frown creasing his forehead.

    He knew all too well how Sonia and Bryan reacted in times of crisis. When Lucy''s scandal had erupted, Sonia hadn''t hesitated to break up and leave Bryan in the middle of a crucial photoshoot to fly across the country and be with her friend. Simrly, when Derek''s issue hade up and they fought, Bryan had flown down to Ludus alone, leaving Sonia behind at his family home.

    Sonia and Mia broke their embrace and Mia shook her head, a hint of a smile tugging at the corner of her lips as they both turned to look at Jeff. "What a question to ask," she said, her voice dry.

    Sonia raised an eyebrow, her expression mirroring Mia''s amusement. "Did you do something to make us fight?" she countered, her tone yful.

    Jeff threw his hands up defensively. "Of course not! I''m just asking because of�� well, you know, your history together," he stammered, his cheeks flushing slightly under theirbined scrutiny.

    Sonia rolled her eyes, a familiar spark of mischief returning to her gaze. "Bryan''s waiting in the living room. You can go catch up with him and ask him questions. We will be with you both shortly," she said, her voice firm yetced with an underlying warmth.

    With that, she turned back to Mia, a more serious expression settling on her face. Jeff, sensing the need for space, gave them a quick nod and excused himself to go meet Bryan.

    As the door to the room clicked shut behind him, Mia smiled at Sonia.

    "How are you?" Sonia asked, her concern evident. Her gaze swept over Mia''s face, searching for any sign of strain or fatigue.

    Mia returned the smile, feeling a wave of gratitude wash over her. "As you can see, I''m okay," she said, her voice stronger than she had expected it to be. "The question now is, how are you? What are you doing here? Why are you not in Paris?" Mia asked as they both went to sit on the edge of them bed.

    "I''m okay. How do you expect me to be there after hearing about your ns? My sister is in danger and I can''t focus on anything else," Sonia said and Mia looked at her with eyes filled with warmth and gratitude.

    "Really? You cut short your honeymoon for my sake? Was Bryan okay with it?" She asked, and Sonia nodded.

    "As a matter of fact, it was his idea. We both just couldn''t stay there anymore. Not after hearing all that from you," Sonia said as she took Mia''s hand.

    Mia took a deep breath and released it slowly. "Thank you, Sony. This means a whole lot to me," she said, and Sonia waved it off.

    "I saw the press release. No offense, Mia, but that guy is a bastard. And your dad? I have no words," Sonia said with a shake of her head and Mia smiled.

    "Thanks to Harry, today I was able to realize and understand my situation better," Mia said, and Sonia looked at her with interest.

    "What are you talking about?" She asked, and Mia told her all they had discussed in Tom''s office and how she realized the reason and how Henry hade to marry her.

    "Oh, my god!" Sonia said as she rubbed on her arms to get rid of the goosepimples that had risen on her arms as she listened to Mia.

    "Yeah. Now I have even more reason to want to break free," Mia said and Sonia squeezed her hand.

    "This must not be easy for you," Sonia said and Mia shrugged.

    "Thankfully I don''t have to do any of it alone. I have you all. Jeff has been so helpful. You won''t believe he offered to go with me," Mia said and Sonia raised an eyebrow.

    "Really? Is there something there? I mean, between you two," Sonia asked when she remembered what Lucy had said thest time about Jeff and Mia.

    Mia smiled, "Honestly? I don''t know. He keeps giving me reasons to believe he might be interested in me, but so far he hasn''t made any moves or said anything. He only talks about how he cares about me. Do you think someone who only cares about me just as his colleague and housemate would be willing to risk their life to go with me and work as a chef just to make sure I''m safe?" Mia asked and Sonia shook her head.

    "I don''t think so," Sonia said and Mia nodded.

    "Me too."

    "Do you like him? Romantically?" Sonia asked and this time Mia grinned.

    "If you had asked me this question over a week ago, I would have given you a definite no. But I''m not so sure now. He is so handsome, especially with his beards down. And he is cute in a lot of ways. You won''t believe that he has been sleeping in my bedroom because I told him I have difficulty sleeping at night," Mia said and Sonia''s eyes widened.

    "Your bedroom? Are you both doing it?" Sonia asked in a whisper and Miaughed softly.

    "I said in my bedroom, not on my bed. Well, that was until two nights ago when I invited him to sleep on my bed," Mia said andughed again when Sonia lookedpletely surprised.

    "You invited him into your bed?" Sonia asked, surprised and amused that Mia had the time for all of these despite what was going on with her.

    "Yeah. I did. Don''t look so surprised. It was nothing sexual. There was nothing sexual either. We only cuddled," Mia said and Sonia shook her head.

    "I guess you like him. I didn''t see thating. You and Jeff?" Sonia said with a shake of her head.

    "Well, maybe there is nothing to seeing. Like I said, he didn''t say anything about being interested in me. His actions make me think so, but he hasn''t said anything of the like," Mia said and Sonia sighed.

    "I''m sort of surprised there is still time for romance in your life considering everything," Sonia said and Mia smiled.

    "I''m even more surprised I''m even thinking of it right now. But I''m happy I am. It tells me how much I''ve changed, and it makes me look forward to moreing changes," she said and Sonia nodded.

    "I guess that''s a good thing. Let''s go see Bryan. He is waiting to see you," Sonia said and they both rose and headed for the door.

    "I didn''t know you would both being back so soon. I asked the housekeeper to resume on Monday," Mia said and Sonia waved it off.

    "It''s fine. We n to stay here until hees to get you. We can as well stay until Monday before we leave. When do you think he might get here?" Sonia asked as she led Mia to the dining where Bryan was waiting, since Samantha was preparing ate lunch for them. N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "It depends on when he left there. He should get here by Friday morning," Mia said and Sonia smiled.

    "I''m d I still have all of tonight and tomorrow to be with you," Sonia said and Mia shook her head.

    "No. You might have left Paris, but it''s still your honeymoon. Don''t be with me. Be with Bryan. I assure you that okay and I have everything in control," Mia said and Sonia rolled her eyes.

    "Bryan and I will be with you together," Sonia said and Mia shook her head.

    "I don''t do threesomes," she said and Sonia giggled.

    "For real? You don''t?"

    "Eww, Sony. You should have simply said you didn''t mean a threesome. Why ask me that and make it seem like you want one?" Mia asked and Sonia giggled.

    "I''ve fantasized about the idea of having a threesome. But not with another girl. I prefer two guys. Bryan and some other hunk. Bur Bryan is going to murder me now if I dare to mention it to him," she said and Miaughed.

    "Why not anotherdy? Why two guys?" Mia asked and Sonia shook her head.

    "I want to be the center of attention. I don''t want to have to pleasure anydy. And I don''t want her looking at my man in any way," Sonia said and Mia shook her head.

    "I thought you''d be normal by now but you''re still very crazy," Mia said in amusement.

    "Totally crazy, I assure you," she said as they arrived at the dining where Bryan and Jeff were seated while their meal was being served.

    "I was going toe get you after it was served," Bryan said with a small smile as he looked at Sonia, and then his gaze shifted to Mia and he rose from his seat and held out his arms to her.

    "That''s awkward, Bryan. Nah. No hugs. Nah. I don''t hug my bosses," Mia said with a shake of her head and Sonia who was standing behind her pushed her forward into Bryan''s arms while Jeff chuckled.

    Bryan said nothing for a moment as he simply embraced her and then when he pulled away he looked into her face, "I''m sorry you had to go through all of that, had to hide your identity for so long because you were scared of being exposed. I''m also sorry that our wedding exposed you," he said and she shook her head.

    "You don''t have to apologize for that. It was bound to happen sooner orter. I''m sure Jeff has brought you up to speed with what''s happening now," Mia said as she went to sit on one of the dining seats beside Jeff but opposite Bryan.

    "Yes. He did. And he also told me I''m managerless and assistantless right now," Bryan said and Mia winced.

    "I''m sorry��"

    "Nah. Don''t be. I''m d he will be there with you. It makes me feel at ease. We can know how you''re doing bymunicating with him," Bryan said and Sonia nodded in agreement.

    "I''m not sure we can find a recement in such short notice. And��"

    "We were talking about that already. Since Jeff can''t go over immediately. He will take at least a week to tidy up his end. He can organize everything for a smooth and easy handover to my next assistant. Since the arrangement is only for three months, I will get a temporary manager and assistant so that you can return to your positions if you still want to after this is all over," Bryan said and they both smiled in gratitude.

    "That''s fine. We can spend the night doing just that," Mia suggested and Jeff nodded while Sonia narrowed her eyes as she looked from Mia to Jeff and then back again.

    "We can help too," Sonia offered and they all shook their heads.

    "You can''t. You need to rest. As a matter of fact, you''re going in to do just that after we eat," Bryan said firmly and Sonia rolled her eyes.

    "Yeah. You don''t have to worry. We can handle everything," Jeff assured her.

    "Yes. We will handle things ourselves. You both need to get some rest after your long flight," Mia suggested.

    "Alright. Let''s dig in now before the meal gets cold and Samantha''s effort goes to waste. We can continue in the morning," Bryan said and with that they turned their attention to their meal.

    As they ate, Jeff and Mia asked them about Paris and Sonia excitedly filled them in on all the beautiful ces they had visited and showed them pictures.

    After they were done eating, Bryan took Sonia to their bedroom upstairs, while Mia and Jeff returned to the guestroom downstairs.

 Chapter 850 What Is Stopping Us?

    Chapter 850 What Is Stopping Us?

    As Mia and Jeff went through Mia''sptop, revising Bryan''s current contracts and bookings that were lined up for him after his honeymoon, Mia kept stealing nces at Jeff.

    His brow furrowed in concentration as he scrolled through an email, his jaw clenched as he meticulously reviewed a use in a new contract.

    The muscles on his forearm flexed with each click on the keyboard. He looked incredibly handsome even with the weight of responsibility etched on his face. He looked so dependable. So�� safe. Words she had never really associated with a man before.

    A wave of unfamiliar warmth washed over her,ced with a sharp undercurrent of longing.

    Should she ask him? Should she just blurt it out and get it over with? Did he feel something for her, or was he really just doing all of this because it was the kind of person he was?

    Was it just the stress of going back with Henry clouding her judgment or was there a genuine spark between them? She stole another nce, and saw Jeff staring at her.

    A blush crept up her cheeks as their eyes met and he arched an eyebrow in question. She quickly averted her gaze, pretending to be engrossed in an email herself.

    Jeff tilted his head, his eyes searching her face, "Everything alright, Mia?" he asked, his voice gentle.

    "Yeah, everything''s fine," she mumbled, forcing a smile.

    Jeff frowned slightly, "Alright. If you say so," Jeff said simply, his voice devoid of judgment.

    Mia bristled internally. She almost hated how easily he conceded. Did he just let that go so easily? Didn''t he want to press her, to know what was swirling in her head?

    Part of her wanted him to press her, to pry until she revealed the tangled mess of emotions swirling inside her.

    They worked in silence for a few more minutes, the only sounds the rhythmic click of the keyboard and their own shallow breaths. Finally, Mia couldn''t hold it in any longer.

    Frustration bubbled up inside her. "Why aren''t you pushing me, Jeff?" she blurted out before she could stop herself.

    Jeff looked up again, a hint of amusement dancing in his eyes as he met her gaze. "Push you? What do you mean?" He asked even though he knew what she meant.

    "When I said there wasn''t anything on my mind," Mia rified, sounding slightly annoyed. "Why didn''t you try to find out what it was?"

    He raised an eyebrow, "Since when did I be your interrogator? One moment you say you don''t want me making you do things or controlling you, and now you want me to pressure you into talking when you don''t want to?"

    "I don''t know," she admitted, her voice barely a whisper. "Maybe I just expect you to be more curious. How can you agree just like that? I practically had a neon sign shing over my head saying ''ask me''! Don''t you want to know what I''m thinking?"

    His smile softened. "I do." he agreed, his gaze holding hers.

    "So, why not ask until I am forced to say it?" She asked and he shook his head.

    "Look, Mia," Jeff said, his voiceced with amusement, "We are both adults. If something is on your mind that you want me to know, you can simply say it without expecting me to pressure you into talking. I won''t y such games with you. If you want to speak, go on. If not, let''s keep working," Jeff said firmly.

    Mia took a deep breath, her heart pounding in her chest. This was it. Now or never. She met his gaze squarely. "Uhm. Alright," she said, and then cleared her throat, while Jeff kept his gaze on her.

    "Go on."

    "If I asked you to��" she began, then trailed off, her voice barely above a whisper. "Would you��?"

    Jeff leaned closer, his gaze intense. "Would I what?"

    "Uhm, would you��" She hesitated, her cheeks flushing crimson. Taking a deep breath, she blurted out, "would you have sex with me, Jeff?"

    The question hung heavy in the air, and for a moment, the only sound was the soft hum of theptop fan.

    A shadow crossed his face, a flicker of something she couldn''t decipher. "Today?" He asked, and she nodded.

    "No," he said, his voice gentle and firm, "I wouldn''t."

    Rejection, swift and sharp, sent a wave of sadness crashing over her. He didn''t want her. It was that simple. Mia''s heart sank and disappointment washed over her, sharp and searing. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    She forced a smile, trying to mask the hurt, "Oh, okay. No worries," she said and looked away from him so she could blink away the tears of shame and disappointment that now stung her eyes.

    Sensing her dejection, Jeff watched her for a moment without saying a word, and then he sighed, "Mia��"

    "It''s fine. You don''t have to say anything. I mean, I understand. It''s understandable that you don''t want me that way. I''m sorry for making assumptions. I just thought maybe there was something. But I should have known better. Why would you be interested in someone like me? I have a lot of baggage and then I have those ugly scars and��"

    "Shut up, Mia. You''re babbling," Jeff said quietly and he reached out and took her hand.

    Mia tried to pull her hand away, but he held her firmly, "I didn''t say I did not want you. I said I wouldn''t have sex with you if you asked me to today."

    Mia looked at him then, "What about tomorrow?"

    He shook his head again, "I wouldn''t," he said and she scowled at him as she snatched her hand from his grip.

    "So, what''s the difference? I''m not your type, am I?" She asked and this time Jeff smiled.

    "Honestly? I didn''t even know I had a type until I got close to you," he said and she frowned.

    "What do you mean?" Mia asked in confusion.

    "Is that what you really want, Mia?" he asked, his voice gentle. "You want me to sleep with you?"

    "You didn''t answer my question. What did you mean? Am I your type or not?" Mia asked without answering his question.

    "Do you want to have sex with me or do you want to know how I feel about you?" Jeff asked and Mia shrugged.

    "Both. But I can''t do one without knowing about the other. So, tell me what you meant," Mia said and Jeff held her gaze.

    "I didn''t have a type in mind until I realized I had a thing for you. It means you are very much my type or rather the prototype of my types. Beautiful, bold, strong, intelligent, funny, kind, yful, honest," he shrugged.

    "Don''t tter me. I''m not all that," she said as she turned away from him, her cheeks burning.

    Jeff smiled, "Yes, you are. You are all of that and more. So, tell me. Do you really want to have sex with me?"

    Mia bit her lip, unsure of how to respond. Part of her wanted to run, to hide from the sudden rawness of her emotions. But another part, a stronger part, forced her to be honest.

    "Yes," she admitted, her voice barely a whisper. "A part of me does."

    "Why?" Jeff asked, his voice soft and devoid of judgment. "Why do you want this, Mia?"

    She met his gaze again, the truth spilling from her lips before she could stop herself. "I�� I just want to hold onto the memory," she confessed. "The memory of feeling�� wanted. Of not being alone in theing weeks."

    His eyes softened, a hint of understanding flickering in their depths. "Is that all?" he asked gently. "Is this just about the situation, or�� is there something more? Do you like me, Mia?"

    Hesitantly, she met his gaze. "I�� I think so," she whispered. "I think I like you, Jeff. A lot."

    She hesitated, then nodded slowly. "I think so. I think I like you, Jeff. These past few days�� with everything that''s happened, you''ve been a rock. A constant source of support, of�� of something more."

    "So, it could be just gratitude. Maybe you''re mixing it up��"

    "No. That''s not it. I know it''s not just gratitude. Maybe it''s because you look so damned fine after getting your makeover. Or maybe I''m just horny because I haven''t had sex in longer than I care to remember. But I really think I like you. I mean, even being horny, I don''t want to do it with just anyone. It''s you I want. Alright. I think I''m rambling again. I''m going to shut up now," she said and pressed her lips together.

    A slow smile spread across Jeff''s face, and his dimples winked at her. "Then take your time, Mia. Figure out what it is you feel and want. When you are sure, let me know. And then, maybe, we can talk about this again." He said as he squeezed her hand gently.

    "Talk again? Not even doing it? But talking? What''s there to talk about? Don''t you feel sexually attracted to me?" Mia asked and Jeff frowned.

    "Of course I do. I just told you that you''re my type. How can you still ask that?" Jeff asked in disbelief.

    "Then what is stopping you? What is stopping us from doing it now? Time is not on our side. In a day or two from now, Henry will be here. I don''t want to have any regrets," She said and Jeff sighed as he took both her hands this time.

    "I''m positive that time is on my side. Time isn''t going anywhere, Mia, we are. I''m not going to touch you or do anything until you are a fully divorceddy. Henry might not deserve you, but you are still married to him and bound to him byw. I don''t want any allegation he might have against you to have any element of truth in it. So, no matter how much I want you, I won''t let youmit adultery. Not with me," Jeff said softly.

    "Is that the reason you said you won''t have sex with me?" Mia asked, and he nodded.

    A flicker of hope sparked within her. His words weren''t a rejection. Maybe there was a chance. Maybe this wasn''t the end. Squeezing his hand back, she offered him a tentative smile. "Alright, Jeff. Thank you."

    "You are wee. So, can you stop ogling me now and focus on what we have to do?" Jeff asked and Mia rolled her eyes.

    "Not yet. When did you realize you liked me?" Mia asked curiously.

    "Why do you ask?" Jeff asked and she shrugged.

    "I''m just curious. You never gave me any reason to feel ufortable around you," she said and Jeff shrugged.

    "When I thought you were pregnant," he said and her eyes widened in disbelief.

    "What?" She asked, not expecting that.

    "I always thought you were weird. I just didn''t realize I liked you. But when I thought you were pregnant, I felt sort of saddened by the thought," he admitted.

    "You were sad yet you cooked up a storm the next morning? (Chapter 581)" She asked in disbelief.

    "Well, if you are pregnant you need food. I couldn''t be mad at you for being pregnant when I didn''t even know I was interested in you," Jeff said reasonably.

    "Was that the reason you kept talking without meeting my gaze that morning?" Mia asked in amusement.

    Jeff shrugged without saying anything and pretended to be busy on theptop. Not having it, Mia shut theptop, "Does that mean you meant it when you said you were interested in mest week? (Chapter 792)" She asked, and he raised an eyebrow.

    "What do you think?"

    "Why then did you deny�� oh! Because I said you were making me ufortable you said you weren''t interested in me romantically," Mia said and Jeff met her gaze.

    "And now you''re the one making me ufortable with your ogling," he said and Mia grinned.

    "Who would have thought the table would turn in such a short time?" She asked and he angled his head.

    "I told you time is on my side. You''re proof of it," he said with a wink.

 Chapter 851 Showtime

    Chapter 851 Showtime

    The private jet touched down on the tarmac of Ludus International Airport at precisely 2:17 am on a crisp Friday morning.

    Henry Rosewood, impably dressed in a tailored ck suit and a silk tie that shimmered even in the dim hangar lights, emerged from the aircraft, his expensive shoes clicking on the tarmac.

    The air held a damp chill, a stark contrast to the dry heat of Hu he''d just left behind. But the coolness did little to dampen the fire burning in his eyes.

    He was finally here. Finally in Ludus. Finally, he would get his hands on Vanessa, the disobedient wife who had dared to make a fool of him.

    She had dared to defy him. The audacity of the woman! Running away like a frightened child when he wasn''t done punishing her yet. But that game was over. She was back within his grasp, he thought with a smirk etched across his face.

    This time around, there would be consequences�C public and private. He, Henry Rosewood, wouldn''t allow such insubordination to go unpunished. He would teach Vanessa a lesson so severe it would leave an indelible mark, worse than the ones he had left on her back.

    He was going to make sure everyone saw her as a crazy woman and no one would believe a word out of her mouth. She would have no one on her side. All she would have would be him. She would be at his mercy and beg for her life, but he wouldn''t forgive her. Never.

    Not after she dared to embarrass and humiliate him so publicly ten years ago. Whenever he thought about how she had ignored him that night and treated him like a nobody, his blood boiled afresh.

    She had looked down on him because she thought she was from a wealthy home and she had everything. And that was why the first thing he took from her was her family''s wealth and turned her father into his puppet.

    She was going to spend the rest of her life paying for that singr act. No one was permitted to be arrogant or cheeky around him. He had the exclusive right to arrogance.

    With a predatory glint in his eyes, Henry strode towards the waiting car and the moment he got in, he turned to the driver and the other man seated in the front seat with him.

    "So? What did you find?" He asked coldly.

    He had asked them to dig into Mia''s life in thest three years and to uncover every single thing she had done in the period she was away from him. Who she met, what she ate, what she wore, where she slept. He wanted to know all about her life.

    "She started working for Bryan Hank twentytwo months ago. There is no much information about her life before then. She lives a pretty lowkey life in a lowkey neighborhood. She goes to work daily and��"

    "Any rtionships I should know about?" Henry cut in, uninterested in the mundane details.

    "ording to her neighbors, she has never entertained visitors. Although they said she goes outte every evening andes back in the early hours of them morning��"

    Henry''s brows shot up, "Where to?"

    "They said she seemed to be the partying type and she was always so colorfully dressed," he said and Henry''s lips curled with disgust.

    "She always bought takeouts��"

    "I''m not interested in that," Henry said and the P.I frowned.

    "But you asked me to��"

    "I know what I asked. I wanted you to work hard for the money I''m paying you, that doesn''t mean I''m interested in all the details. What about the nonentity she has been cohabiting with? Hasn''t he ever visited her?" Henry asked and the P.I shook his head.

    "No. They said she has never entertained a visitor. And from my investigation, it seems they are not in any special rtionship and only started living together when Bryan moved to Ludus," he said and Henry nodded.

    "I see. So, did you keep an eye on him to find out where she was and if he would lead you to her?" He asked and the P.I shook his head.

    "It was impossible to. They have an extremely nosy neighbor who seems to be the watchdog of the neighborhood. It seems like she spread word around about our presence in the neigborhood, and it made it impossible to hang around there for long enough to monitor his movements."

    "Excuses. All I hear are excuses," Henry said with displeasure.

    "I''m sorry my service��"

    "Save the apology. It''s useless," Henry said dismissively.

    Now he had to go with his option B. Thomas Hank. He needed to know where Vanessa was hiding presently, and he hoped that Tom had found her.

    He couldn''t believe that Tom had dared to question him thest time. Thomas Hank was lucky that he was too busy trying to find his wayward wife, else he would have punished Tom for daring to think he had an opinion in his business. And the second reason he had forgiven Tom was because, like a good boy, he had agreed to do his bidding.

    Now it was time to see if Tom had done as he requested or if his trust in Tom had been misced.

    He hoped for Tom''s sake that Tom had found Vanessa, since he didn''t want to have to spend unnecessary time here, trying to find her.

    If Tom failed to provide her immediately, then it would mean that Tom had disappointed him, and he never took disappointment too well.

    Without wasting a moment, Henry pulled out his phone and he dialed Tom''s number, ignoring the uncharacteristic act of calling someone at such an ungodly hour. Tom was a pawn in his game, and pawns needed to be reminded of their ce.

    Away from there, across the city, the shrill ring of the phone sliced through the quiet of Tom''s bedroom. He jolted awake, his heart hammering in his chest.

    A nce at the bedside clock confirmed his worst suspicions �C 2:22 am. Who on earth would be calling at this ungodly hour? He mused as he fumbled for his phone on the nightstand, squinting at the screen in the dim light.

    Then he saw the name shing on the screen�C Henry Rosewood. The sleep drained from his body like water down a drain. This couldn''t be good.

    Lucy stirred beside him, a frown creasing her forehead at the sound of his voice. "What is it?" she mumbled, her voice thick with sleep as she turned on themp at her side of the bed.

    Tom held up a finger, silencing her, and answered the phone. "Mr Rosewood?" he said, his voice betraying none of the apprehension churning in his gut as he nced at Lucy, who sat up in bed, her eyes wide with rm.

    She had expressed her fears and concern over dealing with Henry Rosewood, but they had also agreed that they couldn''t leave Mia to face him alone.

    "Mr. Hank," Henry''s voice crackled through the receiver, devoid of any pleasantries. "Have you managed to locate my wife?" Henry asked, his toneced with a dangerous edge

    Tom gritted his teeth, annoyed that he had called him at such an ungodly hour to ask him such a question.

    "Yes. She is safe��"

    "Where is she?" Henry cut in.

    "Right here in my house. I wanted to keep��"

    "Excellent," Henry said, a hint of satisfaction in his voice. "Then perhaps you can be of further assistance. Send me your address immediately. I will be there in a few minutes to collect her."

    Tom stared at the phone, "Collect her? Are you in Ludus already? It''s barely three in the morning��"

    Henry wasn''t interested in arguments. "The address, Mr Hank. And make it snappy. It''s best you don''t let her know I''ming," Henry warned, and with a click, the call ended.

    "Don''t tell me he has arrived and wants toe over at this time to get her?" Lucy asked, and Tom sighed.

    "He wants me to send him my address. I really hate this guy. The more I talk to him, the more my hatred for him grows. If Mia wasn''t so adamant about doing things her way, I would really have loved to deal with him my own way," Tom murmured while Lucy quickly got out of bed.

    "You are not dealing with anyone your own way. Mia''s way is safer. I will go inform Mia and the others that Henry ising over while you give Harry a call. You should send him the address. Don''t give him any reason to think you are on Mia''s side else you''re going to blow it," Lucy said as she pulled on her sleeping robe and headed for the door.

    The moment Lucy got to Bryan''s and Sonia''s bedroom, she knocked on the door, "Bryan? Sony? Henry is in Ludus, and he is on his way over to pick Mia," Lucy announced as she knocked, knowing that they would realize it was an emergency ande out fast.

    Although they had all been expecting him to get here on Friday, none of them had thought he would choose toe at such an ungodly hour.

    The door opened, "He ising over right now? Does he know what the time is?" Bryan asked as he pulled the door open.

    Sonia had wanted to get the door, but he had asked her to let him get it so she could get some rest.

    "Right now. He just called Tom. I''m going to ask Mia to get ready," Lucy said, before heading down the stairs to the guest room.

    Down in the guestroom, Miay snugly next to Jeff who was cuddling her, and the moment Lucy knocked on the door, both their eyes opened.

    "Mia?" Lucy called softly, and goosebumps broke out over Mia''s skin.

    "Henry is in Ludus," Mia said and Jeff frowned as he nced at the clock in the bedroom since one of themps had been left on.

    "You can''t be so sure," Jeff said but while he was still speaking, Mia got out of bed and went to answer the door and Jeff followed.

    "He just called Tom. He is on his way," Lucy said and Mia turned to look at Jeff.

    "At this hour?" Jeff asked incredulously.

    "That''s the kind of person he is," Mia said just as Tom, Bryan, and Sonia joined them.

    "Shouldn''t you dress up��"

    "No. If I do that he is going to know I was waiting for him. He would get more satisfaction in dragging me out of the bed in my sleeping robe. He likes the element of surprise," Mia said and then looked at each of them.

    "You all can''t be out here when he gets here, or else he is going to suspect that something is up. Only Tom can be out to greet him, and maybe Lucy as thedy of the house��"

    Lucy shook her head immediately, "I would rather not say hello to him," she said, not wanting to begin her day by seeing such a creepy person.

    "Good. It''s all settled then. We''ve been through the n a couple of times. You all can rx. I will be okay. I promise," Mia said, holding Sonia''s gaze.

    Sonia embraced her, "You had better be fine. Call me any chance you get, Mia. And if you need my help, do not hesitate to let me know. I wille running��"

    "Who is going to let you go running in your state?" Bryan asked, cutting her off.

    "Don''t call her. Call me. I will run faster. I''m not pregnant," Bryan said and Sonia scowled at him while the rest of themughed, despite the tension in the room.

    "He will be here in any moment. You can say your farewells," Tom said and returned upstairs, and Lucy followed him after embracing Mia.

    "You can''t be in this room when he gets here," Mia told Jeff after they were left alone.

    "I know," Jeff said, gazing at her.

    "I will be okay. Don''t worry. I will make sure I find a way to bring you in," Mia said and Jeff arched a brow.

    "How do you think you''d be able to do that considering your rtionship with him?" Jeff asked and she shrugged.

    "I will use his weakness. His ego. Don''t worry. I will make it happen," Mia promised and Jeff took a deep breath as he cupped her face in his hands.

    Mia''s breath hitched, and her bravado faltered a little under Jeff''s touch. His hands were warm and gentle, a ring contrast to the brewing storm.

    Their eyes locked, a silent conversation passing between them. In that quiet moment, unspoken words hung heavy in the air �C worry, gratitude, a flicker of something more.

    "Be careful, Mia," Jeff murmured, his thumb brushed a stray strand of hair from her cheek, a gesture both intimate andforting. "Don''t let him break you."

    Mia leaned into his touch, seeking a moment offort in the chaos. "I won''t," she whispered back, her voice barely audible.

    Their gazes remained locked, and then he leaned closer, the space between them shrinking. N?v(el)B\\jnn

    Then, before either of them could overthink it, Jeff closed the gap, and without warning, he dipped his head, his lips meeting hers in a soft, lingering kiss.

    The kiss was unexpected, yet undeniably tender. It was a brush of lips, a promise of something more held in check by the circumstances swirling around them. It was a kiss filled with unspoken promises and a fierce protectiveness. A kiss that held the weight of the unknown future and the feelings simmering beneath the surface.

    Mia melted into the kiss, a wave of warmth chasing away the chill of apprehension. It was a goodbye, a promise, and a spark of hope all rolled into one.

    As they pulled apart, a breathless silence descended upon them. Jeff''s forehead rested against hers, his chest rising and falling with a ragged breath.

    "Remember, Mia," he murmured, his voice husky with emotion. "We''re in this together. No matter what happens."

    Mia nodded, unable to trust her voice to speak. Her heart was overflowing with a mix of gratitude and a newfound yearning. The sound of footsteps on the stairs ripped them apart.

    "I will see you soon," he murmured, his voice husky.

    Mia nodded. Taking a deep breath, she forced a smile. "You go. I will handle him."

    "He''s approaching the gate," Tom announced from the doorway without bothering to knock.

    A hint of worry lingered in Jeff''s eyes. Onest lingering nce, and then he picked up his phone and backpack and walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him.

    "Showtime, Mia," she whispered to herself as she went back to bed, knowing that the next time the door opened, it would be Henry walking in.

 Chapter 852 First Of Many

    Chapter 852 First Of Many

    The screech of tires against gravel announced Henry''s arrival before Tom even reached the front door. He threw it open just as Henry emerged from a sleek ck car, his face an unreadable mask under the harsh porch light.

    "Mr. Rosewood," Tom greeted, his voice neutral. "Come in."

    Henry strode past him, a whirlwind of expensive cologne and an air of barely contained menace. Tom shut the door with a soft click, the sound swallowed by the heavy silence that settled in the wake of Henry''s entrance.

    "Where is she?" Henry demanded, not bothering with pleasantries. His eyes darted around the living room, searching for any sign of Mia.

    "She is in her room sleeping," Tom said, "I didn''t inform her of youring," Tom said, as they had agreed he would.

    Henry smiled with approval, "That is smart of you. Show me to her room," he ordered.

    "I prepared a room for you. You might want to get some sleep and see her in the morning��"

    A scoff escaped Henry''s lips. "Don''t y games with me, Mr Hank. I came here to see my wife, not sleep. You wouldn''t dare keep my wife from me a moment longer," he warned.

    "Your wife?" Tom echoed, a dangerous edge creeping into his voice. "She hasn''t been your wife for a long time, Mr. Rosewood..."

    "That doesn''t change the fact that she is my wife. I''m sure if you were in my shoes, sleep would be thest thing on your mind when you''ve been away from your wife for three years because you thought she is dead," Henry said, and Tom pretended to think about it for a moment.

    "You''re very correct. I''m sorry for not thinking about it," Tom said, and Henry shrugged.

    "It''s fine. People rarely think about anything these days," he said, his tone condescending, "Will you show me to her bedroom now?" Henry asked, trying his best to stay calm.

    "Why don''t I go get her��"

    "No. That won''t be necessary. Show me to her bedroom and I will wake her up myself," Henry insisted and Tom nodded.

    "Come with me then," Tom said, and Henry followed as Tom led him to the guestroom.

    The doorknob rattled, a jarring sound in the quiet tension of the room. Mia held her breath, feigning sleep, the covers pulled up to her chin.

    The door opened, and a sliver of light sliced across the room, followed by the unmistakable silhouette of Henry. A wave of nausea washed over her, but she pushed it down, and forced her eyes to stay shut, focusing on the steady rise and fall of her chest, mimicking sleep.

    The moment Henry turned on the light in the bedroom and shut the door behind him, goosebumps erupted on Mia''s skin, a primal reaction to his nearness.

    As he approached the scent of his cologne, a sharp, musky blend, filled the air. It was a smell that instantly transported her back to a time she desperately wanted to forget, triggering a deep sense of fear,

    He stood beside the bed for a moment looking down at her, the silence thick enough to suffocate. Mia could practically feel his predatory gaze scanning her, searching for any sign of awareness.

    Finally, she felt his weight press down on the mattress as he sat beside her. Mia didn''t flinch. She knew any reaction, any sign of consciousness, would only embolden him. Silence, she decided, was her best weapon.

    "Well, well," he drawled. "Look who we have here," His voice was low,ced with amusement that sent shivers down her spine.

    Her skin crawled when his fingertips brushed her cheek, sending a jolt of revulsion through her.

    Mia remained still, her heart hammering a frantic rhythm against her ribs as she waited patiently for the perfect moment to begin her performance.

    "Don''t make me wake you up, darling wife," Henry purred, a cruel edge creeping into his voice as he grabbed a fistful of her hair.

    Mia''s eyes flew open, and she gasped dramatically when she looked into his face, "Henry," she breathed fearfully, and his lips curved in a satisfied smile, pleased with the fear he could hear in her voice.

    "How did you find me?"

    "Come on, wife, did you really think you could hide from me forever?" He asked with a smirk.

    "How did you get in here? What are you doing here?" She asked, trying to look as shocked and scared as possible.

    "Mr Hank! Somebody help!" Mia yelled, sounding desperate.

    "That is no way to wee your beloved husband whom you haven''t seen in what? Three years?" he said sweetly as he let go of her hair.

    "What do you want, Henry?" she asked in a shaky voice as she scrambled out of the bed, putting some distance between them.

    A smirk yed on his lips. "Oh, how dramatic," he said, amusement dancing in his eyes. "Don''t you y the innocent with me. You know exactly what I want. You and I are going home," he said as he rose from the bed.

    "Home?" Mia shook her head. "That house has never been my home. I''m not going anywhere with you."

    Henry''s face hardened and he raised his hand to hit her, a reflex Mia knew all too well and as if struggling for control, he shut his eyes and dropped his hand. "Don''t be difficult, Nessa. This will be easier on everyone if you just cooperate."

    "Cooperate?" Mia repeated, her voice rising slightly. "You mean let you control my life again? Let you iste me from everything and everyone I care about? Never. I would never have faked my death to be rid of you in the first ce if I was going toe back to you."

    Henry''s face contorted in rage and he took a menacing step closer. "Don''t test me, Nessa," he warned, his voice dropping to a low growl. "You know what I''m capable of."

    "I also know what you are afraid of," Mia countered, meeting his gaze head-on. "You are afraid of the truthing out. You''re afraid of everyone finding out the kind of monster you truly are. The kind of man who whips his wife and beats her up leaving all sort of scars on her back. Sign the divorce papers, Henry, and no one will ever have to know the truth about you," Mia said and Henryughed. A deep richugh that bubbled from inside him.

    "Afraid? I fear nothing, Vanessa. Do you think any sane person would believe the words of a crazy woman? Even your own father confirmed it that you are insane��"

    "You made him do it! I know you made him say that," Mia said and Henry scoffed.

    "What difference does it make whether I made him do it or not? No one knows that. No one cares. As far as the world is concerned, you are a mad woman, and no one would take your ramblings over what I say," Henry said smugly.

    "Why are you doing this to me, Henry? Why?" Mia cried and the humor disappeared from his eyes.

    "Why? I haven''t done anything yet. But I can promise you, Vanessa, that I''m going to make you pay for daring to make a fool of me. You will pay for running away from me. If you thought your life was a living hell before now and something worth running from, I''m going to make it even worse now," he promised in a voice that sent shivers down her spine. N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "Please, Henry. Please forgive me for whatever I''ve done and leave me alone," Mia pleaded.

    "Save your tears. Right now, you are going to follow me out of here without any of this drama. You can either follow me quietly or I will take you out forcefully and then your punishment will be increased. Because of the love I have for you, I advise you to go with me quietly. I would hate to have to treat you like a real crazy woman," he advised.

    "What does that mean?" She asked fearfully.

    "You will find out if you don''t do as I have said ande with me quietly," he promised.

    Taking a deep breath, Mia met his gaze, "Why are you doing this to me? You don''t even love me. Why not just move��"

    "Shut up ande with me! I won''t ask nicely again," He growled ferociously and Mia swallowed and nodded.

    "Alright. Let''s go," she said and he gave her a warning look.

    "No drama, Nessa. When we get out there, put up your best smile and say goodbye to Mr Hank. Do not give him any reason to ask me any silly questions else I''m going to make you regret it," he warned, and she nodded.

    "I will get my stuf��"

    "Don''t. You won''t be taking anything from here with you. Your little show here is over," Henry said and tears gathered in Mia''s eyes.

    "You should at least let me take my phone. I should say goodbye to my friends��"

    "You never said goodbye to me when you left, so why should be worry about saying goodbye to a couple of nobodies? We''ve wasted enough time. Let''s go," he ordered.

    "Can I at least change out of my sleeping clothes into something more decent?" She asked, drawing his attention to her sleeping robe.

    "No. You look perfect in that. When we get to the ne, you can change into the clothes I got you," he said and Mia nodded dutifully as she headed for the door.

    As they stepped into the living room, they found Tom seated there, waiting for them, and when he heard their footsteps, he rose.

    "Mia��"

    "Mrs Rosewood," Henry corrected and Tom gave him a polite nod.

    "Mrs Rosewood, I had no idea you were married��"

    "Well, now you know. We will be on our way now. You will be rewarded for the role you yed in our reunion," Henry said, and with his hand on Mia''s lower back, he urged her to move.

    "Mr Hank��"

    "My wife would love to thank you," Henry said without letting Mia finish, and he applied pressure on her lower back, warning her not to say anything silly.

    "Let Bryan and Sonia know that I''ve left, and I''m sorry I couldn''t see them," Mia said and Tom gave her a nod and followed as Henry led her outside.

    Tom watched as the driver jumped out and held our the door for them, and he watched as they got in and the car drove off.

    Once the car disappeared from view, Jeff, Bryan, Sonia, and Lucy, who had been listening in on the conversation going on in the bedroom while waiting in the Den all trooped out.

    "He is a mean bastard," Bryan said, his face contorted in anger. He really wished they didn''t have to let Mia leave with a man like that.

    "Why can''t we just use the recording we got? Isn''t that enough to expose him? She made him say a lot of things. Those should be considered as evidence, right?" Lucy asked with a concerned frown.

    "It won''t be enough. If we want to put an end to him, we need more. This is only the first of many," Tom said and Jeff scowled.

    "This n better works, else I might kill him myself if he does anything to her," Jeff said in a very cold voice before walking away from the others to the guest room which Mia had just vacated.

    "I hope Mia will be fine," Sonia said as she brushed away the tears on her cheeks.

    "We will make sure of it. We already put things in motion," Tom assured them and ced an arm around Lucy who was hugging herself.

    "Let''s go back to bed," Tom said, and Lucy shook her head.

    "I don''t think I can go back to sleep now," she said, and Sonia nodded.

    "Me too," Sonia said, and Bryan sighed as they all returned into the Den to find a movie to keep them upied while they waited for morning toe.

 Chapter 853 Suicide

    Chapter 853 Suicide

    Jade stirred in her sleep when she could no longer ignore the beam of sunlight streaming through the bedroom blinds and disturbing her sleep.

    As she opened her eyes, a smile bloomed on her face when she realized what day it was. Today was the day. Today, she and Harry were finally starting their long-awaited vacation, she thought as she stretched, the excitement bubbling in her stomach a tangible force.

    She rolled over, expecting to find Harry beside her, but the space next to her was cool and empty. A slight frown creased her forehead, but it was quickly erased by the thrill of the day ahead.

    Her suitcase, meticulously packed days ago, sat by the door like an eager puppy, brimming with anticipation for the adventures toe. She couldn''t wait to see all that Harry had nned out for them.

    Jade threw off the covers and hopped out of bed naked. Without giving much thought to it, she picked up Harry''s nearest tshirt and put it on before padding out of the room and down the hallway.

    Even before she got to the living room, she could hear the rhythmic click-ck of keyboard keys and the scent of freshly brewed coffee led her to the source �C Harry.

    There, hunched over hisptop at the dining table, was Harry. His brow furrowed in concentration. The sight brought a smile back to her face.

    This hunched-overptop pose reminded her of her very first sleepover at his apartment (chapter 278). She had woken up this way to see him busy on hisptop.

    Back then she had no idea that she was going to fall so helplessly in love with this amazing man. Or maybe that was when she started falling, she mused as she recalled how he had helped her organize all the evidence Cassidy had gathered, and then he had proceeded to make her coffee just the way she loved it. His attention to details had caught her attention then.

    Sensing her presence, Harry nced up, his eyes meeting hers. The frown melted away, and azy smile spread across his face, they type that could light up a room.

    "Good morning, goddess," he said, his voice warm and husky. He held out a hand to her, and she readily took it, the familiar spark leaping between them.

    "Good morning, you workaholic," she teased, as she let him pull her onto hisp "What''s got you glued to your screen so early? Shouldn''t you be packing or something? Our flight is in a few hours," she said as she picked up his mug of coffee and drank from it.

    Harry chuckled, "I packed already. You made sure of it. But this can''t wait. I''m trying to finalize a couple of acquisitions in Hu. Thought it best to get it done before we leave."

    Jade''s smile faltered slightly. Hu. Henry. "Oh. By the way, did you receive a call in the middle of the night? Or was I dreaming?"

    "I did. Tom called to let me know Henry showed up to get Mia."

    "In the middle of the night?" Jade asked incredulously.

    "Some time past three to be precise," Harry said and Jade scowled.

    "I can''t believe he is that mannerless. Who does he think he is to barge into someone''s home at such an ungodly hour? Well, he is lucky Tom is cool," she said and frowned when Harry grinned.

    "What?" She asked, and he chuckled.

    "My fierce baby," he teased, and she giggled.

    "I''m being serious," she said, and he nodded.

    "Me too," he said and she nced at hisptop.

    "So, what were you saying about finalizing an acquisition? Have you been able to acquire any of thepanies? And how did it go with Mia?" She asked, but Harry closed hisptop and cupped her face in his hands.

    "Hey," he said, his voice gentle. "Let''s not dampen our spirits by talking about any of that this morning. We''re finally leaving for our vacation, so today should be all about us. No work, no worries, just you and me. Forget about everything else. Let''s focus on unwinding and having fun."

    Jade leaned into his touch as she rxed. He was right. Talking about Mia and Henry would dampen her spirit. Today was supposed to be about their vacation, a chance to create new memories, to solidify the bond they already shared.

    "You are right," she said, a smile recing the frown. "Let''s just focus on us. Besides, I have all the nsid out for our first day �C beach, cocktails under the sunset, and then��" she leaned closer, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper, "dinner followed by a long walk on the beach�� and maybe something else can follow under the stars."

    Harry grinned his eyes twinkling. "Now that''s the spirit! Sounds like a perfect n," he said, his voice low and husky. "But maybe we can skip a few steps in between and jump to thest."

    Jadeughed, a bubbly sound that filled the room, "Sure. We can do that but only if you can get the stars to show up in the sky during the day," Jade said and Harry chuckled.

    "I believe the sun is a big star," Harry said and Jade giggled.

    "By the way, are you going to tell me what you were thinking about earlier and why you were staring at me with a grin?" He asked, and Jade smiled.

    "Seeing you seated here that way, sort of brought back memories of my first time here," she said, and Harry grinned.

    "What did you remember?" He asked curiously.

    "You stayed up to help me work on the evidence I received from Cassidy. I was so touched. And then you touched me even more when you remembered just how I like my coffee," Jade said with a soft smile.

    "Well, that''s not exactly what I remember," Harry said, and her brow shot up.

    "What do you remember?" Jade asked with interest.

    "I remember not being able to sleep that night because the love of my life was sleeping a couple of feet away��"

    "Oh, please. You slept quite well at the hotel and we were under the same roof," Jade cut in.

    "It''s not the same. Then, we were in a hotel. Now, you were in my house, sleeping on my bed. It felt more personal. I kept thinking about how to promote you from guest to host," he said, and Jade giggled.

    "Really?"

    "Yeah. Since I was unable to sleep, I decided to do something more productive by helping you sort out your evidence. And then you woke up and walked in, looking all innocent and sexy and I just had to offer you coffee so I could go catch my breath," he said and she grinned.

    "I had that much effect on you, huh?" She asked, and Harry shrugged.

    "Well, dreams doe through after all. Now you''ve got what you wanted," she said and he shook his head.

    "Not quite. It''s not official yet," Harry said and Jade smiled.

    "Have you been thinking about my proposal?" Harry asked and she bobbed her head.

    "I told you already. The answer would be the same if you ask me today or in five months," she said and Harry cocked an eyebrow.

    "And what will the answer be? No?" He asked, and she nodded.

    "Of course. Why would I want to marry a man that treats me so good and makes me so happy? Nah. I can''t get married to you. I''d rather stay single or maybe just date you," Jade said dryly, and Harry chuckled.

    "Alright. I won''t bother proposing then. Let''s just keep dating," Harry said and Jade scowled at him making himugh the more.

    "Too bad you''re going to be stuck with girlfriend benefits all your life. You know,

    "You know what? I''m not going to get mad at you. Nah. I won''t do that," Jade said as she rose.

    "Where are you going?" Harry asked, missing the feel of her body against his.

    "Did you forget that you were busy before I got here? Finish up what you''re doing while I make a couple of phone calls. Pre-baecation calls," she said with a wink.

    "Baecation?" He asked and she grinned.

    "You are my bae. Bae plus vacation is baecation," she said and Harry chuckled.

    "Then love plus vacation will be location?" He joked and she shook her head as she giggled.

    "Jonas, leave me alone and finish up whatever you are doing. I''m not going to let you take thisptop with you when we leave," she warned before walking away.

    Away from there, Lucy stared nkly at theputer screen, the words blurring before her eyes. Her mind was far from the unfinished report demanding her attention.

    The morning''s events still echoed in her head and left a churning unease in her stomach. She couldn''t help feeling so worried about Mia, especially after all they had heard Henry say to her.

    Would Mia really be okay? Lucy mused, and then tried to push away the worry, forcing herself to focus on the report kn front of her. Work, logic, routine�C anything to drown out the unsettling thoughts.

    The shrill ring of her phone startled her. ncing at the screen, she saw it was her mother. With a sigh, she answered.

    "Hi Mom."

    "Have you seen the news?" Her mother''s voice held a tremor of worry.

    "News? What news? I haven''t seen anything. what''s going on?" Dread coiled in Lucy''s gut.

    "Oh, Lucy," her mother''s voice choked up, "it''s Rachel�� they are saying she�� shemitted suicide. They found her this morning."

    The phone almost slipped from Lucy''s grasp. "Rachel? No, that can''t be right." Denial wed at her throat, squeezing the air from her lungs.

    Suicide? Rachel? She had been in her office just three days ago. How could she havemitted suicide? It was impossible. But the cold knot of dread tightening in her chest spoke a different truth.

    "It''s all over the news, honey. They found her��" Her mother''s voice broke down into sobs.

    "Oh my God, Mom," Lucy breathed, her voice barely a whisper. Her mind reeled, picturing Rachel''s tear-streaked face, the raw desperation in her eyes. Had she missed something? Could she have done something different?

    "This is so terrible, Lucy," J said just as Andrew walked into the bedroom.

    "For Christ''s sake, Jane, I asked you not to call her yet. She is at the office," Lucy heard her father''s voice in the background.

    "I had to before she sees it anywhere. And Lucas. We have to tell him," J said, and Lucy shut her eyes, not wanting to imagine how Lucas would feel about this.

    Even though he had ended things with her, she was someone he loved and had loved with for years. Death always hit differently.

    "No. We don''t have to tell him anything. She was his ex. He ended things with her and left. He doesn''t need to know that she took her life," Andrew said, annoyed as he took the phone from his wife.

    "Didn''t you see the letter she left? She did it because she said she couldn''t leave without Lucas!" J pointed out.

    "That was probably just an excuse. Her family is going through a tough time and Lucas is the reason she takes her life?" Andrew asked and then took a deep breath.

    "Hey, Princess. Don''t worry about��"

    "She was here three days ago. She came to see me," Lucy cut in tearfully.

    "About what?"

    "She wanted me to help her resolve things with Lucas. She said she couldn''t live without him. She begged. She pleaded. I was harsh, dad. I threw her out of my office without even epting her apology," Lucy cried. N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "It''s not your fault, baby. Anyone would have done what you did considering all she did��"

    "I could have been kinder. Maybe if I had been kinder and shown a little mercy, she wouldn''t have had to do that," Lucy cried as a flood of guilt washed over her.

    "Kinder? What could you have done differently? Promise to put in a good word with Lucas? Give her Tyler''s number or address so she goes see Lucas? Hug her and say you''ve forgiven and forgotten?" Her father asked as she cried.

    "I don''t know. I don''t know what I could have done, but I know she might not have done this had I not been so harsh," Lucy said and her mother who was listening sighed.

    "Why did she have to do something like this and write about Lucas in her letter?" J asked in frustration.

    Lucy hung up, not knowing what else to say, and immediately she went online to find the news of Rachel''s suicide.

    It didn''t take her long to see it since it was a trending subject, and ording to the details, she had left her handbag with the suicide letter in it and jumped off a bridge.

    The letter which was short and to the point, read;

    [Life has nothing more to offer me. I have lost it all. My love and my family. I can''t keep living this way. I don''t want to live a day more without Lucas. I love you, Lucas. I hope you forgive me now.]

 Chapter 854 Regret Is Useless

    Chapter 854 Regret Is Useless

    While Lucy was still reeling over the shocking news and wondering how Lucas was going to take it since the news was bound to get to him, the phone rang again. This time it was Sonia.

    "Lucy, have you heard?" Sonia asked excitedly before Lucy could say a word.

    "About Rachel?" Lucy asked, wondering if there was perhaps another news she needed to hear.

    "Yes! God! I thought today was going to be a bad day after that bastard showed up to get Mia, but I guess it isn''t so bad after all," Sonia said, and Lucy frowned.

    "Isn''t so bad? Are you happy she took her own life? Christ, Sony!" Lucy eximed in disbelief.

    "What? You''re not happy? Okay, maybe not happy, but isn''t the air lighter where you are? I mean one less horrible person sharing the oxygen on the earth with us?" Sonia asked, and Lucy shook her head.

    "We are talking about a human being, Sony. A human being is dead. She took her life," Lucy said, not pleased with Sonia''s insensitivity.

    "Exactly! She took her own life. I didn''t. She didn''t die in an ident. Her death was her choice, so why should I be sad? She wasn''t even a good person. You know me, Lu. I don''t pretend. If I''m down for you, I''m totally down. And if I''m not, I''m not. I won''t pretend to feel sorry or like her now simply because she is dead. Rachael was a horrible person. That bitch was the witch that tried toe between Lucas and you. Did you forget what you told me she did to Amy''ste best friend? I''m not going to act like I''m sad about the news of her death," Sonia said and Lucy sighed.

    "I''m not asking you to pretend to be sad. But you can at least not be so excited about it. I told you she was here on Tuesday to see me. Do you have any idea how I feel knowing that I might have pushed her into taking such a drastic decision?" Lucy asked and Sonia rolled her eyes.

    "For heaven''s sake, Lu. You didn''t push her into doing that. Rachel did what she did for herself. She did it because you made her realize that you know all she did. You opened her eyes to the fact that Lucas is never getting back with her, which is true. If she wasn''t such a horrible person in the first ce, none of this would have happened. But then again, what do you expect when her family is just as horrible? Come to think of it, why didn''t she take her life this whole time? Why didn''t shee to your office to beg to see Lucas this whole time? Why did she have to wait until her family lost everything? Wasn''t it the same Rachel who got your mom arrested? Did she really n to get back with Lucas when she did that?" Sonia asked, and as she spoke, Lucy thought about all the points she was raising and they all made sense to her.

    "You may be right��"

    "Not may, Lu. I am fucking right and I know it. You better not feel sorry or me yourself for shit. If she felt that death would bring her the peace she needs, shouldn''t you be happy for her that she has peace now? If you ask me, I think this was her final attempt to get Lucas'' attention even in death, and I really hope Lucas doesn''t fall for it," Sonia said and Lucy sighed deeply.

    "Well, I hope so. I will talk to youter, So. I need to call Lucas. He should hear it from us. You know, prepare him for the bombshell before he sees it online or something."

    Ending the call, Lucy stared at the phone, its weight suddenly unbearable. How could she break this to Lucas, knowing how much he had cared for her? The news would break his heart, but the possibility of him finding out through a stranger on TV was too awful to contemte.

    Taking a deep, shaky breath, she dialed Tyler''s number, her heart pounding a frantic rhythm against her ribs.

    "Sup, LuLu? Lucas just went to bed," Tyler said with a yawn since he too was getting ready to go to sleep. It waste at night already.

    "Oh. Alright," Lucy said, feeling sort of d that she didn''t have to break the news to him now.

    "Is something wrong?" Tyler asked with concern when he heard the relief in her voice.

    "Uhm, sort of. Rachel is dead," Lucy said, and Tyler let out a low whistle.

    "Damn! What happened to her?" Tyler asked, surprised by the news.

    "It''s on the news. Shemitted suicide, and she mentioned Lucas in the suicide letter. Do you think that maybe you can tell him about it before he hears or sees it from somewhere? I mean, I know he''s probably over her, but she is still someone he used to love," Lucy said and Tyler sighed deeply.

    "Sure. I will tell him about it in the morning. We just got here a couple of hours ago..."

    "Why? I thought you left on Monday?" Lucy asked in surprise.

    "Yeah. That was the n, but something came up," Tyler said, not wanting to tell Lucy that they had changed their n because Lucas wanted to attend the funeral and make sure Amy was alright and well received.

    "Uhm, how is Mia?" Tyler asked hesitantly since he was still feeling bad about what he had caused.

    He had seen the news about Henry Rosewood finding his wife who was thought to be dead, and that had made him feel even more terrible.

    "He came to get her in the early hours of today. Her husband, I mean," Lucy said and Tyler sighed deeply.

    "Do you think she will be okay? Should I try to look out for��"

    "No!" Lucy cut in quickly, "Do not ever get involved. I''m sure Tom told you not to talk to your colleague about this, right? Keep acting like you are oblivious to everything. That''s the only way Mia''s n can work," Lucy said and Tyler raised a brow.

    "What n?"

    "I can''t share it with you, Ty. Especially because I don''t want you to get involved in any way. This whole thing might be dangerous, so stay out of it. I mean it," Lucy said firmly and Tyler nodded.

    "Alright. I''ve heard you. If I''m needed to step in in any way, do not hesitate to let me know, okay?" Tyler said and Lucy sighed.

    "Okay."

    "How is Tom?" Tyler asked and Lucy shrugged.

    "Busy being a CEO," she said and Tyler narrowed his eyes.

    "Is that your way of bragging to me that your boyfriend is a wealthy CEO?" He asked in a teasing tone, and Lucy smiled.

    "I don''t have to brag. It''s a generally known fact," Lucy said and then raised an eyebrow when she saw Amy standing outside her door.

    "I''ve got to go now, Ty. Let Lucas know that I called, and please break the news to him," Lucy said before hanging up, d that she had been able to shift this unpleasant responsibility to Tyler.

    The moment she dropped the phone, she signalled Amy toe in. Amy had resumed work by noon the previous day, and was looking much better than she had been in while.

    "Is there a problem?" Lucy asked Amy as she walked in.

    "No," Amy said, then cleared her throat, her voice hesitant. "It''s just that I saw the news about Rachel and I was sort of wondering�� is Lucas alright?" She asked, and before Lucy could answer, Amy rushed on, her words tumbling out in a torrent.

    "I mean, I know she is his ex. And please don''t think I''m being presumptuous, like... like I read something wrong into Lucas''s kindness. He was just so nice, and I felt terrible seeing that news. I know Lucas was kind to me, and he mentioned how you suggested he might be leading me on, so don''t get me wrong! I''m not�� I mean, I don''t for a second think he''s�� in love with me or anything like that. I just�� because he was nice, I was worried about him, you know? I''m just�� concerned since he was really nice to me."

    Lucy couldn''t help but feel a bit amused by Amy''s rambling. It surprised her that Lucas had told Amy what she said. When did Lucas talk to her? And how could he have told her she said that? Why would he do that? Lucy mused.

    "No, no," Lucy cut her off gently. "I understand. It''s perfectly okay to be concerned. You don''t have to exin any of that to me," Lucy said, offering her a small, tired smile.

    "Thanks, for your understanding. So, uhm, how is he doing?" Amy asked still standing.

    She was still hoping she would receive an email from Lucas.

    "Do you want to sit?" Lucy asked, gesturing to the seat opposite her, and Amy sat down.

    "Thank you."

    "I haven''t actually spoken to Lucas yet. Tyler''s going to�� to tell him. He was asleep, so we couldn''t talk," Lucy exined, and Amy nodded.

    "Could you let me know when you hear from him? Do you think�� do you think Lucas will be okay?" she asked quietly. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Lucy studied her for a moment, the raw concern in Amy''s eyes making her wonder if Amy was really only concerned because Lucas was kind to her, or if she had developed feelings for Lucas.

    "I don''t know, honestly," Lucy admitted. "They were together for a long time," Lucy said, wanting to see how interested Amy would be.

    "A long time?" Amy asked curiously since she had been wondering just how long Lucas had dated Rachel.

    Although she had heard about their rtionship and what led to their break up from Miley, she did not have any idea how long the two had been together.

    "Since high school. They were engaged and going to get married until Lucas broke things off," Lucy exined without going into the details, and Amy''s eyes widened in realization.

    That would be almost ten years. He had been with her for almost ten years?

    "Now I understand," Amy murmured, thinking that she got the picture now, and understood why he wouldn''t want to go into any rtionship soon.

    She also also understand why Rachel would feel so devastated over losing someone like Lucas. He was a catch and it was definitely a huge lose. She would feel shattered if she lost a man like Lucas.

    If he didn''t love her and had done all of that for her and treated her so well because he was merely being nice, she couldn''t imagine how wonderful a partner he must have been to Rachel.

    "If you don''t mind me asking, when did you talk to Lucas? I mean, when did he tell you about what I said?" Lucy asked curiously.

    "At the funeral," Amy said, and Lucy''s brow arched.

    Was that what Tyler had meant when he said something came up? Or did somethinge up and Lucas seized the opportunity to show up at the funeral?

    "Oh! I didn''t know he made it to the funeral," Lucy said and Amy''s lips twitched when she remembered what Lucas had said about being there to clear the air so she wouldn''t think he was leading her on.

    "Well, he thought it was best to tell me to my face that he didn''t love me and was only being his nice self," Amy exined and Lucy winced.

    "He said that, didn''t he?" She asked, and Amy smiled.

    "I''m sorry I told him that and made hime to your best friend''s funeral just to say that. Put the me on me," Lucy said and this time Amy managed a smallugh.

    "It wasn''t that bad," she assured Lucy, "I was happy to see him. I was d I could say goodbye and thank him too," Amy said and Lucy nodded.

    "Well, I''m d then."

    "I see. I, uh�� I should probably get back to work then," she said, but made no attempt to rise.

    "Is there something else you wanted to say?" Lucy asked, looking at her with interest.

    "What about you? Are you okay? I mean, I don''t know if you were both ever close. But she was here a couple of days ago and you must be shocked," Amy said, since she had seen Lucy crying earlier, through the ss door.

    Lucy drew a deep breath, "I''m shocked, no doubt. And I was feeling somewhat guilty and wondering if there was something I could have said or done that day to stop this from happening. If for nothing, but Lucas'' sake," she said and Amy nodded.

    "Was? You don''t feel guilty anymore?" Amy asked and Lucy shrugged.

    "I don''t know. She did what she felt she needed to do. I don''t think I would have changed anything I said to her. The truth is, even if we turn back the hands of time, I don''t see myself hugging her or promising to help her get back with Lucas. So, It''s not on me. My regret is useless," Lucy said honestly, and Amy nodded.

    "That''s true. Regret is useless. You should fix your makeup," Amy said as she started rising to leave, and then paused.

    She had been thinking about it since her conversation with Lucas, and it was best she asked now so she would know where she stood with Lucy.

    "Can I ask you a question? As a friend?" She asked, and Lucy nodded.

    "Sure. Go ahead."

    "I just wanted to ask, did you tell Lucas that because you might have a problem with me developing feelings for him or something?" She asked carefully.

    "No. Not at all. I have no problem with you having feelings for him or even dating him. I just wanted him to make sure he knew what he was doing and wasn''t leading you on," Lucy exined, and Amy smiled as she rose.

    "Alright then. Thanks," Amy said, and as Lucy watched her leave, she couldn''t help but wonder if Amy had asked her that because she was interested in Lucas.

    Thinking about Lucas, Lucy sighed. She hoped that he would be alright. She hoped that he would healpletely from Rachel and move on. He deserved to be happy.

 Chapter 855 Sappy

    Chapter 855 Sappy

    The sound of a ring rm clock jolted Lucas awake. He fumbled around on the nightstand, his hand finallynding on the source of the racket. With a groan, he silenced the insistent beeping.

    Although he was still very exhausted from the long flight and hisck of sleep since thest couple of days, he knew he had to get busy if he didn''t want to bete for his lectures.

    He sat up in bed, blinking away the remnants of sleep before stretching his stiff muscles.

    Why did his rm go off earlier than usual? He mused when he saw it was not seven in the morning yet.

    As he nced around the bedroom, his eyes fell on his suitcase, and then he remembered the reason he had set the rm earlier that usual. It was so he could unpack and organize his stuff before leaving for his training.

    The visit to Ludus had been far more eventful and memorable than he anticipated. From the moment they arrived to the moment they left, it had been filled with drama, and it was funny that Amy was the first person he saw when he arrived and thest too.

    It seemed like everything he had done during his trip was directly rted to Amy. One would think he had made the trip solely for her sake.

    Lucas shook his head, not wanting to start his day with thoughts of her. Before leaving for Ludus, his excuse for thinking of her had been that he was worried about Miley''s situation, now that Miley was okay and all had been resolved, he no longer had any excuse to be consumed with thoughts of her, especially not when he had so much to do, Lucas decided as he swung his legs over the side of the bed and reached for his suitcase.

    He ced it on the bed, and as he unzipped the mainpartment, his fingers brushed against something soft in the pocket of his jacket. He pulled it out and a small smile yed on his lips as he unfolded the now slightly crumpled piece of paper. It was the leftover thank you card from the funeral, Amy''s email address scrawled messily on the front.

    He reread the email address she had scrawled on it, and his lips curved in a smile at the memory of their conversation.

    He hadn''t expected her to be that chatty considering how teary she had been at the funeral.

    He winced slightly, remembering the eulogy Amy had delivered. Her raw emotion had been palpable, and for a brief moment, he had allowed himself to get lost in the memories she''d shared about Miley.

    He pictured her tear-streaked face at the funeral, her raw vulnerability, and a part of him wanted to reach out, to find out how she was doing now.

    Should he email her or not? He mused, thinking that since he had agreed that they exchange emails, it was only right that he sent her an email.

    But then he remembered his conversation with Lucy. Her words echoed in his mind, raising a wall of doubt. Was he just being nice? Or was there more to it? Like he had told everyone, he wasn''t ready for a rtionship yet, and he meant it.

    He sighed, running a hand through his hair. Perhaps he could just send an email, letting her know he had arrived safely and to find out if she has gone back to Ludus. The email would be polite and impersonal, he told himself, but then the memory of Amy''s smile, the way her eyes had twinkled when she''d suggested they exchange texts, stopped him.

    Maybe it was best if he let it be. If he ran into her in the future, he would simply im to have lost the email address, Lucas decided even though he knew that would be a poor excuse since he could easily ask Lucy for her contact if something like that happened and he really meant to reach out to her.

    Lucas sighed and shook his head when he realized that once again, he was distracted from what he was supposed to be doing and was thinking about Amy when he said he wouldn''t do that anymore.

    He raised his head when Tyler knocked on the door, then pushed it open gently, "Luke? Are you up?" Tyler asked before his gaze settled on Lucas.

    "Yeah. What''s up?" Lucas asked as he gazed at Tyler, wondering why he looked sort of pensive so early in the morning.

    "Uhm, can we talk for a moment?" Tyler asked, wishing her hadn''t agreed to be the bearer of such a news.

    "Sure. Is something wrong?" Lucas asked, and Tyler sighed deeply.

    "There is something you need to see," he said, then handed his phone to Lucas so he would see the news directly from the source.

    Lucas'' brows were pulled together in a frown as he took the phone and then gazed down at it to see what Tyler was showing him.

    The moment he saw Rachel''s picture on the screen, his heart skipped a beat, and then his gaze shot to the caption on the post.

    "Rachel is dead?" He asked in disbelief without looking up from the post.

    "Lucy called while you were asleep and asked that I let you know," Tyler exined as he sat down on the bed, ready tofort Lucas and assure him that it wasn''t his fault and he shouldn''t me himself.

    Lucas said nothing as he read the suicide note and then when he was done he exhaled deeply, "Too bad she chose to end her life this way," Lucas said as he returned the phone to Tyler.

    "How do you feel?" Tyler asked, watching Lucas closely.

    "How am I supposed to feel? I feel sorry for her that she lived selfishly and also chose to die the same way," Lucas said tly, and Tyler raised an eyebrow.

    "You''re not feeling bad or ming yourself, right?" He asked, and Lucas scoffed.

    "Did I do anything wrong that I need to me myself for? I won''t let her control me even with her death. This is her attempt to guilt trip me into regretting the break up. I did what was best for me, and she has also done what she believed is best for her. It is a shame that she is dead, but I have no regrets. If I was going to regret this, then I wouldn''t have cut ties with her in the first ce," Lucas said firmly and Tyler let out a sigh of relief.

    "Good. I''m relieved you think of it this way. I was sort of worried that you would be broken by this," Tyler admitted.

    "Broken?"

    "Yes. You were with her for so many years, and she is your first love after all," Tyler said and Lucas nodded.

    "I guess so. I''m not saying I don''t feel saddened by her death. I''m just saying, it''s the same way I would feel if I heard of the passing of a neighbor or an acquaintance. I''m just not broken by it or devastated. I''ve spent thest couple of weeks detaching myself emotionally from her and I never nned to set eyes on her ever again, so it''s all the same to me," Lucas said logically and Tyler nodded.

    "That''s good then. I will go get ready and leave for work," Tyler said as he rose to leave.

    "Now that she won''t be bothering you anymore, don''t you think you should get a phone? That way your family can contact you easily," Tyler suggested.

    "Is that your way of saying you are tired of letting me borrow your phone?" Lucas asked dryly.

    "Yes, please," Tyler said and Lucas chuckled.

    "Alright. I will. But first let me give Lu a call. Knowing how she overthinks, she is probably ming herself and feeling bad," Lucas said, worried about Lucy.

    "Sure. Bring the phone over when you''re done," Tyler said before walking away, and the moment he left, Lucas dialed Lucy''s line on video call, knowing that she was probably done with work for the day and was on her way home.

    The call connected on the first ring, "Hey, Ty��"

    "Why would Tyler be the one calling you?" Lucas asked dryly.

    "Because it''s his phone and he can call me when he wants to," Lucy said, and then narrowed her eyes.

    "Has he spoken with you yet?" Lucy asked, wondering why Lucas looked and sounded like his normal self if he had heard the news from Tyler.

    "Is there something he is supposed to tell me? Don''t tell me you n to elope with him," Lucas said, and Lucy rolled her eyes.

    "Why would I elope with him when I have a man? He didn''t say anything to you?" Lucy asked, wondering if Tyler had forgotten to tell Tyler about it or had left it up to her to break the news to him.

    "Is there something I need to know?" Lucas asked, choosing to y ignorant so he would know how Lucy was feeling.

    Tyler, that bastard! She couldn''t believe he had left it up to her after assuring her that he would tell Lucas. N?v(el)B\\jnn

    Taking a deep breath, Lucy decided to tell Lucas about it, "Uhm, well, it''s about Rachel," Lucy said, and Lucas frowned.

    "What about her? Don''t tell me she showed up at your office again," he asked, and she shook her head.

    "No. It''s not that. It''s worse. It''s not good news, Luke. She is dead," Lucy said, and then waited for the shock and disbelief, but Lucas merely nodded.

    "Hm. I see," he said and she frowned.

    "I''m serious, Luke. Shemitted suicide. She is dead," Lucy said and Lucas nodded once again.

    "I heard you the first time," he said, and she narrowed her eyes.

    "You knew, didn''t you?" She asked suspiciously, and he shrugged.

    "Yeah. Tyler told me��"

    "You bastard!" She spat, and he chuckled.

    "You''re my twin, Lu. If I''m a bastard, you are also a bastard, bastard," he said, wanting to lighten the mood.

    "Are you okay?" Lucy asked with a concerned frown.

    "Sure. Why not? She was dead to me, anyway. So, why won''t I be okay? The question is, are you okay? Or are you guilt ridden?" He asked, and she shrugged.

    "At first I was feeling very guilty, but I feel better now," she admitted, and he nodded.

    "Good. That''s why I called. I wanted to make sure you were not feeling unnecessarily guilty. What happened between us and what she did has nothing to do with you, so don''t let it affect you," Lucas advised, and she nodded.

    "I''m more relieved that you''re okay. I was worried that the news might upset you. Mom was worried too," Lucy exined.

    "Well, you all don''t need to worry. I''m an adult and I know better than to let this get to me more than it should, and you should know better too. She is trying to manipte our feelings even with her death. Don''t let her," Lucas advised.

    "Alright. Sure. By the way, Amy was worried about you too," Lucy said, and Lucas frowned.

    "Amy? Why?"

    "Why else? She was worried that the news would upset you," Lucy said, and Lucas shrugged.

    "Well, let her know there is no need for her to be upset. I''m perfectly fine," Lucas said dismissively.

    "What?" He asked when Lucy kept staring at him without saying anything.

    "Nothing other the fact that I can''t believe you told Amy what I said," Lucy said and Lucas frowned.

    "She told you I told her that?" He asked and she nodded.

    "She also asked if I told you that because I might have a problem with her having feelings for you," Lucy said, and this time his eyebrow shot up.

    "She asked you that? Why would she ask you that? What did you say?" Lucas asked and Lucy smiled.

    "I gave her my blessing," she said and Lucas eyed her with disapproval.

    "What blessing? Did she tell you anything else? What did you both discuss?" He asked curiously.

    "So you would go back to her and tell her whatever I tell you? Nah. I''m not telling you anything," she said and Lucas scowled.

    "So, why did you bring it up in the first ce then?" He asked with displeasure.

    "So, you can do with the information what you please. I''m sure you''re an adult and can connect dots," Lucy said and Lucas shook his head.

    "Whatever. I have to go now. I have a busy day ahead," Lucas said and Lucy nodded.

    "Alright��"

    "Why are you still at the office by this time?" Lucas asked when he took note of her environment.

    "Tom is stuck in a meeting. I''m waiting for him," she exined.

    "Why? You can''t find your way home without him?" Lucas asked dryly.

    "He is my home," Lucy said, and Lucas cringed.

    "That sounds weirdly sappying from you. I will let mom and dad know you no longer need a room at home, since Tom is your home now," he said and Lucy giggled.

    "You''re an idiot," she said with a shake of her head and Lucas chuckled as he hung up.

    Lucy let out a sigh of relief, d that Lucas was alright and not as affected by the news as they had all assumed he would be.

 Chapter 856 Predictable

    Chapter 856 Predictable

    After Tom was done with his meeting, he made his way to Lucy''s office where she was waiting for him, and when he got to the ss door of her office, he stopped, and watched as she slept soundly with her head resting on her desk.

    He felt a pang of guilt at the sight. He didn''t like that he was keeping her waiting this way.

    Heaving a sigh, Tom gently pushed the door open. The soft click went unnoticed and when she didn''t stir, he realized that she must be deeply asleep. He couldn''t imagine how exhausted she must be to be sleeping that soundly in such a position.

    Anger, hot and unwee, flickered in his chest. Henry. That inconsiderate�C Tom stopped himself just short of muttering a curse. The exhaustion etched on Lucy''s face was a clear picture of the disrupted night.

    Henry, that bastard had disturbed their sleep, after all. They had been unable to go back to bed after Henry picked Mia, and she had only slept for about three hours before the call.

    He crossed the room, careful not to make a sound, his gaze lingering on the vulnerability syed across Lucy''s face. This wasn''t a safe ce to sleep, he thought, a sliver of unease worming its way into his gut. What if it had been someone else who walked in?

    The protectiveness swelled, a familiar urge. Should he get her a car and a driver? A security guard? Was that overkill?

    Would that be considered as being overprotective? He mused as he gently brushed a stray hair strand from her face, and Lucy stirred.

    Tom watched as hershes fluttered and her eyes opened. The moment she focused on him, her lips curved with a slow smile that spread across her face, chasing away the shadows of fatigue and she sat up.

    "You''re here," her voice was a husky whisper, but the warmth in her eyes banished thest trace of his annoyance.

    "Missed me?" He asked, his own voice soft as he watched her with a loving gaze.

    "Like crazy," she said, reaching out to him and he leaned forward and kissed her.

    "

    "Yup. How was your meeting?" She asked as she rose.

    "It was okay. Let''s go home. You look exhausted," he said as he picked up her zer from where she hung it.

    "Today seems like two days in one," she said with a yawn as she turned her back to Tom so he could help her wear the zer.

    "Why? Did something happen? Or are you saying that because you woke up too early?" He asked curiously as they both headed for the door.

    "Well, I did wake up too early. Rachel is dead," Lucy said, and Tom turned to her.

    "What happened?" He asked without breaking his stride as they continued for the elevator.

    "Shemitted suicide," Lucy said and Tom nodded.

    "You didn''t cry, did you?" He asked and she shook her head.

    "I didn''t. Why would I?" Lucy asked as they got into the elevator.

    "You did," Tom said knowingly, and she scowled.

    "I just said I didn''t."

    "That doesn''t sound like my girlfriend. Knowing you, you probably med yourself and figured that if you had been nicer she wouldn''t have taken her life. And then you worried about Lucas. You must be okay now because Lucas is most likely fine and maybe both him and Sonia have talked you out of your guilt," Tom said, and Lucy red at him.

    "What?" Tom asked, resisting the urge to smile.

    "Did you talk to Sonia or Lucas?" She asked, and he raised a brow.

    "If I had the time to talk to them would I have kept you waiting for this long?" He asked, and she scowled.

    "So what are you trying to say? That you know me very much?" She asked irritably, and he grinned.

    "We both know I do," he said as he pulled her to himself.

    "So, what? You want an award now?" She asked and Tom chuckled.

    "What kind of award would it be?" He asked, wondering why she seemed so irritated.

    "A know it all award," she hissed, and he kissed the tip of her nose.

    "I don''t know it all. I don''t want a know it all award. I want a know my girlfriend award. Could you give me that?" he asked just as the elevator door opened.

    Lucy rolled her eyes as she stepped out of the elevator leaving him to follow her.

    "Why are you annoyed?" He asked as they walked into his office.

    "I''m not annoyed. I just don''t like being so predictable," she said with a scowl.

    "Well, I like it. Being predictable isn''t always a bad thing. Besides, I don''t think you''re that predictable. I was able to guess how you felt because I have taken my time to study and get to know and understand you and how you think. Wouldn''t you want to be able to predict me? I would love you to," he said and she sighed as they got into his private elevator.

    "I''m hungry," she murmured, and the smile slid off his face.

    "What do you want to eat? Can you wait until we get home or should we just stop over at a restaurant for dinner?" Tom asked, and she nodded.

    "I haven''t had anything to eat all day," she confessed.

    "What? Why not?" He asked, and when she gave him a pointed look, he realized it was because he had missed lunch time.

    "C''mon, Jewel. You should have gotten something no matter how little," he said with a frown.

    "Well, I might have, but I was also upset about the Rachel situation and worried about Lucas, so I lost track of time," she said, and Tom nced at his watch.

    "Let''s have dinner before we head home then. We will go to somewhere nearby," he said, making a mental note to make sure they ate before leaving in the morning going forward.

    And he would have to ask Adolf to deliver lunch to Lucy going forward, at least until Harry returned and his schedule became less tight. After thest ulcer episode he had witnessed, he didn''t want to see it happen again.

    As he drove to the restaurant, they filled each other in on the details of their day.

    "I''m so d you have Harry to bnce things out with you, else I''m not sure how I would have coped with having such a busy boyfriend," Lucy said as they pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant, and Tom chuckled.

    "Coming from someone who didn''t want a boyfriend in the first ce," he pointed out.

    "I may not have wanted it, but now that I have it, I intend to enjoy it to the maximum," she said, and Tom turned to give her a naughty smile.

    "It? Or him? Don''t tell me you want to do it," he said, and she giggled as they both got out of the car.

    "Whatever. You know what I meant," she said,ughing softly.

    They walked into the restaurant, a warm buzz of conversation and clinking silverware filling the air. Tom scanned the room for a table, his hand resting possessively on Lucy''s lower back.

    As they rounded a corner, a woman with fiery red hair and a tight emerald dress practically collided with them.

    "Tom!" she shrieked, her voiceced with surprise and a hint of something else. "Oh my gosh, it''s really you!" She said excitedly as she threw herself at him.

    Tom blinked, momentarily taken aback. "Tricia," Tom said without emotion as he stepped back.

    Tricia was thedy he had dated before Anita. They had been together for six months and just when he had thought she might be the right one for him, he found out that the only reason she was cool with dating a nobody like him was because she had a wealthy boyfriend at the side who was sponsoring her lifestyle.

    Tricia beamed at him. Her eyes, however, flickered past him for a fleeting moment before settling back on his face.

    "Wow, you look way better than you did thest time we were together," Tricia gushed, leaning in a little too close forfort.

    Lucy, who was wondering who she was and waiting for Tom to do the introductions, frowned when she saw how the redhead practically draped over Tom.

    "I saw your interview. How could you hide something like that from me when you know how much I love you?" She asked with a sexy pout.

    "Hi," Lucy said curtly, her voice leaving no room for misinterpretation.

    Tricia''s smile faltered for a split second before she schooled her features into a wide, fake grin. "Oh, hello there. I''m Tricia, Tom''s�� friend. You must be his secretary," She extended a hand towards Lucy, but her eyes remained fixed on Tom.

    Lucy met her gaze coolly. "Lucy," she said, taking Tricia''s hand in a firm handshake. "His girlfriend. And I''m very sure you know that already since you just said you saw the interview."

    The air crackled with a sudden tension. Tricia''s smile faltered for a real moment this time, a flicker of annoyance crossing her features. She quickly recovered, though, her gaze flitting back to Tom.

    "I must have skipped that part. Girlfriend, huh?" she drawled, her voice dripping with a hint of disbelief. "Well, isn''t that something?"

    "Yeah. It is. So, you can stop flirting with my man. It''s rude to do so in front of me," Lucy said bluntly and a flicker of irritation crossed Tricia''s face, but it was quickly masked by a sugary-sweet smile.

    "Slow down. I''ve been there before you. And who knows? Someone else mighte after you," Tricia said, but Lucy ignored her and turned to Tom.

    "I''m starving. I will go ahead to get a table and order something to eat while you catch up with your�� friend," Lucy said, and Tricia smiled.

    "Run along then. We don''t want you starving. I will try not to keep him from you for too long," she said, and Tom, who had been observing the exchange, finally stepped in.

    "That won''t be necessary, Jewel," Tom said to Lucy, holding her hand.

    He turned to Tricia, "There is nothing to catch up on. It''s been nice seeing you again. Take care," Tom said politely.

    Tricia bit her lip, her gaze lingering on Tom for a moment longer than necessary. "Sure, of course," she said finally, her voiceced with disappointment. "It was lovely seeing you. Good luck with everything. And congrattions, Tom. You certainly have good taste."

    Lucy met Tricia''s gaze head-on. "Thank you," Lucy said sweetly.

    Tricia''s smile faltered again, a hint of pink creeping up her cheeks. She cast a hesitant nce at Tom, who seemed amused by the entire exchange.

    Sensing his amusement, Lucy nudged him. "Come on, love," she said, her voiceced with mock impatience. "Let''s go get a table,"

    Tom chuckled, "Lead the way, Jewel."

    With a triumphant smile, Lucy led Tom away. She couldn''t help but steal a nce back at Tricia, who was staring after them, a mixture of emotions swirling in her eyes.

    Lucy offered a small, satisfied smirk before turning away, content in the knowledge that she had sessfully asserted her territory.

    Once they got to a table and were seated, Lucy looked at Tom as she picked up the menu, "So, who is she? One of your ex girlfriends? Or an admirer?"

    "The ex before Anita," he said casually as he signalled to a waiter who was walking by.

    "I didn''t know redheads were your type," Lucy said just as the waiter stopped by their table and they ced their order.

    "You both seemed awfully friendly with all that hug. For a moment I thought you were going to carry her," Lucy said dryly, resuming the conversation which Tom thought had ended.

    "I apologize for that. She can be a bit�� much," Tom admitted with a grimace. "But honestly, Jewel, you have nothing to worry about. We haven''t spoken since I called off things with her and if you weren''t there, I wouldn''t have chatted with her for that long."

    "Well, I''m not worried. You should try to keep it brief next time whether I''m there or not," she said, and Tom grinned.

    "Sure. But if I had done so I wouldn''t have had the joy of watching you establish your territory in that manner," he said and she shook her head.

    "What is it with you and women anyway? It''s like I can''t turn my eyes away from you for a moment without somedy trying to flirt with you," Lucy muttered.

    "It''s not me they want. It''s my money," Tom said and she shook her head.

    "Nah. When you were just my driver, women looked at you that way too. You''re more than just your money. You are goodlooking, you are funny, you are thoughtful. What woman wouldn''t want you?"

    "Why then did I not find any suitable woman this whole time?" He asked, and she shrugged.

    "You were looking in all the wrong ces. If you hade to Heden you would have found me sooner," she said with a wink, and Tomughed.

    "Well, I believe I found you at the right time," he said just as the waiter returned with a cocktail for him, and a mocktail for Lucy.

    "Well, cheers to right timing," Lucy said, raising her ss to Tom who clinked his with hers.

    "Talking about timing, I should check on Harry and Jade when we get home. They should have arrived at their destination by now," Tom said, and Lucy raised a brow over the rim of her mocktail ss.

    "Really? They went to somewhere that close?" She asked as she drank from it, and he nodded.

    "Yeah. Harry wanted somewhere not very far away so we can easily fly over there for the proposal," he exined before taking a sip from his ss.

    "Oh, that makes sense," Lucy said with a nod, "when we go on a vacation, make sure it''s somewhere really far away," she said, and Tom chuckled.

    "I will keep that in mind," he said as the waiter arrived with their dinner.

    "I wonder how Mia is doing," Lucy said after the waiter had left. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "Me too. But let''s not worry about it. He won''t hurt her. If he was going to, he wouldn''t have announced that he was bringing her back," Tom said, and Lucy nodded thoughtfully as she focused on her meal.

 Chapter 857 Till Death Do Us Part

    Chapter 857 Till Death Do Us Part

    The sleek ck resort car glided to a stop in front of the grand entrance of the Oriental Palms Resort, and the chauffeur got out of the car, and went to hold out the door for a very excited Jade and Harry.

    As they got out of the car, Harry took a deep breath, the humid air thick with the scent of plumeria and salt. Jade, however, barely seemed to notice the heat. Her eyes were wide with wonder as she gazed out at the breathtaking vista before them.

    Jade looked around, her eyes gleaming with barely concealed excitement as she took in the beautiful view of the palm trees which were swaying gently in the warm breeze. They had formed a verdant canopy overhead, casting dappled shadows on the polished marble floor.

    Lush gardens, bursting with vibrant tropical blooms, nked the entrance, their intoxicating fragrance mingling with the salty tang of the nearby ocean.

    "I know I haven''t seen it all yet, but this is absolutely beautiful!" Jade said, and Harry couldn''t help but smile at Jade''s infectious enthusiasm.

    A bellboy with a smile as bright as the hibiscus flower tucked behind his ear whisked their luggage away, leaving them free to marvel at the resort''s breathtaking entrance.

    Hand in hand, they walked, following the bellboy''s lead. They walked along a winding path adorned with vibrant bougainvillea and fragrant frangipani trees. The air buzzed with the gentle chirping of exotic birds, adding to the peaceful and calm atmosphere.

    Harry like Jade, was momentarily mesmerized by the breathtaking view that unfolded before them.

    The greenish-blue waters of the sea stretched out to the horizon, its surface shimmering like a vast sheet of polished sapphire. Sailboats with billowing white sails danced gracefully on the waves, while powdery white sand, as pristine as sugar, stretched endlessly along the shoreline.

    Jade''s eyes widened as she took in the scene, a gasp escaping her lips. Her gaze swept across the glistening infinity pool that seemed to merge seamlessly with the ocean beyond, thennded on the charming thatched-roof buildings that housed the resort''s luxurious amodations.

    "Harry," she breathed, her voice filled with awe, "it''s even more beautiful than the pictures!"

    "Yeah. It is," Harry agreed as they continued to follow the bellboy.

    Finally, they reached a secluded section of the resort, nestled amidst a grove of swaying palm trees. A discrete sign proimed it the "Lover''s Lane" section, a promise of intimacy and romance.

    "Ready to see our love nest?" he asked, amusement dancing in his eyes.

    Jade''s head snapped towards him, her eyes sparkling. "Love nest?"

    Harry chuckled and leaned closer to whisper in her ears, "We have this whole area to ourself. I want you to be able to scream freely without feeling embarassedter."

    A blush stained Jade''s cheeks as her lips curved in a wide grin, "I can''t wait," she whispered back, and Harry chuckled.

    The bellboy unlocked the door to their suite, and the scene that greeted them was nothing short of breathtaking. Floor-to-ceiling windows offered a panoramic view of the ocean, the turquoise expanse stretching endlessly towards the horizon.

    The pi��ce de r��sistance, however, was the ceiling which was also made of ss. It kept the scorch of the sun away, but made the room bright enough to not need any artificial source of light during the day, and gave a promise of a wonderful view of the stars at night.

    It offered an uninterrupted view of the ocean while ensuringplete privacy from prying eyes.

    The tile on the floor was a 3D beach sand design making the room look like they were outside in the open, yet felt like they were indoors. It was both magical and brilliant.

    A plush king-sized bed, draped in crisp white linens, took center stage. Directly above the bed was a mirrored ceiling added a touch of yful sensuality.

    Harry turned to Jade, and wasn''t surprised to see her mouth agape.

    Jade''s eyes were wide with delight as she took in the room. She walked over to the window, her fingers trailing along the cool ss as she gazed out at the incredible view. "This is all so awesome," she whispered, turning back to Harry with a radiant smile.

    "You can contact the reception via the telephone if you need anything. There is an easy to use map in the top drawer of the nightstand. You can find your way around easily using the map. If you do not have any questions, I''d like to be excused," the bellboy said politely, and Harry gave him a nod, permitting him to leave.

    Jade''s gaze swept across the room, taking in the private balcony with a hammock swaying gently in the breeze, the walk-in closet filled with plush robes, and the sleek marble bathroom.

    Jade hurried over to check out the bathroom, "Jonas,e over here," she called, and Harry went to join her.

    The tile on the floor of the bathroom was a 3D beach wave design, making it look like the bedroom was the sea shore and you were walking into the waters when you crossed into the bathroom.

    A heart-shaped bathtub, crafted from polished white marble, sat in the center of the space, beckoning with the promise of a luxurious soak. Above the bathtub, a whimsical crystal chandelier sparkled, casting a soft, romantic glow.

    Jade could imagine soaking in the warm water, bubbles cascading down her shoulders, all while gazing out at the outside view.

    Beside the bathtub, a walk-in shower boasted a rain shower big enough for two and dual showerheads, hinting at a shower experience fit for royalty. Situated at the side was a double toilet for lovers. floor-to-ceiling ss wall that separated the bathroom from the bedroom.

    "What do you think this is meant for?" Jade asked as she picked up a controller by the washbasin beside the toilet.

    The moment she pressed it, the transparent ss wall separating the bathroom from the bedroom became opaque, and they could no longer see the bedroom from there.

    Harry grinned, "No privacy unless you want it. I love it," he said and Jade giggled, herughter, light and carefree,

    "Me too. I think the bedroom should have something simr," she said as she returned into the bedroom.

    "No, it doesn''t. I was told the ss wall of the bedroom lets you see outside, but no one can see inside from the outside incase you forget to adjust it," he said and Jade jumped on the bed.

    "I love it!" She screamed happily.

    Jade got off the bed and went to stand in front of him, "Oh, Harry," Jade breathed, her voice filled with awe. "This is the most beautiful ce on earth!"

    Harry watched with amusement as she spun a slow circle, her sundress rolling around her legs like a summer breeze, taking in every detail. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "The bathtub, the view, the bed��" she trailed off, a yful glint in her eyes as she stopped and met met his gaze.

    Harry, watching her reaction, felt a surge of love and warmth spread through him. All the nning, all the meticulous searching for the perfect getaway, felt instantly validated by the smile on her face.

    He had hoped to impress her, but this�C this was pure, unadulterated joy. The way her eyes sparkled, the excitement bubbling in her voice, filled him with an immense sense of satisfaction.

    He had brought her here, to this paradise, and the joy he saw reflected in her face was all the reward he needed. Her excitement was contagious, a reflection of his own growing anticipation.

    Harry, unable to contain his amusement, chuckled. "Seems someone''s impressed." He couldn''t help but be enchanted by her childlike excitement.

    "Impressed?" Jade feigned a dramatic sigh. "You, my darling, have outdone yourself!" She walked towards the veranda, flinging open the ss doors. The scent of salty air and exotic flowers mingled with the warm breeze, further igniting her senses.

    Turning back to face him, her smile was radiant. "So, what do you say we christen that magnificent bathtub first?" she purred, her voiceced with a hint of mischief. "A long soak and a little rest before we explore the beach, wouldn''t you agree?"

    Harry''s smile mirrored hers, "That wasn''t your original n," he reminded her.

    "Well, you did say the sun is a big star and I can see it from inside," she said with a wink and Harryughed merrily, "So? Like my new n better?"

    "Love it," he agreed, stepping closer to her. The ocean breeze yed with her hair, sending a careless strand teasingly across her lips. He leaned in, brushing it away with a gentle touch. "Anything for my excited goddess," he whispered, his lips hovering tantalizingly close to hers.

    With the promise of a luxurious soak and a romantic evening ahead, the start of their vacation couldn''t have been more perfect.

    Away from there, Mia was seated in the private Jet, and opposite her, Henry sat rigidly in his plush leather seat, a statue carved from granite.

    Twelve hours had crawled by, each minute marked by the suffocating silence between them. Mia knew it was a game he was ying, a test of her endurance, a chilling disy of his power.

    It was a deliberate ploy, a chilling game of cat and mouse where he wielded the silence like a weapon. It was designed to break her, to make her beg for his mercy.

    Finally, Henry spoke, his voice devoid of warmth, sharp as a shard of ice. "Did you know," he began, his eyes boring into hers, "that at this very moment, I could open this door and push you out? At this altitude, one push is all it takes. You''d tumble out and plummet to your death. A fleeting speck against the clouds, disappearing into the vast emptiness below. And no one, not a single soul, would bat an eyelid." he drawled, his eyes glinting with malice,

    Mia met his gaze unflinchingly. "Do it then," she challenged, her voice a steely whisper. "Push me out. End this charade."

    A flicker of surprise crossed Henry''s face, reced by a cruel smile. "No, my dear, Vanessa. That would be too easy, wouldn''t you say? Death," he said, savoring the word, "would be too merciful for you. By the time I''m done with you, you''ll be begging for oblivion, but it will remain just out of reach. A cruel twist of fate, wouldn''t you say?"

    Mia refused to give him the satisfaction of fear. "Why didn''t you remarry when you thought I was dead?" Mia asked, holding his gaze.

    "You mean too much to me to be reced so easily," Henry said with a smile that sent shivers down her spine.

    "I know why you''re doing this," she stated, her voice steady.

    A sardonic chuckle escaped his lips. "You do? Enlighten me. What pearls of wisdom have you gleaned in your self-imposed exile?" He challenged, a dangerous glint in his eyes.

    "You''re punishing me because I brushed you off ten years ago at the party, and for not remembering you all these years," she said, her voice steady. "You''re mad because a silly teenage girl didn''t see what a ''catch'' you were," Mia said, wanting to see if it was really true.

    The smile returned, wider, crueler this time. A predator savoring his prey. "Took you long enough to figure it out, didn''t it?"

    "The past three years have been a time of reflection," she continued, her gaze unwavering. "A time to dissect the choices that led me where I am."

    "Reflection," he scoffed, "yet instead of seeking forgiveness, you pulled such a silly stunt and made a fool of me. You ran." he sneered.

    "For survival. I had to save myself from you." she countered.

    He mmed his fist against the armrest, the sudden violence of the gesture making her flinch. "Two strikes, Mia. You brushed me off, and now you ran. That counts as two strikes, wouldn''t you say, Mrs Rosewood?" He leaned forward, his voice dropping to a menacing hiss.

    "One more, Vanessa. One more strike, and I won''t hesitate. Three strikes, and you disappear. Permanently. And your pathetic family�� they''ll disappear too. You and your leech of a family will vanish without a trace." he dered, his voice dripping with venom.

    "You got married to me just so you could teach me a lesson? What kind of life is this, Henry? Why are you living in the past, consumed by a rejection that happened years ago?" Mia whispered.

    He ignored her question, his eyes glinting with a chilling certainty as he leaned forward. "When wend, there is only one story to tell. You were rescued from the ident by strangers and couldn''t contact us because you didn''t remember anything about yourself or your past. Then, a miraculous recovery three days ago, hence the frantic call to your beloved husband. You will y your part, Vanessa. Won''t you?"

    Mia''s stomach churned, but this time, it wasn''t fear. It was a cold, steely resolve. She locked eyes with him. In that locked gaze, a flicker of defiance sparked. "I will do as you say, Henry," she agreed, her voice devoid of emotion.

    A cruel smile yed on his lips. He had her right where he wanted her�C trapped, scared, andpliant. But Mia knew better.

    This was just the beginning, a new game with different rules. This time, she wouldn''t be running. This time, she would fight back.

    She understood something Harry and the others didn''t understand�� It was going to take the death of one of them for this to end. It was a till death do us part rtionship.

    Exposing him and having him arrested would never be enough. Only death would set her free, and she had no ns of dying.

 Chapter 858 The World Of The Rich And Famous

    Chapter 858 The World Of The Rich And Famous

    Laughter filled the cozy dining room on Saturday morning as Candace and Andy watched the yful contest between Aaron and Jamal as they had breakfast.

    Jamal was always hesitant to eat his green beans, so Aaron always came up with different fun games to make him eat them.

    This morning, it was a game of first to finish everything on their te grants a wish. And Aaron was smart enough to finish everything on his te just before Jamal took thest spoon.

    "Grandpa, you cheated!" Jamal shrieked, making everyoneugh.

    Aaron chuckled, "Don''t be a sore loser, boy. Now, it''s time for you to grant my wish," Aaron said and Jamal frowned.

    "But I don''t have anything. I can''t give you anything," he said, and Aaron smiled.

    "You have a whole lot, boy. You have a wealthy grandfather, a wealthy mother, a wealthy, aunt, and a wealthy uncle. You''re the richest amongst us all, don''t you know that?" He asked, and Jamal''s eyes lit up.

    "Really? Am I richer than Tom?" He asked and theyughed.

    "When is your obsession with Tom''s wealth going to end?" Candace asked and Jamal''s brow pulled together.

    "What is Obetion?" He asked, making themugh.

    "It means when you want something very much," Andy responded easily.

    "Like I want to talk to Dawn?" Jamal asked, and they allughed.

    "When did you be so close to Dawn that you keep wanting to talk to her, anyway?" Candace asked, and Jamal shrugged.

    "Lucy likes her. I like her too," Jamal said, thinking about Dawn with a fond smile, "When I grow up and I''m super rich, I''m going to marry her," he said confidently.

    "Marry?" Aaron asked, and he nodded his head.

    "Yes. I will marry her and we will have a big party. Everybody will be there. And I will buy her a house and a big car," Jamal said, and Candace raised an eyebrow.

    "What about me? Will you buy me a house and a big car?" She asked and Jamal shrugged.

    "You have a car already. I will ask Matt to buy you a house," Jamal said and they allughed.

    "So, you''re not going to buy me anything but you will buy Dawn a house and a car?" Candace asked and Jamal sighed.

    "Alright. I will buy you something. Maybe a ne. Because I love you," Jamal said and Candace smiled happily.

    "What about me? Are you buying me something?" Andy asked, and Jamal smiled.

    "You and mom can share the ne. It will be too big for her alone," he said, and they allughed.

    "I guess I made the right choice in taking Dawn''s side when you fought. I don''t want to be on bad terms with my fitur daughter inw," Candace said and Jamal nodded.

    "You have to be good to her, okay?" He said, and Candace nodded.

    "If you''re done, can I tell you what I want now?" Aaron asked with a small smile.

    "Okay," Jamal said with a solemn expression.

    "I want you to eat all your vegetables next week even though I won''t be around��"

    "You won''t be around?"

    "Where are you going? Why are we just hearing it now?" Andy and Candace asked at the same time.

    "I''m going on a little trip," Aaron announced, his voice carrying an undercurrent of nervousness he hadn''t nned on. "To Ludus. On Monday."

    Candace''s brow furrowed. "Ludus? But Harry just left there for his vacation. Why would you want to go to Ludus?"

    Aaron cleared his throat, the excitement dimming slightly. "There''s something I need to do there."

    "Can Ie with you to Ludus? Maybe I can see Lucy and Tom," Jamal asked, excited at the thought.

    "You can''t, boy," Aaron said gently, "you have school on Monday. Besides, this trip is just for grown-ups." He winked at Jamal. "You know, business and all that boring stuff."

    "What kind of business do you have there?" Candace asked with a concerned frown.

    "Is it what I''m thinking?" Andy chimed in, "A visit to the prison?" Andy asked, a knowing glint in her eyes.

    "Don''t be ridiculous, Andy. There''s no way he will travel down there to see Sara," Candace said dismissively.

    "Who is Sara?" Jamal piped up, ever-curious. He had heard the name a couple of times but he had no idea who that was.

    "Jam, this is adult conversation. Go do your assignments in your bedroom. Leave the difficult ones forter," Candace ordered and even though Jamal didn''t like how they dismissed him each time they wanted to talk, he rose and did as he was asked.

    "You''re going to see her, right?" Andy asked after Jamal had left.

    "Yes," Aaron admitted.

    Candace''s scowl deepened, "Why? What for? This is ridiculous, Dad. There''s no reason for you to want to go see her. There''s no reason for you to want anything to do with that woman. She doesn''t deserve it." Candace said with displeasure.

    Aaron sighed, "I know she doesn''t deserve it, I have a very good reason, Candace. And it''s important." Aaron''s gaze met Candace''s, his expression firm.

    Andy sighed, breaking the tension. "Alright, alright, no need to get all dramatic. Maybe Dad just wants to go get closure, right?"

    Aaron smiled sadly. "Something like that, Andy."

    "Dad, I still don''t think this is a good idea��"

    "I am still married to her, Candace. I need her to sign our divorce papers," Aaron exined and both Candace and Andy looked at him in disbelief.

    "You have remained married to her all these years? Despite what she did to you? To us? Why?" Candace asked, unable to understand Aaron.

    "Wow. You''re incredible," Andy said,pletely awed.

    "Whether I divorced her then or now, it doesn''t make any difference. I''m going to Ludus on Monday," Aaron said, and Andy''s gaze softened.

    "How long will you be gone?"

    "Just two days. I''ll leave Monday morning and be back by Wednesday. Don''t want to be away from my family for too long, you know that."

    "Can I at leaste with you? I don''t want you going there alone," Candace said, recalling what Lucy had told her about when they met with Sara for the first time and how Aaron had been affected.

    "No. I want to go alone," Aaron said and Candace opened her mouth to protest, but Andy cut her off with a gentle hand on her arm.

    "He will be fine, Candace. Let him go."

    A wistful smile touched Aaron''s face. "Thank you, Andy. I appreciate that."

    He nced at Candace, hoping for a flicker of understanding in her eyes. But her expression was a mixture of concern and disapproval.

    He understood her, and could only hope that someday, she would understand why he had to do this now.

    "If that''s what you want. I can''t stop you. Just promise me you will be okay," Candace said as she squeezed his hand.

    Aaron squeezed her hand back. "I will be fine."

    "Alright then. I need to go get ready for school," Candace said as she pushed away from the table and picked up hers and Jamal''s dishes.

    An hourter, Candace pulled into the familiar parking lot of the university and stepped out of her car.

    As she shouldered her bag and adjusted her scarf, her phone buzzed in her pocket. ncing at the screen, she saw it was Matt. A smile touched her lips as she picked up.

    "Hey, lover," she answered, tucking the phone between her ear and shoulder as she straightened her notes.

    "Just checking in, beautiful," Matt''s voice filled her ear, smooth as honey. "You all set for your ss this morning?"

    "Yeah. Just got to school now," she replied as she straightened and held her phone to her ears.

    As Candace made her way to the main building, she nced around, the usual Saturday morning quietude broken by a flurry of activity.

    People were walking past her with curious nces, some even offering hesitant smiles and waves. A furrow appeared between her brows.

    "Ready to spend the whole day listening to talk about legalese?" Matt chuckled.

    Candace felt a smile creep onto her face. "Something like that. You''d be surprised how interesting it can be."

    She frowned when a couple of students walking by her stopped briefly, their eyes lingering on her before whispering to each other. A young woman even gave her a shy wave. N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "Candace?" Matt''s voice pulled her out of her observation. "Everything alright?"

    "Hmm? Yeah. Yeah, everything''s good... I guess," she added hesitantly. "It''s just a bit strange. Why does it seem like everyone is looking at me weirdly?" she mumbled, feeling a flicker of unease.

    "Weirdly in what way?"

    "I don''t know," she confessed, "like they recognize me or something."

    There was a beat of silence on the other end of the line. "Candace," Matt began cautiously, "have you forgotten about the interview you did the other day?"

    "Interview?" she echoed, her brow furrowing. "Oh, right! But that shouldn''t really make me... oh."

    Realization dawned on her like a bolt of lightning. The interview, the viral clip about her rtionship with Matt and every other revtion she had blurted out. It all clicked into ce. "You''re right," she admitted sheepishly. "Ipletely forgot about that."

    Matt chuckled on the other end. "Honey, you''re practically a celebrity after that interview. Everyone''s talking about you. Wee to the world of the rich and famous," Matt said in amusement.

    Before she could respond, a swarm of activity erupted around her. Microphones materialized out of thin air, shoved into her face by eager reporters. Cameras shed, momentarily blinding her.

    "Ms. Jonas! Ms. Jonas, a word!" a frantic voice shouted over the others.

    "Candace, are you and Matt Swift really a couple?" another reporter bombarded her.

    "A word about your rtionship with Mr. Swift. Are there wedding bells in your future?"

    "How does it feel to be dating one of the most eligible bachelors in the nation?"

    "What is your present rtionship with Sara Walker? Is it true that you paid her a visit recently?"

    Her phone call with Matt forgotten, Candace froze, caught in a whirlwind of unexpected fame. She wasn''t used to this kind of attention, and her mind raced for an escape route. Just as she felt the beginnings of panic constrict her chest, a broad hand materialized in front of her, shielding her from the barrage of questions and shing lights.

    A tall man stood between her and the throng of reporters, with his back to her, "Excuse me everyone, please step back and give thedy some space," his deep voice boomed.

    The reporters, momentarily stunned by the sudden intrusion, fell silent.

    Candace peeked around the man''s arm and recognized him instantly. It was Samson Sullivan.

    The guy from the anniversary party. The one who had said his mother was her professor. (Chapter 639).

    What was he doing here? Candace mused.

    "Come with me," he said in a firm voice, and shot a steely re at the reporters before turning and leading a bewildered Candace through the throng of reporters and into the building.

    He led her into an office, and after he shut the door, he let go of her hand and put some distance between them.

    "Thank you," Candace murmured as she met his gaze.

    "You are wee. This is my mom''s office. You can catch your breath here before going to ss," he offered, and without another word, he walked over to the desk and pulled open the drawers, going through it as though he was in search of something.

    Candace watched him in silence, wondering why it seemed like he was ignoring it. The first time they met he seemed to have had a lot to say, and now he wasn''t saying anything.

    Thinking back to their conversation that night, she realized that she might have been somewhat rude to him because of her shame and insecurity. Perhaps he was mad at her.

    Before she could say anything, her phone rang and that was when she remembered she had been on the phone with Matt.

    "Hey!" She whispered as she received his call.

    "What happened? You suddenly stopped talking and there was a lot of noise in the background," Matt asked, sounding very concerned.

    "Reporters. I don''t know how they knew I''d be here. I barely managed to escape them," Candace said and Matt smiled.

    "Sorry about that. I''m d you''re receiving the attention you desperately wanted to avoid, and it''s not even because of me," he said with a chuckle.

    "It''s really not funny," she hissed.

    "It is. Talk about not wanting to date me because you didn''t want to be in public eyes. And now you''re in public eyes and I''m not the cause," Matt said and Candace rolled her eyes.

    "Half the questions they are asking is about my rtionship with you," she snapped.

    "You revealed that to them, not me. That''s on you," Matt said and chuckled when Candace hissed at his and hung up.

    Candace turned to see Samson on the phone, "Yes. I found it. The file with the green seal, right? I will bring it over now," he said before hanging up.

    "Are you alright now? I''d love to lock up the office now," he said politely.

    "Oh! Yeah. Sure," she said with a nod.

    As they both stepped out of the office, Candace looked at him as he locked the door, "I''m sorry aboutst time��"

    "It''s okay. You don''t have to apologize. Have a nice day," he said with a polite nod before walking away, leaving Candace with a frown on her face.

    Why did he bother to help her if he was going to dismiss her that way? Candace mused.

 Chapter 859 Home Alone

    Chapter 859 Home Alone

    The afternoon sun beat down on the glistening surface of the pool at Tom''s house, casting shimmering diamonds across the water.

    Tom, submerged up to his chest, leaned back against the edge, watching as Lucy swam leisurely across the pool. Herughter echoed in the air as she did a yful underwater flip, emerging with a spray of water that dotted her face.

    "You''re enjoying this, aren''t you?" Tom asked, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

    Lucy, treading water yfully, tilted her head back, droplets clinging to her eyshes. "This?" she said, gesturing towards the pool. "Or the fact that we have the whole ce to ourselves?"

    Sonia and Bryan had left for their ce since Mia was gone now. And they had given all the domestic staff the weekend off. They wanted to have the whole ce to themselves.

    Tom chuckled. "Both, actually. But watching you enjoy the pool for the first time�� it''s pretty special."

    She swam closer, the cool waterpping against her shoulders as she reached the edge. "I can''t believe we haven''t used this more. It''s amazing and so rxing. I feel all the tension of the week flowing out of me and into the water."

    Tom cocked an eyebrow, "Should I get out of the water? I don''t want all that tension flowing into me," he joked.

    "Now I''m going to dump it all on you," she said yfully, sshing water towards him with augh.

    He yelped, feigning offense, and retaliated with a yful ssh of his own. Soon, a yful water fight ensued, filled withughter and lighthearted teasing.

    When they finally tired themselves out, panting slightly, they settled back into afortable silence. Tom swam closer to her, his eyes searching hers.

    He reached out, gently tucking a wet strand of hair behind her ear. "It''s nice just to rx, isn''t it?"

    Lucy nodded, leaning her head against his hand. "It really is."

    Lucy closed her eyes, savoring the warmth of the sun on her skin and the feeling of Tom''s hand resting on her cheek.

    "There is something I do like about the pool though," Tom said, his voiceced with a hint of amusement.

    Lucy cracked open one eye, a yful smile tugging at her lips. "Oh really? And what might that be?"

    "The view," he said, his gaze dropping to her figure in the skimpy ck bikini.

    Lucy''s cheeks flushed a warm pink, and she couldn''t help but let out a yful snort. "You''re impossible."

    He grinned, pulling her closer until she was just a breath away. "Maybe. But I wouldn''t trade this view for anything."

    "Is that right?" she asked, her voice a husky whisper as she met his gaze. His eyes held a depth of warmth that sent a shiver down her spine.

    He leaned in, his lips brushing against hers in a tender kiss. "Absolutely," he murmured against her mouth, his voice low and husky.

    They kissed again, this time with a deeper intensity. When they finally broke apart, both breathless, Lucy rested her forehead against his chest.

    "This feels nice, love," she admitted softly, her voice barely a whisper.

    "Being here with you? It''s more than nice, Jewel," he replied, his hand tracing gentle circles on her back. "It''s almost perfect."

    "This feels nice, love," she admitted softly, her voice barely a whisper.

    "Being here with you? It''s more than nice, Jewel," he replied, his hand tracing gentle circles on her back. "It''s almost perfect."

    "Almost?" She asked curiously.

    "Yes. But I''m sure it would be perfect soon enough." He said, with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

    "What are you thinking now?" She asked, knowing he was up to no good.

    "How about we y a game?" He asked, and she narrowed her eyes.

    "What sort of game?" She asked suspiciously.

    "A game where the winner gets to ask the loser to do something," he said and Lucy nodded.

    "Something like what?" Lucy asked curiously.

    "Anything at all. You can ask me to buy you a private Jet or anything," Tom said, confident that he would win.

    "Really? I love it. Tell me more about this game," she said, and Tom grinned.

    "Well, it''s easy. The first person to get to the other end of the pool wins," he said, and immediately the words left his lips, Lucy started swimming.

    Tomughed out loud as he quickly chased after her, "You are cheating. I haven''t even called out the rule or said we can start yet," he called after her.

    Lucyughed as she turned to look at him, "It''s just the both of us ying, darling. I can''t let you make all that decision alone," she said and resumed swimming when she saw that he was in hot pursuit.

    Just as she was about to get to the end of the pool, Tom appeared in front of her and beat her to it, "I won! I won!" Tom yelled,ughing and pping happily while Lucy frowned.

    "You cheated. How did you catch up?" She asked with a frown while Tomughed happily.

    "Says the cheat! Did no one tell you I used to be a swimming champion?" He asked,ughing harder when he saw the displeasure on her face.

    "I can''t believe you lost despite your cheating," he said and she pouted.

    "I didn''t cheat. And I don''t agree that you won. Let''s do it again," she protested making himugh harder.

    "Don''t be such a sore loser, Jewel. ept your defeat gracefully," he said, and she sighed.

    "Don''t you love me anymore?" She asked, batting hershes at him, and heughed.

    "I love you with my life. But that''s not going to change the result of the game. You lost and I won." Tom said, leaning forward to kiss her forehead.

    "Alright. Fine. What do you want?" She asked, eyeing him with displeasure.

    Tom grinned, "Take off your bikini," he said, and she looked at him in disbelief.

    "You made me lose the game just so you could ask for something so silly? You didn''t have to make me run so hard when you could have just asked in the first ce and I would have easily taken it off," she hissed, making himugh.

    "It wouldn''t be fun to just ask you to strip. I like that I worked for it," he said, still grinning.

    "I can''t believe I lost my chance to ask for something really expensive just so you can ask me for this," she muttered under her breath as she took off her bikini and left it on the edge of the pool where the towel was hanging.

    "We both know you can always ask me for whatever..."

    "It''s not the same, is it?" She asked, and he grinned.

    "We can always y another game. But for now, let me admire this perfect view," he said as he leaned forward and kissed a nipple.

    Lucy giggled despite her annoyance, "Don''t do that." She said, feeling a wave of lust wash over her.

    "Don''t do what?" he asked as he licked her nipple.

    "What you''re doing with your tongue," she said and Tom shed her a naughty smile.

    "Why? Is it turning you on?" He asked, and sheughed.

    "Something like that."

    "Good. ''Cause that was my intention," he said, making her giggle.

    "Really? What do you hope to achieve by doing that?" She asked, and Tom grinned.

    "What do I hope to achieve? Why don''t we find out?" He asked, and she giggled as he lifted her so that she was straddling him with her legs around his waist.

    "What are you doing?" She asked, and gasped in pleasure when his fingers brushed her slits, sending a jolt of electricity through her.

    "Finding out what I hope to achieve," he said with a grin, and Lucy moaned when he slid a finger inside her.

    "Tom, anyone can see��"

    "No one is around to see, remember?" He asked as he kissed her boob.

    "You nned this, didn''t you?" She asked, trying to focus more on the discussion than on what he was doing.

    "Of course, I did. Now less talking and more action," he said, as he made her sit on the edge of the pool while he remained standing in the water.

    While Lucy was still trying to figure out what he was upto, he lowered his head to her private area, and he kissed her slit, setting her whole body on fire.

    Lucy was grateful that he had made her sit before doing this, seeing as her legs were shaking when he had not even started yet.

    With both hands behind her, Lucy arched her back so she could give him more ess to her folds, and Tom''s eyes met hers as he

    Lucy moaned with reckless abandon as he licked andpped at her juices like a thirsty man desperately in need of water�� the sound of her moans was like music to his ears as he watched her.

    "Please, don''t stop. Don''t ever stop," Lucy cried as Tom sucked faster and dove in deeper with his tongue, his movement bing even more frenzied.

    Tom didn''t respond as his sole focus was to take her to her pleasure peak. When she started to rock her clit against his tongue as she usually did when she was close to her climax, he pulled away, and before she couldin, he pulled her back into the water, and turning her so that she had her back to him, and her arms could rest on the edge of the pool, he expertly slid into her.

    "Fuck!" Lucy cried from sheer surprise and pleasure at his sudden move.

    With one hand wrapped around her neck, and his other arm wrapped around her waist, Tom thrust into her from behind, his thrusts slow and steady as he kissed her neck.

    "Fuck, Tom! You''re driving me crazy," Lucy cried, and he chuckled, the sound sending a shiver of delight down her spine.

    "Happy you lost to me now?" He asked, maintaining the rhythm of his slow, but long and deep thrusts.

    "Delighted," Lucy moaned, and Tomughed as he nibbled on her ear, making her scream out loud.

    "Can you go faster now?" She pleaded as she began to climax.

    And Tom''s hand which was around her neck grabbed her boob as he increased in pace, and soon they were both panting and moaning and groaning as the pressure mounted withing them.

    Lucy turned her head to the side, and as though he could read her mind, Tom leaned closer and met her lips in a kiss as they both climaxed.

    And before Tom could pull away, Lucy held him back, "I''m safe," she assured him, and he came hard inside of her.

    They both remained in that position as they caught their breath, and once their breathing had stabilized and Lucy turned to face Tom, he chuckled and she giggled.

    "You keep making me do crazy things. Who would have thought I''d have sex in the open in broad daylight? What if someone is hiding somewhere and watching?" She asked as she looked around before meeting Tom''s gaze again.

    "No one is watching. I made sure everyone left the house. I wouldn''t risk exposing you to something like that for any reason," Tom said, and Lucy nodded.

    "I know. That''s why I didn''t object," she admitted.

    "I can say being here together is perfect now," Tom said with a wink and she giggled.

    "Yeah. I agree. It''s more than perfect," Lucy said with a satisfied sigh.

    "So, you can now add sex in the pool to your list of sexperience," Tom said and she grinned.

    "Yeah," Lucy said, and then raised a brow when she saw Tom''s brief floating on the water before looking down to see that he was naked.

    "When did you take it off?" She asked, and he chuckled.

    "When you were too lost to notice," he said with a grin. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "I think we should get dressed before anyonees to find us here. I''d die of mortification if that happens," she said, and Tomughed.

    "Should we y a game of first to dress up and get out of the pool?" He asked as he swam towards his floating briefs.

    "No way," she said with a giggle as she climbed out of the pool her body warm and rxed.

    After wearing her bikini, Tom wrapped her in a towel and they sat by the poolside infortable silence, simply enjoying each other''s presence and sipping from their winesses.

    "What is in your head?" Lucy asked after some time.

    "Nothing."

    "Nothing?" Lucy asked with a yful smile and Tom nodded.

    "Yeah. Absolutely nothing. Just enjoying the silence," Tom said, and Lucy giggled, making him turn to look at what was amusing her.

    "I can''t understand how your became a CEO with an empty head. I mean, how can nothing be in your head? Not even a brain?" She asked,ughing.

    "How dare you?" Tom asked when he realized what she had done, he reached for her as heughed.

    Lucy quickly got up and ran away, leaving him to chase after her. She ran all the way to the house,ughing as she ran while Tom remained hot on her pursuit.

    By the time she got to the staircase, she was out of breath, so she stopped to catch her breath, and Tom caught her, sending her into another round ofughter.

    "I dare you to say that again," he said, and sheughed as she turned to face him.

    "You said it not me. You said you have absolutely nothing in your head," she said with a grin, and Tom smiled.

    "You look so beautiful," Tom said, his voice filled with awe and Lucy blushed.

    "Don''t do that!" She said, looking away from him, and Tom smiled.

    "What do you want us to do now? See a movie or go out?" He asked and she smiled.

    "Let''s read. I haven''t read in some time," she said and Tom nodded.

    "Alright. Let''s do that," he said, and they both climbed the stairs.

    Lucy paused when a thought suddenly urred to her and she looked around the house with a wide smile.

    "What?" Tom asked, stopping to look at her when he noticed she had stopped walking.

    "I just remembered the first time I woke up in this ce. I never would have imagined that I would be back here or even living here," she said, and Tom smiled.

    "Well, I did imagine you living here," he said, not wanting to tell her he had not only imagined her living there, but had also imagined their kids running around.

    "Really? Is this what you imagined?" She asked, and he shook his head.

    "So far, it has been way more beautiful than my imagination, but it''s notplete yet," he said, and Lucy smiled, guessing why he said so.

    She could tell that he was probably talking about them getting married and having kids. Well, she was going to give him all of that soon, for now, she wanted them to enjoy their day together. Lucy thought with a happy smile as she linked her arm with his and led him upstairs.

 Chapter 860 Prodigal Wife

    Chapter 860 Prodigal Wife

    The Hu private airport tarmac shimmered under the relentless morning sun. Stepping off the private jet, Mia felt a wave of nausea roll through her stomach.

    It wasn''t just the heat. It was the throng of reporters camped outside, their cameras shing like a demented strobe light.

    News of their arrival had spread like wildfire, and a throng of reporters, their faces a hungry mix of concern and sensationalism, pressed against the security barriers.

    "Vanessa! Mrs. Rosewood! Over here!" A cacophony of voices mored for her attention.

    Mia shrank back instinctively, her eyes darting from the blinding shes to the eager faces holding microphones. She knew without a doubt that Henry had let word out about their arrival, hence they were there.

    He had imed he had suitable clothes for her to change into, yet had given her nothing. Here she was, still dressed in the sleeping clothes she had worn to bed at Tom''s and an in-house slippers.

    Henry, the dutiful husband, had a practiced smile stered on his face as he draped his jacket over her shoulders, shielding her from the barrage of questions and the intrusive lenses.

    "Thank you all for your concern for my wife''s well-being," he boomed, his voice cutting through the din. "As you can see, she''s a little overwhelmed by the warm wee."

    A sympathetic murmur rippled through the crowd. "We just want to know she is alright, Mr. Rosewood," a voice called out.

    "She is. Although, she has been through a very difficult ordeal, and your support means the world to us.," Henry replied smoothly, his hand firmly on her lower back, guiding her towards a waiting car. "But this trip has taken its toll, and she needs to clean up and get some rest before she can face everyone. Please understand."

    The car pulled away, leaving the disappointed reporters in its wake. Mia, still hidden under the cloak of Henry''s jacket, clung to the leather seat, her heart hammering against her ribs.

    Somehow, being here in Hu, thousands of miles away from everyone who loved and cared for her, made her familiarpanion�� fear, to return.

    The familiar route to Henry''s mansion stretched before her, eachndmark a stark reminder of the life she had desperately tried to escape.

    As they approached the gates, Mia grimaced when she saw a festive banner proiming "Wee Home, Vanessa!" hung across the gate.

    As the car drew closer,ughter and chatter filled the air, and music thrummed from within, letting her know a party was going on inside.

    "How generous of me. I prepared a feast to celebrate the return of the prodigal wife," Henry whispered to her.

    Mia ignored him, and watched as a throng of people came out of the house with winesses in hand.

    "Surprise!" the crowd roared as the car came to a halt.

    Panic wed at Mia''s throat. This wasn''t supposed to happen. This was supposed to be a quiet return, so why did he do all of this? What did he hope to achieve by inviting them all here while making sure she was so shabbily dressed?

    Amidst the throng, Mia recognized some faces from gs and charity events�C the wives of Henry''s business associates, his family members were present too.

    Henry, ever the gracious host, pulled her out of the car and turned to the crowd. "Calm down, darling. Don''t be scared. No one is going to harm you. They are all here to wee you home. Say hello, honey," Henry said softly as though he was talking to a mentally unstable patient.

    Amidst the throng, Mia recognized some faces from gs and charity events�C the wives of Henry''s business associates, his family members were present too.

    Henry, ever the gracious host, pulled her out of the car and turned to the crowd. "Calm down, darling. Don''t be scared. No one is going to harm you. They are all here to wee you home. Say hello, honey," Henry said softly as though he was talking to a mentally unstable patient.

    Mia stered a smile on her face, a mask that felt heavy and suffocating. Greetings were exchanged, and Mia felt like a puppet on strings, mechanically responding to the endless stream of well-wishes and veiled questions.

    As Henry ushered her into the house, she could hear somedies talking some feet away.

    "How lucky she is to be married to such a devoted man," one of them said.

    "Who would have thought that she was crazy? Henry must be a saint," Another whispered and Mia gritted her teeth, shutting their voices out.

    Almost as soon as they walked through the door, her parents emerged from nowhere, "Oh, my darling daughter. I thought I lost you for good," her mother cried as she went to embrace her, and Mia stood stiffly as her mother''s arms went around her.

    Henry remained by her side, a doting smile on his face as he looked at Mia, leaving everyone there with no doubt in mind that he adored his wife.

    "You are wee home, Vanessa. We will talk after you have settled in," her father said.

    The reporters, some of whom had managed to slip into the party, hovered on the fringes, their eyes never straying far from her. Henry, ever present at her side, kept a tight grip on her arm, a subtle reminder of who was in control.

    "Smile, darling," he murmured into her ear, his voiceced with a sweetness that sent shivers down her spine. "They want to see the happy Vanessa they know."

    "I''m exhausted��"

    "We have guests, Vanessa. You will not leave our guests unattended," Henry said, cutting her off.

    After an hour of ying the perfect host despite her out of ce outfit, Henry announced that he had to take his wife upstairs to get some rest because she was very tired and sounds of aww rented the air.

    Henry, the picture of solicitude, escorted her upstairs to her bedroom. And the moment the bedroom door closed behind them, the mask slipped from his face.

    A cruel smile yed on his lips. "Wee home, Vanessa," he said, his voice low and dangerous.

    "Why are there so many security cameras in my room?" Mia asked, looking around the ce.

    "I realized that I was to me for the little stunt you pulled. I gave you too much freedom. That was the reason you had the time and space toe up with it. Now you will be on watch twenty-four hours, my darling wife," Henry said and Mia shook her head.

    "You can''t do that, Henry. I deserve some level of privacy��"

    "Deserve?" He snorted with barely controlled rage, "after you dared to ask me for a divorce? You have no right to talk to me about what I can or cannot do. It is my ce to tell you what you deserve and do not deserve. And I can tell you that, going forward you will be getting everything I believe you deserve. Freshen up and get some rest. Your doctor will arrive soon," he said, and turned to leave.

    "Doctor? What doctor? I''m not ill," Mia said, stopping him.

    "You are ill if I say you are, and right now, you are mentally ill. Your psychiatrist will be here to see how much your mental health has deteriorated. After the examination we will determine whether or not you need to be locked away in a mental asylum or allowed to live amongst humans," Henry said with a cold smile before walking away.

    The fear that had simmered beneath the surface all day erupted into a full-blown terror and Mia felt a shudder run through her at the thought of being locked away in a mental asylum.

    Mia realized, with a chilling certainty, that whatever Henry had nned for her this time, would be far worse than anything she could have imagined.

    Away from there, Harry, shirtless,y rxed on the hammock, it''s gentle sway lulling him into a state of blissfulziness. He looked ahead of him where Jade, a vision in a bright sundress, skipped barefooted along the shoreline.

    Every now and then, a wave would crash on the shore, sending a cool spray that tickled her bare feet making herugh happily with childish delight.

    The retreating tide had revealed a treasure trove of glistening seashells and smooth, colorful stones scattered like spilled jewels across the wet sand, and Jade had made it her duty to explore as many of them as she could.

    Harry was about to drift offpletely when a shriek, both excited and slightly breathless, shattered his peaceful reverie.

    "Jonas! Come take a look at this!" she screeched as she bounded towards him, her damp footprints leaving a trail in the sand.

    Harry, a smile already tugging at the corners of his lips, reluctantly rose from his haven curious to see what she had found.

    Barefooted, and dressed in just his white shorts, he walked up to her, meeting her halfway.

    As he reached her side, Jade held the stone out, its surface catching the sunlight and sparking a rainbow of colors. "Doesn''t this look like a diamond?" she dered dramatically, her voice brimming with excitement.

    Harry''s lips twitched as he looked at her. "Let me see," he said, taking the stone gently from her grasp.

    He examined it with mock seriousness, turning it over in his fingers. "Hmm, nope. Looks exactly like a stone to me."

    A yful scowl creased her brow. "Come on, don''t be boring! Look closer at it! I think it''s a diamond in disguise. Maybe a pirate hid their loot somewhere around here. Imagine it, Harry," she continued, her voice rising with each word, "a hidden chest overflowing with gold and jewels, just waiting to be discovered by us!"

    Harry couldn''t help but chuckle at her infectious childlike enthusiasm. "And what would we do with all that pirate booty?"

    "What else?" she asked, her eyes sparkling. "We will take it back home with us, of course! Proof of our adventure. Then, I''d sell some of it," she added with a mischievous grin, "and give you a tenth of the riches."

    "A tenth?" he feigned surprise, raising an eyebrow. "How generous of you to give me so much. Isn''t that too much?"

    "Well, duh! You don''t need pirate treasure. You''re rich already." she retorted, sticking out her tongue yfully.

    "If I remember correctly, you said you were rich too," he reminded her with a chuckle.

    "I''m not as rich as you. That''s precisely why I will be needing the treasure chest. That way the treasure would put us on equal footing, financially speaking." she said with a sweet smile.

    Harry threw his head back andughed, the sound echoing across the beach. "Equal footing, huh? And do you think the rightful owner of this ''treasure'' would just let us waltz off with their chest full of gold?"

    "The rightful owner is probably dead and the treasure is forgotten," Jade said easily.

    "How would we get this treasure chest out of here? Do you think the owners of the resort or the residents of this ind would let us leave with it?" Harry asked, indulging her beautiful daydream.

    Jade puffed out her chest and struck a heroic pose. "We''d fight for it. I''m a good fighter. You did mention something about knowing how to fight, didn''t you?" She asked with a grin.

    Harry''sughter intensified, tears welling up in his eyes. "Esquire, did you lure me out of my perfectly good nap to admire a rock and fantasize about pirate battles?"

    Jade nodded. "Yes. Is there a problem with that?" she asked and he shook his head.

    "None at all," Harry said as he reached out, brushing a stray strand of hair from her cheek.

    "But you know what? You don''t need pirate booty or whatever to be on equal footing with me financially. When we get married, all I have will be yours, and all you have will remain yours. You will be wealthier than me then," Harry said, and she grinned.

    "Nah. I don''t want to be wealthier. That won''t be equal footing. All I have will be yours too. That''s the only way we would be on equal footing. Add up everything together," she said and then paused her lips.

    "But that wouldplicate things if we ever n to get divorced," she said, and the gleam in Harry''s eyes disappeared.

    "Divorce? Do you n to get divorced?" He asked with a frown, not liking the mention of such a term between them.

    "Well, the future is full of uncertainty. Most of the couples that seek divorce were once helplessly in love��"

    "Can you do me a favor and never talk about divorce between us?" He cut in.

    "I''m just being logical��"

    "I''d rather not get married at all if divorce is an option between us," Harry stated tly and turned to leave but Jade quickly ran to block his path.

    "Why are you upset? I was only stating a fact. I''m��" she trailed off when it suddenly urred to her that he might be reacting that way because of his father and Sara.

    "You know what? Screw facts. I''m never divorcing you. As a matter of fact, let''s never bring up the word between us. It is prohibited from our vocabry going forward, and our kids are not permitted to say the word either. Speaking about kids, how soon will you like to have kids when we get married? Immediately? Or a year or two after?" She asked, cing both arms on his shoulder and standing on tiptoe to kiss away the crease on his forehead.

    "You''re never going to bring it up in our discussion again, right?" He asked, and she looked at him with a mock puzzled expression.

    "Bring what up? Having kids? Cause I don''t remember bringing anything else up," she said, and Harryughed as she had expected him to.

    "Fine. Let''s have the home all to ourselves for two years and find a bnce between work, marriage, and our personal lives before having kids. That way you would have worked for sometime before going on a break again because of your pregnancy," Harry suggested.

    "That sounds reasonable. But there is no reason to go on a break because I''m pregnant��"

    "You will go on a break when you''re pregnant, sugar," Harry said and raised an eyebrow.

    "Will you go on a break with me?" She asked, and he shook his head.

    "You''re the pregnant one��"

    "We will be pregnant together. I won''t go on a break. I wille to the office with you," she insisted and Harry opened his mouth to argue but shut it.

    Time would tell. There was no need wasting his breath since he knew that when the time came, she would be the one insisting she didn''t want to get out of bed herself. Thanks to Bryan''s bragging, he had started to read on the subject. N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "And how many kids would you want us to have? One? Two? A dozen?" She asked,

    "A dozen," he said and she nodded.

    "Good. We are on the same page," she said, and Harry looked at her incredulously.

    "You really want a dozen?" He asked, and sheughed.

    "I want three. Two boys and a girl," she said and Harry shook his head.

    "I prefer to have all girls."

    "Why all girls?" She asked with an amused smile.

    "Because I want to be a proud girl dad forever," he said, and she giggled.

    "Well, we will see how that goes. For now, let''s go get ready for our sightseeing. Our tour guide will be here soon," Jade said, and hand in hand they returned to their suite.

 Chapter 861 Being Alive

    Chapter 861 Being Alive

    Lying on her bed with both herptop and phone in front of her, Amy sighed deeply when she refreshed her email for the hundredth time and there was no new email.

    She had been at it all day since it was Saturday and she didn''t have any work to distract her. It was either this or she could revisit the endless photo albums of Miley on herptop, each picture a fresh stab of grief. Or, she could scroll mindlessly through social media, the forced cheerfulness of others only amplifying her own emptiness. Neither option held much appeal.

    Perhaps she should have asked him to give her his email address instead of arrogantly giving him hers? Amy mused, biting her lower lip as she kept her gaze fixed on her phone.

    She contemted giving Lucy a call to find out if she had heard from him yet and to know how he was doing, but she shook her head.

    With a click, she refreshed the inbox again. Nothing. Disappointment gnawed at her.

    Just as she was about to resign herself to an email-less day, a bright chime announced a new message. A yelp escaped Amy''s lips as she picked up her phone.

    A wave of disappointment washed over her as she saw the subject line: "URGENT: You Won''t Believe This Weight Loss Secret!" Great, spam. She tossed her phone back onto the bed in frustration.

    Perhaps he lost the card where she had written her email address, Amy mused as she got off the bed.

    But if that was the case, wouldn''t he have asked Lucy to get across to her? Unless of course he didn''t want to email her. Amy reasoned as she went to the kitchen to get a ss of water.

    Standing in the kitchen she paused when she remembered how he had embraced her and kissed her forehead. A smile tugged on her lip as she raised a hand to her forehead and then she giggled as she remembered his exnations.

    What was this? Amy asked herself, wondering why she was suddenly thinking about him so much. She shook her head and pped her cheeks before she continued to the cupboard to pick up a ss, but when she saw the mug Lucas had used thest time hanging on the rack, she picked it up instead.

    As she filled the mug with water, she heard the distant chime from her phone and immediately she fled from the kitchen and back to the bedroom to check it.

    A giddy shout escaped her lips when she picked up the phone and saw an email from Lucas Perry.

    Amy danced around her bed, a happy smile stered on her face. She spun around, catching her reflection in the full-length mirror. Her eyes widened and she froze.

    What was she doing? She should be curled under a nket, weeping for Miley. Why was she dancing and looking so happy barely a week after Miley''s death? What kind of a friend was she? Was it not too soon to be feeling this happy again? Did she have any right to im she was Miley''s best friend if she was feeling this happy over receiving a text from a guy? A guy Miley had wanted?

    Guilt settled in her stomach like a heavy stone, and shame flushed through her cheeks as she lowered herself to the bed.

    Her lips trembled as tears formed in her eyes and she let them flow down her cheeks unrestrained.

    Miley had been a good friend and it was too soon for her to move on this way. It was like a betrayal to their friendship.

    As she sat there crying, her phone rang and she reluctantly reached for it when she saw it was Miley''s mom.

    Amy tried topose herself as she received the call but a little sniffle gave her away.

    "Amy? Are you alright?" She asked, her voice tinged with concern.

    "Yes, I am," Amy said, forcing herself to sound cheerful.

    "You don''t sound okay. Is that nitwit bothering you again? Did something happen?" She asked and Amy shook her head.

    "No. Nothing happened. I''m okay," Amy assured her.

    "Are you sure?" She asked doubtfully.

    "Yes, I am. Are you okay?" Amy asked, wondering why the woman had called her.

    "Yes, I''m fine. What are you doing this evening?" She asked and Amy frowned.

    "Nothing. I do not have any ns. Why?" She asked, wondering if she wanted to send her on an errand.

    "Well, you do now. A beautiful youngdy of your age shouldn''t be at home doing nothing on a Saturday evening. What would you prefer? A quiet dinner somewhere fancy or fun at a club with friends? You have friends you can hang with, right?" She asked and Amy''s frown deepened as her confusion increased.

    "I don''t understand. Why do I need to do any of that?"

    "I was just reading Miley''s journal. She said she wouldn''t want you to be sad for too long. She said she would prefer that you have all the fun she can''t have instead of depriving yourself of it because you are mourning her. After I read it, I thought I should check on you and make sure you are fine," she said, and Amy''s lips wobbled.

    "Mrs Garwood," she called in a shaky voice.

    "She wants you to have fun, Amy. For her. Surely, you can do that much for her, right?" She asked, her voice thick with unshed tears.

    "It''s too soon," Amy cried.

    "Too soon for what, dear?" Miley''s mom asked softly.

    "It''s too soon to stop mourning. Tough or live like I didn''t just lose my best friend," Amy said and Miley''s mother sighed.

    "How long do you think it should take you to mourn her satisfactorily? A year? Two? Five? Ten? You are alive, Amy. You shouldn''t feel guilty about living," she said softly.

    "But I feel guilty," Amy confessed tearfully.

    "Don''t. Miley would have wanted you to be happy. You said it yourself. She loved life, and despite her illness she chose to live and enjoy what little time she had left. Why do you think she would want you to waste you own time mourning?" She asked and Amy nodded.

    "You''re right," she said as she wiped the tears from her face, "I should be the one consoling you, not the other way around. I''m sorry," Amy said apologetically.

    "It''s fine. I guess it''s true what they say, that Misery lovespany. I was down when I called, but I sort of feel better knowing that I''m not alone," she said, and Amy drew in a shaky breath.

    Laughing didn''t mean she didn''t miss Miley, a fierce voice whispered inside her. Neither did it mean she no longer loves Miley. It just meant she was still alive. Still capable of feeling something besides grief.

    Taking a deep breath, Amy squared her shoulders. She was going to live for two, she decided as she rose to go wash her face after the call ended.

    With a small smile that felt genuine, she clicked on the email once she returned from the bathroom, and Lucas''s message filled the screen. It was short and a bit impersonal, but enough to send a warmth through her.

    It read [Hey! It''s Lucas. I heard from Lucy. I''m perfectly okay. Nothing to worry about. Thanks for your concern. I hope you''re good too.]

    Amy looked at the message, wondering whether or not she should respond. Deciding that the ''hope you''re good'' part was begging for a response, she went on to respond to it.

    [Hello, Luca! I was beginning to think you changed your mind about exchanging emails. I''m fine. It''s good to hear from you. I''m d that you''re okay. What time is it over there?] Amy texted back.

    Lucas who was sprawledzily on his bed picked up his phone when he heard it ping, and his lips twitched when he saw Amy''s response.

    He had really wanted to stay away from Amy and not send her any emails, but being a man of his word, he had decided to send her an email since he agreed to exchanging emails. Also, after hearing from Amy that she was concerned about him, he had decided to reach out to her to assure her that he was fine.

    [It''s good to know that you''re fine. It''s eight in the morning over here.] he texted back.

    [Does that mean you just woke up? Am I the first person you''re talking to this morning? Why did you decide to send an so early in the morning? Did you perhaps dream of me?] Amy texted, and Lucas was taken aback by herst question.

    How could she be so direct? Why would she assume he dreamt of her? He didn''t want her attaching any special meanings to his gestures.

    [No. I didn''t dream of you. I was going to send the emailst night but I was too exhausted and I slept off. I decided to send it this morning because I might forget to do soter in the day. And no, you''re not the first person I''m talking to. I already spoke with Tyler.] Lucas texted back, and Amy smiled.

    [I was only pulling your legs. You don''t have to be so serious. You don''t n on taking the next avable flight down here to assure me you didn''t dream of me, do you?]

    Lucas chuckled involuntarily, [I don''t n on doing so. I''ve got to go now. Be good.] N?v(el)B\\jnn

    [You too. Thanks for reaching out. Your email made my day.]

    Lucas smiled as he read her message and he couldn''t help but be amazed by how easily she always said what she was thinking. Perhaps reaching out to her wasn''t such a bad idea, Lucas thought as he got out of bed, ready to start his day.

 Chapter 862 Getting Married To Ryan

    Chapter 862 Getting Married To Ryan

    Seated in front of her dressing mirror where she had been busy with her skincare routine, Kimberly shook her head as she met her mother''s gaze in the mirror.

    "Mom," she said as she turned to face her mother, "We''ve been over this already and I''ve told you time and again that I don''t want this. You know very well that I won''t do this. I am not interested in this arrangement," Kimberly said firmly.

    "Right now, what you want has to take a backseat. Dawn needs a home. She needs her family. She needs stability. This is the only option your father has given. It''s either you get married to Ryan as he has said, or he is never letting Dawn back into this house. That poor girl has been away for long enough. If you are as worried about her as I believe you are, then you should be able to put her first and do this for her sake," her mother said and Kimberly rose from her seat.

    "I don''t want to get married. Especially not to someone like Ryan. I don''t like him. He is arrogant, selfish, greedy and he won''t be a good father figure..."

    "You don''t know any of that for a fact. Ryan might not be as bad as you think. Go on this date with him. Get to know him and just maybe, you might like him. Your father has always wanted you to get married. He wanted you to get married to anyone of your choice but you said you never wanted to get married after what happened to you and he let you be. And now you put us through so much embarrassment because you wanted to force Lawrence''s grandson to marry you. Do you think you still have the right to tell your father what you want or do not want when you don''t seem to know what you want? Listen to your father and go on this date with Ryan," her mother said, cing both hands on her shoulders.

    "And what if I do that and dad still doesn''t let Dawne back?" She asked, and her mother smiled.

    "He will. Besides, by then you will be married. Dawn will have to live with you and your husband. Your father can''t stop you from doing that," her mother assured her.

    Dawn''s tear-streaked face came to mind, and she sighed deeply, "What time am I supposed to meet with him?" She asked and her mother smiled.

    "The reservation was made for eleven a.m."

    Kimberly nced at the time disyed on her phone''s screen. It was past nine already.

    "I will get dressed now," she said as she walked over to her closet and her mother smiled in relief.

    "I assure you that you are making the right decision for yourself and Dawn. Ryan is a wonderful gentleman��"

    "Don''t push it, mom," Kimberly said, turning to shook her mom a look.

    "Alright. See you downstairs in a bit. I will go let your father know that you will be meeting with Ryan," her mother said excitedly before hurrying away.

    Alone in her bedroom, Kimberly sighed as she looked through her closet for something to wear, and she told herself for the millionth time that she had brought all of this upon herself and her poor daughter.

    If only she had not gone ahead with the prank. If only she had not been stupid enough to release the false news about her marriage to Tom. Maybe if she hadn''t done that, the Hanks would have been willing to take care of Dawn. That would have been better than having her all alone with her governess and domestic staffs.

    Then again, there was no use crying over spilt milk. What was done was done, and now all she could do was find a way to handle this and make things right.

    Her hands were tied right now since her father had made sure to have all her ounts frozen. So, if marriage was what it would take to set things right, then she would do it.

    After dressing up, she went downstairs to join her parents, and her mother nodded in approval at her choice of outfit�� a ssy purple dress.

    "Dad," she called when her father didn''t bother to look at her, and her mother sent her a questioning look, wondering what she wanted to say.

    "Now that I have agreed to go out with him, can I bring Dawn home?" She asked hopefully.

    Her mother shot her father an apologetic look before looking at her, "He said you should get married not just go on dates��"

    "The earlier you get married, the sooner you can bring her home. If you want to bring her back today, get married today," he said without sparing her a nce, and Kimberly looked at him for a moment before walking away.

    If getting married to Ryan was what it would take to make Dawn happy, then she would do it.

    Away from there, Mia stood under the shower and as the hot water sprayed down on her, she tried to block out the knowledge that there were cameras even in the bathroom.

    She tried to forget all the cameras and think. The cameras couldn''t see into her head, she assured herself.

    All she needed to do now, was to figure out what to do about Henry''s n to lock her away in a mental asylum.

    She didn''t want to imagine being locked away as that would ruin all of their ns. Not that she didn''t trust Jeff and the others to find her and get her out of wherever Henry takes her, it was just that she needed to be right here in the house to do whatever needed to do to rid herself of Henry.

    What was the psychiatrist''s examination going to be about? She mused as she turned off the shower and put on her bathrobe before walking out of the bathroom into her bedroom.

    Opening her closet, she was taken aback to see that everything was arranged there exactly the way she had left it. It seemed like nothing had changed. The only difference was that they all seemed to have been recentlyundered.

    Why did Henry not remarry? Why did he leave her bedroom the same way it had been for thest three years? Had he really not had apanion in all that time? Was that possible? Why? Had he been searching for another victim? She mused as she put on an ankle length ck dress with gold embroidery.

    Just as she sat down on her bed, her mother walked into the bedroom without knocking.

    "Vanessa," her mother called softly as she went to sit on the edge of the bed, "How are you my darling?" She asked, reaching for her hand, but Mia said nothing as she gazed at her mother, wondering whether her father or Henry had sent her to test her.

    "How could you do that to me, Vanessa? How could you fake your own death? Do you know how devastated I have been? Do you have any idea how guilty I felt all these years?" Her mother asked, but she remained mute, unwilling to fall into this trap, peradventure it was nned.

    "Can you please say something?" Her mother pleaded with tears in her eyes.

    "I''m sorry I made you worry. I''m back now, so there is nothing for you to worry about anymore. I promise to be on my best behavior," Mia said tly as though she was reciting a pledge and her mother''s face fell.

    "I''m sorry I didn''t do anything to help you��"

    "I''m past that now. I have epted my fate. Let''s not talk about the past," Mia cut in firmly, and her mother sighed deeply.

    "How have you been? What have you been up to? Is it true that you were living with a man?" Her mother asked.

    "If you don''t mind, I''d love to rest my head. I''m feeling exhausted," Mia said as shey down and turned her back to her mother.

    Before her mother could say another word, Henry returned to the bedroom with a middle aged man whom Mia assumed to be the psychiatrist and she sat up.

    "If you don''t mind, can you excuse us?" Henry asked her mother, and she gave him a nod before walking out of the bedroom.

    "This is my wife, Vanessa. Vanessa, this is Doctor Adams. Please, examine her thoroughly and let me know how bad her situation is. I will give you both some privacy," Henry said politely, and then shed Mia a smile before walking away.

    Doctor Adams pulled his seat closer to the bed and stared at Mia, "Hello, Mrs Rosewood, it''s a pleasure to make your acquaintance," he said with a polite bow, and Mia smiled politely.

    "I wish I could say the same. But I''m not so sure I''m pleased about meeting you under such circumstance," she said and he smiled back and nodded.

    "That is quite understandable. But you don''t have to worry, I''m sure this meeting wouldn''t be entirely unpleasant," he promised.

    "I can only hope so," Mia said as she watched the man.

    "I was informed that you were involved in an ident," he asked, and Mia nodded.

    "Yes. A very terrible one."

    "And you lost your memory?" He asked and Mia''s smile faltered.

    "Are you asking or telling me?" She asked, wanting to know if Henry had asked the doctor to test her to see if she would reveal something she wasn''t supposed to reveal.

    "I''m asking because I was told so. But I''d like to hear it directly from you. You can be honest with me. Whatever we discuss here will be strictly confidential," he said, his eyes friendly.

    Mia smiled. She didn''t care whether he was real or not. As far as she was concerned, anyone who came from Henry was not to be trusted.

    Perhaps if she didn''t know Henry, she would have fallen for this load of bullshit, but she knew Henry well enough to know that he was testing her.

    "I''m sure it will be strictly confidential. But as my husband already told you, I lost my memory. I called him the moment I regained my memory," Mia said easily.

    "And your condition? I mean your bipr. How have you been managing it in thest three years?" He asked, watching her closely and she shrugged.

    "I lost my memory so I didn''t know I had that," Mia said and he raised an eyebrow.

    "Didn''t you have severe mood swings over thest couple of years? Or did nothing happen to make you seek mental evaluation?" He asked, and she shook her head.

    "I never had any reason to." n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "How do you feel now? Any headaches or mood swings? Have you fully regained your memory?" He asked as he jotted down something.

    "I do have headaches often but no mood swings. And I haven''t been able to entirely remember everything yet. But I''m hopeful that now that I have returned home to my beloved husband, I will be able to remember everything. For now, I''m not in haste to regain my memory. I only want to spend time with my husband and catch up on all that I have missed," Mia said and the doctor nodded.

    "I see. I will prescribe some medication for your headache. Do you have trouble sleeping?" He asked, and Mia shook her head.

    "I sleep quite well," she lied, and he nodded once again and took out his card.

    "Here is my card. You can call me if you need anything or��"

    "Why don''t you give that to my husband on your way out? I''m lousy with cards and I''m afraid I might misce it. I will take it from him if I need it," she said and he gave her a nod as he rose.

    "I will do that. Enjoy the rest of your day, ma''am," he said and she gave him a nod and watched as he walked away.

    Five minutester, Henry walked into the bedroom, "I guess you are smart after all. Keep in mind that the moment you misbehave I will have you taken away and you will spend the rest of your life in a mental asylum. Don''t dare me, Vanessa. Be a good girl," he said, and as he turned to leave, she stopped him,

    "Henry," she called in a fearful voice as she rose from the bed and he turned.

    Mia went down on her knees, "I''m sorry. For acting in such a silly way and ignoring you at that party. I''m sorry for being a terrible and selfish wife and for attempting to run away. I''m sorry I asked for a divorce. Please give me another chance. I promise to serve you and to spend the rest of my life making it up to you. I know now that you are in charge. You own me. Not just me. You own my family. I will do whatever you ask without questions going forward. I will submit myself to youpletely," Mia said with tears in her eyes.

    Henry looked at her with an amused smile, "You must be very scared of being locked away in a madhouse," he said with a chuckle before walking away.

    Mia suddenly felt the urge tough, but because of the cameras, she covered her face with her hands and pretended to cry instead.

    She liked that he believed she was scared. It was better for her this way. This was what stooping to conquer meant. She would make sure to let him believe he was in charge.

    All she needed to do now was get familiar with the house staff so she could find a way to get rid of them and rece them with her own people.

    She couldn''t wait for Jeff to get here. She would sleep better at night knowing that he was under the same roof with her.

 Chapter 863 Two Weeks?

    Chapter 863 Two Weeks?

    The butterflies in Kimberly''s stomach performed a frantic ballet as she pulled into the restaurant''s valetne. Eleven AM had arrived far too quickly, and the pep talk her mother delivered about Ryan being a "wonderful gentleman" did little to calm her nerves.

    Taking a deep breath, she adjusted the straps of her purple dress and stepped out of the car. Although Kimberly had been to that restaurant a couple of times in the past for business meetings, she had never felt this anxious as she walked through the doors. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Inside, the restaurant was a symphony of soft lighting, warm chatter, and the clinking of silverware. A hostess with a weing smile guided her towards a corner table where Ryan sat waiting.

    He sat by a window, a bored expression etched on his face. He looked up as the hostess led her towards him, a flicker of annoyance crossing his features before he schooled it into a charming smile.

    "Kimberly, you look stunning," he said, rising to greet her. His voice was deeper than she remembered, a smooth baritone that sent a shiver down her spine.

    He held out a chair for her, his gaze lingering on her for a beat longer than necessary.

    "Thank you, Ryan," she mumbled as she settled into the plush seat.

    "Sorry I''m a bitte. Traffic was horrendous."

    A white lie, but she wasn''t sure how much honesty this date could handle right now. The silence that followed stretched on ufortably as Ryan watched her.

    "I hope you won''t always use this excuse in the future," Ryan finally spoke, breaking the awkward tension. "By the way, you look more beautiful than I remember."

    They had both known each other for years since they had attended middle and high school together and usually hung out in the same circles growing up until Ryan left the country.

    "Thanks. You don''t look bad yourself," Kimberly said, hoping that he would have changed and wouldn''t be as bad as she remembered.

    "So, tell me about yourself, Kimberly," he said and she shrugged.

    "What''s there to tell? You know me," Kimberly said and he shook his head.

    "Nope. We may be acquainted but we don''t really know each other. Tell me about you. Something other than the basics," he said as a waiter joined them.

    After the waiter left with her order, Kimberlyunched into a rehearsed spiel about her job, her words sounding hollow even to her own ears. Ryan listened politely, nodding asionally, but his gaze seemed more interested in the bustling scene outside the window than her.

    "You know, I''ve been waiting for you to tell me about your illegitimate daughter," Ryan said and Kimberly raised a brow.

    "Illegitimate? What gives you the right to refer to her as that?" Kimberly asked, not liking his tone.

    "Isn''t she illegitimate? Are you married to her father?" he asked tly.

    "You asked me to tell you something other than the basics. The fact that I have a daughter is a basic detail of my life that I''m sure everyone in the country knows about. And I believe you know about it too," Kimberly said, choosing to ignore his rudeness.

    "So, what happens when we get married? Would you want her to live with us? Or will you be taking her to her father''s family?" Ryan asked as he raised his ss of wine to his lips.

    "When we get married? Isn''t it too soon to be talking about marriage? And do you have a problem with my daughter living with me?" She asked and he shook his head.

    "Not at all. I would love to see her. I''ve heard about her and how brilliant she is. And no. It''s not too soon to talk about marriage since I''m sure we would be getting married. You look good enough for me and your background is okay regardless of the fact that you have a child. And I know I''m a catch. I''m good looking, wealthy, charming, funny and all that any woman in her right senses would want," Ryan said and Kimberly smiled wryly.

    "What''s funny?" He asked and she shook her head.

    "You''re exactly like I remember," she said, not knowing whether to be pleased or not that she had not misjudged him.

    "Everyone says that," he said with a pleased smile as their order arrived.

    As the date continued, Kimberly found herself struggling to findmon ground with Ryan. He regaled her with tales of histest business venture, his voiceced with a self-importance that grated on her nerves. There was no spark, no genuine curiosity about her life.

    Halfway through the main course, she excused herself to visit the restroom, stealing a moment to check her phone. A single text from her mother sat on the screen: "How''s it going?"

    With a sigh, Kimberly typed a reply: "Not great. He is all I said he is, and boring too."

    Hitting send, she leaned against the cool marble counter, a wave of despair washing over her. Was this really her only option? Sacrificing her happiness to secure Dawn''s future?

    Well, if Dawn was happy, then she could be happy regardless of who she was married to. Dawn''s happiness was her priority right now. She had selfishly brought Dawn into this world so she owed it to Dawn to secure her future.

    As Kimberly returned to the table, she saw Ryan flirting with ady and when they saw her approaching, they quickly exchanged numbers and thedy walked away.

    "So, when do we meet again? We have to talk about the wedding details," Ryan asked as she took her seat.

    "Already?" She asked, surprised that he seemed like he was more in a haste to marry her than she was.

    "Yes. Do you have a problem with that?"

    "Shouldn''t we take some time to get to know ourselves better? I mean, there is no hurry," Kimberly said and Ryan shook his head.

    "What''s there to know that we can''t figure out while married? I''m more interested in our sexualpatibility. Perhaps we can check that before getting married? You don''t have a problem with that, right? I mean, it''s not like you''re a virgin. You had a kid for such a geezer after all," he said, and Kimberly''s hand balled into a fist under the table.

    "Whose idea was this arrangement?" Kimberly asked curiously.

    "Our parents. Why?"

    "I''m just wondering if you are being this way because you are interested in me," Kimberly said and Ryan snorted.

    "Women are all the same to me. But then again, you''re more suitable for marriage than most because of your background, so I can overlook the fact that you are a single mom," he said with a condescending smile.

    "So, why do you seem in a hurry to get married to me?" She asked and he shrugged.

    "I''m at risk of losing my inheritance. I was given an ultimatum," he said and she nodded. They seemed to be in a simr situation.

    "But don''t you care that I might not like you?" She asked and he shook his head.

    "Although there is nothing not to like about me, it''s better for us both if you don''t like me too much much. That way you won''t pester me with your affection, and I can do my own stuff without you getting in my way. If you think about it, we are a good match. All I will be needing from you is an heir and maybe sex once in a while. You will also be by my side when we have public functions and family stuff. Aside that, you can live as you want with your daughter," he said, and Kimberly considered it for a moment.

    "Why sex from me? I don''t expect fidelity from you, so you can get sex from whoever you please," she said, and he smiled.

    "That was actually for your sake, not mine. I''m d you do not expect fidelity. So, we can leave out the sex after you have a child for me. Is that okay?" He asked, and she pursed her lips as she considered it.

    Live with him as housemates, and be a couple for fancy. She wouldn''t mind having another child. Dawn would be less lonely if she had a sibling.

    She could do that. She could live with his arrogance and self-centeredness as long as they stayed out of each other''s way, Kimberly thought with a nod, "Yes. It''s okay."

    "So, deal?" He asked, extending a hand.

    "I have a condition," Kimberly said and he raised an eyebrow as he withdrew his hand.

    "What''s that?"

    "A Prenup. We have to sign a prenup," she said, and he smirked.

    "Let''s do that then," he said as he extended a hand again.

    "Deal," Kimberly said as she shook hands with him.

    "How soon can we get married?" She asked as she withdrew her hand.

    "How soon do you want us to? A month is fine by me," he said and she shook her head not wanting to leave Dawn alone for that much time.

    "What about two weeks?"

    "Will that be enough time to n a wedding? We are both from influential families and our guests need to be given an invitation��"

    "Let''s work with that. Discuss with your family and I will discuss with mine," Kimberly cut in, and he smiled.

    "See? I knew we were a perfect match," Ryan said as he rose.

    "I will send an engagement ring across to you tomorrow. What''s your ring size?" He asked looking at her hand.

    "Size 9," she said and he nodded as he dropped some bills on the table.

    "You will get your ring tomorrow. It was nice meeting you," he said with a wink before walking away.

    Kimberly drew a deep breath as she walked him walk away, and after a moment she left too.

    The moment she got home and walked into the house, she saw her mom in the living room, "How did it go?" Her mother asked, rising to meet her.

    "We are getting married in two weeks. Does the date work for you?" She asked, and her mother frowned.

    "Two weeks? I thought you didn''t��"

    "Dawn will have to be here before the wedding, right? Please talk to, dad. She has to be here," Kimberly cut in.

    "Kim��"

    "You can begin the wedding preparations. I''m going in to get some rest. I have a headache," Kimberly said, and walked away without another word.

    She was never going to forgive her parents for taking things this far. She was going to get married to Ryan and after she got back all that was hers from her father and had secured them, she would be sure to cut him off the same way he had cut off Dawn.

 Chapter 864 Instagram Handle

    Chapter 864 Instagram Handle

    Lucy sat on the kitchen ind, eyes sparkling with barely contained mirth as Tom gingerly extracted a casserole dish from the oven.

    He cradled the casserole dish as if presenting a royal crown, a hopeful smile stered on his face. Then, he took a bite.

    Seeing the grimace on his face, she didn''t need to taste it to know it was a profound disappointment.

    She tittered with barely controlledughter and Tom shot her a mock re, but the corners of his mouth twitched in suppressed amusement as he scraped the offending casserole into the bin with a resounding ng.

    "Alright. Alright. One more try," he said stubbornly, as he pulled up another recipe video on his phone, the determined set of his jaw aical contrast to the flour smudged across his cheek.

    "You''ve been at this for almost two hours..."

    "Just a few tweaks," he muttered, more to himself than Lucy. "This time, I''ve got it."

    "That''s what you said thest two times. By the time you get this right, it would probably be morning," Lucy said and Tom frowned.

    "You''re not helping, Jewel. You should not be discouraging me when I''m trying so hard to impress you," Tom said with displeasure.

    "I do appreciate your effort, and I''m more than a little bit impressed by your ability to create different inedible shades of casserole in such a short time," Lucy said, struggling to stifleughter as she hopped off the Ind.

    Tom sent her a wounded look. "Hey, I''m a quick learner! Besides, practice makes perfect."

    "And apparently, perfect takes a long time," Lucy teased, reaching out to brush a stray bit of flour off his cheek. "How about we give your culinary skills a break? We can do this when we are both not hungry. I''m famished," she said and Tom looked at her, his eyes filled with concern.

    "You should have just said so," he said as he washed his hands and took off his apron.

    "Where are you going?" She asked in amusement.

    "To check if there are any leftovers in the freezer," he said and her eyes twinkled.

    "Or we could go out. You know, it''s been a while since west spent some time at my apartment. How about we go over there to spend the night?" She suggested.

    "But you just said you''re very hungry," Tom reminded her, since he didn''t want to take her stomach ulcer lightly.

    "I still have some danish cookies and bounty choctes. I can munch on that," she said, and Tom narrowed his eyes.

    "Why not munch on them while I fix dinner?" He asked and sheughed.

    "No, thanks. I don''t think an edible dinner will be ready any time soon. And I would love us to go out and do something fun. We''ve been indoors all day. And as much as I love and enjoy yourpany, I want to do something else," she said and Tom eyed her for a moment.

    "If that''s what you want. Don''t say I never cooked for you," he warned making her grin.

    "I wouldn''t dare say that. This memory will be with me for a life time," she promised.

    "So, what else do you want us to do? Go to a restaurant? Would you like to eat at that new Thai ce we saw thest time?" He asked and she shrugged.

    "We can do that. And I would love us to go clubbing tonight," she said and Tom looked at her incredulously.

    "So much for being an introvert," he said with a shake of his head and she giggled.

    "You have yourself to me for that. I was living quietly until you showed up. So, why don''t you clean up the mess you made here so we can be on our way?" She asked and he raised a brow.

    "Are you not going to help me? I mean, I did the cooking��" he trailed off when Lucy burst into a fit ofughter.

    "What''s funny?" He asked, and she pointed at him.

    "The fact that you have the guts to refer to what you did as cooking," she said amidst herughed and Tom red at her yfully.

    "That''s rude."

    "That''s a fact. Clean up the mess you made, my love. If you had stopped after the first attempt as I asked you to, you wouldn''t have messed up the whole ce. Don''t worry. I will keep youpany while you clean up. But first let me go ease myself," she said, and Tom scowled as he watched her walk away.

    Lucy returned a couple of minutester and giggled when she overheard him cussing angrily as he washed the pots.

    "Need my help?" She asked sweetly.

    "No. Thanks. Go enjoy your snacks," he growled and she giggled.

    "Why are you so sweet tempered, my darling," she asked and sheughed when Tom red at her.

    "Alright. I will help," Lucy said as she went to join him at the sink.

    "You don''t have to help. It''s my mess. I will clean it. Go eat your bounties," Tom said and Lucy giggled.

    "Bounties can wait while I clean up my man''s mess. Besides, you made the mess for my sake," she said and then poked his side yfully.

    "Why are you so mad? Look at the bright side. Your efforts here was not wasted. You aplished something," she said and Tom looked at her.

    "I did?" He asked and she nodded, "And what is that?" He asked suspiciously.

    "You may not have seeded in filling my belly with food, but you filled it withughter thanks to your nonexistent culinary skills," she said, her eyes dancing withughter and this time Tomughed.

    He couldn''t help but be charmed by her infectiousughter, even if it was at his expense.

    "Thanks, Jewel. I hope you remember this day. I will return this favor," he promised and she leaned closer and kissed him.

    "I may not be a great cook but I can do much better than this. Why don''t I do the washing while you clean and mop?" She offered and Tom readily agreed.

    Thirty minutester once they were done cleaning, Tom copsed on the barstool by the ind, "I''m so d I have domestic staff," he said and Lucyughed softly as she dried her hands.

    "What would you do if you weren''t so wealthy?" She asked and shrugged.

    "We had domestic staff growing up. I never would have been so broke that I couldn''t afford to have one," he said and she nodded.

    "I often forget you''re not only wealthy but alsoe from a wealthy background," Lucy said as she picked up her phone to check the time.

    "Let''s go clean up so we can leave," she said as she took Tom''s hand and pulled him up.

    As they headed upstairs to their bedroom, Lucy''s phone rang and she smiled when she saw that the call was from Andy.

    "I think Jamal wants to talk to me," she told Tom as she received the call.

    "Hello, Andy!" Lucy greeted pleasantly as they continued up the stairs.

    "Hey, Luce! Can you talk right now?" Andy asked hopefully.

    "Sure. Jamal wants to speak with me, I suppose?" She asked and Andy scowled.

    "What makes you think I am calling just because of Jamal? You sound like I don''t call you unless Jamal is involved," sheined and Lucy giggled.

    "We both know we all do more of chats. Kindly pass the phone to Jam," Lucy said and Andy rolled her eyes as she passed the phone to Jamal.

    "Lucy!" Jamal greeted excitedly and Lucy grinned.

    "How is my sweetest Jam in the world doing?" Lucy asked as they walked into the bedroom.

    "I''m fine. I miss you," Jamal said and Lucy grinned.

    "I miss you too. I promise to visit you soon," Lucy said and Jamal bobbed his head.

    "Will you bring Tom along whening?" He asked and Lucy nced at Tom as she ced the phone on speaker.

    "Do you want me to bring Tom along whening?" She asked and Tom arched an eyebrow.

    "Yes. I want to show him mypany," Jamal said and Tom smiled.

    "I guess you miss me too," Tom said as he took the phone from Lucy.

    "A little. Not as much as I miss Lucy," he said and Tom shrugged.

    "That''s good enough for me. I miss you too, so I will see you soon," Tom said and Jamal smiled happily.

    "Are you not going to tell her the reason you wanted to talk to her?" Andy reminded Jamal.

    "There is a reason aside missing me?" Lucy asked as she took the phone from Tom.

    "Will you bring Dawn too?" Jamal asked, and Lucy exchanged a look with Tom.

    "Oh! Dawn is really far away right now and I can''t bring her with me," Lucy said softly.

    "Can we go see her when youe?" Jamal asked and Lucy pursed her lips.

    "Is there something you want to give to her?" Lucy asked curiously.

    "She said she doesn''t have any friends. I want to y with her and make sure she is fine," Jamal said and Lucy smiled.

    "That is very thoughtful of you, Jam. But we can''t see her now��"

    "Can we talk to her on the phone?" He asked again.

    "Why don''t we talk about it when Ie over?" Lucy asked weakly.

    "When are youing?" Jamal asked excitedly.

    "Soon. I wille soon," she promised. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "He saw me going through some Instagram pictures and he wanted to know if there were pictures of Dawn. You once mentioned something about Dawn having an Instagram ount, so I was wondering if we could get her handle from you," Andy asked from the background, exining the reason for the call.

    "Sure. I will text it to you now," Lucy promised.

    "Just so you know, Jamal ns to marry Dawn. So I guess if you''re lucky enough you''re going to be a grand godmother to both their kids in the future," Andy said making Tom and Lucyugh.

    "I will be looking forward to that. Goodluck, Jam," Lucy said before hanging up.

    After texting the Instagram details to Andy, Lucy nced at Jamal, "I guess you can have me all to yourself now that Jamal has moved on from me to Dawn," Lucy said and Tomughed.

    "He must like her a lot," Tom said, amused.

    "I guess. I hope he is able to connect with her on Instagram. You never can tell what she might be going through right now," Lucy said with a sad sigh.

    "Don''t get all moody now. You said you wanted to go out. Let''s get ready," Tom urged her, knowing how moody she got whenever she thought of Dawn.

    "Aren''t you curious or worried about her? Don''t you care about her?" Lucy asked, unable to understand how he could not be moved.

    "I do," Tom said simply before walking away to go freshen up.

 Chapter 865 I Know Him

    Chapter 865 I Know Him

    While Andy was busy setting up an Instagram profile for Jamal with her phone so they could use his ount to send Dawn a message request, Jamal was busy checking out the pictures on Dawn''s profile.

    "Aunt Andy, Dawn is so pretty," Jamal said for the hundredth time and Andy giggled amused by how smitten he was.

    "Yes, she is," Andy said for the hundredth time as well.

    "Look, she isughing here," Jamal said happily and Andy looked at the video and smiled at Dawn''s infectiousughter.

    "She is so adorable," Andy said and even though Jamal didn''t quite understand the meaning of the word, he knew it was a nicepliment so he nodded in agreement.

    They both looked up at Candace when she walked into the house, and slumped on the couch.

    "Wee. Why did youe back sote?" Andy asked distractedly while Jamal, after taking one look at his mom, walked away.

    "You won''t believe what happened to me today," Candace said, and Andy looked at her when she heard the tiredness in her voice.

    "What happened?" She asked, wondering why Candace looked so exhausted.

    "I was hounded by reporters," Candace said and she smiled when Jamal returned with a ss of water.

    "Wee, mummy. How was school today? Are you alright?" He asked as he handed the ss to her.

    Candace said nothing as she drank from it and when she was done she looked at him, "I have no idea what I did right in my life to deserve you, Jam. But you''re the best son any mother could ask for. Thanks. I feel quite better now," she said and Jamal smiled as he sat down beside her.

    "And the best nephew any aunt could ask for," Andy said, reaching out to ruffle his hair.

    "So, what happened with the reporters?" Andy asked and Candace shook her head as she recounted what had happened that morning.

    "��I thought it was over. But when I came out after my sses, I saw a couple of them waiting around by my car," Candace said with a slight frown.

    "What did you do then?" Andy asked, amused.

    "I left the car. A course mate was kind enough to offer me a ride. She brought her car around and I got into it before they could spot me. Where is dad? I''m hoping he can send someone to get the car," Candace said while Jamal listened to her with interest. N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "I''m sure he can do that. He is upstairs. He spent the day tending to his flowers," Andy exined.

    "You know, now I think I can pretty much understand why Tom didn''t want to be on the spotlight and hid his identity for years. I do not like this attention," Candace stated.

    "What is a spotlight?" Jamal asked with interest.

    Andy turned on the shlight on her phone and shone it on Jamal''s face making himugh, "When everywhere is dark and the light is shining on you this way, you are in the spotlight. It means everyone can see you even when you can''t see them all," Andy exined.

    "I don''t like it. I''m going hide like Tom," Jamal said with a frown.

    "Why not? You wanted to be an actor, didn''t you? That would have put you in the spotlight," Candace reminded him.

    "Now I don''t want to be an actor. I want to be rich��"

    "Like Tom," Candace and Andy said simultaneously,pleting his sentence and they allughed.

    "You both don''t have to worry. I''m going to be on the spotlight enough for everyone in the family. Next time I will drop you off at school and take all that attention you don''t want. You should have called me to pick you up anyway," Andy said and Candace shook her head.

    "Next time I will tell them where to find you so they can leave me alone," Candace said and Andy gave her a thumbs up.

    "Don''t you think you should start getting used to this, though? I mean, your man is in the spotlight��"

    "There are actors whose partners are not in the spotlight. I''d love to live lowkey," Candace maintained.

    "Good luck with that," Andy said and seeing that it seemed like they were done with the serious conversation, Jamal looked at him mom.

    "I talked to Tom and Lucy," Jamal announced.

    "You did? When?" Candace asked with a wide smile since she knew how much Jamal loved to talk to them.

    "Not long ago. Lucy said they will visit soon. And then I saw pretty pictures of Dawn. Do you want to see?" Jamal asked as he reached for Andy''s phone to show his mom the pictures.

    "By the way, Jam, if you want to hide your identity like Tom, maybe we shouldn''t create an Instagram ount for you," Andy said and Candace frowned.

    "What Instagram ount?" She asked in confusion as Jamal showed her the pictures.

    "I remembered what you and Lucy said about Dawn having an Instagram ount, so we were creating an ount so that Jamal can reach her through it," Andy exined.

    Candace who was distractedly looking at the pictures and listening to Andy frowned, "You know how I feel about putting kids on the social media space, Andy��"

    "We don''t have to put up his pictures or put out any private detail. It''s just an avenue for him to check on her that''s all," Andy said and Candace sighed.

    "And you think her mother is going to allow an anonymous ount user talk to her little kid? Why don''t we chat the mom up directly? That way she can let us know if she wants them to keep in touch or not. I''m sure Dawn doesn''t have direct ess to her instagram," Candace said as she rose.

    "You are right. Why didn''t I think of that?" Andy asked as she took her phone from Jamal to search for Kimberly''s profile.

    "Her name is Kimberly Moore. I''m sure you can easily find her on Instagram since she has a verified ount," Candace said to Andy and then turned to Jamal, "We can look at Dawn''s pictures after I freshen up," she promised before walking away.

    After Candace left, Andy found Kimberly''s ount and she sent her a message, [Hello, Kimberly! I''m Andy Jonas. Lucy''s cousin. My nephew, Jamal, is Dawn''s friend and would like to say hello.]

    Kimberly who was lying on her bed and thinking about her decision to get married to Ryan sighed when her phone buzzed with a message notification and she reluctantly picked it up to see what it was.

    At first she wanted to ignore the message, but then she remembered that Dawn had mentioned something about a kid who was close to Lucy and something about fighting with the kid called Jamal.

    Dawn had never really mixed up with other kids before now, and now that Dawn was so lonely, she figured that it wouldn''t be a bad idea to let him get in touch with Dawn until she brought Dawn home.

    [Hello! Dawn isn''t here at the moment. I will find out from her if she wants to talk to Jamal and will have her governess give you a call. But can I call you on video call? I should know Jamal before letting him speak with Dawn.] Kimberly texted back.

    "Jam! Dawn''s mom just texted back," Andy informed Jamal who was now looking at Dawn''s pictures on Andy''sptop, and immediately Jamal ran over to her side.

    "What did she say? Is Dawn there?" Jamal asked happily.

    "Dawn''s mom wants to say hello to you first. Do you want to say hello to her?" Andy asked, and Jamal bobbed his head.

    Andy texted back, letting Kimberly know that it was okay for her to call, and immediately Kimberly called Andy on video call.

    "Hello! I''m Andy. And this is my nephew, Jamal. Jam, say hello," Andy said as she pulled Jamal closer and Kimberly smiled when she saw Jamal''s handsome face.

    "Hello! It''s nice meeting you both. Jamal, Dawn told me you fought with her," Kimberly said, wanting to judge Jamal''s personality through his response.

    "She fought with me. I didn''t want to fight her. But we made up. We are friends now. And I like her. I miss her," Jamal said and Kimberly smiled.

    "That''s good to know. Dawn isn''t with me right now but I will let her know you want to speak with her and get her governess to give you a call. Please be good to her, okay?" Kimberly said and Jamal nodded.

    "I promise to be good to her," he said and Kimberly nodded.

    "Thank you for reaching out," Kimberly said to both Andy and Jamal before hanging up.

    She dialed Dawn''s governess line and thedy received the call on the third ring.

    "Good day, ma''am. Do you want me to put Ms Dawn on the line?" She asked politely as she headed for the music room where Dawn was being taught how to y the piano.

    "Yes. But not yet. How is she doing?" Kimberly asked, her heart aching at the thought that Dawn was lonely and sad.

    "She is doing well. She hasn''t cried for you since thest time," she said and Kimberly sighed.

    "Let me talk to her," Kimberly said and the governess stepped inside the music room.

    "Ms Dawn, your mother is on the phone for you," she said politely and Dawn politely excused herself from her music teacher before going to take the phone from her governess.

    "Hello, mommy," Dawn said unenthusiastically.

    "Hey, darling! You don''t sound excited to hear from mommy," Kimberly said but Dawn said nothing.

    "Are you mad at mummy?" Kimberly asked but Dawn remained mute.

    "Well, I have news that might cheer you up. I just spoke with your friend. Can you guess who?"

    Who?" Dawn asked, her curiosity piqued.

    "Jamal! Do you know him?" She asked, and Dawn''s face lit up with a smile as she bobbed her head.

    There was a brief pause, then a delighted squeal erupted from the other end of the line causing Kimberly to smile.

    Kimberly''s heart swelled. Dawn''s innocent excitement caused a flood of relief to wash over her, mixed with a bittersweet pang.

    "Yes. Jamal. I know him."

    "He wants to talk to you. He said he misses you," Kimberly said and Dawn pursed her lips.

    "What about Lucy? Did she call too?" She asked hopefully.

    "Would you like to talk to Jamal?" Kimberly asked, ignoring Dawn''s question since she couldn''t exin to Dawn that Lucy probably wasn''t going to call to check on her because of what she had done.

    "Yes, please. Yes," Dawn said, happy at the prospect of hearing from Jamal.

    "Alright then. Give the phone to your governess. And don''t worry, sweetheart. Mommy will be there to get you soon, okay?" Kimberly promised.

    "Okay, mommy," Dawn said before handing the phone to her governess.

    Kimberly instructed the governess on what to do and then sent Andy''s instagram handle to her to enable her reach out to them.

    Dawn stood there, moving from foot to foot as she waited impatiently for her governess to give Jamal a call.

    Although they had done more of arguing and bickering during their time together. She missed Jamal a lot.

    She blushed when she remembered what Jamal had whispered to her when she was leaving.

    He was so silly. What made him think she was going to get married to him when they grew up?

 Chapter 866 You’re So Pretty

    Chapter 866 You��re So Pretty

    The wait felt excruciating for Jamal. He fidgeted in his seat, bouncing his leg and chewing his bottom lip.

    Finally, the phone buzzed in Andy''s hand, the notification announcing a video call. "It''s her!" she eximed, a wide grin splitting her face.

    Jamal, who had been bouncing on the balls of his feet with anticipation, practically shoved himself into Andy''sp. The screen flickered to life, revealing a woman with a stern looking face, followed by a small girl with bright hazel eyes and a head full of dark curls.

    Jamal''s face lit up like a Christmas tree when he saw her face, "Dawn?" Jamal boomed into the receiver, his voice a stark contrast to the tiny, hesitant voice that came through on the other end. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    Dawn''s eyes widened as she saw Jamal. "Jamal?" Dawn''s voice was barely a whisper,ced with a shyness that made Andy grin.

    "Dawn! Is that really you?" Jamal''s voice practically vibrated with excitement as he waved enthusiastically.

    "Guess what?" Jamal asked with a grin.

    Dawn tilted her head, her gaze flickering between Jamal and her governess. "What?" she whispered, a shy smile gracing her lips.

    "I miss you!" Jamal blurted, his voice brimming with sincerity.

    A giggle escaped Dawn''s lips, and she ducked her head shyly. "I miss you too," she mumbled, then quickly hid behind her hand, suddenly overwhelmed by the enormity of actually talking to Jamal.

    Andy felt a warm glow spread through her chest. This was exactly what she''d hoped for when she set up the phone call. These two little ones getting to chat and keep their friendship alive.

    "Can you believe it?" Jamal continued, oblivious to Dawn''s shyness. "We finally get to talk! Aunt Andy let me see all your pictures on your Instagram. You''re so pretty!"

    Dawn''s cheeks flushed a rosy pink. "Thank you," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

    The conversation wasn''t much more than shy greetings and awkward giggles at first. Jamal excitedly told Dawn about his aunt Andy, and his new house and starting a new school. And he told her about his new bicycle and his grandfather''spany.

    And when he ran out of things to tell her, he peppered her with questions about her day and all she was up to and Dawn, in turn, described hertest piano lesson.

    Andy watched the exchange with amusement. This was adorable. On one hand, there was Jamal, practically bursting with news and boundless energy. On the other, there was Dawn, a shy little flower slowly unfolding under Jamal''s infectious enthusiasm.

    His relentless enthusiasm drew out a few more words from her with each passing minute. Andy watched, impressed with Jamal''s patience. He clearly understood that Dawn needed a little coaxing toe out of her shell.

    "Are you happy?" Jamal asked, and even though Dawn had not been happy since she left the Hank home, she bobbed her head because she was very happy talking to Jamal.

    "And guess what?" Jamal dered triumphantly, "Lucy and Tom are going to visit soon! They said so!"

    Dawn''s eyes widened, "Are they going to visit me too?" She asked hopefully, her voice small but determined.

    "When theye see me, I''m going to ask them to bring me to you so we can y together and then you can teach me how to y your piano and I will teach you how to ride your bike," Jamal said and Dawn giggled, a sound like tinkling bells.

    "Maybe."

    As the conversation continued, Andy noticed Dawn bing morefortable, her voice growing a little bolder.

    Dawn''s smile faded slightly when her governess announced that she had chatted enough and it was time to return to her lessons, but she didn''t dwell on it. Instead, she turned back to Jamal, her eyes bright. "Will you call me again soon?"

    "Of course!" Jamal eximed, practically vibrating with excitement. "My aunt Andy made an Instagram ount for me. You can call me and I can call you too!"

    A hesitant smile bloomed on Dawn''s face. "Okay," she agreed, her voice barely a whisper.

    "She has to go now. Say goodbye," Andy told Jamal and he nodded.

    "Dawn? Remember what I told you when you were leaving?" Jamal asked, and Dawn blushed, making Andy wonder what Jamal had told Dawn.

    "I''m going to be very rich when I grow up and I will buy you a house and a car and take care of you," Jamal promised and Andy''s heart melted.

    "I''m going to be rich too," Dawn said confidently.

    "I will still take care of you," Jamal said and before Dawn could say anything else, the governess took the phone from her.

    "Ms Dawn needs to return to her piano lesson. She will talk to you some other time. Thanks for calling," the governess said and hung up the call.

    As the call ended, Andy could tell that Jamal wasn''t too happy about it so she ruffled his hair. "Wasn''t that fun? You finally got to talk to Dawn," she said, wanting him to focus on the bright side.

    Jamal beamed. "Yeah! And I have Dawn''s Instagram now! I can talk to her whenever I want to, right?"

    "I don''t think you can," Andy said honestly.

    Judging by the behavior of her governess, Andy knew that they might need to reach out to Kimberly before the governess would let Dawn take their calls whenever they called.

    "But you heard Dawn��"

    "Dawn doesn''t have control over her device. Her governess does. And if you call when she is supposed to be having her lessons, she might not be allowed to talk to you," Andy exined calmly and Jamal sighed deeply.

    "What did you tell her when she was leaving?" Andy asked and Jamal shook his head.

    "It is a secret. It''s between the two of us," he said and Andy arched an eyebrow.

    "Really? Your favorite aunt doesn''t deserve to know? After all the time I spent trying to help you contact her?" She asked and Jamal looked at her for a moment before deciding that she deserved to be let in on the secret.

    "You can''t tell anyone else, okay?" Jamal said and Andy nodded solemnly.

    "I won''t tell. I promise."

    "I told her she is my Lucy. And she is the one I''m going to get married to when I grow up," Jamal said and Andy giggled.

    "Why are you keeping it a secret? You already told everyone you''re going to marry her," Andy reminded him.

    "I didn''t tell anyone what I told her," he pointed out and Andy grinned.

    "I see. I guess you''ve proposed in advance. So, did she ept?"

    "I didn''t ask. I told her," Jamal said and Andy chuckled.

    "What if she doesn''t want to?" Andy asked curiously.

    "She is going to want to. You heard her say she missed me too," Jamal said confidently.

    "I want to grow up quickly," Jamal said and Andyughed.

    "Slow down champ. Don''t be in a haste to grow up. I''m not in haste to grow old," Andy said and when Candace called out to Jamal from the top of the staircase, Jamal ran off to answer his mom leaving Andy alone.

    Alone, Andy sighed deeply. The little girl had somewhat reminded her of Cassidy''s daughter, Maribel. She couldn''t help but wonder how the little doll was doing. And how her father was doing too.

    Was he ever going to reach out to her? And if even he did, what was the possibility of them being together?

    Cassidy was supposed to be a dead man, so he couldnt possiblye live with her here, and she couldn''t imagine spending her life on that ind either, so was there really any hope of being with him? She didn''t think so.

    Why did things have to be soplicated? She mused wearily.

    Away from there, in Sonia''s home, Bryan, Sonia, and Jeff were seated in the living room discussing the way forward.

    "You know what I think? If Jeff has to go to Mia, we need someone who looks a bit like him to pass as his recement. It would be super suspicious if Jeff disappears shortly after Mia. Think about it this way, if Mia''s husband were to see Jeff in the house and think he looks familiar, he might send those men to check if Jeff is still here. What do you think will happen?" Sonia asked, looking from Bryan to Jeff.

    "You have a point. But how do we get someone that looks just like him?" Bryan asked thoughtfully.

    "It doesn''t have to be a doppelg?nger. Someone of the same body build, and simr features is good enough. All the person has to do is assume his identity for some time. Wear his clothes. Live in the apartment��"

    "Like that girl did for Candace?" Bryan cut in and Sonia nodded.

    "Precisely. The n has to be foolproof, else Mia and Jeff would be walking into a deathtrap," Sonia said and they all went quiet for a moment as they thought about everything.

    "Maybe we can ask Harry to help us find someone," Bryan suggested.

    "I think I know someone that can do it. My cousin. He can easily pass for me unless you look closely," Jeff, who had been quiet, finally spoke.

    Sonia looked at him hopefully, "Really? That''s good then. But doesn''t he have a job and stuff?"

    "He won''t minding over to help. Besides, he''s going to get paid," Jeff said and they all nodded.

    "Why not try contacting him now let''s see if he''s up for it?" Bryan suggested and Jeff took out his phone and called his cousin.

    The moment the call connected, Jeff dove right down to business. "Hey, Joe! Quick one. I have an important job for you. Pay is good. It''s going to take a couple months and you have to move down to Ludus for the time being. Can you do it?" Jeff asked.

    "How soon do you want me toe over? And what do I need to do?" He asked and Jeff smiled.

    "If you can get into the next flight avable flight, I will owe you for life. I''m going on a trip in a couple of days, I don''t want Bryan or anyone else to find out. Can you cover for me and pretend to be more while I''m away?" Jeff asked and Bryan and Sonia exchanged a look, wondering why he lied.

    "C''mon Jeff. We might look a little alike, but there is no way they''re not going to know I am someone else," he pointed out, "Besides, I can''t begin to train my beards and stuff to look like you in such a short time."

    "You don''t have to worry about that. I got rid of my beards already. I still look a little strange to them right now because I did that. And if you do a good job, no one is going to know that you''re someone else," Jeff promised.

    "Are you sure? I don''t want to be charged with impersonation��"

    "Do you trust me?" Jeff asked and he sighed.

    "With my life."

    "Then do this for me," Jeff said and after he agreed toe the next day, Jeff thanked him and hung up the call.

    "Why did you lie to him?" Bryan asked curiously.

    "He will do a better job if he doesn''t know the truth. Besides, he might try to stop me if he knows how dangerous this might be. It''s best he doesn''t know and just focuses on deceiving everyone," Jeff exined.

    "So? Is heing tomorrow?" Sonia asked since she had heard Jeff talk about the next avable flight.

    "Yes. But that would bete in the evening since he needs to take care of some personal business and wrap up loose ends," Jeff said and they nodded in understanding.

    Sonia sighed, "I wonder how Mia is doing. They should have arrived by now," she said and picked up her phone to check if there was any news online about Vanessa Rosewood and Henry Rosewood.

    It didn''t take a minute before the images popped up, "He took her home dressed this way?" Sonia asked in disbelief when she saw how vulnerable Mia looked in her sleeping clothes and indoor footwear at thr airport.

    Immediately, Jeff and Bryan moved close to her to see what she was saying and Jeff gritted his teeth when he saw how ufortable Mia looked.

    "I''m going to kill that bastard with my own hands," Jeff promised, his face dark with anger when they saw more pictures of Mia, especially at the wee back party in the mansion.

    "He clearly did this to humiliate her. He knew they wereing home to reporters and to a wee party, yet he didn''t think to bring her more befitting clothes," Sonia said, feeling very annoyed.

    "Calm down, babe," Bryan said, holding her hand.

    "I''m trying to. Maybe we shouldn''t have let her leave with him. Maybe we should have all put up a fight and shown him we were behind Mia. Maybe he would have changed his mind and��"

    "You told Mia it was a good idea," Bryan reminded her calmly.

    "Maybe I was wrong. I have been known to be wrong. What if he hurts her? What if he breaks her again?" Sonia asked, tears in her eyes.

    "As much as I hate to say this, Mia knew what she was getting into when she chose to go back home with him. She will take care of herself until we are able to help her, so trust her and don''t worry too much," Jeff said and Bryan nodded in agreement.

    "Let''s trust Mia, and wait until Jeff can go over to join her, okay?" Bryan said and Sonia sighed.

    "Let''s not go easy on him. Okay, Jeff?" Sonia said, and Jeff gave her a nod.

    There was no way he was going to go easy on Henry. Not after all he had done to Mia.

 Chapter 867 Miscarriage

    Chapter 867 Miscarriage

    The aroma of lemongrass and ginger hung heavy in the air as Tom and Lucy exited the bustling Thai restaurant, brown paper bags filled with their dinner for the evening securely clutched in their hands.

    Lucy inhaled deeply, her stomach growling in anticipation.

    "That smells heavenly. I can''t wait to dig in," she said, her eyes sparkling with delight. "I''m starving."

    Tom chuckled, nudging her yfully with his elbow. "You wouldn''t be so famished if you hadn''t insisted on those Danish cookies earlier instead of my cuisine."

    Lucy stuck out her tongue, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Are you sure you want us to talk about that disaster? I''m trying hard to forget about it."

    "Whatever," Tom muttered as they got into the car.

    As Tom settled into the driver''s seat, his phone buzzed with an iing call. He nced at the screen and a smile tugged at his lips. "It''s my parents," he announced, holding up the phone for Lucy to see it was a foreign number and she smiled.

    "Why don''t I drive while you talk to them? Since this might take a while and we don''t know when next they might reach you?" She asked and he shook his head.

    "We are not in a hurry. So let''s talk to them before we leave. You can dig in since you''re very hungry," he suggested as he answered the call, a smile ying on his lips. "Hey, Mom, Dad. How''s the sugarmooning going?" He teased, making both his parentsugh.

    "Everything is great, darling," Evelyn''s voice, warm and familiar, crackled through the receiver, filling the car. "How are you doing?"

    "I''m good," Tom replied. "Just picked up some takeout. We''re on our way to Lucy''s ce." n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "That''s great. We were just wondering how you''re all doing. We don''t want to bother Jade since she is on her vacation with Harry, and we don''t want to bother the honeymooners either," she said and Tom nodded.

    "I guess you don''t mind bothering me since I am not honeymooning or vacationing like the rest of you," Tom said and both Lucy and Evelynughed.

    "Precisely. Have you heard from them? How are they doing?" Evelyn asked with concern.

    Thus far she had kept her word about not intruding in their lives too much, and she restricted her phone calls to once a week just so she would intimate herself with what was going on with them as she toured the world with her husband.

    "Jade is okay. Bryan and Sonia are back��"

    "So soon? It''s barely a week. Did something happen?" Evelyn asked, her voice sharpened a touch.

    Tom hesitated, debating how much to share over the phone. He looked at Lucy who was busy sniffing the takeouts and shook his head in amusement as he reached out and opened one of the brown bags and gestures to her to eat already instead of just sniffing it.

    "Well, it''s about Mia..."

    "Mia? What about her? Did something happen to her?" Evelyn asked in concern.

    "No. Not exactly. It''s just that Mia''s husband came��" Tom paused, wondering if that was the best way to answer the question since his mother didn''t know about her being married.

    "Henry found her? I had a feeling something like this might happen. I should have told Bryan," Evelyn said, sounding worried.

    "What do you mean?" Tom asked, surprised.

    "You knew she was married?" Tom asked in confusion and Lucy looked at him with interest since she couldn''t hear the conversation on Evelyn''s end but she could piece it together from Tom''s end.

    "Of course. I recognized her the moment she first began to work for Bryan. I confronted her, and although she didn''t exactly tell me what happened between them, I knew she was running for her life. I offered to intervene, but she said was too scared and pleaded that I turn a blind eye," Evelyn exined to Tom.

    "I almost forgot that you are familiar with the Rosewoods," Tom said with a sigh.

    "You forgot I linked you with them when you were in dire need of foreign investors?" Evelyn asked and Tom nodded.

    "Yeah. You''re right," he said and Evelyn raised a brow.

    "So, what is going on? How did he find her? And why did Bryan and Soniae back? Was there any serious trouble?" Evelyn asked with a concerned frown.

    Tom went on to exin the situation as best as he could, giving her all the details and how Mia had voluntarily decided to go back with Henry.

    "What?!" Evelyn shrieked, her voice filled with disbelief. "Is she serious? He could murder her!"

    "We are taking precautions to make sure that doesn''t happen," Tom said and exined Mia''s n to her.

    "Still, that n is dangerous. And why didn''t she tell me about it. I could have handled it easily," Evelyn said with a frown.

    "Handled it?" Tom echoed, surprised. "How?"

    "Yes. I would have made sure he signed the divorce papers without her leaving with him. I know the Rosewoods pretty well. I could have spoken with Henry''s parents and asked them to call him to order and make sure he signs the papers divorce papers," she said. "They''re a powerful family, but they also rely heavily on their public image. A scandal like this could hurt them," she said and Tom shook his head.

    "Don''t you think he could divorce her and still find a way to hurt her? He clearly married her to punish her. And if you get involved, they would know we are behind Mia. That''s something she is trying to avoid," Tom said and Evelyn sighed.

    "You have a point. Have you been able to purchase thepany that supplies his domestic staff?" Evelyn asked curiously.

    "That''s proving a little difficult. We''ve taken over otherpanies. Harry was able to acquire thepany in charge of his security as well as thepany that handles his maintenance services," Tom exined.

    "Maybe you don''t need to purchase it. The Rosewoods have stepped on a lot of toes and people are probably just waiting for the right opportunity to bring them down. Whatpany is that? Let me see if I can help."

    "EliteHouse Inc."

    "I thought as much. The Hendersons won''t sell no matter how much you offer. However I believe I can be of help," she said and Tom narrowed his eyes.

    "How?"

    "I believe I still have Mrs Henderson''s contact information. Your grandfather rendered tremendous help to their family in the past and she wanted me to get married to her brother. They might be able to help if I reach out to them," she said and hope flickered in Tom''s chest.

    "That would be incredible. We''ve been worried about how to get Jeff into the house."

    "Don''t worry, darling," Evelyn said reassuringly. "I will get on it immediately I hang up. Now, enough about that. How''s Lucy? Tell her I said hello."

    Tom nced at Lucy who was eating like her life depended on it. A smile yed on his lips. "She says hi."

    "Give her my love. And Tom, be careful with Henry. And don''t hesitate to call if anything else happens."

    "I will keep you updated. Thanks. Let me say hello to dad."

    Tom exchanged a few words with his father before hanging up. Tom leaned back in his seat, feeling a sense of relief mixed with the tantalizing aroma of the food.

    "What''s going on? She knows about Mia''s husband?" Lucy asked with a mouthful of Pad See Ew.

    "Yes," Tom said as he went on to summarize his conversation with his mom.

    "Well, that was��" Lucy began, searching for the right word.

    Tom finished her sentence. "Unexpected? Interesting?"

    Lucy nodded. "Unexpected is the word. Your parents seem to know everyone important."

    Tomughed. "My mom, you mean? My dad doesn''t care about things like that. But my mom made a lot of connections working as my grandfather''s aide. And seeing as he was always traveling from one country to another, it was easy for her to meet so many important people and connect with them. This is a huge weight off my shoulders."

    "Yeah. She is such a lifesaver," Lucy said as she raised a spring roll to Tom''s lips so he could take a bite.

    Tom bit into it and groaned, "Let''s leave this ce already, else we might end up having dinner here," he said as he started the car and drove out of the parking lot.

    Lucy giggled, "See? This is what really good should taste like��"

    "Lucinda Perry!" Thomas growled as he kept his eyes on the road and she gasped.

    "I can''t believe you just called me that!" Lucy said in disbelief.

    "Why not? Isn''t that your given name?" Tom asked and Lucy shook her head.

    "Well, anyone else can call me that, not you! I thought we already agreed on that?" She asked as she eyed him with annoyance.

    "Agreed on what?"

    "I''m only Jewel, babe, baby, love, and the likes to you. Not Lucy!" She hissed and he chuckled.

    "I didn''t call you Lucy. I called you Lucinda," he pointed out.

    "Isn''t that worse than calling me Lucy? Huh, Thomas?" She asked and heughed.

    "Thomas, huh?"

    "Yeah! Thomas Hank!" She said and he chuckled again.

    "I love the sound of my name on your lips, Lucinda," he drawled.

    Before Lucy could respond, her phone rang and she smiled when she saw it was Sonia and received the call immediately, "Hey, baby��"

    "Lucy!" The single word was a desperate plea, a cry for help that shattered the carefree facade of the evening.

    On hearing the pain and distress in her voice, the smile slid off her face.

    "What''s going on? Is everything okay? Where is Bryan?" Lucy asked in rm.

    Tom, sensing the sudden change, whipped his head around, his smile dissolving into a frown etched with concern.

    "I think I''m having a miscarriage," Sonia cried.

    Lucy''s heart lurched, a cold dread washing over her. Her mind raced, desperately searching for the right words, the rightfort, but all she could manage was a choked, "Oh my God, Sonia."

    "Lucy? What''s wrong?" Tom asked as his frown deepened.

    Terror welled up in Lucy''s chest, constricting her throat and making it difficult to breathe. She forced the words out, a choked whisper that sent a jolt of fear through Tom. "Sonia... miscarriage..."

 Chapter 868 Did I Lose My Baby?

    Chapter 868 Did I Lose My Baby?

    Without a word, Tom mmed on the brakes, the car lurching to a stop at the side of the road. Lucy barely noticed, her entire focus on Sonia''s ragged breaths on the other end of the line. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    The fragrant lemongrass and ginger that had filled the car just moments ago seemed to vanish, reced by a cold dread that settled in Lucy''s stomach.

    "I''m bleeding," Sonia stammered, a tremor in her voice betraying her fear.

    Lucy could hear Bryan''s frantic voice in the background, a counterpoint to Sonia''s choked sobs. Tears welled up in her eyes, blurring her vision.

    Tom looked at Lucy whose normally bright eyes were wide with terror and he reached for her hand which was trembling, "Find out where they are."

    Panic wed at Lucy''s throat, squeezing the words out in a strangled whisper, "Where are you right now?"

    "I''m losing my baby, Lu," she said, as though she was in a daze and couldn''t hear Lucy''s question.

    Lucy squeezed her eyes shut, trying to hold back the tears that welled up. She could practically feel Sonia''s fear radiating through the phone.

    Seeing as Lucy was too terrified to offer Sonia anyfort he took the phone from her, "Sony, calm down. Is Bryan there? Where are you?" Tom asked calmly.

    A choked sob escaped from the phone. "He''s... he''s calling the ambnce," Sonia said between breaths.

    "Put Bryan on," he said, his voice gruff but steady.

    The next few minutes were a blur. Tom spoke with a calm urgency, directing Bryan to go to the nearest hospital. Lucy sat beside him, tears streaming down her face, a silent prayer forming on her lips. The takeout bagsy forgotten on the back seat, the delicious aroma now a mockery of their earlier carefree mood.

    As soon as Tom gave the phone back to her, he threw the car into gear, the engine roaring to life and he sped through the city streets, sirens wailing in the distance a grim soundtrack to their frantic journey.

    "We''ll be there," Lucy forced the words out, her voice thick with emotion. "Just stay calm, Sonia. We''re on our way," Lucy said to Sonia before hanging up.

    Her trembling hands dropped to herp.  Lucy was grateful that it was Tom behind the wheel. As much as she tried to calm herself, her hands kept trembling.

    As Tom drove, Lucy sobbed. She sobbed as shes of Sonia ran through her head. She remembered how Sonia had wept when she found out she was pregnant.

    She remembered how distraught Sonia had been at the thought that she would have to abort the pregnancy because she believed that Bryan wouldn''t want it.

    She remembered how happy Sonia had been when Bryan had said he wanted them to keep the baby. She remembered Sonia''s joy when Bryan had proposed and how she had said she was happy she could now have a family of her own.

    Sonia had been so excited with the idea of having her baby and she couldn''t imagine Sonia losing it.

    "God, no. Please no," Lucy cried.

    "Calm down. You won''t be of any help to her if you are this way. We don''t know for sure if she had a miscarriage��"

    "She said��"

    "It doesn''t matter what she said. She isn''t a doctor. Calm down, love," Tom said calmly and Lucy sniffled as she brushed her tears away.

    "I''m trying to be calm," she said and Tom reached and her hand.

    Lucy tapped her feet impatiently as Tom pushed the car to its limits. Traffic lights seemed to appear at every corner, each red blink a cruel eternity.

    Lucy stole a nce at his face, the grim determination mirrored in her own reflection in the side window.

    Just then, Tom''s phone buzzed. He snatched it up, the caller ID a wee sight. "Bryan?" he answered, his voice tight with urgency.

    "Tom, we''re at the hospital. They''re taking Sonia in now," Bryan announced, his voiceced with panic.

    "Alright, calm down. We are close by," Tom said, offering a reassurance he himself didn''t quite feel. "We will be there in a few minutes."

    Ending the call, Tom threw a worried nce at Lucy. Her face was pale, but her jaw was set, a silent testament to her strength. He squeezed her hand, a wordless promise of support.

    The rest of the journey was a blur. They tore into the hospital parking lot, tires screeching in protest.

    Lucy practically leaped out of the car before it came to aplete stop, Tom close behind her. They raced through the automatic doors, the sterile scent of disinfectant filling their nostrils.

    Just inside the waiting area, they spotted Bryan. He was pacing back and forth, his face etched with worry, and his hands raking through his hair. He was a picture of raw desperation. His usually neat hair ruffled in agitation.

    Lucy sprinted towards him, reaching him in a heartbeat, "Bryan, what''s going on? Where is she? How is she?" Lucy asked, her voice thick with concern as the tears in her eyes threatened to fall.

    Bryan embraced her, more for himself than for her sake, and wrapping her arms tightly around him, Lucy squeezed her eyes shut. "Bryan," she whispered, her voice trembling slightly.

    Bryan clung to her for a moment, his body wracked with silent sobs. Tom ced a hand on his shoulder, "Bryan, it''s okay. Everything will be fine," Tom soothed, "We are here now. Everything will be fine," Tom said calmly even though he was just as worried and scared as them both.

    "What happened?" he asked gently.

    Bryan pulled away from Lucy, wiping at his eyes with a shaky hand as he tried topose himself. "We were talking one moment, and I stepped out to see Jeff off," he exined, his voice choked with emotion. "The next thing I know, Ie back to find her crying, doubled over with abdominal cramps. Then..." He hesitated, his voice dropping to a whisper, "the bleeding started."

    A fresh wave of terror washed over Lucy, but she forced it down. Now wasn''t the time to panic. They needed to be strong for Sonia.

    The air hung heavy with unspoken fears. Just then, a doctor in white scrubs emerged from the examination room and approached them, his expression unreadable.

    They rushed towards him, and relief flooded them when the doctor offered a tired smile.

    "Mr Hank," he addressed Bryan, his gaze settling on Bryan and then shifted to Tom and Lucy before returning to Bryan, "It appears to be a threatened abortion, but thankfully, both your wife and the baby are safe. She''s restingfortably now, but we''ll keep her overnight for observation."

    A collective sigh of relief swept through the group. The tension that had been building for the past hour slowly dissipated. Bryan pulled Lucy into a tight embrace, burying his face in her hair as he wept in gratitude.

    "Thank God she is okay. My babies are okay," Bryan wept happily.

    Tears of relief streamed down Lucy''s face, soaking his shirt. "Thank God," she whispered, her voice thick with emotion.

    Watching them, Tom felt himself tear up a bit so he turned away. He could very well understand Bryan''s fears. He doubted anyone would be able tofort or console him if it was Lucy who was in such a situation.

    The Doctor cleared his throat. "If you''d like to follow me, I can take you to your wife''s room. She won''t be waking up soon. She is asleep and needs all the rest she can get."

    Bryan wiped his eyes with a shaky hand. "Yes, of course. Thank you. Yes," he said, turning to Lucy and Tom. "Come on, let''s go see her."

    Lucy nodded, wiping her own tears. Relief and joy bubbled within her as she took Tom''s hand and they followed Bryan and the doctor down the corridor, the earlier fear a distant memory.

    The initial shock had subsided, reced by an overwhelming sense of gratitude. They hade so close to losing something precious.

    The scare had been a harsh reminder of the fragility of life, but it had also brought them closer. In the face of potential loss, they had found strength in their shared love and support for Sonia and their unborn child.

    ns of dinner and going to the club totally forgotten, Tom and Lucy spent the night at the hospital with Bryan, taking turns keeping vigil with Bryan beside Sonia, since Bryan had refused to take so much as a step away from Sonia''s side.

    When dawn finally broke, painting the sky in hues of pink and orange, Sonia opened her eyes and tears gathered in her eyes when she saw Bryan seated beside her and holding her hands.

    The moment Bryan saw her eyes open, he quickly rose, "How are you feeling? Are you okay?" He whispered and her lips trembled.

    "Did we lose Ryso? Did I lose my baby?" She asked fearfully and Bryan shook his head.

    "No. It was a threatened abortion. Ryso is okay. Are you fine?" He asked and she looked at him doubtfully.

    "Don''t lie to me, Bryan. I was bleeding��"

    "I could never lie to you, love. Not with something like that. Our Ryso is fine. He is strong just like his mom," he said, and tears of relief rolled down the sides of her eyes.

    The ordeal had taken its toll, but Sonia was alive, and their baby was safe. In that shared moment of fragile hope, a new appreciation for life blossomed within them, a silent promise to cherish each other and the miracle they had almost lost.

    Lucy who had slept off the other side of the bed woke up and when she saw that Sonia was awake she quickly rose, "Sony!" She called and Sonia''s gaze shifted to her since she hadn''t noticed her presence before.

    "I''m sorry I scared you all and��"

    "None of that matters. You are fine, and our baby is safe, that''s all that matters," Bryan said and Lucy nodded as she leaned down to embrace her.

    "I will go get the doctor," Bryan said before leaving the room.

    "I''m so d you''re okay, and our baby is fine. I was terrified," Lucy said and Sonia bobbed her head.

    "Me too. I was so scared. I thought I was going to lose it. I thought it was going to leave because it knew I wanted to abort it the first time. I don''t know what I would have done if I lost it, Lucy," Sonia cried, and Lucy''s heart ached since she had never seen Sonia look so fragile and vulnerable.

    "I''m d we won''t ever have to find out," Lucy said just as Bryan returned with the doctor and Tom also joined them.

 Chapter 869 No Risk, No Reward

    Chapter 869 No Risk, No Reward

    The early morning sun cast a golden glow over the cityscape as Tom weaved through the light traffic, a total contrast to their hurried arrival at the hospital the night before.

    Lucy, nestledfortably beside him, finally let out a long sigh of relief. "Thank goodness it''s all okay," Lucy finally said, her voice thick with lingering emotion. "I can''t believe how scared I was.

    Tom nced over at her, his expression mirroring her own. "Me neither," Tom admitted, squeezing her hand briefly. "I swear, I aged ten years in those fee hours." n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "Really? You didn''t look the least bit fazed. I don''t mean you were not concerned. I mean, you just looked so calm," Lucy said and Tom nodded.

    "We can''t all break down that way. That was my niece or nephew we were talking about. Of course, I was terrified but I couldn''t show it. Now when you were that way. And seeing Bryan like that... it was rough."

    "Yeah. But I still think he held it together surprisingly well, considering," Lucy said, her voiceced with admiration.

    "True. I doubt I would have been that strong had I been in his shoes," Tom said and Lucy looked at him.

    "I''m sure you would been great. You would never let me see you that worried when I''m freaking out myself," Lucy said confidently.

    "Maybe," he said and afortable silence descended upon them for a moment, broken only by the soft hum of the engine.

    Lucy was relieved since the doctor had assured them that Sonia was fine and could go home if she wanted to, but she needed to be on bed rest and had to take some medication since her progesterone level was low.

    Despite the doctor''s assurance, Bryan had however insisted that Sonia stay in the hospital until evening so that she would be observed further.

    Tom''s stomach rumbled loudly, shattering the quiet. He chuckled sheepishly. "Now, I''m starving. Not having anything to eat since breakfast yesterday finally caught up with me."

    Lucyughed, a sound tinged with exhaustion. "Me too. Though I think I''m more sleepy than hungry. All that emotional roller coaster takes a lot out of you."

    "Yeah. We can get something for breakfast and have Adolf bring lunch to us while we nap," Tom suggested and Lucy nodded in agreement.

    "Perfect. I can''t believe we have all these food in the car with us but can''t eat them," Lucy said, referring to the remnant of the takeouts in bags whichy in the back seat waiting to be disposed.

    "You should be d you ate a bit from it. I got only a bite of the spring roll," Tom said and Lucy yawned.

    "I guess so." Lucy snuggled deeper into her seat, her eyelids drooping.

    Tom grinned. "Any particr ce in mind for breakfast? Or anything in mind you want to have?"

    "Nope," Lucy said, yawning widely. "Maybe we can stop by a bakery and pick up something," Lucy said with her eyes closed.

    "And after breakfast, straight to bed?"

    "That''s a perfect n," Lucy murmured her voice thick with sleep.

    A couple of minutester, Tom pulled into a familiar cafe they passed often and Lucy opened her eyes.

    "Wait while I get us something for breakfast," he said when he saw how exhausted she looked.

    "I love you," Lucy agreed, her eyes closing back.

    By the time Tom returned a short whileter with some bagels and pastries, and a cup oftte for himself with a cup of iced mint chocte for Lucy, she had dozed off again.

    Lucy opened her eyes when she heard him get into the car, "I can''t believe I dozed off," she said with a tired smile as Tom ced the cups in the cup holder.

    "You can adjust the seat and get some rest," Tom assured her as he took a bagel and bit into it.

    "Nah. I can sleep when we get home. It''s better to eat now so I can go right to bed when we walk into the ce," Lucy said as she picked up a bagel from the takeout bag, and Tom chuckled.

    They enjoyed a leisurely breakfast as Tom drove, and once they finished eating, Lucy stretchednguidly in her seat, while a satisfied sigh escaped Tom''s lips.

    He turned to spare Lucy a nce. "So," he began, a yful glint in his eyes. "Club still on your agenda for tonight?"

    Lucy shook her head. "It''s Monday tomorrow."

    He feigned surprise. "Monday? Really? I had no idea."

    "Hrious," Lucy deadpanned. "But seriously, work."

    Tom chuckled. "Right. That pesky work thing." He paused for a moment, a teasing smile ying on his lips. "Did that ever stop you before, though? Like the night we met?"

    Lucy''s cheeks warmed at the memory. "That was a one-timepse in judgment," she protested, though a grin tugged at the corners of her mouth.

    "Can you imagine what would have happened had you not been the CEO? How could I be sote to work on my first day there?" She asked incredulously.

    Tom raised an eyebrow. "Didn''t you have good reason for it, though? I was told you had a good excuse��" Tom trailed off with a chuckle when Lucy hit his arm.

    "Harry was such an arse. Don''t even remind me of that. I cringe each time I remember the ridiculous lie I told that day," Lucy said and Tom chuckled.

    "Lucky you, I was the CEO, and I still am. So you can sleep in and gote to work if you want seeing as thatpse in judgment that brought us here," he said and Lucy rolled her eyes, a smile blooming on her face.

    "Maybe I need to make morepses in judgment," she said and Tom bobbed his head.

    "Exactly my point! You need to do that. But only with me. So howe we bothe up with a better daring list for you now that you have ticked every item on the other list?" He asked and Lucy giggled.

    "What would you put on the list?" She asked, and he shrugged.

    "Get married to Thomas Hank. Have kids with Thomas Hank. Live happily ever after with Thomas Hank," he said with a wink and she grinned.

    "That''s a very daring list," she said and he nodded.

    "And rewarding too. No risk, no reward," he said and she smiled.

    "I wille up with my list myself. And we won''t be going clubbing tonight. You know we have to go back to see Sonia, and then return to your ce," she said, changing the subject.

    Tom arched a brow. "Why do we have to go back to my ce? We could go to work from your ce," Tom pointed out, "And even spend the whole week there."

    "That won''t be a bad idea. But we would have Adolf going to and fro to bring us food. That would be too stressful for him," Lucy said and Tom shook his head.

    "He isn''t driving me or anyone at the moment. He can do that much. Besides, he is paying paid to drive, so he can as well drive the food down to your ce," Tom said and Lucy smiled.

    "Alright then. Let''s spend the week at my ce," she said happily.

    "And while we are on the subject, after the close of work, you don''t have to wait for me going forward. Adolf will be at thepany to pick you up at the close of work each day," Tom said and Lucy raised a brow.

    "You don''t want us to go home together anymore?" She asked and he nodded.

    "For now. I really didn''t like seeing you sleeping on your desk. You can wait to me at home. I will feel more at ease that way," he said, and she sighed.

    "Alright then," she said with a nod, thinking that she could use the time to do other more productive things for herself.

    Just as they walked into Lucy''s ce a couple of minutester, Lucy''s phone rang and she raised a brow when she saw the call was from Candace, wondering why Candace was calling so early in the morning.

    "It''s Candace," she told Tom.

    "I will quickly freshen up while you take the call," he said as he headed for the bathroom while Lucy received the call/

    "Good morning," Lucy greeted with a yawn.

    "I''m so sorry. Did I wake you up?" Candace asked in a worried voice.

    "No. Is everything okay?" Lucy asked, more interested in knowing the reason for Candace''s call.

    "Yeah. Well, I called for two reasons. My dad ising to Ludus to see Sara. I''m sort of worried about him. Do you think you could apany him? I don''t know, maybe drive him there? Or should I say, convince him to let you go with him? I know it''s a lot to ask but I would havee with him myself if he didn''t insist on traveling alone," Candace exined.

    "No. It''s not a lot to ask. When is heing? Maybe if you can find out the time of his flight, I will go pick him up at the airport. I''m sure he will let me drive him to his destination when he sees me. He will realize how concerned you are," Lucy said and Candace smiled in relief.

    "You''re such a life saver. Thanks," Candace said since she had been very worried about it.

    "Don''t mention. How are you? Was Jam able to talk to Dawn?" Lucy asked curiously.

    "That brings me back to the second reason I called. Yes, Jamal spoke with her and she''s okay. Are you aware that Kimberly is engaged?" Candace asked and Lucy frowned.

    "Kimberly? As in Dawn''s mom? Since when?" Lucy asked, wondering how Kimberly could be in a rtionship and be engaged so soon when she had released such a news about her and Tom barely some weeks ago.

    "It seems like the families were keeping it hush, but there are rumors of it online with a picture of her and the man in question��"

    "It could be a rumor. News like that spread between her and Tom, remember?" Lucy pointed out.

    "Well, the man confirmed that he was marrying her," Candace said and Lucy frowned.

    "Well, that''s sudden. Congrats to her. So, Dawn is fine, right?" Lucy asked curiously.

    "Yes. But Andy said she seemed sort of lonely. And she asked if you were going to visit her," Candace said and Lucy sighed.

    "I wish I could. Maybe when I visit I could say hello to her when she talks with Jamal," Lucy said hopefully.

    "Or maybe Tom would let you speak to her now that Kimberly is getting married and you don''t have to worry about her causing any more problems for you," Candace said and Lucy smiled.

    "You have a point. I hope so," Lucy said with a yawn.

    "You seem tired," Candace observed.

    "Yeah. Spent the night at the hospital. Sonia had a threatened abortion," Lucy said and Candace gasped.

    "Oh, my God! How is she doing? It was just threatened right? Ryso is fine, right?" Candace asked, sounding very concerned.

    "Yeah. The doctor said they are both okay, but she is still at the hospital being observed. Bryan insisted she stays there," Lucy said and Candace let out a relieved sigh.

    "Can I give her a call now or do you think she might be resting?"

    "Maybe you can do soter in the day. She was sleeping when we left the hospital," Lucy said and Candace sighed.

    "I''m d they''re fine. I will let you get some rest now and let you know my dad''s flight detailster. My regards to Tom."

    "Give me love to Jam and the others," Lucy said before hanging up.

    Seeing as Tom was still in the bathroom, she got on the bed and in less than a minute, she slept off.

 Chapter 870 Dinner Invitation

    Chapter 870 Dinner Invitation

    Sonia shifted ufortably in the stiff hospital bed, wishing Bryan would listen so they could go back to the warmth of their own bed.

    Despite the lingering fatigue in her body, a sense of calm washed over her. The doctor''s reassurance echoed in her ears: everything was going to be okay.

    Reaching for Bryan''s hand, she squeezed it gently. "Hey," she said softly. "You okay?"

    Bryan eyes, usually a vibrant blue, were rimmed red was filled with a mixture of relief and terror, and his face etched with worry lines.

    "Okay?" he echoed, his voice thick with emotion. "Sonia, you had me scared half to death! One minute we were talking, the next..." He trailed off, unable to voice the horrifying image that had shed through his mind.

    Sonia offered him a weak smile. "I know, babe. I was scared too. But the doctor said everything is fine. We just need to take it easy for a while."

    Bryan shook his head, his voice trembling slightly. "Easy? You won''t be taking it easy anywhere. When we get home, you''re not getting out of bed. You''re staying put, all day, every day. Resting."

    Sonia chuckled, a soft sound that sent a wave of relief through Bryan. "Bryan, I will need to use the bathroom at some point, even if I''m resting."

    He waved his hand dismissively. "Don''t worry about that. I''ll carry you. You won''t even have to move a muscle."

    Sonia''s smile widened. "Bryan, you''re being ridiculous. I can walk to the bathroom."

    "No, you can''t. You won''t," he insisted, his voice surprisingly firm. "You need to rest. I don''t want you thinking about anything, doing anything. Just focus on getting better."

    "Were you very scared?" She asked, looking at him in concern.

    He squeezed her hand, his knuckles white. "Scared doesn''t even begin to describe it. Seeing you in pain, the bleeding... I thought..." His voice trailed off, a choked sob escaping his lips.

    "I thought I was going to lose you both. I can''t. I don''t want to ever have to live without you," Bryan said and reared gathered in Sonia''s eyes as she reached out and brushed aforting hand across his cheek.

    "Hey, shh," she soothed. "It''s okay now. We''re both okay."

    "And I''m going to make sure you both remain so. No lifting, no bending, no stressing. You just rx and think about nothing."

    Sonia couldn''t help but tease him. "But what about all the work I have to do? Remember I have a deadline for my novel?"

    "Mr Conner can wait," he dered dismissively. "The world can wait. Right now, all that matters is you and the little one."

    Their moment was interrupted by a knock on the door. Jeff peeked in, a hesitant smile on his face as he held up a brown paper bag. "Hey, how''s everyone doing?"

    "We''re okay," Bryan said, his voice gruff. "Thanks foring, Jeff."

    Jeff entered the room, setting the bag on the bedside table. "Made you some broth."

    Sonia''s eyes lit up. "Thank you, Jeff. I''m sorry we bothered you..."

    Jeff grinned. "I don''t mind being bothered by you two. I''m just d to hear everything is alright.

    They conversed a bit and Jeff tried to lighten the mood. Finally, after a while, Jeff announced he needed to get back to work organizing all that was needed for his cousin to make a smooth transition.

    As he left, Sonia reached for the bag, intending to grab a bite.

    "Here," Bryan said, taking the bag before she could. "Let me."

    He opened the bag, retrieved a container of soup, and carefully spooned it to her lips.

    "Seriously, Bryan, I can feed myself," she protested weakly.

    He ignored her protest, his jaw set in a determined line. "Just open your mouth. That''s all you have to do."

    "But��"

    "No bending. No lifting. No stressing. You''re carrying our baby, so let me carry you and take care of you both, okay?"

    Sonia sighed, a small smile ying on her lips. Despite the annoyance at his overprotectiveness, it was hard to deny the warmth that flooded her heart.

    It was moments like this, moments of simple tenderness, that reminded her why she loved this man so much. His worry might be a little overboard, but it stemmed from a ce of deep love and concern.

    This was Bryan, the man who loved her so fiercely, the man who would carry her to the bathroom if need be.

    The tiny life growing within her felt even more precious than before, and she knew Bryan would be an incredible father, a little overprotective perhaps, but an incredible father nheless.

    She opened her mouth, epting the spoonful of soup. As she ate the soup, content filled her and a sense of peace settled over her, a warm glow radiating through her despite the difort.

    They hade close to losing something precious, but they were okay. And for now, that was all that mattered. She leaned into him, feeling safe and loved in his arms, and drifted off to sleep, the rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor a soothing luby.

    Away from there, Amyy on her bed, staring at her bedroom ceiling as she contemted whether or not to send Lucas an email.

    In her hand, her phone felt heavy, a battleground of indecision. Should she send the email? The question had been guing her since she woke up that morning and it was over an hour already.

    Taking a deep breath, she reread the draft she had written and deleted countless times. It was simple, a casual inquiry: [Hey Lucas, how''s your day going? You''re the first person I thought to reach out to this morning, so feel free to interpret that however you want �C maybe I dreamt about you ;)]

    A small smile yed on her lips as she reread the message. It was casual, friendly, with a hint of yful teasing. It was harmless, right? Just a friendly message to a friend.

    With a final click, she hit send. A wave of nervous anticipation washed over her, followed by a pang of regret. Maybe it was a bad idea. Maybe it would justplicate things further and make him feel like she wasing on to him strongly.

    Far away from there, Lucas was sprawled on the couch opposite Tyler as they both watched an episode of House MD.

    A notification chime on his phone startled Lucas, and he nced down at the notification.

    Amy''s name sent a jolt through him, a mixture of surprise and a flicker of something he couldn''t quite ce.

    He hadn''t been expecting an email from her so soon, since they had texted that morning before he left for his sses.

    He hesitated, his thumb hovering over the screen. Was this a good idea? To open a message that could potentially stir up a storm of emotions he wasn''t prepared for? If he opened it, he knew he was most likely going to respond, and he worried that it would encourage Amy to keep texting him until it became a routine for them.

    "Luke, you okay?" Tyler asked, when he said something and Lucas didn''t respond.

    "Yeah, fine," Lucas mumbled, his eyes glued to his phone.

    "Anything wrong?" Tyler pressed as he took in Lucas'' facial expression.

    Lucas sighed. "Nothing. Just... a message."

    "What does it say?" Tyler asked and Lucas shook her head.

    "I haven''t opened it yet."

    "The message is from Amy I suppose?" Tyler guessed, a knowing smirk ying on his lips.

    "How did you know?" Lucas snapped, surprised by his own defensiveness.

    Tyler held his hands up in mock surrender. "Easy there, tiger. You sort of get this strained expression whenever Amy''s involved."

    Lucas scoffed. "Strained expression? What are you talking about?"

    "Like you''re caught between wanting to run towards her and wanting to run away at the same time."

    Lucas bristled. "That''s nonsense. We''re not even close friends or anything."

    He didn''t want to admit it, but Tyler''s words held a sliver of truth. Amy was a tangled mess of emotions for him and he wasn''t exactly sure why he felt that way about her.

    And why was she even texting him by this time? He knew it was barely eight in the morning over there in Ludus.

    Tyler''s eyebrows shot up. "Well, open it then!"

    "I never said I wasn''t going to open it!" Lucas growled as he stared down at the phone, his finger hovering over the notification.

    Sensing that Tyler was still watching him, he opened the message. The yful tone of her message sent a jolt through him, a mixture of confusion and a flicker of something he couldn''t quite define.

    "What''s the hold-up?" Tyler asked, his voiceced with amusement as he watched him.

    Before Lucas could respond, Tyler''s phone buzzed again. This time, it was a message from Dr. Evans.

    "Hold that thought," Tyler said to Lucas, his gaze flicking to the new message. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "What''s wrong? Emergency?" Lucas asked when he saw the frown on Tyler''s face.

    "It''s an invitation to dinner with the Rosewoods tomorrow," Lucas said with a sigh. "Mr Rosewood invited me, some kind of thank you for helping him find his wife."

    "Oh, boy," Lucas said, knowing how Tyler probably felt about going to dine there now that he knew the whole truth.

    "Do you think I should tell Tom about this?" Tyler asked, and Lucas nodded.

    "Yeah," Lucas said and rose, "Let''s call it a night then. I''m tired already. Say hello to Lucy."

    "I guess you are going to respond to her email? Why not just give her your number so you can both chat properly instead of��"

    "Mind your business," Lucas muttered as he headed for his bedroom.

    "Nah. I told you I''m never minding my business anymore when it concerns you and your rtionships. I did that once. Im never doing that again," Tyler called after him and Lucas chuckled as he walked into his bedroom, not bothering to give Tyler any response.

    Alone now, Tyler took a deep breath as he dialed Lucy''s line. He was going to tell Tom about the invitation, and if Tom asked him to reject it, he would do just that.

 Chapter 871 Nipping It In The Bud

    Chapter 871 Nipping It In The Bud

    The rhythmic dripping of the shower was the only sound that disturbed the quiet of the apartment. Tom emerged from the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his waist, and padded towards the bedroom.

    He expected to find Lucy still busy with her phone call or scrolling through her phone. Instead, she was fast asleep, still fully dressed and her phone was vibrating faintly beside her.

    A smile tugged at Tom''s lips. Exhaustion had finally won her over, he thought as he leaned down, brushing a stray strand of hair off her face, a pang of protectiveness washing over him.

    A muffled groan escaped Lucy''s lips, but she didn''t stir. Tom chuckled as he picked up her phone, intending to silence the notification before it woke her but when he nced at the screen, and he saw the caller ID: Tyler, he decided to receive the call.

    He quietly walked out of the bedroom as he answered the call, "Calling another man''s girlfriend, are we?" he teased in a hushed voice, since he was aware that Lucas had a phone now so it couldn''t be Lucas calling with Tyler''s phone as usual.

    Augh crackled through the receiver. "Hey Tom, no need to get possessive. I''ve already given up. You can have her all to yourself. And just so you know, it''s you I wanted to talk to," he said and Tom raised an eyebrow.

    "Shoot," Tom said, leaning against the couch.

    Tyler cleared his throat. "It''s about Henry Rosewood. He invited me to dinner tomorrow night."

    Tom''s brow furrowed. Dinner with Henry? An unwee prickle of suspicion ran down his spine. "Dinner?"

    "Yeah," Tyler confirmed. "Apparently, it''s a thank you for helping him find his wife. I wasn''t sure if I should go or not."

    Tom fell silent, his mind racing as he considered this for a moment. "If you didn''t know the truth about why she was in Ludus would you go for dinner with him?" Tom asked curiously.

    "Of course. Henry Rosewood is an influential man and��"

    "Then I think you should," Tom cut in.

    "Are you sure? Besides, I don''t think Mia would be happy to see me��"

    "That is more reason you have to go. Act like you do not know a thing. Apart from the fact that Henry doesn''t take rejection too well, I believe he has another motive for inviting you over so it might be good to keep an eye on things. Don''t give Henry any reason to suspect you know anything. He might be trying to see how much you know, to make sure you don''t breathe a word about Mia being okay and not suffering from amnesia."

    "Yeah, I figured," Tyler sighed. "Just wanted to see what you thought. I just... don''t trust the guy now that I know stuff," Tyler said and Tom nodded.

    "Good thinking," Tom agreed. "Keep me posted on how it goes."

    "I understand," Tyler said, his voice serious. "I''ll be careful, Tom. I''ll keep my eyes peeled and try to get a feel for the situation. I''ll definitely get back to you after and let you know how it goes, how Mia seems to be doing." Tyler promised.

    "Thanks, Tyler. That would be great." Tom said before ending and he returned to the bedroom and ced the phone on the nightstand.

    Before he could join Lucy on the bed, his phone began to vibrate, and he quickly picked it up and walked out of the bedroom when he saw it was Harry.

    "Hey! What''s up?" Tom asked immediately he received the call.

    "I''m here enjoying the view of the beach, and bored out of my mind at the same time. What''s going on over there?" Harry asked and Tom chuckled.

    "You''re such a workaholic. Where is Jade? Don''t let her catch you saying you''re bored," Tom warned.

    "It''s a secret between us. She went kayaking so let''s talk before she gets back," Harry said and Tom chuckled before going on to fill him on all he needed to know about the office and Mia''s case.

    "What if the Hendersons tell Henry about the n?" Harry asked after Tom told him that Evelyn was going to speak to the Hendersons.

    "You know my mom. She won''t say anything until she is sure she can trust them. She sounded pretty confident. And you know we can count on the fact that Henry has more haters than loyal friends," Tom said and Harry sighed.

    "Alright. I hope it''s worth the shot. I also hope Tyler doesn''t make a slip at the dinner," Harry said thoughtfully.

    "I''m sure he won''t. How are you enjoying your vacation?" Tom asked and Harry sighed.

    "It''s fun mostly when I''m not thinking of work, but when Jade goes to sleep or she goes to do something else, I begin to wish I brought myptop," Harry confessed and Tom chuckled.

    "How''s the n for the engagementing?" Tom asked curiously.

    "I n to meet with the nner in a couple of minutes. That was one of the reasons I didn''t go with Jade. And I''m trying to see if I can have them prepare somewhere close by and nice for you all to stay since you''d be spending the weekend," Harry said and Tom remembered that he had not told him about the incident with Bryan.

    "I don''t think Bryan and Sonia woulde. Sonia had a threatened abortion, and I doubt Bryan would want her to go on any trip after that scare," Tom said and Harry frowned.

    "A threatened abortion? Oh, my God! What happened? I hope she is fine and the baby is okay?" Harry asked, sounding genuinely concerned.

    "Yes. She is fine and the baby is okay too. I will find out from Bryan if they will make the trip, but if not, you will have to make some adjustments to your n," Tom exined.

    "That''s fine and quite understandable too. I wouldn''t let her travel either if I were in his shoes," Harry said and Tom nodded in agreement.

    "Sure."

    "Well, keep me posted on whatever happens. And if there is anything I can do from here, do let me know. The nner is here now. I have to go. And give my love to Lucy," Harry said before hanging up.

    Done with the phone call, Tom returned to the bedroom and after cing his phone beside Lucy''s, he took off Lucy''s lowt and crawled into bed beside her. The moment he wrapped his arm around her, she snuggled closer to him and he closed his eyes with a sigh of contentment.

    The gentle rise and fall of Lucy''s breath a calming luby as he drifted off to sleep.

    Away from there, steam billowed from the bathroom door as Lucas emerged, a towel wrapped around his damp hair. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    He nced at his phone on the nightstand, a silent reminder of the email he was yet to respond to. With a resigned sigh, he sat on the edge of the mattress and picked up the phone.

    He unlocked the phone and tapped on the message. As he reread Amy''s message this time, the image of her yful smile shed in his mind at the yful jab about dreaming of him, and a ghost of a smile yed on his lips.

    A part of him, a curious, reckless part, wanted to delve into that, to tease her back, to see where that yful banter might lead.

    But another, more cautious voice held him back. He didn''t needplications right now. He barely knew Amy, and the distance between Ludus and Hu felt like a vast ocean separating them.

    He began to type a response, his fingers hovering over the keys. [I had a good day. I''m going to bed now. Have a nice day��] he hesitated as he read the text.

    It sounded curt. More like a brush off, he reasoned with a grimace, deleting the text with a frustrated swipe.

    He sighed as he thought of the best way to respond without sounding so curt. [Hi! I had a good day. I was on my way to bed when your message came in. I hope you''re good. Have a nice day.] he read it, and decided this sounded better.

    He deliberately chose not toment on the part about him being the first person she was reaching out to in the morning or the possibility of her dreaming of him.

    Mentioning the dream felt like venturing onto a dangerous path, a path that could lead to confusing emotions and tangled desires. He didn''t want to go there. He didn''t want to be curious about what she had dreamt of. He didn''t want to analyze what she might have dreamt of, or worse, let himself fantasize about it.

    He knew how easy it was for that line of conversation to be flirty. He wasn''t going to let himself fall into that trap by delving into a territory that could easily be flirty. It was best to nip it in the bud by not even responding to it.

    Satisfied with the message he hadposed, he hit send. Then, with a finality that surprised him, he switched his phone to airne mode. No notifications, no distractions. He wouldn''t be tempted to check for a reply, wouldn''t be drawn into ate-night conversation. He could deal with that in the morning.

    He settled deeper into the bed, the silence of the room broken only by the soft hum of the air conditioner. Despite his efforts to quell the curiosity, a flicker of it remained, a tiny ember refusing to be extinguished.

    His thoughts drifted to what Tyler had said about him having a strained expression whenever it involved Amy and he shook his head.

    This was a dangerous path, a tempting invitation to a world of what-ifs and maybes.

    He wasn''t going to think about that. He didn''t care what Tyler, or Lucy or even Amy thought.

    Before he could switch off the light in the bedroom so he could go to sleep, Tyler knocked on the door and peeked in, "I''ve spoken with Tom. I will be going to there tomorrow. So, I might leave for dinner from work," Tyler informed him.

    "Alright. Good night," Lucas called back before Tyler left.

    As soon as Lucas switched off the light, sleep, like a heavy nket descended upon him, pushing thoughts of Amy and her dreams to the back of his mind as he slept off.

 Chapter 872 A - Z

    Chapter 872 A - Z

    Lucy stirred, a lethargic groan escaping her lips. The events of the previous night, the worry and the relief, all caught up to her, leaving a dull ache in her limbs.

    She smiled when she felt Tom''s arms around her, his chest rising and falling rhythmically as he slept.

    Why didn''t he wake her up to go and freshen up? She mused as she wondered how long she had been out.

    Picking up her phone, she nced at the time and she was surprised to see that it was almost noon. She had been sleeping for over four hours already.

    Not wanting to disturb him, she carefully lifted his hand and slipped out of arms. Careful not to rustle the sheets, she slipped out of bed as quietly as possible, and tiptoed towards the bathroom.

    As she freshened up her thoughts drifted to her phone conversation with Candace and she could help but hope that Tom would let her check on Dawn now.

    Wrapping a towel around herself, she stepped out, ready to grab some clothes and head back to bed for a few more precious moments of sleep.

    Just then, Tom stirred, his eyes fluttering open. He paused, his gazending on Lucy standing in the doorway, the sunlight catching the damp strands of her hair and highlighting the curve of her shoulder. A slow grin spread across his face.

    "Ain''t that a lovely sight to wake up to," he drawled, his voice husky with sleep, "You look like an angel who just stepped out of a cloud."

    Lucy flushed, a startledugh escaping her lips. "Did I wake you up?"

    "I missed you in my arms," he chuckled, propping himself up on his elbows. "But don''t worry. I don''t mind since I get to l admire this view. You look especially ravishing right now."

    She rolled her eyes, a blush still warming her cheeks. "ttery will get you nowhere."

    "We''ll see about that," he countered with a wink.

    "I think I''m a bit hungry. Are you hungry?" Lucy asked with a yawn as she walked towards the dresser, grabbing a brush and detangling her damp hair.

    "Sort of. I should probably give Samantha a call and have Adolf deliver lunch," Tom said as he picked up his phone.

    After calling Samantha and instructing her to pack their lunch and have Adolf deliver it, he looked at Lucy who was seated in front of the mirror with a dryer in hand.

    "I didn''t expect you to wake up anytime soon seeing how exhausted you were."

    Lucy sighed, running through her damp hair with the brush. "I''m still exhausted. I still n to get some rest," she said as she dried her hair with the dryer.

    "Need me to help you with that?" Tom asked as he got out of bed.

    "Your help will be greatly appreciated as long as you don''te seeking reward of any kind," she said, and Tom chuckled as he took the dryer from her.

    Tom dried her hair in silence whilebing her hair at intervals and Lucy turned in her seat to look at him.

    "Why are you so good with this? Have you done this for someone else before now?" She asked suspiciously.

    Tom chuckled, "I see you do this often. How slow would I be not to pick up how to do it?" He asked and she grinned.

    "Just wanted to be sure," she said as she rxed back.

    "I think it''s all dry now," Tom said as he turned off the dryer.

    "Thanks," Lucy said as she rose, and walked over to the closet to take out something to wear.

    "Do you really need to cover up? I''m notining, you know?" Tom said as he ran his gaze over her.

    Lucy giggled, "By the way, you won''t believe what Candace told me earlier," Lucy said as she took out afortable shirt.

    "What did she say?" Tom asked as he came to stand close to Lucy, a naughty gleam in his eyes.

    "Step back. You''re too close forfort," she said with a giggle.

    "Why? I didn''t do nothing. Go on and dress up," Tom said with a chuckle as he waited for her to take off the towel.

    "Step back. Go lie on the bed," she said, knowing he nned to do something once she took off the towel.

    "Alright. Fine. Whatever," Tom said as he turned around like he was going to the bed, and immediately he heard a little movement behind, he turned to see if she had taken off the towel and Lucyughed.

    "I know you," she saidughing and Tom chuckled.

    "Suit yourself then," he said as he got on the bed, and Lucy quickly took off the towel and put on the shirt.

    "Did Harry mention anything to you about his dading to Ludus on Monday? Candace said Aaron ising to visit Sara, and she wants me to see if I can apany him," Lucy asked as she joined him on the bed and Tom nodded.

    "Harry did mention that his father nned to visit her, but he didn''t tell me the day or time. What did you tell her?" Tom asked and Lucy shrugged.

    "I asked her to find out his flight details. I will go pick him from the airport��"

    "I will go with you," he said and Lucy arched a brow.

    "You might be busy," she reminded him.

    "That''s Harry''s father. It doesn''t matter whether or not I''m busy. I can always make out time for him. I''m sure Harry would have been there to pick him up had he been around. So, since Harry isn''t here, I will fill in for him," Tom said and Lucy smiled.

    "That''s cool," Lucy said with approval.

    "Was that what you wanted to tell me earlier?" Tom asked curiously.

    "Oh, that. No. It''s about Kimberly. Kimberly got engaged," Lucy said and Tom snorted.

    "Engaged? How sure are you��"

    "Candace said the guy in question confirmed the rumors," Lucy said, since she had thought the same.

    "If that''s the case, congrats to her. I hope she finds happiness," Tom said expressionlessly.

    Lucy nodded. "Me too. Though, it does make me wonder about Dawn." N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "What about her?" Tom asked, since he had resigned himself to the fact that no matter what he said, Lucy was always going to worry about the kid.

    "Don''t you think this changes everything? I mean, now that she is getting married��"

    "Dawn is getting married?" Tom asked dryly and Lucy giggled.

    "Don''t be a clown. You know what I mean��"

    "No, I don''t," Tom cut in yfully again and Lucyughed.

    "I''m being serious," Lucy said and Tom sighed.

    "Okay. Shoot."

    "I was wondering if it might be okay for me to reach out to Dawn now. Kimberly won''t be bothering you now that she is getting married," Lucy said and Tom sighed.

    Lucy looked at him with hopeful eyes as she waited for him to say something, and just when she was about to give up speak again, Tom finally responded.

    "If you think it would make you happy, then do it," he said, his voice gentle.

    Lucy''s face lit up with a radiant smile, and she threw her arms around him, burying her face in his chest.

    "Thank you, Tom," she whispered, genuine relief and gratitude radiating from her.

    He held her close, "Anything for you," he murmured, cing a soft kiss on the crown of her head.

    They both nced at Tom''s phone when it buzzed and he picked up and received the call. He listened for a minute and nodded, "Sure. That''s fine," he said as he hung up.

    "That was Adolf. He will be here with lunch in about thirty minutes," he informed Lucy.

    "Good. I''m starving," Lucy said, patting her abdomen.

    "That reminds me. Tyler and Harry both called earlier," he said, and Lucy frowned.

    "Tyler called you?"

    "No. He called you while you were sleeping. But he wanted to speak with me," Tom exined.

    "Oh. What did he want? Is everything alright?" She asked and Tom told her what Tyler had said.

    "I don''t feel too good about that," Lucy said when Tom was done telling her about their conversation.

    "I don''t either. But let''s see how it goes," Tom said and Lucy sighed.

    "What about Harry? How are they doing?" She asked and Tom chuckled.

    "Harry is a bit bored. He''s a workaholic to the bone. I think the only thing keeping him sane right now is the proposal nning," Tom said and Lucy scowled.

    "He told you he is bored? How can he be bored when he is with Jade?" She asked and Tom chuckled when he heard the displeasure in her voice.

    "He''s not bored by her. When she is sleeping or busy with her own stuff he gets bored. Harry isn''t too used to being idle," Tom said and Lucy shook her head.

    "Isn''t that what vacations are meant for? Being idle? I hope you won''t be bored when we go on a vacation," she said in a threatening tone and Tomughed.

    "Or what?"

    "Or I''m never going on a vacation with you ever again," she said and he nodded.

    "Noted. Want to sleep? Or are you up for a game? Let''s do something fun while we wait for Adolf," he said and she nodded.

    "Yeah. Let''s do that. I''d hate to sleep now and be disturbed in a couple of minutes. What game do you have in mind?" Lucy asked and Tom thought about it for a minute.

    "Well, I have a couple of ideas, but let''s do something simple. How about the A to Z game? Do you know it?" He asked, and when she looked at him like she didn''t quite get what he meant he decided to borate.

    "Alright, here''s how it goes. We take turns making a sentence, but each sentence has to start with a different letter of the alphabet. We go in order, A to Z, and whoever stumbles or repeats a word loses."

    Lucy grinned, a surge ofpetitiveness coursing through her. "You''re on. But don''t think I will take it easy on you," she warned.

    "As long as you don''t have mood swings when I win, let''s do it," Tom said and she scowled at him.

    "What does the winner get? Can I ask you for anything when I win?" She asked, and he chuckled.

    "When, not if?" He asked in amusement and she grinned.

    "You get it," she said and they bothughed.

    "Sure. Ask me for anything whether you win or lose��"

    "No. I''m not losing. You go first," Lucy urged him.

    "Nah. Ladies first," Tom said, and Lucy tapped her chin, a yful smirk tugging at her lips.

    "Adolf is bringing us lunch."

    Tom''s grin widened. "Breakfast was nice but lunch will be better."

    "Can''t wait to see what he brings," Lucy continued, thepetitive spirit rising within her.

    "Don''t care. Just wanna eat," Tom added.

    "That''s not a correct sentence. What do you mean don''t care?" Lucy asked and Tom looked at her incredulously.

    "Don''t tell me you are stalling because you don''t know what to say?" Tom asked and she rolled her eyes.

    "Everyone knows I''m a straightforward person. I have no reason to stall," Lucy said, continuing the game.

    "For real, Jewel. You just stalled," Tom said and she snorted.

    "Get over it," Lucy said with a yful jab.

    "Ha Ha Ha," Tom said and Lucyughed.

    "You''re a liar. That''s not a word. No way I''m epting that," Lucy said and Tom chuckled.

    "How can you say that is not a word?" He asked and she red at him.

    "I can''t believe you''re cheating!"

    "Just remember you started it first," he said with a wink.

    "Kill me with your lies already," she said and they bothughed.

    "That sentence doesn''t make sense," Tom pointed out and she shrugged.

    "Same as Ha Ha Ha. Letter L, Tom!" She reminded him.

    "Letter L isn''t so hard," Tom said and Lucy gaped at him, unable to believe he just took what she said, and Tomughed.

    "Man, you''re unbelievable," she said with a shake of her head.

    "No, ma''am. This is all your fault."

    "Or yours, you mean?" Lucy asked and Tom shook his head.

    "Please let''s just end this game already."

    "Quick question, why do you want to end the game?" She asked with a grin.

    "Really? You are going to act like you don''t know why?" Tom asked and she smiled.

    "Smile, T. You''re frowning too much."

    "T isn''t in the mood to smile," Tom said with a wink and Lucy red at him.

    "Under no circumstance should you use something I said for your sentence," she warned.

    "Very well then. I''m just going toe up with mine," he said and Lucy sighed deeply.

    "Well, I guess there is no winner or loser here."

    "Xylophones are nice musical instruments to y when you win or lose," Tom said and Lucy rolled her eyes.

    "Yes. I agree with whatever you say," she said and Tom grinned.

    "Zee? That was say easy," he said and they both hollered withughter.

    "You lost. There is no word like Zee," Lucy said,ughing hard.

    "Zebras are nicer than you," Tom said and Lucy scowled.

    "You''re a liar. You lost. You lost already," Lucy said and Tomughed.

    "Prove it," he said and she red at him.

    "You''re always cheating. I''m never ying any game with you again," she said and Tomughed as she got out of the bed.

    "Neither of us won or lost. Why are you so mad?"

    "You lost! You lost several times," she hissed and heughed hard.

    "You''re such a sore loser," he said and just then, a knock on the door interrupted then and he grinned.

    "Lunch is here," Tom said as he rose to get the door and heughed when Lucy eyed him in annoyance as he walked past her.

 Chapter 873 Watchdog Diana

    Chapter 873 Watchdog Diana

    A soft smile yed on Mia''s lips as she slept. Her brow remained smooth, untroubled by the anxieties that often gued her waking hours.

    In the dreamy world behind her closed eyelids, she found herself standing beside a familiar counter with Jeff beside her, their arms brushing as they leaned in over a sizzling pan. The scent of sizzling garlic and rosemary filling the air.

    "Just a little less pressure, Mia," Jeff''s voice, warm and familiar, cut through the dream. "You want to sear it, not tten it."

    Mia giggled, adjusting her grip on the spat. The yful banter, the shared task, the easypanionship - it was everything she craved but could never have in the real world.

    Laughter danced on the edge of her lips as Jeff, his grin wider than the spat, as he held up a perfectly seared steak. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "Vo!" he dered, his eyes sparkling with amusement. "See, Mia? It''s not magic, just a little technique."

    Mia reached out, her fingers tracing the grill marks on the meat. It felt real, the warmth radiating through her fingertips like a forbidden secret.

    "You''re a natural," Jeff teased, gently swatting her hand away with the spat.

    The dream dissolved then, leaving behind a lingering warmth that seeped into her waking moments. Mia stretched, a contented sigh escaping her lips as she blinked her eyes open with a smile on her face.

    The yful kitchen scene in her dream dissolved into the stark reality of her cold bedroom, and her contentment was short-lived when she came face to scowling face with Henry who loomed above her his his eyes narrowed with suspicion. Her heart lurched into her throat and a chill tan down her spine.

    "Well, well," Henry''s voice dripped with icy sarcasm. "Seems like someone''s having a lovely dream," he said, his voice dripping with a coldness that sent shivers down her spine.

    He didn''t want her to be peaceful, to have even a moment of respite. He wanted her to be perpetually cowed.

    Mia scrambled back against the headboard, her heart hammering frantically against her ribs. "H-Henry? What are you doing here?" she stammered, feigning fear and confusion.

    He leaned in closer, his breath hot on her cheek. "Curious. I saw that smile on your face. What kind of dream could make someone like you smile so wide? Care to share what little fantasy brought that on?" He asked with a cold smile as he grabbed her shoulder.

    Mia felt a surge of defiance rise within her. How dare he pry into her dreams?

    "I... I don''t know what you''re talking about, Henry," she mumbled, her voice barely a whisper.

    "Don''t y dumb, Vanessa," he snarled, his grip tightening on her shoulder. "Don''t lie to me." his voice grew louder, a dangerous edge creeping into it.

    "It was just a meaningless dream��"

    "It couldn''t possibly have been a mere dream," Henry cut in.

    "You looked downright content there. Rxed. Almost happy. And that is uneptable. It''s unsettling, really. You shouldn''t befortable enough to have pleasant dreams under my roof. You should be having nightmares, nightmares that keep you awake at night. How dare you be happy?"

    The anger in his voice sent a tremor through her. Happy? Uneptable? He made it sound like she was a naughty child caught with a forbidden candy bar.

    Taking a deep breath, Mia forced her voice to sound meek. "I''m sorry, Henry. I must have had a nice dream, but I don''t remember what it was about. I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to�� to have a happy dream," she choked out, her voice trembling, and her eyes downcast.

    Henry stared at her, his expression unreadable. The silence stretched on, heavy and suffocating. Finally, after a tense moment, he finally released his grip and he straightened up, his shoulders slumping slightly.

    "See that you don''t, Vanessa," he said, his voice low and menacing and she nodded.

    "Come out. I want you to meet someone," he said and she nced at the clock in her bedroom with a frown.

    "It''s barely six��" she pressed her lips together when he shot her a re.

    "Are you questioning me?" He asked with a raised brow and she shook her head.

    "I will be right out," she said and her eyed her with displeasure.

    "You have five minutes. We will be in the living room," he said and walked towards the door, leaving Mia alone in the cold, oppressive silence of her bedroom.

    As the door clicked shut behind him, Mia let out a sigh. She shuddered at the thought that he had been standing over her and watching her sleep.

    She was not permitted to have happy dreams? She mused and resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Well, he should try to stop her.

    Had she really endured all of this in the past? She mused as she went to the bathroom to wash her face and mouth.

    She wondered if she was going to be able to put up with him for up to a month talk more of three. She needed to teach the imbecile a lesson, and she needed to do it fast.

    As she put on a robe over her sleeping wear, her lips twitched as she remembered her dream. Who would have thought she would be able to sleep for sofortably on her first night back here? She thought as she walked out to go meet Henry.

    As she walked into the living room, she heard Henry talking to someone and on getting close to them, she saw it was a beautiful youngdy. She looked like she was in her mid-twenties.

    Mia recognized her from the wee party they had thrown previous day, and seeing how she was also wearing a sleeping dress, and judging by the way she was smiling at Henry as they talked, Mia could tell there was more to their rtionship.

    Henry looked up when Mia walked in, "Diana, this is my wife, Vanessa. Vanessa, this is Diana Locke, your aide," Henry said and Mia frowned.

    "My aide?" Mia asked incredulously.

    "Yes. She will be in charge of your appointments and schedule. She will be your shadow. She will go with you to wherever you''re going," Henry said and Diana shed Mia a smile.

    "Thanks for going through the trouble to get me an aide, but��"

    "Diana is also my lover," Henry announced as he held out a hand to Diana and she took his hand.

    "Your lover?" Mia asked, looking shocked. She had not expected this.

    "Yes. We were going to get married, but unfortunately you turned up alive before we could announce our engagement. So, we are all stuck together," Henry said and Mia looked at Diana who was staring at Henry like he was the best thing to have happened to her.

    "Why don''t you divorce me and get married to her since you''re both so in love?" Mia asked hopefully, looking from Henry to Diana.

    "No. My king here, believes in the sanctity of marriage. I do too. That means for as long as you are alive, he won''t divorce you. Only death can do you part," Diana exined sweetly.

    "And you''re okay with that?" Mia asked and she nodded.

    "Absolutely. As long as I can live close to my king and serve him in every way I can, I''m fine," Diana said and shed Henry a smile which a returned.

    "And you''re going to be my aide? You will be an aide to the woman who is married to the man you love?" Mia asked incredulously.

    "Yes. I have to make sure you don''t cause any more problems for my King. To everyone else, I will be your live-in aide. We don''t want the public to have a wrong opinion of Henry," she said and Mia opened her mouth to speak again, but Henry raised a finger.

    "I didn''t ask for your opinion. I only called to let you know how things are done around here now. She has been in charge of running the household since you disappeared. She will remain in charge. Whatever she asks you to do, make sure you do it. You left your ce vacant, and now it has been filled by another," Henry said as he rose.

    "I will leave you two to get acquainted," Henry said with a nod to Diana before walking away.

    The moment Henry disappeared from view, the smile slid of Diana''s face and she looked at Mia, "Sit down," she ordered.

    Mia looked at her contemtively before sitting down, "Just to make it clear to you. This is my turf. And like Henry already told you, I run things here. I hope you do not have any funny ideas and you''re not here to pull any silly stunts," Diana said in a tone reeking of superiority.

    "You realize that this could really be all yours if you could convince him to divorce me, right?" Mia asked and Diana snorted.

    "Did you really contact a man like Henry, asking for a divorce and expecting him to give you one?" She asked, eyeing Mia spectively.

    "There is no way you could have followed him back here without a n. I''m sure you knew he wouldn''t divorce you and he woulde for you. What is your n? Did youe back because you suddenly realized it is better to serve him and enjoy all his wealth, or did youe because you want to hurt him? Perhaps kill him?" She asked thoughtfully.

    "I was brought back here against my will��"

    "Then you''re either more foolish than I thought, or braver than I gave you credit for. If you had no intention ofing back here, you should never have let him know of your existence in the first ce," Diana said with a shake of head as she rose.

    "I have nothing personal against you, Vanessa. Be a good girl, and I will go easy on you. Who knows? We might even get along. But if you so much as give me a reason to raise an eyebrow, I will make your life a living hell. If you came here with any silly n in mind, discard it. I will be watching you like an eagle. Your every move. Today, we will be apanying Henry to the golf club by 10 a.m. I''m sure you can dress up ordingly. And we will be having guests over for dinner. Go get ready for breakfast. It will be served by 7 a.m."

    With that, Diana walked away, leaving Mia alone in the living room. Mia clutched her trembling hands together, willing them to stay still.

    Mia didn''t know how long she sat there, but her old fear returned. She had not seen thising. Jeff and the others had been right. She had thought everything would be as usual�� exactly as she had left them, but things had changed.

    If Diana was going to be dogging her every move, then she was not going to be able to do much. How was she going to be able to get Henry to fire his domestic staff if that was Diana''s turf?

    What was she going to do? What if she was not able to carry out her n? Had she willingly walked back into Henry''s gilded cage to be stuck here?

    No. Mia told herself calmly. No. She was not stuck. She had Jeff, Harry, Tom, Bryan, Sonia and even Lucy. She was not alone in this. She knew they would do whatever it took to get her out of here whether or not her n failed.

    She was not going to fear or give in to despair. This was only a hup in her ns. She would find a way. She was certain that they would also find a way. She would do whatever she could while also being careful to not provoke Henry or rouse the suspicion of his watchdog girlfriend. With that thought in mind, Mia rose and headed for her bedroom.

 Chapter 874 …We Both Need A Break

    Chapter 874 ��We Both Need A Break

    Sonia, still pale from the ordeal of the night before, leaned against the pillows as Bryan raised a ss of water to her lips so she could drink.

    She raised her hand to support the cup but Bryan gently pped her hand off making her sigh in exasperation.

    "Bryan," she called in a warning tone and Bryan set the ss down.

    "Yes, baby?" He replied sweetly and despite her irritation a smile tugged on the corners of her lips.

    "You''re doing too much," she said with disapproval.

    "As I should have done from the beginning. Thenst night would not have happened," he said, making her sigh as she ced both hands on her abdomen.

    "Do you really think so? Then are you saying it''s my fault that we almost lost Ryso?" She asked and Bryan shook his head immediately.

    "Of course not. I could never say that or even think it. I''m just saying I''m the man here. It''s my duty to protect my family. You and Ryso are my family and I have to be more proactive," he said and she shook her head.

    "I don''t think this is about anything we did or could have done��"

    Before she could finish speaking, his phone buzzed in his pocket. He took it out and nced at the screen and a tired smile tugged at his lips. "It''s my parents," he said, picking up the call on speaker.

    "Hey, mom!" he answered, his voice weary.

    "Hello, darling! Tom said you''re back from Paris already. How are you both doing?" Evelyn asked and Bryan sighed.

    "We''re still here at the hospital. Everything''s okay now so you don''t have to worry."

    A gasp escaped Evelyn on the other end. "Oh my goodness! Tom only told us you were back from Paris, but I didn''t know anything about a hospital!"

    Bryan winced. He had thought Tom told her about it already, "There was a bit of a scare," he admitted, his voice low. "Sonia..."

    Bryan closed his eyes briefly. Sonia reached out and squeezed his hand reassuringly. "It''s okay, babe. I will tell her," Sonia said softly but Bryan shook his head.

    "Oh dear, is she alright, darling? What happened?" Evelyn asked when Bryan''s response didn''te as soon as she expected.

    Bryan took a deep breath, "She had someplications with the pregnancy."

    "What did the doctor say?" Evelyn asked, trying to keep the fear out of her voice.

    Bryan recounted the doctor''s exnation, his voice filled with a tremor of suppressed fear. He told her about the bleeding, the threatened miscarriage, and finally, the doctor''s reassurance that everything seemed fine for now.

    Relief flooded Evelyn''s voice when she finished. "Oh, Bryan, I don''t even know what to say! Thank goodness it''s nothing serious. But Sonia, how is she doing? Can I speak to her?"

    "Mom, she''s resting," Bryan said, ncing at Sonia who rolled her eyes. "But you can talk to her if you want. The phone is on speaker so she can hear you."

    "Hello��"

    "Sonia, my dear!" Evelyn''s voice filled the phone with relief. "I just heard from Bryan. I''m so sorry to hear what happened! Are you alright?"

    Sonia smiled. "I''m okay. Just a bit shaken."

    "Oh, you poor thing. And you listen here," Evelyn''s voice turned firm. "You need to take it easy. No more stress, no running around. Just rest and recover, alright? And Bryan, you make sure she does."

    "We will, Mom. Don''t worry," Bryan promised, a reassuring smile ying on his lips.

    "Alright, alright. Just take care of yourselves," Evelyn said, her voice softening. "Your dad wants to say hello."

    Desmond, who had been listening intently on the other end, took the phone from Evelyn. "Sonia? It''s Desmond. d to hear everything seems to be fine now. Sonia, you take good care of yourself and let Bryan take care of you, okay? I know he will do a good job."

    Sonia chuckled weakly. "Thank you, Desmond. I will," Sonia said sincerely.

    After a few more words of reassurance, Desmond and Evelyn said their goodbyes, leaving afortable silence in their wake.

    Bryan ced the phone on the bedside table and sat beside Sonia, taking her hand in his. "You heard them, right? Let me take care of you," he said and she smiled.

    "I do let you take care of me. Just don''t do too much. Where is my phone by the way?" She asked and Bryan raised an eyebrow.

    "Did you really expect me to remember to bring your phone with me in my haste to get you to the hospital?" He asked incredulously.

    "But you remembered to bring yours," she pointed out.

    "Only because it was in my pocket the whole time. Stop arguing and get some rest. We will be going home soon," he said and Sonia sighed as Bryan adjusted the pillows behind her so she could lie back down.

    Just as she started to drift off, Bryan''s phone buzzed again, and this time it was Candace, "It''s Candace," Bryan informed Sonia and her eyes opened.

    "She''s probably trying to reach me," Sonia said as Bryan received the call and ced it on speaker.

    "Hey, Bryan! Sorry to bother you. I''ve been trying to reach Sony but she isn''t taking her calls. How is she doing?"

    "I''m fine," Sonia responded to Candace''s relief.

    "Oh, Sony! Thank goodness! How are you feeling now? I heard from Lucy. I''m so d that it wasn''t very serious and you''re fine," Candace said sounding genuinely relieved.

    "Me too. The blogs are all saying you had a miscarriage. Talk about passing wrong information," Andy chipped in and Sonia exchanged a look with Bryan.

    "What blogs?" Sonia asked in confusion.

    "Oh! I guess you didn''t know. The news is all over the inte that you were rushed to the hospital and you were bleeding," Andy said and Sonia frowned.

    This was one of those times she wished Bryan wasn''t a celebrity and she could have her privacy. Why would anyone want to put out such news? Especially when it wasn''t even confirmed?

    "I will take care of it," Bryan assured her softly, seeing how much she didn''t like it.

    "Thanks for calling. I do feel much better and will be going home soon," Sonia assured them before hanging up.

    "Don''t worry about it. I will have it taken down," Bryan promised before Sonia could speak and she sighed.

    "I just want to go home," Sonia said and Bryan took her hand once again.

    "Soon. Once the IV fluid is finished we can go home," he said and they both nced at the fluid which was almost done.

    "Why don''t we check what''s on the blogs?" Sonia suggested and Bryan shook his head.

    "No. Let''s not pay any attention to that. I don''t want anything to bother you," Bryan said and they turned to the door when a knock sounded on it, before Lucy walked in with Tom following behind.

    "How is my favorite girl doing?" Lucy asked and Sonia smiled. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "I''m alive and thankful," Sonia said as Lucy came to stand beside her and took her hand.

    "How are you feeling now?" Tom asked and Sonia smiled.

    "Much better. Can you take Bryan away for a moment? He''s been fussing all morning. He won''t let me drink water myself. I swear if he could do the chewing and swallowing for me and dump in in my stomach, he would do just that. I think we both need a break," Sonia said and Bryan scowled at her while Tom nodded, and jerked his head to the door for Bryan to follow him.

    "Don''t worry. I will take care of her," Lucy told Bryan.

    "Don''t let her do anything," Bryan said and Lucy raised a brow.

    "Can I let her breathe at least? Pretty please?" She asked sweetly and Bryan scowled at her while Sonia and Tom chuckled.

    "Did you see the news about me?" Sonia asked after Tom had left the room with Bryan, and Lucy shook her head.

    "No. What news?" She asked curiously.

    "Candace and Andy called. They said the news of my miscarriage is all over the inte. Can you believe it?" Sonia asked and Lucy sighed.

    "Well, you''re married to a celebrity so something like this is bound to happen, right?" Lucy asked reasonably.

    "Still, how can they just say something like that. Saying I had a miscarriage is same as pronouncing my baby dead!" Sonia said, sounding really upset and Lucy ced a hand on her shoulder.

    "Calm down, Sony. Our baby is very much alive and okay. Don''t let something some clueless people said get to you or upset you. Our priority right now is making sure you and Ryso continue to remain fine. So, don''t worry about anything else," Lucy said softly and Sonia sighed.

    "By the way, I''m surprised you told Candace about it. Why did you tell her?" Sonia asked, eyeing Lucy curiously since she hadn''t expected Lucy to do something like that.

    As much as Candace was close to them, what happened was something personal to her and she expected that Lucy would keep it to herself and let her tell the others herself if she wanted to.

    "I''m sorry. I know it wasn''t my ce to tell her about it. She called and while we were talking I told her I was tired and wanted to go to bed cause I was at the hospital all night," Lucy exined apologetically.

    "I see," Sonia said with a sigh.

    "Are you mad?" Lucy asked and Sonia shook her head.

    "Nah. I''m not mad. It was unexpected, but I''m not mad," Sonia assured her.

    "Thanks for not being mad," Lucy said and Sonia waved it off.

    "Any news about Mia? Has Tom been able to find a way to get Jeff in?" Sonia asked hopefully.

    "About that�� wait. Should we be talking about that? Shouldn''t you be resting and��"

    "Don''t be like that, Lu. Would you rather I keep thinking and worrying about it, or you tell me what you know so I can be at ease?" Sonia asked and Lucy sighed.

    "Tyler is going to Mia''s for dinner tonight," Lucy said and Sonia''s eyes lit up.

    "Really? He told you that? How? Why?" Sonia asked with interest and Lucy exined what Tom had told her.

    "I see," Sonia said, pausing her lips thoughtfully.

    "Why don''t you give him a call, Lu. Let''s talk to Tyler," Sonia said and Lucy shook her head.

    "Sony, I don''t think Bryan is going to like��"

    "I just need him to tell me how Mia is doing when he sees her, that''s all," Sonia said and Lucy sighed as she took her phone out of her purse and dialed Tyler''s line since it was morning over there already.

    Tyler received the call on the third ring, "Hey, LuLu. I''m getting ready to leave for work, but you can reach Lucas on his phone��"

    "We called to speak with you not Lucas," Lucy said and then looked at Sonia.

    "Tyler, it''s Sony. How are you doing?" Sonia asked pleasantly.

    "I suppose you''re calling because you heard I''m going to Mia''s house?" Tyler asked without bothering to answer Sonia''s question since he doubted she was asking cause she really wanted to know how he was doing.

    "Yes. Will you let me know how it goes? I will appreciate it if you can maybe record the conversations," Sonia pleaded and Lucy frowned.

    "That would be putting him at risk. Do you have any idea what could happen to him if he was discovered?" Lucy asked with a shake of her head.

    Tyler sighed, "I can''t promise you that I will do that. But I will see what I can do. Like I already told Tom, I will observe all that is going on and see if Mia is doing okay," Tyler said and Sonia sighed.

    "Alright. Do whatever you can do. And if you get the opportunity to speak with her privately, tell Mia that I miss her and that I hope she is doing okay."

    "Ty, whatever you do, do not do anything to get yourself in trouble. Make sure you don''t give him any reason to suspect that you know anything," Lucy said before hanging up.

    "Why did you ask him to record the conversation?" Lucy asked immediately the call ended.

    "Because he''s the only one that has ess to Mia right now. I''m sure things might not be the same in the house now as it was years ago. Mia could try to indirectly tell him stuff tomunicate back to us, and if Tyler doesn''t get what she is trying to say, we would never know how much has changed or what is going on. But with the recording, it would be easier to figure things out," Sonia exined and Lucy pursed her lips thoughtfully.

    "You have a point. Although it''s risky, but you have a point," Lucy said with a nod.

    "By the way, Kimberly is engaged," Lucy said and Sonia arched a brow.

    "Kimberly Moore?" Sonia asked and Lucy nodded.

    "I guess it''s an arranged marriage," Sonia said and Lucy raised a brow.

    "Why do you think so?"

    "Isn''t it obvious? She caused trouble and her daughter was cut off. Now she is engaged all of a sudden. It''s obviously to give Dawn a home. Or maybe her parents gave her an ultimatum. Whatever her reason is, I wish her good luck for Dawn''s sake," Sonia said and Lucy nodded.

    "Me too. In other news, Tom has given me the go ahead to reach out to Dawn," Lucy said with a beaming smile and Sonia shook her head in amusement.

    "You''d make an excellent godmother with that heart of yours," Sonia said and Lucy reached out a hand to touch Sonia''s abdomen.

    "You can count on that, Ryso. I''m going to take really good care of you and spoil you silly, so make sure you don''t give your mom and rest of us anymore scare, okay?" Lucy said softly, and Sonia smiled as Lucy patted her abdomen.

 Chapter 875 Lonely

    Chapter 875 Lonely

    Lucas''s eyes fluttered open, the silence of the room shattered only by the insistent chirp of a bird outside his window. Hey there for a moment, blinking blearily, before a jolt of unwee awareness shot through him. Amy. Had she replied?

    He fumbled for his phone on the nightstand, the harsh white screen momentarily blinding in the dim room. Airne mode mocked him from the corner of the disy, a ring reminder of his short-lived resolve.

    Without dwelling on it, he deactivated it, a tense anticipation settling in his gut as the phone came back to life.

    He went to his inbox and a flicker of disappointment washed over him when he saw there was no new message and thest message there was his response the previous night.

    His thumb swiped open his inbox, and his heart sank like a stone in water as he saw the same messages from yesterday. No new email, just his carefully crafted response hanging there, unanswered.

    A frown creased his brow. So, if he had not ced his phone on airne mode and had decided to wait to get a response from her, she wouldn''t have responded?

    If he hadn''t deactivated the airne mode, if he''d stuck to his n, she wouldn''t have messaged at all? The thought sent a pang of something unexpected through him. Disappointment? Intrigue? Maybe it was a bit of both. He couldn''t quite ce it.

    Perhaps hisst message had been too curt? Too dismissive. He winced, rereading his carefully crafted response.

    He tossed the phone back onto the bed, frustration boiling over.

    Why did he care? Wasn''t that the whole point? This was exactly what he had wanted, wasn''t it?His n had been to nip whatever was going on between them in the bud, so why did he care that she did not respond? he mused, surprised by his own disappointment.

    It was better this way. Noplications. He was d she got his message. Now he didn''t have to worry about Tyler or Lucy making useless assumptions anymore, he told himself firmly.

    Just as he swung his legs over the edge of the bed, ready to grab a shower and banish these useless thoughts, a sharp chime shattered the silence.

    His heart lurched. A notification. He snatched the phone back, a reluctant smile tugging at his lips as he saw the gmail icon blinking. It was Amy.

    [Good morning, Doc! You awake yet?] the message read, a yful wink emoji attached.

    The irritation that had been simmering moments ago evaporatedpletely. Forgetting his n to go shower, he mbered back onto the bed, afortable Sunday sprawl recing his initial upright posture.

    It was Sunday and he didn''t have to go anywhere, Lucas assured himself as he texted back. [Yeah. How''s your day going?]

    Amy, applying mascara in her bathroom mirror, grinned when she picked up her phone and saw his prompt response.

    [Not bad. I''m getting ready to step out. Did you dream of me?] she texted back with a wink emoji for good measure since she knew very well that her question would make Lucas ufortable.

    For some reason she liked to tease him. Maybe it was because of how cute he had looked when he came all the way to Miley''s funeral just to assure her that he wasn''t interested in her.

    There was just something about his stoicism that she found oddly endearing, and she couldn''t resist poking at him a little.

    On seeing her message Lucas groaned inwardly, Of course, she would say that.  He sighed, sending a quick reply. [Nah. I didn''t. Where are you going?]

    The message sent before he fully registered the question. Shoot. Had he just shown interest in her personal business?

    Amy''s smiled as she read his message, [There is this really nice lounge Miley and I used to hangout. She loved the ce a great deal. I want to go spend the evening there. Who knows? I might find a new friend there or meet someone. When next youe to Ludus, I will take you there.] Amy texted back.

    Lucas frowned, a furrow appearing between his brows. Was she trying to tell him something? He typed out a reply, each keystroke deliberate.

    [Are you okay? Will you be fine on your own? Are you sure being there won''t get you upset?] Concern, genuine and unwanted,ced his words.

    The concern in his message sent a warmth through Amy. She smiled as she texted back. [There is no way it could be worse than being indoor all day and seeing her stuff around my bedroom. And if you''re very worried about me, you could check on me if you''re not too busy, to see how it''s going.] she suggested, hoping he wouldn''t be too busy to keep herpany.

    Lucas narrowed his eyes, a suspicion nagging at him. Why did it feel like there was more to her suggestion than just checking in? It felt like she had wanted to ask him to check on her all along. He sent a reply, his tone carefully neutral.

    [Well, I''m not worried. I have no reason to be. I''m sure you will be fine on your own.] Lucas texted back, wanting to see how she would respond, a strange protectiveness warring with his initial desire for distance.

    Amy''s smile faltered slightly as she read his message. Disappointment flickered across her features. She sighed, her fingers hovering over the keyboard.

    [Sure. I will be alright. Thanks. Hopefully I will meet someone nice and interesting soon, and I wouldn''t bother you anymore. I know I''ve been bothering you with my messages and I''m deeply sorry for that. I''m also grateful that you''ve been quite amodating. It''s just that I have no one else to text and some times it gets pretty lonely. Still, that is not an excuse to bother you. I will get out of your hair now. Have a lovely day.]

    Lucas frowned as he read her message. The cursor on his phone screen blinked usingly. Each sentence was a fresh barb.

    "Bothering you," "get out of your hair," "lonely." A knot of guilt tightened in his stomach. Had he been too harsh? His carefully crafted n to nip things in the bud suddenly felt cruel.

    Lucas reread the message, the weight of her words settling in his gut. Loneliness. It was a raw vulnerability he hadn''t expected, a glimpse behind the yful facade.

    Maybe it wasn''t about him being interested, not exactly. Maybe it was just about being a decent human being.

    He pictured Amy, alone in her apartment, surrounded by memories of Miley. A pang of sympathy shot through him.

    He had been too focused on maintaining distance and not wanting to have anything romantic to do with her, that he had forgotten that she could be reaching out merely because she was lonely and needed a friend.

    Ignoring the dismissive end of her text, he tapped a reply, then deleted it with a frustrated swipe.

    [What about Lucy? Isn''t she your friend?] Lucas texted again. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Hearing her phone beep, Amy sighed as she picked it up and read his message.

    What was the point in responding? It was clear to her that it seemed like she was forcing the friendship between them.

    She wasn''t mad at him. She couldn''t even me him for it. She was just tired. He had his own problems to deal with and she was bothering him with hers.

    It was best she go out and mix up with other people. Find a way to deal with her grief and cope with without bothering other people.

    Ignoring his message, she finished up with her dressing and stepped out of her apartment.

    The guilt gnawed at him as he kept waiting for her response and when nothing came after ten minutes, he tossed the phone onto the bed, the screennding face down with a dull thud.

    Was he the jerk here? Why did she keep making him feel like a jerk even without saying anything?

    Was she mad at him because he didn''t offer to check on her? He mused. Why would she be mad? He mused as he reread their chats for the third time.

    Did he give her the impression that she was bothering him? He mused as he contemted giving Lucy a call so she would check on Amy.

    He picked the phone back up, his thumb hovering over Lucy''s contact. No, that wouldn''t do. Apart from the fact that this was between him and Amy, the thought of Lucy''s knowing smirk and pointed questions held him back. He needed to put into consideration what Lucy would say if he asked her to check on Amy.

    Deciding to be a good friend to Amy, until she found someone more reliable close to her, he took a deep breath and started a new message.

    [Guess you left already. Look, if you want to talk, I''m here. You don''t have to feel like you''re bothering me. I''m your friend after all. Seriously. And if you''re up for it, we could text or talk over the phone when you get back. Whatever you prefer. Just stop asking if I dreamt of you. It makes me ufortable.]

    Lucas read the message and decided that It wasn''t perfect, but it was honest to arge extent. He hit send, a knot of anxiety tightening in his stomach.

    Not wanting to stay idle while waiting for her response, Lucas decided to go shower and maybe step out of the house too to go find something fun to do.

    It had been a while since he went out on his own for the sheer fun of it. Thest time he was out had been with Amy and Miley, and since he got to Tyler''s, he had been keeping himself busy with the program he was doing.

    If Amy who had lost her best friend was already stepping out this way, then he could as well do the same and put Rachelpletely behind him.

    He showered and dressed, the minutes ticking by like hours. He checked his phone every few seconds, disappointment gnawing at him with every unanswered message.

    Just as he was about to convince himself that she must have ignored him, a notification chimed.

    He practically leaped to grab the phone, a surge of relief washing over him. It was Amy, her phone number followed by a single emoji: a thumbs up. No exnation, no additional text, just the phone number.

    He stared at it for a moment, a hesitant smile tugging at the corner of his lips. Maybe this wasn''t so bad after all. Maybe, just maybe, there was a middle ground betweenplete disinterest and getting entangled with a grieving woman.

    He copied her number and saved it in his phone before putting the phone in his pocket and heading out of the house.

    He would give her a call when he gets to his location, and maybe they could both keep each otherpany.

 Chapter 876 Adoption And Denial

    876 Adoption And Denial

    Lying belly down on her bed with her iPad positioned in front of her, Kimberly smiled as Dawn materialized on the screen, a halo of messy curls framing her wide, curious eyes.

    "Hi, mummy!" Dawn chirped, a burst of sunshine in a pink princess dress.

    "Hey, my little princess! Do you miss Mama?" Kimberly cooed, her voice thick with the emotion.

    "Yes!" Dawn nodded enthusiastically, bouncing in her booster seat.

    One look of disapproval from her governess and she stopped bouncing and adjusted in her seat.

    "How was your phone call with Jamal?" Kimberly asked, suspecting that the phone call with Jamal the previous day was the reason Dawn seemed so uncharacteristically excited.

    Dawnunched into a detailed narration of their phone call and all Jamal had said about learning to ride a bike, her tiny voice punctuated by enthusiastic gestures. Kimberly listened patiently, her heart brimming with love.

    Seeing the excitement on her face and hearing how she kept going on and on about it, Kimberly could tell that Dawn liked Jamal. Perhaps he was her first crush.

    Finally, taking a breath, Dawn tilted her head. "I want a bike," she said, her voice hushed with importance.

    "Why? Because of Jamal? I thought we didn''t like him. Why do you seem so happy to have heard from him? Or do we like him now?" Kimberly asked with a teasing smile andughed softly when Dawn bobbed her head.

    "So, what do you like about Jamal?" Kimberly asked curiously.

    "He is my friend and he makes meugh," she said and Kimberlyughed. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "That''s good. It''s nice to have people in our lives who make usugh. Now, mummy have news to share with you," Kimberly said and Dawn gazed at her, wondering what she wanted to say.

    "What?" Dawn tilted her head, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.

    Taking a deep breath, Kimberly plunged into the news. "Mummy is getting married!"

    Dawn''s brow furrowed in confusion. "Married?"

    "Yes," Kimberly exined, "like Aunt Sandra and Uncle John. Remember? They wear matching rings and live together."

    Dawn''s face lit up in realization. "Oh! So, you''ll have a ring too?"

    "Yes, honey," Kimberly said, her smile widening. "And guess what else?"

    "What?" Dawn bounced again, barely containing her excitement.

    "I''ming to pick you up soon, and you''re going toe live with me!"

    Dawn''s eyes widened further. "Live with you? Like, all the time like before?"

    "That''s right," Kimberly confirmed, her heart swelling with the thought of having her daughter close to her once again. "And you''ll get to see your new home!"

    A thoughtful silence descended on the screen. Kimberly waited, a touch of worry creeping in. Then, Dawn''s brow furrowed again.

    "Will that mean we''re moving?" Dawn asked, her voice small.

    "Yes, sweetie," Kimberly said softly. "After the wedding, we''ll all be living together in a new home."

    "With grandpa and grandma?" She asked hopefully and Kimberly''s heart broke.

    "No, hon. But we can visit them whenever you want to. It will be just me, you, and your daddy," Kimberly exined.

    Dawn''s lower lip trembled slightly. "Daddy? I get a daddy?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper.

    Kimberly''s smile faltered for a brief moment and her heart ached. "Yes, honey. You get a daddy." She wasn''t entirely sure Ryan would embrace the role wholeheartedly, but she hoped he would be decent enough for Dawn''s sake. Although she wasn''t entirely convinced.

    Just then, Kimberly''s mom knocked on the door and walked in, holding a small gift bag. "Delivery for you, Kim," she announced, oblivious to the conversation on the phone.

    "Hold on, one sec, Dawn," Kimberly mumbled, muting the microphone as she rose to take the package from her mom.

    Looking inside the bag, she saw a velvet box and she took it out, knowing what was inside. Nestled inside the box sat a dazzling diamond ring.

    "Honey, don''t you think you''re rushing into this?" Her mother''s voice, usuallyced with warmth, held a note of concern.

    Kimberly nced back at the screen, where Dawn was now happily babbling to Lucy, her stuffed panda about having a new house and a daddy.

    "Were you talking with Dawn," her mother asked and as she approached the bed where the iPady to say hello to Dawn, Kimberly quickly picked up the iPad and ended the call with a promise to call her back soon.

    "Did you have to end the call? I wanted to say hello," her mother said with disapproval.

    "You can call her yourself if you truly want to say hello to her," Kimberly said tly her voice devoid of its usual warmth, as she took out the ring from the box and slid it down her finger.

    The ring felt heavy and foreign on her finger. A cold weight symbolizing a future she wasn''t sure she wanted.

    "Really? Couldn''t he even manage a decent proposal?" Her mother asked as displeasure etched lines around her eyes.

    Kimberly took a deep breath, her gaze meeting her mother''s head-on. "What is it with that tone? I thought this was what you wanted?"

    "Kim, I just feel there is something off with this. First he puts out the news of your engagement without your knowledge or ours, and��"

    "And what, mom?" Kimberly cut in, her voice right.

    "You said I should do this for Dawn, remember? I told you the kind of person Ryan was, but you insisted. This is who he is, so deal with it. I''m not looking for romance. All I want is a home for my daughter which you and dad have denied her��"

    "You know very well I don''t agree with your father''s decision," her mother countered, her voice defensive.

    "Yet not once have you called your granddaughter whom you so much adore," Kimberly shot back, the wordsced with hurt.

    Her voice hardened. "Put your worries to rest, mom. I''m going on with this arrangement since that is the only way out at the moment. If I had my way, I would cut both you and dad off and go live alone with my daughter, but I can hardly do that because I have no ess to my money, thanks to dad. So, please, do not get in my way. I want this wedding to hold in two weeks so that Dawn can be with me," Kimberly said firmly and her mother''s shoulders slumped, a defeated sigh escaping her lips. Without another word, she turned and walked out of the room.

    Kimberly slumped back on her bed, a wave of frustration washing over her.

    Her mother had woken her up earlier that morning to ask if she was the one who put out word of her engagement, and when they saw Ryan''s post confirming the engagement, they knew he was behind it.

    Of course, Ryan would be the one to announce their engagement without even discussing it with her first. It was just like him �C impulsive and self-centered.

    Kimberly nced at her phone when it buzzed with a call from Ryan and she sighed as she stared back at the ring on her finger, a million questions swirling in her mind.

    She nced at the picture of her smiling daughter on the screen and knew deep down, she would do whatever it took to give Dawn the happy life she deserved, even if it meant taking this step with someone as selfcentered as Ryan.

    Before the call could disconnect, she received the call, "Hello, Ryan," she said, her voice betraying none of the turmoil within.

    "Hey! Did you receive the ring? Is it to your liking?" He asked, going straight to business.

    "It''s fine. It will do," Kimberly said, staring down at the offending jewel on her finger.

    "Great! Mind sending me a picture of the ring on your finger? I need to upload it on my social media page. You will be doing the same, I presume?" He asked, oblivious to her reservations.

    "Yeah. Sure," she mumbled, not bothering to call him out on releasing news of their engagement without first talking to her.

    "Do you have any engagement for dinner? My parents would like both families to meet for dinner today��"

    "That''s sudden," Kimberly interjected with a frown.

    "Sudden? Getting married in two weeks is sudden, darling. We have to fast track everything. It was your idea to do it on such short notice, remember?" He reminded her.

    The reminder stung. It was true, she had pushed for a quick wedding, blinded by the desperate need to provide a stable home for Dawn, Kimberly thought with a resigned sigh.

    "I will check with my parents and get back to you. Where would we be meeting?"

    "My ce, of course!" Ryan dered. "You haven''t seen it yet, have you? Perfect opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. We can chat wedding details, get everyone on the same page so that everything can be set in motion."

    Kimberly closed her eyes, picturing the whirlwind she''d gotten herself into. "Alright, that''s fine by me. We will be there by five," Kimberly conceded.

    Just as Ryan was about tounch into another monologue, Kimberly cut him off. "Hold on, Ryan," she said, her voice firming slightly. "There''s something I need to ask."

    "Shoot."

    "Will you really be okay with my daughter living with us? You realize that means you''re going to be her stepdad, right? Are you willing to y such a role?" She asked and Ryan smirked.

    "Absolutely. As a matter of fact, I was going to ask��" He trailed off, leaving Kimberly hanging.

    "Ask what?" she pressed, a flicker of curiosity sparking in her eyes despite herself.

    "Adoption. Would you like for me to adopt her? I mean, considering all that drama over her paternity," he dropped the bombshell, surprising Kimberly.

    Kimberly''s heart skipped a beat. Adoption? From this self-centered man? The idea seemed absurd, yet a sliver of hope flickered within her. "Adoption?" she echoed, her voice barely a whisper.

    "You would like to adopt her?" She asked, not expecting that from a selfish jerk like Ryan.

    "Of course. If that''s okay by you. And I would like to meet her soon. I know this is a loveless arrangement, but the kid knows nothing about it, so I have to do my best for her," he said and she smiled.

    A hesitant smile tugged at the corners of Kimberly''s lips. This wasn''t what she expected, but it was good. Maybe, just maybe, there was more to Ryan than she initially thought.

    And if it meant a stable home and a good father figure for Dawn, then perhaps this crazy, whirlwind n wouldn''t be so bad after all.

    "That''s�� that''s nice of you," she finally managed, her voice softer now. "We can talk more about it when we meet."

    "Sounds like a n. See you at five," Ryan said before hanging up.

    Having done that he turned to look at his mother, "You heard that, right? They will be here by five. I told you I''m perfectly capable of handling the situation."

    "Have you told her yet?" His mother asked, and he shook his head.

    "There''s no need to tell her that."

    "There is every need. You know about her daughter, she deserves to know about yours," his mother said and he shook his head.

    "She deserves to know only what I tell her, mom. Don''t butt into my business��"

    "How can I not? How do you n to introduce the kid when she moves in and sees her?" His mother asked and he shrugged.

    "I have a n. And I will appreciate it if you don''t ruin it. No one can know that Genevieve is my biological daughter. She is the daughter of my housekeeper who passed away and I''ve taken it upon myself to care for her. That''s all there is to it��"

    "You will deny your own daughter and adopt that of someone else?" His mother asked in disbelief.

    "Yes. Kimberly''s daughter has a lot more to offer me," he said with a smirk.

 Chapter 877 Best Baker

    877 Best Baker

    The aroma of freshly brewed coffee and pastries filled Lucas''s nose as he pushed open the door of a quaint cafe.

    He inhaled deeply, grateful that he had decided to step out of the house for breakfast instead of settling for a bowl of cereals in front of the television, as had be his habittely.

    The usual Sunday morning crowd was just beginning, the sound of chatter and the rhythmic clinking of spoons against mugs aforting soundtrack. Lucas scanned the room, as he searched for an empty seat.

    Most tables were upied by couples or groups of friends, engaged in lively conversations. A lone woman sat by the window, a steaming cup of coffee in front of her, and Lucas thought of Amy seated by herself that way at the lounge.

    He spotted one by the window, bathed in a warm shaft of sunlight. Perfect. He thought as he made his way to the window seat which had just been vacated.

    With a sigh, he settled into the chair, pulling out his phone to check for a response to the email he had sent her on his way to the cafe.

    It was a simple text. [Arrived at your destination yet?]

    Seeing as there was no response yet, he ordered atte and cake slice as he forced himself to put the phone away, not wanting to appear overly eager.

    Once thette was served, he took a sip, the warmth spreading through him. He nced out the window, watching the world go by while waiting for Amy''s response.

    He was amazed by how the table had so quickly turned from not wanting her to text him, to impatiently awaiting her text.

    Was this her n? Was she staring at her phone right now and smirking with all arrogance at how she had sessfully made him do her bidding? Lucas mused, and then shook his head.

    Amy wasn''t that type. She wasn''t a maniptive person. If there was one thing he knew about her, it was how direct she was.

    Just then, his phone beeped with a new email notification, and he smiled when he saw it was from Amy.

    [Just settling in my seat now. Why are you still sending an email instead of a text?]

    Now that he knew she had arrived at her destination, he decided to give her a call.

    For a moment, Lucas debated his approach. Should he be direct? Or should he y it cool, pretending to be a stranger?

    A mischievous glint entered his eyes. He decided on thetter. He leaned back in his chair as he dialed her number.

    Amy, who was perusing the drink menu and trying to make up her mind on what to drink, nced at her phone when it vibrated with a phone call, and seeing the country code disyed, she blinked, then a slow smile spread across her face. N?v(el)B\\jnn

    She had begun to think he changed his mind about talking to her.

    "I will have a ss of pina cda," she told the waiter distractedly as she picked up her phone and received the call.

    Before she could speak, Lucas''s voice came through the receiver. "Excuse me," Lucas said, his voice polite yet yful. "Is this seat taken?"

    At first she was taken aback, wondering if Lucas had dialed her line mistakenly while talking to someone.

    "Can you hear me?" Lucas asked when he didn''t get a response and Amy chuckled, a light, musical sound when she realized he was talking to her

    "Does it look taken?" She asked, ying along.

    "Well, I''m not sure. I wouldn''t want to intrude if you''re expecting someone," Lucas said, liking the sound of her voice over the phone.

    "As a matter of fact," he drawled, "a little birdie told me there might be a lonely soul looking forpany out here."

    Amy couldn''t help but grin, "A little birdie, huh?" she said, her eyes twinkling. "Well, that little birdie must have been mistaken. There''s nobody lonely here."

    "Oh? So the little birdie lied? Then perhaps I should offer mypany to someone else."

    Amy''s grin widened. "Alright, alright," she conceded, shaking her head. "The little birdie might have been partially right. Perhaps a littlepany wouldn''t be so bad after all."

    Lucas''s grin widened. "In that case, I will join you. Dr. Lucas Perry at your service."

    Amy raised an eyebrow, a yful smile on her lips. "Oh, I see. Doctor, huh? Well, it''s nice to meet you. I''m Amy. Amy Grant. And not a doctor," she said and Lucas smiled.

    "You can call me Luca. I''ve heard Lucas sounds like Look Ass," he replied, and Amy burst outughing, the sound filling Lucas''s ears and making him grin as well.

    "You are never going to forget that, are you?" She asked, and Lucas shook his head enjoying the sound of her easyughter.

    "Never ever," he said and she smiled.

    "Thank you," she said softly, and his brow shot up.

    "For what? Never ever forgetting that you referred to me as Look Ass?" He teased, and she giggled.

    She hadn''t realized he had such a sense of humor. He always looked and acted sort of serious.

    "For making meugh. I was sort of feeling down. And I honestly felt like I was being a bother," she admitted.

    "I take responsibility for that. I believe my response might have made you feel that way. I''m sorry," he said and she shook her head even though he couldn''t see her.

    "You don''t have to apologize. You did nothing wrong. I''m sure you''ve got stuff you''re dealing with too. I''m sorry I keep pestering you," Amy said apologetically.

    "Let''s forget about that, shall we?"

    "What are we forgetting?" Amy asked as the waiter returned with her ss of cocktail.

    Lucas'' brows pulled together. "I mean let''s forget��" he trailed off when she giggled and he realized what her question meant.

    She had forgotten it already. She was witty. Lucas decided with a chuckle.

    "Are you out? Your background isn''t so quiet," Amy observed as she sipped from her ss and Lucas smiled.

    "I thought I was seated opposite you?" He asked and Amy giggled.

    "I''m being serious now��"

    "That makes the both of us," Lucas said and Amyughed.

    "Well, I''m just having breakfast at a cafe. What''s the scene like at the lounge?" He asked as he drank from histte.

    "It''s not too bad," she replied. "A bit quiet, but it''s early evening here, remember?"

    "Right. Then I guess you haven''t met any interesting characters yet."

    "Not yet," she admitted. "Just a couple of regrs enjoying their drinks." There was a hint of disappointment in her voice.

    "Ouch! I''m hurt. I''m seated opposite you but you don''t think I''m interesting," Lucas joked, and Amyughed softly.

    "Was that a test?"

    "It wasn''t until you answered," he said and she grinned.

    "So, what''s the ce like? I mean style. Is it a dive bar or a hidden gem?"

    "Neither," Amy replied mysteriously. "Think cozy armchairs, dim lighting, and maybe a worn piano in the corner."

    Lucas pictured the scene, "Sounds...interesting," he admitted.

    "I will send you a picture after the call," she promised.

    "I will be expecting it. So, what are you drinking? A cocktail or something more sophisticated?"

    "Can''t you see it? I thought you were seated opposite me?" Amy said, a hint of a smile in her voice.

    Lucas chuckled, "Right. I am. You''re having a�� cocktail," he guessed.

    "That''s a good guess. What are you having for breakfast?" Amy asked curiously since she didn''t want the whole of the conversation to be about her.

    "Latte and cake."

    "Cake, huh? You''ve got a sweet tooth?" She asked, curious to know more about him than she knew already.

    "Guilty as charged," Lucas admitted.

    "Noted. Maybe I will bake you a thank you present when next youe around," she offered.

    "Do you realize that this is the third thing you''re offering?" He asked, amused.

    "What?" Amy asked, lost.

    "You said you''d like to buy me a drink or coffee when next I visit. You said you''d take me to the lounge when next I visit. And now you are offering to bake me something. Just how many days do you n to see me?" Lucas pointed out.

    "One day is good enough. I will buy you the drink at the lounge, and you can take the cake, cookie, or pastry home with you. But I can assure you that the moment you taste whatever I bake, you are going to be begging for more. It will be an addiction," Amy said confidently.

    "Then I guess it''s best I never taste it. I do not want to be addicted to anything."

    "Really? You''d rather miss the opportunity to taste the best cake ever because you''re scared of addiction?" Amy asked incredulously.

    Lucas angled his head, "You sound too confident in your ability. How did you learn to bake?"

    "My mom. She is a housekeeper. She is the chief housekeeper at Miley''s home. She has been working there since I was a little girl. She made me learn how to cook and bake," Amy exined with a note of pride in her voice.

    "So, what''s the cafe like? Any interesting people around?" Amy asked and Lucas looked around.

    "It''s a quaint ce. It has a sort of homey feel. There''s one interesting person in front of me. She ims she is the best baker in the world," Lucas teased and her delightedugh filled his ear.

    "I never said I was the best baker in the world," she said defensively.

    "You said it would be the best cake I''ve ever tasted. That means you''re better than every other baker," Lucas said and she rolled her eyes.

    "Anyway, I was waiting for you to say no interesting person around you. Too bad you didn''t fall into my trap," she said, and Lucas chuckled.

    As their conversation neared an end, afortable silence settled between them. "I think I should leave you now. You might not meet anyone interesting if you remain on the phone," Lucas said and Amy sighed deeply.

    She had enjoyed hispany more than she could have ever thought possible, and now it made her think back to how she had behaved during his visit.

    11:33

    She had enjoyed hispany more than she could have ever thought possible, and now it made her think back to how she had behaved during his visit.

    "I''m sorry," she blurted with a wince.

    "Sorry? What for?" Lucas asked at a loss.

    Amy shut her eyes, "I just remembered how silly I behaved when we met at Lucy''s. I''m usually a reasonable person��"

    "Even the most reasonable people do unreasonable things at times. Forget it," Lucas cut in and Amy scowled.

    "Are you saying I was unreasonable?" She asked yfully, and Lucas chuckled.

    "You said it yourself, not me."

    "Wow. Nice one," she said, and he grinned.

    "So, Luca," Amy said, her voice softer, "what are you doing for the rest of the day after breakfast?"

    "Honestly? I need to catch up on some reading." It wasn''t entirely true, but the thought of admitting his day was wide open felt oddly appealing.

    "Sounds...dreadfully boring," Amy drawled.

    Lucas chuckled. "I love to read. Reading is not boring. What about you? What do you n to do?" Lucas asked curiously.

    "Go home and go to bed. I''m so d tomorrow is Monday. I will be too busy to bother you. So, how about you be my weekend buddy? Can I bother you on weekends?" She asked and Lucas shrugged.

    "I will try to be avable."

    "Deal!" Amy said, d that he agreed.

    "Alright then. Have fun," Lucas said, hanging up the call.

    He sighed when he checked the call duration and realized they had been talking for almost an hour. He had not nned to stay that long on the phone with her.

    He raised a brow when he received a text notification from Amy, and his lips twitched with an amused smile when he saw she had sent a selfie with the background of the lounge in full disy.

    Being friends with her wasn''t so bad after all, Lucas decided as he set aside his phone to focus on histte which had now be cold.

 Chapter 878 Couple Of The Night

    878 Couple Of The Night

    The low hum of the hairdryer filled the suite as Jade, who was dressed in a sapphire blue dress that clung to her curves, meticulously styled her hair.

    From the corners of her eyes, she watched Harry, d in a crisp white shirt and a navy zer, wrestling with his tie, the silk stubbornly refusing to cooperate.

    The resort had arranged a special evening for couples, a chance for them to mingle, connect, and learn.

    The resort''s "Couples Mingle" event might have been a good idea in theory, but something about Harry''s demeanor all day nagged at her.

    No matter how hard she tried, she couldn''t put away the feeling that Harry was bored and restless, and for some reason it hurt her to feel that way.

    "Are you enjoying the vacation, Harry?" Jade asked, ncing at him through the mirror.

    They had agreed to always keep themunication line between them, so she saw no reason why she should keep feeling upset and wondering what was on his mind when she could just ask him directly.

    Harry, caught off guard by the sudden shift in tone, paused. "Of course," he replied, a touch too quickly. "These views are incredible, the food has been fantastic..." He trailed off, the silence stretching between them.

    She took a deep breath as she put the hairdryer down and turned to face him. "Honestly, Harry? You don''t seem that into it. Are you bored already?" Her voice was soft,ced with a touch of worry as she held his gaze.

    Harry''s stomach clenched. Was it that obvious? He mused when he heard her question and the thoughtful frown that creased his brow disappeared.

    His expression softened as he rose and walked towards her. Stopping in front of her, he pulled her to her feet and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close.

    "No, no. It''s not that," he assured her, his voice sincere. "I just... I''ve never really taken this sort of vacation before. It''s a bit strange, you know? Restless, even. It''s not about you��"

    "Oh, please don''t use that line. It''s usually a break up line," she cut in and he chuckled.

    "I could never break up with you. You know that. I''m just trying to say, I love you and I absolutely enjoy yourpany. I just feel like an addict having withdrawal symptoms right now. I''ve never stayed away from work for this long," he admitted, kissing the top of her head.

    "I shouldn''t have insisted that you leave yourptop behind. Is there like a rehab center for workaholics? We need to sign you up there immediately," she said with mock urgency and Harry chuckled.

    "You''re amazing, goddess. This whole vacation is amazing. I just need a little time to adjust to not being needed every second of the day," he confessed.

    Jade''s expression softened. "But I do need you every second��" Jade giggled when he wriggled his brows suggestively.

    "Do you?" He joked.

    "I understand you, love. I do," she said, her voiceced with sympathy. "I guess it''s a big adjustment for you. But this is supposed to be a break for you, Harry. Rx. Let go. We''re together, that''s all that matters. Try to enjoy it for me. Can you?"

    Harry squeezed her hand. "You''re right. Sorry I''m ruining the mood," he conceded, cing a soft kiss on her forehead.

    A smile tugged at Jade''s lips. "Just a little," she teased, leaning up to peck him on the chin. "But you know how to fix that, right?"

    "Sure. And I will. Just give me a little patience," he promised, leaning down and brushing a soft kiss against her chin, causing Jade''s body to tingle.

    Jade nodded. She knew how dedicated he was to his work. She rested her head against his chest, a small smile tugging at her lips. "Patience," she murmured. "I can be patient."

    Harry leaned down and brushed his against her ear. "Thank you," he whispered, his voice sending a shiver down her spine.

    Not stopping, he kept kissing her ear and nibbling on it, causing heat to spread over her body, "Harry," she called in a cracked voice and then cleared her throat as she stepped away.

    "You have to stop. And I need to finish dressing up else we will bete and make a bad first impression," she reminded him.

    "Only your impression of me matters to me," Harry said as he kissed her ear and she giggled as she pushed him away yfully.

    "We both know if I let you continue this way, we are going to end up in bed and won''t be going out�� no, Jonas! Keep your distance," she threatened, and heughed.

    "Alright. Alright. Do what you need to do, and let''s go see what they have nned out for us," Harry said as he stepped back to let her finish up.

    When she was done with the hair and her makeup, she rose to face Harry.

    "Wow," he breathed, his voice husky with appreciation. "You look incredible."

    Jade blushed, a shy smile gracing her lips. "Thank you," she said, twirling a bit to show off the dress. "Do you think it''s too much?"

    "Absolutely not," Harry denied, his eyes lingering on the way the fabric clung to her like a second skin. "It''s perfect."

    "Just because I''m curious, how important is this dress to you?" He asked as he took a step closer, reaching out to tuck a stray curl behind her ear.

    Jade grinned, "Why do you ask?"

    "Am I allowed to rip it off you when wee back?" He asked, and giggled as her blood swam hot with a heavy dose of lust.

    "It depends on what follows. Are you just going to rip it off? Or do you have ns to go all the way?" She drawled with a flirty smile and Harry chuckled.

    "I intend to travel all the way," he said as he held out his arm to her, and she giggled as she let him lead her out of the suite.

    Twenty minutester, they stepped out onto the resort balcony, the breathtaking view of the sunset stealing Jade''s breath away. The "Couples Mingle" was being held on a specially decorated tform overlooking the ocean, fairy lights twinkling like stars against the twilight sky. Around arge, circr table sat about fifteen couples, a mix of ages, colors, and backgrounds, all dressed in their finest vacation attire.

    The atmosphere was warm and inviting, a light buzz of conversation filling the air. An older couple, radiating a warmth that spoke of decades spent together, greeted them at the entrance, and after a brief introduction, they were all directed to the round table.

    Harry offered Jade his arm, and they joined the circle, finding a seat beside a bubbly couple who had been honeymooning for a week.

    The air crackled with a mix of nervousness and excitement as the resort manager, a jovial man with a twinkle in his eye, took center stage and kicked off the evening.

    "Wee, lovebirds!" he boomed, his voice filled with enthusiasm. "Tonight, we celebrate love in all its forms! Over the evening, we''ll be connecting, having a brief seminar, and you all will be taking us on a trip down your memoryne as each couple shares the story of how they met and what made them fall in love. And we also have a couple of games and a prize for the winners," he said, and a murmur of anticipation rippled through the room.

    The manager went on to exin the purpose of the event, encouraging each couple to actively participate as every activity there is meant to strengthen their bonds.

    Jade felt a familiar flutter of butterflies in her stomach. She stole a nce at Harry, and he smiled at her, "Maybe we should tell them we are not married yet," Jade whispered to him.

    "Why? Do you really think everyone here is married?" Harry whispered back.

    "You don''t think so?" Jade asked as she took another look at the couples around the table.

    "Don''t worry. You will find out soon enough when it is time to share their stories," Harry assured her.

    The evening unfolded with a series of light-hearted prompts, each designed to spark conversation and connection. The couples took turns sharing their stories - how they met, their first dates, the moments they knew they''d found "the one."

    Their stories ranging from childhood sweethearts to whirlwind online romances. Each tale was met with cheers and apuse.

    "I think I know what you mean. That story was made up," Jade whispered to Harry after a youngdy in her twenties and her husband who seemed to be in his fifties shared their love at first sight story.

    Harry chuckled, "How can you tell?" He asked, even though he agreed with her that the story was made up.

    "Their bodynguage is wrong. He is ufortable and she doesn''t really seem to like him much," Jade exined.

    Finally, it was Harry and Jade''s turn. Harry, usually at ease in any social setting, seemed hesitant. He took a deep breath and squeezed Jade''s hand, his touch grounding her.

    "Her elder brother is my best friend. So, we met at their home," he began, his voice surprisingly nervous. "I had heard about her for quite some time from her brother, and then I went home with him on Christmas, and Jade ran down the stairs with a smile that could light up even the darkest of rooms, and��" He trailed off, his gaze finding hers.

    Jade picked up the story. "And I tripped, and he caught me," she said with a yful smile, earning augh from the group. "He had the most beautiful eyes I had ever seen, but I had a boy friend so I couldn''t stare at it forever as I wanted. So,ter that night, I stepped out for fresh air and there he was, on the porch swing. I joined him and we talked for quite some time that night��"

    "I knew there was something special about her and believed she was mine, but I had to wait four years for her to realize it," Harry said and Jade smiled at him.

    "I''m d you waited. Don''t worry, I will make it worth it," Jade promised as she leaned in and kissed him.

    As they finished, the other couples cheered, their faces filled with warmth.

    When it was time for the couple games, the men were brought forward and made to sit with their backs to their partners, and each female were given a sheet of paper with ten questions about themselves and preferences.

    Thedies were given five minutes to answer the questions, while the men were told the rules of the game.

    "��One wrong answer and you''re out," the anchor told them.

    Each watched with a proud smile as the other men returned to their seats one after the other after failing the questions, while Harry answered all ten questions correctly, making him the winner of that round.

    All thedies around Jade cooed and congratted her on having a very intentional and observant partner.

    For the next round of games, the men were asked to loosen their ties and stand while their partners were asked to knot their partner''s ties, and the fastest would be the winner.

    Harry grinned Jade expertly knotted the ties and when she finished before everybody else, she let out a loud screech and did a funny dance move, causing everyone around tough. N?v(el)B\\jnn

    At the end of the evening, Harry and Jade were dered the couple of the night and were awarded thetest MacBook and a free vacation ticket there whenever they wanted toe back.

    As they walked hand-in-hand back to their suite, Harry holding on to the MacBook with his other hand, the sound of the ocean waves serenading them, Jade snuggled closer to Harry. "Thank you," she whispered.

    "For what?" he asked, puzzled.

    "For trying," she replied, gazing up at the star-studded sky. "For being here, with me."

    Harry smiled, his earlier restlessness reced by a newfound sense of peace. He squeezed her hand. "You don''t have to thank me for that. I''m always happy to be with you. Besides, I enjoyed my evening very much," Harry said and Jade smiled.

    "I''m sure you''d find the vacation more interesting now that you''ve connected with other men. And just so you know, you made me so proud. I was the envy of thedies there," she said and Harry grinned.

    "Does that mean I get to rip it off?" He asked, and she giggled.

    "You can rip off whatever you want even in the closet," she promised and heughed.

    For Jade, the evening had been a revtion. It wasn''t just about the breathtaking scenery or the gourmet food. It was about the love and connection she shared with Harry.

 Chapter 879 Lover/Hater

    879 Lover/Hater

    Stepping into the suite, the air thick with anticipation, Jade couldn''t help but feel a thrill course through her as the door clicked shut behind them, the yful banter of the evening fading into afortable silence.

    Jade leaned back against the door, the sapphire dress clinging to her curves like a second skin as she kicked off her heels, letting out a satisfied sigh.

    Harry, his tie loosened and the MacBook tucked under his arm, turned to face her. His eyes, the same ones that had captivated her that first night, held a familiar glint that sent a shiver down her spine.

    Before he could speak, she took a yful swipe at the MacBook.

    "Careful with that," he chuckled, dodging her hand. "We wouldn''t want to break our prize on the first night, would we?"

    "Oh, I''m sure we can find another use for it besides work," she teased, her voiceced with a suggestive edge.

    Harry set the MacBook down on the couch close to them, his gaze lingering on Jade for a moment too long before he closed the distance between them. He reached out, his fingers brushing against the soft fabric of her dress as his hands snaked around her waist, pulling her close.

    Their lips met in a heated kiss, a slow burn that quickly ignited into a passionate dance. Jade melted into his touch, the worries of the day fading away with each deepening kiss.

    "I need you, Jade," Harry said as he pressed his face into the curve of her neck.

    "You have me. Take as much as you want," she said in a voice that was unfamiliar to her.

    Taking that as the go ahead he needed, he brought his mouth back to her, his kiss hungrier and more possessive now. Her moan caught on a gasp when his hand moved to the V neckline of her dress and he ripped it.

    The sound of her dress ripping made her blood leap. Her heart hammered in her chest, a delicious mix of anticipation and nervous energy coursing through her veins.

    When Harry lowered his head to the ck material of her Demi-cut bra, Jade arched her back against the door as she pulled his head down.

    Harry helped her get out of the dress as he kissed her nipples through the bra, and just as Harry reached to unhook her bra, a flicker of concern crossed his face. He pulled away abruptly, leaving Jade breathless and slightly confused.

    "Harry?" she questioned, her voiceced with a hint of disappointment.

    "I just remembered something," he began, his voice strained. "There''s something I forgot to tell you."

    11:36

    Jade frowned, a yful pout forming on her lips. "Can''t it wait? You can''t just stop in the middle of this, you know?"

    Harry''s expression remained serious. "It''s important. You might be mad I didn''t tell you earlier."

    The yful glint in Jade''s eyes faded. She stepped back, and looked at him with a frown. "What is it?"

    He took a deep breath, bracing himself for her reaction. "It''s Sonia," he started, his voice low.

    "Sonia? What about her?" Jade asked with a frown, wondering what Sonia had to do with what Harry was keeping from her.

    "She... she had a threatened abortion," he blurted out, his voiceced with guilt.

    Jade gasped, the shock momentarily stealing her breath away. "A threatened abortion?" she repeated, her voice barely above a whisper. "How could you forget to tell me something like that?" She asked in disbelief as she walked past him in search of her phone.

    Shame washed over Harry. He knew she would be worried and he should have told her, but he had forgotten. After she returned from her solo adventure, he had been too busy thinking about the proposal arrangement and then she had said she wanted to take a nap so they had slept together because she wanted him to cuddle her. They had received the invitation to the ''couple mingle'' shortly after they woke up and had spent what was left of their time getting ready.

    "I''m sorry. It wasn''t intentional," Harry said apologetically.

    Jade, who had found her phone, looked up at him and when she saw the genuine remorse on his face she went to him.

    "It''s alright. No need to feel so bad about it. I understand that it wasn''t intentional," she said, pecking his cheeks so he would rx.

    "When did you hear the news? Who told you about it? Tom?" Jade asked and after Harry answered her questions she nodded.

    "I need to call her. See if she''s alright."

    "Wait," Harry interjected before she could dial Sonia''s line, "She''s probably sleeping. You should call Bryan instead," Harry suggested, since he knew if he were in Bryan''s shoes he''d want all calls to go to him and not to his wife who should be resting.

    Jade nodded, "You''re right." In her moment of panic, she''dpletely forgotten about Bryan.

    She dialed Bryan''s number immediately and it rang once, twice, before going to voicemail.

    "No answer," she reported back to Harry, slumping onto the bed.

    "Maybe you can try again in the morning," Harry suggested, his voice tentative.

    "I''m d she is fine. And the baby too," Jade said and Harry nodded as he sat beside her and she leaned on him.

    "It must have been very scary for them. Poor Bryan," she said, thinking about how terrified Bryan must have been.

    "How about we give Tom a call? We can find out if he''s with them now or how they are doing," Harry suggested and Jade nodded.

    "Let''s do that," she said as she dialed Tom''s number.

    Away from there, Tom drove back to Lucy''s ce after they had dropped Bryan and Sonia back at their home.

    "Sonia asked Tyler to record the conversation with Henry," Lucy informed Tom.

    "That won''t exactly be necessary," Tom said and Lucy raised a brow.

    "Why not? Don''t you need to know what is going on there?" She asked and he shrugged.

    "I know what''s going on already," he admitted.

    "You do? How?"

    "Barry," Tom confessed.

    Lucy''s eyes widened when she realized what he was saying, "Really? When did you get him involved? Is Mia aware?"

    "No. She wanted us to go with her n and we are doing just that. But we also need to take necessary precautions. You know, something like a n B in case n A doesn''t go as nned. You should know that I like to know my enemy better than they know me and to be several steps ahead of them," Tom said as he kept his gaze on the road.

    "But how is Barry able to hack into a system of someone that far away?" She asked, intrigued.

    Tom shrugged, "It''s his thing. He knows how to hack into anything from anywhere. But just to be safe and to make sure he doesn''t make any mistakes, I sent him and his team to Hu before Henry came to get Mia," Tom said and Lucy looked at him incredulously, unable to believe he had kept that away from her.

    "Before he came to Hu? When exactly?" She asked, wondering why he didn''t tell her of the n.

    "The next day after she asked for our help," Tom said and Lucy sighed.

    "Why didn''t you tell me about it?"

    "Maybe it''s because I figured you know me well enough to know I''d do something like that. Or perhaps I wanted to impress you once again with my quick thinking," he said, turning to wink at her and she scowled at him.

    Although she was mildly annoyed that he had withheld such information from her, her curiosity made her ignore her annoyance, "So? Has he reported back to you yet?"

    "Well, he did earlier when Bryan and I left you girls alone. I guess things are not exactly going ording to Mia''s n. There are security cameras in her room, and Henry''s lover has taken over the house, so Mia won''t be having much say when ites to the domestic staff management. And Henry''s lover is also keeping watch over Mia," Tom said and Lucy frowned.

    "He has a lover? Why then did he not just grant her the divorce?" She asked in annoyance.

    "Do you want me to give you my phone so you can give him a call and ask him yourself?" Tom joked, and Lucy hit his arm yfully.

    "Don''t be silly," she hissed and he chuckled.

    "But there is another interesting angle," He said and she looked at him with interest.

    "What?"

    "His lover might not exactly be his lover. Seems more like his hater," he said with an amused twitch of his lips.

    "What do you mean?"

    "From Barry''s digging, she seems to be out for revenge. She has something against Henry. He destroyed her only brother''s life and it led him to take his life. I''m not sure he knows exactly who she is," Tom said and Lucy frowned.

    "Doesn''t that make things sort of dangerous for Mia? What if she murders Henry and pins it on her?" Lucy asked thoughtfully and Tom grinned.

    "Detective Lucy," he said teasingly, and she giggled.

    "I''m being serious. Think about it. What if she has been waiting for the right moment to strike and now that Mia is back she decides to do it?"

    "Rx, detective. She is out to destroy him not just kill him��"

    "But she might get in the way of Mia''s n," Lucy pointed out.

    "True. But you know what they say? The enemy of my enemy is my friend," Tom said and Lucy looked at him with interest.

    "Hm. You think she might be a good ally?" Lucy asked and Tom nodded.

    "We know her secret. One word to Henry and she is done for. We will keep her secret as long as her ns don''t get in the way of Mia''s n. If you ask me, I think it''s a good thing. Henry trusts her, unlike Mia. If she dismisses the staff and reces them, Henry wouldn''t raise an eyebrow," Tom said and Lucy smiled.

    "That''s good then. For a moment I was worried about Mia," Lucy said, feeling genuinely relieved.

    "Can I tell Sonia about it?" She asked, knowing that Sonia would be happy to know that Tom was still in control of things.

    "I''m sure Bryan would let her know about it since I told him already," Tom said and just then his phone buzzed with a phone call.

    Lucy picked up the phone, "It''s Jade," she told him.

    "Take the call," Tom said and Lucy received the call and ced the phone against Tom''s ear.

    "Tom, I just heard about Sonia from Harry. How is she doing? I tried reaching Bryan but his line wasn''t connecting. Are you there with them?" Jade asked the moment the call connected.

    "She is fine. The baby is fine too and they are back home now. Bryan''s battery was t earlier. You can call them in the morning. He needs to sleep. How are you enjoying your vacation?" Tom asked, wanting her to calm down.

    "Oh, alright. The vacation is going smoothly. Harry and I won the couple of the night award at the couples hangout this evening. We got a MacBook and a free vacation ticket," Jade said and Tom smiled.

    "I''m d you''re both having a nice time. Enjoy yourself, okay? And don''t worry about a thing. Sonia is doing okay," Tom assured her.

    "And Lucy? How is she doing? Is she there with you?" Jade asked and Tom turned to Lucy.

    "Jade wants to say hello," he told her.

    "Hello, Jade! You''re having a swell time, yeah?" Lucy asked with a pleasant smile.

    "I was until I heard about Sonia. Hearing how normal you sound assures me that she is fine. So, I''m going to rx now," Jade said and Lucy smiled.

    "It was so scaryst night, but she''s fine now," Lucy assured her.

    "Alright then. I need to get back to my man. Be good. Love you. Don''t miss you," Jade said before hanging up, making both Lucy and Harry tough.

    n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

 Chapter 880 Diana Locke

    Chapter 880 Diana Locke

    As Tyler navigated the winding driveway leading to Henry Rosewood''s residence he thought about dinner with Henry �C a prospect that would have thrilled him a week ago, but now felt heavy with a looming sense of dread.

    He thought about Sonia''s request. He''d never recorded a conversation without someone''s knowledge, and the act felt like a betrayal, a vition of trust. Yet, the potential benefits of having proof of Henry''s intentions, if any, were undeniable.

    He pulled up to the imposing front door, its polished brass glinting in the evening sun. With a deep breath, he made his decision. Reaching for his phone, he tapped the screen, activating flight mode to ensure no interruptions, then hit record.

    Tyler shrugged off the pang of guilt that gnawed at him when he thought about Mia and how doing this might help them save her from Henry.

    The silence that followed seemed to amplify the pounding in his chest. He slipped the phone into his work bag, ensuring it wouldn''t be visible during the evening.

    Emerging from the car, he straightened his tie andposed his face, a mask of practiced charm. Before he could knock, the grand door swung open silently, revealing a vision in crimson. Diana stood there, dressed in a with a practiced smile.

    "Dr Tyler? Mr. Rosewood is expecting you. Please,e in," Diana said with a polite smile.

    Tyler nodded curtly, stepping inside the cool, marbled entrance hall. The air held a faint scent of polished wood and expensive cigars. Following Diana''s silent lead, he walked down a hallway lined with priceless paintings, their subjects gazing down at him with an unsettling intensity.

    As he followed her, he couldn''t help but wonder who she was. Was she Henry''s sibling? He shook his head. She wouldn''t refer to him so formally if she were his sibling.

    Yet, she was dressed too beautifully to be mistaken for a domestic staff. Perhaps she was Mia''s sister or friend? Tyler reasoned.

    Finally, they arrived at arge, mahogany-paneled living room. A fire crackled merrily in the hearth, casting dancing shadows on the opulent furnishings. And there, seated in a plush armchair, was Henry Rosewood himself.

    Henry''s face broke into a smile as Tyler entered. His eyes, held a hint of amusement, as if he could see right through Tyler''s carefully constructed facade.

    If Tyler had not known Lucy and Sonia all his life, he would have thought that Mia was the liar and they were all wrongfully using such a fine gentleman of being a monster. But he knew Lucy and Sonia, and he trusted them.

    That meant Henry was a one of a kind type of Monster seeing how normal and dare he say, friendly, he looked.

    "Dr Tyler! I''m so d you could make it," Henry boomed, his voice surprisingly jovial for a man of such imposing status. "Come in,e in. Please, have a seat." He gestured towards a plush sofa opposite him.

    "Thank you for inviting me. I''m sorry I didn''te with a wine. I wasn''t sure I could afford a wine of your taste," Tyler said politely as he sank into the cushions, his back ramrod straight as he ced his bag on his thigh.

    He offered a smile, attempting to match Henry''s warmth, but it felt forced, hollow. And the recorder, hidden in his bag, felt like a ticking time bomb, a constant reminder of the deception ying out.

    "Never mind about that. I''ve been both curious and eager to meet the man who helped me find a wife whom I didn''t realize was merely missing and not dead. I''m sure you are aware that I have brought her back home now, yes?" Henry asked and Tyler nodded.

    "I saw the news. Congrattions on your reunion with your wife," Tyler said with a polite smile.

    "It is thanks to you. I never really thought of looking," Henry said, since that was indeed the truth. He never would have imagined that Mia had what it took to run away from him.

    "I''m a man who believes very much in rewarding people when they do something to please me, and I do not hesitate to punish them when they displease me. An act like yours should be rewarded," Henry said and Tyler''s smile faltered.

    "I really didn''t do anything to be rewarded for. I thought she looked a lot like her and I told Dr Evans so," Tyler said and Henry waved it off. N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "There is no need for the modesty. I''m curious. What exactly happened? How did you meet her? And did you say anything to her? Did she say anything to you?" Henry asked, wanting to know how much Tyler knew.

    Tyler paused, not sure what to say or what to keep to himself since he wasn''t sure what Mia might have told him.

    Not wanting to sound like he was very close to Lucy and the others so that Henry wouldn''t suspect anything, he shrugged, "I apanied a friend of mine to visit his sister, and I saw her. I thought she looked familiar and I said so, but she said she had never met me before, which was true, so I didn''t push. I decided to talk to Dr Evans about it since I recalled he mentioned something about not finding her corpse in the ident," Tyler responded, and before Henry could say another word, Mia walked in, escorted by Diana.

    Seeing Tyler, Mia''s steps faltered. What was he doing there? Did Sonia and the others send him? Or was he here on Henry''s invitation? She mused.

    "I see you''re here, honey. Meet our guest, Dr Tyler. I trust you''ve met him before. Dr Tyler, my wife, Vanessa Rosewood," Henry said, reaching out a hand to Mia toe to him.

    Hearing Henry, Mia snapped out of her thoughts as she realized that Tyler was one of the guests Diana had mentioned wasing over for dinner. Knowing Henry, he probably wanted to reward Tyler and make him one of his people. It was just like Henry to do something like that, Mia thought as she took the hand Henry offered, and met Tyler''s gaze.

    "You''re wee to our home, Dr Tyler. I must thank you for the role you yed in helping my husband and I find each other again," Mia said with a stiff smile as she sat beside Henry looking every bit like the the trophy wife Henry expected her to be.

    Looking at her, Tyler could see howpletely different this Vanessa Rosewood seemed from Mia despite the obvious physical resemnce.

    Mia had seemed like a pretty ordinarydy, living a pretty ordinary life, but there was nothing ordinary about Vanessa. Not in her outfit or makeup or the manner with which she spoke and carried herself. She seemed like a different person now.

    Realizing that he was yet to respond to what she had said, Tyler gave her a polite nod, "I''m d I could help. I can''t imagine how terrible it would have been had I decided to ignore my instincts. It must have been tough for you both being apart because of circumstances beyond your control," Tyler said and Henry turned to Mia with a loving gazer.

    "Dinner has been served," Diana announced as she joined them, and Tyler looked at her, once again wondering who she was, especially when she exchanged a look with Henry.

    "Let''s move to the dining," Henry suggested as he rose, and they all headed to the dining.

    Henry sat at the head of the table, while Mia sat at his left side, and Tyler at his right side.

    Tyler resisted the urge to raise a brow when Diana also took the sit beside Mia. Seeing the curious look on his face, Mia reasoned that he was probably trying to figure out what was going on in the house so he could ry it to the others.

    She was pretty sure that if Henry had invited Tyler over, Tyler would most likely have told Sonia or any of the others about the invitation. This was probably the best and easiest way to let them know about the changes and what was happening in the house.

    "Dr Tyler, have you been introduced to Diana yet?" Mia asked, and Tyler watched as Diana exchanged a look with Henry.

    "No, I haven''t. I assumed she was your sister," Tyler said even though he no longer thought so.

    Ignoring the warning look that Henry shot her, Mia turned to look at Diana, "My sister? Why would you think that? Do we look alike?" Mia asked and Tyler merely shrugged.

    "Well, this is Diana Locke. My darling husband was so worried about my mental health that he employed her as my aide. She goes everywhere with me and monitors all that I do. I can''t even sneeze or go to the bathroom without her watching me, can you believe it? She is in charge of everything around here. Even the domestic staff. My darling husband doesn''t want me to be stressed out by anything. I''m d I have her with me, though. So, much has changed here and I''m still trying to find my footing. I can''t add telling the kitchen staff what to make for dinner, to my te right now," Mia said with a shortugh, wanting them to believe she was joking.

    Henry and Diana bothughed awkwardly at what they assumed was Mia''s joke and Tyler also forced augh, "You should let our guest enjoy his meal, darling," Henry cautioned.

    "Right. I should. I''m sorry for bbering. I must be having a manic episode," Mia said with a self deprecating smile and returned her attention to her meal.

    "It''s nice to make your acquaintance Ms Locke," Tyler said politely and Diana smiled.

    "Diana is just fine," Diana said with a nod.

    For the rest of dinner, Mia listened as Henry conversed with Tyler, trying to get to know him. She really hoped that Tyler got her message and would rte it to Sonia and the others. Once she was done with dinner, Mia excused herself, iming she was having a headache after a busy day of ying golf and needed to rest, and Diana followed her.

    Alone with Tyler now, Henry looked at him. "Tell me, how would you like me to reward you? Shall I invest in your clinic?" He asked, now that he had confirmed that Tyler seemed to believe the memory loss story and didn''t seem to know anything about the fact that his wife had run away and

    "If you insist on rewarding me, why don''t I think about something I want and get back to you?" Tyler asked, and Henry smiled.

    "I like you," he said with a shortugh, "A man that doesn''t make hasty decisions is a wise man. Now I''m convinced that I want to work with you," Henry said and his words sent a shiver down Tyler''s spine.

    "I appreciate the thought, Mr. Rosewood," he replied cautiously. "But I''m curious, what kind of work?"

    Henry''s smile widened, revealing a glint in his pale eyes. "That, is something best discussed over a good ss of wine. Shall we?"

    He gestured towards a decanter on a nearby table, the amber liquid within shimmering in the firelight. Tyler hesitated, his stomach churning with a mix of apprehension and anticipation. This dinner, he realized, was about to take a turn he hadn''t quite anticipated.

    As they both returned to the living room with their winesses in hand, Tyler looked at Henry with interest as he waited to hear what the man had to offer him.

    "As you must know, Dr Evans is retiring soon and ns to move away from here. I will like you to be my doctor," he said and Tyler shook his head.

    "I''m not sure you are aware that I''m more of a cosmetic surgeon��"

    "I am aware. And your service in that field will do just fine. You see, me and my wife we like to get a little rough when we make love. Some times it leaves marks. I''d like you to take care of those marks and keep it all to yourself. Whatever happens within the Rosewood family stays within the Rosewood family. You also can''t ask her questions about it. It embarrasses her to admit that she is so wild. You know what I mean?" Henry asked with a grin.

    "I understand," Tyler said with a nod.

    "So? Will you ept my offer?" Henry asked and Tyler gave him a nod.

    "Of course. It will be a honor to be your family doctor," Tyler said with a polite smile and Henryughed happily.

 Chapter 881 Late

    Chapter 881 Late

    The insistent chirping of the rm clock was the rude awakening Lucy never needed. It shattered the peaceful slumber Lucy and Tom had been enjoying.

    With a groan, Lucy mmed her hand down on the snooze button, her eyes still squeezed shut, momentarily silencing the shrill cry.

    Sunlight, a traitor in the situation, streamed through the blinds, painting bold stripes across Lucy''s face. "Ugh, what time is it?" she mumbled, her voice thick with sleep.

    Tom, who had also woken up, reached for his phone, "Uh oh," he said, a hint of amusement creeping into his voice since he knew how upset would be when he told her the time.

    "It''s almost eight o''clock," he said after ncing at the time disyed on the screen.

    Lucy''s eyes snapped open, and she shot uprihht, horror dawning on her face. "Eight? P.m. or A.m.? Please say it is p.m.," she said, and Tom chuckled.

    "You''d rather it is Monday night and you missed work? Besides, can''t you see the sunlight?"

    "We''re going to bete!" she shrieked, throwing the covers off and scrambling out of bed.

    She dashed towards the closet, flinging open the doors and rummaging through her clothes. "Where''s that damn grey skirt?" she muttered, her movements frantic.

    Tom watched the whirlwind of activity with a smile ying on his lips. "Not even a good morning kiss for your sweetheart?" He asked, and she shot him a look that could curdle milk.

    "Maybe if we hadn''t overslept, you''d have gotten more than a good morning kiss, but I don''t have the time for romance right now. Not when I''m going to bete for work," she said as she returned her attention the closet.

    She ditched the missing gray skirt and instead pulled out a beige colored tailored pantsuit and a colorful scarf.

    "Rx," he said calmly. "I''m also going to bete but you don''t see me being so upset," he pointed out.

    "Easy for you to say, Mr. CEO. You are the boss. You don''t have to worry about something like that," Lucy said as she took off her clothes and headed for the bathroom naked.

    "Actually," Tom called after her, stretchingnguidly, "you don''t either." He winked at her, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Not when the boss happens to be your very understanding boyfriend."

    Lucy couldn''t help but crack a smile at that. While she thrived on being independent and sessful on her own merit, a part of her enjoyed the perks that came with being associated with Tom. Still, responsibility tugged at her conscience.

    "Indeed. Get off the bed, my very understanding boyfriend. I don''t have to beter than I already am because of you," Lucy called back to him from inside the bathroom as she pressed some toothpaste on her brush.

    Tom chuckled as he rose, "I don''t get why you''re so worked up. Nobody''s going to fire you or even question your arrival time."

    Lucy walked over to the bathroom door to look at him with her toothbrush in one hand, and shot him an exasperated look. "That''s not the point. I still need to be responsible, even if you are the CEO. You know me. I don''t like the idea of beingte. It''s unprofessional," she said, her voice regaining a semnce of normalcy.

    Tom crossed the room his smile widening. He enjoyed seeing this responsible side of her, the one that thrived on routine and aplishment.

    He kissed her forehead, "Alright, alright," he conceded. "Let''s get ready for work," he said as he ced both hands on her bare ass and kneaded it.

    "There should always be a little time for romance," he said, making herugh.

    "I will use the shower alone. When I''m done you can go in. I can''t trust you to behave yourself and I don''t have the time," Lucy said before disappearing into the bathroom, quickly brushing her teeth and washing up, Tom picked up his phone and wasn''t surprised to see that he had several messages from Barry. He was sure they were reports of Henry''s and Mia''s day, and details of the dinner with Tyler.

    There was also a text from Bryan letting him know Jeff would be at his office by 10 a.m. to discuss the details of his movement, and that Jeff''s cousin who would be standing in for him had arrived.

    Just as Lucy emerged from the bathroom, a towel wrapped around her hair, her phone buzzed on the nightstand, "Go shower," she told Tom as she picked up her phone.

    "It''s Tyler," she announced, her voiceced with curiosity. "He sent a message."

    Intrigued, Tom joined her by the nightstand. "What''s he saying?"

    Lucy opened the message, and saw a small blue icon that indicated it was a voice recording.

    "I think it''s the recording of dinner with Henry Rosewood," Lucy said as she pressed y.

    Diana''s voice filled the room filled as she weed Tyler into the house.

    "I''m guessing this is thedy you talked about," Lucy said, momentarily forgetting that she was in haste to get to the office.

    Next, Henry''s voice came up, and they listened intently as the conversation unfolded, Henry''s words filled with self-assurance and thinly veiled arrogance.

    Tom chuckled at Mia''s subtle attempt to send a message through Tyler. Unfortunately even though they had more than one means to know what was happening in the house, there was hardly a way to send a message to her yet until Jeff was there.

    "He ns to hurt her again and have Tyler treat her?" Lucy asked, her eyes wide with fear.

    Tom covered her hand with his, "Don''t let it bother you. We will try not to let it get to that," Tom promised.

    Just as the recording ended, Lucy''s phone rang. Tyler''s name shed on the screen.

    "At this rate, we are not only going to bete to work. We might miss it entirely," Lucy murmured, knowing that Tyler most likely wanted to talk to Tom.

    "Don''t worry about me. Go ahead and receive the call. You can dress up while I talk to him. I will try to be fast," Tom assured her and Lucy received the call, putting it on speaker.

    "Hey, Ty! You''re on speaker with both of us. Are you calling to hear my voice? Or do you want talk to my boyfriend?" Lucy asked and Tom grinned.

    "I will like to talk to Tom if he''s there with you," Tyler, who had just arrived home from the Rosewood mansion said.

    "It''s high time you start calling him directly instead of bothering me," Lucy hissed at him, making him chuckle. N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "You got my message, right? Send it to Sony," Tyler said before Lucy could hand the phone to Tom.

    "Sure. Thanks for doing it," Lucy said before handing the phone to Tom and walking away to go dress up.

    "We just listened to the recording. Tom said, his tone amused. "Quite the performance."

    Tyler chuckled. "Yeah, he''s something else. Tried to y the benevolent host, but it was clear he was fishing for information. You heard, right? I''m going to be his doctor. I figured I ept the job and maybe you can have the opportunity to talk to her if or when she visits my office," Tyler exined.

    "I''m hoping she won''t have any reason to visit your office, Tyler. But I''m d you epted the offer. Thank you."

    "It''s the least I can do since he would never have known she was alive had I not alerted him to it," Tyler said with a sigh.

    He was very certain now that if anyone ever asked him what he regretted most in his life, exposing Mia would be his response. He should have just minded his business and kept his mouth shut.

    "Don''t beat yourself over it. I have to go now. I''m runningte for work. If anythinges up, please let me know. And thank you once again for doing this."

    "It''s no problem at all," Tyler replied.

    "I will text you my number now, so you can reach me directly," Tom said before hanging up.

    Immediately he hung up, he turned to look at Lucy, and chuckled when he saw her pointing to the bathroom for him to go freshen up.

    "Fine. I heard you," he said as he headed for the bathroom.

    By the time Tom stepped out of the bathroom, Lucy was fully dressed and hadid out his clothes on the bed.

    "I''m very tempted to take a cab and leave you behind toe when you please," Lucy said, as her eyes darted to the clock which just struck nine.

    "If it will make you happy, do it," Tom said easily as he dried his hair.

    "Unfortunately, it won''t," she muttered and Tom chuckled again, the sound warm and pleasant.

    "Then rx. I will escort you to your office if you want me to. And if you feel so bad, maybe you can give Amy a call to let her know you''re runningte," Tom said patiently.

    "Do you remember thest time we fought over beingte to the office?" Tom asked, and Lucy nodded, a smile tugging on her lips.

    "It seems like such a long time ago (chapter 442)," she said, remembering how upset she had been, and also how Jamal had gotten upset when Tom yelled.

    "Yes. Now tell me, did the office building fall apart because you were not there early enough?" Tom asked and she scowled but didn''t respond.

    "We had a misunderstanding over it, yet your absence or ratherte presence didn''t affect anything at the office. I''m not justifyingteness. I''m just saying, we arete already. Arguing or fighting with me isn''t going to change that. Instead, if you''re really worried, just let Amy know you''ll be a bitte. Text or give her a call so she can make the necessary adjustment to your schedule, and then rx," Tom said before returning his attention to getting ready.

    Lucy sighed as she texted Amy, and when she was done, she forwarded Tyler''s message to Sonia, making a mental note to call and check on her when she gets to the office.

    "Have you heard from Candace about Aaron''s arrival time?" Tom asked, and Lucy shook her head.

    "I sort of forgot about it. I will chat her up now," Lucy said and when she opened their chat, she saw that Candace had left her a message in the middle of the night already.

    "He should be here by 1 p.m." Lucy said and Tom nodded.

    "Let''s meet in my office by noon and leave for the airport then," he said and she nodded in agreement.

    Once Tom finished getting ready, they walked out the door, hand in hand.

 Chapter 882 Doubts

    Chapter 882 Doubts

    Jade stirred from sleep, reaching out instinctively for the warmth that usually resided beside her. Her hand met only the cool sheets, and she blinked awake, ncing around the room.

    The suite was quiet, the curtains drawn to a sliver allowing the early morning light to filter in.

    "Harry?" she called softly, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. The room remained silent.

    Without getting out of the bed, she reached for the suite remote. She flipped the bathroom wall to transparent, and just as she thought, it was empty.

    She did the same to the walls of the bedroom, and there was no sign of Harry anywhere in the suite or around it.

    A faint frown creased her brow as she nced at the wall clock. It was 10 a.m. A knot of unease tightened in her stomach as she slipped out of bed naked, her concern growing.

    She walked over to the closet and quickly put on a matching sweatpants and shirt, wanting to go check the gym if perhaps Harry had decided to go work out.

    After wearing her pair of trainers, she stepped out of the suite. As she approached the gym, she walked past the lounge, a soft murmur of conversation drifting over.

    She paused when it urred to her that she had caught sight of a familiar fabric�� one of Harry''s, so she walked back, and the sight that greeted her wasn''t what she''d expected.

    Harry was seated at a small table, a steaming cup of coffee in front of him. Across from him was a woman with sun-kissed hair, herughter carrying over to Jade.

    Jade recognized her instantly �C the same woman she had seen Harry talking to the previous day when she returned from kayaking but the woman had walked away before she got to where they were.

    It had seemed like a fleeting, casual interaction yesterday, but here, it seemed like a full-blown conversation, animated and intimate.

    A frown creased Jade''s forehead. Who was this woman, and why was Harry having coffee with her alone, especially after leaving her in bed?

    A pang of insecurity twisted in Jade''s stomach. Memories of past rtionship surfaced, whispers of betrayal echoing in her mind.

    She watched them for a moment, her heart sinking as the woman leaned in closer to Harry to show him something on her phone. He smiled, saying something that made the womanugh again. Jade turned away, the scene too painful to watch.

    No matter how much she tried to reassure herself that Harry was not Todd. Harry was different and would never hurt her, the little voice in her head kept telling her that Harry was a man, and all men were the same.

    The voice kept reminding her that she had also trusted Todd so foolishly and he had repaid her trust with the utmost betrayal.

    A wave of emotions washed over Jade. Jealousy, a gnawing sense of inadequacy, and a confusing hurt. She wanted to walk over, nt a kiss on Harry''s cheek, and ask him who the woman was. But the insecurity held her back. What if it was something innocent, something she''d blow out of proportion? What if by questioning him, she came across as suspicious and clingy?

    Torn between wanting an exnation and keeping quiet, Jade retreated back to their suite, her head held high but her heart heavy with unspoken questions.

    Back in their suite, Jade paced the room, her mind racing with questions. Why had Harry left her in bed to talk to this woman? Did he not want to disturb her, or was there something more? The insecurities she thought she had buried resurfaced, making her feel small and inadequate.

    Deciding to put the time into good use while she waited for him to return, she freshened up. She brushed her hair with more force than necessary, trying to push the negative thoughts away, but her mind reying the scene at the lounge.

    She was upset, but she didn''t want to jump to conclusions. She would wait for Harry to return and talk to him.

    Every minute she waited, felt like an hour, and she couldn''t help imagining things.

    Just as self-doubt began to solidify into a bitter pill, the door opened, and Harry stepped in, a bouquet of vibrant lilies in his hand.

    A smile lit up his face when he saw her, and he crossed the room to meet her, "Good morning, love. I thought you''d still be sleeping afterst night," he said, his voice warm and his eyes crinkling at the corners as he brushed his lips against hers.

    "Thought I''d bring you these," he said, holding out the flowers to her.

    The sweet fragrance of the flowers filled the air. The gesture calmed a storm inside her, recing it with a question that wouldn''t stay buried.

    Jade forced a smile as she epted the flowers, her eyes searching his face for any hint of deceit. "Thanks. Where were you?"

    "I woke up early and didn''t want to disturb your beauty sleep, so I grabbed some coffee at the lounge," Harry said as he headed for the bathroom to wash his hands.

    Jade''s heart pounded in her chest as she followed him, "Did you meet anyone interesting?"

    Harry shook his head, his expression casual. "Nah. Why do you ask?" He asked as he met her gaze in the mirror.

    Jade bit her lip, torn between pressing the issue and letting it go. What if it was nothing? What if she created a scene out of thin air, tarnishing their idyllic vacation?

    Harry paused when he saw the expression on her face, "What''s wrong?"

    The knot in Jade''s stomach tightened, "It''s nothing. Nothing important. Thanks for the flowers," Jade said as she turned to leave, but Harry caught her hand before she could walk away.

    "Tell me," he said firmly, cing a finger under her chin to make sure she was looking at him.

    "I saw you. You were having coffee with ady," she confessed.

    For a minute Harry didn''t say a word, and he sighed as he took her hand and led her back to the bedroom.

    "Yes. I did have coffee with ady," Harry said and she looked at him.

    "You lied that you didn''t meet anyone interesting," she pointed out.

    "What does having coffee with her have to do with her being interesting? She isn''t of any interest to me," Harry said tly.

    "You both were together yesterday too," Jade said and Harry realized where she was going.

    "You think I''m interested in her and I''m cheating with her?" He asked and when she shrugged, he felt sort of hurt.

    "You believe I came all this way on a vacation with you, and I would cheat on you with some randomdy? Me?" Harry asked, and as much as Jade wanted to believe him, she knew just how guys loved to gaslightdies.

    She had fallen once for shit like this, and she didn''t want to fall for it again no matter how much she loved Harry.

    "What did you both talk about? Why was she with you yesterday? Why did you leave me in bed to go have coffee with her today?" Jade asked, and Harry sighed.

    "I can''t tell you that," he said, and she nodded, swallowing past the painful lump of hurt that had formed in her throat.

    "I see," she said and turned to walk away.

    "What do you see?" Harry asked bringing her back.

    "That you don''t want to tell me," Jade said, too hurt to look at him.

    "Don''t you trust me?" Harry asked, not liking that they were having this conversation in the first ce.

    "I don''t know. I want to. I''m trying to, but it''s so hard. I don''t want to be made a fool of again," Jade said, her lips trembling as tears dropped from her eyes.

    Harry embraced her, "No one is going to make a fool of you, baby. I will never hurt you. I don''t want to lie to you about who she is, hence I don''t want to tell you why I''m meeting with her yet, but trust me, esquire, she is nothing to me," Harry whispered.

    "Are you going to see her again?" Jade asked as she looked up at Harry with teary eyes.

    "Yes. I have to. But if it will make you feel better, you can hang around whenever I have to talk to her. But you won''t listen in on our conversation," Harry said, and Jade frowned.

    "We agreed that you will leave work behind. Why are you still working here when it should be just the both of us?" Jade asked, assuming it was business.

    "Because this is very important. You will understand better when I''ve sealed the deal," he promised, and when she didn''t say anything, he asked, "Have I ever given you a reason to doubt that I love you? Or to doubt mymitment to you?"

    Jade shook her head as she held his gaze, and he nodded, "So, can you please trust me?" Harry asked and she nodded slowly.

    "Besides, if I so much as hurt you, Tom would have my head and I will also have to deal with my dad, Candace, Andy, Lucy, and everyone else too, you know? And guess who will bury me alive if I hurt you? Me. Shouldn''t that make you more confident knowing that you have me and everyone else on your side?" Harry asked, and Jade smiled reluctantly.

    "If you saw us together having coffee, why didn''t youe over?" Harry asked and she shrugged.

    "I just couldn''t," she said quietly.

    "Were you really not going to ask me about it had I not asked? Didn''t we agree tomunicate clearly?" Harry asked and Jade looked down. N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "I''m sorry. It''s just hard to think logically when such feelingse," she exined.

    "You have nothing to fear, esquire. I got you. For life. And maybe if you''re still having such a hard time trusting me, we should wait for a year or two before thinking about getting married," Harry said and Jade shook her head.

    "No. I don''t want to wait," Jade said immediately.

    "Why not?"

    "I think I might feel more secure after we get married," Jade said and Harry shook his head.

    "I don''t think so. I think if you don''t work on your feelings of insecurity now, it might only get worse as time goes on, regardless of what I do or how I try reassure you," Harry said softly.

    "It won''t," Jade insisted and Harry sighed.

    "What is it going to take for you trust me?" Harry asked and she shrugged.

    "Let''s get married first."

    Although he wanted to argue with her and give her reasons why he knew that her feelings of insecurity would get worse in marriage if she didn''t learn to trust him before they get married, he decided to let it go for the time being.

    "Let''s go breakfast. But first, you need to give Bryan a call as you nned," Harry reminded her, and Jade nodded.

    "I''m sorry I doubted you," she whispered.

    She still wasn''t sure how to work on her trust issues, but she was going to try her best to stop doubting Harry so much. She needed to keep reminding herself that Harry was a one in a million guy and far different from Todd.

 Chapter 883 Pregnant.

    Chapter 883 Pregnant.

    The oppressive cloud that had seemed to permanently reside over Amy''s head for the past few weeks had mysteriously vanished. Gone were the perpetually furrowed brows and downturned lips, reced by a lightness in her step and a barely concealed smile that yed on her lips.

    Her colleagues couldn''t help but notice the change. As Amy walked past one of the intern''s desk on her way to Lucy''s office, the intern couldn''t resist a yful jab.

    "Did you win the lottery over the weekend, Amy? You look positively radiant."

    Amy stopped, a genuine, full-bodiedugh escaping her lips. "I don''t y the lottery," she said, her grin widening. "But we can say I won something," Amy said before continuing to Lucy''s office.

    As she cleaned and organized Lucy''s desk, she let out a deep sigh as her mind drifted back to the phone call with Lucas the previous evening, the memory sending a pleasant warmth through her.

    After their phone call, Lucas had texted her a couple of hours after she got home to find out if she was home. Lucas was such a gentleman, she thought with a soft smile as she returned to her desk.

    She had deliberately decided not to text Lucas when she woke up that morning. As much as he was putting up with her and being friendly with her, she didn''t want to overdo it.

    The notification chime of her phone startled her out of her daydream. She eagerly snatched it up, hoping for a message from Lucas, but a pang of disappointment hit her when she saw it was just Lucy, informing her she would bete and needed Amy to reschedule some appointments.

    Well, it was pretty obvious that she was runningte since she was usually almost always the first person to arrive at the office in their team, but almost everyone was at the office now and she wasn''t.

    As Amy focused on organizing the files in front of her for Lucy, her phone buzzed again, this time with a text from Lucas. Her heart skipped a beat as she saw it was from him. It was a simple message:

    [Good morning, your time. Heading to bed now. Have a nice day.]

    A small smile tugged at her lips. It wasn''t much, but it was enough to make her stomach flutter. She liked that he thought of her before going to bed and cared enough to send a message.

    [Sweet dreams, Dr Luca.] she texted back and taking a deep breath, she decided to focus on work.

    Away from there, the corner of Lucas''s mouth quirked up as he read Amy''s message. A soft warmth spread through him. Although he had sort of expected that she would send him a text when she woke up, he had also been relieved that she didn''t.

    A part of him had braced for her to bombard him with texts now that she had his number and he had given her the go-ahead to text him, but he liked that she wasn''t putting any pressure on him.

    He appreciated the casualness, the unspoken understanding that theirmunication wouldn''t be a constant barrage. He liked that while she was reaching out to him in friendship, she was also leaving room for him to return the energy as he pleased.

    He looked at the door when Tyler knocked on it, "I didn''t realize you were back," Lucas said as Tyler walked in.

    "I guess you were in the shower when I knocked," Tyler said and Lucas nodded.

    "So? How did dinner go? Did you see her?" Lucas asked, and Tyler nodded.

    "Yeah. I did," Tyler said and went on to tell Lucas all about dinner with Henry.

    Tyler sighed, "I wonder how they are going to be able to help her."

    "Don''t worry about it. Leave it to Tom. I''m sure he will find a way," Lucas said confidently.

    "What have you been up to all day?" Tyler asked and Lucas shrugged, instinctively keeping his phone screen pointed down.

    "Nothing much. Just catching up on some reading," he said vaguely, gesturing towards a book lying open on the bed.

    Tyler''s gaze flickered to the book, then back to Lucas''s face. "Funny," he remarked, a hint of amusement in his voice. "Why do you look and sound much livelier?" Tyler asked and Lucas frowned.

    "What do you mean?"

    "You sound sort of excited. Did you chat with Amy today?" Tyler asked and Lucas Lucas felt a heat rise in his cheeks but covered it with a scowl.

    "What has that have to do with anything?" He countered defensively.

    Tyler''s grinned. "Nothing, nothing," he catingly raised his hands. "Just asking. Guess you must have then. I''m off to bed," He winked before Lucas could protest further, then turned and exited the room, before Lucas could deny it or argue further leaving Lucas alone with his churning stomach.

    Lucas eyed the door with displeasure and scowled as he stalked over to the mirror, scrutinizing his reflection. Did he look different? He poked and prodded at his face, searching for some outward sign of his internal turmoil. Finding nothing, he muttered a curse under his breath. "He loves to jump to conclusions," he grumbled to himself before turning off the lights and flopping onto the bed.

    Away from there, once Tom arrived at his office, he asked Harry''s secretary to reorganize his appointments for the day since he had a meeting with Jeff by 10 and needed to leave the office by noon to pick Aaron. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    Seated behind his desk, he took out his phone and yed the recordings which Barry sent to him.

    He was grateful that Barry filtered the recordings and only sent him those he considered to be important.

    One of the recordings he was listening to, was a conversation between Diana and Henry after the dinner with Tyler.

    "So? Do you think he knows the truth?" Diana was asking Henry.

    "It doesn''t seem like it. And if he knows and he is pretending not to know, then he must be a smart young man," Henry said and Diana sighed.

    "Well, I''m sure if he knew he wouldn''t have reached out to Dr Evans, unless of course he wanted to get favor from you," Diana said reasonably.

    "You''re right. So? What do you think about her so far?" Henry asked, referring to Mia.

    "Are you asking me that to see if I am jealous? You know very well that I don''t like that I have to share you," Diana said in a sucky tone.

    "You''re not sharing me. We both know she is only my wife in name. Haven''t I proven that to you already? I made you thedy of my home. You''re the Queen of my kingdom," Henry promised, his voice surprisingly warm.

    "Well, I have news for you," Diana said, her voice sounding like she was anxious.

    "What news?"

    Diana cleared her throat, "I wasn''t going to tell you. I mean with the new development. I didn''t want to put you in a tough position��" she let the rest of her words trail off.

    "What is this about?" Henry asked, sounding very curious.

    "I think I''m pregnant. But you don''t have to worry. I already booked an appointment with the doctor. I n to terminate it. I know a man like you would never want to have a child out of wedlock��"

    "Did you just say you are pregnant?" Henry cut in, sounding very excited.

    "Yes?" Diana said, and Tom who was listening to the conversation chuckled.

    This was even more interesting to him than a soap opera.

    "I''m sorry. I know I should have been more careful. But considering that we were nning to get married before she showed up, I didn''t really make a big deal��"

    "Say no more, my sweetest Diana. You''re not going to terminate this baby. My baby," Henry said, his voice firm and soft at the same time.

    "But what about your wife?"

    "What about her? She has no say in this matter. Don''t worry. Trust me and wait, okay?" Henry said and Diana sighed.

    "I wish I could do that, but I don''t want to take any risks. I love you, but I need you to give me something I can hold on to," Diana said, and Tom chuckled once again, wondering why Henry was so gullible.

    "What do you want? Tell me," Henry urged her.

    "What does this baby worth to you? Give me something you value. Anything," Diana said and Tom could hear the wheels in Henry''s brain turning.

    "Everything. You know I love and adore you, Diana. I will give you everything and anything you so desire. All you have to do is say the word," Henry said, and Tom tsked.

    "I will think about what I want carefully and get back to you," Diana said and the Tom shook his head as he stopped the recording.

    He dialed Barry''s line. "Send her a text and let her know we are on to her. I don''t want her messing with my ns," he told Barry before hanging up.

 Chapter 884 I’m Worried

    Chapter 884 I��m Worried

    Just as Tom hung up the call with Barry, he received another phone call from an unsaved contact, but before he could receive the call, Jeff knocked on the door.

    Tom asked him to enter before going on to receive the call. "Thomas Hank," Tom said in a clipped voice as he gestured to Jeff to sit down.

    "Mr. Hank, this is Robert Henderson, I trust you know who I am." The voice on the other end was clipped and professional, with a hint of underlying curiosity.

    Tom''s brow furrowed slightly. Robert Henderson. The name sent a jolt through him. It was the owner of EliteHouse Inc, the domestic staffpany that provided services to Henry Rosewood.

    Seeing as Mr Henderson had reached him directly and not through his aide, he could see that his mother hadn''t been bluffing when she said she knew the family personally and could get them to help.

    Internally, he braced himself, unsure of what this call might entail. "Mr. Henderson," he acknowledged politely. "It''s good to hear from you," Tom said, while Jeff, oblivious to the power y unfolding, tapped his foot impatiently, his mind a whirlwind of worry and longing for Mia.

    "I received a call from Evelyn. I didn''t realize who you were," Henderson began, his voice measured. "Your grandfather and my family go a long way. For that reason, I''m willing to hear you out. How can I help you?"

    Tom leaned back in his chair, "Well, Mr. Henderson, I won''t waste your time or mine. Since acquiring yourpany is apparently out of the question, perhaps we can discuss a different kind of arrangement."

    A beat of surprised silence followed his very direct statement. Tom could practically picture Henderson''s confusion on the other end of the line. "An arrangement?" Henderson finally repeated, a hint of suspicion creeping into his tone.

    "Indeed," Tom confirmed. "Specifically, the addition of a new chef to the staff at Rosewood."

    The tension in the room thickened as Jeff looked at Tom, realizing who Tom was speaking with.

    Tom on the other hand watched the dust motes dance in a shaft of sunlight filtering through the window, his gaze unwavering.

    "A new chef?" Henderson''s voice held a note of skepticism.

    "Yes. How much did my mother tell you?" Tom asked, wanting to know just how much he knew.

    "Not much. She expressed�� some concerns regarding a situation at the Rosewood household and asked that I render assistance to you in anyway I can," Henderson continued cautiously.

    "Well, in order to be able to handle things in the Rosewood household, I need my own person there to keep an eye on things," he said, his voice a low rumble.

    "What is this person going to be doing there? Is this individual a qualified professional?" It was clear he was treading carefully, caught between his loyalty to Lawrence and whatever protocol hispany adhered to. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Tom nced at Jeff. Seeing how Mia had agreed that Jeffe in as a chef, he was certain that Mia had watched Jeff prepare meals and approved of his meals.

    "Absolutely," he assured Henderson, his voice dripping with false sincerity. "Highly skilled, impable references. Just the kind of addition Rosewood needs. And he will only be keeping an eye on things. He won''t cause any troubles for you."

    There was another pause, longer this time. Tom knew Henderson was weighing his options, caught between the lucrative contract he had with the Rosewoods and doing Lawrence''s grandson a favor.

    "Mr Hank," Henderson finally said, his voiceced with wariness, "I understand your desire to�� improve the situation at the Rosewood Household. However, I cannot simply insert someone into an established household staff. My staff has contracts, and I have a reputation to uphold."

    Tom knew he had to tread carefully. He couldn''t push Henderson too far, but he also couldn''t afford dys. "Mr. Henderson," he said, his voice softening slightly, "rest assured, my intention is not to cause any disruption. The current chef, well, let''s just say they haven''t been meeting expectations. Perhaps a�� friendly departure could be arranged?"

    He left the suggestion hanging in the air, a silent offer for Henderson''s cooperation. Jeff, noticing the shift in Tom''s tone, nced at Tom, a flicker of hope sparking in his eyes.

    "A friendly departure," Henderson repeated slowly, clearly contemting the situation. "And what about this new chef? What exactly are their�� duties?"

    Tom couldn''t help but smirk. This was it. "Aside from cooking, the new chef will be primarily concerned with the well-being of Mrs Rosewood," he began, his voice dropping to a low murmur.

    Henderson scoffed. "Are you sure this ''chef'' of yours wouldn''t be more interested in�� extracurricr activities?"

    "Let me assure you, he is a man of integrity. His sole purpose will be to ensure the safety of Mrs Rosewood and�� let''s say, keeping her out of trouble.". Discreetly, of course."

    Another long pause. Tom could almost hear Henderson weighing the risks and rewards. Finally, with a resigned sigh, Henderson spoke.

    "Mr. Hank," he said, his voice tight, "I have a contract with both my staff and the family at Rosewood. Recing someone wouldn''t be easy, especially without a good reason. But if you can find a way to make the current chef vacate the position then I can see about amodating your request. However, understand that my hands are tied until then��"

    "Consider it done," Tom interrupted smoothly, his voice firm. "I will have the current chef discharged within the next three days. No muss, no fuss. The new chef will be at your office in three days.

    A tense silence followed. Finally, a grudging eptance filled the receiver.

    "Fine," Henderson grumbled. "But if it turns out you''re deceiving me and ying games, you''ll be answering to me."

    "You can rest assured, Mr. Henderson, my intentions are pure," Tom said smoothly, the tension draining from his shoulders.

    He hung up the phone, a triumphant smile ying on his lips. Turning to Jeff, he met the man''s hopeful gaze. "Everything is going ording to n. I hope you''ve packed your bags. You have to be there to take over from the chef in three days."

    Jeff''s face lit up, a spark of determination recing his earlier worry. He could finally be near Mia again. He wouldn''t let anything stop him from protecting her.

    "But, how do you n to get rid of the incumbent chef? Did you hear from Mia? Has she found a way to get it done?" Jeff asked as an afterthought.

    Tom looked at Jeff for a moment and knowing that he was most likely worried about Mia, he decided to tell him about Tyler''s dinner and let him hear the recording, but he wasn''t going to tell him about Barry.

    "Don''t worry. I''m going to get it done one way or the other. About Mia. Tyler had dinner with them," Tom said and yed the recording for Jeff to hear.

    After Jeff was done listening to it, he sighed deeply. Mia sounded like apletely different person. He hoped that Henry had not touched a hair on her head else he would make sure to teach Henry a lesson before he was handed to the police.

    His silent vow echoed in the room, a promise fueled by love and a burning desire for justice.

    "Don''t you think thisdy might cause some troubles for us?" Jeff asked, thinking about what Mia had said about Diana following her everywhere and being in charge of everything.

    "Don''t worry about it, I have things under control��"

    Jeff hit the table before Tom could finish, "No! I''m worried," he said as he rose, "I don''t care if you have things under control or not, what I care about is that if you know something I don''t know, you should tell me. Do not ask me not to worry. If you were in my shoes and the woman you love is going through stuff like that would you be able to stay still and not worry?" Jeff asked heatedly.

    Without waiting for Tom to respond, he continued, "I need to go in there with as much knowledge as I can. Do you have any idea how worried she must be for her to have tried to send that message to us that way? Do you expect me to go in there with no information to cheer her up? We are all doing this for Mia and I don''t think it is fair that you''re withholding information," Jeff said, unable to hold back his annoyance.

    "I see," Tom said calmly, "Now that you''ve admitted that you''re in love with her, I think I should ask this now. I hope your feelings won''t get in the way of our ns? You''re not going to blow your cover and put both Mia and everyone else at risk, right?" Tom asked and Jeff took a deep breath.

    "I won''t."

    "You had better now. If you''re going to act this emotionally when you get there, it''s better we send someone else in there. It will be safer for everyone that way," Tom said and Jeff held his gaze.

    "I told Mia I''m going to be there with her. I intend to keep it that way. I won''t blow my cover," Jeff said and Tom let out a sigh.

    "Alright. I''m not sure what you want to know, but you already know that we have acquired some of thepanies working for Henry. Harry did that before he left, so that means we can have our people go in and out in the guise of going to fix things. I have my people keeping an eye on the house. Diana Locke seems to be there with motives of her own. So I n to ckmail her with what I know about her so she can let go of the incumbent chef, and you can rece him. Does that answer your question?" Tom said and Jeff sighed deeply, then nodded.

    "Yes. You could have just said so. You didn''t have to be so mysterious about it," Jeff muttered, "Besides, don''t you think I had every right to know this considering that when I am sent there, she is going to be suspicious of me? And if you didn''t tell me about it now I wouldn''t have known why?" Jeff said, and Tom shook his head.

    "I wasn''t nning on making it seem like it was about you. I was just going to make her fire the current chef thinking I have something against the chef or had use for him," Tom said with a shrug.

    "So you didn''t n on letting me know about her?" Jeff asked and Tom shrugged.

    "The less you know about n B, the better. Don''t let Diana know you know she is with Henry for ulterior motives. Stick to n A and let me worry about n B. I will control her from out here, while you do what you need to do in there. You can''t tell Mia about Diana either," Tom warned.

    "How then will I exin how I got to be in the house?" Jeff asked with a frown.

    "Was it Diana who sent you there? I did. I talked to the domestic staffpany and they withdrew their staff and sent you. It''s as simple as that. Don''t make the mistake of blowing your cover," Tom said, and Jeff nodded.

    "Alright. I will do as you have said. I feel better knowing there is a n B in ce and you have things under control. Thanks," Jeff said as Tom looked him over.

    "You need a makeover. Your disguise has to be perfect."

    "Yes. I n to get it done just before I leave. I don''t want to go about in my new look in case Henry''s men are still watching," Jeff said, easily.

    For the next thirty minutes they both spent time going through Mia''s n once again, and after Jeff left, Tom dialed Barry''s line once again.

    "Her first assignment should be to dismiss the chef. Tell her she has three days to get it done, and it should be done without unnecessary drama."

    The game was afoot, and Tom, with his newest pawn in ce, was ready to checkmate Henry Rosewood. He would make a lesson out of Henry.

    At first he had only wanted to do this for Mia, but after seeing first hand what a rude punk Henry was, and how he had not only disrespected him, but also Harry, Tom was more than delighted to show Henry that the world didn''t revolve around him.

 Chapter 885 Sign It

    Chapter 885 Sign It

    The soft glow of theptop screen illuminated Cassidy''s face, casting long shadows across his room. A smile yed on his lips as he watched a familiar video �C the Jonas sibling interview as most blogs had termed it.

    He''d seen the video over a hundred times since the interview, yet each time, it held the same power to pull him in. She looked radiant, her eyes sparkling with a nervous excitement as she spoke.

    He found himself captivated, not just by her beauty, but by her animated expressions and the timbre of her voice. He loved the way her voice dipped and soared with excitement as she talked about her new family, it all filled him with a warmth that surprised him.

    He was so happy that Aaron Jonas had epted her as his own and made her a part of his family. He was happy that things were going well for Andy.

    Her voice however, came as a shocking surprise to him. He never knew she could sing so well, and neither had he known she had dreams of bing a singer. That revtion had made him realize just how little he knew about her.

    He hadn''t realized just how much he had been missing her until he saw her face in the interview the past week. Or maybe he had.

    After watching her leave, he had called himself all sorts of names for letting her go just like that instead of doing his best to reach apromise with her, especially considering how they had spent herst night there together.

    Perhaps he could have asked her to stay with him ande and go as she pleased, instead of just letting her gopletely.

    However, the logical part of him believed that he had done the right thing by letting her go. He had no right to seek apromise. Not after all he had done.

    Suddenly, a small voice shattered the quiet, breaking into his thoughts. "Daddy!" Maribel stood at the doorway, clutching her favorite bunny bear in her hand.

    Her gaze locked on theptop screen, a gasp escaping her lips. "Andy!" she squealed, her tiny hand pointing at the image.

    Cassidy''s smile faltered for a brief moment. "Hey, Angel," he said, quickly minimizing the video as he sat up.

    "What are you doing up sote?" He asked, reaching for her, "Did you have a bad dream?" He asked, since he had tucked her in over an hour ago.

    "I want to see Andy. Please let me see Andy," she pleaded, her eyes reverting to theptop screen as she went closer to her father.

    "It''ste, Angel. You need to��"

    "Can I see Andy?" Maribel''s lower lip trembled, a telltale sign of a brewing tantrum.

    "Not tonight, sweetheart," Cassidy said gently, forcing a smile as he patted her head.

    Maribel''s eyes welled up. "But I miss her!" she cried, throwing herself onto the bed beside him.

    "I know you do." I do too, Cassidy thought to himself.

    "Can we go and see her? I want her to brush my hair and sing to me," Maribel cried, and Cassidy sighed, realizing that he should have just let her watch the video.

    Now she didn''t want the video, she wanted to see the real Andy. She had been throwing tantrums a lot more than usual now ever since Andy left.

    "We can''t see her now. It''s veryte, and Andy''s probably fast asleep already," Cassidy said catingly, "but because you''re such a lovely Angel, I will let you see a video of her singing before you go back to sleep," Cassidy said as he adjusted her on the bed so that they could both watch the end of the interview where Andy was singing.

    After watching the short clip, Cassidy turned off hisptop, and to his surprise Maribel broke into a sob.

    "What now?" He asked softly as he carried her onto hisp.

    "I miss Andy. She promised she would take me to the amusement park," Maribel said, tears streaming down her cheeks. N?v(el)B\\jnn

    Now why would Andy do something like that when she knew she wouldn''t do it? Cassidy mused, irritably.

    "She can''t do that now, baby," he said gently, his voice strained. "She''s not here anymore. She lives with a new family now."

    "I want to leave here! I don''t want to stay here anymore. I want to go see all the fun ces she told me about. She left because this ce isn''t fun. I don''t like it here."

    Cassidy''s heart ached for his daughter. He understood her longing. Their life on the ind, while idyllic in its own way, was limited. There were no amusement parks, no towering buildings, none of the glittering world Maribel glimpsed through the flickering screen of his oldptop.

    He wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close. "But baby," he said gently, "we have everything we need here. The beach, the boats, the beautiful sunsets. Remember how much fun we have exploring the reef?"

    Maribel sniffled, wiping her tears with the back of her hand. "But it''s always the same here, Daddy." Her eyes, so like his own, held a yearning that tore at Cassidy''s soul.

    He was torn. A part of him, the selfish part, clung to the life they had built together. He loved the simplicity, the quiet solitude of the ind. But another part, the part that ached with love for his daughter, yearned to give her a world of possibilities, a world beyond the horizon.

    "I know, Mari," he whispered, his voice thick with emotion. "But we can''t just leave."

    "You leave all the time. Why can''t you take me too?" She cried.

    "Because it''s not safe out there," he said softly as he looked down at his daughter, her small frame trembling with suppressed sobs.

    He didn''t want to lie to her or promise her something he couldn''t give, so all he could do was hold her close, offering the onlyfort he could �C his love and his presence.

    Soon a heavy silence descended upon them after Maribel had cried herself to sleep. Cassidy felt a familiar conflict gnaw at him. He wanted nothing more than to give Maribel the world, to see the joy that lit up her face in Andy''s presence. But leaving the ind meant putting them at a possible risk.

    As he gently ced Maribel on the bed andy down beside her to sleep, different questions echoed in his mind.

    Was the life he''d built for them here enough, or could he dare chase a different future for them? One that included Andy?

    Would it be okay if he reached out to Andy using Maribel as an excuse? Or should he just do his best to forget all about her and help Maribel forget her too? Was there any hope for them?

    Away from there, Aaron stepped off the ne, adjusting his suit jacket and scanning the bustling terminal. He moved with a purposeful stride, his mind focused on the visit ahead.

    As he approached the baggage im, he was surprised to see Lucy and Tom, standing side by side with a smile on their faces.

    "Well, well, well," Aaron said with a warm smile. "What are you two doing here?"

    Lucy stepped forward, her eyes twinkling. "We''re here to be your chauffeur and wait on you, of course."

    Aaron chuckled, a deep, knowingugh. "Candace sent you, didn''t she?"

    Lucy nodded, a slight blush coloring her cheeks. "She was only worried about you, Aaron. We all were."

    Aaron sighed, shaking his head. "There''s nothing to worry about. It''s just a visit. But I appreciate the concern."

    Tom stepped forward and took Aaron''s backpack from him. "Let us take care of you, Aaron."

    "Alright, alright. Lead the way. Though, I must say, this chauffeur service is a bit extravagant."

    They led him to the car, the three of them exchanging warm pleasantries along the way. Aaron was genuinely happy to see them, their presence a wee distraction from the weight on his mind.

    "You look more beautiful than thest time I saw you, Lucy," Aaron said, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he smiled at her.

    "And you look more handsome too," Lucy replied with a grin, a yful twinkle in her eyes.

    "Don''t I look more handsome too?" Tom asked Aaron.

    "I don''t care about how you look," Aaron said and they allughed.

    As Tom drove them to Sara''s correctional facility, Aaron entertained them with tales of Jamal.

    They arrived at the correctional facility an hourter, the imposing structure looming ahead. Aaron''s expression grew more serious the closer they got to the building.

    Seeing this, Lucy reached for his hand and squeezed it, making him turn to face her. He smiled at her, "I appreciate you both being here, but I need to do this alone," he said firmly as Tom parked the car.

    Lucy opened her mouth to protest, but Aaron shook his head. "No, Lucy. I''ll be fine. Just wait for me in the car. I won''t be long," Aaron said as he opened his backpack and took out an envelope and a pen.

    With a reluctant nod, Lucy agreed, watching as Aaron walked toward the entrance of the facility.

    "Don''t worry. He will be fine," Tom said as he ced a reassuring hand on her shoulder, and they settled into the car, waiting for Aaron''s return.

    Inside the correctional facility, Aaron was led through a series of checkpoints, his thoughts focused on the impending meeting.

    As he sat down waiting for Sara to be brought to him, he took a deep breath, steeling himself for whaty ahead. He was determined to see this through, no matter how difficult it might be.

    Aaron''s breath hitched when a frail looking woman in a prison jumpsuit was led in. He couldn''t believe that the woman standing before him was the same Sara he had seen months ago.

    Gone was the vibrant, fiery Sara he remembered. In her ce stood a gaunt woman, her face etched with lines deeper than time could carve alone. Sickness painted her skin a dull grey, and her eyes, once sparkling with defiance, were shadowed with shame.

    As Sara met his gaze, a flicker of recognition sparked, followed by a swift retreat back down at the floor. Shame radiated from her like heat waves.

    The torrent of questions Aaron had prepared �C the "why"s, the "how could you"s �C all dissolved on his tongue. The only words that escaped his lips were a hesitant, "Sara? How are you?"

    The question, uttered in a voice rough with unshed tears, seemed to crack the dam within her. Sara''s shoulders slumped, and a sob, raw and desperate, erupted from her.

    For a heart-wrenching moment, Aaron watched her cry, a war raging within him. Pity warred with the anger that had festered for years, fueled by Candace''s pain.

    But as he watched the woman before him crumble, a bitter memory surfaced. The memory of Candace walking into his hospital room the first time they met.

    He remembered how ashamed she had been when she told him she had been a stripper. He remembered all she had said about Jamal''s father and all she had had to endure as an orphan. Anger solidified within Aaron, chasing away any lingering sympathy.

    "Don''t expect my forgiveness, Sara," he said, his voice low and devoid of warmth. "Don''t expectpassion. I once fell for this act. But this�� this ends now."

    He reached into the envelope and pulled out the divorce papers, a legal severing of the ties that once bound them. He ced the envelope, along with a pen, on the table between them.

    "Sign it," hemanded coldly.

    Without a word, Sara reached for the pen and scribbled her signature across the dotted line. As she pushed the papers back across the table, a choked apology escaped her lips.

    Without a word, Aaron stood up, the movement stiff with the weight of the years that had passed. There was nothing more to be said. He had done what he came for, and that was it. He turned and walked out of the waiting room, leaving her and any lingering he had for her behind him.

    Once out of the visiting area, Aaron allowed himself to stop. He leaned against the rough surface of the wall, tears blurring his vision. Tears for the shattered love, for the lies and deception, and most of all, for the lost years with Candace.

    Taking a deep breath, Aaron brushed off his tears. He straightened his shoulders, a newfound determination in his eyes.

    Sara might have broken a part of him, but she wouldn''t steal his future. He was done with this chapter of his life, and now he was moving on.

    With a final nce back at the ce that held a piece of his past, Aaron turned and walked away. It was time to move on and to finally find the peace that had eluded him for so long.

    By the time he got to the car where Tom and Lucy were waiting, he had a genuine smile on his face.

    "How did it go?" Lucy asked as he got into the car.

    "It went," Aaron said with a grin and both Tom and Lucyughed in relief.

    "Where to? Harry''s ce?" Tom asked as he started the car.

    "I''d rather go somewhere I can have a drink alone to celebrate my divorce," Aaron said and Lucy smiled with approval.

    "Ready to be hooked up?" Tom joked and Aaron chuckled.

    "Unlike you I don''t need to be hooked up and I don''t need a disguise to find a nicedy," Aaron said and Tom red at him, while Lucyughed with him.

    As they all settled in silence, Lucy texted Candace, [Nothing to worry about. He is out now, and he looks very fine.]

 Chapter 886 New Chef

    Chapter 886 New Chef

    Exactly six days after Mia left Ludus, Jeff''s heart pounded as he approached the imposing gates of Henry Rosewood''s mansion.

    Three days had passed since his meeting with Tom, and today, he was finally here, in the lion''s den.

    He adjusted his round-rimmed sses which was perched on the bridge of his nose, that made him look nothing like the Jeff who shared an apartment with Mia.

    As he pressed the inte button, he couldn''t help but feel a surge of apprehension. This was dangerous, but it was a risk worth taking for Mia.

    A crisp voice answered the interview, and Jeff introduced himself as the new chef from EliteHouse Inc. Momentster, the heavy iron gates swung open, and Jeff walked up the long, winding driveway, the grandeur of the estate reminded him of the power and control Henry wielded.

    Even though his heart was pounding a frantic rhythm against his ribs, he put one foot in front of the other until he got to the main door.

    Necessity, had a way of trumping fear. He needed to see Mia. He needed to be with her and to make sure she remained okay until Henry was taken care of.

    He was d that Tom''s n had worked out, and now he was here finally just as he had promised Mia. He couldn''t wait to set his eyes on her again.

    He knew that he would probably never get a chance to talk to her, but for now seeing her and preparing her meals was enough for him, Jeff thought as he rang the doorbell.

    Inside the house, Diana paced around the bedroom she shared with Henry, sping and unsping her hands as different thoughts ran through her mind, putting her in a state of anxiety.

    It had been three excruciatingly long days since she had been strong-armed into the ckmail scheme by an unknown person.

    Who was ckmailing her? How did he know something that even Henry didn''t know? How much did he know? Was it even a male or female? What did the person want? Was she at risk of being exposed? Should she just wrap up things quickly and escape before she was exposed and things be messy?

    Just when she had thought her n was going smoothly, they had thrown a wrench in her ns and now she had no idea what to do.

    Every moment felt like a tightrope walk, a constant state of hypervignce. Today, however, brought a new wrinkle the supposed "new chef," was due to arrive.

    Perhaps she could try to see if he had some business with the ckmailer? She mused and then shook her head.

    It didn''t make sense that the ckmailer would have any say regarding who the agency would send to the house. Mr Henderson was a very principled businessman hence all the elite families trusted him when it came to the domestic staff assigned to them.

    The doorbell''s chime echoed through the mansion interrupting her thoughts. Diana, her heart pounding really fast, smoothed down her blouse and hurried towards the door.

    Diana opened the door, her eyes narrowed as she appraised him, suspicion etched on her face. "You''re from EliteHouse Inc.?" she asked, her tone clipped.

    "Yes, ma''am," Jeff replied, keeping his voice steady and polite. "I''m the new chef."

    "And your name?" She asked, stern faced.

    "Josh Davies," Jeff said with a polite smile.

    With both arms crossed, and a frown marring her face, she studied him for a moment longer before stepping aside to let him in. "Come in."

    Ignoring the disquiet churning in his stomach, Jeff stepped inside the cool, echoing foyer, his eyes sweeping over the surroundings. The unfamiliar scent of wealth and privilege hung heavy in the air

    He could feel Diana''s gaze boring into his back as he walked, and he wondered if she suspected anything.

    Diana led him through thebyrinthine corridors, his pulse quickening with each turn.

    "Wait here," she instructed, "I''ll get Mrs Rosewood," Diana said before walking away, leaving Jeff alone in the living room.

    Jeff forced himself to rx, trying hard not to let his gaze dart around the space in search of hidden cameras.

    Without knocking, Diana barged into Mia''s room, and she froze, her eyes widening in shock at the sight before her.

    Mia, who was in the process of changing her clothes when the door swung open had her back to the door, revealing the hideous scars marring her back.

    Knowing that the cameras in the room were likely recording everything, Diana resisted the urge to ask Mia any questions about her scars and quicklyposed herself.

    "Vanessa," Diana said, her voice surprisingly calm. "Come downstairs. The new chef is here."

    Mia turned to look at Diana as she adjusted her dress. In the days since she returned with Henry, she had be used to both Diana and Henry barging into the room, and she really didn''t care.

    She had no reason to bother about them walking in however and whenever they wanted, when she knew that there were cameras in her bedroom and she was always being watched.

    "A new chef?" she asked, confusion in her voice. "I didn''t know the previous chef was leaving."

    Diana shrugged, avoiding Mia''s gaze. "Something came up, and the agency sent a recement. Come on," she said, not wanting to answer any questions.

    That morning after she received the message from the ckmailer, she had thought about the best way to get rid of the chef and had finally told Henry that she didn''t feel like eating the meals prepared by the present chef anymore. That she wanted him to be changed so she could eat something different for her and their baby.

    Henry had surprisingly agreed without question or doubt and had asked her to inform the agency that they needed another chef.

    Mia followed Diana downstairs, her mind racing. Was it what she was thinking? Was it possible that Tom and Harry had found a way of getting Jeff in even when she had been unable to do anything to help the situation?

    Jeff''s breath hitched in his throat as he watched as Mia enter the room, her posture stiff, her eyes distant.

    As they reached the living room, Mia gave Jeff a once over. At first nce she didn''t recognize him. Her heart plummeted with disappointment, but when she perceived his familiar scent, she looked again, more closely, and her heart nearly stopped when she realized he was the one.

    His disguise was impable. A blonde wig and round-rimmed sses transformed him into apletely different person. He had alsopletely shaved off his beards which had been a neat trim for Bryan''s wedding.

    Jeff''s heart skipped a beat as his eyes met Mia''s, and he almost smiled when he saw the way her eyes lit up after the flicker of recognition.

    He quickly masked it, maintaining his professional demeanor as he looked down politely while Mia observed him.

    Diana spoke first, her voice sharp. "Vanessa, this is Mr. Davies, the new chef."

    "Hello, Mrs. Rosewood. It''s a pleasure to meet you," Jeff said, his familiar voice flooding Mia with warmth.

    Mia nodded, her mind whirling with questions. "Well, wee aboard, Mr. Davies."

    "Thank you, ma''am," Jeff replied smoothly, bowing his head slightly. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "I do hope you won''t cause any problems. Thest chef was quite efficient and I hope you will be so too. Focus on your duties and the reason you are here and refrain from doing anything that might be misconstrued wrongly," Mia said, her voice devoid of emotion.

    "I will do my best ma''am. I have a lot at stake so I can''t afford to make any mistakes and lose my job," Jeff said and Mia nodded with approval.

    Diana watched the exchange closely, and resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She could see that Mia was trying so hard to act like the toughdy of the house.

    Was she doing that because she didn''t want the new chef to know that she didn''t have any authority in the house? Diana mused as she cleared her throat to get both their attentions.

    "It will interest you to know that while Mrs Rosewood might be thedy of the house, I am the one you will answer to. Do not give me any reasons to kick you out," Diana warned, taking charge again, and Jeff nodded.

    "I suppose you''d like to see the kitchen and your living area. Come with me," Diana said as she led the way, and seeing that Diana had her back to them, Jeff gave Mia a subtle wink before following Diana.

    Mia''s lips twitched with a smile, so she pressed her lips together to keep herself from smiling as she watched them go.

    She had no idea how Tom and Harry had made this happen, but she will forever be in their debt.

    She knew there was no possible way to talk to Jeff and ask him any questions, but his presence here told her that she was not hopeless.

    Even though she couldn''t do anything because of Diana, Tom and Harry were handling things, now all they had to do was y their parts perfectly to outwit Henry Rosewood.

 Chapter 887 Tourists

    Chapter 887 Tourists

    Harry loungedfortably on the hammock swing, its gentle swaying matching the rhythm of the waves crashing on the nearby shore. The morning sun cast a warm glow over the resort, highlighting the lush greenery and pristine beaches.

    He nced at his watch. Nearly half an hour past their nned departure time but Jade was still busy getting ready.

    He peered into the suite, and shook his head in amusement when he saw her meticulously applying makeup after she had spent almost an hour agonizing over the perfect outfit for their sightseeing adventure.

    They had agreed to spend the day sightseeing outside the resort. The anticipation of exploring new ces should have excited him, but a nagging worry lingered in his mind.

    He was supposed to be excited about this trip and proposing to Jade, but a gnawing uncertainty had taken root in his chest since hisst episode with Jade. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Needing a distraction, he took a deep breath, savoring the salty air, before pulling out his phone from the pocket of his shorts to call Tom.

    The line rang twice before Tom answered, "Whats up, Buddy?" Tom''s voice came through, cheerful and rxed. "Missing me?"

    Harry chuckled, as he rose and walked away from the suite. "You know I can''t breathe without you," Harry said and Tom chuckled.

    "Yeah. I''ve always known that. You love me so much you just had to be with someone that shares same blood with me. You''re obsessed," Tom said and Harryughed despite the knot of unease in his stomach.

    "How''s everything going over there?" Harry asked curiously.

    Tom''s tone shifted, bing more serious. "Everything is good. What''s up? Everything going smoothly?" Tom asked, detecting a hint of something in Harry''s voice despite the joke.

    "Yeah. Everything is great. Just soaking up the sun while waiting for Jade. I wanted to check if Jeff arrived at Hu as nned. Is he at Henry''s now?"

    "Yeah. I talked to him yesterday," Tom replied. "He''s in the house now and has seen Mia. Everything''s going ording to n."

    Relief washed over Harry. "That''s good to hear. How did Mia seem?"

    "Jeff said she looks like she''s holding up. He''s only worried about the otherdy in the house. He is worried she might cause problems for him," Tom exined.

    "She wouldn''t dare��"

    "Yeah. That''s what I told him too. I asked him to act like she doesn''t exist and keep an eye on things as nned," Tom said and Harry nodded, d that things were going smoothly.

    He was very invested in this since he had been the one who offered to help Mia, and she had directly asked for him help.

    "How is the proposal ning along?" Tom asked, a hint of excitement in his voice as he shifted the conversation.

    Harry hesitated, staring out at the shimmering ocean as he contemted whether to tell Tom or not since Jade was his sister. After a moment he decided to just confide in Tom, since Tom was his best friend and also Jade''s elder brother, so he was sure that Tom would give him his honest opinion without any form of bias.

    "Actually, I''ve been having second thoughts about it," Harry admitted.

    There was a pause on the other end, then Tom asked, "Second thoughts? Why? What''s going on? I thought you were excited about proposing to Jade."

    Harry rubbed his forehead, feeling the weight of his thoughts, "I was," Harry admitted. "Don''t get me wrong, I still very much want her to be my wife. I love her with every fiber of my being��"

    "But?"

    Harry sighed, "But I''m worried that getting married to her right now might not be the right step. She''s not ready for it and I don''t think that''s what she needs."

    "What do you mean?" Tom''s voice took on a concerned tone.

    "She''s still dealing with the insecurities and trust issues from herst rtionship. She''s not over the hurt yet and some times it just crops up," Harry exined and went on to tell him about her reaction when she saw him having coffee with the event nner.

    Tom frowned, "Do you think those insecurities won''t improve after you''re engaged or even married? I mean, by then she should feel more secured in your rtionship, right?"

    Harry sighed, running a hand through his hair. "She said so too, but I don''t know, Tom. That''s not a risk I want to take. I love her, but I don''t want our marriage to start with these unresolved issues. If she doesn''t work through her issues first, our marriage could suffer. I need to find a way to actively help her deal with the emotional baggage."

    "Is it that bad?" Tom asked, knowing that if Harry was worried about it, then it was cause for concern.

    Harry sighed. "Yeah. She gets anxious and insecure, especially when ites to other women. She doesn''t always trust me, even though I''ve never given her a reason not to. Even though I try to understand her, it sort of hurts when she does that. This whole thing makes me regret ever respecting her rtionship in the first ce instead of making a move back then," Harry confessed.

    "I understand. Do you want me to talk to her?" Tom offered.

    "Are you a therapist now? Who is taking care of thempany now that you''ve switched career?" Harry asked dryly and Tom chuckled.

    "Big brother to little sister," Tom said and Harry shook his head.

    "Nah. I''m not talking to you as her brother. I''m talking to you as my best friend. Besides, when we talk about it, she is logical and all of that. But when she is faced with it, logic flies out the window and her emotions take over. That''s what I need to deal with," Harry exined.

    Tom was silent for a moment, then spoke with conviction. "Maybe you should still go through with the engagement, but push back on the marriage ns until she gets some therapy. It might give her the confidence and reassurance she needs to work through these issues."

    Harry considered Tom''s words. "You really think that could work?" He asked, since he too had thought of it but wasn''t sure.

    "Yeah. It''s worth a try. After the proposal you can tell her there will be no wedding until she gets professional help and you can proceed with the wedding after you see improvements. And if it helps, you could go with her for couple counseling."

    Harry considered this, feeling a flicker of hope. "That might work. I just want to do what''s best for her and for us."

    "You''re a good man, Harry, and you both deserve to be happy and secure in your rtionship." Tom said warmly. "Take it slow and do what''s right. She will appreciate your patience and understanding."

    "Jonas, we are going to bete!" Jade called out to him from inside the suite.

    "Thanks, Tom. Gotta go now."

    "Anytime. Take care and enjoy your day," Tom said before hanging up.

    Harry pocketed his phone just as Jade stepped out onto the balcony. She looked stunning in a light summer dress which fluttered in the breeze and a smile lit up her face. "Ready for our adventure?" she asked, her eyes sparkling.

    "Absolutely," Harry replied as he went to join her by the balcony, "You look too pretty. Let''s take some pictures before we leave," Harry suggested as he picked up his digital camera which he had brought with him on the trip.

    Jade eyed him. "Aren''t we a little behind schedule because you spent so much time on your phone." Her voice held a mock usation.

    Harry chuckled, the sound warm and rich. "Yeah. Sure. We are behind schedule not because you took an hour to find the right outfit and another hour to get ready. It''s my fault for talking on the phone while waiting for you to get ready," Harry said with a nod as he raised the camera to his eye level.

    "Touch��," Jade admitted with a grin as she struck a yful pose, with both hands extended palm up in front of pouted lips as though she was blowing him a kiss.

    Harry''s grin widened as he captured the image, then another and another, each frame bursting with her infectious energy. Finally, with a satisfied click, he slung the camera around his neck.

    Jade''s eyes sparkled as she took him in. "You don''t look like the Harry Jonas of I-Global right now," Jade said with a grin as she admired him.

    "Really? What do I look like?" He asked as he picked up his backpack before locking the door.

    "You look more like a photographer. A tourist photographer," she said as she took out her phone from her sling bag.

    "I''m the son of my father after all," he said and Jade smiled.

    "You know, I forgot about that for a moment. You''d have made a fine photographer. But being a boss suits your more," she said and Harry raised a brow.

    "You think so?"

    "Yeah," Jade said with a nod.

    "Let''s take a selfie," she suggested and then looked back at the suite.

    "We left our hats and sunsses," she said, wanting to return inside to get them, but Harry shook his head.

    "They''re with me," he assured her as he opened the bag and took out their matching straw hats and sunsses.

    "You''re too perfect for me Jonas," she said, slipping on her hat and adjusting her sunsses, and Harry did the same.

    A yful glint returned to her eyes. "Now, let''s capture some memories for social media, shall we?" She leaned in close, phone poised, and snapped a picture.

    The sh momentarily captured the joy sparkling in her eyes and the love in Harry''s gaze as he smiled at her.

    "Let''s make a funny face," Jade suggested and Harry raised a brow.

    "For social media?" He asked and when she nodded he shook his head, "No, thanks."

    "Why not?" She asked with a frown.

    "How will the staff at thepany take me seriously if they see photos of my funny face online?" He asked and Jade giggled.

    "For crying out loud, Jonas!" She hissed yfully.

    "I''d rather make a serious face," he said, pulling his brows together like an angry bird, and Jadeughed as she captured that.

    "Let''s get going else we are going to spend all day snapping pictures of ourselves," Harry said as he took her hand.

    "Just one more. One more," she pleaded, but Harry ignored her as he pulled her along until she broke into a giggle and followed him.

    Instead of taking the resort''s private car, they decided on a more immersive experience by boarding a tourist bus with an open roof.

    They settled into their seats, the excitement of the day''s exploration evident in their smiles. As the bus rumbled through the city, Harry wrapped an arm around Jade, pointing out variousndmarks and sharing the little trivia he knew had read about them.

    They sharedughs over street performers'' antics and marveled at the intricate architecture of old cathedrals as the bus wove through bustling markets, historic buildings, and serene parks, each stop revealing a new facet of the city''s charm.

    Harry did his best to capture as many pictures as he could, some times taking snapshots of Jade when she wasn''t looking.

    At one stop, they disembarked to explore a vibrant market. The air was filled with the scent of exotic spices and the sound of vendors calling out their wares.

    Jade''s eyes lit up as she browsed through colorful stalls, picking up handcrafted jewelry and sampling local delicacies.

    Harry watched her, feeling a surge of love for her despite his worries about her feelings of insecurity.

    "You should have a taste of this. It''s divine," she said, raising a local delicacy to his lips.

    Although Harry wasn''t exactly interested in eating something he didn''t know, seeing how she was bubbling with childlike enthusiasm, he took a bite.

    "Isn''t that the best thing you''ve tasted?" She asked and Harry shook is head.

    "Not at all. That would be you," he said and chuckled when Jade gasped and looked at the vendor with a blush on her face to see if she had heard Harry.

    "Harry Jonas!" Jade scolded, making himugh even more. Moments like these reminded him why he loved her.

    "You asked a question, and I answered," he said simply and then pulled her close, "Having fun?"

    Jade nodded, her cheeks flushed with excitement. "This is ce is so beautiful."

    They continued their tour, the bus taking them to a picturesque viewpoint overlooking the city. They stood together, taking in the breathtaking view of of rooftops and winding streets below. Jade rested her head on Harry''s shoulder, a contented sigh escaping her lips.

    As they boarded the bus again for the final leg of the tour, Harry''s mind returned to his conversation with Tom. He knew that their journey together wouldn''t always be easy, but moments like these gave him hope.

    He resolved to go on with the engagement and to talk to Jade about his concerns, to be open and honest about their future and to find a good therapist that would counsel them as a couple so he could know the best ways to help Jade.

 Chapter 888 Knight

    Chapter 888 Knight

    Andy''s room was a sanctuary of sorts. Its walls were painted in soothing shades ofvender and white, adorned with framed posters of her musical idols and inspirational quotes about music which she had brought from their old house.

    A worn plush microphone sat perched on her nightstand, a constantpanion for her dreams of belting out tunes in front of adoring crowds.

    Lying on her bed, she surfed the inte, searching for various inds or clues that might lead her to Cassidy.

    In thest couple of weeks she had tried her best to put him out of her mind, but no matter how much she tried, she had found herself thinking and dreaming about him a lot.

    She couldn''t help but wonder if Cassidy was thinking about her too. She also wondered about her little doll, Maribel.

    Unable to help herself, she had decided to try to find a way to reach him. Although she nned to ask Harry for help, but she didn''t want to disturb his vacation.

    So, while waiting for Harry to get back, she busied with trying to find his location. She knew that she would recognize the ce if she saw pictures of it on the inte.

    There was every possibility that Cassidy wanted to see her too but was waiting for her to make the first move.

    Perhaps he was keeping his eyes on her and if he sees that she was trying to find him, he would reach out to her first.

    She was so engrossed in her search that she didn''t hear Candace as she walked into the bedroom with herptop and some books.

    "What are you searching for?" Candace asked as she plopped down on the bed beside her, startling Andy.

    "Nothing serious. Just surfing the and looking at interesting ces," Andy said as she turned the screen of her tablet away so that Candace wouldn''t see the inds disyed on it, "Where is Jamal?" She asked, changing the subject smoothly.

    "He has cried himself to sleep," Candace said as she opened herptop andy down beside Andy. N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "Why? What happened?" Andy asked with a worried frown.

    "He fell while riding his bicycle and hurt himself," Candace said with a sigh.

    "Aww. My poor darling" Andy said, feeling sorry for him.

    "So? Any luck?" Candace asked and Andy raised a brow.

    "With what?"

    "With what you were searching for," Candace said, giving her a pointed look.

    Andy opened her mouth to reiterate what she had said earlier about surfing the and looking at interesting ces, but she shut it when Candace dared her with her eyes to lie.

    Andy sighed, shaking her head. "Not yet. But I''m going to keep looking. And when Harry gets back, I''m going to ask him to help me find him. I know you probably thinks this is a bad idea and that I''m suffering from Stockholm syndrome or whatever. And maybe you''re right too. But that doesn''t change the fact that I miss him and I still want to see him," Andy said simply.

    Candace stared at her for a moment, "What happens when you find him? Do you want to return to the Ind to be with him?"

    "You know very well that I can''t do that. That''s not the kind of life I want," Andy said and Candace frowned.

    "Then what''s the point? It''s not like he can leave the Ind��"

    "Why can''t he? From the little I found out while I was there, he leaves whenever he wants and returns to the Ind. I''m sure we can work out something. He could visit me, I could visit him. Anything," Andy said and Candace sighed.

    "Do really think he misses you as much as you miss him? Are you sure he would want to do any of this with you?" Candace asked, her tone gentle yet probing.

    "I think so. I hope so," Andy replied, her voice barely above a whisper. "I think about him all the time. I just wish I knew if he thought about me too."

    Candace gave her a sympathetic smile, "Well, I guess the heart wants what it wants. If there''s anyway I can help, let me know, okay?" Candace said and Andy smiled, grateful for Candace''s understanding.

    "You''re helping already by not judging me. Thank you," she said and Candace smiled.

    "I can''t judge you for wanting to follow your heart. Besides, after all you said about him and the reason he did all he did, I think I sort of understand him. I don''t see him as a terrible person anymore. I just want you to be sure about your feelings, that''s all," Candace said and Andy nodded.

    "Sure. Thanks," Andy said before returning her focus to her tablet while Candace sat cross-legged on the bed, with herptop on her thigh as she got busy with working on her school assignment.

    The roompsed back into afortable silence, each sister lost in her own world.

    Candace''s fingers danced over the keys as she crafted a detailed analysis for her ss. Her brow was furrowed in concentration, and she periodically pushed her blue cut lenses up her nose as she looked at the screen.

    With Jamal fast asleep, and Aaron yet to return, the house was unusually quiet, providing the perfect backdrop for the sisters to engage in their respective activities while still being together.

    After working in silence for some time, Andy looked up, "I can''t believe Dad is still not back," Andy murmured, breaking the silence.

    Candace sighed, her fingers pausing on the keyboard. "I know. He promised it was just a quick trip. He said he''d be back by Wednesday, yet it''s Friday already and he''s not back yet."

    "Do you ever wonder what Dad''s up to in Ludus?" Andy asked and Candace nodded as she looked up from herptop.

    "Of course. I hate not knowing what''s going on. I would have been very worried if he didn''t sound okay each time he called." Candace said with a sigh.

    "Do you think he''s really okay? What if he''s putting on a show for us because he doesn''t want us to worry?" Andy asked, her voice tinged with concern.

    Candace shook her head, her brow furrowed. "I don''t think it''s a show. But who knows? It would have been better if he stayed at Harry''s. I can''t understand why he''s lodged at a hotel and won''t even disclose his location so that Lucy and Tom can check on him."

    "Well, I hope he is fine. It''s hard not to worry about him. And I miss him," Andy said and Candace smiled.

    "Yeah. I miss him too," Candace agreed.

    Once again, they fell into afortable silence, each lost in their thoughts and tasks. The ticking of the clock on the wall was the only indication that time was passing.

    The peace of the moment was suddenly shattered by the sound of the doorbell, startling them both.

    "Do you think it''s Dad?" Andy asked as she set aside her tablet.

    "Only one way to find out," Candace said, closing herptop and sliding off the bed. "Let''s go see."

    They both hurried out of the room and down the stairs, their footsteps echoing in the quiet house. Andy reached the door first and peeked through the peephole.

    "Guess who?" She asked Candace with a grin.

    Not wanting to y any guess games, Candace threw the door open, and her eyes widened with surprise and delight as she saw who it was.

    "Matt!" she eximed,unching herself into his arms and Mattughed, catching her easily.

    "Hey, beautiful. Miss me?"

    Candace nodded, burying her face in his shoulder. "So much. What are you doing in Sogal? Didn''t you say you were going to be busy until��"

    "Yeah. But I had some time off and thought I''d surprise you," Matt said, his eyes twinkling. "Looks like it worked."

    "It definitely did," Candace said, still holding onto him.

    "Do I get a reward?" He asked with a grin and Candace kissed him long and hard, making him groan.

    "Get a room, will you?" Andy asked as she stepped forward, a smile spreading across her face.

    Candace and Matt chuckled as they turned to face Andy. "Hey, Andy," Matt said, pulling her into a hug as well. "Good to see you."

    "Hey, Matt. Long time no see."

    "Come in," Candace said, leading him into the house.

    "Why is the ce so silent? Where is Jamal?" Matt asked curiously.

    "He''s taking a nap. You''re staying the night, right?" She asked hopefully.

    "Do you want me to?" He asked with a grin.

    "Of course, you have to. Heaven knows when next I''m going to see you. I''ve missed you so much I could eat you up whole right now," she said and Matt chuckled.

    Andy smiled at the sight of Candace and Matt, feeling a pang of envy. She wanted that kind of certainty, that kind of love. She cleared her throat, drawing their attention.

    "I will be upstairs," Andy said, wanting to give them privacy.

    "Andy, I actually came to see you too," Matt said, stopping her.

    Andy raised an eyebrow, curiosity piqued. "Oh? What''s up?"

    Matt smiled, moving to sit on the couch. Candace and Andy joined him, settling in with eager expressions. "So, I''ve got some news that might interest you, Andy."

    Andy leaned forward, her interest fully captured. "Go on."

    Matt took a deep breath. "Well, my assistant has been receiving a lot of calls from various recordbels. They saw your interview and are really interested in signing you. Since they didn''t know how to reach you, and they know about my rtionship with Candace, they reached out to my assistant to get to me so I can get to you."

    Andy''s eyes widened with excitement. "Wait, seriously? Recordbels want to sign me?"

    Matt nodded. "Yes. They''re really impressed with your talent."

    Andy felt a surge of exhration. This was a dreame true. She''d always hoped to get noticed, but to have multiplebels interested was beyond her wildest expectations.

    "Wow, this is incredible!" She said, with tears in her eyes. She felt overwhelmed with joy.

    Candace beamed at her sister, her excitement palpable. "That''s amazing, Andy! I always knew you had it in you."

    "I can''t believe this. It feels like I''m dreaming," Andy said, and Candace reached for her cheek and pulled it.

    "Ouch!"

    "There. You''re not dreaming," Candace said and they allughed.

    "This is huge, Andy. I''m so proud of you," Candace said happily.

    "You will need a manager to handle all the offers and negotiations," Matt advised.

    "I actually have a n. I was thinking of signing with I-Global Entertainment, if Harry and Tom can make room for me there," Andy said without hesitation.

    Matt looked impressed. "Have you talked to them about it? You''d likely be the first singer to be managed by them, but there is no doubt that you''d have a solid support system there with Tom and Harry being in charge. I''m sure they will employ only the best and most qualified people to manage your career."

    "Exactly," Andy said. "I trust them, and I know they''ll have my best interests at heart. Plus, it would be great to work with family. I haven''t told them yet. For some reason I kept pushing it. Maybe it''s because I wasn''t entirely sure if my talent would be recognized. But seeing as lots of recordbels want to sign me, I guess this is a sign to do so. I will talk to Harry and see if they can fit me in."

    "I''m sure they will," Matt said confidently. "You''re too talented for them to pass up."

    "Stop with the self doubt. You''re amazing, Andy. And you should definitely tell them today! No more procrastination," Candace said and Matt nodded in agreement.

    Andy smiled, her heart swelling with hope and excitement. "I can''t wait to see where this leads. Thank you for telling me, Matt."

    Candace looked at her sister with pride. "You''ve got this, Andy. We''re all here to support you every step of the way."

    Andy felt a surge of gratitude for Candace and Matt. "Thanks, guys. This means a lot."

    "Anytime," Matt said, giving her a warm smile. "I can''t wait to see you shine."

    "Speaking about shining, how have you been dealing with the attention from the press?" Matt asked Candace.

    "Please do not remind me of that. I can never understand why anyone would want to be famous and be in public light," she said, and both Andy and Mattughed.

    "Tomorrow is another lecture day. What are you going to do? Skip sses? I doubt your knight in shining armor would be there to save you tomorrow," Andy said and Candace snorted.

    "He was hardly a knight. Wouldn''t even look at me," Candace said and Matt raised a brow.

    "Were you hoping he would look at you?" He asked and she grinned.

    "I didn''t mean look at me the way you think��"

    "What way were you expecting him to look at you then?" Matt asked and Candace shrugged.

    "I expected him to acknowledge my gratitude, that''s all," she said and Matt nodded thoughtfully.

    "Don''t worry. I am your only knight. I will take you to school tomorrow," he promised.

    "Really? You will?" Candace asked excitedly.

    "Of course. If you want them to stop hounding you it''s best you give them what they want. I will answer their questions while you go in for your lectures. I don''t like other men ying knight in shining armor to mydy," Matt said and Andy grinned.

    "Smooth!" She said, pping for Matt, and as he chuckled, Candace leaned forward to kiss him.

    "Of course. You''re my one and only knight."

 Chapter 889 Deborah Steele

    Chapter 889 Deborah Steele

    Aaron settled into his seat on the ne, the gentle hum of the engines and the soft murmurs of passengers around him creating a cocoon of solitude. As the ne taxied down the runway, he found himself reflecting on the whirlwind of thest four days in Ludus.

    He hade with a singr purpose: to finalize his divorce from Sara, a chapter he had long wanted to close but had been unable to bring himself to do it.

    The visit had been emotionally taxing, but it had also been a journey of emotional release and unexpected encounters. One such encounter reyed vividly in his mind as the ne took off, the ground below shrinking away.

    Aaron leaned back in his seat, a smile on his face as he closed his eyes and his thoughts drifted to the lounge where Tom and Lucy had dropped him off so he could have his solo celebration for the end of his deceptive marriage.

    Four Days Earlier

    The lounge was an elegant mix of old-world charm and modern sophistication, with plush leather seating, dim lighting, and soft jazz ying in the background. The ce had been organized in such a way that each patron had as much privacy as they wanted.

    Aaron had been pleased when he walked in since it was exactly what he sought- a quiet spot where he could toast to his newfound freedom without any form of interference or disturbance.

    As he sipped his whiskey, savoring the warmth it spread through him, a middle aged woman approached his table. She was strikingly beautiful, with an air of familiarity that tugged at the edges of his memory.

    "Mind if I join you?" she asked, her voice smooth and her smile confident.

    Aaron looked at her, surprised by the approach, and even though he didn''t wantpany, he gestured to the empty seat across from him. "Not at all."

    She smiled, taking the seat. "You''re Aaron, right?"

    He blinked, trying to ce her face. "I''m sorry, do we know each other?"

    Sheughed, a melodious sound that sparked a distant memory. "It''s Debbie. Formally Deborah Hart but now Deborah Steele. We used to know each other a long time ago, before... well, you got married. Remember me? We used to live in the same block."

    Recognition dawned on him. And the image of a bright eyed and cheerful young Deborah with a light sprinkling of freckles on her nose shed before his eyes.

    "Debbie? Wow, it''s been ages. How have you been?" Aaron asked, pleasantly surprised to meet someone from such a long time ago.

    "I''ve been good, mostly. I was so surprised to see you walk in," she said, her smile touching her eyes.

    Aaron smiled. "I''m surprised too. I didn''t expect to run into anyone I knew from back then."

    Diane''s eyes softened. "How have you been? I hope the years have been kind to you?" She asked, searching his face as though she was trying to find the answer to her question on his face.

    Aaron wasn''t sure how to answer that question so he merely nodded and smiled, "Yeah. Mostly. What are you doing here?"

    "I own this lounge," she said, waving a hand around the room, "I like to spend most of my time here."

    "I see," Aaron said, not sure what else to say as he picked up his ss and took a sip.

    "Is this your first time here? I''ve never seen you here before. Do you live in Ludus now?" She asked, very much interested in having a conversation with him.

    "No, I don''t. I came here for�� business. Decided to have a drink to celebrate the sess of my business," he said and she smiled.

    "Why then are you celebrating alone? Mind if I join in the celebration?" She asked, and Aaron chuckled, wondering what she would say if she knew what he was actually celebrating.

    "Sure. It''s not every day you run into someone from that long ago. But can you stomach whiskey?" he asked and in response Deborah signalled toe over.

    "Get me a ss," she ordered and as the waiter walked away she turned to Aaron.

    "So, how is your wife doing? Last I heard you both had a baby before relocating," she asked, and watched as something flickered in Aaron''s gaze.

    "I''m not married to her anymore. My kids are fine," he said and she smiled.

    "I see. You know, I had quite the crush on you back in the day. I was really disappointed when I found out you were dating Sara," she said with a small smile.

    Aaron looked at her, taken aback by the revtion. "I had no idea."

    She smiled, "I know you didn''t know. You were quite clueless. And I couldn''t bring myself to tell you about it either. I was just too shy then," she admitted.

    "I guess you''re not so shy anymore," Aaron said and sheughed softly.

    "No, I''m not," she said as she the waiter returned with a ss, and Aaron poured her a finger of whiskey.

    "So, you''re married now?" He asked, since she had referred to herself as Deborah Steele instead of Hart.

    "Was. Lost him two years ago," she said, and Aaron shed her an apologetic smile.

    "I''m sorry to hear that."

    "Thanks. That''s why I love spending my time at the lounge. I can''t bring myself to sell the house because it holds a lot of precious memories, and at the same time, it''s lonely being there."

    "No kids?" Aaron asked and she smiled.

    "I do. I have a son. Ronnie. He''s married. I weed my first grandchild some weeks ago," she said with so much pride in her voice that Aaron couldn''t help but grin.

    "So, you''re a grannie," he teased and sheughed.

    "That I am. Hold on, you should see a picture of my princess," she said and scrolled through her phone for pictures of her granddaughter.

    Aaron smiled as he watched the pictures, "She''s a beauty," he said and Debbie beamed with pride.

    "That she is. What about you?" She asked, and Aaron''s eyes gleamed with mischief.

    "Me? I am a beauty too," he said, and Debbie looked at him in confusion for a moment beforeughing out loud.

    "I meant how are your kids? Any grandkids?" She asked, and Aaron grinned even as his eyes lit up.

    "My kids are fine and all doing well for themselves. I have three of them. Harry, Candace, and Andy. And I have a grandson, Jamal. He''s

    "Why do those names sound familiar?" She asked with a frown.

    "Probably because they were all on Eric Howell''s showst week," Aaron said and watched as her jaws dropped.

    "The Jonas sibling? Those are your kids?" She asked in disbelief since that interview had made quite the buzz.

    "Yeah," Aaron said, and he watched as she processed it and tried to remember what could from the interview, and then her eyes widened.

    "No way! That Sara they talked about was your Sara? She left you, sold one of your kids and abandoned the other?" Debbie asked in disbelief.

    Aaron nodded slowly. "Yeah," he said, and he took a deep breath, deciding to share his reason for being there since she had been honest with him, "I actually came to Ludus to see her. I came here to finalize my divorce from her. That''s what I''m celebrating."

    Debbie''s eyes widened slightly. She felt sorry for him even though she was curious to know why he waited for so long to divorce her.

    "Oh, Aaron, I''m so sorry. It all must have been incredibly hard for you," she said, reaching across the table to squeeze his hand.

    He nodded, a mixture of relief and sorrow in his gaze. "It was. But it''s also a relief. I''m celebrating tonight."

    "Well, in that case, I don''t think whiskey should be the celebratory drink," she said and called a waiter over, asking them to get them a bottle two flutes of champagne.

    When the waiter arrived with the drinks, she smiled at Aaron, "Congrattions," she said, raising her ss. "To new beginnings."

    Aaron smiled as he raised his ss to hers. They clinked sses, and for a while, they sat infortable silence, sipping their drinks. N?v(el)B\\jnn

    Aaron felt a sense of peace he hadn''t felt in a long time. Talking with Debbie was like reconnecting with a piece of his past, one that was untainted by the chaos that had followed.

    "You know, life has its way of surprising us. When I watched that interviewst week, I felt sorry for your kids and their poor. I never imagined that poor father would be you," she said and Aaron shrugged.

    "Same way I never would have imagined running into you here," Aaron said, and she nodded, her expression understanding.

    "So, what have you been up to all these years?" Debbie asked after some time.

    Aaron sighed, leaning back in his chair. "After she left with all my money, I had to pack up my studio and focus on taking care of my son, Harry. It was... tough. But we managed. I was able to start afresh and I''m doing well for myself now."

    Debbie reached out again, cing aforting hand on his arm. "I''m sorry you had to go through that. It must have been incredibly challenging."

    "It was," Aaron admitted. "But we got through it. And now, I have Candace, Andy, and Jamal with me. I''m really happy. Right now I just want to focus on them and make up for all the time we lost."

    Debbie smiled. "Yeah. You should. Tell me more about them." Debbie''s eyes twinkled with curiosity.

    As they shared stories about their families, Aaron found himself rxing more and more. Debbie''s presence wasforting, a reminder of a simpler time.

    He learned that she had lost her husband two years ago, a blow that had left her reeling but determined to carry on.

    "You know," she said after a while, "I really enjoyed this conversation. Would you like toe home with me? I''d love to host you."

    Aaron hesitated, feeling a pang of uncertainty. "Debbie, I appreciate the offer. But I have no intention of getting into a rtionship. I need to focus on myself and my family, especially Candace and Andy until they get married, and then on Jamal."

    Debbie''s expression softened. "I understand. And you don''t have to worry, I''m not looking for a rtionship and I don''t wish to remarry either. Maybe we can keep things casual, just enjoy each other''spany as friends without any strings attached. You could see me whenever you''re in Ludus, and whenever I visit Sogal I can do the same if you want me to."

    Aaron considered this, a smile tugging at his lips. "That sounds... nice. I''d like that."

    After that, he had followed her back to her ce, and he had let her convince him to spend some extra days with her. They had spent thest four days together, until he decided to return to Sogal.

    When she first made sexual advances at him, he had been hesitant and scared because he was afraid that he was going to embarrass himself and disappoint her since he believed he was rusty in that department because he had not been with a woman in almost three decades, but she had asked him to rx and let her take care of things.

    It had been wonderful, being with a woman after so long. Aaron smiled at the memory as the ne soared through the skies.

    Those four days in Ludus had been transformative. Meeting Debbie had been an unexpected but wee twist, a reminder that life could still hold pleasant surprises.

    The time he spent with her had been refreshing. They had kept things casual, enjoying each other''spany without the pressure of futuremitments. It was exactly what Aaron needed at this point in his life.

    He recalled their conversation the previous night before he left Ludus.

    They sat on the terrace of her home, the night air cool and filled with the scent of blooming flowers. Aaron felt more at ease than he had in years.

    "I''m d we reconnected, Debbie," he said, looking out at the twinkling lights of the city.

    "Me too," she replied, her voice soft. "It''s been nice having someone to talk to, someone who understands."

    Aaron nodded, feeling a deep sense of gratitude. "You''ve helped me more than you know. I''m heading back home with a clearer mind."

    Debbi reached out, taking his hand. "You helped me too. And if you ever need a break, you know where to find me."

    He squeezed her hand, feeling the warmth of her friendship. "Thank you, Debbie. I will."

    Aaron opened his eyes, the memories of Ludus fading as the present came back into focus.

    The ne began its descent, and he felt a mixture of excitement and anticipation. He was eager to see his family.

    He had not told them he wasing back because he didn''t want them to expect him. He wanted to surprise them, Aaron thought with a grin.

    This was the first time he would be having people waiting back for him at home since Harry became an adult and left the house. He was looking forward to it.

    He could imagine the joy that would be on Jamal''s face when he sees him. He knew Jamal would have a thousand stories for him when he gets home. He chuckled as he imagined Candace nagging him and asking lots of questions about where he was and what he did, while Andy would smile and ask if he had fun and then tell Candace not to nag him.

    As the ne touched down in Sogal, Aaron felt a renewed sense of purpose. He had faced his demons, closed a painful chapter, and reconnected with an old friend.

    The future, uncertain as it might be, no longer seemed daunting now that the burden of his past had finally lifted. Instead, it felt filled with potential, waiting to be explored.

    He gathered his belongings, feeling a lightness in his step as he made his way through the terminal. He was ready to step back into his life, stronger and more determined than ever.

    He was happy to be home.

 Chapter 890 Deliquent

    Chapter 890 Deliquent

    Tom leaned back in his chair, satisfaction washing over him as he closed hisptop. It had been a productive day, with meetings and appointments wrapping up earlier than expected.

    He nced at the clock on his office wall and smiled. There was still some time left before the close of work. That meant Lucy didn''t have to go home with Adolf today as she had been doing all week.

    Picking up his phone, he called Adolf and asked him not to bother picking Lucy, since he was done for the day and would leave the office with her.

    Because of his busy schedule, they had been unable to go on a date all week as they agreed they would be doing, and even though Lucy was notining, he knew that she must be feeling pretty bad about howte he got back from the office and how he was usually too exhausted whenever he got back to spend time chatting with her.

    An idea began to form in his mind, one that made his lips curve in a silly smile. He decided to surprise Lucy at her office and kickstart their weekend a little early.

    Gathering his things, Tom went into his office closet and when he found what he was looking for, he changed his clothes before heading out of his office.

    The moment Harry''s secretary, who was working for him in Harry''s absence saw him, she blinked in surprise then stifled the urge tough.

    Tom winked at her walked past her, and headed for the elevator. As Tom walked past some of the employees, they couldn''t help but stare, but he ignored them all as he continued for Lucy''s office.

    The anticipation of seeing Lucy brought a lightness to his step. He couldn''t wait to see her reaction.

    Inside Lucy''s office, she sat at her desk, immersed in a report she needed to finish before the weekend officially began.

    She was so focused that she didn''t notice Tom entering the room until he cleared his throat softly. Startled, she looked up, blinked in surprise, and then her expression quickly changed to one of delight.

    "Howdy, ma''am? Tom Handy at your service," he said with a wink and she burst into a peal of delightfulughter as she pushed away from her desk.

    "Tom! What are you doing here dressed like this?" she eximed, standing up to greet him.

    Tom grinned, wrapping his arms around her for a warm hug. "I finished up early and thought I''d surprise you. How about we start our weekend a bit early?"

    Lucyughed, her eyes sparkling. "You always know how to make my day. Let me just finish this up, and we can head out," she said as she let him kiss her and then she returned the kiss.

    After a moment she stepped away to look at him again and take in his outfit, "How many people saw youing here dressed this way?" She asked, looking him over since he was dressed like he used to back when he was deceiving her and acting as her driver.

    He had rolled up the sleeves of his shirt to reveal his arm, he buttoned down the first three buttons of his shirt to reveal his chest, and he was wearing earrings and a nose ring.

    "A whole lot," he said, and she shook her head.

    "Ladies?"

    "Mostlydies," he said, and she scowled.

    "You know what? Let''s start by rolling down your sleeves. I don''t like other women looking at what''s mine," she said, and Tom grinned as she adjusted the sleeve of his shirt.

    "And let''s take out the nose ring��"

    "C''mon! You''re ruining all the fun," Tom said and she eyed him.

    "You''re CEO, love. You can do this outside of here. When we get home you can do this. But I don''t think you should��"

    Tom sighed, "Who says I can''t do this as a CEO? Who made the rules? Why can''t I dress and act the way I want in my ownpany? It''s not like I''m dressed this way to go see a client. Everyone in thepany has seen me this way before. It won''t be their first time. Loosen up Lucy. Let''s not ce unnecessary expectations on ourselves," he said and Lucy contemted it for a minute.

    "Okay."

    "So, tell me, do you like how I look?" Tom asked, wriggling both brows yfully and Lucy wrinkled her nose.

    "Although it brings back memories of how we started and how I came to fall for you, I still��" she trailed off when Tom sighed dramatically.

    "You haven''t changed much, have you? You still don''t know how to answer simple yes or no questions. I don''t want the exnations," he said, and she smiled.

    "Partially. It''s not a full yes or aplete no," she said and Tom nodded.

    "I can live with that. Now wrap up whatever you have left and let''s get going," he said as he sat down opposite her chair and she went around the desk to get into her seat.

    Tom watched her as she quickly wrapped up her work, and once she was done, she grabbed her things, and they headed out together.

    "I must say I''m pleasantly surprised you finished early today. I was already mentally preparing myself to the office without you," Lucy said as they got into the elevator so they could ride back up to his office and leave via his private elevator.

    "I''m d I don''t have to," Lucy said and Tom smiled.

    "Me too. I''m d you don''t have to. I know it''s been one hell of a week. Two more weeks and Harry will be back, and then things can go back to normal," he said and she smiled.

    "Yeah. That means we are going over next weekend for the engagement, right?" Lucy asked and that sort of reminded Tom of the conversation he had with Harry earlier.

    "Yeah. Looking forward to the trip?" He asked and she smiled.

    "Yeah. I''m actually more interested in seeing Jade''s reaction. I can picture it already," Lucy said with a giggle and Tomughed.

    "So, I take it you didn''t get my text?" Lucy asked and Tom raised a brow.

    "What text?"

    "It said I was going to stop by to check on Sonia before going home," she said as they walked into his office. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "So, you want us to do that?" He asked, and she nodded.

    "Although I''ve been talking to her over the phone, I want to see how she is doing," Lucy exined.

    "So, what should we do? Go there now, or get home first and get ready for our date before going there?" Tom asked as they got into his private elevator.

    "Whichever is more convenient for you," Lucy said and Tom nodded.

    "Let''s go there then. That way when we freshen up, we''d be fresh to our date," he said with a wink and she giggled.

    As they drove to Sonia and Bryan''s ce, the excitement of the weekend ahead filled the car with a buoyant atmosphere.

    When they arrived at the house, the door was answered by a woman in her thirties whom neither of them recognized. She had a warm, weing smile and introduced herself as Sally, the new housekeeper.

    "Good evening. Pleasee in," Sally said, stepping aside to let them enter since she recognized them both from the interview which they had done regarding Lucy.

    As they walked into the living room, Sonia and Bryan appeared from a side room. Sonia''s face lit up when she saw Lucy.

    "Baby! It''s so good to see you!" she said, moving forward to hug Lucy.

    Lucy grinned, happy that Sonia sounded more like herself, "It''s great to see you too," Lucy said, returning the hug.

    She stepped back to look at Sonia. "You look so much better now. You''ve regained your color."

    Sonia smiled, ncing lovingly at Bryan who was exchanging pleasantries with Tom. "Thanks to my doting husband here, who has refused to let me do anything on my own."

    Bryan chuckled, pulling Sonia close. "Just making sure you and our little one are okay."

    "Oh, wow! Tom. You look different," Sonia observed and Tom winked at her.

    "Yeah. I was aiming for a different look. What do you think?" He asked and Sonia nced at Lucy who shook her head, before giggling.

    "I think you look gooood," Sonia said and Lucy shut her eyes while Tom leaned forward to kiss Sonia''s cheeks.

    "Exactly one of the many reasons I love you," Tom said making Sonia giggle.

    As they all settled into thefortable living room, Sally came in with a bottle of wine and sses for them, and after she left Lucy looked at Sonia.

    "How are you doing? And how is our little bun doing in the oven?" She asked and Sonia smiled.

    "Very fine. You won''t believe I felt its very first movement two days ago," Sonia said in a high pitched voice that told Lucy just how excited she was.

    "Really?" Lucy asked, her eyes lighting up and Sonia bobbed her head.

    "I''ve always read about how those first movements may feel like flutters, you know. And then two days ago I was just speaking to it and rubbing my tummy and then I felt it move. It was the most beautiful feeling ever. It was as though it was trying to reassure me that it was okay and I don''t have to worry about anything," Sonia said, her eyes gleaming with tears, and Lucy teared up too as she held Sonia''s hand.

    Tom and Bryan exchanged a look, and in unspoken agreement they both rose and walked away with their sses to the game room so they could talk about other things while leaving thedies to cry or do whatever they wanted.

    Tom and Bryan discussed Jeff''s arrival and how he was settling in at Henry''s abode, and Bryan told Tom about the visit from Jeff''s cousin.

    "Do they really look very much alike?" Tom asked and Bryan shrugged.

    "I could tell the moment I saw him that he wasn''t Jeff, but I don''t think a stranger who has seen Jeff only once or twice would be able to tell the difference. They do have simr body builds," Bryan said and Tom nodded.

    "I suppose that''s good enough. By the way, has Jade told you anything about her ex?" Tom asked and Bryan shook his head.

    "No. Why?"

    "I spoke with Harry. It seems like that bastard messed up Jade more than we realized," Tom said and exined what Harry had told him.

    "That''s messed up," Bryan said with a frown, "I wish he were alive. Then we could fuck him up," Bryan said and Tom nodded in agreement.

    "Well, let''s hope that Harry is able to handle it. It''s going to be really stressful for him and he''s going to need all the patience and understanding in the world," Bryan said and Tom chuckled.

    "What''s funny?"

    "You. You suddenly sound like an experienced old man. Who would believe you were once a bad boy? Sonia did a terrific job taming you," Tom said and Bryan chuckled.

    "In case you have forgotten, I am a married man. And it will interest you to know that I tamed Sonia too. And what the hell are you wearing earrings and nose rings for? You look weird," Bryan said and Tomughed.

    "This was the bad boy look I pulled to win Lucy''s heart," Tom said and Bryan shook his head.

    "I can''t believe someone like Lucy fell for someone who looked this way. You look like a delinquent teenager," Bryan said and Tom red at him.

    "Whose idea was the bad boy thing?"

    Bryan chuckled, "So, you couldn''t be a bad boy without these? You think this is all a bad boy is about?" Bryan asked in amusement.

    "And you think those useless advise you gave me would have helped? (Chapter 32) I only got a chance with her because I didn''t act entirely like a jerk," Tom said and Bryan shook his head.

    "Why are we even having this conversation right now? Oh, right! Because you are looking like a delinquent," he said with a nod.

    "Whatever. Let''s y a game," Tom said, pointing to the ping pong table.

 Chapter 891 Two Screens

    Chapter 891 Two Screens

    Alone in the living room, Sonia leaned forward as she grinned at Lucy, "So, that was the look you fell for, huh?" She teased and Lucy rolled her eyes.

    "The look? No. You know I''m not a fan of such looks. Honestly, I have no idea how or why I fell for him when he even looked that way. I guess I looked past all of that," Lucy said and Sonia giggled.

    "But he doesn''t look so bad," Sonia said and Lucy nodded.

    "When next I''ming I will get some ear and nose rings. I''d like to see them on Bryan," Lucy said with a sweet smile and Soniaughed.

    "I don''t mind. He could even get a piercing on his tongue. I''d like that one very much. I heard it does wonders down there when using the tongue," she said with a wink, and Lucy wrinkled her nose in mild disgust.

    "I thought you''ve changed but no, you haven''t. You still say the dirtiest things. Your mouth is so dirty it needs to be washed with bleach," she said and Sonia giggled.

    "I say them, and you do them," Sonia pointed out, "I guess your pussy should be bleached," Sonia said andughed when Lucy scowled.

    "So, what''s up with your proposal n?" Sonia asked, dropping her voice to a whisper, "You know you have to get the ns started since it''s a big party," Sonia said and Lucy smiled.

    "Yeah. About that, I''ve spoken with the event nner who nned the anniversary party. I didn''t tell her about the proposal. I''m thinking that for the proposal, maybe I should propose privately��."

    "No, way! C''mon! Why would you do that?" Sonia asked with a frown.

    "You know, in case Tom feels embarrassed. A lot of people would be there and I don''t know how he might feel. I''ve been thinking about it��"

    "You know what? I''ve also been thinking about it, and I have a wonderful idea," Sonia said and Lucy''s brows pulled together.

    "I''m always weary of your ideas." She confessed and Sonia giggled.

    "Don''t worry. You will love this one, I promise," Sonia said and Lucy sighed.

    "Let''s hear it then," Lucy said and Sonia grinned.

    "So, how about we set up a screen? And make sure Tom has his back to the screen when we disy the proposal? That way you can ask him to look at it? You won''t have to kneel or say too much," Sonia suggested, and Lucy pursed her lips as she considered it.

    "Hmm. I don''t think that''s a bad idea," she said after a while and Sonia shed her a wide smile.

    "I told you so," Sonia said, excited that her n was going to work.

    "But will the screen be solely to disy the proposal? Is there no other purpose for it?" Lucy asked thoughtfully, since Tom might ask her what it was meant for. N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "We could as well disy Christmas wishes for the guests," Sonia suggested and Lucy nodded.

    "Alright. I will talk to the event nner about getting arge screen��"

    "Make it two screens in opposite directions," Sonia suggested with a grin.

    "Why two?" Lucy asked with a confused frown.

    "That way whichever direction the guests are facing, they can always see the screen," Sonia said easily even though that wasn''t her true intention.

    "Okay. Two screens then," Lucy said and then nced at the wall clock.

    "Are you going somewhere?" Sonia asked and Lucy nodded.

    "Yeah. Today is Friday. We are going on a date. We haven''t been able to do that all week because of Tom''s busy schedule," Lucy said and Sonia nodded in understanding.

    "That''s nice. By the way, you are resuming your cooking sses tomorrow, right?" She asked and Lucy smiled.

    "Yeah. I wish we could go for it together. It would be so much fun to do it with you," Lucy said and Sonia nodded.

    "I know, right? But Mr Husband won''t even let me lift a ss of water. How am I supposed to tell him I want to sign up for cooking ss?" Sonia asked dryly and Lucyughed.

    "I must say I''m both impressed and shocked by how seriously Bryan is taking his role," Lucy said and Sonia grinned.

    "I know, right? Some times I want to get upset that he''s doing too much, but then I just feel grateful that I have someone who cares so much about me," Sonia said happily.

    "And I know Tom is going to be even more so," Sonia said with a wink and Lucyughed softly.

    "Let''s go see what the guys are up to. I think Tom is forgetting that we need to get home and freshen up before leaving for our date," Lucy said and they both rose and headed for the game room.

    In the game room, Tom checked his watch and then nced at Bryan who was beating him at the ping pong game, "I think you''ve won enough," Tom said just as Lucy and Sonia joined them.

    "We should probably get going if we want to make it home and get ready for our date," Lucy told Tom and he nodded in agreement.

    "Yeah. I was just thinking that too," Tom said and Bryan grinned.

    "I thought you said that only because you were trying to take the chicken way out of the game," Bryan teased.

    "Is that your way of telling thedies that I''m a loser?" Tom retorted and Bryan shrugged.

    "You''re lucky I have to leave else I would have made you regret that statement," Tom said and Bryan made chicken sounds, causing everyone tough.

    Sonia looked at Bryan, a yful pout on her face. "See? Tom is taking Lucy on a date. When are you going to take me on a date too?"

    Bryan smiled, kissing her forehead. "Next weekend, after I''m sure you''ve gotten enough rest," he promised.

    Sonia rolled her eyes affectionately. "Always the protective one," she said and together they escorted Tom and Lucy outside.

    Tom and Lucy said their goodbyes and left Sonia and Bryan''s ce, promising to catch up again soon.

    They arrived at Lucy''s apartment, chatting about their ns for the evening, and as they got out of the car and walked towards the building, Alicia called out to them with a wave as she hurried to meet them.

    "Hey, Tom, Lucy!" Alicia called out, jogging over.

    She grinned when she took in Tom''s piercings, "It''s good to see you looking again like the Tom Jasmine and I were hitting on," she said, and Lucy giggled while Tom winced at the memory.

    "Hey, Alicia!" Lucy greeted, wondering what Alicia wanted to say, since they''ve been saying hello to each other all week.

    On Monday evening after she got back from the office without Tom, Alicia had approached her, expressing her shock upon realizing that Mia was Vanessa Rosewood and not really Mia, and although in her usual way she had wanted to get more information about it from Lucy, Lucy had politely changed the subject.

    "Eric asked me to find out when you two will being in for that interview," Alicia said, looking at Tom.

    Tom exchanged a nce with Lucy, and she smiled. "How about after Christmas? We can be hisst guests for the year," Lucy suggested.

    Tom nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that sounds perfect," he said, thinking that by the time they made it to the show, Lucy would likely be there with his as his fianc��e. The thought of it alone made him look forward to the show.

    Alicia nodded, making a note on her phone. "Great, I will let him know. Have a wonderful evening!" Alicia said before walking away, while Tom and Lucy continued inside.

    "Why did you wince when she talked about your appearance?" Lucy asked with a giggle.

    "Thanks for the reminder," Tom said as he took off the nose ring and flung it away, making Lucyugh.

    "Anyway, why did you choose to wait until after Christmas?" Tom asked Lucy curiously.

    "I figured there would be a lot of buzz about us after we host such a first of its kind party. I''d rather we just get both done all at once and let the air settle since we both don''t love public attention," she said, and Tom nodded.

    "It''s a good idea," Tom said, feeling a sense of contentment wash over him as they entered Lucy''s apartment. Everything was falling into ce.

    "So, you up for our club date?" Tom asked and Lucy grinned.

    "I am as ready as I''d ever be. Just keep in mind that I''m getting drunk tonight. No ulcer bullshit," she said and Tom shook his head.

    "You can have a ss or two, and after that we will have ate dinner. You can''t be careless with your health simply because you want to have fun," he said, and Lucy rolled her eyes as she before proceeding to freshen up and get dressed.

    Tom and Lucy spent extra time getting ready for their date, each wanting to look their best for the night out.

    Lucy chose a stunning red mini dress that hugged her curves and red out slightly at the hips, giving it a yful swing as she walked. The dress had a deep V-neckline that was both elegant and alluring, showing just enough skin to be tantalizing without being too revealing.

    She paired the dress with gold strappy heels that elongated her legs and added a few extra inches to her height. And on her ears were a pair of delicate gold earrings that framed her face and a matching bracelet that sparkled with every movement�� gifts from Tom.

    Lucy''s hair was styled in loose waves that cascaded over her shoulders, and her makeup was mild save for the bold red lipstick that perfectly matched her dress.

    Tom opted for a stylish, casual look that exuded confidence and ease. He wore a fitted ck leather jacket over a dark grey V-neck t-shirt that clung to his toned torso. The jacket had subtle silver zippers and a sleek design that added an edgy vibe to his appearance. He paired the jacket with dark denim jeans that fit him perfectly, emphasizing his lean build. His choice of footwear was a pair of ck Chelsea boots, polished yet casual enough for a night out.

    When they saw each other, their eyes lit up with appreciation. Tom couldn''t help but smile as he took in Lucy''s radiant appearance, while Lucy felt her heart skip a beat at how dashing Tom looked.

    "You look incredible," Tom said, his voice filled with admiration as he reached out to take her hand.

    "Thank you," Lucy replied with a warm smile, her eyes shining. "You don''t look so bad yourself, now that you have lost the nose ring," she said with a grin.

    Since they had agreed not to take the car, and had also decided to try a new upscale club that had just opened downtown, instead of going to the club where they had met, Tom ordered a cab, and the moment it arrived they left.

    The ride to the club was filled with yful banter andughter, and by the time they arrived, they were both in high spirits.

    As they stepped into the club a momentter, they turned heads, a striking couple exuding confidence and charm. Their outfitsplemented each other perfectly, making them look like they had just stepped out of a fashion magazine. The night was theirs, and they intended to make the most of it.

    The club was buzzing with energy, a mix of shing lights, pulsating music, and a lively crowd. They made their way to the bar and ordered drinks, enjoying the ambiance and each other''spany.

    After having their first ss of drinks, Tom took Lucy''s hand and pulled her onto the dance floor, "Remember our first dance at the club?" He asked and she giggled.

    "No, I don''t," she said andughed as she watched dance make some smooth dance moves and then she joined him.

    They danced together, lost in the rhythm and the moment. And after a few songs, they took a break and returned to the bar. They found a quieter corner and sat down, their hands intertwined.

    Looking at Lucy, her face glistening with sweat, a smile on her lips and her eyes gleaming with excitement, Tom couldn''t help but feel a surge of gratitude for having such a wonderful person like her in his life.

    Lucy met his gaze and grinned, "What are you thinking about?"

    Tom smiled, "Just about how lucky I am to have you."

    Lucy blushed, her heart swelling with love. "Me too, Tom. Me too."

    "You know, I always look forward to our dates. It''s like a little escape from everything else. I forget about everything and everyone else when I''m with you," Tom said and Lucy smiled.

    She looked down at their hands for a moment and then smiled as she looked back into his face before leaning in to kiss him softly. "I love you so much. I can''t wait to see what the future holds for us."

    "I love you too, Jewel. And I look forward to my future with you," he whispered back, raising her hand to his lips.

    They spent the rest of the night enjoying each other''spany, talking, dancing, andughing. By the time they left the club, they were feeling closer than ever.

    Once they arrived home after midnight, they changed into morefortable clothes and snuggled up on the bed, watching a Ro.

    And as they drifted off to sleep in each other''s arms, Tom couldn''t help but feel that it was the perfect end to a wonderful evening.

 Chapter 892 I Had No Idea

    Chapter 892 I Had No Idea

    Mia woke up early, the first rays of sunlight filtering through the curtains of her room. Her heart fluttered with excitement but she didn''t smile for fear that Henry was watching her.

    Jeff was under the same roof with her now, and the thought of seeing him first thing in the morning filled her with an almost childlike anticipation.

    She freshened up quickly, sshing cold water on her face to shake off the remnants of sleep, and brushed her hair until it fell in soft waves around her shoulders.

    She made her way downstairs, the house still quiet in the early morning hush. Her destination was the kitchen, ostensibly to get a ss of water, but in reality, she was hoping to catch a glimpse of Jeff.

    The kitchen was a bustling scene, despite the early hour. Jeff was there, as she had hoped, standing at the stove preparing breakfast. Unfortunately, he wasn''t alone; the housekeeper, Margaret, and the cleaner, Mika, were also there, moving about with practiced efficiency.

    "Good morning, Madam," Margaret and Mika greeted simultaneously when they saw her.

    "Good morning Margaret. Mika," Mia replied, her voice soft but cheerful.

    The moment Jeff heard her voice, he looked up and his heart skipped a beat when he saw her. He managed a polite smile, though his eyes betrayed his joy at seeing her. "Good morning, Mrs Rosewood," he greeted warmly and she gave him a polite nod.

    "I hope you''re finding the kitchen to your taste?" She asked, and he nodded.

    "Yes, ma''am."

    "Did you want something? What can I get for you, ma''am?" Margaret asked, her tone respectful and kind.

    "Just a ss of water, please," Mia said, trying to keep her voice steady. She didn''t want to seem too eager.

    "I can get it for you," Margaret offered, already reaching for a ss.

    "No need, I can get it myself. Thanks," Mia insisted, stepping towards the sink. She filled a ss with water, her hands steady despite the slight tremor of excitement. She took a sip, savoring the cold water as it slid down her throat, and then turned to leave.

    Jeff tried not to let his gaze linger on her even though he knew she hade into the kitchen just to see him and say good morning in her own indirect way. The thought made his heart warm.

    As soon as Mia left the kitchen, Mika remarked, "It''s strange that she came in here to get the water herself. She could have easily asked for it."

    Margaret nodded, a thoughtful expression on her face. "Yes, it is. But it''s nice to see her taking an interest in the house again. I hope she stays. It would be good to have the rightfuldy of the house back."

    "I can''t wait for the shamelessdy to leave. She goes about giving orders like she owns the ce. How can she remain here even when Mrs Rosewood is back? It irks me to see her talking to Mrs Rosewood rudely," Mika said, and Margaret nodded in agreement.

    Jeff, overhearing the conversation, couldn''t help but hide a smile. He was happy that even though Mia didn''t know it yet, she had the support of the domestic staff.

    As Mia sat down to breakfast with Henry and Diana a short whileter, the atmosphere was tense but outwardly calm. Diana, ever the picture ofposed elegance, was already seated, a delicate hand resting on her belly. Henry was his usual domineering self, his presence filling the room with an oppressive air.

    "Vanessa," Diana said, her tone cordial, "after breakfast, we need to go shopping for the charity ging up next week. I had my outfit already, thinking I''d be escorting Henry, but since you are here, you need to get the right outfit, while I change mine. You should get ready."

    Mia nodded, her expression neutral. "Of course."

    Henry barely looked in Mia''s direction, his attention focused entirely on Diana. He reached over to touch her hand tenderly. "How are you feeling this morning, darling?" he asked, his voice uncharacteristically gentle.

    Diana gave a small smile, though it looked strained. "A bit nauseous. The sausage isn''t sitting well with me."

    Henry''s eyes lit up with concern. "Perhaps you shouldn''t eat it, then. You need to take care of yourself and our baby."

    Diana turned to Mia with a small smile. "Yes, Mia, I suppose I should tell you. I''m pregnant."

    Mia''s heart clenched painfully. She forced a smile, though it felt like her face might crack under the strain. "Congrattions," she said, her voice barely above a whisper as she nced at Henry, who was gazing at Diana with a look of adoration that made her stomach turn.

    His face was a mask of joy, a look Mia had never seen directed at her during their marriage. She felt a wave of bitterness wash over her. She had suffered two miscarriages, each one more devastating than thest, and had almost lost her life after Henry''s violent outburst during herst pregnancy. Now, here he was, expecting a child with his mistress.

    It wasn''t jealousy. Nah. She wasn''t jealous of Diana one bit. Even though a part of her was d that she didn''t have the child of a monster like Henry, the pain of her loses was still raw.

    What he had done to her still pained her deeply and seeing him this happy made her bitter.

    She felt a deep, aching bitterness. And the injustice of it all made her want to scream, but she kept herposure, her smile fixed in ce.

    "Thank you, Vanessa," Diana said pleasantly, "I hope you understand how important this is for Henry and me. And I hope you wouldn''t stress me too much now that you know about my condition."

    "Of course," Mia said again, her voice hollow.

    Breakfast continued in strained silence. Mia picked at her food, her appetite gone. She felt trapped, suffocated by the oppressive atmosphere and the weight of her own emotions. Finally, she pushed her te away, unable to eat another bite.

    "I''m going to get ready for the shopping trip," she announced, standing up.

    "Good idea," Henry said dismissively, not even looking up from his conversation with Diana.

    Mia left the dining room, her heart heavy. She made her way back to her room, her mind racing. She needed to clear her head, to find a way to navigate the tangled mess of her emotions. She couldn''t let Henry and Diana see how much the news of the pregnancy was getting to her.

    Once in her room, she closed the door and leaned against it, taking a deep breath.

    What did this new development mean for her ns? Could she bring herself to harm Henry if he was expecting a child? Could she render an innocent child fatherless?

    Walking over to the mirror, she took off her clothes and turned so she could see the scars on her back, and then she straightened.

    She wouldn''t waver in her ns. Although the wicked part of her hoped that Diana would lose the pregnancy so that Henry would understand the lose of one''s baby, she didn''t wish such pain on anyone, especially not on Diana whose only fault was falling in love with a monster like Henry Rosewood.

    She sat down at her vanity, staring at her reflection. Her eyes looked tired, haunted by memories of the past and fears for the future. But there was also a spark of determination there, a flicker of resilience that refused to be extinguished.

    Mia took a deep breath. She had to stay strong. For herself, and for the future she hoped to build. With Jeff under the same roof, she knew that everything was going to be alright.

    As she rose and began to get ready for the day, her thoughts remained on Jeff. She was d now that Jeff that insisted on living here with her.

    Things would have been much harder for her if he wasn''t here to reassure her with his presence. His presence in the house was afort, a reminder that she wasn''t alone. She could face whatever challengesy ahead, as long as she had him by her side. And one day, she hoped, she would be free of Henry''s control, free to live her life on her own terms.

    Mia finished getting ready and took a moment to collect herself before heading to the living room. She had a long day ahead of her, and she needed to stay focused.

    As she approached the living room, she reminded herself that she was stronger than she felt, and that no matter what happened, she would find a way to survive.

    When she reached the living room, she found Diana waiting for her, looking impatient. "Ready?" Diana asked, her tone brisk.

    "Yes," Mia replied, forcing a smile. "Let''s go."

    The two women left the house, the tension between them was tangible. As they got into the car and drove away, Mia looked out the window, her thoughts far away. She was determined to get out of this nightmare, to reim her life and her happiness. And with Jeff by her side, she knew she could do it.

    A short whileter, Mia and Diana made their way through the upscale boutiques, their shopping trip for the charity g underway.

    The atmosphere between them was tense, the air thick with unspoken words. As they browsed through racks of designer dresses, Diana couldn''t help but notice that Mia kept picking clothes that covered her entire body, opting for long sleeves and high necklines.

    She could guess it was because of the scars on her back. She vividly remembered the scars she had seen on Mia''s back but had been unable to ask her about it because of the cameras in the bedroom.

    Deciding to see if Mia would be open to talk about her, she asked, "Vanessa, why do you keep choosing such conservative dresses that cover you uppletely? You have a beautiful figure. You should show it off."

    Mia looked at her, her eyes steady. "I prefer to keep certain things covered," she replied simply.

    "You mean the scars on your back, don''t you? Were they from the ident?" Diana asked and Mia''s gaze hardened.

    She felt a surge of defiance as she met Diana''s gaze. "No, Diana. Henry gave me those scars."

    Diana''s eyes widened in shock. She had known Henry to be ruthless and wicked, but a woman beater? That was a side she hadn''t seen. "Are you expecting me to believe that Henry Rosewood, the man who dotes on me, is a woman beater?" she asked, her voice tinged with disbelief as she looked around to make sure they didn''t have an audience.

    Mia shrugged, her expression cold. "Believe whatever you please. It doesn''t change the truth."

    Diana took a deep breath, trying to process what she had just heard. She nced around the boutique, ensuring no one was within earshot. "What happened?" she asked, her voice softer, more tentative.

    Mia raised a brow, "Are you asking so you can report back to Henry and have him beat me some more? Or worse still lock me away in a mental house, so you can have him to yourself?" Mia asked, unable to keep the suspicion and disdain from her voice.

    Diana shook her head, her eyes sincere. "No, Vanessa. I chose to ask you here, away from the house, because of the cameras. I genuinely do want to know. Not for Henry, but for myself. Please tell me."

    Mia studied Diana''s face, looking for any sign of deceit, but found none. "Has Henry never hit you?" she asked, her tone curious.

    Diana shook her head again. "Never. He has never raised his voice either, that is why I find it hard to believe what you''re telling me right now," Diana said and Mia''s brows pulled together.

    "How did you meet Henry?" She asked curiously, not bothering to answer Diana''s question since she was more curious now.

    Diana shrugged. "It was love at first sight. Our eyes met and locked at a party. I approached Henry myself," Diana said with a small smile at the memory.

    "I told him he looked like a king and asked if I could be his queen. He said he liked my pick up line. After that we had a drink together, he invited me on a date. And the rest is history," Diana said with a shrug.

    Mia was surprised but inwardly amused. The idea that a man like Henry Rosewood could fall in love was almostughable.

    "And he never told you about me?" Mia asked, and Diana shrugged.

    "He said he was a widower. He told me how much he loved you and how broken he was when he lost you. When he found out you were alive and had eloped with a lover��"

    "Eloped?" Mia cut in.

    "Yeah. That was what he said. You reached out to him telling him you were alive and wanted a divorce and he found out you faked your death so you could be with your lover. He was quite hurt. He even shed tears��" Diana trailed off when Mia suddenly let out a humorlessugh.

    "I''m happy for you, Diana," Mia said, her voiceced with a hint of bitterness. "I really am. And I''m grateful he has you. Thanks to you he doesn''t pay me any attention. I hope you never have to experience the side of Henry that I have. I really do."

    Diana remained silent, her mind racing with the implications of Mia''s words. She had seen Henry''s cruel side in his business dealings. Even her brother had been a victim, but she had never imagined he could be so violent at home.

    "I''m sorry he did that to you. I had no idea��" Diana trailed off when Mia shook her head.

    "Don''t worry about my scars, Diana. The emotional ones run deeper than the physical ones you can see. If you truly feel sorry for me, convince Henry to divorce me and marry you," Mia said, her tone somber.

    Diana''s heart ached with a mixture of sympathy and guilt. She had never considered the full extent of Mia''s suffering, but now that she knew, she couldn''t ignore it. "You know he believes in the sanctity��"

    "Just give it a try," Mia cut in, uninterested in that excuse, "At least for the sake of your unborn baby," Mia suggested, looking at Diana''s abdomen.N?v(el)B\\jnn

    Diana nodded slowly, her mind made up. "I will see what I can do," she said quietly.

 Chapter 893 Unexpected Ally

    Chapter 893 Unexpected Ally

    After Mia and Diana had spent most of the morning shopping, Diana suggested that they have lunch together before going home, and Mia reluctantly agreed, since she had been looking forward to eating the meal prepared by Jeff.

    As they made their way to the restaurant, which was within the mall where they were shopping, Diana looked at Mia, wondering if she could really trust her.

    Thest thing she wanted was for all of this to be a set up, and for Mia to expose her to Henry if she so much as confided in her.

    But thinking about it again, she had been observing both Henry and Mia since she returned, and they didn''t seem close in anyway. The fact that Henry had put her in charge of Mia told her that much.

    As shocking as Mia''s revtion had been, it sort of made sense and exined why she would fake her death and run away from Henry for the past three years, if she really didn''t go to be with her lover.

    Her instincts told her that Mia was telling the truth, and could be trusted. Deciding to go with her instinct, as they sat down to have lunch, Diana asked for a wine and Mia looked at her with frown.

    "You know you shouldn''t be having that in your state, right?" Mia asked and Diana nodded.

    "Yeah. Can you tell me more about your marriage with Henry?" She asked and before Mia could decline she continued, "If I''m going to convince him to divorce you and marry me, I should know what kind of person he is. I wouldn''t want to marry a man, who would give me such scars," Diana said and Mia shook her head.

    "I don''t think you have anything to worry about. I doubt Henry would ever treat you that way. He had his reasons for doing this to me. Reasons I only just recently realized," Mia said and Diana frowned.

    "I don''t think any reason justifies this act. This is a Barbaric act. No one, not even an animal deserves any such inhumane treatment that would leave such scars on their skin. And you shouldn''t make any excuse for him, regardless of what you think you did to deserve it," Diana said fiercely, and Mia looked at her for a moment, taken aback by the anger and passion in her voice.

    "I wasn''t making excuses for him. I know I didn''t deserve it. I''m only trying to say Henry loves you. I''ve seen it in the way he looks at you and speaks to you. He has never looked at me that way. He wouldn''t even let me have his baby. He beat his babies out of me both times I was pregnant, yet here you are pregnant for him, and he is ecstatic," Mia said, and blood drained from Diana''s face.

    "He did that to you?" Diana asked, and Mia blinked back the tears that gathered in her eyes as she forced a smile and nodded.

    Without thinking, Diana reached across the table and touched Mia''s hand, "Oh, Vanessa," she whispered softly.

    "This is weird," Mia said with a shaky breath as she pulled her hand away from Diana''s reach.

    "You''re thest person I expect sympathy from. I''m not telling you these to feel sorry for me or so you can leave Henry��"

    "He will never know we had this conversation," Diana promised, holding Mia''s gaze, and then Mia looked away as the waiter brought their drinks.

    Seeing that she needed to also gain Mia''s trust, Diana took a deep breath, deciding to take the risk, "I''m not pregnant," she whispered after the waiter left, and Mia blinding surprise.

    "What?" Mia asked, and Diana smiled and nodded.

    "But you said��"

    "I lied," Diana said calmly and Mia frowned.

    "Why? Henry would kill you if he finds out you deceived him," Mia said, her voice filled with fear and concern for Diana.

    Diana smiled, "I know."

    "You do? Why then did you lie? And why are you telling me this?" N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "I''m telling you my secret so you can trust me," Diana said and Mia''s frown deepened.

    "Why? Why do you want me to trust you? What do you want?" Mia asked suspiciously and Diana shook her head.

    "Nothing. You''re a youngdy like me. I feel bad for you. But most importantly, I figured that you might hate Henry almost as much as I do," she said and paused when the waiter brought their lunch.

    "Hate? You hate him? Why?" Mia asked curiously after the waiter left again.

    Diana took a deep breath, the aroma of the freshly served dishes mingling with her rising emotions. She nced at the spread in front of them.

    Mia had chosen a light sd with grilled chicken, avocado, and a tangy lemon vinaigrette, while Diana opted for a hearty bowl of pasta, creamy with Alfredo sauce and sprinkled generously with Parmesan.

    Cutting a piece of chicken from her sd, Mia looked at Diana, her curiosity barely contained. Diana stirred her pasta absentmindedly before speaking.

    "I hate him because he''s a monster," Diana said quietly, her voice barely above a whisper. "Not just because of what he''s done to you, though that''s more than enough reason. He maniptes, controls, and destroys everything in his path."

    Mia paused, fork in mid-air, and watched Diana intently. The raw emotion in Diana''s voice was unmistakable, and it resonated deeply with her own experiences.

    Diana continued, her eyes fixed on her te. "Henry is charming to those he wants to charm, but behind closed doors, he''s a ruthless man. He uses people until they''re no longer of value to him. I''ve seen it happen to others, and I know it''s only a matter of time before he turns on me."

    "And yet you are with him?" Mia said, more as a statement than a question.

    Diana merely nodded.

    "Did you approach him knowing these? Or did you fall in love with him andter got to know the kind of person he is?" Mia asked as she took a bite of her sd, chewing slowly.

    The crisp lettuce and creamy avocado tasted ndpared to the bitterness of their conversation.

    A sad smile yed on Diana''s lips. "I told you I approached him. It was a calcted move. I have my reasons. For now, I need to stay close to him, to gather as much information as I can to destroy him. Believe me, I want nothing more than to see Henry Rosewood crumble. I want to see him on his knees. I want to see him weep. He needs to be taught that he is human and not some immortal."

    Hearing the hatred and bitterness in her voice, Mia was curious to know Diana''s story. She wanted to know what Diana had against Henry, but she was also too cautious to ask any questions or seem too interested, lest she fell into a trap, if this was one.

    Mia reached for her ss of water, taking a sip before speaking. "I hope whatever you''re nning works."

    "I hope so too," Diana said, finally looking up to meet Mia''s eyes. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears.

    Mia''s gaze softened, "Whatever you''re nning, be careful. Henry is dangerous, and he won''t hesitate to hurt you if he feels threatened," Mia warned.

    Diana nodded. "I know."

    They ate in silence for a few moments, the clinking of cutlery against tes the only sound between them.

    "Can I ask you a question?" Mia asked curiously, since she had been wondering about it since Jeff arrived.

    "Yeah."

    "Why did you ask thest chef to leave? Is this new chef your person?" Mia asked, wanting to know if Diana was working with Tom or something.

    Diana paused, fork in mid air as she met Mia''s gaze, "No. I don''t know him. Why do you ask?"

    Mia shrugged, "I''m just curious."

    "Actually, it wasn''t my idea. I''m being ckmailed," she confessed to Mia.

    "ckmailed?" Mia asked in surprise, and Diana nodded.

    "I don''t know who is ckmailing me or how they found out about my identity and reason for being with Henry, but they asked me to fire thest chef. I''m not sure why they asked me to do that either or if the new chef can be trusted," Diana said, but Mia could guess it was Tom and Harry.

    How did they know about Diana? Was it Tyler? Mia mused. Perhaps she had underestimated them and what they were capable of.

    "I need to use the restroom," Mia said abruptly, "Want toe?" She asked, since Diana was always following her about.

    Diana shook her head, "I don''t think there is any reason to do so anymore when we are alone," Diana said and Mia smiled.

    "Thanks. I will be right back," Mia said, and headed for the restroom, leaving her purse behind.

    As she walked, she tried to decide on the right person to call. She had memorized the numbers of Tom, Harry, Sonia, and Jeff, but now that Jeff was here, she didn''t know his new number and had no way of reaching him.

    As Mia walked into the female restroom, she decided to call Sonia since it waste at night, and it would be easier to bother Bryan and Sonia than to bother Tom and Harry. Looking around, she saw somedies in the restroom and approached them.

    "Hello! I seem to have left my phone at home, and I need to make an important call. Mind if I borrow your phone for a moment? It won''t take a minute please," she said politely.

    As thedies looked her over, they took in her appearance and immediately recognized her as Mrs Rosewood who had been all over the news a week ago.

    "Sure. You can use mine," one of thedies offered, and Mia smiled at her as she stepped to the side and dialed Sonia''s line.

    The phone rang for a few moments before Bryan''s sleepy voice answered. "Hello?"

    "Bryan, it''s Mia," she whispered urgently.

    Bryan immediately sounded more alert. "Mia?" Bryan asked, and Sonia who had been stirred from sleep by her ringing tone sat up.

    "It''s Mia?" She asked, reaching for the phone as Bryan ced it on speaker.

    "Hey, Mia! Are you safe right now? Is this your��"

    "Listen, this isn''t my phone. I''m using someone''s phone in a public restroom and I need to be quick. I just need to know what''s happening. Do you guys know about Diana? And is Tom ckmailing her? Is that how he got Jeff to be employed?" She asked urgently, needing to confirm that she could trust Diana.

    "Yes to all your questions. Why? Did something happen?" Bryan asked curiously.

    "No. She was telling me about it and I needed to be sure I could trust her. I have to go now. I will call you again whenever I can. Take care of yourself and the baby. Don''t call back," Mia said quickly and hung up before Sonia could say anything.

    She deleted Sonia''s number from the phone and turned to see thedies staring at her. She shed them a smile of gratitude as she handed the phone back to the woman. "Thank you so much."

    The woman nodded, watching Mia with concern since they all knew about her mental illness.

    Mia walked into one of the toilet stalls, and pretended to ease herself. She flushed the toilet and then washed her hands before going out to meet Diana again.

    She was sort of relieved to know that Diana wasn''t lying to her. Now that she knew she could trust Diana, she felt a flicker of hope.

    Although Diana was an unexpected ally, Mia made up her mind that she wasn''t going to tell Diana about her own ns. She wasn''t going to tell Diana either that Jeff was her own person.

    She was just going to let everything y out, and see how it goes, while silently supporting Diana. She didn''t want to be caught in the middle of anything went wrong with Diana''s n. She needed to have her own revenge.

 Chapter 894 Divorce Her

    Chapter 894 Divorce Her

    As Mia and Diana returned to the house, Diana''s mind was still reeling from the revtions of the morning.

    After Mia returned from the restroom earlier, Mia had told her how she met Henry and how Henry had ruined her family''s business just so they would be indebted to him and he could marry her.

    Diana had always known Henry was a monster, but she had never imagined the depth of his cruelty.

    She nced at Mia, who was staring out the window, her expression distant and she sighed inwardly wishing there was a way she could really help Mia, since she couldn''t even begin to imagine how Mia was feeling under the same roof as Henry.

    Without thinking she reached for Mia''s hand and squeezed it, "Stay strong. I will do all I can to help you," Diana said softly as they pulled up to the house.

    Mia turned to her. "Thank you."

    She had been thinking about her life and wondering what her life would have been like if she had never crossed path with Henry.

    She had once been a vibrant, hopeful young woman with dreams and aspirations. But Henry had shattered those dreams, leaving her a shell of her former self. And even though she had tried to break free, she had spent the past three years in hiding and not living her life to the fullest because she was still haunted by the ghosts of Henry''s wickedness.

    They exited the car and headed inside, each lost in their own thoughts. As they entered the house, Henry was waiting for them in the foyer, his eyes lighting up when he saw Diana.

    "How was the shopping trip, darling?" he asked, pulling her into a hug.

    "It was fine," Diana replied, shing him an effortless smile, and Mia couldn''t help but inwardlymend Diana''s acting skills.

    "You must be exhausted. Come in, and I will massage your feet," Henry said and Diana smiled at him before turning to Mia.

    "Vanessa, you can ask Mika to get the bags out of the car��"

    "She can do that herself. I''m sure you must have learned how to carry stuff yourself thesest three years," Henry said with disdain and Mia returned to the car to get the bags while Henry led Diana inside.

    "Did you find something suitable for the g?" Henry asked as they walked and Diana nodded.

    "Yes. We found the perfect wears. How have you been, my king?" Diana asked as they walked into the living room and sat down.

    "I''ve been missing you. I returned earlier than nned so I could spend some more time with you," Henry said, ignoring Mia as she returned with Diana''s bag.

    "You can take my bag to my room," Diana ordered.

    "I don''t want her inside our bedroom. Give me the bags. I will take them up myself," Henry said dismissively, and after taking the bag from Mia he turned his attention back to Diana. "I have a surprise for you, my love. Come with me."

    "Really? What''s that?" Diana asked excitedly as she rose.

    "You will see," Henry said, and Mia watched as Henry led Diana away.

    She couldn''t help but feel amused by this aspect of Henry. She turned when she noticed a movement and saw Jeff standing at the edge of the dining watching her.

    "Do you need something, ma''am?" Jeff asked politely as she approached him.

    "Where is Margaret and Mika?" She asked and Jeff looked behind him.

    "They both went grocery shopping," he said and Mia raised a brow.

    "Does that mean you''re alone in the kitchen?" She asked hopefully, and he nodded.

    "Fruits. I''d like a te of fruit sd. I will join you after I drop my shopping bags and put on something morefortable," Mia said and Jeff gave her a polite nod as he watched her go.

    Mia was d that she didn''t have to worry about either Henry or Diana watching her, especially Henry, since he would be too engrossed in whatever he wanted to show or do to Diana to pay any attention to thetv.

    Once in her room, Mia set down the bags and quickly took off her clothes. She walked into the bathroom and let the water run down her body.

    She wondered how Diana was able to stand Henry''s touch if she hated him as much as she had said. How could she kiss him or let him make love to her? Didn''t she feel disgusted? How was she able to hide her true feelings?

    After freshening up, she returned to the dining and when she didn''t see Jeff there with the fruit, she went into the kitchen.

    Jeff stood there, dicing the fruits carefully, and Mia watched him without saying a word for some time.

    "Thank you," Mia said softly, breaking the silence and Jeff turned to look at her.

    He smiled when he saw her, and then moved closer to her and pulled her close to him for a warm hug.

    "Jeff! The camera," she said in rm, pushing him away as she looked at the CCTV positioned in the kitchen, not for her sake but to monitor the staff in case of food poisoning.

    "Don''t worry. It''s not working��"

    "It is. Can''t you see the light blinking?" Mia argued and Jeff smiled.

    "I told Tom that I need a safe ce to talk to you so he connected me with someone who tampers with cameras. I asked him to tamper with the cameras for the next couple of minutes,," Jeff assured her.

    "Really?" She asked, uncertainly and Jeff gave her a nod.

    "Sure."

    "All the cameras? Wouldn''t that be suspicious?" She asked and she shook his head.

    "It will look like a system glitch or something. Don''t worry too much. How have you been?" Jeff asked and now that Mia knew that the cameras were not working, she embraced him.

    "I''m better now that you are here. Are you okay? I''ve missed you so much," Mia said and Jeff smiled as he looked down at her.

    "You know, you seem really different, ma''am," Jeff said and Mia hit his arm yfully.

    "You don''t look like the Jeff I know either," Mia said and they both grinned at each other.

    "Have you been sleeping well?" Jeff asked with concern and she nodded.

    "Yes. Surprisingly well. I guess now that I''m living my nightmare again, I can sleep well," she said with a small smile.

    "I spoke with Bryan and Sonia earlier," she said and Jeff raised a brow.

    "When? How? Did you get a phone?" Jeff asked and Mia shook her head and quickly exined what had happened during their shopping to him.

    Jeff shook his head in amusement, "Tom didn''t want you to know about Diana. You didn''t tell her anything about our n, did you?" He asked and Mia shook her head.

    "No, I didn''t. I don''t n to," Mia said and Jeff nodded with approval.

    "Hang in there, okay? And whenever you want us to talk in private you can give me a signal so I can ask for the cameras to be tampered with," Jeff said and Mia smiled.

    "I''d really love that. I should leave before Henry suspects anything," Mia said and Jeff nodded as he picked up the bowl of fruit sd and handed it to her.

    "Whenever you want us to talk, you can request for a bowl of fruit sd," Jeff said and Mia nodded before walking away.

    In Henry''s bedroom, Dianay on the bed with her legs on Henry''s thighs as he massaged her feet.

    "So? What is the surprise?" She asked, and Henry gently put down her legs and rose from the bed. He went to the drawer on his side of the bed and took out an envelope.

    "What is this?" Diana asked as he handed it to her.

    "Open it," he said with a smile and she did.

    "A car and a house?" She asked in confusion. N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "Yes. I figured that now that you''re pregnant, you might not befortable living here. Especially now that Vanessa is here��."

    "No! I''m not leaving," Diana said tly before he could finish, and he looked at her, shocked by her reaction.

    "Are you trying to subtly let go of me now that your wife is back? Is this your way of saying you no longer need me?" Diana asked, and Henry shook his head.

    "Of course, not! I will visit you often and spend all my time with you��"

    "Divorce her," Diana said, and Henry raised a brow.

    "What?"

    "You asked me what I wanted the other night, right? That is what I want. I want to be your wife. Divorce her and make me your wife," she said, and a flicker of annoyance crossed his eyes.

    "You know I can''t do that," Henry said and Diana frowned.

    "Can''t or won''t? You are secretly in love with her, are you not?" She asked in an usatory tone.

    "You know very well that it is your that I love��"

    "Then prove it! This is the time to prove to me that you love me! I spent thest two years living and serving you after she abandoned you, yet you won''t leave her and marry me. I thought you always said you reward loyalty? What right does she have to be Mrs Rosewood? Do you have any idea how hard it is to walk beside her while other treats her with respect as your wife and I''m looked down on? Do you think your family would want you to remain married to her when they find out the kind of woman she is?" Diana asked with displeasure.

    "Will you really be okay with having your precious child out of wedlock? The Rosewood bastard? What will people say? Will you keep our child hidden? Maybe all of this is a mistake. Don''t worry yourself. I will get an abortion��"

    "Stop!" Henry ordered but Diana got off the bed and continued.

    "Why should I? Maybe I should just leave. I can''t keep so this. I understand you don''t want a broken home, but I also can''t stand you breaking my heart! So, why don''t you let me leave if you can''t let your wife go?" she asked, and Henry took a deep breath as he walked over to her and ced both hands on her shoulders.

    "You''re not going anywhere, Diana. I can''t let you go. I will see what I can do about Vanessa," Henry promised as he brushed away a tear drop from her cheek.

    "Don''t over exert yourself and the baby. I wille up with a solution," he promised.

    "The only solution is for you to divorce her, that way we can live together. Will you divorce her?" Diana asked hopefully.

    "Sure. If that''s what you want. I will begin the process tomorrow," he promised once again as he kissed her forehead.

    "Thank you my king," Diana said as she leaned into him and Henry sighed deeply.

    Although he didn''t want to get rid of Vanessa anytime soon, but perhaps Diana was right. He didn''t have to keep her so close as his wife to punish her. He could make her disappear�� have her locked away in an asylum for the rest of her life, and live the rest of his life with Diana as his wife, and their kids.

 Chapter 895 Weekend Buddies

    Chapter 895 Weekend Buddies

    Lucas leaned back into the plush cushions of the couch, the final whistle of the football game still echoing in his ears.

    The living room was now silent, save for the low hum of the television as it flickered to a sports recap.

    Rubbing his eyes, he considered his options. He could keep watching the television and wait for Tyler, or go straight to bed.

    He nced at the wall clock: 10:15 P.M.

    Nah. He couldn''t wait up for Tyler, he decided as he pushed himself off the couch and made his way to the bedroom.

    Inside the bedroom he changed into morefortable sleeping clothes and got on the bed, ready to call it a night.

    Hey on the bed for some time, and when sleep wasn''t forting, it urred to him that he could seize the opportunity to talk to Amy before going to bed, since it was morning over there in Ludus and she was most likely awake now.

    Since they had agreed to be weekend buddies and to restrict their conversations to the weekends, they hadn''t chatted or spoken all week.

    Lucas thought there was no better way to start the weekend as weekend buddies than with a phone conversation. With that in mind, he picked up his phone and dialed her number.

    The line rang once, twice, three times. By the fourth ring, he was almost ready to hang up when he heard a sleepy voice on the other end.

    "Hello?" Amy''s voice was thick with sleep, a little disoriented.

    "Hey, Amy," Lucas started tentatively, "Did I wake you? We can talk some other time."

    There was a brief pause before she responded, more alert now, "Lucas! Oh, it''s you. No, it''s fine," she rushed to say.

    The sleep evaporated instantly, reced by a bright, warm sound of surprise. Lucas could practically picture the smile blooming on her face. "I don''t mind. I''m actually d you called."

    Lucas could hear the genuine pleasure in her tone, and it made him smile. "Sorry for waking you. I just figured I''d talk to you before going to bed."

    "I''m d you did since I have to get myzy ass out of bed and start my day anyway," Amy said, her voice genuinely warm.

    Lucas chuckled, imagining her sitting up in bed, a sleepy smile on her face. "Start your day? What do you n to do today?" He asked with interest.

    "I''m resuming my weekend sports. I haven''t yed any sports in a long time. Since I found out about Miley''s condition. I''m thinking about going back to it and ying some tennis today," Amy said, a hint of excitement in her voice.

    Lucas''s eyebrows shot up. "Tennis, huh? Interesting."

    "What''s interesting about it?" Amy challenged, a yful note creeping in.

    "Well," Lucas said, drawing out the word, "it just so happens I remember you wearing tennis shorts the first time I saw you at Lucy''s (chapter 241)," Lucas said, the memory vivid in his mind.

    He could practically hear the stunned silence on the other end. Then, a flusteredugh. "Oh my god," Amy finally choked out. "You actually noticed? I can''t believe you remember what I was wearing when we barely said a word to each other."

    "Yeah. I notice things. And I don''t only notice them, I also remember them," he confirmed with a smug grin.

    "Why does it sound like you''re bragging right now?" Amy asked with amusement.

    "Because I am," Lucas said simply, and they bothughed.

    "I actually yed tennis with Miley that morning before I was called to the office. I didn''t even know she was ill then," Amy said with a wistful sigh.

    "It was a pink and white pleated skirt and a white polo," Lucas said, trying to distract her from thoughts of Miley.

    "What?" Amy asked in confusion.

    "What you were wearing. pink and white pleated skirt and a white polo," he repeated.

    "You''re bragging again," she said, and Lucas chuckled.

    "Yes, I am."

    "So, what was your first impression of me?" Amy asked curiously.

    "I thought you were pretty smart and loyal," Lucas said easily.

    "You think I''m pretty?" Amy joked, even though she knew he had said pretty smart.

    Knowing what she was doing, he chuckled. If it was in the past he would have been worried, but now that he knew how she liked to pull his legs and tease him, he didn''t read any meaning into her question.

    "Yeah. Very pretty smart," he said, and Amyughed.

    "And, yes I do think you''re pretty," he said, making her heart skip a beat.

    "Gee! Thanks, Buddy," she said, making light of it, and Lucas smiled.

    "So, is tennis the only sport you y? Or is there anything else you''d like to confess about your athletic side?" Lucas asked, changing the subject.

    "Well, there''s volleyball too. And basketball."

    Now it was Lucas''s turn to be surprised. "Basketball? Really?"

    "Yup," she said, a hint of pride in her voice.

    "Impressive. If you love sports so much, why are you working as a secretary instead of pursuing a career as a sportswoman?" He asked curiously.

    "Hmm," Amy sighed deeply, making Lucas realize that there seemed to be a long story there.

    "I guess it''splicated," he said, letting her know she didn''t need to answer his question.

    "Yeah. It''s a story for another day. What about you, Luca? Did you ever y any sports?" She asked, changing the subject.

    "Yeah," he admitted, a tinge of regret in his voice. "I actually used to love basketball. I still do. I Wanted to be on the school team and all that." N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "So why didn''t you? What stopped you?" Amy asked, curiosity piqued.

    Lucas hesitated. This was a conversation he hadn''t had with anyone. "It''s�� embarrassing to say."

    "Come on, Luca," Amy coaxed. "We''re weekend buddies, remember? Tell me. I promise not tough." She pressed softly.

    "If you tell me why you didn''t pursue a career in sports, I will tell you," Lucas said and Amy smiled.

    "Sure. My mom didn''t let me. My dad was a sportsman. There was nothing to show for it. He let the fame get to his head and at the end he had nothing," Amy said simply.

    "And you couldn''t just say this before? Why?" Lucas asked with a slight frown, and Amy stuck her tongue in her cheek to keep fromughing.

    "To make you more curious. Your turn, doc. Tell me what stopped you from ying with your school team if you loved basketball so much," she urged him.

    He took a deep breath. "Rachel didn''t want me to," Lucas confessed. "She was scared I''d get too much attention from other girls and she couldn''t stand it."

    Amy paused. Although she wanted tough, but she didn''t. "It must have been tough to give up the things you loved because of the insecurities of the person you loved."

    "Yeah," Lucas agreed with a sigh. "I didn''t think too much of it or make a big deal out of it until she wanted me to stay away from Lucy during the scandal. That''s when I realized I''d had enough," Lucas said, surprised that he was easily talking to her about Rachel.

    "Guess what?" Amy asked, and he raised a brow.

    "What?"

    "You can y basketball now if you want to. There''s nothing stopping you anymore," Amy said softly.

    "Yes, I can," Lucas said, a smile in his voice.

    "Maybe when youe around, I can take you to where I y," Amy suggested. "We can go against each other. I promise not to go easy on you," she said, and Lucasughed, the sound warm and genuine.

    "So, how was your week?" he asked, settling into his bed, the phone pressed to his ear.

    "Pretty boring, actually. Just the usual wake-up, work, sleep, wake up, work, repeat. Nothing exciting," Amy sighed.

    "No eating in between? Wow! You must be a robot," He joked, and sheughed.

    "What about you?" She asked curiously.

    "Same here, except swap work with sses and training. And I did eat," Lucas said, feeling afortable rhythm settling into their conversation.

    Amy chuckled softly. "I''ve been curious about something," she admitted.

    Lucas'' curiosity piqued, "Oh, what is it?" he prompted.

    "What did you tell Miley''s parents when you visited them?" Amy asked, her voice suddenly serious.

    Lucas exhaled, the weight of the memory settling on his chest. "Hmm. Why do you want to know?"

    "It''s been on my mind since I was invited to the funeral. I really want to know how you got them to change their mind," Amy exined.

    "I don''t think I changed their mind. I think they merelyshed out at you because they wanted to me someone for their pain, and since they couldn''t me Miley, you were the next best person. I don''t think they really believed that you tried to con Miley," Lucas said quietly.

    "And if you must know, I told them the truth. That I thought it was a foolish decision for you to be Miley''s surrogate or to even encourage her to do all she wanted because of your blind loyalty. I told them that we had a misunderstanding after she proposed I marry her, and that was when I left the country."

    Amy was silent for a moment, processing his words. "Why would you do something like that for me? Why would you go all that way just to clear the air for me? I wasn''t nice to you and I was mean and��"

    Lucas cut in before she could finish, "I don''t like seeing people suffer if I can help it. Whether or not they deserve it, I try to do my best for everyone. Even if it''s just a stray dog."

    Amyughed softly, "Are youparing me to a stray dog right now?"

    Lucasughed too, the sound warm and rich. "Not exactly. But I''m sure you get the point."

    "Yeah. I do. Thanks. I suppose I should let you go to bed now," Amy said, and Lucas nced at his phone screen to check the time.

    "Yeah. And I should let you go do your sports thing," he said, and Amy smiled.

    "Thanks for calling, Lucas. I''ve been looking forward to talking with you all week. I will call you before I go to bed," she said, and Lucas smiled.

    "Sure. Have fun."

    "Have fun in your sleep too," she said with a grin, and Lucas chuckled as he hung up.

 Chapter 896 Let’s Break Up

    Chapter 896 Let��s Break Up

    Harryughed when Jade tickled his foot and he tried to pull his leg away, but Jade held on to his leg.

    "Why are you doing that?" Harry asked, and Jade grinned.

    "Because I like to hear youugh," she said, and Harryughed as he grabbed her hand and pulled her close to him so theyy on the bed, side by side.

    The past three weeks had been a whirlwind, a much-needed vacation that had started a little rocky, because of Harry''s workaholic tendencies, but gradually smoothed out after their heartfelt conversation.

    Now, their three-week vacation wasing to an end, and the weekend loomed like an impending shadow of reality.

    Jade sighed, her fingers tracing invisible patterns on Harry''s chest. "Can you believe it''s almost over?" she asked, her voice tinged with sadness.

    Harry turned his head to look at her, a small smile ying on his lips. "Time flies, doesn''t it? I''m ready to get back to work, though. I''ve got a lot to catch up on."

    Jade bit her lip, her heart sinking. "Can you try not to look so happy about it?" She asked, and Harry looked at her.

    "Why do you look so sad? It''s not like you''re not going to see me again. We are only leaving this ce with us. We have made more than enough memories here," he said softly and she nodded.

    "Yeah, I know. But... I just wish we could stay here a little longer. It''s been nice, hasn''t it?"

    Harry nodded, his eyes softening. "It has. I have to admit I needed this break and this time with you more than I realized."

    "Don''t you need more break?" She asked, batting hershes at him yfully and heughed.

    "I''ve had more than enough," he said, and she sighed.

    "So, what happens when we get back? I move back to Tom''s and we see at the office daily and maybe hangout over the weekends?" She asked, and Harry raised a brow.

    "Is that what you want?" He asked, and she let out a deep breath and shrugged.

    "I don''t know. You tell me," she said, and Harry smiled, but before he could say a word, his phone vibrated with a text notification and he picked it up.

    Jade watched as he moved his body ever so slightly away from her as he read the text, and then he quickly typed something before looking at her again.

    He hesitated for a moment, "Why don''t we continue this conversationter. I need to freshen up and step out for a minute," Harry said and Jade''s brows pulled together.

    "Where are you going to?" She asked and Harry considered lying to her.

    "I need to check something out really quick. I will be back��"

    "What are you checking out? Can Ie too?" She asked, and he shook his head.

    "No, you can''te. Think of it as a surprise. Trust me, okay?" He said, and she sighed as she watched him get up and walk into the bathroom.

    Lately, he had been more secretive, carrying his phone everywhere, even hiding to take calls when he thought she wasn''t looking. It was unlike him, and it had sparked a tiny me of doubt in her mind again. She pushed the thought away, trying to trust him, but the nagging suspicion lingered.

    Jadey on the bed, wanting to sleep so she wouldn''t dwell on any negative thoughts, but just as she closed her eyes, Harry''s phone vibrated again, and she realized he had not taken the phone with him into the bathroom.

    Her heart pounded in her chest as curiosity got the better of her. She reached over and picked it up.

    Her brows pulled together when she saw a text disyed on the screen from an unsaved number.

    [I forgot to tell you, I didn''t know which dress you''d prefer so I got two. A red and a ck.]

    Jade''s breath hitched when she read the message, and since she knew Harry''s password, she unlocked his phone and checked his message history with that number.

    Thest message there was from Harry: [I will be there in ten minutes.]

    Her frown deepened when she checked the time the message was sent, and saw that it was a couple of minutes ago. It meant Harry had deleted thedy''s text.

    Why did he do that if he had nothing to hide?

    She quickly checked his call history and saw numerous calls to the same number since their arrival. Her stomach churned with a mix of fear and anger.

    Who was this person? She mused as she quickly picked up her phone, her fingers trembling slightly as she copied the number onto her phone.

    Just as the bathroom door opened, Jade quickly put Harry''s phone back andposed herself, trying to appear nonchnt.

    Harry walked over, toweling his hair dry. "I will be back in about thirty minutes or less. Don''t miss me too much," he said, leaning down to kiss her.

    "Take your time," she replied, managing a smile.

    As soon as the door closed behind him, she dialed the number with shaking hands, her heart racing.

    A feminine voice, bright and cheerful answered, "Hello?"

    Jade didn''t speak. The carefully constructed image of nonchnce she''d presented to Harry shattered into a million pieces.

    The phone pressed against Jade''s ear felt like a live wire, buzzing with the electricity of betrayal.

    Harry''s yful goodbye echoed in her head, a cruel mockery of the truth she now held in her trembling hand.

    "Hello? Who''s this?" The feminine voice on the phone,ced with confusion, finally cut through the fog.

    Jade''s breath hitched, a choked gasp that devolved into a series of ragged breaths. Tears welled up in her eyes, blurring the world around her. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Jade clenched her jaw, and squeezed her eyes shut, willing back the tears that threatened to spill over. A primal scream wed at her throat, begging to be released.

    "Hello? Is anyone there?" The voice, oblivious to the storm raging within Jade, persisted.

    Without saying a word, Jade hung up the call. A stunned silence followed, broken only by Jade''s ragged breaths. Shame washed over her again, a wave of self-loathing for trusting so blindly.

    A strangled sob escaped her lips, hot and wet, as the weight of reality settled on her chest, suffocating her.

    The room which was once a haven of stolen moments and whispered promises, morphed into a suffocating cage.

    Shame burned through her. How could she have been so blind? The nagging doubts she''d pushed aside, the secretive phone calls, all came rushing back, forming a horrifying picture of betrayal. Anger, hot and molten, bubbled up alongside the hurt.

    She couldn''t believe that she had trusted Harry only to be betrayed this way. She had no doubt about the identity of thedy on the phone, since she had watched Harry talk to her on different asions.

    How stupid she must have looked to them both, Jade thoight as tears streamed down her face.

    Harry had been deceiving her. The thought of him lying, betraying her trust, was unbearable. She felt a surge of anger and sadness, the emotions overwhelming her.

    There was no way she could remain here. She couldn''t bear to look into Harry''s face again or listen to any more of his lies. She had to get away and escape the pain that threatened to consume her.

    Without giving it another thought, she rose from the bed and walked over to the closet. Although her mind was a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions but her hands moved with purpose as she began packing her bags.

    As she stuffed clothes into her suitcase, memories of their vacation shed before her eyes; theughter, the tender moments, the promises whispered to each other.

    How could it all have been a lie? How could Harry have deceived her this way for so long? How could he have brought anotherdy with him on their vacation?

    Tears blurred Jade''s vision and she took a break from packing and sat on the edge of the bed as she wept.

    She felt a hollow ache in her chest, a deep sense of betrayal. How could Harry do this to her? Had everything between them been a facade? She mused as she wept.

    Just as she finished packing her bags a few minutester, the sound of the door opening jolted her from her thoughts and Harry walked in, a casual smile on his face. "Hey, I''m back," he announced, oblivious to the storm brewing inside her.

    Harry took one look at her face and the packed bags, and he frowned, "What''s wrong? Did something happen?" He asked, sounding both confused and concerned.

    She took a deep breath, trying to keep her voice from trembling. "I''m done with this rtionship, Harry. I don''t want to keep doing this with you. You can go to her."

    Harry''s frown deepened, "Go to who? What are you talking about?"

    "I was expecting that. I knew you were going to lie to me again. But save it, Harry. Save your lies. I don''t want to hear them. I checked your phone. I saw the text she sent you about the dress you prefer. I know you went out just now to meet her. I know you''ve beenmunicating with her over the phone since we got here," she said, her voice rising. "You''ve been lying to me, and I can''t stay here anymore. I''m leaving."

    "Jade, listen," Harry reached out, but she stepped back, her eyes filled with hurt and anger.

    "I trusted you," she said, her voice breaking. "And you betrayed me. I opened up to you about everything, Harry. I told you everything about myst rtionship but you just turned out to be the same as Todd. I can''t do this anymore. I don''t want to do it."

    "For Christ''s sake, will you just shut the fuck up and listen to me?" Harry yelled at her, losing his temper, and she jumped back in surprise, since she had never seen him mad.

    "What is wrong with you? What the hell is wrong with you? I get it that you are still very much affected by your past, but for how long are you going to have such an emotional reaction to everything? If we were married, would you walk out of our marriage this way because of mere suspicions? Don''t you think I might also be dealing with trust issues myself seeing as I was abandoned by my own mother and my father was betrayed by the only woman he ever loved? Have I ever allowed that affect our rtionship?" Harry asked angrily while Jade watched in confusion, wondering why he was mad when she was the one supposed to be mad.

    Was he trying to act like Todd and turn the tables on her so she would feel guilty and apologize? She mused.

    Harry flung two shopping bags on the bed which she had not seen him holding, and a jewelry box fell out from one of the bags.

    "Yes, I went to see her only because I wanted to get the stuff I asked her to help me get for YOU! Thedy you im I''m having an affair with, is an event nner. She was nning my surprise engagement to you, and that is the reason I was being so secretive about it. Those are the dresses I was going to ask you to choose from for ourst date here tomorrow," Harry said, and Jade''s heart skipped a beat as she looked from the bags and jewelry box to Harry.

    "You want to leave? You don''t want to see me again? Fine! Let''s break up," Harry said, and without another word to her, he turned around and walked out of the suite, leaving her standing where she was.

    Jade''s tears flowed freely as she walked over to the bed and opened both bags. Sure enough, the dresses inside were a red and ck with a pair of high heeled gold strappy sandals.

    She opened the jewelry box, and raised a hand to her lips to stifle a sob when she saw the most beautiful diamond engagement ring, she had ever seen, seated pretty in the box.

 Chapter 897 I Will Get Help

    Chapter 897 I Will Get Help

    After walking away from the suite he shared with Jade, Harry went over to the resort lounge, and he sat there, agonizing silently over what had just happened.

    He sat there, staring nkly at ornate designs on the wall as he reyed the entire event in his head. The more he thought about it, the more frustrated he felt, and the heavier the weight in his chest.

    Everything had been meticulously nned, down to thest detail. But now, it was all in shambles because of a misunderstanding. Jade''s reaction had left him reeling, and he couldn''t stop the anger and disappointment from bubbling up within him.

    How could she think so little of him? How could she look him in the face and say all that to him? N?v(el)B\\jnn

    If he had not returned when he did, would she have left just like that and let him return to an empty room?

    Did he mean so little to her that he didn''t deserve a benefit of doubt regardless of what she had seen or understood from what she had seen?

    He was angry that she would pack up to leave that way without even hearing from him and confirming whether or not her suspicions was correct. He was angry that she had called him a liar and a cheat so easily.

    Although a part of him was feeling guilty that he shouldn''t have left her that way, but he quickly shrugged it off.

    He couldn''t always pamper her. No, he wouldn''t, else she wouldn''t learn. If he had hugged her and assured her softly that he had only been nning a surprise engagement, and that all will be well, she would most likely repeat her actions again.

    He needed her to know that as much as he understood her insecurities, her actions had consequences and they also had effects on him. He wanted her to know that he was human and his emotions could also be hurt by her words and actions, and he had every right to react to them.

    After being there for a while, he decided to retire for the night since he was going to have to call Tom and the others and ask them not to get on the ne in the morning as they had nned.

    Instead of going back to the suite which he shared with Jade, he went to the suite which had been reserved for Tom and Lucy, and after he settled down at the balcony, he picked up his phone, dreading the calls he had to make.

    With a heavy sigh, he dialed Tom''s number, and Tom, who had been in the middle of packing his bag with Lucy, answered on the second ring. "Hey, Harry! What''s up? We are just packing our bags now," he said cheerfully.

    "It''s off, Tom. The engagement is off. Don''t bothering tomorrow," Harry said, his voice t and devoid of emotion.

    There was a pause on Tom''s end, "Wait, let me step out of here," Tom said to Harry, meeting Lucy''s gaze, and when she gave him a nod, he walked out of the room to the balcony outside.

    Harry waited, as Tom moved to a quieter ce. Finally, Tom''s voice came through, filled with concern. "Alright, what''s going on? Did something happen again?"

    Harry took a deep breath, trying to keep hisposure. "I stepped out briefly to get the ring and Jade''s clothes for tomorrow, which I asked the event nner to help me pick up. I got back to find her packing her bags. No, she wasn''t packing. She was done packing, and I think if I had not returned when I did, I would have returned to an empty room. You won''t believe she packed up to leave me there because she saw a text from the event nner and jumped to conclusions."

    Tom let out a low whistle. "Wow. That''s... that''s rough. So, what did you do? Where are you now? Where is she?"

    "I was really upset so I left her in the suite. I''m at your reserved suite. I told her we should break up," Harry said, and Tom sighed.

    "Are you really breaking up with her?"

    Harry shook his head, even though Tom couldn''t see him. "No," Harry replied, his voice firm.

    "I don''t n to break up with her. I love Jade. But I need her to see how her past is affecting us. I need her to get over the trust issues she has. I can''t move forward with her until she deals with that. I just need her to realize that she can''t go on like this. I feel insulted that she would think so little of me and use me of doing something so disgusting."

    "I get it, Harry. I really do," Tom said softly. "Take it easy, okay? Give her some time to process everything. I will speak with her and get her a therapist so she can start getting help the moment she returns," Tom said and Harry sighed deeply.

    "Thanks, Tom. I already looked up a couple of therapists. I will send you the number of one of them so you can give it to her," Harry said and after talking some more for a minute, they hung up the call.

    Harry leaned back in the chair, running a hand through his hair as he dialed Candace''s number next.

    Candace answered almost immediately, her voice cheerful. "Hey! How''s it going over there?"

    Harry took a deep breath. "Candace, the engagement is off. Don''t bother flying down anymore," Harry said, going straight to the point.

    Candace was silent for a moment, then asked, "Why? What is wrong? Did something happen? Is everything okay?"

    "Yeah. I just I changed my mind. I think it''s still too soon," Harry said, not wanting to give Candace the details.

    Although Candace could tell that there was more to the change of ns than he was letting on, since she didn''t see Harry as the type to do anything without giving it some thought, she chose not to press.

    "That''s such a shame. Andy and I were looking forward to this weekend getaway. Give my love to Jade then. And be good," Candace said easily.

    "Sure. Thanks. I will call you when we return," Harry said before hanging up.

    He dropped the phone on the table and buried his face in his hands. The suite felt unbearably quiet, the ticking of the clock echoing in the stillness. His thoughts were a chaotic jumble, frustration and hurt warring within him.

    He raised his head when he heard a knock on the door, and he rose to go see who was at the door. When he opened it and saw Jade standing there, he turned and walked back into the suite without a word, leaving the door open for her to follow.

    Jade stepped inside, her heart pounding as she shut the door behind her and followed him.

    Once they got to the living room, Harry turned to face her, and although his heart ached for her when he saw her swollen eyes and red nose, he didn''t let it show, "What are you doing here, Jade?" He asked with a nk expression.

    She took a shaky breath. "I''m sorry I misunderstood the situation. I know I messed up, but you didn''t have to pay for another suite just to stay away from me."

    Harry''s expression didn''t change. "This suite was supposed to be for Tom and Lucy, and the next one for Candace and Andy. They were supposed to fly in for the engagement tomorrow."

    Jade felt a pang of guilt and shame. She looked down, unable to meet his gaze. "I''m sorry I jumped to conclusions. I let my past get the best of me again and I reacted emotionally. I''m ashamed of myself and I''m sorry. I don''t want to break up with you. Please, Harry."

    Harry crossed his arms, his posture rigid. "I can''t get married to someone who thinks so little of me, Jade. I don''t want to continue with this rtionship."

    Tears welled up in Jade''s eyes. "Please, Harry. Don''t say that. I''m sorry. I will work on myself, I promise. This will be thest time ever that something like this woulde up between us. I promise to do better."

    He shook his head. "You need to do that first. I made a mistake in trying to rush things. I should have known better than to try to skip the process. I thought loving you would be enough to undo all that trauma but I was wrong. I don''t want to keep going back and forth with you over this. We shouldn''t see each other anymore until you''ve gotten help and worked on yourself."

    Jade''s heart broke at his words. "But you promised to help me through it," she pleaded.

    Harry''s eyes softened slightly, but his resolve remained. "How am I supposed to help you if you don''t even trust me? If you think so little of me? You insulted me, Jade. You called me a liar and a cheat. Nothing I do will be enough until you get rid of all that baggage you''re carrying emotionally."

    "But you acted suspiciously," she pointed out, her voice trembling. "How was I supposed to know what you were nning? Any normal person would have had the same thoughts as I did."

    He sighed, a weary sound. "Maybe. But do you think I would have reacted the same way if the tables were turned? You couldn''t even give me the benefit of doubt. You need professional help, Jade. Maybe we can talk about our rtionship again after you get it."

    Jade felt her world crumbling around her. She had pushed him away with her insecurities and now she was paying the price. She was feeling a rush of emotions��shame, regret, and a deep sense of loss.

    "I don''t want to lose you, Harry. Please, give me another chance."

    Harry looked at her, his expression pained. "You''re not losing me, Jade. I love you, but I can''t continue this way with you. Not until you''ve dealt with your issues. I need to protect myself too. Do you have any idea how I felt walking in to see you there with your bags packed?"

    "I''m sorry," Jade pleaded as tears ran down her cheeks.

    "I was going to propose to you and then wait for you to heal fully before we get married, but I don''t want to do that anymore. I do not like to regret things, but right now I regret not sticking to my principles and having sex with you. And I regret nning this surprise engagement and not waiting for six months as I told you. Maybe if I had kept to my words, you''d trust me more and none of these would have happened. I take responsibility for my role in all of this."

    The weight of his words crushed her. She nodded, tears streaming down her face. "I understand. I will get help. I promise."

    Harry nodded, a sad smile on his lips. "I hope you do, Jade. For both our sakes."

    As Jade turned to leave, and Harry stopped her, "You don''t have to worry about losing me, Jade. I will wait for you however long it will take. I need you to focus on feeling better. The earlier you get help, the sooner we can be together again. And maybe after you receive therapy, we can go for couple counseling together," he suggested, and she nodded and forced a smile.

    "Thank you," she said, her smile wobbly.

    "Let''s leave in the morning instead of waiting until Sunday," Harry said, and she gave him a nod once again before walking out of the suite, her heart heavy with the weight of her mistakes.

    This wasn''t the way she had imagined their vacation to end, but she was relieved at least that Harry was not ending things entirely with her.

    She knew she had a long road ahead of her, but she was determined to make things right.

 Chapter 898 Everyone Makes Mistakes

    Chapter 898 Everyone Makes Mistakes

    Tom remained on the balcony after his phone call with Harry, his mind a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions. The conversation with Harry left him heavy-hearted and worried about Jade.

    Instead of heading back inside, he leaned against the railing of the balcony, the cool night air brushing against his skin as he pulled out his phone again.

    He stared at it for a moment before dialing Jade''s number. He needed to hear from her and know how she was doing, and to also understand what had driven her to such a drastic misunderstanding.

    The phone rang several times before Jade answered, her voice shaky and filled with sorrow. "Tom?"

    "Hey," Tom began softly, trying to keep his voice steady. "I just spoke with Harry. He told me what happened. I wanted to hear from you, to know how you''re doing."

    At his words, Jade broke down, her sobs echoing through the phone. "I''m so sorry, Tom. I messed everything up. I was so stupid. I messed up so badly."

    Tom''s heart ached for her. "Jade, it''s okay. You don''t have to be sorry to me. It''s going to be okay. Stop crying," he said softly.

    "I was so stupid," Jade cried. "I let my insecurities get the best of me. I saw that text from the event nner and jumped to conclusions. I didn''t even give Harry a chance to exin. I ruined all his ns and efforts without even knowing. I ruined our vacation."

    Tom''s heart ached for his sister. He wished he could be there tofort her in person. "It''s okay, Jade. It''s going to be okay. Take a deep breath. You didn''t mess up beyond repair. These things happen. We can work through this together. Why didn''t you tell me what was going on earlier? I could have helped."

    "I just wasn''t thinking straight. I couldn''t think past my suspicions and fear. I don''t know what is wrong with me. God knows I''m trying, but it''s just like my brain ceases to function when it''s most important, and now I hurt Harry. I can''t imagine how disappointed and hurt he must be," she cried.

    Tom sighed, feeling a mix of frustration and sympathy. "Jade, we all have our moments. But you need to talk to someone about this. You can''t keep letting your past control your present. It''s affecting your rtionship and your happiness."

    Jade sniffled, trying topose herself. "I know, Tom. I need help. I know it. I just don''t know where to start."

    "We''ll figure it out together," Tom assured her. "Come back home. We''ll find a therapist and start working on this. You don''t have to go through this alone."

    Jade''s voice wavered with gratitude and despair. "I don''t know what to do, Tom. I''m so scared."

    Tom''s voice softened, filled with brotherly love and concern. "I know you are, Jade. But you''re not alone. We''re here for you."

    "What if I end up losing him? What if he decides he no longer wants me after all of this?" Jade asked fearfully.

    "You won''t. Harry loves you and he will always want you. And that is why you need to focus on getting help. You''re smart, Jade. One of the smartest women I know. All you need is a little professional help, and you will be fine," Tom said softly.

    "Okay," Jade said, her voice trembling. "I''ll be back tomorrow. He wants us to leave tomorrow instead of next."

    "That''s okay. I will pick you up from the airport tomorrow. Just focus on getting through tonight. Try to get some rest," Tom said gently. "We''ll handle everything else when you get here," Tom promised.

    "Thank you, Tom. Thank you. And I''m sorry," Jade cried.

    "You''ll be fine. And don''t forget that I am here for you, and I love you. Never forget it," Tom said softly before hanging up.

    After hanging up with Jade, Tom immediately dialed Bryan''s number. Bryan picked up on the third ring. "Hey, Tom. What''s up?"

    "I just talked to Harry and Jade. The engagement is off," Tom said, his voice heavy with the weight of the situation.

    Bryan''s tone shifted to one of concern. "What happened? Did something happen again? I thought everything was going smoothly between them now?"

    "Not really," Tom admitted. He proceeded to exin the entire situation of Jade''s misunderstanding and the resulting fallout.

    Bryan listened intently, his voice filled with worry when he spoke again. "That''s rough. Poor Jade. I hate seeing her go through this. And Harry too. They both must be feeling terrible."

    "They are," Tom said, running a hand through his hair. "Jade''s a mess. She knows she needs help, and Harry''s willing to wait for her, but this is a huge wake-up call."

    "Yeah, it sounds like it," Bryan agreed. "What can we do to help?"

    "Harry mentioned a therapist," Tom said. "I will check them out and see if they''re a good fit for Jade. She needs to start therapy as soon as possible. And they are returning tomorrow. I will go over to pick her up��"

    "I wille with you. Maybe you cane over to pick me up. Lucy can stay with Sonia while we go get Jade together," Bryan suggested and Tom nodded.

    "Yeah. I think that''s a good idea."

    "Do you think we should tell mom and dad about this? You know Dad has his way of talking to someone. He might help," Bryan suggested.

    "That''s for Jade to decide. She can reach out to Dad if she wants to talk to him," Tom said and Bryan sighed.

    "Yeah. You''re right. Alright. Do you think that maybe I should give her a call?" Bryan asked, wanting to talk to Jade.

    "You should if you want to," Tom said and Bryan nodded.

    "I will. Thanks for keeping me updated, Tom," Bryan said before hanging up.

    After ending the call with Bryan, Tom returned to the bedroom. Lucy looked up from where she was sitting on the bed, her eyes filled with concern. "I just heard from Candace and Andy. The engagement is off? What happened?" She asked, since Candace had called to ask her if she knew why Harry had called off the engagement.

    Tom sighed as he sat down beside her before exining the situation, detailing Jade''s misunderstanding and Harry''s reaction. Lucy listened quietly, her heart going out to both Harry and Jade.

    "I can''t imagine how Jade must feel," Lucy said softly. "It''s easy to see how she could have misunderstood, but it''s still so sad," she said, feeling sorry for both Jade and Harry.

    "Yeah, she''s devastated," Tom said. "And they will be back tomorrow. Bryan and I will be going to get her, so you can stay with Sonia," Tom said and Lucy nodded.

    "What about Harry? How is he doing?" She asked and Tom sighed deeply as he shook his head.

    "He feels pretty hurt. And I''m sure he must feel frustrated too," Tom said, thinking about how Harry had sounded earlier.

    Lucy nodded, "He would need you too," Lucy said, and then reached for his hand, "This must be tough for you too, considering how close you''re to them both," she said with understanding.

    Tom pinched the bridge of his nose with his other hand, "Maybe after talking to Jade, I will go spend some time with Harry," he said and Lucy nodded.

    "Yeah. Let''s do all we can for them. If there''s anything I can do to help, let me know," she said, and Tom smiled, grateful for Lucy''s support.

    "Thank you. Let''s unpack our bags since we won''t be traveling anymore," Tom said and they both rose to do just that''s

    As they unpacked, Tom looked at Lucy, "If you were in Jade''s shoes and you saw such a text on my phone, what would you have done?" He asked curiously.

    Lucy paused, folding one of Tom''s shirts thoughtfully. "Honestly," she said, "I''d probably react simrly. But I think the key ismunication. I''d hope that I''d talk to you before jumping to conclusions."

    Tom nodded, feeling a sense of relief at her understanding. "I hope you do, Jewel. And I hope you will always give me the benefit of doubt, and trust that I would never deliberately do anything to hurt you."

    Lucy gave him a nod, "I will keep that in mind. But you should know that if Harry had said this to Jade, she would have had this same response too. I''m just saying some times it''s possible to forget in the heat of the moment. Emotions can be overpowering, especially when insecurities are involved."

    "I wish she had confided in me or someone before it got to this point. I really want her to be happy and find peace. I want the same for Harry too. They both don''t deserve this."

    Lucy smiled gently, setting down the shirt. "They are both lucky to have you. You''re doing everything you can to support them as best as you can, and that''s what matters most."

    Tom sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I hope it''s enough."

    Lucy walked over to him, wrapping her arms around his waist. "With your support and love, she will be fine. And we''ll all be here for her, every step of the way."

    Tom hugged her back, feeling a wave of gratitude. "Thanks, Jewel. I don''t know what I''d do without you."

    Lucy looked up at him, her eyes filled with warmth. "Hopefully, you will never have to find out."

    Away from there, Bryan sat on his bed, his phone pressed to his ear, waiting anxiously for Jade to pick up, while Sonia watched him.

    He had spent thest couple of minutes telling Sonia about what was going on, and she was surprised and displeased that they had all kept the surprise engagement away from her.

    The phone rang several times before he heard the faint, trembling sound of his sister''s voice. "Bryan?" Jade''s voice was thick with emotion.

    "Hey, love," Bryan said softly, trying to keep his voice steady. "How are you holding up?"

    Jade broke down, her sobs pouring through the phone. "I messed up, Bryan. I hurt Harry and ruined everything."

    Bryan''s heart ached at the sound of her distress. "Hey, it''s okay. I''m sure you didn''t ruin everything."

    "I did, Bryan. I acted so foolishly," Jade continued, her voice cracking. "I let my insecurities take over, now, I''ve ruined everything. Our vacation, our engagement, our rtionship, everything."

    Bryan sighed deeply, feeling the weight of her words. "Jade, everyone makes mistakes. What''s important now is how we move forward from here. You''re not alone in this. We''re all here for you."

    Jade sniffled, trying to regain herposure. "I don''t know what to do, Bryan. I feel so lost and scared."

    "You don''t have to figure it all out right now. And why do you feel lost and scared when you have two big brothers? We will find you if you''re lost, and we will protect you from whatever you''re scared of," Bryan said gently.

    "When you get back, we will figure out everything together. So, can you stop crying?"

    Jade took a shaky breath. "I''ll try. Thank you, Bryan," Jade whispered.

    "You don''t have to thank me," Bryan said. "We''re family. We''re here for each other, no matter what. And Jade, would you like to talk to Dad? Sometimes he has a way of making things clearer."

    Jade hesitated for a moment. "Yes, I think that might help. But how can I reach him? I don''t even know where they are right now."

    "I will text you the number they sent me in case of emergencies," Bryan said, and after hanging up, he quickly sent Jade the number, feeling a sense of relief that she was willing to talk to their dad.

    He hoped their father''s wisdom and straightforward nature would help Jade find some rity and peace.

    Jade stared at the number on her phone for a moment before dialing the number. After a few rings, she heard her mother''s voice.

    "Hello?" Evelyn answered, her tone cautious.

    "Mom," Jade said, her voice breaking. "It''s Jade."

    Evelyn''s voice immediately filled with concern. "Jade, what''s wrong? Why do you sound like you''ve been crying?"

    Jade took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. "I need to talk to Dad. Please, can you put him on the phone?"

    Evelyn hesitated, clearly worried, but she didn''t press for more information. "Of course, sweetheart. Hold on."

    There was a brief pause, and then Jade heard her father''s voice. "Hey, baby, what''s going on? Have you been crying?" He asked, since he had heard Evelyn say she sounded like she was crying.

    The sound of her father''s voice broke something inside her, and she began to cry uncontrobly. "Daddy!" She cried. N?v(el)B\\jnn

    Desmond''s voice was calm and steady. "Baby, take a deep breath. Tell me what happened."

    Through her sobs, Jade recounted the entire story. Seeing them at the lounge, the text message, her insecurities, her confrontation with Harry, and the devastating fallout. She poured out her heart, her tears flowing freely.

    When she finished, Desmond''s voice was gentle but firm. "Harry is right to react the way he did and to put an end to things for the time being. You''re not ready yet to be in a healthy rtionship. You can''t move into a new rtionship while carrying all the baggage from thest. The baggage will take up all the room the rtionship and make it toxic," Desmond said, and when Jade kept crying, he paused.

    "Darling, are your tears going to fix this situation?" He asked calmly as though he was talking to a little girl.

    Jade huped, trying to catch her breath. "No, they won''t."

    "What is going to fix it?" Desmond asked, his tone insistent butpassionate.

    Jade sniffled, "Getting help and changing for the better."

    "That''s right," Desmond said. "So, wipe those tears and focus on getting the help you need. You''re smart, Jade. Push emotions aside and deal with this logically."

    Jade nodded, even though he couldn''t see her. "I will, Dad. I promise."

    Desmond''s voice softened. "Good. We all make mistakes, Jade. What matters is how we rise from them. You''re strong, and you can get through this."

    "Thank you, Dad," Jade whispered, feeling a sense of calm wash over her. "I''ll do my best."

    "I know you will," Desmond said. "Now, stop crying and put on your big girl pants."

    "Okay," Jade said, feeling a renewed sense of determination as she brushed her tears away.

    "I will put your mom on now," Desmond said before handing the phone to Evelyn who had been listening with concern.

    "Your dad has said everything. Stop crying, alright? Everything will be fine. It will all work out eventually as long as you y your role. But don''t do any of this for Harry''s sake. Do it for yourself. For your peace and happiness, and for your self-confidence," she said, and after talking for some time they hung up.

    After hanging up, Jade sat quietly for a moment, absorbing the conversations with her family.

    She couldn''t help but feel grateful for the unwavering support of her family. She was happy that she had them.

 Chapter 899 Club S & G

    899 Club S & G

    After unpacking their bags, Tom excused himself to go take Barry''s call, while Lucy decided to see if Kimberly had responded to the congrattory message she sent her earlier that morning since she was married now.

    Lucy''s brows pulled together when she noticed that Kimberly had seen the message but did not respond to it.

    As she sat on the bed contemting on what to do and whether to send a message to Dawn''s ount, her phone started to ring with a video call.

    Seeing Sonia''s name sh on the screen, she received the call with a smile, and propped the phone up on the backrest of the bed.

    "Hey, Sony! How''s it going?"

    Sonia''s face appeared on the screen, looking concerned. "Lu, did you know about Jade''s engagement?" Sonia asked, her eyes narrowed suspiciously.

    Lucy hesitated, sensing the tension in Sonia''s tone. "Yeah, I knew."

    There was a brief silence before Sonia spoke again, her voice tight with disappointment. "And you didn''t tell me? Why would you all keep that from me, Lucy?"

    Lucy sighed, sitting down on the bed. "Sonia, it wasn''t personal. Harry only wanted a handful of people to know. It wasn''t my ce to share."

    Sonia huffed, clearly upset. "I just wish you''d told me. I feel so out of the loop. I can''t believe Bryan would have let us miss it. I mean, Jade is my girl. If she''s getting engaged I should be there. She nned mine after all."

    "I understand," Lucy said softly. "But please don''t be mad. It wasn''t about keeping you in the dark. We''re all just trying to respect Harry''s wishes."

    Sonia sighed, looking away from the camera for a moment. "Yeah, I guess. It''s just hard. I hate feeling like I''m thest to know."

    "I know," Lucy said sympathetically. "But now that you know, what do you think we can do to help when Jade gets back? Tom is so worried about her, and I''m sure Bryan is too. How can we help?"

    Sonia paused, thinking. "Honestly, I have no idea. Maybe we could n a girl''s sleepover and spend time with her. Just to cheer her up."

    "That is if she wantspany," Lucy said thoughtfully.

    "At least we have to try something. If she says she wants to be alone, we will let her be. We just need her to know she doesn''t have to be alone if she doesn''t want to," Sonia exined.

    "Yeah. That''s right," Lucy agreed. "But it depends on where she will be staying. Do you think Bryan would let youe over here for a sleepover if she decides to stay here?" Lucy asked Sonia rolled her eyes.

    "It''s been two weeks already. I need to get out of the house. I will tell him that we should visit you," Sonia said and Lucy nodded.

    "That sounds great. I will have your room ready then. Just in case," Lucy said and Sonia nodded.

    "Yeah. I feel so sad for her. She was crying so much when Bryan spoke with her. I can''t begin to imagine how she feels," Sonia said and they both sighed.

    "By the way, have you texted Kimberly yet? I spent most of the day looking at her wedding photos. Dawn looked so happy in the pictures," Sonia said and Lucy smiled.

    "Yeah. I saw the pictures too. I texted her but she is yet to respond even though I can see that she saw my text already," Lucy said, and Sonia raised a brow.

    "Why? Do you think maybe she is upset and doesn''t want to talk to you anymore?" Sonia asked and Lucy rolled her eyes.

    "Upset? With who? Me? If anyone should be upset between us, it should be me. She has no right to be upset. If she doesn''t respond to my message I''m just going to let her be. If it weren''t for Dawn''s sake, I wouldn''t be reaching out to her in the first ce," Lucy said, sounding annoyed, and Sonia grinned.

    "Good. I like that you feel this way about it," Sonia said, and just then Lucy''s phone buzzed again.

    It was Candace. "Hold on, Sony. Candace is calling. Let me add her to the call. I think she wants to find out if I''ve found out about the reason Harry changed his mind about the proposal," Lucy said before receiving Candace''s call.

    Lucy quickly merged the call, and soon Candace''s cheerful face appeared on the screen. "Hey, Sony! What''s up?"

    "Sony, baby! How are you? And how''s the little bun doing?" Andy''s face suddenly popped into the video call, her expression enthusiastic.

    Sonia smiled, "I''m okay. And the bun is cooking perfectly. How are you two doing?"

    "We are good. Wanted to find out if Lucy got the details about what happened yet. I wanted to call Jade, but I wasn''t sure I should do that. You know, in case Harry never mentioned it to her," Candace said and Sonia raised a brow.

    "How did you know about what is going on if you don''t know that Harry mentioned it to her?" Sonia asked curiously. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "Harry called to say he changed his mind about the proposal and we shouldn''t bothering over anymore. He didn''t give any other details. That sort of left us confused and worried," Andy exined.

    Sonia exchanged a look with Lucy, and Lucy sighed. "From what I gathered, they had a misunderstanding. Jade got upset and reacted wrongly by packing up to leave, and that got Harry upset," Lucy said, not wanting to divulge the entire details since she had no idea why Harry didn''t tell Candace everything.

    "Just like that? What kind of misunderstanding would make her want to leave? And Harry isn''t the type to get upset so easily," Candace said thoughtfully.

    "Well, the issue right now is that he didn''t only change his mind about the proposal, he asked for a break too," Sonia exined and watched as Candace''s and Andy''s jaws dropped and they exchanged a look.

    "No way Harry would that. He adores Jade!" Candace said in disbelief.

    "Just what was the misunderstanding about to have made Harry ask for a break?" Andy asked at the same time.

    "It must have been quite serious," Candace said and Lucy nodded.

    "Poor Jade. She''s going to be so devastated," Andy said with a worried frown.

    "Yeah. We were just discussing how to help her when she gets back tomorrow," Lucy exined. "Sonia suggested a girl''s sleepover."

    "That sounds like a good idea," Candace said.

    "Yeah. That''s the least we can do, since I''m not sure what else we can do for her

    "If I was there, I''d take her clubbing. Sometimes you just need to let loose and forget your troubles for a bit."

    As soon as Andy finished her sentence, she eximed loudly. "Oh my God! That''s it!"

    Everyone fell silent for a moment before Candace spoke. "Andy, what''s going on? Why did you just yell?"

    "I need to go clubbing," Andy said, excitement in her voice.

    "All of a sudden? Why?" Candace sounded confused.

    Andy grinned, "I just remembered that Cassidy owns Club Sodom & Gomorrah. That could be my way to reach him."

    "Cassidy?"

    "Why are you trying to reach out to Cassidy?" Lucy and Sonia asked in unison as they looked at her in confusion.

    "Because we have unfinished business," Andy exined. "I need to see him and talk to him."

    Candace''s voice was firm. "Andy, we both know it''s a bad idea for you to go there now. You don''t know who you might run into there. We can''t even go to our apartment for security reasons, what makes you think it''s okay to go to the club where we worked?"

    "I know, but I have to try. You know how important this is to me. There''s a branch of S&G in Ludus, so maybe I can go there instead. Plus, I need to talk to Harry and Tom in person about managing my music career," Andy said thoughtfully.

    There was a brief silence as everyone processed what Andy had said. Then Candace spoke. "Let''s talk about it some more first."

    "Sure. For now, let''s focus on Jade and Harry. Harry is most likely not fine either," Andy said and Candace sighed.

    "You''re right. Maybe I will try talking to Harry again. And then I will reach out to Jade."

    Sonia''s voice softened. "I''m d we''re all on the same page."

    Lucy ended the call with a thoughtful expression. The idea of a girl''s sleepover seemed perfect for Jade, who had always found sce in their shared moments ofughter and camaraderie.

    She put her phone down, feeling a sense of satisfaction. They were going to make sure Jade knew just how much she was loved.

    They would all stand by her side and help her through this tough time.

    As for Harry, Lucy didn''t know how she could be of help to him, but she was going to find a way to cheer him too. Harry had been there for her each time she had problems with Tom, and this was her chance to return the favor.

 Chapter 900 Immature And Lacking

    900 Immature And Lacking

    Harry tossed and turned all night, unable to find even a moment of peace. His mind was a relentless storm, churning with thoughts of Jade and the state of their rtionship.

    Every time he closed his eyes, he saw her face, her tear-streaked cheeks, and her eyes filled with pain, and guilt gnawed at him, making sleep impossible.

    He still felt guilty about treating her this way despite the fact that he knew and believed deep down that he had taken the best decision for them both as individuals and for their rtionship.

    He finally gave up on trying to rest andy on his back, staring at the ceiling. The room was dark, save for the faint glow of the digital clock on the nightstand.

    It was just past dawn, and he knew he had to face Jade soon, since they would need to travel back together.

    As much as he wanted to check on her and see how she was doing, a part of him didn''t want to her see. He was worried that if he saw her in the same state as she had been the previous day when she came to find him, his resolve would weaken and he would be forced to give in and beg that they forgot all that happened yesterday and just continue their rtionship.

    Harry wasn''t the only one who had spent a sleepless night. In the suite they shared, Jade had been just as restless. She had tossed and turned, her mind racing with anxiety and sorrow.

    The reality of their situation weighed heavily on her, and every time she tried to close her eyes, she was haunted by memories of how she had spoken so harshly to him.

    She looked down at the engagement ring which was on her finger. It was not just a perfect fit for her, it looked perfect and it made her imagine how perfect the proposal could have been had she not ruined things.

    The sight of it made her heart ache, and she took it off, since she knew she couldn''t keep it, and ced it back in its box.

    She didn''t deserve it right now. Maybe some day when she had left her baggage behind and was more worthy of a man like Harry, she would wear the ring again.

    Unable to sleep, she got up in the early hours of the morning and began packing. She needed something to do, something to upy her mind and hands.

    She packed her own bags first, neatly folding her clothes and cing them in her suitcase. When she was done, she turned her attention to Harry''s things.

    It felt strange to be packing for him, like she was invading his space, but she couldn''t just sit idly by. She needed to keep busy.

    As she packed, she came across the red and ck dresses and she scowled at them since the text from the event nner about the dresses had been one of the problems. N?v(el)B\\jnn

    She hesitated, her fingers brushing the soft fabric. They were beautiful, a symbol of Harry''s thoughtful gestures. She decided to pack them in his suitcase, not knowing what else to do with them. She also tucked the small jewelry box into his luggage.

    By the time she finished packing, the sun was rising, casting a soft golden glow over the room. She felt exhausted, both physically and emotionally. She wanted to cry again but knew it wouldn''t change anything. Instead, she went in to freshen up and dress up.

    When she was done, she sat on the edge of the bed, waiting for Harry to return so they could be on their way, since she believed he would want them to leave early.

    A heavy-hearted Harry finally dragged himself out of bed to the bathroom, and he sshed cold water on his face in an attempt to clear his mind.

    He knew he couldn''t avoid this any longer. He had to face Jade and deal with the reality of their situation.

    Harry walked slowly back to the suite he shared with Jade, the early morning sun casting a soft glow on the resort''s picturesque surroundings.

    When he opened the door and walked into the suite, he was surprised to see Jade already dressed like she was ready to leave. Her bags were packed and sitting neatly by the door, alongside his own.

    She looked up briefly when he entered, but quickly looked away, unable to meet his gaze. Her face was carefully made up, but he could see the redness around her eyes and nose, the telltale signs of a sleepless, tear-filled night.

    "Good morning," Jade said softly, not meeting his gaze. "I decided to help you pack your stuff since I had nothing else to do after packing mine," she said quietly, her voice barely above a whisper.

    Harry forced a smile, though his heart ached at the awkwardness between them. He wanted to reach out to her, tofort her, but he didn''t think that would help. The distance between them felt insurmountable.

    "Thanks. That was thoughtful of you," he said simply, his voice heavy with emotion.

    She nodded, still avoiding eye contact. "I will wait outside while you get ready," Jade said, her voice trembling slightly.

    He wanted to stop her, to tell her that everything would be alright, but the words wouldn''te.

    Without another word, Jade picked up her handbag and slipped past him and out the door, leaving Harry standing in the middle of the room, feeling a pang of guilt.

    He sighed deeply as he watched the door close behind her. Instead of going to the bathroom first, he ced a call to the resort''s management to get a car ready to take them to the airport, and after doing that he went to the bathroom to freshen up.

    As Harry freshened up, he couldn''t shake the feeling of sadness that hung over him like a dark cloud. He loved Jade deeply, and seeing her so sad was tearing him apart. He quickly changed into a fresh set of clothes and then checked his bags to make sure everything was in ce.

    When he opened his suitcase, he saw the dresses and the jewelry box with the engagement ring. His heart clenched at the sight. He closed the suitcase, feeling a lump form in his throat.

    Taking a deep breath, he picked up their bags and walked out of the suite. Jade was standing close to the water, looking out into the ocean while the resort''s car was parked in front of the suite.

    The moment the driver saw him, he came out to help him with he bags and together they loaded them into the trunk.

    When they were done, Harry walked up to Jade. "The car is here. Are you ready to leave?" He asked, and she turned, startled by his voice.

    "Yes," she said, and when she saw that the car was waiting, she walked past Harry and headed for the car, and Harry followed her quietly.

    The drive to the airport was painfully silent. They sat side by side in the back seat, but it felt like they were worlds apart. Harry wanted to say something, anything, to break the silence, but he wasn''t sure what to say.

    Every time he looked at Jade, her face was turned away from him and he could tell it was because she didn''t want him to see the sadness on her face and the pain in her eyes.

    As they pulled up to the airport, Harry finally broke the silence. "Jade, things don''t have to be awkward between us. Taking a break from our rtionship doesn''t mean we''re enemies. We will be seeing each other a lot, and I don''t think it should be this way."

    Jade turned to look at him, her eyes filled with unshed tears. She nodded, her lips pressed into a thin line. "I know," she said softly. "It''s just�� it''s hard."

    Harry reached out to touch her hand but hesitated and pulled back. "I''m sorry," he said quietly. "I am not doing this to hurt you. I strongly believe this is what''s best for us if we really want a long-standing and healthy rtionship."

    Jade nodded again, "Yes, I know. You''re right. I''m sorry for all the hurtful things I said to you yesterday. And I''m sorry for ruining your ns. I''m still immature andcking in more ways than I can imagine��"

    "Jade��"

    Jade shook her head to stop him, "I am book smart but stillcking in emotional intelligence. I will take some time to work on myself, and if the timees when I believe I am secure enough in myself to be in a rtionship, I will let you know. Until then, don''t expect me to act like we are very close friends. It would be too hard for me," she said, and before Harry could say anything else she quickly got out of the car.

    Harry followed her and they walked into the airport, side by side but still feeling the distance between them.

    They went through the motions of checking in and going through security in silence. Harry kept ncing at Jade, wishing he could find the right words to make things better. But he knew it wasn''t that simple. They had both been hurt, and it would take time to heal.

    Once they were on the ne, they settled into their seats, still not speaking. Harry could see Jade''s hands trembling slightly as she buckled her seatbelt. He wanted to reach out and hold her, to tell her everything would be okay, but after what she said earlier, he doubted she would want him to do that.

    As the ne took off, Harry leaned back in his seat and turned to look at Jade. She was staring out the window, her expression nk.

    Harry sighed, feeling a deep sense of loss. He knew they had a long journey ahead of them, both physically and emotionally. And he could only hope that they would find their way back to each other someday. He hoped it wouldn''t take Jade too long to find herself ande back to him.

 Chapter 901 Incredibly Brave

    Chapter 901 Incredibly Brave

    Lucy eyes fluttered open to the soft morning light filtering through the bedroom curtains. She smiled when she felt Tom''s arms wrapped around her waist and she turned to look at him.

    She smiled at the peaceful expression on his face, his tousled hair and the gentle rise and fall of his chest. She felt a surge of affection for him and decided that this was the perfect moment to start their day with some light-hearted fun.

    She leaned over and began showering Tom''s face with soft kisses, starting from his forehead and working her way down to his cheeks, nose, and finally his lips. Tom stirred, a sleepy smile spreading across his face as he opened his eyes, chuckling softly.

    "Good morning," he said, his voice still husky with sleep. "What''s all this about?"

    "Good morning, my love," Lucy replied, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "I just thought we should start our day with a little bit of love. We have a long day ahead of us, and I wanted to spend some time together before we face it all."

    Tom chuckled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "That''s usually my line."

    "I see no reason why I can''t make it mine, do you?" Lucy asked and he grinned.

    "I don''t. You''re right, we do have a long day. But you know, you''re making it a lot better already as you almost always do."

    "Almost?" She asked with a scowl and he chuckled.

    "Some days you can be annoying. But that doesn''t mean I love you any less," Tom assured her with a grin.

    "Like you''re always sweet yourself," she said with an eye roll.

    "We both know I am," Tom said and Lucy snorted.

    "You know what? Let''s just focus on having a nice morning," she suggested and Tom chuckled.

    "I thought we were doing that already," Tom pointed out.

    "What''s nice about saying your girlfriend is annoying? Perhaps your annoying girlfriend should pack up her bags and leave," Lucy said and Tomughed.

    "If you do that, I''d just pack up and leave with you. You know I can''t live without my annoying girlfriend," Tom said, kissing her neck and Lucy pressed her lips together to keep from smiling.

    "I think we need a break," Lucy said with her nose raised in the air.

    "You forgot to add fast to it," Tom said and she raised a brow.

    "You think we need a break fast?" She asked and he chuckled.

    "Yes. The only kind of break we need is breakfast," he said with a wink and Lucyughed.

    "So, tell me," she said, settling down beside him and resting her head on his shoulder. "What was your phone call with Barry aboutst night? You were away for so long that I fell asleep before you came back to bed."

    Tom''s expression grew serious, and he sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Barry found evidence that Henry was responsible for all that happened to Mia''s family. There is more. Henry is nning to divorce Mia."

    "Divorce? That''s great. I guess he must love Diana a lot and wants to marry her," Lucy said with a happy smile, d that everything would be resolved easily.

    "Knowing Henry, I''m not sure it is so great. Especially as he''s been making some suspicious movestely," Tom said with another sigh.

    Lucy''s eyes widened with concern. "What kind of moves?" She asked, turning to look up into his face.

    Tom hesitated, then looked at her with a grim expression. "He recently acquired an abandoned property. The ce used to be an asylum. It seems like he is making ns to have Mia locked up there secretly."

    Lucy shuddered, fear creeping into her heart. "That''s horrifying!" She eximed, and Tom nodded as he took her hand and squeezed it reassuringly.

    "Yes, it is. Don''t worry, we won''t let that happen. We''re going to make sure Mia is safe," he promised.

    "How can one human be so evil? How can he be so cruel?" Lucy asked, unable to understand how Henry would want to do something like that to Mia.

    "I wish I could answer that. But I can''t. Anyway, there''s something else. Last night, I spoke to Diana."

    Lucy looked at him with a mix of surprise and curiosity. "Diana? Why? Did you reveal your identity to her? What did you talk about?"

    "No, I didn''t reveal my identity to her. I wanted to know her exact ns for Henry seeing as he is willing to divorce Mia so he can have her," Tom exined, recalling the conversation between him and Diana the night before.

    Barry had called from a burner phone and connected the calls so that Diana wouldn''t be able to trace it back to him.

    "Tom, it''s Barry. I''m going to call Diana now."

    "Thanks, Bar. I will take it from here."

    There was a brief pause before Diana''s voice came on the line, cool andposed. "Who is this? And what do you want?"

    "You don''t need to know who I am. I want to talk to you about Henry."

    "Why? You want to ckmail me some more? What do you want?" Diana asked in a harsh whisper.

    "I need to know why you''re marrying Henry. What is your n?"

    "Like I''m going to tell you. You must think me a fool��"

    "You can either tell me or tell Henry about it. It''s your choice. I''m your friend��"

    "You''re no friend of mine!" Diana hissed.

    "Yes, I am. Henry is both our enemies. That makes us friends, doesn''t it? It means we need each other. It would be easier if we worked together. That way we won''t interfere with each other''s ns," Tom said calmly.

    Diana sighed, a weary sound. "Why is he your enemy? What did he do to you?"

    "I can''t tell you that.."

    "Then how are we friends? How can you expect me to trust you when you don''t even trust me enough to tell me who you are?" Diana asked in disbelief.

    "You can trust me seeing as I haven''t told Henry all I know about you including about your fake pregnancy. If you answer my questions, then I will answer yours," Tom said and she sighed again.

    "What is your question?"

    "What do you n to do to Henry?"

    "I n to kill him."

    "Then why are you marrying him?" Tom asked curiously.

    "Why are you asking me these questions? Are you recording our conversation right now so you can take it to Henry?" She asked suspiciously.

    "What can I do to prove to you that whatever you tell me won''t get to Henry?" Tom asked and Diana considered it for a moment.

    "Answer my questions," Diana said and Tom nodded.

    "Alright. You can ask me whatever you want apart from my name. I won''t give you that."

    "Tell me honestly. Is the new chef working for you?" She asked curiously.

    "How can he work for me when you have an agency for that?" Tom asked back.

    "Then why did you ask me to fire the previous chef?" She asked suspiciously.

    "I wanted to see how much power you wield in that ce and how obedient you can be as it would determine your usefulness to me," Tom said easily.

    "Usefulness?" She repeated.

    "Yes. I thought you were going to be in my way and was going to get rid of you until I found out your true identity. It''s easier to do what I want with you in there. Your being there serves my purpose."

    "What did Henry do to you?" She asked curiously.

    "He hurt someone close to me. He hurt her deeply, and then he crossed a line he shouldn''t have crossed by disrespecting someone dear to me. Listen, I need to be sure that we won''t be in each other''s way, so I want to know what you n to do. Maybe you can help me and I can be of help to you."

    "I don''t need your help to ruin him. I can do it all on my own," Diana said simply, "I''m going to get married to him. By that I will have ess to everything he owns, and then I can dismantle his empire piece by piece. I will expose him for the monster he is, destroy his legacy and all he hasbored for and then I will kill him."

    "And his wife?" Tom asked curiously.

    "Vanessa is innocent. I''m going to get him to divorce her so she doesn''t have to suffer in all of this. I hope whatever you n to do, you will leave her out of it. She has suffered enough already in his hands. She doesn''t have to suffer more because of him," Diana said and Tom nodded.

    "You believe so? Why? Did Henry say anything to you?" He asked, wanting to know how much she knew.

    "He didn''t have to. I n to look after her," she said simply.

    "You will be putting yourself at great risk. Why don''t you stand back and let me do this?" Tom offered.

    "I know the risks. And I''m willing to take them. Henry has hurt too many people, and it''s time he pays for it."

    As Tom recounted the conversation to Lucy, she listened intently, her concern for Diana growing with each passing moment.

    "But what if he finds out what she''s doing?" Lucy asked thoughtfully n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "We are making sure he won''t. And if he does, we will be a step ahead of him and make sure she doesn''t get hurt."

    Lucy nodded with approval. "She is incredibly brave."

    Tom agreed. "Yes, she is. But we need to be smart about this. Henry is dangerous and cunning. We can''t underestimate him."

    They sat in silence for a moment, the weight of the situation heavy on their minds. Then, Lucy spoke again. "So, what''s next?"

    "We are going to reveal everything to Mia''s parents anonymously. They need to know that Henry is their enemy. That way he won''t be able to use them against her again," Tom said and Lucy frowned.

    "Don''t you think her father might confront Henry? Won''t that make him know that someone is on to him? He might even suspect Mia. And from there he could connect the dots," Lucy said thoughtfully.

    Tom nodded, "I thought about that too. I will discuss it further with Harry and we will decide on whether to go ahead with it or not," Tom said and Lucy nodded.

    "Alright. Let''s go freshen up and have breakfast. By the way, Sonia will being over tonight. We agreed to have a sleepover with Jade," Lucy said and Tom sighed.

    "That''s a good idea. I will leave her with you both and go spend the night with Harry."

 Chapter 902 FaceTime And Selfies

    Chapter 902 FaceTime And Selfies

    The soft glow of the television cast flickering shadows across the room as Tyler and Lucas sat side by side, the sound of their favorite series, House MD, filling thefortable silence.

    Tyler, with his legs stretched out on the ottoman, nced sideways at Lucas, and his lips curled into an amused smile when he noticed that Lucas was once again ncing at the wall clock and his phone as though he was waiting for something. Or rather someone.

    "Are you going somewhere?" Tyler asked with mock curiosity.

    "No. Where would I be going at this time?" Lucas asked with a frown.

    "Then are you waiting for a delivery? Perhaps pizza?" Tyler asked and Lucas scowled at him.

    "Why are you asking me that?"

    Tyler grinned, "You seem to be waiting for something. I''ve noticed you ncing at your phone and the clock a couple of times now. Wait. Are you waiting for Amy to text or call?" he teased lightly and chuckled when Lucas red at him, his cheeks flushing slightly.

    "No," he muttered defensively, turning his attention back to the television.

    But his lie was betrayed almost instantly as his phone buzzed, and he quickly picked it up to check it while Tyler kept watching him.

    Lucas'' face fell when he saw it was just a spam message, and he dropped the phone with a hiss of annoyance.

    Tyler chuckled, the sound rich with amusement. "Sure, you''re not waiting for Amy to wake up," he said, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

    Lucas shot him a dark look, feeling the need to defend himself. "How are you so sure it''s not Lucy I''m waiting for? Or my parents? Besides, Amy is just my friend."

    "Of course, she is," Tyler replied, raising his hands in mock surrender. "I never said she was anything more," he said, deliberately ignoring his reference to Lucy and his parents.

    Lucas''s expression softened slightly, but he still felt the need to rify. "Really, she''s just a friend."

    Tyler nodded, a knowing smile ying on his lips. "Really, I know. By the way, I''ve noticed you seem more rxed and happier now than you did when you first got here," he said, changing the subject slightly but keeping the conversation light.

    "It''s not because of Amy," Lucas said quickly.

    Tyler''s smile widened. "I never said it was because of Amy. I''m just d to see you happy. I don''t care if it''s because of Amy or not. But if Amy is behind it, you should tell me so I can thank her for reviving my best friend."

    Lucas scoffed, trying to mask his embarrassment. "You sound like an old man right now."

    Tylerughed. "I am old. We are not getting any younger, you know?" Tyler said and they both returned their attention to the television.

    "If you were a character in House MD, do you know who you would be?" Tyler asked after some time and Lucas shrugged.

    "Foreman maybe or Wilson. I love how they both like to stick to the rules��"

    "I think you''d be Dr House. You both have a way of denying your feelings. Like you, he keeps hiding his feelings for Cuddy behind the friendship and their very interesting banters," Tyler said and Lucas sighed, exasperated.

    "I thought we were done with that subject?" Lucas asked and Tyler chuckled.

    "I wasn''t done. I will ask you one question, then I''m done," Tyler said and Lucas raised a brow.

    "What?"

    "Are you going to make Amy your best friend with benefits when you get back to Ludus?" Tyler asked with a grin.

    Lucas was taken aback by the question. "Why would you ask me that?"

    Tyler leaned back, looking rxed and slightly mischievous. "You mentioned before that you were thinking about having a friend with benefits, remember? (Chapter 800). Now that you have a female friend, I''m just curious if she fits the bill." n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "No! Of course, not. Besides, Amy''s not that kind of girl," Lucas said, shaking his head.

    "What kind of girl is she?" Tyler asked, curious to know what Lucas thought of Amy.

    "She''s innocent and emotional. She''s the kind of girl you date for the long term," he said dismissively.

    Tyler resisted the urge to grin, "So you''re just going to stay friends with her?"

    "Yes," Lucas affirmed, his voice firm.

    "You''re not going to date her for the long term?" Tyler asked again.

    "No," Lucas said and Tyler nodded.

    "Well, good luck with that," he said, a hint of skepticism in his voice. "I''m heading to bed." He said, standing up and stretching.

    "Goodnight," Lucas said, relieved that Tyler was leaving and he didn''t have to continue with the conversation.

    As Tyler walked away, Lucas rose and turned off the television before heading to his bedroom too.

    After getting ready for bed, he decided that he has waited long enough and picked up his phone to send Amy a text.

    Away from there, Amy woke up to the soft chime of her phone. She reached for it groggily, and a smile spread across her face when she saw the message was from Lucas.

    [Knock Knock] it read.

    She quickly typed back a response. [Who''s there?]

    [Ion] he replied.

    [Ion who?] she texted back.

    [Ion know if you''re awake, but since you answered I guess you are, so I''m going to call now. Good morning.]

    Amy giggled as she read his text, [Sure.] Amy texted back and rose to stretch as she waited for his call.

    It was three weeks now since they became weekend buddies and Lucas never failed to wake her up on Saturdays or talk to her in the morning before she went about her day.

    Saturday mornings had be the highlight of her weeks, and she loved her weekends more now because of their discussions.

    Amy received Lucas'' call the moment it came in, and she smiled as his voice filled her speaker.

    "Hey, buddy! Slept well?" He asked, and she grinned.

    "Yup. I did. How was your day? And how did the presentation go?" Amy asked since Lucas had told her he had a presentation that week, when they spoke over thest weekend.

    "It was alright, I guess," Lucas said and Amy raised a brow.

    "You guess?" She asked, wondering what happened.

    "Yeah. I don''t want to talk about it," he said, and something in his tone told Amy that he was embarassed about whatever it was that had happened.

    She giggled, "Why not? What did you do?"

    "I didn''t say I did anything," Lucas said and Amy grinned.

    "But something happened. What happened? Tell me," she urged him.

    "No," he said, and Amyughed.

    "You''re going to make me imagine all sorts of things if you don''t tell me what happened," she said and Lucas'' lips twitched.

    "Your imagination is yours. Feel free to imagine whatever you want," Lucas said, since there was no way he was going to tell her that he had done the presentation the whole time without knowing his zipper was open, and it wasn''t until it was time for questions that one of thedies in his ss had pointed it out to him.

    "Are you going out for your games as usual?" he asked, changing the subject.

    Seeing as he really didn''t want to tell her about it, she decided not to press, "Yeah. I''m also going to the spater," she mentioned.

    "Alright. Don''t forget to send me a picture when you''re done." Lucas requested.

    "I''m always sending you pictures, but you never send me any," she pointed out.

    "You''ve never asked for any," he said, and she rolled her eyes.

    "Alright. Send one now," she said and Lucas chuckled.

    Lucas pulled the phone back and made a silly face as he took a selfie. When he was done, he sent it to her.

    "I just sent it," Lucas said, and he grinned when Amyughed after seeing the picture.

    "Can we FaceTime? I''d love to see your face as we talk," she said and Lucas raised a brow.

    "Are you not in a hurry to leave for your sports?"

    "Seeing your face is worth goingte," she assured him, and he chuckled.

    "Alright. Are you decent?" He asked, since he knew she just woke up from sleep.

    Amy smiled, "Yes. But give me a minute," she said and quickly hung up.

    While Amy ran into the bathroom to wash her face and put on a bra, Lucas walked over to the mirror to check himself, making sure he looked presentable.

    Satisfied, he returned to his phone and called her back but this time on video call.

    The moment the call connected, they both looked at each other with silly grins on their faces.

    "You look fine to me," Lucas said, admiring her through the screen. "Why do you need to go to the spa?"

    "I need to get my facials, a massage, and do my pedicure and manicure," Amy exined.

    Lucas shook his head, remembering that Rachel always did all of that too. "I''ve never seen the need for all of that. Guys don''t do it, and we look just fine."

    Amyughed. "Guys do it. You just don''t do it. And don''t worry, you will see the need when you see my before and after pictures."

    Lucas grinned, recalling the makeover Amy and Miley had done before their date thest time. "You know what I just remembered?" Lucas asked and Amy shook her head, a smile tugging her lips.

    "No. What?"

    "The date with You and Miley. You both went to the spa beforeing for that date, didn''t you?" He asked and Amyughed.

    "Yes. It was Miley''s idea. I really don''t do this whole spa stuff. Miley is the one always making me do it. This will be my first time doing it without her," she admitted.

    "Will you be okay? Want me to stay awake and keep youpany?" He asked, and she smiled at his thoughtfulness.

    "I will be fine. Thanks for offering," she said, and Lucas nodded.

    "Alright. Have fun, okay?" He said and Amy nodded.

    "Sure. I will."

    "And don''t forget to send me pictures," Lucas reminded her.

    "I won''t. Goodnight, Lucas," Amy said, her voice warm. "Talk to youter."

    They hung up, both feeling a sense of satisfaction from the call. Lucas put his phone down, a smile still lingering on his face as he dozed off.

 Chapter 903 Self-help

    Chapter 903 Self-help

    The flight back to Ludus was uneventful, but it felt like the longest flight of Harry''s life. Every time he nced at Jade, she was either looking out the window or had her eyes closed, her face set in an expression of quiet determination.

    When they finallynded and disembarked, Harry felt a sense of relief mixed with sadness since this wasn''t the way he had envisioned their return to be.

    They collected their bags and as they made their way to the exit, Jade sighted Tom and Bryan, and she couldn''t help feeling an overwhelming flood of relieve, d that she didn''t need to be in Harry''s presence any longer.

    She watched Tom say something to Bryan as they met them halfway, and Bryan nodded before looking her way and shing her a smile, "Hey, baby! I missed you," Bryan said, holding out his arms to her, and Jade walked into his arms and sighed deeply as she embraced him.

    "Ready to go home?" He asked, and she bobbed her head, unable to say anything, and Bryan took her luggage.

    Tom on the other hand shook hands with Harry, "Your car is parked here, right? How about I drive you?" He offered, but Harry shook his head and instead of responding, he turned to look at Jade who was about to leave with Bryan.

    "Take care of yourself, Jade," he called softly, and Jade who had been avoiding looking at him, looked at him, and forced a smile. "You too," she said, before walking away.

    "Go with her. I''m fine," Harry said and Tom shook his head.

    "You''re not. Besides, Bryan, Sonia, and Lucy will be home with her. I''m sure this is not how you nned your return trip," Tom said and Harry sighed deeply.

    "I really want to be alone. At least for today. Maybe we can talk tomorrow. For now, I just want to be alone," Harry said, and Tom looked at him for a moment before giving him a nod.

    They both followed Bryan and Jade silently, neither of them saying a word, and when they got outside, Harry watched as Jade climbed into the car along with Tom and Bryan.

    He stood there for a moment, watching as the car pulled away, feeling as though a piece of his heart was being carried away with it.

    As Harry walked to his car, he couldn''t shake the feeling of emptiness that had settled over him. He knew that this break was necessary, but it didn''t make it any easier.

    He could only hope that, in time, they would both find the rity they needed to find their way back to each other.

    The drive home was a blur. Harry''s mind kept reying the events of the previous day over and over again. He wondered what Jade was thinking and how she was feeling.

    As he pulled up to his apartment building and made his way to his apartment with his bags, he sighed deeply. The familiar surroundings now felt strangely foreign. Everything reminded him of Jade, of the life they had shared, and of the uncertainty that nowy ahead.

    Once again he felt the unwee w of regret nip at him. He wished he had not jumped the process. He wished he had remained logical and not allowed himself to be too blinded by his emotions. He wished he had gotten her help that night after their discussion about her insecurities, before going ahead to date her. He wished he had kept to his principles about not living together and not having sex before marriage.

    As much as he enjoyed all the time he had spent with her, he wished he believed that if he had done things the right way, something like this would never have happened, and they wouldn''t have to deal with these feelings of hurt right now.

    The moment he walked into his apartment, he dropped his bags by the door and copsed onto the couch, feeling utterly drained. He closed his eyes, letting the silence of the apartment wash over him.

    For the first time in a long while, he was alone in his apartment, and the reality of the situation hit him hard.

    Not wanting to be idle, he rose and got busy with unpacking his bags, trying to keep his mind upied. He found the ring and the gowns Jade had packed, and his heart ached at the sight. He ced the ring in a drawer and hung the gowns in the closet, hoping that some time in the future, he would see her in them.

    Away from there, all through the drive to Tom''s house, Jade remained silent in the backseat, and at first Bryan had wanted to engage her in a discussion, but when she kept nodding and grunting and not saying anything, he decided to let her be.

    The moment they arrived at Tom''s house, Jade got out of the car, and headed inside, and Tom and Bryan exchanged a look.

    "I thought you wanted to go with Harry?" Bryan asked, and Tom sighed. N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "He said he wants to be alone," Tom said and Bryan shook his head.

    "Jade won''t say anything, and Harry wants to be alone. They didn''t even break up and they are both being like this. What happens if they break up? I''m so d I''m not you right now," Bryan said with a shake of his head.

    Inside the house, Lucy and Sonia who were at balcony headed downstairs the moment one of the domestic staff informed them that Tom and Bryan were back.

    As they walked down the stairs, they met Jadeing up, "Hey, Jade," Sonia greeted while Lucy stood back cautiously, looking at Jade.

    "Hey, Sonia. Hello, Lucy," Jade greeted, forcing a smile.

    "How are you doing? We heard about what happened. We are here for you and if you''re up for it, we can have a booze party��"

    "You are pregnant," Lucy reminded Sonia, and then looked at Jade, "We can have a sleepover. Let''s chat, watch movies or do whatever you want all night," Lucy offered and Jade shook her head.

    "No one died. And we didn''t even break up. You both don''t need to do any of that. And I''m not feeling up for it either. So, thanks. But I just really want to be alone," Jade said, and both Lucy and Sonia exchanged a look.

    "We know that no one died and you didn''t break up. But we also know that you''re sad and we just want to help you feel better however we can. Is there something we can do?" Lucy asked and this time Jade''s smile was more genuine.

    "Thanks for worrying about me, but it will help if you all don''t look at me and treat me so pitifully. It will only make me feel worse. Carry on with all you do as usual. I just need to be alone and figure out some stuff. I will be fine. I didn''t die when my ex boyfriend died or when I found out he was cheating and nning to get married to someone else without my knowledge. I''m not going to die now," Jade said, and both Lucy and Sonia exchanged a nce before giving her a nod.

    "Okay. But if you change you mind and you want to talk, let us know," Sonia said, and Jade gave her a nod before walking past them and continuing upstairs to her bedroom.

    "She is right. Maybe we are all overreacting. Let''s let her be," Sonia said and Lucy nodded.

    "If I were in her shoes I''d most likely want to be left alone too," Lucy said and they both walked outside to meet Tom and Bryan who were walking in.

    "Have you seen her?" Tom asked them, and they nodded.

    "Yeah. She wants to be left alone. She will be fine. Let''s let her be," Sonia said and Bryan frowned.

    "We left her alone when that bastard died. We let her be, and where did that get her? I''m not letting her be," Bryan said but before he could walk away, Sonia held his hand.

    "The situation is different this time. They are taking a break, and we all know it''s for good reason. I''m sure she knows it too. Jade is smart. Let''s give her time to clear her head," Sonia said calmly.

    Bryan looked at Tom, and Tom gave him a nod, "If she wants to be alone, let''s let her be. At least she knows she doesn''t have to be alone and we are all here. It''s not the same as when she was in Varis all alone and we couldn''t really be there for her," Tom said and Bryan sighed.

    "Don''t worry too much. She will be okay," Lucy said softly.

    "I will take her bags to her," Bryan said before walking away.

    Inside Jade''s bedroom, the moment she walked in, she got on her bed and curled up in it.

    All through the duration of the flight, she had been unable to think because she had been painfully aware of his presence next to her and all she had been able to do was to keep herself from crying or reaching for his hand.

    But all through the drive home from the airport, she had been deep in thought about the whole situation. As much as her heart ached, she was trying to be logical about what was going on.

    She knew that this break was painful, but she also knew that it was necessary. She needed time to heal, to ovee her insecurities and fears.

    She believed that the time apart would help her grow, and she would find the strength to face her problems ande out stronger on the other side. And most of all, she hoped that one day, they would be able to look back on this time and see it as a turning point, a moment when they chose to fight for their love rather than let it slip away through the cracks of insecurity.

    For now, she would take things one day at a time, focusing on her own healing and growth. She knew that Harry loved her and she believed that he would be waiting for her, and that thought gave him a small measure offort.

    She was strong, and she would get through this, no matter how difficult it might be, taking a deep sigh, Jade sat up and picked up her phone.

    If she was going to heal, she needed to start working on herself now so she wouldn''t keep Harry waiting for too long.

    She went on the inte and googled self-help books. A couple of them popped up and just as she was reading the reviews on them, Bryan knocked on her door, announcing that he was with her bag.

    "Come in," Jade called out, and Bryan walked in.

    "You okay?" He asked, his eyes brimming with concern.

    "Trying to be," she said, and he nodded as he kept her bags beside the bed and sat down on the edge of the bed.

    "What are you doing right now?" Bryan asked curiously.

    "Shopping for self help books," she said, and he nodded with approval.

    "You know, I didn''t like books much until Sonia. I''d rather watch a self help movie," he said, and she smiled.

    "I don''t think that''s a thing," she said, and seeing how she was responding he decided to talk to her some more.

    "You know, I wasn''t really cool with the idea of you and Harry at first," he started, and Jade shook her head.

    "Harry didn''t do anything wrong. It was me��"

    "I''m not trying to me him. What I''m saying is, at first I didn''t like the idea of someone I know being with you. You''re my precious little sister after all and I didn''t think anyone I know is good enough for you. That was until Tom assured me that Harry was cool. I saw it for myself too. Harry is a great guy. If Mom, Dad and Tom thinks so, I believe it too. You''re a greatdy too. One of the smartest and most beautifuldy I know. Second only to my Sony of course, and third to my daughter if our Ryso is a girl," he joked, and Jadeughed softly to his relief.

    "What I''m trying to say is that you both deserve to be in love and to be happy together. Quit letting your bastard ex get in the way of your happiness. Stop letting him interfere in your life else I''m going to go dig up his grave and give his corpse a good beating," Bryan said and Jadeughed again.

    "And just so you know, you''re so lucky to have a brother like me," Bryan said and Jade raised an eyebrow.

    "Am I?"

    "Yes. You should be thankful I''m not vengeful. I''d love to yell at you right now and snap at you like you did to me when I had issues with Sony (chapter 484) but I''m too sweet and love you too much," he said and sheughed.

    "I guess I''m lucky," she said and Bryan smiled.

    "You are. You''ll be fine, Jady," Bryan said as he rose to leave, "I will let you get back to your books. Everyone said I should leave you alone."

    "Thanks," she said, and Bryan gave her a thumbs up before walking away.

 Chapter 904 Fix It

    Chapter 904 Fix It

    As the day turned into night, Harry found himself sitting on the couch, a statue sculpted from worry.

    If the misunderstanding hadn''t happened yesterday, by now they would have been busy celebrating their engagement, Harry thought as he stared at his phone.

    He wanted to call Jade, to reassure her that they would get through this. And he yearned to hear her voice, the melody that had be the soundtrack of his life, but logic reminded him that space was needed to prevent further damage to their rtionship, and rushing things wouldn''t help.

    Heaving a sigh that seemed to carry the weight of the world, Harry ced the phone face down on the couch since the glowing screen kept taunting him with its potential to bridge the chasm that had opened between him and Jade.

    He used to be a very principled, logical, and practical man, but ever since his rtionship with Jade began, all of that ha flown out the door and window and now he couldn''t even recognize himself anymore.

    He needed an escape, a way to clear the tangled mess of emotions churning in his gut. Pushing himself to his feet, he decided to take a walk to clear his mind. He grabbed a light jacket and turned off the lights before heading out the door.

    The night air, cool and fragrant with the scent of blooming jasmine from a nearby park, greeted him like a balm as he walked out of the his building.

    Stepping onto the sidewalk, he began to walk, his pace brisk, mirroring the agitation within. Streetmps cast a warm glow, illuminating his path as he wandered through the quiet streets.

    The solitude was a double-edged sword. While it offered a respite from the emotional turmoil within, it also amplified the silence that echoed within the vast emptiness of his apartment.

    After what felt like an eternity, Harry turned a corner and found himself back near his building. The walk had done little to alleviate the knot of tension in his stomach.

    Reaching his apartment, he trudged inside, a sense of weary resignation settling over him. As he switched on the lights, his phone on the couch caught his eye and he picked it up. N?v(el)B\\jnn

    A quick nce at the screen revealed a string of missed calls. Curiosity piqued, Harry scrolled through his call history.

    There were two missed calls from Tom, one from Candace, and another from his father.

    Harry stared at his phone for a moment, debating who to call back first. His finger hovered over Tom''s number. Was Jade alright? With a deep breath, he pressed the call button, wanting to know how Jade was doing.

    It didn''t take long for Tom to pick up. "Hey!" Tom''s voice crackled through the receiver,ced with a hint of relief. "I was starting to worry."

    "Sorry I missed your calls. I stepped out to clear my head. Is everything alright?" Harry asked, trying to mask his concern.

    "Yeah. Sure. I just wanted to check in on you. How are you holding up?" Tom asked, his concern evident.

    Harry let out a sigh. "I''m fine, I guess. Considering I brought all these upon myself. How''s Jade doing?" Harry inquired, his voice dropping a notch.

    A beat of silence followed. "Seems to be holding up," Tom said finally. "Haven''t seen any tears, but she''s really quiet and withdrawn."

    Harry felt a wave of relief wash over him. That simple statement, the absence of tears, brought a strange sense offort. It wasn''t happiness, not by a long shot, but it wasn''t despair either.

    "That''s good to hear. I was worried about her," Harry said, forcing a lightness into his voice that he didn''t quite feel. "Keep me updated, will you? And remind her, she''s to resume at the office on Monday."

    "Sure. I''ll stop by to visit you tomorrow," Tom offered.

    "Alright. Thanks, Tom. And I''m sorry things are this��"

    "Shut up. Be good," Tom said and hung up abruptly.

    Harry sighed as he dialed his father''s number, knowing that he had probably heard from Candace and wanted to find out what had happened.

    It took a few rings before his father picked up. "Harry," Aaron''s deep voice came through the phone. "How are you doing, son?"

    "I''m fine," Harry said. "I guess you heard from Candace that I didn''t go on with the proposal as nned."

    Aaron sighed deeply. "Yes, she told me. I was waiting to hear it directly from you, and since it''s been twenty-four hours already and you haven''t called, I decided to call you. What really happened? Why did you change your mind?" Aaron asked with concern.

    He knew Harry well enough to know he always thought things through before taking any action, so he couldn''t understand why Harry would change his mind about proposing to Jade at thest minute.

    "I don''t think she is ready for that step yet. She still has some emotional baggage she needs to deal with," Harry said and Aaron raised a brow.

    "And I take it you just found out about the emotional baggage during the vacation?" He asked and Harry sighed.

    "Not exactly. I''ve always known," Harry admitted, bracing himself for the inevitable lecture.

    "So, you''ve always known yet you wanted to propose to her," Aaron said, his tone disapproving.

    "I thought we had it under control. I thought I had it all under control. I thought I could manage and deal with it," Harry said, his voice tinged with frustration.

    "But you thought wrong," his father said tly.

    Harry winced. The truth, delivered with the bluntness of a hammer blow. "Yes. I thought wrong."

    "What exactly happened?" Aaron demanded, his tone sharp.

    Harry exined the misunderstanding, recounting the events that had led to the canceled proposal. He also told his father about the first misunderstanding when she had seen them having coffee and how he had asked her to hang around whenever he was discussing with the event nner. Aaron listened quietly, and when Harry finished, he sighed again.

    "Once again, let me ask. Didn''t you know about Jade''s insecurities before you started dating her?" Aaron asked.

    "I already told you that I did. We discussed it. I assured her I was going to help her get over it." Harry admitted. "But I didn''t expect her not to trust me, especially since I''ve never given her a reason to doubt me."

    Aaron''s tone was gentle but firm. "You gave her plenty of reasons to doubt you, Harry. What made you believe your words alone would be enough assure someone with deep insecurities? Do you think feelings of insecurity is something you can just turn on and off simply because someone gives you their word?" Aaron asked, and Harry sighed but said nothing.

    "While you were making ns to surprise her with your proposal did it ur to you to put her feelings of insecurity into consideration? You mentioned that you both first had a misunderstanding about your meetings with thedy, why didn''t you ask thedy in question to assign a male staff to discuss the ns with you, knowing your girlfriend wasn''tfortable with your interaction with her?" Aaron asked again.

    "Am I going to have to cut offmunication with all females even those I have business with at work just to make her understand? Why can''t she trust me?" Harry asked and this time Aaron sighed.

    "I know Jade. I may not have known her as long as you have, but I know her well enough to know she isn''t unreasonable, and I''m sure you know that too. If she knew the exact business you had with thisdy she wouldn''t have reacted the way she did. You were keeping secrets and that would naturally make her imagination be on overdrive. I''m not saying she was right to react the way she did, but I''m saying you knew she had such a problem yet you didn''t protect her from it. You got carried away with your ns and forgot to factor in her feelings of insecurity. You have your share of the me. I''d say you have the lions share," Aaron said firmly.

    Harry was silent for a moment, realizing the validity of his father''s points. He knew she harbored insecurities, yet, in his eagerness to create a perfect moment, he had failed to consider her fragile emotional state.

    "I thought I was doing the right thing. I didn''t mean to make her feel insecure, but I see now that I didn''t handle it well."

    Aaron''s voice softened. "Your intention might have been good, but you weren''t thoughtful enough. And asking for a break wasn''t the best decision. Maybe you could have been more supportive. You mentioned that you promised her from the beginning that you''d help her, right?"

    "How can I help her when she doesn''t even trust me? Besides the break is meant to make her be more serious about working on herself," Harry said weakly.

    "I don''t think so. I think showing her how her reaction ruined the surprise engagement would have been enough to make her realize she had misunderstood you. You could have told her you wouldn''t propose to her or get married until she was better. You didn''t have to ask for a break. Now you both will feel miserable unnecessarily."

    "You''re right," Harry said quietly. "But the deed is done. What can I do now?"

    "You should apologize to Jade," Aaron said firmly. "As much as she was wrong and hurt your feelings, you were wrong in the way you handled everything. You should fix things, Harry. I raised you better than that. Make up with her. Drive her to and from her therapy sessions and hold her hand through it all. If you''re going to eventually get married to her of what use is the break? Why are you pulling out and being absent at such an important moment in her life?"

    Harry felt a pang of guilt. "You''re right. I don''t know what I''m doing. I guess I''m not thinking straight. I''m going to fix it. I haven''t been myself since it all happened, and she is sad too."

    Aaron seemed satisfied with that response. "Good. You do that."

    "Thanks for the advise, Dad."

    "Anytime, son," Aaron said warmly.

    "By the way, how was your visit to the prison? We haven''t really talked much since then," Harry said, changing the subject.

    "It was okay," Aaron said, his tone lighter.

    "I was told you didn''t stay at my ce but in a hotel."

    "Yeah. I ran into an old friend, and she offered to amodate me all through my stay in Ludus. There was no need to return to yor empty apartment," Aaron said with a smile in his voice.

    Harry''s curiosity was piqued. "An old friend? She? You stayed with ady? You have to tell me more. Who is she?" Harry asked, pleasantly surprised.

    "Mind your business, Harry," Aaron said with a chuckle. "Focus on fixing things with Jade."

    "C''mon, Dad!"

    "Goodnight," Aaron said with a chuckle and hung up the call before Harry could say anything else.

    Harry smiled as he put his phone down, and he reyed his father''s words in his head, realizing just how much he had to make up for.

    He needed to apologize sincerely and show Jade that he wasmitted to helping her ovee her insecurities.

 Chapter 905 Morning Run

    Chapter 905 Morning Run

    Lucas woke up to the gentle light of the morning sun streaming through his curtains. He was feeling more rested than he had in a long time, and his eyes adjusted to the light, his first thought was of Amy.

    The conversation with Amy had left him with a warm feeling, and he found himself looking forward to their next chat.

    He grabbed his phone from the nightstand and unlocked it, eager to see if she had sent him the pictures she promised. A grin spread across his face as he saw her name at the top of his notifications.

    Opening the message, he was greeted by a series of pictures and videos. The first few were of Amy at the tennis court, dressed in a white tennis skirt and a fitted top, her hair tied back in a ponytail. She looked radiant, her smile wide as she held her tennis racket with confidence. There was a picture of her mid-swing, eyes focused on the ball, showcasing her athletic prowess. Another picture showed herughing with her partner, her joy infectious even through the screen.

    The next set of photos was from the spa. In one, Amy was sitting in a plush robe, her hair wrapped in a towel, her face glowing from a recent facial. There was a short video of her receiving a manicure and in the video she was showing him the various arrays of colors and the one she had chosen.

    Another video showed her in the salon getting her hair done, and she was telling him how she had been there with Miley thest time and that the seat she was seated on was where Miley had sat then.

    Lucas couldn''t help but smile wider as he watched the pictures and videos, feeling a warmth spread through his chest.

    He quickly typed a response: [Looks like you had an amazing time. Seeing the result, I guess a little spa time isn''t so bad.]

    Amy, who was lying in bed watching a ro, picked up her phone as soon as it buzzed. Seeing Lucas''s name, she felt a flutter in her chest and a smile spread across her face. Without hesitation, she called him.

    "Good morning, Doc Luca!" she greeted cheerfully when the call connected. "How was your night?"

    "I slept well," Lucas replied, a hint of amusement in his voice. "And just so you know, I dreamt of you."

    Amy''s surprisedughter rang through the phone. "Oh really? What did you dream about?" She asked, curious.

    "Well, we were ying basketball," Lucas said, chuckling at the memory. "And I kept winning until you started crying profusely and pleading with me to have mercy on you."

    Amyughed even harder. "That''s never going to happen! Good thing you woke up from that dream and returned to reality."

    Theirughter filled their ears, creating afortable, warm atmosphere between them.

    "What were you doing before I texted?" Lucas asked once theirughter subsided. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "I was watching a movie. A ro," Amy replied. "What about you? What kind of movies do you like?"

    "I like interesting movies, it doesn''t matter the genre as long as the movie is interesting, I''m in," Lucas said.

    "Sounds fair. I don''t do horror no matter how interesting, and I''m not a fan of violence and gore," Amy said and Lucas chuckled.

    "Why not? Don''t tell me such movies scare you and give you nightmares?" He teased.

    "I''m not ashamed to admit it," she said and Lucas chuckled.

    "What else are you scared of?" Lucas asked with interest.

    "Are you asking so you can tease me or because you just want to know?" She asked suspiciously.

    "Both. But don''t you think it''s better I know? I mean now, I won''t get a horror movie ticket if I decide to take you to see a movie," Lucas said and Amy grinned.

    "Is that your way of saying you want to go see a movie with me?" Amy asked in a teasing tone and Lucas chuckled.

    If it were before they began to talk, he would have withdrawn, or assumed she was hitting on him and being too direct, but he hade to understand that Amy loved to joke around with stuff.

    "Nah. My way of asking you to see a movie with me would be more direct than that," Lucas said and Amy raised a brow.

    "Really? How direct would it be?" Amy asked curiously, a smile tugging on her lips.

    "Amy, get dressed. I''ming over to pick you. Let''s go see a really cool movie," Lucas said and Amy giggled.

    "Hmm. Macho. I like," she drawled and Lucas chuckled.

    "So, if I said that would you get dressed ande with me?" He asked and sheughed.

    "Of course. I will," she said, and Lucas grinned.

    "Alright. Noted. So, how did your day go?"

    "You know how it went��"

    "I''m sure you didn''t spend all day at the spa," he cut in.

    "Alright. It was great," Amy replied. "I had a nice time at the spa and even met someone."

    "Really? Who did you meet?" He asked with interest.

    "So, on my way out of the spa, I bumped into this guy who was dropping off his mother at the spa. It was really funny. His mother asked if I drove and when I said I didn''t, she asked that he take me home. And then she subtly excused herself," Amy said with a softugh.

    Lucas felt a twinge of jealousy but kept his tone neutral. "So, did he drop you off?"

    "Nah. He offered me a lift but I didn''t go with him. I had booked my ride already and the cab was already waiting. But we did exchange numbers though, and he asked me out for a drink. So, tomorrow I''m going to hang out with him," Amy exined.

    Lucas felt an ufortable knot form in his stomach. "You seem to like him already," Lucas observed.

    Not knowing how Lucas felt, she giggled, "Not necessarily. I mean, he seemed pretty cool and all though. I don''t mind getting to know him. And look on the bright side, if I eventually meet someone nice and start dating or even have a new friend, I wouldn''t be such a bother to you anymore. You''ve been pretty amodating going to bedte and waking up so early so you can talk to me despite the time difference," Amy said with a note of gratitude in her voice.

    Sensing the shift in his mood, Lucas decided to end the conversation. "You should get back to your movie. I have to start my day," he said, struggling to keep his voice even.

    "Alright," Amy said, slightly disappointed. "What are your ns for today?"

    "Nothing specific," Lucas said. "I''ve got to go now. Talk to youter, Amy."

    "Okay, talk to youter," Amy replied, ending the call.

    Alone now, Lucas couldn''t shake the feeling of difort that lingered after their conversation.

    Why did the thought of Amy going out with someone else bother him? He wasn''t even interested in her other than tonic friendship... was he?

    Determined to prove to himself that he wasn''t interested in Amy, he decided to hang out with one of the girls from his ss who had been making subtle advances at him.

    He grabbed his phone and sent her a message, informing her he will be at the library and she could join him if she wanted. He knew he wasn''t using her since she had told him she wasn''t interested in a rtionship or marriage and she just liked to have a good time with friends.

    Not wanting to dwell on whatever unpleasant feeling he was having, Lucas got up and deciding to make the most of his day, he went for a run.

    There was nothing like a good morning run to clear his head. Hopefully by the time he got back, she would have responded to his message.

    The cool morning air felt refreshing against his skin, and as he ran through the park, he allowed his mind to wander.

    He thought about the conversations he''d had with both Lucy and Tyler, about the feelings they believed he had for Amy.

    When he returned home, he found Tyler in the kitchen, making coffee. "Morning," Lucas greeted him.

    "Morning," Tyler replied with a smile as he looked Lucas over.

    In thest couple of weeks since Lucas moved in with him, he hade to understand that Lucas only ran in the morning when he needed to clear his head, and something told him this morning''s run had to do with Amy.

    "How was your run?" Tyler asked with interest.

    "Good," Lucas said, grabbing a mug and pouring himself some coffee. "Cleared my head a bit."

    "That''s good," Tyler said, amused at how obvious Lucas''s feelings for Amy were, even if Lucas himself wasn''t ready to admit it.

    He had seen the way Lucas lit up when he talked about her, the way he checked his phone eagerly whenever it buzzed. It was clear to Tyler that Amy meant more to Lucas than just a friend even if he didn''t know it yet.

    "Any calls or messages from Amy today?" He asked with a grin.

    Deciding not to let Tyler get under his skin, Lucas gave him a nod. "Yeah. Why? Do you have a message for her?" He asked and Tyler chuckled.

    "I figured. I''d like to ask her what she did to put you in a mood," Tyler said and Lucas scowled.

    "My mood has nothing to do with her. Stop talking her into my head," Lucas red at him and Tyler nodded, taking a sip of his coffee.

    He hoped that Lucas would eventually realize his true feelings and act on them. Life was too short to hold back, especially when it came to matters of the heart.

    "So, what''s the n for today?" Tyler asked easily, changing the subject.

    Lucas shrugged. "I''m heading out. I have a date," he said, and Tyler raised a brow.

    "A date?" He asked in disbelief, and Lucas smiled.

    "Yeah. I''m hanging out with one of thedies in my ss. We will study together at the library, and I will probably catch a movie at her ce after that," Lucas said, liking the fact that he had seeded in shutting Tyler''s mouth for the first time.

    "The girl you said has been making passes at you?" Tyler asked and Lucas nodded.

    "Precisely. I''m going to get ready," Lucas said with a smug smile and headed for his room.

    The moment he walked into his room, the smile slid off his face and he picked up his phone. He was relieved to see a text from Sam.

    She suggested they meet up at her ce instead of the library, since she lived alone and she had most of the books rted to their program at her home.

    Lucas felt a flicker of relief, hoping that spending time with someone else would help clear his mind.

    Responding to her text, he asked her to text him her address details and then pushing thoughts of Amy aside, he tried to focus on his morning routine.

    He showered, dressed, and made himself a light breakfast, but his thoughts kept drifting back to Amy.

    He reyed their conversation in his mind, the sound of herughter, the way she smiled in the pictures she sent. The thought of her meeting someone else gnawed at him, and he hated how much it bothered him.

    Just as he finished having breakfast, his phone buzzed and he picked it up expecting a text from Sam but surprisingly it was a text from Amy who he had expected to be asleep.

    [By the way, I lied about meeting someone at the spa. The idea was borrowed from a scene in the ro. I wanted to see your reaction. I''m going to bed now.]

    Lucas'' jaw dropped as he read the text and while he was yet to recover Sam''s text came in, making him scowl at Amy''s text.

    How could she even joke about something like that?

 Chapter 906 Yoga Studio

    Chapter 906 Yoga Studio

    It was barely five in the morning when Jade roused from her restless sleep the next day. She woke up with a heavy heart and a deep feeling of emptiness. She missed Harry. She missed him very much and she missed waking up next to him.

    Although she was thankful for the support she was receiving from her family and friends, they weren''t the ones she wanted. It wasn''t their support she desperately needed. It was Harry''s, and it hurt that the one person she needed most wasn''t willing to be there for her.

    As much as she regretted her action and she understood his reaction, she couldn''t help feeling disappointed.

    This wasn''t what Harry had promised her. He was her man and he was meant to be with her. He was supposed to help her with this not abandon her this way.

    Wasn''t that what love was supposed to be about? She knew for a fact that if the situation was reversed she would never have left Harry to deal with his mess alone.

    Well, she couldn''t always expect others to treat her as she would treat them, she was fast learning this, and if anything, it made her determined to focus on herself. Going forward she was going to put herself first. Not Harry or anyone else. She was going to find a way to heal and grow, even if it meant doing it alone. Jade thought as pushed herself out of bed.

    A nce at her phone showed no new messages from Harry, just as she had expected. Resolutely, she set the phone aside, deciding that today would be about her. No distractions, no interruptions.

    After a quick shower, Jade dressed in a fitted, in white t-shirt, and a high-waisted jeans trouser. She pulled her short hair back into a ponytail and didn''t bother with any makeup.

    Hungry, she headed downstairs with her purse. The house was quiet, since the others were still asleep, and she was grateful for it. Thest thing she wanted was for them to fuss over her.

    She met Samantha in the kitchen, preparing the dough for whatever it was she was making for breakfast, and Samantha smiled when she saw her, "Good morning, Jade. You''re up early."

    "Good morning, Samantha. Can I get something to eat?" She asked politely, and Samantha nodded.

    "Sure. You can wait at the dining while I quickly fix you something," Samantha said, sensing that Jade wasn''t interested in making conversation.

    Jade gave her a nod before going to sit at the dining. Samantha followed shortly with a tray containing a mug of freshly brewed coffee, sugar, and a jar of cream. "You can drink this while you wait."

    "Thank you," Jade said as she proceeded to mix the coffee to her taste.

    As she sipped from the coffee, she thought about her resumption at the office the next day, and also about her amodation issue.

    Now that she was going to be prioritizing herself, she decided that she was going to get her own ce and move out of Tom''s ce. N?v(el)B\\jnn

    It didn''t matter whether Tom and Bryan had rooms for her at their ce. She would visit them and sleep over when she wanted to, but she wanted her own ce where she could live.

    And even after her issue with Harry was resolved, she was going to retain her ce and only visit him when necessary. She was not going to allow anyone have a say in her life anymore.

    Before she moved to Ludus she had been handling her affairs herself, and she was going to resume doing just that.

    She made a mental note to reach out to Aurorater in the day to ask how she moved her stuff down to Ludus, so she could also move hers since she had dyed for long enough.

    Samantha returned with a tray of French toasts, pancakes, and scrambled eggs for her, and after thanking Samantha, she went on to eat.

    As she ate, she took her phone out of her purse and unlocked it. She downloaded the Craig Realty App where she could find avable amodation for rent.

    She scrolled through the app, looking at their various apartments and the rate for the houses.

    After copying out the number of the agent in charge of some of the properties, she booked a cab ride, deciding to start her self-help journey by starting her yoga ss. She hoped it would help clear her mind.

    Finishing her breakfast, she headed toward the front door when she received a notification from that her cab had arrived.

    Adolf walked in through the front door just as Jade got to it, and his eyes widened slightly in surprise at seeing her up and about so early on a Sunday morning.

    "Good morning, Jade. Heading out?"

    "Yes," Jade replied, with a polite smile. "I''m stepping out for a while. Could you let Tom and the others know that they won''t be able to reach me since I''ll be turning off my phone? Tell them not to worry and I''ll be backter in the day."

    Adolf looked concerned but nodded. "Of course. Do you need a ride? I can take you wherever you need to go."

    "Thank you, Adolf, but I''ve already called a cab. It''s waiting outside the gate. I''ll be fine."

    With that, she stepped outside, the cool morning air hitting her face as she jogged down to the gate where the cab was waiting.

    Once she got into the cab, she took out her phone to put it on flight mode, but hesitated for a brief moment, wondering if Harry might try to reach her.

    She quickly dismissed the thought and put it on flight mode, reminding herself that he was the one who asked for a break and so he had no reason to call her.

    The cab ride was quiet. Jade watched the buildings and trees pass by, her mind drifting to the yoga ss she had signed up for. She hoped it would provide some much-needed distraction.

    By the time the cab pulled up to the yoga studio it was 6 A.M, and she was right in time for the first ss of the day. Jade thanked the driver and stepped out, feeling a mix of nerves and anticipation.

    The building was a serene, modern structure withrge windows that let in plenty of natural light. A sign above the entrance read "Revamp Yoga Studio."

    Inside, the reception area was weing, with potted nts and soft music ying in the background. Jade approached the front desk, where a friendly-looking youngdy greeted her.

    "Good morning! How can I help you today?" the woman asked.

    "Hi, I''m Jade Hank. I registered for the beginner''s yoga ss," Jade replied.

    "You''re wee, ma''am. Let me just check you in," the receptionist said, typing on herputer. "You''re all set," she said, and then opened a drawer and gave Jade a card and a key.

    "This is your membership card. With your payment n you''re entitled to fifty sses. Your teacher will sign it off at the end of each ss and you can bring it back to me. This key is for your locker in the changing room. You can keep the key until your subscription expires. You can head to the changing room. You will find it at the end of the hall, to you right. The beginners ss has a sign at the entrance," the receptionist said politely.

    "I paid for some outfits," Jade said and thedy nodded.

    "You will find them in your locker," she exined and Jade gave her a nod before walking away.

    Jade made her way to the changing room and when she opened her locker she found the matching set of softvender leggings and a tank top, which she had paid for online. The fabric was smooth and stretchy, perfect for the morning''s activities.

    After changing, Jade entered the yoga studio, where a few other early risers were already setting up their mats. The room was spacious and filled with natural light, creating a calming atmosphere. Sheid out her mat and took a deep breath, feeling a sense of peace wash over her.

    The ss started with gentle stretches and breathing exercises, gradually moving into more challenging poses. Jade found herself getting lost in the flow of the movements, her mind quieting as she focused on her breath and posture.

    The instructor, a calm andposed youngdy, with a warm presence guided them through the session with a soothing voice.

    Her instructions were clear and encouraging, making even the difficult poses feel achievable. Jade appreciated Sharon''s attentiveness and gentle corrections, which helped her improve her form.

    As the ss came to an end, Sharon led them through a final rxation pose, encouraging everyone to let go of any lingering tension. Jade felt a sense of release, the stress of the past two days melting away.

    After ss, Sharon approached Jade with a friendly smile after signing off the others'' cards. "You did great today. It was your first time here, right?" She asked as she took the card from Jade and signed on it.

    "Yes, it was," Jade replied, feeling more rxed than she had when she woke up. "Thank you for the wonderful ss."

    "I''m d you enjoyed it. I''m Sharon by the way. Sharon Jacobs. I''m the founder here."

    "Oh, you are?" Jade asked, pleasantly surprised.

    Sharon smiled, "I particrly love to take the beginner ss. I enjoy getting o know my new clients and helping them get grounded."

    "Well, that sounds nice. I''m Jade. Jade Hank," she said, shaking hands with Sharon.

    "If you have time, I''d love to grab a coffee and chat," Sharon offered.

    Jade hesitated for a moment, "You grab coffee with all your new clients?" Jade asked and Sharonughed.

    "No. Only the ones that interest me. When you walked in, my brain was like, I''d like her to be my pal," Sharon said and Jade smiled.

    "So, can I buy you coffee?" She asked and Jade nodded.

    "Sure. I don''t see why not," Jade said, since she was open to having new friend and she wasn''t in a hurry to be anywhere.

    After dropping off her card at the reception, they walked to a nearby caf��, where the aroma of freshly brewed coffee and baked goods greeted them.

    Settling into a cozy corner table, they ordered their drinks and began to talk, "So, what brought you to yoga?" Sharon asked, genuinely curious.

    Jade took a sip of hertte, "I thought it would be a nice pastime activity. And I read yoga might help me clear my mind."

    Sharon nodded, her expression understanding. "Yoga has a way of doing that. It''s not just about the physical exercise but also about finding inner peace."

    Jade smiled. "Exactly. I''ve been feeling really losttely, and this ss was the first time in a while that I felt somewhat grounded."

    "Life can be overwhelming," Sharon agreed. "I started practicing yoga after I lost my mom eight years ago. It helped me find bnce and strength when I needed it the most."

    As they continued to talk, sharing more about their lives, Jade found Sharon''s openness refreshing andforting.

    Jade felt lighter after their conversation, and she felt a sense of rity she hadn''t felt in days.

    "Thank you for this, Sharon. I really needed it," Jade said as they stood to leave, grateful for the unexpected friendship.

    "Anytime, Jade. And remember, you''re always wee at the studio. Yoga is a journey, not just a ss," Sharon replied with a warm smile.

    Jade nodded, feeling a renewed sense of determination. She promised herself that she would continue to work on herself, to find her own strength and happiness.

    Instead of heading back home, Jade took a cab and headed for the cinema. She nned to spend the day doing fun things and enjoying her ownpany.

 Chapter 907 Welcome Back

    Chapter 907 Wee Back

    Harry woke up that morning with a sense of purpose. He knew he had to make things right with Jade and he had to do it immediately.

    Ordinarily he would have called her first so they could talk over the phone, but he figured that going over to see her was best.

    That way he could apologize in person and they could discuss how to work on everything else.

    After a quick shower, he dressed up, picked up the engagement ring box and headed out to buy a bouquet of her favorite flowers�� sunflowers. They were bright and cheerful, much like Jade herself.

    Harry drove to Tom''s ce, his mind racing with thoughts of what he would say to Jade. He knew he had handled things poorly and was determined to apologize and show her that he wasmitted to working through their issues together.

    When he arrived, he walked into the house with the flowers in hand, and found Tom, Lucy, Sonia, and Bryan gathered at the dining, having breakfast, but there was no sign of Jade.

    The smell of freshly brewed coffee and cooked eggs filled the air. He hesitated for a moment, then stepped inside.

    "Good morning, everyone," Harry greeted, hiding the bouquet behind him.

    "Harry?" Tom called, surprised, "What are you doing here? I was going toe over after having breakfast."

    "I''m here to see Jade. Is she upstairs?" Harry asked, and Lucy exchanged a nce with Sonia, noting the flowers in his hand.

    "Jade left the house earlier this morning. None of us saw her leave." Tom said, setting down his coffee.

    Harry''s heart sank. "Do you know where she went?"

    Tom shook his head. "I don''t. But she left a message with Adolf before leaving. Let me call him in."

    A momentter, Adolf appeared. "Good morning, Harry."

    "Good morning, Adolf. I understand you saw Jade this morning?"

    "Yes, I did. She told me to let everyone know that she was fine and would be turning off her phone. She said to not worry and she would be backter in the day," Adolf said and Harry''s frown deepened.

    "Her phone is off too?" He asked, pulling out his phone to try her line.

    "Yes, it''s off," Bryan said as they all took note of the flower he was holding since he was no longer hiding his hands behind him.

    When Harry was unable to reach her, he looked at Adolf again, "What time did she leave? How was she dressed when she left? Did she look okay?"

    Adolf nodded, "She around 5:30 a.m. or there about. She looked pretty okay. She was dressed in a tshirt and jeans. She had breakfast and then left."

    Harry''s worry deepened. "I should havee overst night."

    "Sit down, Harry. Have some breakfast," Tom said, gesturing to an empty chair. "You look like you could use it."

    "I''m not hungry," Harry said, though he took the offered seat, feeling a mixture of frustration and helplessness.

    Lucy leaned forward, her voice gentle. "How are you doing, Harry?"

    "Honestly, not very well," Harry admitted, running a hand through his hair. "I realized I made a mistake. I shouldn''t have handled things the way I did."

    Sonia looked at Harry, humbled by his open confession and admittance of wrong. She never would have imagined that such confession woulde easy from a man like Harry.

    It was Bryan who spoke first. "You did the only logical thing, Harry."

    Harry shook his head. "No, the logical thing would have been to be there for my girl, to help her through this. Instead, I left her to handle it on her own. I handled it poorly. She hurt me with her actions, but I shouldn''t have let my emotions get in the way," Harry said, and Lucy and Sonia shared a look.

    "Regardless, the decision you took made Jade determined to help herself. And that''s what matters most," Bryan said and Tom nodded in agreement.

    "That''s true, Harry. But you also need to understand that sometimes stepping back can give someone the space they need to find their own strength. Don''t beat yourself over this," Tom said calmly.

    Harry sighed, appreciating their support and grateful for the understanding and advice from them, but still feeling the weight of his decisions. He knew he had to find Jade and make things right.

    "I take it none of you know where she might be," Harry asked, looking from Lucy to Sonia, and they both shook their heads.

    "Maybe you should give Aurora a call to find out if she''s with her?" Sonia suggested.

    "You''re right," Harry said, and dialed Aurora''s line.

    Almost immediately, Aurora received the call, "Hello, Harry. Phil and I were just talking about calling you guys. Are you back from your vacation?" Aurora asked pleasantly.

    Harry sighed as he deduced that Jade was not with Aurora and neither had she contacted her. "Yes, we are. How are your wedding ns going?" He asked politely.

    "Great! We were just making ns about the couple fishing trip. Do you think you guys will be up for it in two weeks? The wedding is in six weeks time, and we would like to go camping and fishing with you all before then," Aurora said and Harry looked at Tom.

    "I will find out from the others and get back to Philip."

    "Great! By the way, did you call for something?" Aurora asked pleasantly.

    "Yeah. But I already got it. Take care, Aurora. My regards to Philip," Harry said before hanging up.

    "She doesn''t even know we are back," Harry said with a sigh as he rose.

    "Are you leaving?" Lucy asked and he nodded.

    "Yeah. The only ce I think she would have gone at that time is the yoga studio where she registered before our trip. I should go check for her there," Harry said, and Tom rose.

    "I wille with you," Tom offered.

    "You don''t have to. I wille back here to wait for her if I don''t find her there. Enjoy your breakfast," Harry said and Tom gave him a nod.

    "Harry is such a sweet guy," Sonia said as they watched him leave.

    "Yes, he is," Lucy said, her voice resonating with the same admiration in Sonia''s tone.

    "You know I''m sweet too, right?" Bryan asked, and Sonia giggled.

    "Of course. You did something simr, remember? After saying we should break up, you came to find me at Lucy''s," Sonia reminded him. (Chapter 588).

    "He didn''t exactlye to find you. He came over to my ce to talk to me," Lucy said, and both Sonia and Bryan red at her while Tom chuckled.

    "No one asked you," Sonia hissed at her, and Bryan nodded.

    "My heart led me to your ce because it knew Sonia would be there," Bryan said, and Sonia smiled at him while Lucy rolled her eyes.

    "You''re deceiving yourselves. You both can keep telling yourselves that if it makes you happy. With time you will believe your lies," Lucy said and Tomughed.

    "Babe, since Harry is about to makeup with Jade, I think we can go back home now. Lucy is hating on our love," Sonia said and Lucy giggled.

    "I''m not hating. I was only stating facts," Lucy said, but Bryan ignored her as he rose.

    "Let''s go home, baby. Let''s leave the delinquent and the hater," Bryan said and Tom frowned.

    "Why are you dragging me into this when I didn''t even say a word?" Tom asked and Sonia giggled.

    "So, you''re the delinquent?" She asked in amusement and Lucyughed when Tom scowled at her.

    "Sony, are you sure you want to leave without first seeing Harry and Jade make up? I won''t be giving you any updatester," Lucy warned.

    "Is that your way of saying you will miss me and I shouldn''t leave?" Sonia asked with a pout and Lucyughed.

    "I''m not your husband. Leave with him if you want to, but don''t expect any gossip from me," Lucy said and Sonia rolled her eyes. N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "I guess I will stay," Sonia said as she returned to her seat and Bryan shook his head.

    "I should have known better than to believe you''d leave so easily," Bryan said and both Lucy and Tomughed as Sonia turned to scowl at him.

    "Let''s leave the confused guy and his gossip wife alone," Tom said and Lucy rose up to follow him.

    After breakfast they all sat in the Den seeing a movie when Harry returned.

    "She was at the yoga studio earlier but she left shortly before I got there and her phone is still off," Harry informed them with a sigh as he sat down.

    "I guess you''ll have to wait patiently for her to get back then," Lucy said and Harry nodded.

    "I don''t have much of a choice," he said in a resigned tone.

    "Why don''t we catch up on business while you wait? That should keep you distracted and busy," Tom suggested, and Harry nodded.

    "Sure. Let''s do that," he said, and they both excused themselves from the others and headed for Tom''s study.

    Tom spent the next couple of hours bringing him up to speed with all that was going on at the office, and after they were done with work rted issues, they talked about the situation with Mia.

    "I still believe our n is better and takes less time. I don''t have the patience to wait for Mia''s three months n. It''s been three weeks already since she got there and honestly if we hadn''te up with our own n, hers would have been useless. Let''s get Diana and Mia''s parents involved in our ns. I believe she has enough evidence already. If you ask me, I suggest we do to him what we did to Sara and the others," Harry said, and Tom smiled.

    "You mean the public humiliation?"

    "Yes. Mia said the media houses there won''t carry negative news about him, but we''ve purchased two news houses there. Let''s patiently wait for him to make his move and try to move Mia to the asylum. We will make everything happen at once and get it done with," Harry suggested.

    "Nah. I don''t think we should take that risk," Tom said and Harry raised a brow.

    "What do you mean?"

    "We don''t know the full extent of his influence. Let''s not underestimate him. Thest thing I want is for us to expose him that way and get him arrested only for him to be released. What do you think will happen if that happens?" Tom said thoughtfully as he walked over to stand by the window of his study with his back to Harry.

    "So, what do you think we should do?" Harry asked, knowing that Tom had said that because he had a n already.

    Tom was the nner after all, and he was the executor of the ns.

    "I prefer we crush himpletely. Henry is nothing like Sara, Rebekah, or Wilson. I don''t think I can trust thew this time. Not when it involves Henry Rosewood."

    "Are you suggesting we kill him?" Harry asked bluntly and Tom turned to face him.

    "Diana wants to kill him. We will let her kill him. That way she gets her revenge, Mia gets her freedom, and we don''t have to stain our hands. It''s a win for everyone. Henry is scum anyway and he doesn''t deserve to live. We will make him disappear without a trace," Tom said, and Harry nodded thoughtfully.

    "I can''t tell Jade about this," Harry said, and Tom nodded.

    "Yeah. I''m not telling Lucy or Bryan either. Even Mia and Jeff doesn''t have to know about this. Let''s protect them from it," Tom said, and Harry smiled.

    "It''s been a while since I saw you in this form. He must have really pissed you off," Harry said and Tom smirked.

    "He disrespected me and he spoke rudely of you," Tom reminded him.

    Harry chuckled, "Alright. Let''s do it then. Are we telling Diana directly?"

    "I will speak with her again. And I will have Barry send some proof of Henry''s deeds to Mia''s parents, and you can speak to them anonymously to ask them not to confront Henry yet. We will make our move when Henry makes his move on Mia," Tom said and Harry nodded.

    "Alright. Let''s do that."

    "I missed you. Wee back," Tom said, and Harry smiled.

    "I missed work. It''s good to be back," Harry said and Tom chuckled.

 Chapter 908 I Do Need A Break

    Chapter 908 I Do Need A Break

    Jade was in a much better mood by the time her cab pulled up in front of Tom''s gateter in the evening. She walked down the distance from the gate to the house, and as she drew closer, her heart skipped a beat, when she saw one of Harry''s cars parked in front of the house.

    What was he doing here? Was he here to see Tom? She mused.

    Deciding not to let his presence affect her mood orposure, she headed inside, prepared to go directly to her bedroom so she wouldn''t cross paths with him.

    It wasn''t like she had anything against him, but if they were taking a break she didn''t want to see him too often.

    As she approached the stairs, ready to retreat to the sanctuary of her room, Sonia and Lucy emerged from the den, their faces lighting up at the sight of her.

    "Jade, hey!" Sonia called out, a gentle smile on her face.

    "Hi," Jade responded, trying to keep her voice steady.

    "Harry''s been waiting for you all day," Lucy said, her eyes flickering with a mix of curiosity and concern.

    Jade frowned slightly, her steps faltering. "What for?"

    Both women shrugged, almost in unison. "Why don''t you find out? He''s in the den," Lucy added, gesturing with her head.

    Taking a deep breath, Jade turned and walked towards the den, while Lucy and Sonia continued to the kitchen since Sonia needed a snack.

    As she entered, Harry''s eyes lit up when he saw her, and he stood up immediately, holding the bouquet of sunflowers awkwardly in his hands.

    Jade''s heart skipped a beat, a rush of emotions flooding through her. She was still not sure what he was doing there or if she was ready to face him.

    Tom and Bryan, who had been sitting with him, nodded to her before slipping out, giving Jade and Harry some privacy. Jade walked further into the den.

    "Jade," Harry said, his voice gentle and filled with remorse. "Can we talk?"

    Jade took a deep breath, forcing herself to remain calm. "Alright."

    Harry handed her the bouquet. "These are for you."

    Jade took the flowers, their cheerful appearance contrasting with her conflicted emotions. "Thank you. They''re beautiful."

    Harry sat down on the couch, gesturing for Jade to join him. She hesitated for a moment, then took a seat, clutching the bouquet as if it were a lifeline.

    Harry''s gaze softened as he looked at her, but Jade remained guarded. "I heard you were here to see me," she said, her tone neutral.

    "Yes," Harry replied, his voice earnest. "Where have you been all day?"

    "I went to yoga, saw a movie, and had an appointment with a house agent," she said matter-of-factly, watching his reaction closely.

    His brow furrowed in confusion. "A house agent? Why?"

    "Because I''m moving out of here. I''m getting my own ce," she said simply.

    Harry''s brow shot up. "But we agreed��"

    "I don''t need your permission to move, Harry," she interrupted, her voice firm but not harsh.

    He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I know you don''t. And you know that''s not what I mean. But why move so suddenly?"

    "Because I need it," she said, crossing her arms, the sunflowers between them a bright spot in the tense atmosphere. "I need my own space, away from everyone and everything. I want to be alone as I was in Varis before you showed up."

    "C''mon, Jade. We didn''t break up," Harry said, reaching out to touch her, but she instinctively pulled back, maintaining the distance between them.

    Harry sighed, "I came to apologize for the way I handled everything," he began quietly, his voice earnest. "I''m sorry. I realize now that I handled everything wrong. I shouldn''t have left you to deal with this alone," he said softly.

    Jade looked down at the sunflowers, her eyes stinging with unshed tears but she blinked fasting, willing herself not to cry. "It''s fine," she replied, not looking up. "I know I deserved it. I''m sorry for ruining all your efforts and for doubting you. I''m also sorry for acting the way I did."

    "No, you didn''t deserve it," Harry insisted, a pained expression on his face. "I was wrong to hurt you that way regardless of what happened."

    Jade blinked away her tears before looking at him, her gaze unwavering. "I do not hold it against you, Harry. You did what you thought was right for yourself. And it taught me a lot�� to also do what is right for myself. For that, I''m grateful."

    Harry''s heart ached at her words and he dipped his hand into his pocket and took out the engagement ring, "We can work on this together, Jade, we don''t need a break. Let''s do it all together. The therapy��"

    She shook her head slowly. "I do need a break. I didn''t think so before now, and maybe if you hadest night or earlier this morning I would have been overjoyed, but I''ve had enough time to think. I''ve been thinking all day, and I realize that I need this time, Harry. For myself. I have my own issues to work through. So, let''s stick to the break."

    "Jade, are you really going to hold this against me? My feelings were hurt, emotions were high. I am human, Jade, am I not allowed to make mistakes? And even while we were there, didn''t I try to talk to you but wouldn''t even look at me?" Harry asked, sounding hurt.

    "I''m not holding anything against you. I understand everything. Really I do. But yes, I felt abandoned by you. Your words hurt me, Harry. You said you regretted all the time we spent together��."

    "I was upset," Harry cut in.

    "I know. I get it. And honestly, I''m not doing this because I have anything against you. I''m doing this for my own sake. I realize that I should have healed first before trying to move on. I assumed that being single all this time meant it was okay to go into a new rtionship, but that was a mistake. I need to take care of myself. All that clinginess, all that immaturity and insecurity, I don''t want to be that person. I don''t care if you don''t mind me being that way. I don''t care if you love me that way. I don''t love myself that way. I don''t want myself that way. That is not who I want to be. So, I think we should stay apart until I achieve my goal," Jade said firmly.

    Harry wanted to reach out, to hold her and make everything right, but he could see the resolve in her eyes. "I understand," he said softly, though the words tasted bitter on his tongue. "But know that I will be here for you. I''m here for you. Always."

    "Thank you," she whispered, her voice barely audible.

    Jade rose, "I need to go freshen up now, it''s been a long day and I have to prepare for tomorrow," Jade said and Harry rose.

    "Here. Hold on to this," he said, giving her the engagement ring, but she shook her head.

    "I think you should hold on to it. Who knows? You might not want to marry me after I''m done working on myself," she said with a small smile.

    "Don''t say that, Jade," Harry said with a frown.

    "And if you''d still want to marry me after I''m done, I''d still want a proper proposal regardless of the fact that I ruined this one," she said, and Harry nodded.

    "Alright. But even if we don''t get back together right now, can I drive you to your therapy sessions and back? I''d like to do something. Anything. And maybe we can also attend couple counseling together over the weekends. Please," Harry said, and Jade looked at him for a moment.

    "I''d like that," she said, very much to his relief, and Harry nodded.

    "Thanks," Harry said, and Jade shook her head. N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "No, thank you, Harry. Thanks for looking past how I reacted anding to apologize even when you didn''t have to," she said softly.

    Harry gave her a nod, and they both stood there for a moment, staring at each other, "I spoke with Aurora earlier. I thought you might be with her so I called," Harry said and Jade raised a brow.

    "Oh. How is she doing?" She asked, and Harry told her about their discussion.

    "I will give her a callter," Jade said and Harry nodded.

    "I was also at the yoga studio earlier to find you. I figured you might have gone there," Harry said and Jade smiled.

    "You must have been worried," she said, and Harry nodded.

    "I was worried," Harry admitted.

    "I almost feel sorry for turning off my phone," she said and he raised a brow.

    "Almost? You don''t feel sorry?" He asked, and she shook her head.

    "No. I turned it off because I didn''t want to be bothered by anyone and I didn''t want to keep staring at my phone hoping you''d call like I did for most ofst night and the night before. I''ll be off now. Drive safely," Jade said, and without waiting for Harry to say anything else, she walked away carrying the flower with her to her bedroom.

    As Harry watched her leave, he couldn''t help but miss her and wonder just how much she was going to change since she seemed to be changing already. He hoped she wouldn''t change too much, cause he really did love her as she was, apart from the insecure part.

    Tom and Bryan who had been at the dining returned to the den, "How did it go?" Tom asked as they joined him.

    "Did she tell you where she went?" Bryan asked at the same time.

    "She says she doesn''t want to get back together yet until she works on herself. And she wants to move to her own ce," Harry exined as he dipped the ring back into his pocket.

    "Jade said that?" Tom asked, surprised, and Harry nodded.

    "What are you going to do now?" Bryan asked curiously and Harry shrugged.

    "I will let her do her thing and cheer her on while supporting her however I can. She agreed to attend couple counseling with me, and she also said I can drive her to therapy," Harry said and Tom nodded.

    "That''s good enough, I guess," Tom said and Harry nodded in agreement.

    "Yeah."

    Outside the den, as Jade made her way upstairs, Sonia and Lucy who had been hanging around with Tom and Bryan followed her.

    "So, have you both made up?" Sonia asked curiously.

    "We are still taking a break," Jade said simply.

    Lucy frowned, "I thought he came to make up��"

    "He did. But I want the break. It''s me asking for a break now, not Harry," Jade said, and Lucy exchanged a look with Sonia.

    Hadn''t she been the one who was upset about the break? Why was she asking for a break now? They both mused.

    "Why?" Sonia asked in confusion.

    "Because I need it. As much as I''d like to chat, I''m really tired and I need to freshen up and get some rest. Maybe we can chatter after dinner," Jade said, shing them a smile and they both nodded and watched as she walked away to her bedroom.

    "Is it just me or does she seem like a different person?" Sonia asked, and Lucy nodded.

    "Yeah. I expected that she would beughing happily and be all over Harry. I was actually looking forward to seeing the joy on her face," Lucy said, equally bemused.

    "Me too. I wonder what happened," Sonia said with a sigh.

    "Well, the most important thing is that they are both okay with their decision. I hope it all works out fine for them," Lucy said, and Sonia nodded in agreement.

 Chapter 909 I Can’t Do This

    Chapter 909 I Can��t Do This

    As Amy saw a movie on herptop, her eyes kept moving from the screen to her phone, wondering why Lucas had not responded to her texts or called since theyst spoke.

    Was he mad at her? She mused, wondering why he would be mad when she had only been joking to see his reaction, and he had not even shown the least interest.

    She had waited for his call in the morning and when he didn''t call, she had called but he had not even bothered taking her call or returning it all day.

    After thinking for a while, she paused her movie and decided to reach out to him once again. She made up her mind that if he didn''t respond she was just going to let him be.

    Picking up her phone, she typed, [Hey, weekend Buddy. The weekend is almost up and I''m about to go to bed. Are you there?]

    Away from there, Lucas who was in the cab returning home in the morning, nced at his phone when it buzzed with a text notification from Amy and he sighed as he ignored the text, not bothering to read it.

    After receiving the text from Amy the previous day, Lucas had felt a wave of frustration wash over him and he couldn''t stop wondering why she had lied about that in the first ce.

    Saying she had met someone had taken him by surprise and thrown him off bnce, stirring feelings he had been both consciously and unconsciously trying to suppress.

    Determined to prove to himself that he wasn''t interested in Amy, he had gone ahead with his ns to visit Sam since he had set it up already. He needed to convince himself that Amy was only a friend to him.

    Unfortunately, the visit didn''t go as he nned, Lucas thought, recalling what had happened at Sam''s.

    When he arrived at Sam''s apartment, she greeted him warmly, her eyes sparkling with anticipation. They chatted for a while about their program and theing test, exchanging light banter and sharing stories.

    Lucas tried to immerse himself in the moment, to lose himself in thepany of a beautiful woman who seemed genuinely interested in him. However, as the evening progressed and their interaction grew more intimate, Lucas''s mind betrayed him.

    In the heat of the moment, as their lips met and their hands roamed, he found himself thinking of Amy. Her smile, herugh, the way she had grinned during their video call�� all of of it flooded back, unbidden and unwee.

    He found himself wondering what Amy''s lips would taste like and how she would feel in his arms. He tried to push the thoughts away, to focus on Sam and the present moment. But it was no use. Amy was there, a ghost in the room, haunting his every move.

    Then, the slip happened. In a moment of passion, he called Sam by Amy''s name. The words had barely left his lips before he realized his mistake.

    Sam paused, her expression unreadable. For a moment, Lucas feared the worst, that she would be offended or hurt. But instead, she surprised him.

    "It''s okay," she said softly, a smile ying on her lips. "I don''t mind. Feels like a role y," she said with a wink.

    Her reaction only made Lucas feel worse. How could he have let this happen? How could he have let Amy invade this moment? He pulled back, running a hand through his hair, his mind racing.

    "I''m sorry," he said, shaking his head.

    Sam watched him, her eyes filled with curiosity and a hint of amusement. "I really don''t mind."

    "I just... I can''t do this. I thought I could, but I''m not cut out for stuff like this."

    Sam reached out, cing a hand on his arm. "It''s okay, really. We can just talk if you want."

    Relieved and grateful, Lucas nodded. They moved to the couch, and for the next few hours, they talked. It started with small talk about their lives and interests, but gradually, the conversation deepened.

    Sam shared stories about her childhood, her dreams, and her fears. She told him how she had lost the love of her life after their engagement and why the hurt had made her determined never to fall in love or be in a rtionship ever again.

    Lucas found himself opening up as well, sharing things he hadn''t told anyone in a long time. He told her all about Rachel, and when she asked who Amy was, he told her all about their friendship.

    "You do realize that if you''re thinking about her while making out, then she isn''t just a friend to you, right?" Sam asked with a small smile.

    "But that''s all I want her to be. A friend," Lucas said and Sam shook her head.

    "It doesn''t always work that way, darling. I think it''s toote for you to reverse. And if she pulled such a prank, it''s possible she wanted to see your reaction because she likes you too. Just saying," Sam said with a wink.

    After their conversations, they had gone ahead to y games and study together until he slept off, and when he woke up, it was morning.

    As Lucas walked into the house a short whileter, Tyler, who wasfortably settled on the couch in the living room with a steaming mug of coffee, nced up from the morning news and raised an eyebrow.

    "Morning," Lucas greeted as he sank into the couch opposite Tyler, looking somewhat disheveled.

    Lucas had left the house shortly after noon the previous day to meet up with Sam. Tyler had been surprised when Lucas texted to say he wouldn''t being back that night. Now, seeing Lucas, he couldn''t help but wonder what had transpired.

    "Good morning. How was your night?" Tyler asked, trying to gauge Lucas''s mood.

    "It was... fine," Lucas replied, though his weary expression betrayed his words.

    His curiosity piqued, Tyler''s eyes narrowed slightly as he studied Lucas. "I can see that," he said.

    "Would you like some coffee?"

    Without shifting his gaze from the screen, Lucas nodded. Tyler got up, setting his mug down on the table. The soft clink of porcin echoed through the quiet room as he headed to the kitchen. He returned momentster with a fresh mug of coffee for Lucas, handing it to him with a small smile.

    "Thanks," Lucas murmured, taking a sip.

    Tyler settled back into his seat. "So, did you have lots of fun yesterday?" he asked casually.

    "Yep. Loads of it," Lucas responded, but his voicecked enthusiasm.

    Tyler watched Lucas carefully, noticing theck of excitement in his demeanor. "Why don''t you look it though?" he probed.

    Lucas finally looked at him, a hint of irritation in his eyes. "What are you talking about?"

    "For someone who had loads of fun, you don''t seem all that excited," Tyler observed.

    Lucas shrugged. "Well, that''s because I am too exhausted from all the activities of the night to be hyper."

    Tyler chuckled. "So, what is she like?"

    Lucas gave him an incredulous look. "Do you really expect me to answer that? I don''t kiss and tell."

    "I wasn''t asking you to kiss and tell. Is she nice? Is she cool? What kind of a person is she?" Tyler asked easily.

    "She''s okay," Lucas said, not wanting to think about it.

    "If you say so," Tyler said, and pretended to focus on the television but kept sneaking nces at Lucas.

    "I guess the Minister will be released soon," Tyler said after a while, testing Lucas''s attentiveness.

    "Huh?" Lucas turned to Tyler, clearly not following.

    "The Minister they just talked about. I guess he will be released soon," Tyler repeated nodding towards the TV.

    Lucas nodded absently. "Yeah. I guess so."

    Tyler chuckled, shaking his head. "What are you talking about? They didn''t talk about any minister."

    Realization dawned on Lucas, and he red at Tyler. "I''m going to my room," he said, rising from the couch with his mug in his hand.

    "Hold on. Let''s talk before you go," Tyler said, raising a hand to stop him.

    "About what?" Lucas asked, scowling.

    "About you. What''s going on with you? Are you really going to do this friends with benefits thing with this Sam girl? That''s not your thing, Lucas. I don''t think you should��"

    "Tyler, can you please let me be? How do you know what''s my thing or what''s not? What is it to you if I decide that I want it to be my thing? Stop talking to me about Amy or anyone else. Just stay out of my personal business, okay?" Lucas cut in irritably.

    "I wish I could, but I don''t want you to��"

    "You can. Do all you can to stay out of it. Living under your roof doesn''t mean I have to answer to you, does it?" Lucas demanded, his tone sharp.

    Tyler sighed, shaking his head. "No, it doesn''t," he agreed reluctantly. N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "Great. So, please let me be. I''m not in the mood for any of this. Thank you," Lucas said, turning and walking towards his bedroom.

    Tyler watched him go, his heart heavy with concern. He could only hope that Lucas wouldn''t do anything he would regret.

    As Lucas walked into his bedroom, he shut the door behind him, and after dropping the mug on the nightstand, he slumped on the bed.

    He knew that he had been unnecessarily harsh to Tyler, but at the moment his head was banging and all he wanted was to be left alone so he could figure out what to do about his growing feelings for Amy.

 Chapter 910 Stay Put

    Chapter 910 Stay Put

    After Henry and Diana had freshened up in the morning, ready to go to the dining for breakfast, Diana perched on the edge of the luxurious four-poster bed, watching him as he pulled out a suit from his closet.

    "Are you going somewhere today?" She asked, since he had not mentioned any meeting to him and it was Sunday.

    Henry turned to her, a rare, almost tender smile ying on his lips. "Diana, my dear," he began, his voice smooth and authoritative, "I have a surprise for you."

    Diana''s eyes sparkled with anticipation. She straightened up, her elegant silk robe falling in perfect folds around her. "What is it?" she asked, her voice barely concealing her excitement.

    Henry gestured towards the nightstand in his corner of the room. "Open the top drawer and take out the envelope inside," he instructed.

    Diana rose gracefully and glided across the plush carpet to the nightstand. Her heart pounded with expectation.

    She pulled open the drawer and retrieved an envelope. Turning back to Henry, she met his gaze, his smile now more pronounced, filled with a rare warmth.

    "Open it," he urged her softly.

    Diana opened the envelope and pulled out the document within. Her breath caught in her throat, and a gasp of pure joy escaped her lips as she realized what she was holding. "Henry! These are... divorce papers?"

    Henry nodded, his smile never wavering. "Just as I promised, Diana. I''m divorcing Vanessa. We will be able to marry soon."

    Henry smiled as Diana''s eyes filled with tears of happiness for Mia, and she crossed the room in swift strides and threw her arms around Henry, holding him tightly. "Oh, Henry, you don''t know how happy this makes me!" She said, delighted for Mia that she would finally get her freedom and be free from Henry.

    Over thest weeks since her discussion with Mia during their shopping, they had continued to chat as friends whenever they left the house, but indoors she did her best to remain stern and unweing to Mia as she knew Henry wanted her to be.

    Thankfully, with the pregnancy as an excuse, she had been able to keep Henry from leaving her side at any time of the night or day to pay attention to Mia or bother her.

    She had also gotten him to remove the security cameras in Mia''s room saying she was feeling jealous that he had put the cameras there because he was still in love with Mia and wanted to be seeing her at all times.

    Henry held her close, his expression one of satisfaction. "I''m d I could make you this happy. I love you and I want you and our baby to be happy. Bring the document along," he said softly, "We''ll have Vanessa sign them after breakfast."

    With the divorce papers clutched in her hand, Diana felt a surge of triumph. She had seeded in helping Vanessa get a divorce, and she couldn''t wait to see the look of relief on Vanessa''s face. Together, she and Henry made their way to the dining room.

    As they entered the dining room, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee and baked pastries filled the air as Jeff set out the breakfast dishes with practiced efficiency.

    Mia, sitting at her usual ce stole nces at Jeff discreetly while she pretended to be be reading a magazine. She looked up as Henry and Diana walked in.

    Henry took his seat at the head of the table, his gaze immediately falling on Jeff. "Be snappy and get lost," he barked, his toneced with disgust.

    Jeff''s jaw tightened, but he nodded curtly and turned to leave. As he walked away, he heard Henry''s next words, which caused his steps to falter. "Vanessa, you wanted a divorce. I''m granting you one now."

    Jeff''s heart skipped a beat, but he continued walking, careful not to attract suspicion. He knew better than to react openly in front of Henry.

    Mia looked stunned, her gaze flicking to Diana, who wore a triumphant smile. "You have to leave the house," Diana said, her voice sweet but firm. "I want to have my baby in peace, and I don''t want to have a child outside of wedlock."

    She pushed the divorce document across the table to Mia, who took it with a small smile. "Thank you, Henry, Diana. This is a relief."

    "Sign the papers. There''s a pen inside the envelope," Henry asked and Mia took out the pen and signed the papers with a steady hand, her expression one of calm resignation. She handed them back to Diana, who epted them with a gracious nod.

    Henry cleared his throat. "Vanessa, after breakfast we will be going out together. Pack your bags and get ready."

    Diana''s brow furrowed slightly. "Where are you taking her?" she asked, suspicion tinging her voice.

    Henry turned to Diana with a smile. "We have to see thewyer. I want the process to go smoothly and quietly. And after that I need to take her back to her parents and hand her over to them. I don''t think she should remain under my roof when she''s no longer my wife."

    A shadow of doubt crossed Diana''s face, but she chose not to press further. Mia, however, felt a pang of worry.

    She fumbled with her napkin, deliberately knocking over her water ss. It spilled across the table, the liquid spreading quickly as the ss shattered on the floor.

    Henry''s eyes shed with anger, and he made a move to rise, but Diana ced a calming hand on his arm. "Leave it, Henry."

    Henry''s eyes narrowed in annoyance. "Clumsy as ever," he muttered.

    Diana intervened smoothly. "It''s just water, Henry. I will get Margaret toe clean��"

    "I''m sorry. I will get something to clean that up," Mia said before Diana could finish, and hurried out of the dining to the kitchen.

    Henry''s gaze followed Mia''s retreating form before he turned back to his breakfast, a satisfied smirk ying on his lips.

    Mia made her way to the kitchen, her mind racing. "Margaret please get me something to clean the mess I made at the dining. There are ss shards on the floor," Mia said softly as she walked into the kitchen, and the moment Margaret hurried away, she went to the sink, turning her back to the camera is she pretended to wash her hand.

    She took a deep breath, trying to steady herself before speaking. "I don''t know what is going on. Henry is divorcing me and ims he is taking me back to my family," she said, her voice low but urgent.

    Without waiting for a response, she dried her hands and returned to the dining just as Margaret returned.

    Understanding why she hade to tell him that, Jeff set down the tray he was holding and slipped out of the kitchen, his mind racing. He needed to tell Tom about what was happening and find out if he should discreetly follow them or stay put.

    Jeff had managed to find a secluded spot where he could make a quick phone call, and he dialed Tom''s number immediately, feeling sorry that he would be disturbing Tom''s sleep since it was night time in Ludus. N?v(el)B\\jnn

    Tom, who was still awake after a long phone call with Barry, received the call immediately.

    Before Tom could say anything, Jeff spoke in a low, urgent voice. "There''s trouble brewing here. Henry is divorcing Mia and says he is taking her back to her family, but we don''t know that for sure. Should I go with them or stay put?" He asked, and Tom smiled, pleased that Jeff was not letting his emotions control him at the moment.

    "Stay put. He''s not taking her to her home. We know where he is taking her, and you don''t have to worry. She will be okay. Ask her not to worry. We will get her out soon," Tom said calmly.

    "Where is he taking her?" Jeff asked, his mind racing.

    Tom knew if he told Jeff that it was an asylum, Jeff would want to jump in and save Mia, and he couldn''t let Jeff do that, "A building he got to lock her up."

    "He wants to lock her away? Is her family aware of this?" Jeff asked in disbelief.

    "Don''t worry. We have everything under control," Tom assured him, and hung up the call.

    As Jeff returned inside, he couldn''t shake the feeling that something terrible was about to happen, despite Tom''s assurance. But he was determined to do everything in his power to protect Mia and ensure that Henry''s ns didn''te to fruition.

    Meanwhile, at the dining, Mia''s mind was a whirlwind of thoughts as she cleaned up the broken ss.

    "Clean it up quickly," Henry snapped impatiently.

    Mia nodded her hands moving swiftly. As she cleaned, she stole a nce at Henry. His eyes were cold and calcting, a stark reminder of the danger she faced. But she refused to let fear control her. She finished cleaning and returned to the kitchen.

    She handed the ss shards, brush and napkin to Margaret. As Margaret took the items away to the storage room out back, Jeff stood by the sink with his back to the camera, "Tom says you shouldn''t worry and that they''ve got everything under control."

    Hearing that, Mia felt relieved since she hade to trust Tom and Harry. If they could easily get Jeff into the house and find out about Diana, it meant they were keeping their eyes on things.

    Mia returned to the dining, her expressionposed but her mind still racing with ns as she wondered what Henry was up to and what Tom and Harry had nned out.

    She took her seat and picked at her food, her appetite gone, and breakfast continued with an air of forced normalcy.

    Henry nced at her as he rose after breakfast, his expression unreadable. "Go get ready. We will be leaving in thirty minutes," he said, his tone brooking no argument.

    Mia nodded, her heart pounding and she nced at Diana as she rose. "I can''t say I''m sorry to see you go, Vanessa. But I wish you the best and I hope you stay safe," she said, her sincerity clear in her eyes.

    Mia nodded and forced a smile, "Thank you," Vanessa said as she watched Diana walk away with Henry, and she headed for her bedroom to go get ready.

 Chapter 911 No Slipups

    Chapter 911 No Slipups

    Harry stood in front of his bedroom mirror, the events of the day ying out in his mind as he unbuttoned his shirt slowly, preparing for bed.

    He sighed deeply as he thought about Jade''s distant attitude towards him and he told himself that he deserved that for hurting her feelings.

    As Harry slipped into afortable pair of pajamas, he heard his phone vibrate on the nightstand and walked over to pick it up.

    Seeing Candace''s name shing on the screen. His heart skipped a beat as he realized that he hadn''t returned her call since shest reached out.

    He answered the call, his voice tinged with guilt. "Hey. I''m sorry I haven''t gotten back to you."

    Candace''s voice was warm but concerned. "It''s fine. I heard what happened from dad. Have you been able to resolve things with her now?"

    Harry sat down on the edge of his bed, rubbing his temple. "Yeah. We talked things over," he said in a tired voice.

    "Are you okay?" Candace asked, her brows pulled together in concern.

    "Yeah, I''m fine. Just... a lot on my mind. How''s dad, Andy and Jamal?" Harry asked, wanting to change the subject.

    "Everyone is okay. Andy wants to speak with you," Candace said, and Harry heard a shuffling sound on the other end of the line, followed by Andy''s cheerful voice.

    "Hey, Harry! How are you doing?"

    "I''m alright. It''s been a while. How are you doing?" Harry asked, happy to hear from them both.

    "I''m alright. Thought I should let you know I''ming to Ludus within the week," Andy said and Harry straightened up, curiosity piqued.

    "What for?"

    "Two reasons. First, I want to be more proactive in my search for Cassidy. And secondly I also want to discuss my career ns with you," Andy exined.

    "Why are youing to Ludus to search for him?" Harry asked with interest.

    "I remembered he told me something some time ago. He owns club S & G, and since I can''t go to the club here in Sogal, I figured I visit the one in Ludus," she exined.

    "I see. Are youing to the house?" Harry asked thoughtfully.

    "No, I''ll be staying at my own ce. Who knows? He might show up if he knows I''m there. But I''ll definitely drop by your office for us to talk," she replied.

    Harry nodded, even though she couldn''t see him. "That''s fine by me. Just let me know when you arrive."

    "I guess Jamal has gone to bed?" he asked, genuinely interested in his nephew''s well-being.

    Candace''s voice came back on the line, cheerful. "Yes, he has. By the way, did Dad tell you about his woman friend?"

    "He only mentioned it in passing. He refused to give me details. Why? Do you know who she is?" Harry asked excitedly.

    Candaceughed. "I don''t. But you should see him! He always runs off to his room whenever she calls to talk to her in private. It''s hrious."

    Harry chuckled, picturing his father acting like a smitten teenager. "He must like her a lot," Harry said, feeling a warmth spread through him.

    "Yeah. I think so. He''s so happy these days and there''s an extra spring to his steps," Andy supplied from the side.

    Harry grinned, d to hear that their father was finding happiness. "I''m happy to know he''s fine."

    "I was so worried about him going to Ludus, but seeing how happy he is now, I''m so d he did," Candace admitted.

    Harry leaned back against the headboard, a small smile ying on his lips. "I''m d too."

    As they continued talking, Harry''s phone buzzed with an iing call notification. He nced at the screen and saw Tom''s name.

    "Hey, I have an iing call and I need to take it. It''s Tom."

    "Alright, take care, Harry," Candace said, her voice full of warmth and concern.

    "I will call you when I leave for Ludus," Andy added before they hung up.

    "What''s up?" Harry asked the moment he received Tom''s call.

    Tom''s voice was urgent. "I just got off the phone with Jeff. Henry is making is move now. You need to reach out to Mia''s parents at once. Barry has sent the files to them."

    Harry felt a knot tighten in his stomach. "That was quick," Harry said, since they had not expected Henry to make his move so soon.

    "Have you reached out to Diana yet?" Harry asked as he got off the bed.

    "I n to do that immediately we hang up," Tom said and and Harry''s mind raced as he absorbed the information.

    "Okay, I''ll call them right away and get back to you," Harry said before hanging up.

    After ending the call, Harry took a deep breath, the weight of the conversation he was about to have with Mia''s parents heavy on his shoulders.

    He knew they had to handle the situation delicately, for Mia''s sake. Taking a deep breath, he dialed Barry''s number so he would connect him to Mia''s parents.

    Harry walked over to the living room as he waited for Barry to connect the call, and after a few rings, a gruff voice answered.

    "Hello?" Vanessa''s father sounded wary.

    "Hello, Mr. Lawson. Did you receive the package we sent you?" Harry''s voice was steady, masking the tension he felt.

    "Who is this?" the voice demanded,ced with a hint of suspicion.

    "That''s not important," Harry said, his voice steady. "Did you receive the package?"

    Silence hung heavy in the air for a beat too long. Harry could practically hear the man''s confusion churning on the other side. N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "Package? What package?" the man finally asked, a frown etched into his voice.

    Frustration bubbled up in Harry''s chest, threatening to boil over. "The file," he rified, forcing his voice low. "The evidence of how your supposed son-inw ruined yourpany."

    There was a scoff on the other end. "Henry? Nonsense! That boy saved mypany. He''s been a godsend."

    Harry''s jaw clenched. The man''s obliviousness was infuriating. "Take a closer look at those files," he pressed, his voice tight. "You''ll find everything you need to know. Henry, was behind the copse of yourpany. He orchestrated the whole thing."

    "That''s impossible," Mr. Lawson replied, his tone sharp with disbelief. "Henry was my savior. He helped us when we were at our lowest."

    Harry took a deep breath, trying to calm himself, "He isn''t the savior you think he is. Have you taken a look at the documents attached to the file? Please��"

    "Who are you, and why are you telling me this?" the man cut in, suspicion hardening into anger.

    "Who I am doesn''t matter," Harry said, his voice firm. "What matters is that you understand the danger your daughter is in. Henry is not the man you believe him to be. You need to be worried about Vanessa, whom you''ve left with a crazy man."

    A heavy silence descended Harry paused, letting the silence amplify the gravity of his next words. "Tell me," Harry continued, his voice gravelly, "how did Vanessa meet Henry? And why did he marry her? Ask her. Ask her to show you the scars on her back. Then, you might just understand the price your daughter is paying for your misced trust and obsession with money."

    "I... I don''t understand," the man stammered. "This can''t be true. Did Vanessa put you up to this?"

    Urgencyced Harry''s voice as he spoke again, "If you love your daughter and do not want to lose her for real this time, I suggest you do not tell Henry any of this. And most importantly, you should call him now and go over to pay them a visit. Do not wast time��"

    "Wait," the man sputtered, paning his voice. "Who are you doing this for? And what do you want? Is Vanessa really in danger?" His breath hitched. "What do you want me to do?"

    "Call Henry. Tell him you''reing over to see your daughter. But do not, under any circumstances, reveal anything to Henry yet. Bid your time, and you will see Henry for who and what he really is," Harry warned.

    "Alright," he agreed, his voice filled with a mix of determination and confusion.

    Harry knew the seed of doubt was firmly nted. He ended the call with a curt, "Think about your daughter, and act wise and fast."

    Harry sat back on the couch, exhaling deeply. He hoped Vanessa''s father would heed his warning. The stakes were high, and Mia''s safety depended on it.

    On the other end of the call, Mia''s father sat in his study, the phone still pressed to his ear even after the line had gone dead.

    His mind raced with the implications of what he had just heard. Although he still wasn''t entirely convinced that Henry was the monster that had just been painted, he quickly dialed Henry''s number, his heart pounding in his chest.

    "Good morning, Henry. My wife and I areing over to see Vanessa," he said, thinking that there was no harm in taking necessary precaution.

    He would take a closer look at the filester, but for now, he needed to act just in case the caller had been right and Henry had ns of hurting Vanessa for real.

    Henry''s voice was smooth, as always. "Of course, Robert. Is everything alright?"

    "We just want to see our daughter. We haven''t spent time with her since her return," he replied, trying to sound natural.

    Henry hesitated for a moment. "Very well."

    As Henry ended the call, he turned to Mia, who was sitting beside him in the car, her eyes reflecting a mixture of confusion and apprehension.

    "What''s going on?" Mia asked, her voice trembling.

    "Your parents areing over. We need to go back home," Henry said, his tone firm. "And don''t mention the divorce to them, understand?"

    Mia nodded, wondering what was going on and if perhaps Tom and Harry had a hand in this change of ns.

    As they turned the car around, Henry''s mind raced. He needed to be careful. The sudden visit from Robert and his wife was unexpected, and he couldn''t afford any slip-ups.

    He was d that they had called before visiting, else everything would have been a mess had they gone to the house first and met Diana.

    He didn''t want either her parents or Diana to know what he nned to do to Vanessa.

    Back at the mansion, Diana paced around her bedroom, wondering what Henry was up to and hoping Mia would be safe.

    As she paced, her phone rang and she received the call immediately she recognized the untraceable number.

    "I think I made a mistake. I asked Henry to divorce his wife and he made her sign the papers today. But I think he is up to something. He just left with his wife and I don''t think she''s safe," she rambled the moment she received the call.

    "I''m aware," Tom said simply, "Don''t worry, he''s going to bring her back soon."

    "You know so? How? How do you know he will be bringing her back soon?" Diana asked curiously.

    "That isn''t important right now. For now, when he gets back with his wife, her parents are going to visit, mention the divorce in their presence and have her leave with them. That way she will be safe," Tom said, and Diana nodded.

    "Her parents areing over?" She asked with interest.

    "Yes. If you want to keep her safe do that. I''m going to deliver Henry to you on a tter soon to do with him as you please," Tom promised before hanging up.

 Chapter 912 I’m Done With You

    Chapter 912 I��m Done With You

    The front gates of the sprawling estate swung open, and Mia''s parents'' car rolled up the driveway, gravel crunching under the tires.

    The mansion loomed ahead, its pristine fa?ade belying the turmoil within. As they parked, Maria nced at her husband, anxiety etched on her face.

    "Do you think she''s alright?" she asked, her voice trembling.

    Robert had told her all about his phone call with an unknown person, and Maria had told her husband that she believed every word of it, since Vanessa hadined to them in the first year of her marriage that he was hitting her, but they had told her to endure and he would change.

    She had also pointed out that if Henry could use Vanessa of being insane and made him say his own daughter was crazy on television, then she believed there was no end to his cruelty.

    "We''ll find out soon enough," Robert replied, his jaw set. They stepped out of the car, each with a mixture of hope and dread.

    Diana, who had been expecting them since Tom''s call, greeted them at the door with a polite smile, masking her curiosity. "You''re wee. Please,e in."

    Diana led them to the sitting room, "Please, make yourselvesfortable," Diana said and as she turned to leave, Maria stopped her.

    "Please, can you get Vanessa for us?" She asked with a polite smile.

    "Vanessa? I thought you knew, she left the house with Mr Rosewood a while ago. He said he was dropping her off at your home since they are getting a divorce," Diana said and Robert and Maria exchanged a nce, both feeling a sense of unease.

    Having said that, Diana disappeared into the kitchen, where Margaret and Jeff were busy preparing for lunch.

    "Margaret, could you prepare some refreshments for the Lawsons in the sitting room?" Diana asked.

    Margaret, wiping her hands on a towel, looked up with a nod. "Of course. What would you like me to serve?"

    "Some tea and light snacks will be fine," Diana replied. "And Josh, would you mind assisting Margaret with the tray?"

    Jeff had been curious ever since Mika informed them that Mia''s parents had arrived. "Sure, I''ll help," he said, eager to see what was happening.

    Together, they prepared a tray with a teapot, cups, and an assortment of finger sandwiches and pastries. As they entered the sitting room, Robert and Maria looked up, their faces reflecting their inner turmoil.

    "Tea and some snacks. Please, help yourselves." Diana said, as they set the tray down on the coffee table.

    Neither of Mia''s parents were interested in the refreshments, so they stayed put as they waited patiently for Henry to return with their daughter.

    Just as they began lose their patience, the front door opened. Henry and Mia walked in, while Mia''s expression was tensed, Henry''s face tightened with irritation.

    "Mom? Dad? What are you doing here?" Mia asked as her parents rose from their seat and her mother rushed to her side.

    Diana, feigning surprise, stepped forward. "I''m curious about the same thing. Why are Vanessa''s parents here, Henry? I thought you were dropping her off at their house. Did you change your mind about the divorce? Or did theye here to ask you to change your mind? You promised me, Henry."

    Maria and Robert''s heads snapped towards Diana, their expressions a mix of shock and confusion. "Divorce? Who''s getting divorced?" Maria demanded, looking from Diana to Henry and Mia.

    Mia lowered her head, unable to meet her parents'' gaze. Henry shot Diana a disapproving look. "Diana, this is not your concern. Please, excuse us."

    As Diana left, she muttered under her breath, "I hope you take your daughter with you. I have no intention to keep sharing Henry with her."

    Maria and Robert turned to Henry, their faces full of questions. "What is going on here?" Robert asked, his voice stern. "We want an exnation."

    Henry forced a smile, trying to regain control of the situation. "It''s just a misunderstanding. There''s no need to worry."

    Robert''s eyes narrowed. "We want to hear from our daughter. What is happening, Vanessa?" He asked, surprising Mia, who couldn''t believe her father had just asked her opinion.

    Mia remained silent, her eyes fixed on the floor as she made a show of trembling so that both Henry and her parents will believe she was terrified.

    Her mother reached out, taking her hand. "Vanessa,e with me, let''s talk in private while your father speaks with Henry."

    Henry stepped forward, his smile fading. "There''s no need for that. Everything is fine and we can all talk here."

    "You both should go inside while I have a word with Henry," Robert said, his voice firm.

    As Mia made to leave with her mother, Henry grabbed her hand and his grip on her tightened as he smiled at her, warning her with his eyes not to defy him.

    Mia gave him a nod and followed her mother inside to her bedroom. Her mother nced at the cameras mounted on different corners of the ceiling. "I trust there are no cameras in the bathroom. Let''s go into the bathroom," she whispered.

    Mia followed her mother into the bathroom, her heart pounding as she wondered what was going on and why her parents were acting so out of character and drying Henry.

    Inside the bathroom, Maria turned to her daughter, her eyes filled with concern. "I want to see your back. Show me your back."

    Mia''s eyes widened in surprise. "Why do you want to see my back?"

    "Just show me. Please," her mother insisted, her voice trembling with emotion. N?v(el)B\\jnn

    Reluctantly, Mia turned around and lifted her shirt, revealing the scars that marred her skin. Margaret let out a horrified gasp, tears streaming down her face.

    "Oh, Vanessa, why didn''t you tell us?" She asked, and Mia turned to face her mother, her eyes gleaming with anger.

    "Why didn''t I tell you? What did you do when I told you he hit me? What did you do when I told you he whipped my back until I bled and miscarried my baby? What would you have done?" She asked harshly.

    Maria shook her head, her sobs growing louder. "We had no idea it got this bad. When you stoppeding toin I assumed it was because he stopped. How did this happen? How did you meet Henry? Why did he marry you?"

    "Why are you asking me that when you know very well��"

    "The real reason, Vanessa. We need to know the real reason why he wanted to marry you," her mother cut in.

    Mia hesitated, realizing that her parents might have been reached by Tom and Harry, hence the change in their behavior. She wondered what they must have told them.

    Mia went on to tell her mom how she had met Henry and why Henry had married her and was treating her that way.

    As she spoke, her mother pulled her into a tight embrace. "I''m so sorry, Vanessa. We had no idea. We should have been there for you. We should have seen the signs. I should have been a better mother." her mother wept.

    As much as Mia appreciated this, she didn''t have it in her tofort her mother not when she still had a lot of resentment towards her parents.

    Maria wiped her tears, her resolve hardening. "Is it true that Henry wants a divorce?"

    Mia nodded. "Yes. He had me sign the papers this morning. His mistress, Diana, is pregnant," Mia revealed even though she knew Diana''s pregnancy wasn''t real.

    Maria''s eyes widened in shock. "That... that monster."

    Mia nodded, her voice shaking. "He took me out saying he was going to drop me off at the house but when he got a call from Dad, he brought me back. I have no idea what he is up to."

    Maria took her daughter''s hand, her eyes zing with determination. "We''ve had enough. You''reing home with us."

    "Mom, no. I don''t think��"

    "Come with me," her mother cut her off, taking her hand and leading her away.

    They left the bathroom and rejoined Robert and Henry in the living room. Maria stood tall, her voice firm as she faced both her husband and Henry. "Vanessa ising home with us."

    Henry''s eyes narrowed as he rose. "You can''t take her with you. She''s my wife."

    Robert rose and stepped in front of his wife and daughter, "Not anymore. Vanessa ising home with us, and you have no say in the matter," Robert said, his voice cold.

    Seeing her parents being unusually brave, Mia felt a surge of courage. "You were going to drop me off at home, weren''t you? I want to leave with my parents. I''ve signed the divorce papers, so there is no reason for me to remain here."

    "SHUT IT!" Henry roared at her, causing Margaret who was eavesdropping with Mika and Jeff to flinch.

    "You both should go to the car," Robert said to his wife and daughter.

    Now that he was seeing Henry''s true color, he had no doubt that all that he had been told about him was true. He was going to look deeper into the file he received, and God help Henry if he found out that he had a hand in the fall of hispany.

    Henry''s face twisted with rage as Vanessa headed for the door with her mother. "If you take her, I''ll cut you off. Mypany will no longer do business with yours and I''m sure you know what that means."

    Robert met his gaze, unflinching. "Do as you wish. I won''t sacrifice my daughter''s happiness for business anymore."

    Henry''s fury erupted. "Vanessae back here!" He ordered, and she stopped and met his gaze.

    "No, Henry. I''m done with you. Last time I faked my death to leave, but this time I''m walking out through the door." With that, she turned and walked out of the house, her parents following close behind.

    Seeing how his n had been ruined, Henry''s rage boiled over, and he began to destroy everything in the living room, throwing vases and overturning furniture.

    Diana, hearing themotion, stepped out of her room. "Henry, stop!" she cried, trying to calm him down.

    Henry turned on her, his eyes wild. "This is all your fault!" He roared as he stepped towards her.

    Seeing how furious he was, Diana ran back into the bedroom for shelter, locking the door behind her, and deciding to wait for his rage to pass.

    As she shut the door behind her, sheughed silently, happy to see Henry feeling so frustrated.

    Diana wasn''t the only one who was happy. Jeff had a smirk on his face too as he stepped out of the house and went outside to go watch Mia leave with her parents.

    Jeff had no idea what Tom and Harry had done, but he felt d that Mia had such capable people like them in her corner, and he was d that he had trusted them and stayed out.

    Most importantly, he was proud of Mia for standing up for herself the way she had done. He looked forward to how they were going to wrap up this whole thing.

    Outside, Mia climbed into the car with her parents, feeling a mixture of relief and fear. Relief because she was leaving Henry''s house, and fear because she was leaving Jeff behind.

    As they drove away, she looked back at the house and saw Jeff standing there and watching them leave.

    Her mother took her hand. "We''ll get through this, sweetheart. I promise."

    "Don''t worry about him. We won''t let himy his hands on you ever again, and I will make him pay for all he has done," her father promised too.

    Vanessa nodded, not because she had any trust in them or believed that this was the end of her encounter with Henry, but because she trusted Tom and Harry. She knew that this was far from over, but for now, she wasn''t under his roof, and that was all that mattered most to her.

 Chapter 913 Your Attitude

    Chapter 913 Your Attitude

    Jade woke up to shrill cry of her rm clock on Monday morning, yet, instead of the usual groggy resistance, a jolt of pure excitement ripped her from sleep. Today was the day.

    She stretched leisurely, savoring the moment before swinging her legs over the side of the bed and standing up.

    Today wasn''t just any Monday; it was her first day at I-Global, and she couldn''t wait to get back to the office after such a long hiatus.

    Today was going to be the start of something new, and she was ready to meet her new colleagues and dive into her work with fresh energy. The thought of a fresh start, new faces, and the exhrating challenge of proving herself had her practically vibrating with energy.

    Her heart raced with excitement as she walked over to her wardrobe, running her fingers over the array of clothes hanging neatly.

    Today required something special, something that made a statement. Her hand paused on a navy blue pant-suit, stylishly tailored to fit her perfectly. She pulled it out, admiring the sleek lines and the way it exuded confidence and professionalism.

    Not wanting to dwell on anything else but work, Jade quickly went in to freshen up so she would be ready to leave for the office with Tom and Lucy.

    She knew that going back to work would help her all around. She was her most confident when it involved her job, and right now, she needed all the confidence boost in the world.

    As she slipped into the suit, she felt a surge of determination. She wasn''t going to hide under her brothers'' shadows. She was Jade Hank, after all.

    She was going to make a name for herself here in the exact same way she had seeded in Varis and made a name for herself there.

    After a quick nce in the mirror to ensure everything was in ce, Jade grabbed her bag and headed out of her bedroom.

    The smell of freshly brewed coffee wafted through the air as she went down the stairs, and she followed it to the kitchen where she found Tom and Lucy, both equally ready for work.

    "Wow, Jade," Tom whistled, a yful grin spreading across his face. "You look sharp!"

    Lucy, ever the fashionista, appraised her outfit with a discerning eye. "Love the suit! It looks perfect on you. ssic yet stylish. Perfect first impression material."

    Jade smiled, twirling a bit to showcase the elegant fabric. "Thanks, guys. I thought I''d make a good impression on my first day. No need to worry, I won''t let you down on the fashion front."

    Tom chuckled, setting down his coffee mug. "So, are you taking your own car to work today, or do you want to join us?"

    Jade raised an eyebrow and tilted her head, amusement sparkling in her eyes. "Why would I take a different car? We''re all headed to the same ce, right?" She asked as she poured herself some coffee.

    Lucy, ever perceptive, picked up on the unspoken worry. "Just thought maybe... In case you feel ufortable��"

    "Why would I feel ufortable?" Jade asked,pletely lost now.

    "You know, first day and all, some people might get the wrong idea if you showed up with the CEO or think you got the job just because you''re the CEO''s sister." Lucy exined, her tone gentle but concerned.

    Jadeughed, a light, carefree sound. "Even the chief judge here in Ludus admitted that I have an impressive record. Do you know what that means? I''ve worked hard, Lu, harder than most who are older than me. I''ve taken on risky and life threatening cases. I proved myself. I''m here because I want to be here, and anyone who thinks otherwise is a fool, and honestly, I have nothing to prove to a fool. And if they''re so bothered about it, they should go get a job at their own brother''spany," she said, mixing in the cream and sugar into her coffee.

    Tom chuckled, clearly pleased with her confidence. Here was the fiery, independent Jade he knew and loved, back and ready to take on the world. Tom beamed with pride at his sister''s confidence.

    Lucy, too, couldn''t help but admire Jade''s confidence, her own worries easing. "Well said, Jade."

    "Thanks. So? Aren''t we having breakfast before we leave?" Jade asked when she noticed that Tom was merely drinking from a mug of coffee while Lucy was having a ss of juice.

    "Adolf usually delivers our breakfast to the office," Lucy exined.

    "Should I have him deliver yours as well?" Samantha who had been silent the whole time asked.

    "No. I''d rather eat in the car. It''s my first day at work. As much as I don''t care what they think, I don''t want to give anyone the wrong impression," Jade said as she drank from her coffee.

    "Alright," Samantha said as she quickly helped Jade pack her breakfast.

    Once they finished their coffee, they headed to the car. Tom took the wheel, Lucy sat in the passenger seat, and Jade settled in the back, ready to eat her toasts and egg as they drove to the office.

    As Jade ate, she gazed out the window, admiring the city that was bathed in the warm morning sun.

    Tom broke the silence in the car. "So, Jade, I heard you want to move out. Is that true?"

    Jade nodded, her gaze shifting from the window to her brother as she tried to swallow the morsel of food in her mouth. "Yes, it is. I think it''s time for a change."

    Lucy turned in her seat, a hint of concern in her eyes. "Would you like to move into my apartment? I mean, it''s vacant now and you wouldn''t have to worry about the logistics."

    Jade shook her head, a reassuring smile on her face. "Thanks, Lucy, but I don''t need your help. I want my own ce and I want to do this on my own," she exined, and Lucy nodded, understanding perfectly what Jade meant.

    "Do you need me to ask the director in charge of our real estates to find you a ce?" Tom offered.

    "No. I''m on it already. Thanks," Jade insisted, and Tom exchanged a look with Lucy who simply shrugged.

    "What about the therapy?" Tom asked curiously.

    "I already reached out to the therapist yesterday. I booked a session with her for tomorrow. I didn''t want to start work today and do that today as well," Jade exined and Tom nodded.

    "That''s fine," Tom said and they settled in silence again as Jade ate.

    "How''s it going with Mia''s case?" Jade asked curiously after she was done eating.

    "She moved out of Henry''s ce," Tom said and Jade raised a brow.

    "So soon? How did it happen?" She asked, and Tom intimated her with all the details.

    "Don''t you think he might find a way to hurt her now that she defied him directly?" Jade asked with concern.

    "We have our eyes on him. He won''t be able to hurt her, don''t worry," Tom said confidently as he stopped the car in front of thepany.

    Jade felt a surge of excitement as she got out of the car, and Tom got out too and handed the car key to one of the security men to take the car to his private parking lot.

    As they walked in, they spotted Harry who had walked in a while ago and was walking ahead of them. Jade''s heart skipped a beat, but she maintained herposure and smiled at him.

    "Harry," Tom called out to Harry, and he turned.

    His heart skipped a beat when he saw Jade and met her gaze. Jade shed him a smile as they drew closer to him.

    "Good morning, Harry! How are you doing?" she asked, her voice cheerful.

    Harry, caught off guard by her friendly greeting, blinked in surprise. Should he be worried about this friendly Jade? Or relieved that the frost between them seemed to be thawing?

    "Good morning, Jade. I''m okay. How are you?" Harry asked, trying to regain hisposure.

    "Great, thanks! Starting a new chapter today," she replied, her smile unwavering. "You have a good day, alright?"

    She turned to Tom and Lucy who were staring at them both, "I''m off. Have a good day," Jade said with a wave before walking away.

    Harry watched her go, then turned to Tom and Lucy. "What was that?" he asked with a frown.

    Lucy raised a brow, her expression neutral. "What was what?" She asked, not seeing anything wrong in what Jade had done.

    "Is it just me or did you see what I''m talking about?" Harry asked Tom since he believed Tom would understand him better.

    Tom chuckled, amused by the exchange, "I did. Would you have preferred if she was cold?" He asked, and Lucy resisted the urge to roll her eyes at them both.

    "I''m off," Lucy said as she leaned in to kiss Tom on the cheek. "Have a nice day you two," she said to them both before heading to the elevator.

    "Wait up. I don''t see why the hurry when we are all taking the elevator," Tom said as he and Harry followed.

    Lucy joined Jade in the elevator, and before the doors could close, Tom and Harry stepped inside too.

    Although Jade could feel Harry''s gaze on her, she didn''t spare him a nce as she busied with her phone and once the elevator door opened at her floor, she got out of the elevator, and Harry got out with her to Tom''a amusement.

    "Jade," he called before she could walk away and she looked at him.

    "Yes, Harry?" She asked with a friendly smile.

    "What are you doing?" He asked and she shook her head.

    "Like what?"

    "Your attitude."

    "What about it?" She asked, and his brows pulled together.

    He didn''t know how to exin it, but he wasn''tfortable, "Why are you being so friendly?"

    "Friendly? You were the one who said we didn''t have to be enemies��"

    "And you said you couldn''t," he reminded her.

    "So, you''d rather I act like we are enemies? At work?" She asked, and he shook his head.

    "No. That''s not what I mean," Harry said, while Jade stared at him patiently like she had all the time in the world. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "Make up your mind, Harry. And let me know what you decide when you''re done," she said with a small smile, and squeezed his hand gently before walking away.

    As Jade walked away, the smile slid off her face and she took a deep breath. She wished he knew just how hard seeing him was, and how she was trying her best to stay away from him until she was confident that she could be with him without any of those unhealthy feelings cropping up and getting in the way.

 Chapter 914 That Hurt A Lot

    Chapter 914 That Hurt A Lot

    As Harry walked briskly to his office, his mind swirled with thoughts of Jade. He couldn''t shake the unease he felt after their brief exchange.

    As he reached Tom''s office, he knocked twice before stepping in.

    Tom looked up from his desk, his expression a mix of curiosity and concern. "How did it go with Jade?" he asked, leaning back in his chair.

    Harry sighed deeply, rubbing his eyes. "I don''t know, Tom. I just don''t know."

    Tom gestured for Harry to take a seat. "You said you were going to support her decision, remember?"

    "And I meant it. I do support her," Harry said, frustration evident in his voice. "But I don''t understand why she''s acting this way."

    "What way?" Tom asked, his brow furrowing.

    "I can''t exin it," Harry admitted, shaking his head. "She''s struggling with the distance between us between us, I know it, but she''s pretending to be okay. She''s keeping me at arm''s length, and it''s driving me crazy. Why is she still doing this even after I apologized and asked that we go back to how things were before? Even if she doesn''t want us to go back to our rtionship yet, can we just be cool?"

    Tom nodded slowly, absorbing Harry''s words. "Give her some time, Harry. Just be patient. I''m sure she wille around soon."

    Harry sighed again, a weary sound that spoke volumes. "I know she wille around eventually, but it''s hard to be patient. As a matter of fact, I''ve run out of patience."

    "I get it," Tom said sympathetically. "Right from childhood Jade has always been the sensitive type. She easily withdraws into her shell at the slightest threat of anything that hurts her feelings. So, maybe you''d like to be more careful in the future."

    "This has taught me, I guess."

    Do you want us to talk about business? Perhaps it will distract you?" Tom suggested.

    Harry took a deep breath, "Yeah. Let''s do that. I need a distraction," Harry said, trying to push his personal feelings aside.

    After thirty minutes, they both decided it wasn''t working, so Tom asked Harry to get out of his office and go find a way to take care of his problem.

    Meanwhile, Jade was settling into her new office in the legal unit. Her office was spacious and modern, with floor-to-ceiling windows that offered a stunning view of the city, with arge mahogany desk dominating the center of the room.

    As she tried to organize herself and settle in, a soft knock on the door drew her attention. She looked up to see Dame, her new assistant, standing hesitantly at the threshold.

    "I''m sorry to bother you, Ms. Hank," she greeted with a warm smile. "I just wanted to check if you need anything."

    "Please, call me Jade. And no, I''m good for now. Just getting settled." Jade replied, returning the smile.

    "Alright, Jade. If you need anything, don''t hesitate to ask," Dame said before stepping back out.

    Jade appreciated the gesture. She knew that building a good rapport with her team was crucial, and Dame seemed like a good person to have by her side.

    As she continued to organize her office, Jade''s thoughts drifted to her new colleagues. She was eager to meet them, to understand the dynamics of the team, and to find her ce within it.

    Around mid-morning, Jade decided to take a break and explore the office. She walked through the halls, observing the bustling activity. People moved with purpose, their conversations were a blend of professional jargon and casual banter. She smiled at a few who nodded in her direction, feeling a sense of belonging beginning to take root.

    A middle-aged woman with short, curly hair stepped forward, extending her hand. "Wee, Jade. I''m Jenny, head of the legal team. It''s great to have you with us."

    She made her way to the legal department''smon area, a bright and airy space withfortable seating and a coffee station. A few of her new colleagues were gathered there, engaged in animated discussion.

    As Jade approached them, her presence drew their attention.

    "Hi, I''m Jade Hank," she introduced herself with a confident smile. "I just started today."

    A middle-aged woman with short, curly hair stepped forward, extending her hand. "Wee, Jade. I''m Jenny, head of the legal team. It''s great to have you with us."

    "Thank you, ma''am. I''m excited to be here," Jade replied, shaking her hand.

    "Jenny is just fine," she corrected and Jade nodded. N?v(el)B\\jnn

    The others introduced themselves in turn, and she smiled when Samson introduced himself, recognizing him from the anniversary party as the guy who had approached Candace.

    Soon Jade found herself immersed in conversation. They talked about their current projects, shared a few office anecdotes, and made ns for a team lunchter in the week.

    Jade felt a warmth spread through her as she realized she was already starting to connect with her new team.

    As they all returned to their offices, Jenny invited Jade to her office, and Jade followed, hoping that now she would receive her tasks.

    Once they walked into the office, Jenny turned to her, "I take it you''re here to work, yes?" She asked, and Jade frowned.

    "Why else would I be here if not to work?" Jade asked in confusion.

    Thedy shrugged, "I just needed to confirm. With your brother and your man being the CEOs, I wasn''t sure what to do when I heard you were joining us, especially since they both specifically asked me separately not to give you any dangerous or tedious tasks," she said, and Jade frowned.

    "They did?"

    "Yes. And I''m not saying this because I''m upset or because I disapprove. Do not get me wrong. I just want to know if you share the same sentiments with them. They might be my superiors, but you are still my subordinate, and I do not like it when men tell women what to do," she said and Jade smiled.

    "So, if you want to juste to the office, sit down, and stare at your nails in admiration, let me know so I don''t bother you with any serious assignments," Jenny said and Jade decided that she liked her straight-to-the-point attitude.

    "I''m here to work, Jenny, and to work hard. I made a name for myself and worked too hard in Varis toe here and be mediocre. And I also do not like men telling me what to do especially when ites to my career. The only reason I moved here was because I wanted to be closer to my family, and I was tired of my former workce. So, please help me," Jade said and Jenny nodded.

    "Alright then. Do not expect me to treat you specially though. I expect you to be punctual and to put in your best as everyone else does," she said, and Jade smiled.

    "And you won''t get anything less," Jade promised and Jenny nodded with approval.

    "From your details which were submitted, I see that you''ve been practicing criminalw," she said, and Jade nodded.

    "That''s right."

    "Alright then. We will start with the easy ones and ease you slowly into how things are done here. And now that I-Global has an entertainment subsidiary, maybe you''ll have to be the legal representative of some of them," she said, and when Jade nodded, Jenny gave her some case files before dismissing her.

    Returning to her office, Jade felt a renewed sense of purpose as she sat down at her desk and began reviewing the case files she had been given.

    She knew that making the move from being a criminalwyer to a corporatewyer was going to be a tedious process, but she was d now that she had taken the time to specialize in both areas.

    Hours passed as Jade lost herself in her work. She analyzed contracts, drafted legal opinions, and prepared for uing meetings.

    Her legal mind was sharp, and she navigated through theplexities with ease. It was in these moments, buried in the details of a case, that she felt most alive and confident.

    Jade raised her head when a knock sounded on her door, and she was surprised when Harry walked in.

    "Harry," she said, not bothering to hide her surprise.

    "Not entirely. I''m waiting to move my stuff over. My books and�� talking about moving my stuff, I need to give Aurora a call," she said and Harry watched her, amazed at how different she looked seated behind her desk.

    "I see you''ve settled in," he said stopping in the middle of the office as he looked around her office wanting to make sure everything was in ce and it was okay for her.

    "Not entirely. I''m waiting to move my stuff over. My books and�� talking about moving my stuff, I need to give Aurora a call," she said and Harry watched her, amazed at how different she looked seated behind her desk.

    He had seen her in her work mode several times in the past and had even worked with her and been a sounding board for her, but seeing her dressed this way and behind a desk hit differently.

    "What? Is there something on my face?" Jade asked when she noticed the grin on Harry''s face.

    "You''re glowing," he said, and she grinned.

    "Am I?" She asked, momentarily forgetting the emotional distance she had created between them.

    "Yeah. And it''s beautiful to see you this way. It''s a first for me," he said and she nodded.

    "I guess so," she said as she watched him.

    "What brings you to my office, boss?" She asked, and Harry met her gaze.

    "I came to see how MY WOMAN, has settled in," he said, emphasizing that part.

    Jade sighed, "Harry��"

    "No, you listen Jade. I''m doing my best here. Yes, I made a mistake and hurt you unintentionally because I was hurting too, but I have apologized for it. And I won''t keep letting you push me away this way. I want to be patient with you as I''ve always been, but I''ve ran out of patience. You want to work on yourself? That''s fine by me, but I won''t let you keep up with this thing you''re doing��"

    "This thing I''m doing?" Jade asked with a raised brow.

    "Yes. This thing you''re doing. Life''s short, Jade. Too short for us to be doing what makes us unhappy. If you''re eventually going to be with me after working this out, then why not just be with me, and let''s work it out together? We don''t know if we have thirty years, twenty, or even just a year together. What if you''re told that I''m dying or suffering from a terminal disease right now? Will you still keep this up? I could drop dead in a year��"

    "Shut up, Jonas. No one is dropping dead or having any diseases," Jade said, not wanting to imagine the picture he was painting.

    "Maybe not. But you get the point, right? I''ve been out of my mind all day unable to focus on work. And you know how much I love work, right? But right now I love you even far more than I love my job," Harry said and Jade felt butterflies flutter in her stomach.

    She cleared her throat, "Why are you telling me all this in the middle of work?" She asked weakly.

    "You said I should let you know when I make up my mind. This is me doing that. Stop with the attitude. You can move into your own ce if that''s what you really want, and you don''t have to visit me if you don''t want to. I will visit you, take you out on proper dates, and drive you to and from your therapy sessions, and we can go on couple counseling together and have lunch together during lunch breaks when either of us is not too busy. I want to do all of that with you, so, can you please stop frustrating me? I need to be in a good emotional state to function properly and right now I''m unable to do it. So, can youpromise and meet me in the middle?" He asked, still standing where he was.

    "Are you saying all that simply because you need to be in a good emotional state to function at work?" She asked, and when Harry red at her, she pressed her lips together to keep fromughing.

    As Jade rose from her seat, she cursed herself for being weak as she walked up to him, and when she stopped in front of him, she shrugged, "I''m in the middle now, so what?"

    "You''re in the middle?" Harry asked, and when she shrugged, he narrowed his eyes.

    "Prove it."

    "How?" She asked, and Harry smiled.

    "Hug me and kiss me," he said, and she rolled her eyes as she embraced him.

    Harry let out a deep breath as he wrapped his arms around her, feeling very relieved that she had listened.

    As they pulled apart, Jade met his gaze, "Never threaten me with a breakup or say you regret doing anything with me. That hurt a lot," she said, tears gathering in her eyes.

    Harry nodded as he cupped her face with his hands, "I''m sorry. I lost my mind when I saw your packed bags," he said and she nodded.

    "I won''t do that ever again. I will fight out whatever with you instead of packing up," she promised and Harry nodded as he leaned forward, touching his forehead to hers.

    "I love you, esquire. I love you so damned much and too much. I would never hurt you intentionally. I''m sorry I didn''t put much thought into the proposal n and I left room for you to misunderstand things. I promise to do better going forward," he said and she smiled.

    "I''m sorry for not trusting you enough too and for everything I said," she said and Harry nodded.

    "Can we forget it all now?" He asked, she nodded.

    "Yes. Let''s move on. I don''t want us to go back to how things were. I want us to be better, for ourselves and for each other," she said, and Harry nodded.

    "Let''s do that," he agreed, and they sealed it with a kiss.

 Chapter 915 I Miss You.

    Chapter 915 I Miss You.

    The Rosewood mansion settled into a tense quiet as the rumble of Henry''s departing car faded into the distance.

    It was almost midnight and Henry had been on a destruction rampage all day, yelling and destroying things while everyone cowered in fear.

    Now that he had left, Jeff, Margaret, and Mika, stood amidst the wreckage, looking around the debris-strewn living room.

    As Margaret and Mika set to work to clean up the living room, Jeff stood aside as he surveyed the scene of Henry''s tantrum�C a brokenmp, shattered vases, shattered ss table, cushions disemboweled spewing their innards onto the rug, toppled coffee stools.

    Each broken piece on the floor seemed to hold a silent echo of the events that transpired earlier in the day.

    "Aren''t you going to help?" Mika asked, and Jeff nced at him.

    "That doesn''t fit my job description. I was employed to cook, not clean after the boss'' mess. I''m off to bed," he said, tucking his hands into his pockets as he walked away.

    A whirlwind of emotions swirled within him as he headed for the servant quarter as Henry called it.

    Relief warred with a gnawing worry. Relief that Mia was finally out of Henry''s grasp, worry for her safety now that she was out of his sight and he had no idea what kind of stunt Henry would pull next.

    As he walked into his tiny room, he reyed the events of the day in his mind as he freshened up and changed into his pajamas.

    The confrontation in the living room between Mia''s parents and Henry. Their unexpected courage had been exhrating. He had seen the shock on Henry''s face when her father said he didn''t mind not doing business with him anymore.

    He sat on the edge of the bed, and smiled to himself, thinking about Mia''s bravery. He had watched her stand up to Henry, a man who thrived on intimidation, and it had been nothing short of inspiring.

    He had seen the raw defiance in Mia''s eyes, the fear masked by her resolve. Jeff reyed the scene in his mind, reliving the surge of protectiveness that had washed over him as he witnessed Henry''s unreasonable possessiveness.

    A smirk twitched on Jeff''s lips. Henry, the powerful, reduced to a petnt child throwing a fit. It was a strangely empowering sight.

    In all, he couldn''t shake the image of Mia''s departure, her face a mixture of relief and trepidation. He hoped she was safe, finally away from Henry''s oppressive presence.

    Lost in his thoughts, the sudden shrill of his phone startled him. He picked it up and hesitated when he saw the unfamiliar number shing on the screen, but something urged him to answer.

    "Hello?" he said cautiously.

    "Jeff? It''s Mia. How are you doing?" she asked softly.

    Relief washed over him, warm and immediate, and he couldn''t help but smile. "How are you? I should be asking how you''re doing," Jeff said as he rose and walked into the bathroom, turning on the shower.

    "I''m fine," she assured him, putting his worries to rest.

    "I''m so sorry I couldn''t call sooner. I''ve been busy talking with my parents, and my mom wouldn''t let me out of her sight, and I could only call you now because she''s asleep. This is actually her phone," Mia exined.

    Jeff leaned back against the wall,forted by the sound of her voice. "It''s fine. I''m just so d you called. Is it okay to call from her phone, though?"

    "Yes, but I''m getting a phone for myself tomorrow. I just wanted to reach out and let you know I''m okay," she exined.

    "It''s alright. I''m d you''re fine. And you did good earlier," he said and Mia sighed.

    "Whatever he ns, I believe Tom and Harry will always be a step ahead of him," Jeff said confidently.

    "I was so scared, Jeff. For a moment there, I thought he might��" She didn''t finish the sentence, but the unspoken fear hung heavy in the air.

    Jeff closed his eyes, picturing Henry''s rage-contorted face. "I worried about that too, but your father wouldn''t have let him touch you. That I am sure of."

    "Yea. He didn''t, thanks to my parents," Mia said, "But this isn''t over. I know Henry. He''s going to find a way to get to me again," Mia said, sounding more resigned to the idea; than scared.

    "Whatever he ns, I believe Tom and Harry will always be a step ahead of him," Jeff said confidently.

    "True. I''ve realized that I underestimated them," Mia admitted. "How are things over there?"

    Jeff sighed, ncing around the bathroom as if Henry might burst in at any moment. "He was so furious after you left. He was on a destructive rampage for hours and tore up the living room. He left a short while ago. Margaret and Mika are still busy cleaning up the mess he made. The house feels tense, more like a storm waiting to break."

    He could almost hear her gasp. "Oh no. Is Diana alright?" Mia asked, knowing that he would most likely turn on Diana since he always transferred his aggression to her when things didn''t go his way, and in this case, he might me Diana for saying all she did to her parents.

    A flicker of surprise coursed through Jeff. Concern for Diana, even in this situation, spoke volumes about Mia''s character.

    "She locked herself up in her room when he tried to attack her. She hadn''t stepped out since then. She''s probably waiting for his fury to pass," Jeff replied.

    "I''m worried about her," Mia confessed. "Please keep an eye on her, Jeff. Just in case."

    The sincerity in her voice tugged at his heart. "I''ll keep an eye on her, don''t worry," Jeff promised.

    "Thank you, Jeff," Mia said, wondering what she did to deserve Jeff''s affection.

    "Always. By the way, your parents...they were amazing today. It was like watching a miracle unfold," Jeff said, and Mia''s heart swelled with pride.

    "I know right? I think Tom and Harry reached out to them and convinced them that Henry wasn''t who they believed him to be. Also, they''ve decided to go public with news of the divorce," Mia said. "That way, Henry can''t back out of it. My dad ns to say Henry made him say I was mentally unstable. All that''s left now is to find the right people to cover the news," Mia confided.

    "That''s brilliant," Jeff said, feeling a surge of optimism. "And I don''t think that should be a problem. Tom and Harry can make it happen if you want it. But don''t let your parents go ahead with it without first hearing from Tom and Harry," Jeff advised.

    "Yeah. You''re right. I n on giving them a call after I get a phone tomorrow. I need to know what they are nning now since it is obvious my n failed. In the meantime, I''m d that I''m not under Henry''s roof anymore."

    "Me too," Jeff said.

    "How much longer do you think this will take? When are you leaving there?" Mia asked, hoping he would be leaving the next day.

    "That depends on whatever Tom and Harry have nned out."

    "I hope you leave soon," Mia said, not wanting him to be there any longer than was necessary.

    "All that matters to me is that you''re out of here now. Besides, I don''t think it''s wise that I leave immediately after you. That would raise suspicions. And I''d rather leave after he has been taken care of. That way I can keep an eye on things from here. Don''t worry about me. I''ll be fine."

    "I miss you," she whispered.

    Jeff smiled, though she couldn''t see him, "What do you miss about me?" He asked curiously.

    "Cooking with you, eating with you, ying games with you, working with you, and lying with you on the same bed," she said, and he grinned.

    "That''s a lot," he joked, and she giggled.

    A low murmur reached his ears, followed by a "Okay, Mom." N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "Sorry," she apologized in a hushed voice. "Gotta go. My mom''s awake."

    He could hear the smile in her voice. "Don''t worry," he said. "Stay safe, Mia."

    "You too, Jeff. Don''t take unnecessary risks," she warned before hanging up.

    Done with the phone call, Jeff walked out of the bathroom, and room, deciding to go check on Diana before going to bed, since he had promised to keep an eye on her.

    He knocked on the door once, "Are you alright, ma''am? It''s Josh," Jeff called softly as he knocked.

    Diana walked over to the door and opened it a crack, peering out, "Is there a problem?" She asked as she looked him over, wondering why he was at her door dressed in pajamas.

    "No, ma''am. I was going to bed and decided to see if you needed anything. You didn''te out for dinner, and Mr Rosewood left the house," Jeff exined and she raised a brow.

    "He left? When?" Diana asked as she opened the door wider and stepped out.

    "About an hour ago," Jeff exined.

    "Thanks for letting me know. You can go to bed. I''ll sort myself out," Diana said, and seeing that she was okay, Jeff gave her a nod before walking away.

    Diana walked into the living room to see Margaret and Mika finishing up, and when they saw her, they gave her polite nods, both inwardly ming her for all the mess, since they had no idea exactly what was going on.

    Diana took a deep breath as she surveyed the living room. She couldn''t begin to imagine how obsessed he must be with Vanessa for him to have gone berserk in that manner because she left.

    She knew that she had taken a big risk by doing what she had done, and if she wasn''t careful, Henry would turn on her soon.

    She could only hope now that the man who had asked her to do it, would deliver Henry to her as he had promised, else she would have no other choice but to poison Henry to death or kill him in his sleep if he so much asid a hand on her as he had been about to do earlier.

 Chapter 916 Housewarming Party

    Chapter 916 Housewarming Party

    Two Weeks Later

    The day dawned bright and warm, a perfect Saturday morning for moving. Harry had been at Tom''s ce since early in the morning to help Jade pack thest of her belongings.

    Cardboard boxes, taped andbeled, were stacked outside the front door, and the faint sound of rustling echoed through the house as Jade and Harry made final preparations.

    Her stuff had been delivered from Varis earlier in the week but had been brought down to Tom''s ce because her new ce had been undergoing maintenance.

    "Are you sure you''ve got everything?" Tom asked, hoisting a boxbeled "Kitchen" into his arms.

    Jade nced around the now-bare bedroom, memories of the past few weeks flitting through her mind. She gave a firm nod. "Yeah, I think so. Thanks for helping, Tom."

    Tom gave her a reassuring smile. "It''s nothing. Sorry, I can''te with you to see your new ce. I have an important meeting with some shareholders," Tom said as he headed for the door and she followed.

    "It''s fine. You can always visit whenever. And I have Harry with me to help lift the heavy stuff," Jade assured him.

    "Give my love to Lucy," Jade said, since Lucy had spent the night at Sonia''s ce and wasn''t back yet.

    "Sure. Let me know if you need anything," Tom said, and as they stepped outside, they met Harry and Adolf who were organizing the stuff into the car.

    "I suppose that is thest box?" Harry asked, and Jade gave him a nod.

    "Let''s get it loaded up," Harry said and Adolf took the box from Tom and carefully ced it in the car trunk before they shut it.

    "I''m ready to leave," she said as she got into the car, excited about being in her own space now.

    After her Yoga ss a week ago, she had mentioned to Sharon that she was trying to get a ce and all the ces she had seen weren''t exactly what she was looking for. Sharon had then told her that she had a vacant apartment on top of the Yoga studio and asked if Jade would like to check it out.

    Jade had taken one look at the space which was beside Sharon''s apartment and decided that she wanted there to be her ce. Aside from the fact that the ce looked really nice, it was a convenient location and she had been excited about the ce since the lease was signed.

    Sharon promised to have the ce ready by the weekend for her to move in, and here they were now.

    With the car packed to the brim, Harry and Jade set off for her new apartment. The drive was filled with light-hearted banter and the hum of the radio, a mix of pop tunes ying softly in the background.

    "Thanks for going through the stress, Jonas, even though you really didn''t want me to move," Jade said after some time.

    Harry sighed, "No problem. Just promise me you''ll keep this new ce cleaner than thest one."

    Jade rolled her eyes and smirked. "I''ll try, but don''t hold your breath," she said and Harry chuckled.

    "I n to get a cleaner since I''ll be too busy for that, and honestly, it''s really not my thing," Jade said and he chuckled, shaking his head.

    "Want me to talk to my cleaner? She can take care of your ce. She is pretty good," he offered.

    "I''ve seen how well she takes care of your ce. You can give me her number and I''ll talk to her myself," Jade said and Harry nodded.

    As they pulled up to the building, Jade spotted Sharon, her yoga instructor, friend, and nowndlord, waiting by the entrance.

    "Sharon!" Jade called out, stepping out of the car. She waved, a broad smile spreading across her face.

    Sharon approached them a wide grin on her face. "For a moment there, I thought you changed your mind about moving today. Wee to your new home!"

    "Thank you, Sharon," Jade said and then turned to Harry. "Harry, this is Sharon. Sharon, this is my boyfriend, Harry," Jade said, and Sharon wiggled her brows at Harry yfully before extending a hand to Harry.

    "Nice to meet you, Harry. We met brieflyst time you came to the studio looking for Jade."

    Harry shook her hand, smiling. "Yes, I remember. Good to see you again."

    "Come on, let''s get you settled," Sharon said, gesturing toward the stairs. "I''ve got the keys ready."

    They hauled the boxes up the narrow staircase, the steps creaking slightly under their weight. Jade''s apartment was a charming loft withrge windows that let in plenty of natural light. The wooden floors gleamed and were freshly polished, and the open floor n gave the space a spacious feel.

    A cozy living area with arge, plush sofa which thest upant had left was situated near the windows, with a small kitchen area to the side,plete with modern appliances and a breakfast bar. Adder led up to a mezzanine level where a bed was set up, overlooking the living space below.

    "This ce is amazing," Harry confessed, setting down a boxbeled "Books" on the kitchen counter.

    Jade beamed, ncing around. "I know, right? I can''t wait to get settled in."

    As they were arranging the boxes, the sound of footsteps echoed up the stairs, followed by familiar voices.

    "Surprise!" Lucy, Sonia, Andy, and Aurora called out in unison, appearing at the doorway with wide grins and arms full of groceries and gift bags.

    Jade''s eyes widened in delight. "Oh my gosh! What are you all doing here? How did you locate this ce?"

    "We came to help you move and to have a housewarming party," Sonia said excitedly, setting a bag down on the counter.

    "Locating here was the easy part. You told us about your yoga studio, and you did say your apartment was in the same building," Lucy reminded her.

    Jadeughed, hugging each of them in turn. "You guys are the best!" She said and then turned to Harry.

    Reading her gaze, Harry raised an eyebrow, a hint of reluctance in his expression. "Well, I guess my job here is done."

    Jade giggled, patting Harry''s shoulder. "I know, I know. But I want to enjoy some girl time. You understand, right?"

    Harry sighed dramatically but smiled. "Alright, I''ll leave you to it. But call me if you need anything, okay?"

    "I will. Thanks," Jade said, giving him onest hug before he headed out.

    Once Harry was gone, Andy nudged Jade. "I can''t believe you just kicked him out. Way to go, girl," Andy said and both Jade and the othersughed.

    "Need I remind you that you''re talking about your brother? And I didn''t kick him out. It''d be a bit awkward having him here as the only guy with all of youdies," she said and they all nodded in agreement.

    Andy had been in Ludus for almost two weeks now as she had said she would, and had gone to the club every night since her arrival, hoping that word of it would get to Cassidy and he would reach out to her.

    She has also met with Tom and Harry regarding managing her career, and they are presently working on getting her signed to a reputable recordbel.

    Jade introduced Sharon to the others. "Girls, this is Sharon. Sharon owns the building and lives next door. She is also my yoga instructor. Sharon, this is Lucy, Sonia, Andy, and Aurora," Jade said, pointing to each of them for easy identification.

    "Nice to meet you all," Sharon said warmly.

    The girls exchanged pleasantries with her before they all got to work, unpacking boxes and rearranging furniture.

    Sharon helped them, chatting andughing as they worked. Lucy opened the box filled with kitchen utensils and began sorting through it.

    The atmosphere was filled with the tter of dishes being put away, the rustle of clothing being hung up, and the cheerful hum of conversation.

    "This ce is really nice, Jade. I''m so envious of you, Jade," Sonia said, ncing around.

    "Yeah, it is. Unpacking this way reminds me of when Tom helped me unpack when I first moved down here. I thought he was just being a nice neighbor."

    "Little did you know he was a sneaky creep after your heart," Sonia said and the room erupted inughter.

    "So, girls," Aurora said, pausing to catch her breath. "Are you ready for the couple''s fishing trip next week?"

    Jade smiled, looking forward to the trip. "I can''t wait. It''s going to be a nice break."

    Sonia who was seated on the sofa and eating a cookie chimed in, "It''ll be a great time. I''m really looking forward to it."

    Lucy nodded, excitement in her eyes. "Me too! I''ve never been on a fishing trip before."

    "Why are you girls talking about your couple trip in front of me when I''m not invited?" Andy asked, rolling her eyes, "I really think this is unfair."

    "Sorry, dear. It can''t be helped," Aurora said, shing her an apologetic smile.

    "How is it going with your mission, anyway? Any word from him yet?" Sonia asked and Andy shook her head.

    "Nope. Nothing yet. But I''m optimistic that he will reach out soon. This is better than doing nothing," she said, and they nodded and smiled at her, apart from Aurora and Sharon who had no idea what they were talking about.

    "Sony, are you really here to help or eat?" Jade joked, and Sonia grinned. N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "Sorry. My baby just wants to watch her aunt unpack and celebrate with her," Sonia said with a wink, rubbing her tummy which had rounded slightly with a little bump, and theyughed.

    As they finished unpacking, Jade turned to Sharon. "How''s Em? Why I haven''t seen her?" Jade asked, referring to Sharon''s six-year-old daughter.

    Sharon''s face softened. "She''s with her dad this week. I only get her for a week every month."

    Jade nodded sympathetically. "I bet you miss her a lot."

    "I do. But I am the one who wanted it to be this way. We make the most of our time together," Sharon assured Jade.

    By the time they were done, the apartment looked like home. The kitchen was stocked, the furniture was arranged, and the personal touches that Jade had brought with her were in ce. They stood back, admiring their handiwork.

    "This ce looks great," Andy said, wiping her hands on her jeans. "You''re all set, Jade."

    Jade grinned, feeling a sense of aplishment. "Thanks, everyone. I couldn''t have done it without you."

    "You''re wee. Now it''s time for the housewarming," Sonia announced happily.

    They gathered around the small dining table, which Sonia had adorned with snacks and drinks they had brought for the housewarming. The chatter flowed easily, filled with stories, jokes, and thefort of close friends.

    Jade felt a warm glow in her chest as she looked around at each of them and her new home. For the first time in a long time, she felt genuinely happy with her life, and it had nothing to do with her rtionship with Harry.

    She was grateful for her friends, for their support, and this new chapter in her life. And most especially she was d that she had decided to make this move.

 Chapter 917 Ghosting

    Chapter 917 Ghosting

    Seated in a cab, Amy stared out of the cab window as the city lights flickered by, and thoughts whirled in her mind.

    She tried to focus on the excitement of seeing ate-night movie, but her heart was heavy, weighed down by the absence of her weekend buddy.

    It had been two weeks since shest heard from Lucas, and every day since had been a battle against her own thoughts and feelings.

    She had kept wondering what she could have done to deserve being ghosted by Lucas that way.

    She had even sent him a series of texts apologizing for the prank about meeting someone at the spa, yet there had been no response from him.

    She nced at her phone as she had been doing in thest two weeks, half expecting a notification to pop up, though she had convinced herself not to care anymore.

    Her resolve was tested when the device buzzed in her hand. Her heart skipped a beat, and she hesitated before looking at the screen. When she saw Lucas''s name, her heart skipped a beat, but a surge of anger and pain coursed through her.

    A part of her, the part that still held onto the sound of hisughter and the warmth of his smile, yearned to hear his voice.

    But the memory of his silence, the sting of rejection, held her back, and with a finality that surprised even her, Amy swiped the message away, deleting it without a second nce.

    He didn''t deserve her reply, not after treating her that way and disappearing like a ghost. She didn''t need to see what he had to say after ignoring her for two whole weeks.

    She had been worried out of her mind, calling and texting and when there was no response from him, she had gone as far as asking Lucy two days ago how Lucas was doing and whenst she heard from him.

    When Lucy told her Lucas was fine and she had spoken to Lucas hours earlier that day, she confirmed that Lucas was indeed intentionally ignoring her. The realization had stung more than she wanted to admit.

    Her eyes filled with unshed tears as she blocked his number, a sense of finality settling in her chest.

    "If he doesn''t want to be friends, then I won''t force it," she whispered to herself, trying to believe the words.

    As she sat back, the cab driver nced at her in the rearview mirror, sensing her distress but saying nothing.

    Amy appreciated the silence, using the quiet to gather her thoughts. They were both probably better off that way.

    Maybe it was best this way. Clean break. No messy goodbyes, no lingering hope. They both had their lives and their problems.

    She was still dealing with the loss of Miley and learning to be happy again. And Lucas was dealing with his mess too, so the friendship between them was not going to work. It was time to move on.

    Meanwhile, away from there, Lucas stared at his phone, a pit of dread forming in his stomach.

    Thirty minutes had ticked by, and Amy hadn''t responded to his text. He reread the message, a simple apology and plea, hoping it wouldn''t appear too pathetic.

    He had sent the text to Amy, hoping she would respond. As the minutes ticked by with no reply, his anxiety grew.

    He was almost out of his mind after not talking to Amy for two weeks, and he knew that if he stayed one more day without hearing from her, he would lose itpletely.

    His heart hammered against his ribs as he dialed her number.

    One ring. Two. Voicemail. Disappointment wed at him. He tried again, with the same result. Panic started to set in.

    Confused and worried, he tried texting again, only to realize his messages weren''t delivering.

    Had he messed up so badly that she''d blocked him? The thought was unbearable.

    Desperate, Lucas headed for Tyler''s room, not minding that it was still early in the morning and Tyler was probably still asleep.

    Tyler being a light sleeper stirred in his sleep when his bedroom door opened, and he looked up to see Lucas. "What''s up?" he asked, noticing the distress on Lucas''s face.

    "I need to borrow your phone," Lucas said, trying to mask his frustration.

    Tyler''s curiosity piqued, but he handed over his phone without question. "Sure, here you go."

    Lucas took the phone and walked out of the bedroom, leaving Tyler to go back to sleep since it was his day off.

    As he walked to his bedroom, he quickly typed out a message to Amy: [I know I messed up. I''m sorry. Can we talk?]

    Amy''s phone buzzed again, and she sighed, expecting a spam message since no one else texted her on weekends apart from Lucas and she had blocked him.

    When she saw the unfamiliar number, she frowned since it had Hu''s code. She knew it was from Lucas. Her breath caught in her throat as she opened the text to see what he had to say.

    After reading it, she considered ignoring it but remembered all the times Lucas had been there for her even when she didn''t deserve it, and her resolve weakened.

    Reluctantly, she unblocked his number and texted back, [You had better have a solid exnation for the disappearing act you pulled. I''m waiting for your call.]

    Almost immediately, Lucas called and she received the call but stayed silent, waiting for him to exin.

    "Amy?" He called, his voice tinged with relief.

    Hearing his voice, Amy''s heart skipped a beat but she refused to respond.

    "I know I was an ass," Lucas began, his voice sincere. "I shouldn''t have ghosted you the way I did, and without an exnation too. I really needed to sort out something. I admit that I didn''t handle it well. I don''t know what I was thinking. It was a jerk move and I don''t me you if you''re mad��"

    "And I didn''t deserve a simple, Amy I need some time to myself kinda exnation?" Amy cut in, "Why couldn''t you justmunicate it to me? We are two mature adults, are we not? What did you need to sort out that you couldn''t talk about?" Amy asked, and though her voice was cold, her heart ached for answers.

    Lucas took a deep breath. "My feelings for you. I needed to sort out my feelings for you, Amy," he confessed.

    Amy''s heart skipped a beat and she paused. "What do you mean by that?" She asked, in a barely audible voice, taken aback by his unexpected confession.

    "I realized I liked you more than I should," Lucas confessed, the words spilling out in a rush.

    "More than you should? Is there some unit of measurement to know how much you should like a friend?" Amy asked in confusion.

    "Not as a friend. I like you more than a friend should, and it scared me."

    "Why?" She asked, her voice thick with emotion.

    "There''s no easy answer, Amy," he admitted, his voice low. "The truth is, after you... you know, talked about meeting someone at the spa..."

    He hesitated, the memory of Sam''s kiss a ghost on his lips. Shame burned in his gut. How could he tell her the truth without making it sound worse than it was?

    "It threw me. It stung more than it should," he finally finished, the words hollow even to his own ears. "I realized I liked you more than I thought and I needed some space to figure out what to do since I wasn''t ready for a rtionship."

    There was another pause, and this time, he could almost hear the question forming in her mind. "And have you done that? Figured out what to do?"

    "No. I still don''t know if I''m ready to go into another rtionship yet. The only thing I have figured out is that not talking to you is driving me crazy and I miss you. I miss our friendship."

    Amy drew a deep breath, "Who said you had to be in a rtionship with everyone you liked? And what makes you think I would want to be in a rtionship with you even if you were ready to be in one with me? Isn''t that a bit presumptuous?"

    Lucas was taken aback by her response. "I�� I don''t know. I just thought��"

    "You thought wrong," Amy interrupted, her voice softening. "You didn''t give me a chance to understand or to talk. You just disappeared."

    Lucas was silent for a moment, processing her words. "I''m sorry, Amy. I really am. I messed up, and I know I hurt you."

    Amy sighed, the anger slowly dissipating. "I was worried about you. I thought something had happened. And then to find out you were deliberately ignoring me�� it hurt. I expected better from you."

    "I didn''t mean to hurt you," Lucas said earnestly. "I was trying to figure out what to do with these feelings, but I handled it terribly."

    Amy took a deep breath, considering his words. "You should have talked to me, Lucas. We could have figured it out together and I would have helped you out of your misery by rejecting your feelings."

    "You would reject my feelings?" Lucas asked in disbelief and sheughed. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "Yes, I would. I don''t want to be your rebound. I deserve better than that," she said and Lucas sighed.

    "I know," Lucas admitted. "Can we start over? Can we at least try to talk this out?"

    Amy''s heart softened, and she nodded, even though he couldn''t see her. "Okay. Let''s talk. But that would beter," she said as the cab pulled up to the movie theater.

    "I''m going to see ate-night movie. I will call you when I am done. Is that okay?"

    "Yes. Sure. I will wait," Lucas said and Amy smiled as she hung up.

    Amy thanked the driver as she paid, and stepped out, feeling a mix of hope and uncertainty.

    She didn''t know what the future held for her and Lucas, but for now, she was willing to give him and their friendship another chance.

 Chapter 918 A One Time Thing

    918 A One Time Thing

    Amy settled into her seat at the cinema, a grin on her face as the movie began to y. The darkened theater was filled with excited murmurs and the rustling of popcorn bags. Yet, her thoughts were far from the screen.

    She reyed her conversation with Lucas in her mind, over and over again. The memory of his voice, the sincerity in his apology, and his unexpected confession sent butterflies fluttering in her stomach.

    As the movie unfolded, Amy found herself barely registering the plot. Her mind was a whirl of emotions. She remembered the initial shock of Lucas''s confession, the way her heart had skipped a beat.

    His admission that he liked her more than a friend had been unexpected, but it had stirred something within her. She couldn''t help but feel a mix of excitement and confusion.

    The flickering images on the screen were lost on her as she thought about Lucas. She had missed him more than she had realized during the two weeks of silence. Despite the hurt and confusion, the sound of his voice had brought a sense offort and familiarity. She couldn''t help but wonder what the future held for them.

    Suddenly, the lights in the theater came back on, and the credits began to roll. Amy blinked, surprised that the movie was over already. N?v(el)B\\jnn

    She hadn''t followed it at all, despite having looked forward to it all week. She gathered her belongings and made her way out of the theater, feeling a mix of disappointment at not following the movie and anticipation at talking to Lucas again.

    As she stepped outside into the cool night air, she gged down a cab and the moment she was settled, she pulled out her phone and sent Lucas a text: [Hey, are you up for a phone call?]

    Within seconds, her phone rang. She giggled as she saw Lucas''s name on the screen. "Hey," she answered, her voice tinged with excitement.

    "Hey, Amy," Lucas''s voice was warm and relieved. "How was the movie?"

    "It was... interesting," she replied, though she couldn''t remember a single detail.

    "Interesting? What was it about?" Lucas asked, curious.

    Shame tinged her cheeks as augh bubbled up. "I... well, I didn''t really pay attention, I was too distracted," she confessed, her voice barely a whisper.

    "Distracted? By what?" Lucas''s tone was teasing.

    "By you," she admitted, her cheeks flushing. "I couldn''t stop thinking about our conversation."

    There was a pause on the other end of the line before Lucas spoke again. "Can we talk about what I said now?"

    "Not right now. I''m still on my way home. I''d like to be settled when we talk about it. I reached out just because I wanted to talk to you while on transit. So, why don''t you tell me what I''ve missed in thest two weeks since west talked?"

    Lucas chuckled, the sound bringing a smile to Amy''s face. "I missed the sound of yourughter," Amy said, and Lucas felt a flutter in his chest.

    "As I missed yours," he admitted, realizing it had be easier to admit his feelings.

    "So? What did I miss?" Amy asked with a grin.

    "Well, let me see... There have been a few funny incidents. You have no idea how distracted I have been," he said and her grin widened.

    "Tell me one," she urged him.

    "Like the time I was so distracted thinking about you that I poured orange juice into my cereal instead of milk," Lucas said,ughing at himself.

    Amy burst intoughter, picturing the scene. "Did you actually eat it?"

    "I tried," Lucas admitted,ughing along with her. "It was terrible."

    "What else?" Amy asked, eager to hear more.

    "There was also the time I was at the grocery store, and Ipletely zoned out while the cashier was talking to me. I just stood there, staring off into space. The poor guy had to wave his hand in front of my face to get my attention and when I finally looked up, I realized I was yet to purchase anything but joined the line."

    Amy giggled, imagining Lucas in that situation. "Sounds like you''ve been having quite an interesting time."

    "I didn''t expect any of this. It''s not been the same without talking to you," Lucas said softly.

    Amy''s heart warmed at his words. "I''ve missed you too. Unfortunately or should I say fortunately? I didn''t have any of these funny experience so I have nothing to share. I was just so worried and trying to figure out what I did and stuff," she said as the cab pulled up in front of her building.

    Without a word she paid the driver and stepped out. "I''m home now," she told Lucas as she unlocked her door. "We can talk."

    Lucas''s voice was hesitant. "Amy, what do you want me to do about my feelings for you? Does it make you ufortable? I''ll understand if it makes you ufortable."

    She took a deep breath, considering her response. "No. It doesn''t make me ufortable. As a matter of fact I''m ttered by it. But I don''t think we should date. At least not right now."

    Lucas was silent for a moment. "What do you mean?"

    "I think we should remain friends for the time being," Amy exined. "I remember youing to the funeral weeks ago because you didn''t want me to have any funny ideas and stuff," Amy said with a rueful smile.

    Lucas winced. "I didn''t n for any of this to happen," Lucas said quietly.

    "I know. And I understand too. That''s why I''m saying we should remain friends until we''re both emotionally sound enough to be in a rtionship. I don''t want you to think you have feelings for me when I might only be a rebound. And I don''t want to assume that what I feel for you is love when it might only be gratitude. I want us both to be absolutely sure of what we''re feeling. I didn''t stay single for this long to jump into a rtionship without giving it due thought. I know you''re responsible, and I admire you in a lot of ways, but I think for both our sakes there is no reason to be in a haste. Let''s continue as we have been doing and see how is goes."

    Lucas listened quietly, processing her words. He had to admit that he liked her response. It made sense in a lot of ways and took off any pressures he might be feeling about going into another rtionship too soon.

    "Thank you, Amy. I feel much better now," he said, and she smiled, feeling relieved.

    "I''m d you understand."

    "I do. And I have a confession to make," Lucas said, his voice hesitant.

    Amy''s curiosity was piqued. "What is it?"

    "I''m not sure how to say this, or if I''m supposed to even tell you. But knowing myself I won''t be at ease until I tell you about it," he said and took a deep breath, "I made out with someone," Lucas admitted.

    Amy was taken aback. "You did? When?" She asked with a frown wondering how he could confess his feelings to her and make out with someone else.

    "That day. After you told me about meeting someone at the spa," Lucas replied.

    "How? What happened?" She asked curiously.

    Lucas went on to exin the situation and what had happened with Sam and how he had to stop after calling her name.

    Amy couldn''t help butugh. "You did what?"

    "Yeah," Lucas said, sounding sheepish. "It was silly. I shouldn''t have done that. So, that''s it. That''s what I did. I''m not sure why I''m telling you, but I just think you should know. And it''s okay if you''re mad."

    "I''m not mad," Amy said, still giggling. "We''re not exactly dating or exclusive yet. And although I don''t exactly like the thought of you kissing someone else, your lips are yours," she said softly.

    Lucas smiled, thinking about the difference between Amy and Rachel. He knew that if it were Rachel, she would have thrown a huge fit. "You''re amazing, Amy."

    "Thanks," she said softly, "But the fact that I said your lips are yours and that we are not exclusive yet doesn''t mean it''s okay to keep making out with other. You know that, right?"

    Lucas smiled, "Of course, I do. It was a one time thing. I''m not a cheat, I promise."

    Amy smiled, "Well, thanks for telling me about it. And you should know this doesn''t change how I see you. If anything, it makes me happy that you could open up to me," she said and Lucas let out a relieved sigh.

    "I''m d to hear that. Thank you. It''ste. You should go to bed," Lucas said, since it was already past midnight.

    "I want to stay up and talk to you," Amy said as she took off her clothes. "You owe me two weeks'' worth of conversation. So you better have some good stories."

    Lucasughed, feeling a sense of happiness he hadn''t felt in weeks. "Okay."

    Lucasunched into a tale about a disastrous cooking attempt, where he had confused sugar with salt and ended up with a horribly inedible dish.

    Amy listened,ughing and teasing him. For a while, it felt like old times, and the hurt of the past two weeks began to fade.

    When Lucas ran out of stories to tell, he asked, "What about you? What have you been up to?"

    Amy sighed. "Not much, really. Just the usual. I spent the weekends mostly worrying and finding things to distract myself."

    Lucas''s voice softened. "I''m sorry, Amy. I didn''t mean to put you through that."

    "It''s okay," she said. "Just don''t do it again."

    "I won''t," he promised.

    As the conversation continued, they talked about everything and nothing, filling the gaps left by the past two weeks. Amy felt a sense of contentment, knowing that their friendship and easy rapport was still in ce.

    Eventually, Amy''s voice grew softer as fatigue set in. "I should let you get some sleep," Lucas said reluctantly.

    "Yeah, I guess so," Amy agreed, with a yawn though she didn''t want to end the call, "why don''t you sing until sleep off?"

    She asked and Lucas chuckled, "I don''t have a good voice."

    "I wasn''t asking you to go audition somewhere. I just want to sleep off listening to your voice," Amy said and Lucas sighed.

    "Alright," Lucas said as he thought about what song to sing.

    After thinking for some time settled for an easy luby and as he sang, Amy slowly drifted off to sleep.

    "Goodnight, Luca," she whispered sleepily.

    "Goodnight, Amy," Lucas said, and waited until he didn''t hear anymore sound before hanging up.

    As he hung up, Lucas felt a sense of hope. Their friendship had survived a rough patch, and he believed it would only grow stronger from here.

 Chapter 919 Don’t Panic

    919 Don��t Panic

    Seated in front of her dressing mirror, Mia felt the gentle tug of the brush as her mother meticulously worked through the tangles in her freshly washed hair.

    Her eyes were closed, savoring the rare moment of peace, though her mind was far from quiet.

    Her mother''s presence was a sort offort. Despite the lingering resentment Mia felt for her parents''plicity in her arranged marriage to Henry, their recent actions showed genuine remorse.

    They had risked everything to rescue her from Henry''s clutches, and that spoke volumes. It was a small step toward rebuilding trust, but it was a step nheless.

    Following the altercation with Henry, he had publicly withdrawn his support from thepany, but thankfully, her father was unfazed by that and was working hard to get other investors now.

    Although her parents had wanted to go ahead with making the news of her divorce public, but Tom had pointed out that they didn''t have any evidence since Henry was with the paper and could easily discredit their im. And he had also suggested that for Diana''s sake she shouldn''t do that since if they backed Henry to a corner he might want to harm Diana, and they couldn''t let that happen since Diana had acted under his instructions to help Mia leave with her parents.

    Thest two weeks since leaving Henry had been a surreal experience. For the first time since her marriage to him, Mia felt really happy, because she now had the support of her family.

    Although the happiness was tainted by the ever-present fear of Henry''s retribution. Every creak of the house and every unexpected sound made her heart race, but the assurance from Tom and Harry that they were keeping a vignt watch over Henry gave her some semnce of calm.

    "Are you sure you don''t want to go to the salon?" her mother asked softly, breaking the silence. "You don''t have to worry about Henry. I''m sure he won''t dare try to harass you publicly."

    Mia opened her eyes and met her mother''s gaze in the mirror. Her mother''s concern was evident in her eyes, a mix of guilt and love. "I''d rather remain indoors," Mia replied, her voice steady but firm.

    "But you have been indoors for thest two weeks," her mother pointed out, her tone gently insistent.

    "I will remain indoors until Henry is taken care of. I don''t want to take any risks, Mom. Trust me, I know him better than anyone else. He''s a madman, and he won''t stop until he gets what he wants. And no matter how much I trust you to keep me safe, I''m not going to thrust myself out there for him to get me. Henry has eyes and hands everywhere to do his dirty jobs."

    Her mother sighed deeply, the weight of her regret palpable. "I''m sorry you have to go through all of this because of us."

    "It''s not because of you," Mia said, her voice softening. "You may have yed a role, no doubt, but this is all on Henry. Don''t worry. I believe it will be over soon enough."

    "If you say so. I''m done," her mother said, setting down the hair dryer.

    Mia looked at herself in the mirror, her hair now smooth and glossy. She reached out and touched her mother''s hand, a silent gesture of forgiveness and understanding. Her mother squeezed her hand in return, tears glistening in her eyes. N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "Thank you, Mom," Mia whispered.

    Her mother nodded, unable to speak. The bond between them, though strained, was slowly healing. They stayed there in silence for a moment, the air thick with unspoken words and shared pain.

    "Why don''t we make some tea," Mia suggested, wanting to prolong the moment of peace.

    Her mother smiled back, a glimmer of hope in her eyes. "I''d like that," her mother said, and together they walked to the kitchen.

    As they worked side by side, Mia felt a sense of normalcy returning. It was fragile, like a delicate piece of ss, but it was there.

    "Do you remember how we used to have tea parties when I was little?" Mia asked, a hint of nostalgia in her voice.

    Her motherughed softly. "Of course. You always insisted on using the fancy china."

    Mia smiled, the memory warming her heart. "Those were good times."

    "They were," her mother agreed, a wistful look in her eyes.

    As they sat down with their tea, Mia felt a sense of contentment. She took a deep breath, letting the warmth of the tea and the love of her family fill her with strength. It was a fleeting moment of tranquility, but it was enough to give her strength.

    The doorbell rang, startling them both. Mia''s heart raced, but she forced herself to stay calm. Her mother stood up to answer the door, her expression cautious.

    "Stay here. It''s probably just a neighbor," she said, trying to reassure Mia.

    Mia nodded, though her anxiety spiked. She listened intently as her mother opened the door and exchanged a few words with the visitor. A momentter, her mother returned, holding a package.

    "It''s a package for you," she said, handing it to Mia.

    "For me?" Mia asked as she took the package, her curiosity piqued.

    She couldn''t imagine who would be delivering a package to her. She opened it carefully, revealing a single rose flower and a novel.

    "Who sent this?" she asked, looking up at her mom.

    Her mother shook her head. "There was no note and the delivery man didn''t say."

    Mia''s brows pulled together as she opened the novel and tears filled her eyes when she saw Jeff''s neat handwriting on the front page of the novel.

    [Hey, beautiful. Today is my day off. I was out and wanted to get you something since I can''t visit you. I hope this makes you smile. Think of me when you read it. Winks. Your Guardian Angel]

    "What does it say? Who is it from?" Her mother asked when she saw her teary smile.

    "It''s from a dear friend," Mia said, her voice choked with emotion as she brushed off her tears.

    She turned to her mother, a small smile ying on her lips. "I need a moment to give my friend a call," Mia said, excusing herself as she headed for her room.

    Alone in her room, Mia smiled as she dialed Jeff''s line. Jeff picked on the second ring.

    "I guess you got my gift," he said, and she grinned.

    "I did. Why didn''t you tell me it was your day off or that you were sending me anything when we spokest night," Mia pointed out.

    "I hearddies love to read them. Don''t you?" He asked, and she giggled.

    08:53

    "It was meant to be a surprise. I kept wondering what to get you and decided to settle for that since I know you love to read," he said and Mia smiled.

    "Thanks. I will definitely think about you as the male lead when reading," she teased and Jeff chuckled.

    "You haven''t checked what the book is about? Have you?" He asked,ughing softly.

    "It''s a romance novel. Isn''t?" She asked, narrowing her eyes as she went to pick up the book.

    Mia''s jaw dropped when she saw it was an erotica, "How could you?" She askedughing in disbelief.

    "I hearddies love to read them. Don''t you?" He asked, and she giggled.

    "I''ve never read an erotica," she confessed.

    "That''s good then. It means I got you your first erotica so you have to read it," he said, and she sighed.

    "You realize eroticas have a way of turning someone on, right?" She asked in a low voice.

    "Yeah. I know that. Why?" Jeff asked innocently.

    "What am I supposed to do if I''m turned on?"

    "Think about me when you pleasure yourself of course," he said in a husky voice, and she frowned.

    "Pleasure myself? I don''t know how to do that," she said in a quiet voice.

    "You don''t?" Jeff asked, surprised by that.

    Mia blushed as she shook her head even though she knew he couldn''t see her. "No."

    "Interesting. The more I get to know you the more interesting I find you," Jeff said and Mia bit her lip.

    "Do you do it? I mean pleasure yourself?" She asked curiously and Jeff smiled at the innocence in her voice.

    Before Jeff could respond, Mia''s phone buzzed with a phone call from Harry, and just then her mother knocked on her bedroom door.

    "Nessa, can youe out here for a minute?" Her mother called in a strained voice causing her to frown.

    "I think something is up. I will call you back," Mia said, hanging up as she quickly received Harry''s call.

    "Henry is about to make his move now. Don''t panic. Go along with his n Everything is under control," Harry said immediately she received the call, and she took a deep breath.

    "Alright."

    Mia felt a sudden surge of determination as she headed for the door. She was ready to face whatever came next with courage and resolve, knowing that she was not alone.

    She would not let Henry control her happiness any longer. She had aplete support system now, and she would use it to her advantage. She would fight for her happiness, and she would win.

 Chapter 920 Sneak In

    920 Sneak In

    The starless night was cloaked in a thick nket of darkness as Andy drove back to her house, the road illuminated only by the city lights.

    The housewarming party at Jade''s had finallye to an end, and the quiet solitude of the drive was a sharp difference from the lively chatter andughter that had filled the evening.

    Candace had joined the party virtually and it had been so much fun.

    Andy''s phone rang, breaking into her thoughts and she nced at the screen and smiled when she saw Harry''s name sh across it. She answered with a swipe, her voice steady.

    "I''m no longer with your girl," Andy announced before Harry could speak.

    "Great!" Harry''s voice came through, slightly muffled. "How did it go? Has everyone else left?"

    "Yeah, everyone''s gone," Andy replied, her eyes fixed on the road ahead. "Jade''s alone now."

    Harry sighed in relief. "Thanks for letting me know. I appreciate it."

    "No problem," Andy said, her voice softening. "Take care, Harry."

    "You too, Andy. Drive safe," he added before the call ended.

    As she continued driving, her thoughts began to drift. Cassidy. His name echoed in her mind like a haunting refrain.

    Once again she was going home, and she desperately wished and hoped that he''d visit her.

    Since she arrived in Ludus, she had done so much to get his attention, but he remained in hiding and it was beginning to make her wonder if he hadpletely forgotten about her after letting her go.

    It was frustrating, maddening even, to return to the house every day and night without the surprise of his presence, or at least a text from him when she so desperately wanted to hear from him.

    The city lights blurred past her as she wondered how much longer it would take. What more could she do? What else did she need to do to make hime see her? The questions churned in her mind, creating a storm of uncertainty and longing.

    When she finally pulled up to her apartment building, the darkness seemed to press in closer. She turned off the engine, the sudden silence almost deafening.

    The night air was cool against her skin as she stepped out of the car, the keys jangling softly in her hand.

    Just as Andy entered her house, flicking on the hallway light. The glow spread weakly, barely pushing back the shadows.

    She paused just inside the door, a strange feeling prickling at the back of her mind. Perhaps it was because of the times she had spent hiding and working as a stripper, her sixth sense was very developed and she could tell that something was off.

    The air seemed heavier, the silence more profound. She stood there, her senses on high alert, trying to pinpoint what was wrong.

    Before she could process her thoughts, a voice emerged from inside the living room, startling her. "Are you going to stand there all night, Andy? Or do you n toe in?"

    Her heart leaped into her throat, and she hurried towards the sound, her pulse quickening. "Alex?" she breathed, barely believing her ears.

    She reached for the light switch, but before she could turn it on, he grabbed her hand, pulling her back into the shadows, his breath hot on her neck.

    "Why have you been trying to get my attention, Andy?" Cassidy''s grip was firm, his presence overwhelming in the dark.

    "What do you want?" he asked, his voice low and intense. "Why do you want to see me again?"

    She took a shaky breath, her heart pounding in her chest. "I want you," she confessed, her voice trembling with the weight of her emotions.

    He sighed, the sound heavy with frustration. "You shouldn''t. We both know it won''t work," he said, his tone rough. "You know you can''t have me."

    "Why not?" she demanded, her voice rising with desperation.

    Cassidy''s frustration seemed to grow, his grip on her tightening. "I promised I would let you go, Andy. You''re making it hard for me. Do you have any idea how hard I''ve tried to not reach out to you this whole time? I''m trying to keep my promise to you," he said through gritted teeth.

    "What if I don''t want you to? What if I no longer mind about the past."

    "I do. I mind. You need to move on, Andy."

    "What if I can''t? Do you think I haven''t tried? I can''t get over you. I don''t want to. I want you. I''ve been longing for your touch. Make love to me," Andy said suddenly, her voice a mix of plea and demand.

    Cassidy stiffened, his breath catching. "I don''t think it''s a good idea," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

    "Let me worry about that," she countered, her determination clear.

    Before he could protest further, she turned in his arms and kissed him, her lips pressing against his with a fierce intensity.

    For a moment, Cassidy didn''t move, his body rigid with conflict. But then he gave in, his arms wrapping around her, pulling her closer.

    The kiss deepened, filled with a desperate passion that spoke of longing and unresolved emotions.

    Andy''s hands roamed over his back, feeling the tension in his muscles. She poured all her feelings into the kiss, hoping to break through the walls he had built around himself.

    Cassidy responded, his kiss growing more urgent, more demanding. The darkness around them seemed to amplify their senses, every touch, every breath, more intense.

    Andy could feel Cassidy''s hesitance melting away with each kiss, each caress, his initial resistance giving way to the raw, unfiltered desire they both felt.

    Cassidy''s hands were everywhere all at once, caressing her back, kneading her boobs and ass, sliding under her shirt, tracing patterns on her skin that made her shiver. His breath was hot against her neck as he pressed kisses along her jawline, down to the sensitive spot just below her ear.

    Cassidy''s hands moved to her hips, pulling her against him, his breath ragged, and Andy arched into him, her fingers working to unbutton his shirt, her breathing in short, sharp gasps.

    Andy felt the heat between them growing, her own hands exploring the familiar but still electrifyingndscape of his body.

    They moved together to the room, the air thick with the mingled scent of their longing and desperation as they stumbled through the darkness, their movements clumsy and frantic.

    Cassidy''s hands tangled in her hair, his lips never leaving hers. The world outside ceased to exist, leaving only the two of them in a whirlwind of passion and need.

    As they got to the bed, Cassidy pulled back, "Andy, are you sure about this?" He whispered, his voice rough with need and something deeper, something unresolved.

    In response, she pulled him back to herself and captured his lips again, her kiss answering the question better than words ever could. She wanted him, needed him, and there was no turning back now.

    Clothes were discarded in a hurried, almost frantic fashion, the fabric falling to the floor in forgotten heaps beside the bed.

    Cassidy''s touch was both gentle and demanding, his hands mapping out every curve of her body, relearning the terrain they had once known so well.

    Andy''s fingers dug into his shoulders as he kissed her nipples, her body arching and twisting beneath his, a silent plea for more.

    Cassidy kissed her nipples all the way down to the spot between her thighs that most needed his attention and as he pleasured her with his tongue and fingers, Andy cried out in pleasure.

    After she had orgasmed, Cassidy pulled away andy on the bed beside her, causing Andy to turn on her side to look at him.

    She could feel the tension in him, the war within him between holding back and giving inpletely.

    "Please, Cassidy," Andy whispered, her voice a mix of plea andmand. "Don''t hold back. I need all of you."

    Something in her words seemed to break through hisst barrier of resistance. With a groan, Cassidy rolled over and positioned himself on top of her.

    Andy arched her waist and met his thrust as he slid into her. Their movements were a dance, a familiar rhythm that had been dormant for too long.

    Andy''s moans filled the room, mingling with Cassidy''s low groans, the sound of their passion echoing off the walls.

    As they moved together, their bodies entwined, Andy felt a rush of emotions that went beyond the physical. This was about more than just desire; it was about connection and about healing old wounds.

    Every touch, every kiss, was a reminder of the passion they shared and what they had missed.

    As Cassidy''s movements grew more urgent, more insistent, Andy matched his intensity, their bodies moving in perfect harmony, driven by a need that had been simmering beneath the surface for far too long.

    In the dark, time seemed to blur, the world outside fading away until there was nothing but the two of them.

    Andy felt a shuddering release as they reached the peak together, their cries of pleasure mingling in the air. For a moment, everything else ceased to matter, their past, their pain, all of it swallowed up in the pure, unadulterated connection they shared.

    Breathless and trembling, they copsed together and Cassidy''s arms wrapped around her, pulling her close, his breath warm against her skin.

    Andy nestled into him, her head resting on his chest, listening to the rapid beat of his heart.

    For a long time, theyy there in silence, their bodies still intertwined, the room filled with the afterglow of their lovemaking. Andy felt a sense of peace as if she had finally found a part of herself that had been missing.

    But reality soon began to intrude, and Cassidy knew they couldn''t stay like this forever.

    As if sensing his thoughts Andy sighed, "What happens now?" she asked softly, her voice barely above a whisper.

    Cassidy sighed, his expression conflicted. "I don''t know, Andy," he admitted.

    Andy nodded, understanding the truth in his words. "I want you, Cas," she whispered.

    "Why? You shouldn''t want me, Andy. You have everything going for you right now. You should focus on building your life. Meeting someone more deserving. I don''t deserve you, Andy. I could never be good enough for you," he said, and Andy drew a deep breath.

    While Cassidy struggled with his response, she reached for the bedside switch on turned on the light so she could see his face.

    "Wanting you has never been the problem, Andy," he said, trying to adjust his eyes to the sudden brightness of the room.

    "Good," Andy said as shey down beside him again, resting her head on his shoulder.

    "But that doesn''t mean this is going to work," he said, in case she had misinterpreted his statement.

    "We have to try," she said firmly. "We owe it to ourselves to see if we can make this work."

    Cassidy''s eyes softened, and he leaned in to press a gentle kiss to her shoulder. "It''s not that easy. You have your life here, and I have mine there. What do you think would happen to you and your career if anyone finds out who your partner is? Do you think that is something you''d be able to hide?"

    "You''re right," she said quietly. "But we will try. Let''s take it one day at a time and see where it leads us. And you know there''s always the option of you getting a surgery and changing your face, right?" She asked, and he chuckled.

    "That''s not an option."

    "Why not?" She asked with a frown.

    "Apart from the fact that I like my face a lot, and don''t want to change it, Mari likes it too. I can''t give her a new daddy," he said, and Andy sat up when she realized she had yet to inquire about her.

    "You''re right. I didn''t think of that. I like your face too. How''s she doing?" Andy asked curiously.

    "She misses you a lot. She said you promised to take her to an amusement park. Why did you do that?" Cassidy asked and she frowned.

    "I never promised her that. I only said there were lots of fun ces in Sogal and if she EVER visits me, I will take her to an amusement park," Andy said and Cassidy chuckled.

    "I like seeing and hearing youugh, but unfortunately you don''t do that often," Andy said with a soft smile as she looked at him.

    "There isn''t much tough about in my life," he said, and her heart broke for him. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "Let''s make this work, Cassidy. One day at a time, that''s all I ask for. We don''t have to make public appearances. You can sneak in this way and surprise me whenever you can in the middle of the night. And you can arrange for me to visit you whenever I can. Can''t we do that? And maybe you can bring Mari over too, so she sees what the rest of the world is like over here," Andy suggested.

    Cassidy took a deep breath, "I will think about it."

    Andy smiled, a sense of hope blossoming in her chest. "I''d really like that," she said, snuggling closer to him.

    As theyy there, wrapped in each other''s arms, Andy felt a newfound determination take root within her. She had tried hard to get Cassidy''s attention, and now that she had it, she wasn''t going to let go easily.

    Rolling on top of him, she smiled, "I don''t know how much time we''ve got, but I don''t intend to waste it," she said with a wink, making himugh as she lowered her lips to his.

    She knew they had a long road ahead of them, but as long as they faced it together, she believed they could ovee any obstacle.

 Chapter 921 Clingy Harry

    921 Clingy Harry

    Harry stood in the hallway of Jade''s apartment building with his fingers hovering over the doorbell, a nervous excitement thrumming through his veins.

    He had spent most of the day thinking about this moment, about seeing Jade again after her housewarming party with the girls.

    He took a deep breath, his finger pressing the button with a sense of finality.

    Inside the apartment, Jade was tidying up, humming softly to herself happily. She had spent the day with her friends,ughing and chatting, and now she was ready to have some time for herself.

    The sound of the doorbell cut through her thoughts. "Sharon must''ve forgotten something," she muttered, a smile tugging at her lips.

    Rushing to the door, she threw it open, ready with a yful admonishment but her eyes widened in surprise before a delighted smile spread across her face when she saw Harry standing there, looking uncharacteristically sheepish under the dim hallway light.

    He held a brown paper bag crinkled in one hand, the other rubbing the back of his neck.

    "Babe!" she eximed, unable to hide her happiness. Seeing her a passerby might think she had not seen Harry in weeks.

    "Surprise," he grinned, a hint of nervousness in his voice.

    A part of him had been sort of worried that she might not want him around seeing as she had changed a lot in thest two weeks and barely spent time with him even though they were back together, but seeing her excitement at seeing him, his heart lifted.

    "What are you doing here by this time of the night?" She asked, a delighted bubble rising in her chest.

    "Did you really think I was going to miss having a private housewarming party with you?" he replied, raising an eyebrow yfully, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

    Jadeughed, the sound filling the space between them. "Come in,e in," she said, stepping aside to let him in. "I wasn''t expecting you at all!"

    Harry entered, the scent and warmth of her apartment wrapping around him like an embrace. Harry took in the scene with a soft smile, the little touches of Jade''s personality evident in every corner.

    "I see you have fully settled in," he observed as he ced the bag on the table, and moved to the couch to sit down.

    "Yeah. Thanks to the girls it was quick," she said, and with a yful glint in her eye, she straddled him.

    "It would have been even quicker if I was here," he pointed out and sheughed as she leaned down and captured his lips in a kiss, a silent apology for asking him to leave earlier.

    Harry pulled her closer, the kiss deepening with a hunger that spoke volumes. When they finally broke apart, both breathless, afortable silence settled between them.

    "I''m sorry for asking you to leave earlier," Jade said, pulling back slightly to look into his eyes. "I just wanted to spend some time alone with the girls." She murmured, tracing a finger along his jawline.

    Harry shook his head, a smile ying on his lips. "It''s okay, as long as you had fun," Harry replied, cupping her cheek.

    Jade''s eyes lit up. "I did! We had a really good time."

    Harry raised an eyebrow, feigning mock indignation. "I can''t believe you just admitted to having a good time without me."

    Jadeughed a melodic sound that made Harry''s heart swell. "A good time with the girls is different from a good time with you."

    He chuckled. "Oh, really? How different?"

    "More�� intense," she whispered, her voice husky. "I''m happy you''re here now. It''s such a nice surprise."

    Harry chuckled, his hands sliding up her back. "So, how was your day? What did you girls do?"

    Jade sighed contentedly. "We ate, had some drinks, chatted about life, and just enjoyed each other''spany. Candace joined us on a video call. It was really nice. What about you? What did you do?"

    Harry nodded. "After I left you, I joined Tom at the meeting and after that, we hung out together deliberating on Mia''s issue."

    Jade''s expression turned serious. "What''s up with Mia now? Is she okay?"

    Harry sighed. "Yeah. Henry is about to make his move on Mia."

    Jade''s eyes widened in concern. "What is he up to now?"

    Harry shook his head. "I''m not here to talk about Henry and Mia."

    Jade''s expression softened, a yful smile curving her lips. "Oh? What are you here for?" she asked, her tone teasing.

    Harry mirrored her smile, his gaze dropping to her mouth. "Just wanted to spend some time with my always-busy girlfriend."

    Jade swatted his arm yfully. "Hey, I''m not always busy!"

    Harryughed, the sound deep and rich. "Yes, you are. You''re always so busy these days. And I just want to spend some quality time with you and have a feel of your ce."

    Jade leaned in closer, her lips brushing against his ear. "You should know I''m not too busy for you. I''ve just been trying to settle in at work and set up my ce."

    Harry''s eyes gleamed with affection. "Now that you''re done setting up your ce and moving in, can I have you to myself tomorrow since it''s not a work day? Maybe we can go on a date tomorrow?"

    A warm thrill shot through her. "Yeah. Let''s do that. I''d really like that," she replied, leaning into his embrace.

    Harry''s expression turned more serious. "So, how''s therapy going?"

    Jade''s eyes sparkled with a mix of excitement and relief. "It''s been great so far. I''m d I signed up for it. I can''t wait for us to start our couple counseling next month."

    Harry nodded, "Me too."

    Jade smiled, a thoughtful look crossing her face. "You know, as much as it sucked�� everything falling apart�� I''m d it all yed out that way. It was an eye-opener for me, and it made me finally take the bull by the horns, and I''m happy now."

    "I wish I could say the same. I have mixed feelings about the way everything happened, to be honest. I just wish it didn''t have to happen like that. I wish that wasn''t what it took to get you to get on this path. I miss the clingy Jade sometimes but I''m also happy you''re working on yourself now."

    Jade shook her head, a soft smile ying on her lips. "Get used to this Jade. This is the only Jade you''re going to be getting. But I don''t mind a clingy Harry, though."

    Harryughed, his eyes locking onto hers. "I''m d you don''t mind having a clingy boyfriend, ''cause I intend to be clingy as hell," he murmured, his lips meeting hers in a tender kiss as sheughed. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    As their kiss deepened, Harry''s hands roamed over her back, pulling her closer, while Jade''s fingers tangled in his hair. As the intensity between them grew, their need for each other became unbearable.

    Breathless, Harry pulled back slightly, his eyes dark with desire. "How am I supposed to carry you up thedder to your mezzanine level bed?" he asked, a yful glint in his eye.

    Jadeughed the sound husky with desire. "We don''t have to go to the bed. The couch or the floor will do just fine."

    Harry''s eyes gleamed with a mix of amusement and longing. "The floor it is, then."

    Jade''s lips met his in a fierce kiss, her hands tugging at his shirt. They tumbled to the floor, theirughter mingling with the sound of rustling clothes. The feel of his skin against hers sent shivers down her spine, each touch igniting a fire within her.

    As they moved together, their bodies finding a rhythm, Harry''s mind spun with the intensity of his emotions. This was what he had been missing, this connection, this love. Jade''s touch, her kiss, and her very presence filled him with a sense ofpleteness he had longed for.

    An hourter, theyy tangled together on the floor, their breathing heavy and satisfied. Harry''s fingers tracedzy patterns on her back, a contented silence settling over them.

    "I''ve missed this," Jade whispered, her voice barely audible.

    Harry tightened his hold on her, his lips brushing against her temple. "Me too," he murmured. "I''ve missed us."

    Jade''s heart swelled with love for the man beside her. "I''m so d you came tonight," she said softly, her fingers tracing the lines of his face.

    Harry smiled, his eyes filled with warmth. "I admit that I was sort of worried you wouldn''t want to see me," he confessed.

    Jade frowned as she pulled away to look into his face, "Why would you ever think that?"

    Harry sighed, "I don''t know. I just sort of had the feeling that you were still sort of keeping your distance even though you said we were cool now. You''ve not made any attempt to visit me in two weeks. You''ve not gone on a date with me. You''re usually on your phone during the drive to and from your therapy sessions. We barely talk as much as we used to," he said, and Jade shook her head.

    "Aww. It wasn''t intentional. I didn''t mean to make you feel that way, I promise. And there''s never a time when I''m not happy to see you no matter how awkward it might be. I''m sorry you felt that way," she said, leaning forward to kiss his cheek.

    Before she could kiss his cheek, he turned so that she kissed his lips instead and they bothughed.

    "Are you really happy, goddess?" Harry asked, looking into her face.

    Jade nodded, "Yeah. I''m happy."

    "That''s good. I want you to always be happy," he said, pulling her back to himself.

    "What about you? Are you happy?" Jade asked, turning in his arms to look at him.

    "I''m happy, but not contented yet. I will be when you''re finally my wife and we are living together," he said and sheughed.

    "I barely just moved in here and you''re talking about living together. I''m going to be here for at least a year, Jonas," she said, and he sighed.

    "I figured you''d say that. So, I''m just going to move in with you," he joked and sheughed.

    "But seriously, you don''t mind, right?" She asked and he shrugged.

    "I brought this upon myself, I don''t have a choice," he said and she shook her head.

    "Don''t say that like it''s some kind of punishment. I''m not doing this to punish you. I''m doing this because I want to. And it is good for us."

    "I know that. Logically it all makes sense. I get it. But I just can''t help how I feel," he said and she kissed him.

    "You can visit me whenever you want to. I will visit you too. We will go on dates. Everything will be okay," she assured him as she rested her head on his chest.

    "I''m sure it will," Harry murmured, kissing her shoulder.

    As theyy there, wrapped in each other''s arms, Jade felt a sense of peace wash over her. She had found her ce, her home, not just in her apartment, but in the heart of the man she loved.

    The future stretched out before them, filled with possibilities, and she knew a new chapter was beginning for her. It was a chapter filled with love, with hope, with confidence, and with the promise of a future built together. And for the first time in a long while, Jade felt truly at home.

 Chapter 922 Madhouse

    Chapter 922 Madhouse

    An Hour Earlier

    Mia emerged from her room, her mother''s worried expression meeting her at the threshold. The tension in the air was palpable as they made their way to the living room.

    Standing there, in a crisp suit and an air of smug authority, was Henry.

    Henry''s eyes scanned her, a cruel smile curling on his lips. "Vanessa, my dear," he began, his tone dripping with false affection. "I''vee to take you back. It''s time to end this charade."

    Her mother stepped forward, her voice trembling with restrained anger. "You have no right to be here, Henry. Vanessa doesn''t want to see you."

    Henry''s eyes narrowed, a sh of irritation crossing his face. "Stay out of this. This is between Vanessa and me."

    Mia took a deep breath, steadying herself. "What do you want, Henry?"

    "I want my wife back," he said, his voice dangerously calm. "You''ve had your little rebellion, but it''s time to return home where you belong."

    Mia stood tall, refusing to let him see her fear. "I''m not going anywhere with you, Henry."

    Henry''s smile faltered a flicker of anger in his eyes. "You don''t have a choice, Vanessa. You''reing with me now, or I''ll make things very difficult for your family."

    Mia nced at her mother, who was visibly shaking but stood her ground. "And what do you n to do, Henry? You''ve already withdrawn your support from thepany. There''s nothing else you can threaten us with."

    Henry''s smile returned, colder and more calcting. "You underestimate me, Mia. I have ways of making youply. If you want to see your father again, I suggest youe with me," he threatened and Mia''s heart skipped a beat.

    "What did you do to my husband?" Mia''s mother asked before Mia could say a word.

    "I haven''t done anything to him yet, but I will if you anger me any more than you have already done," he said to her before turning to Mia again.

    "So, what is it going to be? Will youe with me or do I have to force you?" Henry asked coldly.

    Mia nced at her mother, and her mother shook her head, "Don''t go with him, Nessa. Let him do his worst to us. We are not going to stand back and let him hurt you again. I won''t," her mother said passionately, pulling Mia to stand behind her.

    Mia''s heart raced, but she remembered Harry''s words: Don''t panic. Go along with his n.

    "Don''t worry, mom. I have to go with him," Mia said but her mother shook her head.

    "No. Don''t. You shouldn''t worry��"

    "I will go with him, Mom. I want to. Don''t worry about me," Mia said, squeezing her mother''s hand, while Henry smiled triumphantly.

    "Good choice," he said as he stepped aside and gestured for her to go through the door.

    Mia''s mother grabbed her hand as she took a step, "Nessa, you don''t have to do this," she pleaded with tears in her eyes.

    "Trust me, mom. I''ll be fine," Mia said softly, looking into her mother''s eyes.

    Reluctantly, her mother let go of her hand and Mia headed for the door.

    As they got into the car, the sound of the child lock clicking into ce was subtle but unmistakable.

    Mia nced at Henry, his face stony as he started the car and focused on the road ahead.

    Despite Harry''s assurance, her heart began to race as she noticed they weren''t heading towards the house, but she forced herself to stay calm and to think rationally.

    "Where are we going?" she asked, her voice as steady as she could manage.

    "Where mad people like you are kept," he replied coldly without taking his gaze off the road.

    Mia''s pulse quickened. "But we both know I''m not mad."

    "Do we? Time will tell," Henry said, a smirk ying at the corners of his mouth.

    The car sped along, covering miles that seemed to stretch endlessly. Thendscape became more deste, buildings giving way to empty fields and dense woods.

    Mia''s anxiety grew with each passing mile. She tried to memorizendmarks, but the scenery was unfamiliar.

    Eventually, they arrived at a dpidated building surrounded by high, rusted fences. Weeds and overgrown shrubs dominated the grounds, and the ce exuded an air of abandonment and decay.

    "Where are we?" Mia asked, her voice tinged with fear.

    Henry turned off the engine and smiled grimly at her. "A madhouse reserved specially for you. You''ll spend the rest of your life in here," he said, pleased with himself for finally seeding in getting her here.

    Although it had taken him two weeks to work it out, he had finally achieved his ns.

    In thest two weeks since Vanessa had left, all he could think about was how to teach her and her family a lesson for daring to defy him the way they had done.

    He had not said a word to Diana in thest two weeks, and she had been smart to stay out of his way.

    The only reason he had not descended on her was because of his love for her and the child she was carrying in her womb. For that reason he had stayed away from her and from the house.

    Now that he had gotten Vanessa here, he could finally forgive Diana for messing with his ns and go ahead to marry her.

    Mia''s breath caught in her throat. "You won''t get away with this," she said, her voice shaking but defiant. "My parents know you took me. They will definitely find me."

    Henry''s smile twisted into a sneer. "Do you really think your parents will go unpunished after disrespecting me the way they did? Now that you''re taking care of, guess who I''m going to deal with next?"

    "What are you nning to do to them?" she demanded, dread coiling in her stomach.

    "Don''t worry," Henry replied with a chilling calmness. "You will hear all about it from your prison. Get down." He ordered as he got out of the car with the car keys.

    Mia closed her eyes, forcing herself to calm down and remember that Harry and Tom had her back, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn''t shake off the fear.

    Before Mia could calm herself, Henry opened her door, grabbed her arm, and dragged her out of the car. She struggled, her feet digging into the ground, but his grip was irond.

    He yanked her by her hair, forcing her to stumble and nearly fall, her scalp burning from the pain as he dragged her inside.

    The asylum''s interior was even worse than its exterior. The air was thick with the scent of mildew and neglect. Dim lights flickered overhead, casting eerie shadows on the crumbling walls. The sound of their footsteps echoed ominously through the empty halls.

    Henry pushed her through a series of corridors, each more decayed than thest until they reached the final room down the hall.

    Unlike the rest of the building, the room seemed to have been renovated recently. Inside, two men and ady stood waiting.

    The moment Henry pushed Mia into the room, he frowned when he saw the unfamiliar faces, "Who are you? Where''s Ramsey?" Henry barked, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.

    They exchanged nces, and then the leader of the group stepped forward. "Ramsey got held up. He sent us instead."

    Henry''s eyes darted around the room, his instincts on high alert. "I''ve never seen any of you? Why didn''t Ramsey call to let me know he was sending new people?" he demanded, his voice low and threatening.

    Before the man could respond, a man emerged from behind Henry. In a swift, practiced motion, he jabbed a needle into his neck.

    Henry''s eyes widened in shock as he tried to turn around, but his body betrayed him. The sedative took effect almost instantly, and he crumpled to the floor, unconscious.

    Mia stood frozen, her heart pounding in her chest. The leader of the group stepped forward, his expression softening slightly as he looked at her.

    "Are you okay?" he asked, his voice surprisingly gentle.

    Mia nodded numbly, unable to process what had just happened. "Who are you?" she finally managed to ask, her voice barely above a whisper.

    "We''re friends," the man replied. "We''re here to help you." n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Mia felt a rush of relief, her knees threatening to give way. "Thank you," she said, her voice trembling with emotion.

    The man nodded and gestured to the others. "I will get her out of here and get rid of his car. Tie him up," he added, pointing to Henry''s limp form.

    As they led her out of the asylum, Mia felt a mix of gratitude and hope. Once again, Tom and Harry had proved that she could put herplete trust in them.

    She had no idea what was going to happen next, or what they nned to do to Henry, but she didn''t care. He had walked right into his own trap so whatever happened to him was what he deserved.

    All she cared about now was the fact that she was safe now. That was all that mattered. She could finally escape Henry''s grasp for good.

    Hello, dearest readers!

    After thinking about it for some time, I��ve decided that Jamal and Dawn��s story will be Volume 2 instead of starting a new book for them.

 Chapter 923 Living Hell

    Chapter 923 Living Hell

    As they drove away from the decrepit asylum, Mia clutched her trembling hands in herp, her mind reying the harrowing events over and over.

    The adrenaline that had kept herposed now drained away, leaving her feeling raw. The realization of how close she hade to being locked up here for life had Tom and Harry not been a step ahead of Henry overwhelmed her, and she broke into uncontroble sobs.

    The man driving the car, who had introduced himself as Barry, nced at her through the rearview mirror with a look of understanding and sympathy.

    "You''re safe now," he said gently, his voice a soothing balm to her frayed nerves. "We''ll get you home."

    Mia could only nod, her sobs making it impossible to form words. The ride seemed to stretch on forever, but eventually, familiarndmarks began to appear, signaling that they were nearing her neighborhood. The sense of relief that washed over her was almost too much to bear.

    When the car finally pulled up in front of her house, Mia took a deep, shaky breath, trying topose herself.

    As soon as the car door opened, her mother, Maria, rushed out, her face a mixture of worry and relief.

    "Nessa!" She cried, enveloping her daughter in a tight embrace the moment she stepped out of the car. "Oh, thank God you''re safe."

    Mia clung to her mother, her body shaking with the force of her sobs. "Mom," she managed to choke out, her voice breaking.

    Her mother stroked her hair, whispering soothing words. "It''s okay, sweetheart. You''re home now. You''re safe."

    Mia''s father, Robert, appeared at the door, his expression grave. "What happened? Where did he take you?" he asked, his voice tense with concern.

    Mia couldn''t answer. The words were trapped in her throat, suffocated by her tears. She shook her head, her sobs intensifying.

    "Let''s get you inside," Maria said softly, guiding Mia toward the house. "You need to rest."

    They led her to her bedroom, the familiar surroundings offering a small measure offort. Maria helped her out of her shoes and gently tucked her into bed. "Just rest, honey," she said, brushing a strand of hair from Mia''s face. "We''ll talkter."

    Mia nodded weakly, her eyes heavy with exhaustion. As Maria left the room, closing the door softly behind her, Mia finally allowed herself to close her eyes, the weight of the day pulling her into a restless sleep.

    Robert paced the living room, his mind racing with questions and worries. His wife just joined him when Barry knocked on the door, reminding them that Mia had not returned alone and she had been dropped off.

    Immediately, Robert opened the door, "I''m so sorry I didn''t think to thank you. Thank you for bringing my daughter home. If you don''t mind me asking, who are you? And how did you find her?" Robert asked, assuming that he had rescued Mia from Henry.

    After he got home earlier and his wife told him that Henry had taken Mia back to his house, they had hurried over to Henry''s ce but had met only Diana, who told them Henry had not been home since the previous day.

    "I''m Barry. I have to leave in a moment, so listen carefully," Barry said urgently. "You''re going to receive a call for an interview soon. It''s important that you ept it."

    "An interview?" Robert asked, confused. "About what?"

    "About your daughter''s mental state," Barry replied. "It''s crucial that you take this opportunity to set the record straight and expose Henry''s true nature."

    Robert''s heart pounded in his chest. "I understand. I''ll do it."

    "Good," Barry said and as he turned to leave, Mia''s mother stopped him.

    "Where did you find her? Where did that monster take her? Why is she not saying anything?"

    Barry sighed, "I think she is in the best position to answer your questions." N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "Are you the one who sent me those documents two weeks ago? The proof of Henry''s deeds?" Robert asked and Barry nodded.

    "Yes, I did. I have to leave now," Barry said with a polite nod before walking away.

    As soon as he drove off, Robert''s phone rang. He took a deep breath and answered when he saw it was an unfamiliar number. "Hello?"

    "Mr. Lawson," a professional-sounding voice said. "This is Amelia Hayes from the Daily Tribune. We''d like to interview you regarding your daughter''s recent ordeal and her mental health. Would you be avable to speak with us?"

    Robert''s grip tightened on the phone. "Yes, I would. When would you like to schedule the interview?"

    "We can conduct the interview over the phone right now if that''s convenient for you," Amelia suggested.

    Robert nced down the hallway that led to Mia''s bedroom, then nodded to himself. "Yes, now is fine."

    "Thank you, Mr. Lawson," Amelia said, her tone professional but empathetic. "First, let me say that we''re all very concerned about your daughter''s well-being. Can you tell us what happened happened?"

    Robert took a deep breath, gathering his thoughts. "Yes. I will tell you everything."

    Amelia paused for a moment, her voice bing more serious. "Mr. Lawson, can you tell us about your daughter''s mental state?"

    Robert''s jaw tightened. "Vanessa is not mentally ill. She is perfectly fine. Henry has been using these allegations to control and manipte her. He''s a dangerous man, and he needs to be stopped."

    "But you also stated that she wasn''t��"

    "I lied. I''m ashamed of myself as her father. I lied because I didn''t want to go against Henry. But now I do not care. My daughter''s life and happiness are more important to me than anything else, so I''m going to say the truth," Robert said, his voice firm.

    "I want people to understand that Vanessa is a victim of abuse. She''s been through a lot, but she''s strong, and we''re doing everything we can to support her now. She didn''t lose her memory. She ran away from him because of all he did to her but he managed to find her and bring her back. No one should have to go through what Vanessa has endured. I''m d she has signed the divorce papers now and is home with us."

    "Thank you, Mr. Lawson," Amelia said. "We''ll make sure your message is heard."

    As Robert ended the call, he felt a mix of relief and determination. He knew the interview was just the first step in a long battle to protect his daughter and hold Henry ountable. But for now, he was grateful that she was home and safe.

    Away from there, Diana paced around her room, her mind a whirlwind of anxiety and determination.

    The events of the past two weeks had left her deeply unsettled and now she couldn''t shake the gnawing worry about where Henry might have taken Vanessa.

    Henry''s erratic behavior and sinister intentions had escted beyond her control, and waiting for her anonymous ally to take action seemed increasingly futile.

    The clock on the wall ticked relentlessly, each second amplifying her impatience. She had to do something before he returned. She had to make her move now.

    Diana''s resolve solidified. She couldn''t afford to wait any longer. She walked to her closet, pushing aside a row of hanging clothes to reveal a hiddenpartment she had made for herself.

    Inside, she had meticulously prepared everything she would need for this moment: documents, evidence, and a small bag containing a syringe and a vial of clear liquid.

    As she reached for the bag, her phone buzzed on the nightstand. Startled, she picked it up and her heart skipped a beat as she received the call when she saw it was from her anonymous ally.

    "Hello?" she said, her voice a mix of urgency and hope.

    "It''s done," Barry said, his tone calm andposed. "Henry has been delivered to you. You''re free to do with him as you please."

    Diana''s breath caught in her throat. "Where is he?"

    "I''ve sent you the location. Check your messages," Barry replied. "Be careful, Diana. This is your chance to end this."

    "Thank you," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. She ended the call and quickly opened the message. The address of the asylum appeared on her screen.

    Picking up her bag, she headed for the door, but before she could get to the door, the doorbell rang.

    Diana froze, her mind racing. She hurried to the door and opened it to find Henry''swyer standing there, a briefcase in hand and an air of impatience about him.

    "Diana," he said with a curt nod. "I''m here to meet with Henry. He asked me toe over to pick up his divorce papers."

    Diana''s heart pounded. "When did he tell you this?"

    "In the morning," thewyer replied, his gaze scrutinizing her.

    She forced a calm smile. "Of course,e in. I will get the papers."

    Leaving thewyer in the foyer, Diana made her way to Henry''s study. She rifled through the neatly organized desk until she found the envelope containing the divorce papers. Her hands trembled slightly as she took it back to thewyer.

    "Here you go," she said, handing him the envelope.

    Thewyer nced at her with suspicion. "Where is Henry? I need his signature on a few more documents."

    Diana''s mind raced for an exnation. "He hasn''t returned home yet. I''m not sure where he is. But you can leave the documents. I''m sure he will sign them when he gets back."

    Thewyer frowned but nodded. "I will take these for now. Thank you."

    As soon as thewyer left, Diana grabbed her bag and headed to her car. She drove through the dark streets, her mind a maelstrom of thoughts and emotions. The drive to the asylum felt interminable, each passing second fueling her determination.

    When she finally arrived, the eerie silence of the ce sent a shiver down her spine. She parked her car and walked briskly to the building, her resolve unwavering. The air inside was cold and oppressive, the remnants of its dark history palpable.

    Following Barry''s instructions, she made her way to the secluded room deep within the asylum. There, lying on a narrow bed, was Henry, unconscious and restrained and very much alone.

    A mixture of relief and anger surged through her. She approached him cautiously, her eyes narrowing as she studied his motionless form.

    Instead of waking him, Diana opened her bag and took out the syringe and vial. With steady hands, she drew the liquid into the syringe and approached Henry. Her heart pounded in her chest, but her resolve remained firm.

    She injected the liquid into his arm and sat down to wait for the substance to take effect and for Henry to wake up.

    Diana didn''t have to wait for very long before his eyes fluttered open.

    By the time Henry regained consciousness, he couldn''t move. Panic flickered in his gaze as he realized his predicament, and his eyes widened in surprise when he saw Diana standing over him with a menacing smile curling her lips.

    "Hello, Henry," she said, her voice dripping with cold satisfaction. "Wee to your new reality."

    Henry''s eyes widened in fear, his body unresponsive to his desperate attempts to move. Diana leaned closer, her eyes zing with a mixture of triumph and fury.

    "Your life is about to be a living hell," she whispered, her words a chilling promise. "And I will make sure you suffer for every pain you''ve inflicted."

    Henry''s eyes darted around the room, his breathing rapid and shallow. He waspletely at her mercy, and the realization of his helplessness sent a wave of terror through him.

    "Do not bother attempting to move. You can neither move nor speak. I''m going to treat you like the animal you are. You have no idea how much I''ve waited for this day. How much I''ve longed to see you look so helpless," she said as she straightened up, her smile fading as she regarded him with cold detachment.

    "This is just the beginning, Henry. I will make sure you pay for everything you''ve done. And I will destroy all you''ve worked so hard to build."

    Leaving him bound and paralyzed, she walked out of the room, the echoes of her footsteps reverberating through the silent corridors.

    She felt a sense of grim satisfaction knowing that she had taken control, and Henry would never be able to harm anyone again.

    Instead of going back to the house, she drove to Mia''s home to see if she had gotten home now and if she was alright.

 Chapter 924 A Friend

    Chapter 924 A Friend

    Jeff paced his hotel room, his mind a storm of worry and fear. He hadn''t heard from Mia since theirst conversation, and each passing minute felt like an eternity.

    He reyed her words over and over, the anxiety gnawing at him relentlessly. Frustrated, he tossed the phone onto the couch and ran a hand through his hair.

    Sick with worry, Jeff finally decided he couldn''t wait any longer. He picked up his phone and dialed Tom''s number disregarding the fact that it waste at night over there in Ludus.

    His heart pounded as he waited for an answer. "Tom, sorry to disturb you sote in the night," he said urgently when Tom picked up. "Have you heard from Mia? I can''t get in touch with her, and I''m losing my mind here."

    Gruff

    Tom''s voice was gruff with exhaustion since he had only just gone to bed, "I understand. Call Barry. He knows what''s going on. He will exin everything."

    "Barry?" Jeff repeated, a flicker of hope igniting. "Alright, I will call him. Thanks, Tom. Sorry for disturbing your sleep once," Jeff apologized as he hung up.

    Jeff quickly dialed Barry''s number, his fingers trembling. After a few rings, Barry answered.

    "Barry, it''s Jeff. I need to know what''s happening with Mia. Is she okay?"

    Barry''s voice was calm. "Yes. Mia is at home now. She''s safe. We managed to get her away from Henry."

    "Henry took her? What happened?" Jeff asked and Barry calmly exined everything to him.

    Relief flooded Jeff, and he sagged against the wall. "Thank God. Thank you, Barry. I will head over there now."

    Without wasting another second, Jeff grabbed his room key and rushed out the door. The drive to Mia''s house felt agonizingly slow, but he finally arrived, his heart pounding with anticipation.

    He hurried up the steps and knocked on the door, trying to calm his racing thoughts.

    The door opened to reveal Mia''s father, Robert, his expression wary and tense. "Can I help you?"

    Jeff took a deep breath. "Mr. Lawson, I''m Vanessa''s friend. I need to see her," Jeff exined and Robert let him in.

    "Vanessa is indisposed right now, so you can''t see her," Robert said, his brows pulled together as he tried to ce Jeff''s face and why he looked so familiar.

    Maria, who was seated in the living room, raised her head when Jeff walked in, and she recognized him instantly, "Aren''t you one of Henry''s domestic staff? What are you doing here?"

    Recognition flickered in Robert''s eyes, followed by a surge of anger. "You work for Henry? Get out of here. We don''t want anyone associated with that man near our daughter."

    "Please," Jeff implored, his voice breaking with desperation. "I''m not associated with him. Just tell Vanessa I''m here. I''m sure she would want to see me. If she doesn''t want to see me, I will leave."

    Robert''s eyes narrowed. "I said, get out. If you don''t leave now, I''ll make you." Robert threatened.

    "Please leave. Our daughter has been through enough in one day. We don''t want any more drama for her," Maria pleaded.

    Desperate, Jeff shouted, "Vanessa! Vanessa, are you in there? Please,e down!"

    Robert''s face turned red with fury. He grabbed Jeff by the cor and began pushing him toward the door. "I told you to leave!"

    Jeff struggled, calling out again. "Vanessa! Please, I need to see you!"

    Upstairs, curled up in her bed, Mia''s sobs were interrupted by a familiar voice. At first, she thought she was imagining it, but when she heard it again, she sat up, her heart racing.

    She hurried out of her room and rushed down the stairs when she heard the voices. When she reached the foot of the stairs, she saw her father push Jeff.

    "Dad, stop!" she cried out, her voice shaky. "Stop it!"

    Robert froze, his grip on Jeff loosening. Mia ran to Jeff, throwing her arms around him and bursting into tears. Jeff held her tightly, his own eyes moist with relief.

    "Mia," he whispered, his voice choked with emotion. "I''m so d you''re okay."

    Mia clung to him, sobbing into his shoulder. "Jeff, I was so scared. I didn''t know what to do."

    Robert and Maria exchanged a look, confusion, and concern etched on their faces. "What''s going on here?" Robert demanded, his tone softer but still stern.

    Before any of them could answer, Diana walked in through the still-open door, her eyes widening in surprise at the scene before her.

    "Vanessa? Josh?" Diana called, and immediately Mia and Josh separated when they heard her voice.

    "Diana?" Mia said, her voice tinged with shock as she looked from Diana to Jeff.

    Diana''s gaze shifted from Mia to Jeff, her expression unreadable. "Josh? What are you doing here?"

    Jeff gently pulled away from Mia, though he kept a protective arm around her. "I came to see her. I needed to make sure she was okay."

    Diana nodded slowly, "Did you two know each other? You don''t exactly seem like you''re mere acquaintances," She observed, her tone tinged with suspicion.

    "Why are you here?" Maria asked Diana with a frown.

    "I''m here to check on Vanessa, to find out how she is doing," Diana exined, looking away from Jeff and Mia.

    "Why do you care? Are you not Henry''s mistress? Did he send you here?" Robert asked and Mia stepped away from Jeff to Diana. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "We are all on the same side," Mia said softly, causing her parents to frown.

    "And Josh too?" Diana asked suspiciously, ncing at Jeff.

    Although Jeff had not meant for his cover to be blown, he nodded, "Yes."

    "I don''t understand what''s going on, but I think we all need to sit down. You all go to the living room. I will get snacks and some tea," Maria said as she shut the door and headed for the kitchen with her husband while the others headed to the living room.

    "Who are you?" Diana asked Jeff once they were seated, "And how long have you known each other?" Diana asked Mia.

    Jeff and Mia exchanged a look, not sure what or how much to reveal to her, but Jeff figured that since she now knew he was close to Mia, he couldn''t deny it. The best he could do was not to make any slips.

    "We met for the first time when I started working in the house. We became friends��"

    "How? I don''t understand. Who are you?" she narrowed her eyes when something suddenly urred to her.

    "Are you the one I''ve been speaking with over the phone? You asked me to let go of the former chef so you coulde in, didn''t you?" Diana asked, and Jeff shook his head.

    "I think you are focusing on the wrong thing. It doesn''t matter who I am or how I got here. What matters is that we are on the same team," Jeff said, and Mia nodded, understanding what Jeff was doing.

    Diana sighed, "So, why did youe into the house? What was your n?" Diana asked as Maria and Robert returned.

    "I wanted to find something I could use against Henry. But then I realized that the security in the house was too much and I couldn''t do anything. I wanted to leave but when I saw how she was being treated I felt really bad and decided to hang around for her sake to make sure she doesn''t get hurt," Jeff lied.

    Diana frowned since his exnation wasn''t really making sense to her, but before she could ask any more questions, Robert spoke, "I''m sorry for treating you that way earlier. I had no idea you were looking out for my daughter."

    "No. It''s okay. I understand. I appreciate that if it wasn''t me you would have kept away any threats from her," Jeff rushed to assure him.

    "Thank you very much for looking out for my daughter," Maria said as she handed him a cup of tea while Mia looked at Diana with interest.

    "Won''t Henry be mad that you came to see me?" Mia asked, wanting to check if Diana knew that Henry was missing.

    "He isn''t in any position to be mad at anyone right now. I just want to know what happened. I heard from your parents that he took you earlier, and then I saw him in a hrious state. How did that happen?" Diana asked, looking at Mia curiously.

    "You saw him? Where? How?" Mia''s father asked curiously.

    "At an abandoned Asylum. Is that where he took you?" Diana asked and Vanessa nodded.

    Vanessa took a deep breath and then told them how Henry had dragged her there and how the people there had turned on him and injected him instead of her and let her go.

    "There is some sort of poetic justice to this, isn''t it? He took you to the Asylum but ended up being admitted there instead. Just like he wished to do to you, I''m going to make sure he spends what''s left of his miserable life in there. You don''t have to worry about anything, Nessa. You can go. I''ve handed the divorce papers to hiswyer to process it. You should leave the country. Go to somewhere far away. You cane back after you hear of his death if you want to," Diana advised.

    "Won''t that make me a suspect if they find out he is missing��"

    "Not at all. He won''t be missing. Don''t worry. He bought the dpidated asylum himself because he was trying to keep his mental state a secret. And now his mental health has deteriorated and he doesn''t even want to let anyone else close to him," Diana said with a confident smile.

    "I will handle it all," she assured them.

    "What if you get caught?" Mia asked with a frown.

    "I n to turn myself in after I kill him anyway. But for now, I just want to enjoy ruining him and all he has," Diana said and Mia sighed.

    "Is it worth it? Ruining your life just so you can ruin a person like him?" Mia asked with a frown.

    "Unfortunately, that''s the only way to destroy a person like Henry. Only a monster can destroy a monster like him. And I don''t mind being that monster. He destroyed my family. Do you know how it feels to attend to an emergency call at the hospital only to find out the victim is your only family? My only brother, Nickmitted suicide because of him. He was the only family I had. His wife was heavily pregnant and she went into prematurebor when he died. Her blood pressure was too high and she died, and so did the baby. Do you know what that feels like? Losing all the family you have in the twinkle of an eye? I am dead inside, Vanessa. And destroying Henry is the only thing keeping me alive," Diana said with a deep sigh.

    "I have to go back to him. Go live your life, Vanessa. Forget your past and be happy. You too, Josh. I don''t know what he might have done to you but don''t worry. I will pay him back for every one of you," Diana promised as she rose.

    "This is all so heart-wrenching," Maria said as they all sighed deeply.

    Mia embraced Diana, "I''m sorry for all the pain Henry has caused you."

    "As I am for all he has done to you," Diana said, patting Vanessa''s back.

    "Be safe," Diana whispered to Vanessa before pulling away, and with a nod at the rest of them, she headed for the door.

    They all remained silent for a while after she left, and then Mia turned to Jeff, "I suppose Tom knew about Diana''s n?"

    "Yeah. I guess so," Jeff said.

    "Who is Tom?" Robert asked in confusion.

    "And who are you?" Maria asked looking at Jeff.

    "A friend," Jeff and Mia said in unison and then smiled at each other.

 Chapter 925 I’m Yours

    Chapter 925 I��m Yours

    The moment Andy woke up in the morning and saw that Cassidy was still fast asleep beside her, she smiled as she watched him sleep, feeling very contented and sated.

    Despite the fact that they had spent all night talking and making love, she still couldn''t believe that Cassidy was sleeping right next to her.

    She picked up her phone to capture his sleeping face, but just as she raised it to take a picture, Cassidy reached out without opening his eyes and snatched the phone from her hand, startling her.

    "What? You were awake?" She asked, looking closely into his face to see if his eyes were open.

    His lips curved in a smile even as his eyes remained closed, "My eyes don''t have to be open simply because I''m awake. My ears are open," he said as his eyes slowly drifted open.

    "You can''t take pictures of me, Andy," he said softly.

    "Why? You''re worried someone might see them or something?" She asked, and he nodded.

    "It''s bad enough that I''m here when I should be dead. I''m not supposed to leave traces of me behind," he exined and Andy sighed inwardly but smiled at him.

    "I understand. Are you hungry? I''m famished," she said as she rolled off the bed not minding that she was naked and Cassidy watched her.

    Heading to the closet, she picked out a skimpy Mickey Mouse dress which she wore as she headed out of the bedroom.

    Cassidybed his fingers through his hair. He had nned to leave before she woke up but had ended up sleeping for much longer than he nned.

    Getting up from the bed, he put on his clothes and went to join her in the kitchen.

    Andy turned when she heard him behind her, "I hope you don''t mind pancakes," she said as she moved around getting all she needed.

    "Don''t we need to talk?" He asked and she shrugged.

    "I thought we already did all the talkingst night," she said without pausing.

    "Andy," Cassidy called softly, and she stopped and turned to him.

    "I have told you what I want, Alex. If you want to tell me how you''re going to make it happen, then let''s hear it. If you want to make excuses about how you think it''s a bad idea like I sense you want to do, I advise you to keep it to yourself," she said and then returned to making the pancakes.

    Cassidy''s lips twitched in amusement as he watched her. He had not expected her to be this resolute in wanting to be with him when he decided to visit her. He wasn''t sure yet if it was a good or bad thing. He sighed as he went to sit by the ind while he watched her silently as she fixed breakfast.

    After working in silence for some time she turned to him, "I really think this can work. So, instead of thinking about all the reasons why it won''t work, why not think about how we can make work? I want to be with you. I know we didn''t start well, but I really do like you now. As much as I hate to admit it, I was sexually attracted to you in the past because, despite the situation, you mastered my body and gave as much pleasure as you received, but in the little time I spent at your ce, I got to see a different side to you. I learned to like you and even admire you. Everyone has a past, and I do not want to focus on your past. I want to focus on the future. Your future. Our future. That''s what I want. So, can you please give us a chance?" She asked, holding his gaze.

    "What if you regret it?" He asked and she shrugged.

    "What if it''s the best decision of my life? I won''t know the answer to that until I give it a try," she countered.

    "Your family. Do you think they are going to approve��"

    "They all know how I feel about you. My dad, Harry, Candace, and even my friends know. They may not totally understand it, but they ept it," she said and he sighed.

    "I don''t think you know what you''re getting yourself into, Andy," he insisted.

    "Tell me. What do you think I''m getting myself into?" She asked as she set the te of pancakes down on the ind.

    "I won''t be here for you, Andy. You won''t have a regr partner. I can''t give you my time. You''d be lonely. You''re setting yourself up for a life of loneliness, Andy. Why would you do that to yourself when you can have someone more suitable and settle down?" Cassidy asked as Andy came to stand in front of him.

    "One question. Are you reluctant to do this because you''re worried about me? Or is it about you?" She asked thoughtfully.

    Cassidy hesitated for a moment, "I''m doing this for you, Andy. I am trying not to be selfish," he said and she smiled.

    "Do you know something I''ve learned in thest couple of weeks?" She asked, and Andy looked at her as he waited for her to tell him.

    "Not everyone would have a conventional marriage or rtionship. Maybe I''m not cut out for the regr kind of rtionship no matter how beautiful it is. Besides, with my career, I might not have the time to be a regr wife or girlfriend to anyone either. I want this with you. I don''t care about what we have not fitting into anyone''s ideals. It is ideal enough for me and I want it to be for you too," she said as she leaned forward and captured his lips in a kiss.

    Cassidy groaned as his arms went around her and he pulled her closer to him so that her breast was pressed against his chest.

    Just as he deepened the kiss, Andy broke the kiss and pulled away, "Tell me you will be my man," she said, holding his gaze.

    "Andy��"

    "Say it, Alex. Say you''re mine," she insisted. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Cassidy sighed weakly, "Are you sure you want this?"

    "I have never been more certain of anything in my life."

    "I''m not going to let you change your mindter," he warned.

    "I''m not going to change my mind," she promised.

    "I can only visit you once a month and we can''t have any pictures together or go out in public together," he said and she paused her lips.

    "No pictures at all? Not even with an unregistered phone or a digital camera?" She asked and he shook his head.

    "I don''t want any trace of me anywhere," he said and she nodded.

    "And you can''t go out with me even in disguise?" She asked and he nodded.

    "I can''t do even that. Do you understand now what you''re getting into?"

    "And when you visit once a month how long can you stay with me?" She asked thoughtfully.

    "Only for a couple of days. A week max," he said and she smiled.

    "So, you''ll be here for a week?" She asked with a grin.

    "No. I''m leaving tomorrow," he said and she scowled.

    "Will you bring Mari along with you when next youe?" She asked and he shook his head.

    "How can I have you to myself in that time if I bring her with me?" He asked and she grinned.

    "Then will you drop her off at other times?" She asked and he sighed.

    "Andy��"

    "It will be good for her, I assure you. It''s not like anyone knows she is rted to you. She doesn''t have to be stuck in that Ind. If you want she can live here with me and go to good schools here. Allow her to grow up normally instead of living there with retirees. I will take good care of her," Andy offered but he shook his head.

    "I can''t be away from my daughter. Besides, there are other kids on the Ind and there''s a school there," he said with a frown.

    "I''m not asking you to be away. Think of it as a boarding school. She wille to be with you on the ind during her school breaks and you can see her whenever you visit. Think of here as your second home," Andy suggested.

    "This is a lot to process, Andy."

    "I know. And don''t think I''m just being impulsive by bringing it up now. I''ve been thinking about all of these for weeks. That''s to tell you how hard I''ve been thinking about you and how to make us work. It would be perfect," Andy said and Cassidy sighed.

    "I will need some time to think about it," Cassidy said and Andy smiled.

    "That''s good enough for me. I can''t wait for Mari to meet my nephew. I think they are going to get along really fine," she said and Cassidy raised a brow.

    "I haven''t agreed yet," he reminded her.

    "You haven''t agreed yet to her schooling here, not to her visit. She is going to visit me, and I''m going to introduce her to Jamal when she does," Andy said with a grin.

    "Why do you sound like you want to matchmake them?" Cassidy asked with a frown.

    Andy rolled her eyes, "Jamal is my nephew and Mari is more like my daughter because I''m her daddy''s girlfriend. That makes them cousins. And Jamal has a girlfriend already, so rx," she said and Cassidy sighed.

    "The pancakes are getting cold. Didn''t you say you were hungry?" He asked and she nodded.

    "We will get to it after you say it," she reminded him.

    "You''re mine, Andy," Cassidy said, and she grinned.

    "And?"

    "I''m yours," he said and she kissed him before she stepped away to pour coffee into two mugs.

    As Cassidy watched her, he rubbed his eyes wondering how he was going to handle all the changes that Andy wanted him to make. He really wanted her in his life and he was happy that she wanted him too, but he needed to figure out a way to handle everything.

    As Andy ced the mug in front of him she smiled when she saw the thoughtful frown on his face, "We will make this work, Alex. And you will see that I''m right," she promised.

    "Let''s hope so," he said as he picked up his mug and took a sip from the coffee.

 Chapter 926 Breakfast In Bed

    Chapter 926 Breakfast In Bed

    Tom stirred, his arm instinctively reaching out to find Lucy. His fingers brushed against the soft skin of her back, and he smiled, eyes still closed, as he pulled her closer.

    Lucy let out a contented sigh, nestling her head into the crook of Tom''s shoulder. She lifted her head slightly, her lips brushing against his corbone as she whispered, "Good morning, love."

    Tom opened his eyes, blinking away the remnants of sleep, and gazed down at her. Her hair was tousled, a cascade of ck curls that framed her face, and her eyes sparkled with love as she met his gaze.

    "Good morning, beautiful," he murmured, his voice thick with affection. He tilted her chin up and kissed her gently, savoring the sweetness of her lips.

    Theyy there for a while, wrapped in each other''s arms, and Tom caressed her, tracingzy patterns on her back with his fingertips.

    Lucy shivered slightly at his touch, a smile ying on her lips. "Do we have to get up?" Lucy asked, her voice a sleepy murmur as she nuzzled against Tom''s chest.

    Tom chuckled softly, the vibration of hisughter reverberating through her. "Not yet," he said, his hand moving to stroke her hair. "We can stay here a little longer."

    Lucy smiled, her eyes fluttering closed again. "Good, because I like it right here," she whispered, her fingers tracing the outline of Tom''s jaw.

    Tom watched her, his heart swelling with love. Every moment with Lucy felt like a precious gift, and he cherished these quiet, intimate mornings when it was just the two of them.

    He leaned down and kissed her forehead, lingering there as he breathed in the familiar,forting scent of her. After a while, Tom slightly, propped himself up on one elbow to get a better look at her. "How did I get so lucky?" he mused, his eyes twinkling with mischief.

    Lucy opened her eyes and gazed up at him, a yful smile curving her lips. "I''m the lucky one," she countered, reaching up to touch his cheek. "You make every day better."

    Tom''s expression softened, and he took her hand in his, bringing it to his lips. "I love you, Jewel," he said simply, the words carrying the weight of all the emotions he felt for her.

    "I love you too," Lucy replied, her eyes shimmering with sincerity. She pulled him down for another kiss, this one deeper, more lingering as if they were trying to pour all their feelings into that one moment.

    When they finally broke apart, both were breathless and smiling. "You haven''t told me how the housewarming went. You came backte and went to bed before I could be done with my phone call." He reminded her.

    "Sorry about that. I was exhausted. Her ce is nice, and the housewarming was really fun. Herndy is really fun and young too. I think she''s going to take good care of Jade. She seems to like Jade a lot," Lucy said, thinking about Sharon.

    "Are you saying that because you don''t want me to worry?" Tom asked with a knowing smile and Lucy grinned.

    "Well, it''s the truth. But I also want you to know that she will be fine. She really looked so happy yesterday. I''ve never seen her that way before," Lucy said and Tom smiled.

    "Never?"

    "I mean I''ve seen her happy before, but not exactly that way. She seemed different in a really cool way. In all, it was a fun girls'' time," she said and Tom nodded.

    "I''m d you had fun. I was quite upied with my meeting and then the phone calls," he said and Lucy nodded.

    "Talking about phone calls, I think I heard you talking on the phone in the middle of the night. Who were you talking to?" She asked curiously.

    "It was Jeff. He called to find out what was going on with Mia," Tom exined.

    "Why? Did something happen?" She asked, and Tom briefed her on all that had happened.

    "I''m d you were a step ahead. What happens to Henry now?" She asked curiously.

    Tom shrugged, "I don''t know. I have handed him to Diana to do as she pleases," he said and she narrowed her eyes

    "As she pleases? Didn''t you say she nned to kill him?" She asked with raised a brow.

    "I had an agreement with her. I told her I would hand him to her if she helped Mia get out. She did. I don''t care what she does with him," he said and she frowned.

    "You don''t care if he is murdered?" She asked incredulously as she sat up.

    Tom cursed himself for so easily opening up to her when he had told Harry he wasn''t going to tell anyone and they would keep it between themselves.

    "As long as I''m not the one doing the murdering, should it be a problem?" He asked, and her frown deepened.

    "I don''t know much aboutw, but I do know you will be an essory to murder," she said and Tom sighed.

    "She doesn''t even know who I am��"

    "But you do. And I do," she cut in.

    Before Tom could argue further she raised a finger, "I''m not saying this because I care about him. I don''t care whether he lives or dies. I''m not saying this either because I think you''re going to get caught. I''m saying this because I don''t think murder is something you should have on your conscience. No matter how filthy a person is, having their death on your conscience is tough," Lucy said, and Tom looked at her, realizing she was thinking about her own past.

    "If he doesn''t die, he''s going to keep going after Mia. I don''t mind having his death on my conscience. I''m sorry I told you about it," he said, raising her hand to his lip and kissing her palm.

    "If news of this ever gets out it could be very damaging to your reputation," she said, worried.

    "It won''t get out. She doesn''t have any links to me. That''s why I asked Jeff to not do anything but only to keep an eye on Mia. That way even the Hendersons can''t trace anything to me," he said and Lucy sighed.

    "Are you��"

    "Forget I told you anything, Jewel. Please, do not worry about it," he said, holding her gaze and she sighed.

    "I will try," she said, and he smiled.

    "How about breakfast in bed?" Tom suggested, changing the subject.

    Lucyughed softly. "That sounds perfect," she agreed. "But only if you''re not the one making it."

    Tom scowled but his eyes were alight withughter. "I''ll go see what Samantha prepared ande serve you, my Queen," he said, rolling out of bed.

    "It''s called breakfast in bed ''cause I''m serving it in bed, Jewel. You''re noting with me," he said when she held out a hand to him to help her up.

    "I want to use the bathroom," she exined with a smallugh.

    "Oh," Tom said with a chuckle as he took her hand and helped her up.

    Tom picked up his phone as he headed for the door, "You can freshen up while you wait since this might take a minute and I need to call Harry." The moment he shut the door behind him, he dialed Harry''s as he headed down the stairs.

    Away from there, Harry stirred from sleep when his phone rang, and he groaned when he saw Tom''s name shing on the screen.

    He rubbed his eyes and answered the call, his voice thick with sleep. "Hey. What''s up?" He asked as he sat up and looked around for Jade who wasn''t on the bed.

    "Morning, Harry. Sorry to wake you," Tom began, his tone urgent but still quiet enough not to disturb the calm morning atmosphere. "I thought you''d be up."

    "I had ate night. Spent the night at Jade''s," he exined and Tom grinned.

    "Really? I guess things are back to normal between you two now then," he said, since Harry hadined to him about the state of things the previous day.

    "Yeah. We''ve trashed it all out. I''m sure you didn''t call so early in the morning to chit-chat. What''s up? Did something happen?" Harry asked as he got out of bed and went down to the living room in search of Jade.

    "No, nothing new. I just... It''s just that I told Lucy about it. About leaving Henry to Diana. She wasn''t exactly thrilled," Tom admitted, his voice carrying a hint of regret.

    Harry sighed. "Tom, we agreed to keep this between us for a reason. But what''s done is done. How did she take it?"

    "Not well," Tom replied, leaning against the banister the stairs. "She''s worried about the legal implications, and more than that, she''s worried about the toll it might take on me. She thinks having his death on my conscience would be too much. From her experience, that is."

    "Well, she''s got a point," Harry said thoughtfully. "But we can''t change what''s already in motion. We can only try to manage it as best as we can."

    Tom nodded, even though Harry couldn''t see him. "Yeah, I get that. I just... I don''t want her to worry as I know she will. She''s been through enough already."

    "Then make sure she knows you''re handling it. Keep her in the loop just enough so she doesn''t feel left out, but not so much that she gets more worried," Harry advised.

    "Yeah, sure," Tom said and they both sighed.

    "I guess now that Lucy knows, it''s only a matter of time before the others find out too. I don''t want to have to face Jade over this. So, maybe you should see if you can talk to Diana. Maybe there''s a way to resolve this without... you know."

    "I''ll think about it," Tom said, though he wasn''t convinced there was any way to resolve things peacefully with Henry involved. "Thanks, Harry."

    "Anytime," Harry replied. "Let''s talkter. I need to find my baby," he said before hanging up.

    Tom slipped his phone into his pocket as he continued downstairs to the kitchen to see what Samantha had prepared.

    "Good morning, Samantha," Tom greeted as he walked in, and she smiled as she looked up from the oven.

    "Good morning, Tom. I will serve breakfast now," she said, but he shook his head.

    "Thanks, but I''m taking it up to the bedroom. Also, can you show me how to whip up something quickly? Anything I can add to the breakfast tray handmade by me?" He asked, wanting to put in a little effort himself.

    "Sure. Do you have anything in mind?" She asked with a grin as she walked over to where he stood. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "I don''t know. Something easy that wouldn''t take a lot of time since I don''t want to keep her waiting and I don''t want her to bust me either," he said with a grin.

    "Hmm. Maybe scrambled eggs," she suggested and Tom nodded.

    "That should be easy enough. Let''s get to it then," he said, and Samantha guided him as he made the scrambled eggs.

    With the breakfast tray loaded ten minutester, Tom made his way back upstairs. Lucy was sitting up in bed, scrolling through her phone, but she looked up when the door opened and smiled when she saw him.

    "Breakfast is served, my queen," Tom said with a yful bow, setting the tray down on the bed.

    Lucyughed, the sound like music to his ears. "You''re too much, my king," she said, but her eyes shone with affection.

    They settled back into bed, the tray between them. Lucy took a bite of the bacon and moaned in delight. "This is amazing."

    Tom grinned as he raised a forkful of the scrambled eggs to her lips, "Try this."

    Lucy epted it and as she chewed, Tom watched her with a wide smile making her raise a brow, "Why are you watching me instead of eating."

    "Do you like the scrambled eggs?" Tom asked, and then she paused and grinned.

    "You made it, didn''t you?" She asked and giggled when he bobbed his head.

    "Hm. Who knew you could cook?"

    Tom grinned. "I certainly didn''t, but I wanted to impress you," Tom said simply. "You deserve the best, and I want to give that to you."

    Lucy reached across the tray and took his hand, her eyes softening. "You already do, love. Every day."

    They ate their breakfast, sharing bites andughter, and after they finished eating, Lucy leaned back against the pillows, her hand entwined with Tom''s. "Let''s stay like this all day," she suggested, her voice a contented whisper.

    Tom smiled, his heart full. "I''d like that," he said, leaning in to kiss her softly. "I''d like that very much."

    They spent the rest of the morning in each other''spany, talking,ughing, and simply enjoying the quiet intimacy of their shared space.

    For Tom, it was a reminder of what truly mattered. Lucy meant everything to him, and spending time with her this way was his favorite thing to do.

 Chapter 927 Virtual Date

    Chapter 927 Virtual Date

    When Harry did not find Jade anywhere in the house, he figured that she had gone to her Sunday morning yoga ss as usual so he decided to surprise her with breakfast.

    He headed to the kitchen, only to realize he had no idea where anything was since Jade had just moved in. She had unpacked the essentials, but finding the right items in an unfamiliar kitchen was like navigating a maze.

    He opened cabs and drawers, searching for the basics, and after a few minutes of ttering and searching, he managed to gather everything he needed.

    Just as he was about to start cooking, the front door creaked open. Jade walked in, still dressed in her yoga outfit �C a fitted tank top and leggings that hugged her figure. Her short hair was pulled back into a messy bun, and a light sheen of sweat glistened on her skin.

    She paused in the doorway, a smile spreading across her face as she took in the sight of Harry standing shirtless in the kitchen, his hair still tousled from sleep. "Do you have any idea how sexy you look right now," she said, her eyes twinkling with amusement.

    Harry turned to face her, a grin spreading across his face. "Good morning to you too, goddess. And no, I don''t. Tell me," he teased, striking a pose.

    Jadeughed, the sound warm and sexy to Harry''s ears. "Very," she replied, walking over to him.

    She rose on her tiptoes and kissed him lightly on the lips. "Good morning, sexy. You looked so sweet in your sleep and I didn''t want to disturb you when I stepped out for my ss," she said and Harry nodded.

    "I figured. Do you need to stretch out?" Harry asked, running his hand down her sides and Jade giggled when he grabbed her ass.

    "No, I don''t. What I need to do is freshen up," she said and Harry chuckled.

    "You ruined my attempt to surprise you with breakfast. Go freshen up and I''ll have it ready before you''re done," he said and she shook her head.

    "What was it you said thest time? Bonding over cooking. Let''s do that. I''ll go freshen up. Don''t start without me," she added, kissing him briefly, and Harry tapped her ass, making her giggle as she headed towards the bathroom.

    "Need me to scrub your back?" Harry asked and Jadeughed.

    "The bathroom isn''t big enough for two," she called back as she took off her clothes.

    "You know, I remember a time when you were the one begging for this," he said as he followed her.

    "If you don''t keep your voice down, Sharon is going to hear you," Jade pointed out.

    "I don''t care," Harry said in a loud voice, and Jadeughed as she walked into the bathroom.

    "If you don''t keep your voice down, Sharon is going to hear you," Jade pointed out.

    "I don''t care," Harry said in a loud voice, and Jadeughed as she walked into the bathroom.

    Harry waited until she turned on the shower before getting out of his clothes and walking into the tight space.

    Jadeughed, "I knew you were going to do this."

    "I''m d I didn''t disappoint you," he said as he bent down and kissed the nape of her neck while his arms went around her and he grabbed her boobs making her sigh softly.

    A stab of lust shot through her when she felt his erection behind her and when he flicked his thumbs over her nipples which had grown taut with desire and she moaned.

    Harry rained kisses from her neck to her shoulder and down her back, and even though the water from the shower was cold, Jade felt hot all over.

    She started to turn around so she could kiss him, but Harry held her in ce, using one hand to hold her two hands above her head, and he slid into her very wet core from behind.

    As he thrust in and out of her slowly, Jade cried out with pleasure.

    "If you don''t keep your voice down, yourndy is going to hear you," Harry whispered in a husky voice.

    Jade giggled, "You bastard!"

    Harry chuckled as he increased his pace, and soon they were both panting and moaning as they both climaxed.

    Done with their shower they both stepped out of the bathroom and as they dressed up Jade eyed Harry with amusement, "You didn''t scrub my back, you know?"

    "You said the bathroom wasn''t big enough for two," he reminded her with a grin.

    "But that didn''t stop you from doing anything, did it?" She asked with a giggle.

    "Scrubbing your back needed more room than that did, and I focused on scrubbing somewhere else," he said with a wink.

    "You''re so naughty," she said and he chuckled.

    "And I know you like it," Harry said as he pulled her to himself and kissed her.

    After that, they made their way to the kitchen, and together they started preparing breakfast. They worked in tandem,ughing and joking as they moved around each other.

    Harry measured out flour and sugar while Jade whisked eggs and milk. They exchanged smiles and yful nces, the air filled with the delicious scent of fresh coffee and cooking batter.

    When the pancakes were finally ready, they piled them high on a te and added generous dollops of whipped cream and fresh strawberries.

    Harry carried the te to the living room, and Jade followed with the steaming mugs of coffee.

    They settled back on the couch by the window, the pancakes bnced between them and the coffee mugs within easy reach.

    Jade cut into a pancake and held out a forkful for Harry. "Open wide," she teased, and he obliged, savoring the sweet, fluffy bite.

    "Perfect, as always," he said, his eyes twinkling with affection.

    They fed each other bites of pancake,ughing and talking about everything and nothing, and after a while Harry took a deep breath, knowing he needed to talk to Jade about Henry.

    "There is something I think I should tell you," he began, his voice suddenly serious.

    Jade looked up, her expression shifting to concern. "What is it?"

    "It''s about Mia, Diana, and Henry," Harry said, exining the situation in detail. He watched as Jade''s eyes widened in shock and then narrowed in worry.

    "So, you''re considering... letting her kill him?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

    Harry nodded slowly. "It''s an option. But it''s not one we take lightly. Diana has her own reasons, and we''re trying to protect Mia."

    Jade shook her head, her eyes pleading. "Harry, there has to be another way. I don''t want any of us involved in murder. Whether directly or indirectly. I''m not saying this simply because of my profession. It''s too much. We need to find another solution."

    Harry took her hand, squeezing it gently. "I understand. We''ll explore all options. But we have to be prepared for the worst."

    Jade sighed, squeezing his hand back. "I don''t care what you and Tom have been involved in before now, but I don''t want you doing anything dirty or illegal. Promise me you will do everything you can to avoid it."

    "I promise," Harry said firmly, looking into her beautiful eyes.

    "That''s good enough for me," she said, and they resumed eating.

    Harry decided to change the subject to something lighter. "So, are you ready for our date today?"

    Jade''s face lit up with excitement. "I am more than ready. I''ve been looking forward to it," she said, and as they talked about all they wanted to do together the tension between them eased.

    After breakfast, they cleaned up the kitchen together and went about getting ready for their movie date.

    Jade chose a light summer dress that flowed around her as she moved, while Harry opted for casual jeans and afortable shirt.

    As they left the house, hand in hand, the morning stretched outzily before them, a perfect mix of love,ughter, and togetherness.

    Away from there, Amy woke up to the delightful sound of a message notification, and she smiled as she picked up the phone to check what she knew was a text from Lucas.

    [Good morning, sleepyhead. Did you sleep well?]

    Amy''s heart fluttered at the sight of his message. She quickly typed a response, her fingers dancing over the keys.

    [Morning, Doc Luca! I did sleep well, thanks to your luby. How has your day been?]

    She waited, her eyes fixed on the screen, and within moments, his reply came in.

    [Not bad. I tried to keep busy while I waited for you to wake. I''ve been looking forward to talking to you again all day.]

    Amy''s cheeks flushed a light pink at that. She couldn''t help but smile as she typed her response. [You know how to make a girl smile.]

    Lucas chuckled as he read her response. He had been in an unusually good mood all day thanks to Amy.

    [d I could make you smile as you''ve made me smile all day. What''s on your agenda for today?]

    Amy grinned as she read his response, it seemed like now that Lucas had told her how he felt he seemed more at ease in speaking his mind.

    [So, you smiled all day? Tell me about it.] Amy texted with a silly grin on her face.

    [Why are we texting? I''m calling you now. I''d like to hear all about] Amy texted again and immediately dialed his line.

    Lucas chuckled as he received her call, "Tell me," Amy said excitedly.

    "Alright. I will give you an example. You won''t believe I was staring at the television with a grin on my face while watching the morning news with Tyler and it wasn''t until he pointed it out to me that I realized I was grinning at the news of an earthquake," Lucas said and Amy howled withughter.

    "He must have thought you''d gone crazy," Amy said and Lucasughed.

    "He simply said, ''I take it you''ve fixed things with Amy, seeing how you''re grinning at such tragic news'' I couldn''t deny it so I walked away," Lucas said and Amy giggled.

    "So, Tyler knows, huh?" Amy asked, wondering how Tyler figured it was about her.

    "I didn''t say anything to him. He has always believed that I felt something for you regardless of what I said," Lucas exined.

    "Because you were kind to me?" She asked curiously.

    "I have no idea. You''ll have to ask him yourself if you want to know what goes on in his head."

    "Perhaps I should. I''d like to talk to him when next he''s with you," Amy said and Lucas shook his head.

    "I didn''t mean that literally," Lucas said and Amy giggled.

    "Too bad you already nted the idea in my head."

    "Alright then. I will let you know when next he''s around. What''s your n for the day? Going out?" Lucas asked curiously.

    "Doingundry and cleaning the house, and maybe I''ll spend the day smiling sillily and thinking about you while I wait for you to wake up," Amy said and Lucasughed.

    They continued their yful banter, the flirtation between them growing more evident with each message.

    "You know, I was thinking... What if we had a virtual date tonight? It doesn''t mean we are in a rtionship. I mean, just as friends," Lucas suggested, and Amy''s eyes widened in surprise and excitement.

    "A virtual date? That sounds intriguing. What do you have in mind?" She asked with a curious smile.

    "How about dinner and a movie? We can cook together and then watch the same movie while video chatting," he said and Amy''s heart raced at the idea.

    It was the perfect way to bridge the distance between them but she wasn''t sure how it was going to work.

    "That sounds perfect. But what about the timing?" Amy asked thoughtfully.

    They deliberated on the timing for a while until they found a convenient time for both of them.

    "Perfect I will handle the movie and we can decide on the recipe together depending on what we both have," Lucas suggested.

    "It''s a date! See you tomorrow," Lucas said and Amy giggled. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "See you tonight."

 Chapter 928 Win Or Lose Together

    Chapter 928 Win Or Lose Together

    Diana was jolted awake by the shrill ring of her phone cutting through the stillness of the night. Disoriented, she nced at the clock on her bedside table and frowned when she saw the time�� 4:37 AM.

    It was barely two hours since she slept. After her visit to Mia''s ce, she had driven back home ruminating on what Mia had said about ruining her life because of Henry.

    It had taken a while for sleep toe because she kept thinking about all the things she wanted to do to Henry, but when it finally came, it had been filled with dreams of Henry''s torment and her own sense of justice served.

    Who could be calling so early in the morning? She mused, and her heart raced as she fumbled to grab her phone, her bleary eyes squinting at the screen.

    The caller ID disyed a number she recognized all too well. It was her ckmailer turned partner in crime.

    Immediately, she sat up and swiped to answer. "Hello," she breathed, her voice hushed and strained. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "Have you gotten to Henry? What did you do to him?" Tom''s voice was low and urgent.

    "Yes, I saw him where you left him. Thank you for fulfilling your promise and handing him over to me. You don''t have to worry about him anymore. Leave Henry to me," Diana said confidently.

    There was a pause, "I''m worried. I don''t want you to kill him," Tom said with a sigh.

    Her brow furrowed in irritation. "Why do you suddenly care about Henry?"

    "I don''t," Tom assured her. "I just don''t want to be an essory to murder."

    Diana sighed, trying to maintain herposure. "I assure you, I won''t incriminate you. I''m going to do this myself and turn myself in. No one will ever know I had help. I don''t even know who you are, anyway, so there is nothing for you to fear."

    Tom''s voice was firm. "There has to be another way for you to get what you want without killing him. I suggest you think of something else."

    Diana''s patience was wearing thin. "I''m not handing him over to the police. I don''t trust thew."

    "I don''t either," Tom admitted, "but we need toe up with a punishment worse than death�� something that won''t cause you to stain your hands with Henry''s dirty blood. He''s not worth it. You are a doctor, Diana, not a murderer. Henry isn''t worth it."

    Diana''s grip on the phone tightened, but she forced herself to remain calm. "Fine. I wasn''t nning on killing him anytime soon anyway. I will think about it ande up with something. How can I reach you when I have a new n and need your help?"

    "Try dialing back this number. I''ll call you," Tom said before hanging up.

    Diana stared at the phone, seething with frustration. She threw back the covers and swung her legs over the side of the bed, her mind racing.

    Tom''s interference had thrown a wrench into her ns, but his words lingered in her mind the same way Mia''s had lingered.

    Maybe they were right; killing Henry would be too easy, too final. She needed something that would make him suffer for a really long time.

    She paced the bedroom, her thoughts churning. After what felt like hours, an idea began to form. She needed to make Henry''s life a living hell, a torment that wouldst for the rest of his days.

    The solution came to her in a sh of inspiration: an ident. If Henry were to survive but be left permanently paralyzed and unable to move or speak, she could stay by his side as the loving wife.

    She would let him watch her destroy everything he had built but he would be powerless to do anything about it. That would be a fate worse than death for him.

    Determined, Diana grabbed her phone and tried dialing back the number. The call bounced back as usual, but five minutester he called back as promised.

    "I have a n," she said without preamble. "But I need your help. I need to get Henry into an ident��"

    "Isn''t that the same as murder?" Tom cut in impatiently.

    "No. It won''t be fatal but it will be just enough to paralyze him. What I mean is, it has to be perfectly staged as an ident. He is paralyzed already."

    Tom was silent for a moment, processing her words. "Won''t that be suspicious?" he finally asked.

    "No," Diana replied confidently. "Not when he has alcohol in his system. He has been drinking heavily since Vanessa left anyway. And I''m going to infuse some drugs and alcohol into his system. I will nt some drugs around his study so they believe he takes drugs. While he is in the hospital I will insist on marrying him since I''m pregnant for him��"

    "But you''re not really pregnant," Tom pointed out.

    "I''m going to have a miscarriage. I will get a doctor to confirm my miscarriage," Diana said and Tom thought about Tyler but decided against it.

    "I will have Dr Evans confirm it. Since he is Henry''s doctor it will be more believable," Tom said and Diana frowned.

    "How do you n to get him to do that? He''s really loyal to Henry and could expose everything," Diana pointed out.

    "Trust me, and leave it to me," Tom assured her since he was willing to help her as long as she didn''t kill Henry.

    There was a long pause before she spoke again, "Alright. By the way, did you know about the new chef? Is he working for you?" She asked curiously.

    No matter how hard she had thought about it, she had not bought the story Jeff had told her about knowing Vanessa while in the house.

    The way she had seen them clinging to each other, they had been more like lovers than mere friends. And she knew for a fact that they couldn''t have developed such a friendship in the brief period since Jeff started working in the house. Not when Henry''s cameras were all over the ce. They would have seen and known something.

    "What about the new chef?" He asked, hoping Jeff had not blown his cover.

    "I met him at Vanessa''s ce and they seemed to be really close," she said and Tom swore under his breath.

    "What did he tell you?" Tom asked and Diana raised a brow.

    "Judging by your question I take it he is your person then. Does that mean you were looking out for Vanessa from the start? You used me to help her get out?" she asked thoughtfully.

    "He is not my person. I already told you why I asked you to fire the former chef. It was a test to see how cooperative you would be. Is there anything else you need me to do for you?" Tom asked, changing the subject.

    Diana decided to let it go since she didn''t mind whether or not Jeff and Mia were lovers as long as they didn''t get in her way and they were safe.

    Diana outlined her n, her voice calm and measured, and Tom listened intently, asionally interjecting with questions or suggestions. By the time they finished the call, Diana felt a grim satisfaction. She had a n, and with help, she would see it through.

    As she hung up, a sense of resolve settled over her. Henry would pay for what he had done, maybe not with his life as she had intended, but with his suffering. And Diana would be there to witness every agonizing moment until he drew hisst breath.

    Away from there, Tom was seething as he dialed Jeff''s line, not minding that it was still the early hours of the morning over there since Jeff had done the same to him.

    It took a couple of rings before Jeff received the call, his voice rough with sleep, "Tom?" He asked as he sat up on his bed in the hotel room where he had lodged for the night.

    Because the previous day was his off day, he had lodged in a hotel since he didn''t have a house there to go back to, and he nned to return to Henry''s house the next day and stay there until it was all over so as not to arouse further suspicion.

    "When did you n to let me know you blew your cover and Diana found out you were there for Mia?" Tom asked, unable to keep the annoyance from his tone.

    Jeff sighed, "It''s nothing for you to worry about. I handled it. I told her I had my personal vendetta against Henry and I met Mia right there in the house��."

    "Does that make sense to you? If you were in Diana''s shoes would you buy the shit you just said? If she decides to look into you, it is only a matter of time before she finds out you are Bryan''s manager and lives with Mia, and guess what? Bryan would naturally be the suspect behind these calls. And by telling her you''re there on a mission it means you have also exposed the domestic staff agency that sent you there. If things be a mess and they are questioned, don''t you think I will be fingered?" Tom asked incredulously.

    Jeff sighed deeply, "I realize I messed up. I''m sorry. I didn''t expect Diana to show up at Mia''s ce. I thought with Henry out of the picture it was safe to see her," Jeff said apologetically.

    "It doesn''t matter now. We have to make sure everything is wrapped up perfectly. Remain in the house with Diana for some time. Since you told her you have a personal vendetta against Henry, prove it by offering to help her with whatever she ns. I''ve spoken to her. She can''t kill him. Make sure she doesn''t. I will tell you when it''s safe to leave. And neither you nor Mia cane back to Ludus immediately," Tom said and Jeff nodded.

    "I understand. What about Mia? Can she at least leave here and go somewhere else until all of this is over? Diana suggested she leave," Jeff exined.

    "No. She should remain there for the time being. It would be suspicious if she left too soon. And she should be there to see what bes of Henry," Tom said and Jeff nodded.

    "Alright. Thanks. And I''m sorry once again," Jeff apologized.

    "I understand you miss her and want to be with her. But you should try to be more careful else you''re going to expose us all to danger," Tom said before hanging up.

    Done with his phone calls, he returned to join Lucy, who was waiting in bed for them to see a movie.

    "So? What did she say?" She asked hopefully and he gave her a nod.

    "She came up with a new n. She won''t kill him," he said and Lucy smiled, relief written all over her face.

    "Thank you," she said as she pecked his lips.

    "I should be thanking you. Sometimes it''s easy to make bad decisions simply because I can get away with it. And for a moment I didn''t see a big deal in killing him because I was convinced he doesn''t deserve to live. I''m d I have you to keep me in check and make sure I don''t lose my humanity. And thank you for not judging me for my momentarypse in judgment," Tom said, holding her gaze.

    "There''s nothing to thank me for. It''s my duty as your partner to not let you make such mistakes. We are a team, Ace. If something affects you, it affects me too. We win together. We lose together," she said and Tom smiled.

    "I like the sound of that. We win together, we lose together. I hope we have more wins than loses," he said before capturing her lips in a kiss.

    "Me too."

 Chapter 929: First Date

    Chapter 929: First Date

    ?

    The rest of the day flew by in a blur for Amy as she thought about their uing virtual date. By the time 8:30 PM rolled around, she had set up her kitchen and was ready with her

    ingredients.

    They had decided to make something light since it was going to be ate dinner for her, and an early breakfast for Lucas, and they had made their choice based on the ingredients Lucas had at home since it would be easier for Amy to get the ingredients she needed since it was daytime over there in Ludus.

    She quickly freshened up, packed back her hair in a bun, and did a little makeup. Looking at her reflection in the mirror, she giggled.

    It was funny and weird dressing up for a date in her house. And she knew if Miley was here, Miley would frown upon her modest choice of outfit, Amy thought with a pensive smile as she looked down at her outfit- a ck halter neck bodycon dress that stopped just below her knees.

    "Hey, best girl, I have a virtual date with, Dr Hottie. It''s going to be our first date," Amy said with a small smile as she stared back at the mirror.

    "What do you think about my dress? Is it good enough or should I wear something sexier?" She asked andughed when her hairbrush suddenly fell off the edge of the dressing table. "Well, guess what? I don''t care whether you like my dress enough or not. If you wanted to have a say you shouldn''t have left me the way you did," Amy said with a sigh.

    She was startled when her phone suddenly started ringing and she quickly picked it up when she saw it was a video call from Lucas and the time was exactly 9 PM.

    As the call connected, Lucas''s face appeared on her screen, and she couldn''t help but grin. "Hey, there. Good morning," she greeted him.

    "Good morning, beautiful," he replied with a warm smile.

    "Did you sleep well?" She asked with a soft smile, and he nodded.

    "Yeah. Really well. Couldn''t wait for morning toe," he said with a wink and Amy giggled.

    "I never would have figured you to be this type," she said, and Lucas raised a brow.

    "What type?"

    Still grinning she shook her head, unable to find the right words to exin it, "I don''t know. You just seem really different," she said as she headed for the kitchen and Lucas nodded.

    "You still haven''t answered my question. How different?"

    Amy giggled, "I''m not sure I can find the right words. It''s just that you''re different. My first impression of you was that you were a..."

    "A geek or a dork?" He asked with amusement and she grinned.

    "Those aren''t the exact words I would have preferred to use, but I think you get the gist," she said and Lucas chuckled.

    "Now, why would you think so?" Lucas asked with interest.

    "You always looked so calm and I would never have guessed you could even wink at ady," she said and heughed out loud.

    "You''re killing me, Amy," he said as heughed heartily and sheughed too as she watched himugh.

    "Well, I wouldn''t wink or be this way with just anyone. I guess I do it only because I feelfortable with you," Lucas said after he had settled down and Amy nodded.

    "Yeah. I understand. Like the forehead kiss thing," she said and pressed her lips together to keep fromughing when Lucas red at her yfully as his face flushed with embarrassment.

    "Why would you bring that up right now?" He asked and she giggled.

    "Because you said you only do that to people you''re close to," she said and Lucas shook his head.

    "You know what? Let''s just go fix our meal," he said and she giggled.

    "But we will still need to make conversation while we fix dinner," she pointed out with a teasing smile.

    "Sure. Let''s focus on you. Let''s talk about your day and all you did," Lucas said and Amy grinned.

    "Alright," she said, winking at him.

    As Lucas stepped out of his bedroom to head for the kitchen, his smile vanished when he saw Tyler standing by the doorway of his room with an amused smile.

    "What now? Shouldn''t you be sleeping in as usual?" Lucas asked wearily, and Tyler nodded.

    "I should. But I couldn''t. Why? Because you my dear friend wereughing like a maniac and I needed to be sure you had not gone bonkers," Tyler said with a grin and Amy listened with amusement.

    Lucas snorted, "You can go back to bed now that you know I''m sane."

    "And let Amy kill you after hearing you say ''you''re killing me, Amy''?" Tyler asked, mimicking Lucas'' tone and Amy giggled while Lucas scowled at Tyler.

    "I want to say hello to Tyler," Amy said and Lucas scowled at her.

    "C''mon. Not now. We have to hurry so you can go to bed early. Tomorrow is a work day,"

    Lucas reminded her.

    "Saying hello for a minute won''t change anything," Amy said amused and Lucas nced from her to Tyler who was still watching him with an I told you so grin.

    "Here. Amy wants to say hello," Lucas said with resignation.

    "Amy? Which Amy? Is it the Amy we met in Ludus? Or a new Amy?" Tyler asked dramatically

    as he took the phone from Lucas and Amyughed while Lucas red at him.

    "I will be waiting in the kitchen. Bring it over when you''re done. And watch what you say," Lucas warned Tyler before walking away.

    Tyler grinned as he looked at Amy with twinkling eyes, "Hello, Amy."

    "Hello, Tyler. How have you been?" she asked with a pleasant smile.

    "Great! And you?"

    "I''m fine too."

    "I can see that. I''m d to see you looking so bright," he said, reminding her that thest time they had seen her she had been looking disheveled.

    "Thanks," Amy said and Tyler nodded.

    "Thank you, too. It''s good to see Lucas this cheerful," Tyler said and Amyughed.

    "I haven''t done anything. He has done a lot more for me than I have for him. And I have no idea how to repay him," Amy said and Tyler shrugged.

    "Maybe there is nothing to repay. It''s good to hear from you, Amy. I should get the phone back to him before he goes crazy," Tyler said and Amy smiled.

    "It''s nice talking to you too," Amy said and waited as Tyler headed for the kitchen.

    As Tyler got close to the kitchen and within earshot of Lucas he winked at Amy, "So, as I was saying, when we were in middle school, Lucas used to..."

    "What is wrong with you!" Lucas yelled as he hurried over and snatched the phone from Tyler while both Tyler and Amyughed.

    Lucas red at Tyler, "Didn''t I ask you to watch what you say?" He asked and Tyler raised

    both hands.

    "I didn''t say anything, I promise. I''m going back to the safety of my bedroom," Tyler said with a chuckle as he walked away.

    Lucas scowled as he returned his attention to Amy, who was stillughing, "Aren''t you enjoying this a little too much?" He asked eyeing her with disapproval.

    "I think I am," she admitted and Lucas shook his head but his lips twitched with amusement.

    "Ready to cook?"

    Amy nodded, "Absolutely."

    They chatted andughed as they prepared the pasta, the distance between them melting

    away with each shared moment.

    "So, tell me," Lucas said as he stirred his sauce, "what''s one thing you''ve always wanted to

    do but haven''t yet?"

    Amy paused, thinking. "Honestly?" she asked with a shy smile.

    "Yeah."

    "Sex. I''m really curious about it," she said and Lucas raised a brow and when he saw her

    blush, his eyes widened in disbelief.

    "Hold on. If you''ve never done it how did you n on being a surrogate?" He asked, and when

    she shrugged he shook his head.

    "You were crazier than I thought," he said, and sheughed.

    In the past she probably would have taken offense at that, but things were different now. "So,

    what about you? What have you always wanted to do?" She asked curiously.

    Lucas''s eyes twinkled. "We are not done talking about you and what you just said. Why

    haven''t you? What is stopping you?"

    Amy shrugged, "Nothing really. Or maybe not nothing. It''s just that I''ve not been in a rtionship. And I want my first time to be special sort of. I... this is crazy. Why am I telling you this?" Amy asked, feeling embarrassed and Lucas chuckled.

    "Because I asked?" He said rhetorically, "And why are you embarrassed?"

    "How can I not be embarrassed discussing something so private with you? And there''s the fear of you misunderstanding," Amy said with a shrug.

    "Alright. Let''s change the subject if you are embarrassed and you don''t have to worry, I won''t misunderstand. And to answer your question, I''ve always wanted to vacation on a cruise

    ship."

    "Like the Titanic?" Amy asked and Lucas chuckled.

    "Why does everyone bring up the Titanic when I say it? You''re not scared of being on a cruise

    ship, are you?" Lucas asked and Amy raised a brow.

    "Not exactly. Why?"

    "Then maybe we can do that together someday?"

    Amy''s heart fluttered at the thought. "I''d love that."

    As they finished cooking, they ted their dishes and moved to their respective bedrooms,

    setting up for the movie.

    "By the way, have I told you?" Lucas asked as she sat down and she raised a brow.

    "Told me what?"

    "I love your dress. And you look beautiful," he said with a grin, and she flushed with pleasure.

    "Thanks," she said and Lucas'' eyes twinkled.

    "By the way, It feels good to know that I''m going to be your first boyfriend," he said and she

    raised a brow.

    "Who said you''re going to be my boyfriend?" She asked, her lips twitching with amusement.

    "Me. I just told you so," he said with a wink and she giggled.

    "So, what are we watching?" Amy asked.

    Lucas grinned. "It''s a surprise. You''ll see," Lucas said as he clicked on hisptop and sent her

    the link to share his screen.

    Once Amy had done that, Lucas started the movie and Amy was delighted to see it was a rom-

    com.

    They remained on the video call as they ate and watched the movie both chatting and reacting to the scenes together.

    Despite being miles apart, it felt like they were sitting side by side and the distance between them seemed to shrink with each word, eachugh, each shared moment.

    As the movie credits rolled and their virtual date came to an end, Amy felt a deep sense of contentment. "This was more fun than I anticipated."

    "The feeling is mutual. You should go to bed now, Amy. It''s past midnight already."

    "Do we have to wait until the weekend to talk again, buddy?" Amy asked hesitantly.

    "Do you think I could wait until the weekend to talk to you? Let''s just be everyday buddies,"

    Lucas said and Amy''s eyes twinkled with delight as she giggled.

    "Everyday buddies. I like that. This makes it easier to hang up and go to bed now. Goodnight,

    Luca," she said softly.

    "Goodnight, Amy. Sweet dreams," he replied.

    Amy ended the call, her heart full. This was a perfect first date.

 Chapter 930: It’s Contagious

    Chapter 930: It��s Contagious

    ?

    Amy woke up with a sense of exhration that she hadn''t felt in a long time when her rm went off on Monday morning.

    Her first thought was of Lucas, and she quickly grabbed her phone from the nightstand.

    She smiled when she saw that Lucas had sent her a text, [Good morning, beautiful] Lucas''s text read.

    Her fingers danced over the keyboard, sending back a quick reply. [Hey, Luca. I had a wonderful timest night.]

    Lucas responded almost immediately, [Me too. I can''t wait for our next date. Have a fantastic day, Amy.]

    [Not so fast, doc. Let''s talk.] Amy texted and immediately dialed Lucas'' line.

    "Won''t you bete?" Lucas asked the moment he received the call.

    Amy ced the call on speaker, "Talking to you for a minute won''t make mete. How was your day?" she asked with a smile as she got out of bed and headed for the bathroom.

    "It was okay. Did you wake up tired?" Lucas asked with concern.

    Amy ced the phone by the sink and picked up her toothbrush and paste. "Nope. I''m fine," Amy said, assuming he had asked because she had gone to bedte.

    "That''s good then. I thought you''d wake up tired considering the fact that you''ve been running about in my mind all day," he said, and Amy burst outughing.

    "Jeez! What sort of a line is that?" She asked and Lucas chuckled.

    "Heard it somewhere. Wanted to try it out on you because I thought it was funny," he said and she giggled.

    "By the way, I keep forgetting to ask, why did you prank me thest time? I mean the whole spa guy prank," he asked and she smiled.

    "I sort of wanted to gauge our friendship. I mean, I couldn''t outrightly ask you if you thought of me as more than a friend considering all you''ve told me before then. I wanted to know if I should let myself feel what I was feeling or sign up on a dating app," she said before brushing her teeth.

    "A dating app? You wanted to sign up on one?" He asked, surprised.

    She spat out before responding, "Yes. I thought I should meet other people and stuff. I didn''t want to be a bother to you," she exined.

    "I see. I''m d you did that then. As much as I didn''t like it, it helped me put things in perspective..."

    "Yeah. Took you two whole weeks to figure out what you wanted," Amy said grudgingly.

    "It''s not like you''re ready to date anyway," Lucas said defensively. "So, did you sign up on the app while I was away?" He asked curiously.

    "Yes. As a matter of fact, I have my first date this weekend..."

    "AMY!" Lucas called, and she giggled.

    "Just kidding. I couldn''t. I just kept putting it off. And I really wasn''t in the mood to meet anyone," she said and Lucas rxed.

    "That''s good then. Amy, you''re going to bete to work if we keep talking. Go get ready. Don''t forget to send me a picture," he said and she grinned.

    "Alright. Sweet dreams, Luca. Try not to wake up too tired since I know you''d be running around my mind all day," she said and Lucas chuckled.

    "Enjoy your day," Lucas said before hanging up.

    Smiling, got ready for work. She quickly went through her morning routine, her mind reying the details of their virtual date.

    A feeling of warmth spread through her at the memory of hisughter and the way he looked at her through the screen.

    By the time she arrived at the office, Amy was practically floating. She greeted everyone she walked past cheerfully, the moodiness of thest week reced with a sparkling smile.

    Amy found herself lost in thoughts of Lucas, a constant smile ying on her lips as she organized Lucy''s desk while humming a happy tune.

    "Someone looks happy today," Lucy observed with a smile, catching sight of Amy''s radiant expression as she walked into her office.

    Amy blushed, "Good morning. I just had a really good weekend, that''s all."

    "The weekend must have been really good seeing as you seem to be in an exceptionally good mood today," Lucy observed with a smile.

    "Yes, it was," Amy admitted, the blush creeping up her cheeks.

    "By the way, how are things with Lucas? Have you heard from him yet?" Lucy asked before Amy could leave since she had deduced from Amy''s question the past week that something was wrong between her and Lucas.

    Amy hesitated for a moment, feeling a slight flutter of nerves. But the excitement of sharing her news with someone was too much to contain. Amy nodded, her smile widening as she took the seat opposite Lucy. "Yes. I had a virtual date with Lucasst night."

    Lucy raised an eyebrow, her curiosity piqued as she leaned back in her chair, a teasing glint in her eyes. "Is that why you look so happy today? Last week you seemed really moody, but now... it''s like you''re apletely different person."

    Amy bobbed her head eagerly. "Yes, it was amazing. We cooked together and watched a movie. It felt so real like he was right there with me."

    Lucy chuckled, her expression softening. "I''m d to hear that, Amy. It sounds like you both had a great time."

    "We did," Amy said, then her smile faltered slightly as she looked at Lucy, her eyes searching for any sign of difort. "Are you sure you''re okay with this? With me being involved with

    your brother?"

    Lucy reached across the desk, cing a reassuring hand on Amy''s. "You have my full blessing, Amy. You don''t have to worry about anything."

    Relief washed over Amy, and she squeezed Lucy''s hand gratefully. "Thank you, Lucy. That means a lot to me."

    Lucy smiled warmly. "Now, go on. Enjoy your day and keep that happiness shining. It''s contagious."

    As Amy left Lucy''s office, she felt a weight lift off her shoulders. She practically skipped back to her desk, her heart full of joy and excitement. Lucy watched her go, a grin spreading across

    her face.

    Lucy leaned back in her chair, tapping her pen thoughtfully against the desk. She couldn''t help but wonder when Lucas nned to tell her about his rtionship with Amy.

    The thought of her brother finding happiness filled her with a sense of contentment. She knew Lucas deserved to be with someone as kind and wonderful as Amy.

    Away from there, as Andy stirred from sleep that morning, the very first thought on her mind was that Cassidy was gone.

    Somehow she didn''t need to open her eyes to know it. She could feel it in the emptiness and silence she felt all around.

    As if to confirm it, she reached out, her fingers trailing over the space, her heart sinking a little when she felt the coolness of the sheets which had been warm with Cassidy''s body. Sitting up, she nced around the room, still hoping to catch a glimpse of him. But the room was silent and still, with only the soft morning light filtering through the curtains.

    She slid out of bed, wrapping herself in her robe, and padded barefoot around the house, searching for any sign of him.

    Her heart ached with each empty room she checked, her mind racing with thoughts of not seeing him again. When she reached the dining room, she stopped in her tracks, a smile spreading across her face.

    The table was set for breakfast. A te of French toast with scrambled eggs and bacon, and a pot of coffee waited for her. Beside the te, a note was propped up, Cassidy''s neat handwriting bringing tears to her eyes.

    [I had to leave early and didn''t want to wake you because I hate saying goodbye to you. I''ll call you as soon as I arrive, and I promise to visit again this time next month. I love you and will miss you terribly. Please enjoy the breakfast I made for you. Love, Alex.]

    Andy smiled through her tears, her heart swelling with love and gratitude. She was relieved that she didn''t have to worry about not seeing him again. And she was d that he had not left without a word and had left her a note.

    She sat down, taking a deep breath before picking up a fork and digging into the French toast. They were still warm, crispy, and delicious. She savored each bite, her mind drifting back to

    their time together.

    While she was still eating, the doorbell rang, pulling her out of her thoughts. She frowned, wondering who could be visiting so early. Wiping her mouth, she stood and walked to the

    door, her curiosity piqued.

    Opening the door, she was surprised to see Harry and Jade standing there, looking concerned.

    "Good morning," Jade greeted with a bright smile.

    "Harry? Jade? Come in. What are you doing here so early?" Andy asked, her surprise evident in

    her voice.

    Harry nced at Jade before answering, "Candace has been trying to reach you since

    yesterday. She was worried when she couldn''t get through, so we came to check on you.

    Needed to make sure you are fine."

    Andy''s heart warmed at their concern. "I''m fine. I just needed some time alone. I''m sorry for worrying you all," she said, not wanting to tell them about Cassidy''s visit yet.

    She wanted to relish the memory before sharing it with anyone else. Apart from Candace though. Cause she couldn''t wait to share it with Candace.

    Harry''s brow furrowed, "Some time alone? Is everything okay?" He asked, and she nodded. Although Harry wasn''t convinced, he nodded. "We''re just d you''re okay."

    Jade, however, was eyeing Andy closely. "Do you mind if I borrow a scarf from your closet,

    Andy? Can you help me out upstairs?"

    Andy nodded, slightly confused but willing to help. "Sure,e on."

    She led Jade upstairs to her bedroom, closing the door behind them. As soon as the door

    clicked shut, Jade turned to Andy with a mischievous grin.

    "Was Cassidy here to visit you?" Jade asked, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.

    Andy''s eyes widened in surprise. "How did you know?"

    Jade chuckled and led Andy to the mirror. "Look at your neck. The scarf I''m borrowing is for

    your neck."

    Andy nced at her reflection, a giggle escaping her lips when she saw the hickey. "It could have been anyone," she said with a roll of her eyes.

    Jade raised an eyebrow, a knowing smile on her lips. "Anyone else wouldn''t make you glow

    this way or look this happy. And we both know you wouldn''t have turned off your phone for

    just anyone."

    Andy''s cheeks flushed, and she nodded. "Okay, fine. Cassidy was here. But you have to keep it

    a secret, Jade."

    Jade winked. "Your secret is safe with me."

    Andy''s smile faded slightly when she remembered something, "You won''t try to get him

    arrested or something, right?"

    Jade smiled, "As long as he treats you well and doesn''t cause any trouble, I have no reason to

    get a dead man arrested."

    Andy nodded, "He won''t cause any trouble, I promise."

    Jade nodded, her expression softening. "Good. Now, I have to get to work, but I hope to hear some nice detailster," she said with a wink.

    Andy giggled, shaking her head. "I''m not sharing any details."

    Jadeughed, "We''ll see about that. Now let''s go down before Harryes up here to find

    us," Jade said and they returned downstairs.

    "You didn''t beg the scarf?" Harry asked and Jade shook her head.

    "She doesn''t have what I want. Let''s leave else we will beter than we already are. Unlike you, I have superiors to answer to," Jade said and Harry nodded.

    "Why are you both here together? Who is harboring who in who''s house?" she asked with a

    grin.

    "I spent the weekend at Jade''s. Got to go. And I hope you haven''t forgotten you''reing in

    today to meet with the CEO of the recordbel you''re signing with?" Harry asked and Andy

    nodded.

    "Sure. The meeting is at eleven. I''ll be there," she said and Harry gave her a quick hug. "See youter, Andy," he said and Jade winked at Andy.

    "Don''t forget to stop by my office for a quick chat," she said and Andy giggled.

    "See youter then," she said, and after seeing them off, Andy returned inside and turned her

    phone back.

    She dialed Candace''s line and as soon as Candace picked up, her worried voice filled the line.

    "Andy! Where have you been? We''ve been trying to reach you! And Dad has been sick with

    worry!"

    Andy couldn''t help butugh. "Calm down, Candace. I will call Dad. Besides, it was just for one day." "You call twenty-four hours JUST? How could you be so irrespo..."

    "Cassidy was here," Andy said, cutting her off.

    There was a moment of stunned silence before Candace screeched happily, making Andy

    laugh even harder.

    "Your n worked? Tell me everything! How did you both meet? Was it at the club? Did he

    come to the house? What did he say? Don''t leave out anything. Well, maybe you can censor some parts," she said and Andy giggled.

    Andy took a deep breath and started to recount everything from the moment she walked in

    and felt his presence in the dark hour, her heart full as she shared her happiness with her sister and best friend.

 Chapter 931: Shawn Rosewood

    Chapter 931: Shawn Rosewood

    ?

    Two dayster, Diana paced around the living room, her nerves on edge as she nced at the clock for the umpteenth time.

    The walls of the room seemed to close in on her, echoing with her footsteps. She had meticulously set everything up. The drugs were strategically ced, Henry had been staged in the car ident waiting to be discovered, and now all that remained was the arrival of hiswyer.

    She wanted him to be here with her when they received a call from the hospital that Henry was involved in an ident.

    Her heart raced as she heard the distant sound of a car door shutting. She hurried to the door, her fingers trembling as she pulled it open before thewyer could knock.

    "Thank God you''re here, Mr. Cage," she eximed, her voice tinged with genuine worry as she ushered him inside. Her eyes darted around, making sure everything appeared as it should.

    Mr. Alfred Cage, a tall man with graying hair and a furrowed brow, stepped into the house, his briefcase clutched tightly.

    He looked at Diana with a mix of concern and confusion. "What is going on? You mean Mr. Rosewood is still not back yet?" he asked, his frown deepening.

    Diana wrung her hands, her eyes meeting his gaze. "He''s not. He''s been away mostly for two weeks, rarely spending any time here at home. But this is different," she said, her voice wavering slightly.

    "Two weeks?" Thewyer''s brow arched. "Why has he been away and how is this different?"

    Diana''s shoulders slumped as she looked down at her hands, her fingers fidgeting. "Because he was mad at me," she admitted softly.

    "Mad at you?" Thewyer''s confusion grew. He knew how much Henry adored Diana, especially after Henry had confided in him about Diana''s pregnancy.

    "Yes. We sort of had a misunderstanding. It was my fault. I shouldn''t have done what I did. I was jealous and I acted out foolishly," Diana said, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

    Mr. Cage wanted to ask what had happened but was more concerned with Henry''s disappearance. "So, why do you think this is different? Maybe he''s still avoiding you."

    "At first, I thought he was staying away because he was still mad at me, but no one else has been in contact with him. You told me yourself that you haven''t been able to reach him since youst spoke with him a couple of days ago when he asked you toe get the divorce papers. His secretary called yesterday to find out why he hasn''t been to the office in two days. After hearing that, I''ve been trying to reach him but he''s still not taking his calls, and now his line isn''t even going through anymore," Diana said, her voice rising with a mix of frustration and fear.

    Mr. Cage rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Do you have anywhere in mind you think he could have gone to?"

    "If I did, wouldn''t I have gone in search of him without bothering you?" Diana snapped, her frustration spilling over before she took a deep breath. "I''m sorry. I''m just so worried."

    "Have you reported to the police?" thewyer asked, his tone gentle.

    Diana shook her head vehemently. "No. I''m afraid to report to the police. You know how Henry is. What if he''s just taking some time off and I report and bring him unnecessary attention? I''ve annoyed him enough already. I don''t want to add to it. That was why I decided to call you. I thought you''d know what to do."

    Mr. Cage sighed deeply. "And his family? Have you reached out to them?"

    "They don''t exactly know about me yet. He was going to engage me and introduce me to his family before Vanessa showed up. I didn''t know what I would say to them or how to introduce myself to them," Diana exined, her voice trembling.

    Thewyer nodded, understanding her predicament. He had been the Rosewood familywyer for years and he knew they would want to hear of this before the police were involved.

    "I will give his brother a call now," he said, pulling out his phone and dialing Shawn, Henry''s brother.

    The call connected on the fifth ring. "Alfred, why are you calling me?" Shawn Rosewood''s voice wasced with displeasure.

    "Your brother is missing," thewyer said, cutting straight to the point, knowing Shawn didn''t like to beat around the bush.

    "Henry is missing?" Shawn''s voice held a note of disbelief, followed by a disbelievingugh. "Is this supposed to be a joke? A prank maybe?"

    "I''m quite serious, sir. No one has seen nor heard from Mr. Rosewood since Saturday when Ist spoke with him and today is Wednesday. He hasn''t been to his ce or his office," Mr. Cage replied, his tone grave.

    Shawn''sughter died abruptly, reced by a tense silence. "This better not be a joke, Alfred."

    "It''s not. I''m standing in his living room right now with Diana. She''s just as worried," Mr. Cage assured him.

    "Diana? Who is that? And where is Vanessa in all of this?" Shawn asked in confusion.

    Thewyer sighed, "I think it''s best I exin the situation to you in person."

    Shawn took a deep breath, his impatience palpable even over the phone. "I''ll be there as soon as I can. Don''t do anything until I arrive," he said, his voice now filled with urgency.

    Mr. Cage ended the call and turned to Diana, his expression softening slightly. "He''sing. We''ll figure this out," he said, offering her a reassuring smile, though worry still etched his features. Diana nodded, her heart pounding in her chest like a drum.

    Thirty minutester, Shawn arrived. As he stepped through the door, his imposing presence filled the room. His eyes narrowed as theynded on Diana, his expression hardening. "Who are you? And where is Vanessa?" he demanded, his gaze shifting between Diana and the

    lawyer.

    "She is Diana Locke, Mr. Rosewood''s..." Mr. Cage began, trying to keep his tone calm. "Can you stop calling him Mr. Rosewood in front of me? I am Mr. Rosewood too. I''ve told you to use his name when addressing me," Shawn cut in, his voice sharp.

    "My apologies. She is his..." Thewyer hesitated, unsure of the best way to introduce Diana.

    "I am Henry''s mistress," Diana interjected, forcing a smile as she met Shawn''s cold gaze. "I''m sorry we are meeting under such circum-"

    "Henry''s mistress?" Shawn repeated, his voiceced with disbelief as he turned from thewyer to Diana and then back again. "Henry has a mistress? What is she doing under his roof

    when he has a wife?"

    "Well, his..." Diana attempted to exin.

    "I wasn''t asking you," Shawn cut her off coldly, his eyes never leaving Diana.

    "He is processing his divorce..." Mr. Cage exined.

    "A divorce? Henry is divorcing Vanessa?" Shawn asked incredulously, his disbelief turning to anger. "I don''t know what''s going on here, but all you''re saying doesn''t sound like Henry," Shawn said as he sat down, the weight of his presence pressing on the room.

    Diana exchanged a worried look with thewyer before sitting down, her mind racing for the right words. "I''ve been in Henry''s life for the past two years. He was going to introduce me to you and the rest of the family before Vanessa showed up. As a matter of fact, I''m pregnant with his child," Diana said, despite Shawn''s earlier interruption, her voice steady but her eyes

    betraying her anxiety.

    Shawn''s green eyes pierced into hers, as though he could see straight through her. His lips curled into a smirk. "I won''t talk to you orment on anything you say until I see Henry and hear from him myself," he dered, pulling out his phone when it buzzed.

    He answered the call, his demeanor shifting as he listened intently. "That was the hospital. Henry seems to have been involved in an ident. I have to go," he said, his gaze turning suspiciously towards Diana as he rose.

    "Can Ie with you?" Diana asked, rising to her feet, her face etched with genuine concern.

    "No, you can''t. I don''t know who you are or what your game is. The only woman I recognize in Henry''s life is his wife, Vanessa, and until I hear what is going on directly from Henry, I won''t acknowledge you," Shawn said, his tone final.

    He nced at thewyer, his eyes cold. "You should be ashamed of yourself, Alfred. You''ve worked for our family all these years yet you didn''t deem it fit to inform us of whatever Henry was up to," he added with a shake of his head before walking away.

    "Why did the hospital call him and not me? And why is he so doubtful?" Diana asked the

    lawyer.

    "The Rosewoods do not trust people easily. They are each other''s emergency contact," Alfred

    exined.

    "What do you suggest I do now?" Diana asked thewyer, her voice small and desperate.

    "Wait and hope that Mr. Rosewood is fine. I have to go to the hospital," he said, turning to

    leave.

    "Can Ie with you?" Diana asked hopefully, her eyes pleading.

    "You heard him. He won''t want to see you anywhere near Henry until he confirms

    everything," thewyer said, his tone sympathetic but firm.

    Diana took a deep breath, nodding. "Please let me know how Henry is doing. And let him

    know I''m worried about him," she pleaded.

    "Sure. I will," thewyer promised as he headed for the door, Diana following him with heavy

    steps.

    As Diana watched Shawn and thewyer''s car disappear down the driveway, a chill ran down her spine. Shawn''s skepticism was a significant obstacle, and she couldn''t shake the feeling that he would pose a serious threat to her ns. She needed everything to go perfectly, but with Shawn involved, nothing was certain.

    She closed the door behind her, the weight of uncertainty pressing down on her chest. As she paced the living room, she couldn''t help but feel the walls closing in. She needed to stay calm, to think clearly. Her entire n depended on it.

 Chapter 932: Bastard

    Chapter 932: Bastard

    ?

    As Shawn Rosewood drove to the hospital, different thoughts ran through his mind as he tried to process all that he had just learned from Alfred and Diana.

    Although he wasn''t very close to his younger brother, Henry, he knew Henry to arge degree and he doubted that Henry would have let his wife go so easily.

    For all of Henry''s life, he had only wanted one thing- and that was to be acknowledged by them as a Rosewood since he was a bastard.

    He had done all he could for Shawn to ept him and treat him as his brother and sometimes Shawn thought he did too much in his quest for eptance.

    Although the public didn''t know it since the Rosewood family had kept it a secret, Henry was his half-brother- a result of a sordid affair.

    Growing up, Henry had always been the family''s ck sheep, a reminder of his father''s infidelity, and Shawn had never truly bonded with Henry because his mother had made it clear she wanted him to have nothing to do with Henry.

    He was the son of a gold-digging whore who had wanted to reap where she did not sow, and his mother had gotten rid of her immediately after she birthed Henry since she didn''t want any rumors of an affair or for anything to tarnish the Rosewood family name.

    Henry knew very well how much the Rosewood family hated the idea of divorce, so it didn''t make sense that he would divorce Vanessa and marry someone else regardless of the circumstances.

    Or was it that he had been truly in love with this Dianady and she had led him to do that? Shawn mused thoughtfully.

    Thinking about Diana, his brows pulled together in a frown. Something about her didn''t sit well with him and he couldn''t even point out what it was.

    Shawn sighed deeply as his thoughts drifted back to Henry once again. First, they said he had been missing for days, and now an ident. Where had he been all this while then? Was it that he had been involved in the ident days ago but no one had been there to rescue him until now? Or was there something else at y here? Shawn mused.

    Whatever the situation was, Henry was still a Rosewood, and family meant everything to Shawn. He intended to uncover the truth. If there was foul y involved, he would get to the bottom of it.

    Once Shawn arrived at the hospital, he strode to the reception desk, his presencemanding immediate attention.

    "I want to see whoever is in charge here and the doctor attending to Henry Rosewood," Shawn demanded, his voice brooking no argument.

    The receptionist, a young woman with wide eyes, nodded quickly and picked up the phone. Within minutes, a middle-aged doctor with kind eyes and a weary expression appeared, his white coat pping as he approached.

    Recognizing Shawn, he greeted him politely as he led him to a private office. Inside the office, he gestured for Shawn to sit. "Mr. Rosewood, I''m Dr. Collins. Your brother was brought in a while ago. We are doing everything we can for him."

    Shawn''s gaze was piercing. "How is he? Is it serious?"

    The doctor sighed, running a hand through his thinning hair. "Your brother was unconscious and reeking of alcohol when he was brought in. It appears he was driving under the influence. We''re running tests to check his blood for alcohol and drugs while we try to resuscitate him."

    Shawn leaned forward, "Don''t bother with the drug test. He''d never go near drugs," Henry said confidently.

    "I see. By the way, do you know if he has any allergies? I''d like to have his medical history," the doctor said.

    "Henry is allergic to opioids. So, whatever you do, do not give him opioids. I will have him transferred to the family clinic after you stabilize him," Shawn said, remembering the one time Henry had almost died because of a morphine tablet.

    "Is that the only thing he is allergic to?" The doctor asked, and Shawn''s eyes narrowed.

    "To the best of my knowledge, yes. Why do you ask?"

    The doctor''s brow furrowed. "He seemed to have had an allergic reaction. The signs were there when he was brought in. To be safe, we need to check if he took any drugs."

    Suspicion gnawed at Shawn. "Fine. Do the test. But call me the moment the results are out and he''s out of the emergency room."

    Dr. Collins nodded. "Of course, Mr. Rosewood. We''ll keep you updated."

    As Shawn left the office, his mind raced with questions. Outside, he found thewyer waiting by the side. Shawn approached him, his eyes cold and calcting.

    "Exactly what is going on, Alfred? Is thatdy telling the truth about her rtionship with Henry?"

    Alfred''s face was grave. "It''s the truth. Henry was processing a divorce and nned to introduce Diana to you and the family."

    "How does that make sense? Henry knows very well that my mother would never approve of that, and all his life he has lived wanting her approval. Was he really ing to let of Vanessa or did he have other ns?" Shawn asked and Alfred sighed.

    "I don''t know if he had any other ns. But I know he wanted to keep the divorce hush. And I just found out where he was found. It was an abandoned asylum he purchased a couple of weeks ago," Alfred said Shawn raised a brow.

    "Henry bought an abandoned asylum?" He asked, trying to connect the dots.

    What were the chances that he announced on television that his perfectly sane wife was insane, and now he was divorcing her and buying an abandoned asylum?

    "Yes."

    "Where is Vanessa now?" Shawn asked with interest.

    "She''s with her parents. She moved out two weeks ago," Alfred exined.

    Shawn''s jaw tightened. "Don''t say a word to my mother yet. Tell Diana to not let the word of Henry''s ident out. We can''t let this get out."

    Alfred nodded solemnly. "Understood."

    As Shawn got into his car, he contemted going to see Mia or going back to Henry''s and then decided to go see Mia.

    He arrived there twenty minutester, and Maria was startled when she opened the door and saw him.

    "Hello, Mrs Lawson. I''m sorry to stop by unannounced. I''d like to see Vanessa," he said with a polite smile.

    Maria nodded, her mouth dry, "You''re wee. Pleasee in," she said, her mind racing as she ushered him into the living room.

    Her husband wasn''t home and she wasn''t sure what Henry''s brother wanted with Mia. Having

    him in the house made her ufortable.

    "Can I ask if anything is wrong?" she asked politely.

    Shawn smiled, "Nothing is wrong. I heard about the divorce and I want to hear from

    Vanessa," he said easily and she nodded.

    "She will join you shortly," Maria said and went to Mia''s room to get her.

    As Mia walked down the stairs to meet Shawn, her heart raced. In the duration is her marriage

    to Henry, she had met Shawn less than a handful of times and she wasn''t sure what he wanted

    with her.

    Was it about Henry? Did he find out something? She mused.

    The moment she walked into the living room, Shawn rose and smiled at her pleasantly, "Hello, Vanessa. I''m sure you are surprised to see me," he said and she nodded.

    "Please sit down. You''re wee. Can I offer you something to drink?" she asked, but Shawn

    shook his head.

    "Your time is all I require," he said, gesturing for her to sit down and she sat down across

    from him.

    Mia''s mom stood close by, not wanting to leave Mia alone with any member of the Rosewood family, and as if noticing this Shawn nced at her and gave her a polite nod.

    "How have you been? I''m sorry I''ve been too busy to pay attention to you," he said and she

    shook her head.

    "It''s fine. I''m fine too. Can I ask why you''re here?" she asked curiously.

    "I recently learned you''re divorcing Henry. I was surprised to hear that considering the fact that you only just returned. Can I ask what is really going on?" He asked and Mia held his gaze.

    "Do you want to know the truth? Or would you prefer an answer that suits you?" Mia asked and Shawn frowned slightly.

    "What do you mean by an answer that suits me?" He asked, confused by her response.

    Mia shrugged, "With all due respect Mr. Rosewood..."

    "Shawn. Call me Shawn, Vanessa. We are family after all," he cut in.

    "Family?" Mia asked with a snort, "No, we are not. We weren''t even when I was married to

    your brother talk more about now," she said and Shawn nodded.

    "I understand your sentiments. Still, I''d rather you address me as Shawn," he insisted.

    Mia sighed, "I wasn''t involved in any ident as Henry imed," she said and Shawn

    nodded.

    "I figured," he said, urging her to carry on.

    "I ran away because your brother was making my life a living hell," she said and Shawn''s

    brows pulled together.

    "What do you mean?"

    Without another word she rose, and her mother frowned wondering what she was up to as she turned her back to Shawn and raised her shirt.

    Shawn''s eyes widened in disbelief and then darkened with anger when he saw the scars on her

    back.

    "Henry did this to me," Mia said as she turned back to face him, "For years I endured him

    until I couldn''t anymore."

    "Henry inflicted those wounds on you?" Shawn asked, not wanting to believe it.

    "This is the least of what I suffered in the hands of your brother. This is merely physical evidence," Mia said as she sat down.

    "Why didn''t youe to me or our mother?"

    "Come to you? And make things worse for myself? Even my own parents didn''t do anything

    about it, so who am I to expect the Rosewood family to take my side over one of theirs?" She asked and Shawn''s frown deepened.

    "It has nothing to do with taking sides. Hitting a woman is uneptable and no one would support Henry after seeing that," He said reasonably.

    "Well, it''s all in the past now. All I want is for the divorce to be finalized so I can move on with

    my life. I wish him well with his new family," she said, and Shawn raised a brow.

    "New family? You know about his mistress?" He asked and she nodded.

    "Yes. Diana, God bless her. She''s the only reason Henry agreed to let me go. She''s pregnant

    with his child...." "Wait. Hold on. How do you know all this?" Shawn asked suspiciously.

    "She''s been living in the house with him. Your brother is in love with her. He put her in charge

    of everything and even put me under her care too," Mia said with a shake of her head.

    "So, it''s true? He wants to marry her?" Shawn asked and Mia nodded.

    "If I may ask, why did you return from wherever you were hiding?" Shawn asked and Mia

    shrugged.

    "I wanted to stop hiding. I wanted a divorce. I reached out to him asking for a divorce and he came to get me," she exined.

    "Whenst did you see Henry?" Shawn asked curiously.

    "He was here some days ago," Mia said, not bothering to lie since there was a possibility that

    there were witnesses who had seen them together, and Harry had told her what to say if

    anyone came to interrogate her.

    "Where?"

    "Here. He came here to get me. He said he wanted to take me back home," Mia said and

    Shawn frowned.

    "After you both agreed to the divorce?" He asked and Mia nodded.

    "I take it you didn''t go with him."

    "I didn''t have a choice. I left with him. He threatened me and my family," she said and Shawn

    frowned.

    "So, how are you back here? What happened?"

    "He didn''t take me home. He was taking me to somewhere else. I have no idea where he was

    taking me. But it was somewhere far away and I got scared. I started to cry out for help, and

    thankfully some passerby saved me from him," Mia said, shuddering at the memory of what had truly happened.

    Listening to her tale, Shawn believed her. It made sense, "Do you have someone to confirm

    your story?"

    "My parents..."

    "Apart from your parents," he said and Mia frowned.

    "No, I don''t. Why? Did something happen?" she asked, feigning confusion.

    "Is there a way I can reach the stranger who saved you?" He asked, not answering her

    question.

    "No. I didn''t think to take his number or anything. I was too startled and could barely talk to even my parents," Mia said and Shawn sighed.

    "Henry was involved in an ident," he said and watched Mia''s expression.

    Mia didn''t bother to act surprised or touched, "I guess there is a God after all. No offense. I

    know he is your brother, but I''m really not interested," she said tly.

    "I understand," Shawn said with a sigh.

    "I''m really sorry about all you had to go through. I wish you hade to me. I wish I reached

    out to you and checked on you. I''m sorry." He said, and Mia sighed deeply.

    "Like I said, it''s all in the past. All I want is for the divorce to be processed so I can leave," she

    said and Shawn nodded as he rose.

    "I need to leave now. Be good," he said to her and gave her nod before heading for the door.

 Chapter 933: What Is Your Plan?

    Chapter 933: What Is Your n?

    ?

    Shawn''s mind whirled with all that Mia had said as he walked out of Mia''s house and headed for his car.

    The evening air was heavy with the promise of rain. The sky, painted with streaks of orange and purple, seemed to mirror the turmoil inside him.

    Shawn slid into the driver''s seat and gripped the steering wheel tightly, trying to process everything he had just learned.

    He wished he could unsee the scars on Mia''s back, but unfortunately, the image was seared into his memory, a haunting reminder of the cruelty that had taken ce.

    He couldn''t believe that Henry had done something like that. How could he have done something so beastly to his own wife? Shawn mused.

    He wondered if Henry had been driven to such extreme measures because of some unknown pressure or if it was simply the result of a twisted personality. Whatever the case, Shawn was determined to get to the bottom of it.

    His thoughts drifted to what Mia had said about Diana and Henry, and his brows pulled together in a frown.

    Something about Diana didn''t sit right with him. Perhaps it was her eyes or her bodynguage, but something about her set off his mental rm.

    Starting the engine, Shawn drove aimlessly for a while, his mind racing. He couldn''t shake the feeling that there was more to the story than what everyone had told him.

    The details about Diana gnawed at him. Who was this woman who had managed to not only seduce his brother but also turn his life upside down?

    And why had Henry bought an abandoned asylum? Had he really nned on locking his wife up there? And then what? What exactly had been his n?

    And how did Vanessa so conveniently escape with the help of a stranger? He doubted she had reported the near-kidnap to the police. Why did she seem sofortable and rxed?

    The pieces didn''t fit together, and Shawn''s instincts told him that there was something more sinister at y.

    He needed answers, and there was only one ce he could think of to start digging for the truth. Shawn made a sharp turn and headed toward Henry''s house. If there were any clues to be found, they would be there.

    The drive to Henry''s residence was uneventful, but Shawn''s mind was anything but calm. He reyed the conversation with Mia over and over, dissecting every word, every expression.

    After driving for a while, he parked by the roadside and took out his phone. He made a quick call to his source in the police, asking them to look into Diana Locke.

    If she had a criminal history, he wanted to know it. He wanted to know anything about her that might tell him whether or not she was being genuine.

    After making the call, he called the Rosewood family doctor next, asking him to meet him at Henry''s ce immediately.

    Satisfied, he resumed driving and continued to Henry''s house. The moment Shawn arrived at Henry''s house, he rang the doorbell, his impatience barely contained.

    Margaret opened the door and greeted him politely as she stepped aside and let him in.

    "Where is Diana?" he asked as he turned to look at Margaret after he walked in.

    "She''s in her bedroom. I will go get her..."

    "Wait. Before you get her, I have some questions for you," he said, and Margaret''s eyes widened slightly.

    "Me?" she asked, wondering what Shawn could possibly want to ask her.

    "Yes. Lead the way to the study," Shawn ordered calmly, and Margaret led him to Henry''s study.

    Inside, Shawn sat down behind the desk and gestured for Margaret to do the same. "You''ve been working here for over three years now, am I right?" he asked, and she nodded as she perched ufortably on the chair opposite him.

    "Yes, sir."

    "That means you know when Diana moved in?" he asked, and once again, she nodded. "Yes, sir."

    "What can you tell me about her and her rtionship with my brother?" he asked, and Margaret paused for a bit.

    "They are very close. Mr. Rosewood cares about her very much," she said, and he looked at her for a moment, wondering if she was reciting something she had been asked to say or if this was the truth.

    "What do you think about her personally?" he asked, and Margaret''s brows pulled together.

    "I don''t think anything about her," she said, not willing to speak ill of Diana and get herself in trouble. Her job was important to her, and she didn''t want to lose it by falling into any

    traps.

    "Do you think she cares about my brother?" Shawn asked, and Margaret resisted the urge to scoff.

    "She worships the ground he walks on. She calls him her lord," Margaret said since that was the truth she knew.

    "Her lord?" Shawn asked, watching Margaret closely, and Margaret nodded.

    Something about the way her lips curled when she talked about Diana gave Shawn the impression that she didn''t like Diana much.

    "And Vanessa? What do you think about her?" he asked and watched as her eyes softened.

    "I wish she didn''t have to leave. She is always so calm and polite," Margaret said, not wanting

    to add that she wished Diana had left instead of Mia.

    "I suppose you like her more than Diana," Shawn observed.

    "She''s the real madam of the house, sir. It''s only natural that I like her more," Margaret said, and Shawn nodded in agreement.

    "Do the others feel the same way? I mean the domestic staff?" he asked curiously, wanting to know if perhaps Diana had her own person in the house too.

    Margaret shrugged. "Mika feels the same way. I don''t know about Josh. He is new here, so I guess he is indifferent," Margaret said, and Shawn nodded thoughtfully.

    "Who is Josh? When did he start working here?" he asked curiously.

    "He''s the new chef. He resumed some weeks ago," Margaret said, and Shawn raised a brow.

    "What happened to thest chef?"

    "Madam Diana fired him. After he worked here for all these years, she just..." Margaret caught herself, realizing she was expressing herself too openly.

    Shawn shed her a small smile. "It''s okay. It''s only natural that you''re displeased that the chef was fired. So, this new chef, is he from the agency? How does he interact with Diana?"

    Shawn asked, and Margaret shook her head.

    "He is from the agency, but I''ve never seen them talking aside from when shees into the

    kitchen to say what she wants," Margaret said, and Shawn sighed.

    "Alright. You can leave now. Thanks for your time," he said, and she rose.

    "Should I get Madam Diana?" she asked, but Shawn shook his head.

    "Not yet. I''ll call you when I need her. Thanks. Also, I''m expecting someone. Let me know when he gets here," he said dismissively, and she gave him a nod before she walked away.

    After she walked away, Shawn opened Henry''s drawers to see if he would find anything that would help him understand the situation, and just as he was about to give up when he didn''t see anything useful, something fell off one of the man folders.

    He bent down to pick it up, and he raised a brow when he saw it was a stic bag containing some tablets. Shawn''s heart skipped a beat. He had a bad feeling about this.

    He carefully set the bag on the desk, his mind racing with possibilities. Growing up he had experimented with his fair share of drugs to know what it was.

    What he couldn''t understand, however, was what it was doing in Henry''s drawer. He knew without a doubt that Henry was allergic to morphine.

    He remembered clearly how Henry had reacted to it and had almost died when he was given a shot of it for pain in his teenage years after an ident.

    He opened the drawers again and ransacked them thoroughly, taking out all of the files in

    them.

    He paused when he suddenly remembered what the doctor at the hospital had said about Henry looking like he had an allergic reaction to something.

    Thinking of this, he came to two conclusions. It was either Henry was trying tomit suicide, or someone had tried to murder him and make it seem like a suicide attempt.

    He highly doubted that Henry had attempted suicide. There were better ways for a sessful man like Henry to take his life than to die with his breath reeking of alcohol and drugs in his blood. Henry would never do that to the family.

    That left him with the other option. Someone had tried to kill him and had nted the morphine here to make it seem like he was a user of hard drugs.

    Or was the n not to kill him? Shawn mused. And the next important question now was who

    could have nted the drugs. He believed it was Diana. It was either her or the new person in

    the house.

    While he was still thinking, his phone rang, and he received the call when he saw it was his

    source the police.

    "What have you got?" he asked impatiently.

    "Diana Locke is a medical doctor. She quit her job sometime two years ago. She has no

    criminal records," he said, and Shawn nodded.

    "Alright. Thanks," he said before hanging up.

    She was a medical doctor, Shawn mused. He nced at his phone when it rang again, and he

    received the call to hear the doctor confirm what he knew already. There were traces of drugs

    in Henry''s blood.

    Once he hung up the call, he nced at the desktop and contemted looking through it, but The decided it was best to talk to Diana again first.

    Whatever she said now would determine his next course of action.

    Taking the drug, he rose and headed for the door, and just as he opened it, Diana, who was

    about to leave for the hospital intending to im a miscarriage, froze when she saw him.

    "Mr. Rosewood," she stammered, her eyes wide with surprise. Why did no one tell her he was

    back?

    "Are you going somewhere?" He asked when he saw the way she was dressed and her handbag

    in her hand.

    "I was going to the hospital. I''m not feeling too well," she said and Shawn looked at her for a

    moment.

    "Let''s talk before you leave," he said, stepping inside the living room with an air of authority. Diana reluctantly followed him, and he gestured to the couch, "Sit down, Diana," Shawn

    commanded.

    Diana''s heart pounded as she perched nervously on the edge of a chair, willing herself to stay

    calm. She didn''t mind getting caught. She had resigned herself to that from the moment she embarked on this.

    What she feared, however, was not being able to do to Henry as she pleased. She knew his

    body was paralyzed for life and he would never be able to move again, but she still wanted to

    ruin everything he had built and worked for. Everything that he had treated people like an animal in order to acquire.

    Shawn remained calm, his gaze fixed on her, unyielding and cold.

    "How much do you know about Henry?" Shawn began, his voice deceptively calm.

    Diana''s eyes flickered with uncertainty. "I know as much as he tells me."

    "As much as he tells you," Shawn repeated, watching her closely, "Has he been doing drugs?"

    Shawn asked, holding out the tablet.

    Diana looked away, her fingers stilling. "I don''t know."

    "Answer me honestly," Shawn pressed. "It''s vital for his treatment."

    Diana''s voice was a whisper. "I''m not sure I should be telling you this about your brother, but

    I caught him once in his study taking that," Diana said without meeting his gaze.

    "Are you sure about that Diana? What was he like after taking it?" Shawn pressed. Diana shook her head, "It''s really nothing. He promised me it was a one-time thing and he

    only took it ''cause he was stressed."

    A smirk tugged at the corner of Shawn''s mouth. He knew it. He was seldom wrong about

    people. From the moment he walked in and saw her, he had known there was something fishy

    about it.

    "What is your n, Diana?"

    She looked up, confused. "I don''t understand."

    "Henry might not have mentioned it to you, but he is allergic to opioids, and I''m sure as a

    medical doctor you''re aware that morphine is an opioid, so you couldn''t possibly have seen him taking it and not known," Shawn said, and Diana''s heart skipped a beat. Henry was allergic to Opioids? And Shawn knew she was a doctor? Did he look into her? Why

    was he showing so much interest in her and in the case when Henry had said his family usually ignored him?

    "I know you''re not who you im to be," Shawn continued, his eyes boring into hers. "I want to go easy on you, so tell me exactly what''s going on."

    Diana could feel her facade crumbling. Shawn''s presence was overwhelming and his usations were slicing through her defenses. She knew she was walking a thin line, and one

    wrong step could unravel everything she had worked for.

    In the shadows, Jeff, who had been eavesdropping, quickly dialed Tom''s number. His voice was urgent as he whispered, "It seems like Diana has been caught. Henry''s brother is questioning her."

 Chapter 934 The End Of Henry Rosewood

    Chapter 934 The End Of Henry Rosewood

    Diana felt her heart pounding in her chest, but she steeled herself, determined not to let Shawn see her fear. Just as she opened her mouth to speak, the doorbell rang, echoing through the room and cutting through the tension that filled the room.

    Diana''s eyes darted toward the sound, relief momentarily washing over her face as she realized she didn''t have to answer Shawn''s question just yet.

    "Margaret, could you get that?" Shawn called out, his eyes never leaving Diana''s face.

    Margaret hurried to answer the door, leaving Shawn and Diana in a charged silence. Momentster, she returned, ushering in a distinguished-looking man in histe fifties with a professional air about him.

    "Dr. Morgan," Shawn greeted, standing up to shake the doctor''s hand. "Thank you foring on such short notice."

    Dr. Morgan nodded, "It''s no trouble. What''s the situation?" He asked, his eyes flicking over to Diana and widening in recognition.

    Before Shawn could do the introductions, Dr. Morgan smiled, "Diana Locke?" He asked, and Diana, who had been hoping he wouldn''t take note of her, rose to greet him.

    Diana nodded, her face a mask ofposure. "Hello, Dr. Morgan."

    "Dr. Locke was one of best my students," Dr Morgan told Shawn before turning to her again, "It''s been a long time. What are you doing here? I thought you work at Royalty International Hospital in Ludus now?" He asked and before she could respond, Shawn cut in.

    "Please save the pleasantries forter. I have more pressing issues. Let''s go to the study," he said, gesturing for them to follow him, while politely reminding Dr Morgan that he was here for something else.

    In the study, Shawn sat down behind the desk and motioned for the doctor and Diana to take their seats opposite him.

    "Now, Shawn, what seems to be the problem?" Dr Morgan asked after they were seated.

    "It''s Henry," Shawn began, exining the situation in a sinct but thorough manner. "I will need you to take over from the doctor and have Henry transferred to your clinic once he''s out of emergency. And I need you to run a pregnancy test on Diana."

    Diana''s heart skipped a beat. She looked at Shawn with a mixture of surprise and defiance. "Why are you doing this, Mr Rosewood?"

    Shawn''s expression was neutral. "I''m trying to get a clear picture of things, Diana. To do that, I need to confirm all the little details before I move on to the bigger ones. I can''t take anyone''s word for it until I get answers to all my questions."

    Dr. Morgan turned to Diana, his eyes filled with concern. "Doctor Locke, are you pregnant?" He asked, his voice gentle but firm. N?v(el)B\\jnn

    Diana hesitated for a moment, then realized there was no point in lying if the test would reveal the truth and she was going to be caught. It was just her luck that things were not going as nned. "No, I''m not pregnant."

    Shawn nodded to Dr. Morgan. "Thank you, Doctor. I''ll take it from here. Please go over to the hospital to check on Henry now and have him moved if you think it''s safe."

    Dr Morgan looked between the two of them, sensing the tension. "Alright. I will take my leave now. It''s been nice meeting you again, Dr Locke," he said before walking away.

    Once he had left the room, Shawn turned to Diana. "Before I say anything else, I should thank you for not wasting all our time. I really hate it when people waste my time. Now, let''s get back to our discussion before the doctor arrived. I want to know exactly what you''re doing with Henry and why you''re trying to kill him."

    Seeing that Shawn had caught on to her, Diana didn''t see any reason to keep pretending anymore. She straightened her shoulders, her eyes zing with defiance.

    "Don''t for a moment think that I''m scared of you or being turned over to the police, Mr Rosewood. The only thing that bothers me right now is not being able to do exactly what I have in mind."

    "And what do you have in mind? Killing him??" Shawn asked, his voice calm but firm.

    Diana took a deep breath, her eyes burning with a mix of anger and pain. "I''m not trying to kill Henry. I want to destroy his life and watch him suffer for all he''s made me and countless others endure," Diana said, her voice filled with venom.

    Shawn''s curiosity was piqued. "What did Henry do to you?" Shawn asked, genuinely curious.

    Diana hesitated, sizing up Shawn to determine if she could trust him. Seeing no other option, she decided toy her cards on the table.

    Diana''s eyes filled with pain but her voice was steady as she began to speak. "Henry''spany was ruthless in its expansion. He used underhanded tactics to crushpetitors. My brother, Daniel, was one of thosepetitors. He ran a small but thriving techpany. Henry saw him as a threat and tried to buy him out, but when Daniel wouldn''t yield to him, Henry decided to eliminate him."

    Diana''s eyes darkened with the memory. "Henryunched a smear campaign against Daniel, using him of fraud and embezzlement. He bribed key officials and manipted the media to ruin my brother''s reputation. Clients and investors pulled out, and Daniel''spany went bankrupt."

    Shawn listened intently, his expression unreadable.

    "Daniel tried to fight back, but Henry''s reach was too vast. The police were either paid off or intimidated into silence. My brother was left with nothing and was buried in debt. He became despondent and when he couldn''t bear the shame and despair anymore, he eventually took his own life. His wife, who was heavily pregnant, went into prematurebor from the shock. She and the baby didn''t survive."

    Shawn''s expression softened slightly as he absorbed her words. "That''s... horrific."

    Diana nodded, tears welling up in her eyes, but she blinked them away. "Henry destroyed the only family I had, and Daniel wasn''t the only one. There are others who''ve suffered at his hands, people who lost everything because of his greed and cruelty. I''ve made it my mission to put an end to his cruelty, whether or not you''ve caught on to my n. I vowed to make him pay."

    Shawn absorbed her words, his mind racing. He had always known Henry was ruthless in business, but this level of cruelty was beyond anything he had imagined.

    Shawn leaned back in his chair, considering her story as his mind raced with the implications of her words. "Do you have proof of all this? Show me the proof, Diana. I need to see it."

    Diana looked at him with suspicion. "Why should I trust you?"

    Shawn''s expression was earnest. "I''ve heard sides of Henry today that I never knew existed. I need to confirm the truth for myself."

    Diana hesitated, then opened her handbag and took out a sh drive, her hands trembling slightly as she handed it to Shawn. "This contains everything. Documents, emails, pictures, recordings. It''s all there."

    Shawn took the drive, and turned on Henry''s desktop, "Do you know the password?" He asked her and she nodded.

    "It''s your father''s birthday," she said, and Shawn unlocked theptop.

    After connecting the sh drive to the desktop, he looked through its contents. The evidence was damning, painting a clear picture of Henry''s malicious actions, and detailing not just the destruction of Diana''s brother but other individuals and families who had been ruined by Henry''s machinations.

    As Shawn reviewed the contents, he felt a knot forming in his stomach as he realized the extent of his brother''s cruelty. His anger towards Henry grew and his resolve solidified. He would ensure that justice was served, not just for Diana but for all of Henry''s victims.

    Diana watched him closely, her voice softening. "I don''t expect you to take my side. But you need to know the truth about the man you call your brother if you don''t already know it."

    Shawn looked up at her, his expression a mix of sorrow and determination. "It''s not about taking sides. It''s about right and wrong. Thank you for sharing this with me. I promise I''ll get to the bottom of this"

    "Why didn''t you go to the police with this?" Shawn asked, although he already suspected the answer.

    Diana shook her head bitterly. "As I said, the police were on his payroll. Any attempts to seek justice were shut down. I realized that if I wanted to make Henry suffer, I would have to do it myself."

    "And that''s why you came into his life," Shawn concluded. "To get close to him, to find a way to ruin him from the inside."

    Diana nodded. "Exactly. I became his confidante and learned his secrets. I wanted to dismantle his empire piece by piece, just like he did to my brother."

    "I can''t me you for wanting to do any of this. Henry is my half-brother yet I feel protective towards him. I can only imagine how you felt about what he did to your brother. However, even though I understand your reason for doing this, I want you to stop now and walk away. I won''t expose you or do anything to hurt you since everything is still contained. If I ask you to let me take it up from here, will you listen?" Shawn asked and Diana looked at him skeptically.

    "Why should I trust you? You''re his brother. How do I know you will handle it?"

    "Because," Shawn said firmly, "I believe in justice. And if Henry is guilty of what you im, he needs to be held ountable. I won''t let him get away with it, but I also won''t let you take matters into your own hands anymore either. I don''t want the drama that this could result in. Do you have any idea how much I and my family would have suffered if news of any of this had gotten out without our knowledge? We don''t even know what he is up to, yet by virtue of him being a Rosewood, the reputation my family has worked so hard to build could crumble. I''m giving you my word, Diana. I willpensate you for all your brother lost and I will deal with Henry. But I can''t let you destroy my family''s reputation in the process of bringing down Henry," Shawn said and Diana shook her head.

    "I don''t want anypensation. I can''t stop. I can''t walk away. I need to see this through to the end. I won''t involve your family. My business is solely with Henry��"

    "Tell me something, do you think Henry''s death would be enough to make up for what he did to your brother? Do you think destroying all he has worked for will fill up the emptiness you feel inside? Do you think you will find peace after you''ve destroyed Henry and all that he owns?" Shawn asked and Diana''s lips trembled as she looked at him without responding.

    "I will tell you for free that you won''t feel better. Nothing you do to Henry will ever make up for your loss or fill the void that Henry''s wickedness has created inside you. If anything you''re just going to keep being bitter and live with guilt. Good people don''t do bad things. You shouldn''t condemn your life that way. Let it all go," Shawn advised softly.

    "Why are you doing this? You don''t even care about Henry. Why are you meddling in my business?" Diana cried in frustration.

    "Because Henry is still my younger brother and I feel responsible for all of this. I feel like we may have turned him into the monster he is. In his quest to impress the family and gain eptance, he became a monster," Shawn said with a weary sigh.

    "I''m sorry for all Henry has done to you, Diana, but you don''t need to be a monster too. The society doesn''t need any more monsters. Good should ovee evil, Diana, not the other way. You have your life ahead of you, don''t let your hate for him destroy you too," he pleaded, and Diana broke into a sob.

    Shawn rose from his seat and took a tentative step towards Diana, his expression softening as he reached out to her. He ced aforting hand on her shoulder, feeling the tension and anger that radiated from her.

    "Diana," he said gently, his voice low and soothing, "I understand your pain. I really do. But you have to believe me when I say that taking matters into your own hands will only consume you. It will destroy you from the inside out."

    Diana trembled beneath his touch, her breathing in ragged gasps as she fought to hold back the tears that threatened to spill over. She clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms as she tried to maintain herposure. But Shawn''s words, the kindness in his voice, broke through her defenses.

    With a sob, Diana buried her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking as she let out the grief and frustration she had been holding back for so long. Shawn stepped closer, wrapping his arms around her in a gentle embrace. He held her tightly, offering silentfort as she wept.

    For a moment, they remained like that, the room filled with the sound of Diana''s sobs. Shawn stroked her back, murmuring soft words of reassurance. "It''s okay," he whispered. "Let it out."

    Diana eventually pulled back, taking out her hanky in her handbag to wipe her eyes and blow her nose.

    She took a deep, shuddering breath, trying to steady herself. "I didn''t expect things to turn out this way," she admitted, her voice hoarse from crying.

    Shawn nodded, his gaze steady and understanding. "I know. And I''m sorry that you had toe this far."

    Diana looked away, her expression conflicted. "I''ve already injected Henry," she confessed quietly. "He''s going to be permanently paralyzed."

    Shawn sighed deeply, his brow furrowing. "It''s unfortunate that you''ve done that, Diana. But what''s done is done. You can leave the rest to me. Let me handle this for you, and for everyone else that Henry has hurt," Shawn said, thinking of Mia who had suffered at Henry''s hands.

    Being paralyzed was not punishment enough for all that Henry had done. His deeds were unforgivable and he had also soiled the good name of the Rosewood family.

    Diana hesitated, biting her lip as she considered his words. She briefly thought about mentioning Jeff since he wasn''t on the list she hadpiled, but she decided against it. She wasn''t sure yet what Shawn''s n was, and she didn''t want Jeff to be in trouble.

    "I will make sure topensate everyone who has suffered at his hands," he promised. "I''ll restore your brother''s image and thepany too, so you can trust me and leave now."

    Diana looked at him, her eyes searching his face for any sign of deceit. Seeing none, she gave a small, reluctant nod. "Alright. I''ll leave. But if you don''t do as you have promised and make him pay for all he has done, I will make sure to get it done myself, one way or the other," Diana said, and Shawn nodded.

    "Thank you."

    With onest lingering look, she turned and walked towards the door. As she reached for the handle, she paused and nced back at Shawn. "Thank you," she said softly.

    Shawn gave her a reassuring smile. "Take care, Diana. You will hear from me again after I''ve settled everything."

    She nodded, then slipped out of the room, leaving Shawn alone with his thoughts. He sat down at the desk, the sh drive in his hand, and stared at it for a moment.

    Now that he had gotten a clear picture of everything, he would make sure that all of Henry''s victims received the retribution they deserved. And he would do it in a way that protected his family''s reputation.

    The only way to achieve both would be to expose Henry himself, that way there would be no bacsh on the rest of the Rosewood family, and no matter Henry''s connections, justice would be served because he had much greater influence than Henry.

 Chapter 935: The End Of Henry Rosewood (2)

    ?

    Diana''s heart was still racing as she left the study, her emotions a whirlwind of relief and anxiety.

    She had never expected to bare her soul to Shawn Rosewood, nor had she anticipated his reaction. His calm demeanor and unexpected empathy had thrown her off bnce, and now that he had taken the fight out of her, she didn''t know what to do anymore.

    Reaching her bedroom, her hands trembled as she pushed open the door. She closed the door behind her and leaned against it, taking a moment topose herself. She couldn''t afford to waste time in case Shawn changed his mind.

    With quick, efficient movements, she began packing her belongings. As she folded clothes and gathered her essentials, her mind raced with thoughts of all she needed to do next.

    First, she would try to reach out to her ckmailer and let him know how things had turned out, and then she would go to Vanessa. Vanessa had a right to know what had happened, and she owed her an apology. She needed to apologize to Vanessa for letting her down and for not following through with her n.

    As she threw her shoes in her suitcase, a soft knock echoed through the room, startling her, and she paused, her heart pounding anew.

    Was it Shawn? Had he changed his mind already? Or did he call the police? She mused.

    Taking a deep breath, she walked over and opened the door. She felt a wave of relief when she saw Jeff standing there with a concerned expression.

    "Are you okay?" He asked in a low voiceced with a hint of nervousness.

    Even though Tom had asked him to stay calm, he was still feeling pretty nervous about the entire situation.

    Diana sighed, "I don''t know. I''m not sure yet. But I''m leaving," she said simply.

    Jeff''s brows furrowed in confusion. "Leaving? What about your ns? What did Henry''s brother say?"

    Diana hesitated, ncing around to ensure no one else was nearby. "Shawn knows everything now. I''ve told him about Henry and what he did to my brother. Shawn has asked me to let him handle it."

    Jeff''s eyes widened in surprise. "And you trust him?"

    "For some reason, I do," Diana replied, her voice steady. "Shawn seemed genuine. He promised to make sure everyone gets justice, and he won''t let Henry''s actions destroy more lives. I need to believe in that."

    Jeff nodded slowly, understanding her decision. "I''m d he is willing to let you go."

    Diana nodded. "I didn''t tell Shawn about you, so make sure you stay under the radar too for the time being. And maybe you can watch from here and see how he handles things," she said and Jeff nodded.

    "I will. Thank you, Diana. Be careful," he said and Diana offered a small, grateful smile.

    "Thank you too. Stay safe."

    Jeff gave her a nod and left, allowing her to finish packing. She zipped up her suitcase and took onest look around the room. This ce, filled with memories of her mission, now felt like a chapter closing. Taking a deep breath, she picked up her bag and headed out.

    After she had driven some distance away from the house, the gravity of the situation settled over her.

    She parked by the roadside, her hands trembling slightly as she pulled out her phone and shed the number Tom usually used to contact her.

    She waited for some time and just as she was about to give up and drive up, her phone rang and she received the call.

    "Diana," Tom''s voice was calm and reassuring, "what''s going on?" He asked, even though he knew why she was calling.

    After he received the call from Jeff, Barry had hacked into the security camera in the study and had sent him the footage, so he knew all about her conversation with Shawn.

    Watching the footage had made Tom realize that his mother had been right and they could have easily resolved things had she reached out to Henry''s parents (chapter 867).

    Perhaps they wouldn''t have had to do all of this or go through such a long process had they simply taken up the divorce issue with Henry''s family.

    They had assumed that the Rosewoods were all terrible people like Henry, but it was clear to him now that Henry had been hiding under the Rosewood family name to perpetuate his evil deeds.

    Diana exhaled shakily. "I just wanted to let you know that the ns have changed. Henry''s brother showed up. I didn''t expect he would be so smart or very interested in the details of what happened to his brother. I had toe clean with him. I told him everything. But I didn''t tell him about you or about Vanessa knowing my ns. He only knows about Henry and what he did to my brother and some others. He promised to handle it and asked me to back off," Diana exined and Tom listened silently.

    "You did well, Diana. I believe Shawn will take care of things. Just stay safe and keep a low profile until he does. And if you need my help in any way, you can let me know."

    Diana let out a deep breath, "I will. Thanks. I just needed to let you know what was going on."

    "Thanks. And don''t worry about anything. I''ll keep my eyes on everything and make sure no harmes to you," Tom assured her.

    "Thank you for everything. Even though I don''t know who you are or anything about you, I have felt safe and at ease thesest couple of weeks knowing that there was someone else out there who had it for Henry too, and would handle things if I couldn''t," Diana said before

    hanging up.

    After ending the call, Diana felt a renewed sense of determination. She drove to Mia''s ce, needing to get it all done with before disappearing.

    The Lawsons were just getting ready to have dinner when she arrived, and Maria directed her to the living room to wait while she went up to get Mia from her bedroom.

    Momentster, Mia hurried down from her room, her face a mix of surprise and concern. She had heard from Jeff that Diana had left the house a while ago and she had been worried about

    her.

    "Diana! I''m so d you''re here. I heard from the chef," Mia said, rushing to embrace her.

    Diana hugged her tightly. "I''m sorry I''m barging in on..."

    "Oh, please shut up," Mia said with a roll of her eyes as she pulled back to look at Diana, who had be like a sister to her.

    "How are you? You must have been startled by all the questions," Mia said, and Diana nodded as they both sat down.

    "Shawn was here earlier," Mia said and they both exchanged information, telling each other about their conversation with Shawn.

    "I came because I wanted to let you know that I''m leaving now. And also because I wanted to apologize to you," Diana said and Mia frowned.

    "Apologize? What for?"

    "For failing to keep my promise to you. I couldn''t get rid of Henry forever as I promised," Diana said and Mia smiled.

    "I''m actually happy you couldn''t go ahead with your n. I was worried you''d stain your hands with his dirty blood and ruin your life. He''s not worth it. And I''m more than grateful for all you have done for me. Thank you for looking out for me and doing your best to help me,"

    Mia said and Diana shook her head.

    "There''s nothing to thank me for. I didn''t do anything."

    "You did a lot. Where are you going? What will you do now?" Mia asked, and Diana shook her

    head.

    "I''m not sure yet. I always thought I''d go turn myself in to the police after I was done with him, but now I don''t know. So, I''m just going to go somewhere and wait to see how Shawn handles Henry," she said and before Mia could respond, her mother, who had been setting up the table for dinner while listening to them, joined them.

    "I''m sure you haven''t had dinner. Why don''t you join us for dinner before you go?"

    "Thanks, but I wouldn''t want to impose...."

    "You''re not imposing. And it''s the least we can do after all you''ve done for Nessa," Maria

    said, cutting her off.

    Diana smiled warmly. "I''d like that, thank you," Diana said as she and Mia rose to go join her

    parents at the dining.

    Dinner was a quiet affair, filled with an undercurrent of relief and gratitude. Afterward, Diana felt a sense of calm she hadn''t experienced in a long time.

    As Diana left Mia''s ce, she and Mia exchanged contact information, ensuring they could

    stay in touch.

    As Mia watched her go, she had a mix of admiration and sadness in her eyes. Diana had risked everything for justice, and now it was time for her to find her own peace.

    Mia couldn''t help but wonder what Shawn was going to do and what it would all mean for her.

    All she wanted now was for her and Jeff to be finally free to leave here. She wanted to be able to go back to her new family in Ludus- to the people who have shown her more care and love than her own family, Mia thought as she returned inside the house.

    "I just received a call from Henry''s brother. He asked for your phone number and I texted it to him," her father informed her the moment she walked in.

    Before she could respond her phone rang, and when she saw it was an unsaved contact, she received the call, guessing it was Shawn.

    "Vanessa, I called to apologize to you once again for all that Henry did to you. And I want to assure you that I will make sure you get the justice that you deserve. I''ve submitted all the evidence I got to the police and I have ced a call for his immediate arrest even though he''s still hospitalized. Tomorrow I will release a press statement to tender a formal apology to all of Henry''s victims. You have my permission to press charges. I''m sorry this isingte. I wish I had known about it all sooner. But you don''t have to run or hide from him anymore," Shawn said and tears gathered in Mia''s eyes.

    "Really? Can I really do that?" she asked, wondering if Shawn was telling the truth.

    "Yes, you can. You can do whatever you want, Vanessa," Shawn said and her tears began to

    drop in torrents.

    "Thank you. Thank you so much, Shawn. Thank you," Vanessa cried, unable to hold back her

    tears.

    As much as she had been mad at Tyler carelessly for exposing her, she was d now that he hade along when he did and his action had forced her to confront her past. It had all worked out for her good and now she was finally free from Henry.

    Away from there, at the hospital, Henry''s eyes fluttered open, the hospital rooming into

    blurry focus. He felt like he had just woken up a bad dream. His mind was foggy, the events leading to his unconsciousness a jumbled mess.

    He tried to move, to sit up, but his body refused to respond. His limbs felt like dead weights, utterly unresponsive to his franticmands. Panic surged through him, and then he remembered with horror that he was paralyzed and it was not a bad dream but his reality.

    Hey there, helpless as he listened to the beeping of the monitors. Tears began to well in his eyes as the full weight of his situation settled over him.

    All he could think about was the look in Diana''s eyes, the searing hatred that had burned so

    vividly. Her betrayal cut deeper than any physical pain he had ever experienced. How had he been so blind, so utterly fooled by her?

    Memories of their interactions flooded his mind. The warmth in her voice, the seemingly genuine concern, the way she had seemed to worship him. It had all been a lie, a cruel, calcted deception. His throat tightened, and a tear slipped down the side of his face.

    He had loved her and had believed that for the first time in his life, he had found someone who loved him. He had trusted her, confided in her, and she had manipted him.

    He was broken, both physically and emotionally, and he had no idea where to go from here or

    what to do next.

    As hey there, lost in his torment, the door to his room creaked open. He couldn''t turn his head to see who had entered, but the sound of footsteps drew nearer.

    A figure stepped into his line of sight, and he was flooded with relief when he recognized Dr.

    Morgan. Seeing Dr Morgan walk in with police officers, he could tell they were there to take his statement and find out what happened to him.

    The police officers stepped forward, their eyes hard and unforgiving and to his surprise

    instead of asking him what happened, they began to read out a list of charges, a litany of crimes.

    The words barely registered. Henry''s mind was numb, his body immobile. He could do

    nothing as they listed his crimes, each usation a hammer blow to his already fragile state.

    Henry wanted to ask them if they knew who he was. He wanted to tell them that they would lose their jobs for doing that, but something about the way Dr Morgan stood there, told him they knew who he was, and his family was also aware of what was going on.

    Betrayed by Diana, paralyzed, and now facing the full force of thew because he was certain his family had abandoned him- there was nothing left for him.

    Henry shut his eyes and turned his head away from them, unable to face the harsh reality any

    longer.

    Resignation settled over him like a heavy shroud. He was at the mercy of forces far beyond his control, his fate sealed by the very actions that had once made him powerful.

    Now, he was nothing more than a broken man, left to bear the consequences of his own

    making.

 Chapter 936: I Don’t Want Any More Trouble

    Chapter 936: I Don��t Want Any More Trouble

    ?

    The moment Lucy''s rm went off in the morning, she opened her eyes and frowned as she noticed the empty space beside her on the bed. Sitting up, she called out, "Babe?" Her voice was still thick with sleep, and she yawned as she waited for a response.

    When she received none, she got off the bed and slipped on her robe. "Babe?" she called again, this time heading toward the bathroom. She peeked inside but found it empty.

    Concerned, she made her way to the door. Just as she reached for the handle, it opened, and Tom walked in, a wide smile on his face.

    "Where were you?" she asked, her displeased frown deepening.

    Tom grinned, "Someone seems to have woken up with a mood," he teased, chuckling when she red at him.

    "I didn''t wake up with a mood. The mood came only because you were not in bed cuddling me or staring at me with love in your eyes as I slept," she said with a scowl, and heughed.

    "Sorry about that. I was in the study. I had to make calls and do some other stuff. Didn''t want to disturb your sleep. You slept well, yes?" he asked, and her displeased frown softened into one of concern.

    "What calls? Did something happen?" she asked, her curiosity piqued.

    Tom nodded. "Yeah. Something really significant happened. I will tell you about it on our way to the office. Let''s get ready for work," he said.

    They both went about their usual morning routines, the air thick with unspoken words. As they finished dressing, Lucy caught Tom''s gaze in the mirror. "We''re leaving for the fishing trip tomorrow after work. We need to pack our stuff tonight," she reminded him.

    "Yeah. Let''s do that after we get back from work," Tom agreed, and they headed out the door. During the drive to the office, Tom recounted the events of the previous night. Lucy listened intently, her expression a mix of surprise and satisfaction. She couldn''t help but be happy with the turn of events.

    "Just like that? Wow!" Lucy said, and Tom nodded.

    "We probably would have been saved from the whole stress had we let my mother contact the family directly. She did say their reputation was very important to them," Tom said, and Lucy looked at him.

    "Still, I mean, Henry is family and I''m sure it must have been a hard decision," Lucy said and Tom nodded.

    "You''re right. It must have been a hard decision to make."

    "Well, I''m just d everything is falling into ce. Mia can finally move on from this," Lucy said, a soft smile on her lips as she made a mental note to give Sonia a call when she got to the office.

    Tom nodded. "Yes. She can. And she will."

    After they''d been silent for some time, Lucy nced at Tom again, "If this were Bryan, would you do what Henry''s brother is doing?" Lucy asked, and Tom''s brows pulled together as he considered the question.

    "I''m not sure. I don''t think I can answer that question honestly. Maybe I wouldn''t get him arrested..."

    "Even if he beats his wife and leaves scars on her and destroys the lives and livelihood of other people?" she cut in, and Tom sighed.

    "That''s why I said I''m not sure. I may or may not get him arrested, but I know I will handle it and make sure everyone who has suffered at his hands getspensated. And I''ll make sure no one else suffers at his hand," Tom said, and Lucy raised a brow.

    "How will you do that without having him arrested?" she asked curiously.

    "I might confine him myself," Tom said with a shrug. "What about you? If it were Lucas, what would you have done?" he asked, sparing her a nce.

    "Lucas can''t do something like that..."

    "Neither can Bryan. Yet I answered. So, tell me what you would have done," Tom said, and she shrugged.

    "I will do what Henry''s brother did. I will have him arrested," she said, and Tom turned to look at her as he stopped at a red light.

    "Really?" he asked, and she nodded.

    "Yes. It''s going to be very hard and painful, but that''s exactly what I will do," she said, and they both fell into silence.

    There was an underlying sense of relief that they both shared knowing that they were not only making progress in their personal lives but also helping others find peace and justice.

    As they arrived at the office and Tom parked the car in his private parking lot, Lucy paused, looking at Tom. "Do you think we''ll ever have to make such difficult decisions ourselves?" Tom shrugged, a thoughtful expression crossing his face. "Life is unpredictable. And it might note in this manner but I''m sure we''ll have to make difficult decisions at some point in our life. But I''m not scared as long as I have you by my side. As long as we face everything together, I believe we can handle anything," he said, raising her hand to his lips.

    Lucy smiled, feeling reassured by his words. It gave her a sense of pride and deepened her love for him. "You''re right. Together, we can handle anything."

    They shared a brief kiss before stepping out of the car and heading for the elevator.

    As they walked into Tom''s office, they met Harry seated behind the desk with a grin on his face, and Tom chuckled.

    "Someone looks really happy," Lucy observed with a grin.

    "I always look happy," Harry countered.

    "Ny-nine percent of the staff will beg to differ," Lucy said and both Tom and Harry chuckled.

    "The opinion of the remaining one percent matters most to me," Harry said with a shrug. "The remaining one percent are too scared of you to want to partake in the discussion. I was the leader of that one percent," Lucy said and Harry snorted.

    "That''s probably why you were so good at your job. Let''s get the other ny-nine percent to join the one percent then," he said and they allughed.

    "I''m off to my office. Have a good day you too," Lucy said as she kissed Tom once again

    before walking away.

    "I take it you heard from Mia already," Tom said as he took the seat opposite Harry, letting him remain seated on his seat.

    "Why didn''t you call me?" Harry asked and Tom shrugged.

    "I didn''t want to bother your sleep. I saw no reason for us both to be sleep-deprived," Tom said and Harry waved it off.

    "That would have been a good and satisfying reason to be sleep-deprived," Harry countered.

    "Next time I promise to..."

    "Please, no next time. I really hope nothing elsees up. I don''t want any more trouble. Right now I just want to focus on my rtionship, my family, and work," Harry said and Tom

    chuckled.

    "Me too."

    "So, what now?" Harry asked and Tom shrugged.

    "Mia can handle it from here. Henry is no longer a threat and she isn''t being suspected of anything. So, now we get ready for the fishing trip," he said and Harry nodded.

    "And Jeff?" Harry asked and Tom shrugged.

    "If Henry is going to jail, there won''t be any need for a chef. I''m sure Shawn will let go of the domestic staff soon enough. So, Jeff will have to remain there until then so as not to attract any suspicion. If Shawn finds out about Jeff, the Hendersons will be in trouble. We can''t have

    that," Tom said and Harry nodded.

    "You are right," Harry said with a nod.

    "Right now, all I am looking forward to is Lucy''s prom and our Christmas party," Tom said

    and Harry chuckled.

    "Can''t wait to put the ring on her finger, huh?" He teased and Tom grinned.

    "I can''t wait," he admitted.

    "Well, it''s just about three months away now," Harry said and Tom grinned.

    "Well, her prom is in two weeks. We''ll be traveling to Heden for it," Tom said, and and then

    looked at Harry with sudden seriousness.

    "By the way, what''s the progress with Jade?" He asked, remembering how he had thought Harry and Jade would get engaged before him.

    "I know it''s probably too soon to tell, but I think she''s doing really well. And she''s happier too. That''s all that matters," Harry said with a smile.

    Tom nodded. "So, do you think you''d be getting married soon as nned?" He asked with

    interest.

    Harry shook his head. "No. No hurry. We will take a year. We both agreed to take things slow now. We were moving too fast. I think I need time to build her trust in me and restore the trust she has lost in men. And she also needs time to healpletely. So, we are taking our time

    now,"

    Tom smiled. "That''s good to know."

    Harry nced at his wristwatch. "I will let you have your seat now. I have a meeting in the

    next twenty minutes and I need to go get prepared for it," he said as he rose to leave.

    "Alright. Have a nice day," Tom said and Harry gave him a nod.

    "You too," Harry said before walking out.

    Instead of going to his office, he headed for Jade''s office to first see if she had arrived at the

    office now since he had returned to his apartment two days ago.

    The moment he walked into her office, Jade who had just arrived and was taking off her zer

    smiled at him.

    "Morning, handsome," she greeted even though they''d spoken already that morning.

    "Morning, goddess," he said as he walked over to where she stood and kissed her.

    "Didn''t you say you have a meeting at 9?" She asked, ncing at her watch, since it was

    almost 9.

    "Yep. I will leave as soon as I confirm that you''reing home with me after work today as agreed," he said as he tucked her hair behind her ear.

    She had not been to his apartment since they returned from their vacation and he was really looking forward to spending the evening with her at his ce.

    As much as he had loved being with her at her ce, he wanted to see her in his own space. He wanted her scent around the house and on sheets and pillows in his room.

    Jade giggled. "We agreed to do that. Why would I change my mind?" she asked and he

    shrugged.

    "I just wanted to be sure. Why don''t I see any of your stuff around? No bag to take home?" He

    asked and she rolled her eyes.

    "That''s because I still have some of my stuff at your ce. I haven''t changed my mind. Now

    go for your meeting," she said and Harry scowled.

    "Are you sending me out of your office, esquire?" He asked and she nodded.

    "Precisely..."

    "Well, since you''re asking me to leave I won''t tell you about the recent development with

    Mia," he said grudgingly as he headed for the door.

    "Does Lucy know about it?" Jade asked curiously and Harry turned to look at her. Thinking that she was asking because she would want him to tell her about it if Lucy already

    knew about it, he nodded.

    "Yeah. I think so." "Good then. I''ll ask her over lunch or I''ll just ask Tom," she said with a wink and then giggled

    when Harry red at her yfully before leaving.

    Jade grinned as he shut the door behind him. Because she enjoyed watching him act clingy she

    didn''t see the need to tell him that she was looking forward to going home with him too because she had missed his ce.

    Jade picked up her phone when it buzzed, and she grinned when she saw it was Aurora.

    "Hey, girl!"

    "Hey! I just wanted to remind you for the hundredth time that the fishing trip is tomorrow," Aurora said and Jade giggled.

    "I haven''t forgotten and I''m sure none of the others have forgotten either," Jade assured her.

    "That''s exactly what I told Phil, but he insists I remind you every time," Aurora said with a sigh, and Jade could imagine her rolling her eyes.

    "Tomorrow, we will all be there. Ask him not to worry," Jade assured her before hanging up.

    It was going to be a fun and busy weekend, and she was looking forward to all of it. She loved the direction her life was going.

 Chapter 937: That’s So Sweet

    Chapter 937: That��s So Sweet

    ?

    As the workday drew to a close, Harry found himself counting down the minutes until he could see Jade again.

    He had spent the entire day thinking about their evening together, and he couldn''t wait to finally have her back at his ce.

    The moment it was the closing hour, Harry quickly wrapped up for the day and headed out of his office.

    He had been eagerly looking forward to this moment all day, and now that the workday was finally over, he could hardly contain his excitement.

    The office bustled with the usual end-of-day hustle as Harry walked briskly toward Jade''s office, his heart beating a little faster with anticipation.

    He finally arrived at Jade''s office and knocked lightly before stepping inside. Jade looked up from her desk, her face lighting up with a smile when she saw him.

    "Hello, goddess. Done for the day?" He asked, and her smile widened as Harry grinned and crossed the room to her.

    "Hey there, handsome," she greeted, her eyes sparkling with amusement at his obvious excitement.

    "Ready to go home?" he asked with a grin, his tone light but with a hint of eagerness that made her chuckle.

    "Home, huh? Someone is really eager," Jade teased, standing up and gathering her things.

    "You have no idea. It''s been way too long since you''ve graced my apartment with your beautiful presence and I''ve really missed having you over," Harry said as he watched her pick up her zer before looking up at him.

    Jade smiled, feeling a warm flush of happiness at his words. "Well, I missed being there too," she admitted as she slipped her zer on, smoothing it down.

    "Let''s get going then before you change your mind," Harry said and Jadeughed, shaking her head.

    "Alright, boyfriend. Let''s go." She grabbed her purse, and he wrapped an arm around her waist as they walked out of her office.

    Jade exchanged smiles with her few remaining colleagues who waved her goodbye.

    As they exited the building, Harry led Jade to his car, opening the door for her with a flourish. "Your chariot awaits, mydy," he said with a yful bow.

    Jade rolled her eyes but couldn''t hide her grin. "Thank you, kind sir," she said with a mock curtsy as she slid into the seat, and watched him as he rounded the car to get in.

    As Harry started the car, Jade turned to him, "So, what''s up with Mia?" She asked and Harry nced at her.

    "You didn''t ask Tom or Lucy like you said you would?" He asked and she shook her head.

    "Nah. I was waiting to hear it from you," she said and Harry grinned and went on to tell her all about it.

    "I''m d that''s out of the way now. But most especially I''m d that you didn''tmit any crime and your involvement in all of this is not known," she said after Harry was done and he nodded in agreement.

    When they arrived at his apartment, Harry unlocked the door and pushed it open, stepping aside to let Jade enter first.

    She stepped inside and immediately giggled when she saw the flower petals that formed a path on the floor.

    "What''s all this?" she asked, turning to look at Harry with a yful grin.

    Harry''s eyes twinkled with mischief. "It''s your wee home," he said, stepping closer and taking her hand. "It''s been a while since youst came here, and I wanted it to be special." Jade''s smile widened as she looked down at the petals, feeling a surge of warmth at his sweetness. "When did you have the time to do this?" she asked, genuinely impressed.

    "I woke up early this morning and did it before leaving for work," Harry replied, his voice filled with pride when he saw the way her eyes were gleaming with happiness.

    Jade leaned in and kissed him, her heart swelling with affection. "Thanks. I love it, and I''m impressed," she said, pulling back slightly.

    "Just out of curiosity, and not to sound unromantic or ungrateful, who''s going to clean up all these flowers?" she asked as they walked further into the house and Harryughed, shaking his head.

    "You know when I was doing this, I pictured you asking me this, and you didn''t disappoint me," he said, still chuckling. "Don''t worry, my cleaner wille in tomorrow morning to take care of it."

    Jade grinned, "Good then," she said as they walked into the bedroom and she stopped short when she saw the heart-shaped floral design on the bed.

    "You''re something else, you know that?" She said, her voice soft.

    Harry smiled and kissed her forehead. "I just want everything to be perfect for you and to show you how happy I am that you''re here again," he said earnestly.

    Jade''s heart melted at his words. "Well, easy else you might make me want to take a long time off again so you do all of this again," she joked and Harry chuckled.

    "So, what''s the n for the evening? And what''s for dinner?" she asked, changing the subject with a light tone.

    "I ordered takeout from your favorite restaurant," Harry said, leading her further into the bedroom. "I thought we could freshen up and then watch a movie while we eat."

    Jade beamed at the suggestion. "That sounds like a perfect n," she agreed.

    Together, they headed to the bathroom to freshen up. The bathroom was exactly as Jade remembered it, cozy and inviting.

    She felt a sense of nostalgia wash over her as she changed into morefortable clothes while Harry went out to receive the food from the delivery guy.

    When they were both ready, Harry led her back to the living room where the food had already been neatly arranged on the floor and a nketid on the floor for them.

    They settled onto the nket, tes in hand, and Harry picked out a Ro for them to watch.

    As they ate and watched the movie, they shared quiet moments ofughter and conversation. Jade found herself feelingpletely at ease, the warmth of Harry''s presence making her feel more at home than ever.

    After the movie ended, they sat together infortable silence, the soft glow of the television casting a warm light over the room.

    Jade looked over at Harry, her heart swelling with gratitude and love. "Thank you for tonight," she said softly, her hand finding his.

    Harry raised her hand to his lips. "When I came back home after the vacation and you were not with me, it was tough. I''ve always known I loved you, but I never knew how much your presence in my life and my space meant to me. I don''t ever want to lose that, Jade. I never really understood what it meant when people said home was a person and not a ce. But in thesest weeks, I''vee to realize that when I''m with you, I feel at home. It could be at the office, your apartment, or mine, but as long as you''re right there with me, I am at home. So, I didn''t want you here just because here is my home. I wanted your scent all over and trails of you that will be with me here on the days you spend at your own ce," he said, his voice filled with sincerity.

    "I love you," Jade said as she leaned in and kissed him, feeling the connection between them

    deepen.

    As they pulled apart, she rested her head on his shoulder, feeling a sense of contentment wash over her. Jade knew without a doubt that this was where she belonged. Right beside Harry.

    Away from there, Tom and Lucy sat in their bedroom arranging their bag for the trip, and as they did that, Tom looked at Lucy with interest.

    "You still haven''t heard back from Kimberly, have you?" He asked and she shook her head.

    "Nope. I''ve given up," she said with a shrug.

    "You no longer worry about Dawn?" Tom asked, and Lucy smiled.

    "I know she''s with her mom now, so I don''t have any reason to worry. Besides, thest time I spoke with Jamal, he told me he still talks to her and she is fine," Lucy said and Tom nodded.

    "That''s fine then," he said and she raised a brow.

    "Why did you ask?"

    "It''s been a while since youst talked about her, so I was just curious," he exined and

    Lucy nodded.

    Before either of them could say anything else, Lucy''s phone rang, and she smiled when she

    picked up her phone and saw it was Lucas.

    "It''s Lucas," she told Tom and walked out to the balcony before receiving the call.

    "Hey, Luke!" Lucy greeted pleasantly, wondering if he was going to tell her about the

    development between him and Amy now.

    "Hey! How are you doing?" Lucas asked, thinking of the best way to talk to Lucy about Amy since Amy had told him about the conversation she had with Lucy on Monday.

    "I''m okay. You? How are you?" Lucy asked curiously.

    "I''m very fine. And Tom? How is he doing?" Lucas asked with interest.

    "He''s fine. How''s your training going? And how''s Tyler?" Lucy asked curiously.

    "Tyler is okay, and my training is going smoothly. Uhm, Amy told me she talked to you about

    us," Lucas blurted out and Lucy grinned.

    "Us? What do you mean us?" she asked, feigning ignorance.

    "Don''t do that or I''m going to hang up," Lucas warned, sensing that she was about to gloat.

    Lucy giggled. "Alright. Okay. I''m sorry. Yes, she told me something interesting was going on

    between you two. Are you happy?" she asked, seriously.

    "Yeah. I''m very happy," Lucas admitted.

    "Good. That''s good."

    "Do you like her?" Lucas asked and Lucy rolled her eyes.

    "Why are you asking me that when you''re both dating already?" she asked dryly.

    "We are not dating yet. We agreed not to do so yet. We are still getting to know each other so

    we can better understand our feelings," Lucas exined.

    "So? Do you like her? Do you approve of me dating her?"

    "Do you even have to ask that? You know that I love Amy. Amy is a wonderful person, and I''m really happy that you both make each other happy," Lucy said and Lucas smiled. After the issue with Rachel, he had made up his mind that if ever he got involved with anyone,

    the person must get along with Lucy, and Lucy had to like the person and approve of her else

    he was not going to get involved.

    "So you won''t mind if I tell you I''m going to ept Tom''s offer ande work at thepany hospital and live in Ludus?" Lucas asked, and Lucy grinned.

    "You know I would be happy to have you here and close to me," Lucy said happily.

    "I''d be happier to be close to the nieces and nephews you''re going to give me," Lucas said and

    Lucy giggled.

    "Slow down, will you? Don''t put the cart before the horse," Lucy said,ughing softly.

    "So, uhm, I need your help," Lucas said and Lucy raised a brow.

    "With what?"

    "I want to have flowers and stuff delivered to Amy tomorrow. Can you help me pull that off?"

    Lucas asked and Lucy grinned.

    "Aww. That''s so sweet," she said and Lucas smiled.

    "Well, I''d like to court her properly even if I''m not there. She said she has never had a

    boyfriend, and so I want to make this special so she doesn''t miss out on anything," Lucas said and Lucy''s smile widened until her cheeks hurt.

    "I''ll definitely help you pull it off. Would you like to include a handwritten note? You could

    tell me what you want on it and I''d pen it down," Lucy suggested.

    "I''ll like that. I''ll text you all I want, then you''ll have it delivered to her by her lunch break,

    okay?" Lucas said and Lucy nodded even though he couldn''t see her.

    "Sure."

    "Thanks. And let Tom know I would call him and officially submit my details to him so it would be official. I love you. Sleep well when you do," Lucas said before hanging up.

 Chapter 938: Soon-to-be Boyfriend

    Chapter 938: Soon-to-be Boyfriend

    ?

    Bryan stirred awake, his eyes fluttering open to see Sonia curled up next to him, her head nestled against his chest. He smiled, feeling a surge of love and tenderness as he felt her bump pressed against his side.

    He kissed her forehead and gently stroked her hair, not wanting to wake her just yet even though it was almost mid-morning already.

    Sonia opened her eyes just then and looked up at him to meet his gaze. "Good morning, baby," she whispered, her voice soft and filled with warmth.

    "Good morning, beautiful," Bryan replied, leaning down to press a kiss to her lips. "How are you feeling today?" He asked since he hade to learn in thest couple of weeks that she felt differently every day.

    "Pretty good," Sonia said, shifting slightly to get morefortable. "Ryso decided to let me sleepst night, so that''s a win."

    Bryan chuckled, his hand moving to rest on her small baby bump. "Our little one is already considerate. That''s a good sign."

    Soniaughed softly, her eyes sparkling. "Let''s hope that continues."

    Theyy there for a few more moments, enjoying the quiet intimacy of the morning. Bryan''s fingers traced gentle circles on Sonia''s stomach, and she sighed contentedly.

    "What''s in your head?" Bryan asked curiously, breaking thefortable silence.

    "I just remembered I forgot to return Lucy''s call yesterday. Remember she called while we were at the doctor''s office?" She said and Bryan chuckled.

    "Why am I not surprised by your response?" He asked and she grinned.

    "So, I was thinking that I would like to visit Lucy at her office today," Sonia said and Bryan raised an eyebrow.

    "What''s the hurry? You will be seeing herter this evening when we all meet to leave for the fishing trip," Bryan reminded her.

    "That''s different. Tonight, everyone else will be there. I want some quiet time with her alone to catch up. Besides, I''m just tired of being indoors," she said with a sigh.

    Bryan pretended to be hurt, putting a hand on his chest. "Are you saying you''re bored with mypany?"

    Soniaughed, her eyes filled with affection. "That''s not what I mean. I just want to gossip with Lucy, you know, girl talk."

    Bryan grinned. "Alright, I get it. That''s fine by me. I''ll just drop you off and go handle my business. I was worried about leaving you alone at home anyway."

    Sonia looked at him curiously. "What business?" She asked since he had not mentioned anything about going out.

    Bryan''s expression grew excited. "I was going to tell you about it after meeting with them. I got contacted by Quinn''s Enterprise for an endorsement deal."

    Sonia''s eyes widened with excitement. "Quinn''s Enterprise? That''s huge! Tell me everything!"

    Bryan sat up slightly, propping himself on one elbow. "They''re interested in having me as the face of their new luxury watch line. It''s a big deal, babe. The campaign will include TVmercials, print ads, and even a billboard in Life''s Square."

    Sonia''s eyes sparkled with pride. "That''s incredible, baby! I''m so proud of you."

    Bryan smiled, his heart swelling with happiness at her words. "Thanks, love. It''s a great opportunity especially since lots of celebrities covet working with Quinn''s Enterprise. The contract includes a hefty endorsement fee and some amazing perks. I heard they are even nning an international tour to promote the watches."

    Sonia''s smile was radiant. "I can''t wait to see the ads. You''ll look so handsome on those billboards and I can see you everywhere I look."

    Bryan chuckled. "I hope so. But more importantly, it''s a chance to expand my brand and reach a broader audience."

    Sonia nodded, her excitement matching his. "This is going to be huge for you, Bryan."

    He leaned down to kiss her gently. "For us. I''m going to discuss with them to see how we can make it work so you wille with me for the international tours or possibly postpone... what?" He asked when Sonia shook her head.

    "Thanks for including me in your ns. That''s good enough for me. But I don''t want to go with you. I''d like to give my best to my writing while you are away. So, if you have to travel, you should. Don''t postpone it. All I want is for you to be around in myte third trimester," Sonia said and Bryan looked at her with a mild frown.

    "I don''t want to be apart from you. I''m going to always worry..."

    "There is nothing to worry about. I won''t be alone. I don''t want to hold you back, babe. And as much as I don''t want toin, I haven''t been writing as much as I should for a while now, so I''ll need the time too," Sonia said and Bryan looked at her for a moment without saying anything.

    Sonia kissed him, her hand cupping his cheek. "I will always be here, supporting you every step of the way," she promised.

    "Alright. If that''s what you want. Give me a moment to give Joe (Jeff''s cousin) a call and ask him toe over, and then we will go freshen up and have breakfast so we can leave," Bryan said after ncing at the bedside clock.

    Sonia nodded, after Bryan finished his brief phone call to Joe, she reluctantly got up.

    The bedroom was filled withughter and conversation as they prepared for the day ahead. After they got dressed, Bryan helped Sonia with her shoes, and they headed downstairs for a quick breakfast.

    Just as they finished their breakfast, Joe arrived and Bryan grabbed his car key and threw it to Joe who caught it.

    "Ready to go?" He asked, looking at Sonia.

    Sonia nodded, smiling brightly. "Ready. Let''s get moving."

    As Joe drove them to I-Global, Bryan, and Sonia talked about the fishing trip. When they arrived, Bryan leaned over to kiss Sonia. "Have fun with Lucy, and call me when you''re done." Sonia kissed him back. "I will. Good luck with the deal," she said with a wink before walking

    away.

    Bryan watched her walk into the office building before they drove off.

    Inside thepany, Lucy was seated at her desk, responding to her emails when the door to her office opened, and her face brightened when she saw Sonia step in.

    "Sony!" Lucy eximed, rising from her chair. "It''s so good to see you," Lucy said as she as she walked around her desk to hug Sonia.

    Sonia smiled warmly after they broke the hug. "It''s good to see you too, Lu. Sorry, I missed your call yesterday. I had a prenatal appointment."

    Lucy''s eyes sparkled with excitement. "How did it go?"

    Sonia''s smile widened. "It went really well. Ryso is healthy and everything is fine. Want to see

    my bump?"

    Lucy nodded eagerly. Sonia stepped back and dragged back her summer dress and then ced a hand on her small but visible baby bump.

    Lucy''s eyes widened with delight, "Oh, look at that! I''m so happy for you," Lucy said, giving Sonia a gentle squeeze before stepping back to admire the bump again. "We need to go

    shopping for some cute maternal clothes soon."

    Soniaughed. "Definitely. I could use the help."

    "Come sit down," Lucy said guiding her to a seat and Sonia rolled her eyes.

    "I''m not an invalid," she said with an amused smile as she sat down.

    "Who cares? I''m only doing this cause I want my Ryso to sit," Lucy said and Sonia giggled.

    Just as Lucy returned to her seat, her phone buzzed on her desk and she nced at the screen as she picked it up and smiled when she saw it was Lucas.

    "Hold on a second," she said, picking up the call. "Hey, Luke. Yes, the package will be there by noon. Don''t worry. I''ve got it all sorted," she promised before hanging up.

    After setting aside her phone, she turned back to Sonia, who was watching her with curiosity. "What''s going on with Lucas? And what package are you talking about?" Sonia asked, tilting

    her head.

    Lucy nced at her watch and then at the ss wall of her office which was covered with a

    blind.

    "You will see soon," she said, a mischievous grin ying on her lips.

    Sonia''s curiosity only grew. "What are you up to?"

    Without responding, Lucy walked over to the blinds covering the ss wall of her office and

    opened them, revealing a clear view of Amy and the rest of her team working diligently

    outside.

    "Patience, Sony, is a virtue," Lucy drawled and Sonia rolled her eyes.

    "While we wait, let''s talk about Mia," Sonia suggested, as Lucy walked back to her desk.

    "That was the reason I called yesterday. You must be feeling pretty relieved about the turn of everything," Lucy said and Sonia nodded.

    "You have no idea. I was so worried about her and Jeff. So, I was thinking I should throw a little surprise party for her when she returns. She''s been through so much," Sonia said, her

    expression thoughtful.

    Lucy nodded. "That''s a great idea. She deserves a warm wee."

    "And I''d like you to help me n it. Not something big. Just for those of us that know about

    it," Sonia said and Lucy nodded.

    "Sure. I''ll take care of it. Speaking of parties, the reunion is just two weeks away now. Have you made up your mind about attending?" Lucy asked and Sonia shrugged.

    "If you''re going to be there, I will have to be there too," Sonia said and Lucy grinned.

    "Great! It''d be nice to have you and Tom with me," Lucy said and Sonia smiled.

    "I know I''ve said it so many times, but I''m still going to say it, Tom is wonderful," she said

    and Lucy grinned.

    "I know. I''m wonderful too," Lucy said and they bothughed.

    "So, have you decided on what you want to wear yet?" Sonia asked, and their conversation continued, filled with ns and ideas, until Lucy noticed a delivery guy walking into the

    office.

    Her face lit up with anticipation. "Look, Sony," Lucy said, nodding toward the ss wall. Sonia followed her gaze and watched as the delivery guy approached Amy''s desk with a bouquet and a package.

    Amy''s eyes widened in surprise as she epted the delivery. She read the note attached to the

    bouquet: [I may not have picked out the flowers, but my heart picked you. Signed, your soon-

    to-be boyfriend.]

    Amy looked up when she recognized Lucy''s handwriting and blushed when she met Lucy''s gaze through the ss and they both giggled.

    "Aww. She''s so cute," Sonia said with a grin as they watched Amy stand up and make her way

    to Lucy''s office, while the others in the office looked from Lucy to Amy wondering what was going on between them.

    Amy was beaming as she walked in. "Thank you so much, Lucy! This is amazing."

    Lucy smiled warmly. "It''s Lucas you should be thanking not me. He wanted to make it special

    for you."

    Amy''s phone rang before she could respond, and she grinned as she saw Lucas''s name on the

    screen.

    "It''s Lucas. Excuse me for a moment," she said, stepping out to take the call.

    Sonia watched her leave, then turned to Lucy with a knowing smile. "Is that what I think it

    is?"

    Lucy nodded, her eyes twinkling. "Yes. Lucas and Amy are... figuring things out."

    Soniaughed happily. "I knew there was more to them. I told you but you said Lucas was only

    being nice."

    "Well, that was what he told me. And I believe that was what he thought at the time," Lucy

    said with a shrug.

    "I''m so d Lucas found someone nice and is moving on from that bitch," Sonia said and

    Lucy nodded in agreement.

    "Me too. I''m happy for them both," Lucy said with a grin. "They seem really good for each

    other."

 Chapter 939: Campsite

    Chapter 939: Campsite

    ?

    Aurora stood on the porch of Philip''s cabin, the evening air carrying the faint scent of pine and earth.

    She smoothed her id nnel shirt and peered down the gravel path, waiting for their

    friends to arrive. The cabin was nestled among towering trees, their leaves rustling gently in the breeze.

    The sky was a warm orange, promising perfect weather for their weekend fishing trip and camping adventure.

    "Do you think they will like it?" Aurora asked, turning to Philip, who was getting out their fishing gear from the car.

    Philip smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he turned to her. "You''ve been the calm one this whole time, why are you suddenly nervous?" He asked and she shrugged.

    "I don''t know. I''ve never hosted something like this before. And I know how important this is to you..."

    "To us," Philip said as held out a hand to her and Aurora sighed as she went to him.

    "You''ve told me how you''ve always wanted to be friends with Tom and Harry. I''m just saying I want everything to be perfect," she said and he kissed her forehead.

    "They''ll love it. It''s the perfect getaway," he assured her.

    As if on cue, the sound of tires crunching on gravel announced the first arrival. Tom''s SUV came into view, followed closely by Harry''s and Bryan''s cars.

    Aurora''s heart lifted with excitement. Her worries forgotten, she waved enthusiastically as the vehicles parked, their upants emerging with smiles andughter.

    "I told you I was going to beat you two. You both owe me a grand each," Tom said since they had all been in a car race from their meeting point.

    "I only slowed down because I didn''t want Sonia and Ryso to be sick," Bryan said defensively since he camest.

    "Yeah, right," Jade snorted.

    "And I slowed down because I was carrying awyer. I don''t want her to go against thew she is meant to uphold," Harry said and Jade nodded in agreement.

    "I guess we are the irresponsible ones," Lucy said and everyoneughed as they approached Aurora and Philip who were beaming at them happily.

    "Hey, you two!" Tom called, giving Philip a friendly p on the back.

    Lucy hugged Aurora. "It''s beautiful here. We''ve been looking forward to this all week."

    Next were Harry and Jade. With Harry''s arm around Jade''s shoulders. "This ce is amazing, Phil!"

    Jade''s eyes sparkled with excitement, "This is going to be so much fun. I can''t wait to get out on theke," Jade said, her voice brimming with anticipation as she embraced Aurora.

    Bryan and Sonia followed with Bryan carrying a cooler as he helped Sonia up the steps to greet Aurora.

    "Thanks for extending the invitation to us," Bryan said as he shook Philip''s hand.

    While Sonia embraced Aurora, her eyes bright. "I really needed a break from the city. Thanks for this."

    Philip and Aurora exchanged pleased nces. The cabin, with its rustic charm and proximity to theke, was indeed the perfect spot for their weekend adventure.

    Aurora and Philip led them inside and showed them to their rooms, and once everyone had settled in, they gathered on the porch for a quick briefing.

    Auroraid out the ns for the weekend, detailing the fishing spots and the best areas for camping.

    "We''ve got everything set up at the campsite already," Aurora exined. "Tonight, there will be no fishing. We''ll all rx since it''s been a busy week and a long day for us all. We will have a campfire and roast marshmallows." The group cheered at the mention of marshmallows.

    "So, we will go over to the campsite to have dinner now and just rx and y games," Aurora concluded.

    "We will leave our cars here and head over there with our fishing gear. We have to wake up at Dawn to fish..."

    "Shouldn''t we have a car there in the case of an emergency?" Bryan asked, and the others nodded in agreement.

    "There is nothing to worry about. A truck is there on the site," Aurora assured them and they all rxed.

    With a chorus of excited chatter, they began to unpack their gears from their cars.

    The path to theke was a short walk through the forest, the evening sun filtering through the leaves. They all chatted animatedly as they moved together with Philip, Tom, and Harry in front, while Aurora, Lucy, Jade, and Sonia followed and Bryan trailed behind.

    The guys carried their fishing rods while thedies carried baskets and coolers containing their food and drinks.

    "So, how well do you fish?" Sonia asked Aurora with interest.

    Aurora giggled when Philip turned at the question, "That was the scam of the century. My darling loves the idea of fishing but she can''t exactly fish."

    "What? She can''t fish?" Harry asked in disbelief since he remembered how the whole idea of a fishing trip had sprung up (chapter 576).

    "That''s not a fair thing to say, babe," Aurora chided with an embarrassed giggle, "Besides, I caught a fish thest time we went fishing, didn''t I?" She asked with a pout and Philip grinned as he walked over to her.

    "Yeah. You caught that tiny fish and acted like it was a trophy catch," Philip said with augh. Aurora grinned sheepishly. "Hey, a catch is a catch. Besides, this time I''m aiming for the big ones."

    "So, you wanted us toe fishing with you when you don''t even know how to fish?" Jade asked with an amused chuckle.

    "To be fair, Harry I did tell you that thest time I went fishing was with myte dad. My dad died when I was eight. I loved going fishing with him but you certainly don''t expect me to be a pro at the age, especially seeing how I haven''t had any practice," she said defensively.

    "Well, luckily you snagged yourself a good fisherman. You might not know how to catch big fishes, but you do know how to catch a fisherman," Sonia joked and they allughed.

    "You''re right. I got myself an amazing fisherman," Aurora said as she leaned in and kissed Philip.

    "Get a room," Jade said with a yful roll of her eyes when they deepened their kiss.

    And they bothughed as they separated, "Don''t worry, y''all. I''m going to teach you to fish like experts," Philip promised and Aurora rolled her eyes yfully.

    "Show off," she said and Philip chuckled as he slipped his arm around her and they continued walking.

    Just like that the walking arrangement changed and they walked in pairs with Harry and Jade following behind and Tom and Lucy following next leaving Sonia to fall back with Bryan.

    "So, will we be fishing in pairs like apetition or are we just going to be doing our thing?"

    Lucy asked curiously.

    "It will be more fun if it''s apetition. But Philip and Aurora are not part of thepetition. The rest of us who aren''t pros like them can contest, while they catch the fish we

    are to eat," Jade suggested.

    "I agree with that," Sonia said with a nod.

    "Don''t worry, I read up on the best lures to use here," Harry said, showing her a small box of colorful lures. "I think we''ll do well."

    Jade smiled up at him. "I''m just happy to be here with you. The fish is a bonus," she said with

    a wink and Harry grinned.

    "This will be our first camping trip together," Sonia said and Bryan smiled.

    "It will be my first camping trip ever," he admitted.

    "Really? That''s nice," Sonia said excitedly.

    "Lu, do you remember that time we went to summer camp?" Sonia asked and Lucy giggled.

    "Of course. How could I forget?" she asked with a nostalgic sigh.

    "Remember when Tyler tried to set up the tent by himself because he was trying to impress you?" Sonia asked and they bothughed as they told the group about their summer camp adventure and the others shared theirs as well.

    Although the campsite was a short hike from the cabin, because of their discussions and the frequency of their stops tough and joke, the sky was dark by the time they arrived.

    The campsite was nestled in a clearing surrounded by tall trees. Just like they said, Philip and

    Aurora had already set up the bright-colored tents that contrasted with the natural

    surroundings.

    A truck was parked at the edge of the campsite, and a fire pit upied the center of the clearing, ready for the evening''s festivities.

    Philip and Aurora, exchanged amused nces as they watched the others excitedly hurry to pick their tent. They were both happy that everyone was excited.

    "Everyone grab some wood," Philip instructed after they were done choosing their tents.

    "We''ll get the fire going."

    Tom, Harry, and Bryan set about building the fire, arranging the logs, and kindling with practiced efficiency. Aurora and Jade unpacked the coolers, setting out ingredients for dinner. Lucy and Sonia gathered around the fire pit, chatting animatedly as they watched the mes

    grow.

    Once the fire was crackling, the group settled into their camping chairs, the warmth of the mes warding off the evening chill. The sky above was a deepening blue, stars beginning to

    twinkle into view.

    Dinner was a simple affair of steak and roasted vegetables, and an assortment of side dishes which consisted of what they had all brought with them.

    The meal was punctuated byughter and stories of College, shared by Tom, Harry, and Philip- the group''s bond growing stronger with each shared memory.

    After dinner, they roasted marshmallows, the sweet, sticky treats a hit with everyone. Aurora

    passed around hot chocte, the mugs warming their hands as the night air grew cooler.

    "By the way, I signed an endorsement deal with Quinn Enterprise today," Bryan informed

    Tom and Harry after they had settled down. "Really? That''s great!" Jade said excitedly and they all congratted him.

    "Why don''t youdies entertain us with a song?" Philip suggested and Lucy exchanged a look

    with Tom as she giggled.

    "Tom will represent me," she said and Tom chuckled.

    "I will dance while Harry sings on my behalf," Jade said and Sonia grinned.

    "I guess the guys should sing while we dance then," Sonia suggested and they all agreed.

    The next problem became finding the right danceable song to sing. When they couldn''t figure out one, they decided to do a freestyle since they wanted to sing instead of ying music.

    "Can anyone y a guitar?" Philip asked and Bryan nodded.

    "I can."

    "Good thing I bought one today," Philip said as he rose to go get it from the truck. Bryan yed the guitar while the guys free-styled and thedies danced. They allughed at

    the ridiculousness of what they were doing, and Harry captured the moment with his camera.

    As the fire burned low, the group fell into afortable silence, the crackling of the mes and the distant hoot of an owl the only sounds.

    Still holding the guitar, Bryan strummed a few chords beforeunching into a soft, melodic tune. Sonia''s voice joined his, their harmony filling the night air.

    Tom and Lucy leaned against each other, Lucy''s head on Tom''s shoulder. Harry and Jade were

    simrly cozy, Jade''s fingers entwined with Harry''s. Philip had an arm around Aurora, her head resting on his chest.

    The music wove through the night, creating a sense of peace and contentment. The weekend was off to a perfect start, and as they gazed up at the star-studded sky, they knew this was a memory they would all cherish forever.

 Chapter 940 Winners And Losers

    Chapter 940 Winners And Losers

    The morning sun peeked through the canopy of trees, casting a warm, golden light across the campsite. Birds chirped cheerfully, weing the new day.

    Lucy stirred, blinking her eyes open and smiling as she found herself nestled in Tom''s arms. The previous night''sughter and camaraderie still lingered in the air, creating an atmosphere of tranquility and joy.

    She nudged Tom gently, whispering, "Time to wake up, sleepyhead. We have fish to catch."

    Tom groaned softly, but his eyes fluttered open. "Good morning, beautiful," he murmured, pulling her closer for a quick kiss. "Ready to catch some fish?"

    "Absolutely," Lucy replied, her excitement bubbling over. They slipped out of the sleeping bag and began to gather their fishing gear, their movements brisk and efficient.

    Around the campsite, the others were also beginning to stir. Harry and Jade emerged from their tent, stretching and yawning as they exchanged sleepy smiles.

    Bryan helped a still-groggy Sonia out of their tent, his hand resting protectively on her growing belly.

    "Good morning, everyone," Aurora called out cheerfully. "Who''s ready to catch some fish?"

    The group responded with varying degrees of enthusiasm, their faces lighting up at the prospect of the day''s adventure.

    They quickly got ready, grabbed their fishing rods and tackle boxes, and made their way down to theke.

    Theke''s surface shimmered in the early morning light, its calm waters reflecting the surrounding trees and the clear blue sky.

    Philip led the way to a spot he knew was perfect for fishing, a quiet area with a small dock jutting out into the water.

    "Alright, everyone," Philip announced, setting his gear down. "Let''s see the couple that can catch the biggest fish today!"

    "What''s the prize?" Sonia asked with a yawn.

    "A romantic date at the Golden Lotus," he said and they all pped happily even though they all knew every one of them there could easily afford it.

    "And�� a couple spa session," Aurora added with a grin, and this time thedies chattered excitedly as the group spread out along the dock.

    "Any prize for Lucy and Tom when they catch the smallest fish?" Sonia joked, and everyoneughed.

    "You wish," Lucy told Sonia. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "The couple that catches the smallest fish will have to handle the dishes after we eat," Philip said and Sonia scowled.

    "I don''t think I like that one," she said and Jade giggled.

    "Why? You don''t have enough confidence in you and Bryan?" She teased.

    "Can we just get started? All this back and forth is going to alert the fishes of our presence and then no one will catch anything," Tom said and they allughed as they cast their lines into the water with varying levels of expertise.

    Aurora turned to Jade, who was sittingfortably on a camping chair, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

    "So, do you have any tips for a beginner?" Jade asked, ncing at Aurora''s fishing rod.

    Aurora grinned. "Patience is key. And don''t be afraid to ask for help. Phil is the expert here."

    "I''ll keep that in mind," Jade said with a grin, eager to beat the others.

    Nearby, Tom and Lucy were in their own little world, theirughter and whispered conversations creating a bubble of happiness around them as they engaged in a yfulpetition, each determined to out-fish the other.

    "You''re going down, Tom," Lucy teased, her eyes twinkling.

    "We''ll see about that," Tom replied, his grin widening as he cast his line with a flourish.

    "Shouldn''t you both be working together instead of having your own littlepetition?" Sonia asked with an amused smile.

    "Mind your business, Sony, else you''re not going to catch anything talk more of the smallest fish," Lucy said, and Soniaughed, her hand resting on her belly.

    "I''m pretty sure we''re going to catch the biggest fish," Bryan dered confidently, his eyes never leaving the water.

    Sonia chuckled. "I like your optimism. Let''s make it happen for Ryso."

    Time passed in a delightful blur ofughter and gentle ribbing. Philip moved from person to person, offering tips and encouragement. Aurora watched him with a fond smile, her heart swelling with pride.

    Just as the sun climbed higher in the sky, Bryan let out an excited shout. "I''ve got something!"

    Everyone turned to watch as Bryan reeled in his line, the rod bending under the weight of his catch. A momentter, a sizable fish broke the surface, its scales glistening in the sunlight.

    On seeing the fish, Sonia broke into a happy victorious dance which made every one of themugh.

    "Nice catch!" Philip called out, pping Bryan on the back as he brought the fish to shore.

    Jade pouted yfully. "Looks like we are losing this round."

    Bryan grinned, holding up the fish for everyone to see. "Looks like it."

    "I knew we were going to get it," Sonia said with a smug smile.

    "Don''t be so confident, Sony. It''s not over until it is over," Lucy said and Sonia stuck out her tongue making everyoneugh.

    The friendlypetition continued, with most of them catching their share of fish. Aurora managed to catch a decent-sized trout, her face lighting up with triumph as she held it up for Philip to see.

    "See? I''m notpletely hopeless," she teased, earning augh from Philip.

    As the morning wore on, they decided to call it a day and everyoneughed and made fun of Tom and Harry seeing as Tom caught the smallest fish and Harry caught nothing at all.

    "Don''t worry, love. You can''t be so good at everything. God is not so unfair as to make you that perfect," Jade said and Harry chuckled.

    "Are youforting me or making fun of me?" He asked and she giggled.

    "Both."

    "You realize you are both doing the dishes, right?" Sonia asked and Jade shook her head.

    "Nope. Tom and Lucy are doing the dishes, not us," Jade said and Tom and Lucy turned to her.

    "Why us? We both caught something. Harry didn''t catch anything," Lucy said defensively.

    "Exactly. He didn''t catch anything. The rule was, the couple that catches the smallest fish, not the couple that didn''t catch anything," Jade said with a shrug and Harry chuckled.

    "God, how I love you," Harry said, and Tom looked from Jade and Harry to Philip incredulously.

    "She''s not being serious, is she?" He asked, and Aurora giggled.

    "Jade, your argument doesn''t hold water. Harry caught something so small that it was invisible. You are both doing the dishes," Lucy argued.

    "No. It''s not our fault that there was a loophole in the rules. No one asked about not catching anything. Sonia specifically asked about the biggest fish and the smallest fish. We can take this case to any court and we will win," she argued and Sonia nodded.

    "Jade has a point," she said and Lucy red at her.

    "No. No one I''m going to let Jade use all that legal jargon to outsmart us. It said the couple that caught the smallest fish, not the individual, right? Good. Now I caught a fish, and Tom caught a fish. Jade caught a fish but Harry caught nothing. Why don''t wepare the size of our fishes to Jade''s? That''s how to decide the couple that caught the smallest fish," Lucy argued and Tom grinned while Jade scowled at Lucy.

    "Why don''t you go back to school to study, Law?" Tom suggested, pleased with Lucy''s fast thinking.

    Sonia giggled, "Lu has a point."

    "Shut up, Sony," Lucy and Jade said in unison and she giggled again.

    Bryan, Aurora, and Philip watched the scene before them with amused smiles.

    Lucy and Jade both folded their arms in front of each other as they stared down the other, neither of them willing to give in.

    "Esquire, don''t give in to Lucy," Harry encouraged as he smirked at Tom.

    "I have an idea," Jade said finally.

    "What?" Lucy asked, narrowing her eyes.

    "We don''t have to fight for them. Since they are best buddies, why don''t they do the dishes together since one caught nothing and the other caught the smallest fish?" Jade asked with a yful smile and Lucy pursed her lips as she considered it.

    "What are you doing?" Harry asked in disbelief as he eyed Jade, unable to believe the betrayal, while Sonia and the othersughed at the funny turn of events.

    "Jewel, you can''t possibly listen to Jade. She''s only suggesting that to save herself because she knows you are right and we won," Tom said, and everyone looked at Lucy, waiting for her to make her decision.

    Seeing that they were all waiting for her, Lucy cleared her throat, "Well, the rules said couples. Tom and Harry are not a couple. You and Harry are a couple. So, I insist that we measure the size of the fishes and determine who is doing the dishes. So, whether we win or lose, I''m with Tom," Lucy said and Tom beamed happily as he swept her off her feet making herugh while Harry eyed Jade with disapproval.

    "I know you don''t like doing dishes, but I can''t believe you just did that," he said and she pouted.

    "It was just for fun," she said and he shook his head as he walked away while she ran after him, trying to jump on his back.

    "If the reverse was the case and I did that, how would you feel?" Harry asked, turning to face her.

    "I would haveughed over it��"

    "Well, I didn''t find it funny. If anything, I feel embarrassed. I would have done the dishes myself without asking you to join me," he said and she sighed.

    "Alright. I''m sorry. I really only did it for fun. I didn''t mean it. Don''t you think as awyer I understood very well that the rule said couple? I really was only joking, I promise," Jade said, and Harry held her gaze for a moment and when she smiled and nodded, he sighed.

    "Fine," he said and she grinned as she linked her arm with his and they both headed back to the campsite to join the others.

 Chapter 941: Hiking

    Chapter 941: Hiking

    ?

    The smell of freshly brewed coffee and sizzling bacon with eggs soon filled the air as the men, championed by Philip, cooked over the campfire, determined to impress their women whose stomachs were growling in anticipation as they set up a pic table.

    "Whatever you do over there, do not let Tom close to the pan," Lucy advised and they allughed while Tom scowled at her yfully.

    "Everything smells amazing," Jade remarked as she took in the breakfast spread. "You guys really went all out."

    "Only the best for ourdies," Tom said, giving Lucy a wink.

    "You didn''t even do much apart from flipping the pancakes," Bryan taunted.

    "You flipped the pancakes? I was wondering why they look so delicious," Lucy said, beaming a smile at Tom, and he chuckled while the others looked at them with amusement.

    Seated around the pic table, they enjoyed a hearty breakfast, the conversation flowing easily as they recounted their fishing adventures.

    The easy camaraderie of the group made the meal even more enjoyable. And even Harry, who had been in a sour mood just moments before, wasughing and joking with the rest of them. "Everyone did a great job. We''ve got quite the haul," Philip said with approval.

    "Yeah. I didn''t think we''d have so many fish," Aurora agreed.

    "So, what''s the n for the rest of the day?" Lucy asked, spearing a piece of pancake with her fork.

    Philip leaned back in his chair, looking out at theke. "I was thinking we could go for a hike after breakfast. There''s a great trail nearby with some stunning views."

    "Count me in," Tom said, his eyes lighting up at the prospect of another adventure.

    "Me too!" chirped Sonia.

    "But we will have to keep it at a reasonable pace," Bryan said, his hand resting on Sonia''s belly.

    "We''ll take it easy," Aurora assured him. "It''s more about enjoying the scenery than racing to the top."

    After finishing their meal, Harry and Jade cleaned up and they all got ready for the hike.

    They packed water bottles, snacks, leftover pancakes from breakfast, fruits, and a few essentials, making sure everyone was prepared for the trek.

    The trail started at the edge of the campsite, winding through the forest with a gentle incline.

    The trees provided a canopy of shade, and the air was filled with the sounds of chirping birds and rustling leaves.

    They walked in pairs, with Philip and Aurora leading the way. Jade and Harry followed close behind, their earlier disagreement forgotten as they chatted andughed.

    Bryan and Sonia walked hand in hand, their steps slow and steady, and Tom and Lucy brought up the rear so they could keep an eye on Sonia and Bryan.

    Each of the couples exchanged smiles and shared little jokes, enjoying the peacefulness of the forest.

    As they climbed higher, the trail opened up to a clearing with a stunning viewpoint. Below them, theke shimmered in the sunlight, surrounded by a sea of green. The group paused to take in the view, snapping photos and admiring the natural beauty.

    "Absolutely breathtaking," Sonia said, her voice filled with awe.

    "Definitely worth the hike," Bryan agreed, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

    They spent some time at the viewpoint, enjoying the scenery and catching their breath.

    Thedies spread out the nkets and they all decided to spend some time there for their pic.

    As they ate, they decided to y a few couples'' games, theirughter ringing out across the quiet environment.

    First up was a game of "Couples Trivia," where they tested how well they knew each other. Philip and Aurora went first, with Philip asking, "What''s my favorite movie?"

    Aurora scrunched her nose in thought before answering confidently, "The Pursuit Of Happyness."

    Philip grinned. "Correct. Your turn."

    Aurora asked, "What''s my favorite color?"

    "Easy. Blue," Philip replied without hesitation.

    "There are lots of blue. What kind of blue?" Sonia asked and Philip smiled.

    "Sky blue," he said and Aurora pped.

    "Correct!"

    "How can we be so sure you''re both telling the truth and not just saying correct to anything your partner says?" Jade asked suspiciously.

    "Yeah. I think Jade has a point," Lucy agreed and Jade scowled at her.

    "Finally you agree with me on something after betraying me earlier," she said and Lucy giggled.

    "I didn''t betray you."

    "You broke the girl code," Jade said and Lucy rolled her eyes.

    "There''s no such thing," she said with a yful smile.

    "Of course, there is. If there is a bro code, why can''t there be a girl code? You were supposed to take my side. Do you think if the situation was reversed Tom and Harry... nevermind," Jade said with a grin when she noticed how Harry was scowling at her and the othersughed.

    "I think Jade and Harry should go next, and instead of them asking each other, we should ask them," Sonia suggested.

    "Why don''t we do that to Philip and Aurora too?" Jade asked and they all nodded.

    "Okay, so let''s do it this way, if Jade and Harry are going next, they should be the ones to question us, and then the couple after them will question them, and we will question thest couple. How about that?" Aurora suggested and they all agreed.

    "What is the one thing you wish you could change about each other?" Jade asked, and both Philip and Aurora exchanged a look andughed.

    "She never keeps to time. I''m afraid she might even show upte for our wedding," Philip joked and they allughed.

    "I agree. I have experienced her in action," Jade said with a nod.

    "What about you, Aura?" Jade asked Aurora.

    "Philip likes to mess the whole ce up when he cooks. He''s a great cook no doubt. But sometimes when I think about the mess he''d make, I just wish we would order takeouts or something," Aurora said and theyughed.

    "Do I have to ask you a question too?" Harry asked and they nodded.

    "Everyone has to participate," Aurora said, looking at him with interest as she waited to hear

    his question.

    "What do you love most about getting married to each other?" Harry asked after a while.

    Philip smiled, "For me, it''s seeing her face first thing every morning andst thing every

    night."

    "Aww," Aurora said with a wide smile as she leaned in to kiss Philip, "For me, it''s having my own person for life. Someone who really gets me and loves me as I want to be loved. And I have you both to thank for it," Aurora said, beaming a smile at Harry and Jade.

    "You''re wee," Jade said with a pleased smile as she squeezed Aurora''s hand.

    "Your turn," Sonia said excitedly. "What is the first gift you gave each other as a couple?" She

    asked looking from Jade to Harry and back again.

    "Harry''s first gift to me was a basket of flowers and choctes," Jade said with a grin.

    "Ah! I remember that," Lucy said with a giggle.

    "Me too," Sonia said, giggling as they recalled the event of the morning Harry surprised Jade

    with the basket of flowers and chocte (chapter 525).

    "Does that really count? You weren''t official then, and that was before the date with Aurora if

    I''m not mistaken," Sonia pointed out.

    "Yes. You''re right," Jade said with a nod.

    "So, when you both began to date officially what was the first gift Harry got you?" Sonia

    asked and Jade pursed as she looked at Harry who was frowning.

    "I don''t think I''ve gotten you anything," he said, and she smiled.

    "You have. You made me a bottle of smoothie..."

    "That isn''t a gift," Harry said, surprised that he had not gotten her anything tangible.

    "It is. The value of a gift doesn''t have to be judged marily. You''ve done a lot of stuff for me that can''t be measured in any human currency. That smoothie represents the time and thought you put into making something special just for me when I was feeling down, and that''s what makes it a perfect first gift," Jade said, even though everyone else agreed with her, Harry still didn''t like the thought that he was yet to give her anything tangible. "I''ll make it up to you," Harry promised, taking Jade''s hand and raising it to his lips. "What about you? What was the first gift you received from Jade?" Sonia asked, not wanting

    Harry to keep dwelling on it.

    "She took me shopping and bought me lots of stuff," Harry said easily.

    "Where was your first official date?" Bryan asked, and Jade grinned.

    "A rooftop restaurant," Jade said and Harry nodded.

    "Your turn, Sony. What is the biggest difference between the both of you?" Lucy asked and

    Sonia smiled.

    "Hmm. I think that would be, me being a me-person, and Bryan being a we-person. He''s

    always thinking for two and including me in his ns. But on the other hand, I would have finished thinking of me first before remembering it''s a we-thing and not a me-thing. I''m not saying it is right. I''m working on it. But that''s what I think is the biggest difference between us," Sonia said and Lucy looked at Bryan.

    "Is the answer the same for you?" Lucy asked and Bryan chuckled.

    "Well, that and the fact that she''s crazy and I''m the sane one," Bryan said and they all

    laughed as Sonia jabbed his side with her elbow yfully.

    "What is the most important lesson you''ve learned from each other?" Tom asked and Sonia

    pursed her lips.

    "Hmm. For me, it''smunication," she said and Bryan smiled.

    "For me, it''s trust," he said and they both smiled at each other. "Finally, I get to ask a question!" Aurora said excitedly and they allughed.

    "What is the biggest challenge you''ve faced together and how did you ovee it?" Aurora

    asked and Tom raised a brow.

    "Isn''t that two questions?"

    "No. It''s one," Philip said, defending Aurora.

    Lucy considered the question for a moment, "I think it was the issue of Dawn''s paternity,"

    Lucy said, looking at Tom.

    Tom nodded in agreement, "Yeah. It was that for me too."

    "How did we ovee it? I don''t know. Harry gave me a drink from his fountain of wisdom,"

    Lucy joked and they allughed.

    "I chose to let love lead. I think that''s how I overcame it," Lucy said with a shrug.

    "If I''m not mistaken, you both have been together the longest amongst everyone here, am I

    right?" Philip asked, and they both nodded.

    "What rtionship advice would you give us?" Philip asked, and Lucyughed.

    "I don''t think I''m in a position to give anyone rtionship advice," she said and Tom raised a

    brow.

    "Why not?"

    "I don''t know. What am I supposed to say? You know very well that I''m learning on the go with you," she said and he nodded.

    "So, what have you learned so far?" Tom asked and she sighed.

    "Well, the most important lesson I''ve learned is to take everything one day at a time. The joy

    of today is more important than the mistakes of yesterday and the fears of tomorrow. Don''t

    be so caught up in your worries about tomorrow that you''re not living your best moment today," she said and Tom pped for her.

    "That''s profound," Aurora said and Philip nodded as he looked at Tom.

    "What about you? What rtionship advice would you give?" he asked Tom. "Rtionship involves growth, so choose love, patience, andmitment every day," Tom

    said, and just like that they continued.

    After some time they resumed their hiking and continued along the trail, which looped back

    towards the campsite.

    By the time they returned, it waste afternoon. They were all tired but happy, their spirits

    high from the day''s adventure.

    They gathered around the campfire and together they all prepared the fish for dinner and shared stories as the sun began to set.

    As the sky darkened and the stars came out, the group fell into afortable silence. The

    crackling of the fire and the distant sound of theke were the only noises, creating a serene and peaceful atmosphere.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "This has been such a perfect day," Lucy said softly, her eyes reflecting the firelight.

    "Yeah. I''m so d we all came out here," Sonia said with a contented sigh as Bryan pulled her

    closer.

    "Me too," Jade agreed as she leaned into Harry. "It''s been amazing."

    "I''m d you all had a nice time. We wanted to enjoy this weekend with you before our

    wedding. So, thanks for honoring our invitation," Aurora said as she exchanged a look with Philip, happy at having pulled it off sessfully.

 Chapter 942: That Should Change.

    Chapter 942: That Should Change.

    ?

    The Sunday morning sun filtered gently through the trees, casting light across the cabin and stirring the group from their deep, restful sleep.

    The previous day''s hike had taken a toll on everyone, and they had all copsed into their beds the night before, exhausted but exhrated.

    Tom was the first to wake, his body protesting the early hour but his mind already reying the adventures of the weekend. He rolled over and watched Lucy sleep for a moment, a smile ying at the corners of his mouth.

    She looked peaceful, her face rxed, and he couldn''t help but think about how she had defended their course against Jade the previous day. The thought of it made him grin.

    His feisty littledy.

    She had changed so much from shying away from confrontations to facing them head-on and refusing to back down.

    "What are you smiling for?" Lucy asked without opening her eyes, but a smile yed on her lips.

    "When did you wake up?" Tom asked, surprised that she was awake.

    "While you were grinning," she said as she opened her eyes.

    "My body feels as though a train ran over it," Lucyined.

    "Yeah. Mine too. I think it''s a result of the hiking. It''s been a while since I did such exercise," Tom said and Lucy yawned.

    "I''m hungry."

    "I don''t think the others are awake yet. Let''s go see what is in the kitchen," Tom suggested as he got off the bed, Lucy rose as well, and together they made their way to the kitchen.

    Not wanting to rouse the others, they both tried to be as quiet as possible as they ransacked the cupboards and refrigerator for snacks.

    Lucy settled for a pack of cookies and two apples, while Tom took a pack of potato chips. As they returned to their room, they froze when they heard a door opening upstairs, and immediately sprinted for their room on tiptoes not wanting to be caught.

    The moment they got into their bedroom and shut the door behind them they both burst into a peal ofughter as they fell on their bed.

    "Why did we run like thieves?" Lucy asked as she bit into her apple and Tom chuckled.

    "I have no idea," he said and she giggled.

    "When are we leaving?" Lucy asked and Tom raised a brow as he tore open his pack of chips.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "Why? Are you tired already?" He asked and she shook her head.

    "Nah. I just wanted to know if there are any other activities nned out for today," she said as she bit into her apple.

    "I don''t know yet. But I''m sure they will tell us when everyone eventually wakes up."

    "If we feel this way tired, I wonder how Sonia feels," Lucy said thoughtfully. "Perhaps I should go check on her?" she asked Tom.

    "You are going to disturb her sleep. Do you think if she wasn''t okay we would all sleep for this long? Bryan would have raised everyone," Tom said and Lucy giggled.

    "You have a point. Bryan is very protective of Sonia and Ryso," she said with an amused smile. "I''d be too if I were him," Tom said and Lucy grinned but said nothing.

    They both ate their snacks silently for a while until Tom broke the silence, "So, are Lucas and Tylering for the reunion?" Tom asked and Lucy grinned.

    "Yeah. I''m surprised they areing though. I think Lucas ising mainly because he wants to see Amy," Lucy said with a giggle as she remembered Amy''s joy when she received the package from Lucas.

    "And Tyler ising because he wants to see you?" Tom joked and Lucy giggled.

    "He''sing because it''s our ss reunion and he doesn''t want to miss out on all the fun. My parents are going to be so happy to have Lucas and me at home," she said with a grin,

    thinking of the surprise they nned to pull on their parents.

    Away from there, Philip and Aurora who had freshened up, moved around in the kitchen together preparing breakfast for their exhausted guests.

    Eventually, the scent of coffee brewing and all the noise they were making as they cooked roused the others.

    One by one, they emerged from their rooms, yawning and stretching, still feeling the pleasant ache of muscles well-used.

    Tom and Lucy were thest to step out, both yawning and stretching too as though they had just woken up.

    "Did you just wake up?" Sonia asked, eyeing Lucy and Tom with interest.

    "Yes. Why?"

    "You look too bright-eyed for someone who just woke up," Jade observed.

    "And there are crumbs of cookies on your shirt. Were you eating in your sleep?" Sonia asked,

    and Lucy exchanged a look with Tom, who was now chuckling.

    "It''s probably from dinnerst night," Lucy said easily as Tom wiped off the crumbs.

    "This wasn''t what you wore when we had dinner..."

    "Hmm. What''s that smell? Aura, what are you making? It smells wonderful," Lucy said, walking past Sonia into the kitchen to escape the interrogation and Tom chuckled as he followed her.

    "You''re such a bad influence on Lucy," Harry said with a shake of his head as Tom walked past him.

    "What makes you think she isn''t the one influencing me?" Tom asked with a chuckle as they gathered in the kitchen area each grabbing a cup of coffee while Tom handed Lucy a cup of yogurt instead.

    The atmosphere was rxed and intimate, as the group savored breakfast and the simple pleasure of each other''spany.

    As they ate, the conversation flowed easily, everyone recounting their favorite moments from the weekend.

    Harry and Jade shared augh over their impromptu race to the top, while Sonia and Bryan talked about the breathtaking view from the clearing.

    Tom and Lucy chimed in with their own anecdotes, Tom joking about how he nearly tripped over a tree root while trying to impress Lucy with his hiking skills.

    "Remember how Philip almost lost his footing at the edge of the clearing?" Jadeughed, recalling the moment vividly.

    Philip grinned sheepishly. "Hey, it was a tricky spot! But the view was worth it."

    After breakfast, they settled into the plush sofas in the living room for a movie.

    The cabin''srge screen flickered to life as they debated which film to watch. They finally settled on a ssicedy, one that had them allughing out loud within minutes.

    The hours slipped by in a blur ofughter and shared jokes, the kind of morning that felt both unhurried and cherished.

    As the movie ended and the afternoon light began to nt through the windows, casting a golden glow, Philip stood up and stretched. "Alright, everyone. To wrap up this amazing weekend, my darling and I have decided to host y''all at the restaurant for dinner."

    A chorus of cheers and apuse met his announcement. They all knew Philip''s restaurant was

    a culinary gem, and the promise of a delicious meal was the perfect way to end their trip.

    They spent the next hour packing up their belongings and tidying the cabin, each couple handling a different task with ease and efficiency. Byte afternoon, they were ready to head to the restaurant.

    The setting sun painted the sky in hues of pink and orange as they took their seats at a long, beautifully set table on the rooftop of the restaurant.

    The meal was nothing short of spectacr. Philip had pulled out all the stops, presenting them with a multi-course feast that showcased his culinary talents.

    From delicate appetizers to sumptuous main courses and decadent desserts, each dish was a testament to his skill and passion for food.

    As they dined, they continued to reminisce about the weekend, theirughter mingling with the gentle sounds of nature around them.

    Philip and Aurora shared more about their ns for the wedding, while Sonia and Bryan

    talked excitedly about their uing arrival.

    Tom and Lucy, content and happy, exchanged nces, each thinking about their n to surprise the other with a proposal.

    Harry and Jade simply rxed, feeling the warmth of their friends''pany envelop them.

    "Here''s to more weekends like this," Tom said, raising his ss in a toast.

    "To friendship, love, and unforgettable memories," Jade added, her eyes sparkling with emotion as they clinked their sses together.

    When the meal ended, they lingered for a while, not wanting the evening to end. But

    eventually, it was time to say their goodbyes.

    Hugs and promises to meet again soon were exchanged, and then they all went their separate

    ways.

    Tom and Lucy''s drive home was filled with quiet reflections and asional bursts ofughter

    as they recounted their favorite moments from the trip.

    By the time they pulled into their driveway, the sky was a deep, velvety blue, dotted with stars. Adolf came out to carry their bags inside and took them up to their bedroom.

    As they walked inside, the house felt weing and familiar, but also a little too quiet after the lively weekend with their friends.

    Tom flopped onto the couch with a satisfied sigh. "I can''t remember thest time I had such a

    noisy weekend."

    Lucy sat beside him, leaning her head on his shoulder. "Me neither. To be honest, as much as I

    was looking forward to spending time with everyone, I wasn''t sure I was going to enjoy it this

    much."

    "Me too," Tom admitted.

    Lucy sat up after a moment of silence and nced at Tom, "You know what just urred to

    me?"

    "What?"

    "I think this is the first time we are both just sitting here in the living room this way," she said

    and Tom raised a brow.

    "For real?" He asked and she nodded.

    "Yes. I think we mostly just stay in the room and eat in the dining. We only stay in the Den when we havepany," she said thoughtfully.

    "And we''ve been to the pool," he reminded her with a grin.

    "Yeah. But my point is, we are either going out or staying in the bedroom. We don''t really

    explore the house. For instance, there are rooms I haven''t been into in here," she said and Tom raised a brow.

    "Really? What room?" He asked curiously.

    "I''ve never been to the gym, I don''t know what the staff quarters look like, I''ve never been to the wine cer, the home theater and the game room," she listed and Tom chuckled. "Will you believe me if I told you I often don''t remember I have such rooms in this house?"

    He asked, and she giggled.

    "Well, that should change," she said, thinking that it was time to begin to make the ce her home and not just a house she lived in with Tom.

    "Okay. So, do you have any ns?" He asked and she nodded.

    "Yes. Every day of this week I''m going to visit one of the rooms after work, and then by the

    weekend I''m going to look around the whole ce. When the familyes around for

    Christmas we will make a list of activities for everyone to participate in so we can put the

    whole ce in use," she said and Tom grinned.

    "I like the sound of that..."

    "But before then, we will put the gym into use. I think we both need to exercise more after

    that hiking experience," she said and Tom nodded.

    "Okay, ma''am. Your wish is mymand," Tom said before rising.

    "Let''s go to the bedroom, else I just might put this living room into use now by dozing off

    here on the couch," he said and she giggled as she rose and together they went upstairs to

    their bedroom.

    After unpacking and freshening up, they got into bed, ready to call it a night. As Tom wrapped

    his arm around Lucy and pulled her close, she sighed with contentment.

    "You know what I''m most grateful for about the weekend?" she asked with a yawn.

    "What?"

    "I''m d we have such a group of friends like them," she said softly.

    "Well, I''m even more d I have you," Tom said, his voice thick with sleep.

    Lucy smiled, "Me too, love. I''m d I have you too. I love you," she said with a yawn.

    "I love you so much more," Tom said before dozing off.

    ******

    Quick Announcement. I''m sorry, every one. Contrary to what I nned, I''ve been adviced by

    my editor to start Jamal''s story as a stand-alone and fresh story. OWN will be ending at chapter 1000. I''m going to start Jamal''s story immediately it ends. I hope you support me and add it up in your library. Thanks.

 Chapter 943: In Love

    Chapter 943: In Love

    ?

    The week had dragged on endlessly for Amy. Lucas had told her he''d be unreachable, busy with tests for some days.

    She had known he would be absent, but what she hadn''t known was that the reality of his absence would hit her harder than she anticipated.

    When the weekend finally arrived, Amy woke up feeling an unsettling emptiness. She had hoped to hear from him, but now it seemed like a distant possibility.

    Saturday morning began as usual. But instead of going to the sportsplex where she usually yed tennis and whatever sports she fancied, she decided to go for a run instead, since she was feeling unmotivated to go for any games.

    The crisp morning air usually invigorated her, but today, she ran mechanically, her mind drifting back to Lucas with every step. She wondered what he was up to if he was thinking about her, and when she might hear from him again.

    After her run, she showered and dressed in her favorite old t-shirt and sweatpants, thefort of the well-worn fabric offering some small sce.

    She tried to distract herself with chores; she cleaned up the whole ce, did herundry, and went grocery shopping, but everything felt dull and lifeless.

    Amy just found it hard to believe that she felt this way simply because Lucas was unavable to talk to her.

    It just didn''t make sense that Lucas who she had beenmunicating with barely weeks ago was already such a vital part of her life that she couldn''t function properly without hearing from him.

    By the time she was done with everything, it was evening already and she realized that she had been so distracted by her thoughts and chores all day that she had forgotten to eat. Now she had no idea what to do about dinner.

    Should she cook something simple or just order takeout? She mused as she stood in the kitchen, staring nkly at the fridge.

    Suddenly, her phone rang, startling her out of her thoughts and she hurried to the living room to pick it up.

    Her heart leaped with joy when she saw his name shing on the screen. It was a WhatsApp call from Lucas.

    "Lucas!" she eximed happily, answering the call.

    Lucas smiled when he heard the joy in her voice, "Hey, beautiful. What are you up to?" he asked, his voice warm and familiar.

    "I''ve been cleaning up the house. I just finished and want to have dinner. What about you? Why are you calling now when you should be asleep?"

    "I couldn''t stop thinking about you. Do you want to watch a movie together?" he suggested.

    Amy smiled, "As much as I''ve missed you, I know you must be exhausted. You should go to bed."

    Lucas chuckled, "But I can''t sleep because I''m thinking about you and missing you. Don''t worry, I will get some sleep after now."

    Amy''s heart melted. "How have your tests been going?"

    "Great. I''m done now. So, what are you doing right now?" Lucas asked curiously.

    "I''ve been wondering what to have for dinner. I can''t decide if I should cook something or order takeout," Amy said, feeling more enthusiastic now about dinner.

    "How about we prepare something together and then watch a movie?" Lucas offered.

    Amy nced at the clock, "Isn''t it too early for you to make breakfast? You''re going to disturb Tyler''s sleep."

    "I don''t think so," Lucas replied confidently.

    Before Amy could respond, her doorbell rang and she frowned. "Hold on, Luca. Someone''s at the door."

    "Are you expecting someone?" Lucas asked simultaneously.

    She hesitated, "No. Give me a minute."

    "I''ll wait," he said patiently.

    With her phone in hand, Amy walked to the door to see who was there, and when she opened it, she screamed in surprise.

    "You!" she eximed, shutting the door in his face when she saw Lucas standing there with a grin on his face, holding a bouquet in one hand and holding his phone to his ear with his other hand.

    Amy''s heart raced as she shut the door, and hurried into her bedroom to check her appearance in the mirror.

    Lucas chuckled from the other side of the door as he waited for her. He had been looking forward to this moment from the time he decided to fly down to Ludus, and he was

    disappointed by her reaction.

    Inside the bedroom, Amy quickly brushed her hair, applied a bit of lip gloss on her dry lips, and then looked down at her attire.

    Her old T-shirt and sweatpants were not suitable for this unexpected visit. Without wasting a moment she quickly changed into a blue floral ysuit with delicate white flowers, cinched at the waist to tter her figure. She spritzed on her favorite perfume before hurrying back to the

    door.

    When she opened it again, Lucas was still grinning and before he could speak, she threw herself at him.

    Lucas chuckled as he pulled her close with his free hand and embraced her back.

    "I can''t believe you''re actually here right now," she said, her voice muffled against his chest.

    Amy pulled back, looking back at him with shiny eyes, "What are you doing here? Why didn''t you tell me you wereing?"

    "Can Ie in first?" Lucas teased, holding out the bouquet.

    Amy epted the flowers with a grin and stepped aside to let him in. "Of course. Come in."

    As they walked inside, she couldn''t help but bombard him with questions. "What are you doing here? When did you get here? Is that why I didn''t hear from you for the past two days? Why didn''t you tell me?" Amy asked as she set the flowers on the table and focused on Lucas. Lucas smiled at her. "I wanted to surprise you. I think I like seeing you flustered this way. I can''t believe you shut the door in my face to go change your clothes."

    Amyughed happily, tears welling up in her eyes as she embraced him again. This time, she

    held on longer.

    "Why are you crying?" Lucas asked softly when he noticed she was crying and felt the wetness

    on his chest.

    "I''m just so happy to see you," she whispered, her voice choked with emotion as she remained there with her face buried in his chest.

    Lucas''s heart softened and he scooped her up in his arms and sat on the couch, settling her on

    his thigh with her face buried in his chest.

    "I missed you too, and I''m very happy to see you," he whispered as he patted her back and hair gently, offeringfort.

    When Amy''s tears finally subsided, she looked up at Lucas with an embarrassed smile. "It seems I''m always crying in front of you."

    "I don''t mind," Lucas said softly as he kissed her forehead and then used his thumb to brush off the tears on her cheeks.

    "How have you been?" Lucas asked as Amy wiped her eyes.

    "I''m sure you know exactly how I''ve been. Where''s your bag?" Amy asked curiously as she rose, suddenly feeling self-conscious when she realized she had been on his body that way. Needing to do something to keep herself busy, she picked up the flower and went to the kitchen to find a vase and water.

    Lucas followed her, "It''s at Lucy''s ce but she doesn''t know I''m here yet. I was supposed to arrive during the week," Lucas replied as he watched her put the flower in the vase and add

    water to it.

    Amy looked at him curiously, "Supposed to arrive during the week? What did youe for?" She asked since he had not told her anything abouting.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "I came first because of you," he said with a smile and she smiled back at him. "And also because I wanted to attend my ss reunion."

    "Oh. When and where is the reunion?" Amy asked, wanting to know how long he would be

    around.

    "It''s next Saturday in Heden," Lucas exined. "Will youe with me as my plus one?" He asked as he held out a hand to her.

    Amy hesitated as she took his hand, "I''m not sure I can travel. I have to be at work on

    Monday." "We''ll be back by Sunday evening," Lucas assured her. "We''ll be flying with Lucy and Tom, who also need to be back for work on Monday."

    "Really? That''s fine then," Amy agreed, her excitement growing.

    Lucas beamed, "Great!" he said as he tucked her hair behind her ear and Amy''s heart fluttered.

    "So, you n to stay at Lucy''s all through your stay?" Amy asked, swallowing past the lump that had formed in her throat.

    "Yeah," he said, not wanting to tell her yet that after his program he was relocating to Ludus and taking over the ce from Lucy since Lucy was nning to move in fully with Tom now.

    "Now, what should we do for dinner? Do you want us to go out, make something together, or order takeout?"

    "You just got back from a long trip," Amy said thoughtfully. "Let''s order takeout. What do you feel like having?"

    "What do I feel like having?" Lucas asked, pulling her closer with his arm around her waist.

    "Food. I mean what food do you feel like ordering?" She corrected and Lucas chuckled.

    "I know what you meant," he assured her.

    She grinned, "I just wanted to be sure we were saying the same thing."

    "Can I kiss you?" Lucas asked, his gaze dropping to her lips.

    Amy''s heart skipped a beat as Lucas''s gaze dropped to her lips. She felt a flutter in her chest,

    and her voice barely above a whisper, she replied, "Yes."

    Lucas''s lips brushed against hers, soft and gentle. The kiss deepened, and Amy felt herself melting into his embrace. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer.

    As they broke apart for air, Lucas smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "I always wanted to do that every time we had a video call," he whispered.

    Amy''s heart swelled with emotion. "Me too," she replied, her voice filled with conviction. Lucas''s arm tightened around her waist, pulling her closer. "Let''s order takeout and watch a movie together," he suggested, his voice low and husky.

    Amy nodded, her mind racing with excitement. She couldn''t believe Lucas was here, in her apartment, holding her close.

    As they sat on the couch, scrolling through food options on Amy''s phone, Lucas''s hand brushed against hers. She felt a spark of electricity, and her heart skipped a beat.

    "So, what do you feel like having?" Amy asked, trying to sound casual despite the butterflies

    in her stomach.

    Lucas grinned mischievously. "Surprise me," he replied, his eyes glinting with amusement.

    Amyughed, feeling carefree and happy. She ordered his favorite food, and they settled in

    for a cozy night together, watching a movie and enjoying each other''spany as they ate.

    As the night wore on, Amy realized she didn''t want this moment to end. She wanted to savor

    every second with Lucas, to cherish the feeling of having him there with her, but as the credits rolled on the movie, Lucas nced at his watch. "I should get going."

    Amy''s heart sank, but she knew he was right. "I''ll walk you out," she said, trying to sound

    -casual.

    As they stood at the door, Lucas turned to her, his eyes serious. "I''m d I surprised you," he

    said, his voice low. "I wanted to see you smile."

    Amy smiled. "I''m d you did," she replied, her voice barely above a whisper.

    Lucas leaned in, his lips brushing against hers once more. "I''ll see you tomorrow,"

    "he

    promised.

    Amy nodded, feeling a sense of excitement and anticipation. And as she closed the door

    behind him, she couldn''t help but smile, her heart full of joy and love.

    She was in love with Lucas. She had no doubt about it.

    *****

    Quick Question: I n to join a contest with JD story.

    Because of the rule of the contest, I might have to break out of my character in naming the

    story and my writing style.

    I want y''all to choose the name.

    Stolen Identity: The Mute Heiress

    Or

    The Billionaire''s First Love Is The Mute Hidden Heiress.

    Also, would you like me to write in first person POV or maintain this third person POV?

 Chapter 944: Closure

    Chapter 944: Closure

    ?

    Mia awoke to the soft trill of her phone, the morning light filtering through the curtains in delicate streams.

    A sleepy smile tugged at her lips as she reached over to pick up the call, her heart lifting when she saw Jeff''s name on the screen.

    "Good morning, sleepyhead," Jeff''s voice greeted her, his tone light and teasing.

    "Morning," Mia responded, stretchingnguidly beneath the sheets.

    She felt more alive today, the weight of the past seeming a little lighter. It seemed to her that every day she woke up in her parent''s house without a worry about Henry, she felt better than thest.

    "Slept well?" Jeff asked as he listened to her yawn.

    "Too well. You?"

    "Same here."

    "What''s going on over there? Any news from Shawn yet?" Mia asked since that was the only thing still bothering her. She wanted Jeff to leave there.

    "Nothing much is going on. But we''re expecting Shawn at the house by noon. Margaret and Mika are talking about quitting. I think I''ll just naturally tender my resignation as well. That way it won''t be suspicious," Jeff replied.

    "Well, I can''t wait for you to get out of there. It''s been two weeks already," Mia said with a sigh.

    "I''ll be out soon," Jeff assured her. "What about you? Any ns for the day?" He asked with

    interest.

    Mia hesitated, biting her lip. "Actually, I was thinking of going to the hospital to see Henry." There was a beat of silence on the other end of the line before Jeff''s voice returned, tinged with concern. "To see Henry? Mia, why would you want to do that?"

    "I''ve been thinking about it," she admitted, her gaze wandering to the ceiling as she considered her words. "I want to see him- not as the powerful, terrifying man who tormented my life, but as a frail, helpless human. I want to face him onest time, to close that chapter for good."

    "Are you sure you''ll be okay?" Jeff''s voice was soft, full of worry for her well-being.

    "Yes," Mia replied firmly, a resolve settling over her. "I''ll be fine. I need to do this. I''ve been thinking about it for over a week now."

    "Alright," Jeff conceded, though she could hear the reluctance in his voice. "Just...be careful, okay?" He said though she could tell he was still uneasy about it.

    "I will," Mia promised, feeling a warmth in her chest at his concern. "Thanks, Jeff." "I''ve been meaning to ask you, how is it going with the divorce? Has it been finalized?"

    "Yes. I was going to tell you about itst night but I didn''t get the chance. Thanks to Shawn''s influence, and the fact that Henry had asked hiswyer to hasten the process before now, it was approved yesterday," Mia said happily.

    "Well, congrattions are in order," Jeff said and Mia giggled.

    "Yeah. When you get out of there, we will definitely celebrate. And just so you know, I finished reading the novel," Mia said with a grin.

    "Oh, you did? Tell me about it," Jeff drawled and she giggled.

    "Unfortunately I can''t tell you right now. I have to start my day. But we will talkter," Mia said and Jeff chuckled.

    "Alright. Have a good day. Let me know when you''re free. Without my bosses, I have a lot of spare time," Jeff said and Mia giggled.

    "Sure, I will. Be good," Mia said before hanging up.

    After ending the call, Miay in bed for a few moments, thinking about thest two weeks since Henry''s ident.

    Shawn had done exactly all he had said he was going to do. He had held a press conference and had both exposed and condemned all of Henry''s wrongdoings and he had gone as far aspensating every one of Henry''s victims, including her parents, and he had asked that anybody else with aint against Henry should reach out to him forpensation. He had helped her fast-track the divorce process and even though she had asked him not to, he had made sure to ask thewyer to make sure she got half of all Henry owned aspensation.

    After the court approved their divorce, she had finally made up her mind to go see Henry onest time. The decision to go see him wasn''t one she''d made lightly, but now that she had gotten permission from Shawn and it was set, she felt a strange sense of calm.

    She threw off the covers and made her way to the bathroom. As she stood under the warm spray of the shower, she felt the water wash away the remnants of her fears, leaving her with a renewed sense of purpose. Today was a day for closure.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    Once she was done, she spent a little more time than usual picking out her clothes. She chose a dress that made her feel good, something vibrant and colorful, something that spoke of her newfound lightness. She applied her makeup with care, her reflection staring back at her with a confidence she hadn''t felt in a long time.

    As she descended the stairs, she saw her mother in the kitchen, humming as she prepared breakfast.

    Since she returned home, she still couldn''t get used to the sight of her mother preparing a meal or cleaning. Often times she found herself feeling guilty that she had been the reason Henry came into their lives.

    Growing up there had been domestic staff around the house to take care of all the cooking and cleaning, but after Henry ruined her father''s business, her mother had been forced to step up. Maria looked up when she noticed Mia''s presence, her eyes widening in surprise at the sight of her daughter''s cheerful demeanor.

    "You look really nice today," her mothermented, a smile spreading across her face. "Where are you off to?"

    "It''s a nice day, so I thought I''d go out for a bit," Mia replied with a lightness that made her mother''s smile widen.

    She knew telling her mother that she was going to see Henry would make her worry and she would most likely try to discourage her from doing so.

    "I''m d to see you like this, honey. It''s been a while," her mother said, giving her an affectionate pat on the arm.

    Mia smiled, "I''ll see youter, Mom."

    "Let''s have breakfast before you leave," Her mother said and Mia sat down to eat with her

    mother.

    The drive to the hospital after breakfast was apanied by the upbeat tunes of a song she hadn''t listened to in ages. Mia found herself singing along, the music weaving through her like a balm, easing away anyst traces of apprehension. Her fingers tapped along to the rhythm of the steering wheel, and she couldn''t help but feel a rush of exhration as she neared the hospital. Today, she was totally reiming her power.

    The hospital was quiet when she arrived, the usual hum of activity muted as the day''s shift change began. Mia noticed the curious nces from the staff as she walked through the halls, their eyes widening as they recognized her.

    She wasn''t surprised; after all, she had been Mrs. Rosewood not too long ago. But today, she was simply Vanessa, and the only person she wanted to see was lying helpless in one of these

    rooms.

    When she reached Henry''s room, two police officers stood guard by the door. They eyed her warily, but when she introduced herself, they stepped aside, allowing her entry.

    The door creaked open, and Mia stepped inside, her heart pounding in her chest, though not with fear- this was something else, something different.

    Henryy on the bed, his body a mere shadow of the man he had once been. He looked so

    small, so vulnerable.

    Mia walked closer, her steps slow and deliberate, and without disturbing his sleep, she sat down and watched him sleep.

    She didn''t know how long she sat there, but after some time his eyes fluttered open, and for a moment, they locked onto hers before he turned his face away, unable to bear the sight of her. She didn''t say anything at first, just sat there, watching him. There was no satisfaction in seeing him like this, no twisted pleasure in his suffering. It was simply... sad. After a few moments, Henry turned back to look at her, his expression a mix of bitterness and defeat. Mia held his gaze, and a smile- soft and tinged with a hint of pity- curved her lips. "How are you doing?" she asked, her voice gentle, though she knew he wouldn''t answer.

    She paused, taking in the sight of the man who had once loomed sorge in her life. He seemed so insignificant now, so utterly defeated.

    "I didn''te here for an apology, Henry. I don''t need it. I heard you haven''t spoken a word

    since, so I don''t expect to hear anything from you either," she continued, her voice steady. "I came to watch you, the way someone watches a caged animal in the zoo. But unfortunately, you''re less interesting than an animal, you know that?"

    His eyes flickered with something- maybe anger, maybe shame �� but he said nothing.

    "I hope you live long enough to pay for all your evil deeds," Mia said, her tone devoid of

    malice. It was simply a statement of fact. "Because even death would be too merciful for

    you."

    With that, Mia rose and walked away, not looking back as she left the room. She felt lighter as if a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders. It was done. She was done.

    Her next stop was Tyler''s clinic.

    The drive to Tyler''s clinic was apanied by a different kind of music, something softer,

    more introspective. Mia found herself lost in thought, reflecting on the strange journey that had brought her to this point. She had faced her past, faced the man who had once held such power over her, and she had walked away, free.

    When she arrived at the clinic, the receptionist recognized her immediately and called Tyler

    to inform him of her arrival.

    "Mia?" Tyler''s voice was filled with surprise when he appeared in the waiting room. "I wasn''t expecting you. What brings you here?"

    "I wanted to talk to you about something," Mia replied, her voice steady. "Can we go to your

    office?" Tyler nodded, leading her down the hallway to the privacy of his office. Once inside, he gestured for her to sit, and Mia sat down.

    "Before you say anything, I''d like to apologize once again..."

    "Don''t," Mia said with a shake of her head, "That''s not why I came. And honestly, as much as

    I was upset with you, I''m d it all worked out. You sort of pushed me out of myfort zone. I''m finally really free from Henry because instead of hiding, I finally found the courage to ask for help and face him," Mia said, and Tyler nodded.

    "I''ve been following the news. I also saw the interview you did. I''m d you''re fine," he said,

    and she smiled.

    "About the reason I''m here. I was wondering," she began, her voice quieter now, more vulnerable, "if there''s anything you can do about the scars on my back."

    Tyler''s brow furrowed in concern. "May I see them?"

    Mia hesitated for a moment before nodding. She rose and then turned around to unzip the

    back of her dress, letting it open just enough to reveal thework of scars that marred her

    skin.

    Tyler''s breath hitched slightly as he took in the sight. He had heard about the scars, of course, but seeing them in person was different.

    He picked up his gloves and slid them on before running his hands over the scars with her

    permission.

    "I can work on them," Tyler said after a moment, his voice soft. "But I can''t promise you that your back will be smooth as new. It won''t be. The scars will always be there, just... less

    prominent." "That''s all I want," Mia replied, her voice steady. "I don''t need them to disappear. I just want them to be less... ugly. I just want to know I did something about them."

    Tyler nodded, stepping back to give her space. "I can do that. We''ll start with a consultation

    and then move forward with the treatment n."

    "Thank you," Mia said, feeling a wave of gratitude wash over her. She zipped up her dress and

    turned to face him, a small smile on her lips.

    "You''ve been through so much, Mia," Tyler said, his voice filled with quiet admiration. "But you''re still standing."

    Mia smiled, "I am," she agreed. "And I''m going to keep moving forward."

    "That''s good to know. I''m happy for you," Tyler said, feeling genuinely d that Mia had

    survived Henry, since he knew he would never have been able to forgive himself had

    something happened to her.

    *****

    Quick Announcement. I''m sorry, every one. Contrary to what I nned, I''ve been adviced by my editor to start Jamal''s story as a stand-alone and fresh story. OWN will be ending at chapter 1000. I''m going to start Jamal''s story immediately it ends. I hope you support me and add it up in your library. Thanks.

 Chapter 945: I Pay Attention

    Chapter 945: I Pay Attention

    ?

    Sunday morning brought with it the soft glow of sunlight filtering through Amy''s curtains. She awoke slowly with a smile on her face as the events of the previous evening reyed in her mind�D Lucas''s surprise visit, their time together, and the kiss that left her breathless.

    The smile became a full-blow grin as she stretchedzily, savoring the warmth of the moment.

    Just as she was about to get out of bed, her phone buzzed on the nightstand. Amy reached for it, her heart skipping a beat when she saw Lucas''s name on the screen.

    [Good morning, beautiful. Did you sleep well?]

    Amy smiled, her fingers moving swiftly across the screen to reply as she sat back on the bed. [Good morning! I kept waking up thinking about you, but I''m well rested. How about you?]

    Lucas'' response came almost immediately. [It took me a while to fall asleep cause I was thinking about you. I guess I missed you already.]

    Amy''s heart fluttered at his words. She could almost hear his voice in her head, warm and teasing.

    [You saw me less than 12 hours ago! Besides, shouldn''t you be knocked out after such a long trip?]

    [I know. But I still missed you. What are you doing today?]

    Amy nced at the clock. It was still early, and she didn''t have any ns. She thought of responding with ''Spending my day with you'', but she didn''t since she didn''t want to put him in a tough spot if he had other ns.

    She knew he would likely need to go see Lucy and spend some time with her, and she didn''t want him to feel like he was obligated to spend his day with her. Not when he hade to her first from the moment he arrived.

    Deciding to leave it open so that he would do whatever was convenient for him, she typed. [Nothing nned. What about you?]

    [How about we spend the day together? I have a few ideas in mind.]

    Amy giggled when she saw the text and stuck her tongue in her cheek, happy that he wanted to spend the day with her.

    [Sounds perfect. But what about Lucy? Aren''t you going to see her?]

    Lucas smiled when he saw her text. He liked that she was thinking of Lucy and bringing it up herself. This was something Rachel had never and could never have done.

    [I will call to let her know I will see her tomorrow. I''m sure she is spending the weekend with Tom.]

    [You should call her quickly before her neighbors tell her of the intruder in her house.] Amy texted back with a grin and wink emoji and Lucasughed out loud when he saw it.

    [I will be surprised if she doesn''t know already. Let me call you. Want to hear your voice.] Lucas texted and then dialed her line.

    Amy grinned when she saw his text followed by his call and then she received it as shey back on her bed, face up with both legs hanging in the air.

    "Do you know what I just thought of?" Lucas asked, and Amy grinned.

    "What?"

    "How you almost killed Tyler and me thinking we were burrs," he said and she giggled.

    "How can you say I almost killed you both when I didn''t even touch you?"

    "Well, if you had touched us you could have killed one of us. You almost killed me once before..."

    Amy covered her face with her pillow as sheughed feeling embarrassed, "C''mon! For crying out loud, why are you bringing that up right now?"

    "Because you''re dangerous. Both to my heart and to my life," Lucas said with a chuckle.

    "Don''t worry. I''m not going to hurt you. I will protect you if anything," she promised, and Lucas grinned.

    "I''m the one to protect you, not the other way around. I''m the man here," he said and Amy smiled.

    "Protecting you doesn''t take away your manhood..." Amy''s eyes widened in mortification at her choice of word and she blushed as she pressed her lips together in embarrassment.

    "No. I didn''t mean it like the physical thing. I meant the...." She trailed off when Lucasughed out loud.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "Rx, Amy. I know what you meant. You sound so flustered," Lucas said, still chuckling. "Are youughing at me right now?" She asked with a scowl.

    "Yes, I am. Go start your day, Amy. I''ll be there within the next two hours. Bye," Lucas said with a grin.

    Thinking that he had hung up, she threw the phone on the bed and shut her eyes. "Of all things to say, how could I have said manhood? Amy! How could you have said that? Don''t tell me you''re thinking of his manhood just because of the wonderful kiss you shared. Are you that shameless, Amy?!" She cried into her pillow with a groan.

    Lucas, who had been waiting for her to say bye before hanging up, chuckled as he listened to her, and even though he was tempted to hear all she had to say, he decided to hang up without letting her know he had heard her, it was the only way to spare her further embarrassment.

    The thought of Lucas chuckling on the other end made her cringe but also felt a strange sense offort. She knew he wouldn''t hold it against her; he seemed to enjoy her awkward moments.

    After the phase of embarrassment passed, Amy burst into a peal ofughter. "Manhood? Really, Amy?" she scolded herself in a half-whisper, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. Amy decided she couldn''t let that little slip-up ruin what was shaping up to be a perfect day. She rolled out of bed, her mind already buzzing with ideas of how to make the day special. Wanting to surprise Lucas, Amy headed to the kitchen. She pulled out ingredients from the pantry and fridge, mentally running through a list of things she could bake.

    Amy was very d that she had done her grocery shopping the previous day out of boredom, cause now she had all she needed to bake.

    She loved baking, and she remembered Lucas mentioning his sweet tooth and her promise to bake him something. There was no better way to start the day than with freshly baked cookies, pastries, and a rich, moist cake.

    She moved around the kitchen with practiced ease, humming a tune as she mixed ingredients, kneaded dough, and measured out just the right amount of chocte chips for the cookies. As the oven filled her small kitchen with the irresistible scent of baking, Amy felt a sense of calm

    wash over her.

    She couldn''t wait to see how Lucas would react when he got there and saw all she had

    prepared for him.

    An hour and a halfter, the kitchen counter was filled with an array of warm, golden-brown cookies, delicate pastries, and a perfectly frosted cake.

    Amy stood back to admire her handiwork, feeling a surge of pride and anticipation. Her

    mother would be so proud of her, seeing how much she had done in such a short time.

    She arranged everything neatly on the breakfast table in the kitchen, making sure the presentation was just right.

    Just as she was setting down the final te, her phone buzzed again with a message from Lucas. [Will be there in twenty minutes. Can''t wait to see you.]

    Her heart did a little flip as she quickly ran to the bathroom to freshen up. Just as she finished dressing up in a mini jeans skirt and a brown turtleneck cashmere sweater.

    As she stood in front of the mirrorbing her hair which was still a bit tousled from sleep, she couldn''t help smiling when she saw there was a certain glow to her cheeks, and her eyes sparkled with excitement.

    Just as she finished, the doorbell rang, and Amy practically skipped to the door. Opening it, she was greeted by Lucas''s warm smile and the sight of him holding a small package bag.

    "This is for you," Lucas said, his voice soft as he handed her the bag.

    "What''s that?" she asked as she took the bag and looked inside.

    Her heart melted when she saw a box of her favorite choctes and a small book of poetry by

    her favorite author.

    "Wow, how did you know?" Amy asked, her eyes widening in surprise.

    "I pay attention," Lucas said with a smile. "I hope you like it."

    Amy''s heart swelled with emotion as she gazed at the thoughtful gift. "I love it," she said, her

    voice sincere.

    Lucas''s face lit up with pleasure. "I''m d," he said, his eyes crinkling at the corners.

    "Thank you," she said as she stepped aside for him to go in, "Come on in. I have a little

    surprise for you too."

    Lucas followed her inside, and then he sniffed the air, "It smells delicious in here."

    Amy grinned as she led him to the kitchen, and she smiled as his eyes widened in surprise

    when he saw the spread on the breakfast table.

    "Did you do all this? When?" he asked, clearly touched by the effort she had put into the

    breakfast.

    "Well, I thought it would be nice to start the day with something sweet," Amy said with a shy

    smile. "I hope you like it."

    "Like it? I love it," Lucas said, his voice full of admiration. "You''re amazing, Amy."

    "I know, right?" She asked with a grin and he chuckled as he pulled out her seat for her.

    "You look lovely," Lucas said and she smiled as she fluttered hershes and flicked her hair yfully making Lucasugh as he took his seat.

    "So, you were saying something about protecting me and my..."

    "Don''t you dare!" Amy shrieked, pointing her forefinger at him, and Lucas howled with

    laughter.

    "Alright. Alright," Lucas said holding up his hands.

    "So, I guess it''s time to see if you''re the world''s best baker as you imed," Lucas said,

    changing the subject.

    Amy smirked, "Taste, and see that Amy is good," she said, gesturing at the spread in front of

    them for him to eat and Lucasughed softly as he took a cake slice.

    Amy raised a brow as she watched him chew slowly, "So?"

    "I can''t decide from only a slice of cake. I have to go round," Lucas said as he picked up a

    cookie.

    Amy watched as he sampled everything she had baked one after the other, and when he was

    done, she raised a brow.

    "So? On a scale of 1 to 100, what do you rate me?"

    Lucas leaned back in his chair, a contented smile on his face. "I''d rate you 1000," he said, and

    she narrowed her eyes.

    "Are you sure?"

    "What? Are you doubting your skills now? Everything is amazing, but I think my favorite is

    the cake. It is so moist and vorful. You''ve sessfully ruined me for other bakers."

    Amy beamed with pride, feeling happy that she could make him so happy with her baking.

    "I''m d you liked it."

    "I don''t just like it, I love it. Or maybe it''s because I''m interested in the baker," he said with a

    wink and she giggled.

    "Let''s eat. So, did you call Lucy yet?" She asked and he nodded.

    "Yeah. I''ll be going over to see them tonight," he said and Amy nodded.

    Although she had been hoping to invite him to spend the night, that could wait.

    ****

    Quick Question: I n to join a contest with JD story.

    Because of the rule of the contest, I might have to break out of my character in naming the

    story and my writing style.

    I want y''all to choose the name.

    Stolen Identity: The Mute Heiress

    Or

    The Billionaire''s First Love Is The Mute Hidden Heiress.

    Also, would you like me to write in first person POV or maintain this third person POV?

 Chapter 946: You Should Marry

    Chapter 946: You Should Marry

    ?

    They sat down to breakfast together, the conversation flowing easily between them as they enjoyed the delicious treats Amy had prepared.

    Lucas couldn''t stopplimenting her baking skills, and each time he did, Amy felt a warm blush creep up her neck.

    When they were finally full and content, Lucas leaned back in his chair with a satisfied sigh. "That was incredible. I feel spoiled."

    Amyughed softly, her eyes sparkling with joy. "I''m d you enjoyed it. I''ll pack you some when you leave. I''ve fulfilled one of my promises," she said and Lucas grinned.

    "Yeah. You have."

    "So, I actually had an idea for what we could do today," she said, and Lucas raised an eyebrow, intrigued.

    "Oh?"n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "Remember when I promised to show you my basketball skills?" she asked, a yful glint in her eyes.

    Lucas grinned, leaning forward with interest. "How could I forget? You really want to take me on?"

    "You bet," Amy said with a confident nod. "I know a ce where we can y, and it''s usually pretty quiet this time of day."

    "Alright, let''s do it," Lucas agreed, his excitement evident in his voice.

    Lucas offered to clean up while she dressed up, and after she was done dressing up she joined him, carrying a basketball.

    "What? You even have a ball?" He asked, and she grinned.

    "Scared I''m going to beat you now?" She teased.

    "Almost," he said, and they bothughed.

    They cleaned up together before heading out, Amy leading the way to a nearby gym that had a small basketball court tucked away in a quiet corner.

    As she had predicted, the ce was nearly deserted, giving them the court all to themselves.

    Amy tossed Lucas the ball as they stepped onto the court, herpetitive side emerging. "Hope you''re ready for this."

    Lucas caught the ball with ease, spinning it on his finger as he gave her a teasing smile. "You think you can take me down?"

    "Let''s see what you''ve got," Amy challenged, bouncing on the balls of her feet as she got into position.

    The game started off light and yful, both of themughing and teasing each other as they traded shots. But as the minutes passed, thepetition grew more intense, with both of them determined to outdo the other.

    Amy was quick on her feet, darting around Lucas and making a few impressive shots. But Lucas wasn''t one to back down easily. He used his height advantage to block her shots and make some smoothyups of his own.

    Their banter was constant, filled with yful jabs andughter that echoed in the empty hall. Each time Lucas managed to score, he would sh Amy a grin that made her heart flutter, and every time she got past him to make a shot, she would throw him a cheeky smile, reveling in the way he narrowed his eyes in mock frustration.

    At one point, Lucas managed to steal the ball from Amy, dribbling it down the court with ease. Amy chased after him, determined to get the ball back. Just as Lucas was about to go for a shot, Amy jumped in front of him, her hands reaching out to block his shot.

    Lucas caught off guard, stumbled slightly, and ended up catching her in his arms as he fell. They both fell to the floorughing, with Amy on top of Lucas.

    As theyughed, they soon realized that their faces were inches apart and they stared at each other, breathless from the game.

    The air between them seemed to crackle with tension, and before Amy could say anything, Lucas leaned in and pressed a quick, yful kiss to her lips.

    As Lucas pulled away, wanting them to stand up and resume the game, Amy pulled him back and kissed him.

    Lucas smiled as he kissed her back and the kiss deepened. The world faded away as they explored this newfound intimacy. The gym, the basketball, and everything else seemed to disappear as they lost themselves in the moment.

    When they finally pulled apart, breathless and flushed, their eyes met, filled with a mix of desire and uncertainty. The air between them was charged.

    "You''re getting distracted," Lucas said with a grin as he yfully tugged on her nose and pulled back, his eyes twinkling with mischief.

    Amy blinked, still a little dazed from the kiss as Lucas helped her to her feet. "You''re the one who kissed me first!" she protested, her voice light withughter.

    Lucasughed too, taking advantage of her distraction to score another basket. "And that''s game."

    Amy huffed in mock annoyance, crossing her arms as she watched the ball roll away. "You cheated."

    "All''s fair in love and basketball," Lucas quipped, walking over to her with a grin.

    Amy shook her head, unable to keep the smile off her face. "Fine. But have it in mind that you made the winning basket only because you cheated."

    Lucas chuckled, reaching out to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "I''ll take that win. But next time, I''ll y fair."

    "Next time?" Amy repeated, raising an eyebrow.

    "Of course. Let''s go for round two. First to make fifteen baskets," Lucas said with a wink.

    Away from there, Aaron, Candace, Andy, and Jamal were in the car, on their way to a park where they nned to have a pic.

    Candace sat behind the steering wheel, a serene smile ying on her lips and beside her in the passenger seat, Andy fiddled with the radio, searching for a station that matched the lively mood of the morning.

    The scent of fresh coffee wafted from the cup holder beside her, mingling with the faint aroma of the packed sandwiches and fruit sds stashed in the trunk.

    "That''s perfect," Candace said when Celine Dion''s My Heart Will Go On filled the car.

    "This takes me back," Aaron said from the backseat where he wasfortably seaters

    "Seems like you had good taste in music," Candace teased.

    Aaron chuckled, "Of course, I do."

    Besides Aaron, Jamal bounced in his seat, his small hands clutching a well-loved action figure. His eyes sparkled with excitement, but it wasn''t the music or the pic that had him so animated. "Aunt Andy," he piped up, "are you sure I''ll get to talk to Dawn today?"

    Andy turned in her seat, her smile warm and reassuring. "I''m sure, Jamal. Her mom said she is looking forward to it as much as you are."

    Jamal''s face lit up even more if that were possible. "I can''t wait! I have so much to tell her."

    Candace shot a quick nce at her son through the rearview mirror, her heart swelling at the sight of his enthusiasm. "You''ll have plenty of time to tell her all about it, sweetheart. Just remember to let her talk too, okay?"

    "I will, I will," Jamal promised, though his mind was already racing ahead to the conversation

    he would have.

    As the chatter continued, filled withughter and gentle ribbing, Aaron''s phone buzzed in his pocket, the vibration a faint tremor against his leg.

    He pulled it out, "It''s Debbie," he announced excitedly, a soft smile curving his lips. Andy and Candace exchanged knowing looks, grinning mischievously. "Oh, it''s Debbie," Andy echoed in a sing-song voice, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

    "We better keep it down, Andy. Dad''s got ady on the line."

    Andy stifled augh, ncing at her father in the rearview mirror. "Should we give you some privacy, Dad? Maybe Candace pull over so you can have a proper, romantic chat?" Aaron shook his head, though he couldn''t suppress the smile that tugged at his lips. "You two

    behave," he chided gently, but there was no real bite to his words. "You''re worse than a

    couple of teenagers."

    Jamal, ever curious, looked up at his grandfather with curious eyes. "Is that grandma

    Debbie?"

    "Yes, Jamal," Aaron said, his attention shifting to the call.

    He pressed the phone to his ear, his voice softening as he spoke. "Hey, Debbie. How are you

    doing today?"

    There was a beat of silence as Debbie responded, and whatever she said made Aaron''s smile

    deepen.

    Candace watched him through the mirror, while Andy turned in her seat to look at him, their amusement evident as they exchanged another nce.

    Aaron was so lost in his conversation, that he barely noticed them. "So, when am I going to

    see you again?" Aaron asked, his tone tinged with a hint of longing that didn''t go unnoticed

    by his daughters.

    Candace stifled a giggle. "Listen to him, getting all sappy. Never thought I''d see the day when he would be so lovesick."

    Andy nodded in mock seriousness. "It''s adorable, really."

    Aaron, overhearing just enough to catch the gist of their teasing, covered the mouthpiece of

    the phone and shot them a mock re. "Alright, you two, knock it off. I''m trying to have a conversation here."

    Jamal, catching onto the yful mood, chimed in with a grin. "Are you going to ask her to

    marry you, Grandpa?"

    Aaron nearly choked on hisughter, shaking his head as he nced at his grandson. "Not just yet, buddy. Let''s take things one step at a time."

    Debbie''s voice filtered through the line again, and Aaron refocused on the conversation, but

    not without a final chuckle at his family''s antics. "Sorry about that. The kids are having a field

    day over here."

    By the time Aaron hung up, his smile was still firmly in ce. He tucked his phone back into his pocket, meeting the expectant gazes of Candace and Andy.

    "So," Candace began, feigning nonchnce as she turned onto the road leading to the park,

    "How''s Debbie?"

    "Yeah, Dad," Andy added with a grin. "Anything new with her?"

    Aaron simply smiled, leaning back in his seat as he folded his arms. "Nice try, girls. But I''m

    not saying anything."

    Jamal beamed up at his grandfather, clearly impressed. "I like Debbie, Grandpa. She makes

    you happy."

    Aaron''s heart warmed at his grandson''s innocent observation. He reached over and ruffled

    Jamal''s hair. "She sure does, buddy. She sure does."

    "You should marry her," Candace suggested.

    "You should marry, Matt," Aaron said and Andy giggled as Candace scowled at her father for changing the subject that way when he knew Jamal would jump on it.

    Ever since Dawn told Jamal that her mother had gotten married and she now had a daddy and

    her mother had promised she would have a little brother or sister, Jamal had been all over her

    to get married too.

    "Yes, Mommy, I want you to marry Matt. And then you will give me a little sister and a brother," Jamal said excitedly just as Candace had expected. "Thank you so much, Dad," Candace said dryly and Aaron chuckled.

    "You''re wee, ss house."

 Chapter 947: I Don’t Like Her!

    Chapter 947: I Don��t Like Her!

    ?

    By the time Aaron and his group arrived at the park for their pic, the sun was high in the sky, casting a warm golden glow over the park.

    The only sounds around them were the soft murmur of the river nearby mingled with the sound of birds chirping in the trees, creating a serene atmosphere. The smell of fresh grass and the sweet scent of blooming flowers filled the air as the family settled into their spot and spread out a checkered pic nket.

    Jamal was bursting with energy, darting around the nket as he eagerly awaited the moment when they would open the pic basket while Aaron watched Jamal with amusement.

    "Slow down, buddy," Aaron chuckled, reaching out to ruffle Jamal''s curly hair. "We''ve got all afternoon."

    Candace sat beside Aaron, arranging the food they had brought. She nced at Jamal, her face glowing with maternal pride as he finally plopped down beside her, a broad grin stretched across his face.

    Candace understood he was so excited because he had never been out on a pic before, and the same went for her and Andy.

    Candace was happy that she was finally able to give Jamal a normal life thanks to her father.

    "This is going to be so much fun!" Jamal dered, his eyes darting between the sandwiches, fruit, and treats Candace was setting out.

    "Just don''t eat too much too quickly," Candace warned yfully. "We don''t want you bouncing off the walls more than you already are."

    Andy, who was busy unpacking the cooler, smiled as she watched her family. She had always been the fun aunt, the one Jamal could count on for an adventure, and she was especially d to be here today. This pic was a much-needed experience for all of them.

    As they settled into their meal, Aaron began to tell them stories from his childhood. Aaron''s voice was soothing, full of nostalgia and warmth, and Jamal listened with rapt attention, his sandwich forgotten in his hand as he hung on to every word.

    Andy, meanwhile, had her phone in herp, her thoughts drifting to Dawn. She remembered how excited Jamal had been during the drive and how much he was looking forward to hearing from Dawn.

    She decided that now would be a perfect time for another chat. ncing over at Candace, who was now engaged in a lively conversation with Aaron, Andy smiled to herself and quickly sent a text to Kimberly to see if they could video call.

    As they finished their lunch, Andy''s phone buzzed. "Hey, Jamal," she called out, getting his attention. "Do you want to talk to Dawn now?"

    Jamal''s eyes lit up like fireworks. He quickly scrambled over to Andy, nearly knocking over the basket in his excitement. "Yes! Yes, please, Aunt Andy!" he eximed, bouncing on his toes.

    Andy chuckled and patted the spot next to her, motioning for Jamal to sit down. She tapped on the screen, waiting for Kimberly to pick up. After a few rings, the video call connected, and Kimberly''s face appeared on the screen. She looked a little frazzled but smiled warmly when she saw Andy and Jamal.

    "Hi, Andy! Hi, Jamal!" Kimberly greeted them, her voice a little breathless. The camera wobbled slightly as she adjusted it.

    "Hi, Kimberly! How''s everything going?" Andy asked, ncing at Jamal, who was nearly vibrating with excitement.

    "We''re fine," Kimberly said, but there was a note of weariness in her voice. "Actually, I''m d you called. Dawn''s been having a bit of a tough day."

    Jamal''s smile faltered as he leaned closer to the screen. "What''s wrong? Where''s Dawn?" he asked, concerncing his voice.

    Kimberly turned the phone, and the screen shifted to show Dawn seated on a chair, her face red and tear-streaked, with a bandage wrapped around her right knee. She was trying her best to stop crying, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.

    "Dawn!" Jamal gasped, his heart sinking at the sight of Dawn in tears. "Why are you crying?"

    Dawn looked up, her bright hazel eyes shimmering with unshed tears. She sniffled and gave a small, tremulous smile when she saw Jamal. "Hi, Jamal," she whispered, her voice wavering. "I... I got hurt."

    Jamal''s face scrunched up with worry. "What happened? Did you fall?"

    Dawn nodded, her hair bouncing slightly as she shifted in her seat. "I fell and hurt my knee. It really hurt," she exined, her voice small.

    "Oh no!" Jamal''s eyes widened as he leaned closer to the screen, his voice full of sympathy. "Can I see it?"

    Dawn hesitated for a moment, then nced up at Kimberly, who gave her an encouraging nod. Slowly, Dawn lifted the edge of her dress to reveal her knee. The bandage had a spot of red seeping through, and beneath it, the wound was still raw and fresh, the skin jagged and pink.

    Jamal winced, his stomach twisting at the sight. "That looks like it really hurt," he said softly. "But you''re really bra

    Dawn."

    Dawn''s lips trembled as she tried to smile. "It does hurt," she admitted, her voice barely audible. "But I''m trying not to cry."

    "You''re doing great," Jamal reassured her, his voice gentle and kind. "You know, one time, I fell off my bike and scraped my elbow. It hurt a lot, but my mom said it would get better soon.

    And it did!"

    Dawn''s eyes brightened a little. "Really?" she asked, sniffling again.

    "Yeah! And you know what? When it healed, the scar looked like a J! It was pretty cool. Want to see?" Jamal said, trying to make her feel better.

    Dawn bobbed her head and watched as Jamal turned so that he could show her his elbow. "See? Can you see it?" Jamal asked and she bobbed her head.

    "Mine looks like a W," she said, her voice still a bit shaky but lighter than before as she showed him the wound again.

    "W for wonderful!" Jamal dered, grinning from ear to ear. "And soon it will be all better, just like my elbow."

    Kimberly, who had been listening to their conversation, smiled warmly at Jamal''s words. "Thank you, Jamal. I think that''s just what Dawn needed to hear."

    Dawn nodded, a small smile finally breaking through her tears. "Thanks, Jamal," she

    whispered.

    Jamal''s face lit up with joy. "Anytime, Dawn! And guess what? When your knee is all better, we will both have cool scars!"

    Dawn giggled, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "Yes."

    "But yours will be prettier because you''re beautiful," Jamal said and Dawn giggled again, looking away shyly, her earlier sadness forgotten.

    Kimberly watched the exchange with a tender smile, her heart warming at the sight of her daughter''s smile returning. "I hope this doesn''t scar at all," Kimberly muttered making Andy

    laugh softly.

    "I think it''s time to get that knee treated properly now," Kimberly said gently, brushing a strand of hair from Dawn''s forehead. "But we''ll call you again soon, okay?" "Okay," Jamal agreed, though he didn''t want the call to end, "Promise not to cry again?" Jamal asked earnestly, holding up his pinky finger to the screen as if making a solemn vow. Dawn mimicked the gesture, her tiny pinky finger held up to the screen. "Pinky promise," she said with a shy smile.

    "Pinky promise," Jamal echoed, his heart swelling with affection for his friend. "Feel better

    soon, Dawn!"

    "Thanks, Jamal. Bye, Aunt Andy. Bye, Jamal," Dawn said softly, waving at the screen before Kimberly ended the call.

    As the screen went dark, Jamal let out a small sigh, but there was a contented smile on his face. He turned to Andy, his eyes shining. "I''m d we talked to her."

    Andy wrapped an arm around him, pulling him into a side hug. "Me too, kiddo. You did a great

    job cheering her up."

    Jamal beamed up at her, his heart full. "I just want her to be happy," he said earnestly.

    "And she is," Candace chimed in, having listened to the whole interaction with pride. "You''re

    a good friend, Jamal."

    Aaron nodded in agreement, his eyes twinkling with approval. "That you are, Jamal. That you

    are."n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Away from there, the moment the call ended, Kimberly looked at Ryan''ste housekeeper''s six-year-old daughter, Genevieve, with a stern expression, "Why did you do that to Dawn?" Genevieve merely looked at Kimberly without saying a word, and Kimberly took a deep breath

    to calm herself.

    "Why did you push her?" she asked again since she had witnessed the whole scene from the balcony and she didn''t see or hear Dawn say anything to warrant being pushed so roughly to

    the point that she got hurt.

    "What is going on?" Ryan asked as he joined them, and when he saw the bandage on Dawn''s

    knee, he went to her immediately.

    "What happened to you, princess?" He asked as he crouched down in front of Dawn, and Genevieve watched him with a mixture of sadness and anger in her eyes.

    "She was ying with Genevieve outside, and Genevieve pushed her down. I saw it myself," Kimberly said and Ryan frowned as he turned to look at Genevieve.

    "Why did you do that?" Ryan asked her with displeasure.

    Genevieve remained silent, her small lips pressed tightly together as she looked down at the

    ground.

    Ryan''s frown deepened as he studied the little girl, trying to understand her behavior. He had always been patient with Genevieve''s tantrums, but this was not something he could

    overlook.

    Kimberly watched the interaction with a mixture of concern and frustration. Ever since Ryan introduced Genevieve to her as histe housekeeper''s daughter whom he was raising, she had done her best to take the kid under her wing, but this kind of behavior needed to be addressed.

    "I will talk to Genevieve while you clean up Dawn," Ryan told Kimberly before leading Genevieve away.

    Once they were safely out of earshot, Ryan looked at Genevieve, "Why did you do that?" Ryan

    asked Genevieve with a frown.

    "I don''t like her! I don''t want her in our house," Genevieve cried.

    "Do you want to be punished?" Ryan asked, and she shook her head. "Behave yourself and don''t ever do that again, else I''m going to send you away from here, do you understand me?" Ryan said and Genevieve nodded, her eyes wide with fear. "One day, all that Dawn has is going to be yours. So, make sure you are best friends with her and know everything she knows, okay?" Ryan said, looking directly into his daughter''s eyes. Even though she didn''t exactly understand what that meant, she bobbed her head. "Now listen to me, and I will tell you exactly what you''re going to say when we get back

    there," Ryan said, and Genevieve listened as her father told her word for word what to say and

    how to behave.

    When Ryan was sure she had gotten it, he led her back to join Kimberly and Dawn, and the moment Genevieve saw Dawn, she broke into a sob.

    "I''m sorry."

    Seeing this, Kimberly''s brows pulled together as she pulled Genevieve to herself, her tone

    gentle but firm. "Genny, it''s okay to talk to me. I just want to understand why you did that."

    Genevieve''s bottom lip trembled, and she nced up, her eyes filled with tears. "I didn''t

    mean to," she mumbled, her voice barely audible. "She wasughing... and... and I just got so mad."

    Kimberly''s expression softened slightly as she took Genevieve''s hand. "Mad? Why did you get mad, sweetheart?"

    Genevieve sniffled, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "Because... because Dawn gets

    to have a mommy and daddy who loves her and ys with her, and I don''t...." Her small voice cracked with emotion, and tears spilled down her cheeks. Kimberly''s heart clenched at the little girl''s confession. She exchanged a nce with Ryan as she pulled Genevieve into her arms, holding her close as she cried softly into her chest. "Oh, sweet girl," Kimberly whispered, rubbing her back soothingly. "I''m so sorry you feel that way. But you don''t have to be mad or hurt anyone because of it. Dawn is your friend, and she cares about you. And I care about you too," Kimberly said, her own eyes misting over. Genevieve clung to her, her small body trembling with sobs. Ryan reached out to gently stroke her hair, "We all care about you, Genevieve. We''re here for you, okay?"

    Dawn, who had been watching quietly from her chair, finally spoke up, her voice soft and full ofpassion. "Genny, I''m not mad at you for pushing me." Genevieve turned her tear-streaked face toward Dawn, sniffling. "You''re not?" Dawn shook her head, offering a small, tentative smile. "No, I''m not. You''re my friend."

    Genevieve wiped her nose with her sleeve, looking between Dawn, Ryan, and Kimberly. "I''m

    sorry, Dawn," she whispered, "I didn''t mean to hurt you."

    Dawn gave her a reassuring nod. "It''s okay."

    "Let''s be best friends, okay?" Genevieve said and Dawn hesitated for a moment thinking

    about Lucy who was her best friend.

    "I already have a best friend. But we can be good friends," she said, a smile tugging at the

    corners of her lips.

    Ryan kissed the top of Dawn''s head. "That''s my girl. Now, let''s get you girls cleaned up and maybe we can all have a little treat together. How does that sound?"

    Both girls nodded eagerly, and Kimberly gave Ryan a grateful look, thankful for how he

    handled the situation with grace and love.

    So far he had shown her that he wasn''t as bad as she had thought, and she was thankful that he

    was a good father to Dawn. She had made the right decision in marrying him.

    *****

    Quick Announcement. I''m sorry, every one. Contrary to what I nned, I''ve been adviced by my editor to start Jamal''s story as a stand-alone and fresh story. OWN will be ending at chapter 1000. I''m going to start Jamal''s story immediately it ends. I hope you support me and add it up in your library. Thanks.

 Chapter 948: Deal

    Chapter 948: Deal

    ?

    Thete morning sun streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows of Tom''s indoor gym, as Lucy and Tom stood side by side on a pair of treadmills, both dressed infortable

    workout gear.

    Lucy wore a fitted tank top and leggings that hugged her body, while Tom sported a loose t- shirt and shorts. The air was filled with the soft rhythm of their footfalls as they settled into a steady pace.

    "This is nice," Lucy remarked, her voice breathy but cheerful as she nced at Tom. "I''m d we finally get to do this."

    Tom grinned, his eyes twinkling with a yful challenge. "Are you in for apetition?" he asked, increasing the speed on his treadmill slightly.

    Lucy grinned, "As long as you don''t n to cheat as usual, you know I''m always in. What''s the prize?"

    "As usual. You can ask me for anything..."

    "If I win I want to see Dawn," Lucy stated simply.

    Tom raised a brow, "I thought you were over that."

    "I still want to see her regardless of Kimberly''s attitude. So, if I win it will be up to you to arrange the meeting. Make seeing her possible," Lucy said and Tom sighed.

    "Alright. When I win..."

    "Excuse me? What do you mean ''when I win''?" Lucy asked incredulously and Tom chuckled.

    "Because I n to win," he said and Lucy giggled.

    "Sorry, but I don''t like your use of when. I said IF not when. Saying when sounds to me like you already n to cheat," she said and Tom chuckled.

    "Why are you nitpicking? Are you scared of losing already?" Tom asked and Lucy rolled her

    eyes.

    "What do you want IF you win?" Lucy asked and Tom grinned.

    "I want us to go to a strip club," he said and her eyes widened in shock. "Thomas Hank!" She eximed and heughed, amused by her reaction.

    "Why would you want to go to a strip club?" she asked and he shrugged.

    "It''s one of my fantasies. Going to a strip club with mydy," Tom said and Lucy''s brows pulled together as she thought about it.

    "But you''ve never told me that before. Have you been to a strip club before?" She asked and Tom looked at her with an amused smile.

    "Of course," he said and her brows pulled together.

    "I''ve never been to one before and I''m not sure how I''m going to feel about seeing other nakeddies or seeing you look at them," she said with a frown.

    "Don''t you want to find out?" He asked, and she pursed her lips as she considered it.

    "Okay. If you win we will do it. But you will have to promise me that we will leave if I''m notfortable being there," she said, and Tom gave her a nod.

    "Sure. First one to get winded loses," he said and Lucy grinned, a mischievous glint in her eye.

    "Oh, you''re on. I hope you''re ready to eat my dust," Lucy said, and with that, she matched his pace, her feet moving fast as the treadmill sped up.

    They fell into afortable rhythm, and for the first few minutes, they ran inpanionable silence, both focused on their breathing and the steady rhythm of their strides.

    The cardio was invigorating, their bodies gradually warming up as they pushed themselves harder. The gym was spacious, and the mirrored walls reflected their determined expressions back at them, each of them stealing nces at the other. Tom would wink at her at intervals and Lucy would giggle and then wink back.

    After they had run for a while, Tom couldn''t resist throwing a light-hearted jab her way. "You know, Jewel, if you need to take a break, I won''t hold it against you. I''d hate for you to overexert yourself."

    Lucy shot him a sideways nce, her lips quirking up in a smirk. "I''m just getting started, my love. Don''t tell me you''re already struggling to keep up?"

    Tomughed, the sound deep and genuine, echoing through the room. "Struggling? Far from it. I''m just giving you a head start, that''s all."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    The banter continued, theirpetitive spirits driving them to increase the pace. Beads of sweat began to form on their foreheads, and their breathing grew morebored, but neither was willing to give the other the satisfaction of slowing down first.

    Lucy''s eyes flicked to Tom''s treadmill disy. "You know," she panted, her voice light despite the exertion, "I think I''m pulling ahead. Maybe I should slow down so you can catch

    up?"

    Tom shook his head, a grin stered across his face. "In your dreams, love."

    Minutes turned into an intense cardio duel, the pace quickening as they egged each other on. The room filled with their breathlessughter and the sound of their footsteps pounding the treadmill belts.

    Tom stole another nce at Lucy, noticing the determined set of her jaw, the way her ponytail bobbed with each stride and the slight flush of her cheeks. She looked focused, but there was a yful glimmer in her eyes that told him she was enjoying this just as much as he was.

    Finally, after what felt like an eternity but was probably only twenty minutes, Tom felt the burn in his legs intensify. His breathing was ragged, and his heart pounded in his chest. He knew he was close to hitting his limit, but he didn''t want to be the first to admit it.

    "Okay," he gasped, slowing his pace just slightly, "I''ll admit it... you''ve got stamina, Jewel." Lucy, who was also starting to feel the strain, shed him a triumphant grin. "Told you... I''m not... an amateur."

    But even as she said it, she could feel her legs beginning to wobble, her breathing in shorter gasps. She nced at Tom, noting that he too was struggling to maintain his pace.

    "How about... we call it... a draw?" she suggested, slowing her treadmill to a brisk walk. "We''re both too stubborn... to admit defeat."

    Tom, grateful for the reprieve, nodded in agreement and matched her pace. "Agreed," he said between breaths, wiping the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. "But for the record, I was totally about to win."

    Lucyughed, the sound a little breathless but filled with genuine amusement. "Sure you were," she teased, grabbing a towel from a nearby rack and tossing it to him. "Whatever helps you sleep at night."

    They both slowed their treadmills to a stop, stepping off with a slight wobble in their legs as

    they panted.

    Tom burst into a peal ofughter as he watched Lucy copse on the floor and Lucyughed as he joined her, spreading out his tired legs too.

    Neither of them said a word as they waited for the adrenaline of their workout to fade and for their breath to return to normal.

    "I was going to win, you know? I decided to show you mercy because your legs were wobbling and you begged to call it a draw," Tom said, still catching his breath as he watched Lucy sit up to drink some water.

    Lucy guffawed. "The only reason I asked us to call it a draw was because you looked like you were going to copse and my love for you is greater than my desire to win," Lucy said and

    Tom chuckled.

    "So, since neither of us won, I guess we won''t be fulfilling the demands," Tom said and Lucy

    shrugged.

    "Or we can fulfill both," Lucy suggested.

    "Okay. Let''s do that," Tom said with a nod.

    "Not bad for our first time using the gym together," Lucy said, rolling her shoulders to

    release some of the tension.

    "Not bad at all. But we''re not done yet. How about a swim to cool down?" Tom suggested.

    Lucy''s eyes lit up at the suggestion. "A swim sounds perfect," she said with a smile. "I could definitely use a cool-down after that."

    They headed toward the indoor pool, which was just adjacent to the gym. The air was cooler in the pool area, and the water shimmered invitingly under the lights. The pool itself was a generous size, with a design that fit perfectly with the rest of the house.

    Tom peeled off his damp shirt and tossed it onto a nearby lounge chair. He shot Lucy a yful look. "Race you to the water?" He suggested as he took off his shoes.

    Lucy didn''t need to be asked twice. She quickly removed her shoes and socks, then her tank

    top, leaving her in just her sports bra and leggings. Without waiting for Tom, she sprinted to the edge of the pool and jumped in, the cool water enveloping her in an instant.

    "I knew you were going to do that," Tom said,ughing hard as he dove in right behind her.

    They both surfaced with wide grins, shaking the droplets from their hair.

    letting water soothe

    tired

    is perfect," Lucy sighed, floating on her muscles. The tension from their workout melted away as they glided through the water, the

    sound of their gentle sshes echoing in the room.

    Tom swam up beside her, his eyes sparkling with mischief. "Think you can outswim me,

    too?" he challenged, sshing water in her direction.

    Lucyughed, sshing him back. "No. I''m not interested in any morepetitions. I just

    want to rx."

    "Are you sure that''s the reason or you''re just scared?" Tom asked, and their Laughter bubbled up as they swam inzy circles around each other and yfully bumped into each other.

    "You''ve got a really beautiful house," Lucy said, and Tom smiled.

    "We, Lucy. This is our home," Tom said and she nodded. "Yeah. It is," she said with a soft smile as she sshed water on his face.

    "Outswim me," she called to Tom as she quickly swam away and Tom chased after her

    laughing.

    Lucy reached the end of the pool first, slightly breathless andughing as she grabbed onto

    the edge, and Tom joined her,ughing too as he wrapped his arms around her, their faces just

    inches apart.

    Tom grinned at Lucy, his eyes gleaming with a mix ofughter and affection. "You''re full of tricks," he said, his voice warm and teasing.

    Lucy, still catching her breath, gave him a yful shove. "I could say the same about you,"

    she replied, her heart racing from more than just the swim as Tom lowered his head to kiss

    her.

    The kiss was long and deep, and by the time he pulled back, they were both breathless again. "I think kissing is like cardio. It leaves you breathless," she said and Tomughed out loud.

    "All exercise leaves you breathless," he said and she shook her head. "Walking doesn''t," she said and Tom chuckled.

    "Didn''t you just walk on the treadmill? Why were you breathless?" He asked and she grinned.

    "Whatever. I guess kissing is an exercise for the lips," she said as they both floated in the

    water enjoying the moment.

    After a while, Lucy paddled over to the pool''s edge and pulled herself out, droplets of water

    glistening on her skin as she sat down, letting her legs dangle in the water. "I should probably start getting ready," she said, thinking about her cooking ss.

    Tom swam over to join her, resting his arms on the pool''s edge and looking up at her with a

    small smile. "Yeah, I guess we can''t stay here all day," he agreed, though there was a touch of wistfulness in his tone.

    Lucy reached down to ruffle his wet hair, her fingers lingering for a moment. "It was fun

    working out with you. We should do this more often."

    "Definitely," Tom replied, his voice warm and genuine.

    Lucy stood up and grabbed a towel from the nearby rack, wrapping it around herself. "So,

    what is your n for the rest of the day?"

    "I''m hanging out with Harry," Tom said as he climbed out of the pool, shaking the water

    from his hair. "We''re going meet up with some friends at the Gentlemen''s club, maybe grab a

    drink." "Friends? Philip?" Lucy asked curiously.

    "No. We have other friends. We don''t meet up often ''cause we all don''t have the time, but we

    do business together," he said and she nodded.

    "I see. You will have to give me their details so I invite them to our Christmas ball then," she

    said and he smiled.

    "I''m sure they will be on the list Harry will be giving you," Tom said and Lucy nodded.

    "Sounds good," Lucy said as she gathered her things.

    "About the stripping club... can we do it today?" Tom asked as they headed for the door.

    "Lucas ising over, remember?" She said and he nodded.

    "Oh, yeah. How about next weekend then?"

    "We are traveling for my ss reunion," she said and he chuckled.

    "Okay. The next weekend..."

    "It''s Aurora''s wedding."

    "Shit! Why do we suddenly have so many activities lined up?" Tom said and Lucy giggled.

    "We can do it on Sunday after their wedding on Saturday," she said and Tom grinned.

    "Deal."

    "What about seeing Dawn?" Lucy asked and Tom cocked his head to the side as he thought

    about it.

    "Give me some time to work it out and I''ll get back to you," he said and she nodded.

    "Deal."

    *****

    Quick Question: I n to join a contest with JD story.

    Because of the rule of the contest, I might have to break out of my character in naming the

    story and my writing style.

    I want y''all to choose the name.

    Stolen Identity: The Mute Heiress

    Or

    The Billionaire''s First Love Is The Mute Hidden Heiress.

    Also, would you like me to write in first person POV or maintain this third person POV?

 Chapter 949: Girlfriend/Boyfriend

    Chapter 949: Girlfriend/Boyfriend

    ?

    By the time Lucas and Amy were done and breathless from their yfulpetition, the morning had slipped into early afternoon.

    Lucas nced at the time and sighed. "We should probably start heading back now."

    Amy, still catching her breath, bobbed her head. "How about you take me home to freshen up, and then we can go to Lucy''s together so you freshen up too before we go out? I have a surprise for you."

    Lucas looked intrigued. "A surprise? Where are you taking me?"

    Amy grinned, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "You will see when we get there, you''ll like it," she said confidently.

    "Alright," Lucas agreed, a smile tugging at his lips. "I''m curious now."

    As Lucas drove them back to Amy''s ce, they bothughed about their game earlier and after some time Lucas turned to smile at her, "Somehow I still can''t believe I''m doing this with you."

    Amy giggled, "Why not? I''m not your type?" she asked with an easy smile that told Lucas that she wouldn''t be offended even if he said so.

    "How can you not be my type with your beauty, intelligence, and exceptional sense of humor?" He asked, and she grinned.

    "Right! I was wondering the same," she said flicking her hair yfully, and Lucas chuckled. "You know what I love most about you?" Lucas asked, and Amy looked at him with interest.

    "I thought that would be hard for you to decide on because everything is awesome," she joked and Lucasughed.

    "You''re too full of yourself," Lucas said and Amy grinned.

    "Wow! That''s what you love most?" she asked, and Lucasughed again.

    "You know that''s not what I mean," he said with an amused smile thinking about how easily Amy made himugh.

    "So, what do you like most then?" she asked, smiling at him with interest.

    "Your honesty and maturity. You''re so mature and easy to talk to," he said and she pursed her lips.

    "That''s two things. But why maturity?"

    "I believe your maturity is the reason we are this way right now. I never would have imagined being in a rtionship with anyone this soon, but somehow you were able to make me think about it. And at the same time, you took the pressure off me. You''re amazing, Amy," he said and Amy smiled.

    "Thanks. You''re not bad yourself. Dr Hottie," she said with a teasing smile and Lucas chuckled.

    "That. I''ve been wanting to ask, who came up with that nickname? You? Or Miley?" He asked, and Amy grinned.

    "Who do you think?" she asked with a wink.

    "You?" He asked, and she nodded.

    "So, you thought I was hot, huh?" He asked with a grin.

    "Aren''t you? It was merely a statement of fact, not interest," she said easily.

    "And now?" Lucas asked, and she shrugged.

    "I suppose it''s both. I saved your number as Dr. Hottie," she said with a grin and Lucas chuckled.

    "Guess how I saved yours?" He asked as he parked the car in front of her apartment.

    "I can''t guess. Tell me," she said and he smiled as they got out of the car.

    "Pretty Amy," he said and she giggled.

    "Is there an ugly Amy?" She asked as they walked to the door.

    "I don''t know. I don''t care about any other Amys. If I had my way I would make sure no one else bears Amy beside you," he said and she giggled as she unlocked the door and they stepped inside the house.

    "That''s a very sweet thing to say," Amy said and before she could walk away, Lucas grabbed her hand and pulled her back.

    Amy''s heart fluttered as she looked into his smiling eyes, and he tucked her hair behind her ear, "I want to kiss you," Lucas said, and Amy swallowed.

    "I never imagined a statement like that could sound so sexy," she said as her arms went around Lucas'' neck.

    Lucas smiled as his hands rested on Amy''s hips, pulling her closer. He bit her lower lip, and Amy responded, kissing him back. The kiss wasn''t heated. It was slow and sweet, a gentle exploration of each other''s lips.

    As they broke apart, Amy smiled up at Lucas, her eyes shining with happiness. "I wanted to kiss you before you said it," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

    "What stopped you? Feel free to do it now. That was mine. Do yours," Lucasmanded in a husky voice and Amyughed as she kissed him. Her fingers threaded through his hair as she savored the tenderness and intimacy of the kiss.

    Her cheeks flushed pink as they pulled away, and Lucas grinned, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "I''m d we''re on the same page."

    Amyughed, and Lucas released her, allowing her to step back. "Go freshen up," he said. "I''ll wait here."

    Amy nodded, her heart still racing from the kiss as she headed to her room while Lucas waited in the living room while.

    Amy quickly freshened up and when she returned, Lucas smiled when he saw she was dressed in a ck bodycon spaghetti-strapped dress with a drawstring at the right side.

    "Pretty Amy looks beautiful," he said and she giggled.

    "Thanks. Let''s go," she said, and together they left the house and headed over to Lucy''s apartment.

    The moment they walked into the apartment, Amy''s smile faltered as she remembered thest time she had been there, and sensing the shift in her mood, Lucas kissed her forehead to

    distract her.

    "If the apartment could talk doy

    looked at him.

    "What?"

    know what it would have said?" Lucas asked and Amy

    "Wow! I never knew Amy was this pretty. She looked so downcast thest time she was here, and now she''s so beautiful. Bravo, Amy!" Lucas said pping, and Amy smiled.

    "Is that from you or the apartment?" Amy asked and Lucas shrugged.

    "From us all. Why don''t you keep mepany while I shower?" He suggested, and when Amy smiled and wiggled her brow, he chuckled.

    "I don''t mean that sort ofpany. I mean talk to me from outside the door while I shower," The corrected and she giggled.

    As Lucas showered, he made sure to keep her upied with conversation so that she wouldn''t think about anything else, and once Lucas was ready, they left together.

    Amy guided him through the city to a part he hadn''t explored before. As they pulled up in front of a familiar building, Lucas couldn''t help but chuckle when he realized where they

    were.

    "A lounge? You brought me to a lounge?" Lucas asked, amused.

    "Not just any lounge," Amy corrected with a grin as she led him inside. "This is my favorite spot. Told you I was going to bring you here, remember?"

    "I guess you''ve made good on your word to fulfill all your promises in one day," he said and

    she grinned.

    "Yep," she said as they found a secluded booth in the corner. Amy pointed to a spot by the bar, her eyes twinkling with amusement. "That''s where I satst time we were on the phone while I was here. I was thinking about you the whole time."

    Lucas smiled, feeling a warm sense of affection for her. "And now we''re here together."

    "Exactly," Amy said with a nod. "And guess what tonight is? Karaoke night." Lucas''s eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Karaoke? You''re going to make me sing, are you?"

    "Only if you want to," Amy said with a yful smile. "But it would be fun if you did."

    "I will on one condition," Lucas said and Amy raised a brow.

    "What?"

    "You do a song first. I want to watch you sing," he said, and she grinned as she held out a hand

    for a handshake.

    "You have yourself a deal, Buddy."

    Soon a waiter came over and served them, and they both drank and made conversation for

    some time until it was karaoke hour.

    When it was Amy''s turn, Lucas cheered as he watched her go to the stage, and he wasn''t very surprised when she settled for "My Love" by Westlife.

    As Amy sang, Lucas couldn''t take his eyes off her. Her voice was soft yet filled with emotion. The tenderness in her expression, the slight quiver in her voice- it was as if she was pouring her heart out for someone she dearly missed. The room seemed to fade away, leaving only

    Amy and the music.

    When she finished, the room erupted in apuse, but Lucas knew that the song had been more for herself than for anyone else. She gave a small smile and a polite nod to the crowd

    before making her way back to the table where Lucas was waiting.

    "You were amazing," Lucas said as she sat down, his voice gentle.

    Amy smiled, a touch of sadness still lingering in her eyes. "Thank you. It''s one of my favorites. It always makes me feel closer to Miley."

    Lucas reached out and took her hand in his, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "I thought as

    much."

    Amy''s smile grew warmer, the sadness receding as she focused on Lucas. "Thanks, Lucas." "What for?" He asked softly, his thumb brushing over her knuckles.

    "For being here with me," she said and Lucas smiled.

    "You brought me here, I didn''t exactly have a choice," he joked, knowing that was what she

    needed.

    Amyughed as he had expected, and the yful sparkle returned to her eyes. "Okay, your turn. A deal''s a deal."

    Lucas chuckled, shaking his head. "Alright, alright. I''ll do it."

    Amy pped her hands excitedly as Lucas stood up and made his way to the stage. She

    watched as he selected a song and waited for the music to start. To her surprise, he chose "Grenade" by Bruno Mars.

    As Lucas began to sing, he threw himself into the performance with gusto, even adding some

    cheesy boy-band dance moves for extra effect. Amyughed, pping along as Lucas worked

    the crowd, his charisma shining through. His voice was good, and he had the audience singing along with him in the chorus.

    When he finished, the crowd roared with approval, and Lucas took a bow before returning to Amy, who was stillughing and pping.

    "You''ve got some moves!" she teased as he sat down.

    "I had to make it entertaining," Lucas said with a grin, clearly pleased with himself. "You definitely did," Amy agreed, her eyes shining with affection. "I knew you were a good sport. But I''d catch a grenade for you too though," she said with a grin, and heughed. They spent the rest of the eveningughing, talking, and enjoying each other''spany. The hours seemed to fly by, and before they knew it, it waste.

    As they walked out of the lounge, the night air was cool and refreshing after the warmth of the

    lounge, and Amy shivered slightly.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Lucas noticed and immediately slipped off his jacket, draping it over her shoulders. "Can''t

    have you catching a cold," he said with a smile.

    "Thank you," Amy said, pulling the jacket tighter around herself. "I should change your name

    to Dr Romantic," she said and Lucas chuckled.

    "I never knew giving you my jacket was romantic," he said and Amy grinned.

    "It is to me. Feels like being wrapped in a warm embrace by you," she said and Lucas

    chuckled.

    They walked infortable silence for a while, their steps in sync as they made their way to

    the car. When they reached it, Lucas opened the door for Amy, but before she could get in, he gently took her hand, stopping her.

    "Today was amazing," he said softly, his eyes searching hers. "I haven''t had this much fun in

    a long time."

    Amy smiled, her heart fluttering at the sincerity in his voice. "Me neither. I''m really d we did this." Lucas hesitated for a moment, then took a step closer, closing the distance between them. His hand came up to cup her cheek, his thumb brushing over her skin in a tender caress. "I''m

    going to kiss you again," he confessed, his voice low and husky as he leaned in until their faces were inches apart.

    Amy''s breath caught in her throat, her heart pounding in her chest and then, without another word, she closed the gap, pressing her lips to his in a soft, lingering kiss.

    It was sweet and slow, filled with all the emotions they had been building up throughout the

    day. Amy melted into the kiss, her handsing up to rest on his chest as she lost herself in the moment.

    Suddenly Amy giggled, and Lucas pulled away to look at her in amusement, "What''s funny?"

    "I just remembered the lyrics of your song," she said, and Lucas chuckled, knowing the part she was talking about.

    "You''re something, Amy," Lucas said, his voice barely audible as they rested their foreheads against each other''s.

    They stood there for a moment longer, wrapped up in each other, before Lucas finally let Amy get inside. As he drove her home, their hands remained intertwined.

    When they reached her apartment, Lucas walked her to the door, their goodbyes lingering as

    neither of them wanted the night to end.

    Lucas leaned in for one more quick kiss before stepping back, "Are we still thinking about dating?" He asked, and she giggled.

    "I feel like we''ve been dating for years already," she said and Lucas grinned. "Goodnight, girlfriend," Lucas said softly, his thumb brushing over her knuckles onest

    time.

    "Goodnight, boyfriend," Amy replied, her voice filled with warmth.

    Lucas watched as she unlocked her door and stepped inside. As the door closed, Lucas smiled

    to himself, his heart feeling lighter than it had in a long time.

    He whistled throughout the drive to Tom''s house.

 Chapter 950: Sounds Like A Plan

    Chapter 950: Sounds Like A n

    ?

    After dinner, Tom and Lucy decided to take an evening stroll around the house while they waited for Lucas to arrive.

    They walked side by side, their fingers entwined, "It''s so funny and sweet that Lucas is in love with Amy," Lucy said, a smile ying on her lips.

    "Why is it funny?" Tom asked, and she grinned.

    "I remember how defensive he used to get whenever I asked or insinuated that he had feelings for her. I''m d that he is finally going for it," she said and Tom smiled.

    "You don''t mind that your brother''s girlfriend is your secretary?" Tom asked and Lucy raised a brow.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "Why should I? Amy is wonderful. You know I like her," Lucy said and Tom nodded.

    "Yeah, I do. And I like you," Tom said and Lucy rolled her eyes but smiled.

    "I want a piggy ride," Lucy said and Tom turned to look at her.

    "That''s so random," he said as he turned.

    "What''s so random about wanting my man to carry me on his back when we are taking a stroll?" Lucy asked and Tom grinned.

    "Ooh! Your man. I like that," he said, and she giggled.

    Tom lowered himself so she could get on his back, and once she hopped on, Tom continued walking again.

    They walked inpanionable silence for a while and Lucy kissed Tom''s cheek, "What are you thinking?"

    Tom smiled, "I''m just thinking that I''d like to carry you this way fifty years from now. And I''m wondering if you''d weigh the same or more, or less. And then I''m trying to picture you looking fatter or frail," he said and Lucy smiled.

    "I can''t picture myself looking fatter. Will you love me less if I gain weight?" she asked and Tom shrugged.

    "I will always love you, but I won''t let you be fat," he said and she frowned.

    "So, you''re saying you won''t love the fat version of me?"

    "I''m saying I won''t let that version exist. But I will always love you," Tom said patiently.

    "What if you can''t prevent it and that versiones into existence?" Lucy insisted.

    "Then we will do all we can to get rid of it..."

    "Let me down," Lucy said and Tom let her down.

    Lucy stood facing him, wanting to see his face, "So, what if after we do everything we still can''t get rid of the fat?" She asked and Tom sighed.

    "Where is this question going, Jewel? Your mom isn''t even fat. I don''t think you''re ever going

    to be fat..."

    "What if I be fat by chance? Are you going to leave me for someone else?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.

    "Seriously, Lucy, where is this questioning from or going to?" Tom asked, amused.

    "From my head, of course. Where else would it being from? You could have left your answer at you''d always love me. Why did you have to add the part about not letting me be fat?" She asked with a scowl.

    "That''s to tell you I care, ''cause being obese isn''t good for you. I mean health-wise. I want you to live really long and to be healthy," Tom said reasonably.

    "So, you''re saying you said that only because you care about my health and not because you''d find me less attractive if I gain excess weight," she said and Tom nodded.

    "Of course. I''d love you in any form, shape, or color," he said, and she smiled, satisfied with his response.

    "Okay. I want to get back," she said and he raised a brow.

    "Get back where?" He asked, lost.

    "On your back. Let''s keep going," she said, and Tom chuckled, wondering what hade over her.

    "Okay. Get on," he said, turning for her to hop on his back.

    They walked inpanionable silence for a while again and then Lucy broke the silence, "Ace?"

    Tom''s lips twitched with an amused smile as he wondered what she wanted to ask this time, "Yes?"

    "What if we never met?" she asked and Tom chuckled.

    "Then I guess I''d be single and lonely for the rest of my life," he said, and she grinned.

    "Well, I guess we are both lucky we met else life would have been pretty boring and lonely," she said with a contented sigh.

    Tom chuckled. "That, we are. I think Lucas is here," Tom said when he saw the light of a car approaching in the distance.

    "Yeah. I see it too," Lucy said as she tapped his arm for him to let her down.

    They stood there waiting for him to join them and Lucas'' face lit up with a broad grin when he spotted them waiting for him and he parked the car and got out.

    "Lucy!" he called out, his voice filled with affection and a hint of amusement.

    Lucy dashed forward, meeting her twin brother halfway. She flung her arms around Lucas, hugging him tightly as if she hadn''t seen him in years.

    "Lucas! I''ve missed you so much!" she eximed, her voice muffled against his chest.

    Lucas chuckled, wrapping his arms around her and lifting her off the ground briefly. "I''ve missed you too," he replied, his tone softening as he held her close.

    Tom walked over at a more leisurely pace, a warm smile on his face. "Good to see you, Lucas," he said as he reached them, extending a hand.

    Lucas set Lucy back down on her feet and took Tom''s hand, shaking it firmly. "Likewise, Tom. It''s always good to see you."

    They all turned toward the house, walking together as a trio. As they walked into the house, Lucy looped her arm through Lucas''s, her eyes sparkling with joy.

    "Have you had dinner yet?" she asked, her concern for her brother''s well-being evident.

    "Yes, I have," he said simply.

    "Alright, then let''s head out to the patio," Tom suggested, guiding them through the house.

    The patio doors were already open, allowing the evening breeze to drift inside, carrying with it the scent of blooming flowers from the garden. String lights were strung above, twinkling softly as they swayed in the gentle wind.

    The trio settled into the chairs, the atmosphere easy and rxed. Lucy was the first to speak, her curiosity getting the better of her. "So, how was your date with Amy?" she asked, her tone casual but her eyes sharp with interest.

    Lucas raised an eyebrow, a teasing smile tugging at his lips. "Why are you asking me that?"

    Lucy rolled her eyes, yfully nudging him with her elbow. "Oh,e on, I know I''m only seeing you now because you must have gone on a date with her."

    Lucasughed, leaning back in his chair. "Alright. You got me. Yeah, I spent the day with her."

    "I knew it," Lucy said with a grin, "Excuse me while I get us something to drink," Lucy said before walking away.

    Alone with Lucas, Tom, who had been quiet, leaned forward slightly, resting his forearms on his knees. "How are you, Lucas? How''s everything going with your program?"

    Lucas''s expression grew a bit more serious as he considered the question. "I''m fine. And the program is going smoothly, actually. I''m done with the first half already, which is a relief. I should be done before the holidays."

    "That''s great to hear," Tom said with a nod, genuinely pleased to hear that.

    There was a brief pause, thefortable silence filled the distant chirping of crickets as the night settled in around them. The stars began to twinkle overhead, their light faint.

    Lucas broke the silence with a sincere look in his eyes as he turned to Tom. "Thanks, for making Lucy so happy," Lucas said, his voice low but filled with gratitude.

    Tom met his gaze, a small smile on his lips. "I wonder why you keep telling me that each time we meet. Really, it''s Lucy who''s making me happy," he replied earnestly. Lucas chuckled, shaking his head slightly. "You''re good for each other. It''s just... it''s really

    nice to see her doing so well. I wouldn''t be able to move on this way or be happy if she didn''t have you. So, I''m really thankful."

    Tom nodded, understanding the sentiment behind Lucas''s words. "I''m d you''re both fine. That''s all that matters. And it''s good that your job won''t be the only thing you''d being back to," Tom said and Lucas chuckled.

    "I''m really looking forward to settling here already. Though, I haven''t told Amy about it yet,"

    Lucas said conversationally.

    "Why not? You want to surprise her?" Tom asked and Lucas grinned.

    "Yeah. She''s awesome," Lucas said, unable to hide his feelings and Tom smiled knowingly.

    "I bet she is," Tom said as Lucy returned with a bottle of wine and three sses.

    The conversation flowed easily among them and they talked about Hu, and Tyler and how they were all d that Mia''s issue had been resolved.

    They sat inpanionable silence for a while and then Lucas spoke, "By the way," he began, ncing between Tom and Lucy, "would it be alright if Amy joined us on the trip to Heden as

    my plus one to the reunion?"

    Lucy''s face lit up at the suggestion, and Tom looked equally enthusiastic. "Of course," Lucy said, her voice bright. "The more, the merrier! Bryan and Sonia will be traveling with us too." Lucas smiled, clearly pleased with their response. "Perfect. I already invited her."

    As they talked, Lucy''s thoughts drifted to their parents, and she looked at Lucas. "Do Mom and Dad know you''re in Ludus?"

    Lucas shook his head, a sheepish grin spreading across his face. "Nope. I haven''t told them

    yet."

    Lucy pped her hands together, a yful glint in her eyes as she reached for her phone. "Well, we should give them a call."

    She quickly brought up their Mom''s contact in her phone and initiated a video call. After a few rings, the screen lit up with the familiar faces of Andrew and J, their expressions

    brightening at the sight of their daughter.

    "Darling! We were just talking about you. What a pleasant surprise!" J greeted, her smile

    warm.

    "Hey, Princess!" Andrew greeted pleasantly.

    Lucy grinned back, barely able to contain her excitement. "Hi, Mom! Hi, Dad! Guess who''s

    with me?"

    Before Andrew and J could make a guess, Lucas leaned into the frame, revealing his face with a broad smile. Their parents'' reactions were immediate-wide smiles and a burst ofughter.

    "Lucas! What are you doing in Ludus?" Andrew asked his tone a mix of surprise and delight.

    Lucas shrugged casually, though his parents didn''t miss the twinkle in his eye. "I was missing Lucy," he said with a yful smile.

    Lucy couldn''t resist chirping in, "That''s not true. He''s here because he got himself a new

    girlfriend," she said excitedly, knowing the news would make their parents happy. Lucas shot her a mock re, though there was no real heat behind it. "Lucy, really?" While Andrew looked at Lucas with interest, J, however, was all smiles at the news.

    "A new girlfriend, you say? Who is she? Tell us everything!" J said happy to know that Lucas was finally moving on.

    Lucas rubbed the back of his neck, clearly a bit embarrassed by the sudden attention. "I''ll tell

    you all about it another time, Mom," he promised.

    Andrew, chuckled at his son''s difort before his gaze shifted back to Lucy, "And how''s

    Tom doing?"

    Lucy quickly turned the camera toward Tom, who had been sitting quietly beside her, and

    Tom waved at the screen. "I''m doing well, thank you. How are you doing?" They exchanged pleasantries for a few more minutes, talking about Tom''s parents and siblings, the conversation light and filled with warmth. Eventually, they said their goodbyes, and Lucy ended the call, cing her phone back on the table.

    "Really, Lucy? You just had to tell them?" Lucas asked and she grinned.

    "Yeah. I had to. They''re going to see her anyway when we travel together. Is she noting

    home with us?" Lucy asked and Lucas winced.

    "I didn''t exactly think about taking her home. It didn''t ur to me," he said and Lucy raised a

    brow.

    "Did you n to stay in a hotel?" She asked and he shook his head.

    "I actually didn''t think or n anything other than the fact that she would be traveling with me and attending the party with me," Lucas said with a grin and they allughed. "What''s your n? Are you going to stay at Tom''s ce or a hotel?" Lucas asked curiously.

    Tom and Lucy exchanged a smile, "We will stay at home with Mom and Dad," she said and Lucas smiled.

    "That''s cool then. We will stay at home too," Lucas said and Lucy let out a content sigh, leaning back in her chair.

    "Sounds like a n," Tom said, looking forward to the weekend with Lucy and her family.

    "Mom and Dad are going to be so happy to have a full house. I can imagine their excitement," Lucy said with a grin and Lucas chuckled.

    "I think I''m going to head in for the night now. I''m beginning to feel sleepy," Lucy said with a

    yawn.

    Tom reached over, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. "I''ll hang out with Lucas for a bit before

    I join you." Lucy smiled, standing up from her seat. She leaned down to kiss Tom goodnight, her lips lingering on his for a moment before she pulled away. "Goodnight, Lucas," she said, giving her brother a pat on the back. "Don''t stay up toote, you two." "We won''t," Lucas promised with a grin as he watched her walk back into the house.

 Chapter 951: Lucy Fierce

    Chapter 951: Lucy Fierce

    ?

    The next day as Lucy sat in her office going through her emails, she lifted her head when her office door was pushed open and a smile spread across her face when Jade stepped inside.

    "I can''t believe we work under the same roof yet we barely see each other," Jade remarked, her tone teasing as she walked in holding a steaming cup of coffee in a styrofoam cup. Her dark hair framed her face, and her eyes twinkled with the usual mix of mischief and warmth.

    Lucy leaned back in her chair, chuckling softly. "Well, that goes to show that we are both busy people. And maybe if our offices were on the same floor it would have been easier to bump into each other more often."

    Jade shook her head in yful disagreement as she took a seat on the edge of Lucy''s desk, crossing one leg over the other. "That doesn''t exin why you haven''t been to my office yet." Lucy sighed and smiled sheepishly. "I''ve actually thought about it a couple of times. I would have stopped by, but I wasn''t sure if you''d be cool with it, you know?" Lucy admitted.

    "Why wouldn''t I be cool with it?" Jade asked, her brows furrowed in genuine confusion.

    "You know how I am. I like to be careful," Lucy said with a slight shrug, her voice carrying a hint of self-awareness.

    Jade rolled her eyes in mock exasperation. She knew Lucy could be overly cautious at times, especially when it came to respecting boundaries, but she thought they were past this stage already.

    "You''re always overthinking, Lu. If you''re not too busy right now, why don''t youe with me? I''ll show you to my office."

    "Sure, why not? I could use a break." Lucy said as she nced at herputer screen, where she had been in the middle of reading a lengthy mail. She minimized the window and stood up, smoothing the creases from her dress.

    As they walked out of the office together, Jade turned to Lucy. "So, how''s everything going? And how''s Lucas doing? Harry mentioned that Lucas is around," Jade said, and Lucy raised a brow.

    "How did Harry know?" She asked, and Jade rolled her eyes in that familiar, endearing way of hers.

    "You haven''t forgotten that Harry is your cousin, right? Lucas called him. And apart from that, if Tom knows, don''t you think Harry would know too?" Jade asked and Lucyughed, shaking her head at her silly question.

    "Yeah. You''re right. Well, everything is great. We are looking forward to the trip this weekend," Lucy said as they stepped into the elevator.

    "Well, Harry wants us to surprise his family this weekend. I think he misses being with them all," Jade said and Lucy smiled.

    "I miss Jamal," she said, thinking that if Tom was able to organize the trip to visit Dawn, they would take Jamal along with them.

    The elevator doors slid open with a soft ding, and they stepped out onto Jade''s floor. Lucy couldn''t help noticing that the atmosphere here felt slightly different from hers.

    It felt more rxed, yet buzzing with the energy of a team that clearly worked well together. As they walked past Jade''s colleagues, several of them paused to greet Lucy politely, recognizing her as the boss'' girlfriend.

    "Wasn''t that the guy with Candace at the anniversary party?" Lucy asked, nodding subtly toward Samson who passed them in the hallway.

    "Yeah, that''s Samson. He''s a pretty cool guy," Jade replied, leading the way toward her office door.

    She pushed it open and gestured dramatically with a flourish, "Wee to my office."

    Lucy stepped inside, her eyes widening slightly in surprise. The space was a perfect blend of professional and personal, and the furniture was softened by touches of pink and warm ents. It felt distinctly like Jade- elegant, yet approachable.

    Before Lucy couldment, a familiar face spun around from behind the desk. "Sony!" Lucy eximed, her voice rising with delight when she saw Sonia, who was grinning widely from the swivel chair.

    Sonia giggled, rising to her feet and walking around the desk to greet Lucy with a warm hug. "I decided to drop in and say hello to Jade today. When she mentioned you''ve never been to her office, I suggested she go get you."

    Lucyughed as she pulled back from the hug to look around the office again while Sonia received the coffee from Jade which she had asked her to get.

    "Wow, Jade, your office looks chic. I love what you''ve done with it."

    "Thanks," Jade said, her tone filled with pride as she took in the room. "It was looking too cold and boring, so I had to give it a little personal touch."

    "You''ve done a great job," Lucy agreed, still taking in some of the details- the plush pink throw on the couch, the carefully chosen art on the walls, and the small potted nt on the windowsill.

    "Lu, your office needs a personal touch too," Sonia chimed in, taking a sip of the coffee Jade had brought her.

    Lucy nodded, sinking into one of thefortable chairs. "Yep. I didn''t realize how ordinary my office looked until I got here. You know, I''ve never been to this floor," Lucy said and Jade shook her head in amusement.

    "Why doesn''t that surprise me?" she asked dryly.

    "Me neither," Sonia agreed.

    "Why doesn''t it?" Lucy asked and Jade m shrugged.

    "No offense, Lu, but you''re a one-dimensional person, and even though Tom has done a good job in bringing you out of your shell, you''re not all the way out yet. You do not like to explore or try out new things. As long as you''refortable, nothing else matters," Jade said and

    Lucy tried not to wince.

    "That''s not true..."

    "It is. I mean, you''ve been living with Tom for months now and it only urred to you to check out the rest of the rooms in the house a week ago. Do you know how that sounded? I mean, it''s not even my man''s ce yet I''ve been to almost every nook and cranny," Sonia said and Lucy shrugged.

    "We all can''t be the same. I like to focus on my business," Lucy said with a defensive edge to

    her voice.

    "It''s not a bad thing thing, Lu," Jade said softly, "it''s just an observation. And I''m only saying this because you asked why I''m not surprised that you''ve never been to this floor," Jade

    assured her.

    "And the truth is, you''ve reallye a long way from the way you were. You''ve changed so much in thest couple of months, and I can only imagine how much more transformation you''re going to undergo," Sonia said and Lucyughed.

    "I suppose so. Can you believe I''m thinking of going to a strip club with Tom?" She asked and

    Jade''s eyes widened while Soniaughed.

    "Really? Whose idea is it? Yours or his?" she asked and Jade nodded.

    "Yes, I''m curious. Was it your idea?" Jade asked and Lucy shook her head.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "No. It was Tom''s. But I agreed to it. I never would have imagined doing something like that. The idea of watching otherdies naked with Tom present makes me feel a sort of way, but I don''t know. I''m willing to give it a try," she said and Jade nodded.

    "I don''t think I''m ever going to give that a try. No matter how secure or healed I am, I still don''t want to see Harry staring at another nakeddy," Jade said and Sonia grinned. "So, during your vacation, there were nodies in bikinis and the like at the beach or pool?" She asked and Jade rolled her eyes.

    "Of course, there were. But that''s different," she said defensively.

    "The only thing I think is different is that thedies are paid to dress or rather, undress. It''s

    their profession. People see naked people all the time even in movies and stuff. It''s not a big deal. And don''t forget that Candace and Andy were strippers too," Sonia said and Lucy nodded

    in agreement.

    "Yeah. I thought about that too."

    Jade pouted, "I have nothing against strippers. I''m just saying the only nakeddy I want

    Harry''s gaze to be on, is me."

    "Lucy, while you''re at it you should get someone to give Tom ap dance," Sonia suggested

    with a wink.

    "I will pass. That I''m willing to try out crazy things with Tom doesn''t mean I''m crazy like you," Lucy said with a shake of her head.

    "How about ap dance for yourself? It would be a turn-on for both you and Tom," Sonia

    suggested.

    "No. I''m not you. I''m not attracted to females in any way," Lucy said, and Sonia scowled at

    her.

    "That was a one-time thing. And please don''t remind me about it," Sonia said with a

    disgusted expression.

    Jade raised a brow. "You were a lesbian?"

    "For Christ''s sake, Jade! Being with a girl once doesn''t make me a lesbian!" Sonia cried and

    Lucy giggled.

    "I will just cover up more around you," Jade said with a grin and Lucyughed while Sonia

    rolled her eyes.

    "So, why did Bryan let you out today? Is he busy?" Lucy asked changing the subject.

    Sonia nced at Jade who was still grinning before shifting her attention to Lucy. "For real?

    Did you just ask why Bryan let me out like I''m some house pet that has just been let out of the yard to pee?" she asked, making both Lucy and Jadeugh.

    "Don''t be so dramatic," Lucy said dryly, "We all know that Bryan never lets you out of his sight unless he can''t help it," Lucy said and Sonia rolled her eyes.

    "He has just been worried and scared since the miscarriage scare," Sonia said defensively.

    "I never said I didn''t understand or that it was wrong. You''re the one interpreting what I said negatively," Lucy said with a shrug.

    Sonia rolled her eyes, though her lips quirked into a smile. "I can bet myst dime that Tom would be worst. You wait until you get pregnant."

    Jade raised a brow, ncing between the two women. "Have you changed your mind about that?" she asked, looking pointedly at Lucy.

    "I''m just saying if she were to get pregnant, Tom would be more protective than Bryan is,"

    Sonia corrected.

    Jadeughed, nodding in agreement, "I think so too. But I guess we will find out, right?"

    Lucy, eager to change the subject, turned to Sonia, who was sipping from her coffee. "So, back

    to my question. Did you juste over for a casual hangout?"

    Sonia scowled, though it was clear from her expression that she wasn''t truly upset. "Why are

    you asking me that like I need to have a reason toe over?"

    "You know what? Forget it," Lucy said with a shake of her head. "Anyway, Bryan came over to handle some legal details and I tagged along," Sonia said and

    Lucy rolled her eyes.

    "Don''t care. Don''t want to know," Lucy said covering her ears with both hands.

    "Jade, how is the wedding preparationing?" Lucy asked, and Sonia raised a brow.

    "Is Jade preparing to get married?" She asked making Lucy and Jadeugh.

    "Don''t be silly. I''m referring to Aurora''s wedding," Lucy corrected. "The wedding preparation is going smoothly. I think Aurora''s excitement seems to be

    growing with each passing day," Jade said with an amused smile.

    "I can picture her smile," Lucy said with a grin.

    "Speaking of Aurora, Bryan and I had our couple dinner at the restaurantst night. It was so

    perfect," Sonia said with a dreamy smile.

    "I saw the pictures on Instagram," Jade said and Lucy nodded.

    "Me too. Sometimes I forget that Bryan is a celebrity until I see news of him on blogs. I can

    only imagine how the reunion will be if he has fans there," Lucy said with an amused smile. "I''m sure they''re all old enough to behave. When will Lucas be flying down? Or is he going

    directly to Heden? I''m sure he will need toe to see his girlfriend," Sonia said and Lucy grinned.

    "He came around already. They went on a date yesterday," Lucy said and Sonia pped

    happily.

    "Lucas has a girlfriend now?" Jade asked, wondering what they were talking about.

    "Yeah. Lucy''s Secretary. Last time I was in her office he had a package delivered to her," Sonia said and Jade smiled.

    "That sounds really sweet," Jade said, and Lucy nodded.

    "Do you know what''s sweeter? She''sing with him as his plus one to the reunion," Lucy

    said with a grin.

    "That sounds wonderful. It would be nice to see them together," Sonia said excitedly.

    "Yeah. And we will all be staying at our ce. My parents will be so happy," Lucy said, thinking about the surprise they n to pull on their parents.

    "Sonia where will you and Bryan be staying? At the house?" Jade asked, since they would be

    alone at home now that Evelyn and Desmond were away.

    Sonia grinned, "We n to stay at the hotel we met. As a matter of fact, we already booked

    the suite where we spent our first night together. Coincidentally, the reunion is taking ce at the event hall within the hotel."

    "That''s so sweet," Jade said, then paused when something urred to her. "Sorry to bring up an unpleasant subject, but wasn''t Rachel your ssmate?" Jade asked and both Sonia and Lucy scowled at the mention of her name.

    "Yeah. And she''s dead so she won''t be there. Why?" Sonia asked with displeasure.

    Jade shrugged. "I just think considering the suicide note she left, people might speak ill of

    Lucas and Amy if he shows up at the reunion with a girl so soon."

    "They can think it, but they better not utter a word of it to his hearing or mine, ''cause I won''t

    let it slide if anyone does. People should learn to mind their business," Lucy said and Sonia

    grinned.

    "That''s my girl! Lucy fierce," Sonia hailed, and they allughed.

    "I mean it," Lucy said and Sonia nodded.

    "I''m sure they know better than to do that."

    "Well, I hope they don''t say anything unpleasant. Especially for Amy''s sake." Jade murmured.

 Chapter 952: Making A Statement

    Chapter 952: Making A Statement

    ?

    The anticipation of the weekend hung in the air and as the clock ticked closer to the end of the workday on Friday, Lucas pulled into the parking lot of I-Global.

    Although it was still thirty minutes before the official close of work, Lucas couldn''t wait to see Amy and start their weekend together.

    All through the week, he had tried his best to limit the frequency and duration of his visits despite her protests, and he had missed spending quality time with her.

    The moment the time struck 5 p.m., Lucas got out of the car and strode to the entrance of the building, which was already seeing a trickle of employees ready to call it a day.

    Leaning casually against the wall, Lucas waited, not wanting to enter thepany. His presence was hard to miss- not just because of his tall, and nice physique, but because of the single red rose that was yfully tucked between his lips.

    It added a touch of whimsy to his usualposed demeanor. Every now and then, he''d adjust the cor of his navy blue shirt or run a hand through his dark hair, a small smile ying on his lips as he thought of Amy.

    As employees began to leave the building, Lucas attracted more than a few curious nces. Women smiled appreciatively, while men nodded in acknowledgment, all intrigued by the sight of a handsome man with a flower. Whispers passed between them.

    "Who do you think he''s waiting for?" one of the women asked her colleague as they passed by.

    "Must be someone special," the other replied, her eyes lingering on the rose. "He''s definitely making a statement."

    The suspense didn''tst long. Just as the crowd began to thin, Amy emerged from the building, herughter carrying through the air as she chatted with two of her colleagues.

    Her hair bounced with each step, and the sunlight seemed to catch the spark of her joy. But as soon as she saw Lucas, her eyes widened with delight, and a yful giggle escaped her lips.

    "Luca!" she called out, breaking away from her group as she walked towards him. "What are you doing here? And why didn''t youe inside?"

    Lucas, the rose still tucked between his lips, gave her a lopsided grin. "Thought I''d make a grand gesture," he mumbled around the flower, his voice slightly muffled.

    Amy couldn''t help butugh, her heart swelling with affection. She reached out, gently taking the rose from his lips and twirling it between her fingers. "A grand gesture, huh? And here I thought you were just trying to get all the females here to notice you." she teased.

    One of Amy''s female colleagues, who had followed her outside, nced between them with a knowing smile. "Is this your boyfriend, Amy?" she asked, her tone full of curiosity.

    "Is he the reason you''ve been smiling so muchtely?" The other, a male, asked with a teasing smile.

    Lucas raised an eyebrow and turned to Amy, his eyes sparkling with mischief. "Well, Amy, how about you answer that?"

    Amy''s cheeks flushed a soft pink, but she didn''t shy away. Instead, she gave her colleague a radiant smile. "Yes, this is Lucas," she said, her voice filled with warmth. "And yes, he''s the reason for the smiles."

    Her colleague''s eyes widened slightly as she looked Lucas up and down. "He''s handsome and romantic," shemented, genuinely impressed. "You''ve got a good one, Amy."

    "Thank you," Lucas responded with a charming smile, making the women giggle before they bid their goodbyes and headed off to their cars.

    Lucas held out his arm, a yful gesture that made Amy chuckle as she looped her own through his. They walked in sync towards the car, the familiarity between them making each step feel effortless.

    Lucas turned to Amy when he felt her gaze on him, "Why are you grinning?" He asked with a curious smile when he caught her staring at him with a wide smile.

    "You know, I''ve always imagined having a boyfriend who would do stuff like this. People always said it was silly and Miley once said the era of such guys had passed, and I started to believe it. And then you just did it, and it just made me really happy," she said, tears gathering in her eyes.

    Lucas'' expression softened. One thing he hade to learn about Amy was that she was easily touched by everything and cried at the slightest. "What other silly thing did you imagine your boyfriend doing?" He asked as they got to the car.

    Sheughed softly. "I''d rather not say. How long did you stand there?" she asked, changing the subject.

    "Not long. I came to drive you home so we can spend some time together before we have to join the others," he exined, tucking a loose strand of her hair behind her ear.

    They had all agreed to meet at Tom''s ce on Friday evening so they could leave for Heden that night and arrive early enough to spend time with Aaron and J before the reunion.

    Amy nodded, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "That sounds perfect."

    Lucas, ever the gentleman, opened the door for her with a small bow, eliciting another giggle from Amy as she slid into the passenger seat.

    As Lucas settled into the driver''s seat and started the car, Amy nced at him, her thoughts turning over something that had been on her mind for a while.

    She hesitated for a moment, chewing on her bottom lip before deciding to speak up. "Lucas," she began, her tone curious, "can I ask you something?"

    He nced at her, sensing the shift in her mood. "Of course. What''s on your mind?"

    Amy took a deep breath, her gaze focused on the passing scenery outside the window. "Why have you never tried to spend the night at my ce? And... why haven''t you, you know, initiated anything more intimate?"

    Lucas blinked, caught off guard by her directness. He nced at her, "I... I didn''t want to rush you," he admitted, his voice sincere. "I''m okay with taking things slow. I thought you might appreciate that."

    Amy turned to him fully now, her expression a mix of amusement and exasperation. "What if I don''t want to take things slow in that aspect?" she asked, her voice teasing, but there was a serious undertone that Lucas didn''t miss, especially seeing the earnestness in her eyes

    despite her light tone.

    Lucasughed softly, though a hint of surprise lingered in his eyes. "Why the hurry, Amy?" he asked, his tone light as he tried to understand her sudden urgency.

    She shrugged, her fingers tracing patterns on the rose petals she still held. "Because I know you''re leaving soon," she confessed. "And I don''t know when you''ll be back again. I can''t take time off work toe see you because I already used up my leave, so..."n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Lucas felt a pang in his chest at her words. He hadn''t realized how much the thought of his impending departure weighed on her. "I get it," he said softly, his mind already working through the implications.

    He didn''t say anything more, but his thoughts drifted to how he could make their time together as meaningful as possible.

    When Amy noticed his silence, she frowned slightly. "Why are you suddenly quiet?"

    Lucas nced at her, a small smile tugging at his lips. "I was just thinking about how you''re not shy at all to talk to me about this."

    Amy burst intoughter, the sound filling the car with warmth. "Why should I be shy? It''s you I''m talking to not some random person. And you''re my boyfriend so I should be able to talk to

    you about stuff like this, right?"

    Her easy confidence brought a smile to Lucas''s face as well. He reached over, taking her hand in his and squeezing it gently. "Right."

    They were both silent for some time and then Lucas turned to her, his expression suddenly serious. "I know I''ve asked you this already, but I''m going to ask again. Are you sure you will be okay staying at my parents'' ce?" he asked. "I know it might be a little ufortable..." Amy smiled, shaking her head. "It''s fine, Luca. Really, it is. You know I''d tell you if I wasn''t okay. Ordinarily, I''d be ufortable if it was someone else," she admitted. "But I''ve met your parents before, remember? I know they are nice people. And even if I had never met them, I know anyone who raised you and Lucy would be wonderful."

    Lucas let out a relieved breath, "Your personality is so refreshing, Amy."

    "Yeah. I''m wonderful like that," she said, and he chuckled.

    Lucas couldn''t help but marvel at how naturally things were progressing between them. "I

    can''t believe we''ve only been dating for a week and you''re already meeting my family," he said with a chuckle. "Or, well, re-meeting them, I guess."

    Amy smirked yfully. "Technically, I met them before I started dating you, so you could say

    I''m just continuing where we left off."

    When they arrived at Amy''s apartment, Lucas parked the car and leaned back in his seat, a

    teasing glint in his eyes. "Why don''t we go in and pack your bag? I don''t mind helping you

    pack your undies," he said with a grin.

    Amy gasped in mock horror, swatting his arm. "Pervert! No way."

    Lucas pouted, feigning disappointment. "You''re no fun."

    Amyughed, shaking her head as she got out of the car. "You''ll just have to deal with it.

    Besides, I''ve already packed."

    Lucas got out of the car and followed her into the house. Amy quickly changed into a morefortable outfit for the journey, then returned to find Lucas waiting patiently by the door, a

    yful smile on his lips.

    "You ready?" he asked, taking her bag from her and slinging it over his shoulder.

    "All set," she confirmed, locking the door behind her.

    As they walked back to the car, hand in hand, Amy felt a deep sense of contentment. She was

    happy- happy with Lucas, happy with their ns for the weekend, and happy with the way things were unfolding between them.

    As Lucas opened the car door for her once more, he couldn''t help but think that maybe, just

    maybe, this was the start of something truly special.

    *****

    Quick Announcement. I''m sorry, every one. Contrary to what I nned, I''ve been adviced by my editor to start Jamal''s story as a stand-alone and fresh story. OWN will be ending at chapter 1000. I''m going to start Jamal''s story immediately it ends. I hope you support me and add it up in your library. Thanks.

 Chapter 953 No Formalities

    953 No Formalities

    As Lucas steered the car up the winding driveway, the evening sun cast a golden glow over the sprawling estate and Amy looked in awe as the mansion came into view.

    She had seen her fair share of mansions but the one in front of her felt like something out of a fairy tale.

    "Wow," Amy whispered, her eyes wide with amazement as she took in the sight before her.

    Lucas nced at her with a smile. "Impressive, isn''t it?"

    "It''s�� breathtaking. I''ve always known he was wealthy, I mean, he owns I-Global, after all. But I didn''t sort of expect this," she admitted, still trying to wrap her mind around the sheer size and beauty of the mansion.

    Lucas chuckled softly as he pulled the car to a stop in front of the grand entrance. "Wait until you see the inside."

    "I can''t wait to see inside," Amy said excitedly as they stepped out of the car.

    Just as they got to the front door, it opened, revealing Tom and Lucy.

    Tom was dressed casually in a white button-down shirt and khaki pants, while Lucy wore a simple summer dress. They both had warm smiles on their faces as they weed them.

    "I thought it was Bryan and Sonia," Lucy said before turning to Amy.

    "Wee, Amy!" Lucy said, her voice full of cheer.

    "You made it just in time," Tom said as he held the door open for them to enter. "Amy, wee!" Tom greeted her warmly, his eyes twinkling with friendliness, yet Amy couldn''t help but feel a slight twinge of awkwardness as she faced Tom.

    Despite the casual setting, it was hard to separate the image of Tom as her boss from the man standing in front of her now. Seeing him in such a rxed, personal setting felt�� different.

    "Thank you for having me, Mr. Hank," Amy responded politely, a small, respectful smile on her lips.

    Tom''s smile broadened as he shook his head in amusement. "No need for the formalities, Amy. None of that ''Mr. Hank''s stuff here. We''re off the clock, so just Tom will do. Let''s leave work at the office. Otherwise, it''s going to be a long and awkward weekend for us all."

    Amy blushed, feeling a bit silly for her formality. She nced at Lucy for reassurance, and she gave her a nod.

    Lucas grinned, stepping beside Amy. "He''s right, Amy. This weekend is all about rxing and having fun," Lucas said, easing her nerves.

    "Alright. I''ll try," she said, knowing she would never refer to him as Tom. She would just avoid addressing him altogether.

    Lucy stepped forward, giving Amy a weing hug. "We''re so d you could join us, Amy. You should rx."

    Amy nodded, her difort slowly melting away as Lucy''s warmth enveloped her. "Your home is beautiful. Thank you for having me."

    "You''ve said that before," Lucy said with a smile, pulling back from the hug.

    "Why don''t I show you around while we wait for Bryan and Sonia to arrive?" Lucy suggested, her tone warm and inviting.

    "I''d love that," Amy replied too eagerly making Lucas chuckle knowingly.

    Tom pped Lucas on the back, gesturing towards the house. "Come on, Lucas. Let''s get your bags inside and grab a drink. The girls can join us when they''re done with the tour."

    As the men headed inside, Lucy linked her arm with Amy''s and began to lead her around the house.

    As they walked through the various recreational rooms, Amy found herself in awe of the space.

    "It''s all so beautiful," Amymented as they moved through the house.

    Lucy smiled. "Yeah. Sometimes I''m still awed by the sheer beauty of the ce and can''t believe I live here."

    "Well, you do," Amy said with a grin and Lucyughed softly.

    "Yeah, I do. So," she began, her tone bing a bit more conspiratorial, "have you gotten yourself a prom-worthy dress for the reunion?"

    Amy blinked, momentarily taken aback. "Prom-worthy?" she echoed, a slight frown creasing her brow. "What do you mean?"

    Lucy stopped walking and turned to face her, a yful grin on her face. "Didn''t Lucas tell you? The theme for the reunion is Prom Night."

    Amy''s eyes widened in surprise. "I can''t remember him mentioning anything like that," she said, her voice tinged with disbelief.

    Lucyughed softly, shaking her head. "Trust a man to leave out such an important detail. Well, it''s a good thing you''re here then. Come with me. Let''s fix that." She motioned for Amy to follow her.

    Curious and a little apprehensive, Amy followed as Lucy led her down another hallway. They stopped in front of a set of double doors, which Lucy pushed open with a dramatic flourish. Amy''s mouth fell open as she stepped inside.

    Amy found herself standing in what could only be described as an indoor boutique. The room was filled with racks of clothing, shelves of shoes, and essories galore. It was as if a high-end fashion store had been magically transported into the mansion.

    Amy stood in stunned silence, her eyes wide as she took in the sight before her. "This�� this is incredible," she murmured, almost afraid to step inside.

    "Tom likes to do incredible things," Lucy said with a grin, clearly enjoying Amy''s reaction. "And I''m more than happy to share the spoils. Go ahead, pick out something you like. We need to find you the perfect dress for the reunion."

    Amy hesitated, feeling overwhelmed by the sheer volume of choices. "I don''t know, Lucy. This all seems a bit too much��"

    "Nonsense," Lucy said, waving off her concerns. "I insist. Besides, it''s not every day you get to attend a prom, right?"

    Amy smiled at that. "True. Thinking about prom, mine wasn''t anything special. I didn''t even stay for the whole thing."

    Lucy looked at her with genuine curiosity. "Really? Why not?"

    Amy shrugged, her fingers brushing against the fabric of a nearby dress. "It just wasn''t my scene back then. I wasn''t into the whole prom thing, so I left early."

    Lucy raised an eyebrow. "Really? What about your prom date? No high school sweetheart to dance the night away with?"Lucy asked, and Amy rolled her eyes.

    "Nope. I didn''t have one. I went to one of those prestigious high schools, thanks to Miley. None of the kids there wanted to ask the daughter of a housekeeper to prom," she said with a shrug.

    Lucy winced, "That must have hurt."

    Amy shook her head with a softugh. Amy grinned, "No, it didn''t. My mother didn''t raise us to be timid or embarrassed by our social status. And I really didn''t mind going alone with Miley. I wasn''t really into dating back then. I just wanted to get through high school and move on to college."

    "That''s nice then," Lucy said, her tone brightening, "but consider this reunion as your chance to have a do-over. And with Lucas by your side, I''m sure it''ll be a night to remember. Let''s find you something that makes you feel like the queen of the prom."

    "Didn''t Tom arrange for the reunion so you can be prom queen?" Sonia asked as she stepped into the room.

    "He did?" Amy asked, looking at Lucy with awe.

    Lucy giggled, but before she could speak, Sonia did, "He did. He''s sponsoring the reunion with the prom theme so that Lucy can attend prom."

    "How do you sleep knowing you''re one of the luckiest women on earth?" Amy asked, and Lucy giggled.

    "With my two eyes closed and snuggled against the most doting man on earth," Lucy said and they allughed.

    Sonia walked further into the room, her gaze sweeping over the elegant dresses with a fond smile ying on her lips. "I have to say, no matter how many times I see this room, I''m always in awe of Tom''s extravagance," she said, a touch of admiration in her voice as she gestured to thevish disy of gowns and essories that surrounded them.

    Lucy turned, augh bubbling up from her chest. "He does like to go all out."

    Sonia''s attention shifted again to Amy, her expression warm and weing. "It''s always nice to see you, Amy. We''ve met several times, but it feels good to have you here," she said as she embraced her, the hug gentle but sincere.

    Amy returned the hug, feeling a genuine warmth from Sonia''s embrace and touched by the group''s eptance. "Thank you. It''s nice to see you too," she replied, a smile tugging at her lips as they pulled back from the hug. N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "We are trying to find Amy a dress. Lucas failed to tell her the theme," Lucy exined.

    "It''s a good thing you have a room full of untouched clothes," Sonia said and the room was suddenly filled with the simultaneous chime of two phones receiving messages.

    Both Lucy and Sonia exchanged a curious nce before reaching for their phones, the screen lighting up with notifications. They opened the message which Jade had sent into the girls'' group chat, and a wave ofughter rippled through them, leaving Amy confused.

    "Oh, you''ve got to see this," Lucy said between giggles, turning her phone to Amy.

    Amy leaned in, curious, and her eyes widened as she saw the image on the screen. It was a candid shot of Lucas, standing outside I-Global, a mischievous grin on his face and a single red rose mped between his teeth. The absurdity of the pose made it impossible not tough.

    Jade had captioned it with ''Guess who just won the Prince Charming award?''

    Amy covered her mouth, trying to stifle the giggles that were bubbling up. "Oh my God, he''s going to be so embarrassed when he finds out about this."

    Lucy nodded, herughter subsiding into an amused smile. "He sure will. But I''m sure he will be fine. You got him good, Amy," Lucy said andughed when Amy blushed.

    Sonia chuckled, still amused by the photo. "Jade really knows how to capture the perfect moment," she said, shaking her head in amusement.

    Still smiling, Lucy nced back at the racks of dresses. "Well, I think we should pick out something before we end up getting too distracted."

    "Good idea," Sonia agreed, regaining herposure. "Let''s find Amy something stunning, shall we?"

    With that, the three women turned their focus back to the task at hand. Lucy and Sonia moved around the room with practiced ease, pulling dresses off the racks and holding them up to Amy for her opinion. The fabric of each dress was as luxurious as the next�� silk, satin, chiffon, all in an array of colors that would make any fashionista swoon.

    Amy ran her fingers over the soft material of a deep emerald gown, its design catching her eye. But before she could dwell on it too long, Sonia had already pulled out another option, a flowing, midnight blue gown.

    "This one would look amazing on you," Sonia said, holding it up against Amy''s frame.

    Amy hesitated, looking between the dresses and the twodies who were clearly enjoying the process. "I''m not sure," she admitted softly, her voice tinged with uncertainty.

    Lucy, noticing her hesitation, stepped closer and ced a reassuring hand on her arm. "You can try out the clothes and choose whichever you feel morefortable in."

    Amy smiled, her words helping to ease the doubt that had crept in. "Okay," she said, her resolve strengthening. "Let''s do it."

    After several rounds of trying on dresses, they finally settled on one that made Amy''s breath catch when she saw herself in the mirror. It was a rich burgundy gown, fitted at the waist and ring out into a soft, flowing skirt. The off-the-shoulder neckline and delicatece detailing gave it an air of understated elegance.

    "Wow," Amy breathed as she turned slowly, taking in the full effect of the dress. The colorplemented herplexion perfectly, and the cut entuated her figure in a way that made her feel both confident and beautiful.

    "That''s the one," Lucy dered with a satisfied grin, clearly pleased with the oue.

    Sonia nodded in agreement, beaming at Amy, "You look stunning, Amy. The dress bes you."

    Amy smiled, a mixture of excitement and nerves fluttering in her stomach. "Thank you both, really. I don''t know how to repay you for this."

    Lucy waved her hand dismissively. "No repayment necessary."

    As they gathered the dress and essories, Lucy took the lead in packing everything away. "Let''s keep this a surprise for Lucas," she said with a mischievous smile.

    Amy nodded, feeling a thrill at the thought of the surprise. "I like that idea."

    Amy could already tell this weekend was going to be one to remember.

    ******

    Quick Question: I n to join a contest with JD story.

    Because of the rule of the contest, I might have to break out of my character in naming the story and my writing style.

    I want y''all to choose the name.

    Stolen Identity: The Mute Heiress

    Or

    The Billionaire''s First Love Is The Mute Hidden Heiress.

    Also, would you like me to write in first person POV or maintain this third person POV?

 Chapter 954 We Are

    954 We Are

    The sky was already dark when the group arrived at the private airstrip, the light evening breeze ruffling their hair and tugging at their loose clothing.

    Tom led the way to his jet, his arms wrapped around Lucy and chuckling at something Sonia was saying behind him.

    Sonia, walking beside Bryan, nced at the jet and then at Tom, her lips curving into a teasing smile. "What, no red carpet?" she joked, nudging Bryan, who grinned down at her.

    "Maybe next time," Tom shot back,ughing. He gestured for them all to board. "Come on, let''s get this trip started."

    As they stepped into the jet, the cabin revealed itself in all its splendor. Fancy leather seats, soft beige carpeting, and gleaming wood panels gave it a feel of understated luxury.

    A small bar was stocked with an array of drinks, and a table was set with a selection of pastries, fresh fruit, and steaming coffee.

    "This is incredible," Lucas said, looking around with admiration. He slipped his arm around Amy''s waist, pulling her close. "Lu, I guess this is the lifestyle you''re used to now. Henceforth, I will address you as Madam Lucy," he joked and they allughed.

    "Make yourselvesfortable. We''ll be in the air soon." Tom urged them, his smile broadening as he motioned towards the seats.

    Amy, who had been quietly observing, took a seat next to Lucas. He offered her a reassuring smile, his eyes warm. "Ready for takeoff? How are you feeling? Excited?" he asked, his voice low, just for her.

    Amy nodded, a soft smile touching her lips. "Excited and maybe a little nervous. I''ve never been on a private jet before," she admitted, ncing around with wide eyes. "This is all so new."

    Lucas reached for her hand, squeezing it gently. "Guess what? Me too. I guess we are meant to be, seeing as we have a lot inmon," he said with a grin and she giggled.

    "You''ll be just fine, trust me. This trip will be perfect," Lucas promised.

    As everyone settled in, the jet''s engines roared to life, ready for takeoff.

    Tom, who had taken the seat beside Lucy, leaned over to murmur in her ear. "Remember ourst time together in here?" he asked, kissing her ear, and she giggled as she pulled away from him, covering her ear.

    "How can I forget?" She asked with a grin.

    "What do you think Lucas and Amy will say if we tell them we made love on that seat?" Tom whispered, and Lucy leaned against him, her eyes shining as she giggled.

    17:17

    A couple of feet from them, Sonia sat beside Bryan who held her close with his arm around her, "The moment we get to the hotel you''re going straight to bed. You''ll need to rest enough if you''ll be busy partying tomorrow night," he said and she rolled her eyes yfully.

    "You''ve said that so many time already. Rx," she said, and Bryan nodded.

    "I''m rxed. If I wasn''t we wouldn''t be on this ne in the first ce," he assured her and she grinned.

    "You''re not going to keep being this way with me after Rysoes, are you?" Sonia asked and Bryan raised a brow.

    "Why?"

    "Cause I just might kill you. It''s only cute right now because I''m pregnant," she said, and Bryan chuckled.

    "I''ll keep that in mind. For now, I''ll keep keeping you safe, cause you often give me the impression that you forget you''re pregnant," he said and Soniaughed as she leaned against him.

    The jet began to taxi down the runway, picking up speed, and within moments, they were airborne, the ground falling away beneath them. The cabin was filled with a sense of exhration, the thrill of taking off on a new adventure.

    Once they were at cruising altitude, Tom stood, stretching. "Alright, who''s up for some fun?" he called, his eyes twinkling with mischief.

    He moved to the bar, pouring a round of mimosas and passing them out to the guys and handing thedies some juice.

    As he passed the ss to Amy he smiled, "Lucy can''t take alcohol because she has a ulcer, Sonia can''t take alcohol because she is pregnant, and you, well, you have to take juice to sympathize with thedies," he said with a grin and sheughed.

    "Thanks," she said, feeling more rxed than she had felt earlier when she first got to the house.

    "Here''s to a fantastic trip," Tom said, raising his ss. "To good times and greatpany."

    "To greatpany," they echoed, clinking sses.

    "Let''s y a game," Lucy suggested and they all looked at her.

    "What game?" Sonia asked eagerly.

    "Please do not suggest truth or dare," Lucas said, and Amy nodded in agreement.

    Thest thing she wanted to do was y a game of truth or dare with the CEO and her direct superior at the office, no matter how rxed she was.

    "Amy, why don''t you suggest a game you''d befortable ying?" Lucy asked, and all eyes turned to Amy.

    "Yes. Unless you say any game we settle on is okay with you. But I think you might be a little ufortable so it''s best we do what isfortable for you," Lucy said and Lucas shed Lucy a smile, thankful for her thoughtfulness.

    Lucas squeezed Amy''s hand, encouraging her to rx and go for it.

    "We could y a game of Would you rather. We can take turns asking and answering," Amy finally said, settling on that since it seemed safe enough.

    "You mean, like a game of asking what someone prefers between two things?" Sonia asked, and Amy nodded.

    "Yeah. Like, would you rather have the ability to relive any day or experience from your past or have the ability to see a glimpse of your future?" Amy asked, and they all grew silent as they each contemted the question.

    "That''s such a thought-provoking question," Tom said, and then Lucas grinned.

    "I guess the game has started. I will answer first," Lucas said and they all looked at him.

    "I''d like to relive a day in my past," Lucas said, and Lucy grinned.

    "What day?" She asked, thinking he was going to say something romantic to Amy, but when he looked at her with serious eyes, she realized he wasn''t, and could almost guess what he wanted to say. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "Prom night. I''d stay back at home with Lucy and not go to prom," Lucas said, since that was the one thing he wanted to change most.

    They were all silent for a moment and then Lucy smiled at Lucas, "Well, I''d like to see a glimpse of my future. If I had seen Tom in my future years ago, I''d havee to find him sooner so I wouldn''t have all that Anita drama," she said with a grin, wanting to make the air light again, and everyoneughed.

    Tom chuckled, "Well, I''d like to go back into my past and invest in more cryptocurrency. Buy more bitcoins," he said, and Lucy looked at him in disbelief since she had been expecting a romantic response from him.

    "I didn''t expect a non-centered Lucy response," Sonia said with an amused smile.

    "Well, that''s because I believe everything is perfect with her. I don''t want to change anything in the past because she came at the right time. If she hade before those others, I might not have valued her or known how to value her. And I don''t want to look into my future. I already know it will be perfect as long as she''s right here," Tom said, and Lucy giggled, pleased with his response.

    "Aww," Sonia and Amy chorused.

    "For Christ''s sake, Tom, it''s only a game. No one asked you to dere you love for Lucy," Bryan said dryly making themugh.

    "I answered a normal question. It was your wife who made me exin myself with a deration of love," Tom said in his defense.

    "Well, for me, I would relieve the day my dad died (chapter 127). I''d make sure he doesn''t leave the house on that day. If he was alive none of all that happened would have happened, cause I would never had known Jamie," Sonia said, and Lucy smiled but shook her head.

    "Then you''d never have met me too," she pointed out.

    "That''s fine. I don''t mind not meeting you as long as you don''t have to face something like that because of me," Sonia said and Bryan smiled.

    "Don''t worry, you''d have both met as sisters-inw even if not as best friends. Our rtionship has nothing to do with your friendship after all," Bryan reminded them, and they both nodded and smiled at him.

    "What about you, Bryan? What would you choose?" Sonia asked and Bryan sighed.

    "I''d like a glimpse of the future so I can see profitable ventures to invest in," Bryan said and Tom snickered.

    "Copycat," Tom said making the othersugh.

    "How? You said past, I said future. You said crypto, I said profitable venture," Bryan said and everyoneughed.

    "What? You want someone to ask why you didn''t choose a Sonia-centered response so you can profess your love? Alright. Go on and tell us," Tom said and Bryanughed.

    "Amy, can you see the way your boss behaves? So disgraceful," Bryan said with a shake of his head.

    "I''m your boss toost I checked," Tom said, and they allughed.

    "What about you, Amy?" Lucy asked curiously, "What would you do? The past or the future?" Lucy asked, and everyone looked at Amy.

    Amy smiled and shook her head, "Neither. I''m content with the present. I don''t think I want to alter anything in my past. It is all what led me here. And I don''t want to see my future either. I believe the uncertainty of what of the future holds is part of what makes life fun," Amy said thoughtfully.

    "It is a game of would you rather, it didn''t say we could not choose any," Sonia pointed out.

    "You didn''t ask," Amy pointed out.

    "Now you know you can choose not to choose. I''m asking next," Lucas said quickly before Sonia could say anything else.

    As the night wore on, the atmosphere grew increasingly rxed. Laughter filled the cabin as the game continued, each person contributing their own anecdotes.

    Lucas and Amy, seated together, exchanged yful banter, their chemistry evident in the way they leaned into each other, theirughter ringing out.

    "I can''t believe you actually did that!" Amy eximed,ughing as Lucas recounted a particrly embarrassing story from his college days. "You''re braver than I thought."

    Lucas grinned, shrugging. "Or just dumber," he admitted, his eyes twinkling. "But it all worked out in the end."

    Lucy, who had been listening, shook her head, smiling. "You two are perfect for each other," she said, her tone teasing. "I don''t think I''ve ever seen Amyugh so much."

    Amy blushed, ncing at Lucas before ncing back at Lucy. "Well, Lucas has a way of bringing out the best in me," she admitted, her smile softening.

    "They both seem like they''ve been dating for eons," Sonia said and Lucasughed.

    "I didn''t expect things to move so quickly, but��I''m d they have," Lucas said and Amy smiled.

    "Me too."

    Bryan nodded, understanding. "Sometimes, when it''s right, it''s right," he said simply. "And from what I can see, you two are definitely right for each other."

    Lucas smiled, "Yeah," he agreed, his voice filled with quiet happiness. "We are."

    The hours flew by as they had fun, and as they neared their destination, the pilot alerted them that the jet would begin its descent.

    As they prepared tond, Lucas smiled at Amy, "This is your final chance to change your mind about going with me to my ce. The moment you get to my house, I''m never letting you go," he warned and she rolled her eyes yfully..

    "Let''s just go already."

 Chapter 955 Not A Rebound

    Chapter 955 Not A Rebound

    The early morning sky over Heden was still cloaked in the soft blue of dawn when Tom''s designated driver pulled the car to a stop in front of the house.

    The journey from the airstrip to the house had been mostly quiet but filled with the anticipation of a surprise.

    "Are you really sure it''s a good idea to disturb them so early in the morning?" Tom asked, not making any move to get out of the car

    "Both our parents are early risers. Don''t worry. They will be happy to see us even if we show up at two in the morning," Lucas assured Tom as he opened the door.

    While Tom and Lucas got the bags out of the car, Lucy led Amy to the doorstep and rang the doorbell, the chime resonating through the stillness of the morning.

    It was only a moment before the door swung open, revealing J. Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw them. "Lucy! Lucas!" she shrieked happily, her voice carrying through the house.

    She was still in her robe, hair slightly disheveled, and her surprise was evident. "What are you both doing here? You didn''t say you wereing!"

    Before anyone could answer, she turned back towards the hallway and called out, "Andrew! Drew,e quickly; you won''t believe who''s at the door!" She called out, and Lucyughed as she embraced her.

    "Hey, Mom!" Lucas greeted with a grin as he joined them. His mother hugged him happily and led them into the house.

    Footsteps sounded from somewhere deeper in the house, and Andrew soon appeared. His eyes lit up when he saw his children. "Lucy, Lucas!" he boomed, his voice as warm and steady as always. What a wonderful surprise!" He pulled them both into a bear hug, hisugh rich and full of joy.

    "How are you doing, Tom?" J asked as she embraced Tom while Amy stood aside, smiling as she watched them all.

    J''s eyes wandered to Amy as they exchanged pleasantries, her brows knitting together in concentration. "You look familiar. Have we met before?"

    Andrew chuckled, patting his wife''s shoulder gently. "You''re getting old, Jane. "Of course, you remember her. She''s Lucy''s secretary. She came by when we were visiting Lucy for the first time in Ludus, remember?" (Chapter 243)

    "Oh, of course!" J''s face lit up, a spark of recognition in her eyes. "I remember now. Amy, isn''t it?" she asked hesitantly as she reached out to take Amy''s hand.

    Amy nodded, pleased that J remembered her name, "Yes, ma''am."

    "Wee to our home, Amy! It''s so lovely to see you again. And thank you again for all your helpst time. You''ve been such a support to our Lucy," J said as she embraced Amy.

    "Thank you, ma''am. You have a lovely home," Amy said politely.

    Lucy grinned, unable to keep the secret any longer. "Well, Amy is here with us," she said, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes, "but not as my secretary this time."

    Lucas rolled his eyes, gently nudging his sister. "Since when did you be so loose-tongued?" he admonished, though his smile belied his words.

    J''s eyes sparkled with curiosity, and she shared a knowing look with Andrew. "So, Lucas," she began slowly, "is Amy the girlfriend Lucy mentioned to us?"

    Amy blushed, feeling the heat rise to her cheeks as all eyes turned towards her. She moved subtly to stand behind Lucas, but he reached for her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "Yes, Mom," he said, smiling down at Amy. Amy is my girlfriend."

    J''s face broke into a wide, ecstatic grin. "Oh, this is wonderful!" she eximed, pulling Amy into another hug. "Wee to our home, dear! We''re so happy to have you."

    Andrew, still smiling, nodded towards the staircase. "Why don''t you take your things to your rooms and thene for breakfast?" he suggested. "We have plenty to catch up on." n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    As they made their way up the stairs, Lucy took Tom''s hand, leading him down the hallway to her bedroom. The room was exactly as he''d remembered it from their previous visit��filled with soft colors and pictures that chronicled Lucy''s life. "It''s nice to be back here," Tom said, taking in the familiar sights and smells that were uniquely Lucy.

    Lucy smiled, pulling him close. "Yeah. It''s always good to be home."

    Meanwhile, Lucas led Amy to his bedroom at the end of the hallway. It was a neat, spacious room decorated with posters of bands and athletes and a bookshelf lined with his favorite novels.

    Amy looked around, taking it all in, the room reflecting so much of the man she was falling for.

    "Your Mom is so weing," Amy said, still slightly flushed from the attention.

    "She is just delighted to see us happy," Lucas said, his voice warm. He couldn''t resist teasing her a little, seeing the way her blush had deepened earlier. "You were so shy earlier. I thought you''d faint when she hugged you."

    Amyughed, shaking her head. "It''s just�� I''ve never had to meet a boyfriend''s family. It''s nice. I felt a little overwhelmed, but it was nice."

    A gentle knock on the door interrupted them, and J peeked in. "Amy, sweetheart, do you have everything you need? Towels, toiletries?"

    Amy smiled, touched by J''s concern. "I''m fine, thank you. Everything''s perfect."

    "Alright. If you need anything, don''t hesitate to ask," J said with a bright smile before walking away, and Amy turned to Lucas with a grin.

    "She likes you," Lucas said, and Amy rolled her eyes.

    "I don''t think it''s about me. I feel your Mom is the type who would love whoever you bring home to her," Amy said easily.

    "Yes, she is the easy-to-please type, but I know she likes you," Lucas insisted.

    "If you say so. And I like her too," Amy said with a yawn.

    "Why don''t you go in to freshen up? After breakfast, we can take a little nap before going to see your Mom," Lucas suggested.

    "Alright," Amy said, and Lucas patted her shoulder before heading for the door. "I will leave you to it and meet you downstairs."

    As Lucas made his way to the kitchen, he found his parents bustling about, setting the table and preparing breakfast. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee filled the air, mingling with the scent of toast and eggs. "Need any help?" he asked, leaning against the doorway.

    J looked up, still beaming. "I can''t believe you''re all here! It feels like a dream. Now I understand how Evelyn was so happy when everyone was around for Lawrence''s funeral," she said as she busied herself, setting the tes, and Lucas joined her.

    After some time, she nced up at Lucas. "Do you think it''s fate?"

    "What?" Lucas asked, wondering what she was asking about.

    "That the first day you met Amy was the same day you broke up with Rachel?" She asked, and Lucas frowned, considering the thought.

    "Was it the same day?" He asked, and she nodded.

    "Yeah. You broke up with Rachel after Amy left. I might not be good with faces, but I''m good with dates," she said with a grin.

    "Hmm. I never really thought of it that way," he admitted. "But now that you mention it, it does seem�� coincidental."

    "Symbolizing," J said with a nod. "Maybe it''s destiny."

    "Maybe," Lucas agreed, a small smile ying on his lips at the thought.

    Andrew, setting down a steaming pot of coffee, joined the conversation. "Do you really like her?" he asked thoughtfully.

    Lucas didn''t hesitate. "I wouldn''t be with her or bring her here if I didn''t. Amy makes me happy, Dad. I''mfortable with being me when I''m with her."

    Andrew nodded, satisfaction in his gaze. "Just make sure it''s not a rebound, Lucas. We don''t want you hurting her feelings, or yours for that matter."

    J''s eyes were soft as she looked at her son. "I don''t think it''s a rebound. I think it''s more than that," she said quietly, her voice filled with motherly love.

    Lucas looked at his father, seriousness in his eyes. "Mom is right. It''s way more than that. I''ve thought about that a lot, Dad. At first, I thought it was a rebound. I didn''t think it was possible that I could find myself drawn to anyone so soon after all of that drama. I really struggled with my feelings for Amy and tried to push them away, but they kepting back. I know that she''s not a rebound. She''s�� she''s the real thing."

    J smiled, her heart full. "Then we''re happy for you, Lucas. And Amy is wee here, anytime."

    "Yes, we are. She''s a beautiful girl, too," Andrew said, winking at Lucas, and they allughed.

    Soon, Amy came down, and Lucas left her with his parents and went in to freshen up. Amy joined J in preparing breakfast, and as they did, J asked Amy more questions about herself as she got to know her.

    Breakfast was lively, filled withughter and stories of Lucas and Lucy''s childhood. Tom and Amy found themselvesfortably engaged in conversation with J and Andrew, both feeling more at home with each passing moment.

    The morning sunlight streamed through the windows, casting a warm glow over the room, making it feel like a scene from a long-cherished memory.

    Amy and Lucy assisted J with cleaning up the dining and kitchen after breakfast, and Tom and Lucas joined Andrew in the garage as he worked on his car.

    Seeing that as a good time to talk to both men, Tom took a deep breath and gathered his thoughts.

    "I wanted to talk to you both about something important," Tom began, his voice serious. "It''s about Lucy."

    Andrew paused what he was doing when he heard the seriousness in Tom''s voice, and so did Lucas.

    "What about her? Is something wrong?" Lucas asked with concern.

    "Did something happen?" Andrew asked at the same time, his face mirroring the same concern on Lucas''s.

    "No. Not at all. Everything is fine. Great even. It''s just that I''ve been thinking about this for a long time, and I''ve made up my mind. I want to propose to her," Tom said, and Andrew exchanged a look with Lucas, who was now grinning.

    "You want to propose to her?" Andrew asked, wondering if Tom didn''t know how Lucy felt about marriage. Or did Lucy perhaps tell him she had changed her mind?

    "Yes, Andrew. I love her more than anything and can''t imagine my life without her. We''ve been together for a while now, and our families get along well, but I still want it to be official. I want her to be my wife officially. So, since you''re both the important men in her life, I thought before I do anything, I should ask for your permission," Tom said while Lucas kept grinning.

    Andrew studied Tom for a moment, his expression unreadable before a slow smile spread across his face. "You know, Tom, you''ve always been like a son to me," he said finally. "And I couldn''t have asked for a better man for my daughter. If you believe Lucy is ready and this is what you both want, then you have my blessing. It would be an honor to have you as part of our family."

    Lucas nodded, "Yeah. You have my blessings, too."

    Even though Tom had expected that response, he felt a weight lift off his shoulders, his heart swelling with gratitude. "Thank you, Andrew. Thank you, Lucas. That means more to me than you know. I promise to care for Lucy and always be there for her."

    Andrew pped a hand on Tom''s shoulder, his eyes bright with emotion. "I know you will, Tom. And I do not doubt that you and Lucy will have a wonderful life together. Now, let''s go back inside."

    "Do you n to do it anytime soon? I want to be around to see it," Lucas said with a grin.

    "I''m sure you will all be around. The Christmas party we are hosting will be the engagement party. She just doesn''t know it yet," Tom said, and Lucas chuckled, amused by the fact that Tom and Lucy were thinking along the same lines.

    He couldn''t wait to see how they both nned to pull it off and who would seed first. It would be so beautiful to behold.

    "Oh, my Jane is going to be so happy," Andrew said with a grin, happy that they would be there to witness that milestone in Lucy''s life.

 Chapter 956: Mummy Issues

    Chapter 956: Mummy Issues

    ?

    The aroma of freshly brewed coffee and sizzling bacon filled the Jonas household as breakfast preparations were well underway.

    The house was alive with the usual Saturday morning activity- Candace setting the table, Andy answering Jamal''s endless list of questions as she assisted Candace, Aaronughing as he listened to them while he awaited the first meal of the day.

    Jamal, already full of energy, was chattering animatedly about the uing weekend ns, his young voice a cheerful m background sound for the scene.

    They had all decided to travel to Ludus theing weekend, and Jamal was over the moon at the thought of seeing Lucy, Tom and his uncle Harry again.

    As Candace moved to pour Jamal a ss of orange juice, the doorbell rang, startling them all since they were not expecting anyone until noon when the cleaner was to arrive.

    Candace nced at the clock, a bit puzzled by the early visitor, and Andy grinned, "Could be Matt pulling one of his surprise visits," Andy suggested with a wink.

    "Uncle Matt!" Jamal screeched happily at the thought.

    "Hold your horses, boy...."

    "I don''t have any horses to hold," Jamal said, and Aaron chuckled and went on to exin what it meant, while Candace went to see who was at the door.

    The moment she opened the door, her eyes rounded in disbelief before she shrieked with delight, her hand still on the doorknob.

    Standing on the doorstep, with a wide grin on his face, was Harry, and beside him was Jade, looking a little tired but smiling warmly.

    "Harry! Oh my God, Harry!" she eximed, throwing herself at him.

    Harry chuckled, catching her in a tight embrace. "Did you miss me that much, Sis?" he teased, his voice filled with affection.

    Candace swatted his arm yfully. "Shut up! Of course, I did, you idiot!" She turned to Jade who was nowughing and wrapped her in a hug as well. "Jade, it''s so good to see you! What a wonderful surprise!"

    Before Jade could respond, themotion had drawn the attention of the rest of the household. Aaron, Andy, and Jamal came rushing to the entryway, curious about the source of Candace''s excited squeals.

    When they saw Harry and Jade, their faces lit up. "Harry!" Andy shouted happily as she embraced him.

    "What are you both doing here?" Aaron asked happily as he embraced Jade.

    Jamal, not to be outdone, ran straight for Harry, his small arms outstretched. "Uncle Harry!" he yelled, his excitement overflowing.

    Harry''s face softened as he scooped him up, lifting him high into the air and twirling him around. Jamal''sughter rang through the house, the sound infectious and pure.

    "Look how big you''re getting, Jamal! I''m gonna need to start lifting weights just to carry you," Harry joked, bringing him down to eye level. "Did you miss me?"

    Jamal nodded enthusiastically, his eyes bright with joy. "Yeah! I missed you a lot, Uncle Harry!" Jamal said and Harry grinned as he set Jamal back on the floor, ruffling his hair affectionately.

    "I missed you, too," Harry assured him as he straightened.

    As they all moved inside, the family''s chatter filled the hallway, voices ovepping in a joyful noise.

    "What are you doing here?" Candace asked, still beaming. "We were all nning to visit Ludus within the week!" Candace said, her voice still tinged with surprise.

    Harry raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? And what was bringing all of you to Ludus?"

    Andy grinned, crossing her arms. "Well, we all had different reasons. Jamal wanted to see Lucy, Candace and I wereing for Aurora''s wedding, I''m also expecting Alex, and Dad..." Andy trailed off, ncing at Aaron with a smirk.

    Candace giggled. "Dad wanted to see his woman friend."

    "Girlfriend," Aaron corrected.

    "Someone tell him that she''s too old to be called a girlfriend," Candace said and they allughed, apart from Aaron who scowled at her.

    "She''s my age, that means she''s girlfriend to me," Aaron said and they allughed.

    "Girlfriend, woman friend,dy friend, it''s all the same. What''s important is that she makes you happy," Harry said, and Aaron nodded.

    "I knew you''d understand," Aaron said, pping him on the back.

    Harry put a hand to his chest in mock offense. "I''m hurt though! I thought I''d be one of the reasons you''d visit Ludus. So, no one wasing to see me?"n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Aaron smiled, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "Well, I did want to see my lovely

    girlfriend, but seeing my handsome son was also a part of it."

    Jamal tugged at Harry''s sleeve, looking up at him earnestly. "I wanted to see you too, Uncle Harry! But after I see Lucy."

    "Gee. Thanks, Jamal," he said, ruffling the boy''s hair again as everyoneughed.

    "We were just about to have breakfast when you arrived. Let''s go to the dining before everything gets cold," Candace suggested and they all moved to the dining area.

    As they all settled on the dining, Aaron smiled, his gaze soft as he looked at his son. "It''s good to have you home, Harry," he said, and then turned to Jade, who had been unusually quiet all along with a wide smile on her face as she watched the interactions.

    "Jade, it''s so wonderful to see you again. How are you doing?" He asked with a warm smile.

    Jade grinned, feeling the genuine affection in Aaron''s voice. "I''m fine, thank you. It''s good to see you too."

    Aaron held her gaze, "I''m d to hear that. I''m d you''re here. I always knew you and Harry would sort things out. He''s too stubborn to let go of an intelligent beauty like you," he said, and Jade giggled, remembering the first time she heard that. (Chapter 186) Harry groaned, rolling his eyes. "Dad, why do you always have to bring that up?" Harry asked, and Candace and Andy chuckled, and even Jamal who didn''t understand joined in theughter. Aaron, unbothered by Harry''s irritation, continued. "You know I''m just happy to see that things have been resolved. But Jade, make sure Harry goes for therapy too before he starts thinking about marrying you."

    Harry blinked, caught off guard by the sudden shift in the conversation. "What is that

    supposed to mean, Dad?"

    Aaron shrugged, but his expression grew more serious, even though his tone remained gentle. "It means you have your own trauma to unpack, Harry."

    "No, I don''t," Harry said, and Aaron chuckled.

    "Yes, you do. Think about what happened between you to, and I''m sure you will see your

    trauma yed a role too. It''s not a big deal, Harry. You are not the only one, you know. We have all been getting therapy, and it''s been helping. Candace, Andy, Jamal... even me."

    "What does Jamal need therapy for?" Harry asked in disbelief.

    "Jamal, do you like Ms Betty?" Aaron asked, and Jamal bobbed his head.

    "She is fun to talk to," Jamal said, and Aaron gave Harry an I-told-you-so look.

    "Therapy is not about talking to a fun person," Harry argued. "Jamal, is Lucy not fun to talk

    to?" Harry asked, and Jamal grinned.

    "She is."

    "Lucy is not even a therapist," Harry said, giving back Aaron his I-told-you-so look.

    They allughed softly but Candace held Harry''s gaze, "Dad is right, though. We all have things we''re working through."

    Harry raised an eyebrow. "Is everyone I know seeing a therapist these days?"

    Andy chuckled. "Pretty much. It''s kind of the thing to do if you want to deal with your issues

    and not bleed on others."

    Aaron''s voice was soft but firm. "A lot of people in life have problems, Harry, but only a few get help. That''s why the world is so messed up. People who refuse to get help end up making life hard on others and traumatizing them too."

    Harry sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I didn''te for a lecture on therapy and trauma, Dad. I came because I missed you guys. I just want to spend time with my family."

    Aaron''s gaze softened. "We''ve missed you too, son. And we''re d you''re here, both of you." He looked at Jade and then back at Harry, his eyes twinkling. "Now, why don''t we focus on our breakfast? You can tell us more about all that''s been going on in Ludus."

    As they ate, Harry felt a sense of relief wash over him. Being home, surrounded by his family, he felt like he could finally breathe. He nced over at Jade, who was chatting excitedly with Candace and telling her about her role at I-Global, and he smiled.

    "If I had known you were alling, I wouldn''t have made this stressful trip," Harry said after some time and Aaron chuckled.

    "True. We wanted to surprise you, but you surprised us. Perhaps we can all travel back together," Aaron suggested.

    "Will you be staying at my ce?" Harry asked, and Aaron grinned.

    "No. I don''t think so," he said, and Harry chuckled when his father''s ears flushed red.

    "When are we going to meet this girlfriend of yours?" Harry asked with an amused smile. "Not any time soon. We are taking things slowly," Aaron said, and Candace rolled her eyes. "Like you both have all the time in the world at your age," she said dryly.

    "Yes, we do. We don''t have any reason to be in haste. We have kids, we have grandkids. All we want is to enjoy each other''spany, and we are doing just that. No pressure, no expectation. As a matter of fact, there is no reason for you to meet her unless there''s an

    asion and I''m inviting her over as a guest," Aaron said and Harry nodded before Candace

    could say anything.

    "Well, that''s your call. As long as you''re happy, you can do whatever you want. You deserve to be happy," Harry said, and they all nodded in agreement.

    After breakfast, Harry and Jade went up to Harry''s room to freshen up, and as they got into the bathroom, Harry turned to Jade, who was unusually silent.

    "What are you thinking?" He asked, knowing that she was thinking about something.

    "I was thinking about what your Dad said. You know your Dad is right, don''t you?" Jade asked,

    and Harry turned to her.

    "About?"

    "About you needing therapy too," Jade said and Harry groaned.

    "Not you too."

    "Yes me too. I didn''t really think about it before, but after he mentioned it I thought about it.

    The incident at the resort. I was wrong. I reacted the way I did because of my past, and you did

    so too. Seeing me pack up and thinking I was going to leave like Sara did, triggered you," Jade said before Harry could interrupt.

    "You know, it''s funny how we all go through life getting triggered by things we least suspect and reacting due to unsuspected trauma. You could be traumatized by something and not even know it," Jade said, and Harry eyed her skeptically.

    "Are you saying I need therapy?" He asked, and she giggled.

    "Going for therapy won''t make you less cool than you already are, I promise," she said, and

    he chuckled.

    "So, you''re going to listen to him and not marry me unless I go for therapy?" He asked, and

    she grinned. "What''s good for the goose, is good for the gander," she said, and Harry chuckled. "Doesn''t our couple counseling count?" He asked, and she raised a brow. "How does that deal with your own mummy issues?" She asked, and he winced.

    "Please don''t call it that," he said with a pained expression and she giggled. "Alright. What about Sara issues?" She joked, and Harry chuckled.

    "I don''t have any issues, but I''ll go for therapy just to prove you all wrong," he said, and she

    nodded. "Yeah. You do that," Jade said, and smiled when Harry pulled her against himself.

    "I will do just that," he said suggestively, and she giggled.

    "That''s not the THAT I meant," she said and he grinned.

    "Well, this is the that I''m doing," he said yfully making herugh as he pulled her close to

    kiss her.

    "Just so you know, I''ll do whatever it takes to be whole and perfect for you," he said, and she

    smiled.

    "Yeah. I know. Me too."

 Chapter 957: Take Charge?

    Chapter 957: Take Charge?

    ?

    After spending some time catching up with Lucas''s parents, Amy and Lucas retired to his bedroom, aiming to grab a little rest before their nned visit to Amy''s mom.

    The house was quiet, save for the asional creaks that seemed to follow the natural rhythm of the day. Outside, birds chirpedzily, and a gentle breeze rustled the leaves, filling the room with a sense of calm.

    On the bed, Lucasy on his side, his arm draped gently over Amy''s waist, pulling her closer until her back rested against his chest.

    It was their first time lying so close together, a quiet intimacy that had built up over weeks of deep conversations, pure friendship, and genuineughter.

    Despite the room''s coolness and Lucas''s soothing breathing rhythm, Amy felt hot and restless.

    She was acutely aware of every point of contact between them- his arm around her waist, his breath against her neck, the press of his body along the length of hers.

    The sensation sent tiny electric sparks dancing along her skin, and she couldn''t help but squirm a little, trying to find a morefortable position.

    Lucas noticed the movement, and his lips curved into a small, knowing smile. "Why squirmest thou?"

    The scent of her hair, a mix of shampoo and something uniquely Amy, filled his senses, grounding him in this quiet moment.

    "The room feels hot," Amy said, and Lucas chuckled.

    "The room is not hot; it is you who is on heat," he joked, and she jabbed her elbow in his side, making him chuckle.

    "I''m serious," she said, moving closer to Lucas.

    Lucas smiled as he tightened his hold on her just a fraction, his thumb making slow,zy circles on her hip. He dipped his head, pressing a gentle kiss to the crook of her neck, and he felt her shiver in response.

    "How can you shiver when you''re hot?" Lucas murmured against her skin, his voice low and husky.

    Amy''s breath hitched, her eyes fluttering closed. "I have no idea."

    His hand traveled up her arm, the touch light as a feather, leaving a trail of warmth in its wake. "I think if the room is hot, I should give you room...."

    "Don''t move an inch," she warned, and he chuckled.

    "It feels nice to be held like this. I think... I think I might just be a cuddle person." Sheughed softly, the sound a little breathless.

    Lucas chuckled, his chest vibrating against her back. "I bet you are," he said, his voice teasing yet filled with affection. "I had a feeling."

    Theyy in silence for a while, just enjoying the closeness. Lucas''s fingers traced idle patterns on Amy''s arm, and she felt herself rx into the touch. The earlier restlessness began to fade, reced by a contented warmth that spread from where they touched. The tension that had coiled in her muscles slowly unraveled, and she let out a soft sigh, sinking deeper into the mattress.

    After a while, Lucas spoke, his voice a gentle murmur against her ear. "You''re no longer feeling hot, huh?" He asked, and she grinned even though she had her back to him.

    "You cooled me up," she joked without opening her eyes.

    Lucas chuckled. "Have you told your mom we areing?"

    Amy''s eyes snapped open, and she turned her head slightly to look at him, realizing she hadn''t thought to inform her mom about their visit. "Not yet," she admitted. "I guess I got distracted."

    Lucas''s lips quirked into a smile. "Understandable," he said, pressing another kiss to her shoulder. "But maybe you should give her a call and let her know we''reing. Wouldn''t want her to surprise you by not being at home."

    Amy nodded, feeling a twinge of nervousness. Shest saw her mom during Miley''s funeral. The thought brought a familiar ache to her chest, and she swallowed hard, trying to push the sorrow away.

    She sat up slowly, feeling Lucas''s hand slide off her waist as she reached for her phone on the nightstand.

    Lucas propped himself up on one elbow, watching her with a gentle smile. "Don''t worry," he said softly. "It''s okay if going home makes you miss Miley," he said, understanding that she was probably thinking of that.

    Amy nodded, taking a deep breath before dialing her mom''s number. She held the phone to her ear, the dial tone filling the silence as she waited. It rang a few times before her mother''s warm, slightly breathless voice came through.

    "Amy, sweetheart! Is everything okay?"

    Amy smiled, the sound of her mom''s voice easing the knot of tension in her chest. "Hi, Mom. Yes, everything''s fine. I was just calling to let you know that I''m in Heden. I dropped by for an event, so I''ming over briefly today... and I''m bringing someone with me."

    There was a pause on the other end, followed by a delightedugh. "Really? Oh, that''s wonderful! Who''sing with you?"

    "It''s Lucas," Amy said, ncing over her shoulder at him. He was still watching her, his eyes soft with affection. "You remember Lucas, right? Dr Perry. He was at the funeral."

    Her mom''s voice brightened even more. "Of course, I remember Lucas! How could I forget? He was so kind to us. Mrs Garwood will be thrilled to see him, too. When will you be here?"

    Amy felt a swell of warmth in her chest at her mom''s words. "We''ll be there in a couple of hours. I wanted to make sure you''d be home."

    "I''ll be here, sweetheart. I can''t wait to see you both. Does he have a sweet tooth?" she asked,

    and Amy giggled.

    "Yeah. He does."

    "Good. I''ll bake him something nice. I''m d you pre-informed me of your visit."

    "You don''t need to go through all that trouble..."

    "It''s no trouble. And I hope you''reing together because something is going on between

    you..."

    "Love, Mom. See you soon," Amy cut her mother off quickly and hung up.

    "What did she say?" Lucas asked as she turned back to face him.

    "She''s excited. She said Miley''s mom would be happy to see you, too. And she ns to bake

    you something really sweet," she said, and he grinned.

    "My girlfriend''s Mom wants to spoil me," he joked, and she giggled as she set her phone aside andy back down, facing him.

    The room fell into afortable silence as their eyes met, and something shifted in the air between them, a silent understanding passing without words.

    Lucas''s hand found her cheek, his thumb brushing over her skin in a tender caress. "I''m really d you''re here, Amy," he said softly. "It''s nice to just... be with you."

    Amy''s heart fluttered at his words, her pulse quickening as his hand moved to cup the back of her neck, pulling her closer. She could see the desire in his eyes, mirroring her own.

    She leaned in, her lips brushing against his in a tentative kiss. The contact sent a jolt of electricity through her, and she pressed closer, her hands sliding up his chest. Lucas''s hand tightened on her neck, his other arm wrapping around her waist to pull her against him. The kiss deepened, growing more urgent, more desperate. Amy''s fingers tangled in his hair, her body arching into his as the heat between them ignited. She could feel his heart beating fast against her, matching the frantic pulse of her own.

    The weight of his body above hers felt grounding, holding her in the moment. His hands roamed over her body, tracing the rise of her boobs-the curve of her waist, and the dip of her hip. Amy gasped against his mouth, her fingers curling into the fabric of his shirt, pulling him

    closer.

    Lucas pulled back slightly, his breath ragged, his eyes dark with desire. "Amy," he murmured, his voice a husky whisper. "We need to stop."

    "No. Why?" She asked, her eyes zed with desire.

    Lucas shook his head, "This isn''t the kind of experience I want you to have for your first time.

    I want it to be more special," he said, and she rolled her eyes.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "And who says this isn''t special?" she asked, and Lucas smiled.

    "This is too ordinary..."

    "Don''t tell me you want to get me flowers, decorate the walkway and bed with rose petals and

    stuff?" she asked, and he grinned.

    "Yeah. Something like that," he said, and she shook her head.

    "Not everyone needs stuff like that," she said, and Lucas nodded.

    "Sure. But you''re not just anyone. You didn''t wait this long to just..."

    "Lucas, please shut up," Amy said as she rolled over and got on top of him, "I''m going to take charge if you won''t," she threatened, and he chuckled.

    "Take charge? Like you know what to do," he said, and she rolled her eyes.

    "I might not have done it in practice, but trust me, I''ve done a lot of reading and seen my fair share of X-rated movies. I''m not a blushing virgin. I know my way around a man''s body," she said, and Lucas chuckled as he watched her cheeks flush red even as she spoke. "Yeah. You''re not a blushing virgin. You''re a very experienced one," he said as hey still and

    watched her.

    "You know what I don''t like about us right now?" she asked, and Lucas shook his head.

    "I don''t like that we talk about everything so naturally. For Christ''s sake, Luca, we should be doing something, not talking," she said, and Lucas chuckled.

    "What? You''re really going to let me take charge?" she asked in disbelief, and heughed.

    "Yes."

    "But if I do it myself, wouldn''t that mean I deflowered myself?" she asked, pouting, and he

    chuckled.

    "Are you sure you want to do it here? Now?" He asked, and she nodded, her eyes meeting his with a mixture of want and reassurance.

    "Yes," she whispered. "I want this... I want you. We can do the flowers another time."

    Lucas''s eyes softened at her words, a small smile tugging at his lips. He rolled them over, pressing her into the mattress.

    He leaned down, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead, then her nose, and finally her lips. His movements were slow and deliberate as if savoring every moment and every touch. His hand slid under her shirt, fingers grazing her skin, sending a shiver down her spine.

    Amy''s breath hitched, her back arching into his touch. She felt his lips travel down her neck, leaving a trail of soft kisses, each one igniting a spark of heat.

    Her hands roamed over his back, feeling the y of muscles under his shirt and the warmth of

    his skin.

    They both froze when someone knocked on the door, followed by Tom''s request for Lucas to

    see him for a bit.

    Lucas grinned at her. "I guess it won''t happen today," he said with a wink as he pulled away from her. Heughed as Amy groaned and kicked the air in frustration.

    Lucas smiled, his fingers brushing a strand of hair from her face. "You''ve waited so long; you can wait a little more," he said, kissing her forehead before getting off the bed.

    Amy sighed and scowled at Lucas, who was adjusting his trousers so his boner wouldn''t be

    visible.

    "I need a cold shower," she said, making Lucasugh as he walked out of the room to meet

    Tom.

 Chapter 958: Joint Endorsement

    Chapter 958: Joint Endorsement

    ?

    At the hotel where they had first met, Sonia and Bryany on the bed in the same room Bryan had lodged at the time.

    "I have a surprise for you," Sonia said with a grin, and Bryan raised a brow.

    "What?" He asked, and she picked up her phone and scrolled through it until she found what she was searching for.

    She grinned as she yed it, and Bryan''s eyes widened in surprise when he recognized what it was and a grin split his face. It was the recording she had made while they talked that night. (Chapter 20).

    Bryan chuckled, "I sound so pissed and frustrated," he said as he listened.

    "You were very frustrated and pissed," Sonia said with a giggle.

    "You were so stubborn and annoying," he said, and she giggled.

    "You deserved all of that for trying to use me to get out of your mess," she said, and Bryan chuckled as he listened to the recording which was still ying.

    "I guess I''m one of those who are lucky enough to experience true love after all," Bryan said, kissing her hand.

    "Yep. We are," Sonia said as she patted her baby bump.

    "You know one funny thing about life? You could just be thinking that nothing is happening in your life and maybe nothing is working for you, and then the next moment something magnificent happens. Like receiving a proposal from a celebrity," she said, and Bryan chuckled.

    "And you could be trying to get out of a silly scandal and end up proposing to the love of your life unknowingly," he said as he ced a hand on her abdomen.

    As Bryan''s hand rested on Sonia''s abdomen, he suddenly felt a gentle flutter, and his eyes widened with wonder, and a huge grin spread across his face. "Whoa, what''s that?" he

    eximed, his voice trembling with excitement.

    Sonia chuckled, "I think Ryso is saying hello!"

    Bryan''s eyes locked onto Sonia''s, filled with awe and joy. He felt another gentle kick, and his heart skipped a beat. "That''s our baby!" he whispered, his voice full of emotion.

    He gently pressed his hand against Sonia''s belly, eager to feel more of the baby''s movements. "Hello, Ryso. This is your, Daddy. Kick if you hear me," Bryan said, and when he felt another movement, heughed happily.

    "Ryso can hear me," he said, his excitement growing.

    Soniaughed at Bryan''s antics, happy to see him so thrilled. "You''re going to be an amazing Dad, Bryan," she said, her voice filled with love.

    Bryan''s face lit up with a radiant smile. "And you''ll be a wonderful Mom, I know it. I can''t wait to meet our little one," he said, his voice filled with anticipation as hey his head on her abdomen.

    "Me too," she said, patting Bryan''s head.

    "By the way, while you were taking a nap, the manager called and I went out to meet with them," Bryan said, pulling away to look at her.

    Sonia raised a brow. "Them?" she asked and he nodded.

    "The CEO was around too. They thought we were going toe down together. They want us to partner with them," he said, and Sonia sat up.

    "You mean like an endorsement deal?" she asked excitedly, and he chuckled.

    "Yes."

    "Us? Or you?" She asked again for rification, and heughed again.

    "The both of us. As a couple. Since our love story started here, and it sort of drew attention to the Hotel, they want us to partner with them," Bryan exined, and Sonia shrieked happily making Bryanugh.

    "Do you know what that means? That''s going to be my first endorsement deal," she said standing up to dance in circles.

    "I thought so. So, I didn''t discuss the details with them. I told them we woulde back together when you''re awake," he said, and she raised a brow.

    "Why didn''t you say that before now?" She asked as she hurried to the closet and Bryanughed as he watched her search for something to wear.

    A short whileter, Sonia and Bryan were seated in the office of the manager''s office, sipping champagne and discussing a potential partnership with the hotel management.

    "We''re thrilled to have you both on board," the hotel manager said, beaming with excitement. "Your love story is an inspiration, and we believe it aligns perfectly with our brand values."

    Bryan smiled, "We''re happy to partner with you. This hotel holds a special ce in our hearts."

    Sonia nodded, "We''re looking forward to working together to create some amazing experiences for your guests."

    Sonia bubbled with excitement as the hotel manager outlined the proposal: sponsored content, exclusive packages, and co-branded promotions.

    Sonia let Bryan do the talking since he was more experienced when it came to endorsements than she was, and she listened with rapt attention to all that was being discussed.

    As they left the hotel manager''s office, Sonia couldn''t stop smiling. Their love story had brought them full circle, from a chance meeting to a partnership with the hotel where it all began.

    "I''m so excited for this endorsement deal," Sonia said, her eyes shining happily.

    "Me too," Bryan replied, squeezing Sonia''s hand. "We make a great team, in every way."

    Sonia nodded, feeling grateful for their love and the opportunities it had brought them. "We sure do. I can''t wait to share the news with Lucy and the girls. I''m now a brand ambassador."

    Bryan chuckled, "Not yet, love. We haven''t signed..."

    "Don''t ruin the mood," she chided, and Bryan chuckled.

    "You know what I think? We should set up a trust-fund for Ryso with this and every money thates from our joint endorsement should go into it. What do you think?" Sonia asked thoughtfully as they walked into their suite and Bryan smiled.

    "I think I chose the best Mom possible for Ryso," he said, pulling her close for kiss her.

    Back at the Perry household, by the time Lucas returned to the bedroom, Amy had dozed off. He smiled as he joined her on the bed, pulling her close to himself.

    As hey on the bed with her, listening to her soft breath, he thought about what his mother had said about meeting Amy for the first time on the same day he ended things with Rachel. Was it really symbolic? Was that the universe telling him that Amy was the one he was meant to be with?

    He found it funny that even though he had not harbored any sort of romantic feelings towards Amy when they met at Lucy''s apartment that day, the universe had still somehow made their parts cross again by engineering his encounter with Miley in such a way that he met Amy

    again.

    Lucas couldn''t shake off the feeling that there was something special about the timing of it all. None of all that happened could have been simply coincidence.

    He thought about how different his life would be if he had stayed in the toxic rtionship with Rachel or if he had never met Amy.

    As he held Amy close, he felt a sense of gratitude and wonder. Was it fate that had brought them together? He didn''t know, but he did know that he couldn''t imagine his life without her

    now.

    She brought him so much joy that he had never truly experienced, and what he loved most was the easy friendship they shared.

    Maybe Amy was the universe''s way of telling him that he deserved better, that he deserved

    love and happiness.

    Lucas gently stroked Amy''s hair, feeling her soft breath on his skin. He closed his eyes, letting the peacefulness of the moment wash over him.

    As he drifted off to sleep with Amy in his arms, Lucas knew that he would never let her go. He would cherish and love her, and make sure that she knew how much she meant to him. The universe had brought them together, and he was grateful for that.

    While Lucas and Amy slept, Lucyy on her parents'' bed, chatting with them while Tom was

    busy responding to an important mail.

    "Lucas seems to really like her," J said, and Lucy grinned.

    "He is totally crazy about her," she said as she took out her phone to show them the picture

    Jade had taken of Lucas.

    Andrew and J threw back their heads andughed hard when they saw the picture and the

    capture.

    "Is that really my Lucas?" J asked, stillughing, and Lucy giggled.

    "The other day while he was still in Hu, he arranged for a package of flowers and stuff to be delivered to her at the office," Lucy confided happily.

    "Aww. My Lucas is such a charming young man. He''s the real Prince Charming," J said

    with a proud smile.

    "He learned how to be romantic from me. Back in the day, I swept your mother off her feet

    with my romantic gestures," Andrew said, and J rolled her eyes.

    "We are not talking about you, Drew," she said, and Lucy giggled.

    "Are you saying that I didn''t sweep you off your feet? I..."

    "Maybe you did then, but I''m back on my feet now," J said, and Lucy hollered with

    laughter.

    "Wow. That''s nice, J. Really nice," Andrew said with a scowl.

    "Tell me more about Amy, Lu. She seems like a nice girl. What do you think about her, aside

    from being great at her job?" J asked, returning her attention to Lucy.

    "She is wonderful, Mom. And the best part for me is that she loves Lucas, too. They''re both so cute and seeing them together makes me smile," Lucy said with a wide smile. "Well, I''m d he finally found someone nice for himself. Someone who loves him and understands him," Andrew said and they all nodded.

    "I was worried that the whole mess with Rachel would take him forever to get over, but I''m

    d to see that he is moving on. Did you set them up?" J asked, and Lucy shook her head. "No. I had no hand in it. He told you he''s relocating to Ludus after his program, right? He''s

    taking a job at the I-Global clinic and he will be taking over my apartment too," she said, and her parents nodded.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "Yeah. He told us so," J said, happy that both her kids were doing alright and she didn''t have to worry about Lucas anymore.

    "So, what about you, Lucy?" Andrew asked, watching Lucy closely.

    "What about me?" She asked with a confused smile.

    "What''s going on with you? How are things going with Tom? If Lucas is moving into your

    ce, does that mean you''re moving in fully with Tom?" He asked, and she grinned.

    "Yeah," she said with a nod.

    "Really? Are you finally going to get married to him?" J asked excitedly, and Lucy

    giggled.

    "Yes, I n to. But he doesn''t know it yet," she said with a grin.

    "He doesn''t?" Andrew asked, wondering why she thought Tom didn''t know about her change

    of heart when he was preparing to engage her.

    Lucy shook her head, "No. I want to surprise him," she said, not wanting to tell them about

    her n to engage him.

    "If he doesn''t know, how is he going to propose and how are you both going to get married?"

    J asked with a frown.

    "Don''t worry. When the right timeses it will happen," she said with a smug smile.

    "Do you want me to tell Evelyn so she can give him a hint?" J suggested and Lucy shook

    her head.

    "No. No. I don''t want her to know about it either," Lucy said, and J smiled. "Well, I''m sure you have a n whatever that is. But right now I''m just so thankful that both my babies are in a good ce emotionally," J said, patting Lucy''s hair. Andrew nodded in agreement, "Me too," he said with a wide smile, deciding to keep Tom''s n to himself. He wanted J to be just as surprised as Lucy when Tom proposed.

 Chapter 959: The Plus One

    Chapter 959: The Plus One

    ?

    Amy and Lucas sat in thefortable silence of Lucas''s car as they drove toward the Garwood mansion. The roads were familiar to Amy, but today, they seemed to stretch out longer, each turn and curve pulling her thoughts back to Miley. She stared out the window, thendscape blurring past her, lost in memories of her best friend.

    Lucas noticed the silence, the way Amy''s fingers fidgeted with the hem of her dress, the distant look on her face.

    It wasn''t like her to be so quiet, and he understood why. Gently, he reached over, his hand covering hers. "Hey," he said softly, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze.

    Amy turned her head to him, forcing a small smile. "Hey," she replied, her voice barely above a whisper.

    Lucas kept his eyes on the road but squeezed her hand again. "It''s okay. I know you miss her."

    "I know you do," Amy said, her smile faltering as she turned her gaze back to the window. "I just don''t think I''m ever going to get used to going back there each time, knowing she will never be there."

    "That''s normal," Lucas agreed, his voice soothing. "You don''t have to hide what you''re thinking from me. We can talk about it." Lucas nced at her briefly, his eyes full of concern.

    Amy shook her head. "Not right now. Maybeter," she said, appreciating his understanding. She took a deep breath, trying to shake off the heaviness that had settled in her chest.

    "Alright," Lucas said, giving her hand onest squeeze before letting go.

    He searched for a way to lighten the mood, to bring a smile back to her face. "You know, I was thinking maybe we could take a little detour after we meet your Mom. There''s this amazing little ice cream ce not far from here. Best sundaes I''ve ever had."

    Amy''s lips curved into a genuine smile. "That sounds nice."

    Lucas grinned, relieved to see her smile. "Good. Because I''ve been craving their double chocte fudge sundae for weeks, I don''t suppose you''re the best ice cream maker in the world, too, are you?"

    Amy chuckled, the sound bringing a bit of warmth back to the car. "You''re obsessed."

    "With you and the really good stuff you make? Absolutely," Lucas said, ying along.

    They continued the drive in a morefortable silence, with Lucas asionally pointing out things he thought might interest Amy. By the time they arrived at the Garwood mansion, Amy felt a little lighter.

    As Lucas parked the car, Amy led him toward the side of the mansion where the domestic staff quarters were located since that was where her mother lived. "Since it''s midday, my Mom should be here," she said, her voice quiet as they approached.

    "Shouldn''t we say hello to Miley''s parents?" Lucas asked, suspecting that Amy didn''t want to go inside the main house; hence, she was leading him to the domestic staff quarters.

    "We didn''t inform them of our visit, and I''m not exactly here to see them," she said dismissively.

    "Don''t you think Miley would have wanted you to check on her parents?" Lucas asked reasonably. Before she could respond, the front door of the mansion swung open, and Mrs. Garwood, who had sighted them from the balcony, stepped out.

    "Amy, Dr Perry! We''ve been expecting you two," she called out with a warm smile that reached them even from a distance.

    Amy paused, ncing at Lucas, who was chuckling under his breath. They both turned to face Miley''s Mom.

    Mrs. Garwood''s smile widened as they approached her, her arms outstretched. "Were you just going to see your mother without saying hello to us?" she chided gently, pulling Amy into a brief hug.

    "We wanted to stop by to say hello, but we didn''t think you''d be up for visitors, and I didn''t want to impose," Amy lied, feeling a bit embarrassed.

    Behind her, Lucas chuckled silently, earning him a re from her, and he was masked inughter with a cough.

    "Nonsense!" Mrs. Garwood said, waving off her concerns. She turned to Lucas, her eyes lighting up. "It''s so good to see you again. I was disappointed you didn''t say hello at the funeral."

    Lucas smiled politely, "I''m sorry. I had a flight to catch, and you had a lot of guests to attend to."

    "Please,e inside," Mrs. Garwood insisted, linking her arm with Amy''s and leading them toward the entrance. "We''ve just finished preparing lunch, and we''d love for you both to join us."

    Amy nced at Lucas, who gave her a reassuring nod. They followed Mrs. Garwood into the house, where the scent of home-cooked meals filled the air. The dining room was already set, and Amy''s mother was waiting there, and her face lit up when she saw them.

    "Amy," her mother greeted warmly,ing over to give Amy a hug before turning to Lucas.

    "You must be Dr. Perry. It''s so good to see you. You''re even more handsome than I thought," she plimented, making Lucas blush slightly.

    "I told you he was very good-looking, didn''t I?" Mrs Garwood said with a grin. Lucas looked away, embarrassed by the attention both women were giving him, while Amyughed. "Thank you. It''s a pleasure to meet you," Lucas replied with a modest smile, trying not to show his embarrassment.

    "I will get my husband. You all should make yourselvesfortable," Mrs Garwood said before hurrying off to get her husband.

    They all sat down to lunch, the atmosphere surprisingly light despite the shroud of grief that had hovered over them weeks ago. Amy felt a sense of relief as they settled into conversation, and soon, the topic shifted to their visit.

    "So, what brings you both to Heden?" Mr. Garwood asked, his eyes twinkling as he looked from Amy to Lucas.

    Lucas smiled, ncing at Amy before answering. "I came for my ss reunion. I brought Amy with me as my plus one," he exined.

    "Oh, how lovely!" Mrs. Garwood eximed, clearly pleased. Although she was curious to know the state of their rtionship now, she wasn''t rude enough to pry.

    Amy''s mother smiled at Lucas, gratitude evident in her eyes. "Well, I''m d you did, and now

    I get the chance to meet you and thank you in person for all you did for Amy, she told me." she said, her tone appreciative.

    Lucas''s smile faltered slightly, but he quickly recovered. "It was the least I could do."

    "Well, thanks for doing it."

    Mr. Garwood leaned back in his chair, a thoughtful expression on his face. "And thank you for helping us clear up that misunderstanding. You handled it with such subtlety; we didn''t even realize we were being ''tricked'' by you," he said, and his wife nodded,ughing in agreement.

    Lucas chuckled, clearly embarrassed by the praise. "I wouldn''t say I tricked anyone," he said

    modestly.

    Mrs. Garwoodughed lightly. "Oh, but you did. And we appreciate it. Thanks to you, we resolved the misunderstanding with Amy. Amy, once again, I''m sorry for hitting you," she

    said, and Amy nodded.

    "That''s all in the past," Amy assured her.

    "If I may ask, how did you handle Malone?" Lucas asked since he had been curious about that. Now that Amy was his girlfriend, her security was paramount to him, and he wanted to be sure that Malone wouldn''t trouble Amy anymore.

    "Oh, that. We reported him to the police. Turns out he was already on probation, and he

    vited the terms. He''s been locked up again, so Amy, you don''t need to worry about him anymore," Mr. Garwood said, and Amy felt a wave of relief wash over her at the news.

    "Thank you," she said softly, genuinely grateful.

    Mrs. Garwood''s expression softened. "You don''t have to thank us, Amy. It is our duty to

    handle Miley''s mess."

    "So, seeing you both together this way, is Amy just your plus one, or is she THE plus one?" Amy''s mother asked curiously.

    "MOM!" Amy protested, embarrassed by her mother''s direct question.

    "I''m d you asked, I have been dying silently with curiosity myself," Mrs Garwood said with

    a wide smile.

    "Me too," Mr Garwood said, since they all knew Miley had wished for the two to be together.

    Lucas chuckled as he nced at Amy who was blushing furiously, "She is THE plus one," Lucas confirmed, and Mr Garwood held out his hand to Lucas for a handshake. "Good man," he said as they shook hands and both Miley''s mom and Amy''s mom exchanged a

    look, smiling happily at each other.

    "I told you both they were going to end up together, didn''t I?" Miley''s mother asked her husband and Amy''s mother and they allughed.

    "Congrattions to you both. You both look good together," Miley''s father said, and Amy

    buried her face in her hand.

    "You''re all embarrassing me," Amy confessed and they allughed.

    "You think you''re a baby," her mother said with a shake of her head.

    As they finished their meal, Mr. Garwood suddenly grew more serious. "Actually, before your mother told us you were visiting, we were nning to reach out to you both for another reason," he said, exchanging a nce with his wife.

    Amy and Lucas looked at each other, confused. What was this about?

    "Miley''swyer contacted us some days ago," Mrs. Garwood began, her voice tinged with emotion. "He wasn''t aware of her passing, especially considering how quickly we buried her. He informed us that Miley wanted you to have everything she owned, Amy. And she left something for you as well, Lucas."

    Amy''s heart skipped a beat. She hadn''t expected this. "She... she left us something?" Mrs. Garwood nodded, "Everything. She left you everything," she said as she stood up from the table. "I''ll go get the envelopes."n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Amy and Lucas exchanged a bewildered look as Mrs. Garwood left the room. "I had no idea,"

    Amy whispered, her voice trembling.

    Lucas reached out, taking her hand in his. "Neither did I."

    Mrs. Garwood returned shortly with two envelopes in hand. She handed one to Amy and the

    other to Lucas. "These are from Miley," she said softly.

    Amy stared at the envelope in her hands, her fingers trembling slightly. She didn''t know if she was ready to open it to see what Miley had left behind.

    "Why? I didn''t want anything from her," Amy said, her lips wobbling.

    Mrs Garwood smiled, "I can''t answer your question, Amy, but I can assure you that if anyone

    deserves it, it is you. You were the best friend Miley could ever ask for, and I''m happy she got

    to experience such friendship in her short life."

    Lucas ced aforting hand on her back, his presence steady and reassuring. "We can open themter if you''d prefer."

    Amy nodded, grateful for his understanding. "Yeah, maybeter."

    The rest of their visit passed in a blur. Amy felt overwhelmed by Miley''s unexpected gift, and Lucas could sense her unease. After thanking the Garwoods and Amy''s Mom for the cake slices and pastries she packed for them, they said their goodbyes.

    As they drove away from the mansion, the silence in the car was heavy with unspoken emotions. Unable to wait anymore, Amy finally mustered the courage to open the envelope.

    Miley''s phone was inside the envelope, alongside a letter. Amy unfolded the letter carefully,

    her eyes scanning the familiar handwriting.

    [My sweetest Amy,

    I was going to leave a video message, but I kept crying and ruining it, so I opted for a

    handwritten note. I didn''t want to give you any more reason to cry. I do hope you get this letter. Well, I''m sure if you''re reading this right now, then you got it.

    Thank you, Amy. Thank you for being the best friend I could have ever asked for and for loving

    me so selflessly. You were the sister I never had, and I loved you with every part of me. Thank

    you for sticking with me to the very end. I''m so sorry for any pain or inconvenience my decision may cause or may have caused you.

    If the surrogacy process works, I trust you to take care of our baby. If it''s a girl, name her

    Miley. And if it''s a boy, you can call him Lucas (Lol).

    If the surrogacy doesn''t work, that''s fine, too. I''ll be at peace knowing I will always have a

    ce in your heart.

    I want you to have everything I own. You''ll find all the details in the folder titled Amy on my phone. I hope it brings you somefort, and I hope you find happiness, Amy. Deep and genuine happiness. You deserve it. And I especially hope that happinesses with Dr. Hottie (Winks). I still think you two would be perfect for each other. It''s a gut feeling, and I trust my

    gut.

    Please be happy for me, Amy. I''m at peace now. I lived my life to the fullest until my life battery ran out. I hope you do the same. Live, Laugh, and Love.

    With all my love, Miley.

    Tears welled up in Amy''s eyes as she finished reading. She choked back a sob, clutching the

    letter to her chest. Lucas nced at her, concern etched on his face. "Amy, are you okay?"

    Amy nodded, but she couldn''t hold back the tears. "She... she wanted me to be happy," she whispered, her voice breaking. "Even when she was dying, she still thought of me."

    Lucas pulled the car over to the side of the road and turned to her, his heart aching for her.

    "Come here," he said softly, opening his arms.

    Amy fell into his embrace, her tears soaking into his shirt. Lucas held her tightly, rubbing soothing circles on her back. "It''s okay," he murmured. "Let it out."

    After a few minutes, Amy''s sobs quieted, and she pulled back slightly, wiping her eyes. "I''m

    sorry," she said, her voice shaky. "I didn''t mean to break..." Lucas kissed her lip, silencing her. "You should never apologize for your tears, Amy. Not to me," he said softly. "What am I supposed to do? Why did she leave me everything?" Amy asked, at a loss.

    "Whatever you want," he said, and just then Amy''s phone rang.

    "It''s Lucy," Amy said as she received the call.

    "She says the makeup artist and hairstylist have arrived, and we need to hurry," Amy said, and

    Lucas nodded.

    "Let''s go then. We will talk about thister," he said as he resumed driving.

 Chapter 960 Couple Goal

    960 Couple Goal

    As the makeup artist and hairstylist stepped out of Lucy''s bedroom after they were done, Lucy turned to Amy with a wide smile.

    "You look stunning," Lucy said, and Amy nodded.

    "I can''t believe it myself. Thanks, Lucy," Amy said, turning away from the mirror to face Lucy.

    "There is nothing to thank me for. I haven''t done anything," Lucy said with a dismissive wave.

    Amy smiled, "You look really gorgeous. Something looks different about you," Amy said, her voice filled with admiration.

    "Thanks. It''s the contacts. I''m not wearing my sses, and you''re used to seeing me in them," Lucy said, and Amy nodded, realizing that was what seemed different.

    "I think I''m gradually beginning to get used to wearing contacts," Lucy said thoughtfully, more to herself than to Amy.

    "By the way, Amy, I''ve been thinking of discussing something with you," Lucy said, and Amy raised her brows curiously. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "What is it?"

    "I''m not exactly sure how to say this, and mind you, I''m not saying it because I want any troubles. I just want you to brace yourself and be prepared for the worst," she started, and Amy frowned, wondering if Lucas had said something.

    "Brace myself for what?"

    "You know Rachel was our ssmate, right?" She asked, and Amy nodded.

    "Well, you know how people are. There might be those who think Lucas shouldn''t be with another woman, especially considering the suicide note. Don''t get me wrong; I''m not saying this because I agree with them. I''m just saying you might hear unpleasant things, and I want you to be prepared for them. And you should alsoe to me if anyone speaks to you rudely. I promise to handle it," Lucy said with a solemn expression, and Amy smiled.

    "Thanks, Lucy, but I already thought of the possibility of that happening and considered it before epting Lucas''s request to be his plus one. I''m not afraid or worried about what anyone is going to say to me or about me. You don''t need to worry about me either. I have my big girl pants on," Amy assured her.

    Lucy smiled, "That''s good, then. I''m relieved to hear that. Why don''t we take some selfies before we leave?" She suggested, changing the subject.

    "Yeah. Let''s do that," Amy said as she moved closer to Lucy. They took some pictures, and then Amy took Lucy''s phone and helped her capture some personal photos, and Lucy did the same for Amy.

    "Oh, my! You two are absolutely gorgeous," J cooed when she walked into the bedroom and saw Lucy and Amy in the middle of their photoshoot.

    "Thank you, Mom," Lucy said with a delightedugh.

    "Thank you, J," Amy said with a warm smile. J had earlier insisted that she simply call her J.

    "Well, the men are waiting downstairs," J said after looking them over and was sure everything looked perfect.

    "Lead the way, Amy," Lucy offered, eager to see Lucas'' reaction when he saw Amy.

    "I''d rather you go ahead of me. I need a moment," Amy said, and Lucy exited the room with a nod.

    "Where is Amy?" Lucas asked as he watched Lucy descend the stairs.

    "Amy will be down shortly. Is Amy the only one you care about? Nopliment for your beautiful sister?" Lucy teased, and Lucas scoffed.

    "You look okay," he said, and Lucy giggled.

    "You know you won''t die if you say I look beautiful, right?"

    "I''ll probably choke on the words and die," he said, causing their father tough as he joined them.

    "Now, this right here is a real-life princess," Andrew said as he looked Lucy over, and she giggled.

    "Thanks, Dad," Lucy said, and just then, the door opened, and Tom walked in.

    Tom''s breath caught in his throat when he saw Lucy, vision in pale blue, standing there at the foot of the stairs.

    Lucy grinned as she went to stand before him, her gown flowing like a gentle stream cascading down her body in soft folds. The delicate embroidery on the bodice sparkled like subtle starlight, drawing his gaze to her serene face.

    He had never seen Lucy look so radiant, so peaceful. Her gray eyes shone like still waters, reflecting the calmness that emanated from her very being.

    "Jewel, you look... breathtaking," Tom stammered, his words barely above a whisper.

    A soft smile spread across her face, and she looked down, her eyshes fluttering like butterflies. "Thanks. I''m d I managed to impress you."

    Tom felt a surge of pride, knowing he had made an effort to match her elegance. But as he gazed at Lucy, he realized he was outshone by her natural beauty.

    Lucy''s parents smiled as they watched her and Tom, and Andrew took out his phone and took a picture of them.

    Behind them, Lucas''s jaw dropped when he saw Amy descending the stairs in the dress she had chosen earlier, and Amy grinned as he climbed the stairs instead of waiting for her to get to where he was.

    "What did Lucy do to my girlfriend?" Lucas asked, and Amy giggled, causing the others to turn to them.

    "Why didn''t you tell me the reunion was prom-themed?" She asked, and Lucas shook his head.

    "I forgot that detail. You look absolutely beautiful, Amy," Lucas said, and she grinned.

    "Thank you. It''s all thanks to Lucy��"

    "I did nothing. It''s all you," Lucy said, cutting Amy off.

    Andrew and J exchanged a happy smile before urging them all to gather together for a group picture.

    "I''m going to make sure I have one of them framed," J said as she took her time to capture the pictures from only the best angles.

    Once they were done taking personal and group photos, Lucas offered his arm, and Amy took it, her hand resting lightly on his sleeve.

    As they walked outside, Lucas couldn''t help but steal nces at her, drinking in the serenity that surrounded her like an aura.

    To Lucas, Amy was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. He absolutely adored her, and it was obvious to everyone else.

    When they got to the car, Lucas whistled when he saw the car, a gold mansory rolls-royce phantom limousine, which Tom had arranged for them.

    "Tom, you keep outdoing yourself," Lucas said, and Tom chuckled.

    "My Jewel deserves only the best," Tom said as the chauffeur opened the car door, and Tom helped Lucy into the car.

    Lucas and Amy got in, too, and once they were seated, Lucas turned to Amy and said, "You know, Amy, I think this might be the most beautiful I''ve ever seen you look."

    Amy''s smile returned, and she leaned in, her voice barely above a whisper. "I''m d you like it. I felt like this dress suited me, you know?"

    Lucas nodded, "It does. It suits you perfectly."

    Seated across from them, Tom leaned closer to Lucy, "So, are we going to make out in the backseat of the car after prom?" He asked, wiggling his brows suggestively.

    Lucy giggled as she pushed him away yfully. "Did you do that at your prom?" She asked with narrowed eyes.

    "I don''t even remember my prom," Tom said, and before Lucy could argue or ask another question, he changed the subject, "I have something for you," Tom said with a mischievous grin.

    Lucy raised a brow, "What?"

    Tom chuckled as he reached for a box she had not noticed earlier and handed it to her.

    Lucas and Amy watched as Lucy opened the box, and then she giggled as she took out a gold sash and gold tiara studded with diamonds, "You''ve got to be kidding me," she said, and Tom chuckled.

    "Are those real diamonds?" Amy asked as she looked at the exquisite tiara.

    "Are there fake diamonds? It''s either a diamond or not," Tom said, and Amy shook her head in wonder.

    She had always known that Tom adored Lucy, but seeing his romantic disys in person like this left her in awe of the couple.

    Lucy didn''t pay attention to the tiara as she rolled out the sash to see what he had written on it, and she smiled as she read it.

    "''Wee To Prom, Queen Lucinda'' Really?" She asked, and he nodded.

    "Yeah," he said as he took the tiara and set it on her head.

    "Everyone is going to think this reunion is about me��"

    "It is about you. They all know it," Tom said, raising her hand to his lips before kissing her.

    "Are they really always like this?" Amy asked Lucas as she watched them.

    "Like what?"

    "So lovey dovey? And does he always make such grand gestures?" Amy asked curiously.

    Lucas chuckled, "Why? Wanna make them your couple goal?"

    "They are already," Amy said with a grin as she looked at Lucas.

    "You remember I''m not as rich as Tom, right?" He asked yfully, and she yfully elbowed his side.

    "No, I forgot. Thanks for reminding me," she said, and they bothughed lightheartedly.

    As they drove to the reunion, Lucas couldn''t help but feel grateful to be by Amy''s side, basking in the calm, peaceful glow that radiated from her like a beacon.

 Chapter 961 Lucy’s Prom

    961 Lucy��s Prom

    As the limousine pulled up in front of the event hall, Lucy couldn''t help but feel a flutter of excitement in her stomach.

    She nced out of the window, taking in thevishly decorated exterior, with golden lights twinkling like stars against the evening sky. The marquee above the entrance announced in bold letters, [Wee to the 7th High School Reunion] and beneath it, a smaller sign read, [Lucy''s Prom].

    The chauffeur opened the car door, and Tom stepped out first, extending a hand to help Lucy. She epted, stepping gracefully out of the vehicle.

    As soon as she emerged, a chorus of excited shrieks greeted her ears. She turned to see Sonia and a group of their former ssmates rushing toward her, their faces lit up with joy.

    "Lucy!" One of them squealed, throwing her arms around her. The others followed suit, enveloping Lucy in a whirlwind of hugs andughter. It was as if no time had passed since their graduation seven years ago.

    "Oh my God, you look amazing, Lucy!" Chloe, thedy who had told her about the reunion, eximed, stepping back to admire Lucy''s gown. "And where did you get that tiara? You look like a queen!"

    "She is a queen. My Queen," Tom interjected and sounds of ''aww'' rent the air.

    "You''re so lucky, Lucy," one of thedies said.

    Lucyughed, her eyes sparkling. "Yes, I am. Thank you! You all look fantastic too. I can''t believe it''s been so long!"

    "It''s been too long, Lucy. Every year I looked forward to your presence at the reunion but you never showed up," one of them said.

    Just then, Lucas stepped out of the limousine, drawing the attention of the group. A round of greetings and smiles greeted him, and he responded with his usual easy charm.

    "Ladies," Lucas said, nodding at them with a smile.

    Their attention shifted when they noticed Amy stepping out of the car. The reaction was immediate�� a series of appreciative smiles andpliments.

    "Amy, you look stunning!" Sonia said, her eyes widening in admiration. "That dress is beautiful on you!"

    "Thank you," Amy replied shyly, a soft blush spreading across her cheeks at the unexpected attention. "You look amazing too."

    "Isn''t she just lovely?" Lucy said, beaming as she introduced Amy to the group.

    After the greetings, one of thedies, who had been appointed the head of the reunionmittee, turned to Tom with a grateful smile. "Mr Hank, thank you so much for sponsoring this reunion. We really couldn''t have pulled this off without you. Before now our reunions were a casual affair, but this? This is the grandest we''ve ever had it."

    Tom smiled modestly. "It''s my Jewel you should thank. It''s my pleasure to put a smile on her face," Tom said, and Lucy giggled as another round of ''awws'' filled the air.

    "Where''s Bryan?" Tom asked Sonia when he didn''t see him anywhere around.

    Sonia rolled her eyes yfully. "Busy signing autographs."

    Tom chuckled, "Well, I better go find him before he starts getting carried away," Tom said.

    "I wille with you," Lucas said and then turned to Amy, "Do you want toe with us, or would you prefer to stay with Lucy and Sonia?"

    "I will join you insideter," Amy said, giving him a reassuring smile.

    "Before you go inside, you should take pictures at the red carpet," Sonia suggested, and both Tom, Lucy, Lucas and Amy, made their way down the red carpet so that the designated photographers would capture their pictures.

    After they were done with the pictures, Lucas and Tom headed into the hall, leaving thedies to their conversations.

    Inside, the grand hall was transformed into a dazzling spectacle. The theme was a nostalgic nod to their high school days, with neon lights, a disco ball, and walls adorned with photos and memorabilia from their school years. The air buzzed with excitement and chatter as former ssmates mingled, reminiscing about the past.

    As Lucy and thedies stepped into the hall, the emcee''s voice boomed through the speakers, capturing everyone''s attention. "Ladies and gentlemen, please give a warm wee to the star of the night, Lucinda Perry!"

    Lucy froze, caught off guard by the announcement. She felt a blush creeping up her cheeks as all eyes turned toward her, apanied by a round of apuse and cheers.

    The crowd began to chant her name, and Lucy turned to look at Tom, who was now standing at the other end of the hall with Bryan and Lucas, a proud grin on his face. She giggled, shaking her head in disbelief.

    "He does too much," Lucy muttered under her breath.

    "And we both know you enjoy every bit of it," Sonia whispered, her eyes gleaming with excitement.

    As the apuse died down, Lucy made her way to where Tom stood while Sonia and Amy also joined Bryan and Lucas.

    "How do you feel?" Tom asked curiously.

    "I feel like I''m in high school again, the only difference is that I have the most gorgeous and amazing man in the room," she said, and he chuckled.

    With Tom by her side, Lucy made her way through the crowd, exchanging greetings and hugs with her former ssmates, each encounter bringing back a flood of memories. She was introduced to spouses and partners, each person eager to reconnect and even more eager to be introduced to Tom.

    On other sides of the hall, Lucas and Sonia did the same, taking Amy and Bryan around as they reconnected with their friends.

    "I thought Tyler was going to be here," Amy said after some time, and Lucas nodded.

    "That was the n, but something came up," Lucas said, not wanting to mention that it was Mia''s surgery.

    Because Tyler''s schedule was tight, the only space he had was this weekend because he had left it open for the reunion. So, when Mia requested he work on her back, he decided to forgo the reunion and carry out the surgery on her instead.

    Once everyone was seated at their tables, the lights dimmed, and arge screen lit up at the front of the hall. A slideshow of pictures from their high school days began to y, set to nostalgic music. Laughter filled the room as familiar faces appeared on the screen, caught in candid moments of youth and joy. There were pictures of school events, sporting activities, and Lucy with the cheerleading squad, her pom-poms high in the air, her face radiant with enthusiasm.

    "Oh, look at that!" Lucy eximed, pointing at the screen as a video yed of her leading the cheer during a school game. The camera zoomed in on her young, carefree face, and sheughed, reliving the moment.

    Tom watched her, a smile tugging at his lips. Seeing Lucy so happy, surrounded by friends and fond memories, filled him with a warm sense of pride and contentment.

    As the video ended, conversations flowed freely, with everyone sharing their favorite memories from high school. The topics ranged from old crushes to memorable pranks.

    It was all fun until one of thedies suddenly remarked, "You know, I''m so d Rachel isn''t here. She was such a nightmare. I haven''t recovered from what she did to me when she learned I had a crush on Lucas."

    A brief silence fell over the table, and eyes darted toward Lucas, who had remained mostly quiet until now. Amy, sensing his difort, reached for his hand under the table and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

    "What did she do to you?" Lucas asked quietly, a hint of tension in his voice.

    Before anyone could respond, Lucy cut in smoothly, "I think we should leave the past in the past. Tonight is about celebrating, not rehashing old drama." She shot a meaningful look at Lucas, silently urging him to drop the subject especially for Amy''s sake.

    Lucas nced at Amy, who smiled at him gently, and he nodded, rxing slightly in his seat.

    "No offense, Lucas. I didn''t mean to make you ufortable. It''s just that I was so happy when I learned that it was you who called off the engagement��"

    "Can you stop talking about, Rachel, Natalie? Read the room," Sonia said with a scowl.

    "Oh! Right. Sorry, Lucas. And you too, Amy," she said, shing them an apologetic smile.

    The conversation shifted, and soon,ughter returned as they continued to share stories. One of the guys, a former ss clown, winked at Lucy yfully. "Hey, Lucy, remember when you had that huge crush on me? Do you still have a crush on me?" he teased, grinning.

    Tom''s eyes narrowed slightly, but before he could say anything, Lucy giggled, shaking her head. "That was ages ago. I only have eyes for Tom now." She leaned into Tom, her eyes twinkling with affection as she kissed his cheek.

    One of thedies sighed dramatically, "Well, I''d only have eyes for my man too if he pulled off an event like this just for me." Her words drew a chorus of agreement from the otherdies, who nodded andughed.

    Someone else at the table, clearly eager to stir the pot,mented, "Isn''t it funny how both Sonia and Lucy ended up as sisters-inw, married to two very sessful brothers? I guess Sonia''s decision to turn her back on her family and stick with Lucy eventually paid off. Tell us, who connected who?"

    Lucy''s smile faltered, and a spark of irritation shed in her eyes. "I thought maturityes with age, but I see some people still haven''t grown up. You''re still as envious as ever, Sophia," she said with a shake of her head.

    "Sensitive much? Must be the��"

    Sonia yawned loudly before Sophia could finish speaking, "Some people are super desperate to steal the show, but even their attempt is boring."

    The atmosphere at the table grew tense, and before the exchange could escte, the emcee''s voice broke in once, "It''s time to hit the dance floor! Let''s take it back to the golden days!" He announced to the relief of everyone.

    Lucy looked up at him, her eyes shining with love. "I am happy, Tom. Happier than I''ve ever been."

    16:05

    "I''m happy to hear that."

    "Want to dance?" Tom asked, and Lucy turned to him with a wide smile, her earlier irritation gone.

    "Sure."

    The DJ started ying hits from their high school years, and the dance floor quickly filled with people eager to relive the past. Tom stood, extending a hand to Lucy, his eyes softening. "Shall we?"

    Lucy nodded, smiling up at him. "Let''s go." She took his hand, and they moved to the dance floor, joining the swaying crowd.

    As they danced, surrounded by the music of their youth, Lucy felt a wave of happiness wash over her. She nced up at Tom, feeling grateful for him, for his love and support, and for the life they were building together.

    Tom leaned down, his lips brushing against her ear, "I love seeing you like this, Jewel. So carefree and happy." n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    Lucy looked up at him, her eyes shining with love. "I am happy, Tom. Happier than I''ve ever been."

    "I''m happy to hear that."

    A few feet from them, as Amy and Lucas danced, she looked up at him, "I guess I didn''t have to worry about being badmouthed by your ssmates."

    "You were worried about that?" Lucas asked with a frown.

    "Yeah. Were you ufortable earlier when she was brought up?" Amy asked, and Lucas nodded.

    "Yeah. Sort of. I was worried at the thought that she was mean to someone because of me. Were you ufortable?" He asked, and she shook her head.

    "No. I was only concerned about you. And no, she didn''t do whatever she did because of you. It was because of herself. So, don''t let it bother you," Amy said, and Lucas smiled.

    "I love you, Amy."

    "You don''t have a choice," she said with a grin, and Lucas chuckled as he swept her off the ground and twirled aughing Amy around the dance floor.

    They all danced together, lost in the music and each other, while around them, the reunion continued, a celebration of the past and the bright promise of the future.

 Chapter 962: Full Of Surprises

    Chapter 962: Full Of Surprises

    ?

    The hall was abuzz with excitement as the emcee took the stage once more, a wide smile on his face as he held up the microphone. "Ladies and gentlemen, it''s time for the moment we''ve all been waiting for-the crowning of the Prom Queen!"

    Cheers erupted from the crowd, and Lucy nced at Tom, who was standing beside her with a smile, his hand gently resting on the small of her back.

    The emcee continued, "As you all know, our Prom Queen was unanimously chosen. She''s someone we all remember fondly from our high school days and who has clearly continued to shine ever since. Someone who captured our hearts not just with her beauty, but with her grace, kindness, and the way she was always there for her friends. She is someone we all love and have missed all these years. She is someone we are very happy to have back in our midst. A queen that doesn''t need a crown..."

    Lucy''s heart raced as she looked around the room, her eyes meeting those of her friends who were all smiling at her with knowing nces. Even though she had known that it was all prenned by Tom, she still felt a wave of nervous anticipation wash over her.

    "And the Prom Queen is..." The emcee paused for dramatic effect, his eyes scanning the crowd beforending on her. "Lucinda Perry!"

    The room erupted into apuse and cheers as Lucy''s name echoed through the hall. She stood frozen for a moment, stunned, before Tom gently nudged her forward, his eyes glowing with pride. As she stepped up to the stage, she was greeted with a flurry of congrattory hugs from her former ssmates, each one adding to the overwhelming joy that bubbled within her.

    "You''re going to have to take off that tiara and give it back to me cause it would be silly to take off something so expensive for our cheap tiara," the Emcee said, making everyone tough.

    Lucy handed her tiara to him and he handed it back to her and as she ced it on her head, she couldn''t help but feel a mix of emotions- happiness, nostalgia, and a deep sense of fulfillment and gratitude.

    She turned to the crowd, her eyes sparkling as she gave a little wave, her heart swelling with gratitude for the love and recognition she had received from the people she had grown up with.

    "Thank you," Lucy said into the microphone, her voice slightly shaky with emotion.

    She exhaled, and then cleared her throat. "You know, it''s funny how one incident can warp your perspective and memories. It''s just like how it''s easy to focus on just a ck dot on a white paper. All this time, the only part of High school I remembered was the dark times. My mind was so stuck on what happened to me that I forgot everything else. I forgot how wonderful you all are. I forgot the love I received and joys we shared. I forgot all about the good times. Tonight means so much to me. You all have no idea how much this means to me. How much being here with you means. Being here with all of you tonight has brought back so many wonderful memories. It has reminded me of what a special time High school was. It has reminded me that one incident doesn''t define my past. And it''s amazing to see how far we''ve alle. Thank you so much for all being here tonight and for making this night unforgettable. And to the love of my life... Ace, I love you. Thank you for making this possible. Thank you for reminding me of who I was before everything. Thank you for giving me a gift I didn''t realize I needed. Now I can look back at my past without fear, and it is because of you. I love you, Thomas Hank."

    The apuse was thunderous as she stepped down from the stage, and Tom was the first to greet her with a warm hug, his lips brushing her temple as he whispered, "I''m so proud of you, my Queen."

    Lucy beamed up at him, her heart feeling full to bursting. The rest of the evening passed in a whirlwind ofughter, dancing, and more memories being shared.

    By the time the party wound down, it was well past midnight, and the exhaustion was beginning to set in. Sonia was the first to leave, ''cause Bryan ushered her away after Lucy''s speech, insisted that since she hade for Lucy''s sake, it was time for her to go to bed.

    Not long after, Tom and Lucy also made their way out of the hall. The cool night air was a refreshing change from the warmth inside. Tom had his arm wrapped protectively around Lucy as they joined Lucas and Amy, who were also looking tired but happy.

    "Ready to call it a night?" Lucas asked, his voiceced with fatigue but also satisfaction.

    "Definitely," Amy replied with a yawn, leaning into Lucas as they walked toward the limousine waiting at the curb.

    Once inside the limo, the ride was quiet, with everyone basking in the afterglow of a sessful night.

    Amy was so tired that she was dozing, and Lucas smiled as he gently ced her head on his shoulder.

    Amy yawned as she opened her eyes, "Why is it taking so long?" she asked as she straightened up, a puzzled expression on her face.

    She knew that Lucas''s parents home wasn''t so far away, so she couldn''t understand why the trip was taking longer than necessary.

    "Where are we going?" she asked with a yawn, looking at Lucas when he didn''t say anything.

    Lucas smiled, squeezing her hand. "Tom''s Hotel. It''ste, and we didn''t want to disturb my parents'' sleep. We figured it would be morefortable for everyone if we stayed at the hotel tonight."

    Amy nodded, though she couldn''t shake the feeling that there was more to it than just

    convenience.

    She had heard about how luxurious the hotel was, but she had never really visited it because it was one of those ces reserved for affluent people.

    "Why did Bryan and Sonia not lodge there?" she asked Lucy curiously since I-Global was Tom''s Hotel after all.

    "Because that was the Hotel where he met Sonia, and they wanted to stay there again. So, the thing is, at the time Bryan came for his shoot when he met Sonia for the first time, thepany that brought him down to Heden made reservations for him at that Hotel," Lucy exined, and Amy smiled.

    "I guess it happened that way so he could meet her," Amy said, and Lucy smiled.

    "That''s what Sonia said too."

    As they pulled up to the grand entrance of the I-Global Hotel, Amy felt a flutter of excitement mixed with curiosity.

    Although it waste, they were greeted by the manager of the hotel and some of the staff, and while Tom and Lucy were escorted to the penthouse, Lucas and Amy were taken to their suite on one of the top floors.

    The moment Lucas opened the door, Amy gasped. The room was dark except for a soft, warm glow in the center. It took her a moment to realize that the light wasing from a single, beautifully scented candle, filling the air with a delicate fragrance ofvender and vani.

    "Lucas... is this what I think it is?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper, her heart pounding with anticipation.

    Lucas chuckled as he flicked on the lights, revealing the rest of the room. There was a bottle of champagne on ice, nked by two crystal sses on a small table near the window. On the bed, a cascade of rose petals formed a heart shape, adding a touch of romance that made

    Amy''s breath catch.

    Sheughed softly, her earlier weariness forgotten. Turning to Lucas, she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him, her gratitude and happiness pouring into the embrace. Lucas returned the kiss, his hands gently cupping her face as he pulled back slightly to look into her eyes. "Contrary to what you think, I think you deserve your first time to be special. So, I wanted tonight to be special," he said softly. "Go ahead and freshen up. I''ll get everything

    ready."

    Amy hesitated, ncing around. "But I didn''t bring anything to change into..."

    Lucas grinned, pointing toward the closet. "You did. Your bag is in there."

    Amy''s eyes widened in surprise. "How did you manage that?" She asked as she hurried

    towards the closet to confirm it.

    He just smiled mysteriously. "I have my ways. I had everything arranged when you weren''t

    looking."

    "You''re full of surprises," she said, amazed by his thoughtfulness.

    Amy slipped into the bathroom to freshen up. While she showered, Lucas busied himself with

    setting the mood. He found a ylist with soft, romantic music and set it to y quietly in the background. Pouring himself a ss of wine, he took a sip as he looked around the room, his mind drifting to how far they hade.

    By the time Amy emerged from the bathroom, wrapped in a plush robe and looking radiant, Lucas was lost in thought, his tie loosened and his shirt partially unbuttoned. He turned to

    her, a smile spreading across his face at the sight of her. "Your turn," she said with a smile, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

    Lucas leaned down to kiss her cheek before heading into the bathroom. "I''ll be quick."

    As he showered, Amy wandered around the room, her excitement building with each passing moment. She picked up the ss of wine Lucas had left and took a sip, savoring the rich vor as she gazed out the window at the city lights below.

    The realization that this was the night she had been waiting for, the night she would share this intimate experience with not just anyone, but Lucas; the man she loved, made her heart

    race.

    When Lucas finally returned, freshly showered and dressed infortable pajamas, the room had taken on an even more intimate atmosphere.

    Amy had turned off the light again and was lying on the bed, ready and eager.

    The music yed softly, and the candle flickered gently in the dark room, casting a warm

    glow over the room.

    Lucas joined her on the bed and he didn''t hurry to do anything. Instead they sat together on the bed, talking quietly, letting the conversation flow naturally as they eased into the moment. Lucas was patient and tender, his love for Amy evident in every touch and word.

    Eventually, the conversation slowed, and they shared a lingering kiss that deepened, bing more passionate. Lucas moved slowly, making sure Amy wasfortable and at ease, his every action filled with care and affection.

    When they finally came together, it was gentle, loving, and perfect. Lucas held Amy close, guiding her through the experience with tenderness, making sure she felt safe and cherished.

    By the time they finally drifted off to sleep in each other''s arms, they both felt the quiet contentment of two people who had found something truly special in each other. And they both knew that this night would be etched in their memory forever.

    ****n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Quick Announcement. I''m sorry, every one. Contrary to what I nned, I''ve been adviced by my editor to start Jamal''s story as a stand-alone and fresh story. OWN will be ending at chapter 1000. I''m going to start Jamal''s story immediately it ends. I hope you support me and add it up in your library. Thanks.

 Chapter 963: Mia Or Vanessa?

    Chapter 963: Mia Or Vanessa?

    ?

    Shawn arrived at Henry''s house early on Saturday morning, the sun barely peeking over the horizon as he parked his car in the long driveway.

    He stepped out of the car with his briefcase in hand, adjusting his coat against the brisk morning air. As he walked toward the entrance, the familiar crunch of gravel under his shoes did little to soothe his growing impatience.

    Today was the day he would dissolve everything. The staff, the household, all of it was no longer necessary.

    Shawn rang the doorbell, and momentster, Margaret opened it, her face expressionless but her eyes betrayed her excitement. "Good morning, Mr. Rosewood," Margaret said, stepping aside to let him in.

    Ever since the issue of Henry made the news, Margaret had been wanting to leave, and she would have left already had Shawn not called to instruct them that no one was to leave until he addressed them.

    "Morning, Margaret," Shawn replied, offering a tight nod before stepping into the foyer. "Please assemble everyone in the study. It''s time we had a talk."

    Margaret nodded and as she walked away to gather the rest of the household, Shawn made his way to the study.

    Just as he settled down behind the desk, Margaret returned with Jeff and Mika, and the security personnels stationed at the gate also joined them. They filed into the room quietly, each person looking uneasy, aware that something was about to change.

    Shawn waited until they were all settled before he cleared his throat. "First of all, I want to thank each of you for your service to my brother. You''ve been loyal, and I know it hasn''t been easy, given the circumstances." His voice was firm, but there was a gentleness to it, a rare quality not often associated with the Rosewood name. "As you all know, Henry is no longer here, and won''t being back anytime soon, so there''s no need for anyone to remain in this house." He paused, watching their faces.

    "I''ve already informed the agency that I''m letting you go. And they can reassign you," Shawn continued, "and I''m here to officially let you know that your services will no longer be required. Each of you will receive an envelope with a severance package. You have until the end of the week to gather your belongings and leave."

    A murmur went through the room, but no one spoke up. Shawn opened his briefcase and ced the thick envelopes on the table for each of them, his expression apologetic. "I''m sorry for whatever cruelty you might have witnessed during your time here," he said, his voice softening. "I''m sure Henry wasn''t an easy man to serve."

    Just as thest person picked up his envelope, Shawn''s phone buzzed in his coat pocket. He fished it out, and saw it was the hospital when he nced at the screen. His heart quickened as he swiped to answer.

    "Mr. Rosewood?" Doctor Morgan''s voice on the other end sounded grave. "I''m afraid I have some unfortunate news. Henry has just passed away."

    Shawn''s breath caught in his throat. "He''s dead?" he blurted out, his voice louder than he intended. The room fell into an immediate hush as all eyes turned toward him.

    "Yes, sir," the doctor confirmed. "We need you toe down to the hospital as soon as you can."

    "I''ll be there right away," Shawn said, barely managing to get the words out before ending the call. For a moment, he stood frozen, the reality of Henry''s death sinking in.

    Even though they had not been close and he hade to dislike Henry after hearing about all his wicked acts in thest couple of weeks, the news of his death still came as a shock to him.

    He finally shook his head, looking at the assembled group. "Henry''s gone," he said, almost to himself, as if repeating the words would make them more real. Then he straightened, his demeanor returning to that of the responsible elder brother. "I need to get to the hospital."

    Jeff stepped forward, his face a mix of relief and uncertainty. "Thank you for everything, Mr. Rosewood," he said quietly. "I will be leaving right after you."

    Shawn gave him a short nod, still processing the news. "Good. Take care. I wish you all the best of luck in your future endeavors." He said and then turned on his heel and hurried out.

    Once Shawn was gone, Jeff stood in silence for a moment, staring at the envelope in his hand. His fingers clenched around it, but his mind was elsewhere, reying Shawn''s words. Henry''s dead.

    The thought hit him harder than expected, a mix of relief and unease swirling within him. The man who had terrorized so many people, who had haunted Mia''s life, was finally gone. And yet, Jeff felt unsettled.

    Was it really true? Jeff frowned, his mind racing. He needed to confirm it. He needed to be

    sure.

    He quickly went to his room and he pulled out his phone and dialed Tom''s number. But something stopped him before he could hit "call." Apart from the fact that he needed to get away from the house first, it wasn''t emergency worth disturbing Tom''s sleep over.

    He quickly looked around to make sure everything has been packed and he was not leaving anything behind. Once he was sure that everything had been packed, he left the room.

    Momentster, he was in a cab, speeding away from Henry''s estate, the weight on his shoulders slowly lifting with each passing mile. Only when the house was far behind him did he finally call Mia.

    Mia answered almost immediately, her voice bright and full of life. "Hey, Jeff! I just got to the clinic," Mia said, since it was the day for her scar revision surgery.

    Jeff leaned back in the cab, feeling a wave of relief wash over him at the sound of her voice. "Hey! Shawn just dismissed us and I''ve left the house," he said. "Send me the details of the hospital. I''ll be on my way to the clinic now. I''ll stop by before you go in."

    Mia''s voice softened with happiness. "I''d love that. I''ll wait for you."

    "Good. I''ll be there soon."

    When Mia hung up, she quickly texted the name and location of the clinic to Jeff before she turned to Tyler, who was preparing for the surgery. "I''m going to wait for Jeff," she said, her voice steady but filled with warmth.

    Tyler gave her a kind smile. "Of course. You can wait in my office. I''ll let the receptionist know you''re expecting him."

    Mia nodded and sat down in one of the plush chairs, her heart fluttering with anticipation. She couldn''t wait to see Jeff, to hold him and thank him for everything he''d done.

    A short whileter, Jeff arrived at the hospital, his duffel bag slung over his shoulder, and the receptionist directed him to Tyler''s office. When he stepped inside, his heart skipped a beat at the sight of Mia.

    She stood up as soon as she saw him, her eyes shining. Without a word, she crossed the room and wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace. Jeff held her close, breathing in her warmth, feeling the weight of the past few weeks lift off his shoulders. "I''m so d you''re here," Mia whispered, her voice thick with emotion. "I wouldn''t be anywhere else," Jeff replied softly, stroking her hair. Tyler, sensing the moment, excused himself, leaving them alone.

    They pulled apart and as they gazed at each other smiling, Mia took Jeff''s hand. "Now that you''re finally out of there, I can breathe freely. Thank you for standing by me, Jeff. Thank you for putting your life on hold for my sake. I can''t tell you how much that means to me," Mia said as she took Jeff''s hand.

    Jeff shook his head, his voice gentle. "All that matters is that you''re okay."

    "It matters to me that you''re okay too, and we came out of this unscathed," Mia said, since that had been her major worry.

    "I''ve been meaning to ask, what should I call you now? Mia Or Vanessa?" He asked, and she

    grinned.

    "Which do you think I am?"

    Their conversation was interrupted by the breaking story being delivered by the news anchor on the television in the corner of the room. Both their gazes turned to the screen when they

    heard Henry''s name.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "The prominent businessman, Henry Rosewood, has passed away this morning. Sources from the hospital confirm that the notorious CEO, who had been battling severe health issues, died just hours ago. The Rosewood family has yet to release an official statement." Mia''s breath caught in her throat, her entire body freezing as the words sank in. Her heart raced, her mind spinning. "He''s...he''s really gone," she whispered, her voice barely audible. Her knees wobbled, and she reached for the armrest to steady herself, but Jeff was there, holding her up, grounding her in the moment.

    "I can''t believe it," Mia said, her voice trembling. "He''s finally gone." Jeff held her tighter, his voice steady. "Now everyone can finally have peace."

    Mia leaned against him, the weight of Henry''s death crashing over her in waves. She didn''t

    know whether to feel relief, sadness, or something in between. All she knew was that the man who had haunted her for so long was finally gone. Not just out of her life, but out of the world

    for good.

    Jeff embraced her and kissed her forehead, "Go in for your surgery," Jeff said gently. "I will be here when you''re done."

    Mia looked up at him, her eyes filled with gratitude and affection. She kissed him softly, a silent promise passing between them, before she turned and walked away toward the

    operating room.

    As Jeff watched her go, his heart filled with love and hope. He waited until she disappeared from view before he took out his phone and dialed Barry''s line.

    Once Barry confirmed that Henry was indeed dead, Jeff let out a sigh of relief. Henry Rosewood was gone, and now Mia would heal properly and never have to fear anything again.

 Chapter 964: Thankful

    Chapter 964: Thankful

    ?

    Tom stirred in his sleep, a peaceful smile on his face, but his serene rest was interrupted by a series of light kisses being peppered across his face.

    His eyes fluttered open, and the sight that greeted him made himugh- a sound that rumbled deep in his chest. Lucy was leaning over him, grinning mischievously as she kissed him again and again.

    "What are you doing?" he asked, his voice rough with sleep but filled with affection.

    "Waking up the love of my life," Lucy replied, her voice soft but yful as she continued her assault of kisses on his eyes, cheeks and forehead.

    Tom chuckled again, his handing up to rest on her waist as he adjusted. "Mission aplished," he said, his grin widening.

    "Good morning, lover. Did you sleep well?" Lucy asked as with a mischievous smile as she rolled her body fully on top of him, adjusting herself so that she straddled his waist.

    "Yeah. I did. Did you?" He asked as he shifted beneath her, propping himself up slightly on his elbows as he watched her with a grin.

    "Too well," she admitted, her gaze softening as she looked down at him.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "So, howe you woke up so early?" Tom asked, and she smiled.

    "I dreamt. I dreamt of my high school days. And it wasn''t a nightmare," she said, her voice suddenly soft and sincere as she brushed a hand through his hair.

    "Thank you," Lucy said, "Thank you for everything- forst night, the reunion... foring into my life, for loving me the way you do. I couldn''t have asked for a better man."

    "You don''t have to thank me for any of that, Jewel. And if you must, then the only form of gratitude I expect is your happiness. Seeing you happy will be more than enough for me," he said as he reached up to cup her cheek.

    "You know, it feels like we''ve been together for years, not months," he said quietly, his eyes searching hers.

    "I feel the same," Lucy whispered, her heart swelling with emotion.

    The words she wanted to say ''I want to marry you'' danced on the tip of her tongue.

    She was overwhelmed with the urge to just forget all about her grand proposal n and tell him right there and then that she waspletely in love with him and wanted to marry him and have beautiful kids with him.

    But she held herself back, not wanting to ruin the perfect proposal she had been nning. She deeply hoped that with the way she was feeling about him at the moment she would be able to hold off until the Christmas party to tell him how she was feeling.

    Looking into her gray eyes which had darkened with emotion, Tom could tell that she wanted to say something and was struggling with it, but before he could ask her what it was, his phone buzzed loudly on the nightstand, pulling them both from the moment.

    Tom sighed as Lucy reached over to grab the phone. "Why can''t they leave me and my baby alone?" he asked with a yful scowl and he took the phone from her.

    His yful expression faltered as he looked at the screen. It was Barry. He frowned slightly before answering the call. "Hey, Bar," Tom greeted, his tone shifting to something more serious.

    Lucy watched his expression closely, her yful mood fading as she saw his features tighten. He said little as he listened to Barry on the other end of the line, nodding asionally. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Tom ended the call and set the phone down, a heavy sigh escaping his lips.

    "Henry''s dead," Tom said tly, rying all that Barry had just told him. He had died of a cardiac arrest.

    For a moment, Lucy didn''t say anything as she processed the news, and then she exhaled slowly, relief washing over her. "I''m happy for Mia," she said softly. "She doesn''t have to worry about him anymore. Not for the rest of her life."

    Tom nodded, but he didn''t seem inclined to linger on the subject. Sensing his mood, Lucy gently touched his arm, her bright energy returning as she tried to lift the room''s spirits. "I''ve been thinking," she said with a grin, "I want to take some pictures of us together in bathrobes, like those cute couples on Instagram."

    Tom blinked, surprised by the shift in topic, and then heughed. "We can do whatever you want," he said, his mood lightening as he smiled at her.

    Without missing a beat, Lucy sprang up from the bed, grabbing her phone from the nightstand and tossing Tom his robe. "Come on, get up!" she urged, already snapping a picture of him as he reluctantly pulled himself from under the covers.

    Tom groaned yfully, but his amusement was clear as he tied the robe around his waist. "You''re really into this, huh?"

    "Of course I am!" Lucy said, pulling him toward the full-length mirror. "We''re adorable." Tom couldn''t argue with that. He wrapped an arm around her waist as they posed in front of the mirror, Lucy snapping selfie after selfie. She made sure to capture every angle, even pulling out her phone as they brushed their teeth side by side, much to Tom''s amusement.

    Once they were both freshened up and dressed to step out of the room for breakfast, Lucy took some more photos.

    As they headed for the door she paused, her fingers hovering over her phone as she contemted calling Lucas and Amy. "Maybe we should invite them to join us for breakfast," she suggested.

    Tom shook his head, pulling her close. "Let''s leave them alone. I think they''d appreciate some quiet time, and so would we. I just want to spend all my time with you."

    Lucyughed, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "Alright, alright. Just us, then. Let''s go." The hotel''s restaurant staff greeted them warmly as they descended to the dining area. To Lucy''s delight, they were led out to a private balcony overlooking the city, where a table for two had been set up,plete with fresh flowers and a stunning view of the skyline. Lucy''s eyes lit up as she took in the sight.

    "I love this!" she eximed, turning to Tom with a beaming smile. "The view is perfect, the food smells amazing- this is exactly what I needed."

    Tom watched her, a soft smile ying on his lips as he admired the way her excitement shone through. "I love seeing you this happy," he said, his voice full of warmth.

    "Well, you said my happiness was your reward, so take it," she said, blowing him a kiss, and Tom chuckled as he caught it, and then swallowed it, making herugh out loud.

    "God! I love you," Lucy said, going to stand in front of him and wrapping her arms around his

    neck.

    "You love God or you love me?" Tom asked, and she giggled.

    "I love God, and I love you," she said, brushing her lips against his.

    "And I love you, too," he said as he pulled out a seat for her.

    The staff who were on standby to serve them, smiled discreetly as they watched them,

    amused by the interaction between them.

    As they sat down, Lucy quickly pulled out her phone to snap a picture of the beautifully set table from her view. "Take a picture of your view, too," she said, gesturing to Tom. Instead of pointing his phone at the table, Tom turned it toward her, snapping a series of photos of Lucy as she smiled, her face glowing in the morning light.

    "Hey!" she protested with augh. "I meant your view of the table, not me."

    Tom grinned, lowering his phone. "Why would I want a picture of the table when my view of

    you is much better?"

    Lucy blushed, unable to hide her smile. "Stop making me smile," she said, covering her face and Tom chuckled as he signaled one of the waiters over and handed him his phone.

    "Capture pictures of us," he ordered.

    "And you can make a video too. Thanks," Lucy said, and he nodded eagerly as he stepped back

    to do as he had been instructed.

    She leaned back in her chair, looking around at the peaceful morning scene. "This feels like a vacation," she sighed contentedly.

    Tom reached across the table, taking her hand in his. "Every day with you feels like a vacation," he said, his voice full of sincerity.

    Lucy''s heart skipped a beat, and for another moment, she considered abandoning her

    proposal n altogether and telling him right then and there that she wanted to marry him. But like before she held back, deciding that the moment she had nned would be worth the

    wait.

    Instead, she simply squeezed his hand, her eyes shining with love. "I feel the same way."

    Tom, who had noticed her struggle once again and her hesitation once again couldn''t help but wonder what it was she wanted to tell him.

    Perhaps she wanted to tell him that she had changed her mind about marrying him, Tom

    pondered.

    Well, if that was what she was struggling to say, then she was in for a surprise.

 Chapter 965: Positive What Ifs

    Chapter 965: Positive What Ifs

    ?

    As Adolf drove through the gates of Tom''s mansion with Tom and Lucyfortably seated in the back seat, Lucy leaned back against her seat, her eyes reflecting a tired contentment.

    "We''re home," Tom said softly as he turned to look at Lucy, who smiled wearily and reached over to squeeze his hand.

    "We weren''t gone for long, but it always feels good to be back here," she murmured, already imagining thefort of their bed and the warmth of the home.

    It had be clear to her that no matter how nice anywhere else was, she always felt more at home here than anywhere else and that was the sole reason she was moving inpletely.

    Once Adolf parked the car, they got out and headed for the door, leaving him to bring their bags. But before they could get to the front door, it swung open and they were greeted by a small, excited voice.

    "Lucy! Tom!" Jamal called as he came rushing towards them, his face lighting up with joy.

    He had clearly been waiting for hours, his curly hair slightly tousled and his pajamas wrinkled as if he had been too restless to sit still.

    Lucy immediately dropped to her knees, her arms wide open as Jamal threw himself into her embrace. "Jamal!" sheughed, hugging him tightly, feeling the warmth of his small body against hers. "I missed you so much, sweetheart."

    Jamal squeezed her back, his face buried against her shoulder. "I missed you more, Lucy!" His voice was filled with so much affection that it made Lucy''s heart swell.

    Behind them, Candace, stood in the doorway with a gentle smile. "The moment we arrived in Ludus, Jamal wouldn''t stop insisting wee see you two first. He''s been counting down the hours."

    Lucy pulled back just enough to look at Jamal''s face, brushing a strand of his hair away from his forehead. "Well, I''m so d you came, buddy."

    After kissing Lucy''s cheek, Jamal turned to Tom, his eyes bright with excitement. He ran into Tom''s arms next, and Tom bent down to scoop him up. "I missed you too," Jamal said, though there was a mischievous smile on his face.

    Tom ruffled Jamal''s hair, chuckling. "Missed you too, little man." He put Jamal down and raised an eyebrow. "Though I bet you missed Lucy more."

    Jamal nodded enthusiastically,ughing. "Yeah, but that''s okay, right?"

    Tomughed, shaking his head. "Totally fine by me."

    Jamal''s eyes sparkled as he looked between the two of them. "Can I stay the night with you? Please?"

    Before Candace could interject, both Lucy and Tom looked at each other and spoke in unison. "Of course, you can!" Tom said, and Lucy added warmly, "We''d love to have you."

    Jamal''s face lit up with pure joy, and he jumped up, pping his hands together. "Yes! Thank you!"

    Candace let out a small chuckle. "Well, I guess I''ll have a peaceful night to myself then," she said, shaking her head, though there was no mistaking the fondness in her voice.

    "Come on," Lucy said, taking Jamal''s hand. "Let''s go in. I''m hungry."

    After freshening up, Lucy and Tom joined Candace and Jamal at the dining table, where a simple, warm meal had been prepared, and they all settled into their seats.

    "So," Lucy began as she passed a te of vegetables to Tom, "when did you arrive in Ludus? I thought Harry and Jade were in Sogal to see you? Did youe alone? How''s Andy and Aaron doing?"

    Candace smiled, taking a sip of her water. "That''s a lot of questions," Candace said, and Lucy grinned.

    "Can''t help it."

    "They''re doing great. They stayed home tonight with Harry and Jade. We all came from Sogal together earlier in the day," Candace exined.

    Lucy nodded, ncing at Tom, who was focused on cutting up Jamal''s chicken into bits. "That''s good to hear. Hopefully I''ll see them both before you leave," she said thoughtfully.

    "Definitely," Candace agreed, cutting into her food.

    After dinner, Lucy and Candace moved toward the living room to catch up on both their lives, while Jamal tugged on Tom''s sleeve, his eyes wide with excitement.

    "Tom, do you have a study?" Jamal asked, his curiosity evident.

    Tom smiled, "Of course, I do. Why?"

    "I want to see it. Can we go to your study?" He asked eagerly.

    Tom smiled, amused by his curiosity. "Sure, let''s go."

    Jamal practically skipped down the hall as Tom led him to the study and Tomughed when he ran past the study, "Come back," Tom called as he stopped by the door and Jamal returned.

    Tom opened the door and gestured for Jamal to enter. He watched as Jamal''s eyes widened with fascination as he looked at the book and he smiled, d that he had not disappointed him.

    "Can I sit in that chair?" Jamal asked, pointing at the chair behind his desk, and Tom gestured for him to go ahead.

    Jamal eagerly climbed into therge leather chair, his small legs barely reaching the edge. Jamal gave the chair an enthusiastic spin, giggling as he twirled in a circle.

    "Grandpa Aaron has a chair like this in his study," Jamal said proudly as he came to a stop. "He said one day, I''m gonna take over hispany and sit in a big chair like this all the time!" Tom smiled warmly, leaning against the desk. "I''m sure you''ll do an amazing job, Jamal. I have no doubt."

    Jamal''s face grew serious as he stared up at Tom. "Will you teach me how to be like you if I call you Uncle Tom?"

    Although Tom was amused, he raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Why do you want to be like me?"

    Jamal shrugged, fidgeting with the edge of the desk. "Because I like you. And I want to have a big house like you and a bigpany and many cars."

    Tom chuckled. "So, you don''t want to be an actor anymore?" Tom asked since he remembered that Candace had mentioned in the past that Jamal had wanted to be a child actor.

    Jamal shook his head. "I wanted to be an actor so I could have money to take care of Mom and Aunt Andy so they wouldn''t have to work at night anymore. But now that we have money and they don''t work at night, I don''t need to do that."

    Tom''s heart softened at the boy''s words, and he ruffled Jamal''s hair again. "You''re such a

    good kid, Jamal."

    Jamal looked up at him, eyes wide and curious. "So, will you teach me?"

    Tom nodded. "I''ll be your mentor."

    Jamal blinked, his brow furrowing in confusion. "What''s a mentor?"

    Tom chuckled softly and exined, "A mentor is someone who guides you, teaches you how

    to achieve your goals and be the best version of yourself."

    Jamal''s face lit up. "Yeah! That''s what I want!" He spun the chair again happily.

    Later that night, Jamal snuggled between Tom and Lucy in their bed, his small body cocooned between them as they settled in for the night.

    Lucy stroked his hair, her voice soft and soothing. "Your mom told me your birthday is

    coming up next month."

    Jamal tilted his head up to look at her, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "Yes!"

    "Really? What do you want us to get your for your birthday?" Tom asked, exchanging a nce

    with Lucy.

    Jamal''s eyes lit up as he turned to look at Tom. "Anything I want?" He asked, and Lucy smiled.

    "It depends on what you want. So, what do you want, sweetie?" Lucy asked again.

    "I want to go see Dawn and celebrate my birthday with her," Jamal said earnestly, his eyes

    filled with hope.

    Tom groaned, "Do you both ever make any requests that doesn''t revolve around Dawn?"n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    Lucyughed softly, "So?" She asked as she looked at Tom, waiting for his response. "Since that is what you both want, we''ll see how we can make it happen with your Mom''s permission," Tom promised.

    Jamal smiled sleepily, his little body rxing as he nestled closer to Lucy, satisfied. "I can''t wait to see Dawn," he whispered, already drifting off to sleep, a content smile on his face.

    Lucy smiled as she looked at his face, "I can''t believe he''s asleep already," Lucy said as she adjusted the duvet over his body.

    "This feels like we are married and our child is sleeping on our bed," Tom said and Lucy

    grinned.

    "I''m surprised you let him sleep here," Lucy said, amused.

    "Well, we don''t get to see him often, and I missed him very much. So, there''s no harm in

    letting him do so," Tom said, and Lucy raised an eyebrow.

    "What if we had a child? Would you let him or her sleep on the bed with us?" Lucy asked, and

    Tom chuckled.

    "I like the sound of that question."

    Lucy raised a brow. "Why?"

    Tom shrugged, "I like such positive what ifs. Like, what if you marry me and wait until we

    have a child so you find out if I will let them sleep between us or not?" He asked, and she

    giggled.

    "I love you. Goodnight," Lucy said with a yawn.

    "I love you more," Tom said, and watched as she cuddled Jamal before going to sleep.

 Chapter 966: Official Adoption

    Chapter 966: Official Adoption

    ?

    Amy''s room was dimly lit, with the soft glow from the bedsidemp casting shadows across the walls as Lucasy on his back, one arm wrapped around Amy, her head nestled on his chest.

    The rhythmic rise and fall of his breathing was soothing, and the warmth of his body wrapped around her made her feel safe and content. Yet, despite the peace of the moment, Amy''s eyes remained open, staring at the ceiling, her mind buzzing with the inevitable goodbye that woulde in the morning.

    "Close your eyes," Lucas whispered, his voice low and gentle, as he patted her back. "You need to sleep."

    Amy shook her head, her cheek brushing against his chest as she shifted. "I don''t a want to. If I go to sleep now, morning wille soon, and then you''ll have to go." She tilted her head to look at him, her expression tinged with sadness. "I''m going to miss you, Luca."

    A softugh escaped Lucas as he looked down at her. He tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear and kissed the top of her head. "I''ll miss you more, but I''ll be back in a couple of months. It''s not that long."

    "It is long," Amy pouted, snuggling closer, her voice muffled against his skin. "Two months without you feels like forever."

    Lucas chuckled softly, his chest vibrating beneath her. "You''re cute when you''re like this, you know that?" He leaned down and kissed her forehead, lingering there for a moment as if trying to pour all his affection into that simple gesture.

    "Only when I''m like this? I thought I was always cute?" she asked with a yawn, and heughed again.

    Lucas watched as Amy''s eyelids drooped, and she yawned, despite her best efforts to stay awake. "You''re always cute. Now go to sleep."

    She blinked up at him, her resolve faltering as the warmth of the bed and thefort of Lucas'' embrace started to lull her. But she fought it, struggling to keep her eyes open. "I don''t want to fall asleep yet," she whispered stubbornly, though her body betrayed her exhaustion. Lucas watched her with amusement, a gentle smile ying on his lips. "You''re fighting a losing battle, Amy." He pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her as she curled into him. "But if it helps, I''ll tell you a story."

    "A story?" she asked, her voice thick with drowsiness but filled with curiosity.

    "Yeah," Lucas said, his fingers trailing softly up and down her arm. "A story to help you sleep."

    "No. Not to help me sleep. A story to keep me awake," she said, and Lucas smiled.

    "Alright. A story to keep you awake."

    "Okay," she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper as she settled against him, her body growing heavier as sleep inched closer. "Tell me a good one."

    Lucas thought for a moment, then began spinning a tale with their names, his voice soothing and steady. He spoke of a farawaynd, of adventure and love between a Sir Lucas and a Princess Amy, weaving a story that made Amy smile sleepily.

    As the minutes passed, her breathing deepened, and Lucas could feel her body go limp in his arms as she finally sumbed to sleep.

    Lucas stayed still for a while, listening to the soft sound of her breathing, his heart swelling with tenderness as he kissed her forehead.

    Slowly, he slipped out from under her, making sure not to wake her, and padded quietly across the room to his bag. Kneeling down, he pulled out the envelope he had received from Miley''s mother the previous day.

    He had been carrying around but hadn''t yet had the courage to open, and he wanted to do that before leaving.

    Lucas hesitated, staring at the envelope for a long moment before going to the living room. He tore it open as he sat down.

    Inside was a letter, along with another document. He unfolded the letter first, his heart pounding in his chest as he began to read.

    Dear Lucas,

    I know this letter is a surprise. By now, you''ve probably moved on, but I felt I needed to write this, if only to apologize and let you know I''m deeply sorry. I know I was selfish and inconsiderate to have wanted to make such a request. It was unfair of me, and I regret putting that burden on you. Please don''t hold it against Amy. She has nothing to do with my actions, and I hope you can forgive me for what I did.

    I''ve left you some money as a thank you. I know you never asked for anything, but this is my way of showing my appreciation for the care you showed me. You are a good man, Lucas, and I hope you can heal from the pain Rachel caused you. You deserve to move on, to find happiness again.

    Onest thing. Please, take Amy out on a date. I''m sure by the time you''re reading this, she''s been through a lot, and I think it would make her happy. Help me clear up any misunderstandings that might arise with my parents too. I believe that you and Amy will find your way to each other. You''ll be good for her, and she''ll be good for you.

    Rest assured, wherever I am, I''ll be rooting and cheering for you both.

    Take care of her.

    With love,

    Miley.

    Lucas leaned back in his seat, and the letter trembled slightly in his hands as he let out a long breath.

    Thinking about Miley, he felt a dull ache in his chest. Miley seemed to have been right about a lot of things. Perhaps she had seen something that both he and Amy had not seen. Miley had been right. He was healing from Rachel much faster than he would have thought possible, and with Amy by his side, he felt a sense of peace he hadn''t known in years.

    "You can rest in peace, Miley. Don''t worry about Amy. I''ll take care of her," Lucas murmured as he folded the letter neatly and ced it back in the envelope before returning to the bed.

    He slipped under the covers beside Amy, pulling her close once more. Amy sighed contentedly in her sleep, and Lucas held her a little tighter as he kissed the top of her head and whispered,

    "I love you."

    Away from there, Kimberly was seated beside Ryan in the waiting room of the courthouse as the final documents of adoption were being processed.

    Dawn fidgeted in her seat, her eyes darting between her mother and Ryan, curious but unaware of the significance of the moment.

    Kimberly nced at Ryan, who had one arm resting casually over the back of his chair, his demeanor as self-assured as ever. She studied his profile for a moment, still adjusting to the idea that this man- her husband of convenience- was about to officially be Dawn''s

    father.

    "Are you ready for this?" she asked quietly, her voice soft but filled with emotion.

    Ryan''s smile widened just a touch, his gaze shifting to meet hers. "More than ready. This is the right thing to do. I''m all in, Kimberly."

    Her heart swelled at his words, and she was d that this union was paying off. At least, when it came to Dawn. Kimberly turned to her daughter, her heart overflowing with love as she watched Dawn''s small feet swinging back and forth from her chair, her hands sping her stuffed panda, Lucy, tightly.

    The door to the judge''s office creaked open, and theirwyer, a middle-aged woman with kind eyes, stepped out with a stack of papers in hand. "Everything''s ready," she announced, her voiceced with warmth. "You cane in now."

    Kimberly stood, her legs feeling a bit shaky as she reached for Dawn''s hand. Ryan stood as well, and together, the three of them walked into the judge''s office, a small but bright room filled with legal documents and framed diplomas.

    The judge, a gray-haired woman with sses perched on the end of her nose, gave them a weing smile as they approached her desk.

    "Mr. and Mrs. Harris, congrattions," the judge began, her voice formal but kind. "Today, we finalize the adoption of your daughter, Dawn, by Mr. Ryan Harris." Kimberly squeezed Dawn''s hand tightly, ncing down to see the little girl looking up at the judge with wide, curious eyes. The word adoption hung in the air, and though Dawn didn''t fully understand its significance, she seemed to sense the importance of the moment. The judge continued, exining the legal formalities in a professional tone, but Kimberly''s mind wandered as she watched Ryan. She still couldn''t believe how far they hade. When she first agreed to marry him, it was a calcted decision-one based on stability, convenience, and securing a future for her daughter. But now, seeing Ryan standing there, ready to embrace the role of Dawn''s father, something in her heart shifted.

    At the end of the judge''s speech, she asked Ryan to step forward and sign the final adoption papers. Kimberly watched as Ryan took the pen, his movements steady and deliberate. He signed his name with a flourish, and with that single signature, Dawn officially became his

    daughter.

    A wave of relief and joy washed over Kimberly, her emotions bubbling to the surface. She knelt down to Dawn''s level and whispered, "Sweetheart, today is a special day. Ryan is

    officially your daddy now."

    Although Dawn couldn''t understand what she meant since she had known Ryan was her daddy since the wedding, Dawn''s eyes lit up, her gaze shifting to Ryan as if seeing him in a new

    light. "Daddy?"

    Ryan crouched down next to Kimberly, his face softening as he looked at Dawn. "Yes, Dawn.

    I''m your daddy now."

    Dawn''s face broke into a wide, toothy grin, and she threw her arms around Ryan''s neck in an enthusiastic hug. Kimberly watched, tears prickling at the corners of her eyes as Ryan wrapped his arms around Dawn, holding her tightly as if she were the most precious thing in

    the world.

    After the emotional moment passed, they thanked the judge and theirwyer before stepping outside into the bright afternoon sunlight.

    Kimberly felt as though she were floating-light, free, and full of joy. This was what she had dreamed of: a family for her daughter, a stable home where Dawn would be loved and

    protected.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    When they arrived home, Dawn''s governess was waiting for them by the door, ready to take her for her afternoon activities. Dawn clung to Ryan for a moment before reluctantly letting go, giving him onest hug before running off with her governess, chattering excitedly about

    her new "daddy."

    As the door closed behind them, Kimberly turned to Ryan, her heart full. "Thank you," she

    said softly, her voice thick with gratitude. "You have no idea how much this means to me-

    and to Dawn."

    Ryan reached out, taking her hands in his. "I''m d we''re here," he said, his voice steady. "But now that Dawn is officially mine, there''s something we need to discuss."

    Kimberly frowned slightly, her heart skipping a beat at the sudden shift in his tone. "What is

    it?"

    Ryan''s expression grew serious. "Now that Dawn is legally my daughter, I think it''s time we cut her offpletely from the Hank family. I don''t want any connection with them- no scandals, noplications."

    Kimberly''s breath caught in her throat. Although she had no ns of letting the Hanks be involved in Dawn''s life, but hearing it aloud from Ryan unsettled her.

    She nodded slowly. "I understand. The Hanks are not interested in Dawn anyway. It won''t be a

    problem." Ryan''s gaze softened slightly, but his next words came with an edge of finality. "I also want you to cut off that kid- Jamal. I know he''s connected to the Hanks," Ryan sajd, since Genevieve had told him all about Dawn''s friend, Jamal.

    Kimberly hesitated. Jamal had been Dawn''s only real friend before Genevieve came into the

    picture, and she had allowed the friendship to continue for Dawn''s sake. But now, with Ryan''s request, she knew it was time to let go. "You''re right," she said quietly. "Dawn has Genevieve now. There''s no reason for her to keep in touch with Jamal."

    Ryan smiled, pleased with her agreement. "Good. It feels like we have a real family now. No

    outside influences. Just us."

    Kimberly smiled too, though a small part of her felt a pang of sadness at cutting off Jamal

    since she knew Dawn was sweet on him. Still, she knew this was the best decision for Dawn''s future-and for their family.

    "Yes," she agreed, her voice soft. "Just us."

 Chapter 967 I’m A Lot

    967 I��m A Lot

    Amy sat at her desk, her thoughts drifting to waking up in Lucas'' arms, the warmth of his embrace still fresh in her memory.

    Even as she hurried to prepare for work that morning, he had quickly made her breakfast and then had dropped her off at the office.

    Although the office buzzed with the usual lunchtime chatter, Amy barely registered it. She couldn''t shake the thought of Lucas leaving and the void his absence would create, and it was all she could do not to dwell on it too much.

    "Amy, your charming boyfriend is here," one of her coworkers teased, nudging Amy with a yful grin and snapping her back to reality.

    She looked up, startled to see Lucas standing by her desk, a teasing smile on his face. "Thinking about me?"

    Amy flushed but couldn''t hide her joy as she met Lucas''s gaze. "What are you doing here?" she asked, her voiceced with both surprise and happiness as she rose.

    Lucas shrugged nonchntly, though the sparkle in his eyes betrayed his excitement. "I figured I should have lunch with you and Lucy before I leave. It seemed like a good way to spend myst few hours here."

    Amy''s heart leaped at the idea, her earlier sadness momentarily forgotten. "Really?" she said, her smile wide. But before she could say anything else, Lucy stepped out of her office.

    "Lucas!" Lucy''s voice was bright as she spotted her brother. She made her way over to him, her eyes twinkling with familial warmth. "I was meaning to call you to find out when you''d be leaving," she said as she stopped in front of him.

    "Yeah?" Lucas asked, turning to face his sister. "Are you free to have lunch?"

    Amy''s colleagues, always quick to notice anything out of the ordinary, began to whisper excitedly.

    Lucy nced at Amy, then back at Lucas. "Well, I actually have lunch ns with Sonia and the girls today." She raised an eyebrow, giving him a yful look. "But I think you should have lunch with Amy instead. You''re leaving soon and I don''t intend to interrupt your time together or be a third wheel. We can all have lunch when next time you''re in town."

    Amy''s face grew warm again as she listened to them, especially when she caught a few of her coworkers whispering about how Lucas and Lucy looked alike. Their expressions turned to amazement as they realized the connection. "Wait, is he Ms Perry''s brother?" one of them asked, wide-eyed.

    Lucy chuckled at the realization her teammates hade to and gave Amy a knowing smile. "Yep, he''s my twin brother." She told them, and then leaned in closer to Lucas and lowered her voice yfully. "I think Amy deserves some one-on-one time with you before you go."

    Lucas gave his sister a mock frown but nodded. "Alright, alright. But I still need to talk to you before I leave."

    Lucy gestured toward her office. "Come on in. Let''s talk." She gave Amy a wink before turning to walk back to her office.

    As they disappeared inside, Amy''s colleagues gathered around her desk. "Wow, Amy," one of them said with a grin. "You''re dating Lucy''s twin brother? No wonder we didn''t know much about him!"

    Amy gave them a shy smile, shrugging as if it were no big deal. "I guess you know now."

    "He''s so good looking. How did you two meet? Did Lucy hook you up?" Another asked, and Amy sighed inwardly as questions were thrown at her from all sides.

    Inside Lucy''s office, Lucas leaned against her desk, his face slightly more serious. "Lucy, I wanted to ask you for a favor."

    Lucy raised an eyebrow, her curiosity piqued. "What kind of favor?"

    "It''s about Amy," Lucas said, his tone softening. "She doesn''t have many friends, and I don''t want her feeling lonely while I''m gone. Can you... I don''t know, keep an eye on her? Take her out sometimes, maybe include her your outing with Sonia?"

    Lucy''s expression softened. "You don''t have to ask, Lucas. Of course, I''ll look out for her." She gave him a reassuring smile. "Besides, I like her. Sonia likes her too. She''s sweet, and I''ve been meaning to get to know her better anyway."

    Lucas sighed in relief and stepped forward to embrace his sister. "Thanks, Lucy. You''re the best."

    "Yeah, yeah, I know." Lucyughed, patting his back before pulling away. "Now go have lunch with your girlfriend. I don''t want to keep the girls waiting."

    Amy was relieved when the door opened and they returned, giving her respite from all the questions being thrown at her.

    Lucas stopped by her desk, his easy smile back in ce. "Ready?" he asked.

    She stood up, grabbing her bag. "Where are we going?"

    "Somewhere nearby," he said mysteriously, leading her outside.

    He took her to a chic restaurant close to her office, one she had always admired from afar but never thought to visit. As they entered, the atmosphere changed from the bustling office environment to something far more intimate and serene. Lucas held out her chair as she sat down, his actions smooth and thoughtful.

    "Being here sort of reminds me of our date with Miley," Amy said, and Lucas chuckled.

    "Yeah. I hope you remember emptying your ss of water on me," he said, and she grimaced.

    "Don''t worry. All is forgiven," he assured her as he signaled the waiter over.

    As they waited for their food after cing their order, Amy caught Lucas holding up his phone like he was taking pictures of her. "What are you doing?" she asked, tilting her head curiously.

    "Taking pictures of you," Lucas replied, not bothering to hide his smile. "So I can look at them when I miss you."

    Amyughed softly, shaking her head. "You already took all the pictures I have on my phone andptop. What more do you need?"

    Lucas leaned in slightly, his eyes twinkling. "That''s because I can''t get enough of looking at you," he said with a wink.

    Amy felt her cheeks warm again, but this time she couldn''t help but smile. "You''re such a flirt," she teased, though her heart fluttered at his words.

    He chuckled. "Maybe, but I mean it." His tone softened. "I''m really going to miss you."

    Amy''s smile faltered as the reality of his impending departure hit her once more. "I''m going to miss you more." She hesitated before adding, "You know, I never thought I''d be this attached. I always imagined I''d be okay with space, that I''d be the type of girlfriend who could handle long-distance without a problem. I''ve never had a problem with being alone. I enjoy mypany and I''m never lonely. But now thinking about your departure makes me feel so lonely and I''m bored in advance," she said with a rueful smile.

    Lucas looked at her thoughtfully. "I''m sure you''ll readjust after a few days. And you probably feel this attached because I''m your first boyfriend," he suggested.

    Amy shook her head, her smile returning as she met his gaze. "No, I think it''s because you''re the one. I wouldn''t feel this way with any guy."

    Lucas chuckled, his hand reaching across the table to take hers. "You''d never know because you e never traveled that road before. If it makes you feel any better, the feeling is mutual. I didn''t n on falling for anyone either. I thought I''d settle for... you know, something more casual."

    Amy raised an eyebrow, amused. "Like with Sam?"

    Lucas groaned, his head dropping dramatically into his hands. "I really shouldn''t have told you about that. Now you''re going to use it against me."

    Amy burst outughing, her mood lightened. "No, I''m d you did. Don''t worry. All is forgiven."

    "Forgiven? I thought you said it didn''t matter because we were not dating then?" He asked, and she grinned. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "But now we are dating. So, I have to forgive you for being with everyone else and keeping me waiting all these years," she said, and he chuckled.

    "I see. Thanks for forgiving me then. I hope you forget too," he said, and she giggled.

    Their conversation flowed naturally, the easy banter between them making the time fly by. When their food arrived, they ate quietly for a while before Amy spoke up again. "I wish I could see you off at the airport."

    Lucas looked at her seriously. "Do you want me to ask Lucy to let you?"

    Amy quickly shook her head. "No, I don''t want any preferential treatment just because I''m dating my boss''s brother. I doubt most bosses would give their secretaries time off to see their boyfriend off to the airport."

    Lucasughed, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "That sounds like something Lucy would say. Now that I think about, you both have a lot inmon."

    Amy smiled at that, "Really? Like what?"

    "Like me. I''m a lot," he joked, and sheughed out loud, choking in the process.

    Lucas quickly handed her a ss of water, "Sorry."

    "You really are a lot," Amy said after she had drank from it and was calm.

    Amy looked at him for a while, her expression serious, "So, I''ve been meaning to ask you. Do you n to get a job in Hu and stay back there?"

    "Why? Want toe over to join me?" Lucas joked.

    Amy shrugged, "I could consider it if you want me to," she said, and he smiled.

    "Really?" He asked, and she nodded.

    "Rtionships should be aboutpromise, yeah? And I''m not saying I''m going to move to Hu to cohabit with you or anything. I''m just saying because I don''t think I might be able to do the long distance thing, I could consider moving to Hu to be closer to you if that''s what you want," she said, and Lucas grinned.

    "I haven''t made up my mind yet. But I''ll let you know as soon as I do," he assured her.

    He was bent on not letting her know about his n to relocate to Ludus until he moved finally.

    "So, what do you n to do with Miley''s gift? Are you going to quit your job?" Lucas asked, but Amy shook her head.

    "Nah. I love my job. And I love my simple life. Thinking about what she left makes me ufortable so I''d rather not think about it anytime soon," Amy said, and Lucas smiled.

    "You''re something else, Amy," he said, thinking about how unmaterialistic she was.

    "You mean aside being your girlfriend?" She joked, and Lucas chuckled.

    Amy pouted when Lucas nced at his watch, "Please don''t tell me," she said, knowing he wanted to tell her that her lunch break was over.

    "I''ll call you everyday and text you often. And we will do video calls," he said but she shook her head.

    "It''s not the same as having you here," she said as they both rose.

    "I left you my sweatshirt and a tank top. I also left my cologne. You can sniff or wear them when you miss me," he said when they got outside, and she sighed deeply.

    Lucas held her close during the short cab ride back to thepany and once they got out of the cab, he asked the cab to wait while he escorted her back to the entrance.

    He smiled and kissed her forehead when he saw the tears that had pooled in her eyes, "I''ll be back before you know it. I love you. Now go back in. I have a flight to catch." he said, and Amy hugged him again and held him close for a moment before letting him go.

    Immediately she let go off him, she hurried inside without turning back, and Lucas waited until she disappeared from view before he got into the cab.

    As the cab drove off, Lucas rubbed his eyes to stop himself from crying too.

 Chapter 968 Cafeteria

    968 Cafeteria

    Lucy sat at her desk, typing away at herputer when she nced at the clock. When she saw it was almost time for lunch, she leaned back in her chair for a moment and rang Amy''s inte.

    She straightened up when she heard a knock at the door. "Come in!" Lucy called, her tone warm.

    The door opened, and Amy stepped inside, "Hi, Lucy. You wanted to see me?"

    "Yes, Amy. Come in, sit down." Lucy gestured toward the chair in front of her desk. Amy obliged, looking curious. "I wanted to check in with you. How have you been?" n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Amy shrugged lightly. "I''ve been okay. I guess," she said with a small smile.

    She had not realized how easy it was to form attachments until Lucas left and now it felt like she just couldn''t function without him.

    Lucy nodded, understanding. "Why don''t we have lunch together?" She suggested, surprising Amy.

    "What?" Amy asked, and Lucy smiled.

    "It''s lunch hour already," Lucy pointed out.

    "I know. But everyone knows you usually have lunch with the CEO in his office," Amy exined.

    "That''s right. But the CEO is busy today, and I have missed the food at cafeteria. Why don''t we go there? Or is there somewhere else you would like to eat?" Lucy asked, and Amy shook her head.

    "The Cafeteria is fine," Amy said and Lucy rose and picked up her zer.

    "Good then. Let''s go for it," Lucy said as she wore it.

    As they both walked out together, the rest of the team who were also leaving for lunch looked at them with interest.

    "Ms Perry, can we join you? We''ve never had a team dinner or hangout together," one of the interns said, when they got to the cafeteria.

    "I want a quiet lunch with just Amy, but now that you''ve mentioned it, let''s arrange for a team bonding weekend soon," Lucy said, and everyone cheered happily.

    As Lucy and Amy went to join the little queue for lunch, those on the queue urged Lucy to go ahead of them and get her meal, but Lucy politely declined, insisting on staying on the line like everyone else. And even when the servers asked her to go sit down so they coulde take her order, she insisted that they don''t worry about her.

    While they were still trying to convince Lucy, Jade walked in and made her way directly to the counter, bypassing the queue to get her meal.

    She paused when she saw Lucy on the line, "What are you doing here?" Jade asked with a puzzled expression.

    "Submitting a business proposal," Lucy quipped and both Jade and everyone else that heard herughed.

    "I mean why are you on the queue? Come get your meal, you''re making everyone ufortable," Jade said, remembering when Harry did something simr during her first visit to the cafeteria in the past (Chapter 304).

    Lucy looked at the others on the queue and then at Amy. When Amy nodded, she sighed before going to join Jade in front while Amy remained on the queue.

    "Why would they be ufortable, anyway?" Lucy muttered to Jade after they had been served.

    "It''s just human nature. They all know you to be the CEO''sdy. Why would you be on the queue? Do you think they would be okay with Tom being on the queue? Back when you were an employee would have been okay with Harry standing behind you on the queue?" Jade asked, as they both took their tray to one of the tables.

    Lucyughed at the picture. "I guess not. But I think it''s just messed up that doing the right thing makes everyone feel ufortable," Lucy said, and Jade shrugged.

    "As long as I don''t get to stand on any queue with my stilettos, I honestly don''t care," Jade said, and Lucyughed.

    "Why are you at the cafeteria today? I thought Adolf usually brings your lunch?" Jade asked curiously.

    "Yeah. I wanted to hangout with Amy today. You know, check on her," Lucy said, and Jade grinned.

    "I guess you''re trying to teach me how to be a better de facto sister-inw to you," Jade said, and Lucyughed.

    "I think you''ve been great so far," Lucy assured her.

    "How''s the n for the bridal showering?" Lucy asked, changing the subject.

    "Oh! Aurora is sparing no expense. You girls are going to be blown away," Jade said, and Lucy giggled.

    "Will Aurora mind if I bring a plus one? I''d like Amy to tag along," Lucy said, and Jade shrugged.

    "I''ll give you an invite for her. There is enough of everything to go round, trust me. By the time we are done, you''re going to want to marry Tom just so you can throw a bridal shower, and you''re going to want me to n it all," Jade said, making Lucyugh.

    Just then Amy joined them, and immediately Jade rose, "I guess I should leave you two to enjoy your lunch. I''ll join my colleagues as usual," Jade said, knowing that if she stayed, Lucy and Amy wouldn''t be able to interact as much as they should.

    "We will catch upter," Lucy said and smiled as she watched Jade go.

    "So, I wanted to ask, do you have any ns for this weekend?" Lucy asked as they dug into their food.

    Amy blinked, surprised by the question. "Oh, um... I don''t really have any serious ns. I was just thinking of staying in, maybe catching up on some reading or movies."

    "Staying in?" Lucy raised an eyebrow yfully. "That sounds cozy, but wouldn''t you prefer a little excitement instead?" Lucy asked, not believing she was the one asking someone that question now.

    Amy tilted her head. "What do you mean?"

    "Well," Lucy began, leaning forward with a grin. "This weekend is a friend''s wedding. Sunday precisely. But we have activities lined up. Tonight is just a girls hang out. Tomorrow is the bridal shower, and Sunday is the wedding. I want you to hang out with us."

    "Did Lucas put you up to this?" Amy asked, her brow furrowing slightly.

    Lucyughed softly. "He did ask me to keep an eye on you, yes, but honestly, I want you toe too. Lucas worries about you, but so do I. Plus, we haven''t had the chance to hang out properly yet. What do you say?"

    Amy sighed but smiled. "That sounds like a lot of activities."

    "It is. But it will be fun. You missed Sonia''s partyst time, and you definitely shouldn''t miss this. Trust me, it''ll be worth it," Lucy promised.

    Amy hesitated, her lips parting as if to form an excuse, but before she could, Lucy spoke again. "I''m not taking no for an answer. You need this, Amy. It''ll be good to get out for a while, and I promise it won''t be overwhelming. You can leave if you feel overwhelmed."

    "Okay, okay. You win. I''lle," Amy conceded, thinking that it won''t be a bad idea to meet new friends and hang out for a change instead of staying alone in her room thinking about mourning Miley and missing Lucas.

    "Good!" Lucy pped her hands together in satisfaction. "Text me your address, and I''ll swing by on my way to pick you up."

    "I will. Thanks, Lucy."

    "Of course," Lucy replied. "I''m looking forward to it." Lucy was pleased that she had convinced Amy to join her for the night out.

    Amy smiled, "Do you know what I just remembered?" Amy asked, and Lucy raised a brow curiously.

    "No. What?"

    "I remember the time you were upset because we didn''t have anything negative to say about your proposed project and you thought it was because of your rtionship with the CEO," Amy said, and Lucy giggled.

    "That feels like such a long time ago. Why did you think of that?" Lucy asked with a wide smile.

    Amy shrugged, "I don''t know. It just came to mind. You don''t seem to be worried about that anymore."

    Lucyughed softly, "I''m not. I''ve not even given that a thought in a really looooong time. I think in my mind Tom is just Tom, and my job is my job. Both are not the same. I''mpetent. I didn''t get the job because of our rtionship. And I didn''t get Tom because of the job. So, I''ve been keeping both separate," Lucy said and Amy smiled.

    "It''s nice. You both have a great rtionship. And I love how he adores you," Amy said and Lucy giggled.

    "Yeah. I love that too," Lucy said, and then sighed as she looked around the cafeteria.

    She smiled as she remembered the first andst time she was there. The first time had been when she saw Tom talking to Anita here, and she assumed Anita was thedy he was in love with.

    Thest time had been the day Tom told her about Dawn and she ran out crying. Harry had brought her here to talk to her and advise her.

    Lucy sighed inwardly, suddenly feeling a rush of emotions at both memories. She had done a lot of growing up since those times. Now she felt like a totally different person. The only thing that had remained constant for her was Tom''s love.

    After lunch they returned to the office, and just as Lucy settled back in her seat, there was another knock on the door, and Lucy was surprised to see Harry walk in.

    "HaHa!" she eximed with a wide smile, standing up from her desk. "This is a surprise."

    Harry chuckled as he walked in, "What, I can''t just drop by to see my favorite cousin?"

    Lucyughed. "Of course you can. I just didn''t expect it." She motioned for him to sit down. "So, what brings you by?"

    Harry strolled over to one of the chairs and sat down, looking a bit more serious than usual. "It''s been a while since we had a proper chat, and I just wanted to check on you."

    Lucy''s expression softened. "I''m fine. How about you?"

    Harry exhaled. "I''m okay, I guess." He paused, ncing at the floor. "I got a call from the prison today. They told me that Sara is in a critical state."

    Lucy''s smile faltered. "Oh," she said softly.

    "Just that her condition has deteriorated and she might not make it past this month," Harry muttered, his voice tinged with indifference.

    He met Lucy''s eyes. "I haven''t told my Dad. I don''t think I should tell him. I mean, they don''t have any more business together. Candace doesn''t care either. Do you think we should tell your Mom? Would she even care?"

    Lucy sighed, leaning back in her chair. "I don''t know. You know howplicated things are between them. How do you feel about it though?"

    Harry shrugged, his gaze distant. "Honestly, I don''t feel anything about it. If she dies, I think I''d prefer that. At least then, I could just ept that I don''t have a mother, rather than knowing she''s rotting behind bars for what she did."

    Lucy didn''t respond right away. She understood Harry''splicated feelings toward Sara. "I''ll let my Mom know about it," Lucy said gently.

    Harry nodded, his expression grateful. He shifted in his seat and cleared his throat, lightening the mood. "Enough of that, though. How''s the proposal n going?"

    Lucy brightened at the change of subject, her eyes sparkling. "It''s going smoothly! We''re getting everything lined up, and I''m so excited. I was thinking about sending out the invitations soon, but I wanted to ask you�� when do you think I should start?"

    Harry smiled. "I''d say next month would be perfect. That way, the guests have plenty of time to clear their schedules and RSVP. Better to give them more notice than less."

    "That''s what I was thinking too," Lucy agreed.

    "You can send the invitation to my office if it''s ready, and I will have my secretary send them out."

    "Thanks, Harry."

    "Anytime," he replied, standing up.

    "How are things going with Jade?" Lucy asked, and Harry chuckled.

    "She said she wasn''t going to marry me if I don''t go for therapy, so I signed up for therapy. It''s official. We all are having therapy. Have Tom sign up for one too. He needs it after all those crazydies he''s been with," Harry said, and Lucyughed out loud.

    "I don''t think so. Tom is good," Lucy assured him.

    "If you say so. Don''t say I didn''t tell you," Harry said with a grin, "I should get going, but let me know how it goes with your Mom. And let me know if you need my help regarding the proposal, or whatever."

    "I will," Lucy assured him, walking him to the door. "And thank you for stopping by. We will stop over at yours tomorrow. Candace said Aaron will be back from his gurlfriend''s ce by then," Lucy said with a grin and Harry chuckled.

    "So he said. Let''s hope he keeps to his word," he said and Lucy giggled as she watched him leave.

    After the day closed behind him, she took a deep breath before dialing her mother''s line to let her know that Sara was dying.

 Chapter 969: Thomasina

    Chapter 969: Thomasina

    ?

    "So, you''re leaving me," Tom said from the edge of the bed where he was seated as he watched Lucy getting ready for her outing with the girls.

    Lucy giggled, "No. I''m not leaving you. I''m hanging out with the girls," Lucy said as she fixed her contacts.

    "But you won''t be returning tonight," Tom said and she smiled.

    "Yeah. But I''ll be back in the morning," Lucy assured him.

    Instead of going out to a club, Andy had offered to host the girls at her ce so they could all have a sleep over that night and not have to drive back home after drinking.

    "So, I have to sleep alone," Tomined and Lucy turned away from the mirror to look at him.

    "You don''t have to sleep alone if you don''t want to. You can go to Bryan''s or Harry''s, or invite them over for a guy''s hangout," Lucy pointed out.

    "But it''s you I want a sleepover with. I can''t cuddle Harry or Bryan," Tom said as he rose from the bed and crossed over to her.

    Lucyughed softly as he wrapped his arms around her, "We live under the same roof and sleep in the same bed every night, yet when it''s time for me to go out you suddenly want me all to yourself."

    "It''s not my fault that you''re my favorite person. You''re too beautiful and sweet and I don''t want to share you with anyone," he said and Lucy rolled her eyes yfully.

    "You''re not sharing me with anyone, it''s just the girls."

    "Alright. So, what if I identify as a girl? Can I join you girls?" He asked, fluttering hisshes and flicking an imaginary hair.

    "What?" Lucy asked as she hollered withughter.

    "I identify as ady now. My name is Thomasina," he said, causing her tough harder.

    "Please, Tom. I''m not in the mood for this. I need to leave now. Amy is waiting," Lucy said, and Tom sighed dramatically as he walked over to the dressing table and picked up her lipstick.

    Lucy watched with amusement as Tom applied her pink lipstick on his lips and then proceeded to take the eyeshadow.

    "What on earth do you think you are you doing?" Lucy asked with a giggle, knowing that he was just trying to be funny.

    "Getting ready for our girls night out. You all need to learn to be inclusive of people like us," Tom said, hanging his hand on the air in a feminine gesture.

    This sent Lucy howling withughter again, "People like you? Tom, please. I don''t have the time for this," Lucy said, and Tom shrugged as he walked away from there and went into the closet.

    Lucy quickly added finishing touch to her look as she waited for him to return, and soon he reemerged from the closet with one of Lucy''s scarves tied around his head, a pair of her oversized sunsses perched on his nose, and an exaggerated pout painted across his lips.

    He swayed dramatically, striking a pose in the doorway, one hand on his hip and the other flicking an imaginary lock of hair off his forehead.

    "Well, how do I look? Am I ready for the girls'' night out now?" he asked, his voice taking on an exaggeratedly high-pitched tone as he sauntered back to the mirror to see himself.

    Lucy couldn''t contain herughter. She clutched her stomach, tears forming in her eyes. "You''re unbelievable! You look ridiculous," she said as she quickly picked up her phone and took some pictures of him in his ridiculous costume.

    Tom grinned, clearly pleased with himself. "Ridiculously fabulous, you mean." Tom corrected with a sassy snap of his fingers. He strolled toward her, attempting to walk in a slow, catwalk-like strut, but his exaggerated movements only made Lucyugh harder.

    He gave a final twirl, the scarf fluttering behind him. "You can''t leave without me now. I''m officially part of the girl gang."

    Lucy shook her head, wiping at her eyes, stillughing. "Oh my gosh, Tom. I can''t take you seriously right now."

    He stopped right in front of her, tilting his sunsses down to give her a yful, serious look. "Come on, babe. Let me in on this girls'' night. I''m dying to know what youdies talk about." "You wouldn''t survive five minutes in our conversations. Plus, I don''t think any of the girls is ready for Thomasina just yet," Lucy said, stillughing.

    Tom pretended to gasp, clutching at his chest as if wounded by the rejection. "Well, fine," he said with mock indignation, "if you won''t let me join, I''ll just have to make do by myself here, all alone, abandoned." He gave her a pointed look, sticking out his lower lip in an exaggerated pout.

    Lucy shook her head, finally catching her breath. She stepped closer to him, cing a hand on his chest and looking up at him with a smile. "You know I''ll miss you, too," she said softly. "But it''s just one night. I''ll be back before you know it."

    He let out a deep, exaggerated sigh as he rested his forehead against hers. "Yeah, yeah, I know."

    Lucy smiled and leaned up to kiss him softly, her lips brushing against the smudge of pink lipstick on his mouth. "Is this what it feels like to kiss me when I have lipsticks on? It feels weird," Lucy said as she grabbed a tissue from the dressing table and wiped the lipstick off Tom''s lips.

    Tom chuckled. "Have I ever told you that you''re my favorite person and I love having you around?" Tom said, holding her gaze with a sincerity that broke through the yfulness.

    "You always do," Lucy murmured against his lips as she kissed him.

    For a moment, they simply stood there, close and quiet, theughter having faded into a tender silence that made Lucy''s heart skip. She loved these moments with him- when the teasing and yfulness gave way to something real.

    But the moment passed quickly as Tom stepped back. Tom finally broke character, dropping the sunsses and scarf with a yful smirk. "Alright, alright. I just didn''t want you to go without a little fun first. Off you go then," he said, dramatically swiping a hand through the air as if to shoo her away.

    Lucy smiled as she leaned forward, her hands resting on his chest. "I had a goodugh.

    Thanks."

    "Don''t mention," Tom said as he bent his head to kiss her softly, lingering for a moment before pulling back. "I''m gonna miss you tonight."

    "I''ll miss you too," Lucy said softly, her hand cupping his cheek. "We will survive." Lucy said

    as she grabbed her handbag and headed toward the door.

    He sighed dramatically again. "I suppose I will. Just don''t have too much fun without me,"

    Tom said as he escorted her out.

    "I''ll try not to," Lucy said with a wink.

    "And if Andy''s ce turns out to be too boring, you know where to find me!" Tom said and

    Lucyughed again as she descended the stairs.

    "I''ll keep that in mind. See you in the morning."

    As she reached the foot of the stairs, she nced back over her shoulder onest time, catching Tom watching her with a yful but tender smile from the top of the stairs.

    "Love you," she called.

    "I thought you''d leave without saying that. Love you more," Tom replied, his voice softer

    now, more genuine.

    As Adolf drove Lucy Amy''s ce, Lucy kept giggling to herself as she looked at the pictures of Tom. She couldn''t believe how silly he was.

    Once they arrived at Amy''s, Amy opened the door and joined Lucy before Lucy could get to the

    door.

    "I''m sorry I''mte. I was held up," Lucy apologized.

    "It''s not a problem," Amy assured her as they both got into the car.

    A short whileter, they arrived at Andy''s estate, and they were let in by the security stationed

    at the gate.

    After dropping them off, Adolf left, while Lucy led Amy to the door.

    The door swung open before Lucy could knock, revealing Andy with an excited grin on her face. "Finally! The night can officially begin," she said, pulling Lucy into a quick hug. "Come on in! Everyone else is already here, drinks are ready, and I''ve got some snacksid out

    too."

    The warm, weing smell of freshly baked treats filled the air as they stepped into the spacious living room. It was cozy, with candles lit and a soft ylist humming in the background. The other women were lounging on the plush couches,ughing and chatting

    over sses of wine.

    "Lucy! Amy! You''re just in time," Sonia called from her seat, raising her ss of juice in greeting. "They''ve already started on the ros�� and I''m on my juice. You better catch up!"

    "Hello, Everyone. This is Amy, my brother''s girlfriend. Amy, you know Sony and Jade. Those two beauties are my cousins. That''s Candace and our host is Andy. I''m sure you''ve met them at the office before. This is our delectable bride to be, Aurora, this is stunningdy is Sharon,"

    Lucy introduced.

    "Thanks for having me," Amy said after each of them called out a wee to her.

    "Who else has noticed that Lucy has be more vocaltely?" Jade asked, and they all

    laughed.

    "She sounded like an emcee with the introductions," Sonia joked.

    "Give me a break, y''all. I just got here," Lucy said with a giggle as she walked over to the wine

    table and poured some wine into two sses.

    "I''m not giving you a break. You called everyone else beautiful but Jade and I. Jade didn''t you notice?" Sonia asked, and Jade nodded.

    "Candace and Andy are beauties, Aurora is delectable, and Sharon is stunning. While you''re

    just Sony and I am Jade," Jade said, and everyoneughed.

    "Amy, you know the gorgeous Sony, and the Radiant Jade, don''t you?" Lucy asked as she

    handed one of the sses to Amy.

    Amy giggled, "I do," she said as she took the winess from Lucy. "Satisfied?" Lucy asked Sonia and Jade, and they both exchanged a look before shrugging.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "I guess that will do," Sonia said with a grin.

    Being the gracious host, Andy handed them both fluffy slippers. "Here, getfortable!

    We''re doing a whole pamper night- facemasks, wine, and then a good old binge-watch of some trashy reality TV."

    Lucy chuckled as she slipped into the slippers, taking a long sip of her wine. She could already feel herself unwinding, the worries of the day falling away. "This is exactly what I needed. Work has been insely," she admitted, sinking into one of the cushy armchairs, and Amy shared her sentiment as she stretched out on the couch beside her.

    Lucy felt a surge of contentment wash over her. As much as she loved being with Tom, there was something refreshing about spending time with the girls- no stress, no expectations, just goodpany andughter.

 Chapter 970 GEL Club

    Chapter 970 GEL Club

    As the evening wore on, the wine flowed freely, and all thedies rxed, including Amy, who had now loosened up and joined in the conversations.

    "No phones allowed, Amy. Girls'' time is girls'' time," Andy announced when she caught Amy on her phone chatting with Lucas.

    "Sorry," Amy said, shing them an apologetic smile as she put away her phone.

    "So, I''ve been thinking about something for a while now. Why don''t we make this like a club?" Jade suggested, and all eyes turned to her.

    "A club?"

    "What do you mean?"

    "Do you mean our hangouts?" Candace, Amy, and Sonia asked at the same time.

    "Yeah. I mean, this thing here," Jade said, gesturing at them all with her hand.

    "Funny that the thought crossed my mind earlier," Aurora chipped in.

    "It''s more like a sisterhood thingy. Or should we call it a cult?" Andy asked with a grin, and they allughed.

    "I think it sounds like a brilliant idea��"

    "Yes!" Andy pped.

    "Not the cult, Andy. I mean the club," Lucy corrected with a giggle.

    "What kind of a club will it be?" Sonia asked excitedly, liking the idea of a club.

    Jade shrugged, "A club for sessful career-drivendies. Every one of us here is sessful in our various careers. We have awyer, a beautician, a yoga instructor, a fashionista, a writer, a Secretary, awyer in the making, and a musician. I think it would be fun to make this into something more."

    "You mean, like an official girls'' club?" Sonia asked, and Jade nodded.

    "Yes. I''m talking about a proper, scheduled thing. No excuses."

    Lucy raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "You mean, like monthly?"

    Jade nodded enthusiastically. "Exactly!"

    "You seem to forget that we all don''t live in Ludus," Candace said dryly.

    "We don''t always have to meet in Ludus. We could rotate locations and even travel together sometimes. But most importantly, it''d be our time, no matter what''s going on in our lives," Jade said excitedly.

    The idea seemed to settle over the group like a soft glow. Amy, who had been rtively quiet until now, looked around and nodded. "I like that idea. Life gets hectic, and it''s easy to get caught up in everything and forget to take time for yourself. A set time for this... for us... sounds amazing."

    "It does sound nice, but I don''t think a monthly hangout will be feasible," Candace said, and Lucy nodded in agreement.

    "What if it''s quarterly?" Sharon suggested.

    "I''m in," Aurora said, sipping her wine.

    "Same here," Sonia added with a grin. "I need this."

    "Sony, considering your state, I don''t think you''d exactly be able to participate for a while after the babyes," Lucy pointed out.

    "That''s true," Candace said, and Sonia scowled.

    "You''ll just have to make sure this whole club thing is baby-friendly. You shouldn''t forget that my baby is going to be the leader of the baby club," Sonia said, and they allughed.

    "But I think we can make it more than just that too. We can also give back to society. We can educate and empower younger girls. Be role models and mentors to them," Lucy said, and Candace nodded.

    "I''ll like that. Especially the girls at the orphanage," Candace said, and Andy nodded, thinking about the younger ones they had left there.

    Jade pped her hands together, clearly excited by the prospect. "So, it''s settled! We''ll be the��" she paused, tapping her chin thoughtfully before lighting up. "The GEMS Club! Gorgeous, Empowered, Modern Sisters."

    "Sounds like germs to me."

    "That''s cheesy!" Amy and Candace said simultaneously, andughter rippled through the room.

    "Why don''t youe up with something better?" Jade fired back, and they all thought about it.

    "What about GEL Club? Gorgeous Empowered Ladies?" Amy suggested.

    "I think I like that," Jade said with a nod, and everyone agreed they preferred it.

    Lucy raised her ss. "To the GEL Club. May we stick together, always. And may we be a light on the path of thoseing after us."

    Everyone raised their sses in unison, toasting the new idea. The mood was light, yet an unspoken bond formed�� a shared understanding that this had be more than just a casual hangout.

    After agreeing to think more about it and all they nned to do to make it work, the conversation shifted to lighthearted gossip and then to deeper, more personal topics.

    The wine had done its job, loosening tongues and encouragingughter.

    The group of friendsughed and shared stories�� some humorous, others more heartfelt�� about their lives, rtionships, and dreams. At some point, Sharon pulled out a box of choctes, and they all indulged without guilt.

    "So, what would you girls say is your life-defining moment?" Sharon asked curiously. "I''ll go first. Mine was losing my Mom."

    Jade pursed her lips, "Mine would be attending my ex''s funeral only to find out my scum ex had been cheating on me. Men are scum."

    "Men are scum. Therefore, Harry is scum," Candace drawled.

    "He''s exempted. All our men are exempted. The others are scum," Jade said with a wink, and they allughed.

    "For me, it would be meeting Matt. I think that''s the point at which things began to change slowly," Candace said with a small smile.

    Lucy shrugged, "I suppose it can be more than one, right?" She asked, reflecting on how much her life had shifted. She had been more of a reserved person since her abduction, content in her routine, but Tom had brought out a side of her she hadn''t realized existed, and she had gained sisters.

    "The first for me would be my abduction. The second would be meeting Tom. Those are the two moments that have most defined my life."

    Sonia nodded, "Mine would be the moment I chose to stick with Lucy instead of leaving with my Mom and stepfather."

    Andy sighed, "I think mine would be the moment Jero decided to make money off me by giving me to the highest bidders."

    Candace winced, and so did all the others. Andyughed, "Loosen up,dies. I''m fine. Don''t worry about me."

    "What about you two?" Sharon asked Amy and Aurora, who were yet to speak.

    Amy shrugged, "I''ve been thinking. I can''t exactly think about any particr moment," Amy admitted.

    "Me too. Maybe it will be my wedding," Aurora said with a grin.

    "Or the day I introduced you to Harry," Jade said dryly, making Auroraugh.

    The night continued with more banter andughter, and more snacks went around. Soon, most of them curled up in front of Andy''s massive TV, a trashy reality show ying in the background, though none of them were really watching. The real entertainment was the easy banter between them.

    The atmosphere was easy and light, and when a ssical rom started showing, Sonia turned to Lucy, "This guy reminds me of Tom. How''s Tom?" Sonia asked with a teasing smile, ncing at Lucy over the rim of her juice ss.

    Lucy grinned, shaking her head. "He''s sweet, as always." She pulled out her phone and swiped to the pictures of Tom from earlier, dressed in her scarf and sunsses. "Look what he did when I was getting ready to leave."

    The girls crowded around the phone, bursts ofughter filling the room as they took in the sight of Tom''s over-the-top ''Thomasina'' performance.

    "Oh my God, he really went all out," Candace said, tears ofughter in her eyes. "You should''ve brought him along. He would''ve been a hit!"

    Andy nodded. "I can just picture it�� Tom, sitting here with us, doing facemasks and gossiping. Honestly, I kind of like the idea."

    "Right? He was so insistent," Lucy said, still chuckling. "He even tried to put on my makeup."

    "He''s a keeper," Aurora said with a smile. "Silly but sweet."

    Lucy nodded, her heart warming at the thought of him. "Yeah, he is. I''m lucky to have him."

    As the night deepened, thedies moved on to facemasks, applying different colors and textures to their skin as they lounged in their pajamas.

    "Okay, real talk now," Aurora suddenly said, her voice taking on a serious tone as she pulled her legs up under her. "What''s the one thing you''ve learned about love that you wish you''d known earlier?"

    Jade sighed deeply, "Aura, you are always talking about love," Jade said, making everyoneugh.

    "What else do you expect her to talk about when she''s getting married in less than forty-eight hours?" Sharon asked with amusement.

    "It''s my weekend. Humor me," Aurora said with a grin, and the question hung in the air for a moment, causing everyone to pause and think.

    Sonia was the first to speak, leaning back with a sigh. "I think... for me, it''s realizing that love isn''t just about the butterflies. You can love someone and not feel that spark every day. It''s about choosing them, even on the hard days," Sonia said, thinking about the earlier days of her pregnancy when she couldn''t stand Bryan.

    There were murmurs of agreement around the room, and Lucy nodded. Tom''s yful antics and their constant closeness shed in her mind. It was easy to get lost in the fun, but she knew their rtionship hadyers�� deep ones.

    Jade took a deep breath. "I used to think love was about grand gestures and passion, buttely, I''ve learned it''s mostly in the little things. The way someone listens to you or makes you coffee the way you like it in the morning without being asked. It''s the consistency."

    Lucy smiled at that. Tom had a way of showing his love in small, thoughtful ways. He was always making sure she had everything she needed, even when she didn''t realize she needed him to.

    Amy smiled softly, thinking about Miley. "I learned that love doesn''t mean you fix each other''s problems. You just... hold space for each other. I used to think that if I couldn''t solve someone''s issues, I wasn''t doing enough. But now, I realize that sometimes just being there is what counts."

    Sharon, who had been quiet for most of the conversation, finally spoke, "For me, I''d say I learned that you don''t have to be in a romantic rtionship with everyone you love. You need to first understand if what you feel is romantic or tonic love," she said with a shrug, thinking of her rtionship with her baby daddy.

    Candace sighed, "I learned that love isn''t supposed to make you feel small. If you''re with someone who diminishes you, that''s not love." Her voice was soft, but there was a strength behind her words.

    The room fell silent, each of them processing the weight of Candace''s words. Lucy knew Candace''s past wasn''t something she discussed often, but her tone made it clear that she had experienced something painful. Lucy reached out and squeezed her hand, offering silent support.

    Andy broke the silence with a sigh. "For me, I learned that we can''t always choose who we love. Love just happens with or without our approval."

    "What about you?" Aurora asked Lucy.

    Lucyughed softly, "Well, I''ve learned that love is more than just a word or a feeling. It''s the reward of the hard work two people put into a rtionship. It entailsmitment,promise, loyalty, respect, and all of that."

    "That''s my girl spitting some deep lines," Sonia said, and everyoneughed.

    As the wine flowed and the conversation continued, the women felt a deeper sense of connection��like they were building somethingsting.

    Eventually, the night wound down. The wine sses were empty, the snacks were reduced to crumbs, and the room was filled with a warm,fortable silence. One by one, they began to drift off into sleep.

    Lucy, her skin glowing from the mask and her body pleasantly tired from the wine andughter, pulled out her phone onest time. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    It waste��or rather, early. She smiled to herself when she saw a missed message from Tom. It was just a simple "Goodnight. Miss you," but it brought a smile to her face. She quickly typed a reply, "Miss you too. See you soon," before tucking her phone away with a contented sigh and settling into the couch.

    As she closed her eyes, her mind drifted between the warmth of the evening with her friends and the thought of Tom waiting for her at home.

    Lucy felt a deep sense of contentment. With a soft smile on her lips, Lucy closed her eyes and drifted into a peaceful sleep.

 Chapter 971 That’s Insane

    Chapter 971 That��s Insane

    Tom pulled up to Andy''s house very early the following day. He parked the car and stretched, ncing at the clock on the dashboard. It was just past 8 AM, but he didn''t mind. He was eager to see Lucy.

    As Tom walked up to the front door, he could hear chatter andughter from inside. It made him smile, and he imagined the aftermath of the girls'' night in. He reached the door and rang the doorbell.

    Andy opened the door, her hair still in disarray from sleep, her face free of any makeup. She blinked in surprise, taking in Tom''s presence on her doorstep.

    "Tom?" she eximed, her voice still thick with sleep. "You''re here so early!"

    Tom grinned, leaning casually against the doorframe. "It was a girls'' night out, right? Well, it''s morning now, so it''s my turn to be with my Jewel before she heads off to the bridal shower again."

    Andy chuckled, opening the door wider to let him in. "Come on in. The others are stillzing about in the living room."

    "Ladies, Tom ising in," Andy announced as she shut the door behind her.

    As Tom stepped into the house, he was greeted by a chorus of surprised exmations and giggles. Thedies were sprawled across the living room, some still in their pajamas, others wrapped in nkets. They had clearly been caught off guard by his early arrival.

    "Tom!" Sonia called out, her eyes bright with amusement. "You''re up early. Couldn''t stay away from Lucy, huh?"

    Tom chuckled, shaking his head. "What can I say? I missed her."

    The room erupted in a mixture ofughter and yful "awws" at hisment. Lucy, who had been sitting on the couch with Sonia, looked up with a sheepish smile. She seemed both surprised and pleased to see him.

    "I told you he''d show up," Sonia teased, nudging Lucy with her elbow.

    "Well, you know him," Lucy said with a grin, standing up to meet him.

    Tom wrapped an arm around Lucy''s waist, pulling her close. He leaned in to kiss her cheek but paused when he noticed the mischievous nces the women were exchanging.

    "What''s going on?" Tom asked, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

    Jade couldn''t contain her grin as she chimed in, "We saw your ''Thomasina'' lookst night. You looked really pretty."

    Tom blinked in confusion, ncing at Lucy, who was now blushing. "Thomasina?" he echoed, trying to make sense of what they were talking about. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    Lucy bit her lip, trying not tough. "I may have... shared your little fashion moment from yesterday with the girls."

    Realization dawned on Tom, and he couldn''t help butugh. "You showed them those pictures?"

    "How could I not?" Lucy replied with a giggle. "You looked too adorable not to share."

    The room filled with moreughter, and Tom shook his head in mock disbelief. "I should''ve known better than to let you take those pictures."

    "Toote now," Candace quipped, winking at him. "They''re out there, and we loved it."

    Tom chuckled and pulled Lucy closer. "Alright, alright. You''ve all had your fun. Now, can I steal her away before she has to head off again?"

    "Fine, fine," Andy teased, waving them off. "But only because we know she''ll be backter."

    "Tom, I think you should hold a masterss on how to be romantic. I''ll make sure Phil signs up," Aurora said with a grin.

    "Thanks. I''ll keep that in mind," Tom said with a chuckle.

    "Amy, are you ready to leave?" Lucy asked, and Amy, who had been busy gathering her things, hurried over to join them.

    "Yes, I am. I hope you don''t mind that I''m joining you. I can take a cab if it inconveniences you," Amy said to Tom, and he waved it off.

    "Let''s go," Tom said, holding the door open for Lucy and Amy.

    As they stepped outside, the morning sun greeted them. Just as they were getting into the car, they saw Bryan''s car approaching. He slowed down, rolling down the window as he pulled up beside them.

    "Good morning, Tom!" Bryan called out, giving Tom a nod. "I''m here to pick up my babies. Didn''t expect to see you here this early."

    Tom grinned. "Well, I couldn''t wait any longer. Besides, it''s good to be early sometimes."

    Bryan chuckled. "True enough. Hello, Lucy! Hey, Amy! You all have a good day."

    "Catch youter," Tom replied as he got into the car with Lucy and Amy.

    As they drove off, the conversation was light. Lucy and Amy talked about their night and their ns for the day. Tom listened, nodding along, but his mind was preupied. He kept stealing nces at Lucy, thinking about the conversation they needed to have.

    After Amy was dropped off at her destination, the car was quiet. There were just the two of them now. Lucy seemed to sense the shift in his mood and turned to look at him, her eyes filled with curiosity.

    "Are you okay?" She asked, and he nodded.

    "Yeah," he said without ncing at her.

    "Are you sure? Are you upset that I showed them your picture? If that''s it, I''m sorry��"

    "That''s not it. I don''t mind them seeing that. They''re all close friends, and I could have pulled that up in front of them. But wait, you didn''t send the picture to them, right?" He asked, and she grinned.

    "Nah. I didn''t. So, if that''s it, what''s on your mind?" she asked gently.

    Tom sighed, "I... I spoke with Kimberlyst night. I called her after you left."

    Lucy''s expression shifted, her curiosity deepening. "You did? Did you tell her we areing over. What did she say?"

    Tom''s jaw clenched as he recalled the conversation. "She said she doesn''t want us toe over. She''d rather the Hanks stay away from Dawn. ording to her, Dawn is no longer a Hank because her husband has officially adopted her. So, she doesn''t want us anywhere near her daughter."

    Lucy sat up straighter, her brows furrowing in concern. "What? Why would she say or do that? But... did she even inform your parents before doing that?"

    Tom shook his head. "No. She said she had no reason to inform them. She''s Dawn''s biological mother, and it''s up to her to decide whether she wants her daughter to be part of the Hanks or not."

    "But is that right? Shouldn''t her paternal side of the family have a say?" Lucy asked with a deep frown.

    "Well, if you think about it, we sort of rejected the kid. We said we didn''t want her with us. So, I guess we can''t exactly me her. She also said we shouldn''t think of contesting the adoption because she has the recording of my father asking them toe get Dawn or he''ll put her on the ne. She also threatened to get a restraining order," Tom exined.

    Lucy let out a resigned sigh, leaning back against the seat. "I guess that''s it, then. We can''t see Dawn anymore." She paused, her voice softening. "But I''m d Jamal can still talk to her and let us know how she''s doing."

    Tom nodded, but Lucy''s phone buzzed with a notification before he could respond. She nced at it, her eyes narrowing as she read the message.

    "What''s up?" Tom asked, noticing her frown.

    "It''s from Andy," Lucy said, her voice tinged with disbelief. "She just sent me a screenshot of a text Kimberly sent her. Kimberly is blocking Andy and Jamal from reaching Dawn because she wants Dawn to forget the past and focus on her present. She says Dawn needs to develop new friends around her instead of being fixated on an online friend. Can you believe this?"

    Tom frowned, "That''s... that''s insane."

    Lucy nodded, her expression mirroring his frustration. "She''s crazy. What is she thinking? This doesn''t feel right," Lucy said with a frown.

    Tom shook his head, his voice quiet but firm. "It doesn''t sit right with me either, but what can we do? Kimberly''s made her decision."

    They drove in silence for a while; both lost in thought, the weight of the situation pressing down on them. Tom reached over, taking Lucy''s hand in his, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

    "Try not to worry too much. I''ll discuss it with my parents and siblings, and we''ll figure out what to do," he said softly.

    Lucy turned to him, her eyes filled with worry. "I''m just worried about Dawn and Jamal. I can''t imagine how Jamal is going to feel about this," she whispered.

    Tom nodded, his heart heavy with the same concern. "It''s going to be tough. But let''s hope he''ll adjust."

    Lucy sighed deeply. "I hope so."

    She couldn''t shake off the feeling that there was more to this than met the eyes, but then again, there was little or nothing that she could do. Kimberly was Dawn''s mother, and if she said she didn''t want them around Dawn, then they were going to have to respect her wish.

 Chapter 972: That’s Unfortunate

    Chapter 972: That��s Unfortunate

    ?

    After spending some alone time together, Lucy and Tom drove over to Harry''s ce so they could see Aaron and Jamal.

    As they walked into Harry''s apartment, the sight that greeted them was far from weing.

    A soft, heartbreaking wail echoed through the house as Jamal stood in the living room, his little face wet with tears.

    Candace was crouched beside him, trying her best tofort the distraught boy, but Jamal seemed inconsble.

    The moment Jamal spotted Lucy, he broke away from her and ran towards her, his small arms outstretched. "Lucy!" he cried, his voice trembling with sorrow.

    Lucy knelt down, catching him in a tight embrace. "Oh, Jamal, what''s wrong, sweetie?" she asked, her heart breaking at the sight of his tear-streaked face.

    Candace sighed, standing up and brushing her hands on her jeans. "He''s been crying ever since Andy told him he can no longer talk to Dawn."

    Lucy''s eyes darkened with concern. She pulled Jamal closer, rocking him gently as he continued to sob. "It''s okay, Jamal. We will all figure something out."

    Harry and Jade who were seated on the couch stared at Jamal helplessly since they too had tried to console him, but nothing they said had worked.

    Jamal turned his tearful gaze to Tom. "Uncle Tom, you promised me we could go see Dawn for my birthday. You said you would take me, remember?"

    Tom knelt beside Lucy, cing a hand on Jamal''s shoulder. His expression was filled with regret. "I know I did, Jamal. I really wanted to take you to see Dawn too, but Kimberly... she doesn''t want us near Dawn anymore. She said we can''te to see her."

    "She told you that?" Harry asked before Jade could do so.

    Tom sighed as he gave her a nod, "I reached out to herst night to inform her that we wereing over to see Dawn. She said Dawn was no longer a Hank and we shouldn''t make any attempt to reach her," Tom said, and Jade frowned.

    "What does she mean by that?" Jade asked and Tom exined that Kimberly''s husband had adopted Dawn.

    "I guess this exins why she hasn''t been responding to Lucy''s texts," Candace said with a frown.

    Jade''s frown deepened, "How can she make such a decision without consulting the family? Tom, did you tell Mom and Dad about this? This doesn''t make any sense. Dawn is a Hank. Kimberly can''t just cut us off from her like that."

    Tom shook his head, his voice tight with frustration. "I haven''t been able to get hold of them. I tried calling, but their phone keep going to voicemail. And even if I do get through, what can they do? Kimberly has made it clear she doesn''t want anything to do with our family when ites to Dawn. We were not really in her life in the first ce."

    Jamal''s sobs grew louder, his small body trembling in Lucy''s arms. "But... but Lucy, Dawn likes you. Can''t you talk to her mommy? Please? I just want to talk to Dawn..."

    Lucy bit her lip, trying to hold back her own tears. "I''ve been trying, darling. I''ve been texting her mommy, but she hasn''t responded. I see now why she''s been ignoring me. I''m so sorry, sweetie."

    Andy, who had been leaning against a couch silently, finally spoke up. Her voice was low, almost defeated. "I don''t know what Kimberly is thinking. None of this makes any sense."

    Andy had been filled with guilt all day since she received the message from Kimberly. She wished she had not reconnected Jamal and Dawn in the first ce.

    Lucy straightened and took Jamal to the couch with her where she held him close, patting his back as she tried to console him.

    As they continued to console Jamal, Aaron stepped into the house, whistling a cheery tune. His mood shifted instantly when he saw his grandson crying. The usual sparkle in his eyes faded into a frown.

    "Jam, what''s wrong?" Aaron asked as he approached, his voice filled with concern.

    Candace sighed, "It''s about Dawn. Kimberly said Jamal can''t talk to her anymore, and now he''s heartbroken."

    Aaron''s frown deepened as he listened to the exnation. He crouched down to Jamal''s level, wiping away the boy''s tears with a gentle hand. "Hey, buddy, listen to me. I don''t want you to worry about it, okay? If Uncle Tom can''t take you to see Dawn because he''s not allowed to, I''ll fly you there myself. I''ll make sure you get to see her."

    Jamal looked up at his grandfather, his tears subsiding a little. "You promise, Grandpa?"

    Aaron smiled warmly, ruffling Jamal''s hair. "Have I ever broken a promise to you?"

    Jamal shook his head. "No..."

    "Then trust me on this one, alright? But you have to stop crying and be a good boy for me. Can you do that?"

    Jamal sniffled, nodding slowly as he wiped his face with the back of his hand. "Okay, Grandpa..."

    Aaron chuckled and patted him on the back. "That''s my boy. Now, why don''t you go inside and take a little nap? I don''t want you having a headache."

    Jamal nodded again, giving Lucy onest hug before he obediently headed for the bedroom.

    As soon as Jamal was out of earshot, Aaron''s smile faded, reced with a worried frown. He stood up and turned to the group, "This doesn''t make sense in anyway. Is she cutting Jamal off because of his rtionship with the Hanks? Or is there another reason?"

    Harry shook his head, "I have no idea."

    "It''s not like Jamal talks to Dawn everyday. The only talk on Saturdays. I feel really angry about this yet I can''t even confront her. Dawn is her daughter. Her child, her rules," Candace

    said with a sigh.

    "This is all my fault. This would never have happened had I not reached out to them in the first ce. Jamal would most likely have forgotten about her by now had I not helped him reconnect with her," Andy said but Lucy shook her head.

    "It''s not your fault. It''s not anyone''s fault. You did right by helping him reconnect with her. And no, I don''t think he would have forgotten about her so easily. So, don''t me yourself," Lucy said, and the others nodded.

    Aaron turned to Lucy, "How have you been, Lucy? Sorry I haven''t had the chance to greet you," Aaron said as he embraced her.

    "You haven''t greeted me either," Tom pointed out and Aaron chuckled as he held out his arms

    to embrace Tom.

    "Nah. I''ll pass," he said, and theyughed.

    Lucy looked up at Aaron with a grin, "How''s your girlfriend doing, Aaron? You seemed to be in good spirits when you got here."

    Aaron''s face lit up again. "She''s doing fine. I came a bitte because her son wanted to meet me. Funny thing, her daughter-inw said her and her sisters have met Jade and Candace."

    Jade and Candace exchanged puzzled looks, "How so?"

    "Now I''m even more curious about your girlfriend''s family," Harry said, looking at his father with interest.

    "Something about the name Lisa Steel ringing a bell?" He asked, and Harry exchanged a look

    with Tom.

    "Lisa Steel?" Jade echoed as she exchanged a look with Harry and then with Candace, as did

    Tom and Lucy.

    Aaron nodded, ncing between them. "Yeah, that''s her name. You know her?"

    "Why are you all looking at each other? Who is she?" Andy asked curiously when she noticed the way they were all looking at each other.

    A heavy silence fell over the group as they exchanged wary nces. Harry was the first to speak, his voice tinged with concern. "We know them. I didn''t realize your girlfriend was Lisa''s mother-inw. Did she say anything else?"

    "Is there something else she should have said? How do you know her family?" Aaron asked

    looking confused.

    Harry let out a long sigh, shaking his head. "It''s...plicated. But let''s just say it''s all in the past now," Harry said, and the others nodded in agreement.

    Before Aaron could press for more information, Jade changed the subject again, her voice filled with curiosity. "I wonder what''s be of her sisters."n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "Me too. Especially Anita. It seems like she disappeared after the apology video," Lucy said while Andy narrowed her eyes at them.

    "You''re going to tell me what''s upter, right?" Andy asked, looking from Candace to Lucy

    and Jade.

    Before anyone could say anything else, they were interrupted abruptly by Harry''s phone ringing. His brow pulled together when he nced at the caller ID and saw the call was from

    the prison where his mother was being kept.

    "It''s the prison," he told them, and everyone looked at him as he answered the call.

    "What?!" Harry asked, his eyes wide with disbelief. "When did this happen?"

    The rest of the group watched in silence, tension hanging in the air as they waited for Harry to

    finish the call. When he finally hung up, he let out a deep sigh.

    "She is dead." he announced in a t voice.

    A stunned silence followed his words. No one knew what to say, each grappling with the

    sudden, jarring news in their own way. But thatsted for only a second.

    "I''ll go heat up lunch. I''m famished," Candace announced, breaking the silence as she headed

    for the kitchen.

    Andy, who was still curious about who Lisa Steel was, hurried after her, curious to hear all about it from Candace.

    Jade looked at Harry, "Are you alright?" she asked softly and he nodded.

    "Sure. Now that she''s gone I feel like I can breathe," Harry said, and Jade patted his back.

    "I''m d you''re okay, Harry. What about you, Aaron? Are you fine?" Lucy asked, and he

    shrugged.

    "I''ve moved on from her. I don''t care whether she''s dead or alive," Aaron said and Lucy

    smiled. "Good. Then I can say this. Can any of you imagine the feast that must be taking ce in hell right now as they wee Henry and Sara?" Lucy asked, and Tom chuckled, surprised that Lucy could say something like that out loud.

    "You''ve changed so much," Harry said with a chuckle.

    "I''ll call my Mom to let her know her evil twin is gone," Lucy said, and everyoneughed.

    Lucy dialed her Mom''s number and the moment the call connected, she broke the news to her, "Hello, Mom. Harry just heard from the prison. Your sister is dead."

    "I don''t have a sister. But if you''re talking about Sara, that''s unfortunate. She died too quickly. I was hoping she would suffer for a long time before dying a miserable death. Too bad

    she died so soon," J said irritably.

    After Lucy ended the call, they all moved on from the subject just like that and progressed to

    have a hearty lunch.

 Chapter 973 People?

    973 People?

    Andy returned home from Aurora''s bridal shower with a spring in her step, her heart still buzzing with the fun andughter from the day.

    Aurora''s bridal shower was the best she had ever been to, and seeing all the wonderful gifts that everyone had presented to her, she was d that she had decided to shop with Lucy and the others for gifts else she might have just gotten Aurora a vibrator like she did to a friend in the past.

    Thinking about how shocked everyone had been back then made her giggle to herself. She picture imagine how shocked and mildly embarrassed Jade and Lucy with their delicate sensibilities would react to something like that. She was certain that someone like Sonia wouldugh and evenmend her.

    She grinned as her mind swirled with thoughts of family and friends, but mostly. It had been a lovely day, but she was eager to get back to her quiet space. She was hoping that Alex would be there since she had been expecting him all day.

    She reached for the doorknob, and as the door creaked open, she noticed something that stopped her in her tracks�� the lights were on.

    A rush of excitement shot through her as she called out, "Alex!" Her voice carried a mixture of joy and surprise.

    At the top of the stairs, Alex appeared, his tall figure silhouetted by the soft glow of the hallway lights. His hair was slightly ruffled, and he wore the same calm,posed expression she knew so well.

    He raised a finger to his lips. "Shh, keep your voice down. People are sleeping," he said softly.

    Andy blinked in confusion. "People?" she asked, her voice dropping to a whisper as her curiosity piqued.

    Alex gave a slight tilt of his head toward one of the rooms down the hallway, and it was in that moment she realized what he meant. Her eyes widened in surprise, her heart skipping a beat. "No way," she gasped. "You brought Mari?" Without waiting for a response, she hurriedly slipped off her shoes and raced up the stairs.

    When she reached the top, Alex met her halfway, and she flung herself into his arms, wrapping him in a tight embrace. He responded in kind, holding her close, and for a moment, they stood there, just enjoying the quiet intimacy of being together again.

    His lips found hers, kissing her long and deep, a kiss that made her melt into him, everything else fading into the background.

    "I missed you," she breathed as they pulled apart, her forehead resting against his.

    "I missed you too," Alex replied, his voice deep and warm, filled with a quiet intensity.

    Andy looked up at him, her face lighting up with a smile. "I want to see her. Where is she?"

    With his hand on the small of her back, Alex led her down the hall toward one of the guest bedrooms. The door creaked as he gently pushed it open. There, nestled under the covers, was little Mari, fast asleep, her dark curls spilling over the pillow. Andy''s heart swelled at the sight, her lips curling into a tender smile.

    "She looks so peaceful," Andy whispered, her gaze softening as she watched the child breathe in steady rhythms.

    Alex stood beside her, his eyes also fixed on Mari. "She''s been out like a light since we got here. She was so hyper about leaving the ind, but I didn''t tell her we wereing to see you," he said quietly.

    Andy grinned, "Well, I love me a good surprise," she said, and Alex smiled.

    "It''s her birthday tomorrow," he said, and Andy''s eyes lit up.

    "Oh! That''s wonderful. Why didn''t you say anything before?" She asked, and Alex gestured that they step out of the room to talk.

    Andy stared at Mari for a moment before they quietly retreated from the room, closing the door softly behind them.

    "Mind if I invite my nephew over? He has been sad about losing his best friend. I think he will be happy to meet Mari. She doesn''t have friends her age too," she said, but Alex said nothing.

    Although he didn''t mind Mari meeting Jamal, he couldn''t help being cautious. Sensing his hesitation, Andy leaned into him, "We don''t have to invite anyone over if you don''t want me to," she assured him.

    "It''s not like I don''t want it. I want her to have a normal childhood," he assured her.

    "And you also want her to be safe. I get it," Andy said as they made their way to her bedroom, her head resting on his shoulder.

    "I also want you to be safe," he said softly.

    "Yeah. I know that," she said, and once inside her room, she turned to him, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. "So, what about Susan? Did you leave her alone?"

    Alex smiled faintly. "She''s in the room opposite Mari''s. I brought her along too."

    "You brought Susan as well?" Andy''s eyebrows lifted in surprise.

    "Yeah. She would never agree to be separated from Mari," Alex said, rubbing the back of his neck as they sat down on the bed.

    "I thought about what you said, about letting Mari experience the world outside the ind. It made sense. I want her to have a normal life, to know what the real world is like. I won''t always be there to protect her, and she needs to learn how to handle things on her own when I''m not here," he said, and Andy''s heart warmed at his words, but she couldn''t help the hope that bloomed inside her.

    "Does this mean�� you''ll leave her here? Will you stay here too?" She asked, and Alex shook his head slowly, his expression soft but firm.

    "I can''t, Andy. It''s safer for everyone if I don''t stay in one ce for too long. But I''ll visit often, and I''ll have people keeping an eye on you and Mari. I''ll make sure you''re both safe."

    Andy nodded, though she couldn''t hide the slight disappointment in her eyes. She understood, but that didn''t make it easier. "As long as Mari is here, I know you''ll alwayse back," she said softly, her fingers brushing against his hand.

    He smiled, pulling her closer. "You''re right. Now I have an excuse to alwayse back."

    As they settled deeper into the bed, Andy looked up at him with a yful smile. "If you hade in yesterday, you''d have met a full house. I had my girlfriends over for a sleepover," she said, and he chuckled.

    "I know." n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "You do? How?" She asked, and he eyed her with amusement.

    "Do you really think I don''t have people keeping an eye on you?" He asked, and her mouth rounded with surprise.

    "Why? To protect me or to know if I''m cheating on you?" She asked with a teasing smile and he smiled.

    "Maybe both," he joked, and sheughed softly.

    "So, when did you get here?" She asked curiously.

    "We arrived not too long ago. We would''ve surprised you earlier, but you were out having fun," he said, looking down at her outfit.

    "Yeah. I had lunch with my family and then I went out with the girls for a bridal shower. It was really fun," she said with a wide smile, and Alex smiled, happy to see that she was living a normal life.

    "So, have you eaten?" she asked, ncing toward the door as if ready to rush downstairs and fix him something.

    "I have," he reassured her, squeezing her hand. "Don''t worry about me."

    Andy smiled, her thoughts turning to Mari again. "I''m really happy you brought Mari here," she said, thinking that maybe Jamal and Mari can be friends.

    Jamal had been sad all day because of the news from Kimberly and she believed that friendship with Mari might be good for him.

    Alex nodded thoughtfully, leaning back against the headboard. "Maybe you can invite your nephew over tomorrow. This will be a fresh start for her, in a way. I hope they do be friends."

    Andy rested her head on Alex''s shoulder, content with the moment. "I''ll take good care of Mari. She''ll have a normal life here, I promise."

    "I know you will," Alex murmured, his fingers running through her hair. "That''s why I trust you with her. You''re the best thing that could happen to her."

    "I''m d you think so. I need to get out of these clothes and freshen up," she said as she rose to undress.

    After she freshened up, theyy in silence for a few minutes, the quiet joy of their reunion settling over them. Andy''s heart was full, knowing that even if Alex couldn''t stay permanently, he was trying�� for Mari, for her. And that was enough for her.

    As her eyes began to droop with the weariness of the day, Andy felt a sense of peace wash over her. "I''m d you''re here, Alex," she whispered.

    "I''m d I''m here too," he replied softly, his voice barely above a whisper as he kissed the top of her head.

 Chapter 974 Happy Birthday

    974 Happy Birthday

    Andy woke up before the sun had risen, the soft glow of dawn just beginning to creep through the windows. She yawned as she stretched her arms, trying to shake off the sleep.

    She slid out of bed quietly, careful not to wake Alex who was sound asleep beside her. She had imagined that the next time he visited they would have wild sex much like the did thest time, but she had only slept cuddling each other.

    She knew that was because apart from the fact that they were not alone in the house, she had also been exhausted after a long day and she knew they didn''t have any reason to rush anymore.

    The moment her feet hit the cool floor, Andy smiled, thinking of the surprise she was preparing. She had something special nned for today. Mari''s birthday.

    She picked up her phone and tiptoed out of the room, making her way downstairs. In the dim light of the early morning, she sent a quick text to Candace, [Alex is here. He brought Mari with him and today is her birthday. Please bring Jamal over this morning. I want him to meet her.]

    With that done, Andy raised the kitchen cupboards for baking items. When she saw that she didn''t have all the needed items, she dialed the 24/7 convenience store within the estate and cheerfully ordered all she needed.

    Now that everything was set, Andy busied herself in the kitchen, preparing bowls and utensils, humming softly as she waited for the ingredients to arrive.

    Half an hourter, the delivery arrived, and she got to work. The kitchen was soon filled with the smell of vani and sugar as she mixed and stirred. Andy smiled to herself, happy with how things wereing along.

    Upstairs, Alex turned over in bed, reaching out for Andy. When his hand met an empty space, he blinked his eyes open and frowned, surprised that he didn''t notice when she got out of bed.

    He was usually a very light sleeper, especially because he was very security conscious, but it seemed like he waspletely rxed around Andy and let his guards down.

    "Andy?" He called softly, as he sat up. He rubbed his face, and listened for any sounds, wondering if she had gone into the bathroom.

    When he didn''t get a response, he got out of bed and went to check the bathroom. When he didn''t find her there, his frown deepened.

    Where had she gone so early? Curious, Alex threw on a shirt and padded down the hallway. He stopped by Mari''s room to check on her, and when he saw she was still sound asleep and there was no trace of Andy there, he shut the door quietly.

    He paused when the delicious smell of baking wafted through the air and caught his attention. Following the smell, he walked down the stairs and he heard faint noisesing from the kitchen that confirmed she was in there.

    When he entered the kitchen, he found Andy, apron-d and focused, carefully decorating the cake she had just pulled out of the oven. "What are you doing?" he asked, surprised.

    Andy looked up with a grin. "Good morning, handsome. I''m making a cake for Mari''s birthday."

    Alex crossed his arms, leaning against the doorframe. "I didn''t know you could bake."

    Andyughed, her eyes twinkling as she looked up at him. "I can do a lot of things. You''ll find out the more time you spend with me," she said before returning her attention to the cake, and Alex smiled softly, choosing not to tell her that he had never celebrated Mari''s birthday all these years.

    How could he bring himself to celebrate her birth when it was also the day of her mother''s death? As much as he loved Mari, he wasn''t very fond of the date of her birth because of the impact it had on the course of his life.

    As a matter of fact he had never celebrated anything since the death of his fianc��e. But there was no reason to tell Andy that. Not when she seemed to have gone through so much stress to make a cake.

    "You could have just ordered one and saved yourself the stress," he said after some time.

    Andy shook her head, "It''s not the same," Andy said, without looking up. "I wanted to make it myself. It''s more special this way."

    He smiled, feeling a warmth spread in his chest. She always had a way of surprising him. "Thanks. I''m sure she will love it."

    "Come have a taste," she said as she took out one of the cupcakes from a pan.

    Alex reluctantly moved further into the kitchen, and she cut out a piece of cake and fed him. "what do you think?" She asked, looking at him eagerly.

    "You''re sure you don''t want to be a baker? Maybe a singing baker since you sing just as beautifully?" He asked, and she giggled, pleased with his response.

    "So, I''m going to a friend''s weddingter tonight," Andy said as she added the final touches to the cake, sprinkling colorful sugar stars on top.

    "The one whose bridal shower you attended?" He asked, and she nodded.

    "Yeah. Her name is Aurora," Andy said as she nced at the clock, her eyes widened. "It''s time to wake Mari!" she said excitedly.

    She grabbed a candle, stuck it in the middle of the cake, and took the lighter with her. "Come on," she said, handing her phone to Alex. "You''ll be the cameraman. Make sure you get everything!"

    Alex shook his head as he took the phone and held it up, ready to record. He followed her as she carefully carried the cake and they made their way upstairs.

    As they reached the top of the stairs, Susan who had just stepped out of her roomX appeared, rubbing her eyes. She smiled when she saw Andy.

    "Good morning, Susan. It''s good to see you again," Andy greeted pleasantly.

    "Same here. What''s all this?" Susan asked, looking at the cake Andy was carrying.

    "It''s Mari''s birthday cake, so I wanted to surprise her," Andy said brightly.

    Susan blinked, ncing at Alex with a puzzled expression. "You didn''t tell her?" she asked softly.

    "Tell me what?" Andy asked, noticing the look on Susan''s face.

    "It''s nothing," Alex said quickly, shaking his head. "Let''s go wake her up."

    Andy hesitated for a moment, but then nodded and continued down the hall to Mari''s room. Outside the door, she made Susan light the candle before she pushed the door open gently and began to sing a Happy birthday to you song while Alex recorded it.

    Mari stirred, blinking her eyes open. She dimmed her eyes as she tried to make out Andy''s face although she could recognize her voice.

    Reaching for her ss which was beside her, she put it on, and when she saw Andy standing there with a cake, her face lit up with joy. "Andy!" she squealed, jumping out of bed and running to her, her small hands reaching out for a hug.

    Andy knelt down, bncing the cake in one hand while she embraced the little girl with the other. "Happy birthday, doll! Make a wish and blow out the candle," she said.

    Mari squeezed her eyes shut, her tiny lips moving as she made a wish, then she blew out the candle with all her might. Andy handed the cake to Susan and wrapped both arms around Mari, holding her close.

    "I missed you, Andy," Mari said, her voice soft and sweet.

    "I missed you too, doll," Andy whispered, her heart swelling. She kissed the top of Mari''s head, and the little girl smiled up at her through her sses.

    "I''ll take this to the kitchen and start breakfast," she said, leaving the room with a smile.

    Although she wasn''t sure what the rtionship between Alex and Andy was, she was d that he was finally allowing Mari to celebrate her birthday, and she was especially d that Andy had done this.

    As Susan walked out, Alex followed her, knowing that she had questions for him.Susan said nothing as they walked into the kitchen and she went about making coffee.

    "You can ask me," Alex said after watching her for a while from the doorway.

    Susan nced at him and asked, "Are you okay with her celebrating Mari''s birthday?"

    Alex nodded slowly. "I want Mari to have a fresh start, a new life here. I don''t want my past to keep affecting her, and I trust Andy with her."

    Susan nodded, understanding. "Andy really likes Mari. I can see that."

    Alex smiled faintly. "Yeah, she does."

    Susan hesitated before asking, "Will we all be living here now?" She asked, since she had followed him without question when he asked her to pack up for a trip.

    Alex shrugged. "Mari needs to start school soon. She will be living here with Andy. You''re free to stay here with Mari, or if you''d prefer to live somewhere else, that''s fine too."

    Susan smiled softly. "Where else would I go? I want to stay with Mari."

    "I''m relieved to hear that," Alex said, since he didn''t want Mari to lose the one person who had been by her side all her life.

    "That means I''ll be going back to the ind alone, but I''ll check on you both whenever I can," he promised, and she nodded. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Susan looked at him like she wanted to say something but was hesitating. But as soon as he turned to leave, she decided to just say it.

    "I know you''re probably wondering if you''re making the right decision for Mari. I think you are. You couldn''t have hidden her away from the world forever. I believe this is a good step. Although I would never question your judgment or authority, I have always thought Mari deserved to grow up like a normal child. It''s what her mother would have wanted. For her to see the world and love it like she did," Susan said, and Alex gave her a nod and walked away without another word.

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 975: Moving To Ludus

    Chapter 975: Moving To Ludus

    ?

    Just as Andy and her guests finished having breakfast, the doorbell rang, and Andy hurried to answer it.

    When she opened the door, she found Candace standing there with Jamal by her side.

    "Where did you drop your stupid phone? You seem to always forget how to use a phone whenever he''s around," Candace snapped, and Andy giggled.

    "Sorry. I''ve been busy. Come in!" Andy greeted them warmly. "I''m so d you could make it, Jam. How are you feeling today?" she asked Jamal who was unusually quiet.

    "I''m fine," he said as he took the hand she held out.

    Andy led them inside, and Candace paused when she spotted Alex standing by the staircase. She looked at him for a moment, unsure how to greet him.

    "Alex, you know my sister, Candace. This is my nephew, Jamal," Andy said, and Alex looked at Candace, not sure how to greet her too.

    Andy looked between them both and rolled her eyes, "Jamal, meet my boyfriend, Alex," Andy said, and Alex shifted his gaze to Jamal since it was easier.

    "Hello. It''s nice to meet you, Jamal," he greeted, curious to know the kid, who would be Mari''s friend.

    Before Jamal could say anything, Susan descended the stairs with Mari, who had gone up to change her dress because she spilled juice on it.

    Jamal''s brows pulled together as he looked at Mari, "And this is Susan. She takes care of Mari and Alex. Susan, this is my sister, Candace," Andy said, and Susan smiled and nodded at Candace.

    "It''s nice to meet you, Susan," Candace said to Susan while Alex remained where he stood awkwardly.

    "And this," Andy continued, gesturing to the shy little Mari who was now hiding behind her leg away from Jamal, "is my little doll, Mari. Mari, this is Jamal."

    Jamal stepped forward with a serious expression on his face. Mari peeked out from behind Andy, her sses perched on her nose as she looked at Jamal shyly.

    Andy knelt down beside Mari. "Jamal is going to be a great big brother, and I hope you two can be best of friends."

    Jamal, still thinking about Dawn, looked at Andy with sad eyes. "I can be a good big brother," he said, his voice small. "But Dawn is my only best friend."

    Andy smiled and patted his shoulder. "That''s okay. As long as you''re kind to Mari, that''s what matters."

    "She wears sses like Lucy," Jamal said, and Candace smiled, realizing the reason he had been staring at her so intently.

    "Yes, she does," Andy said with a soft smile as she exchanged a look with Alex.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Jamal thought for a moment, remembering his first encounter with Dawn and how they had argued. Not wanting a repeat of that with Mari, he held out his hand to her. "Don''t be scared," he said softly. "I will be nice to you."

    Mari hesitated for a moment, then reached out and took his hand. She smiled shyly at him, and Andy''s heart melted at the sight.

    Andy stood up and beamed at the two children, knowing that this was the beginning of something special for both of them.

    As Andy ushered the kids away to go bake cookies with her, Susan excused herself, and Alex was left alone with Candace who was watching him.

    "I know you probably don''t approve of my rtionship with her," Alex started, and Candace raised a brow.

    "Why wouldn''t I approve? Andy is a big girl. She knows what she wants and if she says you''re what she wants, I have nothing to say about that," Candace said, and Alex nodded.

    "But you have something to say, don''t you?" Alex asked, and Candace nodded.

    "As much as I support her decision, I know she''s in love and might not be thinking too clearly. So, if you know that your being here is going to put her in danger whether now or in the long run, I think you should put an end to this, unless you have a way of making sure no one traces you to her. We''ve been through a lot. Andy has been through so much. She deserves a break. So, if you won''t be able to keep her happy, don''t start what you can''t finish," Candace said firmly, and Alex nodded.

    "I''m d she has you to do this..."

    "Not just me. Our Dad and brother actually asked me to pass the message to you," Candace said with a sweet smile. "Our father wanted toe, and so did Harry, but they didn''t want to make you or Andy ufortable, so I was sent to ry the news to you," Candace said, and took out her phone from her handbag.

    Alex couldn''t help but be amused as he listened to the recorded voice message.

    "Wait. I just started recording..."

    "Why do you need to record when you can just ry the message?" Aaron asked Candace.

    "Because I might not remember everything..."

    "Yeah. That''s the downside of having twins. One gets all the brain and the other is left empty," Harry said, and Aaron chuckled.

    "Yeah. Too bad you were left empty. Thankfully Jade is smart and she will make up for you in your areas ofck," Candace said, and Harry chuckled.

    "I''m not the one who can''t remember everything..."

    "Okay, now you two, stop bickering. Candace, tell that young man that the Andy he knew in the past isn''t the same Andy now. She has a father and a brother, so he shouldn''t think of messing with her else I''ll make sure he disappears for real. And if he knows that being in her life is going to endanger her, he should do what''s best for her and let her go. She has a brilliant future ahead of her," Aaron said, all trace of amusement gone from his voice now. "Also tell him that as much as we support them, if he won''t be able to keep this rtionship up, he shouldn''t start it. We would have had this conversation with him in person, but Andy wouldn''t want us to show up that way. So, make sure you pass the message to him. Andy has men in her life now, so he should keep that in mind," Harry added.

    "Okay. I''ll just y this to him," Candace said before stopping the recorder.

    "I see," Alex said, amused as he met her gaze.

    "So, do you have a response for them?" Candace asked as she held out her phone like she was waiting for his go ahead so she could record what he wanted to say.

    "Tell them they don''t have to worry or fear anything. I will protect Andy with my life and I won''t do anything to hurt her," Alex promised.

    Candace nodded as she smiled at him, "Then I guess we are good," she said extending a hand to him, and he shook her hand.

    Satisfied, Candace went in search of Andy and the kids, and to her relieve she found Jamal getting along with Mari as they assisted Andy in making cookies.

    Although Candace had questions for Andy, she held back, since they couldn''t talk right there.

    "So, will you be able to attend the wedding?"

    "Of course. Why not?" Andy asked, looking up at Candace with a raised brow.

    "Just asking. You seem to have a full house," Candace said, and Andy smiled.

    "I do, don''t I? Now I wish you would move to Ludus with Jamal so that they can both attend

    the same school. When you get married to Matt, you''d move into his house here in Ludus, right? I should ask him to marry you soon instead of flying around the world shooting

    movies," Andy said, and Candace giggled.

    "That is not happening. We already agreed to settle down after I''m done with school. And that''s in some years from now," Candace said, and Andy raised a brow.

    "You both discussed marriage already, huh?" she asked, and Candace shrugged.

    "It''s not like we are dating for fun. He has made his intention known from the start," she said,

    and Andy nodded.

    "Yeah. I guess so. Do you think I would be able to convince Dad to move down to Ludus? His girlfriend is here after all," Andy asked and Candace eyed her with partial amusement. "And what happens to HAJ studios?" Candace asked, and Jamal raised his head at the mention

    of HAJ studios.

    "Did something happen to HAJ studios?" He asked, sounding rmed since he was now the J

    in HAJ.

    "No. No. Nothing happened, sweetheart," Candace rushed to assure him and he rxed and then returned his attention to Mari as he began to tell her about HAJ Studios and how he

    nned to be very rich and get married to Dawn.

    "It''s not like Dad goes to thepany daily. He has people taking care of it..."

    "And you forget that Jamal goes there weekly for his session training. We can''t move to

    Ludus..."

    "Can we move HAJ studios to Ludus?" Jamal asked curiously.

    "It doesn''t work that way, Jam. But you can build another HAJ here in Ludus when you take

    over. If you want to," Candace assured him.

    "I will do that," Jamal said with nod as he imagined having apany as big as I-Global, having Dawn with him like Tom has Lucy, and then they would both be close to Lucy here in

    Ludus.

    "Seeing how you''re talking about schooling, I guess Alex is leaving her with you as you wanted," Candace said, and Andy nodded.

    "Yes. Don''t say anything negative, Candace. Please. This is what I want," Andy said, and

    Candace smiled.

    "Sure. As long as you''re happy, that''s all that matters. If you''re looking for a friend for her, you can ask Sharon. Her daughter is around the same age, I believe," Candace said, and Andy

    smiled happily.

    "You''re right. Why didn''t I think of that? I''ll just ask her at the wedding," Andy said excitedly.

    Watching Andy, Candace smiled, happy that even though Cassidy wasn''t exactly the ideal partner she would have wanted for her sister, Andy was happy. That was all that mattered.

 Chapter 976 Go, Tom!

    976 Go, Tom!

    The sky was warm and clear, the perfect evening for a wedding. Aurora looked radiant in her flowing white gown, her smile beaming as she walked down the aisle.

    Philip stood at the altar, waiting for her, his face full of love and pride. The crowd was filled with their family and friends, all dressed in their best, ready to celebrate this beautiful day.

    Harry stood beside Philip as his best man, looking dapper in his ck suit. Next to Aurora was Jade, her maid of honor, glowing in her pale pink dress. Tom and Lucy, part of the bridal and groom''s train, stood close by, smiling as they watched Aurora and Philip exchange their vows.

    The ceremony was beautiful, with soft music ying and the air filled with love. Aurora and Philip''s words to each other were sweet and heartfelt, bringing smiles to lips and tears to many eyes.

    When they finally said, "I do," the crowd burst into cheers, pping as the new couple kissed. Aurora and Philip looked at each other with pure joy, hand in hand as they walked back down the aisle, now husband and wife.

    The reception was a lively affair. The venue was decorated with bright flowers, lights twinkling above the guests. Tables were set with fine china, and everyone was enjoying the food and drinks,ughing and talking. The music was upbeat, and soon, people were on the dance floor, swaying and spinning to the beat.

    Tom and Lucy danced close,ughing as they moved to the music. Lucy looked up at Tom, her eyes shining with happiness. "Aurora and Philip are perfect together. This is such a beautiful day," she said softly, leaning into him.

    Tom smiled and kissed her cheek. "Like we are perfect together," he said and she giggled.

    "How did I know you were going to say that?" She asked, and Tom grinned.

    "Because you know me so well, and because you know it is the truth. Look around and tell me what couple here is as perfect together as we are," Tom said, and Lucy looked around.

    "Philip and Aurora. Harry and Jade. Bryan and Sonia��"

    "Yeah, they''re perfect together but not as perfect as us both," he said with a grin and she giggled.

    "Yeah, right," she said, and then leaned into him again.

    "This is the second wedding we''ve attended together and we are both part of the train," Tom said, thinking that he hoped the third they would attend would be theirs.

    "I''m sure we will have many more weddings to attend soon," Lucy said, thinking about theirs as well as that of the others.

    "If you wanted to have a wedding, what month would you choose?" Tom asked, and Lucy smiled.

    "May," she said, and Tom smiled.

    "Your birth month?" He asked, and she nodded.

    "Yeah. On my birthday if possible," she said, and he grinned, calcting the months to her birthday since they were already at the end of September.

    "That''s nice," Tom said with approval.

    "What about you? What month would you choose?" Lucy asked, and he shrugged.

    "That would be any month of your choice since you''d be my wife and I''ll go with whatever date you choose. So, May it is," he said, and Lucyughed softly.

    "And I think it would be a nice idea if we get married on your birthday since it would be the same day we met. Too bad you don''t want to get married. Our wedding would have been magical," he said, and Lucy giggled but refused toment on that.

    Away from there, Harry and Jade were busy, helping to keep the party going. Jade, in her pink dress, twirled around the room, making sure everything was in ce and guests were satisfied, while Harry stayed close to her, always ready to lend a hand.

    "I wonder who is going to do this for us at our wedding," Jade said to Harry as they stood away from the others with their wine sses in hand, watching everyone else.

    "I''m sure Candace, Andy, Lucy, and even Sonia would be more than willing to do it. They''re all your sisters-inw after all," he said, and she grinned.

    "Yeah. How lucky I am to be connected to them all. I guess that''s why I''m going to be the president of GEL club," she said, and Harry raised a brow.

    "GEL? What''s that?" He asked, and she grinned. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "I didn''t tell you? Gorgeous Empowered Ladies. The girls and I decided to form a club the other night," she exined and Harry chuckled.

    "Sounds interesting."

    "My legs are killing me," Jadeined after a while.

    "I will give you a full body massage when we get home," Harry promised.

    "I''ll be looking forward to it," Jade said with a contented sigh.

    "You know this wouldn''t have happened without us, right?" Jade asked as she stared at Aurora and Philip across the room.

    "Why? Because they met through us?" Harry asked, and she nodded.

    "I introduced Aurora to you, and she met Philip through you. I''d say I gave birth to this," she said, and Harry chuckled.

    "When two people are meant to be, they find their way to each other one way or the other. I''m sure there are lots of ways they could have met without us," Harry said confidently.

    "Maybe. But I''m d they met through us. And I''m d you didn''t fall for her," she said, and Harry chuckled.

    "How could I possibly have fallen for anyone else when you''re in existence? I can''t wait for our own wedding, esquire. You''d look stunning in a wedding dress," Harry said, and she grinned.

    "I know, right? You should work on a good surprise proposal while I work on nning the wedding," she said, and Harry chuckled.

    "Alright. Let''s do that."

    Away from there, Bryan and Sonia were sitting with Candace, Andy, Amy and Sharon. Bryan busied with his phone while thedies shared stories andughed about events they''ve been to. Amy did more of listening while the others talked, enjoying the lively energy around her.

    As the party continued, Aurora stood up and announced that it was time for the bouquet toss.

    "Traditionally, it is the singledies who should catch it, but today, I will be breaking the rules a bit," Aurora said with a grin, "this time, we''re asking the single men to catch the bouquet on behalf of theirdies!"

    The crowd cheered, loving the fun twist. As the single men gathered, ready for the toss, Tom, always up for a challenge, took off his jacket and handed it to Lucy. "I''ve got this," he said, winking at her and Lucy burst intoughter, shaking her head.

    "You''re not even getting married, Tom! Why are you so eager?" Bryan asked dryly.

    "What''s the excitement, Tom? Shouldn''t you leave it for the ones who need it?" Jade asked as she joined them.

    Tom grinned, his eyes sparkling. "Mind your business you two. It''s all for my Jewel," he said with a mock bow, and Lucyughed even harder, her cheeks flushed with happiness.

    "Go, Tom!" Sonia cheered, pping happily and both Lucy and Candace joined her, and then Sharon and Amy joined in the cheers as well, while Andyughed as she watched them.

    "Shouldn''t you be cheering your twin brother, traitor?" Jade asked Candace with a scowl as they watched the guys assemble at the front.

    "Instead of attacking Tom shouldn''t you be busy cheering your man?" Candace fired back.

    "You''re actually right," Jade said, amusing everyone as she turned to cheer Harry.

    "Get the flower, Jonas!" Jade yelled.

    Aurora stood at the front, holding the bouquet high in the air. "Ready?" she called out.

    The men prepared themselves, and with a quick swing, Aurora tossed the bouquet high. Tom leaped into action, his eyes locked on the flowers as they flew through the air. With a quick move, he beat everyone else, catching the bouquet just before it could hit the ground. The crowd erupted in cheers and ps.

    "I knew he''d get it!" Sonia said happily.

    Lucy giggled as Tom, still holding the bouquet, walked back over to her. But instead of just handing it to her, he dropped to one knee, presenting the bouquet to her like a prince.

    The crowdughed and pped even louder, with Aurora and Philip chuckling at the sweet scene.

    "Tom!" Lucy eximed, covering her face in embarrassment and joy. "What are you doing?"

    "Giving you the bouquet," Tom said with a yful grin. "It''s all yours, mydy," he said, and sheughed as she received it from him and then kissed him.

    Candace and Andy pped along with the others, while Amy, sitting with Sharon, smiled brightly, feeling the happiness of the day fill her heart.

    Jade, standing next to Harry, pouted yfully. "Why didn''t you catch the bouquet, Jonas?"

    Harry smiled, putting his arm around her. "Because I was hoping it would bring Tom and Lucy some good luck."

    Candace snorted, "That wasn''t what I saw. Tom beat you to it," Candace said, and they allughed.

    "You''re just jealous your boyfriend isn''t here," Harry fired back.

    Bryan, sitting nearby,ughed and leaned over to Sonia. "If I were single, Tom wouldn''t have stood a chance. I''d have caught it for you, you know that, right?" he asked, making everyone around himugh.

    The atmosphere was light and filled with warmth. Everyone shared in theughter and jokes as the joy of the wedding and being together spread through the room like sunshine.

    The wedding continuedte into the night, with music,ughter, and dancing all around. The love between Aurora and Philip was clear to everyone as they celebrated with hearts full of joy for the newlyweds.

 Chapter 977 Wedding Date

    977 Wedding Date

    As Tom and Lucy drove home after the party, Lucy giggled as she looked down at the bouquet on her thigh and remembered Tom''s performance.

    "I can''t believe you did that in the presence of all that audience," she said, and Tom grinned as he turned to look at her.

    "By now you should know I can do anything for you in the presence of anyone. I don''t care about them. All I see is you," Tom said, and Lucy giggled as she leaned her head against the window, her mind swirling with thoughts.

    Following Tom''s question to her when they danced earlier, she had begun to think seriously about a suitable wedding date for them. She would like them to get married within six months of their engagement.

    Her birthday would have been perfect so they could celebrate the anniversary of their meeting, but it would fall on a Monday.

    She picked up her phone and scrolled through the calendar, pausing at Tom''s birthday. It was in March and coincidentally it was on a weekend.

    "What are you doing?" Tom asked, breaking into Lucy''s thoughts.

    "Checking my calendar," she said, ncing up at him.

    "Why? We have ns?" Tom asked with interest.

    Lucy grinned at his use of ''We''. "Yeah, we do. I''m making ns for your birthday," she said, and Tom chuckled.

    "I''ve never made a big deal out of it. So, whatever n you''re making, make sure it''s between us only. And talking about ns, you promised we''d go to a strip club after the wedding, remember?" He asked as he nced over at her, a teasing grin on his face.

    Lucy smiled, but she shook her head. "I haven''t forgotten, but we can''t do that now. It''s morning already. We should catch some sleep before we have to go to the office."

    Tomughed softly. "I wasn''t asking to go tonight. I was thinking next weekend."

    "Next weekend?" Lucy mused, her smile widening. "Alright, next weekend it is."

    For a moment, silence settled over them again, and Lucy couldn''t help but think about how she would have loved Dawn to be her flower girl at her wedding.

    When Tom noticed Lucy was unusually quiet. He nced at her before focusing back on the road. "Why the frown, Jewel? What''s on your mind?" He asked since he noticed a slight frown on her face.

    Lucy sighed, her voice soft. "I was just thinking about Dawn. I just can''t make sense of Kimberly''s decision. Refusing to let us see Dawn�� I thought she''d be reasonable, especially with everything that''s happened."

    Tom reached over and gently squeezed her hand. "I know it''s frustrating, but I think we should let them be. If she wants us to keep our distance, we should respect that."

    "If only we could reach your parents. I''m sure they will know what to do. I just don''t want Dawn to grow up without knowing us," Lucy whispered as she stared out at the passing streetlights.

    Tom remained silent for a moment, "It''s been a long night, let''s not worry about that," Tom said as they pulled into the driveway of the house a momentter.

    As they walked into the house and headed for the stairs, they both noticed a faint glowing from the den door which seemed to have been left open and they heard the sound of the television.

    Tom raised an eyebrow. "Did one of the staff leave the TV on?"

    Lucy shrugged, but there was a hint of curiosity in her eyes. "Maybe someone''s still up."

    They walked inside quietly, their footsteps light as they made their way to the den. As they reached the doorway, they stopped in surprise.

    "Mom? Dad?" Tom''s voice was filled with disbelief as he saw his parents sitting on the couch, casually watching TV.

    Evelyn turned to them with a warm smile, while Desmond looked up from his spot on the couch. "Surprise," Evelyn said with a grin as she rose.

    Lucy rushed forward to embrace her. "What are you doing here? When did you get in?"

    "We arrived a short while ago," Desmond said, standing to greet them. "We heard you were at a wedding, so we decided to wait up."

    "You look stunning as always, Lucy," Desmond added with a smile as she hugged him.

    Lucyughed, feeling a wave of warmth at hispliment. "Thank you. I was just talking about you some minutes ago. Did youe all the way here because you heard about what Kimberly did?"

    Evelyn''s smile faded as she raised an eyebrow. "What did Kimberly do now?"

    Before Lucy could exin, Tom quickly interjected. "It''s been a long day. Let''s talk about itter. We''ll need Bryan and Jade here too."

    But Evelyn was persistent. "Oh no, you can''t leave me hanging like that. What did she do? I need to know before I go to bed."

    Desmond, who had been silent, nodded. "Yeah, we should know what''s going on. Did she cause another trouble?"

    Tom sighed, knowing there was no escaping this conversation now. "Kimberly''s husband adopted Dawn, and Kimberly''s asked us not toe near her anymore."

    Desmond and Evelyn exchanged a nce, and Desmond spoke first. "I see. Well, that changes nothing. Our decision from thest time still stands. Kimberly can do what she wants now, but Dawn will get her inheritance when the time is right, and she''ll decide if she wants to be a Hank or not when she''s as an adult. We will keep an eye on her from the distance."

    Tom and Evelyn nodded in agreement. "I agree. Now, let''s all head to bed. We''ll talk more in the morning if we need to," Evelyn said, and Desmond turned off the television.

    Although Lucy wasn''t exactly pleased with their decision, she knew better than to object or argue. If the Hank family were okay with Kimberly''s decision, then she had to be too.

    "I''ve missed you, Lucy. It''s so good to see you," Evelyn said with a soft smile as all headed for the stairs together.

    Lucy returned the smile. "I''ve missed you too. And you too, Demsond. We all have," Lucy said as they climbed the stairs.

    Once they reached the top of the stairs, Tom asked, "How long are you staying?"

    Evelyn nced at Desmond before replying. "We only dropped by to check on everyone and see Sonia. We''ll be leaving in a couple of days."

    Desmond added, "Yeah. We didn''t go to Bryan''s immediately we arrived because we got here sote and didn''t want to disturb them, but we n to visit them in the morning and spend the next couple of days with Sonia before leaving."

    "I''m sure Sonia would love that. They were at the wedding with us," Lucy said, and Evelyn frowned.

    "Why is Sonia out partying in the middle of the night when she''s pregnant and requires rest?" Evelyn asked, and Desmond chuckled.

    "You seem to have forgotten that your favorite statement when you were pregnant with the kids used to be pregnancy is not an ailment. Let her have her fun," Desmond said and Evelyn huffed.

    As they walked to their rooms, Tom suddenly remembered something. "Did you hear about Henry''s death?"

    Evelyn nodded. "We saw the news. It was hard to miss. Is Miaing back?"

    Tom nodded. "Yes, but not immediately. She''s taking a vacation but should be back before Christmas."

    "A solo therapeutic vacation," Lucy added.

    "That''s good. I''ll see her when wee around then," Evelyn said with a relieved smile.

    "What about Jeff?" Desmond asked with interest.

    "He will being back by the end of this week," Tom said, and after that they exchanged goodnights at the doors to their rooms.

    After Tom and Lucy had freshened up for bed, Tom spoke up, his voice thoughtful. "I know you were hoping my parents would want to contest Kimberly''s decision." n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Lucy sighed as she pulled back the covers. "Yeah, I was. But I also know that there is no reason for them to do that, especially considering the distance. I just wish things were different. I don''t know."

    "I understand. But I agree with them. Let Kimberly do as she pleases. We shouldn''t let it get to us. Dawn is a smart girl. When the time is right I''m sure we will be able to reunite with her."

    Lucy remained quiet for a moment before nodding, understanding his perspective but still feeling unsettled. "I guess you''re right," she finally said, snuggling closer to him.

    Tom wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close. "Yeah. So, don''t let it bother you."

    "I still hope Aaron will be able to take Jamal over there to see her," Lucy said as Tom kissed her forehead.

    "I hope so too. Let''s go to sleep, Jewel. Tomorrow is going to be another busy day," Tom said, his voice thick with sleep.

    "Yeah. Goodnight," Lucy said with a yawn.

    "I love you."

    "I love you, too," Lucy whispered.

    Lucy listened to Tom''s breathing as he slept off, and then shaking off her worries about Dawn, her thoughts drifted off to her wedding ns again, and she smiled.

    Tom''s birthday would be perfect for their wedding. That way they could celebrate the anniversary of when they first met on her birthday, and then celebrate their wedding anniversary on Tom''s.

    Tom would never have an excuse to forget their wedding anniversary date, Lucy thought with a smile as she drifted off to sleep.

    As she slept, she dreamt of their wedding and their beautiful future together.

 Chapter 978 Back For Good

    978 Back For Good

    A soft hum escaped Amy as she flipped through the final pages of the report. Her desk, was cluttered with sketches, fabric samples, and a couple of fashion catalogues from recent collections.

    The entire office was a whirlwind of activity, with designers and stylists bustling in and out, but Amy''s focus was unshaken. Christmas was only a week away, and in her heart, the anticipation wasn''t just for the holiday�� it was for Lucas.

    Three months had passed since she''dst seen him, and though their daily calls and texts kept them connected, nothingpared to having him right there beside her.

    The thought of himing back next week filled her with excitement. As she tidied up her desk, she hummed a festive tune, imagining the moment she''d see him again.

    Amy looked up just as Lucy stepped out of her office, her face glowing with the same festive cheer Amy felt. Lucy''s excitement had a different source�� her marriage proposal to Tom was just around the corner, and the perfect moment she''d been quietly nning for months was a week away.

    "Hey, Amy!" Lucy called as she approached, a wide smile on her face. "Have you finished working on the new collection''s documents?" n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Amy grinned, nodding as she held up a neat stack of papers. "All done. I sent them out just now."

    "Great! You''re a lifesaver," Lucy said, her smile widening. "By the way, are youing to Mia''s surprise wee-back party tonight? It''s going to be fun."

    "Of course," Amy replied. "I wouldn''t miss it."

    "Good. See youter," Lucy said as she turned to head out for lunch with Tom.

    As Amy watched Lucy go, she found herself pausing to think about Mia. Thest time she''d seen her, Mia had offered to stay with her, tofort her through a difficult time, even though at the time she did not know that Mia had been dealing with her own struggles. Amy admired that about Mia�� her quiet strength, even when everything wasn''t okay.

    She was still lost in thought when her phone buzzed on the desk, the familiar ringtone causing her heart to skip a beat.

    Lucas. A smile crept across her face as she quickly picked up the call.

    "Hey, you," she said softly, surprised to hear from him at this time. He should''ve been asleep.

    On the other end, Lucas let out a groggy yawn, his voice still thick with sleep. "Hey. You busy?"

    "Not really. It''s almost lunch break. What''s up?"

    "Can you do me a favor?" Lucas asked, his tone yful but a little mysterious.

    "Sure, what''s the favor?"

    "Could you swing by thepany clinic during your lunch break?" he asked, sounding more awake now. "I need you to pick up a package from my friend there. He''s the new doctor."

    "New doctor?" Amy asked, puzzled. "I didn''t know we had a new doctor."

    Lucas chuckled softly. "Yeah, you''ll meet him. Just tell the secretary you''re there for Dr Lucas'' package."

    "Okay, I can do that," Amy replied, still curious but trusting him. "I''ll head over there in a bit."

    "Great. Thanks, babe." His voice softened, and she could almost hear his smile. "Talk soon."

    "But what''s his name? What should I tell the secretary?" She asked, but Lucas had already ended the call, leaving her intrigued.

    As soon as the clock hit lunchtime, she grabbed her coat and headed toward the clinic, her thoughts wandering to Lucas and his mysterious favor.

    Although the clinic was located in thepany premises, it wasn''t on the same building. It was tucked away in a quiet corner. When Amy arrived, the secretary greeted her warmly and directed her to the doctor''s office after she mentioned her name.

    With a slight knock, Amy opened the door and stepped into the room. The figure seated behind the desk had his back to her, but something about him seemed familiar.

    "Hello! Dr Lucas sent me," she greeted, and the moment the chair swiveled around to face her, Amy froze. Lucas.

    "Surprise!" he said, his voice filled with amusement.

    A loud shriek of pure joy burst from her, startling even the secretary outside. Lucasughed, standing up as Amy rushed toward him, her heart racing in disbelief.

    "Lucas!" she eximed, still in shock as she wrapped her arms around him tightly. "What are you doing here? When did you get back? Why didn''t you tell me? We''ve been texting, calling�� how did you keep this a secret?"

    He chuckled, hugging her just as tightly, his hand gently resting on the back of her head. "Calm down, calm down," he teased, pulling back slightly to look at her. "I wanted to surprise you so I broke my journey in bits so you wouldn''t suspect a thing or be worried about not hearing from me."

    Amy blinked up at him, her heart pounding in her chest. "I can''t believe this. I��this is the best surprise ever!" She was breathless, grinning up at him like she had just won the lottery.

    Lucas smiled, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "I missed you, Amy. Thesest few months have felt like years."

    "I missed you too," she replied, her voice soft. "You have no idea how much."

    Then, pulling back, she stared at him in confusion. "Wait, why are you in this office? What''s going on?"

    Lucas''s eyes sparkled with mischief. "Well," he began, gesturing around the room, "I''m the new doctor."

    Amy''s eyes widened in disbelief. "What? Does that mean�� does that mean you''re staying in Ludus?"

    Lucas nodded, a grin spreading across his face. "Unless you want me to treat patients from Hu, then yes�� I''m here for good."

    A joyfulugh bubbled out of Amy as she jumped into his arms, her happiness overflowing. "Why didn''t you tell me?" she asked, yfully hitting his chest. "I can''t believe you kept this from me!"

    "I love surprising you," Lucas replied, hisughter filling the room.

    "What if I had quit my job as I was thinking so I could move back to Hu with you after the holidays?" She asked, and Lucas chuckled.

    "Good thing your boyfriend is the CEO''s brother-inw to-be. You would have gotten back your job," he said with grin.

    Still grinning from ear to ear, Amy pulled back, her eyes bright with excitement. "This is so wonderful. What about Tyler? I''m sure he''s going to miss you so much," she said, and he nodded.

    "Yep. But he''s going to be alright. He finally got himself a girlfriend. You won''t believe who," Lucas said, and Amy raised a brow.

    "Sam?" She asked, and Lucas chuckled.

    "How did you guess so easily?" He asked, surprised.

    Zeus

    "Who else do I know over there apart from the girl you cheated with?" She asked, and Lucas chuckled.

    "Damn, Amy! I''m never saying anything to you," he said, and she giggled.

    "So, are we going to have lunch? You have a lot of exining to do."

    Lucas chuckled, his arm sliding around her waist as he led her to one of the seats in the office, "I ordered lunch. There''s more than enough time for an exnation in the future."

    "True," she said with a grin as she sat down, and Lucas did the same.

    "So, I guess you''ll be attending Mia''s wee back party tonight?" She asked, and he shrugged.

    "Only if you are," Lucas said, and Amy grinned.

    "I have to be there. Mia is thetest member of the GEL club and tonight will be her induction," she said, and Lucas chuckled.

    "Induction, huh? What''s the process?" He asked, and she shook her head.

    "Sorry, I can''t disclose such details to you. It''s against the sisterhood code," she said, and Lucasughed.

    "That is interesting. I''m d you''ve found your ce among the girls," he said, and she nodded.

    "Yeah. They are so much fun. They are the reason I''ve been able to endure your absence," she said, and Lucas smiled, grateful to Lucy for making sure Amy was fine.

    "So, I guess as a member of the sisterhood you have an invitation to Lucy''s party on Christmas Eve?" He asked, since he had not mentioned it yet.

    Amy chuckled. "An invitation? I''m Lucy''s personal assistant. I''m very much involved in nning the party, so yes, I''m attending the party, with you as my plus one," she said and Lucasughed.

    "I''m not exactly your plus one since it''s a family event��"

    "Don''t care," she said with a shrug, cutting him off and heughed softly.

    "So, what''s your n for new year?" He asked curiously.

    Amy pursed her lips, "I''ve not made any ns yet. I was thinking I''d leave it open since you''d be around. That way we can make ns together."

    "Perfect! So, how would you like to go on a trip? Although I''d like us to go on a personal trip, but the whole of the family�� by that I mean ours and the Hanks, are going on an end of year vacation and I''d like you to join me," he said, and her eyes lit up with excitement.

    "You know I''d go anywhere with you. So, where to?" She asked, and Lucas grinned.

    "Anywhere?" He asked, and sheughed.

    "Yeah. As long as you''d be there, lead the way," she said, and Lucas smiled.

    "So? Where to?" Amy asked again, and Lucas shook his head.

    "I have no idea. Tom says he is going to make the announcement during breakfast on Christmas Day. But I''m just telling you this so you keep the trip in mind," he said, and Amy smiled.

    "Alright. I can''t wait to find out where," she said excitedly, and Lucasughed, happy to see her excitement.

    As they had lunch together, the festive air around them felt even more magical. Lucas was back, and not just for Christmas�� he was back for good. Amy couldn''t stop smiling.

 Chapter 979 Welcome Back

    979 Wee Back

    Tom and Lucy sat in his office, enjoying lunch as usual as the afternoon sunlight streamed in, bathing the room in a soft golden glow.

    The sound of clinking cutlery filled thefortable silence between them as they both savored the homemade meal.

    Tom nced at Lucy, who was focused on her te, her gentle smile making his heart swell.

    He couldn''t believe that Christmas Eve was only a week away now, and soon he would be able to publicly dere his love for her and ask her to be his wife.

    Over thest three months he had seen even more telltale signs that showed him she was ready to be his wife and was thinking of having kids.

    Apart from the fact that she had finally moved all her personal stuff from her apartment to the mansion and was adding personal touches that made the ce more and more like a home for them, she had also started to ask him serious questions in subtle ways.

    Just the other day she had asked for his take on marriage, and if he thought marriage could change their rtionship if ever they did get married.

    "What are you thinking about?" Lucy asked, breaking the silence when she saw the smile on his face as he watched her eat.

    Tom grinned, "I was just wondering how everything ising along for the party. Are you still excited, or is it starting to feel like too much work now that the day is fast approaching?"

    Lucy''s smile widened, her eyes bright. "Oh, I''m so excited! Everything''s going smoothly, and I can''t wait. The decorations areing together, and the caterers have been great. Plus, the music list is finally settled. I just know it''s going to be wonderful."

    "I''m sure it will be," Tom said with a nod. "By the way, my parents called earlier today. They will be arriving on Tuesday."

    Lucy''s eyebrows lifted in surprise. "Oh, that''s perfect timing. My parents will be arriving on Tuesday too. Who knows? Maybe they are alling together."

    Tom grinned. "We are going to have a full house soon. I have been looking forward to it for months."

    Lucy raised an eyebrow, her smile turning yful. "Tired of just mypany already? I always thought you enjoyed having me all to yourself, but now you''re excited for a full house?"

    Tom chuckled, shaking his head. "Not at all! I love having you all to myself, but it''ll be nice to have everyone around, you know? That way way I can show you off. How else will I do that if no one is there to see," he added, leaning in slightly.

    Lucyughed, the sound light and warm. "Now, that is a very good line," she teased, giving him a yful look.

    Tom shrugged, his grin still in ce. "It''s not a line. It''s the truth."

    They continued eating for a moment before Tom spoke again. "By the way, have you bought yourself a dress for the party yet?"

    Lucy shook her head as she took a sip of water. "Not yet. I was thinking I''d wear something from the clothes you got me thest time. There''s no need to buy something new when I''m yet to wear almost everything in there."

    Tom leaned back in his chair, his eyes thoughtful. "How about you let me handle that? I want to get you a dress myself," Tom said, thinking that he needed her to have the perfect outfit for their engagement.

    Lucyughed, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "As long as you don''t bring a whole truck of clothes with you, I suppose you can buy me a dress. Just one dress though, Ace."

    Tom put a hand over his heart, feigning innocence. "One dress. I promise."

    Lucy shook her head, still smiling. "You can''t be trusted."

    "With your heart, I can be trusted," he said with a wink, and she giggled.

    "I suppose. So, yesterday was my session with Doctor Julia," Lucy said, and Tom raised a brow.

    "And?" Tom asked, knowing she brought it up for reason since they both knew that he knew she had been meeting with her therapist every Thursday for months now.

    Lucy grinned, "We went through my file from the beginning and all of that, and she said she thinks it''s time for us to terminate therapy," Lucy said, and Tom raised a brow.

    "Really? Do you feel ready for that?" Tom asked, she nodded.

    "Yes. I feel so much better about myself and everything. I''m in a good ce mentally," she said, and Tom smiled.

    "That is wonderful. We should celebrate tomorrow," he said, and she giggled.

    "We are decorating the Christmas tree tomorrow," she reminded him.

    "That won''t take all day. Or all night for that matter. Besides, since we can''t go on a date today because of Mia''s party, we have to do that tomorrow, remember?" He asked, and she grinned.

    "Yeah. You''re right," she said with a nod.

    They ate in silence for some time, and then Lucy looked at him again, "Thank you, Ace," she said, and he raised a brow.

    "What for?" He asked, and she shrugged.

    "For epting me with all my baggage. For pushing me to go for therapy. For staying by my side through it all. You know, as we went through my file yesterday, I couldn''t believe all the changes I have undergone. I owe it all to you," she said, and Tom grinned.

    "I hope that change includes our future together? I''ve been trying not to ask you this for some time now, but I''m just going to ask now to clear any doubts in my mind. Have your mind changed regarding marriage and kids?" He asked, wanting to be absolutely sure that she was ready and he could proceed with the proposal.

    "Maybe. Who knows?" She asked with a giggle. "Amy must have seen Lucas by now. I wish I was there to see her excitedly," Lucy said, changing the subject smoothly since she didn''t want to give him any clue of her ns.

    She had not kept it to herself all this while to expose everything now when she had only a couple of days left to execute her n.

    They continued their meal, chatting about the uing party and their families. The air between them was warm and easy, filled withughter and teasing as they shared this quiet moment together.

    After lunch with Tom, Lucy returned to her office, and just as she sat down, Amy walked into her office beaming.

    Lucy grinned as she met her gaze, "I guess you had a lovely lunch?" She asked, and Amy giggled.

    "I can''t believe you knew and kept it from me," she said, and Lucy grinned.

    "I''m sure it was worth it, wasn''t it?" She asked, and Amyughed.

    "It definitely was. I''ve never been happier," Amy said, still unable to believe that Lucas was back for real.

    "Well, I''m happy for you. Let''s wrap up. I''m looking forward to the break from work. This is going to be the best Holiday ever," Lucy said, and Amy couldn''t help but agree.

    Away from there, Bryan kept his hands on the steering wheel, his gaze flicking to Sonia sitting beside him, her seven-month pregnant belly slightly protruding under her loose floral dress. "I really don''t see the need for you to go pick Mia up from the airport. You should have stayed at home," he said, ncing over at her.

    Sonia rolled her eyes dramatically. "Bryan, we''ve been through this before. And honestly, you''re beginning to sound like a broken record. There is no reason I can''t go to the airport to wee a friend. I''m just going to stand there and wee her, then we''ll drive her back home together for her surprise party. Besides, the doctor said I needed exercise, remember? Think of this as exercise for Ryso," she added, patting her belly affectionately.

    Bryan shook his head, sighing. "I hope he takes after me and not his stubborn mother."

    Sonia let out augh, her eyes twinkling. "Oh, I hope so too," she said teasingly, patting her belly once again, "But seriously, babe, I took care of myself all the while that you were away. So, why are you fussing?"

    Within thest three months Bryan had resumed working fully, and as a result had had to travel a lot and far away from Ludus on most asions. As a result, Sonia had spent most of her time at the mansion with Tom and Lucy, and she had also given more time to her writing and had caught up on all their stories.

    "That is more reason why you need to take things easy now that I am��"

    "Wait!" Sonia yelled, startling Bryan who promptly stepped on the brake.

    "What?" He asked as he watched Sonia sniffing the air, her expression shifting.

    "I think we just drove past a bakery. Can you turn around? I want some pastries," she said, pointing at the bakery they had just passed.

    Bryan raised an eyebrow. "Pastries? You said you couldn''t stand them two days ago," he reminded her.

    Sonia waved her hand dismissively. "That was two days ago. Now, I want pastries. Ryso wants pastries," she said with a sweet smile.

    Bryan nced at the time, "Mia will be��"

    "Turn around, Bryan. Now!" she said, and Bryan sighed, but turned the car around without another word.

    When they pulled up in front of the bakery, Sonia looked over at him. "Can you go in and get them for me? I can''t stand the smell of bakeries right now."

    Bryan let out a dramatic sigh, shaking his head. This was his fate and he had epted it. "What exactly do you want?"

    Sonia shrugged. "I don''t know. Just get me anything. Surprise me."

    Rolling his eyes, Bryan stepped out of the car and made his way into the bakery. After a few minutes, he returned with a bag full of pastries, handing it to her as he got back into the driver''s seat.

    Sonia opened the bag and immediately wrinkled her nose. "What''s wrong with the filling in this donut? I would''ve preferred something in."

    Bryan shot her a look, somewhere between exasperation and amusement. "What do you want me to do about it now?"

    She shook her head. "Just focus on driving us to the airport safely. I''ll take care of my problem myself?"

    Bryan sighed again but did as he was told, turning his attention back to the road. The drive to the airport wasn''t long, but the moments of quiet between them were filled with a familiar ease as she ate.

    When they finally arrived, Bryan pulled into the parking lot directly opposite the airport and nced over at Sonia again.

    "Remind me again why Jeff is not the one doing this?" Bryan asked thoughtfully, as he parked the car.

    "Because Jeff told Mia he''s spending time with his family, so she''s not expecting him to be in Ludus. He''s part of the surprise. And we, we are her family, so we have to wee her back," Sonia said without taking her eyes off the entrance.

    While they were still talking, Sonia spotted Mia walking out of the airport, her suitcase rolling smoothly behind her as she made her way through the airport doors.

    Before Bryan could say a word, Sonia screeched in excitement and bolted out of the car, practically running toward Mia with her arms wide open. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "Sonia, wait!" Bryan called, his eyes widening as she hurried off. "You shouldn''t be running!"

    Sonia reached Mia before he could stop her, enveloping her in a big, warm hug. "Mia!" she squealed, beaming.

    "Oh my God! What are you doing here?" Mia asked,ughing as she hugged her back tightly.

    "I''m here to wee you, silly. It''s so good to see you again," Sonia said, pulling back to look into Mia''s smiling face.

    Bryan walked up, shaking his head. "You didn''t need to run like that. It''s not like you were never going to get to her," he muttered as he approached them.

    "I didn''t run, Bryan," Sonia said, rolling her eyes again. "I just walked really fast. Besides, stop nitpicking and focus on Mia!"

    Mia giggled, shaking her head at the familiar exchange. "Now I really believe I''m back. It''s good to see that you both are still blowing very hot," she said with a giggle.

    Bryan smiled as he pulled Mia into a warm embrace. "I missed you, Mia. It''s good to have you home."

    "It''s good to be back," Mia said, feeling genuinely happy.

    When she left months ago, she had thought thating back wouldn''t be so easy but here she was now. Although she had expected and hoped that Jeff would pick her from the airport, she was happy to see Sonia and Bryan.

    Sonia looked her up and down, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. "Is it just me, or you look different?" she said, tilting her head slightly as she narrowed her eyes.

    Mia grinned, stepping back with a yful glint in her eyes. "That''s because the person standing in front of you is Vanessa, not Mia."

    Sonia giggled and waved her hand dismissively. "Whoever you are, Mia or Vanessa, you''re wee back. Now let''s go. You''re spending the night at home with us and you''re telling me all about your vacation," Sonia said, so she wouldn''t suspect anything.

    Mia giggled as she let Bryan take her luggage while Sonia led her to the car."Doesn''t this remind you of the first time we met? Bryan and I picking you from the airport?" Mia asked as they got into the car, and Sonia giggled.

    "Sort of. I''m so d you''re back," Sonia said as she fastened her seatbelt.

    "Have I mentioned that pregnancy looks good on you?" Mia asked from the backseat and Sonia giggled.

    "No, you haven''t. Feel free to say it. I can never get tired of hearingpliments,"Sonia said, and Mia grinned.

    "Well, you look amazing," Mia said and Sonia flicked her hair yfully.

    As they drove away from the airport, Sonia chatted excitedly about Mia''s return. "So, how was your trip?"

    Miaunched into stories about her travels, unaware of the surprise awaiting her.

    As they approached the house, Sonia smiled to herself, eager to see Mia''s reaction to the surprise party.

    "Let''s get you settled in, and then we''ll catch up some more," Sonia said casually.

    Mia nodded, oblivious to the excitement brewing inside.

    I��m sorry for the irregr updates. Aside from my personal issues, I��m also battling with writer��s block right now. Writing is a real challenge for me. I��m trying however to make sure it ends this month. Thanks  Miss_Behaviour

    Creator''s Thought

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 980 Red Jasper

    980 Red Jasper

    As they stepped into the house, Mia noticed nothing out of the ordinary. Sonia led her to the living room, chatting about mundane things.

    Suddenly, Bryan called out, "Hey, Mia, can you help me with something in the backyard?"

    Mia obliged, following Bryan through the kitchen doors. As they stepped outside, a chorus of "Surprise!" erupted, apanied by cheers and apuse.

    Mia''s eyes widened in shock, her face lighting up with joy as she let out a happy shriek.

    The backyard was filled with friends- Tom, Lucy, Harry, Jade, Andy, Amy, and Lucas- balloons, and a giant banner reading "Wee Home, Mia!"

    "I can''t believe y''all arranged this for me," Mia said happily as as she rushed forward to embrace thedies, all of whom she recognized. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "Wee back, Mia. I''m d you made it. And you look fabulous," Lucy said, as she hugged her, happy to see that Mia was glowing.

    "Thanks," Mia said with a grin before turning to Jade.

    "Lucy took the words right out of my mouth. Congrattions," Jade said as Mia embraced her.

    When Mia got to Amy, she smiled, "It''s a relieve to see that you''re better now," Mia said, remembering that thest time they met Amy had been dealing with the loss of her friend.

    "Thank you. You''re wee," Amy said with a friendly smile.

    "It''s good to have you back here," Andy said, since they were acquainted.

    As Mia hugged each of them, she felt a deep sense of gratitude. Returning to Ludus hadn''t been easy, but this surprise party reminded her that she was loved and missed. She thought about the wee party Henry had thrown her when he took her back to Hu, and how far she''de since then. The support of her friends had been instrumental in her freedom and healing.

    Sonia felt tears prick at the corners of her eyes as she watched Mia''s exchange with the others. Sonia''s heart swelled with happiness for Mia. To Sonia, this was more than a wee home party �C it was a celebration of Mia''s freedom.

    After embracing thedies and saying hello to Lucas, she faced Harry and Tom who stood side by side, "I never could have done this without you both. Thank you," she said, looking from Harry to Tom.

    "Don''t mention. The most important thing is that you''re fine," Tom said, and Harry nodded in agreement.

    "Yes. That''s what is most important?" Harry said as she stepped forward to embrace him, and then Tom.

    As Mia pulled away from Tom, she saw him�C Jeff, standing at the edge of the party, a warm smile on his face as he watched her.

    Mia''s heart skipped a beat. She hadn''t expected him to be here. Tears of joy welled up in her eyes as she rushed toward him.

    "Jeff, you liar! You deceived me!" she eximed, throwing her arms around him.

    Jeff chuckled as he wrapped his arms tightly around her, lifting her off the ground. "Wee home, Mia. I''ve missed you so much."

    Mia felt like she was home, surrounded by the people she loved. She pulled back, gazing at Jeff''s face, her eyes shining with happiness.

    "I''ve missed you too," she whispered.

    Jeff''s eyes crinkled at the corners as he smiled. "I''m d I could surprise you."

    Sonia watched, beaming with satisfaction. "Perfect timing, Jeff."

    "I still can''t believe y''all did this for me. Thank you so much. I don''t know what I did to deserve this love, but I don''t take it for granted. Thank you," Mia said, looking around at everyone.

    "Okay! Enough mushiness. Let''s parrry!" Sonia screamed and everyoneughed as they gathered around the table.

    As the party continued, Mia felt grateful for this new chapter in her life. She was surrounded by friends who cared, and Jeff, who made her heart sing.

    After partying for some time thedies excused themselves, taking Mia with them, and as they left, Lucas turned to Tom and the other guys.

    "So, is there some kind of guy club, or is it just thedies?" He asked, and the rest of them chuckled, apart from Jeff who didn''t really know much about the club.

    "Don''t even get me started on that whole sisterhood thing," Harry said, and Tomughed softly.

    "Why? Did something happen?" Lucas asked, amused.

    "It''s just that thedies are very hyped about the whole club stuff��"

    "It''s all Sonia ever talks about," Bryan said, and they allughed.

    "Amy too. She says Mia is being inducted," Lucas said, and the other guys sighed.

    "I guess I will hear about it from her," Jeff said, curious to know about the club.

    Inside the house, Mia smiled, wondering what thedies were up to as they led her to the guest room while chattering excitedly.

    As they walked into the room, Sonia went to sit on the bed while Andy dialed the group chat, and both Candace, Aurora, and Sharon joined in the group call.

    "Hello, Mia! Wee back," Candace greeted cheerfully after Andy turned the camera to face Mia.

    Mia smiled, unsure of what was going on or who the otherdies were, "Thanks, Candace. It feels great to be back."

    "Mia, meet our friends. This is Aurora. A friend of ours. And this is Sharon. Ladies, Mia," Andy introduced, and Mia waved at them.

    "It''s nice to meet you virtually," she said, and as the introductions were made, the room fell silent, and Mia sensed a shift in the atmosphere.

    Jade''s eyes sparkled with excitement. "Mia, we''re thrilled to have you back in Ludus, and we''re honored to wee you to the GEL Club," Jade announced, her voice filled with pride.

    The otherdies in the room cheered, and Candace, Aurora, and Sharon joined in via the group call. Mia''s confusion gave way to curiosity.

    "What''s the GEL Club?" Mia asked, her eyes scanning the room.

    Lucy stepped forward, a smile on her face. "GEL stands for Gorgeous Empowered Ladies. It''s a sisterhood, Mia. Amunity of women who support, uplift, and empower not just each other but otherdies as well."

    Jade added, "We are not just friends; we''re a family. And we are thrilled to have you join us."

    Amy handed Mia a small, elegantly designed box. "This is your official wee gift. Open it."

    Mia''s fingers trembled as she lifted the lid, revealing a beautiful silver ne with a tiny gemstone.

    "It''s beautiful," Mia breathed.

    Lucy smiled. "Each of us have our own gemstone," she said, and they all showed Mia the ne on their necks. It was only then that she realized they they were all wearing different gemstones.

    Since Jade has suggested the name GEMS club and they turned it down because it sounded like germs, they decided to take up gemstones as their membership identification while going with the name GEL.

    "We chose this Red Jasper for you because it represents courage and strength- qualities that you, Mia, embody. This means that you will be a mentor to everydy who needs courage and strength," Jade said as she put the ne on Mia, and thedies apuded.

    Aurora''s voice came up over the phone, "Mia, you''re now a part of something special. We''re here for you, always."

    "Wee to the sisterhood, Mia," Sharon said, and they all echoed it.

    Mia''s eyes welled up with tears as she gazed at the women surrounding her. She felt seen, heard, and valued even more now.

    "Thank you," Mia whispered, her voice trembling. "I''m honored to be part of this sisterhood."

    "Now, Andy, why don''t you tell her about our various offices?" Jade suggested, and Andy smiled as she stepped forward.

    "Jade here is the president and Lucy is her vice. Sonia is the PRO," she said, and at the mention of Sonia they all turned in her direction since it was unusual for her to be so silent.

    They giggled when they saw her fast asleep on the bed, "Aww. She must be pretty exhausted," Lucy said as she walked over to pull the nket over her.

    "I guess it is expected. She has been so busy all day," Andy said, and then turned back to Mia, "So, as I was saying, Amy here is the secretary, I am the Membership Chair, that means I manage membership recruitment, retention and orientation. Candace is our treasurer, Aurora and Sharon are the event managers, and you Mia, you''re our social media manager," Andy said, and they all pped.

    Mia giggled, "I just got here, and I have a role already?" She asked, and they nodded.

    "Yes. You''ve been our member but you just didn''t know it," Lucy said, and Miaughed.

    "Thanks,dies. I feel so honored and excited to be a part of this. I promise to put us out there through the social media tforms," she said, and after chatting some more about the club, they decided to return to join the guys.

    "Should we wake her?" Jade asked uncertainly.

    "I don''t think so. Let''s let her sleep. She hasn''t been sleeping so well at nighttely," Lucy said, and they all left the room.

    As they joined the men, Bryan raised an eyebrow, "Where is my wife?" He asked as he rose, looking from Lucy to Jade.

    "She dozed off in the guest room. We didn''t want to disturb her sleep," Lucy exined and he nodded.

    "That''s good. I''ll go check on her," Bryan said as he headed inside.

    "So, are we to congratte you as the newest member of the club?" Tom asked Mia as she sat down, and she giggled.

    "You definitely should. In the nearest future people are going to beg to be members of our club. With sponsors like you guys behind us, you have no idea how far we will go," Lucy said, and Jade lifted her ss in agreement.

    "Amen to that," Andy said, raising her ss too.

    "We should probably call it a night seeing as our hostess has gone to bed," Harry suggested, and the others nodded in agreement.

    "And Vanessa needs to get some rest," Jeff said, ncing at her.

    "Should we call you Mia or Vanessa?" Andy asked, and Mia shrugged.

    "Whichever you''refortable with. I''m both," Mia said with a grin.

    "I guess you''ll be going back to your shared apartment," Lucy asked and Mia narrowed her eyes.

    "Yup. This you. The real Vanessa is even more beautiful than I imagined," he said, reaching for her hand to kiss it.

    "I was disappointed when you said you wouldn''t be here when I get back," Mia said after a while and Jeff chuckled.

    "I was surprised you believed that. You should have known I wouldn''t miss this for anything," Jeff said and she shrugged.

    "How could I not believe you? It made sense that you went on to spend the holidays with your family. Besides, we are opening the office at Sogal on the 2nd of January," she said and he grinned as he parked the car in front of the apartment.

    "So, on a scale of one to ten how tired are you?" He asked, and she raised a brow.

    "Depends on why you''re asking. If you''re asking so we can put to practice all I read in that book you got, then I''m not tired at all," she said, and Jeff chuckled as they got out of the car.

    "It''s good to have you back, Mia. The apartment has not been the same without you," he said, really happy to have her back.

    "Why don''t you get the door while I get your luggage," he suggested and Mia took the key from him and went to get the door.

    "Mia? Mia!" Alicia cried from the other end of the street when she saw Mia, and Jeff groaned inwardly as he watched Alicia running down to meet Mia.

    Miaughed as Alicia embraced her, "I missed you," Alicia said happily.

    "I missed you too I guess. How have you been?" Mia asked with a wide smile.

    "I''m good. And you look amazing. By the way, I saw the news about you and everything made sense... You know what? Let''s catch upter. I''m sure you need to get some rest now," Alicia said when she caught Jeff ring at her.

    "Alright let''s do that," Mia said with a wave, and Alicia waved at Jeff as she hurried off.

    "I''m going to miss this ce when we leave," Mia said as she unlocked the door.

    "I won''t miss our neighbors, though," Jeff muttered and Mia giggled.

    Theughter died on her lips when she stepped into the house and saw the balloons and the little wee home banner Jeff had hung up for her.

    Mia turned to Jeff, "Why are you all doing too much?" She asked, but from the gleam in her eyes, Jeff could tell she was happy.

    "Because you''ve been through a lot and you deserve too much," he said as he shut the door behind him and led her further inside.

    Mia raised a brow when she noticed the note attacked the the banner and she moved closer to see what was written on it.

    She grinned as she read it out, "Will you be my girlfriend?"

    "I figured I''ve not asked officially," he said with a sheepish smile, and she chuckled.

    "During my vacation I told everyone that hit on me that I had a boyfriend. What does that tell you?" She asked, and he shrugged.

    "That you have a boyfriend. So, who is it? Is his name Jeff?" He asked as he moved closer to her and she giggled as his arms went around her waist.

    "Yeah. His name is Jeff," she said, and he captured her lips in a kiss.

    Mia let out a soft sigh as she surrendered to the kiss. There was no doubt now that she was home. This was where she belonged. In Jeff''s arms.

 Chapter 981 Strip Club Experience

    981 Strip Club Experience

    "I am so exhausted." Lucy groaned as her and Tom walked into their bedroom, and she kicked her shoes off from her feet.

    "Yeah. It''s been a long day," Tom said as he tugged off his tie.

    "My feet are killing me," she said as she dropped on the couch, rubbing her feet.

    "Need a foot massage?" Tom asked, turning to look at her as he undid his buttons.

    Lucy giggled, "Asking that while taking off your clothes, sounds pretty suggestive, don''t you think? Almost like something a male stripper would say," she said, and Tom chuckled.

    "That was a harmless question, but now that you mention it, it does sound like something a stripper might say. After one trip to the strip club you''ve be the expert on strippers, huh?" He teased, and sheughed softly.

    "While we are on the subject, I should let you know that I n to visit a male strip club," she said, and Tom raised a brow.

    "What?" He asked in disbelief.

    "If we could go watch nakeddies dance, why can''t we watch naked men do the same?" She asked with a grin, causing Tom to arch his brow.

    "But you didn''t enjoy being at the strip club so much. Why would you want to repeat the experience?" Tom asked, as he recalled their experience at the club.

    shback

    Tom''s gaze was fixed on Lucy as she nced around the dimly lit private VVIP room of the club trying to keep her cool despite the awkward flutter in her chest.

    The bass of the music pulsed through the room, adding to her restlessness as two strippers entered.

    The performers moved with practiced ease, their confidence shining through every sway and spin, but Lucy found herself shifting in her seat, her gaze flickering between the dancers and Tom, who sat beside her, watching the show.

    She wanted to lookfortable, like this was no big deal. After all, wasn''t this supposed to be a fun experience? But something felt off about being here.

    She couldn''t help ncing at Tom every few moments, hoping he didn''t notice how awkward she felt.

    Tom who had been very aware of her difort and was waiting to see if she would express it, leaned closer to her after a while, "Are you okay?" He asked, his voice a low murmur in her ear.

    "Yeah," she replied a bit too quickly, trying to sh him a reassuring smile. "It''s�� interesting."

    Tom raised an eyebrow, and shook his head. Before she could say anything else, he gave a polite nod to the dancers. "Thank you for your time,dies," he said, reaching for his wallet and tipping them generously. "We''ll leave it here for now."

    The performers gave him an appreciative smile, taking their cue to leave the room. Once they were gone, Lucy let out a breath she didn''t realize she''d been holding, her shoulders rxing as the heavy atmosphere lifted.

    "I''m so disappointed, Jewel," Tom said with a shake of his head, and Lucy''s brows pulled together.

    "I''m sorry," she murmured, feeling a twinge of guilt. "I probably ruined it for you."

    "You''re disappointing me even more," Tom said with a sigh as he reached over to take her hand. "No, you didn''t ruin anything. I expected you to know that if you''re notfortable, it''s not an experience I would want, either. Besides, we agreed that we would leave if you''re ufortable."

    Lucy''s gaze softened. "I know. But you seemed to be enjoying it and I didn''t want to rain on your parade. You were enjoying it, weren''t you?" She asked hesitantly, not entirely sure she wanted to hear the answer.

    A hint of a smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he scratched the back of his neck. "I can''t say I wasn''t. I mean, it''s natural for men to enjoy shows like this."

    She gave a small nod, appreciating his honestly. "You coulde back on your own sometime, you know. Or I could even�� step out for a while."

    Heughed, shaking his head. "As thoughtful as that is, Jewel, it''s really not something I want to do without you. Honestly, I''m more interested in things we can enjoy together."

    "But you said you''ve been to strip clubs before," she reminded him.

    "Yes, I have. Tell me, why didn''t you like it?" He asked, and she smiled, feeling a bit more at ease.

    "I guess I just don''t like the idea of you watching other women," she confessed, half-embarrassed.

    "That''s fair," he said with a warm smile. "So, are you asking me toe back on my own so that you can be at home overthinking about it while I''m here enjoying myself? Do you think you''d be okay being out there while I''m in here being entertained by strippers?" He asked, and she shrugged, ncing away, her cheeks flushed.

    "Maybe? I don''t really know. It''s just that it''s something you like. I don''t want to be the kind of partner that doesn''t let you do things you like. I don''t want a situation where you have to do it secretly. I know some men do it," she said, and Tom nodded.

    "I get what you mean. But trust me, I won''t hide something like that from you or anything else for that matter. I don''t want to ever give you reasons to be ufortable. Okay?" He said, and she smiled and gave him a nod.

    Tom tilted his head, a yful spark in his eyes. "Well, since it''s just the two of us here now�� maybe you''d want to give me a little private show?"

    Lucy''s eyes widened, a surprisedugh escaping her lips. "A private show? Me?"

    "Why not?" he said with a grin. "You''ve got moves. And you''d be the only one I want to watch and touch, anyway."

    With a bashfulugh, Lucy took a deep breath, feeling both silly and strangely excited since she was yet to really practice all that Candace and Andy had taught them. She stood, trying to recall some of the movements she''d seen from the dancers earlier and blend them. "Alright, but don''t expect me to be as good as them," she warned, shooting him a yful look.

    Tom settled back in his seat, grinning as he watched her sway her hips, clearly having fun just seeing her try. As she grew morefortable, Lucy let herself get into the rhythm, rolling her hips and even giving him a teasing spin.

    Hisughter soon quieted as his gaze turned more appreciative, and Lucy felt her own heart pounding as she moved closer, cing her hands on his shoulders as she straddled him.

    Tom''s hands settled naturally at her waist, drawing her in, and before they knew it, they were kissing and making out, both panting hard.

    In that moment, they forgot all about the awkwardness of the club, wrapped up in their passion for each other.

    Back to te present, Lucy shrugged, though a small smile yed on her lips. "I think seeing the men''s version would be different, you know? Besides, then you''d know how you feel about me seeing naked males," she said and Tom smirked, crossing his arms as he leaned against the wall.

    "Oh really? And you think you''ll be morefortable with shirtless, gyrating men?"

    She rolled her eyes, a little embarrassed. "Maybe I would. I mean, what''s the harm in finding out?" She asked, trying to sound brave.

    Tom shook his head, amused. "Fair enough. I''d like to see how that goes as long as no onees close enough to touch you."

    Lucyughed, though her cheeks flushed at the thought. "I appreciated that you did that at the club. I mean, demanding that none of thediese close or touch you."

    Tom shrugged, "I''m d I did, seeing how you didn''t even like the idea of seeing me watching them," he said, and she nodded her gaze meeting his.

    "I get it was just a performance. But�� I felt really weird seeing you watch them. Maybe you''d understand if we visit a male strip club," She trailed off, ncing at her hands.

    "Don''t worry. I understand enough and I like that you feel that possessive about me," Tom assured her, his expression softening as he moved to sit beside her, taking her hands in his. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "Plus, I enjoyed the happy endingp dance," he said, and Lucy''s eyes widened, augh escaping her lips.

    "Please don''t call it that," she said, and Tom grinned, his voice light and teasing.

    "Why not? I''m so crazy about you, Jewel. I want to do lots of wild stuff with you," he said, winking at her and she giggled.

    "And while we are on the subject, how about I get a little performance again?" He asked, and sheughed again, the idea of it ridiculous yet strangely thrilling.

    "As much as I would have loved to, I''m exhausted. My feet hurts, remember?" She said, and he nodded.

    "It doesn''t have to be tonight. We can do it tomorrow. We''ve got the whole of the weekend to ourselves," he said with a wink.

    "Fine," she said, rolling her eyes yfully as she rose. "Let''s go and freshen up," she said, and together they undressed and made their way to the bathroom.

    Hey, there! I realized that the reason I was having a hard time writing was because I was rushing to end it and in the process was skipping over too many things I ordinarily would have written. I��m just going to take my time and end it. 28//10/1024

    Miss_Behaviour

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 982: Holiday Plans

    Chapter 982: Holiday ns

    ?

    The following morning, Tom and Lucy stood side by side in the bathroom, brushing their teeth as they prepared to go down for breakfast.

    Tom watched Lucy in the mirror, his gaze warm as he took in her sleepy eyes and her tousled hair. She seemed lost in thought, her movements slow and rxed, not even noticing the way he was looking at her.N?v(el)B\\jnn

    When they finished, they walked back to the bedroom together. Tom couldn''t help but raise an eyebrow as he watched her slip into her outfit for the day.

    "What are you thinking about?" he asked, pulling on his shirt, his eyes never leaving her.

    Lucy smiled, ncing over her shoulder at him. "Just aboutst night''s party," she began, buttoning her blouse with a far-off look. "Life is full of surprises, you know? You never can tell what direction your life is going to go. From time to time I just find myself thinking about how much has changed, about all the people around me who care so much. If someone had told me I''d be part of such an incredible group, I wouldn''t have believed it."

    Tom''s face softened. "It''s amazing to see how far you''vee. I mean, just look at you now," he said with a grin. But before Lucy could respond, her phone buzzed loudly on the nightstand. The sound made them both pause.

    Lucy reached for the phone, her lips curving into a knowing smile when she saw Sonia''s name on the screen. "It''s Sonia," she informed Tom as she slid her finger across the phone and brought it to her ear.

    "Good morning, Sony!" Lucy greeted warmly, sinking into the bed.

    On the other end of the line, Sonia''s voice was yful, tinged with mild annoyance. "I can''t believe you all left without waking mest night," Soniained.

    "I''m sorry, you looked exhausted and I didn''t want to disturb you," Lucy said softly.

    "Exhausted? Me? Never! I wasn''t exhausted!" She denied fiercely.

    Lucyughed softly. "Well, you looked so, Sony. You alwaysin about how you''re unable to sleepfortably these days. When you fell asleep I didn''t have the heart to disturb your sleep. I''m so very sorry for letting you sleep so soundly," Lucy said dryly.

    "Whatever. I wasn''t exhausted," Sonia muttered, still sounding a little miffed but yful.

    "You were definitely exhausted, Sonia," Lucy replied with a chuckle. "Baking a baby is a lot of work, you know. You''re allowed to doze off whenever and wherever."

    Tom, who was listening with amusement from the other side of the room as he brushed his hair, raised an eyebrow, stifling augh as Lucy shot him a yful nce, her eyes sparkling.

    Sonia groaned, though the sound wasced with affection. "You''re starting to sound like Bryan."

    "Well," Lucy said, her voice softening, "he''s not wrong. You need all the rest you can get. You will thank me for not waking you the next time youin about not having a good night''s rest."

    Sonia sighed dramatically. "Fine. You''re right. But still, I didn''t want to miss out on the party and spending time with you all. We barely get time to do this."

    "I know," Lucy agreed, her tone more gentle now. "But there''s plenty of time. Besides, there is the Christmas Eve party and the family vacation. There is plenty of time to hang out."

    "Well, you''re right about that. But I was hosting the party, remember?"

    "Everyone could see our hostess was exhausted and needed to sleep," Lucy countered.

    "I wanted to spend more time with Mia too. It''s not like she is joining us on the vacation. She''s spending the holidays with Jeff and his family. And you know she is returning to Sogal with Jeff," Sonia said, and Lucy rolled her eyes.

    "You can spend time with her before the travel. Talking about the holidays, have you and Bryan made up your mind oning over here for the holidays?" Lucy asked, changing the subject.

    "Yeah. That was actually why I called. I just gave my housekeeper the permission to travel for the holidays. We will being over tomorrow. Are you still setting up your Christmas tree today?" Sonia asked curiously.

    "Yes. I''m so excited about it. This is the busiest Christmas I''ve had," Lucy said, and Sonia giggled.

    "Tell me about it. But I''m looking forward to Christmas Eve the most," Sonia whispered conspiratorially.

    "Me too. I can''t wait," Lucy said with a grin, her excitement clear.

    "When are your parentsing over? Desmond and Evelyn will be here on Tuesday," Sonia said and Lucy nodded.

    "I think they areing together. My parents are also arriving on Tuesday," Lucy said, and Sonia smiled.

    "That''s cool. What about Jade? Is she moving in too? Or is she spending Christmas with Harry and his family?" Sonia asked, excited at the idea of spending the holiday with everyone. "Yes, she is spending Christmas with Harry and his family since they won''t being on the vacation with us. Aaron is taking Jamal to visit Dawn, Candace is spending new year with Matt''s family, and Andy says she will be with Alex and Mari," Lucy said and nodded as Tom signaled to her that he was going downstairs and she could join him after she was done with her phone call.

    "I''ll make sure your room is ready," Lucy said as she nced at the time. "I have to go down for breakfast now. Tom''s probably wondering what''s keeping me," Lucy said, and after a few more moments of conversation, they hung up.

    Lucy quickly applied a touch of makeup, popped in her contacts, and then headed downstairs.

    "Sorry. That took longer than expected," Lucy said as she approached the table, and Tom rose to pull out a seat for her, making her grin.

    "We are not in public," she said, and he raised a brow.

    "And who said I only have to treat mydy right when we are in public?" He asked as he kissed her cheek, and she giggled as she slid into the chair.

    "How is Sonia doing?" Tom asked as he took his seat.

    Lucy shook her head, her eyes gleaming with amusement, "Pregnancy has made her almost a different person. I can''t even imagine how much more motherhood is going to change her." Tom chuckled, reaching for a piece of toast. "That''s why it''s good to have as much fun as you can before all of thates along," Tom said and Lucyughed, narrowing her eyes at him. "Why does that sound like you''re trying to say something to me?"

    Tom chuckled, raising his hands in defense. "I''m not trying to say anything."

    "Uh-huh," Lucy teased as she bit into a bread slice.

    Afortable silence settled between them as they ate, and after a few moments Lucy spoke again, "You know, what I''m most grateful for about Sonia''s changes? It is Bryan," Lucy said,

    and Tom raised a brow.

    "What do you mean?"

    Lucy paused as she tried to put her thought into words, "It''s almost like Bryan is changing along with her to suit her need at every stage. And I love how he makes her feel so beautiful and sexy despite the weight she has put on and the size of her nose," Lucy said with a giggle. Tomughed at that. "What is he supposed to do? Stop thinking she I beautiful and sexy? That''s the normal way a man should treat his pregnant partner..."

    "Well, it should be, but it is not. I once had a pregnant colleague at myst office, who was obsessed with weight loss during pregnancy, because her husband wouldn''t stop telling her that she looked fat and ugly. He even threatened to divorced her if she didn''t go back to her original size after the babyes. I''ve also heard stories of men treating their partners poorly. So, take it from me when I say it''s a big deal that Bryan is this way with Sonia. Especially a celebrity of his status," Lucy said, and Tom leaned back, nodding slowly.

    "If you say so. But you can trust me to make you feel even more special if you ever decide to

    have a baby with me."

    Lucy raised an eyebrow, a sly smile ying on her lips. "How do you always seize the opportunity to sneak stuff like that into our conversations?" She asked, and he chuckled.

    "I''m just saying you don''t have to worry about looking all nosy or whatever," Tom joked, and

    she giggled.

    "What do you mean looking all nosy?" She asked, and Tom grinned.

    "Your nose could take up ny nine percent of your face and you''d still be more beautiful

    than Beyonc�� to me," he said, and she giggled, shaking her head.

    "Keep it up. Maybe some day soon you will convince me," she said, and Tom chuckled.

    "I hope it is soon enough." He grinned, his eyes twinkling with hope.

 Chapter 983: You’re My Fiancé

    Chapter 983: You��re My Fianc��

    ?

    Lucas stirred first, slowly blinking his eyes open as he took in the quiet serenity of the morning. The soft morning light spilled through the curtains, casting a warm glow over the

    room.

    His gaze fell to the woman nestled close beside him, her head tucked into the curve of his shoulder, her breathing soft and even. Amy''s hair spread across the pillow, framing her peaceful face as shey in a gentle slumber, the faintest of smiles tugging at her lips. Thest couple of months without her had been nothing short of hell. He had missed her every moment and had almost been tempted to abandon his training to return to her.

    He couldn''t believe nor understand how she hade to mean the world to him in such a short time. Sometimes it scared him that he loved so fiercely and he was making his entire world revolve around her, but at times like that he reminded himself that Amy wasn''t Rachel, and there was nothing wrong with loving so fiercely.

    A tender smile touched his face as he watched her, mesmerized by the simple, perfect contentment she radiated. Carefully, he leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead, savoring the warmth of her skin against his lips. The gentle touch stirred her, and Amy''s eyes fluttered open, meeting his with a sleepy smile that was warm and full of love.

    "Morning, love," she murmured, her voice soft and drowsy.

    "Good morning," he replied, a hint of yfulness in his tone. He brushed a stray lock of hair from her face, tucking it gently behind her ear. "Do you know how much I love waking up to see you like this?"

    Amy''s cheeks flushed as she shifted closer, wrapping her arms around him. She closed her eyes and murmured, "Not as much as I love sleeping next to you. I love you, Luca."

    Lucas''s heart swelled at her words. He cupped her face, tilting her chin up so her gaze met his. "Are you sure?" he asked, his voice a yful whisper as he kissed her cheek, then her nose, trailing a path of gentle kisses across her face.

    Amy giggled, eyes still half-closed, and nodded with a dreamy smile. "Yes, I''m very sure."

    Lucas''s expression softened as he paused, a thought weighing on his mind that he''d been holding onto for days, even weeks. His voice was steady yet warm as he asked, "Are you sure enough to marry me?"

    Amy''s eyes shot open, her drowsy smile reced by surprise. She searched his face, almost as if expecting to find a hint of humor in his gaze. "Lucas... what did you just say?" she whispered, her voice barely above a breath.

    His smile broadened, unwavering. "I want you to be my wife, Amy."

    "How... how can you joke about something like that so early in the morning?"

    Lucas chuckled as he took her hand in his, his expression softening. "I''m not joking. I mean it," he said, his voice steady and sincere. "I''ve thought about it for a long time now. I''m absolutely serious. I want you, all of you, forever."

    Amy shook her head slightly, still in disbelief. "But we''ve only been dating for a few months. Isn''t it too soon for you to tell?" she asked, her heart racing.

    Lucas chuckled, his gaze tender as he pulled her closer. "Did you consider that when you were thinking of quitting your job and move to Hu just to be with me? When you thought I wasn''ting back?"

    Amy opened her mouth, but no words came. She had no answer for him, and he simply smiled, taking that as all the answer he needed.

    "I didn''t just wake up this morning with this thought, Amy," he continued, his voice gentle yet firm. "I''ve been feeling it every day, every time I spend with you, every time I''m away from you. I spent ten years with the wrong person, thinking that was love, but now I know... I know what it truly means to love someone have someone love me back the same way. These few months with you have shown me what it''s like to find a soulmate. You''re my soulmate, Amy. The one I was always meant to find. It doesn''t matter whether we decide to take this step in a year or ten years from now, you will always be the one for me."N?v(el)B\\jnn

    Tears pooled in Amy''s eyes, her breath catching as she looked at him. "Lucas... I don''t know what to say."

    Lucas reached over to the bedside drawer, pulling out a small, velvet ring box. He opened it, revealing a beautifully cut diamond ring that sparkled in the morning light.

    She gasped, covering her mouth with one hand, a rush of emotions flickering across her face. She had not realized that he had thought it through to the extent of getting her a ring.

    She watched as he got out of bed and knelt on one knee beside her, the box held gently in his hand as he looked up at her, his face filled with hope and love.

    "All you have to say is yes, Amy. Say yes to being my lover forever. You can''t say no. You''re not allowed to say no," he said with a grin and augh escaped her lips as tears spilled down her cheeks.

    She nodded, her voice breaking as she finally found the words. "Yes... yes, Lucas. A million times, yes."

    Lucas beamed, watching her as she slid off the bed and held out her trembling hand to him. He took her hand gently, slipping the ring onto her finger, the perfect fit glinting on her hand as she stared down at it, still ovee with disbelief and joy.

    "I promise to make you happy every day of our lives," Lucas murmured, his voice choked with emotion. "To be your best friend, your partner, the man you deserve."

    Amy looked up, her eyes shining as she whispered, "And I promise to love you, to be your peace, your strength, and to stand by you always. This sounds like we are exchanging vows already," she joked and they bothughed as their foreheads touched.

    They both closed their eyes, savoring the moment until Lucas leaned in, capturing her lips in a gentle, loving kiss, sealing the promise they''d just made to one another.

    When they pulled apart, Amyughed, ncing down at the ring on her finger as though she couldn''t believe it was real.

    "I can''t believe I just got engaged to you," she whispered, her voice full of awe.

    "Believe it, my love," he said, wrapping his arms around her, pulling her close once more as they settled back into bed.

    "I was going to do a grand proposal, but I figured you''d prefer something private," he said, and she nodded, grinning.

    "Yes. This is the most romantic proposal I could have asked for," she said, beaming happily as she looked down at her ring.

    "I don''t exactly think so. I only did it this way because I couldn''t hold back anymore. I was excited to see the ring on your finger," he said, and she giggled.

    "When did you get the ring?" she asked curiously.

    "A month ago. I nned on proposing by 12 a.m. on new year day," he said, and she scowled.

    "You should have done that! Why didn''t you wait?!" She asked, hitting his arm yfully.

    "Alright. Give me back the ring and I will do it," he said with a chuckle and she giggled.

    "It''s toote already. I love the ring," she said, admiring it.

    "And I love you," Lucas said, kissing her cheek.

    "I can''t wait to tell my mom and the girls about it. I''m sure Lucy is going to be shocked," Amy

    said, and Lucas chuckled.

    "She is aware I''m proposing. She is only going to be surprised I brought the day forward," he said, and Amyughed softly as she shook her head.

    "And your parents? Are they aware?" She asked, and Lucas shook his head.

    "No. We will tell them when they get here on Tuesday. When do you want to get married? And what kind of wedding would you want?" He asked, and Amy grinned.

    "Let''s talk about thatter. For now I want to enjoy this moment with my fianc��," she said with a grin as though she was testing the sound of the word.

    "You''re my fianc��," she said, and Lucasughed, amused by her excitement.

    "Yeah. And you are my fianc��e," he said, and Amy giggled as she wrapped her arms around him in a hug, both of them basking in the warmth of this new chapter they''d begun together. As Amyy there in his arms, she thought about Miley and instead of the usual sadness she felt, she was overwhelmed with love and gratitude to her friend. Although she wished Miley was there to witness this, she had no doubt that Miley was watching with a smile from wherever she was, happy to see them together.

 Chapter 984: Meeting The Family

    Chapter 984: Meeting The Family

    ?

    In the warmth of Jade''s cozy apartment, the soft hum of holiday music drifted in the background, adding a festive touch to the quiet afternoon.

    Jade was seatedfortably on the couch, her legs stretched out on Harry''sp as he held her hand. He held a tiny nail clipper in his other hand, looking entirely focused.

    "I love Christmas. I love every thing about the holidays. The weather, the est I''ve smell in the air, the music, the colors, everything," Jade said and Harry chuckled.

    "You''ve been saying that all week. Am I doing good?" Harry asked as he carefully studied her fingers.

    "Yeah. Alright, just a bit off the top," Jade directed, a yful smile lighting up her face. Harry chuckled, ncing up at her with a smirk. "Yes, ma''am. I''m a fast learner, you know. Soon, you''ll be booking appointments just to see me like you do with Aurora."

    Jade grinned, eyes twinkling. "You''d have a lot of clients lined up, especially if you''re as good at nail painting as you are at nail cutting."

    Harry carefully clipped a nail, blowing away the little clippings before reaching for the next finger. "Guess I''ll find out soon enough," he said, his focus shifting back to her nails. "Have you made up your mind about our ns for Christmas? Everyone would be here soon," he said casually, referring to his father, Candace, and Jamal.

    Her face softened, her expression thoughtful as she met his gaze. "I''ve been thinking of so many things. I think we should wait until they get here to get a tree and do the decorations and all that holiday stuff together. But mostly, I''m just happy to spend it with you. This is our first Christmas together and it has to be special."

    Harry''s lips curved into a gentle smile as he wiped off a stray nail clipping. "It''s funny, though. We met for the first time around Christmas too. It''s like the season was just waiting for us to find each other."

    Jadeughed softly, the sound light and genuine. "True! And you know what? When we''re ready, we should get married during a Christmas season too. What do you think?" She raised an eyebrow, ncing at him with a mischievous smile.

    Harry blinked, momentarily surprised, before a teasing grin spread across his face. "Next Christmas, right? Since we have settled on the time of our wedding, I guess we won''t be needing a proposal since we both know we''re getting married, right?"

    Jade''s eyes narrowed yfully. "Oh, don''t you dare skip out on a proposal, Harry Jonas. I''m expecting the whole shebang-kneeling, ring, the works. You went all out when you asked me to be your girlfriend. You should do even better when you ask me to be your wife."

    Harryughed, a deep, genuine sound that made Jade''s heart flutter. "What''s the point in asking when I already know the answer?" He asked, and she raised an eyebrow.

    "Really? Do you really know the answer?" she asked with a scowl and he chuckled, shaking his head.

    "No, I don''t. I''m just messing with you, goddess. I wouldn''t dream of skipping that part. In fact, I''m already imagining you throwing my ring back at me if I don''t make it as dramatic as you want," he saidC and she smirked, shaking her head.

    "You''re lucky you know me too well."

    Just then, her phone on the coffee table buzzed with a notification. She picked it up, her eyes widening in excitement when she saw the picture Amy had sent into the GEL club group.

    It was a picture of her hand with the engagement ring on her finger, and it was captioned, "I said yes."

    "Oh my gosh!" Jade eximed as she quickly recorded a cheerful voice note and sent it to the group as congrattory messages flooded the group.

    Jade then turned the phone toward Harry. "Lucas just proposed to Amy!"

    Harry''s face lit up with a delighted grin. "Well, look at that. Seems like we''re going to be having lots of Christmas proposals," he said, his gaze warm as he admired the joy in Jade''s eyes.

    Jade raised a brow, "Who else is proposing this period?" She asked curiously and Harry chuckled.

    "That''s what I''m looking forward to finding out. I have a feeling someone else is going to get engaged," he said dismissively, not wanting to tell her who he was referring to.

    Jade showed him a photo of Amy''s engagement ring, the diamond sparkling brightly in the picture. "Isn''t it gorgeous?" she sighed, her face glowing.

    Harry nodded appreciatively, his smile genuine. "It''s beautiful. I''m happy for them." Suddenly, Jade''s phone buzzed again, and a group call appeared on her screen. Thedies of the GEL club were already chiming in with excited greetings and congrattions for Amy. "Oh! Hold on." Jade epted the call, and a chorus of cheers burst through the speakers. "Amy, spill! How did he propose?" Lucy''s excited voice came through the call.

    Jadeughed as Amy began to recount the story, her voice animated and filled with joy. The girls gasped and giggled, each adding their own squeals and questions.

    "Aww. This is is our first Gel engagement, so we have to celebrate it," Sonia said, and Lucy giggled.

    "You should just say you''re looking for an excuse to hang out," Lucy said and everyoneughed.

    Finally, after a few more rounds of congrattions and talk of meeting up to celebrate the next day, they hung up.

    Jade ced her phone back on the table with a sigh, leaning back against the couch as she turned to face Harry who had been listening and watching her with an amused smile all along. The dynamics of female conversations and friendships never ceased to amuse him.

    "You know, I really wish Lucy would change her mind about marriage," she murmured thoughtfully.

    Harry chuckled, continuing with her nails. "Oh? Why are you so invested in that?"

    She shrugged, her face softened by a warm smile. "I don''t know... I guess I really admire her rtionship with Tom. They''ve been through so much together, and it''s like they''ve found this kind of bnce I look up to. I just... I guess I''d like to see them make it official, you

    know?"

    Harry nodded, his smile matching hers. "They do have something special. I''m sure when they''re ready, they''ll make that choice."

    Jade''s eyes softened as she watched him carefully paint her nails, his hands steady and gentle. "Thanks for doing this for me," she whispered.

    Harry gave her hand a gentle squeeze, his face lighting up with warmth. "Anything for you, esquire. Now, stay still. I''ve got one more nail to go. And after that I can make your hair if you

    want me to," he said, and she giggled.N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "No, thanks. I''ll pass on that," she said, and he raised a brow.

    "Why? You don''t trust me to do something nice?" He asked, narrowing his eyes.

    Jade giggled, "Let''s just stick to nails," she said with a giggle.

    Before Harry could respond, his phone vibrated on the coffee table, and Jade picked it and

    handed to him when she saw it was Aaron.

    "Hey, dad!" Harry greeted the moment he received the call.

    "Harry, which one. I wanted to confirm something from you. Debbie wants to host our family

    to dinner on Christmas day. Will you like to meet her?" Aaron asked, and Harry''s lips curved in

    a smile.

    "Well well well, Meeting the families already, are we? I guess you are taking things to the next level," He teased, and Aaron chuckled.

    "No one is taking things to any level. She just wants to see you all..."

    "Yeah. That is the same as what youngsters say when they want to meet their partner''s

    parents. Oldies want to meet the kids, and youngies want to meet the parents," Harry said,

    and Jade giggled.

    "Thanks for the lecture, but that''s not what is happening here. So, are you up for it or not?" Aaron asked dryly and Harryughed.

    "Of course, I''m up for it. I should meet your girlfriend and give my official approval if I''m

    having a stepmom," he said making Aaron chuckle.

    "No one is asking for your approval. We don''t need it..."

    "Yes, you need it. And you should ask nicely else I''m going to disapprove," Harry said, and

    Jade elbowed his side, while Aaronughed.

    "You''re no longer invited to dinner. I''m sure Candace, Andy and Jamal will do just fine,"

    Aaron threatened yfully.

    "Alright. Fine. Whatever. I will show up," Harry said, and after a few more jokes they hung up.

    Jade grinned, "You just might be getting a stepmom soon."

    Harry chuckled, "Well, I hope so. When Candace eventually has to leave the house, he''d be

    lonely. I''m really hoping he marries her seeing how happy she makes him," Harry said, and

    Jade nodded as she admired her nails.

    "You did a great job. Thank you," she said as she leaned forward to kiss him.

 Chapter 985: It Looks Hot

    Chapter 985: It Looks Hot

    ?

    "Isn''t it perfect?" Lucy asked, grinning at Tom as they admired the tree they had picked out.

    They''d picked out a tall, lush beauty that now stood proudly in the living room, and the house was filled with the warm, cozy scent of pine and cinnamon.

    Lucy''s eyes sparkled as she looked at it, hands on her hips. Tom nodded, admiring Lucy''s excitement as much as the tree itself. "It''s missing something," he said, giving her a yful look.

    "What''s that?" Lucy asked, looking curious.

    "Well, us... decorating it!" heughed, handing her a box of ornaments and she giggled.

    "I''m so excited to do this with you," Lucy said, and Tom grinned.

    "Me too. It''s been ages since Ist decorated a Christmas tree. I can''t even remember when it was. I''m so d you suggested that we do this together," Tom said, and Lucy sighed, a thoughtful look in her eyes.

    "Well, let''s do it together every year going forward," Lucy said with a soft smile, imagining doing it with their kids when they came along.

    "Deal," Tom said, and together, they opened the boxes of decorations, which were filled with shiny red and gold ornaments, tiny wooden reindeer, and strings of twinkling lights.

    Lucy held up a delicate ss star, her eyes wide with delight. "Look at this one!" she whispered, holding it up to the light.

    Tom smiled. "Beautiful," he said, but he wasn''t looking at the ornament; he was looking at her.

    Lucy giggled, knowing he was referring to her. "I almost forgot we got this," she said with a grin, pulling out the Santa hats in the bag.

    Tom chuckled as he caught the hat she threw him, and he put it on while she put hers on as well. Lucy picked up her phone and took a selfie of them standing in front of the tree.N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "What dirty thing are you thinking?" She asked, narrowing her eyes suspiciously when she noticed a funny look on his face, and Tom chuckled.

    "I never said I was thinking anything, and what makes you think it is dirty?" He asked, and she wagged a finger in front of his face.

    "I know you, Thomas Hank. I can see right through you. What are you imagining?" she asked, and heughed.

    "You promised me a little show today, remember?" He asked, wriggling his brows suggestively and sheughed.

    "So, what?"

    "So, how about you do it with just this hat on," he asked with a sheepish grin, and Lucy looked at him in surprise for a moment and then she burst outughing.

    "I tried to picture that, and it looks ridiculous," she said, and Tom grinned.

    "It''s not. It looks hot. I could go first if you want," he said with a wink, and Lucy shook her head as sheughed.

    "Let''s just focus on getting the tree ready. We have to finish early and leave for our date. We can do whatever else when we get back," she said, and they did just that.

    They worked in perfect sync, each reaching into the box and choosing an ornament. Tom held up a little Santa with a big belly, and Lucy giggled as he gave it a spot on the tree.

    They took turns carefully cing each ornament, sometimes leaning over one another or bumping elbows, which always made them smile at each other.

    As they wrapped the twinkling lights around the tree, Tom took one end of the strand and handed it to Lucy, who was standing on a step stool. She carefully looped the lights around the top branches, humming a soft Christmas tune.

    Tom tilted his head. "Sing it for me, Jewel."

    "I think it''s best I hum it so I don''t embarrass myself with my terrible voice," she said, and Tom chuckled.

    "But your voice is my favorite sound," he said, and something about the way he said it, made Lucy believe him and she blushed.

    She gave him a soft smile, and her voice filled the room as she sang, "Jingle bell..." Tom joined her in the song and they bothughed as they sang together making the moment feel even more special.

    Once the lights were wrapped all the way down, they both stood back to admire their work. The tree glowed with a warm light, filling the room with a golden glow.

    Lucy stepped closer to Tom, leaning her head on his shoulder. "Now we are ready for Christmas. It''s perfect."

    Tom wrapped his arm around her, squeezing her gently. "Not as perfect as you," he whispered, cing a gentle kiss on the top of her head.

    Lucy looked up at him, her eyes shining with affection. "You know, I don''t think I''d be this happy if it weren''t for you," she said softly.

    Tom''s eyes softened, and he lifted a small sprig of mistletoe he''d hidden in his hand. "I think this belongs right here," he said, dangling it above them with a grin.

    Lucyughed, her cheeks turning pink as she stood on her toes and kissed him softly.

    Done now with the tree, they both went in to get ready for their date. They wore a matching pair of sweaters, both in a rich forest green thatplemented the festive spirit.

    Lucy paired hers with a soft, knitted red scarf, jeans and boots, while Tom opted for jeans and a ssic wool coat with boots as well.

    Once they were ready, Tom took Lucy''s hand and led her out, the chilly evening air wrapped around them as they made their way to the car.

    "This is one of those times I miss my apartment. It would have been nice to just walk with you for a while," Lucy said as they got into the car.

    "We can walk if you want us to," Tom assured her as he drove out of thepound.

    "Why don''t we have dinner first? And then we can take a stroll afterward?" She asked, and he nodded.

    "That''s good too," he said, and they drove to the restaurant where they nned to have

    dinner.

    As Tom drove, Lucy busied herself with going through the messages on the girls group chat as they debated on the venue of their hangout for the next day.

    [I think Amy should decide on the venue since she''s handling the bills.] Lucy texted.

    [Amy isn''t online. She''s probably doing things with her fianc��.] Sharon responded, and everyone reacted with augh emoji.

    [Y''all should hold the celebration until I get there. I should be in Ludus before 7 p.m.] Candace

    texted.

    [No way. We can''t wait for you to get here. Bryan won''t let me go out at night.] Sonia texted and Lucy giggled.

    [It''s not like you''re going to be taking alcohol or doing anything really fun apart from dozing off, though. Just saying.] Jade texted in response to Sonia''s message and added a wink emoji

    to it.

    [What does that mean, Jade? You know what? I don''t care what you mean. I''m going to screenshot this and keep it as a receipt for when you get pregnant.] Sonia responded and Lucy

    giggled again.

    "You seem to be having a load of fun," Tom observed.

    "These girls are hrious," she said as she read out the chat to Tom.

    [We can as well celebrate on Monday, can''t we? It doesn''t have to be tomorrow.] Aurora

    texted, and finally they all agreed.

    "You know, I''ve been thinking. We can host a pool party tomorrow if you are up for it. I''m sure the guys would want to hang out while youdies lounge," he said, and Lucy grinned. "That''s a good idea. And maybe we can all see a movie indoor. I will find out if they are up for it," Lucy said as she excitedly typed the message on the group chat, and sure enough they all

    jumped at the idea.

    Finally they arrived at the restaurant where Tom had made their reservation. Tom ordered for a bottle of champagne and he raised his ss in a toast to Lucy. "Congrattions on sessfully concluding your therapy, Jewel. You''re amazing. I''m proud of you and how far you havee. I can''t wait to see you achieve so much more as I know you will. Cheers to your healing and growth," he said, and Lucy giggled, herughter filling the cozy space around them as she clinked sses with him.

    After that they ordered their meals, sharing bites and stories,ughing over fond memories

    and ns for the pool party.

    After dinner, they drove to a busy environment, and Tom found a spot to park the car and they both got out and walked down the softly lit streets.

    The street was alive with Christmas spirit, each shop window filled with twinkling lights, wreaths, and holiday disys. They strolled hand in hand, stopping asionally to admire the decorations or share a softugh.

    They took a walk through a nearby park, where the trees were strung with fairy lights. The snow crunched beneath their feet, and their breath puffed out in little clouds as theyughed and teased each other while taking lots of selfies together.

    "I feel alive," Tom said as he slipped an arm around Lucy, pulling her close to shield her from

    the cold. "Were you feeling dead?" She joked, and Tom chuckled.

    "I''m just enjoying myself so much," he said as they paused at a small frozen pond, where a

    group of children were ice skating, theirughter echoing in the crisp night air.

    Lucy looked up at Tom, her face lit with pure joy. "Me too. Today has been perfect."

    Tom brushed a strand of hair from her face, his gaze tender. "Only because I''m here with you.

    Every day with you is perfect."

    Without another word, he leaned down, capturing her lips in a kiss that was gentle and warm, just like the love they felt for each other.

 Chapter 986: La Diva

    Chapter 986: La Diva

    ?

    Back home from their perfect evening out, Tom and Lucy made their way to their bedroom, still warmed by theughter and magic of the night.

    Lucy stretched her arms and let out a contented sigh, ncing around the cozy room they had filled with so many memories.

    Tom watched her with a soft smile, "What are you thinking?" He asked, and she giggled, her eyes twinkling.

    "For some reason I suddenly remembered the first time I woke up here," she said, and Tom chuckled.

    "What did you think about it?" He asked, and she shook her head.

    "It is just funny that it turned out to be my home. I never would have imagined that," she said with a small smile, and Tom grinned.

    "Well, I imagined it. Nowe, let''s freshen up," he said as he took her hand and led her to the bathroom.

    He helped her get out of her clothes and neatly dropped them in theundry basket, and then she returned the favor. As she raised his sweater above his head to help him take it off, she kissed his nipple and Tomughed as he turned away.

    Together, they washed up side by side, sharing the mirror as they brushed their teeth, asionally catching each other''s eyes and breaking into wide smiles or spanking each other''s butt.

    As they stood under the shower, Tom sshed water on his face, and Lucy, seeing the yful glint in his eye, mimicked his move,ughing as droplets sprayed between them.

    Once they were both refreshed, Tom grinned, tilting his head. "Well, Jewel, it''s time for the performance."

    Lucy raised her brow, feigning innocence. "Oh, you think I forgot? I believe you promised to go first," she teased, crossing her arms with a mock-serious face.

    Tom chuckled, hands up in surrender. "Fair enough. Just give me a minute," he said as he pulled out her vanity stool and ced it at the center of the room while Lucy watched with an amused smile.

    "What''s that for?" She asked as he ushered her to sit on it.

    "Rx," he said with a dramatic bow, and then turned off most of the lights in the room before he disappeared into the closet, leaving Lucy sitting there with a growing smile as she heard shuffling sounds from inside.

    Lucy felt the anticipation bubbling up as she waited in the darkness. Her heart skipped a beat when she heard soft music start up from the closet. She bit her lip to keep fromughing, guessing what he was up to.

    Finally, Tom emerged, wearing only his briefs and the bright red Christmas hat perched on his head, a serious look on his face as he took a deep breath and started moving to the beat.

    Lucy stifled augh, but she couldn''t stop her smile as he strutted toward her, a yful intensity in his eyes.

    With exaggerated movements, Tom danced his way over to her, making some intentionally over-the-top, seductive moves as he circled around her. She let out a delightedugh, shaking her head as he rolled his shoulders and spun around with a flourish, all while keeping thatically serious expression.

    He stopped right in front of her, straddling her without sitting down, and leaned close, brushing his lips against her neck, leaving a gentle kiss that made her shiver. When she reached out to touch him, he grinned, pulling back with a wink. "Uh-uh, no touching yet," he murmured, continuing to tease her with light, feather-like touches along her corbone. Lucy''sughter softened into warm chuckles, and after a few more minutes of his performance, she held up her hands in surrender. "Alright, alright. My turn. At least now I have something topare with the male strippers when I see them," she joked as she rose. Tom chuckled as he sat down on the seat she had just vacated, his eyes bright with excitement. She disappeared into the closet, and he raised an eyebrow, curious to see what she would do.

    When she returned, his jaw dropped slightly when he saw her dressed in a red three piecece garter belt bra and panty lingerie set with the Christmas hat on her head.

    "Christ! When did you get those?" He asked, and Lucy giggled.

    "When you weren''t looking," she said, striking a sexy pose at the doorway.

    "Have I ever told you I love you?" Tom asked, and she grinned.

    "Not tonight. I''m just a stripper. My name is La Diva," she said with a wink and Tom chuckled, enjoying her attempt at role y.

    "Oh, nice. It''s nice to meet you," he said, and she stepped away from the doorway and closer to him.

    "Oh, so we''re bringing props into this," he joked when he saw she was holding a silver cuff from his little box of "toys,"

    "Just a little extra holiday spirit," she replied with a mischievous grin, stepping forward and gently guiding his hands behind his back, clicking the cuff into ce.

    Tom chuckled, giving her a yful look as he watched her every move.

    As a soft rhythm yed in the background, Lucy started swaying her hips in a slow dance, inching closer to him as she slowly began to strip out of her costume.

    She maintained eye contact, her smile teasing as she slid her skirt down, revealing thece garter belt beneath.

    Tom''s eyes locked onto hers, his gaze burning with desire as Lucy''s fingers trailed down her stomach, her movements sensual and deliberate.

    "Tease," he whispered, his voice husky.

    Lucy chuckled, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "Patience, darling," she whispered back.

    Lucy stepped back, her eyes still locked on him, as she began to undo thece garter belt slowly. She slowly pulled the straps down, her fingers tracing the curves of her hips.

    Tom''s gaze followed her movements, his breath catching in his throat.

    Next, she reached behind her and unhooked the bra. For a moment, she held it in ce, teasing Tom with a sly smile as she straddled him, her lips brushing against his ear.

    With a gentle tug, she pulled Tom''s head back, her mouth iming his in a searing kiss.

    As they broke apart for air, Tom groaned, his hands straining against the cuff. "You''re driving me crazy."

    Lucy''s smile was pure seduction. "That''s the n," she said as she moved away again, and then with a gentle flick of her wrist, the bra slid down, revealing her perky mounds.

    Even though he had seen them so many times already, his eyes widened, his pupils dting.

    Lucy''s fingers trailed down her stomach, her nails grazing thece of her panties.

    She hooked her thumbs into the waistband and began to slide them down.

    Slowly.

    Tom let out a low groan, his eyes darkening as he tried to reach for her, forgetting his hands

    were bound. "You''re killing me, La Diva."

    Lucyughed, her voice throaty, "That''s the idea."

    Tom''s eyes followed every inch of exposed skin, his pulse racing with anticipation. When did

    she get so good at this?

    Lucy''sughter whispered through the room and as she stepped out of her panties, Tom''s

    breath escaped in a rush.

    She moved close to him again, cing her hands on his thighs and leaning forward so that her mounds pressed against his chest, and immediately he leaned forward wanting to kiss her but

    she moved back.

    "Oh, not so fast," she whispered, moving closer again, but just out of his reach as she kissed the corner of his mouth, then his neck, trailing gentle kisses down to his corbone.

    Tom closed his eyes, savoring the warmth of her lips, his frustration mixed with pure admiration as she continued to tease him.

    He opened his eyes, his breathing a little faster. "You''re making it hard not to break these cuffs," he said, his voice rough with desire.

    Lucyughed softly, letting her fingers graze his cheek. "You can try," she murmured, her voice low, and she took her time, making him feel every second of her closeness without

    letting him touch her.

    Finally, the teasing was too much even for her. She leaned forward, pressing her lips against his in a lingering kiss that ignited both of them. Tom broke the kiss long enough to murmur,

    "take off the cuffs..."

    But Lucy only shook her head, her eyes filled with yful resolve. "Not yet," she whispered as her hands drifted down to the waistband of his briefs. She slid them down, slowly, meeting his gaze with every inch until they were both lost in the heat of the moment. Bound and unable to reach for her, Tom found himself surrendering to her entirely as she pressed her lips to his neck and shoulders, her hands exploring every part of him as he closed This eyes, letting her take control.

    As Lucy straddled him again, slowly guiding him inside her, the only sound in the room was of their hot breath blending together with the music in the background as they lost themselves

    in each other.

    Some momentster after they were done and settled in bed, Tom looked at Lucy with amazement. "La Diva, huh?" He asked, and she giggled.

    "Whatever happens in the strip club, stays in the club," she said, and he chuckled.

    "Well, we are still in the club," he pointed out, and she giggled.

    "How did youe up with the name?" He asked, and she grinned.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "It was a spur of the moment stuff. I wasn''t exactly thinking about a name," she said, and he

    grinned.

    "Well, that was a very impressive performance. I hope to see more of La Diva in the future,"

    he said as he kissed her forehead.

 Chapter 987: Names And Meanings

    Chapter 987: Names And Meanings

    ?

    Sunday dawned bright and beautiful, filling Lucy with an electric excitement as she moved around the house in a flurry, checking every detail with the careful eye of a hostess who wanted everything to be just right for the impromptu indoor pool party.

    Dressed in flowy, cream-colored pzzo pants and a fitted tank top, she looked effortlessly chic yetfortable, perfect for the cozy afternoon she had nned.

    Stepping to the indoor pool area, Lucy watched the caterers set up tables with colorful tes of finger foods and the bartenders arranging an assortment of drinks near the bar. Soft, warm lighting cast a weing glow across the room, bouncing off the clear blue water and creating an inviting atmosphere that felt both rxed and intimate.

    She paced lightly around, making sure everything was as it should be, from the lounge chairs perfectly arranged to the brightly colored towels neatly stacked near the edge of the pool.

    From behind her, Tom''s voice rang out warmly, "You look like a natural, Jewel. The perfect hostess."

    She turned and saw him watching her, a tender smile on his face that made her heart skip a beat. Sheughed, smoothing her hair back. "I never thought I''d enjoy hosting so much, but here we are! I''m having way too much fun with this for an introvert."

    Tom chuckled as he joined her, "You''d never know what you will enjoy or not until you give it a try. Besides, I thought we already established the fact that you''re not an introvert in any way."

    She grinned, "Okay. An ambivert, then. Let''s settle for that. No argument," she said as they stood together, admiring the setting as the final touches were made.

    Just then, the faint sound of the buzz from the gate indicating an iing car broke through the chatter around them. Lucy perked up, ncing toward the entrance. "That''s either Lucas and Amy, or maybe Sonia and Bryan?" she mused.

    Tom followed her gaze. "Let''s go see," he said, reaching out a hand. She took it eagerly, and they walked over in time to see Lucas driving her car into the driveway.

    "It''s the newly engaged couple!" Lucy squealed, beaming as she let go of Tom''s hand and dashed forward to greet them.

    The moment Amy got out of the car, Lucy enveloped her in a warm hug, ncing down at the sparkling engagement ring on her finger.

    "Congrattions!" she eximed, her eyes twinkling with excitement, "You should know, I''m so thrilled to have you as my sister-inw. It feels like a dream."

    Amy smiled, a slight blush rising to her cheeks. "Me too, Lucy. I''m blessed to have Lucas, and you all feel like family already."

    "Well, let me see that ring," Lucy said, and Amy grinned, holding up her hand with pride and wiggling her fingers yfully.

    Tom watched Lucy with amusement as she admired the ring, and he couldn''t help but wonder what she would think about her own ring.

    "It''s stunning," sheughed, her cheeks glowing as Lucy admired the ring.

    "It is. But you''re even more stunning. You''re glowing, Amy," Lucy said with a wide smile, squeezing her hands.

    "It''s all thanks to Lucas. It''s no coincidence that his name means bringer of light. He''s literally my bringer of light," Amy replied, ncing lovingly at Lucas, who was busy getting their bags from the car since they would be spending the holidays at Tom''s.

    Lucy turned to Lucas, who had turned at the sound of his name and was watching Amy with a gentle smile. "And you''re glowing too, Lucas," Lucy said, her eyes twinkling.

    Lucas chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "That''s because of Amy, my beloved. You know that''s the meaning of her name, right?" he said, his voice filled with warmth as he blew Amy a kiss, and she blew him one too.

    "Aww. Now we are doing names and their meanings," Lucy said as she watched them, feeling very happy for the development between them.

    "So, your name means light too, huh?" Tom asked Lucy with a grin, and she giggled.

    "Yeah. I know I flooded your life with light. You can thank meter. And now that we are talking about it, I just realized I don''t know what your name means," Lucy said, and Thomas chuckled.

    "Take a guess," he said, and she shook her head.

    "Beloved?" she asked with a grin and they allughed.

    "Thomas means twin, and I ended up with one," he said with a wink, and Lucyughed.

    "Aww! This all so sweet," Amy said as Lucas joined them.

    "Congrattions on your engagement," Tom said, and Amy shed him a wide smile.

    "Thank you, Tom. Thanks for having us," Amy said, and Tom gave her an amused smile as he nodded at her.

    "Alright, you two lovebirds, take your bags inside. Amy, once you''re settled,e join me at the indoor pool if you''re not too busy. We''re still getting things set up."

    Amy nodded enthusiastically. "I''ll be right down. I''m so excited! I can''t wait for everyone else to get here," she said as she followed Lucas inside.

    As Lucy watched them go, Tom stepped closer to Lucy, an amused look on his face. "Is it just me, or does Amy seem totally rxed around me now?"

    Lucy chuckled, "I noticed. She''s more easygoing and chatty now. She even calls you Tom," Lucy said, making Tomugh.

    A short whileter, after Lucas and Amy had settled in, they both came down to join Lucy and Tom by the pool area.

    Lucy enlisted Tom and Lucas to oversee the arrangement of the movie room where they could all gather for ate-night movie, while she and Amy discussed the list of activities for everyone in the house during the holiday.

    While they were still talking, Sonia, who just arrived waddled over to join them, and her face lit up when she saw the engagement ring on Amy''s hand as she raised her hand pretending to shield her face from the indoor lights.

    Sonia gave a little cheer. "Look at you, unting that ring! Go on, Amy, show it off some more," she teased with a wink.

    Amyughed, happily obliging and holding her hand out for Sonia to admire. Sonia pped her hands, a yful grin on her face. "That''s my girl!"

    Bryan walked over, giving Lucy a quick hug. "Hey, Lucy! Where''s Tom? By the way, Amy, congrats on your engagement," Bryan greeted.

    "Thanks," Amy said cheerfully.

    "Tom is in the movie room with Amy''s fianc��, setting up the movie room forter. You should

    go give them a hand," she replied with a wink.

    "I see what you did there," Sonia said as they allughed.

    "I will take the bags upstairs and join the guys," Bryan said to Sonia, and kissed her before

    walking away.

    "Is the movie room a guys thing or is it for everyone?" Sonia asked curiously.

    "I was thinking we can have a cozy movie night after the pool fun," Lucy said, and Sonia pped her hands together with delight.

    "Brilliant idea! I like it!"

    "I hope you will stay awake long enough to make it through the movie. I know you can''t stay awake past nine!" Lucy teased, and Amy giggled while Sonia eyed her with yful

    disapproval.

    "Says the one who dozes off a few minutes into a movie," Sonia said, crossing her arms with a smirk, and both Amy and Lucyughed.N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "That was in the past, Sony. That Lucy is long gone," Lucy said, and Sonia scoffed as she

    waved a hand dismissively.

    "I don''t care. In fact..." She trailed off, eyeing the tablesden with food and snacks near the pool. "I think I''ll go sample a few things."

    Lucy and Amy burst outughing as they watched Sonia make a beeline for the food stand. Sharing a look, they walked over to join her.

    "I really hope I don''t end up too fat after this babyes," Sonia said between bites, though she was smiling as she spoke.

    Lucy patted her shoulder reassuringly. "You''re eating for two! And besides, once the babyes, you''ll burn off the extra weight in no time. I''m sure of that."

    "And even if you don''t burn it all, I''m sure you''ll still be your fine self," Amy added.

    Sonia sighed, a yful gleam in her eyes as she chewed. "So, I guess we are all going to be sisters-inw, huh?" she asked with a grin, and Lucy giggled.

    "I guess so. It''s nice. I like that we are all rted in a way," Lucy said, and Amy giggled. "I''m not sure I thought of that. You''re both Jade''s sisters-inw, and both Andy and Candace are her sisters-inw, and I''m your sister-inw," Amy said, and they allughed. While thedies chatted outside, Tom and Lucas chatted inside the movie room. "So, you decided to get engaged before me?" Tom asked after they had worked for a while, just in time for Bryan, who just walked in to hear them.

    Lucas chuckled, "Yeah. I didn''t want you to beat me to it and set an unbeatable standard for me. It''s bad enough that Amy looks up to you two," Lucas said, and Tomughed out loud. "Yeah, right. We both know that wasn''t the reason you did it. When do you n to tie the knot then? Any date in mind yet?" Tom asked, and Lucas grinned.

    "Want to know if I n to beat you and Lucy to it?" Lucas asked, and Tomughed.

    "Nah. I think Lucy would want us to do it on your birthday. I''m cool with that," Tom said and

    Lucas shrugged.

    "That wouldn''t be a bad idea. Although, I don''t think Amy is in haste to get married. So, we will tie the knot when she decides that she is ready," Lucas said, and just then Bryan who had been listening from the doorway spoke.

    "Why are you both talking about marriage like Lucy has changed her mind?" Bryan asked as

    he walked in, and they both turned to him.

    "How long have you been standing there?" Tom asked, and Bryan shrugged.

    "Long enough to hear your engagement and marriage discussion," Bryan said and Lucas

    exchanged a look with Tom.

    "You''re lucky it''s Bryan. The surprise would have been blown had it been Lucy," Lucas said

    and Bryan raised a brow.

    "It''s true? She changed her mind? You''re getting married?" Bryan asked, his voice rising with excitement and both Lucas and Tom chuckled.

    "Leroy your voice down. And yes. I''m proposing to her at the Christmas Eve party," Tom said

    with a grin, and Bryan pped Tom''s back happily.

    "This is great, news, Tom! Why didn''t you tell me?" He asked, and Tom shrugged.

    "I wanted to surprise everyone," he said, and Bryan nodded. "I''m very surprised already. I take it Sonia isn''t aware, right?" He asked, and Tom chuckled.

    "Wait, Sonia knows? You mean you told her about your ns?" Bryan asked, and when Tom shrugged, Bryan shook his head, "I''m still amazed at how well she can keep secrets from me. I guess Sonia is always going to be Sonia," he said, feeling both amused by it and resigned to

    that aspect of Sonia.

    "You should keep it to yourself too. You can''t tell mom and dad or Jade about it," Tom

    warned, and Bryan made a zip gesture on his lips.

    "Your secret is safe with me. I''m really happy for you, Tom. You have no idea how happy I am

    to hear this. And I know Mom is going to be over the moon too," Bryan said, and Tom

    laughed.

    "Yeah. That I''m sure of."

 Chapter 988: You Did What?

    Chapter 988: You Did What?

    ?

    As the ne touched down and Aaron, Candace, and Jamal made their way through the bustling airport, Candace scanned the crowd, half-expecting Harry or Andy. But before she could wonder too much, she saw her dad''s face break into a warm, happy smile, his eyes lighting up as he spotted someone.

    There, just a few steps away, was Debbie, waving and beaming as she walked over. "Aaron!" she called, her voice bright and full of excitement.

    Aaron chuckled, his whole face softening as he opened his arms, and Candace couldn''t help but smile as she watched her dad step forward to hug his girlfriend.

    "I missed you," Debbie murmured as she squeezed him tightly. "I thought I''d surprise you since I couldn''t wait to see you."

    Candace exchanged a knowing smile with Jamal, who was bouncing on his heels beside her. "Looks like Dad wasn''t expecting this," she whispered, and Jamal nodded, grinning.

    After a moment, Aaron pulled back and turned to his them, his hand still resting on Debbie''s shoulder. "Candace, Jamal, I know you''ve spoken to Debbie over the phone, but this is your first official meeting. This is Debbie," he said, his voice proud. "Debbie, this is Candace, and this little one," he nodded to Jamal, "is my grandson."

    "Hello, Debbie, it''s good to finally meet you. You are beautiful. Thank you for making this old man happy," Candace said, and Debbieughed.

    "He''s not so old..."

    "He is," Candace cut in, and Aaronughed.

    "You''re just jealous that she came to get me and no one came to get you," Aaron said dryly and Candace giggled.

    Jamal, with a big, toothy smile, looked up at Debbie and gave a little wave. "Hi, Grandma Debbie!"

    Debbie''s face softened, and she let out a smallugh. "Well, aren''t you just the sweetest," she said, bending down to his level. "I''ve heard so much about you, Jamal. It''s so nice to finally meet you."

    Candace watched, her heart warm, as Jamal''s eyes sparkled with excitement. "Grandma Debbie, do you like superheroes?" he asked, his voice hopeful.

    Debbie winked at him. "Oh, absolutely. I think they''re amazing. My favorite is Spider-Man."

    Jamal gave her an approving nod, clearly pleased with her answer and Aaronughed, asking Jamal how long he had been waiting to ask her that.

    Meanwhile, Candace noticed a slightmotion off to the side-people were pointing, whispering, even snapping pictures. Curious, she nced in the direction they were all looking.

    And there, walking toward them with a bouquet of flowers in hand, was Matt.

    Candace''s eyes widened and her mouth parted in surprise. "Oh... my..." she whispered, her hand flying to her mouth. Before she could process, Jamal squealed, "Matt!" and dashed toward him, his little feet thudding excitedly against the floor.

    Matt, grinning, crouched down to catch Jamal, scooping him up and lifting him high. He looked over Jamal''s shoulder, locking eyes with Candace, and winked.

    Candaceughed, her heart pounding with excitement as she hurried over. She wrapped her arms around Matt as soon as he set Jamal back down, feeling his warmth as he hugged her tight.

    "Were you surprised?" Matt asked, his voice teasing as he held her close.

    "Completely!" Candaceughed, looking up at him with shining eyes. "I wasn''t expecting you at all. Didn''t you say you will be in Ludus on Wednesday?"

    "Well, I wanted to surprise you," Matt said, grinning. He looked down at Jamal, who was standing at his side, holding onto his hand. "Jam, I hope you''re ready to spend the holidays ying games with me?"

    Jamal nodded enthusiastically. "Yes! I''m ready!"

    Candace chuckled, nudging Matt yfully. "You might have somepetition there. I''m ready too."

    Matt let out a softugh, wrapping an arm around her shoulders as they walked back over to join Aaron and Debbie together.

    Aaron grinned as he watched them approach, and Candace gave him a pointed look, "Look who got weed by her boyfriend and got flowers," she said with a smirk, and Aaronughed.

    "Did you really think I didn''t know about this?" He asked dryly and Matt chuckled.

    "I''m sure Matt doesn''t need an introduction. Matt, meet my girlfriend, Debbie," Aaron said when he noticed the way Debbie''s eyes lit up as she watched Matt.

    She nced at Aaron and then back at Matt, smiling warmly as she extended a hand. "It''s nice to meet you. I''m a fan, by the way."

    "Thank you," Matt replied, shaking her hand, his own smile easy and genuine. "It''s a pleasure to meet you, Debbie."

    "Well, I hope you''ll be joining the family for Christmas dinner at my ce," Debbie said with a soft smile, looking at Candace and Jamal with warmth in her eyes.

    Matt nodded. "I''d love to," he replied. "I''m looking forward to it."

    After a few moments of chatting, Matt looked over at Aaron. "I hope you don''t mind that I''m taking Candace and Jamal with me."

    Aaron chuckled, "Not at all. I already informed Harry that they will be going with you..."

    "You did? What if I didn''t want to go with him?" Candace asked with a raised brow.

    "I would throw you over my shoulder and take you with me. With your father''s blessings of course," Matt said with a wink and Candace giggled.

    "Alright. We will leave you now. Debbie and I have some catching up to do ourselves," Aaron said, and Debbie grinned, linking her arm with Aaron''s.

    "Absolutely," she said, and they allughed as they started heading toward the airport exit, ignoring the asional shes of cameras around them.

    Once outside, Matt led Candace and Jamal to his car. As he started the engine, Candace turned

    to him with a mischievous smile. "Think we can drop by Tom''s ce first?"

    Matt raised an eyebrow, ncing at her with interest. "The pool party you mentionedst

    night?"

    "Yep," she nodded. "And I''ll get to see my girls before tomorrow."

    Matt chuckled, shaking his head. "Alright, sounds like a n," he said, pulling out of the airport and setting course for Tom''s ce.

    Away from there, the rest of the group had arrived; Jade and Harry, Aurora and Philip, as well as Andy and Sharon who had formed a special friendship and even arranged sleepovers with Mari and Emily who now attended the same school.

    While thedies lounged at the poolside swimming, eating and talking about their hangout the next day and their ns for Christmas, the men yed games in the Den.

    After sometime, the men decided to join thedies, and they all participated in games, with Andy and Sharon pairing up as a couple.

    Sonia and Bryan sat out some of the games since Bryan didn''t want Sonia overexerting herself, so instead they acted as judges for the games.

    They were in the middle of a couple''s ry swimming when Matt and Candace walked in after letting Jamal join Mari and Emily who were having dinner at the dining.

    "Go, everyone!" Candace called out excitedly as she watched thedies swim over to their

    men with the baton.

    Matt chuckled, "Who exactly are you supporting?"

    "No one. I would have supported Andy, but I''m too jealous of her friendship with Sharon to

    let them win," she said, and Mattughed.

    "You know you''re far away and she does need a friend here in Ludus, right? Sharon isn''t recing you," Matt said, and Candace rolled her eyes.

    "And you think I don''t know that? That doesn''t make me less jealous. I''m sure you guys don''t understand this whole female friendship jealousy thing," she said with a dramatic sigh, and

    he smiled.

    "Hey! I didn''t know you were around," Bryan said as Matt and Candace joined him and Sonia.

    "I came in this morning to surprise my baby. Hey, Sony. How''s our baby doing?" Matt asked

    as he bent down to kiss her cheek.

    "Kicking and being a good baby," she said with a wide smile.

    "It''s good to have you both here. Are you going to join in the games?" Sonia asked, and Matt

    shook his head.

    "I''m tired. I haven''t gotten enough rest and I''m a bit jetgged..."

    "You are? Why didn''t you say that? We would have gone home so you get some rest," Candace

    said with a frown.

    "You wanted toe here and see the girls. You should. Besides, I figured you''d see Harry

    and Andy too. We can go after a while and I can have you to myself," he said, and she grinned

    as she leaned in to kiss him.

    "Eww! Get a room," Sonia joked, and they allughed.

    "We will eventually," Candace said with a wink and Sonia giggled.

    "Amy and Lucas are winning again," Bryan said, and Sonia returned her attention to the pool

    where Lucas had just beat the other guys.

    "I think you two should take a break," Lucy said with a scowl, and the others agreed while Lucas and Amyughed as they high-fived each other.

    "I''m sorry Lucas and Amy keeps winning you guys. If Bryan and I were ying, we would have

    won some rounds too so it wouldn''t be wless victory on their end," Sonia said sweetly, and

    everyoneughed.

    "You weren''t even paying attention. How would you have known had someone else won?"

    Jade asked, and Sonia shrugged.

    "It was pointless. Winners know winners," Sonia said with a wink at Amy and Lucas and they

    allughed.

    "Wee, Candy. You too, Matt. It''s good to see you," Andy said as they all climbed out of

    the warm pool.

    Sharon had a wide smile on her face as she got to where Candace and Matt stood, "Hello,

    Matt. I''ve been dying to meet you in person. I''m a huge fan," Sharon said as she shook hands

    with Matt.

    "Thanks. It''s nice to meet you too, Sharon," he said, and her eyes widened.

    "You know my name?" she asked, and Matt chuckled.

    "Yeah. I''ve heard a lot about you from Candace," he said, ncing at Candace who was daring

    him with her eyes to say what she told him.

    "Nice things, I suppose?" Sharon asked with a grin.

    "Yeah. She says you''re such a great friend to Andy, and she''s thankful that Andy has someone

    like you to rely on over here," Matt said, and Andy eyed Candace with amusement, knowing that Matt was saying the exact opposite of whatever she had said.

    "Aww. Thanks, Candace. Andy is wonderful to me too," Sharon said sweetly before walking

    away, and Andy giggled.

    "I''ve missed you," Andy said as she embraced Candace.

    "You have? It doesn''t seem like it," Candace muttered and Andyughed.

    "It doesn''t have to seem like it. It is it. And it is silly for you to be jealous. Sharon is a good

    friend no doubt, but you? You''re my soul sister and best friend. We have history and nothing

    can get between that. So, stop being so petty. It doesn''t suit you," Andy said, and Candace rolled her eyes, but a smile tugged at her lips.

    "So sweet. Now I''m jealous," Matt said, and Candace kicked his shin yfully.

    As everyone rxed and chatted, Andy looked at Candace, "So, you''ll be at Matt''s, huh?" She

    asked, and Candace nodded.

    "Yeah. But we will stop over for dinner at yours when you''re ready. Matt should at least see

    Alex. He''s been dying to meet him," Candace said, looking at Matt who was busy talking with

    Bryan.

    "So, I''ve been meaning to tell you something, but I didn''t want it to be over the phone," Andy

    said, and Candace raised a brow.

    "What?"

    "You first have to promise not to be mad," Andy said, and Candace narrowed her eyes.

    "What have you done?" she asked wearily, and Andy winced.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "It''s nothing bad I promise. Or maybe it is. But it''s not bad for me. I know you''re not..."

    "You''re bbing. That means you''re nervous. What did you do?" Candace asked with a frown as she sat up.

    "I got married to Alex," she whispered, and Candace''s eyes widened.

    "You did what?" Candace asked in disbelief.

    Andy nodded, "We went to the ind together a month ago and we got married there," she

    said, showing Candace her gold bracelet, "I decided to wear a bracelet instead of a ring."

    "How could you not tell me? Is Dad and Harry aware? No. I''m sure they are not. Is Sharon aware?" Candace asked, and Andy rolled her eyes.

    "She has never even met Alex. I can''t tell just anyone about him, you know? You''re the first

    and only person I''m telling. Now I''m Mari''s stepmom officially and her legal guardian too," Andy said, and Candace sighed.

    "I''m not sure Dad is going to like that you did this without us. It would have been nice to be

    there," Candace said, and Andy smiled.

    "Dad will understand. And so will Harry," Andy said confidently, and Candace sighed.

    "Are you happy?" She asked, and Andy nodded.

    "Yeah. I''m very happy."

    "Okay. Congrats, then. And you''re lucky you didn''t tell Sharon before me," Candace said as

    she embraced her, and Andyughed.

 Chapter 989: From Foes To Friends

    Chapter 989: From Foes To Friends

    ?

    By the time Matt, Candace, and Jamal got to Matt''s ce, it was past midnight already and Jamal slept through the drive.

    As Candace tucked Jamal in for the night, he woke up, and then looked around the room, "Is this Matt''s house?" He asked curiously, although he was still very sleepy.

    Candace nodded, "Yes."

    "Are you going to stay here after you marry him?" He asked again, and Candace smiled.

    "We are both going to stay here together," she assured him, but he shook his head.

    "I''m not going to leave stay here. I will visit you," he said, and Candace frowned.

    "Why? Don''t you like this ce? Don''t you want me to marry Matt?" She asked as she joined him on the bed and pulled him closer.

    "I don''t want to leave grandpa. Grandpa will be lonely if everyone leaves. And I don''t want to be far from HAJ," he said, and her frown deepened.

    "So, you''re saying you want to leave me alone?" she asked, heartbroken at the thought.

    "I will visit you a lot," he said and Candace shook her head.

    "I can''t let the happen, Jam. You''re my son. You should be with me. I can''t be away from you," she said, but Jamal said nothing to that.

    After waiting for sometime for him to say something but he didn''t, she looked down at him and realized he had slept off.

    She sighed deeply as she quietly got off the bed and left the room. She was still frowning when she walked into Matt''s bedroom.

    "Is there a problem?" He asked, moving closer to her as she took off her clothes to go freshen up.

    She told him about her conversation with Jamal, and Matt ced both hands on her shoulders. "Don''t let it bother you. I''m not exactly tied to this ce and we can get a ce in Sogal if need be. That way he will be closer to your dad and the studio, and when we visit Ludus we can stay here. It''s not really that big a deal," he assured her.

    Candace sighed deeply as she thought about it. It wasn''t just about Matt moving. She had been looking forward to moving to Ludus to join the others and even get a job at I-Global like Jade after she was done with school. Staying back in Sogal had not exactly been in her ns and now she wasn''t sure what to do.

    Deciding not to think about it now, Candace went in to freshen up and when she was done, they went to bed.

    The next morning, sunlight streamed softly through the curtains, casting a warm glow across the room where Lucy and Tom were still snuggled up in bed.

    They were woken by a knock on the door informing them that breakfast was ready and the others were down already.

    Lucy blinked sleepily, barely stirring, but she felt the familiar weight of exhaustion hanging over her.

    Tom opened one eye and gave her a drowsy smile. "Morning," he murmured.

    "Morning," she whispered back, sighing deeply as she stretched her arms. "I feel like I could stay in bed all day. Honestly, I wish I didn''t have to step out with the girls."

    Tom chuckled, his voice warm and teasing. "That does sound tempting, but unfortunately, you''ve already made ns. And besides, we still need breakfast. Come on, let''s get going."

    Lucy groaned, burying her face in her pillow. "Fine, but only because I''m starving," she muttered, earning anotherugh from Tom. They both managed to roll out of bed, moving at a slow, sleepy pace as they made their way to freshen up.

    As they brushed their teeth and washed up, Tom looked over at Lucy, a soft smile ying on his lips. "Last night was fun, wasn''t it? Having everyone around?"

    Lucy nodded, her eyes brightening a little. "It really was. The games and all. It felt... cozy and rxing. I suppose this exhaustion is worth the fun."

    "Yeah," Tom agreed, a warmth in his voice.

    They dressed, sharing smallments about the night before, each memory bringing a quiet smile or chuckle. When they were finally ready, they headed downstairs, arms brushing as they walked side by side.

    Down in the dining room, Sonia and Bryan were already seated with Amy and Lucas, all of them looking equally tired as they picked at their breakfast. Lucas waved as they approached, and Sonia called out, "Look who decided to join us!"

    Lucy rolled her eyes, smiling. "It was a close call. I was tempted to sleep right through breakfast."

    Lucas grinned, raising his coffee mug. "You and me both. Last night was a st, but I think I''m going to need a nap after this."

    As they all settled in, the conversation drifted back to the previous night, each of them sharing snippets of jokes and funny moments from the party. Theyughed over silly things- Harry''s terrible attempt at dancing, the water fight and games. It was easy, lighthearted, and filled with the warmth of friendship and family.

    After breakfast, as they made their way back to their rooms, Lucas turned to Amy, his voice soft. "You know, you still haven''t told your mom about the engagement."

    Amy''s eyes widened, and sheughed a little. "Oh, right. Ipletely forgot. Do you think we should call her now?"

    "Yeah," Lucas agreed, smiling. "Let''s do it. I want her to know, and I''m sure she''s going to be so happy."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "Yeah, she is," Amy agreed as they settled on the bed, and she pulled out her phone, dialing her mother''s number for a video call.

    After a few rings, her mother appeared on the screen, standing in the Garwood kitchen, a warm smile spreading across her face when she saw Amy and Lucas together. "Amy! Lucas! How are you two?" she asked, her voice filled with joy. "And why aren''t you visiting for the holidays?"

    Amy smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, Mom, we have other ns this time, Mom."

    "But don''t worry, we''ll definitely spend the next holiday with you," Lucas promised.

    Amy nodded, giving her mom a reassuring smile. "We promise, next holiday, we''ll be there

    with you."

    Her mom''s eyes sparkled with joy. "That sounds lovely, but something tells me that''s not why you''re calling, is it?"

    Amy nced at Lucas, then lifted her hand, showing her mom the ring. "Actually, Mom, Lucas proposed!"

    The scream of joy that burst from the other end of the call was loud enough to startle them both. Her mom was practically jumping up and down, and the sound attracted Mrs. Garwood, who stepped into the kitchen to see what was going on.

    "What''s all this excitement about?" Mrs. Garwood asked and her face lit up once Amy''s mom

    told her the news.

    "Oh my, Amy, Lucas, congrattions!" She said happily, both women beaming with joy.

    "This is wonderful news," Amy''s mom said, her voice thick with emotion.

    "Yes, it is. It''s the best news I''ve heard in a while, and you know what? I''m going to sponsor the wedding myself, so anything you need, just tell me. So, you have to do something big, okay? We won''t be sparing any expense," Mrs Garwood promised.

    Amy and Lucasughed, their hearts full from the overwhelming support. "Thank you so

    much," Lucas said. "That''s incredibly generous of you."

    Mrs Garwood waved it off with a warm smile. "Oh, nonsense. I''m just so happy to see you two

    together. I know Miley would be thrilled too."

    Amy''s eyes softened, and she nodded, thinking of herte friend. "She would be."

    After a beat, Amy''s mom leaned closer to the camera. "So, have you picked a date yet? Any

    arrangements made?"

    Amy shook her head, smiling. "I''m not in a hurry just yet, Mom."

    Her mom, however,ughed, shaking her head. "Well, I am. The sooner you get married, the

    sooner I get grandkids to spoil."

    Amy and Lucasughed, and they spent a few more minutes talking and sharing the excitement before finally hanging up. Amy let out a happy sigh, turning to Lucas with a smile.

    "She''s over the moon, isn''t she?"

    Lucas chuckled. "She definitely is."

    "So, what are you going to be doing after I step out?" Amy asked as she headed for the closet

    to take out her outfit.

    Lucas shrugged. "I''ll take a long nap and maybe after that I will find something to keep me

    busy- probably just ying games with the guys and rxing until my shift at the hospital."

    "For a moment there I forgot you have a job here now," she said with a grin and Lucas

    chuckled.

    An hourter after saying goodbye to Lucas, Amy headed downstairs, where Lucy and Sonia were already waiting by the door, looking ready to go.

    Together, they stepped outside and climbed into the car as Adolf drove them to the lounge where the girls would be spending their day.

    "I chose this ce because it was Miley''s and my favorite spot," Amy said softly as they

    found their table. "It was also where I had my first date with Lucas. I figured we should celebrate my engagement here."

    Lucy smiled, squeezing her hand. "It''s perfect, Amy. I''m sure Miley will feel like a part of the

    celebration."

    "Yeah. You made a really thoughtful choice," Sonia added.

    Soon, the rest of the group joined them- Jade, Candace, Andy, Aurora, and Sharon. As they all settled in, chatting andughing, Amy felt a surge of gratitude for each of them.

    Just as they were ordering drinks, a beautifuldy approached their table, and Jade looked up

    with a wide smile when she recognized Lisa, Anita''s sane sister.

    "Hi, Jade," Lisa said, looking at her with a wide smile. "Do you remember me?"

    Jade smiled warmly. "Of course, Lisa. How could I forget?"

    "Well, I was heavily pregnant the first andst time we met, so it''s normal if you don''t

    remember," Lisa said with a smallugh.

    "Well, I do," Jade assured her.

    "My mother-inw owns this ce. I came to hang out with my sisters, and when I saw you I thought I should say hello," Lisa said, and then looked around the table from Lucy to Candace

    and Andy.

    "Your mother-inw? Debbie owns here?" Candace asked, since her mother-inw was

    Aaron''s girlfriend.

    "I guess this was the ce Dad said he met her," Andy said with a grin, "Nice spot for

    blooming romance if you ask me."

    Lisaughed, "Yeah. Funny how our paths cross again. Small world, isn''t it?" she asked with a

    wide smile and they had to admit it was indeed small.

    "Well, Lisa meet the GEL club. Everyone meet Lisa Steele. We are celebrating our friend Amy

    who just got engaged," Jade exined, gesturing to Amy.

    "Oh! That''s great. Congrattions," Lisa said with a wide smile, "If you don''t mind me asking, what''s the GEL club?" She asked, and Jade signaled to Lucy to exin, and Lucy told

    her about them.

    Lisa''s eyes lit up, and she nced at her sisters. "That''s interesting. What is the criteria to be a member? I''d like to join you. I''m sure my sisters would love to be a part of this too." "I trust you, but I can''t say the same for your sisters, given our history with them. Can you

    vouch for them?" Jade asked, and Lisa ced a hand on her chest with a solemn expression. "I assure you, they''repletely changed," she said, and then Jade looked around the table, her gaze meeting Lucy''s for approval.

    With a little shrug, Lucy gave a nod of approval. Jade smiled, extending an open invitation.

    "Alright. You can join us."

    Lisa excitedly went to get her sisters, and Sonia looked at Lucy and Jade with interest, "Are

    you sure it''s wise to let them join us?"

    "Everyone deserves a second chance, Sony. Their mother has paid for her crimes and she is gone now. Let''s give them a chance," Lucy said, and Sonia shrugged.

    "Just saying," she said, as Lisa returned with Bernice and Tiffany.

    As Tiffany sat down, she met Lucy''s gaze, remembering theirst meeting at the spa. "I''m

    sorry for thest time," she said, and Lucy waved it off. "That''s all in the past. What about Anita?" she asked curiously.

    "She is fine. She doesn''t n to return anytime soon," Tiffany said and Jade looked at her

    with interest.

    "If you don''t mind me asking, I''ve been curious. What about your husband?" she asked, and

    Tiffany smiled.

    "Jack is fine. We are divorced now," she said, and when Jade nced at Bernice, Bernice

    smiled as though she could read her mind.

    "I chose not to be involved with him," Bernice said, and Jade nodded, not asking for any other

    exnation.

    Andy took it up from there, and told thedies all they needed to know about the GEL club,

    and once they settled in, theirughter and chatter blended with the warmth of friendship

    that filled the lounge.

    Lucy smiled as she watched them, amused by the unpredictability of life, and how foes could be friends, and strangers, family.

 Chapter 990: I Can’t Wait

    Chapter 990: I Can��t Wait

    ?

    The soft murmur of the television filled the Den as Tom, Lucy, Bryan, Sonia, Lucas, and Amy lounged on the plush couches. A familiar warmth lingered in the air, the kind thates from being surrounded by loved ones.

    The screen flickered with vibrant images, but no one seemed particrly invested in the show as they were all too busy talking about other things to focus on it.

    Suddenly, the sound of voices echoed down the hall. "Anybody home?" Desmond''s rich baritone voice carried into the room.

    They all exchanged a look as everyone scrambled to their feet and they hurried out to wee their parents, with Bryan and Sonia behind.

    In the entryway, Desmond, Evelyn, Andrew and J stood, their presenceforting. The moment their children appeared, the house buzzed with life.

    "Oh, there you all are!" Evelyn eximed, her smile wide as she opened her arms.

    The next few minutes were a blur ofughter, hugs, and ovepping chatter as they all embraced and greeted each other.

    "I''ve missed seeing you all," Evelyn said, and then pulled Sonia into her embrace again. "Oh, Sony, you look so lovely," Evelyn said, stepping back to take a good look at her daughter-in-w.

    Sonia''s cheeks turned pink, and she giggled softly. "I''m so d that you''re here now. I hope you don''t n to leave until Ryso arrives, right?"

    Evelyn grinned, her eyes twinkling. "Of course! You have nothing to worry about. I wouldn''t miss it for the world. I''m here to stay, my dear. We''re weing my first grandchild together," Evelyn assured her.

    Sonia leaned into Evelyn''s embrace again, her heart swelling with happiness.

    Meanwhile, Andrew turned to Bryan with a nod of approval. "You''re doing a good job, Bryan. Sonia looks happy and healthy. Well done."

    "Thank you," Bryan said, though he couldn''t help but chuckle when Sonia giggled like a teenager under Andrew''s praise.

    "Yes. Sonia looks well taken care of. Well done," Desmond said with approval.

    "Amy, how are you doing?" J asked, looking at Amy with a fond smile, and Evelyn''s gaze shifted to Lucas and Amy.

    "You''re Lucas'' girlfriend. I''ve heard so much about you from J. It''s nice to finally meet you. Lucas, you have no idea how happy I am to see you this way," Evelyn said with a wide smile.

    "I''m happy that you''re seeing me this way too," Lucas said, and Evelynughed, her joy infectious.

    Lucy, who had been standing quietly beside Tom after the initial hugs, finally caught Evelyn''s attention again. "My darling," Evelyn said, stepping forward to sp her hands, "you''ve done a beautiful job with this ce. I love what you''ve done. The house feels so festive. I saw the decorations outside, and this tree, it''s so beautiful. The lights- it''s all perfect." Evelyn said, and Lucy beamed.

    "Thank you! I''m d you love it. Tom and I worked on it together." She nced at him with a soft smile.

    Tom slid an arm around her waist. "Yes, we did it together," he said proudly.

    Bryan groaned, rolling his eyes. "You didn''t have to touch her or hold her this way to say it. We got it already. You''re always trying to act like you''re the most romantic guy in the room. You''re so annoying," Bryan said grudgingly, andughter erupted in the room.

    "I have no idea why you''re so jealous. Sony is standing right beside you, hold her if you want to," Tom teased.

    Before Bryan could respond, Evelyn held up a hand, her smile indulgent. "You two, enough. Let''s save the banter forter."

    Desmond''s gaze scanned the group. "It''s good to see that everyone is doing well. Why is Jade not here?" Desmond asked curiously.

    "She and Harry are having their couple counseling session today, but she said they woulde over after they''re done," Lucy exined, and Desmond nodded approvingly.

    "That''s good. I''m so proud of Jade and Harry for putting in the effort. Counseling is so important," he said, while Evelyn''s gaze lingered on Lucy, and her smile widened.

    She was pleased to see that Lucy was taking her ce by Tom''s side and handling things well with the family.

    "So, are you both going to say it now or should I? I''m bursting to say it," Lucy asked with a wide smile looking from Lucas to Amy as the conversations shifted and their parents started heading for the stairs.

    Lucas rolled his eyes, "Shouldn''t we let everyone settle down first?" He asked, though his grin betrayed his amusement.

    and Amy giggled nudging Lucas to go ahead.

    "What do you want to tell us?" J and Andrew asked in unison.

    "That we are engaged," Amy said excitedly as she raised her hand to show them her ring. "Oh, my god!" J eximed happily as she pulled Amy into another hug, "Wee to the family, Amy," J said, while Andrew pped Lucas on the back with approval.

    "If it were someone else, I''d worry that you''re both going too fast, but it''s Amy, and we all know she''s an angel," Andrew said as he embraced Amy.

    "Okay. It''s good to be weed with such pleasant news. Why don''t we freshen up and then we can all celebrate?" Evelyn suggested.

    "We''ve celebrated already," Amy said, and Evelyn exchanged an amused look with J.

    "We weren''t part of that celebration and one celebration is never enough," J said, and Evelyn nodded.

    "Exactly. Let''s go in and you, Amy, will tell us all about the proposal, let''s see if Lucas did a good job or if we are going to ask him to redo it," Evelyn said, and Amyughed, feeling very weed and at home.

    She had been sort of worried about meeting Evelyn and Desmond but she could see that she didn''t have to worry so much. It seemed like the entire family were pretty amodating

    and easy going.

    "I hope you brought us gifts from your travels?" Lucy asked Evelyn as they all made their way upstairs, while Tom, Lucas, and Bryan followed behind with the bags and luggage.

    "Of course. We got something for everyone," Evelyn assured her, "speaking about gifts, please leave the red bag in the Den," Evelyn called to Lucas, who was carrying the red bag which contained the gifts she had gotten them.

    After their parents freshened up a short whileter, they all gathered at the dining for dinner, and Tom brought out some of his expensive bottles of wine to celebrate Lucas'' and Amy''s engagement again.

    As they ate, Evelyn and Desmond entertained them with the tales from their trips and the various culture shock they experienced in all the ces they visited.

    "Why don''t you bothe with us on our next trip? It would be fun to travel with you two," Evelyn suggested.

    "I think that''s a good idea. You both deserve a vacation," Lucas said, and Lucy nodded in

    agreement.

    "I agree. You should travel," Lucy said and J rolled her eyes, not seeing any need to remind Lucy and Lucas in front of everyone that they weren''t as rich as the Hanks and couldn''t

    afford such trips.

    Thankfully, neither J nor Andrew had to respond as Jade and Harry joined them, "Daddy!" Jade called happily as she ran towards her father''s seat, and Desmond beamed a happy smile

    as he pushed away from the table to embrace her. "How''s my princess doing?" He asked, and she smiled happily.

    "I''m fine. I missed you," she said, pulling back to look him over, "you got a bit darker. More like tanned. Have you been spending more time outdoors?" She asked, and Desmond

    chuckled.

    "Yeah. Your Mom won''t let me stay indoors in peace," he said, before looking at Harry.

    "How are you doing, Harry," he asked with a pleasant smile.

    "I''m fine, Desmond. It''s good to see you again. I''m sorry we got here a bitte..." "You don''t have to apologize. I''m sure you came as soon as you can," Desmond assured her.

    Harry and Jade joined them at the table, and as they were served, Evelyn looked at them, "Lucy mentioned you went for couple counseling. How has it been so far?"

    Jade exchanged a look with Harry, "It has been... enlightening," Jade said, and Harry nodded

    in agreement.

    "I highly rmend that everyone attends these sessions. You know, most religious organizations hold such programs for intending couples. I think it''s really nice," Harry said,N?v(el)B\\jnn

    and Desmond nodded.

    "Yeah. Eve and I signed up for it before marriage. I rmend it too," he said, and Tom

    nodded.

    "I rmend it too," Tom joked and they allughed, from there, they drifted to other

    topics.

    After dinner they all retired to the Den and Evelyn opened the bag containing the gifts for

    every one.

    She brought jewelries, hair essories, makeup, and scarves for thedies which they happily received and shared amongst themselves, and for the guys she bought shirts and ties and

    belts.

    "It feels like Christmas already," Sonia said as they all chattered happily, grateful for the

    gifts.

    "Talking about Christmas, how''s the n for the partying along?" Evelyn asked, and Lucy smiled brightly.

    "It''s alling along perfectly," Lucy said, looking forward to the next couple of days when she would finally pop the question to Tom.

    "I can''t wait," Sonia said as she exchanged a knowing look with Harry, and Bryan smirked

    when he caught the exchange, d that he wasn''t in the dark about Tom''s ns as Sonia

    thought.

    "I can''t wait either," Lucas said, with a grin.

    Christmas Eve promised to be interesting, and he was looking forward to it.

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 991 Large Family

    991 Large Family

    Andy wiped the steam off the mirror in the bathroom, her towel snug around her. Her hair hung wet and messy over her shoulders as she reached for the moisturizer on the sink.

    She hummed a soft tune, excited but nervous about lunch with her family and nned to tell Aaron and Harry about her marriage.

    Her thoughts spun as she tried to imagine their reactions. Would they be upset? Confused? Happy?

    After a few minutes, she pulled on her robe and stepped out into the bedroom. The sight of Alex caught her off guard. He stood by the closet, buttoning up a crisp white shirt.

    Her eyebrows shot up. "Are you going somewhere?" she asked, tilting her head.

    Alex looked at her and smirked. "Yes. I''m going with you."

    Andyughed. "You''re joking, right? Lunch with my family?" She asked, wondering how he nned to pull it off since he never stepped out of the house especially during the day.

    "No," Alex said with a shake of his head, his voice calm. "I''ve thought about it, and it doesn''t feel right for my wife to tell her family about our marriage without me there. I should be by your side."

    Andy''s smile faded. "In the middle of the day? Alex, how exactly do you n to do that?" Her tone was soft and concerned.

    Alex''s lips curved into a knowing smile. "I have a surprise for you," he said, walking back into the closet.

    Andy folded her arms and stared at the closet door. "A surprise? What kind of surprise?" she called out.

    "Give me a moment. You''ll see," Alex replied from inside, his voice teasing.

    When Alex stepped out a few momentster, Andy gasped. The man before her looked nothing like her husband. His face was younger, his features sharper, his skin smooth. He looked like someone straight out of a movie.

    "Who�� who are you?" Andy stuttered, her hand flying to her mouth.

    Alex chuckled, his familiarugh breaking through the illusion. "Your husband. I had an ultra realistic mask made. I didn''t want to change my face surgically, but I thought this would let us live a normal life. I want to be there for you, for Mari, and for everything that matters in public."

    Andy blinked, then burst outughing. "You''re serious? And you picked this face? A young, handsome man? I didn''t realize you were so vain."

    "Vain? No, I''m not. But I''m married to a very vain person. So, I have to keep up with her," he said with a wink and Andy giggled.

    "Now that you mention it, I think I''m falling in love with this new look. When we make love you have to put it on," she said with a wink, and Alex chuckled. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "That''s not happening. Never," Alex said with a mock frown. "Focus on the man behind the mask,"

    Andy stepped closer, herughter settling into a soft smile. "You went through all this trouble for us?"

    "It was no trouble," Alex said, brushing a strand of hair from her face.

    Andy sighed. "Thank you, Alex. This means a lot. But�� how do we exin this to Mari?"

    "She''s smart," Alex said with a shrug. "She''ll understand."

    Andy nodded, "I''m sure she will. Now we can do much together. Thank you, Alex. This means so much to me," she said as she embraced him.

    "It means so much more to me, trust me," Alex said as he kissed her.

    Andy giggled, "I feel like I''m kissing someone else right now," she said and Alexughed.

    "Hurry up. I don''t want to bete for my first meeting with your family. I have to make a good first impression on your Dad," he said, and Andy nodded and quickly dressed up.

    A few minutester, they stepped out of the room, Alex carrying a casual confidence in his new disguise. In the living room, Mari, dressed in her bright yellow dress, was swinging her legs impatiently on the couch.

    "Finally!" Mari said, hopping down. She froze when she saw Alex. Her little nose scrunched up in confusion as she adjusted her sses.

    "What did you do to your face, Daddy?" she asked, crossing her arms.

    Andy looked between Mari and Alex, surprised. "How do you know it''s him?"

    Mari giggled. "He smells the same, walks the same, and wears the same clothes," she pointed out.

    Andyughed, shaking her head. "Alex, I think you need to work on that."

    "I''ll take notes," Alex said with a smirk, kneeling to Mari''s height. "Listen, sweetheart. This face is for the people who are not family. My real face is just for family. Can you keep my secret?"

    Mari nodded seriously, then grinned. "Can I have a different face too?"

    Andyughed. "We can pull that off with makeup when you''re older," Andy promised as the three of them headed for the door.

    Mari chattered in the backseat as Alex drove them to Harry''s ce while Andy stayed mostly silent, feeling a mix of nerves and excitement about the lunch ahead.

    She had not told them Alex wasing, and she couldn''t help wondering how they would react to it. She knew they were cool and wouldn''t make a fuss, but still she was anxious.

    At Harry''s house, Candace opened the door, her warm smile quickly fading into confusion as her eyesnded on Alex.

    "Andy, Mari, wee!" she said before pausing. "And�� who is this?" She asked, narrowing her eyes.

    Andy rolled her eyes, "At least let use in first before you start with the questions," she said dryly as she pushed past Candace, and Candace smiled as she stepped aside to let them in.

    "Andy broughtpany," Candace called out to the others.

    "Wee, Andy," Jade, who was seated beside Harry in the living room watching him ying games with Matt greeted with a wide smile when she saw her, and her smile faltered when her eyes settled on Alex, since she had never met him.

    "Hey, Jade," she said, giving her a high five.

    "What''s up, Matt? Hey, Harry? Where is Dad and Jam?" She asked as she led Mari to a seat.

    "They''re inside," Harry said as they paused the game and then raised a brow when he saw Alex, but before he could ask any question, Alex responded.

    "It''s me, Alex," Alex said simply.

    Candace squinted. "Did you get surgery?" She asked in confusion.

    "No," Andy said with augh. "It''s a realistic mask."

    Harry''s eyes narrowed at Alex. "A realistic mask? Why didn''t Tom think of that instead of his ridiculous makeover?"

    Jade''sugh echoed through the living room. "Harry, is that really what''s on your mind right now? Do you ever not think of Tom?" She asked, amused.

    "This looks very real. Can I touch?" Candace asked with a polite smile and when Alex nodded, and grabbed both sides of his cheeks and pinched him yfully making Andy wince despite her amusement and Jade let out a loud guffaw.

    "What''s happening?" Aaron asked as he and Jamal joined them.

    "Andy brought a handsome man with her," Candace announced.

    "Dad, this is Alex. Alex, my Dad," Andy said, and Alex took off his mask.

    "Daddy, isn''t it supposed to be a secret?" Mari asked, her small voice full of concern and the others smiled as they turned to look at her.

    "Yes. But they''re family too," Alex assured her.

    "You''re wee," Aaron said to Alex and then Andy went on to introduce him to Matt and Jade who had never met him in person.

    Jade shook his hand. "Well, Alex, it''s nice to officially meet you," she said with a warm smile.

    "It''s nice to meet you too," Alex replied. "And thank you for not causing trouble for me."

    As they sat down for lunch, the room filled with chatter. Jamal pushed all his vegetables onto Mari''s te. "You need them to grow tall like me," he said, causing everyone tough.

    "And you need these to grow tall like me," Candace said as she reced the vegetables on Jamal''s te.

    As they ate, they all made small conversations as Aaron tried to get to know Alex better. After they had eaten for some time, Andy cleared her throat.

    "I have something to announce."

    "We," Alex corrected quietly.

    "Yeah. We have an announcement," she said, and Aaron gestured for her to go ahead, and Andy smiled nervously as she exchanged a look with Candace who urged her to go ahead.

    "Well�� Alex and I�� we''re married."

    Jade gasped, pping her hands in excitement. Matt exchanged a surprised look with Candace who was grinning, while Aaron and Harry exchanged knowing smiles.

    "We knew," Harry said and Andy raised a brow.

    "You told them?" She asked Candace.

    "No. We didn''t hear from her. We had someone keeping an eye on Alex. They told us about the wedding."

    Alex frowned. "Me? Who?"

    "Don''t worry," Harry said. "They don''t know your real identity. Just a precaution. You taught me to always be a step ahead of you, so I''m looking out for my sister in case you choose to disappear and leave her heartbroken," Harry said, and Andy grinned at him.

    "Have I ever told you I love you?" She asked, and Harry chuckled.

    "Yeah. Everyday," he said with a grin.

    Aaron smiled warmly. "Well, congrattions to you both. Although I wish I''d been there, but I understand the situation and I''m happy for you both. And now I have two grandkids," he said, looking from Jamal to Mari.

    Jamal puffed his chest. "I''m still your favorite!"

    The family erupted intoughter, the warmth of the moment washing over them all.

    Aaronughed, patting Jamal on the head. "Of course. You always will be," he said as he looked around the table with a wide smile, happy to have such arge family from having only Harry.

    It had indeed been a good year from him, and he had gotten more than double for all that Sara stole from him.

 Chapter 992 PreparationsOne Wild Night

    992 Preparations

    The afternoon sun bathed Tom''s mansion in golden light, its rays gleaming off the icicle lights draped across the roof and the gands woven around the door.

    The house was alive with activity, filled with the hum of voices, the sound of distantughter, and the asional tter of decorations being adjusted.

    Lucy stood in the middle of the spacious living room, her clipboard in hand, as the event nner walked beside her. Amy hovered just behind, ready to assist.

    The Christmas tree in the corner sparkled with hundreds of twinkling lights, and beneath it, a mountain of beautifully wrapped gifts added to the festive cheer.

    "Okay," Lucy said, scanning the clipboard. Her voice held a touch of anxiety as her eyes flitted over the details. "The caterers are setting up in the banquet stand, right? And the bartenders? They know the setup for both the indoor and outdoor bar?"

    The event nner, a poised woman named Grace, gave her a patient smile. "Yes, Lucy. Everything is under control. The caterers are already here, and the bar team arrived half an hour ago. The ice sculptures were delivered this morning, and I personally checked the arrangements in the ballroom."

    Lucy exhaled, but the tension didn''t leave her shoulders. "And the music? Are the violinists present? And is the sound system tested? I don''t want��"

    "Jewel." Tom''s voice interrupted her, smooth and warm. He approached with a te of canap��s in hand, a concerned smile tugging at his lips. "Breathe. Rx. You''re going to work yourself into a frenzy."

    "I''m not worked up," Lucy protested, her tone defensive as she turned to him.

    "Yes, you are. You hired the best Event nner there is for the job and you should trust her and rx," Tom said, and Grace shed him a smile of gratitude at the vote of confidence.

    "It''s not like I don''t trust her. I just want everything to be perfect for tonight," Lucy exined.

    Tom stepped closer, his eyes soft with affection as he kissed her forehead. "Trust me when I say everything will be perfect because you''re perfect. And everything you touch turns out perfect," He winked, his words earning a soft aww from both Grace and Amy.

    Lucy rolled her eyes, though a faint blush crept into her cheeks. "You always say ttering stuff," she muttered.

    "I''m not ttering you right now. I''m honest, I promise. Now you should eat. You haven''t had anything to eat all morning and we both know that''s not good for you," he said, and she sighed.

    "I can''t eat. My stomach is in knots. How did you know I haven''t eaten, anyway?" She asked, narrowing her eyes.

    Tom chuckled, his voice low and teasing. "Because I''ve been keeping my eyes on you all morning. My eyes are always on you, you know that," he said, giving her a small kiss. "And I asked around too when I noticed that you haven''t eaten all day, so I brought you this," He held up the te, offering it to her.

    "I can''t��"

    "Yes, you can, and you will. Keep this up and you might faint before the guests even arrive. Thest thing we want is your stomach growling in the middle of the toast," he said, making thediesugh.

    Lucy sighed, surrendering as she reached for a canap��. "Fine, but just one. I don''t want to waste everyone''s time."

    "You''re not wasting anyone''s time," Amy chimed in.

    "We''re perfectly fine, Lucy. Take a moment," Grace assured her.

    Tom held up a canap��. "Open up," he said, his tone yful but firm.

    Lucy took a bite, and the savory burst of vor distracted her momentarily, and she chewed thoughtfully before swallowing.

    "Happy now?" she asked, arching a brow.

    "Not yet. You have to finish up everything here," he said, and Lucy gave him a mock re but opened her mouth, letting him feed her.

    "Amy, please could you help with a ss of water or juice?" He asked, and Amy hurried away to get it.

    Tom smiled at her when she finished the canap��s and washed it down with the ss of juice which Amy brought. "That wasn''t so bad, was it? Now, stop worrying so much. Everything will be great," he said as he leaned in, pressing a quick kiss to her lips.

    "Now I''m too full to fit into my dress," she muttered as he walked away.

    Grace watched him with an expression of admiration. "I''ve seen many couples in my career, Lucy, but you and Tom... you''re something special. I''ve never seen a more perfect couple."

    Lucyughed, shaking her head. "Oh, trust me, we''re far from perfect. But thank you. I''ll take thepliment."

    With her stomach no longer empty and her spirits slightly lighter thanks to Tom, Lucy led the group to the ballroom, which was aglow with golden lighting.

    She paused, scanning the room. "Are the screens working properly?" she asked, motioning to the sleek digital disys mounted along the walls.

    "Yes, Lucy," Grace reassured her. "They''re the best on the market. Everything''s been tested."

    "And the gifts?" Lucy asked, turning to Amy. "Did you confirm that all the wrapped gifts have been ced under the trees for our guests?"

    Amy nodded, giving Lucy a gentle nudge. "Lucy, everything''s under control. Why don''t you go get ready? I''ll handle the rest."

    Lucy hesitated, her fingers fidgeting with the edge of her clipboard. "I don''t know... I''m feeling so nervous."

    Before anyone could respond, the sound of familiar voices drifted into the room. Lucy turned, her face lighting up as Candace, Andy, and Jade walked in, each carrying duffel bags with their outfits inside, while Sonia followed slowly from behind, chewing on a piece of chicken.

    "The Calvary has arrived!"Andy announced cheerfully.

    "Tom said you''re a bundle of nerves. You look okay to me," Jade said, and Lucy grinned at her.

    "You know how your brother can worry," she said, and Andy ced a hand on her shoulder.

    "We are here now and will take over from you. So, why don''t you go upstairs and rx," Candace said with a wink.

    "We have everything under control, trust us," Jade said, and seeing how they outnumbered her, she gave in.

    "Okay. But you have to��"

    "We''ve got it," Andy said as she snatched the clipboard from her. "We will tick everything on your tidy little list, cross all the Ts and dot all the Is," Andy assured her, and Lucy''s shoulders sagged with relief.

    "You have to call me if anything is out��"

    "The event nner is with us. We are not calling you," Jade said firmly.

    Sonia rolled her eyes, "It''s just a Christmas Eve party, not even your wedding. Stop being such a fussy perfectionist," Sonia said as she wrapped an arm around Lucy. "They''ve got this. You go freshen up, and I''lle with you to keep youpany. The hairstylist and make up artist will be here soon. You have to be ready in time to wee your first guests."

    22:10

    Lucy nodded, her heart swelling with gratitude. "You''re right. You all are lifesavers," she said, her voice soft with emotion. She gave them each a quick hug before heading toward the staircase with Sonia by her side.

    As they walked upstairs, Sonia nced at her. "You''ve done such an amazing job, Lu. Tonight is going to be unforgettable."

    Lucy smiled, her anxiety slowly giving way to excitement. "I hope so. I really want this to be perfect for everyone. Especially for Tom."

    "It already is," Sonia assured her. "Now, let''s get you ready to propose to your man," Sonia whispered and Lucy giggled.

    "I can''t wait to see how he reacts," she said with a soft smile.

    "Me too. I can''t wait," Sonia said, eager to see the excitement on both their faces when they realize they had been nning to surprise each other for months.

    Once they walked into the bedroom, Lucy gasped softly when she saw a dress spread out on the bed which Tom had gotten her for the Christmas Eve party.

    The dress spread out on the bed took Lucy''s breath away. It was an exquisite floor-length gown, the deep emerald green fabric shimmering with a subtle sheen that caught thete afternoon sunlight streaming through the window.

    The bodice was designed with delicatece that traced elegant floral patterns across the neckline and shoulders, giving it a timelessly romantic feel. A soft train pooled at the hem, and the dress seemed to glow with understated sophistication.

    A thin, jeweled belt cinched at the waist added a touch of sparkle, perfectlyplementing the crystals scattered sparingly across the skirt. It was a gown fit for royalty, yet it retained a warmth that made it uniquely hers.

    Lucy stepped closer, her heart swelling with love for Tom as she reached out to touch the fabric. It was soft and luxurious, the kind of material that whispered of love and care.

    Beside ity a handwritten note from Tom, his bold yet tender handwriting unmistakable.

    Jewel, n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    I didn''t forget to get the dress as I know you thought I did. I wanted it to be ast minute surprise. I hope this would bring out the light in your eyes tonight. You should feel and look as beautiful as you make my world every day.

    Love always,

    Ace.

    Lucy''s eyes stung with unshed tears as she read the note, while Sonia who stood behind her, grinned knowingly.

    "Wow." Sonia said, gently squeezing Lucy''s shoulder. "That man is head over heels for you."

    Lucy held the note to her chest. "He really is, isn''t he?" she whispered, her voice thick with love.

    "And tonight, when you propose, he''ll know just how much you love him too," Sonia said, nudging her toward the vanity. "Now, let''s get you ready. You have a busy night ahead."

    Lucy nodded, a radiant smile breaking through her earlier anxiety. "Let''s do this."

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

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 Chapter 993: You Got It All Mixed Up

    Chapter 993: You Got It All Mixed Up

    ?

    As the party time drew closer, Andrew and Desmond bubbled with excitement at the secrets they both were safekeeping.

    While Desmond was excited about Lucy''s n to propose to Tom, Andrew was excited about Tom''s n to propose to Lucy, and both men couldn''t wait to see the joy on their wife''s faces to see their babies engaged.

    "Is there a reason you''re in such a good mood?" Desmond asked Andrew curiously, wondering if Lucy had mentioned her ns to him.

    "I should be asking you that," Andrew retorted, and then raised a brow. "I suppose Tom told you," Andrew said, looking around to make sure no one hears them.

    "Tom?" Desmond asked, wondering what Tom could have told Andrew.

    Seeing that Desmond didn''t seem to know, Andrew shook his head, "Never mind."

    "C''mon! You know if it''s a secret I''m going to keep it. Tell me what''s going on," Desmond urged Andrew.

    Andrew grinned remembering how Desmond had yed everyone thest time by keeping Lucy''s and Sonia''s trip a secret from everyone and causing Tom and Bryan to arrive at Heden after Sonia and Lucy had left for Ludus. (Chapter 516)

    "Tom is proposing to Lucy tonight," he whispered, and Desmond raised a brow.

    "What? You got it all mixed up. Lucy is the one proposing tonight," Desmond said and Andrew shook his head.

    "No. Tom told me himself," Andrew said confidently.

    "He did? Lucy told me herself that she is proposing tonight," Desmond said, and they both looked at each other when they realized what was going on and they broke into a peal of happyughter.

    A few feet away from where they stood, Evelyn and J sat watching them, "Do you have any idea why those two have been so excited all day?" Evelyn asked J as they watched Desmond and Andrew who wereughing and pping each other at the back.

    They were all dressed in beautiful outfits and ready for the evening.

    "I was going to ask you the same. Drew has been bubbling with excitement all morning," J said, and Evelyn shook her head.

    "I hope they don''t have any tricks up their sleeves," she said and J nodded in agreement. "Let''s hope so."

    Away from there, the house buzzed with activity. Candace and Andy were supervisingst- minute decorations, their chatter blending with the soft strains of ssical music ying in the background. Jade was overseeing the caterers, ensuring every dish was perfectly ced, while Amy coordinated with the waitstaff to keep the champagne sses filled.

    Once they were certain that everything was in ce and they had marked everything on Lucy''s list, they went upstairs to dress up in Jade''s room.

    Inside dressing room which Tom had set up specially for Lucy upstairs, Lucy sat still as the hairstylist worked her magic.

    Sonia moved around the room, inspecting every detail to ensure everything was perfect. The light chatter between them filled the room, but Lucy''s mind wandered to the evening ahead as she tried to rehearse the words she nned to say to Tom.

    "Hold still, ma''am," the stylist said gently, holding a curling iron in one hand and a strand of Lucy''s hair in the other.

    "Sorry," Lucy murmured, her lips curving into a sheepish smile. "I''m just... nervous."

    Sonia set down a small tray of jewelry on the vanity and leaned against the edge of the table. "I still don''t get why you''re so nervous when it''s Tom we are talking about. You''ve nned this night to perfection. Trust me, he''s going to be blown away."

    Lucy''s cheeks flushed as she met Sonia''s gaze in the mirror. "It''s not just about tonight. It''s about... everything. He''s done so much for me, and I want to make sure this whole n is just as special as he deserves."

    "You''ve been saying that all day. And I''m still saying it''s going to be perfect," Sonia said with an exaggerated sigh.

    The stylist stepped back, her work on Lucy''s hairplete. Soft curls framed Lucy''s face, cascading down her shoulders like a waterfall. "There," the stylist said, beaming. "You look stunning already, and we haven''t even started your makeup."

    Lucy turned her head slightly, examining herself in the mirror. The elegant curls brought out the delicate features of her face, and for a moment, she felt like she was seeing herself the way Tom often described her- radiant and beautiful.

    "Now, let''s work on your makeup," the stylist said, reaching for a palette of warm tones.

    Sonia picked up the note Tom had left on the bed and read it aloud again. "You should feel and look as beautiful as you make my world every day," she recited with a dramatic sigh. Lucyughed softly, shaking her head.

    "I mean, Lucy, how do you not melt into a puddle every time you look at that man? He sure has a way with words." Sonia quipped.

    "A way with everything. Tom has a way with everything," Lucy said, her eyes glowing with love for him.

    "Now, close those loveshot eyes and let her do your makeup. No more distractions," Sonia said, and Lucy giggled as she obeyed, letting the stylist apply soft strokes of color to her eyelids and cheeks.

    The process was calming, and with each passing minute, her nerves began to settle. She imagined Tom''s face when she asks him to marry her tonight, the surprise and love in his

    eyes.

    When the stylist finished, Lucy opened her eyes and gasped softly. The makeup was wless, enhancing her natural beauty without overwhelming it. Her lips were painted a soft rose, her eyes framed by subtle eyeliner and a hint of shimmer.

    "You look perfect," the stylist said, her voice filled with pride.

    Lucy smiled, standing to inspect herself in the full-length mirror. She ran her hands down the fabric of her robe, her reflection glowing with confidence. "I almost feel so."

    Lucy''s gaze drifted to the emerald green gown hanging nearby. "It''s time," she said, her voice breathless with excitement.

    Sonia and the stylist helped her into the gown, carefully adjusting the delicatece sleeves and smoothing out the train. Lucy turned to the mirror as Sonia fastened thest of the tiny buttons along her back.

    The fabric hugged her frame perfectly, and the jeweled belt cinched perfectly at her waist, entuating her figure and adding just the right amount of sparkle.

    Lucy''s breath caught as she took in her reflection. She felt like she was stepping into a dream.

    "Lucy, you look breathtaking. Tom is going to lose his mind. I swear his jaw is going to hit the floor," Sonia said after she stepped back to look Lucy over.

    Lucy smoothed the skirt, thest of her nerves fading as excitement took over. "Let''s hope he doesn''t faint," she joked.

    Soniaughed. "If he does, we will catch him. Now, grab your shoes and let''s get you

    downstairs."

    The stylist helped Lucy slip on a pair of silver heels and then Lucy turned to Sonia, her smile bright and full of gratitude. "Thank you, Sonia. For making all the ns with me and for

    being here."

    Sonia waved her hand dismissively. "Save the thanks forter. Now go. Guests will be arriving soon, and you have a fianc�� to surprise."

    "Are you sure I shouldn''t have gotten a ring?" she asked Sonia, thinking now that it would be weird to propose without a ring.

    "I''m sure. Trust me, okay?" Sonia said, and Lucy took a deep breath and nodded, her heart pounding with excitement.

    "Now head downstairs before you start second-guessing anything," Sonia urged her.

    "Why don''t you get ready so we go down together?" Lucy suggested, wanting to rehearse her lines once again while Sonia got ready.

    "This might take a while. Don''t keep the man waiting," Sonia said, and Lucy sighed softly.

    "Alright. I''ll go down in five minutes. I need to go over my lines once more," Lucy said, and while the stylist attended to Sonia, she paced around the room, rehearsing her lines over and

    over again.

    While Lucy did that in the dressing room, Tom was doing the same in their bedroom. Standing by the mirror as he rehearsed his proposal speech.

    He was dressed in a sharp ck suit with an emerald green tie and pocket filler that matched Lucy''s gown. His hair was perfectlybed, and his smile was as warm as the heat emanating from the electric furnaces.

    Once he was ready, he nced at the clock, his excitement building as the time for the party- and his own surprise- drew closer.

    He knew that Lucy would be ready soon, so he walked out of the room and went to stand at the door of the grand staircase as he waited eagerly to see her in her gown while the activities around the house carried on.

    He turned when he heard Harry''s chuckle, and saw him approaching with two sses of wine, "I didn''t know you were here already," Tom said with a grin.

    "I came in a while ago and was checking in with the security team. And just so you know, You look like a kid on Christmas morning," Harry teased and Tom chuckled, taking one of the

    sses from Harry.

    "Can you me me? Tonight''s special," Tom said, and Harry grinned.

    "Special indeed," he replied with a knowing look. "Are you sure Lucy doesn''t suspect

    anything?"

    Tom shook his head, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Not a clue. She''s been so focused on nning the party that she hasn''t even noticed I''ve been sneaking around."

    Harryughed. "Well, good luck. I can''t wait to see her face."

    Tom''s smile softened as he gazed toward the stairs. "Me neither," he said, parting his pocket

    where the ring box had been carefully tucked into.

    Upstairs, once Lucy was certain she was ready, she turned to Sonia, "I''ll be heading out now."

    "Go get him, girl!" Sonia urged her excitedly.

    As Lucy left the room and headed for the grand staircase, the house below was alive with warm light and the soft hum of Christmas carols.

    The scent of pine and cinnamon filled the air, mingling with theughter and chatter of the staff and family on various corners of the house.

    Lucy reached the top of the step, her hand gripping the banister for support as she looked

    down.

    She smiled when she saw Tom standing by the foot of the stairs, deep in conversation with

    Harry.

    The sight of him, tall and confident, with his easy smile and sparkling eyes, made her heart skip a beat.

    Tonight, it was her turn to create a moment Tom would never forget, Lucy thought with a smile and took a step forward, her emerald gown shimmering under the chandelier''s glow.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    As Lucy descended the grand staircase slowly, Tom looked up and his eyes locked onto hers. For a moment, everything else faded- Harry, the bustling house, the carefully nned event, the lingering nerves. It was just Tom, looking up at her as if she were the only person in

    the world.

    Watching them, Harry smiled to himself as he walked away, leaving them to bask in their

    love.

    "You look... perfect," Tom said softly, his voice thick with emotion as Lucy stopped in front of

    him.

    Lucy blushed, her heart racing. "As do you. Let''s go wee our guests," she said, and Tom held out his arm to her and she took it.

    As they headed for the ballroom which had an outer door through which the guests could

    come in, the sight of the glittering decorations and the gentle glow of candlelight filled her

    with warmth.

    "You''ve done a perfect job, Jewel. Are you sure you don''t want to be an event nner? I think you''d be the best in the world," He said, and she giggled, pleased with the praise. "The only events I want to n is ours. And it''s too early to tell if it''s perfect yet. Let''s wait

    until the party is over," she suggested.

    "I know tonight is going to be perfect," Tom said confidently, and Lucy smiled. Yes. Tonight was going to be perfect, she thought. She would make sure of it.

 Chapter 994: This Is Perfect

    Chapter 994: This Is Perfect

    ?

    As the guests streamed in, Tom and Lucy moved effortlessly between them, greeting each person with warmth and making everyone feel at ease.

    Tom made introductions when needed, and Lucy greeted everyone warmly, ying the perfect hostess as she exchanged hugs, handshakes, and holiday wishes.

    As the room filled withughter and chatter, Tom''s gaze was on Lucy majority of the time as

    he watched her with undisguised admiration, his heart swelling with pride.

    "Tom lookspletely smitten," Aurora said with a giggle as her and the otherdies watched Tom and Lucy.

    "Totally in love," Amy said with a grin.

    "They look so good together," Candace said with a wide smile.

    "I''m beginning to think their love story is my favorite in this series," Sonia said with a soft sigh.

    "Don''t let Bryan hear you say that," Jade joked, and they allughed.

    "I''m sure he will agree with me. You have to admit there is something about those two that pulls at the heartstrings. Tom just has a way of putting the focus on Lucy," Sonia said, and Jade nodded.

    "I get what you mean though. Tom eats out of Lucy''s hands, I tell you," Jade said and Andy raised a brow.

    "You mean like Harry eats out of yours," Andy said, and Jade giggled.

    "Our focus is on our hosts not on me," she said, but her gaze drifted around the hall until theynded on Harry who was standing with Lucas, Bryan, Matt, Philip and Alex.

    When he caught her gaze across the room, he winked at her, and she giggled. "You''ve lost focus," Amy teased and Jadeughed.

    "I''m so d you girls decided to stick together this way else I''d have been standing here alone without a partner," Sharon said, since she was the only single one amongst them now that even Andy hade with Alex.

    "I think you should reserve that statement untilter. I don''t know about the others but the moment the party begins, I''m going to sit beside my man," Aurora said, and the othersughed as a chorus of me toos filled the air.

    Sharon shook her head, but before she could say anything, a familiar voice calling out to Tom caught her attention and she smiled.

    "Tom, over here!"

    Turning, Tom saw another group of friends approaching- Hunter and Damon, his friends and business partners.

    His face broke into a wide grin as he led Lucy over, "I wasn''t sure you''d make it, Hunter. You alwayse up with the craziest excuses not to show up at public functions," Tom said, and Hunter chuckled.

    "Says Thomas Hank. I''m still amazed at how you revealed your identity," Hunter said, before turning his attention to Lucy.

    "There''s no need to introduce you to Damon. You already met him at Bryan''s wedding," Tom said to Lucy before introducing her to Hunter, "This is Lucy, the love of my life," Tom said proudly. "Lucy, this is Hunter Quinn, CEO of..."

    "  . None of that is necessary," Hunter cut in smoothly, and they allughed.

    "I can see why you revealed your identity for her sake. She is dazzling," Hunter said as he took Lucy''s hand, and Lucy smiled brightly.

    "Thanks for honoring our invitation. It''s nice to meet you," Lucy said, and Hunter grinned. "The pleasure is mine," Hunter assured her, "Hopefully I''d meet someone worthy enough to make me want to step out of the shadows too," Hunter said, and Lucy giggled.

    "I hope you do, and then we won''t have to work so hard to convince you to attend functions," Tom said and theyughed.

    "Once again, I see that Tom wasn''t exaggerating when he said you were the most charming woman alive," Damon said as he shook Lucy''s hand warmly.

    Lucyughed softly, her cheeks coloring slightly. "I''ll have to thank him for the glowing review. It''s lovely to meet you again, Damon."

    Hunter gave Tom a teasing nudge. "I don''t know how you managed to find someone so poised, Tom. Clearly, she''s the better half."

    "I''ve been hearing that a lot tonight," Tom quipped, winking at Lucy.

    "Everyone can''t be wrong," Lucy said, her eyes twinkling with humor and they turned as Sharon approached them.

    "What are my favorite men doing here?" Sharon asked as she walked up to Hunter and embraced him, and then did the same with Damon.

    "I should be asking you that. Where is Emily if you''re here?" Damon asked curiously.

    "Oh, she''s upstairs with the other kids," Sharon said and Damon raised a brow.

    Lucy looked from Sharon to Damon and then back again, but before she could ask, Damon did, "You two know each other?" Tom asked curiously.

    "Yeah. Damon is Emily''s Dad," Sharon said, and Tom''s eyes widened slightly.

    "For real? I had no idea," Tom said, and Sharonughed.

    "How could you have known? It''s not like I go about announcing it everywhere I go," she said, and they allughed as Harry joined them.

    "Hunter, Damon, it''s good to see you," Harry said, exchanging handshakes with both men. "Did you know Damon is Emily''s father?" Tom asked, since they were familiar with Emily. "Yes, I did," Harry said and Tom shook his head.

    "I should have known you will know. You always know everything. Why didn''t you tell me?" He asked, and Harry shrugged.

    "It never came up in the conversation," he said easily as he nced at his watch.

    "How did you know?" Sharon asked curiously.

    "I''ve seen her on Damon''s Instagram posts a couple of times, and I once saw him pick her up from your ce," Harry exined before ncing at Tom and Lucy.

    "It''s time for the party to begin," he said, and Tom gave him a nod to go ahead since he was

    e desig

    Emcee for the

    As they all settled down at their various tables, their parents sat on one table, "The party

    hasn''t even started but it is obvious that Lucy has outdone herself. I couldn''t have nned a better Christmas Eve party," Evelyn said as she looked around the beautifully decorated hall which was bubbling with activity.

    The waiters were all dressed in Santa costumes, adding an even more festive mood to the

    room.

    "She did, didn''t she?" J said, her voice ringing with quiet pride.

    "I wonder what the screens are meant for. Are we seeing a Christmas movie tonight?" Debbie, who had apanied Aaron as his plus one, asked curiously.

    "I was wondering the same," Aaron said thoughtfully.

    "Whatever the screens are there for, I''m sure we are going to be wowed tonight," Andrew said, and Desmond chuckled.

    "Absolutely. I''m looking forward to it," Desmond said, and Evelyn narrowed her eyes.

    "Do you two know something we don''t?" she asked, and they shook their heads. "What could we possibly know? Didn''t we alle here together? And haven''t we been together since we arrived?" Desmond asked, and Andrew chuckled as J eyed him with

    suspicion.

    As the evening unfolded, Lucy moved with practiced ease, ensuring the champagne never ran dry and theughter never faded.

    The evening reached its peak when the string quartet yed "Silent Night," and the guests gathered near the Christmas tree which was at the center of the room for a toast.

    After the toast, Lucy found herself standing next to Evelyn, J, and Debbie, who were still watching their men with suspicion.

    "They''re definitely up to something," Evelyn murmured, narrowing her eyes at Andrew and

    Desmond.

    "Why do you say so?" Debbie asked, amused at how suspicious Evelyn and J were of their

    husbands.

    "They''ve been grinning like schoolboys with a secret all day, and it has gotten even worse since the party began," J said, and Lucy smiled, holding back her ownughter. "Whatever it is, I''m sure it''ll be harmless. Probably just them being overly sentimental about

    Christmas," Lucy said, and Evelyn raised a skeptical brow but let the matter drop, her

    expression softening.

    "You''ve outdone yourself tonight, Lucy. This is beautiful."

    "Thank you," Lucy said, her voice warm. "And thanks once again for letting me do this," she

    said, and Evelyn waved it off.

    "I should be thanking you. It''s wonderful having my family all in one roof like this on

    Christmas Eve," Evelyn said as the men joined them again.

    "You''ve been glowing all night," Aaron observed as he moved closer to Lucy.

    Lucy''s smile widened for just a moment. "Have I?"

    "Yes, you have. It''s the holiday magic," Desmond said with a wink. "Or maybe it''s something

    else."

    Lucyughed. "Maybe."

    Across the room, Tom caught her eye. The moment stretched between them, unspoken words passing in the space of a nce as they gravitated towards each other.

    As they met in the middle, Lucy''s heart swelled with anticipation and she nced at the clock.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    It was almost time.

    Lucy nced in Sonia''s direction, and when their gaze met, she signaled to Sonia that it was

    almost time.

    At that same moment, Tom did the same, ncing at Harry, who was at the center of the room and then Harry exchanged a look with Sonia, who subtly winked at him, making him chuckle as she headed out to signal to the team in charge of the screens.

    "At this point, I''m going to wee forward our gracious and elegant Hostess apanied by her bodyguard," Harry said, causing everyone tough, "I believe they both would like to share something special with us tonight," Harry said, and as the room filled with apuse, Tom nced at Lucy, his heart racing as he took her hand.

    At the same time, the lights dimmed slightly, and the guests quieted down in anticipation.

    The glow from the Christmas tree and the soft notes of the string quartet provided the perfect backdrop as Tom led Lucy to the center of the room, their hands intertwined, their breaths mingling in shared anticipation.

    This was it. This was the moment they had been waiting for months. They couldn''t wait any

    longer. "What are they sharing with us?" Jade asked Sonia who was grinning from ear to ear. "We will find out soon," Candace whispered, bubbling with excitement herself.

    A few feet from them, Evelyn and J exchanged a questioning look, both wondering if the

    other knew what was going on, but they both looked lost so they returned their attention to Tom and Lucy.

    As they all stood there, both screens flickered to life and everyone''s attention moved to the

    screen.

    Tom and Lucy looked up too, since Harry and Sonia had convinced each of them separately to make a disy of some of their special memories together before the proposal.

    Both their hearts raced as they watched the screens disyed a slideshow of Tom and Lucy''s memories together- candid shots of moments that defined their love.

    The guests sighed and chuckled softly at the intimate glimpses into their journey. Then, the

    images faded on both screens, reced by a video of Lucy on one screen, and another of Tom on the other screen.

    She was sitting on the balcony of their home, the city lights twinkling in the background. She looked radiant, her smile trembling with nervous energy.

    Tom frowned, ncing at Harry as he wondered what Lucy was doing on the screen when he

    should be the one disyed on the screen.

    Lucy frowned as well, wondering why there was a video of Tom up there when she was yet to

    propose or get a response from Tom.

    Lucy and Tom nced at Sonia and Harry, but they were both chuckling as they pointed to the

    screen asking them to focus. Tom and Lucy exchanged a look as they both turned to the opposite screens.

    Lucy looked at the screen where Tom was disyed, and Tom looking at the screen on which

    Lucy was disyed.

    The hall was quiet as everyone focused their attention on the screens, trying to keep up with

    both. "Ace," Lucy''s recorded voice began, "I know you''re surprised," she said with a nervousugh,

    "Don''t be. You should have seen thising. It''s all your fault. You made me fall so hard on my face for you, and I think I hit my head along the way, ''cause now I''ve gonepletely out of my mind with love for you. You''ve shown me a love I didn''t think I''d ever have. You''ve been

    my lover, my friend, my strength, my calm, my peace, myughter, and my home. You make

    life beautiful in ways I never dreamed possible, and I don''t want to live in a moment when you''re not mine. So tonight, I want to ask you: Will you marry me?"

    At the same time, on the other screen, Tom was seated at his desk, looking nervous but

    determined.

    "Jewel," his recorded voice said, filled with raw emotion, "you''ve turned my life into something extraordinary. You''re my favorite person in the world, and your body and mind are my favorite ces. Every day with you feels like the first snowfall-pure, magical, and unforgettable. I want to spend every Christmas, every New Year, every single meaningful and insignificant moment of my life with you. So, will you please be my wife and girlfriend

    forever?"

    Neither Tom nor Lucy paid any attention as the room erupted into soft gasps and murmurs.

    Tom''s jaw dropped and his heart raced as he turned from the screen to look at Lucy, unable to believe what he had just seen and heard.

    Lucy''s gaze was fixed on the other screen, her eyes wide with surprise as her hand flew to her

    mouth.

    Tears spilled over as she turned to Tom, and the room erupted into apuse, the guests delighted by the unexpected twist.

    Tom and Lucy looked at each other, their expressions identical- stunned, overjoyed, and

    filled with an overwhelming love.

    Tom blinked, momentarily stunned, before breaking into a wide grin. "Well," Tom said, his voice light with amusement and affection, "it looks like we''ve both been nning something special. But," he continued, his grin growing as he reached into his pocket, "now you have to let me do it the right way."

    Before Lucy could respond, Tom dropped to one knee, the murmurs in the crowd fading into

    silence. He opened the small velvet box, revealing a ring that sparkled as brightly as the lights on the tree behind them.

    "Jewel," he said, his voice steady but thick with emotion, "you are my everything. You''re the

    best part of my life. From the moment I first set my eyes on you, I knew it was you. I knew you were the missing piece I needed to make sense of my existence. I knew you were mine. We''ve

    had our ups and downs, but in all, my conviction has not once faltered. In a world that is full of uncertainties, my love for you is the only certainty I know. I love you more than words can ever express, and no action of mine would be enough to show you just how much you mean to

    me. I need you in my life everyday, like I need oxygen. Will you make me the happiest man alive and say yes?"

    Lucy''s eyes filled with tears, her hand trembling as she reached for his. "Tom," she whispered, her voice cracking slightly, "of course, yes," she cried, and Tom slid the ring down

    her finger.

    As the guests erupted into cheers and apuse, Lucy raised her hands to cover her face as she

    wept softly, overwhelmed by the turn of events. She had nned to make the night special for Tom, but as usual he had made it special for her.

    Tom rose and pulled her into a tight embrace, holding her fiercely as she wept, overwhelmed with emotion himself as he kissed her head and the tears from her face.

    As they stood, the guests gave them a standing ovation, the sound of pping, cheering, and

    sniffles filling the room.

    Lucy looked up at him with tears in her eyes and a wobbly smile, but before she could speak

    Tom kissed her softly, the moment charged with love and joy.

    Harry stepped back to the microphone, his voice filled with humor. "Well, I think we can all

    agree that this is two are a perfect pair."

    Tom and Lucy turned to Harry, shaking their heads in mock exasperation butughing all the

    same. As they looked out at the sea of smiling faces around them, Lucy whispered, "This is perfect."

    Tom kissed her temple and smiled. "Just like you."

 Chapter 995: Fiancé/Fiancée

    Chapter 995: Fianc��/Fianc��e

    ?

    Following their engagement, the Christmas Eve party transitioned into an engagement party, and it was the discussion on every corner of the room.

    Evelyn was the first to reach them. Her eyes shimmered with tears as she embraced them both. Her voice wavered as she whispered, "Thank you, Lucy. You gave me the best Christmas gift I could have asked for."

    "Just Lucy? What about me? Don''t I get any credit?" Tom asked with a teasing smile as he embraced her and brushed off her tears.

    Evelyn chuckled through her tears, shaking her head. "It wasn''t exactly up to you," she teased before turning her attention back to Lucy. She cupped Lucy''s face gently, her touch warm and maternal. "Tom couldn''t have chosen a better woman. Thank you, Lucy."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    Lucy''s throat tightened with emotion. "Thank you for being patient with me," she said, her voice soft but heartfelt. "You could have chosen to make things difficult, but you didn''t. That means the world to me," Lucy said, feeling genuinely grateful for her support.

    Evelyn nodded, her expression tender. "We will talk some more after the party," she promised, and Lucy nodded.

    Everywhere Lucy and Tom turned, guests approached them with congrattory hugs and handshakes. The joy was tangible, and even though their close friends and families, kept the exchange short, they could sense the anticipation behind every smile.

    Lucy and Tom could tell that their close friends and family members were clearly biding their time, waiting for the room to clear before flooding them with questions.

    Later, after the stream of congrattions slowed, Tom and Lucy found themselves seated at a secluded table, stealing a rare moment of privacy amidst the chaos. Tom leaned in, his eyes sparkling with love. "I really want to be alone with you right now. I wish everyone would just go home."

    Lucyughed softly. "Me too. Maybe we could sneak off?" she suggested with a mischievous grin.

    Tom chuckled, shaking his head. "Not when you''re still in hostess mode. I want your full attention, no interruptions. I don''t want any distractions when I''m with you," he said, and Lucy grinned as she nced down at her ring, the diamonds catching the light.

    She turned her hand slightly, marveling at it. "I can''t believe this," she murmured.

    Tom tilted his head, watching her with an affectionate grin. "I''m the one who can''t believe you actually proposed to me. How long have you been nning this?"

    "For months," Lucy admitted, a shy smile creeping onto her face. "Now I understand why Sonia insisted I shouldn''t get you a ring."

    Tom raised an eyebrow. "You were going to get me a ring?"

    Lucy nodded, herughter bubbling up. "Yeah. I was going to go all out-down on one knee, the whole thing. But Sonia said the screen disy was better and I could say a couple of words to you too, but I shouldn''t get you a ring and give you the chance to get it instead," Lucy exined and Tom chuckled."

    Tom chuckled, shaking his head in wonder. "You''re incredible. My heart nearly burst from joy when I saw your proposal. You make me so happy, Jewel. You seem to have mastered the art of making me happy. What can I give to you in return?" He asked, and she shook her head as she reached for his hand, her fingers intertwining with his.

    "You''ve already given me everything. What more could I possibly ask for when I have you?" Lucy asked as their gazes locked, and in that shared silence, words became unnecessary.

    They smiled as they stared at each other in silence, their eyes saying everything they couldn''t put into words.

    As the clock approached midnight, the guests began to filter out. Tom and Lucy stood by the door, ensuring everyone left with carefully wrapped Christmas gifts from under the tree.

    Candace and Matt left so they could take Jamal home and also drop off Aaron and Debbie on their way since the two had not bothered to drive. Andy and Alex also left to take Mari home.

    The moment thest of the guests left, leaving only immediate family members and their partners, Jade turned to Harry, but before she could say anything, Harry shook his head, "I also kept it a secret from even Tom and Lucy themselves."

    Jade rolled her eyes, "I wasn''t going toin about that. I wanted to say you did an excellent job tonight," she said, and Harry grinned.

    "Oh," he said, surprised, "Thank you. I wanted to impress you," he said, and they turned to the others

    "You both knew, didn''t you?" J asked Desmond and Andrew, and they both chuckled. "Lucy told me she would be proposing tonight when we visited after Sonia''s pregnancy scare," Desmond admitted, and Evelyn''s eyes widened.

    "I can''t believe you kept that from me this whole time," she said in disbelief.

    "Well, it was worth it seeing you so shocked and happy," he said, lifting her hand to his lips, and she smiled involuntarily.

    J turned to Andrew, "Lucy told you too?"

    "No. Tom told Lucas and I when they came over for prom," he said, and J looked from Lucas to Andrew.

    "And you both kept it from me?" She asked, and Lucas shrugged.

    "That''s between you and your husband. Don''t drag me into it," Lucas said, and everyone chuckled as she turned to Andrew.

    Deciding to borrow a page from Desmond''s book, he reached for J''s hand, "Well, it was worth..."

    "Don''t you dare," J snapped, and everyoneughed.

    Sonia turned to Bryan, "You don''t seem upset that I kept it from you," she said, and he chuckled.

    "Let''s just say I''m getting used to your ability to keep secrets. And I found out about Tom''s proposal n when we got here on Sunday. I just didn''t expect the twist," he said, and Sonia

    smiled.

    "Well, we can all admit that tonight was perfect," J said, beaming at Tom and Lucy.

    "We should be heading out now," Harry said to Jade, and she pouted.

    "Can we spend the night here?" She asked, giving him puppy eyes.

    She didn''t want to leave her family now. Especially not when they were all still reeling from

    the excitement of the engagement.

    "You should stay. It''s prettyte already," Tom suggested.

    "Merry Christmas, everyone," Lucy announced with a grin the moment the clock struck twelve, pleased that she was the first to wish them.

    Just like that, the room was filled with renewed excitement as everyone exchanged warm wishes and hugs.

    "You all can stay here if you want, I''m going in with MY FIANC��E!" Tom said, and without waiting for a response, he swept Lucy into his arms, elicitingughter and cheers from the

    room.

    Lucy giggled, "Goodnight, everyone. Sonia and Harry, I will talk to you tomorrow," she called out as Tom took her up the stairs.

    The moment they got into the bedroom, Tom gently ced her on the edge of the bed, and went on one knee beside her, "You''re my fianc��e," he said softly, as if testing the word on his

    tongue.

    "And you''re my fianc��," Lucy replied, her voice brimming with joy.

    Tom''s eyes glistened with unshed tears. "Jewel, I''m overwhelmed with emotions. I don''t know what to say or how to act but I know I want to say so much to you," he said, and Lucy smiled, her own emotions welling up, but she said nothing as she waited for him to gather his thoughts and say what he wanted to say.

    "I want to ask you so many questions. I want to ask you how and why you changed your mind, but at the same time I want to thank you for epting my proposal and for trying to pull off a proposal of your own. If I didn''t already n to propose, I''d have been totally blown away by your proposal. Tonight is the most beautiful gift I''ve ever received and this gift you''ve given me, I''m going to cherish it every day of my life," Tom said, and Lucy smiled, her heart swelling with love as she listened to him.

    "You''re never going to regret taking this step with me, Jewel. I''m going to love you every single day. I''m going to make you the happiest woman to walk on this. I''m going to make you the envy of everyone else," he said, and she giggled.

    "I''m serious. I''m going to make sure every day you pat yourself on the back for making this decision," he said, and she patted herself on the back, making himugh.

    "You don''t have to make me these promises. You already fulfil them. And in case you were wondering, I n to also be the mother of your kids," she said, and this time tears gathered in Tom''s eyes at the thought of Lucy being pregnant with his kids.

    Without a word he embraced her, resting his head on her abdomen as he let the tears of joy flow, and tears escaped from Lucy''s eyes as sheughed.

    "Are you that happy?" she asked, and Tom nodded without pulling back.

    He was overwhelmed with so much love and joy that he didn''t know what to do anymore.

    "I''ve chosen our wedding date. I need your consent and we can start nning. It''s going to be on your birthday," she said, and this time Tom pulled back and looked at her.

    "What do you want, Lucy. Tell me what you want me to give to you? Anything, and it is yours," he said, and she smiled.

    "You. All of you," she said, and he shook his head.

    "You have me already. Body, mind, soul. I''m all yours," he said, and she nodded.

    "Then I have all I could ever need."

    Tears spilled freely as they held each other, the Joy of the moment settling over them like a warm embrace. This was their future, and it had never looked brighter.

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 996: Christmas Gifts

    Chapter 996: Christmas Gifts

    ?

    The sun peeked through the heavy curtains, casting soft golden streaks across the bedroom. The air was still, save for the faint chirping of birds outside the window.

    Lucy stirred first, her eyes fluttering open to the warmth of the sunlight. For a moment, shey still, her hand resting on Tom''s chest, feeling the steady rise and fall of his breathing. Tomy on his back, one arm draped protectively around her, the other stretched over his head. His features were soft, unguarded in sleep, and Lucy couldn''t help but smile as she studied him. The events of the night before felt like a dream, but the ring on her finger sparkled, a visible reminder of the promise they''d made.

    Shey still right there as her thoughts floated back to the first morning she had woken up on his bed, right there in this same bedroom.

    As she remembered every step that had led them to that very moment, tears pooled in hers. She couldn''t believe how lucky she was to have ended up with a man like Tom.

    Not wanting to disturb his sleep, she carefully slipped out of his embrace and tiptoed toward the balcony.

    Opening the door just enough to peek outside, she saw a light frost dusting the grass and flowers in the garden, the world still cloaked in the quiet of Christmas morning.

    She sighed softly as she thought about how this was her first Christmas with Tom, and how special it was. She could only imagine how their next Christmas would be.

    She smiled when she thought of them celebrating Christmas with their little one, and a tear slid down her cheeks as she remembered how happy Tom had been and how he had wept when she said she was going to have his kids.

    Behind her, Tom reached for her on the bed and when he didn''t feel her around, he opened his eyes, "What are you doing away from your Fianc��''s side on Christmas morning?" Tom asked, his voice groggy butced with amusement.

    Lucy turned, a giggle escaping her lips. "I didn''t want to disturb my fianc��''s sleep. And I wanted to see the morning. It''s beautiful outside

    Tom stretched, his muscles flexing beneath the covers. "Not as beautiful as you, I can tell," he said, his grinzy but genuine.

    Lucy rolled her eyes, though her lips twitched. "You''re starting early with thepliments today."

    Tom sat up, the covers pooling around his waist. "Get used to it, fianc��e. You''ve signed up for a lifetime of this."

    Sheughed softly, "Is that what you intend to keep calling me?" She asked as she walked back to the bed and before she could sit beside him, he pulled her to himself so that she was sitting on his thigh.

    "For the time being, until it sinks in," he said, and sheughed.

    "Merry Christmas," she whispered, leaning in to kiss his cheek.

    He caught her face gently, redirecting her lips to his. The kiss was slow, sweet, filled with the warmth of everything spoken and unspoken between them.

    When they pulled apart, Tom rested his forehead against hers. "Merry Christmas, Jewel. Our first as an engaged couple. How does it feel?"

    "It''s our first ever Christmas, not just as an engaged couple," Lucy corrected with a grin. "And it feels perfect. Though I have a feeling today''s going to be busy and we won''t have a moment to ourselves."

    Tom chuckled. "That''s Christmas for you. But I think we can survive it." He nced toward the wall clock. "We should get moving before theye banging on the door."

    As if on cue, a loud knock echoed from the hallway.

    "Tom! Lucy!" Jade''s voice called out. "Breakfast is ready! Mom says no excuses, and you can''t bete! You both have twenty minutes."

    Tom groaned, flopping back onto the bed. "See? Told you."

    Lucyughed, standing and grabbing her robe. "Well, let''s not keep everyone waiting. I''m sure they''re excited about unwrapping their gifts and finding out the ns for the family vacation."

    Tom reached for her hand, pulling her back down for onest kiss. "Let''s go."

    Together they quickly freshened up before heading out of their bedroom to join the others. As they made their way down the stairs, the smell of cinnamon, coffee, and fresh pastries wafted from the dining, wrapping around them like a warm hug.

    "Here they are," Jade announced with a smug smile.

    "Finally!" J eximed when she saw them. "I was beginning to think you two would never show up."

    Lucy smiled apologetically. "We''re here now."

    "Good," J said, turning toward them with a warm smile. "Come, sit. You must be starving afterst night''s excitement."

    As they took their seats, Tom reached for Lucy''s hand under the table. She nced at him, their eyes meeting briefly, and he gave her fingers a gentle squeeze.

    "What did Jade say to make you bothe down? We asked her to leave you two alone,"

    Bryan said as they sat down, and Jade scowled at him.

    "Snitches get stitches," she said, and everyone chuckled.

    "Coming from awyer. Some times I doubt you''re awyer," Bryan said, and Jade smiled sweetly.

    "Doubting it doesn''t change it," Jade countered with a shrug.

    "I guess you didn''t ask us toe down in twenty minutes?" Tom asked his mother, ignoring the banters.

    "Why would I force a grown man and woman toe down for breakfast in their own home?" Evelyn asked, and Jade shed Tom a sweet smile.

    "You''re here now, that''s all that matters. It doesn''t matter who asked you toe down," she said, and everyoneughed.

    "So, how does it feel being engaged now?" Lucas asked Tom with a grin, and Tom chuckled.

    "You won''t understand even if I told you," he said, and Amy smiled at them both.

    "Did you know the party is the number two trending topic all over the inte? And the number one topic is your double proposal," Amy asked, and Lucy raised a brow.

    "Really?" She asked, and Sonia nodded.

    "Yes. I sent you the links to all the posts. I suppose you haven''t picked up your phone. You outdid yourself, Lu," Sonia said with a proud smile.

    "The two of you really set the bar high. Especially you, Lucy," Jade teased. "What are the rest of us supposed to do now?"

    Lucyughed, shaking her head. "Don''t look at me. Sonia''s the one who encouraged me to go

    all out."

    "You are wee," Sonia said with a wink.

    "Dad, why are you so quiet? And you too, Desmond?" Lucy asked curiously.

    "We don''t want to hear them talk. Since they''re so good at keeping secrets they should stay quiet and just continue tough as they did yesterday," Evelyn said before either of them could respond, and Lucy giggled.

    "I thought you all sorted that outst night?" Lucy asked, amused.

    "Not by a long shot," J said, and the men exchanged a look and shot Tom a pitiful look

    that made him chuckle.

    Tom nced at Harry, who had been mostly quiet and watching all the exchange with amusement, "Judas. Did you sleep well?" Tom asked, and Harry chuckled.

    "I didn''t sell you. If anything you shouldmend me and pay me for making sure both your surprises were sessful," Harry said, and Sonia nodded.

    "Yeah. I agree. By the way, what''s the n for the vacation?" Sonia asked, and Jade raised a

    brow.

    "I thought you all were against me asking him toe down? You made it seem like I was the only curious one. So, why are you the one asking the question now?" Jade asked with a smirk.

    "Because they''re here now," Sonia said easily.

    "Why don''t we eat first and then we can talk about that after?" Tom suggested, and they all

    agreed.

    Conversations flowed easily, filled withughter and teasing. They all chatted about the party and how it was making waves online.

    After breakfast, the family gathered in the living room to exchange gifts. Wrapping paper flew in all directions, andughter rang out as everyone reacted to their presents. Harry and Jade received gifts from everyone else but couldn''t exchange their gifts or give to

    the others because their gifts were at Harry''s and they hadn''t nned on spending the night

    at Tom''s.

    When it was time for Lucy and Tom to exchange their gifts, Lucy shook her head, "It''s so damn hard to be with a man who has everything. You should go first," she said with a nervous

    smile.

    Tom chuckled, his eyes shining with excitement as he led her to a beautifully wrapped box

    ced on a nearby pedestal.

    The box was adorned with a red ribbon and a small, gleaming silver key. "When did this get here?" She asked, since she had not noticed it before.

    "When you were not looking," Tom said as he handed her the box.

    "What''s this?" Lucy asked, her curiosity piqued as she took the box from him and shook it.

    Tom''s smile grew wider. "Open it and see," he said, handing her the key.

    Everyone moved closer to them to see what it was, since they knew that Tom liked to be extra

    when it came to Lucy.

    Lucy''s heart raced as she inserted the key into a small lock on the box. The lock clicked open,n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    and Lucy lifted the lid, revealing a stack of documents and a small, leather-bound book.

    As Lucy began to read the documents, her eyes widened in shock. "Ace, what is this?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper while the Jade and Sonia drew closer to her wanting to see what was on the document.

    Tom took a deep breath, his heart full of emotion. "It''s the deed to I-Global Fashion Line,"

    he exined. "I want you to have it, Jewel. I want you to be the one to run it, to make it your

    own."

    Everyone gasped in surprise apart from Harry, who was grinning as Lucy turned to look at him for confirmation, "How is this possible?" Lucy asked, unable to believe what she was hearing and seeing.

    "It is possible. Tom made it possible for you," Harry assured her.

    Lucy''s face was a picture of stunned joy. Tears of happiness welled up in her eyes as she looked at Tom. "Why?" she asked, her voice trembling.

    Tom''s eyes locked onto hers, filled with love and adoration. "Because you''re going to be my

    wife. I don''t want you to have to answer to anyone else. And I told you, I want to spend the rest of my life making you happy, Jewel. I''ve seen firsthand how you run your department. I

    know that this is something that will bring you joy and fulfillment."

    "This man," Lucy cried as she embraced him, holding him very tightly.

    "Your son is the absolute best," J murmured to Evelyn.

    "What about your own son?" "You mean me, right?" Lucas and Bryan asked simultaneously, and everyoneughed.

    "Yeah. You''re all the best sons anyone could ask for," J said with a giggle. Neither Tom nor Lucy paid attention to them, as Tom held Lucy close while she wept softly.

    Once she pulled back, she gave him a wobbly smile.

    "Compared to your gift, I''m not so sure about my gift anymore, or if it''s even a gift," she

    said, and Tom smiled. "You''re more than enough gift already," Tom assured her.

    Lucy let out a shakyugh and shook her head. "I think you''ll change your mind when you see

    it."

    She reached into the side pocket of her cardigan and pulled out a small envelope. "Here," she

    said softly, handing it to Tom.

    Tom tilted his head, curiosity alight in his eyes. "What''s this?"

    "Open it and see," Lucy replied, her heart racing as she watched him.

    He carefully opened the envelope, pulling out a folded piece of paper. As he unfolded it, his

    brows furrowed, and then his eyes widened as he realized what he was holding.

    A positive pregnancy test slip.

    Tom''s breath hitched, his gaze darting between the paper and Lucy. "Jewel... is this-?"

    Lucy bit her lip, tears glistening in her eyes as she nodded. "Yes, Ace. You''re going to be a

    dad."

    The room went still as everyone looked at Lucy with shock, including Sonia who had absolutely no idea that Lucy was pregnant.

    For a moment, Tom was utterly still, as if trying toprehend the weight of her words. Then, he crumpled on his knees and broke into tears of joy, his whole body racking with it.

 Chapter 997: Christmas To Remember

    Chapter 997: Christmas To Remember

    ?

    Around Tom and Lucy, the room erupted with emotion. J was the first to react. Her hand flew to her chest, and her mouth fell open. She exchanged a wide-eyed look with Andrew, "Did she just say "

    "Yes, she did," Andrew murmured, equally stunned.

    Without hesitation, J turned and pulled Evelyn, who was still frozen in shock into a tight embrace, "Can you believe this?" J whispered, tears streaming down her cheeks.

    Evelyn shook her head, her voice thick with emotion. "I can''t. I... I''m going to carry Tom''s baby," she whispered, her voice shaky as tears began to well in her eyes.

    Sonia clung to Bryan, "I can''t believe it. Lucy''s pregnant! My baby is pregnant." She said, crying softly.

    Although Bryan was almost tempted to remind her that he was her only baby, he decided to let it slide for the moment.

    Lucas and Amy exchanged smiles, watching the scene unfold. "This is incredible," Amy murmured. "I''ve never seen anything like it."

    Harry, who was overwhelmed with happiness for Tom, turned his back, trying to hide his tears andpose himself, but Jade noticed and leaned closer to him. "You know, it''s okay to cry if you''re that happy," she whispered with a gentle smile, her own eyes wet with tears.

    Lucy bent down, cupping Tom''s tear-streaked face. "I take it you like your gift?" she asked softly, brushing the tears from his face.

    Tom pulled her into a fierce hug, his voice thick with emotion. "Like it? No gift in the world could evere close to this, Jewel. I''m the happiest man alive right now, and it''s all because of you."

    Tears dropped from her eyes as sheughed softly, wiping his tears away. "You have to stop crying, though. Everyone''s looking at you."

    Tom shook his head, a shakyugh escaping him. "I don''t care about anyone else. All I see right now is you."

    Desmond cleared his throat and gestured toward the group. "Alright, everyone, let''s give

    these two a moment."

    "Let''s go to the Den," Andrew said as he and Desmond began herding the others out, leaving Tom and Lucy alone.

    In the Den, the family buzzed with excitement. "You didn''t know about this, did you?" Jade asked, looking from Sonia to Harry.

    "I had absolutely no idea," Sonia said, and Jadeughed happily.

    "I can''t believe it," Jade said, shaking her head. "I''m so d I''m not the only one just finding out about it, but even more d that I insisted we stay the night. If I''d heard this from someone else, I''d have been furious!" Jade said, and everyoneughed.

    Lucas grinned. "I still can''t wrap my head around it. I''m going to be an uncle soon to two little ones! First, Sonia''s, and then Lucy''s," he said, and his mother smiled.

    "Hopefully, you''d add your little one to the list," she said, and they allughed, while Lucas shook his head in amusement.

    Evelyn wiped her eyes,ughing. "It''s the best Christmas surprise I could have hoped for. Nothing beats this."

    "Nothing? What if I said I was getting married and I''m pregnant too?" Jade asked, and Evelynughed.

    "That wouldn''t be as surprising as this. I expect you to do that soon. But none of us expected this from Lucy," Evelyn said, and Jade nodded in agreement.

    "You have a point," Jade said before turning to look at Harry, who was yet to say a word, and she giggled when she caught him grinning.

    "Well, this calls for a huge celebration. I have to induct Tom into the fatherhood and give him pregnancy tips," Bryan said, making everyoneugh.

    Back in the living room, Tom finallyposed himself, sitting back on his heels and taking Lucy''s hands. "How long have you known?"

    "It was actually nned. I wanted it to be your Christmas gift," she admitted. "I made the calctions, and confirmed it few days ago."

    Tom shook his head in amazement. "Lucy, you''re incredible. I don''t know what I did to deserve you."

    "I''ve been wondering what I did to deserve you too," she said as she jerked her head towards the Den, "I think we should go join the others."

    "We can join themter," Tom said, gathering her close, and sheughed.

    "We can hardly stay here on the floor like this," she said, and Tom grinned.

    "We own the house. We can stay anywhere we choose. We can sit on top of the microwave if we want," he said, and she giggled.

    "Stop being funny. Let''s go join the others," Lucy said, and Tom rose up and gently helped her stand her up making her roll her eyes at the extra effort he put into assisting her.

    "Wait," Tom said, stopping her before she could take a step.

    "You knew you were pregnant yet you were starving yourself yesterday and went through all that stress of supervising everything in preparation of the party?" He asked, and she shook her head.

    "Not eating for a couple of hours wouldn''t hurt the baby or make the baby malnourished, and..."

    "You think I''m worried about the baby? It is you I''m worried about. We have to take better care of you. No more missing meals. I don''t want the baby taking all your energy and nutrients, and..." Tom trailed off when Lucy startedughing.

    "It''s too early for this. Calm down, okay? Now let''s go join the others," she said and Tom sighed before following her.

    When they entered the Den, the celebration was in full swing already and everyone erupted into cheers and apuse. One by one, everyone embraced them, offering their

    congrattions.

    "Oh, my baby," J said softly, tears dropping from her eyes as she hugged her, and Lucy

    smiled.

    "I surprised you, huh?" She asked, and J nodded and then turned to Tom.

    "Thank you, Tom," she said softly, but Tom shook his head.

    "It''s all Lucy. You all should thank her for me," Tom said, and Desmond raised a brow.

    "I guess she impregnated herself," he said, and everyoneughed while Lucy blushed.

    "My princess is going to be a mother," Andrew said, kissing Lucy''s forehead and she grinned. "And you''re going to be a granddad, so you have to put an end to your shenanigans," she teased, making him chuckle.

    "Never. Not when you''re giving me a new partner in crime," Andrew said, and Desmondughed, nodding in agreement as he embraced Lucy.

    "If Sonia wasn''t here, I''d say you''re my favorite daughter-inw," he joked, and Sonia

    scowled yfully.

    "And now that I''m here?" she asked, and Desmondughed.

    "I''d say I''m blessed with the best daughters-inw ever," he said, and everyoneughed.

    "You know I love you, right?" Lucy said as she hugged him, and he nodded.

    "Yeah. And I love you, too," he said softly as he patted her back.

    Evelyn smiled as she came forward to embrace Lucy, "You''vee such a long way, Lucy. I love you. Thank you," she said as she embraced her.

    "Thank you, too," Lucy whispered.

    As Evelyn stepped away, Sonia hugged Lucy tightly, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I can''t believe you kept this from me. You didn''t only give Tom a gift. You''ve also given me the best

    Christmas ever."

    Lucyughed, her own tears spilling over. "That''s exactly what I was hoping for. I figured it out kids were going to be best of friends and ssmates, too, I better catch up with you."

    "You figured, right. Now I can''t wait for us to do parenting together," Sonia said as she

    embraced Lucy again.

    Bryan pped Tom on the back. "Wee to the club, brother. Better start reading up on pregnancy. I''m here to answer your questions if you need me."

    Tom grinned. "I will keep that in mind."

    "Seems like you''re finally going to be getting the twins you talked about," Lucas said to Tom

    as he and Amy stepped forward, and Tomughed.

    "I''m counting on it," Tom said, and shook hands with Lucas as he congratted them while

    Amy embraced Lucy.

    "I guess I''m congratting you for your bundle of joy and being CEO," Amy said, and Lucy

    laughed.

    "In the excitement of my news I almost forgot about that," Lucy said, and Amyughed.

    "I can''t forget about that," she said as she stepped away with Lucas.

    As Jade and Harry stepped forward, Tom and Harryughed happily as they looked at each

    other and Harry embraced Tom, pping his back, "I''m so happy for you, man. You deserve all the happiness you are getting," Harry said, thinking about all the lengths Tom had gone to have Lucy and to get to where they were now.

    As far as Harry was concerned, Tom had put in all the work and he deserved all of this. He was d that Lucy''s feelings were finally catching up with Tom''s.

    Jade smirked as she looked at Lucy, "You''re lucky you surprised everyone. I wouldn''t have forgiven you if I was thest to find out about this too," she said, and Lucyughed.

    "So, where are we going for this family vacation, Dad-to-be?" Jade asked Tom with a grin

    after congratting him.

    Tom shook his head firmly. "Nowhere. No one''s going anywhere while Lucy''s pregnant. I

    don''t want her stressed."

    The room erupted in protests.

    "Tom!" Jade cried. "You can''t cancel Christmas ns just like that!"

    "You can''t be serious. Sonia is pregnant too, isn''t she? When I raised it, you said there''d be doctors with us, and now, what? Lucy is pregnant?" Bryan asked with disbelief.

    "You can all go without us if you want," Tom said, crossing his arms. "But Lucy isn''t doing anything strenuous. If I''d known she was pregnant, I wouldn''t have let her n the party. As a matter of fact, y''all should go to your houses. She needs bed rest to recover from all the stress

    she has been throughtely."

    "Tom!" Lucy eximed,ughing. "I''m fine!"

    "You''re not fine until I say you''re fine," he countered. "In fact, we''re scheduling a check-up

    immediately."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    The family burst intoughter, and Jade rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. You''re being worse than

    Bryan."

    "I am not," Tom retorted, his expression serious. "These are my babies we''re talking about!" Lucy cupped his face, shaking her head fondly. "Rx, . Everything''s fine. I promise."

    As theughter subsided, Desmond raised his ss. "To Lucy and Tom- and the little one on the way. This truly is a Christmas to remember."

    "Cheers!" everyone echoed, raising their sses as they celebrated the joyful news together.

    The morning passed in a blur of joy and togetherness, and as Lucy sat surrounded by her family, her heart felt full. This was her future, and it was more than she''d ever dreamed of.

 Chapter 998: Anita

    Chapter 998: Anita

    ?

    After the excitement at Tom''s ce had wound down, Jade finally agreed to leave for Harry''s so they could get ready for the family dinner that Debbie was hosting.

    Although they were over thirty minuteste, that didn''t put a damper on their mood as they drove over to the address that had been sent to Harry.

    A Christmas music yed on the stereo as Harry guided the car down the winding country road toward Debbie''s house which was away from the main city.

    Thete-afternoon sun cast a warm glow over the fields and trees, bathing thendscape in shades of gold and amber. Jade, seated in the passenger seat, leaned back with a contented smile, her eyes fixed on the horizon.

    "This has been the best Christmas I''ve had in years," Jade said, breaking thefortable silence between them. Her voice carried a quiet warmth, as if she was speaking to herself as much as to Harry.

    Harry nced at her, a soft smile tugging at his lips. "I''m d I could be part of it."

    Jade turned to him, her smile widening. "You know, I can still picture the look on Tom''s face when Lucy told him..."

    "Here I was thinking you were thinking of me. I can''t believe you''re thinking about Tom," Harry said with a chuckle and Jade giggled, knowing he was joking.

    "Tom looked like a kid who just got the biggest present under the tree. The tears! I wish I was able to capture the moment," she said, and Harry chuckled.

    "I know. I don''t think I''ve ever seen him that happy. Not even when he won the biggest deal thatunched I-Global."

    Jadeughed, the sound light and full of joy. "He deserves it. They both do. I''m happy he found someone that makes him so happy."

    "Like I make you happy, huh?" He asked, and she giggled.

    "Like I make you happy," she said instead, and they bothughed.

    "I didn''t realize your de facto stepmom lived so far away from the city," Jade said, and Harry smiled.

    "I was just wondering how my Dad manages to cover this distance between visits," he said, and Jade grinned.

    "The power of love I guess," Jade said and Harry nodded.

    "I won''t be surprised if they are nning to get married. I''m actually expecting it," he said, and Jade raised a brow.

    "Really? Did your Dad say something?" she asked and he shook his head.

    "It''s just a feeling. I''m getting this vibe from them," Harry said with a shrug.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "Well, he can do whatever he wants as long as he is happy, right?" she asked, and Harry nodded.

    "Yeah. I would really like that," he admitted then pointed out to a wide expanse ofnd. "That is the Quinn Vi. Hunter''s family house," he said, and she raised a brow as she took a closer look.

    "Really? I suppose only wealthy folks live around here," she said, and Harry nodded.

    "Yeah. More like old money. You know Debbie''ste husband was Donald Steele. That''s a long line of old money. And she got the house and most of his stuff after his death," Harry exined, and Jade grinned.

    "I guess your father got himself a rich girlfriend," she said, and Harry chuckled.

    "He''s rich himself. But yeah."

    As they passed through Debbie''s gate, the driveway came into view, already crowded with cars. Jade leaned forward in her seat, bubbling with excitement. "Looks like everyone''s here," she said with a giggle. "I can''t wait to see Andy''s and Candace''s faces when I tell them the news."

    Harry raised a brow, amusement twinkling in his eyes. "That''s only if Sonia or Amy haven''t already beaten you to it. You know how quick good news travel."

    Jade turned to him with mock seriousness. "I begged them not to say a word to anyone until I do it. I should have the pleasure to announce this after I was left out in the whole engagement n. And so far, no one''s posted anything in the group chat, so I think the secret is still safe," she said with a grin.

    Harryughed outright at her bubbling enthusiasm. "I see you''ve got this all nned out."

    Jade nodded firmly, her grin wide. "Oh, absolutely."

    The car came to a gentle stop in front of Debbie''s house, and they stepped out into the crisp evening air. The sound of chatter andughter floated through the open windows, and Jade''s heart swelled with anticipation. But as they stepped inside, her momentum faltered.

    Beside the house, with a calm but amused expression, was Anita as she keeping watch as her nephews ran around the nearby field, ying ball with Jamal and Mari.

    Jade paused, and when she nced at Harry, she saw that his jaw had tightened, and his normally soft features had hardened into a mask of restraint.

    Lisa, standing by the door with a ss of juice and her baby in hand, noticed their hesitation and stepped forward with a weing smile. "Jade, you''re here! Come in, you two! No need for anyone to feel awkward tonight. Let''s leave the past where it belongs and enjoy the evening," Lisa said, and hearing her voice, Anita looked up, and she froze momentarily when she saw Harry.

    She turned to look at her sister, wondering why none of them had mentioned Harry to her, and from the look on her face she could tell they had deliberately left it out.

    She had only returned from her travels two days ago and Lisa had asked her to join the family for dinner since their mother had been executed and her mother-inw, Debbie, was hosting them all for Christmas, considering she was the only mother figure in their lives now.

    She had not expected to run into Harry here, especially not so soon after her return. She had hoped to return quietly and live even more quietly without attracting any attention to herself but it seemed that was impossible now.

 Chapter 999: Fifty-Fifty

    Chapter 999: Fifty-Fifty

    ?

    "Mr Jonas," Anita greeted with a polite nod and Harry acknowledged her with a small nod, deciding to not let the past get in the way of Debbie''s carefully nned dinner especially since Anita had apologized before disappearing.

    "Where is everyone?" Jade asked Lisa, although she was still clearly processing the sight of Anita.

    "In the living room. Come in. Annie, bring the kids in," Lisa said and Jade followed her lead as they moved further into the living room.

    Aaron, seatedfortably on a couch, raised a brow at them as they walked in. "You''rete. I was starting to think you two were so caught up in each other that you forgot all about the dinner."

    Jade grinned, and Harry let out a low chuckle. "Not quite. Something came up," Jade replied, though the faint color rising in her cheeks didn''t go unnoticed.

    Candace, who had been flipping through her phone and showing Andy a picture, narrowed her eyes suspiciously when she caught the excitement in Jade''s voice.

    "Did Matt and Alex note with you?" Harry asked his sisters curiously before Candace could say anything.

    "They''re at the backyard with Ron, setting up the barbecue stand. You should join them. Maybe you can pick up a thing or two and maybe be useful," Candace teased, and Harry chuckled.

    "You don''t want to do this year, trust me," he said, reminding her they hadpany and she nodded.

    "You''re right. Sorry," she said, shing him an apologetic smile when she caught the Miller sisters staring at them.

    As Lisa took Harry to where the guys were, Bernice took the kids away to wash their hands for dinner.

    Once Jade was seated across from Tiffany and Anita, Candace raised a brow, "Alright, I noticed your excitement earlier. What''s going on?" She asked, ncing at Jade''s finger to be certain the two had not gotten engaged while no one was looking.

    "So,st night we stayed back at Tom''s after the party," Jade started but hesitated, ncing at the curious faces around the room.

    "And?" Andy prompted, leaning forward eagerly.

    Jade''s gaze flickered to Anita who was now seated with her sisters, then back to Candace and Andy. She bit her lip, her excitement suddenly tempered by the presence of the others. She couldn''t exactly share Tom''s and Lucy''s joyful news in the presence of strangers. Especially not Anita.

    Her hesitation deepened when her eyes met Anita''s, whose expression remained unreadable. "I''ll tell you twoter," Jade said finally, her voice quieter as she shed them an awkward smile.

    Andy groaned dramatically. "Later? You can''t just drop a teaser like that and make us wait!" "Exactly!" Candace chimed in, folding her arms. "Spill it, Jade."

    Jadeughed, her resolve weakening under theirbined curiosity. "Fine, but it''s sort of a secret, so I''ll have to tell you privately," she said with a grin.

    "Sure. We can just step out..."

    Aaron raised a brow. "Is it girls stuff or is it something I can hear too? Don''t keep me in the dark."

    Jade grinned, "Well, I guess. Jamal might be the most excited of all when he hears." Jade added, her grin returning.

    Candace''s eyes lit up, and a mischievous smile spread across her face. "Wait... is this about Lucy?"

    Jade''s grin was answer enough. With a delighted squeal, Candace and Andy rushed forward, practically dragging her into the hallway for privacy.

    "Dad I will tell you about itter," Candace called to her Dad.

    Behind them, the Miller sisters- Tiffany, Anita, and Bernice and Lisa, who had just returned

    to the living room with Debbie- exchanged amused and curious nces.

    Debbie leaned toward Aaron and murmured, "This should be good."

    "I''m sure it is," Aaron said with a chuckle.

    "Come on, let''s get everyone to the dining room. Dinner is served," she said, her voice warm and cheerful, and the miller sisters moved to dining room with the kids.

    In the hallway, Jade whispered the news into Andy''s and Candace''s ears. "Tom gifted Lucy the fashion unit of I-Global for Christmas... and Lucy''s pregnant!"

    Both their eyes widened in unison. Andy''s mouth fell open, and Candace let out a gasp before pping her hands over her mouth. "No way!" Candace whispered, her voice barely

    containing her excitement.

    Andyughed, throwing an arm around Jade. "You''re kidding. That''s incredible!"

    Theirughter and whispered chatter drew Aaron''s attention. He leaned closer, pretending

    not to eavesdrop. "Let''s join the others at the dining," he called to them.

    "Dad, Lucy is pregnant," Candace said in an excited whisper, knowing how much Aaron adored Lucy.

    Aaron''s reaction was immediate - he let out a heartyugh and shook his head in amazement. "I thought as much. That''s wonderful news."

    By the time they joined the others at the dining table, the excitement had spread like wildfire.

    As everyone settled into their seats, the earlier tension was forgotten asughter and chatter filled the air thanks to the presence of the kids and Aaron and Debbie who tried to make both their families get along.

    Everyone was involved in the conversations including Alex and Matt, and even Anita, though she didn''t say much, she seemed to rx slightly, her gaze softening as she listened to the lively conversations around her.

    After they were done with the meal and the kids had been asked to go watch cartoons in the Den, Debbie and Aaron exchanged a look and then Aaron reached for her hand and cleared his throat to get their attention.

    Immediately, Harry exchanged an I-told-you-so smirk with Jade, and she bit back a giggle as they returned their attention to the elders.

    "Deb and I..."N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "Deb huh?" Candace cut in, wriggling her brows at her father yfully and everyoneughed while Aaron scowled at her though a smile tugged at the corners of his lips. "Candace," Andy called quietly, shaking her head at her so she wouldn''t interrupt their father

    again.

    "Mom, what do you call him? Aa or Ron?" Ron asked with a teasing smile, and everyoneughed while Debbie and Aaron shook their heads in amusement.

    "Can you all please be serious? We have an important announcement to make," Debbie said, and Ron rolled his eyes yfully as he looked around the table.

    "I doubt there is anyone here who can''t guess what you both want to say..." "Love, I think we should let them speak," Lisa said softly, cing a hand over her husband''s, "Sorry we interrupted," she said, shing her mother-inw and Aaron an apologetic smile.

    "Please go on," Harry said, and Aaron sighed.

    "We wanted both our families together today to let you all know that we have decided to move in together," Aaron said, and Harry chuckled.

    "Don''t say a word," Aaron warned, ring at Harry before he could say anything.

    Harryughed. "Why me? You didn''t ask anyone else to shut up," he reminded his father.

    "So, you''re moving in together not getting married?" Ron asked, and his mother raised a brow.

    "Didn''t you say you knew what we nned to say?" she asked, and Ron smiled sheepishly.

    "We don''t want to get married. We will only be living with each other for most of the time. That means she can visit me in Sogal and stay for a long time with me and I can do the same..." "Isn''t that what you''re both doing already?" Andy asked in confusion.

    "Not exactly. This is sort of more official. And she has never been to Sogal," Aaron pointed

    out.

    "So, neither of you is moving in fully with the other?" Lisa asked, and they both nodded.

    "Yes. He hasmitments in Sogal, as I do here. So, we are both putting in fifty-fifty into our rtionship not a hundred. That way we can put the remaining fifty into our other responsibilities and our families," Debbie exined reasonably.

    After some more questions, they all congratted the couple, and as they ate dessert and

    moved to other discussions, Aaron couldn''t help but feel a sense of contentment of he

    watched everyone around the table.

    This was what Christmas was about- love, family, and the joy of sharing life''s best moments

    together.

    This was undoubtedly the best Christmas of his life. Life had given him back way more than it had taken from him, and for that he would always be grateful.

 Chapter 1000: Did You Hear?

    Chapter 1000: Did You Hear?

    ?

    Lucy stirred awake to the soft, warm rays of sunlight streaming through the sheer curtains. She stretchedzily, theforting weight of the duvet still over her as her eyes fluttered open.

    A delightful aroma wafted through the air- freshly baked croissants, oatmeal, scrambled eggs, sizzling bacon, and the faint sweetness of pancakes. She blinked a few times, trying to ce the smell.

    Was that breakfast? Here? She mused as she turned her head toward the open balcony doors and noticed something she hadn''t expected: the elegant balcony table had been set up outside, draped with a crisp white cloth. tes of food sat neatly arranged, along with a vase of flowers and a jar of freshly made juice and two cups.

    Lucy smiled as she watched Tom, who was standing by the table, checking out the arrangement of everything on the table to be sure that it was perfect.

    He turned when he sensed that she was awake, his smile warm and inviting. "You''re awake," he said softly, walking back into the room. "Good morning, Jewel."

    Lucy sat up, still groggy but smiling. "What... what''s all that? When did you even-how didn''t I notice?" she asked with wonder.

    "I was extra careful not to wake you," he said, leaning down to press a kiss to her forehead. "You''ve were sleeping so soundly, and I didn''t want to ruin it considering all the stress you''ve been throughtely."

    She chuckled lightly, brushing her hair out of her face. "What''s the time anyway? We could have joined the others downstairs for breakfast. We shouldn''t be having private meals when we have guests," she said, and Tom chuckled.

    "They had breakfast already. It''s past ten," he said, and Lucy''s eyes widened in surprise.

    "I slept for that long?" She asked, and Tom chuckled.

    "Your body needs the rest. Besides, you didn''t exactly sleep early because you were chatting with Amy and Soniate into the night and you were on the phone with the otherdies," Tom pointed out and Lucy grinned.

    "Yeah. That''s true," she said, thinking about how excited they had all been about the news of her pregnancy.

    "By the way, Jade said they ran into Anita," Lucy said and Tom nodded.

    "Yeah. Harry told me," he replied in a tone that told Lucy that he didn''t want to waste their time talking about Anita, "Come and see what I''ve done." he said, changing the subject as he took her hand and helped her out of the bed.

    Lucy followed him out to the balcony, her bare feet shuffling softly across the floor.

    As she stepped into the sunlight, her lips curved in a smile. Every detail of the setup looked intentional, from the golden tes to the careful arrangement of fruits. "It looks and smells amazing. Did you see this up yourself?"

    Tom pulled out a chair for her, gesturing for her to sit. "I did. But I got a little help preparing

    it."

    "A little help?" she asked, sitting down and looking at him with suspicion.

    "I had both our moms and Samantha in the kitchen guiding me," he admitted, grinning. "They made sure I didn''t burn the house down. I wanted to surprise you."

    "You really did ALL this?" she asked, her eyes wide. "You never cease to surprise and amaze me," she said when Tom nodded with a proud smile.

    "Good. I never want to cease," he said, sitting across from her and Lucyughed, shaking her head.

    "I n to make most of your meals from now on until the babyes," Tom said, and her brows shot up.

    "Really? And how exactly are you nning to manage that with your busy schedule?" She asked, watching him with amusement.

    "I''ll figure it out," he replied, undeterred. "I''ll also get you a dietician to make sure you''re eating all the right things. I want you to feel your best, Jewel. No terrible morning sickness, no stress. Just you, happy and healthy."

    Lucy''s face softened as she looked at him. "Ace," she began, her voice soft with emotion. "Why are you so perfect?"

    Tom chuckled, reaching across the table to take her hand in his. "I''m not perfect, but I want to be. For you. If there''s anything you want me to change, anything I can do better for you, just tell me. You''ve given me everything and I want to give everything to you, too."

    Her lips curved into a grin. "I can''t think of anything right now. You''ve already outdone yourself." She picked up a fork and took a bite of the fluffy pancakes, moaning softly in delight. "These are so good."

    "d you like them," he said, watching her with a satisfied expression.

    After a moment, she put her fork down and leaned back in her chair. "So, I''m no longer your employee?" she asked with a grin, and Tom chuckled.

    "Yeah. You''re not," he said, and Lucy smiled.

    "How long were you nning to do that?" she asked, and he shrugged.

    "Since I watched you having the meeting with your teammates months ago," he said, and she smiled.

    "How does it make you feel? Being your own boss?" Tom asked curiously and she inhaled deeply.

    "I''m both excited and terrified. What if I''m not ready for this? This is an entirely different responsibility. I don''t want to fail or disappoint you," she admitted, and Tom smiled. "You seem to forget that you''re not alone. I will always be here to give you advise when you need me to. You will do great," he assured her confidently, "but you can''t overwork yourself. I know you might want to restructure things, but do it gradually in a way that won''t leave you stressed out. Delegate as much as you can, especially routine tasks..." Tom trailed off when Lucy giggled.

    "I''m done talking," he said, and she grinned.

    "Thanks. I''ll try not to make you very worried," she promised with a content sigh as she leaned back in her seat and ced one of her legs on Tom''s thigh.

    Tom patted her foot, ying with her fingers as he watched her eat, his heart full with love for her as he imagined her with a well rounded baby bump.

    As they continued to eat, the air was filled withughter and soft conversation. Tom watched Lucy carefully, his gaze lingering on her glowing face.

    She smiled back at him, feeling warm and cherished. It wasn''t just the food or the effort he''d put in; it was the way he made her feel, like she and their little one were the center of his

    world.

    "What about the vacation ns? Are we still going?" Lucy asked after some time.

    Tom tilted his head, studying her. "Do you really want to go?"

    "Of course I do," she said earnestly. "It''s not right to cancel just because I''m pregnant. Everyone''s been looking forward to it for months, and I don''t want you to ruin the fun for

    everyone."

    Tom nodded, seeming to consider her words. "Okay, then. We''ll leave tomorrow as nned." "Where did you have in mind?" she asked since he was yet to tell her about his ns, and Tom

    grinned.

    "It''s a secluded Ind," he said, and Lucy raised an eyebrow.

    "An ind?"

    "Yeah," he said, his face lighting up. "One with no inte connection. That way, everyone can focus on spending time together, not on their phones orptops."

    Lucyughed, covering her mouth. "I don''t know how the others are going to feel about

    that."

    "They will be fine," Tom assured her. "Once they start having fun, they won''t even think about their phones. Trust me," he said with a wink.

    Lucy shook her head, giggling but before she could say a word, her phone rang inside the

    bedroom.

    "I will get it," Tom said, not wanting her to stand up.

    He walked into the bedroom to get the phone and then picked up his as well. He raised a brow

    when he saw that he had several missed calls from Harry, and dialed Harry''s line as he took

    Lucy''s phone to her.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    Harry picked his call at the same time as Lucy received Candace''s call.

    "Hey, Canda..."

    "Have you heard the news?" Candace asked in a shaky voice.

    "News? What news?" Lucy asked as she met Tom''s gaze and noticed the tension in his body as

    he turned away from her and move away from the balcony.

    "Kimberly and Dawn were in an ident. I forwarded the news link to you..."

    "Oh, my God!" Lucy gasped in shock.

    "Jamal and my Dad left this morning and are on their way to see Dawn. I doubt they''ve heard

    or seen the news. I have no idea what to do," Candace said in a very low voice.

    "I''ll call you back," Lucy said as she hung up the call and faced Tom, who had just returned to

    join her.

    She rose from her seat with tears in her eyes, "Tom..."

    "Rx," he said, worried that she would get worked up.

    "Did you hear what happened? Candace said..."

    "I heard from Harry. Kimberly and her parents are dead. Dawn is in a critical condition," he

    said and Lucy gasped as tears dropped from her eyes.

 Chapter 1001: Not One

    Chapter 1001: Not One

    ?

    The Hank family gathered in the dimly lit den, their faces heavy with sorrow. The room was unnervingly quiet save for the ticking sound of the grandfather clock in the room.

    Evelyn sat stiffly on the couch, clutching a crumpled tissue, her usually warm eyes now clouded with worry. Desmond stood near the window, his hands buried deep in his pockets, staring into the garden as though searching for answers.

    Tom sat between his mother and Lucy, his arm around her and his expression unreadable.

    Sonia was seated across Lucy, watching everyone with an unreadable expression while Bryan sat beside her holding her hand in his.

    No one spoke at first. It was as if putting their shock into words would make it even more real. They all raised their heads when Jade walked in with Harry, "Any n yet? What are we going to do?" Jade asked without sitting, breaking the silence in the room.

    Finally, Desmond spoke, his voice low and resolute. "I''ll go to see Dawn," he said, his gaze still fixed outside the window.

    Evelyn straightened, her voice calm and determined. "Yes. I''ming with you. Dawn shouldn''t wake up to strangers. She needs her family."

    Lucy nodded quickly, wiping away the stray tear that had slipped down her cheek. "I''ll go too. She''s going to need all of us."

    Tom, who had been silent until now, shook his head firmly. "No, Jewel. You can''t go."

    Lucy turned to him, her eyes wide with disbelief. "Why not? You know how dear she is to me. She needs me, too."

    Tom shook his head, his tone soft but unwavering. "I understand how you feel, but you can''t go. Besides, we have an appointment at the hospital today. It''s important, Jewel. We can''t reschedule."

    "But this is Dawn! She''s in the hospital, fighting for her life. How can we not go?" Lucy''s voice cracked as fresh tears welled in her eyes.

    Evelyn ced aforting hand on Lucy''s shoulder. "Tom''s right, Lucy. You need to take care of yourself first. We wouldn''t want you to jeopardize your health, especially now. Don''t worry, we will take care of her."

    Lucy looked at Desmond, searching his face for reassurance. "Are you going to bring her back with you? If she''s okay?" She asked, hoping they would.

    Something seemed wrong about the progression of events since Dawn left, and even though she wasn''t sure what it was, she wanted to protect Dawn.

    Desmond sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I can''t make any promises, Lucy. I don''t know what we will find when we get there. I will do what I can, but..." He trailed off, his voice heavy with the weight of uncertainty.

    "I wille with you," Jade said, and before anyone could object she spoke again, "I''m the familywyer. I think I should be there considering how Kimberly tried to cut us off," Jade exined.

    "I wille as well. Just to make sure everything goes smoothly. My Dad and Jamal are there. And Jade is going too," he said, and when everyone nodded in agreement he took out his phone, "I believe time is of the essence. I will have the pilot prepare the jet," he said as he excused himself and Tom rose and stepped out with him.

    Desmond moved closer to Lucy, sitting beside her and taking her hands in his. "Lucy, listen to me," he said softly. "Dawn''s going to be okay. We will handle everything. We all know how much you care about her. We care about her, too. Right now, you need to focus on yourself and the baby. Let''s get there first, and we''ll figure out the rest together."

    Lucy looked at him, her tear-streaked face filled with reluctance. "I just feel so helpless sitting here while everyone else goes to her."

    "Everyone else isn''t going. We are here, too," Sonia reminded her.

    "You''re not helpless. If we are going to bring her back we will need someone here to wee her," Evelyn said calmly.

    Harry cleared his throat, breaking the intimate moment. "We will be leaving in an hour. You need to get your stuff ready."

    Evelyn nodded, rising from her seat. She turned to Lucy, pulling her into a tight hug. "We''ll call as soon as we know anything," she promised.

    "Maybe it''s just me, but something smells fishy..." Bryan ced a hand on Sonia''s arm to stop her and he shook his head when she looked at him.

    "You should take a nap," he said, leading her out of the Den.

    Everyone was anxious and upset enough. Thest thing he wanted was for Sonia to cause even more unrest with her statement.

    As Desmond and Evelyn left to pack their things, Harry and Jade also left to get their stuff.

    Tom helped Lucy to her feet. "Let''s get ready to leave for the hospital," he said gently, guiding her toward the stairs.

    "Can''t we go to the hospitalter?" Lucy asked, her voice small as they climbed the staircase.

    Tom shook his head. "I understand how you feel, Jewel. I know you''re worried. I am, too. But whether we do it today or push it to tomorrow, it won''t change the state of things. You haven''t visited the hospital since you found out you were pregnant, and I want us to make sure you''re okay. This important, Jewel. Don''t only worry about Dawn. Worry about our baby, too," he said softly.

    Lucy stopped midway up the stairs, turning to face him. "Our baby is fine, but Dawn isn''t. I''m scared, Tom. What if something happens to Dawn while we''re not there?"

    Tom ced a reassuring hand on her cheek, his gaze steady and calm. "Nothing is going to happen to Dawn. And she''s got my parents as well as Jade and Harry by her side. They''ll take care of her. Trust me, Jewel."

    She nodded slowly, her shoulders rxing just a little. "Okay. But promise me you will let her live with us if they are able to bring her back. I don''t mind raising her myself."

    "I promise," Tom said, his voice firm. He kissed her forehead before leading her the rest of

    the way upstairs.

    As they prepared for their appo

    ent, Lucy, sat at her va

    watching Tom in the mirror as

    he buttoned his shirt, his movements quick and precise. She sighed, her thoughts still with

    Dawn.N?v(el)B\\jnn

    She med herself for everything that had happened. If she hadn''t overreacted with the whole paternity stuff, maybe they would have all been more willing to let Dawn stay when Kimberly brought her over.

    Tom caught her reflection and walked over, cing his hands on her shoulders. "Dawn is going to be okay," he said in a soothing voice.

    Lucy nodded, managing a small, shaky smile. "I pray so," Lucy said, thinking that she was not going to forgive herself if anything happened to Dawn.

    Thirty minutester, they left for the hospital after Adolf drove Desmond, and Evelyn to the airport to join Harry and Jade, who were waiting there already.

    The drive to the hospital was silent, and Tom couldn''t help but hate the timing of everything.

    He had been looking forward to the hospital visit since the previous day. It was supposed to be a joyful event for him and Lucy as it was their first meeting with their baby, but now it

    wasn''t.

    The sun was high in the sky by the time they arrived at the hospital. Tom parked the car carefully, ncing at Lucy, who sat quietly with her hands sped tightly in herp, her gaze

    distant.

    "Jewel," Tom said gently, cing a hand on hers. "We''re here."

    Lucy nodded, forcing a small smile. "Let''s go."

    Tom''s hand rested protectively on her lower back as they entered the hospital and

    immediately they were led directly to Damon''s office.

    As they followed the nurse down the hall, Tom couldn''t help but be drawn to the walls which were adorned with posters of smiling families and developmental milestones of babies, each one reminding him of the life growing inside Lucy.

    "Please make yourselffortable. Dr Williams will join you shortly," the nurse said before excusing them after filling out Lucy''s file and putting down all her details.

    Tom held Lucy''s hand as they sat there waiting, his thumb brushing over her knuckles in a

    steady, calming motion.

    Lucy''s gaze darted between the clock on the wall and the floor, her thoughts miles away. She shifted in her seat, her fingers instinctively resting on her stomach.

    "Jewel," Tom said softly, pulling her attention to him. "Try not to worry too much."

    Lucy gave a small nod, though her lips quivered. "I know," she whispered. "I''m just... I feel so

    guilty being here when Dawn-"

    "Stop," Tom interrupted gently but firmly. "There is nothing to feel guilty about. It''s responsible. You''re taking care of yourself and our baby. That''s the best thing you can do for

    everyone."

    Before Lucy could respond, the door opened and Damon walked in, dressed in a crisp white coat, his stethoscope draped casually around his neck.

    "It''s a pleasure to have you two lovebirds here," Damon said with a warm smile as he shook

    hands with Tom.

    Tom shook his hand warmly. "Damon, thanks for seeing us on such short notice."

    "Of course," Damon said before turning to Lucy with a kind smile. "You really blew us away

    with that proposal. Do you have a sister for me?" He asked, and despite how upset she was, Lucyughed softly to Tom''s relief.

    "There. You should smile more often, Lucy. I''m used to seeing you smile and I was a bit worried when you didn''t smile when I walked in. Maybe you''re already regretting proposing to Tom and epting his proposal. Blink twice if you need me to save you from him," he said, and they allughed when she blinked twice.

    "Thank you," Lucy said quietly, appreciating his attempt at lightening her mood. "Don''t mention," Damon said as he gestured to the examination chair. "Why don''t we get started? Lucy, if you could lie down here, we''ll take a look at how everything''s going."

    Tom assisted Lucy as she climbed onto the chair and he stayed by her side, holding her hand as Damon prepared the ultrasound machine.

    The room was filled with the soft hum of the equipment as Damon applied gel to Lucy''s

    abdomen.

    "This might feel a little cold," he said, cing the ultrasound probe against her skin.

    Lucy inhaled sharply but said nothing, her eyes fixed on the screen. "Okay, let''s take a look," Damon said, moving the transducer across her stomach.

    Damon''s gaze remained on the monitor as he moved the probe gently. The silence in the room was thick, each second feeling like an eternity. Then, a soft, rhythmic sound filled the air.

    Thump-thump. Thump-thump. Thump-thump.

    The room filled with the rhythmic sound of a heartbeat-steady and strong.

    "There it is," Damon said with a smile, pointing to the tiny flickering light on the monitor. "That''s your baby''s heartbeat. Eight weeks along, perfectly healthy."

    Lucy''s heart skipped a beat as she looked at the screen. Tom leaned closer with wide eyes, his

    breath catching in his throat.

    Tom swallowed, his voice thick with emotion. "That''s our baby?"

    Tears welled in Lucy''s eyes as she stared at the screen. "That''s... our baby." she whispered.

    "Can I record that?" He asked, and Damon nodded, still looking at the screen. "Knock yourself out," Damon said, and as Tom took out his phone to record the heartbeat,

    Damon frowned slightly, his brow furrowing in concentration. "Wait a second," he murmured causing Lucy to stiffen. Tom straightened, his voice tense. "What is it? Is something wrong?"

    Damon''s frown melted into a grin as he turned the screen toward them. "Not at all. In fact, it''s

    quite the opposite. It seems to be a multiple pregnancy. Lucy, Tom- you''re having twins." Lucy''s eyes widened. "Twins?" she whispered, her voice trembling.

    Tom stared at the screen, his mouth slightly open. "You''re sure?" He asked, his eyes never

    leaving the screen.

    Damon chuckled. "See for yourself." He pointed at the screen. "Here''s Baby A, and here''s Baby B. Both have strong heartbeats and are measuring perfectly for eight weeks." "Twins," Tom repeated, his voice filled with awe as he looked at Lucy.

    Lucy covered her mouth with her free hand, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Two of them,"

    she said, her voice full of wonder.

    Tomughed softly, his excitement bubbling over. his "We''re having twins, Jewel," Tom

    said, his face glowing with happiness.

    Lucy reached for him, pulling him close. "I can''t believe it," she said through her tears.

    Damon smiled warmly, giving them a moment before continuing. "It''s a lot to take in, I know, but everything looks great. I''ll print out some images for you to take home." "Thank you," Lucy said, her voice barely above a whisper.

    "My pleasure," Damon replied as he handed Tom a tissue. "Twins can mean a bit more strain,

    but with the right care, everything should go smoothly. So, you have to avoid stress and take

    things easy." Lucy nodded as Tom wiped her tears, still overwhelmed. "I''ll do my best."

    "Thank you, Damon," Tom said sincerely.

    Damon handed Tom a small stack of printed ultrasound images. "You''ve got a lot to look

    forward to. Just make sure Lucy takes it easy."

    Tom nodded firmly. "I''ll make sure of it."

    After Damon finished the checkup and answered their questions, he gave them a reassuring smile. "You''re in good hands, Lucy. I''ll see you both in a few weeks for the next visit." Tom helped Lucy sit up, wrapping his arm around her as they left the room. The weight on

    Lucy''s shoulders felt a little lighter now, though the worry for Dawn still lingered in the back of her mind.

    In the car on the way home, Lucy kept the ultrasound pictures in herp, tracing the tiny image of their babies with her fingers.

    Although she had always known that there was high likelihood of her to have twins since she

    was a twin herself as was her Mom, she was still surprised to know she was carrying not one,

    but two babies.

    As though reading her mind, Tom turned to Lucy, "Two babies, Jewel. Not one, but two. Our

    family is growing."

    Lucy giggled as she looked up from the pictures. "Two," she said softly.

 Chapter 1002: Not Allowed

    Chapter 1002: Not Allowed

    ?

    The buzz of the airne engines faded into a distant buzz as Aaron and Jamal stepped into the busy airport.

    The night air was thick with chatter, announcements echoing overhead. Aaron held Jamal''s hand tightly, steering him away from therger crowds.

    Jamal''s excitement bubbled over as he craned his neck to take in the unfamiliar surroundings. "Are we going straight to see Dawn?" he asked, his eyes wide with curiosity.

    Aaron smiled faintly, squeezing his hand. "Tomorrow, buddy. Let''s get to the hotel first."

    As they made their way to the baggage im, snippets of conversation reached Aaron''s ears. He stiffened at the mention of a familiar name.

    "Did you hear about Kimberly Moore? Tragic, isn''t it?"

    "They''re saying her parents died too... And her daughter-what''s her name? Dawn? She''s in critical condition."

    "Such a loss. It''s all over the news."

    Aaron''s breath hitched. His steps faltered, and he instinctively pulled Jamal closer, shielding him from the murmured words.

    He needed to stay calm- for Jamal''s sake. But his mind raced, piecing together the fragments of what he''d just overheard.

    He nced at the televisions mounted above the terminal. The news broadcast showed shing images of a mangled car and familiar faces in ck-and-white.

    The headline scrawled across the bottom of the screen read: "TRAGIC ACCIDENT CLAIMS LIVES OF PROMINENT FAMILY MEMBERS."

    Aaron''s chest tightened as he quickly turned Jamal away from the screen. His heart broke as he guided Jamal toward the exit.

    He had thought that bringing Jamal here was a good idea, but now he wasn''t so sure seeing that Kimberly was dead and Dawn also seemed to be critically injured.

    Perhaps they should have let him feel sad for a couple of days or maybe a week and he would have gotten over it, instead of bringing him all the way here, Aaron mused as the cab drove them to the hotel.

    After they got to the hotel and had something to eat and freshened up, Aaron tucked Jamal in bed and read him some bedtime stories until he fell asleep.

    The room was quiet, save for the soft sound of Jamal''s breathing as he slept. Aaron sat on the edge of the bed, his phone in his hand.

    The weight of what he''d heard and seen at the airport pressed down on him, and he knew he had to inform Harry of what had happened.

    He first called Harry, but when the call didn''t go through, he called Candace, and she picked up on the second ring.

    "Dad," she said, her voice a mix of relief and worry. "I guess you''ve heard, haven''t you?" Aaron exhaled shakily, running a hand through his thinning hair. "Yeah. I overheard people talking at the airport. And the news... Candace, what''s going on? Is it true?"

    There was a pause on the other end before Candace spoke. "Yes, it''s true. Even her husband released a press statement two hours ago. Kimberly and her parents didn''t make it. Dawn... she''s alive, but barely. She''s in critical condition, Dad."

    Aaron closed his eyes, his heart sinking. "I brought Jamal all this way to see her, not for this." "Did he hear the news, too?" Candace asked, and Aaron sighed.

    "No. He was too excited about being here to listen to other people''s conversation," Aaron said, rubbing his face with his hand.

    "He''s going to be so disappointed if he''s unable to see her," Candace said, equally feeling bad for Jamal.

    "Maybe we can find a way to visit her at the hospital. What''s important is that he sees her and knows that she is alive and will get better," Aaron said thoughtfully, "Is there any news about the hospital where she was taken to?"

    "Harry and Jade are on their way with Jade''s parents. Harry wants you to stay put until he arrives. We will know more once they arrive," Candace said, and Aaron sighed.

    "When did they leave?" Aaron asked thoughtfully.

    "Past noon," Candace said, and Aaron nodded.

    "It''s only a fourteen hours trip by air. They should get here before dawn," he said, and Candace nodded.N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "I''m sure Harry will find out when they get there, and maybe you all can go together," Candace said, and Aaron sighed.

    "Alright. It''ste over here. Let''s talkter," he said before hanging up.

    After the call Aaron stared at his phone for a long moment, the gravity of the situation sinking

    in.

    Turning to nce at Jamal, who was still fast asleep, Aaron felt a pang of guilt. How was he going to exin this to him?

    The next morning, Aaron woke early, and after getting ready with Jamal, they left the hotel.

    He had thought about it and decided that he didn''t want to wait for Harry and the others. They were all there for a different purpose.

    Coming with them would only make whoever was taking care of Dawn associate them with the Hanks and he didn''t want that to hinder Jamal from seeing Dawn.

    Also by going first, he could check the situation and also make way for Jamal to see Dawn.

    After making a couple of calls, he found out that Dawn had been taken to her adoptive father''s family hospital so they headed there.

    Once they arrived at the hospital, Jamal, who had been buzzing with him beside him frowned, "Does Dawn live in a hospital?" He asked his grandfather as they got out of the cab.

    Aaron crouched down in front of Jamal, "Dawn is ill. She got into an ident and hurt herself. We are here to see her," he exined, leaving out all the other details.

    Jamal''s eyes widened, "Dawn is hurt?" He asked, and Aaron nodded.

    "And depending on how bad the wound is, we might not be allowed to see her. Would you rather see her now? Or do you prefer she recovers whether or not you see her?" He asked, wanting Jamal to understand that there was the possibility that they might not be able to see

    ner.

    Jamal thought about it for a moment, "I want her to be fine."

    Aaron nodded, "So, we will go in, okay? If they say we can see her, we will. But if they say she needs to be left alone and not disturbed, we will leave and stay away until she recovers. Agreed?" He asked and although Jamal was hesitant, he gave him a nod.

    "Good. Now let''s go," Aaron said as he straightened and led Jamal inside.

    They headed straight for the reception desk. "Hello. We are here to see. We are family friends and Jamal here is Dawn''s best friend," he said, his voice calm but his expression concerned. "Dawn? There is no one by that name here," thedy said, and Aaron frowned.

    "Isn''t Mr Ryan Harris the hospital director? I was told she was brought here. His stepdaughter, Dawn," he said, taking out his phone to show a screen record of Dawn and Jamal having their video call.

    "Her name is Genevieve. Genevieve Harris, not Dawn," the receptionist said as she looked at the video and then gave Jamal a sympathetic look, her hands pausing over the keyboard. "I''m

    sorry, dear. Your friend is not here anymore."

    Aaron''s heart skipped a beat. "What do you mean? Where is she?"

    "She was in critical condition when she arrived. They stabilized her as best as they could, but she needed advanced care. She''s been flown abroad for surgery," the woman exined. "Abroad?" Aaron repeated, his voice rising slightly with disbelief. "Do you know where?"

    "I''m sorry, I don''t have that information," she said apologetically. "But I can assure you, she

    is receiving the best care."

    Aaron stepped back, frustration bubbling inside him. They hade all this way, and now

    Dawn was out of reach.

    He took a deep breath, reminding himself that he needed to stayposed for Jamal.

    "We can''t see her, can we?" Jamal asked when Aaron finally looked down at him. "I''m sorry, buddy, we can''t. You heard her. She''s hurt and has been taken somewhere far away

    until she can get well," Aaron said, and Jamal nodded.

    "I can see her again after she gets well, right?" He asked, and Aaron forced a smile.

    Even though he knew he should probably just say no and not give Jamal false hopes, he couldn''t help it. He just didn''t want to disappoint his grandson.

    "Yes, Buddy. You can," he promised.

    Jamal nodded, but before he could say another word, something caught his eyes and he

    immediately ran away from his grandfather.

    Aaron turned to see Jamal approaching a cleaningdy, who was about throwing a stuffed

    white and pink colored panda into a trash can.

    "Lucy belongs to Dawn," Jamal said, reaching for the stuffed panda.

    The cleaningdy paused and looked at the Panda, "Do you want it?" She asked with a weary

    sigh.

    "Jamal, what are you doing?" Aaron asked as he joined them.

    "That''s Lucy. Lucy got that for Dawn. She is throwing it out," Jamal exined, looking

    distressed.

    "I was asked to dispose it. If he wants it, he can have it," thedy said, and Aaron nodded. "We will take it. Thank you," Aaron said, taking the stuffed panda from thedy.

    "Now you have something that belongs to Dawn. You can give it back when you feel better," Aaron said as he led Jamal away.

    Just as they walked out of the hospital, they met the Desmond, Evelyn, Harry, and Jade.

    "Dad, what are you doing here? Didn''t Candace give my message to you? I''ve been trying to reach you all morning," Harry said, and Aaron shook his head.

    "If you''re here to see Dawn, you camete. The receptionist just told us she was flown abroad

    for surgery," Aaron said, ignoring Harry''s question.

    "Abroad? Did you find out where?" Desmond asked with a frown.

    "No. I''ll be leaving with Jamal now since we can''t see her," Aaron said, and Harry looked

    down at Jamal and patted his hair.

    "I''m sorry you couldn''t see her," he said softly, and Jamal nodded, clutching the stuffed

    panda close to himself.

    "Isn''t that the teddy Lucy got Dawn?" Jade asked, and Aaron nodded.

    "That was what Jamal said. We got it from the cleaner who was asked to get rid of it," he

    exined before walking away with Jamal.

    "What manner of idiot did Kimberly get married to? He didn''t even have the courtesy to inform us about the ident," Evelyn said with disapproval.

    "We need to see Kimberly''s husband," Jade said, displeased with this development.

    As they approached the door, they were stopped by a uniformed security guard. "You can''t go

    in," he said, and Harry raised a brow.

    "Last I checked, this is a hospital and anyone can be here," he said, and then man looked at

    Harry with exaggerated patience.

    "Mr. Harris gave strict instructions that they shouldn''t be let in here," he said, gesturing towards Desmond, Evelyn, and Jade. "And since you''re with them, I''m guessing you''re not allowed, too. I suggest you all leave the premises immediately," he said, jerking his head for them to go.

    "Who did he say we are? And why can''t we go in?" Jade asked with a frown.

    "That''s not for me to answer. I''m only doing my job. You can''t go in," he said, and Desmond

    sighed deeply.

    "Let''s leave," he said, turning to walk away.

    "Just like that?" Jade asked, and Harry nodded, in support of Desmond.

    "Let''s go. Our issue is with Ryan Harris, not him. Since Dawn isn''t here, we will figure out

    another way to see her and see him, too," Harry said, and with that, they left.

 Chapter 1003: Pray And Hope

    Chapter 1003: Pray And Hope

    ?

    As Aaron arranged their bags and made arrangements for them to leave for the airport, Jamal sat on the couch, holding the panda tightly to himself with a sad expression on his face.

    Aaron kept casting nces at him, feeling sorry about the situation and his inability to keep his promise of letting Jamal see Dawn. He knew that despite the fact that Jamal had not made a fuss, he was sad and disappointed.

    Letting out a soft sigh, Aaron went to meet Jamal, "How about we go get you ice cream and something to cheer you up?" He asked, but Jamal shook his head.

    Before Aaron could say anything else, a knock sounded on the door and he went to get it.

    He opened the door to see Harry and Jade standing there, "Were you able to find out where she was flown to?" Aaron asked as he let them in.

    "Not yet. My men are on it," Harry said as he walked in, not bothering to tell his father that they had been unable to go into the hospital.

    "Why was the stuffed animal at the hospital?" Jade asked, looking at the Panda which Jamal was holding on to.

    "I''m not sure," Aaron said as he watched Jade go sit down close to Jamal tofort him.

    "I''ve booked our flight. We will be leaving by 2 p.m.," Aaron said, and Harry nced at his watch.

    It was just past noon.

    "What exactly did you discuss with the nurse at the reception stand?" Harry asked curiously.

    "I told her Jamal was Dawn''s friend and we were there to see her. And she said Dawn was no longer there and had been flown abroad for surgery. She said she didn''t know where Dawn was flown to," Aaron said, and Harry frowned his suspicion deepening.

    "That was all? You didn''t press her further?" He asked, and Aaron shook his head.

    "She also said Dawn''s name is Genevieve now. Genevieve Harris," Aaron said and both Harry and Jade frowned.

    "Genevieve? Since when?" Jade asked with a frown, "This whole situation doesn''t make any sense."

    Harry massaged his temple as he thought about the situation. If this had been in Ludus, it would have been easier to handle. But here, Ryan and his family had more connections and say here.

    Harry took out his phone from his pocket when it rang and he received the call when he saw it was Tom, "Hey!"

    "Harry," Tom greeted, concern evident in his tone. "Have you seen Dawn yet?" Tom asked since he knew Lucy would want to know how Dawn was doing when she wakes up.

    Harry exhaled. "No. They wouldn''t even let us into the hospital. The security man there said Ryan instructed them not to let your family in..."

    "What''s that supposed to mean?" Tom cut in angrily.

    "Yeah. But my Dad was was able to speak with the receptionist. She imed that Dawn was moved abroad for surgery. That''s not the only issue- her name has been changed to Genevieve."

    There was a pause on the other end before Tom responded, his voice lower. "Genevieve? Why would Kimberly change her name? Why would Ryan or whatever his name is, deny my family ess to Dawn? None of this makes sense. This is all very suspicious," Tom said, and Harry nodded.

    "Exactly," Harry agreed.

    Tom let out a frustrated sigh. "I''ll make some calls and see if I can get some more information from Kimberly''s uncle (chapter 607). This doesn''t sit right with me either. Keep me posted," Tom said before hanging up.

    Once he hung up he dialed Mr. Moore line and it rang a couple of times before Mr Moore received the call.

    "Hello, Mr Hank. How may I help you?" Mr. Moore asked me curtly.

    "I saw the news. ept my condolences," Tom said as he walked over to the window in his study.

    "Thank you," he said, still sounding cold.

    Ignoring the animosity in his voice, Tom went on, "How is Dawn doing? I..."

    "If you are calling to talk about her, then we have nothing to talk about. Do not think I''m not aware of how poorly you and your family treated my niece and how your family embarrassed my family publicly. You didn''t want the kid, so I suggest you stay out of her life..."

    "Dawn is still a Hank," Tom reminded him.

    "Did you or your family realize that when you threatened my family to pick her up or you''d send her down alone? Now she''s no longer a Hank. She has been adopted by Ryan Harris. I know you''re a businessman, and you''re likely trying to get her now because you know she stands to inherit all that belongs to her mom and grandparents, but it won''t work. You and your family are not allowed anywhere near her, and I suggest you don''t try anything stupid, else we will make sure you''re unable to carry out your business here." With that, Mr. Moore hung up the call.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    Tom''s frown deepened as he dropped his hand and slid his phone into his pocket and he massaged his temple.

    Kimberly''s uncle was a government official and he knew that had not been an idle threat. He had what it took to 1 cause trouble for his business over there.

    Tom jolted when he felt Lucy''s arms came around him.

    "Good morning," she said softly.

    "Good morning, Jewel. When did youe in?" He asked as he turned to look at her with a soft expression.

    "While you were on the phone. What''s going on? You seemed tense," she said, and Tom sighed before exining the situation to her.

    "They changed her name? When? Why? And how can he think you''re interested in Dawn''s wellbeing because of her inheritance?" Lucy asked incredulously.

    "I''m not sure," Tom said, rubbing his eyes.

    "It would have been easier for you to handle this had it been Ludus," Lucy said, and Tom

    nodded.

    "I''m sorry you''re being so stressed over this," she said softly, knowing that she was the reason Tom was involving himself this much.

    "What can I do? If we had known something like this would happen we would have handled the situation more delicately back then. Right now I don''t want to get into involved in this drama especially now that I''m being used of showing concern for her because of her inheritance," he said with a frustrated sigh and Lucy embraced him.

    "I understand," Lucy whispered, feeling saddened by it all, and even more so for Jamal who had traveled all that way to be with Dawn only to be disappointed.

    Before either of them could say another word, Tom''s phone rang with a call from Harry.

    "We just received confirmation that Ryan is out of the country. He left with Dawn to get her surgery for her face. They im she sustained severe injuries on her face. Your parents want us to return to Ludus and wait until we receive news of her wellbeing," Harry said, and t "Were you able to talk to Kimberly''s uncle?" Harry asked, and Tom told him about the

    conversation.

    "That''s bullshit. Why would he think that you''re over the kid''s inheritance? The fact that he said something like that makes me even more concerned," Harry muttered. "There is nothing we can do right now. You shoulde back. Leave some men to keep an eye on things there. Let''s wait and see how this ys out," Tom suggested before hanging up. "I''m sorry, Jewel. I have no idea when or how you''re going to see Dawn, but it''s out of my hand," Tom said, and Lucy nodded.

    "It''s okay. I understand. All we can do now is hope and pray that she will alright," she said with a soft sigh.

 Chapter 1004: Interview

    Chapter 1004: Interview

    ?

    Two Weeks Later

    The vibrant studio of Good Morning With Eric Howell Show buzzed with energy. Cameras swiveled, catching every angle, while a crew of producers and assistants moved efficiently in the background.

    The ss table reflected the bright lights of the set, and seatedfortably on the plush gray couch were Tom and Lucy, both impably dressed, their hands intertwined.

    Tom wore a tailored navy-blue suit that highlighted his sharp features, while Lucy stunned in a white two piece pant suit with a deep neckline.

    Eric Howell, with his trademark grin, leaned forward, excitement radiating from his every word. Beside him sat Alicia, whose warm smile added a touch of grace to the lively atmosphere.

    "Wee back, everyone!" Eric''s voice boomed. "We have a treat for you this morning. Joining us are two of the most talked-about lovebirds in all of Ludus. Ladies and gentlemen, please give a warm wee to our guests. They''re none other than Thomas Hank, and his very delectable fianc��e, Lucinda Perry!"

    Apuse erupted, and Tom gave a small wave while Lucy smiled shyly.

    "Thank you for having us," Tom said, his deep voice calm and confident.

    "It''s such a pleasure to be here," Lucy added, her tone soft.

    Eric leaned back, sping his hands together. "Now, let''s dive right in! Your engagement party was the talk of the city. I mean, it trended for days and has been one of the most searched topics till now. But there''s one thing I still can''t wrap my head around. Did you both really propose at the same time?"

    Tom and Lucy exchanged amused nces before bursting intoughter. "Well," Lucy began, still chuckling, "it''s true. We did."

    "No way!" Alicia eximed, feigning shock. "How does that even happen? Lucy, were you just tired of waiting for Tom to pop the question?"

    Lucy''sughter bubbled again and Tom joined her. "Not exactly! I''d always told Tom I wasn''t interested in marriage or kids. So, when I changed my mind, I thought it would be a fun surprise to pop the question."

    Eric''s eyebrows shot up. "Wait a second. Tom, she told you she didn''t want to get married, and you still proposed? What were you thinking?"

    Tom''s grin widened, and he shrugged yfully. "I was hoping she''d change her mind eventually, and she did."

    "And I did," they said simultaneously andughed as Tom raised her hand to his lips.

    "Talk about optimism!" Eric teased. "But seriously, how did you feel when she proposed back to you?"

    Tom leaned forward, his eyes sparkling with genuine emotion. "You should be asking how I''m still feeling because, honestly, I haven''t gotten over it yet."

    The studio erupted intoughter, including Eric and Alicia. "Wow," Eric said, shaking his head. "You two look so in love."

    "I feel even more in love than I look," Tom said, ncing at Lucy. "She''s the best thing that''s ever happened to me. Absolute best."

    Lucy''s cheeks flushed, but sheughed softly. "The feeling is mutual," she said, her voice brimming with affection.

    Alicia chimed in. "Do you two have ns to get married anytime soon?"

    Tom and Lucy nodded in unison. "We do," Tom confirmed. "And it''ll be sooner than you think," he said with a grin, and Lucy giggled again.

    The hosts exchanged intrigued nces, "Something tells me it is an exclusive ceremony. Well, we hope we get an invitation."

    "Fingers crossed," Alicia said with an hopeful smile while Tom and Lucyughed.

    "Now, Tom, let''s talk business. We know that yourpany has been making great strides. What''s next for I-Global?"

    Tom straightened slightly, his professional demeanor kicking in. "At I-Global, we''re focusing on expanding into emerging markets while strengthening our existing foundations. The goal is to remain innovative and inclusive."

    "Impressive," Alicia said. "And what about you, Lucy? What''s next on your te?"

    Lucy smiled. "I''m working towardsunching my fashion line, so that''s going to be my main focus. I''m also looking forward to my wedding, and spending more time with my family and friends. And-" she paused, her expression turning more serious-"I''m starting a foundation for young women who''ve experienced abuse or trauma. My goal is to help them get the support and resources they need to rebuild their lives."

    Alicia''s expression softened since she understood Lucy''s reason for it. "That''s incredible, Lucy. Truly inspiring."

    "Yes. That''s my Jewel. She''s incredible," Tom said, looking at her with undisguised love and admiration.

    Lucy giggled as she elbowed his side yfully, to remind in that they were on live television. "Thank you," Lucy said to Alicia.

    The interview continued for a while and as the interview wrapped up, Eric stood and extended a hand. "It''s been a pleasure and a honor having you both here. You''re an inspiration to

    many."

    "Thank you for having us," Tom said, shaking Eric''s hand.

    As they stepped out of the studio into the crisp afternoon air, Lucy exhaled deeply. "Well, that''s over. I''ve been dreading this for weeks."

    Tom chuckled. "You were amazing," Tom said and sheughed.

    "It''s hard to take your word for anything cause you believe everything I do is amazing," she said, and Tom chuckled.

    "But it''s the truth. Everything you do is amazing," he said, making her giggle.

    "That''s exactly what I mean. I''ve got to run. The girls are waiting for me. We are having lunch together to discuss our first project for the year."

    Tom raised an eyebrow. "Another meeting? I thought you girls met on Saturday? Today is Tuesday," he said, and she giggled.

    She nodded. "Yes. It''s an impromptu meeting. It won''t take long since it''s work hours. Besides, after now I''m going to be too busy with nning the wedding, you know that."

    "Supervising not nning," Tom corrected, and Lucy rolled her eyes, "I will drop you off," he said, leading her to the car.

    As they drove, Lucy''s phone buzzed with a news notification. She nced at the screen and

    sighed softly.

    "What is it?" Tom asked, ncing her way.

    "It''s about Dawn. Ryan Harris has released a press statement. He says his daughter, Genevieve Harris, is fine now and recovering after her surgeries. He thanked the public for their support and prayers," she said as her eyes skimmed through the page.

    "Did he attach a picture?" Tom asked, and Lucy shook her head.

    "Nah," she said softly.

    Over thest two weeks the family had been unable to get ess to Ryan, and he had gone as

    far as getting a restraining order against them and taking them to court, using the press statement Tom had issued about Dawn not being his daughter as evidence that the Hank family didn''t want Dawn, and were onlying for her now because of what she stood ton/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    inherit.

    They had all decided to not fight it and watch from afar to make sure Dawn was fine and wait until she was old enough to understand the situation and take her ce in the Hank family.

    Tom nodded, his expression thoughtful. "I''m d she''s okay."

    "Me too," Lucy said quietly. "It''s such a relief to hear."

    They exchanged a look of mutual understanding before continuing their journey in

    comfortable silence.

    Tom dropped Lucy off at the lounge where she was supposed to meet with the girl before

    returning to his office.

    As Lucy she stepped through the ss doors of the lounge, she adjusted the strap of her purse on her shoulder as she scanned the room for the girls.

    She spotted them seated in a cozy corner,ughter and warm conversation already in the air.

    But as she approached, her steps faltered.

    Sitting among them was someone she hadn''t expected to see- Anita.

    Lucy froze for a moment, her heart pounding. The memories of theirst encounters shed

    through her mind like quick snapshots. Her stomach churned, and she swallowed hard before

    finally making her way over.

    "What''s going on here?" Lucy asked, ncing at from Jade to Lisa.

    The chatter around the table died instantly. Anita stood up, her usual confidence was gone, reced by something Lucy had never seen before- uncertainty.

    "I... I didn''t know how to approach or face you, Lucy," Anita began, "I''ve been wanting to apologize, but I didn''t know if you''d even want to hear from me. So, I asked my sisters if I

    coulde along. Please... I''m sorry."

    Lucy stared at her, silent.

    "If you want, I''ll get down on my knees," Anita added quickly, her voice almost breaking. "I

    know I was a bitch. I''ll do whatever it takes to earn your forgiveness. I''m truly sorry for everything for all the trouble I caused and for hurting you."

    Before Lucy could respond, Lisa stood up beside Anita, her hands sped in front of her.

    "Lucy," Lisa said gently, "she means it. She''s changed. Please, forgive her. She''s been trying to figure out how to make amends for weeks now."

    Lucy nced at Jade, and she shrugged. Lucy sighed as she faced Anita. "I''ve forgiven you. I did after you released the apology video," Lucy said finally, her voice softer than before. Anita''s shoulders sagged with relief. "Thank you," she whispered, her eyes glistening. She picked up her bag and took a step back, as if preparing to leave.

    But Lucy spoke again. "Wait."

    Anita paused, looking back at her.

    "If you''d like to join us there is a spot for you here too," Lucy said, gesturing to her previously

    upied seat at the table.

    Anita''s eyes widened in surprise. "Really?"

    Lucy nodded. "Yes. If you want to be a part of this like your sisters, you''re wee."

    A small, hesitant smile broke across Anita''s face. "I''d love to," she said softly, "I''d really love

    to."

    "Then sit down," Lucy said with a faint smile of her own. "You''re wee."

 Chapter 1006: Long Day

    Chapter 1006: Long Day

    ?

    The following morning, Lucy woke up when a sharp wave of nausea rolled through her, jolting her fully awake.

    She clutched her stomach and sat up quickly, her breathing shallow. The queasiness grew worse, forcing her to stumble out of bed and rush to the bathroom.

    Tom stirred as he heard her footsteps and the sound of retching from the adjoining bathroom. Concern etched on his face as he hurried out of bed and went after her.

    "Jewel?" he called softly as he pushed the bathroom door open. Lucy was hunched over the toilet, her hands gripping the edge of the seat as her body convulsed.

    "I''m fine," she managed weakly, waving him off between bouts of vomiting.

    Tom crouched beside her, gently pulling her hair back and rubbing her back in slow, soothing circles. "This doesn''t look fine to me," he said, his voice soft with worry as he filled the sink cup with water and handed it to her to rinse her mouth.

    When Lucy leaned back, her face was pale and her forehead glistened with sweat. She shook her head weakly. "I''m okay. I''m sure it''s nothing serious."

    Once she was done, he helped her to her feet, "Come on, let''s get you back to bed," he said, and guided her back to the bedroom with his arm firmly around her waist.

    "We have to get ready for work. It''s almost time for the rm to go off," she said, gesturing to the clock.

    "You are now your own boss. You can go to the office whenever you choose. Rx," he said as The led her to the bed.

    Once she was settled under the covers, he perched on the edge of the bed. "Let me call Harry and ask him to cover for me," he said, reaching for his phone.

    "I''m okay..."

    "No, you''re not. I think your morning sickness has started," he said as he picked up his phone. "It''s not a big deal. I''ll be okay. You have to go to the office, Tom. I''ll manage."

    Tom scoffed lightly. "There''s no way I''m leaving you like this."

    Lucy tried to protest. "You don''t have to-"

    Tom cut her off with a shake of his head. "No arguments, Jewel. Harry can handle things at the office. My priority is you and our babies."

    Lucy sighed, too drained to argue further. It seemed like she had woken up with bone deep fatigue. She leaned her head back against the pillow and closed her eyes as Tom made the call.

    "Good morning, Harry," Tom said into the phone.

    "To what do I owe this pleasure? Did you dream of me?" Harry asked as he moved away from the bedroom where Jade was still fast asleep.

    Tom smiled, "I need you to take over today. Lucy''s not feeling well, and I can''t leave her alone."

    "What''s wrong? Is it the pregnancy symptoms?" Harry asked with concern.

    "Yeah. I think so. You can have them push back the meeting with Mr ckwood and the others."

    "Sure. Focus on Lucy. I''ll handle things here," Harry assured him.

    "Thanks," Tom said before hanging up.

    Tom turned his attention back to Lucy."You should try to sleep while I go down to prepare your breakfast," he suggested.

    Lucy wrinkled her nose. "The thought of food is making me sick," she murmured.

    Tom frowned. "But you need to eat something, Jewel. Your ulcer won''t take this lightly, and neither will the baby."

    Lucy groaned softly. "I can''t even think about eating right now. And..." She hesitated, her voice dropping. "I think my mouth is producing excessive saliva right now," she said as she rose to go spit some out.

    Tom''s expression softened. "Alright," he said, kissing her forehead. "I''ll find something that might help with the nausea, and I''ll get you a container for the spits so you don''t have to go to the bathroom too often. I readdies get stuff like that."

    As Lucy headed for the bathroom, Tom hurried downstairs, and with the help of Samantha and the dietician he had employed he brewed a weak ginger tea and poured it into a small thermos. He also grabbed a clean, colored sippy water bottle, rinsed it thoroughly, and brought everything back to the bedroom.

    When he entered, he heard her retching in the bathroom and he set the items on the nightstand before going to join her.

    His heart ached at the sight of her looking so small and fragile by the toilet bowl, her skin pale and her hair clinging to her damp forehead.

    He handed her a cup of water and towel again. "Jewel, are you sure we shouldn''t go to the hospital? You look-"

    "I''m fine," Lucy interrupted as she took them from him, "Morning sickness is normal. It''ll pass," she said before rinsing her mouth and flushing.

    Tom exhaled, clearly unconvinced. "If you say so, but I''m still not leaving your side."

    He helped her back to the room once again and handed her the sippy cup. "You can spit into this even when you''re in public, no one would know."

    Lucy turned her head slightly and spit into it, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. "I hate this," she muttered.

    Tom patted her back. "It will pass."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    She leaned against him, her voice muffled. "While talking to Sonyst night I was feeling smug about not having morning sickness. Then it hit me, like the universe was saying, ''Not so

    fast.""

    Tomughed softly. "I heard it''s usually like this with first pregnancies."

    Lucy managed a weak smile. "Maybe it''s to discouragedies from wanting more kids." Tom nodded. "I agree. I don''t think I want to see you going through this more than once." "Well, this is just the beginning. Let''s wait and see if it gets better or maybe there''s a fun part to it. There has to be a reason somedies keep popping out babies," she said, and Tom chuckled, d that she could make jokes.

    Tom cuddled her close for a moment and after a while, he asked, "Are you sure there''s nothing you feel like eating? Maybe I can make you a smoothie? Something light?"

    Lucy wrinkled her nose but nodded reluctantly. "I guess I could try."

    "Perfect. I''ll make one for you," Tom said, his determination evident. He kissed her temple before heading back to the kitchen.

    As he made his way to the kitchen, Tom texted Amy to let her know that Lucy wouldn''t being to work and she could handle things.

    He didn''t want her to worry about thepany while she was feeling so unwell.

    After preparing a simple banana, apple and watermelon smoothie, Tom returned to the room and found Lucy reclining against the pillows, her eyes closed and the ss of ginger tea was

    empty.

    He set the smoothie down and kissed her cheek. "Jewel, I let Amy know you''ll be resting today. Now, try this," he said, handing her the ss.

    Lucy took a tentative sip, resisting the urge to gag. "It''s not bad," she said even though she really didn''t feel like drinking it.

    "Why do you then look like you want to throw up?" He asked, and she grimaced.

    "I don''t think anything can stay down. But since you made it I feelpelled to take it," she

    said as she leaned into him, her head resting on his shoulder.

    "Take only a few sips. You don''t have to finish it," he said, and Lucy took a few sips.

    "See? I knew you could do it," Tom said, his voice full of encouragement as he took the ss

    from her.

    Lucy Despite the fatigue and difort, she felt a sense offort in Tom''s unwavering

    care.

    "Thank you," she murmured.

    Tom smiled, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "For you and our little ones..." before

    Tom could finish Lucy hurried out of bed and made a beeline for the bathroom.

    Tom groaned as he went after her. It was going to be a long day.

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